Chapter 9

Later that day, Sheppard found himself crammed into the back of a speeder piloted by Marmotah, with the Birajan's two friends as passengers, heading for their newly designated camp. Marmotah had been very insistent that as their 'best' fighter he should be the one to protect Sheppard as they moved, and Sheppard had been extremely grateful that Mehra had forced her way into the heavily loaded craft since there was 'room for a small one'. Mehra wasn't an intellectual giant, something she'd freely admitted herself more than once, but she could smell trouble like a dog could smell bacon cooking from five blocks away. She wasn't about to leave him alone with Marmotah and his goons, and he was thankful for her loyalty.

'You okay, Sir?' Mehra asked, nudging him from her pew on the seat beside him.

His headache had reduced to little more than a dull pulse, but the scrapes and bruises littering his body stung like a bitch with every jerk and jolt on their journey. Since the craft didn't even touch the ground, and Marmotah was apparently an excellent pilot, he had to assume the rough ride was intentional for just that reason. Sheppard gave her a nod and a faint flicker of a smile, his mind immediately shifting back to the way Mishta had looked at him when he'd accused her of seeking another enzyme fix. Jesus, he could be such a dumb jerk sometimes. He was surprised she hadn't punched him there and then. He sure as hell deserved it.

The craft behind them carried Juroah, Mishta and Lansha, along with Rodney and Ronon in the rear seats. He knew he was probably imagining it, but Sheppard felt like he was being scrutinised the whole time and sank down lower in his seat to obscure their view of him. It was most likely his guilty conscience eating away at him. He had to find a way to apologise to Mishta without leading her on and getting her hopes up. That was a balancing act he wasn't sure he was equipped to carry out. His brain had taken quite the shaking in his fall from the Kheprian truck, and he didn't know if it had settled back into its rightful place yet.

'So, what's his problem?' Mehra probed, indicating Marmotah with a brief flick of her gaze.

'It's…complicated,' Sheppard replied half-heartedly, too tired to get into it.

'Woman trouble,' Mehra nodded with a knowing smirk. 'She's pretty, by the way. Seems really into you.'

A rush of colour to his face made Sheppard look away from her, and he caught Marmotah casting a murderous look his way before returning his attention to the path ahead. 'I hadn't really thought about it,' he lied, playing it casual.

Mehra lowered her voice to be sure she wouldn't be overheard by, Marmotah's buddies Tweedled-Dum and Tweedle-Dee. 'Well, if you ever feel an itch that needs to be scratched, I'll make sure that guy and his friends are busy, know what I mean?' He snapped his head around her way, and she nudged him again, adding an exaggerated wink for emphasis.

'That won't be necessary, Sergeant,' he told her, shutting that line of conversation down in an instant.

Mehra, thick skinned as ever, took no offence and just kept on talking. 'These things are pretty nifty, though,' she said, slapping the side of the speeder. 'Not as smooth as a jumper, but cool all the same.'

'Yeah…yeah, they are,' he agreed, thankful for the change of topic. 'Wouldn't mind taking one for a spin some time.'

'I bet,' she grinned. 'Must've been like, what…seven months since you've flown anything?'

'Yeah…something like that.'

'Want me to ask him if you can have a go?' she asked, dipping her head Marmotah's way again.

'Uh…no…I think that would be an incredibly bad idea.' Without Mehra along for the ride he doubted he would have even made it to the new camp…at least not without meeting some kind of painful accident en-route. He very much doubted Marmotah would let him get behind the controls of his craft, battered as it might be. Since the Birajan already thought he was trying to steal Mishta from him, there was no way he would trust him with his craft either.

'So, we have another trip planned out to go look for Teyla tomorrow,' she said, slipping seamlessly into another line of conversation…one he couldn't help wondering why she hadn't brought up sooner.

'Yeah? You got a new lead?'

'Another market with humans up for sale. One possibly fits Teyla's description. Nobody brought this to us this time; Lansha just stumbled across the info when he was looking through auction sites for other stuff. Me and Ronon figured we should check it out, especially since there's no risk that anyone's palm was greased with silver to lure us in.'

'I'll come with you,' he instantly volunteered, trying not to let his hopes rise too much. He needed to do something…anything…to put some space between him and Mishta. There was no way he could hang around camp trying to avoid her all day with Ronon and Mehra out on a rescue mission and Rodney working on the Kheprian time travel device.

'You sure? You've been pretty tired lately.'

