(no subject)
Title: When in Rome
Author:
kariesue,
kickstand75,
firedew1,
mysra,
amycat8733
Rating: M
Warnings:
Disclaimer: Don’t own them, just borrowing them for a bit of fun
Size: ~5200 (this chapter)
Comments: Team Sheppard travels to Belosia where they discover the origin of the Minotaur, but with everything the Ancients did, the truth is worse than the fiction.
This week: Chapter 9: A Mother's Sacrifice by kickstand75
“Colonel Carter, come in.” An insistent voice interrupted Sam’s pleasant dream of last summer’s vacation spent fishing with Jack for the second time. She was still getting used to being on duty 24-7 and had only barely remembered to turn her radio up last night before turning in. Rubbing her eyes and braiding her hair back quickly, she fitted her ear-piece firmly in place and answered Chuck before he could call her again.
“Chuck, it’s 0400, this better be important.”
“Ma’am, there’s been unscheduled gate activity for the last hour now, and we really-”
Sam hastily cut off what was sure to be a lengthy explanation from her most experienced gate technician.
“I’ll be right there. Give me five minutes.”
Knowing time for a shower was out, she pulled on her boots and headed out the door. Sam’s quarters were a little further away than most of the senior staff in Atlantis. When she arrived, she’d been offered Elizabeth’s old living space, but somehow that seemed wrong to move in there. She couldn’t hope to compete with the ghost of their former commander, but she hoped to at least prove herself competent in leading a command of this size and scope. The one great thing about the far walk to the control tower is it gave her a chance to admire the view. She’d been here almost a month now and still was in awe of the beauty of this city. She missed her team desperately, but these days they were only a quick email burst away, and would come at a moment’s notice if the situation ever called for it.
She headed up the final steps to the control tower and put on what she liked to refer to as her ‘Person in Charge’ face. It was hard enough being a woman in the military, let alone being the one in charge of everything. She’d learned from Jack over the years that looking like you knew what you were doing was half the battle in getting people to listen to you.
“Chuck, what’s going on?” Sam called out, rounding the last few steps up to the control room and trying to stifle a yawn.
“Well, ma’am, we’re not exactly sure. There’s been unscheduled activity from M4A-337. The gate has been dialing every few minutes for the last hour with no communication from Colonel Sheppard’s team. It just dials, we wait for the right IDC, and then the gate shuts off only to dial again in a few minutes.”
In his four years with the Atlantis Expedition, Chuck had definitely seen some wild things and he’d learned the hard way not to unnecessarily call for reinforcements. But he’d also learned to trust his instincts and something about this seemed a little off.
“Have you tried to send a transmission through yet? From everything we gathered before sending the team through, this should just be a standard meet and greet type mission-” She left her sentence hanging in the hope Chuck would either have something else to tell her or that someone would take pity on the early hour and hand her a cup of coffee.
“We’ve tried.” Chuck fiddled around with the computer interface, sending another transmission through the gate, which had just completed another cycle of dialing. “There’s no response and Colonel Sheppard’s team isn’t showing up on any scans. We’re awaiting your command to send a MALP through next.”
She bit back an irritated comment that was probably not appropriate for one in command, and instead answered with a dry, “That’s a go for the MALP, Chuck.”
It seemed that longer than fifteen minutes had passed since Sam’s approval for the MALP and the actual arrival of the machine, but in reality only about five minutes had passed. She was still adjusting to the much faster, streamlined process Atlantis’ inhabitants had adopted in absence of political red-tape that so often burdened the SGC. She caught the whiff of coffee right before she heard Sheppard’s second in command bounding up the steps in a manner that belied it was only a few minutes past sunrise.
“Colonel, sorry I’m a few minutes late, but I thought you could use a mug,” Lorne smiled kindly at her as he handed over a steaming hot large mug.
“Forgiven, Major, and thank you. This is very much appreciated.” Sam looked over to Chuck and nodded final approval for the MALP to go through.
~~~~
Marinel adjusted the now sleeping infant closer. In a few short months, Astrea had grown plump and was too heavy to carry for long distances one handed. She thanked the gods that her daughter had fussed little through her hasty preparations to go. She steeled herself against the sobs that wanted to come and tried instead to focus on Dexcian’s final wish for her to escape. In the end, she packed only enough to fit into one small sack tied upon her back. She strapped Astrea into the carrier Dexcian had fashioned for her when she was born to leave her hands free, and took hold of Marcus’ hand.
It was still dark when she set out from their house, Marcus drowsy with sleep. She had warned him just before leaving that he must remain silent. Dexcian had advised her to take paths less traveled so that she wouldn’t draw attention to herself, a married woman unaccompanied. As she walked one final time down the long dusty path, she whispered goodbye to her home and the memories that had been captured within its walls. In it, she’d found love, motherhood, and a place of acceptance where so many of her childhood friends had not been so lucky. As her feet tread upon the road she would never walk again, she shed silent tears and did not look back.
Marinel knew her time was running short for escape as the first hints of color kissed the horizon. She worried she’d taken too much time. The descent down into the village had lasted longer than she expected with a heavy backpack, fussy infant, and two year old with her. She had done as Dexcian had requested and taken a maze of pathways through back alleys and winding side streets through the village. She’d encountered no one so far, but she knew her greatest challenge still lay ahead.
Before his last kiss, Dexcian had crammed last minute instructions into her. The Dux wanted to leave nothing to chance, he had relayed, and had posted two guards at the Ring the night prior. Dexcian seemed to believe that she would find a way to incapacitate them and dial the gate. She herself was much less certain that a way could be found. Long years of being nothing but a slave could not easily be washed away from her mind. Her confidence had been bolstered somewhat in the few short years she had learned to call Dexcian something other than Master, but she truly hoped that when the time came she would find the courage to do what needed to be done.
