STARGATE: EXPLORER

by Lady Grey
Alpha/Beta by Jude

June 30

The Next Day

Gaia Transporter Bay

The event horizon steadied into placid rippling, and a moment later, two Forest Clan warriors stepped through the shipboard stargate. Their faces were set, expressionless. Behind them, two more figures appeared. One was a ten-foot-tall Mountain Clan Furling, and the other was Ba'al. 

Advance reports from the Furlings who had captured him declared this was the original, not a clone. If anyone knew besides Ba'al himself, Daniel believed it would be the People.

The Mountain giant held one end of a leather lead, which was attached to a shiny iridescent metal collar fastened around Ba'al's neck, maintaining a hold on his prisoner, whose hands were fastened together at the wrists with an elegantly designed gold-embellished tube. The Goa'uld had dried blood on his face -- evidence of injuries already healed by his symbiote. His hair was mussed and dirty, and his black robes were torn in places. He seemed to have put up a good fight, and lost. 

Jack stiffened as he lifted his chin and glared down his nose at the alien. "So. Ba'al. Not lookin' very god-like, there." There was an almost jolly note to the droll observation, but his tone grew less flippant as he added, "Bet you're wonderin' why you're here. As am I." He turned to Scout, who was standing beside Captain. "Can I have him to play with when you're done?" 

Scout grinned in spite of himself, but turned away to speak to the Furling soldiers. "Please escort your prisoner to the observation cell."

Daniel had warned them the Goa'uld could secrete a poison that would kill the host, if the symbiote believed it might be in mortal danger. The creatures would rather murder their hosts than give them up. It would be better if the snake didn't know exactly why it had been captured.

"I am not an animal," Ba'al protested, trying to jerk free of his captor's grip. 

Mountain's fingers just tightened around the leash. "I suggest you not struggle," said the giant pleasantly. "It would be unfortunate if I accidentally snapped your tiny, delicate neck."

"How dare you lay hands on me?" Ba'al spat, jerking free of Mountain's grip, then turned to look up at his captor, his eyes glowing white with Goa'uld rage. "I will kill you all!"

The Furling caught at him just as one of the Forest Clan dropped down and swept Ba'al's legs out from under him. He fell forward onto his hands, bouncing slightly on his nose against the floor, but almost immediately he pushed back to his feet, snarling and spitting with unbridled fury, a thin stream of gore trickling over his lips.

Mountain's massive hand enveloped Ba'al's neck and right shoulder, causing his diatribe to die down to a gurgle. The Goa'uld's face turned crimson as he struggled to breathe, and he grew still, finally acquiescing to the giant's control.

Daniel, Jack, and Scout escorted the group to the laboratory, where a special cell had been fashioned to house the dethroned System Lord. Actually, it had been structured to hold any captured host -- Ba'al had simply been the first one the Furlings had caught, which pleased Daniel no end.

He watched with satisfaction as the Goa'uld was marched into his beautifully appointed prison, which was outfitted with an ornately decorated bed accented in gold leaf, a small table and chair and a toilet area. As with everything, the Furlings never did anything halfway.

The giant removed the collar and gilded handcuffs and stepped outside.

For a moment, Ba'al gave his accommodations a cursory smirk of approval. Then he turned cold, calculating dark eyes on his captors. After a moment's hesitation, he lunged forward, but the Mountain giant was a fraction of a second ahead of him, activating an energy barrier with the controls on the sleeve of his s'resh.

Ba'al bounced off the invisible barrier, flung backward to land on his buttocks on the floor. His brief look of surprise quickly morphed into wrath bordering on white-eyed madness. He scrambled to his feet and charged the force field again, this time with less power, so he could maintain his footing, teeth clenched and bared in fury.

He was trapped and knew it, but that didn't stop him from running his mouth, jeering and raging at them. "You cannot keep me here!  My Jaffa will come for me, you insignificant fools." 

"Your Jaffa handed you over to us," sneered the giant with a note of superiority, "and then lined up to be relieved of the burden of carrying your children. We will make them whole, and then your offspring will be sent to a place where they can do no harm."

Ba'al roared with frustration, raising his fists and shaking them at his captors, his eyes glittering with madness. He panted, his gaze moving from one face to the next, studying those who were watching him like an animal in a zoo. He started to pace back and forth in his enclosure, calculating now, hands clasped behind his back.

