It had been nearly six months since that fateful day. He still couldn't really believe it. Retired. An odd word. Elicited visions of flea markets and sitting in the park feeding pigeons. Couldn't be further from the truth. Okay well it also meant long days dozing off with a fishing pole in your hand. That had happened. But Jack O'Neill was not a man to be sedate in his manner of living. He'd spent weeks at his cabin, just relaxing, fishing, whatever, and then he got antsy. He always needed something to do with his hands so he started fixing things. In less than two months he'd fixed everything he could think of around the cabin. He'd painted and even planted some hardy perennial flowers. The place looked great and he knew it. Then he had an idea.
He'd been back to Colorado Springs several times, spending time with Hammond and his grandchildren and of course Cassie. He saw Sam whenever she was not engrossed in her work and even saw Teal'c twice. Sam and he had a few long conversations about their relationship after his retirement and decided to give each other a little room but definitely be friends and keep in contact. And if things developed into more, that would be okay too. This was just the right time to talk Sam into coming to the cabin for a couple week's vacation.
She was a bit hesitant about staying the whole two weeks but as it turned out, she loved it there. Maybe not the fishing, but the canoe rides were to die for with the soft breeze ever present on the surface of the cool water of the lake. The whole place was a feast for the eyes. Deep blue water, Tall pines with every shade of green you can imagine, distant mountains and the sky so blue and clear it was positively luminescent. The breeze coming off the water caused the trees to rustle quietly. The only other sound was the occasional cry of an eagle or hawk circling above. They had spent the day's outdoors and many evenings, too. Jack had a telescope here not that it was used much, it was so pleasant just to lie on the ground and gaze up at the sky. Unhindered by city lights, even dim stars were easy to see. One night he pointed out the International Space Station to her. It was bright like a small planet low in the sky.
They easily fell back into their comfort level in each other's presence, a friendship easily renewed. Talk was sometimes about the folks back at the SGC and what everyone was doing now. Personally that is. The current projects related to work were off limits. It cut a bit into their conversation but Jack well understood the meaning of classification and never pushed the issue. They took long walks around the lake did some light rock climbing, too.
Their closeness was rekindling something else between them. At first it was the fact that they always seemed to be smiling and would catch each other looking at those smiles. The brief eye contact was like a touching of minds they had both been missing. At first she'd look away quickly until she realized he wasn't. So their eyes would meet and stay on target for a few moments, neither was made uncomfortable by it. Soon that developed into physical touch. Sometimes just brushing a shoulder as one walked by, or lingering a moment longer than necessary when handing over a hot cup of coffee. They would reach out and touch each other on the arm when making a point in their conversations and he'd wrap his arm around her shoulders when they gazed at the night sky.
It was the most natural thing in the world to take it to the next level. And they did. There was a little hesitation to overcome as it had become so ingrained in them to obey regulations, but they gave each other time to get used to the idea. Starlight could be quite a romantic setting and one night while they were cuddling to stay warm out under the stars they found something much more interesting than the stars. By the next night they were sleeping in the same bed.
The rest of the time passed with lightning speed and was over way too soon. They had discovered a joy in each other's presence that was too good to let go. Jack decided to go back to Colorado Springs with her. After that he spent most of his time in Colorado and just went back to the cabin when Sam was too tied up with work or when she could take a long weekend and they'd go together. They quickly settled into a routine of sorts. He did the grocery shopping, which she hated anyway, and she did most of the cooking when they ate in. Except breakfast, that was his forte and he was great at it. She couldn't figure out when he had learned to do it though. She thought he liked cereal, considering how often he used to eat it on base. Maybe he just didn't like how they cooked their eggs.
They spent a lot of time together given that she was off world frequently and still lost track of time in her lab. As a matter of fact, that was the only thing they ever argued about. Even when she was off base, her thoughts were back in the lab. It was difficult because she couldn't discuss any of it with Jack. So he'd get lonely and even thought about getting a dog again. Still it was as much of a routine as they probably could have. Then things got a little strained.
Sam was sitting in front of her computer at work and glanced at the clock. It was 01:41 and she had a briefing in the morning at 0800. "Crap", she thought. She wouldn't be making it home again. Jack would be angry. He always took it personally when she stayed late, thinking that she was putting her work before him. Well, she was, wasn't she? But it was important work. He used to understand, so why the hell couldn't he get it now? She loved him but she needed to do this. She leaned heavily on her desk and rubbed her face with her hands. She looked at the clock again. 01:45. She shut down her computer and headed for her quarters to get at least some sleep before that briefing.
Jack had fallen asleep in front of the TV waiting up for her to come home. His own snoring suddenly awoke him to find some infomercial blaring on the television screen. He thought she must have not wanted to wake him, although usually she would at least throw a blanket over him in the chair. He pressed the 'Off' button on the remote and headed for the bedroom. The bed was empty. He sighed, it really pissed him off when she didn't even call. He undressed and made a trip to the bathroom before settling under the covers in bed, not that he felt like sleeping now.
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General Hammond requested the Majors presence at the briefing by SG- 4. They had just returned from P9R 447 and reported it to be a culture likened to Cimeria with Norse influences. There were no people whatsoever and no trace of what had befallen them. Sam and other support personnel were ordered to accompany them back to the planet to ascertain what happened to the residents. The mission was a go in three hours. Sam ticked off in her mind the minutes to drive home, to drive back, get her gear together, and yeah probably taking a shower would be a good idea. She'd been so tired that she had overslept. She didn't have time to go home so she made an obligatory phone call to Jack.
He heard the ring but was still irritated, so he didn't pick up. "Jack? Aren't you there? Well, when you get this, um, I've got a mission. Probably be gone a few days. See you later." Click.
He snorted at the phone. Wasn't she the one who wasn't there? No 'sorry' no 'oops, I did it again', just 'see you.' Well didn't that make him feel important? He rolled over, he was sleeping in today.
Sam returned from P9R 447 with more questions than she had started with. The place was deserted for sure but they had gone in a hurry. Food was left rotting on tables, untended fires had just burned themselves out, items such as buckets and tools were dropped haphazardly about and doors were wide open. Something was very wrong here. There were no signs of a struggle but everyone was gone. She agreed with Colonel Arnold and Lieutenant Price's assessment that it was not a natural disaster or sickness of any kind. These people had gone away and not come back, either by choice or not. The 'or not' was the big problem here.
"General, if I may, I think we owe it to the Asgard to let them know something has happened on this world. We can be reasonably sure they have some involvement with this culture." The Colonel voiced his recommendation to his CO. "I thought you didn't find a 'hammer' or any other artifact related to the Asgard. Am I mistaken?" Carter spoke up, "Sir, considering the culture is otherwise virtually identical to Cimeria, I agree with the Colonel, we should contact Thor." The General knit his brow for a moment, "Alright, you may do so."
It was always disconcerting how the Asgard made contact with their Tauri friends. If they weren't 'beaming them up' somewhere, they were appearing out of thin air via the communications device. Carter and Lieutenant Price were sitting in her lab discussing their findings on the planet when there was an overhead page for the Major to go to Hammond's office immediately. Price accompanied her, just in case, he was hopeful to meet one of these aliens.
Upon their arrival, Hammond motioned them to the briefing room where Colonel Arnold was already waiting. In one corner of the room was a hazy glow with the form of Thor. Hammond allowed the Major a moment to greet the Asgard Commander and then gave her the floor to discuss their findings on P9R 447. Before she got three words out of her mouth Thor spoke. "I am aware that O'Neill is not present. He is not anywhere within your compound. Is he well?"
Hammond rolled his tongue in his mouth for a moment before replying, this was the first contact with the Asgard since Jack left and he was hoping Major Carter's presence would make the transition smooth. "Colonel O'Neill has retired, he is no longer with the SGC. As you have dealt with Major Carter before, I thought she could be of service here."
Thor blinked in that odd way the Asgard had of using their large dark eyes to convey far more than their speech. "I would speak with O'Neill."
The Major was a bit irritated now, "Excuse me, Sir." And turning to Thor, "Colonel O'Neill is not involved with this mission, he doesn't know anything about it, he doesn't even know we contacted you. Now I have important information for you regarding the planet we call..." Thor's image winked out effectively cutting her off. Her mouth dropped open. It wasn't like she had never worked with Thor before and it galled her to be treated so rudely.
Colonel Arnold voiced the obvious, "It would seem that Thor has decided he will only converse with O'Neill." Hammond leaned back in his chair, he felt he was doing the Asgard a favor by notifying them of a problem on one of THEIR planets, and was now slapped in the face for not presenting the correct liaison to speak with them. Diplomacy was a bitch sometimes.
Carter looked at him and swallowed her pride, "Do you want me to call Jack, General?"
"Major, I'm about two minutes away from dropping the matter, but since they are our allies, I guess it would be the prudent thing to do. Go ahead." He stalked into his office and closed the door.
She called Jack's house three times before finally giving up and driving over. He was out in the yard finishing up cutting the grass. The moisture from the cut grass had colored his sneakers greenish, as were his hands as he gathered clippings into a bag for disposal. He was dirty and sweaty but looked amazingly appealing to the eye. His skin was more tan than ever before not being underground so much now. He was wearing a light blue plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows and faded jeans. Lighter colors always looked so good on him since his hair went gray.
"Hi, Sam." Not much enthusiasm there. "Jack, I have been trying to get you all day! Something has come up at Command and General Hammond is requesting your presence."
He looked at her scowling, "My presence? My presence is required in this yard right now. I'm too busy." He stared directly into her eyes, his brows raised slightly when he emphasized the word 'busy.'
She knew he wasn't THAT busy but was talking about her not spending time with him lately. "Jack, really, this is important, it has to do with Thor."
"I can't believe you just expect me to drop everything and come running when you call. I haven't seen you in days and you haven't even said 'hello' or 'how ya doin' to me. Well I'm fine, thank you, and busy, now go away." He wiped his hands with a rag and walked to the house. The screen door slammed as he passed through.
Her chest tightened at the hurt he projected. He was right, she yelled at him for not being there, when she hadn't been there for him for several days. And she didn't even say 'hi.' She followed him through the door and found him washing his hands at the kitchen sink. "Jack, you're right, and I'm sorry I haven't had much time lately. I've had so much going on, and when I'm here, well, I get behind on things at work." She knew that didn't come out exactly as she meant it.
He didn't turn but put both hands on the edge of the counter on lowered his head almost to his chest. "So, time spent here is wasted time?" His eyes were closed and he shook his head slowly. He could feel a hint of moisture behind his eyelids and quickly blinked. "Well, you're certainly wasting your time today." He stared out the window, refusing to grant her an audience. He didn't move for a long time, even when the door slammed and her car engine started. Sam was long gone before he took a beer out of the fridge and sat in the den. He unscrewed the cap and tossed it on the coffee table then took one sip. Then he just sat, staring at nothing, the bottle and its contents gradually warming to room temperature.
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The next morning Sam was prepared to explain to General Hammond that Jack was upholding his retirement and was not going to help them, although she'd never admit to the reason she thought was behind it. She just about burst into Hammond's office, wishing to get the uncomfortable situation over with. "General, I tried to convince him but he wouldn't come." As she spoke the last word her head turned to the side following the General's line of sight and beheld none other than Jack O'Neill, leaning back relaxing in a chair. Her mouth dropped open then shut. She couldn't think of a thing to say.
Hammond graciously ignored her outburst. "Major, glad you're here. I've briefed Jack regarding the Asgard's request. For now we will consider him to be a civilian advisor with full clearance for any relevant information. I'd like you to bring him up to speed on the findings from your mission." Jack regarded her but did not speak. Hammond knew these two were 'seeing' each other since the Colonel's retirement and wondered at their discomfort with each other. "Would that be a problem?" "No, Sir." Carter answered quietly.
