Rodney entered the gateroom the next morning and carefully skirted around the two Marines assigned to accompany the team through to P2J-496. Neither of the two men did more than look at him, but he still hurried over to Sheppard with his pack in one hand.
"Everything all right with you, Rodney?" Sheppard asked. "You seem a little jumpy."
"Fine, fine, everything's fine," Rodney said and glanced back at the Marines again. "It's like waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?" he confided in a low voice. "It's gonna happen and you're even more tense waiting for it."
"I told you nothing was going to happen," Sheppard reminded him. "Relax already."
Ford and Teyla joined them just as Grodin looked down from the control room and said, "We received another data burst from the MALP this morning. Thought you'd want to know it looks like it's raining on the planet." Rodney could swear Grodin was grinning as he stepped back from the balcony for Weir to take his place.
"Is your team ready to go, Major?" Weir asked as she looked down at them.
Sheppard glanced around then said, "As ready as we're gonna be."
"Then you have a go. Check-ins every six hours please."
Rodney watched the symbols light up as Sheppard and Weir talked. It was something he liked about the Pegasus 'gates over the Milky Way 'gates; the Pegasus ones seemed so elegant in comparison to the clunky mechanical 'gate on Earth. Like the city itself, Atlantis' 'gate had a beauty all its own.
The wormhole formed with its whoosh and they started up the platform to the shimmering event horizon.
"We'll bring back some pineapple and macadamia nuts," Sheppard said as he glanced back with a wave.
"Just be careful, Major," Weir replied just as Rodney stepped through the 'gate.
He came out the other side into a grey world of steady drizzle and low clouds. "Lovely," he said sarcastically and hunched his shoulders against the wet. If anything the planet was even more overgrown than the MALP indicated. Trees of varying heights surrounded them and grew to within a few meters of the 'gate. Huge multi-limbed banyan-ish trees stood next to what looked like coconut palms. A smaller type of tree with green spiky fruit grew where the others left a little room and various types of fern and hibiscus looking flowers grew along the ground. He could hear rustling in the undergrowth as well as what sounded like bird calls and everything smelled of damp.
The two Marines were already on point scanning the trees for potential threats. Ford and Teyla were to the side of the 'gate closest to the DHD, they also looked around but were more curious as opposed to defensive.
"It could be worse," Sheppard said as Rodney looked up at the sky in displeasure. "At least it's warm. We could be freezing and wet."
"That's a small consolation," Rodney said with a sigh as he wiped water off his face.
Sheppard walked over to the two Marines. "Standard watch, gentlemen. We'll radio you every hour, contact Atlantis every six."
"Yes, sir," the smaller of the two Marines said and Rodney told himself once again he was going to have to start remembering their names. Of course, after nearly four months on Atlantis he still didn't know most of the scientist's names either, so he didn't hold out much hope.
Rodney pulled the Ancient scanner from a pocket of his tac-vest as he walked away from the 'gate and started running scans. Ford and Teyla followed him. He stopped next to the DHD, while the other two moved ahead of him and frowned at the scanner. The screen was littered with dots. The problem with jungles, he realised, other than the constant wet, was the abundance of life.
"Anything?" Sheppard asked as he stopped next to Rodney, hands rested comfortably on the butt of the P-90 clipped to his vest.
"Life signs are pointless," Rodney said as he looked around again. "Let's just say there's lots of it and move on."
He tapped a few keys and changed the output over to look for energy readings. "Not getting any kind of energy readings, either." He looked over a Sheppard. "So far this trip is off to a great start."
"So, no people then?" Sheppard said as he looked at the surrounding trees.
"Not necessarily," Rodney said and wiped off the scanner screen with the sleeve of his jacket. "There could be people, just not technologically advanced enough for them to generate sustainable energy or …" He trailed off as he spun slowly in place.
"Or?" Sheppard asked impatiently.
"Elizabeth said they couldn't get much from the MALP either, which has much better sensors that this," he explained holding out the Ancient scanner. "It could be something with the dense vegetation is blocking the sensors."
Ford glanced back at them as he adjusted his P-90. "What? Like the copper did to the radio in that mine?"
Rodney shuddered despite the warm drizzle just thinking about the mine. "Sort of. There could be some mineral in the soil the plants absorb, or the plants could have nothing to do with it at all and it's something else entirely. Which would be good for us if we want to find food on this planet. At least it wouldn't be poisoned from heavy metals in the ground."
The four of them were a few meters from the 'gate and Rodney slowly turned in place again as he tried to get the scanner to give him some sort of useful information. He wiped the scanner screen on his sleeve, then with a glare at the innocent machine, he huffed a sigh. "This is completely useless," he said as he put the device back in his vest pocket. "Instead, this will be yet another chance to walk around blind with no idea where we're going or what's out there waiting to kill us."
"So pick a direction, Rodney. Let's get this show on the road," Sheppard said after a few seconds silence.
"What makes you think I have any idea of where to start?" Rodney snapped. " Didn't you just hear what I said? The scanner didn't have any useful readings."
Sheppard just waited with a grin. Ford and Teyla were in front of them and Rodney saw them waiting for him to give an answer as well.
Rodney gave Sheppard a withering look and pointed. "Fine. Go that way." He pointed toward the dense jungle to their left.
Sheppard nodded and turned to Ford and Teyla. "Lieutenant, you're on point. Stay alert for anything until we know more about this place," he said.
