Chapter 4

The trees themselves seemed to erupt with noise. A dozen or so warriors charged forwards, waving knives and spears.

"Run!"

The team took off, aiming for the stargate at top speed. The warriors were gaining fast, their wild yells still echoing around. Evan aimed a burst of P-90 fire above their heads, hoping to scare them off, but it seemed to have little effect. If anything, it only served to anger them more. His stomach sank as more warriors rushed from the trees ahead. Their escape route was completely blocked. He tried another round of fire, echoed by Reed and Coughlin, but again it had no effect. Either these people didn't recognise the danger, or more likely, they didn't care. Realising they were surrounded, the team moved into a defensive position, all facing the circle of warriors.

"You cannot outrun us." A voice echoed from the back of the ring. The warriors parted, revealing a tall red-haired man, somewhere in his late thirties, dressed in earth toned clothing.

"Which of you is the leader?" he demanded, glaring between Lorne, Reed and Coughlin.

"I am." Evan stepped forward, meeting the other man's look. He was easily half a foot taller, but Evan refused to be intimidated.

"As you have no doubt realised, you are outnumbered and cannot hope to beat us. You will be taken to our village while I decide what should be your fate," the leader continued, then turned to the nearest warriors. "Take their weapons and bind them."

Four of the biggest men strode forwards, roughly pulling the Lantians' guns from their hands and holsters. They were stripped of their TAC vests and coarse ropes were wound around their wrists. Though the inhabitants appeared pre-industrial, they clearly weren't taking any chances.

"I'd like to know what you think we've done?" Evan called.

"I know what you have done. You have trespassed on a sacred site and were no doubt about to begin plundering our resources." The man's tone suggested absolute certainty of the team's dubious intentions.

"We thought the planet was uninhabited. As soon as we found the bodies, we intended to go home. We didn't intend to disturb anyone." Tamsin chose that moment to step forward. Evan shot her a look that plainly said, let me handle this!

The man strode to the end of the line where she stood, after Coughlin and Reid. He took a long moment, eyes sweeping her body, before addressing Evan again.

"You allow your women to dress like men and carry weapons?" There was scorn in his voice.

"Oi, I'm over here, mate! I can speak for myself."

"You speak too much." The man raised his hand, striking Tamsin across the face. Her head whipped to the side with a resounding smack.

"Leave her alone! You wanna hit anyone, come to me." Evan growled.

"How noble." The scorn was still there. "We keep our females in check here, I suggest you control this one or she will find out just how we do that."

"I've got a pretty good idea." Tamsin ground out, glaring at the man.

Evan could see the swing had split the doctor's lip and her jaw was reddening. He had a pretty good idea of this man's methods of control as well. He tried to catch her eye, an almost imperceptible shake of his head warning her not to goad the warrior again. An equally small nod told him she had understood the message.

"Take them to the village."

The warriors who had tied them up now shoved the team in the opposite direction to the gate.

Dead bodies, mouthy doctors and angry natives – all I need is for Sheppard to turn up and rescue us, then my day is complete, Evan thought gloomily. He sighed and trudged on towards the village.

SGA

Tamsin hadn't expected much of the village and what little she had seen of it before they were shoved into the crude roundhouse that currently imprisoned them hadn't changed that expectation. The fact that she was currently enduring a headache to rival some of her worst university hangovers wasn't helping that opinion. Still, she thought to herself, no nausea, vomiting or double vision, so probably no concussion. Really should have kept my mouth shut, though. She snorted, Yeah, right. That'll never happen.

"You okay, Doc?" Lorne's quiet voice reached her across the gloom.

"Fine thanks, Colonel."

Actually, her jaw was pretty sore too, but she'd never admit in front of a military man. Or anyone, come to that. What she'd give for ibuprofen or even an ice-pack right now. Of course the locals had taken her field kit, along with their TAC vests and weapons.

"So, this is a FUBAR."

"Nah, pretty standard day at the office." Lorne replied.

"Really. Do you make a habit of this kind of thing?"

"More than you'd think." Lorne's tone was dry.

She sighed. "So you've got a brilliant plan to get of here?"

"Right now, not so much. We didn't check in on time, a couple more hours, they'll send a SAR team and we'll be back for breakfast. Sit tight, enjoy the hospitality."

"Well I won't be recommending them for the Lonely Planet Pegasus guide book any time soon," Tamsin replied.

She heard a soft snort from the colonel's direction.

"Sir, looks like we've got company." Reid had been keeping watch through a small gap between the door and the wall.

