Teta Prime
Written By: The Ascended Ancient
Chapter IV: "Stranded"

In the blackness of space, the Puddle Jumper with Colonel Sheppard's team on board flies into the debris field of the planet Teta Prime. Aboard the Jumper, the team is incredibly apprehensive. If Doctor McKay's theory is correct, this planet may turn the tide in the war with the Wraith. On the other hand, if he's wrong, they're about to fly into an asteroid field.

Colonel Sheppard grips the controls tightly as he goes straight in. Suddenly, the image of an asteroid field dissolves into nothingness, revealing a beautiful, blue-green planet. The team stares through the forward viewport in awe.

"My god," McKay says softly. "It's really here."

"Yes, Rodney," Sheppard says sarcastically. "It is."

"Colonel Sheppard, are we close enough to scan the planet?" Teyla asks anxiously.

"Yeah, why?" John asks her.

"I am sensing... something," Teyla tells him.

"The Wraith?" Ronan asks.

"No," Teyla tells him. "But a presence nonetheless." A computer image appears on the viewport, displaying the readings of the Jumper's sensors. Sheppard grimaces.

"There's a lot of ionization in the atmosphere," he tells her. "The Jumper can't get any readings." Immediately after he says this, a mechanical voice speaking in Ancient starts speaking over the comm system.

"That's the language of the Ancestors!" Teyla says, a look of wonder in her eyes.

"Least we know someone's still home," John says to himself. If only this ship could...

"...I repeat, identify yourselves immediately or you will be fired upon!" the same mechanical voice suddenly says.

"That's more like it," Sheppard remarks. He reaches out and activates the Jumper's comm system.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard," the colonel says. "My team and I are here looking for assistance." There is a moment of silence.

"Understood, Colonel John Sheppard," the voice says. "We are sending landing coordinates."

"Understood," John replies. On the screen in front of him, a map with a flashing circle on it appears.

"Looks like we have our destination," Sheppard remarks as he changes course.

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Teta Prime is a lush and beautiful world. There are tropical forests, wide, blue oceans, and plains covered by extremely tall grass. It was in one of these plains that the Jumper was landing in. It took only a few moments for the engine pods of the cylindrical ship to retract, and moments later the craft was on the ground.

Once it had landed, the rear hatch of the Jumper opens, and the crew step out. They look around at their surroundings, taking in the beauty of the planet.

As the team walks through the waist-high grass, Doctor McKay's foot gets caught on something, and he falls to the ground.

"Ow!" McKay cries.

"Are you all right, Rodney?" Teyla asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the doctor replies. "I just tripped."

"Over what?" Sheppard asks. Rodney looks behind him.

"On that." McKay points at what is only now visible because he had flattened a section of grass. There is a fairly wide fissure in the ground.

As Colonel Sheppard walks over to where Rodney is lying, he, too, stumbles. Looking down carefully, the colonel sees another fissure

"Interesting planet," Sheppard remarks.

"It does appear to have some interesting topography," Ronan says. "I'm sorry I didn't find this world while I was running from the Wraith."

"Why do you say that?" McKay asks as he pulls himself to his feet. Ronan points at the fissure.

"I could easily slide my body into that," he explains. "It'd be the perfect hiding place."

"Yes, well, if we're ever hunted here by the Wraith..." McKay starts to say sarcastically before he is cut off by a familiar whining noise. A look of horror comes over his face as he and the others turn in the direction of the sound. Shooting over the tree line into the field are three Wraith Darts.

"Get back to the Jumper!" Sheppard orders, and they all start to make a bee-line for their vehicle.

Seeing their prey on the move, the Darts open fire. Grass and topsoil explodes upward all around the team in a series of explosions.

Realizing that they'll never make it in time, Sheppard turns around and starts walking backwards, firing his P-90 at the Darts as he walks. Unfortunately for him, he trips over the uneven terrain and falls to the ground.

As this was happening, McKay, Ronan, and Teyla make it to the Jumper. McKay opens the hatch, and they walk in.

"Colonel, get this..." McKay looks around and realizes that Sheppard isn't with them. "Oh, no!"

The team race back to the hatch and look out at the field. Colonel Sheppard is lying in the field as a Dart heads straight for him. As it gets closer, the Wraith vehicle deploys its transporter net.

Realizing that he's out of options, Sheppard takes out a grenade, pulls out the pin, and tosses it a short distance away. He throws himself flat on the ground and rolls into a crevice as the grenade blows.

Near the Jumper, the rest of Sheppard's team watch as a grenade explodes where, from their perspective, the colonel was hiding. An expression of shock comes over their faces, and they watch helplessly as the Wraith Dart disengages its net and shifts course to attack the Jumper.

"We have to go!" Ronan tells them. The team snap out of their grief-stricken trance and race into the ship, closing the hatch behind them.

"Rodney, you have to fly!" Teyla tells him.

"Me?" McKay asks.

"You're the only one who's had the gene therapy," Teyla reminds him. "Now do it!" Rodney sits down in the pilot's chair as the ship is rocked by a shot from one of the Darts.

"Hurry!" Teyla tells him.

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Out in the field, Colonel John Sheppard peaks out of the crevice he's hidden himself in. Looking into the sky, he sees the Jumper flying away, the three Wraith Darts in hot pursuit.

End of Chapter IV

Author's Note: So, what's going to happen to Sheppard now that he's stranded there? Are there still Ancients on Teta Prime, or just Wraith? And how is the rest of the team going to escape the Wraith Darts pursuing them? Find out in "Survival", Chapter V of Teta Prime.