“Italics”- Symbiote – Host
communication and/or Telepathic communication
Blood of My Heart, Beloved of My Soul
Daniel had always known that in critical life and death moments time seemed to move into slow motion. Now, he knew that the same thing could happen during an emotional crisis. He sensed, rather than saw, Merdwin move to Kataya’s side.
He heard him speak roughly to her in a
language that, while he was sure he hadn’t heard it before, seemed familiar and
he was able to translate most of what was said.
Merdwin was telling Kataya that she was a Katteri-enti Warrior. She was the daughter of the House of Artereos
of Cadwaellon, and that she would pull herself together and act like it, along
with a few other expletives that did not really translate well.
He tightened his hands where they were
on the two women’s shoulders and then moved one to grasp Kataya around the
waist. He couldn’t do the same for Sam,
as Lantash was holding onto her as if she was his lifeline, which he thought,
she probably was. It was obvious, at
least to Daniel, that the Furlings could not only sense the presence of a
symbiote, they could also distinguish one from the other if they knew them
personally. There was no other way
Kataya could have known Lantash. He was
sure she had never met Martouf.
Merdwin stepped in front of Kataya,
walked straight to Lantash, and assumed the stance for a Furling official
greeting, “I give greetings and welcome to thee, Lantash of the Tok’Ra.”
It was obvious that Lantash was
standing upright only by pure force of will and Sam’s presence. He visibly pulled himself together, much as
Kataya had done moments before, and he stood straight and tall, as he looked
Merdwin in the eyes and first crossed, and then extended his arms for the
formal touching, as he said, in a strong clear voice, “I answer thee with
greetings and gratitude, Merdwin, Lord of Werllockian.” Their hands touched and parted.
Merdwin stepped aside, but the look he
sent to Lantash asked that he do what was expected. Kataya was his Heartmate. They had been entwined for almost two hundred
years. Ritual demanded she be greeted in
a specific manner. It asked that he not
embarrass her by falling apart, or showing too much emotion, in front of these
people. Lantash nodded his
understanding, but he had not needed Merdwin’s mental reminder. She was his Heartmate, the adored
of his heart, he loved her and always would. He would give her what was due as his
entwined mate, his respect and his love.
He turned to receive Kataya’s greeting.
She stood upright with as much pride
and dignity as anyone could have wanted.
That her heart had already started to bleed, only Merdwin would
know. That bleeding was a private thing
that few outside of the species knew about.
She faced him and prepared herself to perform the greeting she had
neither given nor received in one hundred and seventeen years. Only years of training in following protocol
allowed her to stand there and do what had to be done.
She stepped forward and away from
Daniel. She could not allow herself to draw
strength from him. It had to be done
using her own. She was on home ground,
so it was up to her to greet him first.
As she crossed her arms and positioned her hands, she raised her eyes to
his. Then, opening and extending her
arms, she offered her fingertips, as she said the words:
“Lantash, Entwined one, Adored of my
heart, I greet and welcome thee with my love.”
She paused for a moment, and then continued, “I do not know your host,
but I believe he is named Martouf. I
also offer my greetings and welcome to thee, Martouf.”
No outward sign of distress marred his
features as he replied with the same quiet dignity that Kataya had brought to
the proceedings. As he brought his
fingertips into contact with hers, also for the first time in one hundred and
seventeen years, he ruthlessly shoved the wave of emotions that threatened to
swamp him, aside, and said, “Kataya, Adored of my Heart, Entwined one, my heart
answers thee with love, and gives greetings and gratitude to yours.”
His head bowed and when it rose, it was obvious that it was not Lantash. “I am Martouf,” he paused, as if listening, “I answer thee with greetings and gratitude, Kataya of Cadwaellon.” As Martouf and Kataya each bowed their heads in silent acknowledgement of one another, a voice was heard asking a question.
“Would someone like to tell me just
what in the hell is going on?”
Jacob Carter demanded. Suddenly,
time started moving again, and Daniel was just glad it didn’t go into fast
forward.
Sam turned to Kat who was now standing
with head bowed listening to Merdwin.
