Warrior Peoples

[drakensis]

With a rush of energy, the stargate activated, a column of psuedo-water rushing out from the surface before settling into a rippling pool within the circle of metal. For a moment, almost anti-climatically, nothing happened. And then one by one, SG-1 stepped out of the gate and onto the world that they had designated as P4F-117.

ôWell at least there arenÆt any trees,ö Jack OÆNeill observed, looking around the rocky hollow that surrounded the stargate and itÆs DHD. The set up was fairly typical for the many worlds that SG-1 had visited, the stargate standing on a dais with a few steps leading up to it and the DHD off to one side, placed so whoever operated it would be facing the stargate. However, the hollow was surrounded on three sides by steep slopes a dozen feet high and in the fourth direction, a paved road lead away from the gate.

ôThis looks like Roman work,ö Daniel Jackson mused as he stepped onto the slabs. ôSomeone made it to last.ö

ôSure doesnÆt look like itÆs been very thoroughly maintained,ö Jack pointed out, indicating one of the places where greenery was poking its way through the cracks between the slabs. ôSo you think the people here could have been Romans?ö

ôI thought Rome post-dated the GoaÆuld presence on Earth,ö Samantha Carter asked curiously.

ôAw donÆt tell me youÆre joining the rocks and ruins crowd,ö Jack complained.

Sam rolled her eyes. ôSome of us stayed awake in history class, sir,ö she pointed out. ôIf youÆd like I can start talking about the interesting astronomical date the MALP picked up.ö

ôPass,ö the Colonel grumped. ôAlright Daniel, do you want to stop and dig this up or shall we go look at the other rocks that were reported?ö

The archeologist frowned and shook his head. ôItÆs an interesting anachronism û youÆre right Sam, even the earliest estimates for when Roman roads were first made would put it hundreds of years after the GoaÆuld left Earth, so itÆs likely that this is just a parallel development -ö

ôDanny!ö

Daniel blinked. ôJack?ö

ôAre we going?ö Jack gestured down the road. ôI know itÆs not made of yellow bricks or anything butàö

ôAh, right.ö Daniel joined the other three in walking along the road. A few hundred yards from the stargate, the road bore around to the right.

ôWhat would be the significance of a road made of yellow bricks, JackOÆNeill?ö TealÆc asked just before they were out of earshot of the Stargate.

.oOo.

In the end it took the team most of the day, marching steadily, to reach the ruins that had been spotted by the UAV. It wasnÆt hard to find û the road lead directly to them, which was what had led Stargate Command to locate them in the first place. As far as that initial survey had revealed, the stargate was located on an large island, perhaps two hundred and fifty miles long at its longest, and the ruins were on the coast, not quite thirty miles away.

ôWe really should have thought to bring bicycles,ö Daniel noted as the ruins finally came into sight. ôItÆs not like they wouldnÆt fit through the Stargate and this road would be perfect for them.ö

ôItÆs a thought,ö Jack conceded. ôWeÆd have to teach TealÆc how to ride one though.ö A wicked look crossed his face. ôIÆll see if I can talk General Hammond into shelling out for a bike when we get back û all that paperwork has to be good for something û and show him at the weekend.ö

ôWhat is this bicycle?ö TealÆc asked. ôIs it similar to Sergeant SilerÆs motorcycle?ö

ôYeah, sort of,ö agreed Jack. ôExcept lighter weight because thereÆs no engine, and you have to pedal it.ö

TealÆc frowned. ôI do not see the advantages of such a device.ö

ôItÆs about two, three times as fast as walking,ö Daniel explained. ôA road like this would be ideal for them and weÆd have saved hours.ö

ôAnd with no fuel there would be no logistical burden,ö said TealÆc thoughtfully. ôThis sounds very useful.ö

ôAnd here we are,ö Jack noted, pausing at extreme range for his P90 from the buildings. ôAnyone see any signs of inhabitants?ö

Sam lifted her binoculars and scanned the buildings carefully. ôNothing moving, sir. None of the usual debris IÆd expect of anyoneÆs living there.ö

ôSo either itÆs empty or someoneÆs lying in wait,ö Jack sighed. ôSame old, same old. YouÆve got point, TealÆc.ö

ôUnderstood,ö the big Jaffa agreed and advanced slowly towards the small building complex, staff weapon held ready in both hands. Behind him, the rest of SG-1 fanned out, P90Æs at the ready.

Nothing disturbed them as they approached but a small flock of birds exploded up from one of the side buildings as TealÆc pushed open the crude door that still covered the entrance to the largest building with a creak. When nothing else happened, the team swept through the building thoroughly but found no inhabitants or signs that anyone had lived her for a number of years.

ôLooks safe to me,ö Jack observed. ôProbably because thereÆs jack all here.ö

ôThere were heiroglyphics around the walls of the main courtyard,ö Daniel observed, ôBut someoneÆs been fairly thorough about defacing them.ö

ôIt is possible that this was once the private retreat of a System Lord,ö TealÆc theorised. ôSomewhere to rest when they desire privacy. It is rare and such sites are usually secret and well defended. Apophis maintained such a location where he could grow familiar with a new host body.ö

ôSort of like JackÆs cabin?ö Daniel asked innocently.

ôHey!ö Jack protested the analogy.

ôThe principle seems similar,ö TealÆc confirmed with the slightest hint of amusement. ôHowever, since the buildings are in ruins, it is likely that their owner has abandoned them.ö

ôSo heÆs an ex-GoaÆuld?ö Jack asked.

ôIt is possible, OÆNeill. However, he may have simply believed that the location had been determined, in which case he would have no further use for a place were he might be vulnerable to rival System Lords.ö

ôIÆll have a look over the ruins,ö Daniel suggested. ôWhoever defaced the heiroglyphics may have missed some clues about whoever owned the place and itÆll give Sam a chance to check those astronomical anomalies that were picked up.ö

ôRight,ö Jack said, watching as the teamÆs two scientists began to get their nerds on. ôIÆll, um, set up camp then. Say TealÆc, do you think there might be some fish in that sea?ö

ôIt seems unlikely that there would be fish suitable for human consumption, OÆNeill,ö TealÆc replied as he shrugged off his backpack and indicated one of the outbuildings that could be quickly weather-proofed using the tents that they had brought with them.

.oOo.

ôSir,ö Sam called from outside, ôI think that you want to see this.ö

Jack and TealÆc exchanged looks and picked up their weapons before leaving the building. Sam had set up an optical telescope in the middle of the courtyard and was crouched over it, looking through the eyepiece. ôWhat do you have Carter?ö Jack asked seriously.

ôBig bad mojo,ö she reported. ôThereÆs some serious hardware in orbit, sir.ö

ôGoaÆuld?ö asked Jack, glancing up at the sky concernedly.

ôNothing that I recognise, sir. A -ö Sam moved away from the telescope and shook her head before looking again. ôHuh. For a moment there something looked like that ship from Star Wars. But no, nothing thatÆs obviously GoaÆuld.ö

ôUh, which Star Wars ship did you think it looked like?ö Jack asked. ôDeath Star? Millenium Falcon?ö

ôThat big one at the beginning,ö Sam clarified. ôThe star destroyer. But itÆs probably just something triangular that caught my eye û thereÆs a lot of different things up there.ö

ôHmm.ö Jack ran his hand through his hair. ôOkay, let me have a look.ö

First Jack and then TealÆc took a look, neither recognising anything up there as distinctively GoaÆuld but two things were for sure. Firstly there was one hell of a lot of material in orbit, and not all of it was debris. Secondly, someone was active up there û one of the objects visible was manuvering under power.

Jack rubbed his chin. ôAlright campers, time to pack up. WeÆve either hit the jack pot or weÆre in a lot of trouble and I donÆt know which. Either way, weÆd better get back to the stargate and call it in. Did anyone see where Daniel was last?ö

ôDanielJackson was investigating the outbuildings behind the main structure, OÆNeill,ö TealÆc replied. ôI will seek him out.ö The big Jaffa departed quickly towards the back of the complex, already familiar with the general layout, while Jack helped Sam break down the telescope.

He found Daniel examining the wall of a kitchen with a handheld torch. ôOh, TealÆc. Looks like whoever went after the hieroglyphics in the courtyard didnÆt care enough to check for the graffiti in the servantsÆ areas. ThereÆs no writing of coruse but someoneÆs done this little set of carvings, looks like they were depicting Jaffa and the helmets of elite guards...ö

TealÆc gave the carvings a quick glance. ôA serpent guard, a hawk guard and aà I do not recognise the helmet of the last Jaffa, DanielJackson. Three Jaffa serving different GoaÆuld is not uncommon in Jaffa jokes however.ö

ôIt looks like the third Jaffa is getting the better of the other two,ö Daniel pointed out. ôThat might mean whoever carved this was a servant of the same GoaÆuld.ö

ôThere is no time for further study, DanielJackson. A vessel has been detected in orbit of this world and OÆNeill has decided we will return to the stargate to report in.ö

Daniel blinked. ôA vessel? Is it, uh, is it the GoaÆuld?ö

ôUnknown,ö TealÆc replied, picking up DanielÆs backpack from where it was leant against the wall.

.oOo.

ôWeÆve got trouble,ö Jack reported as TealÆc and Daniel arrived at the entrance to the compound. HeÆd been scanning the area with nightvision binoculars and he let them hang down against his chest as he heard the two of them. ôSomeoneÆs out there between us and the Gate.ö

TealÆc frowned. ôI can hear zat fire in the distance,ö he observed in surprise. ôI do not hear staff weapons however.ö

ôYeah,ö Jack agreed. ôThatÆs what I can see. And it looks like thereÆs one hell of a lot of fighting going on in the hills. WeÆll have to go well around them if weÆre going to get to the stargate.ö

ôDo you have any idea whoÆs fighting?ö Daniel asked.

Jack shrugged. ôThe only people we know who use Zats are the GoaÆuld. Could be that thereÆs some sort of internal dispute although I donÆt know why theyÆd not use their staff weapons if they are.ö

ôOr it could be someone else who uses the same technology,ö Daniel suggested. ôJack, if thatÆs the case then we have to make contact with them!ö

ôReport in first, Danny,ö Jack advised. ôWe can make contact once General Hammond knows what the situation is, and by then maybe the fighting will have died down a little.ö

Sam came out of the nearest building, carrying her own pack. ôDo you have any ideas for a route back to the stargate, sir?ö she asked.

ôAccording to the UAV reports, the coastal plain narrows to the north of us,ö Jack explained. ôAnd thereÆs some forest there that should give us some cover. So weÆll head that way four or five miles and then swing east towards the stargate. ItÆll take longer than following the road, but the fighting seems to be moving south as far as I can tell.ö

.oOo.

Dawn found SG-1 trekking through the sparse pine forest that Jack had seen on the map. Even with nightvision goggles, it had been slow going and they had only managed to reach the first hills an hour or so before.

ôColonel!ö Sam called from behind Jack. ôIs thatàö

Jack groaned as he saw a familiar looking blue bolt of light slam into a tree trunk half a mile or so ahead. ôSo much for avoiding the fight,ö he muttered. ôOkay, letÆs find some cover.ö

ôOÆNeill!ö TealÆc exclaimed from where he was picking up the rear behind Daniel. ôThere are motorised ground vehicles approaching from the west.ö

ôGreat. Instead of avoiding the fight it looks like weÆre going to be in the middle of this,ö Jack noted. ôAt least whoeverÆs using the vehicles itÆs unlikely to be Jaffa, æcause weÆre not exactly packing for anti-tank work.ö

Carter tilted her head as the sound of engines reached her. ôThat sounds more like an aircraft turbine,ö she observed, backing up against a tree. ôNot a piston set-up as in most diesel engines.ö

ôLess theorising and more hiding,ö Jack ordered as he flattened himself against a tree trunk, P90 at the ready.

A moment later, the first of at least a dozen small tracked vehicles roared through the trees. It was hard to get a good view from JackÆs position but he saw at least one heavy weapon pintle-mounted and that the back of the vehicle was open, a towed field gun of some description bouncing along behind it. Two more of the vehicles went right past Jack and a fourth was almost parallel to him when a blue bolt too large to be from a zat gun slammed into it. The mini-tank skidded to a halt, acrid smoke pouring from the inside and crew bailing out in all directions. With typical SG-1 luck, one of them dived almost on top of Jack and froze as he locked eyes with the Air Force officer.

Without waiting, Jack brought his P90 around and butt-stroked the man, hoping to incapacitate him before he could draw any more attention. It was too late however and as the man, who was turbanned Jack noted absently, rather than wearing the helmet that he would have expected in an armoured crewman, flew backwards, face bloodied by the impact, he cried out in shock.

Immediately, the rest of the vehicleÆs crew turned, bringing up sidearms Jack dived aside rather than shoot and blue bolts slashed through the air above him. Great, at least they were only using zats.

One of the crewmen went down as Daniel broke cover and opened up with his own zat gun, catching the three remaining soldiers in a cross fire. Another crewman fell to Daniel and then Sam screamed: ôLook out!ö

The archeologist turned to see a large, grenade-like object tumbling before him, obvious fired from two mini-tanks that had changed direction to support their fallen comrades. He saw one of the mini-tanks hit by a blue blast and start smoking and then there was a blue flash, followed by blackness.

Jack swore as he saw Daniel drop as the blue zat effect that the ægrenadeÆ had emitted hit him. He only hoped that it wasnÆt powerful enough to have had lethal effect. Probably not, he decided as he noticed that one of the two crewmen remaining had been caught in the fringe of the zat-grenadeÆs effect and was also out of action. It was the work of a moment to drop the last of them but more crewmen were spilling out of the other two minitanks. Another grenade cane flying in his direction and he ran forwards, hoping to get inside itÆs trajectory. The crewman in the cupola seemed startled that the unconventional approach worked and tried to yank the muzzle of his grenade launcher down to fire directly but TealÆc appeared, almost out of nowhere, and gave the manÆs turbanned head a whack with his staff weapon.

Jack fired twice, hitting another crewman as he ran up alongside the mini-tank. Another crewman went tumbling out of the rear of the vehicle and TealÆc appeared at the back. ôOÆNeill!ö

ôSee if you can get this thing moving!ö Jack ordered. ôItÆs our best bet for getting out of here.ö

ôIndeed,ö TealÆc agreed and ducked out of sight inside.

Jack followed and saw his friend cramming himself into what was evidently the driverÆs seat. The colonel poked his head cautiously out of the cupola and almost crowned himself with the butt of the grenade launcher. ôDoesnÆt seem too complicated,ö he muttered and brought the weapon around to bear on the crew of the last vehicle, apparently out of action. Pulling the trigger, he saw the first grenade smack into the ground, yards ahead of the soldiers, forcing them to scramble backwards. He adjusted and a second grenade slammed into a tree trunk behind them, putting all four of them on the floor in a flurry of blue sparks.

ôCarter!ö he shouted, looking around for the rest of his team.

ôHere, sir!ö came the familiar voice of his second-in-command and he looked down to see Carter dragging a stunned Daniel into the back of the little tank.

ôGood going!ö Jack shouted. ôTealÆc! Hit it!ö

There was a pregnant pause and then the tank jerked forwards, slowly at first and then with increasing speed.

ôYes!ö Jack shouted. The fight was already falling behind them at the little tank accelerated away. TealÆc wove it inbetween the trees with increasing speed, heading east towards the stargate. ôCarter, are you and Daniel okay?ö

ôHeÆs just stunned, sir,ö she replied. ôJanet will probably want to look at him but it doesnÆt look like itÆs anything more than a standard case of getting zatted.ö She paused. ôThereÆs something wrong with getting zatted being considered æstandardÆ though.ö

ôJust be glad he didnÆt hit his head on something for once,ö Jack pointed out. ôMaybe we should have got him one of those turbans for extra padding around his head.ö

TealÆc veered to one side suddenly, throwing Jack against the side of the cupola. ôWhat the hellàö Jack snapped and then ducked as a zat shot almost picked him off. ôDammit! Jaffa!ö

They were indeed Jaffa, dozens of them, ranged along the slopes of a hill, all aiming staff weapons in their general direction. Crackling blue bolts flew towards them and TealÆc brought them around again, throwing Jack off as he tried to return fire with the grenade launcher.

ôWhat the hellÆs going on!ö he demanded. ôThose are staff weapons but theyÆre shooting like Zats!ö

ôI do no known, OÆNeill,ö TealÆc replied. ôI -ö

Whatever TealÆd had been about to say was lost as one of the shots managed to hit the vehicle and the engine cut out sharply. Smoke poured out of the interior, up around Jack, who instinctively ducked inside, groping for the helpless Daniel.

Despite the unfamiliar interior, Jack and Sam managed to bale out with Daniel and TealÆc followed them out, halting as he saw the reception committee waiting for them.

ôCrap,ö Jack noted as he saw a pair of Jaffa boots in front of him, and several more behind them. Looking up, the Jaffa in front seemed more perplexed than angry as he eyed the four members of SG-1.

ôJaffa,ö the man ordered sharply and Jack tensed for a last effort to defend his team.

ZatÆs cracked out and the last thing Jack thought before he was swallowed before darkness swallowed him was æNo fair! He didnÆt say ækreeÆ!Æ

 

[Prince Charon]

Interesting. I wonder what the crossover, if any, is.

 

[drakensis]

Jack woke in a cell. This wasnÆt exactly unusual for him û something about being on SG-1 meant that he spent more time in various forms of confinement than he would if he was a regular at Colorado Springs drunk tank û and even before he opened his eyes he had to give this particular cell points for quality.

For one thing, he wasnÆt chained to the wall or otherwise strapped down. In fact, heÆd been laid out neatly on a bunk and someone had actually gone to the trouble of taking his boots off. Secondly, rather than the usual bare metal bunk or thin pallet, this bunk was actually quite yielding, it felt rather like an airbed in face, albeit a narrow and relatively thin one. HeÆd slept on far worse.

Opening his eyes, he saw a roof that was a brilliant white, and also looked as if it was perfectly smooth and seamless. Even the corners of the room were gently rounded. The bunk, rather than being placed against one of the walls, was actually on a low plinth in the middle of the cell, with the head against the back wall. At least he presumed that the wall was the back û the opposite wall was largely covered by what looked like frosted glass but he was willing to bet was no more breakable than the walls. There was no other furniture, no obvious ventilation and no sign of his boots. ôBastards.ö

His jailors had apparently also gone through his pockets as the only thing in them when he checked were his hands. It wasnÆt until he stood up that he noticed that one last item in the cell - a small, black rubber ball about the size of his hand.

Jack examined the ball carefully and then shrugged.

A couple of minutes later he was bouncing it off random walls. It was better than bouncing off them himself which was just about the only other alternative that he had.

.oOo.

Since the mysterious jailors had also taken his watch, Jack wasnÆt entirely sure how long it was before the æglassÆ wall slid smoothly up into the ceiling to reveal a squad of soldiers. Just to confuse him, the soldiers were neither the guys in turbans nor the Jaffaà no, wait. That was the Jaffa who had led the squad that caught them. Except he wasnÆt wearing Jaffa armour and now that Jack got a look at him there was no tattoo on his forehead. And what sort of Jaffa walked around in cream slacks, a beret and an Ike jacket?

ôOkay, IÆll bite,ö Jack said. ôIf youÆre not Jaffa then why were you running around in the get up earlier?ö

The manÆs lips quirked. ôIt was Halloween. Now, if you wouldnÆt mind following me please?ö The way that the soldiers held their pistols û and what sort of gun were they? Jack had never seen them before, looked almost like flintlocks without the actual flints û made it clear that the request wasnÆt one that could be turned down.

ôIÆm fairly sure thatÆs itÆs spring,ö Jack said as he stood up. There was a name tag on the manÆs uniform but Jack didnÆt recognise the script.

ôWell itÆs a big universe,ö the man pointed out, ushering Jack along a battleship-grey corridor lined with frosted glass panels. The floor had a slight give to it under JackÆs feet and he could feel through his socks that it was slight warmer than he would have expected. ôIÆm fairly sure it must be Halloween somewhere.ö

ôGreat,ö Jack conceded the point. Obviously no answers on that just yet. He glanced at the glass, wondering if any of the panels concealed his friends. ôIf weÆre only going to talk trivia, how come there was a rubber ball in my cell?ö He pulled it out of his pocket, where heÆd automatically dropped it when the cell opened.

