32: Nothing but Trouble
"It sounds to me that the situation here has become untenable." Ambassador Voro'tuk spoke in a manner that was matter of fact, too much so in Jonas' view. The makalvari Ambassador stood near the end of the table in the embassy's operations centre, the mid-morning light seeping in through a row of barred windows across the room. Major Kav'rak sat near him, scratching thoughtfully at his chin with a clawed finger. And Jonas remained seated near the other end of the table, his eyes occasionally flitting over to the large computer display situated upon the far wall. On it was a real-time satellite view of Kelowna as a whole, with various markers coming and going that indicated points of interest, be they specific vehicles or the purported locations of certain individuals. At some point during their time here, the makalvari had put a satellite in orbit without letting the people of Langara know. In comparison, the Kelownans had only put their first communications satellite into orbit six months ago.
"Our informants tell us that the entire government district has been locked down by the military," Voro'tuk explained, and he used a small blue laser pointer to indicate the district in question on the satellite map. Aithris, Daniel and Natalia were seated at the table with Jonas, along with four makalvari aside from Kav'rak. They each held various roles here, be it in security or communications or general administration. The latest batch of news to come out of the city spelled serious trouble, and Jonas was not sure if he should be surprised about this latest turn of events or not.
"They've taken control and all our attempts to reach the Prime Minister or his associates have gone unanswered. We must assume that a coup d'état has taken place."
"Where does that leave us?" Daniel asked. He was in his standard green fatigues, sans the combat vest. A cup of fruit juice was before him, or rather some sort of makalvari-made fruity concoction that, according to Daniel, was surprisingly tasty. With the lack of coffee present here in the embassy, Daniel had found himself trying to find some kind of substitute for it. The makalvari had no coffee or equivalent thereof on their home world, certainly nothing of the same taste anyway. Nor did they eat a great deal of meat, unlike their Calsharan rivals. A makalvari could certainly live on meat, but it was not a dietary staple. They were more in favour of fruits and seeds and grains, if only because these were more plentiful in general. It was all good for human consumption, yet it was hardly the most appealing diet to get stuck with.
"No one is to leave the embassy grounds," Kav'rak said, turning to Daniel from his seat. "We have a ship on its way, but it'll take some time to get here. We may find ourselves having to leave this planet in a hurry."
"We can't leave without trying to help the Langarans," Daniel countered, his face scrunching up at the thought of simply abandoning this world. "We need to find out where this plague came from. It's critical."
"No, it isn't," Ambassador Voro'tuk replied, speaking sharply. "What happens here on Langara has little-to-no bearing on matters of the Republic of Makvar. If the Kelownans wish to tear each other apart through civil war, then let them do it. We have no reason to intervene."
"But you can help them," Daniel said, and now his voice rose slightly higher in volume. Jonas could see that familiar Daniel Jackson outrage coming to the fore. "You're not just going to turn your backs on them now, after everything?"
"We'll do as we're ordered to by the officials back home," Voro'tuk said. "So far, we're yet to receive word other than to operate as normal. If there has been a military takeover, however, then our very position here is at risk. Not so much from terrorists, but from the Kelownan armed forces themselves. That is why I am putting in place a blanket lockdown across the compound. No one is to leave and none are to be permitted entry…"
"Not even for me, Ambassador?" A familiar voice sounded from the room's entrance. All heads turned to its source, and a few surprised gasps sounded out from amongst those seated. John Sheppard, looking a little beaten up and dirtied, had stepped into the room flanked by two armed guards. Daniel and Aithris were on their feet straight away, and the Nomad approached the Colonel with a relieved smile.
"It's good to see you well," he said. He appeared to be about to move in for a hug, only for John to raise a hand between them and wave him off.
"It's all right, Aithris. Don't get too sentimental on me now." He looked past the Nomad and towards the others seated about the table. "I get the impression this is one conversation I should really be present for."
Kav'rak quirked his brow when he saw John, evidently finding his arrival not entirely unexpected. The subsequent frown came on suddenly, and the rest of the team realised much the same thing he had in that moment: someone was missing.
"Sir, where's Lieutenant Rhodes?" It was Natalia who asked this. Worried glances were exchanged, and John moved past the table and towards the large wall-mounted screen. He stopped before it, watching the satellite view of the city from above, spending a long and quiet moment surveying it as if he were searching for something in particular.
"Where's this image coming from?" He asked, and he turned to Voro'tuk. The Ambassador seemed irritated by the interruption John's arrival had brought on. Nonetheless, he composed himself enough to offer a reply:
"We have a satellite in orbit," Voro'tuk said.
