sga_santa: A Little Glory (Gen, Rish)
Title: A Little Glory
Author:
vain_glorious
Recipient:
friendshipper
Pairing: Gen
Rating: R for allusions to violence
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: "Just once I'd like for some Pegasus natives to not have a psychotic religion based around appeasing the Wraith by trying to kill us."
"Just once," John Sheppard hissed, mostly to himself, "I'd like for some Pegasus natives to not have a psychotic religion based around appeasing the Wraith by trying to kill us."
Abruptly, he realized he was in the dirt next to two Pegasus natives, Ronon and Teyla, who had just saved his ass from the more homicidal ones. "No offense," he added.
Teyla just rolled her eyes at him. Ronon ignored him, as he usually did when he felt Sheppard was being stupid.
"How's McKay?" he checked. Sheppard couldn't pick himself up to look.
Ronon peered over the berm. "Fine." He flapped his hand, indicating McKay was awake and talking, so not dead.
Teyla took a look, maybe agreeing with Sheppard that Ronon's brevity wasn't all that helpful in this situation. "Protesting vigorously," she reported. "Unhurt."
"For now," Sheppard said. He scowled.
"They will probably wait until they find all of us to begin the ceremony," Teyla said, like that was supposed to be reassuring.
"If McKay shuts up," Ronon said, sharing out loud Sheppard's thought that the cult of crazy might get a head start on the Burning the Infidels Alive Ritual if they felt like it and/or McKay provoked them.
"Perhaps they will listen to reason," Teyla said, trying for optimistic. It was Sheppard's turn to roll his eyes. "The ritual occurs when the moon reaches its zenith," she continued, more practically. "We have several hours."
"They gonna stick to that schedule?" Sheppard asked.
"It is important to them," Teyla said. "So, most likely." She shrugged.
"They're tying him to a tree," Ronon announced.
"Kindling?" Sheppard asked, trying to sit up. Blinding pain shot through his abdomen and he fell back flat on the ground. It hurt too much to think for the next few minutes and when he could see clearly again, Teyla and Ronon had switched positions so Teyla was closer.
"Do not move," Teyla told him, when she realized he was tracking again. "Your ribs."
He grimaced. "Not burning him alive?" he checked.
"No," Teyla said. "Search parties are gathering to find us."
"Great."
"We can't go anywhere," Ronon said. He tipped his chin at Sheppard, like he was the one who had decided to bash himself in the stomach with a pitchfork. Sheppard had dodged the pointy part, but the blow had done a number on his ribs.
"You can," Sheppard corrected. "Move to higher ground."
"I do not wish to try to rescue both you and Dr. McKay in the same day," Teyla told him, playfully.
Ronon smirked, and neither of them moved. Sheppard didn't even bother ordering them to save themselves. Teyla had that look on her face where she sincerely wasn't going to do what he said, and if he was honest, Ronon usually listened to her more than him, anyway.
"They're going the wrong way," Ronon reported. "We're good."
"Good?" Sheppard echoed, sarcastically.
"We are not on fire," Teyla said, which was true and yet ridiculous.
"Keep an eye on McKay," Sheppard ordered. From this distance, all they could really do was maybe snipe anyone who moved on him, but they generally tried to avoid killing villagers. Even homicidal pyromaniacs.
"I think the search may be part of the ritual," Teyla said, after a few minutes of observing movement below.
"Or they suck at it," Ronon added.
She nodded. "Or that."
"Let's hope they suck at the human sacrifice part, too," Sheppard said.
Teyla and Ronon exchanged doubtful looks.
"Unlikely," Teyla said, while Ronon said nothing.
"You've heard of this before."
"Not on this particular planet," Teyla said, quickly. "Or I would have recommended against contacting them."
"Like Wraithworshippers," Ronon said.
Teyla nodded. "Very few individuals capaple of doing great harm."
This cult happened to number the entire goddamn village, or so it seemed, but Sheppard just nodded.
"Sometimes it's just an excuse to kill someone you don't like," Ronon said. "Call it a Wraith-sacrifice."
"We're likeable," Sheppard muttered. "The Wraith are pretty good at doing all their killing personally. And they're not fans of barbecue, either."
"It makes no sense," Teyla agreed. "That changes nothing. People do much worse in the name of protection from the Wraith."
