Chapter Two Summary: Arwanna explains that she is using the healing device, even though it is diffused through the stasis chamber top. It is still helping Lantash to gain strength. Sam requests that all of the healers gather to give each of their impressions and their opinion as to what should be done for or to the two of them. However, before Arwanna calls them, Sam asks if perhaps they should have Dr. Fraiser there to answer questions about what she could do to help. It is decided to wait to gather them, and Selmak returns to the SGC to request Janet's advice and help with whatever they attempt to do.

Rating this Chapter – PG-14

Cor's Trel'li-Mae'tek - Heart's Tear-Mate, the One who shared your deepest grief and suffered it With You. A strongly bonded mate, brought together by shared grief. Rarely a Lover, however a very deep friendship is shared from that time onward.

"Italics" – Symbiote-Host Communications

Tok'Ra Dawn

Chapter Two

Logic and Intuition

Arwanna stood over the clear-topped stasis chamber using the healing device. Hearing them arrive, she allowed it to stop and turned to them. At their questioning looks, she shook her head, saying, "It is a very diffuse energy when sent through the top, however, Lantash is able to absorb some of it, and we all believe that it has helped him. He is quite a bit stronger than he was, when he was brought in. Of course, he is in stasis, and is not aware that he is using it, so it is not doing as much good, as it would if he were aware and cognizant of his surroundings."

Per'sus nodded. "I would like a report on their condition, Arwanna."

Sam surprised them all by speaking up before Arwanna could begin to give her opinion. "I would like to hear all of the healer's opinions, if you don't mind. They may all agree, but then, maybe not, so if not, I want those opinions, too."

After a short pause, Per'sus nodded, and turned to Arwanna, asking her, "Are the others available to discuss this with us?"

She nodded and moving across the room, she picked up a com, but Sam stopped her, saying "Wait! Wait, don't call them yet." She turned back to the three men and asked them, "Were you truly interested in seeing if what we do would help Lantash and Martouf?"

Per'sus nodded, assuring her, "We will ask our healers if they believe that this process might help them. If they think that it will help, then we will contact General Hammond and request the help. Why do you ask? I am learning to know that you would not ask that question idly, Major."

Sam gave him a slight smile, before she agreed, telling him, "You're right; I do have a thought about it. I'm not a doctor. I don't know what might or might not help. I've helped Janet out before, but it was usually on research of some kind or dissecting a Goa'uld, so that doesn't really count for something like this. I was just wondering if it wouldn't help both sides to come to a decision, if she was here and could hear what they think, and then be able to give them information as to what she could do, if such and such happened, assuming, of course, that we have some positive comments from your healers. It's possible that Janet might be able to suggest things that would change their minds about whether or not Lantash could heal Martouf." Watching them and seeing no reaction, she shrugged, murmuring, "It was just an idea."

Selmak looked at her in surprise, as he told her, "Why would we wish to ignore it, Samantha? It is an excellent idea. Having her here from the beginning could, as you say, cause the healers to re-evaluate some of their thinking as well as changing their outlook as to what the final outcome may be."

Malek spoke up adding his opinion, as well, asserting, "It is a very good idea, Major Carter. It is logical to have her here, so that she can listen to what they know about their injuries. Otherwise she will not know what she could or could not do to help them."

"Major Carter, I agree with Selmak and Malek. It is the logical thing to do, and it will also save time, since they would have to repeat everything to her when she arrived."

Sam nodded her agreement, and told them, "Well, okay, if we all agree, then all we have to do is get her here." She looked over toward the stasis chamber, sighed, and continued, "If you'll have someone take me to Martouf and Lantash's quarters, I'll put my stuff in there, and then go back and see if she can even come. There's always the chance that she'll be in the middle of something and won't be able to leave. I'll just have to go and see."

Jacob came fore, telling her, "No, Sam, you stay here. You've been through enough today, without having to face everyone at the SGC and try to explain what's going on. Sel and I will go. I'll talk to George, and see if it's something that they're willing to do, which I'm sure it is, and I'll also find out, if she has the time to come here and talk with the healers. It could be that she can't come until later, and, if that's so, then we'll just have to go through it all twice. I doubt that you want to wait to find out what the healers think until tomorrow. So, I'll go now, okay?"

