Author: Joolz
Feedback: If you
like J [email protected]
Type: Gen
Rating: PG
Category: Missing Scene, Drama/Angst, Friendship
Season: 4
Spoilers: The Other Side
Synopsis: Don’t you think there should have been some
consequences to what happened on Euronda?
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Not my lovely characters, just playing with
them.
***********************************************
The first clue was the angry stare that Major
Carter fixed on him after he had ordered the iris closed, and they heard the thup of Alar
hitting it. Whoa, she didn’t usually look at him like that. In fact, the only time he’d ever seen that
glare from her was when he did something unusually stupid and cruel to Daniel,
which in all fairness, he tried not to do too
often.
The next clue was on the face of Daniel
himself. A mixture of emotions played
across his usually soft features as he stared at his CO; anger, hurt,
disappointment, defiance. Not a happy
combination. Jack didn’t get a chance to
study the phenomenon at much length, because Daniel turned suddenly and stalked
out of the gate room without a word.
The third clue
was the look of puzzlement and concern on Teal’c’s face.
O’Neill waved one gloved hand toward him, and said, “Hey, not you
too!” The large man merely frowned and shook his head, before
following the others through the door, leaving O’Neill standing alone at the
foot of the ramp.
--What? What
did I do now?--he wondered. It hadn’t
been the smoothest mission on record, granted, but not something to make a big
federal case out of, either. They’d
figured out who the bad guys were in the end.
Case closed.
Except that it didn’t seem to be closed. When he crossed paths with Daniel in the
shower room, the young scientist had made no secret of the fact that he was
avoiding him. All O’Neill got from him
was a cold shoulder, literally a shoulder, when he’d tried to start a
conversation. He soon found himself
standing alone in the locker room, as well.
He said to himself, --Hey, do I smell bad or
something?-- But in fact, he was
starting to get nervous. The clues were
telling him he was in trouble.
So he wasn’t all that surprised to walk into a piss
poor atmosphere in the conference room when it was time for the
debriefing. The two humans were sitting
at the table with their heads together, talking in an animated whisper, while
the Jaffa stood with his arms crossed looking down at the Stargate through the
plate glass window. General Hammond
hadn’t arrived yet. As soon as Jack
walked up the stairs into the room, Carter and Daniel stopped talking and
looked down at their respective note pads.
Teal’c didn’t move.
“Alright, campers, that’s it. What the hell’s
going on with you guys?”
No one answered right away, but at least his dark
friend turned to look at him. After a
moment, Daniel said politely, “I think I
can speak for all of us when I say we have some concerns about how this mission
was carried out.”
“Hey, I already admitted you were right, and I
should have listened to you sooner. What
more do you want?”
“Your behaviour toward me is
part of it,” the young man nodded
seriously, “but not the central issue.
We went too far today. You went
too far. What you did at the end was way
over the line.” His cool demeanor was starting to heat
up. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved
with their battle, not like that! Jack,
you killed people!”
“They deserved it.
You saw what they were, they were trying to exterminate anyone with a
different skin
color.”
Carter couldn’t stay silent any longer, “But they
had technology that would have really helped us, saved lives, revolutionized
our power generation capabilities. That
was worth talking about, at least, and you just threw it all away!” She’d even forgotten to call him sir.
Colonel O’Neill turned to the other man in the
room, “Teal’c, surely you don’t defend those people?”
“I do not defend them, nor do Major Carter or
Daniel Jackson. And I understand your
wish to punish these people who had concealed so much from us, used us. But perhaps we could have in some way utilized
their knowledge to our own benefit. In
the fight against the Goa’uld, we can not
afford to reject an opportunity, simply because a culture’s philosophy is
distasteful.”
“I don’t believe I’m hearing this!” Jack turned again to the archeologist.
“You were the one saying all along that we shouldn’t be helping the
Eurondans. Well, you were right! We helped them kill innocent people before we
knew any better, and we needed to make up for that. Settle the score.” His voice had increased in volume
considerably during this discourse.
Daniel answered, becoming red in the face with
emotion, and ever louder himself, “I never said we shouldn’t help them, I said
we needed to find out more information first, to make a decision about it. Yeah, in the end I probably would have
opposed giving them military assistance, but there’s more to it than that. Maybe we could have built some kind of
productive relationship with them, taught them something, convinced them that
they were wrong. You can’t influence
someone by killing them, you can’t judge and execute someone just like
that. There were lot’s of other options we could have considered, but your damn ego
stepped right in.”
“What?”
He was now shouting in restrained anger. “Your ego!
You’d been played for a fool, and wanted payback, that’s all. So you made the decision all by yourself to
destroy their central complex and let Alar die against our iris. You didn’t have to do that!”
Jack responded in kind, “So I should have stood by
and watched them commit genocide?”
“The Eurondan’s opposition was obviously on the
verge of winning all by themselves. If
nothing else, if nothing else, you
could have just walked away, Jack. Just walked away!”
At that moment, General Hammond stepped into the
room, and cut through the raised voices, “That’s enough! I want an explanation for this behavior!
Everybody on this level can hear you.”
Daniel turned back to his note pad, and slumped
down in his chair, sulking. Carter and
Teal’c also avoided the General’s gaze.
That left Jack to answer, “We’re just having a little disagreement,
sir. We’ll work it out.”
General Hammond sat at the head of the table,
glaring at them. “May I remind you that
this is a military installation, and I expect all of you to behave with
something approximating military
decorum. Maybe you’d better tell me just
what happened on that planet. I’m
familiar with events right up until I sent Dr. Jackson and Major Carter back
with the container of heavy water, and orders to find out more about those
people. What the hell happened?” He turned to Daniel, “Dr. Jackson?”