"I don't think I want to know," Sheppard said, at the same time that Teyla whispered "Children." and Ronon said "Babies."
"There was a group on Sateda," Ronon continued. "But we got rid of them."
"It appears sometimes among Athosians," Teyla admitted. "After much culling."
In the awkward silence, Sheppard felt the need to volunteer that the Milky Way was fucked up, too. "We don't have the Wraith," he said, "And plenty of my people came up with new and superstitious way to kill each other. It's just an excuse to be assholes. McKay can tell you all about it, if you want."
"No, thank you," Teyla said, politely.
"Or we could leave him tied to the tree if he tries," Ronon said.
"I thought we agreed that Wraith-sacrificing someone for irritating you was wrong," Sheppard told him, and Ronon smirked.
Teyla peered over the berm, checking on McKay again. Her eyebrows jumped towards her hairline. "Rodney is freeing himself," she said.
"Really?" Sheppard asked, as Ronon leaned over to look, too.
"Yeah," Ronon said, sounding surprised. "Cool."
Teyla raised her gun slightly.
"What's going on?" Sheppard demanded, knowing better than to try to sit up again, but frustrated that he couldn't see anything except sod and grass.
"Should I?" Teyla asked Ronon, not answering.
"He's trying to fight a guy," Ronon reported. He sounded like he was watching a television sitcom. To Teyla, "He's blocking your shot."
"I know." Teyla shrugged helplessly. "Warning fire?"
Sheppard couldn't see what was going on, but in the next second Teyla discharged her rifle and the noise cracked in the air.
"Now he knows where we are," Ronon said.
"Tell me what's happening!" Sheppard insisted, still flat on his back.
"Rodney needs much practice in hand to hand combat," Teyla said. "Much."
"Yeah," Ronon agreed. "Try to shoot the guy in the leg?"
"Rodney is in the way," Teyla said. "He is not helping me." She fired again, winced. "I did not hit Rodney," she reassured Sheppard. "I promise."
"He's good," Ronon said, suddenly. "He's on his way up."
"Rodney won?" Sheppard asked, genuinely shocked.
"Yeah," Ronon sounded grudgingly impressed.
"I believe his opponent tripped," interjected Teyla. "But we do not have to tell Rodney that we saw."
"Uh-oh," Ronon said.
"What?" Sheppard asked. "You said Rodney was on his way up."
"He is," Teyla said. "And so are the rest of the villagers."
"Shit."
Rodney cleared the berm in the next second, panting and gasping and shrieking.
"Where the hell are you guys? Guys? Sheppard?" He didn't even see them until Teyla reached out and spun him around.
"I-the-" McKay gasped raggedly "I got away!"
"Good job, Rodney," Teyla said, and she meant it genuinely even if Sheppard would have said it as patronizingly as possible, just for fun. "Now we must run to the 'Gate because they are right behind you."
McKay only barely glanced over his shoulder before Teyla shoved him. Then they were running, or rather the three of them ran and Sheppard bounced around on Ronon's back. It hurt more than should be humanly possible and he might have lost consciousness a little bit, but he also had a great view of the villagers pursuing them. They had more pitch forks.
He wasn't quite sure what happened after that, only that there was more bouncing and at one point Teyla opened fire some more. Then, Ronon dumped him at the base of the DHD and started stunning villagers that got too close while Teyla dialed home.
That tasked McKay with trying to get Sheppard through the wormhole. He couldn't lift him, but once Sheppard was upright - ow ow ow - they could stagger together.
"I won a fight!" McKay said, out of breath and babbling. "Did you see? I got the knot on the ropes, and then I fought the Priest guy, and I punched, and I won."
"We saw," Sheppard said, trying not to breathe too deeply. "Good job not getting burned at the stake."
The wormhole blossomed out and they started towards it.
"Did you not feel like helping?" McKay demanded, as they neared it. "I mean, Teyla was shooting the bushes miles away. You need to make her spend some more time on the firing range, because she sucks."
A pair of small hands appeared on Rodney's shoulders, propelling him forward faster as Teyla literally shoved them towards the watery surface. Out of the corner of his eye, Sheppard could see Ronon right behind her, still blasting away.
"You did not win that fight," Teyla announced, loudly. "He fell."
"You and me going to practice you getting your ass kicked," Ronon added. "A lot."
"Hey! Wait a sec!" McKay protested, but then the wormhole swallowed his words and them, too.