"Yes, sir," Ford said and started off in the direction Rodney suggested.
"Teyla, you and Rodney next. I've got our six."
The air was humid and Rodney felt like he was trying to breathe underwater even as the drizzle continued and they fought their way through the dense vegetation. It wasn't long before he felt sweat pouring down his face and back.
They had only been walking for fifteen minutes or so when Rodney stopped where the plants left a little room and started removing his backpack. He couldn't stand the heavy weight of his uniform jacket any longer.
Sheppard whistled to alert Ford and Teyla as Rodney struggled with the buckles for the backpack. "Rodney?" Sheppard drawled as he stopped beside the scientist. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Getting rid of this jacket before I drown," Rodney stated and grabbed the pack as he released the second buckle and set it down; then he started unzipping the tac-vest.
"I can see your point," Sheppard agreed a few seconds later. "Let's take five, here," he said to Ford and Teyla and unbuckled his own pack.
A few minutes later, the tan jacket stuffed in the top of his pack, leaving him in his short-sleeved blue uniform shirt, Rodney shrugged back into the vest and reclipped the backpack. The vest and pack were still uncomfortably warm but at least the cloying jacket was gone.
"Maybe black t-shirts aren't the best idea for these kinds of missions," Rodney commented as he glanced back at Sheppard now in said t-shirt and forward to Ford similarly dressed and took some small satisfaction in knowing the others were just as sweaty as he was even if they were technically in better shape.
"Black hides a multitude of sins, Rodney," Sheppard replied and nodded for Ford to move out.
They'd been walking for nearly an hour when Ford held up a hand and they stopped. Rodney stopped behind Teyla and grimaced as Sheppard pushed him down until they were all crouched under one of the large, dripping leaves of some unknown plant.
"Ford?" Sheppard whispered.
"Not sure, sir," Ford called back his voice low. "I think I found a trail."
"People or animal, Lieutenant?"
"Hard to say, Major. It's narrow but looks like it's still used."
"Can you hear that?" Teyla asked. "It sounds like water on a beach."
Rodney listened and at first all he could hear were branches rustling overhead and more birds chattering at each other. It took a few more seconds before he heard the distinctive crash of water hitting a shore.
"Yeah," Sheppard said with a smile. "That's exactly what it sounds like."
"Let me guess, you surfed a lot as a kid," Rodney said in exasperation and rolled his eyes.
"Surf?" Teyla asked.
"It's a so-called sport where normally sane people swim out in the middle of the ocean and try to balance on a slab of wood on top of a huge wave of water as it comes barrelling into to shore," Rodney explained acerbically.
"Don't hold back, Rodney, tell us what you really think," Sheppard snarked back and turned to Teyla. "Ignore him, he's just jealous the only thing to do in Canada is play hockey. Surfing is about as close as you can get to flying without being in the air."
"I see," Teyla replied, looking from Sheppard to Rodney. "The water sound is coming from that direction," she said and pointed off to their left.
"That's the same direction the path seems to follow, sir," Ford added.
"All right, let's head that way and see if there's a shoreline we can follow." Sheppard stood and keyed his radio.
"Sheppard to Romero."
"Romero here, sir."
"We found a path that might lead to a coastline. We'll check it out and call back in another hour."
"Understood, sir. Romero out."
Sheppard held out one hand and said, "Lead on, Lieutenant. Maybe this planet has something like a lobster."
Ford grinned and took point.
"That's good news at least," Rodney said a few minutes later as they followed the muddy trail.
"What's that?" Sheppard said from behind him.
"The radios work. There was a chance the radio signals would be blocked just like the sensors."
"And you're just telling me this now?" Sheppard said sharply.
"Well, obviously it's not a problem," Rodney snapped back. "Which means whatever is blocking the scanners isn't mineral based. Maybe it's just the dense vegetation after all." He pushed back another leafy tree branch and kicked at several ferns growing beside the path, making his point.
"Next time mention the possibility of frequency jamming before we're an hour's hike away from our backup," Sheppard ordered.
Rodney had a scathing come back ready on the tip of his tongue and he turned to face Sheppard to give it to him face-to-face. What he glimpsed through the trees, however, made him suddenly stop walking and stare, dumbfounded.
"Rodney!" Sheppard demanded as he almost ran into the scientist, "What the -"
"Major, is that what I think it is?" Rodney asked, ignoring Sheppard's anger as he pointed off to their right.
Sheppard glared at him then looked where Rodney indicated.
"If I didn't know better," Rodney said, "I'd say that looks like -"
"It looks like the control tower in Atlantis," Sheppard finished in awe. "Only shorter."
"How is that possible?" Teyla asked as she and Ford backtracked to them and stared out at the tower as well.
"The Ancients must have been here to study something," Rodney surmised. "Maybe the volcano, maybe they wanted to see how long it would take someone to melt in this weather, who knows." He wiped the mix of rain and sweat off his face as he looked over at Sheppard. "You know what could be in there, don't you?"
"Yeah, but why didn't you find it with the scanner?"
Rodney shrugged, he didn't want to think the reason was that the Zed-PM was dead. "Maybe it's powered down," he offered.
"Ford?" Sheppard looked over at the Lieutenant. "Does the path head in that direction?"