After a few moments, he stopped and stared at the giant who towered above them all, fixing him with a narrowed gaze.  "I will escape this prison," Ba’al growled, his voice dripping with venom, "and when I do, I will take you for my new host. There will be none who can stand in my way then." He smiled darkly. "That would be very pleasing to me."

As if he hadn't heard the threat, completely discounting it, Mountain turned to the waiting Grass Clan staff. "I hope you will have results for us soon," he stated, offering them a slight bow of respect. He stepped to one side. 

All eyes turned to the chief healer.

"Scanning," called Rhami from a control station at the center of the lab.

A ribbon of blue-green light passed from wall to wall inside the cell.

Ba'al glanced up, startled, then turned back to his audience. "What are you doing to me?" 

No one answered.

Right about now, Daniel knew, the symbiote would be getting a clue as to why he'd been captured. As long as the creature held some kind of hope for escape, the host would be safe, but once it became clear this would be its last stop, the alien would release a bio-toxin into the host's bloodstream, and they would die together.

Daniel pretended to study the readings on the diagnostic machine, watching Jack out of the corner of his eye, just in case he needed to run interference and distract the General. Then Daniel's attention was genuinely captured by the data; he was startled to find he understood so much of it now, after almost a year of study of Furling languages, culture and science. 

He strolled over to touch Jack on the arm. ”Let's get something to eat,” Daniel suggested softly. “This is going to take a while. You can come back to poke at him later.”

Without another snide comment, Jack turned and left the lab with his friend. When they were well down the corridor, O'Neill asked, "So what do they want with him?"

"For now, only to free the host. The Furlings are all about freedom, you know."

"Yeah. I noticed that about them." Jack gave him a long look. "They're good people, Daniel. I know that in my gut, but… something's not right here." Jack looked distinctly uncomfortable. "I just don't know what it is."

"Didn't you read my reports? We know why they were locked up by the Ancients. Between the Nox's xenophobia, and the Ancients' jumping to conclusions, the Furlings' research was misinterpreted. They were misjudged. That's all there is to it." Daniel was absolutely certain of his conclusions. He'd been over the data personally, all the information the Furlings had gathered at Con Thien.

Jack patted his shoulder briefly. "You’ve got a lot of faith in your friends, buddy. I'm glad you're on our side."

Daniel smiled at him. "Where else would I be?" 

July 2

Two Days Later

Corridor Outside Laboratory Eight

It was very late, and there was little activity in the corridors at that hour. Daniel and Jack walked side by side in silence, answering the summons from the Forest Clan elder to witness the results of their research. Daniel could hear voices emanating from the lab as they approached, and though he didn't intend to do it, he paused just outside and eavesdropped on the conversation, Jack crowding right up behind him in an effort to hear, too.

One voice was Ba'al's; the other was Scout's.

"I know where to find the Burning Gate," the Goa'uld called silkily. "If you release me, I will give you the location." 

"What is the Burning Gate?" asked el-Mikha, feigning nonchalance. "Your clone mentioned that."

"You have met one of my brothers?" Ba'al seemed genuinely surprised.

"We tried to save his life, but were unsuccessful.” Scout's words and tone were carefully neutral.  "He told us we should seek this Burning Gate, but gave no hints where we should look."

"It is the homeworld of the Third Race," Ba'al answered. His tone of voice was teasing, meant to tempt, to offer secrets just out of reach.

"Interesting. I believe we will decline your offer, though. We have much more to gain by keeping you."

Daniel smiled a little to himself at that and nudged Jack with his elbow. Holding one finger to his lips to indicate silence, Daniel stepped into the nearly empty lab, hovering in the shadows near the entrance, Jack creeping in right behind him. None of the others present had noticed their appearance.

Ba'al stood in his cell, arms defiantly crossed over his chest, still wearing his torn black robes. Scout leaned casually against a console near the middle of the room, and Rhami of the Grass Clan manipulated the machine. Daniel watched, fascinated, as Rhami's small hands plied the controls of the scanner.

Set into the wall outside the cell was a small water-filled aquarium, the interior illuminated with a pale blue light, bubbles floating up from the bottom to aerate the water. The tank was positioned so Ba'al couldn't see it. He either had no idea what fate awaited him, or was certain escape was still a possibility, because the host was still alive. 

Scout turned his head to make eye contact with the new arrivals as they finally came to stand beside him. He gave them an acknowledging nod, then eyed the diminutive healer. "You may begin."

