Chapter 1

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This morning was like any other for the small redhead girl. Her mother woke her up, fed her breakfast. Dressed her in a beautiful dress. Her father was packing some supplies. They were going through the Ring visiting a site her parents were working on. They were respected scientists among her people. Specialized in the technology of the ancestors. She always accompanied her parents when they were going through the Ring. It was a dangerous deed but her parents were cautious. They taught her what to do in case they were under attack. All she had to do was to hide and not come out until her parents came and get her.

As it was said before, this morning looked like any other. But it felt different to the small girl. Her parents seemed nervous, anxious. She couldn't understand why. Everything was normal, nothing has changed. And yet, she knew something was different.

She followed her mother outside of her home, her father was in a heated conversation with the village chief. He was still angry when he walked back to his family.

"Is everything alright?" Her mother asked him.

"He's not happy with our expedition." He answered.

"Does he suspect anything?" Her mother asked him and the little girl frowned.

"No—I don't think so." He sighed. "He just wanted to be sure that we'll be here tomorrow for the reaping."

"What's a reaping?" The small girl asked.

"Reaping is the same as harvesting." Her father answered crouching down at her level.

"Like the farmers do with the vegetables?" She scrunched up her nose in concentration.

"Exactly." Her father nodded and before she could ask anymore questions, he got up and took her hand. And the three of them walked out of the village. And towards the Ring.

When they arrived on the research site, her parents did no research. On the contrary, they walked away from the site and sat by the river banks. There they had a pic-nick It was a good day. A different day but a good day. She laughed and cried in laughter. She swam in the river with her father, played with both her parents. It was a good day. A different day but a good day.

Night was falling upon them and it was time for her family to go back on their planet. However, her parents did make any move to go towards the Ring. Her mother helped in her warm coat. She was asked to collect her bag which she did while her parents conversed behind her.

"Can we really do this?" Her mother asked her father.

"We agreed on this." Her father grabbed her mother's shoulders. "You know it's the only way."

"There are wraiths on this planet, what if they find her? What if they feed on her?" Her mother said frantically to her father. "We won't have a daughter to come back too."

"As soon as we'll leave this planet we won't have a daughter anymore." Her father retorted. "She will be dead to us."

"We might as well bring her back with us. What difference does it make? Whether it's here or back at the village, we lose our daughter." Her mother snapped and she looked up.

"I'd rather lose her to the wraith than lose her to Solus." Her father countered. "You haven't seen what happened to the children with the gift. They became empty shells. Their soul and their mind completely torn apart. We can't let that happen to our daughter."

"But here…" Her mother sobbed.

"I know." Her father pulled her mother into his arms. "I wish there was a better way, I wish there was another solution. At best, the wraiths will be sleeping for another hundred years. At worst, they will wake and they won't know she's here."

"Why are you crying mother?" The small girl asked looking up at her mother.

"It's nothing." Her mother reassured her crouching down in front of her. The woman wiped her tears off of her face. "We are going back to the ancestors' outpost."

"And then we are going home?" She asked her mother.

The woman looked up at her husband before answering her daughter. "Let's go."

They reached the site an hour later. As it usually did, the outpost lit up as the small girl walked in. Her mother took her bag away from her and placed in its usual corner.

"Do you remember how to turn the devices off?" Her father asked her and she nodded. "Show me."

The small girl moved to one of the consoles and pushed the button in the middle of it. All the lights turned off, except for the console that was still glowing.

"The lights must be turned off all the time. The outpost needs to look dormant." Her father instructed her. "Understood?"

"Yes." The girl answered but not really understanding why he was giving her those instructions.

"Stay here. Stay safe." Her mother told her next. "Do not venture outside unless you have too."

"But you're staying with me?" She asked tears gathering in her eyes.

"We can't stay here with you. We have to go back." Her mother replied. "We will come back once it's safe."

"No! Don't leave me here!" The small girl cried.

"Hush now, my love, we're doing this for you." Her father told her next.

"Don't leave me here, please! I promise to be good." She threw herself in her mother's arms, hanging on for dear life.

"You've always been good. You were always perfect." Her mother reassured her, chocking up a sob. She pulled away from her daughter. "I know it's scary and I know it's unfair. But believe us we're trying to save you."

Her words felt empty on her own tongue. She would either lose her daughter to the Reaping or to the wraith. And death seemed to be a sweeter fate than those two options. When they discovered that their daughter had the gift, they knew this day would come. The day where she would be lost to them. Her husband and she agreed on the best way to save their daughter, especially after he discovered what Solus was doing to those with the gift.

