Rodney followed Sheppard and Teyla into the Daedalus' mess hall, mechanically filled a plate, and grabbed a cup of coffee. John chose a table near the windows, and Rodney tried not to wince as he sat beside John. He glanced at the streaks of light out the window beside him, then nodded and started to eat.

So far, so good, he thought, chewing and swallowing a bite of meatloaf.

He ate a few more bites of meatloaf as he mentally scanned the tracker schematic again, looking for anything he might have missed. Was there an easier way to disable the tracker? he wondered, his fork hanging lax in his hand. If Beckett screwed up … Rodney blinked and tried not to think about the catastrophic consequences.

Thoughts on the schematic bled into his research on the stargates and his idea of linking several together to make the trip back and forth from Earth more practical. The math bloomed in his mind, and Rodney was near a solution to the buffering problem when something jostled his arm.

The mental equations collapsed, and Rodney turned to Sheppard.

"Do you mind?" he started to growl but stopped when he realised John and Teyla weren't so much eating their dinner as picking at the food on their trays.

Considering he knew exactly what would happen if Beckett did something wrong while removing the tracker, Rodney swallowed his frustration with another bite of meatloaf and focused on his dinner.

"Has anyone informed Doctor Weir of our status?" Teyla asked into the silence a few minutes later.

Sheppard nodded. "When I spoke to Caldwell earlier, he mentioned sending a message to Atlantis before they engaged the FTL drive." He poked at the meat patty on his plate for a few seconds, then added, "Assuming everything goes all right, we should be home a couple hours later."

"I am sure Ronon will be relieved to be back in the city," Teyla replied.

Sheppard grunted and stabbed the meat patty again.

"John?" Teyla reached forward and tapped Sheppard's arm. "I am certain everything will be fine."

Rodney wondered who Teyla was trying to convince, John or herself.

"Yeah," Sheppard muttered and moved his arm out of reach.

"The circuit layout for the tracker is a remarkable piece of engineering," Rodney said, hoping to fill the awkward silence. "Nothing we can currently design is even half -"

"Not the time," Sheppard growled, and Rodney snapped his mouth shut.

Teyla ate a few bites of her dinner, then set aside her fork and picked up her cup. "I had a message from Halling before our mission to Keturah's village."

"Oh?" John replied.

"Thanks to the early thaw this spring and the assistance from several of Rodney's scientists," she glanced at Rodney with a nod, "Halling and the others were able to plant additional fields this season." She paused and looked down at her hands.

"At least a few of them were productive with their time on the mainland," Rodney grumbled. "Most of them act like they are on an extended field trip."

John shook his head and studied Teyla with a puzzled frown.

Now what? Rodney wondered and swallowed a forkful of mashed potatoes.

"But something happened?" John asked.

"It may turn out to be nothing of concern," Teyla said, glancing out the window.

"Teyla?" John said, leaning forward in his chair. "What's going on?"

"It was hoped the additional yield from expanding our cropland would allow for more trading at the end of the season."

"Sure, that makes sense," John said and smiled. "I know more than a few people in the city who enjoy Teg's beer. They'd probably help with the harvest if it meant we could trade for a few extra casks."

Teyla smiled. "I believe Halling and a few others in the village would agree with you, Colonel."

"So what's the problem?"

"Since the planting, there has been little rain," Teyla explained. "Even carrying water from the well and the nearby river and watering the fields by hand, the plants are beginning to wither. If there is no rain soon, we will be fortunate to harvest enough to tide the village over for the winter. We will have nothing left over for trade."

"It may be worse than you think," Rodney said, looking up from the cup of blue Jell-O in his hand. "According to one of the botanists, it appears that part of the mainland goes through cycles of moderate conditions followed by decades of drought. This might be the beginning of one of these drought phases."

"How would they know this?" Teyla asked.

"More importantly, why didn't you bring this up earlier?" John added.

