The Outside Point of View
Dec. 23rd, 2015 12:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lit_galGo to my journal if you want to read the last two posts:
Chapters one-three
Chapters four-five
Again, post-Trinity McShep with a heavy dose of reality for Elizabeth and John and a new ally for Rodney.
Six
“Weir to McKay, Doctor, have you forgotten our meeting?” Dr. Weir’s tone was so sharp that it practically cut Tyrel’s ear. Thank god Rodney hadn’t heard it.
“Dr. Weir, this is Mr. Brown. I don’t have you on Dr. McKay’s schedule for this morning. Which meeting are you referencing?” He kept his voice as smooth as honey only because it annoyed her more.
“Mr. Brown, I requested contact with Dr. McKay.”
“As I’ve informed you, all Dr. McKay’s calls redirect to me, Dr. Weir. I keep his schedule and if you tell me what meeting Dr. McKay is missing, I will make sure to enter it into his schedule and I will ensure he attends. That is my job.”
There was a long silence, and Tyrel wondered if she was cursing him out or talking to the others at the weekly meeting. This had to be uncomfortable for Radek, but he’d been gleefully supportive. Despite the fact that everyone said McKay’s behavior had been particularly vicious toward Radek, he was McKay’s staunchest supporter. He’d actually enjoyed throwing wrenches in Weir’s unprofessional campaign of terror. Okay, it was unfair to call it terror, but she was trying to shame Rodney, and Colonel Sheppard was right there with her half the time. The other half he was staring at Rodney with wounded eyes, and Tyrel was trying hard to ignore what that might mean.
“Mr. Brown, there is a weekly meeting of all department heads. I need Rodney here.”
“This is the meeting to schedule gate teams, correct?” Tyrel asked.
“Yes.”
“That is a non-command staff meeting. Radek Zelenka has all pertinent information. The command staff meeting for delegating resources and identifying problems is still scheduled for two Tuesdays from tomorrow, correct?” Tyrel tapped the edge of his computer and tried to keep the smirk off his face.
“I would like Rodney here for this meeting,” Weir said, her voice tense.
“I’m sorry, but that is not part of Dr. McKay’s job description. He is currently busy with other projects. I’m sure Dr. Zelenka can advise you on gate teams.”
And if he couldn’t, Tyrel couldn’t care. These people had the world’s foremost expert on Ancient technology and they were sending him to trade for grain. That might be worth it to create a cohesive team, but Tyrel failed to see why he should send his boss to get emotionally shredded just so Colonel Sheppard could feel justified in his contempt. There was a click and the radio went dead. So much for common courtesy toward him.
Luckily Rich found the whole drama amusing. He called it better than a soap opera and then proceeded to make Teyla Emmagan his new best friend—one willing to introduce him to all their allies where he could try exotic food and give himself food poisoning so bad that he’d thrown up all over Dr. Carson’s floor. Carson assumed that would slow Rich’s enthusiasm for exotic meals, but Tyrel knew better. Rich had gotten food poisoning on every continent except Antarctic, and his life’s goal was to get it there too. Apparently there were South American natives who cooked petrel and penguin. Rich insisted he was going to go down there and try it. The man was probably safer living in Pegasus than on earth.
Tyrel closed his computer and prepared for a stage two assault. At least his posting was predictable. Sure enough, two minutes later, Colonel Sheppard stormed through the door. Tyrel put himself directly between Sheppard and the door to McKay’s new lab.
“Move,” Sheppard ordered.
“Funny enough, I don’t work for you, so I don’t take your orders.”
Sheppard was nearly vibrating with rage, but honestly, what could he do? It wasn’t like Sheppard would shoot him, and he was half Tyrel’s size, so he couldn’t physically push through.
“If you won’t move, then call McKay and get his ass out here.”
“Oh, you ask so nicely, but I’m going to have to decline. He has blocked out the next three hours for an experiment.”
“So he’s hiding behind you, is that it?” Sheppard moved right into Tyrel’s face.
“My job is to enforce his schedule, exactly like I’ve done with every superior officer I’ve ever worked for. Does every private or airman in your command come straight to you, Colonel?”
“I’m not a random airman.” Sheppard’s voice was low and dangerous now. Unfortunately for him, Tyrel had been threatened by senators and generals alike.
“No, but you are not on McKay’s schedule, and you have no standing to demand anything of him.”
Sheppard’s exaggerated flinch spoke louder than he probably understood. Earlier, Tyrel had tried poking Rodney to see if he understood the colonel’s emotions, but all he’d gotten back were confused looks. It was like watching blind men try to find each other for a waltz—lots of bumbling, stepping on each other’s toes and blame. “As far as I’m concerned, he’s still part of my team.”
“Then you shouldn’t have said ‘no’ when he asked if you trusted him,” Tyrel said.
Sheppard threw up his hands. “Don’t act like you understand any of this. You weren’t here.”