She took a deep, steadying breath and reminded herself of the fact that this was what must be done. She’d finally reached the wide open, grassy fields that surrounded the Ring of the Gods. As of now, she was hidden from the guard’s view. Years ago, the Dux had ordered the fields to lie fallow around the ring thinking it would give his guards an advantage to hide in. Marinel could not recall a time when the fields had been last harvested. Nothing existed now but tall, willowy stalks of wheat grass gently blowing in the morning breezes. A narrow path beaten down each month by slaves ran the length of the fields from town to ring.
From her slight vantage point she could easily spy the two guards who were posted at the ring. She thought they looked barely beyond their first razor. She hoped that it would mean an easier time getting past them. A small plan was forming in her mind, but it would rest on a large risk. One she wasn’t certain she could bring herself to accept, much less implement. Her hands shook as she brushed aside the stray curl on Astrea’s forehead. Her children’s fates rested on her courage alone. She placed a gentle kiss on the babe’s cheek and undid the knots holding the carrier in place.
Knowing time was of the essence, and Dexcian’s last wish for her was to escape, she knelt down next to her son, who was barely visible in the oversized grass. “Marcus, do you remember the song that we sing every night before bed?” She knew this was the child’s favorite song due to the fun sounds in it. Just last week his attempts to sing the silly lullaby with her had brought a smile to Astrea’s face.
When Marcus nodded his remembrance, she continued, “I need you to be a big boy for Mama. Will you sit here and sing to your sister? You will need to sing quietly to keep her calm and sleepy. There is something I must do before we can continue our walk.” The last thing Marinel wanted was to leave them untended, but her escape plan hinged on having little distractions and both hands free. She unstrapped Astrea from her carrier, but left her swaddled tightly. Thankfully, the exhausted little one didn’t stir.
“Marcus, I want you to count slowly to ten once Mama walks away and begin singing, do you understand?” She placed a kiss on his head as well, tucked a stray edge from Astrea’s blankets, stood up, and walked away from them, intent on reaching the gate before the sun was fully risen. She heard the quiet voice of her son begin to sing the words of the lullaby The sun sleeps on the mountains, And the partridge in the woods, Let also my baby sleep, To get enough of sleep. She wiped the tears from her eyes and did not look back at her small children hidden now within the tangled stalks.
~~~~
Marinel slowly made her way down the path through the sea of grass. The guards had spotted her a few moments ago, but were not leaving their post. The time was nearly here to call out to them and use years of ingrained culture against them. She hoped it would turn out that way anyway. She wondered if she had been too long valued to play the part of a downtrodden woman and slave. While she did not speak her mind in front of others, she had come to enjoy the freedom she received while married to Dexcian. Her plan hinged on the inexperienced youth of the guard and their desire to increase status within the Belosian rank.
“Hello?” She hailed the guards as they came into hearing distance and hoped her face showed one of proper deference and fear. Years with Dexcian may have dulled this necessity while alone with him, but it was not an attitude she had to work hard to re-establish. The rounded shoulders and bowed head were a stance she’d never lost completely when in public.
“Woman, this area has been restricted for traverse by order of the Dux himself. You dare to defy his order?” The taller of the two stepped close to her with his spear pointed directly at her.
A quick glance at the second guard revealed he was alert, but not yet stepping forward. Good, she thought, she needed him to stay out of the conversation for another minute. .
“Sir, I meant no harm. My protector was called to the palace this morning. He bid me to come with him and then changed his mind and told me to go home.” She peeked up at the guard from her downcast eyes and saw he least was not going to run her through with the spear right away. She allowed a small noise which she believed sounded helpless and continued on with her story. “I made the first few turns correctly, but then I became confused with the noises, people, and sights on the road. It overwhelmed me. My protector does not often let me leave the house, sir. I found myself at the edge of this grass. From the distance, I could see you. It looked the only peaceful place which I might ask for help-” She let her words trail off and dared a full look at the guards.
“Slave, you speak too long. What is it you need us for exactly?” The shorter guard had finally joined the conversation. She ignored him for now as he seemed the more intractable of the two and directed the reply to the one closest to her.
“My protector is a powerful man in the Belosian guard, if you would but lead me to the correct path back towards the palace, I could perhaps figure out where I went wrong. Sir, my protector would be indebted to you, I am certain, if you did this for his prized slave.” Dexcian had often told her stories of the young guards vying for higher rank. The outlandish favors and offers they made him made no difference to him, but they had no way of knowing this information.
“Who is your protector, slave?” The gleam in his eye told Marinel she had picked the right way to pit these men against one another. Now she need only wait for the right opportunity.
“His name is Dexcian Navis. I was told to never speak his name as he is reported to be loyal to his family, but I must get back to our house before I am missed. I am afraid he will beat me severely if he discovers I have not returned directly as he bid me.” She prayed to the gods that her husband would forgive the lie against his character.
The taller of the guards stepped back from her and she could hear them discussing her story heatedly between themselves. Her acting and lies were rewarded when she saw the shorter of the guards, whose name she’d heard was Adrastos, grab the second guard and throw him to the ground.
“Lykon, even if we are rewarded greatly in returning this slave, we have only her word to go on. She could be anyone. We cannot abandon our post, especially not for one such as she.”
Marinel resisted the urge to flinch hearing the derision and hatred he put into the word she. She could not become distracted when she was so close to escape. She watched as the tall guard, Lykon, stood to his feet and threw a punch, connecting with Adrastos’ face soundly. As she’d hoped, in the heat of the argument, his youth had caused him to abandon training protocol, leaving his weapon two feet from her. While the two men were distracted fighting, she inched forward and picked up the spear.
She had noted from far away that these men were lightly armored. There was no reason for them to wear the full regalia so far from what the Dux perceived as danger. In the heat of the morning, they had neglected to put on even the light leather vests that Dexcian insisted his men wore at once upon waking. Her hands shook as she gauged the moment to use the spear. Years of carrying water, attending to household duties, and now being a mother had honed the muscles of her arms. She knew she would not fare well against the brute strength of most of the guard, but these men were distracted, arguing with each other. She had one chance to get this right. If she chose wrong, both she, her children, and if he wasn’t already, her husband would be dead within the day for her betrayal.
