The Barque of Heaven

by Stargate

"Huh." Daniel rose and rubbed circulation back into his cramped legs.

  "Have you discovered something, Daniel Jackson?"

  Daniel waved his notebook at the inscriptions before him. "I don't know whether it's by design or not, but all of the useful information I'm finding is down around floor level. Everything above six or seven feet high is just the usual worship of Ra. Also, Ra seems to have used a greater percentage of Ancient Egyptian words mixed in with the higher-Goa'uld dialect than we've seen on Apophis' worlds, or other Goa'uld worlds for that matter."

  "Is this significant?"

  "Well, it seems to indicate his ties with Ancient Egypt were deeper, perhaps longer, than those of other System Lords. Which doesn't really help us, per se. This however, does."

  Daniel Jackson lifted one of the lamps up close to a passage carved into the stone just above his head. Teal'c glided closer as his voice rose into the echoing darkness of the building.

  "`Go ye forth by set of the ninth new moon. Great shall be your journey. Great shall be your reward. With smiling eyes will Ra look down upon you as you complete your task.' Actually I think `trial' would be more accurate." Daniel glanced over his shoulder. "Teal'c, do you recall hearing anything about a trial or test held by Ra? Did Apophis ever conduct anything that sounds like this?"

  "The business of Ra's domain was always strictly guarded. Those outside his rule were never privy to any of the workings within his court, Daniel Jackson. Nor did Apophis seek to test his followers. If they did not meet his expectations, they were... disposed of"

  "Oh. Well, there's more."

  Teal'c followed Daniel as he stepped over the lamps and headed further into the gloom.

  "Over here, where we've got Ra depicted in his solar boat or barque, sailing through the stars and smiting a mighty snake, it says, Joumeyers go forth to give humble service to Ra, Mighty God of the Sun', and so on. Also, `Each solar year will see the Gate open once only to the worthy'. Similar passages are all over these pillars, Teal'c, referring to the Stargate only opening once each year."

  "The purpose of the mechanism inside the DHD," Teal'c surmised.

  "Yes." An excited smile crept over Daniel's face. "Which means there is a way to open the Stargate here."

  "O'Neill will not be happy to stay on this planet for an extended period of time."

  "No, no he won't. Why don't you tell him while I get back to... uh... you know?" Daniel flashed Teal'c an innocent smile and sidled back into the shadows.

  Teal'c blinked in surprise at having been so neatly maneuvered by his young friend. He stood gazing ruefully at the column and the image of a serpent thrashing in its death throes at the hands of Ra, and offered up a prayer to the true gods that all Goa'uld might suffer the same fate.

  Reaching for his radio, he announced, "O'Neill. It is I, Teal'c."

  Sam shared a grin with the colonel at Teal'c's unique call sign. While he talked to Teal'c, she headed back to the Stargate for another look at the mysterious device attached to it. Immediately she saw that in the time they had been working on the DUD, the display on the device had altered.

  The center panel now showed what looked like a quarter moon, risen above the flat base and moving up along the arch of the half-oval panel. She glanced up at the night sky and, sure enough, a moon had risen behind the pyramid-a thin quarter moon in the same relative position as that shown on the device. With foreboding, Sam noted the ninth gem on the device had begun to glow a pale green. Worse, after six more failed attempts, the SGC was still unable to establish an incoming wormhole, and at 2000 hours the chevrons had lit up again-presumably the Tok'ra attempting to keep their appointment. She sighed and gazed up at the stars: bright, unfamiliar constellations studding the deep velvet of the night sky, twinkling over their heads with utter disregard for their plight.

  Nearly an hour later all four of them were searching the temple for some clue to open the Stargate. In the night sky, the moon was moving quickly toward its zenith, indicating a relatively short cycle. Another piece of the puzzle had been discovered-a passage carved into the lintel over the entrance to the throne room: 'By the Grace of the Name of Ra will my journey begin.'

  For ten minutes now, Daniel had been muttering to himself, the words floating out of the darkness as he examined the pillars.

  "The name of Ra... name of Ra... Ra's name... name... name... RA!"

  Jack was on the verge of telling him to put a sock in it when Daniel suddenly shouted, "Of course! Jack!"

