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A Face I've Seen Before 

Chapter 5

Doctor Lee raced to the console the moment he laid eyes on it. "It's fantastic."

"It's dangerous," Daniel growled.

Lee looked over his shoulder. "Right. Dangerous. How much have you figured out? How does it work? Is it similar to the other device we encountered-"

"Bill, take a breath," Sam chuckled. She handed over copies of the notes Daniel had made while the two had waited for Teal’c’s return. "Here’s what we know. This," she pointed to one set of symbols, "will get us where we need to go. This set," she pointed to a second set of symbols, "will get us home."

"Right. How do we know when to bring you home?" Doctor Lee asked nervously.

"If there’s a console on the other side, like we suspect there is, Daniel and I should be able to ‘dial’ from there, getting us here. If that doesn’t happen, or if we don’t send a message through, set these coordinates every hour, on the hour," Sam replied.

"Gotcha."

"Do not touch anything else," Sam warned. "We don’t know enough about this device to know how much of the location information we could change, nor if changing the information could screw up any chances of our returning."

"Got it," Lee nodded.

Coombs nodded also, although he was busy photographing the console.

"Don’t worry, Colonel," Ferretti drawled. "We’ll make sure these boys don’t touch anything."

Sam grinned when both Lee and Coombs took an involuntary step away from the console. No doubt they’d be hesitant to even touch it at all, now. "Let me show you what to do."

Daniel and Teal’c stood within the square created by the pillars. Sam explained the process, then hurried to join them.

"Here goes," Lee said, touching the console exactly as Sam had shown him. Bright light filled the cavern, causing all of the men to throw arms up to protect their faces and eyes.

"Well, it worked," Coombs said, his voice low. He made note of the time on his watch. "In one hour, we do it again, if we don’t hear from them."

Ferretti sent Lieutenant Driscoll and Sergeant Lopez to watch the cavern entrance. He and The Kid settled down beside the console. "Have a seat, gents," he told the two scientists. "We’re gonna be here awhile."

"But, Sam said-" Doctor Lee started.

The Marine chuckled loudly. "We’re dealing with SG-1, son. Those people get themselves into the damnedest situations. This won’t be a quick ‘in and out’. Nope, my guess is Jack has already found some sort of trouble to get into. The Colonel, Rock Doc, and Teal’c are gonna have to get the general and Radar out of that trouble. We’ll be here awhile."

With heavy sighs, both men sat down.

‘Play poker?" Ferretti asked.

"Not recently," Lee admitted.

"Good. We’ll just play a few friendly games," the marine grinned. He was already calculating how much he might be able to win.

Sam flipped off the flashlight before stepping out of the center of the pillars; and returned it back into her pack. The lights were already on, no doubt triggered by either Jack or Casey. "Wow, looks identical," she said, moving toward the console.

As soon as he was near enough, Daniel searched the device for any information. He was relieved to see the string of symbols that signified their arrival. Once again ‘process complete’ flashed on the screen, the ancient symbols pulsing blue for just a few seconds before disappearing. So far, so good. Now, I find my wife and take her home. Hope flared in his chest. Just once, he thought, almost desperately. Just once let me be the one to take her home!

Sam took note of the look in Daniel’s cerulean blue eyes…worry, and a bit of melancholy. "Daniel? Are you all right?"

"I’m fine," he assured his teammate. He forced a smile, pushed away the memories of failing to bring Casey home each time she’d been kidnapped. Just once, he thought. Just once I’m going to get it right.

"It seems that O’Neill and Casey Jackson have not yet returned from their exploration," Teal’c said.

Sam and Daniel exchanged a glance. "We might as well go after them," Sam said, stepping into the roll of commanding officer.

Daniel sighed. "I’m gonna smack the crap out of both of them. We could be home in time for dinner if they hadn’t decided to wander off."

Biting back her smile, Sam led the way to the cavern entrance. "Looks like they cleared a path out of here, and hid it."

"Probably a good idea," Daniel replied.

Five minutes later, after making certain they had left the cavern looking as untouched as possible, the three teammates set out, following the path that Jack and Casey had left behind.