The man took it off him with a tsking sound. ôItÆs so that you donÆt have to play with your own for entertainment. No one wants to see that.ö

ôMy ownà hey!ö

At the end of the corridor was a security barrier that snapped open when the man walked up to it. Two guards came to attention, raising their right fists to slap against their left shoulders in what Jack guessed was a salute. So the guy with him was some sort of officer. Good to know, even though it didnÆt give any immediate benefit. Jack started looking him over for rank badges. Knowing who the brass were had all sorts of side-benefits.

Through the security barrier, along a passage outside and then into a wider corridor andà holy shit, it was full of starsà

Jack halted in surprise as he saw that the new corridor had windows, albeit not much larger than the windows on an airliner. And the windows looked out on space, angled perfectly for the band of the Milky Way to be clearly visible. It took Jack a single gobsmacked moment to notice that the stars were not visibly moving, so even if he had been brought onto a ship they didnÆt seem to be going anywhere in particular.

The officer had a smug look on his face when Jack dragged his eyes away from the window. The sort of look that JackÆs own face displayed the first time he showed someone the stargate and got to watch their surprise. HeÆd been set up, dammit. At least it wasnÆt the sort of set up that was obviously hostile, but whoever set this up was a smooth operatorà

ôIsnÆt it a bit dangerous having windows onto a corridor like this?ö Jack asked, gesturing to indicate the immense length of the passage ahead of them, and extending almost as far in the other direction.

ôThere are numerous safety measures,ö the officers assured him. ôThe risk really isnÆt very great at all and it really is spectacularly useful for getting round the ship, plus the windows help with morale. Now, we are on a schedule, so please follow me.ö

The destination wasnÆt very far away at all as it happened û another passage leading deeper into the ship û and as they approached, another squad of soldiers escorted another prisoner out of it. ôTealÆc, buddy. Are you okay?ö

ôI am uninjured, OÆNeill. Daniel Jackson is also unharmed,ö TealÆc managed to reveal before his escorts hustled him away.

ôWhere are you taking him,ö Jack demanded.

ôBack into confinement until a decision is made on your case,ö the officer said, apparently surprised by the question. ôCome now, you canÆt just wander into the middle of a military exercise and then just walk away.ö

Military exercise? They were shooting at eac- They were shooting zatÆs at each other! Jack felt like kicking himself. All of a sudden it made sense, sort of. The æJaffaÆ had been an opforce, like the Army battalions at Fort Irwin that were thinly disguised as Soviet troops to provide realistic training for the US Army. And if these people had been training to fight against the Jaffa, then they must be well aware of the GoaÆuld. Although in that case, who had the turbanned troops been? And what would the likely æconculsionsÆ drawn about TealÆc?

He was still weighing up this new information when the officer showed him into a small interview room and left him there, faced by a single, pencil-necked officer in the same uniform. Two of the soldiers followed Jack in and stood on either side of the door, facing JackÆs back. He could feel their eyes drilling into him.

ôColonel Jonathon OÆNeill,ö the officer greeted him. ôPlease, take a seat,ö he said, gesturing to the chair on the opposite side of the roomÆs small table from him. Jack sat down and grimaced. Institutional chairs were the same all over the galaxy. The officer placed a card on the table and Jack recognised it as his own ID card.

ôIÆd say welcome to Angrezi,ö the man said drily, ôBut IÆm afraid that the Angrezi arenÆt feeling too welcoming at the moment û something about assaulting several of their soldiers and stealing an armoured vehicle. Since it was some of our personnel who actually apprehended you, we have custody at the moment. If you donÆt mind answering a few questions then it should be possible to smooth matters over. On the other handàö

Jack frowned. ôWhatÆs Angrezi?ö

ôThat would be the planet that you were on. The soldiers you assaulted were members of the Padishah of AngreziÆs army involved in a training exercise. Now, perhaps you can tell me why you came to this planet?ö

ôWeÆre explorers,ö Jack explained. ôWe didnÆt know if the planet was inhabited or not, but the road to the stargate û you know about the stargate?ö

He got a nod in response. ôSo you knew that the planet had been inhabited and came to take a look. So, you arrived û hmm, how long would you say you were on planet before that little skirmish?ö

Jack frowned but didnÆt see anything particularly damning about that detail. ôWe arrived fairly early the previous day Walked along the road to the ruins on the coast and then saw the fighting û well, the exercise, I guess -ö

ôGo on.ö

ôIÆm not sure what you want to know,ö Jack admitted. ôIÆm sorry about smacking the soldiers, but we didnÆt know that they werenÆt really shooting at each other and we didnÆt want to get stuck in the middle of a battle.ö

ôI suppose that that makes sense,ö the officer said and considered his notes. ôSo you came through the stargate in the morning and then followed the road to the ruins of the old villa. How did you travel?ö

Jack sighed, this was going to be a long conversation.

.oOo.

ôHmm, well I suppose that that covers everything,ö the interviewer said at last, having questioned Jack extensively about what had happened since he arrived on P4F-117 and not at all about anything else. ôYouÆll have to wait until your accounts have been compared and a forensic investigation of the sites to compare your stories, but as long as it all checks out then the commander will explain matters to the Angrezi and youÆll be allowed to go.ö

ôRight,ö Jack observed. ôFeels kind of odd to go through all this and not get tortured. Nice change.ö

ôTorture?ö The man looked amused. ôYou must have run into the GoaÆuld then. Unimaginative devils. TortureÆs just pointless sadism when you have access to modern lie-detecting equipment.ö

ôSo how come you didnÆt break that out?ö Jack asked as he stood up and the two soldiers moved to cover him.

There was a dry chuckle from the officer. ôYou were under a lie detector for the whole interview, Colonel. ItÆs built into the chair.ö

Jack stared at the chair in surprise. ôDiabolical,ö he admitted. ôYouÆre really very good at this. Well, since you know that IÆm telling the truth, why do you need to check anything else.ö

ôCome now, Colonel. You may think that youÆre telling the truth, but that hardly means anything these days. What if youÆve been programmed not to know what you were really up to?ö

ôOh.ö

Sam was outside the room when Jack emerged, surrounded by yet another squad of soldiers, who were watching her with professional concern. ôGood to see you, sir.ö

ôSame here, Carter,ö Jack called as he was hustled away by his own escorts. ôTealÆc says DannyÆs okay too.ö

.oOo.

ôSo what do you make of them?ö asked the man sitting in a throne-like chair at the rear of the command centre.

ôTheir stories match up,ö confirmed one of the two men standing in front of him, the officer who had captured Jack and SG-1. ôAnd a survey of the old villa confirms the times that they were there. I donÆt see how they could have been there at that time and also where the other activity took place.ö

ôAre you accusing us of lying,ö demanded the other man hotly, his turbanned head snapping around to direct a ferocious glare at the man beside him. ôThis is -ö

ôEnough!ö snapped the first man, rising from his command chair. ôNo one disputes the reports, your grace. However, it is possible that the presence of this group is simply a coincidence and that the attack was carried out by a third party.ö

ôOr perhaps they are merely a diversion,ö the turbanned man accused. ôA convenient cover for someone closer at handàö

ôPerhaps the next step should be to carry out a check on the stargate,ö the commander proposed, ignoring the accusation. ôThe activation records will show if anyone else has used it in the possible time frame.ö He smiled thinly. ôAnd if, your grace, someone else did arrive by the stargate then they can hardly have left through it, not with several hundred of my men securing it. Which would mean that they must still be on the island.ö

ôThe stargate keeps a record of its activations?ö asked the turbanned man in surprise. ôI have never heard this.ö

ôI think I can safely say that IÆve used them for a little longer than you, your grace,ö the commander pointed out reasonably. ôSend a technical team out to the gate and IÆll have my men show you how itÆs done.ö

<hr>
Not quite so long today, but a little over my target so this seems to be going fairly well. And the first look at what's happening away from SG-1, no introductions yet though.

 

[drakensis]

Jack blinked as he saw the door of his cell slide up into the ceiling. HeÆd done his damnedest to find another way out only to come up dry û even the air seemed to cycle only through from below the bed, which was pretty mind-boggling since it was an airbed. Since then heÆd been simply trying to get some sleep, and wondering if (or more positively when) the still nameless captors of SG-1 would feed him.

Looking up, he saw the same corridor as before (not always a given) and the same officer, but behind him, other cells were being opened and Daniel, Sam and TealÆc were emerging from them. ôHey Danny. Long time no see.ö He stood up. ôSo, are you letting us go and do we get our boots back?ö

ôWell, you can have your boots back,ö the officer reported. ôHowever there are a couple of little details that we need to clear up before you leave. The Admiral wants to talk to you about those.ö

ôThe Admiral?ö Jack asked. ôI guess weÆre working up the chain of command. So, what are ou guys called? I just realised you never said who you are.ö

ôHow terribly remiss of me. You are aboard the Confederacy of Free Systems warship Leonidas and I have the privilege of being Lieutenant von Pinn of the 33rd Heinessen Light Infantry Regiment.ö

ôThe æConfederacy of Free SystemsÆ?ö Sam asked curiously. ôWho are you free of?ö

ôWhy, the GoaÆuld,ö von Pinn replied in surprise. ôSurely you have encountered the self-important popinjays in your explorations?ö

ôYou were once enslaved by the False Gods?ö TealÆc asked.

Von Pinn shook his head. ôFortunately not. The Confederacy is sworn never to submit to their tyranny.ö He gestured for them to follow him out of the cellblock. ôPlease, follow me. The Admiral is attending to a small matter of diplomacy and has invited you to join him for a light meal in a few moments. Your boots are waiting for you,ö he added, opening the door to a small side room, ôas well as facilties if you would like to tidy up.ö

.oOo.

The Admiral apparently didnÆt stay down on the deck with the rest of the peons, Jack noted. After giving them time to ætidy upÆ in a room that conveniently had an attached washroom, von Pinn had led them deeper into the hull of the warship and up flight after flight of steps û there were lifts apparently but the young officer had advised that they were used only for emergencies or dignitaries who felt that their tender feet were too precious to be walked on for any great distance.

ôHow far up are we going?ö Daniel asked.

ôOh, not much further,ö von Pinn assured him. ôThe AdmiralÆs quarters are quite close to the command tower, for convenience and IÆm sure you can understand that it wouldnÆt make a great deal of sense to have the detainment facilties close to such an important area.ö

Sure enough, after the next flight of stairs von Pinn led them away from the stairs and into a slightly more comfortably furnished deck. ôPlease wait here,ö he said pleasently, ushering them into an small lounge. ôIÆll just find out if the Admiral is ready.ö

Jack glanced around the room. It was a lot fancier than heÆd expected û several well stuffed chairs and a couple of coffee tables. Coffee. He could really do with some coffee right now. The door closed behind them with the guards outside. ôIs everyone okay?ö he asked. ôNo concussion this time, Daniel?ö

ôNo Jack, IÆm fine,ö the archeologist protested. ôTheyÆve been very civil so far, I had more trouble last time I went through customs on my way back from a dig û apart from getting zatted the first time.ö

ôSo what do you make of them?ö Jack enquired.

ôWell theyÆre almost certainly not backed by the GoaÆuld,ö Daniel said. ôNo GoaÆuld, not even the TokÆra, would use this much technology û they use the bare minimum to get the job done and the rest is as lowtech as possible to keep their slaves from learning too much.ö

ôBut theyÆre human, right?ö

ôIt seems like it. The Angrezi sounded like they might have originated from the Indian subcontinent. Von Pinn sounds germanic, but judging by his accent heÆs more accustomed to something like Hindi as well. Punjabi possibly.ö

ôSo theyÆve got more than one culture then?ö

ôYes. ItÆs possible that they come from several worlds that were colonised by GoaÆald and later abandoned.ö

ôBut didnÆt he say that they had never been enslaved by the GoaÆuld?ö Sam asked. ôI mean, they had to come from Earth originally, so who else could have brought them out here?ö

Jack looked at the last member of his team. ôTealÆc? What do you make of this?ö He paused. ôTealÆc, what are you doing?ö

The Jaffa turned away from the wall that he had pressed his ear against. ôI can hear voices in the next room, OÆNeill. I believe that someone is telling a story. To children?ö

ôChildren on a warship?ö Jack asked. ôWhat is this, Star Trek?ö

There was a cough from the door and Jack turned to see von Pinn standing in the doorway. ôWell,ö he said, diplomatically ignoring anything that might have been said in his hearing. ôThe Admiral is just about done, so if youÆd like to follow me.ö

He led to them next room and the door slid open to reveal a large room, furnished just as comfortably as the lounge but for at least a hundred occupants. A large buffet had been set up along one wall, and the past tense was approporiate for it was clear that the buffet had been ravaged by the dozens of the now quite sticky faced children gathered at one end of the room.

However it was the huge floor to ceiling window that caught the eyes of SG-1. Covering one long side of the wall, broken only occasionally by ornamental bracing, it showed a planet above them, presumably the same Angrezi that they had been captured on. And below the planet, above the long and tapering foredeck of the ship that they had been brought aboard, could be seen the sterns of more ships û diamond-shaped sterns with three huge thrusters lined within them, command towers rearing above them and, barely visible, tapering delta-shaped hulls reaching forwards.

ôSomeoneÆs gonna get sued over this,ö Jack muttered to himself.

ôShh,ö von Pinn hushed him, gesturing to the bearded man that the children were facing. He was wearing the same uniform as the lieutenant, but with a braid on his jacket epaleuttes and he sat in a comfortable looking armchair with a large book in his lap. As they watched he closed the book with an air of solemnity.

ôThat was many, many years ago,ö he said in a low, slightly raspy voice. ôAnd still we remember them.ö

ôWe remember them,ö the children chanted back to him, almost ritualistically.

ôWe remember that few stood against many,ö the man, presumably this mysterious admiral, rasped.

ôWe remember that few stood against many.ö

ôThat free men stood against tyranny.ö

ôThat free men stood against tyranny,ö they chanted.

ôAnd,ö the admiral said, setting the book aside as his eyes began to glow with that familiar golden light, ôthat even a god-king,ö his voice taking that booming quality that was the trademark of the GoaÆuld, ôcan bleed!ö

ôHUA!ö the children shouted, many of them leaping to their feet. ôHUA!ö

ôHUA!ö shouted von Pinn from beside SG-1. ôHUA! HUA!ö the soldiers behind them bellowed, making the same fist against shoulder salute that Jack had seen before. Their voices were almost as enthusiastic as those of the children, some of whom turned in surprise to see the new arrivals.

The GoaÆuld smiled benevolently, letting the light fade from his eyes. ôWe still remember,ö he repeated once more. ôBut now, my young Spartans, I believe that the hour grows late and û like Leonidas, I have emissaries to greet. Besides,ö he pulled an antique looking pocket watch from his jacket. ôI am sure that your parents are waiting to hear how your day was.ö

There was a concerted æawwwwwÆ from the children and he shook his head firmly. ôNo no, I was told that you had all been especially good so that you could come up here and look down on Angrezi from the sky, eat my food and listen to an old snake tell you his stories. DonÆt spoil it now.ö

There was more shuffling of feet before the children began to leave the room in little clusters, more soldiers appearing to guide them away. ôI thought you said that this Confederacy of yours had nothing to do with the GoaÆuld,ö Jack hissed to von Pinn.

ôI said that we werenÆt enslaved by the GoaÆuld,ö the lieutenant replied with a roll of his eyes. ôI didnÆt say we had never had contact with them. He led our ancestors to these worlds eons ago and has worked alongside us to make the Confederacy a reality. Admiral Ayodhya was honored to carry him to Angrezi for the ceremonies to admit them to the Confederacy.ö

ôHow kind of you to say so,ö the Admiral said, brushing down his jacket as he stood up. ôPlease,ö he said to SG-1, ôseat yourselves. IÆve ordered a light meal be prepared but if youÆd rather not wait, I donÆt believe that the children finished absolutely everything at the buffet so please help yourselves.ö

ôSo,ö he said, eyeing them as they all gingerly took seats facing his. ôYou are the famous SG-1 whose exploits have become legend anywhere one can tap into the gossip of the System Lords. Three of the long forgotten TauÆri, and of course the quite infamous sholÆva TealÆc, once the First Prime to Apophis. I am honored to meet you.ö

ôAnd youÆre, well, that guy with the star destroyers?ö Jack asked warily.

ôYes, well,ö the Admiral said amiably. ôTheyÆre not really all that impressive. For impressive, youÆd have to wait until we finish building the battlestation.ö

HeÆs not serious, Jack told himself. He doesnÆt really know what that means in that contextà does he? ôSounds like it would be quite a sight to see,ö he said. ôSo, am I speaking to the man or the snake?ö

ôA little of both,ö Ayodhya told him with a smile. Then he frowned. ôAh, I see. My apologies. I thought that I was talking to Colonel OÆNeill. But I see that the TauÆre have sent MacGuyver instead. Lieutenant, make sure that he has no paperclips or chewing gum on him.ö

JackÆs eyes went wide. ôYouÆve been to Earth!ö he accused. How else could he have known about the coincidental resemblence between Jack and an obscure TV actor.

ôWhy, yes,ö Ayodhya û no, the snake - agreed. ôNot with the Admiral of course, but in another host. I must admit I only discovered that you had found the Stargate again after Apophis discovered what had happened to Ra. Not that itÆs at all relevant to the business at hand.ö

ôThe business at hand?ö Sam asked.

ôTwo days ago you arrived on Angrezi via the stargate and after something of a hike, rummaged around in my old villa. Not that I object, you understand û I havenÆt used it in almost four hundred years û but just for reference. All of this is exactly what you told my officers and I donÆt doubt it for a minute. However,ö and he leant forwards, eyes glowing once more, ôthere are two items of information that suggest that there may be more going on here than you have stated. Firstly, less than an hour before your arrival, someone else came through the stargate. From the same coordinates as you. Quite a coincidence, eh? And secondly, about an hour before dawn, there was an attack on a small Angrezi armoury quite a distance to the south of my villa. Not a simulated attack as part of the exercises, a very real attack by soldiers with firearms very similar to yours that left over a dozen of their soldiers dead. Now, is there anything that you want to tell me?ö

 

[Bloodalchemy]

sounds like NID are causing trouble again

 

[Prince Charon]

sounds like NID are causing trouble again

Yes, yes it does.

 

[drakensis]

ôFrom the same co-ordinates?ö Sam asked. ôYou mean the same gate? ThatÆs impossible û I was in earshot of the Stargate for at least an hour before we came here and the only time it activated was when another team came back.ö

ôOh really?ö Ayodhya said a mite sceptically. ôWell, we do have some conflicting information then, donÆt we. I donÆt suppose that you have any ideas how this contradiction can be resolved?ö

ôYouÆre the one who says that they came from the same place,ö Jack pointed out. ôHow to you know -ö

ôOf course,ö Sam said suddenly. ôYou said that the coordinates were the same for both arrivals û you mean the coordinates on the gate, donÆt you?ö

ôThatÆs correct,ö the Admiral said. He frowned and then his eyes glowed. ôI think I see where youÆre going Captain, please continue.ö

ôWell those coordinates donÆt specify a particular gate,ö explained Sam. ôThey refer to the location of the gate, and not all that precisely. Basically they track the position of stars and when theyÆre dialled they open up the primary gate in the vicinity of that star. But if thereÆs more than one gate active û you remember how we wound up in Antarctica, Colonel?ö

ôYeah,ö Jack said, shivering slightly at the memory. ôSo thereÆs another gate in the solar system and someoneÆs using it? Little green men from Mars.ö

ôThereÆs another stargate on Earth,ö Sam reminded him. ôThe gate from Antarctica was shipped back to the States for more studyàö

Jack frowned. ôAw crap. You think someoneÆs using it to run their own project behind our backs?ö

ôLetÆs face it, Jack,ö Daniel reminded him. ôThere are more than a few people in the government who want us to take a more aggressive stance in obtaining alien technologies. If some of them got hold of the other gateàö

ôThis is all very entertaining,ö Ayodhya pointed out, ôbut even if I take your word for this, which the Angrezi may not, thereÆs no actual proof. And IÆm not about to screw up the negotiations with the Padishah û who takes attacks on his soldiers rather personally û by letting the closest thing he has to culprits just walk away.ö

ôYeah, youÆre a real prince,ö Jack snorted.

