“Calm down, would you?” Sheppard told him.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather fume for a moment, thanks very much! There were two and only two leads on this backwater planet. One was Dalera’s supposed research on neural interfaces, which I’ll never be able to even locate, let alone study properly, without powered equipment. The other is the Shields, and if we can’t even take one of them back for research, this excursion just went from marginally pointless to completely pointless!” Lips compressed in anger, he stood and stormed out of the jumper.
Some nasty corner of Teyla’s mind was starting to wish that Dr McKay would show up for one of her training sessions in the gym. She would not injure him, but she would make him think twice about dismissing everything that didn’t fit his point of view.
Joining them outside, Sheppard said, “I’m not all that wild about the idea myself, Rodney, but seeing as we don’t have a whole lot of choices, we’re going to have to leave the Shields behind.”
With an exasperated sigh, Rodney thrust his Shield at Yann — who promptly stepped back, a look of shock on his face.
“Is it not forbidden for any but the Chosen to touch the Shields?” Teyla pointed out. Fully aware that she herself was currently holding them, she still felt the need to remind McKay of the culture he seemed to be giving thought to deconstructing.
“It’s not one of Dalera’s laws.” McKay’s fists curled in frustration. “Just another one of those guidelines that’s so helpful in marginalizing commoners.”
Sheppard looked thoughtful. “Well, Kesun did imply that when Lisera returned, he could probably rescind that particular ruling.”
Along with the revelation that the Chosen were few in number, his words left Teyla in no doubt about what discussions must have taken place in the Enclave.
“Perhaps you can hide the Shields.” Yann pointed to the outcrop of rocks on the edge of the gully. “I will tell no one of them.”
Although she sensed no overt deception, she nevertheless felt that something was amiss. Hesitating a moment, Teyla walked to the rocks and found a suitable crevice. She hid the Shields within and carefully covered the opening with a thorn-covered sod.
“In two days’ time, I shall return to this place,” Yann continued.
“We’ll see you then,” Sheppard replied with a smile that failed to mask the uncertainty in his eyes. It was apparent that he, too, was not comfortable with the situation. But to return to Atlantis, it seemed that they must indeed leave the Shields behind, and it would be both foolish and wasteful to simply cast them aside.
Yann moved away from the jumper, while Teyla and the others went back inside and took their seats. The hatch slowly rose and locked into place with a metallic clang. When the jumper ascended, Lisera’s eyes widened and her hand scrabbled for Ford’s sleeve. The Lieutenant looked embarrassed, but gave her a reassuring smile, closing his fingers around the girl’s.
“It is beyond futile to drag me along on these outings to provide solutions to problems, and then refuse to accept the only practical solution because it offends your moral sensibilities.” McKay sullenly stared out at the sky, which quickly darkened to the speckled blackness of space. “I can’t believe you’d be willing to condemn those people to death just to avoid stepping on a few toes.”
Teyla’s anger flared again, but the remark seemed to be directed at the Major, who responded without delay. “And I can’t believe you think that’s all this is. Didn’t we already learn the hard way that, once a society has its mind made up about something, it’s damn near impossible to change anything? Weren’t the Hoffans pretty much a case in point on that subject?”
There was a brief pause, and Teyla recalled the Hoffans’ single-minded willingness to sacrifice half their people in order to protect the remainder against the Wraith. McKay, however, wasn’t dissuaded. “This is not even remotely close to the same thing,” he replied dismissively. “The Hoffans took a vote, for Pete’s sake. If the Dalerans had a fraction of those same democratic rights, this would be different. But it’s not, and you can’t tell me that they’re exercising their own free will to rely on the Chosen when they’ve been fed a bunch of crap about what makes them Chosen in the first place.”
“Quit putting words in my mouth,” Sheppard said tightly. “I’m no more satisfied with this setup than you are. But if you’re going to insist on dismantling their entire religion, could you at least keep your voice down about it?”
“Oh, as if the concept of gene therapy could have made any sense to Yann or anyone else. It’s so far beyond their scientific understanding, assuming there is such a thing as science on their planet—”
Teyla had heard enough. She allowed a short bark of derisive laughter to escape, causing both men to turn in her direction. “There is a word your people use,” she said. “I have forgotten it, but it means a person who criticizes others for the very traits that he or she displays.”
Sheppard’s gaze shifted cautiously toward McKay. “Hypocrite,” he told her.
“Yes.” She faced the scientist with no mask for her contempt. “You, Doctor, are demonstrating yourself to be the worst kind of hypocrite.”
“Me?” McKay’s eyes bulged. “I was perfectly happy to leave these people alone until the Major here decided to play hero. Yet the moment I suggest a way to help, you dismiss it because it undermines their privileged class!”
“Because your ‘help’ is shortsighted and shows no respect for them. You say you want to end the elitism of the Chosen, but you look down on them simply because they do not see their world through the same eyes that you do. How is your elitism any better than theirs?”
“Hey! Excuse me for not displaying the politically correct level of deference to their belief system, but it’s those beliefs that are going to destroy them!”
Teyla heard his indignant tone and understood that she would get no further. His arrogance was well entrenched. She held few remaining illusions about the fallibility of her human companions, but every reminder held a fresh pinprick of sadness. They were not the Ancestors, to be sure. “How fortunate for you,” she replied with icy civility, “that your perspective is the only one required to explain the universe.”
A painful silence fell in the cabin of the jumper. McKay’s eyes narrowed but he turned to face forward without comment, while Sheppard looked surprised by her use of sarcasm. Teyla glanced back at Lisera, but the Lieutenant had been speaking quietly to the girl, and she seemed too enthralled by her surroundings to have noticed the disagreement.
When the Stargate appeared, Sheppard pressed the coordinates on the DHD and the ‘gate obediently activated. “Atlantis, Jumper One reporting in.”
Dr Weir’s voice answered within seconds. “This is Atlantis. How was your trip, Major?”
“Oh, you know, the usual. The drinks were overpriced and the lines were too long for the rides.” A typical response from the Major, but it sounded forced. “We’re coming in with one extra passenger. A local needs a broken leg set. Think Dr Beckett can spare a few minutes?”
“We’ll give him a heads-up. Can I assume from this that you’re planning on returning to the planet?”
Sheppard’s gaze swept over his brooding teammates. “We do intend to go back. What we do once we’re there is still up for debate.”
“All right. Come on home.”
Chapter Seven
“Historically,” John finished, “during an attack, in order to maximize coverage of the EM fields until everyone made it in from outlying settlements, some Chosen manned the transports while the others spread out with the warriors around the villages.”
“Sounds like an effective system,” Elizabeth said, dabbing her nose with a tissue. Carson had given her something to fight the worst effects of the head cold, but the medication hadn’t dulled the gritty sensation at the back of her eyes and throat.