New World
So, yeah. Put them all in a room together, and see what comes out!
They all sat around the conference table; Jack and Daniel on the General’s right, Teal’c and Zhane on his left, introductions complete. General Hammond fixed his eyes on Zhane. “Daniel reported that your team has Captain Carter.”
Zhane nodded. “I’m sure it was easier than trying to unite her with your men.” He indicated Jack and Daniel. “They’ll be bringing her back here.”
“They know where we are?” Jack sounded worried.
“To Earth,” Zhane clarified. “And I’m sure… Captain Carter knows where you are.”
“How are they going to bring her back here?” the General asked.
“We have a ship,” Zhane said, and blinked. “You know, I don’t think I really believed them when they told me Earth didn’t know the Power Rangers.” He shook his head. “And you’ve had them for…” He counted the years silently on his fingers. “Almost six years?”
“Yeah, but they aren’t supposed to be real,” Daniel protested. For all he could accept, Power Rangers stretched the limit of it.
Zhane burst out laughing, caught sight of General Hammond’s scowl, and sobered with an effort. “You believe in Goa’uld, but not the Power Rangers?” he asked. “Visit Angel Grove sometime,” he said, laughter still in his voice. “We are real. And we are fighting a very real war - just like you seem to be.”
General Hammond raised one eyebrow. “We are fighting a war?”
“Just because the Chappa’ai on my planet isn’t active doesn’t mean I don’t know one when I step through one. Most people I know who had one had problems with certain irritating beings.” His brow furrowed. “And seeing Jaffa and Quantrons in the same place is not a good omen. For either of us.”
“We have our war under control,” Jack muttered, shooting Zhane a dark look. “If we could get Carter back…”
Daniel straightened. “You said the Power Rangers have been on Earth for a while,” he said. “Who are you fighting, and why doesn’t the Government know about it?”
Zhane shrugged. “I don’t know. I know the current team has done some work with… NASADA before, though.”
“NASADA!” Jack laughed out loud. “Man, I wish Carter were here!”
“NASADA?” Daniel repeated, confused.
A sudden tone interrupted. “Silver Ranger?” a feminine voice said.
Zhane pulled a phone from… somewhere. His uniform had no pockets, and yet, suddenly he held a phone in his hand, and put it to his ear. Jack stared. “DECA? You guys are back?”
“Earth isn’t that far away.” There was fond exasperation that Jack instantly recognized in the male voice. “You okay?”
Zhane relaxed. “I’m fine. The Chappa’ai was too much for my powers, though, and I demorphed as soon as I stepped out on this side.” He caught a glimpse of Jack and General Hammond’s glares, and grinned. “Is Captain Carter okay?”
His teammate didn’t answer for a moment, and Zhane figured they’d been followed back to Earth. An alarm went off at the other end, confirming his guess. “She’s fine,” the voice said. “Can you morph?”
“I haven’t tried.” Zhane started to get up; Teal’c took his arm and sat him back down again. “What’s going on?”
“Lock established,” the electronic voice interjected.
“No, wait!” Zhane protested. “Not yet.”
“Zhane, I don’t have time for this,” the voice at the other end said flatly. They could hear other voices behind him, but nothing anyone could make out.
“I know. But they need a sign of good faith. Send down Captain Carter, and if you run into problems, DECA can pull me out.”
The signal shut off with a beep, and then a bright flash of light blinded them all.
Sam stood behind Zhane’s chair, looking composed and completely confused.
“Captain Carter. Are you okay?” General Hammond asked. Zhane turned his chair around to get a look at her, and she noticed his outfit just as she started to speak.
“O-oh,” she stuttered, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she met Zhane’s laughing blue eyes. “I’m fine sir.”
Zhane grinned insolently up at her. “Hi. I guess they’re busy. Did they tell you want was going on?”
“No,” she said, and looked a plea at Jack.
“I’m not surprised,” Zhane said. “Red doesn’t say much to his team, never mind an outsider.”
“Sir,” Jack said, standing.
“Colonel?”
“Permission to take Carter to the infirmary.”
“Granted. And come right back. I want to know what happened.”
“Yes, sir.”
Zhane watched them leave, then turned the chair back around to face General Hammond. “We might have a problem,” he said quietly. “It’s been years since any of us have heard from the Goa’uld, and…”
“How many years?” the General interrupted.
Zhane paused. “Since before I was born,” he said. “Those under Eltaran protection have locked their Chappa’ai, just after they sent Ra packing like the dog he is.” There was a growl in his voice.
“Was,” Daniel corrected firmly. “Ra is… gone.”
Zhane straightened, the smile falling from his face. “Gone. You’re sure?”
“I’m sure,” Daniel said.
“How? I mean, there were reports that he’d been killed, only to have him show up again. How do you know?”
“Ra laced one of our bombs with naquadah. He intended to send it back through the ‘Gate, here, to destroy our world, but we sent it up to him on his ship, through the ring transporters. I could see the blast from Abydos.” A grimace crossed his face and vanished.
“Not to mention that Apophis has taken Ra’s territories,” General Hammond said, and gestured to Teal’c.
“There is no doubt among the System Lords that Ra is gone,” Teal’c said firmly.
Zhane stared, then a smile grew on his face. “Oh, there are some around the Galaxy that will have to eat their words,” he said, and chuckled, amused. “It’ll really make them mad that people from Earth managed what they could not.”
Zhane’s phone went off again. “We need you,” the voice said again, this time electronic. “Teleporting now.”
“I’ll be back,” Zhane said, just before a bright flash made them all shield their eyes. When they looked up, he had vanished.
General Hammond stood up. “I think I’ll have a talk with Captain Carter,” he said, sounding a little less steady than he had a moment ago, and started out of the conference room. Daniel and Teal’c followed him.
