A/N: Yay for all of the reviews for my last chapter! I am so pleased to know that people are still reading

Ronon POV

It was almost a week later before Erik, Troy and I finally got to carry out the supply drop we had postponed on the day we were called to assist the people of Tantador. The task of visiting some of the far-off worlds in the Pegasus Galaxy was rather routine, but because so many of them relied upon our aid for survival it was a necessary part of our duty. As expected, the drop went without problems and it was early afternoon when I found myself dozing in my seat in the Apec while Erik and Troy guided us towards home. It was only when the aircraft gave an unexpected shudder that I opened my eyes and drew my feet back from upon the seat in front of me.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Erik played around with the controls in front of him. "It seems like we suddenly lost power." He glanced across at Troy and the younger man held up his hands in bewilderment.

"Don't look at me," he said. "The control panel just died."

I got out of my seat and walked over to look out the window. The remaining impulsion from our stalled engines was rapidly disappearing and within a few seconds the Apec came to a complete standstill. Troy continued to play with the control panel while Erik stooped down and opened the fuse box beneath the main console. He straightened up again a few moments later. "Nothing amiss there."

"Then why are we not moving?" I asked.

"Beats me. At least the air conditioning is still going though. There should be enough juice left in the system to contact Tarus on the intercom." He reached for the microphone in front of him just as a shadow passed over the window outside.

"What the…" I looked out at the large, corroded-looking airship that had suddenly appeared above us. "Where did that come from?"

"It must have been clocked…" Troy joined me at the window, "…or maybe it just dropped out of hyperspace." I glanced at Erik and heard the worry in his voice as he spoke into the intercom.

"Apec 3 to Tarus. We've run into a bit trouble..." He glanced at the control panel and gave the co-ordinates to our location. "Can anyone hear me?"

A loud hiss of static filled the inside of the airship and I strained my ears to catch what sounded like a broken human voice on the other end of the intercom. Outside, a giant hatch slowly opened on the underbelly of the ship and I watched as it gradually began to descend upon us.

"This is Apec 3," Erik persisted, and once again he gave the co-ordinates to our location while Troy and I listened in. "We've been immobilized by what looks to be some kind of large transport ship. They are descending upon us and it appears they intend to take us on board…" He trailed off as the static on the other end of the receiver suddenly cut off and the intercom went dead in his hand. "That's it," he said, "Looks like we're on our own."

The ship was now so low that the hole in the hull was almost level with the Apec and I realized that unless we did something in a hurry, we were about to become completely engulfed. "These things have a defense system right?" I looked at Erik. "Can't you fire something at it?"

"Not without power, I can't," he dropped the dead intercom receiver back into its cradle and reached for the gun on his hip. "The best we can do at this point is prevent anyone from boarding us."

"With you on that," I told him as I drew my gun. The ship above closed around us and there was a loud mechanical sound as the hatch on its underbelly drew closed. I held onto the nearest seat to steady myself as the Apec settled onto the floor with a loud thud. A moment later everything went silent.

"Can you see anything out the window?" Erik asked Troy, who now stood closest to it.

"We're in a hanging bay of some kind, by the looks of it," he replied. "I can see other ships and a long metal ladder that leads up to a door…No sign of life though."

Suddenly the loud sound of a metal grinder filled the Apec, and we turned to the back of the ship to see sparks flying as whoever was outside attempted to cut their way in.

I gripped my gun tighter and ducked behind a rear seat for cover. "Anything comes through that door better be prepared to get its arse kicked."

Erik nodded and crouched down beside me, while Troy took up position a little behind. All three of us had our weapons trained towards the trail of sparks at the back of the ship. Instead of cutting downward in a straight line as expected, I was surprised when the fiery trail turned back upon itself and instead cut a careful hole in the armor of the ship.

"What are they doing?" Troy whispered.

Erik found his voice a fraction quicker than I to reply. "Gas," he said. "They're going to gas us before they board."

"Cowards," I growled in disdain. Without breathing apparatus there was little any of us could do to protect ourselves. Erik pulled his black tank up over his mouth and nose with his spare hand, and I barely had time to lament my choice of leather vest and long, leather arm wraps before a metal canister was pushed through the hole in the side of the ship. It hit the floor and immediately began to release a foul smelling substance into the confined space of the Apec. With nothing through which to breathe, I fired my gun at the canister and watched it explode with a loud bang. Before I could tell if I had helped or hindered our situation, the canister was replaced by another, and then another still. The sound of Troy coughing as the gas hit his lungs echoed around the inside of the ship.

