"Help?" Jack raised his eyebrows at that. "We get to help?"
Mitchell scowled. "Don't be a smart ass, Jack."
"Sorry. Habit."
"What do you need help with, Colonel?" Hammond asked.
"Well, we're thinking that if a sufficient number of system lords come at us, we might need to make a larger explosion."
"Bigger than the one the crystals help you make, you mean?" Carter asked.
Mitchell nodded.
"How exactly are you planning on doing that?" Jacob asked. "From what we've been told, the explosion made the first time you set off that weapon of yours was fairly big."
"Yeah, it's definitely not something you can miss," Mitchell agreed. "But it can be bigger. We just don't modulate the ship's shields to protect her, and use that extra boost to increase the explosion. Exponentially, with the crystals at their fullest, and the explosion unmodulated, we can double the size of the last explosion."
"Double?"
Jacob was the only one who really knew what that meant, although Sam had a fair notion as well.
Melony nodded. "The problem is..."
"You're not using the shields to protect yourself, and you'll blow the ship to pieces as well." Sam said.
Mitchell nodded again. "That's obviously why it's more dangerous. And also why I'd need help."
"It's a suicide mission this way, Melony," Jack said. "I won't let-"
"It's not, Jack." She interrupted. "Well, maybe it's not."
"Hello, you're blowing up your ship, with you on it. Sounds like a no- brainer to me."
"I might not be on it."
"Care to explain that?" Brad asked, his expression just as troubled as the others, and more so. "My ship-"
"Fugly." Jack supplied.
Melony looked over at him. "Fugly?"
He shrugged, "Why not?"
She smirked, and shrugged, too. "Fugly... has an experimental device on it. One that could possibly be exactly what I need. It was originally planned to be the safety net. A... an ejection seat, so to speak, only instead of just popping you out of the ship itself, it utilizes the same technology that the gate does – somewhat – and can..." She tried to figure out a word to use to describe it, "...teleport... a person to a predetermined spot in the event that something goes wrong."
"Teleport?" Sam's eyes were wide. "I didn't see anything in the notes about that..."
"Yeah, well," Melony shrugged. "It's very experimental, Major Carter. Talon and I thought it best not to give anyone access to the technology until we've had a chance to test it."
"And have you?" Hammond asked.
She shook her head.
"So it probably doesn't work, then," Jack said, scowling. "Which makes this mission a suicide-"
"The theory is sound, Jack," Mitchell said, shaking her head. "We just haven't had time – or need – for a practical test, and now we really can't make time. I have to get out of here and get back to my Jaffa, and there's no time to test the device before I need to bring it into play. It probably works."
"Probably."
She shrugged.
"You're willing to bet your life on that?" Jack asked, obviously not happy with this plan.
"I have to." She said. "There's no other choice."
"I'm not willing to allow you to risk yourself and Talon," Jacob said, standing up. "This is too dangerous."
Talon took over Mitchell's body, obviously rising to this challenge himself.
"The need is great, and the damage we could inflict on the Goa'uld make the risk more than acceptable."
"Not to me," Jack said.
"Or me," Jacob agreed.
"It's dangerous..." Brad murmured, looking stricken. He knew already that nothing they said was going to change her mind. Even if Hammond tried to order her not to do it, Melony was going to. Without a doubt, he understood then why Melony had spent the extra time on Earth, supposedly recuperating from her injuries. She'd been having some last moments with him and the others, on the off chance that her plan failed and she was killed.
"Colonel Mitchell," Hammond said, shaking his head. "I can't allow you to risk your life-"
"I have to, Sir." She told him, regaining control of her body again. "It's sound technology, and there's a chance it'll work."
"I could order you to your quarters." He reminded her.
"And I'll resign my commission and leave, anyways." She said, confirming Brad Anderson's worst fears. Mitchell gave him a helpless look. "I'm sorry, Sir. I really am. It's got to be done, though. The benefit outweighs the risk. Incomparably."
Hammond scowled, but before he could say anything, Teal'c spoke up.
"You mentioned that this time you would require assistance, Colonel Mitchell," he reminded her. "I fail to see where we could render any to you."
She frowned, looking worried for the first time since she'd shown up in the briefing room.
"That's the rub, actually. I can't activate both devices at the same time. One's on the front panel of my ship, the other one's in the rear."
"Which means you'll need someone to come with you?" Hammond asked.
