"What's the real reason you decided to stay here?" McKay asked as Sheppard and Teyla left the village.
"What?" Ronon asked with a glower at McKay.
McKay shook off Marta's helping hand on his arm and limped over to Ronon's side. "I know it wasn't out of any real concern for my safety," McKay said. "The Wraith are gone. The people here aren't a threat." He studied Ronon for a few seconds, then snapped his fingers several times. "You're thinking about staying here. Aren't you?"
Ronon turned his back on McKay and crossed his arms over his chest.
"No one would blame you, you know," McKay said. "If you wanted to stay, that is."
Ronon felt his shoulders tense and scowled at the nearby lake.
"You found something you thought you'd lost," McKay continued, and Ronon clenched his hands.
"Be a shame, though," McKay added, and Ronon felt his frustration rising.
Did he ever stop talking? Ronon wondered and tried to ignore McKay's chatter.
"You made a place for yourself in, umm, with us." McKay paused, and Ronon looked over his shoulder. "You'll, umm, be missed." McKay glanced up at him, and Ronon saw the rare sincerity in his expression.
McKay stared at him for a moment longer, then turned, picked up the discarded stunner, and followed Marta toward a small cottage under the eave of the trees.
Ronon watched him leave and shook his head. When he had first met McKay, hanging upside down in a tree after getting caught in an ankle trap, Ronon hadn't thought much of him. In his mind, McKay was of little use to an off-world team and as much a danger to himself as any Wraith they might encounter. A year later, Ronon had come to realise McKay wasn't completely useless, but he was still unsure how to deal with McKay one-on-one.
He knew McKay hadn't had much good to say about him after that first meeting, either. And even after working together for a year, he suspected McKay was still a little afraid of him.
But McKay had made an effort to say something, Ronon reminded himself. Again.
"Sheppard doesn't want you to stay out of some misguided idea of guilt or some debt you think you owe him. He wants you to stay because we need your help. And I think you could use ours."
Ronon thought back to that day, standing on a balcony soon after Sheppard had rescued both of them from one of the city's towers. The images of the destruction of Sateda had still been fresh in his mind. He'd been staring out at the wide expanse of water, wondering what he should do next, when McKay had found him and had tried in his awkward way to convince Ronon to stay in the city. Ronon watched the breeze ripple the water on the lake as other memories assaulted him.
Sheppard offering him a home and giving him an outlet for his anger and desire for vengeance.
Teyla sitting in a cave after Ronon had captured her, speaking kindly to him and calmly promising they would help him as they waited for Sheppard to return.
Beckett's compassion in removing the tracking device and his willingness to listen whenever Ronon wanted someone to talk to.
McKay nearly dying from an overdose of Wraith enzyme he willingly took to try and save the rest of them from Ford's crazy plan to attack a Wraith hive ship.
As he watched the afternoon sunlight bouncing off the lake, Ronon realised there was no decision to make now. He had made his choice months ago, staring out at the vast ocean surrounding the Ancestor's city.
Ronon turned back to the village and watched the men and women sifting through the rubble.
He was grateful that he had found his people. Grateful that they had survived a second attack by the Wraith. And if McKay was right, which he usually was, Ronon admitted to himself, his people would always be safe once McKay fixed the cloaking emitters. But this village wasn't his home.
He blew out a breath and felt the tension in his shoulders ease. Can still help out, though, he told himself and wandered over to two men standing next to one of the destroyed buildings.
"I think most of the stone is salvageable," one man said to the other as Ronon stopped next to them.
The man nodded to Ronon and held out his hand. "Willem," he said. He bobbed his head at the other man and added, "This is Kelg."
"Ronon Dex," Ronon replied and grasped Willem's forearm.
"Good to meet you officially, Ronon," Willem said with a smile. "And thank you. For bringing the kids home and for getting the rest of us out of the tunnels."
"It wasn't just me," Ronon replied.