Ford shook his head. "Hard to say for sure, sir. With the mist and the trees, we don't have that much visibility. It looks like it goes straight and then seems to curve off to the left." He pointed away from the tower.
Sheppard looked along the path they'd been following and then at the tower standing off to their right. "Okay, change of plan. We'll check out the tower. The chance for a ZPM or other Ancient technology is too good to pass up."
"Yes, sir," Ford replied and turned off the muddy path and broke a new trail through the jungle in the direction of the tower. Rodney made a face as the wet plants slapped at his legs, but the thought of a powered Zed-PM was enough for him to keep any comments to himself.
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
Sheppard keyed his radio as he followed behind Rodney. "Romero, this is Sheppard."
"Romero here, sir. Is there a problem? You're early for the next check in."
"Not sure yet, Sergeant. We've spotted a structure about half a mile off the path I mentioned. We're gonna take a closer look. Anything to report on your end?"
"No, sir. Everything seems quiet here. It's starting to rain harder though."
Sheppard glanced up at the sky through the trees and noticed the grey clouds had thickened as they walked and suspected the constant drizzle was about to become something more substantial. "Copy that, Sergeant. We're about to get a soaking as well. I'll check in again once we're at the structure."
Yes, sir. Romero out."
The trees ended in a wide clearing a few hundred feet from the tower.
"That's strange," Sheppard said as he took a look around. The area around the tower looked almost landscaped. Only a few seemingly carefully placed trees grew in clusters in the clearing, and the ground cover was different, the fern-like plants were taller with broader leaves and some sort of creeper with rounded, thick, green leaves grew everywhere else.
"I agree, Major," Teyla nodded. "This is not natural growth. There is an order to it you would not expect from wild plants"
"Meaning what?" Rodney asked looking around. "All I see is a lot of open space between us and that tower and it's now pouring rain."
Sheppard adjusted the P-90 clipped to his vest. The drizzle had changed over to a light, but steady shower making it difficult to see across the clearing.
"Ford," Sheppard said and waved him forward. Something tickled at the back of his mind and he searched the clearing and tree line again. Rodney was about to follow when Sheppard grabbed his arm and pulled him back under the cover of the jungle.
"Do you mind," Rodney said, trying to pull out of the hold.
"Stay here, Rodney. Something's not tracking." He looked over at Teyla and signalled for her to move into the clearing at an angle away from Ford's path. She nodded and crouched low as she moved away from the trees.
Sheppard noticed the birdsong had stopped and he had a sudden sinking feeling it wasn't just because they were too close to a nest. "What sort of life signs readings are you getting," he hissed at Rodney as he studied the clearing again. He keyed the radio twice and whispered, "Hold position." to Ford and Teyla.
Rodney started to protest but must have picked up on Sheppard's tense scrutiny of the clearing and pulled out the scanner without comment. He pecked at the device for a few seconds then said, "I still can't really tell." He gave Sheppard an apologetic look as he gazed out at Ford and Teyla crouched down in the creepers. "There might be something there, but there's just too much interference. I really need to sit down with this and figure out a way for it to distinguish between different kinds of life signs. One color for us, another for Wraith … "
Sheppard sighed. "Later, Rodney."
He took another careful look around the area. He still didn't see anything but he knew something or more likely someone was waiting for them. He took a deep breath as he realised the only way to find the trap he knew was waiting for them was to trip it. He turned to Rodney, his voice serious, "Stay behind me."
Sheppard moved slowly out into the clearing trying to watch every direction at once as he moved between Ford and Teyla. Rodney for once did as he was told and stayed close behind. Once he caught up with the other two, they closed ranks and slowly moved toward the tower.
"Rodney, once we get to the tower, you need to find the door and get it open. We need a defensive position," Sheppard said, never taking his eyes off the clearing.
"How am I supposed -"
"Just do it," Sheppard ordered, still looking for threats. "We're too exposed out here, we need cover."
They were at the halfway point, equidistant from the jungle to the tower and Sheppard tensed. If there was a trap, this is where he would spring it; no cover and nowhere to run. Sure enough, they'd only gone a few more steps when several large men with spears rose silently from behind the ferns and trees and surrounded them.
Sheppard felt Rodney back into him and glanced around to see Ford and Teyla angled such that Rodney was in the center of their huddle. He levelled the P-90 at the nearest group closing on their position.
"Major?" Ford asked.
"Hold your fire, Lieutenant," Sheppard replied calmly. "Let's not provoke them."
"I think it's a little late for that, Major," Rodney mumbled.
"Rodney, hush," Sheppard returned. "Let me deal with this."
The natives numbered about twenty as they closed in a loose ring around Sheppard's team. The spears never wavered, but they didn't seem particularly aggressive, more watchful as if they were waiting for some sort of signal. None of the men were particularly tall, but all of them were muscular and seemed very comfortable with their weapons, both the spears as well as a short, wide paddle lined with what looked like triangular teeth. They were dressed in little more than a long loincloth made of animal skin or plaited leaves. The lack of other clothing showed off the various tattoos each of the men displayed, everything from simple designs around their arms and legs, to elaborate pictures of animals covering all of their upper arms to the elbow or their chests.
"Umm, Major," Rodney said hesitantly from behind him.
"Not now, Rodney," Sheppard hissed.
"You really need to turn around, Major," Rodney said and Sheppard caught the tension in his voice.
"Can't do that. What's the problem?"