She looked at Jack. "My lab, in say, ten minutes?" "I'd prefer the briefing room." He looked at her with a complete lack of emotion. She nodded to him, then to the General and made her retreat.
Hammond and O'Neill talked quietly for the next few minutes. They had missed their past camaraderie and fell easily back into familiar conversation. She was waiting in the briefing room for him. A pile of folders was neatly stacked in front of her and a MALP recording was paused on the view screen. She looked like she was ready to give a lecture.
"Major." She stiffened at the formal greeting then ignored it. He sat across the table from the folders.
"The planet in question is P9R 447. As you can see by the MALP tapes it is primitive by our standards."
"You don't have to do this."
"Sir?"
"Sam, you don't have to take the time to go over all of this with me if you don't want to. Just let me read the reports and I'll be fine." She regarded him for a moment, squared her shoulders and walked out of the room. He sighed and watched her go. When had things gone so sour between them? He opened the first report and started to read.
Carter meanwhile stalked off to her lab. She couldn't concentrate on anything, flipping from one unfinished project to another trying to find something to focus on. She was always working on six things at once but now nothing held her attention. All she could think of was O'Neill. They had been so good together and now she couldn't even have a decent conversation with the man.
A little while later she had finally immersed herself in statistics and equations. It was a comparison of several different minerals with Naquadah-like characteristics. She became aware of a presence and looked up to see him, leaning on the doorframe. He figured he might as well make the first move or they could be there all day. "Sam, I'm sorry." He closed the door and took a few steps toward her.
"Don't be. We just don't seem to have much in common. I've got my interests and you've got yours. Maybe we just thought we did since we worked together for so long."
"I don't know about that. I seem to remember having a fair number of disagreements with you even then."
"It's not disagreements I'm talking about. It's having anything to say at all. I mean, the work here, this is what I am." Gesturing to the computer screen, she realized this particular program was one of the most boring things she'd ever have to wade through. She shook her head slightly. "And, I'm not allowed to discuss missions with you, you know that."
"You can discuss this one." She knew he was trying to break the ice but it seemed like too little and a lot too late. He pulled a chair over and sat facing her. His expression was soft as he reached out and touched her arm. She looked away and suddenly couldn't stop her knee from twitching.
She took a breath and switched into Samantha Carter PhD mode. "As in the reports you read, the culture seems to be of Norse origins. Even though we found no evidence of Asgard technology we still think it's likely they were brought there by the Asgard and should be considered to be one of their worlds."
"Oh for crying out loud!" He leaned way back in the chair and held his hands to the sides of his head. "Is there some reason you can't just TALK to me without doing that?"
"What?"
"Come on! Talking to me like that!" Even her techno babble was better than her 'university lecture' mode. She looked at him with exasperation. "I thought you wanted to discuss P9R 447?"
"Yeah, I thought we could talk about it. As in together, back and forth. You make a comment then I do. Exchange of ideas. Con-ver-sa- tion. Ever heard of it?" She just glared back at him. Of course he was right again. If he'd read the reports then she didn't need to reiterate the information. Well, considering it was Jack we're talking about here, maybe she did.
She slumped a bit and massaged her right temple, "Jack, I'm a little tired." Neither moved for a few minutes. This time it was he who left, closing the door behind him.
The click of the door latch brought her back to the moment. She made a face and jumped up. She swung to door open and leaned out into the hallway, "Jack?"
He didn't even have time to turn around as a bright light engulfed him and he was gone.
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He was deposited in a most undignified manner on the deck of the Asgard ship. Thor was standing next to the control panel, eyeing O'Neill. "Why do you guys always have to do that?"
Stoic as always Thor replied, "The kinetic property of your body determines your exit of the transportation system. O'Neill it is good to see you. We were uncertain if our association would be able to continue."
"Ah, well things to change sometimes, it's good to see you too. Anything for an ally, right? By the way your timing sucks."
"We measure time using a method I do not believe you would comprehend, O'Neill." This was rapidly turning into one of those nowhere conversations and O'Neill could feel a groan rising in his throat. "So, why am I here?"
"We have considered the plight of Valmiera, the planet you call P9R 447. You are aware of the situation there?" O'Neill nodded, so Thor continued, "We find no answers. It is a protected world, using a network of satellites above the planet. The network is still in place and functional and there are no signs of battle on the surface. Yet the population is no longer present."
"You want me to figure out hat happened? You should have picked Sam, she's much better at that kind of stuff than me."
"We do not believe technology is the answer. That is Major Carter's strength, and her weakness."
O'Neill inclined his head slightly, Carter was not often viewed as weak. Thor continued, "She can not see beyond the reach of technology. She can imagine technology beyond that which she knows, but it is still technology. We have seen there are stronger forces in the universe than that. You however, are often aware of subtle perceptive changes. You have an innate sense, an instinct we do not. We believe you may be able to 'see' what we cannot."
"Okay, well I agree we do think about things differently. For you, I'll give it a shot. Shall we go?"
"We are already en route to Valmiera now. We shall arrive in a few hours. You should rest; we have prepared quarters for you." Thor led him down the corridor to a small room with a view to the outside of the ship. He could see the familiar rainbow effect of faster than light travel. There was a small table and chair and a cot to one side. A doorway was off to the left he assumed to lead to bath facilities. The walls were bare, a neutral gray.
"Not much for interior decorating are you?" O'Neill asked it as a rhetorical question.
Thor nodded his head, "As you wish, O'Neill. I will return for you when we have arrived." With that Thor left Jack alone to ponder this day's unusual events. He lay back on the cot and stretched out his long legs. Amazingly the cot was long enough to support his full height, the Asgard must have taken that into account to make him comfortable. He interlaced his fingers behind his head and let his mind wander. There wasn't much to think about since it was his 'instinct's' they wanted so his mind drifted back to Sam. She called his name just before Thor took him, or was that just wishful thinking? He really missed her and it looked like things had gotten really screwed up between them. He closed his eyes and let himself ease off to sleep.
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Thor had silently entered the room and was standing just inside the door when O'Neill spoke his name aloud. It made the tiny alien startle, as Thor was sure he had made no noise and was amazed once again that O'Neill could sense him. It was certainly the correct strategy to bring O'Neill here. He would know what happened to the Valmeirans. "Come with me." Thor continued to talk as they made their way to the ship's bridge. "I will not accompany you to the surface but I will fit you with a communications device."
O'Neill didn't like the sound of being 'fitted' with anything but the prospect of being alone on a planet with no back up was equally unappealing. Even if the place was deserted anything could happen. He felt himself wishing for his old team. Teal'c was with his son, Sam was back on earth, Daniel was, well he might be here for all O'Neill knew. He had started to think of Jonas as a team member too, but all that blabbering would be a distraction about now. He'd really appreciate Kawalsky and Ferretti though. They were experienced enough to watch his six in any situation and understood obeying orders, well, most of the time.
On the bridge Thor had O'Neill kneel so he could implant a tiny metal object behind his right ear. It stung for a moment and O'Neill had to resist the urge to fiddle with it. "If communication is disrupted for any reason I will reactivate the transportation device. Are you prepared to depart?"
"On to OZ."
"Valmeira."
"Whatever."
The lights winked and O'Neill was standing in the center of a quite deserted town. The buildings were thick walled and heavily supported with beams. There was extensive woodwork with intricate carvings and inlays. He marveled that they could look so rustic yet at the same time be beautiful. He could picture one of them up beside the lake in Minnesota. They were obviously built to withstand adverse weather and could handle anything a usual Minnesota winter could dish out. He walked up to a large building with writing across the top of it.
"Thor, are you there?"
"Yes, O'Neill." The voice sounded strange inside his head.
"How am I supposed to figure this out if I can't read the writing?"
"Scan the writing slowly with your eyes."
He did as he was told. Thor spoke the translation, "Trondheim City Counsel."
"You can see what I'm seeing?" O'Neill was shocked.
"Yes, this link is audio and visual."
"Anything else I should know about?" The Asgard had this propensity, like so many other 'advanced' races to leave out important small details.
"I was remiss to not provide sustenance for your consumption. You are hungry."
"How do you know that? I didn't hear my stomach growl."
"Your physical signs are contained within the transmission."
"Okay heartbeat and stuff like that, huh? So how'd you know I was hungry?"
"It is a physical sensation sending impulses along your nervous system. As is your right knee which is causing you minor discomfort but will suffice for this mission."
This was getting a bit too personal. "But you can't hear my thoughts?"
"No."
"Thanks for that much, you know a guy needs a little privacy."
"O'Neill you must focus on the mission."
He didn't answer but proceeded up the steps and into the building. The front door was open to a large room with tables and chairs. There were some papers and leather bound books about. This was some kind of office or reception area. A thin layer of dust had settled on everything although it did not have the musty smell of age. A pipe was left in a small bowl, having burned itself out. He could still smell the tobacco scent as he picked it up. "They haven't been gone very long. Maybe three or four days, no more."
He went from building to building, finding the same emptiness. In some rooms food had been left on the table and smelled of rot. He had an idea and went to a building that might have been a stable. There were chicken-like birds in the yard and goats but no horses. Didn't the Norsemen value their horses highly? Would they have taken the horses with them? That kind of ruled out abduction. But they weren't worried about what they would eat since they left behind other animals and foodstuffs. He noticed tools lying around but no weapons. It could be that they were anticipating a need to fight or that they were simply as attached to their weapons as they were to their horses. If they considered themselves to be warriors, it would make sense to keep their weapons even in a peaceful place.
O'Neill stood leaning against a fence of roughly hewn wood. The sky was blue and dotted with cottony clouds. A slight wind made the treetops wave serenely. He folded his arms and turned his face upward with closed eyes to more appreciate the warm sunshine. It was nice here. Why would anyone want to leave?
"Thor? Is there a Stargate on this planet?" Following Thor's directions he walked out of the town and through a wooded area to a large clearing. The Stargate sat in the center, stark against the soft tree line. O'Neill made for the 'gate, taking in every detail of the surrounding area. There were plenty of tracks to follow. No attempt was made to hide them. He could easily pick out the military boot marks from the SGC team who had been here. There were human feet of every size, one using a stick or cane, and hoof prints of many horses.
One large set of boot prints was at the DHD, unobliterated by smaller military ones. O'Neill spoke out loud, "These people weren't taken, they were led away willingly. Thor, beam me up, we have to talk."
"We are talking now, O'Neill."
"Christ! You know what I mean! Wait a minute, can you transmit a code through the Stargate from up there?"
"Yes."
O'Neill was already dialing earth, "Get ready buddy, I'll need your iris code right ...about...now. Send the code Thor! I'm going back to earth to get some things ready, see you there in a few hours. If you're not sending, I'm bug guts!" He took a breath and stepped on through, noticing a tingling sensation where the implant was located.
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"Unscheduled offworld activation!" Simmons voice quaked as the chevrons lit up. The iris automatically closed with a metallic scrape and thud. Hammond entered the control room followed by Major Carter. Special Forces personnel filled the embarkation room and aimed their weapons toward the 'gate. "General, we have the Asgard's iris code." "Open it up, son." He hoped to God it was O'Neill.
He wasn't disappointed. O'Neill strode down the ramp as the SF's backed off as ordered. He rubbed a spot behind his ear wondering what the range of such a device might be. Hammond motioned to O'Neill through the glass to come up to the control room. Sam had already run down to the 'gate room and almost ran headlong into O'Neill. He reached out and grabbed her shoulders just in time to avoid getting a skull fracture. "Sam! I'm glad you're here. Man, I missed you out there! Come on, we've got a lot to talk about." He spun her around by the upper arm and led her back to the control room. She had to hurry her feet to keep up with his long strides and if he weren't still holding her arm she would have fallen.
