Operation: Tease the Reaper - Redux

A/N: Many a moon ago, I wrote a whatif!fic on the premise of John Sheppard going back for Elizabeth Weir on Asuras. That was many a moon ago, and my skills have improved markedly. I look back on what I had written and feel that I do a disservice by not improving it, streamlining it, making it worthy of your readership. I'll be reworking it over the next few weeks, new chapters whenever the editing process is complete.

This is the Redux Version of Operation: Tease the Reaper. I hope you enjoy.

The tablet in Sam's hands held the fate of hundreds of men and women, most of them her colleagues. It also held the fate of four Atlantis Jumpers, and two of Earth's battle carriers. The new glass lined office in the Atlantis Control room Sam had been given seemed so much smaller now, but all the more important. Decisions were made here that affected the galaxy, not just this one place. When she'd accepted command of Atlantis, her first ever base command, she never thought she'd run into this kind of situation within her first month. "What's your plan?"

John Sheppard stood across from Sam, his face tired looking and pale. Sam knew that he'd been burning through the plentiful neurons in his brain, racking it over and over for a plan that she'd accept. The IOA had been clear – she had authority to approve or deny any requests on this subject. Sam didn't know what to make of the information on the tablet and wanted it from the horse's mouth.

John bowed his head and sat down in front of Sam's desk. "It's been a month, and the Asurans have been poundin' the Wraith hard. Asuras itself wouldn't be that well defended."

"Apart from all the drone launchers and god knows what else." Sam commented dryly.

John winced and nodded. "Yes... but I think I've worked around that. Apollo and Daedalus would be a distraction, Make it look like we're going to nuke 'em again. We jump in; drop the cloaked jumpers and land - Apollo and Daedalus back off, make it look like a retreat." John shifted up in his seat, using his hands to emphasize his words. "Once we hit the ground, we search. I read up on everything I could and I found something that'll let us do that. Check page three." John pointed to the Tablet.

Sam quietly did as she was told and raised her eyebrows at the bracelet that was pictured on that page. "A Sodan cloaking device?" Sam gulped softly recalling the last time the SGC had tried to use them. "John, they give off radiation that'll kill you. If we shut it off then we risk infestation by the trans-dimensional parasites."

John nodded again, almost pedantically like Rodney would frequently. "Yes yes… I talked to Keller. She says we can take two hours of that radiation without any permanent damage. No parasites." He took a breath to calm himself. "We land, we search for an hour twenty and head back, more than enough buffer. They'll never even know we were there. We can even drop a nuke from the Jumper if it'll make the IOA happy."

"And Daedalus and Apollo would jump back to pick you up?"

John nodded and Sam bit her lip in contemplation. It was heart wrenching to see John so close to falling apart like this. He'd been frosty despite his worry, Sam knew that if she said no that he'd endure and move on – continue to be the strong soldier she knew he was.

The plan John had come up with was dangerous, downright suicidal even. But it had an outside chance, and in the end, that's what Sam had promised him. "I'll have to discuss this with the IOA. I can't promise anything, John."

John blew a soft sight of relief. "Thank you…Colonel."

Sam got up and looked at the area around her office, no one was around. She moved around the desk and put her hand on his shoulder, Sam could feel the tension in John even with just a simple touch. He was ecstatic and looked like an adrenaline rush personified. "Don't get ahead of yourself, John. There's enough red tape to need a chainsaw to get through. I need to know beforehand that no matter what, you'll agree to the IOA's conclusion, and that we'll support each other regardless of their decision."

John gathered himself up. Sam could see the determination in John's eyes, she'd been right in her assessment and by going to bat for him, John was giving her his loyalty. "You've got it Sam, No matter what."

John breathed calmly as he looked over the conference room around him. The Lantean table worked well to give him the center of attention as he stood in front of the panel with his plan on it. The Lanteans were nothing if not efficient.

Everyone involved was here – Caldwell, Ellis, Sam, and even Woolsey who'd come to represent the IOA. These were the people he had to convince. "I'm going to go over the plan once more in detail, and answer any questions, concerns, or recommendations you may have. Any questions before we start?"

Colonel Ellis made a motion with his hand, and glanced at Woolsey before he spoke. "Yes, Colonel Sheppard. "Before we start, I want to know your real thoughts on this hypothetical mission. What chances does it really have of succeeding?"