Willem studied him for a moment, then nodded and changed the subject. "We were working out the best way to clear the rubble so we can start rebuilding."
Ronon glanced over the village. "How much did you lose?"
"We were lucky," Willem replied. "Most of the houses are still standing," he pointed to the cottages on the outskirts of the village, "and we have enough food stored in the tunnels to last several weeks."
"There won't be much of a harvest this year," Kelg said, jerking his chin toward the burnt fields. "If we can get the fields cleared fast enough, there should be enough time to get a second crop planted, and there are deer in the forest. We won't starve, but we won't have anything left over for trade. The winter is going to be hard."
"We've survived worse," Willem told him.
Kelg glanced at the remains of the memorial column and blew out a breath. "Yeah, we have," he agreed.
Ronon felt a stab of guilt in his chest at the reminder of what these people had suffered, thanks to the Wraith, not to mention the failures of the Satedan government and military to protect them.
They stood in silence for several seconds until Kelg scrubbed a hand over his face. "Even with the houses still standing, the square is a complete loss. It will take weeks to clear all of this before we can start to rebuild, and the season is moving on. Between this," he waved a hand at the rubble, "and the fields, we aren't going to get much rebuilt before winter."
"Set up a human chain," Ronon suggested. "Pass the stone from one person to the next. It'll make clearing out the rubble faster."
"Not a bad idea," Willem agreed. "We'll move the salvageable stone," he turned in a circle, "there." He pointed to the open area between the village and the fields. "Everything else, we'll grind into fresh mortar for rebuilding."
Kelg nodded. "I'll inform Orlin and pass the word for volunteers."
Ronon picked up a squared block of stone with a grunt. "No reason to wait," he said and carried the stone across the square to the edge of the field.
Willem picked up another block and followed him.
It wasn't long before more men and women arrived, forming a line from the square to the fields, and Ronon felt a sense of pride swell in his chest as the villagers took their places and passed the stone blocks from one person to the next.
This is what made Sateda great, Ronon told himself. Not the planet. Not the cities the Wraith had destroyed. But the people. His people.
Ronon glanced up and down the line and saw Orlin watching him across the square. They stared at each other for a moment before Ronon quickly looked away. He caught movement from the corner of his eye and frowned when he saw McKay limping toward him.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ronon asked as McKay squeezed into a spot not far from the head of the line.
"Helping," McKay replied, taking the block of stone one of the villagers passed to him with a grunt.
Ronon shook his head and turned to the pile of rubble. Sheppard probably wouldn't be happy, he thought to himself as he picked up one of the stone blocks, but it was McKay's decision. If he wanted to help, Ronon wasn't going to stop him.
An hour later, Ronon was revising his thinking when he heard McKay groaning every time Kelg handed him a block of stone. "Take a break," Ronon suggested.
McKay shook his head and passed the stone to the next person in line.
By the time the sun set, the corner of the square where the pub had been was mostly cleared. To Ronon's surprise, most of the stone blocks were more or less intact. The pub might be a little smaller once it was rebuilt, Ronon thought to himself as he stretched his back, but there would be little need to quarry fresh stone.
He followed the rest of the villagers to a flat space under the trees where Tanis had set up an outdoor kitchen fashioned from the items he had saved from the wreckage of the pub. Ronon accepted a plate of roasted meat and cooked vegetables from one of the children and a mug of beer from one of the women and walked over to McKay, seated at one of the salvaged tables.
Ronon noted the pain lines across McKay's forehead and the tired slump of his shoulders as he sat staring at the lake.
You tried getting him to stop, Ronon reminded himself.
"Hey," Ronon said, sitting next to McKay.
McKay jumped, dropped the fork in his hand, and blinked several times before focusing on Ronon.
"Umm, what?" McKay asked and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You all right?" Ronon asked.
"Oh, umm, fine." McKay picked up the fork and poked at the vegetables on his plate.
Ronon studied McKay for a moment, then started eating.