"They certainly didn’t seem to be concerned about being followed," Daniel remarked, as they made their way through thick, tall grass, and numerous bushes.

"Sun’s dropping. It’ll be dark in just a bit. We’ll need our scope lights," Sam said. "I don’t think there’s a way to move through here without leaving some sort of a trail," she added, continuing the conversation.

"It can be done," Teal’c said. "However, it is not easy, and takes an exceptional amount of time."

No doubt he’d been in situations exactly like that, Daniel thought. It wasn’t so much had Teal’c done so, more like how many times had the Jaffa been required to do so. "Well, there’s no one around here-"

"That we know of," Sam interjected.

"That we know of," Daniel conceded. "So there’s no reason to be worried."

"It is possible that there have been others who have followed this path. Their presence would be masked by the trail left behind by O’Neill and Casey Jackson."

Daniel’s heart stopped beating for what felt like forever. When it did start beating again, it was racing, pounding furiously against his ribs. "Not a pleasant thought, Teal’c."

"Indeed. As there was no disturbance in the cavern, I do not believe anyone has discovered this path. Nor do I believe there is anyone near to do so."

A deep breath, a sigh of relief, and Daniel’s heart began to beat normally once again.

"So, do you think they found anything?" Sam asked, following the trodden grass.

"Doubt it. My guess is they sat down somewhere to rest, Casey took out her cards, and they lost track of time," Daniel replied.

Sam snorted. "I can believe that."

"By now, O’Neill probably owes Casey Jackson a large sum of money," Teal’c said.

Sam and Daniel chuckled loudly. "I think he still owes her three dollars from the last time they played," Daniel said.

Laughing louder, Sam shook her head. "Jack said he refuses to pay her for those games. He swears she was cheating."

"Cheating? How?" Daniel asked.

Sam tapped her temple. "He’s convinced she’s found a way to read his mind and ‘see’ his cards."

Daniel shook his head. "That man can be so strange," he muttered.

"Hey, he wanted me to examine his general’s stars to make sure they didn’t have any ‘thought control devices’ in them," Sam laughed.

"No way!"

"Seriously. I had to take the backs off the stars to prove there was nothing in them. Of course, then I couldn’t get them to stay together afterwards, so I just bought new stars. Don’t tell him that, though," Sam said, conspiratorially.

Shaking his head, Daniel began to laugh as well. "I have never met a man as paranoid as Jack O’Neill."

"Have to admit, that paranoia has kept him alive," Sam said quietly. "Us, too."

"Indeed."

"No argument from me. But wait until Casey hears why he won’t pay up," Daniel grinned.

The sun was low on the horizon by the time the three reached the ridge. They could see the fires burning. And, visible from probably every part of the camp, sitting and chatting as if they were with old friends, were Jack and Casey.

"Either they’ve been drugged or brainwashed, or those people are friendly," Sam said.

"Looks that wa-" Daniel broke off. "Son of a bitch!"

"Apophis!" Teal’c hissed.

Sam heaved a sigh of resignation. "Should have known something would go tits up."

"But why are they sitting there…laughing and talking?" Daniel demanded, of no on in particular.

"There’s something odd going on," Sam agreed.

Suddenly Casey looked straight toward the spot where the three were crouched, hiding in the shadows, among the tall grass. She patted Jack on the shoulder, said something to the woman with long black hair beside her, and then rose to her feet.

"What the hell?" Daniel muttered, mostly beneath his breath.

Casey approached the low hill. A large, yellow dog danced around her. "It’s okay, guys. You can come out. You will not believe what’s going on here!"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a worried look. "Teal’c, can you sense anything…anything at all?" Sam asked.

"I cannot, Colonel Carter," Teal’c replied.

