Camp
P3X-234
January 13, 2000

Jack ducked to get out of their makeshift lean-to and shielded his eyes from the bright sun. It was morning on the planet but already incredibly warm. Their shelter didn't offer much respite, he could feel sweat dripping down his back and his shirt clung to his skin. He didn't recall who'd made the suggestion for this particular planet or if Teal'c had decided on his own, but he made a mental note to memorize a list of nice and safe planets when they got back to the SGC. Just in case.

"I thought you said it was nice here this time of year," Ferretti grumbled as he exited the lean-to and brushed past Jack. They had abandoned formalities along with their vests and jackets on their first day on the planet. Jack had two ranks on Lou but they were both SG team leaders and had been friends for years. Teal'c technically wasn't even military and over twice his age.

He shrugged and, after wiping sweat from his brow, joined the two men on one of the logs Teal'c had dragged over to their camp. "I guess that must have been P4X-234."

The Major snorted and started rummaging through his pack. "Easy mistake to make, I suppose."

"We should call the planets something that's a little easier to remember."

"I believe it is based on a binary code the dialing computer uses for extrapolation," Teal'c said with a raised brow.

Ferretti tossed Teal'c two MREs and another in Jack's direction, smirked at him. "And if I recall correctly, Captain Carter is responsible for the dialing computer and its programming. So, I guess I'll let you broach that subject with her."

Jack narrowed his eyes at his friend and he just knew Teal'c had the Jaffa version of a smirk on his face without looking his way. "Me, why?"

"Because I was there when you appeared as a hologram," Ferretti said. "And, oh, I've been around for a few years and saw first-hand everything you did to bring her back to Earth."

"Indeed."

So, Ferretti was aware of his feelings too. Great. Just what he needed. After arriving on this jungle planet he finally had the opportunity to talk with Teal'c since his little vacation and he'd told him the truth about Ife's paternity – the Jaffa had simply looked at him knowingly and offered his 'felicitations'. Did everyone at the SGC know? "So, it has nothing to do with me being the fearless leader of SG-1?"

Teal'c took no pity on him, the corners of his mouth curling up while Ferretti laughed aloud. "It has not, O'Neill."

"Well, damn."

"Hey, I don't blame you," Ferretti said in between chuckles. "Carter is hot and seeing how she bounced back after Grieves screwed her over, I'd say she's pretty badass too."

Teal'c tossed the wrapping of his first MRE in the bag they'd designated as trash and opened his second one. "I concur, Major Ferretti."

Jack decided ignoring them was the best course of action for now and focused on his own meal – chicken or mac and cheese, he couldn't tell. Talking about Sam only reminded him of how much he missed her and Ife. How had he done this the first time around, with Sara and Charlie? Back then, he'd frequently been sent off with little notice and no idea when he would return. Some of the missions had been just a few days, others weeks. Then there were the ones that had gone FUBAR and he'd eventually returned home broken after months away.

God, he hoped Sam knew they'd made it off-world safely and that the ship had actually blown up and destroyed all the Replicators. There hadn't been any communication possible after they'd jumped through the gate aboard Thor's ship because of how they'd timed it. He found it hard to believe an explosion like that hadn't altered the ship's course, not when Sam and a room full of geeks had come up with the plan. And there was no way the Replicators could have survived reentry in the atmosphere… right?

Sighing, he stretched his legs and tried to get comfortable on the hard log. Hopefully, it wouldn't take too long to get the beta stargate hooked up. Assuming it could be done… Jack dismissed the thought right away; Sam had come up with the idea to beam up the stargate from the SGC and use it to escape, like she and Daniel both had on Apophis' mothership. She wouldn't have suggested it if the beta stargate couldn't take its place. And with her and Catherine both present, it shouldn't take the two women long to get it up and working.

"So," Ferretti said, using his empty MRE wrapping to fan himself, "we kinda saved the planet."

"It was O'Neill and myself who endangered our lives to execute the plan."

Jack smirked when Ferretti nearly did a double take at Teal'c's reply and if he himself hadn't known T better he might have fallen for it as well, especially with that poker face. "Yup. Think Hammond will arrange for a little fanfare in the gate room for when we get back?"

The Jaffa tilted his head as if considering it. "I do not."

"But why not? Like Lou said, we did save the planet. That should not get old."

"Exactly! We," Ferretti cut in heatedly, indicating the three of them with a hand movement, "saved the planet!"

