Undesignated Planet

Pull up! Pull up!

I am, stop nagging.

Mitchell jerked hard on the yoke, over compensating and actually turning the dart into a backwards somersault that should have sent her, Talon and the dart all crashing to the ground – which was only about 500 feet below them. It definitely would have if Mitchell had been in any other aircraft. The dart, however, was superbly maneuverable – better than anything she'd ever flown in her life – and she was able to pull out of the ensuing spin almost immediately, sending the dart skimming along the swampy planet surface at speeds she couldn't even imagine.

Small and fast and able to turn on a dime, the dart was the greatest airplane she'd ever flown. Ever.

Talon wasn't nearly as impressed, and Mitchell had a feeling that if she could actually see him, he'd probably be turning green.

I thought you were a pilot, he complained.

It's a new ship, she told him. At least give me a chance to get used to the controls.

They're the same as every other ship

Nowhere near.

I thought flying was supposed to be like riding a bicycle…

I've never ridden a bicycle like this, Mitchell said, grinning as she turned the yoke slightly and the ship went into a series of controlled rolls. She couldn't actually see the ground – or the sky – because the dart didn't even have a front view screen. All it had was a 3-D image of what was around them on a very cool heads-up display that had appeared the moment Melony had pressed the start up button.

It was better than a window, once she'd gotten used to using it, because it showed her far more than she'd have been able to see if she'd just been looking out the front. Because of the representation, she could see what was under them, or behind them, or above them – all with equal ease.

We need to get back

I know.

It's-

I know.

He wasn't enjoying the flight anywhere near as much as she was, and she knew it. But he was right about that; they did need to get back – especially if she wanted to get all three darts back to Talonopolis before any other Wraith might come stumbling upon them. Three darts and a shitload of gadgets. Not a bad haul.

The darts themselves were worth the risk she'd taken.

"So… how do I dial the gate from inside the ship…?"

She asked it aloud, because she almost hoped the ship itself would tell her. There were a lot of similarities between the Ancient technology and the Wraith technology – at least in the inside of their ships – and both seemed to be able to respond to the needs of the person at the controls.

A button blinked, and Melony reached over and pressed it.

Sure enough, a small panel opened, and with a slight whirring noise another panel – about the size of a dinner plate – emerged from inside the dash. This one had all the symbols of the gate on it – exactly like the Puddle Jumpers did – and Melony wondered who had decided on making gate DHDs on ships first; the Ancients or the Wraith.

Do you want to stop and get that stuff on this trip? She asked Talon. Or pick it up when we come back?

We'd better get it now, he told her. Just in case they come looking for their toys while we're gone.

Melony nodded, and took a minute to get a bearing on where exactly they were in regards to the pile of things they'd left behind, and a moment later she turned the dart and headed back.

You don't need to turn so sharply

Relax. We're not going to crash.

She had the thing figured out, now. More or less.

More or less?

Somewhat?

Just get us back, okay?

Shaking her head, Melony headed back for the other two darts.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Atlantis

Weir smiled.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you. How glad we all are."

Jack's smile was just as genuine, and just as relieved. If Weir and the others were alive, then Melony was, too. Daniel had been right. He looked at those with Weir, and easily spotted Kale and the other two Light Ones, who towered a good couple feet – or more – over the others.

"I don't remember sending you…" Jack said, looking at Kale.

The Light One smiled, as did Weir and the others.

"General Jack O'Neill, I'd like to introduce you to Kale. He's a member of a race who call themselves the Light Ones. That is Char, and this is Kellan, Kale's sister."

"Light Ones, huh?" Jack asked, sizing them up, and moving slightly to the side as Daniel stepped forward, eager to meet the new people as well. "Where are the Heavy Ones?"

"Ignore him," Daniel said, also sizing up the new race. "I'm Daniel Jackson."

Kale nodded.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Daniel Jackson."

"Oh, you can just call me Daniel," he told him.

"Da-"

"How did you get here?" Weir asked, interrupting the introductions.

"We found-"

"Carter." O'Neill stopped her before she could answer. He'd taken stock of everyone in the room and had come up short on two faces that he most wanted to see. "Doctor Weir? Where are Colonels Sumner and Mitchell?"

Weir's smile faded.

"Colonel Sumner's dead, General," she said. "I'm sorry…"

"And Melony?" Daniel asked, feeling a stab of fear that she'd answer similarly.

"She's alive," Weir said. "At least… we think she is…"

"We're pretty sure she is," Sheppard said, cutting in. "She was a few days ago."

Jack scowled. What the hell was going on?

"What do you mean, a few days ago? Where the hell is she? Why isn't she-"

"It's a long story, General," Weir said, glancing over at the people in the room with her, and the supplies that were still coming through the gate. "Let's go sit down, and we'll tell you the whole thing."

Jack looked like he was going to argue – he wanted answers, not a story – but the expression on her face wasn't one that he could ignore. Whatever he was going to hear, Jack had a feeling he wasn't going to like it. And chances were, he'd want to sit down for it.

"Fine."