Chapter 21: The banquet of honour.
John stood in his room looking at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn't usually vain, but today he wanted to make sure that everything about his appearance was right.
Today was his first day back on active duty and he was due to pick Teyla up from her quarters in ten minutes time. After the day when he had opened up about his emotions and Teyla had kissed him, they'd had a long talk and agreed that they would both like to pursue a relationship, but they would take it slow for now. Rodney, Ronon and Elizabeth were happy for them, but had agreed to keep it quiet for the moment. Carson had put him back on full duty yesterday and he had also congratulated him on his new relationship with Teyla and he was relieved when Carson had also agreed to keep the information a secret.
It had been almost eight weeks since the camping trip to XCZ-997 and a lot had happened in that time. With the Ngerans permanently located to that world, it was time to complete the trade negotiations and then Ziall had promised to throw him a banquet in recognition of the sacrifices he had made for their people and he had reluctantly agreed to attend as the guest of honour.
The trade negotiations were due to take place on New Ngering after breakfast and the celebration had been planned for that evening. He actually felt a little apprehensive about going back to the planet that he, Rodney and Ronon had dubbed the planet from hell, but he also knew that it would be and insult to the Ngerans if he refused to go, besides, he'd have Teyla there with him, so that had to make things better.
Taking one last look in the mirror, he ran his fingers through his hair to try and neaten it up a bit and then he smoothed out his BDU shirt. When he was convinced that everything was in order, he left his room and headed towards Teyla's quarters, happy to be on duty again.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Teyla took one last look in her mirror as her door chimed. John was on his way to meet her for breakfast and she wanted to make sure that she looked her best. Not only was she having breakfast with John, which she had done a million times before, but she was due to take part in the trade negotiations with the Ngerans after breakfast. She had to wonder why she was being so vain, since she'd taken part in numerous trade negations before. Perhaps it was because she was exploring a relationship with Colonel Sheppard and she wanted to look her best for him. Shrugging her shoulders, she went to answer the door and she was surprised to see that John was there and he had arrived five minutes early. He looked so handsome in his black BDU's and she was so happy that he had been put back on active duty, because over the last couple of weeks, he had been so bored and driving everyone nuts.
"John you are early."
A huge smile sit up his face, "I couldn't wait to see you."
Rolling her eyes at him, she took his hand and dragged him out of her quarters. Unfortunately, they had arranged to meet Ronon and Rodney for breakfast as well, so they wouldn't have long together, in fact they needed to stop holding hands in case some of John's men saw them. They hadn't bothered to tell many people as yet that they were a couple, because it was their business and no-one else's and they would tell people when the time was right.
Entering the Mess hall a few minutes later, she wasn't surprised to see that Rodney and Ronon were already seated with a large plate of pancakes each.
"Hey Sheppard, hey, Teyla!" Rodney yelled from across the room, "come and join us, there's plenty of food this morning!"
She flinched at the sheer volume of his voice and smiled at him indicating that they would be there in a moment.
A few minutes later when she and John had chosen their food, they walked over the team's favourite table overlooking the ocean and joined Rodney and Ronon.
"Good morning Rodney, Good morning Ronon, how are you both feeling this morning?"
"I'm good," Ronon replied, still stuffing pancakes in his mouth.
"My hypoglycaemia was acting up a bit this morning, but I am feeling much better now that I've had some breakfast," Rodney announced in between mouthfuls of food.
"Sure Rodney," John said rolling his eyes.
"Ah if it isn't the saviour of the Ngeran people," Rodney said his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Shut it McKay!" Ronon growled.
Teyla wasn't really in the mood for Rodney's teasing this morning and she sensed that John wasn't either. "Can you please stop teasing John, I do not think he is in the mood this morning."
"Really Sheppard, can't you answer for yourself? You have to get Teyla and Ronon to defend you, what have you lost your touch?"
Rodney's mocking was really beginning to annoy her, "Rodney!" She chastised, "please do not be so unkind."
"Again, why don't you answer Sheppard?"
Teyla looked at John and she could see the anger in his eyes, in fact, he looked as if he were going to storm out of the room at any moment.
"You know what McKay you're really not as smart as you think you are," John said, before standing and leaving the room.
She glared at him, before she spoke, hoping that he would realise that she wasn't happy," Rodney, you know he does not like being seen as a hero. He shot Viallso to protect Carson and Giall, he certainly did not do it for the accolades."