Jack enjoyed riling him up as much as Teal'c and played along, shrugging. "Well, Teal'c and I did. You were hiding out with Thor for the most part, just passing along information from the geeks at the SGC."

He harrumphed, gesticulating wildly with his spork. "I was right there with you keeping the Replicators at bay to get the gate working!"

"O'Neill and I patrolled the corridors and fought off the Replicators for the entire duration of the mission."

"Teal'c risked his life several times over by placing the explosives outside the ship!"

He simply nodded in confirmation. "Indeed."

Ferretti's face was slowly turning red and he seemed at a loss for words for a moment. "But I saved you by beaming you aboard," he spluttered.

"For which I am grateful, Major Ferretti."

"We did it all together. It was a team effort," he protested.

Jack clasped Teal'c's shoulder and grinned at Lou. "Yeah and the team in question was SG-1."

Teal'c pointedly looked down at the contact until Jack removed his hand and then he turned to the Major. "You were simply along for the ride, as the Tau'ri say," Teal'c said.

"What?!"

Jack was starting to feel sorry for Lou and worried he might get a stroke or heart attack if he didn't calm down, so he waved dismissively and said, "We're just messing with you."

"Indeed," Teal'c said with a small grin. "It was most amusing, Major Ferretti."

"Hilarious," he replied dryly.

Ferretti had never been one to sulk though and thus it wasn't surprising when he spoke up again a few minutes later. "So, how long do you think it'll be before we can go back home? Do we need to hike back to the gate to dial Earth again today?"

"A couple of days at most." Jack had no idea if that was true but surely it was just a matter of hooking the beta gate up to a system that was already in place? "Hammond probably called to get it released from storage right away, then it has to be flown over, equipment to lower it into the mountain has to be set up…"

The Major nodded and pulled the hem of his shirt away from his skin. "I'm so ready to leave this humid jungle."

Teal'c got up and moved over to a sheltered spot a few feet away, where he'd been doing his meditation thing the past few days. "As am I, Major Ferretti."

"A shower would be nice," Jack commented. "Or a lake, to do some fishing."

"There's no real reason we have to stay here."

Ferretti made a good point but at the moment, Jack was a little short on gate addresses to safe planets. "Do you have any suggestions?"

The SG-3 commander lifted his canteen and poured water over himself. "Anywhere but here? Honestly, I'd take being chased by a bunch of Jaffa over this."

"Teal'c?"

"I do not prefer a combat situation," he said, from his spot on the jungle floor. "However, I would not mind using this opportunity to resume visiting my family."

Jack clapped his hands and got to his feet. "All right then. We'll go visit Teal'c's wife and kid. Any idea where they're at?"

The Jaffa looked as surprised as he'd ever seen him, but after exchanging looks he nodded in understanding. They both knew what it was like to be away from loved ones. "When Stargate Command recalled me Drey'auc spoke of rejoining Master Bra'tac."

"We gonna visit the Rebel Jaffa?" Ferretti asked, looking a little excited. "Nice. I haven't had the chance to read up on the latest developments. Seeing what Bra'tac and Captain Carter have started with my own eyes is a hell of a lot better than reading it from some report."

"Do you know the address, T?"

Teal'c rose smoothly. "I do."

Stargate Command
Colorado Springs, CO
January 14, 2000

Major Davis had pulled some strings after the General ordered the second stargate to be taken out of storage but while the beta gate had arrived shortly after SG-1 beamed up the one in the gate room, Sam still hadn't managed to install it. Standing precariously on a ladder to check one of the stabilizers she let out a sigh of frustration. After jotting down some notes on her clipboard she glanced down to where Catherine was talking to some of the technicians.

"This one is working just fine," she called down. Pretty much as expected. The stabilizers or any of the hardware being the cause of the technical difficulties they were experiencing with the beta stargate was rather improbable.

"Come on down then, Samantha," Catherine said, looking concerned.

Sam clambered down and joined them. "Even without the additional hardware the stargate should be operational. Well, except for the dialing computer."

Sergeant Siler scratched his head and gave the gate a critical onceover. "Should we attempt a manual dial, Ma'am?"

"Theoretically it should be possible," Catherine said slowly.

Sam shrugged and handed him her clipboard to double-check the results. "That would depend on how this stargate was activated the last time. If it was dialed with the DHD then leftover energy should still be stored in the capacitor-like reservoirs."

