McKay walked into the conference room and he stopped in his tracks as he sees the look Sheppard and Amelia are given each other.
"What is this?" McKay asked as he waved his finger back and forth between Sheppard and Amelia.
"What?" They both asked as they turned to look at McKay.
"Why are you looking at each other like that?"
"Like what?" Amelia asked as she lifted the cup she had in her hand towards her lips.
"Yeah, like what McKay?" Sheppard asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I..." McKay closed his mouth as he turned his head over his shoulder to see the others walking into the conference room.
"Okay, let´s get started." Elisabeth said as she sat down and looked around the conference room table." Teyla said she might have a way of helping us out with our food supply."
"Really?" McKay asked with a new found light in his eyes as the mention of food.
"What is that?" Sheppard asked as he pointed his finger over at McKay.
"Yeah, what is that look on your face?" Amelia asked with a smile on her face.
"Grow up, both of you." McKay said feeling annoyed that they had turned the tables on him so quickly.
"How about you all shut up." Elisabeth said.
"Continue Teyla." Elisabeth said as she turned back to Teyla.
"They called themselves the are a simple people, but good farmers and fair traders." She explained.
"Well." Elisabeth said as she folded her arms across her chest as she leaned back in her chair." We are still mouths away from producing a successful crops on the mainland." She said as she turned to McKay who were showing a sandwich into his mouth." And we are heading towards a food shortage."
"I know." McKay said with a mouthful." It is getting desperate. We are almost out of coffee." He said as he held up his cup.
"No!" Amelia said with a serious look on her face.
"Oh, yes." McKay said as he lifted the cup towards his lips.
"Maybe you should stop drinking eleven cups a day." Sheppard snapped at him.
"What about her!" McKay said, nodding his head towards Amelia who were taking a drink from her own coffee cup.
"I am just making sure i get my fair share before it´s all gone." She said as she placed the cup down on the table.
"Sounds fair." Sheppard said as he turned his head towards her and smiled.
"How is that fair, she drinks just as much as i do!"
"But she eats less." Sheppard said as he turned to McKay." Anyways." Sheppard said as he turned to Elisabeth.
"I am all for trade, but don´t you think we should find a way to help defend ourselves." Sheppard said.
"How can a bunch of farmers do that?" Ford asked.
"Well, maybe they can introduce us to people who can help. In the mean time, lets take care of the basics." Elisabeth said.
"Guess it´s always good to get to know your neighbors." Sheppard said.
"The Genii stargate is a short distance form their village. I suggest we walk. The puddle jumper may alarm them. As i said they are very simple." Teyla said.
"Sound like a mission." Elisabeth said as she pushed her chair away from the table and stood.
They arrived on the planet and it was a nice summer day. Amelia reached into the pocked of her vest and pulled out a pair of sunglasses and placed them over her eyes." It is so peaceful here." She said as she looked towards Teyla.
"Yeah, it is." Sheppard said as he looked around." Where to?" He said as he turned to Teyla.
"We should allow them to come to us." Teyla said as she looked over her shoulder.
"Well, if you know where the village is, shouldn´t we.." McKay started to when Teyla interrupted him.
"They are simple people and they trust me, but trust was hard earned."
"What is it you said they grow here?" Amelia asked.
"Many things, but they are best known for a bean known as Tava."
"What? Java?" McKay asked and a confused look found it´s way onto his face as Teyla laughed as Sheppard leaned closer to him.
"It is Tava." Sheppard said.
"How will they know we are here, anyway?" Ford asked.
"They already do." Teyla said as she lifted her hand and pointed to something in front of them.
They turned their heads to see a older man walking towards them with a young woman be his side and they were dressed in old fashion cloths, something you would have seen people wearing in the 1800s back on earth.
"They look friendly enough." Sheppard said as they stopped walking and waited for them to come to us.
"The eldest one it called Tyrus. I have traded with him on many occasions." Teyla said as she turned to face the man.
"teyla Emmagan," Tyrus said and Teyla smiled at him.
"Tyrus, it has been many days."
"To many." Tyrus said as he turned to the young girl beside him.
"Teyla." The young girl said before she turned to look at the group of strangers that was standing beside her old friend.
"This is major Sheppard, Doctor McKay, Lieutenant Ford and Amelia." Teyla said as she pointed to each of them.
Tyrus pointed to the girl." My daughter, Sora." he said as Sora nodded her head towards them.
"You must be very proud." Sheppard said with a smile on his face as he looked over at Sora.
"She is betrothed." Tyrus said with a sternly look on his face.
"I wasn´t hitting on your daughter. I was just, uh..." Sheppard turned around as he heard snicker coming from behind him and he sees it is coming from Amelia and Ford.
"They have come to trade for a share of your crops." Teyla said as she looked over at Tyrus.
