Fighting Passions - Ronon Dex - Stargate Atlantis

The Long Goodbye PT. 1

The team is piled in the jumper discussing a very important and slightly meta topic.

"So people just sit and watch this box for hours at a time?" Ronon questions.

"Yeah, people do." The colonel answers.

"Is it that engaging?" Teyla follows.

"Depends what's on it. There are lots of programmes on dozens of channels, every day, all day." 

"Most of which are fictional representations of ridiculously attractive people in absurd situations."

I smirk. "Sounds familiar." 

"There are educational programmes, all sorts of documentaries. Not many people watch em but, they're on." John remarks. 

"And that's what everybody on your planet does for entertainment? Watch a box?" 

"Not everyone, although I will confess to the occasional half-hour of Jeopardy (RIP Alex Trebek)." 

"Jeopardy?" Ronon asks.

"It's the name of the show, Jeopardy." 

"Sounds dangerous."

"Double jeopardy. That's twice as dangerous."

"And if it helps, when I was younger it was my favorite show."

Before anyone could respond to my remark we get a hit on the proximity alarm. 

"A ship?" 

"No. There's two of 'em. There's another one in a lower orbit." Sheppard answers Ronon.

"But what are they?" I question. 

"I don't know, but big enough to hold a person." 

Ronon muses, "Maybe it's a coffin." 

"Perhaps jettisoned from a ship?" Teyla adds. 

"Space burial?"

Mckay turns around. "No. It's definitely not a coffin. I'm reading life signs coming from inside of both of them. Whoever's in there, they're still alive." 

"Welp, I guess that means we gotta save 'em?" 

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After the pod was found, Elizabeth, with a team, along with Colonel Caldwell,  opened it only to find a dying woman, but when she got too close, a beam hit her and now she's lying in an infirmary bed.

"This is not my fault." Rodney defends.

"We were all there, relax." John soothes.

I see her start to move. "Carson, she's waking up." 

Sheppard is one of the first at her bedside. "You ok?"

"Doctor Weir is fine." Elizabeth smiles.

"Doctor Weir doesn't talk about herself in the third person."

"She was simply overcome by the effects of the imprinting." 

Caldwell calls for a security team but whoever is inside of Weir protests kindly. "That's not necessary, Colonel..." She pauses, obviously thinking, "Caldwell. She is merely harbouring my consciousness." 

"Oh, here we go again!" McKay exclaims.

"And you are?" Sheppard asks, as confused as the rest of us.

"I am Phebus. We are a race of explorers. On our journey home our vessel was attacked.: 

"By the Wraith?" Caldwell questions.

"Yes. We were forced to abandon ship and launch our life pods. If this has happened to me, then I've been adrift for some time and the pod has determined my body is beyond resuscitation." Phebus answers.

"You're quite correct," Beckett confirms.

"Then for all intents and purposes, I am already dead." 

"I'm so sorry," I say, completely genuine.

"So am I."

"Yeah, yeah yeah. We're all very sorry. Where's Elizabeth?" John says, asking the important question.

"She is here also."

"And I suppose you'd like us to take your word for that?" Caldwell, who is all too familiar with this kind of host, asks.

"Would you like to speak with her?" 

"Yes, we would." 

The woman lowers her head, almost like how a Goa'uld would lower their head to allow the host to take over. The thought runs a shiver down my shoulder blade, a movement McKay notices, by the raised eyebrow he gives me. 

"Doctor Weir?" Caldwell investigates.

"Oh! Oh, it's Ok, Carson I'm fine." She stutters.

"Elizabeth? I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but there's another, um..."

"I know," She interrupts. "Her name is Phebus." 

"You seem remarkably sanguine about all this." Rod remarks.

I nod. "I have to agree."

"Well, the imprinting will only last a matter of hours. The other pod, Phebus urgently desires to be here when we bring the other pod back to Atlantis."

"Why?" Says, John curious. 

"She believes it's her husband." 

"Husband?"

"He escaped the ship, she's certain of it. The rush of emotion is... Well, it's overwhelming." 

"I can imagine," John says.

"No, no you can't." Rodney corrects. 

"No... I can't."

Weir interrupts the boys. "John, I'd like you to try. Phebus has a favor she would like to ask of you." 

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After the lab, I'm in the cafeteria eating lunch with Ronon, while we wait for the next pod to arrive.

"So, you're worried."

"Yeah, it just feels so weird, like something's off."

"Why?" 

I take a breath. "Remember when Caldwell was taken over?"

"Yeah." It says with a mouthful of food.

"Do you remember how he lowered his head when the Gou'ald revealed himself?

"No. I do remember how hard he punched."

"Makes sense, it's something you notice after fighting them for so long. But that's what Weir did, it just made me feel... I don't know. I'm probably wrong."

"Just say something."

"We both know how well that went last time. My complaints didn't matter." 

Ronon stops eating and grabs my hand, but quickly releases it. "Hey, that's not your fault. And this is different, it doesn't have to do with the war." 

"Yeah, but it does have to do with the heart. What am I supposed to do? Say, hey I got a bad feeling, so on the off chance that I'm right let's deny this dying woman a chance to say goodbye to her husband." I ramble. "That would be cruel of me."

"Do what you think is right, but... just remember it's not your fault if you said something." 

"You're wise. Did you know that?" 

The Satedan lets out a hearty laugh. "Just making sure you're not to hard on yourself. And, don't forget, I agreed with you."