Daniel simmered for a moment, flashed a look at
Jack, then back at the table. “We found
out that the Eurondans did indeed start the war. It was a racially based conflict, with the
white skinned Eurondans trying to eliminate a racially diverse group that they
called ‘breeders’.”
“What else
did you find out about them?” Hammond looked at Major Carter.
“Their cold fusion technology was astounding. Alar had prepared a data storage unit with
all the information we would need to replicate their energy, weapons and
medical technology. But I also realized
that they built those tunnels before the war even started, and in fact had been
the ones to purposefully poison the atmosphere of the planet in an attempt to
kill off their enemies.”
“That’s most alarming, Major. It’s a good thing we didn’t send them any
more aid. So how did you leave it with
them?” Now he turned to O’Neill.
“When I realized what was going on, I used their
planes to help destroy the command center area of the tunnels. Then I
ordered my people to withdrawal back through the gate. Alar wanted to come with us, but I closed
the iris to prevent that.”
General Hammond stood up in distress. “You what? You turned their own weapons against them,
and then knowingly killed their leader?”
“Hey, I warned the asshole not to follow us!”
“What about the data?”
Carter answered succinctly, “The unit was broken.”
Hammond sat down again, and briefly rubbed his face
with both hands. He looked at Jack with
concern. “Son, I don’t think you realize
how serious this is. The Pentagon is
already aware of the benefits we were hoping to obtain on this mission, and now
I’m going to have to tell them this. I
am not pleased, and they are not going to be pleased. Colonel, what can you say in your own
defence?”
O’Neill was genuinely confused, “Sir, these were bad people. We didn’t want
what they had.”
“That wasn’t your call to make, Colonel. I’m most disappointed in you. Is there anything else you should tell
me?” he asked the people around the
table. No one spoke. “All right, I want full reports from all of
you, this afternoon!” He stood and
strode briskly from the room, closely followed by the rest of SG1, leaving Jack
standing alone again.
He sat down at the table, and rested his chin on
his hands. Had he really screwed up that
badly? Was Daniel right, did he do what
he did out of spite? He sighed. Let’s face it, Daniel thought he was wrong,
and annoyingly, Daniel is always right.
Carter thought he was wrong, and she’s just about always right. Teal’c thought he was wrong. General Hammond. That in itself was pretty damning evidence. What were the chances that they were all
wrong, and he was right? What did it
matter if they were all wrong and he
was right, if they all thought he was
wrong?
--OK, let’s look at it. I may have over reacted a little bit. I was angry.
So what? So,… a culture died and
all kinds of goodies were lost to us.
People died, and there’s no going back.
And it was my decision alone. Oh
shit, I may have screwed up, and now
everybody’s mad at me. Shit!--
Jack sat in the conference room going over events
in his head, working out what he should have done differently. The farther into it he got, the more a
sinking feeling developed in his stomach.
--Jack old buddy, you’ve messed up before, but this one’s a gem.-- There wasn’t a whole lot he could do to make
up for it, but he could begin by apologizing.
And he knew who to start with.
Jack opened the door to Daniel’s office expecting
to find the
archaeologist huddled over
his desk, looking at a rock or tapping away at his computer terminal. Though the computer was on, no one was at the
desk. A quick glance around showed the
room to be empty, but his instinct told him that someone was in there. He called, “Daniel?” No response.
He stepped into the office, closing the door behind
him, and became aware of soft snuffling sounds coming from behind a book
case. He moved in farther, and found the
source. Daniel was sitting on the end of
the cot which he kept in his office for those inevitable all nighters.
He was squeezed into the corner formed by the wall and one edge of the
book case, knees pulled up to his chest, forearms crossed over the knees, head
down on the arms, the very picture of despair.
Alarmed, Jack said softly, “Daniel?”
The young man lifted his head to reveal a red face,
and tears running down his cheeks.
Jack moved closer, “My god, Daniel. What is it?”
“Go away, Jack.
Your pet civilian is having a bad day, but you don’t need to get
involved.”
“I won’t go away until you tell me what’s wrong.”
Daniel answered, his breath catching as he tried to
hold back the sobs. “Everything’s
wrong. What are we doing this for? What’s the point of trying to save Earth or the offshoots of the
human race out there in the galaxy? All
we know how to do, is to do horrible
things to each other. Everywhere we go,
people are killing other people – forget the Goa’uld, they have nothing on
us. No matter how long humans have been
separated from Earth, no matter how they develop, it always ends up the
same. Some people hurting others for no good reason. Here on this planet we’re the worst of them
all – look at the newspapers, look what we do to each other! - so we take it
with us wherever we go.”
As Daniel
spoke, Jack felt his heart contract into a small, hard ball. Those people who hurt other people, that was
him. It’s what he’d done for a living
all his adult life. And when he looked
back on all the policies and beliefs he had killed and been willing to die for,
how many of them still seemed important?
Fewer than he was really comfortable with. Now look how he’d hurt Daniel, and he’d
rather die than do that. Jack saw the
misery reflected on his friend’s face, and wished that he could crawl into a
hole. He sank down to squat on his
heels, leaned his elbows on his knees, and covered his mouth with his hands.
Daniel continued, “Fuck, Jack!” He didn’t swear unless he was really upset. “I know, I know, there are all kinds of good people, and don’t give up, and
things will get better, and this,” he
waved a hand at himself, “will pass. I
do know, and it will, but it just seems so pointless
right now.” He looked drained after his
speech, and leaned his head back against the wall, his face a mask of
desolation.
Jack thought, --I’m useless here. There’s nothing I can say or do to help him.--
He said, “I’m probably the last person you want
around right now. I should leave you
alone.”
The other man looked at Jack through tear reddened
eyes. “Yes, I’m so angry at you I
could,…” He shook his head, “And I hate being angry at you. But it doesn’t mean I want you to go.”