That was a stupid argument, and Tyrel didn’t argue with stupid. He just stared at Sheppard.
“He blew up a solar system!”
“Is that the message you want me to pass along?” Tyrel asked sweetly. He even managed to avoid saying that Sheppard had woken the Wraith and sent men to their deaths to get iratus eggs to save him. He didn’t bring up that it was Rodney’s idea to cloak the city or how he had managed to get the generators to work with the ZPM. He shouldn’t have to say those things, and until these people remembered on their own, they weren’t going to show Rodney the respect he deserved.
Sheppard tried to shove past him, but Tyrel caught him by the wrist and pushed him away. When Sheppard brought his hands up, ready for battle, Tyrel suspected he might have misjudged the situation.
“Sheppard,” Ronon said from the door. Thank god for small favors, Tyrel suspected that either Weir or Radek had called Ronon.
“Not now, Ronon.”
“Not worth it. You know Weir’s going to have to do something if you hit one of your own guys.”
“He’s not one of mine,” Sheppard practically snarled.
“No, I’m Dr. McKay’s,” Tyrel said firmly. Sheppard gave him one stricken look and then stormed out of the office.
“He’s not safe to annoy like that,” Ronon warned.
“I know. But I can’t let him take that attitude into Rodney’s office.”
Ronon considered him for a time, but that didn’t bother Tyrel. He sank back down behind his desk and opened his computer. He had a lot of reports to log and people to check on before he had his afternoon report for McKay. Five minutes later, Ronon was still there. Tyrel looked up.
“Sheppard doesn’t know why he’s angry.”
Tyrel sighed. “I know that too, but I can’t fix it. He’s career military, and he knew the rules when he signed up, just like I did.”
“Keeping them apart is going to make this worse.”
“For him? Yeah, it is,” Tyrel admitted. “But Dr. McKay has already sacrificed too much to try and be the sort of man Sheppard wants.”
“Sheppard likes McKay the way he is.”
Tyrel wished that was the case. “No, he wants McKay to never make mistakes. That’s not possible, and the fear of making a mistake is going to cripple Dr. McKay.”
Ronon seemed to think about that for a second, but then he said, “He doesn’t seem afraid of much except lemons.”
“If you believe that, you’re not nearly as insightful as I assumed,” Tyrel said.
For a time, Ronon stood there as silent as a shadow. But Tyrel had too much work to worry about it. The department heads were still trying to neglect their paperwork and send all reports to McKay without reading them. Tyrel had used a computer virus to insert a few random paragraphs into the reports of scientists under those he suspected, so he now knew that Katie Brown and Peter Kavanagh had forwarded reports from their divisions without checking the work.
“Dr. Brown, this is Mr. Brown, could I have a word please,” he called on the radio. It took several minutes before the woman answered, and Tyrel used the time to make an entry into the private personnel files. When McKay had to write evaluations, this would provide concrete data for him. And Tyrel had warned all the scientists that calling Dr. McKay without contacting their division heads first, having a repair fail, or neglecting their paperwork would be noted on their performance review. Of course he hadn’t expected them to believe him. For all his bluster and fury, McKay didn’t know how to hit these people where it hurt. Tyrel did.
Seven
Teyla came into the office, her arms laden with bundles. “I come bearing a meal.” Tyrel didn’t understand why she’d brought so much food until he saw Ronon following right behind her.
“You brought food. How thoughtful,” Tyrel said as he stood to take some from her. She slapped his hand away while balancing it all.
“Rich said to assure you that I was not allowed to prepare any of it. Ronon and Rich made this food, so I am contributing by carrying it.”
“Where is Rich?” Tyrel asked as he moved to open the inner door to Rodney’s lab.
“He is learning to make tuttleroot soup. It requires much tending and patience. He sends his regrets at not joining us for lunch.”
“I like your husband,” Ronon added.
“My husband likes your appetite,” Tyrel told Ronon. “Dr. McKay, is this a good time for lunch? And before you answer, you should know that Rich has sent lunch.”
Rodney’s head popped up from behind a computer. “Rich made it? Gimme!”
Teyla laughed as she came in after Tyrel. “You are easily seduced by food,” she said.
“Hell yes. Rich has cooked for princes and presidents. He can make anything taste amazing.”
“That’s the advantage of learning local foods well enough to identify important herbs and flavors,” Tyrel said, but he was proud of his partner. The man was in heaven with a new galaxy of foods to explore, and Weir had finally swallowed her pride and offered him a job running the kitchens. Tyrel hoped that her willingness to bend on that issue meant she was reconsidering some of her actions. In the month since Tyrel and Rich had arrived, he had managed to get most of Atlantis to show Rodney a little more respect. In return, Rodney was a little more relaxed, a little less likely to snap at everyone who crossed his path. However, Weir and Sheppard were holding a grudge longer than reasonable.
