Detente Part Four
~ooOoo~
Courtesy of the guards, Sheppard slammed onto the cell floor, knocking the wind out of him once again. Through the roaring in his ears as he fought for breath for breath, he heard Lorne’s voice.
“Colonel… you okay?”
Rolling onto his side, Sheppard groaned, “I’m fine.” He pushed himself up, taking stock of his troops. McKay was sitting on a cot, slumped against the wall, with his eyes closed. The others were awake, but bloodied and battered. Brenner and Myles struggled to their feet to assist Sheppard.
As they helped him to one of the cots, where he sat down next to Ronon, Sheppard said, “Tell me I don’t look as bad as you guys.”
Myles grimaced revealing blood smearing his teeth, “Sorry, sir, can’t do that.”
“McKay?”
Lorne answered, “The doc took some tough punches, but he stayed strong. Good thing, they pulled most of the punches, Colonel; they didn’t hurt us too badly… just wanted to get our attention.”
“Yeah, I agree, but at the moment my side is telling me otherwise.” Sheppard shifted his weight to his left to take pressure off his still healing knife wound.
Rodriguez rose gingerly and came to Sheppard, “That’s why Doctor Beckett didn’t want you to come on this mission, sir. Let me look…” He pulled the colonel’s BDU shirt and T-shirt up, to check the bandage still covering his wound. “Good… it’s not bleeding, but you’ve got some fresh bruises developing.”
“Yeah, I feel ‘em. Ronon you okay?”
Gruffly, Ronon answered, “Yeah.”
Stackhouse shook his head, uttering a low chuckle, “The guards weren’t too happy with Ronon, sir. He broke one guard’s arm and knocked another one out cold before they got his hands tied. He got a few extra licks for his efforts."
Sheppard leaned against the wall, “Good job, Chewie.”
Taking a few breaths, as deep as he dared, Sheppard attempted to slow his heart rate before he continued, “Time?”
Lorne answered, “Forty-five minutes before Teldy is supposed to check in with the Daedalus.”
“Helion told me they sent troops to the mountain chamber. Our people may be compromised, or they may be back on Atlantis.”
“Either way sir, the Daedalus will be here.”
“Yeah, Caldwell won’t let us down. Everyone get some rest while you can. Rodriguez... keep an eye on McKay.”
Sheppard closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax as much as possible. If they could survive for forty-five minutes, the Daedalus would beam them up. But that didn’t solve the problem; the Lazanans were still under the Overlord’s rule. He was attempting to formulate a plan when the metal doors clanged open again. He struggled to stand up and walked to the bars, surprised at tall gray-haired man standing in front of him.
“Master Matias is it? Here to escort me to the Overlord?”
Matias spoke, his voice emotionless, “I have questions, Colonel, and I need the truth. All is not what it appears, and if you answer me truthfully, I may be able to help you.”
“Fair enough, ask your questions.”
“Did you rescue the people who were exiled to the planet?
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Sheppard hesitated; Matias's directness and demeanor led him to consider the man was trustworthy. He answered, “The planet was killing them. Extreme electromagnetic radiation from the sun was making them very ill. I’ll admit, our relationship started off badly; the refugees were frightened of us. A refugee named Inanri told me mercenaries hired by the Honans came periodically to take one of them away for execution. They thought we were there to do the same. Things got out of hand, but we managed to rescue them from the planet.
At the moment, most of them are safe and under medical care on Atlantis.”
“Most?”
“Three of them are quite ill, but our doctors are doing all they can for them.”
“There’s more to this… tell me the rest.”
“Look, we…” a wave of dizziness swept over Sheppard, and he grabbed the bars for support, “discovered the Ancients established an outpost on your planet and give your ancestors the gene, then monitored your progress. We decided to investigate to see what the result was; besides, I hate bullies.” He paused to take a breath, “I have a question. Inanri told me when Hona learned about the outpost and the planet, they invaded and took control of Lazana. Is that true?”
Matias shook his head, “Not exactly. The Overlord is a vigilante, who took advantage of the unrest in Hona when we learned the Lazanans kept this huge discovery from us. There were two coups, Darmon seized control of both Hona and Lazana.”
“Which side are you on?”
“I am loyal to Hona, and want to restore my government. We were willing to negotiate an agreement with the Lazanans regarding the orbis and the other information they discovered. Darmon, who was the head of our military, wanted more; he wanted complete control, and he took it. He had enough loyal soldiers and mercenaries to accomplish his goals. We have been working covertly to take back our government, and your arrival has been most opportune. We are ready to move on the Overlord, but first I need to know if you can help us.”
Sheppard glanced behind him, the expressions on his team’s faces told him all he wanted to know. “Yes, we’ll help.”
Matias motioned for one of his men to open the cell door, “Then come with me. We’re breaking you out of this prison.”
As his companions exited the cell, Sheppard asked Matias, “Any idea where our gear is? We could use our weapons and our COMs.”
“I imagine they could be on this level. Narran will know. Hurry, we need to get out of here before Helion’s men come back.”
Matias lead them through the metal doors at the end of the cellblock where four more men joined them. Continuing through a maze of corridors and up four flights until they reached a second set of doors, he turned to Narran who was behind Sheppard and his team, “Would their weapons be near here?”
“Yes, Master; possibly down that passageway stored in the armory.”
“Take two men with you and see if you can find them.”
Narran nodded, Stackhouse and Brenner saying they would go with Matias’ men.
“Colonel, once we go through these doors we will be in a more public area of the compound. I expect there will be some security there. Darmon feared a counter-coup and imprisoned the Lazanan government officials and security forces in the catacombs, which can be accessed from the lobby. He also sent most of the Horan officials and military to the prisons in our capital.”
Sheppard asked, “How did you escape that fate?”
