"The Last Changeling" -Tale the Eighth: Truth, pt. 3/4
Title: "The Last Changeling"
Author: Taylor Dancinghands -taylor@tdancinghands.com
Characters: Vampire!Sheppard/Werewolf!Zelenka/Change
Pairings: Zelenka/McKay and Zelenka/McKay/Sheppard ust, pre-slash other pairings background
Category: slash, pre-slash, AU
Spoilers: none
Warnings: graphic violence
Rating: for Mature readers
Archive: Generally yes, but please let me know where
Summary: With our heroes scattered, separated and exiled, those who remain do what they can to bring them back, and Rodney McKay forges ahead with a plan no one can quite fathom.
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, never will, not claiming to. Just wanna play with 'em a little. Can't I, can't I, huh?
****
The Last Changeling
by Taylor Dancinghands
Tale the Eighth: "Truth" pt 3/4
Where they stood now appeared to be the middle of a twilit thicket, with a neutral, starless sky above and dense bushes all around. Rodney knew that there was actually nothing above or around them, and that they stood in a vestibule of sorts between realities. Their passkey had gotten them this far, but now he would have to state their business before a sentry.
The sentry was a bored looking satyr, sporting leather armor and carelessly gesturing with the spear in his hand, who appeared from out of the brush a moment after they had entered.
"Exiles," he said, crossing his arms as he stood before them. "You do not have leave to go further."
"We have business," Rodney countered, mimicking the creature's gesture.
"There is no possible way," the satyr all but sneered, "that the likes of you... and especially the two of you," he glowered disdainfully at Radek and Sheppard, "can have any proper business here."
"No, that's not what you say," said Rodney, without batting an eye. "When I say, 'we have business,' you say, 'what business?'"
There was a moment of icy silence, and then the sentry said, "What business?"
"My self and my two colleagues here demand the right to speak in the finding for Carson Beckett, as witnesses. We were his close coworkers for over three years, and are fully entitled to make this claim."
There was another, longer and even icier silence.
"How can you possibly imagine," the sentry finally said, "that you, of all people, and these... dark children, these misbegotten..."
"Hold your tongue, Teremus," came a loud voice from outside the thicket. "All the Makers' children are equally beloved of the Makers; it is a dangerous folly to think otherwise."
Rodney thought he might have once met the petite, coal colored centaur who entered the thicket now and came to stand beside Teremus, the satyr, with a disapproving look. Perhaps she was one of Carson's cousins. He seemed to have quite a number of them. This would seem to be, at any rate, a fantastic stroke of luck.
"Shendii, you can't mean to say that you would let them pass?" Teremus cried, shaking his horned head with disbelief. "They are exile; their whole kind are exile, for countless generations."
"In fact, I can," she replied. "And I will insist that they do. This is an important finding, concerning grave matters, and no other witnesses have come forward."
"You are mad," the satyr said through clenched teeth, giving way so that Rodney, Sheppard and Zelenka could all come to stand before Shendii. "And you will be remembered for what you've let happen here."
"Follow me," the centaur said, ignoring the satyr completely, and as they followed the thick branches opened before them. A moment later they were standing at the edge of a wood, a wide, emerald green meadow, speckled with wildflowers, stretching out before them over low rolling hills.
Rodney was home again.
It felt funny to think that now, because Atlantis really was home for him, and he didn't want any other, but this was the home he'd grown up in, and while he remembered how beautiful it was, he couldn't have possibly remembered how... otherly it felt here. Sheppard and Radek were both standing, staring around with their mouths open, but Rodney set his smirk aside for later.
"Oh my gods," he turned to address Shendii now. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how fortuitous your arrival was."
"Actually, I do know," she said with a grin. "I sought a guidance, on Carson's behalf, in the sacred grotto last night, and I was told to come here. I think may I even remember you from... a while ago. You're the changeling, right? Rodemy?"
This completely cracked Radek and Sheppard up, and broke them out of their entranced daze.
"It's 'Rodney'," said Rodney, glowering a bit, "and you're one of Carson's cousins, aren't you?"
"That I am," she said, beckoning them to follow again as she headed out across the meadow. "And you're a quick one. I remember that too. We need to step lively, gentlebeings. The finding is already underway."
The finding would be taking place in the Athenian Grove, as most such findings did. Rodney had been there a few times before, as a boy, with his father, Parthenius, the scholar. His other father, Phinnisti, had been a musician, and taken him to hear every kind of music, in a bewildering variety of places. They were both fauns (he'd called them 'Pa' and 'Pha' as a child) and only now did Rodney wonder if he might see one or both of them here.
The entrance to the Grove was guarded, but Shendii was evidently known, or possibly even expected. The guards let them pass, but stared openly at Sheppard and Radek, wide eyed with astonishment. Rodney restrained himself from asking them if they hadn't been taught that it was rude to stare, and composed his testimony in his head instead.
As soon as they entered the grove Rodney cast about, trying to spot Carson, and he was not hard to find, though he was not the only centaur there. He stood at the back, flanked by two bored looking guards, while other members of his clan stood nearby. Before them was a long, raised dais, on which nine elders, of various races, sat at a long table. One was standing just now, apparently interrupted by their entrance, for he glowered darkly in their direction.
"Forgive the intrusion," Shendii address the elders, "but I have come with witnesses."
"We have not called for further witnesses," replied the speaker, an elf of highborn family, Rodney guessed from his manner. "We have all the evidence we need."
"I beg to differ," said a small figure wearing scholar's black, rising from where he had been sitting at one end of the table. It was, of course, Parthenius. Rodney should have known. "You have provided fulsome quantities of evidence regarding the subject's researches, Honored Elder, but no witnesses regarding his actual character at all. I would fervently advise this council not to arrive at any conclusion without hearing testimony to this end."
"I do not disagree," said an aged gnome, sitting beside the elf. "And I for one am very interested to hear what these three gentlebeings have to say. When you have finished your presentation, of course, Jerimus."
The look that passed between the elf and the gnome suggested to Rodney that this cordiality was entirely pretense, but the other elders at the table nodded, some in earnest, others with reluctant scowls.
"Very well," said the elf, with poor grace. "If I may continue with my conclusion?" Everyone at the table nodded, and Rodney, Radek and Sheppard were lead to an open space on a bench near the front.
"This stray son of the Beckett clan," Jerimus began as the three of them settled, "had the freedom to choose the direction and content of his research, thus revealing the debased nature of his desires. To investigate these most sacred, most mysterious, and most dangerous acts of the First Makers is to demonstrate at best, an incautious nature, and at worst, a desire for overweening power. It is a choice no free being of honest or decent character would make."
Rodney had more than once wished that he really did have a 'glare of death' -as he had often heard said about him- but never more than now. Behind the dais, he could see Carson looking absolutely devastated, and his clan leader, a resolute looking, gray haired old mare, apparently ready to do murder. It was a comfort to know that he wasn't the only one driven to such violent impulses by this arrogant creature's words, but Rodney knew that it would be words and not actions that would free his friend, and so turned his thoughts inward again to sharpen his own.
"It would seem," the elf continued, "that there are those here who would maintain that other knowledge about this Beckett's actions can mitigate these proven facts, and I challenge them to try. I believe you will find that they cannot, and that nothing more can be said to hide this fallen creature's true, and dangerous nature. That is all."
