StarGate Atlantis Aberrant: StarGate Atlantis - The Pegasus Couch

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Inoae blinked rapidly while Kate attempted to explain, but so many of the words were slippery or didn't make sense together. How could every female be a queen in a hive? That would be madness! Doktor Wier was obviously the queen of the hive, and she had several favored males. What was 'court'? She'd thought it was a thing, a part of architecture, but Dokter Hyt Myer meant something else. Probably. She was a very confusing human. And what was a 'code of ethics'? She knew vaguely that a 'code' was something hidden, something hidden in words, spoken or written. But 'ethics'? Understanding eluded her. What was Dokter Wier hiding in ethics?

The moment of silence after Kate stopped speaking stretched to an uncomfortable length for the two humans; just before either of them finally gave, Inoae asked, "'Sexual relationship'?"

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

Sgt. Moreau and Dr. Heightmeyer shared a long look then turned back to Inoae. Yseult blinked before the slight, questioning blonde did.

"You know, sex? Fucking? Mating? Coitus?" Yseult made one of the universal signs for sex, plunging two fingers in and out of the ring formed by her forefinger and thumb of her other hand. "Putain de merde! What are you thinking me and Ford, what we are doing in bed? When did you think I was going to do to you when you tried to climb into my bed that one night? What the fuck did the fucking wraith do to you?"

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

She shrunk back a little from her Yseult Moreau's outburst, but took a deep breath and tried not to flinch as she'd been told she shouldn't. "This one understands sex," she said carefully, "but....'sexual relationship'.....is that just a longer way of saying sex?"

Her eyes darted between the two of them and then back to the floor. "This one does not understand what relationship sex...means?...implies? Females take males that please them, and males take worshipers that please them. Mating is for food and lower creatures that lack queens to lead them."

She bit her lip, obviously still confused and just as obviously afraid of another outburst. Even after all this time, the Lantean still flinched away from anger or even just loud noises from Sgt. Moreau. "This one apologizes for her stupidity," she whispered.

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

"Merde! How many time am I having to tell you, you are not stupid, Inoae. Don't let anyone tell you different," Yseult growled fiercely, standing back up and pacing Dr. Heightmeyer's office to relieve some of her irritation, hands knotted into hard fists.

"'Sexual Relationship'..." Yseult mused, icy eyes glinting with black humour. "Yes, that's really just a longer way to say 'sex'." Firm lips curved into a smirk. "At least, it can be. Other times, it just means they're friends with benefits."

[Dawn OOC]

"Friends?" Inoae asked, her tone curious.

"You... of course you wouldn't," Kate sighed as she realized it was just one more reason to feel sorry for the Lantan. She was getting used to Inoae not knowing about the gentler things in life, which made her feel even worse. "Friends are people who aren't related to you who choose to care about you and love you. They pick you to be in their life, and you pick them to be in yours."

Inoae stared at her and Kate had to remind herself to lead her more than she normally would. Rather like a child, and Kate hadn't chosen child psychology for a reason. "Do you have anyone you feel is a friend? Someone you have chosen to be in your life?"

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Inoue's mind floated around the question for a few moments, trying to figure it out. "Ghost chose me, to give to the Keeper. The Keeper chose to keep me. Her males sometimes chose to ask for me." She nodded, "Yes, they ar- were my friends. Now my Yseult Moreau and Aydan Ford are my friends."

She was pleased with herself for having figured this out, but did her best to keep it from showing. Friends. Her new hive had such strange words and made relationships so complicated. It was not her place to have opinions on such things she reminded herself, silently berating her pride for having had the opinion at all. Then she remembered, her cheeks flushing red as she realized she almost failed her Ysuelt Moreau's command.

"Oh, um, Doktor O Livia Jen Ings E Zumi is also my friend!"

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

Yseult bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood in an effort to refrain from scowling murderously at the slender blonde. That's fucking wonderful. I've just been compared to the human-eating bug-fuckers who abused and raped her for who knows how many centuries. The burly and surly woman cocked her head to the side, then gave Inoae a when she mentioned the accidental Pegasus Expedition member. At least that one seemed to be on her own initiative.

"Uh..." Yseult glanced at Dr. Heightmeyer, a slight widening of her eyes betraying an uncertainty that wouldn't have been there if bullets had been zinging pass her head. The Doc gave her an urging nod. "... you're my friend too, Inoae, but I hope you know, you don't have to call me a friend if you don't want to. It's a choice, entirely up to you. Nothing says you have to like me, a lot of people don't."

Pacing vigorously, Yseult opened and closed her fist so she didn't put it through the wall - or more likely break it against whatever the hell the wall was made of. "What... what Ghost and The Keeper and the males did to you, forced on you, it isn't something friends do. Those are bloody bastards, and I had the chance, I'd gut the fuckers like the pigs they are."

Yseult paused, leaning against the wall and contemplating the ceiling, hands pressed hard against the wall. "A friend, un vrai ami, she is having your back, stands with you, no matter what happens. She forgives your mistakes, even if she has to rub in your face to help you learn from them, She's... she's... are you wanting to help me out here, Doc?"

[Moira Fitzgerald]

Dr. Heightmeyer hesitated for a moment, struggling with how to explain Yseult's comments in a way that the Lantan woman would understand, and that wouldn't upset her.

"That's.. a bit complex of a concept, Yseult.. at least right now." She focused her attention on Inoae, taking a breath before attempting a simple explanation of the concept of 'friends' to the Lantan. "A friend is.. someone that you chose to care about, like I said. But it's more than that. Friends don't like hurting each other. If something hurts, or you would rather not do it, a friend won't make you, because they don't want you to be hurt. Do you understand?"

Karen gave the Lantean woman plenty of time to think it through.. and she did. But after a few moments, she shook her head, doing her best to conceal the fear and despair she felt overwhelming her at her lack of comprehension. She understood nothing today! She was failing all the tests Dokter Hyt Myer was giving her!

"This one does not understand. This one is sorry for her -- for her lack of understanding."

She remembered how her Yseult Moreau had responded to her previous statement of ignorance, and her voice dropped once again into the hushed fear, even as she caught and corrected herself. Perhaps her Yseult Moreau would be pleased with this form of apology instead.

_____________________________

"...I couldn't even explain the concept of 'friends' to her, Moira. Sometimes I don't know whether I'm making it better or worse. It's one thing to see someone struggle with their own inner demons, but to not even be speaking the same language, really..."

Moira sat back in her chair, and lifted the spoon out of her standard-issue thermal mug. The tea was instant (and therefore disgusting), and half as strong as she preferred it, but it was still better than eschewing her daily cup. She had been listening to Karen for forty-five minutes, and in the back of her mind, the psychologist was a bit surprised she hadn't been curtly dismissed forty-three minutes ago. But Moira had listened quietly, and surprisingly patiently, to the other woman's frustrated rant.

