Chapter 5

The Stargate Program received an overhaul. Every team was expanded with two magicals, at least one of which was always a wolf with sufficient training and equipment to give them a massive magical and tactical advantage. General Hammond had seen the contract, asked his questions and then had them modify it slightly so that it didn't completely wipe the memories of the people, should they be let go or were captured and interrogated.

Instead it covered only magical knowledge and specifically that of the SGC. If people were taken, even by rival organizations, such as the NID, their information would be removed. Hermione had taken the time to update her process, after her enhanced magical education, and there were even a few temporary effects, for situations like kidnapping and coercion. Knowledge could now be given back, as well, depending on the offence, or situation.

General Hammond had also received a shock, when he was told the power to the SGC had been replaced by a new system without his knowledge. They were no longer on the grid, as well as being capable of drawing many times more power, should they require it. He was warned that there was a period at night, when they were running off magical batteries, but the chances that they could drain them was very small. It was just something to keep in mind. The system could recharge them very quickly as well, and didn't even need a sunny day to work, since the dedicated Eudaemon for the base was outside the atmosphere and funnelling its generated power through Harry's laser-based power transport system. Not that the General knew the specifics.

Harry had finally achieved a success with the power transfer for electricity, although it was a bit more complicated than plugging an electrical socket into a beam of light. It worked on the rune-scheme Doctor Hawk had come up with years before, which converted magical energy into electrical. The Eudaemon was technically transporting magical energy and it was being converted on-site, at a hidden location, into electrical power, which was being funnelled into and through the battery system.

One of the advantages of having magicals on the team, was that they had access to Comms and could call with updates and could send and receive items they might need through the Comm-storage. Before any mission was attempted, a Eudaemon was sent into orbit and they could scout the immediate area and a large portion of the planet, before attempting to go on-site. On occasion they would use the Cacodaemon to scout closer, which was also a massive advantage.

Working in such close contact with the SGC also allowed them to outfit the soldiers with better protective gear, which would block most damage, even from staff weapons, even if those hits still threw you about, since there was a concussive factor.

Unfortunately for the soldiers, they were not outfitted with magical weapons. Only the magicals and wolves were allowed to even touch those. Laser weapons, preloaded with certain capabilities, much like Hagrid's Problem Solver, would only respond to magicals anyway. The uncanny ability for their weapons to stay on target, even if the wielder or the enemy moved, was thanks to a built in Point Me charm. This made it impossible for the targets to escape, even if it required a bit of training for the magicals.

The iris, which had been installed by the SGC, was upgraded, using magical means, to ensure it couldn't be damaged, even with repeated bombardment by radiological weapons. A ward was also placed, which would not allow people with harmful intent to cross into, or out of, the Embarkation room, where the Stargate stood. Mechanical weapons, which were operated from inside the control room were also installed, so that if hostiles somehow infiltrated, under a banner of peace, that they could be handled once they couldn't cross the barriers.

As an added measure, Harry had the glass separating the dialling room and the Embarkation room, runed for extra durability and repair. Harry even added his personal tinting magic, to save the eyes, should someone use something like a flash grenade.

With all the magic in play, Doctor Pike used her latest development to shield the electrical devices from being affected by magic. It was a sticker, with metallic light-production rune, which would light up to use any ambient magic near the equipment. It was quite ingenious really. The stickers were placed in unobtrusive locations though, to keep people from noticing them. Making them invisible would be quite impossible, considering their functions, but that didn't stop you from placing other stickers over them.

These were all the planned changes for the time being, and took only a week to implement. The Martian Fleet would not be mentioned, until such a time as it was needed.

Harry, himself, had decided to start accompanying the SG-1 team. His bodyguard, Cooper, joining them as their sixth member. As a result, they stopped using the Stargate entirely. Harry didn't know the technology and he didn't trust it. On the odd occasion that the Stargate was the only option, the original team would use the Stargate and Harry would wait in orbit, to re-establish contact and would then go down to them, using a portkey.

OOO

It was while they were on one of their missions on a planet called Nasya, when the locals started being attacked by 'Death-Gliders', a small aerial vehicle. Harry immediately called in the Plutus. It arrived on-site, using a location Harry had marked for it, and the people looked up when it seemed to disintegrate the Death-Gliders, with beams shot from where its eyes were, before flying directly at the mothership, floating nearby.

Harry was smiling when he saw the illusion he had placed on it for when its larger functions activated. The giant wolf's head came alive and snarled at the mothership, before opening its mouth and biting down on the ship, before the enemy ship seemed to disintegrate as well, leaving only dust, which quickly dissipated. It then howled in victory, before vanishing back to Mars, where they had procedures for such events already planned out.

"What the hell was that!?" Jack exclaimed. He'd seen the ship before, but he didn't know it could do that!

"Plutus." Harry said, smirking. "We can discuss it later." he said, seeing that the closest locals were all listening. Carter was off giving mouth-to mouth to a local, who had been gunned down in the initial attack. Cooper made it to her side, but she pronounced the man was already dead. Cooper's instincts were telling him something was wrong, and he took a step away from Carter, before knocking her unconscious with a spell.

"What are you doing?" Jack demanded as he picked Carter up.

"She felt like a trap." Cooper said. "There's something wrong with her. She doesn't smell right and there's also blood in her mouth."

"She was giving a dying man mouth-to-mouth!" Jack argued.

"Relax Colonel O��Neill." Harry said. "This is what Cooper is here for. He's got a sense for these things." Harry focussed on the woman and cast a diagnostic. "Fuck!" he exclaimed. "She's got a lesion at the back of her throat and a Goa'uld in her body."

"It must have transferred while she was giving him mouth-to-mouth." Teal'c said, having rushed to them, from where Daniel had opened the Stargate, where they were sending people through to the SGC. They'd now all need to be checked for Goa'uld.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Jack asked. "Get it out!"

"Not just yet." Harry said apologetically. "Until we know that we won't cause more damage, I can't do that. The symbiote may be the only thing stopping her from bleeding out, from where it entered her."

Jack didn't look happy about it, but he nodded. "The moment we know that she's not in danger, I want that thing out of her."

"I have no problem with that." Harry said, nodding.

They led the rest of the people through the Stargate. If there was one attack, there could be another. They'd keep an eye out, to see if there were any more motherships in the next few months. If it was clear, they'd be able to return people to their homes. Perhaps they could be allowed to even come fetch their possessions at some point as well.

Harry asked the team to go through the Stargate and returned to Prometheus, before going back to Mars, where he now had a place to dock it. After docking, he went through the Transport Tunnel back to the SGC, where they had already identified one man, who was burned beyond recognition, who had a symbiote as well.

They decided to keep an eye on the man, not allowing either him or the symbiote to awaken, in-case the creature transferred its consciousness into him permanently, as they had seen done in the past.

Carter was quickly healed and the symbiote removed. As had happened before, the symbiote awakened the moment it was removed, leaving Carter unconscious. Pansy healed the last of the damage the symbiote had caused and awakened her.

"What? Where are we?" she asked.

"You're in the labs on Harmony." Harry said. "We're about to gift the symbiote that was in you with a body, to ask it some questions. Do you want to see?" he asked.

Captain Carter was quickly up. Her impulse was to kill the thing, but she knew that they were looking for any tactical advantages they could. She could remember the thing entering her mouth and then, the moment that it took over. She was not pleased, even though the creature and her had not had long to talk, it had tried to tell her that it was not her enemy. Fortunately it hadn't had a lot of time with her, so she doubted that it had enough time to learn much from her.

Giving the Goa'uld a form was not a simple process. Harry had to be very familiar with the body he was making. With Apophis, it had been a simple process. He had simply copied the form of the man he had been in for so long. That man had unfortunately undergone advanced aging, soon after, as he had been kept alive for a thousand years, using the sarcophagi. Daniel had been able to translate the ancient Egyptian and saw to his customary funeral rights.

In this case, he asked for a volunteer and one of the wolves on duty offered their own form, for which Harry was grateful. They'd have to have something else planned for the next time.

It took the symbiote an hour to fully acclimate to its new form, which still impressed Harry. These creatures must be very adaptable, for them to adjust so easily, or perhaps it was because they got used to using human forms, even if it was done in a different manner, usually. Harry added a modification, though. A large tattoo, which read Goa'uld. In English. On the forehead.

The man was clothed and taken to prison, where he would be questioned at length, before being taken for judgement. Amelia Bones had finally relented and joined them in Harmony, something Susan was very grateful for, since she was now much more active. With no hardened criminals in the magical world anymore, her job had fallen to petty squabbles and crimes. She didn't care much for that.

Lupin Penitentiary was still going strong, with the wolves still having a presence on Earth, even if their forces were more divided. Fortunately their ranks had been bolstered because the large majority of Aurors who had joined them had decided to become wolves as well, along with quite a few of the normal magicals. Muggleborns didn't have such a problem with the stigma and they made up the majority of the people who came to Harmony. Not that all of them were in the security force, but they still had a few hundred in that division, so they weren't struggling to keep up with demand.

The transfiguration had been monitored more closely this time, and while it was confirmed that most of the Naquadah had been used up in the transformation, not all of it had been. Also, the energy readings from the person had become lower, so it turned out that it was a combination of both the energy in the element and the element itself, which was supplying the energy for the permanent change.

They would be taking their findings to one of the labs and continue with research. That wasn't Harry's department, though he did intend spend some time on that. He wasn't on missions with SG-1 every single day, after all. Most of his time was spent working with the scientists who were looking into the FTL. With the Goa'uld engineers at their beck and call, they had already made some miraculous breakthroughs.

