*Sometimes you can't see what's about to get you - Jack get's himself kidnapped on a jungle planet.

=====================================

"This is absolutely amazing," Daniel said, his voice hushed.

"What is?" O’Neill asked. "The city, or the ride?"

For a moment, Daniel was tongue tied, allowing Jack to see the city reflected in his oval glasses before laughing self-consciously.

"Both, I guess," he said. "Although in my case the city wins by a small margin." He peered outside again; drawing Jack’s attention to graceful spires the size of city blocks that towered into the heavens, dwarfing the air car.

"Just think of the engineering that went into building these towers," he said. "This is amazing."

Jack couldn’t help but agree. Towers of light gray concrete clawed into the sky as far as the eye could see, like something an artist would depict on the cover of a gaudy science fiction paperback, making him wonder just how many millions of people lived in this one city. And how they came to have this huge city in the first place, because according to the UAV, the entire planet seemed to consist of nothing but thick rainforest.

"I agree, Daniel Jackson," Teal’c said, the first words he had spoken for quite some time. "This is indeed a magnificent city, one well worth our attention. But let us also not let our guard down too much before knowing more about it and its people."

He traded a look with O’Neill, making Jack aware that he too was feeling uneasy about something. It was just too easy. They had arrived through the stargate only to be met with smiling faces, faces that assured them they were in no harm before whisking them away in futuristic cars. It was too slick, and Jack had learned never to trust slick.

Daniel gave the other two people sat in the car a smile. "Teal’c means no offense by his statements," he hastened to explain. "It’s just that we have been fighting the Gou’ald for such a long time, and when we exited the stargate and encountered your city…"

"We understand," the smaller of the two oriental gentlemen said with a quick glance at the other, as if for confirmation.

"Indeed we do," the other said, barely glancing outside. "This is Han city. Covering an area of over twenty five miles, it is a triumph of man verses the jungle."

"How did you do it?" Carter asked from her seat next to Jack. "The UAV, our flying vehicle, flew for miles before being forced to turn back. According to it, the jungle is impenetrable, and yet here we are." She sighed in awe. " How did you manage to build such a magnificent city?"

"With great planning and foresight," the smaller and less ornately dressed of the men said.

"Planning and foresight?" Jack asked cautiously, the hairs on the back of his neck refusing to lie down. There was something…off about the two men sat in their midst. The problem was, what?

"In what way?"

"Councilor Grinwe should explain better," the other snapped. "Out forefathers arrived through the stargate many centuries ago armed with nothing more than determination. They begun the fight against the jungle, a fight we continue to this day."

"Leader Wiu makes things sound so simple," Grinwe said with a smile, clearing the problem of their names up. "It was not easy for our forefathers, nor safe. Nevertheless we persevered, the end result being the city that stands before you today."

"And you have never thought of going through the stargate, of exploring other civilizations the way we do?" Daniel asked.

Wiu shook his head. "We did not know how. That is the reason why your unexpected arrival was such a surprise."

Jack frowned slightly, catching Teal’c’s eye. If their arrival had been such a surprise, them why were both ministers and their entourages waiting patiently for them, complete with a sky car?

The UAV had taken ten minutes to do a reconnaissance. Then they had been given a go almost the minute General Hammond had seen the city, and were stepping through the stargate ten to fifteen minutes later. All in all, it had taken just under half an hour to get moving, and yet it had been more enough time to have both ministers waiting patiently? He didn’t think so.

And yet…how else could they have known? Jack O’Neill hated enigmas and vowed to watch them carefully.

"The idea of trade between out two worlds," Grinwe said, his eyes shining. "Well, it excites us like never before."

"It’s early days yet," Jack cautioned. "We are just an advance guard, a first contact team. If we like what we see, we report back to our superiors and they take things from there."

"You will like what you see," Wiu said. "Of that we promise,"

…

"So what do you think? Daniel asked some few hours later.

They had been wined and dined in grand fashion, seemingly every minister in the city wanting to greet them, and there were many. Finally, the banquet had ended and they were allowed to retire to their 50th floor apartments for the night.

"If they are on the level, then the SGC really have some new allies that can put the Tollan in the shade," Sam said, shucking off her jacket and sitting down in a soft chair with a sigh.

"I don’t think they are," Jack O’Neill said softly. He walked to the massive window and watched the sky cars duck and weave back and forth. "I think we are being snowed, big time."

Teal’c stood at his side, his face troubled.

"If by that you mean we are being deceived, then I agree," he rumbled. "These tiny people seem entirely too anxious for our approval, as if they are hiding something deceitful of which they wish us not to identify."

Carter sighed from her place on the chair. " You know, I thought I was just being paranoid," she said. "The food was just too good, the company too perfect, but ask about anything of a technological nature, and they just clammed up. It was if they hadn’t an idea what I was talking about."

"Perhaps they are like the Tollans," Teal’c said. "Perhaps they are unwilling to share any advanced technology with inferior races."

"Maybe that’s it, and they are too polite to tell us to go home," O’Neill said.

Daniel turned to him. "Then why are they seemingly so desperate to trade with us? That’s sharing in a big way."

"I really think that trade is the last thing on their agenda," Jack muttered, studying the vast city spread before them closely. "That’s what I think."

"You have suspicions, O’Neill?" Teal’c asked.

He nodded. "I do."

He gestured towards the city. "Tell me, campers. What do you see out there?"

Daniel was the first to answer. "I see massive buildings of a uniform light gray color, almost blue in places. Behind them I see the beginnings of a gigantic jungle, an area our hosts say has never been explored."

"That in itself is unusual," Jack said. "Anything else?"

"The sky cars," Carter said, rising to her feet and joining them. "They’re everywhere."

"But no people," Teal’c said. "Not once have I seen a face."

"Precisely," Jack said, turning to face his team. "Think about it. Apart from the various ministers and the dignitaries, what other people have you seen?"

From their profound silence, he knew he had them.

"Maids, policemen, hell, just plain commuters, anyone?"

"But the sky cabs," Daniel said. "There must be people in them, surely?"

Jack smiled. "I never said that there weren’t any people," he said. "Just that there aren’t enough around to support a city this size."

"So the Hanese have another agenda," Carter said.

"Looks that way," Jack said. "And as to the sky cabs? They leave every ten minutes, flying from building to building, regular as clockwork."

"Maybe if we ask for a tour of the city everything will be explained," Carter said.

"We might then tip our hand," Jack said doubtfully. "Another thing. If you look closely at the nearest building to ours, what do you see?"

It was Teal’c with his sharp eyes that saw to what Jack was referring to first.

"The building seems to be missing some slabs of tile on the outside, O’Neill."

"A lot of slabs, actually," Daniel said.

Jack nodded. "It’s falling apart. I noticed it when we were coming in to land earlier." He turned to his team, his eyes troubled. "Opinions anyone?"

"I haven’t a clue sir," Carter said. "Besides just asking them."

"I have a better idea," Daniel said. "I saw the ruins of what looked like a place of worship on the way here this evening, over next to the jungle. Maybe I can convince our hosts to let us study it. That way, if they are hiding something, we can be in a position to find out what."

Jack nodded, turning away from the window with a sigh.

"That’s a good idea, Danny," he said. "In fact, insist on it. Tell them that it is a prerequisite for good trade relations, knowing something of the history of their peoples. Tell them that if they don’t agree, we walk."

"If they let us," Carter said doubtfully, thinking of the convoluted trip back to the stargate.

"If necessary we go through them, under them, or over them," Jack said, his eyes fiery. "But if they have us here under false pretenses, we don’t stick around. Got that?"

…

Leader Wiu himself had volunteered to show the esteemed guests around the temple, councilor Grinwe informed them the following morning, making it sound like it was a great honor, much to O’Neill’s disgust. He had hoped for some time alone, away from prying eyes, but it was not to be.

Jack was irritated.

Daniel was in some weird sort of heaven.

