I am so, so sorry for the delay! I worked extremely long hours all week, trying to finish a massive project at work, and I just never got home early enough to work on the story (I worked and slept this week, that is all). It's done now, thank goodness! But, seriously, I am so sorry this took so long. And, Mercury's Winter, thank you for the poke! LOL! Totally worked!
Also, huge thanks to my beta for turning this around in a matter of hours, and for being so incredibly supportive. She's my hero.
DESERT ORKIDS
By TIPPER
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CHAPTER SEVEN: THE CANYON
They came up upon the edge of the canyon almost blindly. One moment, it wasn't there, and the next it was. Teyla was already partway down the carved trail leading down, Perrit not far behind her, but McKay and Sheppard had stopped, unable to avoid marveling at the view before them.
Teyla stopped, turning around. When she had seen this for the first time a few days ago, she too had been in awe, and so she waited patiently for the two men to soak it in.
The ground literally opened up before them. Where before there had been nothing but endless dunes and baked, dry land, suddenly the earth split open to reveal a multi-hued canyon so deep as to appear bottomless from this high up. Colors from deep red to bright yellow to pale blue lined the walls, and tufts of grass, lichen and shrubs clung stubbornly to the rocks. It was breathtaking.
"Grand Canyon?" McKay asked, looking at Sheppard.
The colonel shook his head, "Not so wide as that. More like a bigger version of the Canyon de Chelly, but colored like Arches."
"Canyon de what?" Perrit asked, watching them curiously.
"Back home," Sheppard said, waving a hand airily towards the vista, "we have some natural wonders that might match in scale and beauty what you have here, but…" He shook his head, "This is wondrous."
"Back home?" Perrit's eyebrow arched, "On your wet planet?"
McKay's lip quirked a quick smile, thinking of the Vancouver like feel of the Alpha Site, which Perrit believed to be their home. Yes, not many desert canyons to be found there—at least, not near the Stargate, and they had yet to meet a population that had strayed far from their Stargate in this galaxy.
"Our former home, before we moved," Sheppard amended quickly, his eyes studying the multi-layered stone of the red rock walls. They couldn't see into the bottom, where the Orkidians apparently lived, but the path they would follow down was broad, wide and well-traveled, and he could just make out a small, brown hut about a third of the way down, before the path curved out of sight. A way station, he supposed.
McKay, meanwhile, was peering at what looked like jewels in the walls. Something glittered at even points along the very top edge of the canyon, like diamonds embedded in the stone.
His brow furrowed, and he pulled out his binoculars, removing his sunglasses as he did so. Still frowning, he focused the binocs on one of the "jewels." Perrit watched him, not speaking, allowing him to draw his own conclusions. Sheppard had caught his notice, and had pulled his own binocs, aiming them in the same direction at the scientist.
Through the glass, the jewel resolved into a round, metal disc, perhaps several feet in diameter. Grooves on the surface suggested it might open up, perhaps revealing something more insidious hidden behind it. An energy weapon of some kind? There were hundreds of them along the edge—did it make a grid that protected the canyon? Really, from this distance, it was impossible to do more than guess.
"Those discs," Sheppard asked, lowering his binocs to look at Perrit, "Are those part of your defense system?"
Perrit just nodded. "Yes."
McKay studied them a little longer, then finally lowered the binocs from his eyes. Without more information, he couldn't tell what they were made of, or what they did, but they were certainly interesting. Hopefully, the Jumper's scans could tell them more. They were obviously Ancient—the Jumper should be able to tap into whatever they are and provide more detail.
"Shall we move on?" Ronon asked, the Satedan glancing unhappily at their exposed position on the cliff edge.
"Yeah," Sheppard said, nodding at Teyla. The Athosian nodded back and started walking again, her sharp eyes watching for anything and everything as the others followed her down.
McKay stepped up alongside Perrit and started asking her some questions about the discs, which the older woman mostly sidestepped. Sheppard let them get ahead of him, staying back with Ronon on their six. When he couldn't hear their conversation clearly, he tapped his radio, glancing up at the clear blue sky.
"Anything?" he whispered into the radio.
"Not that we can see, sir," Lieutenant Cadman replied. "The canyon is amazing, though. I've seen it before, when we visited here initially, but never from above like this. It's so much bigger than I ever imagined. Oh, fyi, we've also pinpointed all three of the Ancient water pumps on a map of the area. They're all at raised points surrounding the canyon, and my guess is, all three feed into it equally."
