Disclaimer: I don't own 'Stargate Atlantis' or any related concepts or characters; you know the drill by now. Also, the basic details of the plot were inspired by 'The Phantom of the Opera', although I have naturally put my own spin on things; hope it meets with your approval

Feedback: Always appreciated, trust me

AN: I apologise in advance for the absence of the Phantom in this chapter; I assure you that he returns in the next one

The Phantom of Atlantis

The subsequent walk to Chaya's home- nobody had specified whether it was a house, a temple, or something in between, and Sumner hadn't wanted to ask in case it gave the wrong impression about them- was relatively uneventful, even if McKay's constant complaining about the distance swiftly wore on Sumner's nerves. He was just grateful that the priests didn't seem that bothered about the Canadian's complaints; the man might be one of the more talented people with the Ancient gene- even if he'd only acquired it via the gene therapy- but Sumner nevertheless wasn't ashamed to admit that he often wished the man would stay quiet sometimes.

Eventually, after they'd walked for such a distance that Sumner was starting to lose track of time- watches weren't that relevant anyway given the different solar cycles of most of the worlds they'd encountered after travelling through the Stargate-, they arrived at what Sumner assumed was their destination; a large stone building, presumably the remaining ruins of a temple of some kind, filled with various assorted plants, both in pots and in borders around the temple. A few Indian-style masks and tapestries were also visible from outside, clearly displayed on the pillars and walls that remained standing inside the temple, with only a thin wooden gate serving as any kind of actual 'barrier' into the temple; the plants around the walls gave Sumner the impression of having been grown for the visual effect rather than out of a desire for protection.

As the four of them- along with the three priests who had escorted them to the building- entered the gate, they were soon greeted by a woman who even Sumner had to admit was strikingly attractive, with honey-coloured hair and tanned skin, dressed in a light blue dress and a blue-beaded necklace with a white circle in the centre.

"Glory to Athar," Zarah said, bowing at the woman as she approached them, confirming Sumner's conclusion that the woman in question was the high priestess- Chaya, he recalled her name was- that Zarah had mentioned earlier.

"Welcome," Chaya replied, nodding slightly at him before she indicated a room off to one side. "You may rest."

"Thank you, sister," Zarah replied, he and the other monks subsequently departing to leave the team alone with the woman.

"You're new to Proculus," she said as she looked at Sumner, the comment clearly a statement of fact rather than a question.

"Correct," Sumner replied, nodding briefly back at her; it was always best to stick to the facts in this kind of situation until you had a better idea of where the situation stood. "Colonel Marshall Sumner."

"I am called Chaya Sar," the woman replied, confirming her identity as she briefly took his outstretched hand in both of hers- Sumner wished she wouldn't do that; that kind of gesture always made him feel like the people who did it were trying to stop him doing something- before turning to the others. "And you are…Teyla… Lieutenant Ford… and Doctor McKay."

"How did she know that?" Sumner heard Ford whisper behind him. He could only hope that Chaya couldn't see the lieutenant's no-doubt obvious discomfort at her knowledge; trust was a two-way street, and they weren't going to win Chaya's friendship if they gave the impression they didn't trust her, even if he never completely trusted anybody until he'd spent more time getting to know them (It had taken Teyla the better part of a month until he felt comfortable enough giving her a P-90).

"Oh please; one of the abbots ran ahead," McKay replied dismissively; once again, Sumner could only hope that Chaya hadn't actually managed to hear McKay' s casual dismissal of her knowledge.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Chaya," Teyla replied, bowing her head slightly, thankfully providing an easy distraction from McKay's attitude.

"You must be tired after your long journey," Chaya continued, as she looked around at the others. "Shall I prepare some tea for us?"

"That would be… fine," Sumner said, nodding briefly in response. It wasn't exactly the perfect way to open negotiations- he'd prefer something more professional than sharing a drink, even if the drink apparently wasn't alcoholic-, but at least it put them on a more casual ground with which to open conversation.

As the group sat down around a small circle of seats towards the middle of the temple, the assorted abbots joining them as Chaya poured a strange-looking tea that Sumner couldn't immediately identify while Teyla explained the dangers presented to the worlds of the Pegasus Galaxy by the Wraith, citing the example of the culling that had driven her people from Athos and all the way to Atlantis for refuge.