Matias gazed into the distance, then answered, “We were forced to sign an oath of allegiance. He handpicked the soldiers he wanted and forced us to sign the oath, warning that our families were in danger if they disobeyed. When word of the coup passed through the ranks, some of us vowed to find a way to defeat him. In the last two years, we have stockpiled weapons and recruited citizens to assist us. We were simply waiting for a time to put our plan into action.”
“You’re ready now?”
“Yes, we are ready.”
“Then I may have a way to help you, but first we have to get off this planet.”
“Go back to the cavern to use the orbis?”
Sheppard smiled, “There’s another way.”
Before Sheppard could continue, Narran and the others returned with the Atlantians gear. Sheppard immediately grabbed a COM and tried to contact the Daedalus with no luck.
“Crap… Penan told us you have a dampening field interfering with transmissions. Any way to disable it?”
Matias thought a second, “Possibly… Darmon didn’t want any contact between Hona and Lazana. That’s why he ordered communications be carried out only over encrypted cable connections. All other transmissions are blocked, but I think there is a way-station for the jamming equipment somewhere in the compound.”
Narran spoke up, “Master, the way-station in on top of the tower. I can send Jessir and Magi to disable it, they have security clearance for that area.”
“It will be dangerous.”
“Yes, but it will be the beginning of recovering our freedom. We are prepared to do what we have to do.”
“Then do it.” Matias turned to Sheppard, “What is your plan?”
“We have a ship in orbit above your planet. They can beam us aboard once we clear the jamming signal, and I can contact them.”
“A ship… beam?”
Sheppard gave the obviously confused Matias a wan smile, “It’s a long story and one I’ll tell you when we get out of this mess.”
“Colonel, we need for your men to appear to be prisoners, difficult now they are armed. We will march you across the plaza to the outer doors on the far side.”
Sheppard turned to his men, “Tuck your weapons as close to you as you can.” To Narran, “Surround us with your guards, maybe no one will notice.”
Narran nodded, and with everyone in place, Matias opened the doors.
The public area was large, enclosed by glass looking out over an open patio overlooking the bluff. A handful of people dressed in civilian clothes were coming and going from the various doors leading to what Sheppard assumed were the numerous buildings within the compound. He noticed a security kiosk about half-way to the exit, a pair of guards watching them warily. The group was nearly to the door when one of the guards called out to Matias.
“Master Matias.”
Matias waved his hand in acknowledgement and kept walking. The guard left the kiosk and hurried toward them, blocking the Master’s way.
“Sir, may I ask where you are going with these prisoners. It is highly unusual to parade our criminals through the public plaza.”
Matias glared at the young guard, “I am on business for the Overlord; he has requested these prisoners brought to him at the cloister.”
“I have not been given those orders, Master.”
“Do you think the Overlord cares about your orders? Now return to your post…”
The guard nodded and turned on his heel. Under his breath, Matias said, “Move quickly, we haven’t much time.”
Risking a quick glance, Sheppard saw the guard was speaking into a handset, no doubt checking Matias’ story. Narran, who had gone ahead, had his hand on the door lever when the guard yelled, “Master, stop.”
Narran pushed the door open, and they ran as quickly as possible considering their injuries. Ronon slung his arm around McKay’s waist to pull him along. Sheppard and Narran stood at the door as the others rushed through the doorway.
“Narran, the guards…” Sheppard yelled, pulling out his side arm.
The guards were rushing toward them, weapons drawn and fired. Narran was struck in the arm, the impact spinning him around as he fell. Sheppard fired taking one of the guards down; he took aim on the other guard as the man fired. The projectile zipped past his head close enough to hear the swish of air accompanying it. Before he had a chance to return fire, Sheppard heard the familiar sound of Ronon’s blaster. The guard dropped in his tracks.
“Thanks, buddy. Help me with Narran.”
Sheppard grabbed Narran’s right arm, Ronon his left, and they hurried after the others who were running across the outside plaza toward a soaring rust-colored building with a roof that reminded Sheppard of the Opera House in Sydney. Matias was motioning to a small door on the side of the building. They slipped into a narrow passageway filled with pipes and ductwork.
Matias, his voice raspy, said, “Follow me,” and led them down a narrow dimly lit stairway five levels, deep into the cliff.
They descended four levels before Matias unlock a door and led them into a small chamber. He leaned against one of the tables, “Few know about this room. We use it for the resistance meetings.”
Sheppard became concerned, Matias’ strong voice was shaky, his breaths shallow, and he was clutching his side. He stepped closer, “Are you all right?”
Matias pulled his hand away from his chest revealing a thick coating of blood, “No… it appears that I am not.”
As the master collapsed, Sheppard grabbed him and eased him into a chair. He turned looking for Rodriguez. The corporal, who had EMT training was tending to Narran’s wound.
“Corporal, I need you.”
Rodriguez spun around, “Colonel… are you hurt?”
“Not me… Matias took a round in the chest.”
The corporal looked at Corporal Brenner, “Broki… finish up here.” He grabbed his rucksack and joined Sheppard.
“Let’s get him on the table.” Sheppard, Ronon, and Stackhouse helped Rodriguez lay Matias on the narrow table.
“Colonel… he’s hurt bad; help me roll him.” Ronon rolled the master on his side, while Rodriguez checked his back. “No exit wound, we need to get him to the Daedalus. I think I can slow the external bleeding, but he could be bleeding internally.”
Sheppard chewed on his lip for a moment, then asked, “How bad is Narran’s wound?”
“He’s okay, flesh wound.”
“Do what you can for Matias.” Sheppard walked over to Narran, whose concern for the master was obvious.
“The corporal is also a medic, until we get Matias to our doctors, he’s in good hands. You okay?”
Narran took a breath, “I am fine… what now, Colonel?”
“How long do you think it will take for your people to disable the jamming device?”
“If they encountered no resistance,” he glanced at a timepiece strapped to his wrist, “any time now.”
