Stargate 8 Tok’ra

A month after the capture of the ships, everything remained peaceful on Earth, and the SGC was more comfortable than ever. They even opened a large tunnel for the Stargate and planned to equip it with artillery and tanks for support missions, just because he suggested it. Jack, not stopping there, asked for a larger room, a sofa, and a computer (a junk one, but it served for internet browsing) and even a nice fish tank. He was awarded three medals at once, and his salary was increased fivefold. There was talk of a promotion, but Jack ignored it, stating it could come later, and for now, he wanted to stay under General Hammond's command, who now had his own executive train. Carter had also been decorated and now held a higher rank.

The NID was under control, dealing with all the Goa'uld they had obtained after reviving them using the sarcophagus for information. So far, their demands for communication were ridiculous, but the NID kept pressuring them.

The government was ecstatic about the ships Apophis donated, and an army of scientists worked on them behind the moon, where they had built a base using a goa'uld bomber's gravity generator. Scientists were transported there in the cargo ship and the other bomber, now turned Earth-to-Moon taxis.

Technological advancements were few, but the use of the ships was mastered, thanks to soldiers infected with Goa'uld, having symbiote proteins in their bodies, allowing them to manipulate Goa'uld technology, including their ships.

…

Jack enjoyed his period of peace until they arrived on a planet with huts by a lake. It seemed like many other primitive worlds Jack had visited, so he paid little attention until two death gliders appeared bombing the place, and they had to run. Jack remained ignorant until the mission debriefing, where they discussed the oddity of Goa'uld attacking a primitive village. At that moment, Carter interrupted Daniel with obvious hostility and disdain, then backtracked, uttering nonsense.

Jack, knowing this mission was about Jolinar, frowned and looked at Carter to wrap up this matter quickly. If he remembered correctly, the Goa'uld pursuing Jolinar was among the refugees, making it easy to catch.

"Listen, if you possess Carter's memories, you should know a trip to Cimmeria turns you into proteins. So unless you start talking nicely…" Jack shrugged, glancing at Carter.

"Colonel?" General Hammond asked as Teal'c leaped over the table, initiating a brawl on the floor with punches, kicks, elbows, and some locks. Eventually, a kick to the groin made Teal'c lose focus for a second, and he was subdued by a strangulation lock. Nevertheless, Teal'c was a massive man, and Carter an average-height woman, so when Teal'c stood up, she hung, and when he shook, she flew like a ragdoll. It was evident Teal'c had felt the pressure and stopped restraining himself, feeling his life was in danger.

When guards entered due to the commotion, following General Hammond's orders, Carter crashed into the wall and went unconscious. Teal'c breathed heavily, massaging his neck and leaning on the table. It seemed they were close to knocking him out with the strangulation lock.

"Jack!" Daniel scolded when he saw Jack was the only one still sitting, calmly sipping a drink.

"What? I'm just sitting here, not my fault," Jack replied. "Teal'c, you're too innocent, almost got yourself choked," Jack scolded. "You, pick up Carter and take her to Dr. Fraiser," O'Neill ordered the guards.

"Jack, there's a Goa'uld in Sam!" Daniel scolded.

"Daniel, a month ago, we extracted over ten Goa'uld. It's old news; now, it's part of the job. Tomorrow, we might extract one from you. In fact, if Carter passed her anti-Goa'uld test, that means we need to establish new security protocols," Jack said, looking at General Hammond, who nodded as they took away Carter.

"Sir, I think the NID has work. If there's a Goa'uld here, there might be more among the survivors. Let them know to be thorough with each of them and not rule anyone out, not even hospital staff," Jack advised. General Hammond nodded and hurried to his office.

…

An hour later, Jolinar massaged her head in a cell when Jack arrived, followed by Teal'c and Daniel.

