Chapter Three A Little Danger
Assembly Hall
Tegera was sunny, a few clouds dotted the bright blue sky and the weather was very temperate. The gate was located on a large square near the center of Galaz and was about a five minutes walk from the Assembly Hall. Sheppard and his team took the lead along with Lt. Isaacs, Major Lorne was behind them accompanying Woolsey, and the rest of the teams followed with the exception of Captain Waters' team, who remained at the gate. They headed down the stone paved walkway passing businesses and shops of all types; Galaz was clearly one of the most advanced cities they had encountered in Pegasus. The city reminded Sheppard of Sateda, if the Wraith hadn't destroyed it, and wondered if Ronon was thinking the same thing.
"Very modern looking city, especially if you compare Galaz to other cities in this galaxy." Sheppard remarked.
Isaacs agreed, "Really very nice place, sir and it was never damaged by the Wraith like so many others were. They were very rarely culled; their location at the edge of the galaxy plus the fact that the gate is in town where no darts could access it, made it difficult for the Wraith. Apparently, they only culled when there was a hive in the vicinity; even then the cullings didn't take many."
Teyla remarked, "They were very fortunate."
Isaac's continued, "Yes, ma'am; one of the assembly member's aides told me that there was a network of tunnels that had been built many, many years ago near all of the major population areas with sub-tunnels that extended into the countryside. Hundreds of years ago, they had some kind of major civil war here and that was when they dug the first tunnels, as escape routes. They also used the old tunnels and new ones they dug to hide from the Wraith who for some reason couldn't detect them when they were hiding there. He said there were outposts scattered around but he didn't have time to explain what they were."
"Sheppard," Ronon was walking behind him and he spoke very low, "we're being watched."
"Yeah, I caught that." Sheppard didn't look around at Ronon.
"They're wearing brown." Ronon added and Sheppard just nodded. They continued toward the hall in silence.
About half-way to the hall, they came across several men walking toward them. Isaacs identified them as two of the assembly members and a few Tegeran security guards. One of the assembly members spoke, "Lieutenant Isaacs, greetings; we welcome you back to Tegera and I see you have brought others that we have not met before."
Isaacs stepped forward, "Bronagh, greetings to you. Yes, I have brought both Mr. Woolsey and Colonel Sheppard as the governor requested." Bronagh nodded to both men and then requested that they follow him to the assembly hall.
As they turned a corner and the Assembly Hall came into view, Sheppard looked at Isaacs and could see the uneasiness in the Marine's eyes. For some reason, Sheppard always thought of a Marine recruitment poster when he looked at the muscular Isaacs with his intense dark blue eyes and military haircut so short it was hard to tell the color of his hair; the quintessential Marine. Isaacs moved closer to the colonel and quietly spoke, "Colonel, the townspeople are missing, there is something wrong. When we were here before, there were people everywhere around the hall, food and goods vendors on the streets, it was crowded, sir,"
Sheppard kept his voice low, "No less than what we were expecting, drop back and let Lorne know, keep alert." Isaacs nodded and slowed his pace to speak to Lorne.
They reached the Assembly Hall, a structure that looked similar to government buildings on earth. The building was large, made of pale beige stone, with large windows covered by metal shutters, and was four stories high. Bronagh led them through an ornate metal gate into a large open vestibule; the walls covered in deep red polished stone; the floor of the open patio covered in stone of a deep grayish-purple color. There was a large fountain located in the center and numerous plants in large stone vessels decorating the area.
McKay sniped, "Well, Mr. Woolsey, here's proof that they have some experience in mining minerals on this planet, so much for your theory that no one in Pegasus could refine naquadah. The Tegerans have electricity from water turbines, motorized vehicles, mining ability, and apparently the tools to precision cut and polish these stones. Their technology is fairly advanced; they could be taught to refine ore."
Sheppard turned toward Rodney and with a single look he let the scientist know to shut up. McKay made a face back, which Sheppard ignored. Sheppard then addressed Major Lorne.
