Title: Hosts
Author: Meushell
Disclaimer: Stargate owns what they own, (even if they are trigger happy with the Tok'ra) and I own what I own.
Summary: During an attack by the Goa'uld, several Tok'ra hosts recollect how they became Tok'ra.
Rating: PG-13
Parings: Sam/Martouf/Lantash, Malek/Aldwin
Sequel to: The Question, The Enemy. Sam and Martouf/Lantash married in The Question. The Enemy will mostly be summed up in part 1.
Note: All time reference (dates, years, months) are in Earth time. Martouf's story will be left out since I already gave him his own fan fiction for that. He'll be telling Rosha's story. Storytelling will start with part 3.

Part 1, New Things

In the tunnels, Sam was looking down at the larva, Iasis, who was squealing at her. She looked over to Martouf. "Mark can wait."

Martouf smiled. "How long do you plan to make your brother wait?"

"Until Iasis grows up."

Iasis gave a victory squeal.

Martouf shook his head. "No." He chuckled when Iasis gave him a loud negative chirp. He knelt down by the symbiote. "It's important for Sam to keep in touch with her brother, and we cannot take you with us."

"Why not?" Iasis complained.

"You are too important for him to know about."

"But I his niece." In the back of her mind, Iasis knew her dad was right. She had the memories that told her how important it was to keep important things like herself a secret. She had the memories to tell her what bad things could happen to her if she was captured. However, those memories weren't hers. They were the faded memories of the queen she happened to be cloned from. Iasis was guided by her emotions, and her emotions told her that she did not want to be seperated the ones she had chosen as her parents.

Lantash took over. "Aldwin and Malek will take care of you." He looked back as he felt and heard a Tok'ra approach. "Here they are."

"Unfortunately, not with good news." Malek's expression matched his serious tone. "Three others have disappeared, and now the high council has ordered everyone to stay here." He looked to Sam. "Your friends have come, but I do not think they have yet heard the news."

Sam frowned in worry. "I...I better tell them." She took a few steps before looking back to Malek. "Are they allowed to leave?" She hoped they could. Jack would not be happy if he was told otherwise.

"They are, but..."

"I know. I can't."

Lantash followed, wondering which of her friends had come.

Daniel, Teal'c... Martouf thought. Maybe Jack.

It didn't take long for the answer. All three. Anise has greeted them. Lantash thought as he watched the woman glance over to them before quickly leaving.

Jack was happy to see Sam, but he was annoyed by what he heard. "Anise says you can't leave."

"Yes, Malek just told me."

"Does this have to do with Kela'an?"

Sam felt Kela'an's annoyance. "No." A month ago she had been captured by the thought-to-be-dead Cordesh. He had been in hiding, posing as another Tok'ra. Wanting his own power, he used Egeria's DNA to create Iasis. Sam was to keep her company while he was away. From this, Sam also learned she was pregnant, as she and Martouf had been less than careful. She escaped with Iasis, but was burned in the process. Blending with Kela'an was the only way to make a full recovery.

"We have been having trouble since Cordesh's escaped," Lantash added.

"Right," Jack replied, remembering they moved. "That's why you guys switched bases."

Sam answered, "After two outposts were attacked, the Tok'ra moved their base and every outpost-"

"Their?" Lantash questioned, smiling a bit.

Sam glanced to him. "...Our..."

Lantash touched her back as he looked to the others. "No one survived those attacks." He watched Jack's expression change from annoyed to worried. "Now operatives are disappearing."

Daniel frowned in concern. "How many were on those outposts?"

"A hundred and fifty-six in total."

"That's... Sorry." Daniel didn't know how else to respond to that.

"Now twelves of our operatives have disappeared as well," Lantash replied before bitterly adding, "and we all know the reason for it. Cordesh."

"Why have you not called away those in danger?" Teal'c asked.

"Communication is not immediate for everyone," Lantash replied, "and even when they receive the order most are not be in a situation where they can easily leave."

You sound annoyed. Give me control. Martouf smiled a little when given control. While it wasn't the best situation, it made him relax after feeling Lantash's anger. "The longer you are on a mission, the harder it is to disappear." He touched Sam's arm. "You remember when I was undercover for four years. It took me one and a half months to be able to leave safely."

