28: Arrest

The hour was growing late and Aithris remained awake and restless within the makalvari embassy. The others had been gone for too long, and the urge to go out and attempt to find them was becoming nigh on unbearable. Of course, he was somewhat restricted in his freedom of movement here on Langara, as a Nomad stood out amongst the human population. Even the makalvari were limited in where they could go without drawing attention, and to have a member of an alien species currently unknown to the Langarans on the prowl would only invite difficulty. Major Kav'rak had made it very clear that Aithris was to remain on the embassy grounds, for the Major no doubt wanted the experienced warrior around if there was trouble but did not want him causing it amongst the locals.

Aithris was seated in the dining room of the embassy, the central table long and lined with mostly empty seats. The curtains were drawn over the windows at his back and the embassy compound as a whole had fallen quiet. It was, in Langaran time, the dead of the night. Only a handful of guards patrolled the compound and even Major Kav'rak had retired to his room.

Natalia rested in their room, although Aithris got the impression that she could not get any real sleep knowing that Aithris was up and about. He had tried to persuade her to get some rest, yet he knew that she was feeling about as restless as he was.

When she stepped into the dining room then, wearing a black top and her uniform trousers, Aithris was not surprised. He looked up as she approached, frowning slightly but otherwise glad to see her.

"No word from them?" She asked him. She sat down in the empty chair at his right. Her hair had been untied from its bun, allowing it to hang loose down to the back of her neck. Her eyes regarded him with some visible concern and it only deepened when the Nomad shook his head.

"It's been too long," he said. Natalia nodded in agreement. "Something must have happened."

"What do you want to do?" She asked him. Aithris met her gaze, and she knew right away what he intended. "You go out there and the makalvari can't help you. Where would you even start to look for the others?"

"I can't just stay here and wait, knowing something is wrong." Aithris sighed. He thought back to his last talk with his mother before coming to Langara, one where she had warned him that something bad was coming his way. Was this mission what would bring it on? He supposed it was irritatingly vague for someone to tell another that 'something terrible' would be in their near future. He could go on his whole life wondering what that terrible thing was.

Regardless, he knew to trust his mother's foresight. Something was indeed wrong here on Langara, in more than one aspect. It was not simply the absence of John, Jonas and Elsie, but it was also the overall situation this planet had found itself in. The plague, the insurgents and the obviously corrupt government; it all came together in one grand, dangerous mess and it was obvious to all members of SG-1 that the whole thing was a ticking timebomb. The attacks on the city earlier today were only the start.

"Give it until morning," Natalia told him. She reached over and took his hand in her own. Aithris felt some reassurance in the gesture, even if it did little to alleviate his sense that something awful was coming their way. "And then, if they're still not back, I'll come with you. We'll search this whole city if we have to." She meant it, of course. She always meant it where he and the team were concerned.

She was about to add something more, perhaps suggest she join him in their room, when shouting from outside caught Aithris' attention. He was up on his feet right away, and Natalia followed suit upon seeing how distracted the Nomad had become. He strode out of the dining room and down the hallway, headed for the entrance and towards the outside compound where the commotion had originated. A pair of makalvari soldiers darted past the doors as he stepped into the cold night air, and Aithris' eyes went straight for the main gate and the group of soldiers who had taken position around it.

Natalia appeared at his side then, watching the gate with him. It slid open slowly, revealing the solitary and somewhat dirtied figure of Jonas Quinn. The sight of the human was enough to send Aithris running, and Natalia found herself scrambling to catch up to him. Soldiers moved in, checking the surrounds beyond the threshold of the gate before a couple took hold of Jonas and searched him. They were taking no chances here, not after today and the car bomb that had been intended for the compound. Even Jonas Quinn might have fallen prey to some terrorist, finding himself strapped with explosives and sent back to the embassy.

Fortunately, Jonas was in no such state. He was actually mostly unharmed, his clothing simply smeared with dirt and grime, as was much of his face. He looked as if he had spent the evening crawling through dingy spaces, and Aithris got the immediate impression, judging from Jonas' tired countenance, that this is exactly what he had been doing the past few hours.

As soon as Jonas was inside and the immediate area was deemed clear, the gate was closed. The soldiers let Jonas be, now that he was no longer a security risk. He sauntered towards Aithris and Natalia, relief splaying across his dirty features.

"What went wrong?" Aithris asked, wasting no time. Jonas gave a brief rundown on his encounter with his old contact, Kelman, as well as the pursuit that had followed. It was what had happened next that was cause for most concern:

"We got separated. The police found us, and in the confusion Elsie and I managed to slip away. I lost track of John, but I think he may have been captured."

"Captured?" Natalia's eyes widened noticeably at mention of the word. Jonas nodded in acknowledgment, although he did not seem too perturbed.

"If that's the case, he'll still be alive," Jonas explained. "He's from Earth, they won't kill him. They wouldn't want to start trouble with your people. They certainly won't want to start trouble with the makalvari here either. Since John is officially part of their delegation, I think he'll be safe. For how long, I wouldn't know. Things are getting dicey out there."

