Igisadonis – Beloved
Coeurawyn – My heart
Blood
of My Heart, Beloved of My Soul
Sam knocked softly on the door of Daniel and Kataya’s
quarters. Hearing a voice telling her to
enter, she opened the door and walked in.
Kataya was scrambling off the bed, and Daniel was looking at
her in bewilderment. She whirled toward
the door and seeing Sam, she said, “Samantha.”
Samantha, but how could that be?
She was Samantha, was she not?
“How are you feeling?”
“Better now, thanks.”
She frowned, as she looked at Kataya.
“Are you all right, Kat? You seem
upset.”
Was she Kat then?
Yes, of course she was. The mind
link. Was she still linked to Samantha’s
mind? She needed to see Merdwin. Right away.
“Me? No, no, I am just,
um, a little disoriented from awakening suddenly from a dream of, er,
Cadwaellon. You know how that is; when I
first awoke, I expected to be somewhere else.
I am also concerned for you. Are
you sure you are all right?”
Sam was aware of confusion emanating from Kat. “Why are you so confused?” Sam asked, without thinking. A moment later, she could feel Kataya taking
hold of her emotions and putting them away, almost as one would fold a blanket
or towel and put it in a drawer.
“I am sorry, Samantha.
I was having a dream and I woke up disoriented. When you first walked in, my first emotion
was confusion and you sensed it. Another
side effect of the link I am afraid, but one that we will be able to
mitigate. Merdwin will show you how to
block those types of things.”
Fleetingly, Sam was aware that Kat was telling her she was
making another change, adding an ability she had not possessed before, but it
didn’t truly register.
“How are you feeling about everything now? That must be our first concern,” Kataya said
quietly.
“I’m fine. I think Merdwin sent Janet to talk to me. She helped me to put it in perspective.”
Daniel slowly left the bed and walked toward Kataya, who
stared at him wide-eyed, as he walked toward her. Reaching a hand out for her, he was surprised
when she flinched away from him.
Both he and Sam stared at her in amazement. “I must speak to Merdwin at once. If you will excuse me.” Turning, she fled from the room, much as Sam
had done earlier.
Sam and Daniel stared at each other in bewilderment.
Kataya walked swiftly towards the room that Merdwin used, hoping to find him there. Dear Universe, what was wrong with her? She stopped at the door, turned, and made her way to a maintenance closet. Once there, she sat on the floor and began to relive what had just taken place. What had happened? Putting herself into a trance like state, she quickly relived the dream she’d had of being Samantha. When she finished, she got up and headed for Merdwin’s room hoping that Sam and Daniel had not gone there first. They would be sure to jump to the wrong conclusion.
Walking toward Merdwin’s chamber, she contemplated her
reaction. She had simply awoken before
the dream ended and thought she was Sam.
Merdwin had left some threads between the two of them. Thank goodness, he had been more careful with
Sam and made sure it was completely gone.
Now he would have to go in and take care of it, or she would be having
these odd episodes on and off all the time.
Kataya sighed, but then smiled to herself. Merdwin had always wanted to get into her
mind. He was about to get to for the
second time today. She wondered if it
had proved as frustrating for him as she had always suspected it would be. He hated clutter, and Kat knew her mind was a
very large area of discarded ideas, half-finished thoughts, and conflicting
emotions. She would just about bet that
when Merdwin found out he had to go back in, he would be appalled. Served him right. One should always be careful what one wished
for, she thought, self-righteously…sometimes one got one's wish.
Daniel turned to Sam as Kataya left the room. “What was that all about? One minute she was sleeping, and the next she
was bolt upright in the bed and staring at me like she’d never seen me before.”
“I don’t know, Daniel, but I definitely felt confusion, and
it had to do with us.”
Daniel blinked at her, and then frowned. “Why would she be confused about us? That makes no sense, Sam.”
“Well, she went to see Merdwin, so that’s where I’m going,
too. Want to come?”
“Well, yeah, of course I do.”
“Let’s go,” Sam said, leading the way. This was turning into a long day, and it
wasn’t even noon yet. It only took a few
minutes to reach Merdwin’s quarters.
