Teyla was under no illusions about the meaning of others' in this context. "Your warriors spoke of raids on the Hall," she prompted.
Cestan's mild frustration quickly transformed into fury. "An outrage that defies comparison," he spat, stalking across the field. "It has occurred only within the past few seasons, though it has been more frequent of late. The Nistra had always honored the Hall until now. Suddenly they have no respect for its meaning and come in groups to ransack it for trinkets. It has become so intolerable that, for the first time in generations, we have considered denying this harvest's trade. They have even attempted an incursion here in the city, but they seem much more interested in the Hall. As if we have nothing of value to them."
"And the no-weapons rule prevents you from placing guards," said John.
"As does the fact that it is not our land to guard. Instead we send daily patrols into the forest, like the one you encountered."
"Is it possible that only a small number of the Nistra are involved?" Teyla asked. "Have you not tried to discuss the matter with their leadership?"
"Overtures have been made and rejected. Confrontations end in violence and sometimes bloodshed. I fear all paths may end in full conflict."
The governor turned back toward his guests and laid out his entreaty. "We are building a stronger army, but proven warriors are few. You have the might of the Ancestors. If you could provide us the means to properly defend ourselves against the Nistra threat"-here his gaze swept over their P-90s-"we could spare some of the adarite from our meager stores for your use."
Now the terms had been made plain. The Falnori were less interested in any scientific advancement than in better weaponry to defeat their enemies. Is your goal any nobler than theirs? Teyla reminded herself.
Still, they couldn't simply hand over a cache of guns and explosives.
John cocked his head. "What did you have in mind?"
Satisfied that his visitors hadn't immediately refused his offer, Cestan explained, "Something that can reach further than our whips, and that does not depend on adarite. For this we would give an amount of ore proportional to the number of Falnori you are prepared to equip. In time, if fortune is kind, perhaps the adarite will be more available."
"We may be able to make a deal."
At the Colonel's words, Teyla spun toward him, startled. This was hardly their usual method.
Apparently having similar thoughts, Rodney leaned in and spoke in a low, falsely polite voice. "Colonel, you know how it drives Elizabeth nuts when we come home as arms dealers."
"I'm just exploring options, Rodney, so chill." John addressed Cestan again. "How big is your army compared to theirs?"
The direction of this conversation unnerved Teyla. Given a choice between waiting to see where it led and taking action, she preferred the latter. Stepping forward, she asked, "Governor, may we take a moment to confer? There are details of your proposal that our group should discuss."
She could feel her team leader's piercing stare, but he said nothing. "Of course," Cestan replied. "Such matters should never be treated with haste."
Giving a slight bow of courtesy, he drifted to the far end of the field, his trio of warriors trailing behind. The team walked in the opposite direction until they were assured of being outside hearing range.
John pivoted toward Teyla, making only a token attempt to mask his irritation. "Since when do we cut in on each other like that?"
"You were preparing to supply arms for a dispute in which we have no part," she reminded him, unmoved.
"I was considering all potential trade avenues for a commodity we could really use. That's a long way from arming everyone." John set his hands on his hips. "How trigger-happy do you think I am?"
"Not `trigger-happy,"' Teyla said quietly. She had no wish to accuse her friend. "Focused on your people's needs."
He looked at her without speaking for a few seconds, acknowledging her point. "We do need it. A weapon that breaks nanite bonds might be the difference that saves our expedition."
"Then we will do all we can to procure some of this ore. But we must remember how little we truly know of these people. We have only their word that this conflict exists as they describe. Our initial impressions of a society have been proven wrong before."
She did not need to elaborate. The memories of Genii betrayal and Daleran upheaval spoke loudly enough.
"I get it. And I wasn't about to give away the store." Rolling his shoulders as if to dispel the noticeable tension there, John sighed. "Okay. We need to know if these guys are for real, and we're generally opposed to starting wars. What if we propose to mediate a new treaty between the Falnori and the Nistra? Cestan's interest, or lack of it, will give us a good idea of how sincere he is. And if they make nice for a while, the adante will no longer be used as leverage, so we'll have a better chance at getting some of it."
