Stargate Horizons

CHAPTER TWENTY

Sam and Teal'c glared at the rebel leader as he continued speaking.

"If you are able to communicate with Doctor Jackson, I would suggest that you do so.  Tell him that he and the loyalists are to surrender themselves to me.  If they do not, both of you will be executed."

Sam considered saying that she couldn't contact Daniel, but suspected that either he wouldn't believe her or he would kill her and Teal'c regardless if Daniel and the Kane's men attacked.

Sam turned away from the man and closed her eyes.  'Daniel?'

'Sam, what's wrong?  You stopped responding.'

'The room was bugged.  Soren heard me tell Teal'c what you were planning.'

'Crap.'

'He's demanding that all of you surrender.  If you don't, he'll kill us.'

There was a moment of silence.  'Then we have no choice but to do what he says.'

'Daniel.'

'It'll be okay, Sam.  I won't let Soren hurt anyone else.'

The two of them talked for a while longer, then Sam turned to Soren.

"He's agreed," she told the man.  "They're on their way and should be here soon."

Soren frowned.  "How were you able to speak to him?  You said not a word."

Sam thought quickly.  "We all have implants in our brains that allow us to communicate with each other silently.  It translates brain wave patterns into the correct spoken words."

Soren smiled slightly.  "Your technology is amazing.  But, if this is so, why did your companion not hear Doctor Jackson?"

"Each device is set to a unique frequency, so you can only talk to one person at a time."

"I see.  Tell Doctor Jackson that they are to discard their weapons before they reach the bunker."

Sam passed on the message.

"Come with us.  We will await their arrival in the control room."

Sam and Teal'c were taken to the control room.  Not much time had passed when it was reported that Daniel and thirteen loyalists had surrendered themselves at the entrance to the bunker.  A short while after that, the group was brought into the control room.  They were immediately surrounded by the people staffing the bunker, guns trained on them.

Soren stepped up to Daniel.  "So, you are Doctor Jackson, the man whom your fellow off-worlders were so determined to find."  The rebel's eyes passed over the thirteen members of the Rand military.  "You should not have allied yourself with these men who defy the gods."  He returned his gaze to Daniel.  "For that, I should have you put to death, but doing so would most likely bring down upon us the wrath of your people, something I cannot afford at this time.  No, instead, I will demand that, in exchange for your life and the lives of these two," he gestured at Sam and Teal'c, "your people will give us weapons."

"What do you want more weapons for?" Sam asked.  "You've already got control of the country."

"The revolution is not yet complete."

"You want to take control of Caledonia, too," Daniel immediately guessed.  "So, what happens if our people refuse?"

"Then you will remain our prisoners until they do.  If they never agree, then, once our situation here is more stable, you will be executed.  You will be an example to all that those who defy the gods will be brought down.  But, before then, you will watch as these loyalists are shot for their crimes."

"Sorry, but I can't let that happen," Daniel stated.

Soren gave him an arrogant half-smile.  "Oh?  And how do you intend to stop me?"

A second later, the weapons that the rebels held were wrenched from their grasp and went flying right into the hands of Kane's men.  Everything in the room began to shake, as if there was an earthquake.  And then there was fire, blazing all around them.  Cries of terror came from the throats of the fundamentalists, who looked for a way to escape, but found themselves trapped, the only way out blocked by the flames.

Soren looked all around them.  He did not understand what was happening.  It was as if the gods themselves were lashing out in anger.  No!  That could not be!  He was their faithful servant.  He was doing their will.

As quickly as it sprang up, the fire died.  In the silence that followed, Daniel stepped toward Soren.  The man reached for his pistol, but it never cleared the holster.  The off-worlder lifted his hand, and Soren found himself forced to his knees by an unseen power.  He looked up into the angry eyes of the man standing over him.  And that's when he realized the truth.

"What are you?" he asked.  "Only the gods could have such power."

"I've killed or helped kill more than one of your so-called gods, Soren," Daniel replied scornfully.  "They're not gods, just parasitical creatures that rule through fear and superstition and with the help of advanced technology.  Their power is false.  Mine, however, is not."  Daniel looked at the other rebels.  "And I could use it to kill every one of you in an instant."  He looked back down at Soren.  "Contact your men outside and tell them that the rebellion is over, that they are to return here, unarmed."

