The smoke brought searing pain to Rodney's lungs at once and he doubled over, coughing uncontrollably. Laurenson and Hall collapsed to the floor, conscious but helpless. Blinded by the smoke and involuntary tears it produced, Rodney tripped over Laurenson, but managed to keep his feet under him by clinging to part of the housing of the power generator.
A hand grabbed firmly onto his shoulder and he started to struggle, before recognizing that it belonged to someone else who was fumbling as blindly as he was. No, not quite as blindly. It was Lorne and, having located Rodney by touch, he yanked on Rodney's vest, pulling Rodney backwards.
For an instant, Rodney was not only terrified but also indignant at being hauled around, and then bruised when he banged into the far wall. But even as what little breath he had was knocked out of him, he realized two things. One, Lorne was now between him and any line of potential fire. Two, the smoke bomb or grenade or whatever it was had hit the center of the room where he'd been standing and he was now in an area where the smoke hadn't quite filled the air yet.
The two guys from Dorsey's team hadn't left their posts, but they weren't shooting, so probably they couldn't see anything or anyone to take out. Even from Rodney's new position, which seemed to be the clearest air in the room, the smoke virtually obliterated any chance he had of seeing anything coming for him until it was too late.
When they came, they came suddenly and in silence. Either that or Rodney was too blinded by smoke and deafened by his own coughing to notice anything. Whatever the reason, one moment it was just him and the others of the Atlantis team in the room, and the next it was flooded with strange bodies coming in and out of the smoke, grabbing, pulling, dragging anyone they came across out into the blackness of the hallway. It crossed Rodney's panicky mind that they didn't want to be in the smoke either. And then it crossed his mind who these people had to be.
The Bethashaya. It had to be.
Rodney wasn't sure when or how he got dragged out into the hall, but somehow he was suddenly on the ground, thrashing about under the weight of someone much stronger than he was, trying to get at his M9 and berating himself for not having thought to grab it earlier. A shot rang out, loud and echoing through the empty hall. Another followed. And a third. Actually, all but the first shot had been distant, indistinct. One shot had come from someone nearby. The others had come from the level below. Sheppard's team were working on the Crocuta. Somebody slammed into the weight on Rodney's chest and it was lifted. He gasped, and his lungs ached even as they drew in their first breath of clean air in who even knew how long. Then he was scrambling up, bruising his shoulder against a wall, looking around wildly, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. But all was darkness and noise and chaos. The smoke was beginning to trickle out even here, he could feel it scratching at his throat.
Lorne's voice called out, ferocious and unignorable as a roll of thunder, "ENOUGH!"
Nobody could tell why they should stop, but the commanding tone bade them pause and see if he had any reason. Things quieted down almost immediately. Someone swung a light around until it found Lorne, who squinted and then blinked, but did not alter his disposition otherwise.
At that moment it was plain for all to see. Somehow Lorne had found Caro, wrestled him into submission, and drawn a knife across Caro's throat. Nobody needed to hear Lorne's unspoken threat or test out whether or not he had the constitution of a killer.
What Rodney immediately realized was that Lorne had little breath left to make any further statement besides the one he'd already issued. Not only was he probably tired from fighting, the end positioning of things was that he was lying on the floor, with Caro almost directly atop him, effectively stopped but still preventing Lorne from breathing easily. The situation was much too tenuous for Lorne to risk changing his position. He could too easily lose Caro, and then there would be nothing to stop the Bethashaya, who sorely outnumbered the Lanteans.
So Rodney pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning against and took over talking. He was an awful negotiator, even at the best of times, but clearly nobody else was going to say anything.
"We're trying to help you, you idiots!" okay, bad start, but keep rolling, "The power source for the Sentinels is in this Temple, and we're trying to fix it!"
"Liar!" Caro cried in fury, "You said you were a fixer, but you fixed nothing! You deceived us and killed our people!"
"You were trying to kill us!" Rodney shouted back, "To put it bluntly, you kidnapped us, tortured Lorne for your own amusement and threatened our lives! Of course we weren't interested in helping you!"
