CHAPTER ONE
Daniel, Sam and Teal'c walked through the museum grounds to the Stargate. The peace and quiet belied the fact that, in other areas around the country, there was fierce fighting going on between Rand's military and the fundamentalist factions led by Soren. Sam and Teal'c were now returning to Earth to report to Jack and to do something that Daniel thought might help in the situation with the fundamentalists. They were also going to see if they could get the president to send through a team of negotiators to talk with the Caledonians, who were still refusing to stand down their high alert even though the situation had not gotten any worse with the fundamentalists in the days that had passed since the high alert was initiated. Though Sam and Teal'c thought that nobody could do a better job than Daniel, the archeologist felt like he was in over his head since he had never tried to stop a global war before. He almost wished that Doctor Weir was still around since talking sense into world leaders was her field of expertise.
The archeologist was staying behind to keep an eye on the situation and to continue trying to cool things down between Rand and Caledonia. He also didn't want to go back to the SGC in case Jack decided not to let him return. It had taken a lot of talking on Daniel's part to convince Jack to let SG-1 return to Rand after the general found out that over a dozen cities were under the control of the fundamentalists. Jack had reminded Daniel about getting out of there if things got "squirrelly".
"Daniel, I don't like the idea of you staying here alone," Sam said as they reached the Stargate, which was under guard by several soldiers.
"It'll be all right, Sam. According to everyone I talked to, this city is secure. The areas that Soren's people have taken control of are small, outlying municipalities, and both Commander Gareth and Kane are confident that they'll regain control of those soon. So far, the fundamentalists haven't gained any ground. As for the Caledonians, they aren't prepared to start an all-out war yet. Both they and Rand know that it would be suicide, just as the U.S. and Russia did during the cold war on Earth. You're planning on coming back day after tomorrow, right? What could happen before then?"
"A lot could happen before then, Daniel, including this entire planet being wiped out if Caledonia suddenly decides to launch their missiles and Rand retaliates."
"Well, yes, but you heard what Minister Treydan said when we were in the bunker a little while ago. Caledonia is still just threatening to act if Soren seizes control of the country, and it's not even close to reaching that point. Do you see that happening by day after tomorrow?"
"No, not considering that it's taken a month and a half for it to reach this point."
"Then don't worry, Sam. I'll be fine until you get back."
"If you wish me to remain with you, Daniel Jackson, I will do so quite willingly," Teal'c said.
"I'd like that, Teal'c, but you have to make that recording. It's an important part of my plan." Daniel looked at his other teammate. "Sam, I'd go back with you, but I've got a few ideas that I want discuss with Commander Gareth, suggestions that might cool the situation down between them and the Caledonians. He told me that he'd set aside some time to speak with me tonight, and I really don't want to waste another two days. The longer this goes on, the harder it's going to be to calm everyone down."
Sam thought about it for a while. "All right," she said reluctantly. "But if things take a turn for the worse, I want you to get through the Stargate ASAP."
Daniel gave her a nod. "I will, Sam. Don't worry. I have standing orders from Jack that, if things get squirrelly, I'm to beat it out of here."
Sam's mouth turned up at the corners. "Squirrelly?"
Daniel grinned. "His word, not mine."
Sam returned the smile. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She turned and dialed up the gate, sending the GDO signal through once the wormhole was established. Daniel watched her and Teal'c step through, then left the museum. He headed over to the library. He'd spent quite a few hours there over the last couple of weeks in an effort to learn more about the culture of the people of Rand and Caledonia and, in doing so, come up with an argument that both sides would listen to calmly and rationally. A straightforward approach hadn't worked so far. He'd even cited the history between the U.S. and Russia, but to no avail. He was now trying to find another way to reduce tension between the two countries. He'd come up with some ideas but had to double-check a few things first.
Of course the fundamentalists were another big concern, but, unfortunately, because they were being driven by their religious beliefs, it would be a lot harder to reason with them. Daniel had come up with an idea, however, which was one of the main reasons why Sam and Teal'c had returned to the SGC. Daniel had recalled how SG-1 got the young soldiers in the service of Apophis to stop their training battle by showing them an image of Apophis when he died on Earth. Daniel got to thinking that, if they gathered all the footage they had on the Goa'uld, showing that they were not only not gods but also not the benevolent beings that this world believed them to be, they could get a lot of people to come to their senses. Teal'c was going to play an important part in that. They had all the footage taken of him when he and his larval Goa'uld were undergoing tests back when he first came to Earth. They also had the briefings conducted with him when he told them all about the Goa'uld, what they were and what they did. Adding to that, Teal'c was going to record a new statement about his people and their battle against the "false Gods", making it clear that the Goa'uld were not only very evil but also very mortal creatures.
