Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but Kedawen. Caine B owns herself and all that.
Work In Progress
Ch. 4
(February 8)
Carson looked around at the camp of farmers and hunters and sighed, politely refusing yet another herbal tea that his hostess was offering him.
"No, thank ye." he said, and the woman smiled cheerfully, though he suspected that she was going to go into the kitchen yet again to worry about the wisdom of her choice of tea. Teyla watched this occur for the seventh time and went into the kitchen after the elderly woman to explain why Carson was not drinking her teas.
Sheppard and McKay had gone to obtain permission from the council of elders so that Carson could perform his purely observational tests without being sentenced to death every five minutes. Sheppard didn't seem to mind the sentencing, but McKay found it distracting and bugged the Major into the ordeal.
Aidan had gone fruit picking with the hostess's daughter. Carson, having met the girl, suspected that what she had on her mind had little to do with apples or pears, but also suspected that Aidan knew nothing of this ulterior motive.
They had been right, of course, the village was bigger than any of the ones they'd come across so far. The people were happy, and seemed not to fear the imminent threat that the Wraith posed.
"Hey, we're back." Sheppard announced, and Carson looked up at him. "We got permission to study, but if we start to frighten the villagers, we have to leave."
"Yes, so no needles, it reminds them of the wraith."
"Charming." Carson replied, and gathered his kit. The woman came back out of the kitchen, sans tea, and smiled sadly at Carson, who looked at Teyla and then smiled back. "Thank ye for yeh're hospitali'y." he said, and she nodded. Teyla gave him an apologetic shrug and they all walked out together.
"Hey, where's Ford?" asked McKay. Carson smirked.
"Lealla dragged him ou' t' the orchards t' pick some apples and pears." he said. McKay thought about this for a moment and then turned back to the doctor.
"It's not the right season for that." he said, as right about then Lieutenant Aidan Ford came running back towards them, looking extremely pale for someone with dark skin.
"Major Sheppard!" he called, as he approached. They all looked his way and a look of amusement crossed their faces when they saw that he looked really worried about something. "Major Sheppard she's after me." he gasped, out of breath.
"Who?"
"Lealla!"
Even Carson had to laugh, as around the corner came Lealla and Aidan flinched, seeing the affectionate look in her eyes as she glanced his way.
"You've gotta help me, sir." begged the young lieutenant.
"Relax, Lieutenant, just stick with McKay and Beckett, you should be safe with them."
Carson spent the rest of the day with both Rodney and Aidan buzzing in his ear as he collected samples from the young children first and then moved on to the older villagers. They were all very much alike. They all had green eyes and white hair, which helped them to blend into their very strange trees of the same colors.
"Alright, thank ye. Would you send in the next person?" asked Carson as he finished collecting tissue, hair, and a blood sample from the twenty-five year old blacksmith. He tucked the samples away and reached for fresh tools as the next person sat down on the stool in front of him.
When he turned to examine her, he stopped, and knew immediately that she wasn't the same species as the rest of the villagers.
For one thing, her hair was brown, as were her eyes. And while the Edajh carried no weapons except while defending from the Wraith, the woman before him had attached to herself a bow and a quiver of arrows, as well as a hunting knife and a small firearm in a makeshift holster. The firearm, definitely out of place, had probably been picked up on another planet. She'd probably found it after a Wraith attack, because although she was most definitely not a Wraith, her weapon most definitely was.
Carson hesitated and then looked at his friends, who were just as disturbed as he was, and then looked back at the woman.
"Good mornin'." he said, cautiously, and she nodded in return. He took a moment to study her before getting to work. She was covered in scars it seemed, some from battle with the Wraith, it looked like, but some were stranger than others. They were circular, and seemed mostly to be located around her heart, as if something had tried to kill her with a harpoon and missed a couple times. The one scar that stood out was the one on her side, that consisted of a large, elliptical scar with five other, smaller ones branching out from it.
Like a hand print.
Carson looked at her in confused awe.
"Wha's yer name, lass?" he asked, and she lifted her chin, straightening up proudly.
"I am Caine Koro." she said, with great dignity. "And you think the truth, I am not of this world. I am of the Xenosia."