"Because their data is still preliminary," Rodney retorted. "They aren't sure if it's the start of a pattern or just a dry spell. The only reason I know anything about it is because Zelenka mentioned it when we were discussing the plan for the ongoing research projects on the mainland. The botanists want to take more samples and do more research before making any firm conclusions." He turned to Teyla and added, "As for how the botanists know this, one of them is a dendrochronologist."

Teyla gave him a puzzled frown.

"He studies tree rings," Rodney explained. "Remember that sinkhole that formed last summer?" He ignored the stab in his gut at the reminder of seeing the massive hole near the Athosian village and Carson in the infirmary.

"Not something I will forget," Teyla replied. "Nor is it an event I would care to experience again."

"Yes, well, dozens of trees were uprooted at the same time," Rodney continued. "The botany team took core samples from those trees, and one thing they noticed from the growth rings was this periodic shift in the climate. But like I said, they aren't sure of anything yet. This could be nothing more than a fluke of the weather, and it will be pouring rain when we get back."

"All right, we got it," John said. "Keep me informed," he added to Teyla. "We'll help any way we can."

"Thank you, Colonel." Teyla swallowed some of her tea. "Halling also spoke of a group of scientists wanting to explore more of the mainland?" she asked with a glance at Rodney.

Rodney grunted and shifted in his seat. "The biology teams wanted to spend several weeks tracking and tagging some of the more common wildlife. I guess the cartography people want to finish mapping the area around the village too."

Teyla nodded. "Yes, Doctor Brown asked if a few of my people would be willing to act as guides for these excursions. Halling had several volunteers. Some of the men, like Kanaan, are eager to explore more of the mainland."

"Oh, umm, good," Rodney replied, concentrating on his Jell-O.

"Rodney?" Teyla asked, and Rodney looked up from scooping more Jell-O out of the cup. "Have you spoken to Doctor Brown recently?" Teyla asked.

Rodney slurped down the Jell-O and narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"I believe she misses your company -"

Rodney snorted.

"She does not understand why you are avoiding her," Teyla finished.

"She'll get over it," Rodney muttered. He finished the Jell-O and picked up his coffee cup.

Sheppard pushed his half-eaten dinner away a few minutes later, glanced at his watch, then at the door.

"It has not been very long," Teyla said. "Doctor Beckett did say the surgery would take a few hours."

"I just wish we knew how it was going," John replied.

"If something goes wrong, believe me, we'll know," Rodney said. He stood and walked over to the coffee carafes.

"Gee, thanks for that, McKay," Sheppard growled behind him.

Rodney filled his cup, turned and started to say something into the heavy silence but changed his mind when he saw Sheppard's steely expression. He glanced at Teyla playing with her teacup and sighed. Usually, he did all the work averting the latest crisis. Now he found himself with nothing to do but wait while someone else saved the day.

Never realised how frustrating waiting was, Rodney thought to himself as he paced a short path from the carafes to the table and back again. He finished his coffee and mechanically filled the cup again.

Two hours later, Rodney was ready to go find a bed, the potential of sleeping through an explosive decompression be damned. He had given up sitting half an hour ago as the pain medication wore off and stood with his back braced between the bulkhead and the window, sipping his fifth cup of coffee.

"Assuming Carson followed my instructions, he should have removed the tracker by now," Rodney said into the heavy silence.

"Not helping," John growled. He glanced at his watch, stood, and walked over to the coffee carafes.

Rodney glanced at Teyla, who shook her head and looked out the window.

Sheppard poured another cup of coffee, gulped it down, and set his cup on the end of the carafe table. "I'm heading back to the infirmary," he said, turning toward the door.

"Colonel, that may not be -"

An orderly walked into the mess hall, and Teyla stopped speaking.

"Colonel Sheppard?" the orderly said with a glance at Rodney and Teyla.

"Yes," John replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Doctor Beckett sent me to find you, sir," the orderly replied. "He wanted me to tell you the tracker has been safely removed and that Mister Dex should be fine."

Rodney blew out a breath and felt the tension ease in his back and shoulders. He saw the contented smile on Teyla's face and noted the pinched look on John's face disappeared as the orderly spoke.