The two men seemed to have come to an agreement. They were leaned in to one another, hands upon one another’s shoulders, foreheads bent in together, in a sign of agreement and brotherhood. Such was the state of women in her society, that neither one noticed her or the spear raised and pointed at Lykon’s back.
Both men dropped to the ground wordlessly. She had pierced both through the heart with one thrust.
She dropped to the ground beside the still, lifeless bodies of the guards. It was one thing to hear about death from her husband, for surely she did on almost a daily basis, but another to know that she was the one who had taken life. Years of her place in society as a woman had allowed her to view atrocities committed against women as well, but never had she imagined death to look like this. The dry, dirt covered ground around the ring had absorbed most of the blood from the wound. The guards could almost be knocked unconscious she thought except for the spear which still protruded from their prone forms. She closed their eyes, prayed a silent prayer over their souls and hers for what she had done, and began running back on the path to her babies.
~~~~
The sun was full in the sky and Marinel wondered if her husband had been mistaken in the symbols he’d had her memorize the night before. She believed the Ring was working as each time it flooded a blue substance outward exactly as he’d said, but Dexcian had told her to not walk through the Ring unless she heard a voice authorizing permission for her to do so first. After over an hour of trying, that voice never came. She resolved to try one more time before she would need to feed Astrea.
Before her hand connected with the first symbol, the Ring began dialing on its own. When the blue flood became calm, to her surprise what looked like a wagon came through. It lumbered slowly down the walkway and came to rest a short distance before her. The wagon was unlike any she had ever seen.
“Colonel Sheppard, come in.” Marinel startled at the wagon that was now speaking to her. She hadn’t seen anyone inside it, but it was enclosed entirely. She supposed someone could still be hiding.
“Colonel Sheppard, Teyla, please come in? Is there anyone from Colonel Sheppard’s team listening? We can see a young woman, two children, and what looks to be two dead men to the left, but please confirm your identity before further action is taken.”
At the mention of the name Teyla, Marinel recalled Dexcian’s words of the group of strangers he had been ordered to either kill or capture. Since this Colonel had been mentioned twice, she wondered if he was the one in charge. The one her husband had been tasked to kill because it was the only way for the Dux to take possession of his wife, Teyla.
“Colonel Sheppard isn’t here, whoever you are. He was taken, along with his wife and two others to fight the Beast.” Dexcian had assured her that the symbols he had given her would bring help and she decided that honesty with the wagon operator was probably the best. She tightened her hold on Astrea and held fast to the little hand that had slipped into hers a moment ago.
“His wife? Miss, I don’t know who you are, but if you know why the Gate has been dialing Atlantis for the last hour, you’d better let us know.”
Marinel didn’t think the voice sounded unkind, just confused, as was she. Gate? Atlantis? These were words that she was unfamiliar with and it made her feel more than a little unsettled. The legend of sanctuary for her people had never made mention of either word.
She tried again, “My husband, Protector Dexcian Navis, guard in the Dux’s Belosian elite, told me that I would receive help if I pressed the symbols on the Ring. I mean no harm to you. I am merely obeying his command that I escape whatever fate awaits me if he should fall at the hands of the Beast today. He is trying to help the man you mentioned before, Colonel Sheppard. May I come through to sanctuary?” Five minutes passed before Marinel heard the wagon operator again. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the voice give permission to walk through the Ring.
“Miss, you’ve our permission to come through. However, we will need to have you re-dial the gate to walk through it.” The voice perplexed her. It was still speaking much in the way of gibberish to her, but as the strange wagon’s operator had not appeared and tried to hurt her yet, she decided they may be telling her the truth. The blue Ring went silent and transparent again as she looked over at it from the symbol device.
She pressed the large center button on the stone pedestal that activated the Ring and pushed the symbols in the same repeated order she had been pressing them for the last hour or so. When the Ring whooshed blue, she made her way up the walkway, only pausing briefly to draw in a held breath before stepping through.
~~~~
Sam stared down at the young woman who had just walked through the Gate. Her eyes, along with that of a young boy holding on to her hand, were huge and scared. Knowing that looks could often be deceiving, Sam left the Marines guarding the gate, but silently nodded for them to stand at ease. She didn’t think this woman dangerous, but from the reports she had been reading, in the Pegasus galaxy, you could never be so sure from first glance only.
“Welcome to Atlantis, miss. We understand it’s been you this last hour dialing the gate? And that you have information regarding our team?”
The young woman looked up at Sam with an expression of awe. She wondered what that was about, and then chuckled to herself thinking she was slowly becoming more like Daniel when she asked herself those types of questions about someone’s motivations and history.
“Yes, or at least I believe I do. Is there a place I could settle my children first? They have long been up this day already and in the sun for the last two hours of the day.” Though Marinel was awed at the person who had been allowed to speak for the people before her and at the sheer beauty of the room in which she’d stepped, she was a mother first. Her son was standing close by and from the pressure of his hand in hers, was becoming extremely nervous at all the people staring at them. Astrea was beginning to truly fuss again, making her preferences for a midday meal known. After everything she had endured this day already, her exhaustion and anxiety made her speak boldly on behalf of her little ones.
“Chuck, would you inform the staff sergeant that we’ll need a private meal sent to the conference room? Major Lorne, you’re with me, and you Zelenka.” The scientist had wandered into the control tower minutes ago when he’d heard news at breakfast of the gate dialing from M4A-337. “Miss, would you both please follow us? I believe we have a room where you can rest and eat if you’re hungry. Oh, and Chuck, call Doctor Keller, please? I believe she'll want to check over our visitors as soon as possible.”
