It had been two days since the test. The Travelers had destroyed six ships total, the Athena and the Wraith Slayer got three between them. The Genii had heard nothing about any retaliatory action. The patrol ships reported no run-ins with Wraith ships. The Daedalus and Athena, along with the Wraith Slayer returned to the Wraith world they'd attacked.

"Are you getting anything?" Colonel Carter asked her science officer, Captain Jennifer Hailey.

"No ma'am. No Wraith live signs on the entire planet. No hive ships either on the planet or in orbit. Not live ones anyway. We can't detect them if they're dead. We are reading human life signs though."

"Human. Probably people they took to feed on. Colonel Sheppard, take AG 1 and a security team, in hazmat suits and beam down. Determine the status of the Wraith on the planet."

"Yes, ma'am."

In less then twenty minutes, AG 1 and a security team of six, beamed down to the planet's surface. It didn't take long to make an assessment of the situation.

"Athena, come in."

"Good ahead, Colonel.

"The Wraith are dead, ma'am. We're finding dead bodies and they look like the Queen who tried to feed on Captain Harris did. They died fast and hard. But there's something else, ma'am. Lex and Cor's group didn't shield the araitis bugs. They're dead too. Everything else seems fine. We're finding living humans. But some of them aren't what we expected to find, even though we probably should have."

"What do you mean, Colonel?" Carter asked, curious.

"They're Wraith worshipers, ma'am."

"Oh. And how are they acting?"

"Lost, confused. I recommend we get the humans in the Wraith storage areas out fast. The worshipers could turn on them."

"Agreed. We'll send down shuttles to help evac them."

It took several hours to get all of the humans out of the storage areas and then shuttle them up to the Earth ships. The Wraith worshipers wanted nothing to do with the humans of Earth, so they left them to their own devices. They couldn't get off the planet anyway.

After a week and no Wraith activity was noted, Dr. Weir ordered the Stargate opened to a known Wraith world.

"Attention Wraith. The attacks on your worlds will continue until you agree to negotiate a permanent cease fire. A cease fire that includes you accepting a means of preventing you from ever feeding on a human again. You have two days to respond to this message or we will attack more Wraith worlds. If we have to, we will wipe you out of existence. We will not tolerate being food for someone else. Two days or we attack again. Atlantis out."

Three days later, after they had heard nothing from the Wraith, another coordinated attack happened. Since the Wraith had no idea which worlds would be attacked and hives didn't or wouldn't help each other, the Earth ships killed another Wraith world, while the Travelers took out an additional five hive ships. Once again, the araitis bugs died with the Wraith, while the rest of the world survived.

And then the Atlantis Stargate activated. The shield came on automatically.

"Atlantis. We will hear what you have to say. Will you meet with us?"

"No. We will negotiate over subspace. Your worlds and hive ships are being monitored. Any retaliatory action will be met with extreme prejudice. You have three options and only three. A retrovirus that will strip the Wraith DNA from you and make you human. A treatment that will eliminate your feeding hand and allow you to digest natural food or the complete and total end of your existence as a species. The first two options allow you a means of continued existence. We will help you to adapt. Think about it. And remember, we're watching you."

Two days later, a hive ship attempted to cull a planet. A monitoring station in orbit notified the Earth ships hiding in hyperspace. The Athena dropped out of hyperspace and destroyed the hive ship.

Dr. Weir ordered the Stargate opened again.

"How many of your worlds and your ships will die before you understand, your time is over? 10,000 years ago the humans of this galaxy nearly succeeded in wiping you from existence. If they'd known you could hibernate, they wouldn't have left any of you alive. We won't make that same mistake. If we have to, we will hunt you out of existence."

"We will agree to a cease fire. We are not human and refuse to be. We will accept the treatment that eliminates our need to feed as we do. How will you administrator it?"

"You will allow us to beam a canister aboard each of your ships and onto the surface of each of your worlds. It will trigger automatically. The gas it releases will alter you. Within weeks, it will be complete. You will no longer need to feed on humans."

"We agree. It is the best way we can continue to exist."

In the end, it was something of a bluff. Earth didn't have the resources for an extended conflict, especially in another galaxy. But the Wraith didn't know that. In the three years since the expedition came to Pegasus, the humans hadn't lost a single battle. And they were uniting the galaxy, just as Lex and Cor had done 10,000 ago. Agreeing was the only the option the Wraith saw that could allow them to at least survive. Which was what the humans were trying to do as well.