They weren't using FTL. They were using something called a Hyperdrive. It opened a breach into what was called 'hyperspace' where the rules of physics were different, allowing for faster than light travel. The latest model was capable of going many times the speed of light and the scientists were working hand in hand with magicals, including Harry, to see if they could push that even further.

It was a few days later, when they were asked to speak to the man, who had been the symbiote in Carter. The other one had refused to speak, so they'd called on Snape again, who had revealed that he was an assassin, confirming both that, and that Veritaserum still worked on their new forms. It was easier to know what to look for if you asked questions under the influence of the truth potion, after all. They'd already retrieved the weapon he had swallowed, with which he tortured people to death. The man he had possessed would be going to Chulak, after his memory was modified of his exposure to Harmony.

"First off, I am not a Goa'uld." the man said, as he sat across from them bound to a table and chair. "Secondly, I consider myself female. I would appreciate being forced into that form, should it be possible."

"We can consider it." Harry said. "We were told that you want to talk, so why don't we start with your name." he said. The SG-1 team were with him and Sam was staring daggers at the man.

"I am Jolinar of Malkshur." the man said. "I am of the Tok'ra."

"Against Ra?" Daniel asked.

"There is an old legend among the Jaffa which we were forbidden to speak of concerning a group of Goa'uld who opposed the ways of the System Lords." Teal'c said. "It is said that they are called the Tok'ra."

"If you are against the System Lords and their way of doing things, why did you try and take Captain Carter as an unwilling host?" Jack asked.

"It was not done maliciously." Jolinar said. "I was dying and I had information that I needed to get to my people, of a threat among them."

"A spy?" Harry asked.

"Indeed." Jolinar said.

"Tell us where to find them, and we'll tell them ourselves." Harry offered.

"I cannot." Jolinar said. "The location of our base is our most protected secret."

"Then I'm afraid you're shit out of luck." Jack said. "We can't know you're speaking the truth."

"Actually…" Harry said.

"You're kidding me?" Jack asked.

"Truth serum." Harry said, pulling a vial out of his pocket. "Three drops and the person receiving it cannot tell a lie."

"What if I force-feed him the entire vial?" Sam said, angrily.

"He'd tell the truth for the rest of his life." Harry joked, truthfully. "In large quantities, the potion is lethal."

"And you have tested this on other Goa'uld?" Teal'c asked. Harry nodded.

"I AM NOT A GOA'ULD!" Jolinar exclaimed. "I am Tok'ra!"

"You were a worm, just like them." Jack said. "You tried to take an unwilling person as a host, just like them. I'm not seeing a difference."

"I would have returned your Captain Carter to you." Jolinar said. "It is not our way to do what I did, but without the knowledge I possess, many would die."

"That's why the assassin was sent after you." Harry said in understanding.

"The Ashrak was closing in and I had no choice but to hide for months in an unwilling host. I did not influence his life, except for making him unable to talk about me." Jolinar promised.

"How convenient that he is dead, so that we can't ask him." Sam spat.

"I will not willingly take your truth serum." Jolinar said. "I cannot take it if I even suspect that you will force me to reveal the location of the Tok'ra base."

"I have an idea." Harry said, as he stood up and vanished. He returned with a Sneakoscope and placed it on the table. "This is a lie detector, kind of. We will test it, with just two of us in the room." he said, but the thing began to glow, spin and whistle. "Good. It seems to work for now."

"For now?" Jack asked.

"I don't like these things. I've never thought of them as trustworthy." Harry admitted. "I just lied and it picked up on that. We will all stay here, but only I will ask you questions." he said. The device remained still this time.

"I'll want to ask some quest-" Sam started, but Harry silenced her.

"Like I said, I'll be asking the questions." Harry reiterated. He looked at Jack, Teal'c and Daniel. "Do I need to silence you as well?"

They shook their heads, but Teal'c said, "No."

"Good enough." Harry said. Turning back to the man, Harry asked, "Are you Jolinar of the Tok'ra?"

"I am." Jolinar said. The device didn't change.

"Did you have any other option than taking possession of Captain Carter?" Harry asked.

"No." the man said, but this time the device started reacting. "My only other choice was death and the death of more of my people." The device calmed down. "I would have returned Captain Carter." he promised. The device was still quiet.

"How do we contact your people?" Harry asked. When the man made to object, Harry interrupted. "All spy organizations have things like drop-points or ways to contact their people without fear of being intercepted or discovered. Do you have such a device or place?"

"We do." Jolinar said. "But I cannot know if the spy will get the information first, which is why I must deliver it myself." The device was still. "Is there no way that you will believe me, and let me leave?" he asked.

"You have seen too much." Harry said, un-silencing Carter and picking the device up, which hadn't reacted to Harry's statement, placing it in an inner pocket, silencing it as well. "You will need to be kept here indefinitely." the device moved in Harry's pocket but he ignored it.

"I have seen nothing, but a few of your capabilities, and I'd not know how to emulate that." Jolinar objected. "I do have to admit, though, I am intrigued with the ability to turn people like us into humans."

"That is one of the things I am talking about." Harry said. "Word of this cannot get out. It would only draw more attention to our people and I cannot risk you being compromised. What if there's another spy?"

Jolinar seemed to think about that. "You make a valid point. If I give you a means to contact the Tok'ra, we would be similarly disadvantaged. You could also watch and follow whoever comes and our people will still be revealed."

"Without contacting your people, some of them will die." Harry pointed out. "Perhaps something else, then?" he asked getting up. He walked to the door and knocked. "We're taking the prisoner on a walk."

The door opened and the Wolf on watch stood back. Harry looked back at the prisoner, clicking a finger and he was unbound. "Follow us. Try anything and you will be subdued and force-fed truth serum. However much Captain Carter feels appropriate." he threatened.

Sam smiled at that. It wasn't pretty. "Thank you." she said to Harry. To Jolinar, she said, "Please. Try something."

Jolinar got up and followed them, outwardly calm, but inwardly nervous. She didn't want to accidentally do something that may get herself in trouble. Whatever means these people had, they were obviously outside her capabilities to defend from. She wasn't comfortable in her human form though. The male body was so… uncomfortable to her, and she'd been stuck in a man for months prior to being captured.

Harry and the group, all armed and ready, walked through the prison. They could see into the cells, but the prisoners didn't seem to notice them. Some of them were watching the television station, which was projected on one of the walls. It showed cartoons, all day long. The wolves found that funny, and Harry didn't want anything on the channel, which would teach them too much about actual Earth culture, so he didn't complain.

They soon arrived at the cell where Apophis sat, elbows on his knees, as he stared at the ground, deep in thought, likely meditating or trying to block out the sounds of the television show.

"Say hello to Apophis." Harry said. "He was one of our fist guests. We've had him here since we captured him. His host didn't last very long, after we freed him. He needed a sarcophagus and we've studied them. We're not big fans of supporting drug addicts, so we couldn't put him in one."

"Drug addicts?" Sam asked. This was the first time she was hearing about this. She didn't even know they had sarcophagi. Harry had gotten two off the first two ships they had captured.

"The sarcophagus has an effect on the mind." Harry explained. "Similar to drug use, it raises endorphins and other chemicals in the brain. Prolonged use increases those levels and could potentially have a permanent effect on the mind."

"It steals the kalach." Jolinar said. "The Tok'ra do not use them."

"Kalach, soul." Daniel translated.

"Well, that's at least good to know." Harry said. "Anyway, do you want to speak to the man?" he asked.

Jolinar did, and was happily surprised to discover that he was the real deal. By the time they left, he was screaming for his release, saying that he was a god and that he would not be treated this way. It was actually kind of funny.

"He's still saying that?" Jack asked.

"He's believed his own hype so long, he probably doesn't know he's lying anymore." Harry scoffed.

"It is good to know that there are those who can oppose the System Lords." Jolinar said.

They led the man to the cell where Hathor was living in relative comfort, her every need taken care of, for her continued support of their research. At this point she was basically addicted to the massive orgasms only Harry could provide and she jumped at any opportunity to be helpful, since her 'special treatment' was becoming less and less frequent.

"Why does she get all the luxuries?" Jack asked, looking into the cell and seeing comfortable seating, a small kitchenette and even a television with a remote.

"She's proven very useful, and when we found that her host had faded completely away over time, or merged with her own personality, we decided to keep her like this." Harry said. He, personally, suspected that the host had become one with Hathor, since her personality was said to have become corrupt. Harry thought that maybe the host had loved all the sex. Sex addicts existed, so he supposed it was possible.

"She will try to escape." Jolinar warned.

"Really?" Harry asked, flicking a finger and the door to the cell opened.

Hathor saw Harry and rushed out, before falling on her knees before Harry, even as the team all raised their guns at her. "My lord." she said, reverently. "Have you need of me?" she asked. Her voice sounded strange to Jack. Almost the opposite of before. She used to refer to herself in the third person, too. That seemed to have completely disappeared.

���Not today, Hathor." Harry said. "We were just showing a Tok'ra around." he added.

Hathor didn't even move from her position as she continued to prostrate herself on the floor. "You have no need of them, my lord. You are powerful enough to slaughter the false gods on your own."

"She's changed." Jack said, with raised eyebrows.

"You may go back to your accommodations." Harry dismissed the submissive ex- would-be-goddess.

"Of course, my lord." Hathor said. "Would you be willing to bless me, my lord?" she requested. It sounded like pleading.

"Later." Harry said. "I'll need to hear from the guards if you've been behaving first."

"Of course, my lord." Hathor said again, before getting up and backing away into her cell, head bowed.

When the door closed, Harry had a few hard looks directed his way. "You've not been mistreating a prisoner have you?" Jack asked.

Harry snorted at that. "Nah, she's got a deal with us. She keeps on being useful and I use my special methods to have her needs taken care of."

"What needs?" Daniel asked, suspiciously.