"Karen, it sounds like you're going about this all wrong. It's like you're trying to teach algebra, and you haven't taught her basic multiplication tables yet. I mean, I know you're addressing it as it comes up, but you haven't built much of a sociological foundation to work from."

"I'm not trying to get her to understand everything about our culture at once, Moira - I'm just trying to get her to understand some basic concepts."

"Yes, but how are you going to do that without understanding the point of view she's approaching from? It sounds like you've asked some basic questions, but in order to help her understand our culture better, you have to understand hers. It's intrinsic to the way she thinks. Of course, you might be jumping the gun. It might be best just to let the girl acclimate in her own way. If she sees this base as a hive, she'll eventually work out the interpersonal dynamics on her own. From what you've said, she's not stupid - she's just culturally alien."

"Moira, this culture is horrific! They abused her, they taught her to think of herself as a slave, as if she is worthless! How is she going to make friends, or live a happy life?"

"You act as if she is getting the same treatment from us as she was from the Wraith. She's well-fed, she's not abused. She's being educated, she knows her place - or is, at least, learning it -"

"Her place?! Moira, you sound like them!"

"Well, that's how she thinks of it, Karen! It is the ultimate arrogance of man to believe that the way we do things is the right way, and that everyone else must conform to it! It's led to war, genocide, rape, forced religious conversion - the very things you're sitting here railing against! We're going to press this creature - this alien woman - to conform to our idea of society, even if it causes her distress? You're forcing it on her awfully quickly, aren't you?"

"Dr. Fitzgerald, how can you even--"

"Oh, never mind. No one ever listens to a word I have to say anyway, it offends their moral sensibilities and sense of political correctness. But the truth of the matter is that our ancestors are guilty of many of the same atrocities you vilify the Wraith for, and yet they created and molded the cultures and societies we live by today. The countries that sent us here were built on murder, slavery, incest, and abuse - amongst other, less negative actions. Does that mean we shouldn't strive to understand them? Let me talk to the girl."

"What good is that going to do?"

"Listen, I have a more vested interest in learning about these Wraith than you do. But anything I learn will most likely prove useful in your work acclimating the Lantean, as well as to the military branch of the expedition. Besides, you're too emotionally invested in her, Karen, and you know it. That's why you're here talking to me - you know I can be more detached about the whole thing. Let me meet her, and I'll see what I can find out."

[Moira Fitzgerald]

Moira saved the report she was working on and shut down the file. The Lantean was due momentarily, and for once, Moira wasn't subjected to the irritation of lateness. The generally timid alien was prompt, showing up exactly - to the minute - that she had been instructed to meet with this new doctor, and knocked at the door. This was the way that her Yseult Moreau had instructed her was the proper way to announce her presence when sent somewhere else in the hive.

"Come in."

The red-haired, green-eyed woman evaluated her coolly as she entered. Her face was smooth and neutral, she appeared neither annoyed at Inoae's presence, nor over-enthused about it, the way Dokter Hyt Myer usually was. She gestured to a chair across from her desk, leaning back slightly in her own.

"Have a seat, Inoae. My name is Dr. Moira Fitzgerald. Has Dr. Heightmeyer told you why I requested to speak with you?"

The blonde alien shook her head.

"No, this one was not told."

"I am going to ask you questions about your old hive, and your life with them. I want to learn about them - that is what I do. I study other cultures, other hives. During the course of our conversation, we will most likely experience communication difficulties. This is to be expected, and I do not require - nor do I desire - apologies. They are a waste of my time, and I am a busy woman. I will not become angry with you, so long as we continue to work towards mutual understanding of the things we are discussing. Do you understand?"

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

It took a moment as the Lantean carefully went over every word to give the proper answer, then nodded. "Yes."

She was standing in the middle of the room, a few feet in front of Dok Tor Moy Ra Fits Jer Ald; she was much more direct than Dok Tor Hyt Myer, which was eased the lines of tension in the young woman. This Dok Tor reminded her of Silence, though she quickly hushed that thought. Dok Tor Moy Ra Fits Jer Ald was a female and to compare her to a male was demeaning and rude. She wanted to apologize for her thoughts but she'd been forbidden, so she simply stood where she was and waited for further instructions.

[Moira Fitzgerald]

"Very good. I will also educate you about differences between this hive and your previous one. Some of those differences are important, and I'll tell you so if that's the case. Some of them are merely for your knowledge, to help you adjust better to your new environment. For instance, when I said 'have a seat', I was using a common phrase that means 'sit down'. Our sessions will generally run for at least an hour, and I would prefer that you are physically comfortable."

It dawned on Moira then that she was making the same mistakes that Karen had made, and she suppressed her internal irritation at herself.

"Of course, I'm making an assumption that isn't necessarily correct. You may choose to sit or stand during our sessions, it makes no difference to me. Now, let's begin. Tell me the names of the people of highest relevance in your last hive, and give me brief descriptions of them, including physical appearance and basic personality or mannerisms. Do you understand what those two words mean?"

Inoae paused, an expression of confusion flickering across her face. After a moment she answered timidly, obviously distressed.

"Which.. which two words?"

"The word personality, and the word mannerisms."

Crestfallen, Inoae shook her head, looking upset at her own lack of understanding. She was dissapointing Dok Tor Moy Ra Fits Jer Ald already! However, Moira expressed no displeasure at Inoae's lack of understanding. She merely paused for a moment, looking thoughtful.

"The word 'personality' means the traits that describe how someone acts. For example, I would describe Seargent Moreau's personality by saying that she is aggressive, which means she is quick to anger and rarely hesitates to express it. She's athletic, which means she enjoys physical things like exercise and that she's good at them. And she is protective, which means that if she decides someone needs protection, she is likely to take it upon herself to do so. I could find more words to describe her personality, but the most obvious traits are enough for a brief description. The word 'mannerism'..."

She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

"I suppose, giving it some more thought, that I am not so concerned with 'mannerisms' as I am 'unusual attributes' that aren't covered by someone's physical appearance. Like a high-pitched voice, or a limp. Something obvious that makes them easier to differentiate from the other Wraith. We will come back to the definition of mannerisms later, if it is relevant. Do you know what 'physical appearance' means?"

She hesitated again, but nodded this time. The words together made sense, though to Inoae the phrase seemed a bit redundant.

"Tell me."

"It means a description of a person's visible biological features."

"Very good. That is exactly what I meant. So, the names, physical descriptions, unusual attributes, and personalities. Please begin."

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

She began with the queen of the hive, of course, but she was hesitant and vague. She'd met the queen only once and that had been very far back in the fog bank of her memory, but it was the queen. She was the hive. She moved her way through the queen's most favored males, then fidgeted and corrected herself, moving the Keeper above the males and tripping over the inadequate words in the new hive's language to describe the relationships between the queen's males and the only other female in the hive besides the queen, and then the Keeper's males. She was nearly panicked when Dok Tor Fitz Ger Ald interrupted.

"Some relationships are very complicated, Inoae," she said as she stood up. "Come with me, there is an easier way to do this."

