A/N: Apologies for posting too early. Old e-mails on old computer. Me using new shiny computer. Me sorry, but happy.


Chapter Two

Elizabeth stepped through the Stargate closely behind Sheppard, and found herself in a lush green meadow. A stiff breeze was blowing, and she could see dark mountains far in the distance on one side. Looking in the other direction, she saw a rolling landscape of patchwork colours stretching away. There were green meadows, forests of dark green and oranges, and brown bushes dotted around the slopes. Sheppard smiled, watching her enjoy the freshness of the new atmosphere.

The rest of the team soon followed, and Teyla looked warily at the sky. Rodney and Ronon flanked Elizabeth, and they began following Sheppard over the meadow.

"It's not far to the settlement," Sheppard offered, "but it was a long hike to the caves where the rock is mined. When they let us take some, we'll use the jumper to get it back."

"I wonder what the locals will think of a jumper?" Rodney said. "We thought it was best not to bring it until the last minute."

"They haven't been aggressive, though, have they?" asked Elizabeth.

"No, no, no, no, no," Rodney said quickly, "but we don't want to jeopardise the trade. We need that rock, or there's gonna be a whole bunch of trouble fitting a new desalination system."

"They are afraid." Ronon looked over at Elizabeth, as they continued to wade through the long grass, "That makes them potentially dangerous." Seeing her raised eyebrows, he added, "If I'd thought you were in danger, I wouldn't have let you come. We can handle it if they turn nasty." He gave her a confident smile, and she returned it with one of her own.

As they neared the settlement, they saw the smoke from the fires being drawn away by the strong breeze, and the sounds and voices began to reach them.

At first, a few of the village children scurried along the trail to meet them, tugging at Rodney's vest, which he barely tolerated, much to the amusement of Elizabeth. Sheppard led the way to the edge of the village, and waited at a line of stones that crossed the path.

He pointed down at the threshold, and Elizabeth nodded. You had to do things right with these people.

A middle-aged man in a long green tunic approached them, his arms open and his smile broad.

"Charak! Charak!" he cried, and stepped over the threshold to take Sheppard by the hand and pull him into the village. He similarly greeted all of the team, until Elizabeth stood before the stones.

"Ishka?" he queried warily, glancing rapidly between Elizabeth and Sheppard, holding out a flat hand to prevent Elizabeth walking forward.

Sheppard walked back, smiling broadly and opening his arms. He stepped back across the stones, and placed a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "Friend." He stated, still smiling, "She's one of us, Gereth. Friend, see." He took Elizabeth's hand and held it out towards the man.

Elizabeth held her breath as the man slowly extended his arm and took Elizabeth's hand carefully. She gave him a small bow, and offered him a gracious smile.

The man began nodding and grinned, "Charak," he said firmly, and drew Elizabeth over the threshold, then repeated the exercise again for Sheppard.

"Look, Gereth, we just want to be friends," Sheppard prattled in a calm friendly tone. "We've brought the stuff to show you, and maybe we can take a trip out to those caves again, yeah?"

Rodney walked protectively close to Elizabeth as they headed for the centre of the village. He said quietly, "See, they're a bit touchy. I'm glad you're here. You'll be able to smooth things over, right?"

Elizabeth gave Rodney an uncertain smile, and briefly touched him on the arm to reassure him. To be honest, it had been a while since she had been involved in negotiations with strangers of any kind, and Elizabeth was feeling slightly out of her depth. Touching Rodney had been as much comfort for her as she thought it might be for him. Taking a deep breath, she quickened her stride in determination to prove herself.

TBC