"We should have taken the Jumper," Rodney complained breathlessly as they hiked back to the gate. The village they had been visiting was situated several miles from the gate, but John had declined to take the Jumper since it was such a nice day and 'The exercise will be good for Rodney.'

He was regretting his decision somewhat though, since Rodney had whinged about the forced hike all the way to the village and was proceeding to do the same thing all the way back. Ronon was frowning unhappily at the oblivious scientist, and even Teyla was looking exasperated.

"We're nearly back at the gate,' John said to Rodney, trying to sound far calmer than he felt.

Rodney glanced up hopefully, and then frowned crossly. "We're barely halfway there, Major,' he grumbled. "Just because you can't judge distances is no reason to get my hopes up. Besides we would have been back ages ago if we'd taken the Jumper like I said. But no, we have to walk for hours to visit the small village of hopelessly primitive people, which was a complete waste of time I might add, and then hike back again, wasting valuable time where I could have been doing something useful."

John sighed, wishing that he was anywhere but here. Rodney's company was difficult at the best of times, but when he was in a bad mood like today it was impossible. He secretly suspected the rest of the scientists were glad when he went offworld, simply so that they could get some work done without Rodney yelling at them every five minutes.

He regretted his wish moments later when the Murphy's Law of the Pegasus universe kicked in and the still distant Stargate dialled in. It was still for a moment, and then began to release a stream of Darts. John stared at them in horror before yelling at his team to take cover in the nearby forest. Teyla and Ronon took off immediately, running towards the relative safety of the trees, and after a moment's hesitation Rodney took off after them as fast as he could.

John shook his head as he took up the rear, constantly glancing over his shoulder to check on the Darts whereabouts. Rodney's fitness had improved considerably since he joined the team, but he still tended to lag behind the others. Still, the sight of Darts screaming overhead was certainly making him move faster that ever before. If only he could somehow incorporate that sort of motivation into his training sessions…

Looking back, he realised that the lead Darts were just behind them. Rodney had yet to reach the fringes of the forest and was in danger of been caught in one of the Darts culling beams. With a muttered curse, John stopped and swung around to fire at the nearest Dart with his P90. A lucky shot disabled the ship and it swerved to the side, leaving a heavy smoke trail behind.

Glancing back at Rodney, he sighed in relief at the sight of the scientist disappearing into the trees. He moved to follow, only to be swept up in a culling beam from another Dart.

A rhythmic thudding sound welcomed John back to consciousness. With a groan he tried to gain enough awareness to figure out what was making the noise, only to be attacked by hundreds of pins and needles. 'That's right', he thought, 'Wraith Darts'. He frowned, vaguely remembering gaining consciousness momentarily earlier only to be shot with a Stunner. Hence the pins and needles. Rodney hadn't been exaggerating about the sensation, John decided with a grimace.

He realised that the thudding had stopped, and managed to open his eyes a crack. An extremely blurry face was looking down at him. John blinked and the face swam into focus. A young man with messy brown hair was peering at him curiously. At the sight of John's open eyes he smiled cheerfully.

"Ah, good, you're awake. How are you feeling?" he asked loudly – or at least as far as John's headache was concerned.

"Terrible," John muttered, forcing himself to sit up. The young man watched him intently. "Who are you? What do you want from me?" John asked him coldly.

The man shrugged. "My name is Kalak. And I don't really want anything from you, although some company would be nice. This place is incredibly dull." He gestured around the room and John followed his line of sight. They were in a Wraith prison cell, probably on a hive ship.

"Oh," John said, mentally cursing his slight lapse. Of course they were on a Wraith ship – the creatures didn't give up their dinner that easily. "Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard," he said finally, offering his hand.

Kalak looked at it hesitantly for a moment before shaking hands. "So why are you here, John Sheppard?" he asked.

John frowned. "I could ask you the same thing," he replied.

Kalak nodded happily. "You could. And I'd probably give you the same answer – information, right? They only keep the ones they want to question in the cells. The others simply go straight into the pods."

"You seem awfully cheerful for someone who is been held prisoner by the Wraith," John remarked suspiciously, thoughts of Wraith Worshipper spies running though his head.

Kalak lifted a shoulder in a sort of half-shrug. "We are alive, yes? There is still time for my people to find us. If there is still hope, why waste time being depressed?"