"And now you have killed Ellet!"
"The way I heard it, that was the Mhisi," Rodney said, though a part of him realized that increasing tension between the Bethashaya and Mhisi wasn't what he wanted to do now either, "But what matters now is this: the Wraith are coming to this planet. Unless your Sentinels are operative, the Wraith will destroy you. They will capture you, feed on you, and kill you. And not just you, either. Any humans they find on this planet! It won't matter to them who's who, everyone is food to them. And we're the only ones -the only ones!- who might be able to prevent that. But only if you stop trying to kill us!"
Caro was quiet for a moment, then asked suspiciously, "Why would you do this?"
Rodney took a deep breath, steadying his voice as he answered, "Because it benefits us almost as much as it does you. See, the only way for us to learn anything useful from the power generator and any other devices that might be here is if there's something to stop the Wraith from culling us while we're here. Since we're at war with the Wraith, we need every advantage we can get, and studying this device and others like it may prove invaluable. But the only way for that to happen is for the generator to function, which means we have to fix it first. We're not sure, but we think we might have a way of making that happen," his voice rose an octave without his consent and then increased in volume without his noticing, "But we haven't been able to get very far because people and things keep trying to kill us!"
After Rodney's tirade, a rather awkward silence followed, during which nobody seemed keen to revive the fighting, but also didn't quite know how to say that the fighting was ended. Major Lorne was the one who finally took initiative, though Rodney could see in his face that there was an internal struggle over it. Considering what Caro had done to Lorne, Rodney could hardly blame the Major for wanting to end him. But, as per usual, Lorne set aside his own wants for the benefit of Atlantis and her new residents, and so… he let Caro go. Remembering the painful gashes on Lorne's back, Rodney couldn't imagine having the willpower to let his tormentor go, much less the faith that this self-same man would let the fighting end.
There was a moment of tension as Caro was released and got slowly to his feet, and everyone waited breathlessly to see if it was really over now. And then a collective sigh of relief as -realizing he needed to make some kind of reciprocal gesture- Caro turned and held out a hand to help Lorne to his feet.
Knowing it was to make an impression on the Lanteans and the Bethashaya about their new standing with one another, Lorne accepted the hand, though Rodney felt certain the Major would have preferred to recoil from it or else ignore it entirely.
Rodney turned in the direction of the power room, and immediately coughed as the first tendril of spreading smoke hit his lungs.
"Maybe we should let the place air out a bit before we get back to work," Lorne suggested.
"Good idea," Rodney replied.
With numbers on their side thanks to the addition of the Mhisi (not to mention their experience dealing with these particular creatures), dispatching the Crocuta changed from being a harrowingly difficult undertaking to a relatively minor matter. In fact, their numbers were such that John persuaded Reder that it would be safe enough to try simply driving the animals out rather than killing them all. It proved only moderately successful, and was undoubtedly more trouble than it was worth, but nobody got hurt and the Crocuta were all harried out of the Temple by the time it was finished, so John was inclined to call it good enough.
The first sign that anything might have gone wrong was when they reached the inner door of the concealed entrance to the Temple.
"Didn't we leave this closed?" he found himself asking Ronon, jerking a thumb in the direction of the doorway.
Ronon just looked at him. They both knew perfectly well that they'd closed the door when they left to make sure no Crocuta got in that way. Lorne wouldn't have opened it again, unless he had a damn good reason. John couldn't think what that might be, but he was used to being surprised these days.
John keyed his radio, "Major Lorne? This is Sheppard. Come in."
"Major Lorne here, sir."
John wasn't sure what to make of Lorne's mild tone and faltered a little, "Uh… somebody left the door hanging open out here, and I was wonderin' if you knew anything about that."
"The Bethashaya came for a visit, sir," Lorne replied.
Feeling a cold knot of fear developing in his stomach, John asked, "Is everyone okay?"
