They passed through another chamber, this one humming with radio transmissions and strategic plotting. At the centre of it all stood a young woman—tall, with golden hair pinned back. Her presence radiated authority, her eyes sharp and intelligent.
She turned, meeting Cate’s gaze.
“My name is Allienna,” she announced, her voice carrying weight beyond her years. “Daughter of Morrigan.”
Cate’s breath caught. The room fell silent.
This just got a hell of a lot more complicated.
________________________________________________________________________
The rifle in James’ hands came up faster than Cate could react. Her training screamed at her to do the same, but something made her hesitate. A feeling—odd, unshakable. Not quite certainty, not quite instinct, but something deeper. This girl—no, this Goa’uld—didn’t radiate the suffocating presence she’d always been warned about. No arrogance, no cruelty. Just… stillness.
“Easy, Jimbo. Easy.” Cate pushed the barrel of his weapon down with her left hand, her voice measured.
“You’d best start talking fast… Allienna?” Cate’s voice faltered slightly. Every protocol in her head told her to strike first. Yet, that feeling remained. The endless SGC briefings, the footage of possessed hosts, all the nightmare fuel that came with fighting the Goa’uld—it didn’t match this.
Allienna stepped forward, and James immediately shifted, angling himself between her and Cate. A protective move, a damn good one, but Cate caught his sleeve before he could go further.
“It’s okay,” she said, quietly but firmly.
James’ jaw clenched. “You sure?”
“Yes, I am.”
To seal the deal, Cate took another step forward and extended her hand. If she was wrong, she’d know soon enough.
Allienna’s hands clasped around hers—warm, steady, deliberate. Not the overpowering grip of a parasite-infested being lording over a host.
“Come, sit. You must be in need of food and drink.” Her accent was smooth, precise—English? Something close. Again, that strange dissonance. The voice of a queen, but the dress of a simple country girl.
A wave of her hand, and behind her, a table came into view, cluttered with maps and military reports. And chairs—sturdy, mismatched, taken from different homes. Some wooden, others metal, all well-worn but functional.
Cate took it all in. The quiet murmur of voices beyond the chamber, the scent of aged paper and something faintly herbal in the air. The tension in James’ shoulders hadn’t eased, but he followed as Cate moved toward the table.
James pulled out a plain steel chair, his movements stiff. Cate chose a wooden chair, its pastel green paint chipped from years of use.
She sat.
And the real conversation began.
________________________________________________________________________
By the look in James’ eyes, Cate could tell he was hooked. Smitten. And sinking fast.
The conversation cantered around introductions, Allienna making the admission that she was not Goa’uld, though she was host to a symbiote—one she called a Tok’ra. Cate vaguely recalled the Tok’ra from her SGC briefings before she was let loose on the fleet. Unlike their parasitic cousins, the Tok’ra had spent millennia working to bring down the Goa’uld. And when Earth got involved, the fight had finally turned in their favour.
“We could not have eliminated the System Lords and their lackeys without the help of Earth,” Allienna said, leaning forward slightly. “And everyone knows that. Including the Alliance.”
James’ smile went from charming to ridiculous. Cate shook her head.
“That left a vacuum,” she said. “Didn’t take much for them to step in, did it?”
It wasn’t really a question.
Allienna nodded, sighing. “I suppose it was inevitable. The galaxy was still reeling from the Ori incursion—weak, vulnerable. The Alliance seized the moment because they never truly opposed the Ori. They faked allegiance, bided their time, and when the Ori fell, they were in the perfect position to take over.”
Cate pushed aside a plate of ridiculously sweet biscuits, her patience fraying. “Look, Allienna, I’m sorry, but James and I need to find a way to contact our ship. We need to get back, if that’s even possible.”
Allienna held up a hand, her posture as composed as a monarch calling for order. “It is in hand, Commander. Even as we speak, your people are being contacted.”
Cate and James exchanged a glance. How? The planet was crawling with Alliance forces. Their flights over the surface during the first phase of the attacks had confirmed it—radio transmissions were being monitored.
