"Should have chosen a longer robe, Doctor Jackson." The bounty hunter dropped a chair at the end of their table and sat down. "Those distinctive Tau’ri boots are peeking out."

"Thanks for the tip." Daniel’s tone was flat. "What are you doing here?"

"Still sore about the day’s rations crack, huh?" He leant back in his seat. "Rumor has it that there is a full team of your fellow kinsmen going under the hammer tomorrow."

"Really? Isn’t that interesting?"

"Seems they’re quite the draw card. The space waves have been running hot for the last couple of hours now." Bosh paused. "I wonder what the overseer’s would do to add two members of SG-1 to their line up."

From the beneath the table came the sound of a gun safety switch flicking off. Both Annika’s and Daniel’s hands were resting on the tabletop.

The barmaid chose that moment to arrive with their drinks.

"Why don’t you get me one of those?" Bosh leered at her. "My friend will pay."

At the woman’s questioning head tilt Daniel nodded his confirmation and she hurried off again.

Bosh addressed Annika for the first time. "Don’t believe we’ve been introduced. You must be the new ‘wonder woman’ who has the Goa’uld in an uproar. Your wanted hologram doesn’t do you justice." He lifted his free hand, mockingly tried to shake it.

Annika instinctively drew her hands away, planning on tucking them under her legs to stop the man from touching her.

Bosh waggled a finger at her. "Nuh uh, hands above the table where I can see them."

"It’s not my hands you need worry about," she said sweetly. Very carefully she focused her will. She didn’t have the strength for anything ‘big’ and her head was already spinning with the effort, however regaining the upper hand was paramount. Plus Annika had the instinctive urge to wipe the smirk off the bounty hunter’s face. Squeezing something took a lot less energy than moving…

Aris Bosh’s eyes widened when he felt…something…grip him between the legs.

Annika’s violet orbs locked on his. "Why don’t you put your weapon on the table?" she suggested.

"One squeeze of my finger and Doctor Jackson will be singing soprano."

"Right back at ya’." She tightened her hold of his manhood and he involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath.

"Here we are." The waitress dumped the third tankard on the table, oblivious to the tension of her customers. "Anything else I can get for you?"

"Not for the moment, thank you." Daniel smiled at her and she flounced away.

"I see the description of your abilities were not exaggerated." Bosh gasped as the invisible vice continued to exert pressure.

"Oh, I wouldn’t go that far." She blinked at him. "My control tends to slip occasionally, I get these little power surges, that increase my strength every so often. Have accidentally killed a few people that way." She gave another squeeze and Bosh stifled a groan, his face turning pale.

"I’d really put the gun on the table if I were you," Daniel urged. He could feel the strain of Annika using her telekinesis through their bond and wanted this ‘test’ to be over as soon as possible. At the same time, he was glad Annika didn’t have full use of her abilities. At full strength, she was liable to kill the man, and it would be hard to explain a dead body out in the open like this.

With a slightly unsteady hand the bounty hunter removed the hidden gun, slipping the safety back on. Daniel swiped it off the tabletop training it on the man as Bosh had done to them.

When Annika heard the safety flick off again she released her grip and the man slumped slightly in his chair. She forced herself to remain straight backed, not wanting Bosh to know how much that simple display of her telekinesis had weakened her.

"Now why are our men a draw card?"

"That should be obvious, Doctor Jackson."

"Explain it to us anyway," Annika demanded.

He shrugged. "You Tau’ri and especially SG-1, have garnered the reputation of never leaving your people behind. Rather stupid philosophy in my mind. Every Goa’uld in the galaxy is after your mik’tas, but since you tend to elude capture on a regular basis, the usual snatch and grab methods don’t work."

Annika frowned. "So this is a trap?"

Daniel shook his head before Bosh could. "No. The kidnapping wasn’t planned, we saw that." He tapped his head, indicating the vision she had shared with him. "SG-2 are being promoted as future bait, to lure us into a trap of the buyer’s making."

"Give the man a prize!" Bosh sniped.

The couple ignored him.

"I’ve just thought of plan C." Daniel winked at Annika then turned his attention back to Bosh. "Why don’t we take a little walk?" He kept the gun hidden within the folds of his robe. "Get up, nice and casual, no quick moves."

