Chapter 109: The Rescue Operation Part 2

Palace of Apophis, Saqqara, November 9th, 1999 (Earth Time)

"We have to split up."

"Never split the party," the Colonel replied at once. "Don't tell me you never played Dungeons and Dragons!"

Samantha Carter refrained from rolling her eyes.

"Actually, we still have to play a game," Bow said. "I have a character and a mini ready, but we never seem to get around to setting up a session."

"With good reason, Bow." Catra did roll her eyes. "Seriously, we have to split up. Do you think we can sneak into Apophis's harem with Teal'c's family in tow?"

"You want to sneak into his harem?" Adora asked.

"You want to blast your way inside?" Catra retorted. "Give them time to retreat?"

"And endanger all the other people there," Sam added.

"Yeah, that too." Catra nodded while Adora frowned.

"We could go through the air ducts!" Entrapta suggested. "Like before."

"If it works." Catra shrugged.

Sam nodded in agreement. "Such a huge building has to have extensive air ducts to ensure it remains habitable."

"It might take time to circumvent the various filters and sensors, though," Bow pointed out.

"Yes. Apophis has a layered security system. The most important areas are guarded much more tightly than the rest of his palace," Bra'tac said.

"Well, spend too much on the glitz to impress the neighbours, and you end up not having enough to keep your home safe." The Colonel shrugged. "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy."

"But we don't have unlimited time," Adora said. "And if we're in the air ducts, we can't move fast and are vulnerable if anything happens. Most of us won't be able to do anything while Entrapta, Sam and Bow deal with the security."

That was correct as well. The longer they took, the higher the chances that someone would notice that they had never left the palace. And while she wasn't claustrophobic, Sam would prefer not to be stuck in an air duct during a battle. She grimaced at the thought of being helpless like that.

"It's not as if we can just walk into Apophis's harem or dungeons," the Colonel explained. "I doubt he gives tours to Khalid's finest."

"Then we'll have to change disguises," Glimmer said. "Find a disguise that will allow us to access the dungeons and the harem."

"We can check our data for that!" Entrapta cheered, and her hair flew over their holographic keyboard.

Sam pressed her lips together. She had a decent idea of what they would find based on their past experience. And she knew she would loathe it.

But it was probably the best way to rescue Sha're and Teal'c's family.

Sighing, she joined her friend.

"So… standard guards in the dungeons," the Colonel said five minutes later. "All we need to do is catch a shift change, get their armour, and walk inside."

"And fight off the guards in the dungeons," Daniel added. "Without triggering an alert."

"Timing will be critical. We have to enter both locations at the same time, or close to it," Catra said. "That will be tricky."

"But not impossible. Apophis's Serpent Guard follow a strict schedule - which we know thanks to your efforts." Teal'c nodded at Sam and Entrapta.

"And they work in squads of four," Sam pointed out. They had more than that.

"We could pass one of us as a prisoner to be processed," Teal'c suggested, "if you can insert a fake order of such a transfer into the system. They will not check such an order with their superior, unlike an order to release a prisoner."

And there went Sam's alternative plan.

"Someone's been watching a New Hope again." The Colonel grinned. "Well, it worked on the Empire's cells."

"It ended with the whole team being crushed in a trash compactor," Daniel said.

"I doubt Apophis has such a thing here."

"That leaves the harem. The only ones getting in and out are servants," Catra said.

Female servants chosen for their looks, Sam knew. And they were dressed to show that. She could hide some tools even so, but a zat would be difficult already. And if the Colonel made a joke about this…

"Well, that will work for you," Catra said. "He has a small army of human slaves. But I think I would stick out a bit if I tried to pass as a servant in those clothes." She narrowed her eyes. "And don't even joke about shaving my fur!"

"Oh, I wasn't thinking about that," Glimmer said with a grin that belied her words. "Instead, I was thinking we should use that you will stick out."

"What do you mean?" Catra blinked. "Oh, right." She grinned. "That could work."

"What?" Adora asked.

"We present her as a gift from a vassal - maybe Khalid," Glimmer said.

"And you can bet that Apophis's favourite will personally come to check me out," Catra added. "Saves us the time to try and find her in the harem."

