Title; Moonshadow (yes it will be explained in one of the next two chapters I promise).

Author; Arathi

Rating; PG-13 for violence in future chapters.

Archive; this is my first fic, I'm still not sure what this means.

Category; Supernatural/Action/Adventure also Drama and a little Angst.

Disclaimer; I own the plot, the character Keathu/Taleem, and all aspects of the race I've created for this fic (only mentioned in this chapter). Everything else I'm just borrowing.

Spoilers; I don't think there are any in this chapter.

Warnings; none for this chapter, later chapters will contain references to nudity (not graphic) and some blood.

Status; work in progress.

Author's Notes; sorry it took me so long to update. Two problems; first I had school (which only recently ended), then my muse didn't want to write the briefing scene I promised. It wanted to skip to ch3! Silly muse. Anyway, now I'm out of school until early July so hopefully I'll get a couple more updates in before school starts, at which point they'll be slower in coming again. College = much homework. 'Nuff said. I do my own editing so any mistakes are my own.

Responses to some reviews from chapter 1; BelovedOne, wish granted. Rosethorneight, you'll have to wait and see. Kalika55, good point and I tried to address that a little in here, at least briefly. Clair Shadows, you got my email about the Sentinel thing (sorry it's not a crossover), I'm very glad you like my writing style, and most of the half-dozen stories my muse has bouncing around involve Jacob/Selmak for pretty much that reason. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I'm looking forward to getting more (they feed my muse and a well-fed muse is a happy muse).

Other notes; bold is when the symbiote is talking, italics are thoughts, 'italics in quotes are conversation between Tok'Ra host and symbiote, and this thing ----- denotes a change in point of view.

And now--on with the show!

...................

Jacob sat supposedly "watching over" the blending of Keathu and Taleem. But realistically, he was just sitting arguing with Selmak for the second time that day. It certainly wasn't helping his headache to be doing so, and ideally he would have put off further argument with his symbiote for at least a month, but circumstances weren't allowing that.

First, Selmak had gotten him assigned to a mission he didn't want. Then he'd come home to find something was very wrong with Sam and she wouldn't tell him what. And finally, he'd been introduced to Keathu, who only served to complicate matters.

'You had to watch over him, didn't you?' Jacob said to Selmak. 'Any Tok'Ra could've done it but it just had to be you. They're both healthy; it's not like there's much chance of anything going wrong. Someone else could've watched over them while I talked to Sam. I thought the whole reason for getting me assigned to this damn mission was to get me to talk to her.'

'She was only becoming more defensive with each question,' Selmak responded. 'Further "pestering" would only have angered her, as you well know.

'Well I don't see you suggesting anything better,' Jacob replied irritably.

Selmak ignored his comment and went into her own explanation. 'While we watch over the blending, she has a chance to calm down. We both know she will try to avoid us until the briefing, but we will have to go over many things with Taleem before that time as it is. You will have ample opportunity to speak with her on the mission, both in regards to what is wrong, and other, older issues. You need to be patient.'

'"Be patient" my ass,' he said. 'I thought you knew patience isn't one of my strong suits.'

'I am well aware,' Selmak answered wryly.

Jacob sighed. 'You know, there are times you're a real pain in the butt,' he told her.

'No, I am a pain in the neck,' she replied, squirming slightly to prove her point. Jacob wasn't sure if he should smile at the joke or grimace at the slight discomfort caused by Selmak's wiggling. But even so, his symbiotes well-timed humor lightened his mood and not just because she never joked when she was angry, the way she had been earlier.

While Selmak was laughing at Jacob's failed attempts to think of a suitable retort, the newly blended Keathu and Taleem started to wake. It only took a moment to confirm that everything was fine, at least physically. It would take time for them to become accustomed to each other mentally.

The two Tok'Ra spent about half of the time between then and the briefing discussing everything that would need to be covered while they explained the mission. Jacob spent most of the remaining time in the commissary, since Sam was unavailable.