She couldn’t quite make out the words, but she could understand the
tone. Kat began shaking her head
vehemently. She heard Kataya say to
Merdwin. “We may discuss this later, not
now.”
Merdwin hesitated and then nodded.
“Kat?”
Kataya turned to her with relief in her
voice, “Sam.”
“I’d like you to meet my father,”
surprising everyone, Sam stepped forward and kissed her father on the
cheek. “Dad, I want you to meet my
friend and mentor, Kataya.” Samantha’s
voice was steel and held a warning to anyone who would challenge her
statement. “She is training me in the
path of the Katteri-enti.” Jacob stared
at his daughter. She was what? He wondered if he’d suddenly walked into an
old Twilight Zone episode, or maybe candid camera and there was a hidden camera
somewhere.
Again assuming the formal greeting
stance, Kataya bowed her head and said, “I give greetings to thee, Jacob Carter
of the Tok’Ra. I am honored to meet
you. You have a very special daughter
and she has become very dear to me.”
It was obvious Jacob was listening to
something being said to him and that he didn’t like what he was hearing. Nonetheless, he cleared his throat, and said,
“I greet thee, Kataya.” Again, he
listened, and then frowned and complied, “Lady of Cadwaellon.”
She nodded to him in acknowledgment,
and then watched as his eyes flared. She
extended her hands for the next greeting and smiled, as she continued. “I greet and welcome thee from my heart,
Selmak of the Tok’Ra. It is good to see
you once again, old friend.” Suddenly,
there were tears in her eyes. She gasped
in surprise at the sharp pain of the emotion and pulled herself together by sheer
force of will.
“My heart answers and gives thee gratitude
and greetings, Kataya of Cadwaellon.”
Their fingers touched. “It is
good to see you also, dear friend,” Selmak replied gently. Formal greetings over, she nodded to Selmak,
and turned to Sam.
“Samantha,” she began.
“You didn’t know,” Sam made the
statement, calmly.
“No, I did not. I am sorry.”
“Are you all right?” Sam asked Kataya.
Kataya nodded, briefly. “Are you?” She questioned Sam.
Sam pulled in a shuddering breath. “I don’t know. I—I think so.
I know you’ll explain it all to me when we can talk. I’m giving you my trust now, as you gave
yours to me earlier today.”
Kataya knew at once that she was
referring to their talk about her [Sam] and Daniel, and she nodded her
understanding.
Kataya turned to Sam’s father. “I will explain all of this in a moment, but
first I must speak to Samantha.” She
turned, and the two women retired to a corner of the room.
Kataya touched Sam lightly on the
arm. “I am sorry, Samantha. I wish I
could make this all go away. I cannot
and unfortunately, we have a briefing that must take precedence over our
personal affairs.” Kataya sounded
emotionally drained. “You and Lantash have mated, have you
not? Have you spoken vows to one
another? It is important.”
“Yes, just now. I swear, Kat, if I had known, I would never
have…”
“You
have no reason to apologize, Samantha.
However, it makes it imperative that Lantash and I go through the Sevesh Lok Twin as soon as possible. It is a
releasing ritual that should have been done long ago. My only excuse is that, at the time, neither
of us wanted to believe I would not be returning to him. I cannot go into the details here.”
“You and I have many things to discuss, but
we will have to postpone most of them until later. In the meantime, please remember that you
have nothing to feel guilty about.”
“Kat, I’m just not sure
what to do. Should I stay with him? Or is that not the right thing to do?”
“You are his Soulmate,
Samantha. You take precedence over a
Heartmate. Just as I take precedence
over you when it comes to Daniel. You
must go to his side and stay there. Moreover,
you must stay with him tonight. You are
making your choice, and it will be noticed.
How you and I act, towards each other and them, will set the tone of
almost every situation that arises. I
promise it will be all right. It will
take time to sort out, but it will be all right.”
She added, speaking seriously, “He
will be emotionally distraught and possibly in physical pain by then. Give him as much support as you can.”