"You walked back here?" Aithris was impressed. He did not know Jonas as well as the likes of Daniel or John did, and so far he had had only a few missions out in the field with the Langaran present. He had proved himself a fighter on Dalabrai, and once again it seemed he proved himself the resourceful sort here on Langara.

"It took a while," Jonas said. "I had to avoid police patrols. And the insurgents. They're out looking for me too." He sounded weary, and it was likely the night's events had taken their toll on him.

"What about Lieutenant Rhodes?" Natalia asked.

Jonas shook his head.

"We got separated on the way back. I tried looking for her, but the area became too dangerous with the police presence. I didn't want to risk getting caught, regardless of my diplomatic status. The authorities would probably be less forgiving with me than they might be with John." The regret was evident in his diminished tone. He must have blamed himself for losing Elsie.

"It's not your fault, Jonas." Aithris was quick to allay the man's doubts, or at least attempt to. Jonas appeared thankful for the vote of confidence, but it was apparent he remained disappointed in himself.

"I took them to Kelman and by doing that, I brought them into a trap."

"We'll find them, Jonas." Aithris meant every word. He noticed that Major Kav'rak had emerged from the embassy building, his head plume appearing ruffled and his attire consisting of what appeared to be the makalvari equivalent of a nightgown, toned an overall light blue in colour. Kav'rak stopped a short distance from the group, watching them carefully whilst one of the soldiers informed him of what had occurred.

"Your mission did not go well, Jonas?" Kav'rak directed his attention to the human, who simply frowned in response.

"John and Elsie are missing," Aithris said, turning to face the Major. The makalvari's yellow eyes narrowed, yet if he was worried he did a good job of hiding it. "If they're in the wrong hands, Major, there could be real problems."

"You don't need to tell me the implications of this latest turn of events, Nomad." Kav'rak's voice was dismissive, and he offered Aithris a scowl. "Just as I'm sure you're already planning to run off and try to find them yourself?"

Aithris did not reply. He did not feel the need to. Kav'rak snorted, the nostrils on his beak-like snout flaring, before he gave a dismissive gesture with his right hand.

"If we're going to do anything, we should have a proper plan in mind. I take it even you would agree to that, Nomad?"

Lieutenant Elsie Rhodes was not quite sure where things had gone awry, but at some point during the chaos she had become separated from John and Jonas. Tear gas, or at least the Kelownan version of it, had filled the backyard of the property in which their vehicle had crashed. She had stumbled out of there, wondering where the others had gone, before jumping a fence and attempting to put as much distance between herself and the Kelownan authorities as she possibly could. She worried over the others, of course. With that in mind, she knew there was little she could do for them now. There was no point in turning around in some vain attempt to rescue John if it meant she would end up arrested as well. And she had to assume that was the intention behind the Kelownan police intervention, although even that was an uncertainty.

Instead, she made her way down a darkened street, utterly lost. She had no idea the way to the makalvari embassy. The streets around her, filled with quaint suburban homes, all looked alike. There were few landmarks, and even what parts of the city skyline she could see provided little indication as to where she should be going. She was a stranger to this city, even to this entire planet. None of the street signs made sense to her, written as they were in the Kelownan tongue. She had to wonder as to why whatever kind of translation magic the stargate worked seemed unable to assist with actual writing.

She stayed to the shadows, but as she moved it became increasingly apparent that the authorities were looking for her. As she passed by one modest single storey house, she saw a curtain move aside and an elderly woman's face appear. As soon as she looked to the old woman, she had disappeared from the window, the curtains falling back into place. Elsie figured there was a good chance that the local population would not be much assistance, and they were probably more likely to turn her in than anything else. It seemed typical of her luck that she would end up in such a situation, stranded alone in hostile territory on another planet. There was some small irony to be found in the fact that Colonel Sheppard and his team had found her in a similar situation, back when they had first properly encountered one another. That had been on Dalabrai, and at the time Elsie had been held captive inside a Calsharan command post. She owed Sheppard a great deal, not only for saving her life but for giving her a chance by bringing her on board SG-1.

Had she been in any position to, she would have gone back to search for John. It pained her to run off alone, and now she was certain that she was being followed. She could hear multiple vehicles prowling around the neighbourhood, and between buildings she would catch the flash of headlights cutting through the dark. Somewhere distant, a siren wailed and Elsie wondered if it was because of her.

She paused at an intersection in the road. Keeping low, shrouded within the darkness of the building to her left, she peered down either end of the intersection. There were blue lights flashing far down one end, an indication of a police checkpoint. The other end seemed clear, and then she looked back towards the checkpoint and realised that the lights were getting closer. She turned and made her way for the seemingly empty road, having no idea just where it would take her or if it would even get her closer to the embassy. Major Kav'rak had supplied each of them with a map of the city, and it was now as she crouched once more in a side lane that she pulled it out and unfolded it.