The two left the office, the blond waif trailing after the fire-haired doctor as she paced through the hallways before coming on one of the general meeting rooms that had been set up for the scientists to use. She waived her befuddled duckling in and handed her a dry erase marker, motioning to the large whiteboard. "Draw the hive- not the ship," she corrected herself before Inoae began playing Pictionary, "the social structure of the hive." At Inoae's blank look she tried again, "The hierarchy of the hive. Do you understand what 'hierarchy' means?"

Inoae bobbed her head. "Yes, Dok Tor Fitz Ger Ald."

She set to work immediately, drawing out a flow chart that was surprisingly identical to how someone from Earth would do so, but with the strange flowing-and-sharp lines of Wraith language - which was a bit of a surprise. Moira pressed her lips in annoyance as she realized another assumption that so many of the Expedition had made about their Lantean refugee - that her abuse and fragile mental state meant both stupid and uneducated. The chart formed quickly, with only four "words" that Moira could make out - one that formed at the top of the chart and was most likely 'Queen', one that was directly under the queen and higher than the other first-tier dependencies from the queen, most likely 'Keeper', another that was paired with 'Queen' and 'Keeper' directly below each for maybe a dozen positions each and then left on its own farther down, most likely 'male', and another in large numbers below all those that Moira had no idea on. As Inoae kept expanding the chart, her writing quite small and precise, the doctor also realized that she was writing out a place for every member of her old hive.

"That's enough," she stopped Inoae with a hand on the marker. "Thank you. Now, what do these symbols mean?" She pointed to the four different ones used.

"Queen, Keeper, male of the queen, male of the keeper, male of the hive, and drone." It took Inoae a moment to find the last word, but she'd been listening well to learn the language of her new hive.

"Drone?" Moira prompted for more information.

"Fighter for the hive, but not a...a one who thinks. Does only what it is told to do and cannot be used for making of more drones or males or queens." Inoae thought for a moment and added, "Drones have...mmm....not-face. Bone on face. For protection. Everything from them is protection or to damage others. No thinking, no making, only fight and die for hive."

"I see. So, there are queens, keepers, males, and drones in a hive?"

Inoae hesitated and clarified, "Keeper is female, so queen, but not queen of hive. She keeps all hives safe while hibernating between cullings."

"So all female Wraith are queens?"

"Yes. One queen to hive, except for queens too young to be queens yet or the Keeper."

Moira glanced at the chart again and motioned to the marker Inoae was still holding. "And where are you, Inoae?"

The young woman's brow creased. "I am here, Dok Tor Fitz Ger Ald."

"I meant where were you in the hierarchy of the hive?" Moira tamped down on her flash of annoyance, as much at herself for the careless question as at Inoae for being so perfectly literal.

Inoae shook her head. "Not part of hive. Owned by hive. Like all food and pets."

[Moira Fitzgerald]

Moira nodded, looking thoughtful. She had several thoughts filtering through her mind at the moment, and was trying to decide where to go with this next. This was exciting - Inoae was intelligent, she was educated. At least to an extent. Not only would that make her work with the girl easier, and hopefully more productive in the long run, it also meant there was the potential to extract a great deal of information from her about the Wraith.

"I see. The English word to describe that position is slave, Inoae."

Inoae nodded with understanding. She was glad to have a word to describe her position here in her new hive. They made much of words, as she was learning from Dok Tor Moy Rah Fitz Ger Ald. Had Karen been present, she would have been horrified at Moira's neglect. But then again, Moira was an anthropologist first, a sociologist second, and a psychologist last. Perhaps at another time she might have caught her slip, but right now she was too excited about the breakthroughs regarding Wraith society to notice that she had unwittingly pegged the alien woman with such an offensive term.

"And the hives.. are they all laid out like this? I mean, I know there might be different numbers of males, or drones. But they all have this same basic setup, with a Queen, a Keeper, their males, drones, and slaves?"

Inoue shook her head and motioned to the part of her pyramid chart that excluded the spur of the Keeper and her males.

"All hives have a queen, but there is only one Keeper." She blinked as time caught up with her thoughts in little shifts and starts. "Until now. Now there is no Keeper and will not be until a queen births another queen to be Keeper instead and the hives sleep again."

"I see. Thank you, Inoae. That is very helpful information."

Useless waste of time, my ass. I can hear Peter Kavanagh now.. 'We already have an archeologist, what do we need a - whatever she is - again?' Here we are, with access to a real Atlantean (however damaged at the moment), and all Karen has done is poke at the girl's traumas for several weeks. Here I've spent--wait, how long has it been?

Moira glanced briefly at her watch, then back up at Inoae.

Damn, this has gone a lot longer than I meant for it to. It's past lunch, and I have some reports to review, but...

But she was too interested. The reports could wait, though food couldn't. It wasn't that Moira couldn't think on an empty stomach, it was just that she preferred to avoid the distraction.

"Inoae, do you have anything you're supposed to be doing after this for anyone else?"

"This one has been told that this one is to stay with you until you send this one away or another comes to take this one away."

Her eyes looked troubled and her shoulders had tensed at the question. Was she supposed to have something to do after this? She had not been told. This time, however, Moira did pick up on the other woman's unease.

"Good. If you were supposed to be doing something else, you would have been told. I'm going to free up my schedule for a couple hours a day so that we can keep this up, it's very informative. We've already been at this for a couple hours today, but I'd like to keep working. I understand you have been teaching Sgt. Moreau Lantean, but I already know how to speak that. I'd like you to start teaching me the language of the Wraith. Do you think you can do that?"

Inoue was quiet for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, I can.... teach."

The word still came hesitantly to her, but Dok Tor Fitz Ger Ald was obviously an important female in this hive, so she would be intelligent and able to learn, even with as poor a teacher as a slave.

"Excellent."

She picked up the dry-erase marker, and over the top of Inoae's chart, she wrote in large, capital letters the words "DO NOT ERASE!". Then she capped the marker and sat it down.

"We're going to take a short break. I'm heading downstairs to the mess hall for lunch. Have you eaten lunch today, Inoae?"

The young woman hesitated again and Moira caught the briefest flash of a frown cross her features. Reluctantly she answered, "This one has not eaten lunch today." After half a heartbeat she offered up, "This one ate breakfast." A quick flick of her eyes upward showed.... well, Moira wasn't quite sure. Some emotion she couldn't read from the subdued Lantean. Moira was intrigued.. she hadn't seen Inoae try to conceal something from her before, so she decided to question her further.

"Are you hungry?"

This time the pause was a long one, with Inoae seeming to search the floor for the correct answer.

"This one...this one does not require food. Yet."

The last was added with that same odd reluctance and flicker-fast frown. Moira tilted her head slightly, studying Inoae shrewdly. She remembered Karen saying something about Inoae not liking to eat, but she was curious to hear what the Lantean had to say about it.

"Tell me how you feel about eating, Inoae."