Sheppard tapped his COM, “Daedalus… Sheppard… do you copy?” He repeated the call, but no response. He then tried to raise Teyla or Teldy with no luck. “Nothing, jamming must still be active.”
“Could be something else,” Narran answered. “Matias chose this location for several reasons, one it is well hidden and two, communications are difficult at these levels.”
“Then we need to get out of here and somewhere in the open. Let’s give your people a bit longer. If we can’t make contact, we move.”
Sheppard walked over to McKay, who was slumped in a chair apparently asleep. Shaking the scientist's shoulder, he asked, “Rodney, you okay?
McKay’s eyes remained closed but he answered, “Peachy… I always feel great after being beaten.”
“McKay… look at me.” McKay peered at Sheppard through narrow slits. “I need you to use your little sensors and see if you can determine if anything other than the jamming equipment is keeping us from contacting Caldwell or Teyla.”
“Okay,” McKay replied as he pulled the LSD out of his TAC vest. He seemed distracted at first, but his eyes brightened as he viewed the screen. “Sheppard, there is a strong energy signal here… much like what our naquadah generators give off.” He grabbed his laptop and a cable, and linked the LSD. He tapped the keyboard, then blew out a low whistle, “I can’t tell for certain, but I think not only this power source is naquadah but there appears to be veins of naquadah all around us.”
Sheppard whistled lowly, “Give them the gene, and they make use of it. Guess that’s what the Ancients were attempting to see would happen.” Sheppard said.
“Probably exactly why they decided to conduct an experiment here. But… it also may cause a problem.”
“How so?”
“There is so much naquadah around us, I don’t think the Daedalus can beam us up from here. The naquadah is acting like a shield. We need to move… outside of this cliff would be ideal.”
“Okay… then we move.”
Sheppard walked to the table where Rodriguez was finishing applying a compression bandage on Matias' wound. “How is he?”
“Stable but not great… we need to get him to a doctor.”
Sheppard stood with his hands on his hips, chewing on his lower lip as he pondered their next move. “Communications are hampered here, so we need to get outside if we’re going to have a chance. Narran, where can we go?”
“We are deep inside the cliff but toward the outside is a power sub-station and several balconies, which serve two purposes. They provide air intake for the catacombs and a place for dignitaries to review the parade of boats during the Feast of the Moon. We can stay on this level to reach one of the balconies. The area should be deserted.”
“Narran can your men carry Matias? Mine are a bit beaten up.” Narran nodded and Sheppard said, “Let’s go.”
Narran took the lead through the labyrinth of passageways. Double doors next to the stairwell led into the power sub-station. Narran punched a code into the door lock, and they entered. McKay gasped as soon as he saw the equipment.
“Would you look at this?” McKay darted to a control panel, “This is so much like some of the Ancient outposts we’ve visited. That theory about genes being imprinted must be right, we…”
Sheppard grabbed McKay by the arm, “What we need right now is to get out of here.”
“But… “
“No buts…. Come on.”
As they hurried through the sub-station, Sheppard continued to attempt to contact the Daedalus or Teyla without luck. The aroma of fresh air told him they were getting closer to the balconies. Another set of double doors lay between them and the outside, but this time Narran did not have the code.
“I am sorry, Colonel, but I am unable to open this door.”
Sheppard turned to McKay, “Open it.”
“Me… oh yeah… when no one else can do it… you tell me to fix it.”
Sheppard’s left eyebrow raised, “McKay.”
The scientist frowned but pulled the code box cover off and began rearranging the combination of crystals and wires inside. As the others waited quietly a noise from behind them startled everyone.
Narran motioned to one of his men to check out the sound. An anxious minute passed before the man returned announcing soldiers were coming.
McKay made a small whimper, saying, “Just a minute.”
Sheppard tried his COM again, nearly jumping out of his skin when Caldwell’s voice boomed in his ear, “Colonel, where the hell are you?”
“In need of being beamed out… there are fourteen of us, and we’ve got bogies on the way.”
“Beaming now,” was Caldwell’s reply.
Sheppard waited for the tell-tale hum of the Asgard transporter but after several seconds, nothing happened.
He tapped his COM, “Colonel?”
“Give us a minute… some kind of interference.”
Whirling around to McKay as the sound of the approaching soldiers grew louder, Sheppard said, “The door?”
“I’m working here…” McKay snapped back.
“Rodriguez, stay with Matias and get him through the door as soon as it opens. Everyone else, keep these guys at bay while McKay works.”
Quiet, except for McKay’s soft muttering, descended as they waited for the Overlord’s soldier to reach them. One of Narran’s men, on look-out, scurried back, reporting the soldiers were through the door into the sub-station.
Listening, McKay said, “Almost done here…”
As the echo of advancing footsteps reached them, Narran turned to Sheppard. “Colonel, get your people out of here, we’ll keep them at bay.”
Sheppard dropped his head, “Good try, but you’re coming with us.” Looking over his shoulder, “McKay, the bad guys are almost here…”
“Bite me…” McKay snarked, then yelled, “Done.”
“Everyone on the balcony…”Sheppard shouted, as the first of the soldiers appeared.
Rodriguez dragged Matias through as Myles and Stackhouse held the doors open. Sheppard took aim at one soldier as he backed up, firing a warning shot, Darmon’s soldiers returning fire. Ronon took out two of the soldiers with two shots. Sheppard took down another.
From his right, he heard Lorne's yell, “Watch out.” Looking down the corridor, Sheppard saw a soldier positioning a rocket launcher weapon on his shoulder.
“Move,” Sheppard yelled. They retreated as quickly as they could toward the door, but not quick enough. The explosive concussion from the weapon was deafening. The impact from the large projectile shattered the wall next to Sheppard and Lorne; chunks of the plaster-like material blew across the corridor.
