Casualties of war

Chapter sixteen

"Excuse me?" Rodney's voice jumped into a distinct alto range. "What do you mean, it won't disengage?"

"I mean, I'm giving the jumper every possible version of a `let go' command, and nothing's happening." John scanned his readouts, feeling suddenly blind. Jumpers didn't do this kind of thing. They didn't make you run checklists to chase glitches the way Earth aircraft did-they helpfully told you what was wrong and what to do about it. Just not today, for some reason. "Everything looks to be working. I don't get it."

"Running a diagnostic." Rodney scowled at the instrument panel as if it had done him a personal injustice. "You're right. No malfunctions."

"Then it must be the station," Radek deduced, rising to stand between the two forward chairs. "The dock is holding us in place."

"Why the hell would it do that?" The drifting Wraith cruiser filled the windscreen completely now, close enough that John could see charred pockmarks scattered all over its hull. He wondered vaguely if the missing third segment of the station had contained weapons.

"Power, or the lack thereof." Rodney bent over the sensor console. "When we docked, the station tried to follow some type of arrival protocol and turn itself on for us."

"And we popped the circuit-breaker because there wasn't enough juice. I remember." It had only been a couple of hours ago, after all. "So the docking clamps were on that circuit?"

"So to speak. I'm reading zero power in the docking and airlock systems." Although Rodney's voice wavered a little, he seemed to have gotten his fear firmly under control. If they had time later, John would be happy to talk him through a full-blown freak-out. `Later' being the operative word. "The clamps must lock by default when power is lost. Probably to avoid jettisoning an open, unsuspecting craft by accident."

John gritted his teeth. The best-laid damn plans… "That's a very nice emergency procedure for any situation except this one."

"The Lagrange Point satellite didn't do that," Radek pointed out, brow furrowing.

It took John a moment to identify the reference. Seemingly half a lifetime had passed since the Wraith siege on Atlantis in the first year of the expedition. Fortunately, Rodney's memory was nothing if not comprehensive. "The Lagrange Point satellite didn't have any power at all when we arrived, so it had no means to enact any emergency procedures. To borrow a phrase, it's the difference between `dead' and `mostly dead."'

"We'll need to transfer power to the dock from here," Radek advised. "Rapidly."

"You don't say," muttered Rodney, already manipulating the HUD to display a schematic of the jumper's power distribution system. Radek immediately pointed to an area around the engine pods and mumbled something under his breath in Czech.

As much as John disliked sounding stupid, he had to ask. "Can we do that?"

Neither scientist looked up from his work. Rodney answered curtly, "Ask us again in a few minutes."

That left John with nothing to do but watch their slow, steady progress toward the cruiser, reinforcing the knowledge that they didn't have a few minutes. Rodney's estimates of time were typically overblown when it came to must-have breakthroughs, though. Barely ninety seconds later, Radek ducked behind the pilot's seat. The spacesuit restricted John from pivoting to watch him, but it sounded like he was removing an access panel. "Guys, you want to give me some play-by-play while you're working?"

"The engine pods draw the majority of the jumper's power," Rodney replied absently. "They're also conveniently located near the docking clamps. We're going to send a surge through the pods, just enough to reinitialize the docking system and make it think it's got sufficient power to drop out of emergency lockdown mode."

That made some sense, except for one detail. "The engine pods are retracted right now. Won't we just be zapping ourselves?"

Rodney looked a little startled to hear him make that connection, but he quickly couched his surprise in sarcasm. "Yes, Colonel, A-plus for observation skills. The power surge likely won't transmit through the hull of the jumper-it's shielded to disperse electrical energy. We'll have to extend the pods just a fraction in order to break the hull seal, initiate the surge, then immediately retract the pods again and use the maneuvering thrusters to break free from the dock."

And then take some very fast evasive action to avoid flying smack into the cruiser. John repeated the order of operations in his head. "I'm guessing all this will have to be accomplished in a matter of seconds?"

"Right again. For that reason, let's not waste any time considering the odds of this whole scheme failing miserably. Are we ready?"

"One moment," said Radek, still fiddling with something behind John's seat. "Need to be sure that the correct circuits are left open so that the power surge will not in fact be directed into the jumper's propulsion system."