“Hi.” Rodney looked at his former teammates with a guarded suspicion that made Tyrel’s heart ache.
Teyla ignored the look, deposited the food on the only bare table and hurried over to touch foreheads with him. “I often miss your insights during our missions, but I was especially aware of your absence during this last mission.”
“Oh? Well of course you would miss me. Captain What’s-her-name is not nearly as skilled as I am.”
Ronon started unpacking food. “A princess tried to get in Sheppard’s pants.”
Rodney rolled his eyes. “Oh, of course she did. That man is a certifiable Kirk. He’s spreading venereal diseases to whole new worlds.”
“He seemed more confused than interested,” Ronon said, and then he was filling his plate with massive quantities of food.
“Hey, that’s for me,” Rodney objected, and then he was pushing in, laying claim to his own pile of food. Tyrel was sorry that Rich wasn’t here to enjoy the competition. He did love it when people appreciated his food. He had applied everything he knew about the science of food to transform local foods into something more palatable for earth folks. There were little used herbs that mimicked the sweet flavors of sugar or honey people craved. He’d identified all sorts of new food sources, some of them quite cheap because they were unpopular with Pegasus natives.
“Oh god, this is heaven,” Rodney said as he bit into a local game bird.
“Rich is quite skilled. His reputation is growing on a number of worlds,” Teyla said. “Cooking is a well-respected art.”
Rodney hummed around his food, and Ronon looked at him and smiled.
“I think the command chair we found was more interesting than the princess,” Teyla said. Rodney’s gaze locked onto her and his mouth fell open, which was not the most pleasing of table manners. “The local people had disconnected it and were using it as a throne. They tried to claim John as their rightful king, and if not for the infighting amongst members of the royal family, we might have been trapped there.”
Rodney swallowed before asking with his mouth half-full, “What happened to the chair, the technology?”
“Captain Nejem blew up the north side of the tower, and they decided to give the colonel back.”
“Of course she did. Military minds. Blow up everything, why don’t you?”
“I agree. The violence was not necessary.”
“They had Sheppard,” Ronon argued.
“Half this galaxy has captured Sheppard. I think he likes it,” Rodney complained. “I’m trying to enjoy my food. Can we talk about something else?”
Teyla gave him a teasing smile before informing him, “We have planted more lectia on the mainland. We hope for a good harvest this year.”
Rodney glared. “Do you really think that’s better?”
“I assumed it would not interfere with your digestion,” Teyla said sweetly.
“Well I should go guard the front,” Tyrel said as soon as he’d filled his plate.
“Stay and share a meal with us,” Teyla said, but Tyrel shook his head.
“I have work. It’s coming time for staff evaluations, and I need to make sure that I have all the records in place. A few scientists still have not submitted their year-end reports and I need to track them down and remind them that tardiness with paperwork will reflect poorly on their evaluation. So as much as I appreciate the invitation, I’ll leave you guys to your conversation.” Tyrel was being honest. He sometimes wondered how Rodney got any work done. Scientists would half-ass some repair job and just wait for Rodney to get frustrated enough to fix it himself. They would send him poorly done math and wait for him to find the mistakes rather than checking their own work. The science section had been a mess.
And while a big part of that was Rodney’s fault, Tyrel also blamed Dr. Weir. She knew he lacked the personal skills to handle a department, yet as far as Tyrel could see, she had done nothing to help him. And just as speaking of the devil made him appear, Tyrel no more than thought that before Dr. Weir was calling him. At least she no longer tried to bypass Tyrel’s comm, although she had requested Radek hack into the comm system. Clearly she didn’t know Radek had been the one to redirect all comm traffic in the first place.
“One of the other teams has found two people in stasis pods and Rodney needs to come check this technology,” Dr. Weir said. “Now,” she added tersely. Tyrel was well aware that his presence was aggravating Dr. Weir, but he found himself amused by that.
“Of course, Dr. Weir. Unfamiliar technology is Dr. McKay’s primary responsibility. I’ll interrupt his lunch and he’ll be in the gate room within ten minutes.”
“Weir out.”
With a sigh, Tyrel commed Rodney. “Dr. McKay, one of the teams brought back functional stasis pods. Dr. Weir requests you come to the Gate room immediately.”
Tyrel hadn’t even finished before Rodney was striding through the office, one of Rich’s oversized tuttle cookies in hand. “Stay here and finish chasing down those slackers,” Rodney said before he was out the door.
“He seems happier,” Teyla offered as she wandered out of the lab. “Is this something of interest?”
“Are you interested in stasis pods?” Tyrel asked.
“Not as much as I am interested in enjoying Rich’s food,” Teyla said with a sparkle in her eye. “No doubt they shall call us if it becomes interesting.” She brought her plate from the other room and settled into one of the visitor chairs. “You have been good for Rodney. I had not realized he was so stressed until you came.”
“I did.” Ronon said as he followed. “I just thought that was normal for him.”
