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"The first ‘new’ Goa’uld on the list is Qingu," Casey said, reading from her notes. "He’s the consort and subordinate of Tiamat. He was the Holder of the Tablets of Destinies, which gave him authority over the universe. He was also an adversary of Marduk. He led Tiamat’s armies against Marduk, but was defeated. This is an interesting little tidbit…Qingu was also known as the Pillar of the Rebellion. Seems he helped his mother lead a rebellion against the gods. He’s mostly known as being a defeated god, having lost the war against the gods. Mythology says Marduk mixed Qingu’s blood with clay, and created human beings."

"What are the chances that this one really is dead? I mean, if he led a rebellion, chances are he was killed for his effort," Jack said, frowning slightly.

"True," Daniel admitted. "But remember, we’re dealing with myths here. We don’t know how much is truth and how much is myth. If he led a rebellion, it was much, much earlier than the rebellion that shoved Ra off Earth."

"But, given Marduk was still around-" Sam started.

"Until we got rid of him," Jack interjected with a grin.

Sam smiled. "We’ve actually met Marduk. We’ve never even heard of Qingu."

"Let’s not mark this Goa’uld off the list yet," General Hammond advised. "I’d rather wait to do that if and when we can verify that he’s been killed."

Sam nodded her understanding.

Casey looked back at her notes. "Next up is Tiamat, the primordial goddess of chaos. Tiamat represents the chaotic, undifferentiated salty waters from which the first gods were born through her union with Absu, the god of fresh water. She was Qingu’s mother, and she chose him to be her new consort after the death of her consort Absu. Apparently the death of Absu – who by the way, was killed by Ea, his son with Tiamat – turned her into this monstrous adversary of all the younger gods." The seer paused, then frowned slightly. "I wonder if he was encouraged by those ‘younger gods’ to off his father?"

"That’s possible," Daniel nodded.

With a nod of her own, Casey continued. "Tiamat became the embodiment of destructive forces. According to the myth, the storm god Marduk defeats her, splitting her body to create the heavens, the earth, and the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. So she went from being a Creator god to a god of total destruction. In later mythology, she was described and depicted as a gigantic dragon or sea serpent, reflecting the disordered chaos she embodied." The seer frowned. "Marduk was either very lucky, or Qingu and Tiamat weren’t as much of a threat as they thought they were."

Sam snickered. "Typical Goa’uld, always believing they’re the strongest and brightest."

"These two were mother and son, and then hooked up? That’s just wrong," Jack muttered. "I never did understand all of the incest in these mythologies."

"I agree," Casey said, shuddering slightly. "Pretty sick if you ask me."

"Well, look who we’re talking about," Jack said.

"Yes, Goa’uld…who took on new hosts whenever the mood struck," Daniel reminded him.

"Yes, but it was the same snake," Jack insisted.

Daniel frowned slightly. "Good point."

General Hammond’s cheek twitched slightly. "Next on the list?" he asked, steering attention back to Casey.

"Our next contestant is Ianna," Casey said. "Foremost a Sumerian goddess, later known as Ishtar in Akkadian tradition. Ianna was worshiped as the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and war in ancient Mesopotamia. Associated with the planet Venus, the lion, and the eight-pointed star, she was a powerful and complex deity who was the patron goddess of the city of Uruk. She represented contradictory aspects of love…sexual love and fertility, and political power and warfare, as well as wisdom and justice."

"Gotta love all that multitasking," Jack muttered.

Casey grinned. "Well, it’s what the gods do best. Of course, that’s because of the needs of the people who worshipped them, not that they actually could do or actually did any of those things."

"Radar, you’ve been hanging around your husband way too much," Jack retorted. Bringing more laughter from everyone around the table. "Okay, are we done with Ianna?"

"I just have one more thing about her," Casey said. "She was killed when she descended to the Underworld and tried to take over. The god Enki revived her, but she had to send her husband, the shepherd god Dumuzid, to the underworld to take her place. That’s what brought about the seasons."

"Sounds familiar," Daniel mused, frowning slightly. "This might be the first ‘telling’ of the myth connecting the Underworld and the change of seasons. I’ll bet it’s the basis of the Osiris/Isis myth."

"I know, right?" Casey said, nodding her head. "These are the oldest myths we have, the first ‘writings’ about the gods. And every other pantheon seems to have been built based on these gods, and the stories about them remain the same. Well, they might add or twist a detail or two."

"Is it possible that these early gods weren’t actually Goa’uld?" Sam asked.

Daniel frowned. "I don’t know…I guess it’s possible. We just assumed that the din.gir, the beings of the glowing points of light according to the Sumerians, were Goa’uld, because of the descriptions of these Beings as reptilian."

"What about the Ancients?" Sam pushed.

The question echoed in the room. "I don’t know," Daniel repeated, his frown deepening. "Unless the Ancients were using disguises when they met with the local human inhabitants. And…we’re fairly sure it was the Ancients who ‘created’ modern humans, using a bit of genetic manipulation. Although, that theory could explain the King’s list, and the differences we find between the Sumerian gods and all of the gods who came after…gods we’ve learned were Goa’uld."