Rodney shrugged his shoulders, "I was just teasing him, surely he knows that."
"Perhaps you should go and apologise McKay," Ronon grumbled.
"I would leave him alone for a little while," Teyla suggested.
"Well in that case, I think I'll finish my pancakes first." Rodney told them stuffing another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.
Teyla sat back to finish her tea and noticed that John had hardly eaten any of his food, Carson was still worried about his weight, so she would take him something to eat before the negotiations began.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
John left the mess hall and headed straight to his secret hiding place in the lower levels of the city, he often went there when he wanted to be alone. He suspected that Teyla knew about it, but he really hoped that no one else did. The last person he wanted to see right now was Rodney, the man could be rude and obnoxious without even realising it and if he couldn't realise how he'd upset him, then McKay really had a problem.
He had discovered the hiding place in the first year that they were in Atlantis and he had spent many hours down here on his own. It was where he whiled away many hours after they had lost Ford and then again after he had turned into a bug.
Looking at his watch, he realised that he had to be at the gate in an hours' time, so he decided that he would sit here until ten minutes before they had to go through the gate for the negotiations.
Sitting back against the wall he reflected on what McKay had said, he was right that Ronon and Teyla seemed to be defending him a lot these days and although he appreciated them doing it, he didn't really need anyone to fight his battles.
He knew that he really needed to get it together before they went to New Ngering for the trade negotiations, because the Ngerans were going to idolise him no matter what he did or didn't do and he certainly didn't want to be rude to them, besides, Tiall had saved his life by shooting Liallso, so he owed him a lot.
A soft voice pervaded his thoughts, "John are you alright?"
Sighing he rubbed his eyes and turned to look at her, "yeah, I just get a bit sick or Rodney's selfishness sometimes, I don't like it when people put me on a pedestal, and I don't like being reminded of it when people do."
"I have brought you some breakfast," she told him and for the first time since she'd arrived, he noticed that she had a tray of food in her hands.
"I think I'll try and eat something, since it's going to be a long day."
She sat down next to him and passed him the tray, "You do realise that you are seen as a hero to many people throughout the galaxy."
"Yeah, and half the galaxy probably sees me as a villain, since I woke the wraith in the first place."
"I do not believe that is the truth, the wraith would have awoken with or without you, but by you coming to Atlantis you have given many people hope that the Wraith can be defeated."
"Yes, well I still don't appreciate the adulation that these people are giving me, and I certainly don't like Rodney being and idiot about it." He said beginning to feel uncomfortable with the conversation.
"I understand," she stated with a nod of her head, before continuing, "please eat your food so that we can get to the gate on time. I am sure that the Ngerans will not appreciate it if we are late, even if it is you who are running us late."
Nodding he began to attack the pancakes that she had brought for him and what was even more amazing was that she had brought a pot of hot coffee with her. He ate in silence until he was finished, "thank you for bringing the food for me. I really appreciated it and I know that Carson will be thankful that you are trying to fatten me up," he said using his trademark crooked grin.
"I am happy to help out, I would not want Carson to be upset with you, would I?" She said with a smirk.
Smiling at her he got to his feet and offered her his hand to help her up and she gladly accepted it.
"It's probably time we went and got ready for the mission, I only hope that we don't come across any of those huge spiders again, I've only just recovered from the last bite."
"We are taking a jumper, so I do not believe you have anything to worry about."
He took her hand and they headed off to the gear up together, if he had to take part in trade negotiations, there were two people that he wanted there beside him one of them was Teyla and the other was Elizabeth.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Rodney sat and ate his pancakes, totally oblivious to what was going on around him, he knew that Teyla had left to follow Sheppard, but he had absolutely no idea how long he'd been there or when Ronon had left.
Although he was just teasing Sheppard and having fun with his comments about John being the Messiah, he had no intention of upsetting him and he felt incredibly guilty about it. Perhaps he would catch up with him before he went off world for the trade negotiations. That would be the only chance he'd have before the banquet on New Ngering and he didn't want to eat his dinner knowing that Sheppard was in a bad mood with him.
