Chapter 35 summary: Rosha/Jolinar, Nemura/Lantash, and Mina hide from the Jaffa. While Mina is taking a walk, Rosha/Jolinar and Nemura/Lantash have a private moment. 

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[ Chapter 1: Goodbyes | Chapter 2: An Audience | Chapter 3: A Conspiracy | Chapter 4: Promotion | Chapter 5: Minor System Lord | Chapter 6: An Old Acquaintance | Chapter 7: Diversions | Chapter 8: Plans | Chapter 9: Happy Moments | Chapter 10: Culmination | Chapter 11: Complications | Chapter 12: Daily Life | Chapter 13: Exposed | Chapter 14: A New Host - and a New Master | Chapter 15: New Challenges | Chapter 16: A Necessary Sacrifice | Chapter 17: Information Gathering | Chapter 18: A Surprise Visit | Chapter 19: Bad News | Chapter 20: War and Power | Chapter 21: Emergencies | Chapter 22: Found Out | Chapter 23: In the Tunnels | Chapter 24: Undercover at Bastet's Court | Chapter 25: Discovered! | Chapter 26: Rosha | Chapter 27: Host | Chapter 28: Getting Along | Chapter 29: Safe | Chapter 30: Lantash | Chapter 31: Shared Missions | Chapter 32: Taking A Chance | Chapter 33: Danger and Betrayal | Chapter 34: Some Realizations | Chapter 35: Hiding | Chapter 36: Time for the Truth | Chapter 37: Home | Chapter 38: Together | Chapter 39: Martouf ]


The day was coming to an end. They had managed to find a place to hide, and only once had they heard Jaffa close by. They had drunk water from a stream, but they had not had anything to eat, except for some berries, so they were getting quite hungry.

Rosha/Jolinar and Nemura/Lantash had taken turns sleeping, while Mina was too restless to do either.

"Where is Mina?" Nemura wondered, having just awakened.

"She went for a walk to try and see if she could find something edible."

Nemura bowed his head and moments later Lantash looked up. "That is incredibly careless. Does she pay no heed at all to the danger we are all in?"

"Hello, Lantash, I had missed your pleasant, forgiving personality." Rosha looked at him with mirth in her eyes. "Mina would not stay, but she promised to be cautious."

"Hmph. What does she expect to find out here? Except for those berries, we have seen nothing that looked even remotely palatable."

"No, it is not the season for it. I believe she went to the stream a short way back, to see what she could find. She thought perhaps she could catch some fish."

"Fish? We do not dare make a fire, lest the Jaffa see the smoke, I hope she understands that!"

"I would assume so." Rosha shrugged.

"Well, in that case she she must expect us to eat the fish raw, and that's just disgusting!"

Rosha dipped her head, giving Jolinar control. "I seem to recall you liking fish once - even raw."

"I was a child - and it does tend to get rather tedious when that's all you're given to eat for 12 years!"

"Be fair - we did feed you other things as well, it is just that fish are healthy for young symbiotes..." Jolinar smiled.

"And easy for you...just release a batch of small fish in the lake and let the children hunt on their own!" Lantash snorted.

"Thereby making sure you got plenty of exercise as well. We solved two problems in one. Perfect!"

Lantash decided to drop the topic. "It will soon be time for us to attempt to find some Jaffa with uniforms we'll fit in."

Jolinar looked at the part of the sky she could see. They were too far into the forest to be able to see the sun except when it was high in the sky, so the fact they could not even glimpse it now, meant it had at least turned, and probably some hours ago.

"I think we have a few more hours to wait before dark." She sighed. "Lantash, you never told me what it was you and Nemura did on Silvana. You know, when you had just arrived? You said it was some sort of 'unfortunate misunderstanding' that had them throw you into a prison cell?"

"Ah...well, it really was an innocent mistake. When we had just arrived, we found no one nearby. We had exited the chaapa'ai at quite high speed, due to the error that made it send us there in the first place, and had crawled for cover where we had been lying for some hours, healing broken bones. When we were well, we went looking for food on the planet we thought uninhabited."

"Yes...?"

Lantash sighed. "We found a huge egg, and decided it would make a great omelet. We had just made a fire, and even found a suitable stone to use for frying the egg, and were just about to crack open the egg when a group of angry huge birds attacked us and made a lot of noises we didn't understand." He flushed a little. "We realised the egg was one of theirs - we had been about to kill one of their young. I apologized profusely, and they grew quiet...for a few moments. Then one stepped forward who was able to kind-of speak the standard tongue, and I understood my error in not giving Nemura control before speaking."

"They thought you were a Goa'uld?"

"Oh, yes. And one who had been about to murder a Silvanan as well." Lantash rubbed his face. "It was not a good situation, and nothing I or Nemura said made them calm down. Eventually, they threw us in a prison and kept us there until the time when there was an earthquake and we were allowed out to heal the wounded. After that, they began to believe us and let us walk around freely."

"It was fortunate you did not get the egg cracked open - they might just have killed you in their anger!" Jolinar said, looking deeply concerned.

"It was a good thing indeed, though I do not believe they would have actually harmed me or Nemura. They are dedicated to a non-violent life. However, I am deeply grateful I didn't happen to kill and eat an - innocent - sentient life-form. I do not mind killing a Goa'uld, a Jaffa, or someone else who has done something inexcusable, but I have no wish to harm someone who has not done anything wrong." He said, heated.

"Of course." Jolinar nodded, leaning towards him and taking his hand.

She squeezed it and smiled at him. Lantash smiled widely back, taking her hand and twining his fingers with hers. Jolinar looked a little surprised, but did not pull her hand back.

Lantash slowly leaned closer, giving her the opportunity to pull back if she wanted to do so, but she did not. Their lips met, and they kissed.

The kiss was cut short when they suddenly heard someone approaching. They quickly jumped apart and turned in the direction of the source of the sound.

"Relax, it is just me." Mina called out, smiling at them. "You do not have to stop - I do not mind."

Jolinar quickly gave Rosha control, and Lantash did the same for Nemura. They threw each other a slightly shy look, then looked to Mina.

"Did you find anything edible?" Rosha asked, wanting to change the subject.






Chapter 36: Time for the Truth