"Mister Dex should be out of recovery soon, and Doctor Beckett said to tell you he would allow a short visit," the orderly finished.

"Thanks," Sheppard replied. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

The orderly nodded and left.

Rodney swallowed the rest of his coffee and pushed off the wall. "See. I told you there was nothing to worry about."

John rolled his eyes. "Come on," he said, leading the way back through the Daedalus' corridors to the sick bay.

"Carson," John greeted as they entered the room.

"Colonel," Carson replied with a glance at Rodney and Teyla. "Ronon is right over here." He walked over to a bed in the corner.

A nurse finished checking the bandage taped to Ronon's back and nodded to Beckett. "I've changed the dressing, and he is resting," she said.

"Thank you," Carson replied.

The nurse nodded and returned to a desk on the other side of the room.

Ronon lay on his side wearing a pair of scrub bottoms and a gown opened at the back. Rodney trailed after Sheppard and Teyla but stopped short and hissed in a breath when he saw the scars crisscrossing Ronon's back.

Sheppard glanced at him, but Rodney shook his head and absently rubbed his right forearm. Intellectually he knew the Wraith would not have been worried about such things as clean cuts or proper suturing, but to see the evidence of their butchery in the thick scars on Ronon's back made Rodney surprisingly angry.

He glanced down at his arm and remembered John patiently listening the few times Rodney had wanted to talk about what Kolya had done to him. Sheppard had been a rock of support through the nightmares and physical therapy. Before John, Rodney had never understood how having someone there to help could make all the difference.

Ronon had had none of that, Rodney reminded himself. The Wraith had butchered his back and then dropped him on a planet as nothing more than a target to be hunted.

"How is he?" Sheppard whispered to Beckett and nodded at Ronon asleep in the bed.

"Ronon is going to be fine," Carson replied with a tired smile. "Removing the tracker wasn't as simple as I had hoped," he grimaced at Rodney, "but we got there in the end."

"And you're sure the tracker is dead?" John asked.

Beckett nodded. "Seems to be. The medical scanner wasn't picking up any electrical signals once we removed the transistor. I had one of the orderlies take it to the engineering lab just to be sure."

"Maybe I should go help Hermiod," Rodney muttered, still staring at the scars on Ronon's back. "Once we confirm the tracker isn't sending out a signal, Caldwell can take us back to Atlantis."

"You'll do nothing of the kind," Carson said.

"But -" Rodney tried to argue, but Carson cut him off mid-word.

"You've been limping around here since the jumper landed," Carson told him. "Have you taken any of the pain medication I gave you?"

Rodney glowered at Carson. "Yes, a few hours ago."

"Well, that's something, at least. But you're still staying here until I make sure you haven't undone any of my careful stitching."

"I need to make sure that tracker is inactive," Rodney countered. "The last thing we need is more Wraith knocking on our door." He felt a shiver up his spine at the reminder of being trapped in a Wraith cocoon on a hive ship flying towards Earth with little hope of rescue.

Carson tugged Rodney toward another bed across from Ronon. "I'm sure Hermiod can do that without your help."

"Let Beckett check you over," John ordered. He found an empty chair pushed against the opposite wall, dragged it back to Ronon's bedside, and sat.

Beckett let go of Rodney's arm and stepped in front of John. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

John glanced down at himself. "What does it look like?"

Carson shook his head. "While I understand you want to be here, Ronon is going to sleep for the next several hours, and you should do the same."

John opened his mouth to protest, but Beckett pulled him to his feet and spoke over him. "Go to bed, Colonel. If anything happens, I will let you know. You can come back once I have Ronon settled in my infirmary at home. I'm sure he will appreciate the visit."

Sheppard hesitated for a moment longer, then nodded and turned toward the sick bay exit with Teyla. "Fine, we're going."

Rodney watched Sheppard and Teyla leave and tried to inch away from the nearby bed.