He looked into her dark eyes and saw genuine concern. Mehra had seen him at his lowest point…literally moments from death. He doubted he would be able to hide his worsening symptoms from her for long, but he needed to help find Teyla. He couldn't keep watching them go out looking for her while he sat back worrying until they returned...or even worse, until they didn't. If they were going down, they were going down together. 'It's nothing a good night's sleep won't fix,' he told her with a crooked smile. He seemed to be saying that a lot lately.

The smile Mehra offered up in return was tight and lacked any real joy. She apparently wasn't buying it. 'Ronon and me – we'll take the lead. You can be back-up if we need you. Sound good, Sir?'

No, it didn't sound good. He wanted to lead the mission, but at the same time he knew he wasn't as strong as them and might prove a liability. As Ronon had rightly told him the last time they'd been searching for Teyla – when he'd headed up the rescue party on Michael's ship after being impaled in the compound explosion – he didn't have to do everything. He needed to learn to delegate, and this sure seemed like a good time to start. 'Sure. Works for me,' he lied. But if those were his terms for tagging along, he was prepared to abide by them…or at least to go out with that intention.

The craft suddenly dropped in altitude, leaving behind the verdant forests and pastures and sweeping down into a sandstone canyon. They weaved through naturally formed rock pillars and mounds that spoke of a river that had long since dried up, following the channel for some time as if it were an ancient road, before eventually rising out of the channel and once again flying low over green pastures. As they approached a forest up ahead Marmotah slowed the craft to a much reduced speed, manoeuvring them between the thick tree trunks until they saw a rockface with a spectacular waterfall spilling over its face, feeding into a crystal clear river. The fine spray of mist from where the tumbling water crashed into the body of the river below it was refreshing after the heat of the desert they'd just left behind.

They turned to follow the course of the water a while until it no longer ran parallel with the rocky climbs. As it veered to the left, they followed the land formation and eventually passed into a cave mouth which, after taking them through a short, narrow tunnel, opened out onto a vast cavern with various other passageways leading off from it.

They progressed slowly until they found a clear spot to land. Most of the Birajans who had departed camp before them were already hard at work unloading various things from the craft that had made the journey earlier. Marmotah settled the craft gently on the hard ground, a perfect execution Sheppard begrudgingly admitted, but only to himself.

Marmotah and his friends hopped out, and Mehra quickly followed. Sheppard took it a little slower, his bruises and scrapes too raw and recent to allow that much freedom of movement. He climbed over the side and lowered himself tentatively to the ground, ready to start unloading their cargo along with all the others. As soon as his hands closed on the handles of a crate, he felt someone shove him back.

'Hands off, Human,' Marmotah growled, snatching the box away from him. 'We don't need your help.'

'Hey…lose the attitude, Shorty!' Mehra barked, immediately forcing herself between them. 'He didn't do anything wrong.'

Marmotah cast his eyes over her and gave a salacious grin. 'This one has something of Mishta about her, don't you think?' he called to his friends. 'One of you should snap her up for a commitment.'

'Yeah, one of you should try that…see where it gets you,' she retorted, standing her ground between the two of them while throwing death glares at the two morons at Marmotah's rear.

'Is that a challenge?' the Birajan chuckled, his friends joining in. 'Perhaps we should accept.'

'Trust me…you guys couldn't handle her,' Sheppard snorted, as Mehra's hands now balled into fists at her sides, preparing for trouble.

'Then perhaps you should take her for yourself, Human, and leave our females to us.' The warning was loud and clear. Marmotah clearly wasn't one for subtlety. Sheppard imagined such things might be beyond him.

'Your females?' Mehra hissed, following the little creep as he and his friends began to haul out more of their load. 'They don't belong to you. They don't belong to anyone.' The three of them just chuckled and turned their backs on her, carrying away the supplies they had picked up.

Mehra was about to charge after them when Sheppard stopped her. 'They're not worth it, Mehra. Let it go.'

She continued to glare after them. 'Jackass. No wonder his female would rather get into your pants.'

At a sudden loss for words, Sheppard just stepped aside as Juroah brought his speeder into the cavern and set it down next to Marmotah's. His passengers disembarked, Mishta casting Sheppard a disappointed glance as she shouldered a pack and picked up a small crate to carry into the tunnels.

Heart heavy, he simply busied himself collecting other supplies and then followed Lansha through to another chamber.

There wasn't much room in this smaller cavern, just enough for a half-dozen roll-out mattresses and a few feet of space between. The floor was cold and uneven, and the air was damp and harsh on his lungs. This was far from comfortable, and the rebels had been driven to this because they'd helped them evacuate the humans. As he looked around, feeling droplets of water dripping from the ceiling and dampening his clothes, his spirits sunk still further. This was no place to make a home.

