A/N: This chapter touches on some adult themes that will become more prominent in future chapters. The place where Ronon and Erik have ended up is not a nice, and nor are the people who hold them there. Don't hate me! Thanks so much for the reviews for the last chapter. They certainly inspire me to keep writing this fic.

Ronon POV

Erik's harsh treatment of the elderly woman appeared to pay off, as a short time after she left three men appeared at our cell door. Two of them were armed with shotguns and the third carried a set of keys.

"Lit me introduce ma'self," key bearer said as he approached the window. He was a tall, thin man with an abnormally large nose and squinty little eyes. His skin looked pale and clammy and with his long hair pulled back into a pony tail, he could easily have passed for the human equivalent of a rat.

"Ma name's Hank, he said. "But ya'll can call me Sir."

I sneered at him. Fat chance.

"As ya can see," he dangled the keys in front of us, "I'm the one who has complete control over yer wellbeing. Please me, and I'll make ya life here bearable. .. Piss me off and ya'll find the opposite. Understand?"

"Brave words from someone who's hiding behind a locked door," I told him.

He shook his head. "Not off ta good start," he said as he looked to Erik. "How 'bout you? Ya got anythin' to say, or do ya let ya surly friend here do all the talkin'?"

"I speak when I see somebody worthy of my attention," Erik replied. "Seems to me that you're little more than the boss man's go-for. How about you send down the man himself? Then I'll see about talking some more."

The Rat looked to his two companions. "Can't say I didn't try," he smirked. "Guess we're just gonna have ta do this the hard way." The men instantly raised their guns and pointed them through the window towards us. "Stand back from the door," the Rat instructed.

Erik and I did as we were ordered and then waited while the Rat unlocked the bolt to our cell. "Get in there an' fetch the body," he ordered one of his men as he snatched the gun from him. "Me and Jidder will keep yer covered."

As the man entered our cell, Erik and I stepped to opposite sides of the room. I caught Erik's eye and shifted a little closer to the door as the second man, Jidder entered and held his gun on me. The Rat covered Erik from the open doorway while the unarmed man reached up to retrieve Troy's body. Without looking at each other, Erik and I waited until he hoisted Troy up over his shoulder and the moment he turned to leave, Erik gave him a shove that sent him pitching forward towards the Rat. I turned on Jidder and tackled him to the ground, while at the same time Erik ran straight at the Rat and punched him in the jaw. Within a few minutes I had both Jidder and his companion out cold while the Rat lay pinned on the ground beneath Erik.

"Yer gonna be sor-" his words ended abruptly as Erik connected the butt of his gun to his face. I picked up the second gun and joined him outside the cell.

"Which way?" he asked as he straightened up.

I glanced up and down the corridor. Neither way seemed to hold more appeal than the other. "This way," I made a split second decision and headed off to the right. Erik followed beside me at a lope, both of us on high alert for further signs of trouble. We rounded a corner and followed the bare stone corridor until it turned once more. This time, instead of being empty, we came across another cell. Unlike the iron door on our own, this one had an entirely open front that was enclosed by thick bars. Inside, I saw a group of six people; an elderly man, three homely looking women of varying ages, a young boy and a middle aged man with only one arm.

"Please," one of the women approached the bars as she saw us. "You have to help us."

Erik and I paused. The corridor was still empty. Did we have time to get these people out? I cursed silently as I realized, too late, that I had left the cell keys behind with the Rat.

"We don't have time to go back," Erik said, as he entertained the same idea.

"Maybe we could shoot the lock?" I said as I raised my gun towards it.

"Wait," he put out his hand. "The ricochet could go anywhere… You might hurt someone inside."

I looked at the people in front of me. Each of them pleaded with me in their own way; some with words or gestures, others with only their eyes. I was painfully aware that with every passing moment our own chances of escape lessened. What use could we possibly be to these people if we got caught ourselves? "We'll come back for you," I said to them.

"No. Please…" the elderly man reached through the bars and touched my arm. "You don't understand. If you leave us here, we're all going to die."

