Chapter Two
The area around the Stargate looked just like any other world they had explored thus far from the tall coniferous trees to the various shrubs and prairie grasses that had grown up around the stone ruins in the immediate area. Sheppard glanced at the life-signs detector and was rather pleased to see that nothing was in their immediate proximity.
"No giant spiders this time?" Rodney asked, shielding his eyes from the sun. It appeared to be an early summer afternoon based on the colour of the foliage and the position of the sun. Birds trilled in the distance and flew overhead as Sheppard and his team stepped in to the hip-high yellow grass.
"At least not here," Sheppard said as he pulled his sunglasses out of a pouch. Positioning them on the bridge of his nose, he furrowed his brow and walked around the Stargate, taking in the surroundings. Upon his return, he asked, "And you say that you haven't traded with these people, Teyla?"
"No. My people have not been to this planet, at least not during my lifetime." She shook her head. "It is strange to me."
"Right then," Sheppard said, lowering his weapon. "Let's go exploring."
"Any idea which direction to take?" Rodney asked. He did not quite look at Sheppard just as the Major did not quite look at him. The argument from the previous day was still vivid in both of their minds and neither was ready to make up. Teyla found it childish but kept that opinion to herself.
"I've always been fond of west, myself," Sheppard said, glancing at the small handheld device once again.
"Which could be the complete opposite direction of a village that might be nearby," Rodney commented, as he intentionally turned to the east.
"It could be," Sheppard replied as he started walking away. "Or it could lead us right to them."
Rodney frowned but didn't say anything further. Looking around the open prairie, he was quick to follow the Major, Teyla and Ford taking up the rear.
The small group walked for some time in silence, each taking in the surroundings. It was a very pleasant world with a cool breeze and warm summer air. Though insects buzzed around them, they were not the monstrous creatures of the previous planet. Instead, they were rather normal and bland and did nothing but dart in and out of the shade cast by the tall trees Sheppard, as usual, was leading them along, life-signs detector in hand as he took in their surroundings. They were following one edge of a wide, grassy break in the forest that stretched for miles in front of them. Every once in a while, he would get the feeling that he was being watched, but the life-signs detector told him that nothing was in their immediate area. Not even them. After this persisted for a length, he paused and shook the small computer. Still, the dots that should have been his party did not show up.
"What did you do to it, Major?" Rodney asked, taking notice of Sheppard.
"Either we are suddenly not human or this damn piece of junk isn't working." He looked at it again before tossing it to Rodney. "See what you can't do to it."
"So you're turning to the brilliant scientist once again to fix what it is you broke?" Rodney nearly dropped the small computer as he said this and couldn't hide the slight colour his cheeks turned.
Sheppard looked at Rodney who gave him an equally annoyed look back. "Get on with it, Rodney."
"Fine."
"Good."
Behind the two men, Ford and Teyla exchanged glances before Sheppard started up the trek once again.
It was some time later when even Sheppard was starting to think they should head back to the Stargate that something darted through the forest to their right. Sheppard and Ford brought their weapons up immediately as they listened for any further disturbances among the thick branches.
"Any chance you have that thing working yet, McKay?" Sheppard asked, his eyes still trained on the trees.
"Almost." Came the scientist's reply. He was a few paces back with Teyla, his head bent over the device. "It seems as if a few components had come loose."
He mumbled to himself for a moment before exclaiming, "There!" and snapping the cover back into place. The display went to snow for a moment before blinking back to life. Rodney's face fell. They were surrounded.
"Oh no," he muttered.
"I don't like the sound of that, McKay!" Sheppard said, retreating to where the scientist was standing.
"And I don't like the look of this." He held the device up so that Sheppard could see. The Major swore quite brilliantly before spinning back to face the forest. "They could just be animals, Major. A couple of these are programmed to show any living thing over a certain size."
"I don't think they are," Sheppard replied.
"What makes you say that?"
"That," Sheppard said, indicating a small group of people who had just stepped out of the forest. Each of the three men and one woman were dressed simply in robes that fluttered in the air behind them, the hilts of concealed weapons catching the afternoon sun as they approached. Rodney visibly swallowed and dropped the hand holding the detector to his side.
"Oh," he said rather simply.