Eyebrows climbing, Rodney raised a finger to signal an objection. "I suspect it also drives Elizabeth nuts when you offer her up as a mediator without asking."
John wheeled on him, and the irritation returned. "Would it be so hard for you to cut me a break for ten damn minutes?"
"Just stating an issue. Overall it's a better plan than giving them rocket launchers."
"Thanks for that ringing endorsement." John silently sought his other teammates' approval, which Teyla was now more than willing to grant. Ronon gave a nod as well, and they walked back toward the field's center, where Cestan waited expectantly.
"We have a counter-offer," John began. "The leader of our expedition is an experienced diplomat. We would like to open a dialogue between your people and the Nistra. With a impartial third party to guide the negotiations, maybe some misunderstandings can be cleared up and a new agreement reached."
Teyla watched the governor carefully, alert for any sign of duplicity. When Cestan responded after a pause, his answer seemed considered, not contrived. "I am not confident about the chances for success at such a venture," he admitted. "It has been tried before, though never with an outside mediator." He lifted an unwavering gaze to meet John's. "But what would we be if we did not try?"
The Colonel smiled. "We hoped you'd see it that way. We can provide security for the talks. Somewhere neutral, probably close to the Hall, would be best."
"I agree. Perhaps we can avoid some of the acrimony of past encounters. What would you ask in return for your efforts?"
Rodney plunged ahead before anyone else could speak. "A small amount of adarite and a whip for us to start our research."
Without blinking, Cestan turned to Men' se. "Find Vanil and ask him to bring a fist of adarite from the vault. Then go to the armory and fetch a whip."
The warrior immediately moved to obey, disappearing through the doorway. Rodney wasn't finished, though. "And an opportunity to study the Hall. You can send your people along to baby-sit if you want, and I won't take so much as a pocketknife with me for defense, but I have to get in there."
At first Teyla worried that the scientist's demand might stall the pact. Then Cestan replied, "In the morning, I will send a messenger to the border under a flag of conference. If Galven, the Nistra leader, agrees, you will be granted entrance to the Hall when negotiations begin."
"Sounds fair," said John, glancing at his watch. The sun was already sinking toward the horizon. "We have to check in at home pretty soon. Can we send someone back tomorrow to wait for Galven's response?"
"I will send an escort to the gate to await your return. Until then, please accept the other elements of our accord as a gesture of friendship."
Merise soon reappeared with an additional whip, followed by a shorter man carrying a canteen-sized box. Smiling in what appeared to be genuine goodwill, Cestan placed the whip in John's hands and the box in Rodney's. "I thank you for your willingness to seek peace for our world. It is possible that you may be the ones to finally bring it within our reach."
Having opened the box to peer inside, Rodney answered dismissively while examini
ng his prize. "Believe me, the pleasure is ours."
CHAPTER FIVE
'he off-world team trooped in for the debriefing in characteristic fashion. Teyla took her seat with poise, John slouched back in his, and Ronon all but hurled himself into a chair. Rodney brought up the rear, still working through a litany of complaints he'd begun seemingly before emerging from the gate.
"...is it too much to ask that they cushion the benches in their deplorable excuse for public transportation?"
Amused, Elizabeth let him wind down on his own. Tirade notwithstanding, her chief of science looked invigorated. As did her military advisor, come to think of it.
"Should I infer that the research facility showed some promise?" she inquired.
"You could say that." With a flourish, Rodney set a medium-sized box on the table in front of him. "Allow me to introduce you to adarite, an ore mined on P7L-418. It appears to have a few things in common with naquadah, but its energetic properties are pressure-dependent and far simpler to harness. Not to mention stronger. A simple whip infused with this material can release the electrothermal equivalent of a lightning bolt."
