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Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret productions, and Gekko productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.
The briefing room was full for this small lecture and the analyst looked around nervously at the servicemen, 'and woman' present. He cleared his throat as he stared at the Tok'ra representative at the meeting. If his information was correct and he had no reason to doubt it, this would be the General that had been joined with the Tok'ra, Selmak. 'At least he will be an ally,' he thought nervously. He cleared his throat again and began to waffle, not what he'd intended at all.
"Parasites have no concept of good and evil. No more than a bacterium that invades a body does it mean to kill or maim its host; this only happens as it's fighting for survival in unfamiliar terrain.
A Symbiot on the other hand, has won this survival fight because it has found a way for itself and the host to both survive and remain healthy and in harmony." He stopped for a moment and everyone looked at him expectantly, 'except for that Colonel. What is that expression on his face?'
"Does this make the Goa'uld Parasitic or Symbiotic? They do not kill their host so they would seem to be Symbiotic, but they do subjugate the intelligence inhabiting the body, denying it's right to basic freedoms that we all take for granted. They in fact enslave it. This still does not sit with the concept of a Parasite though as the entity so enslaved still survives. In fact, what we have is a moral and philosophical dilemma."
"Moral dilemma!" Jack spluttered. General Hammond looked a warning at his impulsive Colonel and Jack subsided.
The scientist looked a little nervously at him but continued. "The Goa'uld are survivalists in the extreme and wish for total control of their environment. The host they inhabit is this environment. Although this is in conflict with the host's best interests, you still can't say this makes the Goa'uld evil."
"Who can't," Sam muttered and her dad looked over at her and grinned.
"The older Goa'uld have done a great deal of harm during their lives to survive. They have become increasingly intelligent and manipulative of the species they control including us. This increase in intelligence has not taught them to respect others," he glanced nervously at Jack again, "I understand that they consider us cattle, even though they continue to be dependent on us for their own survival. They don't consider us important because they can always find another species in which to survive." He took a deep breath. "The Tok'ra, on the other hand," he nodded towards Jacob in acknowledgement of his presence, "have what we consider a truly symbiotic relationship with their host.
The Goa'uld despise them, mainly because their primary goal of survival has been abrogated by their concern for the hosts they choose to share their lives with. They are after all, the Goa'uld equivalent of the Green Party or maybe conscientious objectors. Well actually what we would call terrorists if they were fighting us."
Jack snorted and the analyst stumbled again. Sam looked at the table in an attempt to hide the grin Jack's reaction had prompted.
"The Tok'ra consider us as equals, well almost." A smile appeared as he said this having spoken to a few during his recent research. "Their belief in our right to survive as free individuals weakens their species primary goal of survival." Jack stared at the man in disbelief and he faltered for a moment. "They insist they do not take unwilling hosts. We know this is not totally accurate." At this point he indicated Sam alluding to her brief alliance with Jolinar. "The Tok'ra and ourselves consider the Goa'uld evil because their way of life is diametrically opposed to ours but the Tok'ra are proof that their divided species can survive without enslaving others.
I believe those deliberate acts of evil by the Goa'uld have surfaced and increased with the age and intelligence of the individual. Because of the genetic memories being passed to their offspring the problems for the rest of us just keep increasing. The Systems Lords are the oldest and strongest and have chosen a path, which makes them inimical to intelligent species that have had the misfortune to cross their path."
Then the Analyst dropped his bombshell, the conclusion he had come to from the facts as he saw them. "We know this but you must realise that the vestigial Goa'uld on the home world would not yet have taken this path. They do not carry the genetic memory of the original migrants through the Stargate. Their prime motivator will still be survival, not power. So... The Tok'ra should be able to absorb and educate them to their own culture. Although this may prove to be a dangerous path it would increase their numbers. This would help undermine the power of the Goa'uld and strengthen the Tok'ra."
"You've got to be kidding, right?" Jack drawled sarcastically. "You are suggesting we encourage the Tok'ra, no offence General, to experiment in creating more Tok'ra from their ancestral home!"
"I have to agree with the Colonel," Sam added as she leaned forward to stare down the desk. "With all due respect to my father," Sam glanced briefly at the silent man, "you have to be insane to suggest this."
"They're right," Jacob broke his silence to support his daughter and Jack, "there are a few rather important facts you have missing from your analysis, as Selmak is more than ready to point out. In fact he is incensed," a smile appeared on Jacob's face as he said this and he lowered his head so that Selmak could take control and speak.
"Colonel O'Neill and his team can bear witness to the fact that the Goa'uld on the first world are not to be trusted!" Selmak ground out sounding more Goa'uld-like than those who knew him had ever heard. "The Tok'ra queen was a divergence from the Goa'uld genetic line. We are not the same! There has to our knowledge, only ever been one Tok'ra line established and we grow fewer. The loss of our queen means that we are unlikely to survive in the long term. New Goa'uld will not alter their ways with genetic alteration. That requires the co-operation of a queen. Perhaps you can understand our dilemma. All surviving queens belong to the Goa'uld line, none to the Tok'ra."
"Could not a young queen be found on your home world and be persuaded to aid you?" The scientist asked.
Selmak paused as if considering the question and Colonel O'Neill's eyebrows rose a notch as he stared at the Tok'ra.
"Has it ever been tried?" Jack asked and everyone around the table looked from the scientist to the old Tok'ra.
"It has not been considered. The savagery of our ancestry makes it highly unlikely to succeed and would only produce another Goa'uld queen and more Goa'uld."
"But if you could find a hatchery? A newborn queen?" the scientist persisted.
The Tok'ra was silent and Jacob surfaced. "We are considering this question. It is an option we had not considered before." He glanced at Colonel O'Neill and grinned. "After all there is no race in the universe like the Tok'ra, how could we possibly duplicate ourselves?"
Colonel O'Neill could not resist the bubble of amusement that the response elicited and grinned back at Jacob.