Entering the control room Elizabeth made her way over to Chuck, "What happened?"
"The Gate activated but nothing came through." Chuck answered turning to face Elizabeth.
"Colonel Sheppard?"
"So we assume. We received no I.D.C. – a few moments later, the Gate shuts down."
"They should have returned by now. Dial the planet and try to establish a radio link." Elizabeth frowned, but surprisingly wasn't all that surprised – John's team had a habit of getting themselves into trouble.
"Yes Ma'am." Chuck turned back to his station to do as ordered.
Elizabeth activated her radio, "Major Lorne, this is Weir."
"Go ahead." Lorne answered promptly.
"I may have to go off world to assist Colonel Sheppard. I'd like you to assemble a team and have a Puddle Jumper ready to go."
"Yes, ma'am."
Deactivating her radio Elizabeth turned to Chuck to see if he'd succeeded in contacting John's team. When he shook his head no at the silent question she felt a knot form in her stomach, there was something about the whole situation that seemed off. Stuffing her worry aside for the moment hoping that it was just some kind of technical problem on John's end Elizabeth made her way to the jumper bay.
Entering the jumper bay Elizabeth paused when she saw Skyler standing on one of the puddle jumper ramps doing a last minute check of his gear.
"Don't look at me in that tone." Skyler spoke without looking up from what he was doing. He knew Elizabeth well enough to know when she was giving him what look without having to look at her. "Did you really think I was going to let you go off world without me there to watch your back? You don't exactly have the greatest of track records when it comes to going off world, you know?"
Not having the time or the will to argue with her nephew – plus she knew it was pointless since she'd never win – Elizabeth sighed, walking past him and a Marine that had joined them, and boarded the jumper.
"All set?" She questioned moving to the front of the jumper to join Major Lorne.
"Ready to go." Lorne tilted his head to look back at Elizabeth, "still no word from them?"
Elizabeth sat down in the co-pilot seat as Skyler and the other Marine took the seats behind her and Lorne. "I was hoping to negotiate a trade agreement – now I'm worried I'm gonna have to negotiate their release."
"We don't know that." Lorne was quick to reassure – he'd always been more of a glass half full kind of guy.
"Dial the Gate -- but go to stealth mode the moment we're through." Elizabeth ordered hoping that Lorne was right.
--
Following the Magistrate and Marin down the corridor Skyler kept an eye on the two Olesiansecurity guards that followed the group in case they tried anything. At the same time he took in their surroundings, taking note of all possible escape routes as well as listened to the conversation going on between Elizabeth and the Magistrate.
"The island is extremely dangerous. Our ships are heavily armored. We know the terrain, as well as the prisoners' tactics. Don't worry – we'll find them." The Magistrate attempted to reassure Elizabeth.
Yeah that was a load of crap if Skyler had ever heard any. The Magistrate was trying to hide something from them and judging by the suspicious looks exchanged between Lorne and Elizabeth, Skyler knew he wasn't the only one that thought so.
--
Standing in the room the Magistrate had left them in Skyler was starting to get anxious. It had been a little over an hour since the Magistrate had informed them about the Wraith ships coming through the gate and it just didn't sit right with him to stand by and do nothing while people were being culled – even if they were criminals. Added in the fact that he really didn't trust the Magistrate was making Skyler very edgy.
Forcing himself no to start pacing Skyler felt himself tense up when the door finally opened again and Marin entered looking like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
"Marin? What's happened?" Elizabeth didn't miss Marin's nervous manner as she checked over her shoulder as if afraid some one was following her.
"No-one must know I'm speaking to you." Marin's behavior had all three soldiers twitching to reach for their weapons – something was seriously off about the place.
"Of course," Elizabeth soothed, not wanting to frighten the young woman off before she could tell them what she'd come to say.
"You should leave, as soon as possible."
"Why?" Lorne jumped in, his instincts screaming at him to get his charge out of harms way.
The was a moments hesitation in Marin's eyes as if she was afraid of what their reaction would be to what she had to say. "The Magistrate has just rescinded my orders to send rescue teams back to the island."
"What? Why would he do that?" Elizabeth couldn't believe what she was hearing.
There was another slight moment of hesitation, "Several arrests have been made. Many people in the city have been apprehended for unspecified violations, to be sent to the island to increase the population there."
"To keep the Wraith fed." Lorne didn't have to be a genius to figure that one out.
"It's been going on for some time, but never so bad as this." Marin tried to keep calm but her distress began to show through. "The number of arrests has ... I cannot keep quiet any longer. I have to speak out."
Skyler didn't think his body could tense up any more than it already was but then the door opened and the Magistrate followed by several guards entered the room.
"Lies! Seeding fear not only among your own people but now our guests. I cannot allow it."
"I was only trying to understand why so many people are being arrested." Marin tried to keep the fear out of her voice and off of her face.
"Your job is not to question the actions of this government." The Magistrate gestured and a couple of the guards stepped forward taking Marin's arms.
"No! Wait!" Marin gave up trying to hide her fear as she turned to plead to Elizabeth. "Help me! Please!"
As the guards took Marin, Elizabeth stepped forward the soldiers behind her moving forward as well, "Where are they taking her?"
"I'm sorry you had to witness that." The Magistrate was anything but.
