Legacy
(Warning: Announcement chapter 14 spoilers)

After finally getting his wife calmed down, David roamed the caste's dim, high-ceilinged halls in search of water for both of them. After twenty minutes, he found what appeared to be a kitchen, though it was a far cry from the kind of kitchen he was accustomed to. He wildly began searching the bizzare cabinets for cups, sliding open many of the stone and gold doors with enough force that they rebounded from the end of their tracks. Two cabinets in a row, he heard extra bangs and suspiciously spun to find a tall, muscular Jaffa in full armor, whom he recognized as Dehrwin, one of the Jaffa Tacita had sent.

Suddenly nervous at his presence, David bowed exactly as Vinnet had taught him and straightened up while watching the Jaffa's toes. He couldn't help but notice that Dehrwin
had cornered him the first time he left his wife's presence. "May I help you?"

Dehrwin's loud, demanding voice unnerved him even more than his imposing presence. "How long have you served your master?"

He shrugged, belatedly realizing a real lotaur might not. The real answer was that he didn't serve her, but he couldn't say that. "About a year."

"How often does she treat you poorly?"

David quickly glanced up to see Dehrwin's expression, but there was no emotion to be read. He still had no clue explaining the Jaffa's purpose. His mind reeling for an answer, he improvised. "She treats me much better than I could ever deserve." It wasn't a lie, and it even sounded humble and subserviant--score one for the fake lotaur!

"Is that so?" Dehrwin retorted. "I heard she reprimanded you this afternoon." He stared at David's folded hands. "Did she also bruise your hands?"

"Yeah..." He looked at his hand, where Sarah's extra-strong grip had been focused while she gave birth. "Um..."

The Jaffa's voice softened. "You need not be treated in such a way."

He frowned, desperately trying to rein in the frustration he felt at not being able to truthfully justify his wife's actions. "You weren't there; you can't judge her by the result of a situation you're unaware of. I was there for her when she needed me."

"I understand your loyalty, but you must not sacrifice your well-being for it."

"It was an isolated incident," he insisted, now forgetting the humble servance facade and glaring at the Jaffa.

Dehrwin stepped forward menacingly. "If you continue in her service, it will no longer be an isolated occurance."

"You don't know that, because you don't know her! You've only known about her for a single day." Shaking his head, David took a quick, deep, calming breath. "You've only been around her for less than a day. After a while, you'll see that she wouldn't do anything to me. Besides, why do you care?"

The Jaffa lowered his head and his voice, as though he were revealing a secret. "I believe in freedom for humans and Jaffa. The Jaffa already have a strong start; humans are still subject to the oppression of the Goa'uld."

"So do you see me as an equal?"

Dehrwin hesitated just a little too long.

"That's fine. It's just a question." He had asked only to determine where he stood in the other's mind. "And it sounds like you're very noble. But I'm not feeling at all oppressed at the moment."

"Vandrof said Senane used to live among the Tau'ri. Is that true?"

He took a moment to recalled what "Tau'ri" meant--Earthlings--before answering cautiously, "Yes."

"Then you are a Tau'ri?"

He swallowed, wondering if he was about to get into trouble. "Yes."

Dehrwin shook his head. "Then how can you have no complaint here? I have heard much of the Tau'ri; they are the ones who end systems such as we have here. How can you be content with that?"

At a loss for an answer, David shrugged. "I just... can."

"Is her host a Tau'ri as well?"

"My wife."

Dehrwin nodded his understanding. "So being her lotaur, you have ample opportunity to sabotage her efforts until you can find someone to remove the Gao'uld and restore your wife to you."

"Of course." It was so nice of him to provide David with a cover story.

"I can do that for you."

The Tau'ri panicked for a moment; he couldn't really let anyone remove Vinnet, who was as much his wife as Sarah was. Then he feigned regret at a lost opportunity. "The SGC gave me this mission. They want me to find out as much about her and where she same from as I can--in case any more Goa'uld can make it to Earth the same way. So until I know that, I can't let you do that."

A bright grin grew on Dehrwin's face as he listened. "We could always interrogate her first."

"No! I couldn't put her through that!"

"But you could allow a Goa'uld to control her, to invade her mind that much longer?" the Jaffa snapped, disgust clear in his empathetic tone.

"To prevent others from going through this? Yes!" Beginning to wonder if the other believed him, David hoped he wouldn't have to resort to the truth; his wives would be furious.

"Interrogation would be an effective means to get that information in a time frame that would allow you to prevent any similar Goa'uld action among the Tau'ri."

"When I say no, I mean it," he insisted, his voice growing louder. "The other Jaffa, the ones she brought with us, are intensely loyal. If they hear wind of any action against her, we're both going to be up a creek."

Dehrwin frowned, missing the meaning of the phrase. "Then when you have your information, how will you put it to use?"

"I'll contact the SGC, who'll send a team here to extract us. I've got it under control. All you should do is create a diversion for the Jaffa when the time comes."

The Jaffa seemed to ignore him. "You could obtain the information you seek from Vandrof. He seems to know much of Senane."

"Yeah, he does." But if he were really a traitor to the Tok'ra, would he be safe speaking to him alone, even if the information he obtained could be valuable to Vinnet?