Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its characters. I'm just borrowing them for a bit.
The Bad Luck Charm – Chapter 1
John eyed the well-worn path he and his team were currently walking, trying to see how far it extended before reaching some form of civilization. They were investigating P3Z-774 at the moment, and the rough, but obviously well used road was a sure indication that people lived here. They had been walking for over half an hour, but it had been pleasant. The temperature was warm, without being hot, and the intermittent shade provided by the scattered trees kept the sun from bearing down too intensely.
McKay suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. "I've got life signs straight ahead, lots of life signs. It must be the village or settlement or whatever passes for a community on this quaint little planet."
John nodded. "Good," he said brightly. "We know we're going the right direction."
McKay sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, the road was a bit of a hint, Colonel."
Not rising to the bait, John continued to smile agreeably as he drawled, "Yes, it was Rodney."
Rodney eyed the colonel suspiciously. "Why are you so cheerful?" John adjusted his sunglasses, making Rodney wish he could see the eyes on the other side of the dark lenses.
"Because, McKay, I'm having a good day and nothing is going to spoil it. The weather is nice, the planet is pleasant, and I have a good feeling about the people." John continued to walk along the path, knowing the others would follow.
A few minutes later they entered the edge of a village that looked a lot like the Athosian settlement before the Wraith had come. Children played around the tent-like dwellings as men and women talked and went about their daily chores. As the team began walking among them, people stopped what they were doing to stare and whisper. John smiled and nodded, trying to determine who, if anyone, was in charge.
"Colonel," said Teyla, nodding to indicate two approaching men.
Sheppard turned to find two men about his height walking toward them. Their clothing was rough, the pants appearing to be tanned animal hide and their loose shirts made of something lighter, similar to cotton. Their expressions were neutral and uncertain.
"Hello, strangers," said the taller of the two men, his light-colored beard matching his closely cropped hair. "I am Eznik and this is Magar. Welcome to the home of the Zarafians. How can we help you?"
John smiled at the men, leaning one arm easily on top of his P90 and giving the impression he was totally relaxed. His team knew the posture was intentionally being displayed to gain the men's trust and in no way reflected his true attitude. "Hi, I'm Lt. Colonel John Sheppard." He waved his free hand to indicate the others as he introduced them. "This is Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, and Dr. Rodney McKay. We're exploring new planets and trying to find people who want to trade and maybe work together against the Wraith."
The two men looked at one another, but they seemed to relax a bit at Sheppard's words. Magar nodded and Eznik turned back to them. "We should take you to Jirair, our leader. He will be interested in hearing what you have to offer. We do not have many trade partners, for our numbers are few these days and we don't have a lot to offer."
Sheppard's grin broadened as he folded his hands together, still resting them on his gun. "We'd be honored to meet this Jarair. We don't have a lot of trade partners either, so we're always looking for new friends."
Eznik finally smiled and finished relaxing his shoulders. "Come with me, please, and I will show you."
A few steps later, they entered a large, centrally located hut that seemed less mobile than the tents around it. A large table with roughly-carved chairs occupied the middle of the room. Smaller tables and shelf-like structures were scattered against the outside wall. Two older men and one woman sat at the table, deep in a discussion. They stopped and looked up as the group approached them.
"Jarair, I apologize for interrupting your meeting, but these newcomers wish to discuss trade with us."
The gray-haired man at the head of the table stood up and nodded to Eznik. "We are always pleased to meet new friends. I am Jarair, leader of the Zarafians. This is Sahak," he said, indicating the plump, balding man next to him. Turning to a slight woman with long gray hair and dark eyes, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "And this is Karyan. Together we make up the council of the elders, which just means we're the oldest ones here, so they let us pretend to be in charge." His eyes danced and the corners of his mouth twitched as he looked to Eznik.
"Now, Jarair, you know that isn't true," retorted the man. "The whole village respects your wisdom and leadership."
Jarair smiled widely. "Yes, I know. An old man must have his fun. But I am being rude to our guests. Please come in and sit down."
John stepped forward and introduced them all again as they took seats at the table. Magar entered with two women, who went about setting drinks in front of each person at the table.
Jarair motioned to the pottery style cups in front of them. "Drink, you must be thirsty. Did you come through the ring of the Ancestors?"
John nodded as he eyed the amber liquid in the cup and then sipped. It had a slightly fruity flavor, similar to a light grape juice. He smiled and nodded his appreciation of the drink.
"This drink has a good flavor," said Teyla.
Karyan smiled at her. "It is the from the tabari berry and is one of our favorites. I am glad that you like it as well."
Teyla nodded. "We appreciate your hospitality. We are looking for trade partners. Are you interested in such?"
"Where are you from and what do you desire to trade for?" asked Sahak.
