TITLE: The Tok'ra's Gambit
AUTHOR: Tiffany Park
STATUS: Complete
CATEGORY: Action/Adventure, Missing Scenes for "Into the Fire"
SPOILERS: "Out of Mind," "Into the Fire."
SEASON: Season Three, set a day or two before "Into the Fire."
PAIRINGS: None
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNINGS: Language
SUMMARY: When Colonel Makepeace reports to General Hammond at the beginning of "Into the Fire," he says, "When scouting 254, sir, we came across several members of the Tok'ra. They told us the location of SG1." How did the Tok'ra know where to find SG-3 (or any other SG team for that matter), short of them having inside info on the SGC? Somehow, I doubt Hammond kept the Tok'ra up to date on the SGC's mission roster. Pre-ep/Prelude Scenes for "Into the Fire."
ARCHIVE: Please ask.
DISCLAIMER: 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.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Written for the ColRMakepeaceSG-3 list at yahoogroups dot com.
March 23, 2015: More ancient SG-3 fic from the deep, dark depths of my harddrive! This story was posted to the Makepeace list waaaay back in 2006. It and another story, "Ashes," were written as bookends to the episode "Into the Fire."
The Tok'ra's Gambit
by
Tiffany Park
Nur sorted through the data she had retrieved from Daniel Jackson's mind. While Kel'daas had interrogated that hapless Tau'ri with the mental imager, watching the playback of his irrelevant surface memories like cheap entertainment, Nur had surreptitiously used the equipment to probe deeper, searching for useful information without attracting Kel'daas's or Daniel Jackson's notice.
It had been a dangerous gambit; had she been caught, she would have been exposed as a Tok'ra operative. Fortunately, her risk had been amply rewarded. She had acquired the schedules for three of the SGC's offworld teams. Surely one of them would be suitable for her purposes.
Still, she had to be careful. If Hathor or Kel'daas found out—no, Trofsky. General Trofsky. She must remember to call him, even in her most private thoughts, by his assumed Tau'ri name. Any lapse in the presence of the Tau'ri prisoners would spoil Hathor's plans, and that would endanger Nur's own life and mission. Hathor was a merciless queen, and Kel'd—Trofsky would enact any punishment she ordered, no matter how horrific.
By all the gods, Nur hated these ugly Tau'ri names that Hathor had inflicted upon her subjects. Nur found her own, Doctor Raully, to be especially disagreeable. Her host, Tyn-hachen, was similarly displeased with the name, and complained whenever it was mentioned. Nonetheless, both of them understood the necessity of making the Tau'ri prisoners believe they were on their homeworld, many years in their future. It made them uncertain and malleable, willing to undergo the required interrogations without argument. Well, without too much argument, at any rate. Nur didn't mind the minor difficulties the Tau'ri presented. This method was easier on them, and easier on Nur, than outright torture would have been.
Tyn-hachen scoffed at that thought, amused by Nur's squeamishness. Nur mentally scowled at her unrepentant host. Tyn-hachen was a former slave. She had led a life hardened by service to a particularly monstrous Goa'uld, who had encouraged terrible excesses against the human and Jaffa populations he ruled. She had seen and been forced to participate in unimaginable cruelties. When she had finally had enough, she had run away at the first opportunity, and by sheer serendipity had stumbled upon the Tok'ra.
Tyn-hachen's experiences made her an excellent partner for infiltrating Goa'uld strongholds. Nur had more sophisticated intelligence and tactical ability, more intimate knowledge of the Goa'uld themselves, but she had difficulty emulating the normal, everyday reactions of a servant to a living god, or the submissive behavior Hathor expected of her Jaffa. Tyn-hachen knew exactly what was required and got them through those rough situations. Symbiote and host meshed perfectly in these kinds of covert endeavors.
Nur glanced around to be certain she was alone, then printed out the base blueprints. She hated to make physical copies, but knew the Goa'uld recording devices were incompatible with Tau'ri technology. In this case, the most primitive methods were, ironically, the most effective. Unfortunately, they were also the most detectable, and if found on her person would surely condemn her. She would have to make certain no one caught her carrying these layout diagrams to the chappa'ai.
+This scheme of yours is folly, Tyn-hachen whispered in her mind. +If we are discovered, our mission here will fail.+
*The Tau'ri prisoners must be removed from Hathor's power,* Nur replied mentally. *They cannot hold out against interrogation for much longer. You know Hathor is growing impatient. She talks of implanting a Goa'uld symbiote in one of them. That prisoner will not be able to resist, and Hathor will gain everything she desires. She may well become unstoppable.*
Tyn-hachen said, +There is another way to prevent the prisoners from revealing dangerous information. A more certain way.+ She projected the image of a zat'nik'atel. Her mental tone was terribly calm.
