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hathor_girlSummary: Ria agrees to help - and it turns out she is Tok'ra, not Goa'uld.
Note: I borrowed/adapted some ideas from Roeskva's stories for this. Dangerous carnivorous plants and Selmak having a pre-existing condition that would later in the show make her sick and die. Here she is saved, though :)
Martouf POV
I greet her again. "Hello, Ria."
Bowing my head, I give Lantash control, so he, too can talk to this person. Goa'uld? Tok'ra?
"Greetings, Ria. I would appreciate if you would tell me any news about my mates, and my Samantha's father, and his symbiote Selmak." He takes a deep breath. "And then I expect to get an explanation. Who are you? Your name is unknown to me. You seems to be - not traditionally Goa'uld, even though biologically you are."
"The same could be said for you." She sighs. "But I understand your concern. First things first. The patient you brought. As you probably have surmised, I do not have a sarcophagus. I might have chosen to keep it, despite everything else, but I did not have to make that decision. It was destroyed when the former ruler was killed."
"So you used a healing device?"
"Yes. I have a - somewhat enhanced - healing device. I also have a number of drugs, as well as several other machines and devices which assist in healing. I have to take care of my people, after all."
"Commendable. How fares the patients?"
"Jacob and Samantha are both completely healed. They are currently resting, and will soon join us."
"Impressive. Your healing skills and your strength is great."
"Thank you." She sighs. "Their symbiotes are another matter. Their wounds were grave, and there were other problems involved, which hindered my use of a healing device. Selmak's immediate injuries are lessened."
"She is awake?" Lantash asks.
"She?" Ria nods. "I understand. She considers herself female, but had to take a male host. Unfortunate."
"But happens from time to time. We cannot always choose."
"Of course. Well, she will soon awaken. As I said, her immediate injuries are almost healed, but she has some underlying problems, in her code of life. They are interfering with her healing abilities, and even making it more difficult to heal her with a healing device. I am assuming something in the poisonous smoke in the crashed teltac has exaggerated the problems, making them acute quicker than they otherwise would have been."
"Will she survive?" Lantash asks, concerned.
"Yes, as I told you, they will all live...and not just for the time being., if that was your fear They will all be completely well. I have treated the problems in her code of life, but it needs time to stabilize, and until that has happened, she must take it slow and avoid stressing herself. It is important that she is not put in a situation where she has to heal herself or her host, for the next year or so. If would suggest she stays here until then, which would also allow me to monitor her."
"I doubt she will agree to that - and even less that Jacob will. We all wish to go home."
"You cannot go home for the next year or so anyway. The chaapa'ai is buried, and the dialing device is broken."
"It can be unburied, and the dialing device repaired." Lantash insists. I agree with him. What is the reason behind all this?
"Yes, but not right now. You see... the chaapa'ai is located on an island, and on it grows a plant which is very dangerous. It mutated from something it was exposed to in some of the weapons used by the previous ruler. The mutagen is long gone, but the result was that the plants puts out a scent during their flowering, which is a powerful hallucinogen for humans - and even affects symbiotes. The plants also became carnivorous, and when affected by the flowers scents, people will walk straight up to the plant and let themselves be eaten. The plants only flowers once every 20 years, but they flower for 15 months. The flowering started just over 3 months ago."
"That's...certainly convenient for your plan! Whatever it is!"
"You do not trust me? You are welcome to ask anyone you want to. You can even go to the island and check. With protection, a blended person can withstand the alluring scent from the flowers for some time. You should not go alone, though."
"I will check on it, be certain of that!" Lantash says. We are both still a bit suspicious.
Ria sighed. "Of course. I understand. In any case. Selmak will wake up within the next day, or sooner. She will be well enough to take control, and function, but should just not be exposed to the stress of healing anything major for the next year. After that she will be completely well again."
"That is good news indeed. What about my beloved Jolinar?"
"Her injuries are on their way to healing, but the rest of the healing must happen naturally, and slowly, I am afraid. She has suffered extensive trauma recently, correct?"
"Yes, she was almost killed by an ashrak, using a hara'kesh. It was a miracle she survived."
Something we are very grateful of. The thought of Jolinar being dead, makes my heart hurt. I really hope this... Ria, speaks the truth. But why should she not.
Ria nods. "That explains it, then. Her tissue is still affected by that damage, and she is also weak from recent host-changes. More than once within a year, I am guessing?"
"Yes."
"Then came this injury, which would have been dangerous, even for a fully healthy symbiote. In Jolinar's situation, it was life-threatening. She will live, though, and she will heal completely, but it will take time. It is necessary to let the healing be slow - at least as long as 7-8 months, maybe longer. The injuries affected her connection to her host, and her own brain. Were she to wake right now, she would have temporary amnesia, as well as hallucinate. She must remain completely dormant."
