"Colonel Carter? Teal'c? Where is the rest of your team?" General Landry looked up as Sam and Teal'c descended the gate ramp towards him.
She pulled off her hat and ran her hand through her hair. "Daniel, Cam and Vala are still negotiating, sir."
"ArlosKadawam is quite…trying." Teal'c added and Sam grimaced.
"He is being obstinate but honestly I'm not sure he has any real information sir." Sam explained. "Daniel is still trying but I think it is a dead end."
"And you are back because?" Landry tilted his chin up, eyebrows raised.
"I managed to 'borrow' this." She held up a flat square device.
"Borrow?" Landry reached out and turned it over in his hands.
Sam ignored his question and reached over to touch a small button on the side and a screen lit up with a series of gate symbols. "It's basically an address book sir. It's places where Arlos goes to acquire materials, most of which are meeting and trading places for the Lucian Alliance. It could give us a place to start looking."
Landry began scrolling through. As the symbols continued flashing by he quirked a questioning eyebrow up at Sam.
"Uh, well, there may be quite a few…sir." She gulped and tried to hide the grimace on her face as Landry sighed.
He looked up at her in disbelief, "Colonel. There have to be a hundred addresses on this."
"In fact there are 93." Corrected Teal'c.
"Okay, 93." Landry restated with a small smile, "Not exactly a strong starting point."
Sam bit her lip, "I know sir. But for now it's all we have."
"So he's not human?" Michael asked as he stripped the bark off a long, sturdy stick.
Jack shook his head, "Nope. 'Jaffa'."
The men had set to work creating a bow and quill of arrows. Jack also gathered a collection rocks to go with a sling he created from a strip of the cuff of his trousers.
"Huh. And he works for the Air Force?"
Jack didn't look up from where he was notching a sharpened point on to a shaft, "Civilian contractor."
Michael shook his head, "Unbelievable." He put down his finished arrow and looked up to the sky as he rubbed his hands, "How is it still daylight?"
Jack sat back and wiped his brow, "The length of a day isn't the same on different planets."
"Right." Michael gave a short nod, "Of course. Different planet. Forgot about that detail." He rolled his eyes.
Jack's eyebrows bounced. "It happens. Ow!" He stuck his finger in his mouth and glared at the arrow point he just made. "I guess that means it works." He grumbled.
Michael paused in his work and studied the man in front of him. "I don't mind saying that I find this whole situation a little crazy."
Jack smirked, "Good. That means you're sane."
"HA!" Michael couldn't repress a bark of laughter. "I may need reminder of that if we ever get home. It will be hard to believe this wasn't all a very odd dream."
Jack stopped what he was doing and looked up intently, "When, Michael. When we get home."
Michael sighed and nodded as Jack returned his attention back to his work. "I wish I had your confidence. I suppose this isn't such a big deal to you? Having been in this line of work for so long."
Jack shrugged, "I didn't think I've been taking our mortal peril lightly."
Michael's mind flashed back to Jack's dogged push through the woods.
"No, I guess you have not." He watched Jack's careful and deliberate movements craft a stick into an effective arrow.
"How'd you keep this up for 8 years?"
Jack shrugged, "Had good motivation." He looked up, "My team, fate of the planet, you know."
Michael nodded, then stopped, "I guess, no, I don't really know."
Jack returned his attention to his work but Michael thinking. "What's the motivation this time?"
Jack looked up again, annoyance flicking across his face.
"I'm serious. Your team isn't here, the world isn't in immediate peril, and excuse me for saying but I think the guy was right, you don't seem to have a strong sense of self preservation. How do you keep going with such conviction?"
Jack twirled the arrow in his hand, satisfied, he put it on the pile with the others. He wiped his hands on his pants then stood up and leaned against the fallen tree where Michael was sitting, his eyes focused on the water.
"Kira and Kaitlin"
"What?" Whatever Michael had been expecting, it wasn't that.
"At the bar you said you have two daughters; Kira and Kaitlin. Right?" Jack's eyes didn't move from the lake.
Michael nodded, "Um, yes, I did. I mean I do...I mean...what?"
Jack shrugged, "They're my motivation."
Michael just looked at him in a mixture of stunned confusion.
Jack's face grew deadly serious, "There is no way I will be letting my nieces lose their father if it is within my power to prevent it."
Michael swallowed, then swallowed again, unable to even think of an appropriate response. Finally he settled on a slightly strangled, "Thank you..."
Jack gave a small wince and he said nothing, eyes tracking to the stack of arrows. He patted Michael on the shoulder, "I think we have enough, we should try to catch another fish before we string the bow. I'm hoping this sun will set before we move out."
Michael nodded and went to work finding worms for the fish hook. He then sat back and watched Jack cast in to the lake.
He suddenly remembered something and padded his inner pocket until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out the photo and stared at it, his fingers tracing the image of his wife and daughters. He hoped Jack was right, he couldn't stand the thought of not seeing his family again.
"I have a picture of them, if you'd like to see." He held out the photo.
Jack looked up from where he had been focusing on the water. After a pause he accepted the picture. His eyes swept across the image of the 4 smiling people posing on a beach. He noted that the eldest daughter shared the same crooked smile as her father and both girls had clear, chocolate eyes despite their mother's bright blue gaze.
He smiled and handed the picture back. "Beautiful family."
Michael smiled in proud agreement, looking it over one more time before tucking the image back into his breast pocket.
He watched Jack for a few more moments before venturing, "And what about you?"
"What about me?" Jack kept his eyes on the water.
"You haven't said much about yourself." Michael observed. "And if my girls are your motivation for surviving this debacle then I'm left to assume that you have no kids or wife of your own? I mean, do I have any nieces or nephews out there?"
Jack squinted and swallowed before quietly replying, "Present tense."
Again confused by an unexpected response Michael tilted his head, "What?"
Jack gently pulsed the line, "Divorced. Just over 10 years now."
Michael grimaced, "I'm sorry to hear that. I know active duty can be hard on a relationship. I'm willing to bet you were always special forces which probably didn't make it easier."
Jack scratched at his chin, and finally looked at Michael, something unreadable in his eyes. "Not so much that." He sighed and looked away again, "Your nephew's name was Charlie. He died accidently about a year before the divorce. Sara and I just couldn't see our way to helping each other get through it."
When Michael said nothing Jack looked up to see his younger brother staring at him, face painted in empathy. Jack looked away, "It was a long time ago."
"I am so sorry, Jack."
Jack shrugged, giving a sharp pull on the line. He flatly tried to move on, "Come on. Let's eat this."