Sam certainly remembered those four years. It was while they were mere friends, but she was annoyed at their disappearance. The Tok'ra wouldn't say why, which told her the reason. Martouf and Lantash never spoke about it afterwards, and they changed the subject when asked.

"So you can't really be sure when someone has disappeared," Daniel was frowning. "You're just guessing based on when they should return."

Martouf glanced down. "Yes. If they cannot leave right away, they should be able to tell us. If they have not returned within the right time and have not given a message to us, then they are declared missing. If enough time passes without hearing from them, they will be considered fallen."

"Fallen." There was something of a questioning tone in Jack's response.

"Dead. With few exceptions, a Tok'ra is only declared dead if there is a body."

"They could be captured," Jack replied.

"As you know, a Tok'ra must kill him or herself-"

"Martouf," Jack interrupted. "You've been captured...more than once. You're still alive."

Martouf became uneasy. He made a slight noise of annoyance, not knowing how to respond to that.

Sam felt bad for him. "Sir..." She paused and smiled. Jack was no longer her commander. "Jack-" It didn't feel right to use his name in this situation. "-missing doesn't mean abandoned." She knew he had personal reason for his "leave no man behind" policy, and it bothered him that the Tok'ra were willing to do that if they deemed it necessary. She didn't like that aspect of the Tok'ra either.

They do what must be done, Kela'an thought. There is no need to worry. You and I are not likely to be sent out on dangerous mission. Aside from the fact that you are too well known, it is our primary duty to take care of Iasis.

"This situation is making the high council uneasy, and that's why I can't leave," Sam finished. "They don't want me to disappear."

"We'll keep you company then," Jack replied.

Sam nodded, starting to feel tired. "I think I'm going to sit down." She noticed Martouf look to her in worry. He seemed to always be worrying over her now. "I should write Mark a letter. It'd be better than just giving a message."

Jack watched in amusement as Martouf was overly helpful with Sam. He remembered being the same way with Sarah. He glanced over to Teal'c, wondering if he had acted the same...in his own Jaffa way of course. "How's Ry'ac?"

The question seemed random to anyone else. Teal'c's expression changed to pride. "He is proving to be a strong warrior."

Daniel sat at the table with Sam. "Where's your dad?"

"He's around." Sam hadn't seen much of her father these last few days, but she knew he was somewhere on the base. She looked up as Martouf gave her paper and pens. "Thank you."

Daniel picked up one of the pens. "Earth pens."

"Yeah, I brought them with me. I figure when they dry up, I'll just give them to you."

Daniel smiled as he decided not to disturb her while she wrote. "Jack, I'm going to go visit Iasis."

"All right."

Daniel left the room and followed down to where Iasis should be. Her room was attached to her parents' room. Before Sam became a Tok'ra, it had simply been Martouf's room. He wasn't sure he was going the right way until he heard squealing. He found Malek and Aldwin putting fish into the water. "I guess I should have brought some goldfish."

"She would like those," Aldwin replied, remembering seeing goldfish on Earth once.

"How long does she play with them?" Daniel asked as he watched the larva chase fish around her shallow pool.

"Until they die," Malek answered.

"Then she eats them?"

Iasis protested, stopping her swimming to make a loud chirp at Daniel.

Aldwin smiled. "If she has swam with them, they are her pets. She will not eat her pets."

"What do you do with them?" Daniel watched as Iasis continued swimming.

Aldwin's host, Gete, took over to whisper, "We eat them."

"I'm guessing she doesn't know," Daniel whispered in reply. He thought of the few pets he had over his life. He wouldn't be happy if someone else ate them.

"She doesn't ask."

"You don't try to feed her her own pets do you?"

"No. Delek tried that. She refuses to see him now."

Daniel found himself wishing he had seen that.

"Anise has missed you," Malek said suddenly as he looked to Daniel. "Have you seen her?"

"Briefly. She didn't say much. How is she doing?"

"She misses Drack, and she often avoids Kela'an." He frowned before putting an arm around Gete's waist, as if there was a danger of Gete suddenly disappearing on him. "When one mate dies and the other reblends... It is, of course, good that they survived, but it is painful to see them in what feels like the wrong host. It will take time for her and Freya."

