Where Eagles Dare to Fly
The second in a series on the life of Major Evan Lorne in a parallel and sometimes alternative reality.
Welcome to my second set of chapters, entitled Where Eagles Dare to Fly, in a larger story on the life of Major Evan Lorne. I have chosen to write the good Major into an alternate reality than he is portrayed in the series Stargate Atlantis. Therefore there will undoubtedly be character changes to him as well as some of the other original characters that some of you may find disturbing or in the least unsettling from what is considered normal. I don't own these characters but hope that the powers that be don't mind my taking liberties with their personalities. If you reference back to the beginning of Lucky Dog, you will find that I stated there my apologies.
But for those who don't remember or who have not read it yet, I'd like to restate my quote from earlier: If you don't like what I have written, you're welcome to click the little X in the upper right corner. I hope you won't, though. I hope you'll read, enjoy and review my work—key word being enjoy! Thanks and have a good day.
Again, I'd like to thank my brother, Bill, for his many comments, suggestions and thoughts that have hopefully led me to be a more responsible writer.
I would like to apologize, here, in the event some of you feel these are not simply chapters within a story but more like mini-stories themselves. Most of them are quite lengthy. Then again, I had a lot to say this time around.
The sea holds many wonders. Some are beautiful some are not.
Some are just plain deadly.
Seaworthy
As a rule Kathy Lorne only went off world under a couple of circumstances. First, if there was a medical emergency of some type with either the indigenous people or if one of the Atlantis teams ran into trouble. The second reason was one of her own design. After she had allowed herself time to grieve over the loss of her son, she found that by throwing herself into her work she was able to get through the days more easily.
One of the projects that she took on was developing a type of rehab program for the people of some of the worlds that they had visited. More often than not after severe injuries—those that had not resulted ultimately in death—the injured person would be permanently crippled or handicapped. Kat's goal was to train these people in ways to rehabilitate themselves and in turn have a more productive and happier future. She developed simple exercise programs using items that were readily available on their own world and instructed them in basic human physiology.
It was the start of harvest time on M38-997 and Dr Tim Hamlin and his agriculture team were going to work with the villagers to improve harvest techniques and thus increase yields. One of the team members, Carl Weston, had recommended Kat join the team as a medic in order to patch up any injuries that would inevitably come up. He also thought this world would be an excellent candidate for her newly developed rehab program. Harvest time was one of the most dangerous times of the year for these people.
M38-997 had several villages; most of them located up and down the coast of a mid-sized sea. The climate was favorable for growing a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains. The sea held an abundance of fish and other crustaceans. The villages themselves resembled late 18th or early 19th century villages of Earth. Their harvest and planting techniques and practices were much the same, low-tech and dangerous.
They were scheduled to leave the next day so she would talk to Evan that night about going. It wasn't like he could forbid her to go even if he wanted to, she was after all a member of the expedition and it was part of her job. He would never try and discourage her from going unless he knew that it would be dangerous and someone else could just as easily do the job. Nonetheless, they both preferred that he know as much as possible when she was going off world. On the other hand, Evan didn't usually talk about the missions he was scheduled to go on and that was fine by Kat. More often than not his were much more dangerous than anything she went on so Kat would rather not know the details until he returned. If Evan got called off on some emergency rescue-type mission he usually would let her know he was leaving and that would be the extent of it. She had figured out that the less he said, the more dangerous it would usually be.
The mission that Kat was scheduled to go on would probably last three to four days. The Stargate was located approximately five and a half klicks from the village so the team would be taken over by Jumper. In a few days one would be sent back for them. Someone from the team would make the trek back to the Gate once a day to check in.
Dr Hamlin's team consisted of himself, Dr Jake Parker, Weston and one marine, Lieutenant Wills. Kat would be an addition to the team. She was actually looking forward to some time off world. It had been a little over five months since the death of her son and she was starting to feel cooped up and overwhelmed by her surroundings. Evan understood her need to get away and while he worried about her when she was gone, he was not too concerned about this particular world. It had not been visited by Wraith in generations and the villagers were quite civilized and receptive to the people from Atlantis. There was a rumor of a tribe of sea-going people or what could only be described as pirates but they had not been seen nor heard from in a very long time. Wills was a very capable man and he felt his wife would be in very good hands with him. It helped that Kat had learned hand-to-hand self-defense and shooting skills pretty well. Evan didn't worry too much about her personal safety. She could handle herself in a scrap if she needed.
Kat was waiting for Evan outside the cafeteria. "Hi, hon," she said as he walked up to her.
"Hey, sweetie." He reached out and took her with one arm and they gave each other a brief kiss. "How was your day?"
"Pretty good. You?" She asked him.
"Fine."
"Fine, just fine, no details?" She teased him as they went in for dinner.
"Well, I asked first and all you said was 'pretty good'. That really doesn't tell me much," he teased her back.
"I'm going off-world tomorrow with Dr Hamlin's team to M38-997."
"I heard his team was heading back this week. It's harvest time or something, right?"
"Yes, and these people apparently have a fair number of injuries during harvest and I'm going along as a medic to patch them up. Carl Weston thought that my new rehab program might work well with these folks, too. It'll probably take three or four days."