Sheppard heard McKay give a small snort over the radio as he half-listened to Laura's report on his earpiece, as if to say, "that's obvious," but he didn't vocalize it, aware of Perrit still obviously chattering away by his side.
"Also," Cadman continued, "the Ambassador wasn't lying when she said there are a lot of people down there, sir. The Jumper has counted 85,765 human life signs."
"Lotta people," Sheppard whispered. He lowered his head when Perrit looked at him again over he shoulder, to hide his face from her. "The Jumper give you any idea what the discs in the walls are for?"
"We're scanning them now sir, but..." she paused, as if embarrassed, "we're not getting much information. I know Rodney was hoping the Jumper would be able to jack into whatever the weapon system is, but," she sighed, "it's not. There's some sort of firewall, keeping us out. It's like it needs a password or key or something. I'm sure Rodney could hack it but we just don't know how." Her tone was deeply apologetic.
Sheppard just grimaced, looking once more at the embedded metal. "It's okay, Lieutenant. Just send whatever you do have to McKay."
"Yes, sir. Do you want us to follow you in, sir?"
"No," Sheppard said, still keeping his face averted from Perrit when she looked at him again. "I'm not sure what might trigger this weapon of theirs. One would hope an Ancient ship wouldn't trigger an Ancient weapon, but we've seen stranger things. Just stay up and out of sight."
"Yes, sir."
Ronon frowned, giving Sheppard a pregnant stare about already losing their main source of protection. The Colonel just gave him a smile and a shrug, then jogged to catch up with Perrit already about twenty feet down the path with McKay.
Perrit was currently describing a little of the history of Orkidia, telling a bored looking Rodney about how they came up with the current Council based government. Sheppard listened for a moment, then cleared his throat when she paused. She glanced at him, eyebrows raised.
"So, we're going to meet the Council," he said. "Do they know why we're here?"
She gave a small smile, "No. They think you're here because I asked you to review the status of the other two water pumps for malfunctions similar to the one you fixed, and also to examine the status of the wells. I told them that, especially now, with Dazy gone, we need experts to tell us that there will be no more problems. Plus," she shrugged, "the Council still wishes to thank you for fixing the water pump that was broken. That should buy you several days here at least, and between the feast tonight and the political posturing I know will happen—the council members will all want to 'win' you to their side—you should have plenty of opportunities to make your opinions."
"Several days," McKay frowned, looking unhappily at the rock dust sticking to his shoes. "You mean, sleep here?"
"Yes. In my residence. I have plenty of room—I promise you will be very comfortable."
"Actually," Sheppard said, smiling serenely, "I think we'd prefer to return to our own planet this evening after—"
"But you can't," Perrit said, frowning. "Did I not mention the sand storms? At this time of year, we are plagued by them, particularly during certain times of the evening and almost every night. I could not, in good conscience, allow you to return home with that threat so real, and as the feast has been scheduled for evening…." She trailed off, arching her eyebrows at them.
Sheppard sighed, ignoring the concerned gaze of McKay over Perrit's head.
"I assure you," Perrit said suddenly, "that you will be under my protection the whole time you are here." She turned and rested a hand on McKay's arm. "Doctor, you are vital to my people's future. That I believe with all my heart. I would never let harm come to you, not while I still draw breath. And I am not a powerless woman. You will be safe here, no matter what rumors you may have heard about my people." And here she glanced back at Ronon covering their six, as if sensing that he was to blame for their obvious wariness.
Sheppard glanced at Ronon as well, but didn't meet the man's dark gaze.
He could feel the 'I told you so' emanating from the Satedan even from this distance.
Finally, the colonel shrugged, looking forward again down the canyon, "Well, in for a penny…."
"In for a pound," McKay grumped, pulling his arm away from Perrit's. She didn't seem to mind, and instead started talking again about the wells. McKay lowered his head and seemed intent to listen, so Sheppard backed off.
They continued down the long, winding trail, refilling their canteens at the first way station Sheppard had seen from above—a dark adobe structure—and taking in the changing landscape and shifting temperature—it was getting cooler.
When they rounded the first bend on the trail, the harsh, wailing desert wind disappeared, replaced by bird calls and the sounds of animals and insects scurrying invisibly around them. The surface was a barren wasteland, but it seemed the canyon was teeming with life. It only made the Colonel more amazed that the Wraith did not cull this place. It had to appear like a cornucopia to them.
