Life on Repeat: IC (Nydie and Draco James)

[Nydie]

It had been one of the longest months in Major Taylor Stuart’s life. The month had been spent doing little more than waiting around for some hint of when her team would be called back into action. It felt more like an eternity, but today would make the thirtieth day, and now her team was now, slowly but surely gathering back at Stargate command to await their orders. Taylor was the only member who had arrived so far, but that was probably because she had been the only member who had hated the temporary vacation.

The first few days had been fine, she had enough cleaning to do to keep herself completely occupied, but once her house was sparkling and dust free, and there was little else for Taylor to do. She had gone back to Stargate Command a few times to see if there was anything she could assist with; filling in for injured team members, working on projects, anything at all that would keep her busy, but apparently the galaxy had decided to take a vacation as well. Nothing had occurred during that month, at least not anything that the Major could use to distract herself.

Now she was back, sitting inside the mess hall with a bowl of half eaten oatmeal and a lukewarm cup of coffee sitting in front of her. She had requested that General Landry at least give her the mission folder for her team’s upcoming off world mission, but he had insisted that it wait until the rest of her team had assembled, much to her dismay. However, orders were orders and Taylor found herself waiting impatiently for anyone from her team to turn up so that she at least had someone to talk to.

The dynamics of her team had now changed, and Taylor found herself wondering if the change would be for better or worse. There would be a new addition to her team, at least in a small sense. Her team was no longer a team of four, but it would not be a team of five; four humans and a Tok’ra symbiote who had blended with her second in command. It was strange to think that Captain Rhodes, her second in command was now a host for a Tok’ra, and Taylor found herself wondering if it would cause any radical changes within the man. While the Tok’ra were far better than the Goa’uld, the thought of having another creature capable of taking over your body and having access to all of your thoughts and memories had to be slightly troubling. Taylor hoped that Rhodes was managing well under the circumstances, and that there wouldn’t be too much change from the person that she had been working with over the years.

The rest of her team remained the same; at least she had hoped that it would. They had been willing to accept the change, but who knew if that would change in the future. Only time would tell just how well the change would go over, but Taylor had faith that it would all work out in the end. Now all that was needed was for her team to gather together so that they could get back to the natural order of things. The break in routine had been nice, but Taylor was quite anxious to get back to work.

Blue eyes darting around the almost vacant mess hall, Taylor sighed softly and returned to her abandoned food. The thought of drinking the now tepid coffee was unappealing, but she gulped it down anyway, her nose scrunching up in disgust when she had drained the cup. Shoving both the bowl and cup off to the side of the table, Taylor sat back in her seat, her arms folding across her chest while she took another swift glance around the mess hall. The lack of people in the room was encouraging; it meant that everyone was either off world, or busy with some task or another. The fact that there was work to be done put Taylor at ease, and she was hoping that it was a sign that her days of boredom were now over.

For now though, Taylor would have to wait and see how the day panned out. At the very least she would be able to touch base with her team members and see if they were ready to get back to work. After a month off, she was sure that most of them would be anxious to return to action. After all, once you became a member of a Stargate unit, all else paled in comparison. How anyone could return to life as usual once you learned all that the galaxy had to offer was beyond her. Taylor knew that there was no way that she could; there was far too much out there to learn to sit idly by and watch the opportunities slip through her fingers.

[Draco_James]

Captain Mason Rhodes sighed slightly as he waited for the elevator in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, and then stepped inside once it arrived. Pressing the button for the mess hall level, he leaned against the back wall, and tucked his hands into his pockets, waiting. He'd gotten to Stargate Command not more than hour previous, and had already been to see General Landry to report for duty. From there, he'd checked out the quarters, looking for any members of his team, but found no one. His next best guess was the mess hall.

If he could have found someone to take the bet, he wouldn't put money on Major Stuart being here already. Unless she'd changed even more than he had since they'd last seen each other, there was no way she had been particularly enjoying this downtime. Normally, he might've liked to get a bit of time off, but that really wasn't what he'd ended up with. The last five days had been a small vacation for him, but the rest of the month had been anything but. The main reason the team had been on leave was, in fact, him.

