Please... help me...
- Still no incoming signal, sir. - All units are Earth side.
Is it my eyes or does that iris look kinda...?
It's losing integrity.
Hold fire!
It's Schroedinger. The cat I gave to the Tollan Narim.
- A cat. - The Tollan possess the technology...
- ...to walk through solid matter. - A technology which, by the way,...
...they refused to share with us.
General Hammond, I am unfamiliar with Earth protocol.
I sent Schroedinger so you'd know I was a friend.
It's all right, Narim. The Tollan are welcome here. Units, stand down.
Samantha...
- It's good to see you again. - It's good to see you too.
What can we do for you, Narim?
I am here to deliver a message from our highest governing body.
Colonel O'Neill.
The Tollan curia request the presence of you and your team for Triad.
I feel like I'm being served.
So, what exactly is this Triad?
An ancient ceremony of justice. Quite honourable.
So, it's kinda like a tri-al.
I am not familiar with "trial".
Trial. It's like a tribunal. A place where matters of justice and law are decided.
Then, yes. A Triad is similar to your trial.
So, who's on trial?
- Ad. - Tr... Triad.
The decision the Triad must reach is of concern to a friend of yours.
- An Abydonian by the name of Skaara. - What?
- It is he who requested your presence. - He's alive, he's OK?
He is well. But he does need your help for Triad.
Where's this taking place?
Our destination is the new home world: Tollana.
But we sent you to the Nox planet. There wasn't a gate on Tollana.
The Nox and the Tollan were able to devise a way to get us there.
- Of course you were. - Way smarter than we are.
- Very nice. - So you built that...
- ...Stargate? - Yes.
Way smarter than we are.
Ours is bigger.
- What just happened? - Your weapons have been disabled.
- What? - They do not work.
You may continue to carry them if you wish.
You don't think you should have told us about this before we came?
- I didn't find it relevant. - We don't go to other planets...
...without weapons to defend ourselves.
What do you intend to defend yourself against?
- The Tollan have never threatened you. - That is correct, O'Neill.
I do not feel the need to carry a weapon in this place.
And, sir, judging by what I've seen in the last five minutes,...
...our weapons wouldn't be much of a match for their technology anyway.
No harm will come to you.
The Tollan will guarantee it.
Is that a "money back if you're not completely alive" guarantee?
This way.
These must be our visitors from Earth.
Welcome.
High Chancellor Travell, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill.
Hi.
Dr. Daniel Jackson. Major Samantha Carter.
- Hello. - And Teal'c.
We are honoured that you have agreed to participate in Triad.
Your seeker will decide which one of you will be archon.
Seeker? Archon?
Daniel?
With respect, High Chancellor, Narim didn't really explain the Triad very well.
Could you please define those terms for us?
In Triad there are two arguing parties called seekers.
Triadic law requires one archon who's sympathetic to each cause...
...and one neutral archon.
The archons argue the dispute until a decision is reached.
A seeker is like a defendant and the archon is his attorney.
I got it.
So Skaara is our...
- Seeker. - ...seeker?
Narim will take you to him now.
This way.
Skaara?
You.
You will pay for what you did to my father.
It's good to see you too.
I'm very happy to see you. All of you.
What's the deal? What just happened?
The device about his chest suppresses the Goa'uld's ability to silence his host.
The Goa'uld and host are free to speak at will.
The device cannot be removed as long as Klorel and Skaara are our guests.
The indicator prevents one from pretending to be the other.
Red indicates it is Klorel who speaks. Blue, Skaara.
Nice device. We'll take a dozen.
As you may recall from last time,...
...it is forbidden for the Tollan to give our technology to a less-advanced culture.
Still got that arrogance bug, I see.
It is I, O'Neill.
Are you not happy to see me?
Yeah.
It's good to see you.
I knew you would come.
Soon, with your help, I'll be free of this demon.
Every day I fight him.
I listen. I learn.
