TITLE : Dreamers Of Your Dream - 02 - Ing Madya Mangun Karso

AUTHOR: Blue Topaz

EMAIL: blue-topaz@lycos.com

RATING: PG-13

CATEGORY: Action/Adventure, Romance, Drama.

SUMMARY: SG-Alpha's first mission.

PAIRING: Sam/Jack

TIME FRAME: Season 5

SPOILERS: up to Season 5

ARCHIVE: SJD, Carterfic

DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended. Please do not post or distribute this story without the author's permission. Copyright by Blue Topaz, 2003

NOTE: Thanks Robert Holland again :) and my beta-reader Sandra. I couldn't do it without you guys.

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URL of this story:
www.geocities.com/bluetopazfic/dreamers2.htm
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PART 2: ING MADYA MANGUN KARSO
 
 

The day had finally come.

Sam leaned back against the wall and held her gaze with the Colonel. They were inside the SG-1 gear room, as she prepared for her upcoming mission. She had put on her green camouflage fatigues, ready to lead her team. He was still wearing his black regulation shirt, sitting on the bench situated at the middle of the room, watching her.

"This is it." Her stomach was still in turmoil and she was reminded of her first trip through the gate - excitement and apprehension mixed perfectly.

"You'll do fine, Carter." He tilted his head up and smiled encouragingly.

She bit her lower lip. "I wish I had your positive attitude towards life, Sir."

He stood up and walked to her. "Are you nervous?" A pair of brown eyes interrogated her.

She couldn't lie, couldn't pretend. Not when he looked at her like that. She lowered her head, tearing her eyes away from him. "Yes."

"You should be. Overconfidence could endanger your team."

"Over paranoia could make me indecisive."

He pulled her to his arms, holding her loosely. A friend's hug, nothing more, nothing less.

"Don't be something you're not."

She buried her head in his shoulder, her worries ebbing away little by little. She would love to stay in these arms forever, where she didn't have to fight her feelings anymore, where she didn't have to force herself to work harder. Because he accepted her just the way she was.

Giving her a last squeeze, he let her go reluctantly. He cleared his throat and said, "Now, you get out there and kick some alien butt. That's an order, Major!"

She presented him with a mock salute. "Yes, Sir." And then with a straight face she added, "If we could find one in an uninhabited planet ... Sir."

"You know what I mean." He groaned and shook his head, but smiled nevertheless. He gestured at the door. "Ready to go?"

Sam let out a breath and counted to three. Determination was written all over her face. "Let's do it."

He beamed with pride while opening the door. "That's my Carter."

*My* Carter?

She was gob smacked ... but in a good way. The Colonel had already walked out of the room, missing her reaction. Did he realise what he had just said, or was it a slip?

*His* Carter...

"Carter, are you coming?" He peered through the door, confused as to why she was still in the room.

*His* Carter.

She was *his*. She liked the sound of that and definitely could get used to that idea. He might not mean it the way she interpreted it, but she didn't care. She was sure that she was grinning like the cat that had just eaten the canary when she answered, "I'm coming, Sir."

They were walking side by side through the corridor, heading towards the Gate room. The SG-Alpha team was scheduled to embark in around 15 minutes.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked quietly as they reached their destination. The rest of her team was not there yet, but the equipment they needed for the mission was sitting on the ramp.

"Nothing." She moved to the equipment in order to give them a last inspection.

He followed her and whispered, "Then, why are you still smiling?"

Oops. She quickly turned her grin into a puzzled look, unsuccessfully. "Sir?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Major. That's my forte, not yours," the Colonel insisted, his eyes clearly twinkling with mirth. He knew that whatever amused her must have been really ... amusing.

She pursed her lips and concentrated on the equipment.

He pointed his finger at her face. "See, there's that smug look again."

She could feel a giggle bursting out. She tried to hide it with a cough when Captain Green and Lieutenant Reed entered the Gate room, laughing loudly at a joke that she didn't hear. It was an interruption that she desperately need.

"Are you prepared, gentlemen?" She turned around to face them. The Colonel let out a grumble when he realised that he wasn't going to get anything out of her now.

"Yes, Ma'am," the two officers replied in unison.

"Where's Halle?" the Colonel asked.

Green snickered. "She was being harassed by Doctor Jackson just outside the elevator, Sir."

She and the Colonel exchanged a look and raised their eyebrows simultaneously.

Reed nudged his friend, giving him a glare. "Doctor Jackson was just giving her some details on what he thought about the temple, Sir."

"Ah ..." That sounded more like the Daniel she knew. He had shown a lot of interest in the shrine after seeing the UAV footage, saying there was something odd about it. For all she knew, any building in the middle of nowhere was odd. But then again, she was no archaeologist.

Right on cue, Halle appeared in the Gate room with Daniel trotting beside her, engaged in what appeared to be a one-way conversation. Teal'c followed closely behind them.

"Daniel, leave that poor Lieutenant alone!" ordered Jack. The newly arrived trio approached him and Sam.

Daniel rolled his eyes once they were close enough. "Jack, I only gave her some tips on ..."

"Drop it, Daniel. You're pestering her."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Doctor Jackson didn't bother me, Sir. He just informed me of the possibilities of the temple's origin," Halle, who had been watching the two men interact, provided an explanation.  She was a linguist, and didn't really have any great knowledge on ancient mythology and history.

"Really? OK then, don't say that I didn't try to rescue you from his boring lecture," the Colonel addressed the Lieutenant. He always hated it when his efforts went unappreciated.

"Don't bother to answer, Maria, he's just feeling grouchy that Sam is going ... ouch, JACK!" One of the Colonel's elbows made contact with Daniel's stomach. A piercing glare from the Colonel made him back down and look sheepish when he realised what he was about to say. "Sorry, my bad."

Fortunately, Halle was the only one close enough to them. The others didn't seem to hear Daniel's remark. Green and Reed were on the ramp, chatting about something. However, if Halle did notice the slip, she wasn't showing it. She seemed preoccupied with something.

"Halle, are you OK?" Sam asked out of concern. She didn't want any member of her team distracted for the mission. The planet might be unpopulated, but that didn't mean that it wasn't dangerous.

