(Takes place around an AU version sixth or seventh season, so around 2003.)
1 - The Notebook
Colonel Jack O'Neill looked around the house that General George Hammond had invited him to.
"You moved, sir."
"No. I am temporarily renting this home for the purpose of a get together."
Jack looked to the dogs on the couch.
"Jacob thought it was important for a few Tok'ra to see Earth's surface, and the president has agreed."
"Really?" That amused Jack. "We are partying with Tok'ra?"
"It's an informal formal get together, taking place here so that the Tok'ra can be themselves."
"Deep voices and flashing eyes."
"Yes." He smiled. "Truthfully, if they have to talk like their hosts, it might be impossible to tell which one is in control, and I don't want to offend them by mistaking one for the other."
"If they look arrogant, the symbiote is in control."
"Jack," George replied with annoyance.
"I'll behave." Jack replied, lifting his hands slightly as if surrendering.
"Good because…" George pulled out a notebook as he trailed off. "…you are in charge."
"Me, sir?"
"All the instructions are on those papers." He handed them over.
Jack read over it. "There's a list of songs to play?"
"I'll provide the music."
"This is very strict." He frowned.
"We do not want to offend the Tok'ra, and as you are aware, their hosts come from different backgrounds, societies, and social norms."
"Martouf seems like he'd adapt."
"I don't know which Tok'ra are coming. Jacob and Selmak made that list to ensure that we don't offend anyone."
"It's 36 pages." Jack sighed. "How?"
"Jacob and Selmak were thorough."
"Very thorough," he replied as he flipped through. "What's wrong with the color red?"
"Some of the Tok'ra consider it a sign of aggression. Others consider it a sign of death."
"We don't have to do this on the base."
"This is a more personal gathering. We need to show them that we can be respectful of other cultures."
"'Don't ask anyone for their name. Ask what is their name.'"
"Just memorize it all, and you'll be fine."
"It's over twenty pages off…" He sighed again. "Alright, but, sir, if I may ask…?"
"Yes?"
"if we don't want to offend them…" He looked over to the couch as he gestured. "What's with the dogs?"
"They're my dogs," George replied with a frown. "Mostly. They are rescues. We're still looking for a home for the puppy."
"Oh. They look…beautiful."
"Thank you."
"You have dogs?"
George frowned.
"You are almost always at the SGC."
"The oldest two were adopted before my wife died-"
"Oh. Sorry, sir."
"-and the third when I still planned to retire. Fortunately, my daughter was happy to take them in when I couldn't be as attentive as they deserve. The grandkids love them."
Jack smiled.
"Any other questions?"
"Yes."
George had not actually expected that.
"If the Tok'ra…" He tapped at a random request. "…require we 'keep a distance of at least an arm's length,' don't you think that they might not appreciate dogs jumping on them?"
"It was Selmak's idea to have them here for this. I brought them early so that they can get used to the house before the Tok'ra arrive." George gestured. "Agnar, Einar, Kira, and Princess Bubbles."
Jack did his absolute best to not laugh.
"My granddaughters named them. They were quite young when Princess Bubbles was adopted."
"Sir, I don't think I can seriously tell the Tok'ra that there is a dog named Princess Bub…" He saw his commanding officer frowning at him. "I'll do my best, sir."
~+~+~.
Thank God for Daniel, who made sure every point on the list was followed clearly. Of course, Sam, Teal'c, and Jonas also helped, but Daniel made everything perfect.
After a long day, Jack sat down next to Daniel, who found himself with two small dogs in his lap. However, he was mostly reading the list again. The puppy quickly grew bored with the non-petting human and ran off.
"This is very fascinating. I see similarities to our own cultures, like not giving a thumbs up."
"That's rude?" Jack asked as he absentmindedly brushed his fingers over Daniel's arm.
"It is on my world," Jonas said, who was the only one sitting on the floor. He was playing with three of the dogs.
"And in multiple parts of our world," Daniel added. "Have you read this?"
"I looked at it." Jack pet Agnar when the small dog ditched Daniel for him. "What if they are allergic to dogs?"