Amazingly, Soren's arrogance returned.  "We will not betray our gods.  We will fight to the de—"  His voice broke off with a choking sound.  Then his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he pitched forward to lie still.  That was enough to make the other rebels fall to their knees and bow their heads to the ground in what appeared to be a position of worship.  Daniel didn't like seeing it and was tempted to tell them to get up, but it was safer to leave them like that.

Kane looked around at the terrified fundamentalists.  He understood their fear.  When Daniel had told him that Soren was aware of their intentions and demanded their surrender, he had believed it was the end.  But Daniel had come up with a plan, a way to use Soren's knowledge of them to their advantage.  Even having witnessed what the archeologist could do, Kane had wondered if the plan could succeed.  Watching Daniel use his abilities to disarm and then frighten the rebels into submission had been a little terrifying.

"What now?" Kane asked after ordering his men to keep an eye on the captive fundamentalists.

"Now, we take care of the rebels that are in the rest of the bunker," Daniel replied.  "Then we call the SGC and get some more troops here."

Three loyalists were left to guard the captured rebels as everyone else left the control room.  With the aid of Daniel's abilities, it didn't take long to subdue the remaining rebels in the bunker and those guarding the entrances.  All of the newly captured rebels were then locked in a room.

With the exception of Soren, who was still unconscious, the rebels who had been taken captive in the control room were herded out of the room to be put with the other prisoners. As Daniel looked on, he remembered something.  He strode up to one of the rebels, who cowered away from him.

"Is radio jamming stopped on occasion so that the patrols can check in?" he asked.

The man nodded.

"When is the next time that's supposed to be done?"

"I-I don't know.  The schedule changes every day."

Daniel looked around at the others.  "Does anyone know?"

Someone else answered.  "Only Soren and a few others know the schedule."  He pointed at one of the other men.  "Joreth would know."

Daniel stared at the man the other had pointed to.  "Well?"

Joreth met the piercing blue gaze of the off-worlder.  He knew that Soren would defy this man and not tell him the schedule, but Soren would gladly die in the service of his gods.  Joreth didn't think his faith was that strong, definitely not strong enough to suffer the kind of death that he knew this off-worlder could inflict upon him.

"The time that we were supposed to contact them is already past," he answered.

"Do the patrols know the schedule?"

"No.  It is changed every day.  Soren wanted to be sure that the loyalists didn't take advantage of the break in the jamming to plan an attack with others."

"All right, then we need to do it now, before any of the patrols get suspicious."

Daniel addressed the first man he had spoken to.  "Do you know the procedure?"

"Yes, sir."

While the rest of the rebels were taken away, Daniel had the man sit in the chair before the radio and contact the patrols.  One by one, the patrol began checking in, most saying that they had nothing to report.  A few mentioned various problems that they ran into.  As Daniel had already known would happen, two patrols did not check in, the ones he and Kane's men had captured.  Daniel had the man at the radio report to the others that those two patrols had been killed by loyalists.

After all the patrols had reported in, the radio jamming was resumed, and the man at the radio was taken to the room where the other rebels were being kept.

"Okay, I guess it's time that we call home," Daniel said.  He, Sam and Teal'c headed for the Stargate.  As they entered the room, Sam abruptly turned to Daniel and hugged him tightly, having wanted to do so from the moment she saw him alive and well.

"I'm so glad that you're all right, Daniel," she said as she drew away.  "I was really scared that you weren't."

"Though I had confidence that you lived, I, too, was concerned for your welfare, as was General O'Neill," Teal'c stated.

"I'm really sorry I put you guys through that," Daniel said.  He looked at Sam.  "I tried to contact you a couple of times.  The first time was four days ago.  I almost got through then, but it didn't work.  I tried again two days later, and I thought I succeed, but I didn't get a response."

Sam realized that Daniel had gotten through that first time.  "Then it wasn't my imagination," Sam said.  "For just a second, I thought I felt something, but it was gone so fast that I didn't think it was real.  That must have been the first time you tried.  I don't know about the second time."

"I think it's possible that you might have been asleep."

Sam's eyes widened.  "I had a dream in which you were calling out to me, but I couldn't find you.  That must have been it.  I wished I'd realized that it was you trying to contact me.  It would have saved me days of being afraid that you were dead."

