When Sheppard and the other team leaders arrived at the jumper bay, Woolsey was already there along with six well-armed marines, an unknown technician, and a pile of equipment.
"What's this all about?" Sheppard asked as the team leaders strapped on the provided tac-gear and weapons.
"New Athos is under attack from an unknown number of wraith. We'd only gotten a small amount of information before we lost communication. The colony wasn't able to tell us much and we have absolutely nothing on the team stationed there to set up our new Pegasus Alpha Site. The colony's defenses were holding, but ammunition is running low and the wounded are piling up. They need assistance and the nine of you are all I can send. You'll need to hold new Athos, while I pull support back to Atlantis. I'll be as quick as possible, but if I get resistance from the I.O.A. or military, help could be a long time coming."
"Dr. Beckett was working in New Athos," Major Teldy said. "Any word on him, Ronon, Teyla, Kannan, or the baby?"
"At last report Dr. Beckett was working with the wounded in the Athosian hospital and Kannan, Ronon, and Teyla were assisting with defense," Woolsey responded. "I have to assume they moved the baby somewhere safe like the hospital. After you reach New Athos, you will assist in any way possible until I can send more help. I've already had both jumpers stocked full of ammunition, weapons, explosives, medical supplies, food, and water. Col. Sheppard will fly one and Mr. Sharpe here will fly the other." He motioned to the unknown technician. "Col. Sheppard's jumper will remain as a resource while Mr. Sharpe will fly the second back and ferry other personnel to you as they come in."
"Any idea how long that will be?" Sheppard asked as he double checked the status of his G36K assault rifle. More a precaution than necessity; he trusted in the professionalism of his people.
"I don't know," Woolsey said shaking his head. "I've already issued the recall order but the best-case scenario is six or seven hours before we have any useful numbers."
"Great. Should be a picnic," said Sheppard growled as he walked onto the jumper.
"Good luck!" Woolsey called as the jumper door was shutting. Staring at the back of the jumper, Woolsey shook his head. Colonel Sheppard's dry sense of humor often made him smile, but today he had too much to worry about.
Sheppard took his place at the controls and opened the doors from the jumper bay to the gateroom, while Major Lorne dialed the gate. By the time the bay doors had opened completely, the gate's vortex had collapsed into its event horizon making the cool, blue watery surface they'd come to know so well.
The two men looked back at Teldy, who'd taken command of the six marines that accompanied them. She was already barking orders, assigning them in pairs to her, Sheppard, and Lorne. A wry smile passed between the two men before Sheppard engaged the cloak and punched its accelerator. In spite of how fun and laid-back she was off-the-clock, the Major's strictness and professional standards on the job built her a fearsome reputation.
The sensation of cold seeped into their bodies as they passed through the stargate's horizon. It's scintillating blue wormhole curved gently back and forth, up and down around celestial bodies as it cut a path through the universe. Their travel in that tunnel through space, where they could sense more than see stars and stellar objects flash by at unfathomable rates, seemed to take longer than normal. Time was more sensation than structure in a wormhole, and it was always impossible to estimate time's passage during stargate travel.
When they burst from the New Athos gate, it was night, and a light rain spattered the viewscreen. The walled township of New Athos lay directly ahead, less than 100 meters north of the gate. South of the gate were ruins of a prehistoric Alteran commune bursting through the thick foliage of a heavy, Nova Scotia-like forest. In a small clearing at the edge of the ruins were a few temporary Earth structures that formed the beginning of the Pegasus Alpha Site. East of the town lay a large and placid lake, but all other sides were surrounded by the remains of the once heavy forest.
Every tree within 100 feet of the town's log walls had been shattered, their ravaged trunks laying like scattered toothpicks. Small fires burned in random areas close to the New Athos wall, others still smoking from the wraith's vicious attack on the town. The town's dock at the lake had been blasted to pieces, their few fishing boats sticking out of the shallow water like wooden skeletons. Every log of the wall was deeply gouged, the obvious scars from previous explosions. Figures could be seen moving in the town and the tops of the walls, and debris had been piled as a barrier for the ruined New Athos gates.
"What happened here?" Major Lorne asked.
"Guess we have to land and ask someone," Sheppard answered.
He guided the jumper down to the town square, the most open and available real estate inside the walls for the small ships. Sheppard dropped the cloak and by the time the doors opened, Teyla was there waiting with a grin for her friends.
"John," she said, relief flooding her voice. "I'm pleased you're here, although I wish it had been under better circumstances. Major Lorne and Major Teldy…" she gave the two a shared nod of respect, "I'm pleased to see you both as well." She looked around the collection of gunners in confusion. "I do not mean to seem ungrateful, but is there no more of you?"