"Oh, right." Adora nodded. "And they won't suspect anything if they don't recognise us."

"But Apophis might hear about that as well and come inspect his gift," Daniel pointed out.

"Even better." Catra grinned and flashed her claws. "Two rats with one swipe."

"And we can use one of you as our guide," Glimmer said, looking at Bow.

"Preferably one who knows the palace and the Serpent Guard's drill," Sam said.

"Right," Bow agreed.

"I shall come with you, then," Bra'tac said. "You, my friend, go free your family."

"Indeed."

Catra wasn't a prude. She had grown up as a Horde cadet in the barracks, with a shared shower and bunk room. But wearing what felt like a few strips of silk, liberated from a store room they had found a bit deeper into the palace, tied around her chest and waist, still felt a bit uncomfortable. Differently uncomfortable than the gold jewellery that Bar'tac had had with him - apparently, he used that to trade for supplies on Chulak. Fine metal rings and chains didn't go well with fur such as hers. Still, she could handle either easily.

But posing as a gift from an underling for his Lord, dressing to attract Apophis's attention? Catra wouldn't mind drawing attention, but the implications of what kind of attention she would catch were a little bit disturbing.

Not that she'd complain about that, of course. She could handle slight discomfort. And it wasn't as if anything actually would happen - if Apophis turned out to be home, she would cut him apart with her claws at the first opportunity. Too bad about his host, but taking out Apophis was worth it, and she couldn't hide a zat or shock rod like this.

She glanced at the others. Adora looked… Well, she was wearing about the same amount of silk fabric as Catra was, but on She-Ra's body.

"I think I should change," Catra's lover complained, tugging at the strips crossing her chest. "I'm sticking out a bit too much like this."

"And if you have to change into She-Ra in front of witnesses?" Glimmer shook her head. "It's safer this way."

'If'? More like 'when', Catra thought. The odds of Glimmer's plan working without a hitch were… Well, she wouldn't bet a brown Horde ration bar on it. "We want to draw attention, remember?" she reminded Adora. "You're not supposed to fade into the background."

Adora nodded with a pout.

Catra snorted when she caught her lover trying to hide how she pulled on her clothes again. "Anyway, are we ready?"

Glimmer nodded. "Yes." She looked determined. Of course, it was her plan, so she couldn't complain about it.

Sam also nodded. "Yes." She didn't seem to be happy either, but that was understandable.

"Yes!" Entrapta nodded eagerly. She probably thought this was a great opportunity to gather more data about the Goa'uld.

"And remember," Glimmer told her, "Don't use your hair."

"I'll remember!" Said hair formed a thumbs-up gesture. From anyone else, that would have been a snarky gesture.

"Then I believe we should move," Bra'tac said, pulling on his newly acquired Serpent Guard helmet.

"Good. And remember: The Alliance doesn't kill prisoners," Glimmer told him.

Catra rolled her eyes. They should have told Bra'tac that before he had used his zat to kill and disintegrate the former owner of his new armour. How could he have known about this policy?

Bra'tac, though, merely nodded. "I shall."

Catra suspected that meant Bra'tac wouldn't take any prisoners from now on and simply kill his enemies. On the other hand, he would know best that not everyone working for Apophis was actually a willing enemy.

Whatever. They were here to save Sha're, not everyone else. "Let's go."

Bra'tac nodded and led them out of the room.

They didn't encounter many on the way to the harem - only one patrol of four Serpent Guards who were easily fooled by Bra'tac and a handful of slaves. For the size of the Palace, it housed surprisingly few people. Apophis probably thought that showed off his might or something, but it was a serious security risk, in Catra's opinion, if intruders could pretty much walk in the open without anyone seeing them - once the cameras had been hacked, of course. Although Apophis's cybersecurity, as Sam called it, wasn't exactly great either.

But now they were reaching the entrance to Apophis's private quarters - of which the women's quarters were a part. And the guards here were sharp. They still stared at Catra, like the others on the way, but she had a feeling that they were sizing her up as a potential threat as much as they were sizing her up. She did her best to look harmless. Like one of the silly catgirls from those Earth animations the Japanese made.