I shook his hand off. "We'll come back," I told him again.

Erik grabbed my other arm. "If we don't leave now, we might not get that chance."

Reluctantly I turned from the cage, and with the haunting sound of pleading voices echoing in my ears, I followed Erik further along the corridor. The next bend saw yet another set of open-front cells, this time three of them on each side as we passed between. These were different from the previous cell in that each of them contained only one occupant – all of who were men. The cells were larger and fully furnished, equipped with heating, plumbing and linen. As we passed, each of the men stopped whatever it was they were doing and approached the cell doors. Instinctively I knew that they were not our allies.

"Who are you?" A giant of a man asked, his long red hair tied back from his face in braids. "What are you doing out?"

Another man withdrew himself from the naked woman he was fucking. "Looks like we've got ourselves a prison break," he sniggered as he swaggered closer for a better look at Erik and I. His erection swayed obscenely as he walked and the women took the opportunity to cover herself with the bed sheets.

A third man (of the six I counted in total) stared at me intently as I passed by. He was dark skinned, the hair on his head, chin, chest and legs all shaven so as to leave him completely devoid of hair. His gaze was so intense that I stopped to stare back at him. He grabbed the bars of his cell and glared at me with loathing, a growl that was more animal than human coming from his throat. I watched as his growl deepened and his lips slowly drew back to reveal a gaping hole where his two front teeth had once been.

"Come on," Erik's voice was low in my ear. "Let's keep going."

I ignored him and approached the cage. "You got a problem?" I asked the man, taking in his bare chest and loin cloth.

He shoved his arm through the bars and tried to grab at me with his fingertips. The hatred in his eyes was unmistakable, and for some reason it appeared to be directed solely towards me.

"Come on!" Erik said as he grabbed my arm and attempted to tug me after him.

I gave the man a final stare-down – no way would he think I was retreating out of fear – and then once again followed Erik down the seemingly endless corridor. Just as I was beginning to worry we might find ourselves lost inside forever, I suddenly realized that for the first time since our imprisonment, I could see traces of natural light. Encouraged, I gestured my discovery to Erik and we picked up our pace again. One more turn, and in front of us appeared an open doorway through which sunlight streamed. We slowed our approach, and pressed ourselves to each side of the corridor as we edged towards the exit. When we got to the end, I chanced a look outside. To my surprise I saw a huge empty space in front of me. Once again there appeared to be no sign of life. Where the heck was everyone?

"Nothing doing," I reported back to Erik. "All I see is a big open area… Looks like some kind of stadium."

Carefully we edged our way out into the light to find ourselves standing on the perimeter of a large oval pen. Behind us was a high stone wall that housed the doorway through which we had just passed, yet the rest of the area was fenced by only a low iron railing and the top was open to the sky. Behind the railing lay rows of raised seats, all of which appeared to look down upon where we stood. We moved further forward, the compacted dirt beneath our feet making for easy going as we approached the iron railing on the far side of the oval.

"I say we scale the perimeter and put as much distance between this place and ourselves as possible," Erik said as he took the lead. We were about a third of the way across the clearing when a loud hum sounded and the iron railing we were heading for suddenly began to rise into the air. Beneath it were iron rods that ran in even spaces, both vertically and horizontally to create an impassable barrier. I whipped around to look for a different escape route and noticed for the first time that a group of people were standing high above the stone doorway we had just come out of. Behind them was what appeared to be the landing of a huge house, but it wasn't this that caught my attention. A man in a long black cloak had a gun pointed towards Erik.

"Watch out!" I called, seconds before he fired.

Erik had just enough time to half-turn before the blast caught him square in the chest. He buckled and fell to his knees beneath the impact of the stun. I threw myself to the ground and rolled, the gun I had taken from Jidder in my arms and pointed towards the man above as I came to a stop. I fixed him in my sights and squeezed the trigger, only to hear the dull click of a misfire as the gun mechanism jammed. As I fought to free the stuck cartridge, the man fired and caught me in the right shoulder. The impact was huge, and I staggered as I tried to reload. A second stun hit me in the chest and it suddenly dawned on me that the blast had come from my own gun – removed from my belt upon capture. I bellowed my rage and then a third shot sent me pitching forward onto the compacted earth below.