"We've . . . had to move around lately. Our original base was destroyed," said Sheppard, being purposefully vague. He had no plans to tell them they lived in Atlantis, but if it came up, he wanted to maintain the image that the city had been destroyed. "We have secured a steady source of food, but we lack in fresh fruits and vegetables, and meat if you have it to trade."
"The forests provide these things abundantly and we grow some additional things here in the village. We would be more than happy to share with your people. And what would you offer us in return?"
Rodney placed a power bar on the table. "We have foods that are packaged and do not spoil. They're easy to carry with you when you travel, if you need such a thing. And we have medicines that fight sickness and infection."
Jirair picked up the power bar and turned it over in his hands, examining the package.
"Go ahead. Open it and try it if you want," said John. "We call those power bars. It's not really a meal, but it's something to eat when you're in a hurry and out in the field. It helps keep you going. We also have full meals, packaged and easily transported like that is. They aren't the best tasting things, but if you have any need for meals that are easy to transport, we have plenty of them."
Jirair tore the packaging open and broke off a bit of the power bar, passing the remainder on to the others as he tentatively took a bite. His eyes widened and he smiled, nodding enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, this is good. Our hunting parties are often gone several days and these foods would be of great use. What are these medicines that you speak of?"
"Well," said John, feeling hopeful about the direction the discussion was going, "we have medicines that fight many sicknesses and others to give people with cuts or other injuries that keeps the wound from getting infected." He sensed the confusion of the three elders. "Infection. That's when the injury gets red and hot and makes the person very ill."
The three nodded as they began to understand. "Yes, we know of what you speak. It doesn't happen often, but we have lost people to such . . . infection."
John smiled and looked over at his teammates before returning his gaze to Jirair. "Sounds like we might have the makings of a trade agreement."
Jirair laughed and smacked John on the shoulder. "Yes, it does at that. We must celebrate. Eznik, tell the women to prepare a feast of celebration so that we may get to know our new friends better."
Eznik bowed and hurried from the hut. John turned to McKay, broad grin stretched across his face. "See, I told you this was a good day."
oOo
John's radio came to life shortly after the large, rather excited mid-day meal. "Colonel Sheppard, this is Atlantis. Did you find anything yet?" asked Elizabeth.
John had been expecting the transmission, so had wandered away from the group to a quiet, more secluded spot. "This is Sheppard. We've contacted some people called the Zarafians and they are very interested in a trade agreement. They just fed us and they have quite a large selection of fruits and vegetables that they primarily harvest from the surrounding forests."
"You actually sound excited, John. You haven't offered weapons, have you?"
John rolled his eyes, even though he knew she couldn't see it. It was automatic at the weapons comments and he no longer was even aware he did it. "No, we offered medicines, power bars, and MREs. Is that okay?"
"Yes, that's acceptable. How long do you think you'll be there?"
"I'm not sure. They still want to show us some things. They're very friendly, unlike some of the people we've met in this galaxy. We'll hammer out the specifics, or at least make arrangements to do so, and return by dark."
"All right, we'll see you tonight then. You did good, John."
John couldn't help but smile that she seemed pleased with what they'd accomplished. It felt good to make new friends instead of new enemies for a change. "Thanks. Sheppard out." John made his way back to the group, a large satisfied grin on his face.
By mid afternoon, the Atlantis team was very comfortable with the Zarafians. Some of the men showed Ronon and Sheppard how they fished from the lake near their village. McKay worked with a group that purified the river water for drinking. Although he had been surprised at the efficiency of their system, he gave them suggestions for how to make it even more effective. Teyla had been surrounded by some of the women who were impressed that she was a warrior. After she showed them some moves in stick fighting, they insisted she teach them a few. She was very impressed at how quickly they picked up the forms.
It was late afternoon before they all gathered again in the central area of the village, swapping stories of what they had learned.
"Well, I think we'd better get back and let Elizabeth know we have some new trade partners," said John. Seeing the confusion in the face of the elders, he explained. "Elizabeth is the name of our leader."
"You are not the leader?" asked Jirair.
"Well, not exactly. I guess you could say I'm the second in command. I'm in charge of the military part of our group, the soldiers."
"Ah, I see," said Jirair. "I hope this Elizabeth will be pleased. I do have one more thing I'd like to show you before you leave. I think Dr. McKay might be interested in this. It won't take long."
John saw Rodney's eyebrows shoot up at the prospect of something scientific. He tried to subdue his smile as he turned to Jirair. "Okay, lead the way."
The three elders directed the team down a smaller, less worn path. Several men from the village followed as they walked through the trees. As they walked, John's hand accidentally brushed against the arm of Karyan. She jerked her arm away as if she'd been burned, startling John.
"I'm sorry," he said, not sure why she had reacted in such a way. Her eyes held an expression that was a mixture of fear and hatred.