"Actually, I know all about it. Like any mission it comes from Colonel Carter and Colonel Sheppard and I usually know about them as well. I'll be taking you guys over in the Jumper."
"You will, huh? Well, I guess I should have seen that coming. Of course you'd volunteer to take us and I assume come back for us in a few days?"
"Of course."
"I feel better already." She wasn't just teasing him at that point. She was glad that they would have that time together and he would see where she was going. They generally tried not to go on missions together simply because of the distraction factor. Neither of them wanted to be a diversion that could cause someone to get hurt. About the only time they ever ended up off world together was if she had to do an emergency run with one of the medical teams to a planet he was already on or Evan's team was the one to escort them. Luckily that had only happened a couple of times.
*****
"Do you have everything you need from here, hon?" Evan asked Kat, as they were getting ready to go down to breakfast. He would be taking her and Dr Hamlin's team to the planet at 0900.
"Yes, I pretty much got everything organized last night down in the Infirmary. I just have one medical case to pick up down there. That and my backpack here and I'm all set. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm actually looking forward to these next few days." She was going to miss Evan but she still needed to get away.
"I'm sure you are. I know you always look forward to these experiences."
"It's more than just that, this time. I mean, I'm going to miss you terribly; I always do when we're apart, but it's just… I don't know… I feel like the walls have been closing in on me a little lately. I need to get out of the city." She put her arms around his waist and hugged him.
"It's okay, I think I understand. You don't really get the chance to get away much and after awhile I'm sure it does get to be a little much." He hugged her back and kissed her on the forehead. They held each other for a few minutes.
"I guess we better get going, or we'll never get breakfast," he said as he released her. She was still holding him.
"I wish you could come with," she said to him when she finally let him go.
"I know, but we agreed that it would be better if we didn't go on missions together unless it was absolutely necessary," he reminded her.
"I know. But this one feels different. I just can't put my finger on it."
"Are you getting cold feet about going or what? Do you think something is going to happen?" he asked her with a bit of concern.
"No, nothing like that. I guess it's just because I haven't been off-world in quite a while and you actually haven't been gone that much lately, I just feel like… I don't know I can't put my finger on it. It's just a feeling. Just being an irrational wacky woman, I guess. Forget I said anything." She kissed him, turned around, grabbed her backpack, and headed to the door.
He followed. "Well alright, but there is nothing irrational about you. Woman, definitely, okay maybe a little wacky sometimes but I love wacky you." He caught up to her and put his arm around her waist. He then waved his hand over the door crystal and they went out into the corridor and down to the transport.
"And I love you," she said as they entered the transport.
After breakfast they went and geared up. Evan issued Kat a sidearm as well. She started to protest but he insisted. She didn't argue the point any longer with him. They then made their way down to the Infirmary to pick up the case with the medical supplies Kat figured she might need.
"Are you sure you have everything, Kathy?" Dr Carson Beckett asked as they were leaving. "I'm sure there is more we can send if you need it."
"What are you trying to do, Doc, drum up business. This case is heavy enough." Evan was carrying the case that Kat had packed and he wasn't shy about letting her know it wasn't light. He was of course teasing her to some degree.
"I told you I'd grab an end. But, no, you have to be the man and take it yourself. Maybe I should add a few more instant icepacks and some more antibiotics. A microscope and maybe a couple of trays of surgical tools if there's room." Now she was teasing him. She had packed plenty of everything and the microscope and surgical trays were just to add more weight and give Evan a hard time.
"Very funny, Kat. See, Doc, what I have to put up with on a daily basis," he pleaded to Carson for some support.
"Not a chance, you two. I'm not getting in the middle of this one." Carson wasn't about to take sides in their little game. He'd heard and seen it before. "If you have everything you think you'll need, then have a safe trip and I'll see you when you get back."
"Thank you, Carson," Kat said. Then she looked at Evan, laughed and reached out for one of the handles on the case.
"Yeah, thanks, Doc." Then to Kat, "I got it. I was only teasing, it's not heavy."
"You stinker you. I should know by now when you're teasing me. Guess I just missed it this morning." She shot him an oh-you look and then picked up her backpack and another one that had some additional supplies in it she had decided she wanted at the last minute and the two headed off to the Jumper bay where they were to meet Dr Hamlin and the rest of his team.
*****
Dr Hamlin and his team were already in the Jumper bay when Kat and Evan arrived. "Good morning, Kathy, Major," Hamlin greeted them as they came in.
"Morning. If we're all here and have everything, I suppose we should get this show on the road." Evan set the case of medical supplies down in the back of the Jumper, went to the front and sat down at the controls. The men stepped aside and allowed Kat to follow him. She went up front and sat in the seat behind Evan.
"You can sit up front, Kathy." Dr Hamlin motioned for her to sit in the other front seat.
"That's okay, I don't know where we are going. I'll let you play navigator on the way over." Dr Hamlin nodded and went to sit up front next to Evan.
"Are we all set?" Evan looked around to see if all were in and all the supplies were loaded. A chorus of 'yeses' came from the small group and Evan closed the back up and fired the Jumper up. "Well, then we're off. Dial it up, Doc." The Jumper bay doors opened as Dr Hamlin dialed the Gate address to M38-997.