The man in the lead stopped several meters in front of Sheppard and looked at his teammates, studying them. The natives were dressed in leather and fabric of varying styles and shades of brown; the long robes they wore, however, concealed most of their bodies so Sheppard could not get a good look at what they wore. Despite that, it was obvious that each—except for, perhaps, the one woman in the group who wore a skirt and bodice of leather—wore more fabric than leather, leaving delicate areas of their bodies effectively exposed. This would not have seemed odd if it were not for the ferocious looking sword each of the natives carried either on their hip or strapped to their back. Sheppard could only imagine what that meant as the newcomers regarded him before looking to their leader. The man held up one hand, his palm towards the Atlantis team.
"Nor par ørpons hav infin spunkt wær."
Sheppard shook his head slowly. "I don't speak your language."
The man nodded before starting over, his words accented: "There is no need for weapons, my friends, unless you come seeking war."
Sheppard stared hard at the man before lowering his weapon. Ford followed suit but neither man loosened their grip completely.
"No, not war," the Major assured. "But we could use allies against the Wraith and a place to shelter our people in case things go wrong back home."
Though his fellows frowned, the leader simply shook his head. "So it is true; they have awoken."
"I'm afraid so," Sheppard said, taking in each of the natives before him.
"Our people have foreseen this day, but it is terrible news still." Turning to the woman, they stared at each other for a moment before she nodded and sprinted off into the forest behind them. Turning back to a slightly unsettled Sheppard, the leader gestured towards the retreating woman. "Come, I will bring you to the Elders. Thea has gone off to herald our arrival, so we must step lively. She is rather quick and news has a certain way of traveling quickly in these parts."
His smile suggested that he knew something and Sheppard did not like it. Though this initial interaction had been brief, he could already tell that these people were hiding something and having had his fair share of run-ins—namely with the Genii—he had grown wary of any and all people from these new worlds, especially those who acted like this man.
"I am Grare Linaris," the leader said, bringing Sheppard out of his musings. Grare put his hand on Sheppard's upper arm in greeting, which got something of a smile out of the Major.
"Major John Sheppard," he replied before pointing to each member of his team. "Doctor McKay, Teyla Emmagan, and Lieutenant Ford."
"My day has brightened for meeting you," Grare said, bowing.
"And—ah—mine, too," Sheppard said, glancing at Teyla. She shook her head, indicating once again that she did not know this people.
"You seem to have injured your hand, Major," Grare said next, noticing the fresh bandage Carson had applied that morning. Sheppard's wrist was also wrapped in a thin layer of cloth to prevent any further strain he might impart on the already strained joint. Elizabeth had not looked happy that morning but believed Sheppard when he assured her that he was fine.
"Yes, I ran into a wall," Sheppard said lamely, using the same excuse as the previous day. "Just a few scrapes."
"We have Healers in the village…"
"No, I'll be fine, thank you."
Grare nodded and Sheppard had a feeling he was being belittled, which he didn't like. Pressing his lips together, he fell a couple of steps behind their guide and glanced at Ford. The younger man shook his head and shrugged slightly; the generic answer for someone who didn't actually ask a question.
After that, Sheppard and his team followed Grare through the thick forest in silence and at a relatively quick pace. As far as the Major could tell, they were on the only clear path through the tangled trees, but he did not ask Grare to confirm this. Instead, he was keeping track of where they were going and how long it took to get to the village in case they needed to make a quick escape. They were just nearing the edge of the forest—evident by the shafts of light coming from ahead—when Sheppard realized it had taken them about the same amount of time to reach this point from the wide path as it had for them to walk from the Stargate to where they met the natives. The thought was a little unsettling as far as a quick escape was concerned and Sheppard frowned deeply. Hopefully these feelings of unrest that had taken up residence in the pit of his stomach were merely Wraith related.
Sheppard was so consumed by his thoughts that he nearly walked into their guide.
"Welcome, my friends," Grare said as he gestured for Sheppard and his team to break into the sunlight. Sheppard hesitated slightly before stepping out of the trees. When he did, he stopped in mid-stride which caused him to stumble. Upon catching his balance, Sheppard looked up, his jaw somewhat slack. Before him was a spire of twisted steel that rose a thousand feet into the sky. Around it there were shorter structures, all blackened from age and, Sheppard suspected, ancient war.