Daniel knocked and opened the door when he was told to
enter. He immediately looked around for
Kataya. She wasn’t there. “Merdwin, where is Kataya?” He asked abruptly.
“The last I knew, she was asleep on the bed in your chamber,
and you were with her. What has
occurred?”
Daniel reached up, pinched the bridge of his nose for a
moment, and then looking at Merdwin, he said, “Okay, I want to know what
happened. What went wrong during the
link? Kataya woke up a few minutes ago,
looked at me as if I was someone she’d never seen before, flinched when I
reached for her, and said she had to talk to you. And Sam said that when she entered the room,
she sensed confusion in her, and it had to do with us.” Daniel pinned Merdwin in his gaze and the
stubbornness that was always there in him, usually out of sight, was showing
itself. He was not going to leave this
alone until he had his answer. “So what
happened?”
“The link became extremely strong, Daniel. When Samantha encountered Kataya’s heart and
the pain, it was too intense; I had to go in to break the link and bring them
back into themselves. It was not,
however, an unanticipated occurrence.
Although you cannot see it, there has been an energy thread growing
between them, linking them even before they linked their minds. The pull they feel to one another is strong
and they simply lost themselves in one another.”
“Well, that doesn’t explain Kataya’s reaction to me when she
woke up. What caused that?”
Merdwin looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, “Since
Kataya fell asleep directly after the link, she may have gone back into the
memories she gained during it. Samantha,
is there anything you can think of in your memories that would have confused
Kataya? Anything that you believe is new
information that she would not have been aware of?”
Samantha shrugged, helplessly, “I don’t know, Merdwin. I don’t have all my memories of past lives as
you all do. I have no idea what she
could have been confused about.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Well, things were fine between us this morning, so I have no idea
either.”
As the three stood in silence, each contemplating the odd
behavior, the half-closed door swung open, and Kataya stood there. “Actually, Igisadonis, my confusion had to
do with the two of you and being in bed with you. I am afraid that Merdwin missed a thread or
two when he severed our tie. When I
awoke so suddenly, I believed I was Samantha, and it upset me to find myself in
bed with you and to find myself entering the room. Since my feelings did not immediately revert
to me knowing completely who I was, I felt I must go to Merdwin, but first I
stopped to think it through and realized what was wrong. Therefore, my first instinct was correct, and
I am now here to have Merdwin remove the remaining threads that tie my mind to
Samantha’s.”
Sighing tiredly, she continued, “It is a simple matter and
should not take long to remedy.”
“I promise to be back to normal as soon as he is
finished.” She walked toward Daniel, but
he looked to be a very long way away.
She was so tired.
For the second time that day, Kataya opened her eyes and
looked up to see Merdwin bending over her with a concerned frown on his face,
and a question in his eyes. She shook
her head slowly from side to side and laughed shortly. Why was she passing out? She almost never did that. She turned to the three people standing,
anxiously watching her.
They turned at the knock on the doorframe and watched as
Jack and Teal’c entered the room.
Looking from Sam to Daniel to Merdwin to Kataya lying on the bed, he
held his arms out, palms up, quirked his eyebrows questioningly, and said,
“Day-jah view. Weren’t we just here, oh,
an hour ago? Same gray walls, same
general audience, same line-up, different bed?”
“Jack,” Daniel stated.
“Daniel?” Jack
returned.
“I’m not sure this qualifies as Déjà vu, Jack,” Daniel said,
as he shrugged, shook his head, and turned back to the low-voiced conversation
Sam was having with Kataya and Merdwin.
They were discussing how Sam felt about what was occurring
and neither seemed surprised when Sam turned to Merdwin, and said, “After we
are through with the Tok’Ra, I wish for you to make arrangements for us to
travel to Avilion. I wish to take my
place as The Dragon of the Star.”
Merdwin looked at her for a long moment before nodding his agreement.
