CHAPTER SIX

John studied the older woman's eyes. Seeing only sincere concern there, he said, "Koba, if your creatures can not live in our ocean, we will still do everything in our power to save your people."

She nodded. "When do we begin the Move?"

"As soon as Rodney-" John smiled as the Jumper came gliding back. "Very soon, now."

"I shall prepare my people." She smiled and moved off to do just that.

Nobody emerged from the Jumper, so John walked up to it. A quick knock to the door and Radek opened it, putting a finger to his lips. John nodded and walked in – somehow completely unsurprised to find Rodney engrossed in what looked like an argument with someone on the other end of his radio.

"Hobbson," Radek whispered to John. "Markindale. And Oren." At John's frown, he added, "Xenobiologists and a xenozoologist. Conferring with them about the experiment."

John nodded. Then something struck him. "Then why didn't he bring them..."

"Because I trust these two implicitly," Rodney said, turning in his chair. "We've worked together enough I don't have to explain every little thing. We've got a problem."

"How big of a problem?" John asked.

"Remember how the small-scale experiment indicated that the Astadalanian creature removes impurities from the water – including its own waste?" When John nodded, Rodney said, "According to the next scale up, part of those impurities include altering the pH and salinity of the water it's in to make it like its native water."

"And this is an issue because?" John asked at the same time Radek's eyes narrowed and he swore.

"Right," Rodney said, pointing at Radek. "Much of Lantea's aquatic life is dependent on the salinity and pH of their ocean remaining within certain parameters. If we introduced the Astadalanian creature, we would be causing irreparable damage to the ecosystem."

John swore softly and rubbed the back of his neck. "So...what do we do?"

Rodney tapped his radio. "That's what we're trying to figure out. So why don't you head out and get the Astadalians ready to roll, while we figure out what to do about the creature."

"Sounds like a plan. Be ready to go in half an hour. We're transporting the first load back on the Jumper." Forestalling Rodney's question, he said, "There's some that can't walk. We're porting them."

Rodney nodded. "Half an hour." Then he turned back to his conversation.

John got off the Jumper and jogged over to a waiting Polan. "We are going in thirty minutes. The ones that can't walk, we will transport by Jumper. Then the rest of you can walk through under your own power."

Polan smiled and nodded. "And thus, you give us our dignity."

"I hadn't thought of it that way," John replied, but he took Polan's outstretched hand. "But you're right."

SGA COLONY AU SGA

One hour later, Sergeant Campbell's voice rang out. "Offworld activation!" he called as the Stargate flared into life. "AR-1's IDC!"

"Open the Iris," Woolsey opened, and smiled at a nearly-visibly vibrating Jeannie Miller. "I'm positive she's safe, Mrs. Miller. Doctor McKay didn't have to inform us she had stowed away."

"No, but I'm grateful he did," she snarled. "Now I know I just have to kill my daughter, and not my brother as well!"

Familiar by now with McKay-level hyperbole, Woolsey merely chuckled. Very softly – he was not a stupid man. The last person he wanted to get on the bad side of was a furious mother.

Jumper One glided through and settled gracefully to the floor of the Gateroom. John lowered the back and instantly medical personnel swarmed.

Moments later, the first of the four stretchers was off-loaded. Two bore heavily pregnant women. One bore an older man with no ability to move his legs.

The fourth bore Lorya's frail form. Carson walked on one side of the stretcher, promising her mother that with a few good meals and some therapy to rehabilitate her to being vertical again, the severely ill child would be back on her feet. Her main issue, it seemed, was malnutrition. Many others in the tribe suffered this as well, but Lorya's body seemed to take it hardest.

On the other side of the stretcher walked a visibly concerned Maddy Miller. She held Lorya's hand close, talking to her as if to a best friend. Jeannie took a step forward, but Woolsey grabbed her arm. "Don't separate them," he advised. "Not yet. It looks like your child learned some empathy."

Jeannie looked after them, then turned back to Woolsey. "Too bad it took her risking her life stowing away to do it. I'll leave them be – for now. But she and I are going to deal with this." He released her arm, and she stalked after the stretchers.

"I'd expect nothing less," Woolsey sighed after her. He watched while the Gate shut down and reactivated, dialing Astadal again so the evacuation could begin. He watched the Jumper gracefully raise and glide back through the wormhole, which blinked out behind it.

Rodney and Radek had disembarked – Miko had returned with John, and Teyla and Ronon had remained on Astadal – and the scientists jogged past Woolsey with barely a nod, heading for the Infirmary and their required checks so they could return to work.

Woolsey sighed. "...when did I lose control around here?" he asked the air as he walked over to Campbell. "I am assuming the evacuation is about to begin."

"So am I, sir," Campbell smiled. Then his panel beeped. "Offworld activation – it's AR-1 from Astadal."

"Open the Iris, Sergeant," Woolsey said with a smile. "Let's bring our new friends home."

SGA COLONY AU SGA

Within the next two hours, traveling in batches of twenty, one hundred and fifty-eight people walked through the Gate to Atlantis. Last of all came the Jumper carrying the leaders of the tribe, the Lanteans, and several ice cores.

As John guided the Jumper back to the Bay, Teyla made introductions. "Commander Richard Woolsey, this is Koba and Polan, the leaders of the Astadalians."

"Welcome to Atlantis," Woolsey said. "Are these all your people?"

"Yes," Koba said with a firm nod. "Astadal is now uninhabited."

Ronon stepped forward. "Commander, Teyla and I are going to oversee the move to New Athos and we will ensure they settle in well."

"Agreed," Woolsey said. "Your people have our friendship, Koba."

"And yours have our gratitude," Koba said. "Without you – my people would have died out. Thank you."

Nodding, Woolsey watched them walk away. He decided to go see how Rodney was coming along with the research on the creature.

John joined them just in time to hear that though the creature could never be released into the ocean, it was still perfect for use in the controlled environments of Atlantis's desalinisation and hydroponics systems. Its population would be monitored and when it got beyond a certain level, the overflow would be removed and used for trade, much as the Astadalians had done for centuries.

Once they knew which ecosystems it was safe to introduce into, that was. The ice cores would remain frozen for study, and the creatures inside would remain in suspended animation.

Koba and Polan supported this, and agreed to share any data they could.

There was some disagreement, however, on the best way to harvest Astadal's Gate – or, more exactly, how to get it back to Atlantis once it had been harvested. This discussion went back and forth for two more days as Campbell dialed Astadal every twelve hours so astrophysicists could monitor the levels of light and solar radiation from the instruments left behind on the planet.

This disagreement suddenly became a moot point when – no matter what Campbell or Rodney tried – the seventh chevron to Astadal simply would not lock.

"That's it," Rodney sighed after a fruitless two hours of trying. "There's just nothing there to lock onto. Astadal's gone."

Silence slowly spread as it hit everybody in the Gateroom just how close to the edge this rescue had been.

END