They didn't want to leave her, they wanted to stay with her. They could have run away on another planet and Solus would have left them alone. But the other children needed them. If they had a better understanding of the ancestor's technology, they could probably save those children. They could overthrow Solus. Stop him from destroying more lives. This desire to help their people came with a price. Their daughter's life. They had to keep her safe and yet, they were putting her life in great danger. They felt cornered, they had no other choice. No allies, they couldn't trust anyone. Just trust their instinct and leave her under the protection of the ancestors.

"Be strong. Be smart. Be safe." Her father told her softly. "We will always be with you and in your heart."

"Please, don't leave me here!" the girl sobbed loudly. "Please, I want to go with you. Don't leave me!" She said holding onto her mother once again. "I'll be good."

"Kahlee, we have to go." Khalee struggled to pull away her daughter away from her. Both mother and daughter were crying. Her father stepped in and pulled her away from her mother. "That's enough."

"Edan!" Kahlee exclaimed tearfully. "She's just scared. Let's bring her back with us. We'll convince Solus, please."

"No, Kahlee, we agreed. She will stay here. End of the discussion." He snapped. "Listen, listen! You don't go near the Ring. Never go near the Ring. You stay here, always stay in this area."

"Father, please!" The little girl sobbed loudly.

"Let go. Let go!" He said pushing her down.

"Aria!" Her mother called out but Edan, her father, gripped his wife's hand and pulled her behind him.

"Mother! Father!" Aria got on her feet and chased after them. "Mother! Please, don't leave me here."

It was dark outside of the ancestors' outpost; but she kept calling. Running after them blindly. She could hear her mother's cries through the night. She ran following the best she could, the sound coming from her mother. They were going back to the Ring. She knew where the Ring was. She knew the path by heart. So, she ran until her lungs and legs burn. The Ring was being activated, she quickened her pace. But she was too far, her small legs couldn't compete with her father's strides. She arrived just in time to see her parents making their way towards the Ring. She followed. Only for the Ring to shut off right in front of her.

"MOTHER!" She screamed at the top of her lungs before collapsing on the ground crying.

The years that followed were hard ones. Surviving on a hostile planet was a difficult thing, to do it when you are only an eight-year-old was impossible. Yet, Aria survived. The first days, she cried and tried to compose her planet's address by memory. Only to realize that her parents never taught her, her home planet's address. Then, she began to feel hunger and thirst. She had to venture outside and away from her new home. It wasn't home, yet but it was where she lived now. She went to the river to collect water, she looked in the woods and found some fruits. Not all of them were good for her. She learned that the hard way. Not knowing, she suffered stomach ache and a fever for a few days. On those days, she cried again thinking on how her mother used to sit at her side when she was sick. But she survived through it.

She kept her father's words to heart. She kept safe. But being safe only goes a long way, if you can't feed properly, or live through the hard winter. She had to find a way to survive, to hunt, to find warmer clothes. When faced to a change, certain people are quick to adjust. Aria was one of them. She cried still at night in her bed but during the day she went through the ancestors' database; she learned as much as she could about the planet she was on. She discovered that the Wraiths has arrived thousands of years ago. Attacking the Ancestors that lived in this colony. The database didn't give any more information about the attack but it seemed that the Wraiths had remained on the planet and had been dormant ever since. She knew from experience that they woke up every hundred years or so to replenish their health in a galaxy wide culling of humans. Sometimes the culling would take half of the population maybe more, but enough humans would remain to maintain and grow the population. Sometimes, the entire populations would be taken, leaving behind a ghost town.

There were once people living on this planet. The ancestors established a colony thousands of years ago. But between the numbers of the Wraith growing exponentially and the ancestors leaving the planet, the people were decimated. Taken. All of them. That's what she realized once she found the village. Throughout the years, after she located the dead village., she scavenged and salvaged everything that she judged to be useful to her. There were weapons, clothes, utensils, everything she could use for her own survival. Everything she knew about survival, hunting, fishing, she learned on her own. The little knowledge she had about the ancestors' technology she learned from her parents and the rest she figured it out on her own. Twenty years went by. Twenty years where Aria never set a foot near the Ring. Twenty years where Aria secretly thought her parents would come back for her. Twenty years, she spent surviving the cold, the wraiths and her loneliness.