"As for you," Carson said, walking over to Rodney. "Get those trousers off, and let me have a look at you."

~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~

A muscle in his back spasmed, and Ronon flinched. Dreams of fighting the Wraith commander wove through other dreams of his days as a Runner. Images of the destruction of the Capital City on Sateda interspersed with his memories of the hospital where Melena had died, which then warped into views of Atlantis shining in the morning light.

The muscle twitched again, and Ronon groaned low in his throat.

There were Wraith in the building, he told himself. At least one of his traps had been tripped, blowing out one wall of the structure and the Wraith who had triggered his device. He wasn't sure how many Wraith drones were left, but he vowed to kill as many of them as possible.

"McKay says he's very hurt you won't come with us," a voice whispered from the shadows.

"The Wraith did not honour the deal," a second voice said. "Keturah and his village, they are all dead."

"Let's go kill some Wraith," the first voice offered.

Ronon was fully on board with that idea. He checked the particle weapon in his hand and started toward the nearest door. He was almost to the door when the room around him faded.

The smell of dust and singed flesh faded, replaced by the stinging bite of antiseptic. Ronon opened his eyes, careful not to move or make any sound. The voices in the shadows spoke in hushed tones from somewhere to his right and behind him. A soft, regular beeping came from directly in front of him.

The visions of fighting Wraith faded, but there was something, Ronon reminded himself. Something important. Something he was forgetting.

"Doctor Beckett?" a female voice said. "I believe Mister Dex is waking up."

"Thank you, love," Beckett replied. "I'll take things from here."

Infirmary, Ronon realised. Why was he … Memory flooded back, and Ronon tried to sit up. The muscle in his back sent up new flares of agony as he moved, and Ronon growled low in his throat.

The tracking device, he berated himself. He'd been captured by Keturah and turned over to the Wraith. How could he forget about that?

"Ronon?" Beckett asked, and Ronon felt a hand on his arm.

Ronon ignored Beckett and the throbbing in his back as he fought the blankets tangled around his legs.

"It's all right," Beckett said, straightening the blankets. "You're all right."

"Doc?" Ronon replied, glancing around the room. He didn't recognise the grey metal walls or ceiling. "This isn't Atlantis."

"No." Beckett poured a glass of water and offered it to Ronon.

"Where are we?" Ronon asked and took the glass.

"We're still onboard the Daedalus, but we should be back in the city soon."

The muscle in his back twinged again, and Ronon did his best to hide his grimace of pain behind the water glass.

"You're almost due for your next dose of pain medication," Beckett said, glancing at the monitor next to Ronon's bed and then the computer in his hand. "I can have one of the nurses -"

"I'm fine," Ronon replied, handing back the empty glass. He'd take the pain if it meant avoiding the disconnected feeling he had from Beckett's medication. "The tracker? Is it gone?"

Beckett studied him for a moment, then took the glass and set it on the nearby table. "It's gone," he replied. "Things were a bit touch-and-go once I saw it. Not quite the same as Rodney's drawing," he added with a tiny smile, "but we managed."

He gave Ronon a stern glance. "Though I have to say, I don't think my nerves can take another afternoon of disarming Wraith devices. So do try and not get yourself captured again, hmm?"

Ronon ducked his head and nodded. "I'll try."

"Good," Beckett replied with a smile. "As for everything else, you have quite the assortment of scrapes and bruises, and you'll need to take things slow for the next week or so to give your back, not to mention that leg time to heal."

Ronon closed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome, lad," Beckett replied, patting Ronon's arm.

Ronon nodded and stared down at his hands in his lap. Once again, Beckett had saved his life. First, by killing the Wraith commander, and then removing the tracking device. He owed Beckett a debt he knew he would never be able to fully repay.

"Ronon?" Beckett asked. "Is there something else the matter?"

Ronon looked up and shook his head. "I just realised how much I owe -"

"None of that," Beckett ordered. "I'm your doctor. Not to mention your friend."

"Doctors don't go into battle and kill Wraith," Ronon reminded him.