Their last assignment had been to aid in the evacuation of a Tok'ra outpost that had come under attack by a minor Goa'uld. The Tok'ra, it seemed, weren't content to just call it quits after the last of the System Lords had been taken out, and instead were still working towards getting rid of every Goa'uld they could get their hands on. This one in particular had managed to find their outpost and launch an attack from orbit. With no ships nearby to help, the Tok'ra contacted the SGC seeking help. It was during that mission that his life had changed in the most significant way since the day he'd been briefed for the first time about the Stargate.

In the time since, he'd been through two separate psych evaluations, numerous sessions hooked up to either a human lie detector or a Tok'ra zatarc detector to ensure the symbiote inside him was really Tok'ra and not Goa'uld, and more physical tests than he could count. On top of that there had been training reviews - real-world training missions alongside new recruits, simulated F-302 flights, and then finally some real flight time. Apparently after all that everyone was sufficiently convinced that he could get back to doing his job, and he was more than eager to do so.

The blending had been difficult to go through, moreso than he'd even expected, but Vakleth had been able to help him through it, to. The Tok'ra had a certain calm about him that had kept him from being too freaked out by the whole thing. Now, he'd mostly gotten used to the fact that he was never really alone, that someone else could hear every single one of his thoughts, and he could hear every one of someone else's. That had been even harder to get used to than having Vakleth take control of his body. The two of them didn't see eye to eye on every topic, but there were no fundamental differences in their beliefs, so it wasn't really a problem.

The elevator came to a stop, and Mason headed out, going down the corridor to the mess hall. It was by no means difficult to pick out the Major, since the place was practically empty. He paused in the doorway for a few moments, both he and Vakleth gathering their thoughts, and then moved over near the table where she was sitting.

"Captain Mason Rhodes, reporting for duty, Major," he said, purposely with more formality than was necessary, given their working relationship, "...finally..." The last word was added quietly, after the fact, because he was pretty damned sure she'd share his sentiment that a month had been far too long a break. "The snake says hi, too," he quipped slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as Vakleth berated him for it. He lowered his head for a moment, his posture changing ever so slightly.

"Major Stuart - it is an honor to meet you," Vakleth said, now in control, in the low, echoing voice that anyone at the SGC would recognize immediately as either Goa'uld or Tok'ra.

[Nydie]

Taylor’s eyes lifted to meet those of Mason’s, a smirk worming across her lips at his small quip. Apparently she had not been the only one who had gone stir crazy during their month off, and she was glad for it; at least the two…maybe three of them would be ready to get going. She could only imagine what the Captain had gone through during his month break though. While she had been bored to tears, he had been probably gone through so many tests that returning to work would look like a vacation. She hoped that they had given the captain and his guest some time to recuperate and rest after all was said and done. It would do to have both host and symbiote at the point of exhaustion before they began their mission.


Taylor was about to open her mouth to greet Mason, but closed it when the Tok’ra decided to take over and make his introduction. Leaning forward in her seat, Taylor stared up into Mason’s face in search of any discrepancies in his appearance that might clue her in to the switch. Outside of the voice and the lowering of his head, she found that there was no other change. It was awkward to say the least, but Taylor adjusted to things easily enough. She was positive that by the end of the week she would be used to the change, although she would have felt a bit more comfortable if she had learned the captain’s opinion beforehand.

“Hello…” She replied with a slight air of distraction. “It’s nice to meet you as well. Welcome to SGU ten.” Settling against the back of her chair, Taylor nodded her head at the chair across from her. “Why don’t you sit down and we’ll get acquainted a bit.” The woman was at a bit of a loss of how to carry on from here. Considering that she was the team leader, she had no idea how the Tok’ra inside the captain was told to handle things. Was he bound by the same rules as the military personal, or were there exceptions to be made on his behalf? There were a dozen questions floating around in the major’s head, and she was figuring out the best place to start.


“I should start by saying that I look forward to working with you in the future, and I hope that this arrangement will be beneficial for all of us.” Taylor flashed a quick smile at the man before her, hoping to put the Tok’ra at ease. She really had no problem at all working with the being inside the captain, and she hoped that the transition would be swift; however, she did worry that there might be problems outside her team.