Jack looked at him in surprise.
“I don’t want to be alone. If anyone else saw me like this, they’d call
in MacKenzie and declare me unfit, and put me through tests, and everything
would just be worse. Maybe I am unfit. Maybe I can’t take this after all. It’s just getting to be too much!”
Jack moved to sit next to him on the cot, close but
not too close. He sighed, and tried to
put into words what he was thinking.
“Daniel, what you’re saying sounds to me like the rational response of a
good, sane human being.” Now Daniel
looked at him in surprise. “I can say
that now, today. Normally I’d argue with
you just on principle, but right now I think that if I’m anything to go by, then you’re absolutely right about people
being hopeless – you being the exception that proves the rule. I came here to apologize, for what it’s
worth, which probably isn’t much. I
screwed up so royally today, I can’t even believe it, starting with treating
you like shit. You’d think I’d learn to
listen to you, but I’m old and pig headed and too often just plain wrong and can’t see it. I’m sorry, Daniel. I really am.
About everything.”
Daniel was calmer now, and staring at him in
astonishment. His mouth opened to say
something, then closed again. Jack went
on, “As for whether you can cut it, well, I don’t have any doubts about that.
Not only can you, but you have to, because it’s important. And I know you can because you’re the
strongest person I’ve ever met.”
The younger man laughed ironically, “Yeah,
obviously. Tower of strength here. Hell, I’m a marshmallow compared to you!”
“Naw, what you may see as strength is just
something I’ve constructed over the years to hold me up. That’s the military training and just plain
stubbornness. It’s artificial, whereas
yours is natural. You’ve been through
more than any one person should have to, and you just come back stronger all
time.” He reached out and ran his
fingers through Daniel’s sweat soaked hair, and cupped his hand at the nape of
his neck. “You may crack sometimes, but
you don’t break. You’re just having a
little crack right now.”
Daniel laughed a real laugh. “That’s me, cracked.” But he looked better.
Jack let his hand drop, and shifted back farther to
lean against the wall. “So, do you want
to go out tonight and get drunk?”
Daniel, stretching his legs out in front of him, answered, “No. I’m still too angry at you to hang out.”
“I just thought.
I could sure use some forgetfulness in a bottle about now.”
“Not this time.
I’m going to finish my report, go home and sleep. But thanks anyway.”
“OK.” Jack
stood up and walked toward the door. He
stopped in the doorway, turned, and said, “And thanks for today. In the debriefing. I know you were holding back in what you said
to General Hammond. You could have
really laid into me, and I would have deserved it.”
“Yeah, you would have.” No ‘but I forgive you’ qualifier.
Jack sighed, “Goodnight, then.”
“’Night.”
Jack went back to his office, head and heart
heavy. He had more apologizing to do, but that was all he could take
for one day. He sat down to work on his
own report, which ended up being very thorough and candid.
****************************
They were off the next day, and Daniel spent the
time walking in the mountains, getting himself back into shape. The next morning, he stepped out of the
elevator and practically ran into General Hammond, wearing his dress blues, who
was flanked by an obviously agitated Carter and Teal’c. He drawled,
“Hey, what’s up?”
Hammond said briskly, “Dr. Jackson, I’m on my way
to catch a plane.”
Sam blurted out, “They’ve arrested Colonel
O’Neill!”
“Wh...what?”
The General turned to the woman, and said placatingly, “Now you know he isn’t under
arrest. It’s standard operating
procedure in a case like this.” He
turned to Daniel again, “A hearing has been called in Washington to discuss
Colonel O’Neill’s conduct in the matter of Euronda, and determine an
appropriate response.”
Sam cut in again, “They’ve relieved him of duty,
and they’re going to replace him as CO of SG1.”
Daniel’s distress was evident. “They can’t do that!”
“Now, son, nothing has been decided yet, it may not
come to that. But I assure you, they
most certainly can replace him if that’s the judgment.” He looked at each of them in turn. “I’m sure I don’t have to remind you, Major
Carter, or any of you, that this is an Air Force matter; you’ll have to leave
it in the hands of the inquiry board.
I’m on my way to Washington right now, and I will certainly do
everything I can for the Colonel. I’ll
let you know as soon as there’s any news.
Now if you’ll excuse me,…” He
stepped into the elevator that an airman was holding for him, and was gone.
Daniel turned to the other two, “I can’t believe
this! Sam, Teal’c, what happened?”
Teal’c explained, “A detail of security personnel…”
Sam interrupted,
“They sent armed MP’s!”
“…intercepted Colonel O’Neill as he was about to
leave the base yesterday evening, and escorted him directly to an airplane
bound for your nation’s capitol.”
“They put him in handcuffs!” Sam’s disbelief was obvious as she went on,
“They did that to Colonel O’Neill, after all he’s done for this program! For the entire world! Don’t they remember him risking his life just
a few weeks ago to save the planet from the Replicators?”
They were walking along the hall, and entered
Daniel Jackson’s office together.
Daniel asked, “So what can we do?”
Teal’c intoned, “General Hammond made it clear that
this is a matter for the higher officials.
I do not know what intervention we can undertake in this instance.”
Sam continued, “Teal’c’s right. Apparently, the Joint Chiefs are already
involved, and the President himself has sanctioned the hearing. I shouldn’t be talking about this the way I
am, since they’re my superior officers.
It’s just,…” she looked down in
distress, “that it’s Jack.”
Daniel paced back and forth in the small
space. He pulled himself up, and said
with determination, “OK, so Sam you can’t do anything because of military
hierarchy, and Teal’c really can’t do anything because, no offense, but they aren’t likely to be
influenced by an alien warrior, but I
can do something!”
Sam shook
her head and said, “Daniel,…”
He cut her short.
