Author's note: As most of you know who are following my stories, I am making an effort to update two a week. The schedule is on my profile page. This is in between meeting professional writing deadlines and other obligations. Like today, 7/24/09, I helped another writer with his game launch on Twitter

The Tok'ra

Dragonlots aka Dana Bell

Chapter 4

Lily talked for a long time telling Liz and Karl about what had happened to Voyager, about the Federation, and what she'd endured after we'd gone through the Stargate.

"I would never have made it without Sholan." She sipped her water.

"Sholan?" Karl asked.

"The Tok'ra."

"We know about the Tok'ra," Liz told us. "They were allies of ours."

"I have one inside me."

"Lucky you." Karl stared hard into our eyes. "Hey, Sholan, you in there?"

Briefly I made Lily's eyes flash. "I am," I answered.

"Oh, hush," my host scolded me. "You're showing off."

I went back to sitting in the back of her mind and listening.

"Sholan may or may not know the coordinates back to where Voyager is. I have noticed he can be a bit deceptive, depending on whatever it is he wants."

"He?" Karl seemed a bit surprised. "I thought they chose the sex of their host according to what they were."

"Not always." Lily toyed with her glass. "Sometimes they really don't have a choice."

The lights flickered overhead and the room fell oddly silent. I didn't miss the concerned look passed between Liz and Karl.

"Wraith," Karl said.

"Are they attacking?" Lily was on her feet. Automatically her hand sought the phaser she no longer had.

"The village overhead," Liz explained. "We have to sacrifice a few of our people to maintain the illusion and protect us all. Mostly," and she took a deep breath, "it's the older people who don't have long to live anyway. They think of it as a more merciful way to die than of the disease or whatever ailment is killing them."

I sensed Lily's deep horror. Life in the Federation was sacred and they did all they could to make it long and full. "That's…that's…" My host had no words.

Liz gave my host a hard look. "It's what we've had to do to survive. You have no right to judge us."

'Prime directive,' I reminded her.

'Shut up, Sholan.'

I didn't want to, but I did.

Lily sat back down. "You're right. I don't."

The lights flickered again and vaguely we heard a high pitched whine.

Karl made a face. "Darts."

Liz reached over and took his hand.

"You'd think," he continued as if he wasn't aware of Liz's hand, "that after all these years, they would have come up with something new."

"Wraith aren't very creative." Trish McKay sat down. Her plate was loaded with meat and fruit. "They haven't changed in over ten thousand years. At least, not according the records we have."

"And they defeated the Ancients," Liz added.

"I'd like to blow them into whatever afterlife they believe in." Karl's angry lean face turned red.

"Maybe one day," Liz quietly said.

"Not soon enough," he replied. He made it sound almost like a vow, one he intended to carry out one day.

For some reason that concerned me, Lily as well. "You don't think they have the right to live?"

"You've never seen what the Wraith do to a village." Karl's eyes blazed, almost like one of us was inside him.

"I'll admit I haven't." Lily was a little frightened. I could feel her pulse starting to race.

"Maybe I'll take you topside with me when they're done. You'd get a real close up view that way."

"Karl," Liz's tone held a warning. "Don't be cruel to our guest."

"If she's going to live here, she needs to know. They both do."

'Sholan, what should I do?'

'Tell them you understand, even if you don't.'

"Okay, I understand. It's awful."

"It's your worst nightmare." Karl got up and left the room. After a few moments, Liz followed him.

"Wrong thing to say," Trish told us.

"Why? Under Federation law,"

"You know, Lily wasn't it?" My host nodded. "You're a long way home and your people sound very idealistic. But in this galaxy, you either kill the Wraith or they kill you." Dr. McKay glanced around as if she was afraid to be overheard. "What you don't know," she said more quietly, "is that Karl lost his sister to the Wraith a couple of years ago. The two of them were on a mission together and they got captured. Damn queen killed Sheila right in front of him. Made him watch. Karl hasn't been quite the same since."

Suddenly, I understood the implications and I knew when Lily began to understand as well. "Oh, I…I don't what to say."

"Just don't talk about them like they're people. They aren't. They're deadly predators and if you're going to survive here, you need to understand that or else, well, you'll end up being a main course for one of them." Trish got up. "I have work to do, if you'll excuse me."

"Of course."

McKay left us.

"Oh, Sholan, these poor people. How can we help them?"

I didn't have any idea.