"We worked it out, sir. Their new field commander, Caro, says he's amenable to negotiating with the Mhisi delegation," Lorne replied promptly, then paused before continuing, "How did the wolf hunt go?"
"Oh we cleared the place of vermin. For now anyway," John replied, still a little off balance.
"Maybe we should come out to you. Power room's a little smoky still."
"A little smoky?" John repeated incredulously, exchanging a look with Ronon and Teyla, who were both listening in apparent confusion, "What the hell does that mean?"
"Rodney seems to think it'll air out in a couple of hours," was all Lorne said.
John hesitated a moment, then replied, "That isn't an answer, Major."
"Perhaps there is more to explain than he cares to on an open radio channel," Teyla suggested, offering a significant glance at the Mhisi, who were standing nearby.
John got the message. With his team were the Mhisi, and with Lorne's were the Bethashaya. Two warring factions in close proximity, and the Lanteans in the middle. One wrong word could start a snowball rolling that would become an avalanche. Lorne didn't want to be responsible for that word, and so wanted to avoid saying anything more than he absolutely had to.
Before Lorne was backed into an explanation by John's implied order, John keyed his radio again, "Take the hole in the floor and try to get the Bethashaya to come with you. We'll meet you at the jumper."
He didn't think a pitch black, closed in tunnel was a good place for the Mhisi and Bethashaya to meet. Both sides would be tense, the Bethashaya would feel cornered and the Mhisi would feel they were walking into a trap. And the Lanteans would be caught in the crossfire. Meeting on more open ground, where there was still plenty of cover in case things went pear-shaped, would be better for all.
Ideally, only the leadership of the two factions should meet. Fewer people to get trigger happy. But John knew the Mhisi wouldn't go for it if he suggested it, and doubted the Bethashaya would either. Maybe Caro or Reder would come up with it on their own and suggest it before the two groups met. In any case, being near the shelter and potential escape of the jumper was safest for the Lanteans, which was John's primary concern.
"We're goin' out the secret way, everybody," John said, waving the group back towards the exit.
Tensions were high. Both the Mhisi and Bethashaya were forewarned that they would be meeting each other, so at least there wasn't reflexive shooting on sight. But the harsh reality was that the two sides were enemies. The Lanteans didn't know who had started it or why, but that didn't really matter at this point. In fact, as far as the Lanteans were concerned, the only thing that mattered was that the Bethashaya and Mhisi would agree to a ceasefire zone around the Stargate and Temple.
John was more than happy to step back and let Teyla take on the role of mediator. Rodney looked equally relieved, though John didn't really understand why until Rodney began to relay -in verbose detail- exactly what had transpired in his absence. There were a few details John doubted, and when he heard them he glanced at Lorne with a raised eyebrow, but the Major's expression was inscrutable and he didn't interrupt, so John was forced to conclude that most of Rodney's story was true.
He couldn't say he was pleased to hear Rodney had acted as the negotiator, but he gathered that there'd been little choice in the matter. Even if Lorne hadn't been being sat on (as Rodney described it), John had noticed immediately when they regrouped that the Major was moving stiffly and slowly, and breathing shallowly. Either he'd been injured in the scuffle or else it had aggravated his old injuries. Eventually, as Rodney's epic tale of his own cleverness was winding down, the Mhisi and Bethashayan leaders seemed to come to a consensus, and Reder beckoned John over to join them.
"So? How's it goin'?" John asked as he strolled up.
"It has been agreed between us," Reder explained, "that a few soldiers from each side will be left at the Temple to guard it, while we each take what we have discussed and learned back to our respective governments. In the meantime, you and your people will be free to come and go from the area. Regardless of the eventual outcome, you will be warned before there is any fighting near the Temple."
John was a little surprised to hear that Caro wasn't running the Bethashaya as their chief. It had been his understanding that the Bethashaya didn't have much in the way of advanced government, and that Ellet had been their chief, a position now held by Caro. But now wasn't the time to ask questions about that. He just took the remark at face value, and addressed a more pressing concern.