Sam gave him a small smile as she agreed, "Okay. I…" she cleared her throat, and tried again, "Thanks, Dad, Selmak. I appreciate it. I'd, um, I want to see them." Before her dad could warn her again, she shook her head, telling him, "I know they don't look to be in very good shape, but I also know that if I had been shot as many times as they have in such vital areas, I'd be dead. So…so, I just want to see them and make sure they really are breathing. I'll be okay."

Malek looked over at Jacob and seeing the worry in his eyes, assured him, "I will stay with her, Jacob. I will watch over her. She is their mate. I will be with her, and if it is needed, then I will become Cor's Trel'li-Mae'tek. Lantash and Martouf—" he paused for a moment and looked away before continuing, "I assure you that I will care for her. They—would expect it of me, and I will give them nothing less, for if our positions were reversed they would do the same."

Finally, Jacob nodded slowly. What Malek was offering was something that would be difficult, if it came to be needed, for he and Devlin would both be in very deep mourning. Malek and Lantash went back all the way to the beginning. They were clutch mates, they had actually been mated, at one time, and they had remained very close right up to the present. Devlin and Martouf, too, were very close. Hell, all four of them were extremely close. It would hurt them a great deal, if Lantash and Martouf died. Still, if he said that he would take care of her, then he would. Besides, they shouldn't be gone for a great length of time. "All right, Malek, I know that you'll do what you say. Thanks." Selmak came fore and bowed to him, saying, "We thank you, Malek and Devlin, on behalf of Martouf and Lantash."

Fist to heart, Malek bowed to Selmak and Jacob, before saying, "I thank you for accepting my host and I. We will not fail in our duty."

Selmak turned to Sam, who was watching the little scene and attempting to pull some information from the memories she had. Nebulous images flit into sight for a moment and then were gone. "We will return as quickly as possible, Samantha, I assure you." He looked at the other two men, saying, with a short inclination of his head, "Malek. Per'sus. We will return as swiftly as we can." Then he turned and was gone, and Sam suddenly felt as if the floor of the tunnel was trying to drop out from beneath her feet.

Seeing her sway, Malek swept her up and carried her to one of the med-bay platforms. As soon as he laid her down, she sat up, telling him, "I'm okay, Malek, really. You don't need to look so worried. I was just a little light headed for a minute. It's passed now."

"Major Carter, perhaps you should…"

Sam looked at him and shook her head. His comment wound down, and he frowned at her. "I think you can call me Sam, Malek. In fact, all of you should be calling me Sam. I'm Martouf and Lantash's mate, and there's no reason to be so formal with me."

"Very well. It shall be as you wish—Sam."

Daniel Jackson, Jack O'Neill, and Teal'c made their way toward the General's office. They were all wondering what he wanted. But Daniel was the only one brave enough to voice what he thought about it. "Do you think it could be about Sam? I mean about Martouf and Lantash dying—and her—being the one that killed them."

Jack shrugged. He hadn't liked them, although he wasn't sure why. He supposed it was that he didn't trust them around Carter. She was his Second-in-Command. As her Commanding Officer, he had to watch out for her. He didn't have an answer, but that was okay, because Daniel wasn't finished talking yet, anyway.

"It had to have been very—well, I can't imagine having to do something like that to anyone, let alone the woman I loved. I wonder how she's doing? Have either of you been in to check on her? I got wrapped up in a manuscript and didn't even realize what time it was, until the General called me to come up to his office."

"Daniel, why would you compare Carter shooting them to you shooting someone you loved? That doesn't even make sense."

Teal'c and Daniel both sent Jack some disbelieving looks, but since they were at the General's office, neither said anything. But, neither of them could believe that Jack hadn't figured out that, no matter how hard she tried, Sam couldn't stop loving them. Today had not been a good day for the three of them, and for Sam, it had to have been horrific.

Jack knocked and hearing the General's voice tell them to enter, that's what they did. "General? You wanted to see us?" He glanced around the room and frowned. Where was Carter? Were they waiting on her, then?

The General nodded, telling them, "Please take a seat, gentlemen."

When it looked like the General was going to start talking, Jack beat him to it, asking, "General, shouldn't we be waiting for Carter? She should be here in a few minutes, shouldn't she?"

The General sighed and looked down at the table he was now standing next to; wishing that someone else could break this news to SG-1. But, no one else even knew, so it was up to him. Looking back up, he stated quietly, "No, Colonel, we won't be waiting for Major Carter. She's not here."

They looked at him for a moment, each of them trying to figure out what 'she's not here' actually meant.