"What crime has she committed?" Elizabeth was quickly moving into 'you better not piss me off' mode. Most of the time Skyler would feel sorry for whoever pushed Elizabeth into that mode, but at the moment he felt absolutely no sympathy for the Magistrate.
"I've recently learned that Marin has been involved in a group seeking to undermine the Olesian government. She's become very adept at spinning lies to suit her organization's treasonable agenda."
"Did you or did you not rescind the order to send rescue teams back to the island?"
"Why would I do that?" The Magistrate tried to play innocent.
"That doesn't concern me. My first concern's with the safety of my people -- and I promise you..." Elizabeth was quickly moving into a pissed off mood.
"Everything is being done to ensure their rescue and safe return. If there's been any hindrance at all, it was because of Marin."
"What's gonna happen to her now?" Skyler had to mentally wince; Elizabeth had just gone from agitated to calm in the blink of an eye. If the Magistrate knew what was good for him he'd high tail it out of there and fast.
"She'll receive a fair trial in our courts."
"And then what? Sent to the island?" Lorne felt himself becoming more and more disgusted with these people.
"I'm sure where you come from, treason is also considered a very serious offense." The Magistrate was beginning to get agitated himself.
"So that's a yes." Lorne nodded sarcastically.
"Tell me: what else is considered a serious offense around here?" It may not have been obvious to most but Skyler could tell that Elizabeth was starting to toy with the Magistrate - and that was never a good thing for the person being toyed with.
"Anything that threatens the welfare of the Olesian people." The magistrate answered with conviction.
"Are you sure it's the welfare of the people that concerns you? Or just your own?"
"Choose your words very carefully, Doctor Weir." Skyler instantly flipped the safety off on his P-90; that had sounded an awful lot like a threat to Skyler and Skyler did not like it when people threatened his family.
"Oh, I do. Why, is that a threat?" Elizabeth was deadly calm now.
"It's advice -- from one ally to another." The Magistrate was starting to get nervous.
"Well, this alliance -- it's just been rescinded." Elizabeth turned to the soldiers behind her, who ready themselves for a fight if it came to that. "We're leaving." The Magistrate looked at his own guards who placed their hands on their own weapons. "What -- you plan to arrest us too?" The Magistrate looked nervously at the marines, weighing his options. "Because you do not wanna do that."
That was the signal the three soldiers had been waiting for. Instantly the raised their weapons and pointed them at the Magistrate and his guards. Elizabeth and the Magistrate locked gazes for a moment before then the Magistrate nodded in resignation and gestured to his guards to step aside. Following Elizabeth out of the room Skyler eyed the Magistrate just daring him to try something, give him an excuse to beat the crap out of him. The Magistrate avoided his and the gazes of the other two soldiers.
--
Sitting in the jumper flying towards the island Skyler watched as the HUD activated showing a Wraith cruiser and several more on approach outside the atmosphere.
"We've got a Wraith cruiser heading for the island and I'm picking up several more on approach outside the atmosphere." Lorne studied the screen in front of him.
"Go to stealth mode. Let's find our guys before they do." Elizabeth hoped that John and the others were okay.
As Lorne flew the jumper towards the gate figuring that's were Sheppard's team would most like try to go he was surprised when a single drone shot up from the ground and hit the underside of the Wraith cruiser.
"Did you see that?" Lorne couldn't completely keep the surprise off his face.
"A drone." Elizabeth looked just as surprised. She activated her radio hoping John was listening. "Colonel Sheppard. You've damaged the Wraith cruiser and it's leaving the area... but there are two more cruisers incoming," while they waited for a response Lorne moved the jumper into a position directly above the crashed jumper.
"Elizabeth, where are you?"
Elizabeth let out a relieved sigh at hearing John's voice, "We're in Jumper Two. We're cloaked, directly above you. Are you alright?"
"Our Jumper's disabled. Right now I need you to dial the Gate to one of the back-up planets for the Alpha Site. Doesn't matter which one."
"Understood," she didn't question him. "Do it." She gave the order to Lorne. He started to dial the gate also not questioning his CO's orders.
The four in the jumper watched as the gate activated and several of the island's prisoners began running towards it, eager to escape the culling.
"Elizabeth -- I need you to keep the Gate open until the last of them go through, then shut it down and dial Atlantis."
"We can land and pick you up." Elizabeth really didn't like the idea of leaving John and his team on the ground with the Wraith baring down on them.
"Negative -- just keep the Gate open. We'll take it from there. Stay in stealth mode until the Wraith have gone away." There was no way John was going to let Elizabeth put herself at risk.
"Acknowledged." She knew there was no point in arguing with John when he'd made up his mind.
Fear knotting her gut Elizabeth watched as the prisoners run through the gate. When the last of the prisoners escaped and the gate shut down she turned to Lorne.
"Dial Atlantis," she activated her radio again. "We're dialing -- head for the Gate."
Watching as the damaged Wraith cruiser limped away, smoke trailing behind it Elizabeth felt her heart stop when a second cruiser took its place and started to fire at John's team as they made their way to the gate. Silently Skyler reached a hand over the seat to reassuringly grip Elizabeth's right shoulder. Elizabeth slumped back in her seat with relief, reaching to grip Skyler's hand thankfully, when the team made it through the gate in one piece. Once the Wraith cruiser left and was completely out of site Lorne redialed Atlantis and took the jumper through.
