Chapter Twenty Nine – The Bitter End or the Sweet Beginning?

Ronon Dex

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Ronon stretched out on his bed feeling the tiredness in his body after the day's workouts with the marines. However, it was a good feeling, it was a normal feeling and he felt no pain.

Finally things were starting to return to normal around him. Also, he owed Major Lorne for allowing him, pushing him, to go back to the Acclosian settlement with Halling and the others. He realized he'd needed it, needed the closure.

Ronon sighed and looked up in the decorative ancient ceiling above. It had been a close call this time, for all of them, maybe a little too close.

As the people of earth would say. 'Life works in mysterious ways.'

He sighed again, this time out of frustration, as he realized that he was brooding. He blamed all this forced down time and rest for that. Somewhat irritated he cast a glance at the recorder that sat on his desk, reminding him about his mission report that still needed to be rounded off. He would finish his report by himself, not that he minded Teyla's help, he wanted to surprise her; after all, she would have to edit it anyway.

By the way, sooner or later he had to write them himself because, whether he liked it or not, Woolsey was going to demand reports from everyone in the future.

Instead of picking up the recorder he reached for his computer and accessed his file on the local net. Teyla hadn't placed any restrictions on the file so he could easily open it. He stared at the last chapter written:

/ Several hours later, when the fire had died out, we walked slowly further down the seemingly never-ending tunnel. After a two hour long struggle we reached the entrance but instead of coming out near the gate we ended up right where we started; at the village.

The village, he remembered the frustration he had felt when they'd made the discovery. It had felt like all their efforts had been for nothing. It made him wonder if the Acclosians didn't knew more than they had actually let on.

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Rodney McKay looked like had faced certain doom as he peered out of the opening. Intrigued by what had scientist so peeved he walked forward to stand next to him, Teyla resting in his arms.

He gritted his teeth and tightened his jaw at the greeting of the Acclosian settlement seen from a slight distance. His heart sank. As a tracker he thought he could orient pretty well but he had had no idea how wrong he'd been this time. They should've gotten out somewhere close to the gate, he'd been sure of it.

There was no time to waste admonishing himself over a fact that he could do nothing about so he walked out of the tunnel albeit carefully, since they'd no idea whether their nemesis would still be lurking around.

He searched the area around the entrance with his eyes; they couldn't afford being ambushed now. The Athosian lay dangerously still in his arms with her eyes closed and he feared for her life.

"Can you see anything?" Rodney whispered.

"No," he said cautiously, almost gruffly as he shook his head.

"Let's get out of here." Sheppard wheezed.

He nodded slightly, silently agreeing as he deduced it was safe enough and turned his focus on his teammates.

Rodney easily slipped a hand around Sheppard's middle, mindful of his friend's side and grunted.

"Do you think you could carry some weight by yourself?" The scientist asked testily.

"You know, if I could, I probably would, McKay," the Colonel answered sarcastically.

Jennifer glared at them and then turned to look directly at him, her expression grave and determined. "We have to hurry Ronon," she urged.

He couldn't agree more, the little doctor was actually quite tough when it came down to it. She was growing on him.

Even though he didn't see anything that indicated that they would be in danger should they step out in the open this mission had contained many unpleasant surprises so he set a fast pace down the road, away from the village, and glanced around, hoping the rest of them could keep up.

After a while, when they'd gained a lot of ground he felt comfortable again, felt positive they were going to make it. Walking over a fallen tree, eyeing the grasslands that stretched out a bit further away he suddenly stiffened. A dart, or several Darts, where coming their way.

"Wraith!" he shouted, to make sure everyone could hear him.

"Oh, come on, not again," Rodney complained bitterly.

"Well, they are nothing but persistent," Sheppard deduced uncannily.

He swallowed as he saw the Darts gaining on their position, trying to calculate the best course of action. Was it to stay in the outskirts of the forest or head out in the open trying to reach the gate?

Sheppard's cold voice suddenly halted his thoughts. "Where's my gun?" the Colonel demanded.

"Colonel, you can't be serious," Keller returned in astonishment and he imagined that the look on her face would be priceless.