"And the Langarans know this?" John asked. From the way he cocked his eyebrow, it seemed he already had a good idea as to what the answer would be.
"They neglected to inform the Kelownan government of the satellite's placement," Jonas said, and John managed a wry smirk.
"Of course they did. That sort of thing happens in a bureaucracy, doesn't it, Ambassador?" Now he turned to Voro'tuk again. "That is what's happened, right? You just forgot to tell the Langarans you're spying on them?"
"We need the intel," Voro'tuk countered, sounding defensive. "And from what I've heard of your people, Colonel, you're hardly in a position to talk."
"All right, Ambassador. I don't want to argue." John shook his head. "I just want to know if you can find someone for me. They would have left the Kelownan Special Security Bureau headquarters close to two hours ago." He looked to the satellite image again, trying to find the building in question among the mass of grey and silver rectangles that were the rooftops of the many structures within the Kelownan capital.
"Lieutenant Rhodes?" Aithris asked. He stood by the other end of the table with Daniel, Natalia seated ahead of them. John had suddenly found himself the centre of attention once again.
"No, General Vardan Karn." John's voice went grim. "He's got Lieutenant Rhodes as a hostage. I tried following him, but I had the entire military garrison in the city on my heels. I had to slip away." He sounded remorseful, no doubt sour at himself for having let one of his team members get captured and taken.
"Vardan Karn?" Jonas knew the name, and much in the same way as that of Gorum Kavul, the name Vardan Karn brought with it a whole host of unpleasant memories.
"You know him?"
"Partly. He was a Captain during the Ori occupation. He helped organize the resistance, helped to train some of the volunteers. He was good at what he did, but he was ruthless. Not to the same extent as Gorum Kavul, but he would become an even bigger problem after the occupation. Always at odds with the civilian government. Always intent on taking the fight to our rivals in the Andari Federation and Tirania."
"A warmonger, then?" Daniel suggested.
"He never got much of a chance to try and start a war. They transferred him to the SSB shortly before my latest exile started. Counterintelligence work, espionage, that kind of thing. Someone high up thought it would put a leash on him." Jonas narrowed his eyes, looking to the satellite map at the wall-mounted screen. "Apparently it didn't work. Could he be behind the coup?"
"Coup?" John looked around. This was the first he was hearing of this. "There's been a coup?"
"According to our informants within the House of Assembly," Kav'rak said. "We don't know much else. As it stands, we'll be locking down this compound. None can leave, and no one can enter."
John's weathered features narrowed into a sudden and intense glare.
"We have to go out there to find Rhodes," he told the Major. "And there's something else…" He trailed off then, and instead began fishing around in his pockets. After a moment, he retrieved a folded slip of paper. He turned to Jonas, motioning to him with the note. Jonas, curious, stepped around the table and approached the Colonel.
"The Defence Minister, Ovillio, he took me aside and showed me some old records in the SSB archives," John explained. Jonas took the slip of paper and unfolded it, finding himself faced with little more than the name of a region and some coordinates, all written in the Kelownan language.
"There's a facility out there, where some messed up genetic experiments took place," John continued. "It's been abandoned for years, but apparently Gorum Kavul may have visited the location before this plague started. Ovillio suspected that the government had been infiltrated, as he'd been unable to get anyone else to act on his suspicions here. I mean, someone with access to those same files would have needed to pass on information about this facility to Kavul at some point."
"What has this to do with anything?" Ambassador Voro'tuk sounded wary and annoyed.
"The plague could have come from there," Jonas said, and he met the Ambassador's sceptical look with a much fiercer one of his own. "I know the region, but I've never been out there. Never even knew about this place."
"If it exists," Voro'tuk interjected.
"It's worth a look," John said. "But I want to find Rhodes. Your people here must be able to locate the General?"
There was a brief pause, and Voro'tuk exchanged uncertain glances with Kav'rak. The makalvari Major gave the Ambassador a curt nod, before Voro'tuk sighed in resignation and looked again to John.
"We can help you with that, Colonel," he said. "Lieutenant Rhodes knows a little too much about our operation here. We can't have her remain in enemy hands."
John gave a small smile, before he gave the Ambassador a nod. It seemed the makalvari could never bring themselves to help others without making it absolutely clear they were doing it for a reason other than it being from the kindness of their own hearts.
"It looks like we have ourselves a plan, then," Jonas said. "Some of us go to this facility, and some of us go after Rhodes. I, personally, want to check out this facility. If Minister Ovillio provided this information, then it's likely legit. He's one of the few Ministers I actually at least partially trusted."