ôYes, itÆs one of my titles,ö the GoaÆuld confirmed. ôBeyond that, IÆm a politician, Colonel. Surely as a soldier youÆre used to being screwed over by that profession. Unless of course you have any ideas of how to prove this theory of Captain CarterÆs?ö

TealÆc frowned suspiciously at Ayodhya. ôIf you can determine past uses of the stargate then can you not check for departing wormholes?ö he asked.

Ayodhya nodded, smirking slightly. ôI wondered whether any of you would think of that. Yes, my people can run such a check and we have. All the activity since your arrival can be accounted for our own activities in the exercise û bringing the 33rd Heinessen through to simulate a Jaffa attack and so forth. So unless whoever came through from Earth had a ship waiting for them, theyÆll still be on that island. Now if only I had a way of finding themàö

ôSo you want us to hand them over to save our own skins?ö Jack asked, in disbelief.

ôThe question isnÆt whether or not I want them handed over, Colonel,ö Ayodhya explained reasonably. Then he grinned wickedly. ôThe question is whether you want to be released enough that youÆre willing to hand them over to, as you put it, save your skins.ö

There was an uncomfortable silence as SG-1 looked at each other.

ôSo youÆre a goaÆuld,ö Jack said. ôHowÆs that working out for you?ö

ôVery well thank you.ö

ôDo you have a name of your own or should I call you æthat snake inside the AdmiralÆ?ö

ôMy name is Nekhrun, Colonel,ö the GoaÆuld replied in a booming voice. ôI am sure that your son can tell you all about me.ö

ôMy son!ö exclaimed Jack, rising to his feet, face red with anger.

Nekhrun frowned, apparently surprised. ôYes, your son û Doctor Daniel JackÆs Son. I can only presume that he favours his motheràö

ôItÆs a different Jack,ö Sam inserted quickly, in the not entirely unreasonable fear that her commander would do or say something regretable û uh, DanielÆs father that is. Not Colonel OÆNeill.ö

For the first time the GoaÆuld looked slightly disconcerted. ôReally?ö He muttered something that only TealÆc could make out û ôSo much for my highly paid support staff.ö û and then shrugged. ôNonethelessàö

ôNekhrun, right,ö Jack agreed. ôIs that ringing any bells for you, Daniel, TealÆc?ö

ôHeÆs an obscure part of Egyptian mythology,ö Daniel said hesitantly after a moment in which TealÆc remained silent. ôA god of darkness. The few references that have been found suggest that he rebelled against Ra and later that Ra tried to excise him from history. If I recall correctly he was the god of bats too and had the ears and wings of a bat.ö

Nekhrun smirked viciously and ran one fingertip along the curve of his right ear. ôIÆm in disguise,ö he explained. ôAs for being a rebel godà well thatÆs about half-right, which isnÆt bad after all this time. No great surprise that the SholÆva over there doesnÆt remember me û the GoaÆuld only like stories about how their enemies are crushed, if they could get away with it they wouldnÆt let anyone know about Anubis either. Dumb fucks. Stuff like that always causes trouble when it gets out.ö

ôHalf right?ö Jack asked sarcastically. ôSo youÆre not a rebel?ö

ôIÆm sure that this will break your heart, Colonel,ö Nekhrun chuckled. ôBut IÆm not actually a god, IÆm just an egotistical parasitic snake wrapped around someone elseÆs spinal cord.ö

ôI, uh, knew that already,ö Jack replied.

ôAs do I. Though I would not have expected to hear one of the Falso Gods admit to it,ö TealÆc added.

ôThat would be where the whole æexcised from historyÆ came from,ö explained Nekhrun.

Sam leant forwards. ôSo youÆre a TokÆra?ö she asked hopefully.

NekhrunÆs smile dropped off his face. ôThat bunch of wimps, whuppsies and big girlÆs blouses?ö he sneered. ôNot a chance in hell. TheyÆve been æagainst RaÆ for about five thousand years, Captain Carter, and what exactly have they accomplished? Not a thing. YouÆre the ones who offed Ra, not that bunch of losers. No, no. IÆm in this for myself û IÆm just smart enough to know that solid alliances work better, and are more fun, than simply using people.ö

ôThe TokÆra donÆt use people!ö Sam protested.

ôHah!ö Nekhrun sneered. ôWhen the TokÆra get rooted out by the GoaÆuld do they stop to help the people theyÆve been sheltering with? Hell no! They run away like kicked puppies and sacrifice their human pawns to protect themselves. Utterly worthless as allies. I wouldnÆt join them on a bet.ö

ôYou didnÆt kill Ra either though,ö Daniel pointed out. ôHowever little the TokÆra have accomplished, what have you done against the System Lords?ö

The GoaÆuld raised one eyebrow. ôYou donÆt think IÆm going to spill all my plans to you now, do you? Please, wait until IÆve locked you up in an easily escaped deathtrap first, we have to abide by the courtesies of the situation.ö He shook his head. ôHowever, if you donÆt mind having the obvious pointed out to you, the Confederacy of Free Systems is an interstellar polity with a total population larger than that of Earth or of any individual System LordÆs entire domain and unlike Earth or the GoaÆuldÆs slaves, most of my people arenÆt peasent farmers. And the Confederacy has military might sufficient to hold every one of our systems against anything less than a concerted effort by multiple System Lords. ThatÆs what IÆve accomplished, Doctor Jackson. The only reason that I didnÆt dethrone Ra years ago was that doing so would very likely unite the other major System Lords against me and IÆm not ready for that. How does that compare to the scanty resources of the TokÆra, would you say?ö

ôBig honking spaceships win,ö Jack conceded. ôBut it still looks like youÆre just another GoaÆuld making a power play.ö

ôI object to the æjust another GoaÆuldÆ remark,ö responded Nekrun, ôalthough the rest of it is quite correct. This is a power play, Colonel. WhatÆs wrong with that.ö

ôLet me guess, this Confederacy isnÆt a democracy, is it?ö

ôNo Colonel, it isnÆt. There are some democratic politics at low levels but itÆs more of a -ö he hesitated. ôWell, IÆm no political theorist, but I suppose that the answer would be that itÆs a constitutional monarchy û and no, IÆm not the monarch û with a feudal gentry and a rather complicated senate stuck between the two. ItÆs worked quite well for the last couple of hundred years.ö

There was a knock on the door and a moment later it slid open to reveal von Pinn, leading a small group of soldiers carrying trays of food. ôYour pardon, Admiral, but the meal you ordered is ready and there is a message from the PadishahÆs Minister of Foreign Affairs.ö

ôYou know,ö Nekhrun said thoughtfully. ôIÆd respect the man more if his office didnÆt sound like he was responsible for covering up for the Padishah diddling the locals on state visits to other planets. Alright, what does he have to say?ö

Von Pinn cleared his throat after what looked rather like a snicker to Jack. ôStripped of the colourful language, he wants to know when the Angrezi military police will be able to take possession of the malefactors responsible for the incidents that interupted the exercise yesterday. Apparently the trial is going to be quite public.ö

ôOh the joy,ö the Admiral growed. ôThe idiotÆs probably advertsing it planet wide. What a fucking circus.ö

ôWell the Padishah hasnÆt left the capital since his state visit to Heinessen last year,ö von Pinn pointed out. ôPossibly he hasnÆt had any diddling to cover up for.ö

Nekhrun paused. ôPlease donÆt throw my words back at me, Lieutenant. Not when there are outsiders around. If nothing else, they wonÆt know which one of us youÆre sassing.ö He sighed heavily. ôI suppose I can talk to him while our guests are eating. Please excuse me,ö he added to SG-1. ôIÆm just going to goà talkà to the Minister ofàö sigh ôForeign Affairs. I would rather face a thousand deaths, I really would.ö

ôIs the Minister of Foreign Affairs really that bad?ö Jack asked von Pinn, once the Admiral had left the room.

Von Pinn considered the question thoughtfully and then nodded his head vigorously. ôOne of the major reasons that the Padishah has been so enthusiastic about joining the Confederacy is that he wonÆt have to deal with another generation of û oh, the Ministerial positions on Angrezi are hereditary û another generation of that family handling his Foreign Affairs. Of course, the general idiocy is only to be expected: the manÆs trying to protect his familyÆs political influence and itÆs not like there had been any Foreign Affairs between the PadishahÆs illustrious predecessors uniting Angrezi and first contact with the Confederacy. At least Lord Nekhrun is hosted by Admiral Ayodhya this time, not his usual host. Among the MinisterÆs little faults is that heÆs a raving bigot who refused to believe that she could possibly be anyone of importance.ö

ôHe has a female host?ö Jack asked.

ôI donÆt know all the details,ö von Pinn confessed, ôIÆve only served with Lord Nekhrun twice before, but I gather that he customarily selects his hosts from a particular family and only shares with outsiders like Admiral Ayodhya when service to the Confederacy requires it, which isnÆt more than a fifth or so of the time. His current host is a very sweet lady whoÆs been with him for a couple of generations. YouÆll probably meet her if you donÆt wind up in prison.ö He gestured towards the table were the meal had been laid out. ôPlease, help yourselves.ö

Jack shrugged. ôSure. Why donÆt you join us.ö

The lieutenant hesitated, ôAh, that might -ö

ôPlease,ö Daniel asked. ôIt would feel very rude to eat while you didnÆt.ö He gestured to one of the seats. ôThe Admiral said that the Confederacy was æa couple of hundred years oldÆ, and I was wonderingàö

 

[Prince Charon]

Very interesting. Yeah, 'Foreign Affairs' does sound like that. If I'm ever setting up a real government (extremely unlikely), as opposed to writing one for a story, I'll have to call that ministry something else.

 

[drakensis]

When Ayodhya returned to the room, he found the five involved in a spirited conversation and paused in the doorway to listen.

ôYou seem to be on pretty good terms with Nekhrun given youÆve only served with him a couple of times,ö Jack was saying. ôI donÆt think IÆd throw my commanderÆs words back at him like that.ö

Von Pinn smiled. ôI said that I didnÆt know Lord Nekhrun very well, Colonel,ö he explained. ôBut Sario Ayodhya and I are have known each other for years. He commanded the assault transport Iskander back when I was just an Ensign and he was instructing at the War College when I attended.ö

ôAnd judging by the way that you punched through the PadishahÆs Fourth Cavalry in the exercise, you must have been paying some attention,ö Ayodhya advised and von Pinn almost jumped out of his seat, having had his back to the door. ôNo need to rise. I trust,ö he added, looking at SG-1, ôthat the Lieutenant has been a tolerable host?ö

ôNo complaints,ö Jack told him. ôAre you going to let us in on the secrets of your conversation or will you just hint around?ö

ôHmm,ö the Admiral said, sitting himself down at the table. ôDecisions, decisions.ö When he looked up, Jack was certain suddenly that it was the GoaÆuld who was addressing him. ôIt is time for you to decide, Colonel, whether you will assist me in locating the bandits who attacked the Angrezi or whether you will share their fate when they are captured. And they will be captured, do not doubt that. The Angrezi have confirmed that they are happy for me to remove the Stargate immediately and then search the island inch by inch.ö

ôThen why do you want our assistance?ö Sam asked. ôYou donÆt need us.ö

Nekhrun smiled thinly. ôSuch a search will take time, Captain Carter. However, whoever attacked the Angrezi was presumably trained in much the same way as yourselves. You therefore have a much better chance of predicting their behaviour and shortening the delay that this is causing to the negotiations.ö He leant back in his chair. ôAnd there are also the strategic consequences of throwing the four of you into an Angrezi dungeon to rot. YouÆve proven to be quite a goad to the System Lords and as long as theyÆre focused upon you, they are substantially less likely to blunder across the Confederacy.ö

ôSo youÆre perfectly happy for Earth to fight the GoaÆuld while you sit back and spectate?ö Jack asked. ôAre you sure you arenÆt a TokÆra?ö

There was a flash of anger in NehrunÆs eyes but his voice was dispassionate as he said: ôWhat I am willing to do for the TauÆri is contingent upon what the TauÆri are willing to do for me. It is entirely probable that your people can be valued allies. Certainly, the Confederacy can provide technology to you well in advance of the gear that was stolen from the Angrezi. I am not obligated to you however and nor are my people.ö

ôWhy should we trust you?ö TealÆc asked grimly. ôYou are a GoaÆuld.ö

ôThatÆs up to you,ö Nekhrun said flatly. ôIf you donÆt trust me then throw yourselves on the mercy of the Angrezi Courts of Justice. I donÆt expect them to execute you, but when they sentence someone to life imprisonment IÆm told that they mean it quite literally. Maybe you will be resourceful enough to escape, but I would not be inclined to wager on you doing so.ö

JackÆs eyes narrowed. ôAnd if we do help you, then what?ö

ôThen you will be free to return home, immediately that the actual culprits are captured,ö Nekhrun promised. ôIÆll even throw in an invitation to attend all the pomp and ceremony of the Angrezi joining the Confederacy. Once that happens theyÆll have quite a lot of surplus military hardware to dispose of and who knows, maybe theyÆll be interested in selling it off to defray the costs of integrating the PadishahÆs forces into the ConfederacyÆs Fleet.ö

SamÆs eyes went wide and she looked at Jack. That wasà a formidable carrot to dangle in front of Stargate Command. The Angrezi were clearly at least as advanced as the United States in terms of military hardware, even if the zat weapons were discounted.

ôWhat will you do to whoever did attack the Angrezi?ö Daniel asked. ôWill they get thrown into prison?ö

ôWithout a doubt.ö

ôJackàö Daniel looked appealingly at Jack, who closed his eyes for a moment.

ôOkay.ö

ôJack!ö ôOÆNeill?ö

ôDammit,ö Jack snapped. ôWhoever did this brought this on themselves. But I want to see them,ö he added to Nekhrun. ôWhich means going down with whoever you send to capture them. And going down armed.ö

The GoaÆuld nodded, a satisfied look on his face that made Jack want to punch it. ôCertainly, Colonel.ö He turned to von Pinn. ôAndre, I think it would be best if the Angrezi carried the operation out. Please contact General Soor and have him prepare some troops, you can handle liason.ö

Von Pinn rose to his feet and saluted, fist to shoulder, clicking his heels. ôImmediately, my Admiral.ö

ôClown,ö Ayodhya sighed as the younger man left the room.

.oOo.

TealÆc had still not said anything by the time SG-1 had reached what was evidently a prep room. Von Pinn was waiting for them, dressed in field gear that didnÆt look very different from their own. On the bench in the middle of the room were the teamÆs own packs, although not their weapons.

ôThe Angrezi arenÆt very keen on having suspected criminals armed,ö the lieutenant explained, ôSo weÆve come to a compromise û theyÆll provide you with stunners of the same kind used in training exercises so at least you wonÆt be armed with lethal weapons.ö

ôNot lethal?ö Sam asked. ôBut what if someone was shot twice?ö

ôTwice?ö von Pinn asked. ôOh, youÆve only seen the GoaÆuld versions. Our stunners are a little different, we have to deliberately select for lethal effect, and stun shots wonÆt kill no matter how many of them hit.ö

Jack whistled. That implied that the Confederacy had a much better understanding of how ZatÆs worked than anyone had managed yet on Earth. Of course, he reminded himself, theyÆd also had almost a hundred times as long to study them.

ôOther than that, all your gear should be here,ö von Pinn confirmed. ôThe weapons and ammunition have been packed away but we can send them down as soon as the targets have been apprehended.ö

ôRight,ö Jack said, sling his pack over his shoulder. ôLetÆs get this over with.ö

Von Pinn gestured to the roomÆs other door and SG-1 filed through it to see a small room with a ring transporter. ôDrop us down to the armory,ö he ordered and the metal rings appeared around the five of them.

A moment later, the rings disappeared and they were standing on a beach. Above them, a cliff-face rose up and Jack could see openings in it that would have looked natural were it not for the artifical lights inside them and the dozen or so mini-tanks outside, half of them open topped, that were being loaded by dozens of turbanned soldiers.

ôGeneral,ö von Pinn said, saluting a tall man who was standing apart from the activity. ôLieutenant von Pinn of the 33rd Heinessen Light Infantry Regiment, reporting with the experts.ö

ôItÆs funny,ö the general observed, before returning the salute, ôhow much these experts resemble the louts who beat up some of my men and stole a cavalry vehicle when I was trying to roll up your lines. There are a lot of unhappy people trying to decide how that affected their betting.ö

ôGlad to hear that we werenÆt any trouble,ö Jack joked, drawing a frosty look from the General.

ôThat remains to be seen. Colonel Rao will be assisting you in this search, Lieutenant.ö

Von Pinn saluted again as the General stalked away. ôThanks Jack. Please donÆt try that with Colonel Rao û his regiment is the one I chewed up during the exercise and heÆs not well known for his sense of humour at the best of times.ö

ôAh,ö Jack said, somewhat at a loss for words as von Pinn walked over towards one of the vehicles, leaving the four of them alone for the first time.

ôMaybe we should let Daniel do the talking,ö Sam suggested.

ôHey, I can be diplomatic,ö Jack protested.

ôMaybe you shouldnÆt let me do the talking,ö Daniel said in a worried tone of voice. ôIÆm really not sure about this, Jack.ö

ôI know Daniel,ö he admitted. ôIÆm not a hundred percent on it either, but itÆs got us on the planet and near the Stargate. LetÆs face it, if these people did attack the Angrezi then theyÆre not doing Earth any favours and this might be the only way to repair the situation.ö

ôAnd what if Nekhrun betrays us?ö TealÆc asked in a voice that made it clear that he considered that to be more than merely a possibility. ôWe will have been his agents in capturing his enemies.ö

ôMaybe û but weÆll be here, on the spot and weÆll be armed. At least here we can have some sort of control over the situation,ö pointed out Jack. ôLook, I know that this isnÆt ideal but itÆs what weÆve got to work with.ö

ôColonel!ö von Pinn called from the back of one of the minitanks. ôCome have a look at this map would you?ö

.oOo.

ôThere are several different routes that they could have taken,ö Jack noted as he examined the map, which contained considerably more information on the islandÆs topography than the relatively quickly compiled map that the SGC had provided based upon a single UAV survey. ôDo you know if they took a vehicle with them?ö

ôNot from the armory,ö Colonel Rao replied. The Colonel was even larger than TealÆc and appeared to be utterly focused on his responsibilities. ôAll of those here have been accounted for. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that they might have brought a vehicle with them. To have reached here on foot within the required timeframe would not be impossible, but it would be extremely challenging.ö

ôYes,ö Jack said thoughtfully, looking at the ridges that seperated the armory from the location of the Stargate. ôThere would have been tracks thoughà Did you find any when you searched?ö

Rao shook his head. ôUnfortunately, several of our transports had unloaded outside the armory in the hours before the raid. We have not managed to identify anything out of the ordinary, but such could easily have been disguised by our own tracks.ö

ôNo tracks for vehicles were located at the stargate,ö von Pinn advised. ôMy scouts would have noted them during the exercises.ö

ôSo they were probably on foot,ö Jack mused. ôThe road doesnÆt lead in the right direction.ö

ôUnless,ö TealÆc said thoughtfully and then hesitated, seeming almost reluctant. Then he frowned. ôUnless they only used the road for a short distance.ö

ôIf it was only a short distance then my scouts would have found traces,ö von Pinn objected.

ôNot if they travelled in the air,ö TealÆc pointed out. ôThe land above the cliff is clear and quite even. A light aircraft could use it as a landing strip.ö

ôDid you check for that?ö Jack asked Rao, giving TealÆc a grateful look.

