A/N: I'm sorry for the delay getting this chapter up. It is easily my longest so far and I spent ages tweaking it. Thanks to chesi66 for your loyal review of my last chapter, and to Kenikia67 – it was great to hear from you!

Ronon POV

The moment stretched on and the fence surrounding the ring showed no sign of being lowered. Erik looked around and took stock of our position. "Plan or no plan, we can't wait for the others any longer," he said. "By my count there are six armed guards in the ring… That makes three each."

I nodded, pleased to finally be taking charge of the situation. "I've had worse odds," I told him.

"No way out of the ring though …and Rydan and his two men are above," he added.

I gauged the distance between myself and the guard closest. "Like I said, I've had worse."

I was about to make a move when Erik suddenly put up his hand. "Wait," he said and then pointed toward the stone wall where a third man was being released. I did not recognize the man, nor the other who was released along with him.

"What the hell's going on?" I whispered.

"No idea," Erik replied as the men came to join us in the middle of the ring. "Let's wait it out for a bit and see."

Above us, Rydan stood and began to speak. "In further celebration of such a momentous occasion, the next fight will be conducted in teams. Two of my own men," he pointed towards Erik and I, "Against two from our visiting side. Weapons will be nunchucks, and the winner will be the last person or team still standing."

"Well, I guess that's an improvement on having us kill each other," Erik muttered.

The guards handed us two wooden batons joined together by a short chain. It was the first time I had seen nunchucks since I left Sateda, and although I was trained in their use, I had not practiced with them in a number of years.

Beside me, Erik wielded his own set with some degree of skill and I quickly set about getting a feel for them again myself. Although they were not as impressive as a blade, nunchucks could be lethal in the right hands, and as I eyed our opponents I felt a rush of excitement for the fight to come.

I positioned myself beside Erik as the signal to begin was given. The man closest to me looked a lot like Erik in both build and skin colouring, only his blond hair was cropped short and he was naked from the waist up. With just one glance at his quick-fire technique I knew he was more than comfortable with the choice of weapon. His companion appeared equally skilled although I had less time to study him before the fight began and the four of us engaged.

By now, Erik and I had both been pent up for almost two days straight and we went into the fight hard and fast, driven by energy and aggression. I swung and lunged, the nunchucks in constant motion as I unleashed everything I had upon the blond man in front of me. He stood his ground and evaded each of my bouts while attempting to land those of his own.

A sudden curse from Erik saw him take a blow to his forearm and I hurriedly stepped in and switched partners to allow him time to recover. I quickly discovered the new man I faced was more skilled than the first, and I changed my tactics to focus on ducking and weaving as I tried to anticipate his next move. As each of his strikes failed to connect, he gradually began to show signs of frustration. I fed off his impatience, deliberately toying with him so that his moves became hurried and more risky. The moment he lapsed and opened himself to attack, I struck. My first blow connected with the side of his rib cage and as he crumpled from the impact, I followed it up with a direct blow to his temple. It was over in a moment and he dropped to the ground like a stone.

By this time, Erik was making headway with the other man and had already landed a number of blows to his torso. The two were so similar in appearance that for a moment I got the eerie feeling that I was watching Erik spar with Troy back on Tarus. The vision faded and I stepped in to help, so that in no time at all the two of us gained the upper hand. This time Erik struck the final blow and the man fell heavily to the ground beside his partner.

I dropped my weapon at my feet as the crowd let out a deafening roar and Erik and I were declared the victors. Covered in sweat and panting for breath, we were led back to the wall and re-cuffed. I was relieved, not only because we had won the fight but because I had secretly feared Rydan might change the rules and allow only one winner. I glanced at Sara in the crowd and saw my relief mirrored on her face.

"Thanks for covering," Erik broke my thoughts. "That first guy was good."

I looked at him. He was nursing his left arm and I could see it was already swollen and beginning to bruise. "Thank me when we get out of here," I told him.