“I understand. You will do the same, won’t you? You’ll stay with Daniel so that everyone
knows that you have chosen him.” She stopped, and then a look of realization
came into her eyes. “Everyone, but mostly Lantash.”
Kataya nodded. “It
will be up to you to make Lantash realize that you chose him. That you had other choices, but you chose him.”
“Samantha, I cannot
stress enough how important it is that you and I discuss this situation as soon
as possible. There are things that have
become clear to me now, that I did not understand before. Things that will determine the outcome of
both our personal lives, and the lives of the Tok’Ra and the Tau’ri.”
“It has to do with the
things we keep seeing in the mysts in the mirror doesn’t it? The battle and the blood, the three dragons,
they all surround you and I, don’t they?”
Sam continued, “The man arguing with Daniel was Lantash and
Martouf. Not only that, but our bond,
yours and mine, is growing stronger, isn’t it?
We have something we have to do, and now you know what it is, don’t you?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
Sam nodded, indicating that she
understood what Kataya was saying.
Kataya smiled at her and the two women
turned back to the rest of the room.
Only Merdwin could see the spiral of light that joined the two
women. It was still faint, but it was
growing stronger with each passing hour.
So. It had begun. The Blood, the Fire and the Star. And the blood of the dragons shall be shed
upon the soil and from the fire we shall rise again and shine.
“I thought they were going to talk. They’re just standing there looking at each other. You know what is going on, Sel and I want to know,” Jacob was saying to Selmak.
“They are talking,
Jacob. Furlings are telepaths. Kataya and Samantha are talking privately,”
Selmak informed him
“Telepaths? You mean they can talk without speaking
aloud, like you and I do? Only they
aren’t in each other’s heads?” He
asked, a little incredulously.
“Yes. They are very sensitive. Evidently, Samantha is also.” He hesitated slightly, then changing the
subject back to Sam, Martouf and Lantash, he said, “I think things will work out for them, but Martouf and Lantash are
going to go through a great deal of pain.”
“And my daughter
isn’t? You saw the way she looked when
they walked in here. She was glowing for
God’s sake,” Jacob said, in a disconsolate voice.
“Yes, I noticed. I imagine they mated, which will be a plus in
this situation,” Selmak said, in a satisfied tone of voice.
“I wish someone would
tell me just what the situation is,” Jacob responded
waspishly. “And what do you mean they mated?
Are you telling me they’ve… they’ve?” Jacob was incredulous.
“Yes. It is my belief that they have…" Selmak responded with amusement. “Evidently,
our extended lunch hour worked in their favor just as we had hoped.”
“Well, I don’t see a diamond
on my little girl’s hand,” Jacob snapped.
“Perhaps Martouf and
Lantash were waiting for a more, ah, romantic time,” Selmak stated calmly.
“Yeah, well, the romance
was supposed to come firs,” Jacob
almost spat. He was seriously pissed
off.
“It is their romance, and
their sex life, Jacob,”
Selmak reminded him.
“Well, I hope they get better
at arranging both of them,”
Jacob said shortly.
“With the most recent
developments, it is unlikely that they will get around to the ring any time
soon, although one can never know for sure,” Selmak pointed
out.
Suddenly, Selmak became very
serious. “Jacob, there are things about the relationship between Kataya and
Lantash that the Tok’Ra do not know.”
“Lantash was ill for a
long time after his rescue from Bastet.
We do not know the particulars of what happened, only that Dominic died
and Lantash would have if a Furling, Wiccadian, and Tok’Ra combined unit had
not gone in after them. None of the
Tok’Ra were in the room when Dominic died. Lantash was so near to death he does not
remember what happened.”
“Those who were present
including Kataya and Lantash’s new host, refused to speak of it. Kataya,” Selmak paused for a moment, remembering that terrible
time, “they feared for her mind, her life,
and her soul, is all I know. Something
terrible happened in Bastet’s stronghold, Jacob, something so terrible it
almost destroyed one of the strongest women I have ever known. So please be patient with them. I have known Kataya and Merdwin for hundreds
of years. They will, she will, do whatever
she has to do to make this right, but you must give her time.”
