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Part 29/40


-Chapter 28-

Ancient Goldeneye


Ronon hit the ground only a breath before Teyla, who landed on top of him. Her body sprawled, as if she were trying to protect him; he immediately rolled, placing himself over her.

As the sounds of the uncomfortably close explosion faded away, Teyla hissed in frustration beneath him. "Chivalrous!" she said, as if it was a bad thing.

Ignoring her irritated reaction, he lifted his head to meet Sheppard's eyes. "That was a big bang," the latter noted.

"Yeah." Ronon scrambled to his feet, gently pulling Teyla up with him. "You okay?"

"I am fine." Teyla dusted her clothes off, squinting at the cloud of smoke obscuring the farther reaches of the jungle. "I am relieved the effects of that explosion did not reach the camp."

Rodney, still on his knees, nodded in agreement. "I was kinda worried it would," he said. "You know, Cruiser or not, that self-destruct probably packs quite a wallop, and—"

"Shut up, McKay." Sheppard didn't turn around. "We need to see if there's a fire – and, if there is, get it under control." He ran off, barking orders.

"I do not believe it is a good idea to go back in there," Teyla murmured. "Particularly if that explosion damaged the creature's nest."

"Is no one listening to me? Does no one understand how much bigger than that this is?" Rodney scrambled to his feet, coming around to stand in front of them. "Are you listening?"

"What, McKay?" Ronon asked tiredly.

"There's a reason why the self-destruct went off! –Yes, other than that I accidentally activated the wrong system! I did more than activate that system!"

Coldness permeated Ronon to the bone, doubled by a chill of instinct. He knew what was coming next. "What did you do?"

McKay avoided his gaze. "I accidentally activated the distress beacon?"

"Distress beacon." Weir's choked voice came from the other side of Teyla. "The distress beacon. As in the Wraith will be coming here?!"

"That would be why I said we have to evacuate immediately!" McKay snapped. "Look, I don't think it was broadcasting for that long before the self-destruct destroyed it. We don't even know if there are any ships close enough to receive the signal! It could be nothing, but to be safe. . ."

Ronon ran his hands down his face. "Great. Just great."

"Why do we have to evacuate?" Sheppard asked. Apparently he'd heard Rodney yelling clear across the campsite.

"Because the Wraith are coming," Elizabeth said in a low, dangerous voice. "Dr. McKay activated the distress beacon."

Sheppard stared incredulously for a moment, then spun. "Belay that! You, you, and you – get teams together and start packing all this up! We're evacuating!"

"If only there were a way to find out for sure if there were any ships around that did receive the distress call," Elizabeth sighed. "Then we'd know if we had to evacuate this place or not."

Rodney looked thoughtful. Ronon, catching his expression, sighed and asked, "What, is there a way?"

"Maybe," McKay responded. "I'll need to go back to Atlantis, but. . ."

"Go," Elizabeth said. "Come back as soon as you can." After McKay ran off with a military escort, she shrugged at Ronon and Teyla. "At least we'll know if there's any activity in the area. And if we need to make even more haste packing all this up." She motioned to the tents and things around them.

The three separated, going to join separate teams to help with the packing. Ronon and Teyla had no sooner started on their first tent when a loud hail drew their attention. "Teyla Emmagan! Is Teyla Emmagan here?"

Teyla straightened next to him and turned. "What is Kanaan doing here?" There was a definite growl in her voice, and her steps were stiff as she went to meet him. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Ronon sidled up behind her, keeping a casually looming presence at her shoulder. He'd witnessed Kanaan and Teyla's behavior before, and wanted to be ready to break up another fight – whoever was the instigator.

Kanaan doubled over, planting his hands on his knees and gasping in breaths. "We have – a problem," he reported. "It – is Charin. She—"

Teyla took Kanaan by the lapels of his jacket and yanked him back into a standing position. "What about her? Where is she?"

The Athosian knocked her hands away, taking a step back. "Stop it! She is asking for your presence and sent me to bring you. She has invoked the right of a Ring Ceremony, and wishes you to preside."

