Zelenka and Kavanagh plodded along. They were in a long line of other men, chained together in a row, slogging through the jungle. Their jailor called for a break and all the men collapsed onto the ground. Kavanagh leaned away from the sweaty stranger on his right as much as possible but everyone had to sit fairly close together so there was enough slack in their chains for movement. Canteens were passed down the row, each man taking a long swallow before passing it to the next. Kavanagh looked disgustedly at the canteen rim before passing it along to Zelenka without drinking. Zelenka, too thirsty to be fastidious, shrugged and took a long swig before passing it to the next man.

Hairy armpit guy intervened; snatching the canteen and holding it back out to Kavanagh.

"Drink."

"I'm not thirsty," he said, looking away in dismissal.

The huge man leaned down so that his tiny close-set eyes were even with Kavanagh's.

"Drink!"

"Did you ever hear of soap and water? It's a new invention," sneered the long-haired scientist.

Zelenka watched helplessly as armpit guy grabbed Kavanagh by the hair, forced his head back and poured the entire canteen into his mouth. Kavanagh gasped, coughed, sputtered and choked. In the end, it was unclear how much he had actually drunk; but it seemed to satisfy their jailor for the moment.

"You should not antagonize him," said Zelenka quietly once the large man had walked out of earshot.

"The water's drugged."

"I know, but we need to stay hydrated if we are to survive." He indicated the thick jungle growth around them. "Even if we could escape, I do not know my way back to the Stargate, do you?"

"I'm sure I could find it."

"No doubt," agreed the Czech, "However, there is still the small matter of being shackled and the guards. Speaking of the devil…" he stopped talking, having seen that one of the guards was now walking back down the line of prisoners in their direction. A short time later they were jerked to their feet to continue their trek through the jungle.

xxxxxxxxxx

Teyla rejoined the men. "I believe I have found out what has happened to our missing men," she said, pulling them out of the press of people and into a fairly deserted area along side an empty booth. "Men here are also a commodity."

"Excuse me?" asked Stackhouse.

"There is a nearby tribe of warrior women who barter for men."

"What, like slave labor?" asked Ford.

"Sometimes as labor, sometimes for other things." She looked uncomfortable.

"What does that mean?" asked Sheppard.

"The leader is said to keep a harem of men for the entertainment of her court."

McKay began to laugh, "You're kidding, right?" Teyla shook her head at him. "Kavanagh must think he's died and gone to heaven."

"They're no Ali or Tyson, but I can't see them going without a fight," said Ford, worriedly. He knew chances were they would have been on the losing end of any confrontation, especially against experienced opponents.

"Most likely they were drugged, Aiden," said Teyla, reassuring him. "The woman I spoke with said they often use a drug derived from mushrooms to keep the men compliant. They are worth much less if injured."

Ford pursed his lips in disapproval but he knew the Athosian had a point and it did make him feel a little better to know that being a commodity might protect the scientists, at least for a little while.

"Alright. Halling and the rest of team return to Atlantis," said Sheppard. He held up a hand as they began to object. "Fill Weir in and let her know we're continuing the search and then get some rest. If we don't have any leads by tomorrow afternoon, we'll need you fresh so you can rejoin the search." Stackhouse reluctantly agreed with his logic.

xxxxxxxxxx

"That one is pretty but has a sour look about him," said the vizor, absent-mindedly slapping the baton against the outside of her thigh.

"Hmmm, you've always liked long hair," said Queen Gwledig. "What of that one, Hailea?" she asked, pointing to Zelenka. "He seems an odd choice."

"It is rumored he has mechanical ability, my liege."

"Really? Excellent! The generator will not last much longer without proper repairs," said Gwledig. "Very well," she raised her voice for the slavemaster's benefit. "We'll take those three," she said, pointing to several muscular men, "as well as those two," she said, pointing to Kavanagh and Zelenka. "See the treasurer for your payment."

"What?" exclaimed Kavanagh. "You can't do that!"

"Quiet, you," snapped the slavemaster, absently backhanding Kavanagh across the mouth. The outburst had not gone unnoticed. As Gwledig and her vizor approached, the slavemaster took a step back, bowing respectfully. Kavanagh stared at them in defiance, wiping blood from his lip with the back of his hand.

"What did you say?" asked the Queen in a dangerous tone.

"You can't buy me!"

Hailea viciously smacked the backs of Kavanagh's legs with her baton, causing him to fall to his knees. "You will address your new owner as 'mistress' or 'my Queen' is that understood?"

"Bitch!" he gasped.

That earned him several sharp smacks from both the slavemaster's whip and the vizor's baton. When they were done, Kavanagh was on his hands and knees, wheezing in pain but wisely saying nothing more. Gwledig took a few paces to the left to stand in front of Zelenka who prudently kept his eyes lowered.

"He is from the same tribe?" she asked.

"Yes, my Queen," answered the slavemaster. He grabbed Kavanagh by the throat and tucked him under a huge hairy armpit, dragging away the struggling pony-tailed scientist without a second thought.

She eyed Zelenka speculatively. "We have a generator that is broken. I need someone with ability to fix it. Is it true that that you are one with such skills?"

Radek had spent enough time behind the iron curtain to learn when to keep his head down and make the best of things. Antagonizing this woman would only make things worse, not better. He hesitated only a second. "Yes, mistress."

"He at least seems trainable," remarked Gwledig in approval.