“No, you don’t understand. He
came to see me the other day to apologize, and I was terrible to him. I was so angry I laid this big guilt trip on
him. He wanted company that night, and I
told him no, and let him go away thinking I blamed him for pretty much all the
unhappiness in the universe. He was
feeling horrible about himself, and now this.
What if he lets them do him in, just because he feels guilty? You know
he’s capable of that!”
Sam asked, “But what can you do?”
“I’ll go to the hearing. I know I’m just a civilian, but I’ll make
them listen to me. I won’t let them fire him. At the very least he’ll know he’s not
alone. He’ll know we support him.” Daniel stopped and looked questioningly at
the others. “You do support him, right? I know we were all pretty mad at him before.”
Sam spoke first, “Daniel, how can you ask that? Yes, he did some questionable things on
Euronda, but this is Jack we’re talking about.”
She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. “We just lost him twice in the last few months,
first on Edora, then when he was busting up that NID unit. We almost lost him to the Replicators. I don’t know if I can go through that
again. We’re a team and we need
him.” She finished quietly, “I need him.”
Daniel nodded sadly in agreement, then turned to
Teal’c.
“Colonel O’Neill is the finest warrior I have served
with. More than that, he is my
friend. I am the last person who should
hold someone’s mistakes against them; he is, as he might say, only human. Daniel Jackson, if you can offer him
assistance of any kind, then I will most gladly do whatever I can to aid you.”
Daniel
impulsively reached out and hugged first Sam, then Teal’c, to him. “Thank you.”
They were all a bit misty eyed when Sam asked, “Now
what?”
Daniel had a plan.
“Sam, you have contacts in the Pentagon.
Can you find out when and where the hearing will be held, and hopefully
arrange some kind of pass for me? I want
to be able to get physically near the right room before people start telling me
to go away.”
Sam nodded,
“I think I can do that. I’ll get right
on it.” She moved to the telephone and
started
dialing.
Teal’c asked, “And what may I do, Daniel Jackson.”
The other man looked at him, eyebrows raised and
forehead wrinkled. “Wish me luck?”
The large head nodded once. “Indeed.
Though I do not know if you require luck. Your skill and determination will most likely
turn the tide in the Colonel’s favor.”
“I hope so, Teal’c.
I really hope so.”
--
The hearing convened early the next morning, in a
cold conference room deep in the heart of the Pentagon. The group of 15 people sitting around the
large central table appeared to be a stereotypical military gathering: the great majority middle aged white men,
with one brown skinned man and one pinched faced white woman. They were all wearing dress uniforms; mostly
Air Force, but including also representatives of the Army and Marines. The exception was the one civilian in the
room, the President of the United States’ personal assistant, Ben Weaver. Two rows of chairs lined the wall by the
door, behind one of the narrow ends of the table. Several aids and other interested parties
occupied most of those spaces.
Due to the special nature of the Stargate program,
normal protocols were relaxed. At the
start of the meeting, the dower General Thompson who was chairing the
hearing, read over the facts of the
case, as spelled out in the reports of General Hammond and the SG1 team. Colonel O’Neill was allowed to make a
statement, and then relegated to the role of observer, as his fate was
discussed. He sat in the back row of
chairs, in the corner along the wall from the door, and listened to his life
going down the drain. With the exception
of General Hammond and two other people, the group was obviously in agreement
on assigning O’Neill full culpability in the matter at hand. They were not in agreement, however on what
the appropriate response should be. They
seemed to each have subtle interests to defend, and were using this opportunity
to jostle for strategic advantage, as though it weren’t about O’Neill at all,
but rather some military board game.
The President’s assistant, sitting with his notebook computer open in
front of him, maintained a neutral position, asking probing questions of each
speaker.
As the morning drew on, the debate began to wind
down. The Chairman was about to close
the discussion, when the phone by his hand rang. He listened for a moment, then said, “Send
him in.” As he hung up the phone, he
muttered, “This should be interesting.”
He turned to the assembled group, “Ladies and
gentlemen, it seems we have one additional speaker this morning. This person has quite impressively managed to
talk his way past several checkpoints, and is insistent that we allow him to address the board.”
Just then the door opened, and an armed and
uniformed MP escorted a young man in a baggy civilian suit into the room. Carrying an armload of folders and papers, he
stopped just inside the doorway and looked around in surprise at the sea of
uniforms.
Seeing the young scientist, Jack slid down in his
chair, and held his chin in the palm of his hand, two fingers laid across his
cheek.
General Thompson said, “Dr. Jackson, please come
in.”
Flustered, Daniel replied, “Oh, um,…thank
you.” He moved to the end of the
conference table, and deposited his stack of papers on the surface.
General Thompson continued, “I’m sure you are all
familiar with Dr. Jackson, the top civilian scientist involved in the Stargate
project, and a member of SG1. We heard
excerpts from your report on the mission to Euronda earlier this morning. I understand that you have something to add
to that? I urge you to be brief, Doctor,
as we were about to close this section of the hearing.”
He stood awkwardly at the foot of the table,
feeling the waves of hostility flowing around the room. Whatever had been happening here, it was not
a happy group of people. And where was
Jack?
Having gotten here, he wasn’t sure where to
begin. “Yes, um,…thank you for allowing
me to address you. I realize that you
are all quite busy, and I appreciate the time you’re taking to evaluate this
matter.”
Looking around the table, Daniel spotted General
Hammond with relief. He thought that
he’d seen a couple of the faces passing in the hallway of the Cheyenne Mountain
base and he’d met Ben Weaver on two occasions, but didn’t know any of the
others. He said to himself, --Hey, I’ve
faced tougher crowds than this before.
No way I’m going to let them intimidate me.-- He pulled his shoulders back, and faced the
group with determination.