She waited until the young woman was behind her and turned to enter the conference room, very nearly forgetting that without Sheppard she needed to wave to open the doors. Sam watched as the young mother settled in first her son, then tried to calm the crying infant who she’d just removed from her carrier. The baby was younger than Sam had first thought and she suspected the reason for the crying.
“Miss, er, I’m sorry, what is your name?”
“Marinel, ma’am, and my son Marcus, and daughter Astrea.”
“Marinel,” Sam corrected and smiled at her, “My name is Colonel Samantha Carter. I’m in charge of the city. It’s called Atlantis. Your baby, does she need to eat? I ordered a meal for you and your son to share, but your little one probably wouldn’t like it too much.” Sam trailed off a little awkwardly. She’d never had an infant to nurse, but felt sure this was the reason for the child’s crying.
“She is overdue to feed, but in my society the men,” Marinel nodded to Lorne and Zelenka, “do not usually appreciate the visual evidence of such.”
For the second time, Sam found herself wondering at the story of this young woman sitting stiffly across the table from her. She tamped down her own curiosity and focused on the task at hand - the mystery of the dialing gate.
“Major, Zelenka, do either of you have objections to Marinel tending to her infant while we hear her information?” Both men agreed that it was nothing to them and Sam considered the matter settled. They’d both come from backgrounds where speaking to women who were nursing infants was an accepted fact of life.
After the baby was settled and happily nursing, Sam opened the conversation. “Marinel, I think you have a few things to tell us?”
~~~~
Sam sat back in her chair and mentally reviewed everything Marinel had just told them. If this young woman could be believed, and Sam saw no reason she shouldn’t be, Colonel Sheppard and his team were in grave danger and time was of the highest importance.
“Marinel, we will honor your husband’s wish and grant you temporary sanctuary here in Atlantis.” Sam looked to the back of the room and noted the arrival of Doctor Keller. No doubt her chief medical officer would want to check out the newest arrivals before they were allowed to be escorted to temporary quarters.
“Doctor Keller, I would like you to meet Marinel, and her children, Marcus and Astrea. They will be staying with us temporarily. Marinel, this is our foremost healer in the city, Doctor Jennifer Keller. Jennifer, I’ll leave it up to you where our visitors should head next?”
“Major Lorne, I’d like you to gather your team, plus a team of Marines for backup to go through the gate in a jumper.” Before Zelenka could interrupt her that he too should go, she also added, “Zelenka, you can go, but to monitor the systems from the jumper, only. Am I clear?” She knew the Czech scientist was excited to hear of something that sounded like an Ancient lab and could only imagine what McKay’s take on the installation would be. No doubt she would be subjected to a wordy written and first hand report when he returned.
“Lorne?” Sam stood up and moved to the door, “I want you ready to fly through the gate in less than a half hour.”
“Understood, Colonel.” Lorne was first out the door, already calling on the comm’s for his team to prepare.
~~~~
The healer looked to be not much older than her, Marinel thought to herself. This in itself wasn’t a marvel to her. There were younger women who had risen slightly above others in her society, mostly from a willingness to show cruelty to other, less fortunate women in the Dux’s palace seraglio. The amazement stemmed from the calm presence and direct eye contact in one so seemingly young.
“Marinel, since Colonel Carter left it up to me, I’d like to perform a short exam here to ensure your well-being, let you rest for a while, then we can conduct a full exam later on tonight.” Marinel’s thoughts were interrupted by a gentle voice.
“Exam?” Marinel gripped Astrea a little bit tighter, not understanding exactly what was meant. She kept eye contact with the healer as she crossed the room and knelt down beside them.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t going to hurt you or your babies at all. In fact, I won’t even need to take your little one from you.” Jennifer reached over to thumb a stray lock of hair from the sleeping baby’s forehead. “Her name is Astrea, right? I’m going to listen to her heart, check her ears, nose, and mouth. With any luck, she won’t even wake up. Then next, we’ll see about you, so your son won’t be scared, and finish up with him. Sound like a plan?”
Marinel breathed out a sigh she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Here, in this extraordinary city Dexcian had unwittingly sent them to was safety, life, and kindness. She desperately wanted to trust that all would be well, but with so much hanging in the balance that would most likely be a fool’s decision. Still, it seemed that the legend of a safe haven was proving true. She had but glimpsed soaring spires from the windows before they had ushered her into this windowless room. The people she had seen and spoken with seemed neither scared nor cowering, but rather confident and in control. Her realm of experience told her that these small observations could be deceptive, but over the years as Dexcian’s wife she had learned to hone her instincts; Instincts which had saved her countless hurts many times over. Her eyes flicked down to the capable hands which had continued to gently check over her little one while she was lost in thought. She allowed herself a small hope-filled smile.
“Mama,” Marcus whined, looking up at her, tugging on her bedraggled dress, “when is Papa coming to take us home? I just want to go home now, please?”
Marinel’s heart broke for her son, knowing that most likely returning home would never be an option for them. She steeled herself against the tears that would come if she gave in for one moment. Self-pity was not for her this day. She had fought so hard to win their freedom. Still, her son was young and did not yet realize all she had sacrificed to be here in this city of legend.
“Sweetheart, I pray with all my heart that your father arrives soon to be with us. I promise you, even if it with his dying breath, he will come for us. But until he comes, I need you to be brave and strong with Mama. Can you do that for me?” When he nodded his head in assent, she ruffled his hair as she’d always done to comfort him. Her son, she vowed, would grow to be an extraordinary man, full of wisdom, and without the cruelty that was their world. Their daughter would know nothing of being lesser than livestock, or of being beaten for speaking out of turn. Even if Dexcian never returned to them, she knew that here in this city her family would flourish.
“All done with your little one, Marinel. Now it’s your turn,” Doctor Keller said. “Open up, we’ll do your throat first, if that’s ok?”
Marinel dutifully opened her mouth for the exam, and sent a silent plea to the heavens that Dexcian was ok and that her promise to her son would indeed come to pass. Hang on Dexcian, she thought, come home to us; For without you, there is no home.
