A soft chirping woke her. Half asleep, Elizabeth rolled over in the bed and picked up the earpiece she had been issued with. She clipped it over one ear and pressed the small button to activate the comm link.
'Weir,' she murmured.
'Dr Weir.' the voice paused, 'did I wake you?' it was Carter. Weir had kept some long hours herself, but Carter seemed to defy reality with her late night shifts and early morning cheery moods.
'Not really, Colonel,' Weir lied diplomatically. 'Can I help you?'
'Yes. In your preliminary report, you mentioned a people called the Ha'taal. There's a briefing in fifteen minutes, conference room, will you be able to attend?'
'Of course. I'll see you there.'
'Thank you. Carter out.'
Elizabeth disconnected and sat up, trying to clear the fuzzy feeling from her head. She had overslept really, but four am had seemed a little soon to get up, especially when she was supposed to be resting. But she had spent the whole previous day resting, and had barely done an ounce of work the day before that, watching as Jonathan made progress in slow increments. She wondered how much more resting she could take.
A shower cleared the fog in her mind and Elizabeth stopped by the mess hall to collect a glass of orange juice. Not the perfect breakfast, but Keller would have her hide if she didn't have something, and she couldn't face food in the morning, not even normally, let alone lately. She paused on her way to the briefing room at the foot of stairs which could take either straight there or past the infirmary. Elizabeth mentally shook herself. Jenni would never bond with Jonathan if she were constantly hovering like a mother hen. If something changed, she would be informed. If not, she could visit him after the briefing. Making up her mind, she headed to where she was sure the others were already gathering.
She wasn't wrong; everyone else was there before her. An unusual scenario, in either reality, and she opened her mouth to apologise when Carter cut her off. 'Dr Weir, it's good of you to join us. Please,' she indicated a seat to her left-hand, noting the glass in Weir's hand and sighed internally. She should have given the woman a chance to wake up and eat properly, Keller had stressed the importance of Elizabeth taking it easy and building up her strength. But apart from looking a little pale, perhaps tired, Elizabeth looked remarkably well for a woman who had been through as much as she had. Perhaps the problem at hand might alleviate some of her stress, give her something else to focus on rather than her grief -it had always helped Sam in the past and it was something she was happy to offer to someone else now.
'Dr Weir, you already know Colonel Sheppard, Ronan Dex, Teyla Emmagan and Captain Harrison. This is Major Brannigan and Captain West. They returned from a mission yesterday after having made first contact, but they were chased to the 'Gate two of their team members captured. It was the Ha'taal; are you familiar with them?'
Weir missed the question at first, caught up in the tumult of her own memories as she looked into the face of Captain James Harrison. She hadn't met him on this side of the mirror yet and it was a shock to see his face, unmarred by the transformation that had taken place when he became a Wraith hybrid. She tore her eyes away and smiled slightly at Sam, pulling her role as a diplomat and expert on the Ancients like a shield. 'Oh. Yes. I am, they are a complex people with an interesting history but can make for a dangerous enemy. They need appropriate handling and usually, their reputation goes before them so infractions are rare.'
Sam gave a wry smile. 'I think we may have one of those infractions on our hands Dr Weir. Major Brannigan, if you please-?' Brannigan nodded, taking over for the report of their mission which had started just after dawn on a previously uncharted planet.
Brannigan was a man in his late forties, with greying hair and a stern expression. He considered Dr Weir for a moment, finding it odd that the same woman who had known him for the past few years on Atlantis would be addressing him as a stranger now. He had heard about the alternate reality thing back at the SGC, but he'd hoped never to entangle himself in it. Brushing it aside as an unimportant side note for now, he hoped this Weir was as insightful as her predecessor and began to relay the same details he had given to Colonel Carter barely an hour before. This time however, at Weir's stressing, he included more minor details and prayed they were of some use to her.
Listening carefully, Weir jotted down notes on the legal pad in front of her, switching her gaze between Brannigan and West as the Captain added more insights. She built up a picture in her head and compared it with everything she knew about the Ha'taal from her reality. Two of Brannigan's team had been captured and she could see the Major was angry at himself for letting it happen or, at least, for being one of those who escaped.
'I don't really understand,' Brannigan finished wearily. 'We slung our weapons as a gesture of peace and everything went downhill from there.'
'That's because you slung your weapons, Major. The Ha'taal are a warrior-like people, with strict rules of conduct. By standing down your show of force, you were admitting weakness and thus deserved no respect. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but please, trust me.' Turning to Sam, she added, 'Colonel Carter, I believe I can retrieve your people, but the conditions under which a return to the planet is made will have to be very specific.'
'Such as?'
'You'll need a female leader, and you'll need to return with a show of force. I can brief your teams, but...' she hesitated.