"He paid for that information with his life," John said. Jonas, surprised to hear this, and he eyed the Colonel for an explanation. "General Karn killed him."
"Sounds like the General might be behind this military takeover, then," Daniel suggested. "That said, I want to go with Jonas. If this facility's there, it might have the answers we're looking for."
"Or it could be a waste of time," Voro'tuk added, sounding wholly unconvinced. Here was a makalvari who was used to getting his way and being in charge. Here and now, however, the situation had rapidly fallen out of his control. It seemed everybody else here was intent on their own decided paths, regardless of what he may have wanted.
"We won't know until we get there," Kav'rak announced, and as he said this he slowly rose to his feet. He remained shaky on his prosthetic limb, and he steadied himself by leaning one hand upon the tabletop. "I'll accompany them. That is, if you approve, Ambassador." He turned to Voro'tuk, the look in his yellow eyes making it apparent that he would not take 'no' for an answer.
"As you wish, Major." Voro'tuk sighed.
"Excellent. We can take the shuttle. It still works, I hope?"
"It does, Major." Voro'tuk sat down in the seat next to him, giving the appearance of one resigned to relinquishing control. This disparate group of makalvari, humans and even the one Nomad could do as they pleased. They were obviously not going to listen to him, so why bother trying to stop them?
"Shuttle?" Jonas turned to the Major.
"It was used to ferry supplies between here and the stargate facility," Kav'rak explained. "It's a sturdy model with some minor stealth capabilities. The Kelownans were eager to get their hands on it, but they had to content themselves with photographs." He gave Jonas a smile then, baring the many pointed teeth that lined his snout.
At least now there was a clear plan in play. As for what answers they might find, Jonas found himself hit with a sense of impending dread. Was he making the right decision? Were they going to the right place? Every hour wasted was another in which more of his people died, either to this plague or to the civil war brewing within Kelowna's borders. Something had to be done, and he could not help shake the feeling that Voro'tuk had been right in his earlier statement: Kelowna was falling apart, a 'failed state' if there ever was one.
Jonas and Daniel had gone off with Kav'rak to make preparations for the trip to the coordinates provided by Defence Minister Ovillio. John, meanwhile, took the opportunity to clean himself up before changing into his uniform. He made it all quick, of course, unwilling to waste time when Rhodes was still out there and in danger.
A makalvari technician met them in the operations centre. John, Natalia and Aithris were joined by the welcome and familiar sight of Captain Sha'Pek, the same Sha'Pek whom they had first met on Dalabrai months earlier. He was joined by his Sergeant, Hur'Par, the strangely burly makalvari who was also a friendly face amongst so many distrustful ones. They all gathered around the main wall-mounted screen again, this time with the technician there with them who manipulated the satellite feed with a handheld remote.
"The SSB headquarters is here," the technician said, and he zoomed the image onto an otherwise innocuous beige-coloured rectangle. However, John recognized the surrounding yard, filled as it was with military vehicles. "I reviewed the footage from the past few hours and I believe I have isolated your General Karn and the vehicle he used."
John watched, intrigued, as the technician rewound the clip in question, now zoomed in on the headquarters and its surrounding block. There, a few small moving dots moved from a side entrance of the headquarters compound and towards a pair of waiting vehicles. John thought he could see the speck that represented him within the yard, darting between the parked vehicles. As if to confirm this, the technician zoomed in a little further, the makalvari's advanced technology on display in the overall clarity of the playback and the sheer amount of zoom this spy satellite was capable of. Indeed, that was John, and Natalia gave him a smile at the sight of him from above.
"How did you get out of there?" She asked him.
"I might have borrowed a car," John answered. The technician shifted the view over to the General and his lackeys, with Elsie amongst them and moving noticeably slower. She had been wounded, so this was not a surprise.
"The vehicle and its escort travel out of the city from there," the technician said. "They head north-west, to a military train depot in the foothills." The technician sped up the satellite footage, a marker indicating the apparent location of General Karn. "Now, they board a train that departs twenty minutes later. It's headed northwest, into the countryside. Towards insurgent hotspots, from the look of it."
"Why would the General be going out there?" Natalia asked.
"Itching for a fight, I'd bet." It was Sergeant Hur'Par who said this, offering the group the makalvari version of a wry smile. "Still, why he'd be taking your Lieutenant with him, I've no idea."
John had found it curious that Hur'Par's voice carried a distinctly different accent to most of the other makalvari he had met. Then again, it only made sense: no matter how much of a unified nation the makalvari home world was, there were still bound to be varying cultures, languages and thereby accents all over the place.
