Chapter 07: Treasure Hunting
After spending several days getting the correct clearances to enter Honduras from the US government and the government of Honduras, doctor's Jackson and Lee along with lieutenant Cochrane in appropriate civilian clothing walk into a small open air cantina in a village some twenty miles outside of Tegucigalpa.
"Are you sure that this is the place?" Asks a worried Lee, "I mean it seems a little rundown." he says as he looks around since he spends most of his time in a lab, and hasn't actually been on an archaeological dig before.
"Relax Bill, this is where he said he would be." Jackson said, smirking at how nervous he colleague is about being out in the field instead of his lab and not knowing that he worked in this area before joining the SGC.
"But what if he doesn't show up?" Asks Lee nearly panicking.
"Then we have a few bears, make some friends, and relax while having a good time." Cochrane says as he takes his rucksack off and sitting at one of the tables with Jackson.
"Hola! Muy Buenos Dias, caballeros. Una serveza? Una tequila?" Asked a man carrying a tray as he approaches the table, in Spanish.
"Um, de hecho. Estamos bescondo a una guia llamado Rogelio, et quedo de vernos aqui." Says Jackson also in Spanish, despite the fact that he is very rusty in it.
Which causes the man to shout into the inside of the cantina, "Pedro, hasta cargo, cuatro!" before he set his tray down and taking the remaining seat at their table. "I am Rogelio. Rogelio Duran at your service. This is just my day job, you must be doctor Jackson."
"That's right, this is doctor Lee and our research assistant Mr Cochrane." Said Jackson, using the cover for Cochrane that they had created for him while waiting to leave the SGC.
"Buenos Dias." Says Lee as he reaches across the table to shake hands with the younger man.
"Hi, and please call me Zee, Mr Cochrane makes me feel old or wonder if my father is behind me." Says Cochrane with a smile as he shakes hands with Rogelio after Lee.
"En catal. So," Says Rogelio as he rubs his hands together, "you fella's want to see some temples."
"Actually, we are interested in seeing one temple in particular." Says Jackson as he reaches into the top of his rucksack to remove his map, before looking at it and finding the spot he was looking for on it. "In this area."
"I'm sorry senor but I am afraid that you will find no temples in that area." Rogelio says as he looks at the general area of the map which Jackson was holding. "Now the north that is where you want to go, there are lots of ruins. My cousin has a truck we could be there in a matter of hours."
"Yeah, I'm sure that the temples in the north are great, but the area that we want to go to is here." Insists Jackson using his best 'Jack we are doing this' voice, not that Rogelio knew that.
"Senor, I have been to this part of the country many times, I tell you that there is nothing there." Says Rogelio looking slightly upset, "The north, I promise you that is where you want to go, trust me."
"Either you take us to this area in the south, or we will find someone who will."
"Ok, ok, ok, it's your money." He says trying to placate Jackson as Cochran made a move to get up.
"You said your cousin has a truck?" Asks Cochrane sitting back down, while fighting to keep a smirk off his face.
"Simone, his house is just around the block, of course there is the small issue of having a full gas tank." Says Rogelio which made Cochrane nearly spit his drink at the obvious ploy, while Jackson and Lee exchange a quick glance before Lee pulls out some money from his pocket and starts counting it.
After Lee had placed a few of the larger denomination notes on the table as he moved to put the money away. Just as he was turning his head he noticed that Rogelio was giving him the same sad look that a puppy would give, to which he just mouthed, 'you got to be kidding me', as he placed another large note on the table.
"Ok! Now where in business." Says an excited Rogelio getting up, "Let's go gentleman."
"Um, I'm going to need a receipt or…" Starts Lee before realising that he never going to get one and gives up.
Unknown to the group they had been watched by the leader of a local mercenary group that was scouting for wealthy business men to capture for ransom while he had been drinking his own bear.
-{[]}-
"If Anubis is the one that is truly behind this, then it is believed that it would be his plan to assassinate as many of the minor Goa'uld who are vulnerable to attack allowing him to absorb their equipment and Jaffa in preparation for his battle with the system lords." Says Bra'tac turning from his observations of the fortified embarkation room buried deep within Stargate Command.
"How many of these so called minor Goa'uld's have suffered from these types of attacks?" Asked Hammond as Bra'tac took a seat at the conference room table.
"At least three," Says Bra'tac, somewhat upset, "these new warriors are using tactics which are devastating to the Jaffa."
"I think," Started commodore Hudson, who had come down from the Archangel, "that we need to locate where these things are coming from. Do we have and intelligence which points in that direction?"
"No." Said Selmak/ Carter bluntly.