“All right. I just hate to see my little girl get hurt,” Jacob said, the pain he was feeling on
his daughter’s behalf evident in his voice.
“Your little girl is a
very competent and knowledgeable, grown woman, Jacob. Look at her.
Whatever they are saying, Samantha both understands and agrees with it. Living life is full of pain as well as
joy. You cannot have one without the
other, as you know. Let her handle her
life, her joy, and her pain in her own way.
Rest assured she will come to you if she needs you,” Selmak counseled him gently.
“I’ll try,” Jacob sighed, “but, I won’t promise anything.”
Jack sat with his head in his
hands. For once, he had understood
exactly what was going on. Lantash was
the symbiote that Kataya had loved so deeply and passionately. The one she had so ruthlessly slit her mate’s
throat to save. It was obvious that Sam
was in love with Martouf and that they had been together judging by the
glow on her face. “God, what a
mess.”
“I’ll second that, Jack,” General
Hammond said as he walked over to Jack and Teal’c. “Yes, you said it aloud,” The General said,
as he stopped to stand behind O’Neill’s chair.
“What is this going to do to this mission? Do we take them all off of the mission roster?” Colonel O’Neill asked seriously.
“Merdwin seemed to think they would
work it out if we all give them the space to do it in. So for now, I’m in a wait and see
pattern.” The general had already given
the various outcomes some thought and discussed it with Merdwin, since he
didn’t know all of the angles. For now,
he was willing to follow Merdwin’s lead and advice.
“I agree with Merdwin, General Hammond,”
Teal’c spoke up. “Kataya, and Lantash,
are too much the professional warriors to let their personal lives interfere
with this important a mission.”
“We know she can be ruthless, but
although the Tok’Ra often come off as hard nosed, arrogant bastards, I don’t
know if even they can withstand this kind of personal upheaval and not let it
interfere,” Jack answered. “We can’t
afford to have them come apart in the middle of a battle.”
“That may be true, Jack, but we have
several weeks before the time gets critical.
Let’s do as Merdwin asked and give them at least a little time to sort
this out,” General Hammond replied.
“General Carter must be very confused
and worried for his daughter. It is
obvious that the entire situation will affect her and her future,” Teal’c said
slowly. “He must be feeling helpless in
all of this.”
Jack nodded. He sighed.
He said again, “God, what a mess.”
“I still agree,” the General said
ruefully.
Jacob walked over to Martouf. “Martouf, would you care to tell me what is
going on?”
“I am not entirely sure myself,
Jacob. Lantash is in extreme emotional
distress at the moment, and is fully occupied in attempting to keep it from
distressing me and in controlling his emotions.
He is not completely succeeding.”
“I thought you told me you loved my
daughter,” Jacob said, obviously upset with a situation he didn’t clearly
understand.
“I do,” Martouf responded, immediately.
“We are bonded. We have agreed to be mates and to be, as is
your custom, wife and husband.”
“Well, obviously, Lantash doesn’t,”
Jacob bit back.
“That is not true, Jacob. Lantash loves Samantha as much as I. He was not aware that Kataya would be here or
that he would ever see her again. It has
been a shock for him, too.”
“Shock, my ass. Who and what is that woman? And how can Sam call her a friend when she
stole her mate?” Jacob asked, as his
frustration overcame his resolve to be patient.
Suddenly, Martouf’s eyes flashed. Lantash lashed out at Jacob, “If Samantha
says they are friends, then I can guarantee you they are. And, believe me, Jacob, Kataya did not take
Samantha’s mate. If such a thing could
be said, which it cannot, then it would be the other way around. Kataya and I became entwined mates almost two
hundred years ago. I do love Samantha,
Jacob,” Lantash stopped talking, and sighed.
He rubbed his forehead, “I am sorry, Jacob, this is a very complicated
situation and I will explain it to you, but now is neither the time nor the
place.”
“He is correct, Jacob,” Selmak stated. “If you
cannot control yourself then let me assume control.”
Jacob sighed. “Maybe
you’d better for now. Thanks, Sel.”
“You are welcome, Jacob.”
