Tok'ra Homeworld

On the surface

SG-1 walked through the Stargate and onto the planets' surface. They were standing in a plain, nothing but waving blades of grass for miles all around. There were no sign of civilization, no cities, no houses, and no farmland. This didn't faze SG-1, however. The Tok'ra had always been a secretive race, for their survival had depended on it. But now that the Go'ald were gone, and the threat of the Be'nox unknown to them, O'Neill wondered from what it was that they were hiding. Centuries of habit were hard to shake off, apparently.

The four followed a path that lead away from the Stargate for a few meters until they stopped at an inconspicuous piece of ground. "Should be about here…" began O'Neill when a ring transporter activated and whizzed them to the crystalline tunnels that served as the Tok'ras' sanctuary far below. Briefly looking around at the new surroundings, O'Neill nodded his head. "Yep, here it is."

A few feet ahead of them, a Tok'ra walked towards them. He looked as though he was in his twenties, with dashing features and intelligent eyes. He seemed pleased at their arrival. "Ah, SG-1, it's our pleasure to have such an illustrious team present," he said kindly. "General O'Neill, Colonel Carter, Dr. Jackson, and…" his face dropped and became guarded. "Teal'c."

Teal'c ignored the less the welcome tone, and politely nodded in return. Jackson, sensing the tension, attempted to ameliorate the situation. "Teal'c's no longer a member of the Jaffa Council," he hastily explained.

The Tok'ra looked slightly more pleased with this answer, but Teal'c didn't take as kindly to Jacksons' intervention. "I am sorry for the offense," the Tok'ra symbiot apologized in a deep voice. "The Tok'ra should recognize the Jaffa as friends and essential allies for the future. My reaction was one of centuries of mistrust that should no longer have a place in my etiquette."

Teal'c dismissed it with a slight wave of his hand. "No apologizes are necessary."

The Tok'ra looked immensely relieved. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sec'ra."

Sec'ra bowed his head, and when he spoke it was lighter in tone. "And my name is Nadian. Sec'ra and I have been together since I was a child," explained Nadian. "I was the son of the chief priest for one of the Go'ald system lords. The Tok'ra started a rebellion on my home planet, and Sec'ra's host became fatally wounded during a fight with some Jaffa. I volunteered as a host, and the rest is history," he said with a smile.

Suddenly, Nadian looked over at Carter in puzzlement. "You were once a host, is that correct?"

"Yes," Carter answered, nodding her head. "I was a host for a brief time to Jolinar, but he died in order to save my life."

"And your father was host to Sel'mac, yes?"

Carter swallowed a lump that formed in her throat. "Yes, he was."

"That is quite a tragedy," Sec'ra suddenly chimed in. "I am eternally indebted to Jacob Carter for receiving Sel'mac. We have worked together in the past."

O'Neill grew impatient with the idle chitchat. He alone knew how under the clock they were. "As much as I appreciate these conversations, we have some pressing business with the council."

"I will summon them at once," Sec'ra said. "This way."

With Nadian in the lead, O'Neill, Carter, Jackson, and Teal'c walked down the cold, winding labyrinth to meet the head of the shadowy Tok'ra.

Tok'ra High Council

The cavern was filled with the members of the Tok'ra High Council, all of them wearing the traditional dress. O'Neill, Teal'c, Carter, and Jackson stood in the center of the room, while the members were seated. O'Neill looked at them, and wondered just how helpful the Tok'ra were going to be. He didn't have his hopes up to high, but he was willing to be surprised. The leader of the council stood, called for order, and the room quieted down.

"General O'Neill," she started off. "Colonel Carter, Dr. Jackson, and Teal'c. Sec'ra tells us that there is something of great import which you wish to tell us."

O'Neill swallowed, and prepared to speak. "Well, you all know how I like to be the bearer of bad news, but I think I'll let Daniel explain this."

