One of Them
"This is madness!" Jonas Quinn declared vehemently, "You cannot seriously be considering the possibility of giving into them!"
"What choice do we have?" one of the delegates questioned heatedly, "Denying would surely lead to our own destruction!"
Jonas flew out of his chair and leaned forward, hands planted firmly on the table. "We'd be better off dead than to be enslaved to another false god!" he stated, angry that they would even consider it, "If the claims made about these gods are true, then we shouldn't have to fear them if we deny them, but we do because we know what they really are – no better than Goa'uld!"
"They are more powerful than the Goa'uld," another delegate interjected, "We've witnessed their power firsthand, and that was just of their Priors; who knows what kind of power the Ori really have."
Jonas almost growled in frustration. "Only because they're ascended beings!" he contradicted, "Dr. Jackson and the SGC has already warned us about the Ori and these Priors. We'd be foolish not to heed their warnings!"
The first delegate, Lucia Tarthus, sneered at him. "You side with the Tau'ri far too often," she said accusingly, "We are beginning to question where your true loyalties lie."
Jonas glared back at her. "My loyalties have always been here; everything I have done has been for Langara," he told them, "Do you not remembered the last time we did not heed their advice?" he asked rhetorically, "You almost led the entire planet to its destruction! Without the help of the SGC, Langara would have been destroyed. We would not only be fools not to heed their advice but it would also condemn us once again."
"Jonas," First Minister Dreylock interjected gently, "we do not questioned the validity of their claim, only if it would be in the best interest of Langara to deny what the Ori offer."
"You mean enslavement?" Jonas retorted, "Instead of bowing to false gods, we should be helping in the fight against them! With the Orici now in the picture, it's only going to get harder."
"Exactly," Dreylock agreed, "but Jonas, we must think of what's best for Langara. We have just over a million lives to think of and we cannot make a life or death decision for them all, nor can doom them to death based on our personal convictions. Accepting their offer would ensure that our people live. If you believe the Tau'ri are able to stop them, then what does it do if we accept?"
"What harm?" he asked, "The worship from their followers makes the Ori stronger!"
"While that may be," Ovirda interjected, "it is something we must risk. The lives of our people depend on us and like First Minister Dreylock said, we cannot make a decision that would wipe us out. We have all seen the reports the SGC has supplied and we know full well what happens to a planet should they deny the Ori – it is something we cannot allow to happen here."
Jonas couldn't help but feel a little betrayed. While he had no blood family left to speak of, Ovirda had been his father closest friend, and while their relationship had been estranged for some time, they had finally gotten close again shortly after his marriage, and the man became like another father. Hearing him agree with the rest of the room that they should enslave themselves in order to survive had Jonas questioning the man. Maybe his time on Earth had affected him more than he previously thought because he truly would rather stand up for his principles and convictions than subject himself to false gods.
"Shall we put it to a vote?" Dreylock suggested and received nods from all but Jonas. "All in favor, raise your hand."
Every hand but Jonas went up and he felt his stomach drop.
No matter the decision, Jonas knew he could never accept the Ori as gods, and he would not hide his beliefs. He would not pretend, he would not be complaisant, and he would not comply or fall in line. SG-1 had taught him better than that. Instead, he would fight for what he knew was right.
It was what a member of SG-1 would do.
o0o
Today was a bad day.
For multiple reasons. It started with the Free Jaffa on Dakara using the weapon to wipe out an entire village in hopes it would kill the Orici and stop the war with the Ori, but that didn't exactly work out as planned. He had watched Vala struggle with her feelings over the situation when they believed Adria to be dead. She had this idea on how she was supposed to feel and did her best to project that to the rest of them, but deep down Daniel knew she felt it more keenly that she would ever admit to herself. Adria being alive only seemed to confuse Vala more. He was worried about her and didn't know what to do about it.
Then Dakara had been destroyed, taking with it numerous Jaffa lives, and leaving a devastated Teal'c even though he tried not to show it. Daniel now had two grieving friends…until they got back to the SGC and found out that Langara had fallen to the Ori, shocking the hell out of all of them.
Sam hadn't taken it well. When she delivered the news, Daniel knew she was more affected that she let on, and he didn't blame her. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around it too. He honestly shouldn't be so surprised – the Langarians, with the exception of Jonas, were…stupid. He realized he was being harsh with his judgement but they really were. Would they ever learn? But his surprise came from the fact that Jonas had allowed this. He was supposed to be the voice of reason among Langara, but maybe he tried to be and the council had decided to go against sound judgement once again.