It is time for Skaara to choose his archon.
O'Neill is strong.
Daniel is wise.
- May I not choose both? - You may. They may both argue.
However, they will have but one vote.
OK. What's this Triad about? What's to be decided?
Two days ago, a small Goa'uld vessel crashed in a remote area.
The occupant was badly injured. It was Skaara.
We were fleeing a battle group sent by Heru-ur.
My demon knew the Tollans would stop them.
Which we did.
We warned them, but they came anyway.
Our defence grid was forced to destroy them.
- So, Heru-ur is dead? - No.
But two of his mother ships are destroyed.
Wait a minute. You blew away two Goa'uld mother ships?
We are not a warring people.
But our defensive technology is far advanced of the Goa'uld's.
This weapons chatter gets my blood pumping. Can we get back to the Triad?
Yes, of course. When our sentries reached the crashed vessel,...
...Skaara asked us to free him of his Goa'uld. But the Goa'uld refuses.
Under Tollan law we have no choice but to hear both arguments before acting.
- And Klorel's... - Archon.
...archon is who?
My Lord Zipacna, we are honoured that you have agreed to participate in Triad.
Due to your dispatch of Heru-ur's mother ships, it appears I do not have a choice.
- We would speak in private. - As you wish.
So...
...when you were trying to get us to come here and then... disarmed us,...
...you didn't feel it appropriate to mention a freakin' Goa'uld would be here?
- Not to mention his associates? - They are as unarmed as you.
- You sure of that? - Our technology disables any weaponry.
Uh-huh.
You said there was a third neutral archon. That's... a Tollan?
No. We have asked our friends to send someone capable of remaining neutral.
I believe you have met.
- Lya. - It is good to see you once again, friends.
Well, this just became a piece of cake, a day at the beach!
An accident waiting for a place to happen.
Mr. Negative.
- Yes. - Sir, what makes you so confident?
Because Lya is a fair and insightful person who will vote our way.
Besides, she likes us.
Lya likes everyone. That's the Nox way.
The Nox are not in conflict with the Goa'uld.
They saved Apophis when you attempted to eliminate him.
So, what do we have on this fine Goa'uld fella?
Zipacna was one of Apophis's most loyal underlords.
I don't believe for a second he's come to talk Klorel outta here.
- They are ready for you. - Thank you.
Carter, you and Teal'c keep an eye on Zippy's kids.
- Yes, sir. - See what they're up to.
This dispute involves two sentient beings who inhabit the same body.
Both have requested sole use of the body,...
...therefore we must establish right of priority over the body.
To whom does it belong?
Ostensibly, the one to whom it was born.
Your Eminence, I must request that the human contingent follow decorum...
...appropriate to such an auspicious body as this one.
I agree. The archons will refrain from questions or comments...
...until their side is acknowledged.
At this time I recognise Lord Zipacna and Klorel.
Until three years ago, the humans on Abydos lived under Goa'uld law,...
...administered by Ra. Now, by that law, they were Goa'uld property.
Lord Klorel merely took what was already his.
- By force. - Colonel O'Neill, please.
Sorry. Sorry.
I understand your desire to defend your position,...
...and I will give you that opportunity.
I would first like to hear Skaara's perspective.
I was born to this body,...
...free of the demon Klorel.
He stole my body.
On Abydos I would have married,...
...had children,...
...grown old and died.
The Goa'uld took more than my body.
He stole my life.
Human archons.
Skaara, when you were born, did your people believe they were slaves?
No.
Just so we can all be clear, who was Ra?
We believed him to be an evil God.
So he enslaved your people through superstition and fear?
Until you came, yes.
Tell me, do the people of Abydos hunt?
Yes.
Do they also use animals as beasts of burden? For food? For clothing?
Yes.
- Do you also eat the flesh of humans? - No! Never!
You make judgment that animals are of lesser value than humans.
We care for our animals. We worship them.
- We thank them for the gifts they give us. - Yes, but you keep them to do your will.