A gentle tug on the things he carried alerted him to the fact they were supposed to be working not daydreaming. 'I'll take those. John,' Lansha said kindly, giving him a warm smile. 'Why don't you and you friends find yourselves a chamber of your own? One further back through that tunnel would give you better protection.'

Sheppard spotted now that another small passage led off this one, and Mehra was already heading toward it, needing no further invitation. Ronon trudged after her, ducking to get through it. Rodney just hovered, as if he weren't sure whether to go or whether to stay with Sheppard.

Sheppard watched Mishta throw down a bed roll, sweeping loose tendrils of her red locks back from her perspiration sheened forehead. She looked exhausted; they all did. They had been working furiously with little rest for almost a whole day. These people had turned their lives upside down in order to save the universe, and now they continued to suffer for people to whom they owed nothing.

As if sensing his gaze on her, Mishta peered over her shoulder at him as she straightened her bedding. Their eyes met, and the hardness in her expression melted. Apparently, she couldn't stay angry at him for long. Even if he thoroughly deserved it.

'You coming?' McKay urged, taking a shuffling step toward the tunnel, then waiting again.

Sheppard followed without answering, conscious of the fact Mishta was watching him every step he took. This was getting far too intense. Marmotah was already spoiling for a fight. Mishta was hankering for something else entirely, and now the Birajans were being forced to live like cavemen. They couldn't go on like this. Something had to give.

The tunnel opened up into another smaller chamber. It would hold the four of them, although it was only just wide enough in one direction for Ronon to lay out flat. Mehra held a lantern someone had given her and set it on a lip of rock jutting out from the wall.

'Well, it's cosy,' she quipped cheerfully. 'Could use a bathroom…maybe a few throw pillows.'

'It's a death trap,' Ronon muttered. 'If the Reliquiae get as far as that opening, there's no way out for us.'

'Well, that's a comforting thought,' Rodney whimpered, eyeing the small opening. 'We're just the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat buffet, then.'

'It'll do for tonight,' Sheppard murmured, shutting up as Juroah poked his head into the chamber.

'Ahhhh, it's a little small in here. Perhaps there's another one more suitable. I'll go and check.'

'No, Juroah, this one's fine,' Sheppard called, stopping him. 'You don't need to go to any trouble.'

'It's no trouble,' the old male said kindly, turning to face him square on. He eyed Sheppard, scrutinising him. 'You know you are all welcome to stay here with us.'

Damn, he was good. Juroah had a way of reading him that gave him the chills. 'Yeah…we know,' he said, offering him a weak smile. 'But you people don't have to keep sheltering us. With Akalus gone, and the humans moved on, you can get back to some kind of normal life.'

Juroah's old lilac eyes locked on his. 'You saved us all, Human. That was no small thing. Sheltering you is no hardship.'

'Try telling that to Marmotah,' Sheppard muttered, gently touching at the back of his head. The swelling had reduced as Mishta had promised it would, but the throbbing was returning, telling him the cooling field she'd applied had ceased functioning. He wished he could pop a couple of Tylenol and hit the hay.

Juroah flapped a dismissive hand. 'Marmotah is a foolish boy blinded by jealousy. Don't worry about him.'

'I'm not sure he's going to let me.'

'Caught him rounding on Sheppard with his friends,' Ronon added, loaning his support.

Juroah's thin lips tightened. 'Leave that with me. I'll make sure he knows to keep his distance.'

Once the old fellow had left again, Sheppard turned to the others, 'We can't stay. We're putting these guys in danger just being here.'

'But we need them,' Rodney protested. 'We're on a strange planet, thousands of years away from our time. We need their knowledge and contacts.'

'No…we need you to fix us up a Kheprian ship and then we can all get home and leave these good folks in peace,' Sheppard reminded him, rather too pointedly.

'Well, I'm working on it. Hard as this may be to believe, accurate time travel isn't like setting an alarm clock!'

Sheppard's head throbbed with the shrillness of Rodney's protest. He held up a hand. 'I know, Rodney. I get that. I just want you to understand that it's the Kheprians we need. The Birajans have sacrificed enough. They can get back to their own lives now.'

'Except Juroah and Lansha are helping us on that trip to find Teyla tomorrow,' Mehra pointed out. 'And I'm not sure they'll take no for an answer.'