The temple was proving to be a treasure trove of ancient writings, so much so that he wondered why the Hanese hadn’t done more to protect the temple from the jungle.

One good look at the writings, and he understood why.

He decided to try something.

"This is fascinating," he said, pointing an inscription out to the impatient Wiu. "Your people have a rich heritage."

"So I see," Wiu said, before casually moving off.

"Do not be long," he cautioned. "This close to the jungle is an unhealthy place to be."

"I’ll try not to be, Leader," Daniel replied, looking for Jack.

"And why is it so unhealthy?" O’Neill asked the leader, nodding at Daniel. He stared upwards at the dense foliage covering the roof of the structure. "Besides the dangers of having the roof fall in on us?"

"The structure is unsafe, yes," Grinwe said, moving to stand close to his boss at the entrance. "This we know. Time and history have taken their toll."

"But is also the dangers of disease that we fear," Leader Wiu said unhappily. "The jungle is home to a variety of diseases, most fatal to the Han."

"Then you are indeed brave to accompany us," Carter said, getting radiant smiles for her efforts at diplomacy.

"O’Neill, this place is almost indefensible," Teal’c rumbled softly, turning his back on the two apprehensive men. "If the Hanese are deceiving us, as you believe, we could be under attack without warning."

"I know," Jack replied equally as softly. "I feel really uncomfortable about this," he muttered, seeing Carter, Teal’c and even Daniel nod.

Maybe it was the soldier in him, or many years of honed survival instinct, but he was uneasy. It gave him some relief to see that the rest of SG1 felt the same way. Hell, even Daniel looked apprehensive. That was truly scary.

If Daniel of all people noticed something was wrong, then he’d really better watch out.

Wishing he were armed and damning the fact he wasn’t, Jack carefully reconnoitered the temple, checking for anything out of the ordinary. Of course, not being on Earth meant everything seemed out of the ordinary, which didn’t help his mood one bit.

The whole structure looked like a massive cathedral, with one obvious difference. At one point in history, there had been two levels. Time, and the encroaching jungle, had managed to collapse the roof and upper level, giving way to the solid greenery of the jungle, finally allowing it to form its own artificial ceiling. This gave the ground around them a dappled psychedelic look as the strong sun tried to make its way onto the floor.

Not that Daniel seemed to mind, or even noticed now. The linguist was once more hard at work, leaving the tricky things, like someone watching his back, to the rest of SG1.

"We should have bought our P-90’s," Carter said, staring up at the dark foliage above their heads with a worried expression.

"We couldn’t," Jack said unhappily. "Not without a diplomatic incident." He grimaced. "Diplomacy. Ah, how I love it."

"At least Teal’c has his staff weapon," she said optimistically.

"Indeed," Teal’c agreed, shifting it from hand to hand with a faint scraping noise.

"Will you all calm down," Daniel hissed, his face dotted by sunshine. "I can’t work with you fidgeting so."

"So finish faster, Jack nastily.

"I’m translating as fast as I can," Daniel said. "But the writings are strange. Do you think a race of obviously oriental people would write in Gaelic?"

"No," Jack said tightly "Nor do you." He snorted, watching the Hanese closely "What does it say?"

Daniel pushed his glasses back up his nose and peered at the inscriptions.

"According to this, a disease decimated the Khum about a century ago, almost wiping them out."

"Oh really," O’Neill drawled. "Who were the Khum, Danny?" he asked. "Any idea?"

"None," Daniel said, exasperated. He jerked his thumb at their hosts. "Ask them."

Jack thought it was a good idea.

"Who are the Khum?" he asked loudly, watching suspiciously as both councilors stiffened.

"The people who lived here before us," Leader Wiu said, his face pale. "They are gone now."

Daniel gestured to the stone column. "According to this, there was a disease, a sickness?"

"Indeed," Wiu said. "It happened about a generation ago. Is that right Councilor Grinwe?"

His colleague nodded his head emphatically, bobbing his head along with his Leader. "Oh yes, the jungle fever. No one knows what it is, but it is fatal to all."

"If you are the Han, then who are the Khum?" Carter asked, looking upwards nervously. She wasn’t sure, but she swore she had just heard a noise.

"They are our ancestors," Wiu said.

…

"Still lying with a straight face, eh Wiu?" a cool voice asked. "You shouldn’t do that. Dishonesty leads to all kinds of evil."

"What the?" Jack spun around, wishing desperately for his diplomatically inappropriate P-90.

The voice came from above his head, from just the place he had been worried about, from somewhere deep in the foliage.

"Ah-ah, people." the disembodied voice snapped as Jack dived for the nearest cover, the rest of SG1 following his lead. "Show yourselves, or the Han die."

"Teal’c," Jack muttered out the corner of his mouth, reluctantly rising to his feet. Their eyes met, communicating silently.

"I am ready, O’Neill," he rumbled.

Everything now depended on Teal’c and his staff weapon. The problem was, he had no target, the thick greenery hiding the man as effectively as if he had been invisible.

The unknown man’s next sentence sent his head spinning and ice water into his veins.

"Thank you. Now drop the weapon, Jaffa, or your leader dies."

"Dammit," he heard Carter mutter, her voice hushed in shock. "Gou’ald."

"Indeed," Teal’c muttered, carefully placing his staff weapon on the floor.

"That’s better," the voice said mockingly.

A tall man appeared from the overgrown level above their heads and jumped to the floor.

"Kogan," Wiu spat. "I should have known."

…

Kogan was tall, almost as tall as Jack was, with curly light brown hair and wise hazel eyes set in a pleasant face. An oriental Hanese he most definitely was not, nor did he seem to be a Gou’ald, which definitely begged some answers.

"Just who in the hell are you?" Jack snapped.

…

If the man took any umbrage at Jack’s tone of voice, he didn’t show it. Instead, he smiled and gave a small bow.

"My name, as you most probably know by now, is Kogan." He straightened and his face sobered. "I am Khum."

"Am I to assume that you are the original occupiers of this planet?" Daniel asked, still crouched on the floor in front of his column. He would dearly like to rise to his feet, but could see other armed people staring down at them now, and decided to be prudent and not move.

"Indeed," Kogan said, smiling easily. "And you must be the explorers I have heard so much about. Welcome to my planet."

"The planet’s name is Han," Wiu snarled. "As is the city. You are nothing, just the pitiful remnants of what has gone before." He straightened to his full height, scaring no one. "Be gone, cur, before the security people I have summoned arrive and kill you where you stand."

"If you insist," the man murmured. He turned to O’Neill, his face regretful. "I am so sorry, but I must insist that you accompany me."

Jack met the eyes of Carter, and he shrugged infinitesimally. The Khum and the Han obviously had a history, and if the SGC intended to trade with this planet, they needed to find out what was going on. If that meant going with the Khum, so be it. Of course, he would have preferred going as a free man and not a hostage, but if that was how they were going to play it, so be it.

He had, however, forgotten about one very important factor.

"You can’t do that," Grinwe gasped. "The jungle fever…he will die."

Crap, the jungle fever. Diplomacy had just taken on a whole new and dangerous edge.

…

"Perhaps," Kogan said. "For our sakes, hopefully not. Even if he does, I will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that soon someone else in the galaxy will know of the plight of the Khum at the hands of the Han."

"Die?" Daniel asked, shooting to his feet, all caution forgotten. "You can’t just expect us to stand by and allow you to kidnap Jack without a fight."

"Ah, but I do," Kogan said, his smile bitter. "And you have no choice in the matter." He pointed up to where at least six heavily armed men stood. "My men will ensure you obey."

"Why?" Jack asked, feeling numb. "Why me?"

Kogan shrugged. "Because I have to," he said. "I need to make you understand."

"So tell us," Daniel said. "Make us understand."

Kogan smiled thinly. "If only you would, outlander."

"A century ago, the Han arrived through the stargate and drove us into the jungle expecting us to die. We survived. Now more visitors have arrived - you." He gave Jack a calculating look, one that was reciprocated. "You and hopefully more of your kind can be instrumental in driving the Han out from what is not theirs, allowing the Khum to thrive again."