"Lorne, I want you, your team, and Isaacs' team to stay here, Isaacs is with us; post some people outside of this courtyard. I need you out here if anything goes down. We'll keep to the signals we discussed." Sheppard was concerned about what they were walking into and he felt that Lorne would be in better position to act from outside the main hall. Two Tegeran guards opened the tall, ornately carved wooden doors and the Atlantians entered the main hall.
The hall was large, the walls and floors were made of the same stone as the vestibule; the ceiling was at least three stories tall with large round metal chandeliers dropping several feet from the ceiling, light coming from the lamps attached to them. Sheppard could tell from the expressions of the others that he was not the only one impressed with the workmanship.
There was an elevated dais at the front of the hall where a few people were sitting; Isaacs identified one of them as the governor. To his left, Sheppard could see the alcove where the mystery men had been standing but there was no one there at the moment. To his right, a staircase hugged the wall terminating at a second level opening where a corridor led away from the hall. The governor rose as they approached.
"Lieutenant Isaacs, welcome, and I see you have brought some friends with you." The governor stepped down from the dais and walked toward the visitors. He was a small, rotund man with graying hair and was dressed in a long tunic made from a finely woven gray fabric and black pants. Sheppard noted that the clothing of the other assembly members present was similar although varied in color.
Lt. Isaacs bowed to the governor, "Governor Lalrahn, I would like to introduce Mr. Richard Woolsey, Director of the Atlantis Expedition and this is Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, military commander of Atlantis. This is Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex."
Mr. Woolsey walked up to the governor, bowed per protocol with Sheppard standing behind him doing the same, then the director spoke, "Governor Lalrahn, it is an honor to visit your world. The colonel and I are looking forward to our discussions regarding your petition for admittance to the Pegasus coalition. We also look forward to discussing the discovery of naquadah ore made by one of our scientists while surveying your planet."
"We are pleased to have you and the colonel with us and we look forward to our discussions as well. Please come with me, we felt that our initial meeting should be in a more suitable and less open location, so we will be meeting in my office." The governor gestured toward the staircase.
As they all began to follow the governor, he turned back to Woolsey, "I am sorry, Mr. Woolsey but there is only room for you and Colonel Sheppard in my office, it is quite small. The rest of your party will have to wait here."
Ronon started to protest but Sheppard shook his head and Ronon remained quiet; however, his disapproval of the two men going alone was obvious. Sheppard was fairly certain it wasn't in their best interest to go without the team, but they needed to find out what was really happening on Tegera. He had already seen the look in the governor's eyes; the man was frightened.
"Not a problem, governor, the rest of our team can wait here for us." Sheppard was looking closely at the governor who would not meet his gaze. With a look back at Ronon and Teyla, Sheppard followed Woolsey as they climbed the stairs.
Ronon whispered to Teyla, "I don't like this."
Teyla did not take her eyes off of Woolsey and the colonel until they reached the top of the stairs and disappeared into the corridor, "I don't like this either, Ronon."
Governor's Office
Woolsey and Sheppard were led down a long wide hallway and were almost at the end when the governor stopped, "We're here." As the governor reached for the door handle, Sheppard noticed that his hands were shaking.
Sheppard gently grabbed the governor's wrist, "Sir, is there anything that you would like to tell us?"
Lalrahn still had the same fearful look in his eye but he answered, "No, of course not, colonel. Let's go in so that we can talk." With that Sheppard let go of the governor's hand and waited as he opened the door. Woolsey followed the governor inside and Sheppard entered last.
As the door closed behind him, Sheppard felt strong hands grab him from behind and then he saw another man dressed in brown grab Woolsey. The governor had retreated behind his desk; he was very pale and trembling.
While Sheppard struggled to get free, another one of the "mystery men" slipped his 9-mil from his holster and unclipped the P-90 from his vest. Sheppard kicked out at the man in front of him but only got a hard punch in his abdomen for his efforts. He doubled over from the blow and fell, rolling against the governor's desk. As he tried to catch his breath, he could hear Woolsey demand to know what was going on.
"So you would like to know what is going on, Mr. Woolsey. I will explain it all to you in good time." A man with a deep voice spoke; after addressing Woolsey, he walked over to Sheppard and kicked the colonel in his left side. "Get him up; I want to see his face."