ôWe checked for ground vehicles,ö the officer replied. ôWhat markings should we expect a light aircraft from your world to make? We do not manufacture powered aircraft that could pass through the Stargate.ö

ôNarrow parallel tracks,ö Sam advised. ôLike those of two or more bicycles moving side by side. Er, a bicycle is -ö

ôThose, we do manufacture,ö Rao interrupted her. ôI will have my men search again. If you are correct however, we cannot track the passage of the raiders and must determine their hiding place.ö

ôIt would have to be somewhere near the Stargate so that theyÆd know when they were clear to use it,ö Jack pointed out. ôAnd somewhere with a landing area. There canÆt be too many places like that.ö

 

[drakensis]

Jack was perhaps being a little overoptimistic. As it turned out, there were some tracks on the grass above the armory that Sam was sure indicated the presence of three ultralight aircraft. Colonel Rao had a thing or two to say to the soliders who had carried out the initial search for tracks having not reported them, but even he had to admit that he wouldnÆt have expected them to indicate the presence of an aircraft.

Unfortunately, Sam also calculated that the space necessary for such an aircraft, laden with two men and the missing equipment, could be quite a bit shorter than had been assumed, increasing the short list of areas to be checked up past a hundred sites.

ôThe most likely places are those in this area,ö Jack decided, indicating the mountains near the centre of the island. ôIf theyÆre travelling by air then they would probably want a refuge thatÆs hard to reach on the ground, to make it less likely for someone to blunder over them. Daniel, youÆve got the map we brought?ö

Daniel looked at him for a moment. ôYes, wait a moment.ö He opened up one of his backpackÆs side-pockets and produced the photo-recon map.

ôThatÆs not much of a map,ö von Pinn observed, looking at it and then back to the detailed maps that they had been working off.

Jack smirked. ôBut,ö he pointed out, ôIf they have a map then this is probably about as good as it gets for them. Now look.ö He tapped his finger on the area heÆd pointed at. ôOn your map I can see at least a dozen areas that they could use, but from this one thereÆs twoà no, three place they could be. Here, here and here. So those would be the best places to start.ö

ôThose are going to be difficult to get to,ö von Pinn noted. ôIÆve seen that plateau,ö he added, tapping one of the sites, ôand IÆm not sure I could get up there without climbing gear.ö

ôWe will require aircraft in any event,ö Rao declared. ôFinding them is of no use unless we can pursue them should they flee.ö He picked up a handset from inside the cavalry vehicle. ôThis is Rao,ö he declared. ôI require the use of a gunship squadron. My priority is Immediate-Actual.ö

.oOo.

The gunships were roughly equivalent to a Russian Hind, Jack decided, although since the Angrezi apparently prefered vectored-thrust to rotors the profile was completely different. However the essentials were the same: each was heavily armed and could carry an infantry fire team (or SG-1 plus von Pinn) in the rear. He wondered if this was another subtle sales pitch by Nekhrun, a theory that he was only slightly distracted from by von PinnÆs slightly pale face.

ôDonÆt you like flying, Lieutenant?ö he asked.

ôIÆm very happy in Confederate assault shuttles,ö the infantry officer replied a touch irritably. ôBut with all respect to the AngreziÆs engineering, these crates donÆt have quite the same safety record.ö His grip on a stanchion noticeably tightened as the gunship banked and outside the window Jack could see a pine-covered hillside flying past them.

ôDo you think the pilot heard you?ö enquired Jack and von Pinn responded by using the index finger of his free hand to move the corner of his eye up and down a couple of times, which Jack guessed was probably some sort of rude gesture.

ôDo you want to be armed or not?ö he asked, indicating the small box that he had brought aboard.

TealÆc reached down and pulled the box onto his lap before opening it to reveal four sidearms of the same kind that Jack had seen the Angrezi using before. Once again he was reminded of revolutionary era pistols û long barrelled with short, rounded grips.

ôOkay, you see those levers on the top?ö von Pinn asked. ôThose are the selector switches û currently theyÆre all up, which means that they are safe. Normally, taking it down one notch sets it as lethal but these are training weapons so it doesnÆt make any difference û still safe. The bottom notch is the stun setting which is the same as hitting someone with a ZakÆnikÆtel once. There is a grip safety so it wonÆt fire unless youÆre holding it, but itÆs quite sensitive so you donÆt have to be holding it very firmly for it to fire.ö

Sam took one of the guns out of the box and held it in firing postion, aiming at the rear door. ôThe grip seems a bit awkward,ö she complained with a grimace.

Von Pinn glanced over, seemingly glad for a distraction as the gunship banked around another bend in the ridgeline. ôYouÆre holding it too low,ö he said. ôYouà ah, I was wondering why your guns had such large butts -ö

Jack stifled a snigger.

ô- you use your index fingers to work the triggers. You should lay your finger along the stunnerÆs barrel and hold the trigger with your middle finger. ItÆs a better way to aim û just point the index finger and the whole gun follows.ö

Sam complied found that he was correct. ôRight. That wouldnÆt work with our sidearms though û the slid would take my thumb off if I tried.ö

That elicited a shudder from von Pinn. ôRemind me to never try using one of your TauÆri firearms,ö he muttered. ôThey sound more dangerous to the user than the target.ö

ôRemember not to try using TauÆre firearms,ö TealÆc reminded him, helpfully.

ôàthanks. IÆll remember that.ö

There was a chime from above and then the pilotÆs voice came back over the speaker mounted on the ceiling. ôWeÆre one minute out from the first site. WeÆre coming straight down on it, disembark on the bounce æcause IÆm not hanging around in the dirt a second more than I have to.ö

The rest of SG-1 took their weapons and von Pinn hit a control, lowering the ramp that formed the rear (and only) hatch to the passenger compartment. Trees were still moving fast underneath them and two more gunships were visible trailing their ride. ôI suggest you brace yourselves,ö he advised. ôAngrezi jump infantry like to get very macho about the bounce of a hard landing and our friend up front sound like heÆs going to uphold their honour in front of the foreign visitors.ö

There was a laugh from the loudspeaker and all of a sudden the gunship plunged downwards, almost shaking a startled Daniel free of his own handgrips, almost in a freefall towards the ground below.

ôIf anyone has any prayers that might help the altimeters work betteràö von Pinn suggested, looking almost cheerful now that the gunship was unquestionaly headed for the floor.

There was a howl from above as the turbines came back to full power and then a crunch that rattled JackÆs teeth as the gunship hit the forest floor and quite literally bounced briefly back into the air. Von Pinn flung himself out the back before it hit ground again, so suddenly that for a moment Jack thought he had simply fallen, and then instinct from his own parajump days took over and he hurled himself after the lieutenant with the rest of SG-1 following, Daniel half-dragged by TealÆc. There was a roar and then the gunship was in the air again along with its comrades, leaving clusters of soldiers scattered around the forest. If it wasnÆt for the turbans that were under the helmets and the unfamiliar weapons, they could have been any of EarthÆs elite infantry units as they fanned out through the trees.

ôAnything?ö Jack asked quietly as von Pinn listened to the chatter on the headset he was wearing. Colonel Rao had been quite firm about not sharing access to the tactical net with the æexpertsÆ.

The soldier shook his head. ôNo oneÆs been sighted,ö he confirmed. ôOnce the ColonelÆs sure weÆre not about to be attacked, heÆll start looking for tracks. It shouldnÆt take long.ö

ôThe immediate area is clear,ö Rao told them, ghosting out of the trees on silent feet that would have shocked Jack if he wasnÆt already familiar with TealÆcÆs easy fieldcraft. ôNo one has sighted any tracks so far but the men have only been able to make a cursory examination while securing the area. They shall check more thoroughly now while the gunships search for infra-red sources.ö Without waiting for a response, he moved on through the trees.

ôAbrupt, isnÆt he?ö Daniel observed.

ôHeÆs a proud man,ö von Pinn advised. ôThe Fourth Cavalry are an elite unit among the PadishahÆs soldiers but they havenÆt had a real enemy since before he was born and the rough handling they got yesterday must sting.ö He grimaced. ôIn fairness, I really didnÆt expect to have as much difficulty with them as I did.ö

ôAre you experienced in fighting the GoaÆuld?ö TealÆc asked.

ôNot a GoaÆuld,ö admitted von Pinn. ôBut IÆve fought Jaffa a couple of times. Not in open field operations though.ö

.oOo.

The site proved to be a disappointment and Rao summoned the gunships to collect the infantry before moving on to the next location. This time the craft swooped in more gracefully and landed without more than the lightest bumps.

ôThey arenÆt bad,ö Jack admitted. ôYou donÆt use these?ö he asked von Pinn.

ôWe have assault shuttles,ö he replied as they went up the ramp of ætheirÆ gunship. ôSame job, more or less, but larger and they can handle surface-to-orbit and vice-versa. Actually, one of the things that weÆve been working with the Angrezi on is an update of this so that weÆll have something more economical for moving small groups around on planets - so I suppose IÆd better get used to this.ö

ôI feel so honoured,ö the pilot retorted across the intercom and Sam chuckled, then had to grab a stanchion as the gunship lifted off before the ramp was fully raised. ôThe next site isnÆt far,ö he added.

ôDo you have similar aircraft,ö von Pinn asked. ôYou seem quite comfortable with the general tactics.ö

ôYes,ö Jack admitted. ôWe donÆt use vectored thrust, well not for this sort of aircraft, but we use external rotors for vertical-take-off-and-landing aircraft.ö

ôExternal rotorsà wouldnÆt they be quite vulnerable to combat damage?ö asked von Pinn in concern.

ôTo an extent,ö agreed Jack. ôbut theyÆre difficult to target so not as much as you might think.ö

ôAnd do you fly them?ö

Jack shook his head. ôI mostly flew fixed wing before I went into the special operations line of work,ö he replied. ôWhat about you? You said that you started out on an assault transport?ö

ôOh yes, the good ship Iskander,ö von Pinn agreed with a grin. ôAssault transports are assault shuttles writ large û designed to get down through an atmosphere and deploy a division as fast as possible. TheyÆre an absolute nightmare for logistics and generally pretty bad for keeping troops up to speed in their field skills. So naturally, as a green ensign fresh out of the academy, I fell in with bad company almost immediately. I mean, of course, my platoon, who were only too pleased to have an officer who had a lower than average chance of noticing them slacking off.ö

ôLet me guess,ö Jack said. ôYou did notice them slacking off.ö

ôWorse than that,ö von Pinn said with a wince. ôAdmiral û he was Captain then û Ayodhya noticed. The first I knew was when he turned up outside my quarters, dragged me off of one of the assault shuttles û the very one where heÆd spotted my first sergeant running an impromptu casino, I later found out û and very firmly explained to me that I wasnÆt doing my job and that if I didnÆt get my act together then I could expect a transfer to the general service division to count beans for the rest of the mandatory service that IÆd agreed to when I was commissioned.ö

ôAs you can imagine, I ûô

ôIncoming fire!ö the pilot shrieked and hurled the gunship sideways towards the side of the valley. There was a sudden impact as something smashed into the left wingà

And then a crash as the right wing hit a tree and the gunship went spinningà

 

[bluepencil]

Sorry for the necro-ing, but... wahahaha! Spartans! SPARTANS! For once not wearing green armored boots. I love it! I love it!

Whatever happened to this story?

 

[Bloodalchemy]

your post is only 11 hours after after the authors

 

[Prince Charon]

your post is only 11 hours after after the authors

Maybe he posted in the wrong thread.

 

[Bloodalchemy]

how do you post in the wrong thread? even if someone gets an idea they have to get online right now to post they still have to find the thread they want to post in

 

[drakensis]

Sam groaned as she lifted her head off the hillside. The last thing she remembered before hitting the ground was the brief sensation of flying and before that, seeing the rear hatch of the gunship explode away from the rest of the aircraft after von Pinn yanked on a lever next to it. He must have blown it open, she realised, in order that they could bail out.

A crackle of zat fire convinced Sam to hug the ground and she glanced around to see that she was next to a low outcropping of rock and as far as she could tell, not the one being shot at. On the other hand, the outcropping was probably the reason that her right arm responded with stabbing pain when she tried to move it û she must have hit the rock before she came to a rest.

ôNo one make another move!ö an almost familiar voice shouted from only a few yards away. ôIÆve got a hostage.ö

Wincing as she did so, Sam dragged herself forwards to look in the direction of the voice, still trying to place why she felt that it was familiar. It wasnÆt von Pinn, not any member of SG-1à nor had it the slightly sing-sing accent sheÆd noticed that the Angrezi all had to one extent or another (and sheÆd definitely been spending too much time with Daniel if sheÆd conciously noted that). It was almost û she frowned. She had heard that accent before, but not here. It was a slightly nasal New England accent and that was something that was out of place here.

Peering around she saw an unfamiliar face as well û Colonel Harry Maybourne. Fortunately, Maybourne wasnÆt going to report having seen her û he was on the ground, eyes closed and from the look of him had probably been hit by a Zat gun or one of the Angrezi stunners. Much like the one that other man she could see was pointing down DanielÆs ear.

ôIÆve shot him once!ö the man shouted, thankfully not looking in SamÆs direction. ôIÆll shoot him again!ö Sure enough Daniel was hanging limp from the other manÆs grasp. Behind them she could see the gunship canted wildly on one side. It looked like it was missing most of one wing and the mess that a tree had made of the cockpit made it clear that the pilot wouldnÆt be making any more wild swerves at von PinnÆs expense.

None of the rest of SG-1 were in view but a moment later, she heard Jack shouting from further down the slope: ôGive it up, you idiot! YouÆre surrounded and weÆve already got half your buddies tied up down here.ö Damn, looked like sheÆd missed quite a bit lying behind the boulder.

ôI want one of those choppers, with all my team on it,ö the New Englander shouted back. ôOr Doctor JacksonÆs going home in a coffin! You know what a second zat shotÆll do to him!ö

Sam frowned. There was something wrong with what heÆd just said, but she couldnÆt work it out. Unfortunately, her own weapon had gone flying when she did, which left her without any particular means of intervening. Not that sheÆd want to make a shot lefthanded with Daniel so close to the man û too easy to hit him and even a glancing shot would ki-

Or would it?

ôI canÆt do that, soldier,ö Jack shouted up the hill. ôIÆm not in command here, and these guys know you killed their pals. I donÆt have a whole lot to bargain with here.ö

ôScrew you, OÆNeill!ö the man shouted. ôFind a way or your friend dies!ö

Sam squinted. The weapon that the man was menacing Daniel with was the same type as those that SG-1 had been equipped with. For that matter, it was entirely possible that it was one of those weapons û sheÆd lost hers and Daniel might well have as well. The lever on the side was û no, the angle was bad. Not up, sheÆd be able to see that for now. Up was safe. One of the two down positions. One of them killed with one shot, the other stunned no matter how often you were hit. ThatÆs what von Pinn had said, anyway. She really hoped that heÆd been telling the truth about that.

Jack sounded defeated, but she knew him well enough to know that he was acting. ôIÆm doing my best, dammit,ö he shouted. ôGive me some time.ö

ôAlright,ö the soldier agreed. ô But if I donÆt hear from you in five minutes...ö

ôI get the picture,ö Jack called back.

Sam rolled over and wormed back behind the outcropping. There had to be something she could do. Maybourne absolutely must not be allowed to get away with this sort of crap. The question was, what could she do? She had her pack, but no weapons and if the man was using the lethal setting then one shot would be û

She paused. Daniel had already been shot once, the man had said. If that was so and heÆd used the lethal setting then heÆd have killed him already. But if he was using a stun setting then Daniel was hopefully in no actual danger. In which case, there probably wasnÆt any actual greater risk in having the Angrezi attack. If she could only tell Jack that the man didnÆt have an actual Zat gun, but a stunner.

After a momentÆs throught she started to root through the pockets of her BDUs. What was it Nekhrun had said about chewing gum?

.oOo.

ôColonel,ö one of the Angrezi said softly, not taking his eyes off the slope above the positions that Rao had dropped his command section into to succor the survivors of the two gunships brought down by anti-aircraft fire. ôSome one is signalling us with a mirror.ö

ôIs it Maharta?ö Rao asked, turning away from Jack and von Pinn.

ôNo sir, too close to the enemy and I canÆt make out the signals.ö

ôWhere are they coming from?ö Jack asked, edging closer.

The soldier hesitated and looked back at Rao, who nodded, before replying: ôBehind the outcropping masking the left side of the enemy positions.ö

Jack scanned the out-cropping and his eyes narrowed as he saw the light reflecting off something metallic. ôMorse code,ö he said. ôIt must be Carter. Does anyone have a something reflective?ö

The soldier pulled a small signalling mirror from one of his flak vest pockets and slapped it into JackÆs hand.

ôPlease û say û again û OÆNeill û over,ö Jack muttered to himself as he tilted the mirror back and forth, displaying short and long flashes of light to CarterÆs position. Her own signals halted for a moment while Jack signalled and then resumed.

ôTwo û enemy û sighted,ö he translated. ôDaniel û hostage. Maybourne - unconcious. Enemy - armed û with û stunner û repeat û stunner û not û zat. Carter û over.ö

ôGood,ö Rao rumbled. ôWeÆve accounted for them all then,ö he concluded, glancing down the slope at where the captured members of MaybourneÆs team were being guarded. There had only been three micro-lights and none of them could have carried more than two men. Four were now prisoners so Maybourne and the active soldier were the last.

ôConfirm - your - condition,ö Jack signalled. He watched the light that came back for a minute or so. ôSheÆs unarmed and sheÆs broken her arm,ö he advised them.

ôTell her to keep her head down then,ö Rao grunted. He gestured sharply towards one of the grounded gunships and the pilot saluted before closing the canopy.

ôWhat are you doing?ö Jack asked.

ôWeÆre going to rush them, Colonel,ö von Pinn explained, hefting his own weapon.

ôBut Danny -ö

ôIf he only has a stunner then the only way he could inflict any serious damage on Doctor Jackson would be by hitting him over the head with it,ö von Pinn interupted. ôAnd weÆd rather take him down before he realises it and gets himself another weapon. Some of the stolen gear is more lethal û and we know that they are carrying chemical-propellant slugthrowers like yours as well. Besides, weÆre getting near to his deadline.ö

Jack hesitated and then nodded, taking his own stunner out and flicking the selector switch to stun.

ôTimeÆs up, OÆNeill!ö came a shout from above them.

Rao slashed his hand downwards and two dozen turbanned men hurled themselves up the steep slope, waepons ready. Behind them, the gunship spooled its turbines up suddenly, the sudden roar deafening to Jack as he half ran and half climbed the hill, von Pinn only a half-step behind him. Even RaoÆs impressive lead was not sufficient however to beat the gunship to the wreck of its comrade as it leapt vertically into the air and then glided forwards, blue bolts spitting from the guns on either side of the cockpit.

By the time Jack got to the top, it was all over û Daniel and his captor were both sprawled on the ground next to Maybourne and Carter was peeking warily over the outcropping that sheÆd tumbled across when they abandoned their gunship.

ôAre you okay, Carter?ö Jack asked, lowering his gun, still unfired.

ôJust peachy, sir,ö she answered, glancing over at Daniel. ôIs TealÆc with you?ö

ôHe went up the hill with one of RaoÆs squads,ö Jack explained. ôWe figured he could cut them off if they made a run for it, or outflank them if they didnÆt.ö He helped her to her feet and they both pushed through the crowd of soldiers surrounding the three fallen TauÆri. ôIs Daniel okay?ö

ôYour brahmin is sleeping peacefully,ö Rao snorted, gesturing to where Daniel lay on his back û breathing easily, Jack saw and presumably unaware of the drama of the last few minutes. ôMore than I can say for my pilot,ö he added and gestured towards the wrecked gunship.

ôOr for the men at the armory,ö Jack noted. ôHarryÆs really gotten his ass in a crack this time.ö

ôYou know this one?ö Rao asked, pointing at DanielÆs captor.

