The Asgard VIP by dinkydow

Part Two

Four Weeks Earlier:

As usual, Colonel Jack O'Neill (with two L's) was fidgeting and pacing in front of the Stargate. He knew he was fifteen minutes early, but he didn't care. What did bother him was the fact that he was going on a mission to a farm planet dressed in his Class A uniform. He tucked a finger under his shirt collar in a futile attempt to loosen it. He had always hated that tight shirt collar. Major Samantha Carter was standing next to him and looked as uncomfortable as he felt.

"Carter, who had the bright idea for us gate to a farm planet dressed up like this. Are they insane or what? Wouldn't it make more sense to go to a planet with lots of fields in a FIELD uniform? Makes sense to me, but then, what do I know?" Major Carter smiled and shrugged.

"Daniel thought we would make a better impression on the High Council if we dressed up. Supposedly they plan to meet us at the gate."

Teal'c raised one eyebrow and somberly said, "I agree with O'Neill. Your choice of uniform and footwear do not appear to be a wise choice. However, I will endeavor to ensure the safety of all." Colonel O'Neill quirked an eyebrow at Teal'c and smiled. He had noticed how his friend had made his point. Yeah, this uniform was definitely not a wise choice. His own shoes wouldn't make the five-mile trip to the village any easier.

'Well, at least, Carter wasn't wearing the skirt. She had opted instead for the version with slacks and was wearing regulation oxfords. Major Carter felt the Colonel's eyes on her.

"Admiring my medals, Sir?" She smirked as she saw her commander's face flush red.

"Just checking your uniform, Major. You know, I didn't realize you had so many, umm, medals, Carter," he replied, regaining his composure. He turned when he heard Teal'c's voice.

"Indeed, Major Carter. A large area of your chest seems to have been decorated quite well." Both officers stared at Teal'c's expressionless face with their mouths open.

'He couldn't have meant how that sounded. Could he?' they both thought. Teal'c merely raised one eyebrow and turned toward the gate, checking his staff weapon.

'Good one, T,' thought Jack. 'Yep, Teal'c was definitely getting the hang of Tau'ri humor and innuendo down quite well.'

Jack eyed his watch. Daniel Jackson, as usual, was late. Only five minutes remained before their scheduled departure time. He turned and glanced up into the control room. General Hammond was there to see them off. Jack noted that he was trying to hide the fact that he was nervous. Jack had to admit he felt a little jumpy too. This was more than just the usual "departure- time" jitters. The joking around they were all doing helped a little, but he suspected they were all feeling a little nervous about this trip.

To distract himself the Colonel mentally reviewed the items he had stowed in the backpack lying at his feet. Jack had packed in his usual fashion, and had included his BDU's, his boots, baseball cap, bullet-proof vest, and plenty of ordinance. His P-90 was slung over one shoulder. He was wearing his regulation Air Force Trench coat over his Class A's along with his visored dress cap. Jack knew he P-90 looked incongruous outlined against the trench coat, but didn't care how it looked.

The Colonel planned to change out of the monkey-suit he was in and into his fatigues the minute he was on the other side of the wormhole. He shrugged and felt the weight of his Berretta against his back. Jack had stuck it in the back of his pants. It felt comforting, somehow. There was no way that he would go anywhere unarmed.

He smiled.

'Yeah, impress the natives. Like limping around in a hot, dirty, uncomfortable uniform with lots of ribbons was going to impress the friends he had made on that planet.

Yeah, sure, ya betcha.'

He turned again when he heard Daniel running up to meet with them. As usual, he looked like he had waited until the last minute to get ready. He was dressed in a suit, which looked like he had gotten it sometime in the eighties. He also was carrying a backpack that looked like it had books bulging out of the top.

"Aw, for crying out loud, Daniel! Do you think you're taking enough books? It's not as if you're going to spend your time looking at a bunch of rocks, you know."

"Artifacts, Jack. Not rocks, artifacts," Daniel corrected absently. He was used to this game of words that Jack liked to play with him. He liked it too.

