Jack strolled through the door to Sam's lab, hands in his pockets. "Hey, Sam," he said. "Daniel." He closed the blast door behind him; this wasn't something he could go to the General with unless he had the full support of his team, and Sam deserved to know, too. And it wasn't something he wanted to become common gossip. There was enough talk about the SGC's resident alien already.
"What's … up, Jack?" Daniel asked, straightening from where he'd been leaning over the work table.
"Is something wrong with Teal'c?" Sam asked.
"Nothing wrong with Teal'c," Jack said, grabbing himself a stool. "That's … kind of the problem."
"How so?" Daniel asked.
"Apparently, T's been holding out on us," Jack said with a shrug. "Got himself a wife and kid back on Chulak. The kid's name is Ry'ac, and apparently he's due to be implanted with a goold any day now."
"But once the symbiote has been implanted, he won't ever be able to get rid of it," Sam said. "Oh, my God. No wonder he wants to go back to Chulak so desperately."
"That's about it," Jack acknowledged.
"But why didn't he tell us in the first place," Daniel asked. "I mean, why hide it? Even when he wanted to go back? That's … a pretty good reason to go, isn't it?"
"Yes and no, Daniel," Sam said. "Risking your team's life for a cause, on a mission, is one thing. Risking it for something personal is a whole different thing entirely."
"How?" Daniel asked. "And, I mean, if we're willing to do it, why should it matter to anyone else that it's personal? What, do they think we're their property, and they don't want to risk their investment?"
Sam made a face. "In some ways, yes. People are the most valuable resource there is, because it's not like you can just crank out more in some factory. Recruiting and training are two of the largest parts of the budget for any of the United States' armed services, and the more specialized the training the harder and more expensive it is to replace. Our team has the only alien on the planet, two of the best scientists in the SGC," she gestured at herself and Daniel, "and a highly trained special forces colonel. And it's not like this only affects our team, either. General Hammond is responsible for all the people under his command, including us. Sometimes he has to put people in harm's way; that's part of being in the military. But you don't do it unless you have to, and in this case … I don't think he'll think he has to, even if we volunteer. Not unless we," she grimaced, "you, can come up with some other reason for him."
"Nothing else, what happens if something goes wrong and we need backup?" Jack said. "Does he send other people into harm's way to extract you from your own personal fight, or does he let you get killed because he can't justify sending them? It's a tough choice, one he doesn't have to make. And there's a real simple way to guarantee he doesn't have to make it."
Daniel shook his head. "So my wife is enough to go through the Gate for, but Teal'c's wife and son aren't?"
"Daniel, looking for clues to Share's location is something our teams can do while they accomplish their other tasks," Sam said. "When we find something more concrete, we'll have to weigh the risks of a rescue operation then. What we're considering now is going to a known hostile planet on intelligence that is several months old, with no other justification than a personal reason."
"And that isn't good enough?"
"Maybe it should but it isn't."
"Actually," Jack said, interrupting them, "I wouldn't mention the personal reasons at all, except maybe as a last resort."
"Why not?" Daniel asked, glancing between them as Sam nodded in understanding.
"Hostages." Jack shrugged. "He's got a wife and kid in enemy hands. You don't think that makes him vulnerable if Apophis decides to play rough?"
"And the fact that he hasn't mentioned either of them until now just makes his motives more suspect," Sam agreed.
Daniel looked at them like they'd grown horns. "You don't believe that," he said skeptically.
Jack suppressed a flare of irritation. "No, Daniel, I don't. But I know Teal'c, I've been on missions with him, I watched him throw away his entire life—including his wife and son—to save ours. That gives me a little better knowledge of the guy than someone who's only seen him in a controlled situation or read reports about him." He shifted on his stool. "Well, we know what Daniel wants to do. What about you, Sam?"
"Me?" Sam asked, eyebrows raised. "I won't be going no matter what happens so why are you asking me?"
Jack stared at her. "Because if something happens and we don't come back …" he gestured at her stomach "…you'd be alone."
Sam bit her lip and looked down. Jack folded his arms in front of him, trying to wait patiently for an answer.
"Jack, I don't like you going off on missions without me," she said at last. "I don't like you risking your neck without me there to watch your back and share your risks. I hate having to sit here and wonder what's happening to you for hours, and not being able to do anything about it. But that's just something I have to live with, whether you do this or not. And going back for Teal'c's family—that's the right thing to do." She looked up and shrugged. "We can't ask him to fight for us if we're not willing to fight for him."
"Okay, then," Jack said, trying to contain a swell of pride. Grounded she might be, but she understood the truly important things as well as any officer he'd ever had the privilege of serving with. And she was smart and savvy, too. What she could have accomplished if things had been different …. "Let's figure out a way to sell this to Hammond."