Next to him, John helpfully held up an innocuouslooking whip as a visual aid.
"I'll know more once we analyze the sample, but I'm convinced that this could be developed into a weapon to disrupt nanite cohesion." Satisfied, Rodney sat back in his chair, presumably anticipating a congratulatory word.
It was good news, so Elizabeth decided to play along. "That's excellent, Rodney," she said warmly. "So you found raw materials rather than research data?"
"We haven't been inside the actual facility yet," John told her.
"But we will," Rodney jumped in.
"We ran into some locals first." John elaborated on the Falnori and their disagreement with the Nistra. As she often did, Elizabeth found herself fascinated by the apparent evolution of the society. These people had once lived and worked alongside the Ancients, and their offspring had maintained some of the equipment for as long as possible. Without the full knowledge and capabilities of their predecessors, though, and hindered by periodic Wraith cullings, the Falnori had been unable to advance significantly in a technological sense.
She wondered fleetingly if maybe they were better off that way. There were times, many of them defined by the Asuran threat, when technological sophistication didn't seem like all it was cracked up to be.
"It's worth keeping in mind that we haven't heard the Nistra side of the story yet," John concluded, stealing a sideways glance at Teyla as he spoke. "Best guess is that they'll claim ethnic persecution or something along those lines. If what Cestan said is accurate, the Nistra probably believe the Falnori don't view them as equals. Of course, the Falnori deny that, which is why we need a diplomat."
"And we believe the Nistra will accept me as a mediator, in spite of the fact that the Falnori met us first?"
"They have to." Judging by Rodney's expression, he thought he was stating the obvious. "If they don't, they all stay mad at each other, and I don't get into that lab."
Elizabeth took that to mean `we're crossing our fingers and hoping for the best.' She tucked her hair back and leaned over her datapad to make a note. "What about the accusations that the Nistra have been raiding this Hall of Tribute? How would they benefit from such an act?"
"Beats me," John replied. "It's not like they can use anything in there. Most of what we saw in the outer building was broken, and they don't have the gene to operate anything further in."
"They could be doing it just to provoke the Falnori," Ronon said. "If they want a war, that might be the quickest way of getting one."
Something about that idea didn't feel right to Elizabeth, but she didn't have nearly enough information about the state of affairs to hazard another guess. "So now we just need a response from this Galven," she said.
"Ronon and I will travel back to the planet in the morning to await word," Teyla offered.
"In the meantime, I have a major analysis project to begin and a Czech to drag away from his futile study of jumper propulsion optimization," Rodney said, fingers drumming on his prized box. "So if we're done here-?"
"Go," Elizabeth told him, shooing him with her hand. "Keep me posted on what you and Radek learn. And let's finally take care of the mail call tomorrow. Everybody's about to start climbing the walls."
"I'll get with Lorne and make up a roster for security shifts at the peace talks." John aimed a thumb over his shoulder as he stood up from the table. As the group dispersed, Elizabeth heard him say under his breath to Rodney, "And you were sure she'd be pissed about me volunteering her services."
She smiled to herself, closing the file on her datapad. In truth, she was intrigued by the opportunity. The challenges of running the city were absorbing on their own merits, but she was a trained negotiator, and rarely did she get the chance to use those skills.
Having swiped her own mail out of the delivery pile yesterday-there were a few perks to being in charge-she'd read her university's alumni magazine last night before bed. So many of her colleagues were spearheading talks that would guide the years to come on their world: Africa, North Korea, the Middle East. They were doing truly noble work, the work to which she'd once dedicated her life; and she was a galaxy away, working without a net, occasionally signing off on tactics that her younger self would have protested at the top of her lungs.
Had she been on Earth, she probably would have had to fight the urge to knock various dignitaries' heads together. Squabbling over ideologies seemed so petty and useless now that she knew what other, more fundamental enemies existed.
