He may not have been gracious in defeat, but Caldwell was clearly committed to helping Sheppard's team. He had suggested they bring a jumper along, which Lorne piloted into the starboard hangar bay while the Daedalus offloaded its supplies. Both Reconnaissance teams had packed uniform changes as well as their standard mission tack, as the trip itself was estimated at 37 hours, and, providing the locals proved hospitable, they planned to remain on the planet for a total of five days. Depending on their findings, they would then swap out for a full science team.
The hours spent in transit aboard the ship became even more torturous than the days waiting to leave. Sheppard knew they were searching for something that could potentially save a lot of lives throughout the galaxy, but he could not forget about those they had lost. And neither could Teyla.
The team would be hanging out in the mess, or crowded together in one of their assigned quarters, sharing a laugh, and she would always be the first to stop, the first to look away whenever things got serious, the last to join in on snark-offs. It made John realise that, while she had lived in Atlantis for the last three years, she had never been cut off from her people, and with no way to know whether they were still alive... It was heavy stuff the Athosian was dealing with.
Finally, they arrived at their destination.
The planet was amazing.
While it was made up mostly of blue ocean, there were a few scattered continents casting green and brown splotches over the multi-hued seas, and shards of white clustered at each pole. A ring of stone rubble encircled the planet along the equator, half a destroyed moon still orbiting in the debris, and, most impressively, nebulous gasses writhed around the entire thing; vivid golds, aquas, and purples, all streaking in branches out from the planet.
"That is quite a sight," Caldwell commented.
"I wonder what happened to the moon?" Sheppard murmured.
"Possibly an impact from a comet or asteroid..." McKay hypothesised, before snapping his fingers. "Scans, locate the Ancient facility."
As he set to it, booting the Daedalus personnel out of their stations, Sheppard and the rest of his team gazed out the viewport, entranced by the beauty of the nebula.
"Huh, that's a hinderance," McKay said to no-one in particular.
"What is?" Caldwell asked.
"The scanners don't think there's a planet there."
"The nebula must be blocking them," Radeck muttered, moving to help Rodney.
"Hmmm... it would make it a good choice of planet for a hidden weapons platform, that's for sure."
"It may be possible then that the Wraith never found it."
"Which means there's a good chance it's still operational."
"Not only that but-"
"-It's unlikely the Wraith would have any effective countermeasures."
"In which case-"
"-This could really be a Latchkey discovery, capable of turning the tide of the war."
Sheppard cut in over the two scientists, "Why don't we prep the jumper and go find out rather than just sit here and theorise."
"Good call, yes," Rodney said, dragging Zelenka off the bridge.
Rolling his eyes, John followed the scientists, ignoring the somewhat incredulous glance of Colonel Caldwell, as Teyla and Ronon fell in behind him.
While they made their way to the starboard hangar, Sheppard hailed Lorne over the radio, telling him to bring his team and meet them at the jumper. When they arrived, Lorne was waiting for them, and Sheppard quickly took the pilot's seat, McKay refusing to defer to the Major and taking co-pilot while Doctor Zelenka fiddled nervously with equipment in the rear compartment. Lorne ended up sitting behind McKay, while Teyla took the seat behind John, Ronon standing just beside her. The rest of Lorne's team sat on the benches in the back, squished amongst the scientific doodads occupying the bulk of the Puddlejumper's limited space.
They waited for the hangar technicians to scurry out of the bay before it was depressurised. Once they got the all-clear and the massive doors started to grind open, John powered up the jumper's cloak and nosed out of the Daedalus' protective grasp. As they broke free, headed for the Shield world's atmosphere, Caldwell called in to notify them the ship's shields had been raised.
"It's gonna feel weird having Big Brother Caldwell looking over our shoulder on this one," Rodney remarked.
"Well until we get our license, we'll need big brother's taxi service," John drawled.
"You really think they'd let us have our own ship stationed in Pegasus?" Lorne asked, disbelief heavy in his tone.
"One can hope," McKay said, sounding distracted as he worked over the scanners. Shaking his head, the scientist pulled a face. "The Ancient scanners aren't picking up anything the Asgard's couldn't."
John glanced to his right. "I thought we were expecting that?"
Scowling, McKay glared out the windscreen at the offending nebula. "Expecting? Yes, but I was hoping something similar to Atlantis' auto pilot would kick in and take us straight where we want to go."