"I bring a gift from Khalid for Apophis!" Bra'tac announced. "An exotic concubine!" He gestured at Catra, who bowed her head in return. Her ears twitched, and her tail swished back and forth. This was it. If the guards checked with the Stargate room or the palace gates, then they would not only have to fight their way into the harem but also find and capture Sha're before the Goa'uld possessing her could escape.

"A Sekhmet?" the commander of the guards asked.

Catra suppressed the urge to scowl.

"No." Bra'tac shook his head. "A species of near-humans from a distant planet, according to Khalid's delegation."

"An unknown world?"

"I would not dare speculate what the mighty Apophis knows," Bra'tac replied. "But it was unknown to the Great Khalid." He sneered at the title.

Catra's ears caught two of the guards softly snorting in their helmets. Good. If they underestimated them, this would be easier.

"Should I take them back?"

"No." The commander shook his head. He turned to look at the two closest guards. "Let them in."

Bra'tac bowed, stepping to the side while the doors - thick, armoured gates - swung open.

And then the commander flicked his hand at them, and Catra and the others entered Apophis's quarters.

So far, so good.

It is a good thing, Jack O'Neill thought as they approached the dungeons, that the prison guards aren't picked from the Serpent Guards' elite. Between the four of them disguised as Jaffa, they had trouble marching perfectly in step with each other. Daniel wasn't a soldier to begin with, Bow apparently never had done formation drills in the Princess Alliance, being 'assigned' by Glimmer to herself from the start, and while Jack and Teal'c had done the drills, the Air Force and the Serpent Guard had different marching cadences.

Still, while Jack would never let it go, it should be good enough for a prison guard duty squad. According to both Bra'tac and Teal'c, that wasn't a high-prestige posting and was generally left to newer recruits. Unless there was a dangerous prisoner that rated special attention, of course. Such as Bra'tac, Teal'c or SG-1.

Teal'c's family shouldn't be in that league. But they were adjacent, sort of. And it was possible that this was a trap for a rescue operation. So far, things had gone a bit too smoothly for Jack's taste. Judging by past experiences, something should have gone wrong by now, and SG-1 should have been scrambling to improvise. Sure, the security at the palace was pretty much like Bra'tac and Teal'c had said it would be, though the Stargate's security had been improved. But shouldn't Apophis have made more changes after both his last two Primes had defected? Tyrants like him were on the paranoid side.

On the other hand, deliberately weakening his palace's security to ambush a rescue team also didn't sound like something Apophis would do. He had to be wary of assassination attempts and coups by rival System Lords and ambitious underlings. That was what life was like when you were the top snake in your snake pit. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

They turned the last corner of the hallway and saw the entrance to the dungeons ahead of them. Four Jaffa stood at attention - just as they had seen on the cameras. They stood straight, with no sign of tiring, but standing straight and not showing weakness was pretty much beaten into Jaffa from their earliest childhood, so that didn't tell Jack anything about their quality as soldiers.

"Halt!" their leader bellowed, holding out his hand. "State your business."

The rest of the group didn't move an inch, just one standing a tiny bit straighter, Jack noticed. Wouldn't elite Jaffa warriors shift around a little, just in case a group of newcomers turned out to be hostile?

"We are to relieve the third guard shift," Teal'c replied.

"They are not scheduled to be relieved until later," the Jaffa retorted.

"I am aware of that," Teal'c told him. "But the orders we received were clear." He moved his shoulders slightly, not quite shrugging.

"A change of orders?" The Jaffa leader had to be scowling in his helmet as he checked his communicator. "Indeed, there is the order for the shift change. Ordered by…" He trailed off.

Ordered by Apophis himself, as the logs would show. That would keep the Jaffa from looking into the whole change. You didn't question your almighty god no matter what they did.

"Why wasn't I informed?" the Jaffa grumbled.

"I cannot say." Teal'c tilted his head. "Maybe the guards we are to relieve are meant to be sent somewhere else?"

The leader scoffed. "Hopefully to Bre'stec. They deserve it."

Teal'c chuckled at that, so it must have been a joke.

"Do your duty, then." The Jaffa nodded at the guard to his left, who stepped aside to speak into a small mic mounted on the wall next to the door.

After a brief exchange, the door slid open, and the rest of the guards moved to let them through.

