"We do."
That was all that Teyla had needed to say to me. It was up to us to decide just when Sheppard's orders should be followed and when they should be ignored.
That was not how it was done on Setita.
On Setita, a military commander would make the choice to order a man to his death if the mission was important. Kell had taken things too far. A good leader would only do so if the success of the mission would save the lives of others, and he would never order a large number of men to the same death. Kell had sent thousands to die just to save himself.
Sheppard is the opposite. He is reluctant to put those under him in mortal danger. He is more likely to take the suicide mission himself. I'm still uncertain of how to feel about this particular trait. On one hand, it seems quite admirable. On the other, it seems foolhardy.
There is only one other officer of higher ranking on Atlantis, and that man is the commander of the starship that will not always be there. Below Sheppard's rank of Lt. Colonel are several people holding the rank of Major. If I understand their ranking system correctly, the most senior Major would be expected to step in and take Sheppard's place if he fell in battle, as Sheppard did when the Colonel who had come with him initially fell to the Wraith. Many of them are good, solid officers, but few of them have the same 'feel' as Sheppard. It takes more than rank to make an effective leader.
Dr. Weir is in charge of Atlantis. This doesn't make sense to me, but it apparently had something to do with diplomacy. From what I have been able to glean out of bits of conversations, Sheppard's home world has many cultures, religions and people living on it. It sounds like an entire galaxy crammed onto one planet that possesses over six billion human lives. Dr. Weir is experienced in negotiations between these different peoples and in mediating differences of opinion, allowing her to reduce the number of conflicts amongst the scholars and soldiers that may arise from ethnic and social strains. John has told me that it was a conglomeration of world leaders who had requested that someone they could all support be given leadership of Atlantis, and they were unlikely to support a single officer from only one nation. Weir is the leader of the city; Sheppard is the leader of the soldiers.
Still, I have Weir's obvious feelings of respect towards Sheppard. I've heard her defend him against Caldwell, admitting that he has saved the lives of everyone on that city and is an invaluable person. So why, then, does she allow him to risk his life over and over again? Though I have only been with these people for a few weeks, even I can see that the sudden absence of John Sheppard would leave a chaotic vacuum within Atlantis as the soldiers are forced to try and come to terms with new leadership. The level of trust and respect Sheppard has earned from these men is not easily given. It is clear that these Earth soldiers are emboldened to have a leader who would never ask of them what he would not do himself.
They were simply too close to the matter. It takes an outsider to see things as they are.
"We do."
As part of Sheppard's team, it is my place to be there when needed. Teyla was right in saying that Atlantis, that these people are the best hope there was to ridding the galaxy of the Wraith, once and for all. To do so, however, they will have to remain as solid and as well grounded as they were now. That cannot be if John Sheppard throws his life away in a valiant attempt to keep his men from dying. Taking risks is one thing; taking foolish risks is unacceptable.
For the sake of all those who lived under the threat of Wraith cullings, someone has to protect Lt. Colonel John Sheppard from himself.
As a member of his team, it is my place to decide when Sheppard needs to be stopped from going too far.
Even if I have to beat the sense of the matter into him.