D is for Decision
Fear rushed through Jacob's body, his heart beating erratically with cold panic as it was assailed with conflicting emotions of doubt and fear, disorder and chaos. Faces pressed in all around him. Some he recognized, others were complete strangers, the myriad of expressions ranging from happy and joyous to fearful and hate-filled.
Shuddering, Jacob wrapped his arms around his chest as the cold shock of the flashbacks leached at his body heat to leave him shivering when normally Selmac would have regulated his body temperature. Fatigue had also plagued him lately, and although being blended had taken away the requirement for sleep, Jacob found himself succumbing to the need to rest on occasion.
'I am sorry.'
The sincerity in Selmac's tone haunted Jacob, his friend apologizing more and more frequently as the symptoms of his old age impacted on both of their lives.
'Don't be,' Jacob returned as he pushed the last fading remnants of the flash back away, 'I told you I can handle this.'
'You shouldn't have to when you know there is a choice.'
'Which I rejected,' Jacob chided mentally while his lips played a mirthful smirk. 'You're stuck with me for the long haul here.'
'Samantha and Mark-'
'Will survive without me as they would have done if you weren't around to save my sorry ass all those years ago. Are we going to rehash this whole conversation again? I made my decision and I'm not changing it.'
'You are truly a stubborn person.'
'Taught by the best. Look, I don't have a death wish, if that's what you're thinking. Give me some credit here, Selmac. My decision is purely selfish. The replicator threat is far greater than anything the Goa'uld have thrown at the galaxy in the last few thousand years, and I really believe that we need your experience to help defeat them.'
'You are assuming there is a way to defeat them. The weapon General O'Neill created was pulled from the information contained in the repository of the Ancients and the replicators managed to compromise it quite successfully. I am unsure as to what role you feel I have to play in their defeat?'
'What role?' Jacob baulked. You're kidding me, right? It doesn't take rocket science to know that the High Council no longer trusts us. Your loyalty has been in question for some time now, Delek made that quite clear last year. The treaty between Earth and the Tok'ra is nothing more than a piece of paper that tries to keep both sides honest but ultimately fails... and we both know where that failure lies for the most part. Your loyalty to the Tok'ra may be in question but Earth trusts you, and in my book that rates pretty high. The Tok'ra are willing to sit back and watch this war between the replicators and the System Lords rip the galaxy apart. The replicators will win through overwhelming numbers alone and we will be left with an enemy more malevolent than the one they disposed of. All the while the Tok'ra will sit and watch the proceedings.'
'We do not have the numbers to do anything but watch.'
'I know that, but I also know my people... and so do you. If anyone has the capability to stop the replicators then it will be Earth. The subspace transponder technology is crucial if they are to have any way of tracking the replicators in this galaxy. Earth needs you, heck, the whole darn galaxy needs you. If this means me sticking it out with you till the end, then sure, no problems at all. I can be a selfish son of a bitch.'
'You have made your decision it would seem.'
'Now you've got it.'
The End