Casey put her hands on her hips. "Okay, Ra got booted off this Earth, too, but no one found the Stargate at least that Pedram knows about and then Anubis slithered right in and took over Earth and about a million people were able to escape using three ships that the rebels stole from him because they fought him from the moment he landed and he’s been so busy trying to maintain control of Earth he hasn’t even left there so the rebels who got away are busy beating the shit out of other snakes and by the way all of the rebels speak English because it confuses the Goa’uld and apparently after twenty years on Earth Anubis is just now starting to get the gist of our language. How bizarre is that?" She took a deep breath, unaware that her audience, both those behind her, and her three teammates in front of her, were grinning at her ‘say-it-all-at-once’ delivery. "Pedram, who happens to be an Apophis look-alike is actually called Apophis because he and his unit killed that snake and had the body and symbiote to prove it. Drives the snakes here nuts when the Tau’ri do that, which is why they do it. They’re freeing as many people as possible, plus they’re trying to build up to do a major attack on Earth to get rid of Anubis. So come on down here so that you can help them find the Tok’ra and the Asgard."

With a chuckle, Daniel rose to his feet. Sam and Teal’c followed suit, then slid down the embankment to join Casey. She wrapped her arms around her husband, kissed him gently.

"So, who are our new friends?" Daniel asked, as soon as Casey had pulled away from him.

Casey led the three back to the fire. "Pedram, this is Daniel, my husband. That’s Sam Carter-O’Neill, and Teal’c. He was former first prime for the Apophis in our reality. He deserted Apophis, and joined Jack and Daniel and Sam and returned to the SGC to fight Apophis and all the other Goa’uld."

Pedram rose to his feet. "We have heard many good things about you," he said, nodding to each one.

Daniel felt his stomach tighten. Just looking at this man brought back so many bad memories; all of them wrapped around Sha’re – her capture, her imprisonment as Amaunet’s host, and her death as a result of the Goa’uld. Warm hands wrapped around his arm, her fingers smoothing the skin exposed by the shirt sleeves he’d rolled up. He looked into troubled green eyes.

"I told Pedram about the Apophis of our reality, and the special hate SG-1 had for him. He understands. His wife and sisters were taken by Apophis," Casey said softly. "He hasn’t been able to locate them."

His gaze was locked with black eyes. There was no arrogance, none of the ‘I-am-your-god’ pride in those dark eyes. Only sadness, and a weariness he recognized instinctively. "I mourn with you," he said softly.

For one moment, pain so deep that everyone watching could feel it, filled Pedram’s eyes. "I can only pray that my wife and sisters have not suffered that such as your wife suffered."

Daniel nodded. "I will pray with you as well."

Pedram gave a short nod.

Casey smiled at the dark-haired seer, received a smile in return. "This is Alexa. She’s Greek, and she’s a seer, too."

Sam smiled and nodded, then offered her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Alexa glanced at the outstretched hand, then smiled warmly. She wrapped both her hands around Sam’s. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Casey tells us you know of two groups of people who will help us defeat the Goa’uld."

"Assuming that this reality has Tok’ra," Sam said. "The Asgard will undoubtedly be willing to help you. They have in every reality we’ve discovered, including our own. We’re allies with them, as a matter of fact."

"They are powerful?" Alexa asked.

"Very much so," Sam confirmed.

"As long as they’re not fighting the Replicators here, too," Jack tossed in.

"Replicators?" Pedram asked, a frown on his face.

"Metal bugs," Jack said, shivering slightly. "Nasty damned things. Hard to kill, too. Armor piercing bullets, that’s the ticket."

"We have a communications orb, stolen from the Goa’uld," Pedram said. "Will you be able to use it to communicate with these ‘Asgard’ and ‘Tok’ra’?"

"I should be able to. As long as other Goa’uld aren’t listening in," Sam said.

Pedram smiled widely. "We have changed the frequencies of this orb. We can communicate freely with other rebel groups."

"How ‘Star Wars’ can you get, huh, T?" Casey quipped, gently nudging the dark warrior standing beside her.

"Indeed. And the fight of these rebels is just and right, as well," Teal’c replied.

"I told you the Big Guy would be the first to sign on," the blonde seer smiled, her free hand reaching for the Jaffa.

Pedram nodded slowly. "Many things are different here. There are few…true…Jaffa left. One known as Bra’tac led a rebellion. The Goa’uld system lords retaliated swiftly. Then began taking humans from wherever they could find them, trained them, and used them as Jaffa."

