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The temple was not at all what he expected. It was very gaudy, very gold, and very Goa'uld.

As was the woman who rose slowly from the large ornate throne in the greeting room to welcome them.

Jack averted his gaze from Anise's considerable assets, the form-fitting gown almost sheer in places and non-existent in others. He heard Sam mutter an "oh brother" under her breath and wondered if the costume was what the Tok'ra expected Sam to wear when she went undercover.

If it was, there was absolutely no way in hell he was letting her go alone, especially if the buff, bare-chested man dressed in nothing but a pair of leather pants staring appraisingly at Sam from Anise's side was in any way involved.

"Anise," Selmac greeted the female Tok'ra, a note of distaste in the tone. "You have taken well to the role of Ament."

Anise inclined her head. "You know as well as I that we must do what we are required to, Selmac." She approached the trio slowly, her gaze roving appraisingly over Sam before shifting to Jack. A small smirk curled up the corners of her mouth. "Are Daniel Jackson and Teal'c still aboard the cargo ship?"

"They had other plans, sorry." Jack shrugged, doing his best not to glare or grimace under the weight of her gaze. "Looks like you'll have to make do with just us. So. What's the plan and why can't you do it yourself without needing us to save your asses again?"

"The Tok'ra require my presence elsewhere, Colonel O'Neill." It was the symbiote's host, Freya, who spoke answered him smoothly. "But we have spent too long creating the persona of Ament to give it up. Thmei and Heset are due to arrive by nightfall. Ament offered to host the summit here as a show of trust, inviting them into her territory to demonstrate that she does not fear them and indeed welcomes an alliance."

"The Goa'uld are coming here?" Jack clarified, glancing at Jacob to see a flicker of surprise on his face, too. "In, what, a couple of hours?"

"Indeed." The smirk on the face of the man who accompanied Anise made something twist in his gut, as did the way he walked towards them, descending the steps from the dais upon which the throne was set. "You must be Samantha Carter," he continued, reaching a hand to touch Sam's hair. His eyebrow arched when she pulled away before he could touch her, and his smirk widened when Jack shifted closer. "Anise has informed me of the plan to have you replace her on this mission, Samantha. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is To'ran. I shall be your Lo'taur. It will be my great honour to serve."

"To'ran is awaiting a Tok'ra symbiote," Anise explained before Jack could make a comment about just how the man planned on serving. "He was asked to join this mission as he is uniquely able to serve as Lo'taur as he does not have a symbiote and would therefore be overlooked by the others."

"I don't have a symbiote either," Jack said, raising his hand, shooting a look at Jacob.

"My apologies, Anise. As Selmac and I were unaware that you had already arranged for a Lo'taur, we agreed to Jack's request that he be given a role on the mission with Sam. This is non-negotiable," Jacob added when his fellow Tok'ra looked likely to object. "General Hammond stipulated it as a condition of SG-1's involvement."

Neither Sam nor Jack reacted to the little white lie, both too well trained to give anything away. To'ran and Anise weren't as well trained, and they both caught the glimmer of annoyance on their faces before they managed to school their expressions.

Jack glanced at Sam and found her looking at him. She quirked an eyebrow and he gave the tiniest of nods in return, confirming that they were on the same page.

"I am afraid that will not be possible," Anise responded after a moment. "Thmei and Heset have met To'ran and will be expecting him to be in attendance. He has been their point of contact so though they will not question Major Carter as Ament, they will question if To'ran is not present as her Lo'taur."

"Then she'll have two Lo'taur's." Jack shrugged. "That's possible, isn't it?"

"It is," Selmac answered before Anise could object. "It is not unheard of for a Goa'uld to have multiple Lo'taur's, though is rare as they must be absolutely sure that they can be trusted. In many cases, Lo'taur's are usually the same gender as the host of the Goa'uld, as in the event that the host is injured beyond the symbiote's ability to heal, they are available as a replacement. You say To'ran has spoken to the Goa'uld in your absence?"

"I have," To'ran confirmed when Anise merely nodded. "I spoke mostly with the Lo'taur's of Thmei and Heset, though was introduced to the Goddesses when making arrangements for them to arrive here for the summit."

"Where did you say Ament was when you were holding those talks?" Jacob questioned.

To'ran's brow furrowed. "I explained that my mistress had matters to attend to elsewhere, that she was not here at the temple."

"Then it is possible, and indeed likely, that Ament would have had another Lo'taur with her." It was Jacob's turn to smirk as Jack relaxed marginally at the confirmation he was going to be involved. "We have limited time before they arrive. I suggest we move somewhere we can all be comfortable, and you can brief Sam and Jack on what they can expect from this meeting."

Neither Anise nor To'ran looked happy, but Freya, when she spoke, did so with the slight inclination of her head. "Of course. If you would follow me," she demurred, holding her skirt out of the way so she could lead the way out of the temple.

After a moment's hesitation, Jack motioned for Sam and Jacob to follow.

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Next choice: Anise and To'ran. Good guys, or bad guys?