"Dinner's getting cold," he said, picking up his mug as McKay continued to stare at the food on his plate.
"Hmm?" McKay muttered and glanced at Ronon with a dazed expression.
Ronon frowned. "Eat," he ordered, nudging McKay's plate.
McKay glanced at the plate in front of him as if surprised it was there. "Oh," he replied and ate a few of the vegetables he'd been idly molesting.
McKay ate half of the meat and vegetables, then pushed his plate away and stood, grabbing the table for balance when his knee refused to hold his weight.
"I'm going to bed," he muttered, rubbing his head. "I'll, umm, I'll see you tomorrow."
Ronon watched him limp back to Marta's cottage, then dumped the rest of McKay's dinner on his plate and continued eating.
He had finished eating and was nursing his beer when Orlin walked over to his table and stood behind McKay's vacant chair.
"Ronon," Orlin said. His neutral, almost considerate tone surprised Ronon. "How is your friend?" he asked with a nod in the direction of Marta's cottage.
"He'll be fine," Ronon grunted in reply. He picked up the mug and finished his beer.
Orlin nodded and shifted his grip on the walking stick. "I wanted to …" He stopped speaking, and Ronon noticed Orlin's white-knuckle hold on the walking stick.
Now what? Ronon wondered and braced himself for another tirade.
"I wanted to say … thank you. To your friend. And to you. For your help this afternoon."
Ronon stared at Orlin, for once unable to hide his surprised expression.
"Perhaps … Perhaps I was wrong about a few things." Orlin studied Ronon for a moment, then turned on his heel and left without another word or a backward glance.
Ronon stared at Orlin's retreating back, not quite believing what he had heard. He waited until Orlin disappeared inside another of the cottages, then stood, carried his dirty dishes and McKay's over to a bucket for washing, and headed toward Marta's cottage.
He entered the cottage and saw Marta bent in front of the fire, reaching for a kettle. She looked up and smiled at Ronon. "I am making tea," she said, picking up the kettle. "Would you like some?"
Ronon shook his head.
Marta poured the water from the kettle into a ceramic pot, and Ronon smelt the spicy aroma of the tea as it steeped. She waited a few minutes, then poured tea into a waiting cup and sat in the chair next to the fire.
"Sit with me," Marta said with a smile and nodded to the chair on the other side of the fire. "The boys and Doctor Rodney are asleep. It's just the two of us," she added with a sideways glance at Ronon. "If you wanted to talk about anything." She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and added, "Staying here with us, for instance."
"Don't think I plan to stay," Ronon told her.
Marta pursed her lips. "If it's because of Orlin -"
Ronon shook his head. "Someone has to stand up to the Wraith."
"And you believe that person must be you?"
Ronon shrugged but said nothing.
Marta studied him for a moment over the rim of her teacup. "Those of you who served with honor aren't to blame for what the Wraith did to Sateda, you know," she told him. "They were determined to destroy the planet. There's nothing you could have done to stop that."
Ronon crossed his arms over his chest and refused to meet Marta's eye. He knew Marta was right. With the size of the force the Wraith used during their attack on Sateda, there had been little hope the military could do much other than delay the inevitable. He had known that. Most of the men in his unit had known that. It was one reason he had begged Melena to leave. The only thing the military had left was to hold off the Wraith long enough to allow the civilians to escape.
How many more could have been saved if Kell … Ronon hid his hands in his arms and clenched his fists.
Marta set her teacup on the small table beside the chair and sighed.
"You must be tired," she said, breaking the awkward silence. "I've made a bed for you in Doctor Rodney's room." She nodded to the door on the left side of the room.
"Thanks," Ronon replied and turned toward the closed door. "Umm, good night."
"Sleep well, Ronon Dex," Marta replied.
Ronon entered the bedroom, closed the door behind him, and found McKay softly snoring in the bed against the wall. The Wraith stunner lay on a table under the window, and the walking stick Sheppard had found leant against the wall next to McKay's bed.