Inside, eight more Jaffa were waiting. Four were in full armour, standing guard. Another four were sitting at a table, fiddling with their weapons - doing maintenance, if a superior asked, Jack would bet - next to a bunch of glasses and one fancy bottle. One of them stared at Teal'c with narrowed eyes. "What do you want?"

"We were ordered to relieve the third shift," Teal'c repeated himself. "New orders. From the mighty Apophis himself."

"What?" The guy jerked and quickly got up to check the console at the other side of the room, almost pushing the guard there out of the way. A few seconds later, he stood straighter. "I see."

"We are to be relieved?" the armoured Jaffa next to him asked.

"Yes. You are to wait for further orders in your quarters."

"We hear and obey." The other Jaffa sounded wary. Few soldiers ever complained about getting a break from guard duties, but new, vague orders were never a good sign.

While the four Jaffa marched out, the apparent Jaffa in charge scowled at Teal'c. "Take over their duties."

Teal'c bowed, then turned to Jack and the others. "Take up your positions."

Teal'c knew how the system worked, so he'd stay at the console. Jack moved to guard the door to the cell tract proper, leaving Daniel and Bow to stand at the exit. Good positions to catch the other guards by surprise. He peered through the window in the door behind him. The hallway lined with cell doors was empty.

They already knew in which cells Teal'c's wife and son were held, so now they just had to wait for the signal from the other group that they had found Sha're. Or for the alert being raised. Or for something to blow up.

Jack was betting on the last one.

Adora straightened as they left Bra'tac behind and entered Apophis's personal quarters. Focus on the mission, she told herself. She had done this before, when she had boarded Horde Prime's flagship to save Catra. But she had been wearing more clothes back then. And she had arrived openly, demanding to be led to Horde Prime after Darla had smashed through the outer hull of the Velvet Glove. She hadn't sneaked in in disguise. Although her friends had sneaked in.

Like back then, a group of guards faced her, though they were tall, armoured Jaffa instead of tall clones. Their leader looked Adora and her friends over, especially Catra, then nodded. "Follow me." He turned without waiting for a response or just an acknowledgement.

Apophis's personal quarters were decorated even more opulently than the rest of his palace. So much gold - on the walls, inlaid in furniture, as decor… like Horde Prime, the Goa'uld had stuck to his style all the way through. Though most of the palaces of her friends had a theme as well, she reminded herself. Just nothing so… oppressively blatant?

The slaves they saw on the way to the women's quarters - the harem - were wearing more expensive clothes than the ones outside. Mainly because a lot of what they wore was golden jewellery, far more than Adora and the others were wearing.

She still felt self-conscious about her own skimpy clothes. And she was sure that the others felt the same. Well, not Entrapta - her friend was looking around with a big smile, taking in every detail.

Focus on the mission! Adora told herself. They were here to save Sha're. And take out Apophis if he was around - they hadn't found him on the cameras, but those didn't cover his private personal quarters. He probably didn't want anyone, not even the most loyal guards, to watch him when he slept. Or did other things.

But that would just make it easier to take him out. It would take Adora just a moment to summon her sword - and her suit - and deal with him.

They reached another big door with guards in front of it. That would be the entrance to Apophis's harem. The guards here didn't question the Jaffa leading them - they just stepped aside and opened the doors. It was a nice change for once.

The harem itself didn't look very different compared to the outside quarters. Maybe a few more silk tapestries and curtains lining the walls. And no guards, male or female - the one who had led them there stayed outside as well.

But she could see many women, all of them looking at them and whispering as soon as the doors closed behind Adora and the others.

"No, I am not a Sekhmet!" Catra announced, taking a step forward. "I'm a different species." She glared at a few - her ears must have picked up their whispers - and the women shrunk away.

"Then what are you?" a Goa'uld's voice rang out.

Adora turned her head as the women surrounding them parted, bowing their heads, and revealed a slender figure walking towards them, trailed by four slaves. Sha're. No, it was Amaunet, Adora reminded herself - the Go'auld controlling her body. Apophis's queen.

Catra met the Goauld's eyes with a cocky grin. "I am a cat."

Adora pressed her lips together. Catra was… being Catra. Jack would say cattish.