The scanner activated, sweeping over Ba'al's body as it had previously, but this time the color was different, a radiant purple. The Goa'uld gasped as the beam struck his body and held, and he stiffened, back arched, neck corded and straining, hands clenched. He balanced on his toes as though suffering a massive electrical shock, his blood-curdling scream of agony splitting the quiet of the room. 

Daniel's mouth dropped open in surprise, and he glared first at Scout and then at Rhami. "Hey!"

He hadn't been made aware that torture would be part of the process of separating host and symbiote.

Jack looked grim but said nothing, standing at parade rest with flinty gaze fixed on the former System Lord. Ba'al had done far worse to him.

Scout turned to face Daniel, obviously startled by his outburst. "What’s the matter?"

Rhami, the Grass Clan healer, didn't look up from her machine.

"What are you doing to him?" Daniel demanded. He stood on the far side of the force field that separated the cell from the lab.

"What we promised," answered Rhami. "Look." She lifted her gaze from the instrumentation panel to the aquarium and nodded toward it.

The tank brightened with an azure glow and, as the light faded, the long, serpentine body of a mature symbiote materialized in the water. The creature thrashed in the container, snapping at the glass in silent fury, then coiled and sprang for the top, only to bounce off the clear lid over its prison. 

For a moment, Daniel just stared at it.

Could it be that easy? he wondered.

He turned to look inside the cell at the man standing there -- Ba'al's host, now an ordinary human being once more, after thousands of years of imprisonment in his own body.

He looked stunned, shaken, and as his knees gave way beneath him, he sat down hard on the bed behind him. Disbelieving, he held up his hands, which were now under his control again. As he studied them, tears gathered in his eyes, and he lifted his awestruck gaze to the Furlings. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice quavering. "Thank you."

"What’s your name?" asked Daniel gently. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mikha raise his arm and begin programming the release on the force field, preparing to set the man free.

The host gusted a shaky, brief laugh. "It has been so long, I am not certain I remember." He smiled and looked down at his hands again. "I cannot believe it. After all this time." He reached up to blot at his eyes with his torn sleeve.

"Take your time," suggested Scout kindly. "If you can’t recall, perhaps we can help you search your memories for your name." 

"You have given me the greatest gift," the man told them with a trembling, grateful smile. "I wish to offer you something in return, but I have nothing useful. All I can tell you for certain is that the demon who lived within me did not know the location of the Burning Gate. The clone, the one whose life you tried to save -- he was the one who possessed that information."

Rhami wandered over to stand beside them. "Thank you for your honesty, friend."

Sparkles flashed along the perimeter of the cell as Scout powered down the energy barrier.

Daniel stepped across it immediately and extended his hand in friendship. "Welcome to the Gaia," he said with a smile. "Let's make you comfortable, and when you're ready, you can tell us everything you remember about the Burning Gate. You might still be aware of something that could help us find it."

Jack stood back with arms resolutely crossed over his chest, looking forbidding and dangerous.

Apparently, the host was painfully aware of his hatred. He came forward, dark head bowed before the General, shoulders slumped, body trembling, voice quavering and wholly human. "I am so sorry for what the demon did to you, at my hands," he whispered. "Please, General O'Neill, know that I am innocent of the crimes of Ba'al. As his unwilling vessel, I had no choice." 

"I know that," said Jack gruffly.

The host placed his hands on his chest and whispered, "I offer you my life, to take in whatever fashion will satisfy your need for justice." He bowed deeper.

O'Neill's hands came down at his sides, and he took a step backward. His gaze moved to the aquarium where the symbiote splashed angrily in the water, then down to the top of the host's head, and finally, up to meet Daniel's guarded gaze.

Daniel saw the uncertainty in Jack's eyes and understood. O'Neill didn't know how to feel about this poor soul. He knew the face as Ba'al, but now the man spoke with a normal voice, deep and soft. Jack understood the hold the symbiotes had on their hosts, but this man's glittering brown eyes had been the ones looking into his as he'd tortured Jack to death over and over, restored to life in a sarcophagus, only to be murdered again, for days upon days.

That would be a difficult thing with which to find any kind of peace.

Wordlessly, Jack pivoted on his heel and left the laboratory. 

The host turned confounded eyes up to Daniel's face. "Of all those who have been murdered at my hands," he whispered brokenly, "your friend suffered the most. I cannot die in peace unless I know--”

"Give him time," Daniel told him gently, patting his shoulder.