John stood his ground and told the truth – anything less would kill the chance. "Exactly what my original report said – a hair above slim."

Ellis stared at John for a moment, seemingly looking for weakness. John stared back - completely confident in his answer. Ellis receded into his chair and nodded. "Go ahead. Colonel."

John mentally breathed a sigh of relief. Ellis would at least listen. That just left Woolsey and Caldwell to sell on the plan. "Thank you, as we all know, Asuras is heavily defended from the ground, but they don't have the ability to detect cloaked Jumpers…"

"…So in closing, the plan is two hours maximum on the ground. If we can't find Doctor Weir by then we'll retreat and set our nuclear charges."

The faces in the room looked grim, it was a well thought out plan but now, John was finished. He'd done everything he could to convince these men and woman that this was the right thing to do. Woolsey nodded to John and said. "Thank you, Colonel. We'll begin deliberations after lunch and hopefully come to an answer soon. Dismissed."

John gave Sam a quick look – she nodded in reply. He had at least one ally in the room and now it was up to them; the fate of this mission, the last possible chance he had to rescue Doctor Elizabeth Weir from the Asurans lay in the hands of three USAF Colonels and a bald politician. John closed his eyes as he left the conference room and prayed.

Sam sat down at the end of the conference room table preferring to let Mr. Woolsey and the other two Colonels sit at the head of the table. Lunch had been quiet and she'd avoided talking to anyone. John's argument and plan were sound, even if bordering on suicidal.

Woolsey pulled out a recording device and flicked it on as he placed it on the table. He placed his portfolio in front of him and nodded to the others."This recording is being made on March the 23rd at 11:35 AM Atlantis Standard Time; this is Richard Woolsey, representing the International Oversight Agency for these proceedings." He looked to the others around him and nodded. "With me are Colonel Samantha Carter, current commander of Atlantis, Colonel Steven Caldwell, Commander of the Daedalus Battle Carrier, and Colonel Abraham Ellis, Commander of the Apollo Battle Carrier.

Woolsey opened up his portfolio and arranged his papers. Sam almost grimaced at how professional he was being about this sordid affair. "These proceedings are to begin discussion and review on the potential risk and rewards of the mission plan brought forward by Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, Military Commander of Atlantis. These proceedings are deemed top secret and are being recording for review by the council members of the International Oversight Committee.

Woolsey then placed his hands together and shifted focus to the others one by one. Sam could tell he'd had plenty of practice at leading a meeting. "I'll begin with my opinion on the matter at hand. I'm not fully convinced that this mission has a good enough chance to succeed with acceptable losses."

Sam watched carefully as Colonel Ellis nodded in agreement. "This is Colonel Ellis, and I find myself agreeing with Mr. Woolsey. This mission is stepping into the lion's mouth and poking it with a cattle prod."

Colonel Caldwell sitting beside him spoke up as well. "I'm not as sure as the both of you, but I'm leaning towards a negative too. There simply isn't enough reward to mitigate the risk we'd be taking."

Woolsey nodded and spoke into the recorder again; Sam noted how he didn't ask her opinion. "As far as tangible resources being requisitioned for this mission, we have two BC-304 Daedalus Class battle carriers, Thirty-two F-302 Star fighters, Four Lantean Jumpers, along with all weaponry and crew associated with said vessels. Besides this, the full complement of nuclear devices of aforementioned vessels has been requisitioned as well." Woolsey turned to the next page of his portfolio, even more numbers that Sam didn't want to look at.

"The total cost of materials and men has been calculated out to be five hundred and seventy-three billion Dollars in standard American Currency, The military strength of five different nations would be allocated should this mission go ahead."

Sam finally leaned forward and got their attention by clearing her throat. She stared at each one in the face, making damned sure they didn't forget she was there. "This is Colonel Samantha Carter, and I disagree with your judgment of the situation. I believe the more important issue at hand here is not just the rescue of Doctor Weir or a strike on an enemy position, but rather public opinion." Sam left it at that, merely deciding to pique the others' interest.

All three men gave her confused looks, but Woolsey was the only one to reply. "I… believe you'll have to elaborate further on that, Colonel Carter. The IOA has made very clear that Earth will not be informed of the Stargate Program for at least another decade on the outside."

