I will admit that I have a much easier time writing stories in the BTVS world, so this story is going much slower than the first one. I thank the viewers that gave me some needed information. I appreciate the help. I'm sorry that this story is taking so long! Thanks for sticking with it.
Chapter 18: Hive Ship
*****SGC*****
Buffy and Ronon were having lunch back on Earth when an airman came and told them that her father had returned.
Holding hands, they were leisurely walking, enjoying being together and the newfound love they were openly acknowledging now.
"We need to get back to Atlantis, you know," Buffy said to him. "I know that's where I'm supposed to be, but I keep getting sucked into things here."
"It's only been a week," Ronon said. "We'll get back there soon."
However, when she saw her father and how upset everyone looked, thoughts of Atlantis were far from her mind.
"She's gone, Buffy," Willow said.
"Who's gone?" Buffy said. Then a sinking feeling hit her as she realized that she didn't see Tara.
"Tara," Willow said, her eyes filled with tears. "She was right behind me, and then she was gone."
Buffy's own eyes filled with tears as she came to an obvious conclusion. "She's dead?"
"No!" Willow exclaimed. "She was taken."
"Taken? So she's not dead?" Buffy asked, wiping her eyes.
"No—I hope not," Willow said, refusing to entertain the idea.
"Were you on a planet with the Wraith?" Ronon asked, frowning.
Daniel shook his head. "No. Only Jaffa and a Prior were there," he said.
"The Jaffa wouldn't take her," Cameron said. "Luckily, the Wraith haven't made it to this galaxy yet."
"So the creepy Ori people have her?" Buffy asked in dismay.
"I have to find her, Buffy," Willow said, her voice breaking. "She's my everything."
Buffy pulled her in for a hug. "I know, Will. We'll find her," she said. She looked at her dad, who seemed more rattled than she'd seen him in a while.
"Where's Dawn?" he asked.
"She's in your office working on some dead language puzzle you left on your desk," Buffy said. "I used to wonder how she was such a nerd, but I don't wonder that anymore."
Daniel grinned. "Well, she does take a bit after me in some areas," he said.
Buffy smiled and then looked at Cameron. "So what's the plan?" she asked.
"I have to speak with General Landry, and see what he says," Cameron said.
Buffy led Willow to Dawn and filled her in on the news. No surprise, she was upset to discover Tara's fate.
"We should go back there and look on the planet," Dawn said.
"We looked," Willow said. "Someone took her off world."
"We'll find her," Buffy said.
"Where's Xander?" Willow asked.
"Oh, he's at the Alpha Site with his new V team," Buffy said.
"So Spike didn't get dusty with the alien sun?" Willow asked.
Buffy shook her head. "Nope," she said. "He's due back tomorrow, I think."
"I have to find her, Buffy," Willow said, her eyes revealed the fear she was feeling.
"We will," Buffy said. "Between the talents of SG-1 and your magical abilities, she's as good as found."
Little did she know, things wouldn't be that easy.
*****A Month Later*****
Buffy couldn't believe four weeks had went by, and they still hadn't found Tara. After a week of helping search, Ronon went back to Atlantis without her. It was hard to be away from him, but she knew that Willow needed her. Her father had been very disturbed by the changes that Willow went through on the planet where Tara was taken. Fear that she would turn to black magic and go too far was prominent in her dad's mind. Talking it over on the phone with Giles didn't reassure him any even though Buffy didn't feel nearly the same level of concern. It was Willow, and Willow never did the wrong thing. However, she wanted to be there for her best friend, so she stayed earthbound.
Jack had the newly formed V-Team getting their feet wet by searching worlds. Xander and Spike had both been thrilled with their new job—she was happy for them. Tara's disappearance had pushed up the timetable that Jack had initially planned for the new team. Xander and Spike training was accelerated, and they were welcomed into the SG program on a probationary basis. Xander had officially started college, but he was taking it slow. It was just correspondent classes and only two to start. Because Anya had decided to move to Colorado and be with Xander as soon as she was able, he was happier than Buffy had ever seen him.
However, Willow was lost, and it broke Buffy's heart to see her in pain.
Samantha was working hard to help pinpoint the main Ori base. Even Vala was helping Jack, using her knowledge as a former Goa'uld host to help.
Dawn helped Buffy portal to Atlantis, so she could see Ronon for the weekend after being away from him for a week. The Atlanteans were not very surprised to see the relationship status change between the two as they had already seemed fairly bonded before.
John, though, enjoyed the new radiance that Buffy seemed to emanate whenever she was next to Ronon.
"I see they are now more than friends," Elizabeth said, when Buffy made her first weekend visit.
"Yes," John said.