*****
Evan dropped the group off in the village and helped unload the supplies. As Dr Hamlin and the rest of his team were greeting the villagers and getting everything sorted out, Evan took Kat aside to say goodbye. She held on to him for a little longer than he did her, not wanting to see him go. She was glad to be out of the city but sad to see him leave. She almost wished they could have had a weekend away somewhere, just the two of them to be alone. Maybe she would see about that after this mission was over. She released him and watched as he closed the back of the Jumper and took off towards the Gate. She watched till he was out of sight then turned around to join the rest of the group.
It was just past mid-day on the planet and Kat spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know the villagers. She wanted to win their trust before she started making wholesale changes in the way they took care of themselves. She thought if they became friends her ideas would be more readily accepted.
Some of the older girls in the village started asking her personal questions. A couple of them had seen her and Evan saying goodbye. Kat felt like a schoolgirl who had been caught in the act of making out with her boyfriend under the bleachers. She blushed a little and tried to change the subject. It didn't work.
Finally Dr Parker leaned in and said, "He's her boyfriend and if her husband ever caught her making out with him… well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty." He laughed.
"Very funny, Jake. You make me sound like a little tramp or something." She gave him one of her you'll-pay-for-this looks and laughed, too. Most everyone in Atlantis who had gotten to know Kat over the past year or so had learned her different looks and what they meant. Then to the girl who had been pressing her about what she had seen, "Major Lorne is my husband. I was just saying goodbye to him."
One of the younger girls chimed in, "He sure is cute. Too bad he didn't stay."
"Well, then we probably wouldn't get any work done around here, would we Kathy?" Jake just had to keep egging her on. He got another one of her looks.
A couple of the older women showed up just about then and told the younger ones that it was time to get back to their chores and to stop pestering Kat and Dr Parker. Kat was supposed to meet with the man who was considered a type of medical man. He set broken bones and patched up cuts and scrapes. However Kat had seen some of his handiwork when they first arrived. If she tried that back on Earth, she'd have been labeled a quack or worse a fraud. Fortunately for her the man was very open and receptive to learning new things. His heart was in the right place, which went a long way in treating patients. He just needed some training and the proper tools with which to work.
The team spent the rest of the first day visiting, learning, and teaching. They took their evening meal with Sarott, the would-be doctor and his family. There had been a bit of a squabble as to who was going to host the visitors the first night. But Sarott won out this time, largely due to his interest in what Kat was teaching him. The visitors were housed in a guest cottage as usual.
The next morning was to be the start of the harvest of the fruits from the orchards and vineyards. Most of the vineyards were closer to the sea than the orchards were. Dr Hamlin, Dr Parker and Carl Weston spent the first two days working with the people in the orchards and the vineyards. Kat stayed back in the village, along with the lieutenant and continued teaching Sarott better techniques to treat his people. There were a couple of strained muscles, a couple of minor cuts and one major laceration that required stitches the first day. Kat observed his methods and was able to show him more effective methods of treatment and follow-up care. The second day the only injury was to a young man who fell from a wagon and broke his arm. Things went pretty much without incident the third day and that afternoon Kat accompanied the workers to the orchards after noon meal. The next day she would spend the morning out in the vineyards.
*****
On the morning of the fourth day Evan took a Jumper back to the planet to retrieve Dr Hamlin's team. He took with him the newest member of his own team, Captain James. Lieutenant Wills had contacted Atlantis the evening before and said the team should be pretty much finished up by mid to late afternoon the next day. They could send the Jumper back anytime. A trade agreement had been worked out to send back a portion of their harvest in exchange for the instruction from both Dr Hamlin and Kat.
It was a gray day on M38-997 when Evan and Captain James came through the Gate. The sea had been visible from the Gate when he came through four days earlier; however today it was not. It was blanketed in a shroud of fog. James asked Evan to take the Jumper up above the clouds over the sea. He had spent two years as a hurricane chaser before joining the Stargate program and was curious to see what weather patterns might be developing over the water. The further out to sea they flew the more the captain was convinced that what he saw was something he was familiar with even though it was here on an alien world. The cloudbank ahead of them appeared to have all the makings of a Category Two hurricane. There was just one thing that didn't make sense. There was a strange energy signature coming from below the clouds, almost at sea level. The closer the Jumper got to what appeared to be the eye of the storm the more scrambled the sensor readings became.
"Major, I think we better get down there and warn these people to take cover, if they have anywhere to go. Either that or start shuttling them back to the Gate. That's a pretty nasty storm heading this way. It's at least a Category Two hurricane coming in. And those are some strange readings coming from it. Hard telling what the center of that storm holds."
"Now I know why I brought you along today. Hopefully these people won't give us too much resistance."
As they made their way to the village, Evan started to feel a little unsettled. He couldn't put his finger on it; there was just something that didn't seem right. He could see Dr Hamlin and several of the villagers congregated around some tables in the village square as he flew overhead. The people waved up at him. He set the Jumper down just outside of town.
Evan kept looking around to see if he could see Kat. He could not. Hmmm, she must either be inside a building or out in one of the orchards. Dr Hamlin saw him coming up the path and went to meet him.
"You're a bit early, aren't you, Major? We weren't expecting you till later this afternoon. Missed your wife, did you?" he said as he extended a hand to Evan.