Taylor fidgeted in her chair, forcing down her curiosity in order to make the Tok’ra more comfortable. It was part of her job as team leader to make sure that the members of her team were mentally and physically sound, and that they feel comfortable talking to her about any problems that should arise. She was responsible for everyone in her team, and that now included the symbiote inside of the captain as well. It was a responsibility that she took seriously, and she hoped that in time the new addition to her team would feel comfortable enough to confide in her if he should have any problems.

“I’m sure you know a good bit about me, which means you have me at an advantage.” There was a hint of a grin on her face, and Taylor quickly forced it away. “I would like to say though, if there are any problems, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’ll try to help you with your adjustment as much as I can, although this will be a bit of a learning experience for me and the whole team.” Her words sounded lame to her, but she was entering new territory and slowly working her way into the situation. Still, Taylor found herself pretty comfortable with the change. It was a great opportunity for herself and her team to learn from, and a chance to view a new perspective that they might have had.

“How about you tell me a little bit about yourself.” Taylor said quietly, her arms folding on the tabletop in front of her as she leaned forward. “And feel free to ask any questions or bring up any concerns you might have.”

[Draco_James]

Vakleth cocked his head to the side very slightly as Taylor seemed to be searching his face for something. No doubt she was trying to find a way to differentiate him from Mason. It wasn't that surprising, really, and he honestly wished that perhaps there was a way, beyond the voice, of showing who was in control at any given time. Of course, the only change in appearance a symbiote was capable of causing was to make the eyes glow, and that was something that few Tok'ra ever did unless it was in the course of posing as a Goa'uld. There was in fact some work being done on creating a device that would recognize which consciousness was in control, and outwardly display that somehow, but that had only begun recently. The Tok'ra had previously had far more important work to do in fighting the Goa'uld, and so the technology was in its infancy.

He took a seat in the chair across the table from the woman when she offered for him to, sitting upright, with his hands folded on the table in front of him. He listened as she spoke, taking in all that she had to say to him with genuine interest. Some of it he already knew to expect, since he knew all that Mason did about how it was her duty as their commanding officer to ensure that problems were resolved.

"Thank you, I do appreciate your welcoming attitude very much. I know that not all Tau'ri are so able to... get past... the association of the Tok'ra with the Goa'uld. I will say this - I am aware that even with that put aside, this can be a somewhat unnerving time for those who knew Mason... Captain Rhodes, before the blending," Vakleth told her, wanting her to know that he wouldn't hold it against anyone for being a little uneasy, at least in the beginning, "To be entirely honest, it is somewhat unsettling for me as well, even though I have gone through this several times in the past. You are right that I do know a good deal about you, due to the memories of you that Captain Rhodes and I now share, but there is still a sense of unfamiliarity. He assures me that there is no proper comparison in ordinary human experience even among the Tau'ri for how it feels to meet someone for the first time, and yet be able to remember spending a great deal of time with them."

This was particularly true in cases like these. He was aware that Mason cared a great deal for this woman, and because of the blending, so did he. They were capable of having differing opinions, and personalities, but there wasalways a sharing of emotions at least on some level. The matter was only complicated further by the fact that the rules to which they were both now bound prohibited there from being any sort of romantic relationship with her. If their superiors knew about Mason's feelings, in fact, he would no doubt be forced to work on another team, at the very least - perhaps even under a different command entirely.

"I will welcome any help that you can give during this time of... transition - and if there anything that I can do in return to aid the rest of the team, I will gladly attempt to do so. This will be a learning experience, as you say, for me as well. This is the first time where I have blended with a host and not remained with the Tok'ra," he added. Normally, a host volunteered to join the cause of the Tok'ra, and the blended pair then stayed with the others. It was almost unheard of for the blended pair to instead return to the life of the host, but it was something that Vakleth was actually enjoying, and something he could see happening more often now that the Goa'uld forces were dwindling.

