Author's Note: I must admit to struggling a bit with this chapter, but theicemenace was kind enough to give me some ideas. If you like this chapter at all, it's likely due to her help. As always, hope you enjoy! ~lg

oOo

In the Kian infirmary, Carson bustled around and directed his limited staff to help the Genii that Ladon had sent through the gate. All of them showed signs of radiation poisoning, and he wanted to cure them. Maybe give the Kians a bargaining tool should Major Sheppard's mission go south. Carson wasn't the most distrustful individual, but he certainly didn't like the guy who helped take over Atlantis.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he walked over to the hospital bed where Dahlia Radim, Ladon's sister, sat. Her straight blond hair framed a pretty face, and her blue eyes seemed to see right through him. "It's no use," she said as he checked her pulse. "The doctors on our world have tried to cure all of us."

"I don't mean to speak ill of your doctors," Carson said, "but our medicines are a lot more advanced than theirs."

She glanced around with a sigh, not needing to say anything. Her message couldn't have been clearer. Their "infirmary" looked a lot less sophisticated than anything the Genii possessed. "I know what you're trying to do."

He glanced at her as he applied a tourniquet in order to take a blood sample. "There's really nothing sinister about it, love."

She gave him a strange look at the Scottish endearment. "They won't give you your men back. Cowen will never relent."

"Cowen?" Carson frowned. "I thought we were dealing with your brother. And how do you know our men are in danger."

She pressed her lips together, clearly refusing to answer that question.

Fine, he thought. "Are you experiencing any pain at all?"

"Why?" Dahlia shrugged. "Why would you help us?"

"Because I'm a doctor. That's what I do." He didn't have to think too hard to answer her question. But he had one for her. "Why would you do this—allow yourself to be used like this?"

"I'm dead anyway—what does it matter?"

"Not yet, last time I checked your pulse." He moved a fraction of an inch closer to her and lowered his voice. "Besides, even if there was no hope, I'd prefer to die surrounded by my friends and family in my own home."

"Well, I am doing this to ensure that my friends and family have a home. Can't you understand that?" She sounded fierce even though radiation poisoning weakened her voice. "This is the one thing that I can do, and I am glad to do it."

Carson would have responded, but the infirmary door opened, admitting Teyla and Ronon. The pair looked irritated, which translated into angry enough to kill without regrets. Carson left Dahlia and followed them into his office. "What is it?"

Teyla whirled. "Ladon has betrayed us. He is working for Cowen, and they have demanded our Puddle Jumpers in exchange for Major Sheppard's life. We have fifteen minutes to decide."

Carson stared. "What? We can't give up the Jumpers. We only have two of them!"

"That they know of," Ronon pointed out.

Teyla merely raised an eyebrow.

Carson turned to Teyla. "Give them the ones we have. We have more that we could go get."

Ronon shook his head. "We can deliver all the Jumpers you want. They're gonna kill everyone. We need to attack. Let me go. I can get in there and. . . ."

"No." Teyla's voice carried the same steel that Elizabeth's once had. "We will not negotiate with those who would kidnap our people and use them for ransom." She turned to Carson. "Can you cure their people?"

"Aye, I believe so." Carson glanced over his shoulder. "Some are too far gone for much more than pain management, but I believe I could cure eight of them with time. Including Ladon's sister."

Teyla accepted that with a nod. "Then, do it. Cowen will contact us in less than ten minutes. I want to give him the option of trading our men for theirs."

Carson returned to work, the need to cure these people topmost in his mind. For the moment, he refused to think about a pretty Genii who willingly sacrificed everything for those she loved. She would be around for a while longer, and he might actually enjoy getting to know her if everything went down according to plan.

oOo

"What do you want with the Jumpers?" Sheppard glared at Cowen as his hands were untied. He'd been gassed, tied up, told his efforts to prevent Cowen's rebellion had been for naught, and now used as a bargaining chip. To her credit, Teyla had sounded strong and stoic over the radio. He wondered if Kalle stood next to her, giving her the support she needed.

Cowen chuckled. "What do I want with invisible spaceships that could fly to other worlds and even deliver our atomic weapons?"

"Well, since you put it that way. . . ." Sheppard rubbed his wrists. "They're never gonna deal. You're gonna have to kill us."

"Mmm-hmm," Cowen agreed. "I fully expect to have to kill you."

"Lookin' forward to it that much, huh?" Sheppard frowned. "Why didn't you just take us hostage when we came to visit?"

"Why take two hostages when you can have a dozen?" He turned to Ladon, who had watched with a smirk in place. "Take him to his cell."

As Ladon pulled him to his feet, Sheppard briefly considered knocking the arrogant smirk from Ladon's face. Then, he caught sight of the guards in black leather and decided that he wasn't feeling so hot at the moment. His escape plan would have to wait for another day.