"Major, what are you…" Rodney trailed off as he, too, noticed the steel forest before them and the village situated in the shadows there.
Grare came to Sheppard's side, a slight frown on his face.
"The Great Spires are all that remain of a city that once stretched from here to the horizon." He gestured to the east and Sheppard followed with his eyes, not surprised to see more, albeit smaller, steel ruins. "The Wraith devastated this planet during the Great War. Since then, the Elders have upheld the Will of the Mother and have not let us explore the technology of the past era. For this, the Wraith have not come for nearly seven-hundred years. The Mother has been kind enough to protect us, Her Children, from the terrors of the Wraith."
Sheppard nodded, his brow raised slightly. He caught the look in Rodney's eye as the man discussed his religion and mouthed the words seven-hundred over Grare's head as if to get the other man over his science-beats-religion prejudice for the moment. The scientist seemed to take the hint as he turned to Grare.
"Seven-hundred years?" Rodney asked. "That is a very long time."
"The Mother has been kind," Grare responded without looking at Rodney.
"I'm sure she is," Rodney continued, "but there must be something that you do to keep the Wraith away. I mean, there can't be a…" The good doctor trailed off when he took notice of the warning look in Sheppard's eye. "How'd you do it?"
Grare turned to look at Rodney and lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "During the last raid we made the Wraith believe they had completely destroyed us. These forests provide us with more than just game, Doctor McKay. The Mother is sure of that."
Sheppard frowned, once again getting the feeling that Grare was not telling the whole truth. He had run across religions in the past that dealt with this sort of thing but he suspected there was something more complex going on here. However, he did not comment on it. The last thing he needed was to cast suspicion on himself and the members of his team for being too nosy. He had done quite enough of that in the recent months to last a good long while.
They were just about to cross a wide but shallow stream that separated them from the village when Thea returned. She strode towards Sheppard and Grare through the ankle-deep water and said something to Grare in their tongue. He nodded and turned to Sheppard.
"The Elders welcome you to our village, Major, and ask that you speak with them at once."
Sheppard nodded. "Of course."
"This way, then," Grare said with a gesture and a light touch to Sheppard's back. Sheppard frowned but said nothing and continued walking through the water, mildly concerned that it was finding its way into his boots. These were the only socks he had and did not need them to become sopping wet. It was then in his moment of slight misery that Sheppard noticed Thea, Grare, and the rest of his escort wore boots that reached well above their ankles, each with a protective leather wrap over the laces to prevent infiltration of water or anything else unpleasant. Sheppard frowned, wishing he had something similar at the moment.
They reach the village within minutes of crossing the stream and, based on the grumbling coming from behind him, Sheppard was not the only one whose socks were soaked through. He would have to see about fixing this problem at the earliest possible moment.
For now, however, they had come up to a tall, gabled, wooden structure of a fairly primitive architecture. Glancing around, Sheppard noted that the rest of the village consisted of tents of leather and a few other wooden buildings. Had it not been for the Genii then he would have jumped to the conclusion that these were a rather primitive people. As it was, Sheppard remained wary and particularly observant. Turning back to the structure before him, he took it in. Based on its size alone, Sheppard correctly assumed that this was the building of the village Elders. At further inspection, however, Sheppard took notice of the five beams that projected from the plane of the wall near the roof. The center most beam projected the furthest and was carved to resemble the head of an eagle. When Grare noticed Sheppard staring at the beautiful carving, he touched the Major's shoulder and pointed at the beam.
"The Mother often watches over her children from the sky through the eyes of the noble eagles that sore high above our heads. These animals are sacred to us." The tone with which Grare spoke was gentle, almost loving, and Sheppard could see that he truly believed in this female deity of his people. It made Sheppard smile lightly as he was escorted inside with his teammates. Thea and the rest of Grare's fellows waited outside the door.
Much like the exterior, the interior was stark of decoration except for the meticulously carved chairs the seven village Elders sat in and the enormous carved and decorated center beam that held the roof over their head. Here the wings of the eagle were evident and carved into the beam with deep, thick lines that hardly compromised the structural integrity of the member for its width and depth. He was so caught up in looking at the beam that Sheppard missed Grare and his team bow deeply at the waist. When Rodney cleared his throat, the Major quickly lowered himself into a similar position only to straighten immediately as Grare came out of his bow.