"We don’t give in to kidnappers," Carter spat, eyeing him with a lethal stare.

Kogan shook his head, his expression changing to what could be called genuine anguish.

"Usually we would not stoop this low, endangering a man in such a way, but our plight is desperate." His face became earnest. "Please, we need you outlanders to see for themselves what had become of the Khum." He pointed to Jack. "Your leader needs to see for himself just how desperate our situation is. Once we have shown him and told him of our history, he will be returned to you."

"I can’t help anybody if I’m dead," Jack said, eying Kogan and his troops carefully.

Kogan shrugged. "I’m sorry, that is a risk we have to take. You may be our salvation, or you may die. Either way, you have to come with me."

…

Sam Carter watched helplessly as the tall man led Jack from the temple. Teal’c had tried to follow, only to step back hurriedly as what looked like a bullet spanged off of the rock in front of his feet. Throwing caution to the wind, she had tried it herself, only to have the same thing happen to her. Then there was silence, and she knew Jack and his kidnappers had vanished.

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"It was pandemonium from then on sir," Carter said a day later. "The temple then seemed to fill with yelling Hanese, all demanding answers, to which we could give none."

"I asked when the Hanese were going to go follow them," Teal’c said. "I was aware that their spoor would be getting colder with each passing minute and time was of the essence…"

"And they answered, what rebels?" Daniel burst out. "I mean, the leader, this Kogan, was standing right in front of us and…"

"They refused to acknowledge the fact that the rebels existed, neither, for that matter, Colonel O’Neill," Teal’c interjected calmly, his deep voice effectively silencing Daniel.

"Like the Touched did," Carter said.

Teal’c shook his head. "No. The Touched at least acknowledged the fact that their people existed. The Hanese on the other hand simply acted as if the rebels were the wind, unseen and mostly harmless."

"Do you believe Colonel O’Neill is still alive?" General Hammond asked, watching the rest of SG1 closely. The question wasn’t an easy one to ask; nevertheless, it had to be done.

"I believe he is," Teal’c answered. "Had they wanted to kill him, they would have done so back at the temple."

Carter was nodding in agreement, and after a moment’s hesitation, so did Dr Jackson.

"The problem is the disease," Carter said slowly. "The Han called it jungle fever. If the Colonel gets infected, he may well die."

"The Han prevented us from following on the pretext that it was extremely fatal, despite my repeated reassurances that my symbiote would protect me from harm," Teal’c said. "I tried repeatedly to evade their security forces, to no avail. Finally, all I could do was remove some branches and grasses for Doctor Fraiser to study."

"It was then, when they were driving us back to the city, that we decided to return home to the SGC," Carter said.

"Even that was difficult to do," Daniel said. "The Hanese driver refused to take back to the stargate at first. It was only when Teal’c placed his staff weapon against his ear that the man agreed."

"Thus more than likely destroying any chance of any trade between us and the Hanese," General Hammond said, although he didn’t look too angry.

"I believe trade relations were already in jeopardy," Teal’c said darkly. "The rebel leader knew I was Jaffa."

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Jack O’Neill had been in the jungle before, and no matter where in the universe it was, he still hated the place.

It was hot and humid, with the rotting vegetation that crunched underfoot adding to the humidity, giving him the sensation of walking in a sauna. This made breathing tough and chafed the skin.

And if that wasn’t enough, the sky seemed full of tiny whining insects that took every opportunity to bite every exposed area of flesh Jack had. That too seemed to be the same the universe over.

Outnumbered and hopelessly lost, all Jack could do was walk where they told him to and pray for bug spray.

Finally one of his grinning captors took pity on him and smeared something pungent on him at the base of his neck, but not before he had been turned into one hell of a gourmet meal.

"Its Earth blood," he muttered, staring at the swarm that still circled him hopefully. "I hope it kills you slowly."

Kogan gave him a grin, his eyes merry.

"Welcome to our home," he said, the sarcasm rich in his voice. "A lovely place, no?"

"No," Jack said miserably.

"Yet here we are," Kogan said. "And without your help, here we will stay."

He lapsed into silence when Jack refused to answer, leading his captive deeper and deeper into the jungle.

Jack followed behind, trying to recall all the jungle training he had used to great effect decades ago. When he finally stopped stumbling over every exposed root he knew it was finally coming back to him. About time.

Cheered, he moved up to walk next to Kogan.

"So, Mister Kogan, tell me a story, like how a race of people could come through the stargate and decimate a city. I mean, it sounds like fascinating listening, if not slightly implausible."

Kogan gave him a narrow eyed look, and sighed.

"If you so wish, outlander."

"Oh, I wish," Jack O’Neill said, neatly avoiding a branch filled with wicked looking thorns. "I mean, I really have nothing better to do with my time before I die."

Kogan turned to face him fully, looking concerned. "Are you feeling ill? If so, I apologize."

Jack shook his head, feeling a spurt of shame. As far as he could tell the Khum seemed honorable people, Kogan like a weird cross between a Tollan and a Nox. His men were friendly as well, now they had left the Han and his team far behind, even bandying jokes at his expense when he had tripped on occasion, before firmly wedging him between them until he had finally found his feet.

Now they showed concern for his welfare, which warmed him and chilled him at the same time. Was the jungle fever as deadly as the Han made out?

For his sake, he hoped not.

"I’m fine," he said. "Never better."

"You sure?" Kogan asked. "I mean - you wouldn’t lie to us would you?"

Jack sighed. "Besides not being at liberty to go wherever I want, I’m peachy."

Kogan actually flinched at that, making Jack feel bad.

"I’m truly sorry about this," he muttered, making Jack grind his teeth in frustration.

Damn Kogan for being a genuinely nice guy. Okay, he was not above arming himself, but had an almost empathy with the jungle, and the people surrounding himself. In fact, he had all the signs of a good leader.

And despite himself, despite the situation Jack found himself in, he was beginning to like the man.

Well, apart from this annoying habit of making him feel guilty with just one sentence.

"I’m fine," he mumbled, staring at his feet for a moment. "A bit tired, but otherwise okay."

"You drinking your water?" Kogan asked.

"Crazed kidnappers are meant to frighten their hostages, not act like worried mothers," Jack muttered when someone immediately thrust a full flagon into his hands. In fact, he had drunk all his, feeling thirstier than he had in ages, but still, appearances counted, right?

"We are not crazed," Kogan said with a laugh. "Merely desperate." He resumed his walking, Jack sticking to his back like a limpet.

One hour became two, two became a whole day, and still Jack hung on, earning him admiring glances from Kogan’s men. Truth be told, he was beginning to wheeze a bit, which was obviously due to the excessive moisture in the air, but besides that, he was okay.

Well, kinda okay, if he ignored his aching joints. Geez, he was getting too old for this shit.

As night approached, he began to sweat heavily, and felt like he had run a marathon instead of doing a march he could have done in his sleep. He was obviously sickening for something but he was damned if he would show any weakness. He glared at Kogan’s back balefully. No, he would demand nothing for himself until he had no choice in the matter.

That decided, he coughed, the harsh sound making Kogan stop abruptly.

"Are you still okay?" he asked.

"You were going to tell me how the Khum got here?" Jack snapped irritably before Kogan said anything else.

The tall man blinked, and then nodded.

"Yes, well, there’s not much to tell."

Jack sighed. Damn, people were the same the universe over. Bold in their actions, but when the chips were down, shy and retiring.

"You abducted me for some reason, he said. " Maybe if you start at the beginning I’ll understand."

Kogan nodded, leaping over a rotten log, watching in approval as Jack did the same, the rest of his squad hard on his heels.

Then, decision made, he led them towards a distant clearing.

"We will rest here for the night," he called, his men nodding back and setting up perimeter guards.

Suddenly Jack couldn’t care less. Now they had stopped for the night he could feel the exhaustion wash over him. He was tired, bone tired. So tired in fact, that if a wild animal wanted him, he could have him, and to hell with the perimeter guards.