"Ah, General, what do you mean by 'not here'? Do you mean not here as in 'not in this room' or…?"

"No, Colonel, I mean she's not here, as in, she's not on the base."

"What?" Jack almost yelped the word, before recovering, and slowly asking, "Do we, um, think that letting her go home alone, after what happened, is something we should do?"

Daniel was watching the General closely, and suddenly, he spoke up, saying, "She didn't go home. At least, I don't believe she did. What did you call us in here to tell us, General Hammond?"

"I called you in here to inform you that Major Carter will possibly be gone for anywhere from a few days, up to eight weeks, depending on what happens to—her mates."

They sat quietly and stared at him. Jack was wondering if, for some reason, the General had lost his mind. Teal'c was anxious, although it did not show, to know exactly what he meant. Daniel suspected he knew, but he found it hard to believe. Finally, he asked him, "General, I think you might just want to tell us what's occurring. Because right now, none of us are quite sure what you are saying, although, I think we each have our own ideas."

The General nodded. "You're right, Dr. Jackson. I need simply to tell you what I know, and leave it at that. So that is what I'm going to do. Lantash and Martouf were not dead. They were still breathing, when they left here. Major Carter, as you know, went to her room to 'rest'. But she couldn't rest because some of Jolinar's memories told her what would happen, if she didn't get to the base to stop them. I'm assuming she was in time or she probably would have been back by now."

"General, in time to stop who—from doing what?" Jack questioned him, but he was getting a pretty good idea of who and why.

"In time to keep certain factions on the Tok'Ra base from allowing Martouf to die."

Now, even Daniel looked slightly mystified, as he finally asked, "But, how could Sam stop that from happening, General? She's not on the Council, she's not even a Tok'Ra. No one will listen to her." Daniel pointed out what he considered the probable outcome to her trip.

"She didn't need to be on the Council, Dr. Jackson. For the Tok'Ra, if a mate is incapacitated, the remaining mate makes the final judgment as to what will happen to them."

Jack frowned. "So, what does that have to do with Carter, General? I still don't see what she can do about it."

"Well, if I understand it correctly, it goes something like this. Because she was the surviving member of the blending between Jolinar and her, Major Carter automatically became Martouf and Lantash's—for lack of a better word—wife. They became her husbands. They never repudiated their bonds to her, as their wife, and she never repudiated her bonds to them, as her husbands. So, by Tok'Ra law, Major Carter has every right to insist that they do as she decides, not as the Council decides. She left a few hours ago to stop them from killing Martouf and very likely Lantash, as well, since he would fight to stay with Martouf."

"The reason you are here is because I am seriously considering requesting Dr. Jackson and Teal'c to consider going to the Tok'Ra base to offer her some emotional support. It might give her a feeling of having allies, although I am quite sure that Jacob would never agree to allow Martouf to die, before they even tried to save him. Unfortunately, before she went, he was only one voice and one vote. With Major Carter there, there is no vote, because it is out of their hands."

"Uh, General, what about me? I didn't hear my name on your list of people going to help Carter."

"That's because you aren't going, Colonel."

"Why not? You don't think I can do sympathy?"

"Major Carter, for all intents and purposes is their wife, Jack. I wasn't sure how you would handle the situation. It's very well-known that you don't like the idea of them and Major Carter together. I have a feeling that your attitude toward them was part of what held her back from admitting that she loves them. Now, she can't hide from it anymore, and your opinion doesn't matter to her, but it would still be unpleasant for her to have you there making cracks about them and the Tok'Ra."

"What makes you so sure that she loves them? I've never seen her do more than just smile at them."

The General gave a somewhat grim little smile, saying, "No, Colonel, I'm quite sure that you haven't. But a woman doesn't get as desperate as she was to get to them, if she isn't in love with them."

Seeing that they didn't understand his last statement, he clarified, "She gave me two choices. I could grant her eight weeks leave starting now, or…I could accept the resignation of her commission effective immediately. Since I didn't want her to leave the service, I gave her the leave. I would have done the same in her place had someone stood in my way, when my wife was dying. So, she's now on the Tok'Ra base, and I can only hope that things are going better than she believed that they would be."

"I won't order either of you to go. I'm simply telling you that, if you feel that you might be of help to her, you are free to go."

"General, I…" Jack stopped, frowning, before beginning again, "If you really are sure that she, ah, cares for them, in that way, then I'm sure I can, well, keep myself from being…well, you know."

