Sacrifice
Chapter 4
"Come closer, folks, and take a look for yourself! This woman is a prime example of beauty and grace, sure to be a wonderful addition to anyone's household." Teyla flinched as the man rattled her chains, yanking her to her feet. Next to her, she could feel Ronon tense, his anger palpable in the small confines of their cage.
Safely on the outside of the cell, the man continued his monologue, encouraging various people to come forward and make an offer.
"Stop! You have no right to……." Teyla's outburst was rewarded with a sharp poke of a stick in her ribs. She doubled over, gasping in pain, while Ronon roared his displeasure. The runner yanked desperately on his chains, his rage adding strength, but it seemed useless.
"Silence! Both of you! I will have you whipped if you do not cease this commotion!" The man glared for a long moment at the two off-worlders, fingering the leather strap at his side, then turned back to the crowd. An older woman, in her early sixties, had timidly approached the cage, and now stood staring at Ronon.
"I need a strong man to do the heavy work on my farm. Chop wood, fetch water, take care of the stock…..how much for the male?" The salesman nodded his head up and down rapidly for a few moments, then, clasping his hands together, spit out a number.
"Five hundred credits." The woman gasped in shock for a moment, then shook her head. "Too much! He is wild – just look at him. It will take months just to train him properly. Three hundred."
The man was already shaking his head, pointing at Ronon with one hand. "He is an extraordinary specimen. You will have many years of hard work from this one…worth every penny. The best I can do is four hundred fifty."
Ronon and Teyla crouched in shocked horror, the weight of the chains nothing compared to the words they were hearing. They were being sold! Slaves! Ronon gazed at Teyla, his own rage mirrored in her brown eyes. Unable to contain himself, he let out a yell.
"I am no man's slave!" Ronon's voice echoed across the room, and the crowd suddenly became deathly silent. The salesman turned, and he reached out and unhooked his whip.
"I warned you." The man jerked his head, motioning for the door to be opened. Ronon gave a caustic grin; just let anyone try to enter the cage. He braced himself, ready to launch an attack, expecting to be removed from the small cell, or for the man to step inside.
Instead, with a quick flip of the wrist, the man cracked the whip. The sharp end, reinforced by some type of razor wire, lashed out at Ronon and he felt the searing pain as the whip cut a long steak down the side of his chest. His jacket was immediately shredded, and blood welled along the gash. Before he could defend himself, the man had snapped the whip twice more, and now deep gashes ran along his left arm.
"Silence! Or the next lash will be for the woman." The man motioned towards a horrified Teyla with his head, and Ronon immediately froze. His chains rattled as he grabbed at the wounded arm, and he staggered on his feet. Only Teyla bracing him kept him standing.
The man turned his attention back to the crowd, and through the roaring in his ears, Ronon could hear him accept the woman's final offer of four hundred twenty five credits. He flinched as his chains were unlocked. Next to him, he could hear Teyla's voice as she protested, then her sudden yelp of pain as the whip lashed out once more. A moment later, he was injected with a large needle, and he felt his world swirl and fade.
Teyla watched as Ronon slumped to the ground, and felt real fear pierce her heart. As he was dragged roughly from the cell, his hands and feet bound once more, she refrained from crying out. Not only were they being sold, but now they would be separated. The chances of them escaping this planet, and finding Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay, were rapidly becoming slim. She clutched at her ribs, still having a hard time catching her breath. Her own shoulder burned from the whip mark, and blood dripped steadily on to the floor.
"Now, for the female," the man said. An attractive woman, her bearing regal, strode out of the crowd, and came up to the bars on the cage. Her eyes swept Teyla from head to foot, frowning at the blood on the Athosian's shoulder. She reached out a hand, grasping Teyla's chin. Angry, Teyla yanked backwards, her eyes sparking a warning.
"How much for the female?" she demanded. The man did his little head bob routine again, tapping his fingers on one hand.