She wished that she had more time to know her new team better on a more personal level, so that she would know if any of them showed any signs of problems. But she never really had the chance, not with the tight SGC schedule. Like her, the other members of her team were also members of SG teams and had their own missions to go on. They did manage to have a team night out together once or twice, but it wasn't enough. She was glad that at least this mission would provide that chance. They would be together 72 hours non-stop, watching each other's backs.

Halle blinked once. "I'm fine, Major."

"Good. Why don't you go and join Green and Reed, I'll be right there in a minute."

"Yes, Ma'am." She obliged and soon the four SG-1 members were left alone.

Sam looked at them one by one and still couldn't get past the fact they wouldn't be there with her.  "See you in 76 hours, then."

"See you, Sam."

"We will be waiting, Major Carter."

"Do your job, Major. And come back home."

The butterflies in her stomach did an impressive manoeuvre. "I'll do my best, Sir." She gave him a salute, turned around and approached her other team.

"Ready to depart?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

She nodded and then looked up to the control room and gave the General a signal. The General acknowledge her and ordered Davis to dial up the gate.

Sam gave the General a crisp salute and spun around to watch the Gate as it rotated. As soon as the seventh chevron was locked, the Gate came alive, bursting a wave of blue water before it finally settled to form an event horizon. It never ceased to amaze her on how the Stargate took her breath away. Every single time. The way the translucent blue puddle looked so inviting, the way it broke her molecules down into micro molecular size and reassembled them again - it was beyond her.

"SG-Alpha, you have a go."

***

"Tell me where it is."

Her voice was always cold and detached. But it didn't dissuade him. It never did.

"NO."

He'd rather die than give it up. He would not tell her.

"It was mine to start with. You stole it from me. Tell me! NOW!"

Something shone through his eyes. He screamed in agony and his brain felt as if it was scrambled. But he could endure pain. He could endure death.

However ... he couldn't give her what she wanted.

He wouldn't.

He gritted his teeth and collected what little power that he still had.

"I will not tell you, EVER."

The pain was gone and so was the blinding light. He could feel something cold pressed to his throat. A knife. It was his gift for her.

"No one denies my wish."

She always said that, but he disagreed. His eyes fluttered open. The feminine figure in front of him had started to take shape as his vision was coming back.

No one could take his Ravi away from him. No one.

"I do."

The sharp metal moved swiftly.

***

Sam scanned her surrounding. Nothing much, really. Just lots and lots of tree, the way she liked a planet to be. The Stargate was 6 or 7 clicks to the South. The temple was barren, and some local wildlife (they looked like squirrels, but with bunny teeth) had decided to claim the empty building as their nest.

The temple's walls were made of stone. It was built almost like a tomb, but there was no indication of any bodies so far. Halle said that this temple was probably not a temple after all. She couldn't find any altars or prayer chambers anywhere. The walls were engraved with pictures, not writing. She also said that the best she could do now was take pictures. The parameter was checked and cleared.

The standard mineral survey was done, but Sam didn't really hope to find anything interesting in the soil. She decided to camp inside the temple. This way, they didn't have to set up their tents and it would protect them from the rain, wind and wild animals.

She and Reed took the time to explore their surrounding before P89 768's sun set. The temple (or the not-a-temple building) was situated on the top of a hill, and that was why it was easily spotted by the UAV. Reed noticed something unusual down the hill, and said he would like to take a look. Green and Halle were staying back at the temple, setting up the camp and taking pictures.

"Do you mind sharing what's on your mind, Lieutenant?" She climbed down the hill's slope carefully. Although it was not too steep, the grass was tall, almost reaching her hips, and she had to be careful not to loose her footing.

Reed was also cautious, knowing he couldn't afford to slip. "Do you see that area that looks like steps over there, Major?"

She shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. "Yes."

"Well, I wanted to check whether it occurred naturally or not."

"What do you mean?"

"It looks suspiciously like an irrigation system."

"And that wasn't the work of Mother Nature, was it?"

"Very unlikely, but I couldn't say from here. We have to get closer."

Upon closer inspection, it didn't occur in nature. And in addition to that, a bamboo pipe was also found at the top step, hidden by thick bush.

"Did you see this, Ma'am? The water would flow from here and once the first step was filled, the water would cascade to the next one. This is so similar to the side inlet irrigation system."

That confirmed the presence of a civilization. Her mind raced. What had forced the people to abandon this perfect planet? There was no sign of any natural disaster or extreme environment change. Was it the Goa'uld? She sighed heavily. This discovery had not changed the mission's objective, but now they had an extra task to do.

To find out what exactly had happened.

"The water is still running," Sam pointed out. The pipe was leaking water.

"Should we follow the pipe and find out where the water source is?" Reed was more than intrigued, he was curious.

She was tempted to do just that, but dusk was already approaching. "No, we'll do it tomorrow. It's getting dark. We better get back now."

Reed nodded in agreement. He opened his pack and took out a camera. "One minute to take the picture, Ma'am?" He asked for permission.

"Sure, make sure you've got everything."

He gave her a boyish grin and started capturing pictures of the field and the pipeline. Sam straightened her back and adjusted the position of her cap, her short blond hair sticking out from under the green material.

The gentle breeze and the strong aroma of nature brought her back to the small, secluded cabin in Minnesota. She smiled involuntarily as the memory resurfaced. It was good to know that she could just be with the Colonel as a friend without having to worry about jumping each other's bones at any minute ... although she wouldn't mind if it did happen.

She had given him a peck on the cheek when he dropped her at her doorstep, though. And it was nice. Very nice.

"Major, I'm done here." Reed's voice pulled her back to P89 768.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had work to do, and she intended to give it her best. "Let's go back then."

They climbed back up to the temple in silence. The wind was getting stronger and a light shower caught them midway through. They didn't change their pace though. It was dangerous to go faster.

"Could I ask you something, Ma'am?"

"Go ahead."

"You are a 'military brat', aren't you?"

"As bratty as you are." She grinned at the topic of their conversation. Reed came from a military family, the third generation in his family to join the Air Force. His grandfather was a Major, both his father and uncle were Generals, and his cousin was a Captain.

"Did your decision to join the military have anything to do with your family?"

She took her time to collect her thoughts. "I must admit that my Dad had a little influence in it, but I did it on my own initiative. I always wanted to join NASA, and the Air Force was my stepping stone."

