It took a little convincing from Sam and Daniel before Hammond would allow another alleged Tok'ra into the SGC. Even so, tensions were high in the briefing room, and there was no shortage of weaponry, both handguns and zat'ni'katels. Hammond and the male portion of SG-1 sat at the head of the table near the general's office; the Tok'ra sat at the far end. Two armed guards stood at each end of the room, and more covered the far side of all the exits.
"Sir, having a Tok'ra at the SGC would give us insight into the Goa'uld we've never had before," Carter pointed out. "It would also make it easier for us to get in and out of enemy territory."
"Or harder," Martouf added, "if the Goa'uld you encounter suspects Captain Carter of being a Tok'ra."
"I don't see why they'd care," Jack whined.
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Jack, if they fight the Goa'uld like they say they do, then the Goa'uld probably think of them like we think of terrorists."
"Exactly!" Carter leaned forward, enthusiastic about the comparison. The adage about the enemy of an enemy came to mind. "The Tok'ra are trying to upset the Goa'uld way of life."
Martouf shook his head. "We are trying to eliminate it." The others stared at him in surprise, but he hesitated before continuing. "The Goa'uld respect no one, least of all, their hosts."
Carter's eyes flashed, and Jolinar's voice issued from her mouth. "Their tyranny over their hosts and their slaves disgusts everyone who sits at this table or visits this mountain, Tok'ra and Tau'ri—and Jaffa—alike. Only on missions do we ever hide that disgust."
"What kind of missions are we talking about?" Hammond inquired.
Jolinar and Martouf exchanged meaningful-looking glances, and Martouf shook his head, setting off warning s in the minds of the SGC personnel.
"Well?" O'Neill pressed.
"I was about to explain," Jolinar assured him. She took a breath to begin her explanation, but was interrupted by Martouf.
"I am not sure it is in our beset interests to explain further without first assuring ourselves that you can be trusted."
"That we can be trusted?" Jack repeated. "How can we be sure you can be trusted? After all, you did go and take over my friend." His gaze shifted from Martouf to Jolinar. "Do I have to remind you that you still haven't found another host?"
Jolinar's eyes flashed, startling everyone but Martouf. "You do not have to remind me about anything! But let me remind you that Captain Carter has asked that I remain within her. So the only issue we really need to discuss at the moment is whether she will return to our way of life, now that the ashrak is dead."
"Captain Carter is not going anywhere," Hammond stated. "From where I stand, there are three possible outcomes. One, we find her unfit for both her current post and life as a civilian. We would then have to find a suitable place for her to live. Two, if she is unfit for one or the other, she may continue she lifestyle she is still qualified for. Otherwise, everything will progress as it has for the past year."
Jolinar bowed her head for a moment, allowing her host to surface. "With all due respect, sir, if I can't work at the SGC—which I still can—I should go with them. Then I can at least—"
"Captain," Hammond replied, "you know too much about this program and Earth's defenses to permanently leave this planet. If you were captured by the Goa'uld again, without your team, you may give up information essential to our security. I can't allow that."
"And for similar reasons," Martouf explained, "we cannot allow Jolinar to remain here."
O'Neill waited a few seconds for a little of the tension to die away before he added to it. "We're not the Goa'uld. We're nothing like them, so I don't see how it would be a risk to whatever kind of organization you're running to let her stay here."
"I know you haven't noticed, Colonel, but we are nothing like the Goa'uld, either. And it's becoming increasingly clear that we have little in common with you," Martouf bit back. "At least we trust each other," he said, inclining his head toward the general's office and thoroughly confusing the room's non-Tok'ra occupants.
Sam shook her head, turning to him. "Martouf, that has very little to do with trust." She thought over the Tok'ra's reasoning for their anti-door bias. If everyone thoroughly trusted each other, there would be no need for privacy. "Well, maybe not, but just because we have doors doesn't mean we don't trust each other. Many people visit the SGC, and we may not trust all those outsiders."
"Kinsey," Jack suggested, pretending to cough.
The Tok'ra apparently didn't hear him. "Then your security is not as good as that maintained by the Tok'ra, in which case Jolinar must leave at once."
"Enough," Hammond said, rising. "It seems apparent that the Tok'ra cannot see us as suitable allies. Although any help in the fight against the Goa'uld seems to me ample reason to trust them, given Captain Carter's opinion, it looks like we'll just have to be aware of them for the time being.
"Martouf, you may leave now if you wish."
He shook his head. "I prefer to wait for Jolinar."
"Son, she's not leaving this base until Doctor Frasier gives the go-ahead. That may be a few days from now, at the least." He motioned to one pair of airmen. "Escort this man to the VIP suite. Take two more men with you."
As Martouf left the room, SG-1 turned expectantly toward their commanding officer. "Captain Carter, please join me in my office. The rest of you are dismissed."
Hammond led the new Tok'ra into his office, where he shut the door and took a seat behind his desk. She stood stiffly in front of his desk.
"Captain, I want to hear your feelings on all this," Hammond said.
She nodded. "Sir, I think we need an alliance with the Tok'ra, but like you, I don't see how it could work out. It's going to take a lot of them to trust us; they've never had to trust anyone who wasn't a Tok'ra. And it's going to take a lot for us to trust them, because of our dealings with the Goa'uld. But if we don't, neither of us are going to be able to fight the Goa'uld as effectively as we could together."
The general nodded, thinking over what he had seen. "I have no objections to dealing with the Tok'ra. If you think you can convince them to become our allies, I'll authorize a mission."
She shook her head. "Not yet, sir, but thank you for your confidence."
"All right then. One other thing for now. If you continue to work with SG-1, are you going to be able to do so at the same degree of proficiency?"
"Better, hopefully." Then she saw what he was really trying to ask. "I'm not going anywhere, sir. As homesick as Jolinar is, she knows as well as I do that Hathor and Apophis could both recognize me. If either passed my description on to others, it would make Tok'ra espionage missions much more difficult for her. SG-1 is always going to be my best avenue for fighting the Goa'uld."
"Espionage missions," he repeated. "Why didn't Martouf want to tell us that?"
She shrugged. "He still doesn't trust us completely, so he's probably afraid that if we know too much, we'll blow some of their covers. He doesn't know we do the same kind of thing here." She paused. "What are you going to do about him, sir?"
"Treat him like a prospective ally." He smiled. "That's all, Captain. Thank you."
"You're welcome, sir."
Sorry for the wait, but life's busy, and I hardly ever get ideas for this story. I have figured out why Tok'ra have no doors and yet wear clothes, though. Ask if you're curious.