- And you kill them to survive. - When we have the need.
As we do with humans... when we have the need.
If a human has the right to take an animal and do with it as he pleases...
...because he is a superior being... then so does a Goa'uld.
And by that argument alone, the Goa'uld has priority.
And the host belongs to Klorel.
- Do the human archons wish to respond? - Yes, ma'am. You betcha.
We do, Your Eminence.
Can I go first?
Your argument is flawed in oh so many ways.
Humans are self-aware. Animals aren't.
Animals are not because you deem them not to be.
Just as we deem humans not to be.
What we mean is that humans have a more advanced intelligence...
- ...than lower caste animals. - Exactly. Just like that.
Is that not a matter of perspective?
Just like a human considers itself more intelligent than a pig,...
...might a pig consider itself more intelligent than a rat?
Speaking of rats... What's your point?
My point is that the Goa'uld consider ourselves more intelligent than humans.
Our technology is more advanced, our mere knowledge of the universe...
- ...is more advanced than yours. - You stole that knowledge!
You took human knowledge when you took humans as hosts.
Just as you took knowledge from other species.
The Stargate isn't your technology. You just... you took that.
As far as we know... nothing you have came from you,...
...so clearly the evidence is not that you're more intelligent, just more parasitic.
The method of gaining the knowledge is not in question.
We were able to obtain it. You were not.
Oh, please.
Gentlemen, we seem to have wandered away from the central topic.
Which seeker has priority over this body?
I don't think we ventured away from the central topic.
What we're trying to point out is that the Goa'uld steal what they possess.
As they have, in fact, stolen Skaara's body.
Can I... Sorry, Daniel. Can I say something?
Skaara.
You once told me you'd rather die... than live another day as a Goa'uld.
Why?
What I suffer each day is worse than death.
For example?
I remember the demon...
...stretching out my hand to kill Daniel,...
...the husband of my sister.
There was nothing I could do to stop it.
And I have seen many more... far worse atrocities than this.
- I demand that the human stay on topic! - It is on topic!
You just wanna avoid talking about all the nasty stuff he's witnessed.
The host witnesses nothing.
Since nothing of the host survives.
What are they doing?
I am uncertain.
Lord Zipacna, I'd like to ask you a question, if I may.
- I hope I have the answer. - I'm sure you will.
Is your host...
...in there somewhere?
Nothing of the host survives.
Really? Then how do you explain Skaara?
What you call Skaara is nothing but a remnant.
He can speak now only because the Tollan...
...used their technology to silence Klorel.
But how could he speak at all if he hadn't survived?
And he spoke well. His words were not those of a remnant personality.
Carter?
- Sir, we may have a problem. - Do tell.
We tracked a serpent guard and two Jaffa to just outside the city limits.
We observed them locate six Tollan weapon sites.
We think they were disabling them, sir.
Which means Zipacna is using the Triad to stall for time...
...so his men can disable the Tollan defences.
- Then take the opportunity to... - Wipe out the Tollan.
Samantha, I hope you've not waited long.
- No. Thank you for coming. - It's my pleasure.
In fact, I'm pleased that we can finally be alone together.
I asked you to meet me because I need your help.
Samantha, I...
I have missed you.
A lot's happened to me since I last saw you.
- There is another. - No.
Not in the way that you mean.
You see, I was blended with a Tok'ra, and she died to save my life,...
...but I still have her memories and feelings.
- And she is part of you? - Yes.
I can't have a relationship with anyone until I'm absolutely sure whose feelings...
...I'm feeling. Do you understand?
You are very wise, Samantha.
May I ask, then, why you summoned me?
Teal'c and I followed the Jaffa that came with the Goa'uld.
Why would you do that? I was sure your people were more diplomatic.
We did it out of concern for your people.
We think the Goa'uld are using the Triad to buy time...
...so that they can prepare for an attack on Tollana.
- Why do you think that? - They tampered with your weapons.