The woman in the center-most chair who was obviously the council's leader spoke to Grare in their own language, her voice rough with age. She looked far younger than she sounded, however, despite her long white hair and wise disposition. The same was for all of the other Elders. Each had white hair that passed their shoulders (including the men) but none seemed frail or, indeed, elderly. Sheppard found this borderline fascinating as he took in each one in turn.
A short exchange went on between Grare, the leader, and a few members of the council. Sheppard watched the woman rather than further studying the building on the assumption that she would soon address him. Sure enough, within a couple of minutes, the leader turned to Sheppard and his team.
"Master Linaris tells us that you bring news of the Wraiths' Awakening, Major, and that you seek an alliance with my people, but you did not speak of where you come from. Grare does not recognize your accent nor your weapons. Tells us."
"We come from Atlantis."
The moment the name was out of his mouth, the room erupted into chatter as the natives spoke their surprise. Within seconds, the Elders started to settle and they all turned to take in Sheppard.
"That is impossible, Major," the leader said. "Atlantis was abandoned a long time ago when the Lanteans fled from the galaxy they had let whither and die under the horrors of the Wraith. The Spires that make up our landscape are all that remain of the civilization that fell within weeks of the Lanteans' abandonment." The ferocity of her voice surprised Sheppard and his team. They glanced at each other before Sheppard could form the words to answer her unspoken accusation.
"We are only recent arrivals in the city, ma'am, and are simple explorers from another galaxy that is very far away. We inadvertently stumbled across the Wraith in our explorations and they are now bearing down on our city to finish what they started ten-thousand years ago." He looked at each of the Elders as he said this, trying to convince them of the truth. A few looked sympathetic but the leader still seemed to have her own doubts.
"And what do you think we could offer you? Your weapons alone suggest that your technology is far more advanced than anything we have here."
"Shelter," Sheppard said. "We have many more scientists than soldiers who cannot battle the Wraith and we are looking for a place to safe harbor them until the danger has passed us by. We are prepared to offer compensation in return if we must used an inhabited planet to protect our people."
The woman nodded slowly and Sheppard was almost afraid that she would turn them away without a second thought. The smile that suddenly crossed her lips, however, eased Sheppard's fears and he allowed himself to smile as well. Standing, the woman stepped down off the dais the council chairs were situated on and walked across the floor to Sheppard and his team, her long skirts flowing around her legs as she moved.
"Though you come from a city that long abandoned my people, you do not lie about your noble intentions, nor about your origins. We have already called for a celebration for your arrival among our people. After the merriments conclude and in the morning before the sun is too high in the sky, we can speak of an alliance, but I would talk only with your leader of such things. Welcome to Orta, Major Sheppard."
The leader had escorted Sheppard outside the council building where the Atlantis team was told to follow a young boy to the tent that had been set up for them. Sheppard held up a finger to tell the boy to wait as he turned back to the leader.
"I will need to contact our leader in order to tell her of your conditions."
The leader nodded slowly and gestured to Grare. She spoke to him in their native tongue before bidding farewell to Sheppard once more. Turning, she followed the other members of the council back into their building, the door shut behind them by a guard standing outside.
Sheppard glanced at Grare and lifted one eyebrow. "Well?"
"Once you are shown your tent, I am to bring you and one of your fellows back to the Portal so that you can communicate with your leader. Master Rehina wishes for you to stay in the village tonight and to enjoy the celebration that is in your name."
Though weary, Sheppard nodded in agreement and did not even think to question the woman's strange title as they started to cross the village to the tent they would reside in for the night. Grare followed along silently and Sheppard took the time to observe the village around him.
As far as he could ascertain, these people led quiet lives, though it did not explain the occasional sword he saw sheathed and strapped to either a back or someone's belt. The tents did not suggest a settled way of life which made Sheppard wonder about the council building and its permanent nature. Surely they did not drag those logs around each time they moved. Frowning, Sheppard hardly noticed as their young guide stopped and practically toppled over the child. With a grunted apology, Sheppard wiped his hands together before placing them on his hips, trying to conceal his embarrassment.