Ronon sat on the bed against the opposite wall, pulled off his boots, and dropped them on the floor. McKay didn't react to the noise, and Ronon shook his head as he unbuckled his holster, stashed the holster and gun under his bed, then laid down and stared up at the ceiling. He gave passing thought to staying awake, standing watch in case anyone else tried to attack the village, but after a day of hiking and clearing rubble, his body had other ideas.
His eyes drifted closed a few minutes later.
Ronon woke the next morning, sat on the edge of the bed, pulled on his boots, and had a nagging feeling at the back of his skull that something was wrong. He looked around the room, trying to put his finger on what was out of place. The Wraith stun weapon was still on the table, and McKay was still asleep in the other bed.
So what … Ronon stared at the empty space between McKay's bed and the table and felt a jolt in his stomach when he realised the walking stick was missing.
"Someone was in here," he growled to himself, checking under McKay's bed just to make sure the stick hadn't fallen during the night and rolled under the bed. "Someone was in here, and you didn't know it." Ronon picked up the stunner and glanced at the closed door to the room. "Why take a stick but leave the weapon?"
He crept over to the door, cracked it open, and listened for any sounds that the thief was still in the house. He heard the clink of a spoon against a bowl and smelt the spicy scent of Marta's tea, but he didn't hear any sounds of an intruder still in the house.
Ronon set the stun rifle back on the table, strapped on his holster, and after a quick check of the power cell for the particle weapon, picked up his leather duster and walked out of the room.
"Good morning," Marta greeted from where she sat at a wooden table in the corner of the main room.
Ronon nodded and surveyed the rest of the cottage while he pulled on the duster.
"If you are looking for Liam and Coby, they left a few hours ago. There is an errand I needed them to take care of for me," Marta said and stood. "I kept breakfast for you and Doctor Rodney." She handed him a bowl. "There is porridge in the pot over the fire."
Ronon took the bowl and ladled a portion of the hot grain mash into the bowl.
"Did you sleep well?" Marta asked, handing Ronon a mug of tea.
"Too well," he muttered, spooning some of the porridge into his mouth.
Marta frowned. "I am confused."
"Someone was in our room," Ronon explained. "Didn't realise it."
"I'm sorry," Marta replied. "That was me. I was checking on you both after the boys left this morning."
Ronon quirked a questioning eyebrow. "Why?"
"A mother's habit, I suppose." Marta glanced out the window next to the table.
Ronon checked the window and saw Willem and the rest of the villagers working to clear away the rubble of another of the destroyed buildings. "You took the stick?" he asked and scooped up another spoonful of porridge.
Marta nodded. "I did." She sat in the chair across from Ronon, sipped from her mug, and glanced at the closed door to McKay's room. "You will be leaving us soon, yes? Returning to your world?"
Ronon shrugged. "Probably."
"I wanted to give Po as much time as possible to finish carving the walking stick before Doctor Rodney left," Marta finished.
Ronon thought about Orlin's stick with the Wraith bones tied to the cap. "You're giving it to him as a tribute?"
"Yes," Marta replied. "He saved Liam and the other children from the Wraith. It will remind him of our appreciation for what he did for us."
Ronon remembered McKay's reaction after the Wraith attack on Drellim and wondered if McKay would see it the same way. Need to warn Sheppard, Ronon decided. He could decide the best way to let McKay know about Marta's plan.
Ronon finished his breakfast and stood. "Sheppard will be back soon. I'm going to go help Willem and the others. Thank you. For the meal."
Marta nodded and took his bowl. "I will make sure no one disturbs Doctor Rodney."
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
"Good morning, Colonel," Teyla greeted as she entered the jumper.
"Teyla," John replied and finished the last preflight checks.
"Are you certain it is wise to return to Haven in a jumper?" Teyla asked as she sat in the co-pilot's seat. "The ship's appearance will raise questions."
