Chapter Nine: Catalyst

"To be a catalyst is the ambition most appropriate for those who see the world as being in constant change, and who, without thinking that they can control it, wish to influence its direction."

-Theodore Zeldin

"We stand united; we speak as one…and we will transform this moment into a catalyst for unity and positive change."

-Bill Frist

Gaps of green and yellow appeared in the fading ebony blanket, the emerging light of dawn twisting the sky with streaks of dull color. The air was deathly still and silent, no animals or wind awaking with the new day. Faith sighed and gripped her jacket tighter around her, feeling a chill pass through her. She had grown used to the sound of water in the morning, especially when she was able to catch the dawn.

There was a sudden crunching noise behind her, followed by the clunking of slow boots. Larson toddled to her side and yawned loudly. She glanced at him and grimaced, returning her attention to the sunrise.

"Aren't you a lovely sight?" she said sarcastically.

He snorted and peered at the sky. "I got up to move the Jumper. Damon scared away some kids last night snooping around the hull. Don't want them stealing anything."

"Pfft, they're probably just hungry. Anyway, what were you thinking? Flying when you're tired--"

He bumped her with his elbow and interrupted. "Hey I'm perfectly fine flying this early."

"Sure," she said playfully. "Crashing that T-3A Firefly at four am before your pilot screening was just a coincidence."

"Crash landed. The engine stalled on me," Larson replied gruffly.

"Liar."

"Nerd."

"Buffoon."

"Floozy."

"Butthead."

"Oh that's original," he scoffed, and poked her in the back. She jumped and gave him an evil look, shuddering as a wisp of chilly air escaped into her jacket. Noticing, he took off his and draped it around her shoulders. "There. Now what are you doing up?" he asked.

Faith raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Atlantis radioed to check in. You should've heard it." She reached and gently tilted his head, confirming that he wasn't wearing his headset.

"Larson!"

"Oops?"

Softly her fingers grazed his scalp and over the curve of his ear, marking where the equipment would go. He shuddered and swung his head towards her, their faces dangerously close together.

"You shouldn't do that."

"What?"

"Because it reminds me of—things. Us."

"I— sorry Erne," she said awkwardly, stepping back from him.

"Rule number fifteen," he quipped, glancing at her.

"That was not a number fifteen." She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Rule number two."

"Rule number two, using rule number two."

"Oh for goodness sakes," she said, throwing her arms in the air.

Larson grinned evilly, earning himself a punch in the bicep. Faith shook her head and walked back into the inn.

.-.-.-.

"¡Ayuda!"

A short scientist wobbled out of the jumper, and banged into one of the soldiers, dropping one of the boxes he was carrying. Lanie Pryce scurried from behind him and picked it up off the ground.

"Careful Iggy!"

Along with the two pilots, they dragged the piles of equipment to a building nearby. The front door swung open, and Captain Larson's team came out, grabbing supplies and boxes quickly.

"How goes it Lanie?" asked Faith.

"Exciting," her friend said sarcastically. "Hey Stevens, watch it with the EDAR."

The lieutenant adjusted his grip, a large instrument slipping from his hands. "The what?"

"Environment Data Acquisition Robot. Nevermind," she said, grabbing it. "Don't touch anything that looks expensive."

A half hour after the second team arrived, they had set up inside the main room of an inn, instruments and supplies scattered across the floor. They sat in a circle around one of the tables, Dr. Collins filling in the newcomers.

"…so now we have who knows how many people on a dying planet."

"Our job," interjected Dr. Quintero. "is to see if this planet is salvageable, then set up a plan to get everyone offworld."

"Sounds easy enough Iggy," said Stevens, slapping the scientist on the back.

"You have no idea."

.-.-.-.

The faint sound of snoring echoed from the back of the jumper, causing all four people to look behind them.

Larson rolled his eyes and regripped the controls. "Isn't he supposed to be helping us?"

"Give Gunnar a break, we've been searching these mountains for four hours," said Faith.

"This is the glamorous part of missions Cap," remarked Damon.

"Speaking of which," said Larson, getting up form the pilot's seat. "Doc Stu, it's your turn to man the jumper. Your excursion, your search now."

He patted her on the shoulder and lay down on a bench across from the sleeping Lokrian. Irritated, Faith put down her notes and took the controls, veering the jumper sharply.

She smirked as she heard a thud, and a loud, "Ow!"

After another hour, she finally caught sight of a low valley, hidden by the towering mountains. She lowered the jumper precariously into the air above it, and saw ruins.

"Hey guys, look at this," she said, and brought up readings on the HUD display.

Collins snapped awake and crawled into the empty front seat, pointing out a small section on the grid. "There's only one building partly in tact."

"Looks like a good place to start."

They landed the jumper one hundred feet away from the building, setting down with minimal disturbance. The team picked up their equipment, Faith pulling out the vests from the cargo overheads. She dropped one on a still sleeping Larson, causing him to sit up, startled.

"Why are we stopped?"

"Found some ruins. We're going exploring," said Faith.

"Isn't that my decision?"

"Only when you're awake."

"Very funny."

