For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1

Chapter 3: Song and Dance
(Janet's POV)

As soon as I walk into General Hammond's office I realize what this is about. Sitting on his desk is the draft of Sam and Daniel's guidelines and I can't help but cringe as I think of what is to come. I guess that was my mistake: I didn't realize that as soon as those guidelines were ready I'd find myself in some very hot water. Well, there's nothing I can do about it now but face the music... that and do some serious tap dancing.

"Dr. Fraiser, do you know why I called you?"

"Yes, sir."

"So, care to tell me what on earth were you thinking when you decided to keep something of this magnitude from me?" asks the general and I know better than to pretend I don't know what he's referring to.

"At the time I felt there were more immediate concerns in terms of dealing with Captain Carter's situation and then the subject never came up again, sir," I say, even though I know that explanation doesn't even qualify as a half-truth.

"It never 'came up'? And the thought of mentioning it never crossed your mind?" he growls.

"It was a threat, sir. A serious one, undoubtedly, but at the time I figured our top priority had to be to help Sam cope with what had happened rather than with what might have happened," I point out, hoping against hope to keep this conversation away from the issue of whether or not it's safe for women to be assigned to SG teams in the first place.

"Yes, well, this goes a lot further than just Captain Carter, doesn't it?" he asks and I realize that we are going to have no choice but to go over this... again.

"With all due respect, sir, that threat has been there all along, the only difference is that now we know about it."

"And we are damned well going to do something to keep it from becoming more than just a threat!"

"Sir?"

"The risks are just too great, doctor."

"Sir, I realize that ours is a dangerous job, but all the reasons to have women assigned to SG teams still remain. That's what those guidelines are about: they are about helping us understand the risks, not hide from them."

"Is that what you are going to tell one of your patients when something like this becomes more than just a threat? That the risks were worth it and even necessary?" he challenges.

"No, sir," I concede.

"Then?"

"I don't know. I admit there are no easy answers and there are bound to be some major consequences no matter what we do. To keep women from SG teams, to deny them that opportunity because of their gender would be unfair but at the same time there's no denying that the risks are serious and they have a right to be aware of them. That is one of the things I think Daniel had in mind when he suggested those guidelines in the first place: to allow women to make their own decisions. After all, they are the ones in danger so it should be up to them to make that call."

"You mean to tell me you planned this from the start?" asks the general and I realize that this is not going as expected.

"No, sir. The guidelines were originally Daniel's idea but I do think they can work. Women have a right to know what kind of risks they are likely to face out there and they should have a right to refuse to join an SG team if they feel those risks are too great but at the same time that should remain their call. In addition to that there's also the fact that we don't know whether or not Simarka was an isolated instance, we don't know if this practice is widespread and that means we don't even know how justified our concerns really are. Personally I believe that banning women from off-world travel based on a single incident --no matter how unpleasant-- would be excessive, especially considering that in the seven months since Simarka there have been no other incidents of this nature."

"So you think that just because we've been lucky up until now we should keep taking our chances?"

"No, sir, with all due respect what I think is that there is no 'us' here. I think it should be an individual decision. I think making it a matter of policy would be too restrictive and it could come back to haunt us in those instances in which a woman's presence is actually required. From what we've seen so far, SG teams must be capable of dealing with all kinds of different cultures and situations and that means they need as much flexibility as they can get. Given the nature of the work we do here we need fewer regulations, not more of them. We need to be able to cut through the red tape in order to be able to deal with different situations effectively, I think you know that," I say before going on.

"The way I see it, right now we have a good balance. We have a situation in which --for the most part-- no one can be ordered to join an SG team but at the same time no one is barred from joining one if they are qualified to do so. I am all for providing potential team members all the facts they need to make an informed decision without sugarcoating the risks, however I don't think it should be up to us to make that decision on their behalf."

"And would you join an SG team, knowing what you know, if you had a chance to do so?"

"Yes, sir," I say without hesitating.

"And what about Cassandra? Would you allow your daughter to join a first contact team?"

"Well, sir, she is a little young," I point out.

"That is not what I meant, doctor."

"I know, sir, but the thing is that she is too young to fully understand the dangers she'd be facing and that means she is in no position to make an informed decision. That is precisely my point."

"But if she were old enough."

"Then I would respect her choice... and she wouldn't need my approval anyway."

"And Captain Carter?"

"What about her?"

"Do you think it is reasonable for us to ask her to keep facing those dangers time and time again?"

"Well, sir, with all due respect, that is exactly what I'm trying to say here: we are not asking her to. She could have requested to be reassigned after Simarka but she didn't. It is her choice to be out there and I don't think there's anyone in this facility who is in a better position to understand just how real the dangers are and those dangers haven't stopped her... in fact they haven't even slowed her down," I say, hoping to prove my point once and for all.