Tucked away in the corner of the library, Daniel completely lost track of time. Glancing at his watch, he realized that he'd been there for several hours and that the library would be closing soon. He looked at the book he had been reading, wishing that this was the library in Colorado Springs so that he could take it with him. Perhaps he could talk the librarian here into letting him borrow it.
Book in hand, he went in search of the librarian, noticing that there were very few people in the building. He finally found the woman, who was putting books away on the shelf, though she looked upset about something.
"Excuse me."
Starting violently, the woman cried out and dropped the books she was carrying.
"I'm sorry," Daniel apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you." He helped her pick up the books. "Um, I'm . . . not from around here, so I don't know what your policies are, but I was wondering if it would be possible for me to borrow one of your books." He held up the one he wanted to borrow. "I'd bring it back tomorrow."
The woman stared at him. "You're one of the people who came through the Great Ring, aren't you? I've seen you here before."
"Yes, that's right. I've been studying about your people and culture."
"Are you doing this to try and help stop the fighting?"
"Um . . . yes, I am."
"Then take whatever book you want, anything that you need."
Surprised at the fervency in her voice, Daniel nodded and thanked her.
Leaving the library, Daniel headed to the inn he had been staying in throughout most of his time here in Rand. He noticed that there were more pedestrians than usual and that most of them were walking rather quickly. The traffic was also heavier than usual. Daniel figured that it must be this world's equivalent of rush hour, and everyone was hurrying home from work.
Rather than going out to get something to eat, he got a sandwich from the food vending machine in the lobby of the inn and took it back to his room. He read as he ate. After a while, his eyes grew heavy, and he yawned. He hadn't gotten much sleep the last few nights, and it was starting to catch up to him.
Rubbing his eyes, he rested his head in his hands. Before he knew it, he was asleep.
Daniel awoke with a start, something having roused him from sleep. Through the well-insulated walls and thick window glass he could faintly hear the sound of this world's version of horns honking on the streets below. He looked at his watch and realized that it was now early evening. The sun would be setting soon, and, if he didn't hurry, he was going to miss his appointment with Gareth.
Daniel quickly left the room, headed down the stairs, and out of the inn. He was shocked by what he saw when he exited the building. Everything was in chaos, people running down the streets, fear on their faces, while passenger vehicles tried to dodge around them.
An explosion off in the distance made Daniel spin around in that direction. Just then, a military vehicle screeched to a halt before him.
"Doctor Jackson!" called the man who jumped out. "Sir, it's not safe here. I've got orders to get you to safety."
"What's going on?"
"There's no time to explain now, sir. We need to go."
Though he wanted to know what was happening and did not like the idea of running, Daniel had promised both Sam and Jack that he'd leave if things got dangerous . . . and this apparently qualified as dangerous.
"You'd better take me to the museum. I have to get back through the Stargate to Earth," he said as they got into the vehicle.
"I've been told that the Great Ring has been moved. It is no longer at the museum."
"What?! Where has it been taken?"
"I don't know, sir. I was not given that information."
Wondering what the hell was going on, Daniel said, "Take me to the bunker. I need to talk to Commander Gareth."
At the bunker, Daniel was given the alarming news that things had suddenly gotten a whole lot worse. Soren's troops had taken control of every major city, including parts of the capital, the very city that Daniel was in. Even worse, Caledonia had fully deployed and primed their missile systems, prompting Rand to do the same. Daniel couldn't understand how things had gotten so bad so very quickly.
In a frighteningly short time, everything went to hell. As missile impacts shook the bunker and Kane rushed Daniel out of the control room, the archeologist got a sinking feeling in his stomach that he should have listened to Sam.
Sam and Teal'c were standing before the Stargate, ready to head back to Rand. In Sam's hands was a laptop computer with all the footage they believed would be the most effective in getting the message across to the fundamentalists and the rest of the population. The clips had been edited together in a way that would have the biggest impact, ending with Teal'c's speech about the Goa'uld and the Jaffa. They were hoping that Commander Gareth would agree to broadcast the footage over their version of television to the whole country.
The wormhole opened, and Sam and Teal'c were about to head up the ramp when Jack called to them, telling them to come to the control room.
"What's wrong, sir?" Sam asked when they got there. Just then, she heard a burst of radio static and a jumbled mass of signals coming over the speakers that were broadcasting sounds coming through the gate.
"Beats me," Jack replied. "As soon as the gate opened, this started coming through."
They all listened to the noise for a while. They were startled when an unfamiliar voice abruptly hailed them.