He then turned back to Kataya and began to speak to her
quickly and urgently in a language that neither Jack nor Teal’c
understood. Both were surprised when Sam
and Daniel seemed to join the conversation and take obviously opposing
views. Everyone was surprised, when
Kataya sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“I have made my decision, and since it is mine to make, this
discussion is over. Whatever Lantash
decides, it will be his decision to make, so all of your debating is simply a
waste of everyone’s time.”
She turned to Merdwin.
“You can perform a healing rite.
I have decided not to travel to Avilion for it now. We are all aware that I cannot be healed at this
time, but I believe that we can slow the progress of the problem. Sam and I both believe that Lantash will make
the correct decision once he has had time to come to terms with the situation.”
“I do not suppose you removed the link while I was out? No, I did not think so,” she said, as Merdwin
shook his head. “Well then, please do so
now. Much as I care for Samantha, I do
not want to continue to believe I am her.”
Kataya smiled evilly at Merdwin, “You often evinced a desire
to know what was going on in my mind, Merdwin.
Surely this is the perfect way to find out?”
“I am truly sorry I ever thought I wanted to do that. Do you have any idea how disorganized your
memories and thoughts are? How you
manage to be such a brilliant tactician, with that much disorder in your mind,
is a mystery that I cannot explain.”
“Well, you must have enjoyed your short sojourn in Sam’s
mind then, it is quite orderly. I was
afraid the whole time that I would misplace something,” Kat said to him
cheekily. “You should have no trouble
extracting the threads; they will be the tidy ones.”
Giving a reluctant chuckle and shaking his head at her, he
nonetheless entered the clutter, found and removed what he was looking for, and
retreated as soon as he could.
“I do thank you, Merdwin, but now, if you do not mind, I
need to meditate and gather some strength before the Tok’Ra arrive. I am going to return to my room.”
Kataya slipped from the bed and kissed Daniel lightly on the
cheek. “I really am fine now, my
love.” Changing the subject, she turned
to Jack and Teal’c who were quietly observing, and asked, “Have they sent for
the Tok’Ra?”
“No, Jacob and Martouf are deciding who they will
contact. I expect they will be meeting
with General Hammond, soon. That’s what
we were coming to tell Merdwin,” Jack answered her. “I think we might want to head up to the
General’s office, Teal’c. Once they hear
that Jacob’s been hurt, I’m guessing that the Tok’Ra will come right away.”
“Indeed. An excellent
suggestion, O’Neill.” Teal’c turned and
exited, followed by Jack. Merdwin,
however, frowned as he turned back to Kataya.
“You should rest, as well as meditate, until they
arrive. We will let you know as soon as
we have contacted them, and they are on their way.”
“I will, Merdwin, do not worry.” Kataya replied quickly, as she glanced at
Daniel. “I am just tired. I have not yet had time to fully restore my
reserves of energy. I was asleep, as you
will all recall. I simply need to do
some light meditation.”
Daniel bent and picked her up. Grinning at her, he murmured, “It seems I’m
always carrying you to my bed.” He was
delighted with the slight gasp and the faint pink that tinged her golden
cheeks. The Kat could still be brought
to blush, even after all these years. It
was a good feeling.
As they followed Jack and Teal’c out the door, Daniel turned
to Sam. “Why don’t you come with us for
now, Sam? I think you need to do some
meditation, too, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do, but…”
“Please, come with us, Samantha. We will pull energy much faster together.”
Finally, Sam nodded, and smiled. “All right.
I could use a good dose of universal energy right now, and since I don’t
think I can do that yet by myself, I’ll let you do the work, and I’ll reap the
reward.”
Relieved to see her smile, Kataya returned one of her own,
and agreed. “I will be happy to do
so.” As they reached the door of their
quarters, Kataya said to Daniel, “I will be all right now, coeurawyn.
Go enjoy one of your dusty old manuscripts while Samantha and I
replenish our energy. Please.”
Setting her down, he leaned forward and kissed her
swiftly. “All right. I’ll see you both at the briefing.” As he left, they lit candles and got
comfortable as they chatted, once more at ease with one another.