"And where do they come from, these… Wraith?" Chaya asked as Teyla finished telling her about Athos's last culling.

"They seem to be everywhere in this galaxy," Sumner said, taking a brief sip of the tea- it was actually rather nice; he'd need to remember to ask for the plant they grew it from- before he continued. "They've caused a great deal of fear and terror on pretty much every planet we've visited for a significant amount of time."

"It's terrifying," Chaya replied solemnly; Sumner wasn't sure whether to approve of the apparent detachment in her tone of voice or feel frustrated at the lack of physical response he was receiving as he attempted to determine her real feelings about the matter. "Truly terrifying…"

After she had sat in silence for a moment, the woman turned and inclined her head slightly in Teyla's direction. "My heart goes out to your people, Teyla."

"It is not only my people who suffer, Chaya," Teyla replied, evidently concluding- as Sumner had- that the time to get to the point was now. "The Wraith have awakened from a long sleep, and this entire world is safe from the culling that has already begun. Even Atlantis, with all its wonder, may not survive the onslaught. It is our hope that Athar could grant… sanctuary, here on Proculus."

"Sanctuary?" Chaya repeated, exchanging a brief, anxious glance with Zarah as he stood off to one side. "For so many?"

"Obviously we wouldn't expect you to provide a refuge for every other planet out there," Sumner added; there was no point overwhelming a valuable resource, after all. "However, you can hardly deny that your world is large enough to cope with any… guests who might arrive."

"More importantly," McKay added, "it's protected by that weapon of yours-"

"Weapon?" Chaya repeated, looking over at the Canadian in what even Sumner had to admit was evidently confusion. "I'm aware of no such thing on Proculus."

"Oh please…" McKay said, shaking his head slightly before he turned look directly at Chaya; given that Sumner wanted the woman to understand the scale of the situation just as much as McKay evidently did, he saw no reason to halt the scientist's speech unless McKay started to become too hostile or offensive towards her, so simply allowed him to continue speaking. "Chaya, the only reason we are alive is because of a powerful energy weapon that emanated somewhere on the surface of this planet. It destroyed the ships that were shooting at us; that weapon is what's keeping the Wraith away."

"No, Doctor McKay," Chaya replied, her tone of voice suggesting that she was almost surprised that the alternative explanation she was about to suggest hadn't occurred to him. "It was Athar who protected you."

"Athar," McKay repeated, scepticism evident in his voice.

"Yes," Chaya replied; Sumner vaguely registered Zarah looking at McKay in what was probably the closest thing to a glare he'd seen anyone on this planet assume, but Chaya herself appeared to be perfectly calm about McKay's lack of belief in her religion. "Athar saw you were in need."

"And that is what makes your world so remarkable," Teyla interjected; evidently, she had determined that McKay's line of argument wasn't going to make any progress in convincing Chaya to help them. "There are a great number of people who, like my own, are in need because of the Wraith; all we ask is that Athar grant them the protection that she was gracious enough to share with us, while we share what we can with you in exchange."

Once again, the Athosian woman had reaffirmed the reasons why Sumner kept her on his team; she might lack for formal military training on occasion, but she always knew when the time was right for her to step in and use her own skills where those of the others wouldn't do the job

"I understand," Chaya said, nodding . "I shall consult with her now."

Initially Sumner and the rest of his team stood up as Chaya and the monks did so, but Chaya quickly held out her hands and shook her head at them.

"Please stay here," she said, only a slightly apologetic look on her face to demonstrate her feelings on the matter. "I don't know how long this will take."

"Understood," Sumner said, nodding briefly at Chaya as she and the monks turned and walked out of the room.

He wasn't happy about it, of course- having potential allies leaving the negotiations to consult with their god wasn't something he was entirely comfortable with, particularly after everything he'd read in the SGC files about the Goa'uld-, but in the end he supposed he didn't have much of a choice if he was going to establish any kind of relationship with these people.

"'Athar grant them the protection that she was gracious enough to share with us'?" McKay repeated, looking incredulously over at Teyla. "Are you really buying this?"