O'Neill greeted the General quickly and they moved on up to the briefing room. He explained what he had seen on the planet and his observations were confirmed by Carter. "So you think they just dialed up an address on the DHD and left? With no clues as to why left behind?"
O'Neill looked at her with softened eyes, he loved to see those little wheels turning in her head. " Yeah, kinda. They left via the 'gate and in a hurry. Like they didn't want to be left behind. I think they were coerced. I think someone came through the 'gate pretending to be Thor or Odin or whatever God they recognize and the people thought they were following him to heaven or paradise or something."
"That's amazing theory, Colonel." Hammond lapsed into addressing Jack by his rank as so often he had before. "Major, any more thoughts?"
Carter was impressed with her old CO's insight, "General, Jack's theory would explain a whole lot about what happened. Especially why there was no evidence of a battle. Those people could have gone anywhere. We need to figure out who would be able to impersonate a Norse God. Any of the Goa'uld could do it, although I don't think they WOULD do it."
"Yeah, its a bit out of character for them to pretend to be anything other than their omnipotent selves." O'Neill continued, "There's one other possibility, it could be another Norse God."
Their eyes stared at O'Neill. Carter spoke first, "You mean like a renegade Asgard? I don't think so. Can you imagine what that would mean? But I just can't picture one of them doing anything remotely like that."
"Why not? And I don't think we should jump to conclusions about their ambitions. All of the more 'advanced' races we've met have done some pretty underhanded or secretive things. They are not as different as they'd have us believe. What makes the Asgard formidable is their technology, which this one may not have. And since we have had no indication of anything like this before, maybe he doesn't want to be a mainstream Asgard. Maybe he just wants a quiet little planet to rule."
"So where does this leave us, people? Is this an internal affair of the Asgard that we should not be meddling in?" Hammond interjected.
"Thor is on his way back here now. I don't think he would have asked for our help if he considered us meddling and I think he'll be able to give us a few leads to follow." He absent-mindedly tapped the device behind his ear and heard a small voice inside his head, "You need not tap the device to activate it, O'Neill." Well, that answered the question about the range of the device.
He smiled to himself and went on speaking, "Yeah, Thor will definitely be up to speed on this. Hey, you think Teal'c would like a little action?"
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Early the next morning Jack was heading for the briefing room when Jonas fell in step beside him. "Good morning, Colonel. You know this Norse mythology stuff is really fascinating. Did you know that Thor is considered to be the defender of the Asgard, that Heimdall is supposed to have extraordinary eyesight and hearing and Odin is supposed to have a spear that never misses it's mark?"
O'Neill suddenly stopped in his tracks causing Jonas to go on past and have to turn around. "You want to go, don't you? You haven't even been briefed on the mission."
"Oh, but I've read all the reports. Even the ones Hammond keeps locked in his office."
"How? Don't answer that, I don't want to know."
"Come on, it will be like old times. The four of us together again."
O'Neill didn't have the heart to tell him that when he thought of 'old times' and SG-1, he always thought of Daniel, not Jonas. He held up one finger toward Jonas, "Okay, you can sit in on the briefing, if General Hammond approves. And after that, we'll see."
Jonas started shifting from one foot to the other with excitement and positively skipped down the hallway as they continued to the briefing room.
O'Neill grinned at the sight of Teal'c. They clasped each other's forearms in the Jaffa's traditional greeting. Teal'c was elated to see O'Neill again and even more pleased to be invited to serve with him. O'Neill then took his customary seat to Hammond's right. Thor was seated to Hammond's left.
As they discussed the situation it was clear Thor was loath to admit that an Asgard may have done harm to the Valmierans, but, then again, they may not have been harmed, just taken. Thor finally admitted he knew of one possibility. "There was once one among us who did not share our desire to assist younger races. He considered them to be raw materials to be used. He also did not see the logic behind our non-interference policy."
"So, who is this guy and what happened to him?"
"His name is Loki. He was punished for his insolence." Thor looked around the room and blinked those large dark eyes. Then with resignation went on. "His consciousness was removed from his body and placed in stasis on a frozen moon. We do not condemn our own to death, you are aware."
O'Neill frowned, he had experienced 'stasis' of several different types more than he ever cared to. He had been unconscious, true, but waking up from the experience of near death was quite uncomfortable. "So we're thinking someone found him and let him out?" Thor nodded.
Teal'c looked displeased at the prospect of searching a frozen wasteland but spoke anyway, "Then this frozen moon is where we should begin our search."
O'Neill looked equally displeased, "I don't suppose there's a Stargate on this moon?"
Thor spoke, "No, O'Neill. However there is one in the same solar system."
Carter shook her head, "That wouldn't help us, without a ship how would we get to the moon?"
All eyes turned to Thor. "You wouldn't just happen to have a ship out there would you?" O'Neill knew to expect the unexpected from the small alien.
"No, however we have been 'working on the problem' as you say." With that Thor extended one hand toward the 'gate room. Luckily it was empty at the time. There was a bright flickering of light that grew larger and larger to encompass the entire room. Everyone, save Thor that is, was now standing and moving slowly toward the observation window despite the brightness.
"What the hell?" Hammond said. The brightness slowly dissipated to reveal a ship with wings curved downward and inward. It looked just barely small enough to go through the 'gate.
O'Neill was awed and delighted at the same time. As his eyes scanned the outline of the graceful wing configuration he gave a low whistle. "My, Oh my." He turned to Thor while pointing at the ship. "Now THAT'S what I call working on a problem. General, this looks like a mission to me."
Hammond was still staring at his now full 'gate room. "You have a 'go'. How many people do you think can fit in that?"
Once he had their attention back, Thor quickly went over some of the specifications with the group then bid his farewell. His ship would be moving some distance away but he promised to stay in contact.
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Hammond allowed O'Neill some time to look over the new ship before calling him up to his office. O'Neill walked in through the already open door. "General?"
"Have a seat, Jack."
"That is one sweet little ship, we won't have any trouble flying her."
"I'm sure you won't. There's something else we need to talk about here." Hammond stood and turned to look down on the embarkation room. "This mission seems to be taking on much more than a little recon. You may find a very dangerous something or someone out there. I am uncomfortable sending out a team of only one officer and three civilians on this kind of mission."
O'Neill knit his brow, even after all this time he hardly considered himself to be a civilian. But Hammond was right, Carter was the only military presence in the group. "Sir, there's only so much room in that ship and we're all needed, even Jonas, he's been studying up on Norse legends, you know."
"I have given this a great deal of thought and I've decided that the leader of this mission should not be Major Carter."
"General you can't do that! You can't pull her off this mission, it would be an insult to her. Besides she's the one most familiar with Asgard technology, if any repairs would be needed, she'd be the one to do them. Taking her off the team is not an option." O'Neill's face was flushed a bit as he made his stand.
Hammond held both hands up in a gesture of surrender, "Jack, you're preaching to the choir. And before you start defending Teal'c too, I know all of you are necessary. I'm just saying you need an experienced leader." Hammond paused, trying not to smile at this man in front of him, always the fighter, always so stubborn. "So, I've decided to reactivate you, again."
Irritation turned to shock. "What! You've GOT to be kidding." The adrenalin pumping through his system was still urging him to fight but he needed to calm down and let his brain get a hold on this new information. He blew out a long slow breath and quickly ticked off in his head the logistics of being Colonel O'Neill once again. He began to fidget with the pen he had picked up. He had to admit, it was the right call. He wasn't much good at taking orders from someone else on a mission anyway. They didn't need an advisor, they needed a leader. Everyone needed to do what they did best. Hammond saw the resolve on O'Neill's face as he rose to offer the older man a salute, "Yes, sir. It would be an honor, sir."
Hammond returned the salute and motioned to the door, "My secretary has the paperwork all ready to go."
With the cold weather gear aboard it was found that the accommodations were just about right for four people. Carter took the news of the Colonel's reactivation in stride with a polite 'congratulations', Teal'c nodded with approval and Jonas, well Jonas had one more thing to grin about. It really was just like old times.
It had taken a bit of manipulation to get the gear and themselves settled but they were finally ready to go. The room was vacated and O'Neill went through his preflight check as Thor had instructed. He was impressed, it was not much different than those Goa'uld Death Gliders. Larger and heavier to be sure but the Asgard had obviously decided that the controls and piloting of the Goa'uld fighters was compatible with their systems and since the Tauri were already familiar with the design, it seemed the logical way to go. It was obvious the ship was built to accommodate a crew taller than the Asgard too.
Hammond had the technicians activate the coordinates for the far away 'gate and close the blast doors. As much as he would have liked to view this firsthand, he wasn't prepared to risk injuries to himself or the control room crew.
The luminescent blue pool erupted and then calmed to await their passing. O'Neill fired up the engines, well, not exactly 'fired.' There was only a faint electrical or magnetic like humming sound but the craft responded by gently easing upward to hover a few feet off the ground. O'Neill was becoming more impressed every moment. He wondered if Thor might let them keep it.
"Everyone ready?" He asked turning his head slightly. "Here goes nothing!" He moved the controls gently to the forward acceleration mode. The ship glided smoothly toward the event horizon. Just a few feet from contact and unseen by his team, O'Neill's eyes glinted with mischief. He suddenly punched it. The ship shot forward into the cold wormhole. They barely had time to realize they were through when they were catapulted out into the atmosphere like a rock out of a slingshot.
Teal'c's only movement was one highly raised eyebrow. He spoke with that tone usually reserved for when Ry'ac was disobedient. "Additional acceleration was not necessary to carry us through the wormhole, O'Neill. Perhaps you would relinquish control to me."
"Not a chance, buddy. This is so cool!" Carter shook her head at the overgrown child piloting this advanced aircraft. Jonas was too busy trying not to throw up to notice. O'Neill took a few minutes to get the feel of the craft's handling in the atmosphere and when satisfied aimed the trajectory upward and outward. Soon they could see blackness and stars through the view screen. "Sam? Where are we going?"
She really wanted to laugh now, "Over to your left, Sir, you see the gray planet with three moons? We should be going to the largest moon." In a matter of minutes they were orbiting the moon and scanning for the correct location of the Asgard prison, for lack of a better word. "Got it." Carter pointed to the edge of a long narrow plain on the surface. Here the land rose sharply to form the base of a mountain range.
The floor of the plain was more or less level and landing the craft was easy. O'Neill was tempted to allow it to hover a few minutes longer than necessary to enjoy the unusual sensation. Eventually he gave in and landed with a soft thud. "Gear up, folks, that is definitely ice out there."
The surface was desolate, ice as far as they could see and a howling wind whipping around the ship. There were several rocky projections and Teal'c pointed toward one, "There appears to be a cave entrance beneath that rock." Carter concurred, "It looks like our best bet, Sir."
They had to lean over to enter the opening but once inside the ceiling was much higher than it looked from outside. The floor of the cave went downward and they followed it, glad to be out of the wind.
They entered a large circular room, obviously not a natural formation of the rock. In the center was a metallic stand with one object upon it, a broken black orb. Pieces of it were strewn about the floor. "If there was something in there, it's sure gone now." Jonas picked up a broken shard and inspected the sharp edges.
"O'Neill, Major Carter, there appears to be writing of some kind here." Teal'c pointed to the wall.
"Carter, this mean anything to you?"
