Chapter 17 Honor Them

Sheppard reached out his mind, hoping to feel Sophistides' presence, but he knew it would be empty. The old man's apprentice had not magically appeared either. He stared at the food in front of him. He was mostly on his own now and could get around except for a slight limp. If only they would leave him completely alone instead of 'tsking' when he had hardly eaten, or trying to cajole and even threaten him because they thought he had lost weight. He didn't care. It had been six days and he felt much better physically. He was still tired but no longer bone tired. He just wasn't freaking hungry.

He stood staring out the window watching the ocean in the far distance as the sun began to set on now the sixth night. He breathed the air again and let it flow through him, relaxing his mind. He turned to get back in bed and sleep some more. The nightmares were not as bad as they had been when Carson had stayed with him six nights before. He was glad his friend was there so that the Illarian doctor would leave. Sheppard and Carson had enough experience to know that he would be fine, but the Illarian doctor would not. He was now thankfully alone, no attendants and no physicians to bother him when night fell, but they had just kept coming in during the day until he ordered no one else to enter his room, not even his Atlantis team. Maybe he should not have been so harsh, but he had enjoyed the solace. He turned and unexpectedly saw O'Neill standing in his doorway. Of course AF generals did not have to follow the orders of AF lieutenant colonels. Sheppard straightened up. "Good evening, sir."

O'Neill eyed him over. Who said this kid had a problem with authority? He was king of this place but still called O'Neill 'sir' out of genuine respect. "You know, Sheppard, if you would just force yourself to eat, they would all leave you alone. Even if you're not hungry." He sat in a chair without asking Sheppard and propped his feet up, looking at a tray of fruit and local cheese.

Sheppard sighed and sat in the chair across from him. O'Neill continued. "The only way for you to make them leave you alone is to act like you are fine…and eventually you will be." Sheppard stared at O'Neill, but said nothing. O'Neill knew that far off look, had seen it himself in the mirror a few times through his career. "I know this because…well, that's what I do."

Sheppard blinked and looked at O'Neill in warrior understanding. The sounds of the battlefield were disturbing, the sheer scale was horrifying and his nightmares had revolved around dead piled high. Fortunately, as they usually did, they had become less frequent. Thousands had died because he had asked them to and they did so without hesitation.

O'Neill watched the younger man's eyes as they revealed the inner battle. "Being a king is much like being a leader of a country on modern Earth, except worse. You don't just order your men into battle to die to protect their land or whatever. No, you go out there and you watch them die next to you as you also fight to survive. Maybe if leaders did that more often over there, they would be more hesitant to start up trouble."

Sheppard still said nothing as he thought about this. His nightmares and thoughts had never been about the fear of his own death, but that of his people and his friends. He did not have PTSD or any other anxiety problem related to what he had seen on Earth or here in Pegasus. He might be horrified by war, but he would never be traumatized by it. God knew he should have been by now. He would get through the sounds and smells and memories. He was vigilant, but Pegasus had not hurt his ability to cope with the horrors of what he had seen. He just needed time to deal with things on his own and his own way.

It disturbed him that he had ordered thousands of men out to their deaths. It had been hard when he first took over as military commander, but he had learned the necessity of risking others lives for the greater good. However, that had never happened on this scale before.

Yet he knew that this was only the beginning. There were still the Wraith to contend with and the Armentarian people of these four worlds would give their lives on those battle grounds in the future as well. Sheppard knew that he was going to be the one leading the charge for people of both galaxies. More people would die because he asked them to.

O'Neill continued to watch the pilot/king think. He did not know exactly what he was thinking, but he had an idea. O'Neill had to make similar decisions in the past. They were never easy, but Sheppard would be making decisions that would send thousands again, if not more, to their deaths in their attempts to protect both galaxies. Sheppard and the Atlantis expedition had opened Pandora's box, a box the Ancients left carelessly cracked open, but Sheppard would make sure that the box was not only shut, but also destroyed for good. He was not sure why he knew that, but his gut was telling him that yeah, Sheppard was going to do all that. O'Neill allowed himself a mental pat on the back. He sure knew how to spot talent when he saw it. To think, this kid would likely still be a major in that icebox on Earth, and they were related in a very distant cousin sort of way. That was cool.

