All eyes were on Mitchell, now, and the Colonel nodded again, looking over at Jack, certain he was going to be the first one to speak up. Sure enough, he did.
"I'll go with you."
She shook her head. "You can't come, Jack."
"What? Of course I can. You can't-"
She held up her hand to stop his tirade before it could get started. "This is exactly the reason you can't come."
"What?"
Her voice was a lot calmer than his.
"You out-rank me, and I can't have you arguing with everything I say."
"I wouldn't argue-"
"Yes, you would. I know it, and you know it. No matter how hard you tried to keep your mouth shut, the minute I told you to do something you disagreed with, you'd try to get me to do it your way."
It was true, and everyone around the table knew it. Including Jacob. Jack scowled, and started to say something, when Brad spoke up.
"I'll go. Whatever you want me to do, I'd do it."
She shook her head, again. "You'd be too much of a distraction for me." She'd never be able to blow up a ship he was on, and she knew it. Talon knew it, as well, and he was the one who spoke up next.
"You are an unacceptable companion, Major Anderson," Talon told him, with a hint of apology in his voice. "My host would not be able to complete her mission with you on the ship, and the mission must come before personal feelings."
"Damn it!" Jack slammed his hand down on the table, hard. "I don't give a shit what you-"
"Jack!" Melony had stood up as well, and her expression was unweilding. "You're not coming with me. Neither is Brad."
"What about me?" Sam asked. "I could probably learn the technology along the way – or at least enough to understand it and activate it."
"No." This was from Jack, who'd spoken up without thinking, but Melony was shaking her head, as well.
"Major Carter, you're the last person I'd invite. In the event that I get killed, you're probably the only person on the planet who can figure out the technology to build the shields that can be used to protect Earth and her allies."
Ah, yeah. Sam hadn't thought about that. She frowned.
"Who are you considering, Colonel?" Hammond asked, frowning.
"Simmons, Sir."
"Simmons?"
Mitchell nodded. "He's smart enough to figure out the controls of the device, and even better, he speaks German – like I do – so we'd be able to have a language that we can speak to each other, but the Jaffa and the system lords don't understand."
Brad shook his head, looking troubled. "You can't ask him, Melony." He said. "He just found out his wife is expecting a baby. He'd go if you asked... but..."
"Damn." She nodded. "You're right, I can't ask him, and I won't." He hadn't mentioned the coming baby to her the day before when Mitchell had seen her former members of her team.
She shrugged, "I guess we'll just have to try it alone, then, and hope for the best."
"I could go."
Everyone in the room looked at Daniel, who was looking just a little pale, but resolute. He shrugged, glancing at Jack before looking over at Mitchell.
"I'm probably smart enough to figure out the controls, and I speak German. And I know I'm not expecting a baby."
"You can't volunteer," Jack said, scowling.
"Of course I can. I'm not in the military, so I don't outrank Colonel Mitchell, I won't argue with her, and I speak Goa'uld, which might come in handy. At least I'd know what was going on without having to ask her what everyone was saying."
"Daniel..."
"Jack. Let me do this." He turned to Mitchell. "I volunteer, Colonel Mitchell. I'll go with you."
"Damn it, Daniel," Jack was losing control of what was going on around him very quickly, and he hated it. But not as much as he hated the fact that now there were two people in danger that he cared for. "I'm not going to let you two kill yourselves for-"
"For the chance at getting rid of the biggest threat to the planet?" Melony interrupted. "Whether Daniel comes or not, I'm going to go. The good of the many outweigh that of the one, and all that," She quoted. Poorly.
"I'm going to go." Daniel said, firmly. "I can help, and I will." He looked over at the other members of SG-1, and saw concern in Sam's expression, pride in Teal'c's, and desolation in Jack's. He'd never agree, though, and Daniel knew it. Ignoring the guilty pang in his stomach, he turned back to Mitchell. "When do we go?"
"As soon as I calibrate the gate room as the destination of the device."