"I think the chief is here." There was no humor in Rodney's voice and Sheppard risked a quick glance behind to see what had him so concerned.
Coming toward them from the direction of the path was another man, this one taller than those holding the spears, but still short compared to himself. He wore a red cape of what looked like bird feathers in additional to the loincloth and not only were his arms and chest tattooed but so was his face.
The warriors broke the circle to allow the man along with two others that seemed to act as a personal guard to pass. Sheppard didn't think the newcomer would need any help defending himself.
The man in the cape stopped halfway between the circle of his men and Sheppard's team. After another moment of mutual study as Sheppard traded off watching the newcomer and watching the men in the circle in front of him, the man raised an arm about chest high and made a quick slashing motion.
Sheppard felt Rodney cringe and would have bet money he had his eyes closed as well, but instead of being instantly skewered, the men forming the circle lowered their spears until they were resting butt down at each man's side. He took one more look at the man in the cape and slowly lowered his own weapon. "Ford. Teyla," he said calmly and they lowered their weapons as well.
The chief walked around the team until he was face-to-face with Sheppard. "We have watched you since you came through the Ancestor's Circle," the man said, his voice a low tenor that sounded more curious than anything else.
Sheppard smiled slightly. "We're explorers," he explained carefully. "We're looking for trading partners; we have medicines to trade for food." He waited for the chief to say something else.
The caped man studied Sheppard then put his open palm on his chest over his heart. "I am Kalani, leader of the Kai people."
"John Sheppard," he said with another smile. He tilted his head to his left. " Aiden Ford," he nodded to his right, "Teyla Emmagan of the Athosians." Sheppard hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Rodney McKay."
Rodney held up a hand in greeting and muttered, "Hello."
Kalani looked at each of them as Sheppard made introductions then turned back to Sheppard. "You took a strange route to reach us, John Sheppard. Most traders from the Circle come along the shore." Sheppard thought he sounded suspicious, and on one level couldn't really blame him.
"Like I said, we're explorers," Sheppard said with all the sincerity he could muster. "We've never been to your planet before; didn't know there was a shortcut."
Kalani nodded as if in acceptance then stepped forward and asked suspiciously, "If you are merely here for trade, John Sheppard, why did you leave the path once you found it. Why do you want to wake the Uhane and bring death to us all?"
"Uhane?" Sheppard asked and hoped his confusion was evident.
"You must know of the Uhane, John Sheppard," Kalani spat. "The life suckers from the stars."
"Oh," Sheppard replied as understanding dawned. "We call them the Wraith," he explained, "and we have no desire to bring them here."
"That tower has nothing to do with the Wraith," Rodney chimed in before Sheppard could stop him. "It's Ancient design."
Kalani frowned at the comment. "It does not matter, the tower as you call it is forbidden."
Sheppard could sense Rodney was about to argue and casually stepped back until he landed on his foot. He heard a hiss and felt a slight push against his back, but Rodney thankfully stopped talking.
Kalani watched them for a moment longer then stepped back. To Sheppard, he still looked wary, but he gave another signal and the men circling the team broke up and started moving toward the path. "Come, John Sheppard. We will go to the village. If you are here to trade as you say, then you can see what we have to offer and we can discuss payment."
"Major," Rodney said as they started to follow the local men, "we really need to get inside that tower and see if there is a Zed-PM we can use."
"How do you think we're gonna do that, Rodney?" Sheppard replied with a careful eye on Kalani to make sure the leader hadn't overheard them. "They don't want us around it."
"Yes, because they think it brings the Wraith. We know it doesn't. We just have to convince them of that."
"For right now just let it rest," Sheppard said tiredly. "We need food as well as a ZPM. If Kalani wants to trade, let's do that first, show we're trustworthy and then deal with visiting the tower."
"There isn't time -" Rodney started to argue, but Sheppard held up a hand to stop him as Kalani glanced over at them. Rodney looked over at the leader and subsided with a few choice mutters.
During the walk from the tower to the village, the rain finally stopped to Sheppard's relief. He might tease Rodney, but he was tired of being wet as well, and they were truly soaked. Rodney's hair was plastered to his head and his blue uniform shirt stuck to his skin. Sheppard had to admit he did look miserable. Teyla's hair hung in limp tendrils, but she seemed less affected by the weather. Ford was the only one of them wearing a hat and Sheppard watched the last of the latest shower drip off the bill of the cap. He glanced down at his own wet clothing and was sure he didn't look any better than the others.
They came out of the jungle to the edge of a wide body of water and a brown sandy beach. Several long structures were built against the last remnants of the jungle to their right. The structures had no walls, they were little more than thatched roofs on poles. Long, low tables lined the center of the structures. Mats made from some broad-leafed plant were rolled and tied along the top of the roof and the structures were raised off the beach a few feet presumably due to tides or protection from storms. Several low boats were pulled up onto the beach with nets drying on frames next to them. To their left built near the jungle, was a cluster of huts that looked like rounded triangles with their thatched roofs doubling as the walls of the hut as well.
A pair of boys, dressed like the men, turned a spit of some sort of meat over a large fire, several elderly women cleaned fruit while younger women and older children appeared to be making some sort of stew from vegetables around another fire. The younger children all raced to greet the men as the group left the jungle.