"Questioning and doubting the religious beliefs of these people will not help us form an alliance with them, Rodney," Teyla replied, as she turned to look back at the scientist with a resolute expression. "It is always possible that, as you said, the weapon is a totally automated system that requires no action on the part of those here; could it not be that Chaya and these others are simply unaware of the weapon's existence as a weapon and instead believe it to be an artefact of some kind?"

Even as Sumner reflected that it was unlikely something powerful enough to destroy Wraith darts while they were in orbit could simultaneously be nothing more than some historical mystery to everyone on the planet- surely somebody would have noticed it in action by now?-, a part of him couldn't help but remember what Elizabeth had told him regarding his opinion of the Phantom back on Atlantis. He could never perceive the Phantom as anything other than a threat- the possibility that some day he would take some action or another that would hamper Atlantis's own ability to mount a defence due to them being unaware of it was too great-, but he would not attempt to 'frame' the Phantom for crimes he had not committed.

If he was going to obey that 'rule' on Atlantis, he was going to apply it to his duties on other worlds; he wouldn't start looking for potential threats or deceit when he had no evidence that any were present.

"We didn't imagine that weapon, Colonel!" McKay yelled, breaking into Sumner's train of thought. "We saw it with our own eyes-"

"And," Sumner interjected, glaring silently at McKay for a moment as he made certain the scientist understood who was in charge right now before he moved to sit back down, "until we know anything else about how this world operates, we should Let's just… wait and see what… Athar has to say."

"So… 'pay no attention to the man behind the curtain', hmm?" McKay asked, looking at his team leader with what was as close to a glare as Sumner had ever seen McKay assume towards him.

"Until we have further evidence suggesting that it's a person rather a machine behind that curtain, yes," Sumner replied, as he sat back down in his chair, the rest of his team soon following his example.

He might acknowledge that McKay had reason to be paranoid- the incident with the Genii was still fresh in their minds, after all-, but he wasn't going to ruin a potential alliance just because he was 'twice shy', as the old saying went.

All they had to do was wait, and, if things went as well as he hoped they would, they'd be heading back to Atlantis with a new ally and a secure place to evacuate any refugees they encountered to…


"Colonel?" Chaya's voice said, forcing him to blink himself back to consciousness; Chaya and the monks had taken so long doing… whatever they were doing… that he'd started to at the very least doze slightly while he waited

Shaking the last bits of sleep from his mind, Sumner stood up from the bench and turned to look at Chaya as she walked down the stairs towards them, the rest of the team following his example.

"We have relayed your request to our divine mother," Chaya began, looking apologetically at him, "and though she does not doubt the righteousness of your mission. I am afraid she cannot countenance any other people but hers settling here."

"And you really had to… chant all that time to come up with that?" McKay said before Sumner could say anything himself, his tone clearly conveying his frustration at how long they'd been forced to wait only to learn they were getting nothing out of it.

Sumner only barely managed to stop himself rolling his eyes in frustration at his teammate's attitude. He might not like the fact that they'd been turned down himself, but he would have at least tried to be more diplomatic about it; how were they ever going to change Chaya's mind if they acted that dismissively of her beliefs?

"Is there any way we can ask Athar to reconsider?" Teyla added, walking forward to stand between Chaya and McKay; hopefully the Athosian would be able to improve the mood of the situation.

"Athar understands and sympathizes," Chaya said, looking apologetically over at Teyla. "These Wraith are a scourge among our stars, but she has to place the lives of her people first."

"Well," McKay said as he stood up, "I think we both knew what you were going to say long before you even went in there."

"We prayed for Athar's guidance," Chaya said, declining even to look at McKay as she spoke; Sumner only needed to look at her face to recognise that she was angered at McKay's attitude.

"And what did Athar say?" McKay countered. "You're hiding behind your religion to justify your complete and utter selfishness-"

"Rodney…" Teyla said, turning to look in exasperation at her teammate.

"If Athar existed she would be ashamed of herself," McKay continued, either not registering or not caring about the way that Sumner and Teyla were both looking at him like they wanted to punch him.

"We ask only to be left alone, and in peace," Zarah suddenly cut in, his voice far more rapid than the more relaxed appearance he had presented earlier; it was as though he wanted to make his position clear and then end his involvement in the conversation.

"So," McKay said, looking briefly upwards to convey his disdain for the latest news, "untold thousands, possibly millions of people, will die out there when they could have been saved, all in the name of Athar; how very very peaceful of you!"