'Dr Weir?'
'I negotiated a great deal with Ha'taal in the past, they prefer to speak in their own language, and there's an Athosian derivative that they use, but informally. It's their trade language. You'll garner more respect if you address them in their own tongue, however.'
'I believe Dr Weir is correct,' Teyla broke in. 'I have not had dealings with the Ha'taal directly and my people have not been in contact with them for over a generation, but once, long ago, we did trade with them. They were known as proud fighters who would take on any challenge, they are one of the few peoples I have ever heard of who actively seek out the Wraith.'
'I see,' Sam turned the information over in her mind for a moment. 'Dr Weir, I realise that asking you to go offworld is risky, but I'd like to request you join the retrieval team anyway. You are under no obligation to do so,' she stressed.
'Colonel, the Ha'taal will kill your men if we make no attempt to retrieve them. I cannot, in all good conscience, ignore that fact. I'll accompany the teams, although I have a request.'
'And that is?'
'I go as your appointed liaison. If I go as advisor, I can prompt from the sidelines, but I can react much faster if I'm directly interacting with the Ha'taal.'
'What if these Ha'taal aren't the same as the people you remember? Atlantis isn't exactly the same as the one you knew,' it was Sheppard, the first contribution he'd made to the discussion.
'Yes, I know. But many things are similar. If the same holds with the Ha'taal, I'll be able to adjust to differences in their culture faster than anyone else will be able to learn them outright. And I am a trained in such first contact scenarios, Colonel. Everything else aside, I'm the most qualified person you have.'
There were more objections, agreements, compromises to be made and the meeting dragged on. Weir briefed them on the various unique cultural aspects of the Ha'taal. Their society was matriarchal, with the women presiding over birth, sickness and death, as well as teaching, science and the arts. The men were soldiers, aggressive, and their culture, like others in the Pegasus Galaxy, revolved to a certain extent around the Wraith.
Whenever a culling party attacked, the women, trained to fight alongside the men even though they never engaged in active battle, guarded the children and their village whilst the men met the Wraith head on. They never lost the opportunity to fight the Wraith, and one of their coming-of-age rituals included a six month offworld hunt, tracking down and killing Wraith.
'I like them already,' Ronan muttered, from the chair where he lounged.
'We'll gain favour if we can give them the location of any planetside Wraith colonies. They usually also have strong trading ties with other cultures. If you can form a treaty with them, they'll be powerful allies in the fight against the Wraith and your establishment in this galaxy,' Weird added.
It sounded promising, but Elizabeth knew the Ha'taal were a touchy people. She would have to tread carefully. The briefing drew to a close, but Carter called to Weir as the others filed out, waiting until they were gone before she spoke. 'Dr Weir, I'm well aware of what I'm asking you to do. Are you absolutely sure about this?'
Elizabeth nodded, 'if you don't try to retrieve them, you're signing those men's death certificates, Colonel, and if you do go, I'm the best chance you have. I wasn't lying about that.'
'I know, and I believe you. But I want you to be sure. I'll have Sheppard pull you out if anything goes wrong. Good luck, Dr Weir.'
'Thank you, Colonel.'
They walked back to the control room together, and Elizabeth left her to head for the gym. The retrieval team were gathering there and she wanted to show them some trademark Ha'taal moves before briefing them on how to conduct themselves in Ha'taal territory. The more prepared they were going in, the better.
Over an hour later, Elizabeth was sweeping her arm in an arc, and demonstrated a gutting move used by the Ha'taal, primarily to take down Wraith, but they weren't averse to using it on other enemies. She paused for a moment, finding herself wearied by the sudden punishing pace of the day. They were due to leave at oh-eight-hundred the following morning. Carter didn't like leaving their men prisoner so long, but Elizabeth assured her it was the only way.
'The team won't be ready if we go today, and the Ha'taal don't harm their prisoners. They consider torture as a sign of weakness. Again, I know that doens't make sense, since they will kill them, but they see it as a humane and merciful way to end a worthless life.' Sam had frowned at that, but she had pulled Weir into this on good faith and she wasn't willing to second guess her decision now.
They followed up the sparring session with another debrief and Elizabeth left for the mess hall, turning her steps towards the infirmary on the way. It was some time before she emerged, one worry set to rest at least. She fell into line next to Teyla, holding her son in one arm and a tray in the other. Kanaan was offworld.
'Teyla Emmagan. Daughter of Tagan. How are you this day?'
The formal greeting drew a smile from the Athosian woman. In this reality, the Elizabeth Weir they had known, had never had the chance to learn much about the intricacies of Athosian culture, or many of the other societies the Expedition encountered. There was never any time, but this Elizabeth had come to a flourishing Atlantis, already briefed on Pegasus' societies.