Ronon caught Teyla's shoulders as she stumbled back into him. "What's wrong?" he asked. It frustrated him, not knowing the significance of those words. If only he knew more about Teyla's culture. . . But there had been little time to ask such questions.

"Charin is – is – oh, Ancestors." Teyla was obviously on the edge of hysteria, of losing control of her emotions right then. "Return to Athos immediately and tell her I am coming." She turned to go, spun back when Kanaan began to protest. "Go, Kanaan!"

The Athosian didn't argue this time.

Ronon followed her. "Are we going back to New Athos?"

Teyla nodded. "Yes. The Ring Ceremony – it is – a celebration among our people to honor the dead. A ring is placed around the body – symbolizing the Ring of the Ancestors – and—" She ran a hand through her hair. "We celebrate that the deceased died a natural death, not by the hands of the Wraith. It is rare."

"So Charin is—" Even though Ronon didn't know the old woman well, he found an echo of Teyla's pain inside him. She'd done so much for them. . .

"Yes. Soon. I-I have to be there. She is – like family." Teyla grabbed Sheppard's arm as he darted past. "I must go to New Athos," she said quickly. "I apologize for leaving at such a bad time, but—"

"Someone very close to her is dying," Ronon said softly.

John gauged Teyla's expression, then nodded. "Go," he said. "We'll wait for you here." He shifted his gaze to Ronon. "Go with her," he said as Teyla ran off. "She'll need you."

Ronon clenched his friend's shoulder tightly, a warrior's grip. "Thank you, brother," he said.

Sheppard waved him off. "Go," he said. "You'll have trouble catching her up."

Throwing another word of thanks over his shoulder, Ronon followed Teyla into the jungle toward the Ring. "Teyla, slow down!" he called. "The cave – you'll trip and hurt yourself."

Teyla grudgingly slowed to allow him to catch up. When they reached the mouth of the Ring's sheltered cave, Ronon clicked on his flashlight to guide their steps. He held the light steady as Teyla dialed New Athos; then they stepped through together.

An Athosian Ronon vaguely recognized – Halling? – waited for them Athos-side. "Hurry," he said to Teyla, completely ignoring Ronon. "There is not much time left."

The short run through the jungle to the new settlement left Ronon and Teyla out of breath and sticky with sweat. Halling left them at the entrance to Charin's tent, and Ronon hesitated outside as Teyla went to duck in. He was sure he wasn't invited.

"Come," Teyla said, grabbing his hand to pull him after her. "Charin will want to see you, too."

Charin's tent smelled of tea, stew, and strong incense. Ronon suddenly felt a pang of homesickness, which surprised him. After all this time he hadn't thought of his home, of Michaela, but something about this setting and these scents reminded him of his childhood on Sateda.

The healer Ronon hadn't noticed was there bowed softly and withdrew from the tent as Teyla broke his reverie, pulling him after her to kneel by Charin's bedside. "Charin," she said softly. "It is Teyla and Ronon."

The old woman's eyelids lifted. "Ah," she sighed. "You came." She smiled at Teyla, and then at Ronon. "It makes me happy, in the end, to see you such." She reached out a wrinkled hand to place it over the couples' joined hands. "You will help each other, for things are going to get harder from here."

Teyla's hand tightened on Ronon's as she reached up her other to lay it on Charin's arm. "I still need you," she begged. "I do not know what to do – what to say—" She bit her lip.

Charin's smile faded a little. "Teyla, my dear. You have your people, and your new friends from the great Ancestral City. And you have Ronon – you do not need an old lady like me any more." A spark of her old personality rekindled in her tired eyes. "It is time you relegate your family to memories, and create a family of your own."

Teyla shuddered. Tears filled her eyes and trickled down her cheeks; she folded her lips against the sobs Ronon felt building in her body. "I do not want you to just be a memory," she finally whispered.

Charin's eyelids slowly began to lower. "Whom you seek lies in each other," she whispered. Her voice faded, but her final words were still strongly audible. "What you seek lies beneath the nest." She lifted her hand, returning it to rest with the other on her stomach. "Love you both."