Another fight began and then ended a short time later when the loser's head was crushed beneath a spiked mace. Next up, Teeth ran his opponent through with a sword and slashed him open so that his intestines spewed onto the ground. It seemed that the more bloody the outcome, the more the audience cheered. Two more fights were played out – a three way and a one-on-one – before a fight was battled with sticks. The skill level of the two men in the ring was considerably less than that of Erik and I and the fight drew out to the point where the crowd began to grow restless. To speed things up, Rydan suddenly ordered Erik in to join them.

"At least they've given me a weapon I can use this time," he said to me as he swung the stick around his waist and walked out into the middle of the ring. Even favouring his arm as he was, he quickly took command of the fight and swept the first man off his feet. The second he sparred with for a brief moment before cracking the end of his stick against his chest. The ending to both men was swift and violent, and I suspected Erik's brutality was his way of ending the fight as quickly as possible so as to save his arm.

By now, almost everyone except Teeth and myself had fought twice, so I was not surprised when the two of us were announced next. We were handed long hunting knives with razor sharp edges and Teeth grinned at me as he spun his between his fingers. "I'm gonna cut you up," he sneered.

I held my own knife level with my chin, the blade extended back along my forearm so that the tip almost reached my elbow. "Come and get me," I goaded.

Before the signal to start was even given, he launched himself at me like a charging bull, his eyes alight with bloodlust as he sought to make good on his threats. I slashed at his bare chest but missed by a fraction as he swerved and then slammed into me with full force. The impact knocked the wind from me, and I staggered but managed to punch him in the jaw with my free hand. He spun around and I was satisfied to see him spit out a mouthful of blood. We traded a couple more swings until he sliced through the leather strap that wound around the length of my right arm. The loose end dangled and worked steadily freer with every move that I made. I waited until he lunged and missed, and then I flipped the knife into my other hand and quickly slashed the end of the leather off.

When he saw the knife in my left hand, Teeth switched his own to the same. We circled each other, panting from the intensity of our battle until I saw a chance to make my move. This time my knife found home and a thick gash opened up below his collar bone. He glanced down at it in surprise, and as he did I caught him under the chin with a blow from my fist. It was a powerful punch but his head barely shifted and it was my turn to be surprised. He grinned, and blood from my earlier blow seeped out of the gap in his teeth and coated his lips.

"I've had boys punch me with more force than that," he taunted. "Not that it did them any good… in the end."

White hot anger seared through me. I saw again the young boy with the blond hair, and I lashed out at the man who had caused him so much torment. He caught my hand as I lunged, and I grabbed his own so that we wrestled for control of each other's knife. A flicker of fear went across his face as I managed to wrench my hand free and lower my knife towards his stomach. Before he could back out of reach, I shoved the blade into his soft flesh with all of my strength. He gave a loud grunt and the grin fell from his face as I twisted the blade abruptly to open the wound before roughly yanking it back out.

"That's for the boy," I told him as I shoved him backwards with my hand. He staggered, and I watched him reach for his wound, his face alarmed as his fingers came back coated red with his own blood. The crowd were all on their feet by now, cheering and stamping with excitement as they sensed the end was near. Had it been anyone else in front of me I might have hesitated, but my contempt for this man was so deep that I gave the crowd what they wanted. As he fell to his knees, I stood behind him and placed my hand upon his forehead to tilt his head back. Then, in one swift motion I cut his throat. My job done, I tossed the knife as far away as I could and then turned to look at Rydan.

The crowd continued to cheer, but the contempt I felt towards them was nothing compared to my loathing for the man above. He gave me a look of satisfaction as he declared me the winner, and I wondered if the tournament had finally reached its end. My hopes were further aroused as some of the crowd began to leave their seats.

"Wait," Rydan called from above. "I have one more surprise in store for you all…"

The stadium fell silent and a ripple of interest swept through the people gathered. Nobody seemed to have any idea of what was happening, but I guessed that whatever Rydan had planned it would not be of benefit to any of us in the ring.