As Ronon, Narran and his men laid down cover fire, Brenner and Myles pulled the debris off the colonel and Lorne and helped them toward the door. Coughing from the thick dust, Sheppard managed to get his breath and tap his COM, “This is Sheppard… almost on the balcony… once… once everyone is there…beam us up.”
Through the din of gun fire, he thought Caldwell replied; at least, he hoped so. He stumbled over the threshold, grateful for the fresh air he could breathe into his irritated lungs. He looked around to see Ronon and Narran come through the door. As soon as they were on the balcony, Sheppard yelled into his COM, “Now.”
He never felt more relieved as he was when he heard the familiar hum and the bright glow of the transporter beam engulf them.
~ooOoo~
They materialized in the hanger bay, Sheppard certain Caldwell beamed them there due to their numbers. Looking around, he saw Rodriguez tending to Matias, who was pale and unconscious. Sheppard hoped they’d gotten him to the Daedalus in time. As his eyes drifted around the bay, he saw Narran and his men staring at the F-302s.
Narran asked, “Colonel… where are we?”
“You’re onboard the Daedalus, a US Air Force battle carrier currently in orbit around your planet.”
“How did we get here?”
“Short version, we have a transporter that scans you, scrambles your molecules, and moves you from one location to another, then puts you back together.”
“Oh…” Narran brows drew together, a blank expression on his face but seemed to accept Sheppard’s explanation. He pointed to the F-302s, “What are those?”
“Bad-ass space ships,” as he answered as he heard the bay bulkhead doors open. To all of Narran’s men, he said, “We’re about to have company, and they are armed. Keep your weapons pointed at the deck and do what they tell you. You’re safe.”
SOs poured into the bay, and Sheppard motioned for them to stand down, as Caldwell approached.
“Sorry but this was the only place large enough to bring you onboard.”
“No problem, but we need to get Matias to the infirmary.”
“Medics on the way, Colonel. Looks like you could all use a stay in the infirmary.”
“Not as bad as it looks. Any word from Teyla?”
“Yes, Major Teldy followed your orders, and the cavern is secure with no casualties."
“Colonel, there may be soldiers headed there.” Sheppard tapped his COM, “Teyla, do you copy?”
“Colonel, I am here… are you and the others safe?”
“Onboard the Daedalus, what’s your status there?
“Major Teldy’s team managed to disarm the soldiers who were left here. Doctor Beckett has joined us, in case we needed someone with the gene.”
“Good, listen, I need you and Teldy on the Daedalus. Contact Atlantis, have Walker standby. I may need more teams here. The Daedalus will beam you up shortly. Sheppard out.”
The medic teams arrived and Doctor Lincoln diverted to Matias, while Doctor Breslin came straight to Sheppard. Several medics were checking the other injured, while Marines disarmed Narran and his men.
“Colonel, your team needs to report to the infirmary now.”
When Sheppard started to protest, Caldwell stopped him, “The infirmary first, then we’ll talk. We’ll bring Teyla and Teldy aboard.”
The infirmary was noisy. Sheppard had a headache and as a medic was swabbing his cut lip, he closed his eyes in a vain attempt to shut out the noise and the bright light. His efforts failed as the thick Scottish brogue of Doctor Beckett floated across the infirmary. Opening his eyes to narrow slits, he found Beckett leaning over him.
“Colonel, could you at least wait to heal before you go getting hurt again.”
“Just bruised Carson…” He started to sit up.
“You stay down, let me look at your chart.” He took a small pad from a nurse, “Well... x-rays show no broken bones, but you’re a mess of bruises.” He lifted the scrubs Sheppard had been forced to change into, and winced as he saw the fresh bruises over Sheppard's abdominal wound, which had barely begun to heal.
Pulling the covers over Sheppard, he rubbed the bridge of his nose, “I should have never let you go.”
“I’m okay; need to talk to Caldwell.”
“Not until you get an MRI, and make certain you have no internal bruises or bleeding.” He gave Sheppard a cheeky grin, “like on the outside.”
“Like you’re going to make the cover of GQ,” Sheppard replied. “How are the others?”
“From what Doctor Breslin tells me, about the same as you, cuts and bruises. Lorne told him these goons pulled their punches, went for pain instead of injury. Ronon took a couple of really hard hits. Thankfully, his ribs are bruised but not broken.”
“McKay?”
Beckett chuckled softly, “Complaining but okay. He’s gonna have some nasty bruises and has a cut above his eye.” He tapped on the pad, “Ordering a MRI for you, when we know everything is all right and we get you cleaned up, then you can talk to Caldwell.”
“Matias?”
“In surgery, Lincoln said his injury is severe, but he feels confident Matias is going to survive.”
As Beckett continued to check out the Atlantians, Sheppard spotted Teyla and Teldy enter the infirmary and motioned them over.
Teyla dipped her head, “Are you all right, Colonel?”
“I’m fine. Tell me what happened at the cavern.”
Teldy offered a minuscule smile, “The moment presented itself, and we managed to overpower them, sir. Let’s just say Sergeant Mehta enjoyed herself.”
Sheppard stifled a chuckle, “After this is over, you can tell me all about it. Is the cavern secure?”
The Major nodded, “Affirmative, sir. There are four teams currently stationed in the cavern, and Dr. Kusanagi and Dr. Zelenka are there as well.”
“Good. Major, find Colonel Caldwell and tell him I need to talk to him.”
“Yes, sir.” Teldy spun on her heel and left.
Teyla asked, “What is going on, Colonel?”
“Inanri and Penan were wrong. The Honans did not seize the government of Lazana. A despot named Darmon executed a coup on both governments.”
“Then we must help. What do you have in mind?”
As Sheppard responded, a tech arrived and whisked him off for an MRI. He returned nearly an hour later to his bed in the ward where Teyla was waiting. Minutes later, Caldwell and Teldy appeared.