Strategically, a canyon was a good defensible location if both sides were on foot, but not if one side was flying Wraith darts. So they were obviously protected by something. His first assumption was that it must have a shield, but what powered it? A ZPM? If so, how much power did it have left? And if it wasn't a ZPM, then what could power it? Geothermal energy, like the supervolcano planet? Or could stored solar energy like that powering the water pumps be enough to withstand a barrage by a Wraith Hive? That seemed unlikely. He just couldn't imagine the Wraith allowing a place with a shield to exist, even if it took several days to break through the protection. He imagined any kind of sanctuary was bad for business—which is why they continued to attack Proculus despite Chaya's unyielding protection. But the Wraith obviously left this place alone—why?
His mind continued to trip over possibilities as they descended, trying to guess at what they were going to find. All he knew was, whatever the weapon was? It had to be a doozy.
And Atlantis could really use something that powerful.
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It took several hours to finally reach the bottom of the canyon, the path dropping them into a small box canyon that sheltered them from the sun and wind. It was shaded and quiet, a serene little haven for weary travelers to rest before entering the main canyon. Another wooden hut sat to one side, with a small water source inside—one of the many connected to the water pumps above.
The moment they hit level ground, Rodney sat down heavily on the first chair-like rock he saw and massaged his aching legs. Christ, his feet were on fire! Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon, of course, still looked fresh as daisies, as if they hadn't just hiked down a rocky slope in unrelenting heat and sunshine for several hundred feet and...oh God, they had to climb back out again?
He was staring despairingly back up the path when Sheppard barked his name from several yards away, to get his attention. Sighing, he struggled back to his feet, teetering a little as his legs sorely protested the action. Groaning slightly, he managed to slog over to Sheppard, limping a little as he moved.
"What?" he snapped, trying to muster a little dignity and stand up straight.
Sheppard's expression was annoyingly amused, smirking behind his sunglasses.
Rodney hated him.
"You ready, your highness?" the colonel asked, pulling his sunglasses down to peer over the top of them. "Time to move on, meet the locals, that sort of thing." He rolled a finger about as he spoke, then used it to push the sunglasses back up his nose.
Rodney didn't answer immediately, squinting towards where Perrit and Teyla were standing next to what was effectively the entrance to the canyon. Ronon had disappeared somewhere, to scout presumably. The two women were in silhouette, black outlines against the sun bleached landscape behind them, and Rodney realized he couldn't actually make out anything through the opening between the rocks. It was like peering into the sun. Christ. He half expected the words 'Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here' to be etched into the stone.
"Ready to go?" he said quietly, not hiding the trepidation he was feeling. "Not really."
Sheppard just smiled again, this time a little more kindly. "It'll be all right," he said.
Rodney looked at him, oddly grateful for that. "You think so?"
Sheppard shrugged. "Sure." And then he smirked again. "'Course, if this does all go to hell, you do realize that it'll be all your fault, right?"
Yup, he hated him.
"Great," he muttered. "Thanks for that."
"My pleasure. So..." The colonel stuck a thumb towards the entrance and the women. "Once more into the breach?"
"Where's Ronon?"
"Outside. He's already given the all clear."
"Oh," Rodney frowned. How had he missed that? He really needed to pay more attention. Sheppard gave him a pat on the shoulder, shoving him towards the women. A little begrudgingly, McKay went, heading for Perrit. She nodded at him as he approached, and led the way out into the sun.
Like curtains raised from a stage, the main canyon opened up before them, revealing the most beautiful set nature could create. The red cliff walls fell away, leaving behind a wide, flat plain covered in lush pastures and tilled fields. People were scattered everywhere, working the earth, while water trickled down irrigation channels, leaving the air almost humid.
Taking in the vastness of it all, Rodney couldn't remember the last time he had felt so small.
Perrit didn't say a word as she led them down a wide path leading between rows of what looked like soy beans, the low-lying green leaves shivering in the light breeze. The smell of fresh vegetables and fertilizer assaulted their nostrils, and in the distance they could hear cattle like animals lowing to each other. Perrit waved to a couple of nearby workers in one of the fields, and they waved back.
Only about a hundred yards in, they came across a squat barn-like structure. Perrit stopped and went inside a small side door. When the main barn doors opened a few minutes later, she was sitting atop an open-topped wagon driven by a ruddy faced man in overalls. She grinned at them.