Jack shook his head. ôHe must be one of MaybourneÆs NID agents. This, on the other hand, is Colonel Harry Maybourne. HeÆs been a major pain in the ass before.ö

Rao grunted and used one boot to flip the unconcious Maybourne onto his back. ôVery well then. Since he seems to have been the leader of this little mission of mayhem, Lieutenant von Pinn, I am hereby handing him over to the Confederacy of Free Systems Fleet as a menace to our security. Do you accept the responsibility of dealing with this troublemaker?ö

Von Pinn saluted and clicked his heels. ôSir, on behalf of myself and of my Admiral, I accept this responsibility.ö

ôThen do me the kindness of taking him away from my planet,ö the Colonel demanded. ôAnd take these three and their Jaffa with you. If nothing else, IÆm short of gunships to haul them back to the coast.ö

ôOf course, sir,ö von Pinn agreed with another salute and stepped back. ôColonel, Captain, if we can return briefly to the Leonidas then the rest of your equipment will be restored to you and you will be free to use the Stargate.ö

ôYeah,ö Jack agreed. He lifted Daniel into a firemanÆs carry and glanced at Maybourne. ôDo you want any help with him?ö

ôThat wonÆt be necessary,ö von Pinn assured him and pulled a small device about the size of a cellphone out of his pocket, holding it to his ear as it chirped. ôThank you, sublieutenant. Please send down two men to assist, and have a medic ready on our arrival. Captain Carter has a broken arm and Doctor Jackson has been stunned.ö

TealÆc arrived in time to see a ring device deposit two of von PinnÆs soldiers, who efficiently secured Maybourne and hauled him to where they had appeared, followed by von Pinn and SG-1. The last thing they saw of the hillside before the rings appeared around them was a squad of soldiers hauling DanielÆs erstwhile captor down the slope towards the other captives.

ôWhat do you think Nekhrun will do with Maybourne?ö Sam asked von Pinn.

ôYour guess is as good as mine,ö the infantry officer said. ôI donÆt think heÆd look very pretty on top of a winter festival tree.ö

 

[bluepencil]

Looking at the wrong timestamp in the recent entries. Hunger. Like that. Aheh.

Anyways, awesomeness.

 

[drakensis]

The ramp was surrounded by marines when Jack led the team back through the Stargate. ôWelcome back, SG-1,ö General HammondÆs voice declared through the tannoy. ôWhat kept you?ö

ôàitÆs a long story,ö Jack called back. ôCarterÆs got a broken arm, Danny got zatted and we got invited to a diplomatic reception.ö

He could see Hammond staring down at him from the control room. ôReport to the infirmary,ö he ordered. ôThere will be a full debriefing at fifteen hundred hours.ö

Jack sighed. ôItÆs good to be home.ö He looked at Daniel. ôItÆs better to not be the one whoÆs going to have Janet shining a bright light in their eyes.ö

ôI think youÆre better get a full examination too, Jack,ö Daniel warned him. ôVon Pinn zatted all of us when we got caught, remember.ö

ôAw, noàö Jack whined. ôThat was ages ago, Danny. IÆm fineàö

.oOo.

George Hammond wondered if heÆd cause himself any serious injury if he mixed the indigestion tablets in the top left drawer of his desk with the whiskey in the bottom right drawer. It wasnÆt as if there wasnÆt a fully equipped infirmary on base. Then he remembered who would be responsible for his base if if he was on medical leave and decided against experimentation.

ôSo instead of just examining some abandoned ruins, you discovered an industrialised world with military technology thirty years or so in advance of ours, who are on the verge of signing a treaty with a previously unknown GoaÆuld warlord and helped them apprehend an NID team that had broken into one of their arsenals and was on its way back to Earth with a selection of their small arms?ö he asked.

ôUh, yes sir, thatÆs about the size of it,ö Jack admitted. ôWe got an invitation to go back in a week or so to attend the big diplomatic party when the Angrezi sign their treaty with Nekhrun though, so itÆs possible that we can get some of their technology legitimately this time.ö

ôWell at least thatÆs something,ö Hammond agreed. ôYou specifically, or should I send a diplomatic team?ö

ôUs personally,ö Jack confirmed, ôAlthough if we can arrange a later meeting then it shouldnÆt be a problem to have a diplomatic team take over.ö

ôGood, at least something can be salvaged from this,ö Hammond agreed. ôIÆll see what I can find out about the NID using the stargate we recovered from Antarctica û it shouldnÆt be too difficult to trace.ö

ôJust as long as no one expects us to get Maybourne back,ö Jack muttered. ôGood riddance.ö

ôColonelMaybourne would be a valuable source of information for Nekhrun,ö TealÆc pointed out. ôHe has already made it clear that he has an interest in the Earth.ö

ôHow much of a threat do you think he poses?ö Hammond asked seriously.

ôThat would depend if he has the Confederacy backing him up,ö Jack admitted. ôHeÆs got at least six fairly large warships with him over Angrezi so if he turns up here with the same force then weÆd have trouble even slowing him down.ö

ôSo our only hope is that he doesnÆt find out,ö Hammond concluded. ôWhich means recovering Maybourne and his team at any cost.ö

ôJust what I always wanted to do,ö Jack grumbled. ôGet Harry out of one of his messes.ö

ôIn the meantime, Captain Carter, contact the TokÆra. ItÆs possible that they will have more information,ö Hammond ordered. ôIf Nekhrun is as powerful as youÆve reported then it might be easier to bargain with him for Maybourne than to attempt a rescue.ö

ôThat might be an interesting conversation,ö Daniel noted. ôNekhrun doesnÆt seem like heÆs particularly fond of the TokÆra.ö

ôIt will be interesting to hear their opinion of him,ö TealÆc agreed.

.oOo.

ôThat gangrenous sore on the hindquarters of a syphilitic she-goat lives!?ö Anise shrieked. ôDamn her! What does it take to get rid of her!?ö Even Jacob Carter seemed surprised by her vehemence.

ôYouÆve heard of Nekhrun then?ö Jack asked sweetly.

ôHeard of her?ö she spat. ôI thought IÆd killed the backstabbing weasel-faced bitch a thousand years ago!ö

Sam frowned. ôHer? The Nekhrun we met was male û oh.ö

ôOh?ö Jack asked. ôWhat do you mean, æohÆ?ö

ôNekhrunÆs current host was male, but von Pinn said that his usual host was female,ö Sam reminded him. ôI take it that Nekhrun often takes female hosts?ö

ôVon Pinn?ö her father asked, eyeing Sam thoughtfully. ôWho was this ævon PinnÆ?ö

ôDad, can we focus on the real issue here?ö

ôI think this is an issue, Sam,ö the elder Carter declared. ôHow was this von Pinn character so familiar with Nekhrun?ö

ôNekhrunÆs apparently part of some outfit called the Confederated Free Systems,ö Jack explained. ôAndre von PinnÆs an officer in their fleet, he was the guy that got stuck escorting us around while we were there.ö

ôConfederated Free Systems,ö Jacob mused. ôHmm. And yes,ö he confirmed, eyes lighting up as Selmak took over to address the question, ôNekhrun mostly used female hosts ever since she and Ra parted ways. As Anise pointed out though, weÆve not had any confirmed sightings of her for most of a thousand years. We were fairly sure she died when the Alkesh she was aboard was destroyed û weÆd leaked information on her movements to Nirriti and she told Ra.ö

ôYou set Nekhrun up?ö Daniel asked. ôNo wonder he û she û wasnÆt very happy with you.ö

Anise snorted. ôShe never hesitated to share information on the TokÆra with the other system lords. We lost at least a dozen bases because she ferreted them out, then swooped in after we were gone to enslave the populations who had supported us. No one ever saw those populations again. And IÆve lost count of how many of our agents sheÆs identified just when they were getting close to the System Lords.ö

ôYou said she and Ra parted ways,ö Jack asked. ôHow come? Too treacherous for him to stomach?ö

ôIt was a long time ago,ö Selmak replied. ôBack before EgeriaÆs time in fact. From what I was told, Nekhrun was RaÆs chief warlord in the conquest of Earth. But they quarrelled about two thousand years later and Ra declared that Nekhrun was a renegade and was going to have her executed. Instead, Nekhrun escaped. Egeria tried to recruit her when she was founding the TokÆra, but she laughed in our faces.ö

ôYouÆre painting a disturbing picture of Nekhrun,ö Hammond noted. ôHow much of a threat do you think she would pose to the Earth?ö

Selmak shrugged. ôThereÆs no way to know, NekhrunÆs notoriously unpredictable. WeÆll see what we can find out for you though.ö He looked around for a moment. ôYou wonÆt be opening the Stargate for another hour, right?ö

Hammond nodded.

ôIn that case, maybe you can tell us a little more about what sheÆs up to these days. The idea of Nekhrun with a fleet isnÆt one that anyone is going to be happy about.ö

.oOo.

ôGeneral Hammond,ö Hammond replied into the handset red phone on his desk.

ôGeneral,ö came the familiar voice of the Commander-in-Chief. ôIÆve got Senator Kinsey in my office complaining about the SGC actively interfering in an NID operation that would have netted us a new generation of small arms. Do you know anything.ö

Hammond cleared his throat. ôItÆs possible heÆs referring to a recent incident where SG-1 narrowly managed to prevent the NID from starting a war between the United States of America and an interstellar confederation that could have a fleet of starships in orbit over the Earth in a matter of weeks. SG-1 will be returning on Tuesday to try to open formal diplomatic contact which could lead to us being able to purchase large numbers of those small arms, as well as a number of other technologies with military applications.ö

There was a pause. ôThat bad?ö

ôSir, a squad of NID agents under the command of Colonel Maybourne was apprehended after attacking an Angrezi armory and making off with a handful of small arms and heavy weapons. They killed half a dozen Angrezi soldiers without any provocation at all and right now, SG-1Æs assistance is the only thing that gives us any goodwill at all from them.ö

ôHold on a moment, General,ö the Commander-in-Chief sighed.

Hammond rolled a pencil back and forth for a moment and then went back to reading the supply requests heÆd been evaluating before the call, holding the handset loosely from his ears. The White House didnÆt have very good hold music, he noted.

ôIt would seem, General,ö the most powerful man on Earth said, recommencing the conversation without preamble, ôThat this was not how the matter was presented to Senator Kinsey. He has apologised for the misunderstanding, it would seem that communication between the SGC and the NID is still not proceeding smoothly?ö

ôThat is quite correct sir, I was not advised that the NID would be running its own stargate programme or executing foreign policy outside the guidelines that the SGC has been been operating under.ö

There was another pause. ôYou make your point, General. IÆll take the matter from here so that you can concentrate on the diplomatic situtation with the Angrezi. Please see if you can arrange for Colonel MaybourneÆs people to be repatriated to us û they may be hamfisted idiots but theyÆre our hamfisted idiots û but do not risk the talks on it.ö

ôUnderstood sir,ö Hammond said.

ôGood luck George,ö the President said ôWith Colonel OÆNeill on a diplomatic mission, I have a feeling that youÆll need it.ö He ended the call before Hammond could respond û not that the general planned to disagree, heÆd bought a large bottle of antacids in preparation for whatever report SG-1 brought back from their next visit to Angrezi.

.oOo.

ôSounds like KinseyÆs gotten his ass in a crack,ö Jack commented when Hammond mentioned the call to SG-1 during the pre-mission briefing. There really wasnÆt much to brief the four of them on û they had all seen more of Angrezi than anyone else - so mostly they had reviewed the mission goals of persuading the Angrezi to let them send a diplomatic team to look into opportunities for trade and if possible to obtain MaybourneÆs team.

ôNo doubt he will extricate himself with his usual ease,ö TealÆc pointed out solemnly.

ôIÆm not so sure, TealÆc,ö Sam disagreed. ôMaybourne came within an inch of providing the Angrezi with a casus belli against Earth, and with them joining the Confederacy we canÆt be sure that Nekhrun wouldnÆt have backed them. That would have been an absolute disaster.ö

ôSomehow, I donÆt think that Kinsey will have any trouble producing plenty of æevidenceÆ that he didnÆt know anything about it,ö said Jack. ôWhat do you think, Daniel.ö

ôHmm?ö Daniel said, looking up from his own notes. ôWhat was that?ö

Hammond frowned. ôDoctor Jackson could you please at least try to pay attention?ö

ôAh- sorry,ö he replied in a distracted voice. ôI was just thinking about the Angrezi. Nekhrun said that the ruins that we were looking at used to be his villa, right?ö

ôYeah,ö Jack agreed.

ôSo heÆs probably known about the Angrezi since long before the Confederacy existed û in fact heÆs probably the one who took them there. And Anise said that he collected groups who had supported the TokÆra when they were abandoned by the TokÆra û remember what he said about the TokÆra sacrificing the people who sheltered them?ö

Sam frowned. ôI donÆt see where youÆre going,ö she admitted. ôDo you mean that the Angrezi could be descended from groups like that?ö

ôIÆm saying that the entire Confederacy could be made up of worlds descended from societies that he brought from elsewhere and had been manipulating from behind the scenes,ö Daniel explained. ôRemember, heÆs thousands of years old û there could be hundreds of worlds that heÆs steering towards technological development. He says that heÆs not in charge of the Confederacy, but itÆs pretty clear that heÆs got a lot of strings attached to it.ö

ôWell thereÆs one way to find out,ö Jack told him, rising from his seat.

ôWhat method do you propose, OÆNeill?ö TealÆc asked, following JackÆs example.

ôWeÆre expected to attend this reception thing as his guests,ö Jack said. ôSo why donÆt we just ask him? ItÆs not as if heÆs at all ashamed of what heÆs been doing, thereÆs a fair chance heÆll be happy for the chance to brag about it.ö

 

[drakensis]

This time when they stepped through the Stargate onto Angrezi, the hollow was not empty. When they had left they had seen Confederate soldiers dismantling a small base camp that they had used for their simulated invasion of the Angrezi. Now, although the tents were all gone, two lines of soldiers flanked the ancient road û on the left turbanned Angrezi soldiers wearing scarlet tunics and black pants and on the right a rank of bareheaded soldiers wearing black tunics and pants broken only by grey collars and cuffs. Both ranks of soldiers came to attention as SG-1 stepped down from the Stargate.

ôColonel OÆNeill, Captain Carter, Doctor Jackson, TealÆc,ö called von Pinn, who was standing at the far end of the little corridor of soldiers, wearing the same black uniform as the men to their right, although in his case he also had grey epaulettes and facings on his tunic. ôOn behalf of Admiral Sario Ayodhya of the Confederated Free Systems Fleet, Ambassador Lord Nekhrun of the Confederated Free Systems and his imperial majesty Padishah Alexander VIII of Angrezi, I welcome you to Angrezi.ö

Jack paused. ôI feel distinctly underdressed,ö he whispered to Sam, who was standing next to him in the same BDUs that the rest of SG-1 were wearing, their formal clothes all packed into their backpacks.

ôYouÆre dawdling, sir,ö she hissed back as they walked towards von Pinn. The soldiers all saluted as SG-1 passed them and the two Air Force officers reflexively returned the salutes.

ôThanks for the warm welcome,ö Jack greeted von Pinn.

ôYouÆre entirely welcome, Colonel,ö von Pinn replied. ôHow often do you think we can bandy the word æwelcomeÆ back and forth?ö he asked under his breath as they shook hands.

ôLong enough to avoid the reception?ö Jack asked hopefully.

ôSadly not.ö Von Pinn turned and gestured to the open space behind them. ôIf youÆll step this way please, weÆll ring up to the Leonidas where quarters have been provided for you and you can prepare for the reception. ThereÆs also a briefing for the protocol that will be in place û I know that itÆs tempting to make sure youÆre rested before having to endure something like this, but please try not to fall asleep. If you start anything too messy then it would reflect poorly upon the Confederacy.ö

.oOo.

The Leonidas was much as Jack remembered it û clean, polished and professional. This time they were escorted to a suite of rooms deeper inside the ship. There were a pair of guards outside the doors, wearing the same uniform that Jack remembered and looking rather drab alongside von PinnÆs new outfit.

ôWhatÆs with the black and silver?ö Jack asked. ôDress uniform?ö

ôDress blacks,ö von Pinn agreed. ôThe epaulettes are for officers, facings like these mark a command grade officer û a Lieutenant or a Captain - and when the facings and epaulettes are merged into a single shoulder piece then youÆre faced with one of the admiralty. The fancier the markings, the more senior the officer.ö

ôSounds like the Admiral will be carrying around a lot of brass,ö Jack observed.

Von Pinn laughed. ôItÆs even worse than that. This is about as formal as it gets so weÆll be wearing a sash to display our decorations as well and he has to wear NekhrunÆs as well. He may have to bring a valet along to carry all of them.ö

Jack shivered. ôIÆve never been so grateful for mess dress uniforms in my life.ö

ôItÆs not as if we have to wear them all that often,ö von Pinn shrugged.

ôWeÆve been asked to find out whatÆs going to happen to Colonel Maybourne,ö Daniel asked as he came back from looking around the suite. ôIs that going to be a problem?ö

ôI donÆt think anythingÆs been decided yet,ö von Pinn told him. ôUntil it is, heÆs just been locked up. Lord Nekhrun said something about holding him hostage against having a TauÆri named,ö he hesitated. ôWhat was the name. Geord Luke As, I think, account for certain inconsistencies in his video entertainment -ö

ôWe will defend Georgelucas with our lives,ö TealÆc declared boldly.

ô- but I think he was joking,ö von Pinn said, giving TealÆc a puzzled look. ôOr not?ö

ôProbably joking,ö Jack snorted. ôAlthough thatÆs a shame, come to think of it. IÆve got a few questions for him myself...ö

TealÆc shook his head. ôThere is no doubt, OÆNeill, that Greedo shot first.ö

ôSeriously, I donÆt know whatÆs going to happen to Maybourne,ö von Pinn interrupted, proving that even halfway across the galaxy, everyone was fed up with that particular question. ôIf youÆre trying to get him back û and I canÆt honestly see why youÆd want him û then itÆs pretty much going to depend on whether you can keep him locked away from carrying out any more operations like this one.ö

Jack winced. Maybourne was a slippery character and keeping him locked up would be a great deal easier said than done. ôI suppose weÆll have to see what can be worked out,ö he replied.

.oOo.

SG-1 had been offered front row seats at the briefing, with at least six rows of seats behind them filling up with men and women in a considerable variety of what Daniel assured Jack was formal garb. Jack and Sam both wore mess-dress, Daniel wore a black tuxedo and TealÆc had donned his carefully maintained Jaffa gear, looking every bit the First Prime of Apophsis that he had been before they met on Chulak. On the other side of the aisle, however, the men and women all wore Confederacy dress blacks, more than half of them with bright silk sashes of royal blue or crimson descending from their left shoulders to their right hips and with very few exceptions wearing officers epaulettes. The few who did not were evidently long service non-commissioned officers with red sashes liberally laden with decorations in comparison to the scantier selections of their officers.

There were only a few seats still empty when the doors slid open to admit Admiral Ayodhya who didnÆt so much stalk in as sidle towards a seat immediately across from Jack. There was something oddly furtive to him and the blue sash he wore, while impressively bemedalled, didnÆt seem to to live up to von PinnÆs description.

ôProbably the most important thing to remember,ö the civilian giving the briefing concluded, ôIs not to address anyone on the uppermost level of the throneroom unless they address you first and not to step onto it without an explicit verbal invitation by someone already standing on it. Stop and ask their permission first if you have to. Admiral Ayodhya assures me that he wonÆt let the Padishah cut your nose off if you do, but it would cause needless offense.ö

ôDid the Admiral promise that he wouldnÆt cut our noses off if we do?ö asked some wag from the back of the civilian seats.

The briefer, who Jack had noted wore a red sash of the same kind that so many of the officers did, tapped his papers against the desk before closing them up in his folder. ôNo, Herr von Strang. He did not.ö There was an uneasy pause. ôAre there any further questions?ö

ôWill Lord Nekhrun still be attending with Admiral Ayodhya?ö asked another voice, this one recognisably Andre von Pinn.