Impossible. They are made of an impenetrable alloy...
- ...and protected by security codes. - Narim,...
...they were doing something to them.
We asked Lord Zipacna about your accusation.
He denied it and he was quite offended.
Well, that's a shocker. I hope you didn't take his word for it.
Our experts have been unable to find any form of tampering on any of the cannons.
Carter?
- Maybe they were painting them, sir. - I see no paint.
Sorry. It's an Earth military expression. It means marking them as targets.
Nor do I see any markings.
There are ways they can target the weapons without leaving a mark.
If so, the instant one of these cannons is attacked,...
...the rest will automatically locate the position of the attacker and destroy it.
Unless they're all taken out simultaneously.
If that were possible, why did the Goa'uld Heru-ur...
...not do so when he pursued Klorel?
Maybe he didn't have a contingent on the planet targeting the weapons in advance.
He didn't do it because it is impossible.
It would take but one of these devices to protect us from a Goa'uld mother ship,...
...and we have many more than that.
Our technology is superior in every way to theirs... and to yours.
My, aren't we cocky?
Colonel, if this is an attempt to influence the outcome of Triad,...
...it is a feeble attempt indeed.
This is not intended as anything other than an attempt to help your people.
I hope so. But understand, if you continue to pursue this matter in any way,...
...I will disqualify you from Triad and replace you.
Skaara will be represented by someone else. Is that understood?
- With protest. - Now,...
...you will return to Triad in the morning...
...and you will not mention this matter any further.
Just stay away from Zippy and his gaggle of Goa'ulds, OK?
I know the Goa'uld, O'Neill. They will attack.
But I don't see a choice here.
If we pursue the issue, Skaara will be represented by God knows who,...
...then we won't stand a chance in hell. I'm not gonna let that happen.
I must disagree with you in this situation, O'Neill.
We are faced with the loss of Skaara - one individual -
versus the death of many Tollan. And possibly ourselves.
That's assuming the Tollan can't defend themselves, which is a false assumption.
They did bring down two mother ships. I think they'll be OK.
The Tollan have not been at war in many generations.
They do not think strategically. I believe that to be a fatal flaw.
- Their naiveté could be their downfall. - That is correct.
Allow Major Carter and myself to continue monitoring the Goa'ulds in case of...
Excuse my interruption.
The Triad resumes.
You've got your orders. Stand down.
Teal'c.
This is highly inappropriate of you to come to me during Triad.
I assure you that I would never intend to influence your decision in any way.
I wish to speak to you concerning another matter.
You must not mention Klorel or Skaara.
If you do, I will be forced to report the matter to the Tollan.
Understood.
What is it, then?
As you are aware, I was formerly in the service of the Goa'uld.
If this is designed to bias me against the Goa'uld...
I would never do such a thing, nor do I feel the need.
I am here in direct violation of an order given by Colonel O'Neill.
- Go on. - I am convinced that the Goa'uld...
...are planning to destroy all the Tollan weapon installations simultaneously...
...thereby preventing them from ever returning fire.
The Goa'uld will then attack this world which will be defenceless.
Why do you tell me this?
I believe that you and I are the only ones capable of preventing this tragedy.
You and I? Teal'c, you are a strong warrior, but I am of the Nox.
If you've learned anything of us, you know that we defend ourselves...
...through illusion and mastery of the mind.
Precisely.
I apologise for my tardiness.
We will resume.
Lord Zipacna has asked us to reconvene early...
...because he wishes to make a challenge.
Tollan law does not provide for a penalty of death. Is that correct?
It is.
Then I wish to point out the futility of this Triad.
A Goa'uld needs a host to survive. This is a biological fact beyond our control.
If you award priority to Skaara, then it is as a death sentence for Klorel.
Of course, if you flip that around, you got Skaara on death row.
Yes.
But as you proved earlier in Triad, the host survives.
Yeah...
We concede this point.