Both of them could see the switching of gears in the bounty hunter’s mind. Assessing whether it would be easier to regain the upper hand if they were on the move. His eyes flickered to the gun muzzle peeking out from Daniel’s robe, working out the odds of being able to disarm the archaeologist before he got a round off.

Annika leant close, whispering in his ear. "No matter how fast you are, my fist will be quicker." She made a clutching motion with her hand. It was a bluff. There was no way she could focus her will again so soon, but Bosh didn’t know that.

He gave her a mutinous glare before pushing his chair back and rising.

Daniel and Annika walked a couple of paces behind, keeping out of arms reach should their prisoner try anything rash.

When they stepped out into the bustling street, Bosh looked over his shoulder at them. "Where are we strolling to?"

"Why don’t we mosey on over to your ship?" Daniel suggested.

"My ship was destroyed," he drawled. "You remember that don’t you? That moment of insanity when I let you and your lot go?"

"A resourceful guy like yourself would have stolen, oops, I meant acquired, another one." Daniel nudged the man in the ribs with the gun. "Which way?"

Bosh gave a huff of irritated resignation. "That way." He indicated the direction and they all started off.

The bounty hunter began muttering to himself and to the amusement of his captors it was a litany of self-reproach. "…Can’t believe I’ve been outwitted by a glorified rock hound and his piece of stuff. That’s what I get for underestimating you damned Tau’ri. Why aren’t you like all the other species of the universe that act predictably? The infamous Doctor Jackson, the so called pacifist of the painfully annoying SG-1, holding me at gunpoint with my own freakin’ gun…"

"Sorry for not wanting to be the latest bounty you collect." Daniel dripped sarcasm. He fingered the trigger of the hunter’s weapon. It was unlike Bosh to have such a ‘primitive’ weapon. "Where’s your fancy gun?"

"Left it in my other suit," he snapped. When he felt the muzzle of the gun press into his back, he sighed. "If you must know, energy based weapons don’t work on this planet. It’s why the Goa’uld abandoned it."

"Staffs don’t work either?" Annika asked.

"No. Just gives a charging fart and backfires on the user."

"What about a ships cloaking mechanism?"

"Do I look like an engineer?" Bosh groused.

"No," Annika replied sweetly. "You look like a man who’s gonna lose his ability to procreate if you don’t answer our questions."

Bosh’s eyes shot daggers at her but he answered. "The founders of this fine town take great pride in promoting that ships’ cloaks are useless here. Gives the illusion they have nothing to hide."

Annika saw the man’s aura flicker. Bosh’s statement had been deceiving in some way. She took note of where Bosh was leading them. It wasn’t to the docking station outside of town. It was in the opposite direction. There was something about his ship that he didn’t want anyone to know about. She also heard the underlying mocking tone to his voice. "Except for yours."

"Your wanted poster didn’t mention you read minds," he grumbled.

Daniel shared a quick grin with Annika.

"The cloak?" Daniel prompted.

"Intertwined with the shields. A variant of the force-field I used to capture you all those years ago."

Daniel thought back to that encounter. From memory the force field let things in, but not out. "I’m guessing you reversed the polarity."

"Well, that’s the point of shields, now isn’t it? To keep things out," he condescended.

Annika rolled her eyes. "Jack was right, you need your mouth sewn shut."

As they moved out of the town, Daniel adjusted his plan in his head. The modifications to Bosh’s ship would make it a hell of a lot easier to rescue SG-2. They may even be able to get the guys without killing anybody. Which was always a good thing as far as he was concerned.

Bosh led them to an open field.

"What’s the password?"

"Barokna."

The archaeologist raised an eyebrow when he recognized the voice command as the same as his previous ship.

The bounty hunter shrugged as the invisible ship’s door slid open revealing the inside of an alkesh. "A moment of sentimentality."

They stepped inside and the door swished shut.

"I see you managed an upgrade." Daniel nodded to the back room where the distinctive base of a ring platform could be seen. This plan was just getting easier and easier.

"Came with the ship."

"Annika, hold the gun on him for a second."

She drew her own P-90 from beneath her robe and Daniel pulled a zip tie from his pocket, gesturing for Bosh to hold out his hands.