Daniel was left with three grieving friends and didn't know which one to tackle first. He knew Vala was out since she wouldn't open up with him, not now anyways, and maybe not for a long time, so he decided to leave her be – maybe he'd send Teal'c. The two of them could help each other by simply being in each other's presence – they could watch Star Wars.
Sam, well sending Jack would probably be the way to go but Daniel knew the General currently had a lot on his plate and taking a break from it would be more stress the man didn't need. So, Sam it was.
As he appeared in Sam's doorway, he hesitantly knocked on the frame. "Hey," he greeted cautiously.
Her eyes flew to him. "Daniel."
He slowly shuffled into the lab. "How you holding up?" he asked gingerly, "With Langara and all that."
"Honestly?" she said, "I'm fucking pissed."
Daniel raised his brows. He hadn't been expecting that. "Oh?" he said dumbly.
"We both know Jonas would've never allowed this to happen, not without fighting like hell," she stated, "So I'm fucking pissed that they ignored him again! How many times does he and the rest of us need to save their asses? When will actually start listening to him?"
"Sam – "
"What was the point in him returning?" she kept going, "They don't give a damn on what he has to say or offer, so why go back at all? Why not stay on Earth where he is valued! Because he certainly isn't there!"
He gave her a second to come down from her rant. "He met his wife there. They started a life together there," he reminded her gently, "It is his home."
Sam shook her head. "No, Earth was his home," she contradicted, "Home is where you're loved, wanted, and valued, not where you're ignored and treated like shit."
"Sam, that's not fair," he told her.
"Well, it's the truth!"
"That may be," he responded diplomatically, "but it was his decision to make and we should respect that."
Her sad eyes met him. "You don't understand."
Daniel didn't take her comment offensively 'cause she was right. He didn't understand, not in that way at least, since the three members of SG-1 had bonded to the alien man during his one year as an ascended being. The job tended to bring the team members close in a certain way due to the constant threat of death and the level of trust you placed in each other – they put their own lives in each other's hand and if that didn't spell trust, then nothing would. Daniel hadn't bonded with Jonas in that way. Yes, he cared about the man and thought of him as family, but he wasn't and would never be as close as the rest of them were, and he was okay with that.
"Maybe not," he admitted, "but it still was his decision in the end and you can't change that; you can't fault him for loving his world and wanting to make it a better place."
She sighed and looked down. "You're right," she confessed quietly, "I'm just worried about him."
"I know you are," he said, "but he can take care of himself."
Sam glanced at him. "Can he?" she questioned, "He's not going to take this lying down. He's going to oppose the Ori and get himself hurt or worse, killed."
Daniel could see her point and began to share her worry. "He's smart," he assured her, "We just have to believe he'll be okay."
She gave a fake smile. "I hope you're right."
He did too.
o0o
"Unscheduled Off World Activation!"
Daniel looked up from his work and frowned at the spinning lights and blaring alarm. It was late, really late, bordering on morning, so who was the hell was dialing Earth? Sure, just because it was late for them didn't mean it was for other planets, but there was the fact that they didn't have any teams currently off world. His frown deepened.
"Daniel, what do you think it is?" Vala asked from her position across the desk.
He had asked for help in translating some Goa'uld scrolls, taking a break from the whole Ori war, and it was his attempt to let her know that he was here for her without saying it and causing her to pull back even further.
"I don't know," he responded and got up, "Better go find out though."
The two of them made it to the Control room, meeting up with the rest of SG-1. General Landry was out for the night, leaving Sam in charge. Even Generals went home occasionally.
"What've we got?" Sam asked Walter.
"Not sure, ma'am," the Sergeant replied, "Waiting on an IDC."
Sam frowned. "How long has the 'gate been opened?" she asked.
Walter quickly glanced at the time. "Just over five minutes, Colonel."
"And no IDC yet?" she asked rhetorically, "Have you checked to see if anything else is being transmitted through the wormhole?"
"Checking now, ma'am," the Sergeant typed on his keyboard to pull up a few other screens, "I'm not seeing anything."
"Strange," Sam mumbled and leaned in for a closer look.
"Sam?" Daniel inquired.
"Give me a sec," she replied distractedly and took a seat beside Walter and worked on the monitor there.
"Colonel, receiving IDC now," Walter announced, "It's Jonas Quinn's personal one, ma'am."
"Open the iris!" Sam ordered before rushing to the 'gate room with SG-1 and Vala trailing behind her.
But instead of Jonas Quinn coming through, a woman with blonde shoulder length hair came through – Kianna Quinn – shortly followed by the blasts from the Ori soldiers' staffs, causing the woman to duck.