"Hop on in," she said, indicating the flatbed behind the driver's seat.
McKay was very, very grateful.
Meeners drew the wagon, and when Sheppard remarked on them, Perrit nodded, asking if he had ever been to Garillion. The tight smile the colonel gave her quickly ended that conversation.
The first major structure they came across was the military complex—Commander Delian's center of operations. Not surprisingly, Sheppard straightened to see it better, while Rodney slumped. To the scientist, it looked like a prison. A high adobe wall surrounded a series of low-lying buildings, and there were turrets at each corner with men standing guard. As they rolled by the entrance, which was sealed by a iron barred gate, they could see a large courtyard where a group of men and women were obviously moving through a set of training maneuvers. Sheppard and Ronon both watched until they couldn't see them anymore. Rodney snorted. Of course they would.
Rodney perked up only once they were past the imposing structure, when it became clear that the complex actually guarded the first of the three finger canyons. Vanda. From what he could see, Vanda was a fairly narrow canyon, stretching away behind the military complex for what looked like several miles. Squinting, Rodney could just make out structures built up against the canyon walls and, in places, built into the walls. What did they call those things in the American Southwest? Cliff Dwellings? Mesa Verde had nothing on this world.
The wagon continued to move at a faster clip, and the number of structures started to grow in number, while the tilled fields gave way to gardens and commons. Soon, it was clear they were entering the outskirts of an actual city.
"This is Dendrobia," Perrit said proudly, sitting up straighter in her seat. The others imitating her—it was rare they got to see a real city in Pegasus, one that hadn't been ravaged by the Wraith.
Like the Vandan military complex, Dendrobia was surrounded by a wall, but, unlike Vanda, this one was low and overgrown by vegetation and, amazingly, trees.
"You have trees?" McKay announced, almost in wonder as the ash like trees waved silvery green leaves at them.
"Not very tall ones, I'm afraid," Perrit agreed as they passed beneath an arched entranceway through the high wall. "These are more like the stubborn cousins of the type that grow on your world. Hardy, strong and determined." She smiled, and it was clear she wasn't just talking about the trees.
"Most of these look like firs of some kind," Rodney noted, "and palms." Which made sense—both of those trees were good at storing up water.
Perrit did not answer, just settled back and watched as they absorbed the rest of the city. Like Vanda's military complex, none of the structures inside Dendrobia's walls were very tall—nothing over two stories—but unlike the utilitarian appearance of Vanda, there was an elegance to these. More windows, open courtyards, rounded arches and softer edges. Flowers, greenery and colorful tiles mixed together to fill in any holes. The air no longer smelled like farmland, but like spice and perfume and pine. It was like a cross between Santa Fe and the Ancient city of Fez in Morocco.
It's the sort of place Rodney used to think he'd retire to someday, before he moved to Atlantis. Part of him still sort of wanted to. Of course, deep down, he knew he'd never actually retire. To him, that was the same as death.
They wound through flagstone streets, the many people crowding the city stopping to stare at the strangers. Like Perrit, they all wore the pale colors of the Orkidians—plenty of long, soft linen like materials, light and breezy in style. Perrit, in front of the wagon, sat stick straight, her head held high. She had a pleased and stately air about her, and a number of people bowed their heads as she passed by in deference to the Ambassador.
The street they were on seemed to lead directly to the canyon wall edging the city and, as they approached it, Perrit whispered something to the driver, and the wagon slowed.
"The heart of Orkidia, and the Council Chambers," Perrit said as the street opened up to reveal a large market square, at the center of which was a massive water fountain. Dozens of people were scooping water out of it with buckets, but they stopped at the approach of the wagon. And beyond them, carved into the canyon wall was the entrance to a building that rivaled in size and grandeur the red-rose buildings of the ancient city of Petra in Jordan.
Petra was a wonder on Earth; it was no less here. If anything, this place was more amazing, because these buildings were alive.
Perrit smiled at their awe, and indicated the water fountain, "And this is the main well of the city, Doctor McKay. It was dry until your visit a few days ago." She tapped the driver's shoulder, and he pulled to a stop in front of the fountain, and all the people standing there. Swiftly, Perrit was on her feet in the wagon, tugging at McKay's sleeve to get him standing. He did so, though he did not understand why.