Amaunet sniffed and stepped closer to Adora's lover, making a point of looking her over, and Adora clenched her teeth. If the Goa'uld tried whatever…

Catra cocked her head in return, grinning and striking a casual pose - though her tail swishing back and forth ruined it a little. At least for those who knew her, like Adora.

Amaunet narrowed her eyes and walked around Catra. "You are not a Sekhmet, indeed. And not a Furling." She reached out and grabbed Catra's tail, then tugged.

Catra hissed and straightened, her ears flattening against her head as she glared over her shoulder at the Goa'uld. "It's considered very rude to pull a cat's tail," she snapped, baring her fangs.

Amaunet scoffed and released it. "Not a hoax, then. Not that Khalid would have dared to try to deceive Apophis with such an obvious plot. But others might have fooled him. Where are you from? Did Nirrti create you?"

Nirrti? Adora remembered the name from a briefing. A Goa'uld geneticist? Or biologist?

Catra shook her head with a sneer. "My species was created by the Ancients. The Gate Builders," she added in a slightly condescending tone.

Typical, Adora thought - Catra just had to try and match the Goa'uld's attitude. She glanced around. They had reached their objective. But they were surrounded by the women in the harem. Some of them might fight Adora and her friends if they attacked Amaunet. And what if Jack and the others hadn't infiltrated the prison yet? Until Entrapta reassembled the communicator hidden in her jewellery, they couldn't check in with them.

"Really? Your species didn't amount to much then if we had never heard of you in the time since the Gate Builders left us." The Goa'uld scoffed again. "Then again, the fact alone that you were acquired by Khalid proves that."

Catra flashed her fangs again in a grin but, surprisingly, didn't say anything to that.

On the other hand, judging by Amaunet's sneer, she didn't have to say anything to keep annoying the Goa'uld. Just being Catra was enough. Well, that wasn't a surprise either.

Amaunet dismissed Cara with a sniff and a gesture - and turned to look at Adora. "And who are you?"

"Adora." Adora bowed her head, then forced herself to stand still while the Goa'uld circled around her.

"You're strong," she heard the woman whisper behind her. "And so tall… Have you ever given birth?" she asked in a louder voice.

What? Adora couldn't help it - she turned to stare at the Goa'uld.

What? Samantha Carter glanced at Amaunet, trying to keep her head down - her disguise wasn't the best, to say the least. The Goa'uld hadn't asked if Adora had a child, just if she had given birth, so it was about her fertility? But why was the Goa'uld interested in that? Goa'uld reproduced asexually by spawning larvae. The way Amaunet stared at Adora - at Adora's body… She must want her as a host, Sam realised.

Adora looked puzzled - and wary. "Why do you want to know that?" she asked.

Amaunet narrowed her eyes, and Sam winced. You didn't talk like that with a Goa'uld queen. Or any Goa'uld if you were a slave.

"Watch your tongue, girl," the Goa'uld snapped. She stepped forward and grabbed Adora's ponytail.

Sam tensed. They were surrounded by civilians, but some of them might be disguised guards. Or just slaves willing to fight and die for their gods. If a fight broke out… had the Colonel and the others reached the cell tract already? Sam hated that they didn't have working comms.

But Adora let the Goa'uld pull her head down, towards Sha're's face. "I am Apophis's queen," the Goa'uld hissed. "Your goddess!"

They stared at each other for a moment before Adora lowered her eyes. Sam didn't think that was enough to placate Amaunet.

"Answer your goddess!" The Goa'uld twisted her fist in Adora's hair. And with her enhanced strength…

"I have not given birth," Adora replied. She was clenching her teeth - but probably not because of pain, Sam suspected.

Amaunet frowned at that.

Was she disappointed? Sam wondered.

"Are you fertile?"

Adora blushed at that. "What?"

"Can you have children?" Amaunet snapped, twisting Adora's hair further.

"I… think so." Sam's friend tensed up.

And Catra's ears were flattening, her tail swishing back and forth rapidly. Things were about to boil over, Sam realised.

Then the Goa'uld scoffed and released Adora. "We'll have to test that."

"What?"

