As they made their way back to the village, Sheppard found his anger increasing. To make matters worse, he felt guilty. After all, it was his responsibility to make sure that all the Atlantis personnel were kept safe. He had left Carson and Teyla alone on the planet. It was beside the point, that in the past they'd more than proved that they could defend themselves. Their safety was ultimately his responsibility.
The planet had seemed safe. But past experience had proven that appearances could be deceptive.
Mingled with his guilt, was concern for his friend. Carson was always the one to look after other people. But there was a vulnerability about the doctor. His compassion often resulted in him putting the well being of others before his own. John was worried about what Carson might do if he was faced with a threat to the children.
When they reached the cottage that belonged to Sandro, the chief of the village, he took his frustration out on the door. Sandro and his family were sitting at the table, eating. When the door to the cottage crashed open, Sandro jumped to his feet in alarm. His wife also jumped to her feet, and their young son hid behind his mother's skirt.
"What the hell is going on?" John asked.
"I don't you are talking about," Sandro said, a puzzled expression on his face. John move towards him, but Teyla put a restraining hand on his arm. John looked down at her hand, took a deep breath, and reined in his temper slightly.
"Can you tell me why some local bully boys barged their way into the cave, shot Dr Beckett, stunned Teyla, and took Dr Beckett and the children?"
Sandro sunk back down onto his chair, a look of resignation on his face. His wife rushed over to Teyla and comforting hand in her arm. "Are you all right, my dear," she asked, looking concerned. "Those stunners can make you feel very dizzy."
"So you know who these people are?" Ronon's voice rumbled from the background.
Sandro nodded. "They are the Renegades."
"And who the hell are at the Renegades?" John asked.
Sandro glanced across at his wife, who nodded. "Many generations ago," Sandro explained. "Our society was considered barbaric. Any disagreement was settled by a fight, often using guns or knives. There reached a stage when we were in danger of killing so many of our population that our race would die out."
"That sounds like a familiar story," John admitted. "Many people could claim a similar history."
Sandro nodded. "To help preserve our race, our forefathers devised a scheme to allow fighting but also to preserve our people. A group of people lived in the southern continent. They were different from us, many said inferior. They were trained to be fighters. When two people had a dispute, they each picked a fighter, who would then fight to the death to decided to who was in the right."
"It's not something we're proud of," Sandro's wife broke in. "But it's part of our history nevertheless."
"In my father's generation," Sandro continued. "The Elders agreed to end this barbaric treatment. But some people disagreed, and split from the rest."
"The Renegades!" John said.
Sandro nodded. He looked absolutely miserable. Teyla approached him, and put a comforting hand on his arm. "Many of the people we have encountered, have gone through similar experiences. You cannot be held responsible for the actions of all your people." The last remark was accompanied by a pointed look at John.
"Yes, but why do they want Carson?" Rodney asked from the corner.
"I'd imagine," Sandro said. "They need some help in mending the damage done by the fighting. From what we've heard, their supply of fighters is limited. They keep killing each other off," he said with a touch of irony.
"But why should they take the children too?" Teyla asked.
"As leverage," Ronon said from behind her. "To the ensure Dr Beckett does what they want."