'She's doing this intentionally,' Jacob told Selmak. 'I tried to tell you she'd do this, that she'd find some way to avoid me if given half a chance. You didn't listen to me. Of course the "oldest and wisest" of the Tok'Ra knows everything. I know my daughter and-'

'I do not know everything, Jacob,' Selmak interrupted. 'But I do know this. Staying and angering her would have been equally as fruitless as what we do now. Watching over Taleem's blending may have given her the chance to find a way to avoid us, but it has also given her a chance to calm herself. I cannot say for certain if being calmer will encourage her to share her problems, but being angry most certainly will not.'

Jacob had to admit that she had a point. He knew he was being irrational, but when he was worrying about one of his kids, rationality tended to go out the window. It was true that Selmak shared all of his emotions. The difference was that she had many, many more years of life experience to filter them through and help put them in context than he did. There were days he wondered if he'd ever learn to stop taking his frustrations out on her, blaming her for everything even when she was right.

Jacob sighed. Sometimes sharing his mind and body with another being, especially one who was older and more knowledgeable than him, was extremely annoying. Then at other times it forced him to see things in another light, make him look at things from a different angle. Selmak could be a pain in the ass—or neck—sometimes, but she also forced him to really think about things he would otherwise have pushed into the far corners of his mind and avoided. Most importantly, or perhaps most annoyingly, she wouldn't let him lie to himself.

Her utter refusal to let him deceive himself had been one of the reasons he'd started patching up his relationship with his son. Jacob appreciated that she'd forced him to see and feel what he'd denied for so long that he'd begun to believe his own lies. But reuniting him with his son was one thing, and giving Sam information that could put her at risk was entirely another.

It was bad enough that she was on the front line of the fight against the Goa'uld, that not a day went by without him worrying about her, wondering if she was safely on Earth or off on a mission. He didn't need to worry about her getting herself in trouble on Earth on top of that. And what Selmak wanted him to tell her could do just that, it could make Earth less of a safe place for her.

'She deserves to know the truth, Jacob,' Selmak said gently.

Until she spoke up, he hadn't realized that he had not retreated into the private part of his mind to think and that Selmak was aware of the direction of his musings. 'I won't put her at risk over something that has no effect on her life anyway,' he told her.

'Samantha is not a child,' she said. 'She is a very strong, intelligent woman. She is more than capable of taking care of herself and making her own decisions. I am sure that if you explain your concerns to her she will take them into consideration. And I disagree that it has no effect on her life. She has a right to know what she is. Even if it makes no physical difference, it does make other differences. She already knows the language, why should she not be allowed to explore the rest of the culture?'

'Because some of the people she'll run into in exploring that culture aren't exactly tolerant of people like her,' Jacob practically snapped. 'Keeping her away from them is the best way to keep her safe.'

'We both know that Samantha is quite capable of defending herself when necessary,' was Selmak's reply. She was silent a moment and Jacob could sense that she was choosing her next words very carefully. 'I do not think that in your heart you truly believe she is incapable of handling the truth, Jacob. I think that you fear her going where you cannot follow, that you fear loosing her, fear that she will change with that knowledge.' He mentally glared at her as she paused to gauge his reaction. 'It is a part of her, Jacob. Whether or not she is aware of its presence within her, it is still a part of her.'

Jacob didn't respond. He couldn't. All he could do was seek out a private corner of his mind and contemplate his symbiote's words.

-----

Sam stood in the elevator waiting for it to reach her floor, hoping she could get from it to the briefing room without running into her father. But as the elevator paused and the doors opened to let another passenger enter her luck ran out and her dad joined her.

"Hey Sam," he said.

"Hey." She could tell from his expression that he'd been doing some thinking and was still catching up with the outside world. It didn't surprise her when his next words were a moment in coming.

"You remember earlier I mentioned I didn't want this mission?" he asked. She nodded and he continued, "Could you do me a favor and not mention that to anyone?"