"Will you take a question, Honored Elder?" Parthenius stood to ask after a moment had passed and it was clear that Jerimus had spoken his piece. Parthenius was not an elder, but in proceedings such as this it was his task to speak neither for the accused nor for the accuser, but 'for the grove' -in the spirit of wisdom that inhabited this place. Jerimus nodded.
"I seek to clarify," the faun said. "You are of the opinion that there cannot possibly be any good or worthy knowledge or wisdom that could result from the researches conducted by the subject of this finding?"
Jerimus seemed quite displeased by the question, but his tone was was shockingly condescending as he answered. "Honored scholar," he replied. "This question is unworthy. Such research was forbidden, long ago, for this very reason."
"Honored Elder, if I may?" a water nixie, her wide, moist eyes blinking behind long strands of blue and silver hair, interjected politely. "It was not research into the acts of the first Makers that was forbidden, but attempts to recreate those acts. I would maintain that it is a subtle but critical distinction."
"And I acknowledge your distinction," Jerimus said, still insultingly condescending, in Rodney's opinion, "though I also concur that it is a subtle one indeed. One who intends to usurp the powers of the First Makers must, perforce, begin by researching those powers."
Bastard, Rodney thought to himself, as he saw Radek mouth the word 'vole' silently beside him. When no further remarks came the gnome, who appeared to be leading the proceedings, stood.
"If there are no other comments or questions regarding Elder Jerimus' statement," he said, "then we may now hear such witnesses as have invoked their right to give testimony. I understand that three Respected Citizens have come to make this demand?"
"Yes, sir, Honored Elder," Rodney said, rising and gesturing to the others to do the same. Not everyone in the grove had gotten a good look at the three of them when they had come in, and now not only the elders sitting on the dais, but the gathered dozens who sat on cushions and low benches scattered through the grove before the dais were able to take notice of just who had come to give testimony.
Though they were not in Aspect, Radek and Sheppard's true natures were entirely clear to the Fae folk gathered in the grove, and there was more than one gasp of amazement as they stood. Rodney knew that he, too, would be recognized, but he was not inclined to care. The presiding gnome let the crowd settle before he continued.
"Very well," he said. "As you are all within your rights, I grant your demand. Who will speak first?"
The grove was not silent as this pronouncement was made, but the presiding elder ignored the muttered comments as did Rodney. "I will," he said, stepping forward to address the dais.
"Honored Elders," he began. "I present myself to you as Dr Meredith Rodney McKay, although I suspect that I am already known to most of you. I am hear to speak on behalf of my friend, Dr Carson Beckett. In fact, it is this very friendship that I would testify about today. You may be thinking now, that this is nothing of particular note or merit, even when I say that he was my first real friend, after I came to make my home in the Mortal Realms. I would like to explain to you now why it is of such significance."
Rodney dared not look over at Carson as he spoke, because if he wasn't watering up now, he would before Rodney was finished speaking. He focused, instead, on his testimony, his gaze moving over the faces of the elders sitting before him.
"Were I the one required to defend my character here today," he continued after drawing his breath, "you would not find one witness to stand before you and say that I was a kind man. Neither will you find any honest being who would tell you that I am humble, soft spoken or that I suffer fools in any way shape or form. I am more generally known to be abrasive, arrogant, and bad with people, and I make apologies for none of these things."
Rodney did not need to look over his shoulder to know that Radek's eyes were sparkling with amusement, though he was likely trying to hide it, and Sheppard was undoubtedly smirking. Among the elders, a few seemed mildly amused, while some seemed distinctly unamused and others remained difficult to read.
"If I am in possession of any positive characteristics, I can assure you I was unaware of them in my youth," Rodney went on. "I repelled every offer of friendship and distanced myself from colleagues and coworkers, frequently with willful cruelty. I am not proud of this, but neither will I deny it. Yet there was one person who would not be put off by the very worst of my behavior. Why Carson Beckett endured my inexcusable behavior for so long I will never know, but in the end I had to submit to his efforts to befriend me and for that... there is no end to the debt of gratitude I owe him.
"Carson Beckett saw a decent man in me, and because of that I can say today that I am a decent man. Because of that I have good friends, and a mate who will love me for the rest of my days. I cannot speak to what rewards Carson Beckett saw in taking the considerable trouble to befriend me, but I cannot, under any circumstances, see this to be the act of a being of fallen nature. If there is truly a spirit of wisdom presiding in this grove then this unworthy accusation will not stand today. Thank you, Honored Elders, for your indulgence and time."
Rodney did, as he withdrew to sit once again, meet Parthenius' eyes, and was relieved to see open approval in the old faun's gaze. Rodney flashed a relieved grin at his two companions and then Sheppard stood to speak.
Sheppard surprised them both by introducing himself by his true name, John Ransome Grayling III, which neither of them had ever heard him speak before, but Rodney figured it made sense. Since his identity as a Vampire was known, it was just as well to be open and honest about everything else. He introduced himself as a soldier first and foremost, however, and then spoke, from a soldier's perspective, about Carson's bravery and selflessness. He had no shortage of instances to draw on, Rodney knew, and Sheppard chose the best, speaking succinctly and objectively, as a soldier would.
Rodney wanted to cheer as he saw one or two heads nodding among the elders, especially the four warriors among them (a sylph two dwarfs and a turong), but he kept his peace. He did give Sheppard an enthusiastically approving nod when he returned to his seat and then it was Radek's turn.
Of the three of them, Radek was the most clearly nervous, and he removed and cleaned his glasses twice as he stood before the elders, seeking the right words with which to begin.
"I greet you as Dr Radek Zelenka," he began at last, "pack leader and pack member of the Great Pack of Moravská brána, and I am honored to be the first of my people to stand in this place for many generations." He paused here to frown and push his hair out of his face, then drew a breath and plunged ahead.
"I think it best to begin by stating, for the record, that Carson Beckett has saved all of our lives, in some cases multiple times." Rodney could not help glancing sideways at Sheppard.
"I say this now, lest anyone think that we are hiding this fact, to disguise some influence he might have over us," Radek finished with a frown. "Carson is a very good doctor, luckily for us, in addition to being a good friend, as Rodney has spoken of, and a brave man, as Shepperd says. I also happen to think that he is one of the wisest men I have ever met, but I would like to speak, in my testimony, about something that I believe Dr Beckett considers a failure." That was when Rodney realized that Radek was going to tell about Hoff.
They'd met the Hoffans in their first year on Atlantis, and had all been impressed with their hospitality and with the level of technology and civilization they'd managed to keep, in spite of the many Wraith cullings they'd endured in the past. When they'd spoken about the possibility of a medical approach to defeating the Wraith, by making themselves immune to their feedings, Carson had been very interested indeed, and all but leaped to help them.
He'd begun to have qualms about the zealousness of their approach when they had proposed testing their serum on a live, human test subject, but the man had been fully informed and insistent, so Carson had let it pass. Then the experiment had proved 'successful' and things had all gone to shit.
"You must forgive me," Radek said when he had come to that point in his narrative, "if I speak here of what has already been presented to you, honored Elders, but as a medical doctor, Carson Beckett has sworn many oaths never to knowingly cause harm, and to my knowledge he has never broken them. Therefore, when the Hoffans declared that no more testing was required and that they were prepared to begin administering this serum to their whole populace, he made strong objections. When they ignored his objections, he took his equipment, his notes, and himself home, and refused to have anything more to do with them, though this was no easy thing."
