Chapter 9
The elderly-looking man, dressed in soft shades of blue, inclined his head slightly. "We are the Noxin," he corrected Rodney.
"So, what? You're the Nox with an extra i-n at the back?" Rodney demanded. "Does that make you more Nox or less Nox?"
The man smiled slightly and seemed inclined to answer when Ronon stepped forward and growled menacingly: "Who are the Nox?" something seemed to be bothering him.
"These are the Nox. They are a group of small humanoids from the Milkyway galaxy who can do incredible stuff with their minds," Rodney negligently answered the big Satedan while typing away at his keyboard. His answer did not seem to placate Ronon much, though.
"I figured as much," he growled and seemed even more on edge. It took John a moment to realise the source of his antagonism. "But can we trust them?" Ronon added.
John winced slightly as he realised why Ronon seemed so suspicious. The big man really actually had cause to be on edge. As far as John could figure, Ronon had run into five races from the Milkyway galaxy: humans (whom he had allied himself with), the Goa'uld (whom he despised as much as humans did), those evil Asgard (didn't like them either) and the Replicators (how can one not dislike them? And even though the Ancients had created these Pegasus galaxy Replicators, the original Replicators had been created in the Milkyway galaxy and John decided they counted as from there). So it was little wonder his friend felt uneasy at the thought of meeting another race from the Milkyway. John grinned.
"Whoa there, big fellow. The Nox are arch-pacifists who will none the less make you feel like you are a kid, but basically you can trust them," John assured his big friend. "I've never met them, but from what I've read about SG-1's dealings with them, I like them.
"I am curious as well," Teyla smiled in that deceptively mild manner of hers. "Why do you call yourself the Noxin?"
The alien smiled slightly and John had the nagging suspicion he liked the soft-spoken woman. In fact, the Nox might even decide she is not as young as they claim the rest of humanity is.
"We are the descendants of the Nox," the alien man answered Teyla. After a moment it dawned on them that that statement seemed to be the extent of the explanation the alien was about to give.
"That's all good and well," Rodney (of course) finally tried again. "But are you different from the Nox from the Milkyway galaxy?"
The small alien smiled. "We are as much the Nox as your descendants would be earthlings."
"Yeah, but they would still be human," Rodney sarcastically replied.
"But not earthlings," the Nox replied. "Every experience changes one. So does living here, so far away from those you are descended from. Tell me, if you should return to earth, will they welcome you back?" he finally asked.
For a stunned moment everyone – but especially John and Rodney – was stunned into silence. That question was too close to home – so to speak.
"You seem to know a lot about us," John finally told the old man. He said it very carefully, seeing as this was the Nox they were talking to.
The Nox smiled. "I see a bit more than most," he cryptically replied.
"Great," Rodney wryly remarked. "That statement could mean anything from you have good eyesight to you have the ability to read minds!"
Ronon tensed once more. "You can read minds?" he demanded of the wrinkled old man.
He smiled. "And whose mind would I have read?" he asked. With that the matter seemed to be settled for him, though. "You are the Satedan called Ronon Dex?" he asked. His question did not soothe Ronon in the least and John wondered if he would be able to keep the runner from trying to hurt the Nox – Noxin, he amended.
"Why do you want to know?" Ronon demanded. Four years on Atlantis had mellowed him somewhat, but the small alien seemed to be getting under his skin.
"Do you remember a group of forty soldiers leaving Sateda under the command of Draven Navac?" the small alien asked. John could see the shock running through his friend.
"Ronon?" he quietly asked, hoping to prevent something unfortunate from happening.
"Ten teams, each setting off to a different planet in search of help and somewhere we could have evacuated to," Ronon explained. "The leader of the forty was Draven Navac." A deep sadness seemed to settle over Ronon. "They left only days before the Wraith attacked. They left too late."
"And these Satedans are still out there?" Teyla asked quietly. She seemed concerned.
