CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Seeing that Daniel was already asleep, Sam removed the radio earpiece so that he wouldn't be disturbed by calls.  She placed a rolled up blanket from her pack under his head.

"He will be all right?" Rya'c asked her.

"Yes.  He just needs sleep and time to recuperate."

Sam got on the radio to Reynolds.  "We managed to rescue two of the rebel Jaffa.  The rest were dead.  Unfortunately, things got really hot.  Daniel overdid it a bit, so he's resting.  We probably have half the Jaffa on this planet looking for us now.  You may have no choice but to get the DHD back up and running and send for backup."

"How secure is your position?"

"We're well hidden, but, once daylight arrives, a good tracker will be able to find us, so we need to get out of here before then.  How are things going there?"

"It's been quiet.  We haven't. . . .  Hold on.  We've got activity below."  There was a long silence, then, "Cat's out of the bag," Reynolds announced.  "A large troop of Jaffa just showed up at the gate and discovered that nobody's home.  They tried to dial out with the expected results.  Most of them have stayed behind, but a small number left, probably to report to whoever is in charge."

"Okay, remain at your position unless you have no choice but to move.  Carter out."

The hours passed as they waited in their hiding place.  Sam had injected both injured Jaffa with morphine, concerned that the pain of their injuries would make them restless when they began awakening.  Twice, patrols came near their hiding place, but the trees kept the rescuers well hidden.

Sam was asleep when a voice in her ear awoke her.  It was Major Harper, the leader of SG-5.

"Colonel Carter, come in," he said.

Sam reached for her radio.  "Carter here."

"Colonel, Moloc just arrived."

Sam quickly sat up.  "What's he doing?"

"Well, he's clearly not a happy Goa'uld.  We can hear him ranting from way up here.  I'm guessing that he got the bad news about the DHD, the missing men and everything else."

"Okay, keep reporting his actions.  Carter out."

Sam awoke everyone, except for Daniel.

"Moloc's here," she told them.  "He just came through the gate."

"Is he on his way here?" Ishta asked.

"Not yet.  Right now, he's yelling at the unfortunate Jaffa at the gate."

"What are our plans?" Rya'c asked.

"I'm not sure.  I need to wake up Daniel.  It's all going to depend on how well he is."

Sam gently shook the archeologist awake.

"Sam?  What's wrong?"

"Moloc has arrived."

Daniel immediately sat up.

"How do you feel?" Sam asked.

"Good.  The headache's gone."  He looked at the injured Jaffa.  "How are they doing?"

"They are . . . hanging on, as the Tau'ri would say," Bra'tac replied.

"Carter, this is Reynolds.  Come in."

Sam pressed her mic button.  "Carter here."

Daniel realized that his earpiece was no longer in place and put it in just in time to hear the reply.

"Moloc's on the move.  I'd say that he's probably heading your way."

Daniel spoke into his radio.  "Can you tell how many are at the gate?"

"It tough to tell for sure in the dark, but I'd say around forty or fifty.  Are you still going through with the plan to get Moloc?"

"Stand by."  Daniel looked around at everyone.  "So?  Do we go ahead with it?  I already know what your reply is going to be Ishta, but this needs to be decided by all of us since we're all risking our necks."

"Well, for me, it depends on how recovered you are," Sam said.  "The fighting is probably going to be intense.  If you're not recovered enough to deal with it and take down Moloc, then I have to say no."

"I feel okay, so I'd say that I could handle it."

"All right, then I say let's go for it."

Daniel looked at the eldest Jaffa.  "Bra'tac?"

"We have already succeeded in accomplishing much here, and, as you said, this may be our best hope to defeat Moloc without great loss of life."  He nodded once.  "We should do it."

"Teal'c?" Daniel called softly.  "Have you heard what we've said?"

"I have," the Jaffa answered from outside the wall of fallen trees, where he was on watch.  "I am in agreement with Bra'tac.  We will get no better chance than this."

"I, too, believe so," Rya'c stated.

"My heart feels the same as Ishta's," said Kar'yn.  "Moloc must be stopped."

"What of you, Daniel Jackson?" Ishta asked.  "You have given me your word that you would help destroy Moloc, but I will not bind you to that promise if you do not wish to do this.  From what I now know, you, more than any of us, risk your life in this fight."

Daniel looked at the others, their eyes all on him.  "I say we don't let any more babies die at Moloc's hand."

Ishta smiled and inclined her head.  "For the children," she said quietly but firmly.

"For the children," everyone else repeated.