Mitchell nodded.
Mitchell scowled. "Don't be a smart ass, Jack."
"Sorry. Habit."
"What do you need help with, Colonel?" Hammond asked.
"Well, we're thinking that if a sufficient number of system lords come at us, we might need to make a larger explosion."
"Bigger than the one the crystals help you make, you mean?" Carter asked.
Mitchell nodded.
"How exactly are you planning on doing that?" Jacob asked. "From what we've been told, the explosion made the first time you set off that weapon of yours was fairly big."
"Yeah, it's definitely not something you can miss," Mitchell agreed. "But it can be bigger. We just don't modulate the ship's shields to protect her, and use that extra boost to increase the explosion. Exponentially, with the crystals at their fullest, and the explosion unmodulated, we can double the size of the last explosion."
"Double?"
Jacob was the only one who really knew what that meant, although Sam had a fair notion as well.
Melony nodded. "The problem is..."
"You're not using the shields to protect yourself, and you'll blow the ship to pieces as well." Sam said.
Mitchell nodded again. "That's obviously why it's more dangerous. And also why I'd need help."
"It's a suicide mission this way, Melony," Jack said. "I won't let-"
"It's not, Jack." She interrupted. "Well, maybe it's not."
"Hello, you're blowing up your ship, with you on it. Sounds like a no- brainer to me."
"I might not be on it."
"Care to explain that?" Brad asked, his expression just as troubled as the others, and more so. "My ship-"
"Fugly." Jack supplied.
Melony looked over at him. "Fugly?"
He shrugged, "Why not?"
She smirked, and shrugged, too. "Fugly... has an experimental device on it. One that could possibly be exactly what I need. It was originally planned to be the safety net. A... an ejection seat, so to speak, only instead of just popping you out of the ship itself, it utilizes the same technology that the gate does – somewhat – and can..." She tried to figure out a word to use to describe it, "...teleport... a person to a predetermined spot in the event that something goes wrong."
"Teleport?" Sam's eyes were wide. "I didn't see anything in the notes about that..."
"Yeah, well," Melony shrugged. "It's very experimental, Major Carter. Talon and I thought it best not to give anyone access to the technology until we've had a chance to test it."
"And have you?" Hammond asked.
She shook her head.
"So it probably doesn't work, then," Jack said, scowling. "Which makes this mission a suicide-"
"The theory is sound, Jack," Mitchell said, shaking her head. "We just haven't had time – or need – for a practical test, and now we really can't make time. I have to get out of here and get back to my Jaffa, and there's no time to test the device before I need to bring it into play. It probably works."
"Probably."
She shrugged.
"You're willing to bet your life on that?" Jack asked, obviously not happy with this plan.
"I have to." She said. "There's no other choice."
"I'm not willing to allow you to risk yourself and Talon," Jacob said, standing up. "This is too dangerous."
Talon took over Mitchell's body, obviously rising to this challenge himself.
"The need is great, and the damage we could inflict on the Goa'uld make the risk more than acceptable."
"Not to me," Jack said.
"Or me," Jacob agreed.
"It's dangerous..." Brad murmured, looking stricken. He knew already that nothing they said was going to change her mind. Even if Hammond tried to order her not to do it, Melony was going to. Without a doubt, he understood then why Melony had spent the extra time on Earth, supposedly recuperating from her injuries. She'd been having some last moments with him and the others, on the off chance that her plan failed and she was killed.
"Colonel Mitchell," Hammond said, shaking his head. "I can't allow you to risk your life-"
"I have to, Sir." She told him, regaining control of her body again. "It's sound technology, and there's a chance it'll work."
"I could order you to your quarters." He reminded her.
"And I'll resign my commission and leave, anyways." She said, confirming Brad Anderson's worst fears. Mitchell gave him a helpless look. "I'm sorry, Sir. I really am. It's got to be done, though. The benefit outweighs the risk. Incomparably."
Hammond scowled, but before he could say anything, Teal'c spoke up.
"You mentioned that this time you would require assistance, Colonel Mitchell," he reminded her. "I fail to see where we could render any to you."
She frowned, looking worried for the first time since she'd shown up in the briefing room.
"That's the rub, actually. I can't activate both devices at the same time. One's on the front panel of my ship, the other one's in the rear."
"Which means you'll need someone to come with you?" Hammond asked.
Mitchell nodded.