Jackson was unready to speak, but he stood up when the Tok'ra's eyes turned on him. "Ahm. Well, I don't want to waste anyone's time here, so I'll be brief," Jackson said, unsure of how to go about this. "Awhile back the Jaffa apprised us of a situation on (P4x79?), the former homeworld of the Go'ald." Some of the Council members had made some silent noises of disapproval at the mentioning of the Jaffa, but Jackson ignored them and continued. "They had lost contact with a research team they had sent there and later with the rescue team they sent to retrieve the researchers. Master Bratak asked for our assistance in solving the mystery of their disappearance. To make a long story short, they were attacked by Go'ald."

The room erupted into a roar of upheaval as shouts of "Impossible!" filled the air. Chaos reigned in the cavern for several seconds until the leader was finally able to bring the members to order. With a mixed look of disapproval\, and pure concern for the situation, the leader turned to Jackson. "I believe you are mistaken, Dr. Jackson. The Go'ald are no more, we have all seen to that."

Before Jackson could answer, Carter stepped forth to speak. "They're not technically Go'ald. They call themselves the Be'nox, and claim to be the Go'ald's evolutionary predecessors. We've examined a few of them and have confirmed this beyond a doubt."

The Tok'ra leader was unsure of how to take to this news. "And these, Be'nox, where did they come from? What are their plans here? Are they anything like the Go'ald?"

"They are not," Teal'c said immediately. "The Be'nox do not take humans as hosts. Instead they use creatures that resemble the Unos, and do not seem to be interested in taking anyone as hosts or using them as slaves. They appear to be motivated solely by killing all life forms they encounter."

"And technologies? How advanced are they?"

"The Be'nox are the most technologically advanced race we have ever come across, perhaps even more so than the Asgard," Teal'c said calmly. Concern now gripped every council member as they glanced anxiously at each other. "Each Be'nox soldier is armed with a powerful laser weapon, and their elite guards are equipped with personal shields. We do not know what form of power they utilize, but it appears to be more efficient than crystals."

"What about ships?" the leader asked. "Do they have anything like a Ha'tak?"

"No, they appear to possess only one vessel, and it does not resemble a Ha'tak in any form." The council seemed somewhat relieved by this, but it was short lived. "However, this one vessel seems to suffice. The Be'nox were able to use a hyper-space inhibitor to prevent us from coming out of hyper-space near the planet, thus detecting our approach long before we arrived. When we came upon the planet, the Be'nox vessel was able to disable our rings and all engine functions. We know nothing else about this ship, but it is extremely powerful, and I believe that no armada of any size that we can assemble could defeat it."

Teal'c's words hung in the air as the Tok'ra council members began to understand the full value of what he said. This silence was broken by the council leader. "And, what is it exactly that you ask of us?"

O'Neill looked around at the members in the room and already knew the response to his question. "We want your help fighting the Be'nox."

Once more the cavern fell into chaos as the members talked in earnest amongst themselves. The leader didn't attempt to call for order. She sat back slumped into her chair and considered her options. Finally, when she spoke, the room fell into silence. "The council will adjourn and meet at a later time, in order to discuss the matter further."

Before any of the members could move, O'Neill was already out of the door. Carter, Jackson, and Teal'c quickly followed him, and the Tok'ra leader strode after them. "General O'Neill!" She called after him, but he didn't stop. O'Neill continued walking down the winding tunnels, taking turn after turn towards the exit. "General O'Neill, please wait!"

Finally, he turned around and impatiently looked at her. "Yes, what can I do for you?" he said coldly.

"General," the leader began. "Let me explain the situation to you. For the past few centuries the Tok'ra have been declining in power, and our position has rapidly deteriorated in recent times. Without a mother to spawn new Tok'ra symbiots, each death has had a tremendous impact on us. Furthermore, there are fewer and fewer people willing to become hosts, and soon a time will come when no one will wish to take a Tok'ra. We have lived our entire lives with the goal of defeating the Go'ald, and now that they are no more, we are struggling to find a purpose. I'm sorry, but the Tok'ra are in no position to help the Tau'ri."

"And that's it then?" O'Neill asked rhetorically. "You're not going to do anything at all? These guys are not going to just leave, you know. One day they'll come here and it won't mean crap to them if you didn't want to fight, so you'd be better off doing something about it right now."

The Council leader looked at O'Neill for a moment, and spoke with firm resolution. "Then the Tau'ri will take care of their problem alone." And with that, she turned and walked away.