Sheppard rubbed his face and then knitted his finger together at the back of his neck, stretching out the aching tendons. 'And that's great, but we can't keep relying on them. They're putting their lives on the line sheltering us. We have to cut the apron strings and let them move on. Besides, I have a place in mind that should enable us to put up a pretty good defence if the Reliquiae come calling.'

'Oh…and where is that, John?'

This time it was Lansha's voice that let Sheppard know they were not alone.

He turned to look at the hybrid, signalling for him to keep his voice down. 'Lansha, it's not that we don't appreciate you putting us up here,' he explained, his voice barely above a whisper. 'But we…'

'Are putting us in danger, yes, I heard what you said,' Lansha interrupted, a little curtly. 'We are not children to be protected, John. We offer you our home in the full understanding of the risks that opens us up to.'

'And we're not children either,' Sheppard snapped back, his head now pounding again. 'We can stay in touch, help each other out, but we don't have to continue to be a drain on your resources.'

'So now that the other humans are gone, we are no longer useful to you, is that it?' The way Lansha was glaring at him over folded arms seemed out of character for the usually peaceable young male. 'Where will you go, John? It isn't just the Reliquiae you have to worry about. You will be snatched up and sold into slavery the moment anyone on this planet discovers what and where you are.'

'We'll use the Greekaf caves. The Ancient facility will give us all the protection we need once McKay tweaks a few of the systems.'

He knew McKay was rolling his eyes behind him without even looking at him. He was expecting a lot of his friend, but McKay always worked best under pressure, and when carrying out multiple seemingly impossible tasks. In all honesty, it was his opportunity to shine.

Lansha remained unusually angry, even as he nodded. 'I saw what you can do there, John. And I understand that you feel a connection to that place. But is ancient AI technology really a replacement for the protection we can offer you?'

Sheppard sighed and pulled Lansha aside, lowering his voice still more. 'You know why I can't stay.'

'Then at least have the courage to tell her,' Lansha snapped, confirming he knew exactly why Sheppard wanted to break from their group. 'She deserves that much, doesn't she?'

After a brief hesitation, Sheppard nodded, his stomach dropping at the thought of that conversation. But Lansha was right. Mishta did deserve to hear it from him.

'There are still some things to be collected from our transporter. Perhaps you and Mishta could collect them for us.'

He wanted him to tell her right now? But he was really bad at this kind of thing. He needed to think about what he should say…and how best to say it…

'Maybe we should —'

'Mishta, can you take John with you when you fetch the rest of our things?' Lansha called back through the short passageway, his eyes still locked on Sheppard's as if daring him to refuse.

Sheppard felt his shoulders droop involuntarily. 'Now's as good a time as any, I guess,' he grumbled, shuffling past Lansha to go look for his sister.

She wasn't in the next chamber when he entered it. Juroah glanced over at him from a half-unpacked crate and dipped his head in the direction of the exit. Had she already been out of there when Lansha called through to her or had she made herself scarce on hearing the instruction? They weren't exactly on the best of terms right now…which made the conversation he was about to have with her all the more awkward.

Sheppard headed on out to the main chamber and the various vehicles parked there. It was not exactly bustling, but there were a few other Birajans around, hauling various provisions and belongings out of transporters and heading off in different directions to whichever chamber they had claimed as their own. He sauntered over to where he remembered Lansha landing his transporter, hearing Mishta busily rifling through the craft before he could see her. All the time she was grumbling something under her breath that he couldn't quite catch.

Sheppard hopped on board and picked up a large rucksack, lowering it over the side of the craft to the ground alongside the pile Mishta had already made. She paused her frenzied activities, locking eyes with him long enough to grumble, 'Why on Gragoffa Lansha thinks you're the best person to help with all this, I do not know,' before getting back to work.

'He doesn't,' Sheppard replied, matter of fact. 'There's something I have to tell you.'

Her reaction surprised him. The anger left her in an instant, as did all the colour in her cheeks. 'You're sicker than you've been letting on?' she breathed, sitting on a packing crate as if her legs wouldn't hold her weight.

'No…no…it's nothing like that,' he assured her, patting the air in placation. 'It's just that…' Her eyes, huge and filled with worry, widened with anticipation. He knew there was no good way to put his news, no way of saying it that wasn't going to bring her wrath down on him, so he figured he should just jump in with both feet and weather the backlash. 'My friends and I are gonna leave the camp.'

'Tomorrow. Yes. To look for Teyla. Again.' She rose, swiping sweat from her brow, and started collecting up several vegetables that had rolled out of a sack, tossing them back into it.