"As for information about myself... I am among the youngest of the Tok'ra, though I realize in humans terms that may not mean a great deal," he began, smiling slightly. In Tau'ri terms, he could likely accurately be described as ancient, along with the rest of his kind, "With the Tok'ra, my work has largely been... technical. Which is to say that I have spent very little time in the field or working as an infiltrator among the Goa'uld. I do have an extensive working knowledge technology. For reasons I am sure are apparently, my expertise lies primarily in Goa'uld technology, though I have also come to understand much about Ancient technology as well."

His head bowed again, indicating that Mason was taking control again, and he cleared his throat a bit, bringing a hand up to rub at his neck slightly. He shifted in his seat a bit, too, becoming slightly more relaxed.

"Still haven't quite gotten used to how my throat feels when he talks..." he admitted idly, then smiled at the Major a little, "He's not really sure what else to say. 'Tell me about yourself' apparently isn't something the Tok'ra are used to. More of a human phenomenon, I guess."

[Nydie]

Taylor listened to the strange speech of the Tok’ra with interest, genuinely relieved that the shared memories had given him an idea about her. She had to admit, she wasn’t entirely sure how she would react if she had memories of someone but was only truly meeting them for the first time. There was a certain advantage on his part, since he would be able to anticipate her behavior and reactions, but she had absolutely no clue on what she should expect. There was some relief that the being was pleasant enough; he didn’t have the same air of superiority that most of the Tok’ra seemed to carry in their personalities, and for all purposes this was a plus.

The woman nodded her head in understanding when he went on to explain that his work dealt with mostly Goa’uld technology, but she was slightly surprised that he also had experience with Ancient technology as well. Taylor found herself wanting to ask exactly how much he had learned, but before she could ask anything he jumped to his explanation of himself. Although it left a great deal to be desired, Taylor was sure that it was difficult for a being who was not directly aware of Earth’s customs to know exactly how things worked. How much was there to explain when you shared not only your own experiences, but the experiences of several people as well? It was probably quite confusing, and Taylor understood the vagueness of his introduction.

Blue eyes blinking in surprise, she leaned forward once again to stare into Mason’s face, once again finding no outward change in the shift in personality. Settling back in her chair Taylor found herself blushing faintly at having been staring. She wasn’t trying to be rude to either Mason or the Tok’ra, but it would help her in the future if she could learn how to tell the difference between the two without having to rely on voice alone. She was sure it would probably give someone quite a fright if one second Mason was speaking normally and the next sounding as if a demon had possessed him. The thought brought out a small chuckle when she thought how much fun that could be when trying to avoid certain situations.

A warm smile curled Taylor’s lips when Mason spoke, and she sympathized with him for what he was going through. Although the two seemed to be getting along well enough, at least she assumed so, having someone always in your mind must be tough. Taylor knew if anyone was strong enough to handle it, Mason would be. Since he had been her second in command, the two had always been close, perhaps a bit closer than they should be, but they had managed to keep it professional. She just hoped that their relationship would not change.

“So how are you?” She asked lightly, her blue eyes darkening slightly with her concern. “Everything’s been going alright, hasn’t it?” Taylor was half tempted to reach across the table and pat Mason’s hand, but that would have been a bit too personal, and she did not want to push boundaries at the moment. “They told me a little bit about what was going on, but they didn’t really say how you were. I was worried they might ask me to find a replacement for you on the team, but General Landry said that the Tok’ra were allowing you and your new partner to return. I have to say I was surprised, but I’m really glad that you’re back.” The last part was spoken with a soft and quiet voice so that only he could hear.

Clearing her throat, Taylor cast a quick glance around before focusing back on Mason. “I hope you know that what I said goes for you too. If you need to talk, I’m here to listen. Nothing has changed as far as I’m concern.” There was a message between the lines that she hoped Mason would understand. Without giving too much away, she was letting him know that she still cared, and she still considered him her second in command and still trusted him just as much as she had before. Although there was a new factor, that would not change her opinion of the captain.

Deciding that the conversation had gotten a bit too personal for such an open area, Taylor shifted it toward a much safer topic. “We have a mission coming up soon. No briefing yet though, so I can’t tell you much. From the little I was told it’s an exploration mission, but that’s all the information I received.” Head tilting to the side, Taylor arched a questioning brow. “Think you’re ready for it? I’d imagine after being cooped up for a month you’ll be glad to get some fresh air.”