"It's so annoying," Rodney said, secretly jealous. "It makes me wanna gag."
"I think you're looking a bit green there, Rodney," John said, giving him a knowing smirk.
"What? I'm not jealous!" Rodney said. "They're clearly made for each other. Have you ever seen a girl get so excited about weapons? A normal man hasn't a chance with a girl like that."
"That's true," John said. He felt a slight pang that Ronon had found her first.
Buffy found it difficult to say goodbye on Sunday evening with Dawn opened the portal for her, but she knew that Willow needed her support. Xander was off world now more than not, searching for Tara. Anya wasn't going to be in town until she found a buyer for her shop.
She found Jack in a meeting with the General and SG-1.
"We think we've pinpointed the area where the Ori are located," Jack told her.
"Where?" Buffy asked.
"It's Celestis, a planet located in a distant galaxy," Daniel said. "It's the planet where Vala and I first made contact with the Ori."
"We weren't sure it was where they were from," Sam said. "But Jack finally got a hold of the Asgards, and Thor confirmed it."
"We're going to need you to go with Willow and keep her calm," Jack told Buffy. "Both Cameron and your dad were a bit disturbed by her reaction to Tara's kidnapping."
"When will we leave?" she asked.
"In three days," Jack said. "We're waiting for the return of Cameron and Teal'c along with the V-Team."
"Okay," Buffy said. She hoped they'd find Tara—everyone missed her.
*****Two Days Later*****
As Daniel and Sam were needed at SGC to do research, Cameron and Teal'c were working with the newly returned V-Team. Teal'c and Spike got along well, and Cameron was assessing the new team for Landry since Jack was working with Vala and Daniel. They had accompanied the V Team, observing more than anything as Dixon had things well in hand. Now that Jack had finally gotten Thor to reply to his inquiry about the Ori, the plan was a go. Cameron and Teal'c would get a night of rest before they were off again, but this time, they would be with their SG1 team, Willow and Buffy.
At first, Buffy was going to go accompany the team while Dawn stayed on base. A marine would drive her to and from school. It was the best solution as they knew very few people outside of SGC.
Then they got a message from Atlantis.
Jack groaned and looked at Landry. "This is the worst timing," he said.
"I'll call Dr. Jackson and have him come here," Landry said.
"I'll go to him," Jack said. "Buffy's working with the marines in the gym. It's best if he breaks the news to Buffy."
Daniel blanched when Jack told him the news. "Ronon was with Shepard's team on P3M-736 when they were captured by Wraith," he shared.
"Is he okay? Please tell me he's not dead!" Daniel said.
"There's no way of knowing," Jack said.
"Buffy's going to lose her mind," Daniel said.
"That's why I told you first," Jack said. "You get to break the news to her."
"Great," Daniel muttered. Then he went to find her.
She was sparring with three marines at once. He and Jack paused in the doorway to watch as she gave instruction after each hit.
"You're moving too slow, Tom," she said. She kicked him in the stomach with enough force to move him back a few feet.
"Scott, what kind of hit was that? I couldn't even feel it!"
"At least, I got a hit in," Scott replied with a grin.
"Buffy," Daniel called out. Buffy turned just as Tom rushed her, knocking her flat.
The assembled Marines cheered as Tom jumped around with his hands raised like he'd won a boxing match.
"So doesn't count!" Buffy said with a pout as she sat up.
"It so does," Tom insisted, grinning. "You said distractions are just the way idiots die."
Jack snickered, and Daniel glared. "Not the time for laughter, Jack," he admonished.
"Okay, guys, clear the room," Jack ordered. "We have to speak to Buffy."
"What's up?" Buffy asked, walking over to the two men.
Daniel waited until the men had cleared out and then told Buffy the bad news about Ronon.
"We've got to get Dawn here," Buffy said grimly. "I have to get to Atlantis and lead a rescue."
"We're going to search the Ori's home planet in two days," Jack reminded her.
"If Ronon isn't found, he'll be dead by then," Buffy said flatly. There was no way that she was going to allow the man she loved to die—not when she was finally happy.
****A Few Hours Later*****
When Buffy and Dawn arrived at Atlantis, Buffy was surprised to discover that only Rodney had managed to escape the Wraith.
"How is that possible?" Buffy asked.
"When you get captured by the Wraith, it's every man for himself," Zelenka said.
"That's not true!" Rodney said in outrage. "John was with me. He got me loose and went to get Ronon and Teyla. Then the Wraith noticed, so John turned to fight them. He told me to run, so I ran to the puddle jumper they had sucked up. That's the only reason I got away."
"How long did you wait?" Buffy asked, trying to control her anger.