Kogan, realizing that his charge was fading fast, led Jack to a sandy patch of ground and pushed him down.

"You want our story?" he asked. " Well here it is."

…

The Khum had always been a resourceful group of people. Word of mouth told from generation to generation said that they had volunteered to come to this planet and set up home, even though the prospect had seemed daunting at first.

Slowly, despite the odds stacked against them, the Khum had succeeded, building their village brick by brick, aware that their envisaged city would take generations to complete. That was okay. The Khum could accept that.

What they had difficulty accepting was the jungle. They had no control over it, and it killed.

It grew like wildfire, and contained a disease that decimated the ranks of the Khum, thinning their ranks.

No cure could be found. No medicine seemed to work, and when the disease finally spread from the jungle workers to those in the village itself, hundreds died.

Finally, only the hardy survived. Once they had immunity, the Khum once more thrived, generation upon generation building the city their forefathers had imagined.

"They were a happy people, an imaginative race, a race that delighted in seeing the tangible results of hard labor," Kogan said. "We still are."

"All that changed when the Han arrived."

"What happened?" Jack asked, clutching himself as the cold night air crept in to the clearing.

Kogan took his arm and pulled him to his feet, leading him to a large rock.

"Sit here next to the fire, and I will tell you," he said.

Jack was happy to comply.

The new generation of Khum had never seen the gate move before. They had over the centuries become technologically advanced, but at the detriment of their own history. They had forgotten how their ancestors had come to be on the planet.

Set in a carefully maintained meadow, the ring had become a monument, a symbol. There was no one left who knew what the gate could do, so hundreds of people suddenly appearing through thin air came as a complete surprise.

"At first the Han seemed friendly," Kogan said sadly. "They said they were refugees, fleeing from a great natural disaster that had destroyed their planet. We welcomed them with open arms on this pretext, as brothers, despite our genetic differences."

"They settled in, harming no one, but interacting with no one either. This distressed our elders, who went out of their way to make them feel welcome." He shook his head sadly. "This did not work."

"They turned on you," Jack said knowledgeably.

"It was subtle at first." Kogan said. "The Han had this new great leader, someone called Yu who promised them health and happiness forever if they would only follow him."

"At first we Khum allowed him his ramblings, his worship. But when he started to call himself a god we had to act."

Some of Kogan’s men were now cooking something on the fire, and the light from the disturbed flames leaped and danced in the clearing. The contrast between light and dark only served to blind Jack, and the cooking smells nauseated him.

"What did you do?" he asked, breathing shallowly.

"We used our law at first, pointing out to the Han the error of their ways."

"I bet that went down well," Jack said.

"Wonderfully well," Kogan said, matching sarcasm with sarcasm. "We started to die within days."

"Ouch," Jack said.

Kogan’s face turned bitter. "Ouch isn’t the word I would use, but it will do."

"At first we hadn’t a clue as to what was happening. Our finest doctors had no idea, and we were beginning to die en masse."

"Then Yu told us the truth. He told us that he had started the virus, a virus that was genetically altered to kill only Khum. He told us that we were dying needlessly, that he had a cure which he would provide as soon as we Khum vowed complete servitude to the Gou’ald."

"That sounds like a snakehead to me." Jack muttered.

"Our word is our bond," Kogan said. "Once we have sworn something, then it must come to pass, honestly and fairly." He took a deep breath, lost in his thoughts.

"We, my grandparents and their kin, knew that they could never swear to a life of servitude, that if they did, the Khum would be finished, so they decided to resist."

"How?" Jack asked.

"By leaving the sick behind in the city and retreating to the jungle.

"That must have been hard," Jack rasped.

"Yes indeed," Kogan said, staring into the fire. "It also was necessary for the survival of the Khum."

"But there was a sickness here too," Jack said.

"The sticky tongue disease," Kogan said gravely. "We knew this, but adjudged it the lesser of the two evils. If we were to die, rather let it be as a free race, and not one in servitude to another."

"The what disease?" Jack asked.

Kogan gave him a sympathetic look. "The sticky tongue disease." He held out another flagon of water. "Here, this may help."

Jack grimaced, accepting the water. "Speaking from experience, I would call it the furry tongue disease myself," he said.

Kogan grinned. "I will submit that name to the council when we arrive. Now, rest. We have a long way to go yet."

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

General George Hammond sat back in his office chair and regarded SG1 sadly.

"I’m sorry people, but your request to return to NG7 292 has been denied."

As expected, Jackson was the first to speak.

"What? But Jack’s there. Captured and possibly dying. We can’t just leave him there."

"We aren’t going to," Hammond snapped. "We also aren’t going to rush things, despite what Colonel O’Neill may or may not be going through."

Major Carter was more reasonable, but he could see both she and Teal’c were taking the news equally as hard.

"May I ask why sir?" Carter asked.

"There are two reasons," Hammond said regretfully. "The first is the location of the stargate. By your own admission, you stated that it has been removed from its original position and placed in an artificial town square high up on one of these massive buildings. Correct?"

She nodded.

"You also stated that the Hanese were aware of you the minute you arrived, correct?"

She nodded again.

"And when Colonel O’Neill was captured, by people other than the Han, you committed grand theft auto, forcing your driver to return you here - correct?"

Her nod and Daniel’s uh-oh came together.

He sighed. "There will be a team sent to NG7 292, but it won’t be you."

"SG3?" Daniel said hopefully, wanting the marines.

"A diplomatic team, Doctor Jackson," Hammond said regretfully. "I’m afraid Colonel O’Neill is on his own for a while."

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"Come friend, it is time to go."

"Wha?"

Jack cracked a gritty eye open to see Kogan prodding his shoulder, his figure haloed in the soft light of what had to be dawn.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like death," Jack said hollowly. He groaned and painfully sat up, wincing at the stiffness he felt.

It was indeed morning, the gloom above his head beginning to lighten as a new day approached. Somehow, he had slept the whole night through.

"Can you walk?" Kogan asked, looking worried.

"You sure people survive this?" Jack rasped refusing to answer the question. In truth, he had no idea.

"We all did," Kogan said, pulling him to his feet. "The entire city has."

"You?"

Kogan nodded. "We seem to be immune to it now. The Jungle fever still hits us occasionally, like when we marry and produce offspring with non-Khum, but for the most part, it is over.

"Non-Khum?" Jack asked.

"The Han," Kogan said. "We occasionally get a defector. "Most die within days. Those that do survive are always sick."

"You are genetically resistant, whereas the Han are not, hence they and their mixed offspring falling ill," Jack said, feeling like Carter on a good day. All of a sudden he missed her, missed his team with a pang that left him breathless.

"They must be so worried," he whispered.

Kogan understood.

"I would be, had it been my team leader who was abducted," he said. "If we had a way, I would tell them you are alive, but we don’t. The transport devices do not work at such a distance from their bases."

"The what?" Jack asked, following him back into the jungle.

"Transport devices." He raised his eyebrows. "You know, the method of getting instantly from one side of the city to the other?"

Jack merely nodded. At least he had cleared up the mystery as to how the Han managed to be waiting at the stargate when they arrived. Step into the transport device and hey presto, instant commuting.

…

The new day started bad and rapidly became worse.

It was the sickness. He wasn’t dumb. There was no other thing it could be. The jungle fever. The sickness that had decimated the Khum. And he was very similar to a Khum. Hell, what did Daniel say, that they wrote in Gaelic? If so, then he was very similar to a Khum indeed.

There was a chance that he might not survive. A good chance.

He blinked, shaking his head hard, showering his companions with droplets of sweat.

Dammit, he wasn't going on that route. He would survive.

But, dear God, he felt bad. All he wanted to do was curl up and sleep, only his damn captors wouldn't allow this, so he gritted his teeth and kept on going.

Step breathe. As the day wore on, this became his mantra. Step, breathe.

