Major Sheppard came in first, alone and looking... conflicted. That was never a good sign.
"Major?" Elizabeth waited a moment, but none of the others - his team, several Marines and a dozen scientists from various fields, all of whom had been eager to check out the new planet and people - appeared. "Major, where is everyone? Did the inhabitants cause you trouble?" The locals had seemed friendly, she was planning a diplomatic visit herself, but... friendly was always a relative term in this galaxy.
"Well... not really. They liked us." He shrugged. "They liked us a lot, especially the geeks, even Rodney."
Which said volumes about their friendliness.
"And Radek. Took them all over the place, showed them all these gadgets and things, talked up a storm," Sheppard said. "I think the ruler wanted to keep a couple of them, but Ronon stuck close and looked mean, so... they gave the geeks presents. Lots of presents."
Elizabeth relaxed - a little - and tried not to think too smugly that if someone with the politic charms of their Dr McKay could charm these people into wanting to be friends, maybe for once, just once, Atlantis had stuck diplomatic gold. "That's wonderful, John. Anything useful to -"
Her voice dried as something large and fluffy and... purple dashed through the wormhole and threw itself at Sheppard, making the most appalling yowling noise. He staggered a bit but caught it - just - and half-turned his head. "Okay guys, you may as well bring them through now..."
And Rodney came next, beaming in a way she couldn't recall ever seeing, with a left armful of lime-green-striped something and a right armful of blue snuggling into his neck.
Radek was next - his something, which was as orange as his hair, blinked at her with its one enormous rainbow eye, and made a noise like a demented but happy tiger as he cuddled it. And someone else came behind him, with a pink-and-white one. And another, and another, and then Ronon with five of them, a rainbow of somethings clinging to him with far too many legs and tails and...
And...
And they looked like plush toys. Like demented, one-eyed, alien plush toy...
"Kittens," Rodney said cheerfully, while trying to pet his now wriggling armfuls without dropping them or his gun. "Or skittens, That's what we've decided to name them. It's a diplomatic gift, Elizabeth, we can't refuse them and there's enough for everyone!"
Elizabeth opened her mouth. Closed it. Stared at her senior staff, her most trusted and reliable people all draped in an interplanetary pet shop full of 'skittens'.
And - because her fur allergy had to extend to a completely alien species, didn't it? - started to sneeze.
Stagate Atlantis - mostly Elizabeth, John and Rodney
Major Sheppard came in first, alone and looking... conflicted. That was never a good sign.
"Major?" Elizabeth waited a moment, but none of the others - his team, several Marines and a dozen scientists from various fields, all of whom had been eager to check out the new planet and people - appeared. "Major, where is everyone? Did the inhabitants cause you trouble?" The locals had seemed friendly, she was planning a diplomatic visit herself, but... friendly was always a relative term in this galaxy.
"Well... not really. They liked us." He shrugged. "They liked us a lot, especially the geeks, even Rodney."
Which said volumes about their friendliness.
"And Radek. Took them all over the place, showed them all these gadgets and things, talked up a storm," Sheppard said. "I think the ruler wanted to keep a couple of them, but Ronon stuck close and looked mean, so... they gave the geeks presents. Lots of presents."
Elizabeth relaxed - a little - and tried not to think too smugly that if someone with the politic charms of their Dr McKay could charm these people into wanting to be friends, maybe for once, just once, Atlantis had stuck diplomatic gold. "That's wonderful, John. Anything useful to -"
Her voice dried as something large and fluffy and... purple dashed through the wormhole and threw itself at Sheppard, making the most appalling yowling noise. He staggered a bit but caught it - just - and half-turned his head. "Okay guys, you may as well bring them through now..."
And Rodney came next, beaming in a way she couldn't recall ever seeing, with a left armful of lime-green-striped something and a right armful of blue snuggling into his neck.
Radek was next - his something, which was as orange as his hair, blinked at her with its one enormous rainbow eye, and made a noise like a demented but happy tiger as he cuddled it. And someone else came behind him, with a pink-and-white one. And another, and another, and then Ronon with five of them, a rainbow of somethings clinging to him with far too many legs and tails and...
And...
And they looked like plush toys. Like demented, one-eyed, alien plush toy...
"Kittens," Rodney said cheerfully, while trying to pet his now wriggling armfuls without dropping them or his gun. "Or skittens, That's what we've decided to name them. It's a diplomatic gift, Elizabeth, we can't refuse them and there's enough for everyone!"
Elizabeth opened her mouth. Closed it. Stared at her senior staff, her most trusted and reliable people all draped in an interplanetary pet shop full of 'skittens'.
And - because her fur allergy had to extend to a completely alien species, didn't it? - started to sneeze.