"That would have been nice," Sheppard agreed.
Banking, he adjusted their heading to steer clear of the planet's ring, then threw a wry smile back at Teyla and Ronon. "Who wants to pick which continent we scan first?"
"No, no, no, no, no, we need to look at the statistical probabilities-"
"How about that big green one?" Ronon said, pointing to the largest landmass.
"Big green one it is," Sheppard said, steering the jumper easily as they passed through the first wisps of the nebula.
"It is even more beautiful up close," Teyla said, awed. "I had never imagined such a sight could exist."
Caldwell's voice came in over the radio. "Colonel Sheppard, this is the Daedalus, how are things going?"
"Daedalus, this is Jumper One, we are passing through the outer reaches of the nebula with no apparent adverse effects," Sheppard responded.
"We're losing tracking on you, if you get into trouble, you'll have to get yourselves out; there's no way to lock a transport beam on you."
"Well, we expected that, too," McKay muttered.
"Noted, Colonel. Radio check in five minutes," Sheppard said, then flicked the comm unit to standby.
They dove through the nebula, passing wispy clouds of intense colour that seemed only to strengthen the further they went, but never so much that they lost sight of the planet. When they checked in with Caldwell again, they were roughly half-way through. It was only once they entered the upper atmosphere that the scanners stuttered to life, and they raised Caldwell on the radio, notifying him of the development.
"Daedalus, Jumper One has reached the planet's atmosphere, and our scanners now agree that there is, in fact, a planet."
"That's excellent news, Jumper One. Keep us inf-"
"Unidentified vessel, you are using restricted channels. Surrender yourselves to the Protegat Justicer at once or you will be shot down."
Rodney's eyes went wide as the unknown voice barked out their radios.
"Uhh," Sheppard hastily replied, "sure thing. If you could just do us a small favour and give us directions?"
But the jumper was two steps ahead of them. It plotted a course to a large, sprawling city with unmistakably Lantean architecture on the south-western coast of the continent Ronon had chosen. Like Atlantis, its tallest buildings were toward the middle of the city, with a central spire that soared hundreds of stories in the air. Unlike Atlantis, it was land-bound, with farmland surrounding it and forested mountains setting a majestic backdrop towards the north. A thick wall circumferenced the city, tall and wide enough to be considered a building in its own right. Ten structures looking rather a lot like cannons rose from this wall, evenly spaced. Sharing a glance with McKay, Sheppard steered the jumper onto the proposed course, as the radio crackled to life again.
"Ancestral vessel confirmed, welcome back, Creators."
"Oh, crap, now they think we're Ancients. This has never gone well in the past," Rodney panicked.
"Once we're not in danger of being shot down by these guys, we'll explain everything and straighten the whole thing out," Sheppard said, trying to sound confident.
"Maybe we should wait a bit and take the chance to figure out how they'll react first. If they decide to incarcerate us or cut us off from the platform-"
"I believe if we are honest and upfront with them, they will have reason to trust us," Teyla cut over Rodney with her calming tones.
"But if-"
John shook his head. "The decision's been made, Rodney."
They closed the final distance to the city in silence, though McKay continued to huff in irritation. As they drew near, the jumper HUD directed them to a cluster of low-set, wide buildings dwarfed by the near-by central spire and most the other towers surrounding it, but kept at distance by well-manicured grounds. Passing by, they saw white-and-black clad figures travelling in neat processions. A medium-length runway stretched out from one side, and the wall it seemed to be attached to began retracting. It quickly became obvious that this was no wall, but large hangar doors, which the jumper prompted them to land in.
Feeling just a little bit trepidatious, not that he'd ever admit it to Rodney, John followed Jumper One's suggestion.
When they arrived they found an armed delegation waiting for them; eight soldiers in predominantly white uniforms chased in silver, and shiny black boots with matte black half-chaps and belts to match. Flanking the jumper ramp, they stood at attention, giving more of an 'honour guard' feel than a 'you're our prisoner' impression. They carried ornate rifles similar to the old flintlock types from Earth's history, though, as the Lanteans started to get a look around the hangar they had landed in, they seemed to be at an Earth Space Race level of technological advancement, but with Ancient tech seamlessly integrated with their own.