With a sense of satisfaction, Daniel dialed Earth.  As the wormhole connected, SG-1 stepped over to the MALP.

"Stargate Command, this is Colonel Carter," Sam said.

"Carter," Jack responded.  "How's it going over there?"

Sam smiled, looking at Daniel.  "Much better than expected, sir."

"Hey, Jack," Daniel greeted.

There was a brief pause, then, "Daniel?  Hey.  Good to hear your voice.  You okay?"

"I'm fine, Jack, but I'd like to ask a favor."

"Name it," the general replied immediately, surprising Daniel.

"Well, we've taken control of the bunker, but there's still a substantial rebel force in the rest of the city and beyond.  We could use some help here."

This time, there was a pause.  "This isn't our fight, Daniel."

"It's my fight, Jack, and I'm not leaving until it's over."

Jack sighed.  "All right, Daniel.  I'll send some men through.  Expect them in an hour."

"Thanks, Jack.  I'm looking forward to coming home."

"So are we."

Jack watched the wormhole disconnect.  He gave orders for every available SG team to prepare for the mission, then he went to his office.

Safe from the prying eyes of others, Jack let his cool exterior crack open.  A big smile filled his face.

"Yes!" he cheered with muted enthusiasm.  "I knew you had to be alive."


His hands tied behind his back, a now conscious Soren glared at everyone from his position on the floor.  Even in the face of complete defeat, there was still an air of arrogance about him.  Teal'c was guarding him at the moment.

"Your Doctor Jackson should have killed me," Soren said.  "For as long as there is breath in my body, I will fight in the service of the gods."

"You are fortunate that Daniel Jackson did not kill you.  I have seen with my own eyes the aftermath of his rage.  If he had turned it upon you, you would be nothing more than a burnt husk."

"Yes, his power is great, but he is nothing compared to the gods."

"Daniel Jackson killed one of the beings you worship as gods with as great an ease as you could crush an insect.  I have witnessed him destroy spaceships, defeat armies.  With a mere thought, he could have you writhing in pain, begging to die.  Your rebellion is at an end, and, in time, your gods will all be destroyed."

"The gods are immortal and all-powerful.  They cannot die."

Teal'c smiled slightly.  "Then why is it that they do not help you?  If they are truly all-powerful gods, then they would know of your plight and come to save you, a faithful servant."

"They have chosen me to be their warrior.  If I am to die in the battle, then it is their will."

Knowing that nothing he said would penetrate through the man's fanaticism, Teal'c simply said, "You are a fool," then nothing more.

A short while after that, one of Kane's men took over for Teal'c, and the Jaffa joined Daniel, Sam and Kane to discuss the best way to take care of the remaining rebel troops.  Though having control of the bunker and Soren in custody was a tremendous victory, there was no guarantee that the other rebels wouldn't attempt to take back control.  Daniel knew that, if that happened, Kane and his twelve men wouldn't be able to maintain control of the bunker forever, which was why they needed to deal with the rebels who were still out there.

As promised, five SG teams came through the gate an hour after the SGC was contacted.  What surprised SG-1 was that Jack was with them.

"Sir?" Sam said questioningly.

"I decided that this was the perfect opportunity for me to exercise my rights as base commander and tag along," Jack responded.

"So, who's minding the store?" Daniel asked.

"Reynolds.  He'd rather have come with us, but I needed somebody in charge that I could really count on in an emergency."

Jack walked up to Daniel and, much to the archeologist's surprise, wrapped him in an embrace, patting his back heartily.

"It's good to see you, Daniel," the general said as he drew away.

Daniel smiled.  "It's good to see you, too."

"So, tell me what happened."

Daniel gave his friend a quick rundown of everything that took place, culminating with their capture of the bunker.

"When Soren demanded that we surrender and come to the bunker, I realized it was the perfect opportunity for us to get in here without having to fire a single shot," he explained.  "I knew that I could take care of anyone in the control room."

"And give them all one hell of a fright in the process," Jack said.  "Good work.  So, where's this Soren fella?"

"We'll take you to him, sir," Sam replied.

SG-1 and Jack went to the bunker.

"Well, hello there, Soren," the general greeted.  "How ya doin'?  I'm General O'Neill."

The rebel leader had that insufferably arrogant little smirk on his face again.  "General.  It is clear that your world is one full of sinful unbelievers as well.  The gods will punish you, just as, through me, they punished the unbelievers of this world."

