The next three weeks passed in relative peace. There were minor disagreements between soldiers, Satedans, and Kians, but none as severe as those that Solen had caused. Every day, more refugees came through the gate, carrying their belongings on their backs and hoping to find a home of their own. Many were Satedan, but some were survivors of various Wraith cullings with nothing to pull them back to their homes.

The pressure to provide for the influx of people grew, and Sheppard scheduled his team for more and more missions through the gate. He began sitting in with Teyla as she negotiated for seed, food, or supplies. At night, however, he found the closest thing to a tavern and usually stayed with a pretty girl willing to fulfill all his desires. When that failed, he simply returned to Calixte. That woman had learned his preferences right away, but Sheppard worried that she saw their relationship as more than it actually was.

Ronon took to meeting Sheppard outside the homes of the women the colonel found. Occasionally, he would warn Sheppard, but he gave up when Sheppard refused to listen. He resolved to protect Sateda from one of its own if it became necessary.

Back on Sateda, Olina made life tolerable for Ronon. Her ready smile and gentle ways calmed him like little else could. He never pushed her about visiting Kiah, but he made certain to bring up Gisli often enough that Olina started speaking of her sister. She appreciated his efforts more than he knew, and she began wishing she had more to wear than the mourning garb she'd brought from Javan's world. As her grief and bitterness subsided, she began adding colorful pillows and blankets she'd stitched to her home.

With Sheppard gone so often, much of the day-to-day decisions fell to Lorne. He took his job seriously. The stress of being "The Man" had a price, and he started suffering from headaches. He often visited the infirmary when Carson wasn't around just to chat with Shani. He hated the feeling of sneaking around on the doctor, but Carson's overprotective nature made meeting Shani for anything awkward. The out of character behavior grew worse if Carson was tired, so Evan tried to avoid any confrontation. It added to the stress and made him wish for an off world mission just to get away.

Shani also noticed Carson's general irritability. She spent the majority of her time in the clinic, spinning wool or otherwise making herself useful, while watching the doctor. She worried about the dark circles that appeared under his eyes but refrained from commenting. Like Evan, Carson had the weight of the entire city resting on his shoulders. He worried for their health and general well-being, making house calls even if he should have been resting himself. Shani knew work was Carson's way of coping with the betrayal on Kiah and wondered if he would one day collapse from the amount of time he spent serving others. As a result, she urged him to take more and more fishing days, loving it when he did because Evan came around more. She wondered if it was a good idea to spend time with the major in such a way but refused to give it more than a cursory thought. She liked Evan and suspected that their friendship could turn into something much more profound.

Solen Sincha took Lorne's ultimatum to heart. Instead of leaving Sateda in a fit of rage, he commandeered a large, multi-room building and began cleaning it out by hand. News quickly spread that a tavern was in the works, and Ronon took Sincha aside. After a healthy amount of discussion, punctuated by some strong Satedan curses, the two agreed that the place would become tavern, hostel, and general restaurant for the city. In no way would Solen sell the services of young women. The erstwhile Satedan understood Ronon's reasons and found a kindred spirit in Radek Zelenka. Before long, Radek split his time between Rodney's lab and Solen's tavern. Within a week, the tavern opened for business and became a popular meeting place in spite of the work that needed to be done to the building. Ironically, opening the tavern sobered Solen faster than anything as responsibility landed squarely on his shoulders.

As for McKay, he forgave Carson for pushing him into a rage. His appetite eventually returned, and he began focusing more on power generation and Stargate security and less on their distance from Earth. It made Carson's job easier knowing his friend was recovering and not falling into a deeper depression. He had enough to worry about with Sheppard and Teyla.

The Athosian leader often troubled her friends. She grieved deeply for the loss of her dreams on Kiah and sought to keep that sort of hurt from happening again. She did so by cutting herself off from human friendships. Only a select few men were allowed to touch her, and only in the sparring ring. Sheppard, Ronon, and Lorne learned that she took her anger at Kalle out on them and usually adjusted to keep from being too injured. The only exception to the rule was Carson. The doctor was a touchy-feely sort anyway, and he considered Teyla's preferences before touching her.

Another change was the formation of several Satedan teams. Orsic, their general commander, had served under Kell. He knew people from various worlds, giving the entire group an edge at the negotiating table. The promises of protection and extra hands to fight the Wraith were powerful incentives, and Orsic's teams proved invaluable.