Sam took a deep breath, pushed aside the dark memories that came to her and said. "Several years ago, a documentary was made by Emmett Bregmen regarding the potential disclosure of the Stargate program to the general public. The idea was to give a human face to such a classified and potentially dangerous operation." Sam leaned forward again, setting her elbows on the table and making light fists with her hands. "It's going to happen one day whether it's our choice or not – The Stargate Program will be disclosed and everything we do will be scrutinized by the average person.

She paused, both to catch her breath and for dramatic effect. "When that day comes, I don't want anyone to look at the Atlantis Expedition and question why we didn't try and save our people when we had the chance. 'Leave no man Behind', it's the creed that our armed forces and I myself live by, and I think if we have a chance to rescue Doctor Weir, we should take it." She then looked at Woolsey and dropped the bomb she knew would crack his defenses. "Besides, the Asurans have advanced technology – If we infiltrate teams onto their planet, who knows what we might be able to bring back."

Woolsey raised an eyebrow in contemplation. He took his glasses off and polished them with a napkin he produced from his shirt pocket before saying. "I think… there's a lot more we need to discuss before we make any decision."

Teyla sat next to John on the stairs of the control room giving him her full support with a hand on his shoulder. With the move, she silently said more than words could for her friend. Rodney was pacing on the floor in front of them, anxious to get the decision of those above in the conference room. Ronon stood to the side, his fists clenched and quickly losing what little patience he had.

Teyla winced as she saw Rodney on his fourth cup of coffee; the normally jittery scientist was completely strung up now. He babbled in a series of semi coherent and disjointed ramblings. "This is bad… why would they take so long? God this is Toronto '92 all over again, damn politics, it's probably too late, they're probably ganging up on Sam for helping us…"

John stayed silent, but Teyla could feel the tension was starting to get to him. Rodney's incoherent mutterings was starting to grate on her sanity as well. Normally John would have told Rodney to be quiet, but Teyla knew John was in no condition to even attempt it. All he wanted was an answer, as she and the others did.

The idea of what might happen if they indeed rescued Elizabeth finally resonated with her. Elizabeth was part replicator now, and the IOA would want her back on Earth or – worse even – 'disabled'. Teyla could see that John realized this too – that Elizabeth would never be 'normal' again. At the least, they certainly wouldn't let her stay on Atlantis, let alone lead the expedition with Colonel Carter in charge. So Teyla did what she could, and simply waited like the rest of them.

John was glad they'd chosen Sam as the new base commander; he'd heard plenty about her, what with her being one of the original members of the SGC. John had met her during SG-1's trip to Atlantis the year prior, and he appreciated her intellect and military knowledge. Since that time, he'd come to respect her and realize that while the stories were perhaps a little embellished, she deserved every bit of respect they said.

Ronon had quietly told John that no matter what, they could always steal a Jumper. While John had appreciated the thought, and even contemplated it, he couldn't betray Sam like that. Not after she'd gone to bat for him. That was more than anyone else had ever done except…

John sighed. Was that what this came down to? A question of who he was more loyal to? If the committee didn't agree to his plan, his promise to Sam would be the bond he'd have to latch onto – forced to forget about the woman who'd pulled him out of the coldest place on Earth and gave him a home three million light years away.

"Oh my god… you know, DiVinci's Inquest was nothing like this you know? I guess I shouldn't be surprised because they only have an hour to show it on TV but the wait really is the hardest part…" Rodney's gibbering was just barely audible to John. He wanted to beat him quiet with a wiffle bat just so it'd last longer and distract him.

Ronon grunted as he leaned against the wall by the stairs below the control room. "Just wait till we're there, then you can guess what the hardest part is."

Teyla had finally had enough of Rodney's anxiety; John listened as she kept her voice quiet and shot an irritated glance at Rodney. "Calm yourself Rodney. You will only aggravate things further."

Rodney held his hand up as if to argue, but seeing John's silent wrath boiling dropped it and remained quiet. Ronon was getting jumpy as well and muttered "I can't believe it's taken this long already. What's wrong with you people? We should have gone once Atlantis was safe."

John finally spoke, his throat dry. "It's not that easy, Ronon… my planet isn't exactly all that eager to send people to a war they don't see." He understood that Elizabeth was considered an acceptable casualty, another name to go down in history as a fallen hero. John wasn't ready to accept that, but he understood it.

