Author's Note: I don't own stargate. Please remember to comment, review and fav my lovely readers. Also a quick question, would Erin in Atlantis be something you'd like to see happen. There's two paths that I'm thinking about taking my character down. Atlantis or the Ori. Which would you like to see more?
Chapter Twenty Four
We were surrounded on all sides by men and women with staff weapons. They all wore the same sand colored outfits to allow them to blend in easier with the surrounding desert. This seemed familiar, every mission that was supposed to be simple or at least free of danger always managed to become a life or death situation.
"We mean you no harm." A man came forward, he seemed to be the leader based on how his men adjusted their stances to allow him through to speak to us and yet stood ready to jump in should we become violent. "But I warn you, if you make any aggressive moves, we will fire upon you."
Jack, still kneeling on the ground, looked around at the people aiming their weapons at us and shrugged nonchalantly. By his sideways smile I could tell he was about to stick his foot in his mouth. "Please don't do anything stupid Jack." I muttered under my breath.
As usual he ignored me.
"Even if you managed to get all of us I'm pretty sure I'd be able to wipe that smirk off your Goa'uld face before I went down." Jack retorted to the leader.
"Like that." I whispered. If I'd hand one of my hands free I would have face palmed, as it was I scrunched my eyes closed and shook my head.
"Do not call us that!" The leader's voice went from a normal human's to the reverberation of a Goa'uld mid-sentence and his eyes flashed. "We are not Goa'uld!" He yelled.
"Martouf?" Sam suddenly spoke and stood, dropping her defensive position. Her tone was a mix of questioning and awe that was so out of place in the tense standoff that Jack and the leader momentarily forgot their squabble and turned their gazes to her.
Sam was staring a young man with a look of recognition on her face. He furrowed his brows in confusion and met the startled glances of his comrades'. "I do not know this woman."
"But I'm right, aren't I. That's your name, Martouf." Sam insisted.
He nodded cautiously. "It is. How do you know me?"
"I don't. But I knew someone who did. His name was Jolinar of Malk-shur." When Sam said this a flicker of what I could only describe as hope appeared on Martouf's face.
"Where is Jolinar?" The leader, who still spoke with a reverberation, asked.
"He died saving my life." Sam answered quickly, not realizing the effect her words had on those around us, specifically Martouf.
Martouf looked like he was about to collapse for a moment, before he regained control of himself. But his look of despair and agony that had slipped through for split second was one I had seem countless times before, both on Dani's face and when I looked in the mirror.
"That's why we're here," Daniel spoke, jarring me from my thoughts, "to seek out the Tok'ra."
Jack remained skeptical. "Assuming of course you are the Tok'ra."
The leader gave us a withering look that sent shivers up my spine, this guy was giving off strange vibes. "And if we're not?"
"Well, I guess we all start shooting, there's blood, profanity, hard feelings…it'd suck." Jack answered with his usual sarcastic wit. For a moment I could have sworn that some of the Tok'ra nearly cracked smiles.
"I learned a lot from Jolinar." Sam said. By this time she had completely lowered her gun. "Enough to know that we could be good friends. And frankly, enough to know that you are the Tok'ra."
Martouf took a step towards Sam and the rest of us tensed, Teal'c did so much as to swing his staff towards him and in turn many of the Tok'ra turned their weapons onto him. Though the rest of us could have been on an entirely different planet for all the attention Sam and Martouf paid us. "I believe this one speaks the truth. Perhaps we should… listen to what they have to say."
The leader pondered this for a moment before he raised his hand and all the Tok'ra lowered their weapons. Jack stood and nodded his head, signaling for us to do the same.
"Well that's better, isn't it?" So, take me to your leader." Jack smiled, eliciting from the leader an eybrow quirk much like Teal'c's.
The leader bowed his head. "I will take you to whom you seek. But there is one condition. You must leave your weapons with us."
"Nope." Jack responded immediately.
"I second that." I added. Just because they hadn't shot us yet didn't mean that they were harmless snakes. They were Goa'uld and so far they hadn't done much to convince me they were any different from the ones I'd met before, with the possible exception of Martouf.
The leader opened his mouth to retort, but Sam cut him off. "They won't hurt us." She insisted with such complete confidence that many of the Tok'ra were taken aback.
"And you, what, feel this?" Jack raised his gun almost imperceptibly and stiffened his stance. To anyone else it he would appear to be standing casually but as one who had known him for as long as I had I knew he was tensing for a fight.
Sam took a deep breath. "No sir, I can remember."
"O'Neill, if they are the Tok'ra, we are in no danger." Teal'c, usually the most cautious of us observed.