________________________________________________________________________
“Try it again!”
Elle’s patience had been stretched to its limit. Normally calm under pressure, the loss of even one person from her ship cut deep. She’d been in contact with Vidmar Kovacs on the Chekov—they weren’t having any better luck. They could locate Cate and James’ personal signals, but something was jamming their ability to beam them aboard. Every attempt had failed.
“Ma’am.”
The quiet voice belonged to Major Mike Bailey. Elle turned, irritation plain on her face. “What is it, Bailey?”
Bailey swallowed. He’d served with Stargate Command since his days as a second lieutenant and had been on Daedalus’ commissioning crew. He knew better than to waste her time.
“Back when I was on Daedalus under Colonel Caldwell, we were trying to extract SG-1 from a planet under Ba’al’s control. He had some kind of beaming jammer. Could the Alliance have gotten hold of that tech?”
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Elle stared at him for half a second before making a sound of pure frustration. “For Christ’s sake, why didn’t you say so an hour ago?”
Bailey had the good sense not to answer.
Elle snapped her comm on. “Novak!”
Two decks below, Lindsey Novak nearly jumped as Elle’s voice crackled through the speakers. “Uh—yes, Commander, I’m here,” she replied, her nervousness evident.
“Can we scan for Goa’uld tech? The Alliance is jamming our beaming systems, and we’ve got two people stuck down there.”
Novak exhaled. “We can, Commander. It’ll take a little time, but we can.”
A junior officer looked up from her console. “Commander, all four ships just received an encrypted transmission.”
Elle snapped around. “Decrypt it.”
A moment later, the officer read aloud. “MacGregor and Doolittle safe in hand. Do not attempt rescue. Wait until you are contacted again.” She paused. “It’s signed Colonel Cameron Mitchell.”
Elle barely had time to process it before her comm activated again.
“Commander McFearson.” The voice of Colonel Vincent di Palma of the Daedalus filled the bridge. “Did you receive the same transmission?”
“I did,” Elle confirmed. “The encryption code matches the latest update—only someone from Earth would know it.”
There was a pause. “So, we wait,” Di Palma said reluctantly.
“For now.”
________________________________________________________________________
Twenty kilometres northwest of the city, a flat ledge jutted over a rocky valley, offering a commanding view of the landscape below. A dozen teenagers, heavily armed and clad in uniforms reminiscent of the US Marine Woodland Combat Utility Uniform, stood guard. Among them, five adults—distinct in their US Army Multicam gear—were packing up equipment into two rugged cases.
“Think they got it, Sam?” Colonel Cameron Mitchell asked, eyeing the subspace communications array with a healthy dose of scepticism. Technology had never been his best friend—at least, not until it had been tested a thousand times over.
Sam Carter glanced at the field station’s display, the faintest of satisfied smiles crossing her face. “The received ping was clear, so yes.” This was only the second time the portable station had been deployed, its coded messages nearly impossible for enemy forces to intercept. The tech still had its flaws—clunky, temperamental—but it worked.
“We should move,” Vala Mal Doran murmured, standing near the outcrop’s edge, her sharp eyes fixed on the movements below.
A teenage girl, no older than sixteen, stood beside her, rifle at the ready. “They’re returning to their base,” she said. “We should have a window before the next patrol.”
“Just the same, Vala,” Daniel Jackson said from where he crouched behind Mitchell, folding up the antenna, “I’d feel better if you stepped back.”
Vala sighed dramatically but did as he suggested, while Sam stretched with a slight groan. “I don’t trust anything the Alliance does. Routine patrols aren’t always routine. Sometimes they just want to see if they can catch someone off guard.”
“I concur, Colonel Carter.” Teal’c’s deep voice rumbled as he scanned the horizon, his massive frame shifting slightly. His eyes narrowed. “We think we can predict what they will—”
Gunfire erupted.
