Daniel wasn't the only one to stare at Melony, surprised by how quickly she'd said no, and how cold her voice had been.
"But… it's perfect…" he said. "The Jaffa would draw the Wraith to them like bees to honey, and-"
"You want me to get the Jaffa, bring them here, and put them on a deserted planet just so the Wraith can come looking for them?"
When she put it that way it sounded bad, and Daniel knew it. But he hadn't exactly meant it that way.
"Of course not. We just need a plan, that's all. A way to keep them from being hurt."
"No, Daniel."
"Colonel Mitchell…" Sam started, turning Melony's attention from Daniel to her. "He's right. If we had help from the Jaffa, we might actually have a chance to save Atlantis…"
"I don't care. I'm not going to use them as bait for the Wraith. This isn't their fight."
Weir frowned.
"If the Wraith reach Earth, they're not going to stop there, Colonel. They'll continue wreaking havoc on our home system – and eventually, they'll find the Jaffa as well, and then it will be their fight."
"Not if we destroy Atlantis and stop them from coming in the first place."
"Destroying Atlantis isn't an option," McKay said, loudly. "This place is too incredible to even think of destroying – and I-"
"The Wraith reaching Earth isn't an option," Jack interrupted. "Anything else goes."
"Not using the Jaffa," Mitchell repeated, stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair.
"I don't understand," Teyla said into the silence that followed. "These Jaffa are like Teal'c here, correct?"
"Yes," Daniel said.
"So send Teal'c to ask them for help." Teyla gave Mitchell an apologetic look, but continued. "Would they not help one of their own before they listen to one who isn't?"
"I would never go behind Colonel Mitchell's back in such an instance," Teal'c said, shaking his head. While the big Jaffa knew that Melony wasn't the goddess that most of his people believed her to be, he did have nothing but respect for her – and he owed her just as much as the rest of his people did. He'd never do anything of the sort.
"Besides," Daniel said, gloomily, leaning back as well. "The Jaffa won't do what we tell them to – not even Teal'c. It'd have to come from Melony."
"These are the people who believe her to be their god?" Kale asked.
"Yes."
"Then she is right to protect them."
They all looked at Kale, who glanced over at Melony.
"Whether she is their god or not, they look upon her as such. If Melony went through so much effort to free them from their former masters, then she is responsible for them. As much as I would like to see the Wraith brought down, it would be wrong of her to risk her people in a manner so cavalier as to throw away their lives just because you are unwilling to sacrifice Atlantis."
"But what about the other people on other planets?" Teyla asked, heatedly. "Do they not deserve a chance to live as well? Do we not have a duty to them to try and protect them, also?"
They all knew she was talking about not only her own people, but also those that she had formed trading bonds with over the years. Or those they'd met along the way once she'd started going with the Atlanteans when they'd arrived.
Mitchell scowled.
"I haven't given up on defeating the Wraith, Teyla," she said, leaning forward. "I didn't say anything about going through the gate before we blew up Atlantis. I just said I'm not going to sacrifice the Jaffa."
"You're not staying here," Jack said.
She looked over at him, and he knew that that was exactly what she'd do if they ended up blowing the city – and its Stargate.
"The Wraith are responsible for the death of Colonel Sumner. I'm going to make them pay for it." She hadn't forgotten her original promise, and she wasn't going to. Especially since Talon was in total agreement with her.
"But why not at least ask the Jaffa if they'd be interested in helping?" Daniel asked.
"Because you haven't told me any kind of plan that would use them in any role besides hamburger."
"They're warriors, Melony," Daniel said, exasperated. "A whole race of people just like Teal'c! Do you know how much good they could do here?"
"They're people, Daniel," she snapped. "And if I were to go ahead and just use them, mindless of the implications and the risks, then I'd be no better than the Goa'uld that we freed them from, now would I?"
He started to say something, but he stopped. She was right, and he knew it. And he also knew that she'd mentioned his role in freeing the Jaffa for a reason, because like Kale had said, that made Daniel just as responsible for them as Melony was. Well, maybe not just as responsible, but close enough.
"What if we came up with something?" He said, looking at Jack for suggestions. "Something that wouldn't put them at any more risk than anyone else?"
Mitchell scowled, but leaned back once more, a little more relaxed.
"I'd consider it," she said. Then she added, "I'd consider bringing it up to them, anyways. I won't force them to do anything. It'd be their decision in the end…"
As it should be, Talon agreed.
Yes.
Daniel looked slightly mollified, as did McKay – who was well aware what kind of advantage they'd have if they could convince Mitchell to bring in the Jaffa.
"So… we need some ideas, then," Jack said, looking over at Melony. He'd kept quiet during the discussion about the Jaffa because while he privately agreed with Melony, he also was very tempted to ask her to bring them out anyways, knowing full well that they would be a big help in his own desire to bring the Wraith down for killing Sumner, and unwilling to use his own influence on Melony when she was making her decision.
She shrugged, unsure if she even wanted to help come up with anything. As far as she was concerned, the Jaffa were doing fine where they were.
"It is true that the Wraith would be drawn to a planet if they believed that the planet was inhabited by people with life forces as strong as Colonel Mitchell's or Teal'c's," Teyla said.
"If we had a way to even let the Wraith know…" Sheppard said, shrugging.
"That wouldn't be a problem," Sam said, a little smugly. "We can talk to the Wraith any time we want to – and they won't know it's not one of their own."