It was proving a bit tricky to do both things at once, take a step and breathe, and sometimes he forgot one, or the other, or both. It was then, when they pulled him back to his feet, that he objected.

Not that they seemed to care.

Well, maybe Kogan did. He kept on giving him these concerned sidelong glances. Occasionally he even said something, but Jack had long since given up on making sense of anything. All he knew was that he hurt inside, like someone had kicked him in his gut. This was making him dizzy and he wanted to hurl, only Kogan wouldn't let him, dragging him along by one arm whenever he faltered.

Every now and again lucidity occurred, and with it, the scalp prickling realization that he was very sick, but it never lasted long. In fact, the periods of lucidity were dwindling rapidly, which for Jack, was a blessing in disguise.

Then finally, the arduous trek was over.

They walked out of the jungle and into brilliant sunlight, moving towards one of the most magnificent rivers Jack had ever seen, sick or not.

"Holy…" He tried to pull away from Kogan, wanting to see more, only to collapse to the ground.

Once there, his breathing took priority over everything.

Gasping and shuddering, he lay on his back and shut his eyes.

"You are safe now," Kogan said, although from what Jack had no idea. He just contented himself with wheezing frantically, hands clutching the sandy soil as he struggled for oxygen.

They left him where he lay for the remainder of the day, someone occasionally checking on him, obviously to make sure he was still alive. He was just happy not to move. The sun was warm, the roar of the river soothing, and if he were to die, this place would do as well as any.

Finally, eons later, his breathing became easier, and he slowly began to take note of his surroundings. Okay, he still felt that he had been kicked by a mule and then rolled of a cliff, but he was definitely feeling better.

It also helped when someone pulled him upright and thrust a mug into his hands, the first hot drink he had had since the banquet so long ago.

"Feeling better?" Kogan asked, squatting next to him.

"A little," Jack offered cautiously, sipping the sweet brew appreciatively.

"We knew you would," Kogan said. "This is always the way of the sickness."

Ignoring Kogan, he stared at the roofs of what seemed to be a sprawling village that clung to the opposite bank.

From what he could see, sat on the ground as he was, it consisted of interconnected houses, rather Mediterranean-like in their colors and sharp angles.

Jack stared at them in silence for a while before turning back to Kogan

"Home?" he asked.

"Indeed," Kogan said, sounding so like Teal'c that Jack almost hit him. Thinking about Teal'c got him thinking about his team, making him growl in frustration.

"It won't be too long now," Kogan said, mistaking his frustration for distress. "We have to wait for morning before attempting a crossing. He grimaced. "Many a Khum has met his end by being impatient. We will not be making that mistake."

Jack was getting curious. The roar of the river was almost deafening, but he couldn’t see it from his vantage point.

Suddenly he was intensely curious.

"Help me up," he ordered.

Kogan obeyed, pulling him onto shaky legs, legs that thankfully held. Once he was sure he wasn't going collapse in a heap, he slowly lifted his head, only to freeze in astonishment.

He was looking at one of the widest and strongest rivers he had ever seen in his life.

"Holy crap."

Kogan looked at him, amused. "Is that what you were trying to say earlier? Interesting phrase."

Jack ignored him.

"This is Freedom River," Kogan said softly. "Magnificent, isn’t she?"

Jack couldn’t help but agree.

It was a magnificent sight. The river’s current was so strong that it made its own mist, a mist that hung in the air as the tons of water tore past, snarling and tearing at massive rocks that jutted from the maelstrom rather like the bumps found along the spines of dinosaurs long ago. What made the river even more magnificent were the prisms of lights created, the river using both the rocks and the setting sun to send beams of multicolored light in all directions.

Pretty as the river was, it also was one of the most dangerous sights Jack had ever seen, and he instinctively knew that anybody falling into that violent maelstrom would have no hope of survival at all.

It was then that he saw the sturdy rope bridge suspended between two massive trees, spanning inches above the maelstrom.

"You - have - got - to be kidding," he breathed.

Kogan followed his eyes.

"Not at all," he said. "We do it all the time. Tomorrow will be no different."

Jack wheeled on him.

"I can barely stand upright, ache in every joint, and feel I could sleep for a week. I need bed rest, not extreme excitement." He waved a hand at the bridge. "That I don't need."

Kogan smiled serenely. "You feel better, no?"

For a second Jack felt like echoing the no back at him, but he'd be lying.

He was indeed feeling better, the worst of his sickness obviously over. Nevertheless...

"Yeah, I'm feeling better," he muttered. "But I’m not fit enough for that."

Kogan raised an eyebrow, a picture of studied insolence.

"Afraid?" he asked, wondering just how much like the Khum this outlander was. Very, he found out.

"Damn your eyes," Jack muttered, staring at the bridge, his eyes dark. "Okay I will do this." He turned to face his captor "But if I fall, know this, I will haunt you for the rest of your days."

"Then I will make doubly sure you do not," Kogan answered gravely.

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SG1 were on base the entire time SG9 were offworld, and General Hammond didn't have the heart to tell them to go home. Truth be told, he was finding their constant being underfoot to be a welcome distraction from dwelling on what might be happening to his 2IC at the hands of people unknown. From their reports, the Khum seemed to have no regard for his life, and all he could hope was that Jack would persevere.

When he received a request to meet Doctor Fraiser in the infirmary, he rose to his feet with a sigh, happy to be at least doing something.

...

Somehow, he wasn't surprised to see Major Carter by her side. What did surprise them were their grave expressions.

"Ladies?" he asked, forgetting that he shouldn't say such things in the new improved air force.

"What's wrong?"

"There are indications of Aedes aegypti larvae in the samples that Teal’c bought back from NG7 292, sir," Doctor Fraiser said worriedly.

"And?" Hammond asked wearily. It had been a long 24 hours, with no sight of sleep on the horizon yet. Heavy scientist talk he didn’t need.

"They transmit Yellow Fever sir," Fraiser said.

That woke him up fast.

"How bad?" he asked.

"Really bad, sir," Fraiser said leading him into her office.

…

Two hours later, a spooked General Hammond was in the control room, watching as Major Stanley Kovachek and SG9 reappeared through the gate. One look at the Major’s set face and he knew his day was going to get worse.

Rising tiredly, he ordered his aide to summon SG units 1,3,5, and 9 to the briefing room.

…

"Gentlemen, Ladies," Hammond said half an hour later, settling back in his soft chair with a sigh.

"We have a problem."

Stretching the silence, knowing that no one dared speak before he did, he scanned the faces around the table. As usual, when he had more than one SG unit in the same room at the same time, he was amazed at the general…healthiness that his people displayed.

SG2, under Major Louis Ferretti sat to his right, SG5, Colonel Zack Van Ryn’s team to his left. SG9 sat between them, with the other chairs being taken by the three remaining members of SG1.

Smiling slightly, despite the graveness of the situation, he gave into paternal pride. They were his boys - the females in each team were lumped into that general term as well. They were his boys, he thought, his smile slipping, and what he was now going to propose to them could very well get some of them killed.

"What kind of problem, General?" Major Kyle, SG5’s hotheaded 2IC asked at last.

"Strangely enough, your kind of problem, Alex," Doctor Fraiser said softly. "Yellow Fever."

Kyle’s eyes widened. He had just finished an exacting course in infectious diseases with the CDC, and Yellow Fever had indeed been on the course. Lucky him.

"Where?" he asked.

"NG7 292," General Hammond said shortly. "And as usual, Colonel O’Neill is in the thick of it."

"It’s not his fault," Jackson said hotly. "He was kidnapped. The Han…"

"Quiet, Doctor Jackson," General Hammond thundered. "Please allow me to start at the beginning, without interruptions, okay?"

When Jackson nodded, General Hammond proceeded to brief everyone on what had happened, from when SG1 first set foot on NG7 292 to their final headlong dash for freedom, sans their leader.

Finally, everyone was up to date, all regarding him with various wide-eyed stares.