After greeting the children, the men from the tower joined a large party working in the shade of some trees stripping the bark from long, straight pieces of wood. Others ran what looked like stones over the clean poles and Sheppard realised they were making more of the spears all of the men seemed to carry. Another smaller group sat sewing teeth to more of the odd paddles.
"Come, John Sheppard," Kalani said with a nod toward one of the raised structures. "We will talk while the evening meal is prepared. The others may look around the village." He waved an arm to indicate the people along the beach.
"Rodney," Sheppard said in a low voice, "run some scans and see what you can find out." He looked McKay in the eye. "Do not bring up the tower with anyone." Sheppard waited until he nodded. "Ford, go with him."
"Yes, sir," the Lieutenant replied as Rodney rolled his eyes.
"I can take care of myself, Major."
"Humor me. Teyla, you're with me," Sheppard said and followed Kalani up a set of steps to one of the roofed buildings. If Kalani was surprised by Teyla joining the negotiation, he didn't show it.
Kalani sat cross-legged on one side of the low table, while Sheppard and Teyla took the other, facing the village. The arrangement suited Sheppard just fine as he could keep half an eye on Rodney and Ford while Teyla handled the trading. One of the young women brought a plate of assorted fruit and placed it on the table between them. She smiled at Sheppard and Teyla, bowed to Kalani, and left.
"You are fortunate to come now for trade," Kalani said as he offered the fruit. "We have had a good harvest of fruit as well as mano."
Sheppard declined the fruit and watched as Rodney, with Ford in tow, wandered over to the huts.
"Mano?" Teyla asked politely as she selected a small brown piece of fruit. Kalani showed her how to peel away the furry outer skin to get to the green meat inside.
Kalani smiled and jerked his chin at the spit over the fire. "A large fish with teeth, Teyla Emmagan. Very good meat fresh or even dried. It is hard to catch, however, and dangerous for the men who try."
"We have several medicines for trade," Teyla replied as she ate the fruit. "Potions and powders that are useful in the healing of injuries and illness."
"Such medicines would be welcome, Teyla Emmagan," Kalani said with the first smile Sheppard had seen from the man. "I believe we can make a good trade."
Sheppard tuned out the rest of the negotiating as he watched Rodney and Ford, Teyla was a much better trader than he'd ever be. He stood away from the table and tapped the radio to check in with Romero. He told the Sergeant they had found a local population and they were going to trade for food and to pass the news along to Weir right away.
He stood at the edge of the raised platform and smiled as he watched several of the children swarm around Rodney. The Athosian children did the same thing in Atlantis whenever he ventured into the Athosian areas of the city much to his frustration and Sheppard's amusement. They knew the truth about Rodney even if most of the adults didn't.
Rodney said something to Ford and glared at the kids more than once. Sheppard watched the Lieutenant laugh and step back, giving the kids closer access to Rodney who huffed and said something else to Ford. Sheppard was willing to bet it was yet another threat to cut off the Lieutenant's hot water.
Rodney tried holding the kids off by ignoring them, then walking away from them, but the children would have none of it. They tried to show him little trinkets and some obviously wanted to know what the scanner he held was and how it worked. As Rodney wandered around the beach they followed him in a tight group talking about something Sheppard was too far away to hear. Rodney finally had enough and he turned and started flapping his arms at them. Sheppard caught a glimpse of his face and saw his frustration clearly as whatever he said finally made the children scatter, a few of them in tears.
Several mothers comforted the younger ones and glared at Rodney who hunched his shoulders and tried to ignore the angry attention he received as a result of his actions. He glanced up at the table but Sheppard wasn't sure if Rodney could see him thanks to the shadows from the roof and the angle of the sun in his eyes.
Rodney continued his tour around the beach and eventually stopped in front of an old woman seated on the ground carefully cleaning a number of items spread on a mat in front of her. She treated the items with reverence as she carefully cleaned and polished each one. Some of them she spoke to with the item close to her lips, others she patted loving as she set them back down on the mat.
Sheppard could tell they were small and of different colors but that was about it.
Rodney turned to Ford and said something as he pointed to one of the objects. Ford looked interested as well and Rodney knelt and pointed to one of the colorful objects and the woman spoke to him for a moment then nodded. As soon as Rodney picked it up, it started to glow with a soft yellow light and all hell broke loose in the village.
"Akua!" the old woman started to shout. Rodney quickly stood and stumbled back, startled at her reaction, the glowing yellow stone still in his hand. Ford spun around as several women nearby shouted as well and Ford turned anxious eyes on Sheppard as the call was taken up by others further away. Rodney tried to talk to the woman and give back the stone, but she held up her hands and hurried away as fast as she could, taking refuge in one of the smaller huts.
"Teyla!" Sheppard yelled and was off the platform and running toward Rodney and Ford who held his P-90 at the ready but still pointed at the ground; he was obviously unsure how to deal with the crowd as the women didn't seem to be threatening them. Sheppard thought most of the locals seemed more afraid of Rodney than he was of them.
The group of men moving toward Rodney was a different story, while most only flexed their hands, a few were armed with the paddles. Sheppard ran faster.
"Akua! Akua!" voices yelled all along the beach now.
Sheppard slipped to a stop on the sand next to Rodney, Teyla right behind him, and Sheppard saw his shocked expression as the crowd closed in on them again.
"Rodney," Sheppard hissed. "What the hell did you do?"
