TITLE: Paradise
AUTHOR: Jennifer Goll and Wendy Parkinson
EMAIL: jagoll@hotmail.com and wendyparkinson@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Drama, S/J Romance
SPOILERS: Minor spoilers for Broca Divide, 1969, Solitudes
SEASON / SEQUEL: Second Season
RATING: PG13. 
CONTENT WARNINGS: Minor swearing, violence.
SUMMARY: SG1 gates to Paradise..... or is it?
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters belong to MGM, Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it.  Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead , is coincidental.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: We'd like to thank Dee for being our one-woman fan club while we've been writing this. We'd also like to thank everyone on the samandjack list for their continued *inspirational* conversation and would like to point out to them that we wrote the waterfall scene before the discussion a few weeks ago! <g> All feedback and constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.  No flames please. 

copyright Jennifer Goll and Wendy Parkinson April 1999

PARADISE

Part 1 (Wendy)

"Now, kids, this is more like it!" Colonel Jack O'Neill stretched himself to his full height, drew his sunglasses out of his breast pocket and put them on with a flourish.

"It's like a holiday brochure," Sam added as she studied the scene around her.

"Warm sand, palm trees.... Daniel, find something you want to study for...oh, at least a week."

Their archaeologist shook his head in exasperation. "Jack, there's only sand, palm trees and the Stargate. Why on earth would you want to stay here?"

The other two members of the team watched this exchange. Captain Samantha Carter smiled to herself, it was usually Daniel pestering to remain on worlds and Jack itching to leave. The Jaffa, Teal'c, just stood impassively contemplating the baffling behaviour of humans.

The setting was idyllic, a warm breeze wafted the palm trees gently to and fro. The sky was a clear bright blue, the sun high overhead. To their left, through the trees, they caught glimpses of the shimmering iridescence of a tropical sea. The Gate was standing on its familiar plinth but the flight of steps led down into fine white sand. The trees surrounding the area made it difficult to see more than about twenty yards. SG1 descended the steps and began to spread out.

Carter walked over to the DHD and began checking that it was functioning properly. Jackson followed her. "I don't see what's so special about this place, do you?"

Sam stopped what she was doing and turned to him. "Daniel, it's a tropical paradise! Everyone's idea of a dream holiday destination."

He seemed genuinely puzzled by this. "It's not mine."

Sam sighed and looked at him sympathetically. "Where is your ideal holiday destination, Daniel?"

"Abydos."

"That's not a holiday, that was your home."

"OK, Egypt then."

"This is similar..... plenty of sand....."

"And no ancient civilisation to study."

He shrugged philosophically and squinted up at the sun. "Did you bring the sun block?" Sam laughed.

Jack decided to explore and headed off through the trees towards the sea. This really did seem to be a good spot for a little R and R. As he left the clearing he could hear Daniel complaining about the planet. What did the guy want? This place was perfect. But if he was honest he knew what Daniel wanted - a chance to get Sha're back and as many opportunities as possible to study new worlds and their cultures. And, if he was still being honest, he wouldn't have him any other way.

He emerged on a gently shelving beach that stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction. The sea lapped quietly on the sand. Jack sat down, took off his backpack and began to unbutton his jacket. The sea air was warm and soothing, he wanted to lie down and drift off to sleep. No, he couldn't do that. He was the commanding officer of SG1 and the leader of this mission. Sitting very upright he surveyed his surroundings.

That was when he saw it - out at sea on the horizon there was something incredible, amazing, like nothing he had ever seen before. He jumped up, unable to tear his eyes away from the unbelievable sight.

"Carter, Daniel, Teal'c! Come and look at this!"

Part 2 (Jen)

"What is it, Jack?" Daniel asked, coming out of the trees to the beach. Sam and Teal'c were close on his heels. His mouth fell open as he saw what had caught Jack's attention.

Sunlight glinted off of metal. Several miles long and rising high above the sea, floated a large mass. It conformed to no shape. Black walls or panels rose above most of the buildings. With no set pattern, they seemed to be scattered throughout the floating mass.

"It's a city!" Excitement filled Daniel's voice. Here was something he could study. Hurriedly, he pulled out his camcorder. Through the lens, he could make out more of the city. Both Jack and Sam also
pulled out their binoculars.

"I'm right. It is a city. A city on water. This is incredible. I wonder how old it is. What powers it?"
Daniel could barely stand still. He itched to go out to it.

"Looks like the natives might have a higher level of technology than most of the other planets we've been to." Sam commented. She shifted the angle of her binoculars. "Those black walls look like panels used to collect solar power. They might be using solar power to supply energy for any machines they have."

"Sure doesn't look like any city I've seen" Jack said, handing his binoculars to Teal'c. "You seen anything like this before, Teal'c?"

Teal'c scanned the city. "No. I do not remember Apophis or any other goa'ulds talking about a city on water."

"No city is completely one shape or another, Jack." Jack rolled his eyes as Daniel slipped into lecture mode. "From the looks of this one, it's constantly growing. The outer edges are the newer part. And since it's on water, all those structures and walkways on the very edge of it are for ships of some kind. See. There's a ship now."

The team looked to where he was pointing. Over the horizon a ship had appeared. Mast poles rose high from its deck. A crow's nest rested on the highest pole. The sails were down and tied up. It was sailing towards the city. Smaller versions of the black panels were mounted around the ship's cabin.

"It looks like one of those pirate ships in all the old movies." Sam studied the ship. " It must also run on a combination of solar power and wind when there isn't enough sun around to power the engines." She could see figures moving around on the deck. They appeared to be human.

"Maybe we can attract their attention. See if they can take us to the city."

"Hold on a minute, Daniel." Jack reached out to clamp Daniel's arms to his sides, before the younger man could even think about signaling the ship. "We don't know if they are friendly or not. They could take one look at us and decide to kill us."

"But Jack. We won't know for sure unless we meet them."

Before Jack could respond, Sam interrupted them. "Colonel, I think they're watching us. I saw the sun shine from something metal on the ship. It looks like one of them is using some kind of binoculars to study us."

Jack raised his own to study the ship.

"What do you think, Captain? Are they friendly or not?" The first mate looked up at his captain.

"The real question is, do they have anything of value?"

"There's only one way to find out."

"Yes there is. Change direction and head to shore."

"Sir, they're changing direction. It looks like they are heading toward us now."

"Well Daniel. It looks like you are going to find out if they are friendly or not."

Part 3 (Wendy)

Jack motioned to the rest of SG1 to follow him back into the cover of the trees.

"Why bother hiding, they know we're here," said Daniel.

"But they don't know our position exactly...." began Colonel O'Neill, who was beginning to get more exasperated than usual with Daniel.

"Sir, about the DHD." Carter looked worried as she interrupted her commanding officer. As he turned to her a feeling of dread began to build in the pit of his stomach.

"What about the DHD?"

"It's solar powered too, Sir. That's why I realised what those black panels were on the city."

"Great, it's environmentally friendly!" Jack responded, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"There's a problem with it."

"If it's broken you can fix it, right?"

"No, it's not broken. The solar cell must have discharged when we came through. It's not fully charged again yet."

"You mean the battery's flat?" asked Daniel.

Sam nodded, then continued, "I doubt if it will recharge by nightfall. My best guess is that we're stuck here until tomorrow, Sir."

Jack looked back out to sea. "Well, let's hope the natives are friendly."

The Captain of the Sea Pearl, Lucia, stood on the deck watching the land approach. They had not been doing well recently, very slim pickings. Perhaps these visitors would bring about a change of fortune. She certainly hoped so. Her musings were interrupted by her First Mate, Romario.

"Captain, should we launch the landing craft?"

"No, let's get a little nearer first."

"Where do you think they came from?" Romario asked as he gestured towards the shore.

"I suppose they must have come through the great ring. It is in that area."

Lucia brushed her hair out of her eyes and carried on. "There are stories that the great ring transports people to other worlds, no-one really knows if they are true."

"Why not?"

"Nobody has ever survived on that coast long enough to tell the tale." She shrugged. "We are near enough now, launch the boats."

SG1 watched through their binoculars as two large rowing boats were winched down into the sea. About ten crew members, a mixture of men and women, climbed down rope ladders and got into each boat. They settled themselves, positioned the oars and began to row towards the shore.

"Jack," said Daniel, "they really do look like pirates, don't they? The only weapons they appear to have are swords."

O'Neill thought for a moment then came to a decision. "Carter, bury your iris remote."

"What, Sir?"

"Bury it. Bury it so you can find it later." He pointed towards the boats.

"I have a bad feeling about them."

Sam got down on her hands and knees and started to scoop the sand away from the base of a tree. By the time she had finished hiding the remote the landing craft were being hauled up the beach by their crews. They saw a woman with curly dark hair supervising the crew, telling them how far to pull the boats out. A snatch of conversation drifted to them on the breeze.

"Fan out, find them. They can't have gone far."

Suddenly Daniel jumped up and began walking down the beach towards her. Jack almost screamed with frustration. "I hate it when he does that!"

"Are we leaving him unprotected, O'Neill?"