He finished her words. "But somehow along the way, the Stargate program changed your priority."

"Yes," she confirmed his assessment. "Not only that, the program has changed me as a person, too."

"I see."

There was something that was bothering him. That much was obvious. "Why did you ask?"

He didn't reply to her question, keeping his gaze straight in front of him. She could hear the raindrops making contact with the grass as the silence between the two of them encased. She was debating whether she should push the matter further or just let it go when they reached the top. Jogging slightly to avoid the rain, they arrived at the temple in no time. They were slightly wet, but not drenched. The sun had completely disappeared now, replaced by twin moons.

They took off their jackets and lay them near the fire that Green and Halle had managed to start. The camp was set and the MREs were ready to be consumed. They exchanged information during dinner. Reed told them about the discovery they had made while Halle shared her theory on the drawings on the wall.

"I'm not quite sure, but the pictures seemed to be related with each other," she started.

"How so?" Reed asked while spooning some of the chicken-flavoured macaroni and cheese into his mouth.

"Some of the characters in one picture were also found in another. That would suggest that the drawings were telling a story."

Sam put her fork down. It wasn't unheard of. If the planet's population wasn't advance enough to have a written language, the pictures were a perfect way for them to record their history. "Could you guess how the story goes?"

Halle shook her head, her MRE long forgotten. "I'm afraid not. I have some vague ideas, but without any references, it was just a wild guess that goes nowhere."

"OK, first thing tomorrow, you and I are going to report what we have found so far to the SGC. Green, you'll go with Reed and investigate where the pipe leads to. We'll catch up with you as soon as we can."

The three officers nodded in understanding. They spent the rest of the night chatting and comparing tales from their previous missions. Soon, it was time for them to rest. Sam closed her eyes as her head hit the sleeping bag after her watch. She was glad that the mission had gone well so far.

One day down, two to go.

---

Sam and Halle had contacted the SGC and sent the digital images of the drawings on the walls and the irrigation system. The General had promised her to have someone to take a look at it (namely Daniel) and inform her about the finding the next time her team checked in. Now they were on their way to catch up with the boys.

She was slightly upset not to hear the Colonel's voice through the radio. It shouldn't mean anything. The Colonel might be busy with paperwork or in the middle of a very important meeting. But she still couldn't chase the discontentment away. She bit her lower lip and chided herself for being unreasonable and feeling disappointed over nothing.

The two women walked casually while still maintaining their guard. Their hands were glued to their P-90, ready to use them if the situation called for it.

"You seem to have gotten over your differences with Green," Sam started a conversation. She had noticed that they were much more comfortable with each other compared to just a few weeks before.

Halle looked baffled, but quickly recovered. "He's a fine guy once you know him, I guess." She shrugged her shoulder absently. "There are some things that we didn't see eye to eye on, but we talked it over."

Sam's mouth twitched. It was good to know that she didn't have to worry about the way they acted towards each other anymore. She knew that they would behave professionally on a mission, but if there was bad blood between the two of them, their performance would be affected nevertheless.

"That's good," she replied.

Everything that had happened between them was their business; she wouldn't pry on it.

"Do you mind me asking a question, Major?" Halle fiddled with the strap of her P-90 in an attempt to channel her anxiety.

Sam looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "Sure."

Halle released a sigh and licked her lips while Sam waited patiently for her to speak up. They kept on walking in silence for around five minutes.

"Any time now would be great, Halle." Sam put on a teasing smile.

Halle blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I was just trying to figure out how to put it into words."

"Take you time," Sam assured her.

Halle ran her fingers through her short black hair and cursed. "Damn."

Sam was worried now. Halle looked like she was confused and ... lost, her usual confidence and poise replaced by hesitancy. She knew what was bothering her was eating her alive. She carefully asked, "Is it something important?"

Halle's head shot up quickly, answering the question without words. Her brown eyes were filled with surprise.

Sam slowly added, "You can trust me."

"I do, Ma'am," Halle instantaneously replied. "It's just that ..."

Sam turned to her side and put one arm on the younger woman's shoulder to stop them both from walking. She took the imitative to ask her questions. "You have a problem?"

Halle nodded meekly.

"Does it have anything to do with your family?"

She shook her head.

"Your pet?"

Halle smiled at that before answering, "No."

"I give up." Sam raised both of her hands in surrender. "Tell me."

Halle licked her lip. "It's my boyfriend," she finally admitted.

Sam frowned in confusion. "I didn't know you had one."

Inside SGC, almost everybody knew everybody. It was a small community.

Halle avoided her eyes and looked down, as if she was feeling guilty. "I ... it's not something that I want to be broadcast around the SGC."

Sam was puzzled. Having a boyfriend wasn't something to be ashamed of. "Why not?"

"He used to be my superior officer." Halle's answer came in soft whispered that Sam almost missed it.

He was once her superior officer?

Sam smiled wryly as she recalled the conversation that they had in the locker room approximately two weeks ago. So, Halle understood a lot more about her situation than she let on.

They started to walk again.

"Did he mistreat you?" she asked softly, feeling closer to the woman in front of her than before. They were in the same boat, in a manner of speaking.

"No, no. On the contrary, he was very sweet." Halle smiled sadly at her own admission.

Sam was exasperated. Halle had a difficult time opening up to her, but Sam could comprehend this; the subject she brought up was a sensitive one. She acknowledged the reason for Halle's confession was because she trusted her. Being a woman in military was not easy. They were vulnerable to prejudice and sexual harassment, and that was why they tended to stick together.

"Tell me how you two got together." Sam tried to distract her from the main problem for a while.

Halle tilted her head and closed her eyes, revisiting her past.

"He was my first CO after I graduated from the Academy. I hated him at first. He was the typical hard-ass superior officer." Halle opened her eyes and smirked at her. "Kind of like Colonel O'Neill."

Sam grinned back. "The first impression is always ... fascinating."

She was reminded of the first time she met Colonel O'Neill. He still hadn't cashed in on her arm-wrestling invitation. Shame really, because she was desperate to know whether those particular pair of arms were as strong as they looked.

"Well, this wasn't fascinating. He was a ..." Halle paused to search for the correct term. "Cold fish."