Pushing his plate away, he stood up and headed to the gate room, hoping to catch Sheppard, before he climbed the stairs to the jumper bay. He had planned to take Sheppard to see the underground eco-system, on what was now New Ngering in two days' time, so he really hoped that he could patch things up with his friend before then. Elizabeth had already given him the go ahead and Ronon and Teyla had agreed to come with them as well. He had wondered whether they could stay overnight, but when he thought of the outcome of the last camping trip, he'd decided that it was a really bad idea.
He arrived outside the gateroom, just as Sheppard and Teyla were approaching, "hey Sheppard, I really want to talk to you before you leave."
"What do you want!?" John answered and Rodney knew that he wasn't happy with him.
"I want to apologise for the way I treated you this morning. I know that you don't like being treated like a hero and I'm sorry for mocking you about it."
"I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I don't have time to about it right now, so I'll catch up with you later." Sheppard said before he walked away,
He thought about following him and pressing the point, he really had no idea whether Sheppard had accepted his apology or not, as Sheppard was being enigmatic as usual.
Shrugging his shoulders, he turned around and headed to his lab, but before he got too far someone tapped him on his shoulder, he turned around to see that Teyla was staring at him.
"Please do not worry, John has forgiven you." She told him gently.
"Yeah, I know, but hadn't you better get to the jumper bay so that you don't miss the trade negotiations?"
"I will see you later Dr McKay, but please do not tell John that I spoke to you?"
Sighing he nodded his head, he certainly wasn't good at keeping secrets, he was having a hard enough time keeping Teyla and John's relationship secret, so how was he supposed to keep another one.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
John had a spring in his step and a smile on his face as he climbed the steps to the jumper bay, he had already forgiven Rodney for the way he'd carried on at breakfast, but he'd decided that he was going to make him sweat for a while.
It was only when he arrived in the jumper and sat down in the pilot's seat that he realised that Teyla wasn't with him, he was about to press his com to ask where she was, when she entered and sat down beside him. He decided not to say anything about it, since they were still waiting on Elizabeth, who, much to his relief arrived a few minutes later.
"John it is good to see you looking so well. Are you ready to go?"
Putting a fake smile on his face, he nodded, "okay let's get going and get this over with as quickly as possible?"
"I understand your reluctance Colonel, but the Ngerans are potential trading partners and close friends, so for today, you'll just need to be the Colonel Sheppard that these people want you to be and if that means being hero-worshipped, you'll just have to deal with it." She told him in a business-like tone.
That was a side of Elizabeth that he rarely saw these days and he didn't like it. He wasn't really complaining, and he was happy to go, all be it a little reluctantly, but he had no intention of being any trouble. "I understand Elizabeth and I have every intention of being professional and friendly."
"Well in that case, let's get going," Elizabeth replied with a smile.
He was happy when the tension that had been there between them disappeared, so he powered up the jumper and lowered it into the gateroom.
He was relieved when they finally went through the gate and arrived on New Ngering. He was still amazed at the beauty of the place. In the distance he could see the river snaking down from the snow-capped mountain peaks and the area surrounding them was thick with woodlands. The sky was blue, and the sun was shining, so it looked as if it was going to be a beautiful day. He remembered back to the first time he'd seen this planet and how taken he'd been with its beauty, but a lot had happened since then, so he needed to remember that despite its beauty it was still a dangerous world. Shuddering he remembered back to the giant bees that had stung him and the giant spider that had bitten him, he'd almost lost him arm because of that and he certainly didn't want to go through that again.
They flew over the wooded landscape for twenty minutes and they were silent for most of that time. He had no idea what Teyla and Elizabeth were thinking about, but he was trying to prepare himself for what was to come. Negotiations were not really his thing, so the only reason he was coming was because the Ngerans wanted him here and that was because he was a hero to these people. When Tiall and Ziall had visited him in his quarters not long after he had been released from the infirmary he had asked why and they had stated that he and Elizabeth were both leaders of the Lantean people, so they were both expected to be there. At the time he had just smiled in acceptance, but now he was really beginning regret it.
It wasn't long before they came upon the village. It had been deserted eight weeks ago, but now it was full of life, there were people planting gardens, children were playing in the streets and there was washing hanging on the line. He swore that he'd never come back to this planet, but here he was at the place where he had first met Tiall, the place where the alliance had begun.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Teyla exited the jumper and was amazed by what the Ngerans had achieved in a small amount of time, the houses were brightly coloured, and flowers lined the side of the streets. In the distance she could see that crops were being planted, but she could see that there were very few people in the fields, so she knew that was where the Athosians would come in. She would have to offer the help of her people to help plant the fields.