If they were lucky- and God knew they were due for a streak of luck-the expedition would benefit from the upcoming talks just as much as the Falnori and Nistra. For that reason, among others, she couldn't find it within herself to long for home. There was a job to be done here, and she fully intended to see it through.
Looking over the landscape, unchanged since their visit the day before, Ronon heard the familiar sound of the gate disengaging behind him. "We were supposed to meet our escort here?"
"That was Governor Cestan's instruction," Teyla answered. "I will confess that the idea of another ride to town does not excite me."
"I know what you mean." For once, McKay's complaining had been justified. Ronon might have said more, but the sight of two figures climbing the hillside forestalled him.
"Day's greetings," Kellec called to them as he and Merise approached.
"To you as well," said Teyla. "Are you meant to bring us to the capital?"
"The governor bids us to wait here, with you, for the messenger's return." Merise swung a cloth sack off her shoulder and set it on the ground. "It should not be long. In any case, we have food and drink."
She took a seat in the grass, and Kellec joined her. Ronon exchanged a glance with Teyla. Maybe they should have brought something to occupy themselves. One of those number puzzles of which the scientists, and occasionally Sheppard, seemed so enamored... Or maybe not.
"We're out in the open here," Ronon had to point out. "If the Nistra don't like what the messenger has to say, or if they decide to mount a raid today, wouldn't it be better to have a larger group?"
"If warriors are needed, they will come." Kellec inclined his head toward the forest behind them. "When flying a flag of conference, it is prudent to show fewer arms than you care to use, but possess more."
It made sense, or at least enough sense for Ronon to accept. Someone was watching their backs; that was all he needed to know.
Teyla sat down, tucking her legs up beneath her. "Will the talks be held in this area as well, since it is considered neutral?"
"In his message to Galven, Governor Cestan requested that the Hall be used, as it has been in the past." Men' se set about unlacing the straps from her right shoe.
"Not a very comfortable place to hold a long negotiation," Ronon commented. "You'd have to move all the damaged equipment."
Kellec frowned. "I believ
e you misunderstand. Should Galven agree, the talks will be held in the main Hall, not the entryway. There is more than sufficient room inside, and it was left untouched by any attacks."
Ronon didn't want to be the one to tell these people that McKay had broken the door mechanism, even if the scientist could most likely fix it or find a way around it within hours. Except the transporter hadn't unlocked for him or Sheppard, both of whom had the gene. Which meant he'd just obtained some new information.
"You are able to enter the main Hall?" Teyla asked. "You know how to operate the security on the door?"
A perplexed look came over the chief warrior's face. "Security has never been a concern. We make use of the stairwell into the Hall, not the door with the lighted panel, which appears to have no exit."
There was a stairwell. Of course. The transporter probably led somewhere further inside the facility, either for convenience or for additional protection. Ronon smirked, thinking of the trouble McKay might have saved himself if he'd focused on the second door instead of the first.
After that, an awkward silence fell. It stretched for a few minutes, magnifying the wait, until Teyla broke it by turning to Merise with an inquisitive smile. "Do you choose to become warriors, or is the path chosen for you?"
Her shoe now adjusted to her satisfaction, the Falnori woman reached into her bag and withdrew a loaf of soft bread. Tearing off a piece, she offered the loaf to Teyla. "The choice to become soldiers is our own. Becoming a warrior requires something greater than a mere choice."
"It is a simpler road for some than for others," Kellec asserted, accepting the bread when Teyla passed it to him. "Merise, for instance, was nearly born with a whip in her hand."
"You exaggerate, Kellec." Merise shook her head, but tolerated the remark. "My father was one of the city's finest craftsmen," she explained. "From an early age he schooled me in both the art of creating the whip and the skill of controlling it."
The bread made its way to Ronon. He found it sweet and surprisingly delicate. "Much effort is devoted to the creation of a whip, is it not?" Teyla asked.
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