"Things were quiet back home so I thought I'd get over here early. Good thing I did and it's a good thing I brought James with me. Says there's a hurricane heading inland. Possibly Cat Two—or worse. If these people don't have anyplace solid to hole-up and ride it out, we should probably get them back to Atlantis. By the way, where is my wife? I didn't see her when we came through town."
"She's out in the vineyards along the shoreline with Dr Parker, Carl Weston and a group of villagers. They should be back shortly for noon meal."
Evan stepped away from the group a short distance and clicked the 'talk' button on his radio. "Kat, do you read? Come in please?" He waited a few minutes then tried again. "Kat, do you copy? Please respond." Only silence. "Weston, come in. Dr Parker, do you copy?" Still nothing.
Dr Hamlin came over to Evan. "No luck, huh? They're probably out of radio range. It's a good quarter mile or more to where they were picking this morning. Or maybe the weather coming in is interfering with the signal."
"Yeah, maybe. We picked up a strange energy signature coming from beneath the cloud cover the closer we got to the shoreline. I think I'll take the Jumper up and go find them. Bring 'em back. Doc, see if these people have a decent shelter and get them moved into it. If they don't, start for the Gate and get them back to Atlantis. Any idea just where they are out there?"
A young man about 17 years old stepped up. "I can show you, Major. My mother and sister are in the group harvesting out there today. I usually go but…" The boy did not finish his sentence. He was about to say something about being distracted by Kat—he thought she was just prettiest thing he'd seen in ages—but thought better of it when he remembered hearing that she was the major's wife. He was remembering, too, the comment Jake made about 'it wouldn't be pretty' when he was teasing Kat about Evan being her boyfriend and her husband finding out. He didn't know if the major was really the jealous type or not. So he opted to just quit while he was ahead. "Ah, I can show you where they were picking today, if you'd like, Major."
"Thank you, that would be great. I didn't catch your name." Evan noticed the boy seemed nervous but, of course, had no idea that it was because the boy had a crush on his wife.
"I am called Demal."
"Pleased to meet you, Demal." Evan held out his hand. The boy took it hesitantly.
"I must go tell my father I will be going with you. I will be back shortly." The boy turned and trotted off towards one of the buildings.
"Kid seems a bit nervous, doesn't he, Doc? Or is it just me he doesn't like?"
"I think he has a crush on Kathy. His father is Sarott, the medical man around here and we had evening meal with him and his family the first night. Demal was out in the vineyards the past two days but when he learned that she was going out there today, he begged out. Don't hold it against him; he's a good kid. It didn't help that Dr Parker put the fear of you in a few people the first afternoon. It's a long story, one I'm sure you'll hear about from your wife. Don't let the boy know I told you. Okay?"
"Alright, the secret is safe, Doc. I'm sure there is a funny story behind it and I'm sure Kat will tell me all about it when we get home. The good doctor, on the other hand, might have to look over his shoulder for a few days." Evan was joking of course and Dr Hamlin knew it. He laughed along.
*****
The picking was going well and the harvest was actually quite bountiful. Carl Weston was taking some soil samples and doing some preliminary testing to see if there might be anything that could be done to improve the health of the soil in order to increase the yield.
Kat was thoroughly enjoying herself. All the time she had lived in California she had never taken a tour of any of the vineyards. It was fascinating to learn how many different varieties of grapes there were. And this was on an alien world, not Earth.
It was getting near the time when the little group would head back to the village for the noon meal. The weather was much different nearer the coast than it had been further inland. Granted they were much closer to the seashore but you could almost smell an incoming storm. The eldest of the men who was in the group commented that the winter rains might start early this year.
The group consisted of Brijee, the wife of Sarott and their 14-year old daughter, Lisset. There were two men in the group also, Horick and Ballow. Brijee's son, Demal was supposed to come this morning but for some reason begged out. His father allowed him to stay back at the village. Dr Parker, Carl Weston and Kat rounded out the little group. The two scientists had been making the trek out each day and had become pretty adept at picking grapes. Even Kat had picked up a pretty good technique. She had learned fairly quickly how to determine ripe grapes from those that were not so ripe.
Each row was about 200 meters long with a small clearing about 10 meters wide at the end, separating the rows. The eldest of the men, Horick, explained to Dr Parker that the break in the rows was where the variety of grape changed. This way those harvesting could empty their pails and keep the fruit separate in the cart. Horick said once they reached this break they would return to the village for noon meal.
They had reached the clearing emptied their pails. Weston was finishing up taking a last soil sample just into the next rows. He wanted to take what he had collected so far back with them so he wouldn't be encumbered by them this afternoon and could help pick.
The group was just about ready to leave when they heard Weston call out. Apparently they had company. A small band of shabbily dressed men were coming down the rows from in front of them. They were all wearing breeches, waistcoats and sporting gold earrings. They had the look of 17th century pirates. A husky man with long stringy black hair was leading. He called out to Weston. "Hello, friend. Can you by chance give us aid? Our companion has injured his leg. We are strangers here and a great distance from home. How far are we from your village?"
Weston wasn't sure just how far they were nor did he know what to make of the approaching travelers. "I, too, am from afar, sir. Perhaps my friends can help you." He called back for the others to join him.
Horick led the small group down the row. "What brings you to our vineyards?" He asked the stranger. "What service may we be to you?"