At the same time, Jolinar asked, "Special methods?"

"Both questions for another time." Harry said. He looked at Jolinar. "Are you satisfied that we are the enemies of the System Lords?"

"Because we are not letting you go." Sam added.

"You heard the lady." Harry said. "We have a saying on our world: Hell hath no fury, like a woman scorned. You pissed off my teammate. I'm also in charge of what happens to you, so you have two options. Prove to me that you are the enemy of my enemy, and therefore my friend, or go back into your cell for an undisclosed period of time." he offered, ignoring the device in his pocket, which was spinning at his lies. He wasn't in charge, but he could make it seem that way. He also couldn't spare her the Veritaserum. He decided to add that titbit. "If you stay here, you will be forced to take truth serum, one way or another."

"You can't give him that option." Sam objected. Harry had unsilenced her when they exited the cell.

"I just did." Harry said. "On Harmony we follow the credo that all sentient life has the same rights. All of us would do anything to protect our friends and family. If you knew of a threat to your family, I dare say you'd do everything in your power to save them, including inconvenience someone else's life."

Sam didn't say anything after that, but she looked mutinous.

"Be that as it may, we need to know that this Jolinar and the Tok'ra won't attack us." Jack said.

Harry took the vial out of his pocket. "What do you say, Jolinar? Three drops with only one of us asking questions?"

Jolinar had no choice but to accept after that. She had seen enough to know that Harry was in charge in this situation and he seemed to have her back the most, so she allowed only him to be in the room for the questioning and he agreed, against the objections of the others. When he exited the cell, he had heard enough. He'd kept his word to only ask if she was who she said she was and confirmed that she intended to free Carter. Jolinar would stay in her cell until they could arrange for him to escort her to the Tok'ra.

There was a bit more back and forth, until Harry received a message from one of the guards reminding him of his promise to Hathor and giving a report of her exemplary behaviour. She had been forced to use her power on all the guards, having gotten the truth of how it worked from her. Then she had been taken away, allowing the effect to dissipate and making them immune. It was done to ensure she couldn't use her mind-control powers on them again, since it only worked once.

Harry chuckled at the reminder and sent a spell to her. The masturbation hex was considered a hex and dark magic, since it could be performed on unwilling recipients. If, however, the recipient was willing, it worked much better. Fleur had told Hathor that and she had been more than willing to supplicate before him, since she believed the more willing she was, the better it would feel. It had proven correct, and she was a devoted follower of her lord and master since then.

"What was that about?" Daniel asked.

"Hathor's side of the bargain." Harry said. "Sexual pleasure, unlike anything she had felt in all her life."

"You've got magic for sex?" Jack asked.

"Masturbation in this case." Harry said. "But yes. Apparently this particular hex was invented by the French in the 14th century. You should see what Veela can do."

"Is that how you…?" Sam started, before she actually blushed and turned away.

"I'm guessing you and the girls talked about more than just trust issues?" Harry asked, with a raised eyebrow. Sam said nothing, but he could swear he saw her ears burning red.

"So, Hathor is a sex-slave?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, right." Harry said, returning to topic. "Someone decided to tell her that the magic works better if the recipient is willing, which is true. Now she does everything she can to prove she is willing. That somehow translates, in her head, into the display you saw earlier. Since that's how she would want people to treat her, I suspect it's the only way she knows to show willingness."

"So, she acts like a slave, because that's what her mind tells her to do?" Jack asked. "These Goa'uld are freaks."

He was about to apologise to Harry, when Harry nodded. "You're telling me." He saw the relief in Jack's face. "If they are freaks it's not an insult to call them that. I just don't like it said about me. I know I'm strange, but do you really think I'm like them?" he asked, pointing a finger down the hall.

"Fair enough." Jack said. He wouldn't want to be compared to them either.

"So, I'll be going with Jolinar." Harry said. "Cooper will be with me and you can follow with Bill on the Prometheus, so you'll be able to hear and see everything."

"He'll likely take you through more than one Stargate." Jack pointed out.

"I'll leave you directions if we move too fast for you to follow. It's probably best to take Sidney along. She'd be the person who could map the destinations the quickest." Harry said. Doctor Hawk could also do it from another room, so that the team didn't see the StellarNet in action. "And I turned him into a her, at her request. A show of good faith, as it were." he shuddered then. "She had some very specific and intimate requests about her body. I'll not be doing that again, while a person is under the effects of truth serum."

"I thought you only asked the questions you told him… her, you would?" Sam asked.

"I asked her if she would want to wait for the potion to wear off before changing her, but she really wanted to be a woman again." Harry said. "I'm thinking she'll likely be embarrassed when the potion fades, but I didn't ask her to go into details. She volunteered that."

"She wanted to be a virgin, didn't she?" Sam asked, despite herself. When she got looks, she defended herself, "What, it's special to a woman, okay?" Nobody said anything to that. Sam could at least understand that desire. Truly being human, would likely be something that all Goa'uld would want, except for the relatively short lifespans.

Fortunately Harry had a better understanding of the human body than most. For him to extract the knowledge he gave Pansy, he needed to see it himself and while he didn't go out of his way to solidify and experience of what he had learned, he still retained quite a large amount of it, since some of it interested him. He was also very intimately familiar with the feminine form, so his magic had done a decent job of creating what he had imagined for the woman. He'd likely have Pansy check her out before they left though.

Having had the thought, Harry called her up and Pansy was soon there, to inspect the woman. When she exited, she nodded at Harry. "Very well done." she complimented. "There was very little for me to correct. A bit of a deviation from the standard human form, but entirely in order and working as it should."

"What was wrong?" Harry asked.

"Her heart was on the wrong side of the body." Pansy said. "Not that it would affect her, since everything seems swapped."

"That's probably not a bad idea." Sam said. "It'll make them easier to identify if we run into them later, or when they have children."

"Genetically, she's still a Goa'uld." Pansy corrected. "There's no changing that. She'll not be having children that are human, unless she was somehow already able to do that. When we change something's shape, we don't change their genetic make-up."

"But, you change the brain, and the nervous system." Sam pointed out.

"True." Pansy said. Harry could feel her magic reaching out and he allowed her to change him into something. A bear, it turns out. "I changed Harry's form into that of a bear, but he's still himself. Now, his conscious mind is still awake and he's able to do what he wants to." As she said it, Harry sat back and gave everyone the finger. A very un-bearlike thing to do. "Is he any less human? Could he impregnate a bear in that state?"

"So, it's just a change in his form. His brain may be in a new structure, but his conscious mind somehow still works?" Sam asked.

"Because he's still himself, yes." Pansy agreed. "Being him, though…"

Harry made an illusion of himself. Wandless magic was awesome. "I can still do stuff." the illusion said. "This is just an illusion. I really am the bear. I just can't speak. I tried that once. Almost bit my tongue off."

"Normal people of our kind, would not be able to sustain this change, or reverse it if it was done to them by someone else." Pansy said, as Harry allowed his illusion to fade and transformed back.

"My family and I are special, though." Harry said, smirking.

"Another thing Harry made happen, by the way." Pansy interrupted.

"And now we all have special gifts that others of our kind would literally go to war for." Harry said. "The wolves work as a deterrent to that, fortunately."

"Anyway, the thing you have to remember is, the woman in that cell is still the same creature. It's just modified into what it looks like, but that's basically just an illusion. A piece of clothing it's wearing." Pansy finished.

"Unfortunate choice of words." Jack said. The Goa'uld tend to wear humans like skins.

"I suppose that's true." Pansy allowed. "Something about the Naquadah is allowing the change to be permanent. You don't know how special that really is."

"If she's really still the worm, won't she need to be submerged again in something?" Sam asked.

"As the bear, I had the physical benefits of the bear. I was stronger and had a keener sense of smell. These are all characteristics of this principle." Harry explained. He wouldn't mention that he'd smelled arousal from Carter. Probably all the sex talk. Likely something his girls had mentioned, as well. He wondered if Pansy had done that on purpose. She could likely detect things like that due to her medical knowledge.

"So, she's a worm, but with a body like ours, that functions like ours, but isn't like ours?" Daniel asked.

"It's like the wolf thing." Harry said. "They are humans, but they are wolves at the same time. In their case, there are advantages that go with it, but that's because it's a unique circumstance."

Jack and Teal'c seemed to accept that, while Sam looked about ready to argue, while Daniel looked confused.

"Look, it's not that difficult." Harry said, as he grew a statue of himself out of the ground. "This is a concrete statue." he said. He changed it to look gold. "This is a golden statue. The concrete was real. The gold is an illusion. The illusion may fade, but the statue will stay in this shape. Does that change the fact that it's always going to be concrete?"

Sam and Daniel seemed to get it then. "Explaining things to mundane people is sometimes so difficult." Pansy sighed.

"Don't blame us for not understanding your culture." Jack said.

Harry shook his head and looked at Sam. "Sam, why is it important that you understand this?" he asked.

"A Goa'uld will not be able to take over the new body." she said in realisation, having skipped ahead some, in a bout of understanding.

"Yes." Harry said.

"So, you're making people, who can't be possessed?" Jack asked.

"No, it has to do with the mind." Sam said. "They're warning us not to treat them like humans. They are still symbiotes, just without the need for a host."

Pansy nodded, before turning away with Harry and the team following. "Do you suppose she'll be as immortal as the rest of her kind?" she asked.

"I don't know." Harry said. "I suppose it depends on if she gets all the same nourishment? Her human form will produce the bio-electricity that the symbiote needs, but that and the human body will need fuel like a normal human. She'll likely need to start eating. Apophis needs to eat, and Hathor still needs to fuel the human body she is in."

"Yes, but she still uses the sarcophagus periodically." Pansy argued. "And she's still a symbiote."