"What have you decided? Become proteins? Or start spilling everything?" Jack asked.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill," Jolinar said with a Goa'uld voice, but Jack perceived a certain accusatory tone. Jack raised an eyebrow. "Why does a prodigy like you pretend to be a normal person? Do you enjoy looking down on other humans?" Jolinar asked. Jack was stunned. "When did I become a prodigy?" he wondered in shock.

"Don't try to deny it. I have the memories of your subordinate and have witnessed your constant abuse and mockery," Jolinar scolded. Jack was still in shock and looked at Teal'c and Daniel, but to his surprise, both looked accusingly at him.

"Seriously? Are you with her?" Jack asked.

"Jack, you've given me a permanent stiff neck from squeezing it so much," Daniel accused.

"O'Neill, I've seen how your twisted sense of humor usually makes Daniel Jackson and Major Carter feel bad. I know you're special, but you must remember they are normal people finding it hard to keep up with you. It's not their fault," Teal'c added.

"Thanks for your collaboration and intervention in my defense, Teal'c," Jack said ironically.

"You're welcome, O'Neill. It's always good to have someone point out our mistakes. I hope someday you'll do the same for me if I find myself in a similar position," Teal'c said solemnly. Jack sighed and looked at Jolinar, completely ignoring Daniel's groans of pain from his neck.

"Carter, don't be foolish. I'm a complete slacker, barely understand how a computer works. You can't seriously believe I'm a prodigy," Jack said, shaking his head.

"You lie. Despite being a slacker and lazy, you're also a prodigy. You grasp things instantly and seem to have an almost supernatural way of coming up with the right answers. Jack O'Neill, I've never seen a human like you. It's a shame for your kind that you're a lazy scoundrel who only cares about intimidating subordinates and making them feel inferior," Jolinar scolded, venom in her voice.

"Carter, stop using that poor symbiote as an excuse to insult your superior. Let's face this head-on and talk. I promise to clarify all your doubts and misunderstandings," Jack offered. It was evident that Carter was speaking through Jolinar.

"Explain how you knew that door was on Earth. You made me look like a fool and then refused to explain anything," Jolinar accused. Jack made a face.

"Carter, for God's sake, it's been two months, and you're still on about that nonsense?" Jack asked angrily. "I told you, my leg was killing me. The call to Earth failed three times in a row, so I ordered you to dial another address. Isn't that perfectly reasonable?" Jack scolded. "And what the hell is this about making her look like a fool?" he asked. Carter glared at him with murderous fury.

"From the moment she woke up, she suspected where we were. I saw it on her face; she was hiding something. And you're right, pain didn't let you think clearly, and that time, you couldn't hide what you knew and play dumb. You wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, and since you didn't care about anything else, you hurried to say nonsensical things, like asking me to describe the point of origin.

"Why did you want to know that? Later, I showed the symbol to Daniel and had him research it. He found it in some ancient inscriptions; turns out it meant Earth. You knew it when I mentioned it, but you hid it, just so I would dial the wrong address three times and mock me.

"But your pain prevented you from continuing to play dumb, and you ordered me to dial another address. After dialing and the gate connecting, I realized your mockery, but…

"Carter, you're talking normally," Jack pointed out.

Carter widened her eyes; apparently, she didn't realize when the symbiote stopped controlling her. It seemed her nervous breakdown scared Jolinar, and she decided to leave her mind for fear of madness. Carter looked around, confused.

"Sir, where am I?" she said bewildered.

"Carter, forget the damn issue with that door. I didn't mean to upset you. You're an unparalleled prodigy in the entire galaxy, but your brain is your own enemy, and you see conspiracies where there are none. I'm just kidding; I have a gift for grasping things quickly, that's all. I'm really sorry if I made you feel… inferior, or if you feel like I'm mocking you. Please, forgive me! I'll invite you to breakfast for a month, and I promise not to interrupt your scientific monologues for an entire week. Really. I promise. Is that enough to show my remorse?" Jack asked with a sigh.

Carter seemed to ponder while still displaying confusion, and nodded a few seconds later, appearing completely lucid. Jack sighed.