Indeed, it had not been. Rodney would never forget how his friend had agonized over the decision, nor how he had grieved when the next news came from Hoff.
"They had still enough serum to give it to fifty people," Radek said, "and of that fifty, twenty-eight sickened and died, including the young woman doctor who Carson had come to think of as a protege. Carson returned to Hoff when they begged him to help with those who had fallen ill, but in the end he could do nothing but ease their suffering as they died."
The whole grove fell silent as Radek spoke and behind the dais Rodney could see Carson had his head bowed, and that his cheeks glistened with tears.
"Now that I have brought you this wretched tale," Radek continued, his voice firming as his conviction grew, "I would make bold to put some questions to you, honored Elders. I ask you, were Carson truly of fallen nature, would he have refused to continue with his experiments on a willing population? Would he have returned to treat those who had ignored his earlier pleas? Would he still be grieving for those he could not save?"
Radek's gaze scanned the nine elders sitting on the dais before him, as did Rodney, and saw many to be dark with sorrow or frowning in contemplation. For all that his tale had indeed been a wretched one, and clearly painful for Carson to hear, Radek had made his point more powerfully than either Rodney or Sheppard had.
"Honored Elders," Radek lifted his head to make his conclusion, "I put these questions to you in the trust that you posses the wisdom and sound judgement worthy of this position of power, as I have never known even of your existence before today. I know that I have the great privilege of being the first among my people for countless generations to stand before you, and observe the justice you deliver here. It will, therefore, be of considerable interest, for all my people, to see what passes for justice here, for if it is to be considered justice that a being of such qualities as Carson Beckett may be slandered and have his freedom curtailed for no worthy reason that I can see, then my people may decide for themselves, never to submit themselves to such justice, even if it would mean that their exile from this place might be for all eternity."
Whereas the prior silence that had descended over the grove had been one of sorrow and respect, the one that fell there now was one of shock. Rodney frowned to see the expressions of several of the elders turn downright hostile at Radek's words, but he supposed it was better to know who their enemies were. Unsurprisingly, that included both of the elves and one of the dwarfs, though the nixie looked all but apologetic, and the gnome's expression was difficult to read.
"You are very bold, pack leader, to say such things," he commented now.
"You are not the first to say so," Radek replied, but even as he said so Jerimus was leaping to his feet.
"Bold!?" he cried. "This presumptuous upstart of a Wolf pup has the temerity to lecture us on our morals! I would name him more than bold!"
The turong -an Australian sort of nyad- unfolded her unnervingly thin length from her seat to stand and speak for the first time now. "And so you have," she said to the elf. "Though it would serve the purpose of this finding better were you to do more than call him names. Have you any answer, Jerimus, for his questions or his argument?"
"If I must," Jerimus answered, as though shocked that any answer was required. "Surely none of you need me to tell you how it would clearly have been advantageous for this fallen Beckett to make a pretense of the character these deluded witnesses speak of. Surely it can be seen how simple it would be for such a being to act a part, while holding his debased ends secret to himself? All this -for the most part- very 'moving' testimony is for nothing, Honored Peers, and of no consequence when seen in the light of the facts as we know them."
Jerimus and his two fellow travelers looked quite smug at the conclusion of this little speech, and several of the other elders seemed uncertain. Rodney, however, had been slowly simmering every time Jerimus spoke, and at this he finally boiled over, entirely forgetting his manners.
"That's not an answer at all!" he shouted, pushing to his feet in righteous indignation. "That's... that's a complete non-answer... a smokescreen. You could say that about anyone or anything, without a scrap of evidence."
"No evidence is required for the evident, Changeling," one of the dwarfs -the one who seemed to be allied with the elves- said dismissively.
"Evident?!" Rodney spluttered, striding forward to the dais, unmindful of the sentinels on either side preparing to stop him. "I'll tell you what's evident to me. This being," he gestured emphatically toward Jerimus, "definitely has his brain located in some sort of alternate reality where what he's saying actually makes some kind of logical sense. You find a way to disprove that and I'll consider the possibility that Carson Beckett could win an Oscar for acting, along with being a secret evil genius.!"
"Rodney!" he heard Radek hiss bhind him. "This is not helping..."
"It is not required that we disprove your pointless assertions," the second elf now replied. "On the contrary, your case requires that you disprove our facts, which you cannot."
"Oh please!" Rodney was on a roll now, and he had a feeling he had little to lose at this point. "You have one 'fact', which has never been a secret, and which you've interpreted completely incorrectly. Given the degree to which you've misinterpreted this fact, I'd have to draw the conclusion that you are either completely brain damaged, or that you never had any interest in the truth whatsoever..."
By now the whole grove was in an uproar and half the elders at the dais were standing and shouting. The gnome had to rap his gavel a number of times before the noise subsided, and by then Radek and Sheppard had taken hold of Rodney and dragged him back to his seat.
"Honored Elders," the gnome said, "I fear we have lost the focus of these proceedings. If the speaker for the grove has any wisdom for us at this time, I would welcome it."
"That I do, Honored Presider," Parthenius said, standing to cross to the center of the dais. "In the determination of a being's character, there is always the danger that the debate may fall to a contest of two opinions, neither one provable." Jerimus made an attempt to interject something here, but the gnome, who happened to be sitting next to him, shushed him forcefully. Rodney was content to keep his peace.
"I would therefore, at this point," the faun continued without pause, "turn our focus from the subject of our finding, to those who first made the accusation, and their intentions in making it. Some have suggested to me, in private, that those intentions were less than honest, and I would make a statement now that will either prove or disprove that assertion. Once this is made clear, I believe it will be much easier to come to a conclusion about the actual subject of this finding."
A spate of heated muttering and whispering among the elders followed this request, but it soon subsided and the gnome solemnly nodded his head. "You may proceed, Respected Scholar," he said, even as Jerimus frowned deeply.
"I thank you for your indulgence, Honored Elders," Parthenius said with a bow, "and I will make my point as succinctly as possible. Thus. It has been suggested that some among this body fear that Beckett's researches will lead to the revelation of some facts of history that those beings would prefer remain unrevealed. If this is the case then the history I would relay to you now will likely render their objection moot. If not, then I hope to at least entertain."
At this point, Rodney observed both the elves start to stand, Jerimus opening his mouth to offer objections, but the gnome turned and faced them both with a dark look. "Would you confirm this supposition now, Honored Elders?" he asked with a glower.
"I only wish to point out that this serves only to waste our valuable time," Jerimus said, reluctantly sitting.
"And I would point out," said the menehune, sitting at the far end of the table, easily missed, save for his brightly colored, floral sarong, "that the search for proper justice is often time consuming, but never time wasted. I would hear this history."
"The genetic researches being conducted by our subject today," Parthenius began again at the gnome's nod, "might indeed reveal such histories as I am shortly to recount, but my own research into our earliest times has discovered some as well. I find it fitting that the tale I intend to share has largely to do with the origins of the two races whose representatives sit here today for the first time in some generations."
There was murmuring at this, all through the grove, but Parthenius paid it no mind, falling into a lecture mode Rodney knew too well from his childhood.