*We cannot kill them,* Nur protested. *Hathor would be furious. In seeking the perpetrators, she would harrow the ranks of the Jaffa. The punishment she would mete out would be unthinkable.*
+The blame need not fall on us. A suitable scenario could be easily devised. The attempted escape of three notorious and dangerous prisoners, some Jaffa guards in the right place at the right time, surprised and acting instinctively to protect their beloved goddess...+ Tyn-hachen's mental voice trailed off suggestively.
*The Tau'ri are our allies.*
+And what exactly have the Tau'ri done for us?+
A good point, Nur thought privately. In particular, these three Tau'ri had killed a number of Tok'ra operatives in the past, albeit unwittingly, when they destroyed Apophis's two motherships. Later, their leaders had ignored Martouf when he had tried to convince them to hand Apophis over to Sokar, and as a result had almost gotten themselves and Martouf destroyed. But they and their friends had done some good for the Tok'ra, as well. That helped balance the scales, at least a little. And there was another problem.
Nur said, *Samantha Carter was once host to Jolinar, and was kind enough to tell us of her fate. Selmac's host, Jacob, is Samantha's father. Do you want to explain to Martouf, Lantash, Selmac, and Jacob that we killed Jacob's daughter and Jolinar's former host simply because it was expedient?*
Tyn-hachen kept silent, though Nur could feel the host's simmering frustration. It was true that Jacob was Tau'ri, but he was only one host. No more had been provided. However, Martouf, Lantash, Selmac, and Jacob would take turns flaying Nur and Tyn-hachen alive for the crime of harming Samantha Carter. Besides, this act could help to strengthen the alliance. With good relations, the Tau'ri might even return the favor at some point in the future.
Nur said, *The Tau'ri are certain to attempt a rescue. In the process, they may well defeat Hathor's plans. They could possibly save us a great deal of trouble and effort. Have you not noticed how ruthless they can be?*
+Indeed, these memories of Hathor's prisoners have been very enlightening,+ Tyn-hachen agreed. +The Tau'ri are quite inconsistent in how they treat the hosts and slaves of the Goa'uld. Often they seem to have as little regard or concern as the Goa'uld themselves. This ability to turn their compassion on and off at will makes them quite effective, although somewhat unpredictable as allies.+ She sounded like she approved, at least of the ability to kill without remorse.
*It is war,* said Nur. *We behave no differently. As your suggestion about killing the prisoners demonstrates.*
Tyn-hachen displayed not the slightest trace of contrition. +If the Tau'ri fail to rescue their comrades in a timely manner, we will have to deal with this problem ourselves.+
*Yes,* Nur said, acknowledging the necessity. *But we must try this first.*
Tyn-hachen quieted and put forth no more arguments. Nur accepted her host's grudging acquiescence gratefully, and examined the schedules of the three SG teams. SG-3 seemed to be placed most advantageously for contact by the Tok'ra, with SG-10 as the best second choice, and SG-8 third. She nodded, packed up her schedules and blueprints, and eliminated all traces of incriminating evidence. Then she left Hathor's pyramid.
She opted not to use the tunnels she had created between the pyramid and the chappa'ai. They were for emergencies, a precaution in case she had to escape in a hurry. There was no sense in risking their exposure unnecessarily. She was high in the hierarchy of Hathor's tiny but growing personal empire. Even if the stronghold had been better guarded, under normal circumstances no one but Trofsky or Hathor would dare question her right to come and go as she pleased. She held her head arrogantly and moved swiftly away from the great, golden pyramid.
Soon the chappa'ai came into view. Nur walked toward the encoding device, careful to make her movements look purposeful and unhurried, as though she intended to use the chappa'ai on Hathor's business. Even though no one was assigned to guard this place, still there was the chance that she might be observed by a lackey on an errand. Appearances were important.
She punched in the code for the neutral planet of Xut, and waited while the chappa'ai activated. Her going to Xut would excite no questions in any observer who happened by. Many times Hathor had sent her there to obtain supplies, and Nur had often used those excursions to her own advantage. From Xut she could move on to a more anonymous world, and from there go meet with one of her Tok'ra contacts. She would provide the Tok'ra with all the information she had obtained along with detailed instructions, and let them worry about making contact the Tau'ri. She would return here, as circuitously as she had departed. With luck, she would not be gone long enough for anyone to notice her absence.
If things went well, within a day or two the Tau'ri would arrive to retrieve their lost comrades, and neither Hathor nor Trofsky would realize that Nur had ever even left the planet. On that happy thought, she stepped into the event horizon and started her journey.