This time, Elizabeth was determined to push back some boundaries with Allanae and force her to give ground. She didn't enjoy playing the heavy-handed official, but if it meant she could at least see Sheppard and talk to him, she would make an exception...again.

On hearing the news of their arrival, the old woman strode out of her home to meet them in the village clearing. 'I thought I made it clear you were no longer welcome here when you last departed,' she grumbled as others from the village gathered behind her.

'You did. But you're still holding one of my people prisoner, and I don't leave people behind,' Elizabeth stated, quoting a line she'd heard Sheppard use several times.

'Your male chose to stay here when we gave him the opportunity to leave. He is currently being integrated into our society as part of his punishment. We no longer hold him at the village. You can search for him if you wish, but I assure you, the welcome you will receive if you do find him will be far less warm than this.'

'When you say "integrated', what exactly do you mean?" Elizabeth asked, her bright eyes narrowing to barely more than slits at she glared at the woman.

'Our men serve a purpose...he is working to keep the village self sustaining, as much as is possible. That way, he will learn about our culture and appreciate why things are as they are.'

'Will his duties include increasing your population?'

Allanae seemed initially flustered by the question, but quickly pulled herself back together before her people. 'Not as yet. We give new entrants time to settle into our way of life before we ask then to fulfil all expectations.'

Elizabeth exchanged a look with Teyla. The Athosian had been right in her concerns, and flirtatious as the major could be, she knew how strongly he would kick against the suggestion of furthering an alien population. 'How long do you expect to keep him here?' she demanded.

'As long as it takes for him to change his views.'

'Till hell freezes over then,' Elizabeth muttered, throwing a worried glance Teyla's way. 'And what happens if he refuses to carry out all his duties?'

The question seemed to genuinely puzzle all the women gathered there. They looked at each other, some of them clutching female children no doubt fathered by their enslaved men. 'He will not refuse. No man ever refuses,' Allanae replied.

Though the response brought a smirk to her face, Elizabeth felt her anger begin to mount at the arrogance of such a suggestion. 'You must be very persuasive. I can't imagine any man treated in the way you've treated the major agreeing to play a part in keeping this society going.'

Again, the women exchanged odd looks among themselves, as if Elizabeth were speaking of concepts so completely alien to them they had no hope of understanding what she meant. 'We have our ways,' was all Allanae would say.

Hearing that, Elizabeth finally conceded to herself that these people could not be reasoned with. If they truly couldn't see any harm in treating the men the way they did, they were years away from enlightenment. It was time to bring pressure to bear on them and force them to release the major.

'Allanae, I will ask just one more time that you allow me to meet with Major Sheppard and speak to him on a one to one basis.'

The atmosphere immediately changed, and she and Teyla moved closer to one another as some of the women began to draw concealed weapons from their clothing.

'I think I have made it perfectly clear to you, Dr Weir, that the man you call Major Sheppard is no longer a part of your society. Therefore, there is no reason for you to speak to him, is there?'

'Oh, I don't know, I think this is a pretty good reason.' She tapped her earpiece. 'Sergeant Markham.'

Markham dropped the cloaking field surrounding the jumper he, Sergeant Stackhouse and Lieutenant Ford currently hovered above the tree line in. 'Trust me, Allanae, those guns you have won't even put a dent in that ship before they can blow you off the face of this planet. Now, that chat I was talking about?'

Allanae visibly paled. She'd clearly had no idea the jumper was with them this time. 'Very well. You may meet with him, but not alone. I want to hear what he says to you; men are liars and I don't want him spreading his deceptions among you and your other people.'

She and Elizabeth held each other's gaze for what felt like an age, but eventually Elizabeth conceded to her conditions. That was as much as she'd needed anyway. It was a little trick she'd picked up after brokering numerous difficult negotiations. Ask for more than you want, then the other party feels they have won some small victory when they push back a little. Elizabeth didn't need time alone with Sheppard. She knew he would tell her whatever he wanted her to know no matter who was there because he was like her – almost impossible to intimidate. All she needed was to see him in person to know he was okay and take him back to Atlantis if possible.

oooOOOooo

Scratching at the now softening three days worth of growth on his chin, Sheppard took a moment to stretch out his back before emptying the two pails of water he'd collected at the stream into the huge barrels behind the guards' quarters.