"The Wolves and the Night Hunters were the very last children of the Great Makers," the old faun continued, "and unlike those who came before them, they were made for a purpose. I think that this is general knowledge among most of us here, though it is seldom if ever spoken of. It is also, I think, general knowledge that these warrior races were made to do battle, in tandem, against the Great Evil which the Makers contested against in their last great age."
Hearing his ...father speak of it, Rodney too recalled having heard this bit of history himself, some time ago, but it had never occurred to him that Sheppard and Zelenka might not know it. Now he saw the two of them glance at each other in near startlement at the words 'in tandem', and realized that they really might not -that none of their people might know of this history. Rodney wondered suddenly how it would change their worlds when this story came to be known among their respective peoples.
"What we do not examine, in this incomplete history," Parthenius continued, "is the reason the Makers returned to the Making, aeons after their Great Work was done, for the Great Evil was hardly the only evil in all the galaxies. Why did the Great Evil of Pegasus merit such acts, above all others?"
So enthralled in the tale was he that Rodney had not noticed how increasingly agitated Jerimus had been getting throughout. Now he leaped up from his chair, lunging forward as if to strike out at the faun.
"The motives of the Makers are not to be spoken of!" he cried. "They are not to be revealed to the profane! How dare you speculate here, before..."
"Silence!" cried the gnome, in a profoundly ear-ringing baritone. It achieved the desired effect.
"Jerimus," he said, "you do your case no favors. Now sit down and be quiet. Respected Scholar, please continue."
Parthenius nodded graciously and proceeded to answer his question. "I suspect that Honored Jerimus fears that Dr Beckett will discover the Makers... 'fingerprints', so to speak, in the genetic makeup of the Great Evil -known as the Wraith in the galaxy in which they dwell. What the Honored Elder has overlooked, however, is that far more than fingerprints remain, in the correspondence archives of the Great Library... if one knows where to look."
Rodney had never seen an elf turn that color of red before, in all the time he had lived here. Jerimus' companion seemed to be holding him in his place, but it also seemed to be a tenuous thing. Rodney resolved to keep an eye on him.
"Though it is clear that much has been destroyed or obscured, I myself have catalogued dozens of documents which clearly confirm the fact that the Great Evil were created by the Makers themselves, almost certainly by mistake, and most probably out of arrogance and carelessness."
There followed a stunned silence, and then whole grove reacted with shock, the very trees tossing as though a sudden wind had blown through the place, and gasps and cries could be heard from many in the gathered audience. Jerimus stood angrily then, pushing away the hands that sought to keep him down.
"I will not remain to hear this blasphemy!" he cried, "and neither should any decent, upstanding being present." He finished with a glare at his fellow elders, and then around the grove. Reluctantly, his elven companion stood, and their dwarf confederate started to, then hesitated and sat back down again.
"If you leave this table," you forfeit your case," the gnome called out. Jerimus did not even look back as he departed.
"This case was sabotaged!" he shouted. "I'll have no more part in it." A handful of others straggled up from the audience to follow him out, but Rodney was pleased to see that it wasn't too many. Wouldn't want the place to have gone all 'fundie' in his absence. That would just be wrong.
When the crowd had settled again, the gnome stood to speak. "Clearly, the finding must be made, at this point, that the being Carson of the Beckett clan, cannot be said to be of Fallen Nature. Though it is not the usual custom, I would also like to have this finding stand as precedent, such that the question of this Beckett's character may never be raised again. I myself have seen sufficient evidence that this being's work, while controversial, is also vital and important, and must not be interrupted again."
This statement seemed to meet with concurrence all up and down the table, and when it did the gavel came down one last time. A cheer broke out from the centaurs behind the dais, and Carson came galloping out, to sweep Rodney up in a bone crushing hug. He was just releasing him and turning to Radek and Sheppard, when the gnome began to speak again.
"Gentlebeings," he said, several times before the celebratory crowd quieted. "Though the finding is made, our Scholar was interrupted, and would conclude his tale, yes?" Parthenius nodded, and the presiding gnome, along with the remaining elders and the audience sat back down and settled to listen.
"My thanks gentlebeings all," he said. "Pleased as I am that my point was proven so quickly, nothing that follows is pleasant to hear and it would not meet Jerimus' approval either. It is clear from the documents that I have uncovered that the Makers felt culpable for the terror they had set loose in the Pegasus Galaxy, and therefore created their last two races with the hopes of eliminating them. This, as all know, they did not achieve, but this is not to say that their... deployment was an entire failure."
Beside him, Rodney felt Sheppard and his mate grow tense, and he himself felt uneasy. He'd known better than to venerate the First Makers as gods, as more than a few here did, but this was an utterly unknown facet of their lives and he could not help but feel a little shocked to learn of it.
"Countless Wolf and Hunter warriors gave up their lives covering their creators' retreat from the Pegasus Galaxy," Parthenius continued, a note of sorrow in his voice. "In fact, I have even found hints that there may have been other forms of shape shifters, besides lycanthropes, who were slaughtered to extinction in this fight. Both the Wolves and the Hunters were nearly wiped out in those last, desperate days, though they did succeed in their objective."
Wide eyed, Rodney, Radek and Sheppard all shared a startled glance, each, Rodney was certain, thinking of Ronon. What would he think, Rodney mused, of this unknown history of his own people's origins?
"When the last of the Makers had left the Pegasus galaxy -and their mistakes- behind, those of their defenders who still survived were mostly able to escape into the Realms, where they lived and replenished their numbers until long after the Makers had ascended to the Realms Beyond, though the feud that drove their Long War had already begun. What caused that feud," the faun continued, addressing the question that had already begun to form in Rodney's mind, and likely in the minds of his companions, "I will relay to you, gentlebeings, in detail, at a time when we may speak privately, and at length." Rodney nodded, satisfied for now.
"Suffice it to say that their feuding, their aggressive ways, and the fact that they were reminders of the Makers' last great failure, caused the Wolves and Hunters to be made exile from the Realms. It is not a decision that I personally find fair or just, and I am content to see it end now."
"And has it ended?" Rodney was surprised at Sheppard's voice -that he had spoken up, and how rough and full of emotion it sounded.
"Of course," the watery voiced nixie now spoke up. "It has come about just as was prophesied: Two leaders of the feuding Houses, who have made peace with each other, have come in the company of a mortal man, in the service of a fourth, with no thought of their own reward. Thus it was foretold and thus it has come about."
Beside him, Rodney could see Radek's mouth drop open in astonishment, and he turned to Rodney, tears already starting in his eyes. Grinning Rodney took his hand to listen to Parthenius wrap up his lecture.
"Thus we conclude what I must judge to be a sorry chapter on our history, and begin another which I believe will be much brighter. Honored Elders, gentlebeings all, I thank you all for your indulgence in this impromptu lecture, and wish you all good health and fortune."
Cheers and applause broke out now, which was a truly uncommon occurrence for the Athenian Grove, and then Carson was up and treating Radek and Sheppard to the same bone crushing expression of grateful exuberance that Rodney had endured earlier. Then Radek was in his arms and kissing the daylights out of him, tears streaming down his cheeks, and Sheppard was clapping him on the back and suddenly it somehow morphed into a frighteningly intense embrace, and Rodney had no desire to be anywhere else.