"As I told this man, our friend has injured his leg and we are not familiar with the countryside and do not know where to seek help."
When she heard the mention of someone being injured, Kat stepped forward and offered to examine the man and possibly treat him if she had what was necessary along.
The stranger eyed her up and down then said, "You are not from this place, either, are you. Your dress is not the same as the others. Yours is more like theirs." He pointed to Weston and Parker. It was as if the man had forgotten about his supposedly injured companion.
Kat grew uneasy by the way the man was looking at her. Her hand went to the sidearm Evan had insisted she bring. Dr Parker noticed this and his hand went to his sidearm as well. He took a step towards the man. Suddenly several armed men moved in on them from all directions. Each man had a dagger held by a leather sash around his waist but more importantly each one was holding a type of energy-based weapon.
Then the first man said, "I would suggest you not try anything or someone is liable to get hurt. I am Janser. You will come with me. His Lordship, Ocontaf, will be pleased to have such lovely additions to his court." He walked up to the young girl, Lisset, and ran his fingers through her hair and down her arm.
Horick was still holding a pail and swung it at him. One of the other strangers shot him twice with his weapon. Kat tried to go to his side to help but was grabbed by one of the strangers. Janser looked around waiting to see if anyone else wanted to try a dumb move like Horick had. He was just daring them to try something.
"Better not harm that one, Raddum," Janser said to the man who had grabbed Kat. "His Lordship will surely take pleasure in her." He sneered at Kat, showing his crooked brown teeth.
No one else made any moves to antagonize the strangers. Janser and Raddum roughly pushed them through the vines and toward the water's edge. Raddum had noticed that Kat and the two scientists each had a sidearm and he relieved them of said weapons. He passed one of them to Janser.
"These are not like any weapons I have seen before. Where did you get them?" He was in Parker's face. Parker did not answer. Janser was close to striking Parker when Carl Weston spoke up.
"They were given to us by our ancestors in a land far from here." Weston tried to make it sound like they didn't know anything about their origin.
"Well, no matter. If you will not talk to me you will talk to His Lordship. Now we must get you back to the Machickna before we lay waste to this land," Janser said as he pushed the prisoners down the beach to a waiting boat.
*****
Evan, Captain James and Demal walked back to the Jumper in silence. They were almost there when Evan asked the boy, "So how big is this vineyard? Are we going to have trouble spotting them?" It didn't really matter whether they would be able to spot them from the air. Evan would just turn on the life-signs detector and get a lock on their sub-Q transmitters. He was just trying to put the boy at ease. Although at the back of his mind he was remembering the sensor difficulty they had when they first arrived and were checking out the storm clouds. It might be that the life-signs detector would be inoperative.
"It is quite large, actually. It takes us almost two weeks with several people picking to get everything in before the winter rains. So depending on how far in they are, it could be a little difficult."
Once in the Jumper, Evan took off in the direction of the shoreline. Demal directed him towards the right of the village. They should have been working in that vineyard this morning. Evan went down to maybe ten meters off the ground and tried his radio again. "Kat, do you copy? Please respond." Only silence. "Carl Weston, please respond. Dr Parker, do you copy?" Again, only silence. He activated the life-signs detector on board the Jumper to see if he could locate them. The screen showed nothing. Damn energy whatever.
By now that unsettled feeling he had vaguely noticed when they arrive had turned into real concern; not only for his wife, but also for the others in her party. They wouldn't stand a chance this close to the shore when the storm hit. He asked Demal to point out where he thought the closest point of entry would be that they could possibly find them on foot. Demal indicated a small clearing. Evan set the Jumper down and the men exited to search on foot.
"They should have been working in these rows this morning." Demal pointed out an area of about ten or twelve rows. "We finished up just over there yesterday."
Each man took a row and started walking down it, calling as they walked. There were dips and rises in the land and the vines were thick. It was difficult to see too far ahead of them at some points. Several minutes later they came out into a very small clearing about ten meters wide. According to Demal this was a break in the variety of grapes that were grown there. Just inside the next set of rows he spotted something. It was the pails and the cart that were being used to hold and transport the fruit. But there was no one around.
Evan again tried his radio; still only silence. Demal called out for his mother and his sister. There was no response. Was it possible that they had missed them on the way over? Had the group already headed back to the village? He tried contacting Dr Hamlin.
"Dr. Hamlin, do you read?"
"Barely, Major, but I can hear you. No luck finding Kathy, huh?"
"No, I was hoping maybe they had come back and we just missed them. We found the pails and the cart."
"Sorry, but they haven't shown here yet. You probably just missed each other. I'm sure they'll show soon, though."
"Major, over here. I think you should see this." Captain James had scouted a little further ahead and came across something he needed the major to see.
"What is it, James?" Evan made his way to where the captain was. Demal followed. What they found were signs of a scuffle. There were broken vines and even a few that looked as if hit with an energy weapon of some sort. There was also a blood trail. They followed it and came upon one of the villagers. He looked to have been shot with some type of energy weapon. The man was barely alive.
"It's Horick." Demal said as he rushed to his side. "Horick, what happened here? Where are the others?"
Evan knelt down on the other side of the man and was visually scanning the area to see if he could see anyone else lying around. He could not.
"Took… beyond… Ocontaf…" The man was barely conscious and the effort of talking weakened him further. He passed out.