"Okay…" he said, looking at this team and Grare. "I suppose we should get back to the Stargate. Ford, you stay here with McKay. And Rodney, keep your eyes peeled. Teyla, you're with me."
Ford nodded and Rodney pulled out his datapad to take readings. Teyla stepped up to Sheppard's side, indicating that she was ready to go.
"If you are ready, Major, we should hurry. The forest is no place to be once night falls and twilight is not far away."
Sheppard furrowed his brow. "It takes hours to get to the Gate."
"Only if you take the long path, such as you did. If we take up a quick pace we can reach it within the hour. It is much closer than you think it is, Major. You were going in quite the wrong direction if it was your intention to find us."
"Really?" Sheppard asked.
"Yes, Major. I know these lands; it will not take us long."
And with that, Grare took off. Apparently, quick pace meant jog which, tired as he was, Sheppard was reluctant to do. The thought of dry socks, however, made him keep going even over the rather rough terrain they quickly found themselves in. Several times, as they were darting through the forest, Sheppard nearly lost sight of Grare. The man reappeared, however, just as Sheppard was starting to get worried. Each time this happened, he glanced at Teyla but said nothing as there was nothing to say.
Sure enough, Grare had not lied and they were at the Stargate after jogging for a little less than half an hour. As he stood catching his breath, Sheppard was dismayed to see that they had come from the east meaning that Rodney had been right. Dammit.
"Once you are ready, Major, you should open the Portal. The creatures are already starting to grow restless."
Without a word, Sheppard nodded at Teyla who went to the DHD and dialed Atlantis. As soon as the Stargate established a wormhole, Sheppard touched his earpiece and looked at the event horizon.
"Atlantis base, this is Major John Sheppard. Over."
"Go ahead Major, this is Dr. Weir. Is everything all right?"
John noddedeven though Elizabeth would not be able to see the gesture. "It is. We have spoken with the village Elders and they are willing to talk about an alliance against the Wraith, but not until morning at the earliest."
There was a pause. "How far off is that, Major? I have three other meetings on three other worlds and, despite our time crunch, will not have enough time to negotiate an alliance for another day at least. I had hoped that you could take care of it."
Turning to Grare, Sheppard relayed this information.
"Dawn is in six hours, Doctor," Sheppard continued as soon as Grare had answered him. "It is nearly twilight here and I have been told many times that the forests are no place to be in the dark and I would take their word for it. However, my guide tells me that his leader is willing to accommodate your schedule since she will only speak with you; unlike us, they are not in a hurry. The Wraith have not come for them in nearly a century."
He could hear a sigh from Atlantis followed by a slight pause. "And I assume based on the transmission that you will not be returning to Atlantis until these talks?"
"They have called for a feast in our name and wish for us to remain among their people."
"I see. Contact us again in the morning, John, for an update to my schedule. Is there anything else?"
"Would it be possible to get four extra pairs of socks?" John asked.
"Pardon?" That had caught Elizabeth off guard.
"Socks. We had to walk through water and our shoes are soggy."
Chuckling that was not Elizabeth's came through John's earpiece and he smiled. It was a rather random request after all.
Within a minute, four pairs of socks came rolling through the Stargate and John was quick to scoop them up.
"Anything else?" Elizabeth asked.
"No."
"I'll speak with you again in six hours, then. Atlantis Base over and out."
The wormhole shut down within seconds of the transmission being cut and John was already on his way down the steps, holding up the socks to show Teyla.
"We could have bartered for some here, Major," she said in a low voice, glancing at Grare. Sheppard frowned and looked over his shoulder.
"Yes, I suppose we could have." Sheppard paused for a moment before glancing back at Teyla and holding out two pairs. "Mind holding these until we get back to the village? I promise to give you first pick on color."
Teyla smiled as she shook her head. Holding out her hand for the socks, she laughed softly. "You never cease to amaze me, Major."
"I'll take that as a compliment and thank you." John flashed her his first real smile since the previous day and turned back to Grare. "Now, let's say we get back to the village in order to avoid these critters."
Grare nodded and led them back to his people.