Daniel stood beside Merdwin waiting for an answer. Merdwin looked steadily back at Daniel. He sighed.
“Lantash is entwined with Kataya. They are Heartmates, Daniel. She told you about him last night, I
believe.”
“She never told us his name.”
“I do not doubt that. Daniel, Kataya has refused to speak Lantash’s
name in one hundred and seventeen years.
It was a way to keep the pain at bay.
She used it as a suppression mechanism.
I am sorry. You are her Soulmate,
Daniel. You have nothing to worry about. In the end, you will be together. In the meantime, she will need every bit of
strength and support you can give.”
Daniel nodded. “All right.
I just hope she’ll explain it to me later,” he said, still anxious.
“I am very sure she will. You have already spoken your vows, have you
not?”
Daniel flushed. “Well, yes, in a way. I mean we did to each other, but not in a
formal way.”
“As long as you meant it, Daniel, that
is all that matters.”
A sudden thought occurred to him, “Oh,
my god. Basically, she’s married to both
of us.”
“As the Soulmate, you have precedence,”
Merdwin remarked. Daniel wasn’t
reassured.
Sam and Kataya walked back to the table
together. With a glance and a nod to one
another, they each went to stand by their preferred mate. They had chosen. Sam took Martouf’s hand in hers and squeezed
it gently. She was surprised when he
clasped her hand as if he would never let her go. She gave him a reassuring smile. She sat down at the table and turned her
attention to Kataya. Kataya’s actions
mirrored Sam’s. She nodded to Merdwin
and the General. It was time to begin as
they meant to go on.
“Gentlemen, if you please,” Kataya
immediately had their attention. She
turned to Jacob Carter, “I wish to apologize to you. I realize you do not know what has been
happening, and I believe it only fair that you be informed.” She paused then said, “I suppose the best
place to start is the beginning. I am
Kataya of Cadwaellon daughter of Artereos, Lord of Cadwaellon and Gwynnivar,
Lady of Wiccadia. I am a Sorceress, First
Order, Master of the All, Pantherataya, Katteri-enti Warrior.”
“Almost two hundred years ago, I met
and fell in love with a Tok’Ra named Dominic.
His symbiote was Lantash. We
entwined our hearts and mated. We have a
son and a daughter. One hundred and
thirty years ago, Bastet tortured Dominic to death. We managed to save Lantash, but he was ill
for a very long time.”
“Thirteen yeas later, I was recalled by
Artereos, my father, to the war against the Goa’uld in our sector. Lantash and I agreed that if I was unable to
return to him, which was a distinct possibility, we would both be free to bond
or join with another. Our parting was,”
Kataya’s voice shook slightly, and she swallowed convulsively, before once more
gaining control of her emotions, “extremely difficult. Because it was so painful, we did not go
through the Sevesh Lok Twin, which is a rite of release, at that
time. Our agreement to re-mate was
sincere even without participation in the rite.”
“Many years passed and, eventually,
Lantash met and fell in love with another.
I now have reason to believe her name was Jolinar of Malk’sur. You know what her fate was.” She looked directly at Lantash, as she
continued, “It is my belief that he now loves another, as do I,” she said
softly.
“Obviously, Lantash and I have some
things we must discuss.” She stopped,
and then seemed to come to a decision.
“It is important that everyone here realize that, though Lantash and I
have found our Soulmates, we will always love one another as Heartmates. As Samantha and Daniel, love each other as
Heartmates. Our personal situation must
be resolved as speedily as possible. I
do not expect it to interfere with this mission. We will all be able to work together. I believe that the most important thing we
have to do now is prepare for this battle with Bastet.”
“General, thank you for letting me
explain to your friend what has happened.”
Kataya sat down, took Daniel’s hand, and held it as if it was all that
was keeping her grounded. Lantash was
holding Sam’s the same way.
Lantash had come forward, and he was
obviously under a great deal of stress.
However, he was not angry with Kataya.
This was the first he had known that Bastet was involved in this. He turned to Selmak and demanded, “What does
Bastet have to do with this briefing?
She is why we are here?”