Jack gave Teal'c a very weary smile and stood up. "Come on, let's see what trouble he's got himself into this time."

The crew had gathered round Daniel and were standing silently watching him. Lucia spoke. "And who might you be?"

"My name is Daniel Jackson, I'm a peaceful explorer. Could I ask your name?" He extended his arm, as if to shake hands. Lucia stared at it, obviously confused.

"It's a greeting....... like this...." Daniel grabbed hold of her hand and shook it.

"How.... unusual. My name is Lucia, I'm the leader of these.... people." She frowned. "There were more of you...."

Daniel was just wondering what to say when one of the crew shouted, "Captain, over here!"

He turned and saw the rest of the team approaching. He introduced them to Lucia.

"Now, down to business," Lucia said, very briskly.

"What is your business exactly?" asked Jack.

"We acquire items for clients. What do you have?"

"You want to trade? What can you offer us?" Daniel was getting quite excited.

"Trade? No, no, no, no...." she started to laugh, " we don't trade, we acquire or..." She became serious, "We kill you."

"Oh boy!" muttered Jack under his breath. "They are pirates!"

He glanced round at them and estimated that if SG1 started shooting they would still be overpowered by sheer weight of numbers. Looking her straight in the eyes he asked Lucia what she wanted.

"Everything you have that is of any value," she beamed at him. She gestured to her crew. In the space of a few minutes SG1 no longer had any weapons or technology. All they had left were the clothes they stood up in.

"Thank you very much, you have been most..... co-operative," Lucia said inclining her head towards them. "We'll be leaving you now."

As she turned to go, Romario spoke. "Captain, isn't it dangerous in these parts? We can't leave them  here unarmed. They'll be killed."

Lucia sighed. "You're right, we'd better take them with us. They're much too young to die."

Part 4 (Jen)

The pirates closed in on the team. They were forced back in a tight group as they were surrounded.

"Wait a damn minute." Jack yelled. "First you steal everything we have. Then you were going to leave us and now you want to take us with you. If you are so concerned about leaving us unarmed here, give us back our weapons. We'll do just fine on our own."

Lucia threw her head back and laughed. Oh, she liked this one. He had fire. "Obviously you are strangers to our world. Otherwise, you would be pleading with us to take you." She tilted her head, first studying them then the stuff they had appropriated from them. "You must have come through the great ring."

"You know about the stargate!" Daniel moved forward, momentarily oblivious to the armed pirates. Running into one of them, he blinked, looked up at the man and quickly stepped back when he grinned ferociously at Daniel.

"We know it is there and we have heard stories about how it can take people to other worlds. But they are only stories. No one has come through the ring in several generations. Or if they do, they don't survive very long." She shrugged. The ring had no useful purpose or monetary value, so it was irrelevant to her.

"Romario take them to the boats. We've been on land too long." With that, she turned on her heel and walked down to the boats. Behind her, she could her the outraged protests of the team as they were grabbed and pulled along.

"This is really incredible." Daniel leaned against the ship's railing, watching the city on water grow larger. He and the others had been given free rein of the open decks. As long as they were in sight of one of the pirates and stayed up top, they could do as they please.

"The city is called Larius. It is one of our larger cities." Daniel turned to see the pirate he had run into behind him. "My name is Dante. And this is Kalen." He gestured to the woman at his side. She looked Daniel over from head to feet. Coming back to his eyes, she smiled, her eyes sparkling with appreciation of his body. Daniel felt like he had just been stripped naked, though the sensation was not unpleasant. The heat of her gaze seem to drill right into him.

"Are there any more cities on water?" He asked, his mind full of questions he wanted to ask.

Kalen moved past him to lean against the side of the ship. "All our cities are on water. Since water covers almost all of our world, we live on it. Land is too dangerous to survive on."

"Why? What makes it so dangerous?"

"Many things. We always try to avoid it if we can. There are many stories about the dangers of staying too long on land. Even the most skilled of us, the most daring, stay off land. Besides, water is better for living. The roll of a ship or city. The endless blue water. Ah, paradise. Why would anyone give up paradise for something like land."

"Sir, are you alright?" Sam glanced at the colonel, noting the pale skin, the deliberately slow and even breathing, the clenched fists. He was sitting on the deck, his back to the sea.

"I'm fine, Captain." He replied, not opening his eyes. He had overheard Daniel's conversation with the other pirates. Great, everyone lived on water. Oh joy. He could feel Sam's eyes on him. Sighing, he opened his, gazing up into her concerned face. He smiled, trying to ignore his rolling stomach. "I'm just sitting here, enjoying the sun and breeze."

"Do you think Darus has anything for us this time?" Romario looked at his Captain. They were in her stateroom, going over several charts.

"He should. Last I spoke to him, he was excited about something he had discovered. And we need a big job. The pickings have been too slim lately." One fist pounded on the table. "Damn Andreas."

Part 5 (Wendy)

Daniel was still leaning against the ship's railing. There was really nothing like the smell of the sea. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the wind in his hair and the sun on his face. Then he became aware that Kalen was watching him.

He challenged her. "What?"

"I really don't think you want to know," she smirked.

"Why not?"

"Well, it involved you, me and going back to my cabin...."

Daniel nearly choked. He noticed that further along the deck Carter and O'Neill were finding something very funny.

"I'm..... um..... very flattered, Kalen," he stammered, "but I'm married." Kalen shot Sam a filthy look.

"To her I suppose."

Jack found this even more amusing.

"No, my wife isn't here." He glanced across at Sam who was glaring at their commanding officer. Daniel decided to change the subject.

"That's very pretty," he said, pointing to a medallion she wore around her neck.

"Thank you, it was my mother's. The symbols are supposed to mean something but I have no idea what." She held it out so Daniel could get a better look.

"Fascinating.... it looks like Greek..... but not quite. This in the centre - is it a rock?" He indicated a small engraving in the middle of the medallion.

"I do know about that - it's on shore about a day's sail up the coast from here. It's called Whale Rock because of its shape."

"I think perhaps you need a larger representation to appreciate that. You know, I think I could translate this for you if you like."

"What does it say?"

"Nothing very exciting, I'm afraid. I think it's a description of the area around Whale Rock."

Daniel squinted at the medallion, still on its chain around Kalen's neck. He was becoming aware of just how close to each other they were standing. He swallowed, licked his lips, then smiled hesitantly at her. She smiled back. A voice shattered the moment.

"Kalen! Are you ready? We're nearly there." He let go of the medallion. Kalen smiled brightly at him.

"I've got to go ashore with Lucia. I'll see you later."

Daniel watched her leave and then walked over to his colleagues. Sam and Teal'c were admiring the view of the approaching city, Jack was still sitting on the deck with his back to the sea. He grinned at Daniel. "Well, Danny boy, I guess you scored a hit there."

Jack was trying very hard not to start laughing again. Daniel just scowled at him.

"Sir, perhaps Daniel could persuade her to take us back to land in the morning, when the gate's recharged," suggested Sam.

"That is a good idea, Captain Carter," said Teal'c, gazing out to sea. "I have never travelled in this fashion before, it is fascinating. What I had not anticipated is the way the boat moves up and down in time with the motion of the waves."

"Oh, yeah, truly fascinating." Jack was getting paler and paler as he struggled against his protesting stomach.

Now it was Daniel's turn to smile. "Jack, do you always get seasick?"

"I'm not seasick. I think it must have been that Chinese take-out last night."

Over his head, Carter and Jackson exchanged a look that spoke volumes. Sam raised her eyebrows.

"Of course, Sir. We believe you. Don't we, Daniel?"

He nodded solemnly in agreement. "Shall I see if I can get you a drink of water?"

Lucia and Kalen stood on the walkway overlooking the sea waiting impatiently for their contact, Darus, to arrive.

"I wish he wouldn't choose such exposed places for meetings, Andreas has spies everywhere." Lucia glanced nervously over her shoulder. "He's late."

"Good evening, ladies." The man had appeared from nowhere, startling both women.

"Darus!"

His eyes were never still, his gaze darted about with the practiced skill of one who is constantly on his guard. His clothing was nondescript, his face one that would blend in with a crowd.

Darus beckoned them to follow him into the shadows. "I have something very special for you, ladies..." He started burrowing under his cloak. "Here it is - the secret of The Ocean's Soul." He handed a small, leather-bound book to Lucia.

"What is this? It's not even in our language. You are wasting our time."

He leaned closer to Lucia. "It holds the secret to unimaginable riches....unbelievable wealth."

As he was talking, Kalen took the book from Lucia and began to leaf through it. She managed to stifle an impulse to gasp out loud.

"Captain, a word. Now."

Lucia was about to reprimand her when she saw the look on her face and realised this was important.

"Excuse us a moment, Darus." She pulled Kalen to one side. "So?"

"The writing is the same as that on my medallion." She lowered her voice even more. "One of the prisoners, the one called Daniel, can read it." A smile spread over her Captain's face. But when she turned to address Darus she was serious again. "I will take this off your hands but the price must reflect the fact that it will almost certainly be useless."

"I'm sure we can come to some agreement, Lucia."