Sam suppressed a grin. The word said it all. He was a very private person, who would only interact professionally with his subordinates.

Halle continued. "He was okay at work, but when we were off-duty, he would ignore me completely and acted like I didn't even exist. I could handle being given a hard time, I could handle being shouted at all the time, but he really ticked me of by disregarding me." She drew a breath. "And then I confronted him about it, and do you know what he said?" Her eyes were full of fire when she recited the event.

Sam had to swallow her laugh. Halle was so alive when she talked about him. "No, what did he say?"

"He said, while *frowning*, 'Why do you care?' Can you believe that guy?" Her eyes were full of annoyance.

Sam felt a little bit bad because she was enjoying Halle's outburst. "Hey, he was a guy, what did you expect," she tried to offer a reason.

Halle rolled her eyes. "I swear, Ma'am. He was driving me crazy, so ... so ... so ...," she stammered at the end, her face was red.

"So?" Sam's tone was raised at the end, her eyebrow lifted playfully.

Halle smiled sheepishly. "Come to think of it now, he must've thought I was insane."

"What did you do?"

"I decided to make give him a taste of his own medicine."

"Halle, what *did* you do?" Sam was beyond curious. She had to know what had happened.

She grinned proudly. "I stalked him."

"You didn't." Sam's eyes widened in mock-horror.

The grin was insistent. "Oh yeah, I turned into a stalker. It was fun, actually. I was really tempted to test how far his cool composure would last. I was never the one to refuse a challenge."

Sam was speechless. She hadn't seen that one coming.

Halle picked up where she left off. "And then his behaviour towards me changed little by little. I guess he was sick of my stalking and thought that acting a little civil towards me would suffice, and I would leave him alone eventually. Unfortunately for him, I wouldn't accept anything less than him losing his self-control, and I swore I'd never stop harassing him until I achieved that."

"Did you?"

The smirk on her face disappeared, replaced by tenderness. "No. He never lost his cool, but we lost our common sense." Her head was tilted to one side. "We became involved. Something that should not have happened."

Sam studied her for a moment, recognizing the regret in her voice. There were some things that common sense didn't have an answer for. "You can control your actions, but not your feelings. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"That's the problem."

"What do you mean?"

"He resigned for me. Even though I wasn't sure about my feelings for him, he said that he wanted to take the chance. And he did. Everything was fine until a month later when I was offered a position at the SGC. *A month*." Her eyes were wet with tears that threatened to fall. "If only we had waited."

"Do you love him?" Sam asked quietly, careful to avoid upsetting her further.

"I was attracted to him. But love? I don't know. I wish I knew. God, I wish I knew." Sadness, guilt, lament, and pain were blended as one.

"Major Carter, come in." Green's urgent voice came though the radio, preventing Sam from comforting the Lieutenant.

"Go ahead," she quickly answered, putting a reassuring hand on Halle's back.

"Ma'am, you have to see this."

"Where are you?" She barely hid her concern.

"Just follow the pipe, Ma'am. We'll meet you halfway."

"We'll be there shortly."

"Copy that. Green out."

As soon as the transmission ended, Sam turned towards her companion. "We'll continue this later, OK?" She gave her the reassurance that she would help her through the problem.

Halle could only nod in response.

They had a job to do.

---

"Oh. My. God," was all Halle managed to say.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Green beamed with excitement.

Sam still couldn't believe her eyes. She adjusted the binoculars and found it still there, hovering in the sky. It was high enough for the UAV to miss, but low enough for the naked eyes to see its presence, probably just outside the planet's atmosphere.

A Goa'uld mothership.

Just sitting there.

"What should we do, Ma'am?" Reed asked, anxious.

The pipe had led them to another hill, higher than the one in which the temple was located. There was a tree line on top, and once they went through it, they were greeted by a wide, but shallow waterfall. The lake was relatively small and the water was deep blue.

Scanning their surroundings with the binoculars, something else caught her eye. She refocused the lens to get a better view.

A Tel'tac.

The Goa'uld cargo ship was settled on the ground, covered with twigs and dry leaves, located near the lake. It seemed as if it was abandoned a long time ago.

"What is it, Major?" Green asked curiously.

She handed him the binoculars. "Two o'clock."

He quickly scanned the area. "Man, this is getting better and better."

"What are we going to do now, Ma'am?" Reed was asking for instructions.

Her brain tried to assess the new situation.

A mothership in the sky and a cargo ship on the ground. It didn't look good. There was a big possibility that there was a Goa'uld running around on this planet. She didn't know how long that cargo ship had been deserted, or how many Jaffa and Goa'uld were on it when it first landed. The deserted passangers might have used the Stargate to escape the planet, but what about the mothership?

"We're going to check it out. Reed, you wait here and provide cover for us."

Her orders were quickly followed.

Sam, Green and Halle proceeded with caution towards the spacecraft, using the trees and rocks for cover. Weapons were ready, eyes and ears were opened, and step by step they neared their goal.

They could see that the door was open, inviting them to enter. Sam was the first to step through, sweeping the area with the end of her P-90. She checked the control room first, finding it empty.

"I guess no one is home," Green stated.

"Let's hope so."

She was had a nagging feeling about the whole thing. She was missing something, she just didn't know what.

Halle approached the control panel and typed something on it.

"I'm going to try accessing the ship's log. Maybe it could tell us something."

"You do that. Green, let's check the cargo bay."

As they approached the door, Sam and Green took up positions at either side of the entryway. She punched the combination to open the door, and waited anxiously as it parted. Green walked inside slowly while she provided cover.

Deciding that it was safe, Green gave her a nod. She lowered her weapon slightly. An item placed in the center of the room caught her attention.

A sarcophagus.

First a mothership, then a cargo ship, and now a sarcophagus.

Something odd was definitely happening here.

Green whistled. "I heard that Dr. Fraiser needs one of these babies in her infirmary."

She licked her lips. "Let's open it."

Green pointed his weapon at the golden case while she ran her fingers along its smooth surface. It was covered in symbols that she had never seen before. Her fingers traveled towards the big yellow stone at the top and moved it slightly. The lid opened, thin smoke escaping from the box.

"Jesus Christ."

Sam looked down to see what had made Green react so strongly, and she drew a sharp breath.