"I guess so," he replied. He looked worn out suddenly.
"Draven Navac and the forty are alive," the Noxin said, slightly lifting his chin.
"Why tell me this?" Ronon asked.
"There is a new enemy waking," the Noxin replied – strangely without being obscure. "To fight them you will need to gather the forty to Atlantis."
For a moment they stood thinking about that last statement. Then once more Rodney broke the silence. "Wait, the Nox doesn't take sides. So why tell us?"
"No," John drawled. "They don't take sides. That's why they will probably warn this new enemy even as they had warned us." He looked at the gathered Noxin in the cave. "isn't that right?"
The Noxin smiled and slightly shook his head. "The enemy is already becoming aware. To maintain balance you needed to be warned. That was why we sent the invitation."
"Invitation?" Rodney exploded. "We are the ones who randomly dialled this planet. What invitation did you send?" Just then Pavlov barked once from where he had been sitting rather demurely beside Rodney. Rodney looked down at his pet. "Oh," he said, looking slightly hurt. "That invitation," he amended his outburst. Obviously, John thought, the Noxin had sent for them and had used Pavlov to guide them to the cave.
"You wouldn't be so nice as to tell us exactly who this enemy is, now would you," John pushed his luck with the elfin people. When the man simply stood looking back at him, he backed down. "Yeah, I guessed as much."
John had finally found the time to read the reports from the SG teams a few years back and though the Nox had seemed unthreatening enough, they had also clearly been unwilling to involve themselves in the politics of any other culture. The Noxin – even if they were only descendants of the Nox – seemed to have the same preference.
A slightly younger female stepped forward and inclined her head towards the four members of SGA-1. "It is customary for the Noxin to give expectant fathers a gift," she cryptically remark. Even as she spoke, two young children stepped forward, each carrying something that looked very much like an egg. They handed one egg to John and one to Rodney. The scientist looked at the egg for a moment.
"It's a fenri egg, isn't it?" he suddenly asked. Then he paled. "Wait, what do you mean by 'expectant fathers?'" he demanded from the pretty female. But even before he had spoken the Noxin faded from the chamber. SGA-1 and Pavlov stood alone in the immense cavern.
"What did she mean when she said 'expectant fathers?'" Rodney demanded from his team. Ronon seemed amused and it was Teyla that finally broke the spell as she suggested they go home. Slowly they turned around and retraced their steps.
"I can't be a father," Rodney exclaimed even as they left the cave. Pavlov barked once more. "Oh, don't you start on me as well," he snapped at the dog. Then he looked down at his egg once more. "I mean, I would have known if Sitnalta was..." He trailed off and with the egg still firmly clutched in both hands made a vague gesture that might have suggested the presence of a swollen belly.
"Pregnant?" Ronon supplied the word Rodney somehow seemed unable to pronounce.
"Thank you," the scientist snapped. "No, really," he continued. "Sitnalta have been...taking precautions," he lamely ended.
"Am I not correct when I surmise these precautions are not always effective?" Teyla needled him as well. He scowled at her.
"Fine, but even if Sitnalta was pregnant, I wouldn't be showing it, would I?" he demanded. "So how would the Noxin know?"
"Maybe you are the one that's pregnant," Ronon smiled.
"Oh, really, how very mature of you," Rodney snapped back. Then, after a few moment's silence he paled once more. "You don't think this galaxy had messed with my DNA and now I'm pregnant, do you?" he asked and Ronon and Teyla grinned at each other.
As the three of them joked about, John walked along in pensive silence. After that last remark from Rodney he even took a moment to consider the fact that Rodney knew the other two liked messing with him and was playing along just for the fun of it. But that was not what he was really thinking about. Nor was his mind on the fact that they seemed to have forgotten that the Stargate had been missing only a few hours ago.
No, his thoughts were on the other side of the galaxy, back on Atlantis. He looked down at the egg he was still holding in one hand. He wondered how correct the Noxin was.
