"I'll probably only be a few days," Mitchell said to the others that had gathered to see her off. She was wearing a Kevlar vest and a single pack, carrying a P-90 and had her zat and both Berettas in holsters in various positions on her belt, but she wasn't worried about having too many problems – at least once she managed to find the Light Ones and avoid the Dark Ones. Strapped to her forearm was the Remote Dialing Device and tucked into her pack was an IDC device.

"Their time, or ours?" Sheppard asked.

"Theirs," she told him, smiling. "It shouldn't take too long to find them and tell them what I want – and I doubt it'll take them very long to say yes, or tell me to go to hell."

Ford snorted in amusement as the Stargate started dialing.

"Tell everyone hi for us," Sheppard said, stepping back slightly, although he didn't really have to. She nodded, gave Carson Beckett a quick smile, and disappeared through the gate.

McKay sighed, and watched the inactive gate for a long moment as everyone else started leaving.

"What are you looking so down for?" Carson asked him, slightly annoyed. It wasn't like he had had to say goodbye to someone he... liked... as she started off on God only knew what kind of crazy plan.

McKay looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear him.

"Are you kidding? A planet filled with beautiful naked people? Didn't you hear what happened last time we were there?"

Of course he had – it had been a joke among most of the crew for a couple of weeks – although there were a lot of them who had also been jealous that they hadn't been in on the mission to the planet that the Light Ones lived on.

"Just because it happened once, doesn't mean it was going to happen again," Beckett told him.

"Oh, it would have..."

Now McKay's look was pained, and Beckett scowled.

"There are other things to think of, you know..."

McKay turned a scornful look on him, shaking his head.

"You try going there some time. You walk into a room filled with naked – naked – people, and see what else you think of."

Carson frowned at that, wondering for the first time what Melony thought when she walked into a room filled with naked, beautiful people. She'd not done anything with the Light Ones the last time she'd been there – of course, the last time she'd been injured, too, part of him said. She was more than healthy, now, and had been pretty eager to go. Maybe there was more than one reason she'd wanted to go – and only one reason she'd wanted to go alone?

He felt a stab of what could only be jealousy, and quelled it, feeling stupid and immature for even thinking such a thing. She wasn't interested in the Light Ones like that. He'd know. She was interested in him. Although that tiny part of him reminded him that the two of them had never done anything more than cuddled and kissed. She wasn't ready for more than that – at least, not with him. Maybe she was going to see how ready she was with – no. He was being dumb. She wasn't a sneaky person, and her reasons for going were sound.

Carson knew she burned with a desire to make the Wraith pay for killing her friend. It seemed crazy that she'd take on such a formidable foe just so she could get revenge, but he knew it was the reason. Of course, she had Talon inside her, and he was probably just as eager to take them on. They'd finished the Goa'uld, after all, and both of them probably figured it was just a matter of time before they made the Wraith pay for their transgressions as well.

He shook off the jealousy and headed for his infirmary. He could probably find something to do to keep his mind off how worried he was going to be.

OOOOOOOO

The first thing Melony noticed when she came out the other side of the gate was that McKay had timed things very well. She looked up at the sun and found that it was just coming up over the horizon – the Southern horizon.

He's a genius, after all

Yeah, I know. And doesn't he like to remind everyone?

Talon shared her amusement for the briefest of moments, and then reminded her that they should probably be watching for any Dark Ones that might be sneaking up on them. Of course, as silently as they moved, the chances were they wouldn't hear one until it was right up on them. Which was why Mitchell pulled her zat and held it in one hand while holding her machine gun in the other. She could fire a P-90 off the hip because Talon gave her the extra strength needed to control her fire, which definitely was an advantage when you were alone on a planet.

We'll head for the Farmer's steadings, Melony told Talon silently – no sense announcing her presence if she didn't have to, after all. Hopefully we'll get there with no hassle and then they can run up the flag to signal the Light Ones.

If they set one up

They were going to. They probably did.

She'd figure out something else if they hadn't.

Still watching her surroundings carefully, Melony left the clearing around the Stargate and headed down the very faded trail that she and Sheppard and the others had taken the first time they'd come to the planet.