A man in a formal, clean-cut, white uniform with black accents, not dissimilar to those that the crew of the Aurora had worn, strode forward. He looked to be somewhere between 30 and 40, with fawn skin, dark, close cropped hair, and dark eyes. He carried no weapons, but had the self-assured air of a veteran diplomat. Strapped on his left forearm was an electronic device reminiscent of a Life Signs Detector, but with a longer screen. Making an unfamiliar hand gesture across his chest, he unerringly singled the Colonel out in his greeting, speaking in clipped tones.
"Welcome to Protegat, Ancestors. We have long awaited your return. I am Consulate Atheon Pacem." Here, he paused, taking in their attire with evident confusion. "If you'll forgive me for my transgression, why has your raiment changed so much during the time of your absence?"
McKay gave John a pointed look, which he ignored. "I'm glad you brought that up, because it gives me the chance to clear up an unfortunate misconception." John paused, noting the Consulate's expression. Pacem looked politely interested, so he hoped they weren't in too much trouble.
"See, the thing is, while we use bits of Ancient tech we've found, we're not actually Ancients. We're sorry if the jumper misled you."
The faces of the guards hardened, but the Consulate seemed intrigued. "You are not Ancestor, but you have the ability to fly their ships?"
"Some of us do," Sheppard clarified while eyeing off the guards.
Glancing at the guards himself, Consulate Pacem chuckled ruefully. "You must forgive their mistrust, Soldier...?"
"Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard," John quickly supplied.
"I have never heard of that rank before," Pacem commented. "Well, Lieutenant Colonel," he hesitated over the rank, as though the pronunciation was difficult. "Our histories say that none but those who inhabit the great city of Atlantis may find Protegat, and so it is in our nature to be suspicious of unknown cultures."
"Have you ever encountered a culture other than your own?" Teyla asked curiously.
"Once, Travellers from the stars came, some centuries ago," Consulate Pacem said, "but they left upon discovering Protegat is inhabited."
"As in, Travellers, travellers?" Rodney asked.
"Is there somewhere out of the way we can talk about this?" Sheppard said, noting the curious engineers hovering just within earshot.
"Of course, I'm afraid I was distracted. If you will please leave your weapons with your ship, I am to escort you to the Justicer's council room."
Lorne pulled a face, and Sheppard wasn't too happy about the request either. Seeming to sense their recalcitrance, the Consulate added, "You may keep your secondary firearms on you."
Nodding his appreciation, the Colonel turned to Lorne. "Major, I want you and your team to stay with the jumper, Radeck, you too. If it's all right with you," he said, directing his words back to Pacem, "we need to radio our ship and let them know we're okay."
"This is the unidentified vessel in quadrant six?" Atheon asked.
"If quadrant six is just out of range of the nebula, then yes," Rodney answered.
Pacem nodded thoughtfully. "This is acceptable."
"Use a secure channel, so we don't hog their radio waves again," John said casually, but gave Lorne a look to let him know he wanted their conversations kept private. They may be receiving diplomatic treatment from Pacem, but they'd been burned too many times in the past to go playing with fire without an extinguisher nearby.
Pacem watched Sheppard, Teyla, and McKay unclip their P-90s from their vests, then exit the jumper to stand once again before him. "If you'll follow me." He gestured graciously, as the honour guard formed around John's team, and they allowed themselves to be escorted deeper into the facility.
As they left the hangar and headed towards the more official areas, the architecture became less utilitarian and more austere, with a strange, spartan grace. The colour scheme was reminiscent of that of Atlantis, and the uniforms of the various personnel had definite Lantean influences. If the anthropologists ever got to come here, they'd have a field day.
The Consulate led them through a final door, and they found themselves in a room not unlike Atlantis' Gate Room, minus the Stargate and control room, but the high ceiling, balconies, and stained glass were unmistakable. In place of the consoles on the upper level, there were tiered seats overlooking the lower level, and, where the Stargate sat in Atlantis, taking pride of place, was a large, octagonal table. It was around this table that five diplomats, dressed in uniforms similar to Atheon's, stood at a form of attention. Two of them had some form of side arms strapped to their thighs, and all looked older than 40.
As Sheppard took in the room, mentally comparing it to Atlantis, Pacem strode quietly to the waiting people, and spoke to them in low tones. The woman standing in the middle raised a hand, then turned her attention to AR-1. Her uniform matched the Consulate's, right down to the device strapped to her forearm, yet she wore her blonde hair in a less formal undercut, though her grey eyes seemed far more severe than his.