"Took them, where? Where is Ocontaf?" Evan was trying to get more information from the man but it was no use. The man was barely alive. Then to Demal, "Where is this Ocontaf he's talking about?"
The young man was still kneeling alongside Horick. He looked frightened and did not answer right away. Evan reached across the unconscious man and grabbed Demal by the collar asking again, "Where is this Ocontaf?"
Finally Demal answered. "Ocontaf is not a place, but a man, a very evil man. There are those who do not believe he is real. Others believe he no longer lives. He has not been seen or heard from in many many years."
"So who is he?" Evan pressed the boy for more details.
"He is a very evil man," Demal repeated. "It has been said he is the evilest man to have ever commanded the seas. He is feared by all. Mere mention of his name will cause nightmares in old men. But no one has seen or heard of his presence in so long we thought he was dead. If he has returned then I fear for my mother and my sister and your people, especially for your wife. This storm you talk of may be a blessing to them if they are in the hands of Ocontaf."
Demal's words were not sitting well with Evan. He was trying not to let his concern show. He also felt something that he had not felt in quite some time—fear. He checked the injured man lying in front of them. He was still alive but he needed attention. He also had to find his people—his wife—before the storm hit. And if they were out on some ship on the sea the sooner the better. Although from the way Demal talked, the storm might be the least of their concern.
"Let's get this man into the Jumper and back to the village. Then we'll get back up and see if we can spot any ships."
*****
After getting the injured man back to the village, Evan, James and Wills headed back out in the Jumper in the direction of the sea. There was sturdy shelter further inland and Dr Hamlin and the village elders were getting the people to safety. They flew over the area they found the man and started a pattern search of the area just off shore. There were footprints in the sand leading to the edge of the water. It looked like a small boat had been dragged partway up onto the beach. Evan had activated the Jumper's cloak shortly after they took off. At least that was still working. He did not want anyone to see them.
Evan activated the life-signs detector again. Still nothing. He didn't think it would work this close to the storm front and the energy reading but he figured to give it a try anyway. All of a sudden several blips appeared on the screen for just a few seconds. He had finally located his people—his wife—he hoped. The only problem was trying to figure how to get in there and get them out before they were over taken by the storm.
At least they had the element of surprise. Hopefully they would not have to resort to violence. Evan hoped he could either negotiate the release of or at least intimidate them into releasing his people and the villagers. Negotiate my ass, he thought, if that man lays a finger on Kat I'll kill him with my bare hands. Evan was growing angrier by the minute just thinking about it. This was a big part of the reason the two had agreed to try and not go on missions together. Emotions might get in the way of good judgment. Right now good judgment was on a fast track out of his mind. Although from the description given by the young villager this man probably would deserve anything he got.
The Jumper came down out of the clouds just above a ship. It was something of a cross between the Mayflower and the Titanic. It was huge, roughly 150-160 meters in length, but with sails and looked to be made out of a mix of wood and iron. Actually finding someplace to land might not be that hard if he could maneuver between the masts and billowing sails. They visually scanned the deck looking for a suitable landing place that might give them that all-important element of surprise. Most of the Jumper's sensors were either not working at all or barely working and the closer they got to the ship the more difficult it was to get any type of reading from them. It was as if the source of the energy anomaly was the ship. Perhaps it was entirely separate from the storm that was brewing a little further out. Evan only hoped the cloak was still working.
"There." Captain James pointed towards the aft of the great ship. "There looks like a spot behind those crates that is large enough and secluded enough that we won't be seen."
"Good eye, James." Evan set the Jumper down slowly in the area that the captain had pointed out. It was a perfect spot. No one was even close to the area so they wouldn't be seen exiting the Jumper. Now all they had to do was try and find their people.
As the Puddle Jumper descended toward the deck the disrupted sensors returned to normal. The spot James had pointed out was perfect. The sensors picked up several life signs in a group as well as three subcutaneous transmitters. Currently they were all together in one group not too far from where the Jumper had landed.
The men were able to exit the still cloaked Jumper without being seen. Evan checked his sidearm then reached back to where he kept his knife. He grabbed one of the hand-held life-signs detectors and picked up his P-90 on the way out. Had this trip been what it was supposed to have been, simply a pickup of personnel, he'd have been a little over outfitted with weapons. He was glad he had geared up as he did for any mission.
He flipped on the device. The energy anomaly did seem to be emanating from above them in one of the enormous masts because he was able to pinpoint three subcutaneous transmitters. He was now detecting two together in a group of five life sign signatures and one alone with one other life sign. His people had been split up. A chill ran down his spine.
*****
Once the prisoners had been brought on board the Machickna they were put all together in one room on one of the lower decks. Janser went to Ocontaf to advise him that he had returned. He informed his leader that there were three people that were not of this world and that they possessed weapons strange to him. There were also three women, one of them an other-worlder. That fact intrigued Ocontaf more than the fact that they had strange weapons.
Ocontaf was a large malodorous man, over six-feet six-inches tall. He was not a good-looking man in the least. He was dirty and his shoulder-length yellow hair was stringy and greasy. Ocontaf went down to where the prisoners were being held. He slowly walked through the room looking at each of them carefully. When he came to Lisset, the 14 year-old daughter of Sarott, he paused briefly. He touched her hair and then her face. Her mother, Brijee, protested his attentions to her daughter.