"Are there not enough prim’ta for the Jaffa to carry?" Teal’c asked, surprise on his usually stoic features.

"Not many. There’s a planet that has a river full of them, but we’ve been stopping there as often as possible to dump poison into the water," Pedram replied. "Whenever we find a temple that hides prim’ta, we destroy them."

"I am glad to learn that Bra’tac is alive here," Teal’c said

Pedram shook his head. "No, he was one of the first to die. Nearly ten thousand Jaffa died in the first battle between the warriors and their ‘gods’. It didn’t take long for the system lords to wipe out the rebellion. But, paranoid as they are, they decided to kill the remaining Jaffa, to prevent any further uprisings."

Teal’c sucked in a breath. "There are none left?"

The Apophis-twin shrugged. "There might be a few, here and there. Usually in command of human troops. As you might imagine, those particular Jaffa are extremely loyal to their gods."

Sam took a deep breath. "Wow. So much death," she said softly.

"And destruction," Pedram said. "There is very little left on Earth that was created by man."

"The pyramids, the temples in Greece, the Coliseum in Rome, the cathedrals in Europe-" Daniel started.

"All destroyed," Alexa sighed. "At first it was Anubis who was destroying what we held dear. Then, when he went into the Sistine Chapel, and had his ‘artists’ begin depicting him in every-" She took a deep breath. "We weren’t about to let him get by with that. Rebels destroyed anything he tried to claim. Not many were able to flee Earth, but those who remain have been able to keep his Jaffa on the run. He won’t leave, but he’s losing ground every day. It’s just a matter of time before he’s forced to flee the planet, or risk death."

"And when that happens, none of his ‘brothers or sisters’ are going to greet him with open arms," Pedram said. "They blame him for our presence out here. And we’ve been able to take out six system lords so far. Probably a dozen or so minor Goa’uld. As far as they’re concerned, Anubis opened a can of worms, and they’re getting their asses beat over it."

"How were you able to fight so quickly, so effectively?" Sam asked.

Alexa smiled. "That would be the result of nearly one hundred psychics who came together and warned the leaders of Earth’s most powerful countries. While one or two of us could have been ignored as ‘fakes’, to have one hundred people from all over the world reporting the same…dream…well, that was just too much for them to play off."

Casey tugged on Daniel’s arm, and settled back down on the bench beside the fire. The others seated themselves as well. "You saw Anubis attack earth?"

"Yes," Alexa replied. "It was…horrifying. We understood immediately that we couldn’t defeat him. That the subjugation of the planet was a foregone conclusion. What we were able to do was start ‘freedom cells’ in every town, every city. One of the first orders for the militaries of each country was to take control of any ships they could. We…the psychics, accompanied those particular units…we were hoping that we’d be able to…see, or at least sense…how to control the ships."

"And you were," Casey smiled.

"We were," Alexa confirmed, also smiling. "As many as possible were taken onto the ships. Those who remained…well, the first few months were the worst, just because we had no idea exactly how powerful Anubis and his Jaffa were until they arrived. It didn’t take long to figure out that they weren’t accustomed to having their ‘victims’ fight back. Each leader had to report to his superior before actually responding to any attacks. There was some order given by Anubis to gather all of the scientists, the artists, the scholars…and when those particular people began fighting against the Jaffa, it threw them."

"Jaffa are indeed unable to freely attack, when they’ve been ordered to gather certain groups," Teal’c nodded. "It is rare that any village where Jaffa appear fight back."

Pedram laughed. "Well, Anubis was certainly pissed off when he realized that we weren’t as afraid of him as he thought we should have been. Even more pissed off when we were able to use his ships against him."

"Do you have contact with Earth?" Jack asked.

"Sporadically. That’s for the protection of the rebels. Anubis has control of Africa. He has part of the Far East. The rest of the planet is still free, more or less. Oh, he attacks different spots on the planet from the air, every day. But apparently the psychics left behind are able to get enough of a…warning…in advance that he’s mostly just making a mess, and making the people more determined to destroy him."

Casey’s lower lip was between her teeth, she was chewing slightly, a frown on her face. "Wonder why They became involved."

"Huh? Who?" Jack asked.