“I understand that this hearing was called to consider
whether to remove Jack,… Colonel O’Neill, from his position as the leader of
SG1. I think that it’s important for you
to hear from another member of the team, so you can have a perspective that
can’t be found in any mission report.
Basically, I’m going to tell you why you must allow him to continue with
the team.” Several uniformed men
bristled at the word ‘must’. Daniel
backtracked, “I’m going to ask you most wholeheartedly to allow him to
continue.
“I’m quite sure that you’ve been over Ja….Colonel
O’Neill’s service record in detail, so I won’t presume to mention the numerous
times he has been responsible for averting planetary catastrophes, such as the recent threat from the
Replicators. I understand your concern
about the events that took place on the planet Euronda, but I will ask you to
bear in mind the bigger picture of his contributions throughout his career in
the Air Force, and to the Stargate program.”
He touched the top of the pile of papers.
“Jack is the bravest, most trustworthy man I’ve
ever met. I know that the rest of the
team, and indeed most of the personnel at the SGC would agree with me when I
say that…”
One of the men to Daniel’s right interrupted
him. “Dr. Jackson, your show of loyalty
to your commanding officer is most admirable, especially for a civilian,” he said the word as though it might
contaminate his mouth, “but let’s get
right to the point. It was clear from
your report and other testimony that you disagreed with Colonel O’Neill’s
handling of the situation on Euronda. Is
that correct?”
“Yes, but…”
“In fact, you disagreed quite strongly, didn’t
you?”
“Yes,…”
“And you are aware that the relationship between
our government and the people of Euronda, which might have yielded significant
strategic and defensive benefits, has been irrevocably damaged by Colonel
O’Neill’s unauthorized attack on a civilian population. The Colonel himself earlier this morning
accepted full responsibility for the spectacular failure of this mission. How is it that you can stand there and defend
his actions? Don’t you think they
demonstrate a sever impairment of
judgment on his part.”
Daniel shook his head, and replied, hands waving
for emphasis, “I don’t defend his
actions in this instance. I defend
him. Look, he made a mistake on this
mission. Jack isn’t perfect, but over
the course of these last few years, I can assure you that he’s been pretty damn
good. You all know how different things
look when you’re sitting nice and safe in an office, as opposed to when you’re
on the front lines.” Maybe a strategic
error there, as these were the office sitters.
“Things happen fast, and there isn’t always time to work through all the
options or have the benefit of hindsight.
And let me assure you, what we do is about as ‘front line’ as it
gets. We regularly find ourselves in
situations that have no precedent in recorded human history. Considering that, I think Jack’s instincts
have been pretty phenomenal. What
happened the other day just makes it clearer what a good leader he’s been the
rest of the time. You can’t discard
such a valuable resource based on one lapse.”
Someone on the other side of the table broke in,
“But it isn’t just this one time, is it?
I believe you’ve questioned Colonel O’Neill’s decisions on several
occasions in the past, haven’t you, Doctor Jackson?”
Daniel looked a bit embarrassed as he nodded,
“Well, it does happen. We…”
“In fact,”
the man continued, “you’ve been known to not only question his
decisions, but disregard and disobey his orders, have you not?”
“No! I mean
yes, but it’s not…”
Someone else chimed in, “So really, don’t you think
that you would be better at leading the team?
More sensitive to local cultures, less gung ho?”
Daniel was genuinely shocked at the idea. He didn’t realize that they were trying to
play him. “My god, no! It would be a total disaster if I were in
charge!”
He held up his hands to forestall further
probes. “Please let me say this.” He stopped, and gathered his thoughts. “Look, Jack and I do disagree about a lot of
things. We’re very different, in our
interests, our experiences, our whole way of seeing the world. Um, the universe in this case. I get very excited about encountering new, or
old, cultures, finding out why things are the way they are, understanding the
connections between places and ideas, finding what we have in common with the
people we meet.” He spread his hands,
palms up, in the air before him. “I,…I
think that’s a good thing. But Jack, he
sees a whole different side of it. He’s
aware of everything that’s going on around
us, what the dangers are, what the strategic implications are as events
unfold. He knows how to keep us out of
trouble, and how to get us out of trouble if we can’t avoid it. He holds the team together and keeps us
going. Believe me, that’s a very good
thing, too.
“The thing is, it’s like we complement each
other. It’s like I have a perspective
that takes in a certain range of the situation.
Jack insists, and forces me to become aware of other factors. He expands
my perception. And Jack has a
perspective that takes in a certain range, and I insist that he take into account other factors. I expand his
perception. It’s just that our insisting
can sometimes get, well, a little loud. It’s
not always the most graceful process.
But either one of us without the other would be more limited. We wouldn’t be able to make as good decisions
about what to do in these extreme and bizarre situations. If I were in charge, I’m afraid I would get myself
and the rest of the team killed within a week.
I need Jack to see things that I don’t.”
Someone else joined in, “So you and Colonel O’Neill
make decisions in the field together?”
The archeologist’s handsome face pulled into a scowl. “Maybe I’m not explaining myself well. We each have a function on the team, and mine
is to use my knowledge to give Jack the best information possible about a
situation, and take the lead in first contacts.
He’s always made it quite clear that he’s in charge, though, and has the
final word. I feel very honored, actually, that he listens to me as
much as he does, respects my opinion.”
He smiled ruefully, “I know for a
fact that not everyone in his position would.”
“He didn’t listen to you on that last mission, did
he.”
“Not at first, no, but eventually he did. But that’s not the point. He doesn’t need to listen to me all the
time. I’m wrong sometimes, myself. I’m just human, and very fallible. Jack’s human too, and that is the point. Would you want to be hauled before a board of
inquiry every time you had an off day?”
“Doctor Jackson, as a representative of the United
States government, of the whole world in fact, to alien populations, having an
off day is not an option. There’s too much at stake.”
