Chapter Ten – A Fruitless Search

Ronon tensed, his hand reaching for his blaster as he set eyes on the people awaiting them. He didn't like to admit it but the natives had been formidable enemies during their previous visit, even though their weapons consisted of spears and arrows.

Teyla walked right up to the man on his knees, who seemed to hold back the young soldiers with his hand only, and gently reached down with her arm to offer it to him. She aided him as he rose to stand opposite her and gave him a ghost of a smile.

"I'm sorry," the old man mumbled. "For I did not understand."

"Good, we're back on speaking terms," Rodney piped up sarcastically, his eyes never leaving the life signs detector in his hand as he came to Teyla's side.

Dadan stared at the snarky man in disbelief. "I do not know of your name but please understand that we thought you came here with an agenda, like many others from far away villages on this planet. However, when you started reading things into the old pictograms made by our long lost forefathers we got confused. Then, when you decided to venture further into the natural cave system behind our village…"

Rodney waved his hand lazily in front of him to stop the old man's tirade before looking up from the gadget in hand to face him, his blue eyes narrowing, his patience having run out a long time ago. "We found the address in an old database, the details won't interest you," he said. "As you say we found pictograms made by - your forefathers? We ventured into the chamber out of curiosity, not to steal, as you obviously believed. How were we to know about the equipment in there and the old grave markings?"

"The Room of Rest," Dadan said, unfazed by the stranger's outburst. "A battle took place here many thousand years ago. Disaster struck our planet. It is told from generation to generation about the great battle and how the sky people saved our forefathers. It is said that some of them escaped their faith and laid their loved ones to rest in that chamber. They then disappeared without a trace, never to come back again," Dadan explained.

Rodney folded his arms across his chest as he waited for the old man standing opposite him to come to the point.

"The chamber is protected by a field so thin, yet so powerful that no one can walk through it. Yet when you arrived the field dissolved to let you pass. Items that belonged to the great sky people, those they left behind, began to glow. It has never happened before. We thought it warned us of danger," Dadan explained.

Rodney huffed.

"They were Lanteans," Teyla said solemnly.

"Where are you holding Sheppard?" Ronon demanded impatiently, not particularly interested in a conversation about history.

"Please forgive our rudeness," Teyla said diplomatically. "My name is Teyla Emmagan, this is Doctor Rodney McKay, and Ronon Dex. Our leader was lost during our narrow escape. His name is John Sheppard. It is important that we find him and that he is returned to us."

"I'm sorry, Teyla, my name is Dadan. The others call me Old Master. I do wish I could tell you the location of your leader but I'm afraid he isn't with us."

Ronon snarled as he walked closer to Dadan, causing some of the young soldiers to take a step back.

"You've killed him?" Rodney asked in disbelief.

"No, no," Dadan assured him. "You misinterpret my statement. He has ventured into the city. Before our scouting party could reach him, he was picked up by black clad soldiers, guardians of the border."

Rodney's mood plummeted as he shared a look with Teyla.

"The city is not what it once was. It is no longer a place of peace and tranquility such as this. It is spoken of rivalry and resistance within the city core. It is a turbulent place, and now, since the dark enemy has cast a shadow over the planet, I fear what I would find, should I go there," Dadan finished.

"Well, I don't," Rodney returned and nodded at Teyla and Ronon. "Come on, let's get back to the jumper and see if we can find the colonel. Our time is clearly wasted spent here."

OOOOOO

Sheppard felt the close proximity of the bullets fired by the military team he'd encountered, one of them passing through his shirt, grazing the skin on his arm, as another one sizzled past his right ear with barely an inch to spare. He flipped around and landed hard on his side and grimaced but he didn't have time to dwell on what other possible injuries he'd added to those he already had.

Then he realized that the firing had stopped and, as he picked himself up, he saw that the military team leader and his cohorts had vanished, taken by the Wraith's culling beam. He retrieved the life signs detector from his pocket and pursed his lips in displeasure as he studied it. The Wraith ground forces were assembling, troops were being deployed. Grimly he began to make his way through the blocks of the city, hoping to find a way back to the savage land. It was the only place he could think of at the moment where he would be able to hide out. However, John Sheppard didn't get very far before one of Katan's Alpha team members that lay in wait for him took him out with a dart.

OOOOOO

"It is beautiful," Teyla said as she gazed down at the large city beneath the cloaked jumper.

The architecture was a strange mix of Ancient Lantean structuring and something much more modern in terms of the architecture she'd once seen back on Earth.

"And deadly," Ronon added grimly as the jumper adjusted its course to avoid slamming into the side of an approaching Dart.

Rodney called up the jumper's HUD and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. "I can only separate the Wraith from the citizens. I can't single out Sheppard," he said in dismay.

Teyla shuddered as she saw a beam from the closest dart sweep the ground clear of citizens below. "We must help them, Rodney," she said.

"We don't have time to explain our presence here and risk being shot at. Not if we want to try and save Sheppard," he said, his expression stern. "And we can't just land and get out down there. We need a guide."

OOOOOO

M.E Lani Nadim breathed a sigh of relief as she neared the edge of the steep cliff that marked the border to the city limit. She'd taken a chance, a chance that might very well have ended her life but she'd reasoned, and reasoned correctly, that the enemy ships in the air would be too focused on bringing as much of the population possible with them and therefore would not have any interest in a lonely Askulan in a hover machine.

