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In the darkness between galaxies, a single ship continued on its solitary journey seeing nothing but the blaze of another galaxy before them, so close and yet so far in both space and time. When the last communication from Atlantis had told her of the intent to abandon the city, Helia had felt a moment of despair. Her ship, the Tria, was already damaged from the last battle and she had hoped to nurse her back to Atlantis. Instead, her only options were to find a relatively safe planet to live out their lives or try to follow the others; a simple decision at the time. Partway across the void between the galaxies, the hyperdrive gave out and no amount of coaxing or repairs could get it back online. They simply did not have the necessary parts and there was nothing out here, no planets or stars from which they could obtain the materials to make those parts.
She called a meeting on the main hangar deck, staring across the sea of worried faces while knowing those on duty would be listening in on the ship wide communications.
"If we turn back we can reach the first inhabitable star system within three of our years, though over two thousand years will have passed in Pegasus. However, the war was lost and the Wraith have taken the entire galaxy. Within those two thousand years they would have increased their stranglehold on every habitable world in the galaxy. We would find no safe haven there."
"What about Atlantis?" Helia glanced in the direction of the raised voice but could not see who had spoken, but that was immaterial for the question would be in everyone's mind.
"Before they abandoned the city, Atlantis was sunk beneath the sea with all power to her shields, and the only access through her Stargate restricted to the old world, to Terra." She shook her head in sorrow. "We will not be able to breach her shields."
First Commander Lapetus took a step forward. "Then our only choice is to go on, to head for Terra."
"With the Potentia, we can reach almost the speed of light using the sublight engines but for each passing year, almost a thousand will pass in real time. With no assistance, it will take more than 26 years to reach Terra but my hope is that Terra will receive our distress signal once we are within range and come for us."
"How long before we would be in range?"
"Seventeen years at maximum speed." Helia looked across the room, seeing the dismay lining every face. This was not the news they wanted to hear, aware that many had family and loved ones now on Terra and that they would never see them again, lost in the eons stretching before them. "We fought long and hard to protect those left in Atlantis and the seedlings planted in Pegasus, and I know it is hard to turn away from all we have known and to accept the loss." She paused, swallowing hard. "While we live there is still hope; hope that the others will come for us, will bring us home more swiftly. Until then, we have a duty to each other and to the Tria, to reach Terra in the hope that the knowledge lying within our database might eventually bring a means to defeat the Wraith so we might return to our home, to Atlantis." She sighed raggedly and then took a deep breath. "I am proud of each and every one of you, and I know we can survive the journey ahead if we remain strong and determined."
Many heads nodded in resolve, the stronger lending support to the weaker until all were standing tall, filled with bitter knowledge but also with the determination to go on. It was all she could hope for under these terrible circumstances, and her heart lifted fractionally from the very real pride she felt for her crew.
In the intervening twelve years they had little cause to celebrate. Supplies were carefully monitored to ensure they could survive the crossing and every accidental death brought a little relief mixed with sorrow for there would be one less person to feed. It was ironic that those who chose to serve on-board the warships tended to be less inclined towards reaching ascension. They were the ones who still felt an attachment to their physical bodies and an interest in physical relationships with those around them. Many of them paired off and it was heartbreaking to see those who would have considered bearing young either naturally or via the natalrum unable to realize that desire. Fortunately, the longer lifespan of her people compared to the seedlings meant they would still have that opportunity once they reached Terra but it was small consolation as the years rolled by so slowly.
Halfway across the void, the detection of a non-Wraith ship with hyperdrive technology, accelerating its sublight engines to try to match the Tria, if only momentarily, caused the Tria's computer to slam on the brakes, aware that minutes would be hours or even days if she did not reduce her velocity. The inertial dampeners barely held but the holographic message prepared so many years ago had already been delivered and an answer given.
The emotions on-board the Tria were electrifying, her bridge crew looking to Helia with shock and joy rolled into one keening emotion. It took hours for the two ships to reach transport distance; the Tria's sensors revealing humanoid life forms on-board the Daedalus. Dampening down her gratitude in order to retain a modicum of dignity, Helia accepted the offer to board the Terran ship, leaving Lapetus in command of the Tria. Her spirits soared even higher when they revealed they had transporter technology, beaming her aboard with her aide, Second Alpheus, directly to the bridge of the Daedalus where her Captain, Colonel Caldwell, waited for them.
Caldwell greeted her warmly but with the reserved air of a military commander, guiding her towards a conference room just off the bridge and offering her a beverage that seemed strange and yet so amazing after years of rationing on basic supplies.
Her joy at finding a ship willing to aid them was short lived and as she listened to the brief history lesson of the past ten thousand years with growing despair, she wondered what she could tell her crew. They had spent twelve years living in hope of reaching Terra and finding their people but, instead, all that they knew was gone. Those who had not reached ascension had turned to dust on what was now a young civilization, with only a gene marker in less than half the population to show their passing. They had nothing waiting for them on Terra and nothing behind them for the Wraith still ruled the Pegasus galaxy; nothing except Atlantis.
"Under the circumstances, perhaps you could return us to Atlantis."
Caldwell narrowed his eyes in speculation and Helia wondered what thoughts were passing through his mind, especially when he smiled suddenly as if suddenly finding the answer to a difficult puzzle.
"I think that can be arranged."
***
Rocking the tiny baby in his arms, Rodney wondered how so much could have changed in such a short time. He'd never expected to become a father despite a strong biological urge to pass on his genius--mostly because he'd given up on finding someone to take on the maternal role except under duress or through payment. Admittedly, he could have given his sperm to one of those sperm banks on Earth but that was not the same thing as holding his own child in his arms. His son. His and John's son, and wasn't that the greatest miracle of Ancient technology?
He'd spent nine months watching their son grow from a cluster of cells into this amazing being, recalling all the times he had played classical music in the natalrum--to stimulate brain growth and intelligence--and talking about every subject under the sun in great detail. A few had mocked him at first, and John had taken on that indulgent look whenever he caught him at it, but Rodney had noticed a few others surreptitiously copying his ideas over time. His left eye twitched nervously when he wondered what John had done during those times when Rodney was too busy to get away from his work. If Josh developed a terrible fascination for Johnny Cash rather than Debussy or Puccini then Rodney was going to be seriously pissed.
Bright eyes drooped finally, the tiny lips forming a familiar pout as sleep overtook the month-old infant. From his short experience, Rodney knew better than to put the baby down right away, letting the rocking and his melodic humming of Nessun Dorma take the child deeper into sleep. Eventually, he lowered Josh into his crib and smoothed a light blanket over him, taking a moment to caress the messy, baby-fine dark hair and velvet-soft cheek before tip-toeing out of the room.
John looked up, one eyebrow rising comically as he indicated towards Josh's nursery; that familiar indulgent smile lighting his face when Rodney mouthed sleeping even though the closed door made the nursery soundproofed. A small Ancient monitor would warn them if Josh awoke and started crying but they'd rarely heard it in the month since they brought Josh home from the natalrum. Rodney was convinced that Atlantis had something to do with that because he'd heard too many horror stories from fellow scientists with young children back on Earth to believe that they could be so lucky to have a child that slept through the night from only a few days old. He wondered if she sang to all the babies through her link to the ATA gene; quieting their frightened newborn minds with gentle reassurances. Certainly, Rodney had slept well since arriving in Atlantis, though he mostly put that down to the beautiful man who had shared his bed since that first night.