=====================================
And on to the conclusion...
Author: Taylor Dancinghands -taylor@tdancinghands.com
Characters: Vampire!Sheppard/Werewolf!Zelenka/Change
Pairings: Zelenka/McKay and Zelenka/McKay/Sheppard ust, pre-slash other pairings background
Category: slash, pre-slash, AU
Spoilers: none
Warnings: graphic violence
Rating: for Mature readers
Archive: Generally yes, but please let me know where
Summary: With our heroes scattered, separated and exiled, those who remain do what they can to bring them back, and Rodney McKay forges ahead with a plan no one can quite fathom.
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, never will, not claiming to. Just wanna play with 'em a little. Can't I, can't I, huh?
****
The Last Changeling
by Taylor Dancinghands
Tale the Eighth: "Truth" pt 3/4
Where they stood now appeared to be the middle of a twilit thicket, with a neutral, starless sky above and dense bushes all around. Rodney knew that there was actually nothing above or around them, and that they stood in a vestibule of sorts between realities. Their passkey had gotten them this far, but now he would have to state their business before a sentry.
The sentry was a bored looking satyr, sporting leather armor and carelessly gesturing with the spear in his hand, who appeared from out of the brush a moment after they had entered.
"Exiles," he said, crossing his arms as he stood before them. "You do not have leave to go further."
"We have business," Rodney countered, mimicking the creature's gesture.
"There is no possible way," the satyr all but sneered, "that the likes of you... and especially the two of you," he glowered disdainfully at Radek and Sheppard, "can have any proper business here."
"No, that's not what you say," said Rodney, without batting an eye. "When I say, 'we have business,' you say, 'what business?'"
There was a moment of icy silence, and then the sentry said, "What business?"
"My self and my two colleagues here demand the right to speak in the finding for Carson Beckett, as witnesses. We were his close coworkers for over three years, and are fully entitled to make this claim."
There was another, longer and even icier silence.
"How can you possibly imagine," the sentry finally said, "that you, of all people, and these... dark children, these misbegotten..."
"Hold your tongue, Teremus," came a loud voice from outside the thicket. "All the Makers' children are equally beloved of the Makers; it is a dangerous folly to think otherwise."
Rodney thought he might have once met the petite, coal colored centaur who entered the thicket now and came to stand beside Teremus, the satyr, with a disapproving look. Perhaps she was one of Carson's cousins. He seemed to have quite a number of them. This would seem to be, at any rate, a fantastic stroke of luck.
"Shendii, you can't mean to say that you would let them pass?" Teremus cried, shaking his horned head with disbelief. "They are exile; their whole kind are exile, for countless generations."
"In fact, I can," she replied. "And I will insist that they do. This is an important finding, concerning grave matters, and no other witnesses have come forward."
"You are mad," the satyr said through clenched teeth, giving way so that Rodney, Sheppard and Zelenka could all come to stand before Shendii. "And you will be remembered for what you've let happen here."
"Follow me," the centaur said, ignoring the satyr completely, and as they followed the thick branches opened before them. A moment later they were standing at the edge of a wood, a wide, emerald green meadow, speckled with wildflowers, stretching out before them over low rolling hills.
Rodney was home again.
It felt funny to think that now, because Atlantis really was home for him, and he didn't want any other, but this was the home he'd grown up in, and while he remembered how beautiful it was, he couldn't have possibly remembered how... otherly it felt here. Sheppard and Radek were both standing, staring around with their mouths open, but Rodney set his smirk aside for later.
"Oh my gods," he turned to address Shendii now. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how fortuitous your arrival was."
"Actually, I do know," she said with a grin. "I sought a guidance, on Carson's behalf, in the sacred grotto last night, and I was told to come here. I think may I even remember you from... a while ago. You're the changeling, right? Rodemy?"
This completely cracked Radek and Sheppard up, and broke them out of their entranced daze.
"It's 'Rodney'," said Rodney, glowering a bit, "and you're one of Carson's cousins, aren't you?"
"That I am," she said, beckoning them to follow again as she headed out across the meadow. "And you're a quick one. I remember that too. We need to step lively, gentlebeings. The finding is already underway."
The finding would be taking place in the Athenian Grove, as most such findings did. Rodney had been there a few times before, as a boy, with his father, Parthenius, the scholar. His other father, Phinnisti, had been a musician, and taken him to hear every kind of music, in a bewildering variety of places. They were both fauns (he'd called them 'Pa' and 'Pha' as a child) and only now did Rodney wonder if he might see one or both of them here.
The entrance to the Grove was guarded, but Shendii was evidently known, or possibly even expected. The guards let them pass, but stared openly at Sheppard and Radek, wide eyed with astonishment. Rodney restrained himself from asking them if they hadn't been taught that it was rude to stare, and composed his testimony in his head instead.
As soon as they entered the grove Rodney cast about, trying to spot Carson, and he was not hard to find, though he was not the only centaur there. He stood at the back, flanked by two bored looking guards, while other members of his clan stood nearby. Before them was a long, raised dais, on which nine elders, of various races, sat at a long table. One was standing just now, apparently interrupted by their entrance, for he glowered darkly in their direction.
"Forgive the intrusion," Shendii address the elders, "but I have come with witnesses."
"We have not called for further witnesses," replied the speaker, an elf of highborn family, Rodney guessed from his manner. "We have all the evidence we need."
"I beg to differ," said a small figure wearing scholar's black, rising from where he had been sitting at one end of the table. It was, of course, Parthenius. Rodney should have known. "You have provided fulsome quantities of evidence regarding the subject's researches, Honored Elder, but no witnesses regarding his actual character at all. I would fervently advise this council not to arrive at any conclusion without hearing testimony to this end."
"I do not disagree," said an aged gnome, sitting beside the elf. "And I for one am very interested to hear what these three gentlebeings have to say. When you have finished your presentation, of course, Jerimus."
The look that passed between the elf and the gnome suggested to Rodney that this cordiality was entirely pretense, but the other elders at the table nodded, some in earnest, others with reluctant scowls.
"Very well," said the elf, with poor grace. "If I may continue with my conclusion?" Everyone at the table nodded, and Rodney, Radek and Sheppard were lead to an open space on a bench near the front.
"This stray son of the Beckett clan," Jerimus began as the three of them settled, "had the freedom to choose the direction and content of his research, thus revealing the debased nature of his desires. To investigate these most sacred, most mysterious, and most dangerous acts of the First Makers is to demonstrate at best, an incautious nature, and at worst, a desire for overweening power. It is a choice no free being of honest or decent character would make."
Rodney had more than once wished that he really did have a 'glare of death' -as he had often heard said about him- but never more than now. Behind the dais, he could see Carson looking absolutely devastated, and his clan leader, a resolute looking, gray haired old mare, apparently ready to do murder. It was a comfort to know that he wasn't the only one driven to such violent impulses by this arrogant creature's words, but Rodney knew that it would be words and not actions that would free his friend, and so turned his thoughts inward again to sharpen his own.
"It would seem," the elf continued, "that there are those here who would maintain that other knowledge about this Beckett's actions can mitigate these proven facts, and I challenge them to try. I believe you will find that they cannot, and that nothing more can be said to hide this fallen creature's true, and dangerous nature. That is all."