"Instead of ending my 50th tournament with a number of winners," Rydan announced, "I have decided that today there will be only one. A final battle will take place between the remaining contestants to decide who that winner will be."

The crowd erupted with delight and for a moment I could hear nothing but the deafening sound of applause. I searched for Sara, but could not locate her amongst the commotion. My eyes passed from one crowd member to the next. A bearded man with a mug of ale in his outstretched hand, his obese friend sitting next to him… I happened to catch the eye of a buxom woman in the front row and she lifted her top to flash me a look at her bare breasts. Everywhere I turned I saw nothing but lack of respect for all of those who had just fought and died.

"Hey!" I was drawn from my thoughts as Red called out to Rydan above. "We have an arrangement," he yelled. "I'm to fight one-on-one only."

Rydan reached to his hip and pulled out my gun. Seeing it again made me yearn for the feel of it in my own hand - heavy, familiar and deadly.

"I've decided to change the terms," he told Red as he pointed the gun towards him. "Do you have a problem with that?"

The implication was obvious. If Red didn't agree then he would be shot. He turned away, having no other choice than to fight with the rest of us. As the crowd swarmed forward to place their wagers on the outcome, I walked back to join Erik. "The others should have busted us out of here by now," I vented my concern. "Something's gone wrong."

He nodded, "I agree. But I don't see what we can do about it. We're two against seven and that's before we even get to the guards.

"Maybe three," I indicated towards Red who was still clearly agitated about the turn of events.

Erik nodded, "I'll see if I can get him on board," he said as he left me to approach him

Although I could not hear what the two were saying, I could read a bit of their body language and even before the guards began to pass out weapons I knew Red was in with us. He was given an axe, which would be a welcome addition to Erik's sword and my knife.

"Count me in," he said to me in a low voice. "But if your friends in the crowd decide to come through, it would make our job a whole world easier."

I nodded and again searched the crowd for Sara and Sheppard. What had happened? Were they alright? My worry made it difficult to concentrate on the fight ahead.

Sara POV

Erik was hurt. I could see it in the way he moved. If he had to fight again, he would struggle, even with Ronon there to look out for him. "You have to lower the fence," I leaned forward to tell the Colonel. "You heard what Rydan said, the fight is to the death. If we don't act now we'll never get them out."

He nodded. "The problem I'm having, is if we lower the fence then there's nothing to stop Rydan and his guards from opening fire on the whole damn crowd."

"That's a lot of people," Marcus joined the conversation. "The odds would be in our favour."

"Unless for some reason he knows to look for us," the Colonel replied.

Marcus frowned. "You think he suspects something?"

"He's had all week to check us out," the Colonel reasoned. "All I'm saying is it wouldn't have taken much to blow apart the story we fed him over the guns." He pursed his lips. "You have to wonder if his decision to sell Marissa was more than just bad luck on our part. That one action bought down our entire plan."

I looked at Marissa sitting below. So far, she had not tried to contact us in any way. If she knew Rydan was on to us, surely she would have attempted to warn us? Then again, maybe she was as surprised as we were and knew nothing of Rydan's thoughts herself?

"If we lower the fence now, there's also the possibility that Rydan might decide to shoot his guys in the ring," the Colonel continued. "That would put Ronon and Erik right in the line of fire before we had any chance of getting to them."

I could not refute what he was saying, but any minute now the fight was about to start and Ronon and Erik would be forced to participate. We had to do something. "I have an idea," I said.

All three men turned to look at me, even Rodney who had been unusually quiet since the tournament began. My idea had come to me a short time ago, but I had not mentioned it because I knew it was risky and both the Colonel and Marcus would be likely to object. Now that I had their attention I spoke quickly before either of them could interrupt. "Rydan once said that he wanted to buy me," I looked to Marcus. "If you take me to him in place of Marissa, it might get us both inside the fence."