Catherine's brows lifted in surprised and it made her realize that she'd just used knowledge obtained from Herit's memories – she'd gone over all the research materials at the SGC and there was nothing about the reservoirs or the stargate's capacity to store energy converted from the internal functions. "Can we test it, Samantha?"

"The inside wheel will unlock and spin freely once there is enough reserve power," she replied.

"Then I guess I'd better start removing my equipment to give it a chance," Siler said.

Catherine nodded in approval and took Sam by the arm, walking a few feet away for some privacy before she spoke, "Do you have any other suggestions?"

Wincing, she heard the unasked question and, perhaps, accusation. Clearly, she had knowledge she hadn't shared with the other scientists. Sam had been so busy trying to catch up with everything that adding information had been more of an afterthought. And, she admitted to herself, she'd tried hard to keep Herit's memories suppressed because lately they'd been less about helpful knowledge and more about darker… stuff.

Shaking herself, she shot the older woman an apologetic look. "If this fails, we can try to hook up the naquadah generator to the stargate to see if that'll work as an alternate power source. If that's the case, then we know the problem is in the connection between the stargate and the dialing computer."

"Is the naquadah generator still in your lab?"

"Yeah, I haven't gotten the chance to work on it since Jack disappeared." Well, there had been opportunities between all the waiting she supposed, but working on a side project to satisfy her curiosity was the last thing on her mind.

Catherine turned around and instructed one of the technicians to retrieve the naquadah generator so she could install it. "Anything else?"

She shrugged and indicated the control room. "I want to run a diagnostic on the dialing computer and if we manage to connect the beta stargate to our system with the manual dial, reserve power or naquadah generator then we can initiate a correlative update."

"I was under the impression the periodic correlative updates were an automated process, initiated by the stargate network to compensate for stellar drift. This stargate has been used relatively recently – with a DHD I might add – and no important changes have been made to the dialing computer either, so why would such an update be beneficial? Assuming we can, somehow, initiate one ourselves."

"Stellar drift is only one of many reasons for the network to update. It's possible something has changed in one or more of the internal protocols when both stargates were used from the same coordinates-"

"Earth."

Nodding, she tried to explain. "At the time, it may have gone unnoticed because the beta stargate was retired. Or perhaps an update in the software of the dialing computer is responsible. It's hard to tell and I couldn't find any detailed technical reports about the beta stargate from the time SG-1 retrieved it from the NID."

Catherine pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Well, it looks like we've got our work cut out for us. However, once SG-1 is safely back here, I want to talk about the information you haven't shared with us yet."

"Of course," Sam said, biting her lip. She'd known it was inevitable. "Maybe together we can start updating the dialing software afterwards, to improve the way it works. There are up to 400 safety protocols during a dialing sequence but the software I wrote during the Giza Project overrides many of these in order to get a lock."

"That only makes it more incredible that you actually managed to create a dialing computer, Samantha."

She smiled at the compliment, even though she now had a perfectly good understanding of how foolish she'd been by writing the rather crude program that ignored more than half of the feedback signals and safety protocols of the stargate. "I'll get Sergeant Harriman started on the diagnostic. Could you ask Siler to disable the iris and take another reading of the stargate once the naquadah generator is installed?"

Temple
Kheb
January 15, 2000

Jack had to admit it was a brilliant strategic move of Bra'tac to settle the Jaffa Rebels on the one planet the Goa'uld and Jaffa were forbidden to speak of. The glowy Mother Nature alien and her sidekick monk had apparently left after Sha're had taken Shifu back to Abydos, which left the planet uninhabited. No Goa'uld would think to look for the Rebellion on Kheb. That made the untamed wilderness pretty safe for him, Teal'c and Ferretti to wait for the SGC to get the beta gate in working order.

The lack of humidity and extreme heat compared to P3X-234 was a nice change as well as the company, although Jack had to admit he could have done without the Jaffa lifestyle. Or, more precisely, the ritual they were currently undergoing.

"O'Neill."

Turning around, he saw Bra'tac descend the steps of the temple and heading his way. "Bra'tac."

After crossing the distance between them the old Jaffa Master regarded him pensively. "You will not join us, hm?"

"Nah." He tried to look him in the eye but the weird facial hair kept distracting him. "I'm not really into goatees or meditating. Or fasting."

