Despite the relaxing day they had, it was a somber group that met the next morning. Everyone knew that Melony and Talon had a plan B, and Melony's hints that it wasn't something Jack was going to like made all of them sure it wasn't something any of them were going to approve of. They all filed in within moments of each other, coming over to the table and sitting down.
"Where is she?" Jack was a bit irritable. Nothing new, since he was also tense as hell and everyone knew it.
"Doctor Fraiser is clearing her for duty," Brad said, walking in and sitting down next to Carter, who was seated beside Jack. "She should be here in a minute."
"Did she give you any hint of what this plan B is?" Jack asked, already sure of what the answer would be, but hoping otherwise.
Anderson shook his head. "She wouldn't say."
"Damn."
Hammond came out of his office with Jacob Carter, and the two men walked over to the table and sat down as well, pouring themselves coffee from the two carafes that were sitting on the table. Daniel had already poured himself some as well, and was nursing it as he tried to wake up.
Just as Hammond sat down, the door opened once more and Mitchell walked in, looking around to see who all was there, and nodding a greeting to everyone as she walked over and sat next to Daniel, purposely seating herself across the table from Brad and Jack so she could see them.
Jack scowled, and Brad looked slightly injured that she hadn't wanted to sit next to him, but Melony gave him a smile that he couldn't help but return. The two of them had spent plenty of quiet time together the night before, and he'd been reminded of just how very much he loved her.
"Colonel Mitchell?"
She turned from Brad to look over at Hammond.
"Yes, Sir?"
"Doctor Fraiser's cleared you, medically?"
She nodded, "Yes, Sir. A little stiffness, but nothing that won't get worked out with a little moving around."
"Colonel O'Neill tells me that you and Talon have come up with an alternate plan?"
"A plan B, yes, Sir." She nodded, again. Then frowned. "It's not really all that different from the first one. But it's a bit more dangerous."
"Explain."
"We're going to retaliate." She said. Before anyone could say anything, she continued. "A regular Goa'uld who was trying to rise through the ranks of the system lords would never allow them to get away with what they've done, and I have to stay in character. In retaliation for what the major system lords have attempted to do to me and my ship, we're going to track a few of them down and take them out."
"Can you do that?" Hammond asked.
She nodded. "Yes. It's no different to take out a major system lord than to take out a minor one. There's just more Jaffa to collect when you're finished. Which is another reason I have to act immediately."
"The major system lords will attempt to take over your combined Jaffa army," Daniel said.
"Exactly." She threw him an approving glance. "I have to make sure they know I'm alive and well, and still very much in control of things, otherwise they'll switch loyalties to another system lord."
"Not very loyal, are they?" Jack asked, frowning.
"It's the way things are, Jack." She told him, shrugging. "I'm not going to be able to change that. But I do have to live with it at the present time."
"So you're going to track down a couple of system lords and try to destroy them," Hammond said. "What will that accomplish?"
"It's going to force them consolidate against me," she said. "They'll have to, because by the time I take over the armies of a couple of the major system lords, I'll be unstoppable unless they all come at me at once."
"And that's a good thing?" Jack asked, sarcastically.
"If they try to come at me all at once, they're putting themselves in the same position I was trying to get them in in the first place," she explained. "They'd have to have an armada of ships to even think they'd have a chance again mine, and I could blow them up."
"And if they don't come at you all at once?"
"Then I take them out one by one until they do. Or until they ask me for a treaty of some sort. Then, when I get them all together, I blow them up."
"Not very sporting, is it?" Daniel asked.
She looked over at him, but it wasn't Melony that responded, it was Talon.
"The Goa'uld are parasites, Doctor Jackson. They are purely evil and deserve to be exterminated." There was no compassion in the deep voice, and none in the hard set of Melony's face. Of course, Jacob and Jack were both nodding their agreement, as was Teal'c.
"They ambushed my host and I and would gladly have killed us without remorse, and I know from my host's memories the atrocities they've bestowed upon you and your people. Also, do not forget, I have lived far longer than you, and I've witnessed things that you have not, and have heard the cries of the innocents who have paid for the inaction of others who could have controlled them before they got too out of hand." Obviously, he meant the Asgard – but maybe there had been others as well. "We have the technology and the firepower to stop them. Or at least to cripple them for a long time – perhaps forever – and we're going to use it."
There was silence for a moment, and Melony regained control of her body during that time. She shrugged and looked over at Jacob, who looked approving. He obviously agreed with everything that had just been said, even though he didn't like Talon being at risk.
"Jacob, I need to know if the Tok'ra have any operatives with Paleneus, or with Metaphous."
There was a moment while Jacob thought it through, but he shook his head. "I'm not sure about Paleneus, but I know we don't have anyone with Metaphous. He killed the only operative we had when he discovered her. Why? Are they the ones you're going after first?"
She nodded.
"Good choice. We know they were in on the ambush, so it'll be perfect retribution."
"And it'll make the others who were in on the ambush a bit more concerned for their safety. Which will make them bring their armies in closer to protect them."
"You really have thought this out, haven't you?" Jack asked, wondering how much of the tactics he was seeing were Melony's and how much were Talon's. Melony had a fine military mind, Jack knew, but she'd never been this ruthless. Not that he didn't agree with what she was doing, though, because he was all for killing as many Goa'uld as possible. Especially the ones that had dared to levy the ambush against her.