However, he hadn't time to dwell on it as several Wraith suddenly materialized on the ground. He gasped as a stunner blast caught the body in his arms and staggered a little before lowering Teyla to the ground. This was nothing personal, he would never abandon her, he no choice but to let go of her otherwise he wouldn't be able to protect them all.

He focused his anger and frustration on the Wraith and aimed his gun, fired and watched them fall to the ground, one by one. It was like he was on automatic doing the same moment over and over again with a well-practiced ease.

"Take Teyla and go!" John shouted behind him but it wasn't to him he realized as he spared a quick glance over his shoulder to see Sheppard attach a new clip to his P90 as McKay headed over to Teyla, shouting something at the Colonel eliciting a wicked grin from Sheppard.

One hasty look at McKay told him that the scientist was fuming, adrenaline pumping through his body.

Ronon let the banter between his friends filter out so as not to disturb his focus.

With only Sheppard as a backup their chances were slim but he had faced worse odds before and he wasn't about to give up now after all they had been through.

"Colonel!" Jennifer Keller's concerned voice rang out behind him, causing him to temporarily loose his focus on the Wraith as he saw his friend lying on the ground with the doctor half-lying, half-sitting next to him.

"Are you with me Sheppard?" he shouted, forcing himself to keep firing and keep from running back to them.

"Yeah big guy, just trying out a new position," came the cranky reply.

Then only a second later the steady staccato of P90 fire sounded again.

He couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile. If Sheppard had their six he had it no matter what. The smile turned into a snarl as he once again gave his nemesis one hundred percent focus.

Satisfaction grew larger with every fallen Wraith and when only a handful remained he could afford himself to start to care again.

"Sheppard talk to me," he commanded, slightly worried. Sheppard was still down even though the man kept firing his gun and that didn't sit well with him.

"Nothing to talk about, you go ahead and leave me here with Keller. We'll catch up," Sheppard reasoned simply.

However, to him it wasn't that simple. He saw Keller nudge at Sheppard, saw her trying to tell him something, tried to get him up. Between their injuries and exhaustion little petite Jennifer Keller would never be able to get Sheppard on his feet.

He let out a growl, fuelled by rage at the creatures opposite him. The handful of Wraith got down to a few and then to a couple. He aimed and fired at the last visible Wraith and turned around to head back and yanked the Colonel's arm. "Never going to happen," he said steely. "I'm not leaving you behind, any of you."

John grimaced as he was roughly pulled back up and nearly doubled over, blood running from his mouth. Their eyes met and determination stared into pain, then suddenly there was a spark and determination met determination. "Let's go, Ronon, I have had enough of this place."

It was a difficult task to look out for enemies and care for your friends at the same time but he had no other choice. Trying to make sure there were no lingering Wraith he holstered his gun and pushed Sheppard forward as Keller gently hooked her arm around Sheppard's other arm.

He saw Rodney with Teyla in his arms a bit further down the road, closing in on the gate. The scientist dared a peek over his shoulder and stopped in his tracks.

At first Ronon thought that the surprise of seeing the three of them together caused the scientist to worry but then, as the doctor gently lowered Teyla to the ground and with trembling hands reached for his nine mil, he began to realize something wasn't right.

"Get down!" Rodney urged anxiously.

He reacted instantly, knowing every second counted, and threw himself at Sheppard who crashed to the ground, unable to stop himself, Keller sort of fell with him. Then he heard another body hit the ground behind them. Then McKay fired again and a strangled cry came from somewhere close by.

The whining scientist that he come to grow so fond of over the years, despite the fact that they had nothing in common, had just saved his ass.

Rodney slowly rocked back on his heels and sank exhausted to the ground, next to Teyla.

"Thanks McKay," he grumbled between heavy breaths.

Rodney let out a shaky breath. "Any time," the Canadian scientist returned. "Any time."

"Was that the last of them?" Jennifer asked, sounding frightened.

"We knew they were many but this takes the price," Sheppard said with a grimace, chewing at his lower lip, to prevent himself from crying out as he turned on his back.