'Maybe now things will get back to how they used to be with us,' Daniel thought. The team's attention was directed to the Stargate as they heard the wheel begin turning.

"Chevron One, encoded," blared through the intercom. Another whine, "Chevron Two encoded," chanted Lt. Simmons from the Control Room.

Jack turned again to look at the General standing in the control room. He could see that his Commander's face was set in a grim mask. Jack mentally shook himself and admitted that his own face probably matched that of the General. He realized his attention had wandered and brought it back to what was happening around him. He smiled encouragingly at Major Carter, and she nodded back.

"Chevron Six encoded." Almost time. Jack could feel his heart speed up as he realized he would be leaving SGC for the first time in a month.

"Chevron Seven locked."

The familiar whoosh of the gate was like music to the Colonel's ears. He looked eagerly at the shimmering event horizon and then at his teammates. They looked excited, too. Turning to the General, he waited for the go-ahead. Behind him, he could hear the rest of SG-1 hoisting up their own packs and adjusting them into place.

Secretly, he hoped they had all packed for a rough stay. Just in case. Knowing the Major, she wasn't leaving unarmed, either.

General Hammond sighed and said, "SG-1. Your mission is a go. Report back to us in six hours. God Speed." 'And I hope to God that this works out. Cause if it doesn't... He didn't finish that thought. Better to not go there.' General Hammond watched as his 2IC gave him a cocky salute, a half smile, and walked up the ramp.

"Teal'c, you take point. I'll watch our six." Jack ordered as first Teal'c, and then Daniel and Major Carter stepped through the gate. Then, it was his turn. Hoisting the backpack more firmly on his shoulders, he took a breath and then stepped through.

General Hammond watched Jack disappear. He turned to go back to his office and the ever present paperwork as the wormhole disengaged below him. He hoped that he would be able to bury the worry he felt about this mission.

Three hours later, the General was still sitting at his desk. He had managed to get more done than he thought he would. He was just thinking about taking a break when he heard the klaxons begin to blare. He jumped up and strode quickly to the hallway. He heard the words "Unscheduled off-world activation," come from the speakers.

"What the hell?" the General muttered under his breath. He increased the length of his stride. He walked into the Control Room just as Lt. Simmons received the IDC transmission.

"It's the Tok'ra, Sir," he said. Hammond gave the OK.

"Open the iris," he ordered. The General did an about-face and left for the gate room. He had a bad feeling about this.

He was waiting at the base of the ramp when the Tok'ra representative stepped through. It was Jacob, and he looked worried. Hammond waited until Jacob had walked down the ramp before speaking.

"From the look on your face, I assume you aren't the bearer of good news. Let's take this up to my office. Shall we?" Jacob acknowledged him with a sharp nod and followed him out of the room. George was right. Jacob was worried. He admitted to himself that he would have felt a lot better if his daughter, Sam showed up. He glanced up into the control room. 'Nope, she wasn't there either.' He held his tongue until they reached the privacy of Hammond's office. In the meantime, Sel'mac was offering reassurances to him. He hoped he could believe her. General Hammond waved Jacob through the door, and he shut it behind them. After sitting down, Jacob addressed him.

"We have received intelligence through several of our undercover operatives that the Goa'uld System Lords have placed a rather large bounty on Colonel O'Neill. We just received this information. I came as soon as I could," he said apologetically. "Is Sam here? This will affect her too, you know," Jacob continued. 'Talk about the understatement of the year,' he thought grimly. He didn't like the way Hammond's face had paled just now. For once, Sel'mac was quiet.

"Colonel O'Neill and his team just gated to another planet on a diplomatic mission three hours ago. They're supposed to check in with us in another three hours," Hammond stated. "Jacob, Sam went with them."

The silence in the room seemed deafening as the two men looked in each other's eyes. They could see the concern mirrored there. General Hammond broke the silence.

"I'm going to send a MALP through the gate to the planet. That way we can have a look at what is going on there and check in with SG-1. That's the best we can do until we know more."