Before the General could deny him again, Daniel spoke up, pointing out, "You know, General Hammond, if Jack could actually be supportive of her, his being there and showing approval of her decision to remain their mate, might help her more than you know. For him to have decided that she cares enough for them that he won't be a jerk, might mean as much or more than Teal'c and I being there. Not that I'm not going, because I am, but…well, I just think that if he could do it, then it would help Sam. And, too, if he starts to be an ass, Teal'c can shove him through the gate back to the base."

Jack scowled, Teal'c's lips twitched, and the General laughed softly. "You could be right, Dr. Jackson. So, all right, if you will assure me that at the first prejudiced, sarcastic, unfriendly word, you will send him back, then he can go. But I want your word and Teal'c's that you won't allow him to upset either the Tok'Ra or, more importantly, Major Carter."

"I will personally see to it, General Hammond," Teal'c assured him. "He will not be a problem to the Major."

"You have my word, too, General. At the first sighting of a caustic remark he will be out of there."

The General nodded, as he relaxed in his chair. The Klaxons suddenly going off, had him immediately tense and on his feet heading for the door. There were no teams due in today. The other three men were right behind him and followed him into the control room. Sergeant Davis turned to him, saying, "It's the Tok'Ra IDC, General." Nodding toward the open iris, he told him, "I sent the acceptance code to allow them through."

The General nodded, murmuring, "Very good. Thank you, Sergeant Davis."

"Yes, Sir." The Sergeant answered, but they were already on their way to the Gateroom.

They entered, just as Jacob stepped through the event horizon. "Jacob?"

Jacob nodded, adding, "Let's hit your office or the briefing room, and I'll tell you what's going on."

"Of course." The General glanced over at SG-1 and told them, "Since you were planning to go and be with the Major, if Jacob doesn't object, you may as well come with us."

They all looked at Jacob, who shrugged, telling them, "I have no objection." He frowned, and then sighed. "Selmak says that if Jack is going to be an ass, he doesn't want him anywhere near Sam. I have to agree. Either he promises to be on his very best behavior, or he isn't going."

Jack looked affronted, Teal'c was stoic as ever, and the General and Daniel had all they could do not to laugh. Finally, General Hammond assured him, "We've had a discussion about that, Selmak. At the first hint of incivility, Teal'c will personally dial us up and push him into the gate, and thus, back to the base. I will admit that I wasn't going to allow it, but Dr. Jackson pointed out that, as Sam's commanding officer, if he could be supportive of her decision to remain married to Lantash and Martouf, it would probably be very reassuring to her. She doesn't agree with him about the Tok'Ra, but she does respect him, as her commander and a soldier. I have to agree that if he can show acceptance of her marriage, then it would be a very good thing."

Jacob's eyes glowed, and Selmak came fore, telling them, "If you are sure that he can be supportive, then I will not object, for I feel that you are correct. She likes and respects Colonel O'Neill. However, I believe that part of her refusal to admit that she loved her husbands was his attitude toward them. It could have made her life unbearable, if she had admitted her love and accepted their marriage, and then had to be around someone who was consistently derogatory about them. I believe that she avoided causing that situation by refusing to admit her feelings toward them. With them now so very close to death, she can no longer hide it from herself or anyone else. She has claimed them, as her mates, it is binding, and yes, she knew that it would be, before she claimed them."

They entered the briefing room, and the General turned to Selmak, asking him, "I don't believe you came here to tell us that, though, so what is going wrong? Did they disallow her claim?"

"No, Per'sus himself granted her the right to decide Martouf and Lantash's fate, so there is no concern there." He smiled briefly, before adding, "I believe that her teammates would have been cheering had they been there."

They all took seats and he continued, giving them some few of the details about what happened, saying, "She came and had the guard get us. We talked, and she told us what she planned to do. We took her with us into the Council Chamber. While I was absent, Ren'al, Thoran, Delek, and one other whom you do not know, voted to vote once more on whether or not to remove Lantash. Without my presence, the vote was in their favor. I objected, and we ended up once more deadlocked. Then Delek noticed Samantha, and I believe that he was following Thoran's instructions, when he ordered her to leave, or he would have her thrown out or shot."