Outside, there were tumbles of stone and tangled overgrowth. The crumbled remains of a road spread out before them, covered with weeds and barely distinguishable from the surroundings. The building they had spotted from above was in similar condition. Its roof was caved in, half the walls were falling down, and its pillars had long tumbled to the ground. The team approached it precariously, studying it.

Collins circled it and stared upward, rubbing his chin. "It looks stable enough."

"Probably," said Faith. "Seems like it was-"

"Probably?" interrupted Larson. "We're not going in until you're sure—"

Gunnar fell to his knees beside them, pointing to the ancient faded letters engraved on a nearby pillar. "Omom, ziun d'ldal…sulan lyos zik Phelai m'rkos," he murmured. "Mand konom …"

"Phelai, he just said Phelai," Damon said loudly.

Faith extended her hand, helping the older man to his feet. "Gunnar, you know what this place is?"

"The words signify no other. It is the Phelai Temple in the last city of the Gygan people."

She looked astutely at the Captain, raising an eyebrow. "We're going in, Erne."

"Is he sure?"

Gunnar crossed his arms. "It says so on the pillar."

They entered through a break in the walls, climbing over piles of stone that littered the main hall. A long colonnaded walk led across the Temple, to a small chamber on the other end. The outside wall was largely in tact, and covered with carvings of text and images. Fascinated, Faith pulled out her camera and began shooting the sections of wall nearby.

She motioned to the chamber entrance, and asked, "Gunnar, are you able to read the text over the door?"

"Well enough," he answered. "It says, 'By Nature's law we will not fall—something –the guardian cast it away'."

"Sounds convincing enough for me," she said, packing away her camera.

Larson held out his arm to stop her, and pointed his flashlight into the dark chamber. "Hold up. This seems too easy."

"The fact we're about to walk out of that place with ZPMs?" said Damon sarcastically.

"Exactly," said Larson. He pointed to Dr. Collins. "Are there any energy signatures coming from there?"

"None yet," said the scientist, studying his scanner. "But something may be blocking them."

"So—"

"Just stop."

Faith flicked her flashlight on and walked into the chamber, causing the men to scramble after her. The chamber led down a narrow passageway and into another cavernous room. She shone her light onto the high vaulted ceiling and over the surroundings, finding rubble and a series of equipment lining the walls. A large statue twenty feet high stood in the centre.

The men came to a crashing halt behind her, staring around. Collins urged Faith over and wandered towards the machine apparatus. Wide crystal panels jutted out from a series of terminals, which surrounded a tall screen against the wall. Some of the equipment across the room was smashed in by rubble.

"This looks Ancient in design," he murmured. "This must be the shield."

"This room looks faulty in design," said Larson, waving his flashlight around. "Watch out for debris."

Ignoring him, the two scientists picked over the panels, trying to turn the devices on. Collins pointed to a particularly large protrusion, and gestured Faith towards it.

"Try touching that."

She waved her hand over the crystal, and suddenly the machines sprang to life, many lights flickering on. A minute later the machine turned off with a faint hum. Collins thumped it in a few places and bent over, peering at it.

"Huh, the power source is dead or the circuit is broken."

"Can you fix it?" asked Faith worriedly.

"Turn it on again if you can, we need to see what this thing does," said Larson.

"This place has to be thousands of years old. Something eventually has to kink," said Damon, tapping it with his foot.

"Don't do that," said Collins, pushing the foot away.

He spent time going over the apparatus, while Faith took pictures until the batteries in her camera died. Finally, he called them over to the machine.

"Hey!" said the scientist. "I found the power source in the statue."

"We may have to crack it open to get the ZPMs out," said Larson.

"That's very likely. I managed to reroute the power coupling. The original path was destroyed by falling debris."

Faith stared at Larson in horror, but lowered her head. "If we need to do that, then we'll have to. Let's see if this thing works first."

"Okay Faith," said Collins, pointing to the machine. "Stand over there and try reactivating it on my mark. 1…2…3!"

She hovered her hand over the crystal, and smiled as the instruments sprang to life.

"You did it—"

A moment later, a series of sparks sprang from one of the panels, and a deep rattling began emanating from the floor.

"Uhm Scott." Faith waved her hand in front of the machine again, but nothing happened. The rumbling increased, shaking the rubble around them and causing stones to loose from the ceiling.

"Turn it off!" shouted Larson.

"I can't!"

"Collins!"

The scientist leapt toward the statue and began pulling wires out, but parts of the walls began to collapse.

"Fae!"

She turned to see Larson running in her direction, his eyes wide and wild. She glanced upward too late, and felt a sharp pain, then darkness enveloped her.

.-.-.-.

"This is all your fault."

"Excuse me, Mr. Let's Turn It On."

"You could've killed us all!"

"I saved us, Captain."

"Bunch of good it did."

The voices grated loudly in her ears amidst a swirl of pain and confusion. Slowly Faith opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as the light blinded her.

"Wha—happened," she murmured.

"Hey there," said Collins, stroking her forehead. "You were hit by falling rocks."

"Yet again," said Larson. He came up to the cargo bay bench she was lying on, and folded his arms. "Thanks to this fool."