“I don’t think anyone can work sixteen hour days for months on end without getting a little cranky,” Tyrel said. “Of course if he had told people to stop in a tone of voice that was significantly different than the one he used to complain about his back or demand coffee, they probably would have figured out he was serious about not being able to keep up with the work.”
Teyla frowned. “It bothers me that we have neglected to see his pain. I do not understand why John is so reluctant to admit the harm we have done.”
“Because he’s thinking with his dick,” Ronon said.
Teyla glared at him.
“I’m serious. The sperm has backed up to his brain.” Ronon tapped the side of his head.
The first time Ronon had announced that, Tyrel had almost snorted Athosian tea out his nose, but apparently that was a common saying on Sateda, and it only meant that Sheppard had blue balls. Tyrel had to agree with that.
“John’s anger is irrational, but he has always had difficulty actually trusting people. And once he gives his trust, he relies on it completely. He feels betrayed.”
“Because Rodney wasn’t perfect,” Tyrel said. He’d said that to a lot of people. For the most part, the scientists had understood that Rodney wasn’t truly to blame. Besides, they could now unite over hating Tyrel. Apparently he was a petty dictator with no education and delusions of grandeur. It didn’t escape Tyrel’s notice that their description of him so closely matched the descriptions of Dr. McKay in many respects. And all Tyrel had done was insist they perform their duties as described by the charter. Section heads received a stipend to supervise their units, not so they could pass on all problems to Rodney. Tyrel simply enforced the rules.
“It is hard for friends to accept change. John is less accepting than most.”
“He’s an ass,” Tyrel said.
Ronon grunted without adding anything.
“He is someone who believed he could put his faith in Rodney, only to find that Rodney is as human as the rest of us,” Teyla said. “If you would encourage Rodney to forgive John, the healing would benefit both of them.”
“I’m not keeping him away,” Tyrel said. Teyla raised her eyebrows at him. “During private hours, I’m not keeping him away. If Colonel Sheppard comes down here during office hours, it’s my job to keep him out so he’s not a distraction.”
“And during off hours, John is too self-conscious to seek out Rodney.”
Tyrel put his fork down. “That sounds like a personal problem.”
Teyla sighed. “I have given you time to help Rodney recover from the harm that came when he suffered the anger of Elizabeth and John, but if you keep Colonel Sheppard away, you will do Rodney an even greater harm.”
Tyrel studied Teyla. Her heart was in the right place, but he wasn’t sure she understood. “When I was younger, there was a man I loved. He was in my unit, one rank above me. We crossed swords several times, as Ronon would describe it.”
Teyla watched him attentively, but Tyrel had to take a second to compose his thoughts. “This man would seek me out for comfort or join me in my bed, but the second he felt insecure, he would mock me in public or make sure that everyone else in the unit knew that I was below him. He was so afraid of someone finding out he was gay that he made me feel like a piece of trash.”
Teyla gave him a sympathetic look. “I understand.”
“No,” Tyrel cut her off before she could say more. “You don’t understand. Years after that, I did the same thing to a man I liked. I would catch myself staring at him, and then I would have to do something to put some distance between us so the other guys wouldn’t guess. I convinced them that he was like a little brother, and that included endless teasing and torturing. Luckily for him, he had more self-esteem than I’d had when I was being emotionally abused. He transferred out and I got written up for hazing. Rich is the first stable relationship I’ve had, and before I retired, I didn’t treat him well. I missed his birthday because I wouldn’t tell the General that the man I loved had a special day. So instead, I spent Rich’s birthday reorganizing the General’s notes for a budget committee hearing.”
Now Teyla looked bothered, so maybe he was getting through to her.
“This is what the US military does to people with this Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell bullshit. You can have a career or you can treat the person you love like a human being, but it’s hard as hell to do both. Rich and I wouldn’t have made it if I hadn’t retired.”
When Tyrel stopped, Ronon’s chewing was the only sound. Teyla’s expression was guarded and sad.
“Stupid rule,” Ronon said.
“I agree. However, if my job is to protect Rodney, how can I protect him from that?”
“I wish I knew,” Teyla said softly.
“Yeah, I wish you did too.”
“McKay to Tyrel, bring me those alien culture writing samples. These stasis pods aren’t Ancient.” With a click, Rodney was gone without waiting for an answer. Tyrel took it as a compliment that Rodney didn’t feel a need to repeat directions or micromanage. He was finally starting to trust Tyrel’s competence, and that was a hard-won victory on Tyrel’s part.
“Sorry, but duty calls,” he said as he grabbed a table and headed for the door.
“Tyrel,” Teyla called.
He turned and looked at her. “I shall meditate on this, but some souls call to each other.”
Ronon then ruined the moment by adding, “Assuming they aren’t too stupid to listen.”