John drew Rodney down next to him on the wide bed, parting the ratty blue dressing gown to expose Rodney's naked body before pressing him into the mattress as he rolled on top, forearms bracketing Rodney's head as he leaned in to kiss Rodney long and deep and hard. Rodney moaned into the kiss, reaching up to run his hands beneath the loose dark t-shirt; fingers trailing over the ridges of muscle and bone covered in warm, silken skin. He mapped a familiar path across the tiny skin-imperfections of raised freckles, and scar tissue from half-forgotten wars and accidents from waist to shoulder and then back again, dipping lower to slip beneath the waistband of John's boxers. His palms caressed the firm ass, pulling John harder against him as the kiss deepened, dirty and hot.
John's lips slid away with a thick, guttural moan; lips and teeth latching onto Rodney's throat, sucking and licking, teeth grazing flesh as Rodney pushed down the boxers carefully with John's willing assistance until they were gone. John moaned again and bit harder, echoing Rodney's whimper at the delicious feel of hot flesh on flesh, surging together in near desperation.
They moved together easily, with long familiarity; eager bodies rocking with certain knowledge of what was needed and desired, drawing each other towards that moment when every thought and fear was swallowed in the blinding supernova of ecstasy.
Afterwards was always easy; drifting on a sea of endorphins as they caressed and petted, coaxing tiny sparks of aftershock with the pad of a finger across a tight nipple, or dragging a fingertip through the cooling mess of mingled semen. Rodney stretched his neck, offering greater access as John carefully lapped at the purpling love bite in a confusion of remorse and pleasure at his mark on Rodney's skin. Lifting a finger, Rodney rubbed the slightly sore mark.
"Skipped dinner again?" Rodney asked with feigned casualness.
John whuffed against his throat, breath warm tickling, sending more little shocks of pleasure through still sensitive nerve endings. He pulled back, leaning up on one elbow to the side to gaze down at Rodney; eyes trailing possessively across Rodney's sweat and semen-slicked skin, fingers carding through the smattering of sweat-matted chest hair.
"Mine," he whispered reverently, and Rodney smiled back at him with indulgence as he reached up to flick one of John's pointed ears.
"And you're mine, Legolas."
"Hey!" John uttered in semi-feigned outrage. "Enough with the ear jokes." But he sank down until his head was pillowed on Rodney's shoulder, lips curled into a silly smile as his eyes closed.
Rodney sighed dramatically as John snuggled in, asleep in moments. By morning, he was going to regret not making John fetch a washcloth or insisting on a shower but, for now, he was still floating on that endorphins-high and couldn't care less about the coming discomfort. Instead, he closed his eyes and slept, safe and sound with his arms wrapped around his lover, as Atlantis's hum echoed deep within his soul.
Tomorrow the Daedalus returned and, with her, an Ancient warship found traveling across the void between the galaxies. The original expedition had come to Atlantis in the hope of meeting the Gate-builders; the race that had built both the legendary city and the Stargates scattered across at least two galaxies. Tomorrow they would have that chance.
***
Jack watched the sensors as the Daedalus pulled into geosynchronous orbit above Atlantis, accompanied by the Ancient warship that had slipstreamed them through hyperspace. Rubbing his hands together, he started for the main stairway, followed by the others. When he reached the gate room floor, he halted, standing at ease as he waited for Caldwell to beam down Captain Helia. On either side of him, Daniel and Rodney were vibrating like two kids on a sugar-high waiting for Santa to appear. Looking beyond Rodney, John smirked and rolled his eyes as he caught Jack's perturbed glance. Jack smiled wryly. It still amazed him how easily he and Sheppard worked together but then, they had so much in common trying to keep two ultra-inquisitive scientists under control. He glanced in the other direction and saw equal excitement on Elizabeth's face but he had a feeling that her anticipation stemmed more from an expectation of seeing the Atlantis AI disconnected rather than from having the chance to meet real Ancients. Although a year had passed, she still held a certain amount of resentment at losing her leadership of the Atlantis expedition.
"The Daedalus is ready to beam down the Ancient delegation."
"Tell them they have a go, Dr. Grodin," Jack responded and waited for the white beam that would transport ATA gene holders through the Atlantis shield. Moments later, Jack was looking straight at a petite yet authoritative figure of a woman in an unfamiliar uniform and, behind her, several of her crew. Helia stepped forward and offered a diplomatic smile, one that seemed bright on the surface but didn't quite reach her pale blue eyes.
Ignoring the uneasy feeling, he stepped forward and spread his arms wide. "Welcome...back... to Atlantis."
"Thank you. From what I hear, you've done a remarkable job looking after the city under trying circumstances."
"Well... We do what we can."
"That will change."
"I don't think that's..."
The console rising rapidly from the floor took Jack by surprise, and Rodney too judging by his exclamation.
"What is that? How come I've never seen that?"
Before he could act, Helia had stepped forward and placed her hand on the console. Jack's confusion lasted only a moment until he heard further exclamations from the control room above, glancing up in time to see the rest of the control screen and consoles go dark. He looked back at Helia, narrowing his eyes.
"What's going on?"
"Thank you for all you have done, but you are now free to leave this city."
Rodney stepped towards the console but one of the Ancient delegation stepped in front of him "What are you doing?"
"Colonel Caldwell explained your situation. I have placed the city back into sleep mode and will disconnect the Atlantis Interface. You are no longer prisoners in the city, and your presence is no longer required. The city is now under my control."
Jack watched as Helia's people headed for the main stairs, fighting every instinct to order the guards to stop them. He really didn't want to hurt these people and if Helia really did have control of the city now then he couldn't afford to create a hostile situation. From the hard look on his face, John had come to the same conclusion and had a hard wrapped tightly around Rodney's forearm to stop him from causing a confrontation.
"I think we need to sit down and discuss this."
Helia tilted her head to acknowledge his words and started up the main stairway towards the conference room. A glance at the others revealed only one person who seemed happy with the turn of events. Elizabeth looked pleased but Jack wondered if she would still be smiling half an hour from now.
***
Helia glanced around the room. The last time she had stood here, she had accepted her captaincy of the Tria from the city elders, eager to commence her duties. Her memories of that day still held strong. Ten thousand years ago, they were winning every battle against the enemy but for every Wraith destroyed, two seemed to take its place. By then the city had been under siege for almost a hundred years and the general feeling was that they were losing the war. They still had control of the Stargate but the number of free worlds was diminishing with each passing month, leaving them with fewer and fewer options.
The Tria had been undergoing repairs in the sister city, Olympus, orbiting an uninhabited planet on the other side of the galaxy but they had promised that she would be battle ready soon. Four years into her captaincy, Helia hadn't expected the end to come so swiftly. When she learned of the intention to abandon Atlantis, and Pegasus, bound for Earth, she had made greatest speed back to Atlantis, knowing it was the only gate capable of creating a wormhole across galaxies. Halfway there, she had realized they would never make it in time even if the damaged Tria could fight her way through the blockade of Wraith hive ships and cruisers circling above the now-sunken city.
Her thoughts returned to the present, and to the room that stirred those memories.
Nothing had changed in almost ten thousand years apart from the faces of the people seated before her. As the new controller of the city, she could have seated herself on the official side of table, forcing them to acknowledge and accept the change in command but she felt no animosity towards them. Many of them were the descendants of the people she had known and loved in this city, and perhaps those descendants had as much right to be here as she and her crew. However, she had the upper hand here.
"We have just returned home; a home we thought we would never see again, and we need some time... alone."