Author:
kariesue,
kickstand75,
firedew1,
mysra,
amycat8733
Rating: M
Warnings:
Disclaimer: Don’t own them, just borrowing them for a bit of fun
Size: ~5200 (this chapter)
Comments: Team Sheppard travels to Belosia where they discover the origin of the Minotaur, but with everything the Ancients did, the truth is worse than the fiction.
This week: Chapter 9: A Mother's Sacrifice by kickstand75
“Colonel Carter, come in.” An insistent voice interrupted Sam’s pleasant dream of last summer’s vacation spent fishing with Jack for the second time. She was still getting used to being on duty 24-7 and had only barely remembered to turn her radio up last night before turning in. Rubbing her eyes and braiding her hair back quickly, she fitted her ear-piece firmly in place and answered Chuck before he could call her again.
“Chuck, it’s 0400, this better be important.”
“Ma’am, there’s been unscheduled gate activity for the last hour now, and we really-”
Sam hastily cut off what was sure to be a lengthy explanation from her most experienced gate technician.
“I’ll be right there. Give me five minutes.”
Knowing time for a shower was out, she pulled on her boots and headed out the door. Sam’s quarters were a little further away than most of the senior staff in Atlantis. When she arrived, she’d been offered Elizabeth’s old living space, but somehow that seemed wrong to move in there. She couldn’t hope to compete with the ghost of their former commander, but she hoped to at least prove herself competent in leading a command of this size and scope. The one great thing about the far walk to the control tower is it gave her a chance to admire the view. She’d been here almost a month now and still was in awe of the beauty of this city. She missed her team desperately, but these days they were only a quick email burst away, and would come at a moment’s notice if the situation ever called for it.
She headed up the final steps to the control tower and put on what she liked to refer to as her ‘Person in Charge’ face. It was hard enough being a woman in the military, let alone being the one in charge of everything. She’d learned from Jack over the years that looking like you knew what you were doing was half the battle in getting people to listen to you.
“Chuck, what’s going on?” Sam called out, rounding the last few steps up to the control room and trying to stifle a yawn.
“Well, ma’am, we’re not exactly sure. There’s been unscheduled activity from M4A-337. The gate has been dialing every few minutes for the last hour with no communication from Colonel Sheppard’s team. It just dials, we wait for the right IDC, and then the gate shuts off only to dial again in a few minutes.”
In his four years with the Atlantis Expedition, Chuck had definitely seen some wild things and he’d learned the hard way not to unnecessarily call for reinforcements. But he’d also learned to trust his instincts and something about this seemed a little off.
“Have you tried to send a transmission through yet? From everything we gathered before sending the team through, this should just be a standard meet and greet type mission-” She left her sentence hanging in the hope Chuck would either have something else to tell her or that someone would take pity on the early hour and hand her a cup of coffee.
“We’ve tried.” Chuck fiddled around with the computer interface, sending another transmission through the gate, which had just completed another cycle of dialing. “There’s no response and Colonel Sheppard’s team isn’t showing up on any scans. We’re awaiting your command to send a MALP through next.”
She bit back an irritated comment that was probably not appropriate for one in command, and instead answered with a dry, “That’s a go for the MALP, Chuck.”
It seemed that longer than fifteen minutes had passed since Sam’s approval for the MALP and the actual arrival of the machine, but in reality only about five minutes had passed. She was still adjusting to the much faster, streamlined process Atlantis’ inhabitants had adopted in absence of political red-tape that so often burdened the SGC. She caught the whiff of coffee right before she heard Sheppard’s second in command bounding up the steps in a manner that belied it was only a few minutes past sunrise.
“Colonel, sorry I’m a few minutes late, but I thought you could use a mug,” Lorne smiled kindly at her as he handed over a steaming hot large mug.
“Forgiven, Major, and thank you. This is very much appreciated.” Sam looked over to Chuck and nodded final approval for the MALP to go through.
~~~~
Marinel adjusted the now sleeping infant closer. In a few short months, Astrea had grown plump and was too heavy to carry for long distances one handed. She thanked the gods that her daughter had fussed little through her hasty preparations to go. She steeled herself against the sobs that wanted to come and tried instead to focus on Dexcian’s final wish for her to escape. In the end, she packed only enough to fit into one small sack tied upon her back. She strapped Astrea into the carrier Dexcian had fashioned for her when she was born to leave her hands free, and took hold of Marcus’ hand.
It was still dark when she set out from their house, Marcus drowsy with sleep. She had warned him just before leaving that he must remain silent. Dexcian had advised her to take paths less traveled so that she wouldn’t draw attention to herself, a married woman unaccompanied. As she walked one final time down the long dusty path, she whispered goodbye to her home and the memories that had been captured within its walls. In it, she’d found love, motherhood, and a place of acceptance where so many of her childhood friends had not been so lucky. As her feet tread upon the road she would never walk again, she shed silent tears and did not look back.
Marinel knew her time was running short for escape as the first hints of color kissed the horizon. She worried she’d taken too much time. The descent down into the village had lasted longer than she expected with a heavy backpack, fussy infant, and two year old with her. She had done as Dexcian had requested and taken a maze of pathways through back alleys and winding side streets through the village. She’d encountered no one so far, but she knew her greatest challenge still lay ahead.
Before his last kiss, Dexcian had crammed last minute instructions into her. The Dux wanted to leave nothing to chance, he had relayed, and had posted two guards at the Ring the night prior. Dexcian seemed to believe that she would find a way to incapacitate them and dial the gate. She herself was much less certain that a way could be found. Long years of being nothing but a slave could not easily be washed away from her mind. Her confidence had been bolstered somewhat in the few short years she had learned to call Dexcian something other than Master, but she truly hoped that when the time came she would find the courage to do what needed to be done.