"Nothing!" Rodney exclaimed. "I just wanted to get a closer look at the objects that woman had laid out; see what they were made of. How was I supposed to know they'd react to the gene!"
Sheppard glanced down at the stone still in Rodney's hand and could see his point. The workmanship was cruder than the Ancient devices they'd found in Atlantis over the past several months. He didn't have time to study the stone further as the women were carefully pushed away and the men took positions around them again, their faces no longer passive or curious. Some, mostly the younger ones, were obviously frightened but stood their ground next to the older men who were frowning at Rodney.
"Are all of those objects Ancient devices?" Sheppard asked and raised his P-90 slightly, the threat obvious. The village men stopped roughly five feet away.
"How should I know?" Rodney asked, his voice tight and missing any of his usual sarcasm. "I didn't get a chance to do anything once all the yelling started." Rodney looked around at the press of people around them. "Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike crowds of people, Major? Too many bad things happen in large groups."
Sheppard had to admit he wasn't too thrilled with them either at the moment as Kalani made his way through the press of bodies and held up his arms for silence. Rodney gulped as the chief stopped in front of him and stared at the glowing stone. Kalani held out his hand, and Rodney silently dropped the stone onto the outstretched palm. As soon as he let go of the stone, it stopped glowing.
Kalani looked down at the now dull stone then at Rodney. Something in his demeanor changed and Sheppard was instantly alert as he took a step, putting himself between the two men.
Kalani watched Sheppard for a moment then gave another signal and the men slowly backed away, though Sheppard could see they were not all happy with the idea.
"We must talk, John Sheppard," Kalani said and nodded toward the largest of the huts.
"All right," Sheppard agreed, "but my team comes with us. I'm not leaving anyone out here." He looked at Rodney then the scattered groups of locals, many of the men still armed with the odd wooden paddles.
Kalani bobbed his head in agreement and led the way into the hut. Sheppard heard several whispered voices as they moved away, some of the voices sounded awed by what they'd just witnessed. He noted several of the voices were strangely excited for some reason. Two of the village men followed Kalani into the hut and stood near the doorway. Sheppard wondered if they were there to keep the rest of the villagers out or his group in.
There was no furniture in the hut, just a scattering of mats. Kalani sat down and waved Sheppard to the mat across from him. Sheppard made sure Rodney was seated beside him and Teyla on his other side, Ford on the other end near the door and the sentries. Sheppard rested the P-90 on his knees and waited for Kalani to explain.
"This is very serious, John Sheppard," Kalani said as he stared down at the stone in his hand.
"So I gathered from the reaction outside," Sheppard said. "Care to tell us why?"
"There is a legend, passed down through countless generations," Kalani said and looked at Rodney. Rodney gazed back, then inched a bit closer to Sheppard. Kalani looked from Rodney to Sheppard and back down at the stone. "The legend speaks of men and women who were able to wield the power of the stones for the good of all. They were even able to defeat the Uhane with their power. This is one of those stones, it is a great relic of my people."
"The Ancients," Rodney said to Kalani. "They built the tower you didn't want us to see."
"Rodney," Sheppard said in a low voice, drawing out the name. "This is not the time."
"It's way past waiting now, Major," Rodney retorted, some of his bluster coming back. "If they have Ancient devices here in the village, it's a near certainty there's something in that tower as well. The Wraith are coming, we both know that. We need to get in that tower and see what's still functioning."
"What is that you say about the Uhane?" Kalani asked sharply and Rodney gave Sheppard a guilty look.
"A great culling has started," Teyla explained, her voice calm as she gave Rodney a hard look. "We have already seen several planets devastated, my own world included."
Kalani bowed his head and fingered the stone, lost in thought. "We have heard stories from others who come to trade of the Uhane stripping worlds," Kalani said. "My people are afraid."
"Is that why so many of them are busy making weapons," Sheppard asked bluntly.
"It is one reason, yes," Kalani replied and one of the men standing near the door muttered something Sheppard didn't catch.
"Did your stories say what this stone was used for?" Teyla asked as she nodded to the stone in his hand.
Kalani held the stone out to her, but Sheppard knew the stone would remain dark when she touched it and he hoped she would pass it back to Kalani and not on to him. These people didn't need to know there were two people who could make it glow. She turned the stone over in her hand then gave it back to Kalani.
"In the stories," Kalani replied, taking the stone back. "There were several stones. One was a green stone, the person who held it could not be hurt by any weapon."
Sheppard and Rodney exchanged a look.
"Another could ignite a fire from several paces away. A third stone was used for healing the injured. There were several others as well but we no longer know which stone is which. Some of my people do not believe the stories at all, they are merely tales to tell children around the fire at night."
"What does 'akua' mean?" Ford asked. "They kept shouting akua and pointing at Doctor McKay."
Kalani studied Rodney for another moment. "It is what we call those we pray to before a hunt or battle."
"I'm a genius, not a god," Rodney said stiffly. "I don't have some sort of divine power here. The stone glowed because of a gene, part of my DNA," he tried to explain. "I'm a physicist," he tried again but Sheppard could see Kalani didn't understand 'physicist' any more than he understood genes and DNA. "I fix things," Rodney said, breaking his job down to the very basic. "I take broken things and make them work." He looked at Sheppard for help.
Sheppard glanced at the door as one of the sentries made a startled sound. "Kalani, all we want to do is trade for some food." He paused for a moment, glanced at Teyla and continued. "But we are always looking for allies against the Wraith as well."