The first burst of automatic fire came from the east, cutting through Teal’c’s words like a blade. A sharp cry followed—a young fighter went down hard, clutching his thigh as blood darkened the fabric beneath his hands.
“Contact left!” Mitchell shouted. “Move! Move, move!”
The ledge exploded into chaos. The teenagers scattered, returning fire in disciplined bursts, their training evident despite their age.
Daniel was already moving toward the injured boy, dropping to his knees beside him. “You’re gonna be okay,” he said, pressing his hand against the wound. The kid’s face was pale, his breath coming in quick, uneven gasps.
More rounds ricocheted off the rocks, kicking up dust. Vala fired three quick shots from her sidearm before ducking behind cover. “I hate when they shoot first,” she muttered.
Teal’c was already in position, his staff weapon sending searing bolts of plasma toward the attackers. “We must withdraw,” he said, calm as ever despite the hail of bullets around them.
“Agreed,” Carter called out, swapping her rifle to full auto and laying down covering fire. “We can’t stay here!”
Mitchell grabbed one of the cases, throwing it over his shoulder. “Daniel, we gotta go!”
“Working on it!” Daniel growled, ripping a field dressing from his vest and securing it around the wounded kid’s leg. “We need a minute!”
“We don’t have a minute!” Mitchell snapped back.
More bullets whipped overhead. Another teenager returned fire, shouting something in a language Mitchell didn’t recognise.
Carter’s earpiece crackled to life. “They’re flanking from the right!” One of the scouts had spotted movement through the trees.
Mitchell clenched his jaw. “That’s it—fall back into the trees! Teal’c, cover our retreat!”
The Jaffa warrior unleashed another round of staff fire, forcing the enemy to take cover as the group scrambled away from the ledge. Daniel hauled the injured fighter to his feet, supporting most of his weight.
“They’re shifting position—move now!” Carter ordered.
Vala fired one last shot before turning on her heel. “I liked that spot. Shame we had to leave.”
The team melted into the forest, the sounds of gunfire fading as they moved swiftly between the trees, disappearing into the shadows.
________________________________________________________________________
Back in the underground chamber, Allienna’s gaze remained steady. “You must be patient. There is someone you need to meet.”
Another door opened.
SG-1 stepped into the chamber.
Cate and James froze.
Cate’s voice was barely above a whisper. “How?”
Mitchell offered her a knowing grin. “Long story.”
Teal’c inclined his head. “You will not be returning to your ships any time soon.”
James frowned. “Why?”
Daniel adjusted his glasses. “Because we need your help.”
Cate exhaled. “What kind of help?”
Teal’c’s response was simple. “To train an army.”
________________________________________________________________________
It will go down in history as the longest moment in which Cate had kept her mouth shut. She was looking at SG-1 incredulously, they were dusty, sweaty and she had caught a glimpse of a group of teenagers dressed for battle moving in another section beyond the door. Finally, she began to work her jaw. “Colonel Carter, James and I have been here just over an hour, in that time we’ve been told where to go, what to do and when to do it. As individuals, we know nothing about this world, other than it’s been held by the Lucian Alliance and they most likely have the people from the Gamma site captive.” She stood abruptly. “We find ourselves surrounded by kids, led by a young woman…” Her blue eyes met those of Allienna’s, “…who isn’t much older than this little army. We’re told we can’t go back to our ships and now you want us to train an army?” Her face was reddening somewhat, on Cate that looked ridiculous.
Sam started to speak; she was cut off as Cate carried on. For some reason beyond military protocol, she allowed her to continue. Even Cam held back. Teal’c merely raised an eyebrow, Vala sat as if she was listening in to some juicy gossip. While Daniel disappeared somewhere into the greater chamber. James was looking everywhere else possible.
“To begin with Colonels, with all due respect, we’re pilots, not soldiers and damn it! Could we please know just a little about this world and why we’re doing this!” Her rage cooled, she sat down with a force, the wooden chair squeaked loudly.