"How can you guarantee that?" John asked, "What if one side decides it wants to spring a surprise attack on the other?"
"I said you will be warned," Reder clarified, "Not that the enemy would be. Caro and I have agreed to this. We are the commanders in the field, and that is what matters on this point."
"More importantly," Caro put in, "We recognize that your people have the ability and the technology to potentially save both of our peoples. Without you, as your fixer put it, the Wraith will destroy us all. Neither of us is willing to jeopardize that chance at survival. We will make certain that every man and woman placed here as guardian understands that," he narrowed his eyes.
John felt with sudden conviction that Caro would kill anyone who refused to respect his authority on this matter, and he was sure the man had enough of a reputation that his people would believe it too. Caro might be vicious, but he clearly wasn't a fool. At least, not today. And today was what mattered.
"We're going to hold you to that," John said carefully, "One shot from either side and we're out. I will not risk my people for your war. As long as you understand that, I think we'll get along fine."
Neither Caro nor Reder spoke, but both looked as if they understood and accepted this.
"Now, I need to go report in to my superior, get some equipment, have my injured people looked at, and so on. But we'll be back. I can't promise we'll be able to fix your doohickey, but if you hold up your end and keep this area as a neutral zone, I can promise you that we'll do our best."
Reder and Caro exchanged glances, and Reder spoke for both of them, saying, "That is all we can ask."
It was Major Lorne's victory really, and everybody knew it, even if they didn't say as much.
As Caro and Reder had predicted, their respective people were wise enough to see that a ceasefire was the only viable option. What the future held was anyone's guess, but for the moment a tenuous peace reigned not just between the Bethashaya and Mhisi, but other surrounding peoples the Lanteans hadn't even met. Finally left unmolested to do his work, Rodney had done enough tests to be certain that he could get the power generator for the Sentinels to accept the technology of the naquadah generators. It would take a bit longer before that was implemented, but the Lanteans had received repeated assurance that -whatever happened- the area around the Temple and Stargate would remain neutral, and they would be allowed to continue their research without interference.
Even so, John didn't fully appreciate how much Lorne had done to earn this victory until after he got back and talked to Elizabeth, and questioned why she had sent Lorne on the mission in the first place, and she explained that she hadn't been intending to send him, but Lorne had not merely volunteered, he had pointed out the very real truth that it was his job. In that unique way of his, he hadn't demanded to go, but had made it abundantly clear that it would be a bad idea not to send him.
Having had firsthand experience with the Crocuta, John knew exactly how they'd come upon Lorne's team in the dark and nearly taken them apart, and he knew how easily all unit cohesion could have been lost. Knowing all that had followed, John was sure that would have been the end of his own team as well had Lorne's not survived that encounter.
From Major Dorsey, John learned more about the near-fatal encounter with the Mhisi, and how Lorne had handled it, from the beginning to when it felt as though it must surely be the finish. Having been in such a situation and knowing Lorne as he did, John could see into the thought process the Major must have gone through out there in the dark, knowing he was outnumbered and couldn't win, but determined to try anyway, to act even when there were no good options left, rather than just give up.
And from Rodney, John heard repeatedly the tale of how the Bethashaya were swayed. Rodney was most enthusiastic about his own part in it, but conceded that he never would have had the chance to say anything if Lorne hadn't acted, first to preserve Rodney's life, second to locate and overpower Caro long enough for a little reason to be injected into the situation, and third to resist the temptation to end the life of the man who'd terrorized, tormented and tried to kill both him and Rodney. None of those were things Lorne had done for himself, but for the greater good of Atlantis and her people.
Meanwhile, Major Lorne was clearly of the opinion that he had done no more or less than his job.
The thing is, he was right.
At the end of the day, every member of the Atlantis expedition had pledged their all to this massive and risky undertaking. In signing on, they had promised all of their skill, all of their smarts and all of their strength to the city and those that were now living inside her walls. Every man and woman who had come through the Stargate, or been delivered here by the Daedalus, owed whatever they had to this expedition, because they were the only viable line of defense against the Wraith. If Atlantis fell, the Pegasus Galaxy and then the Milky Way (and sooner or later Earth) would follow. That was the bottom line of the Atlantis expedition.