Teyla turned to bury her face in his chest as Charin died. He felt her tears soak his shirt, and more than a few of his own dripped into her hair. This sweet lady, who had done so much for Teyla – and for him – was gone.

And the most frustrating thing of all was that Ronon could do nothing about it. He knew he had the power to heal inside him, but he was useless to everyone but Teyla. Right then, he wasn't sure he was even useful to her.

-New Athos-

Ronon stayed on the outskirts of the ceremonies honoring Charin's death. He felt like an outsider, an invader upon these ancient, private proceedings. As soon as politely possible, Teyla dragged him away from New Athos, back in the direction of the Ring.

"Don't you want to stay longer?" Ronon asked her.

"No." Teyla didn't even look at him as she spoke.

Taking her by the shoulders, Ronon pulled her to a stop. "Look at me, Teyla," he commanded. When she reluctantly lifted her eyes to his, he eased his hands down her arms to take hers. "I don't want you to miss something important, something relevant to grieving for Charin, even just time with your people, for some perceived duty."

Teyla looked away, back toward the settlement. Soft, mournful music and murmured voices drifted in their direction, but she seemed little affected. "No," she said softly. "To be truthful, Charin was the last tie I had to the Athosians. They will always be my people, but – I am doing this for them. So the deaths of future generations will mean something, will be honored with Ring Ceremonies, not empty graves and violent, greatly-numbered deaths." She swallowed hard. "I must do this, Ronon. This is my way."

Ronon kissed her forehead and nodded. "If you're sure."

"I am." There was no uncertainty in her voice.

"Okay then." They resumed their journey, exiting in the now-familiar cave of the new world they had temporarily called home. The short, silent trek through the jungle seemed to stretch longer than normal, and the normal hustle-and-bustle of the campsite was strangely quiet, empty, when they arrived.

Sheppard awaited them with Elizabeth and a guard. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said softly to Teyla, touching her shoulder as Elizabeth wrapped the Athosian in a hug.

"She died peacefully," Teyla murmured. "She was not afraid. It is an honored way to end life's journey."

Ronon swallowed hard, echoes of Teyla's sweet but choked voice singing softly in his mind. The lyrics of the song she'd sung still haunted him, and he knew they would for a long time into the future.

A moment of awkwardness fell over the group before Teyla spoke again. "I see you got the camp nicely packed in our absence," she said, voice strong. "Has Dr. McKay returned yet?"

Sheppard shook his head, looking relieved at the subject of their new discussion. "Not yet. We expect him back soon, though."

"How much damage is there at the dig?" Ronon asked.

"Come see," Elizabeth said. Then she hesitated and glanced at Teyla, who looked to Ronon.

"I see no trouble," she said softly. "It should be safe for us to go."

They silently made their way down the trail toward the dig, a security team closely shadowing their movements. They all had to stop abruptly, however, sooner than expected.

A deep, multi-leveled hole gaped open before them. It looked like a giant had punched the ground, then allowed it to sag limply. The charred remains of grass and trees, and a few stray curls of smoke, spoke of the severity of what had happened.

Ronon whistled, long and low. "Wow. That was quite a bang."

"The loss of a perfectly good dig," Elizabeth mourned.

John patted her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll find others – maybe not on this planet, but—"

Something had been nagging at Ronon ever since he and Teyla had come back. He knew it was important, but he couldn't remember what it was – until Sheppard's comment. "She might have a chance on this planet, actually," he said.

Everyone turned to look at him, their expressions questioning his sanity.

"Teyla, do you remember – what Charin said?" he asked gently. He didn't want to aggravate her new grief.

But her expression was strangely thoughtful. "I think so. 'Whom you seek lies in each other,'" she quoted.

"And 'what you seek lies beneath the nest,'" Ronon finished. "She must mean the creature's nest."

Sheppard almost choked. "The Thing's nest? As in, the one place on this whole planet we're not supposed to go?"

"If we are wrong – this could be disastrous," Teyla said, showing no signs of having heard the colonel.

