James Swallow - Nightfall

Ronon Dex tried to bellow his defiance; he tried and failed.

“Get out of my damned way,” snarled Sheppard, barely keeping his temper in check.

The guard was a thickset man, his head shaven except for a queue of black hair extending down from the back of his scalp, and the light robes he wore rustled as he turned to block the colonel’s way, one hand dipping into the folds, reaching for a weapon. “You cannot enter here, voyager,” he grunted.

“Colonel —” Behind him, Keller started to speak but McKay silenced her with a shake of the head.

John stabbed a finger at the great lodge in front of him; it was the largest collection of woven pod-huts they’d seen so far in the settlement, something like a cross between a village hall and a townhouse. “This is Takkol’s place, right?” he demanded. “I want to see him, right now.”

“You cannot enter here,” repeated the guard, eyes darting around, looking for assistance. It was the early hours of morning and the walkways were deserted, the people all retired to their beds after the celebration.

Sheppard glowered at him, for one moment his hand wandering toward the grip of his P90; but then he shook his head. “You know something? I don’t have time for this. I apologise.”

The guard asked the question before he had even thought about it. “For what?”

The colonel’s free hand shot out and hit the man in a nerve point just above the clavicle; the guard howled in pain and clutched at himself, his arm suddenly going dead. “For that,” he replied, and shoved the man out of the way, taking the steps to the lodge door in two quick strides.

“Where’d you learn to do that?” said McKay.

“You spar with Ronon long enough, you pick up some things.” Sheppard shouldered open the wooden doors and advanced into the entrance hall. Other guards — the same ones who had been their ‘escorts’ earlier — appeared from side doors, each of them hoisting a short, spindly rifle, drawn by the yell from their comrade.

McKay clutched the butt plate his P90 to his shoulder, blinking, and at his side Keller moved nervously from foot to foot, not quite ready to draw the Beretta pistol that Sheppard had ordered her to strap to her leg.

“Takkol!” called Sheppard. “We need to talk.”

“What is the meaning of this?” From the upper tier of the hall came a grumbling, terse voice. The senior elder came forward on bare feet, angrily knotting the belt of his nightgown around the waist. “You cannot enter this lodge without my sanction, Colonel Sheppard! It is the dead of night! What do you think you are doing?”

“Where are they?” Sheppard demanded. “What have you done with our people?”

“Your people?” Takkol frowned and rubbed his face.

“Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagan,” said Keller.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Takkol made a dismissive gesture.

At the door there was a commotion and Aaren entered, still dressed in his day clothes, his expression anxious. “Elder, I heard the noise, I came as quickly as I could…”

“Where are my people?” Sheppard turned the full force of his fury on the other elder. “Teyla left the celebration early, and I sent Ronon after her. Neither of them ever arrived at Jaaya’s lodge out by the tree’s edge. Where did they go?”

“Back through the Gateway, perhaps,” offered Takkol with a snort. “If you cannot keep track of your own people, that is your concern, not ours, Colonel!”

“They wouldn’t just leave,” insisted McKay. “Not without contacting us first.”

Takkol came down a line of wooden stairs, fixing the Atlanteans with a baleful stare. “You come here in the middle of the night to accuse us of misdeeds? You, visitors to our world, those who we have shown hospitality and openness?”

“The hell you have,” Sheppard’s voice was low.

Takkol’s eyes narrowed. “I will forgive your impertinence on the understanding you leave now and let me return to my rest…”

Aaren cleared his throat. “Elder, there has been a misunderstanding here. The missing voyagers… I know where they are.”

“What?” said McKay. “Where?”

The other elder nodded to himself. “There was… A sighting this night.”

A ripple of surprise moved across the faces of all the Heruuni in the room, throwing Sheppard off a little. “A sighting of what, exactly?”

Takkol’s manner changed immediately, his annoyance turning to understanding. “Of course. I should have realized…” He paused, thinking. “But still… So soon? It is unusual.” With an off-hand wave he gestured to his guards to lower their weapons.

“A witness said they saw the Giants out at the edge of the farmsteads. Perhaps they came early because of the arrival of the voyagers?” offered Aaren.

“Hey!” Sheppard barked, irritated at being ignored. “I asked you a question. I want an answer.”

Aaren favored him with that fake smile again. “Your friends Ronon and Teyla are well, Colonel.”

Rodney’s face fell as comprehension caught up with him. “Oh no.”

Sheppard felt ice forming in the pit of his stomach even before Aaren spoke again. “They have been given a gift by the Aegis. They are among the Taken.”

“You mean… Like Errian and the others?” said Keller.

“They will not be harmed,” Takkol said lightly, turning to walk back up toward his bedchamber. “The Taken are always returned safely within a span of two weeks. You will see them again.”

“Unharmed?” snorted Sheppard. “Like those people we saw in the sick lodge?”

Takkol rounded on him and glared down at the group. “There are some, it is true, who cannot support the great burden that the Aegis gives them. We do what we can for those souls who have been too close to the light of its protection.”

“That’s it?” Rodney shook his head. “You just let your people be kidnapped for who knows whatever reason and do nothing about it?”

“We didn’t sign up for this,” said Sheppard. “Two of my team are abducted and you knew all about it. In my book, that’s an attack on all of us.”

“There is no attack!” Aaren insisted. “The Aegis protects, it does not destroy!”

“It also does not ask permission,” said Keller.

“I’m sure they went of their own free will,” Takkol added.

Sheppard shook his head. “Trust me, I’m sure they didn’t.”

“How often does this happen?” McKay walked further into the room, talking directly to the senior elder. “Every month? Every week? Have you ever even seen this Aegis you keep talking about?”

“You have no right to come here and judge us,” Takkol folded his arms. “The Aegis has kept us safe for generations. It has turned the scourge of the Wraith from our skies, it has let our planet prosper. Do you understand that, Doctor McKay? Since the coming of the Aegis, there has been no conflict on Heruun! We are united under our great protector!”

“Yeah,” snorted Sheppard. “I can see how fear of being kidnapped from your house while you sleep would make you more worried about keeping awake, than picking fights with other settlements.”

“You do not understand our ways, this is apparent. Because of that, I will overlook your rash behavior here tonight. If there is no repeat of it, you are welcome to stay until your friends are counted among the Returned. But you will not interfere here or question our society.” Takkol shot Aaren a look and in turn his guards brought up their weapons once more. The message was clear. This conversation is over.

But that wasn’t enough for John Sheppard. He took a step forward, every gun in the room tracking him. “You know something? It’s clear to me you don’t understand our ways, either. Where we come from, we don’t turn our back on our friends.” He spun on his heel and strode out of the hall, Keller and McKay following along behind.