All four of the men looked at him with wide eyes and open mouths. "Yes, it was not a brilliant move on his part. I stopped her from using her zat'nik'tel on him. So, instead, she put her hand on her MP-5 and just rested it there, as she told him very plainly and loudly that if any one attempted to touch her then he, Delek, and his host would be Swiss cheese. I am quite sure that he has no idea what that is, but her fingers slowly caressing her weapon, placed a reasonable facsimile in his mind, I am sure."

"Unfortunately, he wasn't finished, and, after she announced her intention of making the decision pertaining to Lantash and Martouf, he ordered two guards to shoot her, and remove her to a holding cell. They, of course, had sense enough to refuse, since I am senior to him…not to mention that she is our daughter." He smiled briefly, before telling them, "A short conversation took place between her and Per'sus. The outcome was that the four voting to remove Lantash, and to make no effort in any way to save Martouf, were reprimanded, as they stood in the Council Chamber, everyone heard it, and Per'sus then ordered all of them to meet with him in a couple of hours. I do not know what his plans are, but it is very possible that someone or perhaps several some ones will lose their Council Seats over this. We can only hope."

"However, that is all simply so that you will know at least some of what took place, before you arrive. If Thoran and friend's Council seats are taken by Per'sus or by a vote, Samantha will need guards. I would not put it past Thoran to attempt to hurt her. He hates Lantash, and has for a very long time. I have no doubt at all that he was hoping to be able to legitimately kill him, or at least, if he survived, hurt him by allowing Martouf to die. And still I am off of the subject that has brought Jacob and I here. I will allow him to explain what we wish to do."

Selmak left, and Jacob was there so quickly that there didn't appear to be even a small time lapse in the maneuver. "Sam came up with an idea that Per'sus, Malek, and Selmak want to try, if you can see your way clear to do it, George."

"All right. What do you need, Jacob?"

"We need Janet Fraiser, and Martouf and Lantash's medical information from here. We want the healers and her to discuss his condition and see if there is any way in which they can work together to try to take some of the healing off of Lantash. One of the main things that Sam suggested was keeping him from going into shock, and blood transfusions. If the healers think it might help, then we'd like to borrow Janet for a few days. Probably some equipment, too, once we know for sure what she might need. If it isn't possible…" Jacob's voice gave out. He did not want this not to be possible. Malek and Devlin weren't the only two Tok'Ra that loved them, and losing those two would be a terrible blow to both him and Selmak, and what it would do to Sam he had no idea—except that it would be bad.

"You have it, Jacob, if Dr. Fraiser will or can agree. There is Cassie to consider; however, I'm sure we can work something out. We can work around her being gone. If she was sick, we would have to, so…that is not a problem."

Before the General could continue, Jack spoke up, "If the doc can't go because of Cassie, I'll take care of her. It wouldn't be the first time I've kept her, and I hope it wouldn't be the last. I can stay here if there's a need."

The General was reaching for the phone, as he told him, "No, Jack, I'll take her. My granddaughters would be thrilled. I'm not sure if Cassie would be or not, but my granddaughters certainly would. Although, to tell you the truth, I believe that Dr. Fraiser has plans in place for when she has to be gone for a time, and she may not need either of us."

"Dr. Fraiser? Could you come to the briefing room? Yes, now if it's not too inconvenient. That will be fine. We'll be waiting. Goodbye." Looking at the others, he told them quietly, "She'll be here shortly. Don't look so worried, Jacob, I have no doubt, but that she will agree to do it."

"I hope so."

Sam walked to the Stasis Chamber and looked inside. Never had she felt such pain as she'd felt, as she fired the zat that stopped them from blowing themselves into pieces. She was so sure that they were gone. When she'd heard the whispered information, that they were still alive and breathing, she had thought she would pass out. Then, no one wanted her to return with them to the tunnels.

She put her hands on the top of the chamber and watched them. Eventually, her mind wandered back to her earlier memories. After she had gone to the room she used, when she stayed on base, she sat and simply stared at the wall. She had been numb, since it happened, and they took them away. Then she had those memories. Jolinar had strode into the chamber, obviously furious, and stood before the Council. Lantash and Martouf were close to death, and they had voted to remove, and thus save, Lantash. They were divided on what to do—unfortunately, those that were opposed to that course, were fewer in number as many of the older members were away.