Moloc was furious.  He had come here expecting to enjoy the sight of a defeated faction of the rebellious Jaffa in his domain, but, instead, was greeted by the news of disappearing troops, destroyed blast cannons, battles lost, mysterious attackers that no one can find, and a dialing device that wasn't working.  Someone would pay for this, and Moloc was going to delight in the pain he'd make them suffer.

The Goa'uld and the Jaffa accompanying him arrived at the tent.  Bodies were everywhere, many with the marks of staff weapon blasts on them, but others with multiple holes that pierced through their armor and into flesh.  Though he had never seen wounds like that before, he knew that they were from the weapons the Tau'ri used.  This confirmed statements from survivors who said that they saw humans in the battle.

"I want this entire area search thoroughly," Moloc commanded.  "The ones responsible for this are here somewhere."

"My lord, Moloc," called a Jaffa.  "Look."  He pointed down at one of the corpses.  The Goa'uld approached it and saw severely burned flesh and scorched armor.  He looked about and noticed other signs of fire.

"One of the survivors babbled a tale of being pursued by fire that lived," said the Jaffa who had pointed out the burned man.  "I did not believe him and killed him for his weakness.  Others have given equally unbelievable stories.  Yet we have seen with our own eyes what was done to the blast cannons.  What force could hurl them through the air in such a manner?"

"I can tell you," someone replied.

Moloc and his Jaffa spun around to see a lone, seemingly unarmed man emerge from the tent.  The Jaffa immediately aimed their weapons at him.  Moloc studied the man before him.

"Who are you that dares defy a god?" he asked.

"It's no god that I defy," the man replied.  "As for who I am, you may have heard of me.  I am called Dan'yar."

The name sent a wave of reaction through the Jaffa, some of whom backed away fractionally.

Moloc sneered.  "So, you are Dan'yar, the hero of the Jaffa rebellion."  He looked up and down the body of the man before him.  "I see no man of great power, just a weak human."

Daniel shrugged.  "Well, you know what they say.  Appearances can be deceiving."

Moloc smiled.  "When I tell my fellow System Lords that I have single-handedly defeated the man who has caused us so much trouble, they will be filled with envy."

"You know, you really should have a little chat with Osiris about that.  Oh, that's right.  He's dead.  Baal, then.  No, he's dead, too.  Anubis?  Oh, yeah.  That wouldn't be possible either.  Are you seeing a pattern here?"

Moloc glared at him.  "I will delight in bringing you to your knees," he said as he lifted his right hand, which was encased in a ribbon device.

"Oh, you really don't want to do that," Daniel told him.  The Goa'uld didn't listen to him.

A blast wave shot out from the ribbon device.  Daniel's hand rose in reaction as his mind deflected the blast, hurling it right back toward man who'd sent it.  It struck Moloc, sending him flying backwards.

The attack on their master spurred the Jaffa into retaliating.  Sensing the staff weapon barrage that was about to come his way, Daniel struck out in a wide sweep, launching every Jaffa in sight into the air to smash against trees, into brush, and into the Jaffa behind them.

Then, all of a sudden, a hail of bullets and staff weapon blasts began issuing from either side of the tent to strike Moloc's Jaffa.  Daniel dove through the tent and out the back to join his teammates, Bra'tac, Ishta, Rya'c and the newly arrived SG-3 and 5, who were all positioned behind the edge of the slope.

Unable to see their attackers in the darkness of night, the return fire of Moloc's Jaffa had little effectiveness, whereas they, cast in the light of the torches, were easy targets.  Some of the Jaffa retreated further into the woods and out of the light, but others, seeking to reach and defend their master kept pressing forward.

As for Moloc, he was keeping his head down and trying to make it into the trees, furious that he was being forced to retreat.  Though his personal shield protected him from the bullets and staff weapon blasts, the weapon fire was too intense for him to get to his feet.

Then, quite unexpectedly, the choice was taken out of his hands.  An invisible force grabbed hold of him by the throat and lifted him several feet to dangle helplessly in the air.  Choking and clawing at hands that were not there, he struggled ineffectually.

Seeing what was happening, his Jaffa gradually stopped firing to stare, stunned, at the sight of their great master being held suspended in the air, as helpless as a fish dangling on the end of a line.

"Jaffa!" Daniel called out.  "Surrender or I will kill your master."  He destroyed the device that generated the Goa'uld's personal shield.  "His personal shield is now no longer working.  If you do not drop your weapons and come forward . . ." fire erupted from the ground right beneath Moloc, "I will drop him into the fire.  And there is no sarcophagus to revive him on this world."