Lorne was immediately on his feet, along with Reid. For once, Tamsin kept to the back of the hut – the headache didn't lend itself to quick reactions and she figured she'd be better off not earning another thump.

The heavy door was thrown open by another large, hairy man. One of the warriors that had escorted them to the village earlier waved a lantern into the dark hut. These two were right out of the Central Casting catalogue, listed under hairy goons.

"Where's the woman?"

"I told your boss, you talk to me first." Lorne growled.

"I am the boss. Bring the woman now."

The guard barged past Lorne, swinging the lantern into the shadows. Spotting Tamsin, he strode over and roughly hauled her up by the arm.

"No need to shove, thanks. What do you want?" Tamsin didn't bother to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

"One of the elders is ill, you will help her."

Okay, time to play dumb, she thought. "What makes you think I can do that?"

"You are a healer, you will make her better."

"No idea what you're talking about." She met the man's stare with one of her own. If she could terrify Marines with a look, she wasn't going to let this oaf bully her.

The man gave a bark of humourless laughter. "You may think we are a backwards race, but we recognise the tools of a healer."

Damn, they had clearly gone through the team's possessions and her field kit.

"And why do you think I'm the healer?"

"I also recognise those who are trained to fight. Your companions are the fighters, you clearly, are not."

"Yeah, I get it, women don't fight back here." Tamsin shook her head. You have no idea and it's going to stay that way for now.

"Enough talk, you will come now."

The first man again grabbed her arm, propelling her out of the hut into the dark.

"Doc, watch yourself." She heard Evan call as the door was slammed and a heavy bar drawn across it.

It had been dusk when they were ambushed and they had spent several hours in captivity. Tamsin had no idea how long the nights were on this planet, but a faint light on the horizon ahead of them suggested dawn was not far off.

Okay, let's call that East. Might as well try some recon while I'm here.

What she could see of the village consisted of several more, larger version of the prison hut. There were a few piles of stuff near to homes, but it looked as though the inhabitants stored most of their possessions inside their homes. It was currently deserted, apart from them, but Tamsin suspected it would soon be busy with people rising for their day's activities. Any escape attempts would need to wait for cover of darkness.

If we make it that long. Lorne seemed confident that Atlantis would soon be searching for them, but they had no way of knowing how long Hairy was going to take to decide what to do with them.

"In here." They stopped in front of one of the huts, near the centre of the village. It was the largest Tamsin had seen so far and intuition told her it was the chief's house.

The furniture inside consisted of little more than rudimentary chairs, a low table and a bed pallet to one corner. A fire burned in a pit in a centre of the structure, the smoke disappearing through a hole in the thatched roof. Tamsin was reminded of Iron-Age settlements back on Earth.

"You are the healer." A low, female voice came from the pallet. Immediately, Tamsin's training kicked in and she crossed to the woman's side.

"Yes. I'll do my best to help you, but it's going to be difficult without my kit and with my hands tied."

The woman was thin, long red hair streaked with grey, but her eyes were bright. Tamsin guessed she was somewhere in her late fifties.

"Guard, release the healer and bring her bag, at once."

"Of course, my lady." The taller guard bowed. Advancing forwards, he brought out a short but lethal looking knife that made short work of the rope securing her wrists. He hurried out of the hut, returning a few minutes later with the familiar black rucksack. Tamsin felt relieved; now she could actually do something, perhaps win the favour of this obviously respected woman.

She broke into a chesty cough, Tamsin helping her to sit and steadying her until the coughing subsided. Easing the woman down again, she cast around hoping for water. Fortunately, a wooden pail sat nearby, with a ladle for drinking.

"Go steady, just a few sips." Tamsin passed the ladle to the woman. "I'm Tamsin, by the way."

"Thank you, Tamsin. My name is Vinda."

Tamsin smiled at Vinda, then hunted through her bag for the things she would need. Based on her Earth experience, she had a suspicion of what was causing the cough and fever, but she couldn't be certain until she had performed a physical examination.

"Vinda, I'm going to need to look at you to find out why you're feeling ill. I'll explain what I'm doing as I go, but if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask them, ok?"

Vinda nodded and Tamsin began her assessment. Having asked a few questions about Vinda's general health and how long she'd felt unwell, Tamsin checked the older woman's vital signs. Listening to Vinda's lungs confirmed the doctor's growing suspicion.