"Get down low," Erik instructed him. "The air will…stay better…there…for longer."

I held my gun fixed upon the door but nothing happened, and with each breath I took I could not help but breath in the gas. My legs began to feel weak and my mind became fuzzy. I couched and braced my free hand upon the floor as my aim began to sway and my gun felt unusually heavy in my hand. Vaguely, I registered the sound of Troy's labored breathing behind me, while beside me Erik had become deathly silent. I turned to look for him but my vision was too impaired to see more than a couple of inches in front of my face. Every instinct told me to fight, to keep my focus and wait for a moment of opportunity, but the gas was too powerful. Still clutching my gun, I lowered myself to the floor. As the last ounces of strength left my body I closed my eyes and felt the darkness take me.

Sara POV

"I really like the back of that one," I pointed to a gown in the open magazine that Kadria was holding. We had set the day aside to finalize the details of my wedding dress, and those that she and Natara would wear as attendants. She studied the image I had pointed to for a moment and then nodded.

"Me too," she agreed. "If we cut it slightly higher, it could be altered to suit Natara as well."

I glanced over the top of the magazine to where my daughter lay with her coloring books on the floor of Kadria's sitting-room. Oblivious to the enthusiasm of Kadria and I, she was stretched out on her stomach, her knees bend and her legs swinging in the air as she concentrated on her work.

"Okay," I turned my attention back to Kadria. "I don't want her to look too grown up so we'll make the back higher and the hem slightly shorter. That way she won't have trouble walking in something that comes to her toes."

"And I can still have the plunging back-line like the one in the picture?" Kadria asked.

"Absolutely," I nodded. "Alcide won't know what's hit him when he sees you in it."

"That's what I'm hoping," she giggled as she made a couple of changes to the sketches on the note pad in front of her. "And we're definitely decided on the pale green fabric for both?"

I nodded. "Ronon likes green and Natara looks great in it. It suits your skin tone too."

"Right then," Kadria put the magazine aside and flicked through the sketches she had made. On top was the dress I had chosen for myself and my breath caught as I saw it again. Kadria saw my reaction.

"It's stunning," she smiled. "You're going to look amazing."

"I hope so," I replied. "I've been waiting for this day for so long…I can't believe I'm actually getting married!"

Kadria rolled her eyes and laughed. "Neither can I," she sighed. "You two took so long getting around to it that I didn't think I was ever going to be a bridesmaid." She sobered as she returned to her notes. "I'll take these into town tomorrow. Now that we've chosen fabric and design, Lola can get to work with those measurements she took."

I smiled at the mention of Lola, the elderly seamstress who had the daunting task of making three gowns in a very short space of time. I raised my hand to my forehead again as I realized how much we still had to do. "Remind me again why I let Ronon talk me into arranging an entire wedding in just six weeks?"

"Because you love him, and he loves you, and you can't wait to be together," Kadria promptly responded. "Honestly, I don't see why you are so stressed. Look at everything we've accomplished already."

I thought about the menu and the seating plan, and the invitations that had been sent out yesterday. "I guess you're right," I conceded, and turned to my best friend with affection. "Thanks, Kad. I really can't imagine doing this without you."

"No thanks necessary," she said as she drew my hand away from my face so that she could study my ring again. "This thing is so darned big. You can't expect me to believe your arm doesn't get tired from lifting it," she grinned.

I laughed and extended my fingers so that the stone twinkled in the light. In truth I was glad Ronon had suggested we get married so soon. Neither of us wanted a huge ceremony so it made sense not to draw out the build up for any longer than necessary. I turned to Kadria and then forgot what I had been going to say as a loud knock sounded at the door. She let go of my hand and stood up from the settee.

"I wonder who that could be?" she mused aloud. "Alcide's still at work and I'm not expecting anyone..."