"Speaking of Hathor." Sam said, interjecting. "Is there a reason why only Harry gives her… her treatment?" she asked, trying to go for delicate.

"There are two reasons." Pansy said. "First, the agreement was made with him. The contract states it. Secondly, for the spell to work well, you need to know what you're doing. Harry is… uniquely qualified to give her, her treatment. He's also very powerful, which amplifies things."

"So, she'd know if a woman did it?" Sam asked. It seemed to her like a woman would know what they were doing better than a man.

"Nobody does it like Harry." Pansy said, not even blushing as she smiled at Harry.

"Thanks, luv." Harry said, as he pulled her to his side, as they walked. He turned back to the team and decided to change the subject, off of his sexual prowess. The men looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Lunch?" he asked.

"Yes!" Jack said instantly. "Your little buddy makes the best burgers." he said, honestly.

"You keep saying that, but he keeps on improving his recipe." Harry said. "Every time it's a whole new experience. I don't even know what spices he's using these days." he admitted. He had taught Dobby an original recipe he had come up with, for home-made burgers and the little guy must have been experimenting in his off time.

"It couldn't taste better than last time, could it?" Jack asked.

"Why do you think Dobby is the Prometheus's cook?" Harry asked, as they reached the Transport Room.

OOO

The journey to the Tok'ra's base was two gates away, which Jolinar had obviously done on purpose. Harry didn't mind, but he left an illusion in the air above the gate with the dialled address, just in case the Prometheus hadn't made it there on time, for their second gate.

"You don't mind?" Jolinar asked. She had requested slightly curly blond hair and green eyes, a few shades lighter than Harry's own. Her nose was straight and thin, and her jawline was different. Her chest was modest, but perky, and she'd gone into detail about her chest and the rest of her intimate areas, which still made Harry uncomfortable to think about. Fortunately she didn't remember disrobing and pointing things out, while looking in a handheld mirror to see said intimate areas better.

"Actually, this is the first time I'm using the Stargate." Harry admitted. He wasn't a fan, but he didn't want to let the possible threat out of their sight. He'd wiped the experience of being changed from the creature's mind, though, and replaced it with the image of a big machine with all kinds of impossible to make parts. Bubbles of pure energy, taking different shapes. Some tesla coils and plasma globes for added effect, as well. Just in case it came up.

"The first time?" Jolinar asked.

"I have other means." Harry said. "The team uses these all the time, though."

"How did you reach Nasya, then?" Jolinar asked.

"Would you believe Hyperspace?" Harry asked.

"Ah." Jolinar nodded as they walked. That would make sense. She had seen who they held prisoner, after all.

Harry felt a tap on his shoulder, with a whispered "Four" and readied himself, stopping in his tracks.

His abrupt stop must have made the decision for whoever was lying in wait and four people jumped up, from under covers. They were dressed strangely and Jolinar seemed unsurprised to see them, as she turned and looked at him. "You have your secrets." she said.

Two of the people had turned their weapons on her, but she must have signalled them somehow, since they lowered them instantly. "I must speak to the council." she said, before turning to Harry. "Bring him."

"Who are you?" one of them asked.

"I am Jolinar of Malkshur." she identified herself.

"You are not." one of the people said. The Tok'ra had the strange double-toned voices, exactly like the Goa'uld, so this person stating that they were a Tok'ra couldn't be true.

"I am." Jolinar insisted. "Much has happened and my host died, so that I may live and bring news. I don't know how, but this man made me into this." she said, indicating her body. "I have no host, I am now human."

"Only in a manner of speaking." Harry said, casually.

"Prove yourself." one of the men challenged. She did something, which Harry suspected was a hand-signal of some sort, and the man nodded in acceptance. "Come." he said, then, casting glances at Harry as he went. What she had described sounded strange, but also wonderful. No doubt the Tok'ra would wish to enquire after this technology.

It wasn't too long, before they came to a ring transporter. Ring transporters worked like his transport rooms, except that it kept a person in a buffer of sorts, while several rings descended or ascended, depending on which direction you wanted to go. Also, unlike his transporters, you could only go up or down with these, or at least to connected transporters, but they were usually the way the Goa'uld exited their ships. Harry felt these and stopped before the rings. He looked up and saw nothing in the sky, so… "Your base is underground?" he asked.

"How do you know?" Jolinar asked through narrowed eyes.

"My technology." Harry said.

"Search him." one of the men instructed.

"I'd suggest that you don't touch me." Harry said calmly. The men were ignoring him and the first one to try and touch him passed out. "See." he said. "Automatic defences." he lied.

"Switch them off." Jolinar demanded.

"I came here with you of my own volition. I assisted you of my own volition. I will not leave myself defenceless for you, since you have yet to show me the same trust I have shown you." Harry countered.

"We will have to be in close proximity for the rings." Jolinar argued.

"Then I suggest you go before me and I'll follow." Harry said.

"You two, stay up here and ensure he follows." One of the men said, as he pulled his unconscious friend to the rings and they vanished, with Jolinar, into the tunnels Harry could feel down below. He was glad he'd added a spell to Jolinar's eye, so that he could see what she saw. His Comm was connected to it and he needed to only focus on it to bring up what she saw. It was displayed in his eye, like when a call came in so he could identify the caller, meaning nobody else saw it.

"Go." one of the two guards said.

"Just one moment." Harry said. "I'll be taking my own transport down." he said as he vanished, when he felt Cooper place a hand on his shoulder.

Jolinar jumped at the popping sound of apparition. "How did you do that?" she asked.

"Would you believe Hyperspace?" Harry asked, smirking this time.

Jolinar didn't know what to think of this. "What are you?" she asked incredulously. The Tau'ri were said to be advanced, but nothing like this.

"Complicated." Harry said as the downed man woke up, seemingly on his own.

Other people were told to go stand guard close to the Stargate, while the original four, with the other two having turned up a couple of seconds after Harry, accompanying the new arrivals.

Jolinar had to go through a bit of a tearful reunion with someone who was the host of her own mate, confirming who she was in the process. Apparently Harry had unknowingly modelled her slightly after the previous host. It wasn't exactly what she had asked for, but he'd at least removed the tattoo on the forehead.

The reunion was not long lived before they were approached by a middle-aged man and a few other people, who Harry assumed were the Tok'ra council.

"I am to believe that you are Jolinar?" one of the women asked.

"Garshaw." Jolinar greeted. "I don't know how it was achieved, but I am Jolinar." she promised. She had to prove it again and she whispered in the older woman's ear.

"Interesting." Garshaw said. "What an intriguing development." she said as she looked up at Harry. "And you were the one to achieve this?" she asked.

"I am." Harry said. "I'm afraid we mistook Jolinar for a Goa'uld, when she took one of my friends as a host without their permission." The older woman was about to object to that and Harry was relieved to see real anger in her eyes. "She was able to prove to us that she was not going to keep my friend captive, but she had urgent news to deliver to the Tok'ra high council."

"Speak this news that made you believe it was justified to act like our sworn enemy." Garshaw demanded.

Jolinar nodded and approached Garshaw, whispering something in her ear again. "Are you sure?" Garshaw asked, incredulously. Jolinar nodded and whispered again. The next moment, Garshaw looked up with a glint in her eye and ordered the guards to take one of the council into custody. "Cordesh? How could you?" Garshaw asked.

"I don't know what is happening." Cordesh responded. He looked innocent enough.

Jolinar turned to Harry. "Do you, by any chance, have some of the Truth Serum on you?" she asked.

"Now you trust me?" Harry asked.

"This will prove you to the Tok'ra." Jolinar said. "By giving me this form, you have proven yourself to me, personally. If you can do this, your will have proven your worth to us all."

Harry sighed, but nodded. "Bring me a glass of water." he instructed. Jolinar, herself, went to fetch the requested item and handed a cup, half filled with water, to Harry, who added three drops of the liquid to the cup, before replacing the vial inside his clothes.

Jolinar presented the cup to Garshaw. "This is a powerful truth agent. There is no pain, and I have taken it myself. There is no will to resist telling the truth, once consumed."

"You were imprisoned and asked-" Cordesh started.

"Silence!" Garshaw demanded. "You have no right to speak for us, until you've proven your innocence."

"In our culture, it's considered innocent until proven guilty." Harry said.

"That is not our way." Jolinar said.

"I'm gathering that." Harry said, as he locked the man in place and forced his mouth open. "I've subdued him. You may feed him the serum."

"How are you doing this?" Garshaw asked.

"Would you believe Hyperspace?" Harry joked.

Jolinar rolled her eyes. "He says that every time I ask about his technology. I think it's his way of saying he can't tell us."

"Or won't." Garshaw said, before finally deciding to pour the liquid into the man's mouth. One of the guards clamped his mouth and nose shut, giving him no option but to swallow the liquid.

Pretty soon the man was quite calmly telling them that he was in-fact working for one of the System Lords and that he'd been feeding them information for months. They asked him questions until the serum started wearing off. When they asked for more, Harry refused. "It has a chance of killing him if you feed him more."

"We don't care if he dies." Garshaw snapped.

"And his host?" Harry asked.

Garshaw stopped instantly. He had a point. Unfortunately they had no way to extract the Goa'uld safely and quickly. That sparked a thought in her mind. "You were able to remove Jolinar safely, were you not?"

Harry sighed, as he knocked the man out. "I'll need a private room. This process is a secret."

Harry was quickly seen to a room and he removed the symbiote directly. The BB-pistol was a proof of concept. He'd always been able to portkey things directly, by reaching his wandless magic into the body and placing it on the symbiote, but he needed others to be able to. The moment the symbiote was out, it tried to jump at Harry, but he held it in a tendril of his power, before he awoke the man.

