December 11

11.

Martouf got up to go and check on Jacob.

"Careful!" O'Neill exclaimed. "If he has turned into a zombie he may jump up and bite you!"

"I am not a zombie, thank you very much!" Jacob grumbled testily.

"Jacob, you are awake," Martouf observed, smiling relieved.

"Dad! How are you doing?" Sam exclaimed, hurrying to his side.

"Tired, but all right," Jacob said, smiling at Sam. "Selmak has cleared the infection, but she tells me it was the hardest one she has ever encountered. It infected her as well at some point, so she needed to cure herself before she could focus on mel."

"Crap!" O'Neill said. "Are you sure you guys are okay?"

"We are," Jacob assured him.

Martouf leaned down to look at the arm, relieved to see that the infection had cleared and it was starting to heal. "I agree. It is healing well now."

Sam smiled widely and patted her father's hand. "You have no idea how happy I am that you'll be fine. Tell Selmak thanks!"


"It's charged?" O'Neill asked, looking at the Furling cube that was sitting on one of the larger rocks.

"Yes. Took a lot of shots from the zat'nik'tel, but it is. Should be good for several changes, at least," Sam said.

"Okay, fire it up, then," O'Neill told her.

Sam nodded. "Get closer to me guys, so we're sure everyone is pulled along."


"Now when I'm feeling better and have looked around a little, I'd say that everything looks the same compared to that time when you took me here to see it," Jacob observed. "Selmak reminds me that probably doesn't mean anything."

"I do not believe so, no," Martouf said. "As we talked about earlier, this planet has been abandoned by the Goa'uld for centuries. It would not have changed, regardless."

"How do we get to Earth? We don't have our GDOs," O'Neill said. "Not that they would probably help us."

"Depending on how changed a timeline this is, there's the teltac Jolinar left behind when she fled from Cronus," Sam suggested.

"This may be a stupid question, but since it's the one we used a couple days ago, do you really think it's still there? Or again there, I suppose I should say," O'Neill asked.

Sam considered it for a moment. "Yes, unless we are in a timeline that was only changed after that event. Which is extremely unlikely unless we've completely misunderstood how the settings on the Furling device work."

O'Neill nodded. "Let's hope not. Okay, let's go check it out."


"It's not here!" Sam admitted.

"Which means... what, exactly?" O'Neill asked.

Sam shook her head. "Could be many reasons. We'll have to see how it looks somewhere else. Earth, or maybe we could talk to some of our allies."

"We should go to Chulak. Bra'tac will be able to assist us," Teal'c said.

"Good idea. Dial it up, Daniel," O'Neill told him immediately.

"Wait," Jacob said. "No offence, Teal'c, but can you be sure that Bra'rac is the one you know?"

"He is an honourable man in any timeline! I am certain of that!"

"I do not question that, but what if you never turned against Apophis in this timeline? What if you never met anyone from Earth? You don't know how different this is," Jacob reminded him.

Teal'c hesitated, then nodded. "Your point is well taken, Jacob. I should go alone."

"What if you never became First Prime? Never even went to Chulak, but stayed with Cronus? Would it be safe for you to go to Chulak then?" O'Neill said. "No, we all go, but if Bra'tac doesn't know us, but he does know you, then you tell him we're your prisoners and we'll take it from there." He sighed. "It's really too bad we're all out of ammo."


Martouf had given Teal'c his zat'nik'tel, the only weapon they had which still could fire. If it turned out Bra'tac had not met SG-1 then it was better anyway that Teal'c had a Goa'uld weapon.

More than a little hesitantly, they walked through the wormhole and out on Chulak. Guards stood by the Stargate, and since they did not not appear to recognize them, Teal'c immediately pretended the humans and Tok'ra with him were his prisoners.

"Forward, has'shaks!" Teal'c told them.

"Stop," one of the guards said, approaching Teal'c. "Welcome back, Teal'c. Who are these with you?"

"They are my prisoners! I am taking them to Apophis."

The guard inclined his head. "Understood. Apophis is not currently in his palace. You are also ordered to contact Master Bra'tac the moment you returned."

"Very well. Where is he?"


"Master Bra'tac." Teal'c bowed before the older Jaffa. "I bring a group of Tau'ri prisoners who I captured slandering our lord Apophis."

He could have kicked himself when he realized he had called them Tau'ri instead of humans, but there was no reaction to it from Bra'tac. Apparently, the Tau'ri were again well known in the Galaxy, which could be both good or bad.

Unfortunately, the Jaffa at the Stargate had insisted on calling for guards to assist Teal'c with his many 'prisoners', and that meant they had no option but to continue the charade for now. They could only hope that Bra'tac was the same person of integrity as he was in their timeline.

Bra'tac nodded curtly. "Well done, Teal'c. We will make sure these traitors are brought to justice, and we are most fortunate that it will be on their own world." He turned to the guards. "You may leave. We will handle this." He grabbed the staff weapon that stood against the wall, and aimed it towards the group of newcomers.

"Yes, master Bra'tac." The guards left.

"All right, then. Good way to get rid of the guards, Bra'tac!" O'Neill smiled at him. "Now, we do have..."

He was interrupted when Bra'tac slapped him over the back of the head, hard. "Silence, has'shak! Teal'c, your prisoners are insolent!" He raised the staff weapon and pointed it at O'Neill.

"Bra'tac?" O'Neill asked, disbelieving. "You're not going to kill us, are you?"

Bra'tac scoffed. "I feel most tempted to do so, but that is the privilege of our god!" He called, "Fro'tak! Ma'kar! Come here!"

Teal'c got an angry expression and was about to say something at the sight of Fro'tak, but at the last moment controlled himself. O'Neill sent him a warning look, and Teal'c took a deep breath and nodded imperceptibly, making his understanding clear.

"You live here?" Daniel asked, absorbed in looking at the walls of the large house. They were richly decorated, and everywhere stood beautiful, engraved furniture. "Alone?"

"Of course I live here! Together with my loyal apprentices - and the woman given to me by Apophis as thank you for bravery in a great battle I - and Teal'c - recently won him!" Bra'tac grinned widely and activated his staff weapon. "Now walk! Or I will have to inform Lord Apophis that you were regrettably killed during an escape attempt!"

Bra'tac, Fro'tak, and Ma'kar led Sam, Daniel, Martouf|Lantash, O'Neill, and Jacob|Selmak back to the Stargate. Teal'c followed, having to keep up appearances.

"Okay, where are we going?" O'Neill asked, when Bra'tac began dialling.

"A place you should know quite well, human. We are going to the world of the Tau'ri, to Apophis's palace. There he will judge you, and you will receive your punishment in front of your fellow Tau'ri. Perhaps it will teach them not to be so impudent," Bra'tac informed them. He hit the red center crystal and the wormhole sprang to life. He gave O'Neill a push forward. "Move!"