It takes almost twenty minutes for curiosity to get the better of Jack. Then he opens the letter, noting right from the start that the hand writing is inelegant and shaky, obviously a result of haste in its penning. After the first few lines he's thoroughly offended and muses aloud, "Do I think I'm stupid?"
"Query unanswerable, please rephrase," The ship chirps at him.
Jack laughs, "Nevermind." He finishes without further comment and takes his time considering what he's read. As he begins to program the destination he murmurs, "Who ever he is, I hope he's worth it."
Upon arriving on A-18 it becomes clear that Swenson's black eye was not the only bit of odd behavior by his older self. It seems from every corridor and doorway people he knows well are watching him as if he were a particularly dangerous stranger. Pragmatically he decides to go with it. Following instinct over instruction he makes his way to the bar. The bar tender eyes him almost as warily as the others had, "Hypervodka?"
"Not today Cam," He offers his most reassuring smile. "Gin and Tonic if you'd be so kind." He considers his options and decides it's best to simply ask, "Did I start a bar brawl or something last time I was in Cam?"
The bartender makes an amused noise before answering, "Nothing like that Jack. You made several of my other customers feel like spacing themselves, but no one threw a single punch." He laughs outright at Jack's expression. "Leslie asked if you were going to buy her a drink this time or if she should feel really snubbed, you told her to go to hell. She left in a huff of course and you proceeded to get well and truly smashed. A state in which you began lecturing on true love and how 'un-fucking-fair' life is. Rather depressing really. Who were they and what did they do to you Jack?"
Here Jack decides it's probably best to just bluff, "He was the love of my life Cam. And he died on me, just when everything was working out." From his reading between the lines he's fairly certain this is the truth of the matter.
"I never thought I'd see the day."
"How so?" Jack asks feeling just a bit annoyed.
"Jack Harkness just called someone the love of his life."
"Surprising as it seems it's true. But I admit I'd never have believed it myself. Anyway, where's Swenson setting up shop today?"
"Level 38, bay 6. And fair warning, he's more than a little miffed about the black eye. Says he'll never work for you again."
"Then I guess we'll both be happy. He's become a bit too… free with his attention for my taste of late. Thanks Cam."
"Swenson's moved up in the world," Jack mutters to himself as he approaches bay six. This area is well shielded and clearly maintained, a sure sign of dangerous activity or products in a place like Satellite A-18. Which of course shouldn't surprise him, a delta wave generator is more than dangerous, it's the epitome of lethal. For the first time Jack pauses, a little uneasy about the power he's about to shoulder as though it were a trivial occurrence.