She took a deep, steadying breath and reminded herself of the fact that this was what must be done. She’d finally reached the wide open, grassy fields that surrounded the Ring of the Gods. As of now, she was hidden from the guard’s view. Years ago, the Dux had ordered the fields to lie fallow around the ring thinking it would give his guards an advantage to hide in. Marinel could not recall a time when the fields had been last harvested. Nothing existed now but tall, willowy stalks of wheat grass gently blowing in the morning breezes. A narrow path beaten down each month by slaves ran the length of the fields from town to ring.
From her slight vantage point she could easily spy the two guards who were posted at the ring. She thought they looked barely beyond their first razor. She hoped that it would mean an easier time getting past them. A small plan was forming in her mind, but it would rest on a large risk. One she wasn’t certain she could bring herself to accept, much less implement. Her hands shook as she brushed aside the stray curl on Astrea’s forehead. Her children’s fates rested on her courage alone. She placed a gentle kiss on the babe’s cheek and undid the knots holding the carrier in place.
Knowing time was of the essence, and Dexcian’s last wish for her was to escape, she knelt down next to her son, who was barely visible in the oversized grass. “Marcus, do you remember the song that we sing every night before bed?” She knew this was the child’s favorite song due to the fun sounds in it. Just last week his attempts to sing the silly lullaby with her had brought a smile to Astrea’s face.
When Marcus nodded his remembrance, she continued, “I need you to be a big boy for Mama. Will you sit here and sing to your sister? You will need to sing quietly to keep her calm and sleepy. There is something I must do before we can continue our walk.” The last thing Marinel wanted was to leave them untended, but her escape plan hinged on having little distractions and both hands free. She unstrapped Astrea from her carrier, but left her swaddled tightly. Thankfully, the exhausted little one didn’t stir.
“Marcus, I want you to count slowly to ten once Mama walks away and begin singing, do you understand?” She placed a kiss on his head as well, tucked a stray edge from Astrea’s blankets, stood up, and walked away from them, intent on reaching the gate before the sun was fully risen. She heard the quiet voice of her son begin to sing the words of the lullaby The sun sleeps on the mountains, And the partridge in the woods, Let also my baby sleep, To get enough of sleep. She wiped the tears from her eyes and did not look back at her small children hidden now within the tangled stalks.
~~~~
Marinel slowly made her way down the path through the sea of grass. The guards had spotted her a few moments ago, but were not leaving their post. The time was nearly here to call out to them and use years of ingrained culture against them. She hoped it would turn out that way anyway. She wondered if she had been too long valued to play the part of a downtrodden woman and slave. While she did not speak her mind in front of others, she had come to enjoy the freedom she received while married to Dexcian. Her plan hinged on the inexperienced youth of the guard and their desire to increase status within the Belosian rank.
“Hello?” She hailed the guards as they came into hearing distance and hoped her face showed one of proper deference and fear. Years with Dexcian may have dulled this necessity while alone with him, but it was not an attitude she had to work hard to re-establish. The rounded shoulders and bowed head were a stance she’d never lost completely when in public.
“Woman, this area has been restricted for traverse by order of the Dux himself. You dare to defy his order?” The taller of the two stepped close to her with his spear pointed directly at her.
A quick glance at the second guard revealed he was alert, but not yet stepping forward. Good, she thought, she needed him to stay out of the conversation for another minute. .
“Sir, I meant no harm. My protector was called to the palace this morning. He bid me to come with him and then changed his mind and told me to go home.” She peeked up at the guard from her downcast eyes and saw he least was not going to run her through with the spear right away. She allowed a small noise which she believed sounded helpless and continued on with her story. “I made the first few turns correctly, but then I became confused with the noises, people, and sights on the road. It overwhelmed me. My protector does not often let me leave the house, sir. I found myself at the edge of this grass. From the distance, I could see you. It looked the only peaceful place which I might ask for help-” She let her words trail off and dared a full look at the guards.
“Slave, you speak too long. What is it you need us for exactly?” The shorter guard had finally joined the conversation. She ignored him for now as he seemed the more intractable of the two and directed the reply to the one closest to her.
“My protector is a powerful man in the Belosian guard, if you would but lead me to the correct path back towards the palace, I could perhaps figure out where I went wrong. Sir, my protector would be indebted to you, I am certain, if you did this for his prized slave.” Dexcian had often told her stories of the young guards vying for higher rank. The outlandish favors and offers they made him made no difference to him, but they had no way of knowing this information.
“Who is your protector, slave?” The gleam in his eye told Marinel she had picked the right way to pit these men against one another. Now she need only wait for the right opportunity.
“His name is Dexcian Navis. I was told to never speak his name as he is reported to be loyal to his family, but I must get back to our house before I am missed. I am afraid he will beat me severely if he discovers I have not returned directly as he bid me.” She prayed to the gods that her husband would forgive the lie against his character.
The taller of the guards stepped back from her and she could hear them discussing her story heatedly between themselves. Her acting and lies were rewarded when she saw the shorter of the guards, whose name she’d heard was Adrastos, grab the second guard and throw him to the ground.
“Lykon, even if we are rewarded greatly in returning this slave, we have only her word to go on. She could be anyone. We cannot abandon our post, especially not for one such as she.”
Marinel resisted the urge to flinch hearing the derision and hatred he put into the word she. She could not become distracted when she was so close to escape. She watched as the tall guard, Lykon, stood to his feet and threw a punch, connecting with Adrastos’ face soundly. As she’d hoped, in the heat of the argument, his youth had caused him to abandon training protocol, leaving his weapon two feet from her. While the two men were distracted fighting, she inched forward and picked up the spear.
She had noted from far away that these men were lightly armored. There was no reason for them to wear the full regalia so far from what the Dux perceived as danger. In the heat of the morning, they had neglected to put on even the light leather vests that Dexcian insisted his men wore at once upon waking. Her hands shook as she gauged the moment to use the spear. Years of carrying water, attending to household duties, and now being a mother had honed the muscles of her arms. She knew she would not fare well against the brute strength of most of the guard, but these men were distracted, arguing with each other. She had one chance to get this right. If she chose wrong, both she, her children, and if he wasn’t already, her husband would be dead within the day for her betrayal.