"Greetings, Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, and welcome to Protegat. Please, be seated." She, too, seemed to have problems pronouncing the rank.
Nodding to Rodney, John did as he was asked, his team following his lead, taking the four seats closest to the door, while their honour guard seemed to melt into the woodwork- or stonework.
"Thank-you for your hospitality," Teyla said, clearly feeling the need to take point.
"I am Ambassador Alyss Janyar," the woman spoke again. "I have the honour of presenting Lord Oronx Farade, Democrata Sian Heyerda, Democrata Tarro Judine, and Justicer Dianna Xerath." Janyar gestured from left to right as she named those with her. Like Pacem, Janyar's words were clipped, deliberately enunciated.
"I am Teyla Emmagen of Athos, with me are Doctor Rodney McKay and Specialist Ronon Dex. Of course, you have already been told Colonel Sheppard's name."
"It is a genuine pleasure to meet off-worlders," Lord Farade said. "It has been generations since our world has had contact with the galaxy." Aside from Pacem, he was the shortest of the Protegans, and had the fairest skin. His face was dotted with freckles, yet marred with scars. He was one of the two whom bore weapons, and his orange hair was little more than a cropped fuzz. His brown eyes were sharp, seeming to take in everything at a glance.
"As such," Justicer Xerath continued in the strong tone that John now suspected was an accent these people spoke with, "we have many questions for you, concerning the state of affairs throughout the Ancestor's worlds." The Justicer bore fewer scars than Lord Farade, but they were still prominent against her dark brown skin, as were her bright blue eyes. When standing, she was tallest out of her colleagues. Her dark hair, streaked with grey, was pulled back into a strict french bun. This, combined with the weapon at her thigh, gave her a definitively military air.
Teyla wore her best diplomatic smile. "We would be happy to answer whatever questions you may pose, as far as our own knowledge will allow. In turn, I would hope that you may be able to help us."
The Protegans all wore similar expressions of interest mixed with the slightest hint of mistrust. Sheppard decided to take over. Politics may not be his forte, but he was still team leader.
"We didn't exactly just stumble across your planet; we came here seeking knowledge of our own." Not wanting to reveal too much about the Expedition just yet, Sheppard kept his statement vague.
Justicer Xerath narrowed her eyes. "We may indeed be prepared to help in an equal exchange of information, dependant on the nature of the knowledge you seek."
"What the Justicer means," Democrata Heyerda said, her voice placating, "is that our people were entrusted with the knowledge of the Ancestors many generations ago, and it is a mantle we bear with gravity. We would seek assurance your motives are for the good of the greater galaxy, not for selfish gain." She was about as tall as Lord Farade, but her diminutive size made her seem smaller. She wore crimson hair in a loose bun, and her bared forearms showed extensive burn scars silver-red against her bronze skin; there was something less disciplined than her kin in her light brown eyes.
Teyla caught Sheppard's eye, a subtle question in her expression. John inclined his head, acknowledging her request.
"Well, I wouldn't expect you to just take our word on it, but we have been the leading force in the fight against the Wraith for the last three years," the Colonel paused. "I assume you know what the Wraith are?"
Scowls crossed the face of each Protegan. "The parasite is the reason our kind were forced to take up the mantle prematurely," Democrata Judine said in a measured voice, even as his eyes showed his fury. "If it were not for the Wraith," he spat the word as though it tasted foul in his mouth, "the Ancestors would remain to guide us." This Democrata's most noticeable feature was the lack of one- his right arm had, at some point, been amputated at the shoulder. His hair was glossy black, and hung past his knees in a smooth, long braid. His russet skin was the least aged of the Protegans, yet his green eyes carried the most weight to them.
"The Wraith have impacted the cultures of the galaxy in numerous ways," Teyla said. "My people have lived their lives in fear of them for generations. Our once great civilisation was destroyed by their ships, and our traditions are built around avoiding them. For many worlds throughout the galaxy, the Wraith were an unchallengeable fact of life, but no longer."