"My People!" Perrit shouted, though she already had their attention. Still, others emerged from what looked like store fronts and cafes surrounding the main square, and more came from the streets. Ronon bristled, standing as well. Teyla and Sheppard weren't far behind.
"My people, this is Doctor Rodney McKay! He is the one who fixed the Dendrobian Water Pump! He is the one who has saved our city!" And Perrit grabbed McKay's hand, lifting it high over his head with hers triumphantly. McKay stared at her—what the hell? "And I am the one who brought him here!" Perrit added proudly, her eyes taking on a devious glint heretofore missing from her appearance. "My late son and I—we have saved Dendrobia! And Orkidia!"
The crowd burst into instant applause and cheers, and several people rushed the wagon, grinning and smiling up at the strangers, reaching out hands for McKay. He turned his shocked stare to them, even as Perrit was nudging him forward.
"Shake their hands!" she hissed at him. "Please! They want to thank you!" Her eyes were gleaming.
McKay, never a shy man, usually soaked up accolades, but this, he knew, wasn't about him. This was politics, and he hated politicians. Elizabeth was the only exception to that rule—all others, to his mind, could jump off a tall bridge. Especially those who tried to use him.
"No," he growled, ripping his hand from hers. "What the hell are you doing?" he snapped. "This is not why we're here!"
She just smiled tightly at him, seeing the glower on his face and, beyond him, the livid expressions of his teammates, forced into a position of needing to protect Rodney as people continued to crowd the wagon.
"Oh, I...my apologies, I didn't..." Perrit whispered, though she didn't sound at all contrite. Quickly, she turned back to the crowd, her hands raised up to calm them down. "Ladies and Gentlemen, my apologies, but my guests are tired. They had a long journey here, and—"
"Look out!" Teyla shouted, diving forward into McKay, knocking him into the floor of the wagon. He was still close enough to Perrit to bring her down with him in a crumpled heap, her scream echoing in his ears. The driver's head rocked back, impacted by the bullet that would have hit chest high on McKay had Teyla not pushed him down.
And more bullets followed, splintering the wooden slats of the wagon's sides. The crowd screamed and tried to scatter. The meeners pulling the wagon reared and tried to move forward through the people, using their horns to buck people out of the way who didn't move fast enough.
Suddenly, guards were pouring out of the Council Chambers entrance, all dressed in the same military sand colored brown as Commander Delian's troops, except with red swatches on their shoulders. Sheppard had leapt over the downed driver, grabbing the reins of the meeners leading the wagon and forcing them forward towards the entrance, while Ronon sent several powerful blasts in the direction of the shots that were fired. Teyla had already rolled away from McKay and Perrit and she was sending a burst of machine gun fire at another rooftop.
A satisfied smile lit Ronon's face as a black-clad man fell screaming from a rooftop balcony, dislodged by the power of his weapon. Teyla stopped firing as two more bodies slid down the tiles of the roof she had targeted, her keen eyes searching for more attackers.
Lying on the wagon floor, McKay checked on Perrit, quietly asking if she was okay. The older woman was breathing heavily, her gray eyes wide and scared, but she nodded. There was blood on her face, but it looked like splatter from the driver.
Sheppard guided the wagon through the guards now blanketing them to the steps leading into the chamber, and jumped off, turning around to help the others. McKay got Perrit down first, letting her fall into Sheppard's arms, then followed. Teyla and Ronon and the guards covered them, their weapons pointed at the rooftops, looking for more of the black-clad warriors.
In moments, Perrit and all four Atlantians were inside, rushed into the cool hallway by the guards, the wooden doors swinging shut behind them. When Sheppard let her go, Perrit grabbed at McKay's arm and held on, as if needing someone to keep her upright.
"Rodney?" Sheppard called to him, his eyebrows lifted in a question.
He gave the colonel a hesitant nod back, telling him that he and the Ambassador were okay. Sheppard nodded back, then looked to Teyla and Ronon. They nodded as well. Rodney saw him then breathe out a heavy sigh of relief, and turn, obviously looking to speak to the head of guardsmen who had helped.
And found himself facing the tallest, ugliest man Rodney had ever seen. It was like he had melted right out of the shadows.
"Welcome," the tall man sneered, black eyes staring down at Sheppard like he would a bug, "to Dendrobia."
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TBC...
And quicker this time, I promise!
By the by, Petra in Jordan has just been named one of the "Seven Wonders of the Modern World" by millions of voters around the world. It really is an amazing place.