  Jack swung around and was promptly blinded by the beam of Daniel's madly swinging flashlight coursing across his face.

  "What?"

  "I know what the names are." Daniel ran past him at full tilt, flinging explanations over his shoulder. "It's obvious! Don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, but they're written right there on the statue in the Abydos cartouche room."

  He vanished into the obelisk garden and shot past Carter, with Jack and Teal'c hot on his heels. "Now I come to think about it, it was also on the Horns figure behind the ring device on Ra's ship. I haven't thought about that in ages, probably because he was trying to melt my brain at the time."

  Daniel skidded to a halt before the altar in the throne room.

  "I sometimes wonder if he succeeded," Jack muttered as he stalked after him.

  Daniel glanced at his teammates ranged behind him, a small grin on his face. "Watch this."

  Dropping to his knees, Daniel flung out both arms and dramatically declared, "Praise to you, Ra Triumphant. Lord of a million years, Eternal child of morning, He who stands above and apart, Shining one, The one who is first and last, He who is without equal. May you guide me to the path of the sun."

  Silence covered the four like a suffocating blanket.

  The sight of Daniel on his knees, praising the name of a Goa'uld, made Jack share a frown of unease with Teal'c.

  Suddenly, a faint hum resounded from the direction of the altar.

  "Listen." Carter's voice was hushed with expectation.

  A beam of golden light shot up from the center of the altar, quickly spreading into the air above their heads. Diffused light coalesced into symbols-address glyphs. Seven of them.

  "That's it!"

  "Somebody write them down," Jack barked.

  Teal'c was mouthing the names of the glyphs, as Daniel filmed the display while still on his knees. The light show snapped off, leaving them spot lit by their own flashlights.

  "Okay, I got Mic and Sculptor," Jack started.

  "Andromeda and Triangulum," added Carter.

  "Gemini, Aquila," Daniel said, reading from the display in the camera.

  "The point of origin is a pyramid shape with a crescent moon above it," finished Teal'c.

  "Way to go Daniel." Jack pulled Daniel to his feet and clapped him on the back. "I give you a ten for execution and eight for presentation."

  "Only eight?"

  "A little too dramatic for my taste, but, hey."

  An hour later the moon was sinking rapidly toward the dark earth. Jack stood on the wall surrounding the courtyard, eyeing the horizon behind the pyramid where a silvery line foretold the sun's imminent arrival. A chilly breeze plucked at his clothing, bringing alien scents of desert and emptiness.

  He lowered himself to the ground and strode into the temple to round up his team.

  "Okay, kids, gear up. Dawn's breaking, and I want to be at the 'gate when the sun comes up and that countdown crystal thing runs out."

  Daniel and Carter were packed and ready to go, and they still looked fresh and alert despite working through the night. Teal'c helped Carter with her pack as Daniel quickly scrutinized one last pillar.

  "It's possible the SGC will be able to dial in during daylight, sir, though why, I can't work out just yet."

  "I'm hoping so, Carter. Things could get a little tight if we have to start foraging for food."

  "You intend for us to remain on this planet, O'Neill?"

  "Best scenario, T. Even if the SGC can't get throug
h to us again, they know where we are and I'm sure Hammond will get Jacob to scare up a ship and come get us eventually."

  "What about the address we found, Jack?" Daniel hefted his pack up and Jack helped clip it to his tac vest. "We've compared it to all of the ones we know by heart, and it doesn't match any, even the hundreds Teal'c has used. Of course, that doesn't mean it's not on record in the SGC's database."

  "We'll keep it in reserve, but if this planet is the jumping off point for some test of Ra's, then I don't think we want to be going anywhere the SGC can't find us. Hammond's expecting us to stay in our mission area, and here we'll stay."

  "The Tok'ra sending us here now is pretty coincidental, isn't it?" Daniel muttered as they followed Teal'c out of the temple and onto the causeway.

  "My, what a suspicious mind you have, Doctor Jackson." Jack couldn't have agreed more with the direction of Daniel's thoughts. He was looking forward to having a little chat with the Tok'ra operatives responsible for sending them here when SG-1 got back.

  "We may find that we are able to connect to Earth from the Stargate on the planet to which this address leads, O'Neill," Teal'c commented.