"The Rite of Ābu strengthens a Jaffa's health and warrior spirit. As a Tau'ri, you are not obligated to participate in the chanting or purification. Nor are you required to abstain from sustenance for the duration of the ritual," Bra'tac added with a knowing grin.

Jack shrugged dismissively as he fingered the spool of fishing line in his pocket. Two days of only fruit juice and some kind of broth after midnight wasn't what he'd had in mind when he agreed to visit the Rebel camp. And he really wanted to get some actual food – MREs didn't count. "I know and I appreciate the invite and all, but I'd rather go fishing. Nothing personal."

"Major Ferretti has chosen to participate."

"Yeah, he told me. Good for him."

Bra'tac nodded, rubbing at his new caterpillar-shaped goatee. "Where will you fish?"

Jack waved in the general direction Rya'c had told him about. "Teal'c's kid said there's a lake over there."

"I will take you there."

"That's okay. I explore other planets for a living, think I can find it on my own." Jack lost his smile and raised his hands in supplication at the look Bra'tac gave him. "Or, um, you could take me there."

"Indeed."

Jack followed him when he started heading for the direction Rya'c had indicated and silently wondered why the old coot insisted on accompanying him. After leaving 234 with Ferretti and Teal'c two days ago, the Rebel Jaffa had welcomed them in their midst despite being in the middle of one of their rituals. He'd figured Bra'tac wouldn't have much time for them – and that was fine with him – considering his role among the Rebel Jaffa but here he was. "So, nice little setup you have here."

Bra'tac narrowed his eyes at him and 'hm'ed, keeping up a steady pace through the valley. "An old Jaffa legend spoke of Kheb," he said after a few minutes. "The planet was discovered long ago by a few Jaffa and kept secret from the Goa'uld. Old warriors who could no longer carry a prim'ta would make the journey to Kheb where their kalach learned the path through darkness into the next life."

"And when the Goa'uld heard about it and went to investigate they didn't return," he finished. He'd heard the story before, when they'd been searching for Shifu and Sam discovered the link to Kheb.

"It was forbidden to speak of it."

Jack recognized the glint in Bra'tac's eyes and raised a brow. "Like you'd ever let that stop you, you old coot. Bringing all the Rebel Jaffa here is a good way of saying screw you to the Goa'uld."

The old Jaffa smirked. "All Jaffa are welcomed here. The remaining System Lords are still fighting among each other and will not think to seek here for the Rebels. In the meantime, our ranks will grow until only those who truly believe in the false gods will remain in their service and we can strike to destroy them."

"There must be several hundred over there," he said, tipping his head towards the temple they'd just left. "Maybe even close to a thousand."

"The majority warriors. But also women, children and clergy."

Jack knew from Sam that not all the Rebels were fighters and some hadn't even joined the Rebellion's camps but instead stayed on their home planet to produce food or acquire weapons and other necessities from the Goa'uld. Or even just to offer a safe place to other rebels within a Goa'uld's territory. "Sounds like you're well on your way to getting a big army."

"We do not have the vessels and weaponry the Goa'uld have. An attack now is doomed to fail and will expose our numbers to the System Lords."

"Maybe the time to play nice is over. Our SG teams have gotten their hands on a few ships over the years, you guys should be even better at stealing them with all your experience and the ability to infiltrate the ranks."

"Perhaps."

He took a swig of water and glanced at the Jaffa. "Don't sound too excited."

Bra'tac looked at him wearily. "I am an old man, O'Neill."

"Pshaw!"

"At one hundred and thirty-five my body is no longer what it once was and my prim'ta will mature in the next few years. Then, I shall remain here and hope my kalach will learn the path through darkness into the next life."

Stunned, Jack stopped walking. "That's ridiculous. When Junior's birthday comes up, you'll just get yourself a new one. Teal'c introduced me to Shan'auc, that priestess leading your little ritual. She can probably get her hands on a tank of the little snakes for you."

"No prim'ta will accept a Jaffa my age. It is how old warriors die."

"Well, that's just stupid. Give one of those snakes the choice between an old Jaffa and death, and trust me, they'll choose the old Jaffa. It's survival instinct."

Bra'tac inclined his head and grasped Jack's shoulder. "Even if that were a possibility, I do not know if I have the strength to fight anymore."

Sam hadn't gone into detail of her time with Bra'tac yet, but it was obvious to Jack from the way she spoke about the old Jaffa how highly she thought of him – both as a warrior and a mentor of sorts. Teal'c would probably tell him the same thing and insist that Bra'tac was the strongest warrior he knew. "Sure you do."

