The following day, the gathered together, ready for Ria to teleport them to her home planet. John and Ronon were checking through the supplies they were taking with them. Rodney was checking his equipment, and Teyla was helping him. Ria was sitting quietly by herself, staring into space. Carson came and sat beside her, taking her hand gently in his.

"Are you okay, love?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine thanks," she replied, rather unconvincingly.

Carson gave her a gentle nudge. "Don't kid a kidder," he remonstrated gently, giving her a smile.

She looked into his blue eyes, and felt as if he was reading her very soul. "Okay," she conceded. She looked down at her hands, intertwined with Carson's. Her thumb was stroking the back of his hand, taking comfort from the contact.

"I'm feeling rather nervous," she admitted. "It's a long time since I've been home, and I'm not sure what welcome we'll get."

"Did you leave under a cloud?" Carson asked.

"No," Ria replied. "But many of my people are isolationists. They've good reason to be. And I'm not sure how they'll react when I turn up with a bunch of strangers."

At that moment, Rodney chose to let out a yell, as the piece of equipment he was working on gave him an electric shock.

"Some stranger than others," Carson said glancing over at his colleague. Ria laughed.

At that moment, Colonel Caldwell's voice came through the intercom.

"We've arrived at the coordinates you gave," he said.

Ria glanced up at Carson, an anxious look on her face. He gave her hand another squeeze, and then got up and went over to where his medical supplies were. The group then gathered, ready to be teleported. Ria glanced along the line.

"We won't materialise on top of somebody will we?" Rodney asked, slightly anxiously.

Ria grinned. "No, Rodney," she reassured him. "I've contacted the planet already, and they're waiting for us."

"What will it feel like?" John asked, curiosity in his voice, but in his case, no sense of fear.

"It is similar to going through the Stargate," Ria said. "But not quite so bad," she added quickly, seeing the apprehension on Carson's face. "I promise I'll get you there in one-piece." She reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and was rewarded with a smile.

"Is everyone ready?" she asked. They all answered with a nod.

It was a slightly strange sensation. One moment they were looking at the walls of the Daedalus, and the next, they were looking at the ornate walls of a grand building. It was strange to move from one place to another, without actually moving. Even going through the Stargate, you walked through it, giving the sense of moving from one place to another.

They looked around, trying to take in their new surroundings. It reminded John of a grand hall he had once seen in an old manor house he had visited once, in a visit to England. It had a stately grandeur about it, a look that seemed to be untouched for centuries. There were large, arched windows. Light flooded in, even though the windows were draped with heavy curtains made from a deep burgundy velvet, trimmed with gold.

The walls were covered with a ornate wallpaper, with a raised pattern in gold against a deep rose background. Even the furniture seemed from a bygone era. It too was ornate, with gold inlay and beautifully carved features.

Suddenly, the door opened and a man came in. He had a big grin on his face, and headed straight for Ria. He enveloped her in a huge bear hug, lifting her right off her feet.

"Ria," he said. "It's good to see you again."

She returned the hug. "Thomat," she said to the man. "It's good to see you too."

"I thought you'd forgotten about us," the man said. "It's been such a long time since you were last here." He turned and looked at the others. "And you brought some friends with you!"

Ria introduced the group to Thomat. He shook each of them by the hand, pausing slightly longer with John, and then with Carson.

"Is good to have you here," he said addressing the group as a whole. "Now, let us get you settled in your rooms, and then we can show you round the city."

Without a word being spoken, audibly, two men appeared, ready to show them to their rooms.

As they were led along the corridors leading to their rooms, Rodney just about twisted his head off, trying to see everything. The walls were adorned with elaborate tapestries, and it each corner were very detailed sculptures.

"Excuse me," he said to one of their companions. "How old are these tapestries? They look very old, but they're in wonderful condition. I was wondering what process you used to keep them that way. Something like that could be very useful back home, to protect some of the things left behind by the Ancients."

One of the men turned to answer him, but before he could see anything, all hell broke loose.

Suddenly, in front of them, around 20 men appeared, all fully armed, effectively blocking the corridor. At their head, was a tall man in what looked like full armour. He was carrying a sword, and also a weapon that looked like a stunner gun.

John, Ronon and Teyla all drew there are weapons, and pointed them at their assailants, ready to defend themselves and their friends.

"You can go no further!" he ordered. He then signalled to the men behind him to come forward. "These people are armed. That should not be allowed. They are strangers, and must be imprisoned until their fate is decided."

"Now wait a minute!" John said, coming to the front. "We were invited here, and have no intention of being treated like criminals."

"But who invited you?" the other man asked. "I represent the High Council, and we didn't invite you. Guards! Take them!"

The men behind him pushed forward, and surrounded John and the others. Both groups warily eyed each other, neither sure what to do. The stand-off continued for several moments.

"Take them!" The man said again, insistently. His men looked at each other for a moment, and then without warning, Carson suddenly disappeared, and then reappeared amongst the men, a gun pointed at his head. Ronon reacted with a growl, and moved towards men. John put out a hand to stop him, but their assailants reacted more quickly. To their horror, the man holding Carson fired his weapon. The doctor sank to the floor, a look of agony on his face.