There was another brief hesitation, but an order was an order.

"This one does not wish to eat," she said softly. "But this one has been told to eat, so this one does eat."

"And why do you wish not to eat, Inoae?"

"Because eating is weakness. It is something food must do."

"I see. Did your previous hive ridicule or punish you for needing to eat?"

She tried to remember, but her thoughts crashed like waves on the warf. Finally she shook her head.

"No, not punish this one for needing to eat. Only punish by....by -needing- to eat." The words were quite right and kept skittering away from her, but she tried again. "If this one pleased, this one was given the Gift. With the Gift, this one did not have to -eat-, like food does. Once this one learned how to please, this one did not have to eat." The last was said with a patina of pride, not something Moira ever expected to hear in Inoae's soft, broken tones.

She hid her surprise, choosing for a moment to focus instead on the Lantean woman's words, but she couldn't quite decipher what she was trying to say. She suppressed her own irritation at the language barrier, knowing that expressing it would only upset her sensitive patient. She was also impressed enough by this new display of emotion - pride - that she felt the need to encourage it.

"It's good that you learned to overcome an obstacle like that, Inoae. But I'd like to understand better, and so I need to talk it through a bit more. When you say you were punished by needing to eat, were you given food? Before you learned what you needed to do to be given the Gift, that is."

Not that I know what the Gift is, but.. one thing at a time.

For Inoae, the memories were hazy and confused, but at least one was a memory of eating and crying while Ghost watched her. She nodded, her skin flushing with the shame of that memory; the frown flashed and disappeared again. "Yes. When this one failed, the Keeper was kind and did not make food of this one or let this one become dead despite being useless and stupid."

At that, even the cold-hearted bitch of Atlantis felt a surge of anger. This girl had been through hell. Complete and utter hell. And though many people thought Moira suffered from what they liked to call "soulless bitch syndrome", the truth was further away than most of them could possibly imagine. Moira suppressed her emotions because it's how she dealt with the ugly, horrible things life had thrown at her. And the picture of this woman as an eight year old little girl, with the threat of death hanging over her head, hungry, was enough to break her composure for a moment. The Lantean saw a brief flicker of anger flash across Moira's face, but it lasted only a moment. Moira grabbed the reins of the unhelpful emotion and pulled tightly, forcing herself to remember that blatant displays of righteous anger on Inoae's part would do little to help the girl.. in fact, it would only make the situation more complicated. Inoae's saw it though, and her response - to cower, as if she were going to be struck - brought a snippet of the conversation she'd had with Karen back to her mind.

"She flinches at everything, Moira. The only time I saw her finally relax a little was when Yseult told her she wasn't going to hit her. She literally had to be told that she wouldn't be hit."

"Well of course she did, Karen.. why would a victim of repeated abuse expect anything different than what she's experienced in the past?"

"Inoae, stop cringing. I'm not going to hit you."

Her voice wasn't angry or harsh like her Yseult Moreau's had been when she'd said those words. Instead, Moira's words were cool and collected, seemingly emotionless. But they caught Inoae's attention, because it was the exact same thing Yseult had said to her before.

"This hive is different. We have different rules than your old hive. No one here is--" She paused for a moment, catching herself before making a big mistake. She couldn't promise the alien woman she'd never be hit.. tempers ran high sometimes in closed quarters, and there were many people who didn't have a lot of patience with the Atlantean. Moira took a deep breath, and started again.. carefully this time. "No one here is supposed to hit you. It is not allowed. If someone ever hits you, you are to tell me, or Yseult, or Dr. Heightmeyer, or even Dr. Weir. They will need to be punished for breaking the rules of the hive. Do you understand me?"

She watched Inoae carefully, trying to measure the Lantean woman's reaction. It was so hard not to think of her as a child - in so many ways, she was like one.

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

"If some ever hits me, I am to tell Dok Tor Moy Ra Fitz Ger Ald, Yseult Mo Row, Dok Tor Hyt My Er, or th- the Dok Tor Wyr." She was nearly shaking by the end of the recitation of names, terrified of the prospect of speaking to queen of the hive over something as common as being hit...though they do not hit much in this hive. Perhaps she was too low to even merit punishment or perhaps they used other punishments than hitting? She couldn't truly fathom it and every alternative that came to mind was far worse than hitting, so her mind swallowed the confusion into the black space where she did not look and told her it wasn't important. She had her orders and that was all that mattered.

Moira nodded, satisfied on that one account, at least, and led her duckling out to the mess hall and lunch. Inoae, predictably, took only the same dishes that Moira did, so the doctor altered her preferences to pick out a number of smaller plates, then gently quizzed Inoae on her reactions to each food. Despite her obvious general distaste of eating, the Lantean meticulous ate all the food on each plate; her movements were stiff but achingly precise. Those in the mess hall stared, most of them openly since everyone knew that the Lantean was completely nuts; slowly a circle of empty chairs and tables formed around Inoae and the "Ice Queen" anthropologist.

"Inoae," she asked thoughtfully over the key lime pie pudding that was desert today, "do the Wraith gather together when they feed on the hive ships? Do they have meals together like we do here?"

The circle around them widen a little farther as service men and women suddenly remembered posts they had to return to and scientists...well, just wanted to get away from the creepy conversation. Inoae noticed, but didn't understand and didn't care.

She shook her head, "No. Drones feed when needed, when queen allows for before battle or culling. Males feed more, males have own food from each culling, to last until next culling. To be kept in stasis chambers or let out to be...slave...until male wishes to feed. Sometimes die instead, if good slave, but not loved slave. Loved slaves get Gift, stay young, not die of old unless male gets bored or angry. Queen and Keeper keep slaves and feed when it please them, from any food." A memory tickled her mind and she added, "Sometimes, Keeper would have slaves eat together, and then would feed if slave did not please her."

[Moira Fitzgerald]

"So what happens to a Wraith if they don't eat? Do they ever starve to death? We held the Wraith that was captured here as a prisoner for awhile, and he was very hungry. But he didn't die of his hunger. Is it possible?"

Inoae hesitated for a moment before answering, as if she was unsure of her answer, or at least what answer was expected of her.

"No. Wraith not die. Wraith not get old. Wraith not.. not need Gift."

Moira mulled that over for a moment, trying to decide how to best to continue with the conversation. If the Wraith had, like the Goa'uld, encouraged in the 'inferior races' a belief in their omnipotence, then they wouldn't have revealed those sorts of weaknesses to them. Though Inoae claimed the Wraith didn't die unless they were actively killed, Moira was far from convinced of the truthfulness of that statement. However, she had no evidence to the contrary either. It might be possible that the Wraith indeed continued to live - however miserably - until they could again feed.

However, Inoae's beliefs - whether true or not - had cut into her plan to draw a comparison between the Wraith's need to feed off of sentient life energy, and the human/Ancient need to consume food for energy. Moira knew that breaking Inoae's default inclination towards Wraith superiority was going to take a lot of time, and a lot of patience. For the moment, she decided it was a good opportunity to emphasize the fact that Wraith were not unbeatable, and that she was no longer a part of them, as well as to educate her a bit about human culture.