"O'Neill-"

"Hey, you started a rebellion with one former host and one apprentice less than two years ago. Today, you have a thousand rebels, all of whom will recruit others while you continue to spread the word. In a few months, you'll have doubled or tripled your numbers. Don't tell me you're giving up now."

Shaking his head, Bra'tac released him and took a step back. "Maybe it is time for someone younger and stronger than I to spread that word."

"With all due respect, Bra'tac, but that's the dumbest thing I've heard you say. You've come all this way and now you're just gonna roll over and die while the System Lords are on their way out?"

"It is not that simple, O'Neill. In my hundred and thirty-five years I have witnessed many atrocities committed by the Goa'uld and stood by and watched while even more Jaffa lost their lives."

Looking a little closer, he could see the weariness on the Jaffa's face. He understood what it was like to feel that way, but he also knew from experience that giving up wasn't the solution. "And over two years ago you had enough and finally took action. Now you've got a growing army of newly rebelled Jaffa who look to you for guidance. They need you more than ever."

Bra'tac made a noncommittal noise and turned away, continuing towards the lake. His head seemed to be held a little higher, though.

Jack followed his lead and when they reached a small wooded area he waited until they'd crossed it single file to pick up the conversation. The lake was visible in the distance when they exited the woods. "So, are we done with this midlife crisis thing of yours? Because I don't think Sam or Teal'c will be very pleased if you keel over anytime soon."

Bra'tac gave him the patented Jaffa look that was usually accompanied with a "silence, human" but didn't say anything and instead picked up the pace. Within minutes they reached the lake and he sat down on a rock, gesturing for him to settle in as well.

Jack got comfortable on a patch of grass after picking up two nearby branches, tossing one to Bra'tac. Fiddling with the fishing line and a hook, he took his time working on his makeshift fishing pole until he was satisfied and cast out his line with a smirk. "You wanna try?"

"I have all I require."

"Suit yourself."

The Jaffa 'hm'ed and pulled out a knife to sharpen the end of the branch he'd been given, working in silence.

Jack wasn't entirely sure what to think of his conversation with Bra'tac. The weariness on the Jaffa's face was clear if you looked closely enough and that wasn't surprising, considering. Bra'tac was three times his own age and even Jack had felt similar once or twice. Then again, he hadn't started a rebellion to free his people. The more he thought about it, the more Jack could understand where Bra'tac was coming from. It wasn't as if the old Jaffa Master had many people to confide in since those closest to him were also the ones he'd mentored or, in like in Teal'c's case, practically raised from childhood.

They continued with their respective tasks in a comfortable silence, until Bra'tac spoke up. "Teal'c informed me it was Sām who devised a means of escape off the Reenlokia vessel."

"Yeah, she came up with a solution just in time. A few minutes later and we'd all been blown up with the ship."

Bra'tac raised a brow inquiringly. "She has returned to Stargate Command then?"

Jack figured he was referring to Sam's status in general and nodded. "When she came to Earth with me she was put on medical leave to recuperate and readjust after everything she'd gone through. She chose to stay in the Air Force and was reinstated a little over a week ago. As a member of the SGC, not on an off-world team."

"She and the sefi are faring well?"

"It took some time but they're… doing okay," he said, after a moment. "It took some time for Ife to adjust to the different lifestyle but now the only thing she still needs to get used to is being separated from Sam. She stays with the wife and children of Colonel Dixon from SG-13 when Sam is at the SGC."

Bra'tac looked at him with narrowed eyes, scrutinizing. "And Sām?"

Knowing how the Jaffa viewed weakness, Jack considered his words carefully. "She's had a lot to process since she came back and certain things to overcome after what she endured at the hands of the Goa'uld."

"Her strength and stubbornness are unparalleled by any human or Jaffa I have known throughout my life. Sām will overcome that which troubles her still."

"I know," he said, impressed by the praise. No wonder Bra'tac had chosen to rebel to follow Sam if that was how he felt about her. "She's coping remarkably well, considering. But some things simply take time."

"Indeed."

Jack's attention was drawn to his fishing pole when he felt a tug on the line and he smirked. The fish he pulled in was bigger than expected and after unhooking it, he used the butt of his sidearm to kill it with a well-aimed knock to the head. Casting a look around, he spotted some kind of plant with large leaves and plucked a couple to wrap the fish in. "Ah, fishing. Well, that's my dinner taken care of."

