John blinks in and out of consciousness and amidst his clouded vision gentle dancing flares stab into the night as if his own mind fighting the oppressive darkness. The open sky can only offer him defused blurs rather than fixed points of light. And then a new face kneels down near enough to come into focus. John beholds a woman with fiery hair to match the halo behind her. Her face is fixed before him, but there is the distant sensation of being wrapped tighter in a wool blanket, which he does not have the strength to fight if he would so choose. She returns to the fire where there is another stranger opposite of her before the darkness takes hold and floods into his eyes.
BOOK: Your friend isn't looking so good.
COMMANDER: You sure there's no one
for us in the town?
BOOK: You won't find any help there.
Too small to keep a doctor. Just to have
some folks nearby at night, for those
that want it. I couldn't speak to
how many homesteads.
He reflects to himself in the stars
and turns back to her.
BOOK: And you'd surely stand out to them.
While your friend's hurt there could be
more unwanted attention than can
be handled. I'm sorry that there's
not much here. There simply isn't.
COMMANDER: I see.
BOOK: You truly know nothing of
the Alliance?
COMMANDER: What can you tell
me about them?
He gives a heavy sigh.
BOOK: They wouldn't have peace 'til they
had everything worth having. And now
they have it they don't do very much at all.
Just doesn't seem very worthwhile in the end.
COMMANDER: They stranded you here?
BOOK: Oh my, no. No, child. People chose
to come here. Spread out to get away from
the bureaucracy. And the Alliance came to
fight them for their patch of dirt anyway
because they disowned them. Probably
something about keeping the central
planets in line without losing
nothing there too.
COMMANDER: Central planets?
BOOK: That's civilization. They'd have the
facilities to help your friend. But I suspect
you wouldn't be in any of their records.
COMMANDER: No. I suppose not.
BOOK: Sure seems like if they were going
to fight people for it they might as well
have brought the better part of
civilization with them.
Book's eyes swell with stars.
COMMANDER: Are you from here, Book?
BOOK: No. I'd say I'm the only better part
of civilization these people are
ever going to see.
COMMANDER: How'd you get here?
BOOK: I got off the boat, told my friends
I'd stay here a spell. No calling
them back now.
COMMANDER: Where'd they go?
BOOK: Oh... free. Probably liable to
get themselves killed.
COMMANDER: And you thought
it was best to leave?
Book sighs again and Sheppard
considers the conversation
might be over.
COMMANDER: I crossed the line?
BOOK: No. Don't apologize. I guess... I decided
I wasn't doing very much to change that.
And I had this notion that I could be
more useful here. It's a strange
feeling. I can't really explain it.
I'd surely like to be able to.
Book passes a drink to her.
BOOK: And what about your people?
COMMANDER: Last I saw a lot of them died.
I didn't see it coming and couldn't stop it.
BOOK: So that thing in there then is...
COMMANDER: As far as I've seen of it,
it's major hobby is throwing people
to the wrong place in time.
Book points to John by way of a question
with raised eyebrows and Sheppard nods.
BOOK: My, my. Well it did send you
my way. Got your friend some help,
at least. Are you sure that's
not what it's supposed to do?
COMMANDER: You're angling at something.
BOOK: Just an article of faith I'm mulling over.
COMMANDER: So shepherd is a purely
figurative title in your case, then.
They share a smile.
The stargate dials up and activates with a
tremendous eruption from within the cave.
BOOK: So you're trouble's going
to follow you through there?
COMMANDER: That's a strong possibility.
BOOK: Then maybe it would be best
if we didn't stay here.
Sheppard grabs her rifle with no time to spare
to get the power suit back on. And both of them
carry John into the rocks away from the camp fire.
Ferrell creatures surge forth from the event horizon and in a steady stream of bodies disappear into the night beyond the fire light as clouds spill in from overhead to hide the stars and add to the darkness. The mob kicks at the camp fire and stomps it into the dust as they pass and one of them stops before the hot coals and is left behind.
It looks back over the shoulder to bathe its face
in the shimmering blue light of the stargate
and notices the abandoned power armor.
Commander Sheppard scans the horizon
with her night vision scope and finds no sign
of the escaping horde. She trains the rifle to
bear down on the stupefied Wraith who at
that moment had just looked up at her.
She pulls the trigger.
Cautious of sliding gravel underfoot,
Commander Sheppard descends the
rocky slope on which they had
concealed themselves and studies
the Wraith by the light of the stargate.
It has been turned into a Husk.
COMMANDER: Reapers.
Sheppard takes up her armor
and joins Book who is
holding vigil over John.
BOOK: What is it?
COMMANDER: New. Down there is a hybrid
of two creatures that each dominated a whole
galaxy in their time for millennia.
BOOK: That bad, huh?
COMMANDER: I'm beginning to think we might
have no choice but to get in touch with
your Alliance friends after all.
The stargate disengages
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