"Sure, but… why?"

"It's a long story," he said as the elevator reached their floor. As they stepped out into the corridor, conversation died.

Sam was edgy after the events of the last couple days. First, the mistake of letting her CO see how her eyes changed as a result of that odd feeling she sometimes had. Then, suffering what was by far the worst attack of the odd feeling to date, as if the increasing frequency of the attacks over the last couple years wasn't bad enough. She found herself wishing, not for the first time, that she'd told someone about these things the first time it had happened, or at least the second or third. But those first incidences had been weeks apart, and they had been mild and not any problem at all. By the time it had become one several months later, it was too late and she'd already made the mistake of keeping it secret. She had her father's pride, and didn't like the idea of admitting to things so far after the fact, especially since she was sure to be reprimanded for keeping it secret.

Edgy as she was, the silence that fell between her and her father was just too much on top of her nervousness. It had to be broken. Glancing at her dad, she noticed the troubled expression on his face. "Dad, are you okay?" she asked.

"Who me? Fine. Just fine," he said sarcastically. "First I get stuck with a mission I don't want. Then Selmak says stuff to make me think about something more than I want to the way she sometimes does. Not to mention that a certain someone isn't talking to me." He stopped walking and looked at her pointedly. "Don't even try to tell me nothing's wrong Sam."

She couldn't lie to him, not when he put it so bluntly. She looked off to one side so she wouldn't have to meet his gaze. Stuffing her hands in her pockets and shifting uncomfortably, she found herself having to once again break the silence. "We'll have to talk after the briefing, we're going to be late."

Her father studied her for a moment, until she met his eyes. Then, slowly he led the way down the corridor, saying nothing. He didn't need to say anything, his expression told her everything she needed to know. They were definitely going to have a talk later, whether she liked it or not.

-----

Jacob was not entirely surprised that he and Sam weren't the last to arrive for the briefing, despite her warning. George, Jack, Teal'c and Keathu and Taleem were already there, but it was Daniel that got there last, and late. From what he'd heard the man was often late, so it didn't surprise him that an 'I'm sorry' look sufficed for an apology. Once he was seated, conversation immediately turned to business.

"I know you don't particularly want to listen to a history lesson, but this time it's important," Jacob said, aiming the comment at Jack who responded with a slight grimace.

"Our mission will take us to a planet called Crinnan, originally established as a research colony by a minor Goa'uld," Jacob explained. "He later discovered that there were actually considerable deposits of naquida and a few other useful minerals on that planet. After that he made it his home world so he wouldn't have to divide his best defenses between two planets and started fortifying it. Not surprisingly, being only a minor Goa'uld, the System Lords eventually killed him. From there several System Lords occupied it in turn, the last one to control it being Sokar.

"About five hundred fifty years ago the slaves that worked the mines organized a revolt. It was suppressed, but a fair number of them escaped into the surrounding areas. Fifty years later, they came back, enlisted the help of those who were still slaves and successfully revolted. Beyond the fact a revolt took place, we don't know much. Communications were lost fairly early and no one escaped to explain how they coordinated everything, which would have been difficult considering there were several mines involved scattered over a good several mile area. We also know nothing of their tactics.

"At the time, Sokar was involved in a major conflict with Ra. He had other sources for all of the materials found on Crinnan and didn't send any Jaffa to retake the planet, assuming he'd have time when the war was over. Ra ended up controlling that area of space about a century later, but because it's location was tactically vulnerable at the time, he didn't see it as worth the effort to retake."

"So what exactly does all this mean for us?" Jack asked. George gave him a warning look.

"If you'll let me finish?" Jacob responded. At a nod from George he continued. "At the time it was tactically vulnerable. Now, it could be strategically valuable, not to mention the resources it still has. The mission we have in mind has two main goals. The first is to warn the inhabitants of the threat of the Goa'uld and try to ensure they are prepared if they attempt to take control of the planet, and it is quite likely they will. The second is to negotiate a treaty to reopen the naquida mines near the Stargate. We don't know exactly how much naquida is left, but we do know that the mines weren't dry."