“Colonel, I understand there is more to this story than we knew.”
“Yes, considerably different. Where is Narran and his men?”
“They are waiting in a conference room. The major and I have been having a chat with them, and Narran filled me in on what happened to you.”
Sheppard shifted on the bed, trying to dampen the gnawing pain in his side, “It looks like we need to intervene, Colonel. McKay made a discovery. This planet has veins of naquadah running through it. Likely, why the Ancients set up the experiment on this planet.”
“Naquadah, well… the IOA will like that,” Caldwell mused.
“Colonel, we need to put an end to this coup and find out what the Ancients have done to these people.”
“How do you propose we do that, Sheppard?”
“I have an idea.”
~ooOoo~
“Colonel everyone’s in place.”
Sheppard, hooking a P-90 to his TAC vest, replied, “Good, Major.” He paused to look at Lorne, “You up to this? That’s quite shiner you’ve got.”
“Can see out of the other eye, sir.” Lorne attempted to grin, with little success, “Ow… smiling is not an option. Otherwise, I’m fine.”
Sheppard was checking his ammo clips when Caldwell entered the Daedalus gear-up room. He walked to Sheppard and stood with his arms crossed over his chest. “Ready?”
“Lorne reports everyone’s in place. With the information Narran gave us we should be able to take Darmon down quickly. With rudimentary flight capabilities and most of their military in prison, their ability to fight back will be limited.”
“I have to admit I was wary about interfering in this, but after hearing the atrocities this bastard has committed on his people I’m in total agreement. Instilling fear, rounding people up and putting them in prison, exiling the people you discovered on that planet, all the work of a tyrant.”
“A tyrant who is likely surrounded by a lot of armed guards. I’m hoping our little show will put fear into his troops. Matias says most of them are only loyal because their families are being threatened. Let’s hope they figure out what we’re trying to do and join in.”
Caldwell nodded, “Narran is certainly taking a risk going back there… we’re going to beam his men along with our SOs into the barracks to warn their fellow soldiers and into the catacombs to release the Lazanan soldiers.”
Sheppard picked up a radio, slipping it into a pocket on his TAC vest. “Major Waters is in command at the cavern, he reported a few minutes ago the jumper had arrived and landed in front of the entrance, cloaked. That should surprise anyone who tries to get in.”
“Glad you talked me into bringing a few jumpers along,” Caldwell remarked.
“Every now and then you listen to me, Colonel.”
Grinning, Caldwell said, “Every now and then. Ready to go spread a little détente, Colonel?”
Sheppard nodded, waving to Lorne and the others with his right hand, “Lead the way.”
center> ~ooOoo~
Sheppard and his team stood on the bridge of the Daedalus watching as squadrons of F-302s exited the flight bays and heading for the planet. As the fighters grew smaller, the colonel turned to Caldwell.
“Time to beam Isaacs and Stackhouse’s teams along with Narran’s men.”
Caldwell ordered Major Marks, “Beam the first group down.”
Marks replied, “Beaming complete.”
“Sheppard tapped his COM, “Lorne... you in place?”
“Yes sir; we’re cloaked, station keeping above the plaza.”
The Daedalus accelerated and within a few minutes, Caldwell announced, “We’re in range of the Honan capitol, ready to beam the remaining teams.”
Ronon, who was leaning against the large display monitor, asked, “We ready to do this?”
Sheppard turned toward his friend, “Yeah… we’re ready to do this.”
Caldwell ordered the Daedalus to return to the coordinates over Lazana City. When the ship arrived, he tapped the COM button on the command chair, “Major Gregor, status?”
The major’s voice spilled from the speakers, “We are buzzing the capitol, sir. Lots of people running indoors… think we’re getting the desired effect.”
“Any sign of defensive weapons?”
“No sir but Ranger Four and his squad are flying over the military base, there’s activity on the guns at that location, but they seem to realize we’re out of range.”
“Keep them occupied, Major, but remember do not return fire if fired upon, stay out of range.”
“Understood, Colonel.”
Sheppard glanced at his watch, “Narran said they would need at least fifteen minutes to carry out their mission. It’s been sixteen.” He waved his team over, “Colonel?”
Caldwell raised an eyebrow, “We’ll be along, Sheppard,” the thinnest of smiles appearing on his face.
Sheppard smiled as thinly, “Thank you. Ready to beam.”
Marks tapped his screen, and Sheppard and his team vanished in bright white light.
The team materialized in the alcove outside of the Overlord’s office. Ronon quickly dispatched the two soldiers standing guard outside the chamber. McKay headed for the electronic lock mechanism next to the doorframe, but Sheppard stopped him.
“Not this time…” He jerked his head, “Ronon…”
The big Satedan grinned and raised his blaster again… this time blowing a huge hole in the door, blowing it off its hinges. Sheppard and Ronon rushed into the room, McKay and Teyla behind.
Overlord Darmon was standing at the window, as a squadron of F-302s flew past, down the river, banking as they reached the ocean to return. Master Zere and two other similarly dressed men were beside Darmon, while two guards stood on opposite sides of the room. Ronon had set his blaster to stun and with two well-aimed shots, dropped both guards in their place.
Spinning toward the sound, Master Zere pulled a weapon from his tunic and aimed it at Sheppard. The colonel was quicker and shot the master in the upper arm. Zere dropped the weapon, clutching the bleeding wound.
Darmon’s face was turning red as he realized who had entered his chamber, clenching his fists he roared, “What are you doing here? I will kill you.”
“We are here to put an end to this.”
Glaring at the P-90 Sheppard was pointing at him, Darmon snapped, “You think this display of flying ships will affect me, no… the people are loyal to me. You will die.”
