SGA Fic: Ode de Terre (PG)
Title: Ode de Terre
Rating: PG, General Audience
Characters: Stargate Atlantis Team: Teyla Emmagan, John Sheppard, Ronon Dex, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, (Carson Beckett cameo)
Category: Drama, Team, Mystery
Word Count: ~8,800 words
Spoilers: Set soon after Season 3's "Tao of Rodney"
Summary: Why are Milky Way Stargate chevrons etched into an old cave?
Author's Notes: Written for tielan for help_haiti. Thanks for her patience at my long delay. Thanks to annerbhp for being alpha & beta. Disclaimers found at index. My first SGA fic, hope it didn't turn out too badly!
Crossposted at my dreamwidth and AO3 accounts.
"Why do I always feel like Daffy Duck when I wield these?"
Teyla arched an eyebrow at John, but he was paying no attention to her, instead balancing the different sized bantos rods awkwardly in his hands. Apparently it was a rhetorical question. But, for a change, she actually knew his Earth reference. She'd attended a ritual back in Atlantis of "Saturday morning cartoons". She was glad she need not answer; she did not know why John would compare himself with an oddly speaking duck.
Instead she tried not to laugh as he attempted to twirl a rod much too thick for his body structure and almost succeeded in hitting himself in the head as he muttered words like "vault and parry".
"These are inappropriate for you, John," she explained, gently taking the wooden sticks from his hand and placing them back on the vendor's display table. The merchant himself was waiting on another customer in the busy marketplace. She paused for just a moment to admire the delicate symbols carved along its edge before moving to a different set. "I have offered several times to help you find wood on the mainland to make your own."
"Yeah, I know you say it's best to do that, but you know with the new recruits I barely have enough time to keep training, much less whittle rods for myself. But I figured...well..." John didn't say more, merely lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck, but Teyla caught the sidelong look he gave to the food concession stand where Ronon and Rodney had wandered.
"Still trying to beat Ronon in sparring? I notice you do not spar with me as often as you once did."
John smiled. "That's because if I ever beat Ronon, I may eventually have a shot of getting close to beating you."
Teyla suppressed a wry smile at the praise. "It's not the size of the rod that matters-"
"Oh really?" John's raised eyebrows made her realize the inadvertent double meaning.
She pursed her lips and sternly continued. "Nevertheless, for this skill it's the balance of the weapon, as it relates to both size and shape. It needs to feel a part of your body, an extension of your own arm."
She hefted two different pieces in her hands, gauging their feel with what she knew of John's strength and reach. She tossed one lefthanded to John and turned to find its mate while placing the other one back on the table.
The vendor must've completed his sale, because Teyla caught him beaming at them. "It's good to see a woman who appreciates such craftmanship."
She smiled. "Your work is lovely. Is the wood local?"
"I only come here to trade, but the wood is from our home planet. My daughter and I salvage deadwood from living trees. I shape and varnish and my wife does the final designs. I also make flutes and staffs."
"A family work of love." Teyla gave a faint nod of appreciation. "It shows in the final product."
"I could make a deal if you wish to buy a matching set..."
"I make my own, thank you, but perhaps..." She turned to John who was absently drumming one stick to his leg, looking out at the market. He seemed to notice her attention and glanced back to the vendor behind her. John adopted a nonchalant shrug for the vendor's benefit but gave her their prearranged signal to haggle if it was a good deal. The way he clutched the bantos she chose though belied his interest and when she turned back to the vendor, she could tell he had noticed it too.
By the time they had agreed on a price, the others had joined them. Ronon offering a skewer of roasted meat and vegetable each to Teyla and John with one hand while he gnawed on two of his own with the other. Rodney was licking his fingers and simultaneously eating and talking in the manner that never failed to bemuse her.
"...and we still haven't found that special oil we came here for in the first place."
Teyla interrupted Rodney's complaining. "Actually, Chandof mentioned he uses that oil on his own tools and directed me to some vendors who may be here today across the square."
"Chandof?" Ronon asked.
"The vendor was quite helpful, especially to a paying customer." Teyla arched a teasing eyebrow. It was an ongoing rivalry between them of who could make the best trading deals and Ronon had more recently taken the edge by negotiating for some medicinal plants that intrigued Carson. Ronon's discomfiture amused her; buying John's bantos certainly helped get the vendor to loosen his tongue in finding the Pegasus Galaxy lubricant that worked much better on Atlantis equipment then the crude Earth equivalents.
Ronon looked at the wares at the stand and then to the rods John still held his hand. The Satedan looked over the wares with an appraising eye. When turned away from John, she could tell he was as impressed as she was by the vendor's workmanship, but when he faced their team leader, he smirked a challenge. "You think different rods will give you an edge, Sheppard?"
John replied. "Maybe. We'll just have to see," John replied as he pointedly placed the rods in his pack.
Rodney interrupted their posturing. "Yes, yes. Need I remind you we're here to buy oil, not sticks."
Still bristling, John turned to Rodney. "And as Teyla said, we got a lead on it. Besides, looks like you were buying 'sticks' of your own." John nodded to Rodney's now empty meat skewer.
"Hey, I'm not the one who scheduled a trading mission during lunchtime. Plus, Ronon got a lead too."
"Butcher pointed me to an artino. Says he's the best." Ronon pointed in the opposite direction of where Chandof had indicated.
John asked, "Artino?"
"A craftsman who specializes in bladed weapons," Teyla explained, giving a guarded nod to Ronon's own skills. "They too would use the oil we seek."
"So, looks like we've got two leads. Great." John grinned, clapping his hands together. Ronon smiled as well, but his eyebrow lifted in seeming challenge as he looked towards Teyla. The wager on best trader was ongoing. Teyla raised her own eyebrow and nodded in agreement.
Ronon's challenging look next turned to their friend. "And you can maybe find a decent knife."
"Hey, my knife is just fine," John protested.
Ronon shrugged as he gestured to the newly purchased bantos rods, "You're the one looking for better equipment."
Teyla fought to keep her expression neutral in this burst of machismo, but missed John's muttered response as he stomped off. Ronon's grin grew wider as he followed.
She turned to Rodney before starting off to the potential vendors, surprised at her teammate's sudden silence. She was even more surprised to see him studying the detail work on a different display. Before she could speak, he grabbed a flute and waved it sharply in front of Chandof.
"Where did you get this? Where did you find these symbols?"
Teyla placed her hand on Rodney's arm, trying to calm him. Giving an apologetic look to Chandof, she stepped between the men. "Rodney, Chandof's family makes these tools. They're artisans."
McKay didn't relent. If anything he got even more upset, pointing to some of the carvings on the instrument. "Fine where did he 'see' this before?"
Clearly the shapes meant something to Rodney, but they had no meaning to Teyla. Something of her confusion must have shown on her face because Rodney hissed, "They're chevrons, Teyla."
Teyla blinked and looked again. Yes, she could see the shapes were patterned much like the dialing mechanism for the Stargates, but none were to familiar worlds. She shook her head. "Rodney, many cultures adopt the DHD chevrons into their art and identity..."
Rodney's eyes widened in alarm and he pulled Teyla out of the tent, still clutching the flute. His was so distressed that she ignored Chandof's sputtering at them leaving the tent with his merchandise.
"Not Pegasus chevrons. They're Milky Way addresses." He pointed to a triangular symbol repeated intermittently on the flute. Now that Teyla caught the context, she easily recognized it as the SGC symbol Col. Caldwell and his crew wore on their uniforms: the symbol to Earth.
Teyla nodded her understanding, finally able to take the flute from out of Rodney's grip. She headed back into the tent to smooth things over with Chandof and get the information she now realized was so vital.
"Did you have to tell him it was a religious pilgrimage?" Rodney whined.
Teyla shot a warning glance back to her friend after making sure Chandof's daughter hadn't overheard. If she did, she gave no inkling. She was slightly ahead, whacking at a vine with her knife to clear more of the jungle path to the old cave where she'd drawn inspiration for the various Milky Way carvings.
"Would you rather berate people on their culture or enlist Chandof's help? We would never have found our way without Karlyn's guidance."
"Well, okay, I mean, I know you're right. But enabling further superstitious nonsense by saying the symbols held religious significance is just perpetuating the lie."
With another cautious glance at Karlyn, she stopped and faced Rodney. "I did not lie. Those symbols are meaningful to your people." The way Rodney and the other scientists of Atlantis reacted to the technology of the Ancestors, she sometimes saw little difference in how clerics worked with holy relics. But the eyebrow she lifted was not to show her skepticism, but as a reminder of the secrecy of this quest. Rodney got the message.
"But...religious?" Rodney's protest was more half-hearted this time, but he trudged along without further protest.
Teyla was partly grateful at his stubbornness, and his understanding. He'd been quieter of late, ever since that strange accident on Atlantis where they'd almost lost him. It was disconcerting to have a kinder, gentler Rodney McKay. Offworld, he was acting more like his old self; you could almost forget what they'd been through so recently. He was the one who insisted they not even radio Sheppard with the find until they were more sure. If there was some kind of map to the Milky Way on this planet, they couldn't risk it being overheard in the crowded market.
Teyla had agreed, and if she forced herself to admit it, it was because of this stupid rivalry with Ronon. She knew it was petty, but one of Teyla's biggest sources of pride was her skills as a trader-first for her people, and now for her friends of Atlantis. Learning of the deception of the Genii and other adventures she had had as part of Col. Sheppard's team had made her question that skill. Ronon's gentle ribbing had turned into a battle-and both she and Ronon were too competitive to call it a draw. Having the dealer's daughter lead her to such an incredible find would make her unquestionably the winner of this wager. But as Karlyn led them further into the jungle, she second guessed that decision not to inform John and Ronon.
As she reached for her radio, Karlyn turned and pointed. "It's here."
Teyla at first could see only slate, similar to other rock prominences dotting the jungle. But as she moved closer to Karlan, she spotted a small opening. She would easily fit through, but Rodney would have angle himself. It would be a tight squeeze for Ronon if he were here.
"It looks unsafe," she said, touching the entrance warily. She noted Rodney had already pulled out his scanner and was pointing it to try and detect any energy signatures.
"The slide happened ages ago. It is secure enough," Karlyn reassured her. "My betrothed and I have come since we were children while our fathers tended their stalls. It's been our special place for years. We reinforced some of the areas with father's rejected wood."
Teyla bowed her head. She knew the import of such a place, like the cave in the ruins she showed to John when they first met-just as both of their lives changed forever. "We are very honored you shared this spot with us."
"How could I not, when it is so important to your friend and his religion of 'urthe' science." The smile Karlyn graced her with was wry, but not with malice.
Rodney bristled as Teyla shot him a knowing look. He looked as if he'd swallowed something bitter as he tried to be diplomatic. "Yes, well it's a very...secret, important aspect of our...beliefs."