"We're all Woolsey could send at the moment," Sheppard said. "Atlantis was put on ice while the bureaucrats chased their tails trying to figure out what to do with it. But we should have more people here soon."
"What's going on?" Teldy asked.
"Two days ago, the gate activated and wraith started pouring out," Teyla said. "They started attacking the walls immediately and didn't stop coming until the gate shut itself off. Fortunately, we'd prepared for such eventualities and the gates were closed before they could enter. The first wave of drones that reached our walls detonated their self-destructs causing massive damage to our gates and dock. If it weren't for Ronin's insistence we build an earthen redoubt against the walls, our barriers would have given way instantly. After that they moved into the trees and, since then, have attacked at random times. Sometimes they use their stunners, and other times they self-destruct. We have many wounded but little ammunition, food, and water. I feared without your support we would not make it through the night."
"We brought everything you need, especially ammunition and medical supplies," Lorne said opening the lid on a crate of P90 magazines so she could see inside. It was packed with dozens of the transparent box-magazines. "I'll make sure it starts getting distributed."
"Thank you, Major Lorne. My people will be most grateful," Teyla said she gave him a tired but thankful smile, then turned to Sheppard. "John, I'll take you to Ronin on the walls. From his position, one can see much of the surrounding countryside."
"So, how did you get a message to Atlantis without a ZPM to power the gate?" Sheppard asked.
"That, John, is due to the brilliance of Rodney."
"MacKay?" he asked in surprise. "Which particular brilliance was that?"
"The MacKay/Carter Intergalactic Gate Bridge," Teyla answered. "Though the I.O.A.'s initial decision was to scrap the project, it was reinstated after Atlantis left Pegasus. Without it, there'd be no way for us or your people to contact Earth."
John marveled at the walls as he approached. He'd expected stone or wooden stairs leading up to a catwalk near the top like he'd seen in the medieval period movies. But the 'earthen redoubt' Teyla had mentioned was a gentle slope of ground that started 20 feet from the walls and ran 15 feet up the walls. The catwalk at the top of the walls was so close to the crest of the redoubt that only three steps were needed to reach it.
"I've never heard of wraith attacking like this," Major Teldy said as they marched up the earthen hill to the wall.
"Nor have we, Major," Teyla responded. "We've not seen a wraith commander or queen so far, only drones. We honestly have no idea of what to make of this."
Teyla led Sheppard, Teldy, and their teams to the northwest corner of their walls where a small but protected parapet was raised another 5 feet to give the user a greater view of the surrounding countryside. Atop it, Ronon stood looking west toward the forest.
"Sheppard," the massive Satedan said with his usual lack of enthusiasm, although he did wear a slight grin at the appearance of his old friend. "I thought you'd be on your couch watching your footballs."
"It's football, and so did I," he responded with a smirk. Then, Sheppard looked around at the devastated fringes of the forest. "What the hell happened here?"
"Wraith came in. Some blew up, we shot the rest." Ronin's skill at oversimplification was legendary.
"Great information, Chewie," the Colonel said, his voice thick with sarcasm. "Do you have any idea why they blew themselves up?"
"Nope."
"Has anyone investigated?"
"Couldn't spare anyone," the big satedan said. "Everyone was needed on the walls."
"We'll take one of the jumpers out there to scout the area…" Sheppard's sentence died in his throat as he caught sight of movement at the edge of the dark tree line. A lot of movement.
"Here they come again!" Ronon bellowed and raised his particle magnum pistol.
A hoard of wraith drones charged from the murk of the dense forest, howling madly as they raced toward New Athos through the rain. The defenders opened up, the sound of P90s, G36Ks, and Ronon's particle magnum shattering the stillness of the village.
Dozens of the monstrous creatures died in the first few seconds, but more reached the walls. Detonation after detonation shook the battlements as the wraith exploded against the defenses in a vain attempt to gain entry. Those attacking the walls failed, but the wraith that made the north and south gateways enjoyed better luck. Several managed to make the barricaded entries, their self-destruct explosions demolishing the hasty barriers.
"Lorne and Teldy, take your teams to the north gate!" Sheppard shouted as the howls of triumphant wraith cut through the din of gunfire. "Teyla, Ronon and I will take the south."
"Right, colonel," Lorne said and the six Atlantis personnel rushed into the night.
Sheppard and his team moved south through the village, panicked villagers rushing by for the protection of wooden or stone structures. When his team broke into the open plaza before the south gate, a chaotic horror met their eyes. Several wraith were inside the walls, some fighting and others feeding on helpless victims while more poured in the open gate. The few defenders remaining were wavering and about to break.