A man was lying inside.

His face was pale, his body marked with scars, old and new. He was wearing nothing but a piece of animal-skin cloth that covered his modesty. His skin was light brown, his long black hair tied back neatly, and there was a mark on his forehead. The marking was somewhat consistent to the one on the sarcophagus. It seemed like the box had just finished its job and the man hadn't regain consciousness yet.

"Not a Goa'uld." She couldn't sense the presence of naquada from him.

"What should we do now, Ma'am?"

She checked his neck for a pulse, finding it faint and slow, but still there. She couldn't leave him there. Whoever put him there would soon be back.

And that meant there was someone else roaming around this planet.

Someone who was familiar with Goa'uld technology.

"We'll get him out of here."

Green quickly hoisted the limp body into a fireman lift, knowing time was of the essence. He secured his hold on the other man and adjusted his position over his shoulders to make it more comfortable for both of them.

There was no time to check the other rooms inside the Tel'tac before Reed's warning came through the radio as the two officers exited the cargo bay.

"Major, there's a group of people approaching the Tel'tac. You better hide."

"Oh shit," Sam cursed, her eyes wandering around the ship, looking for a hiding place. She found none.

But Halle was still in front of the ship's control panel.

"Halle, close the door!"

Halle fingers danced frantically, and after a few second she shook her head in defeat. "The door didn't take the command, Ma'am."

Damn. This was not good. Not at all.

Sam gestured the two officers to follow her.

"OK, we'll retreat back to the cargo bay. Green, put him back inside the sarcophagus."

Green quickly settled the limp body back in the golden coffin and closed it as Halle sealed the door. There were some crates stacked in several places, and they moved to hide behind them.

Sam keyed her radio and hissed, "Reed, come in."

"Reed here."

"Listen, we're inside the cargo bay. If you don't hear from us in the next hour, go back to the gate and ask for reinforcements. Don't even think about playing hero, got it?"

She didn't know what would happen when the people arrived in the cargo bay, so she had to prepare for the worse.

"Copy that."

She could hear footsteps and they were getting closer.

"Good. Maintain radio silence and don't try to contact us, okay? *We'll* contact you. Carter out," she said hastily as she turned the radio off without waiting for a reply. She couldn't afford compromising their location. Glancing at her two companions, she let them know that she wanted them to do the same. They complied.

The footsteps halted for a moment to allow the cargo bay's door to part before they resumed.

She held her breath, tucking herself further back was against the crates. She closed her eyes as a familiar shiver assaulted her body. At least one of the new arrivals had a symbiote inside them. She could sense it in her blood.

Green was next to her, and Halle was right beside him.

She gave a hand-signal to inform them of the nature of the person who had just entered the room. They tensed at the revelation, but she once again communicated with her hand. It could be a Tok'ra or a rebel Jaffa. There was no reason to feel anxious yet.

They could hear the sarcophagus open.

"Welcome back," greeted a feminine voice. The tone was as soft as a silk, sultry and yet cruel. Sam resisted the urge to take a peek to see what was going on. It would do them no good if they were caught.

"Why didn't you answer me back?" the woman asked.

It was obvious that she was talking to the man that the SG-Alpha team had seen.

Receiving no answer, she ordered coldly, "Jaffa, kree! Lock him back in the storage. Let his petty weak body recover."

The man was coughing as the Jaffa handled him. From the sound of it, he was yanked out of the sarcophagus none too gently and dragged carelessly. He obviously didn't have enough energy to stand on his own.

"Stop this meaningless stubbornness and tell me where it is," the woman icily demanded.

The Jaffa stopped in their tracks as their goddess finished her sentence.

The man laughed wryly at her, and a touch of sadness underlay in his answer that came in a hoarse whisper.

"Never."

The woman was losing her patience. Her irritation was voiced in her order.

"Get him out of my sight. NOW."

Her Jaffa complied and the man was taken forcefully outside as he screamed and taunted.

"NEVER, you hear me? I'll NEVER tell you where it is."

As the door closed, his voice subsided to complete silence.

*THUNK*.

Something metallic was thrown in the direction of the door.

"INSOLENCE!"

The woman was furious. Her attempts had failed, and her fuming breath echoed throughout the room as her desperation escalated.

*THUNK*.

Another object was thrown in the direction of the door.

"Insolence!" she muttered more calmly than before, but the hatred was still there.

*Thunk*.

The third object was also thrown in the same direction as the last two, but with less violence.

"Insolence," she said as neutrally as possible, as if she had found her balance again.

Sam was surprised to still feel the presence of the symbiote, and judging from the way she had ordered the Jaffa, there was no question she was a Goa'uld. But she used a normal human voice instead of the distorted one, and she was a lot more emotional than any other Goa'uld she had ever met. She gripped her P-90 tightly.

She felt like she had been waiting for eternity when finally door was opened once more followed by footsteps indicating that the woman was leaving the room. She counted to ten before she peeked around the side of the crate.

The cargo bay was empty.

She let out a sigh before turning to the rest of her team.

"We'll stay here for a moment."

They nodded and began to relax, but they still hadn't moved from behind the crates. They knew that the Goa'uld and the Jaffa could come back inside at anytime. It was safer to stay hidden.

She reached for her radio. "Reed, this is Carter."

"Major, are you alright?" Reed's relief was hard to miss.

"Yes, we are, but we're kind of trapped here. They didn't see us. Can you tell us when the Jaffa and the Goa'uld leave the ship?"

"Jaffa and Goa'uld?" He was shocked by the disclosure.

"I can't go into details now, but ... yes. Jaffa and Goa'uld."

"But they didn't wear the usual Goa'uld armory."

She shared a look with Green and Halle. "What do you mean?"

"They wore normal clothes, Ma'am. I couldn't see too clearly from here, but if they were Jaffa, they definitely weren't wearing the usual gear."

The news sank in. Now that she thought of it, Sam didn't hear the usual clanking sounds of metal against metal when the Jaffa had approached.

"Copy that. Just let us know when they leave, okay? We'll maintain radio contact every half hour. If we missed it, assume the worst."

There was silence at the other end for a while before he confidently replied, "I will. Reed out."

She put her radio back inside her vest pocket, and then turned to face two pairs of eyes.