Looping the stethescope around her neck, Tamsin sat back on her heels and gave Vinda a reassuring smile. "It looks like you have something we call pneumonia. It's an infection in your lungs that's caused by bacteria. It seems to be mild and I can give you antibiotics, medicines, that should clear the infection."

Vinda began to speak, but broke into another coughing fit. A few minutes later, she caught her breath and took some more sips of water.

"Vinda, I do need to warn you there's a chance your body could react to the drugs and make you more ill. It doesn't happen often and I can treat it if happens, but you need to know about it."

Tamsin had only seen an adverse reaction to antibiotics once in her career, but she knew it was possible that Pegasus natives could be just different enough that Earth drugs could have a different effect upon them.

Vinda closed her eyes for a moment, appearing to consider the warning. Opening them again, she gave a gentle smile. "I understand. We do our best to survive here; I believe I have a better chance with these medicines than without. Please do what you need to."

"Try not to talk too much. You need to rest and drink plenty of water. I'll get you that medicine and we'll soon get you back on your feet, ok?"

"Thank you, Tamsin. Our healers are few and far between." Vinda lay back on the pallet, looking pale.

With a quick glance at her patient, Tamsin turned back to her bag, searching for a blister pack of amoxicillin capsules. She passed one to Vinda, instructing her to swallow it with water and receiving another grateful smile in return.

I really hope this works, or the shit will definitely hit the fan. While her immediate responsibility was to Vinda, Tamsin knew that the team's fate would probably depend on the outcome of the next few hours. No pressure, then.

A couple of hours had passed by Tamsin's watch. Apart from keeping regular observations on Vinda's vital signs, there was little she could do but wait. Given the muffled sounds outside of the hut, the village had clearly come to life and was going about its' daily business.

She had no idea what was happening to Lorne, Coughlin and Reid. It was also odd that nobody had come to check on Vinda, especially given the level of hostility they had encountered. Questioning the guard had only produced grunts or stony silence and she had given up after a few minutes.

On the plus side, Vinda had not suffered an allergic reaction and paracetamol and fluids seemed to be keeping her comfortable for the time being.

Tamsin was checking Vinda over, when the older woman placed a hand on her arm and looked directly at her.

"Did one of the men hit you?" Vinda asked softly, peering at the bruise on Tamsin's jaw.

"It's nothing." Tamsin shook her head. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better, thank you. But please answer my question."

Tamsin realised Vinda wasn't going to be put off. She sighed. "Yes, one of them hit me. The leader, but it's really nothing."

It was Vinda's turn to sigh. "My son, Mato. I am sorry; he can be quick to anger. He has had leadership thrust upon him and is still finding his place. Although that is no excuse for his behaviour."

"He's your son?" Tamsin repeated.

Vinda looked down, fingers picking at the woollen blanket covering her. "Yes. His father, my mate, was our leader, but Mato was never meant to take that role. He was the youngest of my sons, but now he is my only son.

"The Wraith have never come to our world, we do not know why, but we have encountered a number of raiders coming through the Ring of the Ancestors. These raiders are searching for something, although we have no idea what it is. They have sophisticated weapons and have killed many of us, including most of my family." Vinda broke into another coughing fit, this time lasting several minutes. She lay back looking shaky.

"Vinda, you really need to take it easy. The antibiotics will help, but only if you rest." Tamsin couldn't help the firmness in her voice; it was hard to balance concern with just wishing patients would actually do as they were told.

Seeing it was time for another dose of painkillers, Tamsin helped Vinda to swallow them and settled her back down. She seemed to want to sleep, which was the best thing, so Tamsin left her to it. Popping another two tablets from the packet, Tamsin swallowed them with the remains of her own water. Her jaw was really beginning to ache, along with the inevitable tension headache from being awake for more than twenty four hours.

This is nothing, Lucas, you've gone soft. She thought back to her pre-registration year. It hadn't been unusual to spend forty-eight hours or more at the hospital, snatching sleep where she could, emerging into a misty dawn and realising that more than two days had passed for the outside world. I'm not twenty-three any more, though.

The door of the hut swung open, jolting Tamsin from her thoughts. Mato shouldered his way in, stooping slightly under the low edge of the roof.

"Is she better?" he demanded, striding across to Vinda. "Why is she not moving?"

"She's resting. She has pneumonia. I've given her medicine to ease the infection, but rest is the best thing for her now." Tamsin crossed her arms, raising her chin to meet his glare.

"How do I know you haven't poisoned her, made her worse?"

"You don't, but why would you have me brought here if you thought I would do that?"