"If you're asking for opinions, I vote we take the chance." Daniel put forth.
"Erin?" Jack asked for my opinion.
"I'll go with the majority." I answered, though I wasn't happy about putting myself in the power of Goa'ulds without any weapon what so ever. Though I doubted if we ran into any trouble, even if we had our weapons, there'd be little we could do.
"Alright. But I want it understood that we're doing this in the spirit of future relations. I expect us to be treated as such." He handed over his precious P-90, his frown deepening when one of the Tok'ra took it from his hands.
Martouf moved forward and took Sam's gun and then mine and Dani's. "Please, come closer together." He motioned with his hands to move closer.
Jack scrunched his nose in disgust. "Why?" He sounded like a petulant child.
Dani's brought his hand up to his face and drug it down his cheek in exasperation. "Jack."
"Alright! Alright!" He took a step in close to the rest of us so everyone was standing shoulder to shoulder. Then without warning Goa'uld rings exploded out of the sand sending me shrieking and falling backwards onto Jack who caught me. Over the mechanic roar of the rings I thought I heard Jack mumble something about, "Dramatic, cryptic snakes."
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To say negotiations did not go well would be the understatement of the year, possibly the century. The Tok'ra had been under the belief that by wanting an alliance we'd want to become hosts and they had been less than pleased when we'd given them a resounding no, a "hell no" from Jack.
Teal'c and I stood towards the back while Jack, Sam and Dani tried to salvage the alliance. But every sentence they spoke dug the negotiations just that much deeper into its grave. The Tok'ra didn't want our technology, no, we were far too primitive. They didn't have any need for medicine or food. The only thing they seemed to think we were good for were to be hosts, and since none of us had offered to become the host for a dying Tok'ra that Garshaw had introduced to us called Selmak, there didn't seem to be anything we could offer them.
"You ok?" I asked Teal'c as he stood beside me. Several of the Tok'ra standing around us had been eyeing the jaffa with suspicion and while Teal'c acted like it didn't bother him, I knew that their looks reminded him of all the things he had been forced to do Apophis.
"I am fine Erin Clark." His voice was tense as he answered.
Letting out a sigh I turned my attention back to the conversation between the rest of our team and the Tok'ra high council. It had not improved.
"Technology other than our own is useless to us. We are infiltrators. We work from within the Goa'uld. Therefore it is important that we appear to be Goa'uld." Cordesh, the leader we met when we first came to the planet, pointed out when Sam had tried to bring up the topic of equipment that we would have been willing to offer.
So far I was not impressed with the Tok'ra, I understood that they were different than the Goa'uld in that they didn't take unwilling hosts, but they still had the mind-set that being hosts were all that humans were good for. The only one who didn't act like they had a stick up their but was Martouf.
"Got any ideas on how to salvage this buddy?" I leaned in and whispered to Teal'c.
He raised his customary eyebrow. "None."
Garshaw made to speak but was cut off when a man came running in and whispered in her ear. Where before she had borne a pleasant and neutral expression, her face now filled with anger at whatever the man had said. "Bring them in!" She snapped and drew her gaze to where my team was standing. "What are your people planning?" Her eyes flashed.
Jack stared dumbfounded, sure he had been a little rude but nothing that had happened in the last few minutes explained Garshaw's sudden outburst. "Beg your pardon?"
"The Chaapa-ai just activated, and brought forth these!" Garshaw waved her hand in the direction of the chambers entrance and SG-10 lead by Ferretti was escorted in followed by the rest of his team including Kalen.
When Kalen came into sight all of the surrounding Tok'ra stiffened at the sight of another jaffa. A few who were out of Kalen's earshot but still within mine muttered insults and curses in Goa'uld. Dani briefly met my disapproving gaze with one of his own, clearly they did realize that we understood Goa'uld.
The Tok'ra council gathered together and began to talk amongst themselves in hushed tones over this new development.
Jack ignored the council and approached our old friend. "Colonel Ferretti? What are you doing here?"
"General Hammond sent us to extract Captain Carter." Ferretti turned to Sam with a sympathetic glance.
Sam's face went pale and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "Why?"
Ferretti looked to the ground, searching for the right words, then he quickly raised his eyes to her. "I'm afraid it's your father, Captain. He's in the hospital in serious condition."
What? I'd heard Sam speak about her father before, they'd never been close but he had been her inspiration to join the air force. "Sam." I put my hand on her arm. She turned to me and a tear fell from her eye before she hastily brushed it off, not wanting to appear weak in front of strangers. "I'm so sorry." Sam took hold of my hand with her free hand and bit her lip to keep from crying openly.