Daniel gave a nod before looking to the pool. He realized he hadn't given a proper greeting yet. "Hello Iasis." He looked to Malek when she squealed back.

"She says hello."

Daniel nodded.

"She's a little distracted right now," Malek added. He turned and moved back down the hallway Daniel came from. "You should spend time with Samantha while you can."

"She's writing a letter." Daniel followed.

"Well, you can visit me," he added before turning to the other Tok'ra. "Gete, will you take care of the containers?"

Gete looked a little confused. "Yes."

Daniel frowned as he followed. "Uh, is there something wrong?"

"No, why?" Malek stopped outside another hallway and turned towards him.

"You've never wanted a visit from me before."

"I have greeted SG-1."

"Because you were good friends with Sam. You never had an interest in me."

Malek gave a smile that Daniel rarely saw from him, looking guilty. "I was wondering if I may ask you a personal question."

"Yes?"

"How did you propose to your wife?"

"Oh, well...I didn't. She was given to me." Daniel watched Malek's eyebrows crease. "I didn't know it at the time. We worked it out." Daniel smiled in memory. "You've never proposed?"

"I was always proposed to."

"How many times have you been married?"

"Three times."

"And Amb?"

Malek touched his own arm lightly as he offered control.

You can answer him, Amb thought.

"His society didn't have a form of marriage. Males and females lived separately. Since becoming a Tok'ra, he's not have a serious relationship...not until Aldwin and Gete."

"Well, look at your relationships. I'm sure those Tok'ra were nervous in proposing to you. You said yes."

"In the past, when a relationship between Gete and another turned serious, something disrupted the relationship. I worry his history will make him say no."

"He wanted this relationship before you did. Wouldn't that indicate he's willing to take the risk?"

"Maybe."

Daniel was quiet for a moment, but he was curious. "Why are you asking me and not...say Martouf."

"Secrets are hard to keep within the Tok'ra. You are not Tok'ra." He shook his head and turned away. "I haven't even asked the high council for a proposal crystal. I'm worried one of them would say something and Aldwin would find out..." He looked back to Daniel. "I cannot have them finding out from someone else. I haven't even gotten a ribbon yet."

Daniel admired the trust put into him, and it was the first time Malek had actually done anything to show a possible friendship between them. "Ribbon? Right, you keep that after the crystal is used to make your first room together."

"Your version of the wedding ring," Malek added. "I still have the ribbons from my previous marriages. Symbols of my loved ones."

Daniel gave a nod, thinking of the issue. "All right, well, put it this way, do you want to spend the rest of...however long Gete and Amb would live, with them just as your boyfriends?"

"No."

"Then you need to talk to them."

Malek sighed before nodding. "You are correct."

Daniel smiled. "Uh, you know my job, so I have to ask...how did Amb's people, well, have kids?"

"Adults met at a special place to have sex."

Now he wants to study my people, Amb thought as he recognized the same look he saw in Anise many times.

"You'd have a hard time meeting the people," Malek added, "at least while Teal'c is on your team. If any Jaffa come through the stargate, they run away. The Goa'uld still control that planet."

By his tone, Daniel knew it was a warning that the planet could get dangerous. "Well, let's see Sam." Maybe we can ask more questions later.

She was found working on her letter while talking to Jack and Teal'c. She looked back when Daniel arrived. "How's my daughter?"

"Chasing fish."

Sam smiled before looking back to her letter.

"Do you get to take a lot of uh...larva pictures?" Jack asked.

"Enough, but all the pictures are given to the high council. They hide them away, and I can't access them without permission."

"That's how most images are treated," Martouf said. "Lantash cannot access his own without permission. That's why I always treasure the printed ones that Samantha has given me."

"That's-" Jack stopped when he saw Jacob approaching and called out. "Jacob!"

"Jack." Jacob wasn't much in the mood for greeting. He looked to his daughter and Martouf. "We're evacuating. The Goa'uld attacked the Euhen outpost. Now we've picked up Goa'uld ships heading over here."

"What?" Lantash suddenly took over suddenly. "Cordesh cannot possibly know about Euhen or this base."

"Well, someone did, and we have to move."

To be continued...