[Steve Hamrick]

1630
Post-Op
Infirmary
Vedas Base

He'd done it. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Hamrick had just executed his career. He grimaced as he looked at his right leg, immobilized after surgery two days ago.

He knew how bad it was, had known when it happened in that cell and had known it when he'd been rushed into surgery, while the obstetrician was all over Izzy.

He figured medical retirement was on the horizon, so what did it matter? That resigning his command was professional suicide.

He'd exhaustively listed his failures in decisionmaking on the Athenda first contact mission. Putting Izzy and her baby in danger when they never should have been in the field, trusting too quickly, not anticipating the blast door being sealed, whether or not surrender had been justified at all.

And he'd put it all into a very professionally worded email and sent it to Admiral Oxford, resigning his command of SV-3.

Now he just had to plan for his future as a retired Marine. Maybe he'd open the computer repair shop he'd planned for retirement.

<<Matthew Oxford>>

[Matthew Oxford]

1625
Admiral Oxford’s Office
Vedas Base

Matt leaned back and wondered what was going through the mind of his SV-3 CO. Sure he had read the report, was in the briefing when everything was conveyed, understood. While he had never personally been on many off world missions. Being drafted to war on Earth gave him a little insight to what it would be like out there, but sometimes with the unknown. Sighing he set his glasses on the table and marched out of the room.

1630
Post-Op
Infirmary
Vedas Base

He arrived inside the infirmary and no sooner he had stepped, he could feel the eyes on him. Like he rarely went off world, in the same manner he rarely came to the med bay, unless called in by the CMO, which again didn’t happen often. “Colonel Hamrick,” he told the nurse and followed her lead to where Hamrick was, “I did appreciate if we weren't interrupted.” Seeing the nod and now he was alone with the man.

“Do you want to explain it to me,” he leaned on the bed end rail, “what is the meaning of that email?” If for a moment, Hamrick thought, Matt would sign them. The team leader was in for a surprise. Matt might also ask Travis to beat some sense into the man. Travis had more idea what Steven would be feeling.

Tag: Steve Hamrick

[Steve Hamrick]

1631
Post-Op
Infirmary
Vedas Base

Steve pushed the button to raise the head of the bed all the way, which was as close as he could get to standing respectfully for the Admiral. He'd given himself a shot from the morphine drip in his arm a half hour ago, so the pain was mostly controlled right now.

He would have thought the meaning was pretty clear. He, Stephen Alan Hamrick, was falling on his officer's saber and couldn't he be allowed to do that in peace?

"I feel I was very clear in my resignation, sir. My failures as a team leader endangered the lives of Isabelle, Lieutenant Andre, and Dr. Collins. Makes and the involvement of the Fijitians is the only reason we're not all dead, sir."

He half-reached to itch at his chest through the scrub top, and the long slash across his ribs that had been stitched shut but the broken ribs on his right side protested any movement under the morphine haze.

<<tag Matthew Oxford>>

[Matthew Oxford]

1630
Post-Op
Infirmary
Vedas Base

He took a seat as a chair was bought for him, and studied Hamrick for moment. It was appealing to give the man a smack upside his head, however, Matt would have to do that verbally. “Those are failures? I must have missed the memo on this.” He leaned back and tipped his head to the side. He knew when to use Bobby’s snark. He knew the feeling of being in the front line, and in a way understood where Hamrick was coming from, “Colonel, on the other hand, your team is alive because of you.”

He paused for a second for that to sink in. Matt suspected Hamrick hadn’t considered that. He had two experienced members on his team as well. Doctor Collins was by no means a rookie to Stargate Program. She was after all a former member of Delta Expedition. The woman also had run the base smoothly in Bobby and his absences. Then there was Lieutenant Andre, an officer trained for the Program, like Witwer was. Matt had mused to put the two women together on a team and see how that faired. “Not to mention, so is this base. I don’t have to remind you that to upheld the base safety as a priority by not giving the code they needed.”

Leaning forward, Matt rested his elbows on his knees, “Steve, you did what was right,” he added, “you can’t hold the blame over your head for that.”

Tag: Steve Hamrick

[Steve Hamrick]

1631
Post-Op
Infirmary
Vedas Base

Steve'd been looking slightly down and avoiding eye contact by looking somewhere around the Admiral's chin as he sat down, which brought them face to face. He'd managed to write a preliminary mission report, with most of the big details after recovering some. Admiral Oxford knew enough.

He looked at his leg and the bandaging holding his ribs in place. "Salvaging the original fu-, screw up doesn't mean there wasn't a screw up, sir."

