SIX: THE TOK'RA

Kelnour, Selmak's trusted second, listened with undivided attention as Selmak's host spoke to Major Samantha Carter of the SGC. The Tok'ra High Council were unaware that so many meetings took place between Selmak's host and the SG-1 member, and Kelnour supposed it was probably for the best. After all, they could learn much from the Tau'ri. Like their plans to destroy Anubis, and what else they had in store for the other System Lords. Kelnour knew that the Goa'uld considered the Tau'ri a real threat, even if the Tok'ra High Council was unwilling to realise that that they could do real damage to the System Lords.

"It shouldn't be much longer before it can be tested," Samantha Carter said with quiet enthusiasm. "A few more weeks at least. This could mean the end of the Goa'uld!"

Selmak's host smiled, but Kelnour could see there was hesitance to it. Then again, Kelnour himself was not exactly enthusiastic about the SGC's new method to wipe out the Goa'uld. For the Tok'ra, while not power-hungry as a general rule, were made from the same stock. They were symbiotes sharing a host, who relied upon the human body to live. If the Tau'ri perfected their plans, it could mean the end of not just the System Lords, but the Tok'ra as well. And that did not sit well with Kelnour.

Several hours later, Selmak and Kelnour returned through the Stargate to a neutral planet before gating to the latest Tok'ra base. And while Selmak went to rest for the evening, Kelnour paced the confines of his quarters, his mind working furiously. He could not allow the Tau'ri to discover a way to destroy the Tok'ra. Ever since the alliance had been settled, more and more Tok'ra had died. He could not allow his already dying race to be eliminated completely.

And with one well-placed whisper of the name of a high-ranking SGC officer to an operative within Anubis' fleet, Kelnour had reason to believe that the Tok'ra would live on for a lot longer. Even if that did mean that the System Lords would as well. What was the life of one Tau'ri when weighed against the remainder of the Tok'ra, after all?

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"Send the drone," Anubis ordered.

His Jaffa scurried to comply, knowing that their god had just discovered the best way to hurt the Tau'ri after all. And it wasn't SG-1 that would be the target this time. They would just be a welcome bonus.

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"Colonel Dixon, this is General Hammond," Hammond said, speaking into the radio transmitter that would send the radio signals through the Stargate, across the galaxy and out through Colonel Dixon's radio. "We have reason to believe the Goa'uld probe sent out a transmission prior to your disabling of it. I'm ordering you to return to Stargate Command immediately."

"Roger that sir," Colonel Dixon replied. "Estimated arrival time, fifteen minutes. Dixon out."

Colonel Dixon turned to the civilian archaeologist on his team.

"Pack it up Doctor we're going home," he announced. He clicked his radio to life and brought it closer to his mouth. "Wells. Bosworth."

Several hundred meters from where Dixon and Balinsky stood, Airman Wells and Captain Bosworth patrolled the area, their weapons aimed, ready for troubled.

"Wells here," Senior Airman Simon Wells said into his radio.

"Bring it home boys, we're booking out," Dixon transmitted.

"Roger that sir. Wells out."

"About time," Bosworth commented with relief.

From behind them, a fiery bolt from a staff weapon shot through the air, striking Simon Wells in the back, knocking him to the ground, burning pain rushing through his body.

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"You have your orders!" the first prime of Anubis yelled at the Jaffa troops. "Anything that moves, kill it. And bring me the wretch who thinks to destroy the very gods themselves. Dead or alive, I will take great satisfaction in reviving and torturing the Tau'ri hashack."

The Jaffa nodded their comprehension. They'd been well-versed in what their mission was. Why their lord wanted one Tau'ri woman confused them, but they were willing to do whatever it took to please Anubis. He didn't take failure well, and the lesson was learnt through death. There were no second chances when you served Anubis.

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Chaos reigned on the formerly quiet planet that had been designated P3X-666. Gunshots blasted through the air, as staff blasts fired overhead. A lone glider flew through the air, firing at the troops on the ground, and the Jaffa kept their eyes peeled for the prize they had come to claim. Killing any other Tau'ri was merely a bonus.

A single Jaffa, the one who'd caused the first injury lay in wait of what he knew was inevitable. The Tau'ri were predictable.

There.

He watched as two people came running to aid the injured soldier. With both of them preoccupied, the Jaffa crept forward, keeping out of sight, and carefully watching the duo working on the injured man. He noticed the soldier keeping them covered, and made his way around him, careful not to be shot by any of his bursts of bullets.

And then the perfect opportunity arose. His lord was going to be tremendously pleased with him. With a sinister and self-satisfied smile, the Jaffa lifted his staff weapon and took aim, firing a single fiery shot that caught the target dead on. He watched with a smirk as his prey flew backwards and landed heavily.

"I need a medic! Fraiser's been hit! I need a medic!"

The Jaffa remained on watch, the battle surrounding the area becoming louder and more violent. He watched as the Tau'ri began retreating back to the gate.

And he watched as they wrestled with their decision to leave the dead woman behind.

Fools.

The gate closed behind the Tau'ri, leaving the Jaffa patrol with the very prize they had come for.

