Head Trip - Chapter 7
The next few hours were consumed with the "as planned" stage of the operation. Daniel and Teal'c assisted in transporting the replicator body to the morgue under the watchful eye of Dr. Brightman (who had been already briefed by Jack). She, along with several other medical staff and military police, would be responsible for maintaining the highly classified secret and the security involved.
The President and Thor would keep O'Neill informed of the progress of the Asgard fleet. As to further contact with PX-435, the President remained adamant about keeping a "hands off" policy.
The party line, for all relevant SGC personnel, was that Lt. Colonel "Sam Carter" did, in fact, return from the mission earlier than expected, had been debriefed, and released from base for a short leave. Jack made sure to have Daniel take care of Carter's signature in the base log book. Details were not necessarily his strong point, but, in this case, with Carter's very life at stake, he wanted to make sure that nothing suspicious would interfere with what he wanted to do next.
And what he wanted to do next could very well end in his court martial.
Jack O'Neill was a "take action" kind of guy. His service record, complete with more medals than he could count, showed that he was the first to volunteer for a difficult mission and the first to put himself in the line of fire for a comrade in need. He did not always agree with his commanders, but he respected their decisions and tried to follow orders as best he could. However, his military record also showed that there were times when O'Neill took matters into his own hands, veering dangerously close to insubordination and recklessness. But he always brought his soldiers home. No one was left behind.
Carter was no longer his 2IC; his first act as General saw to that. He knew in his bones (and in his heart) that she was ready for command. He knew that she now had to learn the hard lessons of leadership just as he had done. And those lessons were found in the field, not in some textbook or laboratory. Just as she was beginning to gain confidence and grow into her new position, he had to pull her from team assignment and prepare her for this unusual solo mission. Being the good soldier she was, she threw herself into this operation wholeheartedly and accepted the responsibility. In hindsight, he was a fool to let her go without covering her back!
He played by the President's rules then. This time, he would follow his gut and pursue some options of his own.
"While your CO is off world on her own mission, I am officially releasing both of you from active duty." Jack signed the necessary paperwork which cleared Daniel and Teal'c of any SGC responsibility for the coming week. They, at least, would not be breaking any military rules.
Because PX-435 had suddenly turned very wrong, very quickly, and because the current status of the planet had now become highly classified, Jack had to be careful about revealing the real nature of the problem to his immediate staff. He called Sergeants Davis and Siler into his office and told them that they would be taking direct orders from him, alone, and that everything they were about to see and do would be considered top secret. He then told Siler to prepare the MALP for immediate surveillance. After that, he gave orders to dismiss all other personnel currently working in the Gate or Control rooms.
He had the few good men and what he needed in place. They had to work rapidly to determine the present threat level and possible location of Carter. If all went well, Davis and Siler would continue to monitor the isolated Control and Gate rooms while he and Daniel and Teal'c proceeded through the Gate with the necessary equipment.
But, first, the MALP ….