"Maybe he's meeting someone?" Aithris suggested. The others turned to him, and John realised right away that the Nomad was onto something. "If he's involved in this coup, maybe he's going off to negotiate with the insurgents?"
"A worrying possibility," Captain Sha'pek said. John looked to the rugged makalvari Captain, his attention once again drawn to the scar that trailed down the left-hand side of his face. Against his dark, almost black skin tone, the scar presented itself as an uneven grey line. "We have the shuttle. We can get ahead of that train easily."
"The Captain is correct," the technician said. "The train is powered by crude fuels and can only manage a modest speed, compared to what we have back home."
"Are we certain Lieutenant Rhodes is on that train?" John was looking to the satellite feed now, which had since reverted to its 'live' state. The train was chugging along through some forested greenery, approximately twenty miles or so to the city's northwest.
"We were able to identify her, as she was transferred from the car and onto the train at the depot," the technician confirmed. "She is on it, as are several armed soldiers. More were likely already on board the train before the General's arrival."
"So, we could be heading into some serious trouble?" Natalia did not sound too worried. In fact, she sounded as if she was looking forward to the whole outing. John had to admire her confidence, even if he himself harboured some uncertainties. They had to approach things carefully here, lest Lieutenant Rhodes get hurt. That General Karn was likely to shoot her out of hand if he felt he was under threat.
"We'll need to get ahead of it," John said. "Are there any ideal spots farther ahead of the train that we can make it to in time? Ideally, they'd have plenty of cover."
The technician appeared to consider this for a moment, before he manipulated the satellite feed further.
"There's plenty of forest cover," he told John. "I'm no tactician, but I suspect this pass here might offer your best chances of boarding that train." He stopped the image over a narrow, rocky pass that flanked the train tracks at either side. "You'll be able to get to the train from above there. I'd be mindful of the soldiers positioned on the outside carriages of that train. Looks like the General's got some field guns being transported on a few flatbed cars." From the stills that had been taken of the train, it appeared that the whole thing was one long armoured behemoth, grey smoke pluming from its forward car. A trio of open, flatbed cars was towards its centre, each one carrying either crates of supplies or outright artillery pieces under camouflage netting. There would be soldiers on those cars, just as there would be plenty of soldiers within the train itself.
John nodded, if more to himself than to anyone else. He understood what had to be done, and the risks involved were clear as day to him. They had little time to prepare, and certainly no time to formulate a proper plan of approach. He turned to the others, who watched him expectantly.
"All right, that's where we'll go. We'll need ropes, explosives and small arms. Knives too, we'll want to keep this one as quiet as we can for as long as we can. I don't want Rhodes getting hurt because we came in too loud. That means we'll disembark from the shuttle near the intercept. They'll probably see us coming if we roll up on them in the shuttle directly."
Aithris nodded in acknowledgment, as did Natalia. Sha'pek gave John a small smile, and just like his Sergeant he appeared to be relishing the fight to come.
"This'll be good for us, Colonel. I've been playing diplomat for months and it's bored me to tears." Sha'pek quirked one brow-ridge then, as something important had just come to mind: "What of our rules of engagement? These Kelownan soldiers, should we take a light approach?"
"General Karn is a renegade, Captain. And from what we can tell, the renegades are taking over the Kelownan government. As far as I'm concerned, we will use whatever force is necessary to extract Lieutenant Rhodes and guarantee her safety." John had lost one of his own under his watch. He would do whatever he had to in order to get her back. No one gets left behind, certainly no member of his team.
"We'll board the train, find a way to stop it and locate Rhodes. And if we find General Karn, we'll put him down. I suspect we'll be doing Kelowna a favour through doing so." If the General wished to play hard, then John would return the gesture tenfold. Evidently, the man had taken over the government and was now going to meet the insurgents to negotiate. Either that, or he was defecting entirely. That seemed unlikely, but John had run into far too much crazy in the past to write it off. Here on Langara, where the situation was becoming untenable, he could not dismiss any possibility out of hand. The place was falling apart at the seams, as far as he could tell. Even the makalvari looked about ready to pack up and cut their losses. All they waited for was their ship, which was likely many hours away still.
"And the way back, Colonel?" Aithris asked him.
"The shuttle should be available. If not, we'll have to walk." Given the circumstances, it was the best they could hope for.
