Jo Graham - Unascended

“Is Sateda my home?” Elizabeth asked.

“Do you think so?”

“No,” Elizabeth said. “But I don’t know where my home is.”

“You will be home soon,” Ran said serenely. “It is only a matter of time now. You will remember or you will be recognized now that you are so close. And yet…”

“Then I should thank you,” Elizabeth said. “For watching over me. For putting me among good people when I was helpless. That’s a big thing.”

Ran shook her head, and for a moment she looked immeasurably old. “You broke the rules so that there could be peace. We have always sought peace first, you and I. But now it is I who must ask for your help.”

“For my help?” Elizabeth stepped back from the rail. “How can I possibly help you? You’re an Ascended being.”

“And as an Ascended being, I am forbidden to interfere in the actions of living creatures. Even in self-defense.”

Elizabeth frowned. “Self-defense? But what could harm you?” Even as she spoke, she knew there were things. Not devices she’d seen, but something she’d heard of, something in another galaxy…

“There are such things,” Ran said. “Though there have been none in this galaxy for a very long time. But the information on how to construct them still exists, and there are those who are seeking that information for their own ends.”

“To kill Ascended beings?”

“To force them to unascend.” Ran put one long, four fingered hand on Elizabeth’s arm. “And you have done so yourself, and so you would be a valuable prize for them. They seek not the secrets of Ascension, but of the Unascended. So I give you both this warning, and ask for your help. They must not gain the knowledge they seek.”

Elizabeth squared her shoulders. “OK. Who are they? Where are they?” And yet the dream was already beginning to waver, the sea and sky darkening and blurring to nothing.

“I must go,” Ran said. “I will return.” For a moment her hand on Elizabeth’s arm almost felt warm, almost entirely real. Then the world twisted.

Atlantis’ Stargate opened in a flare of blue fire, then subsided to a rippling pool of light inside the circle of naquadah. John lifted his P90 and prepared to walk through, Teyla and Ronon behind him.

“Oh, no no no!” Rodney came tearing out of one of the side doors, Dr. Jackson following him much more sedately. “You are not going to chase down this lead without me!”

“Rodney,” John began, acutely aware of the entire gate room staff watching. “You and Jackson were going…”

“Jackson is right here,” Rodney said. “You are not going to go hunt for Elizabeth on Manaria without me.”

“We’re checking out a lead,” John said. “That’s all. A place where this other ship is expected to make a port of call. We don’t even know if they’re there.”

“Which is why you can’t go,” Rodney said triumphantly. “And I can. If this is going to involve sitting around for hours or days waiting for a ship to turn up, you can’t leave Atlantis that long. Who are you going to leave in charge? Zelenka?”

“Zelenka’s offworld,” John said uncomfortably. It was certainly true that the IOA wouldn’t like for him to be gone from Atlantis for an extended period, but what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

“Lorne?” Rodney asked.

John had the infuriated feeling that Rodney already knew the answer to that. “Lorne’s with Zelenka. They went with Dr. Lynn on a regular trade mission.”

“Then who’s in charge?” Rodney asked. “Carson? Airman Salawi? Ember? Who do you think is going to pick up the phone if the SGC calls? Who do you think is going to deal with a crisis? And don’t tell me that can’t happen because it happens all the time.”

Jackson looked up at the ceiling as if suddenly noticing something very interesting up there.

Rodney poked Sheppard in the chest with a sharp forefinger. “No, you need to stay here, and I need to go.”

Ronon and Teyla were looking at him, and John suppressed a sigh. Rodney was right that he ought to stay in Atlantis. Something could happen. Something did happen way too often. And even if what happened was a surprise call from General Landry, Landry wouldn’t be happy to find out that this was like that Star Trek joke where the entire crew of the Enterprise D beams down to the planet leaving Wesley in charge. John dropped his voice. “OK, you’ve made your point. I’ll stay and you and Jackson will go. But this is not your mission, understand?”

“But I…”

“Rodney, you’re nuts on the subject of Elizabeth. There are not going to be any stupid risks in this picture. Teyla’s in charge.”

Teyla’s eyebrows rose but she said nothing.

“You listen to Teyla. When she says it’s time to leave, it’s time to leave. Got that?” He looked at Ronon, who was watching with a grin on his face. “And you’re backing Teyla up. If you have to carry McKay out kicking and screaming, you will. We are not going to have any unnecessary risks or piss off the Manarians or do any other stupid thing that seems like a good idea at the time. You are going to go, wait for the ship, and talk to the people. If, and this is a really big if, you find someone who resembles or claims to be Elizabeth, you will call in. At that point we’ll arrange for Alpha site quarantine.”

“We’re talking about Elizabeth,” Rodney said. “We don’t need…”

“Rodney, shut up,” John snapped. “We are talking about a key person who was in the hands of the enemy for months and infected with nanites, even if it is Elizabeth. Surely you, of all people, understand why we’d need quarantine? Or if you don’t, how about you ask Lorne?”

Rodney turned red, and he did have the good grace to look away. After all, when he’d been compromised by the Wraith he’d led an attack on this very gate room which had cost lives and left Major Lorne seriously injured. Fortunately Lorne had recovered and he didn’t seem to hold a grudge against Rodney, but the reasons why they had to be careful ought to be obvious. “OK, I get it,” Rodney mumbled.

Enough said. “Teyla, if you get a whiff of trouble or anything that makes you or Ronon think it’s a trap, get the hell out.”

She nodded sharply. “We will do that. And Rodney will do as I ask.” She gave Rodney a sideways glance full of that Wraithy expression that meant business.

“We’ll be careful,” Ronon said.

John took a step back. “Jackson, listen to Teyla.”

“Absolutely,” Jackson said.

“Then you’ve got a go,” John said. He watched regretfully as the four of them walked through the Stargate.

Daniel peered out the viewscreen as Rodney landed the jumper next to the much bigger ship that had to be the Durant. About the best he could say for the other ship was that it was big; with its mismatched nose and stern, and its odd protrusions at various angles, it looked like something cobbled together in a junkyard. Which it probably had been, he reflected, and it was impressive enough that it actually flew.

“What a piece of junk,” Rodney said.

Teyla shook her head at him. “They cannot all be Ancient warships.”

“Who cares,” Ronon said. There was a general hesitation, as if everyone was thinking that once they crossed the field outside to the other ship, they would have an answer to their question whether it turned out to be an answer they liked or not.

“We have to find out, you know,” Daniel said. “If there’s any chance that it might be Dr. Weir… ”

“Of course we have to find out,” Rodney said. He still hesitated.

Ronon was the one who finally stood. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”