Selmak answered, “Yes, I am afraid she
is. The information sent to us by
Artereos is very serious. I suggest we
let the General tell us what they know.”
Lantash nodded curtly, “Please excuse
my outburst, General Hammond. My only
excuse is my personal history with Bastet,” As he spat her name, his eyes
glowed brightly.
General Hammond nodded that he did
indeed understand. These were probably
the strangest circumstances in which he had ever held a briefing, but hold it
he must. Taking a deep breath, he began.
“I’ll give a brief synopsis for our
Tok’Ra friends. As you can see,
Gentlemen, there are folders in front of you.
All of our information is in there.
Please keep them as we will be adding information as it becomes
available and we make plans.”
“A quick overview: Bastet is in the process of building a fleet
with which to destroy the Tok’Ra and the Tau’ri. She has begun setting up a new base of
operations on a long abandoned world. I
understand from Selmak that you are aware of this.”
“Our information also indicates that
she is hiding the main part of her fleet at another location. Artereos’s agent is attempting to infiltrate
that base at this time. Unless Lord
Merdwin has some new information, we don’t yet know if he has had any
success. His agents have been able to
slow her progress some, and they may still be able to give us more time,
however, we are going on the assumption that we have ten to twelve weeks to
prepare for these attacks. I feel that
we should attempt to get a plan in place and executable in no more than eight
weeks. If we do gain more time, then so
much the better, but we aren’t counting on it.”
“According to the information sent to
us her first target is the Tok’Ra. We
know she has infiltrated the location where Selmak and Lantash are based with a
spy named Torleck. One of our first
objectives must be to get information to Garshaw and bring Tok’Ra soldiers in
here without letting him know what is going on.”
“Artereos is sending us additional
Katteri-enti Warriors and Lord Merdwin has been assigned to us until the
situation is resolved. If all else
fails, the Tok’Ra will be evacuated to Avilion, the Sanctuary. Evacuation of Earth is not an option. We have no choice, but to stop her before she
attacks.”
“Once everyone is assembled here,
training will begin in units, which contain a minimum of one Tok’Ra and one
Katteri-enti, along with our soldiers.
Our final battle plan will determine how many units we need and thus how
many Tok’Ra and Katteri-enti will actually be in each unit. The president has given me permission to use
whatever resources I have available, and he will authorize more if needed. I will be in contact with him and the joint
chiefs daily.”
“I want a group working on
tactics. I believe that SG1, Lord
Merdwin, and whoever the Tok’Ra choose should be part of that. Artereos is expecting the plans to the
stronghold, and as soon as he gets them, so will we. Colonel O’Neill will be in charge of that
group. I believe that is all I
have. The floor is open for questions,
suggestions, and discussion.”
Lantash looked puzzled. “Shouldn’t Kataya be in the group for
tactical maneuvers?”
Merdwin answered him. “She is.
She is a member of SG1.”
Lantash looked surprised. “I am sorry, Lantash,” Selmak said. “I forgot you were not here when General
Hammond was explaining why we were asked here originally. Artereos sent Kataya to begin working with
the Tau’ri in expectation that they would soon be able to send some Warriors to
help in the fight against the Goa’uld in this sector. He has also infiltrated several of the System
Lords households. They wanted to tell us
so we would be aware that they might be getting information that could be
passed onto us.”
“Is there anything else I need to be
told?”
“No, I believe that is…” Kataya
interrupted Selmak before he could finish his sentence.
“I am sorry Selmak, but there is
something else.” She turned to Lantash as
she told him. “Three of the
Katteri-enti, besides myself and Merdwin, who will be here have been
approved. Artereos has not made the
assignment general knowledge yet, but there are three who know of it. They have all volunteered. Gwennetha is one of them.” She held his gaze as she continued. “Taesha and Lanwin are the others. I thought you should know they will be
coming, Tash.” She did not realize she
had used the name her people had often called him, until she saw his face.
Lantash swallowed and grappled with his
emotions. “They—they are well?”
