Carson Beckett Challenges and Fun

[ladygris]

Isn't it though?? I was going to change the coloring but I decided against it since the black is easiest to see for me.

Yeah, but the black goes with the frames around your pictures. It ties it all together.

[m&mnm317]

Yeah, but the black goes with the frames around your pictures. It ties it all together.

True - good point. I just wanna stare at my desktop LOL

[ladygris]

True - good point. I just wanna stare at my desktop LOL

Now you know how I feel all the time!

[m&mnm317]

Now you know how I feel all the time!

True but I'm not always proud of my work so I'm shocked when I am. LOL

[ladygris]

True but I'm not always proud of my work so I'm shocked when I am. LOL

Yeah, you don't know the number of times I finish something, decide it's not good enough, go back and tweak it, decide it's still not good enough........

[m&mnm317]

Yeah, you don't know the number of times I finish something, decide it's not good enough, go back and tweak it, decide it's still not good enough........

Oh, I'm sure it's almost every single time you've made something. You seem to be the perfectionist type.

[ladygris]

Oh, I'm sure it's almost every single time you've made something. You seem to be the perfectionist type.

When it comes to art, I am the perfectionist type. And, by art, I mean art, writing, etc. At least, with my own.

[m&mnm317]

When it comes to art, I am the perfectionist type. And, by art, I mean art, writing, etc. At least, with my own.

I try to be but sometimes, I just don't care.. With art anyways.

[ladygris]

I try to be but sometimes, I just don't care.. With art anyways.

I get that way, too.

Okay, off to get ready for the afternoon! Have a great day!

*waves*

[m&mnm317]

I get that way, too.

Okay, off to get ready for the afternoon! Have a great day!

*waves*

You too! *hugs*

[m&mnm317]

New portion of BtS! Hope you like it. PT 1

Spoiler:

Hundreds of candles lit the sentencing room, painting tendrils of light on the stone walls as shadows danced merrily in the cracks. The room itself was circular, large enough to fit Atlantis’ stargate flat on the floor with another stargate intertwined in the middle, its top grazing the roof. There was only one way out of the room and it was the door they were currently standing in. It was a great thing when you were doing the hosting but if you’re the company – it’s unnerving.

On the far side of the room sat a long table big enough to seat the five village elders. Each place was designated by its own chair, each one as different as those that would sit in them. The first that drew John’s attention was the biggest chair, obviously belonging to Karloff which was plain in looks but it had a smooth regality to it that screamed “leader”. On either side of the main chair were two others, all similar to Karloff’s in simple structure but it was obvious to outsiders that there were genders associated with those that sit in them.

The five village Elders sat at the table, staring ominously across from them at the dreaded man who sat in a high-backed, wooden chair. Rope woven out of the thickest fibers was wrapped around his wrists and ankles, pinning him there like the prisoner he was. It gave Lansiah great satisfaction to see Rosha held in such a manner; given her current hatred of the man, it was far more humane than what she had in mind.

“Ah, Lansiah, it is good to see you again,” Karloff greeted in his deep voice. Green eyes peering out of a plump face lined with wrinkles of time and thick, wiry hair scanned over her, trying to decide how the Atlanteans had been treating her. “You are well?”

“I am very well Elder Karloff,” Lansiah responded politely, even a bit warmly. She liked Karloff; he was a lonely man but hid it behind his professionalism and duty. They often spoke when one wanted company. It could have been perceived as an odd arrangement but to them it was no different than a father speaking with his daughter.

“Now that we got that out of the way, can we please get on with the proceedings?” Fralech*, the oldest member of the Elders intoned sounding bored and desperate to be done with the punishment. He was a plump man, like Karloff, but he had none of the senior Elder’s warmth in his features. Rather than the round face and friendly eyes, Fralech had a long nose that ended at a sharp point just over his mouth; his eyes were almond shaped and yellow like a hawks’ and just as sharp.

“Now, now Fralech. There is no need to be so rude,” Iena chided gently, the smile on her thin face telling Lansiah that she, too, was glad to find the young woman safe and well. Her ebony eyes focused on the two men behind Lansiah and she raised her head and gave each one a minute nod. “Colonel Sheppard, Specialist Dex, it is good to see the both of you. I suppose you are here to speak on behalf of Atlantis?”

“If need be, yes,” Colonel Sheppard answered succinctly, giving his most charming smile at the older woman.