Jack saw how close Sam was to losing control and walked right up to the gathered council, protocol about negotiations be damned. "You have to let her go home."
Garshaw stared at him in shock over his audacity before composing herself and when she spoke she did so with the air of arrogance. "I'm sorry, I cannot allow that."
Jack's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why not?"
"I'm afraid we have made our decision. We have decided not to accept your request for an alliance." She responded.
"Therefore you shall be our guests until such time as we decide to move to another planet." Cordesh added.
"Excuse me." My mouth opened of its own accord.
"I'm sure you understand with your knowledge of this planet, you have become a security risk. We cannot allow you to leave until we have moved somewhere else that you do not know about." Garshaw explained.
"Have a freaking heart! Sam's dad is dying!" I yelled at the her. Then toning down on the rage I attempted to negotiate. "Keep us if you want but at least let her see him one last time."
Cordesh was already shaking his head before I finished speaking. "She is the highest risk of all. She contains the memory of Jolinar of Malk-shur."
"We are not the only ones who have knowledge of this planet. Those we left behind with the Tau'ri also possess this knowledge." Teal'c pointed out.
"As evidenced by our friends here." Jack jerked his head towards where SG-10 was standing.
"It is our wish that your lack of return will convince them that we are Goa'uld and not Tok'ra." As Garshaw spoke the Tok'ra council began to file out of the room.
"You want them to think that we're dead?" Dani asked.
Garshaw nodded. "I'm sorry, but this is how it must be." As she turned and left Jack and Teal'c tried to follow but where stopped when two Tok'ra guards crossed their staffs over the doorway, blocking their paths.
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We were all in a small and cramped room under heavy Tok'ra guard. After the second meal had been brought to us Jack had had enough and started yelling for Garshaw. Only under threat of restraint had he stopped.
The sound of footsteps outside our, for lack of a better word, cell ceased all of the small conversations going on amongst us and Garshaw entered. "You asked to see me."
Jack stood from where he was sitting and approached the council woman. His face scrunched up in distaste. "More or less. Daniel" He called my brother over.
Dani walked over and came to a stop beside Jack. "Garshaw, could you at least tell us why you've turned down our request for an alliance?"
I could have sworn that Garshaw rolled her eyes. "We have decided that your limited resources do not offer us enough of a reward to risk the high security breach that your knowledge of us will cause."
"That's it?" Jack's pitch went high in disbelieve.
"Well, at least allow us some time to try to find some technology, some skill, something that you don't have." Dani pleaded.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe it exists." The Tok'ra woman crossed her arms and shook her head.
"So we are prisoners. You're lookin' like Goa'uld to me." Jack was close to blowing a cork.
Garshaw sighed and began to speak in that condescending way you would use with very small children. "We are doing this for your protection as well as ours. Knowledge of our whereabouts makes you and your world a priority target for the Goa'uld System Lords."
Our protection?! I stood and made my way over to them. "We're already a priority target."
"They previously dispatched two motherships to destroy us." Teal'c added as he came up beside me.
"There's another reason, isn't there?" Sam's voice came from the back of the room where she was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest. "Something else bothers you about us."
Garshaw nodded in the affirmative. "That is correct. None of you have volunteered to be a host to one of us who is dying! If you're so disgusted with the very thought of blending, how can we be associated with one another? I mean, it is obvious that you have distaste for our very being."
"No, no," Dani was quick to correct her, "it is—it is simply a lack of understanding."
"Then be a host to Selmak."
Dani's mouth gaped for a moment. "Well, I wish I could say I was okay with that, but…"
"The very thought sickens you." She put extra emphasis on sickens. "There is nothing more to be said. There will be no alliance. You will remain here until we say otherwise." And with that she turned on her heel and flew from the room.
Garshaw's abrupt exit left everyone so shaken that the room remained silent for several minutes.
The Sam stood, carful to walk quietly so to not disturb the silence, and glided to Ferretti who was bent over one of the small pools waving his hands through the water. "Colonel Ferretti? Did anyone tell you how far along my father is?" She asked.
"I'm sorry Captain. I was only told to get you back as soon as possible." He said remorsefully.
She bit her lip. "He doesn't even know why I'm not there for him. He thinks I'm off somewhere working on some damn satellite dish or something." She splashed her hand into the water angrily, sending droplets in all directions and threw herself down on one of the seats jutting out from the crystal walls.
"We're going to get you back there, Carter." Jack assured her. "The good news is, there's eight of us now."
"How is that good?" I asked, it just meant that more of us were never going to be able to go home or see our loved ones again. Never see Skaara again.
Jack turned his head towards where our guards were standing, oblivious to our conversation. "More manpower." Then it clicked, more of us to fight our way out.
