Control Room
"Who is it?" O'Neill asked of Walther.
"Teal'c sir."
"Open the Iris," said O'Neill as he and Carter went to the Gate Room.
Teal'c stepped through the Stargate wearing his Jaffa armor and an expression of sheer exhaustion. He quickly hid it when O'Neill entered the room, not wishing his friend to see him in such a state.
"Teal'c," O'Neill said cordially, not wanting to bring up the issue of Bratak. "What brings you here?"
"O'Neill, I regret to bring news that all is not well with the Jaffa," Teal'c began. "I am no longer a member of the Council."
Carter was shocked by the news. "Why? They need you now more than ever."
"Of this I am aware and have informed the Council about the Be'nox. However, I was removed against my will. With the death of Master Bratak, Vik'lar assumed his seat on the Council."
"Vik'lar?" Carter asked, the very name dripping in hatred. "Why would the council give someone like Vik'lar Brataks' place?"
Teal'c responded with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Although Vik'lar is not the type of person the Council wishes as a member, support for the Council has been dwindling for quite some time. They hope to raise it by appointing one who shares the interests of the Jaffa youth. Before, Bratak and I were the sole members of the Council who kept the radical Jaffa from controlling the Council. With Bratak gone, I was the only member who was willing to stand against their taking control of the Council. Sensing me a threat, Vik'lar placed a vote for my removal and intimidated the other members to support him. Now there is no one left on the Council to oppose Vik'lar. He is using fear to hold the Council by the throat, and I fear he will soon move to disband the Council all together."
"That's not good," Carter said, and turned to O'Neill. "We need the Jaffa if we're going to fight the Be'nox. Have you informed the president sir?"
O'Neill shook his head. "Not yet. I want to finish writing the official report before I call him up. How much support should we expect from the Jaffa?"
"None," Teal'c responded. "With Vik'lar and the radical Jaffa in control, the Jaffa will not come to the aid of the Tau'ri. If they sense the Be'nox a big enough threat, they will attempt to fight them alone."
"I wouldn't expect much from the Tok'ra either," Carter said. "Relations between us have deteriorated after my father's death. It looks like we're on our own, sir."
O'Neill nodded his head, worry in his face at the sudden downturn of events. Teal'c held out his arm in traditional Jaffa tradition. With some relief, O'Neill returned the gesture. "I offer my services once more to the Tau'ri," Teal'c said.
"Your service is accepted," O'Neill said with a slight smile. "It'll be just like old times, eh?"
"Indeed," Teal'c said, as he walked off to change into an SG uniform. O'Neill stood there for a moment, wondering if recent events could ever let things be just like the old times.
Prison Room
O'Neill stood with his arms crossed in the observation room as Carter, Teal'c, and a group of technicians attempted to interrogate the Be'nox soldier below him. His thoughts wandered back to the telephone conversation with the president. It hadn't been pretty. An old associate of the former Vice-President McKinsey, the president had never really appreciated Stargate Command, cutting funding so that more money could be spent on the traditional. A man who liked to be informed of things promptly, he was very upset at not having learned of the Be'nox right away. He told O'Neill to recall all off-world teams, a step O'Neill had already taken, and to not send any more teams through the gate until further notice. The president was taking the issue to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with whom he was meeting at the very moment.
Just then, Jackson walked into the room, and O'Neill looked over at him. "Daniel," O'Neill said. "Glad to see you can wander away from the medical ward."
"Yeah, the doctor just let me out," said Jackson as he joined O'Neill. He crossed his arms. "How's it going?"
O'Neill shook his head. "Just about what we suspected."
"Not much?" Jackson asked.
"Yup. Same old rhetoric we've come to expect from these supercilious people. Can't even get a name without hearing about how unworthy we are. Tends to get old after the hundredth time."
Without warning, Teal'c grabbed the Be'nox by the neck and began to choke him. Nobody in the room below made a move to stop him, and the Be'nox didn't even look phased by it. Jackson, however, was immediately gripped with horror. "He's going to kill him!"
"Yeah? So?" O'Neill responded nonchalantly.
"We need him to learn more about the Be'nox, and right now we know absolutely nothing."
"Jackson," O'Neill said, the use of Jackson's last name surprising him. "These are the guys who killed Bratak. If Teal'c thinks it necessary to kill him, then I won't get in the way."
"But he's a prisoner…" Jackson said desperately, trying hard to save the Be'nox's life.
"Daniel!" O'Neill snapped, his patience running thin. "I don't care!"
Jackson just stared at O'Neill, completely at loss as for what to say. Luckily for him, Teal'c let go of the Be'nox and stormed out of the room. He was followed by Carter and the technicians, leaving the Be'nox alone with the security guards.
Carter soon entered the room alone, and looked completely harassed. "What happened?" Jackson asked of her.
"Teal'c was trying to get some information about Be'nox weaponry, and the Be'nox insulted…" Carter swallowed, attempting to remove the emotional barrier. "He laughed at how Bratak died."
O'Neill immediately felt his anger well up, and even Jackson felt his dander go up. "He mocked about how Bratak died at the hands of the Be'nox."
"Ok. That's it, I've heard enough," O'Neill said decisively. "Let's kill him."
"But we can't!" Even Jackson was surprised by Carter's response.
O'Neill looked at her peculiarly. "Carter?"
"Sir, we can't just kill him. Think about all the things we could learn."
"Carter," O'Neill said. "It's a Go'ald…"
"Be'nox," Jackson corrected.
"Whatever!" O'Neill said, throwing his hands in the air. "The point is, it's not going to give us crap. We're wasting our time and risking security by keeping it here." O'Neill paused, and took a moment to think. "Alright, I'm giving you three days to make that thing talk, or I'm getting rid of it. Understood?"
Both Carter and Jackson nodded in agreement. "Good," O'Neill said, and walked out of the room. Jackson and Carter looked at each other and followed him out.
Down in the prison room, Aki Rai closed his eyes, and he could see the shadowy form of his lord in his mind. "My lord," Aki Rai said. "The humans are trying to kill me."
Lek Nai was somewhat shocked by this news. "Try to kill you? They wouldn't. The Tau'ri need you."
"No, my lord, not the Tau'ri," Aki Rai responded. "The Jaffa, the one called Teal'c. He's the one who wants me dead."
Lek Nai was silent for a moment. "The time is not yet right for your mission, but you are no good dead. Give the Tau'ri enough information to keep you alive, but use your discretion. Do not tell them anything that would compromise our plan."
Aki Rai nodded his head slightly. "Yes, my lord. As you command."