"I waited ten minutes, and I knew that if John was coming, he would've been there. I had to get help," Rodney said, his voice breaking. "I didn't want to leave, Buffy. You got to believe that!"
Dawn felt sorry for the poor guy. "We believe you, Rodney," she said.
"Do you know where they are now?" Buffy asked. "Can we find the Wraith ship? We've spent weeks trying to find Willow, and she's still gone." The thought of losing Ronon filled her with both fear and rage. Buffy was working hard not to shake Rodney.
"We can find the ship," Rodney said. "Normally, Wraith hibernate on the ships, not a real planet. They don't cruise the galaxy and move fast—only when invading or trying to feed."
Elizabeth Weir finally spoke, "Buffy, the problem is getting onto the ship undetected." She looked wary as she glanced at Dawn.
Dawn figured out what she was thinking before Buffy did and decided to make it easy for them. "I can open a portal to the ship if I can see it," she said.
"Absolutely not!" Buffy said. "Not only do none of us want to end up in space accidentally, you are not going to a Wraith ship!"
"I meant inside the ship—duh!" Dawn said, rolling her eyes. She wished her dad was there with them as he could make Buffy see reason. "Not to mention, I have no plan on going inside the Wraith ship. If we are within eyesight of the ship, comms will work, right? I just have to open and close a portal from safely inside one of our little ships."
"That could work," Elizabeth said.
"It's actually a great idea," Rodney said. "Buffy can lead some of our marines to help."
"The more who go, the more attention we are likely to attract," Buffy said.
"Well, you can't go alone," Elizabeth said.
"She won't be," Rodney said. "I'm going to go with her. I know exactly on the ship where we were held."
"Fine," Buffy said. "I'm going to get my weapons." She walked quickly to her ancient weapons room, trying to decide on which weapon to take with her. First, she grabbed a utility belt, so she could attach a few knives, grenades, and her lightsaber to it. Of course, she put on the lightweight body armor first, and then attached her belt around her waist. The back scabbard for her sword was last.
When she made it back to Rodney, she said, "You need to carry several small bombs of some kind to place around the ship. We need to blow the thing up after we exit, so it can't pursue us."
"Good thinking," Rodney said. "I'm putting a few handguns in my bag for the team, so they have something to fight with after they're freed. Do you want a gun of some kind?"
Buffy shook her head. "I don't need a gun. I wanna get up close and personal and cause those bugsuckers some real pain," she said flatly.
"The puddle jumper is ready to go," Zelenka said.
"That's good," Buffy said. She looked at Dawn. "Under no circumstances, Dawn, can you decide to go inside the ship after us. Do you understand? You don't know what the Wraith are like. They're much worse than vampires. They literally suck the life out of person, leaving them a dry husk. Unlike a vamp, they don't always go for the kill. Instead, they wrap you up in their hive like a spider to feed on you whenever they can."
"It's pretty horrific," Rodney added with a shudder.
"I know, Buffy," Dawn said. "I don't want to be a soldier or face monsters. I'm very glad we left the hellmouth!"
Buffy looked at Rodney. "You ready?" she asked. "Who's flying the plane?"
"I'd really like to do it," Ford said. He'd finally been cleared of all the Wraith enzyme and was ready to work.
Elizabeth frowned. "I don't know about that, Lieutenant. Being that close to the Wraith might cause more problems for you," she said, thinking of the temptation to drain some Wraith of their enzymes.
"I'll stay on the ship. I promise. Rodney gave me the gene therapy, and I can fly," Ford said. "I need to do something—Sheppard did everything for me. I have to help."
"It's fine with me," Buffy said to Rodney. "If you trust him, so will I."
"Normally, Ford would be a better person to back you up, but it's better if Sheppard makes that call," Rodney said as he, too, was a bit wary of Ford being so close to Wraith again.
"I agree," Elizabeth said.
"Let's go," Buffy said, anxious to get to Ronon before he was sucked dry by some Wraith.
Within ten minutes, Dawn was in her first official spaceship. She still couldn't believe that Buffy had agreed to allow her to go along with them. The ship was small, but she sat buckled in, trying to hide her excitement.
Rodney sat next to the guy named Ford while she sat behind Rodney with Buffy next to her. Ford glanced back at her. "Have you been in space before?" he asked.
Dawn shook her head. "No. I haven't even been in a wormhole since I can open a portal to Atlantis," she said.
He grinned. "That's really amazing," he said. "Space is pretty cool, too, though." Rodney put in the coordinates, and Ford pushed some buttons. Then he pulled back on a lever of some kind.
Suddenly, they were through the wormhole and on some planet. It was so fast that Dawn barely blinked.
"That's all there is?" she asked, looking at Buffy.