"Yet you bring weapons." Sora said as she looked down at the p-90 that was strapped onto their vest.
"Only to defend ourselves." Amelia said as she sees Tyrus looking over at Teyla one more.
"You dress as they do of you own accord?" He asked as he turned back to the four of them.
"Of course. Why?" Teyla asked him.
Sheppard leaned closer to teyla."He wants to know if you work with us our for us." he said as he sees Teyla turning to Tyrus with a smile on her face.
"They are my friends, Tyrus. I would not have brought them if i did not think them worthy to be yours."
Tyrus stood there staring at them for what felt like forever before he turned to Sora and nodded his head"We will take you to see Cowan." Tyrus said.
"Follow me." Sora said as she did a small courtesy and smiled before she turned and walked towards the village and they followed after her.
After a short walk the arrived to the village and it was like going back in time, Amelia through as she saw a few small buildings in between some large ones and Sora led them to of the large ones where a few people stood out side talking as the drank from the cups the held in their hands.
They walked inside and it looked to be a tavern, many people were sitting around the small tables, drinking and laughing and they were all dressed like Sora and Tyrus. Sora led them to a near by table and told them to sit. They all sat down and looked around as they felt the people inside the tavern staring at them.
"Why do i all of the sudden feel like i am back in middle school lunch break, waiting for the bullies to show up." Mckay said.
Sheppard was about to answer McKay when all of the sudden the door to the tavern opened and they all turned to see Tyrus walking inside with a older man by his side and they watch as they walked towards the table.
"I am Cowan, leader of the Genii." He said as he looked around the group of strangers before he turned to Teyla and nodded his head at her.
"I bring my friends, they wish to become trading partners with you also." Teyla told Cowan as he looked back at the group.
"We are in a bit of a bind here." Sheppard began and Cowan turned his head towards him." We recently established a base on the planet and we are running low on food. We got crops planted, but it will be a while until they can be harvested and we hoped we could trade for a share in your crops."
"How many of you are there?" Cowan asked as he pulled out a chair so he could sit down.
"Around two hundred."
"And what do you have to offer us?" Cowan asked as he looked around the group.
"We have various trading goods, such as technology, a supply of advance medicine."
"And these medicine are potent?" Cowan asked.
"They are capable of stopping bacterial infections." McKay said.
"It would help us through a harsh winter." Sora adds from behind Cowan.
"We will need more than you offer." Cowan said, crossing his arms as he kept his eyes on Sheppard.
"More?" Sheppard asked shocked.
"I don´t think you understand how cool this medicine is." Ford said.
"Well, leave if you wish." Cowan said not in pressed what they were offering him.
"Leave?" Sheppard asked as he looked towards Teyla." I through you said the Genii were fair traders."
Teyla looked over at Cowan." We have always been able to achieve a reasonable bargain." Teyla told Cowan who were frowning his head at her.
"You asked for much of our harvest. New crops will have to be planted in sufficient quantities to replenish our stores or it is the Genii who will starve. That amount of planting will require new land to be cleaned. Cleaning is slow, hard work and it will lose us a great amount of growing time between now and the next harvest season." Cowan said.
"Okay, what if clearing the land was fast and easy?" Sheppard asked Cowan.
"You know of a simply way of uprooting the stump of a three hundred year old tree?" Cowan asked as he turned his head towards Tyrus.
"As a matter of a fact i do." Sheppard said with a smile on his face.
"really?" Cowan asked as he turned back to Sheppard.
"Show us this tree stump." Sheppard said as he moved to stand and Cowan did the same as he held his hand out for them to follow after him and they followed him outside and not far away a rather large tree stump that people had already gathered around to watch what was going to happen.
"This is a bad idea." Amelia said to herself as she watch Ford placing C-4 around the tree stump. Amelia walked closer to Sheppard." I don´t think Elisabeth is going to approve the trading explosives."
"Elisabeth told us to make friends and that is what we are doing." He said with a smile on his face." Come on, Amelia." Sheppard said as he moved his hand up and down her arm. " It is not like i am asking to to explain this to Elisabeth." He said with a smile on his face as he turned and walked away from her.
"Good cause i am not!" She yelled after him.
"Cover your ears!" Sheppard yelled at them as they looked confused back at him.
"I don´t understand?" Cowan said.
"It will be quit loud."McKay said as he placed his hands over his ears.
"Fire in the hole!" Sheppard yelled as he covered his ears and the people followed his lead and covered their ears and Ford pressed down on the detonator and the C-4 explodes and the tree stump was blown into small pieces in front of their eyes.
"It is called C-4." Ford said as he stopped in front of Cowan.
"If you can supply us with sufficient quantity of C-4, we will supply you with the crop you require." Cowan told Sheppard.