"Halle, do you know what this symbol means?"

She drew the mark on the man's forehead on the floor. The presence of a thin layer of dust on the gray surface helped her in visualizing the shape.

Halle raised an eyebrow. "I would've guessed that it was Sanskrit, but I don't know what it means. I'm not really familiar with the language."

"Sanskrit? What's that?" Green asked curiously.

"It's the sacred language of the Hindu religion. An ancient literary and classical language of India."

Sam nodded as Halle explained.

"Major, do you have any idea what 'it' was? The Goa'uld seemed desperate enough to have 'it'." Green looked at her in anticipation.

She raised her hands. "I'm as clueless as you guys. For all I know, it could be as worthless as a hairpin or as dangerous as a weapon of mass destruction."

Facing Halle, she asked, "Did you manage to find anything from the ship's log?

Halle shook her head solemnly. "No, it was encrypted, and I couldn't read it."

Green grinned slightly. "Typical SG-1 luck. I should have known from the moment I signed the paper to join this team."

She couldn't help but frown as Halle joined Green in grinning. "What do you mean?"

Halle was in agreement with the Captain. "Oh, come on, Ma'am. Do your really believe that this could happen to another team?"

Keeping her blank look -- the perfect imitation of Colonel O'Neill's patent 'Huh?' look, she retorted back, "You mean it didn't?"

***

"This is interesting"

Jack lifted his head from his yo-yo and shared a look with Teal'c.

"Care to share it with the rest of the world, Daniel?" Jack asked, casually putting his yo-yo back in his pocket.

He and Teal'c had been keeping Daniel company in his office while figured out the pictures.

He was gutted that he'd missed Carter's check-in this morning; he had been in the middle of a meeting with the team leaders of SG units 6, 7, and 9 to talk about the SG-Alpha members' performances.

Fortunately, Daniel had been there and kept him informed about what Carter had found in P89 768.

"No wonder Halle didn't understand the drawings on the wall. They weren't in the correct order."

"Should they be?"

Daniel ignored him and rearranged the photographs in front of him. He handed one to him.

"First one. Seven women descended from the sky."

Jack raised his eyebrow. The drawing showed seven female figures floating between the clouds and ground. He passed it on to Teal'c when Daniel gave him the second one.

"Second. They were bathing in a lake or a river."

True to Daniel's word, the women were in a pond or lake. Some were swimming and some were playing with each other, dipping in the shallow water. He passed it to Teal'c as Daniel handed him the next one.

"Third. Six of them flying back."

Just to be sure, he counted the figures.

"What happened to the other one?"

Daniel skipped some pictures before finally finding the one he'd been searching for. He turned it around so that both of his friends could see. Jack leaned closer to get a better look and blinked his eyes.

"So ... what happened here?"

"She had a family. Probably married a local man and had children."

"Two children." Teal'c provided helpfully.

The picture showed the woman holding a baby and a toddler, standing in front of a small house. There was a man standing just behind her.

A perfect family's portrait.

"This reminded me a lot of a well-known folk story in East and Southeast Asia. Very similar." Daniel pushed up his glasses.

"How so?"

"Well, the women are what they called celestial maidens. We know them as angels. They came down to earth on a regular basis, the time frames and the number of maidens varying from culture to culture. Now, in Southeast Asia, they were said to have this long piece of cloth that they tied around their waist, their wings, so to speak. They could only fly down to earth and back to nirvana if they used this. One of them," Daniel pointed at the woman with the children, "lost hers and could not fly back home. She was devastated until a mortal man took her as his wife. She overcame her grief and got on with her life."

"Mmm, you gotta love that happily ever after ending."

"Actually Jack, it didn't end there."

"It didn't?"

"No, a few years passed and one day she found out that her husband was the one who actually stole her cloth and hid it in their barn. She put it on and soared back to the sky, leaving her husband and children behind."

"It was indeed a poignant tale," Teal'c stoically agreed.

Jack randomly picked up one of the pictures on Daniel's desk. "Is that where we put 'the end'?"

"Well, as I said, there are several versions of this story. One of them actually continued the myth when the husband went to nirvana himself and convinced her to go back to Earth with him."

"I thought you said that this didn't end happily."

Daniel rolled his eyes and used that patient tone especially reserved for the man in front of him. "As I said before, Jack, there are several versions."

"Oh ... Okay. One more question."

"Yes?"

"Do these women's eyes glow?"

"Not as far as the story goes, but then again, this could be just a genuine tale."

"That traveled across the galaxy?" Jack asked skeptically.

Daniel shrugged his shoulders. "It could be a coincidence."

Jack cocked his head in the direction of his other team member. "Teal'c? Have you heard anything about this?"

The Jaffa took his time to think. "I have not."

Jack turned his attention back to the linguist. "What about the other pictures?"

Daniel passed the rest of them to Jack. "Oh, they were just drawings of normal village life. Markets, celebrations, daily life and those sort of things."

"Why were the pictures out of order?"

Daniel lowered his head and busied himself with some other papers. "I don't know."

There was something cultural that Daniel didn't know? This was new. Jack smirked and decided to rub the salt into the wound. "You don't know?"

"Yes, I don't know." The warning in Daniel's voice was enough to discourage Jack from asking further questions.

"Oh. Okay then."

***

Sam's head was pounding as she opened her eyes, only to be greeted by darkness. Groaning, she tried to lift her upper body, trying to get off the cold, hard floor. One hand rubbed her eyes gently, but the darkness was still there.

"Major, is that you?"

"Green?"

Her hand traveled to her temple and massaged it gently in an attempt to drive her headache away.

"Yes, Ma'am. It's me."

Her memory about the mission flooded through her confused mind.

"Is Halle here? What about Reed?"

"I don't know, Ma'am. It's pitch black in here."

What had happened to them?

The last thing she remembered was being inside the cargo bay, hiding with her team behind a stack of crates and waiting for a chance to escape from the ship.

Suddenly she heard a growl.

"That's Halle."

She carefully crawled towards the sound, her hands patting the area in front of her since her vision was impaired. A few feet away, the palm of her hand touched something soft.

"Halle, are you okay?" she asked, trying to help her sit up.

Halle drew a sharp intake of breath. "I'm okay, I'm okay. Just a bit lightheaded, that's all."