He stared at me, his mouth open in surprise. "No," he shook his head. "I can't let you do that."

"It's too dangerous," the Colonel backed him up. "Once you're behind that fence, we won't be able to get to you."

"Marcus will be with me," I countered. "Think about it. If something goes wrong then Rodney can go ahead and lower the fence. That's always been our strategy anyway, but if we do things my way, we might be able to eliminate the risk of being shot at from above first."

Marcus gave me a level look. "You realize there was more to the plan we had with Marissa than just getting me within reach of Rydan's guards?"

"I do," I told him as I thought about the knife I had in my boot. How ironic that I had concealed it in the same way as Marissa. "Why? Don't you think I'm capable of carrying this through?" I frowned. "You trusted Marissa, a girl who has little to no combat experience."

He shook his head. "You didn't see her eyes when she held that knife to my throat," he said. "She meant to kill Rydan, no doubt about it…" He sighed and ran his fingers through his spiky hair. "All I'm trying to say is that thrusting a knife towards someone is a lot more personal than pointing a gun and pulling the trigger. If we're going to do this together, then I need to know what to expect from you once we get up there."

It sounded like he was beginning to waiver, but what he had said made me stop and think. Was he right? Although I had practiced with knives in hand-to-hand combat, I had never actually stabbed anything living with one.

"I for one would feel better about entering the ring if there were not bullets flying around my ears," Rodney interrupted my thoughts as he joined the conversation for the first time.

The Colonel looked at him and sighed. "I can't say I'm entirely happy about the risk you would be taking, Sara. But if you manage to pull this off, it would certainly up our chances of getting our men back safely. I guess if the Major is with you, he can cover until McKay and I get there to join you."

Marcus looked at me. "Looks like it's your call, Sara."

I held my doubts in check and nodded my head. This was our best chance of getting Ronon and Erik back safely – I could not let them down. "I'm in."

"Alright, I guess we're gonna roll with it then," the Colonel said. "McKay and I'll watch your progress for any sign of trouble. If anything goes wrong, we'll short the fence and get to you as quick as possible." He paused and gave me a long look. "You know what Rydan's capable of. Be careful."

"I'll take care of her," Marcus assured him. He looked down to where Marissa sat in front of us and inclined his head towards her turned back. "Keep her within sight for me. If she leaves, I want to know when and in which direction."

"Will do," the Colonel replied. "Good luck up there."

An abrupt cheer went up from the crowd and I realized the fight was about to start. I looked down at Ronon and Erik but they were too busy preparing for battle to notice as I got up from my seat and followed Marcus towards the end of the row. As we reached the aisle, he grasped my hand and pulled me towards him to whisper in my ear.

"If you can't go through with the knife, don't panic. A well-aimed kick or punch should be enough to incapacitate him until I'm done with the guards."

I nodded, grateful that he had picked up on the doubts I was having. We approached the fence to see Rydan slouched on his throne as he watched the fight going on below. His guards stood behind him, their guns held at ease as they surveyed the crowd for signs of trouble. Rydan turned his head as we approached and I felt a prickle run down my spine as his black eyes settled upon me. I had forgotten the strength of his appeal, but it came back to me in a hurry as he clicked his fingers and indicated for his guard to let us through the gate.

Marcus's hand on the small of my back gently propelled me forward and we stepped into the enclosure together. Rydan did not bother to straighten up in his seat but continued to lounge with his legs stretched out in front of him, his feet crossed at the ankles. His copper hair was swept back from his face and the open front of his white shirt displayed his toned chest right the way down to his waist.

"I hope this means what I think it does…" he shifted his gaze slowly from me to Marcus. Released from the spell of his eyes, I took an unsteady breath as Marcus removed his hand from the small of my back.

"You told me you wanted her," he said to Rydan.

"I recall I did," he replied. He fixed Marcus with a long stare. "To be honest, I am little surprised to see you here. I did not think you would tire of such a woman so quickly… You seemed quite attached to her only a few days ago." His words were calculated, as were his eyes as he kept them trained upon Marcus.