"Jack, I want you to apologize to me too," Daniel squealed at his side.

"Daniel, when you're possessed by a Goa'uld, it'll be your turn," Jack said, ignoring him to look at Carter. "Is that okay?" Jack asked. Carter nodded.

"What does the Goa'uld want?" Jack asked.

"Sir, I don't know, but I didn't feel like it wanted to harm me. It even seemed concerned about forcing me to…

"I am Jolinar, a member of the Tok'ra. I would like to speak with my own kind," she said, looking at Jack with hostility.

"Excuse me, we just met. Can I know what I've done to you?" Jack asked. Jolinar looked at him accusingly.

"You already knew I was from the Tok'ra, and you threw me at that brute, just to laugh while I fought for my existence.

"You're a despicable person regardless of your level of intelligence," Jolinar accused. Jack was stunned by what a symbiote could deduce thanks to Carter's brain, but she was equally paranoid.

"I wasn't being mean; I was just being carefree. I didn't think Teal'c would launch an attack…

"So, you admit you knew I was from the Tok'ra," Jolinar accused, and Jack went cold.

"Jack!" Daniel scolded.

"Daniel, this symbiote is paranoid; let's send a professional to talk to her," Jack said, hurrying to leave.

Carter with a symbiote in her head was too terrifying. Surely, with a few more words, all their plans would be exposed.

"Wait, don't go!" Jolinar scolded. "Daniel, Teal'c, bring him back here," Jolinar ordered. Jack assumed that Carter was experiencing another nervous breakdown and hurried to leave and close the door.

…

"Colonel O'Neill!" General Hammond scolded with fury. Jack had rarely seen him so angry.

With the report in his hand and the paused video showing Carter begging Daniel and Teal'c to arrest him to confess all his supposed misdeeds against her, Jack figured he was in serious trouble.

"Sir, Teal'c had already told me about the Tok'ra. So, after analyzing the mission report and piecing together certain subtle evidence, like the Goa'uld attacking a primitive village with the intention of killing them all, I concluded they were looking for someone. Then Carter started acting strangely, even showing hostility towards Teal'c and disdain towards Daniel. That's why I concluded she had a symbiote inside her. Combining all this with what I knew about the Tok'ra thanks to Teal'c, I assumed she was a Tok'ra. But I wasn't sure, so I asked her to surrender and talk.

"I had no idea Teal'c was going to attack her. If I had intervened, things might have gotten complicated. I'm just a fragile human getting into a fight between a Jaffa and a Goa'uld. Sir, I think I'd be lucky to come out with just a broken neck. Otherwise, you know what I think; I don't worry much about things.

"However, I accept full responsibility for my reckless actions and any punishment imposed on me," Jack concluded hastily, confessing everything while apologizing and, at once, requesting judgment.

"Colonel O'Neill, your recklessness is not the only thing that has been exposed, as it has been revealed that you mistreat your subordinates through physical and psychological actions against them," General Hammond accused, looking at Daniel, who involuntarily moved to rub his neck, subconsciously indicating he had suffered psychological damage.

"General Hammond, in defense of O'Neill, he only grabs Daniel Jackson by the neck when he tries to kill us in… strange ways. The truth is, if Daniel Jackson were a Jaffa under my command, I would have executed him for being a danger to the rest of the group," Teal'c explained.

"Teal'c!" exclaimed Daniel indignantly.

"Of course, it would have been an irreparable mistake to act that way because his help has proven invaluable to the group. Despite his apparent ability to attract bad luck, the things he has done for us outweigh all the misfortunes he could have caused us.

"I must also say that when he gets us into trouble, he always finds a way to get us out of it," Teal'c reported uprightly. "Still, I wouldn't risk removing Dr. Jackson from the team. Without Colonel O'Neill present, they might face an inconvenient fate," he added.

"Thank you, Teal'c, it's good to know how much you appreciate me!" Daniel said with a sarcastic tone.