"Is it possible that these ‘new gods’ are Sumerian myths, based on their encounters with Ancient beings?" General Hammond asked, tapping on the notes he’d been taking.

"I really don’t know," Daniel admitted quietly. His frown deepened. "I do seem to recall that the descriptions of the din.gir as being reptilian came much later…maybe a few hundred years or more, after any actual interactions between the Sumerians and the din.gir. It’s possible that the whoever wrote about the din.gir confused them with the Goa’uld who did show up and took over. That would confirm our theory that the Ancients were here before the Goa’uld. If that’s so-"

"Okay, Casey, who’s next?" Jack butted in, before Daniel could get started on a theory that would take him at least an hour to explain. He ignored the archaeologist’s disgruntled glance, and the amused smiles of the rest of the team and General Hammond.

The seer grinned. "Okay, next is Yamm."

"Like the sweet potato?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Not exactly,’ Casey replied. "Yamm was a Canaanite and Phoenician deity of the sea and chaos, and he’s depicted as a tyrannical, wrathful god whose untamed power was eventually overcome by the storm god Ba’al Hadad. Yamm’s name directly translates from the Semitic word for "sea"."

"Wait a minute… Ba’al? The same Ba’al we’re trying to get rid of?" Jack shook his head. "I should so not be surprised about this."

Casey giggled. "Well, it’s a link to Ba’al. Yamm personified the destructive power of the sea, rivers, and storms, and was a symbol of primordial chaos. Yamm was closely linked to Lotan, a seven-headed sea serpent, who is often seen as a monstrous embodiment of the sea's chaotic power. Yamm fought Ba’al for kingship of the gods, but Ba’al defeated him…or so the story goes."

"This might actually be a Goa’uld for whom we should prepare," Teal’c said. "If he has battled Ba’al in the past, and lost, he would be most anxious to do so again. It would be to Yamm’s advantage to join with other Goa’uld to defeat Ba’al."

"I agree," General Hammond said immediately. "I believe that so far, this is the one ‘god’ we should expect to see showing up."

"The last on the list," Casey said, "is Kothar-wa-Hasis, often just called Kothar, and other times Hasis. He was the craftsman god of the Canaanite pantheon. He was not restricted to any one area of construction, he made it all; from weapons and magical devices to homes and decorations, and even created gifts that the gods could give each other. The craftsman god created most of his works within a workshop situated at a place called Caphtor, associated by some traditions with Crete and by other traditions with Egypt. Along with magical devices, Kothar was associated with magic itself, as well as divination. Through these magical and mechanical means, Kothar was helpful in combating monstrous and cosmic forces. Kothar bequeathed his crafted masterpieces to both gods and mortals."

Daniel shook his head. "I don’t think this is a Goa’uld. Unless he’s so far down the food chain that all he can do is build…or craft things. Goa’uld don’t create, and they certainly don’t give anything away. Unless it’s a trap of some sort."

"Danny has a point. Name one Goa’uld who would fit that description."

"That’s a set up, boss," Casey grumbled.

Jack grinned. "My point exactly."

General Hammond leaned forward, putting one elbow on the table. He ran his hand over his head. "As much as I’d like to dismiss all of these ‘gods’ as being nothing more than myths, I’m afraid we just can’t afford to do that. I agree with Teal’c that…" he glanced down at the notes he’d been taking, "this Yamm seems to be an almost certainty. The others…" He sighed.

"We have the names. If we get the list to Bra’tac, he and his Jaffa can keep an ear open," Jack said. "We can have our spies ask around, see if anyone at the trading posts we frequent have heard of any of these so-called gods."

"Good idea, General," Hammond nodded approvingly. "Speaking of Bra’tac, I just received a report from him, via Jacob Carter. Pedram has been joined with a Tok’ra named Vanshu. And as such, Apophis just made an appearance. He took total control of the alliance that Kali and Amaterasu managed to pull together."

Five faces beamed with excitement. If Pedram was already joining the fray as Apophis, the end of the Goa’uld Empire was close at hand!

Jack grinned. "Sure wish we could get video of that!"

Hammond chuckled. "From what Jacob reported, Bra’tac said something similar. According to Bra’tac, there was a lot of chatter going on between the Goa’uld. None of them were willing to take on a System Lord who was supposed to be dead, only to show up with three ships, and a full contingent of Jaffa totally loyal to him."

"Just a thought about these ‘new’ Goa’uld…even if they do show up, they’ll be considered outsiders," Daniel mused.

"Indeed," Teal’c concurred. "If they still exist, they have been too long gone from this galaxy, and the Empire. They will be relegated to minor status, regardless of what they believe themselves to be."

"Even if they have larger armies?" Sam asked.

"Even if they appear to have larger armies," Teal’c said. "If these are Goa’uld, and they have been hiding, they will not have much. A large army, a large territorial holding…those things are difficult to shield from the eyes of any observers. If any other Goa’uld had heard of such a thing, they would have either attacked in an attempt to take over those holdings, or would have capitulated in order to be left alone."