"Moloc cannot die!" one Jaffa declared.  "He is a god!"

"Oh, really."

Daniel repositioned his hold on Moloc, then began lowering the Goa'uld down toward the fire.  Soon, the heat from the flames was becoming very uncomfortable to the System Lord.

"So, Moloc," the archeologist said.  "Will you survive the fire or will you die like the thousands of innocent children you had thrown into the flames?"

"Kill him!" Ishta exclaimed.  "Make him suffer the agony of burning flesh!  Let his screams accompany those of the children he has murdered!"

"What's it to be, Moloc?" Daniel asked.  "It's up to you."

"Throw down your weapons!" Moloc called out to his Jaffa, not prepared to die this way.

Hesitating a moment, the men did as he commanded and began throwing down their staff weapons.  Those who were hiding in the trees came forward into the clear area around the tent.

With SG-3 and 5 remaining at their positions, Daniel rose with others and stepped forward into view.

"Tell them to get on the ground," Daniel commanded Moloc.

"Do it," the Goa'uld snarled, furious but smart enough to recognize that, at this moment, he could not afford to be defiant.  He would wait until the right moment to turn the tables and bring Dan'yar down.

Obeying their master's command, the Jaffa got down on their bellies.

In the next instant, Moloc was falling, descending toward the fire.  He cried out in fear, but, as he reached the flames, they were no longer there.  He landed with a thud on the patch of scorched earth.  The ribbon device was ripped from his hand and went flying into Daniel's grasp.

"I would advise that you not consider commanding your Jaffa to attack," Teal'c stated.  "I once saw the blackened remains of a drone warrior of Anubis that Dan'yar killed with no more than a thought.  It is within his power to do the same to you before a single shot was fired."

"You cannot escape from this planet," Moloc declared.  "Many Jaffa loyal to me guard the Stargate."

"I think you're forgetting that many Jaffa loyal to you guarded the gate before," Daniel responded.

Bra'tac smiled.  "And where are they now, great Moloc?  Hmm?"

Keeping part of his attention on the Goa'uld, Daniel began telepathically lifting the staff weapons off the ground and launching them into the air to go sailing over the edge of the hill.  The Jaffa watched, captivated by the seemingly magical sight.

Daniel got on his radio.  "Come on out, guys."

The two SG teams left their position and came into the light, P-90's aimed at the enemy Jaffa.

Daniel turned his gaze upon Moloc.  "Get up."

"No mere human commands a Goa'uld," the man responded in defiance.

Daniel sighed and psychically forced him to his feet in a rather ungainly and anything but regal fashion.

"Shall we try this again?" the archeologist asked.  "I want you to walk over to me.  Or do I need to drag you?"

Fuming, Moloc walked over to Daniel with his head held high.

"Thank you.  Now, turn around."

Giving Daniel a long, heated glare, the Goa'uld did as he was told.  The archeologist told Teal'c to bind Moloc's hands.

Daniel then addressed the Goa'uld's Jaffa.  "All right, we're leaving now, and we're taking your master with us.  Don't try to follow us.  If you attempt to stop us, he will be killed."

One of the Jaffa rose to his knees.  "Dan'yar.  I wish to go with you," he said.  "Long have I had doubts of Moloc's godhood, and, now, I see that he is no god at all.  You are the one with true power."

"Traitor!" Moloc yelled.  "You betray your god!"

Another Jaffa also rose to a kneeling position.  "Ther'ak is right.  You are no god.  Dan'yar has defeated you.  He is far more a god than you could ever be."

A third Jaffa, then a fourth rose and made similar statements.

Bra'tac stepped forward.  "All those who now see the Goa'uld for the false gods they are and wish to be free step forward."

The four Jaffa who had spoken got to their feet and came up to the group.  They were joined by three others.  Moloc began cursing them.  The curses were cut off as Teal'c gagged him.

Daniel turned to the ones who were still on the ground.  "Okay, as for the rest of you, I want you to stay where you are until the sun rises."  He looked over his shoulder at his friends and allies.  "Let's go."

As SG-3 and 5 kept the enemy Jaffa covered, everyone else went to the edge of the slope and started downward.  The two SG teams followed a few seconds later.  The moon had finally risen, making the going easier.

They made their way to the trees that had been their hiding place.  Bra'tac and Rya'c went inside.  They came back out a short while later with the injured rebel Jaffa, who, fortunately, were both conscious now, though very weak.  Kar'yn, who had been watching over them, was in the rear.