Night had fallen by the time the women returned to the boat. "Bring the prisoner to me... the one that can read this," Lucia gestured towards her companion with the book. Kalen went to find Daniel.

Daniel stood in the Captain's stateroom taking in his surroundings. Lucia was sitting behind a large, solidly built desk deep in thought, staring at a book. He couldn't see any obvious signs of advanced technology, the lighting was provided by candles. The room was panelled in a dark wood with pictures of sea scenes as decoration. Then he noticed a plaque on the wall to the left of where Lucia was sitting.

"Anything not nailed down is mine. Anything I can pry loose is not nailed down."

"Is that your motto?" he asked.

She glanced up at the plaque. "More a way of life," she replied cheerfully.

She took a deep breath. "Much as it pains me to ask, I need your help." Daniel was becoming intrigued. "With what?"

"This." She pushed the book across the table towards him. "Kalen tells me that you can read this language.

Daniel picked up the book. Flipping through it he knew this could be their ticket home. He chewed his bottom lip. "If I can, what's in it for me?"

Lucia narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Take us back to land at first light. Leave us near the great ring. If you do that I'll translate the book for you."

"It's dangerous...."

"Please, it's what we want. We'll be able to return home."

"Very well, we have an agreement, Daniel Jackson."

"I think we do, Captain."

Part 6 (Jen)

Daniel straightened up, stretching his back. He had been working for several hours now. Kalen was curled up in a chair in one corner of the stateroom. She had been there at her Captain's orders to not let Daniel out of her sight. She found the assignment enjoyable. The stranger had been totally engrossed in his work. He bit his lip, talked to himself and made pages of notes. Now, as he raised his arms above his head in a long stretch, she let her eyes travel the length of his body. And a very nice body for a scholar.

Daniel lowered his arms. As he did, he noticed Kalen watching him, one leg swinging over the chair arm. She grinned at him, not bothering to hide the fact that she was enjoying the sight.

"How long have you been here?" Daniel asked, trying to remember when she had come into the room.

"Over four hours. You didn't even noticed when I came in." Kalen replied. "Have you finished translating the book yet?"

"Not yet. I'm only half way through it. You know, it's a very fascinating book." Without thinking, Daniel slipped into his professor mode. "The first half of the book talks about the beauty and unbelievable richness of something called The Ocean's Soul but it doesn't describe what it is. I get the feeling that the reader is already supposed to know about it. Have you heard of The Ocean's Soul?"

"Only vague stories. It's more of a legend than fact. But one of our contacts claims that it holds the key to unbelievable riches. Everyone wants to find it, some have even tried. All of them failed. Our world is very large from what I have seen. Almost all of it is covered by water and a lot of that has not been explored yet. From what my mother has told me, the legend of The Ocean's Soul started when a stranger, in a storm-damaged ship arrived at the city. As she was dying, she said that she found the ultimate treasure, the very secret of the ocean. But she died before she could tell anyone where to find it. After many fruitless attempts to try and find it, the legend grew around it. So no one really knows if it exists or what it is."

"Well, this book doesn't say what it is, but from what I have translated, it appears to set out directions to find it. The centre engraving on your medallion, Whale Rock; the book says to use that as a starting point."

"You mean, you have translated directions to The Ocean's Soul?"

Kalen was out of her seat and at Daniel's side in a flash. She pulled his notes toward her, reading them. When she finished, she looked up at him, her green eyes flashing with excitement. "Lucia
needs to know this."

Up on deck, Lucia watched as the dawn sun slowly appeared over the horizon. Several hours ago, she had ordered the ship away from Larius. Now, they were anchored several miles from the city. She didn't like to dock overnight in any city after meeting with a contact. Too many years experience taught her how easy it was to sneak aboard a docked ship in the middle of night. Far safer to anchor near a city in open water.

As she looked over the ship, her eyes fell on her prisoners. One of the crew, probably Dante, had strung up three hammocks on deck. Two of them were occupied but the third swung empty. The leader of the group, O'Neill was sitting against the ship's side. Smiling, she strolled down the deck to him.

"Are we not well, O'Neill?"

Jack opened his eyes to see Lucia standing over him. In the pre dawn light, he could see her grin. "I'm just dandy. There's nothing like the roll of a ship to set one at ease." At his sarcastic words, his stomach lurched. Just when he thought he was over the seasickness, his stomach would revolt. He couldn't even keep a little bit of bread down from supper. From the laughter and comments of the pirates, he knew he was an unending source of amusement for them. Not to mention his traitorous Captain. Although she was trying to help ease his suffering, he could see the laughter dancing in her blue eyes. No doubt she was enjoying seeing him in this position. Probably thought it was payback for laughing at Kalen's mistaken assumption that Daniel was married to her. It was a ridiculous idea anyway, Sam and Daniel.

"Captain!" They both turned to see Kalen hurrying toward them. She pulled Lucia away from Jack, out of hearing distance.

"Captain, Daniel Jackson has translated most of the book. He has found directions leading to The Ocean's Soul. We use Whale Rock as a starting point. From there, we..."

"Captain, ship to the east, coming out of the sun!" A cry sounded from the crow's nest above. Before they could react, a shot rang out. Wood exploded as something slammed into the ship.

Everyone dove for cover. Lucia looked out over the sea, trying to see who it was. But the rising sun shone in her eyes, blocking her view. She cursed and dropped down again as another shot rang out.
Andreas. It could only be Andreas, her enemy.

Part 7 (Wendy)

There was an ear-splitting roar and Daniel was thrown off his chair and onto the wooden floor of the Captain's stateroom. The noise was deafening, he could hear cracking, splintering wood and suddenly, much louder than before, the rushing sound of the ocean. The room had filled with choking, acrid smoke, making his eyes run. As he lay on his back trying to recover his senses he felt debris begin to fall and dragged himself under the desk for protection.

The crew were shouting, telling each other to take cover. They appeared to be under attack, but from whom? Kalen hadn't mentioned any enemies. Kalen. She'd gone up on deck to talk to Lucia. His team-mates were up there too. Were they safe? He needed to find out.

The smoke had begun to clear and Daniel crawled out from under the desk to survey the devastation. There was a hole about two feet across by the porthole. When the boat pitched the sea was spraying into the room. Wooden panelling was hanging from the walls, the pictures smashed on the floor. He
noticed with a smile that the plaque with the motto was still in its place and seemed to be undamaged.

He stood up carefully, trying to gauge how badly he was hurt. His ears were ringing and he had a few cuts and bruises but otherwise he was relatively unscathed. As he turned to leave the room he picked up the book and his notes and stuffed them in his pockets. It was then he saw the hole in the wall opposite the porthole. The cannonball had flown straight through the room and couldn't have missed him by more than a yard. Daniel gripped the door frame for support as he realised how narrow his escape had been.

Jack, Lucia and Kalen were crouching behind some crates, Lucia was trying to shout orders to her crew. "Return fire, now!"

"So who are they?" yelled Jack, trying to make himself heard above the noise.

"The Black Heart. It's Andreas' ship. He's a thug, always stealing what isn't his."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "I thought that was what you did."

Lucia shook her head, then flinched as a cannonball whistled overhead. "No, not like him. He's evil. He kills anyone who gets in his way."

She was interrupted by the deafening roar of the Sea Pearl opening fire. Jack risked a peek at the enemy ship. The Black Heart was closing rapidly.

"I think they're going to ram us," he gasped as he dodged back behind the crates.

"They won't ram us, they want to board us, not put us on the bottom."

"Give us our weapons back, we'll help you."

"I no longer have them, I traded them for the Secret of the Ocean's Soul." She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry."

Daniel staggered up on deck to be greeted by a scene of utter chaos. The crew were running back and forth putting out fires and tending the wounded. He tried desperately to find his friends in the confusion. Then above the din he heard Sam shout to him and he ran over to where she had taken cover with Teal'c.

Taking in his dishevelled appearance, she asked, "What happened to you?" He shook his head and grinned. "You don't want to know."

The Sea Pearl heaved and shook as the Black Heart came alongside. Andreas' crew swarmed on to Lucia's ship. The sound of swords clashing filled the air. SG1 used whatever they could grab hold of as weapons, mainly broken pieces of wood from the ship. The hand to hand fighting was bloody and intense.

Lucia's crew were heavily outnumbered and when she saw yet another of  her crew fall victim to the blade of a pirate from the Black Heart she let out an anguished cry, "Enough! We yield!" Frustrated, she threw her sword onto the deck.

Gradually lowering their weapons, the Sea Pearl's crew gathered round. The rest of SG1 moved towards their commanding officer. Jack was horrified when he saw Sam, covered in blood and leaning on Teal'c.

"Carter! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Sir. Just winded." She looked down at herself and smiled weakly at Jack. "The blood's not mine, no need to panic."

A tall, menacing man emerged from the crowd in front of them.

"A wise decision, Lucia." As he approached her, an evil grin spread over his features. "You know what I want."

Lucia stared dully at him. "I'm not sure that I do."

"Come on now. What was it?" He pretended to look thoughtful. "The key to unimaginable riches, unbelievable wealth."

