Story Summary: SG-1, Martouf, and Lantash are on a mission to explore some ruins on a "deserted" planet. Only it isn't deserted. However, the people that live there are a very friendly group and invite the team to stay in their village, while they explore the ruins. The team accepts the invitation to stay in the village, and Lantash warns Martouf to claim Sam, so that the unattached men of the area won't be "courting" her constantly. During their stay, the team finds an extraordinary plant with a myriad of healing properties, and they feel it is imperative to acquire a scientific treaty to study and perhaps even procure the plant. Thus begins a lively series of events that culminates in a "joining" of Sam, Daniel, Martouf and Lantash. This is a Romance. It's about how four people in love come to terms with the love and friendship between them, what they can and are willing to accept from it, and how they come to realize that the relationship has its own set of joys and advantages. It is Not slash. It's just a little romance, and it's only real plot is getting the four of them together in the end. There are some Erotic scenes, one in the middle and the rest near the end. It is a threesome; Since Martouf and Lantash share Martouf's body, the physical aspect is that of a threesome, among four "beings".
Author's Note: I've been told there are some sections that are humorous. Since that was my intention, I'm glad that some of my readers agreed and that they enjoyed them. It is my hope that you find it to be funny or amusing, as well. If you do find places funny and they amuse you, then they have done their job and so have I. It also has what some have called, " really sweet scenes" as the romance and friendships between the characters grow. I hope you will find them to be that way, too. If they touch you, then they did their job, as well. I hope you enjoy the story. Adult version is on Symbiotica or my web site.
Characters: Sam, Martouf/Lantash, Daniel, Jack, Teal'c, General Hammond, Janet Fraiser, Per'sus/Aiydon, Jacob/Selmak, Anise/Freya, Original Characters
Prologue Summary: This is background leading up to the beginning of the story. In it, the SGC is surprised when the Tok'Ra come through the Stargate...in very poor physical condition. Not just one or two, but an entire base has been poisoned. Janet has to find a way to save as many as she can.
Pairings in Prologue: None
Chains of Gold
Prologue
Superstition Or Premonition?
Dr. Janet Fraiser looked at the full locker of meds and bandages, but she didn't smile. She'd never seen anything like it before. For some unknown reason, for the past three weeks, not one team had returned with so much as a scrape or an itch. No unidentified rashes, no cuts, gouges, punctures, broken bones, sprains; not even a headache had been reported to the medical infirmary.
Looking once more at the completely full cupboards and shelves, she shivered slightly. "A goose walk over your grave?" That's what her grandma would've said. Then she would slyly whisper, "Or a ghost giving you a premonition, girl? That's what I'd be believin', if it was me." She shook her head. Superstitious nonsense. Surely, she had outgrown it by now.
She turned around and looked at the shelves on the other side of the room. It was the same story there. These shelves were never this tidy and this full. She looked closer. Why in the world did they have so much epinephrine and atropine on hand? Surgical kits were sterilized and ready, as were scrubs and gowns. In fact, everything they could possibly need in an emergency was ready and waiting. She would even go so far as to say that everything they would need, if there was an extreme emergency, was waiting quietly until it was needed. She shivered again. It was the waiting part of that thought that she didn't like. It was as though it wasn't a question of if there was an extreme emergency; it was when there was an extreme emergency. She turned slowly, looking completely around the room and shivered yet one more time.
The same story was told everywhere in the room. It was almost as if the entire infirmary was readying itself for something. Not just this room either. Every one of the rooms in the medical bay area was like this. They were pristine and stocked with as much as they would hold, with every thing from sheets to scalpels to water glasses. Waiting. She walked over and checked the carts for the gate room. When it came, she wanted to be sure that they had everything that they could possibly need. If it was big, they didn't want to run out of supplies before they could send for more. She hoped that six would be enough.
She shook her head, chiding herself for her crazy thoughts. Six. They usually only had four readied at any one time. It was simply because they had gone so long without any injuries, and it just seemed so odd. She was being ridiculous. She would go to the mess hall and have some coffee. SG-1 was on base today. Maybe she would go find Daniel and Sam and share some conversation, a piece of pie, and some coffee. They would tell her about something funny that happened on their last mission, and she would get these crazy thoughts out of her head. She nodded decisively. Yes, that was what she would do.
As she turned to leave, she saw the stacks of cots filling one end of the infirmary. What, she wondered, are we supposed to do with almost three hundred cots? She didn't requisition them. It turned out that no one ordered them, at least, no one at the SGC had ordered them. There was a mix-up somewhere up the line, and they sent them to a base that didn't have any room to set them up or store them, either one. After all, they had requisitioned thirty, not three hundred. They kept their thirty, and the SGC was the closest base with storage where they could send them. So now, with their own store of cots, they probably had at least three hundred of them. Great. The Air Force at work.
Unscheduled off-world activation rang through the halls of the SGC, as did the alarms, letting the people know that whatever it was, it might not be good. Janet Fraiser started motioning to her people and sending them out even before they were called. She knew that this one was for her. She didn't know how, who, or what it was; she just knew that this was why the infirmary was spotless and completely ready for whatever came through the gate.
SG-1, on base for once, stopped and then turned back for the control room they just left. They were in time to hear the gate technician telling the General, "It—it's the Tok'Ra, Sir, and they are coming in hot! The Code is—Emergency One Blue." Sam was out of the room and headed for the gate room, before all of the words were out of his mouth. Daniel was right behind her. If something had happened to her dad…well, he didn't even want to think about that.