-0-

"Wake up!"

A sharp slap to my face roused me from my stupor. I opened my eyes to find myself sitting in my original holding cell, my back pressed up against the iron railing of the bunk bed. An iron cuff circled my right wrist and a chain ran between it and the bed leg, holding me securely in place. A glance to the side showed Erik awake next to me, his left hand chained in a similar position.

"Pull a stunt like that again, and next time I won't be so lenient," the voice above me came again.

I looked up to see a man of medium height looming over me. He had copper colored hair, the tips of which brushed against the black cloak that draped from his shoulders.

"You're the sonofabitch who shot me," I growled.

"And you and your friend are the disrespectful bastards who took out three of my men," he replied. "Guess that makes us even."

I scowled at him. "Hardly."

He straightened up a little. "It seems the three of us have got ourselves off to a bad start. I intend to rectify matters, so that from this point on we all know where we stand with each other."

I took my first real look at him. He was younger than I had first thought, probably somewhere in his early thirties if I was to guess. His jaw was covered with copper stubble of the same shade as the hair on his head, and his eyes were so dark that they appeared almost black. He projected both power and confidence – characteristics of which I was already itching to relieve him – and a certain charismatic appeal that made him oddly difficult to look away from.

"My name is Rydan," he said, his black eyes passing from Erik to me, "and you are currently guests here on my home world."

"Guests?" Eric growled. "Captives, more like."

Rydan shrugged. "Guests. Captives. I guess that's up for you to decide. Be assured however, the arrangement that I intend to put in place between the three of us will not be without mutual benefit. If you earn your keep and don't cause any unnecessary trouble, I'll see to it that you are well rewarded for your efforts."

"You'll let us go?" Erik interrupted.

Rydan shook his head. "That will not be part of the terms," he said, his voice flat and emotionless. "You both need to understand that the life you had before no longer exists. As of the moment you arrived here, you became my property. Whatever I ask of you, you will do – or face the consequences for choosing otherwise." He began to slowly pace the floor back and forth in front of us, the edge of his cape brushing against his long-leg black leather boots as he moved. "I am already out of pocket for a third of my investment," he continued. "Therefore, I will expect the two of you to recover the cost of your friend's purchase, as well as that of you own."

Erik growled at the mention of Troy. "The only thing you can expect from me is a slow death," he threatened.

Rydan ignored him and ceased his pacing to crouch in front of me. "I paid an exorbitant price to have you in my possession," he told me. "But one who bears the mark promises to be a sound investment. You will prove a formidable opponent in the ring."

Bears the mark? Opponent in the ring? The words held no meaning to me. "What the hell are you talking about?" I growled.

He stood up and resumed pacing. An inch or two closer and I would be able to foot-trip him.

"I run a kind of…entertainment establishment," he went on. "Once a month, I open the gates to a select few of my business associates. I indulge them with food, wine, women – whatever it is they so desire – and in return they open their pockets and wager coin on the events of the day."

Well, if you and your friend here prove worthy, the two of you will be part of the main attraction," he explained. "You see, in my experience everybody loves to watch a good fight. Blood, gore, death… it makes a man feel alive to bear witness to such a thing; and even more so when he can wager money on the outcome." An arrogant smile appeared upon his face. "I have a reputation for owing the best ring fighters in the Galaxy. The two of you are going to help me maintain that title."

"You expect us to fight for you?" Erik snorted in disbelief.

"I do indeed," Rydan fixed his focus solely upon him. "You travel with one who bears the mark, therefore I will expect a similar standard of performance from you."

Bears the mark? I cut into the conversation. "What makes you think we're gonna do anything you ask?"