"Will you take a question, Honored Elder?" Parthenius stood to ask after a moment had passed and it was clear that Jerimus had spoken his piece. Parthenius was not an elder, but in proceedings such as this it was his task to speak neither for the accused nor for the accuser, but 'for the grove' -in the spirit of wisdom that inhabited this place. Jerimus nodded.
"I seek to clarify," the faun said. "You are of the opinion that there cannot possibly be any good or worthy knowledge or wisdom that could result from the researches conducted by the subject of this finding?"
Jerimus seemed quite displeased by the question, but his tone was was shockingly condescending as he answered. "Honored scholar," he replied. "This question is unworthy. Such research was forbidden, long ago, for this very reason."
"Honored Elder, if I may?" a water nixie, her wide, moist eyes blinking behind long strands of blue and silver hair, interjected politely. "It was not research into the acts of the first Makers that was forbidden, but attempts to recreate those acts. I would maintain that it is a subtle but critical distinction."
"And I acknowledge your distinction," Jerimus said, still insultingly condescending, in Rodney's opinion, "though I also concur that it is a subtle one indeed. One who intends to usurp the powers of the First Makers must, perforce, begin by researching those powers."
Bastard, Rodney thought to himself, as he saw Radek mouth the word 'vole' silently beside him. When no further remarks came the gnome, who appeared to be leading the proceedings, stood.
"If there are no other comments or questions regarding Elder Jerimus' statement," he said, "then we may now hear such witnesses as have invoked their right to give testimony. I understand that three Respected Citizens have come to make this demand?"
"Yes, sir, Honored Elder," Rodney said, rising and gesturing to the others to do the same. Not everyone in the grove had gotten a good look at the three of them when they had come in, and now not only the elders sitting on the dais, but the gathered dozens who sat on cushions and low benches scattered through the grove before the dais were able to take notice of just who had come to give testimony.
Though they were not in Aspect, Radek and Sheppard's true natures were entirely clear to the Fae folk gathered in the grove, and there was more than one gasp of amazement as they stood. Rodney knew that he, too, would be recognized, but he was not inclined to care. The presiding gnome let the crowd settle before he continued.
"Very well," he said. "As you are all within your rights, I grant your demand. Who will speak first?"
The grove was not silent as this pronouncement was made, but the presiding elder ignored the muttered comments as did Rodney. "I will," he said, stepping forward to address the dais.
"Honored Elders," he began. "I present myself to you as Dr Meredith Rodney McKay, although I suspect that I am already known to most of you. I am hear to speak on behalf of my friend, Dr Carson Beckett. In fact, it is this very friendship that I would testify about today. You may be thinking now, that this is nothing of particular note or merit, even when I say that he was my first real friend, after I came to make my home in the Mortal Realms. I would like to explain to you now why it is of such significance."
Rodney dared not look over at Carson as he spoke, because if he wasn't watering up now, he would before Rodney was finished speaking. He focused, instead, on his testimony, his gaze moving over the faces of the elders sitting before him.
"Were I the one required to defend my character here today," he continued after drawing his breath, "you would not find one witness to stand before you and say that I was a kind man. Neither will you find any honest being who would tell you that I am humble, soft spoken or that I suffer fools in any way shape or form. I am more generally known to be abrasive, arrogant, and bad with people, and I make apologies for none of these things."
Rodney did not need to look over his shoulder to know that Radek's eyes were sparkling with amusement, though he was likely trying to hide it, and Sheppard was undoubtedly smirking. Among the elders, a few seemed mildly amused, while some seemed distinctly unamused and others remained difficult to read.
"If I am in possession of any positive characteristics, I can assure you I was unaware of them in my youth," Rodney went on. "I repelled every offer of friendship and distanced myself from colleagues and coworkers, frequently with willful cruelty. I am not proud of this, but neither will I deny it. Yet there was one person who would not be put off by the very worst of my behavior. Why Carson Beckett endured my inexcusable behavior for so long I will never know, but in the end I had to submit to his efforts to befriend me and for that... there is no end to the debt of gratitude I owe him.
"Carson Beckett saw a decent man in me, and because of that I can say today that I am a decent man. Because of that I have good friends, and a mate who will love me for the rest of my days. I cannot speak to what rewards Carson Beckett saw in taking the considerable trouble to befriend me, but I cannot, under any circumstances, see this to be the act of a being of fallen nature. If there is truly a spirit of wisdom presiding in this grove then this unworthy accusation will not stand today. Thank you, Honored Elders, for your indulgence and time."
Rodney did, as he withdrew to sit once again, meet Parthenius' eyes, and was relieved to see open approval in the old faun's gaze. Rodney flashed a relieved grin at his two companions and then Sheppard stood to speak.
Sheppard surprised them both by introducing himself by his true name, John Ransome Grayling III, which neither of them had ever heard him speak before, but Rodney figured it made sense. Since his identity as a Vampire was known, it was just as well to be open and honest about everything else. He introduced himself as a soldier first and foremost, however, and then spoke, from a soldier's perspective, about Carson's bravery and selflessness. He had no shortage of instances to draw on, Rodney knew, and Sheppard chose the best, speaking succinctly and objectively, as a soldier would.
Rodney wanted to cheer as he saw one or two heads nodding among the elders, especially the four warriors among them (a sylph two dwarfs and a turong), but he kept his peace. He did give Sheppard an enthusiastically approving nod when he returned to his seat and then it was Radek's turn.
Of the three of them, Radek was the most clearly nervous, and he removed and cleaned his glasses twice as he stood before the elders, seeking the right words with which to begin.
"I greet you as Dr Radek Zelenka," he began at last, "pack leader and pack member of the Great Pack of Moravská brána, and I am honored to be the first of my people to stand in this place for many generations." He paused here to frown and push his hair out of his face, then drew a breath and plunged ahead.
"I think it best to begin by stating, for the record, that Carson Beckett has saved all of our lives, in some cases multiple times." Rodney could not help glancing sideways at Sheppard.
"I say this now, lest anyone think that we are hiding this fact, to disguise some influence he might have over us," Radek finished with a frown. "Carson is a very good doctor, luckily for us, in addition to being a good friend, as Rodney has spoken of, and a brave man, as Shepperd says. I also happen to think that he is one of the wisest men I have ever met, but I would like to speak, in my testimony, about something that I believe Dr Beckett considers a failure." That was when Rodney realized that Radek was going to tell about Hoff.
They'd met the Hoffans in their first year on Atlantis, and had all been impressed with their hospitality and with the level of technology and civilization they'd managed to keep, in spite of the many Wraith cullings they'd endured in the past. When they'd spoken about the possibility of a medical approach to defeating the Wraith, by making themselves immune to their feedings, Carson had been very interested indeed, and all but leaped to help them.
He'd begun to have qualms about the zealousness of their approach when they had proposed testing their serum on a live, human test subject, but the man had been fully informed and insistent, so Carson had let it pass. Then the experiment had proved 'successful' and things had all gone to shit.
"You must forgive me," Radek said when he had come to that point in his narrative, "if I speak here of what has already been presented to you, honored Elders, but as a medical doctor, Carson Beckett has sworn many oaths never to knowingly cause harm, and to my knowledge he has never broken them. Therefore, when the Hoffans declared that no more testing was required and that they were prepared to begin administering this serum to their whole populace, he made strong objections. When they ignored his objections, he took his equipment, his notes, and himself home, and refused to have anything more to do with them, though this was no easy thing."