The two men seemed to have come to an agreement. They were leaned in to one another, hands upon one another’s shoulders, foreheads bent in together, in a sign of agreement and brotherhood. Such was the state of women in her society, that neither one noticed her or the spear raised and pointed at Lykon’s back.
Both men dropped to the ground wordlessly. She had pierced both through the heart with one thrust.
She dropped to the ground beside the still, lifeless bodies of the guards. It was one thing to hear about death from her husband, for surely she did on almost a daily basis, but another to know that she was the one who had taken life. Years of her place in society as a woman had allowed her to view atrocities committed against women as well, but never had she imagined death to look like this. The dry, dirt covered ground around the ring had absorbed most of the blood from the wound. The guards could almost be knocked unconscious she thought except for the spear which still protruded from their prone forms. She closed their eyes, prayed a silent prayer over their souls and hers for what she had done, and began running back on the path to her babies.
~~~~
The sun was full in the sky and Marinel wondered if her husband had been mistaken in the symbols he’d had her memorize the night before. She believed the Ring was working as each time it flooded a blue substance outward exactly as he’d said, but Dexcian had told her to not walk through the Ring unless she heard a voice authorizing permission for her to do so first. After over an hour of trying, that voice never came. She resolved to try one more time before she would need to feed Astrea.
Before her hand connected with the first symbol, the Ring began dialing on its own. When the blue flood became calm, to her surprise what looked like a wagon came through. It lumbered slowly down the walkway and came to rest a short distance before her. The wagon was unlike any she had ever seen.
“Colonel Sheppard, come in.” Marinel startled at the wagon that was now speaking to her. She hadn’t seen anyone inside it, but it was enclosed entirely. She supposed someone could still be hiding.
“Colonel Sheppard, Teyla, please come in? Is there anyone from Colonel Sheppard’s team listening? We can see a young woman, two children, and what looks to be two dead men to the left, but please confirm your identity before further action is taken.”
At the mention of the name Teyla, Marinel recalled Dexcian’s words of the group of strangers he had been ordered to either kill or capture. Since this Colonel had been mentioned twice, she wondered if he was the one in charge. The one her husband had been tasked to kill because it was the only way for the Dux to take possession of his wife, Teyla.
“Colonel Sheppard isn’t here, whoever you are. He was taken, along with his wife and two others to fight the Beast.” Dexcian had assured her that the symbols he had given her would bring help and she decided that honesty with the wagon operator was probably the best. She tightened her hold on Astrea and held fast to the little hand that had slipped into hers a moment ago.
“His wife? Miss, I don’t know who you are, but if you know why the Gate has been dialing Atlantis for the last hour, you’d better let us know.”
Marinel didn’t think the voice sounded unkind, just confused, as was she. Gate? Atlantis? These were words that she was unfamiliar with and it made her feel more than a little unsettled. The legend of sanctuary for her people had never made mention of either word.
She tried again, “My husband, Protector Dexcian Navis, guard in the Dux’s Belosian elite, told me that I would receive help if I pressed the symbols on the Ring. I mean no harm to you. I am merely obeying his command that I escape whatever fate awaits me if he should fall at the hands of the Beast today. He is trying to help the man you mentioned before, Colonel Sheppard. May I come through to sanctuary?” Five minutes passed before Marinel heard the wagon operator again. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the voice give permission to walk through the Ring.
“Miss, you’ve our permission to come through. However, we will need to have you re-dial the gate to walk through it.” The voice perplexed her. It was still speaking much in the way of gibberish to her, but as the strange wagon’s operator had not appeared and tried to hurt her yet, she decided they may be telling her the truth. The blue Ring went silent and transparent again as she looked over at it from the symbol device.
She pressed the large center button on the stone pedestal that activated the Ring and pushed the symbols in the same repeated order she had been pressing them for the last hour or so. When the Ring whooshed blue, she made her way up the walkway, only pausing briefly to draw in a held breath before stepping through.
~~~~
Sam stared down at the young woman who had just walked through the Gate. Her eyes, along with that of a young boy holding on to her hand, were huge and scared. Knowing that looks could often be deceiving, Sam left the Marines guarding the gate, but silently nodded for them to stand at ease. She didn’t think this woman dangerous, but from the reports she had been reading, in the Pegasus galaxy, you could never be so sure from first glance only.
“Welcome to Atlantis, miss. We understand it’s been you this last hour dialing the gate? And that you have information regarding our team?”
The young woman looked up at Sam with an expression of awe. She wondered what that was about, and then chuckled to herself thinking she was slowly becoming more like Daniel when she asked herself those types of questions about someone’s motivations and history.
“Yes, or at least I believe I do. Is there a place I could settle my children first? They have long been up this day already and in the sun for the last two hours of the day.” Though Marinel was awed at the person who had been allowed to speak for the people before her and at the sheer beauty of the room in which she’d stepped, she was a mother first. Her son was standing close by and from the pressure of his hand in hers, was becoming extremely nervous at all the people staring at them. Astrea was beginning to truly fuss again, making her preferences for a midday meal known. After everything she had endured this day already, her exhaustion and anxiety made her speak boldly on behalf of her little ones.
“Chuck, would you inform the staff sergeant that we’ll need a private meal sent to the conference room? Major Lorne, you’re with me, and you Zelenka.” The scientist had wandered into the control tower minutes ago when he’d heard news at breakfast of the gate dialing from M4A-337. “Miss, would you both please follow us? I believe we have a room where you can rest and eat if you’re hungry. Oh, and Chuck, call Doctor Keller, please? I believe she'll want to check over our visitors as soon as possible.”