The man nodded and exhaled a weary sigh. He turned slightly and truly looked around the room for the first time. When he saw the tank with the symbiote in it, he wrenched his head away, breathing hard, staring at the floor. "Please. Get me out of here. I cannot bear to be near that… thing."

"Of course." Daniel gestured toward the doorway. "This way. We have rooms prepared for you."

Rhami stepped up, touching Daniel's sleeve to get his attention. "I will accompany him. The elder wishes to speak with you on another matter." She slipped her small hand into the host's and led him out of the laboratory, free at last.

Daniel felt good about that. His heart was lighter, certain he and his Furling friends were cutting a path of good and righteousness through the galaxy. With a smile, he turned to face Mikha and waited.

The elder's expression was somber, concerned. He seemed a little reluctant to speak, and hesitated, taking a breath, holding it for an instant before letting it out with a sigh. He shook his head, as if arguing with himself, dropping his gaze to the floor. At last, he lifted his chin and made eye contact, his expression serious and a little sad. "We have a location for Zeus," Mikha told him. "We can continue to seek the Burning Gate, or we can go after your enemy now. The choice is yours, el-Dani."

He put one hand on Daniel's shoulder and squeezed.  “We made a vow to you to deliver justice to your people," the elder added quietly, dropping his hand back down to his side. "Only you can decide what that is. Think well on this, and give me your answer when you're certain what you want to do next." He turned away and headed for the exit.

Daniel understood the choice he was being given. He closed his eyes, bowed his head, and let the memories come. As always, they took his breath away, burning in his heart.

Earth, beautiful Earth, shattering into flaming bits.

Zeus, smugly looking down his nose, reveling in Daniel's shock and grief.

The decision was immediate, and Daniel spoke before his friend reached the doorway. "We hunt for Zeus," he called. "How close are we?"

Mikha stopped but didn't turn around, just spoke over his shoulder, eyes downcast. "A few days. We'll be joined by more of our ships, so we'll have power sufficient to defeat the army he now keeps with him. The battle will take place in space."

Finally, the elder pivoted to face him. "What will you do with him when he's captured, if he isn't killed in the battle?"

"Even if he dies," Daniel shot back, his guts clenching, "he can be restored in the sarcophagus he'll have on board his ship. One way or another, he'll be taken alive."

"And then?"

Fantasies of torture and other violence careened madly through Daniel's mind, but he shook his head, trying to get rid of them, sure that wasn't the answer. Mere physical pain wouldn't touch Daniel's requirements for justice. He studied Mikha's haunted face. "I don't know," he answered softly. "I'll figure that out when I look in his eyes."

For a moment, the elder was still and silent. "There's a difference between revenge and justice."

Daniel nodded. "I realize that." Needing to move, not able to stand still any longer, he strode past his friend, heading for his private sanctuary. It was a long walk from the labs.  Hopefully by the time he arrived, he'd have some idea what needed to be done. It was necessary not just to satisfy his own selfish needs, but for all the others who had survived as well.

July 5

Four Days Later

Daniel stood on the bridge alongside Jack and the rest of the command crew, staring at the three-dimensional holographic display in the center of the room. The circular device gave a floor-to-ceiling perspective of space all around the ship, creating a panorama in much smaller scale; it gave them a complete view of the exterior of Gaia, as well as the two other ships approaching. Both were Furling crafts; one was a starship of the same design as the one in which they stood, but the other held a crew of only Mountain Clan and was a vastly different design, a monstrous craft that dwarfed the two starships. 

The Muairh, as the larger vessel was called, would be bringing the two sword-shaped craft into a pair of docking bays on the bottom of the massive battleship. The main body of the ship was V-shaped, like the folded wings of a raptor diving toward its prey, the sweeping extensions bristling with weaponry and gleaming cobalt-blue armor trimmed in gold. Nestled into the crux of the outer hull was a thick, multi-level structure composed of what appeared to be hundreds of decks, dotted with windows that were either lit with a warm amber glow or darkly reflecting a surface of iridescently-hued glass. The upper structure, positioned between the points of the sweeping outer wings, divided into a second V, to which an enormous wheel was fixed. 

It resembled a stargate, much larger than any planetary device, yet smaller than the Ori's Supergate.