"You can do that?" Sam asked.
"It has to go somewhere, and this is the place I know best – and probably the most protected."
"What about the iris?" Hammond asked, accepting Daniel's decision to be a part of the mission. He couldn't really stop him; Daniel wasn't in the Military, after all.
"You'll probably end up losing it if it's closed, General," Melony told him. "The device will open an anomaly that's similar to the wormhole created by dialing a Stargate, but it's not exactly the same, and anything in the way will simply be dissolved. I'll rope off an area that you'll need to keep people clear of, but we'll give you as much of a warning as we can before we come through."
"What kind of time frame are you looking at Colonel?" Hammond asked.
"A couple weeks, most likely, Sir. I'm going to take out the two system lords I mentioned earlier, then I'll wait a few days and assess the affect it has on the others, then we'll go from there." She looked at the others. "Either they'll mass their armies and come after me – at the place of my choosing – or they'll petition for a treaty of some sort, and then I'll decide if there's enough to take out with the weapon, or if I'll just use the original configuration."
"Do I have time to pack?" Daniel asked.
She nodded, and looked at Jack and Brad. She needed to have a talk with both of them, and that would give Daniel plenty of time. Jack would probably yell for at least a half an hour, and then he'd go talk to Daniel and yell at him for volunteering as well.
""We'll meet in the embarkation room whenever you're ready to go," Hammond said, standing up. "Feel free to loot the supply room for anything you need."
"Thank you, Sir," Mitchell said. She looked at Daniel. "Go pack your personal things, and I'll meet you in the supply room and we'll pick foodstuffs together. Whenever you're ready."
The archeologist nodded, and stood up, and Sam stood as well. "I'll come help you, Daniel..." Her expression was as worried as Jack had ever seen it, but all O'Neill could feel was anger.
"Melony, I'd like a word with you in private before you go," he said, standing up as well.
"I would, too," Anderson said.
She nodded, "Let's go, then. We can use your office, Jack." It wasn't the first time she'd ever been chewed out, and hopefully it wouldn't be the last.
"I'll go with you."
She shook her head. "You can't come, Jack."
"What? Of course I can. You can't-"
She held up her hand to stop his tirade before it could get started. "This is exactly the reason you can't come."
"What?"
Her voice was a lot calmer than his.
"You out-rank me, and I can't have you arguing with everything I say."
"I wouldn't argue-"
"Yes, you would. I know it, and you know it. No matter how hard you tried to keep your mouth shut, the minute I told you to do something you disagreed with, you'd try to get me to do it your way."
It was true, and everyone around the table knew it. Including Jacob. Jack scowled, and started to say something, when Brad spoke up.
"I'll go. Whatever you want me to do, I'd do it."
She shook her head, again. "You'd be too much of a distraction for me." She'd never be able to blow up a ship he was on, and she knew it. Talon knew it, as well, and he was the one who spoke up next.
"You are an unacceptable companion, Major Anderson," Talon told him, with a hint of apology in his voice. "My host would not be able to complete her mission with you on the ship, and the mission must come before personal feelings."
"Damn it!" Jack slammed his hand down on the table, hard. "I don't give a shit what you-"
"Jack!" Melony had stood up as well, and her expression was unweilding. "You're not coming with me. Neither is Brad."
"What about me?" Sam asked. "I could probably learn the technology along the way – or at least enough to understand it and activate it."
"No." This was from Jack, who'd spoken up without thinking, but Melony was shaking her head, as well.
"Major Carter, you're the last person I'd invite. In the event that I get killed, you're probably the only person on the planet who can figure out the technology to build the shields that can be used to protect Earth and her allies."
Ah, yeah. Sam hadn't thought about that. She frowned.
"Who are you considering, Colonel?" Hammond asked, frowning.
"Simmons, Sir."
"Simmons?"
Mitchell nodded. "He's smart enough to figure out the controls of the device, and even better, he speaks German – like I do – so we'd be able to have a language that we can speak to each other, but the Jaffa and the system lords don't understand."