He eyed his friend suspiciously for a moment. The Colonel wore more resemblance to the corpses on Sateda during their rebellious freedom fight against the Wraith than the living.

He sat up, welcoming the wind that had picked up as storm clouds began to cover the sky above them, and began brushing off the dust, covering his clothes. "No more, that's the last one," he grumbled, trying to assure his friend.

"John, are you all right?" Teyla's soft and kind voice carried over to them, surprising him.

He looked up to study her and she met his steady gaze, her dark eyes clearer than in a long time.

Jennifer rummaged through her medical bag, which she amazingly still had with her, and retrieved the last compress and antiseptic which she dabbed Colonel Sheppard's side wound with.

The hiss of the Colonel drew his attention back from Teyla and he silently willed Sheppard to open is eyes and assure them everything was fine. However, he knew the Colonel wasn't fine but he couldn't believe otherwise, he didn't want to believe otherwise.

"Of course he is not all right. Have you seen him up close lately?" Rodney asked angrily.

He turned to glare at the scientist, thinking the response was uncalled for.

Rodney looked surprised then amazed, conflicted and even regretful. The man sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry Teyla, I didn't mean…"

"It's okay Rodney, I understand," the Athosian said with the tiniest smile he'd ever seen.

"McKay," John whispered. "Go and fix the gate; I have had it with this place."

He closed his eyes briefly, gathering his thoughts. He then rose from his position and grabbed a tool bag that they had miraculously managed to keep with them. Walking over to where Rodney were sitting, still on his heels, he patted the tired scientist on the shoulder. "Come on McKay, you heard Sheppard," he said encouraging Rodney further by dragging him up on his feet.

"Easy, Conan," McKay returned somewhat testily as he bent down to rub his lower legs, in order to retrieve the circulation he'd lost. "Ow, ow, ow. Cramp."

"Teyla?" Keller suddenly questioned and he could hear the worry in her voice.

He turned slightly to look at the Athosian, his firm grip around McKay's arm never wavering.

"There is a Wraith ship in orbit and it's coming closer. When the darts didn't return from their culling and search for…" she trailed off.

He felt eyes upon him and shifted focus from Teyla toward Doctor Keller. The woman had a grim expression on her pretty face and he knew how she must feel. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of Teyla connecting with the Wraith either.

"Yes, they were looking for the Ancient Outpost here," Teyla whispered with satisfaction.

"How…did they know?" John suddenly asked, somehow making him relieved as he'd thought Sheppard had closed in on himself in order to cope with the pain he was experiencing. Yet the man managed to ask the one question everyone had on their lips.

"Bag," Rodney said in annoyance and he realised he still had it in his hand.

With a grunt he handed it over to the scientist, who sat cross-legged, next to the DHD. He was hit by the fact that the dialling device looked completely fried and briefly wondered how Rodney was going to get any sense out of it and more importantly, get it to work again.

"It's a renegade ship," Teyla said in a serious whisper. "They are looking for ways to increase their power in the community. They learned about the outpost from the Ballarians as they entered their minds."

"How did they know about it? There's no mention of it in the Ancient database on Atlantis?" Rodney asked quizzically, yet obviously annoyed at not having this kind of information, as he reached into the core of the DHD.

He found himself waiting for the explanation just as much as the rest of them, only he was worried about Teyla. About the effort it seemed to take for her to extract the answers.

When the Athosian spoke up again her voice seemed strained and hollow, monotone even. "Because it was declared lost with all hands due to a catastrophic experiment at the end of the war," she informed.

"Which was?" Rodney demanded impatiently, wiping away the perspiration now covering his forehead and upper lip.

He turned to glare at the scientist. The man didn't need to push Teyla more than she already did. However, his annoyance at the Canadian vanished as he noticed the paleness of Rodney's skin. He caught himself before asking McKay how he felt, deep down he was worried.

"According to the Wraith, they worked with shield modifications. It is common belief that their experiment failed, causing the complex to implode, and leaving only mass destruction behind," Teyla replied. "It is said the radiation killed almost every researcher instantly."