"Yes, well," Beckett ducked his head and stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. "It needed to be done."

Ronon had a sudden flash of memory of McKay struggling with his conscience after he blew up a hive ship on Drellim and, more recently, McKay's ill expression when Sheppard ordered him to fire on the Wraith enclave after Michael and some of the other Wraith reverted.

"You going to be all right?" Ronon asked.

Beckett shrugged and gave Ronon a tiny smile. "That's usually my line." He stared at Ronon for a moment, then added, "I'll be fine. As I said, it needed to be done. That Wraith was trying to kill you."

Ronon grunted and glanced at the bed behind Beckett when he heard low murmuring and a body shifting.

Beckett turned, and Ronon was surprised to see McKay asleep in the next bed.

"What's wrong with him?" Ronon asked as Beckett walked over to the bed and adjusted the blanket covering McKay.

"He sort of crashed on me while I was checking his stitches," Beckett replied with a fond smile.

Stitches? Ronon asked himself. McKay never left the jumper. Why would he need - He remembered the crossbow aimed at him by one of Keturah's men and McKay stepping in front of him just as the man fired.

McKay had inadvertently taken a shot meant for him, Ronon reminded himself. And he had piloted the jumper well enough to allow Beckett to kill the Wraith commander. Someone else he owed a debt to, he realised.

Someone else who wasn't military.

Ronon was used to the idea of watching your buddy's back, and he'll watch yours. Any honor debt owed was likely quickly repaid in the heat of battle. Beckett and McKay had shown him once again that the concept wasn't just for those considered warriors.

They could have stayed out of it, he told himself. Stayed where it was safe. Instead, McKay had not only come up with a plan of attack, he and Beckett had executed that plan, and the pair of them had rid the universe of one of the most notoriously ruthless Wraith commanders in the process.

Ronon stared at the wall opposite the bed. What would his life have been like if Kell had lived up to the standards of an honorable military leader? If the Wraith commander had never captured him seven years ago? Both were now dead, and while Ronon would have preferred to kill the Wraith with his own hands, he knew that without McKay and Beckett's timely arrival, he would likely be the one dead and not the Wraith.

Ronon glanced at McKay and then Beckett. Beckett may not think he was owed anything, Ronon decided. But he was wrong.

"He's all right?" Ronon asked with a nod at McKay.

"Oh, aye," Beckett replied. "He pulled a few of the stitches, is all. Nothing to worry about. The only reason he's still here is because I didn't have the heart to wake him up and send him back to his room."

Ronon nodded. "And me?"

Beckett stepped back from the bed. "You will be spending at least a day in the infirmary once we're back in Atlantis. I want to make sure any infection you might have in that leg or the incision in your back is clearing up before I release you. For now, all you need to do is rest."

~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~

John strolled into the mess hall and nodded to himself when he spotted Teyla and Ronon ahead of him in the breakfast line. He hid a smile when he noticed Ronon was carrying the cane Carson had given him, but he wasn't using it. He glanced around the room and wasn't surprised when he didn't see Rodney.

Back three days, and he's been buried in his lab the whole time, John grumbled to himself as he picked up a tray.

John had spent part of his time since their return writing his report regarding the circumstances surrounding Ronon's capture and subsequent rescue, attending meetings with Lorne and Weir, and catching up with his regular duties as military head for the expedition. He had checked in on Ronon on their first day back and had a workout with Teyla, but the only time he had seen Rodney the last few days was at meals where McKay seemed more distracted than usual. John had tried asking more than once what was keeping him so busy, but Rodney had only muttered something about doing important research and changed the subject.

Why all the secrecy? John wondered for the third or fourth time. He accepted the plate of eggs and bacon from one of the kitchen staff, grabbed a cup of coffee and followed Ronon and Teyla to one of the tables near the windows.

"Good morning, Colonel," Teyla greeted as he sat.

"Teyla," John replied. He glanced at the cane Ronon had hooked to the end of the table. "How you doing?" he asked Dex.