"Sir?" Sam grinned in amusement. "The Tok'ra don't have allergies. Anything a host might have had would have been healed by the symbiote."
"And learning about Earth is part of the point," Daniel pointed out. "Pets are a big part of life across many societies." He smiled. "'Don't speak too loudly.'"
"Now, why do I feel like that one is personally directed at me?" Jack asked.
"You can be loud," Teal'c stated in his usual matter-of-factly tone.
"And why are people with naturally loud voices offended by loud voices?"
"It's probably from one of the hosts, and their voices aren't that much louder than ours. The reverb just makes it sound louder." Daniel went back to reading. "I wonder if this is generalized or if this was written with specific Tok'ra in mind."
Jack nodded politely, not really caring. He secretly wondered if Jacob had padded out the list. Speaking of which… "Looking forward to seeing your dad?" He looked to Sam.
"He's coming to Earth, but not to this. He and I will be visiting Mark."
"Say hello for me." He was disappointed that she wouldn't be there. "Is Martouf coming?"
"Dad said he was busy."
"Aldwin?"
"I don't know."
"He is not coming," Teal'c informed.
"Freya?"
"You don't like Freya," Sam replied.
"No, but she's polite…usually. As long as the snake isn't in control."
"'No snake terms,'" Daniel quoted. "It's the first thing on the list."
"They aren't here yet."
"I doubt she is coming," Jonas answered.
"We're running out of friendly Tok'ra."
"There are thousands of Tok'ra, sir," Sam replied with amusement.
"And this most definitely is a social visit," Daniel added. "They know that coming in."
"And it's a volunteer mission," Jonas added.
"Do we have any idea who is coming?"
"At least one member of the high council with two personal body guards-"
Translation. Two body guards who will spend the entire time not socializing with anyone because they were working.
"-and two other Tok'ra of fairly high rank."
~+~+~.
Jack was less than pleased. It was 0430 in the morning. Sam wasn't there. Teal'c ended up having some Jaffa thing to do. The "informal formal gathering" required, for some reason, for him to wear his dress uniform.
And he still didn't know who was coming.
He ducked into a bedroom, knowing that Daniel was there.
"I'm almost ready."
"I couldn't have done this without you."
"Jonas was here before we were even up."
"Hey, you're the one who kept us up by reading that notebook."
"Really? I thought it was the sex."
"Well, that…" Jack smiled as he fixed Daniel's tie. "I suppose one good thing about this being more formal than informal is that you look great."
"Thank you."
"I look great too, right?"
Daniel answered with a kiss.
"The dogs are acting all…" Jonas trailed off as they pulled away. "Yeah, like I don't know. Anyway, excited dogs. The car is probably coming."
"Sorry," Daniel grinned. "We didn't know who walked in at first."
They went to the living room. The dogs all ran to the door before Jack heard the car. They all wagged their tails in anticipation, and that made him smile.
Since George was the one bringing the Tok'ra here, that made Jack the highest ranked officer at the house. He began heading to the door before remembering…
"Music."
"Got it," Daniel said as he turned it on.
"Is that chanting?" Asked Jonas.
"Apparently." Jack checked through the window, seeing…
The five most serious Tok'ra that he had ever met.
"Damn," he muttered.
"They look like…Vikings," said the major.
Jack laughed.
Daniel looked. "No. If they were Vikings-"
"Not now," Jack interrupted. "They can't exactly wear their uniforms, but, yeah, they do look a bit renaissancey."
"Names, sir?" He whispered with worry on his face.
"Per'sus…" He pointed to the tall man with his hair combed back. "I don't know the name of his host."
"Supreme High Councilor Per'sus," Daniel corrected.
"Isn't he the head Tok'ra?" The major was nervous by the title. He thought it would be a lower ranked council member.
"Yep."
"We are eating with the leader of an entire people?" He clarified.
"Relax. He's not the one we need to worry about."
That did not help.
Jack pointed again. "Councilor Delek…Mal…something…" What was the name of the hosts? Did he know the name of the hosts?
"Commander Malek," Jonas offered.
"The bodyguards… Alright the host of that one is…Linda?"