"I know you're probably thinking that it's not fair that you will likely have to ask others to make similar sacrifices, Sheppard. Remember that they have died or will die for something larger than you, and that they choose to follow you because they know that you will be there with them and not recklessly throw them away like Vanitis did. I think that mark on your back says it all, doesn't it." O'Neill waited for a reaction, but Sheppard looked away, still lost in thought. He had expected the colonel to say something by now.

"Earth, on the other hand, well, the IOA and politicians will complicate things and be completely ungrateful. But you do have the advantage of being probably the most powerful person in our known universe, so to speak, so you have an advantage to get their cooperation." O'Neill was joking but only to a certain extent. This kid had more fire power and technology under his control than all the nations on Earth combined. Somehow, O'Neill was not scared by that thought.

Sheppard turned to O'Neill and half grinned. He said nothing but reached for a piece of fruit and began eating. The time for bucking up was now.

O'Neill reached over and grabbed a piece of native cheese. "Just don't go all evil emperor on me or anything." Sheppard actually laughed. He had forgotten that O'Neill understood him as well because he had been through so many of the same things. They sat in comfortable silence for a long time, until O'Neill left to get ready for tomorrow's events. Sheppard had eaten and O'Neill realized as he left that Sheppard had said a great deal without saying one word after the 'good morning, sir'.

Down the hall he met with Beckett, the rest of Atlantis team, Samsus and Saphides.

"Well, General, how did it go?" Beckett asked expectantly.

"No worries, doc. Just relax. He's eating. He's fine. He just deals with things alone, so give him some space."

"What did he say?" McKay asked, "You were there an hour."

"A whole lot." O'Neill left before he was quizzed some more. Jeez, these people sure did worry. But he did not blame them for that. They cared deeply for Sheppard, and that was enough.

oOoOoOoOo

Sheppard went down to the stables before the night had a chance to claim the day. The sadness was there, the anger, but they would pass little by little.

A number of whinnies greeted him as he approached the main barn. He had to chuckle as horse heads poked out in order as he moved down toward the last stall. By the time he was half way there he could hear Zorthos calling for him and banging against the stall door. A number of groomsmen came running out to see what the ruckus was about until they noticed him. He smiled at each of them, but said nothing. They just looked at him in awe, they were mostly kids after all, and the cavalry had already started their story telling.

Zorthos lowered his head into his hand and did that strange content whimper. He closed his eyes as Sheppard scratched his chin, then stopped and started sniffing his master, ending with a gentle nudge to Sheppard's cheek.

"Glad you're okay, boy. You saved my life, you know." Zorthos snorted in acknowledgement. "Yeah, I know you know that. Let me look you over." He pulled the horse out of his stall. He noticed a wound on his shoulder and on his flank, both still healing but barely noticeable. "Eileron did a good job on you. Make sure that your are extra nice to him." The horse threw his head up. Sheppard grinned. "Okay, well at least be tolerant of him. He has to take care of you while I am away, remember."

Sheppard placed a halter on him with a lead and started walking out toward one of the empty grazing pastures.

"My lord! I am glad to see you well." Sheppard smiled as Eileron approached him and bowed.

"It is really good to see you, too. Thanks for taking care of Zorthos."

"Yes, he was a bit irritable but he has been better since his wounds have begun to heal."

"The ceremony is tomorrow. Will I be able to ride him?" Zorthos bumped his head into Sheppard's shoulder. "Just asking, okay?"

Eileron laughed. "Yes, my lord. He is fit enough to ride."

Sheppard opened the pasture gate and let Zorthos in. "How are the men? How many did we lose? How many horses?"

"We lost 23 men my king and 41 horses."

Sheppard said nothing as he locked eyes with Eileron in acknowledgement, then turned away to join Zorthos.