The one called Daniel Jackson spoke up. "This isn't just a city to many of us, it's also our home."
"I am sorry but I cannot allow you to stay. Perhaps in time we will welcome you and your people back but, for now, we wish you to leave."
"And if we don't?"
Helia glanced at the cross-armed, belligerent-looking man called McKay, seeing beyond the anger in his blue eyes to something deeper that spoke of despair. The dark-haired soldier seated beside him, Sheppard, reached out and touched McKay gently, and Helia felt the first spark of guilt as they shared a sad glance before McKay dropped his eyes. She recognized it for an empty threat, one borne out of desperation, and wondered if perhaps Colonel Caldwell had been a little presumptive in assuming the current inhabitants were merely prisoners of Atlantis.
"I can open the gate to Earth and send your people home."
"How long," Sheppard asked, "Before you want us out of here?"
"I can give you two days."
McKay's lips tightened into a thin line, slanting downwards in one corner in a way that was so reminiscent of Counselor Myddrin after he announced the intended evacuation of Atlantis. It served only to make her feel heartsick for those she would never meet again.
"Two days might not be long enough," Jackson announced quietly. "Some of our people have children to consider, in the natalrum."
Helia looked across at him in surprise, having not expected them to have found let alone utilized the natalrum. "We will assist in transplanting the unborn into willing surrogates." She nodded her head in respect and walked away, not wanting to prolong the meeting. If the intense, tight-lipped look on Dr. Weir's face was anything to go by then Helia expected several private discussion over the next two days. Those days were going to be difficult enough without encouraging further bad feeling between their people.
***
Daniel stepped onto the platform in the holograph room; a sense of desperation almost overwhelming him when nothing happened.
"How many more times are you going to try that thing?"
He turned to see Jack leaning just inside the door, having been too caught up in his need to speak with Atlantia to notice Jack's entrance. He supposed he should be grateful that it was Jack and not one of the returning Ancients. They had not forbidden him access, probably too confident in their shutting down of the AI to be concerned by one mere human seeking contact, though they kept a closer watch on Rodney and some of the other scientists who were capable of accessing the city controls.
Daniel shoved his hands in his hair and gave an inarticulate cry of anger and frustration. They had fought so hard to get here, and it had been worth every minute. Simply being here with Jack, making a new life for themselves, had been worth every battle of words fought with Atlantia to give them an admittedly still restrictive freedom to come and go so long as the Daedalus was far enough away. Atlantia was still so...had been so possessive of them, desperate to keep them safe even from their own people.
"How's Sam?"
Jack tilted his head and gave that tiny smile that always lit something up inside Daniel. "Sleeping. She sleeps a lot."
"She's a baby," he remarked dryly, implying that Jack should know all about that as he'd been the one in the relationship who'd had an infant in the family before.
"Charlie never slept. Well," he blew out his cheeks, "Not so much."
Daniel felt some of his frustration melt away, amazed at how easily Jack had opened up to him since their arrival on Atlantis, and more so since Sam's birth. The pain of loss was still there, never far from his eyes when he spoke of Charlie but it was no longer the all-consuming guilt and grief that had almost driven him to suicide on that first trip through the Stargate to Abydos. Daniel thought of tiny Sam, fast asleep in her cot. When they'd decided to take up Atlantia's offer for a child, choosing to have a girl had never been in question as neither of them had wanted to replace Charlie. Choosing a first name had never been in question either, wanting their child to be named after one of the most amazing women either of them had known; a good friend who'd kept more than just Atlantis and Earth safe in those last tortured minutes of her life. Everyone here knew that this was his and Jack's way of honoring her friendship and courage, a reminder of that special person.
They had expected Sam to grow up here in the city, surrounded by the children of other expedition members, and by all of this amazing beauty and technology. To lose it all when she was barely a month old was soul destroying, and yet Daniel could not find it in his heart to blame Helia. Perhaps if they'd had a little more time then he might have persuaded her to let some of them stay for he'd seen her barely hidden longing when she looked at the new Atlanteans and the young ones; covertly, caressing Josh's cheek when she saw the baby momentarily unattended in the conference room earlier today.
"I saw Elizabeth talking with Helia earlier," he murmured instead, glancing across to check Jack's reaction. They both knew Elizabeth was trying to install herself as a liaison to Earth; hoping to remain behind in the city of her dreams now Atlantia had lost her hold on the city.
"She's a good choice," Jack answered diplomatically but Daniel could sense he knew Daniel would be the better option but neither of them wanted to be parted. At least returning to Earth did not hold the same fear of separation as before. Jack was a civilian now, having taken his retirement to appease those who argued against having two military as part of the triumvirate of the city's administration. The restrictions of DADT no longer applied to him. He and Jack could leave the Stargate program altogether; they could find some college or museum by the sea so Jack could indulge in his love of the water and stars while Daniel took up a professorship or a curator role. Of course, that didn't stop Daniel worrying for others in the military who had taken same-gender partners, like John and Evan Lorne.
He would miss Atlantis though, saddened by all the discoveries he would never make, and all the amazing history he might never learn. Glancing back at Jack, he knew they both would miss the city for different reasons. Despite some of the restrictions, they had been happy here.
His thoughts drifted back to the day before the Daedalus returned with the Tria. He recalled lying out on the east pier, with the water lapping against the wall beneath them, and the stars glittering above like diamonds cast over a velvet black cloth with no pollution to dull their shine. On the blanket between them, Sam's little hands were flailing as if she was trying to grab the stars in a pudgy fist. The moment had filled him with such awe, still stunned at what they had created between them--with Atlantia's help.
After she fell asleep, they had tucked her into her baby carrier and, safe from her young eyes, they had kissed lazily, their hands caressing soft skin beneath light cotton. Jack had sighed into their kiss, breath hitching when Daniel wrapped a hand around his hard cock and stroked him slowly, drawing them both to a languorous yet still shattering climax when Jack reciprocated.
Daniel decided that if he could take only one memory away from Atlantis then it would be that evening; lying together with Atlantis lit up behind them, wrapped up in each other's arms, and with his head pillowed on Jack's shoulder as they gazed up at the heavens while Sam slept on. Perfect.
"Daniel?"
"Hmm?"
Some of the tension eased from him as Jack's hand kneaded his shoulder before lying loose, curled at the nape of his neck. This was their last night on Atlantis and although they couldn't recreate that perfect moment, he wanted a taste of it again, shared with two people who had become close friends over this past year.
"Let's grab Rodney and John, and go stargazing." And say a quiet goodbye to Atlantis, he added silently.
***
The state of the gate room reminded John of the organized chaos on the day they had stepped into Atlantis from the SGC, with all the echoing noise and the bustle of people, except this time the carts were filled only with equipment and possessions that couldn't fit onto the Daedalus for one reason or another.
The very occasional cry of an infant filled the air. No doubt the babies were picking up on the tension and the stress of their parents as they tried to get everything ready for when the last chevron encoded for Earth. The scene was in stark contrast to the evening before when he had sat out on the east pier beneath the stars with his lover, Jack, Daniel and two infants who would never remember this place of their birth. They had spent the time drinking beer and remembering the joys and hardships of the past year. For Daniel's sake, they had made promises to stay in touch but no one could dictate the future and John had his own problems waiting for him back on Earth. Resigning from the military was a certainty because John had no intention of giving up Rodney and Josh even if the military was inclined to overlook the blatant disregard for DADT due to extenuating circumstances.