"Close the iris!" SG-1 yelled simultaneously.
The order was followed and nothing else came through – only Kianna. The woman stayed seated on the ramp, looking shell shocked. Sam rushed to her, calling for a medical team as she did, and began to assess her friend's wife.
"Kianna, you okay?" she asked gently and was relieved to see no injuries. "Kianna?" she promoted again when the woman didn't answer. When Kianna finally met her eyes, Sam felt her stomach drop. "Kianna, where's Jonas? Why didn't he come through with you?"
Tears filled the alien's eyes. "Jonas is dead," she said in a broken whisper before breaking down altogether.
o0o
Twelve Hours Ago…
"Jonas, what are you doing?" Kianna asked as she walked in on her husband packing in a frenzy, "Jonas, stop!"
"I can't!" he told her and continued to shove the bare minimum of what she would in a small bag. He snatched a photo of them on their wedding day and added it as well. It wasn't needed but she should have something of their time together to remember him by.
"What happened?"
"The council has decided to take the Ori up on their offer," he told her.
Damn, that wasn't good. "Why are you packing?" she retorted, "Where are we going?"
"We are going nowhere," he told her, "You are going to Earth; you'll be safer there."
Kianna was already shaking her head. "I'm going anywhere without you!"
Jonas tore apart their closet to drag out his heavy safe before unlocking it and grabbing the only item in there. "You are and you will not fight me on this!" he told her as he came up to her and held up the item – his own personal GDO. "Do you remember how to use this and the code?"
"Yes, but – "
"Good," he cut her off and walked over to her bag and shoved it on top, "I'll get you as close as I can to the Stargate, but the Prior and their soldiers have already begun to take over the city. I don't know how much longer it'll be before we can even get near it."
"Why aren't you coming with me?" she demanded.
Jonas walked back to her and cupped her face. "I cannot abandoned our people again. I must stay and try to change their minds – to fight against the Ori," he told her, "I must help them see reason."
"But you would have me abandon our home?" she retorted, "Our world? Why can I not stay as well? I can help Jonas!"
"Because I need you safe!" he yelled. Jonas Quinn rarely raised his voice and when he did, people normally took notice – normally. He took a deep breath before confessing, "I need to know you're safe – both of you!"
Kianna watched him, taking in his expression, his demeanor, and the tears in his eyes and knew. "I'm never going to see you again, am I?" she asked the dreadful truth of reality, "This…fools' errand is going to get you killed, isn't it?"
His expression pleaded with her to understand. "I have to do this," he tried to persuade her, "I have to at least try to save our people. You must see that."
She pushed him away. "And our people are more important than your wife?" she shot back, "Your child?"
"That's not fair," he said hoarsely.
"Neither is what you're doing to me."
"But it's the right thing," he said, "My conscious…it won't allow me to do otherwise. Please understand."
Kianna would never truly understand, but she knew her husband and knew if he did leave and anything happened to their world, he would take that burden, forever blaming himself, and she couldn't do that to him. He had strong convictions, he was an honorable man, and would always chose to do the right thing.
It was one of the things she loved most about him.
o0o
"Getting to the Stargate didn't go as planned," Kianna recounted, "After Jonas left the house, I never saw him again," she told the others emotionlessly as she laid in one of their infirmary beds.
SG-1, Jack, Vala, General Landry, and Dr. Lam all stood around her as she retold the events that transpired on Langara.
"What happened?" Jack asked quietly, emotionally blocking himself off to the pain of losing one of his team members.
Kianna's eyes flickered to him briefly. "I don't know all the details," she confessed, "One of the facility's guards, a trusted friend of Jonas', found me and told me the news; Jonas was very opposed to the council's decision to accept Origin and he didn't keep his objections quiet. Apparently the Prior found out and decided to make him an example and a warning to others."
"Fuck!" Jack hissed.
"That's all I was told before the guard proceeded to get me to the Stargate – he promised Jonas to get me off Langara," Kianna finished before meeting Jack's gaze head on, "Why wouldn't come with me? I begged him to, but he said he couldn't leave our people. Why?"
They all knew the answering, including Kianna, so no one bothered to answer.
o0o
"How is she doc?" Jack asked as they took a seat at the briefing room table.
Dr. Lam flipped open the medical file. "Physically, she's fine," she surmised, "but emotionally, that's a different story."
"The baby?" Sam inquired quietly.
"Healthy," Carolyn stated, "She's approximately seven weeks along and everything looks to be on track."
