Chapter 20 – Difficult Decisions

Jack slowly came back to a state of consciousness that no longer resembled the sleep of the dead. Over the sounds of voices wafting in through the open doorway, a more irritating, repetitive noise brought him more fully awake. Schwip, pause; Schwip, pause.

He cracked an eye open and looked toward the sound, a grin slowly forming on his face as he saw the cause of the irritating noise.

JJ sat in front of his father's extended arm, a look of fascination on his face as he reached toward Jack's watch once again. His tiny fingers grasped the Velcro covering and pulled, making the satisfying noise that followed. Schwip! JJ gurgled with pleasure and reached forward to try it again.

"What do you think you're doing, little man?" Jack growled good-naturedly as he grabbed JJ around the middle and lifted him over head. The little boy laughed with glee, for this was much better than the covering on his father's watch!

Jack propelled him back and forth through the air, all the while remaining on his back on the bed. When his arms got tired, he plopped JJ back on the bed next to him. JJ waved both arms up and down in obvious delight and excitement. "Well, you're certainly no worse for the wear from your little escapade, are you buddy?" Jack took a moment to look around the room. "Where did mommy get to?" he asked, as if the little boy could answer him.

Sam chose that moment to walk into the room. "I'm right here. I thought I'd let you two sleep a bit longer while I got cleaned up," she added as she came to sit on the edge of the bed, smiling at the similar looks her two boys were giving her.

Jack took in her still damp hair and the clean BDU's that she had changed into. He frowned, "You're the one who should have been sleeping longer, not me," he gently admonished her.

Sam leaned forward and kissed him gently. "I'm fine, Jack. Besides, there was too much running through my mind."

Jack groaned as he rolled off the bed. He had an inkling what kind of thoughts were keeping her awake. "We're not going to start this discussion already, are we?"

She gave him a sideways glance as she began to change JJ. "Well, you can probably get cleaned up first. Then we should all eat something; Janet brought some food back for us. The High Chancellor's wife sent it over."

Jack stopped his movement around the bed and looked at her, a question on his face. "He's locked up, don't worry. According to Malem, Shakena was extremely upset over what happened and is trying to make amends for her husband's actions," Sam explained.

Jack snorted – the less he heard about that particular man, the better. "Is everyone back now?" he asked as he continued to the small bathroom next to their room.

"Yes, they are all waiting to talk to us, even Malem is here. I had Teal'c contact General Landry and inform him that we will be delayed another day at least." When Jack again shot her a look of disapproval, she said quietly, "We can't just walk away from this, Jack. There's a reason our son was mentioned in the prophecies and why he alone could gain access to the secret chamber. It's our responsibility to find out why," she insisted.

Jack stared hard at her, seeing the determination in her eyes. While he admired her persistence in most matters, this was not one of them. But, having had the opportunity to rest and think about things (though he wouldn't admit to her that he had also lain awake thinking!), he did see her point. But there would definitely be concessions made before any actions were taken. "Fine, we'll discuss it with everyone, Sam. See what Daniel and your dad have found out. But I will not risk JJ's safety," he stated adamantly.

She looked at him with a pained expression. "You think I would? JJ's just as precious to me as he is to you, Jack," she said vowed softly.

Jack sighed. "I know that, Sam. Come 'ere," and he pulled her into an embrace, JJ of course included. "We'll figure it out together, OK?" When he felt her nod against his chest, he pulled back and kissed her forehead. "Save some food for me?" he asked with a smile.

Sam returned his smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes, and turned to leave the room, giving Jack time to clean up and collect his thoughts. He had a feeling he was going to need all the patience he could muster.

"I know we have no right to ask this of you, Ambassador, but we feel it is imperative to our future to do so." Malem stood in the center of the living room, facing Jack. With him stood three other members of the cabinet of the Makesh council. "As Daniel has mentioned, this is the final day of the 52nd cycle. If the prophecy is correct, we must act now in order to prevent the destruction that may befall our people."

"That's the key word here Malem; if," Jack replied. "We have no idea if these prophecies will come true or not. And I am not willing to risk JJ's safety on a big fat if!"

"Jack," Daniel spoke up. "No one is willing to risk JJ's safety. But if you recall, the chair the Ancient's left in Antarctica didn't cause anyone who used it any harm. It was used to activate other Ancient devices within the chamber where it was located."

"What if JJ sits there, and weapons start going off, destroying the village? Do you think we're going to have time to get all of us out of there, much less the entire village? Answer me that, Daniel!"

Jacob stepped forward, determined to diffuse the tension in the room. "I don't think that's going to happen, Jack. Daniel and I translated as much as we could in the room. There is no mention of an offensive weapon. According to the text, the chosen one will be an instrument of knowledge for the people."

Jack snorted. "So, they're expecting a 9 month old to teach these people something? That I'd like to see!"

"I think what dad meant, Jack, is that JJ will be an instrument for the knowledge to be imparted. A catalyst if you will. For some reason, our son has been chosen to help these people in this time and this place. I think we should find out what that is, don't you?" she asked quietly from his side. She had tried not to voice her opinions too strongly, as she didn't want to cause any dissention between the two of them Besides, Jack knew her position; she didn't have to keep trying to persuade him to her way of thinking.

Jack sighed; how was he supposed to make this decision? Internally, he knew the Ancients wouldn't devise something that would injure a child. But it went against everything he felt as a father to put his son in this situation. "Teal'c? What do you think?"

"I believe it is our duty to discover the intentions of the Ancients, O'Neill. With all of us present, JJ will come to no harm. I have contacted Thor; he will lock onto JJ's bio signs and monitor him from his ship. Should JJ experience even a minor amount of distress, Thor will transport him to safety." Teal'c had thought long and hard about this situation as well and, while he held similar reservations as Jack, he also felt that any opportunity to uncover the secrets of the Ancients must be taken. With Thor's assurances of JJ's safety, Teal'c felt the risk to the small boy was minimal.

Jack looked at Malem. "What if I agree to this and JJ somehow manages to show us a way to save your people? What will happen to the High Chancellor? He needs to be held accountable for what he's done, as does Beroni," he insisted in a harsh voice.

One of the council members, Tomaine, stepped forward. "You need have no fear of that, Ambassador. They will be held accountable and suitably punished. In fact, because of his transgressions, the council has decided that there will no longer be a High Chancellor of the Makesh people. We will be governed by a body of elders who will work together to represent the interests of the people."

"Well, that's a start, I guess," Jack amended. He looked at Sam, who was holding a very content JJ on her lap. "Are you sure about this Sam? There's no other way to figure out what's down there?"

"I don't think there is Jack. With all of us there, and Thor ready as back-up, I truly believe JJ will be fine," Sam stated with conviction.

Jack looked at his son, happily playing with his mother's dog tags, oblivious to the serious discussion taking place around him. He looked around the room at the people gathered there and knew that all of them, even the Makesh council, would do everything within their power to ensure JJ's safety.

Just as he was about to give an answer, the holographic image of Thor joined them in the living room. The four members of the Makesh jumped back in alarm, not used to Thor's rather abrupt methods of appearing.

"Thor, glad you could join us," Jack greeted him. "Do you have something helpful to add, because frankly, buddy, I'm not so sure about all of this."

"I am sorry O'Neill. I do not believe that what I have to add will be construed as helpful." Thor blinked and looked around at the gathered people. "Long range scanners have recently alerted me to the presence of several unknown vessels headed this way. I believe they may be the ones the prophesy referred to. Scanners indicate that they are headed directly to Moval and should arrive within the next 12 hours."

TBC