The team pulled their triggers, and a near constant spray of bullets and particle energy tore into the intruders. Many of the wraith died, screaming in pain and rage, but many more streamed forward. Sheppard pulled a pair small canisters from pouches on his vest, tossing one to Ronon. As one, the pair pulled the pins and threw the canisters just outside the gates. Less than two seconds later, the night was lit by twin sun-like flashes and matching explosive bangs. The Wraith, reeling from dual flashbangs, staggered as automatic weapons fire cut them to shreds. They fell by the dozen, the trio barely managing to hold the invaders at bay with the help of the remaining New Athos gate defenders. But the wraith just kept coming.
"We have to get the barriers back up!" Teyla shouted as she sent a burst of rounds into a pair of wraith that appeared at the front of the gate. "There." She nodded toward an old wagon. "We can upend that against the gate!"
"I got it!" Ronon growled. He swatted the largest of Sheppard's marines and the two broke for the wagon. Each big man pressed their bodies into the wagon, their feet slipping in the muddy road.
For long seconds, the big cart didn't move, both men throwing their all into breaking the heavy wagon free of the mud's grip. Finally, the wheels moved ever so slightly. Inch by painstaking inch, the cart squeaked its way toward the gate.
"Colonel Sheppard," Major Lorne's voice crackled from the radio. "We're getting overwhelmed… I don't know how much longer we can hold this gate!"
"You have to hold, Lorne," Sheppard shouted into his radio over the gunfire. "If you fail, we all die!" He fired another burst into the oncoming wraith before glancing at the wagon. The two men were moving it, but far too slowly for the major's liking.
"Marine!" Sheppard shouted. "Come on!" He realized he hadn't bothered to learn the Marines' names. If they survived this, he'd make a point to learn them all.
The four men, with Teyla and the villagers firing their weapons in support, gave everything they had to push that damned stubborn wagon. Finally, after a few seconds, they were moving at a jog and soon moved it into position at the entry. With a heave they tipped the giant wooden beast onto its side. Teyla gave the frustrated wraith outside the gates one last burst from her weapon before turning to the others.
"We must check on the other gate," she said tiredly.
Sheppard nodded and assigned his two men to help protect the south gate before they raced north. There were a few wraith in the city that managed to sneak in during the chaos, and each was dispatched quickly as they passed.
Major Lorne wasn't exaggerating when he'd said the north gate was about to fall. All but two Athosian defenders were down and all four Marines were empty husks, fed upon by the wraith. Major Lorne was backed against a nearby building, firing his weapon desperately, as wraith drones advanced on him. Each he cut down was replaced by another. Major Teldy must have been out of ammunition as she was using her G36K as a club, relying on her decades of self-defense training to barely keep one step ahead of the larger, stronger, and numerous wraith trying to catch her.
"Ronon!" Sheppard shouted and nodded toward Lorne. Sheppard advanced on Teldy's position, Teyla at his side, while the big Satedan moved to help Lorne. Sheppard fired a burst into an advancing pair of wraith and one went down. But as he reached to the pouches at his stomach for another clip, he found only empty pockets. He'd already burned all his ammunition.
The wraith drone advanced on him raising its palm toward the colonel. Sheppard glanced around and saw a downed Athosian defender ten feet behind him, his P90 still clutched in his hands. Desperation fueling his leap, Sheppard landed in the mud and slid to the fallen woman. He yanked the weapon free of her desiccated grasp and turned on the wraith just as it bent toward him.
A stream of bullets tore into its chest and the creature collapsed forward. It fell dead upon Col. Sheppard's chest and the man gave a groan under its massive weight. Using one hand to push at the dead weight and the other to continue to spray bullets into the thinning wraith hoard, the man wriggled and struggled in the slick mud.
Just as suddenly as it started, the onslaught of wraith ended. One moment the gates were thick with charging wraith drones, then, as though turning off a faucet, they were gone. Only wraith corpses were left, fallen into the mud and debris of the gate. Sheppard had wriggled his upper half free of the dead wraith and was sitting up, covered in mud and aiming his P90 at the now empty gate in fatigued disbelief.
"What the hell was that?" Sheppard growled.
"Just another day here," Ronon answered as he pulled the dead wraith off Sheppard's legs.
"No," Teyla said, her face drawn with fatigue. "This was the worst attack yet. Had you not been here, we'd have been overrun. Thank you, John." Her eyes moved to each of the Earth officers. "Thank you, all."
"Yeah," Colonel Sheppard said wiping thick mud from his face. "No problem. This is almost as good as watching the Stanford game with a beer."