"Your people will try to rescue you from the Wraith?" John asked, surprised. "You must be fairly important for them to risk that."

"We are equals," Kalak replied softly. "What about you, John Sheppard? Are you important enough to your people for them to risk boarding a Wraith Hive ship to retrieve you?"

"It's different," John said frowning, "my people don't leave anyone behind. They will find me and rescue me. We can take you with us"

Kalak nodded. "It is kind of you to offer, John Sheppard. We shall see whose people get here first, hmm?"

John nodded. "You do realise that we're in space?" he asked curiously. "Your people won't be able to gain access to the ship."

To his surprise Kalak laughed. "Sure, if they intended to simply walk aboard. The Wraith aren't the only ones in the galaxy capable of space flight."

"I thought the Wraith frowned upon that sort of technological advancement?" John asked, surprised. So far the Genii were the most advanced race they'd encountered in the galaxy and the Atlantean's far exceeded their limited technology.

"They do," Kalak agreed, "unless you're strong enough to oppose them. We generally try to keep a low profile, which helps a bit."

"You're fighting the Wraith?" John asked, interested.

Kalak shrugged. "More defending ourselves from them, I guess."

"Perhaps our people could work together. Share knowledge, medicines, technology, that sort of thing. I'm sure there's a lot we could learn from one another," John suggested hopefully.

A guarded look appeared on Kalak's face. "Perhaps," he acknowledged. "You would need to speak to a Representative of the People. They handle all the new alliances. If we survive this, I can give you the gate address for a planet where you can find one of them if you like."

John nodded. "I'd appreciate that. Our government is a bit like that too – everything has to be handled by the right people."

Kalak grinned suddenly, as if struck by a funny thought.

John raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Does it not seem funny that we are sitting here waiting for death, yet we are discussing the future?" Kalak asked, appreciating the irony of the situation.

John shrugged. "I'm not planning on dying, not if I can help it," he replied. "I've got a life that I intend on living after we get out of here." He pauses and glances at the control for the doors, safely out of reach in the corridor. "It's a shame we don't have any throwing knifes to try and open the doors with," he remarked.

It was Kalak's turn to look surprised. "That would be extremely bad for the door controls," he commented. "And they were very careful to check for weapons when they brought us here."

John didn't reply, instead studying the corridor carefully through the webbed doors of their prison. He liked the young man – he was good company – but he wished that he could be sure whether he was genuine or simply a spy planted by the Wraith in hopes of gathering information. So far he hadn't asked any suspicious questions, but he might be simply biding his time, trying to gain his trust. On the other hand, if what he'd said was true, and there was another group of people out there with the technology to fight the Wraith, then they needed to try and form an alliance with them. They could use as many allies against the Wraith as possible.

The sound of footsteps alerted him to the approaching Wraith before they entered the corridor leading to the prison cell. They stopped in front of the cell and studied the captives through the door. Finally one of them gestured to the control pad and the doors slid open. The lead Wraith stepped inside the cell, closely followed by two drones. The leader looked between John and Kalak, as if trying to decide which one to take. After a moments hesitation the leader gestured towards John and the two drones moved to grab him.

To John's surprise Kalak stepped in front of him. "Wait," he said to the lead Wraith. "Take me first. The Queen will want to speak with me before him. She has been planning my capture for some time."

The lead Wraith hesitated, a brief look of indecision crossing his face. Finally he nodded to the drones and they grabbed Kalak and pulled him roughly from the cell, leaving John standing there in shock. Had Kalak just sacrificed himself in order to spare John, or was this simply a spy taking an opportunity to report to the Queen without creating too much suspicion?

He paced the cell fretfully after the Wraiths had left, disturbed by Kalak's actions. What if the man was genuine? Would he have been able to offer himself in the place of someone he'd just met? If it were a member of his team that was in danger then he would've without thinking twice, but for a complete stranger? He frowned, unsure.

About an hour later Kalak was returned and unceremoniously dumped ermionusly Kalak was returnedomplete stranger? He frowned, unsure.

to himself. He was there and Kalak was ol pad and thon the floor of the cell. John could see at a glance that the man was about 30 years older than he'd been when he'd left. With a wary glance at the retreating Wraith, John crouched down next to Kalak to see if he was alright. A low moan confirmed that he was still alive and awake.