Daniel’s forehead drew inward in consternation,
“How can anyone meet that standard? How
can you do better than having a capable, intelligent, strong, caring man to
represent this world?”
The chairman regained the attention of the
group. “All right, Doctor Jackson, I
think we understand the point you’re trying to make, and we really must bring
these proceedings to a close. Would you
please conclude your presentation now?”
“Yes, sir.
Thank you, sir. I could go to the
next higher level, and talk about how the Goa’uld are afraid of Jack, and how
our strongest allies, like the Asgard, admire Jack, but for me what this comes
down to is something very personal. When
I go through that Stargate, I need Jack O’Neill to be going through next to
me. Because I know he’ll bring me back alive. That’s the bottom line. Please let him stay on SG1.”
As he finished, General Hammond gave him a gentle
smile, and an approving nod.
Thompson
said briskly, “Thank you Dr. Jackson, most illuminating. Now, before we conclude the discussion and
move on to deliberation of our findings, do you, Colonel O’Neill, have a final
statement?”
As Jack rose to his feet, Daniel spun around in
surprise. “Oh hi, Jack. I didn’t see you there.”
As he stepped up to the table, he touched Daniel’s
arm and smiled at him briefly. “No, I
know you didn’t.” As Daniel took a
couple of steps back, Jack winked at him and faced the board.
Holding his hat in front of him, Jack looked at the
faces around the table. He lowered his
eyes, and began to speak. “I’m humbled
to hear my colleague’s passionate defense of me. It reminds me of what’s
at stake, not just for me but for the team.”
He took a deep breath, and continued,
“A lot has been said here today, a lot that I can’t really argue with. I messed up on that last mission, badly, I
admit that. All I can say is that I’ve
learned a lot from this whole thing, and can assure you that I’ll be more
careful in the future. I just ask you to
give me another chance. I ask you to
allow me to continue to serve my country to the best of my ability, as part of
SG1.” He bowed his head briefly. “Mr. Chairman, I don’t have anything else to
say.”
“All right, thank you. Dr. Jackson, you are dismissed. Colonel O’Neill, please wait outside while we
draw our conclusions.”
The two men walked to the door, which was opened by
an armed guard who then followed the pair as they stepped outside. “Please wait here, Colonel.” He indicated some standard government issue
chairs lining the institutional yellow/grey hallway.
“Righty-ho.”
Daniel turned to his friend, his face showing his
concern, and asked, “Jack, are you all right?”
“Peachy.”
They moved slowly across the hall.
“So, Danny, thanks for coming down to this shindig. That was a real surprise to see you walk in,
and I must say I was a little afraid they’d eat you for lunch. But you did good. Not that it’ll change anything, but thanks
for trying.” He set down in one of the
square chairs. Daniel sat down too,
leaving one empty seat between them.
Jack placed his hat on it.
“What do you
mean, it won’t change anything.
Do you think they’ve decided for sure to fire you?”
Jack grimaced, and looked at the ceiling. “Well, kid, I’m afraid they moved past the
topic of whether to reassign me in the first half hour, and then worked
methodically through the options of enforced retirement and dishonorable discharge, and right on to criminal
prosecution, military court style. They
seem to be leaning in the direction of putting me away for a long, long time.”
Daniel’s mouth dropped open. After a moment he said, “Don’t joke with me
like that, you’re scaring me.”
“Not a joke, not a joke. Seems I’ve rubbed some people the wrong way
over the years, can you imagine? Seems
I’ve also got caught in some kind of power struggle between different
factions,…I honestly couldn’t follow who wants what or why – politicians,…but there are definitely
vested interests in seeing me knocked down.
Some bad luck there, wrong place at the wrong time.”
Daniel was adamant.
“They can’t do that. There’s no
way they could send you to jail, not after all you’ve given, all you’ve been
through. You’re a hero!”
Jack snorted, “Ya think? Look, when this is over, I may not see you
again, so…”
“No! That is
not going to happen. I won’t let
it. We won’t. Someone tries to lock you up, we’ll find out
where and come and get you out, one way or another. Hey, do you think a few bars and concrete are
gonna stop us?”
Jack looked amused.
“I know you mean it, and ain’t that nice. But for one, I gotta tell you, high security
military lock-ups are a hell of a lot harder to escape from than one of
Apophis’ holding cells. More to the point,
I wouldn’t want you to. I wouldn’t go
with you even if you managed it.”
“What? Jack,
you can’t give up and let them screw you over.
Look, I know I gave you a hard time the other day, but I really meant
what I said in there. We need you. You have to fight this thing!”
“Oh, I will.
Through channels.” He caught
Daniel’s eyes, and made sure the excited young man saw that he was
serious. “You have to understand. I’ve been in the Air Force since I was twenty
years old. That’s a hellofa long time,
more than half my life, and it’s more a part of me than maybe you realize. True, what I saw in there this morning wasn’t
exactly an example of upholding the highest moral and ethical values, but this
is how the system works, and I’ve known that all along. I’ve gotten away with bucking the rules and
pissing people off for a long time, my luck’s just run out. Whatever disciplinary action they decide on,
I’ll accept. Maybe not quietly,” he
grinned, “gotta keep ‘em on their toes, but I have to accept it or else my
whole life will have meant nothing. Do
you understand that?”
“No,” he shook his head, “I don’t understand
that. They’re wrong, and I would never
accept an outcome like that and neither should you.”
Jack began, “Daniel,…”
“But I do understand what you’re asking of me. You’re asking me not to interfere. I.…I can’t promise anything, but I do hear
you. This isn’t over yet.”
Jack reached over and squeezed Daniel’s arm. “Good boy.”