As she considered those memories, more of them opened and details were given to her. One of the healers had somehow sent word to Jolinar about what was about to happen, and she had managed to make an excuse to the Goa'uld where she was undercover and return to the tunnels. She had ripped into them, flayed them with her words, and informed them of exactly how she felt and what was going to happen. As their mate, she should have been contacted at once. Her present undercover position was not such that it was hard to get information in or out. It was her right, as their mate, to make the decision about what would happen to the two of them. No one else had the right to make that kind of decision, especially the Council members. Lantash was a very strong symbiote. She would discuss it with the healers, the only ones who should have been involved in the decision-making process about Martouf and Lantash's treatment, other than her, and if they agreed then he would attempt to heal his host.

She had stayed three days. Thoran had come in while she was using the healing device on them, and told her that the Council had decided that she would return to her undercover mission, at once. She had told him, more or less, to stick it where the sun didn't shine and reminded him that she had warned them not to come anywhere near her mates. She had warned all of them that she would not take kindly to their presence. He should probably leave at once. He hadn't tried again to get her to leave them. When they were out of danger, she left, as quickly and as quietly, as she had come…except that she had wrung promises from several Council Members to contact her, if there was any change in his condition, or if Thoran tried again to sabotage their healing. Thoran thought that no one knew how much he despised Lantash, but they did. His actions were pure spite and malice. He had known that removing him from Martouf and allowing Martouf to die would hurt Lantash deeply.

Sam couldn't find the reason why he hated Lantash, but she knew that he did. She just wished Jolinar's memories were a little more informative sometimes and if she was honest, she really couldn't complain this time. She had seen entire scenes and heard what transpired. They had given her the information to stop him from hurting Lantash and Martouf and that was the main thing. She frowned as she thought of how Jolinar had acted that time, and how she had acted this time. She had been acting somewhat out of character. She shrugged. She'd never had a mate that was dying before, so she guessed it brought Jolinar out in her. Selmak had certainly seemed to think that she was acting much as Jolinar would have.

She brought her thoughts back to the present and looked at Martouf again. Her father had been right, and he didn't look good, but at the same time he also appeared peaceful. The pain that once more ripped through her almost took her to her knees. She gasped softly and pressed her hands down harder on the stasis chamber. Why had she waited so long to realize the truth? Why had she kept fighting her feelings and blaming them on Jolinar? What real difference did it make? Jolinar's emotions, her emotions, they were all the same. She felt them. Not a shadow or a memory of them. She felt them now, today, at this moment in time, and she knew, without a doubt, that she would feel the same for them tomorrow, the next day, and on down to the end of time.

She shook her head at her own stupidity. How could she possibly not have realized that it didn't matter whose emotions they were as long as she felt them and claimed them as hers? And that was lying to herself, too, because she had hid behind that excuse, so that she wouldn't have to admit that some of them were definitely hers. Well, she had found out today, just how real, deep, and abiding these emotions of hers were.

She felt Malek slip his arm around her. She was amazed at how close she felt to this man she had only just met. She suspected that it was because she could tell how much he cared about Lantash and Martouf, but there was something else as well…she just wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't uncomfortable; in fact, it was just the opposite. "Are you all right, Samantha?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not, Malek, but there isn't a thing that I can do about it right now. All I can do is hope that we can come up with a solution to a seemingly impossible problem."

"We will do everything we can, Samantha, I promise you. Perhaps between your people, your methods, and our people and our methods, we will find a way in which to work together that will be very beneficial. Do not lose hope. We will find a way. Anything else is unacceptable. Against all odds, they are both still living. As many shots, as was fired at them, and yet, I believe that the healers will tell us that they hit nothing vital. In the area of the chest they hit, had they hit a vital point they would have died almost immediately, I am quite sure of that. Lantash was capable of beginning to heal Martouf, when he should not have been able to do anything. When they reached the base, they were still breathing on their own, even though Martouf was unconscious."

"Had Ren'al and Thoran not taken over, while Anise was giving a report to Selmak and Garshaw, I believe that Lantash would have begun to heal a great deal more. When Anise returned and found that Thoran and Ren'al had taken over and were preparing to remove Lantash she was livid, and sent a runner to alert Selmak and Garshaw to what was happening. She immediately called Arwanna to return, which she did, very confused, for Ren'al had sent her on a bogus errand. She and Thoran then took over, as the only other healer there was a symbiote with a fairly new and young host, who had asked to see if she could learn to heal, and Belara, the symbiote, did not have the authority to stop them. They had only begun to learn, as well, so would have no idea what to do. Anise was truly furious."