Jacob and General Hammond stood in his office discussing the message that was to be sent to the Tok’Ra. They expected the Tok’Ra’s reaction to be immediate. Neither particularly liked the subterfuge they had to use, but it was imperative that the spy was not alerted to the knowledge that they were aware of Bastet’s plans.
As they were deciding on the exact wording of the message, Jack and Teal’c joined them.
“Do we have a message to send, General?” Jack asked, as he walked into the room.
“Yes, we think we’re ready.
Do you know if Kataya and Major Carter are finished with what they were
doing? I think that they and Merdwin
should be here for the explanations,” General Hammond responded.
“Yes, they’ve finished and both seem to have recovered to
some degree, though they still need to rest.
Merdwin should be here shortly, and Kataya and Carter asked to be
contacted when the Tok’Ra have arrived.
I say we do it. If we wait for
everything to be perfect, we won’t get it done,” Jack answered.
Both Jacob and the General agreed. “I think that last bit is good enough,
George. Let’s get it sent.”
“I will inform the others that we are about to send the
message,” Teal’c said, as he started toward the door. “We will gather in the briefing room when we
are aware that they are here.”
“Thank you, Teal’c,” General Hammond said. “Let’s get this done, Jacob.” The three men headed out to contact the
Tok’Ra.
As Garshaw thought about the Council meeting the next day, she realized that she had spoken to no one except Jocasta and Daur’rin, Jocasta’s symbiote, about Bastet. The other members of the Council would be disturbed to hear of Bastet and her hiding on Martmont. They would decide whom to send to try to infiltrate her ranks at the meeting.
“Master Garshaw, we have just received an urgent message
from the Tau’ri. There has been an
accident,” the messenger panted, as he slid to a halt in front of Garshaw. “Selmak and Jacob Carter have been injured,
and the Tau’ri do not believe they will survive. Selmak has requested you to come, as soon as
possible, as well as Malek and Daimesh.
The Tau’ri have asked for a healer.
Jacob Carter has asked to see Jocasta and Calise, who has some
experience as a healer.”
“Contact the others they requested and also Brialek. He is a very skilled healer, as well as a
friend of Jacob’s. Have them meet at the
rings in fifteen minutes. Was there
anything else in the message?”
“No, only that they felt it was important that you come as
soon as possible.”
Garshaw nodded, as she headed toward her quarters. “Send Aldwin to me immediately. He must contact the council to delay our
meeting until I return.”
Bowing his head, the messenger left to deliver his
messages. Garshaw continued toward her
quarters. Selmak was an old and trusted
friend. Garshaw knew that Selmak would
not request her, unless it was a critical situation. They would leave for the Tau’ri as soon as
possible. Entering her chamber, she
gathered a few possessions in case she had to remain off world. She turned as Aldwin entered her chamber.
“Aldwin, we have had word that Selmak has been injured, and
his survival is unlikely. He and Jacob
have made some requests. We are taking
two healers and leaving immediately for the Tau’ri home world. Contact the council, and tell them that the
meeting is delayed until my return. That
will be all.”
Aldwin acknowledged her instructions with a nod of his
head. “I will see to it that they are
told at once.”
Garshaw said her farewells and strode swiftly toward the
rings. All of those requested were
already there, and they all had at least some possessions with them. They did not know if they would be staying,
or if the situation was so critical that they would be coming back quite
soon. If he was truly that severely
injured, it was possible they would not get there in time.
It was obvious that Jocasta was planning to stay, if he was
still alive. She stood, white-faced and
impatient to be off. Everyone was aware
that a relationship was building between the two. Garshaw touched her briefly on the shoulder,
as the rings descended, whisking them to the surface. Within minutes, they emerged through the
shimmering blue of the Chaappa’ai.
As they stepped onto the ramp at the SGC, they all came to a
halt and stared at the man who was presumably near death. Standing at the bottom of the ramp and
looking back at them was an obviously hale and healthy Jacob Carter/Selmak.
As he looked from Garshaw, to the much-distressed features of
Jocasta, Selmak spoke quickly, “I must apologize for the subterfuge we had to
employ to get all of you here. It was,
however, a necessity, as you will see,” he paused, as Merdwin stepped forward
to stand beside him. “Garshaw, I feel
sure you will remember, Merdwin of Werllockian, Advisor and minister, of
Artereos of Cadwaellon.”