"It's the fears of the joint chiefs of staff that it's only a matter of time before Anubis shifts his focus back to Earth, and since where still building up our fleet they are a little nervous."
"I'm with them on that, even at maximum capacity my chief engineer says that it's going to be at least six standard months to have the fleet up to at least task-force standard level's." says Hudson.
"These beings are a threat to all that hope to one day see the universe free of the yoke of the Goa'uld and their oppression." Says Bra'tac sounding very much like the seasoned and battle-scarred warrior that he was.
"If doctor Jackson and lieutenant Cochrane's expedition to Honduras is successful and they can in fact recover the device…" started Hammond before being interrupted by Bra'tac.
"Even if they do, we have no guarantee that either the Tok'ra or the Zentradi can devise a viable weapon with which we can defend ourselves with against these warriors."
"From the report that lieutenant Cochrane submitted before left major, you have been unable to learn anything more than a very limited amount."
"Yes sir," Said Carter. "from our examination of both the warrior, its armour and weapons we have learnt only what was in the report that was submitted."
"The only way in which we can learn more is if we interrogate one of these warriors." Said Teal'c, speaking for the first time since the meeting had started.
"Which means that sometime soon we will need to launch a mission to capture one of them alive, sirs."
"Well whenever you decided to launch the mission general, I have an entire battalion of MACO ground assault troopers ready and waiting, not to mention a special-operation assault team that specialize in that sort of thing just sitting around on the Archangel I can transfer down to assist." Said Hudson.
-{[]}-
"What have we got major?" Asked Hammond as he and Hudson walked into major Carters science lab located on level nineteen of the underground base that is the SGC.
"Well sirs," Said Carter as she and a couple of scientist that had come down from the Archangel over the last few days to help out and upgrade the SGC's defences, "our latest tests show that the armour composite used by these warriors is resistant to both the strongest armour-piercing weapons from the armoury and as I stated earlier anything but capital ship grade energy weapons. However the under layer is made up of a close-knit fibre layer which is very similar to that of Kevlar body armour." Moving over to the table in the centre of the lab Carter picked up a small tranquiliser gun. "We think that something small and sharp, such as a nano-fine tipped Trinium dart, should be able to penetrate it." She said as she loaded a dart into the weapon that she had picked up before firing at the model which was wearing the undershirt of the warrior.
-{[]}-
"According to Bra'tac's sources, the fact that this Ramius is still alive will make him a very tempting target." Said Carter as she and colonel O'Neill headed towards the elevator bank heading for the mess hall, "The Jaffa fifth column is large enough that gaining access to the planet should be simple. The plan is to stake out the stargate on the planet, capture the warrior which comes through and exfil back to the SGC with the prisoner."
"What if one doesn't come through the gate?" Asks O'Neill as he swipes his access card through the reader to call the elevator.
"Well, we come home, I guess," Says Carter somewhat bashful, "however let's say that the intel that Bra'tac has is good, we meet with his contacts on the planet, set up a Tok'ra force field trap to contain the warrior then hit it with a tranquillizer that the Zentradi say can take down a rampaging Vajra."
Making a show of thinking on what ensign McCloud had told him about the Vajra before he realised that he may have spotted a flaw in the plan. "How does the tranquillizer dart pass through the shield?"
"There one way sir," Says Carter knowing what he though was most likely a flaw in the plan, "they are designed to keep things in not out."
"Oh right." Said O'Neill as the doors to the elevator opened allowing the pair inside.
"So what do you think?" Asked Carter knowing that her commanding officer was not really paying attention to what she had been saying, a point which was proven a few seconds later as the doors to the elevator where closing.
"Can I have some notes?"
-{[]}-
While all this was happening in Colorado, down in Honduras doctors Jackson and Lee together with lieutenant Cochrane and their guide Rogelio worked their way through the southern American jungle.
"Well according to the map, this is the right place but." Says Lee as he gestures wildly around him panting from lack of breath.
"This makes no sense. The research we used says that all fluid for life flows towards it." Says Jackson as he and the group entered a small clearing not even out of breath.
"Well how is that possible?" Asked Cochrane as pretended to fix his sunglasses, but activated a scanner that was built into them and scanned the area.
"Maybe… the device… has… special properties." Panted Lee "You know like a superstation… or it means that the flow of that waterfall we passed back there flows in the direction of the temple."
"Well it should be right here, but…" Said Cochrane trailing off as his scanners located the entrance to the temple less than a foot from where Lee was standing.
"Nobody ever listens to me man." Complained their guide, "I tell them that there are no temples out here, but they come out here anyways. Now the north, the north has roads, which we could have used to drive to any temple we want, but instead we're here traipsing through this jungle, walking."