Brad shook his head, looking troubled. "You can't ask him, Melony." He said. "He just found out his wife is expecting a baby. He'd go if you asked... but..."
"Damn." She nodded. "You're right, I can't ask him, and I won't." He hadn't mentioned the coming baby to her the day before when Mitchell had seen her former members of her team.
She shrugged, "I guess we'll just have to try it alone, then, and hope for the best."
"I could go."
Everyone in the room looked at Daniel, who was looking just a little pale, but resolute. He shrugged, glancing at Jack before looking over at Mitchell.
"I'm probably smart enough to figure out the controls, and I speak German. And I know I'm not expecting a baby."
"You can't volunteer," Jack said, scowling.
"Of course I can. I'm not in the military, so I don't outrank Colonel Mitchell, I won't argue with her, and I speak Goa'uld, which might come in handy. At least I'd know what was going on without having to ask her what everyone was saying."
"Daniel..."
"Jack. Let me do this." He turned to Mitchell. "I volunteer, Colonel Mitchell. I'll go with you."
"Damn it, Daniel," Jack was losing control of what was going on around him very quickly, and he hated it. But not as much as he hated the fact that now there were two people in danger that he cared for. "I'm not going to let you two kill yourselves for-"
"For the chance at getting rid of the biggest threat to the planet?" Melony interrupted. "Whether Daniel comes or not, I'm going to go. The good of the many outweigh that of the one, and all that," She quoted. Poorly.
"I'm going to go." Daniel said, firmly. "I can help, and I will." He looked over at the other members of SG-1, and saw concern in Sam's expression, pride in Teal'c's, and desolation in Jack's. He'd never agree, though, and Daniel knew it. Ignoring the guilty pang in his stomach, he turned back to Mitchell. "When do we go?"
"As soon as I calibrate the gate room as the destination of the device."
"You can do that?" Sam asked.
"It has to go somewhere, and this is the place I know best – and probably the most protected."
"What about the iris?" Hammond asked, accepting Daniel's decision to be a part of the mission. He couldn't really stop him; Daniel wasn't in the Military, after all.
"You'll probably end up losing it if it's closed, General," Melony told him. "The device will open an anomaly that's similar to the wormhole created by dialing a Stargate, but it's not exactly the same, and anything in the way will simply be dissolved. I'll rope off an area that you'll need to keep people clear of, but we'll give you as much of a warning as we can before we come through."
"What kind of time frame are you looking at Colonel?" Hammond asked.
"A couple weeks, most likely, Sir. I'm going to take out the two system lords I mentioned earlier, then I'll wait a few days and assess the affect it has on the others, then we'll go from there." She looked at the others. "Either they'll mass their armies and come after me – at the place of my choosing – or they'll petition for a treaty of some sort, and then I'll decide if there's enough to take out with the weapon, or if I'll just use the original configuration."
"Do I have time to pack?" Daniel asked.
She nodded, and looked at Jack and Brad. She needed to have a talk with both of them, and that would give Daniel plenty of time. Jack would probably yell for at least a half an hour, and then he'd go talk to Daniel and yell at him for volunteering as well.
""We'll meet in the embarkation room whenever you're ready to go," Hammond said, standing up. "Feel free to loot the supply room for anything you need."
"Thank you, Sir," Mitchell said. She looked at Daniel. "Go pack your personal things, and I'll meet you in the supply room and we'll pick foodstuffs together. Whenever you're ready."
The archeologist nodded, and stood up, and Sam stood as well. "I'll come help you, Daniel..." Her expression was as worried as Jack had ever seen it, but all O'Neill could feel was anger.
"Melony, I'd like a word with you in private before you go," he said, standing up as well.
"I would, too," Anderson said.
She nodded, "Let's go, then. We can use your office, Jack." It wasn't the first time she'd ever been chewed out, and hopefully it wouldn't be the last.