The city was built in a grid layout, more or less. Main roads and highways cut through it all, and Elsie struggled to determine where she was amongst the many intersecting white lines. There was no helpful 'You Are Here' arrow indicating her current location. She still had a communicator tucked into her jacket, a small makalvari-built one that she could slip into her ear at any time. Yet the threat of the Kelownan authorities tracing the signal was very real, no matter how advanced the technology in question may have been. She had to put as much distance between herself and the police as quickly as possible.

Elsie heard something behind her then, footsteps on the asphalt. She spun around, startled to see a pair of men, both who looked to be in their late teens or early twenties, having crept into view a short distance behind her. They wore rugged street clothes, and they both eyed her with curiosity and, she noticed, something a little more unnerving. She felt some relief when she saw they were not police, or insurgents for that matter. Then again, the latter group hardly wore identifying uniforms.

"You're out past curfew," one of the young men stated. He spoke with a measure of smarminess to his tone, and it was obvious that he cared little for curfew or any other such restrictions that might have been intended to keep people off of the streets.

"So are you," Elsie countered. She stood up and turned to face the pair. Both were clearly up to no good, and now it seemed she had caught a different kind of unwanted attention. "How about we just go our separate ways and call it even?"

The other young man, this one with black crewcut hair and shrewd blue eyes, gave Elsie a smile that was more malicious than genuinely pleased. He reached into his jacket and pulled a small object, a grey hilt of some sort. With a flick, a small four inch long blade extended from it. Elsie frowned, but remained unfazed.

"How about you give us everything you've got on you?" He asked her. It was not the kind of question that was asked with the intention of receiving a straight answer. "That jacket, for instance. It looks good on you, but I reckon you'll look even better when it's off."

"You guys must be desperate," she told them. The other one started about her left flank, but she was quick to turn and face him. He lunged for her, attempting to grab her with the intent of immobilising her. Elsie met the clumsy attack with ease, turning the young Kelownan's own momentum against him. She sidestepped the lunge, grabbed him by the arm and delivered a sharp blow with her knee into his stomach. She heard the man grunt, air escaping him from the impact, and in his stunned state she simply had to give him a light push that sent him falling flat upon his face.

The second attacker came straight at her with the knife. These two were hardly trained fighters, and Elsie spun to face the knife wielder as he came at her, his face scrunched up with a mix of anger and surprise at the way in which his friend had been so promptly neutralised. Elsie had done her fair share of hand-to-hand training, most of it on the side as part of her fitness regimen. As such, she knew a few techniques when it came to fending off an attacker, and the attempted knife attack that came her way then was easily countered. She darted to one side, grabbed the young man's knife wielding arm and pulled him such that he overbalanced, dragging him down to the ground whereupon she hit him with a short, sharp punch to the face. She felt his nose break under the strike, cartilage crunching and blood spilling forth.

This distraction had cost her precious time. The lane, a narrow paved one running between two blocks of houses, suddenly filled with a blazing white light. Headlights beamed down from the alley entrance at her back, and she quickly plucked the knife from her downed attacker before she turned to face the source of the light. Three Kelownan security officers had appeared at the alley entrance, their vehicle idling at their backs. Elsie considered running for it, but all three pulled their guns as soon as she laid eyes upon them. With three automatic weapons aimed her way down a narrow alley, she did not fancy her chances in escaping.

"Put the knife down," one of the officers ordered. Elsie dropped the blade, vaguely aware that its owner was still pinned under one booted foot. He made a strangled grunt, no doubt in some discomfort. In response, Elsie ground her foot a bit harder onto his chest, making him emit a low whine. Blood poured down his face from his bruised, broken nose.

"It was self-defence," she said, as the three officers approached. They hardly seemed interested in what she had to say. Instead, one of them grabbed her and spun her around, before pushing her suddenly into the fence nearby. She turned her head to keep herself from slamming into the wooden paling face-first, anger surging at the sudden turnaround in circumstances. Damn it all, what good would she be locked up in some Kelownan jail?

"I'm a member of the makalvari delegation," she said, her voice coming out a little strained from the way in which the overbearing policeman had her pinned against the fence. "I have diplomatic credentials…" That was true. The pass that Major Kav'rak had given her and the other members of the team was stuffed into her jacket. Unfortunately, none of these officers seemed interested in that, either.

"You're making a mistake," she stated, anger seeping into her voice. She felt the handcuffs lock around her wrists. She had been arrested by MPs a few times in the past, usually for minor offences. She had made it a point to try and avoid getting handcuffed since those earlier, rowdier days of her time in the military. Her luck, it appeared, was as bad as it ever was. Now she was getting handcuffed on some alien planet and that only served to piss her off further.

"For Christ's sake, I was attacked and I defended myself. I have diplomatic—"

"Shut up," the Kelownan officer barked. He shoved her over to his two compatriots, both of whom grabbed her by the arms and began to pull her towards the waiting car. The officer who had handcuffed her went on to tend to the two back-alley thugs, handcuffing them both where they lay.

From what Elsie had seen of Langara so far, she would hardly recommend the place for a holiday. There was disease, war, and a police state. She had not wondered much as to what Kelownan jails were like; now it appeared she would not have to wait long to find out.