"The Ascended. They…" She cocked her head sideways, stared into the fire, although no one around her believed it was flames she was seeing. "For some reason, something happened here. Something that wasn’t supposed to happen. There was…one Goa’uld…Anubis tried, but failed…but the other, succeeded. The Ascended had no choice, they had to become involved, they had to destroy the one…" her voice faded as she continued to examine the images that had been dumped into her mind.

"One of the Goa’uld managed to ascend," Daniel said.

The blonde seer nodded. "It happened so quickly, that at first they weren’t aware of it. Only when Anubis began to try…with the help of the one who had succeeded."

"Jesus!" Daniel swore softly. "Can you imagine the devastation if Goa’uld really did possess the power of gods?"

Sam shivered visibly. "I’m just surprised that the Ascended actually reacted at all."

"No choice," Casey said, blinking slowly, then giving a small smile. "They were being held accountable by those on higher levels. The Ascended destroyed the one who had Ascended. But because of the…well, because of the fact that Anubis almost succeeded, and wasn’t going to stop trying, even though his…mentor?…even though the Ascended Goa’uld had been destroyed, he was certain he could ascend, and remain ‘untouchable’. Problem was, he’d already started the attack on Earth. He figured he’d be able to do so as an Ascended Being, not just a run-of-the-mill Goa’uld."

"I don’t understand," Alexa said, frowning deeply.

"Do you have a…um…spirit guide? Someone you talk to from the Ascended level?" Casey asked.

"I’m not even aware of these ‘Ascended’," Alexa replied. "I have…dreams. All of the psychics…we have dreams."

"That’s odd," Casey muttered. "I guess they’re trying to remain as uninvolved as possible. Manipulating the dream world would be something they’d do."

"So, they’re passing information to the dream world?" Daniel asked.

"Seems so," Casey replied. "And they’re using anyone who has even an inkling of ability. Just having a bit of a ‘sixth sense’ is enough to qualify these men and women to receive the dreams."

"Because humanity would be wiped from existence if They didn’t help," Daniel added, nodding slowly.

"Exactly. I don’t know who screwed up, or if that Goa’uld was able to figure out ascension on his…her…no, his…own," Casey said. "But by not stopping him immediately, allowing him to reach out to Anubis, that was their mistake. That’s what those on the higher levels are holding them responsible for. If he’s shared that knowledge with the other system lords, any of them might be able to succeed as well."

"That’s a terrifying thought," Sam said.

"Indeed. I suspect that the Ascended are aiding the humans in destroying the Goa’uld to prevent just that occurrence," Teal’c said.

"This is all…interesting," Pedram allowed, "but it doesn’t explain how we’re going to win the battle in the morning."

"Battle? In the morning?" Jack asked hoarsely.

"We defeated Apophis two days ago. One of our men was captured. Since then, one of our other outposts was nearly destroyed. He knows that I, and my men, will be here tomorrow. The main group wasn’t scheduled to arrive until today, but they managed to get here a few days sooner than expected. We arrived hours sooner than we had planned." Pedram shook his head sadly. "Joseph reported that he had managed to escape within hours of his capture, and that he would meet us as scheduled. He even gave us intel on where one of the fuel depots for Apophis’s ships had been set up. That intel was only partially correct. It had been a fuel depot, but was no longer in use."

"So he’s been turned," Jack surmised.

"Or just being used. The Goa’uld are masters at torture," Pedram said.

Each member of SG-1 shuddered, and the reaction wasn’t missed by those around them. "You have been captured by Goa’uld?" Alexa asked.

"Too many times," Jack replied. "We’re pretty lucky, we manage to get away."

"Usually with the help of other teams," Sam added. "Others that work with us," she clarified.

"Then you have been tortured," one of the men on the other side of the fire said softly.

"In ways you can’t even imagine," Casey whispered, her green eyes wide as memories, unbidden and unwanted, began to stir in her mind.

Expressions of sympathy and respect flashed on the faces and through the eyes of those around the fire.

A A A A A A

Doctor Coombs lowered his arm as the flash of light faded around him. "Well, now what?"