"And if either of those things had happened, we’d have some record of it, from somewhere," Daniel surmised.

"Indeed," Teal’c nodded.

"So, we’re looking at minor Goa’uld, if they’re even still around," Jack said. "I think we can handle that."

"Agreed," Hammond nodded. "Casey, thank you for the information."

"You’re welcome, sir."

"We’re forewarned, and forewarned is forearmed. General O’Neill, I’ll leave you to see to it that our spies are searching out information on these possible Goa’uld."

"Yes, sir."

"I’ll contact Jacob and see what the Tok’ra may know about them," Hammond continued.

"I will contact Master Bra’tac," Teal’c offered. "He would have knowledge of these Goa’uld, if they truly exist. Apophis was most careful about knowing the location of every Goa’uld who had fled the First World when Ra was expelled from the planet."

"Very good, Teal’c. Thank you," Hammond said.

The Jaffa dipped his head in acknowledgement.

"Okay, people, I believe we’re finished here. Dismissed." General Hammond gathered his notes, accepted the report from Casey, and hurried back to his office.

"Well, that was less painful than I thought it would be," Jack confessed.

"Because the briefing wasn’t even a half hour?" Casey teased.

Jack grinned, but shook his head. "Close. No…it doesn’t sound as if this group is any smarter or stronger than the Goa’uld we’re already dealing with."

"How likely are they to become involved?" Sam asked. "I mean, if they haven’t been tempted to join up with the others against Ba’al before, would they bother to do so now?"

"The only thing I can think of that would be an incentive would be the fact that Ba’al made a clone of himself, with the full intention of using that clone to battle against the other Goa’uld. That might be enough to bring them in."

"If they were smart, they’d just sit back and wait, and see who comes out on top. Even if Ba’al survives, he won’t be left with much. The others will see to that," Casey said.

"It is possible that these Goa’uld are so far from this galaxy that they are completely unaware of what is transpiring here," Teal’c pointed out.

"That would mean they’re even farther out than the Andromeda galaxy," Daniel said. "We know that Zeus has at least some knowledge of what’s happening here."

Jack frowned. "Which could mean that for the last ten thousand years or so, these Goa’uld have been quietly building up somewhere."

Teal’c shook his head. "Traders and bounty hunters travel great distances. Powerful Goa’uld System Lords would not go unnoticed."

"Unless they’ve found a really distant galaxy that has at least one or two very advanced civilizations they can trade with or buy from," Daniel mused. "And if that galaxy is distant enough, there’s little chance of us hearing about any of it."

"It’s possible," Sam agreed. "But I just can’t see a Goa’uld building up, becoming powerful, and not showing up here for a chance for revenge…or to take over. The only reason Zeus hadn’t shown up before, besides the fact that Ra was still alive, was the fact that he and Nergal are holding one another in check. If these Goa’uld are all in the same galaxy, they’re fighting one another. If not, they’d have already come back and made an attempt at a take-over."

"I’m with Sam on this one," Casey said, sliding her ID badge through the reader to call the elevator. "Goa’uld are going to goa’uld. If they haven’t shown backup here, they’re either not alive, or not strong enough."

"Guess we’ll find out," Jack sighed. He waited until his team was on the elevator before stepping into the car.

"Well, I guess it’s just business as usual," Casey sighed.

"Job security," Daniel smiled.

"Still, knowing that at least half a dozen Goa’uld that we know about are either going to be knocked down so far that they’ll never be more than a nuisance or knocked out completely is a happy thought," Jack admitted.

"We’ll take all the happy thoughts we can get," Casey said.

"Right," Jack said, smiling down at the seer. "Another happy thought is the fact that I get to watch the Simpsons tonight."

"Commercials and all," Casey said immediately. "Cool."

"Radar…keep those irritating type thoughts to yourself," Jack complained.

"Right. How am I supposed to know what you consider an irritating thought or an important one?"

Daniel snorted, then chuckled. Sam chortled, ignoring the look of exasperation from her husband. Teal’c smiled broadly.

"Have I mentioned what a smart ass you are?" Jack asked.

"Not in the past couple of hours,’ was the retort.

"Well, you are."

"So you say."

Jack sighed, then put his arm around Casey’s shoulders. "As long as we can banter, all is right in our world. I’ll take that any day I can."

Casey smiled, leaned up and placed a kiss on Jack’s cheek. "Me, too, boss."

The elevator stopped on level eighteen. "Okay, Jacksons. We’ll see you later for coffee."

"We’ll be there," Daniel replied.

"I’ll come get you if you’re not, Space Monkey," Jack warned.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Daniel replied. Not quite able to hide his smile.

Daniel and Casey stepped out of the elevator, Daniel balancing his books and notepads in one arm, the other around his Wife’s shoulders. He was familiar with the names of the majority of ‘gods’ known on Earth. His discovery of Goa’uld names in context he’d never seen before had shaken him…but thankfully it hadn’t been the total disaster he’d feared it was. He wouldn’t count any of these ‘new’ Goa’uld ‘down and out’, however, until he had proof of their deaths.

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