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I Was Blind, But Now I See

The richly robed man paced the length of the pel'tak. Continued to glare at the window that showed the beautiful aurora - which was the only way to know that the hyperdrive had been engaged. His troubled thoughts outpaced his feet. Tem...alive! After all of this time...centuries! Millennia! He served as High Priest, as had his father, and his father before him, and his father before him, all the way back to the ancestor who had known Tem, had worshipped at his feet. Through the centuries the priests admitted to themselves, and to their apprentices, that most likely Tem had been killed, as had happened to several gods at that time. When the most mighty of all gods, Ra, had discovered a plot to destroy him. It had served the High Priest to maintain all as it had been, with admonishments that the people, that the Jaffa, be ready for that moment when their god would reappear. It had kept him, and his progeny, in power and living well for a very long time.

Tem, alive! And ready to reclaim the First World! As one of the sons of Ra, it was his right, of course. Hes'ire sighed. No doubt this god would demand much. It would not be easy to step aside. To relinquish control of the system to him. To the System Lord to whom it actually belonged. He frowned. Wondered if this would affect the treaties he had with several other System Lords. Perhaps...the frown deepened. Perhaps if one of these System Lords was made aware that Tem had returned...His smile was vicious. Yes, it just might serve him well to see to it that his...allies...were aware that a Goa'uld thought long dead was setting himself up to claim the First World...

"Contact Lord Yu. Tell him I must speak to him immediately. That the matter is urgent," he commanded. He ignored the curious looks that the Jaffa tossed in his direction. They were to serve their god, not question any of His...or Her...actions. Nor were they to question those who served their god as well, and spoke for Him when He was not there in person to do so. The Priests of Tem demanded obedience, the same obedience that would be afforded to the god himself.

"Yes, My Lord," the Jaffa replied. The message was sent. Thankfully for a small blue and white planet in an insignificant solar system, in the far reaches of a nearly forgotten sector of space, that message would not receive an answer for several days. Lord Yu had more important matters to attend to; the concerns of a mere Priest of a god long dead and forgotten, ruling a planet that held no value at all, were of little import to him.

A  A  A  A  A  A

He tugged the sleeves of his shirt, checked to make sure the cufflinks were fastened properly. It had been three months since he'd last worn clothes. The silk of the shirt was like a caress against his skin. "So, how do I look?" Kinsey asked. The minute the clothes had gone on his body, he was a man again, allowed to speak, to think. As much as the Master would allow, of course.

Bailey smiled. "You look extremely handsome."

The silver-haired man smiled. "Expensive suits can make anyone look good."

"Mr. Gold will be extremely pleased," the servant replied.

Kinsey frowned. "Why don't you refer to him as 'Master'?"

"He has never asked me to address him in that manner," the man replied simply.

With a mental shrug, Kinsey turned back to survey his reflection. Tonight he joined the Master's Board of Directors. He'd work for the Master as the others did. He'd heard the screams...those of a woman, a young woman if he wasn't mistaken. The newest pet. He'd shuddered involuntarily, remembering with crystal clarity every lesson that he'd been taught; every beating, every humiliating moment of his training. But the Master had done only what was necessary to make him worthy, he told himself.

"It's time to join the others," Bailey said quietly. He wanted time to slip in and give Shannon an extra shot of Valium before her presence was required. Between that drug and the ker'nish'ta, hopefully she'd be too out of it to fully understand what was happening to her. The dosage had to be low enough that she'd be able to function, to follow the commands of her new owner. He continued to pray that Selmak had received his message. And was on the way to stop the twisted bastard known as Tem once and for all.

Tem turned to look when Kinsey entered the room. "You look wonderful," he said, smiling broadly. His body reacted to the sight of the older man, dressed and looking like the distinguished senator he'd once been.

"Thank you, Master. May I say you look dashing yourself?" Kinsey replied, his own smile wide.

"You may, and thank you." Tem watched Kinsey. Shivered with anticipation.

The other board members began to file into the room, each of them greeting Kinsey as an equal, shaking his hand, explaining their particular 'specialty' to him. Assuring him that whatever the Master had planned for him, he was more than up to the challenge.