John pictured a car revving its engine while stuck in neutral. Meanwhile, there was still that pesky cruiser. He waited about five seconds before asking, "How about now?"

It was a good bet that Radek was currently glaring at the back of his head. "Ready. I will reconnect the engines as soon as the surge is discharged. Rodney?"

"All right." Getting out of the spacesuit hadn't stopped Rodney from sweating. "Everybody be prepared to do exactly what I say the very second I say it."

"Aren't we always?" John did his best to look innocent.

Rodney's glare, on the other hand, he didn't have to imagine. He could see it just fine. "Give me ten percent extension on the engine pods."

Obediently, John pushed two fingers across the propulsion console and winced at the scraping sound produced when the pods contacted the docking clamps. Sorry, baby, he told his jumper silently. I'll make it up to you.

"Engines offline," Radek reported.

Inhaling deeply, Rodney placed his hand on the power modulation control and shut his eyes. "Surging in three-two-one-mark!"

The jolt that ran through the craft might have knocked John to the floor if his suit hadn't been tightly wedged between the panel and the chair. Rodney hung on to his seat's armrests for dear life. "Radek, now."

Radek, luckily, was already on the floor. "Engines back online!"

"Colonel, pull in the pods and go!"

"On it." The console's glow was just about the sweetest thing John had ever seen. He retracted the engine pods, tapped the maneuvering thrusters to push them free of the dock, and fired up the engines for real.

The distance between the station and the cruiser was shrinking fast. John wrenched the jumper's nose up just in time to skim along the edge of the derelict ship. After a quick scan of the vicinity, he swung his craft around and aimed at the most direct path to empty space, running the engines close to redline.

He didn't see the colossal impact they'd narrowly avoided, since the jumper was racing away from it with all available speed. The HUD, however, showed it to them in an abridged, antiseptic form. One blue wireframe image struck a much larger, red wire-frame image; there was a sharp, bright light; and then the blue one vanished from the screen.

An unexpected clatter against the jumper's hull, like hail on a roof, made John start. "The station," Rodney said in a hushed voice, sounding like he didn't quite believe they were safe. "Or what's left of it, rather."

Radek got up to stand between their seats again. "Next time," he remarked with patently false composure, "shall we cut it a bit closer? I do so enjoy the panic and the flailing.

Adrenaline giveth, and adrenaline taketh away. Suddenly bone-weary, John waved a hand at Rodney. "You have the controls. Let's head for the second gate and see if Elizabeth's magically found a way to limit the body count down there." With effort, he pushed himself out of the seat. "Radek, get this blasted suit the hell off me."

The Falnori command post seemed relatively calm, all things considered. One warrior after another cycled through, delivering a report on his or her unit's status and losses to Cestan before heading back to said unit. Elizabeth watched from a polite distance, listening as best she could without looking like she intended to eavesdrop.

From what she heard, the Falnori could afford to keep their cool. They were winning. The Nistra army had mounted a frontal assault on the hill and been beaten back, only to regroup and make another attempt at the exact same strategy with no better results. They appeared to be withdrawing again, and it wasn't clear if they would change tactics or try their luck a third time.

"Hastings," observed Major Lorne from beside her.

Elizabeth turned toward him, questioning. "I'm sorry?"

"The Nistra are setting this up a little bit like the Battle of Hastings. You know, 1066?"

Her knowledge of British history had limits. "William the Conqueror, right?"

Lorne nodded. "Yes, ma'am. The English formed a shield wall on a ridgeline, and the Normans tried to break it by advancing and quickly retreating, drawing some of the English out in pursuit. They went back and forth several times and progressively weakened the English line."

Putting aside the seriousness of the situation for a moment, Elizabeth sent him a bemused smile. "I've learned something new about you, Major."

"I'm in the profession of arms, ma'am. It's good business to know what's worked in the past and what hasn't. Even a thousand years ago in another galaxy." Lorne allowed himself a faint smile in reply before continuing. "Thing is, in this case, it's not working. Not many of the Falnori are being lured away from their lines to follow the retreat, so the Nistra are losing a lot more of their force than the Falnori are. I don't know why they keep trying J it.

She clasped her hands, having no answer. "Maybe they just can't think of any other way."