"Sir, we have to go and fetch him," Major Ferretti exclaimed. "Hell, for all we know, they are torturing Jack as we speak." He regarded General Hammond with coal black eyes. "I mean, according to you, he was taken days ago, and yet…"

"We proceeded with caution," Hammond snapped. He pointed at the silent Major Kovachek. "SG9 were then sent to the planet in order to ascertain just what had transpired. What they have found out makes for some worrisome listening." He nodded at the dapper man. "Major?"

Kovachek coughed and rose to his feet.

"Thank you General Hammond," he said in a cultured voice. "This is what transpired."

…

Unlike SG1, SG9 hadn’t been immediately met at the gate, allowing Kovachek and his five-man team a good look at the city and its surrounding jungle before the Han arrived.

The Han arrived from nowhere, seemingly materializing in front of them, their faces clouded with suspicion. Luckily for Kovachek, he and his men were well versed in the niceties of first contact, (and how hostile it could be) and refused to allow a little thing like an inexplicable beam in from God knows where to worry them. Instead, they had embarked on an intensive campaign of meet and greet, and soon had the Hanese laughing and inviting them into their city.

It was there that the cracks in their story became evident.

Like Jack O’Neill, Kovachek and his team soon noticed the strangely empty city. Their trained lawyers eyes also noted other things. The door handles were set higher than was comfortable for the diminutive Han to use, and the street signs were written in an incomprehensible scrawl, whereas everything the Han write were in precise Chinese pictograms.

Knowing that something was very off, and having scant information to go on, Major Kovachek had decided to take the bull by the horns so to speak.

"What do you mean?" Major Carter asked.

Major Kovachek shrugged modestly. "I asked them to take me to the Gou’ald."

His request was met by dead silence, making Stan wonder if he had made the incorrect call. It wouldn’t be the first time that SG9 were running to the gate, a hoard of offended tribes people hot on their heels.

Then, to a man, all the Han threw themselves onto the floor, wailing in fear.

"What?" Daniel asked, astonished.

"God’s truth," Kovachek said, still looking stunned.

Apparently, the Han had quite a story to tell.

Two centuries earlier, their god had led them from their planet, taking them through the stargate to a new place, where they had been welcomed by a tall race called the Khum.

The Khum were the owners of a magnificent city, one the Han’s god wished fervently to possess, if for nothing more than to just have it. The problem was, the Khum were never going to just leave. At least not willingly.

"The god was a Gou’ald?" Major Kyle asked, his mouth thinning when Kovachek nodded.

"What did he do?" Van Ryn asked.

"He made a genetically enhanced virus and used it on the Khum."

"Charming," Van Ryn muttered. "They died?"

"Most of them," Kovachek said. "The survivors fled into the jungle."

"Where the Yellow Fever lives," Doctor Fraiser said grimly.

Kovachek nodded. "Over the years the Han have followed one policy. If it lives in the jungle, it doesn’t exist. The Khum no longer existed. The sickness no longer existed. The problem was, the sickness did exist, and no matter how the Han tried to ignore it, they still died, especially when the winters came and the winds were strong."

"Get to the point, Major," Hammond said testily. "Time’s a ticking."

The lawyer nodded. "Yes well, the Han had been deserted by their god some fifty years earlier when he simply opened the stargate and took off to parts elsewhere in the galaxy without telling them, leaving them behind to reluctantly defend a city they no longer wanted."

"He knew which way the wind was blowing," Doctor Jackson muttered.

"Yeah, straight across the city," Ferretti replied.

"The Han had been bought to the planet by the Gou’ald - our old friend Lord Yu, by the way - and had no way back off the planet without him. They tried hundreds of combinations, and finally resigned themselves to their fate. Come winter, they would die. And die they did. Each winter for the next fifty years, until there were but a handful left."

"But, the banquet?" Carter asked.

"Probably everyone they had," Kovachek said, guessing as to what she meant.

Daniel laughed harshly, drawing every eye to him. "You know, it’s priceless, if you come to think of it."

General Hammond frowned. "What is, son?"

"The situations we get ourselves in, without even trying." He waved his hand around, his expression bitter. "I mean, take this one for example. The Khum abducted Jack in order to highlight their plight, yet in reality, the people worse off are the Han."

"They didn’t know that, Daniel," Dr Fraiser said. "All they knew was the fact that the Khum had driven them out of their city, and now some one else had arrived, the first people to do so in centuries."

Major Ferretti’s eyes met those of Hammond’s. "You want us to go and rescue Colonel O’Neill?" he asked.

General Hammond nodded. "I do, but I think we have a serious problem with that."

"Al least a three day problem with that," Major Kyle interrupted, his eyes on Doctor Fraiser. "That’s unless anyone has immunity?"

She snorted. "Get real, Alex."

Daniel frowned. "Do you think you can let us all into your secret?" he asked.

Janet smiled. "Sorry." She took a deep breath. "Major Carter and I found the remnants of a type of mosquito larvae stuck to the sap of one of the twigs he bought home."

"A particularly vicious type of mosquito," Carter added. "One that is instrumental in infecting Humans with a nasty type of disease called yellow fever."

"It is so called because its most distinguishing feature is the yellow jaundice it gives its victims," Major Kyle said. "That’s just before they die."

"Not always," Carter snapped.

"Most times," Kyle snapped. "Face reality here. There is no known cure. All we can do is vaccinate ourselves before going back there, wait three days and pray it’s enough."

"Maybe he will be lucky," Fraiser said. "People do survive. The Khum, for instance. The survivors have to have full immunity."

Kyle sat back, his face hard.

"Forgive my bluntness, but I believe Colonel O’Neill hasn’t a prayer." He held up his hand, ticking off his fingers. "There are two strikes against him already. "One, he’s old. A survivor is usually a person in his twenties or early thirties, not in their late forties. Two, and this is a doozy; he is not a…whatever you call them? A Khum. This is not an earth-based disease, despite evidence to the contrary. It can’t be, because Earth and whatever they called their damn planet haven’t visited each other in centuries."

"You think this makes a difference?" General Hammond asked.

Major Kyle shrugged. "I have no idea, but if you are going to send three SG units after one man, it sure as hell is something to consider - right?"

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All the morning light seemed to do was make the river roaring past their feet seem even more wide and terrifying, making the weak and trembling man perched on the swaying rope ladder freeze for a terrified second before finally shuffling another step forwards.

"Careful now."

Jack O’Neill glared at Kogan’s back for a millisecond before fixing his attention back on his feet, concentrating hard on his balance. Given a choice, he would never have attempted what he was now being forced to do - walk single file across a mildewed rope bridge after being as sick as a dog for days - but he wasn’t given a choice.

All he could do was hang on, and like Kogan said, be careful.

"Why don’t you just beam us across," he yelled, trying hard to make his voice heard above the roar of the water.

Kogan looked back briefly, his eyes bright.

"We would if we could," he yelled. "The problem with that is the river itself." He pointed out the wicked looking rocks, making the bridge sway alarmingly. "We believe the sheer volume of water being forced against those rocks actually causes a type of kinetic energy. Whatever it is, it sends the transmitters crazy and prevents us from even attempting any kind of transport."

"So, you’re reduced to doing this each time you want to get into the city," Jack yelled.

"It also has the added advantage of being our last line of defense," Kogan said. "According to my parents, Yu tried on many occasions to wipe us out. All they would do was retreat to the village and cut the ropes."

Jack suddenly realized he was climbing again, the halfway point having been reached. Feeling relieved he quizzed Kogan again.

"When was the last time Lord Yu actually chased you?"

"Not in my lifetime," Kogan said, looking over his shoulder. "In my parents time, plenty."

"So he could be gone from here," Jack mused. "In fact, if he’s the same snakehead I know and love, then he is definitely gone from here."

‘Where?" Kogan asked, pulling himself back onto dry ground. "There is nowhere to go."

"There are plenty of places to go," Jack gasped, staggering before falling to his knees. "There are millions of gates out there."

Kogan looked at him, his eyes unreadable. "If that is so, then there are plenty of places for the Han to go as well."