Sheppard shook his head, “Dream on, those ‘flying’ ships are capable of taking out your entire army… the army you coerced into working for you by threatening their families.” He stepped closer to Overlord. “Here is what you are going to do. You are going to announce to the good people of this world that you have surrendered to the Honan and Lazanan governments, or…”
Smiling Sheppard tapped his COM, “Lorne now.”
Within seconds, a jumper uncloaked outside the chambers big windows. One of the masters recoiled and fell into a chair. Darmon spun toward Sheppard.
“You do not impress me with that small ship. My soldiers will defeat you.”
“Sorry, Major Lorne, the overlord thinks you’re too small to harm them, please invite the Daedalus to join us.”
Lorne pulled away from the window, and Sheppard said, “Darmon, I think this ship will impress you.” He pointed to the sky, where a dark dot was growing at a steady rate.
Darmon stood motionless at the window as the Daedalus descended into the planet’s atmosphere. As Sheppard watched, he was impressed at the size of the ship, and he had watched it land numerous times on Atlantis. His attention focused on Darmon he didn’t notice the master sitting at the table move until Teyla yelled, ‘Colonel.’
A loud klaxon rang out deafening all of them. The master apparently activated an alarm hidden under the table. Ronon fired, knocking the master from his chair. The other master pulled a weapon from his tunic and fired. The bullet struck the wall behind a startled McKay. Teyla took aim at the master, a bullet from her P-90 slamming into his shoulder.
Darmon cackled, “Too late… reinforcements are coming, and you will be no match for them. You should give up.”
“Have you looked outside? We aren’t going anywhere. Now… I need you to come…”
He didn’t finish, as four of Darmon’s soldiers rushed into the room. In the ensuing firefight, Ronon took two of the soldiers down, Sheppard and Teyla one each. His chest heaving, Sheppard asked, “Everyone okay?” When Teyla didn’t answer, Sheppard froze as he saw her lying on the floor, blood spilling from her side. Before he had time to react, he noticed more soldiers racing down the passageway toward them.
“McKay, take care of Teyla,” he yelled as he and Ronon took aim at the approaching soldiers. Ronon shot as one of the two soldiers in the lead aimed toward them, Sheppard took out the other.
“Crap, there’s a bunch of ‘em.” Sheppard yelled to Ronon as he ducked behind the wall. Taking a deep breath, he wiped the sweat from his brow then stepped into the open hallway. Immediately, he felt the burn of a hot projectile graze his shoulder. He staggered, shook it off and fired again. Then he realized something was wrong. The soldiers in the passageway were dropping in their tracks, and not from his or Ronon’s weapons.
A yell from the passageway sent a wave of relief over Sheppard. As the smoke cleared, he saw Captain Stackhouse and his team, along with Narran running toward them.
“Glad to see you, Captain.”
Stackhouse blew out a deep breath, “Narran heard the alarm and figured it was from here, so we headed this way.”
Spotting Corporal Rodriguez, Sheppard said, “Teyla’s hurt…” He didn’t need to say another word, as the corporal ran past him.
Stackhouse said, “Colonel, you’re injured.” He slipped a pressure bandage from his TAC vest but Corporal Brenner took it from him.
“Let me sir, I’m experienced at fixing up the colonel.”
As Brenner ripped the sleeve of Sheppard’s shirt and slipped the bandage underneath, Sheppard asked Narran. “What’s our status?”
“We have released all the Lazanan soldiers, and found the governor and his staff as well. Captain Isaacs has them secured in a room a few levels below us.”
Sheppard started to respond, then realize, Darmon… where was Darmon. He whirled around, seeing only Rodriguez tending to Teyla and McKay. “Rodney, where’s Darmon.”
“Through there…” McKay pointed toward an open panel in the wall.
Narran spoke, “A hidden passage… I heard he had created such escape routes. He is trying to get to the transport level.”
“Then that’s where we go.”
“Rodriguez… Teyla?”
Okay, sir, a flesh wound.”
Sheppard tapped his COM, “Caldwell… when McKay tells you, beam him and Teyla up, she’s been injured. Darmon escaped, and we’re going after him.”
Caldwell acknowledged and Sheppard contacted Lorne, “Major... we need you to block the transportation deck. It’s on the lower-level street side of this building. Darmon escaped, and we think he’s heading there.”
“Sheppard, I should go with you…”
“Stay with Teyla… you're still limping, you can't keep up.The rest of you with me.” Sheppard headed for the concealed passage way.
The short escape route led to the stairwell and although Darmon had a several minute head start but they made the ten level descent rapidly. Reaching the door to the transportation bay, Narran stopped Sheppard.
“Darmon may have met up with others. They may have arranged to meet here when the alarm was activated.”
“Good point. Okay, Narran, Ronon, and I are going out first. Stackhouse, you guys follow us and fan out around the bay. If possible, we need to take Darmon alive.”
A quiet chorus of yes sirs echoed as Sheppard turned the door handle and eased open the door. The transportation bay was dim, the air damp, stagnant, and there were several vehicles like the ones they rode from the cavern parked inside. As his eyes adjusted, Sheppard noticed movement across the bay, where a large transport sat. He pointed toward the vehicle and motioned for his team to split up and take the perimeter route to the other side.
As they reached the midpoint, Darmon appeared from behind the transport with one of his minions, also dressed as a master. They conferred, then got into the transport. Sheppard glanced at the bay opening… no jumper. Sheppard smiled inwardly, knowing Lorne was there.
The transport was about fifty feet from the exit when Lorne uncloaked, sending the vehicle into a skid as the master slammed on the brakes. Sheppard and his team converged on the transport, weapons aimed at the two men.
Sheppard ordered, “Out of the vehicle Darmon, you have nowhere to go.”
Time seemed to stand still as Darmon, and his driver stared out the windshield at Sheppard. Then the master threw the door open, pointing a weapon at Sheppard. A shot ran out from his left, a direct hit just above the bridge of the man’s nose. Not looking, he knew the shot was made by Corporal Rodriguez.
