"Nor were you in conflict with Ra before your arrival on Abydos," came Martouf's voice, as Makepeace descended from the control room. "From his perspective, the presence of SG-1 is an unprovoked trespass by a potentially dangerous aggressor."
"From whose perspective?" The Colonel asked as he stepped onto the gate room floor. Harriman was already dialing, and SG-3 was ready to embark, scattered around their fully-loaded MALP. His team was having a remarkably relaxed conversation with Martouf-Lantash.
Good, get Martouf talking. Makepeace remembered O'Neill's gripe that Martouf had a habit of forgetting to mention important details.
"From Thoth's," said Martouf.
"We're just trying to get a feel for who we're up against, sir."
The first chevron of their voyage locked. Makepeace mentally tuned out Harriman's amplified voice as the routine announcements came overhead.
"Ancient Egyptian god of scholarship, engineering, all that kind of stuff, according to Brevard," said Makepeace. "You got anything to add?" he aimed his query to the alien-at-hand.
"His ships and devices are still among the most desired," said Martouf. "It does not surprise me he chose to be a deity of knowledge here."
"Great. The Goa'uld who makes the toys," quipped the youngest of Makepeace's team. "Colonel, is this what spooked the General about this mission?"
"No. Hammond is concerned our escapee knows some tactical details of the Asgard deployment."
It was a close enough explanation, and one Makepeace was authorized to reveal in front of Martouf. His men caught the drift.
The Captain forced a smile, "Toys and tactics. Semper Fi. We get SG-1 out they'd better buy us enough beer to put a Jaffa under the table."
As SG-3 waited for the last chevron to lock, Makepeace saw Sergeant Siler slip into the room, followed by Colonel Mayborne. Siler's group had been assigned with Mayborne to search the base's systems for possible Goa'uld tampering. Then Mayborne was to break as many security measures as he could. Presumably, if the NID officer couldn't get in, neither could his former occupant.
Mayborne watched the Stargate, while Siler set his attention on a computer used to troubleshoot the Gate's power circuits, viewing arcane events of the Gate's activation as tracked on the monitor.
A waterlike vortex surged into the room as the wormhole established. Makepeace saw the wonder in Mayborne's face, illuminated by the wormhole's fluid blue light.
And as the vortex settled, he saw the wonder withdraw into a distant, blank expression.
The Colonel turned his head, and caught Martouf looking at him. The Tok'Ra abruptly returned his attention to the NID officer, and walked smoothly toward Mayborne.
Makepeace followed. Together they avoided breaking Mayborne's line of sight.
"What is it?" Martouf coaxed delicately, in a language commonly used on the Goa'uld worlds.
Mayborne shook his head slowly, not quite free of whatever had entranced him.
"A scarp of rock--blue, jagged--in an ocean of amber sand," he replied, in English.
"Anything else?" Makepeace added. His words seemed to jar Mayborne out of the mental space he was in.
"No. Just an isolated image. I think it was the blue of the Stargate that triggered it."
"Abydos?" There was a transient crease in Martouf's brow, and perhaps a hint of glow in his eyes, but it was not enough for Makepeace to be sure he'd seen it.
Forgetting to mention an important detail? Or just not sure about something? wondered the Colonel.
Mayborne shrugged his ignorance.
"You have never been offworld," said Martouf.
"I haven't," confirmed Mayborne.
"Colonel?" The members of SG-3 stood expectantly at the top of the ramp.
Makepeace would have to corner the Tok'Ra about this later.
"We're coming," he said.
With a parting nod to Mayborne, Makepeace hefted his pack and motioned Martouf to follow. He was taking his team into unknown territory, facing a Systemlord who Earth might have newly offended, Jaffa, staff weapons, and an unknown Goa'uld who knew all their latest defenses.
But with the Asgard treaty revealed, he wasn't sure they'd be any safer at home.
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