Her eyes widened as she realised he was quoting exactly what Darus had said. He noticed her expression and grinned. "Oh yes, I have spies everywhere."

Lucia turned to Daniel. "Do you have the book?"  He handed it to Andreas.

"Thank you. Now, I need a little insurance.... I don't want you firing at me when I'm trying to leave."

He turned to two of his men and then motioned towards Captain Carter and Colonel O'Neill. "Take those two."

They were grabbed roughly from behind and knives appeared at their throats.

Teal'c made a move towards them. The pirates tightened their hold. Sam let out a muffled scream as she felt the knife pierce her skin.

"Stay back." Andreas warned Teal'c. "Or they will die."

Sam and Jack were dragged to the Black Heart, while Daniel and Teal'c looked on, helpless to save them.
 

 Part 8 (Jen)

Teal'c and Daniel stood at the railing of the battered Sea Pearl. Daniel clutched it tightly, ignoring the pain of splinters digging into his hands. His closest friends, part of his family was being taken away from him and there was nothing he could do.

"We will get them back, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c placed a comforting hand on the scientist's shoulder.

"Yes we will. No matter what it takes." Daniel's voice was firm, determined.

On the Black Heart, Jack and Sam were shoved to their knees in front of Andreas. His dark eyes gleamed maliciously down at them. "So these are two of the strangers Lucia found." He laughed at their surprised looks. "Oh yes. I have heard all about the strangers from the coast. As I said earlier, I have spies everywhere. And the appearance of strangers in Larius was known instantly, even though you never left the ship. Question is, just where do you come from. No one survives long on the coast. Although there is the great ring, but that hasn't been used in generations." They remained silent, their expressions blank.

His eyes fell on Sam. They lighted up with lust as they slowly and intently ran over her body. Sam's skin crawled under that look. He reached out to touch her, but she jerked away. One of the pirates behind her grabbed her hair, yanking her head back around. Sam glared at Andreas. He chuckled, enjoying her spirit. "This one is very beautiful. Are there more of you where you came from?"

Jack couldn't remain silent anymore, not when his captain was being harassed. "Leave her alone or I'll..."

"You'll what?" Andreas turned to look at him, still smiling. "You are my prisoners. I will do what I want with you. If I choose to take your companion, there is nothing you can do." His eyes moved back to Sam. "Perhaps I'll even have you watch as I bed her." Pulling out a knife from his hip sheath, he motioned for the pirate to tightened his hold on Sam. She tried not to flinch as her hair was pulled tighter, keeping her head immobile. The sun glinted off the naked blade as it moved closer to her face. The cool tip lightly touched her cheek. Slowly, it moved down her cheek, over her lips. She held as still as possible, mesmerized by the feel of it on her face. She sensed Jack's outrage at this treatment.

"Andreas. Please tell me that you are not serious about bedding this woman." A black haired woman emerged from the ship's cabin. She looked Sam over then looked at Andreas. "A blonde? And I thought you had better taste than that."

"Pantha. You know me better than that. The last time I bedded a blonde, I ended losing a cargo hold of gold and gems to Lucia and the Sea Pearl. And before that, there was the blonde in Cartes." Andreas turned back to Sam, the knife still caressing her skin. He could feel the slight tremor of her body through the sensitive blade. The fear in her eyes made him smile even more. The knife moved again, traveling down her neck, over her collarbone. Her companion's lunge toward him was cut short by the pirate behind him.

"You bastard, leave her alone!" Fury raged through Jack as he watched the knife move down between Sam's breasts. He sensed the fear in her, her determination to remain silent and strong. The knife stopped just over her heart.

"What do you think, Pantha? Will she be a gift for our contact in Cartes?"

Pantha moved closer, studying Sam more intently. "He will like the fight in her. There is nothing he likes more than to break in a head-strong woman." The last comment was directed to Sam. Sam  paled but her eyes flashed anger at Pantha. The other woman laughed. "She will be a fine gift indeed. As for her companion..." She turned to look at Jack, subjecting him to the same intense scrutiny that Sam had endured from Andreas. "..he has spirit as well. Perhaps sometime in my bed will dampen that spirit." She looked at Andreas in question.

"By all means. He is yours to enjoy for as long as you want. I can never refuse any request from my second in command. But try not to break him too much. He may prove useful to us yet."

Lucia, Romario and Kalen hovered around the remains of Lucia's desk in her stateroom. "It will be at least four days before the Pearl will be seaworthy again. As it is, it's going to take us the rest of the day to limp back to Larius." Romario said. His legs were braced wide. Damage from the battle had the Sea Pearl listing slightly to one side. Seven crew were dead. Another ten were injured. "We will also have to pick up more crew from the city."

"Andreas will have a four day start on us." Lucia gazed off into the distance. Sighing, she rubbed her temples. "Add in the fact that we no longer have the directions of where to start and the task of finding him and the Ocean's Soul becomes impossible."

"Not quite." They looked up to see the remaining two strangers in the doorway. Both of them had determined looks on their faces.

"What do you mean?" Kalen asked.

Daniel looked at Lucia. "I have a new deal for you. I'll provide you with the directions for finding the Ocean's Soul in exchange for taking Teal'c and me along."

"The directions are gone. They were in the book, including your notes. I saw them sticking out from the book when Andreas took it." Lucia said. Suspicion and hope warred within her.

"The one set is. But I know where there is another set." Daniel said. "But I won't tell you until the ship is repaired and we are at Whale Rock. Will you agree to this?" He held his breath, hoping Lucia would go for it.

She studied him for a long moment. "You have a deal, but on one condition."

"What?"

"Kalen and Romario are to train you and your friend as part of my crew. Everyone aboard my ship has to act as crew."

Daniel let out his breath. "You have a deal."

The setting sun cast a warm light over the sea. The scene was beautiful but Jack was in no mood to admire it. He and Sam were tied to one of the mast poles on the ship's deck. The ropes were tight, cutting into his skin. He moved his hands, trying to find some slack, but there was none.

"Carter?"

"Here, Sir."

"We're going to get out of this." He tried to project confidence in his voice. He couldn't see her, as she was tied up behind him.

"I know, Sir. We've been in much worse spots before." A warm breeze filled with the scent of the sea ruffled her hair. She looked at the sea, her mind frantically trying to find a way out of yet another mess SG-1 tended to get into.

Part 9 (Wendy)

Daniel leaned over the ship's railing watching the sun set in a fiery blaze. He became aware of Kalen approaching and forced a smile.

"How much longer before we reach Larius?"

"An hour or so. I'll start your training then - you can learn how to secure the ship when we're moored."

"Fine." He stared sightlessly back out to sea.

"They mean a lot to you don't they?"

Daniel nodded. He swallowed, the responsibility was weighing heavily on his shoulders. This time it was up to him, he had to save his friends. From what he had overheard from the Sea Pearl's crew Jack and Sam's captors were violent, evil and without scruples. He didn't want to think what might happen to them.

Kalen studied him, behind his glasses his beautiful blue eyes were shrouded with concern for his friends, his brow creased into a frown. She felt incredibly drawn to this stranger, he wasn't like any other man she knew. "I'll do anything I can to help you find them."

He swung round, the surprise evident on his face. "Thank you. I..... I don't know what to say...."

For a moment Kalen looked almost embarrassed. "It's not a trick to get you into bed, you know," she said, back to her normal self. "Though of course, if that's how things turn out I'm not going to  complain." Daniel opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. "I know.... you're married. She's a very lucky woman." With that Kalen walked away, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

From their captive position on the deck of the Black Heart Jack and Sam were aware that the light was beginning to fade. Sam could hear that Jack's seasickness was back with a vengeance. She'd tried shouting a guard for some water, or to just let Jack go so he could suffer with some dignity but the guard that came gave her a slap across the face that made her ears ring. Jack kept insisting that he was all right which to her was a sure sign that he wasn't. She just wished she could see him. It was so frustrating not being able to help.

Below deck Andreas and Pantha were studying the book. "We seem to have captured the wrong stranger. This translation is good, it will save me a lot of time."

"So is it complete?" asked Pantha.

"Almost, I can do the rest. We need to get to Whale Rock, that's the starting point."

She nodded, then rubbed her hands together. "This will be talked about for generations. We will be remembered as the heroes who found the Ocean's Soul."

He grinned evilly, "Its the unimaginable wealth that I'm interested in."

As the sun rose over the deck of the Black Heart, Sam woke up and tried to move. Then she felt the restraining ropes holding her to the mast and groaned.

"Sir? Are you awake, Sir?"

Sam heard a grunt and then Jack answered, "Now I am, Captain."

"Do you think the weather is getting worse, Sir?" she asked as the ship rocked sharply to one side.

"Yeah, I can see a storm coming."

Sam tried to twist her head round to see but just upset her already complaining muscles. Jack stared at the black clouds gathering in the distance and noticed the flecks of white already forming on the waves. He wondered how much worse it would get as the ship lurched again, throwing them sideways and straining their bonds.

"Good morning," Pantha leered as she marched up to them. "It's nice to see you looking a little better. Getting used to a life at sea?" she asked Jack, as she toyed with a knife. He didn't answer.