Darmon jumped out of the passenger’s side of the transport, waving a weapon. “You will allow me to leave.”
“I don’t think so… it’s time to pay for your crimes.”
“You wanted to make a deal, let’s make one.” Darmon’s voice was strong, but his hands were shaking.
“No deals, put down the gun.”
Darmon stared unblinking at Sheppard, his finger on the trigger of his weapon. Sheppard pressed on his own trigger, but never completed the action, as a shot rang out beside him. Darmon, struck in the chest, fell across the hood of the transport. Looking to his left, Sheppard saw Narran, his weapon still pointed at Darmon.
As he holstered his weapon, Narran said, “It is better he died at the hands of one of my people.”
~ooOoo~
Sheppard sat on the edge of an exam table in the infirmary, fingers drumming the thin paper cover. Five days had passed since their successful mission to Lazana, and a great deal had happened since then. What they had learned from the experiment the Ancients began on the planet was overwhelming. He glanced at his watch, wondering where Beckett was.
He started to hop down when he heard the familiar brogue, “Where do you think you’re going, laddie?"
“Obviously, nowhere,” Sheppard said and settled back down.
“Slip the shirt off, and lay down. I need to check those wounds.”
Sheppard pulled his black t-shirt over his head, and stretched out on the table. “Hurry it up, Doc. Woolsey due back from the Pegasus Coalition meeting, I want to know what happened.”
“Relax…” Beckett checked the wound in Sheppard’s upper chest and the one on his lower abdomen, “Looking good. I think those staples should come out in a couple of days."
Sheppard started to get up, “Not so fast…” Beckett barked. “I still need to look at your shoulder.”
The doctor peeled back the dressing on the edge of his shoulder. “You were lucky this was just a crease.
Those were some big caliber bullets. A hit any lower could have shattered your shoulder. This is healing nicely, however.”
Beckett redressed his wounds and said, “Now you can get up.”
“I hear you discharged Teyla?” Sheppard asked as he pulled his shirt on.
“Yes, her wound was deep but fortunately didn’t strike anything vital. She’s doing well.”
“That’s good. What about Matias?”
“Doing much better.”
“Carson, is he well enough to attend the meeting we have with Woolsey? He should be there.”
“I… yes… I agree he should be. I’ll get a wheelchair.”
~ooOoo~
“Thank you for bringing me to this meeting, Colonel.”
Sheppard scooted Matias' wheel up to the conference table, “No problem. You put a lot on the line to rescue your people and the Lazanans. You should be here.”
“Narran came to see me, and filled me in on all that happened. We are grateful to Atlantis for so much.”
“Glad we could help.” Sheppard replied and then sat down next to Rodney McKay, who was engrossed in data scrolling across his laptop screen.
Richard Woolsey walked in with Narran, having returned from a Pegasus Coalition council meeting on Latria.
Narran greeted Matias as Woolsey took a seat. The Atlantis director gazed at Sheppard before he spoke.
“Colonel, Shiana of the Tribes of Santhal, sends her regards and hopes that you are well.”
Sheppard squinted, shifting in his seat, but McKay responded, “Oh…first she hates you, then you save her
life, and now she’s sending you regards.” He snarked, “Captain Kir…”
“McKay….” The tone of Sheppard’s voice had the desired effect on McKay.
With everyone settled, Woolsey began. “First, Matias it is good to see you well enough to join us. Governor Michue asked me to tell you he is anxious to speak with you when you are able to return to Hona. I believe he wishes to discuss the possibility of you taking over as military commander.”
Matias dipped his head, “Thank you, sir.”
“Now to the meeting, Chairman Dimas and the council accepted the application of Marnera to join the Pegasus Coalition. Both your governor, Matias and Governor Rusta of Lazana have agreed to the terms of the application, and Atlantis has agreed to do the surveys necessary for approval. Colonel, Doctor McKay… Kelore of Latira will be the council representative you will be dealing with.”
“Good, I like him,” Sheppard said.
The director added, “The council and the governors have agreed to negotiate the mining and distribution of the naquadah ore with the IOA. They also agreed Atlantis will maintain control of the outpost and will be responsible for all Ancient equipment and artifacts located there. We have been given permission to retain possession of the portable DHD device for study as well as for use in case of emergency. Doctor, do you have any further information on the device?”
McKay’s interest piqued when Woolsey mentioned the DHD, and he answered quickly, “We think it’s another of Janus’ experiments. We have a techs going over the data from Janus’ secret lab, but haven’t found anything yet.”
Sheppard’s eyebrow raised and he pointed to McKay, “Finding more of those would be a good thing. Keep on that.” His comment elicited a testy glare from McKay.
Woolsey continued, “Doctor Beckett… the council has requested a medical report on the Lazanans, who were exiled. They would like to add the information to the medical database you established for them.”
Beckett said, “I’ve already begun the report. I am sorry to say we lost one of the three Lazanans, who were so ill, but I am hopeful that the other two may survive. The remaining refugees have returned home. My off-world clinical teams will visit them regularly to monitor their progress, as well as the scientists who were held hostage at the outpost. They were exhausted, dehydrated and malnourished. It is nothing short of barbaric how these people were treated.”
“Penan and Inanri told me they were feeling much better. The lesions on Inanri’s face are healing, and she’s happy.” Sheppard added.
“Aye, she’s been responding very well. She’s anxious to get back to work at the outpost.”
Woolsey turned to McKay, who had returned to staring at his laptop screen. “Doctor, we are anxious to hear your report.” The scientist didn’t respond, and Sheppard smacked his arm.
“Wha…”
“Mr. Woolsey asked you for your report.”
“Oh… well… as we know when the Ancients first arrived in Pegasus several million years ago, they began seeding life on planet after planet. While still sketchy, we believe they located Marnera and discovered humanoid life had begun to emerge. Zelenka’s been searching through the records we discovered at the outpost, and the translations indicate the DNA of the original inhabitants were very close to our DNA.”