"You know what's been happening?" he asked the man.

"I do." the man said. He looked like a broken shell of a man. Harry could instantly pick up on signs of depression.

"Listen, we'll solve your issues in a bit." Harry said. "For now, I'd like you to tell me if there's any one form that this little fucker wouldn't like to be in."

When Harry exited the room, not only with the man who had had the misfortune of hosting a Goa'uld, instead of a Tok'ra, but also a weak-looking balding red-haired man, with dull brown eyes, freckles and the word 'Goa'uld' tattooed on his forehead, bound on a floating stretcher, it was to a shocked group of Tok'ra.

"Who is that?" Garshaw asked, already suspecting, but not believing.

"Anker." Harry said. He indicated the unfortunate host. "Firnan here, told me that Cordesh is dead, and his replacement, Anker, hated weakness, redheads and freckles, so I decided that is exactly what he should become. Personally, I like redheads, and freckles can be cute, but not like this." he said, pointing at the man, who was slowly gaining control of his body. The Tok'ra had not even thought to ask the Goa'uld if he was the original. Fortunately the host had been making a list of things to blame himself for and that was one of the first things he mentioned.

"He was replaced?" Garshaw asked, shock written on her features.

"After torture to extract your codes and signals, I'm sure." Harry said. "Firnan is not in a good place. If you have someone who can help him, like a psychologist, that would be a good idea."

"Firnan." Garshaw said in sympathy, hugging the man, who had been held hostage in his own body for months. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know." she apologised. She looked at Jolinar. "I'm sorry for your loss as well."

Jolinar nodded. She'd lost her best friend. The Tok'ra were close to their hosts, metaphorically speaking. They cared for them. She had fought through her own loss, to stop the spy from having any more of their people killed. Now she was finally done with her mission and she'd be able to mourn. At least she had Lantesh and his host Martouf, to mourn with now.

From there, things would become hectic, before they calmed down. The entire base needed to be moved to a new world. Harry learned about their crystal tunnel system and inspected it, finding something strangely familiar about it, until he recognized the feeling. It was a unity crystal, or something very like it. The crystal alien life forms they had met a year back.

He followed the power he was feeling until he found the power source. It seemed that they were using some sort of system to give power to the structure, and then used it to grow these underground tunnels. That could prove useful knowledge. It also might explain why the Goa'uld had destroyed the crystals when they found them.

There was a bit of a discussion and when Harry mentioned that he worked with the Tau'ri, asking her to keep his secret as he kept theirs, he received a smile from the woman. It seemed she liked that deal. He handed her a Comm and warned that it would only work to contact him on worlds they had been, so she'd have to give him a Stargate address or come here, to call on him. She didn't give him an address, but Harry intended for his people to keep an eye on them anyway and follow where they went, so that he could keep a watchful eye.

When they were standing at the Gate, waiting for Harry to dial an address, he simply called Bill and asked him to 'Beam him up'. Bill chuckled at the reference, but used the system Harry had set up to make it look like that was exactly what he was doing, taking him away, with Cooper, never having needed to come out of hiding, holding onto him as he was portkeyd directly onto the bridge of his ship.

"Fun trip?" Jack asked.

"I still don't like the Stargate system." Harry said. "Something about being turned into a stream of what is essentially data, disturbs me."

"Data?" Jack asked.

"Ask Sam." Harry said, indicating the woman. "On the bright side, we've got new allies."

Harry's Comm decided to ring at that moment. "Daniels?" he answered.

"Cimmeria is being attacked by Goa'uld." he said. "The Plutus is already in orbit."

"Don't wait for us to help. We'll be there shortly." Harry said, moving to his seat and going directly to the pre-set destination, next to the Eudaemon.

They arrived to the sight of a mothership floating over the land, with many gliders flying around causing havoc as it went. They were not too high up, but Harry was taking them down, so that they could fire their weapons.

"Thor's Hammer was disabled." Teal'c said. "The Goa'uld must have realised that the planet was defenceless."

"Not anymore, it isn't." Harry said. "Bill?"

"Weapons systems ready and waiting." Bill said.

"Unlocked. Fire at the smaller craft. Daniels will take the mothership." Harry instructed, after unlocking the firing mechanisms.

"Done." Bill said as he aimed on a display in front of himself, using a controller much like a joystick. Jack rushed around to watch what was happening, just as Bill zoomed and locked onto a target, the weapons of the death-glider. He fired and instantly the weapon was cut in half.

"You're firing at their weapons?" Jack asked.

"Bill isn't in the military." Harry said. "I'll never ask him to kill. The Plutus takes everyone alive, so we just have to disable their weapons."

"They are killing people, Harry." Jack said. "We need to shoot to kill." he said, even as Bill disabled the other weapon on the same glider. "This is taking too long."

"If we shot to kill, they'd all be dead already. They can't defend against our system." Harry said, but he knew the Colonel was right, though. Misguided as they were, the Jaffa were killing innocents. "Fine. Bill, show him the controls. Next time, he's in gunner position."

"Understood." Bill said. He scooted the control over so that Jack could see and started aiming for the next weapon. "When you see that dot on a target, you press here and it locks into perfect sync. There is no delay between the moment you press fire here and the moment it hits. You cannot hold the fire button. It's a laser, you'll kill people on the ground." Bill instructed.

Jack was quick to learn and he was already taking over. In the next ten seconds he'd shot down two of the enemy ships. The next five, two more.

"You learn quickly." Harry complimented.

"I'm an airman." Jack said, even as Bill left his seat and allowed Jack, who had been standing and firing to take the position. "I've been in dogfights."

"This is not a dogfight, Colonel." Harry said. "They don't know we're here and they can't see what's happening to their gliders. This is murder."

"We're defending innocent people. At worst, we're soldiers, not murderers." Jack argued, as his numbers started racking up. He was shooting one glider down every two seconds. Harry was impressed. He didn't know that Jack had figured out a pattern they were following and was using that. He still didn't know the system well enough to be able to zoom out and in efficiently, but he'd been watching on the overhead display along with the rest and used that to target.

"Stop." Harry said, locking the weapons back down, just before Jack could shoot down another Glider.

"What?!" Jack asked, pressing the fire button twice more.

"Plutus has the rest." Harry said, pointing to the large screen. The Plutus had just finished its grand display of 'eating' the Ha'tak, or mothership. The eyes were currently shooting its beams which made it look like it was disintegrating the smaller enemy ships, but it was only storing them away, as was its design. They'd return to Mars and safely unload the cargo later. They may even decide not to unload the ships yet. The Plutus could safely unload the storage mechanisms and keep them indefinitely, replacing them with empty ones.

The remaining gliders didn't know what to do and apparently decided to fire on what looked like a giant living wolf's head, which was fine, since the Plutus had been tested against their weapons already. At worst, they could mark the hull with black spots. Daniels would take great pride in personally wiping those away later, to reveal an unblemished, shiny finish.

The last of the gliders were quickly finished off and the Plutus howled its success in a giant voice, before it seemed to nod and vanish. Daniels must have practiced that nod, as it seemed almost natural. Harry also didn't add the howl, so Daniels must have custom ordered that one without his knowledge. He shook his head, before descending to the nearest town.

Gairwyn, the woman who seemed to be the leader of the town, when Jack and SG-1 had originally visited, was the first one to them as they exited from the Prometheus's rear hatch, for the first time.

"You came to save us!" she exclaimed. "Thank the gods!"

"You're our friends." Jack said. "Of course we came. The gods have nothing to do with it."

"You come destroying the enemy while flying on Gungnir, along with the Fenrir wolf?" Gairwyn asked. "How were you not sent by the gods?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow. If Harry remembered his mythology correctly, Gungnir was the spear of Odin. Fenrir was the wolf said to be capable of eating the world in one bite, who would do so during Ragnarok. Or something like that.

"You'll never convince them Jack." Daniel said. "I'd be inclined to believe in the Fenrir wolf myself, after seeing the Plutus in action."

Jack looked between Harry and the Prometheus, knowing that telling them that it was magic was probably against the rules and wouldn't help things. "Yeah, okay." he relented.

"Are your people alright?" Harry asked. "I'm Harry by the way." he said. "Harry Black."

"Gairwyn." she introduced herself. "The attack came out of nowhere. The Ettins had come through the portal a few months ago, but were sent away. We had hoped that Thor had sent them off, but now I think they were able to escape."

"It is my fault." Teal'c said. "We destroyed Thor's Hammer, to save my own life."

"It is not important." Gairwyn said, placing a hand on his arm. "You are here now. You came to defend us, when we were in need. For an Ettin, you are not so bad."

"Ettin?" Harry asked Daniel.

"A frost giant or Jötunn of Norse Mythology." Daniel explained. "That's what they call the Goa'uld."

"I must have missed that last time." Harry said. He had been busy, inspecting the technology of the statue, which had teleported them away, and inside the cave where Teal'c and Jack had been trapped. The statue which now lay broken on the ground, used to stand sentinel at the Stargate to scan everyone that arrived, to ensure the Goa'uld stayed away. "That won't do." he said, as he channelled a repairing spell into the statue, watching as it lifted up and repaired itself. "This part was still working last time I was here." he said, as he scanned it and found the non-functional parts. He still didn't know how it worked, but he should be able to repair it, by placing everything as it had been.

"It wasn't working when we left." Jack said. It hadn't teleported Teal'c away again, after all.

"Did it scan you all again, when you left?" Harry asked, as he realigned some conduits. "It likely only scans incoming travellers."

"The Ettins who came before were sent away, as all the Ettins before." Gairwyn agreed. "They were later seen in the forest, but we had assumed it tall tales."