"Linda" was the only women of the group, and the braided back hair added to the Viking appearance.
"The smallest one of the group is one of the bodyguards?" The major asked.
Jack shrugged. "You get what host you can get."
"Try sparring with her," Jonas added. "And it's Liandra, not Linda."
"And the other one, sir?" The major asked.
"No idea." Jack went to the door, opened it, and watched as most of the dogs ran out. "Oh, this is going great." He, at least, grabbed the puppy before he could escape, and handed the small pup to a lieutenant. "Take him towards the back."
The bewildered looks of the Tok'ra as they looked at the dogs was amusing to see. Jack followed them out. The fenced in yard prevented a final escape. Not that the dogs were trying. They were more interested in jumping on George.
"In the house," George ordered.
The dogs…mostly obeyed. Princess Bubbles and Kira turned back in while Agnar barked at the Tok'ra.
"Colonel O'Neill," Per'sus greeted before looking to the smallest dog, who was barking and growling at them. "This one is quite brave."
"What?" Jack frowned.
"He is defending his home." Malek looked to Jack. "Imagine running at multiple elephants, unarmed, to yell at them. Would that not take bravery?"
"Yeah, I guess it would." He was surprised that the Tok'ra knew what an elephant was.
The Tok'ra walked to the house.
Agnar hopped as he barked, but he seemed to settle once everyone was inside.
"O'Neill, help them settle in while I check on the food," George ordered before leaving.
"Of course, sir," Jack replied while thinking a sarcastic, Thanks.
"Colonel O'Neill, we thank you for helping to prepare this gathering, so that we may learn more about Earth," Per'sus said while keeping a serious expression.
"Sure. It was fun."
"If I may ask, what are these creatures?" Per'sus asked.
"Dogs."
He frowned.
"They are descendant from wolves…" Jack replied as the Tok'ra all stared at him with a mix of confusion and disbelief. "Domesticated wolves."
"We know what dogs are," Delek replied indignantly. "However, we are not fools. Those cannot be dogs."
"I swear, I'm telling you the truth," Jack replied as he saw Jonas laughing. "What?"
"I didn't realize they were dogs at first either."
"One has wrinkled skin, floppy ears, and is bigger than my host," Malek replied.
"Her name is…" Jack pet the huge Neapolitan mastiff. "Princess Bubbles."
"Another is fluffy, has pointed ears, and is barely bigger than me." Malek picked up the chihuahua that was trying to jump up on him. "I believe he is a domesticated rodent."
"Agnar is not a rat. Didn't you hear him barking?"
"That was barking?"
"That was not barking," Delek argued.
"The third one…" He frowned as he stared at the dog. "What…is that?"
"It looks like a small bear," Delek observed as he squatted by the chow chow.
Jack covered his mouth to keep from laughing when the dog gave a lick to his cheek.
"I think it's a cat," Per'sus said.
"It does look like a miniature lion," Malek agreed.
"The tongue was too smooth," Delek replied as he blocked more licks.
"Kira is a dog," Daniel said. "They are all dogs. They've all just been selectively bred for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years."
"What happened to their tails?" Per'sus asked as he gestured to Agnar and Kira.
"Nothing," Jack replied.
"Something is clearly wrong with their tails."
"It appears that the tails were previously broken, then not set properly when they healed," Malek said.
"The tails are supposed to… Look, they are well cared for."
"I am certain that General Hammond was not responsible for their tails," Per'sus replied.
"And they are all dogs."
The Tok'ra looked at the three animals in disbelief before the puppy ran in. The looked at him in bewilderment before Per'sus scooped the puppy up. The Air Force officers stared in disbelief as he took out a healing device.
"Uh, Per's, wach ya doin'?"
Half the Tok'ra did a double take at the nickname. Daniel's eyes widened before he put his hand to his face.
Did he just call me a coin bag? Per'sus asked his host as he stopped and stared at Jack in disbelief.
A purse, yes.
"What is wrong with him?" Malek asked as he approached.
Per'sus looked back to the puppy, then continued using the healing device to determine what had happened to the poor creature.