So he engaged Ladon in conversation on the way to the cell. He pointed out the Jumpers' requirement for the ATA gene, which Ladon assured him wasn't an issue any longer. He'd been "collecting samples" for a while. They arrived at the cell before Ladon told him where he'd acquired said samples.

Inside, Rodney and the marines Sheppard had brought sprawled on the floor, unconscious. Another group of men wearing the clothing of the planet where Lorne's team had disappeared stood when one of the Genii guards opened the door. Sheppard blinked as one silhouette morphed into the missing major.

"Lorne!"

Ladon grinned. "Starting to put it all together?"

"I'm getting there." Sheppard walked into the cell, ignoring the way the door closed behind him. "Major. Boys."

Lorne joined him next to the door. "Major."

As Ladon walked away, Sheppard eyed him. "Way to be alive."

"Thanks, Sir!" Lorne watched Ladon's retreat. "So, uh, have you come to rescue us?"

"Well, until about a moment ago, I thought you were dead," Sheppard replied, "but now that I see you speaking and breathing, yeah, I'm thinking about it."

"Oh, well, good! Let me know if there's anything we can do to help, huh?" Lorne's dry statement made Sheppard grin. He'd never been so relieved to find someone alive as he was now.

oOo

Perfectly content to allow Sheppard to die, Genii Commander Cowen accepted his dinner plate from one of his elite guards and sat down to eat. He wasn't a demanding man, just focused and ruthless in his pursuit of the Genii's goals. And those goals must come before anything else. Why Teyla Emmagan thought he'd trade his advantage and chance at some Puddle Jumpers for a few sick individuals who would die anyway. . . .He couldn't reason it out.

Not that he didn't know the dire straits in which the Lanteans found themselves. He'd kept an eye on them since the destruction of Atlantis. They'd traveled to several worlds lately, but they always returned to the planet they called Kiah. His kidnapping of Lorne had motivated them, playing right into his hands.

Realizing that Ladon should have returned from killing Sheppard, he turned to his guards. "Go see what's keeping him."

The guards bowed and left him alone to eat his meal. As he did, Cowen went over the plan in mind. The Lanteans only had two Jumpers available to them. Not like they needed them with their focus being on setting up a base of operations on Kiah. And Cowen intended to make sure that the Lanteans could not become a rising force in the galaxy. The Genii had hidden in the shadows for too long, plotting and planning. Too many people had died, Ladon's sister among them. Their sacrifice would not be in vain.

"Commander Cowen." The voice over the radio startled him from his thoughts. "Someone has freed the Atlanteans."

"What?" Cowen jumped to his feet and pressed a button on the radio around his wrist. "Ladon—come in."

Static came over the radio, and his summons went unanswered. Keying the mic, Cowen tried again. "Ladon, come in!"

"This is Ladon." Finally the man answered his call.

"What is going on?"

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, Cowen." Ladon's voice held a hint of regret. Only a hint. "You have served our people well."

Walking to the window, Cowen stared outside, trying to figure out what had just happened. How had he been so blind as to not see Ladon's true intentions? "What have you done?"

His world ended with the white flash of a nuclear explosion.

oOo

As it turned out, Lorne's dry statement about helping never came to fruition. Ladon returned with a gun, intent on killing Sheppard. Then, when Sheppard assured him that Beckett could, in fact, cure Dahlia Radim, Ladon released them. After walking out of Cowen's facility, they gated to an uninhabited world, cut the connection before Ladon's nuke went off, and dialed Kiah.

The response to Lorne's return immediately swept Kiah. People came out of their homes to pat the major on his back. Lorne dryly remarked that he'd never felt so loved, but Sheppard knew the truth. Kiah was relieved to have their favorite major returned to them. Of course, Carson missed this entire reunion as he worked over his patient. He later heard the story of the happy scene, though listening to it through the window of his operating room thrilled him.

Wearing the only set of scrubs he owned, Carson wheeled the hospital bed into the main room of the infirmary as the door opened. Dahlia Radim rested comfortably, still sedated after her surgery. Looking at her, Carson understood why so many of Atlantis's survivors, including John and Teyla, had paired off with others. The woman was beautiful, and, in the short time that he talked to her, he managed to forget about his circumstances and everything else. If she stayed on Kiah for the duration of her treatment, he knew he'd have to tread carefully to avoid an interplanetary incident. Carson wasn't the type to believe himself in love at the first sight of a woman. But Dahlia Radim drew him.

"What have you done?" Ladon Radim, the woman's brother, rushed to her side as Carson set the brakes on the hospital bed.

"We found a malignant tumor in your sister's left lung. We had to remove it as soon as possible." Seeing the panic on Ladon's face, he raised a hand. "Not to worry—it was a complete success. She did great."