"But, if we're right – maybe a few things will start to make sense," Ronon said. "It could go either way."

Elizabeth had brightened at the mention of a new dig site, but wilted when she heard where exactly it would be located. "After all this time we've spent avoiding this thing, you want to stroll right up to its nest?"

Teyla sighed. "We do not know what kind of damage was done to it," she said. "It is possible that it – and the creature – was destroyed when the Wraith ship exploded."

"Possible, but probably not likely," Sheppard said. "You're both crazy! Just as likely as it having been destroyed, is it being damaged and really hacking that thing off! I really don't think we want to incur its wrath again."

"We might not have a choice." Teyla's gaze wandered toward the jungle, in the direction of the nest. "If Charin was right, and something important is there – we need to find it."

Sheppard sighed. "Destinies, creatures, and crazies, oh my," he said softly.

Despite his protests, they were soon on the way to the nest with a heavily-armed escort. They'd try to scope the area out first, to see if the creature was there or not.

"See anything?" Ronon asked Teyla.

She caught his meaning immediately. "No. Is your decision final?"

"As final as I can make it. We're on our way to the nest, right?"

"Yes." Teyla nervously chewed her lower lip. "I hope my clairvoyance has not chosen this crucial time to desert me."

Ronon squeezed her hand reassuringly. "It'll be fine," he told her. "You'll see."

A small team went in first to check the nest, skies, and surrounding area. One returned. "Nothing, sir," he reported to Sheppard. "Area looks secure."

"What about the nest?" John questioned.

"Looks only slightly damaged, but not uninhabitable," the soldier replied. "There's something in there – but it's not the creature."

"It is The Thing's nest," Elizabeth said. "It's probably laid eggs."

"Beautiful," Sheppard muttered. "Okay, we are going to do this as fast as possible. Quick in, dig, get out. We might have to make two or three trips to get this done."

Guards were stationed to watch the skies as everyone else got to work. They very carefully slid a net under the massive nest (more than twenty feet in diameter at least! Ronon noted), using a series of rope pulleys to lift it from the ground so they could dig. Instinct told everyone to hurry through the job, but they forced themselves to be careful and move slowly. If indeed there was something important buried beneath the nest, they didn't want to damage it.

"I've got something!" one of the diggers called. "It's hard – seems metallic!"

"Oh, here we go again," Ronon muttered. He moved with the others to help clear the dirt away from the area.

This time, instead of dull grey veined with blue, Ronon found a flat surface lightly colored in hues of tan, blue, and green. He immediately recognized the colors and patterns, as did Sheppard and Elizabeth across from him. "This is Ancient!" they all three breathed.

"Ancestral technology." Teyla sank back on her heels and stared. "How did it get here?"

"Look out!"

Ronon heard the shout only seconds before a massive rush of air nearly bowled them all over. "It's back!" he cried grimly.

Gunfire began to clatter as the horrendously familiar screech of the Creature echoed deafeningly around them. Above, he heard one of the ropes snap, as if great pressure had been applied to it.

"Go!" he yelled. "Evacuate the area! Go, go, go!" He dropped his shovel, gun drawn and ready to fire before the tool hit the ground. Looking up, he saw a huge black shadow blot out the early-morning sky. One of the lights they'd been using to brighten the area shattered.

"There's two of 'em!" someone – Sheppard? – screamed. "Everyone, go, now!" More gunfire.

Debris from the nest rained down as one of the creatures landed in the nest. The ropes and net groaned under the pressure, and more ropes snapped. The nest lurched unsteadily, listing sideways as Ronon threw himself backwards.

"Ronon!" He was suddenly aware of Teyla's hand dragging at his arm, trying to propel him toward the cover of the jungle. "Come on, Ronon!"

Furious gold eyes, cut in the center with slit black pupils, filled his field of vision. Hot, rancid breath washed over him as another scream battered his ears. He lifted his gun, aiming for the center of that enormous head between those lethal gold eyes, and pulled the trigger.

-To Be Continued-