Chapters one-three
Chapters four-five
Again, post-Trinity McShep with a heavy dose of reality for Elizabeth and John and a new ally for Rodney.
Six
“Weir to McKay, Doctor, have you forgotten our meeting?” Dr. Weir’s tone was so sharp that it practically cut Tyrel’s ear. Thank god Rodney hadn’t heard it.
“Dr. Weir, this is Mr. Brown. I don’t have you on Dr. McKay’s schedule for this morning. Which meeting are you referencing?” He kept his voice as smooth as honey only because it annoyed her more.
“Mr. Brown, I requested contact with Dr. McKay.”
“As I’ve informed you, all Dr. McKay’s calls redirect to me, Dr. Weir. I keep his schedule and if you tell me what meeting Dr. McKay is missing, I will make sure to enter it into his schedule and I will ensure he attends. That is my job.”
There was a long silence, and Tyrel wondered if she was cursing him out or talking to the others at the weekly meeting. This had to be uncomfortable for Radek, but he’d been gleefully supportive. Despite the fact that everyone said McKay’s behavior had been particularly vicious toward Radek, he was McKay’s staunchest supporter. He’d actually enjoyed throwing wrenches in Weir’s unprofessional campaign of terror. Okay, it was unfair to call it terror, but she was trying to shame Rodney, and Colonel Sheppard was right there with her half the time. The other half he was staring at Rodney with wounded eyes, and Tyrel was trying hard to ignore what that might mean.
“Mr. Brown, there is a weekly meeting of all department heads. I need Rodney here.”
“This is the meeting to schedule gate teams, correct?” Tyrel asked.
“Yes.”
“That is a non-command staff meeting. Radek Zelenka has all pertinent information. The command staff meeting for delegating resources and identifying problems is still scheduled for two Tuesdays from tomorrow, correct?” Tyrel tapped the edge of his computer and tried to keep the smirk off his face.
“I would like Rodney here for this meeting,” Weir said, her voice tense.
“I’m sorry, but that is not part of Dr. McKay’s job description. He is currently busy with other projects. I’m sure Dr. Zelenka can advise you on gate teams.”
And if he couldn’t, Tyrel couldn’t care. These people had the world’s foremost expert on Ancient technology and they were sending him to trade for grain. That might be worth it to create a cohesive team, but Tyrel failed to see why he should send his boss to get emotionally shredded just so Colonel Sheppard could feel justified in his contempt. There was a click and the radio went dead. So much for common courtesy toward him.
Luckily Rich found the whole drama amusing. He called it better than a soap opera and then proceeded to make Teyla Emmagan his new best friend—one willing to introduce him to all their allies where he could try exotic food and give himself food poisoning so bad that he’d thrown up all over Dr. Carson’s floor. Carson assumed that would slow Rich’s enthusiasm for exotic meals, but Tyrel knew better. Rich had gotten food poisoning on every continent except Antarctic, and his life’s goal was to get it there too. Apparently there were South American natives who cooked petrel and penguin. Rich insisted he was going to go down there and try it. The man was probably safer living in Pegasus than on earth.
Tyrel closed his computer and prepared for a stage two assault. At least his posting was predictable. Sure enough, two minutes later, Colonel Sheppard stormed through the door. Tyrel put himself directly between Sheppard and the door to McKay’s new lab.
“Move,” Sheppard ordered.
“Funny enough, I don’t work for you, so I don’t take your orders.”
Sheppard was nearly vibrating with rage, but honestly, what could he do? It wasn’t like Sheppard would shoot him, and he was half Tyrel’s size, so he couldn’t physically push through.
“If you won’t move, then call McKay and get his ass out here.”
“Oh, you ask so nicely, but I’m going to have to decline. He has blocked out the next three hours for an experiment.”
“So he’s hiding behind you, is that it?” Sheppard moved right into Tyrel’s face.
“My job is to enforce his schedule, exactly like I’ve done with every superior officer I’ve ever worked for. Does every private or airman in your command come straight to you, Colonel?”
“I’m not a random airman.” Sheppard’s voice was low and dangerous now. Unfortunately for him, Tyrel had been threatened by senators and generals alike.
“No, but you are not on McKay’s schedule, and you have no standing to demand anything of him.”
Sheppard’s exaggerated flinch spoke louder than he probably understood. Earlier, Tyrel had tried poking Rodney to see if he understood the colonel’s emotions, but all he’d gotten back were confused looks. It was like watching blind men try to find each other for a waltz—lots of bumbling, stepping on each other’s toes and blame. “As far as I’m concerned, he’s still part of my team.”
“Then you shouldn’t have said ‘no’ when he asked if you trusted him,” Tyrel said.
Sheppard threw up his hands. “Don’t act like you understand any of this. You weren’t here.”
That was a stupid argument, and Tyrel didn’t argue with stupid. He just stared at Sheppard.
“He blew up a solar system!”