Elizabeth reached out, taking the tray from Teyla and walking with her through the line until they managed to move away and find themselves a table. When Teyla asked her to sit and eat, she couldn't find it in her to refuse, no matter how tired she felt.
'It is good to see your face again,' Teyla began, 'when we lost Elizabeth to the Asurans, it seemed as if the heart of Atlantis herself faltered at her absence. I know you are not the same person,' she added with a smile, 'but you and our Elizabeth are as sisters, and your presence does something to alleviate the sadness we have all felt at her passing.'
Sisters. Elizabeth had never thought of it that way. The Athosian's words warmed her however, and she smiled, 'thank you, Teyla. I don't believe I've ever received a nicer compliment. Speaking of family, I'm curious, the Teyla Emmagen I knew, and I'm afraid I did not know her quite so well as your Elizabeth-' she paused. 'That's rather cumbersome, isn't it? To refer to her that way. Would you mind if I call her Lizzie?'
'Of course. But why that name?'
'A nickname, from school,' she replied. 'I never knew the Athosian leader as well as Lizzie obviously knew you. But I do know she had children, and lived with her people on Athos, a planet we traded heavily with. How did you find yourself on Sheppard's team, living on Atlantis?'
Teyla smiled, understanding. Elizabeth wanted to know more about the history of this version of Atlantis. If she were to ever adjust to her new reality, she needed to find the differences and make herself a place here. If she were even allowed to stay on Atlantis. It hadn't taken long for Teyla to ascertain that Lizzie and Elizabeth were indeed very much alike, and it would be as great a crime to remove this Dr Weir from Atlantis, as it would have been for her predecessor.
She hoped that such a thing would not come to pass.
Elizabeth ate, listening to Teyla's version of the early history of the Expedition. When she finished, she held out her arms automatically, giving Teyla the freedom to eat whilst she held the Athosian's son and encouraged him to chew on some soft fruit.
'This is more like the Atlantis I know,' Elizabeth said at one point. Toran had abandoned his fruit and was entranced by a never ending clapping game the new grown up was playing with him.
Teyla nodded, 'it would appear so,' she replied with a smile. 'I wanted there to be than Toran growing up here on Atlantis; and now there is Jonathan McKay, and your child too, Eliizabeth.'
'If Jonathan gets to stay,' Elizabeth answered, before her brain caught up with Teyla's response and she turned a surprised look on the Athosian woman.
Teyla laughed lightly. 'I suspected such already, but some of the things you have said over dinner, the way you sit and hold Toran. I am right, am I not?' She didn't wait for an answer, but went on, 'Toran is allowed to stay, I do not see why it should be such a difficult thing for others to do likewise and I know he would enjoy playing with and looking after the younger ones when he is a little older. Now you know of my first days here, and it is too soon I know, but someday Elizabeth, I would like to hear you speak of your first days on your Atlantis.
Elizabeth froze, caught out by the sudden sentiment and even more overwhelmed by the feeling that followed it, that she wanted to tell the story of her Atlantis, and not just the terrible ending, but the beginning of a fairytale, with all the good and the bad bits that went inbetween. Her Atlantis was lost, but it's story need not be. 'Thank you, Teyla,' she answered finally, unconsciously looking away to blink back tears, 'I would like that too.'
Teyla gave her a moment to compose herself, smiling at her son, laughing toothlessly up his mother's new friend. A look on concern broke the tranquility 'Elizabeth, is it wise for you to go to the Ha'taal world? I was foolish enough to put aside all thoughts of my son when I carried him and continued to travel with Colonel Sheppard's team. It was not a wise decision.'
Elizabeth nodded. 'I don't intend to make a habit of it, Teyla, but there's no one else they can send. I can't just leave those men there.'
'I know. But what if I took your place?'
Elizabeth suddenly turned to her with a look of surprise, 'you're a member of Sheppard's team,' she stated.
'Yes.'
'That's a problem. The rest of Sheppard's team, Brannigan and West, Alloway's team, they're all male. You can't go to Ha'taal ranking as a soldier.'
'Then what do we do?'
'You'll have to accompany me as my aide. Do you have typical Athosian wear here on Atlantis?'
'Of course.'
'Good. May I borrow some? I have some Earth clothes, but they won't suffice.'
'Certainly. Shall we go now?'
Elizabeth nodded, rising and settling Teyla's son on one hip, handing him a wooden toy he'd dropped earlier. Teyla cleared away and they left the mess, neither of them noticing Sheppard and Ronan, sitting in a corner by the window all the way across the other side of hall. They hadn't heard a word of the conversation but Sheppard had watched the whole exchange with hooded eyes, his expression revealing nothing of what he was thinking inside.
'Wanna talk about it?' Ronan's dark voice cut the silence.
'Nope.'
'Okay.'