"Sir. I, for one, don't want to hurt any of them." Sam said.
"Look, I'm not too thrilled about hurting anyone either." Jack stood and began to advance on Sam. "But keep in mind these people want to make you a host, and as I recall you said that whole 'Jolinar Goa'uld in the head' deal was one of the worst things that ever happened to you!"
"That's before I understood it better." Sam was defensive now. "I-If I wasn't fighting her and I knew what it meant for Jolinar to be a Tok'ra, it might have been…I don't know, enlightening." She went silent for a moment then sprung to her feet and run towards one of our guards. "I need to see Garshaw!" She yelled.
The two Tok'ra guards ran out and down the hall in the same direction that Garshaw had left moments earlier.
"Sam, what's going on?" I got up from my place beside Teal'c and Dani, who both followed shortly behind. Now all of SG-1 was standing in the center for the chamber.
"What is the one thing that they need the most?" Sam held up one finger, her face suddenly alight with hope.
"Well, hosts," I answered, "which we can't give them."
"What is it?" Garshaw exclaimed as she entered, she looked peeved to have to be called back after only a few minutes.
Behind her entered Martouf whose gaze wondered the room before he caught sight of Sam, and when he did his face broke out into a small smile.
"You said that the symbiote can cure most problems in a human?" Sam asked.
This had been so different from our previous discussions about symbiotes that Garshaw was so taken aback Martouf had to answer. "Yes, that is correct, but why …"
Sam cut him off. "Does that include cancer?"
Martouf's brows furrowed in confusion. "What is cancer?"
Suddenly I could see where Sam was going, her dad was dying and the Tok'ra held the only hope of him being saved, Selmak.
Dani stepped forward and answered Martouf. "It's a disease in humans where the cells grow out of control, you get tumours…"
"Oh yes," Garshaw understood, "it's a common ailment amongst your species. We cure it all the time, it's no problem."
Sam sighed in relief and whirled to face Jack. "Colonel, I think we should at least try to offer it to my Dad?"
"We might have a host for you." Jack said.
Garshaw's face light up. "You have a host for Selmak?"
"Yes. My father." Sam explained. "He has cancer and if Selmak can save his life, I think he'd be willing to try it."
Then an idea popped into my mind, if they could save Sam's father then maybe… "Garshaw." I saw that Jack had been about to say something and he shot me a confused glance.
The Tok'ra council woman turned to me. "Yes?"
"If you can implant a symbiote, can you remove one?" My voice trembled. Please say yes, please say yes.
"It's not an easy procedure, but we've done it before." Garshaw answered with no small amount of suspicion in her voice. "But I fail to see how this is relevant."
"Erin." Jack growled in warning.
"Jack we have to do something before it's too late." I threw back.
"Explain." Garshaw demanded.
"My fiancé was taken as a host by a Goa'uld. We were able to recapture him a few weeks ago but our doctors have been unable to remove the Goa'uld."
Garshaw's face softened with sympathy. "If you brought him here we could attempt to remove his symbiote."
"To do that you'd have to let us go." Jack pointed out our prisoner status.
She pondered this for a moment. "I will let four of you go. But the rest will remain to ensure that you will return." Then she and Martouf left the room to prepare for our departure.
"Captain Carter, you and I along with Erin will head back to the SG-C and inform Hammond." Jack said.
"Garshaw said you could bring four people." Dani reminded Jack.
"Right, Erin?" Jack looked down at me, clearly asking my opinion on the fourth member.
"Kalen." I called and the young jaffa's head snapped up in surprise.
Jack gave me a questioning look, but didn't object. "Okay, let's head out."
He led the way with the three of us trailing behind. Once we were out of earshot of out teams Kalen caught my arm and leaned down to speak to me so Sam, Jack, and the guards escorting us couldn't hear as we walked towards the rings. "Why me?"
"You're one of my closest friends Kalen. I know you wish it was more and I'm sorry. But you're one of the few people I trust to handle Klorel." It was hard to form my feelings into words, and much that I had been planning to say to him over the past few days never came out, I just hope it was enough.
Kalen remained silent until we were almost to the rings. "Thank you." He said softly.
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The gate deactivated as Jack, Sam, Kalen and I walked down the ramp at the SG-C. Hammond was waiting for us at the bottom. "Colonel O'Neill, where's Colonel Ferretti and SG-10, they were supposed to extract only Captain Carter."
Jack removed his cap and ran his hand through his hair, obviously not looking forward to explaining everything that had happened this mission. "General, we need to talk."
Author's Note: I'm going to post the next chapter very soon. This chapter's question: What's your favorite Stargate language?