Ferretti checked his watch. "We do it again in an hour."

"How long before we have to send you through to make sure SG-1 is okay?" Doctor Lee asked.

The Marine major snorted softly. "Couple of hours. Won’t go until there’s another team here."

"Ah…we won’t touch anything," Coombs insisted.

"Uh huh," Ferretti grunted. "Sorry, doc, it’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that I’ve watched you guys around alien technology. You can’t help yourselves."

Lee chuckled softly. "He has a point."

Coombs’ smile was small, but noticeable. "I guess we all have earned a bit of a reputation, working at the SGC."

"None of you can compare with Rock Whisperer," Ferretti chuckled, using the nickname Jack had given Daniel. "That man has caused more trouble-"

"And learned more," Lee added.

The major nodded. "I’ll give him that. No, you fellas just keep on taking notes, and don’t touch that thing," he said, nodding at the console. "We’ll try again in an hour."

"Shouldn’t we let General Hammond know what’s going on?" Coombs asked.

Ferretti squinted at the opening of the cavern. "If we don’t hear from SG-1 in a couple of hours, I’ll send the Kid to make a report."

Satisfied that he wouldn’t find himself in a spot of trouble on an alien planet, with no one at ‘home’ the wiser, Coombs picked up his tablet, and began typing. He hated not having his keyboard; being forced to type with one finger on the small keyboard displayed on the screen took far too long. Ideas and theories about the console were racing through his brain, and he was determined to get down everything he could. With a sigh, he concentrated on slowing his thoughts and capturing each idea.

Jack stared at the flames of the fire. "There might be a way to win this…attack."

"How?" Pedram asked.

"We make it look as if this place has been deserted," Jack replied. He pointed to the grassy hillside. "We can dig in there. A few can hide in the temple."

Pedram squinted slightly. "I don’t understand this ‘dig in’."

"We dig shallow holes, then use the ground cover like…like a blanket," Jack explained. He glanced at his watch. "Just when do you expect this attack?"

"The Goa’uld prefer to attack at dawn," Pedram said. "All of their ships are the color of gold. It is difficult to see them against the bright light as the sun rises higher in the sky."

"How long until dawn?"

"Five, maybe six hours," one of the men answered.

"Then we’d better get busy," Jack said, rising to his feet. "Daniel, you and Casey stay in that temple. There should be a hiding place somewhere."

Daniel nodded his understanding.

"I will join them," Alexa said.

"As will I," another woman offered.

"We will leave the flame thrower and grenade launcher with you," Pedram said told the woman.

"You have a flame thrower and a grenade launcher?" Jack asked, incredulously.

"Made in the United States," Pedram grinned.

Jack chuckled. "Sweet! Okay, a few of us are going to have to dig in here." He looked down at the mat he’d been sitting on. "We can use these as cover, have someone shovel a bit of sand over us."

"Casey and I can do that," Daniel offered.

"Good," Jack nodded. "We’ll make as many tracks around here as we can. Make it look like there were more people here than there actually are. Then we’ll make it look as if everyone headed up that hill."

"We must start now, if we wish to accomplish all this in a matter of hours," Pedram said. When everyone was standing nearby, Pedram looked around. "Move around, walk as much as you can between the temple and the shelters."

Immediately the two dozen or so soldiers and the civilians began to tromp back and forth. Several actually ran laps around the shelters. Others made numerous trips from the temple to the various dwellings.

"While they’re doing that, we need a dozen or so men to help us start digging hidey-holes," Jack said. "You do have shovels, I hope?"

"Collapsible shovels," Pedram replied. "I’m not sure how well they will work for what you propose to do."

"Well enough," Jack assured the rebel leader. He glanced at Sam. "Better keep an eye on the time."

Pedram frowned. "The moon will-"

Jack shook his head. "We’re not in our own reality. We have a limited amount of time before that fact kills us."

"IF our counterparts are alive in this reality," Daniel pointed out.

"I don’t plan on sticking around long enough to find out," Jack said.

"We should have until late tomorrow afternoon," Sam said. By her estimation, Jack and Casey had already been in this reality for four hours. That gave them a comfortable margin of twenty hours before there was a need to worry. Two hours or more for her, Daniel, and Teal’c.