"I'm not sure, Sir. This one," she gestured to a figure resembling a letter P, "looks familiar, I think I've seen it before when Daniel and I went to the Hall of Thor's Might."
Jonas craned his neck to look over, "That one's 'Thurisaz', it means Giants."
"I don't remember Daniel saying anything about Giants."
Jonas shrugged his shoulders. "I only know what I've read."
O'Neill's eyes narrowed a bit, "You know Daniel disagreed with a lot of what was written about the ancient Egyptians and he turned out to be right." He let the barb sink in for a moment then continued, "What about the other two?"
"Well, er, from what I've read, that's 'Ansuz' and 'Isa'. Basically it says this is the place of the giants of wind and ice."
"How big a giant?"
"I have no way of knowing that. I mean, to the Asgard, we might even be considered giants. We are a lot taller then they are."
O'Neill was taken aback, he preferred to think of Jonas as an idiot just tagging along but he had to admit sometimes the kid made brilliant observations. Just like another kid he used to know. "Good point. Carter? Teal'c? Anything else we should take a look at?"
"No, Sir."
"There would appear to be limited information to gather here."
They exited the cave and made for the ship, the wind was really picking up now and blowing bits of ice like coarse sleet into their faces. By the time they were inside and closed the hatch they were exhausted.
"Okay, everyone take as few minutes to relax. Any chance of some hot coffee in here?" Carter smiled, "Didn't you review the specs? Jonas, over there behind that panel."
"Your wish is my command." Jonas was grinning as he stepped to an alcove in the wall. He opened the panel and found everything necessary to produce four cups of steaming hot coffee.
As they warmed themselves Carter began to check instrument readings from her seat in the co-pilots chair.
O'Neill took the pilots seat and watched her adjusting the controls. "Whatcha'doin?"
She gave O'Neill a quick glance, "Did you know this craft is fitted with some very sophisticated sensors? We can detect all sorts of things from a pretty good distance. For example, the walls of that cave contain a high percentage of metals, I think they may have been reinforced by the builders. The place could be a fortress for how strong it is."
"Anything that can help us find this Loco guy?"
"Loki. And no, not really."
He absent mindedly reached over and lightly touched her arm. His hand glided down to rest barely touching her hand. "I've missed you." His voice barely above a whisper.
She turned her head to see him looking down at the floor. She moved her hand to clasp his gently. "Me too." Their eyes met for a brief moment before they were interrupted.
The panel had started a rhythmic bleeping noise and one of the crystals was glowing brightly. "Wait a minute, we're receiving a transmission, a beacon of some kind." Her hands flew across the controls as she triangulated the position. "It's maybe a hundred or so miles from here."
"Friendly?"
"There's no way to know, but it is recognized as Asgard. There's a power source of some kind too."
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It only took minutes to traverse the distance; O'Neill had glumly allowed Teal'c to take the controls for the short flight. At first there wasn't much to see, but with Carter reconfiguring the sensors to home in on the beacon's signal they were able to locate an oval shaped metallic object roughly three meters by two. They walked around it, trying to see any writings or openings in the metal casing but found none.
"This is definitely the source of the power readings."
"But you don't think this is a weapon of some sort?"
"I don't know, but it seems unlikely."
"O'Neill, Major Carter, this object resembles some escape vehicles used by the Goa'uld."
"An escape pod?"
"So can we open it?" Jonas was bobbing his head in the excitement of a new 'find.'
O'Neill glanced to Carter, giving a slight nod.
She stepped to the side and with some help, scraped much of the frost away from the surface. A thin line was evident where two pieces of metal were joined and there was a small octagonal shaped plate to one side. Carter examined the plate and when she cautiously pressed on it, it slid away to reveal a control panel. There was one large red button illuminated and she pressed it, too.
The top half of the pod immediately opened to reveal a small gray figure. "Oh my God!" Carter lay her hand gently on the cool skin, "He's alive! Could this be Loki's body? Didn't Thor say he was separated from his body?"
"Ah, I don't know about that," O'Neill looked back toward the direction of the cave, "If he got out of that holding cell back there, why wouldn't he come get his body? I don't think this is Loki."
"I agree O'Neill, it would seem this is another of the Asgard."
"You think they'll want him back?" Jonas started to poke at the still gray form.
"Hey! Cut that out! And hell, yeah, I think they'll want him back, whoever he is. Let's get him out of here and into the ship." O'Neill was secretly wishing Thor's communication device worked at this great distance. He could use some answers right now.
Carter and Jonas used their snow parkas to create a bed for the alien. There wasn't much they could do but keep him warm. They tried to trickle a few drops of water into his mouth but were not very successful. As the ships environmental system began to warm him, slight movements became evident. Fingers moved and eyelids fluttered. Amazingly it was very similar to a human coming out of a deep sleep.
The dark eyes opened and blinked at the sight of four large aliens bending close and observing him. Carter gently grasped his hand, "It's okay, we're friends. We won't hurt you."
O'Neill knelt behind Carter and placed one hand on her shoulder. The Asgard was shrinking slowly away from them and to the wall when he stopped, his eyes focused on the gray headed man with eyes as dark as his own. "You are the O'Neill. Friend of Thor."
"One in the same. And you are?"
"I am Freyr, we have met before. I must return to the council. I have grave news for them."
"Freyr, sure, that time with the, uh." O'Neill stopped recalling their last meeting when they had been responsible for a planetary catastrophe. He hadn't been entirely polite to the Asgard High Council at that time. "Listen, if you're talking about Loki getting loose, they already know. That's why we're here, to see what happened."
"There is much more." The diminutive alien's head swayed a bit. "But first I require healing, I have been in the pod for some time. We are still on the third moon of Jotunheim?"
"Yeah, near Loki's prison." Carter replied. Assuming the planet's name. "We're in a small ship, we don't have much for medical supplies." She rose and after opening another panel drew out a case with many small containers and bottles. "Can anything here help you?"
He picked through the containers and chose one. "May I have water?" Jonas procured a cup with plain water and gave it to him. Freyr mixed some greenish crystals with the water and sipped it slowly. "This will suffice."
With some help Freyr climbed up into on of the seats. O'Neill faced him, "I don't want to push but can you tell us where Loki is?"
"No. I have no knowledge of that. However I can tell you how he escaped." With that Freyr began a long explanation of how a group of explorers from the planet below came to the icy moon. They discovered the cave and not knowing what the orb was, thought it might have value and tried to take it home with them. When they tried to move it, Loki's consciousness reached out to them. His powerful mind was able to convince them to not trust one another and begin arguing. In the commotion the orb was cracked with a heavy weapon and Loki was able to escape the prison.
"So, he was just a mind without a body?"
"Yes, but only for a short while. He was able to meld with one of explorers and subjugate his mind." Carter's mouth dropped open, Teal'c raised both eyebrows and Jonas cringed. O'Neill rolled his eyes and spoke with much irritation, "What is it with you people? You can't keep your own mind to yourself? Don't you think that was a little Goa'uld-ish?"
"It is not common practice. Nor do we find it desirable, yet in extreme circumstances it can sustain life force until a replacement clone can be created from the original DNA."
"Well you just make sure your body doesn't give out because there's not a chance in hell of you 'borrowing' any of these. You got that?" O'Neill was going to have a serious chat with Thor when they got back. "Just what race were these explorers, anyway?"
"They were humans, just like you."
"Oh, great. Pick on the humans, again. Who decided we'd be the whipping boys of the universe anyway?" O'Neill was now waving his arms to accentuate his point. Freyr cringed back in the seat a bit, making sure to stay back out of harms way.
Jonas shrugged and said, "You know, Colonel, it may be a compliment."
"What!"
"That humans are the race most often used as hosts, slaves, whatever. It speaks to the resiliency and strength of the race as a whole."
O'Neill rolled his eyes at the backhanded compliment. "Jonas, give it up, they use us, we're just menial laborers and packaging to them." He turned to the alien, "Look, Freyr, are you telling us there is a very powerful and, for want of a better word, evil Asgard walking around in a human body?"
"Yes, and more. He now has access to our technology. He has my ship, the Skidbaldner. He will be difficult to find, my ship has a most effective cloaking device."
"Oh this just keeps getting better and better."
"I must return to the Council with this information. We must go"
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A short while later they had landed by the local Stargate. After Carter dialed home, O'Neill sent their iris code. They made contact with the base before taking the small ship back through the gate. Flying out from an enclosed space was one thing but now O'Neill had to fly back in. Like parking a Mack truck in a garage during a hurricane. Besides that, given SG-1's propensity for other than dignified arrivals, he wanted to make sure the room would be vacant.
The craft entered the event horizon slowly and upon arriving in the Gateroom, they skidded down the ramp to an uneasy halt. "Well, kids, we're home." The words were barely out of O'Neill's mouth when brightness engulfed the entire room. Squinting at the view screen O'Neill added, "Or not." It took a few moments for them all to recover from the blinding light. They were suddenly in a large room with several other small ships.
Carter leaned toward the screen, "This must be some kind of hangar bay, look at that."
Teal'c was also leaning forward craning his neck to see the ships and architecture of the bay. "This is not Goa'uld technology. It would seem to be Asgard."
A voice came over the ships internal speaker system, "O'Neill, the bay is pressurized, you may exit the craft at any time." It was Thor.
"Thor, you realize you are not making any brownie points with Hammond, he is gonna be pissed."
"It was necessary to expedite your return. You have found something?"
Carter spoke up, "Not something, someone."
They exited the ship and made for the large doors at the end of the bay. Freyr was still a bit shaky on his feet and gladly accepted Major Carter's hand in support. Thor met them at the door, a rare look of surprise on his face. His large eyes blinking at the sight of his comrade. "Freyr, this is unexpected. Explain."
"I must meet with the council immediately." Thor nodded.
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O'Neill and his team were led to the same 'guest' quarters he'd been in earlier. "Hey," O'Neill voiced, can we get a couple more chairs?" Too late, the door was already closed. He went to go back through and found it would not open. "Great, just great. We do them a favor and they still don't trust us to walk around the ship."
Jonas pulled up the chair and sat, "Just because we're allies doesn't mean they're gonna welcome us with open arms, it just means we're... allied."
Carter motioned to the view outside, "We're moving, fast. I didn't even feel the ship make a jump to hyperspeed."
"Then I guess we're in for a little downtime." He waved his hand toward the cot. "Wanna share?" Carter sat at one end of the cot with her back against the wall and arms hugging her bent up knees. O'Neill took up the other end in a similar pose. Teal'c walked around the room taking in the featureless surroundings and finally with a shrug, chose a corner of the room to sit on the floor. He needed to Kel-no- Reem anyway and soon was deep in meditation.
Jonas folded his arms on the table and lay his head down, he was breathing deeply and evenly as he fell asleep. That left O'Neill and Carter staring at the blank wall.
O'Neill glanced to his 2IC, "You Okay?" She had lowered her head and was rubbing her forehead with the back of one hand.
"Yeah, sure. I'm just feeling kind of useless; I mean what are we doing here? Why bring us along just to lock us up?" He scooted over beside her until their shoulders touched. "I know. They don't make a whole lot of sense sometimes. Thor does trust us, he's just got a lot on his mind right now and he doesn't want any distractions from us."
She smiled as she looked at him, "Insight into the Asgard psyche, Colonel?"
He reached a hand over to her knee and absently ran his fingers over the coarse material. "Nah, I'm just saying they like things neat and orderly, and this whole affair has thrown them for a loop. That's all. And we're here because we accepted the mission to help them find this renegade guy. Don't worry, I think we're gonna see a lot more action than this."