With considerable effort Kalak managed to sit-up, although he had some difficulty staying upright. John sat next to him, supporting him with his shoulder, and studied the man curiously. Apart from the age, he bore a blood encrusted feeding mark on his chest, both testimonies to his treatment over the past hour. "Are you alright?" he asked him, wincing to himself at the stupid question. Of course Kalak wasn't alright – he'd just survived a Wraith feeding after all, although it was possible that complications caused by the feeding could still kill him even if they did manage to escape the Wraith vessel.

"I'll be okay," Kalak replied, his voice tight with pain. "I wasn't expecting it to hurt quite that much though."

John nodded. "It's hard to believe that anything can be that excruciatingly painful," he said with a slight frown.

Kalak glanced at him in surprise. "You have been fed on by a Wraith before?" he asked, eyeing John's youthful features somewhat doubtfully.

"Several times," John replied, a trace of remembered horror momentarily darkening his face. "I got lucky."

"Ah, the Gift of Life," Kalak said knowingly. At John's questioning look he qualified. "My people have studied the Wraith for generations. It is hard to kill something which you don't understand."

"That's part of our problem," John admitted. "We know so little about the Wraith it is hard to predict their actions or to understand their reasoning."

Kalak managed a weak laugh. "I suspect that you have to be a Wraith to truly understand the reasoning of the Wraith," he remarked.

John smiled in agreement, and studied the wearied older features of the other man. "Get some rest," he suggested. "I'll keep watch."

Kalak nodded. "Not a bad idea," he said tiredly, lying back on the floor.

They were left undisturbed for several long hours while John alternated between intently watching the corridor outside for any sign of Wraith movement and checking on Kalak as he slept. To his relief the man seemed to be improving as he slept. His breathing came easier, and in the relaxed state of sleep the unnatural aging didn't look quite as bad as it had earlier.

He was beginning to think that they'd been forgotten about when the sound of approaching footsteps alerted him to a nearby Wraith. Quickly he shook Kalak gently, waking the man from his deep sleep. Kalak looked at him blankly for a moment before recognition sparked in his eyes.

"What is it?" he asked blearily.

"There's a Wraith coming," John hissed at him.

Instant concern filled Kalak's face, and he struggled to his feet. He swayed slightly, but managed to keep his balance and walk over to door, a slight stagger marring his once graceful step.

They didn't have to wait long before the Wraith came into view. He was alone, and dressed in the style of the commander Wraith, with the flowing black leather coat and the long straight blond hair. John hoped that the lack of drones meant that he didn't intend to take them for questioning.

The Wraith made his way to the cell doors and peered in briefly before waving the doors open. His cat-like eyes swept around the room, taking in the aged Kalak and the younger John. John tensed, preparing to fight if necessary, although experience had taught him that he had little chance in a one-on-one fight with a Wraith, especially without weapons.

To his surprise Kalak stepped forward with a smile on his face. "Thorac," he said gladly. "You got here quicker than I'd expected."

The Wraith named Thorac nodded. "Not fast enough," he replied studying the man's features. "How do you feel?"

"I'm alright," Kalak replied cheerfully. "They didn't take too much."

Thorac nodded and moved back towards the open door, Kalak close behind. They reached the corridor, and Thorac paused looking back at where John was standing in shock. "Is your friend coming?" he asked Kalak.

Kalak looked back too, and gestured for John to join them. "It's alright," he said reassuringly. "He's a friend. You'll be quite safe, I promise."

John hesitated, unwilling to trust either of them. Still, he decided, following one Wraith was probably better than waiting in a cell with a whole ship full of the things. Cautiously, he moved to follow.

Thorac led the way though the ship quickly, keeping to the less travelled portions of the ship. Occasionally he would pause to check something on a small device in his pocket, and a couple of times he had them duck into a dark corridor or room while several other Wraith passed nearby. From this John deduced that the Wraith – Thorac – wasn't supposed to be there. He was probably from a rival hive, he decided, although it seemed strange that he would go to all this trouble just to rescue one Worshipper. There had to be something that he was missing, he decided in frustration, but he had no idea what that might be.

