Author's note: As much as some people dislike Colonel Caldwell, I find him a fascinating character, and couldn't help myself not to explore his character a bit after The Long Goodbye. Big thanks to Purpleyin and fififolle for betaing.

Updated on 23rd August 2021; I corrected a couple of passages.

Knowing that things were more or less back to normal, and with Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir out of the infirmary, Colonel Caldwell went back to his ship, which had landed on one of Atlantis' piers several hours earlier. He had just entered Engineering, expecting a report on the repairs, when he felt Hermiod's eyes on him. He turned to see the Asgard muttering to himself and slightly shaking his head at the Colonel's back.

»What?«

Hermiod didn't say anything, just turned towards his console and continued with typing and his Asgard mutterings.

»Hermie?«

Hermiod lifted his head again. To an outsider, his face might have seemed expressionless, but not to Lindsey Novak. She nodded at the alien and, with a serious expression, ushered everybody outside. She knew the Asgard well enough to know he wanted to speak with the Colonel privately. Surprisingly, Caldwell got used to reading Hermiod as well as Novak.

»Alright, Hermie. Will you tell me now that we're alone?« he asked.

Hermiod stopped typing.

A pause ensued.

»I am disappointed in your behavior with the recent events on Atlantis,« Hermiod finally said.

»Disappointed? Why? And why you?«

»I have read the reports,« Hermiod pointed out.

The little alien had taken up reading the Atlantis and Daedalus reports as a hobby, excusing himself on the privilege of being a member of one of the Earth's allies. Some people thought he was being pampered for the same reason, but as time went by, the Daedalus crew got used to the fact he had acquired that right of the senior officers.

»I know you know what happened,« Caldwell challenged. »I want to know what makes you criticize my actions. Moreover, criticize a thing you know nothing about.«

Hermiod only started muttering in Asgard again and returned to typing.

»Hermie!«

»It is you who doesn't know things well enough,« Hermiod said, obviously insulted.

»You're just like Doctor McKay,« Caldwell said under his breath.

Hermiod obviously heard him, because he turned to the commander again, staring with his big black eyes, and narrowing them a little.

»Alright, if I listen to you, will you tell me?« Caldwell conceded.

Hermiod didn't reply, he just walked from behind his console and went to sit in a chair by the other console. Caldwell took the unspoken invitation, or an order, and sat in another chair, turning to face the Asgard.

»It was imprudent of you to claim command so readily – after you allowed the aliens to take over Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard.«

Caldwell seethed.

»I didn't allow them to be taken over!«

»Perhaps not with Doctor Weir,« Hermiod said, then mumbling to himself in Asgard, what – if Caldwell was right with what little Asgard he'd learnt – meant that the Earthlings were a little too enthusiastic and naïve about exploration and that the Replicators should happen to them too. Then he switched back to English. »But you certainly allowed that with Colonel Sheppard. His report clearly states that.«

»It was his choice.« Though still affronted, Caldwell started squirming in his seat.

»And you are his superior officer – as you so enjoy pointing out. You thought it was a risk, you should have protected him.«

»I couldn't order him.«

»From what I understand of your military, you could. And if he didn't obey, appropriate actions could be taken by Doctor Weir.« A pause. »Or Doctor McKay.«

Caldwell cringed slightly. »They're civilians.«

»They are heading the expedition.« Hermiod pointed out. »Do you really want to lead only when and where you desire and not take the entire burden of leadership upon you?« Hermiod might have phrased it as a question, but to Caldwell's experienced ears, it was definitely a statement. A statement that, he realized suddenly, was true. But a man of his strength of character would never admit it.

»They're not trained for these sorts of situations.«

»Neither were the Asgard who first encountered similar situations.«

»Are you saying it would be best if you'd handled the situation?«

»I was making repairs.«

Caldwell stayed quiet for a little while, conveying how affronted he felt only with his expression.

»We did what was best in the situation,« he then said.

»You did what you thought was best in the situation.«

»I come from a long line of military men, Hermiod. Leadership is instilled into me. Those people just want the position for prestige.«

Again, Hermiod narrowed his eyes at Caldwell and swung the chair around a little.