"Please do not harm her, she's only a child," Brijee pleaded with the big man.
"My aren't we protective." He sneered at her as he leaned close to her, his brown teeth showing. Then he reached out and pushed her aside. She fell back and was caught by Carl Weston.
Ocontaf noticed the other-worlder as he caught the woman. Parker was standing beside Weston. "So, you're the ones from beyond this place? Where are you from? You came through the Ring, didn't you?"
"I'm from Cleveland, it's in Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie." Weston wasn't about to tell the man he was from Atlantis. He also had a sarcastic streak in him, much like Jake Parker.
The big man was about to strike him when he noticed Kat. He took a step towards her. She stood up straight not showing any fear. "Well, well, what have we here. You are not of this world either, are you?" He reached out and took hold of her face by the chin, tipping it slightly. She resisted, trying to hold her head firm but that only infuriated him. "Stubborn one, aren't you?" He tightened his grip on her chin and leaned close to her. "Perhaps a private lesson in manners is necessary." He leered at her.
Jake Parker pulled Kat away from Ocontaf. "Leave her alone."
Janser stepped toward Parker with his weapon drawn. He pointed it at Parker's head. "I wouldn't defy His Lordship, if I were you," he snarled. "Only he will be the judge as to who needs lessons and who doesn't." Then he tipped his head towards Parker. "Perhaps this one needs a lesson as well, my Lord."
"You are welcome to teach as you see fit, Janser. This one I will teach myself." Ocontaf grabbed Kat by the arm and pulled her towards the door. She struggled but that only caused the man to tighten his grip even more. Parker and Weston tried to follow and keep him from taking her. Both of them were hit across the face with the butt end of an energy weapon held by Janser.
*****
After they made their way below deck it was only about twelve meters to where the group of five were being held. There was also no way of knowing who was who or if the other three life signs were those of the villagers, their captors or a combination of both. The only thing Evan could tell for sure was that only two of his people were still together. One had been moved from the group and was now alone with one unknown person. He had a bad feeling he knew who had been separated. And a worse feeling he knew who that unknown person was.
Evan sent James and Wills off in the direction of the larger group All they had to do was go down the corridor, take a left and the room should be at the end of the hall on the left. Evan would go the other way himself. He pocketed the detector and raised his P-90. He set it for single shot. He didn't want to take a chance on anyone, such as his wife, getting caught in a spray of bullets.
Surprisingly they met no resistance as they made their way down the corridors. Apparently the ship's crew felt that there was no need to place guards outside the rooms where the prisoners were being held. Why would they, how would anyone be able to mount a rescue without being seen approaching the ship? Who would mount a rescue for that matter? Hopefully Wills and James would find all the captured villagers and the two scientists all in one room and would not meet any resistance. Evan had given them instructions to be as stealthy as possible. These people looked to possess energy-based weapons.
Evan hoped he'd be able to be as quiet as he had instructed his men to be. He lowered his P-90 and drew both his sidearm and his knife. He made his way down the corridor to the end to where the detector had shown the sub-Q transmitter of one of his people. As he came close to the door he heard what sounded like something, or someone, being thrown into a wall. Then he heard a slightly muffled cry.
*****
Ocontaf had pulled Kat by the arm away from the rest of the group. He tilted his head slightly as he shoved her out the door. Janser followed them out locking the door behind him. He then headed up the stairs at the far end of the corridor.
The big man dragged Kat to the other end of the corridor. He opened a door and pushed her through in front of him. She stumbled across the room into a large cabinet catching herself with her hands. Ocontaf stepped towards Kat and grabbed her by the hair. He pulled her in to him and pressed his lips hard to hers. She pulled away and tried to knee him in the groin. The man was wearing thick leather pants and so her effort to incapacitate him did little good. He reached up and backhanded her hard across the face cutting her lip. She went tumbling across the room. She let out a slight cry as she landed face-first against the bed.
Ocontaf took two strides across the room. He reached for Kat pulling his dagger from its sheath as he threw her onto the bed like a rag doll. He then brought the blade tight to her throat; it's razor sharp edge ever so slightly slicing the skin. With her subdued he climbed up on the bed, straddled her, and then kissed her again. As he pressed his face to hers the blade of the dagger dug further into the delicate skin of her neck. Slowly he unzipped her jacket and then grabbed her shirt tearing it open.
Just then the door burst open and in came Evan. "Let go of her or I'll kill you," he snarled at the big man. Ocontaf turned around to see Evan standing in the doorway with a gun pointing at him. In his other hand was a knife.
Ocontaf climbed off the bed and lunged towards Evan, his dagger thrust out in front of him. Evan fired two shots into the man's chest and watched him fall. Kat got up and quickly ran to her husband's side. He moved her behind him towards the door.
As Evan turned around, Ocontaf sprang up from where he was slumped on the floor. He came at Evan with his dagger. Kat saw him get up and yelled. "Watch out!"
He turned around and thrust his own knife into the man's gut. Ocontaf slashed at Evan and managed to land a lucky stab into his upper arm before going down. Evan then started striking him in the head with his gun. Kat yelled at him to stop. "Evan, stop it, stop, you'll kill him." She tried to grab his arm to get him to stop. Finally she caught it and he ceased his pummeling. Ocontaf lay in a heap, his face covered in blood from the beating inflicted upon him by Kat's enraged husband.