She leaned toward him and placed one hand on his chest. Their eyes met and then both fell, not right timing. He shifted his position to move one arm around her shoulders and pulled her in closer. She snuggled in to his side and rested her head on his shoulder then with a sigh closed her eyes. He rested his cheek against the top of her head and stared for a few minutes before closing his eyes too. You know life is just too short not to take a little comfort whenever you can.
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The trip to Asgard space was short but Thor left his guests in their quarters. He and Freyr had already been in contact with the council members and were expected in the great hall.
The High Counselor stood. "What have you to report?"
Thor stood back and gave the floor to Freyr. "I was scouting the outer colonies became aware of a disturbance on Jotunheim. I was able to ascertain that a certain Jotun named Thokk was attempting to convince the populace that we have been false gods to them."
"They were swayed by this liar?"
"No, in fact they were planning to apprehend him. I listened to his words and it seemed there was something more behind this man. I have heard these lies before, from the mouth of Loki. I went to scan the place of his exile and found the orb destroyed and no sign of him."
"I returned to Jotunheim and made contact with our representatives on that world. They informed me that the disrupted one had been a meek and gentle man before he had gone to explore the great moon. On his return he was obstinate and haughty toward his friends. It is my belief that Loki has invoked the melding and become one with this Thokk, and it is he who speaks the lies."
"This is a grave circumstance, the melding has been forbidden for millennia. We must apprehend Loki and restore Thokk to his people."
"There is more to tell. I transported Loki to my ship. I believed I could convince him to release Thokk and perhaps make an appeal to this council. He returned my gesture by subduing me and taking my ship. I was able to escape in a life pod and was marooned on the great moon. My power supply was low and although I activated my beacon, I knew it would not carry far. I was most surprised when the Tauri found the pod and returned me. My life is owed to them."
The second Minister spoke, "And how is it the Tauri were exploring the moons of Jotunheim. This is most unusual."
Thor moved to stand beside Freyr in the light. "It was my doing to send the Tauri to the moon. There was a disturbance on Valmiera, and I had enlisted the help of O'Neill to determine their fate. It was in fact his determination that only a renegade would be capable of the proceedings on the planet. As there is only one among us who may qualify for that description, it could only be Loki. I once more enlisted the Tauri to establish the presence of Loki in his exile. They found the shattered orb, and upon finding Freyr's pod, rendered him assistance."
"Once again your faith in these Tauri seems to be well founded. We will adjourn to consider this information. Are we to assume the whereabouts of Loki is unknown?"
"That is correct."
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"O'Neill, the council has adjourned. They are most impressed with your actions on behalf of Freyr." Thor's voice came through the implant.
A sleepy O'Neill responded, "Oh, tell them it was nothing, all in a day's work." He moved to stretch the kinks out of his neck.
Carter looked up at him, pulling away from his shoulder and stretching a bit herself, "Who are you talking to?"
He stifled a yawn, "Ah, Thor. He put this thing here." He pointed to the spot on his neck, "implanted me so we could communicate over long distances. I haven't quite figured out the range yet."
She leaned over to get a look at the tiny device. "So he was talking to you just then?"
"Yeah, seems the council thinks we did good." He stood and looked at the stationary stars, "I wonder where we are?"
Teal'c roused slightly, "I believe we are orbiting an Asgard homeworld. We have not moved for some time."
A diminutive alien stood at their doorway. "You are free to move about the ship as you desire. Thor is on the bridge with Heimdall. He will see you shortly."
They woke Jonas and freshened up a bit before taking a tour of the ship. Carter was marveling at the technologies and Jonas was stopping to talk with every Asgard that would even look at him. Teal'c and O'Neill walked along taking in the layout of the ship. In time they headed for the bridge to see what Thor was up to.
Thor acknowledged their entrance with a nod, "Major Carter you may find this interesting." She stepped over to the panel where the two Asgard were adjusting and changing settings. "This is a long distance sensor array. We have locked onto the signals of satellites orbiting many of our protected worlds and found no sign of Freyr's ship, the Skidbaldner. Unfortunately since the ship can be cloaked, we are having some measure of difficulty."
O'Neill walked along a panel of colored crystals pausing to peer at a luminescent sapphire one. "I 'd like to know if he was involved with those people from Valmeira, if he took them, where would he go?"
"O'Neill, you are correct. If we cannot locate the ship, perhaps we can locate the Valmierans."
Thor and Heimdall changed their tactics and concentrated on reports and rumors of a large number of people appearing somewhere. The protected worlds showed no such event but they happened on a report from one of the ancient nine worlds.
"This news is most unfortunate." Thor scanned the reports.
"What does it say?" Carter was looking over his shoulder at the unreadable screen. "There is a rumor of a new alliance building on Svartalheim. It is an ancient world with whom we neither have allied nor been at war. It is a dark place, the inhabitants are powerful yet have been content to keep to themselves. Perhaps this has changed."
O'Neill was now intrigued, "How reliable is your intel?" Thor just glanced at him blankly. "You know, intelligence, information, can you trust it?"
"Yes, we have kept, " he paused, "spies in place as these Svartali would be a major force should they ever choose to show aggression toward us."
O'Neill was thoughtful, "Spies, hmm?" It was another piece of information he would tuck away for later use.
Heimdall adjusted his screen and turned to Thor, " I believe I have found something. Here, a report from Munin, several hundred humans have been offered to the Svartali as a gesture of good faith of an alliance to come. The name of the contact is Thokk."
"Thokk?" Carter shook her head, "who's that?"
"It is the one Loki took in the melding." She shuddered at the word, was the Asgard 'melding' anything like the 'blending' she'd experienced with Jolinar?
"We must reconvene the council and review this new information. You are welcome to stay here." Thor motioned to a panel, "There is sustenance if you desire." With that he and Heimdall left the room.
Jonas walked over to the brightly colored blocks Thor has referred to as 'sustenance'. "Anybody want to try one?"
Carter made a face recalling the taste, "Count me out, I'm not THAT hungry."
Teal'c gingerly accepted one, "It has been some time since we have consumed nourishment, we must not lose strength." He took a bit of one and grimaced, swallowing quickly, and set the remaining piece back on the tray. "I believe you are correct Major Carter, one would need to be in extreme need of nourishment to partake of these items."
O'Neill smiled at the Jaffa's displeasure. "Don't we have some rations on the ship? Let's go find something to eat." The group was soon back in their room with the one cot, having gone by the hangar bay and retrieved their packs. In a few minutes they were savoring hot coffee and MRE's.
"I promise to never complain about the food again." Carter had opted for a protein bar and popped a piece into her mouth. "Be careful what promises you make, Major, it could come back and bite you someday." She stifled a giggle.
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Not long later Thor found them relaxing in their room. Jonas was dozing again, stretched out on the cot. Carter had the chair and O'Neill and Teal'c were side by side on the floor, their backs propped against the wall.
"The council has weighed the situation and made a request of the Tauri, and an offer."
O'Neill stood. "Okay, a little give and take among friends. What'd they say?" He folded his arms across his chest, knowing there was going to be a hitch somewhere, there always was.
"It is requested that your team go to Svartalheim and retrieve the traitor Loki."
"Oh, and how exactly are we supposed to do that?"
"The council offers the use of the fastest ship in our armada. It is Odin's ship, the Sleipner."
"Okay, so you give us a quick taxi ride, this sounds like a complex mission, we'll need some serious intel."
"You misunderstand O'Neill, we do not offer transportation, we offer command of the ship and her crew."
"Oh." O'Neill's eyebrows raised, he stared at a spot on the bare wall, "No strings attached, Huh?"
His eyes met Thor's. "As you say, no strings. We will provide appropriate crew for the voyage, however all dealings on the planet will be strictly yours."
"Ah, the other shoe. The tough part we go alone. You don't want them to know you're involved. You lay low and stick the humans out in front." His head shook. "If we're going to shield you from political involvement, you had better watch our backs like a hawk. If things get rough you WILL pull us out of there or you will answer to Hammond for not upholding our alliance and I can tell you for sure he is already pissed." His eyes flashed in anger. His friendship with Thor had a limit.
"I will be there for you, O'Neill." Thor tapped a spot on the right side of his own neck. An understanding passed between them. Thor had not been quick to remove the implant for a reason. It would be their ace in the hole. O'Neill nodded, "Shall we go?"
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The Sleipner was not a large ship but very sleek with gracefully curving lines. The crew consisted of twenty Asgard. Two rooms had been refurbished to serve as sleeping quarters for the Tauri adjoined through a common washroom. Each room had two cots, and there was one table with four chairs in the larger room. The rooms were directly off the bridge corridor for easy access. Even the bridge was fitted with seats at the command stations. O'Neill ran his fingers across the back of one of the seats, 'not bad for the little guys, not bad at all.'
They had been briefed as much as possible concerning the Svartali. Jonas made the observation that they looked like imps or elves of human lore. O'Neill had to admit he had a point, the Svartali were human-like but definitely a separate race. Tall and slender of build they had gray skin and dark red lips. Their hair was straight and black. A few older ones had a gray color to their eyes, but most were black, looking like the pupils had been dilated. They were assuredly technologically advanced but preferred to live amid the thickest parts of the forested planet. O'Neill's dislike of trees was about to be put to the supreme test.
He settled into a seat facing the front view screen and glanced at each member of his team. They were as ready as they could be given the circumstances. O'Neill stood and spoke, "It's time, kids. Everyone ready?" He received silent nods from each of them. "Then let's go, best speed to the Svartali."
Teal'c and Carter were manning the navigational controls backed up by two Asgard. O'Neill had learned the ship would be commanded by the one named Balkir in his absence. For now his relief was standing at the rear of the bridge, observing.
The trip was only a few hours even to this remote world. The Sleipner was indeed a fast ship, it could easily push 100X hyper speed for a short time. It was not lax of armament either, there were pulse weapons and something that could create a shockwave in all directions away from the ship, and some others O'Neill could only guess at. One unusual weapon could only fire a single shot, they called it Odin's Spear, it was supposed to be programmed with the molecular makeup of the target and according to Balkir, it never missed. It was to be used as a last resort only, after all there were the Valmierans to consider, unwilling guests of Thokk.
Once near the destination O'Neill and the others geared up for departure. They would be disguised as traders, covering their standard issue SGC equipment with loose dark brown hooded capes. O'Neill shot Balkir a short salute as he turned over command to the alien. Balkir nodded once in response. The bright light engulfed them and in a moment they were in a dark forest under a canopy of trees reaching several hundred feet into the air.
They'd been set down a short ways from a crossroad where they were to head northward to a small city. They were to make contact with Munin, one of the Asgard's spies. The town was an odd mix of the rustic and the advanced. Outside several doorways were 'streetlights' that hovered several meters of the ground with no visible means of support casting a greenish hue on the surroundings. The buildings seemed to be a part of the forest and trees, with minimal appearance of any technology.
Soon they located the chosen place of contact set up by Balkir. They entered the tavern through a door that whooshed quietly open to admit them. The atmosphere was similar to any bar or inn, a universal constant so it would seem. It was dark and smoky and people were in small groups, some laughing and talking loudly, some in dark corners talking quietly with eyes only for each other and some just observing the new arrivals. Most of the patrons were tall and dark haired with a gray cast to their skin. Svartali, no doubt.
O'Neill's spine was tingling, his internal radar telling him this place was very dangerous. He stole a glance to Teal'c first who nodded his agreement. Carter looked a bit spooked but she had her shoulders squared and eyes open to any movement. Jonas was the problem, he was sauntering like he had been there a million times and knew everyone in the joint. And he was grinning. Talk about asking for trouble. O'Neill fell in step beside him and suddenly grabbed his cloak at his throat and pushed him against the wall. "Jonas, I'm warning you." His voice just a whispered growl.