"Well, this one should work again." Harry said, with a thoughtful look. He scanned it again, and everything seemed to be aligned and working. He could even feel a bit of power travelling through the construct, as it had before. "We'll have to wait and see."

"Can you fix the device in the cave?" Teal'c asked.

"I already tried." Harry said apologetically. "I suppose we could just close it up?" he suggested.

"We did bury the cave exit last time." Gairwyn pointed out.

"Wards then." Harry agreed. "I'll be back." he said as he vanished.

"He's a Seidr?" Gairwyn asked, when he was gone. Her and her people had witnessed the statue fix itself, as if it had never been torn down. Then he had disappeared, as if dragged away by the gods themselves.

"What's that?" Jack asked.

"A form of mystical shamanism, concerned with weaving the strings of fate within the grand design." Daniel said.

"So, magic?" Jack asked.

"Yes." Daniel said, slightly frustrated that Jack always only took the smallest parts of what he said and simplified them down to something that made his effort to give him insight, meaningless. He looked like he wanted to continue, but Jack spoke up again.

"Yeah, sure, he's our Seidr." Jack said. "He does all sorts of magical voodoo." he pointed at the Prometheus. "This Gungnir?" he asked Daniel. At his exasperated nod, he continued, "He made it."

Harry returned at that moment. "But Jack's the one that wielded its mighty power. I'm not a Seidr who darkens the weave by spilling blood on it. The fates would not look kindly on my kind for doing so." He'd been listening in, using some basic monitoring charms.

"You speak as if you were standing here." Gairwyn asked in shock.

"I was." another Harry said, from behind her, shocking her and all of her people, as he walked into and through the original Harry, disappearing as he went. "For one such as I, blessed by the fates, it is a simple task. Unfortunately when I am on Midgard or the other realms it is difficult to keep an eye on you. That's why I begged Thor to send a Valkyrie to watch over you, when my friends told me of your bravery and the troubles you faced with our common enemy. It was her watchful eye, which told us of the attack. The one who tamed the Fenrir Wolf, a wolf himself, by the name of Daniels, was on guard and led the attack."

"Many thanks to you, Lord Seidr." Gairwyn said.

"Please, call me Harry. I am but a mere servant of fate." Harry said. He turned to Jack then. "I've put up a ward. Same as on the embarkation room."

"Ill intent?" Jack asked. He was amazed at the bull Harry had just spun with such ease, even if it was only an act to cover for the blatant use of magic. He suspected that Harry was enjoying the ability to show off, since he couldn't use his magic openly on Earth.

"You got it. I added a bit about not attacking or turning on the locals too, just in case." Harry said. He turned back to Gairwyn. "Do you need help in restoring the land?" he asked.

"No, please." Gairwyn said. "You must be tired after your journey. Come, let us prepare a feast in thanks for your deeds." she insisted. She turned on the spot and started sending people off to go prepare for a feast.

"That was impressive storytelling." Teal'c said.

"Norse and Greek Mythology always had a special place in my heart." Harry said. "As I understand it, we're supposed to respect people's traditions and beliefs?�� he asked.

"Thank you." Daniel said in satisfaction, before turning to scowl at Jack. "See? That's how you don't insult people and gain allies."

"We're doing fine." Jack scoffed, as he pulled out his Comm, sighing. "I'll have to update the General."

"Have fun with that." Harry said as he hurried off after their hostess.

"Why does he always get to walk away, while I fill in paperwork?" Bill asked as he stood behind the team. They'd almost forgotten he was there.

"He does it to us too." Jack said.

"Harry or Cooper gives his secretary, Miss Greengrass, their memories and then she does his paperwork." Sam said. It's what she'd been told. Truth was, Daphne was always watching, but then, so were most of the girls, if they were in private, or not busy.

"Must be nice having a secretary." Jack said.

"It seems that Harry is simply using the resources available to him." Teal'c said.

"You never do paperwork either." Jack accused.

Teal'c just smiled at that. The fact was, he could both read and write the language, but Harry had advised him to not start filing reports, since they'd ask him to write up a complete history of his people.

"Yeah, yeah." Jack said, putting the comm to his ear. "Call General Hammond."

OOO

That night, during the feast, Harry was in his element, weaving stories for the children as he turned some of his own experiences into tiny displays of magic, with the flames from the fire turning into illusions of things as he spoke.

"-then its mighty tail came down on me and cleanly separated my head from my shoulders, but I had tricked the beast and she was watching a mere illusion. When the Dragon realised its mistake, I had already wandered off with her treasure, as the evil men who had dared me to face the beast, in hopes of my demise no less, cried out in defeat." Harry finished his tale. "And that is how I came by the golden egg of the dragon of Hungary." he said, making an illusion of the Egg from the first task, to the awe of those watching.

"What did you do with the egg?" Gairwyn asked, smiling at the children.

"I ate it, of course." Harry said with a wink. "It was enough to fill my belly four times, even if it was a bit on the spicy side." he said smiling at the kids, who laughed at the end of the story.

"I wonder how much of that story is real." Daniel said to Jack. Jack just shrugged. He'd picked up on some things that made it sound like the story was, at least partially, based in truth.

"I'm thinking something like that happened, but the plot and the characters were different." Sam said.

"Another!" one of the kids enthused.

"Another you say?" Harry asked. "Well, maybe next time I'll tell you about the time I slew a basilisk, in a cave, with the help of a phoenix, an enchanted sword and a talking hat?" he offered.

"Next time." Gairwyn said. "Off to bed with you, now. The morrow is around the corner and you all have chores."

The kids were soon shuffling off to bed, with only a few complaints. It seemed that Gairwyn was a respected leader.

"What did you really do with the egg?" Gairwyn asked, when they were gone.

"It was a clue to a contest I was forced to take part in." Harry admitted. "When I opened it up, a voice escaped that almost deafened me. I needed to listen to it underwater, it turns out. It was mermaid song. Merfolk have terrible voices out of the water, but in it, they can sing so beautifully that it makes you feel like you've died and gone to Valhalla." To prove his point, he made the illusion of the Egg again and had it open. "It sounded like this." he said, as the song, as it was heard underwater, began to play for all of them.

When it was over, Gairwyn actually swiped tears off her face. "You should have had the children hear that. They'd have slept well having heard it."

"It's beautiful, but I don't have many good memories of that time in my life." Harry said. "Shortly after that, one of my friends died. It was a cowardly ambush of an attack and we were not ready for it. He wasn't even given a man's chance to fight. He had just become a man that year, too."

"Monstrous!" one of the men exclaimed. "To slay a lad, only just a man, and not be given the chance for Valhalla! I hope you slew his murderer well."

"It took me a couple of years, but I got him in the end." Harry said. "But I didn't kill him. When I found him I was wrathful and I banished him to the farthest reaches of Yggdrasil, where he still sits in the cold and dark, wishing for a death I will never give him. He had cursed himself to live forever, you see, thinking he could use his immortality to conquer all. Only I know how to slay him and I refuse to let Hela have him. He will live in purgatory, with the hell he deserves always hanging over his head. He'll never see his family or face justice, but he will stay there until Ragnarok, and likely after, never seeing another living soul again."

"You are not worried that Hela would come for you to claim the soul you have denied her?" Gairwyn asked.

"I did no such thing." Harry argued, as he looked into the flames. "He bound his own soul to never go to her realm. I simply refuse to release him from his own bonds."

Gairwyn looked worried, but shook it off. "Who am I to argue with the wisdom of a Seidr?" she said instead.

Harry chuckled. "It is not wisdom to be wrathful. If I were wise, I'd simply set his cowardly soul free and have him receive his punishment. I wished to make him suffer the immortality he wanted so badly. It is hubris, I know, but he was also the man that slew my parents before my eyes and tried to kill me as a babe, for a prophecy that proclaimed I would one day defeat him. I can still hear their pleas to kill them and spare me.

"He had followers, too. Murderers, torturers and rapists. Every now and then, when I find one of them, I show them what became of their master and they fear me. They fear me enough to never come near me again. And they do not anger me, for fear that I will do the same to them. I will not have them come after my loved ones, but I am not a killer. I show them the darkness I could wield and then I toss them in a dungeon, hoping that they will never see daylight, but knowing they will not come for me, should they escape."

There was silence after that. Harry just stared at the flames. His team, however were looking at him in a new light. Harry wasn't just some happy kid, with brains and magic. He had real tragedy in his life. Real struggles he had to overcome. He wasn't some lucky kid who discovered things by chance. He was a struggling youth, who had seen enough darkness to rival any of their personal pasts.

The magical world suddenly also didn't sound all that magical. No wonder the kid wanted to make a home where he could leave the past behind. He didn't need to even help them. He could stay in Harmony and never even be noticed by the Goa'uld. What drove a person to stick their neck out like this, when he'd already defeated his monsters?

"This darkness you speak of." Gairwyn said as she stood up. "It is in us all. We all face it at some point. Every time you do not take a life, when it would be easy to do so, you show that it doesn't rule you, but that you rule it. I see now why you do not kill. You may make mighty weapons of war, but you don't wield them. Not in anger, nor vengeance. You are an emissary for good. Master Weasley tells me that you instructed him to disable your enemies only, to cut down their weapons, to save not only our people, but the Ettins too.

"That takes a greater heart than many could hope to own one day." Gairwyn said as she sat down next to Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your weapons are mighty, but mightier still is the hand that defends the weak, but does not kill without real need."

There was a cheer at that, and many of the men started speaking again, talking about what they had learned. Let the peaceful Seidr speak to a woman, of the ways of peace.

Back with the team, everyone had turned to Bill, who was also looking into the fire.

"What was Harry talking about?" Daniel asked.

"It's personal." Bill said.