My heart skipped. Did he suspect something?

Marcus simply lifted his shoulders and shrugged off Rydan's question. "You want her or not?"

My skin burned as Rydan's gaze lingered upon my exposed thighs and the piece of fabric that draped between them. He seemed more interested in me than the men who were fighting for their lives in the ring below, and as his eyes skimmed my breasts and finally found my face I lifted my chin defiantly.

A slow smile curled the corners of his mouth. "Oh yes," he said. "I remember now. You've got quite the attitude…" He passed his tongue slowly across his lips as he beckoned for me to come closer. "We'll have to see what we about that."

I was reluctant to approach him, but if I wanted to do him any kind of harm then I needed him to be within reach. Reluctantly I took a few steps forward.

"Closer," he said, and patted the tops of his thighs to indicate I straddle him.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Marcus subtly shift position so that he was within reach of one of the guards. Neither of them appeared concerned he might pose a threat, so I lifted my leg and stepped across Rydan's crossed knees. If I was quick, I could bring my knee up and—

He leaned forward suddenly in his chair. "Your eyes flash with fire and defiance," he told me as he placed himself too close for me to land an effective kick. I could feel his breath on my midriff. "Now," he clicked his fingers, "Show me how you move."

I bit back the flutter of panic that threatened to take hold, and thought about Marissa and the performance she had given Marcus back on Tarus. She had made it look so easy, but my attempts to copy her felt stiff and abrupt by comparison.

Rydan did not seem to notice. Instead he grasped me behind the knees so that I was forced to step towards him as he leaned back in his chair again. Now the base of the chair was pressed against my shins and there was no way I would be able to use my knee against him. I could still punch him, but my arms were not as strong as my legs and I doubted I would be able to do more than stun him for a moment. If I could get to my boot however, I could do considerable damage to his temple with the blunt end of my knife.

As I hesitated, I happened to glance down and see Rydan rub his hand over the bulge that was beginning to appear in his groin. Proud of his arousal, he flicked his cape aside to better display it to me. My breath caught, and then I noticed that Ronon's gun was strapped to the side of his thigh. I stared as I wondered if I was fast enough to snatch it from him and turn it against him.

My eyes must have betrayed my thoughts because Rydan reached down and slowly stroked the gun with his fingertips. Go on," he said as he rested his hand back upon the arm of the chair. "Take it… I dare you."

I locked eyes with him. That was the way he worked. He wanted me to fight, or to at least put up a struggle. His rugged good looks could have drawn to him any number of willing women, but it was not the willing that he desired – it was those he had to take by force. I thought of Marissa and realized she was just one in a long line of his victims. For as long as this man drew breath, there would always be more. I stared at Ronon's gun again – not because I was still thinking of taking it, but because seeing it gave me strength and reminded me why I was there.

"Interesting," Rydan looked at me through narrowed eyes. "You would be surprised how many make the mistake of underestimating me and grabbing for the gun. But not you..."

My unease was growing stronger with every minute and I knew I needed to act while I still had some semblance of control over the situation. I hid my anxiety and lifted my foot to rest it against the base of Rydan's chair, a position that made it possible to retrieve the knife from my boot. Rydan watched me with eagle-eyed interest as I slowly bent at the waist and inched the zip of my boot down to reveal my calf. Without daring to look at him, I slipped my hand around the outside of my leg and closed my fist around the handle of the—

I froze.

Something had brushed against the skin above the inside of my left knee. With a pounding heart, I twisted a little to see the knuckle of Rydan's index finger pressed lightly against my skin. I met his eyes and for a moment everything stood still… until the knuckle began to slide slowly upwards. A wave of nausea swept over me as I felt his touch travelled up, up, up my inner thigh, closer and closer to the thin cotton barrier at the top of my legs. Any moment now his fingers would reach my apex…

I clenched my fist around the knife, and in one fluid motion I pulled it from concealment, turned, and plunged it into the soft skin on the underside of his jaw. As luck would have it, I managed to strike the exact right entry point and the blade slid in with surprising ease. My eyes locked with his and I watched his expression change from lust to bewilderment.

