Stepping out a door of her ship and onto a make shift scaffold deck, Larrin took in the rays of the sun as she surveyed the scene before her. Her people, the Travelers, had settled on this planet in another attempt to allow themselves to grow beyond the walls of the ships that had sheltered them for generations. As much as she hadn't wanted to admit it, Sheppard perceived right. Her people had been on the path to a "slow death." Even with the tragic events of last year, when the stargate exploded on their first colony, taking the lives of several of her people and the Ancestral warship in the blast, her people were adjusting nicely to the stability of a home world. Truth being told, they were stronger, happier, even growing.
"Happy." Larrin smirked as the word escaped her lips. She couldn't honestly recall the last time she felt the fullness of the emotion. Even now, as the spirits of the people lifted, she found herself still weighed down by the responsibilities to herself, to them, and the decisions she'd made concerning her own life. Although she gladly bore them, they left a void where her own happiness should have been.
From her vantage point, she saw children playing in what had become the town square. The term seemed appropriate, given that the four ships that used to house the people of the colony boxed the area in. Each ship had scaffold catwalks, boardwalks and decks similar to the one she stood on that led down to the ground on both sides. The theory held that the ships could lift off without adversely damaging each other or the buildings attached to them, allowing them to defend the colony when necessary. The proposed settlement would eventually spread beyond the perimeter of the ships.
"Commander." Larrin's communication officer pulled her from her reverie.
"Yes, what is it?" It was too early for problems to be arising.
"The gate just activated."
"I'm on my. Has anything come through?" Larrin stepped back inside and made her way through the ship's corridors to the other side.
"No, Commander."
Great. One more problem to deal with. "Are the security teams already in place?"
"Yes, Commander. We are here and holding position."
She stepped out onto a catwalk on the other side her ship and started down the stairs when the security team leader called back. "Commander, the gate just shut down."
Larrin stopped a couple of steps before ground level. "And nothing came through?"
"No, Ma'am."
Larrin's face twisted in confusion. What was going on? "Did we receive any signals?"
The communications officer responded. "No, Commander. Nothing."
She resumed her way down the stairs and toward the field and building near the Stargate. "Very well. See if you can figure out what exactly happened and, security teams, stay in place." Her mind slipped back to the last bad event that included a Stargate. Not again.
Minutes later, she entered the building that the Travelers had built around the DHD. The stargate itself sat just outside double doors that opened to the defensive positions that the security teams currently occupied. Larrin moved to stand beside the Communications Center. "Report."
"There's nothing to report, Commander. The gate activated. Minutes later, it deactivated. Nothing came through." The comm officer still wore a confused look.
"Since when does a Stargate activate and shutdown for the sake of it?" Larrin couldn't help the rhetorical question. She needed more information than she'd received.
The comm officer sensed her mood. "I'm sorry, Commander. I have nothing more for you." Larrin's lips pulsed. Just before she opened her mouth to demand something, the officer looked back to her, "The gate has just activated again!"
Larrin spun around on her heels and walked to look out the windows of the double doors. What is going on? After seeing for herself that nothing physical came through, she turned. "Are we receiving anything this time?"
She walked back to the Comm Center as Sheppard's face lit up on the view screen. "Is anybody there? This is Colonel Sheppard of Atlantis?"
Shock smacked Larrin right across the face. Sheppard? How did he find us? She looked at the comm officer.
Apparently he was already thinking the same thing. "Maybe that's who activated the gate earlier. I don't know how he figured it out, but that's the only explanation I have, Ma'am."
"I say again. This is Colonel Sheppard trying to get a hold of Larrin of the Travelers. Please respond."
Larrin nodded to the communications officer. After opening an audio channel he stated, "This is the Travelers settlement. We hear you."
"Ah, finally. For a moment there I thought we had gotten the wrong address." Even through the video feed, Larrin could see the relief on John was genuine. "I'm actually trying to get a hold of Larrin. Is she about?"
"Let me check. Are you the ones who dialed the gate earlier?" The comm officer asked the question and moved to let his commander at the controls.
John's transmission came through again. "Yes, that was us. It's a long story. Now, is Larrin there?" She noted his persistence.
Two years. Two years since he was beamed off my ship and now he wants to be persistent. What could he possibly want now? Must be good to go through this much trouble. Leaning in, she answered his last question. "Sheppard, what do you want?" She wasn't about to show how much she'd missed him.
"Hey, Larrin, it's good to hear your voice. Is your video feed broken? I can't see you."
Charming. She turned to the comm officer. "Wait outside." As he left, Larrin touched another button to change her transmission to allow a video feed back through.
"Oh. That's better. It's good to see you as well." She noticed the McKay guy in the background as he rolled his eyes and shook his head at Sheppard's comment.
"Now, what do you want?" She tried to sound impatient with him.
"Actually, I have something to discuss with you."
Now she was starting to get irritated with him. "Okay, what?"
"Well, I really wanted to talk about it in person."
She smiled inside. "Alright, step through we can discuss whatever it is when you get here."
"Oh, I'd love to. Except that you have a penchant for tying me up to get information from me, with and without someone trying to torture me."
She allowed him to she her grin. "What? You don't trust me?"
"I never said that, but our track record does speak volumes."
She tried to look disgusted again. "So what do you propose?"
"That you come visit me this time. You did say that you would 'stay in touch' two years ago." Larrin saw that his smirk was firmly in place.
"Hmm. I'll have to get back to you on that." She turned her look to one of dismissive.
"Look, we have gone to a lot of trouble to get a hold of you so I could present something to you. Our track record aside, we are supposed to be allies. I wouldn't have gone to all this trouble for nothing." She could see the John was getting a little anxious.
She grinned. "Fine. I come through in a few minutes."
"Alright, now we are getting somewhere. We have a new address. I'm sending it to you now."
The console beeped, signaling it had received something. "I've got it."
"Good. I'll make the necessary. . . ." Larrin closed the channel on her end, cutting him off, and walked away from the Communications Center. As she went outside she nodded to the comm officer, who returned to his post inside. Just then the gate shut down.
Making her way back to her ship to prepare, she whispered to herself. "Two years. Well, a least he didn't wait forever." Larrin allowed herself to smile. Wait. What was that? Was that happiness starting to rise within her? Dismissing the sensation, she picked up her pace.