"Beats me," Buffy said with a shrug. "I went from wormhole to wormhole and didn't use spaceships."
Ford flew them up, and it reminded Dawn of an airplane—until there was no more sky. She was in space.
"There it is," Rodney said, getting their attention.
Buffy and Dawn both looked with interest at the huge ship that was a football field or so ahead of them.
"Okay, so you know what the plan is?" Buffy said, looking at the three. "Ford, you do not under any circumstances allow Dawn to cross her own portal and get onto that ship."
"God, Buffy, I won't!" Dawn exclaimed.
"What if I don't contact you and tell you I'm ready? What if you hear me die or get hurt on the comms?" Buffy asked bluntly. "Do you think you should come over and save me?"
Dawn opened her mouth to form a reply and realized that she wasn't sure what to say. "I-I don't want to leave you hurt," she admitted.
"But you will if it comes down to it," Buffy said grimly. "I have to trust, Dawn, that you won't leave our father without either of his daughters. You have to be strong enough to go home and tell him what happened. Tell him I died trying to save Ronon and the others. Now I'm at peace—because that's what death is. It's peace."
Dawn nodded, shaken at the thought of her sister being dead. "Okay," she said. "I understand." Buffy ascended once before, so if the worst happened, maybe she would again. Maybe she'd be with their mother.
"But no one's going to die," Rodney said firmly.
"That's right," Buffy said. "Well, a whole of Wraith are going to die."
"Do you have your comms?" Ford asked.
"I do," Dawn said.
"Let us know when you want her to reopen the portal," Ford said.
"I can't promise to be in the exact spot, Dawn, so you'll need to focus on me like you did that time when you first opened a portal to Atlantis," Buffy said. "Do you think you can do that?"
Dawn nodded. "I think so," she said.
Rodney hated how untested all this was. This was not a controlled environment, and so many things could go wrong.
However, he didn't get time to think anymore about it as the portal was open. Then he was back on the place of all his future nightmares.
He watched as Buffy stepped down the hall of the Wraith ship without any signs of fear or hesitation. "Which way?" she asked in a clipped tone.
He pointed, and she moved through the ship. Finally, they came across two Wraith. Before Rodney could do much, Buffy had sliced one's head off and the other she actually sliced in two. She moved so fast that Rodney didn't do much but blink before it was over.
"Place the timers," Buffy reminded him while she paused, peering down a hall while he did so.
He placed one detonator, and then another Wraith saw her. It fired a weapon that Buffy dodged while he pushed against the wall to avoid the shot. Buffy seemed undeterred as she charged and hit the Wraith low, knocking it down. Then a dagger was pulled from her side as she sliced its throat and then stabbed it in the heart for good measure.
Two more Wraith appeared, and Buffy killed them with apparent ease. Then four more came, and she never faltered, swinging her sword, dodging blows and even a weapons discharge. Finally, the hall was silent as the dead Wraith lay at Buffy's feet.
Quickly, Rodney placed another detonator, trying to keep up with Buffy, who announced, "There. I see bodies!"
She moved to inspect the webbing. "Ronon? John? Teyla?" she called out in a loud whisper.
"I am here," Teyla said. Buffy moved to cut her loose while Rodney placed another detonator.
Rodney moved a few feet down another nearby corridor and heard a voice. "Here. They're over here," Rodney called. He moved to pull John out. "We got you, John."
"Ronon?" Buffy said. She felt relief course through her as she spotted his familiar form. "Dawn, we found them. We're cutting them down now. Two minutes and open the portal."
"Okay," Dawn replied.
Buffy moved to cut Ronon loose, glad to see he was relatively unharmed. "I can't believe you let yourself get captured like this!" she scolded.
"What can I say? I'm not much good without you watching my back," he said, smiling at his other half.
Buffy placed a kiss on his lips and then turned as the portal opened. Rodney placed the final charge and then pushed the five-minute timer. "Go! We got five minutes!" he called as he stepped behind Teyla, walking onto their ship.
"Go," Ronon said to Buffy.
"You first," she said, a stubborn glint to her eye.
Ronon glared but stepped in the portal. Two Wraith shot at them. Buffy grabbed John and spun around, throwing him into the portal while the Wraith shot again. This time, the flare of heat hit Buffy in the back, and she fell into the portal.
Dawn closed the portal behind her.
*****To Be Continued*****
I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas. I hope you have a Happy New Year, and 2020 brings us new and wonderful things. I appreciate all the reviews and encouragement from those who read this story. Thanks so much. I feel like I've been letting you down with this story, but I will work to give it a satisfying conclusion. Reviews are a great gift, so take a second a leave me one!