The Admiral rose to his feet and turned to face the audience, eyes glowing. ôThat is my intention, Lieutenant von Pinn. Is there any reason for your enquiry?ö

ôI was just wondering why you werenÆt wearing your decorations, Lord Nekhrun,ö von Pinn replied politely. ôI apologise for any discourtesy that I may have offered you.ö

NekhrunÆs eyes narrowed. ôI appear to have accidentally left them behind when I came aboard, Lieutenant,ö he advised. ôMore precisely, I was in such a hurry to board the Leonidas that I forgot to collect them from my vault back on Heinessen. I am sure that the Padishah will not feel their lack.ö

At that moment the door to the briefing room hissed open and a tiny middle-aged woman of obviously indian heritage trotted in, clutching a garment of red and blue silk. ôAh, Lord Nekhrun,ö she said brightly. ôI hope IÆm not disturbing you at all.ö

ôAhà no,ö Nekhrun said resignedly.

ôOh good,ö the woman said, her smile displaying brilliant white teeth. ôIÆve found the rest of your uniform, it must have fallen at the back of the closet and ended up in one of your shoe boxes somehow.ö

ôImagine that,ö agreed Nekhrun, his voice somewhat strained. He obediently turned around and then sank to his knees so that the much smaller woman could slip the garment, some sort of sleeveless jacket, over his broad shoulders. The look on his face, Sam noted, was almost identical to that on JackÆs on the not infrequent occasions when he was being dragged to the infirmary by Janet Fraiser. Then the light faded out and in a somewhat amused voice, Admiral Ayodhya continued: ôAnd let that be a lesson to all of you, that even the greatest warlord can be defeated by those who know him best.ö

ôYouÆre a flatterer, young man,ö the woman said with a slight gleam in her eyes that spoke of amusement. ôIÆll have you know that IÆve learnt a few things carrying my Lord Nekhrun around all these years.ö

That statement seized SG-1Æs attention sharply. NekhrunÆs usual host wasà von Pinn had told them that NekhrunÆs usual æhost is a very sweet lady whoÆs been with him for a couple of generationsÆ but it hadnÆt occurred to them that she would be visibly aged û most GoaÆuld utilised a sarcophagus to keep their hosts looking young and attractive.

ôAh, how many years was that, if you donÆt mind my asking?ö Daniel asked cautiously.

ôNot quite eighty years,ö she told him. ôMy, you must be the Doctor Jackson that I have heard so much about. DoesnÆt seem that they feed you very well, wherever it is that you come from û youÆre all skin and bones.ö

.oOo.

In the end it took heroic measures and promises to return to the Leonidas after the reception for a æproper mealÆ to extract Daniel from the clutches of NekhrunÆs host Harjit.

ôYou actually share headspace with her?ö Jack asked incredulously as they descended the stairs to the deck with the Ring transporters.

Nekhrun shrugged, the gesture sending all of the many medals hanging from his vest jangling rather less than melodiously. ôHer familyÆs been working for me for almost a thousand years, Colonel. Now her grandmother, she was a real tyrant. They keep me grounded.ö

ôTheyÆve got you whipped,ö jeered Jack.

ôThat is not part of the arrangement,ö Nekhrun retorted. His eyes grew distant. ôAlthough her great-grandmother did have a certain fondness for that sort of thing. Disturbing woman, I had to insist on moving to HarjitÆs grandmother once she was old enough û it was getting seriously difficult to keep the stablehands in my employee. Something about tight riding pants, I think she said.ö

Jack paled slightly and Sam snickered.

ôYou mean you actuallyàö he spluttered.

ôAh, now that is part of the deal,ö Ayodhya explained, the GoaÆuld fading into the back of the AdmiralÆs awareness. Probably to feel all warm and cuddly about the look on the TauÆri ColonelÆs face. ôWhoever NekhrunÆs host is, while heÆs in, is the lord of the manor, so to speak, with all the perquisites thereof.ö He paused and frowned. ôActuallyà IÆm distantly related to Lady Harjit. Her great-grandmother would be my, hmmàö His eyes glowed for a brief moment. ôGreat-great-great-grandmother.ö The glow faded and he winced. ôBy one of those stablehands it would seem. Wonderful, the things you can learn, hosting Lord Nekhrun for a month or two, they told me. Hah.ö

ôSo you come from the same planet as her?ö Daniel asked

ôWell, I was born on Heinessen,ö Ayodhya corrected. ôMy grandfather settled down there after what IÆm assured was an exciting and colourful career in the diplomatic service, but he came from Uttara Mahanandai on Basantapur.ö

Daniel nodded. ôAnd Basantapur is where Harjit comes from?ö

ôHer family have served Lord Nekhrun in the Mahanandai since our ancestors first came to Basantapur,ö Ayodhya agreed. ôAdmittedly, without most of us knowing about it until a few generations ago. It was quite a shock to some of the higher caste families to find out that Lord NekhrunÆs representatives were of the Shudra.ö

ôWhatÆs a Shudra?ö Jack asked.

ôJack!ö Daniel protested. ôDidnÆt you listen to a word of the briefing?ö

ôSome of them, yeah.ö

ôOther than, æthere will not be refreshmentsÆ?ö

ôWellàö

Daniel started swearing in several languages that he was fairly sure Jack didnÆt know, although heÆd been caught offguard once on that matter. When he paused for breathe, Nekhrun filled in for him with great eloquence although he was a little lacking in the vehmence. ôJack, traditional Hindi culture divides the population into four castes. The Shudra are the lowest of the castes, the workers. When weÆre in the PadishahÆs throne room theyÆll only be allowed onto the lowest of the levels of his throneroom except when they are specifically escorted further up. From what I gather, Nekhrun is accorded extremely high social status in the Confederacy, so for him to be represented on Basantapur by a member of the Shudra would be a huge slap in the face.ö

ôThe offical stance is that whoever his host is takes on his own status,ö Ayodhya explained, ôbut itÆs taken years for the unoffical stance to catch up with that.ö He shrugged. ôNot that anyone else in the Confederacy, except possibly the Angrezi now, cares about BasantapurÆs caste system as long as they donÆt try to impose it on the rest of us.ö He opened a door, revealing a ring transporter. ôAlright, brace yourselves for the uppermost of AngreziÆs upper crust.ö

ôWhy did you have to invite use again?ö Jack almost whined.

ôMisery enjoys company?ö Ayodhya suggested with a smile.

.oOo.

Angrezi high society was apparently largely focused on standing around talking, Jack noted. At least nobody was expecting him to dance. The throne room was almost large enough a football game, although the low steps seperating the four levels would have been a formidable hazard to anyone running around. The Padishah was enthroned on the Lion Throne, a GoaÆuld-worthy creation of elaborately worked gold and crimson velvets that stood just before the step up to the highest level of the huge chamber. Apparently, even though he was the ruler of the planet, the Padishah wasnÆt of the highest caste and couldnÆt go further back without permission. It didnÆt make much sense to Jack, but Sam had mentioned that if it meant that the Padishah was bound by laws rather than being an absolute ruler then it was probably a good sign.

Which still left Jack drifting around the level since he didnÆt think that walking up to the Grand High Poobah of the entire planet and saying æHi, can I have a trade agreement and those dudes who shot up your soldiers please?Æ would make quite the impression that General Hammond would want.

ôYouÆre looking rather bored,ö said an amused voice as he was studying one of the huge oil paintings that were spaced along the walls of the throne room. He turned to see a young woman in a sari examining him somewhat sceptically. ôI do hope not, daddy would hate to feel that he was being a poor host.ö

ôDaddy?ö Jack asked, hoping that this wasnÆt going to be some elaborately stagemanaged ploy to make it look like he was hitting on a girl at least a decade and a half his junior. Maybe two decades.

ôAh,ö she said. ôOf course, we havenÆt had the chance to be introduced yet, have we. You have the inestimatable pleasure to be addressing her Royal and Imperial Highness, the Princess Shakuntala of Angrezi. And who might you be? IÆm sure that that isnÆt a Confederate uniform, dashing though it is.ö

Jack blinked. Great, an princess at least a decade and a half his junior. ôColonel Jack OÆNeill of the United States Air Force. From Earth.ö

ôOh good,ö the Princess said brightly. ôI was hoping that that was who you were. I wasnÆt sure though, you donÆt look old enough to be Doctor JacksonÆs father -ö

ôIÆm not DanielÆs father,ö Jack said quickly. Blast it! Did everyone in the galaxy think that that was their relationship? ôItÆs just a coincidence about our names.ö Before there could be an awkward silence, or more embarassing, a continutation of that topic of conversation, he changed it: ôIs it really an inestinatable pleasure to be addressing you?ö

She laughed, not a girlish giggle but the chuckle of someone who was glad to have a break in the formality. ôIÆm assured that it is by ever such a large number of young fellows, Colonel. However, perhaps youÆll have drawn your own conclusion by the end of the evening. What brings you back to Angrezi? I would have thought that you would want my fatherÆs memories of the Colonel MayburnÆs exploits to have time to cool before showing your faces to him again.ö

ôWell thereÆs an Earth saying about striking while the iron is hot,ö Jack said. ôIf we just went away then your fatherÆs opnion of us would be based on Colonel Maybourne and perhaps we can make a better impression on him than that.ö

ôAudacious,ö the princess agreed. ôAnd I suppose that Admiral Ayodhya was very persuasive about his invitation? I do wonder why he did that.ö

ôI suppose that it was NekhrunÆs idea,ö suggest Jack. ôAlthough that rather begs what his agenda is.ö

She smiled again, as if in amusement. ôIÆm always puzzled that anyone would think of Nekhrun as male. I suppose youÆve only met her while Admiral Ayodhya was her host but sheÆs really far more feminine when Lady Harjit hosts her. She was a very merry host when I visited Basantapur last year.ö

ôAs far as I know, snakes are all male except the Queens,ö Jack shrugged.

ôSnakes?ö the princess froze and then shook her head. ôI really must ask you not to refer to GoaÆuld as that, Colonel. Snakes, after all, are quite magnificent creatures and hardly deserve comparison to dear NekhrunÆs depraved cousins.ö

 

[drakensis]

ôDo you mind if I call them worms instead?ö Jack asked quickly.

Shakuntala considered that for a moment and then banished the frown from her face. ôWorms seems quite appropriate for them, Colonel. I donÆt believe that anyone would be offended by that name for the GoaÆuld.ö She paused and her eyes gleamed. ôExcept the GoaÆuld of course.ö

ôThatÆs a shame,ö Jack said, his voice dripping with insincerity and they both laughed. ôPerhaps weÆd better not tell them. Might rupture their delicate egos.ö

She chuckled again. ôOn second thoughts, perhaps we should. So, Colonel, why does making a good impression on my father matter to you? Everyone here has things that they want, what are yours?ö

ôItÆs hardly a secret,ö Jack said. ôWeÆre hoping to get permission for a few diplomats to come through, maybe buy some of your military hardware û weÆve been lucky so far with the GoaÆuld, but IÆd rather rely on having more big guns than they do. And - very delicately û weÆre supposed to see if we can get Maybourne and his crew of idiots back. WeÆd really like to know who authorised them to go off like that.ö

ôMy,ö Shakuntala said brightly. ôI said that you were audacious, but perhaps I understated it. You want to reclaim men who shot up DaddyÆs soldiers? ThatÆs very bold, colonel.ö

Jack grimaced. ôI always get given interesting jobs like this.ö

.oOo.

ôIt looks like the Colonel is having an interesting conversation,ö Ayodhya observed to TealÆc as they watched the throneroom from the other side of the third level. None of the Angrezi seemed particularly keen on approaching the towering Jaffa and the Admiral was blatantly taking advantage of this to keep the female members of the Kshatriya caste from launching their matrimonial assaults upon him, forcing them to resort to siegework.

ôIs the young woman known to you?ö TealÆc asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nekhrun took over the conversation. ôSheÆs the PadishahÆs second daughter,ö he explained. ôAnd probably about as determined to avoid her suitors as my host, wouldnÆt you say, Sario?ö

ôThanks,ö Ayodhya said, taking over again. ôIn any event, sheÆs fills the role of back channel to his Royal and Imperial Majesty. What she hears, her father does too. If Jack makes a good impression here then itÆll count for quite a lot.ö

TealÆc frowned. ôWhy are you concerned by this?ö

ôNekhrunÆs insidious plans, you mean?ö the Admiral asked. ôNothing terribly sinister. HeÆs just thinking long term. After all, evne if the System Lords were defeated tomorrow, weÆd still be in the same galaxy and have to deal with each other. And it might take a while for the Angrezi to find their feet in the Confederacy û letting them act as intermediaries to the TauÆri would probably cushion some of the shocks that theyÆll feel. Nekhrun rarely does things for only -ö A small device on his belt chirped and he looked down. ô- one reason. Excuse me, I have a call.ö

Turning abruptly he hurried towards a side door. TealÆc looked at his back for a moment and then followed the Admiral towards the exit, weaving swiftly through the little knots of conversation. Ayodhya seemed distracted, barely noticing a servant who had to halt abruptly to avoid a collision and yanking open the door to reveal a balcony overlooking one of the palaceÆs many small gardens. The door swung closed behind him but TealÆc caught it before it could close completely.

ôLeonidas, this is Admiral Ayodhya,ö he heard. ôWhereÆs the fire?ö There was a pause. ôI see,ö the Admiral said flatly. ôNo, I understand. Give me fifteen minutes and then issue a recall signal to the rest of my party.ö

TealÆc frowned and let the door close the rest of the way, moving aside and following the wall towards the last place heÆd seen Sam. Unfortunately, sheÆd been locked in conversation with several Brahmin and at some point the conversation had moved up onto the uppermost level of the throneroom.

Behind him, he heard the door open and medals jingling merrily. When he glanced back he saw Ayodhya marching in a direct line towards the Lion Throne, an intent look on his face.

ôTealÆc, are you okay buddy?ö Jack asked, breaking away from the wall where heÆd been standing. Behind him, the woman Ayodhya had identified as the PadishahÆs daughter was listening intently.

ôAdmiral Ayodhya has received a signal from the Leonidas,ö TealÆc reported swiftly. ôThere appears to be a crisis and he is recalling his people.ö

ôFrom a court reception?ö the princess asked incredulously. ôThatÆs unheard of!ö

ôIt would have to be one hell of a crisis,ö Jack agreed and his eyes were concerned as they met TealÆcÆs. ôDaniel went up to the next level to talk history with some Brahmin, but I lost sight of Sam a while back.ö

ôCaptain Carter is also on the next level, OÆNeill,ö TealÆc observed.

ôGreat û and weÆre not supposed to go up there?ö

ôNot without permission,ö Shakuntala confirmed. ôIt would be highly improper.ö She smiled. ôOf course, someone who knew the, shall we say, tricks of the trade, can get invited there whenever she wishes. If I could tear myself away from such a handsome pair of gentlemen, of course.ö

ôI do not believe that that will be necessary,ö TealÆc observed, looking over to the Lion Throne, where Ayodhya had reached the PadishahÆs side and was whispering quickly.

The Padishah nodded and even at this distance TealÆc could see fear touch the manÆs eyes. ôMy people,ö he declared in a strong voice. ôWe gathered here to celebrate our joining a brotherhood of worlds, one that reaches across the stars. However, it would seem that this brotherhood shall soon be tested.ö He smiled, white teeth gleaming beneath his black beard. ôAnd thus I must excuse the absence of my guests and formalise our alliance in a less decorous fashion than I expected.ö He held out one hand to Ayodhya, who reached past it to clasp the PadishahÆs wrist, a grip that was reciprocated.

ôWelcome to the Confederacy of Free Systems,ö the Admiral said loudly.

ôItÆs an honor to be counted amongst you,ö the Padishah replied, just as clearly.

ôWhatÆs going on, sir?ö Sam asked quietly as she led Daniel down from the next level.

It was TealÆc who answered the question however. ôThe GoaÆuld have come.ö

.oOo.

The war room buried deep below the palace didnÆt remind Jack particularly of Stargate Command, other than the lack of windows. The actual administrative headquarters of the PadishahÆs armies might have been more similar, but the PadishahÆs own war room û actually a fairly large complex of bunkers û were lavishly furnished in keeping with his august status.

That didnÆt make them any less functional however, and the display table in the middle of the main room was a thing of beauty û a holographic display unit as big as any dinner table that Jack had ever seen, now displaying a three-dimensional image of the island that played host to AngreziÆs stargate.

ôYou know what this means?ö Jack asked.

ôThat the Angrezi have advanced holographic technology?ö Sam asked.

ôAnd I want to see this thing project a hockey match,ö Jack agreed. ôHowever, a little more urgently, the Jaffa have cut us off from the Stargate.ö

ôIndeed,ö TealÆc noted. He indicated an array of red icons spreading out from the location of the stargate. ôThese are the Jaffa dispositions?ö

ôAs far as we can tell,ö Nekhrun noted. His uniform was looking a little more rumpled than usual and he had both hands thrust into his hip pockets as he eyed the map. ôSatellite surveillance isnÆt perfect, but the Leonidas was able to isolate the activation signal of the Stargate just about twenty minutes ago. Presumably the Jaffa have been coming through fairly steadily ever since. Initial reports are that before the ground troops, a flight of Death Gliders came through û the transmission suggests that the defenders managed to bring one of them down before they were overrun,ö he added with grim pride.

ôWhen you were running a simulated attack,ö Jack asked. ôDid the Angrezi actually manage to stop it?ö

The GoaÆuld grimaced. ôNot before we reached the limits of the exercise area, no. Of course, they have a better idea of what to expect now.ö

ôWe also began reinforcing the nearest bases,ö General Soor added stepping back from the table where heÆd been examining the Jaffa postions. ôSince we evidently didnÆt have the necessary forces on hand before. So more troops, and better prepared ones. WeÆll be in position to counterattack at dawn.ö

Jack raised his eyebrows. ôTealÆc how good are the Jaffa at fighting in the dark?ö

ôAs hindered as anyone else,ö TealÆc confirmed. ôAre you contemplating the course of action that I am contemplating?ö

ôA night attack?ö Soor asked. He frowned. ôAudacious. We have night vision equipment, but the troops are not trained for such an operation.ö

ôMine are,ö Nekhrun advised him. ôLieutenant von PinnÆs battalion is readying for operations aboard the Leonidas and I can amass another battalion or so from the detachments aboard the rest of my squadron. Even on a small scale, it could be enough to disrupt them.ö

Soor frowned. ôIÆll think about it,ö he said, turning away.

ôThereÆs not really time for that,ö Jack muttered, looking at the blue icons of Angrezi forces amassed around coastal strongpoints while the Jaffa crept outwards from the Stargate. ôThose Death Gliders will have pinpointed the positions by now and the Jaffa will be launching their own attacks at dawn.ö

ôThen you must seize the initiative,ö Shakuntala said from behind them. She was still wearing a sari, which made her the only person in the room not wearing a uniform. ôWhichever System Lord is attacking cannot have extensive knowledge of Angrezi, but their information will increase rapidly. Doubtlessly they expected the stargate to be easily accessible to our leaders, and are surprised to see no population centres on the island, but if they can secure the island then it will be difficult to land troops to repel them.ö She nodded sharply. ôI will speak to my father.ö

ôI believe I see those traits that you mentioned,ö TealÆc conceded to Ayodhya as the Princess walked away. He blinked as Jack gave him a disturbed look. ôAdmiral Ayodhya spoke highly of the PrincessÆ leadership potential,ö he clarified.

ôGood,ö Jack nodded. ôThatÆs what I was hoping that you meant. Do you think that the grand poobah will listen to her though?ö

ôThe Padishah isnÆt stupid,ö Nekhrun advised him. ôHeÆs circumscribed by ceremony, but thereÆs a long tradition of the royal family being employed on his behalf to circumvent the usual government activities. He may not agree with ShakuntalaÆs opinion û she is fairly young still û but heÆll definitely listen to her.ö

ôIt sounds like youÆre extremely familiar with the Angrezi,ö Daniel said, remembering JackÆs sugggestion for before they left Earth. ôHow long have you been observing them?ö

ôCome now, Doctor Jackson,ö Nekhrun said with a smirk. ôSurely you have realised by now that I settled the Angrezi here in the first place, along with quite a number of others.ö

ôWe thought that it was likely,ö Daniel admitted, ôBut we werenÆt entirely sure. So is the entire Confederacy descended from groups of former TokÆra supporters?ö

ôNot all of them,ö explained Nekhrun. ôBut quite a lot of them are. I did remove some groups directly from Earth and some of them are just groups that the other GoaÆuld forgot about. It can get quite complicated at timesàö

ôComplicated?ö Jack asked. ôYouÆve been running around moving people back and forth for generations and nobodyÆs noticed?ö

Nekhrun blinked. ôWell of course people noticed,ö he said. ôWhat do you think the TokÆra are? Blind? Stupid, I could understand, since theyÆre still hammering away at the same old plan without having noticed that it isnÆt changing anything, but of course they know that I was running off with groups of their supporters. They were pretty upset about it as I recall, even tried betraying me to the GoaÆuld a couple of times. I donÆt think that they know where I was taking people though, or there would beàö He tailed off.