"I think its about time you earned your keep." She crouched down and began to untie him. "Of course, if you misbehave.... she's dead, after Andreas has some fun with her."

"What are you going to do to him?" yelled Sam. She was still struggling to see what was going on behind her.

"Only something I suspect you've already done. He's coming to my bed and if he doesn't meet my expectations you're the one who will suffer."

"Colonel!"

"It's OK, Captain, it'll be fine." He glared at Pantha with hatred and slowly stood up. He took a couple of steps so he could see Sam's face. Trying to smile reassuringly, he said, "We're getting out of here, Captain. Don't worry."

Teal'c stood rigidly watching the rain lashing against the cabin window. Daniel was slumped in a chair drumming his fingers on the table.

"This is most frustrating, Daniel Jackson."

"Tell me about it, Teal'c." He let out a deep sigh. "Kalen said that these storms only last a couple of hours. Then we'll be able to get back to the repairs."

"Will O'Neill and Captain Carter be safe on a ship in this storm?"

"I think it's those pirates we should be worrying about, not the weather...."

Pantha led Jack into her cabin. She sat down on the bed and motioned him to join her. He could hear rain beginning to drum against the ship and they were being rocked more and more violently.

She ran the knife she was still holding down his chest. He recoiled. He had to try and get a grip, Carter's life was at stake here. Licking his lips, he swallowed.

"Can't you put that away?" he pointed at the knife. "It's very off-putting."

She placed the weapon on the floor beside the bed. "I don't want you put off, now, do I?" she purred seductively.

Carter, he had to focus on Carter. He pictured Sam's smiling face, then, shuddering, he recalled what Andreas had threatened. He put his arm round Pantha's waist and pulled her towards him.

"Oh, that's more like it."

She grabbed at his shirt and ripped it open, forcing her hands under his T-shirt. He shut his eyes and brought his mouth down to hers. As he began to push her back onto the bed the ship lurched violently with an ear-splitting crash and they were both thrown onto the floor. Jack landed on top of Pantha who had hit the boards with a sickening thud. Picking himself up he realised that she wasn't moving. She must have cracked her head when she fell. He checked her pulse, then took her knife and left the cabin, closing the door behind him.

When Jack reached the deck he was aware of the crew running around in the pouring rain, close to panic. The Black Heart had been blown onto a reef by the storm and was letting in water. He made his way quickly to Carter who looked so relieved to see him that he smiled.

"What happened?" she asked, noticing his torn shirt.

He shrugged as he untied her, "I'll explain later. Do you think we can swim ashore from here?"

Sam stood up and nodded, "I'd sooner take my chances with the sea than this lot."

Jack grabbed her hand and led her to the side of the ship nearest the land. For a moment, they stared at each other, glad to have a chance of freedom.They heard an angry shout, "Where is he? Where is the prisoner?"

Jack grinned, "That's our cue to leave. Come on Carter, one...two....three.... JUMP!"

Part 10 (Jen)

As the water closed over their heads, the full force of the storm hit. Waves reaching over six feet high, crashed over them as they surfaced. Sam went under again as the water swamped her. Before Jack could dive under to get her, she came up, gasping and coughing on the water she swallowed. Another wave crashed over them, further separating them. The fury of the storm made it difficult to shout to one another.

The Black Heart groaned loudly as it tried to free itself from the reef. On deck, Pantha, blood streaming from a cut caused by a flying piece of wood, struggled with the wheel, fighting the storm as she tried to steer the ship off the reef. Other crew members were fighting to bring down the heavy masts. The driving rain obscured their vision. Suddenly, the ship lurched hard, freed from the reef.

As the ship lurched, its bow struck Jack hard in the side. He went under, unconscious.

"Colonel!" Sam screamed, seeing the ship hit Jack and him disappearing under the waves. She swam over to his last position, fighting the raging water every inch. Taking a deep breath, she dove under. Darkness and roiling water limited her vision. Her lungs burning, she resurfaced. Barely pausing to regain her breath, she dove back under. Nothing. She couldn't see anything. Suddenly, one of her flailing hands brushed against something. She grabbed hold. Feeling cloth under her fingers, she kicked back to the surface, dragging her precious cargo.

"Colonel? Sir?"

Sam wrapped her arm tightly around his shoulders. His face was pale, but his pulse was strong under her fingers. She struggled to keep them above water. In the darkness, she could barely make out the bulk of the Black Heart. The ship was moving away from them and the present danger of the reef. Hopefully the storm would keep them too occupied to search for them.

The darkness and the waves also prevented her from seeing which direction land was. Sam felt her stomach clench in fear. Without a direction to head in, she didn't know which way to go. Something hard bumped into her. Keeping one arm around Jack, she reached out. Wood met her fingertips. Squinting, she could make out the shape. It looked like part of the hull from the Black Heart. With some effort, she managed to grab hold of it and boost Jack partway onto it. She stayed in the water. Any more weight on the make shift raft would upset it. She kept one hand on the Colonel, more for reassurance then to keep him on the raft. The cold of the water was starting to get to her, her teeth were chattering and she was shivering. There was nothing more she could do. To start swimming in any direction might mean they would be moving away from land. With any luck the storm wouldn't last long and she would be able to see land again.

Time passed. Sam found herself dozing off. Not good, she thought. She was starting to lose feeling in her legs. She must be getting hypothermia. Jack still hadn't woken up. But colour seemed to be returning to his face and his pulse was still strong. Her eyes grew heavy, her mind fuzzy.

Sam found herself choking. She kicked upward, coughing up water. She had dozed off again. One more time like that and not even going underwater would wake her up. Then she noticed the darkness was lifting. Looking skyward, she could see the black clouds moving away. In a matter of minutes the waves calmed and the sun came up. As quickly as it hit, the storm was gone.

Now, Sam could make out land. It was much closer than she thought. The storm must have pushed them closer, beyond the reef. Gently pulling Jack off the raft, she turned him on his back, letting the water keep him afloat. With one hand around him in a swimmer's hold, she started for shore.

By the time they had reached the white sands, her muscles were screaming with exhaustion. She dragged Jack as far onto the beach as she could before collapsing beside him. Blackness overcame her and she passed out.

"How badly was the ship damaged?" Andreas asked, as he entered his stateroom. Pantha was sprawled in his chair.

"We have major hull damage due to colliding on the reef. Lost a couple of crew. I have most of the crew assigned to bailing out water on the lower decks. We are barely seaworthy. I suggest we head for Lauris or Cartes right away."

Andreas grunted. "What about our prisoners?"

"Jumped overboard. But we don't need them anyway. The translations I have from the other stranger plus my own will give us all the direction we will need. Besides, if the storm didn't kill them, being on land surely will." She shrugged. "No sense wasting time looking for dead people we don't need."

"Fine. We will head for Cartes. It's the same distance as Larius is. And we have more friends there then on Larius. Not to mention the state Lucia will be in since we left her."

Pantha grinned as she imagined the fury Lucia was in since their attack on her ship.

Part 11 (Wendy)

Jack was slowly becoming aware of warmth, of lying on something soft. It was still, so still. The boat had stopped moving. He didn't feel seasick anymore. The sun was so bright it hurt. He could feel a warm breeze, hear the lapping of gentle waves. Forcing his eyes open and raising his head, he squinted at his surroundings.

He was on a idyllic beach much the same as the one near the Stargate. Carter was lying next to him, apparently asleep. A sudden wave of panic hit him. She was just asleep, wasn't she? He checked her pulse and she stirred slightly. Jack smiled in relief, she seemed OK, he'd let her rest for now.

How on earth did they get here? Last he remembered they were with the pirates, on their ship. But there was something else. Of course! They jumped. He frowned as he tried to jog his memory. No, he definitely couldn't remember anything else. His head was pounding, he must have been knocked out when he was in the sea. Then, had Carter dragged him ashore? Feeling his scalp carefully he found a tender lump on the back of his head.

Propped up on one elbow, he studied Sam who was still sleeping peacefully. It looked like she'd saved his life and exhausted herself in the process. She sighed and her eyes fluttered open. Jack smiled down at her.

"Hi, are you OK? Was it just me that got hurt?"

She nodded, blurted out, "You're all right!" and grabbed him in a crushing hug. As tears began to well up she swallowed hard and added, "Sorry, Sir. I didn't know if you'd wake up. It's good to see you conscious." Without meeting his eyes and feeling extremely embarrassed, she carefully let go of the Colonel and sat up.

"I'm surprisingly difficult to kill. I thought you knew that."

She laughed with relief. Sam took in the white sand, blue sky and even bluer sea. "I can't see any sign of the pirates."

"We could have been here for hours. They've sailed away or sunk. Can't say I'm bothered either way."

"How do you feel? Headache?"

"Oh yeah, I've got a headache! What hit me anyway?"

"The Black Heart."

Jack winced. "Ouch."

There was a comfortable silence as they both sat on the sand watching the sea.

"Captain...." Sam turned to face him as he continued. "....thank you for saving my life."

"You would have done the same."

He smiled to himself then became serious as he looked her straight in the eye. "Thanks. I mean it."