Bra'tac 'hm'ed and got to his feet, balancing the sharpened branch in his hand and wielding it like a spear. He stepped into the lake, the water at the edge ankle-deep, and quick as lightning he jabbed into the water with the shaft. Holding it up with the sharp end first, he showed the speared fish at the top to Jack. "Fish."

"Fishing Jaffa style." Of course Bra'tac would fish in the same way he hunted. For a race that could meditate for hours on end the Jaffa were pretty impatient in all other aspects of life, in Jack's experience. He made a mental note to check with Teal'c before inviting the big guy up to his cabin for a few days of relaxing fishing in the summer. "You know, fishing is supposed to be relaxing."

"Fishing Tau'ri style?"

This time, Jack rolled his eyes. Jaffa humor was also very different. "Yeah. It's not just about catching the fish, it's about the act of fishing."

The smirk Bra'tac bestowed on him in reply was smug and almost a bit taunting. "I've taught both Sām and sefi to fish. Sām was quite adept at it, Jaffa style."

"You let Ife play with spears?"

"No." The Jaffa Master tossed him his spear and bent down, peering into the water and after a few seconds plunged his hands in the water. As he straightened to his full height, he showed the flopping fish he'd just caught by holding up his hands. "Like this."

Jack tried to imagine his little girl standing there trying to catch fish with her tiny hands. Sure, sometimes she was quick as a whirlwind as she ran through the house and slippery like an eel when he tried to catch, hold or dress her but he didn't think she had the reflexes or fine motor skills required for Bra'tac's way of fishing. All he could picture was Ife pouting or, worse, with a trembling chin as she failed to do the impossible and let the fish slip through her little fingers. "Dare I ask how well that went?"

He tossed the caught fish back into the lake and turned to Jack. "Her attempts were of the same skill as any Jaffa boy."

"So, they all suck at it?"

"It is an exercise in skill and patience. There are, however, certain fish that are nearly immobile in shallow water and Ife has been fortunate enough to catch one." Bra'tac stepped out of the water and glanced at the makeshift fishing pole, smirking. "I believe sefi's fishing would be more fruitful if she adopted her father's approach."

Surprised, he gaped at Bra'tac. Sam hadn't told the old coot the truth because she'd wanted to tell him first and she hadn't seen Bra'tac since she returned to Earth and Teal'c wouldn't deem it his place to inform Bra'tac of Ife's paternity. Had he known all along? Clearing his throat, he held up his hands, "Guess you figured it out a while ago?"

"The similarities between you and sefi are as apparent as the dripping nose of a Setesh guard."

Jack wasn't quite sure what that meant but the knowing look on Bra'tac's face told him it had indeed been obvious and that only a fool wouldn't have noticed. "Personally, I think she takes after Sam in the looks department. She definitely has my loveable personality, though."

"When Shan'auc and I came upon Sām after mesi the sefi was unlike any Jaffa rer I had seen before. However in the coming months the sefi's resemblance to you was undeniable. Among Jaffa rer resemble the father up until they are mes. That was shortly before you arrived on Utcha. It would appear to be similar with Tau'ri youngsters."

"I don't understand half of what you just said, but thanks. I think."

Bra'tac didn't say anything and simply joined him, watching as he started gutting the two fish, wisely keeping any commentary he might have to himself. "Major Ferretti explained the Tau'ri have two chaapa'ai," he said after a while, breaking the silence. "You will use the second one to return home, hm?"

Jack made sure to finish preparing the fish and put his knife away before glancing up at him. "The second gate is the reason we could beam up the first one to Thor's ship to escape. We found it a couple of years ago in a very cold and uninhabited part of our planet.

"Daniel's theory is that the creators of the stargate put it there and then at some point it was lost in the ice, so they brought in a second one thousands of years later. Or the Goa'uld did when they came to Earth. Either way, we can only use one gate at the time, so the second one was put in storage. We're just waiting for Sam and her geeks to get it up and running to be able to go home."

"How much time does Sām require to complete this task?"

He shrugged and started folding the fish in the leaves he'd plucked earlier. "It'll be up any day now. Figured I'll go to the gate and dial up Earth after dinner."

Smiling, Bra'tac clasped his shoulder. "You are eager to return to Sām and sefi. Very well, I will accompany you to the chaapa'ai."