He bent over, rested his elbows on his knees, and began to absently
study to polished floor. Daniel mimicked
the posture, and they sat there quietly for several minutes.
Jack glanced sideways at the other man. “So, about the other day. Are you feeling any better?”
“Yeah.
There’s still an awful lot of stuff that doesn’t make any sense, and that’s
just the way it is. I can deal with
it. I may not be all that strong, but I
am at least as stubborn as you.” He treated Jack to a smile. “And besides, there’s nothing like a major
crisis such as having your best friend taken away in chains to help you focus
on what’s important.”
“Danny, you say the nicest things. And hey, you just keep on being
stubborn. Stubborn is good. You do it well.” They both turned back to their contemplation
of the floor, and the silence lengthened.
Abruptly, they spoke together, “Daniel, I,…” “Jack, I,…”
“You first,” Daniel flashed a quick smile, “age
before beauty.”
“Well, I just wanted to tell you how much it meant
to me to have you speak for me like that.”
Daniel tried to interrupt, but Jack held up a hand. “No, I really want to tell you. Not only am I glad you forgive me for fucking
up on Euronda, which I assume from what you said that you do, but you really
taught me something in there. I’d been
listening to the shifting currents of the different factions, each one
scheming, and,… angling for position. I
wondered what approach to take in my final statement that might influence the
outcome by supporting one or another. I
got pulled into their game. But while
you were talking, I realized how fake and crass their game was, and I asked
myself, if this is my last sort of public appearance, how do I want to go
out? Not what strategic advantage can I
obtain, but who do I want to be, for myself.
I looked at them, and I looked at you, and I realized that you are the model for me on how to be a
better man. I thought, ‘I want to be an
honest, real person and speak from the heart like he does. No angle, just what I feel.’ So that’s what I did. Again, won’t make any difference, but I feel
better about myself. Going out on my own
terms. Thank you for that.”
Daniel looked like he was going to cry. Jack went on,
“So if I don’t get a chance, will you tell Carter and Teal’c,…tell
them,…oh, hell. That it was an honor serving with them doesn’t quite cover
it. You know what I mean.”
“Jack, I still believe it won’t come to that. Please don’t give up.”
“Oh, haven’t given up. Who me, mister positive? But just in case, I, um, I wanted you to
know.”
“I know.” Daniel whispered.
“So what were you going to say?”
“Oh, I was just going to ask if you were
hungry. I could go try an’ find
something to eat.”
“That’s my Daniel, thinks with his stomach. No, thanks, but you go ahead. You don’t have to wait here, anyway. It could be a while.”
“I’ll wait. I’m
not really hungry either, just wanted to do
something.”
“You’ve done loads.” Jack’s dark eyes caught and held the other
man’s blue ones. There was something
there, between them, that wasn’t being spoken.
And it wasn’t spoken. After a
moment, they both returned to studying the floor.
An hour passed as they sat together in the grey
sunlight filtering through the clouds and high set windows. The guard standing at the door never moved,
except to allow inside some service staff with trays of sandwiches and
coffee. Jack commented at that,
“Excellent. People are less pissy on a
full stomach.” Other than that, little
was said between them. Jack drummed his
fingers on the arm of the chair, and occasionally stood up to wander across the
hall and back before sitting down again.
Daniel sat splayed out in his chair, long legs stretched out in front,
hands locked together under his chin.
Abruptly, the door opened and an assistant stepped
out. “Colonel O’Neill, would you come
in, please.”
The two men looked at each other, and stood
up. They approached the door, and Jack
passed through. When Daniel tried to
follow, the guard angled his rifle across the doorway blocking the entrance. Daniel said politely, “Excuse me, but I need to go in there.” The guard didn’t move.
Jack turned back, and told the man, “Hey, he’s with
me.” The MP still didn’t move. Jack bristled, “I said,…”
From within the room, General Thompson was heard to
call out, “Colonel, is there a problem?”
Daniel saw Jack choke back the smart remark straining to fly from his
mouth. When he had control, he turned
and said, “This guard won’t let Dr. Jackson in, sir. I’d like him to come along, if you don’t
mind.”
“That’s up to you, Colonel.” He called, “Sergeant, let him pass.”
The firearm was retracted, and Daniel stepped
through and followed the other man to
stand before the board.
**********************
Daniel read the room quickly, and didn’t like what
he saw. Most of the people there weren’t
looking at Jack, and those who were had a gleam of victory in their eyes. General Hammond’s face was set in an angry
mask, and he was studying the glass of water in front of him as though he could
make it spontaneously combust with the force of his will. None of this was a good sign, and Daniel
felt his stomach contract in fear. He looked at Jack’s ramrod straight back,
head held high, and said a silent prayer in his friend’s favor.
General Thompson cleared his throat and began,
“Colonel Jonathon O’Neill, this board has given thorough consideration to your
recent conduct, and has reached it’s conclusion. Colonel,…”
Just then Ben Weaver interrupted the General,
“Excuse me, sir. If you could give me
just a minute before proceeding.” He was
typing away at the keyboard in front of him, and once reached up to tap his ear
several times.
General Thompson looked confused. “Mr. Weaver, if you don’t mind, this hearing
has already gone on much longer than intended.
I’m sure we would all prefer to conclude…”
He was interrupted abruptly once again, “One
minute, please.”
The military personnel exchanged puzzled or annoyed
glances, and Jack looked back at Daniel with raised eyebrows. Daniel took the opportunity to step closer to
his friend. After all this time, it was
instinctive to stick close to Jack in a threatening situation, and this sure
felt like it qualified.
After a moment, Weaver gave one final tap to his
keyboard, and nodded in satisfaction.