The bounty hunter held them out with a resigned sigh. "You come prepared."

"Just a regular boy-scout," Daniel quipped, zipping the plastic cord securely around his wrists. "You set up any little surprises we should know about?"

"Yes. Have fun trying to find them all."

The man’s aura flickered again. "He’s lying," Annika contradicted him. "There are no traps."

Bosh gave an annoyed huff. "Anyone tell you you’re a pain in the mik’ta?"

Satisfied that there were no traps within the ship, Daniel studied the control panel, looking for a way to make the adjustments they’d need.

"So what’s plan C?" Annika whispered, keeping a wary eye on the bounty hunter who had moved to the center of the room.

Daniel quietly started to outline his idea.

"Do you even know what you’re doing?" Bosh scoffed. "Last time you tampered with a ship of mine you set off the self-destruct."

"Oh, shut up, will you?" The man’s incessant baiting was grating on Annika’s nerves. She flapped her hand at him. "Go stand in the corner like a good little prisoner."

Bosh drunkenly skidded backwards into the ring room, but that fact didn’t register with the psychic. "Daniel, what were you saying?"

Her fiancé was focused on accessing the ships database. Still keeping his voice low so only Annika could hear, he finished outlining the plan he had come up with.

"Will that work?" Annika asked.

"In theory." Serious blue eyes looked down at her. "It’s risky, but I don’t see that we have much choice." His glaze flickered towards the bounty hunter. "With him involved it adds too many variables for us to wait for the auction."

Annika could see his point. They had to act now before Bosh had the chance to think of a way to turn the tables again. He was nothing if not persistent and the lure of the increasing bounty on their heads would be too strong. The fact that he had already attempted to capture them on the spur of the moment in the tavern, told her that. The longer they delayed, the longer he had to come up with a plan. Rescuing SG-2 would be hard enough without having to worry about Bosh at the same time. "Okay, I’ll hunt around see if I can find some zats’."

Daniel nodded. It didn’t surprise him that Annika would want to use non-lethal force. Under normal circumstances she found it just as difficult to take a life as he did, and if things went according to plan, the electric charged weapons should work when the time came.

He turned back to the control panel and renewed his search. Though Sam was the mechanical genius, he had flown, reprogrammed and sabotaged enough Goa’uld vessels over the years to know what he was looking for. The modifications Bosh had made would slow down the process but he was confident he could do it. As he scrolled down the screen he sent a gentle caress through their bond. At the moment he couldn’t ask out loud if she had regained her strength from her earlier exertion of her telekinesis. There was no way he was going to let the bounty hunter know that the planet’s atmosphere weakened her abilities. That sort of knowledge would sell for a high price and if the dampening field could be recreated artificially….he gave a shudder at the thought. The warm tingle she sent back answered his silent question. There was no trace of the frailty he’d felt since they’d arrived on this plant. It took a moment for the significance of that to sink in, then he couldn’t help the wide grin from spreading across his face. Again he couldn’t speak aloud what had just occurred to him, but if he knew Annika, it wouldn’t take her long to discover it for herself.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Bosh watched Annika from the far side of the room as she scoured the paneled walls, tapping at glyphs that revealed the hidden storage compartments. His brain ticked over possible scenarios to get himself back on the right side of his gun. It had been his experience that if he could distract his ‘prey’ with other issues he could regain the upper hand. If Annika came close enough to him, even with his wrists bound, he could hold her hostage to bend Jackson to his will. The woman’s mental abilities had to be considered, but strong emotions, especially anger tended to make people slip up, and Bosh was quite good at riling people.

A drawer silently opened and her nose crinkled in distaste. She fingered a pair of manacles. The metal cuffs were half the size of the others scattered inside. Bosh had specifically had them made for the few times he’d been paid to catch runaway children.

"How do you do what you do?" Her contempt was clear.

"Name another job that pays as well for little effort."

"There are better ways to earn a living." She pushed the drawer shut and moved on to the next one.

"Not all of us have the privilege of being paid to irritate the Goa’uld."

The psychic just shook her head and continued rummaging through the contents of the drawer.

So his job disgusted and angered her, but not enough to react. Someone with such fiery hair was bound to have a temper to match. He just had to find a way to push her buttons. The long sleeve of her robe got caught when she shut the compartment and she tugged it off. His beady eyes perused her voluptuous body that the standard military dress did little to conceal.