“Is that the message you want me to pass along?” Tyrel asked sweetly. He even managed to avoid saying that Sheppard had woken the Wraith and sent men to their deaths to get iratus eggs to save him. He didn’t bring up that it was Rodney’s idea to cloak the city or how he had managed to get the generators to work with the ZPM. He shouldn’t have to say those things, and until these people remembered on their own, they weren’t going to show Rodney the respect he deserved.
Sheppard tried to shove past him, but Tyrel caught him by the wrist and pushed him away. When Sheppard brought his hands up, ready for battle, Tyrel suspected he might have misjudged the situation.
“Sheppard,” Ronon said from the door. Thank god for small favors, Tyrel suspected that either Weir or Radek had called Ronon.
“Not now, Ronon.”
“Not worth it. You know Weir’s going to have to do something if you hit one of your own guys.”
“He’s not one of mine,” Sheppard practically snarled.
“No, I’m Dr. McKay’s,” Tyrel said firmly. Sheppard gave him one stricken look and then stormed out of the office.
“He’s not safe to annoy like that,” Ronon warned.
“I know. But I can’t let him take that attitude into Rodney’s office.”
Ronon considered him for a time, but that didn’t bother Tyrel. He sank back down behind his desk and opened his computer. He had a lot of reports to log and people to check on before he had his afternoon report for McKay. Five minutes later, Ronon was still there. Tyrel looked up.
“Sheppard doesn’t know why he’s angry.”
Tyrel sighed. “I know that too, but I can’t fix it. He’s career military, and he knew the rules when he signed up, just like I did.”
“Keeping them apart is going to make this worse.”
“For him? Yeah, it is,” Tyrel admitted. “But Dr. McKay has already sacrificed too much to try and be the sort of man Sheppard wants.”
“Sheppard likes McKay the way he is.”
Tyrel wished that was the case. “No, he wants McKay to never make mistakes. That’s not possible, and the fear of making a mistake is going to cripple Dr. McKay.”
Ronon seemed to think about that for a second, but then he said, “He doesn’t seem afraid of much except lemons.”
“If you believe that, you’re not nearly as insightful as I assumed,” Tyrel said.
For a time, Ronon stood there as silent as a shadow. But Tyrel had too much work to worry about it. The department heads were still trying to neglect their paperwork and send all reports to McKay without reading them. Tyrel had used a computer virus to insert a few random paragraphs into the reports of scientists under those he suspected, so he now knew that Katie Brown and Peter Kavanagh had forwarded reports from their divisions without checking the work.
“Dr. Brown, this is Mr. Brown, could I have a word please,” he called on the radio. It took several minutes before the woman answered, and Tyrel used the time to make an entry into the private personnel files. When McKay had to write evaluations, this would provide concrete data for him. And Tyrel had warned all the scientists that calling Dr. McKay without contacting their division heads first, having a repair fail, or neglecting their paperwork would be noted on their performance review. Of course he hadn’t expected them to believe him. For all his bluster and fury, McKay didn’t know how to hit these people where it hurt. Tyrel did.
Seven
Teyla came into the office, her arms laden with bundles. “I come bearing a meal.” Tyrel didn’t understand why she’d brought so much food until he saw Ronon following right behind her.
“You brought food. How thoughtful,” Tyrel said as he stood to take some from her. She slapped his hand away while balancing it all.
“Rich said to assure you that I was not allowed to prepare any of it. Ronon and Rich made this food, so I am contributing by carrying it.”
“Where is Rich?” Tyrel asked as he moved to open the inner door to Rodney’s lab.
“He is learning to make tuttleroot soup. It requires much tending and patience. He sends his regrets at not joining us for lunch.”
“I like your husband,” Ronon added.
“My husband likes your appetite,” Tyrel told Ronon. “Dr. McKay, is this a good time for lunch? And before you answer, you should know that Rich has sent lunch.”
Rodney’s head popped up from behind a computer. “Rich made it? Gimme!”
Teyla laughed as she came in after Tyrel. “You are easily seduced by food,” she said.
“Hell yes. Rich has cooked for princes and presidents. He can make anything taste amazing.”
“That’s the advantage of learning local foods well enough to identify important herbs and flavors,” Tyrel said, but he was proud of his partner. The man was in heaven with a new galaxy of foods to explore, and Weir had finally swallowed her pride and offered him a job running the kitchens. Tyrel hoped that her willingness to bend on that issue meant she was reconsidering some of her actions. In the month since Tyrel and Rich had arrived, he had managed to get most of Atlantis to show Rodney a little more respect. In return, Rodney was a little more relaxed, a little less likely to snap at everyone who crossed his path. However, Weir and Sheppard were holding a grudge longer than reasonable.
“Hi.” Rodney looked at his former teammates with a guarded suspicion that made Tyrel’s heart ache.
Teyla ignored the look, deposited the food on the only bare table and hurried over to touch foreheads with him. “I often miss your insights during our missions, but I was especially aware of your absence during this last mission.”