John shrugged and pressed the tile to close the rear hatch. "It's a long walk back to the village," he replied. "Besides, we both know Rodney is going to want to see that control room in Kiroma. It's a six-hour hike without a banged up knee, and I've already done it twice. Flying is faster."
"And will not make Rodney's knee worse," Teyla added.
"That too," John replied with a crooked smile. "Besides, thanks to Michael, the Wraith know we're still here. I talked to Elizabeth, and she agreed there wasn't much point in trying to keep the city a secret any longer. The Genii already know the truth, may as well let the rest of the galaxy know we're still here."
'I agree," Teyla said. "It has become a burden not telling our allies the truth."
"Yeah," John said and pressed the tile to activate the radio. "Jumper Two to Control."
"Go ahead, Jumper Two," Chuck replied.
"We're ready to go."
"Copy that, Colonel. You are cleared for launch."
"Good luck, Colonel," Weir added over the open channel. "Contact us once Rodney has a better idea of the state of the cloaking emitters on the planet."
"Roger that," John replied.
He closed the radio channel and dialled the address for Haven on the mini-DHD. A moment later, the jumper lifted off and dropped down into the gateroom. John waved to Elizabeth, standing at the railing in front of the control console as the ship slowly turned then launched through the active 'gate.
It was mid-morning on the planet, and the fog still clung to the trees and low areas near the stream. John pulled back on the control sticks, and the jumper flew above the last of the fog and into the morning sunlight.
"That is smoke," Teyla said a few minutes later and pointed to the wispy column off to their right.
"Yeah, I think you're right," John replied. "Let's check it out."
The horizon arced in a smooth curve as the jumper changed direction, and John heard Teyla's soft hiss as they cleared the trees and looked down on the destruction.
"It was another village," Teyla said. "It does not appear as though any of the villagers survived."
John heard the sorrow in her tone as he circled what remained of the village. The HUD popped up on the windscreen, and John pursed his lips when he didn't see any movement in the area or any life signs on the heads-up display.
"I think you're right," he said.
He made a last pass over the village, then altered course and aimed the jumper for the Satedan village.
They flew over two more villages, and John was relieved to see people scatter back into the cover of the trees as they flew over. At least there are some survivors, he told himself as the hills came into view in the distance.
"The cullings are becoming more severe," Teyla said, her tone a mix of sadness and anger.
"Once McKay gets the cloaking emitters fixed, these people, at least, will be safe," John said with a glance at Teyla.
Teyla blew out a breath and nodded. "I hope you are correct, Colonel."
They flew over the Satedan village a few minutes later, and John gave a low whistle as he looked down on the hive of activity in the village. "Looks like Ronon and the villagers have been busy while we were gone."
Teyla glanced out the window and smiled. "And Rodney is assisting by supervising." She pointed out the windscreen, and John saw Rodney sitting on the edge of the plinth, talking to the three men in front of him, pointing first at the debris pile behind the men and then at the nearby fields.
John circled the square and dipped the nose of the jumper when Rodney waved at him. He landed the jumper near the lake, powered down the shuttle, and met Ronon at the end of the ramp.
"Sheppard," Ronon said.
"Ronon," John replied as Teyla stepped off the ramp. "Anything interesting happen while we were gone?"
John saw Ronon's shoulders twitch even as Dex glanced at him and shook his head.
John's eyes narrowed at the reaction. Here it comes, he thought to himself.
"We saw the progress you have made so far in cleaning up after the attack," Teyla said with a glance at the village.
Ronon nodded. "Willem thinks most of the stone blocks can be salvaged. It will make things easier to rebuild."
"We also saw Rodney assisting," Teyla added with a smile, and Ronon rolled his eyes. "Where is Rodney?" Teyla asked with another glance at the village. "Is his knee worse?"
"Doesn't seem to be," Ronon replied. He paused and gave John another sideways glance.
"What?" John asked. "I know Rodney is fine," he tapped his head, "so what's with the funny looks?"