Indeed, it had not been. Rodney would never forget how his friend had agonized over the decision, nor how he had grieved when the next news came from Hoff.
"They had still enough serum to give it to fifty people," Radek said, "and of that fifty, twenty-eight sickened and died, including the young woman doctor who Carson had come to think of as a protege. Carson returned to Hoff when they begged him to help with those who had fallen ill, but in the end he could do nothing but ease their suffering as they died."
The whole grove fell silent as Radek spoke and behind the dais Rodney could see Carson had his head bowed, and that his cheeks glistened with tears.
"Now that I have brought you this wretched tale," Radek continued, his voice firming as his conviction grew, "I would make bold to put some questions to you, honored Elders. I ask you, were Carson truly of fallen nature, would he have refused to continue with his experiments on a willing population? Would he have returned to treat those who had ignored his earlier pleas? Would he still be grieving for those he could not save?"
Radek's gaze scanned the nine elders sitting on the dais before him, as did Rodney, and saw many to be dark with sorrow or frowning in contemplation. For all that his tale had indeed been a wretched one, and clearly painful for Carson to hear, Radek had made his point more powerfully than either Rodney or Sheppard had.
"Honored Elders," Radek lifted his head to make his conclusion, "I put these questions to you in the trust that you posses the wisdom and sound judgement worthy of this position of power, as I have never known even of your existence before today. I know that I have the great privilege of being the first among my people for countless generations to stand before you, and observe the justice you deliver here. It will, therefore, be of considerable interest, for all my people, to see what passes for justice here, for if it is to be considered justice that a being of such qualities as Carson Beckett may be slandered and have his freedom curtailed for no worthy reason that I can see, then my people may decide for themselves, never to submit themselves to such justice, even if it would mean that their exile from this place might be for all eternity."
Whereas the prior silence that had descended over the grove had been one of sorrow and respect, the one that fell there now was one of shock. Rodney frowned to see the expressions of several of the elders turn downright hostile at Radek's words, but he supposed it was better to know who their enemies were. Unsurprisingly, that included both of the elves and one of the dwarfs, though the nixie looked all but apologetic, and the gnome's expression was difficult to read.
"You are very bold, pack leader, to say such things," he commented now.
"You are not the first to say so," Radek replied, but even as he said so Jerimus was leaping to his feet.
"Bold!?" he cried. "This presumptuous upstart of a Wolf pup has the temerity to lecture us on our morals! I would name him more than bold!"
The turong -an Australian sort of nyad- unfolded her unnervingly thin length from her seat to stand and speak for the first time now. "And so you have," she said to the elf. "Though it would serve the purpose of this finding better were you to do more than call him names. Have you any answer, Jerimus, for his questions or his argument?"
"If I must," Jerimus answered, as though shocked that any answer was required. "Surely none of you need me to tell you how it would clearly have been advantageous for this fallen Beckett to make a pretense of the character these deluded witnesses speak of. Surely it can be seen how simple it would be for such a being to act a part, while holding his debased ends secret to himself? All this -for the most part- very 'moving' testimony is for nothing, Honored Peers, and of no consequence when seen in the light of the facts as we know them."
Jerimus and his two fellow travelers looked quite smug at the conclusion of this little speech, and several of the other elders seemed uncertain. Rodney, however, had been slowly simmering every time Jerimus spoke, and at this he finally boiled over, entirely forgetting his manners.
"That's not an answer at all!" he shouted, pushing to his feet in righteous indignation. "That's... that's a complete non-answer... a smokescreen. You could say that about anyone or anything, without a scrap of evidence."
"No evidence is required for the evident, Changeling," one of the dwarfs -the one who seemed to be allied with the elves- said dismissively.
"Evident?!" Rodney spluttered, striding forward to the dais, unmindful of the sentinels on either side preparing to stop him. "I'll tell you what's evident to me. This being," he gestured emphatically toward Jerimus, "definitely has his brain located in some sort of alternate reality where what he's saying actually makes some kind of logical sense. You find a way to disprove that and I'll consider the possibility that Carson Beckett could win an Oscar for acting, along with being a secret evil genius.!"
"Rodney!" he heard Radek hiss bhind him. "This is not helping..."
"It is not required that we disprove your pointless assertions," the second elf now replied. "On the contrary, your case requires that you disprove our facts, which you cannot."
"Oh please!" Rodney was on a roll now, and he had a feeling he had little to lose at this point. "You have one 'fact', which has never been a secret, and which you've interpreted completely incorrectly. Given the degree to which you've misinterpreted this fact, I'd have to draw the conclusion that you are either completely brain damaged, or that you never had any interest in the truth whatsoever..."
By now the whole grove was in an uproar and half the elders at the dais were standing and shouting. The gnome had to rap his gavel a number of times before the noise subsided, and by then Radek and Sheppard had taken hold of Rodney and dragged him back to his seat.
"Honored Elders," the gnome said, "I fear we have lost the focus of these proceedings. If the speaker for the grove has any wisdom for us at this time, I would welcome it."
"That I do, Honored Presider," Parthenius said, standing to cross to the center of the dais. "In the determination of a being's character, there is always the danger that the debate may fall to a contest of two opinions, neither one provable." Jerimus made an attempt to interject something here, but the gnome, who happened to be sitting next to him, shushed him forcefully. Rodney was content to keep his peace.
"I would therefore, at this point," the faun continued without pause, "turn our focus from the subject of our finding, to those who first made the accusation, and their intentions in making it. Some have suggested to me, in private, that those intentions were less than honest, and I would make a statement now that will either prove or disprove that assertion. Once this is made clear, I believe it will be much easier to come to a conclusion about the actual subject of this finding."
A spate of heated muttering and whispering among the elders followed this request, but it soon subsided and the gnome solemnly nodded his head. "You may proceed, Respected Scholar," he said, even as Jerimus frowned deeply.
"I thank you for your indulgence, Honored Elders," Parthenius said with a bow, "and I will make my point as succinctly as possible. Thus. It has been suggested that some among this body fear that Beckett's researches will lead to the revelation of some facts of history that those beings would prefer remain unrevealed. If this is the case then the history I would relay to you now will likely render their objection moot. If not, then I hope to at least entertain."
At this point, Rodney observed both the elves start to stand, Jerimus opening his mouth to offer objections, but the gnome turned and faced them both with a dark look. "Would you confirm this supposition now, Honored Elders?" he asked with a glower.
"I only wish to point out that this serves only to waste our valuable time," Jerimus said, reluctantly sitting.
"And I would point out," said the menehune, sitting at the far end of the table, easily missed, save for his brightly colored, floral sarong, "that the search for proper justice is often time consuming, but never time wasted. I would hear this history."
"The genetic researches being conducted by our subject today," Parthenius began again at the gnome's nod, "might indeed reveal such histories as I am shortly to recount, but my own research into our earliest times has discovered some as well. I find it fitting that the tale I intend to share has largely to do with the origins of the two races whose representatives sit here today for the first time in some generations."
There was murmuring at this, all through the grove, but Parthenius paid it no mind, falling into a lecture mode Rodney knew too well from his childhood.