"Yeah, we've thought it through," Mitchell said, rubbing her face and looking a little tired, still. "There's just one hitch, though, and I think I'm going to need help with it."
"Where is she?" Jack was a bit irritable. Nothing new, since he was also tense as hell and everyone knew it.
"Doctor Fraiser is clearing her for duty," Brad said, walking in and sitting down next to Carter, who was seated beside Jack. "She should be here in a minute."
"Did she give you any hint of what this plan B is?" Jack asked, already sure of what the answer would be, but hoping otherwise.
Anderson shook his head. "She wouldn't say."
"Damn."
Hammond came out of his office with Jacob Carter, and the two men walked over to the table and sat down as well, pouring themselves coffee from the two carafes that were sitting on the table. Daniel had already poured himself some as well, and was nursing it as he tried to wake up.
Just as Hammond sat down, the door opened once more and Mitchell walked in, looking around to see who all was there, and nodding a greeting to everyone as she walked over and sat next to Daniel, purposely seating herself across the table from Brad and Jack so she could see them.
Jack scowled, and Brad looked slightly injured that she hadn't wanted to sit next to him, but Melony gave him a smile that he couldn't help but return. The two of them had spent plenty of quiet time together the night before, and he'd been reminded of just how very much he loved her.
"Colonel Mitchell?"
She turned from Brad to look over at Hammond.
"Yes, Sir?"
"Doctor Fraiser's cleared you, medically?"
She nodded, "Yes, Sir. A little stiffness, but nothing that won't get worked out with a little moving around."
"Colonel O'Neill tells me that you and Talon have come up with an alternate plan?"
"A plan B, yes, Sir." She nodded, again. Then frowned. "It's not really all that different from the first one. But it's a bit more dangerous."
"Explain."
"We're going to retaliate." She said. Before anyone could say anything, she continued. "A regular Goa'uld who was trying to rise through the ranks of the system lords would never allow them to get away with what they've done, and I have to stay in character. In retaliation for what the major system lords have attempted to do to me and my ship, we're going to track a few of them down and take them out."
"Can you do that?" Hammond asked.
She nodded. "Yes. It's no different to take out a major system lord than to take out a minor one. There's just more Jaffa to collect when you're finished. Which is another reason I have to act immediately."
"The major system lords will attempt to take over your combined Jaffa army," Daniel said.
"Exactly." She threw him an approving glance. "I have to make sure they know I'm alive and well, and still very much in control of things, otherwise they'll switch loyalties to another system lord."
"Not very loyal, are they?" Jack asked, frowning.
"It's the way things are, Jack." She told him, shrugging. "I'm not going to be able to change that. But I do have to live with it at the present time."
"So you're going to track down a couple of system lords and try to destroy them," Hammond said. "What will that accomplish?"
"It's going to force them consolidate against me," she said. "They'll have to, because by the time I take over the armies of a couple of the major system lords, I'll be unstoppable unless they all come at me at once."
"And that's a good thing?" Jack asked, sarcastically.
"If they try to come at me all at once, they're putting themselves in the same position I was trying to get them in in the first place," she explained. "They'd have to have an armada of ships to even think they'd have a chance again mine, and I could blow them up."
"And if they don't come at you all at once?"
"Then I take them out one by one until they do. Or until they ask me for a treaty of some sort. Then, when I get them all together, I blow them up."
"Not very sporting, is it?" Daniel asked.
She looked over at him, but it wasn't Melony that responded, it was Talon.
"The Goa'uld are parasites, Doctor Jackson. They are purely evil and deserve to be exterminated." There was no compassion in the deep voice, and none in the hard set of Melony's face. Of course, Jacob and Jack were both nodding their agreement, as was Teal'c.
"They ambushed my host and I and would gladly have killed us without remorse, and I know from my host's memories the atrocities they've bestowed upon you and your people. Also, do not forget, I have lived far longer than you, and I've witnessed things that you have not, and have heard the cries of the innocents who have paid for the inaction of others who could have controlled them before they got too out of hand." Obviously, he meant the Asgard – but maybe there had been others as well. "We have the technology and the firepower to stop them. Or at least to cripple them for a long time – perhaps forever – and we're going to use it."
There was silence for a moment, and Melony regained control of her body during that time. She shrugged and looked over at Jacob, who looked approving. He obviously agreed with everything that had just been said, even though he didn't like Talon being at risk.
"Jacob, I need to know if the Tok'ra have any operatives with Paleneus, or with Metaphous."
There was a moment while Jacob thought it through, but he shook his head. "I'm not sure about Paleneus, but I know we don't have anyone with Metaphous. He killed the only operative we had when he discovered her. Why? Are they the ones you're going after first?"
She nodded.
"Good choice. We know they were in on the ambush, so it'll be perfect retribution."
"And it'll make the others who were in on the ambush a bit more concerned for their safety. Which will make them bring their armies in closer to protect them."
"You really have thought this out, haven't you?" Jack asked, wondering how much of the tactics he was seeing were Melony's and how much were Talon's. Melony had a fine military mind, Jack knew, but she'd never been this ruthless. Not that he didn't agree with what she was doing, though, because he was all for killing as many Goa'uld as possible. Especially the ones that had dared to levy the ambush against her.
"Yeah, we've thought it through," Mitchell said, rubbing her face and looking a little tired, still. "There's just one hitch, though, and I think I'm going to need help with it."