Teyla smiled and nodded in approval at Rodney's efforts of diplomacy. He continued, "I did mention important...and secret."
"You did," Karlyn smiled and Teyla was grateful she was amused by Rodney than anything else. Teyla laid a hand over his arm and squeezed gently to keep him from further damaging their steps so close to the goal.
"Okay, well as long as that's under..." He became distracted on his scanner. "I'm reading traces...well I can't be certain, but this is consistent with..." He remembered their audience. "Home."
"Energy?" Teyla asked, realizing he meant Atlantis.
"No, but the same alloys that were construction materials."
"Would that be unusual?"
"Hmm. It's a refined metal, but..." Any further explanation would have to wait as Rodney became completely engrossed in whatever he was reading on the small handheld device. He brushed past Karlyn and headed deeper into the cave.
"Rodney, be careful!" Teyla called out, and he waved a hand back distractedly.
"He is very much like my cousin," Karlyn smiled and shook her head. She reassured Teyla. "Once round that corner the way is fairly clear to the chamber. He will see the crests of his gods there. If this is a private communion, I can wait or else..." She nudged her head back, questioning if she should leave them.
Teyla nodded her understanding, grateful for Karlyn's sensitivity. "We will be able to find our way back. Thank you so much for your assistance."
She found Rodney in the middle of a larger chamber. Teyla could see why Karyln would draw inspiration for her carvings here. The room filled Teyla with an indescribable feeling of peace. She could almost hear the whispers of a memory as she shone her light through the chamber, but the cavern itself was unfamiliar.
Rodney was in the center, looking down into a pit. As she drew closer, her light reflected back. This must be the alloy Rodney was talking about. Its shape and texture reminded her of Atlantis. By the time she reached the edge. Rodney had scrambled down the four feet into the pit itself, any concerns of local dangerous fauna or unsecure rock obviously overridden by his excitement at the find.
She was surprised to note the pit had clean edges. The device Rodney was studying was in this lower section by design, not through a collapse. The device itself almost appeared carved into the rockface. Rodney's Lantian alloy intertwined with the stone going half-way up the wall of the cavern. It was ornate and...beautiful. She sat at the edge and leapt down into the pit to join McKay. Being careful as to where she should step, Teyla asked, "Do you recognize it?"
"No." Rodney shook his head, puzzled. "It doesn't match anything we encountered in Atlantis, and the way it's joined with the stone...more than even carved. It's not naquadah or...hmmm."
She knew he was lost again in the readings of his scanner. Teyla looked at the device. There were carvings in the alloy. Various symbols. Some were clearly chevrons-many Teyla recognized as being from Pegasus. Although they made no sense as Stargate addresses. Some of the symbols intertwined and overlapped. A repeating theme was of the pyramid. Teyla actually recognized the pattern of the flute she now carried in her pack.
While she looked, the feeling of familiarity became even stronger. Yet Rodney had said they had not discovered such a device before. She drew closer to the device. For some reason, the image of her grandmother kept intruding in her thoughts. An imposing woman with a keen wit and a strong work ethic. Teyla could remember the smell of nectar and whott from the cake recipe she used to make.
"What are you doing?"
"Hmm?" Now it was Teyla who was distracted.
Rodney was looking at her, half annoyed, half puzzled. "You were...humming."
"Was I?" Teyla hadn't even realized it. "I was just...thinking about my grandmother."
Rodney blinked. "Okay. Well, unless Nana can tell us what this thing is..." He checked his scanner than studied the markings, blowing dust off some of the center ones. "These markings are just carvings. They seem decorative, but they could be an instruction manual I suppose, or maybe something like the Abydos Cartouche or..."
Rodney's musings were only half making sense to her. The tugs of memory were too much in the forefront of her thoughts. Why was she thinking of her grandmother at this particular moment? Why was this device so familiar? She leaned close, bending down. From that perspective, the memory became clearer. Her grandmother bending down, bestowing a rare smile on Teyla as together they reached under metal that was burnished and dull, blending with stone to feel a switch. Teyla blinked and followed her memory's guide, finding a switch where she expected. She switched it without thinking.
The effect was instant. A trilling hum sounded through the chamber and a seam in the alloy lifted and several long tabs appeared. Rodney was so startled he practically jumped all four feet back onto the ledge of the main floor. As it was, he scrambled back, grabbing Teyla by the vest and pulling her with him. "Rodney..."
"C'mon. We've got to move back." He was still tugging, and while now out of the pit, she didn't have her balance.
"But I..."
"Let's go!" He pulled her again towards the entrance, and this time she fell, the jagged rock of the walls coming closer. The next thing she knew was blackness.
"...you know what the device was?" Elizabeth's voice sounded tinny and distant to Teyla's ear as she fought back against the blackness.
Rodney's voice, however, was sharp and clear. "Again, the answer is no. It definitely Ancient, and it activated with no warning. Power levels are steady and low from what I can read from out here, but..."
Teyla tried to dispute that, but all she could muster was a low moan. There was pain piercing through her skull-so great she couldn't take the effort to actually open her eyes.
"Where are you again, Rodney?" That was John's voice, sounding like Elizabeth's, warped. The smells and ambient noise she could pick out from the buzzing in her skull weren't like Carson's infirmary either. It was...outdoors?
"Um...outside the cave. It's...um...crap, I was counting on Teyla to keep track. A couple of klicks from the trading post, southeast or..." There was a banging noise and a muttering "stupid alien magnetic poles. Can't you orient to my signal or...something?"
"I've found the trail," Ronon's voice was even more distant, and Teyla was able to reason why. Everyone was speaking through radios, Ronon probably being heard through John's transmitter.
John's voice, stronger but muffled with ambient noise. "We're on our way."
"Yes, yes, just get here, all right? She's still bleeding."
"I'm fine, Rodney." Teyla was able to speak words this time, though they reverberated through her skull in an awful rhythm. She actually wasn't sure how true the statement was, but experience taught her reassurance and authority would help calm Rodney. She could assess her full damage later. For now she concentrated on opening her eyes.
"Teyla? Oh thank god."
Rodney's face hovered over hers. She thought about teasing him at his gratitude for a deity when he eschewed religion, but instead she merely asked, "What happened?"
"The device powered up all of a sudden. No idea what it could do...or did." Rodney was looking at her with naked concern. "I tried to get you out of there as quickly as possible."
"I hit the wall," she recalled.
"Well yes, I guess I pulled a bit too hard." Rodney winced. "Sorry about that."
"Teyla, how do you feel? I can be there in two shakes of a lamb's tail." Carson's voice came out of nowhere, and Teyla realized they were somehow in radio contact with Atlantis as well. He sounded out of breath, as if he was called to the control room from his infirmary. She struggled to sit up, and, with Rodney's help, she managed. Her senses were clearing all the time, although the pounding in her head remained. She touched her head and winced at the tenderness. She looked at her hand and pulled it away, noticing blood on her fingertips.
"I told you, bleeding," Rodney confirmed.
"I think I'm fine. I just hit my head."
"And lost consciousness." This latest comment was from John, and it echoed from both the open radio connection and to her left. She turned her head...wincing again at the pain. Ronon and John came jogging through the foliage to the small clearing outside the cave. They must've run to have arrived so quickly.
"I am feeling better now, John," she assured him, and both Elizabeth and Carson via radio. She remembered now Atlantis was going to dial in and check on their progress around...now. She checked the sun's position that she could barely perceive through the jungle trees before remembering the watch John had given her to wear on missions--a strangely arbitrary but universal time device. She shook off their concern. "What's important is the device. I remember. It's important to you. We shouldn't leave it yet. We just turned it on."
"We didn't turn it on. It turned on by itself and we don't know how or why," Rodney countered.
"No, I...I found a switch."
"What?! You touched it?" Teyla hadn't thought Rodney's eyes could get any wider, but she was wrong. His outraged tone echoed loudly through her tender skull. "It could be dangerous. We have no idea what it could do and you went around randomly grabbing..."
Teyla recognized now the outrage was really more worry. She should've recognized his caution in the pit. He'd been so enthusiastic in getting there, she hadn't observed his "look not touch" actions, which was unlike her. Of course, after what happened with that ascension machine he would be more cautious. She'd been so worried he'd recovered from it, she hadn't thought of his worry about a repeat experience. And after the new guidelines had been enacted for Atlantis equipment by Elizabeth too. She was right to be chided. But she still tried to explain, not sure how to explain the once again faded memory of her grandmother as almost a ghost in her thoughts. It seemed more unreal now in the humid greenery and her rattled head. "I just somehow knew where the switch was."
"That's even worse!" Rodney started pacing in his nervousness, his hands flailing out as he spoke. "If you just got a sense, this could be a booby trapped. It could be a sensor. It could..."
"Booby trapped? Seriously?" John quirked a wry smile, clearly calmer now that he saw Teyla sitting up and speaking.
"But she "sensed" it Sheppard! 'Sensed'. Teyla doesn't have the Ancient gene, but she does have a Wraith connection. Remember what happened on that mining platform? This could be another...'spooky' thing."
Teyla was insulted, despite the reasonableness of his concern. She turned to John. "That has nothing to do with it. I sense nothing...'spooky' about anything. I would've alerted you long before this. I just remembered where the switch was."
"You didn't alert us you were checking out a big Ancient gadget either," John scolded them both, and she had the grace to look away. However, this device had nothing to do with the Wraith, and she felt insulted by the implication.
She quietly countered. "It is Ancient. Rodney confirmed it."
Rodney was not willing to let go of his Wraith concerns. "That doesn't mean they couldn't have come along later and sabotaged it. Maybe the symbols were just to set a trap."
"That you happened to see in a random merchant stall," John countered.
Ronon instantly went to the heart of the issue and turned to Teyla. "You said you remembered? You've been here before?"
"Not here. But...I think I saw something similar." She recalled how the memory was clearer once she bent down. More confident, she replied, "When I was very young, with my grandmother."
"Right then, should I come out there, or are you coming here?" Carson asked through the radio. From the looks of her friends, they forgot they were still on mike as well.
John shot one more questioning look at Teyla, and when she nodded, he replied. "We're fine for now, Carson. I think the priority for now is to check out this device."
"Agreed." This time it was Elizabeth who replied over the connection. "See what you can find out. Teyla hopefully can show how to turn off the device as well until we can judge the safety of it and its purpose. We will dial back in twenty minutes if we haven't heard from you beforehand...and Carson requests Teyla report to him as soon as she returns. Weir out."
Feeling admonished more by what Elizabeth had not said, Teyla realized her actions were foolhardy-especially by Atlantis standards. She flushed in both shame and defiance. She had lived decades before meeting the people of Earth, hiding from cullings and exploring as much as any Pegasus people. But she also experienced more things than she ever would've dreamed since making Atlantis her home-and more dangers. One look at Rodney's face reminded her of the potential cost. His eyes still showed some of the signs of lack of sleep that had plagued him throughout the ordeal with the ascension machine. She suspected he suffered from nightmares as well. She'd run into him at odd times when going to meet Kate at her office.