All in all, a routine formed. It wasn't perfect but gave each person the chance to breathe and relax at night. Everyone knew what the others were responsible for, and it soothed a lot of frazzled nerves as the days progressed.

oOo

Sheppard grunted as his upper back was slammed into the wall. A few moments ago, he'd been sitting in the tavern at a high table, flirting with the pretty, dark-haired barmaid as she delivered drinks to him and McKay. The next thing he knew, he'd been grabbed by the scruff of his neck, dragged into the alley behind the tavern, and pinned to the wall. Two guys he'd nicknamed Ugly One and Ugly Two held him in place while a third—Sheppard decided to call him Ringleader—glared at him. He glared back, unwilling to give in to the intimidation when he'd acted on what the girl was offering.

Ringleader sneered. "What makes you think a girl like her would ever be interested in a man like you?"

Sheppard shrugged. "I dunno. She seemed pretty interested to me." Interested enough to whisper some very nice promises, nip my ear, and nuzzle my neck, anyway, he added silently. He got a strong fist to the gut for the answer and wondered if he might have said that last bit aloud. "Really, guys, this isn't the best way to make new friends."

"Making friends?" Ringleader asked. "Is that what you were doing?"

Sheppard grinned. "We were talking about the local sights. Planning a tour of the area."

"Really?" The man's tone indicated sincere disbelief, and Sheppard decided he needed to brush up on his poker face.

"You weren't a part of the discussion, so you wouldn't know." Sheppard took another punch, this one to the kidney. He started to double over but was held in place by the two uglies. "Listen, this is all a big misunderstanding. Just let me go, and we'll call it even."

"Didn't look like a misunderstanding to me." Ringleader shrugged, mimicking Sheppard's nonchalant attitude. "Thing is, you tried leavin' with a girl Baros likes." Ugly Two snarled as the man continued, "I'm gonna let him decide what to do with you."

Baros grinned, but Sheppard acted before the guy did anything. He reared back and head-butted Ringleader. As Ringleader howled, Ugly One released Sheppard's arm to punch him. Sheppard yanked his arm free and used it to break the guy's nose. Baros roared and swung, connecting solidly with Sheppard's jaw and bouncing his head off of the wall. Sheppard blinked to clear the stars from his head.

From there, the fight dissolved into an all-out brawl. Ronon appeared and evened the odds as more men ran from the tavern. Women watched from the sidelines until Teyla showed up. She grabbed a pair of sticks and proceeded to attack the man nearest her. That ticked off the man's wife, and a chick fight ensued. Sheppard was too busy keeping his rear from getting kicked into the next week to fully enjoy the spectacle, but Rodney filled him in after the fact.

The fight ended when Ronon chased off the last of the men. Women who had not challenged Teyla went to their men's sides and began helping them back to their homes.

"What was that all about?" Ronon demanded as he came trotting back into the alley. Out of the four of them, he was the least battered—unless you counted McKay, who had stayed out of the fight altogether.

Sheppard shrugged. "We had a disagreement."

"Uh-huh," Ronon grunted. "About a girl?"

"No," Sheppard said sheepishly. His jaw ached, his lip was split, his head pounded, and he wouldn't be moving quickly for several days due to sore muscles and a possible strained back. But he felt alive in a way he hadn't in weeks.

A warm hand landed on his arm, and, for just a moment, he thought it was Teyla. Turning, he stared into kohl-rimmed blue eyes as the girl he'd been flirting with blinked up at him. "You are injured."

Not wanting to get caught with her again, he tried for nonchalant. "I'll be fine."

She smiled. "Still, you were injured fighting for me. At least let me see to your wounds." Sincerity showed in her eyes, and he allowed her to drag him back into the tavern. Behind him, Ronon grunted again as if to say, "Yeah, right." Sheppard ignored the man. Unlike the last several worlds, he had no intention of sleeping with any of the women here. He would go to Calixte tomorrow. For now, he just wanted a stiff drink and a bit of TLC for his injuries.

Inside the tavern, the girl pushed him into a chair and left to collect up a bowl of clean water, some rags, and a strong tea. She returned and smiled when he eyed the tea with distaste. "It is strong, but it will help with the pain."

Thinking of Shani's particular brand of medicine, Sheppard sipped the tea. And promptly choked. It had a syrupy texture that coated his mouth and throat much like children's cold medicine back on Earth. "Sorry," he grunted as soon as he was able to get some air. "I wasn't expecting it to be that strong."

The girl smiled again and dipped a rag into the water to begin cleaning blood from his face. "You should not have challenged Makai."

"I didn't know I challenged him." Sheppard hissed when she rubbed a bit too vigorously at a cut over his eye. "I thought. . . ."

A flush darkened her face as she understood his meaning. "The offer stands." She smiled coyly. "I could make you forget your wounds for the night, if you wish."

"What about Baros?"

"What about him?" She shrugged. "He comes around, and we occasionally spend an evening together. But he has no hold over me."