This was his task for the day, and he'd already been at it for two hours. The heat was just beginning to build, and the water was enticing, but he wasn't even allowed to take one mouthful to moisten his dry tongue and lips; Sarayah had made that much perfectly clear at the start of his task. A jab in the back urged him on. 'Come on, there are still three more to fill before the end of the day, and you haven't even half filled the second one,' she told him.

He already knew that. He'd gaped in awestruck horror at the five barrels as she'd released the dregs of stale water sitting at the bottom of them onto the ground and told him it was his job to refill them. That was too big a job for one man in one day; she obviously meant to punish him for being the one the women dreaded.

He'd had a horrible night's sleep, constantly waking at every noise, and when he could sleep, he imagined a Hive ship was hovering over the village, and the place was swarming with phantoms and drones, each time waking just as their harvesting beam engulfed him. On several of those occasions, he'd had the feeling he was being watched, sensing someone lurking in the shadows. He hadn't moved or let on he was aware, because he was almost certain it was Sarayah. She'd been unbearable for the rest of the day, making no allowance for the fact he'd injured his shoulder, as he'd cut down that hulking great tree and chopped it up for firewood late into the evening. Now he badly needed rest to recuperate from the exertions of the previous day...and to get his thinking straight.

As he'd walked backwards and forwards to the stream, arms straining with the weight of his full pails, he'd given Elizabeth's viewpoint some serious consideration. Though on the evening of his first day there he'd wondered if he'd made a mistake, saying he would stay until she fixed things, many things he'd learned since made him realise this society had to change. Sure, he had some sympathy for the fear the women had that the men might rise up and treat them as badly as they used to, but that didn't justify infanticide and corporal punishment, not to mention their treatment of the sick. And now, Sarayah was deliberately stopping him from taking action that could save them from the looming Wraith culling. Well, she needn't think she could keep him down for long; the first time he had an opportunity to speak with Allanae, he would damn well make her listen to him, no matter how many lashes they threatened him with.

Before they'd fallen asleep, Balfor had explained more about the history of Medulsa. Once, they had enjoyed protection from the Wraith – a magical beam of light that destroyed their ships before they could even land. It came from a machine the Ancestors had given to them millennia ago, and the villagers had tended it and kept it clean for the many centuries that had followed, but then, some time around seven hundred years ago, the machine had stopped working. Though the Wraith didn't trouble them immediately, after fifty years of peace they appeared, finding the planet undefended. The population was culled, leaving only a fraction of them to begin rebuilding their village. After two more such cullings over two more generations, the then village elder, a man called Etham, decided they should separate out the community, sacrificing some to save the majority. Understandably, few wanted to be the sacrifice, and so the men had overpowered the women, finding them the most easy to overwhelm. Many of them were sent to the prison camp near the gate, while others were held elsewhere to ensure they could repopulate the village once a culling had taken place.

With each generation, half the women and the few brave guards who volunteered to watch over them were lost. Eventually, with their population in decline, the women had launched their rebellion, desperation making them strong and cunning in their attacks. But, evidently feeling more conscience about their actions, they had made the proviso that the day a man was able to fix the Ancient device that had once protected their planet, all men would go free. At the time it had no doubt seemed a safe assurance to give, because they'd been confident that the Ancients were long gone, and they knew no one else could work the device.

But Sheppard had the felling the system that had served to maintain this planet's population wouldn't work this time. Not only had the sickness decimated the numbers in the camp to a level he felt certain would not satisfy the Wraith, they had gained effective firearms, something he doubted they had possessed two generations ago. The Wraith would seek to wipe out this planet's population unless they got that machine running, but who would listen to him? Certainly not his present company.

Now, he realised, his presence there threatened the women's hold over the men. He'd wondered why Sarayah hadn't just killed him in his sleep to rid them of the problem, but he knew the answer if he allowed himself to think about it. The fact she rarely took her eyes off him told him all he needed to know about what she thought of him. Well, he wasn't going to let her stupid threats and violence keep him from saving these people. She might think she was tough, but he'd had drill sergeants far worse than her while a recruit. Her little tricks wouldn't faze him...not any more.