Her concern over Rodney could wait. Right now, she had to show her team they need not be concerned for her. She rose to her feet, only stumbling slightly, both comforted and annoyed that Ronon and John were both on hand to support her. "I will show you."
"No, you'll hang back until we check things out," John countered causing her to bristle, but she realized the logic of it. As the injured, of course she'd be held in the rear. John seemed to read her thoughts by his next question. "You sure you're up for this?"
"I'm fine, John. The only thing wrong is a slight bump on the head," she smiled with as much confidence as she could muster. She caught Rodney's second apologetic wince.
John nodded to her and turned to Rodney. "What's the power reading showing?"
"The same. There's power. It's just...on." Flustered, Rodney looked at his recorder and shrugged, as if that was evidence enough this was dangerous.
"Can you tell anything about what type of power?"
Rodney's frown this time was the one he often held when he encountered a scientific puzzle he could immediately solve. "I don't like to conjecture..."
"Right, but is there any immediate danger?" John had a better handle on Rodney's levels of panic modes, and he'd caught something in the tone because she could detect a lessening in the tension. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ronon had picked up on it as well.
"Well, if you want to press me," Rodney grumbled and Teyla almost laughed in relief at the familiar banter. She suspected John was doing it to calm the team.
"Let's say I do."
"Well then, no, I'd say it's in standby mode," Rodney conceded. "But I make no claims what will happen once we enter."
Ronon shrugged and primed his weapon, spinning it easily in his hand. "We'll make sure it stays that way."
"I don't know blasting things is the best idea," said Rodney in warning. Ronon only grinned in reply.
"We'll be careful," John replied, then nodded for Ronon to move ahead. The Satedan had already taken point. Rodney followed, half watching his scanner. John was staying close to Teyla's side, both of them making up the rear.
Now upright and moving, Teyla was better able to assess her own condition. She noticed her team checking on her more than once, so she kept a game smile on her face. She actually didn't feel too bad. No dizziness, and she was steady on her feet. Her pulse seemed steady. She could tell that because it seemed to be beating in time within her head; every step she took it seemed to magnify an ache that reverberated through her body and ending at the tender spot on her skull. Hopefully, the others wouldn't notice how much she was gritting her teeth.
The path inside the cavern was longer than what she had remembered the first time. She wondered now how Rodney had gotten her out of here. Had he carried her? Perhaps she had still been able to propel herself and forgotten? The blank spot in her memory unnerved her into wondering if perhaps she was more injured than she thought. Nothing for it now. She was upright, mostly alert, and as she told John, this cave may be important.
They reached the inner chamber by now. To Teyla's surprise, after Ronon did his initial sweep, checking for hostile action, he powered down his blaster and lowered his weapon arm. She almost thought she could hear a chuckle escape him, but with so many ambient internal sounds warring in her head, she couldn't be certain. John and Rodney were no where near as sanguine, and looked more shocked than she was as Ronon casually headed to the pit and vaulted inside. Before anyone could protest, he easily found the same switch she did and flipped it off.
The low pleasant hum died and the stone sealed once again.
"It's just a votrine," he explained, but the word meant nothing to Teyla, and from the expressions on her teammates' faces, it meant nothing to them as well. Ronon didn't seem concerned by their ignorance. In fact, his expression was wistful as he turned back to study the "votrine" better. "It works best in natural caves. But I've never seen one as elaborate or large as this."
"Great, it's a votrine. What is that?" John hadn't yet lowered his weapon, and to Teyla's dismay, he was now viewing Ronon with as much concern as he had showed toward Teyla earlier.
"It's a..." Ronon floundered for an appropriate term. "It's a votrine. A...an instrument."
"An instrument for what? To launch weapons, to study caves? A bit more detail would be nice," Rodney asked.
Ronon glared at McKay, but was still thinking. He suddenly pointed to Teyla. "A keyboard."
Rodney continued to rant in frustrated ignorance. "We've seen lots of Ancient keyboards and keypads and touchpads for lots of instruments. But I need to know what it does, and now that you're powering down things and in the way..."
But Teyla realized what Ronon was referencing as soon as he'd used that odd Earth term. They had gone to the concert on the North Pier together last month with Kate Heightmeyer and a few people from Major Lorne's team while John and Rodney were laid up in the infirmary. Johnson from engineering played a long sliding horn and Marie Slacome played a long rectangular shape. Ronon was right, she had called it a "keyboard".
"A musical keyboard, Rodney." Now it was all coming back to her. The song she must've been humming. "My grandmother was gifted musically. She must've played one for me once when I was tiny. I don't recall it later so it must've been one of the things...lost."
She and Ronon shared a knowing look. Lost meant destroyed by Wraith, missing in a culling.
"This thing's a big piano? I know they're a pain to move, but..." John looked about the cave in both curiosity and confusion. "What's the power for?"
"Opening vents for the air and sound to move. Forcing free the vots...the keys so they'll play in the right tone. Some more basic ones do it by foot action." Ronon was bending down, running his hand over the ornate carving in the alloy.
"It's not a piano, it's a pipe organ." Rodney scrambled down next to Ronon, any caution now superseded by Ronon's explanation. Her friends' way of putting things into their Earth context was only making her more confused.
"It's a votrine," Ronon repeated, this time more forcefully. He seemed more than confused, almost insulted at their renaming. She had been so used to Ronon's knowledge and sparse living from his years as a Runner, even she forgot how advanced a culture Sateda had been able to create for themselves until the Wraith finally came for them. Seeing such an item would possibly evoke many painful memories for her friend, much more than her simplistic half dreamlike memories of her grandmother.
Even Rodney had picked up on the undertone of challenge, because he hunched and backed from Ronon as much as he could in the small confines of the votrine pit.
"Right, right. A votrine," Rodney agreed. Teyla thought Rodney would be dismissive now that he realized this was a musical instrument, but he seemed to be studying the votrine with something akin to reverence. "How'd you turn it on?"
Ronon realized this was practically an abject apology from Rodney, because he grunted approval and indicated the switch-hidden from view for aesthetics
"Maybe we better check this thing out before we turn it on again?" John was more cautious in his approach.
Ronon shrugged. "It's not dangerous, Sheppard."
"Yeah, well, I'm sure it probably isn't, but for now let's just record what we can and take it back. We still don't know why it had all those symbols that relate to back home. No turning it on."
This last he said just as Rodney was about to touch the switch. Rodney looked back with a mutinous expression, but complied. "Yes, yes. You're right, I suppose."
"Your rules, McKay." John replied, but it wasn't so much scolding as it was concern. Teyla frowned when she saw his concerned expression had turned to her. "Liz and Carson will be waiting on us. And this has been here for ages. A little longer won't hurt anything."
Ronon scowled. It wasn't unusual for him to be impatient, but usually it was to leave something Rodney found interesting, not to stay. When he met her eyes, however, his expression softened, and he hopped out of the pit without the slightest growl of protest. This caused Teyla to scowl. How bad must she look for the others to treat her like an invalid? She knew head wounds could bleed more than other injuries, but still...She struggled to keep the pique out of her tone and ignore the drumming in her head. "Truly, I am fine."
"And Carson will be able to verify that," John responded. "Besides, Elizabeth will be worried if we don't get home by curfew."
With Ronon's one-handed boost, Rodney was pulled out of the votrine's pit without the scientist ever gaining an additional foothold and the group made their way back to the Stargate.
To the relief of everyone, Teyla's head injury was not serious. She endured a few stitches at her hairline Carson insisted would not scar, and was forced to spend the night in the infirmary to definitively rule out concussion, but Teyla didn't mind. The pain medication dulled the pounding of her head enough she was able to rest, even if the required checks prevented her from fully sleeping.
By next morning, she was one of the first to arrive at the conference room. Rodney was the only one to beat her, and he was nested amongst tablets and other computer equipment that made her suspect he'd decided to work here rather than his lab after her team left the infirmary last night. He was engrossed in his work. Without speaking, she fixed fresh coffee and poured herself a mug, and with a wry smile, poured some in the empty mug near his elbow. He grunted his thanks, then after a sip, seemed to become more aware of his surroundings because he blinked at her several times.
"Teyla, hey. I...how's your..." He pointed at his own forehead. He started to rise. "Should you be wandering..."
"Carson has assured me I am fine, Rodney." She smiled back at him in assurance at his guilty expression. "Have you made any progress?"
"Mmm, I was able to find 'votrines' in the Ancient database once I knew what to look for. Ronon was right, they're old musical instruments. There were some different designs, basically they were studying harmonics and how it related to different mineral combinations and so that's why they were often in caves or canyons with large rock formations. But I still can't figure out why the carvings of Earth glyphs were on this particular one, or on a votrine at all."
"I may be able to help with that." Elizabeth Weir entered the room, immediately running to the
coffee machine and pouring her own mug. She smiled at Teyla and nodded.
"Hey, Carson said you had already left," John said to Teyla as he arrived. "I was looking for you in the mess."
"I will get some fruit after the meeting." Teyla did not want to admit the medication Dr. Beckett had given her left her with no appetite, but she held John's gaze with a glare of her own. She did not need to be mothered.
Which was why she almost missed the pear and octabo fruits Ronon tossed at her as he entered the room, one of the sweet octabos in his own mouth. He grinned as she juggled but caught them, and by his expression, she wondered if he was as concerned about her diet as John, or just testing to see if her reflexes were adequate today.
Rodney watched the interaction, then turned to Ronon expectantly. Ronon bit again into his octabo and grinned, some of the juice leaking at a corner of his mouth before he licked it back. Rodney sighed, and pulled out a fruit nutrition bar from his laptop's case. To Teyla's surprise, he broke it in half and slid part of it to Teyla's seat.
"As I was saying..." Elizabeth said, drawing everyone's attention back to her. Teyla noticed she was suppressing her own smile at the interaction. "I was able to pick up patterns when I viewed the raw video from the cave."
Rodney interrupted. "I ran all the symbols through the computer, they repeated in random patterns and it's only a limited number of symbols. At first I thought it was an alphabet but...sounding things out, it was gibberish. If it was a code..."
"You weren't thinking of the context." Elizabeth shook her head. "Back when I first joined the Stargate program, Daniel Jackson had connected the chevrons to Ancient syllables."
"I thought of that, but..."
She held up one finger. "That got me thinking the symbols had more than one use. And why would these symbols be listed, right here, on a musical instrument?"
The finger was still pointed, but now it traced a zig zag pattern for the symbols had been carved along the instrument. It was John who spoke first. "They're notes."
Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "It's a song, carved into the instrument itself."
Rodney stared, slack jawed, then frowned. "But how can you..."
"It may be its name," said Ronon. "Older votrines were dedicated, like an ode."
"Votrines? More than one of these? How many of these have you seen?"
"Only two. The one in the Sateda Orchan had a...theme song they'd play before every concert. I've never seen it carved into the votrine though."
Everyone blinked at him. Rodney asked, "You went to the symphony?"
A lot of emotions passed over Ronon's face in that instant. He did not answer McKay's question, only continued, "The other was on a planet we traded with. It wasn't Ancestral, but it was old. I don't remember carvings, but...the whole mountain was destroyed in a Wraith culling. Somehow they discovered it was where the people took refuge."
Ronon looked directly at Teyla then and she nodded in understanding. He was mourning the cultural loss. Even with their years on Atlantis, the people of Earth still could not comprehend the depth of pain people from Pegasus felt at how much was destroyed. Every day with no culling, every day life could continue, was a blessing.
John was drumming his fingers on the table while studying the display of the video, seeming to try to knock out a rhythm. "Are you able to read the music?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "I'm not, but the Atlantis computer is. Most are musical notes, but some relay keys or tempo." She typed a few keystrokes onto her laptop and a melody played through the speakers. Teyla listened, following the deep variations with the light high melody by watching the intertwining of symbols on the video.
"That's lovely," she whispered, awed.
Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "I think some of this was supposed to be vocal as well, but the computer couldn't seem to synthesize it adequately."
Rodney tapped his finger to his chin, staring at the video screen. "So it's not a map."
"Sorry, Rodney," Elizabeth looked genuinely remorseful. "Best I can tell, it's a song, no hidden messages."
John spoke. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to check it out using the votrine on the planet. Maybe even try to play the tune if we can figure it out."
Rodney blinked out of his fugue and turned to John. "Expecting what? A hidden compartment?"
"Well, hopefully no Phantom of the Opera, but stranger things..." John shrugged.
Elizabeth nodded. "Agreed. Plus, you have to finalize negotiations for the oil. Dr. Zelenka is very anxious to replenish our supply. Teyla, are you feeling well enough to join Col. Sheppard's team this afternoon?"
Teyla blinked a moment, looking over at Ronon. In all the excitement, she had forgotten about the oil they were trying to purchase. Apparently John and Ronon had met some success with the artino before Rodney's distress call. But her frivolous bet with Ronon was forgotten amongts the excitement of finding a musical artifact of the Ancestors, and one that brought fond memories of her grandmother. Turning to Elizabeth, she grinned. "I look forward to it."
Their return trip coincided with pre-dawn on the trader world. Only a few of the vendors were in the marketplace, setting out their produce and wares, and they were too busy with their own work to notice the team very much. That suited Sheppard's team just fine. Until they knew for certain the votrine had no hidden secrets about the Milky Way, the less people realized their interest in the caves, the better.
Rodney was moving swiftly ahead, his pack more heavily laden than normal. At a nod from Sheppard, Ronon shifted his stride to keep pace with the excited scientist. John and Teyla stayed kept a more sedate pace. Rodney would take time setting things up exactly as he wanted, and they would be able to note if anyone followed.
John shook his head. "I didn't expect McKay would get so excited about an organ."
"Perhaps he still believes there is a hidden message about Earth in the votrine?" Teyla ventured. She had to admit, she was surprised at Rodney's interest as well.
"Maybe," John drawled. He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck as he did another scope behind them. "But this seems...different somehow."
"It is an important cultural find, for all of us," Teyla pointed out. She returned John's wry smile. Rodney was usually uninterested with cultural finds. "Perhaps Rodney's recent experiences has made him appreciate them more."
John gave that some thought, furrowing his brow. They walked in silence for several more minutes .
Teyla finally broke the impasse. She was curious how John viewed this find. "What of you, John? Do you wish to hear this instrument?"
John shrugged. "I'm more a guitar kinda guy. I had to take piano lessons as a kid-that's kinda close to organ and this thing, but even that only lasted a year. The folks compromised on a guitar so long as I didn't look into drums too closely."
Teyla laughed. "Such instruments would not survive our people's moves in avoidance of the Wraith. I wish I had better memories of the one I saw as a child. I admit, I look forward to hearing the votrine..." She broke off as she realized words couldn't explain it further. It reminded her of peace and her grandmother and life and feelings that transcended words.
John nodded at her, his expression serious. He may not understand the treasure Teyla hoped the votrine to be, but he respected it. She smiled her thanks.
By now, they had reached the cave. Rodney was already hard at work, fussing with equipment, analyzing tonal quality, even sometimes playing out Elizabeth's recording and humming while touching the vots. He even had papers up against some of the scrollwork, filled with lines and dots that Teyla had seen before at music concerts. Ronon was leaning up against the wall by the entrance, arms folded and looking exasperated.
"I think I figured out this thing's version of middle C." Rodney was explaining. "I had the computer convert the tones to basic music sheets so..."
Apparently Rodney's explanation made more sense to John than to Teyla. "You can play?"
Rodney looked affronted. "I was considered technically brilliant at piano."
He turned back to the votrine and started hesitantly pressing keys. The richness of the sound caught Teyla by surprise. The cavern enveloped the tune, carrying it through the air she breathed and the stone she walked across. But it's melody was harsh and stilted. Rodney played hesitantly, trying to ensure every key depressed correctly and the stuttering jolted her body.
Ronon strode across the cavern floor and jumped down to join Rodney. He squawked in surprise and began to stutter about altering recording equipment but Ronon paid him no mind. He just moved to another part of the votrine and played-not just individual notes, but full chords on a lower section of instrument. It sounded the same as Rodney's but deeper, richer, like a call of an old friend.
Rodney's stammering came to a halt as he stared at Ronon, slack-jawed.
John asked, "You can play?"
"Only by ear. You're worrying too much about the exact tone, McKay. Votrines go by feel and intersection."
Rodney's mouth open and closed like a fish a few times as if he was considering and rejecting several retorts. Ronon moved him up to another section and set his hands in a pattern. "Just copy my movements."
To Teyla's surprise, Rodney did. He watched Ronon with interest, and pressed the same chord a second after Ronon. They repeated the process until the chords began to repeat, then Ronon started adding additional notes to the melody. They repeated the chords again. Teyla sighed at the melancholy evocated through the cavern. It was a melody of yearning and loss, and yet still hope. Teyla felt tears come to her eyes at the beauty.
John shook his head, looking disturbed, but Teyla knew not whether he was so moved by the song or the strange duet of muscians. "Next thing you know, they'll be playing Heart & Soul."
Teyla looked at him with blank wonder. "I think they already are."
At her turning, she caught a movement of shadows near the entrance of the cave at the same time she heard a small scratch against the overwhelming music. She quickly turned, flashing her light directly upon Chandof's daughter, who gasped and winced against the brightness.
"Karlyn," Teyla nodded to John that it was all right.
"I was worried. I heard your friends shout for you yesterday. And then, well...I did not know you had returned. I just wondered what had happened and..." She repeated. "I did not know you were here. It-it's beautiful."
Teyla exchanged looks with John, then turned to the adolescent and smiled. "It is, isn't it? It is very old. We believe this cave was used for concerts, maybe dating back to the Ancestors themselves. Choosing its symbols for your flutes was very apt."
"Teyla..." Rodney warned.
Ronon grunted with surprising vehemence. "It's her heritage, McKay. Her right."
"I...but..." Rodney gestured helplessly at the symbols.
"We can't cart it back home with us, Rodney," John reasoned, glancing at Ronon.
Ronon nodded, staring up at the stalactites and down where the instrument was molded to nature. "It has to remain here. The votrine is meaningless separated from the rock."
"It's...this is where it belongs, isn't it?" Teyla reached and touched the stone, almost sensing the vibration still echoing there.
John said, "Run your scans, McKay, but I don't think we'll unlock anymore secrets here."
Rodney again looked frustrated. "But why here?"
John tilted his head. "Maybe this planet was an old stopping place for the Ancients. Maybe there's always been some of these scattered around different planets but the Wraith destroyed them. We may never know. I think Chandof's family are fitting guardians for it."
Karlyn nodded her head vigorously. "It's a wondrous gift you've given us."
"Still," John gave the girl a disarming smile. "If you wouldn't mind helping us keep it quiet for a bit longer, until we check it out."
Karlyn looked from John to Teyla, staring at the bandage still on Teyla's forehead. "It...is dangerous?"
"No, just...there's just some things we want to check out and learn about it before everyone tries to tinker with it."
"Can you train me?"
"Uh..."
"Yes," Ronon answered.
John tilted his head then swept it towards Karlyn. "There you go."
"Then yes. And father will help you get the oil you seek, no charge."
"We'll be needing a steady supply," Rodney piped up.
"Yes, so Father said. But in return, this..."
Teyla shot John a look. Adolescents sometimes spoke with more enthusiasm than reason. It was to the team's advantage, but still. John gave her a slight nod and said, "Well, we'd better check with Chandof to be certain, but it sounds like we can come to an arrangement."
"I told no one but my betrothed of this for years, not even Father, until you asked about the carvings." Karlyn nodded soberly, but her eyes still danced in excitement. Sensing agreement had been reached, she bounded over to Rodney and started asking about the votrine and his own equipment.
Ronon took the opportunity to slip out of the musician pit and head over to the others. John asked, "You think she'll keep her word?"
"I believe Chandof and Karlyn are trustworthy," Teyla nodded. They were always more fearful of Wraith worshippers now, but the circumstances were so random, she suspected no risk.
"I agree," John nodded, then turned to Ronon. "Why didn't you tell us you played?"
"You never asked." Ronon's expression turned dark. "It was another lifetime ago."
John stared at Ronon for several moments, then slowly nodded. Teyla still frowned, uncertain what dark memories Ronon held. "You'll be okay teaching the girl?"
Ronon sighed, almost choking on the word before swallowing and nodding. John tapped his hand on the larger man's shoulder hesitantly before slipping back towards Rodney and Karlyn.
Teyla was not so hesitant. She took Ronon's hand and stared at him, speaking clearly. "Thank you."
"For what?" Ronon blinked.
"For giving me back memories of my grandmother I had not realized I'd lost. It's brought me joy amongst my sadness....we've both lost too much."
Ronon's mouth quirked slightly, then he turned away nodding. "I took Melena to a concert the week before I was called back to active service. It was..." He coughed and wiped his arm against the top of his face. "Anyway, I guess you won the bet. Steady supply for free from your connections."
Teyla blinked at the change of subject, then followed her friend's lead, demurring, "I think Rodney made the final deal."
"No," Ronon responded, and she saw he was staring at the votrine once again, a steady legacy of the Ancestors towering over her friends. "Finding this was the best deal of all."