I was vaguely aware of a commotion going on around me as Marcus took on the guards, but I was powerless to break Rydan's stare to go to his aid. His mouth opened and closed and I felt his fingertips brush against my own as he attempted feebly to dislodge the knife. It was only when I felt a warm, sticky substance across the back of my hand that I finally drew my eyes away and looked down. To my horror, blood was seeping from his wound and running directly down my forearm. His stare gradually began to lose focus and I watched in morbid fascination as his head lolled to the side and his body became limp and motionless in his chair. Only then did I release the knife and step back.

"Holy hell," Marcus exclaimed as he appeared at my side. He shook his head in amazement as he stared at the devastation I had caused. "I guess that takes care of him then…" He looked at me. "Are you okay?"

Somehow I managed to nod. "I think so," I told him.

"Good," he said, "Because we've got a lot to do and I could use your help."

I looked at him properly for the first time and saw that he was carrying a gun, taken from one the guards. Vaguely I recalled hearing gunfire during my skirmish with Rydan and I looked around to see the two guards lying motionless on the ground. One had his head twisted at an odd angle, and the other a trail of blood seeping from his chest. I turned back to where Marcus was now bent over Rydan.

"Here, take this," he said, as he suddenly thrust Ronon's gun towards me. "Get it to Ronon."

Still in a daze, I took the gun and looked around me. Throngs of people were filing past, yet none of them seemed to be paying us any attention. They were all heading towards the open door that led into Rydan's home.

"What are they doing?" I asked Marcus in confusion.

"Looters," he explained. "One thing we didn't count on in our favour."

He appeared to be going through Rydan's pockets and when he straightened up again I saw he had his hunting knife in his hand. "Now we can get out of here," he said as he slipped the knife safely behind his belt and grabbed my arm. "Come on."

I let him pull me through the tide of people until suddenly my senses came back to me. Ronon. Erik. The ring… I stopped walking and shrugged my arm free from Marcus's grip as tried to catch sight of either man below. Sadly, my view was obscured and it became even more so when the Colonel and Rodney appeared in front of me. The four of us exchanged quick nods of greeting.

"Rydan and his two guards are dead," Marcus quickly informed them. "I shot two more in the ring and the others don't appear to be hanging around to fight."

"Good job," the Colonel acknowledged. "So that leaves four guards and two weapons unaccounted for. We need to get to our guys before this place really falls apart." He glanced towards the ring. "Last I saw, both of them were alive and armed, but there's still fighting going on down there and more's breaking out every minute."

Marcus nodded and hurriedly thrust the second gun he carried towards the Colonel. "Here, take this," he said as he scanned the crowd. I guessed he was looking for Marissa, and his next words confirmed my thoughts. "Marissa? Where is she?"

"The guy who has her took her and the other women from the arena at the first sign of trouble," the Colonel took the gun and checked to see it was loaded. "It looked like they were heading for the gate."

"Alright," Marcus replied, and then he shot a worried glance towards me. "Sara killed Rydan," he said. "She says she's fine, but I'm not so sure…"

"We'll take care of her," the Colonel replied. "I take it you're going after Marissa?"

Marcus nodded. "This is my only chance. If she makes it to the ring, she'll be gone for good... Do you think you can manage without me?"

The Colonel nodded. "We'll be—

"Uh… do I get a say in this?" Rodney joined the conversation. "Because as much as I don't like to see the girl sold into a live of slavery, our main objective here is to get Ronon and Erik to safety – which of course, surely means ourselves by extension. I do not possibly see how being a man down will help us accomplish that."

The Colonel looked at him. "The girl came back here to help us, Rodney, so that makes her part of our team. Like it or not, we owe it to her to see her safe." He turned back to Marcus. "What's your plan once you find her?"