»The Asgard believe that the true leadership comes from the people you lead, Colonel. You assumed everybody would follow your lead just because you said they should.«

»It's their job to do that.«

»Not everybody's, from what I understand.«

»Everybody relevant to the situation had to follow my orders. It was a military situation.«

»And it was you who decided it was?«

»I know these things, Hermie. I am trained to recognize them.« Hermiod noticed that Caldwell slid further towards the edge of the seat upon saying this.

»Still, the way the expedition is proposed, it is what you call a civilian matter. It ought to be a civilian's, Doctor Weir's or Doctor McKay's decision. Maybe Colonel Sheppard's. You command our ship, Colonel. Do I need to remind you of that?« Hermiod gave him an almost pleading look, one that told of a crewmember asking his commander to care about them first.

»As I said, they are not trained to recognize a military situation.«

»By your doctrine.« Hermiod's expression hardened, something one could hardly expect from the deep black eyes and the mouth that seemed to have a lot less mobility than that of a human. Every Daedalus crewmember would be able to tell that at this point Hermiod would not allow to be countered. »They would have allowed you to make the decisions regarding actions, they would have trusted you to know when it's a military matter and would agree with you when you told them, you would only have to listen to them and know that it's their decision what is best for the city.«

»Doctor Weir was incapacitated.«

»Which left Doctor McKay, yes.« Hermiod agreed.

»Yes.«

»If you had let him take over, you would have garnered much more respect from all the people of Atlantis. I know there are a good number of people who don't trust you, who think that you want the command for prestige.«

»And what makes you think they don't dislike Doctor McKay as much as me?«

»I have read the reports, Colonel.«

»So you think they trust him enough to accept him as a leader?«

Hermiod cocked his head.

»I don't have time to listen to petty souls defend a man who intimidates them most of the time. He argued with me about taking over in front of them!«

»Exactly what you did, except that he did it with a better reason.«

»No. He still hasn't gotten over that Goa'uld affair. He wanted to take over with that reason.«

»You haven't gotten over it either,« Hermiod pointed out. Being the one who had supervised the removal of the Goa'uld and one of those looking over his commander afterwards, he knew it all too well.

»That's different. What do you think it's like when they think you'll do something damaging? You can't show weakness.« Caldwell was on the edge of the seat at that point.

Hermiod looked deep into the Colonel's eyes and saw something he hadn't seen before. »You were hurt by Doctor McKay's lack of trust in you.« He knew the Colonel respected Dr. McKay and his opinion, that the physicist's acceptance meant something to his commander. Losing that acceptance, even in his imagination, was hard on the Colonel. Hermiod figured that may have been the reason for Colonel Caldwell's vehemence in taking over this time – as opposed to Colonel Sheppard's iratus conversion and many other minor incidents. Somehow he couldn't believe that the reports for both events would differ so much in their emotional connotations. And he believed Colonel Caldwell wasn't right. Certainly not about the situation before the recent events. Despite his rapport, if not exactly friendship, with Rodney, Hermiod still didn't know how the events around the Goa'uld infiltration affected the physicist.

»No. It wasn't fair of him, but I wasn't insulted.«

»He gave in, in the end, didn't he?« was all Hermiod said, letting his commander think about that. He walked back to his console.

Caldwell slid back in his seat and stayed there for a couple of minutes, more or less fuming. He knew the Asgard wanted him to see his point, but he knew Hermiod was right. Still, the reaction was nothing he wouldn't expect from Hermie. The little grey nuisance had confronted him about things in the same way before.

»What now?« he asked after he calmed down.

»I believe we should make a few orbits around the planet to test our sublight engines' integration with the secondary hyperdrive assembly drivers, and then stock up on supplies of fresh vegetables,« Hermiod said, handing him a tablet with the repairs report.

»Agreed. I'll let the crew know.« He turned to leave to room. Then he turned back to Hermiod. »We'll have a couple of days off on the Mainland too.«

Hermiod nodded as Caldwell finally left Engineering.

While still alone he turned towards the screen and spoke to the ship. His Asgard would have been translated as, »With such leadership squabbles, it's a wonder they accomplish anything. You and me, we're at least safe from that.« He narrowed his eyes at the ship in quiet contentment, but he didn't forget about Atlantis. What would it be like there when they returned the next time?