"Because if she does not, Samantha will be pulled into the hallucinations. She will be unable to tell which memories are hers, and which are Jolinar's - and may even permanently forget some of her own memories." Lantash realizes with dread.
"Exactly. I have initiated the dormancy in her, and she will remain in that state until she has recovered. To Samantha it will be almost as if she is not there. Because of the limited connectivity Jolinar currently has to her host, her presence will only affect Samantha marginally. It is enough to keep Jolinar alive, and she will reblend instinctively upon waking, but Samantha will be almost like a human until then - at least like a human that had been a host. She will have higher tolerance to drugs, and heightened resistance to diseases - and since Jolinar is present, decelerated aging, but she will not have rapid healing. Assume she is as vulnerable as a human to injuries."
"I...I understand." Lantash is stunned, as am I.
Our poor Jolinar! She has only just recovered from one almost-mortal injury, and only just been allowed to stay in her host, when this happens! At least she will recover and be well again. Be herself again. We must focus on that - and help Samantha through this time. She has not been a host for long, but they are fully blended. It will be very hard for her. Most former hosts in her situation dies of loneliness or commits suicide, but the fact that Jolinar is still alive, and in her, should help her to get through it.
"Now, I believe, it is time for me to explain who I am. First, it is obvious you, Jolinar, and Selmak are Tok'ra Do not try to deny it."
"We won't try to deny it. There is no reason to. May I assume you, too, are Tok'ra?"
"I am."
"I do not know your name, though. Were you a Goa'uld, and changed recently to become Tok'ra?"
"No, I was born a Tok'ra. Egeria is my queen-mother."
"Impossible! I am from Egeria's last clutch! She impressed the names of all other Tok'ra born before me, on me."
"I believe you. However, she had her reasons to keep my name from you. To keep me hidden. I am a queen, and as such, my existence had to be kept secret."
"A queen!" Lantash looks at her, shocked.
"Yes. I was hidden in a stasis jar on this world, more than 1000 years ago. I was only just mature when I was hidden, and had not yet had my first host. Shortly after Egeria had hidden me, politics changed and this world became worth conquering, where before it had not been. A Goa'uld took possession of the planet, but I was not found. However, most likely Egeria could not safely come to fetch me, and that is why I am still here."
"How...how did you come to be freed from your stasis jar?"
"It happened almost 120 years ago. There was an Earth quake, and my current host found my stasis jar, which had been uncovered. A curious young woman, she opened it. I thought she was offering herself, and jumped into her. After some time, we became friends, and she allowed me to stay. No one knew of me, except my host and her sister."
"Can you prove this? Of course the Tok'ra will be able to prove it, if you allow it, but right now we seems to be trapped here."
"I can - sort of - prove it. I have the stasis jar I was in, and it makes it clear the occupant was a born by Egeria. You may use the healing device to scan me, if you wish, so proving I am a queen, should be easy. If you do not believe it is my stasis jar, you will have to judge me on my actions here - or wait until we can again go through the chaapa'ai, and contact the Tok'ra."
"How did you come to be the 'goddess' of this world?"
"Well, some time passed, and I could not continue watching as a Goa'uld mistreated the people of this world. Together we started a resistance, which was eventually successful. The Goa'uld was removed from power, and killed, but not before a devastating war had killed much of the population near the chaapa'ai. The people was now free, however, and very grateful to me. They wished me to lead them, and after talking it over with my dear host Ti'vala, we decided to accept - we used the position to help them rebuild, and now to evolve and advance. I also use my abilities to heal as many as possible, letting the priestesses use the drugs I have made to heal the rest."
We spend some more time talking to the Tok'ra queen. A daughter of Egeria! We are not in doubt that is who she is.
She is dedicated to helping this people, but upon learning of Egeria being missing, presumed dead, and that the Tok'ra are in need of more people, she agrees to go back with us, as soon as it will be possible.
The Tok'ra will have a queen again. It is so much more than we could have dreamed of!
Now we are waiting for Samantha and Jacob to awaken and then we will together return for the others in the hut. Ria has offered to let us stay here at the palace until we can return. We will probably accept that.
However, while we do trust Ria now, we would like to check out the island near the chaapa'ai. Maybe something can be done to limit the effect of those flowers. There is also our crashed teltac. Ria will have it brought to the palace, and then we will see if it can be repaired.
At least things are starting to look up. I still worry for Jolinar, but I am relieve that she will be well. Eventually. For now, we will help Samantha.