This one morning Alyssa woke up a little groggy. She hadn't slept well at all. Thinking of her next mission kept her awake almost all of the night. She got up and took a quick shower. While putting on her clothes her eye fell on her alarm clock. 06:30, way too early, Nice time to trim our out of our bed. what was so important so early in the morning? Alyssa quickly strapped on her handgun and picked up her standard issue M16 assault rifle and hurried off to the gate room where the rest of the squad already waited on her. ‘Miller, what’s our status? I heard we have someone incoming?’ Alyssa ordered the men to stand around the gate in a half circle and readied her weapon, waiting for the Tok’ra to come through.

“Yes Ma’am, incoming wormhole. Tok’ra IDC, we’re expecting one too. Supposed to be one Idalia or Adriane depending on who is in charge of the body. She’s supposed to join the crew and the team. Just waiting for her to step through with her effects now Ma’am.” He gave a curt nod to his team, mimicking their somewhat late officer in raising their weapons again.

[I]Ariadne stepped through the gate, just as she had countless times before. The sensation was familiar to her, but not Idalia, and she felt her body tense as she came out of the wormhole. She was greeted by the sight of six of Tau’ri with weapons raised. She’d heard of the famously ‘hospitable’ greetings given to incoming travellers by the Tau’ri, and so she was expecting it, but she still couldn’t help but feel like an untrusted outsider. When she spoke, her voice was hollow like that of a Goa’uld, a measure many Tok’ra took to signify who was in control. “Do you greet all new arrivals like this?” She said as she walked down the ramp, still carrying the large wooden box with her belongings inside.[/I]

Alyssa watched the Tok’ra closely as she approached her squad. As the Tok’ra stood still at the end of the ramp Alyssa spoke up. “We can’t be too careless when it comes to new arrivals, standard procedure. state your name and business please.” Alyssa waited for the woman to reply before continuing “please put down that box and put your hands where we can see them”. Alyssa then nodded at Cpl. Miller, a sign that he was to approach and search her.

[I]Ariadne was insulted by the hostility being shown. She was being treated like a hostile. She glanced at the blocky Tau’ri device on her forearm. Perhaps it wasn’t working? It was supposed to signify that she was friendly. Her eyes flashed in an expression of rage and when she spoke again her voice was scathing. “If I were going to attack this vessel via the Chappa’ai, I would have sent Tok’kal, grenades, through first, and came in with my weapon ready.”[/I]

Before She could continue with any more remarks, her eyes flashed again and her voice returned to normal as Idalia took control. Another of the Tau’ri had approached, this one a male. She spoke hastily to allay any furtherance of hostility “Sorry, Ariadne isn’t used to arriving to see weapons pointing at her-”

Miller waved at his squad as he walked forwards towards the woman, he himself slung his L8A2 ACOG sight rifle over his shoulder, not even holding it in his hands and just letting it dangle. “Sorry Ma’am, just standard procedure.” He leaned forward slightly as he did so as well, whispering slightly so that Alyssa at the foot of the ramp wouldn’t hear. “Also, few people on the ship have experience with this kind of thing.” He stepped back. “While according to the higher ups I am not required to search your person, or your belongings, I am required to perform a scan for explosive material.” He held out a scanner, and turned it on. “Do you have any, medical devices that may be affected by the scan or any technology? If you do I will have to perform a physical search. Don’t worry Ma’am, we all go through these searches upon returning from off world.”

Idalia firmly held control of herself at that moment, ensuring her obstinate symbiote didn’t make any more remarks. She put the box down and opened it, aware of the humans tensing as she did. From it, she retrieved the healing device and the Zat’nik’tel, handing them to the closest Tau’ri. “I’d like those back right after you scan me. You really don’t need to worry. It’s just clothes.”

“I know Ma’am, but as I said we ourselves go through the same protocols, its a new ship and our first one to have a gate aboard, you’ll get used to it I’m sure.” As L.Corporal Neilson went to walk away with the Zat and the healing device he indicated for him to stay. Taking the scanner he performed a slow scan of both the Tok’ra and the box with all her belongings. Before signalling for Neilson to hand the two devices back to her. He then moved back down the ramp and turned to his commanding officer. “She’s clean Ma’am.” He turned and gave the Tok’ra a slight sympathetic smile.