Finally they reached the Dart Bay, and after carefully checking the area was clear, Thorac led them to a Dart parked to one side. John followed reluctantly, although he had no intention of allowing the Wraith to collect him in the culling beam. As they neared the ship however, the dart disappeared to reveal a long oblong ship in it's place. It vaguely reminded John of the Puddlejumpers, although this ship was a dark grey in colour with a smooth surface. It was also lacking the flat front of a Puddlejumpers, a smooth curved nose taking its place. All in all in actually looked more impressive than the Ancient design ships, which surprised John considerably. He'd had no idea that the Wraith had advanced to this level of technology – especially to the use of a cloaking device to hide the ship. How many other Wraith ships couldn't they see because of cloaks like this one? he wondered.

The rear of the ship slid open as they approached, revealing the interior of the ship. Again, the design was reminiscent of a Puddlejumper, and John suspected that the design might have been inspired by such. Inside there were several humans dressed in the same style clothing as Kalak. All of them carried several weapons – the most popular being some kind of blaster – although John could see a couple of swords and knifes. To John's considerable surprise there were no other Wraith on board. Evidently Thorac was extremely confident of the humans' loyalty to allow them to be so heavy armed around him.

Thorac nodded to the humans and headed for the front of the ship. Two of the people moved to help Kalak inside the ship and over to a bench where he could sit down. Considering his recent experience with the Wraith Queen he was looking remarkably good, and he'd had no trouble keeping up with the rapid pace that Thorac had set thorough the Hive ship. John reluctantly followed Kalak into the ship and took a vacant seat opposite the man. A couple of the other people looked at him curiously, but no one seemed overly surprised to see him.

Looking at Kalak carefully John decided that he must have overestimated the amount of life drained from the man – he only looked about 20 years older than when John had first met him. Perhaps the shock of the change had made him seem older.

At the front of the ship Thorac was rapidly powering the vessel up. It was unlikely that the Wraith would be able to detect his presence through the ships shields, but it didn't pay to linger, especially if they discovered that the prisoners had escaped. The controls responded rapidly to his touch, and within seconds the ship rose smoothly into the air and glided out of the Dart Bay. As they exited the Hive he sensed a sudden flare of anger from within the ship and smiled slightly to himself. They had noticed the absence of their captives.

Accelerating smoothly, the ship quickly drew away from the larger Hive much faster than a Dart would've been able to. Once he judged that they were a safe distance he plotted the course back to the nearest Stargate and set the ship to follow automatically. Checking to confirm that the ships cloak was working properly, he turned to take stock of his passengers.

Kalak was considerably older than when he'd been captured, but fortunately still alive. He surmised that this meant the Hive Queen had fed upon him in an attempt to gain information, but doubted that she had succeeded. His people were remarkably resistant for a species that was considered to be nothing but food by most of the Wraith. Studying Kalak carefully he decided that the man would be fine, although he would require a lot of rest in order to fully recover.

With a satisfied nod he turned his attention to the other man, the one who Kalak had brought with him when they escaped. He had no objection to collecting other captives along the way, so long as it didn't place any of his people in danger, but there was always a risk to openly acknowledging the association between him and his human companions. That was, after all, why the Hive had targeted Kalak – they had hoped he would provide information on his leader's whereabouts.

The man was sitting opposite Kalak, and although he seemed nervous he was doing a good job of hiding it. He seemed fascinated by the design of the ship, studying the interior carefully. He glanced towards the front of the ship and noticed Thorac studying him. Thorac was intrigued by the range of emotions that passed swiftly across his face – hatred, anger, disgust, curiosity, and something else that he couldn't quite identify. The expressions disappeared almost before they had begun and an impassive mask took their place. The change was so quick that Thorac doubted a human would've been able to notice. Living among the Wraith had made him adept at identifying complex emotions though the slightest change in expression since the Wraith were not an overly expressive race. Most of their communication was achieved through the mental network that linked the members of a hive, and emotions were conveyed by feel rather than physical indications.

After a moments thought he turned to his co-pilot, Shaya. "Would you ask the human to come and speak with me?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Certainly," she said, already moving towards the rear of the ship.

Thorac forced himself to study the controls in front of him as he listened to the conversation in the rear of the ship.

Shaya reached the newcomer swiftly, although she had to work her way through large group of his people that had refused to be left behind on this little rescue mission. "Thorac would like to talk to you," she told him politely.

"I'm sure he would," he replied sarcastically, and Thorac smiled briefly at the man's insolence. He would be a strong meal – perhaps that was why the Hive had singled him out for the Queen.

"Well?" asked Shaya impatiently as the man failed to move.

"I'm comfortable here," he protested.