"I'll get us both to the gate," Marcus began to back away, anxious to be going. "Don't wait for me. I'll be in contact as soon as I can."

The Colonel pitched forward as somebody shoved past him. "I'm not sure the gate's such a good idea," he argued. "All these people… it'll most likely be over run. A better plan would be to get everyone out together in the Daedalus and come back for the jumper later."

Marcus shook his head. "Don't jeopardize the mission on my account. Get our guys out… I'll find my own way back." Before the Colonel could object, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"Alright," the Colonel drawled as he turned back to Rodney and I. He looked at me closely for a moment as if assessing my stability, and then returned to the task at hand. "Follow me," he said to me as he lifted his gun into position for use and began to descend towards the ring. "McKay, you bring up the rear."

Rodney immediately protested. "Oh, because that makes a whole lot of sense," he pointed to Ronon's gun in my hand. "She's the one with a gun, and I get to go last?"

"Just do it, Rodney," the Colonel called back over his shoulder

I tightened my grip on Ronon's gun and for the first time since Marcus had given it to me, I extended it in front of me to use. If only I could have used it against Rydan… Maybe then I would not see his black stare every time I closed my eyes. We neared the ring and I forgot about Rydan for a moment as I caught sight of Erik. He was swinging a sword at a large man covered in tattoos. The man did not look like any of those I recognized from earlier and I realized that members of the crowd had now joined in to make the ring fight an out-and-out brawl.

The Colonel took a moment to appraise the situation and then pointed his gun towards Erik's opponent. When he got a clear shot, he pulled the trigger and the man buckled and fell to the ground. Erik looked around in surprise and then caught sight of us. He turned and yelled something, and a moment later Ronon appeared beside him. Together they broke free from the mass of fighting men and ran towards us.

"Sheppard," Ronon grinned and slapped his friend on the back as he reached him. "What took you so long?" He did not wait for a reply, but went on to slap Rodney in a similar fashion (to which he flinched) and then moved towards me standing behind. A moment later I found myself wrapped tightly in his arms. "I saw you up there," he whispered, his voice husky against my ear. "You had me worried."

I clung to him for a moment, breathing in the familiar smell of him and drawing comfort from it. "Not as worried as I was about you," I replied.

All too quickly he released me and stepped back. There was too much going on around us to draw out our reunion, and I quickly held out his gun to him. His face lit up as he took it from my hand.

"Thought I'd seen the last of this," he said as he spun it familiarly with his fingers through a rapid series of complex motions. I looked away as Erik appeared at my side.

"Sis," he said, and twice in a short space of time I found myself squeezed in a tight embrace. He released me again as quickly as he had taken me and then looked around. "Where's Marcus? Why is he not with you?"

"He went after Marissa," the Colonel explained. "He's going for the gate and told us not to wait for him." He looked around at the thinning crowd in the ring. "The Daedalus is standing by. If everyone's ready I'll give Colonel Caldwell the go-ahead to pick us up."

I turned to Ronon expectantly, but he was not looking at me. He was looking at Erik.

I watched the two of them have a silent exchange.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Erik asked him.

Ronon nodded, his expression grim.

"Good. Let's clean this place up before we go then."

"Hold that call," Ronon said to the Colonel as he reached for my hand and turned towards Graystone in unison with Erik.

"Wait," the Colonel said. "You guys want to go and look for more trouble? Can either of you take a minute and fill the rest of us in on what exactly you hope to achieve?"

"We've got a score to settle with one of the guards," Erik replied. "Give us ten minutes… It should be long enough to find him."

"And deal to him," Ronon spun his gun back and forth impatiently.

The Colonel nodded. "Find the guard and deal to him…" he echoed. "And when this is done we can get out of here?"

"Uh huh," Ronon nodded.

"Absolutely," Erik agreed.

"Alright then," the Colonel relented. "Looks like we'd better get going then."