Daniel told two of the new additions to the rebellion to take over the burden of helping the injured men.  He knew that none of them could be fully trusted yet, so it was better for two of them to be occupied with helping the injured than for Bra'tac and Rya'c to do so.

With Daniel in the lead, his senses scanning for Jaffa in the area, they headed for the gate.  It was not long before they encountered some.  Now that secrecy was no longer an issue, Daniel didn't have to be subtle.  As soon as they came into sight, he sent them sprawling headlong on the ground.  They were then rendered unconscious.

Four more times, they ran into patrols with similar results, although a couple Jaffa did manage to get off shots, which did no harm.

Finally, they reached a spot where they could see the Stargate.  They crouched behind some shrubbery.  In the moonlight, Daniel counted around fifty Jaffa.

He turned to Harper.  "Get the others down here."

The leader of SG-5 got on the radio to the member of his team who had stayed with the Hak'tyl warriors to watch the gate.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Sam asked.

"Well, there really are only two ways," Daniel replied.  "One is to put on a big show like we did in the beginning.  The other is to walk up to them, dragging Moloc along, and tell them the same thing we did those other Jaffa."

"Personally, I vote for the big show," Reynolds said.  "Scaring the shit out of them works a whole lot faster than convincing them that their god is vulnerable and they should do what we say."

"I agree," Bra'tac said.  "With a force of that size, there may be many who will seek to save Moloc and believe that they can overpower us."

"I am in agreement with Bra'tac," Teal'c stated.

"As am I," said Ishta.

"Yep, me too," declared Sam.  She studied Daniel.  "Will it be a problem?"

"No, I'm fine."  He nodded.  "Okay, a show it is."

As soon as the others had arrived and were filled in, Daniel got to his feet and began walking forward.  Several Jaffa soon saw him and shouted a warning to others, and a few dozen staff weapons were aimed at him.  Daniel came to a stop and lifted his hand.  The Jaffa stumbled backwards as the fires of hell rose up and blazed toward them.  Most ran, fleeing past the Stargate, which was the only way they could go.  The flames pursued them a hundred feet beyond the ring, then vanished.

Daniel's attention focused on the Jaffa who had dived to the ground instead of running.

"My name is Dan'yar!" he called out.  "Drop your weapons and leave.  I don't wish to harm you, but I will if any of you try to attack me.  It will do you no good to try.  Your weapons will not harm me."

It was no surprise that a few tried.  Daniel deflected the shots and took care of the ones who fired, sweeping them off the ground and throwing them backwards.  He hoped there wouldn't be many more.  The headache had returned with a vengeance.

"I say again.  There is no need for you to die, but, if death is what you want," Daniel lifted his hand and created one of the small fireballs that were so effective at making a point, "I can give it to you."

Unfortunately, one of the Jaffa decided to be a hero.  He got to his feet and stepped forward.  "I would rather die than betray my—"  His voice choked off, and he toppled forward to lie still on the ground.

"Any more?" Daniel asked.

Thankfully, the naturally superstitious minds of the Jaffa began working in Daniel's favor.  Those who were still on the ground let go of their weapons, got to their feet and started backing away.  As for the ones Daniel had chased away with the fire, they had apparently decided that discretion was the better part of valor, which was quite an achievement for the average Jaffa.

Daniel got on the radio.  "Okay, let's get out of here.  They're cooperating now, but I don't know how long that will last.  Oh, and don't let them see Moloc.  Some of them could change their minds if they realize we have him."

With Moloc hidden in the rear, the party came up to Daniel, who was watching the enemy Jaffa closely.  The unarmed Jaffa had all retreated to a spot around a dozen yards beyond the Stargate and had been joined by some of the ones who were still armed.  All total, there were around thirty in the group, and, if they suddenly decided to attack, it could cause a problem.

Sam retrieved the control crystal and, working as fast as possible, placed it back in the DHD.  She then dialed Earth.  The wormhole connected, and she sent the IDC code.

Unfortunately, at that moment, one of Moloc's Jaffa spotted the Goa'uld in the light cast by the event horizon.

"They have Moloc!" he yelled.  "We must protect our god!"

"Crap," Daniel cursed.  "Run for it!"

The Jaffa troops began charging, firing what weapons they had.  Daniel chose to devote all of his power to shielding himself and the others.  Thankfully, the activated Stargate blocked most of the blasts.