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

General Hammond stared at the five people in the isolation room with a worried expression on his face, watching as they tossed and turned in their sleep. Finally, he turned away, only to find the warm eyes of Doctor Fraiser on him.

"Am I doing the right thing?" he asked.

She nodded, though in truth she hadn’t a clue.

"They all volunteered, General," she said softly. "And you know our standing policy."

"No one gets left behind," he said softly. "Living… or dead."

"That’s right sir," she said, her face carefully expressionless. "Now, it’s been a fraught past couple of days, and I as your chief medical officer, order you to get some shut eye."

He was going to argue with her, sleep being the last thing on his mind despite the lateness of the hour, but a good look at her face told him he hadn’t a prayer.

"Yes maam," he said, and headed towards his office.

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The village next to the river was eerie.

In fact, the village next to that damn loud river had so many similarities to the city the Han had claimed that Jack felt his hackles raise.

Damn. This could not be happening twice.

His experienced eyes scanned the houses, interlinked and made of pinkish clay, looking for something that he was desperate to see.

Signs of life.

Like Han city, there was none.

Sure, there was smoke rising from one or two of them, but for the most part, the houses were empty.

He dragged his heels, deliberately allowing the anxious men past him until he was trailing at the back, allowing him greater freedom to just look around.

What he saw was a dead village.

"Crap." His voice was soft, but Kogan heard nonetheless.

"I’m sorry I lied to you."

Jack tore his eyes away from the dilapidated houses and regarded his kidnapper angrily.

"What happened?"

Kogan shrugged. "We’re dying." His face turned bitter. "Isn’t that obvious? The Han did this to us."

"How?" Jack asked, shivering despite the sunshine that was beginning to poke through the trees.

"We’re not too sure," Kogan answered, turning and leading him down a dirt road that was obviously the main thoroughfare. "Even now, decades later, we still die. Children are stillborn, and those that do survive, almost all get the sickness."

"You?" Jack asked. "The truth this time please."

"I survived, unlike most." Kogan shrugged, like it was no big deal, but his face was pallid in the early morning light.

"Then this is the real reason why you want the Han out," Jack said in a hushed voice. "Not because you were betrayed, but because you have no choice. If you are to survive, you need that city."

Kogan nodded, his eyes bright with unshed tears. "We cannot survive out here any longer, friend." He gestured to the village, mostly in ruins. "We number twelve families now, and most cannot reproduce." His lips thinned. "Or fear to reproduce." His eyes flashed. "I myself have buried three children, bring home the futility of my efforts."

"Three…" Jack’s voice trailed off and he stared at Kogan in horror. "There is no cure?" he asked. "None at all?"

Kogan shook his head. "Not really. We have plants that seem to help, but ultimately it is up to the individual as to whether he is strong enough to survive." He shook his head sadly, lost in hopelessness. "Most children are not."

"Dear God," Jack muttered, bringing Kogan’s head up.

"So now you know," he said. "The Han have finally won. The mighty Khum have finally been beaten."

He pointed at the jungle. "You can leave now, now you know our secret. My men will take you back if you want. Maybe with help from your own kind, you will survive."

Jack felt that he was surviving nicely, thank you, and more importantly, he was curious.

"I have a better idea," he said. "I’d rather you tell me what happened, from the beginning please."

Kogan smiled, pleased, and led him towards what looked like a steel plate sat in the ground.

"Come then friend. My Hellas awaits us."

"Your Hellas?" Jack asked curiously.

Kogan nodded. "Hellas is my wife and the local doctor. She is most anxious to see you."

"I bet," Jack grimaced.

He followed Kogan; his footprints hollow as he stepped onto the metal. "What is…"

"This?" he finished, his words turning into a gasp as they were miraculously transported to the far side of the village.

Kogan raised his eyebrows in innocent surprise and led him towards a large building, welcoming despite its general air of neglect.

"Our means of transportation, friend," he said. "Surely you have something similar on your planet?"

"Sure," Jack said, feeling faint. "But it doesn’t involve squeezing, dicing and shoving around our molecules."

"Ah hah." Kogan said blankly.

"It’s also a lot slower," Jack volunteered reluctantly, thinking of boats, trains, and aircraft.

"A whole lot slower."

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The six people sat around the briefing room table looked a lot different from two days earlier.

They were all thinner for a start - with a slight yellowing of their eyes, but more importantly, they now had an aura of urgency about them that had not been evident before.

According to SG9, who were still entrenched on the planet, the weather on NG7 292 was due to change soon, once more bringing the winds back to Han city. They were now on a time limit. If they didn’t manage to rescue Colonel O’Neill in time, both the Han and SG9 could be in serious trouble, if not dead.

Oh sure, SG9 could bring the remaining Han back to Earth, but had recommended against this. They had a reason for risking their lives, and very good one at that, because much to everyone’s surprise, SG1’s initial scan, neglected by Carter at first, showed vast amounts of Naquadah.

According to her scan, deciphered whilst she was recovering from the strain of Yellow Fever deliberately introduced to her body, Han city and the surrounding countryside was riddled with it, enough to give a real emphasis to their mission.

Ideally they would have had a diplomat on their team, one who could have mediated between the Han and the Khum, but they were out of time. That job now fell to Carter.

She hoped that she was up to the job.

Now the five members of the SGC combined team were now all a lot more somber at they listened to what their mission leader had to say.

…

Major Kyle sat in General Hammonds chair and concentrated on not hurling his fruit juice over the table. He felt nauseous, and knew that none of them were quite ready for a mission just yet. He also knew that they had no choice. According to Major Kovachek, no sign had been heard from Colonel O’Neill and the Khum since he had been abducted, and that was ominous. If they were to find him alive, they had to leave earlier than planned, and hope that they returned to full fitness en-route.

Personally, he felt that they were way too late.

"People," he said tiredly. "Listen up. We were selected because we are the youngest, or have skills that are sorely needed. Now we have a job to do, and we need to be prepared."

He held up his hand and ticked off salient points.

"One - This is a jungle environment, and we will dress accordingly.

Two - Despite what Major Carter and Teal’c desire, we are probably going to become a body detail." He looked at them sympathetically.

"This means that we will be in all probability be lugging Colonel O’Neill’s remains home with us." He held up a hand when Major Ferretti tried to interrupt.

"Please, I would love to be wrong on this, but I’m a doctor who specializes in rare and exotic diseases, and don’t hold out much hope for him."

He glared at Ferretti until he subsided, then continued.

"If this is the case, and Colonel O’Neill has… deceased - be warned. His body will then be acting as a host for every type of disease known to man, and then some." He nodded to the last of their team.

"This is where you paramedics come in," he said to Lieutenants Symms and Peters. "Your job will be to seal the remains good and tight, and allow no one near them under any circumstances."

They nodded reluctantly.

Kyle faced his team again, ignoring their thunderous faces. Yes, they all knew Colonel O’Neill well, and he was sure they all could tell him of his legendary fitness and determination against all odds, but he knew Yellow Fever better than they did, and he knew that in a straight one on one fight, the disease would win.

This time would be no different.

"Okay people. If we’re all set, the stargate awaits."

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"Friend. Please, drink this. It will keep the fever down."

Jack O’Neill cracked open a gritty eye to see a blue eyed woman staring down at him, her face concerned.

"What?"

Speaking was difficult, but he had to ask. The last thing he remembered was walking with Kogan towards some sort of building. How he had gone from that to lying flat on his back having some sort of nurse hovering over him he had no idea.

"You have the last stage of the fever," the woman said. "I am Hellas, Kogan’s wife." She held out a beaker filled with a white liquid, like milk. "Come, drink. It will help."

He was too weak to move, but Hellas seemed to realize that, because no sooner had she spoken that strong arms pulled him into a sitting position, allowing her to stuff pillows behind his back.

Once she was happy, he was settled back into a more comfortable semi reclining position.

