Once Sheppard was sure Saint John or Colonel Kiss Up wasn't going to bounce back into his quarters, he finally got out of his sleeping bag. For the first time since the accident happened, he was finally alone. Growing up, he always wanted siblings, now he was glad his parents decided to stop after one kid.

He looked at the side table and noticed his earpiece and watch were missing. At least they had the decency of leaving his wristbands; it was one thing that made him feel normal.

After getting ready, Sheppard left his quarters, intending on giving McKay the third degree. It had been almost a whole day and so far, there was no progress. "So much for being a genius," he muttered.

Before he could get to the transporter, a booming voice called to him. "Sheppard," Ronan said.

He whipped around. "How did you know it was me?"

"Well, one of you has been in your office for hours and the other one just met up with Teyla. It isn't hard to tell which one of you is who," he answered simply.

Sheppard narrowed his eyes. "Have you been spying on me?"

"There's nothing better to do."

"You know, you have one mishap with an Ancient experiment and your dignity gets thrown out of the window," Sheppard complained. "Well, you can come with me. I was just about to go down to see why it's taking Rodney so long to figure out--" He stopped talking when Ronan tapped his earpiece.

"Ronan here."

"Ronan, this is Weir. We have just been contacted by the Kesats. They have agreed to our trade."

"Finally," he rumbled.

The Kesats were a people of disguise. They had spies on countless worlds including some who were part of the Genii and even Wraith. For weeks, they had been trying to negotiate a trade, information for supplies. The Kesats were reluctant, not trusting those from Atlantis. Finally, after the last meeting, Sheppard had convinced them they were not a threat to their people.

"Which Sheppard is coming along?"

That sparked Sheppard's interest. He was going somewhere?

There was a long pause. "I'm afraid that under the colonel's current condition, I am not authorizing him to go on this mission."

Ronan clinched his fist. He expected her to say that. "That's a mistake. The only reason why these people even agreed to this was because of Sheppard. If he's not there, they won't deal," Ronan said angrily.

"I am aware of your concerns. Major Lorne has voiced the same issues, however, my decision still stands. You will accompany Major Lorne and his team to the planet. Be in the Gate room in fifteen minutes. Weir out."

Ronan looked like he was going to punch a hole in the wall next to him.

"Let me guess, the Kesats?"

He nodded. "Weir won't let you go. Lorne's going instead."

Sheppard raised his eyebrows. "Oh I'm going. We can't lose this opportunity."

Ronan looked impressed at his defiance. It was one of the qualities that made Sheppard interesting to him. "How do you plan on coming? You know Weir watches every team leave."

"I'll take care of that. You just tell Lorne that I'm planning on going and under no circumstances is he to tell Weir. That's an order. I'll meet you at the east entrance to the gate room in twenty minutes," he said.

"We're leaving in fifteen."

"Fine. I'll be there in ten." He jogged back to his room. Opening the drawer to his side table, he found what he was looking for, his military issued hat. Unlike Ford, who wore his hat on a regular basis, Sheppard never bothered with the thing.

He quickly geared up, putting on the cap before leaving his quarters. He had to pushed it down a couple of times before it set on his head right; he never knew how spiky his hair was. Next, he needed his sunglasses. He knew John had them when he left earlier, probably trying to hide the black eye. So all he had to do was find him and he would be set.

He looked at his wrist, trying to check the time. No watch.

Figuring he was probably short on time, he walked as quickly as he could without being conspicuous. He remembered Ronan mentioning John was with Teyla, so he made his way to the east pier. He could only hope that they were there; if not, there was no time to try to find where else he could have gone.