"Oh, get off your high horse, Soren.  The 'gods' had nothing to do with what you did here.  You did this all on your own.  We've gone up against those gods of yours more than once when they tried to pick on Earth, and we beat them every time.  We'll do it again next time, too.  And they sure aren't going to help you.  In fact, they've probably forgotten all about your planet, most likely because it doesn't have anything they want anymore.  The Goa'uld don't give a damn about you or any other human being and would gladly wipe you all out if it suited their purposes."

"Many have sought to sway us, but our faith is unshakable.  In the end, the gods will be victorious."

Jack rolled his eyes.  "I thought you were a smart man, Soren, but, though you're apparently a good tactician, you're also an idiot . . . whom I see no point in wasting any more time on."

Leaving the rebel leader to obsess about the power of his "gods", Jack and SG-1 went to talk with Kane.  The loyalists and the forces from Earth gathered in a room that had around three dozen folding chairs facing the front of the room, where there was a pull-down map and a chalkboard.

Once the others had taken a seat, Jack stepped to the front of the room, facing them.  "Since, from what I've been told, Colonel Carter, Doctor Jackson and Jared Kane have already put together a plan of attack, I will hand the briefing over to them."

Sam, Daniel and Kane took his place.

"Okay, we figure that there are probably rebel forces in a number of major cities throughout the country," Daniel began.  "Obviously, we can't get them all, so we're just going to focus on those here in the capital city and the surrounding area, which I suspect is where the greatest number of rebels are.  Since we can't possibly go looking for them, our plan is to draw them here."

"The rebels all carry radios," Sam said.  "We're going to send them a false message, telling them that the bunker is under attack and reinforcements are needed.  We will set up teams in key positions around the area so that when the rebels arrive, they can be captured."

Kane took over.  "They're likely not going to come all at once since their numbers are so widely scattered, so it's important that none of the rebels coming in figure out what's happening.  They may escape if they do."

Details of the plan were discussed.  A map of the capital city was pulled out, and the troops were divided into four-man teams, which were assigned positions on the roofs of buildings all around the bunker, affording them the best view of the area and the ability to neutralize any rebel forces, if necessary.  It would not be their job, however, to capture the rebels.  That would be up to Daniel.  To reduce the possibility of a firefight that could result in casualties among the SG forces and Kane's men, it was agreed that the rebels would be allowed to get close enough to the bunker that Daniel could deal with them.  Only in the event that any of the rebels escaped would the men on the roofs take action.

The same rebel who had manned the radio before was brought back out.  Soren was then put in with the rest of the captured rebels, and Daniel melted the lock so that there was no chance they could escape.  As he returned to the control room, there was the sound of gunfire outside.  This was expected and a part of the plan.  Since it might cause the rebels already in the city to get suspicious if the place was too quiet when the call came over the radio that the bunker was under attack, Jack had come up with the idea of playing a recording of gunfire over a loudspeaker.  Normally, such a thing might take a while to get, but there happened to be a war sound effects CD in the base library, someone's idea of a joke.  It was sent through the Stargate, along with a large, portable player borrowed from one of the personnel and several other things.

Daniel stepped up to the rebel at the radio, who was guarded by one of Kane's men.  "Okay, I want you to stop the radio jamming and send a message over the radio that the bunker is under attack by loyalist troops and that all teams are to return here.  Make it sound convincing."

Jack looked into the man's eyes.  "Just imagine what Daniel here will do to you if you screw up."

The terror in the rebel's eyes escalated, and he nodded his head rapidly.  He turned to the radio, and, with the right touch of fear in his voice, said, "All teams!  The bunker is under attack!  We need reinforcements.  Return at once!"

"Command Base, who is attacking?" asked one of the rebels.

"Loyalist troops.  We are under siege.  Return immediately!"

Daniel motioned for him to cut the transmission.  "Do not resume jamming.  If any more calls come in, I want you to keep up the act."

"Yes, sir."

Daniel looked at Jack.  "Okay, let's go."

SG-1 and their former team leader left the bunker.  Everyone else was already in position and awaiting the arrival of the rebel forces.  Jack and SG-1 positioned themselves on the roof of the building holding the bunker, which would afford them a good view of the immediate area.  The roof had been badly damaged, but Daniel had reinforced it with lumber taken from other damaged buildings in the area.