"What? What did I do?" Truly he had no idea.
"Get serious and wipe that grin off your face right now before you get us all killed. Think of the worst possible district back home and picture yourself being there, at night, alone. Do you really want to attract attention?"
"No, I guess not."
O'Neill pulled Jonas' hood further over his face, "Keep your hand on your weapon and your cloak snug, you don't want someone picking your pocket in here." O'Neill released him but gave him a push toward the bar.
It was O'Neill's turn to attract a little attention, the kind that said loud and clear, 'don't mess with me.' He pushed his hood back and threw his cape back off his left shoulder to reveal just the tip of the weapon held in his right hand. His gray hair glinted silver white under the dim lights as he surveyed the room. It was enough for prying eyes and many turned away. He stepped to the bar with the air of one who was used to being obeyed. "Your best for myself and my companion," he motioned toward Carter. "Water for the guard and my servant."
He tossed a few coins on the counter, hoping Balkir had explained their monetary system properly. The barkeep nodded, quickly snatching up the coins. O'Neill reached for Carter's hand and led her to a table out of the way. He held her hand aloft as a gentleman might escort a lady and when they arrived at the table he held the chair for her and leaned in close to whisper into her ear, "Sorry, It was the first thing that came to mind." She had been fleetingly irritated that once again she was to be regarded as someone's property but the Colonel's honesty made her stifle a giggle.
Teal'c took up a standing position behind them, arms folded across his chest, looking positively defiant. When Jonas pulled up a chair to sit beside the Major, O'Neill rose partially out of his chair and pointed to the wall beside Teal'c. "Fool, you may sit there!" He hissed. Jonas was having a really hard time with this, and O'Neill's eyes told Teal'c he needed help.
As Jonas settled rather grumpily into the seat, Teal'c bowed to speak softly to him, "In this life we all have our parts we must play if we are to survive." He slightly emphasized the words 'parts' and 'play.' Jonas looked up at him with raised eyebrows. Teal'c smiled slightly and nodded, the point was made.
The barkeep was a portly human who brought the drinks out himself, no doubt to garner favor with this unusual customer. The man was commanding in his demeanor but his height and dark eyes were not uncommon. He noted the lady's golden hair peeking out from under her hood. She was much younger than the man. Probably cost him a pretty penny too. She kept her eyes lowered but he caught a glimpse of the brightest blue he'd ever seen. Yes, she was certainly worth her price.
He lingered a moment too long looking at the woman and the man set his drink down hard on the table, enough to make it splash. He jumped and made a quick apology, "Anything more, Sir?" A steely glare from those dark eyes and he scurried back to the bar.
Carter touched O'Neill's hand lightly, "You're enjoying this, aren't you? I always knew you were a pirate at heart."
He cast her a smirk and drank deeply of the mug. The brew was smooth and warmed his throat as it went down. It left a slightly bitter aftertaste. Presently he called for another.
"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Carter ran her finger idly across the back of O'Neill's hand, then reached up to touch his cheek. "There doesn't seem t be anything happening here."
He leaned slightly toward her, and pushed her hood back a bit so he could speak closely to her ear. His breath was warm on her neck. "You don't think so? I could remedy that situation." She punched his thigh under the table eliciting a grin.
A figure in a black cloak across the room stood and made his way to the doorway. He turned back to the room and then moved along the wall to their table. "Sir, the night comes quickly, perhaps m'lady would prefer a warm place to spend the night?"
"I don't think so. You have no business here, move on." O'Neill's eyes bore into the man.
"Perhaps we do." He tossed a coin onto the table where it spun and landed. Carter gasped to see the familiar eagle symbol with words transcribed around the edge, 'United States of America Quarter Dollar.'
O'Neill forced his face to remain stoic, as he picked up the coin, "Perhaps we do."
The hooded figure nodded and walked to the door. O'Neill and Carter rose and followed at a leisurely pace followed by Teal'c who hurried Jonas along. They were led through a twisted maze of pathways through and around the bases of massive trees. Eventually they came to stop at a doorway that opened at the wave of their companion's hand.
They stepped into a lift that rose very quickly a hundred feet inside the trunk of the gigantic tree. The mechanism brought them to a smooth halt and opened up to a dark corridor. At the far end the rich brocade of golden threads in the rug glinted with firelight. Their companion led them to a large room with heavy furniture made of wood and bark with thick cushions. The walls were hung with rich tapestries also with golden threads running throughout. The only light was from the fire in a great stone hearth. "We may talk freely here."
"I am Munin of the Asgard as I expect you must now be aware." He removed his cloak and threw it over the back of a chair. He was not a tall man, dark skinned and with finely chiseled features. His hair and eyes were black as coal. He motioned to the seating area, inviting them to relax.
O'Neill and the others removed their cloaks likewise and laid them on the chair. "So you are, human?"
Munin began to light several scented candles around the room, "We have the same ancestors, yes. But ages ago we were separated, since then we have changed. My people intermarried with the indigenous people of this world long ago, it is a blessing and a curse."
"So what can you tell us about Loki? How do we find him?" O'Neill was ready to get down to business.
"A meeting has been planned between Thokk and Arien, a leader of this world. Arien is to accept delivery of certain slaves as confirmation of the alliance between them. It will take place at midday tomorrow not far from here. I will assist you to put an end to their plans."
"Good enough for me, tell us about the meeting area." The group listened as Munin described in detail the place of meeting, the entrances and layout of the surrounding area. They questioned him for escape routes and numbers of Svartali who may attend the meeting.
The hour grew late and Munin offered them food and drink and pointed out the sleeping quarters. "Rest now, I will come for you a few hours before the meeting time."
The thickly cushioned mattresses were a far cry from the cots on board the Asgard ship and Jonas was the first to collapse onto one. He was asleep in mere minutes. Teal'c opted for the floor next to a window letting in the light from an almost full moon and began his meditations.
O'Neill was in the front room seated to one side of the hearth and Carter on the other. They were both lost in thought, letting the flickering fire carry their minds away. O'Neill didn't expect to sleep much this night, he never did before missions like this. There would most likely be killing the next day, he had to trust that his team would not be among the dead. Carter had curled up in her chair with her feet tucked under. She was hugging a small cushion and stared into the flames. The burning wood and the candle scents intertwined to create a wonderful sweet smell in the room.
Suddenly O'Neill got up and tossed two large cushions onto the floor in front of the hearth, he picked up a woven throw from the arm of a chair and settled himself on the floor sinking into a soft cushion. "Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"You need to lie down and get some sleep. Come here."
She had been so engrossed in the fire she hadn't seen him bedding down on the floor. She smiled at the firelight dancing on his face. As she settled herself facing him, he spread the throw over both of them. They did not speak but simply watched each other until sleep claimed them.
O'Neill awoke to a small crackle coming from the dying fire. The embers were still giving off plenty of heat and the scent of the wood was heavy in the air. In the night Carter had turned her back to him and was snuggled up against him warmly. He had one arm around her waist and his cheek in her hair. The warmth from the fire had slightly heightened the scent of her shampoo.
He noted the room had lightened from the approaching dawn outside but no sun had appeared as yet. The dense forest canopy shielded the light even this far above the ground. Carter was beginning to rouse and he let her stretch and yawn a bit before moving. "Good morning sleepyhead."
"G'morning yourself." She turned to smile at him. They got up and straightened the room before checking on Jonas and Teal'c.
Munin arrived as promised and led them out of the city and through a barely perceptible path. The meeting was set for a compound just beyond the tree line. The plan was to capture Thokk soon after his arrival, taking them all by surprise. Sentries were posted in three locations in the trees and one on the roof. It reminded O'Neill of some of his earlier classified missions. All of the sentries were Svartali, their features and gray toned skin were even more striking out in the sunshine. All were the picture of vigilance and armed with crossbow type weapons, sidearms and knives.
O'Neill signaled the group to spread out and who was to take out which guard. He looked up to the sound of a transport craft advancing on their position and observed it preparing to land. Just as it touched down and the engines were cut he signaled the others to take out their targets. The transport had caused a significant amount of dirt and leaves from the forest floor to become airborne. It made an effective cover for them.
Teal'c took out his man with only a swipe of his fist and Jonas used the butt of his weapon to knock out another. Carter was preparing to club her man when O'Neill noticed the roof sentry swinging around to her position. He'd already seen the two other's go down and was leveling his crossbow at the Major. Without even a thought O'Neill's weapon was aimed at the target. He steadied his hand and squeezed the trigger. The silencer made the shot almost imperceptible but his intended target dropped like a stone. He winced slightly, first blood, and he'd never even spoken to one of these people. He was taking the word of the Asgard that they were unfriendly and the Asgard wouldn't even set foot on the planet.
O'Neill's assigned target sentry was now aware of his presence and took cover. He did not hear O'Neill step slowly toward his position and then freeze behind a tree. He moved as silently as O'Neill but did not have the advantage of knowing his opponent's precise location. O'Neill watched him barely breathing, listening for any tiny clue of the snipers location. He took two steps further then turned back to check the now silent craft in the clearing. Already a small delegation was coming out to meet the new arrivals. Knowing silence was of the essence now, O'Neill had already unsheathed his knife slowly and as the man's head turned away from him he lunged to his feet. He grabbed the Svartali's long black hair and jerked his head back with one hand and with the other raked the blade across the exposed throat. One gasp of surprise and the man was dead. O'Neill quietly lowered him to the ground. The knife and his sleeve were dripping with the alien's dark blood. The blood of two was now on his hands.
Jonas and Munin were to stop anyone from getting back on the craft and taking off. They took up their assigned positions to each side of the compound, getting as close as they dared without being seen. Teal'c and Carter were already set to intercept Thokk as he made his way from the ship to the compound. The Colonel joined them as Arien led the small delegation down the path and greeted the human with outstretched arms. The alliance was well on its way to being finalized.
They waited and watched as the men exchanged pleasantries. Arien was obviously boasting and waved his arms pointing out different sections of the compound. They turned to leisurely walk back down the path as Arien's men, also well armed, led fifteen manacled humans away from the ship. Arien had glanced at them with approval. They looked strong and would make good slaves.
The Colonel watched and waited until the men approached the site chosen to ambush, he eyed his teammates and signaled a three count to strike. On three they moved as one. Three of Arien's men went down as he himself took a hit to the shoulder. His black eyes blazed with anger and he began shouting orders to the remaining Svartali. It was over in another moment. Two of the prisoners had managed to neutralize a guard and Teal' got another. The remaining two laid down their weapons in surrender. Thokk had taken two hits to his leg and was groaning and cursing in pain.
Carter and Jonas got the keys from the guards and set the prisoners free, it took a little bit of explaining that they had been sent by the Asgard to bring them home.
O'Neill made a beeline for Thokk, intending to disarm him. Munin realized what O'Neill was doing and shouted, "Don't touch him!" It was too late, O'Neill never heard the words.
Thokk was lying against a post waving a large knife. When O'Neill came close instead of swinging to attack, the man touched the blade to his own throat and drew it swiftly across. The gash was deep enough and blood spurted out of the wound. O'Neill had instinctively reached for the man and was surprised to find Thokk's strong hands on his head, pulling him closer. Their heads touched at the temple with a thud.
O'Neill was suddenly overwhelmed with a huge amount of information in his brain. Images and numbers crowded out his thoughts. It was like having the knowledge of the ancients again, no, worse. Something else was there now, a hateful mocking laughter. It was Loki.
He rolled on the ground clutching his head, everything he was fought on the inside. With his last effort he forced his mouth to work, "Thor! Now!" The light engulfed him and he was gone.