Why did Amaunet want Adora to have children? And with whom? If she desired her as a new host, then the only candidate would be Apophis, but Goa'uld didn't reproduce with their hosts. It was taboo, according to what Sam knew. Amaunet and Apophis must be planning something. But what?

"You're about to receive the greatest honour a mortal can hope for - provided your body is fertile," the Goa'uld declared.

And Sam's suspicion was confirmed. She glanced at the others. Everyone was tense. Ready. Even though they were still surrounded, this might be the best opportunity…

"Are you looking for a surrogate mother?"

Sam jerked at Entrapta's question.

Her friend cocked her head at Amaunet. "I mean, it sounds like you want Adora to carry your baby to term if I understood you correctly. I might be wrong, though."

Sam winced. Entrapta's curiosity had gotten the better of her. It wasn't entirely unexpected, too.

The Goa'uld looked puzzled for a moment, then suspicious. "You seem to be quite… educated about this."

"Oh, yes! I've been looking into surrogate motherhood," Entrapta replied cheerfully. "It's a fascinating alternative to more advanced methods when you can't reproduce naturally. Not that it's unnatural, of course!"

Amaunet looked surprised. Sam saw her glance from Entrapta to Adora, to Glimmer and then to Sam. A moment later, the Goa'uld's eyes widened in realisation - or recognition.

"Watch out!" Sam yelled as the woman raised her arm - with a ribbon device!

Catra and Adora launched themselves at Amaunet but crashed into a force field surrounding the Goa'uld.

Then Amaunet used her ribbon device, and Adora was thrown across the room, bowling over a handful of shrieking slaves.

Catra hissed and slashed at the force field, which flickered but held.

Glimmer grabbed a vase before she was tackled by two women from behind.

Before Sam could move to help her, she was attacked herself by a third rushing at her.

Sam stepped to the side and redirected the woman's charge with an Aikido throw, sending her flying into a large vase, which broke under the impact.

Then the alarm sounded, drowning out the shrieks from the fleeing women.

Catra grabbed a heavy wooden bench, but Amaunet hit her with the ribbon device, and she collapsed, screaming as the Goa'uld kept the device going.

"Catra!"

Roaring, Adora charged across the room, sword blazing. One slash shattered the force field. The backswing - with the flat of the blade - knocked Amaunet down, the woman rolling a few yards over the marble floor. She tried to get up, but Adora kicked her in the head and knocked her out.

Sam quickly raced over to relieve the Goa'uld of the ribbon device and her shield generator. If only they had been able to smuggle weapons into the harem! "Check on Catra!" she yelled as she slipped it on. It hadn't been long, but the pain caused by the device would have been excruciating.

Adora quickly took out the last woman fighting with Glimmer while Entrapta moved to Catra, who was groaning and trying to get up. Now that they had Sha're, they had to…

The sound of boots hitting the floor interrupted her thoughts. A moment later, the first Jaffa guard rushed around the corner, staff weapon moving to point at them.

Sam threw herself to the side as the guard fired, and a large, ornate vase vanished in an explosion.

Damn! That hurt! Catra hissed through clenched teeth as she rolled on her front. That snake would pay for…Her eyes widened when she spotted half a dozen - no, more - guards storming into the room, weapons blazing. And her muscles were still shaking!

But before she could force herself to move, she was grabbed and dragged behind an oversized marble bench, just a step ahead of a barrage of staff blasts that blew craters in the wall behind her.

"Catra!" Entrapta gasped as her hair tendrils set Catra down.

"I'm fine!" Catra spat. "We need to move!" Grab Sha're and get out.

"Wait a moment! I need to put the communicator together!" Entrapta replied, crouching down while her hair grabbed the different parts from her jewellery.

"Bra'tac will inform them," Catra told her friend. The old Jaffa would have noticed the guards charging into the harem even if the alert wasn't raised in the entire palace. She grabbed Entrapta's collar and pulled her down when another volley passed overhead.

None hit the bench, though, she realised. Why would…? Ah! They must not want to risk hitting Sha're with shrapnel from blasts! Wounding or killing Apophis's queen - or her host - was probably a death sentence. Catra bared her teeth in a grin. "Stay behind cover¨" she snapped and whirled around. She took two, three steps on all fours, her claws digging into the stone floor, then jumped, sailing over the bench in a shallow arc - and landed in the centre, right next to where Glimmer and Sam were dragging away Sha're while Adora was busy fending off blasts with her sword turned shield to cover them.