"Radiation?" Rodney quipped worriedly, momentarily distracted from what he was doing.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the anxious scientist.

"What?" Rodney demanded as he loosened a melted crystal from its holder.

Keller's urge to Teyla about snapping out of her connection had him momentarily worried but the Athosian's assurances that she was fine made him calmer. However, he was curious about one thing; "Why would they test shields?" he asked. "Atlantis already have a shield?"

"The war may have been lost but they weren't all dead. They searched for one last chance to survive against an attack and – I actually believe they succeeded." Rodney explained enthusiastically.

Now he had to shake his head. Only Rodney could go from doom to triumph in two seconds.

"Kind of depends on what you mean by succeeded Rodney," Sheppard drawled sarcastically.

"The Wraith are searching for the records of the shield and how to destroy it. Apparently they have been searching for a long time. It was only recently that the knowledge of the site was retained," she said.

"Why?" John asked sceptically. "No one has ever used the shield modifications."

"One ship; or rather one city." Rodney said suddenly.

Keller raised an impeccable eyebrow. "Atlantis?" she wondered aloud.

"No, we would have found it." John replied bitterly.

However this time Keller seemed persistent. She turned to Rodney. "The station back in the power room, deep down into the core of Atlantis," the doctor began hopefully.

The scientist made a face as he caught on to her train of thought. "Maybe," Rodney deduced. "We never understood what it was."

"Oh great, you are telling us we have had this advantage the whole time and never used it?" Sheppard said ironically.

McKay glared at him. "Look, Sherlock, I don't have all the answers," he replied testily.

"Really? That must be the first time," the Colonel returned in annoyance.

He smiled despite the situation. It was good that something started to return to normal. He hadn't realised how much he'd missed the banter between them.

"When I was little there were tales about ancient cities, not just Atlantis," Teyla explained, her voice no more than a whisper.

He nodded. He too recalled the stories he'd been taught by the elders when he was young.

"About the Lantian home world," he filled in seriously. "About a world filled with marvellous things. Large cities connected together, like departments. About treasures so rich every crock in Pegasus wanted to go there."

Teyla nodded. "When the Wraith came, the civilization scattered," she added. "Heavy bombardment caused severe destruction. An enemy so powerful that it could the rival the powers of the ancestors plagued our galaxy, forcing the mighty powers on their knees."

"Tales," Rodney returned smartly.

"Don't know, sounds pretty true to me," John quipped. "Remember the hologram, what she said upon our arrival?"

He wondered what had happened during the expeditions first two years. He had heard about it from people who'd been present and read some about it. However, occasionally, like now, he still heard things he didn't know about.

"To my people the ancient civilization had been the guardians of our galaxy. They built the rings as you call Stargates. Their technology seemingly magic to us," Teyla continued.

"Your guardians fled," Rodney replied flatly. "Left millions of people behind in order to save themselves."

"I know," the Athosian replied and he thought he'd heard sadness and even bitterness in her soft voice. "However, you came back for us."

He pursed his lips as he remembered the city council back on Sateda claiming that the Wraith could not defeat them and the haunting words of a village older saying the Wraith would prevail until a day when the Lantians would return.

It was once again Teyla that brought him out of his musings by mentioning Terra'an. Not that he had been very interested as a grown up or even as a child about the old tales but this one was rooted deep in him.

"The name of the first colony – means 'New beginnings'," he explained, realising the rest of them had never heard of it. "A vast city, landed upon beseeched soil where a handful of people stayed behind."

John rubbed his tired eyes as McKay huffed, trying to figure out a way to fix the gate. Keller on the other hand seemed enthralled by the telling.

He looked at Teyla silently wondering if the Athosians had a different version of the Lantean colonization.

"For many generations the knowledge of the marvellous city that spread life and prosperity around the galaxy were passed on. The ancients, or Lanteans, became something more – something powerful. They were rarely seen, and when they were, they walked through their mystical rings," Teyla filled in.

He found himself nodding at her words and as she continued he whispered the same thing she said out loud.

"Then, when a powerful, dark and deadly enemy force arrived upon the galaxy, the city returned to defend their children."