"Good, we should be able help these folks, and then head home long before then," Jack said, rubbing his hands together. "By the way, how the hell did you get here?"

"My unit and I came through the Chappa’ai. The others came by transport. It won’t return to this solar system, not for several weeks," Pedram replied. "We will leave through the Chappa’ai after the battle."

"If you have a way to contact them, you’d better do it," Jack told the Apophis look-alike. "The first thing the Goa’uld in charge will do is to order his Jaffa to take control of the Stargate…er…Chappa’ai. If it looks as if we might win, the bastards will destroy the DHD to prevent you from escaping before more of their ships can arrive." SG-1 had been in two battles where that very thing had happened. Whenever they were looking at a fight, they prepared to defend the DHD, and find a secondary escape route.

"As I said, we try to limit our contact, to keep all of us safe," Pedram argued.

"I have no intention of helping you survive tomorrow morning only for you and your people to be killed in the afternoon," Jack argued. "You need to get that transport here to pick up…" He paused, cleared his throat. "They’ll need to pick up any survivors from the battle, and get to somewhere safe as quickly as possible."

"Pedram, we must do this," Alexa said, placing a hand on her leader’s arm. "We will take the victory in the morning battle, and then escape to fight again."

"That’s sure to piss the snakes off," Casey added. The twinkle in her green eyes at the thought of making the Goa’uld angry had her teammates grinning broadly.

"We can go to one of our new sites," Alexa added. "There is little chance for them to find us there. If we defeat them here, and more return, they’ll have no idea where we went, or how we left."

"If the DHD is left intact, they’ll try to find the last dialed coordinates. If that thing hasn’t been used to leave here for awhile, anything they find will be useless to them," Sam added.

"You could always dial into some Goa’uld controlled planet, that will confuse them," Jack added.

Pedram nodded slowly, understanding both the threat, and the advantage of dialing an enemy stronghold. "Do so."

"Where?" the man tasked for the job asked.

"Why not Camulus’s home planet?" Jack asked, his brown eyes twinkling.

"That could cause no end of trouble for that particular Goa’uld," Pedram mused. He smiled, then turned to the waiting man. "Do you have the coordinates for his planet?"

"It should be in the book."

"Then dial there."

Alexa shifted uncomfortably. "Will this not just bring Camulus and his Jaffa upon us?"

Sam shook her head. "He won’t be able to figure out where it came from if the ‘gate shuts down abruptly. I can help that happen," she added.

Jack nodded. "Do it."

With a nod, Sam rose to her feet, and followed the large man who hurried toward the DHD, a worn notebook in his hand.

"Now, who will be heading here tomorrow?" Jack asked.

"Apophis had joined with Heru’ur to battle against us. We destroyed Apophis. Heru’ur will now seek to destroy us, not because he fears we will hurt him, but so that we can’t challenge his claim that he destroyed Apophis. He will sweep in and take whatever he can before the other Goa’uld are aware of Apophis’s death."

Jack rubbed his chin. "I assume that he doesn’t believe this group is a threat to him?"

Pedram gave a small smile. "I don’t believe we are much of a threat to him, not right now."

"That’s to our advantage. Small numbers, and an apparent inability to defend a village is a weapon in itself. It means he’ll probably only send one an’kesh," Jack explained.

Teal’c nodded his agreement. "With such a small group, it is unlikely that more than four or five gliders will be sent. The Goa’uld will not anticipate your disappearance. It is likely that the gliders will land, in order for the Jaffa to assess the situation."

The comment caught Pedram’s attention. "If these gliders land, and we kill the Jaffa-"

"Then you’ll have yourself a few gliders," Jack grinned. "If you have someone who can pilot them."

"We do," Pedram chuckled. "To be able to add to our fleet…"

"Yes," Alexa smiled. "It would be a great day for the rebels."

"Then let’s get busy," Jack said.