He looked up and addressed the
group. “Ladies and gentlemen, I
apologize for the delay, but as you’ll see in a moment, it was well
justified. I should inform you that my
terminal has been connected to the White House via secure satellite link all
morning. This camera,” he pointed out a
small black box on the table beside him, “has been broadcasting the proceedings
to the Oval Office, and the President has been listening in as his other duties
allow. After monitoring the
presentations, I’ve just received word,” and he pointed to his ear, “that he would like to speak to the
hearing.” Weaver turned his notebook
computer around so that the screen faced the room. After a few seconds, the monitor flashed
black, and then the image of the President’s face appeared.
The familiar voice emanated from the computer’s
speakers, “General Thompson, can you hear me?”
The picture jumped and fractured occasionally, but the figure was
undoubtedly that of the nation’s highest authority and the military’s commander
in chief.
“Yes, sir, Mr. President. And may I say how glad I am that you
could…join us…today.” The General’s
closed and controlled face indicated no pleasure.
“Now, Bill, I hope you and the other members of the
enquiry board will excuse my intrusion into your proceedings, but I’m sure you
all know of my personal interest in the Stargate project and my long-held
respect for Colonel O’Neill. I’ve been
listening in today purely out of curiosity, I just had to know how it was all going to come out. I had no intention at all of becoming
personally involved in this. Well,
obviously I’ve changed my mind about that.”
The
uniformed officers around the table shifted uncomfortably, but refrained from
saying anything.
The President continued, “I haven’t heard the full
discussion today, as other little matters of state keep distracting me
away.” He smiled, but the flickering
image did nothing to warm the room.
“I’ve heard some things that have disturbed me; to start with I’m highly
disappointed with the failure of the mission to Euronda. I’ve come to expect much more from Colonel
O’Neill, who despite his difficulties within the command structure has always
been an exemplary officer. This latest
incident has shaken my confidence, I must admit.
“However, I’ve also been quite concerned with other
aspects of the mornings hearing. There’s
been a certain,…I don’t want to say viciousness,… but something like that. Ruthlessness, perhaps. I found myself wondering what I was missing,
where all this was coming from. Yes, the
events of earlier this week on Euronda must be addressed, but the response of
various members of this hearing has surely been out of proportion.
“I must say, it was the testimony of Dr. Jackson
that swayed me in the end. I just got
the impression that there were two different realities at work here, and I feel
that I would be remiss in my duties if I did not put the welfare of this nation
before political differences. Dr.
Jackson reminded us of the immediacy of the situation faced by the off world SG
teams, and of the importance of basic loyalty and integrity to the survival of
off world personnel, and of the very Earth itself.”
Daniel took another step towards Jack, and let his
fingers close around the other man’s arm.
Thompson spoke stiffly, “Are you saying, Mr.
President, that you disagree with the enquiry board’s findings?”
“Yes, General, I guess I am. After giving this careful thought, I decided
that it is appropriate for me to take advantage of the fact that I can give
orders that have to be obeyed. You know
I don’t often interfere in internal Air Force matters, but this is a special
case. I won’t keep you in suspense; this
is what I’ve decided. An official
reprimand will be entered into Colonel O’Neill’s record, and he will be placed
on six months probation. Any further
incidents of this nature will result in an immediate re-evaluation of his
status and possible further disciplinary action. He will, however, continue in his current
capacity as leader of SG1, and second in command of the SGC under General
Hammond.”
Daniel’s hand squeezed Jack’s arm almost
painfully. O’Neill closed his eyes
briefly, but let no other emotion show on his face.
As backs stiffened throughout the room, the
President continued, “There’s one more thing I want to say to you. The tone of the discussion I heard here today
continues to concern me. While I
appreciate the dedication of each and every one of you in your service to our
armed forces, I urge you to re-evaluate your priorities, to put the welfare of
the SGC before your own personal interests.
The very future of our world depends on it. Now, is that clear?”
After a low murmur (grumble) of assent sounded
around the room, General Thompson confirmed, “Of course, Mr. President, we will
be most glad to follow your directives in this matter.”
The President then excused himself, and the
satellite link was broken. The Chairman
spoke one last time. “Colonel O’Neill,
you have heard the outcome of today’s hearing.
You’ve had a very close call here, soldier, and I will warn you that
your actions will be observed with the
utmost scrutiny. Step out of line, and
you’ll find yourself back here before us faster than you can say court martial,
and I seriously doubt that you’ll be quite as lucky the next time. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You are dismissed.”
As the hearing broke up, the tension in the room
was palpable. The participants formed
smaller groups to discuss the turn of events in low voices, often throwing hostile looks at O’Neill. Only General Hammond moved toward Jack
directly.
Hammond reached out and shook Jack’s hand, trying
to keep a grin off his face.
“Congratulations, son. I’m glad
you’ll be with us a while longer.”
Jack responded, “Thank you, sir. I just wanted to tell you that I really am
sorry to have let you down, and I won’t let it happen again.”
“See that you don’t.” The General was still smiling. He then glanced meaningfully around the room
and said, “I have some loose ends to tie up here, so I’ll see you two men back
at the base. Oh, and Dr. Jackson. Well done.
I’m glad you disobeyed my orders and went ahead and interfered.”
Daniel flinched, rather than nodded. The two left the room, and worked their way
out of the maze that is the Pentagon.
As they stepped into the chilly afternoon air, Jack
stopped his friend. “So, looks like you
saved my life again. Just for that, I’m
going to subject you to a night out on the town, on me.”
“Really?
That sounds great. The in-flight
magazine I read on my way here had an article about a new restaurant in
Georgetown that specializes in authentic Egyptian cuisine.”
“Sweet. Just
this once, Danny-boy, whatever you say, goes.
Just don’t get used to it. As
soon as we get back to work, I’m sure I’ll be just as ornery and impossible as
ever.”
“I wouldn’t have you any other way, Jack. Not any other way.”
THE END
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