Holding the gaze of the Protegans, Teyla continued, "Colonel Sheppard's people came to this galaxy from far away, through the Stargate. They offered my people shelter when we had none, and have fought to free our galaxy from the Wraith's grip since first they set foot here, though they were under no obligation-"
"You are from the Final Sanctuary of the Ancestors!" Atheon exclaimed, earning reproving glances from his fellow Protegans. "You must be, the texts say that only those from the Final Sanctuary may travel to the Ancestral City, there to discover Protegat." The Consulate wore an excited expression, as his head bounced between looking at the Protegat Justicer and Colonel Sheppard.
"Is this true?" the Justicer asked with cautious censure.
John bit his lip, hesitating a second before answering. "I'll be honest; I have no idea what you mean by Final Sanctuary."
Pacem frowned. "You are not from Terra?"
"Oh, Earth," Rodney said. "Must be a lapse in translation- it's been over ten thousand years since Pegasus had contact from the Milky-way, though Doctor Jackson theorised that, because the galaxies shared a root culture and language, aspects of certain cultures evolved similarly, though it's still a mystery how two versions of English came to be almost identical despite thousands of lightyears distance between them, even though we saw similar results throughout Milky-way."
"Why don't you tell them all about our GDOs too, McKay," Sheppard said in an undertone as the assembled Protegans whispered amongst themselves.
"What? They had pretty much guessed-"
"We have no idea who these people are, Rodney," John hissed. "If they turn out to be another enemy you've just told them where we live!"
"They were buddies with the Ancients, how bad can they be?"
"That remains to be seen," Teyla said quietly, drawing their attention back to the pseudo-negotiations.
"If you are, in fact, from the Sanctuary, then the mystery of your heritage is solved." Ambassador Janyar cleared her throat. "But your ancestry matters little beyond your capability to use the Ancestor's technology."
"Indeed," Teyla agreed. "As I was saying, in the time since their arrival, Colonel Sheppard's people have been stalwart and dependable friends to the civilisations of this galaxy. I understand these words may mean little to you, but I have watched them from the beginning as they have sought to bring peace to our stars. They are honourable and worthy allies to those who would stand up to the Wraith."
"Fair words, Teyla of Athos." Lord Farade stroked his chin. "I am to take it, then, that as expected, the Wraith remain a scourge across the galaxy?"
"Yes," Sheppard confirmed, "but they're not the only threat out there."
This statement was met by confused silence. Sheppard was sure at least a minute passed before the Justicer spoke, breaking the atmosphere of quiet fear. "What other beings could possibly rival the Wraith as a danger to the Ancestor's children?"
"They call themselves Asurans, though we know them as Replicators," John answered. "And they don't rival the Wraith so much as completely overtake them in terms of the danger they pose to the galaxy."
"How?" Xerath pressed.
"The Wraith depend on the survival of humans in order to ensure their future food supply," Teyla explained, "the Replicators, however, have no regard for human life, and see our extinction as a means to eliminate the Wraith."
Another silence followed this revelation, laden with consideration rather than confusion.
"It is clear there is far more to learn of the galaxy than we had originally anticipated." Lord Farade looked sidelong at his peers. "I feel we may have much to learn from you, Colonel Sheppard," his voice twisted oddly over the rank, giving it a strange accent, "what knowledge do you seek?"
The Colonel considered his answer a moment, carefully choosing his words. "We need defensive technologies. Our enemies; both the Wraith and Replicators, have found our base of operations in the past. We've lost a lot of good people..." John fell silent as grief both old and new washed over him. Pulling himself together, he managed a wan smile. "We've got a few tricks up our sleeves, but the Replicators, in particular, are fast learners."
"And you came to Protegat, hoping to find weapons?" Justicer Xerath asked, suspicion in her eyes once again.
"We never mentioned weapons," McKay said before Sheppard could reply, "but we know you have them."
The look Teyla gave Rodney should have had him keeling over, dead before he hit the ground. Sheppard, for his part, swallowed the cutting reprimand he was longing to fling at the physicist.
"And you have not mentioned Atlantis, yet we know you must come from the great city." Lord Farade replied coolly.
"Lord Farade, if I may?" Atheon asked. When Farade nodded, the Consulate's eyes lit up. "We don't mean to be rude, but you came seeking knowledge, and posses the location of Protegat. You arrived knowing the information you sought was here, and the Ancestor's texts say only the inhabitants of Atlantis have access to that information. They also say it is our duty to pass on their knowledge when the children of Terra arrive. That is, unless some miracle occurred and the Ancestors won the war, but if the parasite still plagues the galaxy, then it is clear no such victory took place."