"I will always value our friendship above all, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said sincerely.

Daniel, being a compassionate guy incapable of holding grudges, calmed down immediately.

"Dr. Jackson, have you tried to kill your team?" General Hammond asked with a perplexed expression.

"Well, sir, not that I'm accusing him of anything, but on the first mission to Chulak, he came up with the idea of going to talk to the priests of Apophis to guide us to his city. That was the first time I had to grab him by the neck to stop his suicidal plans," Jack explained, and General Hammond looked at Daniel in astonishment.

"Sir, I didn't know they were priests of Apophis; I didn't even know who Apophis was," Daniel apologized.

"Sir, I remind you that during the incident with Hathor, he was about to release a Goa'uld queen in the base, so I had to grab him by the neck and pull him away," Jack added. Daniel shrunk in his seat.

"Well, be less… Don't grab Dr. Jackson's neck again. Just warn him about things; we're civilized people," General Hammond said without imposing any punishment for that incident.

"What do you have to say about Sam Carter's accusations?" General Hammond asked, calmer than in his initial furious reaction.

"Sir, I was just joking with her. I had no idea I was making her feel bad, that's why I've apologized. In the future, I'll try to be more considerate of my team's feelings. And if I notice another Tok'ra infiltrator, I'll report it immediately. In fact, I intend to do that right now.

"I've been thinking that these Tok'ra could be anywhere, and if that's the case, there's a good chance some are on Apophis' ship, possibly facing difficulties at the hands of the NID. I think we could allow Jolinar to go through the cells of the imprisoned Goa'uld and check if she identifies any other Tok'ra," Jack explained. The general looked at him with many doubts.

"Colonel O'Neill, your salary is suspended for two months, and from today, you must take your days off seriously; you are not allowed to stay on the base. Also, all your games and video game consoles will be confiscated for a period of no less than a month, and if I hear another complaint from your team, this punishment will be permanent," General Hammond reprimanded.

…

Ten minutes after he left, Jack was still in a state of shock.

"He confiscated all my games for a month," Jack said, feeling like he was in another world.

"Yes, Jack, he did," Daniel said with a sigh.

"I'm afraid you heard right, O'Neill," Teal'c said.

"Is that legal?" Jack asked. "I'm an adult; they can't take away my things like I'm a child," Jack complained.

"Jack, this is their base, not your home," Daniel explained.

"Damn, that's true; this is a military base, and I am a military man," Jack said. Daniel and Teal'c looked at him.

"Definitely, I'll retire when all this is over," Jack declared. They hadn't confiscated his games since he was a teenager, and they banned him from the video game rental store.

…

"Sir, permission to leave this room," Jack said, while a dozen Tok'ra gave him murderous looks.

It had been a day since they captured Jolinar. General Hammond implemented his advice and sent Jolinar to see if there were any Tok'ra among the captured Goa'uld on Apophis' ships.

As Jack thought, she returned to the base with four Tok'ra. The problem was that she had poisoned their minds, and by the way they all looked at him, she had portrayed him as some kind of Nazi demon who laughed while enjoying watching others suffer.

"General Hammond, if you intend to establish a friendly relationship with the Tok'ra, the presence of this individual here is unacceptable," said the Tok'ra leader, a woman in her fifties with long black hair, wearing a simple dress adorned at the neckline.

"Ambassador, I fear you have misunderstood my intentions," General Hammond said firmly. "My intention here is to reach an agreement for the symbiote known as Jolinar to leave my subordinate's body immediately.

"Then, if goodwill is demonstrated, and we see that we share common goals, we can talk about an alliance," General Hammond concluded. The woman looked at Jack with fury.

"Let's calm down, please. What happened between Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill is an incident of miscommunication. Let's not take this to extremes," General Hammond intervened before the woman accused him of something.

"Ma'am, I can assure you that Jack only has a twisted and annoying sense of humor but didn't mean to cause harm," Daniel contributed diplomatically, unconsciously rubbing his neck.