ôIs something wrong?ö

ôIf the TokÆra knew where I was,ö the renegade GoaÆuld said slowly, ôtheyÆd leak the information to the System Lords within hours and there would be Jaffa swarming all over Angrezi. Gee, I wonder whoÆs been talking to the TokÆra lately?ö

 

[drakensis]

ShakuntalaÆs eyes darted between Nekhrun and SG-1 as she approached them again, recognising the sudden suspicion between them. ôFather has given his agreement to an immediate counterattack,ö she reported. ôHowever, he will not override the existing plans made by General Soor. Instead he suggests that a special task force attack the Stargate directly to cut off the GoaÆuld from their reinforcements. Is such a thing feasible?ö

ôYes,ö Nekhrun agreed, not taking his eyes off SG-1. ôThe Leonidas can use its ring transporters to deploy my soldiers a short distance from the Stargate. However, even with reinforcements, two battalions might not be enough to secure the Stargate until it has to shut down, not with more Jaffa trying to retake it. Can your father spare more soldiers?ö

Shakuntala nodded. ôI have been granted permission to detach my own battalion from the Palace Guards to assist you. Also, if the gate can be secured, General Soor will despatch his reserve of jump infantry to support us.ö

ôUs?ö Carter asked. ôAre you coming?ö

The princess stared the slightly taller air force officer in the eye. ôI told you that the battalion being sent was my own, Captain. Where else would I be but with my men?ö She turned to look at Nekhrun. ôIs that acceptable to you, Admiral?ö

ôI never doubted it, your highness,ö Ayodhya said smoothly, the eyes of the GoaÆuld fading back from his face. ôIf you would be so good as to have your men form up on one of the parade grounds, I will have Leonidas beam you and your men to the Stargate as soon as my own men secure a landing zone. Given your inexperience with night fighting, it would seem wiser to hold you in reserve until then.ö

ôOf course,ö she said pleasently. ôThe men will be prepared to depart within the hour, Admiral. On their behalf I thank you for the honour of fighting at your side.ö

ôPrincess,ö the Admiral said, bowing deeply. ôIt is my privilege to lead such men.ö

ôIf youÆre going, then so are we,ö Jack said firmly.

Ayodhya wheeled on him. ôHavenÆt you done enough damage!ö he hissed and the sheer control that keep the words from being audible more than a few paces made it clear that as far as he was concerned this was not merely a matter of suspicion. The Admiral glanced around, and a muscle in his jaw jumped as he saw Shakuntala listening, wide-eyed. ôDamn you for fools!ö he continued, concluding the damage done. ôYour half-bright bumbling has brought the System Lords down on the Confederacy. Angrezi is one of us now and we will not abandon them. But we are not ready for them. Not yet. And you think I will let you onto the battlefield? Do you think I want every detail of how the Confederacy wages war delivered wholesale to the System Lords by the same sanctimonious hands of the TokÆra that apparently hold your leash, tokhe straavÆ!?ö

ôAdmiral,ö Shakuntala said quietly. ôIs this something that you wish my father to know of?ö

He paused and then shook his head. ôI have no secrets from my allies,ö he said. ôHowever, this is perhaps something that can wait until another time. Gather your troops, your highness. I believe I need to take this conversation with my guests to somewhere more private.ö Turning to SG-1: ôThe four of you are coming with me.ö

.oOo.

The Leonidas was a different place when prepared for battle.

Daniel, the historian, was aware that the great warships of the age of sail had æcleared for actionÆ, removing internal bulkheads to leave their gundecks open so that the cannon crew could move freely. The Leonidas was apparently the reverse û every passage had been sealed by solid looking doors that slid almost, but not quite, soundlessly, open ahead of Ayodhya and closed equally automatically behind him.

Almost, but not quite, silent would be a good way to descibe Ayodhya as well as he marched through the ship. Trailing in his wake, the rear brought up by a pair of guards that didnÆt look quite a soldier-like as those that they had previously seen, SG-1 could only hear the click of his heels as the Admiral walked and incomprehenisble mumbling under his breath that even Daniel couldnÆt make out.

At last they came to the main deck and Ayodhya paused at a wall, adjusting a control to open the panel that had closed over the windows. Outside, Angrezi floated, surprisingly serene given the turmoil that they had just left. When he turned away, his eyes glowed.

ôI am only going to ask this once,ö Nekhrun said with exaggerated calm. ôDo not lie to me. Did you tell the TokÆra where they could find me.ö

ôYes, butàö

He held up one hand to cut off SamÆs words. ôCaptain, do you know how many people there are on Angrezi? No? According to their last census,ö he said looking out of the window, ôthere are about a billion and a half of them. That, incidentally, is about average for the Confederacy. There are six other Confederate members. Call it ten billion human beings. Three colonies founded by those members for their growing populations. Over a hundred protectorate worlds with millions of inhabitants in most cases.ö

ôIf the GoaÆuld have their way then they will will burn the cities and they will salt the fields. They will kill the men, rape the women and enslave our children. And all that stands against this doom that the TokÆra have written for my people are a fleet of ships that I did not intend to face open battle for at least another century. This, be it in ignorance or in malice, is your gift to me, TauÆri. And now you propose that I should trust you at my back?ö The last sentence delivered in a deep bellow that seemed to shake the compartment shouted.

ôMy father would not do this,ö Sam protested.

ôIÆm going to regret asking this, I know,ö Nekhrun said, still looking out the window, and then asked, ôYour father?ö

ôUh, CarterÆs father is currently the host for a TokÆra called Selmak,ö OÆNeill pointed out.

ôIf thatÆs a play for sympathy then itÆs not going to fly,ö Nekhrun said, his face stony. ôHeÆs presumably old enough to know his own mind and if he went along with this then heÆs just as bad as the rest of them. Which at best means that he knowingly set one or more of the System Lords to burn AngreziÆs cities, rape and pillage their people just to get at one lone GoaÆuld who none of them have seen in a thousand years.ö

ôBut we are getting away from the key question,ö he added after Sam subsided. ôWhich revolves around why you think I should take you with me into a battle rather than lock you up next to your Colonel Maybourne.ö

ôYou do not know that the TokÆra are responsible. Only on Angrezi can we discover the truth,ö TealÆc said calmly, unmoved by the explicit threat.

Nekhrun snorted. ôResponsible is one thing that that the TokÆra have never been,ö he replied bitterly. ôGuilty is more their speed. However, if you want to take your chances down there, then IÆll give you the chance to prove me wrong.ö He nodded to the guards. ôTake them to their quarters so that they can prepare and then bring them to the ready room for the Number Four Ring Transporter.ö

TealÆc inclined his head in thanks and the GoaÆuld shook his head dismissively. ôDonÆt thank me, sholÆva,ö he said somewhat wearily. ôOnce down there, you are on your own. Come back with proof of how the GoaÆuld discovered my location or do not return at all.ö

.oOo.

von Pinn was in the ready room when SG-1 arrived, back in their BDUs and carrying the weapons that they had brought with them. For his part, von Pinn was wearing the same field gear as before and adjusting the fit of what looked like opaque wrap-around sunglasses. The carbine propped against the bench beside him had a similar short grip to the stunners that they had been provided during their previous deployment with the Angrezi troops, and a short cylinder under the barrel suggested that it had some sort of complementary weapon system.

ôI rather gather that the AdmiralÆs a little bit pissed with you,ö he observed, looking up in their direction. ôHeÆs not been very forthcoming about his reasons though. Or why youÆre coming along with us on this little jaunt.ö

ôHe thinks itÆs a mite convenient that the GoaÆuld are attacking the Angrezi only days after we found them,ö Jack said. ôAnd heÆs right, it does seem suspicious. But the only way to find out whether thereÆs an actual leak at our end is to find out from the Jaffa, or from a GoaÆuld if one is directing the attack.ö

ôSo youÆve got something to prove?ö the Lieutanant noted. ôI see. Well, that sounds like a truly reckless goal to be pursuing. Are you sure that you arenÆt trying too hard to live up to your reputations?ö

ôItÆs EarthÆs reputation that weÆre trying to salvage,ö Jack told him.

ôAh. Point,ö conceded von Pinn. ôAlright then. You carenÆt getting the full briefing, because frankly youÆve got a good chance of getting captured and we donÆt want you spilling our operations plan to the Jaffa, so hereÆs the abbreviated version. He pulled out a PDA and tapped on it twice, displaying a small holographic map of the island above the device. The island quickly expanded, disappearing as it reached the limits of the displayÆs limits, focusing on the area around the Stargate.

ôWeÆll be put down here,ö he said, pointing to a green triangle about a mile from the Stargate and sheltered from it by a ridge. ôBy we, I mean me and my command post as well as one company of my infantry. The Jaffa have defensive positions around the Stargate. Several units have left the immediate area. WeÆre sure of two that have headed in this direction,ö he indicated the direction taken by the road. ôAnd there are at least three more that are heading for other points on the coast. There are presumably patrols out, but thatÆs a little difficult to pinpoint from orbit, which is pretty much the only good intel we have. The units that have marched out are about a thousand strong each û the defences seem to be manned by about two thousand Jaffa, with up to a thousand reinforcements available from whatever unit is coming through the Stargate at the moment. There are around twenty Death Gliders on the ground inside the defenses, we estimate that there are at least as many in operation, either providing cover for the other units or scouting. Questions?ö

ôYou said that your command post and one company would be here?ö Daniel asked. ôWhere will the rest of the force be?ö

ôIÆm not going to tell you,ö von Pinn explained as if to a child. ôWhat you donÆt knowàö

ôWe canÆt tell,ö Jack finished. ôIs there any way we can avoid getting shot at by your soldiers?ö

ôApart from not going down there? The troops have been briefed that youÆre down there and the rules of engagement that weÆre operating under are to use stun if in doubt. However, most of the time weÆll be using lethal force û given the numbers involved, leaving Jaffa to wake up and get back into the fight isnÆt exactly desirable û so try to give plenty of warning if you approach any of our troops.ö

ôSo weÆre basically screwed.ö

ôYes, well thereÆs a lot of that going around,ö von Pinn pointed out. ôMuch as I was raised to respect the heroes who died at the Hot Gates, IÆd really rather not re-enact their last stand if I can avoid it. They did all die, after all.ö

.oOo.

The rings vanished from around them and the first thing Jack felt was the chill of the night around them. They had been placed in a small gap between the pine trees that covered a good swathe of the island, a gap just large enough for the rings to appear. Around them more ring transports were arriving, each leaving squad after squad of soldiers, each equipped the same way as von Pinn, whose squad was nearest to SG-1. At an unseen signal, the soldiers spread out and began to move up the slope that they had appeared at the foot of, squads leapfrogging each other up the slope.

ôGood luck,ö von Pinn said simply as he walked past them, carbine held low and ready to fire.

ôWell,ö Jack said as the soldiers moved out of sight (not that far in the darkness) ôUnless any of you want to chase after one of those Jaffa units thatÆs marching around, weÆd better go look for some of those patrols that von Pinn mentioned and work our way up.ö

ôIt is unlikely that a patrol will include an officer of sufficient rank to be aware of sources of information, OÆNeill,ö TealÆc pointed out, nonetheless gesturing in the direction he thought most promising to locate a Jaffa patrol.

ôNever underestimate the spread of gossip, buddy,ö Jack pointed out. ôEven if they donÆt know where the information came from, theyÆll almost certainly know who does, or know someone who can tell us who knows.ö

ôDo we have time for that?ö Daniel asked.

ôI donÆt think we can afford not to try, Danny,ö Jack said, glad that the dark of the night concealed his face. ôIf this comes to an open war with the GoaÆuld then I canÆt see Apophsis not taking the opportunity to swat Earth in passing. The only reason that he hasnÆt so far is that the other System Lords would be wary of the power that Earth would offer him. If theyÆve got the Confederacy to drool over then theyÆll be paying a lot less attention to what happens to us. The whole balance of power is going to be a thing of the past.ö

ôI canÆt believe that Dad would let the TokÆra do something like this,ö Sam said quietly.

ôItÆs possible that the TokÆra Council overruled him,ö suggested Jack. ôOr Anise could be running this on her own. She was there as well and it sounds like sheÆs got a fairly major grudge against Nekhrun.ö

ôEither way, it sounds like you think NekhrunÆs right about the TokÆra leaking the information to one of the GoaÆuld,ö she said.

ôI really hope that its just a coincidence,ö Jack said. ôBut heÆs right, itÆd be one hell of a coincidence for them to turn up right after we told the TokÆra where to find him.ö

ôWhat do we do if they did tell the GoaÆuld?ö Daniel asked.

Jack hesitated. ôI donÆt know, Danny. WeÆll have to be damn careful what we tell them about in the future. Because if NekhrunÆs right about themà then theyÆd probably write us off and let the GoaÆuld take us with all the remorse of the phone company announcing a rate hike.ö

 

[Prince Charon]

Why does a Lieutenant have multiple companies under his command? Is it a difference between the Confederacy ranking system and Earth ranks? Do you perhaps mean 'Lieutenant' in the sense of 'Second in Command'?

 

[drakensis]

It's a difference between rank structures. The Confederacy usually uses the same ranks structure for ground and naval personnel and it has a very flat rank structure. Lieutenant is roughly comparable to a Major or Lieutenant Commander in US ranks. In ascending order of authority, the naval officer ranks are Ensign, Sub-Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Captain, Lieutenant Admiral, Admiral and Fleet Admiral. Ground forces officers of Lieutenant Admiral and above are sometimes refered to as Marshals and outside of combat commands are refered to as Generals, to establish clear precedence.

Just to confuse matters, the Angrezi don't use the Confederate rank structure yet.

 

[drakensis]

ôAlpha Company is in position,ö von Pinn reported, his words relayed by a tightbeam signal to the Leonidas and then down to a receiver that was pressed against the ear of Admiral Sario Ayodhya. ôBeta and Gamma companies also report as ready.ö

ôExcellent,ö Ayodhya approved. ôI have my own companies in position to close the door any time so we can begin any time. WhatÆs the best estimate of when theyÆll finish bringing through the current batch of Jaffa?ö

ôNot long, sir,ö replied von Pinn. ôThere are about eight hundred there at the moment, so judging by the previous deployments we theyÆll be forming up to move out in about five minutes.ö The operations plan called for the attack to be launched just as a unit of Jaffa were about to move out, in order to ensure that the previous group would be as far away as possible when the attack came. Of course that would put just a little over five hundred Confederate infantry up against around three thousand Jaffa who were in prepared defensive positions.

One of the squad sergeants had enquired if they were perhaps being a little unfair on the Jaffa. Von Pinn had reminded the younger man that unfairness in warfare was something of a given and that at least it was on their side this time. In a gesture that could have been mistaken for chivalry, Beta Company had offered to share any candy in their field rations with any Jaffa that might be taken prisoner, as compensation for the asskicking that they would be facing. Of course, given that field rations were made by the lowest bidder, that wasnÆt necessarily a kindness.

ôOn a side-issue,ö von Pinn enquired. ôI realise itÆs a bit late to do anything about it, but are you sure that you want the TauÆri wandering around. Even the most favorable reports on them say that they are a miteà unpredictable is the word, I think.ö

ôThey have something to prove,ö Ayodhya growled.

Von Pinn hesitated. ôI know that diplomatic concerns arenÆt exactly my responsibilityà but if they get their heads shot of by the Jaffaàö

ôThen IÆll send their bodies back to Earth, with a message telling whoever reads it exactly who was responsible for their deaths,ö Ayodhya growled. ôMaybe Captain CarterÆs father will feel a pang or two when he finds out that it was his loose tongue that killed his daughter.ö

ôHis father, sir?ö von Pinn asked and then frowned. ôNever mind sir, no time. Time is minus sixty seconds and counting.ö He gestured sharply and one of his soldiers brought a low powered laser designator up, aiming it at the foot of the Stargate.

ôSixty seconds,ö Ayodhya confirmed. ôCaptain CarterÆs father is host to a TokÆra, Lieutenant.ö

The younger manÆs head jerked upwards at that little revelation. Not all of the ConfederateÆs citizens were descended from tribes abandoned by the TokÆra to face GoaÆuld wrathà but enough of them were that the stories were an inescapable part of the ConfederacyÆs mythology. ôI see,ö he said after a few seconds. ôvon Pinn out.ö

Stowing the transceiver handset he glanced left and then right, even with his nightvision goggles barely able to pick out the shapes of his soldiers. They were good men, damn good. And there were a lot more good men that were about to die û on both sides, he conceded to himself. It wasnÆt the fault of the Jaffa that they had been born slaves.

Fire blazed in the sky as a Death Glider exploded suddenly and then a squadron of fighter-bombers from the carrier Sparta slashed through the sky and missiles carved fiery lines across the blackness to hammer into the ground around the DHD and the Stargate. Dirt and Jaffa flesh went flying.

ôMen of the 33rd!ö von Pinn screamed. ôTHIS IS WHERE WE FIGHT!ö He brought up his carbine and let the fully charged underbarrel cannon hammer a bolt of energy through one of the crude fortifications, blasting it to rubble. ôTHIS IS WHERE THEY DIE!ö

He came up from where he had knelt just behind the ridge overlooking the Stargate and charged down the slope, carbine spitting blue death into the ranks of the shocked and disorganised Jaffa.

A wave of light infantry followed him down as the bombers swept across the sky again, laying cluster munitions across the hollow.

.oOo.

Almost a mile away, Jack swallowed a curse and hugged the ground as the Jaffa that he was trailing turned almost as a man to stare in the direction of the loud noises and bright lights that were coming from the direction of the Stargate. They couldnÆt have started the attack maybe five minutes later? Jack complained mentally.

Fortunately, the Jaffa, in staring at the bright lights on the horizon, seemed to have done various unpleasent things to their night vision so they didnÆt spot Jack.

There was a whoosh and something big and fast went across the sky not so far above their heads.

This is insane, Jack noted. IÆve gone completely insane. I could have sworn that I saw a X-Wing just fly overhead.

ôName of Apophsis!ö one of the Jaffa exclaimed. ôWas that one of our Death Gliders?ö

ôNo,ö an older Jaffa corrected him. ôOne of the evil god NekhrunÆs. See how it hugs the ground because it fears the wrath of our righteous lord.ö

There was an explosion in the sky and Jack was pretty sure that it wasnÆt the X-Wing lookalike that had just bought a farm. ôFear,ö the younger Jaffa repeated weakly. ôYes, of course.ö

ôJust remember, boy,ö the older man advised. ôThere are plenty of things out there that can kill you, but there is nothing there that you canÆt kill. Come dawn, weÆll crush the Jaffa of Nekhrun and bring him before our lord in chains. Then there will be glory and feasting.ö

ôI kind of doubt it,ö Jack said, rising to his feet, P90 aimed at the two of them. ôPut the staff weapons down û youÆre surrounded.ö

The older Jaffa was old enough to know when someone had the drop on him. The younger, presumably, had been raised on too many stories of daring heroes who could react swiftly enough to turn the tables on their captors. He was fast enough to bring the relatively clumsy staff weapon almost halfway around towards Jack when a shot by TealÆc caught him squarely in the back, dropping him to the floor to roll down the hill, unconcious.

