"My bullshit detector is ringing a big freaking gong, right now, Elizabeth." Cordelia said. She'd come along with AG 3 and Dr. Weir to negotiate with these people who's capital punishment involved putting people on an island with the Stargate and letting the Wraith eat them. An island that AG 1, including Xander, was currently stuck on. "That guy is lying thru his teeth. He has no intention of negotiating with us and something else is going on here."

"I'd have to agree with her, ma'am." Major Lorne, the leader of AG 3 said. "I don't think they intend to help us at all."

"I'm hoping you're wrong about that, but I'm afraid you're not." Elizabeth said. "I hope we don't have to fight our way out of here."

Unfortunately, it looked like they would have to fight their way out. When the young woman, Marin, came to tell them the Magistrate was not searching for their missing team and that new laws had been passed that criminalized normal behavior, which was making people wonder why. The Magistrate arrived and accused Marin of being part of an insurrection group and ordered her arrested. She protested that she was just trying to understand what was going on. As the guards started to grab her, Cordelia reached out and grabbed her, herself and pulled her away from them.

"She says she's innocent. Do you have any kind of justice system? Or proof? Will she get a trial?"

"She's already been found guilty." The Magistrate answered, pompously. A sudden flash of light blinded the Magistrate and his guards. Major Lorne grabbed Dr. Weir and said. "I don't know what that was but we need to get out of here. Now."

"Agreed."

"Marin, come on." Cordelia said and pulled her along with her.

They made it to the jumper and Major Lorne took off, cloaking as they went.

Meanwhile, on the island.

"If you don't fix it, we will kill one of your companions." The leader, Torrell told McKay and indicated another man. "Eldon will help you."

Sheppard, Ronin, Teyla and Xander were all tied up nearby. They'd been knocked unconscious in the crash. Some of Ronin's knives as well as Sheppard and Xander's had been found. Didn't stop them from working on getting out of the ropes.

"Handcuffs can be fun, ropes not so much." Xander muttered as he strained to break the ropes. Finally, they gave and he jumped up, grabbing a rock as he did and throwing it at Torrell, knocking him out or possibly killing him, he didn't bother to check. He grabbed another rock and said. "Who's next?"

The others backed away.

Eldon spoke up. "None of them will attack, like me they're innocent. Torrell is a murderer, he enjoys killing."

"You'd better be telling the truth. Untie my friends." Xander ordered.

Once he was free, Sheppard said. "McKay, can you get the jumper fixed?"

"No, but I might be able to get the DHD fixed."

"Do that." Just as a jumper decloaked above them. They could see Major Lorne and Dr. Weir thru the windshield. The Major lowered the jumper down and his team came out, weapons up. "Are you alright, sir?" One of them asked.

"Yeah, we're fine. These people claim they're innocent of any crimes, at least most of them are. That something as small as stealing to survive is enough to get them sent here."

"It is. We fear being sent here so much, most of us won't risk getting sent here. We have very little crime as a result. But they keep sending people anyway. Even making up reasons to send people." Eldon told them.

"It makes sense. Who's going to want to risk being eaten by the Wraith. Which means the Magistrate is sacrificing these people to save himself and the rest." Cordelia said, from inside the jumper.

"Elizabeth, if we send these people to an uninhabited planet and help them get settled, they could start over. Only one of them tried to hurt or threatened us in any way and Xander took him out with a fast pitch." McKay said.

"Guess little league stuck with you." Cordelia snarked.

"Dr. Weir, I agree with McKay. These people should have a fighting chance and they don't have one here." Sheppard said.

"Very well. Dr. McKay, please choose a planet to send them to and use the DHD in our jumper to dial it."

After the people there had gathered everyone currently on the island, all except Eldon and Marin went thru. Both had requested and been granted permission to come with the expedition members. Dr. Weir told McKay, who backed Eldon's request, that Eldon was his responsibility and Cordelia, who backed Marin's, that Marin was her responsibility. Both agreed.

Later, when they were all safely back on Atlantis, they were speculating as to what the light had been, that blinded the Magistrate and his guards.

"I'm leaning towards it being our Ascended doubles." Xander said. "It's exactly the kind of thing that they'd do, if they couldn't work openly. It could be passed off as a light bulb exploding or something."

"True. I'd like to think it was them anyway. So what happens to those people now?" Cordelia asked.

"Well, we'll help the ones from the island get settled. A malp we send to Olesia showed they've been culled. It was a gamble that that might happen if the Wraith found no one on the island. I can't help wondering how many people were aware of what the Magistrate was doing. People had to have some idea of what was going on." Elizabeth said.

"It reminds me that poem." Xander said.

"Poem?" Teyla asked.

"First they came for the socialists and I did not speak out, because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionist and I did not speak out, because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.*

The point is, when you see injustice, you should try to help. Even when you're afraid." Xander said.

"Wise words." Elizabeth said.

"Hard won lessons." Cordelia said. "In our hometown the gang violence was horrifyingly bad, but most people were either too afraid to do anything about it or corrupt and a part of it. The Take Back The Night Initiative we were apart of, it helped us survive, but it also allowed us to help people. People who would otherwise have died."

*Quote from Martin Niemoller.