She left the room and I leaned over and picked up the sketch pad she had left on the coffee table. Natara's dress was so pretty, I thought as I stared at the design. I couldn't wait to see how it would look when it was finished. It suddenly dawned on me that all three of us were yet to decide upon our hair styles for the big day. "You know what we totally forgot…" I called over my shoulder as Kadria's footsteps announced her return. Instead of coming into the room however, she paused in the doorway and the rest of my words died on my tongue as I looked up to discover she was not alone. Beside her stood Marcus, and something in the way he looked at me told me that this was not a casual visit. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. My stomach did an uncomfortable turn. "What's happened?" I managed to get out.

He threw a pointed look at Natara, and I turned to my daughter who had forgotten her coloring and was listening to us intently.

"I'll take care of her," Kadria quickly moved towards her. "The two of you should go through to the next room…"

My heart began to race. I looked at Marcus, my eyes wide as he turned and gestured for me to follow him. "What's happened?" I asked again, the moment we were safely out of earshot from Natara.

He cleared his throat – something I was all too aware that he did when he was nervous – and then began to speak. "Sorry about that," he said, and I realized he was talking about Natara. "I'm not sure how much she understands… and I didn't want to worry her."

I raised my eyebrows and thought of my daughters face just moments ago. "I'd say it's a bit late for that," I told him. "What's going on? You're worrying me."

"Earlier today we received a distress call from the Apec that Erik, Troy and Ronon were on-"

"Distress call?" I interrupted. "What kind of distress call…? How long ago did you receive it?"

"It was only just over an hour ago," he hastened to assure me. "It was a one-way transmission - we could hear them but they couldn't hear us. Your brother told us that the ship had lost power and he feared they were about to be boarded by another ship that was close by. We lost contact almost immediately after his report and we have not heard from them since."

I blinked rapidly and cast my eyes unseeingly around the room. "What do you think happened?" I turned back to him.

"I've got to be honest with you, Sara," he reached out and placed his hand lightly upon my upper arm. "It doesn't look good…We think they were hijacked."

"Hijacked?" I echoed. "But you know where they are, right? You can pinpoint the distress call and we can go and look for them."

Marcus took a deep, slow breath and suddenly I realized there was more he was yet to tell me. "We got the co-ordinates to their last known location," he confirmed, "But I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily, so before I came here to find you, I sent out a scout team of Sparcs to see if we could locate them." The pressure of his hand upon my arm increased, and his voice lowered as he broke his final news. "We were unable to find any trace of them. It's like they just vanished into thin air."

I felt my legs go weak and I swayed a little as I tried to process what I had just heard. "But… but…" I stammered. "We're going back to take another look, aren't we? They have to be out there somewhere… Maybe they took a detour…or got lost?" I knew I was making no sense, but my brain refused to process alternative. Ronon. Erik. Troy. They couldn't just be…gone.

Marcus came closer to steady me. "I'm sorry to be the one who had to break this to you," he said. "But remember, its early days… There's still every chance we'll be able to find them."

I braced my hand against his chest and immediately felt my mind begin to clear. There were things that needed to be organized, people to be told… "Isobel?" I asked. "Does she know?"

Marcus nodded. "I've just come from speaking with her."

"Good," I said and looked him straight in the eye as a plan of action began to form in my mind. "Atlantis," I said. "We need to contact Colonel Sheppard and his team. Their equipment is far sophisticated to ours… If anyone can find them, it will be them." I didn't wait for a response as I turned from Marcus and headed back to Natara and Kadria in the other room. My friend gave me a worried look and I guessed that Marcus had already told her at least a little of what had happened. "I'm fine," I assured her as I crouched down in front of Natara.

"Sweetie," I said. "Mommy needs to go to Atlantis for a bit. Do you want to stay here with Kadria, or come with me?"

She immediately dropped the crayon from her hand and looked up at me. "Want go," she stretched her arms out towards me.

"Okay," I said as I scooped her up into my arms. Her weight felt warm and reassuring and I drew strength from it as said a hasty goodbye to Kadria. I turned to Marcus who had followed me through from next door. "I'm going to Atlantis," I told him. "Are you coming?"

He nodded, and suddenly I felt more connected to him than I had in months. Despite our personal history, his loyalty to my brother and to Tarus had never been in question. I knew without him having to say it that whatever happened next, I could count on him to have my back. "What are we waiting for then?" I said as I walked towards the door with Natara in my arms. "Let's go."