As O'Neill materialized on the bridge of the Thor's ship the alien already knew the melding had occurred. Loki was dazed for a moment and Thor used it to his advantage, he raised his bubble device toward his friend and shot an energy beam at him. O'Neill collapsed, unconscious.
Teal'c had seen his leader's distress and was almost to his side as the light took him. With an exasperated face he glanced up to the sky, O'Neill was beyond his assistance now. He regarded the now dead form of Thokk for a moment and turned away, there was much to be done.
With the freed slaves back aboard the transport vessel, Munin activated he controls to take them out of harm's way. Carter, Teal'c and Jonas were aboard also, leaving the Svartali to tend to their wounded and dead comrades. It was a small matter to locate Freyr's stolen ship with the remaining Valmierans aboard. Thokk had left only a few of his men on the vessel and they surrendered quickly after seeing Thokk's dead body on the view screen. Balkir sent six Asgard to man the ship. Not a single man, woman or child of the Valmierans was lost.
Carter was surprised that O'Neill was not aboard the Sleipner, she figured Balkir had transported him, and for now, was too busy to ask. She just hoped he was somewhere, safe.
Sometime later Balkir entered the Tauri's quarters on the ship, "Are you well?"
"We're okay. But what about Colonel O'Neill?" Carter spoke tiredly.
"He is aboard the Ballistner with Thor."
"Thor's here? When did that happen?"
"He has been nearby for some time now."
"So can we talk to the Colonel?"
"Not at this time, we must return the people to Valmiera. Thor is enroute back to our homeworld. Rest now."
"Thanks, Balkir." Carter tried to hide her annoyance with his answer.
After he left Teal'c offered, "You do not believe him, Major Carter."
"It's not that, Teal'c, I don't know. It's not like the Colonel to not make contact. He'd want to know we are all okay. There is something Balkir is not telling us."
Jonas waved his hand in the air, "If there was something wrong with the Colonel, surely they'd tell us? What would be the point in keeping it from us?"
"Yeah," Carter frowned, "What would be the point?"
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O'Neill awoke to blackness. He had absolutely no sensation of his body, couldn't even tell if he was right side up or upside down. He tried to force his senses to tell him something, anything. There was finally a sound, far away laughter, growing closer. "Aw, shit!" He remembered the presence of Loki in his mind.
"Pitiful human! Deaf, dumb and blind! Poor pitiful thing!"
"Didn't your mother ever tell you if you can't say something nice to SHUT UP?"
"I had no mother, I was cloned."
"See, that's your problem! Inbreeding."
"Cloned. I see you are jealous of me."
"Jealous? Have you taken a good look at those cloned bodies you so adore? Scrawny, gray and did I say scrawny?"
"And yours is better? You are so easily damaged. This body is racked with scars and your gray hair shows your age, a definite disadvantage."
"Yeah, you just wish you had a head of hair like mine. Oh, sorry, you do now, right? You're in here with me."
"We are together only for a short time. Soon I will place your mind in an orb and I will go on with this body. Your friends will never find you."
O'Neill could feel Loki's mind forcing itself upon him. It would be a simple thing to give in and believe him. "My friends will go on. You wouldn't know anything about friends as you don't have any though."
"Your friends are dead. I killed them before we left the planet."
O'Neill noted the change in the story. "Yeah, well dead is better than host. Where's this orb of yours, you're starting to bore me."
"You will know an eternity of boredom! Petty human!"
"Getting a little hot under the collar are we now? I f you can't take the heat then get the hell out of Dodge!"
"You wish for solitude so soon? You have no idea."
"Yeah, I have a lot of ideas and one of them is that you leave. I've always been a 'loner' kind of guy and you're cramping my style. Besides this place needs a little redecorating, I've got stuff to do."
Loki was quiet for a moment, he had never met such an impudent being. He stretched out his mind to probe O'Neill's and was astonished to find the ruthlessness there. This one had done terrible compassionless things. Then he touched on the regrets. Most recently the first spilled blood of the Svartali, and further in the past the deaths of so many close to him. One death most regretted of all.
Loki whispered, "Perhaps your desire for solitude is why you weren't there for your son? What were his last thoughts? Love for you? Hatred that you would not save him? Fear that you were too weak and could not save him?"
If O'Neill could feel his eyes they would be narrowed right now. The beast was getting into his mind and using it to get to him. "My son," O'Neill faltered for only a second, "my son experienced more joy and love in his years than you've managed to in millennia. Orb Boy, you know what you're problem is? You've never had an honest regret. You'll never be free from your pain because you'll never face it."
Loki was infuriated, "I have no pain! It is you weakling who will never be free!"
"Hanging around in that orb for so long must have made you dim witted. Don't you get it? I am free. Even right here, right now. And you can't stand it, can you?"
Loki screamed in rage. O'Neill laughed. Thor was mystified. He peered at O'Neill's body in the stasis chamber and saw a smile on the man's face.
"So are you gonna stomp around like a wounded elephant all day? You wanted freedom? Well you know you're not gonna have it as long as you stay here."
Loki silently seethed. He hated this presumptuous human. And he knew, for now he was trapped along with him.
Loki's thoughts betrayed him as O'Neill became aware of what he was thinking. Trapped? Maybe Thor had done something or was trying to? Maybe he could use a little help.
O'Neill turned again to Loki. "You know Thor told me how cunning and dangerous you were, seems to me you've lost all your bite over the years. You wouldn't make a proper court jester now. Why don't you just sit over there in the corner and have yourself a little pity party? This is my house and I say what goes."
"You can't. I am much stronger than you."
"Can't? Can't? Ya see, I never learned the meaning of that word. You think you've got what it takes to teach me? Think again, Buckko. The only thing I can't do is stop. If you're gonna stay here, you're gonna learn some manners. Face it, you picked the wrong host."
Loki just glared, apparently the human was correct. Thokk had been so easy compared with this one. He began to yearn for release from this self imposed prison. Being alone with his own thoughts in the orb seemed pleasant compared with this.
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Carter was sitting on the steps of the Trondheim gathering hall. The people were so glad to be home they'd invited their saviors to feast with them. It was a nice gesture but Carter was aching to get back to Asgard space and see O'Neill again. She had picked at the food, wonderful as it was, and only sipped at the wine. Now she sat with the cup still in her hand, swirling the dark liquid around and around.
Presently Munin came and sat by her. "You are troubled, Major?"
"I'm okay. I just want to get going, that's all"
"Yes, we have our duties to return to."
"You are going back to Svartalheim? I thought that mission was over for you. Won't they be looking for you?"
"Of course. But it is my destiny. Someday the Svartali, the Asgard and humans will all be at peace. It will just not be today, probably not in my lifetime, but I will do what I can to contribute. Arien has great power and influence, and no desire for peace. In time he will be replaced. Things will change."
Carter looked at him with empathetic eyes. Duty. Putting personal feelings and desires aside. How well she knew. "Munin, you're a good man. On our world we have a saying that 'good things happen to good people.' Sometimes it takes a while to come around, but it does." She clasped his hand warmly.
He squeezed her hand back slightly but then stiffened and drew away as a thought came to his mind. She gave him a questioning look.
"Major, there is something I must tell you." He shifted uncomfortably on the step. "Perhaps we could walk?" He gestured to the street.
She handed her still half full cup to a woman at the door and turned to follow Munin.
They walked along in silence at first. Carter watched his face as he wrestled with his need to unburden himself of some dark secret.
"Major, there is something you should know, concerning Colonel O'Neill."
She stopped in her tracks. What was it O'Neill had called it? 'The sound of the other shoe dropping.' Well it was dropping loud and clear right now. Something had been held back, crap, she knew it.
He had stopped with her and now gazed into her eyes. He looked so sad, she thought. What could be that bad? Oh, God, he was dead. She shook her head of the thought and touched Munin's arm. "Tell me."
"Did you see O'Neill just before he was transported away?"
"No, I was with Jonas and the Valmierans. I saw him come out of the woods but that was all. Why?"
"Perhaps someone else may have seen him?"
"Why is it so important? Um, Teal'c told me he'd been transported away, he must have been there."
"Let us speak with him. I have no desire to concern you needlessly." 'Too late', she thought, she was already concerned needlessly or not.
They made their way back to the meeting hall where Teal'c had gotten his fill of pleasantries for the night and was standing a short distance away, listening to the sounds of the night.
"Major Carter, Munin."
"Hey, Teal'c. We've got a question for you."
"I will answer as I can."
Carter turned to Munin and raised her eyebrows. He nodded and spoke, "Teal'c were you with Colonel O'Neill just before he was transported?"
"Indeed I was."
"Did you notice anything unusual?"
"Yes. Colonel O'Neill seemed to be in much pain although I saw no injury."
"Teal'c! Why didn't you say something before? What happened?"
"Major Carter, I believed the Colonel was transported to an Asgard ship and would be cared for. Are these not our allies?"
"Well, yes Teal'c, but they don't always show the same concern as we do. Tell me what you saw."
Teal'c's distress showed. "Colonel O'Neill approached the one called Thokk who was injured and lying on the ground. As O'Neill grew near this Thokk acted as a coward and took his own life before he could be taken prisoner. O'Neill was at his side but was unable to stop his demise. Shortly after O'Neill seemed to be in pain. He clutched his head and was unable to stand. It was then he was transported."
Munin inclined his head. "You said they were close? So close that their heads touched?"
"In fact it seemed that Thokk reached for O'Neill's head before he died."
"That is sad news."
"What? Munin? What does it mean?" Carter was getting frustrated now.
"I believe the traitor Loki was able to escape from Thokk before his death."
"No! You can't be saying what I think you're saying!"
"I'm sorry Major. It can be the only reason the Asgard have not allowed you to contact your Colonel. Communication would not be a problem, even at this distance. If Loki had taken the body of O'Neill, they may both be dead now."
"Munin. Would not the Asgard commit Loki to exile once again? As Thor informed us, the Asgard do not condemn to death. Would not O'Neill then be freed?"
Carter looked at Munin, hoping for a positive response. He shook his head. "There would be so much damage. His body may live yet his mind would have been lost. You do not know of the true power of the Asgard mind."
"Wait a minute! Can't the Asgard just remove Loki's mind from him? Once before, the Colonel's mind was overwhelmed when he shared the knowledge of the Ancient's. It was removed by the Asgard and he was restored."
Munin's eyes were wide with astonishment. "Colonel O'Neill was once a receptacle for the knowledge of the ancient's? Even if it was for a short time he should never have lived! You are most amazing! I see my people have lost a great deal by separating from you."
"Is it possible they could have helped him again?"
"I do not know. We must depart. I will take you to the Asgard, only there will you find answers. I would be pleased to hear of your Colonel's safe return."
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Carter, Teal'c and Jonas were transported from the bridge of the Skidbaldner as soon as it was in orbit around the Asgard home world. Freyr was most pleased to have his ship returned and had already been in contact with them as they entered Asgard space.
They materialized in a large room with consoles along two walls and several tables of scientific equipment. It reminded Carter of a lab she'd seen on Thor's ship, although much larger. It was Thor himself who approached them out of a dimmed section of the room.
"Major Carter, it is pleasant to see you again."
"Thor, what's been going on? Where's Colonel O'Neill? Can we talk to him?"
"He is here. He is unable to talk with you at this time however you may see him."
Thor led them to a smaller room past a row of glowing consoles. Once inside the room they saw a chilling sight. Colonel O'Neill was unconscious in a stasis chamber. He did not appear to be in distress but his face was deathly pale and there was no movement to his chest.