Dinner was served: roast duck ala orange, Potato Galette, and braised greens, and fresh strawberry sorbet. It was the first meal that Kinsey had shared with the Master. The first time since his...abduction...that he'd been allowed to eat with utensils. He sipped his wine. Ate his meal. His eyes rarely leaving his Master's face.

With brandy snifters in hand, the group of men wandered into a specially prepared room. Like many of the other rooms in the building, it was soundproofed. Any screams, be they of pain or pleasure, would not be heard by anyone outside of the...party.

Shannon was led into the room. She could barely focus, but the sight of the men who'd raped her earlier brought a whimper of fear from her lips. Bailey's warning to cooperate, to...perform...to the best of her ability, continued to echo in her head. The only way to survive. The only way to walk out alive, he'd told her.

"Tonight, gentlemen, we begin the training of a new pet," Tem said, smiling at the men who gathered in a circle around the shivering woman. "And to celebrate the fact that Kinsey, my beloved pet, has taken his place on the Board, I have decided he shall have her first tonight. In fact, Ms. Shannon Ballard is going to take each and every one of you on a Trip Around the World."

The men began to laugh, all of them yanking off ties, kicking off shoes, tugging silk shirts from pants.

Kinsey approached the young woman. "Why don't you undress me," he said softly.

She looked up at him. This is so wrong! her mind screamed. Survive. Just survive. Do whatever they ask. Don't show fear, don't show any emotion at all. The words played again and again in her head. Survive. Slowly she reached toward him. Her fingers trembled as she unbuttoned his shirt, pushed it from his shoulders. She knelt down to take off his shoes and socks, then unfastened his trousers.

"Let's take a little trip, shall we?" Kinsey smiled. He grabbed the back of her head, shoved his already swollen cock into her mouth. "Suck it, you little bitch! Make me feel good!"

"That's telling her, Kinsey!" Taylor laughed. He was stroking his cock and that of the man beside him.

Tem watched. Waited. Hoped. If Kinsey was unable to climax without him, then the training had been completely successful. And later, after the others were gone, he'd be on his knees in front of his newest board member.

For the young woman, the night seemed endless. Nine men. Nine men had taken her, none of them bothering to be gentle. Her body ached. Her mind was reeling from the drugs and the horror of what she was doing, what was being done to her. By the time the last man rolled away from her, she was barely conscious.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Daniel watched her as they sat in the hold of the cargo ship that Jacob was piloting. She'd been quiet since Sarah had showed up. He knew she was tired, hell, they were all tired. They hadn't had much of a break since Thanksgiving night, when she'd sensed that NID agent near the house. A flight to rescue Tem's runaway 'pet', and then a couple of hours of sleep before they were on the move again. The errant thought that at least they were burning off a few of those calories he pushed away. Once again the team had been thrust into the middle of a crisis, one that had the fate of their entire planet resting squarely on their shoulders. He also knew that seeing Sarah had upset her. He sat down beside her. "Babe, what's wrong?"

She looked up into troubled blue eyes. "I just...I mean...I always...well, I didn't hate her, exactly." She sighed. "Yes, I did. I hated her for taking Mark from me. Even though I realized that she was giving him what I wouldn't...couldn't...give him. I had just hoped...He was the first man I ever loved...or at least, I thought I loved him." She turned her head; when she looked at him again, the tears were still in her eyes. "Do you think that when we get to her that she'll...that she won't be too...hurt?"

"We can only hope," he said softly. He'd been worried about her fretting over his old girlfriend. Instead, she was worrying about the well-being of an old nemesis. How typical of her.

Casey leaned her head against his shoulder. Watched as Dennis Ballard paced nervously. How difficult must it be for him, knowing first hand the horrors that his daughter was being subjected to? "Do you think we'll make it in time? That Thor will be there in time?"

"I hope so, Angel," he replied softly.

If things went...wrong..."We'd go to the Alpha site, wouldn't we?"

"Probably."

"You know what would bother me the most to lose?"

He had his suspicions. "What?"

"Our pictures. All of the pictures of the wedding, the ones from the day we went sledding, from our vacation. I'd hate to lose them. Maybe I should put them all on a CD, and carry it with me."

