Guiding
Sheppard
by Autumn leaves
Type: General
Disclaimer: SGA universe is not mine except for original characters and storyline.
Note: This is something that I've been working on for a while. Any and all feedback is welcomed.
Chap 1: When Life Gives You Lemons
"I do not understand... I thought that these people were my friends. I found it disappointing that Toga especially stood there in silence, that he did not say anything to defend us. I've known him since I was a child. If he wanted to, there would have been more than enough villagers to take them out. After all, the Nonamers were armed, they could have fought the Genii if they so wished," Teyla revealed her distress to Lt Colonel Sheppard and the others. She felt deeply hurt. Only once before had she felt such a way - when she was made the fool and had been tricked and betrayed by people whom she called friends: the Genii. This would be the second time she erred in judgment, and the second time that the team was placed in danger because of her misplaced trust in these so called 'friends'.
"Yeah, it's not to say as if they didn't have any weapons, after all, their weapons sort of rival our own 9mms," Rodney grumbled.
"He's a coward!" Ronon growled, his voice deep and low with suppressed fury.
Sheppard shook his head and sighed, trying to ignore the throbbing waves of pain that pulsated from the bullet wound in his shoulder. He knew the type of man that Toga was, he had met his kind before. He was the kind who wanted only all the good attention and credit for himself, but had no backbone when it came to standing up to what was right. "Toga's just a man afraid to lose his position with the crowd. He fears ridicule from others, he's afraid to lose his popularity and receive the backlash when things go sour. Therefore, he remains silent, thinking that in silence he remains safe. He goes where he thinks the crowd wants him to go, he strives for nothing but the good of his own reputation."
His thoughts turned dark when he recalled his time in Afghanistan when his commanding officer had abandoned him, not wanting to be responsible for a decision to mount a rescue mission to save the POWs who were sentenced to be executed by enemy hands. He had asked his CO's permission to lead a rescue mission, and the man had told him, "If you wish to go after these men, Sheppard. You do it alone. They are considered a lost cause. When they undertook their mission, they knew the risk. If you succeed, the Air Force will back your decision to go after them, but if you fail, then we'll wash our hands of you. This conversation would have never taken place, is that clear? Are you willing to take that risk, Major?"
Sheppard had stood there facing his CO then, knowing full well that when the man said 'Air Force', he actually meant 'I'. On that last question, his CO had expected him to say no. Sheppard had served under this man long enough to know that his CO was a man who didn't dare take risks, he was a man who only wanted to ride the wave of popularity with his superiors, anything that it took to climb the ladder of success. He would not risk his reputation to go after the POWs. He had no backbone for it; he would never make a decision that went against the favour of the crowd, to back something that went against the odds of success. Even if it was the right thing for him to do. He left it to men like Sheppard to do the dirty work and take all the blame especially if the mission went bad. However, if it turned out successful, then the man made sure that he was there to get all the credit. He had done it before, Sheppard had witnessed it done to other men including himself. His CO supported his men only when things worked to his favour.
In this decision, John Sheppard knew that he was alone, but whatever the outcome, Sheppard could not deny the captured men the rescue that they were entitled to. After all, you never left your people behind, that was his belief, his motto, the grounding force of his life and he intended to keep his word. His men, the POWs who were to be executed on enemy territory, counted on him. These men risked their lives in service for their country, it was only right that the officers commanding them made every effort to bring them back safely home again. So to Sheppard, there was no decision to make because the decision was already made. "Yes, sir." Sheppard had replied: he knew the risks, he would take them, even if things turned sour, even if his reputation was shot to shreds. He would attempt the rescue mission alone, without the support of his CO, regardless of the consequence. To do otherwise would mean a betrayal to the very core of who he was. So Sheppard had walked out of his CO's office, knowing that he walked the line alone.
But despite his best efforts, Sheppard had failed, and he had come out of that mission, barely alive himself, having been wounded and injured in the process. And as he had known and expected it, his CO had washed his hands off him and fed him to the sharks putting all the blame on John. A maverick, they called him, problem with the chain of command; so he had received his black mark and shipped off to serve in Antarctica after he had recovered from his injuries. He was meant to be lost and forgotten serving in the snow fields of Antarctica. However, it seemed that fate had other plans for him - his life changed forever the moment he sat down on that Ancient chair.
o-O-o
"You mean all air and no substance." McKay observed sarcastically, bringing Sheppard back to their present predicament. "He talks the talk, but doesn't walk the walk."
John turned gave him a wry smile, "Yeah, you could say that, Rodney. When it was time to make a difference, to show us what type of man he was made of, the kind of ally he could be, he failed to do so, not because he's a bad person, but mainly because he was afraid." When he spoke, he didn't only mean Toga but also the man who had been his CO in Afghanistan.
"Well, he showed us his true colours in the end, didn't he?" Rodney snapped, "Who needs enemies when you've got friends like that, right?"
"He doesn't know the meaning of friendship," Teyla hissed in cold anger, "He only cultivates the show of friendship, but there is no substance behind it!"