"Thank you for explaining that to me, Inoae. Since the Wraith are the enemy of your new hive, any information you can provide that helps us to understand them further is very valuable to us. I understand now that the Wraith view the need to eat as a weakness. However, most of the people on the planet where your new hive comes from view food quite differently. Would you like me to explain that further to you?"

Inoae nodded silently at her. Whether she was actually interested or not, Moira had no idea. But by asking Inoae if she was interested in new information, she hoped to eventually help her understand that she was not required to do anything that was asked of her here, that she really was being offered an option.

"In the world where we come from, for a very long time now, food has been viewed as something more than just sustenance. Yes, we do have to eat in order to live. But gathering together for a meal has become an act of cultural significance. People on our planet use meals as an opportunity to socialize with each other, to get to know each other better. We talk to each other about things that we find interesting, and we use meals as an opportunity for celebration. The ability to make very good food is considered an art form. Do you understand what art is, Inoae?"

The Lantean paused, and shook her head uncertainly.

"Art is the application of creative skill and imagination. When people talk about art, they are usually talking about the ability to draw or paint pictures, or sculpt things out of clay or stone, or sing. It is a complicated concept, and I would be happy to talk to you more about it in the future if you like. The appreciation of art is something that is highly valued in our society. It takes a long time to develop or nourish artistic skill. There are people who dedicate their entire lives to learning an art form or forms. Culinary art, which is the ability to cook and serve food that is both delicious and beautiful, is one of those types of art."

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Inoae took in what Dok Tor Fitz Ger Ald was telling her, taking particular note that she was being explicitly told that her previous hive and all Wraith were enemies of her new hive. Hives competed and would sometimes fight, but the hunting grounds of each hive had been established long ago, along with the cycle of hibernation, so it had not happened much in Inoae's experience. This hive was different in so many ways; sometimes it was difficult to remember all of them. This "art" was one of those things. Inoae tried to fathom what purpose it had, that a hive would allow members to spend their entire lives focused on it. She remembered slaves singing for Whisper, but that was his peculiarity and he was still primarily a warrior of the hive and servant of the Keeper. She would never have allowed him to spend all his time playing with his slaves.

,,

Still, she listened and tried to commit everything to memory, in case she was asked about it later. The two women finished their meal shortly after and made their way out of the mess hall, much to the relief of those remaining. The Lantean might be fascinating in theory, but being around her and listening to her talk was just creepy. Dok Tor Fits Ger Ald moved the board Inoae had drawn the hive chart on into her own office and the two spent several more hours going over the hierarchy and relationships between different members of the hive. Understanding now that her old hive was an enemy and the Dok Tor Fits Ger Ald was studying them as an enemy, she did her best to remember everything she could about each of the males, how they led cullings, and anything else she could think of that would give her new hive a military advantage when they decided to attack. She hesitated occasionally when talking about some of the Keeper's males, though her usual reserved expression made the reasons - fear or some Stockholm fondness - inscrutable to the anthropologist.

,,

Eventually her Yseult Moreau came for her, taking her back to their quarters. The day had been longer and more active than Inoae was used to and she found the weakness of sleep more insistent than usual; it barely took any effort from Yseult at all to coax the blonde into her bed and let herself fall asleep. In her office, Moira distractedly finished out her reports for the day, her eyes constantly tracking back to the dry-erase board. Even broken and abused, Inoae had lived with the Wraith for a long time and had learned to survive by meticulous attention to detail and obedience. Properly handled, she was a wellspring of intelligence on the Wraith. Moira frowned as she considered that that same level of perception and single-minded memorization was currently being applied to the Atlantis Expedition. We wonder what she's seen, as an Ancient and as a slave of the Wraith. Perhaps we should also wonder what she's seen as a refugee of the Atlantis Expedition.

,,

Wrap Up

Sorry for the short wrap-up post for this section, but the brain has nerfed on this for long enough that I wanted to just finish it up to be able to move on in time with the end of The Storm.

[Moira Fitzgerald]

Moira sank into her office chair, and let out a low groan of misery. She had a session with Inoae in five minutes, and frankly, she was ready for anything that would take her mind off of the training. She wasn't an out of shape woman, by any stretch of the imagination. But she was a sociologist, damn it, not a military grunt. And at this point, she seemed to be the only one on the team without some sort of supernatural physical enhancement, at least that she could tell.

,,

Also, she knew that Moreau - that bitch - was enjoying every minute of torturing her, and it was almost as much of a strain suppressing the anger she felt at Yseult's smugness - that she not only had to see, but had to literally feel as it dripped off the female gladiator - as it was doing the actual training. Only Moira's pride and stubbornness kept her from telling the other woman to go shove herself down a deep, dark, Wraith-filled hole somewhere.

,,

She opened up her bottle of water and took a long drink. Then she screwed the cap back on and set it off to the side, glancing at her reflection briefly in a nearby pane of glass. Her hair was freshly showered and pulled back in a tight ponytail, though it was still damp. She owed that the the fact that Yseult had decided "I have an appointment with Inoae at two o'clock" meant "Fifteen minutes should be plenty of time to recover from the third circle of Hell".

,,

A minute later, Inoae knocked on the door, as prompt as ever. Moira called her in, and motioned for her to close the door behind her. Inoae did so, and then promptly stood at attention, as Bates had taught her. The move caught Moira's attention, but at first she made no comment on it.

,,

"Inoae, good. Please, come in. How are you feeling today?"

,,

Confusion flickered across the alien girl's face, for it seemed like odd question.

,,

"With my hands, Dr. Fitzgerald."

,,

A wry, and mildly amused smile threatened to tug at the corner of Moira's lips, but she did her best to suppress it.

,,

"When you come visit me, I will ask you how you're feeling. This is a common phrase, and what I mean by it is 'What is your physical and mental condition today? Are you healthy, sick, sore, or tired? Are you angry or content or bored? There is no incorrect answer, other than a false one. I just want to know your current condition."

,,

"I am healthy and learning," she said after a moment of sifting through words.

"I am glad to hear it. I see you have learned to stand at attention. Is this something that Captain Bates has taught you during your training?"

"Yes, Dr. Fitzgerald."

"That is a useful thing to know. Has he also taught you the phrase 'At ease'?"

Inoae nodded and responded in the affirmative, and Moira studied the other woman for a moment, carefully contemplating what she said next. She wanted her to begin thinking for herself a bit, even if it was because of a direct order.

"We will be spending a couple hours together today, so I want you to sit or stand at ease throughout our time, or switch between them, based on what feels more comfortable for you."