"He's lying; he knew they were Tok'ra and sent them to be tortured," Jolinar accused.

"Major Carter, keep your feelings under control," reprimanded General Hammond.

"I am Jolinar…"

"Sam!" reprimanded General Hammond.

"Yes, sir," Carter responded hastily.

Jack had come prepared, and before the meeting, he informed the general that Tok'ra symbiotes didn't behave the same way as Goa'uld and were greatly affected by the emotions and feelings of their hosts. Therefore, Jolinar's accusations against him actually came from Carter, who felt mistreated, compelling the symbiote to act to defend her against what it considered an injustice.

"Well, now that we've clarified this point, let's move on to the main issue. When will you leave my subordinate's body?" General Hammond asked.

"Currently, I'm afraid we don't have available hosts, and it may take a few months to find a suitable one…"

"Sir, we need Carter. We can't afford to lose her even for a day. If what you want is hosts, we have more than enough," Jack said, surprising everyone.

"Explain," General Hammond said.

"Sir, currently on this planet, millions of people die each year from diseases like cancer or viral infections. But for the symbiotes, these diseases mean nothing. I believe that if we offer them the opportunity to save their lives in exchange for sharing their bodies, these people will be willing to accept.

"If that seems immoral to you, I'm sure we can also find completely healthy individuals who would accept the same deal, just for the chance to live adventures. But it's precisely this option that I find immoral," Jack explained.

The Tok'ra forgot their animosity towards him and looked at him as their savior. Jack would have liked to tell them where their queen was, but he didn't even remember the name of the planet. Until tretonin emerged, he wouldn't know where Egeria was.

…

A day later, a blonde woman In her thirties, in the terminal stage of uterine cancer, became Jolinar's host. She had been in the military and was discharged due to her illness.

Thanks to the proposal to provide hosts, the Tok'ra agreed to formalize an alliance with them. Jack didn't consider them crucial to his plan, but if he could do them a favor and formalize alliances ahead of time, that was good. Unfortunately, from that day on, a month would pass without him being able to play.

…

Jack had to constantly meditate not to be affected by withdrawal symptoms and bad mood. General Hammond was very angry with him for intimidating his team, especially Carter, and had no intention of lifting his punishment. So much so that when it was his day off, he was seized by four burly men and thrown out onto the street. Of course, he still held value for many politicians and military officials, and he had an entire NID army backing him up at all times. They even took away several individuals who crossed his path but didn't intervene to lift his punishment.

Jack had no choice but to return to his cabin and hire three attractive women to clean and brighten up his view. These women were not prostitutes; they were just upper-class maids hired through a private agency. They specialized in attending important meetings of politicians and diplomatic affairs since no politician wanted an unattractive maid accidentally caught by cameras during their public meetings. The people of the United States were somewhat twisted, but Jack didn't complain when they handed him the catalog and informed him it would be free for him, as it would be considered expenses of the SGC.

Thus, Jack enjoyed a beautiful day off with his three maids cleaning the accumulated dust, and an army of NID agents keeping watch from outside.

Jack had gained the reputation of being extremely cautious, and as he refused to leave the base, many politicians and military personnel thought he feared for his safety. Since he was always right in his assumptions, an army of agents had been formed to protect him.

This also demonstrated the significant influence General Hammond now had, possessing the power to take him out of his base without his consent. Jack wasn't bothered by that. The general was an honorable man, and he realized he had crossed the line by teasing Daniel and Carter.

The hippie had even suffered psychological damage, and poor Geek had become paranoid, believing he was some kind of prodigy who intentionally mocked her to humiliate her. That was a serious matter and showed he had gone too far.

If it weren't for being a good friend of General Hammond, at least he believed so, his punishment would have been much more severe, like losing a rank or being assigned to another base. Fortunately, General Hammond had believed him when he said he had no ill intentions and reduced his punishment to something symbolic, trying to cause him the same inconvenience he had caused his subordinates.