“Oh? Well of course you would miss me. Captain What’s-her-name is not nearly as skilled as I am.”
Ronon started unpacking food. “A princess tried to get in Sheppard’s pants.”
Rodney rolled his eyes. “Oh, of course she did. That man is a certifiable Kirk. He’s spreading venereal diseases to whole new worlds.”
“He seemed more confused than interested,” Ronon said, and then he was filling his plate with massive quantities of food.
“Hey, that’s for me,” Rodney objected, and then he was pushing in, laying claim to his own pile of food. Tyrel was sorry that Rich wasn’t here to enjoy the competition. He did love it when people appreciated his food. He had applied everything he knew about the science of food to transform local foods into something more palatable for earth folks. There were little used herbs that mimicked the sweet flavors of sugar or honey people craved. He’d identified all sorts of new food sources, some of them quite cheap because they were unpopular with Pegasus natives.
“Oh god, this is heaven,” Rodney said as he bit into a local game bird.
“Rich is quite skilled. His reputation is growing on a number of worlds,” Teyla said. “Cooking is a well-respected art.”
Rodney hummed around his food, and Ronon looked at him and smiled.
“I think the command chair we found was more interesting than the princess,” Teyla said. Rodney’s gaze locked onto her and his mouth fell open, which was not the most pleasing of table manners. “The local people had disconnected it and were using it as a throne. They tried to claim John as their rightful king, and if not for the infighting amongst members of the royal family, we might have been trapped there.”
Rodney swallowed before asking with his mouth half-full, “What happened to the chair, the technology?”
“Captain Nejem blew up the north side of the tower, and they decided to give the colonel back.”
“Of course she did. Military minds. Blow up everything, why don’t you?”
“I agree. The violence was not necessary.”
“They had Sheppard,” Ronon argued.
“Half this galaxy has captured Sheppard. I think he likes it,” Rodney complained. “I’m trying to enjoy my food. Can we talk about something else?”
Teyla gave him a teasing smile before informing him, “We have planted more lectia on the mainland. We hope for a good harvest this year.”
Rodney glared. “Do you really think that’s better?”
“I assumed it would not interfere with your digestion,” Teyla said sweetly.
“Well I should go guard the front,” Tyrel said as soon as he’d filled his plate.
“Stay and share a meal with us,” Teyla said, but Tyrel shook his head.
“I have work. It’s coming time for staff evaluations, and I need to make sure that I have all the records in place. A few scientists still have not submitted their year-end reports and I need to track them down and remind them that tardiness with paperwork will reflect poorly on their evaluation. So as much as I appreciate the invitation, I’ll leave you guys to your conversation.” Tyrel was being honest. He sometimes wondered how Rodney got any work done. Scientists would half-ass some repair job and just wait for Rodney to get frustrated enough to fix it himself. They would send him poorly done math and wait for him to find the mistakes rather than checking their own work. The science section had been a mess.
And while a big part of that was Rodney’s fault, Tyrel also blamed Dr. Weir. She knew he lacked the personal skills to handle a department, yet as far as Tyrel could see, she had done nothing to help him. And just as speaking of the devil made him appear, Tyrel no more than thought that before Dr. Weir was calling him. At least she no longer tried to bypass Tyrel’s comm, although she had requested Radek hack into the comm system. Clearly she didn’t know Radek had been the one to redirect all comm traffic in the first place.
“One of the other teams has found two people in stasis pods and Rodney needs to come check this technology,” Dr. Weir said. “Now,” she added tersely. Tyrel was well aware that his presence was aggravating Dr. Weir, but he found himself amused by that.
“Of course, Dr. Weir. Unfamiliar technology is Dr. McKay’s primary responsibility. I’ll interrupt his lunch and he’ll be in the gate room within ten minutes.”
“Weir out.”
With a sigh, Tyrel commed Rodney. “Dr. McKay, one of the teams brought back functional stasis pods. Dr. Weir requests you come to the Gate room immediately.”
Tyrel hadn’t even finished before Rodney was striding through the office, one of Rich’s oversized tuttle cookies in hand. “Stay here and finish chasing down those slackers,” Rodney said before he was out the door.
“He seems happier,” Teyla offered as she wandered out of the lab. “Is this something of interest?”
“Are you interested in stasis pods?” Tyrel asked.
“Not as much as I am interested in enjoying Rich’s food,” Teyla said with a sparkle in her eye. “No doubt they shall call us if it becomes interesting.” She brought her plate from the other room and settled into one of the visitor chairs. “You have been good for Rodney. I had not realized he was so stressed until you came.”
“I did.” Ronon said as he followed. “I just thought that was normal for him.”
“I don’t think anyone can work sixteen hour days for months on end without getting a little cranky,” Tyrel said. “Of course if he had told people to stop in a tone of voice that was significantly different than the one he used to complain about his back or demand coffee, they probably would have figured out he was serious about not being able to keep up with the work.”