“Yes. I remember
well. It is an honor to meet with you
once again, Lord Merdwin.”
“I am delighted to meet with you again, also, and I only wish
it could have been under better circumstances.
I, too, am sorry that we had to employ such tactics, but I believe you
will agree that it was indeed necessary, once you learn the details. I am afraid the news we have for you is not
good.”
Garshaw nodded slowly.
“Then perhaps we should begin the explanations as soon as possible. Since a healer is not needed, perhaps we
should send them back?” She questioned.
General Hammond answered her, “I don’t think it would be
wise. After we explain everything, I
believe you will agree. If you will all
come with us, we will continue this in the conference room.”
Garshaw nodded again, but frowned as she looked at
Merdwin. That he was here gave her a
feeling of disquiet, and the more she thought about it, the more she became
convinced within herself that something important was behind this. Something, some instinct told her, to do with
Bastet.
As they approached the conference room, they could hear the
murmur of voices from within. Ahead of
them, just entering the room were Major Carter, Teal'c, and Kataya.
When their group entered the room, Garshaw and the other
Tok’Ra stopped short again, as they saw Lantash and Dr. Jackson facing each
other, in what appeared to be a rather heated discussion. They broke off their conversation, as the
others entered the room, and Lantash turned to greet the other members of the
Tok’Ra.
“Master Garshaw, it is good that you could come so
quickly. It is unfortunate that the
request had to be hidden in such a way.”
“So you also believe it was necessary, Lantash?”
“Absolutely. We had
no other choice.”
“Please be seated everyone, and we will begin the briefing,”
General Hammond stated. Then he began
his explanation of why they had been called there in such a way. When he finished, there was silence. Most of the Tok’Ra present had been in the
evacuation to Avilion the last time they had been attacked by Bastet. All of them were aware of how dangerous this
situation was for them and the Tau’ri.
The spy in their midst was enough to justify the subterfuge practiced by
the Tau’ri.
At last, Garshaw spoke, “You were correct, General
“As I said, we only became aware of the situation a couple
of days ago. We wanted you to be
informed and become a part of the planning that will be necessary. While we know that you yourself can’t stay
without arousing suspicion, we are in hopes that we can keep at least some few
of your people, on the pretext that they are staying to be with Jacob. Keeping your healers here will help to allay
any suspicions, and if you let it be known that you fear for their lives, even
though the healers are staying, we should go a long way toward keeping our
knowledge quiet.”
“I believe that both Jocasta and Malek could stay without
arousing suspicion,” Jacob spoke up quickly.
Garshaw gave this statement some quiet contemplation before
agreeing to it. “Yes, and I believe that
Daimesh also may safely be left behind in case you should need his
services. I will be sure that it is
known throughout the base that Selmak’s condition is indeed serious, and the
outcome at this time is unknown, although the healers have not given up hope of
being able to prevail.”
“Selmak, have you given consideration to who you believe
should be assigned to this, and how to arrange for them to arrive here, without
the spy being alerted?”
“We have. All
involved should be here to begin training as soon as possible. We thought that you might suggest some places
to send some Tok’Ra at the council meeting.
The places they are sent will be common knowledge. From these places, they will travel here to
the Tau’ri,” Selmak spoke briskly.
“However, before we venture further into the how to bring
our people here, there are other things that must be made known. While General Hammond gave you the bare facts
of the attack that is planned against us, he has left the true reasons this is happening
for Merdwin to disclose. Therefore, I
will turn this over to him.”
Merdwin stood and faced the Tok’Ra, all of whom he
knew. He began the briefing by reciting
the prophecy from the myst-time spoken by the All, and by explaining the
circumstances they were facing. He told
them of Morgasha, her intentions, and how they had, all of them, been called
forth now, at this place, for the time of the Great Battle was come.