When his fellow Pegasus born friend left off he continued, reciting the words he'd heard so long ago, when he was just a little child. "Doom settled that day when the great city was destroyed."

"We've never come across another city, except for Lantia," Rodney admitted. "The one we named 'The Tower'."

He shrugged. He didn't know what to say. He'd never come across any either on his way across the galaxy, running for his life.

"The remains of the Ancient civilisation were shattered and very few people knew about this. Atlantis could never alone defeat the Wraith so in a hope for survival they set a destination for earth; in a galaxy so distant from Pegasus that the Wraith didn't know about it," the scientist said.

OOOOOO

Ronon sighed, turning to look out the window.

To him it made sense, although it wasn't the act he would have chosen. He'd always been more of a direct approaching type. However, the Wraith had managed to outnumber and, even outsmart, the Lanteans to the extent that they had no other choice but to flee. The fleet was scattered and the communication between the cities had become non-existent. He realised for the first time what a formidable enemy the Wraith had been.

The Satedan found himself secretly wondering if any of the other cities had been found by people capable of taking care of it, to use the technology like Sheppard and his people had, and then quickly dismissed the thought.

Ronon sighed and began typing down a summary of his thoughts.

OOOOOO

/ We had been living on hope, deep down in the tunnels, and the idea of ending up right where we started didn't exactly lighten the mood. Sometimes it amazes me that you can walk a path so many times without actually seeing what's on the sidelines. I can't believe the Acclosians didn't know about the facility right below their village. Unfortunately, there is no one left to tell. Perhaps this was for the best?

/ In a way they have kept something vital away from us in years. Things that could have made a difference, maybe even saved Dr. Weir from the Asuran beam.

He paused and began erasing what he had written then stopped and put it back again. It was up to Teyla to edit this and he had discovered that, in a way, it felt good to get this off his back. It amazed him that the words had such powerful effect on him, he was a warrior and had always been.

Gathering his thoughts again he continued typing.

/ We exited the complex and began our walk toward the gate, but unfortunately, we didn't get very far. The Wraith came in numbers, they shot Teyla in my arms and I felt something in me snap. In the heat of the moment Colonel Sheppard and I took out most of the Wraith, covering for Doctor McKay who struggled to get Teyla to the gate.

/ When we finally had time to catch our breaths the Wraith presence was picked up by Teyla. It turned out that we had the misfortune of being in the same place at the same time as a power hungry renegade Hive. However, in the end we learned that the Wraith had gained knowledge of an old secret underground base constructed by the Ancients from capturing the remaining people of an old race called the Ballarians.

/ When it comes to the Ballarians, my knowledge is limited. Like my people there aren't many left. I believe I have met one of them a long time ago, a diplomatic people, quite advanced in their research and moral aspects. They preferred to keep distance to others and didn't like to meddle in things that didn't concerned them. When their time with the Wraith came no one knew and even if anyone had known there would have been nothing we could have done to protect such an advanced technological race from near extinction.

/ I believe that the Ballarians discovered the ancient complex a long time ago but failed in retrieving the vital information of how to operate the technology. They might have been fairly advanced but nothing like the Lanteans.

/ Anyway, it took Doctor McKay two hours to fix the dialing device before we could return back to Atlantis.

/ Before I met up with the Gaters, the second evolution of the Lantians, Earthlings, Tau'ri or whatever you want to call them I had only heard stories of the Ancient people and their flying cities. As children we learned the tales of Atlantis, Tripolia, Lantia and Terra'an but that was all it was, fairytales of the old and mystic people that stood up against the Wraith. At least that was what I have chosen to believe all those years.

/ Specialist Ronon Dex.

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Ronon looked up from the screen and stared out through the old and beautifully arched window in his room, his eyes settling on the vast and glittering ocean outside but his mind was set on a different matter. A smile crept onto his face, he had a marine class in the gym in an hour.

The Ancients came unprepared for their challenges, arrogant and overconfident, but the New Lantians would be trained for it. Together, they would take down the Wraith one way or another, he was certain of it. The only question was when, not if.

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To be continued

29/37

Happy Easter to all of you!