"You should be grateful to Athar," Chaya said, her voice low as she continued to refuse to look in McKay's direction; it hardly took an expert to know that she was extremely annoyed at his attitude.

"This is a waste of time-" McKay began.

"Athar regrets that she cannot help you," Chaya cut in, looking apologetically over at Sumner. Whether she simply disliked hear McKay insulting her beliefs, or wanted the scientist to stay quiet for reasons of her own, Sumner wasn't sure and wasn't inclined to guess; there was a reason that Teyla was the team diplomat, after all.

"And I'm sure those were her exact words-" McKay began.

"Rodney, that is enough!" Teyla yelled, glaring briefly over at the Canadian before she turned back to look at Sumner. "Colonel, if I may…?"

"That's what you're here for," Sumner said, nodding briefly in acknowledgement at Teyla's request before he turned back to look at McKay and Ford. "OK, you two with me; Teyla, join us in a minute or so."

"Hold on; why do I have to leave-?" McKay began.

"Because you're not helping," Sumner replied simply before he looked over at Ford. "Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir," Ford said, shooting McKay a brief look that made it clear he disapproved of the scientist's attitude as well before he walked off, Sumner and a clearly still-frustrated McKay close behind him, leaving Teyla alone with Chaya and the priests.


Glancing around the temple interior as her teammates departed, Teyla wasn't surprised to see that Chaya had walked off to one corner of the room as the three men departed; evidently, even such a person as Chaya required a little time to herself after a confrontation with McKay like the one that had just taken place. Walking over towards where Chaya was standing, the Athosian leader waited for a moment to give the high priestess time to relax after McKay's accusations before she spoke again.

"I… apologize for Doctor McKay's… comments," Teyla said, wishing she could sound more confident about what she was about to say; she was used to dealing with difficult diplomatic situations, but rarely had she been forced to work with someone as… abrasive… as Doctor McKay could be.

"He acts only in accordance to his beliefs, as do we," Chaya replied simply, as she turned around to look back at Teyla; the other woman was grateful to see that, while McKay's comments had clearly annoyed the high priestess, she nevertheless still appeared willing to talk to her.

"Doctor McKay can be… difficult… but he is correct about one detail," Teyla said; Colonel Sumner had recruited her to his team for her diplomatic skills, and she was determined to do what she could to justify his decision. "This is about a great number of innocent lives facing peril. Eventually, the Wraith shall come to the city of the Ancestors, and when they do so- "

"Your Colonel Sumner is a warrior; surely he and his men will fight?" Chaya cut in, a curious expression on her face as she looked at the other woman.

"They will try to fight," Teyla admitted, nodding in confirmation of Chaya's assessment of Sumner- as much as he could frustrate her at times, he was indeed a good commander- before she continued. "However, the odds against us… even with the aid of the Phantom…"

She shook her head briefly at that comment- referring to the Phantom at a time like this would only make the situation more complicated if Chaya asked for more information- before she continued. "Well, they are… significant, to say the least; we-"

"The Phantom?" Chaya asked, looking at Teyla in what the Athosian could have sworn was a brief expression of surprise, before it faded from her face once again. "Forgive me for being impolite, but who is… the Phantom?"

"He… it is simplest to say that he is a great warrior who has done much to oppose the Wraith and dwells among us on Atlantis, although we do not know where his precise dwelling is located; his interaction with us is… complicated," Teyla said, before she shook her head slightly and looked more earnestly at Chaya. "As I was saying, we would be grateful if you could ask Athar to contemplate the prospect that, though we come from far away, we… we are all still the same people; Athar may consider us… distant relatives, if you will…"

For a moment, Chaya simply stood in silence as she studied Teyla, a thoughtful expression on her face, before she nodded slightly as though having come to a decision.

"Your words are… compelling, Teyla Emaggan," she said, smiling slightly at the other woman. "May I… see your city?"

"For what purpose?" Teyla asked, already wondering how Colonel Sumner would react to such a suggestion; if it would help them secure an alliance, Teyla had little doubt that Sumner would consent to allowing an offworld visitor into the city, but she had little doubt that he would want to take a significant number of precautions.