Therefore, if you award priority to Klorel, both host and symbiote live.
Yeah. One lives freely. The other lives as a slave.
We would put forth that life as a slave is not life at all.
And if you wanna save both lives, give us Skaara and you take Klorel.
The Tok'ra can put him in another host for all I care.
Who, Colonel? Perhaps you would volunteer?
Uh...
No.
Perhaps you could find someone who would choose to be a host.
Narim, what is the meaning of this? You know Triad is held as a closed session.
Your Eminence, please adjust your viewer to the orbital observatory.
A Goa'uld mother ship?
Yes. It approaches Tollana.
Explain.
My vessel comes in anticipation of our victory in Triad.
It is merely coming to take us along.
Why not take a Stargate like the rest of us?
Not that it is of your concern, but there is no Chaapa-ai where we are going.
Then gate to where there is one and get picked up.
Your Eminence, if our intentions were hostile, we would have attacked already.
Even so, your ship's arrival is premature and in violation of Tollan space.
I must warn you that if your ship moves any closer...
...before the conclusion of Triad, our automated defence system will destroy it.
The Goa'uld rest our case and we are prepared to vote. Therefore, Triad is over.
Triad is over when all parties agree, Lord Zipacna.
Do the human archons have any further arguments?
Nope. I think the Goa'uld made our case for us quite nicely.
No further arguments, Your Eminence. We are prepared to vote.
Nox archon?
Yes.
Then bring in the seekers.
Klorel and Skaara, you can both hear the Triad's ruling?
Yes, Your Eminence.
I can.
Human archons, may we hear your vote?
We find in favour of Skaara.
Goa'uld archon.
In favour of Klorel.
Big surprise there.
Nox archon?
After careful consideration,...
...I believe that both Klorel and Skaara have the right to live.
But living as a host, with no will of one's own, is not life.
Therefore, only one may remain in the body.
To that end, I award priority to the original owner of the body.
Skaara.
Yes! Now get that mother ship outta here.
We will summon the Tok'ra to come to Tollana...
...to assist in the removal of the Goa'uld Klorel.
He will be removed from the host,...
...and, if he survives, will be sent to the Goa'uld world of his choice.
I have locked the detachment device.
Skaara, you have priority control until the Goa'uld is removed.
Prepare yourself.
The Tok'ra will arrive as soon as possible.
And congratulations.
Thank you.
Lord Zipacna, you are dismissed...
...with our thanks.
Ha'tak.
Ree nok, Ha'tak.
Hey!
Nice. Let's go!
Skaara, wait here. Just trust me.
How's that superior technology looking? Security system serving you pretty good?
- The ion cannons. - Got a dead lock on all of 'em.
I hate when people waste my time like this.
Where's Teal'c?
Colonel!
Cover!
- I must inform Travell. - Zipacna's escaped through the Stargate.
Well, that's the least of our prob... Where have you been?
I must inform you that I have disregarded your orders concerning the Goa'uld.
Please explain.
- So what's going on here? - I have requested Lya's assistance.
- You hid one of them. - That is correct.
Travell explained it would take but one of these to destroy a Goa'uld mother ship.
It should have already fired.
Well, it hasn't.
Let's take cover, huh?
Very nice.
You disregarded my warnings.
Mine, too. Well done.
If you were my subject, I would be forced to discipline you.
However, you are not one of my subjects.
It could not have been done without the assistance of Lya.
I thought the Nox were pacifists.
I only hid the weapon. I did not fire it.
Ah.
Pretty fine line you didn't cross.
Yes, it is.
So, we basically saved your whole planet, right?
Yes.
Are you therefore indebted to us in any modest way?
I suppose that is the case.
So how about giving us the plans to build one of those ion cannons?
You have been told our policy. That has not changed.
The Tok'ra have completed the procedure.
Yeah?
- What will become of Klorel? - He will be sent to a Goa'uld world.
- To hell with him... - O'Neill!
Much better.