Lani, who normally enjoyed rock climbing to go visit the elders in the savage land, had little time to do so now. Also, Katan would not have time to keep tabs on her today when so much else was in the making.

To save time, she'd called in some favors at the local airport and borrowed a hover machine. Lani's father, Merk Nadim had been a pilot and he'd loved flying his children everywhere they wanted and had gladly told them how everything operated and how to pilot a hover machine.

As she neared the small village next to the caves she just hoped that Dadan wouldn't be offended by her arrival in an advanced flying machine. Little did she know that something far more technologically advanced had just managed to avoid ramming into her.

OOOOOO

Rodney let out a string of impolite words as he adjusted his course to get well away from the lone hover machine's path.

"Is he crazy?" The scientist said in disbelief. "Why would someone fly alone in something like that with the sky full of darts?"

"Sheppard?" Ronon asked succinctly, his hopes rising.

"It's a she," Teyla said amused, as she made out the silhouette of a woman in the pilot's seat, and smiled at the look she was receiving from her two friends.

"What do we do know?" Ronon said. "What do we make of her?"

"We hope she's friendly," Teyla replied as she clipped the P90 to the front of her TAC vest.

OOOOOO

Unaware of the Atlantis team, the medical examiner landed next to the village and was quickly greeted by the Old Master.

"Lani, my dear. What are you doing here? The path you took is dangerous," Dadan complained lightly, his voice full of worry for the young doctor.

"Tell me about the prophecy, Dadan," she said with urgency.

"I have already my dear," he said confused.

"I know, Dadan, but please enlighten –" She trailed off abruptly as the ground next to her seemed to sink and a feisty side wind almost forced the air out of her lungs.

Lani stared mesmerized as a hatch materialized out of nowhere and opened to reveal three people looking very different from one another.

Dadan bowed slightly and tilted his head as the trio approached them. "You did not find him," he stated sadly.

"We ran into some difficulties," Teyla let on politely.

"We need a guide," Rodney added and did a double take at the woman who walked up to stand next to the old man.

Dadan smiled. "This is Lani Nadim. She visits us sometimes to help. Several generations ago her forefathers lived among us but then decided to abandon the tribe, or savages as the city people call us, for excitement and technological advancement in the soulless city."

"I am Teyla Emmagan," the Athosian said politely with a slight bow to the head and turned to each of her friend presenting their names to Lani. "This is Doctor Rodney McKay and Specialist Ronon Dex."

Lani's interest peaked at the mention of their titles. She knew Katan had made some progress on aircraft construction, but of the little glimpse she'd gotten into the mystery machine they'd arrived in, she deduced it to be of the same design as the old city that now posed as foundation for the newer one.

"You're– " she began and then suddenly turned back to face Dadan again. "Does the prophecy say anything about the return of the sky people?"

"They fled, Lani, they were defeated by an enemy so dark and so deadly that they couldn't stop the darkness from coming," Dadan replied gloomily, without hope.

"You don't understand, Dadan," Lani returned somewhat frustrated. "Technology so advanced that the Inner Circle can't understand its full potential and meaning, is being used by these people. Dadan, John Sheppard needed only to touch it for it to respond."

"Wow, slow down," Rodney said. "Sheppard? You know where he is?"

Lani turned to him. "I'm afraid not. The resistance have him, down under the city. He was brought to the hospital where I treated him for his injuries but was later taken from the facility."

"Captain Kirk," Rodney muttered.

"Who?" Lani asked in confusion.

Teyla shook her head gently, having heard the reference and also the explanation to the character called Captain Kirk. One of many characters in the fictional world John and Rodney often referred to. Although this one being discussed more than the others as Rodney claimed Sheppard and Kirk were alike. Good looking, accident prone, stubborn to a fault, got a lot of attention from women all over the galaxy and so on.

"Lani." Teyla said softly. "We are not of this world and as you may have guessed, John Sheppard is not either. We need to find him and contact the rest of our people."

"Why did you come here?" The M.E asked, suddenly angry. "Why did you disturb the peace?"

"Was it peace, Lani?" Dadan broke in softly in his old wisdom. "Perhaps this will finally unite the people here?"

"You may not choose to believe us, but we had nothing to do with the large ship that roamed the sky when we first arrived," Teyla explained.

"Travelers," Ronon said succinctly. "A space bound people that we know almost nothing about."

The young M.E hesitated, looking at the serious Satedan. "How else would you have reached this planet?"

"Dadan?" Teyla said. "You said that the sky people, after they buried the dead ones, disappeared off the face of this planet never to return again."

The old man nodded.

"They travelled through the ring. My people call it the Ring of the Ancestors or Stargate. That was how we first came to visit your planet," Teyla explained.

"The ring is made of stone," Dadan said thoughtfully. "It was only a monument. A telling of the battle that took place here."

"No," Rodney spoke up. "It is a portal to other worlds. A gateway through this galaxy."

Lani snorted. "I'm sorry, it's just that it sounds a bit too farfetched to be real."

"You can believe it all you want," Rodney returned testily. "If not, please explain where we came from and why our vessel appears to have the same design as some of the so called artefacts hidden in that chamber behind you and why Sheppard could operate the advanced equipment you essentially know nothing about?"

"Please, Lani," Dadan said seriously, his eyes pleading with her. "Take them through the city while there is still time. Help them find their friend and then maybe they can save us."

OOOOOO

To be continued