"I could make a fortune with you regardless of your SG-1 contamination. There are many a whorehouse that would pay top dollar to have you as a companion. That rare red hair, that very generous pair of melons…Your legs would be spread so often you’d forget how to close them."

"What a lovely thing to say."

Bosh tried a different tactic. "Which begs the question of how the bumbling Doctor Jackson ever snagged you…"

He caught the flash of irritation that crossed her face. That was the button! He could pick on her all he wanted, but not her lover. He could work with that.

"I would have thought the Jaffa would have been more your style. Big, strong, full of muscle…"

Annika’s jaw clenched, forcing her mouth to remain shut and not rise to the bait.

"…Even the decrepit O’Neill is more man than Jackson, but I suppose Major Carter laid claim to him first. So you settled for second best…"

The redhead pretended to ignore him, though the next drawer was shut with more force than necessary.

"…But then I hear that some women like a submissive weak partner who let themselves be walked all over…"

That did it. Bosh hid his smirk as the woman jerked up from the low compartment and rounded on him.

"Daniel is the only one…" She took an outraged step towards him.

Oh, yes, come to papa, Bosh thought smugly.

"…strong enough to reel me in…"

The drawer banged shut behind her.

"…when I want…"

"…to throttle…"

Bosh’s triumph was short lived when Annika stopped in mid-step and turned back to the closed compartment. Her rant was finished almost absently.

"…the shit out of idiots like you."

There was a perplexed furrow of her brow as she opened the drawer telekinetically. It confused Bosh. There was nothing of importance inside, only some spare clothes. It baffled him even more when her hand swished back and forth, opening and shutting the drawer with her mind another three times. If Bosh didn’t know better, he would have said that Annika had just discovered her telekinesis. A thrilled little giggle sprung from her lips and for a moment Bosh found her endearing. Then those violet eyes glinted at him and he inwardly winced. He had the distinct impression that a vital detail had not been included in Annika’s wanted poster synopsis.

"Sorry, I got a little sidetracked." Her tone dropped two decibels and she waggled her fingers. "You were saying about Daniel?"

Bosh gulped when he felt the force of air far stronger than in the tavern, wrap around his legs. Yep, something had definitely been left out!

A  A  A  A  A  A

Daniel felt a tickle of surprised delight through their bond, and though it made him smile he didn’t look up from the panel. He could just picture Annika doing a little happy dance around the ring room as she realized what being on the ship had changed about their circumstances, or rather her circumstance. It wasn’t until he heard Bosh’s outrage blustering that he poked his head around the doorway to find out how she was ‘celebrating’ her finding.

He found the bounty hunter being zigzagged around the room, alternating between being bounced off the floor or spun in circles. Annika wore a triumphant smile that lit up her face. Now that they were within the ship, the shield was blocking the dampening field that had been affecting her abilities. He wondered what the bounty hunter had said to deserve being treated like a ball. Offhand he could think of a half a dozen comments since meeting up with the arrogant man that would set Annika off. While he primarily sensed a wicked glee as she waved her hand around to manipulate the tumbling man, he felt her utter relief that she was once again in control even if it was only in the confines of the alkesh. And to tell the truth it lifted a weight from his own shoulders. He hadn’t had any doubt that even without her gifts Annika would have been helpful in the rescue he had hashed out, but the odds had just shifted in their favor.

Bosh caught sight of Daniel as he was propelled across the room. "Jackson, call off your lover!"

"Why?" The archaeologist battled to keep a straight face. "Annika bores easily and if this keeps her amused while I work out how to adjust the schematics…"

"I’ll..(bounce)…do it…(flip)…for you!" he gasped.

Daniel took one last moment of enjoyment in seeing the pompous man cart wheeling through the air. "Annika, why don’t you put him down now?"

"But this is fun," the redhead pouted, her eyes sparkling.

"You can play later," he promised.

"Oh, alright." Annika released the weave of air around the bounty hunter and he fell to the floor in a heap.

Bosh warily got to his feet rubbing his shoulder with his cheek that had taken the brunt of his landing. "Vindictive little thing, isn’t she?"