"One thousand. No discounts." The crowd gasped, then surged forward, eager to see how the woman would respond. She paused for a long moment, studying Teyla, then gave one short nod.
"Done. Clean her up and deliver her to the hotel. Undamaged." The woman gathered up her long skirts, then, held still held high, marched from the room.
The man watched her leave with a smile on his face, then turned to Teyla.
"You can be sure I will be your first customer," he advised her with a leer. Teyla stifled a shudder, careful to keep her face neutral. He waved a hand at another man, who unlocked Teyla's chains. He motioned her to exit the cell, and she cast her eyes about, trying to find an exit. Before she could make a move, however, he had grabbed her hands, binding them tightly with length of rope.
Deciding to bide her time, Teyla remained still. Now was not the time to make her escape. She would wait – soon, the time would be right.
oOo
Radek's eyes felt like they had been put in the microwave and nuked for about an hour. He removed his glasses, and slumped forward. He had been staring at the screen for hours – days, really – and they had found nothing. SGA-1 had walked through the stargate three – no, four - days ago, ready to establish trade with the various people of P6D-358, and had simply disappeared. Every available person had been dispatched to the planet to search. Even Elizabeth had broken one of John's cardinal rules, and left the safety of Atlantis, meeting with the heads of state to try and determine the whereabouts of Colonel Sheppard and his team.
The leader of the Atlantis expedition sat by his side, a cold cup of coffee in her hands. Her diplomatic inquiry had resulted in nothing. The problem was that this planet was very similar to Earth; too many leaders; too many warring factions; too little cooperation between sworn enemies. It was entirely possible that an enemy of Westel - the province that controlled the stargate - had swooped down and stolen the team, just because they could. Frustration and despair was beginning to fray at any hope they had of locating the team alive and well.
"Radek? Anything?" Elizabeth's weary voice broke through Zelenka's wandering thoughts, and he sighed as he raised his head and replaced his glasses.
"No, I'm sorry. I see nothing." Elizabeth nodded, her eyes distant. She knew what she had to do, and, for a moment, she hated being the expedition leader.
She gripped Radek's shoulder, then turned to a technician.
"Dial P6D-358, please." The technician bobbed her head, then rapidly punched the symbols. A loud whoosh filled the room as the gate roared to life. Elizabeth keyed her headset as Carson Beckett entered the room.
"Major Lorne? Please respond." Carson came to her side, concern and curiosity in his blue eyes as she stood.
"Lorne here," came the crackled response.
"Major, did you find anything in the last sweep?" Elizabeth asked, praying that the answer would be a yes. The radio was silent, then his dejected voice gave her the answer she dreaded.
"No Ma'am. All we get is static," he replied. Elizabeth closed her eyes, fighting to keep her emotions in check.
"Major, I'm calling off the search. Have all units return immediately." She heard both Carson and Radek gasp, and steeled herself for the arguments. She clicked off her radio, then turned to the distraught doctors.
"Elizabeth, you can't just leave them….." Carson's voice trailed off, seeing the despair in Dr. Weir's eyes. Once more, he reached out, this time to grasp both her shoulders and turn her towards him.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" he asked gently. Numb, she shook her head.
"No, Carson, I don't want to just leave SGA-1 behind to who knows what fate. But, until we get some kind of a lead or a clue as to where they are, we are just using up valuable resources. I'm sorry." She shuddered, wrapping her arms across her chest, and deftly removed herself from his grasp.
"Dr. Zelenka, I want you to go and get some rest. Until…..until Rodney returns, you'll be in charge of the scientists." Radek merely stared at Elizabeth, his mind trying to wrap around her words. She leaned in, placing one hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for all your help, Radek. Now go."
The physicist stood, wobbling a bit, then, without a word, slowly left the room. Carson watched him go, then turned back to Elizabeth.
"My God, that must have been hard to say," he said softly. Elizabeth only nodded, tears pooling in her eyes as the stargate reopened and the first of the puddlejumpers returned from their search.
"I hope you'll never have to know," she whispered softly.
TBC