"That's a good start," agreed Jacob. "Let's do it." General Hammond grabbed his phone and ordered a MALP to be readied for the trip to check on SG-1. He knew it would take some time to get it programmed and in position for the trip through the gate. Most of these machines were in the process of being reprogrammed courtesy of Major Carter. He turned to Jacob and said.

"While we're waiting for the MALP, I suggest you fill me in on everything you know about this. I think we need to move fast to prevent any losses." The General paused, and then added, "Colonel O'Neill will take care of his team. You know how he feels about them, Jacob," he added sympathetically. 'And your daughter,' he added silently to himself. Jacob bowed his head and Sel'mac spoke for the first time.

"I agree. As far as we can tell, the System Lord's power structure is changing because of the recent deaths of several key players. To make things worse, an unknown Goa'uld has emerged, which has added to the confusion and backstabbing. Our sources say this unknown Goa'uld is the one behind the sudden interest in Colonel O'Neill. Unfortunately, he's using your Colonel to give incentive to some to the lesser Lord's to switch to him. In this way, he is hoping to shift the balance of power back in his favor."

"However, we have one thing in our favor," Sel'mac continued. "He has specified that the Colonel must be delivered to him alive and able to talk. It seems this Goa'uld thinks the Colonel has some new information from the Ancients. The use of a sarcophagus has also been forbidden. He wants any information that Colonel O'Neill has been given undamaged." Jacob took over the conversation.

"He wants the Colonel so badly that he's not willing to take any chances of the 'merchandise' being damaged by revival in a sarcophagus. I guess he is afraid some information might be lost in the process. The Goa'uld has too much riding on this to take any chances." Sel'mac paused before continuing.

"General Hammond, we have no reason to believe this information is false. The Tok'ra Council are very concerned about this new development and are ready to offer our assistance."

General Hammond had been listening intently. He jumped when his phone rang. He picked it up and answered it.

"This is Hammond. Excellent. Inform me the minute it is ready." He hung up the phone and addressed Jacob. I was just informed that the MALP will be ready to go in twenty minutes. They just have to finish the programming and it will be ready to go. In the mean-time, I want to put a search and rescue team on stand-by, just in case."

He called the Infirmary and asked to speak to Dr. Fraiser.

"Doctor? It seems we may have a problem with SG-1. I need you to report to my office immediately for a briefing." Then he contacted Major Feretti, Commander of SG-2. He ordered him to have his team on stand-by alert. By that time, his Chief Medical Officer was knocking on his door. Her mouth tightened when she saw who the General had for a guest. She was plainly worried. She nodded to him and moved to sit in the chair beside him.

"Thank you for coming, Dr. Fraiser. The Tok'ra have just given us information that leads us to believe that SG-1 is actively being hunted by the Goa'uld. It seems their specific target is our own Colonel O'Neill. I have ordered a MALP readied so that we can initiate contact with our team through the gate. I have also ordered Major Feretti's team to be on stand-by status in the event a search and rescue is needed."

Dr Fraiser drew in a deep breath. "Permission to go with SG-2, Sir."

"I'll send you through if you're needed, Doctor Fraiser. However, I do want you suited up and ready to go." 'No surprise there,' he thought. "Before we jump to any conclusions, let's see what the MALP can tell us." The General stood and moved towards his door. "I suggest we move to the Control Room. I think that MALP I ordered should be just about ready to go through." The trio moved quickly though the hallway. Each one was silent, seemingly lost in their own thoughts.

Upon arriving at the Control Room, Dr. Fraiser noted that the tension radiating from the personnel already there was so palpable she could almost see it. She peeked out the window and watched as the MALP was positioned at the bottom of the ramp.

General Hammond nodded to Lt. Simmons and ordered him to initiate the dialing sequence. The Lieutenant nodded and began tapping out the codes. The giant wheel began rotating noisily.

"Chevron One encoded."