"If I am to appeal to Athar on your behalf, it would be… easier… if I had the opportunity to see your people on their own planet," Chaya replied, clearly taking just as much care with her words as Teyla was taking with hers. "Once I learn more about you, Athar might be more easily… persuaded… to provide you with assistance."

"I must speak with Colonel Sumner before I can confirm such a visit, but I have little doubt that he will be willing to grant you access to our city," Teyla replied, nodding politely at Chaya's request.

She would need to take care about how she phrased it when talking to Sumner, of course, but she had little doubt he would accept; it would hardly be impossible to arrange a tour that would show Chaya much of Atlantis while avoiding any of the essential systems such as the location of the Zero Point Modules.

"This is acceptable," Chaya replied with a brief nod.

"Chaya?" Zarah said, walking over to look anxiously at the younger woman; Teyla had been so caught up in trying to convince Chaya to help that she had almost forgotten the priest was still there. "Please… you cannot leave…"

"Athar is with us always," Chaya said, her tone soothing as she reached out to take Zarah's hands in hers, looking comfortingly at him as she spoke. "No matter where we are, Zarah."

As Teyla looked at the two of them, she was surprised to feel a brief, but strong, wind suddenly blow against them- it had not appeared
Chaya placing a hand against Zarah's chest as she looked at him in a manner that reminded Teyla of Elizabeth when she was refusing to back down on some matter.

"I understand," Zarah said, stepping back from Chaya, smiling briefly at her before he walked off, leaving the two women alone in the temple as Chaya turned back to face Teyla.

"I am ready," she said simply.


Elizabeth had to confess, of all the occurrences she had been expecting to take place as a result of this latest trip through the Stargate, learning that Sumner had decided to bring a guest back to Atlantis to negotiate an alliance was one of the greatest.

She was, of course, grateful to see that Sumner had taken her past comments about giving people a chance to prove themselves rather than automatically assuming the worst of them just because of his own preference for the rules, of course, but she still had to confess to a certain amount of surprise when she was introduced to Chaya Sar, High Priestess of Athar, in the middle of the gateroom after the team had disembarked from the gateship.

"Welcome to Atlantis," she said, shaking Chaya's hand with a broad smile.

"Thank you," the other woman replied, nodding back at her.

"I hope you don't mind," Elizabeth continued, looking apologetically at the new arrival, "but our doctors do require a medical exam of all off-planet team members- and our visitors-, but after that, perhaps you would like a full tour?"

"I would love that," Chaya replied with a smile of her own.

"I have already volunteered to do so," Teyla added.

"Thank you, Teyla," Elizabeth said, nodding gratefully at the Athosian; if she wanted someone to help a potential ally get past their initial uncertainties about the expedition, she couldn't think of a better person to do the job that Teyla. "If you would just follow Teyla to the infirmary, Chaya…"

"Of course," Chaya said, nodding slightly at Elizabeth before she turned to look at Teyla. "Please, lead the way."

"Maybe I should tag along," McKay suddenly cut in as the two women turned towards the nearest corridor. "You know, in case you have any questions Teyla can't answe-"

"I am certain that Chaya and I will be fine, Rodney," Teyla cut in, holding up a hand to halt the Canadian as she and Chaya walked off towards the infirmary.

"There are a lot of systems you know absolute-" Mckay began, before Sumner grabbed his arm, prompting him to look in the colonel's direction. "What?"

"I somehow doubt that Chaya will wish to know more than the essential details of Atlantis's technological capabilities," Sumner said, glaring pointedly at McKay as he addressed the Canadian in a low voice. "We're trying to give her a good impression culturally, not show off how advanced we are technologically; your expertise is not required in this matter."

With that said, he stepped back to turn and face Elizabeth. "If you'll excuse me, Doctor Weir, Lieutenant Ford and I have some things to straighten out; I need to oversee the current training program with those Wraith stunners we acquired, and I have a few reports I need to go over myself."

"Of course," Elizabeth replied, nodding briefly back at her military commander before he and Lieutenant Ford walked off in one direction while Teyla and Chaya vanished down the corridor leading to the Atlantis infirmary, leaving Elizabeth standing alone with the Canadian scientist.

"So," Elizabeth said after a moment's silence as she turned to look at McKay, "since Colonel Sumner has other matters to attend to, shall I assume that you'll be willing to fill me in on the full details of what took place during this mission?"