Alyssa watched silently as Miller performed his duties. nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Alyssa sent a message saying ‘all clear’ to the command post as she turned to the new arrival “Welcome aboard miss, forgive me my cautious actions” Alyssa instantly lowered her rifle when she realised she had it still ready and put the safety pal back up. She swung her M16 over her shoulder, looking at her squad if they followed her lead. “If you will follow me now, I will escort you to your quarters”.

Idalia watched the Tau’ri performing their duty, and felt Ariadne watching intently and critically through her eyes, searching for some sign that these Tau’ri might be equal to all that she had heard of the race, or what she had seen with SG7’s feats against the System Lords. She took the two items back when they were offered, placing them back in the box and shutting it. “I forgive you. I wont speak for Ariadne.” Looking towards the male, she added, “Ariadne says she’ll get used to seeing weapons, but searches… uh, not so much.” She followed the human then, box once more in hand. 

Miller nodded at his squad leader as she moved to escort the Tok’ra to her quarters. “All right squad, we’ve got the watch.” He moved to the other side of the room where his squad leader had previously stood, covering the gate again even though as it deactivated the gateplug was put back in place sealing the gate against any incoming wormholes.

Alyssa lead the way to the quarters for the Officers. She looked at her list and saw that the newly arrived woman was assigned to her squad. Great, she got off on the wrong foot with her. Better smoothen the edges and lighten the mood a bit. Well, if she could that is. Choosing her words carefully as she didn't want to offend the woman she asked; “Forgive me as my knowledge about other species and cultures is not proficient. I’ve heard you are Tok’ra, would you mind telling me what exactly is different from huma- I mean Tau’ri as I can’t see?”

Idalia was not particularly surprised about the question, and she didn’t mind answering it. Of course Ariadne could answer better, but Idalia could feel that Ariadne thought it was better for Idalia to handle the situation. “Actually you had it right the first time. Tau’ri refers to, I think, the people of Earth in particular, not the human species. We are different in that, as I’m sure you’ve been told, there are two of us in here. I am Idalia, and I am human, just like you. Ariadne is my symbiote, she lives within me… Anyway, we share this body, and in return I will live far longer and I am stronger. You will know when Ariadne is in control, she speaks with a different voice and my eyes will flash when she takes control. When she controls me, she controls every aspect of me, including arms and legs and hands, not just my voice.”

[i] Convenient [/i] thought Alyssa [i] Seems like a good deal to me.[/i] She took the elevator to the floor where the officers quarters were located. “You’ll be staying at one of our officers quarters, they are among the finest suites on the ship. Also, you will be under my command as soon as we hit the ground. Here on the ship we are equal in rank to each other.” As they reached the room for her new squaddy, Alyssa opened the door for the Woman who followed her. Alyssa accessed the communication pad inside the room and added her number to it. “If you need anything just contact me and I will either answer your questions or send someone to fulfill your request. I suggest also putting my number in your personal communication pad as we’ll be working together a lot.” Alyssa also put the room’s number in her communication pad which she usually wore around her upper arm. “I hope you enjoy your stay among us” Alyssa saluted as a greeting and took her leave.

Idalia just smiled as the Tau’ri left. It was enough effort to hold Ariadne back at the idea of being the same rank as the Tau’ri. The door shut then and Idalia turned to take in her quarters. They were similar to what she was used to, though quite a bit blockier than Tok’ra architecture. Everything else was forgotten when she saw the window. Right now it just showed a view of the yellow lit hanger in which the Tempest was being kept, but she knew that soon enough it would show the vastness of space, something Idalia had only seen in Ariadne’s memory. She put the box down, leaving it closed, and rushed over to gaze out the window. Ariadne wanted to find the captain, but she was willing to let her much younger host take in the sights first.

[I] A few minutes later, Ariadne was once again in control. She looked at the viewing panel on the wall and poked at it for a number of minutes, trying to find a map. Once she’d found it, she studied it for a few minutes, taking in every detail and committing them to her vast memory. Then she confidently stepped out of her quarters and headed for the Bridge. She wanted to meet whoever was in charge…[/I]