Lantash

Trust

-Pete-

"The Tok'ra are hypocrites. They fight against the Goa'uld for their wrongful actions, but do no better. In fact they are worse. They take volunteer hosts, and then allow them no control," said one of the prisoners, Joro, to me.

I found this statement to be interesting and wondered is there was truth to it.

"Lantash is proof of this," the man continued.

"He allows Narim controls."

"He says he allows Narim control, and I heard he used to say his past host was in control. I was there in the end, and that host had no control. Whatever reason he gives, he is lying."

I begin to seriously wonder if that man might be right. A Goa'uld can act like their host, why couldn't a Tok'ra?

Joro continued, "He's not the first Tok'ra I heard of doing this, though Lantash is the first one I've seen. His own mate-"

Lantash came quite out of no where. He grabbed the man's throat and pushed him against the wall. I couldn't see his eyes, but I would bet next week's food supply they had flared.

"I will tolerate your talk against me and even the Tok'ra, but you will never speak against Jolinar again!"

It's amazing how that deep voice makes him just that more terrifying to whomever he speaks to. The other prisoner stares, looking quite petrified. I realize I had taken a few steps back myself. Where had Lantash come from? How much did he hear?

Joro nods, and I see the glisten of tears on his cheeks.

"Then let the word be known," Lantash continues, "anyone who speaks ill of her will be killed." He shoves Joro to the side as he lets go.

The man scampers off as Lantash turns to me, and he's pissed.

-Narim-

I hadn't been concerned for Joro, not after all I have seen Joro do to other prisoners. His victims were lucky if they were killed quickly. I was even luckier. A year ago Joro stole all the food and water I had, cut my neck, and left me for dead. Obviously, I survived, but I was afraid of him since. He knew it too, and he loved to smile at me as he cleaned one of his knives. If I hadn't blended, he or someone else would have probably come after me for the final kill...sooner or later.

So the truth was, even if I would never admit it to anyone, I kind of enjoyed seeing him terrified of me.

Pete on the other hand was different, innocent to the circumstances really.

I feel Lantash taking a step closer. Remember who he is, I say.

"Pete..." Lantash says, letting the name hang for a minute. "You are under my protection. Do you realize what that very man would do to you if you were not?"

"I was listening to what he had to say."

"What he had to say against me, against the Tokra...against her." The last part was added in whisper. "I understand his beliefs of me. But you..."

He takes another step closer, and I tell him to calm.

I will not, he replies, but doesn't take a third step which he had planned to do.

"You were talking behind my back," Lantash continues. "If you didn't think this was wrong you wouldn't have been hiding it, but I know, all this week, I know what you have been doing."

He smirks slightly at the look of surprise on Pete's face, which I admit, was amusing.

Pete then looks mad. "You've been spying on me, and that's your proof that I should believe you?"

A flare of anger moves though Lantash. "I have been fighting the Goa'uld while your ancestors still worshiped them!" He takes a step every other word. Pete finds he must back away until he hits the very wall Joro was nearly choked on. "Yet you come, and after a week, you feel as if you can judge me?!"

He's getting angrier, and I ask for control. You keep this up, and surely Samantha will hear you.

Lantash stops walking, and stands there for a few seconds, not saying anything to me, but glaring at Pete, waiting for an answer. I realize he didn't hear me, and repeat my thoughts.

He doesn't respond again, and I think perhaps he still didn't hear, but then I feel my head nod, and receive control.

"Pete," I say to let him know I have control now. "You must realize that talking to the other prisoners is not safe."

"So you followed me?"

Like he should talk, I hear Lantash say.

"I believe of all people, you would understand the need to follow someone," I say with a polite smile. Samantha had given us the full story of how Pete learned about the Goa'uld.

"Lantash?" says Sam's voice from my right.

I turn to her. "Not quite, though he was the one you heard earlier."

"What is going on?" She asks.

"It seems they have been following me," Pete says.

Sam approaches closer, and turns to Lantash and I.

"Yes," I say, "but we did not start out following you, Pete, not in the way you think." I am still mostly facing him. "You were missing one morning, and I thought it was best to check on you. Perhaps you have not realized, but this place is not safe. You were still very new, and not everyone might realize you were protected by Lantash and me."

Actually it was Lantash who was the reason he was protected, but I didn't want to point that out. I continue, "So yes, we did follow you that morning, but out of concern." Well, my concern anyway. Lantash didn't really care, but agreed since Samantha cared about him. "We found you talking about us, against us. We don't know you that well, and already you were showing a reason not to be trusted. We did however give you a chance, when you returned we asked where you had been. You lied."

Samantha looked to Pete for explanation now. She had to have known something was up, but with recovering from injury and stranded in the room until recently, she couldn't have possibly known the full story.

"I needed to know who we were rooming with," Pete says.

"You should have asked me," Samantha says. She said it quietly, but I still heard her. I don't think she was keeping it from me, but from the others. Their voices become quieter, and the conversation has moved from Pete and I to Samantha and Pete.

Lantash is gloating in my head, and I'm glad he's not in control. I walk away to give them privacy.

-Samantha-

Pete's actions don't anger me because he didn't trust Lantash and Narim. Given the circumstances, that's understandable. However, he never once talked to me about this, and I almost feel as if he hadn't trusted my judgment.

I know he's going through a lot right now, but this is the kind of thing I do every day. We are engaged now. He's got to be able to trust my decisions in this the same way I trust him on things he knows.

Even in these circumstances, I can't help but think of our future. Marriage. Marriage is a lot of things, and trust is one of them. He doesn't seem to trust me.