Ronon shrugged. "Fine."

John and Teyla traded a knowing glance.

Did you expect any other sort of answer? John asked himself.

"Your leg no longer appears to bother you," Teyla said. "That is good."

Ronon grunted and cut into the stack of pancakes on his plate. "Beckett will take the stitches out in a couple of days."

John concentrated on his breakfast and let the matter of Ronon skirting Beckett's order regarding the cane slide.

"I talked to Elizabeth last night," John said a few minutes later. "We're on stand -" He stopped speaking when he spotted Rodney hurrying into the room. "Only ten minutes late today," he muttered, glancing at his watch. "I guess that's an improvement."

"Colonel?" Teyla asked.

"McKay finally decided to show up," John explained, nodding toward the mess line.

Teyla speared one of the fruit slices on her plate and glanced at the mess line across the room. "Rodney must be working on something important. He has not mentioned anything to you?"

John shook his head.

Rodney walked over to the table, set his tray next to John's and eased into the chair.

"Rodney," Teyla said with a smile.

"Morning," Rodney replied and picked up his fork.

"Still hurts to sit, I see," John said.

"Not as much," Rodney replied. "Just have to be careful."

John studied him for a moment, then went back to his breakfast. "As I was saying," he said to the table at large, "I spoke to Elizabeth last night. We're still on stand down until our two wounded warriors here are cleared by Beckett."

Rodney glowered at the comment, and John grinned.

"We are resuming missions through the stargate?" Teyla asked.

John nodded. "Elizabeth thinks Michael was telling the truth when he said he had only told his hive about us. So chances are we won't have another hive ship on our doorstep any time soon."

"We hope," Ronon said. "Wraith lie."

"We aren't picking up anything on the sensors," John countered. "The Daedalus is checking a few known Wraith sectors as they head back to Earth. So far, Caldwell hasn't seen any unusual activity, either. Besides," he added, "there's still a lot of galaxy out there to explore."

"The 'gate team found several planets in the database that could be interesting," Rodney said. "I know Elizabeth planned to send MALPs to the first two or three on the list."

John nodded. "She told me the same thing. Once we get telemetry back, we can decide our next move."

"As there is time, I would like to go to the mainland," Teyla said, sipping her tea. "I need to talk to Halling and see the state of the fields for myself."

"Shouldn't be a problem," John replied. He glanced sideways at Rodney and added with a knowing grin, "Want to come along? You could say hi to Katie Brown."

"No," Rodney retorted. "I have plenty to work on here."

Not going to get a better opening, John said to himself.

"So when are you going to let us in on this project of yours," John said in a teasing tone and picked up his coffee cup.

Rodney refused to look at him and concentrated on his pancakes.

John and Teyla traded confused glances, and John set down his cup.

"Rodney," John drawled.

"I don't -"

"Hey," John said with a concerned frown. "What's the big secret?"

Rodney mumbled something under his breath, still refusing to look at any of them.

John didn't catch the words, but Ronon apparently did.

"Should have destroyed it," Ronon growled, glaring across the table at McKay.

John glanced from Ronon to Rodney as he put the pieces together.

"You're not serious?"

"Colonel?" Teyla asked.

John ignored Teyla and scowled at McKay. "You're fiddling with that Wraith tracker?"

"This is why I didn't say anything," Rodney replied. "I knew you would react this way."

"Is that wise?" Teyla asked. "The tracking device could still be dangerous."

"I'm reasonably sure I've disabled the fail-safe and its ability to transmit anything back to the Wraith. I'm not an idiot," Rodney replied.

"Reasonably?" John parroted.

Rodney glared at him. "There's a lot I could learn from it. If I can figure out how the Wraith designed their circuit technology, the applications could be endless. Computers that work a thousand times faster but use a tenth of the power. Communications that can transmit farther without as much signal loss."

"It's Wraith tech," Ronon growled.

"That doesn't mean we should forget about it," Rodney countered.

John caught movement from the corner of his eye and frowned when he saw Rodney rubbing his right arm under the table.