"Is there any concern for the pregnancy with the state Kianna is in?" Daniel asked, "Grief can be a powerful thing and the last thing she needs is to lose someone else."
Carolyn looked hesitant to answer but did so anyways. "That's always a possibility," she admitted, "but for now, the fetus seems strong, and I don't foresee any problems at this time. The best way to ensure that her child stays healthy and alive is by helping her grieve Mr. Quinn in a healthy way and making sure she takes proper care of herself."
"Whatever she needs," Jack instantly promised, "We'll help her get through this."
The rest of SG-1 silently agreed.
o0o
He found her in her quarters crying.
"Oh, Sam," Jack said softly and gathered her into his arms as he took a seat on the bed.
"He's gone, Jack," Sam cried, "he's actually gone."
He felt the sting of his own tears. "I know."
"Why did he have to go back?" she asked, "He belonged here – he was one of us!"
"I know."
"It's not fair!" she continued, anger mixing with sorrow, "He didn't deserve this! He was one of the sweetest guys out there. He didn't deserve to die! He deserved to see his child be born, to meet it!"
Jack squeezed his eyes shut and felt a tear run down. "He did," he whispered, "and we'll make sure that kid wants for nothing – it's one of us now. We'll never replace it's dad, but it always be loved by us, and we'll always be there for it and Kianna – we can do that much for Jonas."
"It's the least anyone can do," Sam stated.
Jack silently agreed. They didn't talk anymore but instead, comforted each other as they grieved a man who was like a little brother to them.
o0o
"Daniel," Vala greeted hesitantly as she stood in his office doorway, "are you okay?" She about hit herself for asking such a stupid question – of course he wasn't okay!
Daniel briefly glanced up at her. "I've been better," he admitted.
She slowly walked into the room, giving him a chance to tell her to leave him alone. "I'm sorry about your friend," she offered, taking a seat across from him, "Were you two close?"
He eyed her again. "Not as close as the others," he said, "but yeah, he was a good friend – a good man."
She stayed quiet, letting him process some more as she figured out a way to ask the question that had been burning since that woman had given her account of what happened. "Daniel, can I ask you something?"
"What?" he mumbled, eyes on the book in front of him.
"You…" she began and paused for a second, "When Kianna asked why Jonas didn't come with her, you all seemed to know the answer, including her, but I didn't; what am I missing?"
He met her eyes again. "You know the story of my first ascension, right?"
She nodded. "Of course, Mitchell told me."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Of course he did," he muttered, "Did he ever tell you the role Jonas played?"
Vala's brows scrunched in confusion. "I didn't know he played any part at all."
"Well, he did…" Daniel began to tell her the tale of one of the worst experiences of his life and how Jonas fit into it and how he came to be at the SGC. "You see, after letting me save his entire planet and his own government placing the blame on me, Jonas vowed to himself that he would never allow anything like that to happen again, that he would never stand by and not do the right thing."
She understood. "He couldn't stand idly by and let his entire planet be enslaved to false gods," she said, "He couldn't allow his planet to be a contributing part in the Ori's bloodbath. He had to stand up for what's right."
"Right," he confirmed, "Even if it meant his death."
Vala smiled ruefully. "Sounds like he got his example from you," she said gently.
Her statement shocked him slightly. Daniel hadn't thought of that, but it did make sense. That moment when he saved Langara had altered Jonas and his perception on life; it had impacted his conscious for the better.
"I know anyone of you here at the SGC would've done what you did on Langara," Vala continued, "so Jonas was just doing the same – because he was one of you."
He was one of them, she thought to herself. Would I ever do such a thing? Make such a sacrifice? Vala wanted to say she would but she knew herself too well. Though maybe one day, the Tau'ri would impact her the way they did Jonas. One could only hope.
Daniel smiled smally and blinked a few times before clearing his throat. "Yeah, he was."
Seeing his struggles, Vala walked over to his side and pulled him into a hug. She smiled internally when he didn't pull away, but instead squeezed her harder.
o0o
Kianna Quinn and her daughter, Attalia Quinn, never did want for anything – except for Jonas of course.
They settled on Earth and even when the Ori were finally gone, Kianna refused to return to Langara – it was no longer home and held nothing but painful memories for her. She never remarried, but instead devoted her life to her daughter and her job at the SGC, working in the Archeology department.
True to their word, Attalia was loved by the members of SG-1, past and present. They were present for every major life moment which included birthdays, school plays, baseball games, and most major holidays. She was told every year on the anniversary of his death that her father was a hero. They would tell stories of the man who loved fruit, the weather channel, classical music, and always had a grin on his face. They told her of his love for learning and how he loved exploring what their galaxy had to offer. And they told her of his sacrifice and how he always strived to do the right thing.
