Author's note: sorry about the wait on this chapter... I wanted to finish the other story I was working on before I came back to this one. I've got some thinking to do on this one, so it might be a little bit before the next chapter comes up, since I want it to be as realistic as possible. (of course, I might get the next chapter up tonight, too... it just depends on whether or not my mind does what I want it to!

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"Is she out of her mind?"

Jack scowled. He was sitting at the briefing table with SG-1, Jacob Carter and Hammond. No one else was going to be told about this plan in an effort to keep Melony as safe as they could.

"The plan is a good one, Sir." He said, jumping to Mitchell's defense automatically. Besides, it was a good plan, it was just incredibly dangerous.

"She really thinks this little ship can do so much damage?" Jacob asked, incredulously.

"Look what it's done so far," Sam told her father, pointedly.

Good point.

"What do you think, Major?" Hammond asked. "You've seen the ship."

Sam shrugged, "I saw the ship, Sir, but I didn't see the weapons in action. Or the shield. I honestly don't know what it's capable of doing, and I don't know what the shields can resist. Colonel Mitchell seems very confident, though, that she can do what she says she's going to do."

"She's already decided to do it, General," Jack said, still scowling. "All she wanted with us was to ask us to get any Tok'ra clear."

"I am to contact Bra'tac and make queries as to whether he has any Jaffa infiltrators among the system lords." Teal'c added in his deep voice.

"For the same reason," Daniel said. "She's worried about killing operatives."

"But not so worried about killing herself," Jack added, unable to help himself.

"What did Talon say?" Jacob asked.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

They all shook their heads.

"Melony did all the talking." Which was just as well, since Jack never would have accepted what he was hearing had he heard it from a Goa'uld. Even one that he sort of liked. "She told us she was going to kill a couple more minor system lords, make sure the Major ones couldn't ignore Talon any longer, and then petition them to proclaim Talon to be a major system lord."

Hammond sighed. He knew more than he had when SG-1 had left, but he wasn't all that pleased with what he'd heard.

"There's nothing we can do to help her?"

"She said there wasn't, Sir."

"Then what are we supposed to do – besides make sure the Tok'ra are informed?" Which they'd already done, since Jacob would tell whoever needed to be told.

"I want us to come up with a plan B, Sir," Jack said. "I don't like depending on this shield to protect her from what sounds like it's going to be a hell of an explosion."

Hammond shrugged, looking at Sam. That was her department, wasn't it?

"Can you think of any way we can help her, Major?"

"I have about a month, Sir," Sam said, sighing. "I'll try to come up with something."

"You do that." Hammond turned to Jacob. "Are you going to be able to get a hold of your operatives?"

Jacob nodded.

'We have means set in place in case of something like this. With enough notice, they'll have a chance to get out of the way, probably."

"You can't tell them what's going to happen," Jack said. "Just tell them that they need to get clear, but don't tell them why."

"I trust our people, Jack." Jacob said, a little stiffly. He didn't like anyone suggesting that his operatives were anything other than completely trustworthy. Jack, of course, knew better.

"I don't, Jacob. The Tok'ra have been infiltrated before, remember? Remember what happened the first time you met Selmak? As I recall you, Carter and Martouf almost got your asses blown up because of a spy in the ranks..."

"I know, Jack." Jacob stood up, scowling as well. "I'll make sure they know to get out, and I won't tell them when or why. Believe it or not, I want her to succeed, too." The Tok'ra headed for the door, ready to go, and Hammond glared at Jack, who didn't back down.

"Major, once your dad is gone, get started on trying to think of a plan B, okay?"

"Yes, Sir."

Sam stood up as well, and headed for the door, leaving Jack, Daniel and Teal'c all sitting around the table.

"You really need to work on your people skills, Jack."

"Yeah, I know."

..................................

"You know he didn't mean that personally, dad," Sam told Jacob a few minutes later as the gate was dialing. "He's worried about Colonel Mitchell- "

"I am, too, Sam." Jacob told her. "This idea is ridiculous! Her and Talon are going to blow themselves sky high, and losing them isn't worth the gain of killing so many."

"She thinks it is," Sam said, wondering what it was about Talon that was so urgent the Tok'ra weren't willing to risk Mitchell and her symbiote. "Obviously Talon does as well."

"They're both wrong." He sighed, and gave his daughter a hug. "Looks like you've been given the hard job, Sam." He said. "See if you can figure out a way to keep them from blowing themselves up, okay?"

"I'll do my best, dad."

"I know."

The gate activated, and Jacob turned to Hammond, shaking his hand.

"Keep in touch, George."

Hammond nodded. "We'll call you if we come up with anything, Jacob. Good luck getting in touch with your people."

The Tok'ra went through the gate, and Sam sighed. She hated it when O'Neill and her father went at it like that. She always felt like she was caught in the middle. Which she was.

Hammond looked at her, understanding completely what was going through her mind.

"Don't worry, Major," he told her, patting her shoulder in a rare show of affection. "Jacob and Jack like each other. They're just too stubborn to admit it sometimes."

"Yes Sir." She smiled, but it was forced. "I'd better get to work."

"Let me know what you come up with."

She nodded, and left the embarkation room to head for her lab, where there was a stack of papers and disks waiting in her safe for her to snoop through.