That last must have been what Kalani was waiting to hear. The man smoothly stood and said, "Our evening meal is almost prepared, you are welcome to join us and we will celebrate our successful trading as well. I will try to explain to my people there is nothing to fear regarding Rodney McKay." He looked down at Rodney. "I will also explain you are not akua."
Kalani left the hut with his two men, Sheppard and the others waited then followed a few minutes later.
Sheppard looked around the village as the sun set. The large fire provided enough light to see. Men and women stared openly at Rodney as he walked out of the hut, some were hopeful, others suspicious. Rodney, aware of the scrutiny, refused to look at anyone and stayed close to Sheppard who could see the man was tense as if he expected the crowd to descend on him again. Whatever Kalani had said, not everyone seemed to accept the idea he wasn't a god.
"Major," Teyla said as they left the hut, "you should know Kalani and I did work out the basics of a trade agreement before everything else happened." She glanced at Rodney. "They have offered fruit and meat in exchange for some basic medical supplies and training."
"Good," Sheppard replied. "Once this dinner is over, we'll head back to Atlantis and give Elizabeth the good news. Hopefully, by the time we get back here, folks will have calmed down."
"We still need to get a look inside that tower," Rodney reminded him quietly as Kalani led them to one of the low tables on a platform.
"Kalani will not allow you to search the tower, Doctor McKay," Teyla whispered as they were seated on one side of the table. Once again Sheppard put Rodney between himself and, this time, Ford.
"Hopefully now that this business with the stone is settled, he'll change his mind," Sheppard replied as a woman set a large plate of fruit on the table; other women followed with bowls of something that looked like mashed potatoes, and another with a broad plank of wood with roasted mano meat on skewers. He looked at Teyla. "Rodney's right, we do need to see if there's a ZPM there we can use, maybe trade something else for it."
Sheppard watched with some amusement as Rodney pointedly ignored the fruit, but carefully scooped some of the mashed white stuff onto his plate and after a moment's hesitation, he took several of the meat skewers as well.
The long tables under the structures were all quiet for a few minutes as people started to eat or helped children with portions.
"John Sheppard, you are a great leader of you people, are you not?" Kalani asked a few minutes later and Sheppard heard in Kalani's voice he wanted the conversation to appear normal and played along.
Sheppard ignored Rodney's sputtering as he tried to swallow. "I don't know about 'great' leader," he said deprecatingly.
Kalani waved that away as he said, "Your marks must be equally impressive." Kalani held out his arm and pointed to an elaborate design of what looked like a fish of some sort surrounded by waves and suns. "This one tells of my first successful hunt for mano," he explained. He pointed to a band of symbols around his other arm, "This one tells the names of my fathers." He pointed to the large design across his chest, "This is the story of a great battle with the Mauna. It is when I was made the leader of the Kai." He sat back proudly and pointed to the men on either side of him with tattoos just as impressive. "These men are great warriors of my people, the marks warn potential enemies to beware!" He smiled. "How do you warn enemies of your battle mastery when you wear such coverings?" he asked and pointed to the black t-shirt.
Sheppard had heard of such things on Earth as well, but he didn't know how to explain to Kalani any 'marks' he had were in the form of scars, not tattoos. Before he could start to say something, however, the festivities were interrupted by three men coming to the feast late. Sheppard recognised one of the men as the twitchy sentry from the hut and wondered where the man had disappeared to that he arrived for a planned meal so late.
Conversations all along the long tables stopped and several people glared at the men, presumably for their tardiness, Sheppard thought. The men sat not too far away from Kalani and Sheppard's team, but after a few more glares, the men were passed food and the meal continued.
"My people have a similar tradition," Teyla said, picking up the conversation again. She turned sideways and pulled up the leg of her uniform trousers. Encircling her lower calf was a series of lines and dots, some of the symbols intertwined to form a design while others merely tied the interconnections together. "This is the mark of my family name," she explained. She touched the tattoo and Sheppard saw a sad smile on her face for a moment before she dropped the trouser leg and sat forward again.
"I am honored," Kalani said and nodded his head. Teyla bowed her head in acknowledgment.
"Mine is a bit different," Ford said as he rolled up the sleeve of his t-shirt and showed Kalani the globe with an anchor through it and an eagle atop it, the letters USMC underneath.
"What does it mean?" Kalani asked as he studied the image.
"It's the mark of my military unit," Ford explained as he rolled the sleeve back down. "Different branches have different insignia, this one's for the Marine Corps." He turned to Sheppard. "I got it right after graduation from OCS, sir."
Sheppard noticed several others along the table following the conversation, most were politely interested, the three late-comers tried to hide their curiosity, but Sheppard caught several furtive looks at Ford and Teyla. He glanced at Rodney, wondering how he'd had managed to stay quiet for so long and found him lost in thought, the food on his plate barely touched. Sheppard suspected he was still thinking about the yellow stone and how he could get it back to study it.
He nudged Rodney's arm."You're offending our hosts," Sheppard teased lightly.
"What?" Rodney asked, completely confused.
"You aren't eating," Sheppard explained. "The ladies here are going to think you don't like their cooking." Sheppard smiled at the woman across the table from him.