'Colonel, if you've gotten yourself into trouble, so help me, I'll...' Janet couldn't finish the thought. The Doctor admitted she was terrified for her friends. Samantha Carter had become more than just a co-worker over the years. Janet now considered her to be a good friend. Daniel, with his awkward ways, had won her heart from the first time they had met. As for Teal'c, she had only the utmost respect for that man.

"God, please let them be alright," the CMO prayed.

"Chevron Three encoded."

The General and Jacob both looked at Janet as she whispered her short prayer. Both men were also deep in their own thoughts and were busy adding their own prayers to Janet's. The General, Jacob, the Tok'ra, all had a lot riding on the results of the MALP transmission. The General was extremely concerned about the welfare of his team, not just because he was their commander; he had become to regard them as trusted friends over the years.

"Chevron Five encoded."

Jacob was afraid to say anything out loud. Inside, he felt frantic with worry about his "Sammy". He could remember how painful it had been to lose his wife in that accident. He couldn't even imagine how much worse it would feel to lose his daughter.

"God, I don't know if I could get through something like that," he muttered, half to himself. "Correction, I CAN'T go through something like that,' he thought.

"Chevron Seven locked, Sir"

Everyone watched as the gate whooshed in its familiar pattern. When the event horizon had settled back down to the shimmering, watery

surface, the General gave the order for the MALP to begin its journey. The mood in the Control room was somber and tense as they watched its slow progress up the ramp. The feeling of apprehension seemed to increase, as it moved through the wormhole.

"Receiving MALP telemetry." All eyes focused on the monitor showing the initial images from the camera mounted on their reconnaissance vehicle. As the camera panned around and focused, the picture resolution improved. The first scene was that of a corn field silhouetted against a spectacular sunset. Part of the Stargate could be seen to the side. A well-worn path could be seen leading off towards to the right. The General sighed.

"So far, everything is looking good," he commented. He ordered a full 180-degree, visual sweep of the area. As the camera slowly panned the area, his eyes tried to identify any indications of trouble.

"Wait!" commanded Jacob. "Go back more to the right, and zoom in. What was that lying by the path?"

Everyone held their breath as the camera shifted and zoomed in on the indicated spot. As the camera focus sharpened, the image of an unopened backpack swam into view. They could see an Officer's dress cap lying upside down in the dust beside it. Anxious gasps were heard throughout the control room. The tension level in the room had just quadrupled.

"General, isn't that the Colonel's cap?" asked the Doctor in a horrified voice. More unidentifiable debris appeared to be littering the ground in the distance. The General bent his head to the microphone.

"Sierra Golf One, This is Sierra Golf Charlie One. Report," he stated. Static was their only reply.

"I repeat, Sierra Golf One, this is Sierra Golf Charlie One, report." There was no response. The quiet scene on the monitor now seemed ominous. Further manipulation of the video camera showed more equipment apparently discarded by the members of SG-1. The view showed a staff weapon lying in the dust next to another backpack along with the outline of a P-90. 'This isn't looking good,' thought Hammond grimly.

Coming to a decision quickly, the General picked up the phone and ordered SG-2 to assemble in the Gate Room. Hearing that, Dr. Fraiser hurriedly left to prepare herself in case she was needed. Major Feretti had the Team of SG-2 assembled in the Gate room in record time.

"Attention!" he ordered as he saw General Hammond walk into the room. Major Feretti snapped off a quick salute to his commander and held it. "SG-2. All present and accounted for, Sir," he reported. General Hammond returned the Major's salute and ordered.

"At ease." As he saw the formation uniformly move to parade-rest, he began his briefing.

"We have just received information indicating that SG-1 has run into trouble. We do not know the nature of this threat. However, given the intelligence we already have, we suspect Goa'uld influence. We have already seen, courtesy of the MALP, what appears to be several items of personal gear from SG-1 strewn about the immediate area. Your mission will be strictly search and rescue. Locating the members of SG-1 and bringing them back here will be your main objectives. Avoid any unnecessary fights with the natives. Just get our people back here as quickly as possible." He paused, "Any questions?" No answer. "Good, you move out in five minutes." They all waited to hear the benediction from the commander of SGC.