She could not disagree.
Fin.
Rating: PG, General Audience
Characters: Stargate Atlantis Team: Teyla Emmagan, John Sheppard, Ronon Dex, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, (Carson Beckett cameo)
Category: Drama, Team, Mystery
Word Count: ~8,800 words
Spoilers: Set soon after Season 3's "Tao of Rodney"
Summary: Why are Milky Way Stargate chevrons etched into an old cave?
Author's Notes: Written for tielan for help_haiti. Thanks for her patience at my long delay. Thanks to annerbhp for being alpha & beta. Disclaimers found at index. My first SGA fic, hope it didn't turn out too badly!
Crossposted at my dreamwidth and AO3 accounts.
"Why do I always feel like Daffy Duck when I wield these?"
Teyla arched an eyebrow at John, but he was paying no attention to her, instead balancing the different sized bantos rods awkwardly in his hands. Apparently it was a rhetorical question. But, for a change, she actually knew his Earth reference. She'd attended a ritual back in Atlantis of "Saturday morning cartoons". She was glad she need not answer; she did not know why John would compare himself with an oddly speaking duck.
Instead she tried not to laugh as he attempted to twirl a rod much too thick for his body structure and almost succeeded in hitting himself in the head as he muttered words like "vault and parry".
"These are inappropriate for you, John," she explained, gently taking the wooden sticks from his hand and placing them back on the vendor's display table. The merchant himself was waiting on another customer in the busy marketplace. She paused for just a moment to admire the delicate symbols carved along its edge before moving to a different set. "I have offered several times to help you find wood on the mainland to make your own."
"Yeah, I know you say it's best to do that, but you know with the new recruits I barely have enough time to keep training, much less whittle rods for myself. But I figured...well..." John didn't say more, merely lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck, but Teyla caught the sidelong look he gave to the food concession stand where Ronon and Rodney had wandered.
"Still trying to beat Ronon in sparring? I notice you do not spar with me as often as you once did."
John smiled. "That's because if I ever beat Ronon, I may eventually have a shot of getting close to beating you."
Teyla suppressed a wry smile at the praise. "It's not the size of the rod that matters-"
"Oh really?" John's raised eyebrows made her realize the inadvertent double meaning.
She pursed her lips and sternly continued. "Nevertheless, for this skill it's the balance of the weapon, as it relates to both size and shape. It needs to feel a part of your body, an extension of your own arm."
She hefted two different pieces in her hands, gauging their feel with what she knew of John's strength and reach. She tossed one lefthanded to John and turned to find its mate while placing the other one back on the table.
The vendor must've completed his sale, because Teyla caught him beaming at them. "It's good to see a woman who appreciates such craftmanship."
She smiled. "Your work is lovely. Is the wood local?"
"I only come here to trade, but the wood is from our home planet. My daughter and I salvage deadwood from living trees. I shape and varnish and my wife does the final designs. I also make flutes and staffs."
"A family work of love." Teyla gave a faint nod of appreciation. "It shows in the final product."
"I could make a deal if you wish to buy a matching set..."
"I make my own, thank you, but perhaps..." She turned to John who was absently drumming one stick to his leg, looking out at the market. He seemed to notice her attention and glanced back to the vendor behind her. John adopted a nonchalant shrug for the vendor's benefit but gave her their prearranged signal to haggle if it was a good deal. The way he clutched the bantos she chose though belied his interest and when she turned back to the vendor, she could tell he had noticed it too.
By the time they had agreed on a price, the others had joined them. Ronon offering a skewer of roasted meat and vegetable each to Teyla and John with one hand while he gnawed on two of his own with the other. Rodney was licking his fingers and simultaneously eating and talking in the manner that never failed to bemuse her.
"...and we still haven't found that special oil we came here for in the first place."
Teyla interrupted Rodney's complaining. "Actually, Chandof mentioned he uses that oil on his own tools and directed me to some vendors who may be here today across the square."
"Chandof?" Ronon asked.
"The vendor was quite helpful, especially to a paying customer." Teyla arched a teasing eyebrow. It was an ongoing rivalry between them of who could make the best trading deals and Ronon had more recently taken the edge by negotiating for some medicinal plants that intrigued Carson. Ronon's discomfiture amused her; buying John's bantos certainly helped get the vendor to loosen his tongue in finding the Pegasus Galaxy lubricant that worked much better on Atlantis equipment then the crude Earth equivalents.
Ronon looked at the wares at the stand and then to the rods John still held his hand. The Satedan looked over the wares with an appraising eye. When turned away from John, she could tell he was as impressed as she was by the vendor's workmanship, but when he faced their team leader, he smirked a challenge. "You think different rods will give you an edge, Sheppard?"
John replied. "Maybe. We'll just have to see," John replied as he pointedly placed the rods in his pack.
Rodney interrupted their posturing. "Yes, yes. Need I remind you we're here to buy oil, not sticks."
Still bristling, John turned to Rodney. "And as Teyla said, we got a lead on it. Besides, looks like you were buying 'sticks' of your own." John nodded to Rodney's now empty meat skewer.
"Hey, I'm not the one who scheduled a trading mission during lunchtime. Plus, Ronon got a lead too."
"Butcher pointed me to an artino. Says he's the best." Ronon pointed in the opposite direction of where Chandof had indicated.
John asked, "Artino?"
"A craftsman who specializes in bladed weapons," Teyla explained, giving a guarded nod to Ronon's own skills. "They too would use the oil we seek."
"So, looks like we've got two leads. Great." John grinned, clapping his hands together. Ronon smiled as well, but his eyebrow lifted in seeming challenge as he looked towards Teyla. The wager on best trader was ongoing. Teyla raised her own eyebrow and nodded in agreement.
Ronon's challenging look next turned to their friend. "And you can maybe find a decent knife."
"Hey, my knife is just fine," John protested.
Ronon shrugged as he gestured to the newly purchased bantos rods, "You're the one looking for better equipment."
Teyla fought to keep her expression neutral in this burst of machismo, but missed John's muttered response as he stomped off. Ronon's grin grew wider as he followed.
She turned to Rodney before starting off to the potential vendors, surprised at her teammate's sudden silence. She was even more surprised to see him studying the detail work on a different display. Before she could speak, he grabbed a flute and waved it sharply in front of Chandof.
"Where did you get this? Where did you find these symbols?"
Teyla placed her hand on Rodney's arm, trying to calm him. Giving an apologetic look to Chandof, she stepped between the men. "Rodney, Chandof's family makes these tools. They're artisans."
McKay didn't relent. If anything he got even more upset, pointing to some of the carvings on the instrument. "Fine where did he 'see' this before?"
Clearly the shapes meant something to Rodney, but they had no meaning to Teyla. Something of her confusion must have shown on her face because Rodney hissed, "They're chevrons, Teyla."
Teyla blinked and looked again. Yes, she could see the shapes were patterned much like the dialing mechanism for the Stargates, but none were to familiar worlds. She shook her head. "Rodney, many cultures adopt the DHD chevrons into their art and identity..."
Rodney's eyes widened in alarm and he pulled Teyla out of the tent, still clutching the flute. His was so distressed that she ignored Chandof's sputtering at them leaving the tent with his merchandise.
"Not Pegasus chevrons. They're Milky Way addresses." He pointed to a triangular symbol repeated intermittently on the flute. Now that Teyla caught the context, she easily recognized it as the SGC symbol Col. Caldwell and his crew wore on their uniforms: the symbol to Earth.
Teyla nodded her understanding, finally able to take the flute from out of Rodney's grip. She headed back into the tent to smooth things over with Chandof and get the information she now realized was so vital.
"Did you have to tell him it was a religious pilgrimage?" Rodney whined.
Teyla shot a warning glance back to her friend after making sure Chandof's daughter hadn't overheard. If she did, she gave no inkling. She was slightly ahead, whacking at a vine with her knife to clear more of the jungle path to the old cave where she'd drawn inspiration for the various Milky Way carvings.
"Would you rather berate people on their culture or enlist Chandof's help? We would never have found our way without Karlyn's guidance."
"Well, okay, I mean, I know you're right. But enabling further superstitious nonsense by saying the symbols held religious significance is just perpetuating the lie."
With another cautious glance at Karlyn, she stopped and faced Rodney. "I did not lie. Those symbols are meaningful to your people." The way Rodney and the other scientists of Atlantis reacted to the technology of the Ancestors, she sometimes saw little difference in how clerics worked with holy relics. But the eyebrow she lifted was not to show her skepticism, but as a reminder of the secrecy of this quest. Rodney got the message.
"But...religious?" Rodney's protest was more half-hearted this time, but he trudged along without further protest.
Teyla was partly grateful at his stubbornness, and his understanding. He'd been quieter of late, ever since that strange accident on Atlantis where they'd almost lost him. It was disconcerting to have a kinder, gentler Rodney McKay. Offworld, he was acting more like his old self; you could almost forget what they'd been through so recently. He was the one who insisted they not even radio Sheppard with the find until they were more sure. If there was some kind of map to the Milky Way on this planet, they couldn't risk it being overheard in the crowded market.
Teyla had agreed, and if she forced herself to admit it, it was because of this stupid rivalry with Ronon. She knew it was petty, but one of Teyla's biggest sources of pride was her skills as a trader-first for her people, and now for her friends of Atlantis. Learning of the deception of the Genii and other adventures she had had as part of Col. Sheppard's team had made her question that skill. Ronon's gentle ribbing had turned into a battle-and both she and Ronon were too competitive to call it a draw. Having the dealer's daughter lead her to such an incredible find would make her unquestionably the winner of this wager. But as Karlyn led them further into the jungle, she second guessed that decision not to inform John and Ronon.
As she reached for her radio, Karlyn turned and pointed. "It's here."
Teyla at first could see only slate, similar to other rock prominences dotting the jungle. But as she moved closer to Karlan, she spotted a small opening. She would easily fit through, but Rodney would have angle himself. It would be a tight squeeze for Ronon if he were here.
"It looks unsafe," she said, touching the entrance warily. She noted Rodney had already pulled out his scanner and was pointing it to try and detect any energy signatures.
"The slide happened ages ago. It is secure enough," Karlyn reassured her. "My betrothed and I have come since we were children while our fathers tended their stalls. It's been our special place for years. We reinforced some of the areas with father's rejected wood."
Teyla bowed her head. She knew the import of such a place, like the cave in the ruins she showed to John when they first met-just as both of their lives changed forever. "We are very honored you shared this spot with us."
"How could I not, when it is so important to your friend and his religion of 'urthe' science." The smile Karlyn graced her with was wry, but not with malice.
Rodney bristled as Teyla shot him a knowing look. He looked as if he'd swallowed something bitter as he tried to be diplomatic. "Yes, well it's a very...secret, important aspect of our...beliefs."