With a growl Shaya grabbed the man and dragged him to the front of the ship. She shoved him into the co-pilots seat and stepped back, although she kept her blaster ready for instant use.

The man looked a little shaken, but managed to grin insolently. "She's been spending too much time around you," he remarked to Thorac.

Thorac considered that for a moment and nodded once. "Perhaps," he replied. "What is your name?"

"Why should I tell you?" the man asked calmly. "It's not like your kind share their names."

Thorac suppressed a sigh. Spirited humans were more interesting, but also more trouble by far. "I am known as Thorac," he replied quietly. "And Wraith-names cannot be expressed verbally, even should one wish to share their name with you."

The man frowned at that, but remained silent. Thorac turned and cast a questioning glance at Kalak, who had managed to make his way to a seat near the front of the ship.

"His name is John Sheppard. Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard," Kalak supplied helpfully.

John glared at Kalak. "Wraith-Worshiper," he spat, the disgust clearly evident in his voice. Thorac opened his mouth to reply, but Kalak beat him to it.

"Do I look like a Wraith-Worshiper to you?" he asked angrily. At Thorac's amused chuckle and Shaya's raised eyebrow he paused, and tried again. "How many Wraith would risk their own lives to rescue a human from an enemy Hive ship? Thorac's different. We are his companions, not his slaves. We're here because we choose to be, not because we think he's some kind of god or superbeing."

"His companions, huh?" John said sarcastically. "That's nice – until he gets hungry."

Both Kalak and Shaya's faces darkened at that remark, but Thorac interrupted before they could get into an argument which might last for hours. "Enough," he said. "He is young. Understanding takes time. Let him be."

His companions didn't look happy, but they nodded reluctantly, and stepped back.

Thorac studied John curiously for a minute, while John looked back at him – slightly apprehensive, but managing to disguise it fairly well. "Where do you want to be dropped off?" Thorac asked him eventually, hiding a grin at John's astonishment. "You can't come with us, so we'll leave you on a planet with a Stargate, or your home planet if you prefer – especially if your gate is in orbit."

"A planet with a Stargate," John said finally, his voice heavy with suspicion. "The gate to our planet is shielded, and I doubt they'll let you in."

Thorac nodded. "Understandable. Your people are fortunate to have a Lantean shield for your Gate."

John glared at him. "I never said anything about the Lanteans."

"No, but they are the only race I know of to develop effective protection for the Stargates," Thorac replied calmly. "I assume your people have a method of communicating your identity before travelling through the Gate?"

John smiled. "That's classified information. I'm afraid your security clearance isn't high enough for me to divulge that."

Thorac looked at him sceptically, but refrained from commenting. His companions weren't so forbearing.

"Thorac saved your life," Shaya told him coldly, "the least you could do is be polite."

"He's not your enemy," Kalak tried reassuringly. "We'll let you go on the nearest safe planet with a Stargate, and that'll be it. No hidden agenda, I promise."

"My people would've found me," John insisted. "It just takes a little time."

"Time which you didn't have," Shaya pointed out. "Would it really hurt to be grateful?"

Thorac noticed the man involuntarily brush his hand across his chest and frowned. "It's alright," he told his companions. "John Sheppard has every right to dislike the Wraith."

Shaya frowned in disagreement, but respected her leader's judgement enough not to argue the point. Kalak, who had also caught the brief gesture, only nodded in acknowledgement of Thorac's words.

They travelled in silence for a little while, John casting quick, alert glances around, trying to take in everything. The controls of the ship particularly fascinated him, and he wondered if he would be able to fly the ship or whether it was controlled by a mental link like the Hive ships and the Puddlejumpers. There was definitely a similarity between Thorac's ship and the Ancient ships, John decided, his mind taking note of all the familiar features of the design. It was a lot more fancy than the Ancient ships though, which seemed to have been designed for quick transport, nothing more.

It didn't take long for the fast moving vessel to reach the designated Stargate floating in orbit above a green-brown planet, far quicker than a Puddlejumper would've made the same trip. Looking at the gate they were approaching drew John's attention to one feature of the ship that was definitely different from the Ancient design Puddlejumpers – the lack of an internal DHD. If the Stargate had been on a planet he supposed they could always get out and dial it manually, but he doubted that that would be possible in space – especially since the space gates lacked a manual control.