"The Wolves and the Night Hunters were the very last children of the Great Makers," the old faun continued, "and unlike those who came before them, they were made for a purpose. I think that this is general knowledge among most of us here, though it is seldom if ever spoken of. It is also, I think, general knowledge that these warrior races were made to do battle, in tandem, against the Great Evil which the Makers contested against in their last great age."
Hearing his ...father speak of it, Rodney too recalled having heard this bit of history himself, some time ago, but it had never occurred to him that Sheppard and Zelenka might not know it. Now he saw the two of them glance at each other in near startlement at the words 'in tandem', and realized that they really might not -that none of their people might know of this history. Rodney wondered suddenly how it would change their worlds when this story came to be known among their respective peoples.
"What we do not examine, in this incomplete history," Parthenius continued, "is the reason the Makers returned to the Making, aeons after their Great Work was done, for the Great Evil was hardly the only evil in all the galaxies. Why did the Great Evil of Pegasus merit such acts, above all others?"
So enthralled in the tale was he that Rodney had not noticed how increasingly agitated Jerimus had been getting throughout. Now he leaped up from his chair, lunging forward as if to strike out at the faun.
"The motives of the Makers are not to be spoken of!" he cried. "They are not to be revealed to the profane! How dare you speculate here, before..."
"Silence!" cried the gnome, in a profoundly ear-ringing baritone. It achieved the desired effect.
"Jerimus," he said, "you do your case no favors. Now sit down and be quiet. Respected Scholar, please continue."
Parthenius nodded graciously and proceeded to answer his question. "I suspect that Honored Jerimus fears that Dr Beckett will discover the Makers... 'fingerprints', so to speak, in the genetic makeup of the Great Evil -known as the Wraith in the galaxy in which they dwell. What the Honored Elder has overlooked, however, is that far more than fingerprints remain, in the correspondence archives of the Great Library... if one knows where to look."
Rodney had never seen an elf turn that color of red before, in all the time he had lived here. Jerimus' companion seemed to be holding him in his place, but it also seemed to be a tenuous thing. Rodney resolved to keep an eye on him.
"Though it is clear that much has been destroyed or obscured, I myself have catalogued dozens of documents which clearly confirm the fact that the Great Evil were created by the Makers themselves, almost certainly by mistake, and most probably out of arrogance and carelessness."
There followed a stunned silence, and then whole grove reacted with shock, the very trees tossing as though a sudden wind had blown through the place, and gasps and cries could be heard from many in the gathered audience. Jerimus stood angrily then, pushing away the hands that sought to keep him down.
"I will not remain to hear this blasphemy!" he cried, "and neither should any decent, upstanding being present." He finished with a glare at his fellow elders, and then around the grove. Reluctantly, his elven companion stood, and their dwarf confederate started to, then hesitated and sat back down again.
"If you leave this table," you forfeit your case," the gnome called out. Jerimus did not even look back as he departed.
"This case was sabotaged!" he shouted. "I'll have no more part in it." A handful of others straggled up from the audience to follow him out, but Rodney was pleased to see that it wasn't too many. Wouldn't want the place to have gone all 'fundie' in his absence. That would just be wrong.
When the crowd had settled again, the gnome stood to speak. "Clearly, the finding must be made, at this point, that the being Carson of the Beckett clan, cannot be said to be of Fallen Nature. Though it is not the usual custom, I would also like to have this finding stand as precedent, such that the question of this Beckett's character may never be raised again. I myself have seen sufficient evidence that this being's work, while controversial, is also vital and important, and must not be interrupted again."
This statement seemed to meet with concurrence all up and down the table, and when it did the gavel came down one last time. A cheer broke out from the centaurs behind the dais, and Carson came galloping out, to sweep Rodney up in a bone crushing hug. He was just releasing him and turning to Radek and Sheppard, when the gnome began to speak again.
"Gentlebeings," he said, several times before the celebratory crowd quieted. "Though the finding is made, our Scholar was interrupted, and would conclude his tale, yes?" Parthenius nodded, and the presiding gnome, along with the remaining elders and the audience sat back down and settled to listen.
"My thanks gentlebeings all," he said. "Pleased as I am that my point was proven so quickly, nothing that follows is pleasant to hear and it would not meet Jerimus' approval either. It is clear from the documents that I have uncovered that the Makers felt culpable for the terror they had set loose in the Pegasus Galaxy, and therefore created their last two races with the hopes of eliminating them. This, as all know, they did not achieve, but this is not to say that their... deployment was an entire failure."
Beside him, Rodney felt Sheppard and his mate grow tense, and he himself felt uneasy. He'd known better than to venerate the First Makers as gods, as more than a few here did, but this was an utterly unknown facet of their lives and he could not help but feel a little shocked to learn of it.
"Countless Wolf and Hunter warriors gave up their lives covering their creators' retreat from the Pegasus Galaxy," Parthenius continued, a note of sorrow in his voice. "In fact, I have even found hints that there may have been other forms of shape shifters, besides lycanthropes, who were slaughtered to extinction in this fight. Both the Wolves and the Hunters were nearly wiped out in those last, desperate days, though they did succeed in their objective."
Wide eyed, Rodney, Radek and Sheppard all shared a startled glance, each, Rodney was certain, thinking of Ronon. What would he think, Rodney mused, of this unknown history of his own people's origins?
"When the last of the Makers had left the Pegasus galaxy -and their mistakes- behind, those of their defenders who still survived were mostly able to escape into the Realms, where they lived and replenished their numbers until long after the Makers had ascended to the Realms Beyond, though the feud that drove their Long War had already begun. What caused that feud," the faun continued, addressing the question that had already begun to form in Rodney's mind, and likely in the minds of his companions, "I will relay to you, gentlebeings, in detail, at a time when we may speak privately, and at length." Rodney nodded, satisfied for now.
"Suffice it to say that their feuding, their aggressive ways, and the fact that they were reminders of the Makers' last great failure, caused the Wolves and Hunters to be made exile from the Realms. It is not a decision that I personally find fair or just, and I am content to see it end now."
"And has it ended?" Rodney was surprised at Sheppard's voice -that he had spoken up, and how rough and full of emotion it sounded.
"Of course," the watery voiced nixie now spoke up. "It has come about just as was prophesied: Two leaders of the feuding Houses, who have made peace with each other, have come in the company of a mortal man, in the service of a fourth, with no thought of their own reward. Thus it was foretold and thus it has come about."
Beside him, Rodney could see Radek's mouth drop open in astonishment, and he turned to Rodney, tears already starting in his eyes. Grinning Rodney took his hand to listen to Parthenius wrap up his lecture.
"Thus we conclude what I must judge to be a sorry chapter on our history, and begin another which I believe will be much brighter. Honored Elders, gentlebeings all, I thank you all for your indulgence in this impromptu lecture, and wish you all good health and fortune."
Cheers and applause broke out now, which was a truly uncommon occurrence for the Athenian Grove, and then Carson was up and treating Radek and Sheppard to the same bone crushing expression of grateful exuberance that Rodney had endured earlier. Then Radek was in his arms and kissing the daylights out of him, tears streaming down his cheeks, and Sheppard was clapping him on the back and suddenly it somehow morphed into a frighteningly intense embrace, and Rodney had no desire to be anywhere else.
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And on to the conclusion...