"Excellent," Rodney said, clapping his hands together then rubbing them in that way he had, "then let's head over to the nearest platform."
Xerath's brows contracted in anger. "We are not some blind cult following of the Ancestors. We are loyal to their teachings, but we are an independent people. You may be the children of Terra, but that does not make us subservient to you."
"I apologise for my teammate's rash words," Teyla said earnestly.
"McKay apologises too," Sheppard said through gritted teeth, glaring at Rodney until he mumbled out a half-formed apology.
"We would never assume obedience from another culture," Teyla assured the Protegans, "Doctor McKay spoke out of turn, as he feels the burden of trying to protect an entire galaxy. We all do."
"I am sure he meant no offence, Justicer," Atheon said soothingly. "He is a scientist, and shows the enthusiasm of one eager to learn."
The Justicer was silent for a long time, as she considered her options. "Very well," she spoke at last, "the Council will deliberate. In the intervening time, Consulate Pacem shall give you a tour of the Protectorate Facility."
"Thank-you for your time, and for your consideration," Teyla said.
They stood as Atheon rose from his seat, leading them back out the door, their honour guard falling in behind them.
"So, Terra children living in Atlantis?" Gone was the carefully formal veteran diplomat. Atheon seemed to bounce along, excitement writ all over his face.
Sheppard smiled despite himself. "Yep."
As they were shown around the facility, through communications rooms, barracks, mess halls, and vehicle depots, the Consulate plied them with questions, mostly related to their knowledge of the Ancients. He seemed endlessly amused that John and Rodney referred to them as anything other than 'Ancestors', and fascinated by the almost religious view Teyla and Ronon held of them.
When they arrived back in the hangar, they checked in with Lorne at the Puddlejumper, then Atheon showed them the aircraft used by the Protegans' military. John dragged Lorne along too and together they explored the inns and outs of the two aircraft types.
The first was called an 'Avem' and was what they called a Defender Class vehicle. Avems were a marriage of fighter jets and gunship helicopters. With an open cabin crew compartment that mostly took standing passengers, the troop transport was versatile and could be fitted with various manned turrets for both military and rescue operations. Its body was painted white with black accents, and shaped like a 'chopper, but its wings were mounted high on its roof. Stout and sturdy, they ended with large rotors and were supplemented with thruster jets. There were four seats in the crew compartment; two forward facing at the back, and two rear-facing at the front. In between the front two seats was a door that led to the single two-man cockpit, and in between the rear seats was a weapons rack for fireteams to stow extra weaponry. On its tail was a steering rotor, and a rotating minigun was mounted on the nose. The avem was half again the length of a Puddlejumper, and equal the width, not including its wings.
As John climbed the ladder rungs on the external fuselage, peering into the currently open cockpit, he let out a whistle of appreciation, admiring the controls. They looked like a fusion between the jumper's and a Blackhawk chopper.
Next they checked out the Interceptor Class fighter, the 'Gladius'. As the Consulate explained, there was only one of them currently at the Protectorate Facility, tucked away in a corner of the massive hangar, and they were usually stationed at Sky Fleet Command. The gladius were definitively fighter jets, with a sleek, matte black body with white accents, twice and a half the length of a jumper, twice the width. It had long, downward-curving wings that swept forward in the same way the F-302's did. Its weaponry was subtle, unlike the avems, with understated nose guns and three missile heads peeking out of each wing. It had two separate cockpits that were only accessed externally, the rear of the aircraft given over to massive rocket engines. Aerodynamic stabiliser struts completed its lethal appearance, and even parked, motionless, it screamed of speed.
All in all, it took hours to complete the tour of the massive, sprawling facility and its attached coliseum used for holding war games the public could spectate on. It became apparent that the Protegans were at a higher tech level than Sheppard had originally thought; their militaristic aesthetic belied the sophistication of their technology. McKay was too busy geeking out about this fusion of human and Ancient tech to complain about all the walking, for which Sheppard was grateful- he was still annoyed over the political blunders the scientist had made. He wasn't sure how much further his patience could stretch that day.
They had finished the tour and were hanging around outside the jumper, filling Major Lorne in on everything they had seen when they were called back before the Council.
