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 believe 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."