Rodney and Josh were his life now.
Previous rank in the city still gave him some privileges, allowing John a chance to escape the apparent mayhem below and watch from the control room balcony. Behind him, he could hear Rodney offering up last minute instructions and advice to Helia's people concerning some of the idiosyncrasies brought on by ten thousand years of waiting at the bottom of an ocean. Although the Atlantis shield had held for the most part, Atlantia had started to conserve energy towards the end by shrinking the force field, leaving certain parts of the city's outer edges exposed to the corrosive effects of seawater. Over time, the damage had destabilized those areas.
Most of the Ancients gave small thanks but some, in their arrogance, gave brittle smiles, acting like they were adults forced to indulge an inquisitive child. John wanted to wipe the irritating smirks off of those faces because, for all their vaunted superiority to mere humans, they were little different. Admittedly, they were smarter than most humans but in the same way someone from the 21st century would seem more intelligent to a person transported from the 18th century. However, as John had discovered when dealing with the Athosians, access to greater technology did not make anyone superior to another, just more knowledgeable of technology. True brilliance came in the form of someone like Rodney, who could look at an unfamiliar piece of equipment from way above their evolutionary position and still figure it out. John wondered how many of Helia's people would be able to do the same should they come across a race so much more advanced than themselves. Hell, they couldn't even defeat an enemy at the same technological level; the Wraith.
He glanced sideways as someone joined him, expecting it to be Rodney and was surprised to see Helia instead. He saw her take a look back at Rodney.
John bristled defensively. "He means well," John stated softly but firmly, "And he knows a lot more than you think."
"I know."
He narrowed his eyes but saw she was being genuine rather than simply humoring him. Her eyes dipped down to the baby strapped in a harness against John's chest. It was the easiest way to carry Josh through the gate safely, leaving John with his backpack and both arms free to carry other personal possessions. Of course, he could have persuaded Rodney to carry Josh but, once all the packing up was done and the military personnel organized, John had little reason to rush around, unlike Rodney. He didn't shrug away when she reached out and trailed a finger down Josh's velvet-soft cheek.
"Some of my people want to create new life together in the city. There was no opportunity on-board the Tria."
"Well, they'll have that chance now," he stated magnanimously even though it hurt a little to know he and Rodney had lost any hope of giving Josh a brother or sister, which was a strange regret when he considered how reluctant he'd been to have Josh in the first place. He couldn't deny now how much it meant to hold Josh in his arms and know this small being was a part of Rodney; a part of both of them.
"Ready to dial the Earth gate, Captain."
"Start the dialing sequence." She turned back to John. "Perhaps we shall meet again under better circumstances."
John straightened as the first chevron encoded followed swiftly by the second, third, and onwards until seven chevrons were lit up in azure blue around the gate. He swallowed hard, waiting for the familiar splash-back of the opening wormhole as the eighth chevron encoded but nothing happened. Instead, the whole gate went dark as if someone had flipped the off-switch. Confused, John turned questioningly towards Helia but she was already striding back to the control room's DHD console.
"Try again."
This time nothing happened at all. No chevrons lit within the outer ring and the Stargate remained dark. Helia went to the next console, and it died beneath her fingertips.
"What's happening?" Rodney almost shoved one of the Ancients aside as he pushed in next to Helia. "What's going on?"
Helia gave him a calculating look but then shook her head minutely, forehead creased in consternation. At least she hadn't accused Rodney of sabotaging the city because they both knew that wasn't the case. Both he and Rodney had given their word to Jack that they would honor Helia's prior claim on the city, accepting that they had been temporary custodians at best.
"Captain, the city shield!"
Turning towards the doors leading outside, John saw the shimmer of gold as the shield rose around the city. He turned again at the sound of booted footsteps running up the stairs, shaking his head at Jack's questioning look. The lights flickered but stayed on; however, the rest of the consoles died and the doors closed, sealing most of Helia's people outside of the gate room. Rodney looked to John with frightened eyes as the familiar klaxon of the lock-down protocol blared through the city.
Hearing the panic starting up from below, John looked down and called out, "Everyone stay calm. It's just a temporary--"
The klaxon stopped abruptly.
"Rodney?" Jack asked in a tone that had become so familiar over this past year, and John was pleased that Jack was placing his faith in their chief of science rather than in the Ancients manning the dead consoles.
Rodney pushed one of the Ancients aside, ignoring the man's outrage, and touched the console; it lit up beneath his touch but disconnected as soon as Helia tried to take control. Shocked blue eyes focused inward for a moment before focusing on John.
"It's Atlantia. She's taken back control of the city."
****
Rodney cursed under his breath as he reactivated the console only for it to go dark as soon as one of Helia's people approached.
"Do you mind?"
The woman startled at his brusque tone and looked to Helia for guidance but Rodney had no time to waste on protocols. He gave her a small push back towards the others and then placed his hand back on the console one more time. It activated immediately, allowing him to access the main console screen. Helia took a couple of steps towards him and he glared until she stepped back, not wanting to have to go through the activation process yet again when she ought to be able to see the screen from where she was standing.
"Atlantis is in full lockdown." Rodney looked up in concern. "All our people are here in the gate room, and Atlantis is not allowing anyone to override any of the door controls."
Jack grimaced. "Manual overrides?"
"She's targeting short bursts of energy to deter anyone from trying." He glanced straight into Jack's eyes. "They're trapped out there."
John stepped up beside him and it took a moment to realize he had handed Josh over to someone and removed the baby carrier. "I have a theory," he stated and Rodney watched in confusion as John approached the doors on the upper level. Sudden realization flooded through him and Rodney leaped two steps towards John but was too far away to stop John placing his hand on the door panel. He froze in horror, anticipating a surge of electricity knocking John away but instead, the door slid open smoothly. On the other side of the doorway, one of Helia's men pulled a weapon, aiming it straight at John.
"Commander Lapetus!"
Helia strode forward and nodded reassuringly; Rodney took a ragged breath in relief. It didn't take long before Rodney realized that Atlantis was leading them to the holograph room. Fortunately Daniel was with them and Rodney watched as Daniel stepped up onto the pedestal and activated the control console, unsurprised when Atlantia appeared immediately. She smiled warmly in greeting, her eyes seeming to alight on each of them in turn but her expression turning less friendly when she looked directly at Helia and Lapetus. Atlantia tilted her head in what seemed like cautious greeting.
Helia stepped forward and reeled off a string of letters and numbers in Ancient, looking confused when Atlantia simply smiled in response. Helia tried again, more forcefully and this time Atlantia spoke.
"Your authorization code has been overridden."
"Overridden? By whom?" Her eyes darted towards Rodney as if assessing him as the culprit.
"As much as I would like to take the credit for you not being able to evict me from my home, I didn't do it."
Helia turned back to the avatar that represented Atlantis. "Atlantis. Who overrode my authorization?"
"Your authorization code has been overridden."
Rodney sighed in relief when Daniel stepped back in. For someone who wasn't logically minded, Daniel had an uncanny ability to break the repetitive cycle of some questions and answers. In this instance Rodney was uncertain if Atlantis was merely being difficult or simply refusing to answer questions from Helia because she had no authority.
"Why was the Stargate deactivated?" Daniel asked carefully.
"Atlantis will not allow her people to leave."
"You've let us go off-world before," Daniel stated softly.
"Travel to worlds within the Pegasus galaxy is permitted... within reason."