'Taleem has a third goal in mind, Jacob,' Selmak reminded him. 'You should tell them of it.'

'You have another goal, too, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna bring it up,' Jacob responded. 'If Taleem wants to let his other goal be know now he can bring it up himself.'

The possibility of getting naquida got everyone's attention. Jack still couldn't resist making one of his trademark sarcastic comments though. "You mean to say you guys don't have a way to get naquida except through us?"

Jacob gave him an irritated look. "We do have other ways, it's just easier when we don't have to steal it from under a Goa'uld's nose. And if you'll try to be patient, I'll explain why you're involved." Jack nodded and he continued. "One of the consequences of the attack on Ravanna is that there are fewer of us trying to handle the same number of assignments. Normally this kind of mission would be done by a group of at least four Tok'Ra. The council isn't comfortable with the idea of me going alone, and originally Taleem wasn't supposed to go. The only reason that's changed is because Keathu has been to Crinnan within the last few years and has some more up-to-date information than what we have without him. The council can't spare more than the two of us for this mission."

"So basically if we can get this mining treaty, we'll have to do most of the work," Jack said.

"We will help as much as we can," Keathu told him, but Jack didn't look particularly convinced.

"Hey, at least we're willing to share," Jacob put in. Even Jack couldn't do anything but shrug slightly and give an 'okay so you have a point' look, which Selmak found amusing.

Keathu glanced at Jacob to get his attention and tipped his head slightly to ask permission to bring up anther topic. Jacob nodded and Keathu's head dipped for a moment as Taleem came to the surface.

"There is one other task I would like to attempt to complete on this mission" he began, using the dual-toned voice of a Tok'Ra symbiote. "If it is possible, I would like to find out how the revolts were organized and what tactics were used. If we can do so, then it may be possible to use similar tactics on other planets."

"Personally I'm of the opinion that whatever those tactics were, they won't be of much use elsewhere," Jacob cut in.

"Why is that?" George asked.

"One of the unique things about Crinnan is that the population is pretty evenly split between humans and another race called Sacheni," Jacob explained. "I don't doubt that that fact is integral to the tactics they used."

"Very little is known about Sacheni," Taleem said. "Their outward appearance is human, but they are stronger and more resilient than humans. We also know that they are incompatible as hosts, since their bodies begin to reject a symbiote within days. A Goa'uld will only take one as a host in desperation, and it will only stay in that host long enough to find another, more compatible one. Occasionally a Goa'uld will take a human-Sacheni hybrid as a host for perhaps a month. After that, the hybrid's body will start to reject the symbiote just as a pure Sacheni's would. Such hybrids are rare though, and few Goa'uld will take a host for such a short period."

'"Hybrids,"' Jacob said to Selmak in a disgusted tone. 'He makes it sound so cold, like it's a bad thing to be half human and half Sacheni.'

'He does not know, Jacob,' Selmak reminded him. 'He means no offense.'

'Yea well that doesn't mean that I have to like it,' he responded.

"Why would a Goa'uld want one of these hybrids as a host if it's going to reject them anyway?" Daniel asked.

The Tok'Ra's head dropped for a moment as Keathu reemerged. "The fact that they are half Sacheni makes them somewhat stronger and tougher than humans, though not to the degree of a pure Sacheni," Keathu explained. "On rare occasion, a Goa'uld, usually an Ashrak, will take a hybrid as a host to take advantage of these traits. The disadvantage is that a hybrid also inherits a portion of the Sacheni's immune system, hence why their bodies will reject a symbiote after about a month."

Jacob's head lowered in the middle of this explanation as Selmak emerged, not because she desired to speak, but because she did not want Jacob to snap at Keathu for being a bit cold in his talk of 'hybrids.' She could understand her host's sensitivity to what the other Tok'Ra was saying. However, they both understood, and agreed, that a burst of anger would be inappropriate and it was better not to risk rousing Jacob's temper.

