TITLE: Shadowed Hostilities

AUTHOR: Eleri McCleod

EMAIL: elerimc gmail . com

STATUS: complete, posted in parts

CATEGORY: drama, series

SPOILERS: "Hollow Hostilities" Part 1 of the "Hostilities Trilogy"; anything through "Reckoning" is fair game.

PAIRINGS: none

SEASON: eight

SEQUEL/SERIES INFO: "Hostilities Trilogy," Jackfic-a-thon 2006

CONTENT LEVEL: 15+

CONTENT WARNINGS: OC death

SUMMARY: Hostilities Trilogy Part 2. Two months after the events in "Hollow Hostilities," a deadly virus rips through the SGC leading Jack and SG-1 back to the Ancient planet on a desperate search for the cure.

DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

ARCHIVE: Jackfic, , AO3, any others please ask

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yes, you read correctly. This was supposed to be posted way back in 2006. But at least I finally finished it! To my plot bunny donor, I'm very sorry it took so long. I hope the length makes up for the wait. I'm posting this story as a series, however the original plot bunny will be attached at the end of the story per Jackfic-a-thon tradition. Though I've included a recap of "Hollow Hostilities" here, you might want to read (or reread) the whole story in order to experience all of the Jack/Ba'al non-slashy awesomeness. It can be found at Jackfic . net and here in FF.

To my amazing beta, Lynette, you always come through, while sitting together in your lounge brainstorming or on extended holiday. To Annie, special thanks for the pinch hit second beta. You both made this story so much cleaner. Any remaining mistakes are all on me.

This is a special mid-week story kickoff to tease you until Sunday and my normally scheduled posting day. As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

Shadowed Hostilities

Previously on Stargate: SG-1 ...

Hostilities Trilogy, Part 1 - Hollow Hostilities

When SG-5 returns from a routine exploratory mission with pictures of what appears to be a former Ancient village, Jack agrees to let SG-1 investigate further. They come back with the news they believe the village to still be viable, much like the Antarctic one Jack used less than a year ago to destroy Anubis. None of SG-1 can activate the technology in the village so they bring back more detailed pictures in the hopes of translating them. When Jack sees the images, his brain is flooded with information and his secret is revealed. He's lied to everyone, including himself, about remembering nothing from his time with the Ancients' database in his brain. He's scared to admit it could be true, that the Asgards didn't remove everything when they restored him. Daniel's examination of the pictures uncovers the possibility of a second race that appears to have lived side by side with the Ancients on the planet. He translates their name as "Wise Friends" but there's little else he can discover about them with the limited information he has.

Jack and SG-1 travel to the planet to find out as much as they can. As they explore the village, Jack discovers he knows more than he should about the village, the information simply coming to him as he looks at the structures and their accompanying technology. However, before they can put his knowledge to a test they're surprised by a pair of Death Gliders flying overheard. Jack attempts to activate what remains of the village's defenses, but blacks out as soon as he touches the main control panel.

He wakes in a small cell built like a box, solid, smooth white walls and ceiling. There are no visible doors or windows. Jack is also not alone. The Goa'uld System Lord Ba'al is his fellow prisoner. Both men are furious at their circumstances and their hatred of each other quickly escalates from words to physical violence. Ba'al attempts to strike Jack, who retaliates by cracking one of the Goa'uld's ribs with the buttstock of his rifle. Not two seconds later Jack suffers the exact same injury though Ba'al did not inflict it. Through a tentative truce, they discover any damage inflicted on one is instantly transferred to the other. They agree to cease physical hostilities until they can figure out a way to escape or one of their respective groups rescues them. Though they ask for their captors to give them their demands, they hear nothing. Food appears in one corner of the cell in the form of an oatmeal-like substance and they eat reluctantly.

Hours pass with continued silence from their captors. Eventually, they decide to use their weapons on the seamless white walls. Ba'al's ribbon device has no effect, its power simply absorbed into the surface. Jack's rifle manages to chunk out bits of the wall as the bullets ricochet around their cell. They decide to try to punch a hole in the seamless white walls with the rifle. The plan succeeds to an extent. Ba'al is struck in the calf with one of the ricocheting rounds, causing an identical wound in Jack's leg. Jack digs the bullet from Ba'al's leg, painfully binds his own injury and fires a few more rounds into the growing gouges in the wall. Finally, he sees a pinprick of light in one and they begin digging with two of Jack's knives.

The walls seem to be made of kevlar it's so tough, but they continue digging until they create a hole just big enough for them to squeeze through one at a time. After a brief argument where they both have to choose to trust the other as each will be vulnerable shimmying out of the cell, Jack goes first. Ba'al assists him by being a leverage point, an unexpected, unasked for help. As Jack turns back to aid Ba'al in escaping, he sees the exterior of the cell. Actually, he can't see the exterior of their cage. It's invisible from his new vantage point on the exterior. He can feel it, but only their escape hole and Ba'al's maneuvering body is visible.

As he's tugging on Ba'al's legs to pull him from the cell, the Goa'uld's Jaffa appear and surround him with activated staff weapons. They order him to kneel and Jack refuses to be cowed. He expects to be beaten into submission, but Ba'al stops his First Prime before he can strike. Recognizing Jack didn't have to help him with his wounded leg, Ba'al gives Jack two days to depart the planet. Any Tau'ri remaining after that time is forfeit. Jack agrees instantly, knowing he has no bargaining power. He asks Ba'al how he knows he can trust him, that the Goa'uld won't just get to his ship and blast them from the sky. Ba'al answers with the same thing Jack told him before they crawled from the cell: "You'll just have to trust me."

Ba'al and his Jaffa walk away, leaving Jack to wonder who had captured them and how. Why him and Ba'al? Why not one of the other members of SG-1? He quickly pushes the questions to the back of his mind and limps off to meet his team.

And now Hostilities Trilogy, Part 2 - Shadowed Hostilities...

cont. in Part 1...