She nodded and loosened her stance to "at ease", but remained standing. They stayed that way for a moment, Moira sitting and Inoae standing at ease, as the scientific woman studied the Atlantean refuge. She found herself wondering if Inoae was telling her the truth, and then suddenly, it was as if she could feel that she was, at least on the surface. Inoae was unlike the other people Moira had been around since this whole amplified abilities situation had presented itself. Most people she had experienced so far radiated only one obvious emotion. Of course, everyone had a deeper layer of consciousness, underlying emotions that they weren't necessarily focused on, but Moira hadn't learned enough control over her abilities yet to realize that. Inoae was a bit of a different matter... she could feel, in the background, a faint undercurrent of something else, like an annoying background buzz that she couldn't quite ignore, but that she couldn't make out, either. But, at least dominantly, Inoae felt fairly comfortable and focused, which Moira could feel herself mirroring for a moment, emotionally.

She shook her head slightly, and took a quick drink of water to try to wash the feeling away. Not only did she not care to expose herself to other people's actual emotions, she resented the hell out of actually having to feel them. Hell, half the time she resented having to feel her own emotions! However, she pushed that unhealthy little self-observation to the back of her mind, and focused again on Inoae (while trying not to focus too much).

"I don't know if you've been told, but Dr. Weir has asked me to join the team, and I have agreed to do so. I will be traveling through the gates with you all, and am being trained by Yseult. It is a challenging experience for me, physically. She is making me exercise, teaching me basic combat and weapon skills, that sort of thing. Is that the sort of thing you're learning right now too?"

,,

She nodded. "I am learning to be useful to the team I belong to. Captain Bates trains me."

"Tell me more about it."

"He trains me in hand to hand combat and patrolling. He has said he will train me in guns after he trusts me not to shoot him or myself in the foot or the eye."

"That seems like a reasonable stipulation. It sounds like we're both learning a lot right now, so let's not jump right into our lessons about the Wraith and their language just yet. I do notice your speech has improved quite a bit since we've gotten back from our last trip, so it sounds like you're experiencing some mental or physiological changes as well." She opened up her laptop and did some tapping, pulling up Inoae's file. She supposed she should get herself caught up on what the physicians had to say about the alien woman's super-powered effects so far. After a couple lines, she frowned slightly.

"Inoae.. this says you haven't slept at all since the storm. Is that true?"

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Moira felt an almost dizzying fluctuation in Inoae's emotions, waving through both of the 'levels' Moira could sense - an emotion that nearly had Moira staring agape at her patient. Pride. Outwardly, Inoae only bobbed her head, her expression still the wary deer-in-the-headlights she usually wore. "I have not slept since the hive was attacked by the food during the storm."

,,

Moria kept a sigh in check, both from the annoying buzz of feeling the blonde's emotion and from the numerous issues in that single system. One thing at a time. "Are you tired? Have you been sleepy at all since that night?"

,,

"No," Inoae answered. Moira made another mental note, a side list of observation of just why Inoae bothered people so much. She didn't shake her head when she said no, though sometimes she nodded or bobbed her head when she said yes. No, though, that was always still and watchful. "Captain Bates trains me, but we do not get tired. I lay on the bed for me at night, but I do need to sleep."

,,

The red-head blinked. "What do you do at night, then?"

,,

"I lay down in the bed for me and I am still."

,,

"All night?"

,,

"Yes."

,,

Moira pinched the bridge of her nose. "Inoae, if you're not tired, you don't have to just lay there. You could do something. Read a book. Play a game."

,,

"It is time for sleep. I do not sleep, but I am quiet and still on the bed." She sounded uncertain now, as she usually did if she was given conflicting orders. She hesitated, but added, "I do not have a book or a game. Should I ask Captain Bates for a book or a game during the time for sleep? Would that interfere with his sleep time?"

[Moira Fitzgerald]

Moira took this all in, listening quietly as Inoae spoke. Her thoughts whirred as she considered the best way to approach the topics that this new train of discussion had taken them to, but one thing jumped out at her as most pressing to address.

"Inoae, I am confused. Please explain to me why you think that would interfere with Captain Bates' sleep time?" She held up a hand as Inoae opened her mouth, already sensing that she had asked the wrong question, and mentally kicking herself for it. "What I mean is, why are you concerned about disturbing Captain Bates at night? You share rooms with Yseult."

"I was given to Captain Bates."

Moira's irritation and natural cynicism flared at that statement, but she held herself in check.

"By whom? Yseult?"

"By Atlantis Expidition Leader Dr. Weir."

"And who told you that meant you were going to stay with Captain Bates?"

All of a sudden, Moira felt something with Inoae's emotions. Suddenly, she felt that lower level of emotion quiver slightly. Something felt different, she felt a complex emotional cocktail that she couldn't quite pick apart yet flare to life within the alien woman.

"I was given to the team. Captain Bates is leader of the team, so I belong to Captain Bates."

"I understand, Inoae. But who specifically told you that you would be staying in Captain Bates' room now?"

"Captain Bates."

Moira drew in a breath slowly, then let it out. Se considered pushing further, but decided against it for now, based on the complex emotions she was getting from the other woman. She had to make sure she was in control of her abilities before she was willing to risk a full Inoae breakdown.

"Okay. Well, let's get back to the sleeping issue for now. Do you understand what I mean when I say the phrase 'free time', Inoae?"

"No."

"Okay. In this hive, we split our days into different sections. Part of the day is for working, for doing the things that it is our duty to do. For instance, my primary duties are to do things like research other hives, learn what I can about them, their languages, and their... heiarchies. That is why I spend time talking to you about your old hive. I am supposed to write reports to help the others understand the worlds they are exploring. And now that I've been assigned to the team, it's my duty to go on missions, serve as a translator and a diplomat, or be useful in whatever way I can. However, I am also allowed time to sleep, and free time. As long as I get enough sleep to feel rested, then the rest of my time is free time. The average person sleeps between seven and nine hours a night. Some people sleep less, but seven to nine is ideal for the average human. Are you following - I mean, understanding me - so far?"

,,

Inoae nodded, and Moira felt that little rush of pride.

,,

"Yes, but I need less." She hesitated for a moment, then. "I am not human." Again, Moira could sense again that jumble of underlying conflict in her emotions, along with a spike of.. loathing? Disgust? She couldn't read the thoughts behind the emotion, and she clenched her teeth harder in irritation, though she still refrained from letting it show in her expression. What good was knowing how someone felt if you didn't know what they were feeling it about, or why?

,,

"That is correct, Inoae. But based on your previous medical examinations, you are physiologically very similar to humans, so prior to your new abilities, and without the interference of the Wraith, you needs are similar to ours. Since you are part of our hive now, the same is expected of you. For you to split your time between your duties, free time, and as much sleep as you need. If you no longer need sleep, then that becomes part of your free time, unless additional duties are assigned to you. Now, as for free time..."

,,

She leaned back in her chair again, and paused a moment to take a drink of water as she considered the best way to explain this concept to the Lantean.. without freaking her out.