He explained to them that Morgasha/Bastet could not be
allowed to win, if their respective races were to survive. He enlightened them that he, himself, could
not take part in the battle. It was left
to the Dragon of the Fire and the Dragon of the Star, the souls that had been
brought forth from the All, who were seated among them, that they might defeat
the Dragon of the Blood, Morgasha/Bastet.
And he brought them to realize that no whisper of their existence could
be mentioned, for to do so would surely cause their plan to fail.
“Who are they?”
Jocasta asked quietly, sitting tense with her hands clenched.
“Kataya and Sam, Jocasta.”
Jacob answered her, softly.
Watching that interchange and seeing her body relax at his answer, Sam
realized that this woman meant something to her father. Shoving the questions and emotions away to be
examined later, she brought her attention back to the briefing.
Resuming his explanations, Merdwin continued, “They have
already begun to take the steps needed to join their strength to defeat
her. A few matters must still be taken
care of, before that can be completed, but hopefully they will be concluded
soon.”
“Major Carter must undergo intensive training to be ready to
face Bastet. As you can imagine, she
will need all of our support and, if possible, as little additional stress as
can be managed.” Merdwin looked
pointedly at Lantash and Daniel before turning to Garshaw. “We realize that all of this information is a
lot to take in. It is however,
imperative that you be fully informed, so that you can explain exactly what is
happening.”
“I believe that I may be overheard if I explain. Perhaps it would be best, if some of the
Tau’ri meet the Tok’Ra operatives at their destination. They could be brought here, and the explanation
can be given in perfect secrecy,” she stated, as she was thinking through the
intricacies involved. “I believe, as you
obviously do, that secrecy must be maintained.”
“Do you know if the base is generally aware of the fact that
we know where Bastet is?” General
Hammond asked Garshaw.
“It has not been discussed since the day that I was informed
by Selmak and Lantash. I have told no
one; I was waiting for the meeting tomorrow.
Jocasta, have you mentioned it to anyone?” She asked.
“No, I have not mentioned it since that day.”
“What of you, Selmak?
Lantash?”
“Jacob and I did not.”
“No,” Lantash’s answer was clipped.
“If the spy was aware, he would have given the information
to Bastet already. Artereos’s agents
have heard nothing that would indicate that she is aware of her hiding place
being known to the Tok’Ra,” Merdwin stated.
Kataya had been sitting quietly since the others had
entered. She recognized all of these
Tok’Ra. A few had changed hosts, but she
knew the symbiotes. Each had nodded an
acknowledgement to her upon seeing her in the room, although no formal
greetings had taken place.
The last time they had spoken, Artereos had requested she
make his desires known, and this seemed a good time to do so.
She spoke up abruptly, “Artereos has asked that I make a
request. Although it has not been mentioned
before, the Katteri-enti will be sending only those who have full knowledge of
the risks involved. Artereos wishes me
to request the same of both the Tok’Ra and the Tau’ri. Any who do not wish to volunteer to
participate, should not be forced to do so.
Now that you know what is at stake and the other circumstances involved,
it is imperative that only those willing to give all they have are assigned to
this venture.”
Garshaw looked at Lantash as she contemplated the upcoming
operation. Knowing she need not worry
about asking him or Selmak if they would volunteer, she turned to the other
Tok’Ra who were there with her. As she
looked at each of them, she said, “I believe that is a reasonable request. I wish to know if any of you feel you can not
undertake or do not wish to undertake this assignment.”
“I wish very much to take part in this operation.” Jocasta spoke up immediately.
As each of the Tok’Ra present agreed that they had no
problem in volunteering to join the mission, Garshaw was thinking of who else
she should send to see if they wished to take part. She could not envision any of them refusing.
She frowned as she turned to Selmak. “Have you given any thought to who you wished
to bring here, besides the ones you asked for?”
“Yes, we did. With
Lantash and myself, it would come to about twelve Tok’Ra. Everyone you brought with you was on our
list, as well as Morlash, Jorlin, Ronesh, Keveck, and Solphek.”
“I had not thought of Keveck and Solphek, but you are
correct. Each would be excellent. I will see to it as soon as I return to the
base.”