'Keep moving,' he heard her growl from a few steps behind him, and he realised he'd slowed his pace a little while thinking things through.

He reached the stream after some ten minutes of walking, submerging the buckets to fill them, then dragging them back onto the bank. The water glistened, so cold and refreshing...just a mouthful and a minute of rest would get him going again.

Without asking, he scooped a handful up from the stream and drank it, revelling in the relief it provided to his arid throat.

A sharp pain in the back of his head sent him spilling to his knees before the water could even make it all the way down his gullet. She'd hit him with that damned gun again.

'I said no drinking,' she hissed, standing over him. 'Was that too difficult for you to understand? Should I use smaller words for you?'

'I can work better if I drink a little. It's not like I took it from your supplies.'

Another blow, this time on the muscles between his neck and shoulder, told him he should shut up and do as he was told. 'This planet belongs to us women. So even the water you take from the stream is plundering our supplies,' she rationalised.

There was no winning with this woman. Sheppard was just about to give her a piece of his mind when he heard a familiar sound. A jumper flew low over the wood, turning toward the encampment. 'I take it you're not the only man who can operate the Ancient craft?' she asked

'Nope,' he replied, almost able to hear the cogs turning as she calculated what that meant. 'There's quite a few other men who can do what I do.' He neglected to tell her some women also bore the gene out of pure spite. He figured he deserved the chance to play mind games with her after everything she'd put him through over the past few days.

She bit her bottom lip thoughtfully, staring up at the treetops for a moment or two longer. Then, she ordered him on. He trudged back into the yard to see the jumper parked outside the dinner hut. The smell of smoke still hung thickly in the air, the smouldering remnants of the sick hut a horrific reminder of what had transpired yesterday. Sarayah steered him a different route to the barrels, ensuring he didn't pass the jumper as if she feared he might leap aboard and escape. It was a tempting thought...he wondered if he could make a break for it before she shot him.

As he poured the water into the barrel, a younger member of the Sarayah's team hurried over and spoke quietly with her. Sheppard turned to find their eyes on him as they whispered between themselves; apparently, whatever they were discussing had something to do with him.

A moment later, Sarayah sent the girl away with a quick flick of her wrist. 'Seems your friends are insistent on meeting with you,' she said, approaching him.

'Well, it'll be nice to see a friendly face.'

She launched for him then, slamming him against a barrel as she pulled her knife, pressing the blade to his throat. 'Any mention of the sickness or of the supposed impending Wraith attack, and I will not only cut out your tongue, but I will slit the throat of your old man friend. Understood?'

The threat to himself didn't worry him. He would fight her tooth and nail and probably win, but the thought of her cutting Balfor's throat as he slept gave him pause for thought. He didn't want that on his conscience. He nodded, at least as much as he dared to with a blade pressing against his Adam's Apple.

She snatched the knife back, tucking it into her belt and gesturing with her gun for him to walk on ahead of her. Sheppard's thoughts raced; this was his chance to do something to make a difference. He had to find some way to tell whoever was here, presumably Elizabeth, that he needed Rodney to find the source of the intermittent energy spikes and fix the machine – preferably today. Without actually coming out and stating it, he wasn't quite sure how to do that, but one thing he did know, he wasn't going to leave that building until he knew they understood what he needed.

He mounted the three steps to the hut, noticing how filthy his feet were as he watched his footing. He'd hardly felt the ground beneath his feet, he'd been so deep in thought as he'd worked, but now he realised the bottoms were grazed and raw as well as black with dirt.

Inside, he saw both Teyla and Elizabeth facing him on one side of the long table closest to the door. The sudden change in their expressions told him he looked rougher than he'd thought.

'What's happened to him?' Elizabeth asked. 'Did you break his nose?'

Sarayah quickly stepped in to explain. 'He was involved in a disagreement with one of our other males – a Genii who trained under a military leader your male shot.'

'Kolya?' Elizabeth breathed. 'I see.' But the way she said it suggested she wasn't sure whether to believe them.