Beckett interrupted, “How is that possible? Wouldn’t the odds of that be astronomical?”
McKay bit his lower lip, hesitating before he answered, “Yes… but not completely out of the realm of possibilities. The fact is that once the Ancients found this group of humans, they decided to experiment. We still don’t understand how they accomplished giving the gene to the population. What we do know is that the level of evolution was past the ‘cave man’ stage, and the population had become hunters and gatherers. The other thing we believe but don’t fully understand is how the Ancients accelerated evolution.”
Sheppard said, “Wouldn’t that be something like the ascension process?”
“Yes, it would.”
Matias asked, “Why would they do that, to what purpose?”
“I think, and it’s only a hypostasis based on what we know of the Ancients, they wanted to see if they could force the gene to develop,” McKay replied.
Beckett said, “We have a medical team taking blood samples, so far, a great number of the people we have tested have the gene… it’s just not very strong in most.”
“This gene allows us to utilize the machines found in the chamber?”
McKay answered Matias, “Yes, but so far we haven’t found anyone with a gene strong enough to initialize the equipment. Operate it yes, but not turn it on initially.”
Narran said, “I am not a scientist, but to what purpose would these Ancients do this? To see if they could make copies of themselves?”
Sheppard tapped the table, then answered, “We have found the Ancients could be arrogant and believe they had the right to do as they chose. I do not believe they would have intentionally harmed you but sometimes their good intentions didn't turn out that way.”
Matias was pensive, “What happens to us now?”
Woolsey smiled, “You go on with your lives. Atlantis and the Pegasus Coalition will assist you in opening trade with other worlds. You were fortunate you never suffered from the Wraith, so in that respect you are in better shape than many of the worlds in the galaxy. However, Matias, the governing of your planets falls to the people of Lazana and Hona. Working together for the betterment of both provinces is to your advantage.”
“We have attempted to do that, and we were coexisting peacefully, but I believe we need to do more,” Matias replied.
“And we will be there to assist you in any way we can,” Woolsey said. “Now, Narran, I believe the governors have requested you return home after we briefed Matias.”
“Yes, I will take my leave.” Narran looked at Sheppard, “Colonel, thank you for not looking the other way after your treatment by the refugees. I know they were only trying to protect themselves but you and your team were badly injured, and you could have walked away. But you didn’t, and because of that, my world has a second chance.”
Sheppard uttered a soft cough, eyes darting about the room, “No need for thanks. We did what was right. Your people were victims of an oppressor and needed help.” Sheppard stood, “I believe we are scheduled to meet with the military of both provinces to see how we can assist with training and whatever you need.”
“I look forward to your visit, Colonel.”
Beckett also stood, “I need to return my patient to the infirmary. He’s been up long enough, and it’s close to dinnertime. Care to join us, Narran before you return home?” Narran said yes, and the three men left the conference room.
Sheppard closed the doors behind them with a thought, and turned to McKay, “Okay, spill it… you’re holding something back.”
McKay’s eyes darted from Sheppard to Woolsey and back to Sheppard. “I don’t want to discuss this outside of Atlantis, but Zelenka found a passage in the database. The Atlantians were worried.”
“Worried about what?” Sheppard asked.
“They ran DNA testing on the inhabitants of Marnera when they first arrived.”
“And…spit it out…”
“And what they found apparently concerned them.” He paused, “They found that the population had been seeded and that the DNA used was identical to the material, which they used to seed planets with one glaring difference.” McKay took a breath, “The Ancients tagged the material they seeded planets with using a marker. We know we are evolved from the Atlantis ancients by the marker in our DNA. We even know that we are related to Teyla and Ronon’s races as well as the other races we have tested in the Pegasus galaxy.”
Woolsey threw up his hand, “Are you telling us the Marnerans have a different marker?”
McKay nodded, “Yes... the DNA marker is completely different.”
Sheppard uttered a low whistle, ‘Then this planet was seeded by Ancients, just not our Ancients?”
McKay only nodded in response.
Woolsey leaned back in his chair, slipped off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, “I need a drink.” He slipped his glasses on, “You said the Ancients were concerned?
“Yes,” McKay answered, “actually, the wording, which maybe is due to the translation, appeared more nervous than concerned. They realized another group of Ancients had been in Pegasus before them, and they don’t have a clue who they are. More importantly they had no idea where these Ancients went.”
Sheppard leaned back in his chair, “So our Atlantian Ancients, who exhibited all the confidence their arrogance allowed was afraid of another group of Ancients?”
“That about sums it up,” McKay said.
Sheppard’s lips thinned, “Well, if there were other Ancients in Pegasus, apparently they are long gone now. I think I’ll have a chat with Atlantis later to see if she knows anything about these other Ancients.”
“I agree, Colonel, but I wonder what other surprises await us?”
A soft chuckle escaped Sheppard’s throat, “It’s the Pegasus galaxy, Richard. I guarantee there will be another surprise tomorrow.”
Woolsey nodded and said, “Doctor, keep digging. If there are more Ancients out there, I’d rather know about them first.”
McKay grabbed his laptop and took off, leaving Sheppard and Woolsey alone. Woolsey asked, “John, you off pain meds yet?”
“Yes, and if you are thinking what I’m thinking…”
“I am… there’s a bottle of scotch waiting for us in my office.”
Sheppard stood up, “Lead the way. We’ll worry about the missing Ancients tomorrow.”
The end.
Titan5 provided three excellent prompts for the 2013 Winter Fic Exchange and I chose this one:
John and team trapped on a planet. Other team members injured or sick and John is having to take care of them, provide for needs like food and water, and maybe keep enemies or hostiles away until they get rescued or make it home. John gets hurt/exhausted more and more as it drags on.