"General O'Neill, this is Team 3.  A group of nine rebels is approaching from the east in area Delta 5," announced one of the SG teams just a few minutes later.

"Okay, keep reporting their position.  If any of them split off from the group, inform us immediately."

Daniel was focused on detecting the presence of the approaching rebels.  He felt them a few minutes later.

"They're almost here," he told the others.

A short while after that, the men came into view.  Daniel struck immediately.  The weapons were wrenched from their hands and went sailing through the air to land several yards away.  Stunned, the rebels stared at their suddenly empty hands and each other.

Before they could consider fleeing, they found themselves surrounded by a ring of fire, which 'herded' them out into the open, where they were taken captive by an SG team.

"Well, that was easy," Jack commented.  "But how many times are you going to be able to do that before you start overdoing it?"

"It all depends on how much of a rest I get between each time.  That took very little effort.  I kept the fire as low as possible.  I won't always have to do it that way.  If the rebels are in the right position and I can see them clearly enough, I can simply knock them out."

The next several hours passed as rebels continued to come.  Only twice did anyone manage to escape from Daniel's trap, and those men were quickly brought down by one of the lookout teams.  By nightfall, over a hundred and fifty rebels had been captured or killed.

Several pairs of night vision goggles had been sent through the gate.  Two teams remained on the roof to keep an eye out for any rebels who might try to sneak up on the bunker during the night.

"So, how many do you think are left?" Jack asked as he, his former teammates and Kane sat eating their dinner in the break room.

"There's no way to tell," Kane replied.  "We know that quite a few of Soren's forces are still in the city, but we don't have exact figures on how many are in the areas beyond."

"The fundamentalists originally numbered well into the thousand," Daniel said, "but the majority of them would have been killed in the missile attacks on the cities, especially since they were in the midst of fighting with Rand forces when the war began.  I doubt there are very many left."

"If the remaining rebels are wise, they will use the cover of darkness to draw closer to the bunker," Teal'c stated.

"It's overcast tonight, and last night was a new moon, which means that it will be pretty dark," Daniel responded.  "With all the debris, they might not want to chance it."

"Yeah, but we're talking about fanatics here," Jack said.

"True."

"If we get a force of a couple hundred or more rebels hitting us all at once, it's going to be harder to handle them," Sam pointed out.

"I should still be able to handle it without having to kill them all.  Actually, I think it would be better if they did hit in large numbers.  That way, we won't have to sit out there all day tomorrow, waiting for them to show up a few at a time."

"Could we not encourage the rebels to do so by contacting them via radio?" Teal'c asked.

"Hey, now there's an idea," Jack said.  "We have that guy get on the radio and tell everyone that's still out there to gather their forces and make a big attack in the morning.  Then we take care of all of them at the same time."

"We'd have to stage a realistic battle outside the bunker," Sam stated.  "If they didn't see fighting going on, they'd get suspicious."

Jack grinned.  "No, I have a better idea."


The large force of rebel soldiers cautiously made their way through the blasted remains of the city.  They had been ordered last night to gather in force and attack the bunker at dawn to overwhelm the loyalists with their superior numbers.  Throughout the night, continually more rebels had joined them from all over the region.

Just as they were heading out, they had received a frantic call that the loyalists had breached the outer defenses of the bunker and that the fighting was now going on inside.  The control room was still secure, but there was a danger that it would fall as well.

Their senses alert, the rebels approached the bunker.  As it came into view, they saw bodies scattered about, both those of rebels and loyalists.  The sound of fighting going on inside was intense.  The entrance to the bunker was wide open and, for the moment, appeared unguarded.

Deciding that a full frontal assault would work best, the rebels attacked.  They were perhaps twenty yards from the bunker when loud explosions made them spin around to look behind them.  They watched two buildings, one on each side of the street, topple over with a tremendous roar, entirely blocking the street and their avenue of escape.

Realizing it was a trap, the men made a break for the shelter of the structures to either side of them, but, before they could get there, an impassable wall of fire exploded upward between them and the buildings.  It spread with frightening suddenness in both directions, completely cutting off access to every structure between the collapsed buildings behind them and the bunker before them.  The door of the bunker abruptly closed.