,,

"Free time is call that because it is time in which you are free from other obligations, to do as you like. Back on our home planet, there were lots of things that we could do during our free time. Some people liked to spend time outdoors in nature, doing things like taking walks, planting gardens, or playing sports - games that are physical in nature, like football or baseball. Some people like to read books, either to learn more about things they were curious about, or to read stories that someone had come up with out of their imagination, just for people to enjoy reading. People liked to go shopping to buy new clothing, or things for their home. There were lots of things for us to do, back on our planet, in our free time. Here in Atlantis, our options are a bit more limited, I confess. However, you can still do things that you find interesting. You can read - there are lots of books uploaded to the open library database on the human servers that you can access by computer. I would be glad to show you how, if you want to know. There are also computer games or card games that can be played. Sometimes downstairs, in the common areas, you will see people sitting around playing cards - like poker, that card game we were playing back on Nixar. I think I've seen someone of the others playing board games, like Monopoly and Chess. Many of these games are played with other people, though there are some you can play yourself. If you ask people, they may choose to let you play games with them. That is another thing people like to do during their free time - spend time with other people, becoming friends. The definition of 'friend' is someone that you enjoy doing things with, that also enjoys doing things with you."

,,

She tilted her head curiously, for the first time really reaching with her abilities, trying to sense Inoae's response to this situation. It seemed like cheating, in a way, and the egotistical intellectual in Moira balked. But the Lantean woman's issues ran so deep, and were so complex, that she was interested to see how she would react this this bit of 'freedom'. Of course, Moira had been careful not to cast it in any such terms.. she didn't want to throw the girl into a tailspin. She was merely hoping she could get Inoae to accept the idea of a period of time that was not dedicated to fulfilling duties.. even if she had to portray the idea of 'free time' as a duty in and of itself.

,,

Baby steps. Little alien baby steps.

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Inoae's brow furrowed in confusion and Moira could feel that utter bewilderment echoed throughout her emotions. She tried to make sense of the concept and finally settled on 'free time is when members of the hive pursued activities other than their primary duties in the hive in order to expand their usefulness for the hive. Sometimes they do this as a group activity, to increase their efficiency when working with other particular hivemates.' Moira couldn't hear her exact thoughts, but she could feel the knots of apprehension and confusion lessen to their normal levels in the Lantean's psyche. The doctor's frustration surged again for a moment as she could feel Inoae relax - as much as she ever did - but couldn't also peek in on the thought process that led to her relative ease. She'd been working with Inoae long enough to know that just because the blonde accepted a statement or declared that she understood something didn't mean she understood it in the way Moira - or whomever was speaking - had actually intended it.

,,

Moira was about to speak again, realizing she hadn't ended on a question and so Inoae would simply sit there until she was given an order or asked another question, when her computer began to chime softly, signally the end of their session. "I want you to think on activities you enjoy doing, Inoae - that means the activities you would choose to do with your time when you have not been given orders. Try some of the things I mentioned - reading, playing card games, playing games with other people that agree to play games with you. We'll talk about them over the next week or so during our sessions, so you have time to think on what you prefer to do and to try different activities over several days. If you become confused or do not know what to do, ask the people around you for suggestions, okay?"

,,

The Lantean bobbed her head and Moira stood, walking her to the door where Lt. Kenning was waiting just outside in the hall. After her patient had been safely led away, she sunk back into her chair and let out a long sigh, massaging her temples. You'd think empathy would make this easier, not more complicated, she groused to herself. Pulling herself together, she typed out a polite - if terse - email to Captain Leon Bates, asking to speak with him as soon as possible and no later than 8 PM that evening. She wouldn't go to Weir about this yet, but the captain had best have a damn good reason for moving her patient into his quarters.

[Moira Fitzgerald]

7:30 p.m., the same day...

,,

Two email exchanges later, Moira was seething. Captain Bates had been nothing but cordial to her in his responses - in that polite, dismissive military sort of way. She had attempted to make it clear that this meeting was non-negotiable, but thus far had been given the brush-off. Typical military, always assuming what a scientist needs to see them about warrants no more attention than a speck of dust on the floor. She resisted slamming her laptop shut - electronic equipment was not easily replaced a galaxy away from the nearest electronics retailer. But having finally lost her patience, she used the intercom system to dial down to the gate room.

,,

"Peter, this is Moira. Where can I find Captain Bates right now?"

,,

"He's in a room two-nineteen, corridor six, second floor, doctor. Do you need me to page him for you?"

,,

"No.. please don't, Peter. He may run, and then I'll never find him," she said dryly.

,,

Ten minutes later, the door slid open, and she stalked impatiently into the room where Bates was training her patient. She stood, arms crossed, looking irritated, until Bates finished what he was doing with Inoae, and deigned to speak to her. He did, finally, with an air of smooth patience that only served to dial Moira's annoyance up a notch.

,,

"Good evening, Dr. Fitzgerald."

,,

"No, Captain. It's not. It was a good morning. It was even an okay afternoon. But after multiple attempts to arrange an appointment with you, it has become a very bad evening for me indeed. And unless you make time to speak with me immediately, it's going to be a very bad evening for you as well. I guarantee it."

[z-Cpt. Leon Bates]

The bastard’s smile didn’t change. “Doctor, since you’ve come all the way down to see me, I’ll be happy to make time for you now.” Moira choked back an angry retort, already sensing that wasn’t the way to deal with Bates in his current mood. Bates turned as she was gathering herself, giving her his back as he started to coil up the rope on which he’d been demonstrating knots. If she was going to have to tie someone up, Bates wanted to be sure they stayed tied. “How can I help you, Doctor?”

,,

“I’d like to speak to you alone.” Moira was glaring at him venomously and Bates grinned at the chance to be able to nettle her. He wasn’t terribly fond of the way she’d lashed out at Evana in the clinic.

,,

“Inoae, take the rope to the room, stretch it all the way out in a line, measure it, and then coil it back up and have the measurement ready for me when I get there.” Inoae took the rope without hesitation and left them alone. When she was gone, Bates turned to Moira and said, “So, now that we’re alone… how can I help you?”

[Moira Fitzgerald]

"Captain Bates, in my session with Inoae this morning it came to my attention that she is now staying in your rooms." She hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out how best to phrase this without putting Bates on the defensive. She wasn't jumping to the obvious conclusion yet - she knew, better than most, that nothing with Inoae was obvious. "I need to know how that came about, Captain."

,,

“It came about because she collapsed on my floor in a catonic state when I tried to explain that she could choose who her master was.” Bates was on the defensive; it was clear in his eyes. Or if it wasn’t defensive, it was anger. “That’s when I realized she was choosing to be a slave and giving her the space to make decisions was only giving her the space to completely lose her mind. So I agreed to be her master. I don’t mind giving orders to someone.”

,,

Moira sighed, and nodded slightly, running a hand across her face in agitation. Surprisingly, she seemed less irritated at him. If Moira was on edge dealing with Inoae's extensive psychological issues, and Karen had felt completely overwhelmed by them, she couldn't really expect someone like Leon Bates to be able to handle the powder keg of psychosis that Inoae represented.