There was a long pause, then Sam broke the silence. "The sun's beginning to set. Do you think we ought to stay here overnight and start back to the Stargate tomorrow?"

"Yeah, did we sail parallel to the coast all the time we were with the pirates?"

"As far as I could tell. They were heading for some rock along the coast, weren't they? It wouldn't make sense to go too far out to sea."

"Well, in that case, the Stargate's that way." Jack pointed cheerfully to his left. "A few days walk in that direction, catch up with Daniel and Teal'c, and we can go home."

His optimism was infectious. Sam grinned. "Let's make camp."

"We need to make a fire and find fresh water straight away. Food would be good too."

They soon found a stream that ran into the sea and both drank deeply of the clear, fresh water. The vegetation in this area was much denser and more like a jungle than around the Stargate. As they gathered twigs and dead moss from the forest they could hear animals calling to each other.

"What do you think that was?" asked Sam.

"Probably a monkey, or something similar. It didn't sound big. Nothing to worry about."

They arranged what they had collected on a patch of bare earth they had cleared at the edge of the forest overlooking the beach. Jack took a small stone and the knife he had stolen from Pantha and started to strike the one against the other. An occasional spark flew out but the tinder wouldn't ignite. Sam was watching Jack, his brow creased in concentration as he tried to light the fire. Suddenly a huge grin spread over his face and he bent down to tend to the very small flames that had caught. He looked up at her, triumphant that he'd succeeded.

"Well done, Sir. Shall I go and find more wood?"

Sam wandered up the beach, searching for driftwood while Jack stayed with the fire. A noise in the undergrowth attracted her attention. Moving slowly, she entered the edge of the forest. At the base of a large tree were two monkeys eating fruit that had fallen to the floor. She stood on a twig that cracked loudly, startling the animals, who fled into the jungle.

She walked over to the tree and peered up into its branches. It was laden with fruit. Sam picked one. It looked like a peach. She sniffed it. It smelled like a peach. She decided it was probably safe to eat and took a bite. It tasted like a peach. She smiled and began picking more of the fruit and putting it in her pockets.

Sam made her way back to the Colonel, her arms laden with driftwood and her pockets stuffed with fruit. When he saw her coming Jack waved his arm in the direction of the roaring blaze he had created.

"There you go, Captain. A real campfire."

She laughed. "I've got dinner!" After putting down the wood she held out a couple of the fruits for Jack. "They taste like peaches."

As the sun began to set, they were sitting by the fire eating. Sam noticed that Jack had become very quiet.

"You feeling OK, Sir?"

The sound of her voice made Jack jump. "Yeah, fine."

Realising she needed an explanation, he added, "I was just thinking about those pirates, Pantha in particular...." His voice tailed off.

"Sir, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to... but what happened between you and her? On the ship you said you'd tell me later."

Jack thought for a moment and said, with his usual grin in place, "Don't worry, I got out of there with my honour intact. She wasn't my type, Carter."

"So what is your type?" Sam asked playfully.

Jack swung round towards her, surprised at her question, then laughed, "Well, lets just say women with knives aren't among my favourites."

It was now completely dark, the only illumination coming from the fire. The crackling of the burning wood was punctuated occasionally by the isolated howl of an animal. Despite the blaze, Sam shivered.

"You cold?" asked Jack.

"A little."

"It'll get colder, we ought to share body heat."

Jack moved closer, so they were touching. He put his arm round her. Yawning, she leaned against him. Turning to her, so close that she could feel his breath on her face, he whispered, "We ought to get some sleep. We've got a long walk tomorrow."

Nodding in agreement, Sam lay down in front of the fire and Jack spooned up behind her, his arm around her waist. Feeling warm and safe, exhaustion overtook them and they both drifted off to sleep.

Part 12 (Jen)

Daniel woke up when something soft was tossed on top of him. He pushed it away to see Kalen grinning down at him.

"Time to wake up and start earning your keep."

He looked around to discover that it was another bright, sunny day. They had docked at Larius as soon as the storm had ended. Then Kalen had him and Teal'c climbing up and down every part of the Sea Pearl, learning everything about her. His muscles complained as he hauled himself out of the hammock.

"I thought yesterday I started my training?" Daniel glanced at the bundle in his lap. He shook it out to discover it was pants and a shirt in the same style of the pirates' outfits.

At his questioning look, Kalen said. "It's for the two of you to blend in. Lucia has drawn up a list of things we need to repair the Sea Pearl. She has told me to bring you along while I procure them."

"You seem to fill many positions on the ship."

"After Lucia and Romario, I am third in command. Therefore, I'm in charge of procuring what we need. Not to mention that I'm also very good at procurement. Now get up. We have a lot of items to get."

Daniel got up. Teal'c was already up and dressed in the new clothes.

The warmth of the sun finally started to rouse Sam. Jack watched as she stirred, turning her head away from the bright light. He had awaken an hour ago to discover the sun up and Sam sprawled across him. After carefully untangling himself from her he had decided to let her sleep a little more. More of the peach like fruit sat next to the sand covered remains of the fire.

Sam blinked in the bright light. She stretched lazily and sat up.

"Morning camper. Sleep well?"

She turned to see the Colonel sitting near her. She smiled at him, unaware of how the sun backlit her. Jack couldn't help staring. Sitting there with the sun behind her, he was struck by just how beautiful she was. Most times he ignored her beauty, but sometimes, like this, it hit him squarely in the face. To cover his momentary lapse, he tossed a peach at her. She caught it and bit into it with relish.

"I was thinking that we should follow that stream for a little. We will need to keep near it for fresh water. If it looks like it doesn't follow our path, we'll try to rig up something to hold water in."

Sam nodded in agreement. "I wonder how Daniel and Teal'c are. Hopefully, they're safe with Lucia."

"Knowing Daniel, he's probably in some type of trouble already. But Teal'c will keep him safe. And I think they will be alright with Lucia and her gang."

"When you said you were in charge of procuring supplies, I didn't think it meant stealing." Daniel hissed to Kalen, trying to keep his voice down. They were on another ship docked halfway from the Sea Pearl's position.

Kalen tossed Daniel a mischievous grin over her shoulder and continued to unlock the inner safe of the ship's stateroom. "Procuring just means getting what we need. By stealth, by money, by trading, whatever works." Finally, the door swung open. She reached in and pulled out a cloth bag. Emptying the contents on the desk, she began to sort through them quickly. Multi coloured gems winked at Daniel in the light.

"You've been here before, haven't you?" He said, as two piles appeared. Kalen shoved the bigger pile of gems back into the bag and back into the safe. The smaller pile disappeared into a pouch on her hip.

Grabbing Daniel's hand, Kalen led them off the ship. Teal'c and Dante were waiting for them.

"Kalen, you didn't answer my question."

"Yes, I've been here before. The owner is part of one of the founding families of Larius. The ship is for one of his mistresses. She won't even know the gems are gone. She spends so much money that she has no idea what is really in the safe." Kalen rolled her eyes at Daniel's look of disapproval. "Daniel, you have a lot to learn about my world. Number one being that thievery is a way of life. Actually, it's an honorable way to live. So long as you're not caught." She grinned at his shocked expression.

They set out again. Daniel couldn't help gawking at everything he saw. Such an unusual city. Anything mechanical he could see was powered by solar energy. The black solar panels were everywhere. On ships, buildings and even along the docks.

"Kalen. We need a lot of wood for repairs, right?" Dante asked. He had paused to look at something at the end of another dock.

"Yes. I'll have to raid several other ships just to get enough money for it. The woodsmen always raise the price very high after a storm. And they think we pirates are doing all the thieving." Kalen walked back to where Dante was standing. Following his gaze, she looked out over the dock. A wide grin spread across her face.

"Very good thinking, Dante. Now go back to the Pearl and get ten of the crew and bring them here."

As Dante hurried off, Daniel went to see what they had found. Sitting on moorings, over the water, was a half finished ship. It was easily twice the size of the Sea Peal from what he could see of the wooden skeleton.

"You know that owner I was talking about?" Daniel nodded "Well, this is his ship. Or rather one of his ships that he is building. I thought it would be done by now. Obviously he's had a bad streak of luck lately. Probably his wife complaining that he couldn't build anything till he got rid of some of his mistresses."

"So how does that affect us?" He asked, although he thought he already knew the answer.

"We need wood and he has an unfinished ship that is going to ruin. Such a shame to waste all that material." Kalen's look of concern and sadness over the wasted ship was dimmed by the light dancing in her eyes.

" 'Anything not nailed down is mine. Anything I can pry loose is not nailed down.'" Daniel quoted, remembering the plaque in Lucia's stateroom. "You really try to live up to that, don't you?"

"Yes"

"And you're going to do this in broad daylight?"

"Yes. No better time to do it. If we do it at night, people will think we are stealing."

Daniel shook his head as Kalen laughed at him. Teal'c merely raised one eyebrow at the conversation. Such an unusual people.

Part 13 (Wendy)

They walked in single file making sure the sea was still to their right. Jack in front following the stream, Sam behind him. After a while of walking in companionable silence Jack stopped.

"The stream's veering inland, I think we ought to part company with it here."