He smiled. "Maybe. Or just keep it at the SGC."

"And a copy at the Alpha site."

He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "We'll get there in time. We always do."

"I hope so," she sighed.

"Try to get some sleep, Angel."

"I'm not-" she stopped, smiled when he put his finger on her lips. She was tired, and he knew it. Not that he wasn't. She was fairly sure that Sam, Jack, and Teal'c could use some sleep as well.  When was the last time any of them had actually done more than doze?

He slipped his arm around her shoulders. Pulled her close. Kissed the top of her head when she shifted against him, cuddled up to his side. Within just a few minutes she was asleep, he could feel it in the way her body relaxed against him; her soft, steady breathing. Just before he closed his own eyes, he saw Teal'c stretch out, and Sam and Jack sit down in the same positions he and Casey had taken. Even if it was only a ten or fifteen minute nap, it was sleep that they all needed.

Ballard watched the team as they slept. They seemed to have dropped off to sleep almost immediately. He didn't know much about the military. But he knew that this group had seen a lot of action. He could sense that. And that these five people were closer to one another than most family members. He was putting his faith in this group. Believing that they could do the impossible and rescue his daughter from that sick, twisted, demented son-of-a-bitch...that alien...that Goa'uld. Hoped that he could personally watch the bastard die.

Jacob glanced into the hold. Didn't bother to hide his smile. Did they realize that they'd all fallen asleep within arm's reach of one another? Probably not. What they did came naturally, without conscious thought. The team dynamic had always been something of a mystery, the closeness of the team members nearly unprecedented in the SGC. But now, with the secret that they shared...he'd heard George say something about it once...repeating something that Casey had said. Hearts entwined.

Aldwin had looked in at the sleeping team as well. There had been many discussions among the Tok'ra concerning SG-1. And their seeming ability to do the impossible, to survive what they should never survive. To accomplish the unbelievable. Their friendship, the love they felt for one another was tangible. That a Jaffa fit in so easily, received and gave the same love as his teammates was a mystery to him. A soft beeping sound pulled his attention back to the mission at hand. "A message. From Thor."

The older man nodded. "Jacob Carter here," he said immediately.

"Greetings, General Carter. And greetings to Selmak," Thor's voice replied.

"Greetings, Thor," Selmak said. "Did you receive the information we sent?"

"Yes. It is of grave concern to the High Council. If the Goa'uld choose to test the strength of the treaty, our...position...would be revealed. We cannot allow this to happen," Thor said.

"Not to mention that it'd mean the enslavement of the First World," Jacob said dryly.

"I will arrive at Earth within fifteen minutes."

"We'll be there at about the same time."

"We must destroy the ships that wait before attacking the flagship," Thor said.

"I agree," Selmak answered. "We must strike quickly, before Tem has a chance to respond."

"Let us hope that by attacking his fleet, his attention will be drawn away from Earth," Thor said.

"Here's hoping," Jacob sighed.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Tem led Kinsey into his bedroom. As he'd hoped, Kinsey had been unable to reach orgasm...until he'd slipped behind him, entered his body. Then the man in front of him had cried out with such rapture that he'd immediately come as well. Never had that happened before. Now...now he'd take his new lover to bed, alone, for the first time.

Kinsey watched as Tem undressed. He knew the man's body intimately, yet he felt as if he were seeing him for the first time. He'd enjoyed taking the young woman, her body had been soft and warm and it had felt so damned good. He hoped to have her again. Perhaps share her with Tem. It suddenly occurred to him that Tem hadn't touched the new pet. Oh, he was aware that the Master had been the one to take her ass for the first time, earlier in the day; Taylor told him about it as they watched the other men take their turns raping the new pet. Tem had watched, had smiled, had encouraged his...pets...to take her roughly. But he hadn't touched her. Nor had he touched any of the other men. The only person in that room that Tem had taken, had been him. Love...and hope...flared in his chest.

"Do you remember Charles?"

How could he forget? Watching that man, that stranger, take the Master, give pleasure to the Master, when he so wanted to be the one to make that deep voice cry out with delight. "Yes, Master."