"This is Soren, representing all people faithful to the great gods. Who are you?"
Jack shared a surprised glance with Sam and Teal'c, then bent over the microphone. "This is General O'Neill, commander of Stargate Command. What's going on there?"
"The final war is being waged, that which has already brought an end to many of the unbelievers."
"And what does that mean?" Jack asked, starting to get a really bad feeling in his gut.
"Caledonia has launched their missiles and Rand has retaliated. Even as we speak, the destruction is continuing across both countries. The planet is in ruins, but we will rebuild from the ashes and make a stronger world."
"Oh, God," Sam whispered, feeling like her legs were going to give out. Daniel. What about Daniel?
Stunned, Jack just stood there for a moment. How could this have happened so fast? Hiding his fear for Daniel, he said, "One of my people was there in the capital city. Is he with you?"
"No, there is no one here but my troops. I do not know where your man is or if he still lives. Most of this city is no longer standing."
Sam closed her eyes, fighting to stay in control. This couldn't be happening. How could things have gone bad so quickly?
Jack looked at Sam and saw the fear on her face and the deep concern on Teal'c's. He shared their feelings, but he didn't want to think about the fact that Daniel might be dead. He could not accept that.
"What is your situation there?" he asked Soren.
"We are secure in the bunker. The Stargate is here under our control."
"If I sent people through, can you guarantee their safety?"
"No harm will come to your people. This I swear."
"All right. I will contact you in a little while and make arrangements to send some of my people through to talk to you."
"We will await their arrival."
Jack ordered the gate to be shut down.
"I can't believe this is happening, sir," Sam said. "The situation between Rand and Caledonia appeared to be maintaining an even keel. I don't understand what went wrong so suddenly."
"Well, I guess you're just going to have to find out when you go there, won't you," Jack said angrily, his worry over Daniel making him short-tempered.
"Yes, sir," Sam said in a low voice. She looked at the Stargate, hoping that, when they went through it, they'd find Daniel on the other side, alive and well.
Sam wearily unlocked her front door and entered the house. Four weeks. It had been almost four weeks since Rand and Caledonia virtually destroyed each other, and the SGC was no closer to finding Daniel than they had been in the beginning. SG-9 had struck out again. The negotiations were going nowhere, Soren refusing every request they made to search for Daniel. All of his reasons for not letting them search would seem logical from Soren's point of view, but that didn't make it any less frustrating for Daniel's friends. How much harm could it do to let a few SG teams search the area around the capital for some sign of the archeologist? Maybe Soren had some other reason for not allowing anyone from Earth to go out beyond the confines of the bunker.
The general had finally decided that he needed to speak to Soren personally and had invited the man to come to Earth. Soren had arrogantly told them that he would come when he had the time.
The SGC's continued inability to pick up clear radio signals had led Sam to suspect that both Rand and Caledonia had employed radio-jamming measures just prior to the attack and that the jamming was still taking place. She had gotten the idea of changing their communications system to use spread spectrum frequency hopping, which was the principal anti-jamming technique used by the U.S. government's defense communications satellite system. With it, they'd be able to bypass the radio jamming and might then be able to hear Daniel if he tried to contact them. It was taking a while to implement the changes, but at least it gave them some hope, something that Sam had begun to lose.
This was only the third time Sam had been home since the events took place. She'd been coming home just about once a week to collect her mail, listen to her messages and check to make sure everything was okay with the house. Every other night she spent on base. She knew that there was no real reason for her to stay there, but she just couldn't leave. It didn't do much good to be at home anyway. All she did was think about Daniel and dwell on what happened . . . and on the guilt that was eating her alive.
Sam listened to the messages recorded on her answering machine. Most of them weren't important, but there was a message from Pete that she knew she needed to answer. She hadn't felt up to seeing him or even talking to him during these weeks. Though they had been dating for several months, there were still things that Sam didn't talk with him about, one of those things being Daniel. Oh, Sam had told Pete about the archeologist, about how brilliant he was, how he'd been the one to open the Stargate. She'd told him about Daniel's wife, how Sha're was made a Goa'uld and, in the end, died at the hands of Teal'c. But Sam had never shared with Pete how very important Daniel was to her, how he was the best friend she'd ever had. And she couldn't tell him how terribly she missed her friend, how worry over him sometimes made her sick to her stomach, especially when she thought about what might have happened to him.
Sam didn't know why she couldn't tell Pete about the depth of the friendship she shared with Daniel. Maybe it was because she was afraid that he wouldn't like the idea of her best friend being a man. She didn't want there to be any feelings of jealousy cropping up.