You could hear the sigh, just before Samantha answered her. “Very well then.” Sam started by introductions, she was aware that, that courtesy should have come much earlier. “SG-1 was tasked a week ago to seek out rebel elements of the Lucian Alliance, those opposing the current regime. We met one contact to begin with, he told us to come here to meet another four.” Her face saddened as she looked down.
Cam picked up the end of Sam’s story. “We came by cloaked Tel’tak, courtesy of Bra’tac; he dropped us off west of the city, we made our way to where we were to meet our contacts at night, a house just on the outskirts. By the time we got there, the place had been torched and there was no sign of anyone.” He twisted his neck left and right, relieving a little arthritis. “We thought about it for ten minutes, then decided to leave. Our rendezvous with Bra’tac wasn’t for twenty-four hours, so we figured we’d do some scouting.”
Vala wanted some of the action then. “That didn’t work out well did it Cameron?”
“Indeed.” Teal’c chipped in.
Sam Carter took the conversation up again. “We had only just left where the house stood, we started heading east. I think it was only about fifty metres when we heard shouts. We turned and saw men with flashlights and dogs heading our way, they were close. We started to run, we knew the edge of the forest was a good 100 metres further. We passed the last house in the block when Allienna appeared with some of her soldiers.” Sam emphasised the word, it meant something. “They guided us into another burnt out house, although there was more of it standing; we heard a click, part of the floor opened and here we were.”
“Well, that explains how and why you’re here Colonel. But I still would like to know more about you…” She turned again to Allienna. “…and this world of kids. Are there any adults? We asked before and was met with silence.
The young woman bowed her head, then looked up again, when she spoke, it was in that strange alien voice of the Goa’uld and Tok’ra. A voice that so far Cate had only heard by watching video recordings made by the SGC. She told her own story, how her mother Morrigan feared her child would be taken from her, a child fathered not by another Goa’uld, but by a mere ordinary man she fell in love with. They knew what Allenna’s fate would be and kept her hidden for as long as possible. Then she heard of Earth’s exposure to the Goa’uld via Apophis. Morrigan and her lover soon festered an idea, they would take the child to Earth, find suitable foster parents to raise her and when the time came, she knew her daughter would take up the sword figuratively speaking, to oppose the Goa’uld.
At this juncture James spoke up. “We were instructed on all the System Lords back in the SGC, Morrigan was one of them, I don’t understand how she could want her daughter to oppose those, who she was one of?” Cate wanted to know the answer to that question. It made no sense to her.
“What you say is true. My mother has been a System Lord for centuries and a terrible monster she was. That was until a year before Earth opened their Stargate, my mother felt a change in her, she didn’t know what it was. At first, she panicked, but then she accepted it and just like Egeria before her, she turned on the Goa’uld. I have to say this, she walks a fine line now; for while the old System Lords are gone, there will be new ones to take their place.”
Allienna told them about the people here, how she came to them wanting to help rid their world of the Alliance tyranny. A question Cate wanted to know earlier, where were the adults of this world. Those who didn’t oppose the Alliance, at least openly, lived. But their lives were as virtual slaves. Vegema was rich in Trinium, gold and platinum, all highly valuable and all needed to build ships. The adults worked the mines; those under sixteen, they told their enslavers they had sent away. This was the status quo and now it was up to the children to create that army to dislodge the Alliance and rid this world of them.
Cate let out a sharp breath, shaking her head in disbelief. “So let me get this straight—you’ve got a planet full of enslaved adults, and the only ones fighting back are kids?” Her voice held a hard edge, frustration boiling just beneath the surface. “And you expect us to train them?”
James exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face as he absorbed the enormity of what Allienna had just revealed. “How many fighters do you actually have? What kind of training do they even have?” His voice was calmer, but tense. “If you want to take on the Lucian Alliance, it’s not just about numbers. You need strategy, supply lines, intelligence... Do you have that?”
Cate crossed her arms, her expression unreadable as she studied the young woman before her. “This isn’t just about fighting, is it?” she muttered. “It’s about survival.”