She waited until the young woman was behind her and turned to enter the conference room, very nearly forgetting that without Sheppard she needed to wave to open the doors. Sam watched as the young mother settled in first her son, then tried to calm the crying infant who she’d just removed from her carrier. The baby was younger than Sam had first thought and she suspected the reason for the crying.
“Miss, er, I’m sorry, what is your name?”
“Marinel, ma’am, and my son Marcus, and daughter Astrea.”
“Marinel,” Sam corrected and smiled at her, “My name is Colonel Samantha Carter. I’m in charge of the city. It’s called Atlantis. Your baby, does she need to eat? I ordered a meal for you and your son to share, but your little one probably wouldn’t like it too much.” Sam trailed off a little awkwardly. She’d never had an infant to nurse, but felt sure this was the reason for the child’s crying.
“She is overdue to feed, but in my society the men,” Marinel nodded to Lorne and Zelenka, “do not usually appreciate the visual evidence of such.”
For the second time, Sam found herself wondering at the story of this young woman sitting stiffly across the table from her. She tamped down her own curiosity and focused on the task at hand - the mystery of the dialing gate.
“Major, Zelenka, do either of you have objections to Marinel tending to her infant while we hear her information?” Both men agreed that it was nothing to them and Sam considered the matter settled. They’d both come from backgrounds where speaking to women who were nursing infants was an accepted fact of life.
After the baby was settled and happily nursing, Sam opened the conversation. “Marinel, I think you have a few things to tell us?”
~~~~
Sam sat back in her chair and mentally reviewed everything Marinel had just told them. If this young woman could be believed, and Sam saw no reason she shouldn’t be, Colonel Sheppard and his team were in grave danger and time was of the highest importance.
“Marinel, we will honor your husband’s wish and grant you temporary sanctuary here in Atlantis.” Sam looked to the back of the room and noted the arrival of Doctor Keller. No doubt her chief medical officer would want to check out the newest arrivals before they were allowed to be escorted to temporary quarters.
“Doctor Keller, I would like you to meet Marinel, and her children, Marcus and Astrea. They will be staying with us temporarily. Marinel, this is our foremost healer in the city, Doctor Jennifer Keller. Jennifer, I’ll leave it up to you where our visitors should head next?”
“Major Lorne, I’d like you to gather your team, plus a team of Marines for backup to go through the gate in a jumper.” Before Zelenka could interrupt her that he too should go, she also added, “Zelenka, you can go, but to monitor the systems from the jumper, only. Am I clear?” She knew the Czech scientist was excited to hear of something that sounded like an Ancient lab and could only imagine what McKay’s take on the installation would be. No doubt she would be subjected to a wordy written and first hand report when he returned.
“Lorne?” Sam stood up and moved to the door, “I want you ready to fly through the gate in less than a half hour.”
“Understood, Colonel.” Lorne was first out the door, already calling on the comm’s for his team to prepare.
~~~~
The healer looked to be not much older than her, Marinel thought to herself. This in itself wasn’t a marvel to her. There were younger women who had risen slightly above others in her society, mostly from a willingness to show cruelty to other, less fortunate women in the Dux’s palace seraglio. The amazement stemmed from the calm presence and direct eye contact in one so seemingly young.
“Marinel, since Colonel Carter left it up to me, I’d like to perform a short exam here to ensure your well-being, let you rest for a while, then we can conduct a full exam later on tonight.” Marinel’s thoughts were interrupted by a gentle voice.
“Exam?” Marinel gripped Astrea a little bit tighter, not understanding exactly what was meant. She kept eye contact with the healer as she crossed the room and knelt down beside them.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t going to hurt you or your babies at all. In fact, I won’t even need to take your little one from you.” Jennifer reached over to thumb a stray lock of hair from the sleeping baby’s forehead. “Her name is Astrea, right? I’m going to listen to her heart, check her ears, nose, and mouth. With any luck, she won’t even wake up. Then next, we’ll see about you, so your son won’t be scared, and finish up with him. Sound like a plan?”
Marinel breathed out a sigh she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Here, in this extraordinary city Dexcian had unwittingly sent them to was safety, life, and kindness. She desperately wanted to trust that all would be well, but with so much hanging in the balance that would most likely be a fool’s decision. Still, it seemed that the legend of a safe haven was proving true. She had but glimpsed soaring spires from the windows before they had ushered her into this windowless room. The people she had seen and spoken with seemed neither scared nor cowering, but rather confident and in control. Her realm of experience told her that these small observations could be deceptive, but over the years as Dexcian’s wife she had learned to hone her instincts; Instincts which had saved her countless hurts many times over. Her eyes flicked down to the capable hands which had continued to gently check over her little one while she was lost in thought. She allowed herself a small hope-filled smile.
“Mama,” Marcus whined, looking up at her, tugging on her bedraggled dress, “when is Papa coming to take us home? I just want to go home now, please?”
Marinel’s heart broke for her son, knowing that most likely returning home would never be an option for them. She steeled herself against the tears that would come if she gave in for one moment. Self-pity was not for her this day. She had fought so hard to win their freedom. Still, her son was young and did not yet realize all she had sacrificed to be here in this city of legend.
“Sweetheart, I pray with all my heart that your father arrives soon to be with us. I promise you, even if it with his dying breath, he will come for us. But until he comes, I need you to be brave and strong with Mama. Can you do that for me?” When he nodded his head in assent, she ruffled his hair as she’d always done to comfort him. Her son, she vowed, would grow to be an extraordinary man, full of wisdom, and without the cruelty that was their world. Their daughter would know nothing of being lesser than livestock, or of being beaten for speaking out of turn. Even if Dexcian never returned to them, she knew that here in this city her family would flourish.
“All done with your little one, Marinel. Now it’s your turn,” Doctor Keller said. “Open up, we’ll do your throat first, if that’s ok?”
Marinel dutifully opened her mouth for the exam, and sent a silent plea to the heavens that Dexcian was ok and that her promise to her son would indeed come to pass. Hang on Dexcian, she thought, come home to us; For without you, there is no home.