She nodded and let her go. "Is Reed here?"

"I'm not sure, Ma'am," answered Green.

Sam's hope soared as she considered the possibility of Reed not being here, wherever here was. She didn't know how much time had passed, but the moment Reed realized that they had lost radio contact, he would return to the SGC for reinforcements.

She had a guess of what had happened to them, but it wasn't a pretty one.

"What's going on? Why is it so dark here?" Halle asked in her disoriented state, still groggy.

"We were captured," she grimly informed the rest of her team. She had checked her body for weapons and found none.

"What?" exclaimed Green.

"It's dark because a Goa'uld stun grenade affected our sight temporarily. It'll pass," she assured them.

She had been on the receiving end of that particular grenade on several occasions, and there was no doubt in her mind that the aftershock sensation that ran through her body was caused by it.

"Oh great," muttered one unhappy Captain.

"Well, didn't you say something about SG-1 luck earlier, Sir? This is it." Halle sighed dramatically.

"I just hope that luck didn't bail on us now. We could really use the 'great escape' type of luck just about now."

Sam listened to their conversation silently. Her mind was racing as she considered their capturer.

A Goa'uld on an unpopulated planet? What could she possibly want? And what about the sarcophagus? No one just left precious technology like that lying around collecting dust on a barren planet. And what about the man? Who was he? And then, there was 'it'. What was 'it'? A thousands questions ran through her mind.

A faint light disturbed her from her train of thought. She brought her hand right in front of her face and saw a creamy form starting to take shape.

"My vision is back."

She blinked a number of times to clear her sight.

"Mine too," added Green.

"I think I saw some light," Halle confirmed.

Once her vision was back to normal, Sam took a look around. It was a holding cell, but to her knowledge, this one looked like a one from a mothership, not a cargo ship.

"Major." The warning in Green's voice didn't go unnoticed.

She turned around to see that there was someone else inside the cell.

The man from the sarcophagus.

He was watching them from the corner of the room, wearing a sleeveless robe and sitting on the floor with his knees drawn to his chest. His eyes were dark brown, full of mystery and suffering.

Tentatively, she greeted their in-mate. "Hi. Do you know where we are?"

The man looked up, but didn't answer the question.

Sam tried again while still maintaining her distance. She still wasn't sure about the nature of this man. "I'm Major Carter. And this man is Captain Green, and she is Lieutenant Halle. We're from Earth. Most people call us the Tau'ri."

He titled his head to one side. "You are the Tau'ri?" His voice was deep and calm. He started to get up from the floor and stared at them for a while. "My name is Shiva."

Before they could say anything further, the door opened. Sam, Green and Halle were already standing close to each other, their instincts telling them to stay close together.

The Goa'uld walked gracefully inside the room. Her hair was silky black, long and smooth. Her skin was light brown, almost as the same color as the man, and she wore a white sari as well as a gold necklace and bracelet. There was a bindi on her forehead.

Four Jaffa followed closely behind her, each holding a staff weapon. They were wearing the same kind of robes as the man, made of animal's skin.

"Kneel before your goddess!" one of the Jaffa ordered.

"You are no goddess," the man said calmly.

Sam looked at the man in surprise. He knew about the true nature of the Goa'uld.

The Goa'uld didn't seem to be offended as she ignored the man and approached her new prisoners. She approached Halle first. "You are a woman."

Before Halle could say anything, she continued her inspection to Sam. She took her time to study her before she said, "You were a host."

Sam stared back at the Goa'uld and boldly answered, "I was."

"You are their leader."

"Yes."

"Fascinating. A woman, a leader, and a warrior."

Sam's eyes scanned the room, looking for any escape route, but she couldn't find any.

The Goa'uld then advanced toward Green and smiled seductively. "Finally. A man."

She was about to touch the Captain when Sam stepped between the two of them, pushing Green behind her slightly. "Who are you?"

She couldn't let her get close to Green. There was something in the way that she looked at him that was familiar, like a lioness eyeing for her prey.

The Goa'uld smirked. "I am Durga."

Halle gasped in shock. "Durga?"

"Lieutenant?" Sam turned her attention toward Halle.

"Durga is an Indian goddess ... the wife of Shiva."

"His wife?" Green pointed at the man that stood in the corner of the cell.

Durga averted her eyes from the three officers to the man as Halle continued her narrative. "Shiva was once married to Sita, Daksha's daughter. She consumed herself in a fire because she was ashamed to be born as Daksha's daughter after he insulted Shiva in front of many people. She swore that she would be reincarnated again to a father who she could respect. Then she was born again as Parvati, better known as Durga, and once again became Shiva's wife."

"He is no Shiva. The sarcophagus has finally scrambled his brain. Do you really believe that foolish tale? A story based on anything but the truth?"

Durga lifted her chin and look down at them in a degrading manner.

"You, the Tau'ri, are a puny race." She chuckled slightly. "Look at him and look at me. I think that should say it all. I am the mother of all and he was just a man under my feet. Nothing more."

"Mother of all?" Sam didn't like the way she said it.

"She's a queen Goa'uld," Green exclaimed.

Sam bit her lower lip as Durga once again laughed. Her suspicion was confirmed.

"You are going to be an excellent addition to my Jaffa." Durga pushed Sam aside and approached Green. "It has been a while since I had a new one."

Green stepped back as she kept advancing towards him.

"Green," Sam said. He looked passed Durga's shoulder to meet her eyes. "It's okay."

There was confusion in his eyes before he finally nodded to acknowledge her silent message.

Durga placed one of her hands on the back of his head and pulled him closer. "Don't be afraid, my child. I am your goddess, I will take care of you."

And then she breathed on him.

Sam watched them with clenched fists. The queen Goa'uld was using the pheromone-like substance to control him like Hathor had done when she had the men in the SGC under her power.

"Tell me, how did you arrive on this planet?" Her soft voice caressed Green.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Green answered, "We used the Stargate."

"Stargate? Ah, you mean the Chaapa'ai?" She was intrigued.

"Yes."

She stepped back from the Captain. "Tell me how you do that. Your Chaapa'ai should not be able to make a connection with this planet."

"We by-passed some protocol to establish a wormhole here," Sam answered on behalf of Green.