"You have no idea," Daniel grinned. "You pissed her off, didn’t you?" He stepped away to give Bosh access to the control panel.

The belligerent look he gave was all the answer Daniel needed.

"I’ll let you in on a little secret," he confided. "Annika’s emotions are exponentially linked to her abilities. More emotion, more power."

Bosh rolled his eyes. "Now you tell me!"

Daniel gestured to the console. "Change the schematics. Keep the cloak at the same parameters, but double the height of the ship."

Bosh began tapping at the buttons. The request baffled him. He couldn’t see the point. Simply overriding the computer wouldn’t magically make his little alkesh any bigger. And despite Bosh’s quips to the contrary, he knew Jackson wasn’t stupid enough to think that.

"Then I need you to alter the frequency of the shields to allow matter to pass through it. Like that trap you set for us, only both ways."

Had the man lost his freakin’ mind? That would totally contradict the whole point of the shields. He just had to ask. "Why?"

"What do you care?"

"Because, Doctor Jackson, you are using my ship. If whatever you’ve got planned goes belly up, no one is going to believe that I was hijacked by you two. Since I don’t fancy the prospect of Kerrigon putting a bounty on my head, I want to know if this plan has any chance of not getting us killed."

"We’re going to ring SG-2 up here."

"The rings won’t work out there."

"No, but they work between levels within the ship."

The bounty hunter caught on. "You’re creating a phantom bottom half of the ship."

Daniel nodded. "The frequency adjustment will allow the auction house into the phantom space. The ships sensors will think the building within the shields are part of the ship and we ring them out."

Bosh didn’t know what made him say it. The Gods knew that he didn’t owe these two any favors. But there was something about these Tau’ri that made his buried sense of morality skulk to the surface. "A flaw with your plan. They have your men in separate cells. There’s no way you’ll get all of them in one transport. I can’t fake a base platform for the rings, which is needed for transporting within a ship. You’ll only get one shot at this."

"Helping us, Bosh?" Annika was taken aback by the unexpected tips.

He shrugged. "Seeing how it’s now my butt on the line too, I feel compelled to try."

"Well, thanks, but we have that little glitch worked out."

"You do?" Bosh had to admit that he was intrigued.

"You’re not the only one who’s been able to modify Goa’uld technology." Daniel produced a small object from his pocket.

Bosh finished adjusting the schematics and looked curiously at the metal button. "What is it?"

"Our version of a Goa’uld hand device. More specifically, the part of the device that controls the rings." The technology that Thor had helped develop, originally for the Prometheus, had become part of their standard issue kit. So far SG-1 had only used it once to transport zats’ when they were in Mooloolaba, but other teams had used them successfully off-world.

The bounty hunter’s face became thoughtful. "I don’t suppose your people would be willing to trade for those?" Bosh was well aware of the limitations of ring transporters. The main one being, unless a person had a hand device, which were scarce as hens teeth, they could only be used with established base platforms and only activated from a control panel in a ship or temple. Having a mobile controller that anybody, or rather that he could use, would prove useful.

"That would depend," Daniel mused. "Would one of these be worth more than the price on our heads and buy your help in rescuing our men?" He didn’t want to have to worry about the bounty hunter trying to escape and capture them again. If he could barter for his assistance it would make things easier.

He gave a nonchalant shrug. "I’d be getting the better deal. Your bounty is still miniscule, you know," Bosh lied.

"Right." Annika rolled her eyes. "That’s why SG-2 are up for auction as bait."

"Do we have a bargain?" Daniel pressed.

"Yes." He held out his bound wrists.

Before releasing the man, Daniel motioned to Annika with his eyes for her to check his aura.

The psychic studied the pale light surrounding Bosh, searching for any telltale flicker of deception. To her astonishment she found none. It seemed that the man did have a scrap of moral fiber. Unscrupulous as he was, once he made a deal he kept his word. She nodded and pulled out a pocketknife to cut the tie.

Bosh drew his hands back. "If you don’t mind, I’d rather the good doctor do that. You may get a mite overzealous."

Annika smirked at him but let Daniel slice the strip of plastic.

The bounty hunter rubbed his wrists to get the circulation flowing. "So how are you two ‘geniuses’ planning to get into the holding room?"