CHAPTER THIRTEEN
When Jack O'Neill next woke, he heard voices that he didn't immediately recognize. He had to open his eyes to isolate the voices to a whispered conversation occurring near the foot of his bed.
Major General Hank Landry and his CMO, Dr. Carolyn Lam, were conversing in hushed tones. Jack decided to see what the big secret was all about.
"Hey. People are trying to sleep here." He meant for his voice to be strong, but it came out only sleepy. The two officers' conversation immediately stopped, and Dr. Lam rather uncomfortably excused herself, leaving Jack alone with the General.
'Uh, oh,' thought Jack. 'This is never good.'
As Landry stepped closer to the wounded younger man, his face was tight with worry, which didn't serve to relax Jack's mood one bit.
"What's goin' on, Hank?"
The older man sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face before answering.
"Jack, I was going to wait until you were up and around a bit more to tell you this, but you know you're going to land in a ton of trouble for this one, right?"
O'Neill snorted. "Don't care, General."
"I realize that, and I understand your actions. Hell, I even agree with them. Frankly, I don't want to see you take the fall for this, but you know someone has to. General Hammond and myself have pulled every string we can and called in every favor we're owed, but the powers that be are screaming for someone's head here. They consider the use of man and firepower that was needed for this mission unwise with the Ori breathing down our necks right now."
Jack outright laughed. "Oh, for crying out loud! I took four guys! And did those same powers that be ever consider that Carter and Daniel are our best weapons in the fight with the Ori?"
Landry interrupted before Jack's tirade got a full head of steam. "That's what George and I have been saying. No one is arguing SG-1's importance, merely the unauthorized mission to retrieve them and the way in which it was carried out."
"General, with all due respect, bottom line this for me, ok? I'm tired."
"Bottom line? Ok. The President and several of those in Washington that I would consider friends of the Stargate program have cut a deal. Everyone goes free in this, no disciplinary proceedings whatsoever for the personnel involved if you take full responsibility."
"Didn't I already do that, sir?"
"I wasn't done, Jack."
O'Neill held up a hand in a placating gesture. "Sorry."
"It's ok. The stipulation is that you not only take full responsibility, but that you retire. Permanently this time. You are not to be involved in the Stargate program in any way, shape, or form. The hostiles, so to speak, want you out of their hair. If you leave and never turn up again, they'll forget this ever happened."
"No court martial?"
"No."
"The others get off?"
"Yes."
"Done."
"Jack, I suggest you think about this a while…"
"General, with all due respect, what's to think about? I've been thinking about retiring for a long time anyway, and the desk jockey routine was driving me wacko. Besides, I'd rather go out with a bang than with a whimper."
"I'd say you managed that."
Jack grinned a lopsided grin and answered with more than a little sarcasm.
"You betcha."
Landry smiled back and turned to leave, his job done. "Get some rest, Jack. You've still got a lot of healing to do before they let you out of here."
Jack followed the advice of the older general, and fell asleep with a smile on his face. This was working out a lot better than he'd expected, and that was a rare thing in his life.