  "Or we could end up in the middle of a planet full of not so friendly Jaffa," Carter said, looking at the bright side.

  "Charming," Jack grunted. He glanced up at the sphinx as they passed by, avoiding its stone eyes that seemed to follow their progress.

  "So, what could the purpose of this `test' be?" Carter asked.

  "Probably to select hosts," Daniel said bleakly.

  "All the more reason to stay right here," Jack pointed out. "For now, we'll establish camp by the 'gate; keep close in case we need to evacuate in a hurry."

  By the time they returned to the Stargate, the ninth gem on the device was glowing a solid green. As a further contingency plan, Jack swiftly copied the address found in the temple into a brief report and buried it at the base of the DHD, then scratched 'SG-l' onto a rock to point the way for any potential rescue team.

  "The moon has set, O'Neill," called Teal'c, standing on the Stargate platform and gazing through the ring at the now empty sky.

  Long moments passed.

  The sky behind the pyramid brightened swiftly from gray nothingness to a golden-hued pale blue. A flock of birds broke from cover near the river, making everyone jump. Then the sun itself became visible, slightly to the left of the pyramid and framed between the valley walls; it was enormous and brilliantly fierce. Rays of light streaked up into the sky, a trumpeting herald of the new day.

  "Oh, wow. Guys, look at the pyramid," Daniel uttered in awe.

  Fire seemed to fill the capstone-a deep angry red-gold of refracted sunlight.

  "I wonder if it's hollow?" Carter stepped back a pace, marveling at the sight as Daniel captured it on camera. Teal'c moved down the steps to stand near them, all four mesmerized as fiery light shot out from the capstone, over the roof of the temple and wrapped around the head of the sphinx, infusing the eyes in its Ra-face with a menacing gem-like glow.

  "Er...," Daniel trailed off uneasily. "That's not natural."

  "Yeah. Heads up, people," Jack said, automatically bringing his weapon up. "Carter, why don't you try dialing Earth one more time?"

  "Yes, sir." She hurried to the DHD and punched in Earth's address. "No go, Colonel."

  A bone-shuddering tremor rippled through the ground under their feet. A split second later amid a deafening boom, a tall, slender pillar shot up out of the sand in front of the sphinx. Before the team's astonished eyes another pillar exploded from the ground twenty feet away, followed by another and another, arcing in a circle around the Stargate and DHD and back to the sphinx.

  There was a moment of silence- sand drifting back to earth and startled birds taking flight the only movement.

  "Defensive positions," Jack snapped out, dropping to one knee and raising his gun. Daniel and Teal'c spread out to flank him, while Carter went for the high ground, hunkering down by the MALP on the platform behind them. "Teal'c, you got any idea what this is?" His voice sounded unnaturally loud in the quiet.

  Teal'c's reply was drowned out by a snapping sizzle of electricity as an energy field popped up between each pillar, effectively corralling the team inside.

  "These appear to be automated defensive posts, O'Neill." Teal'c appeared at Jack's side. He primed his staff weapon and crouched, alert and ready.

  "Looks like my old buddy Ra didn't want anyone changing their mind about going on this trial thing," Jack replied as he eyed the pillars for weak spots.

  Almost in response to Jack's comment, something exploded up out of the ground only two feet away from him, showering dirt and grass everywhere. The dawn light glinted off a small mechanical orb as it soared into the air. A bright blue beam lanced out from it and swept over each of the team.

  "I think we've just been painted, Colonel," yelled Carter.

  "I think you're right, Major."

  Jack ratcheted the safety off his weapon, but the orb was already moving-faster than any of them could aim-zeroing in directly on Daniel.

  "Daniel! Down!"

  Daniel dived for cover behind the DHD, his pack shifting awkwardly over his shoulders as bullets from Jack's gun zipped over him. His hand slapped at the back of his right leg as he was struck. "Ow." He rolled to one side, trying to keep the fast-moving orb in sight.

  "Daniel?"

  "I'm okay," he yelled, hand coming away bloodless from his leg. "I think."

  A squawk from behind the MALP announced Carter had been hit too. "Sir, whatever this is, I don't think it's a weapon," she called out.

  The orb whizzed over Jack's head. He fired instinctively, but missed by a mile. "Son of a bitch!" A sharp stinging pain flared in his shoulder.