"Oh, yes, yes," he mumbled and absently took a bite of the white fluffy stuff. "Hey, this is breadfruit!" he exclaimed, looking over at the bowl between himself and Ford in wonder. "How did they get breadfruit in another galaxy?"
"What's breadfruit?" Ford asked even as he took another dollop of the white fluffy stuff.
"It's what's inside what had to be those spiky fruits we saw near the 'gate," Rodney replied as he stared down at the while mass on his plate.
"We call it ulu," Kalani said. "It grows in several areas near the village. We will include the ulu in our trade if you desire."
"The plant is common on several planets, Doctor McKay," Teyla explained. "It is from your world?"
Rodney shook his head as he took another bite of the mashed breadfruit. "The botanists will have a field day trying to work out if the breadfruit came from Pegasus to Earth or the other way around."
The conversation drifted away from tattoos to Sheppard's relief and they finished eating.
As the meal drew to a close, Sheppard said, "Kalani, we need to return to our world and make arrangements for the trade goods we've promised."
"You wish to return now?" Kalani asked and looked out at the surrounding darkness. "You are welcome to stay the night and leave in the morning."
Sheppard shook his head. "While I'm the leader of this team, I'm not the leader of our people. She needs to know the details of our agreement. You mentioned there was a way to the 'gate from the coast?"
Kalani nodded. "Yes, John Sheppard, I will have two of my men guide you." Kanai pointed to two of the late-comers who gave Kalani a sullen nod.
Kalani whispered to Sheppard, "They will miss the dancing, but next time they will be on time for the evening meal."
Sheppard smiled, but couldn't help feeling a twist of something in his gut as he watched their guides get ready to leave. One of them was the twitchy sentry from earlier and Sheppard was certain he was up to something, he just hoped it didn't involve any of his people.
The walk along the coast was much easier than the jungle, Sheppard had to admit, and they made much better time. There was a cool breeze off the water that helped alleviate some of the oppressive humidity and it seemed it didn't rain at night as much as during the day. He looked up and saw a few stars as the clouds slowly broke up.
One of Kalani's men led the way back to the stargate while the other, the twitch sentry, brought up the rear of the group and Sheppard couldn't help noticing how often the men looked around at the surrounding jungle. Was there some sort of wild animal that hunted at night, he wondered.
"What's the matter," Rodney asked after the third time Sheppard glanced at the jungle. "You're making me nervous."
"You're always nervous," Sheppard replied, distracted.
"Well, you aren't, so what's the problem?"
"Not sure. Our guides seem to be watching for something or -"
Before he could finish, a dozen heavily tattooed men ran at them from the jungle waving spears.
Sheppard raised his P-90 and started shooting, he heard answering fire from Teyla and Ford as well as the crack of Rodney's Beretta beside him and several of the men fell moaning from wounds or lay silent in death.
They had the first wave contained when a second group came at them from behind and Sheppard wasn't really surprised to see their twitchy 'guide' leading the charge.
"That one! That one!" he shouted and pointed at Rodney.
Rodney was busy trying to shoot at the men coming toward them and Sheppard was sure he hadn't heard the shout. Sheppard had and turned to the new threat. "Ford, get Rodney out of here."
"Yes, sir!" Ford acknowledged without asking why McKay was suddenly in more danger than the rest of them and reached down for Rodney kneeling behind Sheppard, trying to reload the Beretta.
"Where's the other one," Sheppard muttered to himself right before a third group came out of the jungle ahead of them led by their other so-called guide. Great, they were surrounded on three sides with an ocean on the fourth. As ambushes went, Sheppard had to give the men credit for setting up a good one even as he fired at them.
He heard a shriek and turned in time to see Teyla take down one of their attackers by flipping him over her shoulder and kicking him in the head. She bent and picked up her P-90 again.
Rodney and Ford were still firing their weapons at their attackers even as Ford tried to pull McKay away, but then Ford went down as one of the men got behind him and hit him in the head with the blunt end of his spear.
Sheppard looked around the bit of beach they were on and saw Teyla was the furthest away from the attacking men, she'd have the best chance of getting away. "Teyla," Sheppard shouted, "Get to the 'gate! We need backup!"
She gave him an angry look, glanced at Ford on the ground, then nodded once and took off down the beach, hopefully toward the 'gate. The idea niggled in the back of Sheppard's mind that they had just assumed their guides were leading them in the right direction.
Sheppard was both relieved and concerned when the men let her go. Relieved because he knew she'd be safe, concerned since it proved his suspicion they weren't interested in her at all.
"Rodney," Sheppard said and turned to find Rodney still behind him. "We need to get under cover. I'm going to lay down fire, you grab Ford and head for those trees over there." Sheppard jerked his chin toward the treeline slightly ahead of them and to their left.
"And Rodney," Sheppard said and Rodney paused. "Whatever happens, you do not stop, understand? Ford is your responsibility, get him to the trees."
Rodney looked over at him, his eyes wide with fright, but he nodded, holstered the Beretta, and grabbed the loop on the back of Ford's tac-vest. He signalled he was ready and started for the trees.
Sheppard started to fire again as the men closed in. Rodney pulled at Ford's vest tugging the man across the hard-packed sand. Sheppard risked a glance behind him to see where they were, which turned out to be a mistake as three of the men jumped him. He heard Rodney yell his name and hoped he had followed orders and kept going, but the last thing he saw was a fist coming at his face and then darkness.