Because of his willingness to take abuse and keep waving red cloth in front of the bull, mostly. "Keeping myself between Izzy and the baby and that sadist was the only thing I could do."

He looked up when the Admiral mentioned the base's security he protected by keeping himself or Izzy from giving up intelligence. They both had IDCs that could have been used to breach the gate room. "If she hadn't gave me an opening . . . I don't know how much longer I could have held out, with where the interrogation was going."

<<tag Matthew Oxford>>

[Matthew Oxford]

1631
Post-Op
Infirmary
Vedas Base

He watched Hamrick with a cool gaze, he normally had when one needed a listening ear. He was sure that the Colonel would continue to blame himself, “No,” he agreed, “it does not dispute that fact, but running from it; does. I’m yet to see a leader in my life who is yet to screw up. I can’t name one who has had a prefect record sheet.” Every Stargate leader he had heard or read about had screwed up in one way or another.

“Colonel,” he leaned a bit back and looked at Steve, “you did what you had to do. No one is questioning that.” Expect the IOA might, but that was another bridge to cross when they came to it. “Bobby is far more grateful for what you did for Iz and the baby, then he shows.”

“You have a team who looks out for you and you for them. That’s how it works,” he pointed out, “We send out a team ourselves when there was a failure in contacting. Don’t beat yourself over what ifs and buts. If your team finds out that you are resigning, I’m expecting hell to break loose in my office. And secondly, I’m not accepting this letter and your stepping down. I have worked with damn decent marines in the past colonel, I never seen on backing out this easily.”

Tag: Steve Hamrick

[Steve Hamrick]

1632
Post-Op
Infirmary
Vedas Base

Steve looked up at the Admiral mentioning running from it. He wasn't running, he was acknowledging failure and accepting the consequences. And looked back down at the mention of Bobby. That was a conversation he could happily not have for the rest of time until he died early like his father. "Not sure grateful is what I would be in his shoes."

And the team. That was the problem. "How am I supposed to continue to lead any of them, Izzy, Andre? After what happened, good thorough POW humiliation 101, they've got zero respect for me right now."

And if he hadn't escaped the restraints, well, Isabelle would have less than zero respect left for him after having to watch what Sadren was going to do. Steve shivered, sure, some of his history was in definite gray areas with regards to sober consent, but he'd never been actually-

"I can't continue to lead them as a unit after what happened. He, that bastard, Sadren did a nice, thorough intel officer job of wrecking any little bit of command authority I had with Isabelle and Andre and Vanessa." His tone was a little quieter. "I couldn't have done better as an interrogator if you handed me the situation on a silver platter and cheat codes to my prisoner's psyche."

<<tag Matthew Oxford >>

[Matthew Oxford]

1632
Post-Op
Infirmary
Vedas Base

“No?” he asked, “Then what should it be? He might be great less experienced with stargate and all that comes with it. But he knows what matters. She does, the whole team does.”

“And you are certain of this how?” he tipped his head to the side, “Have you read Doctor Collins file? If not, I suggest you do.” The woman had been a POW twice during her time on Delta. Lead the expedition to even bigger enemy unknowingly. There was bunch of other stuff he could list from her file. Regardless of the all that, the Delta members still choose to have her on their side.

“You can’t or your won’t?” was there a hint of accusation, sure, he won’t be the first to deny it. “Colonel, you have a team of members who are loyal to all faults. Why don’t we asked them and see if they still want you to lead them?” he knew from each of the other members files, that they would still follow him. “You are not helping yourself by letting all these doubts eat you.”

Tag: Steve Hamrick

[Steve Hamrick]

1633
Post-Op
Infirmary
Vedas Base

Steve swallowed, it was unique and unorthodox, the situation he and the Captain had, each responsible for the safety of the other's partner. And how the skipper ought to feel wasn't hard to flip for him. "He should be angry, sir. I brought Isabelle into a dangerous situation when she should never have been in the field in her condition. I'd be angry, if the shoes were switched." Albeit he'd never had the power to do anything but seethe when Blake had been hurt on SG-11 under Moore.

He closed his eyes. Maybe he shouldn't have tried to downplay in his report. Not seeing the Admiral made it easier to talk, to get his superior to understand his position. "I was forced to strip at gunpoint in front of 3 female subordinates, the enemy commander and about a dozen of his men in exchange for Izzy's release. Plus I was about 2 minutes away from being the girl in front of Cooper. So I'm certain, sir."

He opened his eyes and answered. "Can't. I can't lead them after being torn down in front of them that way."

<<tag Matthew Oxford>>