Sorry it's been so long since an update. Life's been crazy the past month and is looking to be staying that way for a bit. I'll update as often as possible. Please read and review, constructive criticism is highly appreciated. Again sorry for the delay. Now without further ado, let the story continue.
Ronan walked behind the rest of the team. He wasn't surprised that he wasn't bound the way the rest of the team was. He had fought with the Nuhtal before and the Satedans had long ago earned the respect of the Telosians. He knew with relative certainty that he would be able to walk away from Telos should he choose too. He, however, didn't know if he could get the rest of his team out of this because even though he was a respected ally Sheppard and the others were strangers and the Telosians never let outsiders leave.
"How are we going to get out of this?" Ronan was pulled from his thoughts and noticed that John was now walking next to him.
"No idea," Ronan answered. John noticed that the Satedan wasn't bound the way that he was.
"Why aren't you tied up?" John asked after noticing that Teyla and Rodney also were.
"I'm not an outsider," Ronan answered with a shrug.
"Can you talk them into lettings us go?" John looked over at him. Ronan shook his head slightly and kept walking.
John tried to think of a way out of this. Ronan was the only one who was not bound and still had weapons. John wouldn't ask Ronan to risk his life on the off chance that somehow they could overpower the twenty visible trained warriors and then the warriors hidden in the forest around them. More than once he instinctively glanced to the side when he thought he saw movement but each time he only saw only trees and underbrush. Despite not seeing them though he knew that there were more warriors following them through the forest.
They soon came to a wide smooth path through the trees and came to a halt. John saw the Nuhtal speaking quickly to another warrior; she gestured down the path. As she stopped speaking the warrior ran down the path away from them.
The Nuhtal gave swift orders in her native tongue and the warriors positioned themselves around the area leaving the group in the center of the large circle. The Telosian warriors stood still as statues once they reached their position. The Nuhtal looked at them briefly, "We will wait here for word from the Keetal." She turned away from them and looked down the path were the warrior had disappeared.
A moment later four warriors appeared with Samuels and Baker between them. They moved the two into the center of the ring and moved out of sight into the trees. Samuels and Baker were both bound and from the looks of it had put up a fight against the Telosians. Samuels left eye was swollen shut and there was a trail of dried blood from his nose to his chin. Baker's nose was much more crooked than John remembered it being and the skin around his eyes was turning purple. Teyla quickly walked over to where they had dropped to their knees.
"You guys alright?" John asked as he squatted next to them.
"Sorry sir they came out of no where," Samuels looked at the ground.
"Don't worry about it, as you can see they caught us too," John gave him a half grin, "At least you put up a fight, she just knocked me down." They all fell silent, each wondering what was going to happen to them.
"Specialist," they all looked over to where the Nuhtal stood just outside the ring of soldiers. Ronan looked down at John.
"Well go on, you don't wanna piss her off," John waved his bound hands toward her. He noticed the Nuhtal's expression change slightly at Ronan's obvious subordination to John.
Ronan walked over to her. They exchanged what John thought would be the Telosian version of shaking hands and then she began to speak to him in her own language. Ronan spoke hesitantly as though he wasn't sure of the words when he answered. She gestured to the group of them as she spoke. Ronan pointed to John and the Nuhtal looked at him skeptically.
"Sheppard," Ronan stated. The Nuhtal said something to him that John was almost sure was asking why the Satedan took orders from him. After a few more minutes of conversation Ronan walked over to him.
"She wants to talk to you," Ronan stated plainly. John looked over at the woman.
"What's she want?" John glanced back at Ronan.
"She wants to talk to the leader of our group," Ronan answered.
"Alright, anything I should know about?" John asked. Ronan shook his head in reply and John started over to where she was standing, the warriors blocking his way parted to let him pass without a word or glance. The Nuhtal had turned her back to the group of people and was again looking down the path. She didn't even glance at John as he stopped next to her. "Ronan said you wanted to talk to me."
"This is the path to our capital. It has been many generations since blood has been shed upon this path," she sighed, "It had been many years since we have taken strangers from the Stargate. The fall of Sateda was the last time so many came through. But now in the past two years many have come here, most with no idea that upon entering our land they may never leave. They find peace here though and we give them work to accomplish and earn their way."
"We mean no harm to your people, we're looking for friends and allies against the Wraith," John looked down at her. She stood several inches shorter than him but she was still intimidating. Her confidence was obvious in the way she stood, her back was straight and her head held high. Standing close to her he could see runes carved into the silver band she wore around her arm. The runes looked familiar to him but he couldn't read them so he turned his attention back to the Nuhtal's words.
"The Telosians do not need allies against the Wraith."
"Why don't you need allies against the Wraith?"
"The Wraith suffered many losses the last time they attempted to attack Telos. They see no reason to come back. Their losses were not worth the gain."
"They wipe out any other race that opposes them, why is yours different?"
"The scientists of Telos long ago found a way to make sure the Wraith do not attempt to cull us as they do others. We are safe here from their attacks."
"Why don't you help the people on the other worlds then?"
"We are a strong people but the Wraith are a patient race. Their lives span centuries, and we are as mortal as your people. We have seen the destruction the Wraith have caused on other worlds that were defended by strong warriors, like Sateda. We stay here to protect those of our people who are not warriors; the children who hope one day to bring their family honor, those who once were warriors that now live in peace, the scientists and doctors, the mothers who care for the warriors to be and those that have not yet come to be in our world."
"But there are hundreds of thousands of people on other worlds that your people could help, cultures that your people could keep from being wiped out."
"You would have us wipe out their culture instead Sheppard?"
"They're evil life sucking aliens! They treat humans like animals that they raise and then slaughter."
"On your planet do you not raise animals for the purpose of killing them for nourishment?"
"That's different!"
"How so? Humans eat animals and to the Wraith we are animals."
"Humans are different from animals though. We have cultures and societies."
"Just because we do not understand the societies of those we consider animals does not mean that they do not have it. Yet we still hunt them and kill them for nourishment."
"You're missing the point."
"No Sheppard I believe it is you who are missing the point. The Wraith have the right to exist just as we have. They should not enslave all the people in our stars but we have no more right to eliminate their culture than they do to ours."
"Your people would let the Wraith keep culling every other planet?"
"The Wraith are many and we are only one world Sheppard. I grow weary of debate though. You will meet with the Keetal and he will decide what your fate will be."
"We have to go back to our planet, I'm the military commander of Atlantis, I have to go back," John had looked away from her so he didn't see the look on her face when he mentioned Atlantis.
"You are from Atlantis?" she asked quietly.
"If we were would you let us go?"
"That is not my decision to make."
"We come from the city of Atlantis."
"Are you and your people Lantean?"
"Some of us are many generations removed from the Lanteans and carry the gene that is required to make their technology function."
"The Lanteans abandoned their city ten thousand years ago."
"They traveled to our planet in another galaxy when they left Atlantis."
"You come from Earth?" the Nuhtal's gaze did not shift from the path ahead of her as she spoke words that caused John's jaw to drop slightly.