Linnian saw the look on Sheppard's face. "This is a nature preserve, Lieutenant Colonel. The ecology is tightly controlled so that our hunters may venture into an environment as close to the wild as possible."
"On my planet, preserves are where wildlife are put to keep them alive, not for people to hunt."
"But your planet is very far away," noted Vekken. "Come. The Lord Magnate awaits us in the solarium."
Sheppard threw a look at his people; the expressions on the faces of Teyla and Ronon were the same, both of them wary and uncomfortable with the recent memories the airship brought up. He noticed the Satedan giving long looks at the guards posted in the corridors as they moved through the hull spaces. The number of men on duty had clearly been doubled since Dex's unauthorized venture through the ship.
Linnian took them up along the spine of the air-yacht to a wide glass dome on the prow of the vessel. It was open to the blue sky, a frame of green steel and smoked windows to lessen the glare of Halcyon's pale sun.
Daus rose from a heavy velvet-covered chair as they entered. "Ah. Here we are."
Sheppard forced a brittle smile. "Yeah, we have you right where you want us."
The Magnate grinned. "Very droll, Lieutenant Colonel."
John hesitated, and in that moment he felt something solidify in the back of his mind, the sudden crystallization of a thought that had been forming for days. He couldn't say how, but Sheppard instantly knew. He's playing us. Right now, to our faces. Ronon and Teyla seemed to sense it too; they knew their commanding officer well enough to take the cue from his body language. To hell with diplomacy. I'm not Weir, I shouldn't be trying to handle this like she would. Time for the John Sheppard approach.
"Yeah, I'm a funny guy." The tone of his words killed Daus's insouciant smile dead. "You called, we came, so let's cut to the chase, your lordship. What do you have to say to me?"
Linnian actually gasped; Daus's face was neutral. "Such bluntness. How refreshing." He helped himself to a drink. "Very well, Lieutenant Colonel, I'll match your directness, for the sake of expedience. As we speak, your Dr. McKay is doubtless venturing inside the structure we call the dolmen. Inside, he will learn that it is a device of great age, constructed by the Precursors to aid Halcyon in her battles against the Wraith."
"A weapon?" said Teyla.
"A shield," replied the Magnate. "A mechanism that operates on some higher science, fogging the minds any Wraith that venture here."
"So that's how you keep the Hounds in line," Ronon said.
"The dolmen's power is key, yes, but our choke-collars and the punishment training we submit the Hounds to plays a role as well. Unfettered by us they would merely be savage animals. We give them purpose, turn them to good use."
"That's debatable," retorted Sheppard. "Why tell us this now?"
Daus drained his wineglass. "I want there to be no falsehoods between us, Atlantean. I want you to understand me, understand Halcyon. To respect what we have to offer."
Sheppard and Teyla exchanged glances. "And what is that?" she asked.
The Magnate went to the dome, edging Linnian out of his path. "Some Wraiths, the ones we cannot break through our training regimens, are brought here to this enclosure. We set them free inside, and when our noblemen wish to sharpen their skills, this is where they come to hunt."
Dex snorted. "More games. More blood sport."
Daus continued. "There is one Wraith that lives in the preserve. I named him Scar." He smiled and tapped his face on the right side. "I once took his eye, you see. I was the only one to come close to catching him, and that was long ago. He has been out there for years, killing hunters and his own kind, surviving by sheer hate alone." The noble nodded to his adjutant. "Vekken has a theory that Scar might be some superior breed of Wraith, able to better resist the effects of the dolmen than his brethren. But I disagree. I think that Scar is merely stronger than all the others. And only the strong can survive. The weak and the powerless, those without allies like you, Sheppard. They are only prey for the hunters."
"Was that a threat?" Ronon drew himself up, but Vekken was there in an instant, blocking his path.
"Only a truth, Runner," said Daus, "only a truth."
The colonel's radio gave a chirp of sound, and John reached for it. "Sheppard here."
"It's me, Carson," came the reply. "Can you talk?"
"Yeah," said Sheppard. "We're all friends here. Tell us what you got, Doctor."
There was tension in Beckett's voice. "I set up a temporary clinic here in an old warehouse near the quays. We pulled in about fifty people at random, all age groups, both sexes. This `bone-rot', John, it's everywhere. These commoners, as they call them, they all have osteomalacia."
"Sounds nasty."
"Aye, it is. You'd know it better by another name Rickets. I'm guessing that we're looking at the long-term effects of vitamin deficiencies, carcinogens in the atmosphere, lack of calcium…"
"Can you help them?"
"That's the good news. Fabricating vitamin shots won't be hard. The tough part will be distribution, but yes, we can make these people better"
Sheppard threw Daus a level stare. "Good work, Doctor. I'll check back with you later."
"One last thing," said Beckett. "You should know that I'm pretty sure what the root cause of this aliment is, Colonel. No one down here in the lower city is getting clean water or uncontaminated food. From what I can determine, these people are living off the scraps from the nobles. It's a outrage." He sighed. "Beckett out."
Linnian drummed his fingers on a brass rail. "Your healer is very candid in his views."
"Yeah, that's what I like about him." Sheppard kept his eyes on Daus. "We could do something about that for you. We could show you how to make that problem go away overnight."
"And what would you want in return?" Daus put down his glass. "I know your man McKay covets the secrets of the dolmen. Or would you try to de-fang our Hounds and our armies?" He sniffed. "Ask yourself this, Lieutenant Colonel; do you think that I would jeopardize the superiority of the Halcyon nationstate for the lives of a few commoners?"
"Then what do you want to trade? Because you can be damn sure we're not parting with weapons or Jumpers!"
Daus smiled at him, and it was like watching a knife draw out of its sheath. "Halcyon offers you her safety, Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard. She offers you and your poor, lost Atlantean brethren a place to call home. All she asks is that you come under my dominion in return for such protection."
"You're joking," snapped Ronon. "Us join you?"
"Why not?" said the Magnate. "After all, your city is in ruins, is it not? You have no place to go, nowhere to call home. If Atlantis is no more, I would think that you would welcome a safe haven!" His voice rose as he spoke.
"Unless, of course, the tales of the Precursor City's demise are not entirely accurate," ventured Vekken. "Imagine if that were true. Imagine what might transpire if the Wraith learnt of it."
For one long second, John Sheppard balanced on the edge of his first diplomatic incident, his fist cocked and ready to knock the High Lord Magnate on his High and Lordly ass; but then he reeled it in and shook his head. "Thanks for everything, but you know what? We're through talking with you people." He turned his back on Daus and beckoned the others to his side. "Let's go."