“While Lansiah is here to speak on behalf of Doctor Beckett, there is no one here to actually speak for Atlantis as a world,” Tohhli* answered logically, sweeping a thin arm around him as though to show that no one else from Atlantis was there. “Generally we prefer to two representatives – the offended party and another from the world of the offended. Since Doctor Weir could not attend, I must assume she sent you in her place.”

Lansiah briefly peered behind her to see surprise flash in the pilot’s green eyes but it was gone as soon as it came and she turned her head around to face the council of Elders.

“Never the less, I must agree with Fralech though not for the same reason. I believe that Lansiah, Colonel Sheppard, and Specialist Dex would like to get back to their home sooner rather than later.” Chaafra, the last remaining member of her family answered reasonably and with the care of a mother. Her own children had been killed long ago during a wraith attack and no grandchildren had been made; her husband had died just last winter leaving the kindly woman alone in the world. Lansiah had identified with the older woman easily and often stopped by to check on her.

“Very well,” Karloff announced with such finality in his tone as to silence the entire chamber. He waited until all eyes were on him before he continued in a much softer tone, “Let’s begin.”

Lansiah, Colonel Sheppard, and Ronon walked further into the circular room, coming to stand off to the side, between the Elders and Rosha with their backs to a wall and their eyes focused on the group of onlookers who had heard about the accident. Almost all of the people in the chamber wore scowls of hate aimed directly at Rosha but whether it was because they simply disliked the man or whether they were truly angry for what he had done to Carson, Lansiah did not know.

[m&mnm317]

PT 2

Spoiler:

The trial was short in and of itself. Karloff read Rosha’s side of the attack then he read Carson’s. Both stories were told in even, dispassionate tones in an effort to sound neutral. There wouldn’t be any votes from the other villagers over Rosha’s guilt – just the other Elders – but he still wished to let his fellow members form their own opinions. When it came time to share his own experiences, however, he did not hold back. He allowed his anger at Rosha to come through and spoke only truths, including his opinion of the entire matter.

Votes were taken, each affirmative “aye” echoing loudly throughout the stone room. A fury of cheers erupted from the attending villagers when it became certain that Rosha had been convicted, each celebrating in his humility. Karloff allowed his people their happiness for a time before he held up his hand, instantly silencing the group.

“Now is the time for punishment,” he announced solemnly, his deep voice reverberating throughout everyone’s chests. “The attack was not severe enough to warrant exile,” he paused to allow the cries of anger and argument to die down then continued, “but we have determined that Rosha is no longer a member of this village.” Everyone, including Lansiah gave the Elder wrinkled brows of confusion and the man allowed his words to linger for a time before he explained. “Rosha will now be a dibleht*.”

The room erupted into cheers and laughter once more, hardly a member of society sparing the accused’s feelings as they taunted. Lansiah could tell by the less than amused looks on the Atlanteans that they did not approve of the jeering but she also did not care. Rosha deserved more than mere humiliation; she wasn’t going to encourage the crowd but she wasn’t going to attempt to stop it either.

Iena pulled Karloff down for a brief conversation before the senior Elder stood back up and once again held up his hands. “Now, as Iena reminds me, there are those of us here that do not know what a dibleht is and for them, I will explain.” He turned his body in the Atlantean’s, briefly offering an apology to the on lookers for turning his back to them, and focused solely on them. “On Hoa, we believe every one to be equal. It is not an uncommon view from what we have seen on other worlds but we do make exceptions. The Elders,” he waved an arm at the council members behind him, “and I are seen as above the rest but that is only true in terms of altercations, when the laws of our world must be enforced; otherwise we are no more above them as they are us.”

Karloff glanced rather sternly at Rosha while he took a moment to breathe then continued, with his eyes on the Atlanteans. “However, we make exceptions when they are needed; we have not needed to make one in quite a long time as we are generally able to work things out through the law rather than attacking one another.”

“A dibleht is a person or persons who have wronged someone of the community in one form or another. They are reduced from being a villager, one who is under the protection of this council, to a servant. Now, please do not misunderstand me,” he continued hastily when he saw a fire ignite in Colonel Sheppard’s eyes, “we do not treat our servants harshly but the only reason they forced to serve is because they have strayed from our ways and have taken the law into their own hands so they are not treated equally either. They are hosted by the family they have wronged, sleeping in a spare area that can be found and given food of the family’s table. However, they are only allowed to eat and sleep when their “master” says they can. The council makes regular visits to ensure that they are not being starved or overworked; if they find that this is so, the dibleht is reinstated back into the village but forced to live and work with restrictions.”