Taylor wished she could say more, but now was not the time or the place. As the commanding officer it was her duty to behave as professionally as she could, but there was still a small part of her that worried about what had happened. She wanted to believe that the stress of the blending and the testing he had been put through would not have an effect on their upcoming mission. She knew that Mason was strong enough to deal with it, but she didn’t want to put any pressure on him and it wasn’t entirely because of her concern for him as his superior. It was a thin line that she was walking, but she had managed to walk it in the past. She had to have faith that she could continue to walk it for as long as she needed to.

[Draco_James]

Mason looked back at Taylor as she leaned a bit closer to a good long look at him, his brow furrowing slightly until he recognized what she was doing. It didn't upset him by any means, but it was strange to see someone he knew so well staring at him like that in an attempt to figure something out about him, like he was a puzzle of some more. Aside from his feelings for her, he didn't usually bother to hide all that much, preferring to voice his opinion so long as doing so was appropriate given the situation. He couldn't help smile slightly more at the sight of her blushing, though after a moment he shifted his gaze down to the table briefly, pushing those thoughts aside.

"Yeah, can't complain too much, I guess. The tests were... well, you've been through a psych eval," he replied to the question of how he was. Every single person on this base had been through a psychiatric evaluation at least once to make sure they could handle keeping the existence of the program secret. "The two polygraph session and the run through the za'tarc detector weren't exactly fun either. All the training I had to do was pretty much just mind-numbingly dull after everything we've seen off-world. Except getting to go up in a '302. That part I didn't mind." He realized that she was probably referring more to his state of mind due to the blend than how boring or annoying the last month had been, but he didn't feel like getting into a discussion of that emotional roller coaster right here in the mess hall.

He let himself smile again, nodding very slightly. "I'm glad to be back," he told her in return, his voice also lowered to keep that between the... well, three of them. He continued in a more normal tone after she told him he could talk her to her if he felt the need, "I appreciate it, Major. Thanks." Hardly what he really wanted to say right then, but his glance into her eyes as he spoke said that he understood what she was really saying, and that he truly did appreciate the gesture. He fully intended on speaking with her about this whole experience in more detail at some point, but that was more suited to a time when they had a bit more privacy.

When she mentioned a mission coming up, he practically grinned. "Hell yes, Ma'am..." he told her in regards to whether he thought he was ready, "Been way too long since I've been on another planet, and I've got nothing against exploration. I think Vakleth would be fine either way, though - he thinks us Tau'ri and our culture are fascinating." Both were true. While Mason was no scientist, archeologist, or engineer, he did enjoy exploration missions. Just because he was there in a combat support role didn't mean he liked getting in a firefight, it just meant he could handle himself if the need arose. Getting to see new worlds, cultures, and technologies fascinated him, even if he wasn't an expert on any of them.

As for Vakleth, Earth held a great deal of interest for him. So few worlds in the galaxy had developed outside of the conflict with the Goa'uld, it made Earth fairly unique. There were plenty of problems on the planet, of course, but still, their culture wasn't quite like anything else he'd come across before. The Tau'ri actually impressed him, too. The majority of the Tok'ra saw them as somewhat primitive, and far too rash in their actions, especially since the Tok'ra themselves had based their entire existence around patience and secrecy. For Vakleth, though, the far more important thing to consider was that after thousands and thousands of years of Goa'uld ruling over the galaxy, just over a decade after Earth joined the galactic stage the Goa'uld were all but wiped out, as were two other potentially even more dangerous threats. Even with the advantage of being underestimated, and eventually making powerfully allies such as the Asgard, that was very impressive.

"What about you, Major?" Mason asked after a moment's silence, "I can't really imagine you particularly enjoyed being taken off of active duty for this long, either. I was a little surprised they didn't assign at least a temporary replacement so the rest of the team could get back out there..."