"Alright we got it." Said Cochrane cryptically, so not to tip off their guide to the advanced nature of his sunglasses.
"Yeah, ok." Says Jackson, not catching on that Cochrane had already found it. "Let's look for a, erm, temple. In lieu of that a marker or totem of some kind. Anything which might tell us where to go." After a few seconds in which he didn't hear the sound of any movement he turned around to look at them. "Go." He said using his O'Neill stare.
Resigning to the fact that they would have to start looking around Lee and their guide started to move off as Cochrane calmly walks over to Jackson.
"Agh!"
Hearing the scream they all turned to see that Lee had fallen through the roof of the temple, which Cochrane was just going to inform Jackson about.
"Found it." Shouts Lee from down in the hole he had just fallen through.
-{[]}-
At the same time that doctor Lee was falling through the roof of Telchak's temple, light-years away from earth three members of the Archangel's special-operations force Devil Squad, SG1 & 3 and several members of the Jaffa rebellion where walking down the path that they all felt would most likely be the one that the warrior would take in order to enter the pyramid and kill its target, Ramius.
"I believe that this would be the best spot for your plan, this path is the one that leads directly from the Chapa'ai to the pyramid which Ramius commands from." Said a young Jaffa to the assembled group, "I will go now to ensure that your eventual escape through the chapa'ai will be undetected."
"Brother." Says Bra'tac clapping the young warrior on the shoulder.
"Tek ma tee, Master Bra'tac. It is an honour to be in your service."
"Many thanks. Chel nok." Says Bra'tac as the young warrior turned and broke into a run to make good on his promise to the Jaffa master.
Once the young man was out of hearing range O'Neill said. "Right Carter do your thing."
"Yes sir." Says Carter as she moves off to star setting up the force-field.
"Reynolds, and Devil one, I want flanking set up on either side," Continued O'Neill as 'Devil One', otherwise known as lieutenant commander Welsh from the Archangel, began to move off towards the other two members of 'Devil Squad' on the mission, lieutenant Arnold Newman the squad's long-range weapons specialist and second in command and ensign Jake 'Rocky' Rockwell, their land-operations and explosive materials expert, switching to a private channel used by devil squad.
"Rocky, start setting up those capture mines you got."
"Yes boss."
"Newman over-watch full stealth till exfil."
"Got it." He said as he activated the built in tactical cloaking device of his sniper variant of the exo-frame used by the special forces of the Archangel.
"… claymores." Finished O'Neill.
"Not much faith in 'Plan A'?" Asked a sceptical Reynolds as Welsh turned back to face the pair.
"Since when has plan 'A' ever worked?" Asked O'Neill in mock seriousness.
"Right." Said Reynolds moving off as Welsh smirked behind the polarized view plate on helmet for the command variant of the same exo-frame as Newman and Rockwell.
-{[]}-
Picking up his canteen again which he had dropped when he fell through the roof of the temple, doctor Lee moves to the side to allow Jackson and Cochrane to lower themselves down into the passageway that they had just found.
"Watch that first step." Joked Cochrane, which made Jackson think of his SG1 team mate and how he joked at the smallest thing.
Ignoring this thought Jackson turned to his fellow scientist. "You ok Bill?" as they both turned on their right angled flash lights attacking them to their waists as Cochrane dropped down behind them, with his own touch already on, and still wearing his glasses which where tuning clear as if they had reaction lenses.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Well at least you were right when you said that the research was right about their being something here." He said as he shown his torch around, as he and Jackson spotted a very familiar looking circle on the floor behind Cochrane.
Looking back up towards the surface where they had just dropped down through at their guide Jackson said, "We're going to have a look around stay here ok."
"You got it senor. Have fun." He says waving to them and showing that he had a radio.
Half an hour later after following the main corridor and noticing the distinct lack of Goa'uld technology lying around lee commented, "Looks like this place has been picked clean by someone?" With a questioning tone.
"Well hopefully not completely, I mean there was still a set of transport rings back where we came in." Said Jackson leading them further into the temple like structure.
"Is this cramped thing getting to you guys?" Complains Lee, "I mean why make this passageway so narrow?"
"Maybe they were skinny people." Suggested Jackson with a sly half-smile.
"And the roof as well, Frack! My head. Deculture thank the maker that I ain't Macronized." Moans Cochrane rubbing the back of his head.
"Short, skinny people." Said Jackson thinking of Thor's people that he had meet a few years ago.
"It's a dead end." Said Lee as the team entered into a large chamber with no other exit.
"I don't get it." Says Cochrane as he once again activates the scanner function on them and looking around the chamber.