"A coward!" Ronon observed again, frowning darkly as he tried to struggle out from his restraints.
"Ouch! Chewy, will you cut it out?! Your struggles are only making our ropes tighter! They're cutting off circulation to our arms and it's not helping any with Sheppard's wound nor my foot!" Rodney complained. At McKay's words, Ronon ceased his struggles, but the entire team could sense the former runner's frustrations. Currently Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon and Rodney were tied together to a thick wooden pole, waiting to be burnt at the stake. A thick coil of rope circled their waists and arms, wrapping all four together like sacrificial lambs to the slaughter. As their backs faced the wooden pole, each team member had a different view of the Nonamer village.
"Your foot's not tied up, Rodney, so how can it make it worse?" Sheppard gasped, wincing in pain and feeling hot and light headed from his wounds. His vision faded in and out disturbingly, he didn't like the sign of that.
"Hey! My hands and feet are related okay?! When one part of me is uncomfortable, so is the other! And currently my left foot has a freakin' hole in it, bleeding all over my shoe!" McKay grumbled painfully. "After all, the Caveman's struggles surely can't be good for that shoulder of yours! What's up with you, anyway? I was on your side here."
Sheppard grimaced, "Just call me cranky, Rodney. A bullet wound in the shoulder can do that to me sometimes, and you're just as good a distraction as any to keep my mind off it. By the way, you're bleeding inside your shoe not over it, McKay. And Ronon, thanks for giving it a rest, big guy. Rodney's right, the ropes are not going to disappear despite your struggles."
"What are you, my grammar teacher now? Besides, I was right, well partially anyway, while my foot is swimming in blood, it's actually pouring out from the bullet hole on top of it and pooling at the bottom of my foot. Oh gawd, I think I'm going to pass out... I think I'm going to need a blood transfusion..."
"Then perhaps you should not think about it so much, Rodney," Teyla advised from the opposite side of the pole from where the scientist was held. She looked around at the darkening village and sighed with frustration. She knew many of the villagers here from trading with them in the past. She had considered these people her friends. She had believed Toga, the leader of the Nonamer, as someone whom she could count on. But not anymore, not after what he had done to betray them. Her heart felt heavy that her trust in these people had placed the lives of the team in jeopardy. During one of their regular team meetings, Teyla had mentioned to the Atlantians that the Nonamers were a little more advanced in technology than the people of Athos. On hearing this, Elizabeth had decided to send Sheppard's team to the world to see if these people were interested in trading or becoming allies.
When they arrived at the planet, they were greeted cordially by the Nonamers. At their invitation, Sheppard and his team decided to spend a few days there, while they worked out the details of a trade alliance. Teyla knew that Sheppard had spent most of his free time playing with the kids and teaching the young men and children how to play football. In addition, he and Ronon had also demonstrated to the young men there how to take better shots with their weapons. Rodney was right, the weapons the Nonamers used were fairly similar to the 9mms. Almost every grown adult male in the village carried such weapons with them, hidden in the folds of their cloaks. They carried weapons mainly to protect themselves against wild predators that commonly prowled the fields and close to the village looking for easy prey. Things had been going well for Sheppard and his team until another group of out-worlders arrived.
This new group turned out to be Genii, comprising of seven soldiers who were supporters of Kolya. They had stormed the village and captured the Atlantian team. Sheppard and his team had been dining with Toga and some others at the time. As they were not allowed to carry weapons into the building during the meal, they had not been able to put up a fight against armed intruders. After their capture, Sheppard, Rodney, Teyla and Ronon discovered that the Genii wanted nothing from the Atlantian team except revenge. In particular, they wanted the deaths of Sheppard and his team for the retribution of Genii lives lost during the Atlantians encounter with them.
After they had announced this, none of the Nonamers had been brave enough to stand up and defend the Atlantians. When Koden, the Genii soldier leading the group of intruders, had asked the villagers whether they had any problem with Sheppard and his team being burnt at the stake, many of the villagers had expected Toga their leader to protest. After all, all knew that he had been on friendly terms with the Atlantian team and was currently in the process of negotiating a trade agreement with them. However, to their surprise, Toga simply hung his head and kept silent. He pretended not to know the Atlantians and moved furtively in the shadows of the crowd, hoping not to bring attention to himself.
Toga was a popular leader among his people, but this would be the first time that he faced a challenge where he needed to put more than sugar coated words on the line. If he had spoken up, the villagers would have probably risen up against the outsiders, over taking them, but to the detriment to Sheppard's team, he did not. Toga was too afraid that the wrath of the Genii would fall upon him, his household and his people. He did not stand up for those whom he called friends and allies. By his very silence, he had betrayed them. Teyla had been devastated by Toga's cold silence, and she had been truly ashamed to have once called this man a friend. So when Sheppard and his team saw an opportunity to escape, they took it. However, things didn't work out as planned and they were caught, leaving Sheppard shot in the shoulder, Rodney in the foot and the rest of the team captured and tied to the stake. All members of Sheppard's team knew full well that they were in trouble, for at nightfall, the burning would begin.
TBC
So, what do you think? Should I continue? Please review.