The gate flared, and the iris closed as the small group of people at the
base of the ramp ended what conversations they were having, and turned
their attention to the imminent arrival.
"Receiving Tok'ra ID."
Hammond nodded.
"Open the iris."
A moment later the metal barrier swooshed open, and everyone watched as a form emerged from the gate and walked down the ramp towards them.
"Jacob, it's good to see you."
"Good to see you, too, George," Jacob Carter told his old friend, reaching out and taking his hand. He smiled as he looked the rest of the welcome committee over, and gave Sam a quick hug.
"Hey, kiddo."
"Hi dad."
"How's it going, Jacob?" Jack O'Neill asked, shaking the Tok'ra's hand.
"Oh, it's been an interesting last few months, Jack." Jacob told him, greeting Daniel and Teal'c. "Which is why I wanted to see you."
"This isn't the place to talk," Hammond said, interrupting before Jacob could say anything else. He wanted to hear what was going on with the Tok'ra, too, but he didn't want to stand around the gate room. Besides, he could have coffee in the briefing room. "Let's go talk in the briefing room."
.........
"So, what was so important, Jacob?" Jack asked when they'd all sat down around the table, and had poured themselves some refreshments.
The Tok'ra was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts, most likely.
"Have you heard from Colonel Mitchell recently, Jack?"
"I got a cryptic message from her a few months ago," Jack said, shrugging, wondering why he was asking. "Something about not worrying about her..." There was more, but it wasn't any of Jacob's business, and not something Jack was planning on sharing.
"Do you know what she and Talon have been up to?" Jacob asked him, watching O'Neill intently. If she'd told anyone, it would have been Jack, and Jacob knew it.
"No. The last time I saw her, she said that Talon had finished some weapon that was going to knock the Goa'uld back on their collective asses, but she didn't say what it was." Of course, she had told him that as soon as they were done with the testing stage, she and Talon were going to make more, and share the technology with the SGC, which Jack believed far more than he would have believed it from any other Tok'ra.
"Oh, they've got a weapon," Jacob said, chagrined. "And it's knocking everyone for a loop."
"What do you mean?" Hammond asked before anyone else could.
"She and Talon have built themselves a ship. A specially modified Goa'uld cargo ship – a Teltac. It's-"
"Modified, how?" Sam asked, curiously.
"It has a newly designed hyper drive engine, and communications that we haven't seen the likes of before. And it's bristling with weapons, including the one that Talon was working on before he blended with Colonel Mitchell."
"What kind of weapons?"
He shook his head. "We're not positive, Sam. Whatever it is – or they are – they're devastating, because she's wiping out Goa'uld left and right, and they're scrambling to find a solution."
"Wiping them out?" Jack asked, wanting a little clarification. Jacob made it sound like a bad thing, but Jack didn't see how it could be.
"She's targeting minor system lords," Jacob said. "Destroying them, and taking over their Jaffa loyalists."
"Why would she do that?" Daniel asked.
"Take over the troops?" Jacob asked.
"Yes. What possible use could she have for her own army?"
"There's a few things she could be doing," Jacob said. "We've tried to find out what's going on with her, but she doesn't respond to any of our queries, and she's pretty much ignoring any requests we've made for her to come and discuss what she's doing with us."
"What do you think she's doing?" Jack asked.
"I'm not sure, Jack. Hopefully, she's just taking over the Jaffa to keep them from going to a different system lord, and returning to fight her another day."
"Hopefully?"
Jacob shrugged. "We're not entirely sure what's going on, Jack. Talon has always held a deep hatred of the Goa'uld, and has been looking for a way to get to them. And right now, we feel he's got the perfect host to help him achieve his objectives. Melony doesn't like the Goa'uld, either, and the two have put into action a plan that Talon has apparently been preparing for for almost a century."
"What are we talking about here, Jacob?" Jack asked. "I personally am having a tough time feeling all that bad about a few dead Goa'uld."
"Not a few, Jack," Jacob corrected, seriously. "Eight."
"Eight?" Jack's eyebrows went up slightly, but he didn't catch the significance of that that Daniel did.
"Eight?" He asked Jacob.
"All minor system lords." The Tok'ra confirmed.
"Wait a minute," Daniel said. "If she's destroyed eight minor system lords, and now is in control of their Jaffa, she's a force to be reckoned with. The major system lords can't ignore her for much longer. Not with that kind of troop buildup."
"That's bad?" Jack asked Daniel.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"What she's going to do with those Jaffa. If she's just consolidating, then it's not so bad. If she's planning on using them to make an offensive against one of the Major system lords, then yes, it could be very bad. And incredibly dangerous."
"We need to find out what she's planning, Jack." Jacob told him. "And since Talon won't talk to us, we were hoping she'd talk to you."
"Which would also tell you if Talon is controlling her." Teal'c noted.
"We'd like to make sure that isn't happening." Jacob agreed.
"So I send her a message and ask her what she's doing?"
"Pretty much."
Jack didn't like to be used. He didn't like to be used by people he didn't like; he certainly didn't like to be used by people he DID like. Of course, in this case, he was pretty much as concerned as the Tok'ra. Well, no. He wasn't at all concerned about the dead Goa'uld – the more the better as far as he was concerned. He was concerned about Melony, though. He nodded.