"For years I have not had...my father...in my bed. When I first laid eyes on you, I knew. I knew that you'd be everything that I wanted, that I needed," Tem said softly. He stepped closer, ran his hand over Kinsey's cheek. Smiled when the face pressed against his palm. "I want you to fuck me, Kinsey. Just like Charles did."

"Whatever you wish, Master," Kinsey whispered. "I want only to please you."

"That is exactly what I wanted to hear, my beloved pet."

The older man eagerly followed his Master to the bed. At last he'd know the ecstasy of burying himself in this beautiful body. He was nearly delirious with need...with happiness.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Bailey gently washed her, erasing every trace of the party that she'd suffered through. It was obvious that she was on the brink of slipping over the edge mentally. The only thing keeping her mind in place was the fact that the drugs masked most of what had happened around her...to her. He frowned. If Tem suspected that she was already broken, he'd kill her. To have a woman...or a man...break within hours of becoming a pet was never a good sign. It usually meant a complete break with reality...permanently. "Shannon?"

She heard her name. Rolled her eyes, tried to focus on the face in front of her. She'd been told...taught...that she could moan, she could cry out, she could scream; but she must never speak. Her face was horribly bruised from that lesson. She looked at the man expectantly, waiting for him to tell her what he wanted...what he expected her to do.

"Shannon, do you know where you are? It's all right, no one will know if you speak to me, nothing will happen as long as we're here alone," he assured her.

"South America," she whispered.

"Very good. I know that what is happening to you is...painful. But you must not let him break you," Bailey whispered. "Do whatever it is that he demands of you. But remember always that you can survive this. Do you understand?"

She nodded slowly.

"We need to clean you, can you squat over the drain?"

Again the young woman nodded. Closed her eyes as warm water began to flood her body, washing away the proof of what she'd suffered. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. She'd never allowed Mark to take her anally. She'd always heard that it was painful. And it had been...at first. She shuddered when she realized that several times during her ordeal her body had betrayed her...three orgasms had rocked her while she was being raped. That wasn't right, was it? She shouldn't have felt pleasure, should she?

He watched her eyes. Such fear. And shame. "You have done nothing wrong," he whispered. "You did what you had to do in order to stay alive, nothing more."

"I came," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks.

It would've been impossible for her to have remained impassive when three of the men insisted on 'cleaning' her for their companions, their mouths moving over her, not in an attempt to arouse her, oh no, never for that reason. But to arouse their 'brothers'. To arouse themselves. "I know."

"It can't be rape if you come," she continued.

"That isn't true, Shannon. Your body was merely reacting to the stimulus. You were raped. Brutally. Repeatedly. But you survived. Never lose sight of that. Never give up. This will all be over soon, I promise," Bailey whispered.

"Over?"

"It will be over soon," he repeated. He carefully dried her, moving the towel gently over a body that had been abused for hours. "You must sleep now."

She watched as the needle pricked her skin. Once again gave in to the fog that surrounded her mind. Curled up into a ball on the cold floor, and closed her eyes.

Please, Selmak, get here soon! Bailey thought desperately.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Tem was awake early. Smiled when he felt the warmth and the weight of the body next to him. He'd have to take a Consort, a wife to bear his children. A Goa'uld willing to be a breeder for a time. He was a great god, and ruling the First World would prove that. No doubt there would be a several Goa'uld females vying for his attention. He'd father a new generation of Goa'uld. But Kinsey would never leave his bed. The thought of having a woman snuggled between them, taking her while Kinsey took him, sent shivers up and down his spine. He preferred men. But he wasn't opposed to making love to a woman. Especially if she was going to be the mother of his children.

He glanced at the clock. He had enough time to spend an hour or so in the sarcophagus. Then, it would be ringed up to his waiting ship. Along with all that he would take from this place for now. Kinsey would go with him. Bailey must come as well, he needed the servant to take care of the new pet. Her training mustn't be interrupted simply because he was taking over the world. He chuckled out loud at that thought.

Kinsey shifted, opened his eyes. "Good morning," he smiled.

"Good morning, my pet," Tem replied. "Go take your shower. Have breakfast. There are things I must tend to."