It had been five years since the death of Jonas Quinn and everyone who cared for him had long given up on his sacrifice meaning anything to his people, but it did pay off in the end.
"Daniel," Kianna said in surprise after she opened the door, "Vala. Come in!" she offered and moved aside to let them in, "What brings you all here?"
Vala set down her squirming three-year-old bundle that was her son. "Sorry we didn't call first," she apologized and winced as her son took off, "Sorry about that too. His energy is off the charts today."
"Gets that from you," Daniel mumbled.
"Well, he gets his curiosity from you," she shot back.
"Don't worry about it," Kianna interjected, "Attalia will be happy excited to have a playmate," no sooner did she get the words out, a squeal from the two children rang through the house. "You did not answer me; is everything okay? Has something happened?"
The couple shared a look.
"I just came from a meeting with Ambassador Ovirda," Daniel said.
Kianna stiffened. "Oh?" she said nonchalantly before walking into the kitchen to clean.
The other two followed.
"He contacted us a week ago, wanting to set up another meeting," Daniel explained.
"I thought he wanted nothing to do with helping you get supplies to the Destiny," Kianna said, "He was very adamant last year."
"He was," Vala confirmed, "but something's changed his mind."
Kianna snorted. "Such as?"
"Jonas," Daniel said softly.
Kianna froze and the cup she held fell from her hand, clanking loudly in the sink. "Jonas?" she whispered before looking at them.
"Jonas," he confirmed.
o0o
Two Hours Ago…
"Why now?" Daniel asked even though he knew he probably shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but he had to know what changed.
"Dr. Jackson," Mr. Woolsey began but the Ambassador cut him off.
"I was very close to Jonas Quinn's father," the Langaran stated, "in fact, Jonas was practically my godson. After your attempt to dial the Destiny by force, I had a moment when I questioned Jonas' judgement on you all and if denying the Lucien Alliance in favor of our alliance with you was the right move on my part."
"But?" Daniel prompted.
"But then I remembered all he did for Langara," Ovirda answered, "I remembered all he sacrificed for Langara. I remembered all the Tau'ri have done for us as well."
"So?" Daniel said, upset that it took for his friend dying for these people to wake up, "Didn't seem to matter to your government before. Why change your mind now?"
Ovirda leaned forward. "After you attempted dialing the Destiny, it got me thinking about Jonas," he reiterated, "and how he would react to this situation and what he would want us to do."
"He would want to help," Daniel supplied, already knowing this, "but this still isn't explaining why you're suddenly changing your mind."
"Jonas always did the right thing," Ovirda stated, "or least he wanted to and always tried to persuade us to do the same."
Daniel's lips twitched, a small smile wanting to come forth. "And he knew helping us would be the right thing," he mumbled.
Ovirda nodded. "He would have argued that you have helped Langara, saved it in fact, many times, and this would be the least we could do," he said, "He would have told us to trust your science and that Colonel Carter's idea is brilliant, not to mention fool proof."
"Hey!" McKay broke in, "I wrote that – "
"McKay!" Daniel snapped, "Not now."
"Once I came to this conclusion, I've spent every moment I could to persuade the council to allow it," Ovirda continued, "and they have finally agreed."
Daniel let the small, sad smile form at the realization that Jonas was still helping them from the beyond. The impact the man left would always be there. He had been robbed, but never forgotten. "Way to go Jonas," Daniel mumbled to himself, feeling a sense of pride for the man.
"I owe Jonas a lot," Ovirda said, "and I can do this for him, for his family. This is for Jonas Quinn."
"For Jonas Quinn," Daniel agreed.
For the man who was loved, who was cheated out of a fantastic role in life, and ignored by his people, but for those who truly loved him will always remember him and love him forever.
The Destiny would continue on, fulfill its mission, and its crew members would be okay – all because a man simply wanted to do the right thing, and that man was Jonas Quinn.
And he was one of them.
The End.
o0o
Author's Note:
So, it didn't turn out exactly how I had it in my head but what's new? Hopefully I'll be able to rewrite it as I wanted it to be but until those words come to me, this will have to do.
I know it's more a sad (darker?) tale that people probably don't wanna read, but dang it, Jonas should never be forgotten, dead or alive! I honestly couldn't see Jonas standing by while the Ori took over his world or him not helping Earth to get the Destiny the supplies they needed - so where was he? That is how this story was born.
Love you Jonas Quinn!
Let me know your thoughts!
-DesertKactus