The remaining warriors of Anubis gathered around the dead woman. With little ceremony the Jaffa who'd struck her down picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and the group made their way to the gate.

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Jacob Carter felt his heart break for his daughter as he listened to her tearful explanation about what had happened to her best friend, and one of the feistiest people Jacob had ever had the pleasure to meet. He'd had a great respect for the petite doctor, and he was genuinely saddened to hear of the woman's death, and subsequent disappearance from the planet that she'd perished on.

And although Jacob would never say anything aloud to his daughter on the whereabouts of Doctor Janet Fraiser, the uncomfortable feeling that began in the back of his neck and settled in his stomach told him that things may not have been as uncomplicated as Sam made it out to be. Selmak, the symbiote that Jacob had quickly learned to trust, agreed with him as well.

Doctor Fraiser's death, while tragic, was no accident.

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When Samantha Carter next saw her father, it was a tremendous shock. Not only because he was dragging a bound and gagged Tok'ra with him through the 'Gate, but also because of the sight of two more Tok'ra supporting the limping figure of her supposedly dead best friend.

"What the hell is going on!" General George Hammond yelled, his voice carrying over the loudspeaker in the Gate Room.

Those that had the fortune to be in the Gate Room could barely contain their shock. The sight of a badly injured Doctor Janet Fraiser was not something they'd expected when Hammond had given the order to 'open the iris'.

SG-1, having been interrupted from a de-briefing when the klaxons had sounded, simultaneously raced to the Gate Room, Sam Carter and Daniel Jackson easing the weight of their friend away from the Tok'ra and settling her to take a seat at the bottom of the ramp.

Hammond hurried down to the Gate Room, his eyes silently questioning his oldest friend as Jacob glanced at the bound Tok'ra that glared mutinously at his surroundings.

"Kelnour has a confession," Jacob said, his fingers pinching violently into Kelnour's neck, hurting both host and symbiote.

"What in god's name are you talking about?" Hammond asked. "Where did you find her? How is she even alive?"

"Kelnour betrayed us. Both the Tok'ra and the Tau'ri," Jacob said, his voice thick with anger. "When Sam told me about what had happened to Doctor Fraiser…well, it didn't sit properly with me. Especially not after what Sam told me Janet had discovered."

"Discovered?" Daniel, Jack and Hammond asked simultaneously.

"An efficient, effective and painless way to kill the Goa'uld," Jacob explained. "Sam told me about the project, in hopes that I could give Doctor Fraiser any help Selmak and I had to offer. I foolishly assumed that my most trusted friend would not betray the information my daughter told me."

"She would have killed us all!" Kelnour spat angrily.

"So you sold her out to Anubis!" Jack O'Neill yelled.

And although it went against a good many of O'Neill's principles to hit an unarmed, and thoroughly bound prisoner, O'Neill hauled back and slugged the Tok'ra with every ounce of anger and grief that he could summon. The Tok'ra rocked with the force of the blow and O'Neill shook his hand, hoping he hadn't done too much damage.

"We had a Tok'ra operative working within Anubis' ranks, one who'd worked with Doctor Fraiser at the Alpha Site many months ago. When he recognised her, he managed to formulate a plot to escape. Unfortunately he was killed rescuing her," Jacob explained.

"More Tok'ra will die if you allow her to continue with her plans," Kelnour said disdainfully.

"And we'll let her experiment with whatever the hell it is on you first," Jack replied testily.

And at the bottom of the ramp, Janet sat, her hands shaky with hunger and exhaustion. Sam was gently running her hands across Janet's ribs, both looking for damage to the woman's body, and to give herself a tactile reassurance that her best friend had been returned to them, alive and in tact. Daniel carefully seated himself behind the doctor, allowing her to lean fully against him when he noticed her shoulders sagging with the effort it took to keep herself upright.

"Janet?" Sam whispered softly, worried by the absolute silence in her usually exuberant friend.

Janet's eyes snapped into focus and she looked at Sam, blinking widely as though trying to determine whether or not her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"You're home," Sam whispered softly. "You're safe. We won't let anything happen to you again."

Janet nodded absently, hearing the words but not particularly comprehending them.

"Sam?" Janet said softly, her voice hoarse for reasons Sam didn't want to contemplate. "Cass?"

"She's safe," Sam assured her. "I'll get her here, okay?"

Janet nodded again and released a sigh of relief. She leant back against Daniel who ran his hands up and down her arms, hopefully offering her some comfort.

"Y'know, I didn't think it was possible, but I think we've found a Tok'ra we hate more than Anise," Jack said irreverently as he stepped off the ramp and squatted in front of the doctor, his eyes worried even as he kept his tone light and flippant.

Sam, Daniel and Hammond frowned in disapproval. Janet just smiled.

She couldn't agree more.

(This one was kinda inspired a bit by the fifth fic of a series by Melissa andKarli. It's a Jack/Janet fic that's got a fantastic plot. So go check out the Destiny series at www. geocities. com / melissaadams22 ps, remember to take out the spaces!) It's in the Jack O'Neill sectioned. First fic in the series is called Snip Snip and it's all kinds of funny.)