[Nydie]

Taylor could feel her cheeks warming up again at the mention of finding a replacement member. She had been given the option, but had outright refused, stating that she would not replace the captain unless it was permanent. Her explanation had been logical of course. She had informed General Landry that she felt it was better to wait to see if their missing team member would return than to assign someone only to have them be removed just as they grew comfortable. And of course Taylor knew that the break would be welcomed by the rest of the team, giving them all a chance to catch up with their families and relax.

Taylor of course did not have that option. Her parents had died shortly after she had joined the Air Force, and there was no extended family. Her break had been spent alone with only a few friends who she barely managed to keep around with her crazy schedule. That had been the biggest reason she had spent most of her impromptu vacation at Stargate Command.

“It was for the best, even if I didn’t enjoy it too much. Everyone needs a break, so I thought it would be best to take the time off instead. Who knows when they’ll get the opportunity again?” She replied, her voice lowering just a tone to add. “I didn’t think a replacement would be needed. We’re a team and that means we stick together. I’d have done the same for Lieutenant Marshall and Dr. Vahn as well. There’s no point in messing with something that works.” Her shoulders lifted in a small shrug, and a grin formed on her lips. “Besides, how else would I get the chance to pick the brain of a Tok’ra? No pun intended…”

“The others should be back tomorrow though. I haven’t talked to them directly, but General Landry said he’s recalled them back, so we have a bit of time to get our stuff sorted out. I was hoping they’d come in tonight so maybe we could get the briefing out of the way. There’s still some time left, so we might still get the chance.” Eyes darting toward the door to the mess hall, she glanced back at Mason with another brief shrug. “It’s actually been pretty quiet around here lately. All of the off world missions have produced nothing much. A few run of the mill farming societies, one that was up to par with us as far as technology, but other than that nothing else.”

Grabbing her dishes off the table, she rose to her feet and deposited them in their place before returning back to the table. From her standing position, she took the opportunity to study Mason a bit more thoroughly, looking for any signs of stress that might have come about from his testing. There wasn’t much that she could see, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t there. Still, she wanted to be certain that he was alright.

“Let’s go for a walk around. You can catch me up on the fascinating aspects of having a partner in your head. I’m not calling the poor guy a snake. He can’t help what he is, and at least he helps you out. You should be nice to him.” Taylor flashed him a wide grin and chuckled lightly. “And now you can talk to yourself and not be considered crazy, that’s always a perk.”

[Draco_James]

"Fair enough... and thanks," Mason replied when she explained why he hadn't been temporarily replaced. It wouldn't have insulted him if he had been, but it was nice to know that she'd rather the team be off active duty than out there without one of them if she could help it. It was definitely true that they'd gotten comfortable working as a team, and being out there with someone other than her, Marshall, or Vahn just wouldn't feel right, at least not for a while. If he was being honest with himself, that was something that had been weighing on his mind. For him, the team hadn't really changed at all. For everyone else, though... he wondered if it would be like they were dealing with a new member in him. Certainly, that sense of trust would have to be forged between them at Vakleth, at the least. The reverse was less true, because thanks to Mason's memories, Vakleth knew all he needed to to know that they could all be trusted with his life.

He smiled back at her comment about getting to pick a Tok'ra's brain, nodding that he couldn't argue with the desire to. The experience was indescribably different for him, but had to admit that he found the symbiote to be quite an interesting person. He was glad to hear that the team would be back together by the following day - it felt like it had been too long. It was hard not to form a friendship with people who you had to come to trust with your life should anything happen on a mission, and that made being away from them somewhat difficult. Of course, Taylor was on a different level, and he'd found it the most difficult to be away from her for this time, especially since this had all been very emotionally trying already.

"Well, that might not make it particularly exciting, but considering what this place being busy can mean, I guess we should actually count ourselves lucky that there's been a lull," he said as she stood and returned her used dishes. He remained seated, not entirely sure at that point whether she planned on heading out, or was just clearing the table. He looked back up at her, making eye contact for a few moments as she looked at him. Nodding, he stood, and grinned back.

