A/N: Okay, I admit. This is another ficlet that is based off Factus Humana. But, in this case, whether you've read it or not, this should make sense. But, you may not care for it. You won't hurt my feelings if you scroll on by.

Enjoy!


Walking down the rows of potentials, Major Lorne eyed each one closely. Colonel Sheppard had been riding his ass about getting his new team together; especially now that his broken arm had healed and he was declared fit for duty by both Doctor Beckett and Doctor Heightmeyer. It had been long enough and blah blah blah.

Fine.

Sergeant Kristen Daniels he was keeping. That much he knew. He had her standing behind him. He needed two more. Every one he now faced had passed the physical tests. They'd all been trained for off world missions. Every single one of them was capable and experienced. Some were military and others were scientists.

And not a one of them could live up to the standard he'd set.

One by one he ticked them off his list. Too whiny. Too demanding. Too picky. Too bitchy. Too quiet. Too talkative. Too something. If Sheppard was going to make him put together a new team now, then he would do it his way.

"Is there anyone here who doesn't know Sergeant Daniels?"

No one moved.

"Good, then this will be easy. First question, how many of you want Daniels to stomp your ass into the ground? If you don't, leave now."

A couple of people looked perplexed, but had obviously seen what she could do. Without a word, they walked out.

"Excuse me, Major Lorne?"

"Yes?"

"What's this about? We already passed our physicals."

"So I've been told. And that's not what this is about. If there's anyone here who would not be willing to put your life in Daniels' hands right now, leave."

Now there were signs of irritation. A few more walked out.

Well, that's a start, Lorne thought hopefully.

"If there's anyone here that doesn't like me or Daniels, leave."

Only one walked out.

And then there were ten, he thought to himself nodding.

"Now then, look around at each other. Think about this: If you were to go off world today, who would you want with you? Who would you want to pull your ass out of the fire? Who would you be willing to die with?"

"Wait, wait, wait. You're the muscle, we're the brains. What's all this talk of dying?"

"Doctor Rawkes, right?"

"Yes."

"Leave."

"Excuse me?"

"Did I stutter? I said leave," Lorne told him calmly.

"What the hell? I just asked a simple question."

"And I made a simple statement. If you're not willing to follow that, you never had a chance to be on my team in the first place. But if you really want an answer, I'll tell you. Sergeant Daniels, what was your major in university?"

"Computer engineering."

"And I, Doctor Rawkes, majored in geology. Why we left those career paths is irrelevant. We are not the brawn to your brains. And to think otherwise shows your ignorance. We were hand-picked for the Stargate Program because of our additional skills, not despite them. Now leave. And that goes for anyone else that feels the same way."

He was the only one that left. Even better.

"Now, as I was saying. If you look around this room and you see even one person you are not willing to die with or for, then you need to step out."

No one moved.

"Good. That narrows it down considerably. Most of you think that it's just a quick hop to one planet after another. And, for the most part, you would be correct. But it only takes that one time, one incident of bad luck, for everything to go to hell. And, when it does, you better be damn sure that the person you're trapped with, the person covering your ass, is someone you're willing to trust with your life. Am I clear?"

Nods all around.

"Now that the easy part is out of the way, we can get down to business."

That made them nervous. Which was good. Because now he measured them against criteria none of them would believe, even if they knew. With Alex's sense of wonder, strength, insatiable love for life, and her smile in mind, Lorne began to narrow down the remaining candidates even further.

Having experience was all well and good. Having a team you trusted was great. Having a team that truly loved what they did and shared that sense of wonder and thrill of new things every time they stepped through the gate was critical to him. Sure, more people would die under his command. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe in the years to come. But at least if it came to that, he could remember them and then tell their families with all honesty that they died doing something they loved.

He prayed it would never happen, but he knew it would. He'd come to terms with what it meant to be in a commanding position. By the time he finished, he could almost feel Alex smiling for him as the prepped his new off world team.