'Sit,' Sarayah ordered, prodding Sheppard toward the bench opposite them.

He sat beside Allanae, seeing her disbelief, too. It was a relief to take the weight off his aching legs and sore feet, even if he didn't particularly enjoy seeing the pained expressions of his friends.

Elizabeth reached out a hand across the tabletop, leaving it lying flat there. It was as close to physical contact as she would come with him; she knew he wasn't big on being demonstrative. 'Are you all right, John?'

He shrugged. 'I've been better, but I'll live.'

Sarayah, now sitting beside him, cast him a warning look.

'Where are Major Sheppard's clothes?' Elizabeth demanded. 'I'm not sure I like the fact he's dressed in one of your prison uniforms already.'

'This is traditional Medulsan clothing, nothing more,' Allanae assured her.

'His other clothes were damaged during the work he's been undertaking for us,' Sarayah added by way of an explanation.

Elizabeth didn't look convinced. 'Hmm, so a uniform designed to be worn in combat situations wore out while he was...?'

'Working,' Sarayah reiterated, giving nothing more away.

'You can see why to us, as outsiders, this might seem like an attempt to remove his sense of identity, though?' Elizabeth asked, her bright, intelligent eyes fixing on the woman and leaving no doubt that she didn't believe her.

Sarayah declined to answer.

'Are you ready to come back with us now, Major?' Elizabeth asked, turning her attention back to Sheppard.

He held her gaze a few seconds longer than normal before speaking, hoping she would pick up on the unusualness of that. 'No. It's really important that I stay here. These people need help.'

A momentary frown puckered her brow, but then he saw something in her eyes that made him think she understood his remaining there wasn't exactly a choice. 'You know we need you back with us, too?' she said, maintaining the ruse.

'I know, but Lieutenant Ford can take care of things there for a while. Right?'

'Is there anything we can do to help?' Teyla asked.

'No,' Sarayah answered before he could.

Teyla pulled back, seemingly insulted by the sharpness of her tone.

'Funny,' Sheppard continued. 'Who'd have thought that stupid signal McKay wanted to track would land me in this much trouble. He thought it might be one of those devices like the one we found on Proculus. Boy, we could really do with one of those right about now.'

He held her gaze again, his eyes penetrating into hers. It hadn't been a machine on Proculus, but they'd thought it might be. Maybe he'd just confused things, but he didn't know what else he could say without putting Balfor in danger. Please understand.

If she did, she gave nothing away with her next statement. 'Well, we all make mistakes, doesn't mean you have to keep paying for them. I'm sure these ladies will accept an apology and let you go.'

Sheppard ventured a look at Sarayah, whose fierce glare left him in no doubt that she meant what she'd said at the water barrels, then he looked at Allanae. 'Sorry, but I'm not about to apologise when I've done nothing wrong. I do still have some pride.'

'Your male has no respect for our culture, Dr Weir. This is why he must remain here to continue with his punishment,' Allanae insisted. 'Men cannot be allowed to form such opinions. They are dangerous creatures who must be controlled.'

'If that's truly how you feel, I pity you, because I can only assume something awful must have happened in this village's past to make you think that way,' Weir challenged. He recognised her attempt to draw information from them, but it met with their usual resistance.

'We neither want nor need your pity, Dr Weir. You have heard your male's words. He intends to stay with us. With that fact in mind, you are no longer welcome on Medulsa. Be certain not to return here again.'

Teyla and Elizabeth exchanged a concerned look. Sheppard's heart beat a little faster; they had to leave already and he didn't know if he'd said enough. He had to get McKay on that machine.

They stood and so did he, all walking to the end of the table where Elizabeth stopped to talk to him. 'Take care, John. We will be back.'

Teyla pulled him into one of her customary head touches, where she whispered, 'Do not fear. I am certain Rodney will fix it.'

He stood back from her, almost wanting to burst into tears of relief. Almost. Teyla had understood he needed Rodney's help, and he suspected Elizabeth had, too. Now, he just had to hope Elizabeth deemed it necessary to risk McKay's freedom to fix the machine.