The General's "Open the Iris!" was almost too late, as the technician's hand was already down sending the signal for the Tok'Ra to come through. The general leaned over and used the microphone to alert the medical teams. His, "I want a med team to the gate room, now!", trailed off, as he saw that they were already there. He frowned. There were several of them, in fact.
Not knowing what kind of emergency that the Tok'Ra could possibly have, other than being under fire, which the code did not show, he wasn't sure what to have ready for them. A med team seemed superfluous for the Tok'Ra, but you never knew. He headed to the gate room, along with Jack and Teal'c. As soon as the first one staggered through and collapsed, with his comrade in his arms, they knew that it wasn't good. Tok'Ra did not stumble through the gate and collapse on your ramp. They walked through the event horizon tall, strong, straight-backed, and confident. This was so not a good sign. Nope, it was not a good sign at all. Maybe he shouldn't have wondered what could possibly be an emergency for the Tok'Ra besides an armed attack; it looked as if whatever gods had been listening were about to arrange for him to find out…whether he wanted to or not.
The second Tok'Ra through was Martouf, and Sam caught him as his knees started to buckle. A medic took the Tok'Ra he carried from him, and he then used Sam to steady himself and remain upright. "General Hammond, please allow me to give you my information immediately, as I do not know how long I will remain conscious. I am afraid that the poison is working on Lantash, and thus on me, a great deal, and it is very hard to function, although I believe that it is better since we left the tunnels."
At the general's nod he began, "Our entire base has been contaminated with a poison that can be lethal to the symbiote, and thus the host, if they are not removed from its presence. It is nontoxic to unblended humans. It is affecting the hosts only because we are blended, and our symbiotes are very ill right now. We believe it to be sabotage; it did not start in our labs, General Hammond. Of that fact we are very sure."
"Anise became so upset about having the poisons on the base that contained the living quarters that she put in alarms for each of the different poisons. The alarm for that particular poison would have gone off, if the poison was released from our labs. However, exposure and reaction to the poison was well underway before the alarm began to sound. We had little time to discover what occurred; however, we found that its distribution into the tunnels appeared to be through a new ventilation system that we are testing, and therefore, it is widespread. As I said," he stressed, "the entire base is affected; there are several hundred Tok'Ra who are either barely able to function, or completely unconscious, as you can see. I can only hope that they will be either brought or sent through the gate to you."
"As long as I am able capable of functioning, I wish to return to the tunnels. There are still Tok'Ra there, who did not get out before it overcame them, and if they are not removed, they will die. I must also contact the council. They are with Per'sus on Giaver, and they must not, under any circumstances, return to the tunnels. If you will give me a writing implement, I will write out the address." Someone placed paper and pen in his hands. "Thank you. There."
He handed the address to Giaver to General Hammond before telling him, "I will have to figure out a way to decontaminate the tunnels as well, but that will be done later. I must remove the Tok'Ra still in them from the tunnels first, and that I must do as soon as those capable of doing so send the remainder of our people through to you. When I left, there were still some Tok'Ra that are as I am, and they went back in again, to attempt to rescue more, but they will soon succumb themselves. I must return to help them, as soon as possible. It was deemed that as I am familiar with the SGC that I should be the one to come and explain what has happened."
"Anise and Freya were part of the scientists working on the poison, and they said that the Tau'ri had the correct type of medical facilities to deal with this brand of poisoning, so that is why I have brought them here. I did not know what else to do, in the circumstances. I am sorry if it is an inconvenience to you and your people," Martouf said, somewhat stiffly, as he suddenly realized that he had just thrust several hundred ill Tok'Ra onto an ally, with no advance warning. Moreover, one who was not all that familiar, or comfortable, with the Tok'Ra. He soon realized that he should not have worried.
General Hammond shook his head. "Don't worry about that, son. We'll take care of it. If you can manage on your own, then get yourself down to the infirmary. As soon as your people are all sent through, I'll get hazmat teams in there to get the rest of your people out ASAP and start decontamination. We'll do everything we can for your people. I'll send some SG teams to bring your council here, with strict instructions to zat them, before they allow them to go anywhere, but here. That covers it all, doesn't it?"
"Oh, no, I guess it doesn't. We'll also get the damn poisons out of there, before anyone else gets their hands on them, or the information and data, that you have on them. I'll be sure to send some experts along to extract the information, so that no one can get to it, I assure you. We will put it somewhere secure, until your people are ready to take control of it again. Whoever this maniacal lunatic is, he won't get ahold of it again, as long as we have it. Not unless he is among the very few that will know where it is. That should narrow your list of suspects considerably, if it happens again."
"Now, you go on. You know how to get to the infirmary; you don't need an escort. If we can't trust you by now, we never will."
"Thank you, General Hammond. I am very grateful for your generosity in taking us in…"
"Martouf. There is no need to say anymore. You are our allies. If we needed a place to go, you would help us. Now go on and get yourself taken care of."
"Yes, sir, I will." Martouf nodded, smiled briefly, and started for the infirmary, gathering others that could still walk and leading them there, since what the General said was very true and he did know where to go. He would come back for another group; it was the least that he could do, to help out the obviously stretched personnel.
Janet Fraiser stepped into the infirmary. There were bodies everywhere. Alive bodies, but bodies just the same. Her nurses and technicians were almost running from one place another. She sighed realizing that they needed to call in all the off duty personnel. She could already see that this was going to be a long, hard-fought battle.
Not long ago, this room had been neat and tidy. So quietly waiting. All of those scrubs and gowns. The almost three hundred neatly folded cots. The over abundance of supplies and drugs. The emergency carts. The quietness of the past three weeks. She closed her eyes for one brief moment. "It was the ghost, grandma."
TBC