With a nod, Kinsey crawled out of the bed. "Will I see you later?"

"Of course," Tem reassured him. "We'll be leaving together."

"Leaving?"

"We'll ring up to my ship in just a bit. By noon, probably. By tonight, my beloved pet, the First World will belong to me! I am the greatest of all gods, and now I shall rule...as is my destiny!"

The words startled Kinsey. But he was quick to cover his shock. "All will bend their knees, and bow their heads to you," he said solemnly.

Tem smiled. "Yes, they will. And when we've begun the building of our new palace, we'll begin to search for a consort. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

"Whatever pleases you, pleases me, Master," Kinsey replied obediently.

"Of course it does. Go now, we have much to do today."

A  A  A  A  A  A

The Tok'ra ship dropped out of hyperdrive. Ten ships waited on the far side of Saturn. Jacob hissed a breath. Ha'tak! Heavy bombers/cruisers! This wasn't going to be easy!

'We are cloaked. Thor is cloaked,' Selmak said, attempting to calm her host.

'Yeah, but that doesn't make this any easier.'

'I believe that you'll find that none of those ships have shields raised,' the Tok'ra said.

A quick scan confirmed the symbiote's supposition. 'Shields will come up when the first ship is hit,' he argued. 'Not to mention a message going out to Tem.'

Selmak hesitated. "Aldwin, did you bring the armbands?"

"Yes, I did, just as you requested."

'Selmak? What have you got up your sleeve?' Jacob demanded to know.

'Technically, I don't have sleeves. Except for yours.'

'Don't be a wiseass.'

'Technically-'

'Selmak!' The Tok'ra symbiote had a very warped sense of humor. Exposure to him probably hadn't helped.

'With Thor's ship, and ours, we can only hope to take out four, possibly five of the ships in the first attack.'

'Okay, I'll agree with that,' Jacob replied.

'If we can disable the others before the attack, we will increase our odds of destroying the entire fleet.'

'And just how-' he broke off when he realized just what Selmak had planned. 'That means that they go onto those ships alone!' he gasped.

'They won't be detected by the ship's internal scanners. True, they will need to use extreme caution, but Jacob, this is the only way. We have no other choices. And to hesitate, to try to take on all of those ships with just two will guarantee our failure, and ensure the enslavement of Earth,' Selmak insisted.

He hated it when she was right. "Better wake 'em up. We need to explain what they have to do," he sighed.

Ten minutes later the members of SG-1 were staring at him. "We have to do what?" Jack asked hoarsely.

"Jack, it's the only way. You know that as well as I do. We get one chance at this. The first attack will have the others raising shields and firing on us," Jacob insisted. "If we can't take them out, it's all over."

"What does Thor say about all of this?"

"I am afraid that General Carter and Selmak are correct," Thor said, his voice echoing around them. "Even if you succeed, our chances of success are minimal at best."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Jack replied dryly.

"Do we know that the computer virus will work fast enough?" Sam asked, frowning at the data crystals that sparkled on the console.

"The instant that these crystals are plugged into the system, the first commands will disable all shields, then weapons, then communications. Engines will be shut off after that. It shouldn't take more than three minutes," Jacob assured his daughter.

"But it has to be the main computer console in the engine room?" Daniel asked.

"Afraid so."

Jack took a deep breath. Even as he argued against this plan, he could see the merits of it, understood that it was indeed their only chance. He could only hope that the magical SG-1 good luck would continue to hold for them. "I won't order anyone to do this," he said softly.

"It's our only chance," Daniel replied.

"With these ships out of the way, we'll have a better chance of taking out that flagship of his," Jacob said.

"Well, kids, shall we go..."

Casey cocked her head to one side. Doorways...they needed to keep their flanks covered...impossible if they were alone...safety in numbers..."We could go as a team," she said softly. "Modify the program to activate at a certain time. Then we could do all of the ships."

There was a moment of silence. "This plan might work," Thor admitted.

"How long to modify these?" Jack asked, holding up one of the data crystals.

"Just a few minutes," Aldwin said.