Not just exploration. Not just research. Fate of the world stuff. That's how big this thing was. And Major Lorne knew it, had it in mind always, even if those around him chanced to forget it for a moment. And that was ultimately the purpose behind his every action.
True to form, Lorne was unwilling to let his superiors delude themselves. He was willing to listen to the well-earned praise. But he was quick to remind them that, while he had done an exceptionally good job, he had still only been doing his job, and there was no reason to blow things out of proportion.
All that being true, John realized he owed Lorne another apology, though he didn't figure it out on his own. In fact, it was Rodney who brought it to his attention, a fact he mentioned to Lorne in one of several conversations which followed that mission…
"Can I sit?"
Lorne nodded, and John joined him at his lunchtable. For a little bit, an awkward silence prevailed. During that silence, John looked around the room, and noticed that Lorne's team was nowhere to be seen. At the same time, it crossed his mind that he frequently saw Lorne's team without him.
"You… ah… you don't usually have company for lunch, do you?" John inquired, because somehow that was easier than the real business that had brought him here.
"No," Lorne answered, then seemed to realize his CO was looking for more of a response and continued, "I… actually don't do a lot of socializing. Everyone gets enough of me during work hours. Anyway, I like the quiet."
Though he was curious, John decided not to ask if Lorne had made any friends at all here. That seemed rude and possibly disheartening to bring up, and that was the opposite of what he'd come here for. But it took him a minute to get back on track, so long that Lorne decided to prompt him.
"You came over here for a reason, didn't you, Colonel?"
"What?" John asked, jolted from thought, "Oh, yeah. Actually. I… uh… well, that is… I was talking to Rodney and he pointed out something that I hadn't thought about, even though I should really know better," Lorne sat patiently, watching John fumble for his point without interrupting, "and I realized he was right, and that I owe you another apology."
At this statement, Lorne's expression became markedly uncomfortable. In fact, John couldn't think of a time when Lorne had looked more decidedly agitated. The look was all the confirmation John needed that Rodney had been right. In trying to work on fixing one thing, he'd only managed to break another -arguably more important- thing. He'd been so worked up over the reputation Lorne had with the rest of the Atlantis expedition that he hadn't thought for a moment how bringing it up with the Major might affect Lorne's confidence, and consequently his performance of his duties.
"I should never have suggested that the people that you serve here with might be losing faith in you," John sighed, and trailed off.
Lorne was still for a moment, then shook his head, "Colonel, it was and is a valid concern, a real problem that needed fixing, for all the reasons we already discussed."
"Even if that were true," John said firmly, "It wasn't your problem to fix, and I shouldn't have put that on you. Putting that worry in your head was exactly like what I've been doing all along, except worse. I didn't know how to deal with it, and didn't want to deal with it, so I put the monkey on your back. It wasn't fair to you, and it's not your job to carry that. Your job is hard enough without me makin' it any harder," he shook his head, "I just-"
This time Lorne interrupted, "Zugzwang, sir."
John blinked, remembering the term clearly but not sure how it applied now.
"Things were getting out of hand," Lorne continued, "You know it and I know it. However we got there, the problem was real and it was growing. The situation was becoming untenable, and somebody had to do something about it. But there weren't any good choices. If you didn't tell me, I could've done any number of things to make it worse. But telling me carried the same risk that I might do something reckless or stupid because of what I knew. There wasn't a good option, but you had to do something."
"You know, Major," John said after thinking that over and realizing the truth of it, "You may not believe it but, in your own way, you are one of the best and brightest, and Atlantis is safer with you here, doing what it is that you do, which you do better than anyone I know."
Lorne looked a little nonplussed by the unexpected compliment, then he decided to accept it gracefully with a smile and said, "Thank you, sir."
"You earned it, Major," John replied, "Every bit of it."
A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and goodnight everybody.