THE NEXT EVENT - by Kolyaaa!

CHAPTER TWO: THE TACTICIANS

Elizabeth sat at her desk and listened with amusement as John tried a series of different persuasion tactics on her as he made his case to visit the festival. The colonel presented his case, moving from respectful chain-of-command verbiage to carefully doled out charm and back again.

"Besides offering us the prospect of aligning with additional allies, this is a prime opportunity to practice some of that…" he gestured casually with one hand while trying to remember the correct buzz word, "team-building stuff." He inwardly winced. "And by 'stuff' I, of course, mean those valid exercises that Dr. Heightmeyer says are so important to…you know…team-building. And… stress relief."

Elizabeth bit down sharply on the inside of her lower lip to prevent a smile from revealing itself. She saw right through him. John knew this. Elizabeth was also aware that John knew that she knew that he knew she saw right through him. The colonel was looking for some good, old-fashioned R-'n-R for himself and his team. Elizabeth didn't mind.

Truth be told, she was enjoying watching him work. This was the least demanding negotiation session she'd participated in since that Ukrainian assembly in 2001. Though in that instance, the vodka was a major factor.

"And this festival lasts three days?" she asked.

"Yeah, but only one day is left by this point. We'd be gone for the day. Might stay the night if the mood takes us."

Elizabeth didn't give her answer right away. She had to make him sweat at least a little. The seconds of silence were taken up as she reflected on the dynamics she'd observed between John and Rodney over the previous few weeks. A subtle, awkward tension existed between the two men. What happened on Doranda was part of it, but it had been there before then...Doranda only seemed to exacerbate it. If she were being honest, it had been there since the P3M-736 - the planet where they had found Ronon...and truly lost Ford. The unease she sensed troubled her.

Fact was, the entire team's dynamic had shown signs of strain. Teyla had grown more aloof – always friendly, but never showing her true feelings for any of them. When they had first met her, she laughed more. She seemed to do that less and less. Ronon was still obviously unsure of his place here – the only people he seemed truly comfortable with were Sheppard and Teyla. Rodney...was still obviously a question mark to the Satedan.

She wondered if Sheppard was aware of just how true his words were - that his team really did need a team-building experience. Even more - they needed a vacation.

What was it that Twain said? she thought to herself, there's no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.

She finally let a smile lighten her contemplative expression. "I think it's quiet enough around here. Atlantis should be able to operate securely enough while you and your team are…team-building."

John returned the grin, but only nodded in thanks before turning and heading out to inform Ronon and the others.

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Rodney settled in to the co-pilot's seat as John finished the flight initiation sequence, but the fingertips of the scientist's left hand drummed a light, quick rhythm across the heavy fabric of his pants.

"What exactly did Elizabeth say were the scientific exploratory aspects of this mission?" The colonel had told them all where they were headed, yet Rodney felt like he was missing out on some great secret.

John focused more intently on the control panel and answered in a distracted tone. "You know…science stuff."

"I'm only asking because Dr. Simpson gets to go with Wu's team to P2C-115 to investigate the evidence of coronal mass ejection in relation to the planet's atmospheric radiocarbon levels. And honestly, if there isn't going to be anything on Manaria that really warrants my being there, my knowledge and experience would be of much more use on P2C–115."

John exchanged a quick look with Teyla, sitting behind Rodney. She and Ronon both had been present for Rodney's three previous discourses on why he would be better suited for the P2C-115 trip.

The colonel studied Rodney briefly before replying, "How much coffee have you had today?"

The puddle jumper vibrated as it responded to John's commands and powered up fully. "Look, Rodney, you're here. We're going. You're coming. I'm sure there will be all kinds of fascinating… aspects for you to explore on Manaria. Relax, you'll have a great time. Trust me." He shot a glance at the man beside him. "Can ya just do that?"

The look that flashed across Rodney's face made John instantly regret his choice of words. Trust wasn't exactly the best topic as of late. He hoped McKay didn't take the question as some kind of dig. He quickly turned his attention to the event horizon shimmering in front of them.

"This'll be just what we all need. We're all gonna have a great time."

TBC - I'm just getting started

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A/N: I am giving you two chapters today so you must give me at least one review. Two would be better.