"Who knows," Rodney added, "maybe I can find a way to remotely shut down all of these trackers." He gave Ronon a sideways glance. "Maybe I can stop the Wraith from doing to anyone else what they, umm, what they did to you."

Ronon studied McKay for a few seconds, then returned to his breakfast.

"Would that be possible?" Teyla asked.

"Don't know yet," Rodney said. "I'm still trying to figure out how it works."

"Does Elizabeth know what you're doing?" John asked.

"Of course she does," Rodney replied. "And she agrees that the chance to learn more about the tracker outweighs the very minimal risks."

Ronon started to say something, but John held up a hand. "Let it go," he said to Dex. He finished the last of his coffee and stood. "Teyla, whenever you're ready, I can take you out to the mainland."

Teyla finished her tea and nodded. "Thank you, John. I am ready now."

"Last chance to come along," John offered with a glance at Rodney and then Ronon. Neither reacted, and John waved Teyla toward the door. "After you."

John settled in the pilot seat, and after a quick run-through of the ship's systems, he pressed a tile and said. "Jumper One ready for departure."

"You're cleared for launch, Colonel," Chuck replied.

"Roger that. We'll be back in a few hours." John triggered the sunroof to open and glanced up as morning light flooded the jumper bay.

They lifted off, and once clear of the control tower, John set a course for the mainland.

"You did not know Rodney was studying the Wraith tracking device?" Teyla asked once the jumper was over the ocean.

"No," John replied with a grimace. "I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. Even when he was trying to figure out how to deactivate it, he was telling me how he wanted to study it once Beckett removed it."

"If he can find a way to deactivate all of the Wraith trackers, that would be worth the risks, would it not?"

"I guess," John replied and concentrated on piloting the shuttle.

The mainland came into view a few minutes later, and Teyla hissed in a breath as they flew over the parched landscape.

John pursed his lips when he saw the thin stalks sprouting from the dusty ground. The fields closer to the forest looked a little better, but the plants still looked anaemic, even to John's untrained eye.

"It is worse than I had feared," Teyla said. "My people will be hard-pressed to harvest enough for their survival this year. I fear there will be little left for trade."

"It's still early," John said, glancing through the windscreen at the blue sky, empty of clouds. "Maybe it won't be that bad."

Teyla gave him a sad smile. "This will not be the first time crops have failed. There is still game in the forest and wild plants. It will be difficult, but my people will endure."

"Hey," John said, turning to Teyla. "We won't let your people starve. We'll talk to Elizabeth when we get back. See about requisitioning additional supplies from Earth."

"Thank you, Colonel," Teyla said.

John landed the jumper in the open field behind the Athosian village a few minutes later. He followed Teyla down the lowered ramp and winced when he heard the dry grass crunch underfoot. Growing up in California, John was well aware an extremely dry spring usually led to fires in the summer and flooding in the fall. He glanced at the trees behind the Athosian tents and shook his head.

If a fire were to start, it could sweep through the village before anyone could do much to stop it, John realised.

John spotted Halling waiting at the edge of the tent village, and Teyla raised her hand in greeting.

"Teyla!" Halling said. "It is good to see you."

"And you," Teyla replied with a worried smile. "I came as soon as I could. How bad is it?"

Halling shook his head and led the way through the village to the fields. "If there is no rain soon, we will lose most of our crop."

John stood behind Teyla, watching as Wex, Jinto, and the other older boys carried buckets of water from the well to the men and women waiting in the fields.

"Colonel Sheppard has offered to have supplies brought from Atlantis," Teyla said as they walked around the edge of the sun-baked fields.

"That is generous, Colonel," Halling said with a nod to John. "But we have enough stored grain and beans to see us through for now."

"Halling," Teyla admonished.

"We have had hard years before, Teyla. This is nothing new."

"Still," John said, "We're willing to help. Just say the word."

Halling studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you for the generous offer, Colonel."

"Teyla, I assume you want to stay and visit for a few days?" John asked.