The more she thought about that concept, the more sense it made. Regardless of the good-natured barbs the Atlantis scientists often tossed at the Marines, military strategy required brainpower. The Nistra army consisted of soldiers who worked the mines, their mental faculties altered in God-only-knew-what manner, and hunters who were attempting to use the adarite whips for the first time, undoubtedly becoming affected as well. It was little wonder that they seemed unable to put together a considered, adaptable strategy.

She'd been immersed in the routines of the planet for long enough that the abrupt crackle of her radio made her jump. "Dr. Weir, Major Lorne, please respond."

The Major scanned the area and steered her by the arm, away from any curious Falnori, before activating his radio. "This is Lorne. Dr. Weir's with me."

"Alderman here, sir. We've just come through the second gate in Jumper Two. We have the Cadre leader Sekal with us as per orders. Where do you want us?"

Lorne glanced at Elizabeth for confirmation, and she nodded. "We're about two klicks south of the primary gate, with the rear echelon of the Falnori army. Lock onto our subcutaneous transmitters, and we'll find you an LZ. Come in cloaked-if either side sees a ship right now, we'll be in for even more chaos."

"Aye, sir."

None of the Falnori equivalent of staff officers seemed to be paying much attention to them, so it wasn't hard to slip away. They were close to the edge of the forest, which restricted potential flight paths somewhat, but Elizabeth had faith in their pilots' skills. Lorne selected an area near a recess in the trees and alerted Jumper Two. Within a few minutes, a familiar hum reached her ears. A slight breeze rippled the neighboring branches, and a patch of grass lay flat in the shape of a jumper footprint.

Out of thin air, the hatch opened, revealing four Marines and a handcuffed prisoner. Elizabeth eyed the group. "I take it Carson decided to stay behind?"

The corner of Sergeant Alderman's mouth twitched. "Ma'am, Dr. Beckett sends his regrets and says that, quote, `somebody has to mind the blooming city. "'

"I suppose that's reasonable," she allowed, her own smile quickly damped by the sight of Sekal. The Cadre ringleader was well-dressed, if disheveled, and looked almost bored. Although Elizabeth generally tried to avoid making snap judgments, she immediately got the impression that he was accustomed to finding the easiest path through everything in life. He returned her scrutiny for a moment before his gaze slid off to the side.

She wasn't sure quite what she had expected from him. More defiance, maybe, instead of this… apathy. In the distance, the sounds of the reignited battle could be heard, and her ire flared. "Do you hear that?" she asked him. "Did you see the armies when you flew over? Your actions, more than anything else, triggered this conflict. You must be very proud."

Sekal shifted the cuffs on his wrists. "Your Colonel Sheppard offered me a deal," he said in response.

Days ago, Elizabeth might have played this differently. Now, she wasn't inclined to give even an inch. "Colonel Sheppard may not be mine or a colonel for much longer, so I don't care what kind of deal he offered you." She pretended not to notice the glances exchanged by the Marines; there would be time for explanations later if necessary. "However, I'll make you a new offer. Tell these people the truth about who you are and where you come from, and I'll do my best to keep their leaders from killing you."

The flinch produced by that threat was perversely satisfying. She turned her back on him and faced Lorne. "Let's go. We can start by convincing Governor Cestan and figure the rest out from there."

Once Alderman had secured Jumper Two's hatch, the group started toward the Falnori command post. Along the way, one of the Marines passed Lorne a sidearm, and Elizabeth could almost feel some of the Major's unease bleed away when he tucked the weapon into his holster.

"Hope you didn't have any trouble finding us," she commented to Alderman as they walked.

"No, ma'am," replied the sergeant. "The other transmitter signals were pretty clearly separated. It wasn't tough to figure out which were you two."

They were nearing the command post, which looked more crowded and animated than it had only minutes ago. It took Elizabeth a moment to process what she'd just heard. Other signals? "Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay were planning to track down the second gate's dialer and set up its shield controls. But they shouldn't have split up.

Alderman shook his head. "I don't think it was them, ma'am. There was no signal from another jumper, just the individual transmitters. One was in the middle of the Nistra army. The other was headed this way. We figured they were Teyla and-"

She drew up short, cutting him off in mid-sentence. Kellec had just come into view, dragging a captive in much the same manner as they'd brought Sekal. Even from a hundred yards away, the prisoner wasn't difficult to identify.

