Ending the Rules

By BadgerGater

Category: Drama, sequel, Jack’s POV

Sequel: Rules of Engagement

Season: Three

Pairing: None

Spoilers: Rules of Engagement

Warnings: Kleenex may be needed

Summary: Jack's thoughts after Rules of Engagement

Disclaimer: I don’t own SG-1; this fic written for entertainment purposes only; no copyright infringement intended. No monetary gain.

Author's Note-- A short little sequel

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I did something good today, Charlie, I saved some lives.

Most of those boys weren't much older than you'd be today, son. They'd been taken away from their homes by Apophis, dumped on that planet to train as warriors, and then abandoned, left with only their God's command to be ready to fight. I suppose they'd have kept it up forever, if we hadn't happened on them.

They weren't easy to convince. They didn't want to give up on their God, didn't want to believe that they'd wasted months or years, made all those sacrifices for nothing.

It's hard to give up on something you've believed in so long, something you've worked so hard on for so long, I know.

But they did, once we figured out a way to convince them that they'd been taken in, brainwashed, used.

Damn Goa'uld. That's what they do.

Good kids, they were good kids.

Like Kyle. Kyle, I don't know, I think something about him reminded me of you. He didn’t look at all like you, wrong color hair and eyes, and older. But his spirit, maybe, his dedication to what he saw as his duty. I looked at him and I saw you, the soldier you would have been. You told me once that was what you wanted to be, a military man, like your dad.

I'd be proud if you'd have turned out like him.

He's a good man. He was dedicated, loyal, determined, but most of all, he cared about his men. That's important, the most important thing a leader can do for his people or his team, is take care of them. He took care of his men, and when he saw the light, saw that their whole existence was a sham and a lie, he climbed out of that infirmary bed and went back to that planet and helped us convince his men to listen to us.

He’s a good soldier.

I hope he has something to go home to, I hope we can find his home world and the home planets of all those other young men. It's hard to say. That snakehead took them from their homes, there's no guarantee some other Goa’uld won't come back, and we’re just not in a position to defend them all.

But Kyle and the others, they know now, know the truth about the snakes, or rather, the truth about the lies and deceptions those SOBs use to enslave people.

I hope they all had someone to go home to, people who will care about them, listen to them, hear their words, learn from their mistakes, use those lessons to protect their people. That way, something good can come out of all of this.

I think they will. They were good soldiers, Kyle especially.

Like you would have been, Charlie.

I saved a lot of lives today.

It's the one thing I can do to try to make up for what I couldn't do for you, son.

A long time ago, I told Daniel that I could never forgive myself for what happened to you, but sometimes I could forget.

I lied.

I never *really* forget… sometimes I just don’t let myself think about it, but the memory is always there, lurking in the back of my head. And today, today I saw *your* face on every one of those young, excited faces... going home. Their families are getting a miracle, their lost sons coming home to them.

Miracles are far too few and far between, son.

I missed you today, Charlie.

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FINIS