The Wraiths have been hibernated for the most part of her life. Except maybe for the ones that were awaken to protect those who were in hibernation. On rare occasions, she had crossed paths with them. She survived them. The very first time she encountered them, she must have been fourteen. There was only one, a wraith warrior. As soon as she caught a glimpse of him, she ran as fast as she could. The wraith chased after her. She kept running until she arrived in a small clearing. There was a hollow tree there, large enough for her to hide inside and not be seen by the wraith. The soldier stopped right in front of the hollow tree. She stepped back slowly, counting on the darkness to hide her. She waited. For him to disappear. She waited hours, even after he was gone. When she finally decided to get out, she was cautious making her way back to her home. As she did so, she heard the dart flying over her head. They were flying over towards the forgotten village. She ran in the opposite direction towards her home. She remained hidden there for the rest of the day. She kept the outpost dormant, made no fire; remained quiet. When the dart stopped flying over her head, she judged it safe to wait. She lived an entire week this way. But eventually, she had to leave the safety of her home. From that day on, she decided that hiding was not always the best option. Her future encounters with the wraiths almost cost her, her life. And yet, she survived. She showed to be strong.

The little girl wasn't a girl anymore. She was a woman now. At twenty-eight years old, she stopped hoping for her parents. She was used to her loneliness. Her only companions were the wraith and the ancestors' outpost she was living in. That was until recently. Almost a year ago, she witnessed the Wraiths Hive ship taking off and leaving the planet. She knew it wasn't a good sign but as long as she was rid of the wraiths, she didn't care.

She was checking her traps that was around her living areas. Picking up the preys that had been caught in her traps during the night. Nothing out of the ordinary for her. Once she had done that, she would go by the river, collect water and returned to her home. Nothing unusual to be expected. And yet….

On her way home, she was met by three strangers and she stop dead in her tracks as she saw them. She was surprised by their presence but most importantly, they were the first humans she has ever come across. The first humans she's ever met, apart from her parents. However, it didn't mean they meant her no harm. Neither did it mean they wanted to hurt her. At first glance they seemed friendly. But they were also armed. Which is, she knew, the right thing to do with the threats of the Wraiths hanging over the whole galaxy.

"You're humans." Was the first thing that came to her mind.

"Yes, we are." One of the men answered her smiling. "I'm Lieutenant-Colonel John Sheppard. Teyla Emmagan." He pointed to the dark-skinned woman. "Dr. Rodney McKay." He pointed to the last member of his group.

"Aria." She stammered. "My name is Aria Victus."

"Nice to meet you, Aria." Colonel Sheppard smiled at her.

Aria did not return his smile. She just stood there, staring at them. And the three strangers stared back. "Maybe, you could take us back to your village." Teyla suggested softly.

Aria snapped out of her stupor. "Of course." She stumbled over her words. "This-this way." She said taking the lead.

She did not correct them when they mention a village. And decided to lead them to the outpost at her own risk. She didn't know where they came from and why they were on her planet. She just knew she had to be cautious around them. She knew she had to be smart.

"Excuse me but is this…?" McKay started as they stood in front of the facility.

"The Ancestors' outpost." Aria finished for him. "This is where I live." She said before walking towards the entrance of her home.

She put down her bags and took away the cover up she had put in place. Walked in followed by her visitors. They walked the long hallway that led to the control room. Control room in which Aria has been living her entire life. The natural light of the sun was pouring in through the large windows. Some of the console were working, the screens were on with DATA in the language of the ancestors.

"This is definitely Ancient's technology." McKay started as he took a device of his own and started to fiddle with some of the working consoles. "The energy is still running which would suggest a working ZPM but I'll know more once I take some readings."

"You do that." Sheppard nodded at him. "It doesn't seem like there is anyone else in this place."

"Where are the rest of your people, Aria?" Teyla asked her softly as Aria put away her bags.

"There is no one else. Just me." The young woman answered.

"You mean in this city?" Sheppard frowned at her.

"Yes, and on the planet." She continued still putting her supplies away. "Until recently there were wraiths, but even they left." She turned around to see Teyla and Sheppard exchanging a glance. "I'm sorry. I should have mentioned it earlier."

"No problem." Sheppard replied.

"This outpost is much larger than it seems." McKay said his eyes still glued to his device.

"How much?" Teyla asked him.

"Half the size of Atlantis but there's more to it than just this room." McKay continued.

"Well, it's worth checking out." Sheppard stated. "Do you mind if we do?"

"I'll show you." Aria retorted.

"Teyla., you stay with McKay." Teyla nodded at Sheppard. "McKay, try to find more about this place. Anything useful."

Sheppard followed Aria through the hallway and down a flight of stairs. Unlike the control room this area of the outpost was deprived of any windows. Because those hallways were built underground. They walked in silence at first. Sheppard was looking around him as Aria was observing him. Really looking at him, trying to register every detail. From his spiky hair, his hazel eyes to his lips. John looked down at her and she averted her eyes away quickly.