Durga turned around and faced her. "You can do that?"

"Yes."

Another Jaffa entered the room and bowed. "My Lord, we are almost ready to depart to Agni."

Durga held her gaze with Sam. "Very well. We'll have plenty of time for you later on."

She spun around and started to walk away, taking Green's hand and tugging him to follow her. "Come with me, we will prepare you for the honor of being Durga's Jaffa."

The Goa'uld, Green and the Jaffa exited the holding cell. As soon as the door was closed, Halle asked her commanding officer, "What should we do now?"

Sam crossed her arms, thinking.

They were inside a mothership and from what she had heard, they were heading to a place named Agni. She checked her watch. It told her that they had missed their radio contact with Reed by over an hour. As soon as he contacted the SGC, they would send a search party through.

But would they be on time? They were just about to leave this planet in a moment.

"Now, we wait." She put on a brave face. She couldn't afford to display her fear now, not when her team needed her.

Green should be all right for now. The Goa'uld needed him alive if she wanted to make him her Jaffa. She and Halle on the other hand ... It was no secret that the queen Goa'uld could not control women the way she controlled men. But if she had something worth the Goa'uld's interest, maybe she could keep all of them alive.

So, what did Durga want the most?

'It'.

She looked at the man. "What did she want from you?"

He looked startled at her question, but replied it anyway, "Something that I will never give to her."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is your name really Shiva?"

"It is none of your concern," he spatted.

Sam realized that the man refused to talk about the matter, so she changed her tactic.

"What do you know about Agni?"

He answered tranquilly, "It is a planet not far from Mata. It is Durga's planet, where she breeds her Jaffa."

"Mata? Is that the name of this planet?"

"Yes."

She braced herself as she asked, "Do you know what would happen to us when we arrive there?"

He looked at her. "She will probably take you as her slaves. She cannot have enough of them."

Sam thought it over. Slaves didn't sound so bad, it could have been worse. But she could not allow Durga to turn Green into a Jaffa. No way in hell.

"Why didn't she use her breath on you?" Halle asked suspiciously.

"It would not work on me."

"Why?"

His dark eyes pierced into both women, however, he didn't answer the question. To Sam's knowledge, only a man who had previously been affected by the pheromone would develop immunity to it.

She turned around and guided Halle to the opposite corner, leaving him alone.

"Ma'am?" Halle questioned her decision to finish their interrogation. The man was hiding something, and they needed to know what.

She shook her head, knowing that she wouldn't get anything more out from him. "Leave him be. We need to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Halle was puzzled.

"I'm not planning to sit down and let Durga have her way. Are you?"

The Lieutenant rested her back against the wall. "No. But what can we do?"

Sam smiled encouragingly. "We wait for an opportunity."

Halle raised her eyebrow. "You think we'll have one?"

"If not, we make one."

Halle stared at her in amazement. "How can you be so calm about this?"

"Because I'm not ready to give up just yet."

The other woman smiled weakly at her and sat down on the floor. Sam could only hope that Halle still had her fighting spirit within her.

She turned her gaze toward the door.

Now she knew why Colonel O'Neill always thought positively, no matter how bad their situations were. She had to keep their morals up and make sure that her team fought until the end. She was their anchor, and if she broke down now, she would drag her team down with her. Pushing aside her doubts and qualms, she gritted her teeth and waited patiently. She knew that a chance would come. She just had to make the best of it because it might be their only chance.

Their only chance to stay alive and go back home.

She let her mind wander to home. What was her team doing right now? It was 2024 hours on Earth. The Colonel was probably dragging Daniel out of his office to have some dinner with him, and Teal'c would be in the mess hall already, securing a table for them.

She missed them.

She missed having them alongside her.

She shoved her hand in her pockets. There was something inside one of them, and she took it out slowly. She didn't remember putting anything inside it. Someone must have put it there deliberately.

It was a small keepsake bag. She could feel that there was something inside it. She untied the knot and opened the green bag, pouring the contents into her palm. There were three items in total: a piece of paper, a string and a tiny action figure. She recognised them straight away.

The paper was Daniel's. It was torn from his journal, a rough sketch of several Stargate's chevrons.

The string was the Colonel's. It was his yoyo's string, a leather ring attached to it.

The action figure was Teal'c's. It was Master Yoda, his favourite character from Star Wars.

The corner of her lip moved upward involuntarily.

She stared at the items one by one, holding them close in her hand. It had to be Daniel's idea. Only he could think of something like this. She brought her hand closer to her mouth and kissed it softly. She found a new strength.

They were here with her.

***

He should have known.

Reed had just arrived half an hour ago, bringing news that he dreaded.

"Jack." Daniel's voice broke the eerie silence inside the SG-1 gear room.

"She'll be okay, Daniel." Jack kept his voice steady. He was facing his locker, methodically putting on his BDUs. "She has to be."

Until they came after her, she had to be okay.

***

Sam's head snapped up as the holding cell door opened.

It was Green at the end of the parting. She awarded him with a smile, knowing that she could count on him.

"Took you long enough." Five long strides later, she was at his side. "Halle, come on."

Green handed her two Zats that he had hidden.

"Well, you know the Goa'uld. They have a wacky sense in fashion."

He twirled in a comical manner, showing off his new attire: a robe similar to the kind the Jaffa wore and a staff weapon.

"She took almost thirty minutes just to pick this one for me."

Sam cleared her throat, definitely amused with the way he treated the situation. "Well, if you like it so much, you can keep it."

"Um, Ma'am?" Halle approached them. "What happened?"

She turned around and handed her the other Zat. "Green was one of the men under Hathor's control when she dropped by our base a few years ago." She smirked as the Captain's face turned a shade of red. "He couldn't be controlled with the same substance anymore."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"Well, now you do. Let's go."

She checked the corridor, finding it empty.

"Major, what about him?" Green asked, gesturing to the man.

Oh crap, she completely forgot about him. She turned around and considered her options.

The man was meditating on the floor, his legs crossed in front of him and his hands clasped together, like he was praying. It was dangerous to include a stranger in their escape. It could backfire. She didn't trust him, but she offered anyway.

"Do you want to come with us?"

He opened his eyes slowly but did not move. "No."

That was good enough f