She hesitated and then said, “I have had another thought on
how to get them here and into training as soon as possible. I will explain to the council that the
original request for Jacob to come to the Tau’ri was to discuss a joint Tok’Ra,
Tau’ri exercise in the Corinthin Quadrant.
It is a great distance from where Bastet is, and we could call it a
reconnaissance and infiltration mission, which could take two to three
months. Those already here, could be
said to join them once Selmak is recovering.
I believe it would be a quicker and less intricate way of getting our
people here.”
“I think that sounds like an excellent plan for bringing
them here ASAP.” General Hammond agreed,
to nods from the others at the table.
Martouf cleared his throat and then said, “I believe that we
should not forget that Jacob and I will be using the excuse of the upcoming
wedding to explain our extended absence.”
Turning to Garshaw, he told her.
“Samantha, Lantash and I shall be joined soon. We hope it will take place before the battle
if it works out that we can do so. If
not, then certainly afterwards.”
“I see.” Garshaw
smiled at them, as she said, “The Tok’Ra will be proud and honored to acknowledge
you as Lantash and Martouf’s mate, Major Carter.” Yosef came forward to say in her soft voice,
“We do congratulate you most sincerely, and welcome you gladly, Major
Carter. We look forward to the official
bonding ceremony. This wedding? What is it?”
Blushing faintly, Sam responded. “Thank you, Garshaw, Yosef. A wedding is the Tau’ri ceremony of
joining. We had thought that we could use
it as an excuse for Martouf and Dad, after his recovery, of course, for staying.
The spy should have no knowledge of how long it would take to prepare
for one.”
“Excellent. And
Daimesh will be here to perform the joining ceremony for the Tok’Ra.” Garshaw responded. “It sounds as if we have some excellent plans
in hand. I will not return to the Tok’Ra
base tonight, but I will send a preliminary report on Selmak’s condition, and I
will send for the others we have decided upon at the same time. My remaining will lend credence to Selmak
being in serious condition.”
Turning to the Tok’Ra who would be staying behind, she said,
“If each of you will specify what you wish to have delivered for your stay, I
will see to it that those things are brought by the others.”
As those present murmured agreements to this plan, General
Hammond stood and addressed the group. “We have a lot to think about. I suggest we reconvene in the morning. That will give our guests time to settle in
before we meet again. I suggest we all
go over all of the plans we’ve made so far to see if we can find any flaws
we’ve overlooked.”
“Everyone’s quarters should be ready shortly and I’ll assign
someone to each of you to show you around for a day or so, until you become
familiar with the base. I hope it won’t
be too inconvenient, but we have had to set up a storage room and divide it
into sleeping areas. I hope the lack of
privacy will not be a problem. We do
have a VIP room available for you, Garshaw.
If the other room won’t be acceptable, we can work something else out,
too. If there is anything you need,
please feel free to ask for it.”
“A lack of privacy is not a problem for us, General
Hammond. We are used to that, as we have
lived for many years in an open way with one another.”
Jacob spoke up, saying, “I’ll be glad to show you all to the
mess hall, that’s the area for eating. I’ll
take them there for now, George, and then your people can come for them when
their quarters are prepared, and their escorts have been assigned.”
Remembering the obvious disagreement that Lantash and Daniel
had seemed to be getting into, he added.
“I’m sure Lantash will be glad to accompany us and help you all to feel
more at home here on the base.”
“Thank you, Jacob, Lantash.
I’d appreciate that. If there is
nothing else, this meeting is adjourned until tomorrow morning,” General
Hammond said, as he dismissed the meeting.
Kataya turned to Sam, and said, “I am going to see if
Merdwin would like to put in some sword practice. Would you care to watch us?”
“Yes, I’d really love to see the two of you.”
“All right. I will
contact Merdwin, make the arrangements, and then I will let you know when we
are going to practice.”
She looked at Daniel.
“I would like for you to come with me, if you have nothing more pressing
to do, my Beloved.”
With a long look at Lantash that said their discussion was
not over, Daniel nodded and accompanied her from the room.
TBC