"He deserves to die, for what he did to you, Kat," Evan protested her getting him to stop his assault.
"He didn't hurt me." She still had hold of his arm.
"What do you mean, what's this?" He touched the blood on her lip and her neck. He nodded at her torn shirt.
"He didn't hurt me." She looked at him trying to get him to understand what she meant. Finally he did. She zipped up her jacket to hide the torn shirt.
"Let's get you out of here. James and Wills were going after the rest of your party." He took one more look back at the man on the floor. He was either dead or at least unconscious for the moment. Evan holstered his sidearm and knife and reached in his pocket for his handkerchief so Kat could wipe some of the blood from her throat. He raised his P-90 and looked out into the hall. He figured the sound of the two shots he'd taken earlier might very well bring down the crew.
When Evan looked out into the corridor he saw Captain James making his way down with the rest of the captives. Lieutenant Wills brought up the rear of the party. So far no crewmembers were descending upon them. Maybe no one heard the shots Evan had fired. He and Kat joined the group and Evan took point with James.
Dr Parker took Kat by the arm and helped her up the stairs and out on the deck. Evan kept looking back to see that she was okay. "Just a little further and we will be able to get you out of here," he said as she reached the top step.
"Major, I heard them talking when they brought us to the ship about destroying the villages. I don't know what they plan on doing or how, but they were pretty sure they'd be able to cause a great deal of damage," Dr Parker said as he reached the top of the stairs.
"Yes, they were talking about being able to inflict a lot of pain and suffering on the people all along the coast," Kat reiterated what Dr Parker had said.
"Major, do you think that energy anomaly is some type of weapon?" Captain James asked.
"I don't know, it might be. With any luck our weapons will still work. Neither the cloak nor the navigation controls were affected. Maybe we can destroy it."
The group made their way back to the Jumper without meeting any resistance. Before he lifted off, Evan was able to pinpoint the source of the energy reading on the ships sensors. It was definitely coming from above and emanating in an upward and outward direction. He lifted off, remained at a level just above the deck of the ship, and was able to stay below the energy field.
Once he figured he was safely away, Evan launched a drone into the great mast of the ship. It struck its target and the mast exploded. There were chain reaction explosions throughout the ship causing fires to erupt. Evan did not stick around to see whether the ship itself succumbed to the flames; he went to full speed to get the injured back to the mainland before the storm hit.
*****
Once in the air and far enough away from the burning ship, Evan turned to Captain James. "Take us in, Captain." He got up and went back to where Kat was sitting in the rear of the Jumper. Dr Parker had already grabbed the first-aid kit and was untying the handkerchief from around her neck.
The blood had dried to the cloth and the cuts started to bleed a little when Parker pulled it away from the skin. When he saw Evan coming from the front of the Jumper he moved aside. "They don't look too deep, Major. I think she'll be okay."
"You're gonna be fine, Kat. Just sit back and let me clean this up a bit." Evan had sat down beside her. Dr Parker handed him the antiseptic and cotton. In addition to those on her neck there were also cuts on her lip and above her eye as well.
Kat looked up at Parker and over at Weston. "I think you two should get icepacks on those bruises." She reached up and touched Evan's arm where he had been stabbed. "Maybe I should have a look at that arm of yours."
"I'm fine. Let's just get back to the village." As he looked at her he could see the bruising starting to show on her face where Ocontaf had hit her. Her eye and lip were starting to swell. It made him angry just looking at them as he was cleaning the blood from her neck.
"You're not fine. You're bleeding. I just want to put a bandage on your arm." She tried to give him one of her looks.
"I'll live. And your not gonna get away with one of your famous looks this time. You just sit here and let me take care of you." He reached up and touched her face. She flinched and pulled back slightly. He was adamant that she got taken care of before he did.
She quit arguing, sat back and allowed herself to be treated. By now she was starting to feel a little woozy. They had successfully escaped their captors and the adrenaline rush that she'd had up to this point was wearing off. The side of her face hurt and she could feel the swelling in her lip and eye from the slap Ocontaf had given her. She really didn't feel the cuts on her neck that much, probably because everything above that hurt worse.
Just then they heard an explosion. Captain James changed their course slightly so they could see behind them. The Machickna had blown up.
"Sir, I think you should look at this." Captain James was pointing out the window.
"What the…." Evan stood up, turned and walked toward the front of the Jumper. "It looks like the entire storm is dissipating."
Just as the great ship exploded the storm clouds began to break up showing a beautiful blue sky.
"You don't think that energy anomaly was controlling the weather and had created that storm, do you?" James asked.
"Well, I guess we know how they were going to destroy the villages. Didn't I read something about a device SG1 discovered that controlled the weather?" Dr Parker commented.
Kat had stood up and started walking towards the front of the Jumper to where Evan was standing. She wasn't real steady on her feet and Parker got up and helped her. She said, "So, you think he's dead?"
Evan was surprised to hear her voice directly behind him and he spun around. He reached out, put his arm around her waist and lead her back to her seat. "I'm sure he is, honey, I'm sure he is." He embraced her and held her tight. She put her arms around him and wept.
*****
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