"Now it is time to drink this," she said, picking up the beaker again. She looked over him at a person standing behind his head. "Kogan said that you are stubborn, a very Khum like trait, so let me warn you now, as I would him had he been in your place. This is medicine, and may save your life. If you spit it out, I will only make some more, because the Abbas plant is plentiful. Do you understand?"

Jack nodded, although much of his attention was centered on his nails, which had turned a sickly shade of yellow.

"It is the last stage of the sticky tongue disease," Kogan said, stepping into view. "Your skin turns yellow and you cry tears of blood."

"He will not cry blood," his wife said with an admonishing look at her husband. "You have bought him to me in time, and now the Abbas plant will save his life. I hope," she added as an afterthought.

"Of course it will," Kogan said, but he sounded way to hearty for Jack’s taste.

His attention was drawn back to Hellas as she placed the cup to his lips.

"Drink fast, friend," she urged.

Obeying without question, he took a huge gulp.

It was terrible.

He had never tasted tar oil, but he swore that it must taste like this Abbas plant. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the liquid had the viscosity of thick oil, and coupled with a sweet aroma that made him want to gag, prompting him to whip his mouth away from the cup.

Suddenly the voice wasn’t so sweet.

"I said - drink," she said, flinging jet-black hair over her shoulder in what was obviously exasperation. "Drink, or I swear I will drown you in this stuff. It works just as well from the lungs as it does from the stomach."

Not knowing if she was joking or not, Jack finally obeyed, draining the dregs with a shudder that made her smile.

"I have been trying to make you drink that for days, friend," she said with a sigh. "Even unconscious, your resistance was so strong that it proved impossible."

"But now he will recover, yes?" Kogan asked, perched anxiously on the edge of the bed. "I promised him he could go free, and he cannot do that if he dies."

Her face settled into an impassive mask.

"He may, my husband. But remember this, and remember it well. He is non-Khum. The juice from the Abbas plant may help, or it may not. Only time will tell."

"And does he have the time?" Kogan asked.

She allowed some of her compassion to filter back into her usually expressive eyes as her newest patient finally lost the fight to stay conscious.

"That I cannot say, my husband. That I really cannot say."

-----------

"Stay in single file, people. "I’ll take point, Teal’c at our rear," Major Ferretti ordered, effortlessly taking over command as soon as they entered the jungle.

He knew three times as much about jungle survival than Kyle, most of it learned from his friend and mentor, Jack O’Neill, and had no qualms about using this knowledge. Much to his pleasure, Major Kyle didn’t say a word, proving that the SGC was finally making a human being out of him, albeit too slowly for Ferretti’s taste.

Watch out for odd things, like an extra bumpy tree trunk, that may just be a coiled snake, or an overabundance of flies."

"Why’s that?" Symms asked, looking around at the dense greenery nervously.

"Flies mean decay," Carter said, cradling an electronic device in her hands. "Decay means predators…"

"And most predators in the Galaxy like humans," Ferretti finished for her. "Way, way too much."

"Oh," Symms said, swallowing nervously.

"Don’t worry, Gary," Carter said, taking pity on the poor man. "The UAV has pinpointed a city 40 clicks from here that has to be the Khum city, meaning we should be there and back by nightfall."

"Assuming they do not resist our rescue of O’Neill," Teal’c said, eyeing the nervous paramedic with what one could only describe as a malicious expression on his face..

"They won’t resist, will they?" the other paramedic, Peters said, looking equally as nervous.

"That’s why you are here, Ferretti said calmly. "To patch us up if they do."

Alex Kyle eyed the two pale paramedics evilly. "That’s assuming the Khum don’t go for them first," he said conversationally.

"Indeed," Teal’c said, showing a complete row of white teeth that only the Air Force could give. "Indeed."

…

Someone was talking to him, singing soothing lullabies, rocking him gently. She smelt of soap and lavender, like his grandma used to, deceiving him into a sense of calmness that was illusionary.

He knew. Oh yes, he knew. He knew what they were trying to do the minute he tried to move his arms, and found them tied to the bed.

"Let me go," he spat, adding it in Arabic when the shadowed figures didn’t move.

"Dammit," he screamed, throat raw now from all the yelling, thumping his head back onto the soft pillow behind his head.

Pillow?

"Illusion," he snarled, blinking his eyes against the salty sweat that stung.

"You will not break me," he yelled as a blue-eyed woman filled a beaker with a liquid.

"You will not…" the last part of his sentence ended in a glug as the foul tasting stuff was skillfully poured down his throat, as had been many times before.

"Poison," he screeched, trying to hurl himself from the bed. "You poison me, but I will not die," he whispered, thumping back weakly as a traitorous lassitude seemed to steal through his body.

"I-will-not-die."

"I am so pleased to hear that, Colonel,", a familiar voice said, taking his wrist.

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Two weeks and half a galaxy later found a completely recovered Colonel Jack O’Neill sitting in the briefing room, desperate to know what had happened.

When General Hammond finally made an appearance, he almost leapt from his chair, something the older man noticed with a smile.

"Fully recovered, are we?" he asked smiling as O’Neill returned to his seat with an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Yes sir," he said casting a hard look at Major Kyle, who lost his smile fast. "Just anxious to know what happened with the Han and the Khum."

Hammond sighed happily and gazed around at the packed briefing room. Four SG units tended to stretch the capacity of the briefing room to its limits, and the air conditioning, but he didn’t mind. Not when a mission was a total success.

He gazed paternally at the fill compliments of SG units 1,2,5, and finally 9, nodding at Major Kovachek to proceed.

"The Han and the Khum are now in the city, staying in sealed quarters until we can contact the Tok’ra and ask for their help," he said.

"The Tok’ra?" O’Neill asked, eyebrows arched in surprise. "Why them?"

"It was actually Teal’c’s idea," Carter said. "He wondered aloud as to why the Han insisted in staying in a massive city when they could be better off in tunnels."

"Indeed," Teal’c said. "A tunnel, such as the ones constructed by the Tok’ra, have insulating purposes as well as being far safer against the winds that have bought illness down on them."

"And the Khum?" Jack asked. "How are they and the Han interacting?"

Kovachek frowned. "Not well, as you would expect, but now they realize that they are both equally at risk from the yellow fever, they are slowly beginning to co-exist."

"With a little help from SG2, who bash heads in with amazing regularity," Ferretti muttered, earning himself a glare.

"You know, it’s a shame," Carter said. "All this came about due to two races of people refusing to communicate, and being too proud to ask for help before it was almost too late.

"Thank God they kidnapped Colonel O’Neill," Major Kyle said. "The Han sure weren’t going to say anything."

"Hey," O’Neill said. "I was abducted, not kidnapped." He held up a bony finger. "Kids get kidnapped, and I am definitely not a kid."

"Major Kyle thinks so," Carter said with a grin. "You should have seen his expression when he found you alive. He kept on muttering, ‘He’s a kid, he’s a bloody kid."

"I did not," Kyle snapped, going brick red. "If you recall, which may be difficult under all that blonde hair, I simply asked what that nurse had given him. It was she that likened him to a kid, not me."

"The Yarra root," O’Neill mused, diffusing the tension that had sprung up between the different Majors.

"The Abbas root," Colonel Van Ryn said, gazing fondly at his friend. "Kyle bought a sample back, and it is the most amazing thing I have ever seen." He shook his head wonderingly. "Doctor Fraiser is hard at work now, but we believe that can have a cure for a multitude of diseases, including some earth based ones, within weeks, just using that plant."

"That good?" Hammond said, leaning forwards attentively. "Better than good", Van Ryn said with a smile.

"The Pentagon giving us all a pay rise kind of good?" O’Neill asked, one eyebrow raised.

"For that you have to wait for the first formation of flying pigs, sir," Kyle said glumly.

"When you see them, then the promotions are on the way."

The laughter was good and cleansing as once more the people at the SGC put a mission behind them and looked forward again to a new adventure.

EINDE

BetaTested by CiGiK - Cape Town - South Africa - 25th June 2003