"I'll send her a message, but if she doesn't answer, it might just mean she's a little too busy to reply."
"Receiving Tok'ra ID."
Hammond nodded.
"Open the iris."
A moment later the metal barrier swooshed open, and everyone watched as a form emerged from the gate and walked down the ramp towards them.
"Jacob, it's good to see you."
"Good to see you, too, George," Jacob Carter told his old friend, reaching out and taking his hand. He smiled as he looked the rest of the welcome committee over, and gave Sam a quick hug.
"Hey, kiddo."
"Hi dad."
"How's it going, Jacob?" Jack O'Neill asked, shaking the Tok'ra's hand.
"Oh, it's been an interesting last few months, Jack." Jacob told him, greeting Daniel and Teal'c. "Which is why I wanted to see you."
"This isn't the place to talk," Hammond said, interrupting before Jacob could say anything else. He wanted to hear what was going on with the Tok'ra, too, but he didn't want to stand around the gate room. Besides, he could have coffee in the briefing room. "Let's go talk in the briefing room."
.........
"So, what was so important, Jacob?" Jack asked when they'd all sat down around the table, and had poured themselves some refreshments.
The Tok'ra was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts, most likely.
"Have you heard from Colonel Mitchell recently, Jack?"
"I got a cryptic message from her a few months ago," Jack said, shrugging, wondering why he was asking. "Something about not worrying about her..." There was more, but it wasn't any of Jacob's business, and not something Jack was planning on sharing.
"Do you know what she and Talon have been up to?" Jacob asked him, watching O'Neill intently. If she'd told anyone, it would have been Jack, and Jacob knew it.
"No. The last time I saw her, she said that Talon had finished some weapon that was going to knock the Goa'uld back on their collective asses, but she didn't say what it was." Of course, she had told him that as soon as they were done with the testing stage, she and Talon were going to make more, and share the technology with the SGC, which Jack believed far more than he would have believed it from any other Tok'ra.
"Oh, they've got a weapon," Jacob said, chagrined. "And it's knocking everyone for a loop."
"What do you mean?" Hammond asked before anyone else could.
"She and Talon have built themselves a ship. A specially modified Goa'uld cargo ship – a Teltac. It's-"
"Modified, how?" Sam asked, curiously.
"It has a newly designed hyper drive engine, and communications that we haven't seen the likes of before. And it's bristling with weapons, including the one that Talon was working on before he blended with Colonel Mitchell."
"What kind of weapons?"
He shook his head. "We're not positive, Sam. Whatever it is – or they are – they're devastating, because she's wiping out Goa'uld left and right, and they're scrambling to find a solution."
"Wiping them out?" Jack asked, wanting a little clarification. Jacob made it sound like a bad thing, but Jack didn't see how it could be.
"She's targeting minor system lords," Jacob said. "Destroying them, and taking over their Jaffa loyalists."
"Why would she do that?" Daniel asked.
"Take over the troops?" Jacob asked.
"Yes. What possible use could she have for her own army?"
"There's a few things she could be doing," Jacob said. "We've tried to find out what's going on with her, but she doesn't respond to any of our queries, and she's pretty much ignoring any requests we've made for her to come and discuss what she's doing with us."
"What do you think she's doing?" Jack asked.
"I'm not sure, Jack. Hopefully, she's just taking over the Jaffa to keep them from going to a different system lord, and returning to fight her another day."
"Hopefully?"
Jacob shrugged. "We're not entirely sure what's going on, Jack. Talon has always held a deep hatred of the Goa'uld, and has been looking for a way to get to them. And right now, we feel he's got the perfect host to help him achieve his objectives. Melony doesn't like the Goa'uld, either, and the two have put into action a plan that Talon has apparently been preparing for for almost a century."
"What are we talking about here, Jacob?" Jack asked. "I personally am having a tough time feeling all that bad about a few dead Goa'uld."
"Not a few, Jack," Jacob corrected, seriously. "Eight."
"Eight?" Jack's eyebrows went up slightly, but he didn't catch the significance of that that Daniel did.
"Eight?" He asked Jacob.
"All minor system lords." The Tok'ra confirmed.
"Wait a minute," Daniel said. "If she's destroyed eight minor system lords, and now is in control of their Jaffa, she's a force to be reckoned with. The major system lords can't ignore her for much longer. Not with that kind of troop buildup."
"That's bad?" Jack asked Daniel.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"What she's going to do with those Jaffa. If she's just consolidating, then it's not so bad. If she's planning on using them to make an offensive against one of the Major system lords, then yes, it could be very bad. And incredibly dangerous."
"We need to find out what she's planning, Jack." Jacob told him. "And since Talon won't talk to us, we were hoping she'd talk to you."
"Which would also tell you if Talon is controlling her." Teal'c noted.
"We'd like to make sure that isn't happening." Jacob agreed.
"So I send her a message and ask her what she's doing?"
"Pretty much."
Jack didn't like to be used. He didn't like to be used by people he didn't like; he certainly didn't like to be used by people he DID like. Of course, in this case, he was pretty much as concerned as the Tok'ra. Well, no. He wasn't at all concerned about the dead Goa'uld – the more the better as far as he was concerned. He was concerned about Melony, though. He nodded.
"I'll send her a message, but if she doesn't answer, it might just mean she's a little too busy to reply."