Mitchell frowned.

"Dead?"

"When?" McKay asked, immediately after her. His voice sounded sick.

"They vanished into the forest," the man said, gesturing towards wooded area off to their right, behind the now deactivated Stargate. "They have not been heard of since."

"So you don't know that they're dead…" Mitchell said, feeling a surge of relief.

"They did not return."

"Which doesn't mean they're dead."

"Those who enter the forest lately are not seen alive again."

"Lately?" Rodney repeated.

"When did they vanish?" Mitchell asked, shifting her staff weapon into a less menacing position. "More importantly, what did they go in there for?"

The man looked at her intently for a long moment, and then made a slight gesture that might have been a shrug.

"You should speak with the council."

"I asked you," she replied, getting a little annoyed. "It wasn't a complicated question."

"The council will want to speak with you."

Why is it all these planets have councils?

It's an efficient form of government, Talon replied. Just go with the guy and see what they have to say – and have McKay start trying to track the away team while you're waiting

Good plan.

Of course it is

Melony didn't bother to answer that. Instead she nodded. It was what she would have done anyways. Let him think it was a brilliant idea.

"Fine. Take us to the council, then."

"You must relinquish your weapons."

Duck looked over at Mitchell at those words – as did Boyett. Neither of them liked the idea of relinquishing anything just then – especially since the seven villagers still had their own weapons more or less pointed at them. Melony shook her head.

"That's not an option, I'm afraid. Not until I know more about what happened to my people."

"The others were just as reluctant…" the man said, as if confused by such odd behavior. "Are you really so afraid of simple folk such as us?"

If that was meant to challenge her into handing over her guns and staff weapon, it didn't have that effect. Melony didn't have anything to prove to these folks.

"Lets just say we have a healthy respect for the weapons you have pointed at us."

The man hesitated again, but finally shrugged, and turned to one of the men with him. He said something, softly enough that they couldn't hear, and the man ran off.

"I have sent him to ask the council to speak with you without requiring you to remove your weapons."

"What kind of council are we talking about?" Rodney asked, curiously. He looked at one village and then the other. "Are you one village divided into sections? Or two living close together?"

Teyla had told them that they were a fairly tight knit community, but she hadn't had much more to say about them – except that they were peaceful enough, and that they were good trading partners. While trading wasn't something that the Atlanteans really needed anymore – not with the gate to earth open to them as it was – they were always looking for new people. Besides, they were still spreading word of the Wraith defeat.

Another hesitation.

"Why don't we wait and ask the council?" Mitchell suggested, looking at Rodney. "Obviously, he's not really supposed to be chatting with us. He's probably just the doorman. We can wait to talk to those who are in charge."

McKay nodded, and pulled out his tracer device.

"I'll just put the waiting time to good use, then, shall I?"

"Yeah."

The man looked at the device suspiciously.

"What is that?"

"Tracking device," Rodney said, without even looking up from what he was doing. "We're going to use it to locate our friends."

"They are dead."

"Then they should be easy to find, shouldn't they?" Melony said, heartily tired of hearing that.

Before he could reply, the man he'd sent off came running back, stopping just shy of the armed group. The leader of the little band walked over to him and there was a quick and quiet conversation. A moment later he returned.

"The council will see you."

"Good."

Now maybe they could find out more than just 'they're dead'.

"This way."

The men led them. None walked behind them, guarding against treachery – which told Melony that they really weren't all that afraid of the newcomers.

It's not like they have anything we'd want to steal, anyways. And they probably know it.

True.

They headed for the village to the west of the gate, which looked to be the larger of the two. As they walked, Rodney watched the tracking device, while Mitchell, Duck and Boyett watched those people around them. Villagers were coming out of the houses to see the strangers, and it felt a little like being in a parade – especially when the children started following them, filled with the same curiosity that all children seemed to share no matter where they were born.

The village itself was not unlike something Mitchell might have expected to see in any turn of the century country on earth. Some of the buildings were houses – with chimneys and porches and windows and everything – and some were businesses – although they didn't have the time to actually look inside and see what was for sale. Probably produce, and general merchandise.

"Please," the man said, as they stopped outside one of the larger buildings in the village. "If you will not relinquish your weapons, then lower them. The council will not harm you."

Mitchell nodded to Duck and Boyett, who lowered their weapons, and she tilted her staff weapon even lower than before, until it was pointing more or less directly at the ground.

The man nodded to the villager guarding the door, and he bowed and opened it, ushering the four of them in.