Teyla smiled and nodded in approval at Rodney's efforts of diplomacy. He continued, "I did mention important...and secret."
"You did," Karlyn smiled and Teyla was grateful she was amused by Rodney than anything else. Teyla laid a hand over his arm and squeezed gently to keep him from further damaging their steps so close to the goal.
"Okay, well as long as that's under..." He became distracted on his scanner. "I'm reading traces...well I can't be certain, but this is consistent with..." He remembered their audience. "Home."
"Energy?" Teyla asked, realizing he meant Atlantis.
"No, but the same alloys that were construction materials."
"Would that be unusual?"
"Hmm. It's a refined metal, but..." Any further explanation would have to wait as Rodney became completely engrossed in whatever he was reading on the small handheld device. He brushed past Karlyn and headed deeper into the cave.
"Rodney, be careful!" Teyla called out, and he waved a hand back distractedly.
"He is very much like my cousin," Karlyn smiled and shook her head. She reassured Teyla. "Once round that corner the way is fairly clear to the chamber. He will see the crests of his gods there. If this is a private communion, I can wait or else..." She nudged her head back, questioning if she should leave them.
Teyla nodded her understanding, grateful for Karlyn's sensitivity. "We will be able to find our way back. Thank you so much for your assistance."
She found Rodney in the middle of a larger chamber. Teyla could see why Karyln would draw inspiration for her carvings here. The room filled Teyla with an indescribable feeling of peace. She could almost hear the whispers of a memory as she shone her light through the chamber, but the cavern itself was unfamiliar.
Rodney was in the center, looking down into a pit. As she drew closer, her light reflected back. This must be the alloy Rodney was talking about. Its shape and texture reminded her of Atlantis. By the time she reached the edge. Rodney had scrambled down the four feet into the pit itself, any concerns of local dangerous fauna or unsecure rock obviously overridden by his excitement at the find.
She was surprised to note the pit had clean edges. The device Rodney was studying was in this lower section by design, not through a collapse. The device itself almost appeared carved into the rockface. Rodney's Lantian alloy intertwined with the stone going half-way up the wall of the cavern. It was ornate and...beautiful. She sat at the edge and leapt down into the pit to join McKay. Being careful as to where she should step, Teyla asked, "Do you recognize it?"
"No." Rodney shook his head, puzzled. "It doesn't match anything we encountered in Atlantis, and the way it's joined with the stone...more than even carved. It's not naquadah or...hmmm."
She knew he was lost again in the readings of his scanner. Teyla looked at the device. There were carvings in the alloy. Various symbols. Some were clearly chevrons-many Teyla recognized as being from Pegasus. Although they made no sense as Stargate addresses. Some of the symbols intertwined and overlapped. A repeating theme was of the pyramid. Teyla actually recognized the pattern of the flute she now carried in her pack.
While she looked, the feeling of familiarity became even stronger. Yet Rodney had said they had not discovered such a device before. She drew closer to the device. For some reason, the image of her grandmother kept intruding in her thoughts. An imposing woman with a keen wit and a strong work ethic. Teyla could remember the smell of nectar and whott from the cake recipe she used to make.
"What are you doing?"
"Hmm?" Now it was Teyla who was distracted.
Rodney was looking at her, half annoyed, half puzzled. "You were...humming."
"Was I?" Teyla hadn't even realized it. "I was just...thinking about my grandmother."
Rodney blinked. "Okay. Well, unless Nana can tell us what this thing is..." He checked his scanner than studied the markings, blowing dust off some of the center ones. "These markings are just carvings. They seem decorative, but they could be an instruction manual I suppose, or maybe something like the Abydos Cartouche or..."
Rodney's musings were only half making sense to her. The tugs of memory were too much in the forefront of her thoughts. Why was she thinking of her grandmother at this particular moment? Why was this device so familiar? She leaned close, bending down. From that perspective, the memory became clearer. Her grandmother bending down, bestowing a rare smile on Teyla as together they reached under metal that was burnished and dull, blending with stone to feel a switch. Teyla blinked and followed her memory's guide, finding a switch where she expected. She switched it without thinking.
The effect was instant. A trilling hum sounded through the chamber and a seam in the alloy lifted and several long tabs appeared. Rodney was so startled he practically jumped all four feet back onto the ledge of the main floor. As it was, he scrambled back, grabbing Teyla by the vest and pulling her with him. "Rodney..."
"C'mon. We've got to move back." He was still tugging, and while now out of the pit, she didn't have her balance.
"But I..."
"Let's go!" He pulled her again towards the entrance, and this time she fell, the jagged rock of the walls coming closer. The next thing she knew was blackness.
"...you know what the device was?" Elizabeth's voice sounded tinny and distant to Teyla's ear as she fought back against the blackness.
Rodney's voice, however, was sharp and clear. "Again, the answer is no. It definitely Ancient, and it activated with no warning. Power levels are steady and low from what I can read from out here, but..."
Teyla tried to dispute that, but all she could muster was a low moan. There was pain piercing through her skull-so great she couldn't take the effort to actually open her eyes.
"Where are you again, Rodney?" That was John's voice, sounding like Elizabeth's, warped. The smells and ambient noise she could pick out from the buzzing in her skull weren't like Carson's infirmary either. It was...outdoors?
"Um...outside the cave. It's...um...crap, I was counting on Teyla to keep track. A couple of klicks from the trading post, southeast or..." There was a banging noise and a muttering "stupid alien magnetic poles. Can't you orient to my signal or...something?"
"I've found the trail," Ronon's voice was even more distant, and Teyla was able to reason why. Everyone was speaking through radios, Ronon probably being heard through John's transmitter.
John's voice, stronger but muffled with ambient noise. "We're on our way."
"Yes, yes, just get here, all right? She's still bleeding."
"I'm fine, Rodney." Teyla was able to speak words this time, though they reverberated through her skull in an awful rhythm. She actually wasn't sure how true the statement was, but experience taught her reassurance and authority would help calm Rodney. She could assess her full damage later. For now she concentrated on opening her eyes.
"Teyla? Oh thank god."
Rodney's face hovered over hers. She thought about teasing him at his gratitude for a deity when he eschewed religion, but instead she merely asked, "What happened?"
"The device powered up all of a sudden. No idea what it could do...or did." Rodney was looking at her with naked concern. "I tried to get you out of there as quickly as possible."
"I hit the wall," she recalled.
"Well yes, I guess I pulled a bit too hard." Rodney winced. "Sorry about that."
"Teyla, how do you feel? I can be there in two shakes of a lamb's tail." Carson's voice came out of nowhere, and Teyla realized they were somehow in radio contact with Atlantis as well. He sounded out of breath, as if he was called to the control room from his infirmary. She struggled to sit up, and, with Rodney's help, she managed. Her senses were clearing all the time, although the pounding in her head remained. She touched her head and winced at the tenderness. She looked at her hand and pulled it away, noticing blood on her fingertips.
"I told you, bleeding," Rodney confirmed.
"I think I'm fine. I just hit my head."
"And lost consciousness." This latest comment was from John, and it echoed from both the open radio connection and to her left. She turned her head...wincing again at the pain. Ronon and John came jogging through the foliage to the small clearing outside the cave. They must've run to have arrived so quickly.
"I am feeling better now, John," she assured him, and both Elizabeth and Carson via radio. She remembered now Atlantis was going to dial in and check on their progress around...now. She checked the sun's position that she could barely perceive through the jungle trees before remembering the watch John had given her to wear on missions--a strangely arbitrary but universal time device. She shook off their concern. "What's important is the device. I remember. It's important to you. We shouldn't leave it yet. We just turned it on."
"We didn't turn it on. It turned on by itself and we don't know how or why," Rodney countered.
"No, I...I found a switch."
"What?! You touched it?" Teyla hadn't thought Rodney's eyes could get any wider, but she was wrong. His outraged tone echoed loudly through her tender skull. "It could be dangerous. We have no idea what it could do and you went around randomly grabbing..."
Teyla recognized now the outrage was really more worry. She should've recognized his caution in the pit. He'd been so enthusiastic in getting there, she hadn't observed his "look not touch" actions, which was unlike her. Of course, after what happened with that ascension machine he would be more cautious. She'd been so worried he'd recovered from it, she hadn't thought of his worry about a repeat experience. And after the new guidelines had been enacted for Atlantis equipment by Elizabeth too. She was right to be chided. But she still tried to explain, not sure how to explain the once again faded memory of her grandmother as almost a ghost in her thoughts. It seemed more unreal now in the humid greenery and her rattled head. "I just somehow knew where the switch was."
"That's even worse!" Rodney started pacing in his nervousness, his hands flailing out as he spoke. "If you just got a sense, this could be a booby trapped. It could be a sensor. It could..."
"Booby trapped? Seriously?" John quirked a wry smile, clearly calmer now that he saw Teyla sitting up and speaking.
"But she "sensed" it Sheppard! 'Sensed'. Teyla doesn't have the Ancient gene, but she does have a Wraith connection. Remember what happened on that mining platform? This could be another...'spooky' thing."
Teyla was insulted, despite the reasonableness of his concern. She turned to John. "That has nothing to do with it. I sense nothing...'spooky' about anything. I would've alerted you long before this. I just remembered where the switch was."
"You didn't alert us you were checking out a big Ancient gadget either," John scolded them both, and she had the grace to look away. However, this device had nothing to do with the Wraith, and she felt insulted by the implication.
She quietly countered. "It is Ancient. Rodney confirmed it."
Rodney was not willing to let go of his Wraith concerns. "That doesn't mean they couldn't have come along later and sabotaged it. Maybe the symbols were just to set a trap."
"That you happened to see in a random merchant stall," John countered.
Ronon instantly went to the heart of the issue and turned to Teyla. "You said you remembered? You've been here before?"
"Not here. But...I think I saw something similar." She recalled how the memory was clearer once she bent down. More confident, she replied, "When I was very young, with my grandmother."
"Right then, should I come out there, or are you coming here?" Carson asked through the radio. From the looks of her friends, they forgot they were still on mike as well.
John shot one more questioning look at Teyla, and when she nodded, he replied. "We're fine for now, Carson. I think the priority for now is to check out this device."
"Agreed." This time it was Elizabeth who replied over the connection. "See what you can find out. Teyla hopefully can show how to turn off the device as well until we can judge the safety of it and its purpose. We will dial back in twenty minutes if we haven't heard from you beforehand...and Carson requests Teyla report to him as soon as she returns. Weir out."
Feeling admonished more by what Elizabeth had not said, Teyla realized her actions were foolhardy-especially by Atlantis standards. She flushed in both shame and defiance. She had lived decades before meeting the people of Earth, hiding from cullings and exploring as much as any Pegasus people. But she also experienced more things than she ever would've dreamed since making Atlantis her home-and more dangers. One look at Rodney's face reminded her of the potential cost. His eyes still showed some of the signs of lack of sleep that had plagued him throughout the ordeal with the ascension machine. She suspected he suffered from nightmares as well. She'd run into him at odd times when going to meet Kate at her office.