Rodney saw Daniel nod because this was the agreement he and Elizabeth had negotiated with Atlantia, allowing them access to worlds that could provide them with the food and supplies that were unavailable on Atlantis. Interpreting her statement was easy and Rodney was not surprised when Helia latched onto it and offered what she thought was a viable solution.
"Then we will open the gate to a world within Pegasus and allow the Tau'ri to transport--"
"Your authorization code has been overridden."
At least that confirmed to Rodney that Atlantis was refusing to negotiate with Helia so Daniel paraphrased her question on her behalf. "If Helia opened the gate to a world within--"
"Unacceptable."
Daniel straightened, eyebrows raised in intrigue. "What...would be acceptable?"
"John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, and Jack O'Neill are the selected leaders."
Rodney could not help but glance at Helia to see how she took this because it was pretty obvious now that Atlantis had no intention of letting her new Atlanteans leave the city permanently. One thing bothered him and he knew he had to ask.
"When did you override the authorization code."
"Five thousand, seven hundred and forty two years, seventeen days--"
"Enough," he stated softly, knowing from the look on Helia's face that she understood the significance of that answer. Despite appearances to the contrary, Helia had never been in control of the city. Atlantis had simply allowed her to believe she was in command of the city, had allowed Helia to make decisions for both their people until the moment Helia dialed the Earth Stargate.
"Why did you allow Captain Helia to believe she had control of Atlantis?"
"Leadership assessment."
That made sense too because Helia was not just the leader of her group, she was also an Ancient, one of the original inhabitants of the city before they were forced to abandon Atlantis. Rodney wondered if Helia would have been made sole leader had she united her crew with the new Atlanteans rather than ordered them out of the city, or whether the current triumvirate would have become a leadership consisting of four representatives. It seemed Atlantis had made her decision in that respect, deciding to keep the original triumvirate but it didn't answer the thought uppermost in Rodney's mind: what would happen to Helia and her crew?
If Atlantis remained true to form then she would allow none of them to leave, integrating them instead and selecting suitable mates for them. There were still a few humans without a mate and Rodney doubted Atlantis would be concerned at linking them with members of Helia's crew. What worried Rodney more was if Atlantis had decided to revert back to the early days when she had allowed no communication or access to the outside world, and how that would bode for the pure humans settled on the mainland. Both Elizabeth and Teyla relied upon their access to Atlantis for the sake of their respective people, knowing Atlantis also offered safety should the Wraith find this world.
"So... What happens next?" Jack asked.
Rodney was not the only one shocked by the answer.
"The crew of the Tria must integrate or leave."
***
Jack stared out across the gate room from the control room balcony as it slowly emptied, relieved that they wouldn't be leaving Atlantis after all. After the initial confusion, most of his people had joyfully returned to their quarters, eager to set their homes and lives back in order. Very few were upset with Atlantia's refusal to let them leave. As the head of the triumvirate, he had given Helia time alone with her crew to discuss the ultimatum and he took a deep breath when he saw her enter the gate room only a short time later, heading for the main stairs. From the expression on her face, he knew they had decided to leave.
"So there's nothing I can say to make you stay? Access to the natalrum? Fruit Loops for breakfast?"
She offered a tiny smile that barely lifted the corners of her mouth. "Your offer is very generous under the circumstances but we still wish to be alone at this time."
Jack nodded. Despite everything that had happened, he liked Helia, having seen beneath the arrogant front to the core of a decent person. Still, he wondered if she had allowed her crew the chance to vote or whether they had simply followed her command. Helia didn't seem like the dictator type so perhaps they had all been single-minded in a desire to find some place to call their own. Twelve years out there alone was a long time; long enough to learn how to depend only on each other but not long enough to forget what they had left behind here in Atlantis ten thousand years earlier.
She turned to walk away and Jack felt a little saddened at the loss.
"Captain Helia?" Jack waited until she looked back. "Don't be a stranger."
The slight tilt of her head was all the acknowledgment he received. As she disappeared from view, he wondered if he would ever see her again. Lost in thought, he almost didn't register Daniel's approach.
"I think some of them would have stayed," Daniel murmured, and Jack recalled how a few had been helpful, willing to share their knowledge and pleased when it became obvious that Rodney and Radek were more intelligent even than them, while other scientists were easily their equal. Others on Helia's crew had treated them all with disdain, seeing Jack's people as inferior beings simply because of their tainted bloodline.
"Me? I'm wondering why Atlantia's letting them go at all."
Daniel gave a soft hum of agreement because Atlantia could have easily locked them in the city, just as she was still holding onto those of the Tau'ri with the ATA gene.
Jack sighed. "Would have been nice to have that ship."
"Especially as Atlantia still doesn't trust the Daedalus."
"At least now we know where to find the transport rings," Jack added, remembering Rodney's paroxysms of delight when the Tria's crew had started to transport down without the assistance of the Asgard beam on the Daedalus. The ring platform had been cleverly concealed in the mosaic on the floor of a room just off the Puddlejumper bay.
"Sir? All of Captain Helia's crew have now transported to the Tria."
Jack wandered over to where Peter Grodin was manning the communications panel once more.
"Open a channel." He waited for a sign from Peter. "Captain Helia, this is O'Neill. If you ever want to change your minds...well, you know where to find us."
"My thanks, General O'Neill. We shall keep your offer in mind."
"Tria is breaking orbit."
Jack watched as the small dot representing the Tria moved away from the planet, and then it was gone. A flood of unease filled him and he looked to the Stargate, not needing to hear Peter's call of, "Unscheduled off-world activation." The shield had raised automatically and the dialing sequence failed on the last chevron, the Stargate going dark. He shuddered. With all the weirdness over the past few hours, he'd forgotten about the dial-in, regular as clockwork from a sleeping enemy. Luckily, Atlantis hadn't forgotten and, hopefully, they would all sleep easy for yet another night.
"Guess it's later than we thought," Daniel stated, his eyes still fixed on the now dark Stargate, only now loosening his hand from Jack's forearm where it had gripped almost painfully tight.
Jack placed his hand over Daniel's before he could pull away altogether, feeling the warmth of skin against skin. Palms together, their fingers linked and Jack sucked in a ragged breath because he could have lost this if Atlantis had not intervened at the last moment. No doubt the military would have turned a blind eye towards what had happened between him and Daniel here on Atlantis, as long as it stayed on Atlantis. Yet the thought of never touching Daniel again, of not falling into bed most nights with Daniel already hogging the covers and pillows, of not listening to his snuffled breathing and those odd little murmurs in unknown languages, was terrifying. He couldn't imagine never kissing Daniel again, or never again sinking into the welcoming heat of his lover's body. They had never needed Atlantis's pheromones to persuade them to share each other's bodies, only the security of her walls and shield.
The tightening fingers dragged him back to the present, back to blue eyes shining from behind glasses. "Let's pick up Sam from Miko and head home."
Home.
Jack felt a wave of warmth and affection ripple through him at the thought of taking his lover and baby daughter back to their shared quarters on Atlantis; back home. He grinned, squeezing Daniel's fingers even tighter.
"Sounds like a plan."
With a last check-in with Peter, Jack allowed Daniel to draw him away from the control room and back towards their family life on Atlantis.
****
The Tria slid into orbit high above the world once known to them as Ven Atuchrarushna, though the seedlings of that world had long called it Aynbara, the city of towers. As the ship made a pass over the planet, the scanners picked up the residue energy signature of a Potentia though it was clear that it had already reached entropy. That posed no problem to Helia as she could replace the depleted Potentia with one from the Tria until they could recharge the crystal.