"Ronon," Alderman finished lamely.

After an aborted attempt at working out the situation from the information currently available to her, Elizabeth realized that she had no chance of divining what the hell was going on. She squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds, feeling a familiar headache begin to build. "There are days," she told a puzzled Lorne, "when I dearly wish I'd told the President of the United States to take this job and shove it."

Head held high, she marched into the command post, knowing the others would follow and lend weight to her authority. "What's the meaning of this, Governor?" she accused. "This man is one of my people-"

"A fact of which I'm well aware, Doctor." Cestan barely looked up at her approach, the brunt of his anger directed at Ronon. "My chief warrior tells me that your man stood with the enemy, even going so far as to kill several of our soldiers alongside his Nistra brethren."

Before Elizabeth could insist on an explanation from Ronon, the Satedan spoke up. "All but one of them were only stunned, and I would have stunned the last one if I'd had a choice." He focused on her, his dark eyes penetrating. "All I wanted to do was save one kid," he said quietly. "That's all."

She believed him, certainly, and she was gratified to know that her opinion mattered to him. But her testimony might not be enough to free him. "You came back to try to convince the Nistra to break off the attack?" she guessed.

Ronon nodded. "But we couldn't show them any proof, and they're too mixed up by the adarite to see reason.

"So you decided to join them instead?" Kellec broke in, incensed. "We hosted you, showed you our weapons and told you of our customs. And you would make war on us?"

"Could you stand by and watch children die?" Ronon demanded. "Because that was my only other choice!"

"Governor, please." Elizabeth turned her most penitent expression on the Falnori leader. "I don't expect you to forget that this incident occurred. I'd like to ask that you view it as a regrettable exception to the relationship between our peoples."

Cestan regarded her without speaking for a moment, and for the first time she felt that he could be truly dangerous.

"You must understand," he replied, his voice severe, "how that could be difficult for us. Your man's actions are considered treason. If you do not allow me to condemn him, I am left to wonder how much trust I can place in you.

"Then let me show you something that might help you make your decision." Elizabeth held a hand out to the Marines, who prodded their own prisoner forward. "Governor Cestan, meet Sekal, head of the Cadre."

The Falnori leader circled Sekal, sizing him up. The thief met his probing gaze with only mild interest. "So I'm meant to believe that you lead the band of raiders that has plagued us for so long?" he inquired. Sekal gave no reply.

"I understand that you don't have any way of recognizing him. Maybe you'd recognize some of his work." Elizabeth took the pack offered by one of the Marines and emptied its contents onto the ground. "We confiscated these items from him and the other Cadre members in our custody."

Bending to examine the trinkets, mostly jewelry and small Ancient gadgets of unknown origin, Kellec reached out to claim a wide, silvery wristband. "I have seen this," he announced. "The Hall once held many of them."

Cestan stood in front of Sekal, not allowing him to look away. "You stole from the Hall?"

When Sekal remained silent, Alderman provided encouragement by tapping his P-90 against the man's back.

"We've been many places on your world," Sekal answered at last.

"Including the mining villages of the Nistra?"

"Their ore fetches a good price in some markets."

The Falnori governor raised his eyebrows, betraying no emotion beyond curiosity. "And you have no association with the Nistra, or with these people?" He indicated the Marines with a gesture.

For once, a hint of derision found its way into Sekal's reply. "These people ambushed my men and gave us no means to bargain for release. The Nistra are addled fools. You ask if I associate with them? I laugh."

Elizabeth watched Cestan's bearing, hoping for some clue as to his state of mind. Even after all this, it still came down to trusting the word of others: Sekal's, Ronon's, hers.

On impulse, she decided to lay her cards on the table. "I'm sure you're thinking that we could have staged this. We could be in league with this Cadre, for all you know. But ask yourself this: what would be the benefit to us? Why turn your people against the Nistra, or ally ourselves with one side over the other? Wouldn't the Cadre have been better off if everything had stayed as it was before we arrived, when they could steal from both sides with impunity?"