"Gives us a better chance," Jack said. "And if we can disable all of those ships, it's just a matter of hitting them with enough firepower to destroy them."

"I have to admit, I like the idea of the team staying together," Jacob agreed.

"I too, approve of this plan," Thor said.

"Then let's do it," Jack said. He looped an arm around Casey's neck, pulled her into a hug. "Good thinking, Radar."

She blushed. "Don't thank me. I just relayed the message," she replied.

Daniel looked at her. "The Ancients?"

Slender shoulders moved up and down. "I'm guessing that's who it was."

Her teammates exchanged glances. Chances were, the idea was her own, she was just too modest to admit it, or perhaps even recognize it as such.

"How much time?" Jacob asked.

"Better make it a couple of hours," Jack replied. "Just to be on the safe side."

"That's about all of the time we can spare," the older man pointed out.

"We either succeed here and now, or we don't succeed at all," Jack said. "If it takes a couple of hours, then it takes that long."

"What's the word from Earth?" Daniel asked Aldwin. The young Tok'ra had been monitoring communications satellites from the moment they'd arrived in the system.

"Nothing unusual. No mention of Tem. His ship is in orbit above the planet, but I don't believe your people are aware of it."

"He's staying cloaked," Jack nodded. Then frowned. "So just why aren't those ships cloaked?"

"Maybe they don't have cloaking devices," Sam suggested.  

"Possible. Look, let's get this done. Before Tem starts making announcements," Jack said.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Wearing the armbands that made them 'invisible' to all scans, SG-1 ringed to the first ship. They made it to the first intersecting corridor before being forced to seek cover from an approaching squad of Jaffa.

Situation normal, Casey thought, watching the metal clad men pass by the support beams behind which the team waited anxiously. She watched Jack carefully, waiting for his signal to move out. When he looked at her, raised an eyebrow, she shook her head. No feelings, no warnings coming through, her eyes told him.

With a nod, the team CO sent Teal'c toward the next corner. They needed to go down six levels in order to sneak into the engine room. Taking the elevator was pretty much out of the question. Which meant climbing. Access shafts were located in specific places throughout the ship. Getting to them would be no easier than moving anywhere else on the enemy vessel. And the fact that it would be impossible to pull the vent closed behind them increased their chances of being caught. The only way to tip the odds in their favor was to find a seldom used shaft, in an area that saw little Jaffa movement.

Teal'c signaled all clear, and his teammates rushed to surround him. Daniel went into the shaft first. He'd make certain that there weren't any technicians working in any of the adjoining shafts, and would let them know how many Jaffa were in the engine room once they arrived. Sam was next, the crystals in her pocket. Casey was in the middle, so that if she had a premonition, she could warn all of her teammates quickly. Teal'c was next, his impressive frame barely fitting into the narrow confines of the shaft, and Jack was on the six.

They were racing against time, yet to move too quickly might create enough noise to give them away. Ten of these damned ships, Daniel groused as he eased forward, listening for any telltale sounds that would indicate work being done anywhere nearby. Teal'c had estimated that it would take them at the very least twelve minutes per ship. Twelve times ten was one hundred and twenty. Divided by sixty was two hours. And that was only if they were very, very lucky. If they were forced to wait, or hide, or heaven forbid, found themselves in a battle, well, their time table would be shot to hell. And Selmak and Thor insisted that two hours was all the time that could be spared. The fleet needed to be destroyed, and the Tok'ra and Asgard ship needed to be in orbit around Earth as quickly as possible. Before Tem announced himself to one and all.

Luck was with them as he slid closer to the vent that looked into the engine room itself. There seemed to be no one near. He gently eased the grate open, slid to the floor. Helped Sam, and then Casey to their feet. Teal'c and Jack entered the room seconds later.

There were three doors. Jack pointed to Teal'c, Daniel and himself. They'd keep watch, making certain that no one approached the room. Sam would insert the data crystal, and Casey would quietly disable the hyperdrive engines, having been told exactly which crystal to remove.

Within three minutes they were climbing back into the shaft. Back to the corridor where they'd started. There were no sounds, no signs of Jaffa presence. Five minutes later they were signaling Jacob. And were ringed to the second ship.

