(Telboriel and Stoko thanks. Sorry, my updates are slower than they were with the other stories. It's the last few weeks of school. All the projects, reports, and tests are happening now.
Also, a bit off topic, but Blue Banrigh, if you are reading this, I can't think of a story just about Malek. I've thought of a couple, kind of AU stories, that I can include him in though. Would that meet your challenge?)

Part 5, Fear

--Lantash--

I close my eyes briefly, and force myself to feel calm. In a rarity my host is the one helping me with emotional control instead of the other way around. The others have taken notice by the time I open my eyes. I continue moving away from the Jaffa. I feel more comfortable when we are able to walk instead of crawl away from them. Kaid is quickly covering our tracks as we move, though at this speed, it would be impossible to completely cover them.

Quiet hours pass as we continue to make our way through the forest. None of us have any idea if the Jaffa found our tracks or not. The plan was to find a good place to take cover. However, we have not found a good place to hide us all where we could also fight if needed.

Narim was in control now, and the quietness was irritating him. The same question has been buzzing our heads since the Tok'ra came. Finally he asks, "What brought you to this planet?"

Anguis looks over to him quite alarmed that he spoke needlessly in this situation.

Narim shrugged lightly, knowing what the other Tok'ra was thinking. "If they can hear my whispers, then we would be hearing them. The ground is hard, and there was many of them. We'd hear their footsteps."

The sound of Jaffa steps mentally play in my mind, sending down a shiver.

Anguis seems to not want to respond, but then his host takes over. "We were hoping the Tok'ra might be able to use this for a future home if needed. That obviously is not the case not."

"I'd say not," Daniel replies as gestures forward.

Barm and Narim look forward to see what he is referring to, and see a huge pyramid, complete with a mother ship resting on it.

Now we know why the Jaffa are here, Narim thinks as he gave me control.

Without another word we head sideways from where we had been traveling, and take cover in the bushes.

The pyramid is new. So new that we can see people still decorating the sides. There is however, no Jaffa to be seen near the great building.

Kaid makes a slight frown. "Zar must have recently taken the planet. He was probably the one to disable the dialing device. After claiming a planet, he will often disable the means to leave the planet, or remove the chaapa'ai entirely."

The look on the faces of Samantha and Daniel are a mixture of surprise and disbelief, which probably matches my own response. Samantha asks the question that warrants such a response. "You didn't think this was important to mention before we found the pyramid?"

Narim mentally chuckles as my memories tell him how many times Martouf and I sprung just that type of news to the Tau'ri.

"We did not think it was likely that Zar had taken over this planet. Lately he has had a great deal of losses."

"He lost one of those planets after the atmosphere was filled with the Tok'ra poison." I whisper harshly. "That alone should have been enough to worry about his taking over this planet once you realized the dialing device was disabled."

"If that was the case, then the three of us would be dead."

I'm about to respond, but then Narim reminds me they have no way of knowing I have a temporary immunity to the poison. One that lasts a few days at least. Giving them such information would make Selmak's lie easy to figure out. I think briefly on what to say next. "That doesn't mean this planet will stay clear of the poison."

Kaid looks back to the pyramid, and then back to us. "We cannot send out a transmission to the Tok'ra. The Jaffa may pick up on the signal, and use it to locate us."

"If Zar disabled the DHD, then he may still have the crystal," Samantha says, and I don't like where this is going. "Can we try to get it back?" She finishes. "Have any spies we might try to contact?"

I knew I wouldn't like there that was going.

Barm and Kaid give each other looks that makes it clear the answer is yes. Kaid then turns to Samantha. "Yes, Selmak infiltrated two months ago. However since we did not know about the pyramid, it is unlikely that he is on the planet."

"When was his last report," I ask.

"A month ago."

There is no need for anyone to point out the obvious in that Selmak could have learned about this planet's fate within the last month.

"Then we try to contact my dad." Samantha looks back to the pyramid.

"If we do so, we could jeopardize his mission. Doing so-"

"Do you have any other ideas?"

Kaid looks like someone had thrown him on stage and asked him to sing. "Uh, well, perhaps...what about a rebel Jaffa?"

"I cannot be certain any free Jaffa work under Zar," Teal'c replies, looking less than pleased with the suggestion. "If they do, I do not know whom they are."

"Besides I don't think the Tok'ra would be respond well to a Jaffa contacting them," Daniel points out. "Your groups don't exactly like each other."

I know how the Tok'ra must feel. Getting a Goa'uld to trust you are not Tok'ra has been getting harder over the last few hundred years. Being discovered was not only dangerous, but often wrecked months, if not years, of work. If we were the reason Selmak was discovered, she would be, to put it lightly, be quite displeased. However, what else could we do?

I personally want to get off this planet...

...now!

Kaid sighs softly. "Perhaps Anguis or I could pose as a minor Goa'uld, claiming have been trapped on the planet. By offering service to Zar, we may be able to contact the Tok'ra, or find Selmak." He turns to me. "Unless you would like to do so?"

I know he said it so I wouldn't feel left out. As far as he is concerned I was still as much of a Tok'ra as the day I "died." However I feel my stomach clench at the thought.

"No...thanks."

Kaid nods. "Anguis?"

Anguis takes control again. "I'll take the mission. If I cannot contact the Tok'ra or find Selmak, perhaps at least I can find the missing crystal. I'll search for you ahead," he gestures to our new direction, "if I am successful." Without anymore words, he walks away...either to our rescue, or his death.

--

We walk another half hour before finding a perfect cave. The mouth of it is small, and easy to hide. There is not any signs of anyone else having been in the area, only animals.

I settle into the back, and try to clear my mind of the situation. It is more of a dirt hole than a cave, but it is much larger inside than we had expected. With everyone else still in the front of the cave, I actually have some privacy. It helps that it is dark back here. I use that privacy to curl up in the corner. Anger and fear is released through quiet tears.

I had always been so strong. Now I felt so weak.

I hated the Goa'uld in general. I always have. I've hated them for what they do to other people. I've hated them for the loss Tok'ra. I hated Bastet because she had enslaved Martouf's people for hundreds of years, and then murdered most of them. My host, Setta, had also died because of her. I hated Cronus because he was the one who sent the Ashrak after Rosha and Jolinar. I hated Sokar after my time on Netu. I hated Apophis just because he just would not die. I had several reasons for hating them, and other Goa'uld.

The question is...when did I start fearing them?

To be continued...