Sam nodded her agreement. "I'm glad we found these shells," she said, bending to fill the large shell in her hand with water. They were unlike any shells from Earth, with a large spherical chamber that was ideal for carrying water. Using palm leaves, they had made makeshift carrying straps which they had slung over their shoulders.

They both took one last long drink from the stream and walked towards the sea. The way between the jungle-like vegetation was uneven and criss-crossed with tree roots and dead branches. Her attention caught by a noise in the jungle, Sam tripped and fell headlong into Jack who also tumbled down the slope.

They came to a stop several meters further on, their limbs tangled together. Stunned, they lay still for a few moments as they regained their breath. The realisation of how they were lying began to sink in as they looked at each other and found their faces were only inches apart. Sam found herself staring into deep brown eyes that seemed to be searching her soul. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her. She swallowed hard and looked away.

Jack cleared his throat and carefully stood up. He offered her a hand. "You OK? Nothing broken?"

Sam gingerly got to her feet. "Just a few bruises. I'll be fine." She found she couldn't meet his eyes, confused by what had almost happened.

When the crew from the Sea Pearl arrived, they took a boat from the dock and rowed out to the moorings. As they approached, Daniel could see that the hull of the ship was complete and it was floating on the water, bobbing gently on the waves. It had one half finished mast, no rigging and a general air of dereliction about it that suggested that it had been abandoned for some time.

A rope ladder had been left dangling over the side and the pirates headed for it, climbing onto the deck of the unfinished ship. Teal'c and Daniel stood together waiting for Kalen to give them orders but Daniel kept looking nervously over his shoulder as if he was expecting to get caught. After showing the crew which wood she wanted to be removed, Kalen noticed him and shook her head.

"Don't worry, there's no-one here."

She laughed to herself. "I know, if you're going to be that twitchy, you might as well be the lookout. Stand over there and tell me if any boats start heading our way." She motioned to Teal'c. "You can help the men with the wood. Start loading it onto the boat."

Daniel stood on the deck continuously surveying their surroundings. Kalen was probably right, he'd have been doing this anyway, he might as well put his nervousness to some use. A few small boats passed them on their way to the docks. A crewman on one startled him by shouting "Good morning" which he acknowledged with a wave. He was just beginning to believe that Kalen was right and there was nothing to worry about when a boat set off from the docks and headed straight for them.

He rushed over to where she was organising the procurement. Breathing heavily from panic and gesturing over his shoulder, he gasped, "There's a boat coming!"

Kalen pushed past him, Dante close on her heels. When they looked in the direction Daniel had pointed they saw the boat with its three occupants almost ready to come alongside. One of the men hailed them.

"Hello there!"

Kalen leaned over the side with a huge smile on her face. "Hello. I'm in charge here. Can I help you?"

"Yes, may we come aboard? There is a matter I'd like to discuss."

"Of course."

Daniel's heart was pounding in his chest. This had to be the owner, or even worse, the local police. He was going to get locked up and they'd throw away the key. On Earth he'd never even had a parking ticket. He'd only been on this planet for a few days and he was going to get arrested, and to make matters worse, it wasn't his fault. His panicked thoughts were interrupted by the man climbing onto the deck followed by two other men who, judging by their appearance, were his servants.

"Good day to you, Madam." Kalen inclined her head almost regally. "I wish to ask you about this ship."

Daniel's stomach lurched. Kalen didn't seem bothered. She answered as if she had every right to be there.

"What about it?"

"I wish to purchase it."

Daniel's jaw dropped open in amazement. The man continued.

"I have been waiting for someone to come aboard so I could negotiate. Would you be interested in selling?"

"As long as the price is right, I'm sure we can come to an agreement. As you can see, I'm ready to cut my losses on this ship now. I no longer have need for so large a vessel."

"How does ten bags of gold sound to you?"

Kalen rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Daniel was beginning to feel faint. Was there no limit to the nerve of the woman?

"Two now, the rest on collection in two days time?"

"You have a deal, er.... what was your name?"

"Pantha. Everyone knows me around here." Kalen took the two bags the man was holding out and opened one. She glanced up at him and smiled. "I'll see you in two days then."

As the men left the ship Daniel let out his breath.

"I can't believe you got away with that! I was terrified we'd get caught." Kalen looked at the two bags in her hands, let out a whoop of joy and grabbed Daniel in a tight embrace. He laughed with relief and hugged her back.

Sam and Jack had paused for a rest. For a while they had been walking along the top of cliffs, a massive drop to their right, the jungle to their left. Sam shared out the fruit they had collected as they had been moving.

Ever since they had fallen over they had hardly spoken to each other, both feeling awkward and unsettled by what had happened. They sat eating, occasionally stealing nervous glances at each other. Neither seemed to know what to say.

Sam stood up. She pointed into the jungle. "I'll be back in a minute. Call of nature," she explained.

Jack nodded and watched her leave. What had happened back there? He had been this close to kissing her. Why hadn't he? He shook his head. He had to pull himself together, they were going to be alone for several more days. His musings were interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream.

"Oh my God," he breathed, jumping to his feet, "Sam!"

Part 14 (Jen)

His heart pounding, Jack raced into the jungle. The vegetation underneath his feet threatened to trip him at any time. He forced himself to slow down slightly. He wouldn't be able to help Sam if he ended up with a twisted ankle or broken leg.

Let her be alright. Please let her be alright.

The litany ran through his mind. After that one bloodcurdling scream he hadn't heard anything else from her. But as he drew closer to the source of that scream, he could hear other, more terrifying sounds. Crashing trees, hissing, the pounding of the ground under his feet.

Suddenly he burst into a small clearing and stopped cold. His blood froze at the horrifying sight in front of him. Two huge snakes, entwined together, hissing and glaring at each other. Jack couldn't make out where one began and the other ended but he guessed they were close to thirty feet long. Their girth was also at least three feet around. Shaded in tones of greens, blues and yellow, the snakes were only intent one each other. They were fighting, tearing up clumps of ground, breaking branches and uprooting trees. For their huge size they moved quickly, tangling around each other, trying to gain the advantage.

Jack tried to look around the clearing, but the snakes' fighting prevented him from seeing anything. Only they existed. And their war. He desperately wanted to call Sam's name but was afraid the snakes might sense him.

"Colonel."

He jerked his head around, trying to spot her. She moved slightly, enough that he could see her position. Keeping a wary eye on the snakes, he made his way over to her. She was lying on the ground behind a tall, broad tree. In the weak light filtering through the jungle canopy, his eyes traveled over her. Relief swept through him, making his knees weak. He dropped down beside her, touching her lightly on the shoulder, reassuring himself that she was fine. If the touch lingered longer than necessary, neither one commented on it.

"You all right? I heard you scream." His eyes searched for hers in the shadows.

"Fine, sir." Sam couldn't tear her eyes away from him. "I screamed when they crashed down several feet in front of me. They came from somewhere up in the branches."

Tearing his eyes away from hers, he looked up into the trees. The thick interlacing of branches and the weak sunlight made it hard to see anything.

"I think we better get out of here before they completely tear up the place."

Sam nodded in agreement. Keeping low to the ground, they carefully and quietly moved away from the snakes. Above them, something stirred, a long tongue flicking out. Black eyes watched as they moved.

They were almost at the edge of the jungle. Through the thinning trees, they could see the open space near the cliffs. Their footsteps hurried forward. Any sound they made was lost in the thrashing and pounding of the fight behind them.

Suddenly, something dropped down in front of them, blocking their path. Without thinking, Jack moved in front of Sam, shielding her with his body.

Part 15 (Wendy)

They both froze, expecting an attack from another snake but were surprised to be confronted by one of the monkeys that Sam had seen the day before. It stood back on its hind legs, screeched at the top of its voice and stared at them. In a gesture of defiance it beat its fists on its chest then gradually became still. Its eyes wide and its body shaking, the monkey appeared terrified. Sam put her hands on Jack's shoulders and let out a relieved sigh.

"He's more frightened of us than we are of him," she observed.

Glancing over his shoulder at her, Jack smiled. "I don't think he'll do us any harm."

The crashing noises coming from the fighting snakes seemed to be getting louder and Jack gestured to Sam that they ought to be leaving. As soon as they moved, the monkey seized the opportunity, darted off into the jungle and was lost from view.

From the canopy above, soulless black eyes watched and began to follow.

They quickened their pace and soon emerged from the trees onto the cliff top. Breaking into a run they carried on for several hundred meters until Jack looked over his shoulder and slowed down. Both breathing hard they came to a stop and sat down for a rest, taking nervous glances back at the jungle.

"I've never seen any snakes that big...." gasped Sam.

Jack shook his head. "Me neither. I think we ought to try and make some kind of weapons. Who knows what else we might find."

It was a beautiful day, the sun was beating down on the Sea Pearl, still moored at Larius. Daniel was repairing a hole in the deck, his brow furrowed in concentration. Finding he was uncomfortably hot, he'd stripped his shirt off and hung it on a railing beside him. He was enjoying working with his hands, it was satisfying to actually make something for a change. He was just reflecting that being here wasn't so bad when he heard footsteps and turned to see Teal'c approaching him with a very long piece of wood, not unlike a tree trunk, balanced on his shoulder. Daniel marvelled at the strength of the man, it should have taken two to carry it.