Her concern over Rodney could wait. Right now, she had to show her team they need not be concerned for her. She rose to her feet, only stumbling slightly, both comforted and annoyed that Ronon and John were both on hand to support her. "I will show you."
"No, you'll hang back until we check things out," John countered causing her to bristle, but she realized the logic of it. As the injured, of course she'd be held in the rear. John seemed to read her thoughts by his next question. "You sure you're up for this?"
"I'm fine, John. The only thing wrong is a slight bump on the head," she smiled with as much confidence as she could muster. She caught Rodney's second apologetic wince.
John nodded to her and turned to Rodney. "What's the power reading showing?"
"The same. There's power. It's just...on." Flustered, Rodney looked at his recorder and shrugged, as if that was evidence enough this was dangerous.
"Can you tell anything about what type of power?"
Rodney's frown this time was the one he often held when he encountered a scientific puzzle he could immediately solve. "I don't like to conjecture..."
"Right, but is there any immediate danger?" John had a better handle on Rodney's levels of panic modes, and he'd caught something in the tone because she could detect a lessening in the tension. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ronon had picked up on it as well.
"Well, if you want to press me," Rodney grumbled and Teyla almost laughed in relief at the familiar banter. She suspected John was doing it to calm the team.
"Let's say I do."
"Well then, no, I'd say it's in standby mode," Rodney conceded. "But I make no claims what will happen once we enter."
Ronon shrugged and primed his weapon, spinning it easily in his hand. "We'll make sure it stays that way."
"I don't know blasting things is the best idea," said Rodney in warning. Ronon only grinned in reply.
"We'll be careful," John replied, then nodded for Ronon to move ahead. The Satedan had already taken point. Rodney followed, half watching his scanner. John was staying close to Teyla's side, both of them making up the rear.
Now upright and moving, Teyla was better able to assess her own condition. She noticed her team checking on her more than once, so she kept a game smile on her face. She actually didn't feel too bad. No dizziness, and she was steady on her feet. Her pulse seemed steady. She could tell that because it seemed to be beating in time within her head; every step she took it seemed to magnify an ache that reverberated through her body and ending at the tender spot on her skull. Hopefully, the others wouldn't notice how much she was gritting her teeth.
The path inside the cavern was longer than what she had remembered the first time. She wondered now how Rodney had gotten her out of here. Had he carried her? Perhaps she had still been able to propel herself and forgotten? The blank spot in her memory unnerved her into wondering if perhaps she was more injured than she thought. Nothing for it now. She was upright, mostly alert, and as she told John, this cave may be important.
They reached the inner chamber by now. To Teyla's surprise, after Ronon did his initial sweep, checking for hostile action, he powered down his blaster and lowered his weapon arm. She almost thought she could hear a chuckle escape him, but with so many ambient internal sounds warring in her head, she couldn't be certain. John and Rodney were no where near as sanguine, and looked more shocked than she was as Ronon casually headed to the pit and vaulted inside. Before anyone could protest, he easily found the same switch she did and flipped it off.
The low pleasant hum died and the stone sealed once again.
"It's just a votrine," he explained, but the word meant nothing to Teyla, and from the expressions on her teammates' faces, it meant nothing to them as well. Ronon didn't seem concerned by their ignorance. In fact, his expression was wistful as he turned back to study the "votrine" better. "It works best in natural caves. But I've never seen one as elaborate or large as this."
"Great, it's a votrine. What is that?" John hadn't yet lowered his weapon, and to Teyla's dismay, he was now viewing Ronon with as much concern as he had showed toward Teyla earlier.
"It's a..." Ronon floundered for an appropriate term. "It's a votrine. A...an instrument."
"An instrument for what? To launch weapons, to study caves? A bit more detail would be nice," Rodney asked.
Ronon glared at McKay, but was still thinking. He suddenly pointed to Teyla. "A keyboard."
Rodney continued to rant in frustrated ignorance. "We've seen lots of Ancient keyboards and keypads and touchpads for lots of instruments. But I need to know what it does, and now that you're powering down things and in the way..."
But Teyla realized what Ronon was referencing as soon as he'd used that odd Earth term. They had gone to the concert on the North Pier together last month with Kate Heightmeyer and a few people from Major Lorne's team while John and Rodney were laid up in the infirmary. Johnson from engineering played a long sliding horn and Marie Slacome played a long rectangular shape. Ronon was right, she had called it a "keyboard".
"A musical keyboard, Rodney." Now it was all coming back to her. The song she must've been humming. "My grandmother was gifted musically. She must've played one for me once when I was tiny. I don't recall it later so it must've been one of the things...lost."
She and Ronon shared a knowing look. Lost meant destroyed by Wraith, missing in a culling.
"This thing's a big piano? I know they're a pain to move, but..." John looked about the cave in both curiosity and confusion. "What's the power for?"
"Opening vents for the air and sound to move. Forcing free the vots...the keys so they'll play in the right tone. Some more basic ones do it by foot action." Ronon was bending down, running his hand over the ornate carving in the alloy.
"It's not a piano, it's a pipe organ." Rodney scrambled down next to Ronon, any caution now superseded by Ronon's explanation. Her friends' way of putting things into their Earth context was only making her more confused.
"It's a votrine," Ronon repeated, this time more forcefully. He seemed more than confused, almost insulted at their renaming. She had been so used to Ronon's knowledge and sparse living from his years as a Runner, even she forgot how advanced a culture Sateda had been able to create for themselves until the Wraith finally came for them. Seeing such an item would possibly evoke many painful memories for her friend, much more than her simplistic half dreamlike memories of her grandmother.
Even Rodney had picked up on the undertone of challenge, because he hunched and backed from Ronon as much as he could in the small confines of the votrine pit.
"Right, right. A votrine," Rodney agreed. Teyla thought Rodney would be dismissive now that he realized this was a musical instrument, but he seemed to be studying the votrine with something akin to reverence. "How'd you turn it on?"
Ronon realized this was practically an abject apology from Rodney, because he grunted approval and indicated the switch-hidden from view for aesthetics
"Maybe we better check this thing out before we turn it on again?" John was more cautious in his approach.
Ronon shrugged. "It's not dangerous, Sheppard."
"Yeah, well, I'm sure it probably isn't, but for now let's just record what we can and take it back. We still don't know why it had all those symbols that relate to back home. No turning it on."
This last he said just as Rodney was about to touch the switch. Rodney looked back with a mutinous expression, but complied. "Yes, yes. You're right, I suppose."
"Your rules, McKay." John replied, but it wasn't so much scolding as it was concern. Teyla frowned when she saw his concerned expression had turned to her. "Liz and Carson will be waiting on us. And this has been here for ages. A little longer won't hurt anything."
Ronon scowled. It wasn't unusual for him to be impatient, but usually it was to leave something Rodney found interesting, not to stay. When he met her eyes, however, his expression softened, and he hopped out of the pit without the slightest growl of protest. This caused Teyla to scowl. How bad must she look for the others to treat her like an invalid? She knew head wounds could bleed more than other injuries, but still...She struggled to keep the pique out of her tone and ignore the drumming in her head. "Truly, I am fine."
"And Carson will be able to verify that," John responded. "Besides, Elizabeth will be worried if we don't get home by curfew."
With Ronon's one-handed boost, Rodney was pulled out of the votrine's pit without the scientist ever gaining an additional foothold and the group made their way back to the Stargate.
To the relief of everyone, Teyla's head injury was not serious. She endured a few stitches at her hairline Carson insisted would not scar, and was forced to spend the night in the infirmary to definitively rule out concussion, but Teyla didn't mind. The pain medication dulled the pounding of her head enough she was able to rest, even if the required checks prevented her from fully sleeping.
By next morning, she was one of the first to arrive at the conference room. Rodney was the only one to beat her, and he was nested amongst tablets and other computer equipment that made her suspect he'd decided to work here rather than his lab after her team left the infirmary last night. He was engrossed in his work. Without speaking, she fixed fresh coffee and poured herself a mug, and with a wry smile, poured some in the empty mug near his elbow. He grunted his thanks, then after a sip, seemed to become more aware of his surroundings because he blinked at her several times.
"Teyla, hey. I...how's your..." He pointed at his own forehead. He started to rise. "Should you be wandering..."
"Carson has assured me I am fine, Rodney." She smiled back at him in assurance at his guilty expression. "Have you made any progress?"
"Mmm, I was able to find 'votrines' in the Ancient database once I knew what to look for. Ronon was right, they're old musical instruments. There were some different designs, basically they were studying harmonics and how it related to different mineral combinations and so that's why they were often in caves or canyons with large rock formations. But I still can't figure out why the carvings of Earth glyphs were on this particular one, or on a votrine at all."
"I may be able to help with that." Elizabeth Weir entered the room, immediately running to the
coffee machine and pouring her own mug. She smiled at Teyla and nodded.
"Hey, Carson said you had already left," John said to Teyla as he arrived. "I was looking for you in the mess."
"I will get some fruit after the meeting." Teyla did not want to admit the medication Dr. Beckett had given her left her with no appetite, but she held John's gaze with a glare of her own. She did not need to be mothered.
Which was why she almost missed the pear and octabo fruits Ronon tossed at her as he entered the room, one of the sweet octabos in his own mouth. He grinned as she juggled but caught them, and by his expression, she wondered if he was as concerned about her diet as John, or just testing to see if her reflexes were adequate today.
Rodney watched the interaction, then turned to Ronon expectantly. Ronon bit again into his octabo and grinned, some of the juice leaking at a corner of his mouth before he licked it back. Rodney sighed, and pulled out a fruit nutrition bar from his laptop's case. To Teyla's surprise, he broke it in half and slid part of it to Teyla's seat.
"As I was saying..." Elizabeth said, drawing everyone's attention back to her. Teyla noticed she was suppressing her own smile at the interaction. "I was able to pick up patterns when I viewed the raw video from the cave."
Rodney interrupted. "I ran all the symbols through the computer, they repeated in random patterns and it's only a limited number of symbols. At first I thought it was an alphabet but...sounding things out, it was gibberish. If it was a code..."
"You weren't thinking of the context." Elizabeth shook her head. "Back when I first joined the Stargate program, Daniel Jackson had connected the chevrons to Ancient syllables."
"I thought of that, but..."
She held up one finger. "That got me thinking the symbols had more than one use. And why would these symbols be listed, right here, on a musical instrument?"
The finger was still pointed, but now it traced a zig zag pattern for the symbols had been carved along the instrument. It was John who spoke first. "They're notes."
Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "It's a song, carved into the instrument itself."