Before she had a chance to look further, Ziall, was greeting them, "Dr Weir, Ms Emmagan, Colonel Sheppard. It is good to see you again, please come this way and we can begin the negotiations right away."
"Yes, please follow us?" Tiall suggested with a gesture of his hands, "refreshments will be served shortly and then we can get underway."
"Lead the way," John said stepping forward and bowing towards both of the men.
Teyla followed John's lead and stepped towards the two men and bowed her head, "I am honoured to be here to represent the Athosian people in these negotiations."
"I'm honoured to be here as well," Elizabeth said stepping forward and bowing towards the two men.
The two men both nodded and headed towards a large building in the centre of town. She assumed that this was the council building. Taking one last look back at the village, she followed the men inside.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
John stood and stared at the building that Elizabeth and Teyla had just entered. This was the place where he had been held when Tiall had captured him and it brought back all sorts of bad memories. He knew that he had to go in, since it was expected of him to be at the negotiations, but he really didn't want to.
It wasn't long before Teyla came out looking for him, "John, we are ready and waiting for you. Is there something wrong?"
"This was the place that Tiall and the Ngerans held me after they had shot me. If Tiall hadn't had done the right thing, Liallso probably would have killed me." He sighed and rubbed his hand across face, before continuing, "I thought I was over what happened to me but being on this planet and being here in the village has brought up too many memories."
"I am sorry John, maybe you should go back to the jumper for a while and rest?"
"No, I need to do this, so if you just give me a minute, I will be in."
"Are you sure John?"
"Yeah, just go in, I promise I won't be long."
She nodded and went back inside, leaving him with his thoughts. He knew that he really needed to go in, because he would never be able to move on if he didn't. So, taking a deep breath he followed Teyla in and he was surprised to see that they had completely redecorated, and it looked nothing like the place where he had been held captive.
Walls had been knocked out and new ones had been put in and the whole building had been painted in a cheerful shade of red, accented with off-white. He was relieved when he very easily found to conference room.
"Colonel Sheppard, I am sorry for bringing you here, I had no idea how it would affect you?" Tiall apologised.
"Don't worry about it I'm fine now, so can we please get started?"
"Well believe it or not a lot of the agreement was worked out while you were in the infirmary John." Elizabeth informed him.
Furrowing his brow, he looked around at each person at the table, "then why am I here?"
Ziall stood to his feet and looked at him, with a huge smile, "we only wish for you to sign the agreement along with Dr Weir, because as far as we are concerned you are not only a great warrior, but a great leader as well."
"Well, I am honoured, but I can't sign anything if I don't know what's going on?"
"We will go through it now, for your benefit. There is a few last-minute details that have been added that Teyla needs to know about as well." Elizabeth stated, looking down at a stack of papers in front of her.
John was already feeling incredibly bored and weary, so the sooner they started the better, "let's get started then, shall we?"
Over the next two hours Ziall and Elizabeth went through the trade agreement with him and he was surprised at how long it took them to explain that Atlantis would be giving the Ngerans medical supplies and help with the planting of crops, in exchange for a portion of the Ngeran crops. The Athosians had also offered some help in the planting and harvesting of the crops. He was certainly glad that he wasn't invited to the negotiating table very often.
Finally, after all of the papers were signed Ziall stood up and announced that the banquet would be starting soon, so they should all head out to the meeting area in the middle the village.
Not a moment too soon, John thought as he stood to his feet, if I had to spend another minute in here, I would probably have to pull out my gun and kill someone.
Arriving in the centre of the village John was surprised to see that many people were already there, and it was obvious that they had already been drinking some kind of wine.
Rodney and Ronon were already there and they had a large glass of something in their hands. Rodney rushed up to greet him and although Ronon was walking slower, he arrived at exactly the same time.
"How were the negotiations?" Ronon asked with a smirk on his face.
He rolled his eyes, "It was more like talks to tell me what they had already decided while I was in the infirmary. I swear if I agree to ever go to one of those meetings again, please shoot me?"
"Better you than me, "Ronon mumbled.