"Move into geosynchronous orbit above Ataynbara."
Lapetus sighed. "Captain, it is as we feared from the entries in the Tau'ri database. Ataynbara is the city that sank into the earth. A series of sinkholes formed beneath the city but she was already too damaged to move to safer ground."
Helia stared at the image on the screen, seeing a single tower still standing proud above the sand and stone. "In the last transmission, they had returned to this world so they could use all of the remaining power of the Potentia to hold the shields against the Wraith fleet."
"Gaining access to the Ataynbara database," Lapetus stated softly, and he displayed the schematics with a report on the structural integrity of the city. "The city shield was collapsed around the central spire to preserve energy. All the surrounding towers were destroyed by Wraith fire and the city breached in dozens of locations. The damage is extensive, and far beyond our ability to repair. Most of its occupants were able to secure a transport to Atlantis but almost two thousand remained unaccounted for at the time Atlantis was abandoned." He looked up, lips pressed together in anguish. "The Ataynbara database lists most of those lost to the Wraith."
"And any survivors?"
"Should still be here. They stayed in the city and continued to protect the central spire until there was insufficient power for the shield."
"Then we shall contact them."
"I don't think... Those that did not seek ascension interbred with the human population on this world, just as those from Atlantis mingled with the population on Earth. The people spoken of in the Tau'ri database on Atlantis are the descendants of the city dwellers." He looked up. "The new Atlanteans traded for all the remaining drones and Portastra ships. There is nothing left for us here."
"Still, I must see with my own eyes. Prepare a mission. The transport rings are still operative."
One hour later, Helia stood on the balcony overlooking what had once been a majestic atrium. The Portastra was gone, removed to outside the city close to a village of pre-industrialized humans. The Chair had been removed from its control room and installed in its place but, without power from the Potentia, it was little more than an ornate throne for the people thronging below. A rare flare of blue showed that some possessed the gene of Helia's people but even those baubles, most likely passed down from generation to generation to show bloodline, were starting to fail as their internal energy source depleted. None possessed the gene in any great strength, and within a few more generations, any remaining mark of her people would become recessive and finally lost from the gene pool.
Silently, she returned to the transport ring and requested a return to the Tria.
Helia called a meeting of her officers and laid out the problem before them. It seemed they were slowly running out of options.
***
Rodney frowned as he read through the data flashing across the screen in the conference room. The request for assistance had come in an hour earlier but he was no closer to understanding the problem facing the Taranians. They appeared to be living in what had once been a planetary dry dock for repairing battle-damaged warships but they'd been experiencing problems over the past few weeks with the system overloading and attempting to shut itself down.
Short of actually going to the new Taranian home planet to investigate, Rodney could think of no way to help them. He needed to see the control center in order to figure out what it was using as a power source, and hence, why it was failing. Of course, all that depended upon whether Atlantis would allow them off-world. The city had become a little possessive of her people following the departure of the Tria, unwilling to allow them to use the Stargate, though she had allowed the mainland humans access to the city, as usual.
On the other side of the conference table, Elizabeth and Daniel read the Ancient script with relative ease but Rodney knew the nuances sometimes defeated even them.
"I don't think it's powered by a ZPM," Elizabeth stated, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.
"The literal translation is power from the inner sun," Daniel added, and Rodney huffed in irritation.
"Except it's a single star system. One sun," he snarled before sighing angrily.
"I think, more to the point, is why do the Taranians think we can help," John pointed out and Rodney saw Jack nod in agreement, his lips pressed into a thinner line than usual.
"I fail to see why--"
"If they know about us, then someone must be telling them something," John stated.
"And if these Taranians have found out about us then how long before the Wraith figure we're here and come looking," Jack added.
It took a moment for that to sink in, but once Rodney understood the significance, he looked to first John and then the others in fear.
Swallowing hard, he closed the lid on his laptop. "Under the circumstances, maybe we should...not answer?"
John reached out and laid a hand on his forearm, eyes soft with reassurance even though Rodney knew it could only be a gesture rather than a guarantee. The bond between them was stronger than ever following the birth of their son; though nearly losing their home--and possibly each other due to US military regulations--had made both of them a little more needy over these past few days. Rodney had noticed the same reaction in other same-sex pairings where one or both partners was in the US military and he wondered if Atlantia could appreciate how many of them were grateful for her intervention.
Elizabeth looked towards them in concern. "They are asking for our help. How can we refuse?"
"Just say no?" Jack stated, gaining a withering glare from Daniel, who was obviously siding with Elizabeth on this issue. Not that it truly mattered as Atlantia considered Jack, John and him as the leaders of Atlantis so if they declined to assist the Taranians then that was their choice.
"How can we expect our allies to come to our aide if we are not prepared to go theirs?" Elizabeth debated, and Rodney barely resisted the temptation to point out that the Taranians were not actually their allies...yet. Still, the energy coefficients crossing the screen were intriguing to say the least, and as they had yet to find a cache of ZPMs, an alternative power source could come in useful.
He looked back up at the main screen and sighed as Elizabeth and Daniel took it in turns to explain why 'just saying no' would be detrimental to their chances of making other alliances throughout the Pegasus galaxy. Unfortunately, Rodney could see their point even if he didn't like it. He could tell by both Jack and John's expression that they had accepted it too so he stood up. Rodney hooked a thumb over his shoulder.
"Might as well get geared up...as long as Atlantia lets us through the gate?"
Daniel's eyes widened in understanding, realizing he now had to convince the Atlantis AI to let them go on this mission.
Two hours later, Rodney was standing in the control room on a distant world, still surprised by how quickly Atlantia had granted them access. He wondered if she had been monitoring the situation from the beginning. Of course, Rodney hadn't expected the Taranians' head scientist to be a willowy blond who, obviously, took one look at John and decided to flirt with him. Worse, John seemed to be flirting back though Rodney knew it was probably just him trying to be polite and charming. Fortunately, the Taranian leader had taken John off to show him something, leaving Rodney alone with Norina.
Rodney focused his attention back on the controls. The sudden earth tremor had him scuttling towards the doorway. Dust rained down on them and he held on tight to the frame until the tremor eased, standing up straight when it finally stopped. Norina was staring at him in confusion from the center of the room.
"power from the inner sun! It's a geothermal power source. This entire area sits within the caldera of a super-volcano and... Oh no." He pulled up the energy output figures and the monitors. "How long have you been running the shield at full power?"
"Since we arrived," Norina answered. "The shield will provide safety from the Wraith."
"And the warnings?"
"Warnings?"
"These!" He pointed at the thousands of lines of warnings scrolling down the main screen for the Ancient console.
Norina leaned over and depressed a few keys, and the warnings disappeared. She gave him a smug smile. "The warnings relate to surface temperatures but as you can see through the windows, outside it is pleasant."
"So you've just been switching them off and..." His eyes darted to Norina's in fear. "This is bad!" She stepped closer. "This isn't recording the surface temperature of the planet, it's the core temperature of the magma!" He barely noticed when the truth registered on her beautiful face as he was already trying to contact John and warn him that they had to abandon the planet as quickly as possible, for when the super-volcano erupted, it would obliterate the Ancient facility and the resulting ash cloud would block out the sun and destroy all life.
"How long have we got? Days?" John asked.
"Hours," he responded tersely, hoping John would understand the severity of the situation.