"Shut up Larson," she snapped, trying to sit up. "We all weren't careful enough. We couldn't have seen this coming either."

"Well, it was almost worth it," grimaced the soldier. "We found two ZPMs…"

"Completely depleted," said Collins. "The device caused a power surge and completely drained the modules. If they were fully loaded, we might not have survived."

"Aren't we lucky," said Faith, holding a hand to her head. "This is going to be one hell of a headache."

"Lie down," said Collins softly. "You're going back to Atlantis."

"But—"

"No."

.-.-.-.

Carson shone a small light into Faith's eyes, causing her to wince. She screwed an eye shut and looked at him pathetically.

"You m'dear, have a concussion," he said, shutting off the light. "I'll give you something for the headache, but you need to stay here and rest."

An hour after she had settled into one of the beds, Collins stopped by the infirmary, bearing brownies from the cafeteria. He took one of her hands and squeezed gently, placing the food in her lap.

"Thanks."

"Any better?" he asked.

"A bit, the drugs are kicking in. How about you?"

He looked over his shoulder before answering. "I was just chewed out for a half hour by Dr. McKay. He thinks I wasted the ZPMs, though by my calculations, they couldn't have powered the city shield for more than a half hour."

"McKay is a jerk," she said reassuringly. "Nothing lost, nothing gained. If Larson tries to give you trouble too, I'll kick his high and mighty ass."

"This is why I love you," he said, laughing.

Faith smiled strainedly and tightened her fingers around his. "What are they going to do about the Lokrians? They can't stay there."

"Doctor Quintero has contrived a contraption that could be used to drag the Stargate out of orbit. We can start planning an evacuation soon as it's on the ground."

"Where to? They can't possibly think of bringing all of those people here."

"Weir wants us to convince the Nacus to accept the Gygan onto their homeworld."

"Oh sure, it'll be a cinch," she said sarcastically.

.-.-.-.

"I still think you're crazy," said Larson. He moved a hand towards his hair, but Faith swatted him. "Ow."

"Don't touch it. I spent enough time getting that mess tamable."

He looked down at his shirt woefully, patting his chest where his vest normally was. "I feel naked out of uniform."

"No one wants to see that," she said.

"Oh but you did repeatedly," said Larson, smirking.

Collins coughed behind them and stepped in front of Larson. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk like that to her, especially since she just got out of the infirmary."

"Doctor—"

"Fellas," said Faith. "We're going to be late. I don't need you brawling and messing up your hair. Damon and I have agreed if you fight, we're going to break your necks."

"Fine," they said simultaneously.

"You're adults, act like it."

They entered the Control room quietly, following Faith to the Stargate. In the middle of the platform was a middle aged woman with upswept hair and traditional clothing. Faith shook the woman's hand and introduced her to each member of the team.

"This is Nila, head of the Lokrian Council. She is going to be negotiating with the Nacus Elders."

"It is a pleasure to meet more of your people," said the woman. "You have already provided much aid to my world. We very are grateful."

After they went through the gate, they entered the main town and made their way to its municipal building. The town hall was airy and large, set with high walls and many windows. They were escorted into the centre chamber, where the Nacus Elders were waiting. Among them was Xanan and two other men, bowed with age, but stately. The Atlantian group stood before the trio, who were seated behind a long table. Faith kicked Damon in the shin as she noticed him fiddling with his hair.

"Greetings to you again," said Xanan. "We were surprised to receive your message two days ago."

"Sorry about the short notice er—sir," said Larson. "We're really low on time."

"Time. There is never enough time," replied one of the Elders. "But indeed this sensitive matter needed to be decided quickly."

"Have you reached a conclusion?" asked Faith politely.

"Yes. Will Lokria's representative sit beside us here? We will negotiate the terms of an agreement."

Nila stepped forward and took a seat beside the three men. For the next three hours, the representatives conferred, with occasional input from the Atlantians. At last, the group stood up from the table, shaking hands and nodding agreeably. The Gygan were free to migrate from Lokria, despite their hostile past. Larson's team left the meeting bearing a copy of the agreement and gifts from the Nacus Elders.

.-.-.-.

The four glasses clanged together as the team held up their cups in a toast. Damon chugged the drink down immediately and coughed, holding his thumb up to the others.

"Very good."

Collins and Faith passed a look, then dropped their glasses onto the floor without drinking. Larson laughed from his perch on the bed, and joined the Corporal, choking down most of the contents in his cup.

"Not bad. Those Nacus sure know how to make a brew," he said, his nose scrunched up.

Faith passed her cup to him. "No thanks, I'd rather not burn my throat off."

The Captain patted her on the shoulder and grabbed it, raising the glass. "I think we accomplished a lot this week. As good ole Doc Stu says, 'Be a catalyst for change.' I used to think that was nerd-speak, but we made a difference. So here's to my team."

"You mean our team," interrupted Damon, causing them all to laugh.


S/N (Story Notes): The rules that Faith and Larson are referring to, they created when they broke up. It's a list of things they can't do or shouldn't talk about.

A/N: I hadn't realized how long it was since I last posted. My apologies everyone!