"So this instead of medicine?" Sheppard asked.
"As well as the medicine." Cowan said as he turned back to where the tree stump once stood.
" That was really impressive enough?" Sheppard asked.
"It is you who are in need." Cowan said with a smug look on his face.
"Well, i have to discuss this with my people." Sheppard said.
"I am sure we can come to terms. Teyla, thank you for bringing us these new trading partners. Please, stay as our guest. There will be a harvest ceremony later." Cowan said as he throws his hand in the air and the village people yells out in joy.
"Wonderful." Teyla said with sarcasm.
"I will be back soon." Sheppard said as he turned to leave the village and before any of them can say something, McKay takes hurried after Sheppard.
Amelia, Teyla and Ford followed the village people back to the tavern where the harvest ceremony had already begun. People were drinking and laughing as they sat by the tables while the eat and they all stopped what they were doing when Cowan stood with his cup raised.
"We give thanks for a plentiful harvest."
"We give thanks." The village people yelled.
"My next season be as fruitful." Cowan said as he turned to the small group." And to our new friends." He said as everybody lifted their cups and drank.
"Here." Teyla said a she slide two cups across the table two." Drink up." Teyla said as she lifted her own cup to her lips.
"You heard the woman." Amelia said as she looked over at Ford as she lifted her own cup, but she held it against her lips as she sees Ford taking a mouthful as he suddenly spits it out as he started to cough.
"Moonshine?" Ford asked.
"I through you were man enough." Teyla said as she smiled towards Amelia who laughed so hard that she had to place her cup on the table before she spilled it all and behind them they would heard the village people laughed along side the two woman.
A few hours had passed by and Sheppard and McKay had yet to return and Amelia was starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was not right.
"Amelia, you really need to relax." Ford said as he sees Amelia looking over her shoulder every time the door to the tavern opened.
"I am relaxed." Amelia said as she turned around to see Teyla and Ford were staring at her." I am!"
"Okay if you are so relaxed you don´t mind answering a few questions?" Ford asked her.
"Shoot"
"You and the major." Ford asked as he winked his eyebrow at her.
"Yeah, you and the major have been spending a lot of time together as of late." Teyla said with a smile on her face.
"I spend a lot of time with McKay too." Amelia said as she lifted her cup towards her lips.
"yeah, but you don´t leave his room in the early mornings." Ford said as Amelia spits the moonshine out of her mouth as she coughed.
"You can´t tell anyone." She said, waving her finger between the two of them.
"My lips are sealed." Ford said.
"Mine..." Teyla closed her mouth cause all of the sudden they realized the laughing from the people around then had died down and they all turned around to see the village people whispering amongst themselves.
"I don´t like this." Ford said as he turned back around so he could look at Amelia.
"I agree. I have never seen the Genii behave this way." Teyla said.
"We should see if Sheppard and McKay have come back." Amelia said as she moved to stand and Teyla and Ford did as well.
"No one must leave. It is not safe."Tyrus said as he hurried towards them.
"There is a wraith ship in the area." Sora said.
"Wraith! Are you serious?" Ford asked.
"We need to warn our friends." Teyla said.
"You will draw them to us. Everyone must stay indoors." Sora said as she blocked Amelia path of the door.
"Listen, we just want to take a look out side." Amelia said as she tried to walk around Sora, but she stepped in front of Amelia, blocking her path.
"We can´t let you. It´s not safe."
"We can take care of ourselves." Amelia said as she stared Sora down." Move our i will make you." Amelia said when all of the sudden a beeping sound could be heard.
Amelia looked towards the sound and she sees Tyrus lifting his arm towards his mouth and before any of them realized what was going on they were surrounded by the village people who had weapons pointing at them.
"I through they were like Amish people?" Ford said as he pointed his p-90 at them.
"Teyla?"
"I did not know any of this." She said as she looked towards Tyrus and Sora.
"You will not be harmed." Sora said as she looked towards Teyla.
"What about you?" Amelia said as she quickly found the knife she carried behind her back and placed in against Sora´s throat and her eyes went wide.
"Amelia!" Teyla yelled as she pointed her p-90 at some one the village people who walked towards them.
"I wont hurt her." Amelia said as she looked towards Cowan and Tyrus." We just want to leave so we can find our friend."
"How about i just hurt Doctor McKay and major Sheppard." Cowan said as he walked closer towards her." Starting with the major." He said as he stopped a few feet away from her with a smug look was on his face.
"Your move." Cowan said
"Amelia!" Ford and Teyla yelled at the same time,
Amelia moved the knife away from Sora throat and dropped it onto the floor." Were are they?" She asked as she felt a pain in the back of her neck, making her fall to the ground and she heard Teyla and Ford calling out her name just as her eyes closed.