The emphasis she gave that last word wasn't lost on him, but he didn't have the energy to deal with her jealousy right now. 'No…I mean permanently,' he said, watching her stop in mid-reach for something resembling a potato and straighten up.

Mishta turned very slowly and stared at him a second or two longer, then snorted out a laugh and got back to work. 'Now you're being ridiculous. I don't have time for your jokes.'

He'd known this wasn't going to be easy, but he hadn't counted on her being this bull-headed about it. 'It's not a joke.'

She swung the full sack over the side of the vehicle, where it promptly fell over and spilled its contents all over again. She ignored it, planting her hands on her hips as that little gem sank in. 'You can't. Who will protect you?' she asked.

He couldn't bite back the annoyance that question awoke in him again. Did these folks not understand that he was a trained fighter? Had they even considered that he had Ronon and Mehra on his side? 'Somehow…I think we'll make it?'

'Do you?' she demanded, now folding her arms with barely masked fury, looking not unlike her brother at that moment. 'And how exactly do you plan to defend yourselves?'

'We'll set up at the Greekaf caves—'

'Oh, the Greekaf caves,' she said, with exaggerated relief. 'Oh, well that's alright then. At least you'll be able to turn the lights on if anyone attacks.'

He paused a moment, then jumped down out of the craft. 'This is a pointless discussion. All I wanted to do was let you know our plans in person. They're not up for debate.'

He turned abruptly and stalked back toward the chamber he'd come from, keen to end the argument which had now drawn a small audience.

'I understand that you're warriors, John,' she called after him. He heard her boots hit the ground as she followed him, apparently determined to keep their discourse going. 'And perhaps back on your world, in your time, you would be able to make camp somewhere and holdout against and enemy while you hunt for your friend. But here everyone is your enemy. One wrong move, one step…one word out of place and everyone on this planet besides us will be hunting you down. Here, you're nothing more than a commodity to be used or traded. You think life in Phylacos was bad? There are far worse things that can happen to you out there, John. Far worse.'

Her words were heartfelt. No melodrama, no sarcasm, just genuine concern. She was angry because she was scared for them. He understood that. But he wouldn't put these good people in any more danger.

'We're going.' It was succinct and curt…cruel to be kind. At least that was what he told himself as he started to walk away again.

That was when he heard her weakly call his name followed by a thud. He spun to see her sprawled on the ground beside the transporter, passed out cold.

He shooed the other Birajans back as he carried out rudimentary checks for pulse and breathing. They were there, the pulse fast and the breathing a little erratic, but there and not showing any signs of stopping. He let go of the breath he'd been holding and rolled her into the recovery position, stroking her hair back from her face as she gradually began to rouse.

'Hey,' he smiled down at her as her eyes fluttered open. 'I thought I was the one who needed help.'

She groaned softly, pushing up until she was sitting again. Even that movement left her swaying. 'Wh…what happened?'

'You passed out,' he explained, setting a hand on her shoulder to steady her. 'Take a minute then I'll help you up.'

She immediately shrugged his touch away. 'I'm fine. I don't need your help.' As if to prove that very fact she got to her feet…and promptly fell over again.

This time Sheppard caught her before she hit the floor, scooping her up in his arms. 'Okay, I think we both know that isn't true. The enzyme's wearing off. Your body needs time to adjust.'

She squirmed in his embrace, protesting that she could walk, trying to free herself, but she failed dismally and quickly gave up. It came as a relief since he really wasn't up to par himself. He might just be able to carry her to her chamber, but if she struggled, he might not make it that far. Nothing heroic about dropping the damsel in distress on her head he told himself as he adjusted his grip and made sure he had a good hold on her. His body protested, but she needed his help so he would do this and suffer for it later. It was the least he could do after his earlier gaffe.

Mishta said nothing more, lowering her head to his shoulder and for once allowing him to take charge. He tried not to think of how being this close to her made him feel…or the fact that tomorrow he planned to leave all this behind. He'd never found it hard to keep his distance from people and uproot on a whim until he'd come to Atlantis and found a real home, not even while married to Nancy, something he'd realised was a mistake within months of their wedding. Now, he remembered exactly why he'd spent so much of his life avoiding these kinds of connections.

This was one goodbye he really wasn't looking forward to.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to post this latest chapter. firstly I was writing my Halloween fic, but then the site was experiencing so many defects I really didn't want to post until I was sure the chapter could be seen. I hope you enjoy it after waiting so long.