,,

"You're wrong, Captain. She isn't choosing to be a slave, she's been completely and utterly programmed into servitude. You were moving too fast with Inoae, a mistake that not only Dr. Heightmeyer made before you, but one that even I've been on the verge of. Reprogramming Inoae to be more self-sufficient is going to be an incredibly extensive and exhausting process. But that's not really an answer to my question." She watched Bates curiously, daring to reach out a little with her empathy so that she could feel whether his words matched his emotional reaction. "What does being her master have to do with her staying in your rooms? As your master, there's no reason you couldn't order her to remain rooming with Yseult."

,,

“Because I wasn’t sure that Moreau was the best choice for the job.” Bates shrugged. “She was given charge of Amara because the girl attached herself to the sergeant. Is Moreau really the kind of person you want in charge of a mentally unstable abuse victim?”

,,

"I don't know that there's anyone who's really prepared to be in charge of someone as mentally unstable as Inoae, Captain. Yseult Moreau may not be the best choice, but neither do I feel that having her room with her team leader, someone she is also spending hours upon hours a day with taking orders from, is a good decision either. It's too reminiscent of the way she was treated with the Wraith. I'd like to begin separating her from that, teaching her the differences between our culture and theirs." She paced as she spoke, then turned back to Bates with an exasperated shrug. "In fact, the only reason Inoae is on this team is because Dr. Weir feels that Inoae is too connected to Yseult to separate her for days at a time from the Sergeant, and at this point I'm prone to agree. It's the only reason I tentatively approved her for duty in the first place, Captain."

,,

“Amara’s comfortable with whomever is most willing to treat her like the Wraith did. I’m aware that her situation with me is much like the time with the Wraith.” Bates met Moira’s eyes fully, his expression serious and steady. “I did that intentionally. Further, if she’s left with Moreau, I can’t have her on the team, and she will be left behind.”

,,

Seeing that his words were winding Dr. Fitzgerald up, Bates held up a hand. “Listen, give me just a moment to explain. This is a military issue. Amara was literally looking to Moreau before accepting orders from anyone else, including me. I can’t have that in the chain of command. If I give Amara an order, it needs to be done, because it’s going to be vital to the mission.”

,,

“She’s a civilian, not one of your soldiers.” Moira was clearly not seeing his logic.

,,

“I have to give orders to civilians on my team. And those orders mean the difference between life and death for the civilians. I can’t have Amara spending time double-checking my commands with anyone else.” Bates tilted his head. “So she’s got to placed directly under me in her mind. I hope that helps you understand.”

,,

The implication that she had to understand his point of view, and that hers was unimportant because it wasn't a 'military matter' grated at her nerves, but she did her best to conceal it. "Fine. Then give the girl a room of her own. It's a bit further than I was planning to push her immediately, but it would still be better for her than the current situation, and there wouldn't be any crossed wires regarding who she's supposed to receive direction from. If you command her to sleep in her own quarters, it might be met with confusion, or even distress, but we can work through that. The order will still be coming from you, Leon."

,,

He shook his head, imaging the meltdown the alien woman was likely to have if he insisted she room on her own. "Forget it. I don't have time to deal with a mental breakdown. She's comfortable staying with me because it's similar to her situation with the Wraith, that's what's easiest, so we'll go with it."

,,

Moira shook her head firmly. "Just because it's easiest doesn't mean it's a good idea, Captain! She is going to have to overcome obstacles during her adjustment. I am her psychologist, I have been tasked with the near-impossible task of attempting to treat Inoae's bevy of mental issues, and at the very least, help her acquire some semblance of individuality and self-reliance. The more you reinforce the idea that she is in the same position here as she was with the Wraith, the more difficult that's going to be!"

,,

Bates sighed. “She has her own room. That was the first thing I did was get a larger suite with two bedrooms.” He looked at her for a moment. “I got short with you, but here’s the thing: staying with the guy who is ordering her around is comfortable for her. Not being abused by him, and being given some leeway in her personal time and space is good for her.

,,

“I’m not looking to recreate what she had with the Wraith. But the last time I tried to explain to her that her situation was changed from what it was before, she had some kind of fit on me.” Bates shook his head. “You might be her psychologist and know what’s best for her. I get that. But the only way I’m going to be able to deal with her being on the team is if she’s taking orders from me. Putting her in her own room… c’mon, you know her. She’ll see that as a rejection. I’ll walk in the next morning and find her catonic on the floor, waiting for the next guy who she’s been given to.” Bates raised his hands and added, “But if you want to try her in her own room, be my guest. You get to clean up the emotional mess, not me. And, you get to explain to Weir why she’s not getting utilized for missions, because for the safety of the team, I’m not taking a basket case out there.”

,,

She placed her hands on her hips with an exasperated sigh, but her expression had relaxed a bit. She wasn't happy about the arrangement, but he'd made some legitimate points that she couldn't disagree with, and the knowledge that she'd had some sort of episode had swayed the argument in his direction, in her mind. "All right, Captain. You have a point - extenuating circumstances call for extenuating measures. This is not an ideal situation for Inoae's psychological recovery, but it's all we have to work with. At this point, it's probably best to leave things as they are, too many drastic changes in short periods of time are likely to hinder Inoae's progress."

,,

Bates smirked slightly, and she pressed her lips together in annoyance. "Don't get smug, Captain. I have no problem respecting your opinion, based on your experiences and your own duties regarding this mission, and I never have. I know the military personnel seems to think all the scientists are indifferent to their duties, but that's not true. I am not a purist - military and scientific pursuits are inexorably intertwined, they have been throughout history. And though our priorities are often different, we will accomplish the most by working together, instead of at odds with each other. On that note, Captain Bates, I hope you will remember that the next time you have some issue I could provide assistance with. You have, in all likelihood, replaced Yseult's previous position in Inoae's worldview, which makes the two of us most likely to assist with, or provide obstacle to, her recovery. I hope you will consider me a partner in such an endeavor, and come to me if you experience any other complicated situations like the fit you referenced. I'm here to help, Leon."

,,

Coming from anyone else, it would have sounded like sappy, psychological drivel. But Moira had a way of speaking, clinical and precise, that was more like visiting an extremely efficient physician. Don't be an idiot. If you're sick, come to me. That's my job, and I'm good at it. She radiated cool assurance and professionalism like a heater radiated warmth.

,,

He regarded her back for a moment, his expression neutral. She arched a brow at him, obviously unwilling to leave until she got some sort of acknowledgement from him. Finally, he rolled his eyes and capitulated, since it appeared to be the only way to get rid of her. "Fine, Fitzgerald. I'll keep it in mind."

,,

She smiled, in that cool detached manner of hers, and nodded. "Good. I suppose we're done here then, for now. Good evening, Captain." And with that she turned and walked out, finally done with her evening.