***
John stared around the bridge of the Hippaforalkus, seeing the strained faces as the last minutes slowly ticked down. Everything rested on Rodney now, on whether he could pull off another miracle and give them a little more time. Taranians filled the corridors and cargo bays, at least a thousand people crammed into a small ship because a vent had opened beneath the Stargate, swallowing it up and cutting off their only escape route.
John's eyes flicked back to the control panel, and to the air flow that showed the rising increase in carbon dioxide as a thousand people depleted the oxygen. Norina was looking at the scrubbers but John could tell her knowledge of Ancient technology was severely lacking. She didn't have Rodney's genius, or his innate ability to grasp concepts of mechanics outside of his own experience, but Rodney couldn't spare the time to work on both the oxygen and the hyperdrive engine. Getting off the planet was the top priority right now, and John hoped they would not be merely postponing their deaths, replacing immolation by volcano with suffocation.
The clock was ticking, with the eruption of the super-volcano imminent.
"It could happen any time in the next half hour," Rodney stated, and John could hear the small quiver of fear in his voice.
John dropped into the command chair and opened the ship-wide communications, aiming for flippancy to keep the panic down to a minimum. He kept his eyes firmly on his lover's back as the seconds ticked by, wishing he could simply hold on to him. If these were to be their last minutes then he wished they could have spent them alone.
When the ship began to vibrate moments later, John wondered if Rodney had misled them on the timing deliberately. From his seat he could see Rodney's knuckles whiten as they tightened their grip on the console before him. Everything was down to Rodney's programming of the Ancient warship's computer, the split-second timing of shield, inertial dampeners and hyperdrive system. He saw the flare of an opening hyperspace window even as the ship rocked violently, ejected from the hangar along with the steam and magma from the cataclysmic eruption.
Rodney's knuckles were still white 5 seconds later as the Hippaforalkus drifted in high orbit above the planet, powerless except for basic life support, and even that would not sustain them for long.
"Rodney?"
"I'm good," he said in a small, strained voice.
John was beside him in seconds, hands folding over Rodney's and easing away the tight grip. He spun Rodney around in his seat and, uncaring of Norina watching them in shocked surprise, he pulled Rodney into his arms and kissed him, holding him tight. After another few seconds he pulled back because it wasn't over yet. They still had too many people breathing too little oxygen, and a ship with no propulsion orbiting a world that was quickly clouding over with ash. Even if they had sublights, the nearest inhabitable planet was days away. The Daedalus was due back in Pegasus any day but they didn't have days to spare. If Rodney couldn't figure out a way to increase the oxygen levels, then they had perhaps five hours before everyone on-board suffocated.
They did have subspace communications, and John sank back down into the command chair and opened the communications, mentally stumbling over the ship's name. Hippaforalkus? Maybe he should rename her Phoenix, risen from the flames and ashes.
"Atlantis, this is John Sheppard. We have a problem..."
***
Helia straightened when she saw her communications officer tense.
"Captain, I'm receiving a distress call..." He paused, eyes widening in shock as he turned to her. "It is from Atlantis!"
"On the main screen."
Helia had expected one of the triumvirate, possibly Jack O'Neill, but was surprised when the holograph of Atlantia formed on her bridge. Data flowed across the screen, detailing the problems facing John Sheppard and Rodney McKay; the loss of the Stargate, the eruption of the supervolcano, and the plight facing those who had managed to escape the planet's surface in a damaged warship that had been abandoned ten thousand years earlier. Helia recognized the Ancient warship's lines, and knew she was the Hippaforalkus, named after one of their greatest generals during the war with the Wraith.
"You must assist them," Atlantia implored, and Helia took only seconds to come to a decision.
"Set a course for the Hippaforalkus. Maximum speed."
With her engines repaired while on Atlantis, the Tria leaped into hyperspace.
"Estimated arrival time?"
Her flight officer reeled off the figures and she estimated that they could reach the Hippaforalkus before their air supply was fully used up, leaving them to suffocate in the vacuum of space. She pressed her hand down on the open communications panel and spoke to the crew.
"Atlantis has asked for our assistance, and we shall answer her call. Details of the emergency are being communicated. Full strategy meeting in one hour."
Despite twelve long years with no call on their services, Helia trusted the professionalism of her crew and knew they would be ready to offer her suggestions and plans for assisting the stricken passengers and crew of the Hippaforalkus. It took a moment to realize the change in the atmosphere on the bridge, the new sense of purpose that lifted everyone's heads and put determination into each step, the excitement in their eyes after years of simply existing. She felt it too, felt the strength of purpose filling her and, for the first time in over a decade, she felt alive once more rather than simply dragging from day to day.
For her own part, her thoughts wandered, recalling the battle above Demera where the Tria had last fought alongside the Hippaforalkus and her loyal crew. Silently, she wondered what had become of them after they were forced to retreat from the battlefield. The call to abandon Pegasus had come soon after and she suspected the crew had returned to Atlantis via the Stargate and from there, they had journeyed to Earth with the others.
Plans of the stricken ship were brought up on the side screen, detailing all the damage sustained during that final battle; damage that could not have been repaired before the crew abandoned her. Helia knew they would also need to take into account ten thousand years of decay.
Ideas were thrown around in the meeting, faces animated for the first time in so long, driven by the knowledge that they were needed. The few who had wanted to abandon the New Atlanteans and humans to their fate were quickly shouted down, and she recognized a desperate need in some individuals to see the New Atlanteans again. It was something to ponder over later but, meanwhile, time was running out.
As if echoing her thoughts, a message broadcast into the meeting. "Dropping out of hyperspace close to given coordinates."
"Acknowledged." Her eyes took in the intense expressions around the table. "Oxygen is the priority. Begin transporting as many as the Tria can allow." She looked to her chief engineer. "Doctor McKay will require assistance."
He nodded back and the meeting broke up, each person striding out with new purpose, and Helia felt a wave of excitement and pleasure flow through her at seeing this change in her crew.
****
"Hippaforalkus. This is the Tria offering assistance."
Rodney jumped at the suddenness of the voice over the on-board communications, cursing when his head struck the underside of the engineering console. He'd spent the last four hours mostly on his hands and knees or on his back, and not in a good way, desperately trying to fix the engines, once he had coaxed all he could out of the air filtration system. He had hoped that Norina might prove useful but her knowledge and experience was limited, and he could not spare the time to teach her what she needed to know in order to help him. It was easier and faster to simply do it all himself. He left her with Carson, searching through the star charts on the database for the closest planet with a breathable atmosphere though, without engines, there was little chance of them getting anywhere.
The ship had fallen into silence as everyone tried to keep activity and the breathing of usable oxygen down to the barest minimum. The air was already stale, and breathing made more difficult with each passing minute. His one fear had been if they couldn't get the ship moving soon then they would all suffocate long before they fired up the engines, but now he felt a surge of hope. At the very least, the Tria could take some of the strain of having too many people breathing too little oxygen.
Forcing down a desire to take over the conversation, Rodney listened in as John and Captain Helia set rescue plans in motion. He had to admit that Helia and John seemed to know what they were doing, and the arrival of several of the Tria's crew armed with tool kits and crystals went a long way to alleviating the remaining problems.
Although still pressing, the evacuation of refugees from the Hippaforalkus extended the oxygen supply. When the Tria set out for the closest planet that could sustain life, she left behind four Puddlejumpers to help assist with external repairs, as well as protect the Hippaforalkus should a Wraith cruiser find them before they could move to safety. By the time the Tria returned, Rodney and the Ancient engineers had coaxed the hyperdrive back online.