Kataya closed her eyes. It was so unfair; he was a wonderful, special
being and he did not deserve all of the pain he was enduring. The entwining was pulling on her. It had to be pulling him also. She ruthlessly pushed the emotions away.
“They are. They will be overjoyed to see you. Now is not the time, Lantash, but later we
will talk.”
He nodded curtly, barely holding onto
his rigid self-control, and turned back to Selmak, “That is everything?”
Selmak nodded, and said, “One of the
first things we need to do is come up with a way to get Garshaw, as well as the
other Tok’Ra we want to use in the assault, here without the spy finding
out. Our visit is the perfect alibi for
us, at least for three weeks, and we can always extend it. Unfortunately, I cannot think of any way to
get her here without alerting the spy.”
“Would she not come and bring others
with her if you or Lantash were critically hurt and not expected to
survive?” Teal’c asked from the other
side of the table. No one said anything
as this idea was thought over.
“It might work,” Selmak said. “At least to get her here and let her know
not to send anyone to Bastet’s stronghold.”
“Would you stay if it was Lantash and
Martouf that were hurt?” Kataya asked
Selmak.
“Yes, and he would stay if it was us,”
Selmak affirmed.
She nodded, and Sam spoke up, “If you
had to make a list of people that the Tok’Ra would probably send on this
mission, who would be on it?”
“Malek, Ronesh, Brialek, Calise,
Solphek, probably Daimesh. Can you think
of anyone Lantash that would be good for this type of mission?” Selmak named several Tok’Ra he wanted to be
included.
“Certainly. Jocasta would be a must, as well as Morlash,
Keveck, and Jorlin.”
Selmak nodded his agreement. He turned to General Hammond, “How many do
you want? I am sure we can do whatever
you think would be needed.”
The General looked at Colonel O’Neill
and Merdwin. “That’s a good start,” the
Colonel said. “It sounds like we might
have trouble getting them in here without Bastet being tipped off though.” He frowned.
“Selmak, how long has Torleck been part
of the group at your base?” Kataya
asked, suddenly.
Selmak had to think seriously about
it. Finally, he turned to Lantash. “Would you say he has been with us for a
year?”
“Almost two.”
“Excellent.” Kataya’s eyes glowed. “That is what I would have expected of
Bastet. She would not take a chance on
him being found out. She would expect
him to be accepted and trusted, and she would want her plans to be near
completion before he started to send her information. As long as he was helping the Tok’Ra against
the System Lords she herself was trying to undermine, she would be content to
let him work for the Tok’Ra. She has
been planning this for a very long time.
Tell me, has he been on any infiltration missions?”
Both Lantash and Selmak gave the matter
some thought. Selmak finally remembered
that he had. “Several months ago, he was
sent to infiltrate a minor system lord to gather information. He did an excellent job.”
“Then we now know how to remove him at
least for a few days at a time. And
during the last week or so before our assault.”
“Of course,” Daniel said. “A perfect solution. She shouldn’t suspect anything, either, if we
can keep him convinced that neither the Tau’ri nor the Tok’Ra know anything
about Bastet or what she is doing.
Hopefully, no one on the Tok’Ra base has discussed it. If needed, we could always allow her to find
out we know where she is, and send in someone to infiltrate her ranks.”
“I believe Kataya and Daniel Jackson
are correct. Putting him into Bastet’s
stronghold as a spy for the Tok’Ra would eliminate two fowl with but one
rock.”
“Kill two birds with one stone,” Jack
automatically translated. “It might just
work. So, if we send him in as a spy for
the Tok’Ra, that eliminates him, but in the meantime, we still haven’t decided
on a way to get Garshaw here. If she is
actually deciding to send someone to Bastet, we should stop her if we can.”
“Dad, if you were hurt and asked for
certain people, would that seem odd? I
mean, if you thought you wouldn’t survive, what would Garshaw do?”
“If I requested to see certain people,
then she would see to it that they got here, but she would also bring the
healers, in case they could help where your medicine can’t…which wouldn’t be an
unrealistic attitude,” Jacob said, after giving the matter a little thought.
“Could they be trusted to keep the
information secret when they go back?”
Colonel O’Neill asked.