"Trust me, at first I was doing a lot of talking to myself - out loud. Took a bit to get used to being able to communicate with him through thoughts," Mason replied, still smiling, "As for calling him a snake - he knows I'm just kidding. He actually gets my sense of humor way more than I would have figured. He doesn't find it particularly funny, but he understands it." He flashed a bit more of a grin as he joked about it, and fell in step alongside the Major. "In all seriousness, though... I could have done without all the tests, but truth is it's for the best that I've been away from work for a while. There's been... a lot to get used to, and it's something that I think it's better I didn't have to do while still going out on missions."

"Like the whole being able to talk to him in my head thing... Talk really isn't the right word - it's not always even in words. When he thinks about someone, I get images of them, little glimpses of memories, emotions..." he said, struggling at bit to explain the experience. What he'd said was more or less accurate, but it didn't come close to doing it justice. "Hell, when I do hear his thoughts as words, it's mostly in Goa'uld. Granted, I understand the language now, which on it's own is a little weird."

"Then there's when he's in control - not ashamed to admit that freaked me right out at first. You know how in dreams sometimes it doesn't feel like you're even in control? Like you're just along for the ride while your body does it's own thing?" he asked, shaking his head slightly, "It's... sort of like that. I can feel myself move, see out through my eyes, hear everything, but none of it exactly feels like it's happening to me."

[Nydie]

Taylor listened to every word that was said as they walked, deciding to let Mason get out what he wanted to say without interrupting. He was definitely handling it better than she had originally thought, and she was glad that Vakleth and Mason seemed to be getting on well enough. There were also a few things that she was concerned about, nothing major that would have her questioning whether to bring the two of them on the next mission, but just enough for her to worry that a problem could occur. It was her hope that Vakleth would not have problems with her as a leader, but she knew she would have to at least touch the issue at some point to prevent any tension in the team.

When Mason made his final comment, Taylor cringed faintly. “I don’t think that would be all that much fun, but at least you know he’s not going to let you get hurt, so that has to put you at ease.” She managed a tight smile and sighed softly. “That’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about…well I guess the both of you.” Taylor reached over to grab Mason’s wrist and tug him to the side of the hallway so that they could stop walking. Turning around to face him, she chewed lightly on her lip debating how to go approach the next topic. With an idea in mind, she began to speak quietly. “I know you have the advantage of faster healing and everything, but I want promises that neither of you will put yourself at risk. Regardless of the situation, I want you both to behave normally. If anything happens, which hopefully we’ll be lucky enough to avoid.”

“And I don’t want you to think that I don’t trust your skills…either of you.” She stated quietly, her eyes moving down the hall briefly before returning back to Mason. “You’re in a unique position, and if you should be captured, who knows what some of the races out there might be able to learn. There’s more than just the two of you at risk. Earth and the Tok’ra would both be at risk, so it’s better to play safe than sorry later on. I hate sounding this way, but I’d rather you two are safe and able to return home.” A part of that might have been her own personal feelings, but for the most part it was her logical side talking. She knew that there were races that had methods of extracting information; she didn’t want to put anyone at risk if she could avoid it.

“I hate to ask this too, but Vakleth is alright with my position, isn’t he?” Taylor asked with a slightly tense tone. Although the question wasn’t difficult to ask, she did need to know if Vakleth would have problems with her position. “I also need to know if you have any problems taking over if anything happens to me. You’re still my second; despite the changes my order still stands in that regard. Unless you tell me directly that you want me to change it, I’m not going to. I still trust you to watch out for the team and carry out our order, and I’m sure that Marshall and Vahn will keep to it as well.”

“There won’t be any major changes. You know I don’t like to give orders unless I feel they’re needed. We’ve been doing this long enough, and I trust you guys enough to where I know no one will go out seeking trouble. So expect business as usual.” This time Taylor flashed him a warm smile and reached up to pat Mason on the shoulder. “And don’t worry, Marshall and Vahn will probably feel the same way. I’m lucky enough to have a pretty reasonable team. Vahn will probably drive you both nuts with all the questions, but he’s easy enough to deal with.”