"Did he really trap a man's soul somewhere?" Daniel asked. He was interested in having a conversation about the possibility of human souls actually existing.

"It's personal." Bill said again. That seemed to confirm it for most of them.

Bill was just reminiscing his own past with Harry. He knew most of his secrets by now. He didn't know the biggest one, but it didn't matter. Bill was certain he knew what drove his friend. It was to have fun and to never have to experience some of the horrors of his past again. Bill's mission, from then on, would be to ensure that Harry was always safe. He'd already insisted on going on the missions to stay on the Prometheus as air support, after all. He'd never seen the sadness or heartbreak that he had seen on Harry's face at the mention of his parents' deaths. He hadn't known that Harry could remember it, either.

Jack was worried that Harry really wasn't ready for what was coming, but he also knew that he wanted the kid there, when it happened. He would be a great asset, but Harry wasn't a soldier. He didn't want to think about taking him into war. He'd have to consider this further. Perhaps Harry and he could spend some time discussing his plans and see what the Wolves could take on. That being said, Harry really liked going to new places and discovering new things.

Daniel was having similar thoughts. He wasn't a soldier, but he'd killed people, he knew. The young man that had started helping them without them even knowing it, from basically the beginning of the Stargate program, had real pain in his past. Similar to his own. He couldn't imagine choosing not to end the monster who had killed his parents, if they had been maliciously murdered. Choosing to exile him to some sort of immortal life with no human contact? Was that worse, or better?

Sam was thinking about what Harry had not said. The loved ones he'd mentioned. His girls had taken her aside and informed her, frankly, that she didn't know him. That he was more than what she had seen. His hidden depths had quickly surfaced this night. The urgency in his girls' eyes had hit her the hardest. There was a devotion there, one borne of real love, something she doubted she'd ever experienced. If they knew about his darkness and still loved him that much, without reservation, just how deeply did their love go? She couldn't even imagine not having doubts about someone like Harry, not with what she had just seen in his eyes.

Yet, she'd seen more there. There was also the joy of discovery, and sharing his magic so openly, here in a place where it wasn't unheard of, even if it was only in legend and the alien technology that they believed was magic. His eyes, when he told stories to the children and the way he became animated to bring them into his tale, were alive in that moment. Sure there was darkness in him, but also a bright light. In realising this, she finally saw some of what Harry's girls saw. It was hope. Hope for a better future. For them, it was for marriage, children and endless possibility. For her, it was the hope that when tomorrow came, there'd be no monsters lurking around the corner.

While the team was drawn into their own thoughts, Harry was having a conversation with Gairwyn, which interested him greatly.

OOO

The next morning, the team left their bunks on Prometheus at similar times, to find Harry was already drinking coffee, sitting in the lido deck, with Teal'c telling him about his past experiences in the service of Apophis. It seemed the stoic man had decided to share some of his personal past, due to the revelations of the previous day.

"Good morning, Harry." Daniel said. "Is there a reason that we're still on Cimmeria?"

"We're going on an adventure." Harry said brightly, before turning to Teal'c. "Thanks for telling me that Teal'c. It's good to know that you can understand my situation."

Teal'c only nodded in his stoic way. He'd told him of his reasons to become the first prime of Apophis, to destroy another System Lord, who had killed his father for failing at an impossible mission.

"What do you mean 'adventure'?" Daniel asked.

Harry smirked. "We're going to the Hall of Thor's Might." he said.

"Where?" Jack asked, as he walked in behind Daniel.

"It's a place Gairwyn told me about." Harry said. "Apparently it's supposed to be where Thor left a way for them to defend themselves."

"You think whoever this Thor is, his people left advanced weaponry?" Jack asked.

"I think it would be best to go looking now, before the next emergency pops up." Harry suggested.

When the team had gathered and had breakfast, Jack decided to broach a subject he'd discovered the previous night. "Um, Harry. About the showers in this place…" he asked.

"Yes?" Harry asked.

"How do they work?" he asked.

"You step in, press the button and step out." Harry said. Then he realised he'd never demonstrated. "Oh, sorry. It's magical. We didn't want to waste water, so the showers apply cleaning magic. I don't even take my clothes off. I step in, press the button and step out. It even cleans your teeth."

Jack's eyebrows rose. "That's useful." he said. He had pressed the button, but not knowing what to look for, he'd not thought it had done anything. "Would have been nice to know…" he added.

"Yeah, that's my bad." Harry said. "You've never spent extended periods of time here, so I forgot to tell you."

"The Transport Rooms do the same thing every time you move around the ship too, as does the docking bay, when it re-pressurises." Cooper said distractedly, from where he was sitting, reading the morning paper on his Comm.

"The Prometheus is a space-ship, after all. We try and keep it clean." Harry smirked.

"Oh. Okay, then." Jack said, deciding it was fine with him.

"I did miss a toothbrush this morning." Daniel said. He just didn't feel right without his morning ritual.

They were soon back on the surface. The Prometheus had been suspended in a close orbit again, so they took the normal transport down, with Bill deciding to stay on-board to monitor.

"Gairwyn told me where to go, but I'm thinking it would be a good idea to take her with." Harry said. "She did say that the Hall of Thor's might was left for her people."

"But-" Daniel started.

"No Daniel. Come on! This is her people's legacy. We're not stealing from them." Harry interrupted.

"You're right." Daniel decided, then.

They found Gairwyn in town, and Harry was met with cheers from the children, as they ran up to him to greet him. Harry ruffled a few heads, before sneakily handing out some candies he'd conjured. "Now, off with you." Harry said, waving them away. "We must have words with Gairwyn."

Gairwyn, as it turned out, had some time to accompany them, and an hour later they arrived at another stone statue, with a very familiar design. It looked almost identical to the transporter by the Stargate.

Harry scanned it and confirmed that it was like the device at the Stargate and pretty soon the team was standing in a hall, where a hologram informed them that they needed to pass a series of tests, the first being a test of balance, apparently, when the majority of the floor fell away, to reveal a narrow pathway.

Harry, having no fear of heights, considering he could fly, walked across the beam easily, followed by Teal'c and Sam. Gairwyn went next, since Daniel was scared of heights and Jack decided to bring up the rear. Harry didn't mention his ability to fly, but he did that on purpose. The test couldn't be that simple. It was an advanced race, after all. There would be another test involved in this.

As Gairwyn made it halfway across, the floor shook and she fell, but held onto the ledge.

"I'm coming." Jack said as he started across. "Hold on." he said. He reached forward and was still helping her up, when her hand slipped and they both started to fall.

Harry was about to grab them, when the abyss vanished and they were suddenly both fine. 'Huh. This must have been the real test.' he thought, just before another hologram appeared and confirmed that it was a test of selfless courage. Risking yourself to help someone else.

They were transported to another room and with Harry, Sam and Daniel there, they soon had a logic puzzle solved, which had to do with the ability to measure radius, using Pi. It was quite simple, once Harry projected Daniels findings above everything he had identified and Sam identified the numbers associated with the symbols on one wall with the constant.

Then they were all shocked, at the appearance of another hologram. This one, however was completely new to them.

"A Roswell grey!" Harry exclaimed happily. "Awesome!"

The hologram congratulated them on their success with the tests and Gairwyn told it that she had nothing to do with it; that it was the others who had solved the tests. It was as Sam was telling Gairwyn that it was a holographic recording, like before, when both Harry and the alien, Thor, contradicted her.

"On the Contrary, my image is a living transmission…" Thor was saying.

"He's been looking at us individually and I feel something like their transporters at work here." Harry said.

Thor looked at Harry, then. "You know our technology?" he asked.

"I was able to copy some from it." Harry said modestly.

"The Cimmerians are not advanced enough to achieve this feat." Thor said.

"We're not from around here." Daniel said. "About a year ago, we came here looking for you, looking for allies against the Goa'uld."

"Cimmeria is a safe planet." Thor said.

"Well, your transporter still works, but the device in the cave was destroyed." Harry said.

"Harry!" Sam whispered harshly. "Careful."

"Are we going to lie to him, when he's expending this much energy to see us personally?" Harry asked.

"Showing them that they can trust us is a good idea." Daniel agreed. He turned back to the alien. "We came here yesterday, when we heard of an attack on Cimmeria. The Goa'uld were here with a mothership, but we were able to stop them." he said.

"It was my fault." Teal'c said.

"Stop blaming yourself Teal'c." Harry said. "You are a valuable asset and friend. When you turned against Apophis and saved the rest of the team, you proved yourself worthy of the sacrifice."

"And Harry set up a watch on the planet, so we were able to get here in time." Jack agreed, careful not to talk about it as technology, since Gairwyn was listening attentively.

It was she who spoke next. "Lord Thor, these people came to our rescue. They may have damaged your defences, but they left their own in place. Surely you will not blame them for saving an ally?"

Thor looked at the Jaffa, but nodded at Gairwyn. "If he has proven himself to you, then he is not a threat."

"Thank you." Teal'c said, with a sense of relief. He had been blaming himself for the destruction of this world's peace all this time. He didn't know how many protections Harry was offering the people of the worlds they visited, but was grateful for them.

"How did you fend off the Goa'uld?" Thor asked.

"That would be a technology I do not discuss openly." Harry said. He stepped forward and placed a privacy spell between himself and his team. "It is similar to your own transport technology, but instead of transporting someone away to a designated location it stores it in a specialised buffer device."

"You are not of the same world as they?" he asked indicating the rest, standing with Gairwyn.

"We're from the same world, but my people are an evolutionary step forward or deviation, I believe." Harry said. "We have certain abilities not found in normal humans, much like the Nox."

"Ah, so you have taken the first steps toward becoming advanced enough to rival one of our ancient allies." Thor said, nodding in appreciation.