Sheppard's face distorted into his normal expression when something didn't sit right. "As tempting as it is, I'm gonna pass on the offer." He stood and stepped away from the girl. If he didn't, he'd wind up spending the evening with her whether he wanted to or not. "Truth is, I've gotta head back to my world, and I don't want to cause any more problems for you."

She nodded. "I see." Setting aside the rag she'd used to clean his wounds, she met his eyes. "I look forward to seeing you again, John Sheppard."

Sheppard frowned and turned away, the world swaying as he moved. He hated feeling drugged, almost as if he'd taken too much Dramamine and was now trying to drive under the influence. "Whoa!" A moment later, the swaying stopped as his legs crumpled from beneath him.

oOo

Two hours later, Ronon stood outside the tavern and glared as Sheppard said goodbye to the pretty barmaid who had treated his wounds. Anger warred with the Satedan's injured pride. He had been reduced to defending his team leader while said team leader spent every mission jeopardizing Sateda with his trysts. A while ago, Ronon had come to the tavern and been told that Sheppard and the girl had gone upstairs for a while and should not be interrupted.

Now, Ronon watched Sheppard walk unsteadily his way. This entire lifestyle stopped now. Moving forward, he spoke in a low tone. "Sheppard."

The man winced and turned slowly. "Hey, Buddy," he said in a breathless, almost exhausted tone. "Thanks for havin' my back a while ago."

"Won't happen again." Ronon set a slow pace so Sheppard could keep up. "So, what happened?"

"I was talkin' to the girl, and those guys took offense." Sheppard frowned.

"Just talking?" Ronon hated the mistrust.

"Yeah, just talking." Now, Sheppard was on the defensive. "She treated my wounds and gave me something for the pain. I passed out and was taken upstairs to sleep it off."

"Not what the barkeep said."

Sheppard stopped and glared at him. "Nothing. Happened. I never even got out of my clothes! I was upstairs for an hour sleeping off the tea she gave me, and I felt better when I woke up. I don't care what that lying SOB told you, I didn't do anything." He stalked away before Ronon could say a word.

Ronon watched him go with a pensive expression. Sheppard clearly knew his actions were wrong, otherwise he wouldn't have defended them so vehemently. McKay had noticed on the last mission, telling Ronon things had gotten out of hand. Ronon followed Sheppard back to the gate as he made plans for the next day. He needed to talk to Lorne about what was happening and work out a strategy for handling it. Otherwise, Sheppard's actions would put them all at risk.

oOo

Business at Solen's tavern—which had not been named yet—swirled and eddied as men and women finished their work for the day and gathered for a bite to eat. Several groups of Satedans occupied various tables while most of the Marines present mixed and mingled freely. Radek Zelenka and Solen Sincha manned the bar, chatting amicably between refilling cups and carrying food to the hungry. A few Satedan women had taken over the cooking and served one thing: stew with a hunk of freshly-baked bread on the side.

In a darkened corner, Peter Kavanagh stared at his empty bowl and scowled. He'd already finished a cup of Zelenka's latest vintage, and he refused to take more. To indulge would dull his mind and keep him from figuring out the best way to survive. Life on Sateda, while hard, was not as difficult as life on Kiah. When Kolya attacked, Kavanagh's duties with the sewage system had ended. He had wisely kept his comments about Sateda's rudimentary system to himself, resulting in several Marines and Satedans going to work on it. Instead, he had enjoyed time in the sunshine as he put his back into the work of clearing land for fields. He hated the work, but he could not deny the benefits. His skin had darkened from the sunshine, and he now had muscles that wouldn't have developed without the hard labor. Women from other worlds eyed him speculatively—a few appreciated the sight of him coming—and he resolved to find someone to make him happy.

Then, he snorted. Like he could ever be happy when he was trapped here. Kavanagh was many things, but idiotic was not one of them. His hand stole into his pocket, and he pulled out the thumb pick he'd appropriated from Gisli before Kolya's attack. Kavanagh had kept the small piece of plastic, figuring he could use it as leverage over Sheppard when the time came. But Sheppard had begun spending time off world, and Kavanagh heard the rumors. The major—he could never think of Sheppard as a lieutenant colonel in spite of Dr. Weir's field promotion—had a girl in every port. And he freely indulged in that. Whether the rumors began as a result of someone overhearing team conversation or because someone actually saw it, Kavanagh didn't know. But he now tried to figure out how it played into his schemes.

"What of other worlds?" The low question broke through Kavanagh's thoughts, and he perked up without appearing to do much more than glance around. He'd learned the hard way to be discreet and so continued turning the pick over and over in his hand while staring into his empty bowl.