Almost in answer of his unspoken question, Thorac gestured at the screen and a dialling program appeared to one side of the main screen. It scrolled down rapidly through a list of Stargate addresses – too fast for John to follow – before selecting one. Since Thorac hadn't actually touched any of the manual controls John decided that he must be interfacing mentally with the ship. He wondered about the inclusion of the physical controls if the Wraith didn't actually need them to fly the ship, but supposed that he might use the humans to pilot the ship sometimes.

Before the dialling program could activate though, the Stargate dialled in. Thorac looked at it in surprise – the Wraith were the only ones who used the Spacegates, and it was unlikely that they would invade the territory of this particular Hive – even with the current shortages.

Moments later a Puddlejumper flew out of the gate and cloaked. Thorac stared at the gate shocked, and frowned. "A Lantean Gateship," he muttered quietly. "I have not seen one of those in a long time."

Behind him Kalak shifted uncertainly. "Didn't the Ancestors all leave thousands of years ago?" he asked.

"They did," Thorac confirmed, pulling up an image of the ship on the screen. Even though the Puddlejumper was cloaked, his sensors were able to detect it from the rest of the surrounding area. It was speeding away from them – and towards the Wraith Hive ship they had just left. "I can't imagine why they would return."

"Perhaps…" Sheya began, before trailing off doubtfully.

Thorac looked at her quizzically. "What?" he asked.

"There have been rumours among some of the open worlds that a group of people travelled to the City of the Ancestors from another galaxy and have taken up residence there. Or at least they had. It was destroyed about a year ago by the Wraith. Some of the travellers survived though." She looked at John as she spoke. "Apparently they have some or all the powers of the Ancestors."

Thorac tapped a finger against the control panel thoughtfully. "That would explain a lot," he said softly, half to himself. With a frown he turned to John. "Are these your people?"

John had been following the progress of the Puddlejumper with considerable dismay. Eventually Thorac's ship was shielded somehow, so they must think that he was still on the Hive ship. At Thorac's query he shrugged. "They might be," he said, trying to appear unconcerned. "Why do you want to know?"

Thorac suppressed a sigh. Being a Wraith seemed to make people instinctively distrust him. "Because they are heading towards a Wraith Hive Ship," he said patiently, as if to a child. "The only three reasons that I can think of for them doing that would be that they are either unaware of the ship, they are suicidal, or they are attempting a rescue – which is clearly the same as option two."

John frowned at that. "We don't leave people behind," he said, as if that explained everything.

Shaya glared at John. "So they ARE your people, then?" John nodded reluctantly. "Couldn't you have just said so then, instead of sprouting rubbish?" she snarled.

John was surprised by how fierce she looked. Strangely enough she reminded him more of the Wraith than Thorac did, who was watching her rave with an expression of long-suffering amusement on his face. It actually made him seem more…human.

"What's the name of your ship?" Thorac asked John.

Thrown off-centre by the unexpected question, John hesitated a moment before answering. "We call them Puddlejumpers. That's probably Puddlejumper One."

Thorac raised a brow-ridge at the unusual name, but declined to comment. Instead he stabbed at a control and activated the communication system. Glancing at the available frequencies listed on the screen, he selected the one that had been used by the Lanteans in times past. He went to press the transmit button, then hesitated, looking back at Shaya.

"It might be best if you did the talking," he told her.

Shaya nodded, quickly grasping his reasoning. "So that they'll actually listen to us," she said, not needing his brief nod to confirm her statement. Reaching for the control panel, she pressed transmit.

"This is the Protectorate ship 'Atehus' calling Puddlejumper One. Please respond."

John listened hopefully for a reply – the sooner he was off this ship and away from these crazy people the better – but there was only silence.

Thorac didn't seem concerned by the lack of reply – he merely made a few adjustments to the communication system and nodded at Shaya to try again.

This time there was a brief flare of static and then voices could be heard over the intercom.

"Where's the transmission coming from?" Teyla was saying, and John could picture her standing there staring at the control panel in concentration.

"It's a short wave frequency, so it's probably from somewhere nearby," Rodney was heard to reply. "Possibly from the Hive Ship, but it sounded like a human."

"Probably one of their damn worshippers," Ronon muttered.

"Can we reply to it?" another voice asked, one which John didn't recognise. Probably one of the marines with the gene, since the ship wasn't travelling in the less than straight lines that Rodney was famous for.

