As unhappy as Jack O'Neill was to see all the Tok'ra, there were several Tok'ra who were just as displeased to see the small party top the ridge above them.

"They've arrived…"

The voice was deep and arrogant, and filled with animosity.

Several others turned and looked as well, shading their eyes against the sun to see the small party start heading down the trail towards them.

"Selmak is a fool for allowing this…"

The speaker was a large man – muscular and powerfully built, with skin the color of rich mahogany and vivid green eyes that were alive with the fury that the symbiote within him was feeling.

"The Tau'ri might be able to get the machine working where we can not, Cato," countered another – this one smaller, but still with the characteristic deep arrogance in his voice.

"And then what?" Cato snarled. "We let them have it? The Tau'ri are more trouble than they are worth."

"They are not to be taken lightly," another said. She was the only female in the group – and older than any of the others, even though her host was one of the youngest. "They have defeated and killed several System Lords."

"They were fortunate, Veda," Cato said. "That is all. It is easy to seem dangerous if you have luck on your side."

"The facts speak for themselves," Veda said, unwilling to back down from Cato or anyone else. "The Tau'ri are a formidable people – and Jack O'Neill is not one to be underestimated."

"Bah…" Cato spat on the ground in disgust. "O'Neill! Selmak might think highly of O'Neill and the others, but I will not be fooled by them – and I will not give them technology that will help us more than them."

"How do you intend to keep them from getting it?" Another male asked, curiously as he watched the group getting closer. "O'Neill has-"

Cato looked at the group coming as well, and sneered.

"He has no one. One Jaffa, one fighter, a boy and a pregnant woman."

"And the dogs."

"Pets." Another sneer. "What do I have to fear from their pets? If O'Neill tries to take the ship or the technology from us, I will make sure he never tries it again."

"Selmak will not a-"

"Let me worry about Selmak."

OOOOOOOO

"Well, they're a friendly looking group…"

Of course, Ian didn't know the Tok'ra – obviously – so he didn't know how they normally looked, but he could plainly tell that Jack didn't like the Tok'ra – mostly – and his time with Bra'tac had taught him that the Jaffa and the Tok'ra didn't get along all that well either. Their truce was an uneasy one at best.

"They're not so bad," Jacob said, shrugging. "They just don't trust strangers."

Which was fine with Jack, because he didn't trust them, either, although he didn't say anything. He did, however, come over to walk right beside Sam as they approached the group of Tok'ra waiting to greet them, with Jaffer taking his position on the other side, flanking her and watching the group they were approaching suspiciously.

They stopped when they reached the small group, and Jacob stepped forward, but it was Selmak who spoke – causing Ian to stare at him once more when his voice turned deeper than he'd ever heard it before.

"Cato. Cyril. Veda. Rach. Bern." He pointed to each of the Tok'ra as he named them, and they each made a motion with their heads in one way or the other as a form of acknowledgement to the introduction. Jack had never met any of them before, and neither had any of the others, but Daniel tried smiling diplomatically as Jacob turned and introduced them, now.

"This is Jack O'Neill, Sam, Teal'c, Daniel Jackson and Ian Brooks."

Cato stepped forward, looking at Sam's belly for the briefest of moments before giving her a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"You are the daughter of Selmak's host?"

Sam nodded.

"Then you are welcomed here…"

He reached his hand out to take hers in greeting, but a low growl from the black lab standing beside Sam stopped him and drew his attention to it. Jaffer was normally fairly picky about who he let close to Sam anyways, and there was no way he was going to let this one touch her. Not unless Jack said it was okay – and Jack didn't say a word, especially since he didn't want the Tok'ra anywhere near Sam, either.

"He's a little overprotective," Sam said to Cato, giving him a smile.

The Tok'ra gave her another smile – just as false as the first one – and looked down at the lab again, withdrawing his hand.

"A noble champion to be sure…"

Yeah, he didn't mean that, and they could all tell.

Cato turned to look at Ian, next, and the Cadet reacted predictably to the slight curling of the Tok'ra's upper lip. He scowled.

"Is the boy your apprentice, O'Neill?"

"Fu-"

"Ian."

Jack knew immediately the reaction was going to be, and cut him off before he could even say it. He had a feeling Cato was just trying piss them off, and he'd found the quickest way to anger Ian on the first attempt. But Jack didn't want him to know it. A lesson Ian was going to have to learn.

"Ian's here because he's smarter than pretty much anyone," Jack said. "If Sam can't make your little toy work, then Ian probably can. Unless you piss him off and he tells you exactly where to shove it."

Cato hadn't heard that particular phrase before, but it didn't take him much to figure it out. The Tok'ra scowled, and started to say something, when Veda stepped between Cato and Jack.

"We are allies," she said firmly. "And should not be having a discussion like this." She looked at Cato pointedly, waiting for him to step back, and he did, finally – although he still scowled – and then smiled at Jack and Ian both. "We are grateful the Tau'ri are willing to attempt to help us."

Sam smiled as well. A relieved smile, since she was definitely glad someone had stepped up before Jack was forced to kick the big Tok'ra's ass. It definitely wouldn't have been the right way to start a relationship with this group, and since Jaffer would have definitely jumped into the fight, it saved the Tok'ra a lot of bloodshed – even though they didn't know it.

"We're here to help, if we can."

Veda nodded, and looked at Jacob.

"Refreshments?"

Jacob Carter nodded.

"I think we could all use a chance to get out of the sun and cool off."

Some more than others, perhaps.