"SG-2, your mission is a go. God-speed. Let's bring our people back." Major Feretti saluted and then motioned his team to move out through the gate. The General watched as the gate snapped shut behind the last member of the team.

'Now comes the hard part. We wait and wonder what and who they'll find. If they find anyone, that is,' he thought. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long. Fifteen minutes later, the klaxons began blaring again.

"Unscheduled off-world activation," chanted Simmons. Jacob and Hammond were still in the Control Room and waited for the IDC Code.

"Close the iris," ordered Hammond.

""Incoming IDC. It's SG-2, Sir, " reported Simmons.

"Open the iris," the General ordered as he exchanged a significant look with Jacob. The General was relieved that the Major had been able to activate the gate so quickly. 'Now, maybe we will get some answers, he thought. "Sierra Golf Two, this is Sierra Golf Charlie One, report," he commanded. After a short pause, they received an answer.

"Sierra Golf Charlie, this is Sierra Golf Two One reporting. The immediate area is secure. I repeat, the immediate area is secure. I have sent a scouting party to search the surrounding area for sign of Sierra Golf One. So far, we've only found their gear. We have met no resistance so far. Over."

"Roger that, Sierra Golf Two One. Report back when you have some news. Sierra Golf Charlie One, out." Turning to Jacob, Hammond sighed.

"Well, that's that. We're doing everything we can at the moment. I suggest we retire to the briefing room. This could be a long wait." Jacob nodded and they both left for the privacy of the briefing room. After arriving, they both were drawn to the window showing the Stargate.

"I don't know what else to say, except we are grateful for the help you have given us so far, Jacob." Surprisingly, Sel'mac responded.

"The Tok'ra acknowledge your thanks. We believe the Tau'ri to be strong allies in the fight against the Goa'uld. We only wish we could have given you warning sooner.

Jacob is extremely concerned over the welfare of his daughter. The people of your race have very strong family ties. I sympathize with his loss."

"Hey, they aren't dead yet," reminded Hammond. He definitely was NOT going to write off SG-1 yet. He knew they were a feisty bunch and wouldn't give up without a fight. Jacob surfaced and turned to the General.

"Have you been able to contact the Asgard?" he asked. "They might have some information that we don't."

"Unfortunately, we haven't heard from them yet. I'm open for suggestions, Jacob." Jacob sighed and kept staring out the window.

'Maybe he could make his daughter walk through that gate by sheer will,' he thought. As if in answer to his summons, the gate began moving again.

They both heard the words, "Off-world activation," though the noise of the klaxon. Both men immediately moved for the door, on their way to the Control Room once again. By the time they reached their goal, the wormhole had been established.

"Incoming IDC transmission, Sir. It's SG-2."

"Open the iris." Suddenly, they heard the noise of people stepping through the gate.

"Medical Team to the Gate room," Hammond ordered. Simmons turned to look at the General, but he was already gone. Both he and Jacob were headed out the door to meet the returning team.

Upon arrival, Hammond saw Major Carter being supported by a member of SG-2. She looked dazed and lost. At first glance, he could not see any obvious injuries, but he knew from past experience that didn't mean she wasn't hurt. He noticed Janet had appeared and was heading her way. Then he noticed Daniel limping down the ramp. He too, appeared to be dazed. He was also rubbing his wrists, as if they bothered him. Hammond continued to scan the group, looking for the other members of SG-1. As Major Feretti exited the gate and it snapped shut, he realized they were still missing two key personnel.

In the meantime, Jacob had reached his daughter's side and was escorting her to the Infirmary. Dr. Fraiser could be seen directing her medical staff to accompany Daniel as they rushed their charges off to receive medical care.

General Hammond turned to Major Feretti and demanded, "What happened to Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c?"

"We couldn't locate either of them, Sir. Major Carter and Daniel Johnson both agreed that they had seen the Colonel and Teal'c transported off the planet, Sir."