"Per'sus?" Jack asked. He could see that the puppy was fine, wagging his tail and licking at Per'sus' hands.
"I thought the creature had been in a horrendous accident," Per'sus replied as he put the device away.
"Why?" Jack frowned.
"His snout appears smashed and his tail is very curly."
"It's a pug."
The Tok'ra looked to him.
"He's supposed to look like that."
"This was done…on purpose?" Malek asked.
"Yeah. He's cute."
"This may cause him considerable health problems in the future," Per'sus replied.
"Full breeds are most likely to have health…" Jack trailed off as Per'sus began petting the puppy. "Uh, health problems."
"They are all rescues, uh, adopted off the streets…essentially," Daniel explained.
"That would explain their tails," Malek replied.
"Nothing is wrong with…" Jack sighed.
"What is his name?" Per'sus asked as the pug happily wiggled.
"Einar."
Per'sus frowned as Malek and Liandra smirked.
"What?" Jack frowned. He was obviously missing something.
"That's the name of my host," Per'sus informed.
Jack inwardly cringed.
"He was named by General Hammand's grandkids," Jonas explained quickly, not knowing if the Tok'ra would be offended.
Per'sus tilted his head slightly. "Einar likes his name. He too was born with potential health defects, and he relates to having been a…'rescue.'"
"Oh," Jack answered.
"Perhaps now would be a good time to introduce everyone here." Per'sus looked to him. "I am Supreme High Councilor Per'sus, symbiote to Einar." He gestured. "Commander Malek and his host, Amb."
Malek made a small nod.
"Councilor Delek and his host, Toma."
Delek just somehow looked more smug.
"High Major Liandra and her symbiote, Pel."
The woman glanced to Jack.
"And finally Major Ocker and his new host, Kema. Einar and I owe his life to Ocker's previous host, Jin."
Ocker gave a slight nod to Per'sus, pleasantly surprised to hear Jin's sacrifice acknowledged. He made no outwardly expression, but he also enjoyed the soft words of comfort Kema gave him.
"Would you introduce us to your people?"
Per'sus asked.
As Jack did so, Malek sat down with Agnar, petting him.
I didn't know dogs could be so little, Amb thought in amusement.
Kira jumped up to the back of the couch and sniffed at the back of his neck.
"Does she smell you?" Jonas asked.
"Yes."
Jack frowned, stopping halfway through the introductions. "You mean… You. You."
"Yes."
"Dogs can smell us," Per'sus explained, "and they can identify exactly where we are in a host's body."
"Some societies have trained dogs to smell for symbiotes," Delek added. "A few breeds can even identify which is in control, host or symbiote."
"That's fascinating," Daniel replied.
"You know, that could be useful," Jonas said.
"I was thinking the same thing."
Jack sat down as they began talking, smiling when Kira kept trying to lick Malek's neck. "She likes you."
"Or she thinks I'm food," he replied with a stern expression.
Jack could have sworn he saw the slightest hint of amusement in Malek's eyes.
"I am not convinced that they are dogs," Malek said, "but regardless, they are friendly."
Jack looked back to Per'sus and realized that his serious expression had softened. Just a little. It made Jack smile.
"You like the pug?"
"Yes, Colonel, he is very friendly," replied a very human voice.
Jack's jaw almost dropped. In over a year, he had never seen the host in control.
"Einar. It's nice to finally meet you."
Einar looked over to him. "What are you implying?"
"Nothing."
"If you are to address me, it would be polite to use my rank as we do with you."
"Supreme High Councilor."
"Councilor will be sufficient." He left the room, heading to the back. Taking his cue, the rest of the Tok'ra followed.
So did the dogs.
"I don't think they like you…sir," the major said.
Jack sighed. "Yeah, I got that."
(This story was written from two separate prompts on Reddit. Basically…
• Aliens reacting to pampered pets and different dog breeds.
• Aliens at a pride parade.
The Tok'ra Roundup
(A quick reference…)
• Einar & Per'sus
• Amb & Malek
• Tian "Toma" & Delek
• Liandra & Pel
• Kema & Ocker)