Doctor Elizabeth Weir sat in her office pouring over the latest set of figures and predictions of what they were going to start needing in the not so distant future.

So far the desalinization and purification units they had brought from Earth were handling their water needs and Broden's team had found an ancient's device that seemed to do that as well and they were working on getting it to run off the power from the naquada generators.

Food was their biggest concern at the moment. The supplies of MREs and other canned goods were continuing to dwindle. They had made some successful barters for foodstuffs on a few planets but they had also had started making enemies in the process. There recent disastrous contact with the Genarii was just proof again that they were the intruders in this galaxy.

Exploration was the human credo, but at what expense? They had already altered the fates of how many races now. The Wraith had been awakened nearly a generation early. The Athosian had been forced to flee their planet. It could be argued that the Hoffren had brought about their own fate, but if not for them it would not have been so soon. And the young man, Keras, and his people, they had not been attacked by the Wraith for over 500 years, until they had arrived.

She sighed and rubbed her tired eyes.

But in all fairness, the Wraith were the native threat and they had help several races that on their own wouldn't have had a fighting chance against the Wraith. The alliance with the Athosian had given them a friend in this new galaxy and given the Athosian a new home with protection from the Wraith. Keras' people would live a full life and live to see their children grow. There were many others they had been able to help with medicines and aid.

Not an ideal situation but for now the good was out weighing the bad.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the 'gate room technician. "Doctor Weir, we've got an off-world activation. It's Major Sheppard's team."

"I'm on my way," she said, saving the file she had been working on and snapping the laptop closed.

She hurried out to the control room just as the stargate blossomed to life.

They waited for the request to deactivate the force field on the 'gate.

Finally, the radio crackled. "Sheppard to Atlantis base."

"Atlantis base, Major. Are you and your team ready to come back?"

There was a pause. "Negative, Atlantis. We're going to need Doctor Beckett.

There's been an accident. McKay and Ford are injured and are going to need to medevaced out and," he paused again, "and I've been shot."

Elizabeth held her breath a moment. "Major, you've been shot?"

"Yup."

Weir motioned for the technician to get Beckett up there. "How badly, Major?"

"Just a flesh wound," he drawled. "Clean shot though the arm. Teyla patched me up and the worst of the bleeding's stopped, but McKay's got a pretty serious concussion and several broken ribs and Ford's got a broken leg."

"Major, what happened?" she asked, her brows furrowing in alarm.

"McKay was poking around some ruins we found and ground collapsed under him, whole place was over a cavern system." He cleared his throat and said a bit sheepishly, "Ford was going down to get him and the tree limb we had the rope over to get him in to position to lower him down snapped off."

Beckett came up behind Elizabeth and slipped a headset on. He tapped it and asked, "Major, how far was the drop?"

"McKay, a good twenty feet, Ford maybe ten to fifteen feet."

The Doctor gave her a pained expression. "Were you able to assess their conditions?"

"McKay's not real coherent. Ford's been trying to keep him awake. He had to move him a couple times because of minor cave-ins. Ford said he's breathing kind of shallow, but pulse is regular and steady. Ford said he's holding in there. We went down the Puddle Jumper's medical kit down to them."

"And you, Major?" She turned to Beckett. "He said he was shot in the arm."

Beckett closed his eyes and groaned. "I don't believe this." Then he called out. "Major, what's your condition?"

Sheppard made a sound something between a snort and groan. "Clean through and through shot to the upper arm. No major blood vessels or bones involved," he told them. "Hurts like a—"he caught himself. "It hurts and the arm is getting stiff, but most of the bleeding has stopped. We need to get a move on and get back for McKay and Ford, Doctors."

"I'll get a team ready in ten minutes," Beckett said with a pained expression. As much as he despised 'gate travel, he had patients and friends waiting for him. He hurried quickly out of the command center and then broke into a run towards the nearest 'transporter'.

"Major, Doctor Beckett will have a team ready to come through the 'gate in ten minutes."

Sheppard sighed wearily. "Thanks, Atlantis."

"Just hold in there, Major," she told him.

"Will do, Sheppard out," he said and the 'gate disengaged.

The technician got ready to dial it again and Elizabeth closed her eyes a moment, gathering herself. She wondered out General Hammand had done this for so many years and now General O'Neill. How could do you keep sending people, friends, out there when you know they come back injured or, in fact, never come back.

She sighed and opened her eyes, steeling herself. Those were questions for later, now John, Rodney, Teyla and Aiden needed them to come get them and that they would.