“And you are planning on making Rosha serve Carson or Lansiah?” Colonel Sheppard asked, slowly drawing out his words while his mind processed the information.

“Normally we would give him to Doctor Beckett since he was the one who has been wronged but we do not like to allow our members to be taken to another world against their consent,” Tohhli answered in Karloff’s stead, giving the senior member time to rest his voice and grab some water. He stood up, his thin frame paling horribly in comparison to Karloff’s thicker one, and resumed the explanation. “The other members and I have discussed what we would do in this situation and we have agreed to do things differently. We will allow one member of each household to bid for Rosha as their servant, ensuring that his sentence is carried out but he also remains on Hoa.”

The mumbles of the Hoans were quieter than the previous cries and cheers but they were still deafening in the enclosed room. Tohhli smiled warmly at the crowd like a father assuring his children and simply waited for them to quiet on their own. “Now, I will assume that you have all elected one person to represent your family so if you would please step forward so that we may begin.” The sentence wasn’t complete by any means but the questioning tone in the kindly man’s tenor voice left no doubt of what he expected.

Several members of the village stepped forward almost hesitantly. This had never happened on Hoa before and they were confused by the change. They stood in a single line, all facing Rosha, silently waiting for the “bidding” to commence.

“A show of hands of those that wish to bid,” Iena announced sternly. The strong, petite woman was barely able to hide a smile when no one raised their hands to indicate that they wanted the accused. She failed altogether when Rosha began sputtering and cursing those around him for their lack of loyalty. “Very well, it seems that we have no choice but to send him to Vassilion for work.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, were we bidding?” Colonel Sheppard announced with all too fake innocence in his voice. He raised his hand to indicate that he was interested, drawing an unmanly shriek of fear when Ronon’s lip curled into a feral smile, promising to play with him like a cat and a mouse.

“Surely you would not wish to have this man on Atlantis,” Fralech questioned mockingly. All on Hoa knew about the Atlantean’s dislike of having new people on the majestic city and he wasn’t above teasing them about it.

“Well,” the pilot answered, drawing out the word as his tone pitched then dropped, “we could sedate him, take him to Atlantis, see what Elizabeth would want to do, then sedate him again to remove him.”

“You would take him to your leader and have her decide? Are you not able to decide such things for yourselves?” Chaafra questioned.

“I’m not so sure Elizabeth would approve of “our” way,” Colonel Sheppard answered with a sly grin.

“What if I were to claim him?” Lansiah interrupted, surprising even herself with the suggestion. “I may need someone to watch him while I am away as I will be returning back to Atlantis and will not be coming back for a few months but if that is acceptable then I will claim him.”

“I am not a dog!” Rosha objected loudly and angrily.

“As far as this council is concerned Rosha, you are exactly that,” Karloff snapped with such bite in his tone it wouldn’t have surprised anyone if the accused had started bleeding from the tone. The Elder sighed heavily, expelling his frustration and dislike of his options in the breath. “I am sorry Lansiah but that it not possible. Our laws do not allow for such circumstances and I do not wish this man on anyone who did not voluntarily bid for him.” He waited for the weight of his words to sink in before he continued in yet another sigh. “It seems we have no choice but to exile him, though I do not believe Vassilion to be far enough. Parlek, possibly.”

“Parlek!” Rosha shrieked unable to stop himself. “That is where we send criminals to make their way.”

“Fitting, isn’t it?” Tohhli answered with a wry smile.

The five Elders looked at one another, affirming each head nod for themselves before Karloff gave his own nod and spoke. “It is settled then! Rosha, we will give you enough time to gather your belongings and some necessary provisions then you will be on your way.”

With the sentence having been doled out, the on lookers began to trickle out of the room. Two guards came and unbound Rosha while two more stood by, silently begging the accused to make a wrong move, and escorted him from the chamber. Once most of the crowd left, the Elders began to file out as well, each one tired from the excitement of the day and the weariness the winter brings to their bones.

With all gone out of the room Lansiah, Colonel Sheppard, and Ronon left for the jumper, eager to get back home.

[ladygris]

Love it, M! I loved the procedures and such.

[m&mnm317]

Love it, M! I loved the procedures and such.

Thanks - I pretty much made it all up as I wrote.

[m&mnm317]

WOOHOO!!!!! Party in the CB C&F thread!

As of 1216p MT and coming in at 78,367words, my fic Braving the Storm is finished!!!!! *dances and passes out cookies and Mountain Dew*