She cleared her throat. "I heard your friend mention Atlantis. The Ancestors city. Is that where you come from?"

"Until recently, yes." Sheppard answered.

"Not anymore?"

"Unfortunately, it was destroyed by the Wraiths." Sheppard replied.

"I'm sorry that you've lost your home." Aria frowned sadly. "Is it just the three of you, then?"

"Luckily enough, a small group of my people was able to escape before the city was destroyed." Sheppard answered.

"Glad to hear it."

"Tell me, Aria. How long exactly have you been living here?" Sheppard asked her as they entered a large room with, standing in its center, a large console.

"For quite some years." Aria answered as they both walked into the room. Sheppard walked up to the console. "I've been here since I was a child."

"What about the rest of your people? Your family? What happened to them?" Sheppard asked her as he used the console while Aria stood on the other side.

Aria hesitated before answering. "Er…I have lost them years ago." She looked up at him.

"Sorry." Sheppard said.

"It's alright. I've made my peace with it." Aria said "Researches the ancestors were leading." She explained as she stood next to him while he was looking at the DATA on the screen.

"Researches about what?"

"I haven't figure that out, yet." Aria explained. "There's so much to see in this outpost, also…" The structure around them groaned dangerously. "…I avoid this part of the installation as much as possible. Many sections have already caved in." She explained as Sheppard looked up at the ceiling. "The outpost was built underground for the most part. You'd think it be quite solid, being built by the Ancestors but, it's been thousands of years. I suppose it didn't age well."

"It sure sounds like it." Sheppard commented.

"Should we continue?" Aria suggested. Sheppard only nodded and they continue further into the outpost.

Sheppard and Aria came back to the control room as they met a dead end. Their road was blocked by a mass of fallen rocks. Her three visitors were now standing outside of the outpost. Sharing with each other their founding.

"The ZPM is still operational." McKay explained. "It's not fully charged but it's far from depletion."

"That's good news." Sheppard nodded.

"Yes, and it is right in the center of the outpost." McKay continued.

"That's bad news." Sheppard frowned.

"Why?" Teyla asked him.

"This place is falling apart." Sheppard explained. "According to Aria many sections had already caved in. We were actually stopped by one of them."

"So, we have no way to access the ZPM." Teyla sighed.

"No." Sheppard shook his head. "What else did you find about this place?"

"I was able to determine that it was a research facility. They were studying the people living in the village nearby."

"Village?" Sheppard asked. "She said that she was the only one living on this planet."

"She said that there was a hive ship until recently." Teyla reminded him. "They must have been taken in the last culling or they left."

"Leaving only her behind?" McKay asked doubtful.

"Maybe others have come through the gate. Not knowing that there were Wraiths in this world." Teyla suggested.

"My thoughts exactly." Sheppard agreed.

"Look, that's beside the point." McKay stopped their speculations.

"And what is the point, McKay?" Sheppard asked him.

"The point is that there is a working ZPM in this outpost. A ZPM that we have a use for in Atlantis."

"If we take the ZPM we will leave Aria defenseless." Teyla reasoned with him. "We cannot do that to her."

"Teyla's right. Plus, there's no way to access the ZPM." Sheppard reminded him.

"We can't pass up the opportunity to have an almost fully charged ZPM." McKay argued.

"I know. I know." Sheppard replied.

"If we find a way to the ZPM. What about Aria?" Teyla asked again.

"She said it herself, the Hive ship left the planet." McKay reasoned with her. "Most likely, they won't come back. Especially, if there's no one left here to feed on."

"You don't know that." Teyla argued back. "Wraiths from another Hive may come here. She won't be able to defend herself."

"Alright, we'll figure it out as we go." Sheppard intervened. "I will check in with Dr. Weir, let her know what we found. You and Teyla go back in there and see if you can find a safe way to the ZPM."

"Like I said to the Colonel Sheppard, the tunnels are unsafe." Aria argued with McKay. "It's only a matter of time before they collapse."

"Like I said, it'll only be a matter of minutes, one hour at most." McKay said back. "We go in, we take the ZPM and we leave. Simple."

"Why is this ZPM so important?" Aria asked this time frustrated. "What is it?"

"Zero Point Module." McKay replied. "Basically, it's a power source created by the Ancients. They are capable to supply incredible amounts of energy…"

"You are speaking of the Potentia." Aria stated.

"How did you call it?" McKay asked her surprised.

"The Potentia." Aria repeated. "That's how my parents referred to it. They had come across mentions of the artefact in the Ancestors' database."