As Daniel watched, the wheel tilted to a new angle and began to spin. Orange chevrons lit up at regular intervals, and after they locked into place, a giant kawoosh belched out into space behind the ship. Once the event horizon stabilized, an army of Forest Clan fighters hurtled into the great ship's wake. Some of the newly arriving craft headed toward Gaia's many docking bays, the others disappeared into her sister ship, the Hala.

Once the reinforcements were all safely aboard, the Hala eased into docking position with the Muairh.  When that delicate operation had been completed, Gaia would be piloted to a second berthing station on the battleship's hull.

After the three vessels had been joined together, they would be closing in on the Goa'uld armada, just a few days' journey ahead of them. The sheer size of the Muairh was intimidating and sent a chill through Daniel as he watched the other ship fasten itself to the underside of the battle cruiser.

Jack pointed into the holograph, at the great wheel attached to the back of the cruiser. "Are there armaments on that stargate?" he asked, studying the images intently.

"Yes," answered Captain casually. "The loah is capable of tilting and rotating as the cannons on the outer edge are being discharged." 

"Can I see the specs on the weaponry?" Jack was twitching a little.

Daniel couldn't decide if that was because he was excitedly curious about the big honkin' space guns, like a little kid with a new toy, or wary. Either way, Daniel's thoughts were on their quarry, not his companions.

"As you wish," Captain declared.  He stepped around to Jack's side and showed him how to operate the holograph controls to search for design information on the Muairh.

Still, Daniel found his attention fixating on Captain's narrative as he answered Jack's questions, and Hunter's barely-remembered words of warning came back to him once more.

Sky watch. Grass defend. Forest attack. Mountain destroy.

He felt his belly tighten as he realized just how much firepower the Furlings had at their disposal; he didn't see how any enemy could defeat them, in the long haul. Zeus and his Ting-sha, now desperately fleeing through space, didn't have a snowball's chance in hell against these three ships. They'd catch up in a few days, and the Goa'uld's rule would be over.

Daniel turned away, needing to think, and found himself wandering aimlessly through Gaia's corridors, still ruminating on the issue of justice versus revenge. He couldn't concentrate on work and needed a distraction. Maybe talking to someone would help.

He found himself outside Mikha's apartments and realized he hadn't seen his friend since breakfast. He went inside and gave a tight smile to Jet, the Forest Clan null who was part of the elder's household.

The Furling looked a little stressed.

"Hey, Jet," Daniel called. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. All is well, friend." His dark blue eyes shifted toward the interior of the apartments, and he hurried to the doorway as Rhami came into the room. The null bent down and spoke with the healer in whispers, so Daniel couldn't hear. Jet looked even more upset now and shot a glance at Daniel.

"What's going on?" Daniel demanded. They were hiding something from him; that much was obvious.

Jet straightened and thanked the healer, who left the apartments without acknowledging Daniel's presence.

Red flags went up. "What was that about? Why was Grass here?"

The Furling spoke to his boots. "My master is not well."

A shiver of surprise made Daniel's hair stand up. The elder, he knew, was never sick. He hurried toward the doorway, concerned now. "Tell me what's going on," Daniel demanded as the null fell into step with him.

Jet's expression shuttered closed. "It is not for me to say," he returned enigmatically.

Daniel went right into Mikha's bedroom. If the elder had been human, there would have been closed doors and knocking, but Furlings didn't do things that way. If Daniel wanted to talk to someone, he was expected to just barge right in, no matter what the other person might be doing. They did it to him, and he had the same rights with them.

Jet hovered at the doorway. "Shall I stay?" he asked his master, "or do you wish to be alone?"

Scout was just pulling a tunic over his head. "All is well," he replied, an edge of tension in his voice, muffled by the clothing. Once he had the shirt in place, he pulled his hair out of the collar and tossed the dark green mane over his shoulder, giving it a quick stroke with his fingers to make sure none of the long strands were sticking up. He glanced up at his visitor and flashed a sad smile.  "We're fine," Scout assured his steward.

The null gave his master a little bow and left the two alone.

"I didn't expect to see you until the evening meal, Dani. What brings you here?" 

Daniel didn't answer the question, asking one of his own instead. "What's wrong? Why was Rhami here?"

Mikha shook his head, gusting a little chuckle. "Merely a temporary inconvenience," he answered with a wry smile. "No need to worry. I'll be accompanying you when we board Zeus's ship, after his army has been defeated." He reached for a sash and tied it about his waist. When he finished, he gave his head a little toss to get his hair out of his way, then tied it back with a length of short black cord he pulled from his trouser pocket.