Under Jack’s guidance, the older men of the group were busy digging holes in which to hide. Most of the men, including Pedram, would hide in the holes. The few remaining men and most of the women would hide on the hill. The tall grass was enough to prevent them from being spotted in the first few minutes. And a few minutes was all they needed. The remaining women would hide among the low buildings. Daniel would lead those who hid among the buildings, and Teal’c would lead those who hid upon the low hill once the battle started.

Fires were started in every fire pit and oil-filled torchiere located. It would, Teal’c explained, help hide heat signatures of the bodies of the people in the buildings. There was hope that the dirt that covered those in the holes would hide their heat signatures. If the Goa’uld and Jaffa who arrived were even equipped with such devices. Pedram insisted that many of the raids and attacks had lessened the devices that the Goa’uld now controlled. Most of the ships were being built so quickly that they carried weapons, and little else.

Pedram watched Daniel for a moment, as he helped dig a trench for hiding. The words of the man’s wife echoed in his ears…

Without conscious thought, the Apophis clone approached the archaeologist. Reached out and touched the man’s arm.

Daniel stopped and turned. He came face to face with the man who had once been an enemy. No, that’s not right. This man has never been my enemy. Sure would be interesting to know his family genealogy, though. Apophis’ host was several thousand years old, taken just before Ra had been ousted from Earth. Pedram was born in Iraq, and at least as long after Ra had been kicked out as it had been on our Earth.

"How did you bear the pain?" Pedram asked softly.

He knew exactly what he was being asked. In that moment, Daniel realized that the capture of this man’s wife and sisters had been recent. "How long ago?"

"Six weeks," was the nearly whispered reply.

Six weeks. Might as well have been six months, or six years. By now the women were either hosts, or had been consigned to harems. Most likely they’d been beaten until their spirits had been broken. "One minute at a time," Daniel replied softly. "And I was determined that I was going to bring Sha’re home."

"But you weren’t able to do that."

He was unaware of the pain that filled his eyes. "No, I wasn’t. But your situation is much different than mine. There are so many of you out here, so many fighting. You’ll find them sooner, be able to rescue them."

The man spoke with the assurance of stating fact. Pedram knew that the chances of his even locating his wife were slim, let alone being able to rescue her. But the words soothed his heart. They gave him something to cling to. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome." Daniel offered a smile, which was slowly returned.

Pedram paused. "It must be difficult, looking at my face," he pointed to himself, "seeing the man…the Goa’uld…who took your wife."

Daniel smiled. Apophis never had a head of hair like Pedram’s! And that was a fact he’d keep to himself. "You look like Apophis, yes. But there is a difference. In your eyes. In your smile. In the way you move. You’re not arrogant, or hateful. You’re a man who has lost family, and that shows. So I see you, Pedram, not Apophis."

He lowered his head for a moment, then looked back up into somber blue eyes. "I see a man who has suffered greatly. Who continues to fight the Goa’uld, in spite of the pain. Or maybe because of the pain. But I see a kind man. Your eyes speak of your wisdom, and your kindness. I think Alexa is correct. A miracle has brought you and your companions to us this night."

"I’ve learned to never doubt Fate, or miracles," Daniel said.

"If we win this battle, it will be because of your help," Pedram said.

Daniel shrugged. "Maybe. Something tells me that you and your people would have done well on your own."

"We have fought losing battles before," Pedram admitted, "and have at least managed to escape, if not win."

"When it comes to the Goa’uld, is there any other kind?" Daniel chuckled.

Pedram chuckled softly as well. "I do not believe so. Perhaps that is why they are so angry. We should be losing, and yet again and again we defeat them."

"Never doubt that you have…unseen…help. There are those on higher levels who are determined to make certain that the human race not only survives, but thrives," Daniel replied.

Pedram nodded. "So your wife tells us."

"She’s never been wrong," Daniel said. He motioned toward the hole he’d been digging. "I should probably get this finished."

"Yes. And I must get my hole dug," Pedram admitted. "Thank you," he said again.

"You’re welcome," Daniel confirmed a second time. He watched for a moment as the Apophis look-alike walked a few feet away, and began digging another hole. While he’d spoken the truth – it was easy to see the differences between Pedram and Apophis – the memories that had been disturbed from their slumber continued to tumble through his mind.

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