Carter lunged for the chamber, landing with her hands splayed on the surface. "No!" Teal'c straightened his shoulders, it was difficult to see his friend in this condition.
Jonas peered through the partially frosted covering, "He is supposed to look like that, right? I mean, he's in stasis. He's not supposed to be awake."
"He is in fact quite well. Here his vital signs are monitored." He indicated a particular panel. Carter tore herself away from the chamber and looked at the readings. "Is that his pulse? It's less than ten per minute. Are you sure he's okay?"
"Yes, he is well."
"Then why don't you let him out?" Jonas asked the obvious question no one else wanted to ask.
Thor glanced at the chamber. "It is complicated. Loki has invoked the melding with Colonel O'Neill. They are one in this body."
"But can't you get Loki out?"
"Yes. But we must prepare a suitable holding receptacle for the mind of Loki. For now the Colonel is keeping him, occupied."
Carter made a face and shook her head. "You mean he's awake in there?" Her face paled at the thought.
"He is not aware of the physical world around him, but he is alert as is Loki."
"OhmyGod." She had a vision of O'Neill's mind being forced into submission by the Asgard's power. She had a feeling the Asgard 'melding' could be as horrible as possession by a Goa'uld.
"There is something else you should understand. If Loki is able to fully absorb O'Neill, without reservation, the melding will be permanent."
"I thought you said they were already one."
"I believe O'Neill has thus far been able to maintain a certain level of autonomous thought. He will find a way." Thor stated matter-of- factly.
She looked at him sadly and wished she had even a portion of the faith the small alien was showing in Jack. She closed her eyes and slumped against the wall, Jonas grabbing her arm was the only reason she didn't slide to the floor.
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Two days later the Asgard were ready to remove Loki from Jack's mind and had a much-improved receptacle ready. Loki's exile would be on the world of Nilfheim this time. It was an ancient world of cold and darkness, now uninhabited.
Carter, Teal'c and Jonas were permitted to observe as Loki was extracted from O'Neill's mind. Asgard scientists and technicians manned several consoles. The stasis chamber was opened and a beam of intense light was directed at him. It seemed to effervesce as the power was increased.
O'Neill had not yet tired of his merciless prodding of Loki. He began to feel something happening. "Hey, Orb Boy! The fat lady is singin' your name. Time for you to go! How's it feel to know you'll be forgotten about for another few thousand years?'
Loki resolved he would not be the one to go. O'Neill felt a tightness, crushing him, making him smaller. He knew if he relented to Loki he would be forced out of his own mind. He reached into the depths of his memories and found the deepest, darkest, hidden places of his soul. There resided pain, such overwhelming, consuming pain. Yet he clutched to the memories allowing them to become real once again. The pain came upon him as a crushing wave and he held on to it, allowing it to build. Loki was astonished as he partook of the sensation.
They screamed together in agony. All eyes in the room were suddenly on Colonel O'Neill as the blood-curdling scream left his throat. His back arched and shook as he was taken over by a seizure. Teal'c tightened his grip on Carter's shoulders steadying her as well as keeping her from running to his side.
The Asgard returned to their task at hand increasing the power of the beam. As it reached it's maximum level a sudden streak of blinding white light shot along it to the receptacle waiting at the other end. Was it the Colonel or Loki? Which had stayed behind and which had left? Or was it neither?
The lights in the room were dimmed and Carter ran to the Colonel's side. He was pale and covered with sweat. He was breathing, but it was haggard and becoming more and more irregular. She took his arm and spoke his name, "Jack." He remained unconscious, even as she shook his shoulder.
"No, No!" She turned away from him and into the arms of Teal'c who was directly behind her. He regarded O'Neill carefully as he gave Carter the support she needed. Jonas held back, saddened that it should end like this.
In his mind, Jack was alone again. He wasn't quite ready to rejoin the land of the living yet, though. The pain he had allowed himself to feel again had purged him of the alien but had taken a toll on him. He needed to be alone for a while to put his sanity back together again.
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It was days later and Carter was sitting beside his bed still under the Asgard's care. She had refused to leave after contacting General Hammond and informing him of their exploits and the Colonel's condition. She just couldn't.
Thor had assured her that O'Neill was alone in his own mind now, Loki had successfully been removed and it was up to Jack to come back to awareness. There was nothing physically stopping him. It was unnerving, there were no wires and monitors beeping like back in the infirmary at home. He just lay there like he was sleeping. He just wasn't waking up. She sat beside him now half collapsed onto the side of the bed. She was using his upper arm as a pillow and even in her sleep, clutched his hand tightly.
O'Neill felt a weight immobilizing his right arm. His eyes slowly opened to gaze at the gray ceiling. Not the infirmary? Definitely not. So where was he? He allowed himself to take a few deep breaths and feel the life infuse through his body. It felt good to be himself again. He looked down to a disheveled mop of blonde hair and smiled. He would have been content to stay inside himself and never deal with the world again but for her. He didn't think he'd ever tell her that, in the end he decided to do it because he started to think about her. He thought about how much he'd miss her and how beautiful she was with the morning sun glinting on her hair. It was worth coming back for.
He smoothed her hair with his free hand, "Carter?" He only whispered but it was enough to wake her. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, "Jack. Jack! You're awake! Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Peachy. You?"
"I was so worried, we all were. Oh, God I'm so glad you're back."
"Well, I wouldn't go that far."
She ignored him. "Thor said your mind had to be separate from Loki's for the removal to work. He said you had to find a way." She gazed at him, afraid to ask the question.
"So how did I do it? Well first I gave him an introductory course in Sarcasm 101 and then we did a little bonding thing over some old memories. Turned out he didn't have the stomach for real life."
She looked at him dubiously and shook her head. Only Jack would try to 'sarcasm' someone to death. "What memories?"
"Uh, you don't really want to know." His eyes suddenly became slightly glazed and distant.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I will be." He leaned over to kiss her hair and whispered, "I will be."
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General Hammond sat with an expression of amazement through almost the entire mission debriefing. A simple little recon mission had turned into a never-a-dull-moment adventure at the hands of SG-1 once again.
"Incredible, people. Just incredible. And as you know, the Asgard are most pleased with the results of this mission as well. They have decided to let us keep that aircraft you used and it is being delivered to Nellis as we speak."
"Sorry to hear that, General." O'Neill opined, with a shake of his head. It seemed the SGC never got to keep the really cool stuff.
Hammond stood and smiled. "You're dismissed. Ah, Colonel? A word?"
The Colonel joined Hammond in his office. "I suppose you'll be opting for retirement, again?"
"Yeah, I'm getting too old for this kind of thing. It was fun to be back though." Jack sat across the desk from the General and ran his finger idly along the grain of the wood.
"I see." Hammond settled himself into his chair and steepled his hands in front of him, thoughtful. "Jack, while you were convalescing I had an interesting conversation with someone."
Jack raised his eyebrows slightly. "Someone I know?"
"With Thor. It would seem he still thinks you are the only one who should be dealing with his people. The success of this mission has solidified that view among the Asgard leaders."
"I am NOT going to be their pawn! They are just going to have to find someone else. Ask Carter, She'd LOVE to do it!"
"Wouldn't you even like to hear their terms?"
"What terms? Am I part of some treaty?" Jack was getting steamed now. How dare they discuss HIS life and make HIS decisions? He was almost as angry at Hammond as he was at Thor.
Hammond held his hands up in surrender. "Just listen a moment. Anything that happens will be your decision alone. If you choose not to take part in it, you will not be forced."
O'Neill settled a bit in his chair but still held a glare with his eyes.
"Here it is son. They trust you. And they've seen something in you that makes them think the whole human race deserves maybe a closer look. I've explained the concept of retirement in depth to Thor and he understands your not wanting to continue on the front lines. However, he believes all of this," he gestured with both arms wide to the Stargate, "and all that has happened here has made you something much more than an Air Force officer just doing his duty. I think he's right. This project has impacted every one of us profoundly."
Hammond paused. "You can still retire. As a matter of fact you could not accept his offer if you didn't."
O'Neill was a bit confused. "What is this all about?"
"The Asgard have requested your appointment as a permanent Ambassador. The President thinks it's a grand idea. You would retain your top level of clearance and access to the base, of course. Hell, the President even suggested you could use the VIP quarters here if you desired."
O'Neill's head was spinning now. "And just what would I have to agree to do?"
"Oh, once or twice a year travel to the Asgard homeworld as a delegate, provide escort for their new Technology Exchange Liaison and,"
"Techno- What?" O'Neill cut him off.
"Not what, that would be a who. Major Carter has agreed to Liaise with their scientists to implement a plan for introducing us to some Asgard technologies."
O'Neill was stunned but had to smile at the thought of Carter getting her hands on those Asgard thingies she loves. "Ah, you were saying, 'and'?"
"A personal request from Thor, he'd like to occasionally spend some time with you. As a friend."
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Epilogue
Jack tapped his foot impatiently standing at the door to Carter's lab. "Sam?"
"I know, I know, I'm coming. She was shoving a few more papers into her briefcase, which already contained her laptop and an assortment of folders, notes and whatever. He eyed her form. She was wearing a long black dress with her shoulders bare except for skinny straps. She closed the briefcase with a snap and picked up a brocade shawl from the chair. She swept it around her shoulders with one fluid motion and lightly tossed her head back. He smiled at her long neck and watched her hair tousle slightly. God she was beautiful. She took a moment to check her diamond stud earrings and bent to adjust the heel strap of her shoe. "Ready."
He took the briefcase from her with his right hand and offered his left arm to her. She gladly reached to hold his arm as they made their way to the Gateroom. She nodded politely to a couple female airmen as they passed. No doubt they were noticing the most handsome man on the base right now. She'd already taken time to peruse him herself. Jack wasn't a suit or coat and tie kind of guy but he definitely had a sense of style. He chose to wear black also, sleek dress slacks and soft black leather jacket with a fuzzy sweater underneath. Very nice.
As they arrived in the Gateroom and awaited the chevrons to lock Jack suddenly snapped his fingers and set the briefcase down. "I almost forgot!" He reached into his pocket and drew out a burgundy velvet box, larger and flatter than a ring box. He turned the box toward her and slowly opened it. "This is for you." Her eyes beheld a large faceted aquamarine surrounded by nine small triangular shaped diamonds.
"Oh, it's beautiful." She reached her hand out to touch it. "It's the Stargate?"
"Yeah. Kinda cool, huh?" He took it out of the box and with a bit of concentration undid the clasp on the delicate chain. He held the ends out in front of him, allowing her to duck under one arm and step into place facing away from him. Securing the clasp was a little trickier but he got it done finally. "You know we can't let the Argenians show us up, now can we?" He turned her around to admire his work and center the gem on her chest. Perfect. She smiled as he regarded her. He retrieved the briefcase and again offered her his arm. She took it and they ascended the ramp.
"One thing Sam. Try not to spend all evening off in the corner with some stuffy old scientist, Okay? Everybody loves you so mingle a bit."
"Okay, I'll try." She teasingly faked a sigh. "And you! Try not to buzz the reception hall pulling 3 G's in one of Tornak's latest jalopies." "
Hey! That was a highly sophisticated prototype aircraft, and besides, it was at least five." With a grin O'Neill stepped through the event horizon, his woman on his arm and lightness in his heart, ready to take on the universe one more time.
Story Notes: Spoilers: Anything to do with the Asgard
Archive: SJD, Yes
Author's Notes: Although a bit of leniency was taken, the references to Norse mythology are based on actual stories, descriptions and names.
Archive: SJD, Yes
Author's Notes: Although a bit of leniency was taken, the references to Norse mythology are based on actual stories, descriptions and names.
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]