Chapter 10 - Sparks

Jack pushed another set of branches into the fire and watched the sparks dance up through the smoke. He followed them upward until they lost their light against the dense background of stars in the night sky. He stared, lost in thought. He had two team members out of commission, stranded on a distant planet at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy with limited supplies and no distress call issued. He set his mouth in a grim line, no closer to a viable course of action than before.

Teal'c had disappeared into the forest nearly an hour earlier, probably for good reason. Awareness of his absence had hit Jack and Daniel at the same time and they both had stood up quickly to look around. Jack ventured two hundred meters along the treeline but saw no trails or disturbed vegetation, apart from the debris left by the hurricane. Daniel stayed in the camp and called Teal'c's name out loud, but hesitated to draw too much attention in the unfamiliar darkness. There had been no reply.

Now, over the crackle of the newly stoked fire Jack heard a different sound, sand shifting underfoot. Daniel and Sam stayed deep asleep on the ground, heads huddled together as they stretched out near the fire. He sat up quietly and unholstered his sidearm. He peered toward the forest as his vision slowly adjusted to the darkness.

"I am here, O'Neill," a familiar voice called out earnestly a moment later, coming from the tall reeds along the creek. Satisfied he would not be attacked when Jack lowered his weapon, Teal'c emerged into range of the firelight carrying a sturdy staff and a bundle of fur. He dropped the bundle onto a stump of driftwood and crouched next to it, pulling out his tactical knife.

"What's that you've got there, Teal'c?" Jack asked curiously, already sure he knew and not certain he wanted it confirmed. It was apparent now what he had been up to. Before holstering his weapon again Jack removed the magazine and tapped it against his leg, wondering whether he could trust the gun to fire after it was submerged so long in the salty sea. Hopefully he would not need to find out.

"I do not know its name as this planet is unfamiliar to me, however I believe it would be similar to an Earth rabbit… but with sharp talons," he explained as he worked quickly to skin the first creature. "I do not recommend hunting them alone."

"Whoa! Your arm is bleeding! Did those things attack you?" Jack exclaimed, moving closer to examine the small animals. Teal'c's forearm was laced with a criss-cross of cuts, two of them fairly deep, but the blood had already dried.

Hearing a shuffling sound they both turned to see Daniel sit up and rub his eyes with the heel of his hand, pushing his glasses askew before straightening them. He yawned heavily but seemed intent on staying awake as he gave his head a shake.

"I will be fine," Teal'c intoned as he continued his work. His symbiote was already knitting the wound closed and the bleeding had slowed. "I snared three creatures which should provide you sufficient sustenance until I return." He rigged up a spit and suspended the small carcasses over the flames, ensuring they could be rotated when needed.

The flames mesmerized Jack as the fats started to drip and sizzle. He stared at the skinned animals, as his stomach rumbled despite his misgivings about the meal.

Daniel registered what Teal'c had said. "Return? Return from where? Where are you going, Teal'c?"

"No one's going anywhere," Jack interjected, pulling his attention back to the more urgent matter. "At least not until we have a plan."

"I have a plan, O'Neill," Teal'c insisted. "Major Carter needs urgent medical care, does she not?"

"Well, of course she does, Teal'c! But what plan? You already said the Ha'tak is falling out of orbit, and I know a death glider doesn't have a hyperdrive. It would take… well, years… to fly back to Earth!" He had put some thought into their limited options and only succeeded in elevating his frustration over the past hour.

"It would take approximately twenty-four thousand years to return to Earth without hyperdrive," Teal'c corrected him, while conceding the point with a nod, "unless we locate a nearby chappa'ai."

"Wait," Daniel jumped into the conversation, holding up a finger as he paused to recall their last briefing. "Isn't there a Stargate on this planet? Isn't that why we picked it as our target for testing the hyperdrive on the Ha'tak? You know, in case we needed another way home?"

"Indeed," the big man agreed with another nod his direction, "however, it appears the Stargate is currently underwater, as is the ring transporter, as you already discovered."

"You mean under the ocean?" Jack asked incredulously, sweeping an arm towards the sounds of the surf pushing rhythmically up onto the sand. "You're telling me they put the gate down there, too? Unbelievable!"

"It is unlikely it was done intentionally," Teal'c conceded. "It is possible that the flooding is temporary, due to the very large storm that has recently passed over. The waters may yet recede."

"How long will that take?" Daniel asked, looking toward the nearby shoreline, but unable to see if it had shifted in the darkness.

"This planet has a large moon which may cause tidal effects," Teal'c explained, "however it is impossible to know how long it may be until low tide."

"On Earth low tide occurs twice a day, twelve hours apart. I don't think we can wait for that to happen," Jack frowned and shook his head. He was doing that a lot today. "Could we maybe dial the gate from underwater?" Jack wondered out loud, but looked at Carter skeptically. Even if they could, it would require another long swim in freezing water.

"It is not advisable, as the scientists at the SGC are not yet certain if the event horizon can hold back water," Teal'c reminded him. "However, I believe we know the location of another Stargate in this system. It is on the moon of an outer planet, a gas giant. Major Carter mentioned it in her briefing for this mission."

"That's right, she did! The death glider can get there, right, Jack?" Daniel exclaimed eagerly, looking to their leader who he found was simply staring silently into the fire. "Hey, we have to do something, Jack!"

The plea got his attention and he looked at the scientist grimly. He did not stem the man's enthusiasm despite several concerns that immediately came to mind. He poked at the fire roughly, watching sparks continue to dance.

Two seats, four people. One is the pilot, one is sick, one is injured, and one is really not liking the options. It sounded like the opener to a bad joke, Jack thought to himself. Three separate trips to ferry them all through the Stargate, and someone would be left alone for a time on this planet with only a few supplies and scrawny rabbits for dinner.

"Jack," he pleaded again at his silence, "what are you waiting for? Sam is sick. She needs…"

"Daniel, stop! Do you think I don't know that?" he waved a hand in frustration then balled it into a fist before dropping it into his lap regretfully. He saw how the archaeologist flinched and ducked his head at the outburst. He frowned and mentally scolded himself. Their bad day would only be made worse by a short temper. "Sorry, Daniel. I didn't mean to… I just need to think. Teal'c, how far is that moon, do you think?"

"The onboard navigation in the death glider will calculate a precise trajectory upon reaching orbit," he assured him, "but I believe it to be between six and eight hours depending on the relative positions of the two planets."

"So, more than half a day for the round trip, and up to two full days for a complete exfil." He poked at the fire with a short stick and felt the heat when his hand got too close. A spark snapped toward him and he flipped the branch into the fire in response.

Teal'c nodded silently in agreement. He understood that his role would be straightforward, ferrying his teammates to safety. O'Neill would insist on being the one left behind on the planet until the others evacuated.

"Right. Does the glider have any additional resources, a shelter or blankets?" Jack could feel the chill of the humid air seeping out of the forest and knew sunrise was still many hours away.

"It does not," Teal'c responded apologetically. "Even when fully-equipped the Goa'uld death glider is outfitted for battle conditions in space, not planet-side survival."

"It was just a thought," he waved away the question and looked around their sparse campsite. Time to make a decision. "Alright, Daniel, you stay with Carter and keep the fire stoked. Teal'c, you and I will gather what resources we can. Within the hour I want you ready to depart with Carter and get her back to the SGC."