"You are trapped," said a loud voice.  "You cannot escape.  If you do not surrender, you will be killed.  The fire that surrounds you can consume you in an instant, and there are men all around you who will shoot anyone who seeks to escape.  Throw your weapons into the fire and raise your hands in the air."

For several seconds, the rebels did not comply, looking around for the enemy.  But they could not fight what they could not see, so, gradually, the men began doing as they were ordered.  A small group of them decided to try for an escape and ran for the collapsed buildings blocking the road.  They'd gone only a few yards when a hail of bullets rained down all around them.  That was the last straw for the rebels who, unlike Soren, weren't all that willing to die for their gods.  Everyone surrendered.  A moment later, the fire guttered out.  Emerging from the buildings that had been blocked by the fire was a surprisingly small number of armed men dressed in unfamiliar clothing.

"Don't attempt to fight these men," the voice said.  "The fire that held you prisoner before is completely at my command and can kill any one of you."

Apparently in demonstration of the man's claim, columns of fire suddenly sprang up here and there, close enough to singe the hair of some.  Terrified of this man who appeared to have an unnatural power over fire, all of the rebels went to their knees, clasping their hands behind their heads.

Up on the roof of the bunker, Daniel lowered the bullhorn and closed his eyes, rubbing a temple with his fingers.

Jack noticed the action.  "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, that was just a lot of fire to create and control."

"It did help using the buildings to block the street, though, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did.  It was that much less fire that I had to generate.  Those charges were planted perfectly."

"Yep, Sawyer definitely knows a thing or two about demolition.  Actually, I think he blew up buildings for a living before joining the Marines."

Jack looked back down at the rebels, whose hands were being bound by two SG teams and most of Kane's men, who were dressed in SG gear.  The remaining SG teams came down from the roofs and aided in the arrest.

The general's gaze moved to the "casualties" on the ground directly below them.  The bodies were some of the previously captured rebels, who had been rendered unconscious, splashed with blood – courtesy of the SGC infirmary – and placed there to play dead.  Some had been dressed in the uniforms of Kane's men.  A few of the bodies really were dead, the handful of rebels who had been killed the previous day.

Once all of the rebels were subdued, Jack insisted that Daniel rest.  He didn't argue.

"So, do you think we got all of them?" Jack asked a while later as he, SG-1 and Kane sat at a table.  Yet another batch of prisoners had just been brought in, the two rebel patrols that Daniel and Kane's men had captured yesterday morning.  After over a day of being bound and gagged and locked in a room, the men hadn't put up any resistance.

Kane shook his head in answer to the question.  "It's likely that there are still some out there in the area around the capital city."

"Well, I know of some for sure," Daniel said.

"Oh?" Jack inquired.

Daniel told them about his encounters with the rebels on his way to the capital.

Jack smiled.  "Oh, I'd have loved to see that.  You probably scared the crap out of some of them."

"Even if there are still a few dozen fundamentalists out there in the outlying areas around the capital, it won't be enough to worry about," the archeologist stated.  "And with Soren a prisoner, they'll have no leader."  He turned to Kane.  "I'd recommend that you make an announcement over the radio that you have control of the bunker and both Soren and most of the rebels in captivity.  The remaining rebels would probably assume that you have a much larger force than you really do and decide it wouldn't be wise to attempt an attack."

"Speaking of Soren and the other prisoners, what are you going to do with them?" Jack asked.

"Soren will be executed for his crimes, as will his lieutenants," Kane replied.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Daniel asked.  "You might be making martyrs out of them."

"They must be punished for what they've done.  And, as long as Soren lives, some of the other fundamentalists may seek to free him.  Once he is dead, I'm hoping that whatever rebels are left out there will not bother us again."

"And the rest of the prisoners?" Daniel asked.  He hated the idea of all the hundreds of rebel prisoners being put to death.  So many people had died already.

"We do not have prisons to hold so many," Kane said.  "Even if we did, we would not have the means or ability to guard and care for them.  I do not even know how we will feed and care for those who were left homeless by the attack."

"We can help with that, Kane," Daniel told him, "and we can help you rebuild."  He thought of something.  "As for the prisoners, I may have an idea."

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"K2R-590."

The lieutenant colonel smiled.  "That might work."

"What is K2R-590?" Kane asked.