"No." Harry said. "Our people are isolationist, xenophobic. I am the exception. They may wield power, but they are not advanced. I was the first to use our power to enhance science. We've since entered into a treaty, of sorts, with the Nox, since they are a peaceful people and we had some intelligent, but disenfranchised creatures who had need of their capabilities."

"And the Nox see you as an equal?" Thor asked.

"Their words were, 'You are not as young as you think.'" Harry replied. "I think they believe we are descendants of the Alterans."

Thor seemed to consider this. "But you do not?" he asked.

"I like to think we're something new." Harry said. "Our capabilities are vast, and from what I gather, we've not scratched the surface of what we could do. I've already created a means of traversing the galaxy instantly, I suspect, using something similar to what you are using now. We can also heal almost any ailment and many other advancements."

"You can send matter?" he asked, curiously. Not even the Asgard could send matter over their own long distance communications capabilities.

"It's not something I've given anyone else access to," Harry said, "but yes. I stumbled on a way to do things instantly at large distances, with a very low cost in power."

"Why are they not taking part in the conversation?" Thor asked, indicating the others.

"While I'm discussing things of a sensitive nature, I block their ability to hear us." Harry said. "My team have seen it before, but I suspect that they will get tired of just looking at us, soon."

"Very well." Thor said. "If I wish to contact you, may I do so at this planet?" he asked.

"You should be able to use this planet as a relay, but you'll need one of my specialised Communications Platforms. There is a satellite relay hidden in orbit, which uses my system to establish the connection here. For the Cimmerians, I've called it a Valkyrie, out of respect for their beliefs." Harry said. "I'll leave one of the Comm units with Gairwyn for you, with instructions on how to use it." he said, before stepping back and removing the privacy spells.

"Thank you for coming to the aid of the Cimmerians." Thor said. "While the Asgard had hoped to be contacted by them at some point in the future, when they were more advanced, I believe that your offer of friendship will be one they could benefit from. Perhaps we will be in contact at some point in the future, as well." he finished, before they were transported away, to find themselves standing by the statue again.

"Well that was enlightening." Harry said, smiling. This had been a productive two days. Contact with the Tok'ra, being able to rescue the Cimmerians and making contact with an advanced alien race. He'd definitely count these last two days as a win.

"What were you talking about?" Daniel asked. When Harry blocked them from hearing what they were discussing, he'd almost screamed. It was contact with an actual advanced alien species and he couldn't even speak to him.

"We exchanged some pleasantries and I made an offer of friendship." Harry said.

"With Earth, or with Harmony?" Sam asked.

"Me." Harry said. "Neither Earth, nor Harmony would be considered ready by the standards of the Asgard, if I'm reading the signs correctly." He and the Asgard used similar technologies, and while his was still fairly new, it seemed he could do something not even they could. The way Thor's eyes had widened, when he'd mentioned their medical capabilities, had given him an insight as well. The Asgard could use something like that. For what purpose, Harry didn't know, but he intended to put his best foot forward and help, if it could make them some new friends and allies.

"How can you be sure?" Sam asked. She felt like she'd been slapped in the face, like she did every time someone told them that they were young, or less advanced.

"Sam, I have no doubt that you deserve your doctorate." Harry said. "You likely know more about your fields than I do, but I have a unique insight into things that may give us the advantage in befriending the Asgard. Would you really feel left out if I started gaining information that will set Earth up with better equipment and knowledge? I could emulate a lot of their technology, but someone like you will be needed to understand it with science and your technology, while not needing my skills to do it."

Sam conceded that point. Magic seemed to be able to breach the gap, but overcoming it properly would be real scientists' job. "Good point." she said. "If it gains us allies and you could prove useful to them, we'll all benefit in the long run."

"You have redefined your relationships with the Gods?" Gairwyn asked. She didn't understand most of what had been said, but she had picked up that the Seidr was communicating with Thor about things only they could understand.

"I'm finding that I may be of more use to them, than we had initially anticipated." Harry agreed, playing into her beliefs. "Thor is pleased with our alliance and I will be giving you a magical artefact, through which Thor may contact me, since even the gods do not know where we Seidr conduct ourselves at all times."

"The Seidr are as mysterious as spoken of in legend." Gairwyn smiled. She liked Harry. He always conveyed things in a manner that she understood best.

They set out for the Village, but Harry wanted to see his girls again. No doubt they had been watching all of this, except for the short period, where he'd cast his privacy spells. They would have questions and Harry wanted to celebrate his successes.

"Valkyria, give us wings, so we may reach our destination with haste." Harry said aloud, as he lifted them up and flew them to the village, Harry enfolding the woman in his arm, so that she wouldn't be worried about falling. He added the illusion of ethereal wings on their sides, for the benefit of any who might be watching.

When they arrived, Gairwyn still stumbled on her feet. The flying had been the fastest she had ever moved and none of her people had seen the world from so high up, unless you climbed a mountain, or tall building. She wasn't as pleased at the trip as Harry may have hoped.

"I'm sorry if that was uncomfortable for you." Harry apologised, realising she likely had a fear of heights. It wasn't uncommon for people who had never even considered the possibility of flight.

"No, it is your right to call on the power the fates have granted you." Gairwyn said. "A little forewarning, perhaps, would have been appreciated."

"I'll strive not to startle you so, again." Harry promised.

"I fear you will be disappointed." Daniel said. "The Seidr is our companion and he still surprises us very often. It is in his nature to be so."

"I'm starting to see that." Gairwyn said.

Harry took her aside and pulled two Comm units out of his Comm-storage, registering one as 'Gairwyn of Cimmeria' and the other as 'Thor of the Asgard'. He marked hers with the image of the village, with a Valkyrie on a Pegasus over it. The other, he marked with the Runic Symbol for Thor's Might, which looked like a capitalised letter 'P', but with only straight lines. He then instructed her on how to call him, should the need ever arise, emphasising the fact that she'd need to use his full name, not his title as Seidr, as he was known here.

Then they left again, after Harry treated the kids to some more candy. They were conjured, so they were just sweet and delicious, but with none of the side-effects.

OOO

"And he just chatted with him for a few minutes, before he sent you all back?" General Hammond asked.

"That about sums it up, yes." Jack said.

"And you had no objections to him monopolising the conversation?" he asked.

"We didn't have much of a choice." Sam said. "Harry did his voodoo and we couldn't hear them."

"To be fair, Harry was likely talking about his own technology with Thor." Daniel said. "He told us as much afterward."

"And then he gave the leader of the town a Comm for Thor to contact him on." Jack said.

"So these Asgard will be contacting him on his personal phone?" General Hammond asked, sounding strangely bemused and incredulous.

"It is likely." Teal'c agreed. "I do not see the problem with this arrangement. Harry Black has been a trustworthy ally since the moment he made contact with us. He has ensured that we achieve more successes and has staff who monitor every planet we visit, even after we have left. The SGC don't even give them a way to contact us, should they have a need."

"We don't have the resources that Harry Black has at his disposal." General Hammond said. "Even if we had, the government would likely not consider the cost worth the expense."

"And that is why he does not share his knowledge and technology with us." Teal'c said. "He knows that the Tau'ri would not be as capable of rendering support, as he is. Even if the SGC wanted to do so, they would need to do so at the expense of Harmony's resources."

"I'm not arguing with you Teal'c." General Hammond said. "His recent additions to our operation has taken a lot of pressure off of me to keep the project going. The problem remains that our primary purpose here is to investigate and retrieve advanced technology. If an ally steps in and removes that opportunity from us, there is no purpose for us keeping it going. How will I explain this, when I'm asked why I let it happen?"

"Our scientists have been given a Ha'tak vessel with Hyperdrive capabilities to reverse-engineer." Sam pointed out. "Marauders Inc. even set us up with a secure location and a way to ensure the technology doesn't leave our sight, protecting us from other government bodies and industrial espionage."

"And we are grateful to them for that, but that also came at the price of people needing to sign those contracts. We can't recruit outside help, from other leaders in the correct fields, until they pass an interview through Marauders Inc."

"That's not their fault." Daniel said. "You know the secrets we've been let in on. If the wrong people found out how we were given the ship, none of us would remember it in the morning, regardless of the contracts."

"Let alone that we'd be putting our biggest ally in the line of fire." Jack said. "He's put himself, his family and his home at risk, by trusting us with this. I think that gives him the benefit of the doubt."

"He has also allied himself with two powerful enemies of the Goa'uld and his forces have captured yet another Ha'tak in the last two days." Teal'c said. "That and defended a planet from an enemy that could only reach the planet, because we interfered with them."

"If they ask why you let the Envoy intercede, tell them that the Envoy is advanced enough to be considered an ally of the Asgard, while we are not." Daniel said. "Through him, we get limited access, which is better than none at all."

General Hammond's sombre face lightened instantly at that. "Very well said, Doctor Jackson. Perhaps I'll have you write up the report for this last mission, then."

Jack smiled at this, realising that General Hammond had played them. "Yeah, Daniel. You seem to understand the situation best. It would only be fair to let you write up the report."

Daniel was no idiot and looked between all the suddenly smiling faces. "Oh, you guys suck." he said. He knew how difficult it was to write reports and leave out all the magic.

"Perhaps you should hire a secretary?" Teal'c said.

Daniel looked like he would request just that, but the General jumped in at that. "Request denied." he said instantly. "This is a top-secret facility and you are a civilian consultant. I'm afraid that would be highly inappropriate."

Civilian consultant. That rang a bell. "You want me to fill this report, so that you can't be pulled in front of the appropriations committee." Daniel accused.

"I don't know what you are talking about." General Hammond smiled at him.

"Harry is right. Politics and paperwork sucks." Daniel said, as he fell back in his chair, in disgust.