DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author. Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).
'This place is giving me a serious case of the creeps.' Jack thought with still another look over his shoulder.
The mission to P3J159 had been envisioned as a simple recon mission to check out some ruins located twelve miles from the Stargate. There had been no perceived threats, no signs of recent life, no reason at all to think that something was watching them...
Jack had been aware of an intense claustrophobic feeling from the moment they'd left the general vicinity of the Stargate and it had quickly been accompanied by the distinct impression that he and his team were being watched.
It hadn't helped Jack's frame of mind to realize that Carter and Teal'c were also looking back over their shoulders with increasing frequency. They were soldiers, like Jack himself, trained to heed those life-saving survival instincts. But what really had Jack convinced that something wasn't quite right was the fact that Daniel seemed to be feeling it, too.
Daniel, who was usually so preoccupied looking for signs of former inhabitants on a planet that he wouldn't notice Bigfoot if it walked up and said 'hi,' was also glancing behind them with disturbing regularity.
Jack tried to ascribe the feeling to the impression of emptiness they'd gotten upon their first view of the planet. The UAV images hadn't shown any signs of evolved life with the exception of the ruins and they certainly hadn't seen any sort of life...not so much as an animal track.
They neared the ruins toward dusk and quickly set up camp with the simple ease of frequent repitition. Nearly three years of operating as a team had brought them to the point of knowing what was expected and following through on that knowledge. Jack knew the better part of wisdom, as well as of being an effective team leader, was to allow his team to act on their skills without unecessary and superfluous orders from him.
Commanding SG-1 had become one of the most comfortable commands that Jack could recall. He'd been the both the leader and a member of many teams in the past, but this team...his team...was as much a family as a team....and yet Jack knew that SG-1 much more than even that.
Over time, Jack's team had formed a bond that consistently amazed him. The very fact that four such radically different people could get along and work together was a shock to those higher-ups who'd no doubt laid odds that SG-1 wouldn't last. The fact that they had connected so completely was nothing short of a miracle. A miracle for which Jack thanked much higher authorities than the military brass who'd given his team such poor odds.
While Jack had mused, his team had established their camp, started a fire and broken out the MRE's. Jack made sure to thank them, in his own sardonic way.
Watching his team quietly interacting, gently teasing one another over their military issue dinner, Jack realized once again how important these people had become in his life.
Carter was the most like him; raised in a military family, she best understood the discipline...the mindset...that was so deeply ingrained in them both. Despite the fact that Carter was also a scientist, she had proven herself time and again to be courageous, tenacious and loyal to a fault.
Teal'c was the strong, steady backbone of the team. He'd earnedhis place among his Tau'ri friends through his unflagging support, honorable dignity and unswerving faith that his friends would do everything in their power to defeat the Goa'uld and free his people.
And then there was Dr. Daniel Jackson, Ph. D...times three. The youngest member of the team, Daniel was also the smartest...at least by default, he had more initials after his name than Carter. Daniel was, without question, one of the most impulsive, passionate and trusting people that Jack had ever known. Daniel was also loyal beyond question, painfully honest, unfailingly dedicated and possessed of a courage and inner-strength that still managed to surprise Jack.
Watching Daniel give one of his shy smiles at some good-natured rib from Carter, Jack sighed. These were his 'kids'...his team....and he was damn lucky to have them.