The man holding Sheppard roughly pulled him up from the floor and tied his hands behind his back. When he finished, he spun Sheppard around to face their leader. Sheppard recognized him immediately, he was one of Genii who was with Kolya the day Sheppard killed him.
"I would say nice to see you again but then I would be lying." Sheppard spoke in a low, hoarse voice, his breathing still not back to normal.
"Well, well, well, the great Colonel Sheppard; you have been a nuisance for far too long. I cannot tell you how happy I was when we arrived on Tegera to hear that people from Atlantis were visiting this fair planet as representatives of the coalition. We had only come here to recruit members for the revolution against Pegasus unity. Now, this is my opportunity to revenge the death of my mentor. You will pay for Kolya's death, colonel; but not right away, I think it will take you a long time to die."
"That's kind of you: I wouldn't want to die really quickly, maybe 40 or 50 years from now would be good." Sheppard attempted a smug grin but wasn't very successful.
"Always the funny man, aren't you, colonel. Somehow I don't think that you'll be so funny for long."
Sheppard was about to reply with another funny remark when the Genii hit him in the face. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the smile on his captor's face.
Assembly Hall
Ronon was pacing, his anger at not being with Sheppard and Woolsey evident with every heavy step he took; Lt. Isaacs was standing ramrod straight, convinced that Woolsey and his CO were in danger and feeling helpless that he could do nothing at the moment. McKay was tapping nervously on his tablet, trying to past the time working. Sitting quietly next to Rodney on one of the pews near the center of the hall, Teyla was trying to clear her mind to be ready to take action if necessary. However, Ronon's pacing was hindering her efforts to think clearly.
"Ronon, please sit down, pacing back and forth will not help."
"It's helping me," was his only retort.
"Please Ronon, come sit down next to me; I need to talk to you, Rodney and Lt. Isaacs. I have an idea on how to gain some information."
Ronon stopped and then reluctantly sat down next to Teyla; the lieutenant was already standing close to her. "What's on your mind?" Ronon asked.
"I have been watching the assembly members, they are nervous. A few minutes ago another man joined them and they seemed even more nervous after his arrival. I believe they know what is going on. I am going to try to get one of them to talk to me; I think I will speak to the younger one who is sitting off to the side. Perhaps he will tell me something. Please stay here, gentlemen." Teyla rose and walked toward the young Tegeran.
"She made a good choice. That guy hasn't taken his eyes off of Teyla since we arrived. If any of these people would talk to her, I think he would." Isaacs remarked.
"Let's hope so." Ronon stood up and began to pace once more, though not with the same intensity as before.
McKay smiled, "Beauty, brains, and good in a fight; that's our Teyla."
"Just like me, right McKay?" Ronon was looking down at the scientist.
"Well, the good in a fight part," McKay answered back. Ronon's hand went to his blaster and McKay slid down the pew a couple of feet to get away from the Satedan. Ronon turned toward Isaacs and grinned; Isaacs fought back a smile, he didn't want to make Dr. McKay angry.
Teyla smiled broadly as she approached the young assemblyman. He rose in response to her greeting; Teyla noted that he was nearly as tall as Ronon but there the resemblance ended. This young man was thin with longish blond hair and gray eyes; he looked more a poet or teacher than a warrior. "Hello, I am Teyla Emmagan; I have just been admiring this beautiful hall, it is remarkable that it was not destroyed during the Wraith cullings."
"Teyla, I am Persim Ravil, it is nice to meet you." He smile warmly at Teyla, then paused and looked around the hall, "Yes, it is beautiful. We were never sure why the Wraith did not destroy the city or the other towns and villages. The Wraith would come out the sky in their arrow shaped ships, sweeping down over the towns and villages to cull but they never found many to harvest. Our citizens hid in tunnels that extend from the city into the countryside and for some reason the Wraith could not detect the people hiding in the tunnels. Eventually, the cullings became less frequent and we were fortunate to be spared."
"You are most fortunate, I am Athosian and a great many of my people were culled."
"This galaxy has suffered from the reign of the Wraith. Now that the Wraith no longer feed on humans, perhaps we will see a time of prosperity when we can grow without fear."
"That is the hope of all of us, Persim. That prosperity will once again come to the people of this galaxy."