"While Anise, Ren'al, and Thoran argued, Arwanna talked to Lantash and told him to relax as she was putting them into stasis, so that she could be there to help them when he started to heal Martouf. Delek turned up just before Selmak and Garshaw did, and that pulled Arwanna into the debate. Ren'al was very rude to her, and the story I was told had them coming very close to exchanging blows over it. Lantash was able to come forward long enough to tell Arwanna that he felt he could do most of the healing, if she and perhaps one or two others helped. She agreed. So do not fear that they will tell you that Martouf will die regardless, for he has a fair chance of survival.

Sam nodded, but she also sighed. What if everything wasn't enough? What would she do then? How was she supposed to carry on with her life, when the brightest part of it had been put out? She caught the sob that wanted to make its way out and swallowed it down. She didn't have the time to fall apart just yet. She could do that later, if it proved necessary.

Her dad had already been gone for almost an hour. She hoped he came back soon and that Janet would be with him. In just over an hour, Per'sus had a meeting with the group that had tried to fix the vote, so that they could do as they pleased to Lantash and Martouf without waiting any longer.

Both Sam and Malek looked toward the door as a very obviously furious Anise strode into the room. Quickly looking around she spied Per'sus, and walked toward him at once, demanding, as soon as she was within hearing distance, "Was a Council Meeting about an important mission held within the past hour, Per'sus?"

Per'sus turned to her and his surprise was obvious. "No, there was not, unless Malek and I were not included."

Her lips firmed just before her next words burst from her, "It is exactly what I suspected, then. I was just informed that there was a mission, a mission which must be embarked upon, at once, and for which Freya and I were conveniently the best qualified to undertake. According to 'the Council' I am to leave within the hour. It seemed that you attempted to find me, but could not, so the meeting was held and the decision was made since it was 'urgent' that it begin immediately, and we were the only possible choice, since it happened to be in a science in which Freya and I are experts."

Per'sus sat quite still. They were determined to remove all of the obstacles from their path to Martouf and Lantash. It was insane that they would give Anise those kinds of orders and think that she would not check with him. What was occurring here? He turned to Anise before his thoughts led him away from the present event. "The council has not met. From now on, ignore any and all instructions from anyone except Malek, Selmak, Garshaw, or myself. If you receive any messages, either verbal or written that are supposedly from one of us, do nothing until you have verified it with us in person. Suspect everything."

She nodded, as she told him, "This makes no sense. Surely, Thoran does not believe that I would simply leave on this mission without checking with you. Unfortunately, there is another thing, Per'sus. Freya is having very strong feelings about this entire thing. She believes that they are planning either to take Martouf and Lantash out of stasis, or to manage to sabotage the stasis chamber in some way, so that it will fail without notifying anyone. No doubt, Lantash would attempt to heal Martouf, but with no outside help, he would fail, and they would both die. Her feelings are very strong about this, and you are as aware as I and others are that in all of our years together, although she does not have these intuitions often, when she does have them, they are always correct."

His face like granite, he stood, saying, "I do not believe that my 'talk' with them can wait another hour. I will go and find them now." He turned toward the door, intent on leaving the med bay.

Sam frowned as she listened to their exchange, and when Per'sus announced that he would go now and confront them, instead of waiting, she couldn't help feeling uneasy. That just seemed like too convenient a response and, she had no doubt, it was the one that they expected from him, just as they expected Anise to come straight to him. Before he took a second step, her uneasiness caused her to blurt out, "Per'sus, don't go, yet. I mean, don't you think that you should think about it for a bit first?"

He swung around to look at her, "Why do you say that, Samantha?"

She shrugged, saying, somewhat hesitantly, "Well, it's just that…you know, it just all seems so…well, so convenient. Thoran tells Anise that she's to go on some obviously bogus mission. He had to know that she would come straight to you." When they all simply looked at her, she continued, reminding him, "He's known you a very long time. Don't you think he would know what your reaction would be? What you would do? Doesn't that strike any of you as, well, as—off—somehow? A little too convenient a response, when you're already due to see them in an hour? I mean, why not wait, or simply send a note telling you that he would like to talk to you before the scheduled meeting?"

She shrugged as they all remained standing, without saying a word. "Then again," she added, "maybe not. You're probably right, and I'm over-reacting as well as being stupid and silly. I'm sure you know them better than I do. If it seems logical that he would do this, and that you should go see him, well…" She stopped speaking, feeling very self-conscious and embarrassed. She wished now that she'd kept her mouth shut and her suspicions to herself.