"It's a planet where the Stargate is on a very small island," Daniel replied.  "There's fresh water and some vegetation, but not much else.  A camp for the prisoners could be set up there.  We could provide them with enough food for a couple of months or so, long enough to make arrangements to imprison them here."

Sam nodded.  "I could rig the DHD with a timer that would disable it after you got all the prisoners there.  That way, there'd be no chance that they could figure out how to dial out.  I could train your people how to repair it for when you go to get the prisoners."

Kane nodded.  "Very well."

It took most of the rest of the day to get enough food and supplies sent through from Earth for the prisoners, then to transport them to K2R-590.  Before sending the rebels through, Sam rigged a tiny explosive inside the DHD that would cause just enough damage to disable it but not so much that it couldn't be quickly repaired with the right tools and materials.

While all that was going on, Jared Kane began attempting to contact other survivors in the Rand military.  By late afternoon, they'd found several dozen scattered throughout the country, who said that they would begin making their way to the capital city.  It was hoped that there were still more out there who would eventually come to the capital once it was safe.

The sun was setting as Soren and thirteen of the prisoners were taken from the room they'd been kept in.  Some of the men were those that the other rebels had identified as having positions of authority among the fundamentalists.  The others were ones that had been named as individuals who showed particular brutality in dealing with survivors.  The fact that the other rebels revealed this information to the loyalists and off-worlders enraged Soren, and he told all of them that the gods would punish them.  But those rebels were no longer so sure about the gods Soren was so fanatical about.  What they were sure about was the power possessed by Daniel, a power that they feared a lot more than claims of retribution by gods they'd never seen.  Many of the men were now regretting what they had done, realizing that they'd allowed a madman to lead them into committing a horrible crime against their own people.

The fourteen men were taken into an empty room and lined up along the wall.  That's when they realized what was going to happen to them.  Some begged for their lives, others said nothing, perhaps choosing to die with honor.  Soren stood tall among them, the arrogant smirk never leaving his face.

Jack and SG-1 stayed outside the room.  Daniel turned to Kane.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"These men nearly destroyed our world, Doctor Jackson.  As long as they live, they are a threat to us, especially Soren."

Kane joined the rest of his men in the room and shut the door behind him.

Jack took Daniel's arm.  "Come on, Daniel.  Let's go home."

As they walked away, they all heard the sound of rifle shots from the closed room.  It was over.  Soren and his plans for a new world order were dead.

SG-1, Jack and two of the other SG teams gathered at the Stargate.  They were joined a moment later by Kane.  No one spoke of the execution.

"The other teams will remain here for a couple more days to make sure there's no more trouble," Jack told the man.

"We'll send through food and medicine," Sam said, "and some medics and other people to help."

Daniel met the man's eyes.  "Jared, you need to establish communications with Caledonia, try to forge peace.  The hostilities between you have already cost far too many lives."

"Yes, I know.  Doctor Jackson, you need to understand that what happened wasn't your fault.  We have no one but ourselves to blame for this."

Daniel only nodded, not answering Kane's statement.  He dialed the gate.  As the wormhole was established and the other SG teams started going through, the archeologist turned back to Kane.

"Say goodbye to Leda for me.  Give her my thanks for everything."

"I will.  And thank you, Doctor Jackson.  You gave our country back to us.  It would not have been possible without you."

With a final goodbye, Daniel stepped through the Stargate with his friends.

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

News & Info      Fanfics      Message Board      Photos/Videos      Site Map      Contact Us

Stargate SG-1, its characters and all related entities are the property of Stargate SG-1 Productions (II) Inc., MGM Worldwide Television Productions Inc., Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp and Showtime Networks Inc / The SciFi Channel. No copyright infringement is intended. This website, its operators, and any content on this site relating to Stargate SG-1, its characters, or its distributors is not authorized by MGM, Stargate SG-1 Productions (II) Inc., or any personnel associated with Stargate SG-1.

All fan fiction, original artwork and photographs on this Web site are protected under copyright law and are the property of their creators, who retain all rights. All rules governing the unauthorized usage of copyrighted materials apply. The fan fiction, original artwork and photographs on this Web site may not be copied in any way except as expressly allowed by the owner. They may not be copied, in whole or in part, for the purpose of publication in any manner or form without the written permission of the owner. This includes, but is not limited to, placement of the text or images on another Web site. The stories included on this site are not intended for commercial profit.