24. Royal Favors

Mer walked into Elizabeth’s office and held up his hand to stall her before she spoke. An unnecessary gesture, he realized, since her mouth was full of tormack patty. He kept forgetting that she had her meals brought to her since The Event, and never ate in public anymore.

“I may have made a miscalculation.” He announced, crossing his arms.

Her eyes went wide and she swallowed too fast, trying to stand at the same time.

“No no no! Everything’s fine, sit down. I mean about Sheppard.”

Rolling her eyes, she daintily dabbed at her mouth with a napkin as she settled down again. “Thank you for the adrenaline rush, Rodney.”

“Not everything around here has to be an emergency,” Mer grumbled, taking a seat. Impatient, Elizabeth motioned him to keep going as she went back to her meal. He liked that about her: she never stood on ceremony with him.

“I know I haven’t been too forthcoming, but suffice to say, my plan on rehabilitating him probably, no very likely, no definitely was going in the wrong direction.”

“He cost us a lot of power with that stunt, Rodney. I’m not going to argue with you here.”

Mer frowned. He didn’t like other people pointing out his mistakes, but since it was Elizabeth, he knew he couldn’t out-argue her. Not that he hadn’t tried in the past.

“Okay, point. But I’m going to need your help now.”

Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“I’m not going to sit here and explain his delicate mental condition, which is less ‘delicate’ and more ‘suffering from multiple blunt force traumas’, but I’ve been going over his history—”

“You mean your illegally obtained dossier,” Elizabeth said, leaning back and crossing her arms.

Mer relaxed in his chair, mirroring her pose, marveling at how lucky he was to be matched against someone who was almost as good at this game as he was. He did not really enjoy railroading people to his point of view, it was simply easier most of the time than arguing with stupidity. Elizabeth was a soft sciences guru but she wasn’t stupid.

“As I was saying, his history, and I feel what’s needed exactly the opposite of what’s going on.”

“Perhaps if you were speaking in specifics, rather than vague conjectures, I might see your point of view.”

Mer held back his grin, because he knew she was not going to go for what he said next. “He needs closer integration, not further isolation. He needs to be part of something, a team, a mission. Something.”

“Like hell I’m putting that disaster on a gate team, Rodney. He’ll get everyone killed on his way to committing suicide.”

“He’s not suicidal.”

“He’s got a death wish.”

“There’s a difference.”

“Semantics, Rodney? I can go there.”

Mer waved off the question hastily. No one, but no one, played Scrabble with Elizabeth.

“Stop gaming me, you know better. Tell me what you want.” She sighed and returned to her meal.

“Right now, nothing. Teyla’s working him over for a few days. I’m sure she’ll report her opinions about him to you directly. But Kavanaugh’ s been bitching about going back to Sateda, and I’d like to insert Sheppard into that mission.”

Elizabeth frowned at her plate when he mentioned Sateda. No one liked that planet, it was creepy and dead in a way other culled worlds were not. The few survivors they encountered, a brutish mercenary named Kell and his gang, refused to go back to it at all. It contained the remains of a highly technologically advanced culture, though, at least equal to Earth in the 70s, and the engineers already referred to it as the Junk Yard – when they needed basic parts or machining tools, Sateda was their go-to source, closer and more convenient than Earth.

“The worst he can do there is trip over debris. It’s a dead planet; the Wraith never check on it because they made their point. If—”

“I know all of that.” Elizabeth snapped, sitting up straight again. “If I sanction this, he’s going under guard and with you along to babysit. And that’s if Teyla gives me her approval. Let me be clear about this, Rodney: Sheppard only got this far because I trust you, and because of what he did to save Earth. Whatever wish fulfillment fantasy you have going on with him will end if he steps one foot out of line, because I’ll give Bates the order.”

Mer nodded, got up, and left the room before he said anything to sour the deal.

#