"Hang on," Rodney said, his statement punctuated by several thumps and other ominous noises. "It looks like its already transmitting back to the other ship. Probably some sort of auto response thing the Ancients had programmed into their ships."

"So they can hear us?" Teyla asked.

"Probably," Rodney replied. He cleared is throat. "Um, this is Puddlejumper. Can you hear us Atehus?"

"We can hear you," Shaya advised emotionlessly, her voice betraying no hint of the amusement dancing in her eyes. "We advise that you are heading towards a Wraith Hive ship. We recommend that you divert to an alternative course in order to avoid detection."

There was a lengthy pause, then Teyla responded. "We appreciate your warning, but we are aware of the ship. There is a friend of ours on board and we intend to get him back."

"If you are referring to Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, then he is safe and sound aboard our ship. You may speak with him, if you wish," Thorac interjected, carefully keeping his voice low so that the distinctive accent of the Wraith wasn't as obvious.

"John?" Rodney asked hesitantly. "Are you there?"

"I'm here Rodney," John said warmly, though his eyes continuously scanned the small ship for signs of trouble. "I'd really appreciate it if you guys would get me out of here and back home as soon as possible, though."

"Of course, John," Teyla said calmly, with just a hint of worry in her voice. "Rodney, is there anywhere nearby that we can stop and collect John?"

"The planet nearest the Stargate is capable of sustaining human lifeforms," Thorac remarked, still keeping his voice lowered. "There should be a large clearing suitable for landing on the day side at these coordinates," he informed them, while swiftly inputting the location and transmitting it to the other ship.

"Got it," Rodney said after a moment's pause. "We'll meet you there."

"Understood and out," Chaya replied, and closed the communication channel.

Thorac made a few mental adjustments to the ship's course, and accelerated towards the planet at a speed far greater than any Puddlejumper was capable of. Within minutes they were approaching the atmosphere, and to John's horror, showing no signs of slowing down.

"We'll burn up in the approach at this speed," he said to Thorac, who was paying far too little attention to the controls for John's liking.

Thorac merely smirked at him. "This ship is capable of withstanding a little heat," was the only reply he gave.

To John's disbelief and admiration the ship survived the fast descent without any problems, and pulled up sharply to park in the designated meeting location. Stepping outside into the cool breeze, he noted that the outside of the ship was completely unscathed, and was even cool to the touch. Not even the Ancient or Asgard shields could achieve that kind of protection.

It took the others another twenty minutes to arrive in the Puddlejumper at a much more reasonable rate of descent. Kalak and a few of the other people crowded into Thorac's ship had traipsed out to check out the arrival of the Colonel's friends, and to see what the Ancient ship looked like. John noticed that Thorac made a point to remain inside the ship, out of immediate sight.

As soon as John's team had landed, a couple of Thorac's people headed directly for the Puddlejumper and began examining the outside in fascination. Sort of like the fascination that Rodney was displaying as soon as he caught sight of Thorac's ship…

"That's incredible," he exclaimed. "I had no idea that this level of technology even existed in this galaxy. It might even be beyond the Ancient's technology. I have to examine it," he rambled, making a beeline for the ship.

John quickly grabbed his arm firmly. "No you don't," he insisted. "We have enough trouble understanding the stuff the Ancients left lying around without messing with something like this. Besides, you really don't want to meet the guy who owns the ship."

"Why not?" Rodney asked, staring wistfully at the ship. "Surely we'd be able to trade him something in exchange for a change to figure out how it works."

John shook his head, steadily steering Rodney back towards the Puddlejumper. "I doubt we can offer him what he wants," he said urgently. John nodded at the people staring at the Puddlejumper, ignored Kalak's small wave (although he noted in puzzlement that he only looked a couple of years older than when they first met – perhaps Thorac had given him some lifeforce?), and quickly shoved Rodney safely on board.

Shutting the hatch, he swiftly made his way up to the cockpit and commandeered the pilot's chair. "Right, now let's get out of here before they change their minds."

"Before Rodney speaks to them, you mean,' remarked Ronon, earning himself a glare from Rodney.

John smiled to himself as he left the planet as quickly as possible. He was alive and his team was safe, that was all that mattered at the moment. With any luck he'd never run into Thorac or his crazy group of Worshippers again, although knowing the Pegasus Galaxy, he seriously doubted that he'd seen the last of them.

TBC