"Yes, Colonel. As we have the time, I think it best to remain here and help where possible."

John nodded and stepped back. "I'll let you know when Beckett clears McKay and Ronon and we're back in the mission rotation."

"Thank you, Colonel," Teyla said with a smile.

John walked back through the village, and while everyone smiled as they greeted him, he noted more than a few worried expressions on the faces of the adults he passed.

"May as well see just how bad it is," John muttered to himself as he lifted off a few minutes later. He banked over the village and turned inland instead of heading for the ocean.

Even though it was spring, there was little that was green. Patches of brown marked where grasses were already drying, and the rest of the landscape looked stunted. Little snow remained on the high peaks of the mountains in front of him, and John grimaced when he saw the exposed banks of the normally wide river near the settlement.

"Not good," he muttered, pointing the shuttle toward the distant ocean.

John docked the jumper twenty minutes later and hurried down the steps to the control room. He glanced at the glassed-in office, nodded when he saw Elizabeth alone in her office, and knocked on the open door frame.

"John," Elizabeth said and waved him into the room. She glanced behind him and frowned. "Teyla did not return with you?"

"Unfortunately, no," John said as he sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. "We could have a problem."

Elizabeth glanced out at the control room, then pushed her computer to the side of the desk. She clasped her hands together and leant forward in her chair. "All right. What's going on?"

"Teyla had a message from Halling right before everything happened with Ronon getting kidnapped."

"I remember," Elizabeth said with a nod. "Teyla had mentioned a few weeks ago that the spring crops were planted early thanks to the mild weather and that the Athosians were hopeful for another bumper crop this year."

John grimaced. "Yeah. I don't think that's going to happen."

"Teyla didn't mention there was anything wrong before your mission to Keturah's village."

"I think she was still hoping the weather would turn around," John said. "There hasn't been much rain on the mainland this spring. The Athosian fields are drying up. If they don't get some rain soon, Teyla is afraid there won't be much of a harvest."

"There may be something Rodney could suggest."

John grimaced.

"He didn't have any ideas?" Elizabeth asked.

"We didn't get that far," John admitted. "Some of his scientists think this could be more of a long-term problem."

"I see." Elizabeth picked up her computer stylus and twisted it through her fingers. "Perhaps we can come up with some sort of irrigation plan. There's a river near the village, isn't there?"

"There is," John replied. "And the Athosians have been hand-carrying water to the fields. But the river is already low. That won't be enough if this is the beginning of a years-long drought."

Elizabeth sat back in her chair. "I'll make a note in the next transmission to Earth that we may need additional supplies in the coming months to help support the village, at least for the short term."

"The IOA won't try and stop that?"

Elizabeth smiled. "After we successfully stopped the Wraith from reaching Earth, I don't think the IOA will be giving us much trouble."

John mentally grimaced at not only how close the Wraith had come to reaching Earth but the fact that Ronon and McKay had been trapped on a Wraith hive ship with little hope of escape.

Another way too close call, John thought.

If he hadn't managed to land on the superstructure of the hive ship before it jumped into hyperspace.

If the Daedalus hadn't shown up when it did.

If Michael hadn't offered to help them all escape the hive ship.

John shook his head. Had Michael or any of the other converted Wraith survived their orbital bombardment? he wondered.

"John?" Elizabeth asked.

"Hmm?" John looked over at Weir. "Nothing. Sorry. Thinking about something else."

Elizabeth watched him for a moment, then nodded. "Since you're here, I may as well tell you we sent MALPs to investigate two new planets while you were on the mainland."

John nodded. "Rodney mentioned something about that at breakfast."

"Initial telemetry shows both planets are inhabited. I would like to get more data and see if Teyla or Ronon knows anything about the people before making any decisions, but if everything checks out, I'd like to send Major Lorne's team to one and your team to the other. Assuming, of course, that Carson clears Ronon and Rodney for duty."

"Sounds good," John said and stood. "A little peaceful exploration sounds like just what we need."