"Hey Sheppard!" Rodney shouted trying to get his attention, "I'm so sorry for what happened this morning, I didn't mean to upset you. I should have known that you'd be sensitive about hero-worship on any kind."
He thought about making Rodney suffer for a bit longer, but then he needed all the friends he could get tonight, "don't worry McKay, all is forgiven. Now, tell me where I can get one of those interesting looking drinks?"
"I should warn you Sheppard, they're pretty potent, so if you don't want to drink and fly, I'd keep it to a minimum."
"What like you're doing McKay?"
"I'll have you know that Lorne is piloting the jumper tonight, so I can drink as much as I like."
"Careful you don't end up with a hangover then," Ronon smirked, before hitting him on the back.
John watched with amusement wondering what Rodney would do next, but before Rodney had a chance to reply Ziall stood up and spoke, "It is good that you could all make it today, dinner will be served shortly, so if everyone could make their way over to the tables."
He grabbed Rodney and led him towards the tables, there was a long table set up under a huge tree and there were small square tables set up in the area surrounding it. John and Rodney along with the rest of the Atlantis personnel were seated at the long table. Ziall sat at the centre of the table with John next to him on his left and Tiall on his right. Next to John sat Teyla, next to Teyla sat Rodney and on the end sat Ronon. Next to Tiall sat Elizabeth, next to Elizabeth sat Giall and on the end of the table sat Carson.
On the tables in front of them was a great variety of foods including fruits and vegetables, meats, homemade bread, and large quantities of wine. John had to wonder where the food had come from, since they Ngerans had only been on this planet for a short period of time.
Before he had a chance to think about it farther, Ziall stood up to make a speech, "fellow Ngerans, it is my honour to have the people of Atlantis here today. On my left is a mighty warrior and a man who set into motion a series of events that has led to the safe relocation of our people. Today he is out guest of honour, so I'd like to introduce you to Lt Colonel John Sheppard, the military leader of Atlantis."
The crowd erupted into applause and he felt incredibly embarrassed, he was still convinced that he had nothing to do with the rescue and safety of the Ngeran people, but these people weren't going to be told, so he would just have to put up with it.
Once the applause had died down, Ziall spoke again, "sitting next to Colonel Sheppard, are the brave members of his team, Teyla Emmagan from Athos, Dr Rodney McKay and Ronon Dex. On Tiall's right is Dr Elizabeth Weir, the leader of Atlantis and one of the wisest people I have ever met and along side of Giall is their healer Dr Carson Beckett, who is one of the greatest healers I have ever known."
The crowd erupted into applause again, when they had quietened down a little Tiall continued, "We are here today to celebrate with our new allies and friends and to thank them for all they have done for us so far," he stood up with a glass in his hand before continuing," I would like to raise a glass to our new friends, may our alliance and friendship, be long and beneficial to both out peoples."
Once everyone had raised their glasses and drank, Ziall announced in a loud booming voice, "let the feast begin."
John took a drink of the wine in his glass and almost spat it out, because it was so strong, he knew that he shouldn't drink too much of it, but the Ngerans had offered to let them stay the night if they needed too.
For the rest of the evening countless Ngerans came up to him to thank him for all that he had done for their people and all he could do was nod and smile. Despite the fact that he'd drunk a couple of glasses of wine, it was nowhere near enough to hide his embarrassment. He was thankful for the fact that Teyla had spent most of the evening with him smiling and nodding politely every time someone spoke.
The feast went long into the night and by the end of it, John was almost asleep, not bad for my first day back on active duty, he thought as his eyelids began to droop.
A loud voice pervaded his consciousness, bringing him back to awareness, "are you ready to go home Sheppard and more to the point are you going to be able to fly?"
"Yes McKay, I'm ready to leave and I'm certainly able to fly."
It was officially the end of the feast, so Ziall stood up and spoke to them all, "farewell my friends I look forward to seeing you all again in the near future."
John was relieved that it was finally over, it had been a long day, but despite the fact that he had been the centre of attention, he had enjoyed himself. Looking over at Teyla he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her by his side and then there was Ronon and Rodney his two best friends. In two days' time, he was heading off-world with them again to explore the underground eco-system that they had found and although he was still a little apprehensive about it, at least his entire team would be with him.
Walking back to the puddle jumper he decided that he was the luckiest man alive and he couldn't be happier.
TBC…
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