"Meet me for the debriefing in two hours." Then the General did an about-face, and followed Dr. Fraiser to the Infirmary.

"Yes, Sir," Major Feretti responded bleakly. He wished he could have brought back better news. He liked the Colonel and Teal'c.

In the mean-time, General Hammond had located Major Carter sitting on a gurney, waiting for her exam. He noted that she seemed to be more aware of her surroundings and was holding one arm protectively around her chest. He could also see abrasions around both wrists. Jacob was standing by her side.

"What happened, Major?" he asked urgently. Carter fastened her gaze on the General before responding.

"It was a trap, Sir. We were taken totally by surprise. The High Council was waiting for us when we stepped through the Gate. I remember Colonel O'Neill had asked me if I thought they were acting odd, you know, jumpy. But I'd put it down to their excitement at seeing us again. Later, we found out they had been terrified for their kids. You see, Sir, Tanith had told them he would take their kids as hosts if they didn't cooperate."

"Tanith was waiting for us about a half mile down the road from the gate. We first saw him when he and about fifteen Jaffa materialized out of the corn fields. He was holding a zat to one of the boys from the town. He threatened to kill that kid if we didn't surrender. Sir, we were surrounded and outnumbered. We couldn't make a move without the boy getting hurt. General, I know he would have killed that boy without blinking an eye," the Major said, looking for some sign of understanding from her commander. She sighed before continuing.

"Colonel O'Neill ordered us to lay down our weapons, but Tanith zatted him as soon as his weapon was out of his hands. I guess he wanted the Colonel disarmed and neutralized right away. Then he zatted Teal'c. Tanith didn't seem to be very interested in me or Daniel. He had his Jaffa zat us and tie up our feet and hands while we were lying stunned on the ground."

"Sir, Tanith only wanted the Colonel and Teal'c. He practically ignored me and Daniel. I saw him go over to watch as some of the Jaffa dragged them off several yards from us. Because of that, I couldn't see everything that happened to them. I heard them using pain sticks on Teal'c and the Colonel. God, I think I can remember hearing them scream." The Major shook her had slowly, obviously trying hard to remember.

"I have to admit I was having problems of my own in dodging the kicks and punches from the rest of his overenthusiastic Jaffa. Some of those screams could have been coming from me or Daniel," she clarified. "I guess those goons had to have their fun too."

"After the Jaffa got tired of beating us up I managed to wriggle around so I was facing toward the area where the rest of our team had been taken. From the little I could see, the Colonel looked like his head was bleeding, and he had been slapped a few times in the mouth. Both of them were on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs and had collars around their necks. I do remember Tanith killing one of his Jaffa for kicking Colonel O'Neill in the side. I think he shouted something about damaging the Tau'ri too much."

"Sir, I was kind of out of it after the zat blast. Everything seems fuzzy and surreal. I'm sorry I can't remember more," Sam said apologetically. "Maybe Daniel can tell you more, Sir" General Hammond looked at the Major before responding.

"No need to apologize, Major. You had no way of knowing this would happen. Do you have any idea where Tanith took them?"

"He transported them up to his ship with the transport rings. I heard him brag that he had a ship waiting for him. He was gloating, Sir. I could hear him boasting about how Tau'ri O'Neill was his key to gaining power with the System Lords. Tanith called Teal'c his "bonus".

"God, I felt so helpless lying there tied up like a Christmas goose. We were supposed to watch out for each other and we failed, Sir." Samantha Carter sat with her head hung down, the picture of misery.

"The last time I saw them was when they were being transported up to the ship, Sir. I know the Colonel saw us. In fact, he looked straight at me, just before the rings came, and took them away." She paused in her narration, reliving the painful scene in her head. "He looked at me and shook his head," she continued with a shaking voice. "I guess he could tell that I was trying so hard to get free, that I just had to do something to stop him from being taken away." Her voice sounded flat and emotionless now. "Sir, Tanith just left me and Daniel lying there, tied up on the ground. I guess Tanith didn't need us."

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