Ronon refused to meet John's eye. Instead, he took a step back and stared at the lake. "There's an old Satedan tradition, presenting tokens to recognise acts of heroism or sacrifice."
"Like Orlin's walking stick?" Teyla asked.
Ronon glanced at her. "He told you what happened?"
Teyla nodded. "While we were waiting in the tunnels. He and some others were defending a town from the Wraith attack on Sateda. A Wraith dart set fire to a building where several women and children were hiding." Teyla paused and rubbed her arms. "He could only save a few of the people trapped by the flames."
"That explains the burns," John said, and Teyla nodded.
"Yes."
John turned to Ronon. "Okay, so what's the problem?"
"Marta took the stick you gave McKay yesterday," Ronon replied. "She asked one of the old men to carve it with something. She plans to give it to McKay before we leave."
"Rodney did save the lives of her sons," Teyla said. "It is unsurprising that she would wish to give him something in thanks."
"Yeah, but we know how well McKay handles these kinds of things," John said. He scanned the village and saw Rodney sitting on the edge of the empty plinth, watching them.
"Did you say anything to Rodney about this?" John asked.
Ronon shook his head. "Thought it would be better coming from you."
"Gee, thanks," John said with a grimace, and Ronon grinned.
They walked into the village a few minutes later, and Rodney climbed to his feet when he saw them.
"About time," Rodney greeted. "What were you three talking about that couldn't wait until you got back here?"
John rolled his eyes at the blunt greeting. "Hello to you too, Rodney." He gave Rodney a quick once over and asked, "How's the knee?"
"It aches," Rodney replied with a grunt. "And my back and shoulders will never be the same."
"Your own fault," Ronon said.
"You were helping." Rodney scowled at Ronon. "Thought I should too."
John glanced from Ronon to Rodney and wondered what else had happened while he was gone. "Why -" He started to ask and stopped when Orlin walked over to them.
"Colonel Sheppard," Orlin greeted and nodded to Teyla. "You're just full of surprises, I see," he added with a nod at the jumper. "Can I assume this means the Ancestor's city isn't so lost after all?"
"I wanted to tell you," Teyla said, but Orlin raised a hand, stopping her.
"It's all right," he told her. "I served in the Satedan army for more than half my life. I understand the necessity of keeping secrets."
"Still," John said, "We thought it was time to tell you the truth."
"I thank you for your faith in me and my people, Colonel," Orlin said. He glanced at each of them and added, "So what will you do now? Return to the Ancestors' city?"
"Eventually," John replied. "First, we need to go back to Kiroma and talk to Tiernan."
Orlin shook his head. "I'm not sure why you'd want to do that. The Kiromans may be fair in their trades, but with few exceptions, they always act as though they are doing us a great favor by deigning to negotiate."
"So I've heard," John said with a smile. "But we think there are cloaking emitters like the one McKay found not that far from here scattered all over the planet. Tiernan and the Kiromans are the key to getting them working." John stared at the ruined buildings in the square. "If we can fix the emitters, we can hopefully prevent the Wraith from ever attacking you again."
"Of course, when he says 'we', he means me," Rodney grumbled and turned toward the cottage under the trees.
"Where are you going?" John asked. "The jumper's that way." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder.
"I need my backpack. It has my computer and tools," Rodney replied and limped back to the cottage.
Rodney returned a few minutes later with the pack slung over one shoulder.
"Ready?" John asked, and Rodney nodded.
Rodney headed for the jumper with Teyla beside him. John started to follow them but stopped when he realised Ronon hadn't moved. "Are you coming?" he asked and tried to keep his tone as neutral as possible.
"Not much use fixing things," Ronon replied with a shrug. "I'll stay here and help them." He jerked his chin toward the group sorting through the rubble from one of the buildings.
John grimaced and turned to Orlin, "Assuming all goes well, we should be back in a few hours."
"Good luck," Orlin replied.
John watched Ronon walk back to the village, then turned and followed Rodney and Teyla.