Teyla frowned. “It bothers me that we have neglected to see his pain. I do not understand why John is so reluctant to admit the harm we have done.”
“Because he’s thinking with his dick,” Ronon said.
Teyla glared at him.
“I’m serious. The sperm has backed up to his brain.” Ronon tapped the side of his head.
The first time Ronon had announced that, Tyrel had almost snorted Athosian tea out his nose, but apparently that was a common saying on Sateda, and it only meant that Sheppard had blue balls. Tyrel had to agree with that.
“John’s anger is irrational, but he has always had difficulty actually trusting people. And once he gives his trust, he relies on it completely. He feels betrayed.”
“Because Rodney wasn’t perfect,” Tyrel said. He’d said that to a lot of people. For the most part, the scientists had understood that Rodney wasn’t truly to blame. Besides, they could now unite over hating Tyrel. Apparently he was a petty dictator with no education and delusions of grandeur. It didn’t escape Tyrel’s notice that their description of him so closely matched the descriptions of Dr. McKay in many respects. And all Tyrel had done was insist they perform their duties as described by the charter. Section heads received a stipend to supervise their units, not so they could pass on all problems to Rodney. Tyrel simply enforced the rules.
“It is hard for friends to accept change. John is less accepting than most.”
“He’s an ass,” Tyrel said.
Ronon grunted without adding anything.
“He is someone who believed he could put his faith in Rodney, only to find that Rodney is as human as the rest of us,” Teyla said. “If you would encourage Rodney to forgive John, the healing would benefit both of them.”
“I’m not keeping him away,” Tyrel said. Teyla raised her eyebrows at him. “During private hours, I’m not keeping him away. If Colonel Sheppard comes down here during office hours, it’s my job to keep him out so he’s not a distraction.”
“And during off hours, John is too self-conscious to seek out Rodney.”
Tyrel put his fork down. “That sounds like a personal problem.”
Teyla sighed. “I have given you time to help Rodney recover from the harm that came when he suffered the anger of Elizabeth and John, but if you keep Colonel Sheppard away, you will do Rodney an even greater harm.”
Tyrel studied Teyla. Her heart was in the right place, but he wasn’t sure she understood. “When I was younger, there was a man I loved. He was in my unit, one rank above me. We crossed swords several times, as Ronon would describe it.”
Teyla watched him attentively, but Tyrel had to take a second to compose his thoughts. “This man would seek me out for comfort or join me in my bed, but the second he felt insecure, he would mock me in public or make sure that everyone else in the unit knew that I was below him. He was so afraid of someone finding out he was gay that he made me feel like a piece of trash.”
Teyla gave him a sympathetic look. “I understand.”
“No,” Tyrel cut her off before she could say more. “You don’t understand. Years after that, I did the same thing to a man I liked. I would catch myself staring at him, and then I would have to do something to put some distance between us so the other guys wouldn’t guess. I convinced them that he was like a little brother, and that included endless teasing and torturing. Luckily for him, he had more self-esteem than I’d had when I was being emotionally abused. He transferred out and I got written up for hazing. Rich is the first stable relationship I’ve had, and before I retired, I didn’t treat him well. I missed his birthday because I wouldn’t tell the General that the man I loved had a special day. So instead, I spent Rich’s birthday reorganizing the General’s notes for a budget committee hearing.”
Now Teyla looked bothered, so maybe he was getting through to her.
“This is what the US military does to people with this Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell bullshit. You can have a career or you can treat the person you love like a human being, but it’s hard as hell to do both. Rich and I wouldn’t have made it if I hadn’t retired.”
When Tyrel stopped, Ronon’s chewing was the only sound. Teyla’s expression was guarded and sad.
“Stupid rule,” Ronon said.
“I agree. However, if my job is to protect Rodney, how can I protect him from that?”
“I wish I knew,” Teyla said softly.
“Yeah, I wish you did too.”
“McKay to Tyrel, bring me those alien culture writing samples. These stasis pods aren’t Ancient.” With a click, Rodney was gone without waiting for an answer. Tyrel took it as a compliment that Rodney didn’t feel a need to repeat directions or micromanage. He was finally starting to trust Tyrel’s competence, and that was a hard-won victory on Tyrel’s part.
“Sorry, but duty calls,” he said as he grabbed a table and headed for the door.
“Tyrel,” Teyla called.
He turned and looked at her. “I shall meditate on this, but some souls call to each other.”
Ronon then ruined the moment by adding, “Assuming they aren’t too stupid to listen.”
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Date: 2015-12-24 01:36 am (UTC)Thanks for continuing and posting so quickly!
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Date: 2015-12-24 03:14 am (UTC)Re: :)
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Date: 2015-12-29 01:06 am (UTC)Thanks so much for this wonderful story!