The End
~Please Feed The Author
Author:
vain_glorious
Recipient:
friendshipper
Pairing: Gen
Rating: R for allusions to violence
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: "Just once I'd like for some Pegasus natives to not have a psychotic religion based around appeasing the Wraith by trying to kill us."
"Just once," John Sheppard hissed, mostly to himself, "I'd like for some Pegasus natives to not have a psychotic religion based around appeasing the Wraith by trying to kill us."
Abruptly, he realized he was in the dirt next to two Pegasus natives, Ronon and Teyla, who had just saved his ass from the more homicidal ones. "No offense," he added.
Teyla just rolled her eyes at him. Ronon ignored him, as he usually did when he felt Sheppard was being stupid.
"How's McKay?" he checked. Sheppard couldn't pick himself up to look.
Ronon peered over the berm. "Fine." He flapped his hand, indicating McKay was awake and talking, so not dead.
Teyla took a look, maybe agreeing with Sheppard that Ronon's brevity wasn't all that helpful in this situation. "Protesting vigorously," she reported. "Unhurt."
"For now," Sheppard said. He scowled.
"They will probably wait until they find all of us to begin the ceremony," Teyla said, like that was supposed to be reassuring.
"If McKay shuts up," Ronon said, sharing out loud Sheppard's thought that the cult of crazy might get a head start on the Burning the Infidels Alive Ritual if they felt like it and/or McKay provoked them.
"Perhaps they will listen to reason," Teyla said, trying for optimistic. It was Sheppard's turn to roll his eyes. "The ritual occurs when the moon reaches its zenith," she continued, more practically. "We have several hours."
"They gonna stick to that schedule?" Sheppard asked.
"It is important to them," Teyla said. "So, most likely." She shrugged.
"They're tying him to a tree," Ronon announced.
"Kindling?" Sheppard asked, trying to sit up. Blinding pain shot through his abdomen and he fell back flat on the ground. It hurt too much to think for the next few minutes and when he could see clearly again, Teyla and Ronon had switched positions so Teyla was closer.
"Do not move," Teyla told him, when she realized he was tracking again. "Your ribs."
He grimaced. "Not burning him alive?" he checked.
"No," Teyla said. "Search parties are gathering to find us."
"Great."
"We can't go anywhere," Ronon said. He tipped his chin at Sheppard, like he was the one who had decided to bash himself in the stomach with a pitchfork. Sheppard had dodged the pointy part, but the blow had done a number on his ribs.
"You can," Sheppard corrected. "Move to higher ground."
"I do not wish to try to rescue both you and Dr. McKay in the same day," Teyla told him, playfully.
Ronon smirked, and neither of them moved. Sheppard didn't even bother ordering them to save themselves. Teyla had that look on her face where she sincerely wasn't going to do what he said, and if he was honest, Ronon usually listened to her more than him, anyway.
"They're going the wrong way," Ronon reported. "We're good."
"Good?" Sheppard echoed, sarcastically.
"We are not on fire," Teyla said, which was true and yet ridiculous.
"Keep an eye on McKay," Sheppard ordered. From this distance, all they could really do was maybe snipe anyone who moved on him, but they generally tried to avoid killing villagers. Even homicidal pyromaniacs.
"I think the search may be part of the ritual," Teyla said, after a few minutes of observing movement below.
"Or they suck at it," Ronon added.
She nodded. "Or that."
"Let's hope they suck at the human sacrifice part, too," Sheppard said.
Teyla and Ronon exchanged doubtful looks.
"Unlikely," Teyla said, while Ronon said nothing.
"You've heard of this before."
"Not on this particular planet," Teyla said, quickly. "Or I would have recommended against contacting them."
"Like Wraithworshippers," Ronon said.
Teyla nodded. "Very few individuals capaple of doing great harm."
This cult happened to number the entire goddamn village, or so it seemed, but Sheppard just nodded.
"Sometimes it's just an excuse to kill someone you don't like," Ronon said. "Call it a Wraith-sacrifice."
"We're likeable," Sheppard muttered. "The Wraith are pretty good at doing all their killing personally. And they're not fans of barbecue, either."
"It makes no sense," Teyla agreed. "That changes nothing. People do much worse in the name of protection from the Wraith."
"I don't think I want to know," Sheppard said, at the same time that Teyla whispered "Children." and Ronon said "Babies."