Sitting in the same place as earlier, they waited as the Consulate had another quiet word with the Justicer, who seemed to reach a decision. Clearing her throat, she addressed the Lanteans. "We have considered your request, and the Consulate's evaluation, and we are prepared to offer you a compromise."
John stiffened, even as Teyla gave him a cautioning look.
Lord Farade nodded, resting his hands on the table. "We would like to give you the opportunity to prove yourselves trustworthy. We offer you one week, in which you will be given access to reading material on the Ancestor's weapons system. If, at the end of this week, we find one another agreeable, the Council will open full negotiations with your people."
Letting out a relieved breath, the Colonel smiled. "Thank-you, truly. Of course, we only packed for five days, but we can stretch it, if you want. We'll need to notify the Daedalus, our ship currently in orbit, and probably send a sub-space burst back to Atlantis, let them know Colonel Carter might be needed."
"Another Lieutenant Colonel?" Atheon asked.
"Ah, no, she's a full-bird Colonel," Sheppard quickly explained.
At Pacem's confused look, Teyla answered more fully. "Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard is the military leader of the Atlantis Expedition, but Colonel Carter is the leader of the entirety of the Expedition."
"Very well, you may organise your communiques," Justicer Xerath said, "Consulate Pacem shall see to it that all members of your team are given comfortable lodgings on site."
"Thank-you, again," Colonel Sheppard said, and they departed with Atheon, who led them back to the hangar, before disappearing, presumably to organise their room.
"Well, we've been invited to stay for one week," Sheppard said, answering Lorne's question before he could ask. "It sounds like they plan to hook us up with some rooms on-base, and let us study the theory of the weapons system."
"Wait a minute, on-base?" McKay asked.
Sheppard felt incredulous. Surely McKay would've figured it out by now? "They can call this a 'facility' all they want, but we're in the middle of a military base."
McKay looked skeptical. "And what makes you think that?"
"It's a military base," Ronon said.
"What, really?"
"The hangar full of gunship slash fighter hybrids is a bit of a give-away," Major Lorne replied with all his usual snark.
"The one thing I cannot get a read on is the nature of their ruling class," Teyla murmured.
"Yeah, that's confusing me, too," the Colonel admitted.
"It has aspects of both democratic and militant rule, and yet the presence of a Lord on the council implies an aristocratic aspect," Teyla continued to muse.
John nodded, recognising the dilemma. "We'll have to see if we can learn more about their government over the next few days, before we decide if we want to form an alliance."
"If the weapons are as powerful as we think they are, is it really gonna matter what we think of their government?" McKay asked.
Sheppard shot him a look. "It will determine what sort of alliance we create. Have you thought beyond simply being able to defend Atlantis with these weapons platforms?"
"What? What more is there?"
Teyla seemed to be nursing the spark of hope, as she answered with a vague light in her eyes. "I agree with the Colonel."
Lorne nodded thoughtfully while Ronon dipped his head once.
"What are you all seeing that I'm not?" Rodney asked, a slight whine in his voice at being out of the loop.
"Think about it Rodney; with the Replicators bombarding planets and the Wraith at war, what is the one thing the Pegasus galaxy is overflowing with right now?" Sheppard asked.
"Burnt-out planets? Space debris?"
"Refugees," John supplied. "And what is the one planet that could be safe for all these humans on the run from the Wraith and the Asurans? The one planet they can never find?"
McKay's eyes went wide as he finally figured it out. "Of course, why didn't I think of that? Probably because I haven't eaten anything in a while- I should take care of that right now, I need to be at my best performance." Without any further ado, Rodney entered the jumper, pushing Zelenka out of the way and rummaging around messily until he found a chocolate bar.
"You might want to ration those if we're going to be here for two more days than planned," John cautioned the physicist.
McKay spoke around a mouthful of chocolate. "About that, why don't we just stick to the original five-day-plan? None of us have enough laundry to last seven days. Assuming their week model is the same as ours."
"I figured sticking to their schedule would make them happier. If they want the full week to observe us as trustworthy, then what does a few more days matter? Besides, it'll give you more time to read up on the weapons before we get to go see them."
"You are sickeningly optimistic about this one, Colonel," McKay said with a sad shake of his head.
"We have much to gain from an alliance with the Protegans," Teyla said.
"I have a good feeling about this one," Sheppard said. And it was true. Despite the trepidation he had felt earlier, John thought he could almost sense a win here.