Next time: Another visit to the infirmary.
They all sat around the conference table; Jack and Daniel on the General’s right, Teal’c and Zhane on his left, introductions complete. General Hammond fixed his eyes on Zhane. “Daniel reported that your team has Captain Carter.”
Zhane nodded. “I’m sure it was easier than trying to unite her with your men.” He indicated Jack and Daniel. “They’ll be bringing her back here.”
“They know where we are?” Jack sounded worried.
“To Earth,” Zhane clarified. “And I’m sure… Captain Carter knows where you are.”
“How are they going to bring her back here?” the General asked.
“We have a ship,” Zhane said, and blinked. “You know, I don’t think I really believed them when they told me Earth didn’t know the Power Rangers.” He shook his head. “And you’ve had them for…” He counted the years silently on his fingers. “Almost six years?”
“Yeah, but they aren’t supposed to be real,” Daniel protested. For all he could accept, Power Rangers stretched the limit of it.
Zhane burst out laughing, caught sight of General Hammond’s scowl, and sobered with an effort. “You believe in Goa’uld, but not the Power Rangers?” he asked. “Visit Angel Grove sometime,” he said, laughter still in his voice. “We are real. And we are fighting a very real war - just like you seem to be.”
General Hammond raised one eyebrow. “We are fighting a war?”
“Just because the Chappa’ai on my planet isn’t active doesn’t mean I don’t know one when I step through one. Most people I know who had one had problems with certain irritating beings.” His brow furrowed. “And seeing Jaffa and Quantrons in the same place is not a good omen. For either of us.”
“We have our war under control,” Jack muttered, shooting Zhane a dark look. “If we could get Carter back…”
Daniel straightened. “You said the Power Rangers have been on Earth for a while,” he said. “Who are you fighting, and why doesn’t the Government know about it?”
Zhane shrugged. “I don’t know. I know the current team has done some work with… NASADA before, though.”
“NASADA!” Jack laughed out loud. “Man, I wish Carter were here!”
“NASADA?” Daniel repeated, confused.
A sudden tone interrupted. “Silver Ranger?” a feminine voice said.
Zhane pulled a phone from… somewhere. His uniform had no pockets, and yet, suddenly he held a phone in his hand, and put it to his ear. Jack stared. “DECA? You guys are back?”
“Earth isn’t that far away.” There was fond exasperation that Jack instantly recognized in the male voice. “You okay?”
Zhane relaxed. “I’m fine. The Chappa’ai was too much for my powers, though, and I demorphed as soon as I stepped out on this side.” He caught a glimpse of Jack and General Hammond’s glares, and grinned. “Is Captain Carter okay?”
His teammate didn’t answer for a moment, and Zhane figured they’d been followed back to Earth. An alarm went off at the other end, confirming his guess. “She’s fine,” the voice said. “Can you morph?”
“I haven’t tried.” Zhane started to get up; Teal’c took his arm and sat him back down again. “What’s going on?”
“Lock established,” the electronic voice interjected.
“No, wait!” Zhane protested. “Not yet.”
“Zhane, I don’t have time for this,” the voice at the other end said flatly. They could hear other voices behind him, but nothing anyone could make out.
“I know. But they need a sign of good faith. Send down Captain Carter, and if you run into problems, DECA can pull me out.”
The signal shut off with a beep, and then a bright flash of light blinded them all.
Sam stood behind Zhane’s chair, looking composed and completely confused.
“Captain Carter. Are you okay?” General Hammond asked. Zhane turned his chair around to get a look at her, and she noticed his outfit just as she started to speak.
“O-oh,” she stuttered, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she met Zhane’s laughing blue eyes. “I’m fine sir.”
Zhane grinned insolently up at her. “Hi. I guess they’re busy. Did they tell you want was going on?”
“No,” she said, and looked a plea at Jack.
“I’m not surprised,” Zhane said. “Red doesn’t say much to his team, never mind an outsider.”
“Sir,” Jack said, standing.
“Colonel?”
“Permission to take Carter to the infirmary.”
“Granted. And come right back. I want to know what happened.”
“Yes, sir.”
Zhane watched them leave, then turned the chair back around to face General Hammond. “We might have a problem,” he said quietly. “It’s been years since any of us have heard from the Goa’uld, and…”
“How many years?” the General interrupted.
Zhane paused. “Since before I was born,” he said. “Those under Eltaran protection have locked their Chappa’ai, just after they sent Ra packing like the dog he is.” There was a growl in his voice.
“Was,” Daniel corrected firmly. “Ra is… gone.”
Zhane straightened, the smile falling from his face. “Gone. You’re sure?”
“I’m sure,” Daniel said.
“How? I mean, there were reports that he’d been killed, only to have him show up again. How do you know?”
“Ra laced one of our bombs with naquadah. He intended to send it back through the ‘Gate, here, to destroy our world, but we sent it up to him on his ship, through the ring transporters. I could see the blast from Abydos.” A grimace crossed his face and vanished.
“Not to mention that Apophis has taken Ra’s territories,” General Hammond said, and gestured to Teal’c.
“There is no doubt among the System Lords that Ra is gone,” Teal’c said firmly.
Zhane stared, then a smile grew on his face. “Oh, there are some around the Galaxy that will have to eat their words,” he said, and chuckled, amused. “It’ll really make them mad that people from Earth managed what they could not.”
Zhane’s phone went off again. “We need you,” the voice said again, this time electronic. “Teleporting now.”
“I’ll be back,” Zhane said, just before a bright flash made them all shield their eyes. When they looked up, he had vanished.
General Hammond stood up. “I think I’ll have a talk with Captain Carter,” he said, sounding a little less steady than he had a moment ago, and started out of the conference room. Daniel and Teal’c followed him.
Next time: Another visit to the infirmary.