The shuttle in question was a small, almost cylindrical-shaped affair that, at a glance, reminded Daniel of an Ancient-built 'puddle jumper'. It was, of course, a little cruder in overall appearance and the engine pods at either side operated on a less advanced system, nor could they retract. Nonetheless, the resemblance was there and Daniel suspected it was no accident. The shuttle itself, its overall chassis comprised of grey metal plates covered in scuffs and scratches and scorch marks, was parked in an underground landing pad that was concealed underneath the central courtyard of the embassy's main building. The interior, with its roof closed, was dark and only a handful of simple light fittings about the ceiling brought a modest illumination. The makalvari had hidden this away, and it was unlikely even the Kelownans knew they had an advanced craft down here.
"Do the Langarans know you've got this here?" Daniel asked. They were gathered around the rear of the craft, the doors opened to reveal the passenger section within. Kav'rak had ordered the three makalvari soldiers accompanying them to load the gear on board. Daniel and Jonas had since outfitted themselves in their vests, with makalvari-made pulse carbines slung about their shoulders. Kav'rak loitered nearby, fully kitted out in a combat vest and a stark green visor that he wore over one eye. He was toying with his prosthetic leg, using a small screwdriver-like instrument to make adjustments at its joint.
"This?" Kav'rak nodded towards the makalvari infiltration shuttle. "No, they don't. We were only allowed to set up our embassy here on the condition we had no aircraft of our own."
"And you went ahead and broke your promise?" Jonas asked. He stood nearby, frowning at Kav'rak upon hearing this latest piece of information.
"It's a cruel and unforgiving universe out there, Jonas Quinn." Kav'rak narrowed his yellow eyes towards Jonas. He dropped his trouser leg and slipped the tool he had been using back into a pocket. "The fact of it is, sometimes you have to lie for your own safety. We have this craft here in case of emergencies such as what we face now. Especially as we no longer have guaranteed access to the Langaran stargate."
"The Kelownans don't know about this, just like they don't know about your spy satellite." Daniel would have been disappointed, had he not come to expect this kind of thing from the makalvari. "Would you do the same to us? Or are you doing it already?"
"You Earthers would spot our satellites easily enough. And my superiors back home, I suspect, are fearful of what your people are capable of. So no, we probably wouldn't, not unless we were certain we could get away with it. Here on Langara, we know we can because the Langarans are still centuries behind us technologically. And before you give me a lecture about taking advantage of the disadvantaged, I would remind you that you Earthers are in no position to talk. How many primitive societies have you toyed with since finding your stargate?"
Daniel was about to start arguing, finding Kav'rak's attitude frustrating, to say the least. However, Jonas stepped in then, deftly changing the subject.
"You think we'll find trouble out there?"
"I always expect trouble, Jonas Quinn." Kav'rak picked up the magnetic rail rifle he had leaning against the side of the shuttle's rear. The soldiers with him had just finished loading the last container of equipment into the storage compartments above and below the seats lining either side of the passenger section. "If there's something to be found at this laboratory, it won't be anything good."
"Usually abandoned laboratories never are. They get abandoned for a reason." Daniel looked over to Jonas. He had worried about the Langaran since they had come here, as he was the one most affected by what was happening here. Jonas had fought for Langara, had lost friends and family to the Ori and to other enemies of his people. And now, with things falling apart in Kelowna so rapidly, he had to have been feeling some level of dismay. If he was, he was doing a fine job of concealing it. Sometimes Daniel felt that he missed the optimistic, easy-going Jonas he had known in the past. With him now was a Jonas Quinn hardened by years of fighting, both in the chaos of battle and within the political arena.
"We'll be leaving in ten minutes," Kav'rak announced. He glanced at the communicator device he wore about his left wrist, frowning at the message that had just appeared. "Looks like the others will be joining us on this flight." He glanced at Daniel. "Your friend, Lieutenant Rhodes, is on a train headed north. The Colonel's half of the team is going to hitch a ride with us to intercept."
"A train? Towards the insurgent lines?"
"Apparently so. Looks like General Karn is selling out." Kav'rak did not sound too interested in this, and instead turned on his heels and headed into the stationary shuttle. Above, the roof began to part, the two giant doors grinding slowly open. Some dirt and dust fell from the courtyard floor above them, and sunlight began to stream inside. Daniel looked up, sighting a blue sky carrying the odd streaky white cloud.
Daniel looked to Jonas. The Langaran had a worried frown upon him, but he otherwise remained quiet. The situation here, it seemed, was only getting further complicated.
"Are you all right, Jonas?" Daniel asked him. Jonas shifted his attention to him, his face easing into something more pleasant.
"Don't worry about me, Daniel. I'm just eager to get to the bottom of what's going on. And I think this laboratory will have what we need to do just that."
Daniel nodded in agreement. Sure, they might find their answers, it just struck Daniel as likely that those answers were not going to be the kind they wanted to find.