That was most of what she wanted to say off of her chest. She hoped that Vakleth would not have a problem with her as the leader of the group, but if he did she thought that Mason might be able to convince the Tok’ra to give her a shot. Taylor knew that she wasn’t the most aspiring leader in Stargate Command, but she did let her team do what came naturally to them as long as there were no risks to themselves or the rest of the team. The team together worked well together, and Taylor could often predict what would go on during missions and anticipate when and where there would be trouble. The reason that she was the leader was because she knew exactly when orders were needed, which made her team members comfortable to work with her; she didn’t force her authority down their throats every moment.

“I was thinking that maybe we should go see General Landry. I know it’s still early, and the others aren’t going to be here till either tonight or tomorrow, but maybe if we plead enough he’ll at least give us our mission folders. After all, there are three of us here now.” Taylor grinned up at Mason, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I wonder, how would you count on a census now? It’s so weird to think there’s two of you when you can only see one.”

[Draco_James]

Mason wasn't surprised to hear - and see in her expression - that the Major didn't much like the sound of experiencing not being in control of one's own body. That was largely what had caused him to panic initially after the blending, until he'd gotten to know Vakleth a bit and realize for absolute certain that the symbiote was a Tok'ra and not a Goa'uld. Even right up until the last second, he hadn't been able to completely wipe that worry from his mind. Fortunately his new... guest... understood the apprehension, and had been quick to help put his mind at ease on the topic.

He let her pull him off to the side of the corridor, brow furrowing slightly as he wondered what this was about. He lowered his head a bit, nodding in understanding of why she was worried. He was aware that he was immune to just about any disease now, and he could heal extremely quickly, potentially even from what should be fatal wounds for a normal human. It wasn't something he was looking forward to testing, though. "Don't worry, Major - and no offense taken. I don't plan on finding out just how much Vakleth could heal me," he assured her, "I won't take any risks that I wouldn't have otherwise." He could hardly promise not to take any risks. The job they did, by it's very nature, was one big risk to begin with. Every time they stepped through the Stargate they were potentially walking into a dangerous situation. Everything about combat was risky.

At the question about Vakleth's opinion of her being in command, the symbiote wished to respond himself, and Mason dipped his head as he allowed control to shift to the Tok'ra. "I want to assure you personally, Major Stuart, that I recognize your position as the commander of the team. I may not belong to any Tau'ri military, but now that I am a member of your Stargate Command, I will follow your rules and your orders. I understand the need for a chain of command. More than that, I respect your leadership skills. I realize it may be strange to hear this coming from someone you do not know well, but... I am aware of everything you have done for your team, and I admire you for it. I make no guarantee that I will always agree with your orders, but I will follow them." Vakleth stated in his low, unnatural sounding voice, "I would also like to say that I have no intention of placing Mason and myself in any unnecessary danger either."

Having said what he wanted to, Vakleth gave up control to Mason once more. He smiled a bit, glad that the Tok'ra had admitted his admiration of the job that Taylor did, and he could tell the sentiment was genuine. The Captain nearly made a lighthearted comment along the lines of 'I think he likes you', but stopped himself at the last second. They might have been separate entities, but in some respects they were the same person, and even saying that much felt too close to his true feelings for her to actually say it.

"No, so long as the rest of the team is comfortable with it, I'd like to remain your second in command. I hope you're right that they'll feel like you do about it - and yeah, I'm expecting a torrent of questions from Vahn. Fortunately he's not military, so I can just tell him to shut up if it takes it too far," he replied, flashing a bit of a grin at the end. He really didn't mind the man at all, but there were times when his opinions clashed with the team, given that the rest of them were military. "You think it's weird? Try knowing that when you're looking in the mirror," he replied lightheartedly, taking her joke in good humor, "But sure, I'm up for a visit to the General. We are the team's two senior military officers, after all - makes sense for us to get our hands on the information sooner rather than later."

He paused briefly, his head not tilting back, but his eyes looking up toward the ceiling a bit. "Ah, Vakleth has been wondering about the possibility of our requisitioning some Goa'uld tech - specifically a Zat as a sidearm, and a healing device, if there's one not in use. Couldn't hurt to be able to patch people up in the field in emergencies, and those things beat a med kit for sure," he said, hinting at the fact that what he'd been doing a moment ago was communicating with the Tok'ra in his head, "I wanted to run it by you before mentioning it to the General."