  Jack spun in a three-sixty degree arc, unable to keep up with it as Teal'c was zapped in the butt. As fast as it had arrived, the orb disappeared back into the ground leaving only a puff of dust in its wake.

  "What the hell was that all about?"

  Teal'c leaned over and prodded at the small cut on Jack's shoulder.

  "See anything, T?"

  "I cannot. The wound seems to be closing over."

  Jack shared an uneasy glance with Daniel.

  "Creepy." Daniel scratched uneasily at the gash in his thigh.

  "These wounds may have been caused by the insertion of a tracking module," Teal'c continued. "Such things are favored by the Goa'uld when hunting those they consider a threat to their rule. I believe we should leave this place, O'Neill."

  Jack scanned the buzzing force-field surrounding them. "I just wish we knew what we might be heading into, Teal'c. This whole setup sucks."

  An earthy chuffing sound drowned him out as more objects shot up into the air. Five, ten, dozens of them. Whirring up from the ground came scores of glittering, golden objects, slowing to hover with silent and malicious intent.

  "Crap." Jack stepped out in front of Daniel, weapon raised. "Vow what?"

  "They're shaped like the Eye of Ra," Daniel said, his gaze riveted to the menacing cluster.

  As one, the miniature Eyes swarmed towards them, tiny objects launching from their centers.

  "Scatter!" Jack bellowed.

  Everyone dodged as small but powerful explosions ripped the ground at their heels. All around the space they were confined in dirt, rocks and burning grass erupted in choking clouds. Teal'c turned and launched stream after stream of stafffire into the attackers, destroying many of them. Yet still they came, splitting like flocks of birds around the danger, reforming and hurtling after Jack and Daniel. Over their heads, Carter sent sprays of bullets into the flying Eyes, but it seemed for every one that fell, three more appeared.

  Jack rolled to his feet, emptying his magazine at the closest mini-bombers. "Daniel, dial that address. Carter, get ready to send the MALP through." He reloaded and fired again, coordinating with Teal'c to cover their teammates and their vital gear.

  Carter loosed another burst at a group of Eyes targ
eting Daniel, then ducked to one side as the wormhole roared to life. As soon as it stabilized, she hit the controls on the MALP and sent the bulky machine lurching toward the Stargate.

  Daniel dashed toward the FRED and slammed his hand on the controls. It jerked forward, churning steadily to the platform. He kept pace behind it, edging backwards and was only a few feet from the steps when another explosion nearby threw him to the ground. He rolled into a crouch, flinching from the concussion and the thunderous hammer of weapons' fire over his head. Jack glanced at Daniel, saw he was up and moving, and continued firing.

  Slowly, keeping pace with Teal'c, Jack fell back, the minibombers obviously herding them toward the Stargate. Spinning in a circle, trying to keep a bead on a particular group of attackers, he had an instant's snapshot of Carter silhouetted against the blue of the event horizon. For a split-second she was there, then through the smoke Jack glimpsed the soles of her boots as she was thrown backward into the vortex. A billowing cloud of smoke and debris flew out from the MALP; charred and bent metal showing where one of the little bombs had scored a direct hit.

  "Sam!" Daniel scrabbled up four steps through acrid smoke. Another bomb exploded on the edge of the platform, spraying him with stone shrapnel and sending him sliding back down the steps.

  "Go, Daniel, go," yelled Jack.

  Daniel clawed his way up the rest of the steps. Three large strides and he flung himself headfirst into the rippling event horizon.

  Teal'c fired a near-continuous stream of blasts at their attackers, he and Jack covering each other in their retreat up the steps. The FRED had reached the top of the platform but was stalled behind the smoldering MALP. Jack broke off the battle and threw his weight at the machine, pushing it far enough into the wormhole for the vortex to take it and suck it away, the FRED following along like a giant wind-up toy. He spun around and picked off several more Eyes heading toward them. All over the area in front of the Stargate the ground was littered with craters and burning, broken metal.

  "Teal'c, go," Jack croaked, smoke catching in his throat.

  Teal'c backed into the Stargate, still firing until the event horizon swallowed him up. Jack threw himself sideways into the wormhole, then the cold grip of the vortex was spiriting him away to the unknown.