"And then she'll be cured?"

"She's not out of the woods entirely, but if she keeps up with her treatments, aye."

"Many Genii suffer from similar afflictions." Ladon directed this comment to everyone.

Teyla stepped forward. "We would be more than happy to cure as many of your people as possible. The ones who survive your coup, that is."

"I don't anticipate any more casualties."

"Good." Teyla smiled. "Let us agree on this as a condition of our treaty."

Ladon took a deep breath and let it out. "My day is far from over. I must return to my planet."

Carson smiled at him and glanced at Dahlia's sleeping face. "We'll take good care of her. I promise."

"Thank you, Doctor." Ladon left the room with Teyla, allowing Carson to ruminate on his thoughts.

Aye, he thought. We'll take good care of her, indeed.

oOo

Late that evening, Lorne found Sheppard sitting on the steps of the great hall. His CO looked tired, but he had yet to retire for the night. Lorne didn't blame him, choosing to roam Kiah instead of settling into his bed. He'd only spent two days in captivity, and he still enjoyed the feel of freedom.

Now, however, he dropped onto the step next to Sheppard. "Sir."

Sheppard glanced over at him. "The coup was successful. Ladon Radim is the new leader of the Genii."

Lorne blinked. "Wow. That was fast."

"Well, once people found out Cowen and his elite guard were out of the picture, his loyalists laid down their weapons." Sheppard glanced at him. "They're billing it as a bloodless coup 'cause no one died on their home soil."

"Oh. So," Lorne said as he shook his head, "ignore the nuclear explosion?"

"Yeah."

"Ah." Lorne stared at the stars overhead. "You know, you don't miss things until you don't have them. Like seeing the stars."

Sheppard's eyes turned upwards. "I know what you mean."

"So, are you ever gonna tell me what Cowen wanted?"

"Jumpers." Sheppard ran a hand over his face. "He wanted our Jumpers, every P90 we had, all the ammo, and our C4."

"At least he doesn't know about the ones on Sateda." Lorne stood. "Thanks for coming after us, Sir. I don't know that I could have handled having more blood drawn. Whatever they were testing was really starting to annoy me."

"No problem. Though it shouldn't have taken us two days to find you." Sheppard frowned. "What was the blood for, anyway?"

"I don't know."

"Ladon said something about the Jumpers and needing the ATA gene."

The two men sat in silence for a few more moments, and then Lorne turned to his CO. "Do you think they'll do it? Create their own gene therapy?"

"I've learned to never put anything past Ladon." Sheppard stood and stretched. "It's late, Major. Call it a night."

"Yes, Sir." Lorne stood with Sheppard and headed for his cabin. He was exhausted and ready to sleep in his own bed. Glancing back at the stars, he smiled. Who would have thought a totally different galaxy would be as familiar to him as Earth?

oOo

"They have more of these ships? These Jumpers?"

"Yes." Gisli gazed up into his eyes, trying to memorize every aspect of his face. "They are hidden somewhere called Sateda."

"Sateda. . . ." His voice trailed off as he turned his attention to her. "You are sure?"

"I heard it from Sheppard and Lorne." She smiled, not needing to add the seductive tilt to get the reaction she wanted. "I can find out more, if you would like. I am certain that Sheppard is close to surrendering all his secrets to me. I have ways to ensure that he does."

"No." He followed his firm answer with an intense kiss. Pulling back, he let out a ragged breath. "You should go."

Gisli pouted. "It is early, still."

"Yes, and you must be ready to go to Kiah yet again, to search for the answers we need. Namely the address for this Sateda."

"Well, if you wanted that, you should have asked me to seek out Ronon's company."

"You stay away from him!" he growled, but he pulled her close for another kiss. "You're mine."

Gisli giggled and surrendered herself to his attentions. He pulled away entirely too soon for her liking, and she sighed. "Why do we not tell everyone that we are married? It would make the mission more difficult, but I would be much happier. Every time he looks at me like he wants more, I. . . ." She shuddered. "I do not know how much more I can take."

"It is only for a short time," he said with a smile. Touching her face, he continued, "We almost have what we need. Then no other man will touch you again."

"I will not let him take what is yours."

"I never imagined that you would." He gave her a gentle nudge toward the door. "Now, you must go. We cannot be seen like this."

"I know." She slipped out of his home and into the night. As she walked back to her home, she sighed. Her father was old, almost ready to die. He could not know that she had married a man without his express permission. Still, she must be careful when sneaking back into their home. Olina suspected her intentions toward Sheppard already, and Gisli did not wish to give her sister any more cause to distrust her. She had enough problems with seducing Sheppard.

As she settled into sleep, she thought of her husband and dreamed of the day when they could be together, openly and without shame. A wistful smile tipped her lips upward, and she hoped that day would come quickly.

~TBC