ôHeÆs lucky that was a zat,ö Jack observed, ôotherwise someone would have to pick what was left of his chainmail out of his spine before they buried him.ö

ôHeÆs young,ö the older jaffa said, holding his own staff weapon in an obviously non-threatening posture. At a gesture from Jack he lowered the weapon to the ground. ôWill he have the chance to grow older?ö

ôThat depends,ö Jack told him. ôIf your ægodÆ wins then heÆs probably in a lot of trouble. The GoaÆuld arenÆt noticeably forgiving of failure in my experience.ö

The Jaffa closed his eyes. ôIf you expect me to betray my God then kill me now.ö

ôOh,ö Jack said and grinned suddenly as inspiration struck him. ôIÆm not asking you to betray your master. Although I have to wonder which of the GoaÆuld was stupid enough to walk into a trap like this. I mean, no oneÆs seen Nekhrun for what û a thousand years? û but as soon as word gets out that heÆs back û bang! - several thousand Jaffa come running through the Stargate.ö He stared at the GoaÆuldÆs forehead, but it was too dark to make out any details of the tattoo. ôSo which idiot is it that you work for?ö

ôHe serves Heru-ur,ö TealÆc said firmly, stepping out from the darkness. ôI recognise your voice, VÆNeef.ö

VÆNeef stiffened. ôTealÆc!ö he exclaimed, throwing a glance over his shoulder. ôYou are û but you are SholÆva. You serve the TauÆri.ö He paled. ôSo Nekhrun is truly not here.ö

TealÆc simply fired his zat again, dropping the GoaÆuld where he lay. ôVÆNeef once served Ra,ö he advised. ôAfter the death of Ra he entered Heru-urÆs service. He would never reveal anything to us.ö

ôHeru-ur,ö Jack said thoughtfully. ôHeÆs a fairly hands on GoaÆuld, isnÆt he. Think he might have come here himself?ö

ôIt is most probable,ö TealÆc confirmed. ôHeruÆur entrust such a large number of Jaffa only to his most trusted lieutenants or to himself and he would trust no other GoaÆuld with access to a world as rich as Angrezi.ö

Daniel and Sam joined them. ôBut he wouldnÆt come here without some means of escape, Jack,ö Daniel pointed out. ôWhich means that there must be a cloaked ship nearby, ready to evacuate him.ö

Jack blinked and then looked at Sam. ôCarter, if we can find that ship before HeruÆur gets his butt kicked then weÆve got our source of information for Nekhrun.ö

Sam frowned. ôSir, IÆm not a miracle worker. I canÆt just defeat a cloak with what IÆve got in my pack.ö

ôBut you could break the cloak on, say, an Alkesh?ö

ôWell IÆve got a theory.ö

ôWhat do you need?ö

.oOo.

AyodhyaÆs communicator chirped and he ducked down behind cover to take the call. A staff weapon blast hit the piled dirt in front of him, sending a spray of dirt over him but doing nothing productive. The fight at the Stargate was going fairly well, but the nearest unit of Jaffa had responded quickly and only the all too thin lines of the improvised battalion that he had pieced together out of the troop detachments aboard his cruisers were holding them back.

ôAyodhya,ö he snapped. ôWhatÆs the situation?ö

ôFumizuki here,ö came the voice of LeonidasÆ captain. Kou Fumizuki hadnÆt been ecstatic about his Admiral running off with a bunch of groundpounders, but NekhrunÆs experience in combat on every level was too great an advantage for the Admiral to keep it penned up on the bridge of the powerful destroyer. ôWe have a request from the TauÆri for some technical support. They think that Heru-ur may be leading the attack personally and want to lay a little trap for him.ö

ôHeru-ur?ö Nekhrun mused. ôInteresting. Alright, Captain. YouÆre authorised to assist them, but keep an eye on them.ö

ôBoth eyes, when I can afford them,ö Fumizuki confirmed and ended the call.

With a shake of his head Ayodhya banished all thought of what SG-1 might be up to û it didnÆt matter now. The Jaffa were spreading out to work their way around the flanks of the thin line and something needed to be done about that. Pulling a pair of flare grenades out of his field vest, the GoaÆuld yanked both tabs and flung the first towards the scanty cover that the Jaffa were working with and then pause a moment before throwing the second towards the front of his lines.

The flares did exactly what they were supposed to û bright purple-white light erupting from two points in their lines, sending startled Jaffa scattering for cover. Blue bolts of energy lashed out from the troops around Nekhrun, picking off the suddenly illuminated Jaffa with their carbines. The GoaÆuld slave soldiers who had learned from their previous experiences dropped and played dead. Those who hadnÆt dropped as well, although their deaths were no pretense.

There was a roar and two X-wings raced across the GoaÆuld lines, their wingtip cannons blazing as they strafed the enemy positions.

It wouldnÆt stop Heru-urÆs soldiers from pushing the Confederate soldiers again, Nekhrun noted, but it would buy more time and that was all that was needed.

His communicator chirped again, a longer and more complex sequence this time and Ayodhya smiled. That call didnÆt need to be answered û it was a predetermined signal. ôBack to the next line,ö he ordered on the battalionÆs tactical command channel. ôDonÆt leave anyone behind.ö

The Jaffa wouldnÆt have any of his dead to gloat over when they realised that the defenses had been abandoned, he swore to himself. And theyÆd get a nasty surprise at the next line of defenses, for that signal had been confirmation that the Stargate had been secured so that no further reinforcements could arrive for the invaders. Which meant that the next line of defenses would be manned already, by ShakuntalaÆs battalion of the Angrezi Royal Brigade of Guards.

ôReady to receive my men, your Highness?ö he asked on another frequency.

ôConfirmed,ö she replied coolly. ôWe have firebases on the heights either side of the road, just move right past us and theyÆll get a nasty surprise when they think they have you broken.ö

ôIÆll do that,ö Ayodhya agreed and reached over to pick up the body of a luckless infantryman next him. It would be a closed coffin funeral for the poor lad, a staff weapon blast had caught him just below the throat and decapitated him, but with his strength augemented by Nekhrun, the admiral could easily carry the body and keep up with the rest of the men.

The almost two hundred Confederate Light Infantry turned and ran, trusting to darkness and surprise to cover them as they headed for the gap in the hills that led to the Stargate.

.oOo.

ôAre you sure this will work?ö Jack asked as Sam fiddled with the equipment sheÆd requisitioned from the Leonidas.

ôNo,ö she replied honestly. ôBut IÆve been thinking about how the cloaks work for a while and thereÆs a possibility that I might be able to detect it while itÆs in the atmosphere.ö

ôAnd if itÆs in orbit?ö asked Daniel.

ôThen weÆre out of luck,ö Sam said. ôIÆm going to be scanning for ionised particles in the atmosphere caused by interactions between -ö

ôStop!ö Jack protested. ôItÆll sniff out the cloak right?ö

ôUh, if the theory I have is correct,ö Sam conceded.

ôRight, okay. ThatÆs all I gotta know,ö he explained. ôWhen can we start?ö

She finished twisting together a set of wires and crystals that didnÆt make any sense at all to Jack, ôRight now.ö

The device burbled for a moment and then proceeded to doà well, nothing that Jack could determine.

ôIs it working?ö

ôItÆs working,ö Sam promised. ôItÆs just that there arenÆt any of the particles here. WeÆll need to move around to find some.ö

ôThat could take forever, Carter.ö

ôJack,ö Daniel sighed. ôArenÆt you forgetting something?ö

Jack frowned. ôWhat do you mean?ö

ôWell the Leonidas has ring transporters, right? And they presumably have a good idea of the weather patterns on the island. So canÆt they just move us up whatever side of the island the prevailing winds are blowing?ö

Jack sighed and reached for his radio again. ôI hope that Captain Fumizuki is still feeling accomodating.ö

.oOo.

As dawn broke over the island, more than a thousand engines roared to life and more than ten thousand Angrezi soldiers moved out from hidden armories around the coasts. The air battle was still raging above them as their own Aspic jets launched to support the Confederate X-Wings in hunting down the remaining Death Gliders. At least two dozen of the latter had been on the ground waiting for dawn and the renewed attack so control of the air was still contested and two full regiments of jump infantry had to remain in reserve, waiting for the opportunity to make a run towards the Stargate.

On the ground, the Jaffa had begun to retreat towards their only means to receive reinforcements. Only one unit continued to advance and a ferocious firefight broke out at one armory as they clashed with half their number of Angrezi mechanised infantry. The sideshow drew off two more battalions from the main clash around the Stargate, but ultimately it wouldnÆt change anything.

The decision over AngreziÆs continued freedom would take place in the hills around the Stargate. And it would be at least three hours before the first of the reinforcments could reach Nekhrun and ShakuntalaÆs positionsà

 

[DeathGod666]

Damn I just found thisand I gotta say Drak this is very nice. I can so see the Tokra doing something like this.

 

[drakensis]

ôDoes anyone actually know what the TauÆri are up to?ö Fumizuki asked.

The operations officer scratched his head. ôWell theyÆre bouncing up the coast of the island using the ring transporter to jump about a mile at a time. IÆm not sure whyàö

ôItÆs not straining the power grid or anything?ö

ôCompared to rapid deployment of an entire three battalion force? No, not really. Might need to run a little maintenance on Number Four next time we can spare it, but weÆre well within tolerances.ö

ôWell I hope they accomplish something,ö Fumizuki said. ôThe Admiral looked pretty upset with them and if the GoaÆuld really are going to lower the hammer on us then weÆll need all the allies we can get.ö

.oOo.

ôHave you found anything yet?ö Jack asked as Sam ran the thirty or fortieth test. Quite apart from the annoyance of having spent most of a hour inside ring transports, he was beginning to pick up a wicked case of jet lag, one that didnÆt seem to affect any of the others. Of course, Daniel and Sam tended to keep fairly ludicrous hours anyway and TealÆc did that whole meditation thing, but it seemed rather unfair that he was the only one suffering for the previous day and night having lasted something like thirty-six hours.

ôThere are some traces, sir,ö she replied. ôNot enough to pinpoint the ship yet, but itÆs safe to say that itÆs around. IÆll need some more readings to find it.ö

ôCanÆt you just,ö Jack waved his hand. ôTriangulate for it?ö

ôSir, that only works if youÆre tracking something that radiates in all directions. WeÆre tracing a signature thatÆs carried by the wind and not very evenly.ö

ôOh,ö Jack said and looked around. ôWhere do we go next?ö

Sam studied the map, which was now augmented by numbers sheÆd scribbled on with a red marker. ôNow we go inland of the strongest traces and see if there are any more particles.ö She lifted her radio. ôLeonidas, this is Captain Carter. We need to go about ten miles east now.ö

ôThat might not be the best idea, Captain,ö protested the ring transporterÆs operator. ôThatÆs going to put you right between the Angrezi and the Jaffa.ö

ôOh?ö Jack asked, perking up. ôHowÆs that going?ö

ôUh, IÆm a technican, Colonel, so I donÆt really know but most of the Jaffa are pulling back towards the Stargate. The speed the Angrezi are going, I donÆt think that theyÆll make it there.ö

Sam shook her head. ôHow close can you put us without putting us in front of the Angrezi?ö

ôNot very close,ö the man said apologetically.

She frowned. ôWell it shouldnÆt take very long to get the readings,ö she said at last. ôJust put us down there and be ready to pick us up in a hurry please.ö

ôUh, Carter -ö Jack began before the rings descended around them.

.oOo.

The Jaffa didnÆt seem to be giving up, von Pinn noted as another blast from a staff weapon went above his head. Not that heÆd really expected them to, but now that the sun was up and they could see how few in number the StargateÆs defenders were they were pressing their advantage. Fortunately the Stargate itself was out of action, since a shot from one of the missiles fired by the Confederate fighter-bombers had knocked it over, leaving any Jaffa that emerged pressed against the ground and helpless targets. Eventually the heap of dead Jaffa had interrupted the wormhole and the guards had taken the time to heap stones within the hole to ensure it didnÆt re-open.

Still, even without more Jaffa pouring through from whichever world HeruÆur was using as a staging post, there were no small number of them outside the arc of hills and they were all desperate to reach and reactivate the gate. Without raising his head above the edge of the foxhole, von Pinn raised his carbine above his head and waited for the sighting image relayed from the targeting scope to his augmented vision goggles to stablise. He squeezed the trigger twice and a Jaffa who had risen to his feet to fire his staff weapon at the defences fell to the floor, the second bolt going wild above the dead manÆs head.

Behind the lieutenant, a turbanned Angrezi guardsman yanked a grenade from his vest and hurled it to one side of the little fortification that topped the hill, towards a file of Jaffa trying to work their way into the dead ground between two of the hills around the Stargate. The grenade exploded short of the Jaffa but it forced them to scatter for cover and infantry on the next hill picked off three of them with lethal zat shots.

ôThis is getting a little too close,ö von Pinn muttered. ôThe Jaffa have a pretty good idea of our positions. If they rush us, they can probably keep us suppressed while the first ranks get close.ö

ôUnderstood,ö came AyodhyaÆs voice through the radio. ôIÆve called back most of our fighters to support us, so donÆt hesitate to call them in if you need them. Between us and the Angrezi, most of the Death Gliders are history.ö

Von Pinn grunted. Two Death Gliders had managed to punch through and hammer one of the forward redoubts apart before an X-Wing brought one down and chased the other southwards. Out of the twenty-eight men in the platoon that the redoubt had sheltered, only half a dozen had managed to make it back to the next position, the others left dead in the fort or run down by Jaffa overrunning the position. ôHow are the losses?ö

ôPretty heavy amongst the Angrezi,ö Ayodhya admitted. ôThe Aspics arenÆt bad craft but there hasnÆt been much call for air-to-air combat on Angrezi for a century and their inexperience cost them.ö He paused and von Pinn could almost see him shrug. ôTheyÆll learn.ö

ôThe first step, huh,ö von Pinn agreed. HeÆd noticed the same lack of experience even among ShakuntalaÆs soldiers. Elite troops such as the Palace Guard had been blooded, but only in counter-insurgency action of the kind that had cropped up in some areas of Angrezi. The sudden descent into warfare had cost no small number of them their lives as they learnt practical lessons the hard way. ôHold up, sir. SomethingÆs happening.ö

Out in front of von PinnÆs position a large figure had walked out of the JaffaÆs lines. Unlike the grey metals of his menÆs gear, he wore gold and he stalked out without any apparent fear of attack. This brashness was vindicated after a moment when a blaster shot from an Angrezi soldier hit the air in front of him, to no noticeable effect.

ôSir, some fellowÆs standing out in the open protected by a shield of some kind. HeÆs all clad in gold, looks like a leader.ö

He could hear Nekhrun mutter something in his distinctive voice. ôMust be Heru-ur,ö he replied. ôThere arenÆt many GoaÆuld that ballsy. I knew that these were his forces but I must admit IÆm a little surprised heÆs leading them in person. Any idea what heÆs up to?ö

ôAngrezi!ö the man shouted. ôI am the god Heru-ur! I salute your courage! But you cannot prevail! Surrender and I shall spare your lives and those of your people.ö

Von Pinn rolled his eyes. ôHeÆs making a speech.ö

ôI am great and mighty, you suck, hand over Nekhrun?ö

ôAll I ask is the surrender of my treacherous kinswoman, Nekhrun. Once she is in my grasp I shall depart and leave you to live your lives in peace,ö Heru-ur bellowed.

ôUh, yeah, basically.ö

ôIs anyone paying attention?ö

A dozen or so blue blaster shots hit the shield around the GoaÆuld, followed by two orange bolts of energy from the underbarrel cannon of Confederate infantry carbines. None of them accomplished anything but to make him look imposing as his cloak flapped dramatically in the wind of the explosions.

ôNot that I can tell, sir. Do you have any suggestions for how to get past his shield?ö

ôIÆll be right there.ö

.oOo.

Heru-ur was still talking when Ayodhya entered the little redoubt. ôDoes he ever shut up?ö von Pinn asked his superior as the Admiral crawled along the foxhole to join him.

ôEvery now and then,ö Nekhrun grunted. ôMost GoaÆuld are in love with their own voice.ö

ôYou arenÆt exactly dulcet voiced, sir.ö

Nekhrun chuckled. ôGoaÆuld like loud and flashy, lieutenant. IÆd have thought youÆd have noticed that by now. Oh well, the longer he goes on, the closer the Angrezi get.ö

ôWhy do you fight for Nekhrun?ö Heru-ur bellowed. ôIs she any different from me? Yes! For she lurks behind you while I fight at the head of my warriors!ö

ôOn the other hand, that little snot needs a spanking,ö Nekhurn continued smoothly. ôExcuse me.ö

ôSir!ö von Pinn hissed. ôThe minute youÆre in the open -ö

Nekhrun stood up. ôDid I hear my name taken in vain, son of Ra?ö

Heru-ur glared up the slope. ôA male host? Have you changed your habits so far, Nekhrun? Or are you just running out of dupes to fight for you?ö

Nekhrun spat. ôI taught you how to fight, you little puppy. I donÆt think IÆll have much trouble taking you to school again. How about it? I heard you offer before and I think itÆs an insult to my fine men up here! You seem to think theyÆre afraid of you! But IÆll make you a better offer. We fight. You and me.ö

ôI seem to have you just a little outnumbered, old one,ö Heru-ur called back. ôWhy should I waste my time dealing with you personally? Why shouldnÆt I just have you gunned down personally?ö

ôTake your best shot!ö Nekhrun shouted, ignoring von Pinn, who had abandoned trying to gesture for his apparently crazed commander to get down and was now prudently scrambling away. ôIÆll even stand still to help your Jaffa hit me, such lousy shots that they are!ö

Apparently not foolish enough to miss a free shot, HeruÆur turned to the nearest squad and pointed up at Nekhrun. ôJaffa, kree!ö

A half dozen staff weapons rose and then discharged. Embarassingly for the Jaffa, one shot missed completely. The other five shots struck Nekhrun squarely û or they would have if they hadnÆt been deflected by the personal shield that appeared around him.

ôAny more stupid questions?ö Nekhrun shouted down.

Heru-ur punched one of the Jaffa, the one whoÆd missed, in the face hard enough to drop the man to the floor before he got control of hs temper. ôAlright!ö he shouted back. ôWe fight. But when IÆve beaten you, your men are to lay down your weapons and surrender.ö

ôI really donÆt think so!ö Nekhrun shouted back. ôIf you can beat me, then my men will withdraw from the Stargate. YouÆve got enough time to get it upright again and escape û barely. But if you loose then your men lay down their weapons and surrender. IÆm feeling merciful, so when that happens IÆll let all but their Primes return home through the Stargate.ö

The System Lord scowled in thought. ôAgreed!ö he said at last and a sigh rose up from the Jaffa. ôWhat terms shall we fight under?ö

ôBetween our lines here,ö Nekhrun suggested. ôShields to guard us against treachery, one knife each and no other weapons or armour.ö

Heru-ur nodded sharply and then called forward a pair of Jaffa to help him out of his elaborate armour.

ôCan you trust him, Admiral?ö von Pinn asked.

ôAbout as far as he can trust me,ö Nekhrun admitted under his breath. ôAnd I used the Ring Transporter to take the DHD up to the Leonidas so even if he manages to beat me heÆs fucked. ShakuntalaÆs moving the last reserves and the wounded up to the other side of the fortifications. If I lose, sheÆll leave û peacefully if possible, breaking out by force if she has to. Follow her and donÆt worry about me.ö

von Pinn looked mutinous but nodded his head dutifully. His own men had to be his first priority. ôNice shield. When can I expect one.ö

ôItÆs a prototype,ö the Admiral admitted. ôI wasnÆt sure it would take that many shots actually, but now that I know it works it should be in full production sometime in the next year.ö He took off his helmet and started unstrapping his vest. ôBy the way, I left my knife in a Jaffa back near the road. Anyone got a spare to lend me?ö

The dozen or so soldiers within earshot immediately offered him the choice of at least half a dozen blades in a wide variety of styles. Ayodhya took two, flipped them easily by their blades and then passed one back. ôThanks,ö he said laconically and put the last aside for a moment if he doffed his shirt. Down the slope, Heru-ur was walking out into the gap between the two lines. ôRight, time to see if a God-King can bleed.ö

ôHUA! HUA! HUA!ö his men shouted behind him as he hopped out of the foxhole and sauntered down to face Heru-ur, the Jaffa responding with their own shouts and encouragements to their God.