Whether Cestan had no answer to that or simply wanted to hear her out, she didn't know. She blazed ahead. "History is a compilation of events and experiences, nothing more. It's viewed by each person through a different lens, based on the knowledge and perspective of that person. Your view of the Nistra has been shaped by everything that has happened between your people and theirs over thousands of years. It would make sense for them to be the aggressors here. But isn't it possible that something else might be at work?"

She was still forming her next argument when another voice joined in.

"The Nistra have done the same thing," Ronon said. "Because of the way your two peoples split and started to drift apart, they believe you think you're superior to them. They probably don't even realize that not all of you have the Ancestor ability, because they've spent centuries convincing themselves that you make judgments of worth based on lineage. That's why they believe you abandoned the treaty and are stealing adarite from them. They assume you think you're entitled."

Buoyed by his contribution, Elizabeth shot him a quick look of thanks. To borrow one of John's expressions, it was time to throw for the end zone. She faced Cestan directly, holding his gaze. "You and the Nistra were once a unified community. Wouldn't you like to show them how wrong they are about you? Wouldn't your world be better if you had access to all the adarite you need, and you could stop looking over your shoulder for raiders? Wouldn't it be the will of the Ancestors to see their descendants coexisting and thriving on the world they fought so hard to protect?" Her nails dug into her palm as she tightened a desperate fist. "You can make all those things happen if you'd just step back and listen to each other!"

There was a long pause, during which she replayed in her mind everything she'd just said, wondering if she could have done better, done more.

At last, Cestan turned sharply away. "Enough," he said. "This ends now."

Elizabeth closed her eyes, utterly drained, and said a silent prayer.

"Where are we going?" Dantir struggled weakly to extricate himself from Teyla's grip. "Let me go! Why will you not let me fight?"

"You can do more for your people by helping me," Teyla told him shortly, guiding him through the mayhem of the battle. It was a challenge to keep a firm hand on the boy's arm while keeping her stun pistol at the ready, but she'd managed that and found an opportunity to `lose' Dantir's whip besides. She'd steered them away from the front lines and now searched with some urgency for Galven's headquarters. If the minister was not willing to believe the Lanteans' claims about the effects of adarite, she would show him direct evidence.

"Where is Ronon?" asked Dantir suddenly, twisting around to look for his hero. "He was here-?"

"Yes, he was," Teyla replied, summoning her frayed patience. They had seen the warriors closing in on Ronon as they'd fled. That was more than enough for her to surmise what had happened to him-and what might happen to him now. "Do you recall how he protected you?" She received a nod. "What do you recall after that?"

After a moment's thought, Dantir gaped at her, bewildered and clearly scared. "I don't know," he confessed. "It's blurry, like a dream. Why is it blurry?"

"That is because you began to use the whip, as Ronon told you not to do. It took your memory from you. Do you see at last why the whips are dangerous?"

She realized upon seeing the misery in his eyes that she had spoken too harshly, letting her own anxiety bleed through. He was little more than a child, after all, and this was not his fault.

"I am sorry," she said, softening her tone. "You are not to blame, and you need not fear what happened. It is over now. Nothing will be blurry again so long as you avoid the whips and the ore used to make them."

From then on, she loosened her hold on his arm, and he did not try to run.

They reached the rear of the formation, such as it was, and were confronted by a scene almost as terrible as the battle itself. All around lay the wounded: some pierced by arrows, others laid open by blades, still more bearing the awful burns of the whips. The air was choked with painfilled moans. Overwhelmed medics, likely those miners considered too small or weak to fight, attempted to tend the injured with what little knowledge and supplies they had. Dazed soldiers stared at nothing, as if struggling to comprehend what had happened to them.

Teyla increased her pace, wanting to spare Dantir the sight as best she could. The young man remained silent, and she knew he had already learned far too much this day.

The Nistra didn't appear to have a command post in the traditional sense. Galven was sequestered inside a tight ring of hunters, one of whom blocked Teyla's path with a bow across her body.

"No one disturbs the minister," he said gruffly.

"Everything that has occurred today should disturb the minister," she fired back. "I come with an explanation and a plan. Each moment we delay costs another life. This one is on your head."

She took advantage of his hesitation and pushed past with Dantir. "Minister Galven!"