During these weeks, Pete had left several messages on her machine even though she had told him that she would be spending most of her time at the SGC. He had wanted to know what was going on, of course, so she had told him what she could. He'd been sympathetic and told her that he hoped Daniel was all right.
Sam sat at the kitchen table, head in her hands. She felt the tears begin to burn in her eyes, tears she had been holding back all this time. No. She was not going to cry. Daniel wasn't dead. He wasn't. They were going to find him, and everything would be okay.
She'd been telling herself that for weeks now, and every time she did, it became harder to believe.
A knock at the door roused her from her thoughts. She answered it to find Pete standing there.
"Well, hello, stranger," he said with a grin. "I took the chance that you'd be coming home today since this is the day you came home last week. If you weren't home, I was thinking of camping out on your doorstep until you showed up." He gave her a kiss and stepped into the house. "So, did you find Daniel yet?"
Sam shook her head. "They still won't let us search for him."
"Sounds to me like they're hiding something."
"Yeah, that's what I'm beginning to suspect. Unfortunately, our hands are tied. They have control of the gate. There is no way that we can go through without their okay."
Pete gave her a hug. "You look tired, Sam. How about if I take you out for some dinner? You could stand to relax for a while."
Sam shook her head. "I'm sorry, Pete. It's nice of you to offer, but I can't."
"Why not?"
"I'm just not all that hungry, and I really wouldn't be good company."
"Sam, you've been going at it almost nonstop for nearly four weeks. You need to just put all this out of your mind for a while."
Sam stared at him. "Put it out of my mind? Pete, my teammate, a man under my command, a man who is my friend, is trapped on an alien world ravaged by war. How do I put that out of my mind?"
Pete's voice rose in volume. "So, what are you going to do, then, Sam? Are you going to put your whole life on hold until you find him? What if you never find him? What if he's dead? You must know the odds are good that he didn't survive."
"Don't say that!" Sam yelled, tears filling her eyes. "You don't know Daniel. You don't know the things he's managed to survive. He's come back from the dead so many times you wouldn't believe it. He is the strongest person I have ever known."
Pete stared at her, his eyes narrowing. "You love him."
"Yes, I do, Pete. I love him very, very much. He's my best friend in the world. Two years ago, I had to watch him die a slow, agonizing death from radiation poisoning. And then he was gone. I can't tell you what happened to him, just that, though his body died, he . . . didn't. But he was still gone, and we thought that we'd never see him again. It was just about the hardest thing I've ever gone through. He was gone for over a year before we got him back." She dashed away her tears. "And, now, he's gone again. There was nothing I could do for Daniel that last time, but there is this time. I can keep fighting to get him back and not give up hope."
Pete just kept staring at her. Then something in his expression changed. "Then I guess I might as well go," he said quietly.
"You don't have to go yet," Sam told him. "I'm sorry I got mad. I'm just tired and worried."
"No, I think it would best if I let you be alone. Give me a call when you've found Daniel."
Before Sam could say anything more, Pete walked out the door, shutting it behind him. Sam felt horrible for having driven him away and was tempted to ask him to come back, but she decided that he was right. She really wasn't in the mood for company. Pete couldn't give her what she needed. Daniel was the only one who could do that.
"I really wish you were here for me to talk to, Daniel," Sam whispered. "But then, if you were here, there wouldn't be anything I'd need to talk about, would there."
Feeling very tired all at once, Sam decided to skip dinner and went straight to bed, hoping that the morning would bring some promising news.
"They are very determined to find this Doctor Jackson," Regar said to Soren after the team from Earth left.
"Yes, they are indeed. After all this time, you would think that they'd have given up, especially just for one man."
"He must be very important to them."
Soren's expression turned thoughtful. "Yes. I wonder if we could use that to our advantage."
"You don't think he's still alive do you?"
"No. I'm certain that he perished in the missile attack. But that's not important. What is important is that they think he may still be alive, though I do not know why they would hold onto such a foolish hope." Soren smiled. "Perhaps they might be willing to give us something in exchange for our help in finding him."
"What, for instance?"
"We need weapons if we are to take control of Caledonia and complete the revolution. From what I have learned of these people from Earth, they have weapons technology that is superior to ours."
"You will ask for the weapons when you go to Earth?"
"Yes. But I will not go there yet. For now, I must focus my attention on purging this nation of the unbelievers and making sure that the citizens accept our leadership. Once the situation is more secure, I will go to Earth and make my offer."
"And what if they do give us weapons? Will you then let them search for Doctor Jackson?"
"Only until we've gotten all that we want from them. I do not want them interfering with our plans. This world will be ours. I will not permit anyone or anything to stop us."