"It's quite simple really," Rydan turned to me. "Once you enter the ring, it's no longer about me. You fight or you die, the choice is yours." He paused for a moment to let his words sink in. "But we are getting ahead of ourselves. I will not risk presenting someone in the ring that is not up to the task of battle. Tomorrow I intend to face you both with a test to prove your skills."

"Shove your test," I told him.

To my irritation, he threw back his head and laughed. "Perfect," he clapped his hands together. "I really do have such high hopes for you, and I must say that so far you are exceeding my expectations." It took him a moment to sober, and then he lowered his voice and continued in a conspiring tone, "I am a little disappointed to hear that you have already upset Teeth, however. I had hoped to keep your being here a secret from him for a little longer."

It took a moment for me to realize he was talking about the dark skinned man who I had encountered during our failed escape attempt. What did he have to do with me? Damned if I was going to give Rydan the satisfaction of asking. "Not my problem," I shrugged.

He laughed. "I'll admit the man is not known for his intelligence, but he is an exceptional ring fighter. Once, he tore apart a man with his bare hands… blood and guts everywhere," Rydan smiled. "The crowd went wild."

I stayed silent. What did I care for the man's actions?

Rydan lowered his voice and I noticed an odd intensity in his eyes. "His reaction to you today was interesting, don't you think? If I was a gambling man – and let me tell you, I most definitely am – I would wager he's still sensitive about his previous encounter with one of your kind… Hasn't quite got over his pretty new smile, so to speak."

I held his gaze. There was something I was missing here… One who bears the mark… One of your kind… The words played over in my head as I slowly raised my left hand to the tattoo on my neck. "You've seen others with this?" I asked. My heart immediately started to beat faster.

"I have," he conceded.

"Where?" My voice sounded hollow, even to my own ears. There were other survivors from Sateda? I was wrong to believe everyone had perished during the wraith attack? "You have them here?"

Rydan shook his head. "No," he said. "At least, not any longer. The two I owned prior to yourself both met their end in the ring."

"What do you mean?" I struggled to stand up, but the cuff on my wrist held me back so that I was forced to stoop. Met their end? This could not be right. I could not have learned of the lives of my comrades only to lose them so quickly to death a second time.

"I was disappointed by their passing," Rydan went on. "Both were fearsome warriors, two of the very best I have owned."

I stared at him, a cold rage building up inside me. "You sent them to their deaths?"

He flinched and took a step backwards. "They fell in the ring… An unfortunate loss, given their value."

I lunged, but the iron cuff prevented me from touching him. No Satedan would ever bow in battle, not if the fight was fair. "You lie!" I hissed.

He held up his hands and took another step back. "I see this is difficult for you," he said. "Maybe we'll talk about it again later, when you've had some time to calm down."

"We'll talk about it right now," I yanked with all of my force upon the shackle around my wrist.

He cast a glance at the iron chain. "I'm sorry about the restraint, but it seems to be a necessity for the moment," he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" I demanded. "You don't get to tell me something like that and then walk away! Where did you find them? What were their names?"

He did not slow his walk, nor did he respond in any way. A moment later he pulled the iron cell door closed and disappeared from view.

"Come back!" I raged. "Those men were my brothers, damn it. My brothers!" I yanked on my cuff and unleashed a tirade of profanities. When, after a moment he did not reappear, I smashed my left fist down upon the bed and vented my anguish bodily. I kicked, punched and cursed to the point of physical exhaustion, and it was only when the last ounce of strength abandoned me that I finally slumped down onto the stone floor. I drew my knees up and rested my elbows on top, my chin hanging against my chest. Blood rushed between my ears but all I was aware of was the emptiness behind my ribcage. The cell lapsed into silence.

After what seemed like a long time, Erik's voice came to me. "I'm sorry." he said.

Given that he had just lost his much-loved cousin, his words were sadly ironic. To my shame however, I did not respond. I was too far entrenched in my own suffering to bear his as well. Instead, I sat there in silence and wondered what the hell kind of mess we had got ourselves into.