Daniel couldn't help being a little suspicious, but decided to let the attempt at reassurance at least appear to have been successful. "Good. That's good. You should be there." He found he wanted that very much, needed it, in fact. He had come to depend on the Furlings' wisdom and counsel, but particularly Mikha's opinion. If anyone could help Daniel sort out what to do with Zeus, it would be the elder. 

"I wouldn't miss it," Mikha told him with a smile. "We will catch up to him in three days, friend. Be ready."

"I will," Daniel promised. He had put away his concern for his friend when he'd first arrived, but the healer's presence nagged at him. "You'd tell me if anything were wrong, wouldn't you?"

"Of course." Scout glanced at his hem, tugging until he had it straightened to his liking. When he looked up at Daniel, his smile seemed contrived, pasted on.

He was lying, and Daniel knew it.

Something was wrong with the elder. The Furlings were keeping secrets from him, and this wasn't the first time.

Still, in a few days, everything would be different. Daniel might be dead. Gaia might be destroyed in the battle. Or Zeus might have had justice meted out to him by Daniel Jackson, who still had to decide what to do in the event that actually happened.

After a soft-spoken farewell, Daniel turned away and left the apartments, continuing his aimless prowling of the ship, uncertain that he would ever truly be ready to come face to face with the monster who had destroyed his world, and now distracted by the secrets his friends were obviously not sharing with him. He was worried, and with so much at stake, that was not a good place to be.  

July 8

Three Days Later

Daniel ran his hands over the rough fabric of his old BDUs, pulled from storage in his quarters just for today. He hadn't worn the uniform since he'd adopted a Furling wardrobe, and the human clothing felt scratchy and oddly alien.

"All set?" asked Jack, appearing in the doorway of Daniel's quarters, his P-90 strapped over his shoulder, a zat holstered on one hip, his sidearm on the other. O'Neill had declined the Furlings' offer of a s'resh of his own. Jack had wanted his own uniform for this battle; he’d argued with them about it and insisted he wear his own clothes. He might have a slight disadvantage not having the helmet with its fancy heads-up display, translator, and cool gadgets, but Jack preferred the familiar.

Daniel had agreed with that idea. The rhythm of gearing up felt like he was finally where he was supposed to be -- going out to save the world again… only there was no longer a world to save. The mission was different this time, but no less vital. "How much time do we have?" he asked, doing a final verification of the contents of the pockets of his tactical vest. He checked the Beretta on his hip and fingered the zat strapped in the holster under his left hand.

"Locked and loaded," Jack told him. His expression was set, all business. Only his eyes glowed with the maelstrom of emotions swirling inside him. "They're just waiting for us on the bridge."

"On my way," said Daniel, ready for battle. "Can they see the ha'tak?"

"There's about forty of 'em," Jack reported, falling into step beside Daniel as they moved out into the corridor. "Zeus's mothership is in the middle of the pack."

"Forty!" Daniel was surprised by the number. "Do you think the Goa'uld still have a chance?"

Jack's expression turned grim. "There's always a chance, Daniel, but from what I've seen of these folks, it doesn't look good for the Goold. Just a matter of time, and the Furlings are damned patient."

Daniel nodded. His eyes aimed down the corridor, he took big steps, arms swinging at his sides, hands curled into fists, mouth set in a firm, determined line. 

Today was one year since he'd watched Earth explode; one year he'd been homeless, lost.

It was also his birthday -- not that anyone else remembered -- and there were only two things he wanted to receive above all else: to see Zeus cornered in a trap he couldn't escape, and to be the one holding a gun to the monster's head.

Like the Furlings, he would have to be patient, to wait and watch and let his alien friends fight the battle their way, with Sky Clan acting as lookouts and guides, Grass Clan maintaining defense of their ships, Forest Clan streaking through space in their fighters in battle with Jaffa pilots, and Mountain moving inexorably forward, annihilating everything in their path.

Once that was done and the way was cleared, parties of Furlings would begin boarding the ha'taks and taking prisoner whatever enemy forces would lay down their arms.

Daniel and Jack would be part of one such team, accompanied by Mikha, Denali, and a handful of other Mountain giants, and once they arrived on board the flagship of Zeus's armada, nothing would stand in their way. 

End Chapter 37

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