"What of them?" This new voice belonged to Orsic, the leader of three Satedan off world teams who had been a benefit to Sateda thus far. "We use Sateda for our own gain. Kell left us with more than enough to provide for ourselves, but we needed cover. This world provides just that. All operations continue as before except for Sateda's allies. We cannot have news of our work getting back to Sheppard."

"What of Ronon?" asked the voice that Kavanagh had heard earlier.

When Orsic answered, there was a note of pure hatred in his tone. "I will deal with Ronon when the time is right."

The conversation went on, and Kavanagh dropped his head onto his arms and pretended to pass out from too much to drink. But he listened as the group spoke of friends on other worlds, Sateda, and elsewhere. Nothing seemed incriminating outside of what he'd originally heard, but he refused to miss a thing. When the group went their separate ways, he sat up and left the tavern. He had something he could use, and it might give him an edge. He just needed to see Lorne.

oOo

When Sheppard's team returned from their mission, they did so with cuts, bruises, and angry glares. Lorne watched as Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla headed for Carson's clinic. He stopped next to McKay. "What happened out there?"

"Same thing that always happens," McKay snapped. "Sheppard tried picking up a girl and got the crap beat out of him for it!"

Lorne blinked. He had also heard the rumors of his CO's behavior off world and always assumed that it was a vindictive woman trying to get revenge. "How bad did it get?"

McKay motioned with his hand. "If Ronon hadn't shown up when he did. . . ." He didn't need to finish the sentence and left Lorne standing in front of the gate while he stalked toward his lab.

Rubbing his head, Evan turned and slowly made his way home. He needed to speak with Ronon to get the big guy's story. Not that Evan didn't believe McKay, but the physicist had a way of exaggerating things to suit his needs. He wanted several different versions before he made a decision. As it was, he resolved to be the one to head back to that world and try to patch up diplomatic relations. It was the least he could do as Sateda needed the grain that Carashima could provide.

A dark shadow outside his home drew him up short, and Evan's hand fell to the Wraith stunner he carried with him at all times. A moment later, Peter Kavanagh materialized from the shadow, an arrogant smirk on his face. "You gonna shoot me, Major?"

Evan sighed and motioned to his door. "Come in." The last thing he wanted to do was deal with Kavanagh right then. He'd assigned Kavanagh some physical labor as far from the city as he felt he was able to get away with just to avoid dealing with the insufferable man. Right now, however, he wouldn't get rid of Kavanagh if he didn't listen.

Once inside, Kavanagh's smirk melted away and a serious expression darkened his features. "You have a problem."

"I've heard that before." Evan met Kavanagh's eyes, hating that he had to look up at the man. "Whatever issue it is will be worked out in time."

"Not this one." Kavanagh's voice lowered as if he was worried someone might be listening. "I heard something tonight, Major. Someone in this town isn't happy with Ronon, and they made a veiled threat against him. Plus, there's more going on off world than what you know. I can't be sure, but you need to pay attention to your Satedan teams."

Evan shook his head as he shed the jacket he'd worn that day. "There's always more that goes on off world than what I know, Kavanagh. What else is new?"

"This is different."

"Yeah?" Evan raised his eyebrows. "Different how?"

"I don't know!" Kavanagh growled. "Look, all I heard was that 'operations' were to continue as normal, only allies of Sateda were protected. Sateda is their cover."

"And who is 'they'?"

Kavanagh growled again, this time in frustration before he pulled something from his pocket. Flicking it through the air, he smirked as Evan caught it out of instinct. The major turned the bit of plastic over in his hand, recognizing the thumb pick used by guitarists on Earth. When he lifted suspicious eyes to Kavanagh, the scientist huffed in exasperation. "Please!" He actually laughed. "I got that from Gisli back on Kiah. That should be your reminder that I was right then, just like I'm right now!"

Evan frowned. He hated the idea that Kavanagh had pegged Gisli as dangerous before anyone else had, but the man had a point. "You're certain of what you heard?"

"Would I be here if I wasn't?" Kavanagh crossed the small room and plucked the pick from Evan's hand. "I'll hang on to this. Just in case you need reminding. In the meantime, I'd suggest talking to Ronon. Tell him to watch his and his team's backs." He turned and left.

Evan stared at the door, the knot of anger in his stomach intensifying until he paced in genuine frustration. Would they never be free of conniving individuals who sought their own gain over the greater good of others? He was smart enough to realize that this was only a small group of people, but he had already seen what damage a small group could do.

Not knowing what else to do, Evan picked up his coat and headed out the door. He needed to warn Ronon.

~TBC

Author's Note: A character introduced in this chapter, Orsic, is actually not my creation. Orsic first appeared in theicemenace's "Threads Part II" and has since made the transition over to this story. His brother, Ondre, will make a later appearance. Thanks to her for allowing me to use her bad guys! ~lg