“They wouldn’t go back,” Sam said
decisively. “If Dad or Martouf were in,
say a really bad car accident, and it looked like he wouldn’t survive, then the
healer would stay and try everything they could, wouldn’t they? And, Martouf would refuse to leave him, and
Dad wouldn’t leave Martouf. So either
way they are both here.”
“This list of people you have
given. Is there anything to stop Councilor
Garshaw from sending each, or at least some of them, on a mission to some other
spots that might need infiltrated?”
“An excellent point, Teal’c.” Merdwin said.
“A nice simple plan, too. Assign
a few of them to go off world one or two at a time, perhaps some together, as
that would not be unusual. Send them to
different places with the gate address clearly known by everyone. Once there, they gate to the Tau’ri. Simple, clean. Very nice, indeed. I am sure we will come up with other ways to
get around arousing his suspicions as well.”
He smiled warmly at Teal’c. These
Tau’ri and the
“Okay, so which one of us is getting
run over by a car?” Jacob spoke up.
“I would suggest you, Jacob
Carter. Lantash and Martouf will be busy
planning their joining with Samantha.
They do not have time to get run over.
I would also suggest preparations for the joining rituals of the Tok’Ra
and the Tau’ri as the reason, once the healers have brought him back to health,
that Jacob Carter as well as Martouf and Lantash are staying for an extended
time. Knowing nothing of Tau’ri mating
or bonding rituals, Torleck will have no way of knowing if these things take
days, or months, to complete,” Kataya stated with calm good sense.
Jacob decided that maybe he could come
to like that woman in time, even if he still didn’t understand all of the
angles of what was obviously a very complex situation. She certainly seemed to have the idea of Sam
and Martouf firmly fixed in her head as a couple. He nodded.
“I suppose we should decide who I would wish to see in the circumstances
and get the message off to Garshaw,” He said.
“When do you think she will make the
decision to send someone to Bastet’s, Jacob?”
General Hammond wanted to know.
“There’s a council meeting the day
after tomorrow. They’ll decide then, I
imagine. Why?”
“I doubt you would have been run over as
soon as you got here. Let’s wait until
tomorrow afternoon before we contact her.”
“I think that would be all right. They won’t do anything before then.”
“Is there anything else, people? No?
Dismissed.”
Kataya approached Sam. Daniel was beside her. “Samantha?”
“Yes.”
“I need to talk to
Lantash. Would you please take care of
Daniel for me?”
“Yes.”
She paused. “You’ll be as gentle as possible, won’t you? He’s so upset.” Sam’s agitation was apparent.
“I
will do my best, Samantha, but this is going to be painful for both of us
regardless. I am sorry.” Kataya’s voice was filled with sorrow at the
knowledge that she would be causing Lantash pain yet again.
“I know. I don’t know why I said that. I know you’ll do what you can. I’ll take care of Daniel,” Sam promised, her own feelings
coloring what she said.
“You and I must talk,
soon also, Sam. Your understanding of
this and your support are essential to him,” Kataya stressed her words as much as she could. This was important.
“I know. I’ll talk to you later. I’m going to take Daniel to his office now.”
“No, not his office. Please, take him to your lab. I do not think he should return to his office
so soon. We were, ah, intimate in there
just before the briefing.”
“Ah, I see. Okay.
My lab it is,”
Sam agreed at once.
Kataya nodded, and turned to Lantash,
“I think it is time we talked. We have
many things to discuss.”
He looked from her to Sam and she said,
“I’m going to take Daniel and go to my lab, love. I have some things I need to get finished,
before you and I can go home, and Daniel can help me.”
Finally, he indicated his
agreement. Martouf came forward and
kissed Sam lightly, and he whispered his love in her ear. She gave him a lingering look and the
assurance that she understood and loved him too.
Daniel looked at Kataya, and she smiled
at him to reassure him it was all right.
He kissed her swiftly and touched her face. She understood what he was saying and kissed
him back. Then she turned to face her
mate.
She could only echo Jack O’Neill’s
appraisal of the situation.
God, what a mess.
TBC