Mato sighed, his broad shoulders sagging for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice had lost some of the hostility.

"She is my only family. Any healer is better than no healer, even if you are from another world. I had to hope you would help."

"Then maybe you'd be willing to consider that what we said when you captured us is the truth?"

"Perhaps. Your warriors did not actually attempt to harm us, unlike the others." He stood, seeming to gather his thoughts.

Tamsin decided to go for broke. "Vinda told me what happened to your family."

Mato whirled round, hostility returning to his features. "She had no right to do so, our business is our own!"

"People have a tendency to tell doctors all sorts of things. You wouldn't believe some of the things I've heard from patients." She dropped her voice, knowing she needed to tread carefully. "Mato, I think my people may be able to help you. If you'd consider speaking with my friends, we might be able to come to some sort of agreement."

Mato turned back to the woman laid on the pallet. A few moments later he spoke again in a calmer voice. "For my mother's sake I will consider it. But if anything happens to her, rest assured that retribution will be swift."

"Mato, I promise you I'll do everything I can for your mother." Tamsin kept her voice steady, but deep down she was tense – who knew if her words would really change his mind?

The warrior gave her a long, appraising look, nodded and left the roundhouse. The guard returned to his position inside as the door shut again.

Tamsin let out a sigh of relief. She'd been in some difficult situations in the past, requiring plenty of negotiation, but diplomacy wasn't one of her strongest suits. She had to hope that Mato would at least speak with Colonel Lorne and that he could convince the leader to work with them.

SGA

Things moved quickly after that. Mato and Lorne had spoken for some time, coming to an agreement to start formal talks between his people and Atlantis. Vinda had begun to respond to the antibiotics, to everyone's relief and no doubt aiding the negotiations. Things had nearly gone FUBAR again when Sheppard and the SAR team had blazed in, believing that Lorne's team were still held captive, but it was eventually resolved with plenty of promises of support and trade.

SGA

Carson looked across the infirmary as the doors slid open, revealing Lorne, Coughlin, Reid and Lucas. They were all dishevelled, weary and appeared to be holding each other up as they shuffled over to the exam beds.

"The wanderers return!" He greeted them warmly. He only knew Reid and Coughlin in passing, but had got to know Lorne quite well since returning to Pegasus. They had shared more than a few beers on quiet evenings.

"Good to be back, Doc." Lorne replied, easing himself onto one of the beds.

"I heard you ran into a wee bit of trouble with the locals." Carson began to check Evan over, but the colonel waved him away.

"You should check Dr. Lucas first; she ended up with the worst of it. I can wait a few minutes."

Carson turned to the adjacent bed.

"Hi, Carson." Tamsin gave a rueful grin and a small wave, followed by a stifled yawn.

"Good Lord, what happened, love?"

Dark shadows ringed her eyes, contrasting with the greyish tone of her skin. She looked as worn out as the rest of the team, but it was the purplish-blue bruise on her left jaw that drew his attention.

"You should see the other bloke," she joked weakly.

"One of the men did this to you?" Carson was appalled – hitting women just wasn't acceptable in his book.

She shrugged. "Not the first time I've earned a smack for having a big mouth. I would have thumped him back, but they'd tied us up at that point."

"They sound thoroughly charming." Carson's tone was dry. Hitting a woman who couldn't defend herself really was the pits. Privately, he thought he probably would have thumped the man himself, had he been there. "Let's have a look at you, then."

"It's just bruised. I'm not concussed, there's no misalignment or fracture that I can tell and no broken teeth. There's a slight laceration on the inside of my cheek, but just load me up with antibiotics and I'll leave you in peace." She grinned. "I promise to call you if I keel over."

Carson sighed. He knew she was probably right, but he'd never forgive himself if he let her go and there were complications.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to escape." He gave Tamsin a look of mock hurt. "How about a second opinion, hmm?"

She rolled her eyes, but gave in. "Fine, if it makes you happy."

After a full examination, Carson found he agreed with Tamsin's assessment - beyond the bruising and lingering headache he couldn't find any further injuries from her altercation.

"I'm happy to say I agree with your diagnosis, Dr. Lucas."

"Thank you Dr. Beckett, I'm so glad you support my clinical judgement." Though her reply was sarcastic, the easy tone and half-smile suggested she didn't really mean it.

"Get some rest, love. Think you can make it to your quarters?"

"Might take me all night, but I'll get there." She grinned again, stifling another yawn, then slid off the bed and made her way out of the infirmary.

"Take care, love," he said to himself, as he watched her leave.