The Nistra leader glanced over at her but quickly returned his attention to the soldier reporting to him. Undeterred, she walked up and placed herself squarely within his sight. "Minister, I am Teyla Emmagan. We met at the beginning of the treaty talks."

"I remember you, warrior Emmagan." Although she might have imagined it, there were more lines visible around Galven's eyes and mouth than before, and he moved more slowly, as if aged by defeat. "But I have no time for the fanciful claims of your people when my own are being so savagely beaten."

"I know, Minister. I have been among your people today. I have seen how they struggle bravely to achieve the impossible."

"It should not be impossible." Galven's frustration boiled close to the surface. "We have the strength of numbers-"

"And yet your forces cannot focus on the smaller objectives necessary for a successful campaign, only the larger goal." Teyla chose her words with care, as she would get no other chance at this. At the same time, neither could she afford to be subtle. "There is a reason for that: the adarite. Dr. Weir tried to explain how it hinders the mind. Will you listen if the story is told by one of your own?"

The minister's gaze fell on Dantir, who shrank back, no doubt intimidated by the leader of his people. "You have something to say?"

"It's all right," Teyla assured the young man. "Tell him what you remember of the battle."

Dantir twisted the tail of his shirt between his fingers. "I wanted to use my whip," he began tentatively. "Ronon and Teyla told me not to. They used their light weapons to fell many Falnori-"

With a sharp hand, Galven cut him off. "You fight alongside us?" he asked Teyla, looking rather taken aback by the idea.

"Not to pass judgment on the Falnori, but to protect our benefactors," Teyla answered. "When Ronon and I were in need, your hunters aided us. We could not stand by while they destroyed themselves. Please allow Dantir to finish. This is most important."

At her urging, Dantir spoke up again, his head sinking to his chest in shame. "I wanted to believe Ronon, but I had been given an honored whip, and I had to try it. I don't remember triggering it. I remember nothing more until after Teyla pulled me away."

"The adarite took his memory, as it has done to all your people-slowly for the miners, more suddenly for the hunters today." The urgency Teyla felt began to slip through into her tone, and she did not stifle it. "Dantir does not remember that my friend was dragged away before his eyes. Ronon protected him and was taken by the Falnori because of it. Do you still doubt our sincerity?)

Galven's shock had only increased as she continued to speak. After a moment, he asked quietly, "You have risked yourselves for our people?"

He seemed in awe, more affected by their actions than by anything she'd said about the adarite. In a.jolt of comprehension, she realized that they had been addressing the issue the wrong way. The Nistra had split from the Falnori chiefly because of their failure to protect one and all from the Wraith attack. The hunters, excepting Dantir, had fully trusted her and Ronon only after they had shared in the work to be done. These people understood and valued deeds over words. By standing with them in battle, she and Ronon had earned respect. She intended to use whatever influence she had gained as best she could.

"I have, Minister," she replied. "And Ronon has done more. He sacrificed himself to allow Dantir and me to escape, and he may have paid for it with his life. He acted, as I do, because we believe this war need not continue. Your people rage against an enemy which has not wronged you in the manner you think. They fight to defend a commodity, not knowing that it harms them. They are not yet lost, but they desperately need someone to guide them."

She held the older man's gaze securely. "They are good people who will follow if they are led. Lead them."

For some time, Galven stared back at her, and the silence scraped away at her resolve.

At last, he swiveled to address one of his guards. "Bring the flag of conference."

Teyla thanked whatever Ancestors might be listening and waited to see what message would be sent to the Falnori. To her surprise, the minister did not assign a representative to carry a proposal to the other side. Instead, he took the flag from his assistant, apparently intending to make the journey himself.

"Are you certain…" she began, only to trail off upon seeing the set of his features.

"You asked me to lead, warrior Emmagan," he said simply.

That moment, more than any before it, showed her that he was indeed deserving of his post.

"Then you will need bodyguards. One with no need of a whip will be helpful." She turned to Dantir. "Stay here," she instructed him, leaving no room for argument. If Ronon had been killed, as she feared, she would not let his last effort fail now.

With a purposeful stride, Galven started forward, and Teyla prepared to follow him into the heart of the battle.