"They won't risk their queen!" Catra hissed as she jumped again, flipping in mid-air and hitting the wall to the side feet first. She pushed off moments before a staff blast hit her spot and pounced on the guard before the staff weapon recycled.

He tried to hit her with it instead, but she twisted around his weapon, her hand claws raking his hands, and then sliced her foot claws into his side, through his chest plate. He screamed and dropped his weapons - and a few fingers, and she went down with it, rolling to the side as two guards turned to engage her.

She dug one set of claws into the floor and spun, her legs sweeping the wounded Jaffa off his feet - and into the line of fire of the others. One staff blast hit his chest and blew through his armour. The other went wide and hit a half-wall, showering a corner with stone fragments. Shrieks sounded from that direction, but Catra ignored them and charged the two Jaffa.

Once more, she was faster than the weapons could cycle, but they knew and fanned out, staffs swinging to catch her no matter where she moved.

But she dug her claws in and stopped in the middle of her charge, then jumped as soon as the staffs passed where she would have been a moment later. One Jaffa kept turning, continuing his staff-swing to hit her, but that exposed his back. Catra kicked the other Jaffa's weapon to the side and raked her claws over the turning guard's back, cutting his spine.

He collapsed with a scream, and she landed on all fours, sliding a step before her claws stopped her. Close enough to cut the staff weapon when the other Jaffa brought it up again.

He stared at the stump of his weapon for a moment, making a surprised sound. Catra didn't need more than that to reach him and ripped his throat out with a swipe of her claws.

She kept going, jumping and rolling to throw off the rest's aim. That left…

A Jaffa flew past her, screaming until he hit the wall and bounced.

Adora was in the middle of the remaining guards. What was left of them, anyway. One Jaffa tried to engage her in melee - and she smashed him with the flat of her blade. Another tried falling back while shooting his staff at her, but he only got off one blast, which she caught with her weapon before she cut him and the staff down.

Another dropped his staff and drew a zat, but Catra disarmed him with a slash of her claws, then cut his throat while he was busy trying to stop the bleeding from his stump.

She ducked behind his corpse and glanced around. The harem women had fled, and Adora had just put down the last guard. But… Her ears twitched. Someone was fighting at the entrance! Bra'tac!

"Grab Sha're - we need to go!" she yelled. "Bra'tac's fighting! And grab some weapons!"

Adora whirled.

"Not you! They can handle Sha're!" Catra snapped and rushed forward. Entrapta alone could probably drag or carry Sha're with her hair.

Catra dropped to all four to take the corners - easier to avoid slipping on the polished floor. Four guards were standing at the entrance, taking cover behind the open doors and firing at someone outside. Catra threw herself at the closest, her hands slicing into his upper arms as she gripped them and drew her knees to her chest - then pushed down with her feet, claws disembowelling him as she jumped off him and into the next.

Adora took out the third guard, and the fourth had stepped too far out of cover in reaction to their attack, so Bra'tac caught him with a shot in the back.

"Nice shot," Catra told him, shaking the blood off her claws.

"A raw recruit would not have wasted such an opening," he retorted, but he was smiling. Not for long. "However, we have a problem," he went on, growing serious and looking over his shoulder when the others arrived - Glimmer with a staff weapon in hand and zats stuffed in her belt, Sam carrying zats and Entrapta carrying Sha're and herself with her hair while she was working on their communicator.

"Great," Catra muttered. "What is it and who do we need to kill to solve it?"

Just as Jack O'Neill was checking - again - if Entrapta had put their communicator together so they could coordinate their strikes, a loud siren filled the room. The other group must have been discovered!

The Jaffa shift leader jumped up and grabbed his helmet. "Enemies are attacking the palace! To arms! Prepare to…"

Teal'c blew his head off with a shot from his staff weapon.

Before the headless corpse dropped to the ground, Jack shot the closest Jaffa at the table with his zat. The guard fell over, toppling his chair. The one next to him dropped as well - but the last one managed to bring his staff weapon to bear, taking cover behind the table.