"There was a group on Sateda," Ronon continued. "But we got rid of them."
"It appears sometimes among Athosians," Teyla admitted. "After much culling."
In the awkward silence, Sheppard felt the need to volunteer that the Milky Way was fucked up, too. "We don't have the Wraith," he said, "And plenty of my people came up with new and superstitious way to kill each other. It's just an excuse to be assholes. McKay can tell you all about it, if you want."
"No, thank you," Teyla said, politely.
"Or we could leave him tied to the tree if he tries," Ronon said.
"I thought we agreed that Wraith-sacrificing someone for irritating you was wrong," Sheppard told him, and Ronon smirked.
Teyla peered over the berm, checking on McKay again. Her eyebrows jumped towards her hairline. "Rodney is freeing himself," she said.
"Really?" Sheppard asked, as Ronon leaned over to look, too.
"Yeah," Ronon said, sounding surprised. "Cool."
Teyla raised her gun slightly.
"What's going on?" Sheppard demanded, knowing better than to try to sit up again, but frustrated that he couldn't see anything except sod and grass.
"Should I?" Teyla asked Ronon, not answering.
"He's trying to fight a guy," Ronon reported. He sounded like he was watching a television sitcom. To Teyla, "He's blocking your shot."
"I know." Teyla shrugged helplessly. "Warning fire?"
Sheppard couldn't see what was going on, but in the next second Teyla discharged her rifle and the noise cracked in the air.
"Now he knows where we are," Ronon said.
"Tell me what's happening!" Sheppard insisted, still flat on his back.
"Rodney needs much practice in hand to hand combat," Teyla said. "Much."
"Yeah," Ronon agreed. "Try to shoot the guy in the leg?"
"Rodney is in the way," Teyla said. "He is not helping me." She fired again, winced. "I did not hit Rodney," she reassured Sheppard. "I promise."
"He's good," Ronon said, suddenly. "He's on his way up."
"Rodney won?" Sheppard asked, genuinely shocked.
"Yeah," Ronon sounded grudgingly impressed.
"I believe his opponent tripped," interjected Teyla. "But we do not have to tell Rodney that we saw."
"Uh-oh," Ronon said.
"What?" Sheppard asked. "You said Rodney was on his way up."
"He is," Teyla said. "And so are the rest of the villagers."
"Shit."
Rodney cleared the berm in the next second, panting and gasping and shrieking.
"Where the hell are you guys? Guys? Sheppard?" He didn't even see them until Teyla reached out and spun him around.
"I-the-" McKay gasped raggedly "I got away!"
"Good job, Rodney," Teyla said, and she meant it genuinely even if Sheppard would have said it as patronizingly as possible, just for fun. "Now we must run to the 'Gate because they are right behind you."
McKay only barely glanced over his shoulder before Teyla shoved him. Then they were running, or rather the three of them ran and Sheppard bounced around on Ronon's back. It hurt more than should be humanly possible and he might have lost consciousness a little bit, but he also had a great view of the villagers pursuing them. They had more pitch forks.
He wasn't quite sure what happened after that, only that there was more bouncing and at one point Teyla opened fire some more. Then, Ronon dumped him at the base of the DHD and started stunning villagers that got too close while Teyla dialed home.
That tasked McKay with trying to get Sheppard through the wormhole. He couldn't lift him, but once Sheppard was upright - ow ow ow - they could stagger together.
"I won a fight!" McKay said, out of breath and babbling. "Did you see? I got the knot on the ropes, and then I fought the Priest guy, and I punched, and I won."
"We saw," Sheppard said, trying not to breathe too deeply. "Good job not getting burned at the stake."
The wormhole blossomed out and they started towards it.
"Did you not feel like helping?" McKay demanded, as they neared it. "I mean, Teyla was shooting the bushes miles away. You need to make her spend some more time on the firing range, because she sucks."
A pair of small hands appeared on Rodney's shoulders, propelling him forward faster as Teyla literally shoved them towards the watery surface. Out of the corner of his eye, Sheppard could see Ronon right behind her, still blasting away.
"You did not win that fight," Teyla announced, loudly. "He fell."
"You and me going to practice you getting your ass kicked," Ronon added. "A lot."
"Hey! Wait a sec!" McKay protested, but then the wormhole swallowed his words and them, too.
The End
~Please Feed The Author