On the third ship they were forced to hide in the engine room, praying that the shadows would conceal them long enough for the Jaffa who'd entered to do whatever it was that he'd been sent to do, and leave.

Casey felt her heart stop beating when the tattooed man looked directly at her. She held her breath, did her best to press further into the wall. Thought she'd faint when the Jaffa frowned, and stepped toward her.

Teal'c stepped out of his hiding place, directly behind the Jaffa. In seconds the man was unconscious on the floor.

By the seventh ship their nerves were in sad shape. Every little noise had them jumping, fingers trembling on the triggers of their P90's.

Daniel had tied a bandana around his head. Jack's cap was on backwards. Casey had clipped her braid up, keeping her hair up off her neck as it seemed that each ship was slightly warmer than the last.

It was on the ninth ship that they nearly lost the entire battle.  "It won't go in," Sam hissed.

"What?"

"The data crystal, it won't go into the slot!"

Shit! Jack wearily ran a hand over his face. One more ship after this. So far they'd even managed to stay on schedule. Well, this was par for the freaking course! Couldn't have the damned mission go right, could they? "Suggestions?"

Four pairs of eyes looked at him, their fatigue plainly visible. Casey shook her head as she pulled the hyperdrive crystal from its place, quietly pushed the tower closed. "We don't have time to work around it," she whispered.

"Can you manually enter the commands?" Daniel asked.

Sam shook her head. "I don't know enough Goa'uld to be able to do it, not quickly, anyway."

"What about removing the power crystals?" the young archaeologist asked.

That idea had merit, Jack thought. "Teal'c, do you know which ones will at least disable the shields?"

The tall black man nodded. Casey raced across the room to take his place, her eyes scanning the corridor for any signs of danger. Teal'c opened the power column. And alarms began to wail around them.

"Shit! Teal'c, take it out! Get into that shaft now!" Jack ordered.

They climbed into the shaft, praying that it would take the Jaffa long enough to find the open access panels for them to get away. No such luck. There was an entire squad waiting for them at the entry point. Jack opened fire, took them down, radioing Jacob that they needed out and fast. They had one last ship to sabotage, and they had to do it before the Jaffa on the other ships became aware that something was wrong.

Breathing hard, running down the corridor of the final ship, Casey slid to a halt. Cocked her head to one side. Then grinned. "Let's get finished, boss," she whispered to Jack.

"What's up?" He braced himself for bad news.

"We have to get out of here," Casey replied.

"Well, duh."

"Tem's priest and the First Prime in charge of those ships are in a tug of war for power right now."

The older man grinned. "They're going to fire on each other?"

"I think so. I'd really like to not be here when that happens."

"Move it campers. Let's help these bastards along, shall we?" Jack hissed.

A  A  A  A  A  A

When they were at last ringed back to the Tok'ra cargo ship, they were soaked with sweat, shaking from the adrenaline that flooded their bodies, and wore huge grins of satisfaction on their faces. Time was up. The viruses on the data crystals were infecting the ships systems, taking shields down, then weapons, then engines began to go offline. Missing power crystals prevented the hyperdrives from working in the event that any of the ships were able to regain control before they could be destroyed.

The priest and the First Prime were convinced that the damage they were discovering on each ship had been done by those working for the other, those loyal to their opponent. The First Prime fired first, having learned that the priest had sent a message to Yu...acting without the knowledge or consent of their god. An act of treason, pure and simple.  

As Casey had predicted, two of the ships began firing on the others. For several minutes it seemed to be a stellar free-for-all, the amount of fire from each of the al'kesh making it damned difficult to tell who was shooting at whom. When the viruses had completely taken over the computers of the ships, all firing ceased, as the weapons systems were rendered useless. By the time that happened, three ships remained. Thor and Jacob destroyed them as well. The gravitational pull of Saturn would see all of the debris either as part of the many rings that surrounded the planet, or disintegrated as it was pulled toward the planet. Within a few days, there'd be little or no trace of the ten Goa'uld ships that had once been the fleet that Tem commanded.

The race toward Earth continued. So far, things had gone their way. But, as Jack pointed out, they were the good guys!

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