Jack ducked behind the console - which caught the blast - and when he came up again, Teal'c had already killed the guard.

But the console hadn't survived either. That meant… Jack cursed and whirled towards the door to the cell tract. Locked. And it could only be opened from the console. And the same went for the outer door. They were stuck inside - for now.

Bow checked on the two stunned guards. "This one is dead - we both hit him with our zats," he told Daniel.

"Forget him! Can you hack the door?" Jack asked him.

"Ah…" Bow got up and joined Jack, eyeing the lock. "That will take a while."

And they had to hurry. "Can you shoot a hole into it?" Jack asked Teal'c. He would know the place best.

His friend inclined his head. "It would take a while."

Great. "Time for the all-purpose door opener, then," Jack said, reaching inside his armour for the explosives hidden there. "Guard the entrance. I'll blow it open." There were still guards outside, after all, and though they were locked out for the moment, with the console destroyed, they would have the means to break in once they realised that the prison had been taken over.

Teal'c nodded and aimed his staff at the outer door while Daniel crouched behind the remains of the console and did the same with his zat, and Bow started to put his bow together again.

Jack looked the door over. No hinges to blow up - it slid into the walls to the side. And those were reinforced - he could tell from the way they bulged out. So, no weak points here. "I guess straight through it is," he mumbled as he started placing the charge. "Never was much for the oblique approach, anyway."

"Since when?" Daniel commented from his spot nearby.

His friend knew him too well. Jack snorted and armed the detonator before stepping back. "Take cover! This is going to be loud!"

He ducked behind the console next to Daniel, checked with a glance that Bow and Teal'c were clear as well, then hit the remote.

The charges went off, filling the area with smoke, and Jack felt the pressure wave in his chest. As expected.

He got up, zat aimed, and saw that the charge had blown a hole into the door - big enough to wriggle through, even for Teal'c. Not ideal, but it would have to do - he needed the other charges to open the cells themselves.

"Guard the entrance!" he repeated himself and slid through the opening. They had the cameras hacked, but the guards might wonder what was up with that explosion. "If they ask what happened, don't tell them it's a reactor leak!"

"I shall not," Teal'c replied. Jack couldn't tell if he was amused or not.

It didn't matter. Once on the other side, Jack quickly moved to Drey'auc's cell - third from the entrance, on the left. That one was the same model as the one he had just blown through, and Jack placed the charge, then went further ahead to do the same to Ryal'c's door. "Move away from the doors!" he yelled. He hoped they did.

"Brace yourself!" Jack moved into the guard room again. Then he used the remote again.

Two simultaneous explosions, in a smaller space, were much worse than his first charge - smoke blew through the hole, and he felt the floor shake a little. The guards might have missed the first explosion, but they must have heard this one.

"Get your family," he told Teal'c, aiming his zat at the entrance.

With a curt nod, his friend moved, grunting a little as he had to push himself through the hole in the door. "Drey'auc!" Jack heard him call out. "Ryla'c!"

"Father!"

"Husband."

Neither sounded hurt. Jack was relieved. If they had been at the door when they blew…

"We are here to save you. Come."

Well, that reunion was as touching as Jack should have expected from Teal'c. Then again, the middle of a rescue wasn't the time for romantic moments. Though that bit of common sense wouldn't have stopped Daniel in Teal'c's place.

"Alright," Jack spoke up as Ryal'c and Drey'auc entered the room, coughing slightly from the smoke they had inhaled, followed by Teal'c. "Either the guards outside are deaf, or something is up."

"The walls and doors are thick, but not that thick - I remember hearing screams from inside when I stood guard as a recruit," Teal'c said. "They should have asked what was happening through the intercom, according to our standing orders."

"I guess the standing orders have changed since you and Bra'tac left the Serpent Guard," Jack said. "Well, if they won't come to us, we'll have to go and meet them," he added, grabbing his last charges.

Half a minute later, another explosion shook the room. But when the smoke cleared, the remains of the door only revealed a metal plate behind it. Heavily armoured, judging by the scratches his bomb had left. "I guess that's also new," he said.

"Indeed."

Damn. Apophis had been a bit smarter than Jack had hoped. They were stuck in here.