SGA fic: Breathe You Deep

[hth]

Breathe You Deep
by Hth

109k
various pairings
it's gen, it's het, it's slash, it's a floor wax!
Summary: Cold and flu season, like many other things, sucks more in space.
Warnings: A for Angst. The astute reader will notice that I hardly ever warn for angst, and might then imagine I mean rather a *lot* of angst. That's your warning. All sales final.

Special thanks to cesperanza for beta ("You're at about an eight, and I need you at about a four...") and as per usual to marythefan for encouragement and general evil ("What, you think I'm going to tell you *not* to do it?")

"You’re standing here telling us that half the galaxy, not to mention our friends, could fall over dead by Christmas, and you’re bringing us what, exactly, to deal with this problem? Amoxicillin and chicken soup?"

Comments

[ladyagnew.livejournal.com]

"I brought you," she said darkly. "You took us from our world, the place of all our mothers and fathers. You shuttle us back and forth like children to be hidden under the bed when bandits raid. You do not know us, and our young people wish to know when they will be old enough to take up your weapons and serve under you. You have changed every aspect of our way of life, and I have urged my people, again and again, to let you do so. I have told them it was necessary for our survival, that they must let go of our past and look to Atlantis as our future. This is the future Atlantis has wrought for us. I will not turn away from my mistakes to save myself."

ah. The whole story is lovely, and Ronon's eyes glowing with joy at Rodney finally gathering his courage to see him? so many happies at that. So. Many. But the above paragraph? Something that I'll never get from the show and which I always wanted. The Athosians are given safe harbor and coddled, but there's not a true partnership between the Atlantians and them -- they're even cut off from the 'gate on the mainland, unable to leave or go of their own free will, given no real position of authority on Atlantis' ruling council, deprived even of their leader, though true, it's of Teyla's own choice. It mirrors the imperialistc colonial relationships of old so fucking well it's not even funny. Less brutality but just as much of a power differential. I love Teyla for saying these words, because if she tore her people from their place in the world for the possibility of fighting the Wraith -- of defeating the Wraith -- and all she received was this ugly, painful, useless death for her people? These would be her words.