Jacob, for his part, was able to calm down once the briefing moved on to mission details, finally ending with George giving the go ahead for them to embark the next morning.

-----

Sam went straight from the briefing to the commissary, along with the rest of her team. The mission sounded like a good idea, the only thing nagging her about it was the bit about Sacheni. For some reason she had the feeling she should know something more about what that word meant than what she'd been told, she almost felt like she'd heard it before, although she was sure she hadn't.

Dinner was uneventful at first, aside from the talk about the upcoming mission. Sam was admittedly distracted through most of it. It wasn't until a lull in the conversation that it suddenly hit her.

"Shape-changer," she whispered under her breath.

"Hmm?" Daniel asked.

"Nothing, just thinking out loud," she told him.

"About?" the colonel prodded.

"Umm, I can't really explain it," she said truthfully. Getting up from the table she said, "I just realized I've gotta run home and get something."

"Now? We've got a mission tomorrow morning. It can't wait?" The colonel asked.

"No, sir, it can't. It won't take long, I know right where it is," she assured him. "All I have to do is go get it and come back. I'll be back in time to hit the hay for the night."

"Okay, if it's that important, run along and get…whatever this thing is," he said.

Sam hurried out of the mountain, her realization bouncing around her head. The word Sacheni, if she were to translate it to English, meant "shape-changer." It was in the language that her mother had taught her and her brother as children. She hadn't thought about it in several years, so it was no surprise to her it had taken almost all of dinner to figure out why it sounded vaguely familiar. She had never heard the word itself, but its' component parts were familiar to her, as were the rules for combining them. If there was a race of people called Sacheni on that planet, then maybe the language she'd been taught was important.

Her mother had promised to explain why she taught her children to speak, read, and write the language when they were old enough. Whether or not she had explained things to Mark, Sam didn't know, but she had never had the chance to explain her actions to her daughter.

When Sam arrived at home, she headed straight for the basement. She grabbed a box of things that reminded her of her mother and pulled out five books, all of them handwritten by one relative or another. One was a basic book, giving the alphabet used for the language, which had more letters than the English alphabet, and rules of grammar and usage for that language. Two of them were dictionaries of sorts. All of the words were grouped by first letter, but beyond that they weren't in any kind of order. One was English-to-the language Sam didn't know the name of, the other was the reverse. The fourth book was a collection of short stories, and the last she had never read.

Putting the box away, she headed back to the mountain. If she hurried she'd have a little time to do a quick review before bed. Given how long it'd been since she'd practiced, she was sure to need it. The thought struck her briefly that the fact the word Sacheni came from that language might not mean anything, but her gut told her otherwise. Sam couldn't explain it, but she was sure she wasn't going to regret her sudden decision to take the books on their upcoming mission, though given the memories they brought up, she wasn't going to let them out of her sight for a second.

When she reached her quarters in the SGC, she found a note had been slipped under the door. It was from her dad, she'd completely forgotten her agreement to talk with him. She'd have to apologize tomorrow; he was probably already asleep. For the moment, all she was going to do was re-familiarize herself with the basics of the runic language she had gone years without a thought of.

...................

So what did you think? Hopefully no school (at least 'till July) will mean a quicker update this time. I promised some hints in this chapter, and I think there are quite a few if you read carefully. QuickEdit didn't like some of the formating from previus chapters, so it's changed a tiny, tiny bit (section dividers and stuff like that).

I will be doing other points of view in upcoming chapters, it just hasn't been conveniant to do so thus far.

Next chapter; embarking on the mission to Crinnan, more clues to what's up with Sam, and dad finds out what's bugging his daughter. Plus more I don't want to give away!

My muse and I would love reviews! (And many thanks to those who reviewed previous installments.) Muse gives the sad puppy-eyed look. Just click the little button in the corner and write a couple comments, that's all we ask. Please? Pretty please?