Rodney stared, slack jawed, then frowned. "But how can you..."
"It may be its name," said Ronon. "Older votrines were dedicated, like an ode."
"Votrines? More than one of these? How many of these have you seen?"
"Only two. The one in the Sateda Orchan had a...theme song they'd play before every concert. I've never seen it carved into the votrine though."
Everyone blinked at him. Rodney asked, "You went to the symphony?"
A lot of emotions passed over Ronon's face in that instant. He did not answer McKay's question, only continued, "The other was on a planet we traded with. It wasn't Ancestral, but it was old. I don't remember carvings, but...the whole mountain was destroyed in a Wraith culling. Somehow they discovered it was where the people took refuge."
Ronon looked directly at Teyla then and she nodded in understanding. He was mourning the cultural loss. Even with their years on Atlantis, the people of Earth still could not comprehend the depth of pain people from Pegasus felt at how much was destroyed. Every day with no culling, every day life could continue, was a blessing.
John was drumming his fingers on the table while studying the display of the video, seeming to try to knock out a rhythm. "Are you able to read the music?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "I'm not, but the Atlantis computer is. Most are musical notes, but some relay keys or tempo." She typed a few keystrokes onto her laptop and a melody played through the speakers. Teyla listened, following the deep variations with the light high melody by watching the intertwining of symbols on the video.
"That's lovely," she whispered, awed.
Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "I think some of this was supposed to be vocal as well, but the computer couldn't seem to synthesize it adequately."
Rodney tapped his finger to his chin, staring at the video screen. "So it's not a map."
"Sorry, Rodney," Elizabeth looked genuinely remorseful. "Best I can tell, it's a song, no hidden messages."
John spoke. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to check it out using the votrine on the planet. Maybe even try to play the tune if we can figure it out."
Rodney blinked out of his fugue and turned to John. "Expecting what? A hidden compartment?"
"Well, hopefully no Phantom of the Opera, but stranger things..." John shrugged.
Elizabeth nodded. "Agreed. Plus, you have to finalize negotiations for the oil. Dr. Zelenka is very anxious to replenish our supply. Teyla, are you feeling well enough to join Col. Sheppard's team this afternoon?"
Teyla blinked a moment, looking over at Ronon. In all the excitement, she had forgotten about the oil they were trying to purchase. Apparently John and Ronon had met some success with the artino before Rodney's distress call. But her frivolous bet with Ronon was forgotten amongts the excitement of finding a musical artifact of the Ancestors, and one that brought fond memories of her grandmother. Turning to Elizabeth, she grinned. "I look forward to it."
Their return trip coincided with pre-dawn on the trader world. Only a few of the vendors were in the marketplace, setting out their produce and wares, and they were too busy with their own work to notice the team very much. That suited Sheppard's team just fine. Until they knew for certain the votrine had no hidden secrets about the Milky Way, the less people realized their interest in the caves, the better.
Rodney was moving swiftly ahead, his pack more heavily laden than normal. At a nod from Sheppard, Ronon shifted his stride to keep pace with the excited scientist. John and Teyla stayed kept a more sedate pace. Rodney would take time setting things up exactly as he wanted, and they would be able to note if anyone followed.
John shook his head. "I didn't expect McKay would get so excited about an organ."
"Perhaps he still believes there is a hidden message about Earth in the votrine?" Teyla ventured. She had to admit, she was surprised at Rodney's interest as well.
"Maybe," John drawled. He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck as he did another scope behind them. "But this seems...different somehow."
"It is an important cultural find, for all of us," Teyla pointed out. She returned John's wry smile. Rodney was usually uninterested with cultural finds. "Perhaps Rodney's recent experiences has made him appreciate them more."
John gave that some thought, furrowing his brow. They walked in silence for several more minutes .
Teyla finally broke the impasse. She was curious how John viewed this find. "What of you, John? Do you wish to hear this instrument?"
John shrugged. "I'm more a guitar kinda guy. I had to take piano lessons as a kid-that's kinda close to organ and this thing, but even that only lasted a year. The folks compromised on a guitar so long as I didn't look into drums too closely."
Teyla laughed. "Such instruments would not survive our people's moves in avoidance of the Wraith. I wish I had better memories of the one I saw as a child. I admit, I look forward to hearing the votrine..." She broke off as she realized words couldn't explain it further. It reminded her of peace and her grandmother and life and feelings that transcended words.
John nodded at her, his expression serious. He may not understand the treasure Teyla hoped the votrine to be, but he respected it. She smiled her thanks.
By now, they had reached the cave. Rodney was already hard at work, fussing with equipment, analyzing tonal quality, even sometimes playing out Elizabeth's recording and humming while touching the vots. He even had papers up against some of the scrollwork, filled with lines and dots that Teyla had seen before at music concerts. Ronon was leaning up against the wall by the entrance, arms folded and looking exasperated.
"I think I figured out this thing's version of middle C." Rodney was explaining. "I had the computer convert the tones to basic music sheets so..."
Apparently Rodney's explanation made more sense to John than to Teyla. "You can play?"
Rodney looked affronted. "I was considered technically brilliant at piano."
He turned back to the votrine and started hesitantly pressing keys. The richness of the sound caught Teyla by surprise. The cavern enveloped the tune, carrying it through the air she breathed and the stone she walked across. But it's melody was harsh and stilted. Rodney played hesitantly, trying to ensure every key depressed correctly and the stuttering jolted her body.
Ronon strode across the cavern floor and jumped down to join Rodney. He squawked in surprise and began to stutter about altering recording equipment but Ronon paid him no mind. He just moved to another part of the votrine and played-not just individual notes, but full chords on a lower section of instrument. It sounded the same as Rodney's but deeper, richer, like a call of an old friend.
Rodney's stammering came to a halt as he stared at Ronon, slack-jawed.
John asked, "You can play?"
"Only by ear. You're worrying too much about the exact tone, McKay. Votrines go by feel and intersection."
Rodney's mouth open and closed like a fish a few times as if he was considering and rejecting several retorts. Ronon moved him up to another section and set his hands in a pattern. "Just copy my movements."
To Teyla's surprise, Rodney did. He watched Ronon with interest, and pressed the same chord a second after Ronon. They repeated the process until the chords began to repeat, then Ronon started adding additional notes to the melody. They repeated the chords again. Teyla sighed at the melancholy evocated through the cavern. It was a melody of yearning and loss, and yet still hope. Teyla felt tears come to her eyes at the beauty.
John shook his head, looking disturbed, but Teyla knew not whether he was so moved by the song or the strange duet of muscians. "Next thing you know, they'll be playing Heart & Soul."
Teyla looked at him with blank wonder. "I think they already are."
At her turning, she caught a movement of shadows near the entrance of the cave at the same time she heard a small scratch against the overwhelming music. She quickly turned, flashing her light directly upon Chandof's daughter, who gasped and winced against the brightness.
"Karlyn," Teyla nodded to John that it was all right.
"I was worried. I heard your friends shout for you yesterday. And then, well...I did not know you had returned. I just wondered what had happened and..." She repeated. "I did not know you were here. It-it's beautiful."
Teyla exchanged looks with John, then turned to the adolescent and smiled. "It is, isn't it? It is very old. We believe this cave was used for concerts, maybe dating back to the Ancestors themselves. Choosing its symbols for your flutes was very apt."
"Teyla..." Rodney warned.
Ronon grunted with surprising vehemence. "It's her heritage, McKay. Her right."
"I...but..." Rodney gestured helplessly at the symbols.
"We can't cart it back home with us, Rodney," John reasoned, glancing at Ronon.
Ronon nodded, staring up at the stalactites and down where the instrument was molded to nature. "It has to remain here. The votrine is meaningless separated from the rock."
"It's...this is where it belongs, isn't it?" Teyla reached and touched the stone, almost sensing the vibration still echoing there.
John said, "Run your scans, McKay, but I don't think we'll unlock anymore secrets here."
Rodney again looked frustrated. "But why here?"
John tilted his head. "Maybe this planet was an old stopping place for the Ancients. Maybe there's always been some of these scattered around different planets but the Wraith destroyed them. We may never know. I think Chandof's family are fitting guardians for it."
Karlyn nodded her head vigorously. "It's a wondrous gift you've given us."
"Still," John gave the girl a disarming smile. "If you wouldn't mind helping us keep it quiet for a bit longer, until we check it out."
Karlyn looked from John to Teyla, staring at the bandage still on Teyla's forehead. "It...is dangerous?"
"No, just...there's just some things we want to check out and learn about it before everyone tries to tinker with it."
"Can you train me?"
"Uh..."
"Yes," Ronon answered.
John tilted his head then swept it towards Karlyn. "There you go."
"Then yes. And father will help you get the oil you seek, no charge."
"We'll be needing a steady supply," Rodney piped up.
"Yes, so Father said. But in return, this..."
Teyla shot John a look. Adolescents sometimes spoke with more enthusiasm than reason. It was to the team's advantage, but still. John gave her a slight nod and said, "Well, we'd better check with Chandof to be certain, but it sounds like we can come to an arrangement."
"I told no one but my betrothed of this for years, not even Father, until you asked about the carvings." Karlyn nodded soberly, but her eyes still danced in excitement. Sensing agreement had been reached, she bounded over to Rodney and started asking about the votrine and his own equipment.
Ronon took the opportunity to slip out of the musician pit and head over to the others. John asked, "You think she'll keep her word?"
"I believe Chandof and Karlyn are trustworthy," Teyla nodded. They were always more fearful of Wraith worshippers now, but the circumstances were so random, she suspected no risk.
"I agree," John nodded, then turned to Ronon. "Why didn't you tell us you played?"
"You never asked." Ronon's expression turned dark. "It was another lifetime ago."
John stared at Ronon for several moments, then slowly nodded. Teyla still frowned, uncertain what dark memories Ronon held. "You'll be okay teaching the girl?"
Ronon sighed, almost choking on the word before swallowing and nodding. John tapped his hand on the larger man's shoulder hesitantly before slipping back towards Rodney and Karlyn.
Teyla was not so hesitant. She took Ronon's hand and stared at him, speaking clearly. "Thank you."
"For what?" Ronon blinked.
"For giving me back memories of my grandmother I had not realized I'd lost. It's brought me joy amongst my sadness....we've both lost too much."
Ronon's mouth quirked slightly, then he turned away nodding. "I took Melena to a concert the week before I was called back to active service. It was..." He coughed and wiped his arm against the top of his face. "Anyway, I guess you won the bet. Steady supply for free from your connections."
Teyla blinked at the change of subject, then followed her friend's lead, demurring, "I think Rodney made the final deal."
"No," Ronon responded, and she saw he was staring at the votrine once again, a steady legacy of the Ancestors towering over her friends. "Finding this was the best deal of all."
She could not disagree.
Fin.