He looked at Teyla, his face betraying his emotion, "We would not be free of the Wraith if it were not for the Atlantians. We owe them a great deal." He trembled slightly.
Teyla knew she must risk asking him what was happening, "Persim, you must help us. We believe that Mr. Woolsey and Colonel Sheppard may be in great danger. Are they?"
"Teyla, I can't…," Persim looked toward the ceiling and then looked back at Teyla, when he spoke his voice was much lower. "Yes, they are; your friends are in grave danger. You should have never returned here. There is much evil on Tegera this day." His eyes reflected fear and Teyla could see he was struggling with being truthful with her. Yet Teyla could sense strength in Persim; a strength that was empowering him to tell Teyla the truth of what was happening on Tegera.
"What kind of danger and from whom?" Teyla glanced at Ronon and Isaacs and they both, recognizing the uneasy look on her face, tightened their grip on their weapons.
"If they find out I have told you, many will die. They are holding our families so that we would deliver the colonel and the leader of Atlantis to them. They have told us that if we try to interfere with their plans they will kill our families."
"Please, Persim, I promise that we will help you to free them. You must tell me, who is behind this and what are they planning."
He rose from his chair and motioned for her to follow him, speaking louder as if he wanted the people on the dais to know why he was walking with Teyla. "Come with me, if you would like to know more about the history of Tegera, you must see the painting that is hung here. It details our most famous battle from the dark times when there were two warring factions on the planet."
The painting was very large and was hung on the on the right side of the Assembly Hall near the back; Persim was pointing to the painting as if he were explaining the battle that was portrayed. Instead of discussing the painting, he was giving Teyla details of the mystery men, "They came by the Ancestral portal the day before Lt. Isaacs and his team came to do the survey. They call themselves the Pegasus Rebellion and they are opposed to the coalition. Their leader spent much time before the assembly, telling us that the people of the galaxy had lived for far too long under the influence of the Wraith. He said that if we joined the coalition, we would just be trading one master for another. There were many of us who doubted their story."
"Do you know who they are, where they are from, and why they wanted the colonel and Woolsey?"
"No, I do not know who they are, their leader calls himself Ferish but I do not know where he is from; I do not think they all come from the same planet."
"Did you say 'all'; are there more than the five that Lt. Isaacs saw hiding here in the hall yesterday? Persim, how many are there?" Teyla felt a cold shiver run down her back, she got the impression from the way Persim said 'all' that there may be more of these men than they had imagined.
"There were eight of them at first; but when he heard that people from Atlantis were coming to survey for the coalition, Ferish sent two of his men to the gate; soon nearly twenty more of Ferish's rebels arrived through the gate. While Lt. Isaacs and his team were beginning the survey, the rebels began to round up our family members and bring them to the assembly dining hall; where they are being held now along with the citizens who were in the hall yesterday."
"When did you become aware that they had taken your families?"
"Ferish and one of his men dressed as assembly members and were on the dais when Lt. Isaacs informed the assembly about the discovery of this naquadah; it was Ferish who told the governor to request a recess to discuss the find. During the recess, he had the citizens who were in the hall taken away and he informed us that he had our families and threatened to kill them if we did not demand the colonel and the leader of Atlantis to come to Tegera.
"Did Ferish or any of them mention why they wanted our friends?"
"No, I do not know why they were so adamant to get them here. Ferish said something about wanting the leaders of Atlantis to pay; he seemed especially interested in Colonel Sheppard."
"Thank you, Persim. I know this is difficult but I promise you, we will help you free your people and I hope you will help us. Let us return to the front where I will thank you for the history lesson; then I must speak to my companions." Teyla smiled and took Persim by the arm and they walked toward the front.
As Teyla returned to the pew near the center of the hall where Rodney, Ronon, and Isaacs waited for her, her mind was searching for any thoughts as to who could be behind this. She quickly filled in her companions and Lt. Isaacs contacted Lorne, who requested that Isaacs step outside to discuss the information. As Isaac's left the hall, no one noticed that an assemblyman, who had just joined the others, was talking into a small radio attached to his wrist, his eyes never leaving Teyla.