Ronon growled, John could tell he was angry at the sheer apathy Earth could have. Before he could do anything though, Major Lorne appeared at the top of the stairs. "Colonel Sheppard?"

John looked over his shoulder, sensing the worst. "Major! What is it?"

Lorne bit his lower lip and said. "They're ready for you."

"Colonel Sheppard, before we render our decision, I'd like to hear from you one last time." John nodded softly as he stood before Woolsey and the three others. They wore blank faces, obviously hiding their intentions or thoughts. John looked at Woolsey who continued. "Are you prepared to accept any and all conclusions this committee has come to?"

"Yes, Sir." John looked over at Sam and nodded. She nodded back softly, both confirming the promises they'd made.

Woolsey drummed his finger on the table and said. "Do you have any reservations that you have not told us?"

"No, Sir."

"Are you willing to accept the consequences of undertaking such a mission?"

John felt a little better; they were asking the right questions. "Yes, sir."

Woolsey nodded softly and blew a sigh. He looked to the others around him, and John saw each give a slight nod. He couldn't tell what it meant. "Very well, Colonel Sheppard. As head of this committee, it is my duty to inform you, that in measuring the cost of proposed mission, and the risk vs. reward ratio, as well as possible future ramifications, that in a unanimous vote of all 4 members…" He paused – John could have leaped forward and strangled him to death for the answer. "… This committee has approved your mission." Woolsey held his hand up to John who tensed at the words. "But…" John knew it. There were always conditions. "…with the added secondary objective of securing as much Asuran technology as is safe and reasonable to obtain, with the priority target of Zero Point Modules."

John felt his limbs tingle and his heartbeat accelerate. He struggled to retain enough control that he wouldn't disqualify himself for the mission through sheer stupidity. If it meant he had the chance to find and rescue Elizabeth, he'd steal a thousand ZPM's and never look back. Looking at Sam again, she gave him a soft smile that told him just how hard she'd fought. John knew he loved Sam Carter at that very moment. "Yes, Sir… Thank you sir…"

Woolsey straightened the papers in front of him and continued. "Furthermore, while the Daedalus and Apollo will be manned by their regular crews, we have agreed with your proposal that the actual infiltration teams consist of only volunteer crew."

John's heart continued racing, he knew there would be plenty of volunteers. "Yes, sir. I'll put up a notice as soon as possible."

Woolsey finally closed his portfolio and smiled softly himself. "I'm sure you will. The mission will launch tomorrow morning. You have until then to prepare your teams and equipment. Dismissed."

John saluted the committee and made an about face. Now he had to meet up with his team to give them the good news.

"So John, you got your mission."

John stood on the Gate Room Balcony, watching the Atlantean sun set. It had a strange sort of finality to it though. John kept his voice low so as not to attract attention as Sam walked up and sidled next to him on the railing. "Yeah, I was so sure they'd say no."

Sam cracked her knuckles and smiled at John. John smiled back seeing her smug attitude. "Yeah, you owe me big time; it was hell dealing with Woolsey."

John chuckled and nodded as he looked down on the city. The lights were starting to flicker to life as the city automatically detected the darkness and illuminated the piers. This place truly was beautiful and he was already wondering if this was going to be his last night on it. "I appreciate that – Don't think I don't." He rubbed the back of his neck, stiff from lack of sleep. There were still fourteen hours till launch and he had enough time to recover.

Sam turned to him and gave him a strong stare that caught John off guard. "You want to show me you appreciate this?" She narrowed her eyes and whispered. "Then you come back alive. No matter what happens down there, come back alive."

John nodded but couldn't help but think of the Spartans of old. Not having a shield, there really wasn't any other option for him to come home. "Can't promise what I can't control." John turned his head to face Sam. "I can promise I'll try, and I'll try damned hard."

John watched as Sam's featured shifted from stern to worry, and finally concern. He knew this was a tremendous thing to ask of her so soon, he was asking her to commit men to a battle they couldn't win with a high risk of death. He never wanted that responsibility himself, but he appreciated those who could handle that.

Sam sighed softly and turned back to the view in front of them "That's have to do – for now."

John didn't reply, and instead watched the sun as it finally penetrated the horizon, slowly winking out of existence. He could only hope that just like the sun, Elizabeth would come back in the morning.