"There's nothing on the walls or ceiling, no other obvious ways out except for the way just came in, no glyphs, seals, Goa'uld writing, Ancient script not even a simple pictograph." Said Jackson a little disappointed since he knew that both the Goa'uld and the Ancient's seemed to suffer from hypergraphia.
"Isn't there always some writing?" Asked Lee, proving that he had seen one to many episodes of MacGyver. "You know, I mean somewhere." Which earned him a pair of stares, that would make even Teal'c proud, at their fellow tomb raiders dumbness, "or maybe not."
-{[]}-
Around the same time that the group in Honduras was entering the chamber in the temple, the stargate on the planet which Ramius had set himself up on activated and a single being stepped through, this being wasn't a normal person or a Jaffa but a super soldier and stopped just past the event horizon.
Once the gate had shut down the warrior began to head in the direction of the pyramid, and right into the trap that had been set up by the forces of the SGC. Once the warrior was out of hearing range the members of SG3 that had been left behind to monitor the gate radioed SG1
"Sierra Golf one nine, this is Sierra Golf three sierra. Target just came through the gate and is reroute to your location."
-{[]}-
Half a kilometre from the stargate the trap team heard this and began to prep their weapons, as O'Neill responded to the gate team, "Copy." before saying to everyone who didn't have a radio, mostly the Jaffa, "Right heads up." as he loaded the darts into the gun.
After about a minute the warrior came into the clearing they were waiting in, and right into the centre of the force field that formed the trap activating it. As soon as the field was activated O'Neill fired off three darts, which all three hit him but failed to knock it out.
"Carter?" Asked a shocked O'Neill that the warrior who was still standing.
"I don't know sir." Said an equally shocked Carter, who had seen just how powerful the creature was that Zentradi tranquilizer was designed to handle.
"Hit him again?"
"Negative colonel," Said Welsh, "That would kill him. The mission objective is capture not kill."
Just then the warrior reached out and touched the wall of the force field directly in front of him before passing right through it.
"Deculture!" Swore all the members of the Zentradi that where on the team, as O'Neill switched to the 50. calibre 'Ma Deuce' they had set up while everyone else opened up on it with weapons ranging from P90 and Jaffa staff weapons to Newman's SRS 99 anti-material sniper rifle, from a range of fifteen thousand meters, and the chest mounted plasma mini-gun and forearm mounted Gottfried's being employed by Rockwell and his 'Fire Force' assault weapons system he had deployed in.
Completely ignoring the amount ordinance which was coming at it the warrior took a couple of paces then opened fire on them, first taking out all of the Jaffa except for Bra'tac who managed to duck just in time, then on SG5 and devil squad who had taken cover behind a fallen log.
Seeing that it was no longer under fire it stared and started to walk off in search of its primary target.
"Fire in the hole!" Shouted O'Neill as he pressed the remote for the claymore anti-personal mines that had been set up in an attempt to disable the warrior. After the smoke cleared everyone was stunned to see that the warrior was still walking calmly through the mass of ball bearings. Seeing this lieutenant Welsh shouted out. "Stay Down!" as she tapped a button on her tactical-PADD of her mark three command exo-frame.
Instantly the whole area was bathed in white light so bright that it looked as if a small star had temporally descended on the clearing as the Zentradi anti-riot capture mines exploded similar to how the a standard flash-bang grenade would only a million times more powerful. When the glare from the capture mines had died down and they could see again, to say that the members of devil squad were stunned would be an understatement, in the middle of the steaming area which had just been turned in to a small sun in terms of brightness and heat, walked the warrior as it hadn't even been in the area before the capture mines had gone off, totally ignoring the combined forces as a death glider flew over their location and the sound of gun-fire could be heard coming from the direction of the stargate.
"Devil one, your positions been made." Said Newman. "I count at least a company size force maybe two, inbound E.T.A. six zero seconds."
"Alright, grab the wounded and fall back to the gate." O'Neill ordered while activating his radio, "SG3 sierra, dial the gate, we're aborting the mission."
"Negative," Came the response over the radio, the sound of weapons fire even more evident, "we have majorly pissed off unfriendly Jaffa forces closing on our position. We can't hold the gate. Repeat the stargate is not secure."
"Soon we will be surrounded." Says Bra'tac having heard the response from the force by the gate. "If we fight many more of us will die." As yet another death glider over flew their position.
"What do you suggest then sir." Asked Newman having come back from the location that he had been at in over watch of the whole operation as it went slowly FUBAR and joined O'Neill, Bra'tac and Welsh while Rockwell was helping the wounded by applying some of the military grade bacta-gel he had to their wounds.
"Surrender." Says Bra'tac full of conviction in his plan. "If we do there is a chance that the rebel Jaffa on this world can free us later."