"Is that the new section of mast, Teal'c?"

"It is, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c paused, put the log down and looked uncomfortable. This was strange, the Jaffa was normally so impassive.

"Is there something the matter?"

"I am impatient to begin our search for O'Neill and Captain Carter."

Daniel tried to look reassuring. "We've nearly finished the repairs, we'll be on our way tomorrow."

"Are you sure they will keep to their side of the bargain?"

Realising he was referring to Lucia and her crew, the archaeologist nodded, "Yes, because if they don't, I won't lead them to the Secret of the Ocean's Soul."

"But they are thieves. They are......" Teal'c struggled for the correct word, "....dishonest."

Daniel laughed, "They have their own rules, Teal'c. We shouldn't judge them by our standards."

Raising an eyebrow, Teal'c commented, "I think you have been spending too much time with that young woman."

As Daniel's mouth dropped open, the Jaffa walked away and carried on with his work.

Jack and Sam had found two long straight branches about an inch in diameter and were setting about turning them into spears. Sam was pulling all the leaves and twigs from them, then Jack was using his stolen knife to sharpen one end into a point. They heard a rustling in the jungle behind them and both swung round, ready for an attack. When nothing happened they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"For crying out loud! Those snakes really have got us both jumpy!" Sam nodded in agreement, her heart had skipped a beat when they'd heard the noise.

"I don't think there's anything there, Sir." She began to stand up. "But did you want me to check while you finish that?"

"No!" Jack almost shouted, cutting her off. Sam, obviously puzzled by his reaction, sat down again.

"I mean, it's safer if we stick together," he added, trying to explain himself.

Up in the trees, the cause of the rustling noise tasted the air and watched.

Both carrying their home-made spears, Sam and Jack resumed their journey along the cliff top. They stayed as far away from the jungle as they could but gradually the vegetation got closer and closer until there was no clear ground between the forest and the cliff. Continuously looking around them they entered the jungle, nervously checking for signs of life.

They were completely unaware of scrutiny of the black eyes above them.

The jungle was dark, they squinted as their eyes became used to the dim light. Jack walked in front of Sam, gripping his spear tightly in his right hand. In the distance they could hear some monkeys calling to each other, their screeches echoing around the forest. Birds of every imaginable colour flitted from tree to tree, their plumage iridescent in the few rays of sunlight that penetrated the canopy. Moving on in companionable silence, they gazed in wonder at their surroundings.

Gradually, they became aware that the jungle had quieted. There were no longer any birds to be seen, no longer any calls sounding through the forest. Jack was getting worried, this was the behaviour he would expect from the wildlife if there was a large predator around. He stopped and faced Sam.

"I don't like this. Everything's gone quiet."

Sam looked pensively at him. "I'd noticed that too. Do you think we ought to....."

She stopped speaking when they both noticed a movement in the tree just in front of them. Struggling to see in the poor light, they couldn't make out what it was. Jack used hand signals to indicate to Sam that they should get moving quickly. She nodded her understanding and they carried on as fast as they could through the dense vegetation.

A few minutes later they paused to catch their breath. The jungle was still eerily silent.

"We'd better keep going," said Sam.

He nodded and set off, almost at a trot, with Sam a couple of yards behind him when there was a deafening crashing, creaking noise and a massive snake dropped out of the tree onto Jack. Initially, Sam stared in horror as the snake, easily as big as the two they had seen earlier, began to wrap itself around the Colonel. Then she came to her senses and tried to stab the writhing creature with her spear. It was entwining Jack in a deadly embrace, constantly moving, making it difficult for her to get a clear stab at it with her weapon.

"Carter! Kill it!" Jack cried desperately.

"I'm trying Sir, I don't want to stab you."

She thrust the spear at the weaving mass of blues and greens. It lurched, obviously injured, but didn't release Jack. She yanked the spear out and tried again, this time aiming for its head. The weapon rammed home with a sickening noise of splintering bone. The snake continued to thrash around, encircling Jack but its grip had weakened and he freed his hand enough to get hold of his knife. With one violent stroke, he slit the snake open, its guts spilling everywhere. With one last spasm it died and finally released him.

Needing all her strength to pull the dead animal off him, Sam found she was shaking and her breath was coming in shallow gasps.

"Are you all right, Sir?"

Jack sat up slowly, wincing. "I think I might have cracked a rib. I've got a few bruises, nothing serious."

He took in the haggard look on Sam's face, she had been terrified, that was obvious. He smiled reassuringly as he carefully stood up. Then he looked down at himself. He was covered in something that smelt very, very unpleasant. It was making his stomach churn and his eyes water.

"You know, Carter, I really could do with a bath. Shall we try and find a way down to the sea?"

Part 16 (Jen)

They had been walking for about an hour. The late afternoon sun was obscured by the heavy jungle canopy. The sea was to their right. Through the trees, they could see the shimmering waters from the cliff top.

Sam wrinkled her nose in disgust. The breeze blowing softly over them from the sea was also bring the stench of the Colonel at her. His clothes and body was still covered in the goo from the snake. They hadn't been able to find a way down to the sea. The cliffs were a sheer drop straight down. And there was no sign of another river around. It was a good thing they had their shells of water.

She sighed as the breezed danced over her again. "Ah, Colonel?"

Jack turned to look at her over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised in query.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to take point for a while." She tried to make it sound casual. Jack considered her request for a moment, then stepped aside to let her go by him.

As she walked by him, he said. "The smell getting to you, Carter?" She looked back at him, wondering if he knew why she had made the request and if he was offended. The teasing glint in his eyes reassured her.

"As a matter of fact it is." She responded, throwing him a wide grin.

Jack grinned in return. "Hey, it's not my fault a twenty-five foot snake fell on me."

"Yeah, well we better hope that we don't run into anymore of those snakes. One whiff of you and you may become their next mate."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"I think we ran into their mating season. I once read that some snakes engage in battle to attract the attentions of a willing female. The winner claims the female. And the only time you see snakes out in the open like that is during mating season. I think that is why we saw not just one of those creatures, but three. I also noticed that the one that wrapped around you was duller in colour. That usually means a female. They tend to be less vibrant than the males in order to blend in and protect their young better."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Wonderful. I wonder what else we will run into."

Kalen sat on the railing of the Sea Pearl. One leg swung idly as she watched a bare-chested Daniel working on the deck. His friend, Teal'c was helping Dante and Romario replace one of the mast posts.

"Ten bags of gold." She looked up to see Lucia approach her. Lucia grinned at her. "Your skill never fails to please me. With the wood from the ship repairs are being done faster. By tomorrow morning we should be ready to sail." Lucia's eyes slid sideways to watch Daniel. "Perhaps our new friends are bringing us luck. We'll see if they also can live up to the deal they made."

"I think they will. They are desperate to find their friends. They believe that helping us find the Ocean's Soul will lead them to them." Worry and concern flicked across her face as she glanced at Daniel then at Lucia.

"Do you think they are still alive?"

Lucia was quiet for several minutes. When she spoke, her voice was measured and pitched low to prevent anyone from overhearing. "I don't know. We both know what Andreas and Pantha are capable of. Yet O'Neill and Carter seemed more than able to take care of themselves. The question is, if they have managed to escape, how long will they survive on land."

They both fell quiet. Land was something they avoided at all costs. No one, no matter how skilled survived long on it.

Sam and Jack found themselves walking between two cliffs now. They were still in the jungle but twenty feet to the left of them, the jungle steeped sharply downward. They were careful to stay away from the edge of the it. When Sam had approached the edge to see what was down below, the ground had begun to crumble away from her. She managed to jump back before it gave way. Jack's heart rate was just starting to return to normal after that incident.

The breeze had picked up, bring a small measure of relief from the overwhelming humidity of the jungle. It bore down on them, making it hard to breath. They had removed their shirts a long time ago, tying them around their waists. Sweat patches showed up on their T-shirts.

Suddenly, the sky opened up and rain fell on them. Sam bolted for the partial shelter of a nearby tree. But the rain still drenched her. It was warm and she found it refreshing. Jack stood out in the open, letting the downpour drench him. The rain washed away the snake's blood and guts from him. Raising his face to the sky, he let the water clean him. Sam found herself entranced with the sight. His clothes, soaked through, clung to him, outlining his body.

As Jack lowered his head, his eyes met Sam's. They stood motionless, the water pouring over them, electricity sparking between them. Sam left the useless shelter of the tree, moving towards Jack. He watched her walk toward him, her wet shirt clinging to her breasts.

As she came within a foot of him, the ground suddenly gave way beneath her.

"Sam!" She could hear his cry as she tumbled down in a rain of mud and water. The mud and rocks banged into her, blocked her vision of the jungle floor rising up to meet her.

Jack looked in horror at the hole in the ground where Sam had just been standing. The hole grew larger, spreading towards him. He didn't try to move out of the way, instead letting the mudslide claim him.

Part Two

Paradise Main Page