"Right." McKay nodded. "Anyway, my people have a use for it. It's very important to us."

"You said that already." Aria said as Sheppard walked back in the outpost. "I understand how important it is to your people. But this is my only power source. How am I supposed to do without it?"

"The primary system will still be running." McKay answered quickly.

"So, that makes it okay for you to take the…ZPM, as you call it." She countered.

"It doesn't make it okay." Sheppard assured her, glaring at McKay before he could answer. "Whether you allow us to take the ZPM or not is up to you. And we will respect your decision whatever it is."

"We will?" McKay looked at Sheppard.

"Yes, McKay, we will."

Should she agree to it or refuse it? True, it was her only source of energy but she barely used it. And McKay was right, the primary system would still be working, the bare minimum. There were more of them and they probably needed it more than she did. But should she put her own safety at risk for these strangers? She didn't know them, she couldn't trust them. She shouldn't. And yet, she couldn't help but feel hope. She didn't choose to be left on this planet, alone to fend for herself. She didn't want to be left alone again. She even came over the last few months to miss the presence of the wraiths.

She knew that once they would have what they want, they would leave. And she would be alone again. Would she dare to ask them? Would they accept?

Aria walked up to the main console and taped a few keys. One of the screens behind her showed a map of the outpost. "This is the only way to the Potentia." She said as a red line appeared on the map. Going from where the Control room were to their destination. "Not the safest. The only way." She stressed out the word 'only' to make it clear that it would be a dangerous ride. Sheppard, Teyla and McKay came and stood next to her, to have a better look at the map. "That doesn't mean that I have made my choice. I will lead you there but don't get your hopes up."

"We appreciate what you are doing for us, Aria." Teyla said as Aria went to grab her coat and wooden stick. "Thank you."

She tightened her belt pockets around her waist and right thigh. "There's a long way ahead of us. I suggest you get ready. And you can thank me once we get there."

Aria was walking ahead of them, McKay and Teyla right behind her. Sheppard was closing the march. The steel around them was groaning dangerously. The trek to the ZPM room was mostly quiet. Every now and then, Aria would stop and look around her, making sure they were still on the right way. Checking on the small device that she kept in her hand.

"I thought you knew this place?" McKay asked her.

"After all this time, you think I would." Aria retorted. "But I rarely come here. The first time it seemed safe enough and then," They arrived in a hallway that was blocked. "This part caved in, right in front of me." She said before turning right. "It was enough to convince me not to continue any further or even come back in theses hallways."

"Why now?" Sheppard asked her.

"Because you want the ZPM." She replied.

"Does it mean you are giving it to us?" McKay asked hopefully.

Aria stopped and turned to them. "Maybe." She took a deep breath. "Look, whether I give it to you or not, you're leaving. And I don't want to be left here. Even the Wraiths were better than being alone." She hissed that last part. "Yes, they were trying to kill me and I did kill some of them. But it was an interaction worth having." She paused. "I'm not saying, it was ideal or that I worship them. I'm just saying that it was better than this." She said spreading her arms. "What I'm really trying to say is…"

"…You want to come with us on our planet. In exchange of the ZPM." Sheppard finished for her.

"If leaving is what you want, why didn't you do it before?" Teyla asked her.

"I was waiting." Aria answered.

"Waiting for what?"

"For my parents to come back." Aria retorted, tears gathering in her eyes. "They say they would but never did. At first, I was afraid that if I ever leave this world, they won't find me. And when it was clear they wouldn't be back, I just didn't know where to go. So, I remained." Aria explained. "You promise to take me with you and you have the ZPM."

Teyla and McKay glanced at Sheppard waiting for his answer. "Alright." He said after "We have a deal."

"We should keep going then." Aria smiled and resumed walking.

Now, there was real hope. Her parents abandoned her and she was left to survive alone or most likely left to die. But now, there was hope again. She would soon be part of a new community, with real people around her. She won't have to survive alone. At last. She would be safe.

The steel was groaning even louder in this section. Aria looked up worriedly. She was rethinking this little expedition. It wasn't safe at all for them to be here. Adding to this, was the fact that she never ventured so far in the outpost. The ceiling was threatening to fall upon their heads at any time. Not to mention that they had to go back the same way, once they had their artefact.

"That doesn't sound very good." McKay said anxiously.

"Indeed." Aria agreed. "Let's just keep going."

They continued further until the walls around them started to shake dangerously. Aria looked above her as Sheppard started to shout orders for them to go back. But it was too late as this hallway caved in on them.

"MCKAY!"