Per'sus frowned harder, if that was possible and replied firmly, "You are neither stupid, nor silly, Samantha. You are a very logical, practical person. For an incident to strike you as being, as you say, 'off' enough that you would stop me in this way, it indicates to me that your reasoning certainly should not be overlooked. Adding that to Freya's intuition, it is enough, for me to pause, before being too hasty and angry to think clearly. I thank both of you. Freya's intuition is just that; it is not based on anything that can be examined and a determining factor found; however, that does not change the fact that it has always proven correct. Yours is on the opposite side, and is based on logic and the instincts of a soldier. Something is not right. You sense it, know it, and have even given logical reasons for it. I am not so foolish as to disregard both of you."

"You are saying that you believe they deliberately sent Anise to anger Per'sus, so that he would leave here and search them out, are you not, Samantha?" Malek asked her.

She frowned again, as she thought about her statements, and the recent happenings. Looking back up from where she was staring at the floor, she finally nodded, assuring him, "Yes. I do. I think that all of this is going to tie together someplace; I just don't know where. Nor do I know why they are doing it, but I really don't like it. I mean, if you look at this logically, there are several things that become fairly clear."

"Do you see a pattern that we do not, Samantha?" Malek questioned her, his frown very pronounced.

She shrugged again, not at all sure about what she was feeling. And she didn't think that the Tok'Ra were too stupid to see the trend. Still, she answered him, stating, "Yeah, maybe. What did they do first? They tried to remove Lantash and allow Martouf to die. They weren't even going to attempt to heal him. They said, it was to 'save' Lantash, but I don't believe that. I mean, are there any Tok'Ra that know Martouf and Lantash that wouldn't know that Lantash would fight removal from Martouf? That he would fight it, until he was too weak to live himself?"

"No, Samantha, you are correct. Anyone that knows them well would know that Lantash would do exactly as you say. Although Thoran, Ren'al, and Delek, are not friends of Lantash and Martouf's, they do know him well enough to know that is how he would respond to what they were going to do. In effect, you are saying that they were attempting to 'save' him, knowing that it would cause the death of both of them. They never had any intention of 'saving' Lantash." Malek stated her thoughts, even as he answered her question.

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Look, I don't know what's going on here. I know nothing of your politics, your normal procedures, your personal vendettas, or if you even have them. Because of that, I can't extrapolate out what's happening here. I could tell you the first things that would be considered, if you were on Earth, but I can't do that here."

Per'sus nodded, as he agreed with her summation of her abilities as far as the Tok'Ra was concerned. However, he himself, if he sat down and gave it some thought, could draw conclusions based on what he knew of the Tok'Ra, in general, as well as, what those conclusions would be pertaining to those Tok'Ra involved. What he couldn't do was think outside of that. What if one of them had done so, though? Coming back from his thoughts about the situation, he requested of her, "Please lay out for us what your reasoning would be, if you were on Earth, Samantha, with people whose ways and reactions you would know."

Sam nodded her agreement to do that for him. She frowned in thought, though, before pointing out, "Okay. I've already said part of this, but to attempt to keep it straight, I'm going back to my thoughts at the beginning of their rather confusing actions. Not to them sending Arwanna off, but the actions they just did. So, they supposedly 'tried' to get Anise to go on a bogus mission. We know that makes no sense. Why? Because we, and they, know what her reaction would be. She wouldn't even hesitate and consider that it might be legitimate, she would come straight to you, Per'sus. I think we know how you would respond; you would be very angry. At this point, we pretty much know what you would do then…you would take off to confront them, and you would very possibly be alone or with only one or two guards. The question is—why would they want you to do that, when they are supposed to be meeting with you in about an hour? None of that makes any sense."

She glanced around at them, before continuing, "Going back to the real beginning, we have them attempting to remove Lantash from Martouf knowing that it would kill them both. Why? That definitely makes no sense to me, unless I start giving possible answers to each of those questions."

The Tok'Ra stared at her. They were legitimate questions. Why would they want to cause Per'sus to confront them now, when he would be talking to them in an hour?

"Do you have any answers, Samantha?" Per'sus finally brought himself to ask her.

She sighed, murmuring under her breath, "Not any that I like." Tok'Ra have exceptional hearing; they all heard her. They were quite sure that they would not like them, either.

TBC