Seated at the conference table, the Tok'ra Anise informed the men present of the reason for their visit.

"As we informed you several months ago, Ashtarte broke from B'aal after their escape from Earth. Since then she has been gathering her own Jaffa. The high council thought it prudent to place an operative in her ranks to monitor her actions. Our operative has sent a communiqué indicating her advancement upon B'aal's forces. She is gaining control of key sectors and forcing B'aal to withdraw his ships back into regions of space that are cut off from each other."

Jack sat silent, listening to the Tok'ra woman detail the intelligence on Ashtarte's actions against B'aal. His eyes avoided the man seated opposite him. At the moment he could care less that two snakes were fighting it out. What he wanted to do was take Jacob by the collar of his snake outfit and put him against the wall.

"We appreciate the update on Ashtarte, but why come here in person to deliver it?" Hammond queried.

"The communiqué included a mention of Ashtarte's personal movements. She left a day ago with one al'kesh heading in the direction of Earth. Our operative has limited information, but it appears there is someone of interest to Ashtarte, here on Earth."

It occurred to Jack that the Tok'ra have someone very close to Ashtarte to have this amount of intel.

"How can you have all this intel without Ashtarte knowing about it? She reads minds. How has she not identified your operative?" Jack asked.

Anise shuttered her eyes, raising them, it was now Freya speaking.

"Colonel O'Neill, you will recall that several years ago the Tok'ra were able identify and break the Gou'ald's za'tarc mind control technique. We have refined the process to allow an operative to be conditioned for in-depth operations; so that he consciously believes what he is doing is right. But, with specific triggers, the conditioning is broken momentarily to allow them to relay their information covertly. So long as the operative is out of Ashtarte's presence during the release trigger, she will never sense the true intent of the operative."

"Jacob, Freya, does your operative know who Ashtarte is interested in here on Earth."

"We believe it is someone she had contact with when she was here with B'aal." Jacob answered.

"Our investigation of B'aal's and Ashtarte's activities yielded a short list of contacts. B'aal's Jaffa converts are in custody and anyone else appears to have been eliminated by Ashtarte. Who else could it be?"

"I have reviewed your reports to the Tok'ra; I believe I know who it is." Freya asserted.

The three men turned to her expectantly, "I believe she is coming for a woman by the name of Samantha Carter."

General Hammond knew that leaving the two men in the conference room together may just result in permanent injury to one or both. At the mention of Samantha, daughter to and girlfriend of Jacob and Jack respectively, he thought it best if he allowed Anise to convey her theories for Ashtarte's interest in Samantha Carter in private.

So, Ja-ke," Jack started, breaking his name into two syllables, stressing the last. "Or can I call you Da-d."

"George told you."

"He did." Jack grounded out.

"You can't tell her Jack."

"You know when I met your daughter she had a chip on her shoulder about the military the size of Everest." Jack circled the room.

"But I told her that she didn't need to be that way. That she was wrong. I told her that what we do was for the good of world, that there was honor in our actions. Tell me Jake, where was the honor in letting your only daughter think you were dead and that she was never good enough for you?"

"I love my daughter. I did this for her. Jack, they were going to take it all away from her. They would have taken her research and muzzled her with the threat of prison under the guise of national security."

'What do you expect me to do here Jake?"

"Exactly what you've been doing. Jack, George told me about you and Samantha. He told me you got her into the program and she's happy. That doesn't have to change."

"No Jake, you see it has. The minute Hammond told me who you really are it changed everything. The one thing I promised you daughter was that I would never lie to her. And that's what I am doing right now. Every second I stand here, I am lying to her."

"Jack, you know as well as I do, if not better, that what we keep from those we love is for their benefit, not ours."

"Fuck you, Jake. Your daughter has a snake bitch gunning for her. As soon as Hammond returns, you and I are getting on a plane to New Mexico. We are putting an end to this bullshit. Samantha has the right to know the truth."

"That is exactly what you will not do Colonel O'Neill!" General Hammond barked at his second in command as he entered the room with Anise following.

Taking his seat at the head of the table, Hammond instructed the men to take their seats again.

"Anise and Freya have conveyed their theory as to why Ashtarte is interested in Doctor Carter. I have decided for now... that we not tell Doctor Carter of this development. Area 51 will be advised to enact additional security precautions, but until we have more information on Ashtarte and her reasons for coming to Earth, Doctor Carter will not be informed."


Samantha sat in front of her lab terminal. The presentation of the planetary defense system went on for hours. She had hoped to remain uninvolved, but upon learning it was her contribution that solved the long standing problem with the projectile system the assembled men grilled her on the project. Dr Carlisle was less than pleased to have to share the limelight.

Now she sat, wearily paging through the last results of her weather systems project. Hopefully she will be back on it full time after the weekend. Jack. A happy smile came to her face as she thought about seeing him. Then it hit her hard what his visit meant. Straightening herself, she steeled her nerves as she picked up her phone and dialed a familiar number.

The recipient of her call answered on the third ring.

"Hi Mom."