Rodney joined the meeting to discuss their next course of action.
"Small jumps," he stated, daring anyone to contradict but no one did. They all knew that hull integrity could not be guaranteed if the ship remained in hyperspace for too long a period at a time. Rodney had already figured out that they could reach the closest planet with an active Stargate in three small jumps. Once there, they could use the Stargate to bring more resources and manpower to the crippled ship and repair it sufficiently for one final jump to Atlantis.
He noticed Helia glance at her chief engineer, who gave a tight nod of agreement.
"The Tria will jump with you."
This time it was Rodney who sought affirmation from John.
An hour later, they made the first of the three jumps, and one hour after that they reached a planet once known as Sateda. From orbit it looked little different from other worlds but John had come back from the surface looking haunted. He sank to the floor beside Rodney, staring off into the middle distance.
"What is it?"
"They razed the city to the ground. Destroyed everything...not that long ago. Probably six, seven years judging by the state of decay. Hard to tell by the dessicated corpses."
"Wraith?"
John nodded. Rodney glanced around the engineering section but they were alone so he half-slid, half crawled over to John's side and sank down beside him, touching from shoulder to hip. With their lives hanging in the balance, there had been no time to simply touch and hold, to reassure with anything more than token gestures. It seemed hard to believe that this time yesterday they were lying wrapped in each other's arms in their bed on Atlantis, with thoughts of this mission furthest from their minds as they traded lazy kisses and stroked fingers across semen-splattered bellies.
A soft sigh and the squeeze of John's hand on his thigh was all the reassurance Rodney gained before the sounds of approaching footsteps drew them apart, both of them pushing to their feet. Helia stopped on the threshold and offered a rueful smile, as if she understood what she had interrupted.
"I wish to speak with both of you."
"About?" John asked.
Helia straightened. "I believe I made a mistake in leaving Atlantis. Many of my crew... Many of them need... They need to be needed; to have a place they can call home other than a small battle cruiser. They need companionship, and the chance to start families."
Rodney felt taken aback by her words, coming so unexpected following their recent departure from Atlantis, so John asked what was on the tip of Rodney's tongue.
"And the rest?"
Helia took a deep breath. "There is a place, shielded from the Wraith, where acolytes could spend their lives working towards Ascension. Some wish to go to that place."
Rodney had to verify what he was hearing, "And the rest want to return to Atlantis?"
"On Atlantia's terms?" John added questioningly.
"On her terms."
John shrugged. "Okay."
"That's a yes," Rodney stated wryly upon seeing Helia's confusion. Perhaps she had expected to fight for her cause because of how badly she and her crew had treated the New Atlanteans last time around. Except it hadn't been all bad. Rodney recalled how some of Helia's people had been genuinely pleased to interact with his and John's people, how they had seemed torn when Helia stated the crew would be leaving Atlantis.
As Helia walked away, Rodney couldn't help feeling something warm uncoil inside him. A few short hours ago they had been staring death in the face, and now they had two Ancient warships to bring home to Atlantis. Perhaps it had been a successful mission after all.
With the help of the Tria's engineers, and resources brought through the Stargate from Atlantis, Rodney had the Hippaforalkus ready for the final leg of her journey within another half a day. He sat in the helmsman's seat on the bridge as John ordered the jump, monitoring the readings taken from the engine core and hull integrity for the six hours it took to reach Atlantis.
When John opened a channel and stated, "Atlantis, this is the... Phoenix, requesting permission to land on the East dock," Rodney could swear he heard a cheer come over the comms before Jack responded, "Permission granted, Phoenix. Welcome home."
***
Jack leaned against the balcony over the gate room and watched as a third of the Tria's crew stepped through the Stargate to start a new life of meditation as they sought to follow others of their kind into ascension. He wished them the best with that but knew he could never give up what he had found in this life,
Daniel pressed up against him, reminding Jack that here was a man who had been there, done that and found the whole experience wanting; a man who had come back for him. Part of Jack wondered if the reason why those others were leaving was simply because they had nothing left here, and no desire to make something new from the ashes of that old life.
Jack registered another presence beside him and glanced sideways.
Helia gave a half-hearted smile, trying to conceal how she felt about losing a third of her people. He was a little surprised when she chose to stay on Atlantis rather than go with them, but then he recalled her delight in the children; in Sam and Josh and the other infants born to those in Atlantis.
The Daedalus had arrived two days earlier, filled with scientists and soldiers who were willing to stay on Atlantis should they have Atlantia's blessing, and Jack thought he had detected a little more than minor interest between Helia and Steven Caldwell. If Atlantia deigned to partner them, then Jack could foresee a few problems ahead as Helia had requested that she pass the captaincy of the Tria over to her first commander, Lapetus. Jack had a feeling that Caldwell might just end up as Captain of the Phoenix if he decided to give up the milk-runs between galaxies and settle down in Atlantis with Helia.
As the Stargate shut down behind them, Jack clapped his hands together and rubbed them.
"I heard there's still coffee cake."
Daniel grinned. "You mean Rodney hasn't eaten all of it?"
"Not yet."
He led the way, pleased when Helia took the hint and followed as Jack could think of no better way to discuss day-to-day business than with coffee and cake.
***
Epilogue:
John gasped as he slid inside Rodney, the heat and tightness so perfect. Rodney moved with him, hips lifting and back curling as he braced himself with knees drawn towards his chest, enticing John to go deeper and harder. Familiar, tiny whimpers from the back of Rodney's throat accompanied each hard thrust into his body; fingers digging into John's biceps, head thrown back and lips slack as John pushed him higher and higher. One hand was wrapped around Rodney's cock, the other trembling under the strain of balancing above Rodney, arm threatening to buckle, but he locked his elbow and held on grimly, determined to feel the contraction of Rodney's orgasm around his cock.
With a low, keening wail, Rodney came, his semen striping John's hand, splattering over Rodney's softer, paler belly. John rode out his climax, almost grateful when he could release the softening cock and support his weight on two hands; his thrusts deepening, bottoming out inside Rodney until his balls slapped against heated skin with every thrust. Rodney was almost boneless in his hands now, legs held back only by John's shaking arms but John was so close. So close... So...
He gasped as the tightness in his belly and thighs unfurled, warmth radiating outwards, sending his mind and body into free fall as he emptied himself inside Rodney.
His next conscious thought was of minor irritation, of fingers digging into his skin, pushing and shoving at him. With a groan, John rolled to one side; his cock making a small but obscene squelching noise as it slipped from Rodney's ass, causing him to chortle like a twelve-year-old.
"Oh yes, very romantic," Rodney grumbled but John could feel no heat in his tone. He stretched out alongside Rodney and nudged him with one elbow, enjoying the resigned huff before rolling over, wrapping his arms around Rodney. John nuzzled into the arc of shoulder and neck, kissing soft, vulnerable flesh.
"I love thank-God-we're-still-alive sex," he breathed against Rodney's skin.
"Personally, I could do without all the trauma beforehand."
John smiled against the warm, sweat-slicked skin. In truth, he could have done without the life-threatening situation too but he couldn't deny that almost losing this, losing Rodney, had added an edge of desperation tonight. As they both drifted to sleep, John spared a thought for the infant lying fast asleep in the next room. He could hear Josh's snuffling breaths, so reminiscent of Rodney, and he closed his eyes knowing Atlantis was watching over all of them.
END