"You are different than the others," she said quietly.
John, confused, didn't know what to say. "Uh, different? In what way?"
"I do not know yet, but I sense something in you that is not in the others."
Just then, the trees opened up to reveal what looked like a small building. It looked beyond the technology of the tents and huts of the village.
"Rodney?" asked John.
Rodney already had his scanner out. "No energy readings, Colonel. If there's an energy source, it's either dead or powered down."
Jirair looked at his guests, seemingly pleased at their interest. "We believe this building to have been left by the Ancestors, but we cannot be certain. No one in the village has ever been able to gain access. It has been here a very long time."
"We have found many items and buildings left by the Ancestors," said Teyla. "They were a great people."
Jirair's expression suddenly hardened. "A great people? Hardly. According to our history, they were allies of those who came before us. But they abandoned our people when the Wraith became strong. They left us to be culled, to fend for ourselves. There is nothing honorable about the Ancestors."
John looked back at his teammates, suddenly very glad that none of them had mentioned Atlantis. "Well, this is very nice, but it's getting late and we really need to get back." He had a bad feeling that their pleasant and productive day was about to head south and he wanted to avoid it if he could.
Karyan suddenly grabbed John's arm and drug him toward the building. The action caught him off guard and he stumbled forward, straight through the doorway that opened for him. The lights inside immediately came on.
"I knew it! I knew he was different," screamed Karyan. "He is of the Ancestors. They must leave. They must leave now!"
John just stood with his mouth open, stunned at how things could go from almost perfect to perfectly disastrous in a matter of seconds. All because of the ATA gene. He never had figured out if it was a blessing or a curse, but right now he was leaning heavily toward curse.
John held his hands out defensively as the three elders surrounded him. He could see his team taking a guarded stance behind the ring of natives. "Now look, it's not what you think. I don't have anything to do with the Ancestors. That was a long time ago and we aren't them."
"He is of the Ancestors, I can feel it. He must go. Get him off the planet," screamed Karyan.
Jirair held his hand out for Karyan to be quiet. He then turned to John. "I am very sorry, but she is right. No one who is of the Ancestors can be allowed on the planet. They betrayed our people a long time ago and it is now in our law. We will not let ourselves be deceived again. You and your people must leave now and there will be no trade agreement between our people."
"But we aren't trying to deceive you," John pleaded. "We honor our commitments, we aren't them."
Jirair shook his head. "I will hear no more. These men will escort you to the gate and you will leave. You will not return or we will be forced to harm you." Jirair turned and left, Sahak close on his heels. Karyan walked up to John and laughed bitterly before joining the others.
John looked forlornly at the rest of his team. "I'm sorry, guys."
"Not your fault," said Ronon. "They are an unreasonable people. We don't need them."
John sighed and began leading his group to the gate, several armed men from the village following right behind them. They walked for almost an hour, the light fading by the time the ring came into view. They were within a few feet when Karyan came out from the trees and walked up to two of the villagers as Rodney dialed home.
They all watched uneasily as Karyan and the two villagers approached John. He stepped forward to meet them, refusing to be intimidated. "I don't suppose you've changed your mind about us. You know, if it's just me you don't like, you could trade with the others and I could just stay home."
Karyan narrowed her eyes at him, glaring at him with intense hatred. They stood silently a few seconds as the wormhole engaged. "Sheppard, let's go," called Ronon.
Suddenly, the two villagers grabbed Sheppard's arms and Karyan pulled the neck of his shirt down with her left hand and jabbed him in the upper chest with her right before quickly stepping back. As Ronon and Teyla brought their guns up, the village men released Sheppard's arms, causing him to lose his balance and stumble back.
"You will suffer the curse of Keir! Evil will beset you as long as you wear the mark." Karyan began to laugh hysterically as she headed down the path to the village, the men falling in line behind her."
John was aware of intense burning where she had touched him. It was hot and cold at the same time, similar to what he imagined being cut by sharp ice would feel like. He swayed, his heart racing wildly as his hand came up to his lower neck and upper chest, feeling for the wound he knew had to be there. But his hand came away dry. There was no blood.
"Are you all right?"
He looked up into Teyla's face, confused. It burned, so how could there be no wound. "What did she do?" he asked, his voice sounding hoarse and strangled.
His teammates stood staring as he forced himself move his hand away from the site. Rodney frowned. "It looks like she drew on you with black paint or something. It's a line about two inches long with a loop on the end. Why would she do that?"
John swallowed hard, feeling like something was trapped in his esophagus, blocking the passage. He looked up to see the backs of the villagers fading in the darkness as they headed back to their settlement. "Let's get out of here. Suddenly this place is not very appealing." He turned and led the way through the gate.
TBC