A faint cry of pain from a female voice told him that one of the blasts had gotten through.  Unable look back without breaking his concentration, Daniel stopped partway up the stairs and yelled at everyone to get through the gate.  They rushed past him, Moloc now in the very undignified position of being flung over Teal'c's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.  Daniel was alarmed to see Rya'c hurry by with Kar'yn in his arms.

The archeologist was the last one to go through, striking briefly at the closest Jaffa and throwing them back into the ones behind as he rushed into the event horizon.

"Close the iris!" he yelled as he came out the other side.  The technician did not delay in doing so.  A moment later, they heard the sound of several impacts on the iris.

Daniel made his way down the ramp to where Rya'c sat on the floor, an unconscious Kar'yn in his arms.  A staff weapon blast marred her chest.

Rya'c lifted tear-filled eyes to Daniel.  "Please.  You must help her."

Daniel knelt beside the girl.  She was alive, but wouldn't be for long if something wasn't done.

"Lay her down," the archeologist said.  Rya'c obeyed and watched as Daniel laid his hand over the wound and closed his eyes.

Seconds passed as the gaping would began to heal, internal damage mending, ravaged flesh becoming whole.  When Daniel as last lifted his hand, the injury was gone.

Kar'yn's eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at Rya'c, who scooped her into his arms and held her tight.

Feeling weak and shaky, Daniel looked up at the others.  The first pair of eyes he happened to meet were Moloc's, which were filled with shock.

"You healed her with no device," one of the Jaffa who had rebelled against Moloc murmured.

He and his fellows went to one knee and bowed their heads low toward Daniel.

"You are surely a god," one of them whispered.

Daniel sighed tiredly.  "No, I'm not, and please get up."

The men hesitated.

"Rise, brothers," Bra'tac said.  "He speaks the truth.  He is no god," his eyes went to Daniel, "though he is very powerful indeed."

Just then, Janet and her team came hurrying in.  As the two injured male Jaffa were loaded onto gurneys, the doctor looked around.

"We were told that there were three wounded."

Kar'yn got to her feet with Rya'c.  She smiled.  "Now, there are only two."

Janet looked down at Daniel, her sharp eyes spotting the signs that he'd overdone it yet again.

"Maybe I still need the third gurney."

Daniel got to his feet, albeit a little unsteadily.  "No, I'm all right."

"Uh huh.  I'll be waiting for you in the infirmary."

Janet and the other medical personnel left with their patients.

Jack entered and looked around at everyone.

"Welcome back.  I'm guessing things got a little exciting."  His eyes focused on the Goa'uld.  "And you must be Moloc."  He looked the guy up and down.  "You're lucky.  At least you got to keep your clothes.  Baal wasn't so fortunate."  Jack turned to the archeologist.  "Daniel.  He doesn't even have a red bow.  Didn't have time to wrap him?"

"No.  Sorry."

"Well . . . it's the thought that counts."  Jack gestured at some of the SF's who'd come in.  "Take him away."  He then studied the seven male Jaffa with the symbol of Moloc on their foreheads.  "New recruits?"

"So they say," Bra'tac replied.

"Ah.  Well, we've got a very nice room where they can hang out for a while."  He told the remaining SF's to take the Jaffa to the isolation quarters.

Jack's gaze fastened upon Daniel, who was starting to look pale and clearly had a whopper of a headache.  "Okay.  Off you go to the infirmary.  That goes for you, too, Carter, Teal'c.  As for the rest of you."  He sniffed loudly.  "I'm thinking shower."

Once Daniel, Teal'c and Sam got to the infirmary, the archeologist took off his shoes and laid on a bed, figuring that he might as well get some rest while he waited for Janet to come scold him out.

Sometime later, he opened his eyes to the realization that he'd fallen asleep.  He looked at the clock and was surprised to see that three hours had passed.

"Welcome back," Janet said, coming up to the bed.  "You fell asleep before I got a chance to give you the lecture."

"Sorry.  You can give it to me now, if you want to."

"No, I'm not going to bother.  Sam filled me in on everything.  So, how are you feeling?  An honest answer please."

"Still a little tired.  My head still hurts, but not too bad."

Janet nodded.  "I'd say that more sleep is all you need.  You can either stay here or—"

"I'll go to my quarters.  So, did I miss the debriefing?"

"No.  Considering the late hour and the fact that you were asleep, the general postponed it.  I believe it's scheduled for eight a.m. "

Just then, Daniel's stomach growled fiercely.

Janet smiled in amusement.  "It sounds like someone is demanding your attention."

"I haven't eaten since lunch."

"You should eat a little something "

"I'm more tired than I am hungry.  My stomach will just have to wait till morning."

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