Eileron watched Sheppard sit under a tree with the orange sky of the setting sun behind him. Tomorrow would be a day for mourning, and Eileron knew that this was only the beginning. Armentarius had proved himself a great strategist, cavalry officer and warrior. He knew that 23 was too many for the king, but Eileron also knew that given the scale of the battle, it could easily have been more. He did not have the total number of general infantry but it was close to 1200 dead and 1 pilot. The enemy had sustained far greater losses. The chief cavalry officer sighed. He was proud to be alive right now during this time and serve under this king. He turned and saw a number of eyes peering out toward the pasture. Yes, many others felt the same.

oOoOoOoOo

Someone had laid out his attire for the day. Sam, of course, was elsewhere. He had become accustomed to wearing what was expected of him here. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. He had to admit to himself though, that he also was getting comfortable with his role now. He realized that he would likely follow the model of Evander, who had straddled two worlds in his battle against the Wraith.

An attendant knocked on his door. Time to go. He thought it was funny that no one other than his attendant was around. He was glad for it but usually there were members of Atlantis or the Guardians. He knew that his team, Caldwell, O'Neill and Weir were also participating in various parts of the ceremony. He made his way to the stable where Eileron waited for him with Zorthos all ready to go. He handed Sheppard a bronze copper colored helmet with a large plume of black horsehair. The metal matched his cuirass, and Sheppard wondered why they had not worn this metal armor instead of the heavy leather. This might have protected his side better. He mounted and with Eileron along side him, they rode out quietly to meet the rest of the cavalry who would lead the procession.

He spoke no words to them, but met their eyes as they in turn saluted. When he had walked the line to the head of the gathered horsemen, he turned and nodded to Eileron, who ordered, "Open the gate!" The gate from the inner castle opened, revealing the streets of the surrounding city and the thousands of people lining them.

Sheppard and Zorthos moved forward and he was aware of only hearing the horses' hooves on the cobbled streets. He saw Ronon and the Serian Pass defenders and then the infantry, all which lined up and began their march behind him. He kept his eyes front and he closed his mind to the feelings of others, but not to his own.

Elizabeth Weir watched her chief military commander lead his troops through the streets. He looked larger than life in his uniform and on the giant of a horse. It caught her breath as the word beautiful came back to mind. She had visions of this happening again…leading his people to war and that it would also be her people. The silence except for the sound of the cavalry and troops moving was amazing to her. All eyes she realized were transfixed on him, and she could see why. He truly was born for this role.

The procession stopped at the bottom of the Serian Pass and the troops lined up behind Sheppard as he pulled up to face the crowd. He dismounted and slowly approached the four caskets draped in each of the planetary flags. The four men had been placed in stasis with their families' permission and would be interned together at the memorial site.

Ronon watched Sheppard approach the first burial casket. He was limping but otherwise showed no pain. Sheppard placed his hand on the casket while he spoke a few words that no one could hear. Sheppard then kneeled and put his head to the ground. Ronon then heard the movement of thousands of military and civilians, including himself, do the same. Sheppard moved to the next casket and repeated the process just as did the others. Sheppard paused a moment, then faced the people.

Ronon was not sure what technology it was, but Sheppard's voice carried across the fields.

"Today we mourn those that have given their lives for us. These four were from each of our worlds and fought together on the field you now stand on. They died together defending each other when they had been surrounded by the enemy." He paused as he looked across the field. "They represent the best of us, why we are strong and why we will be victorious when it comes time to battle for the freedom of this galaxy. I am honored to serve with you. I ask your forgiveness for the losses of your loved ones. I have felt your sadness, but I have also felt your pride in those who have given their lives for you. We must remember them, and we must always honor them. We will honor them through forgiving those who were mislead or forced to fight against us. We will honor them by remembering them everyday and on the day of Remembrance for our Fallen. Finally, we will remember them by living to the fullest, by enjoying the laughter of your children as they play free and without worry, as well as enjoy the sunset, sunrise, and the stars in between, and finally, the company of your friends and loved ones. They gave their lives, so that we could continue do this. The last part will be hard. I know this. But after you mourn, honor them with your living."

Ronon was amazed how Sheppard could switch roles so easily between friend and commander, man and warrior, pilot and king. His speech seemed to follow suit as well. In the one breath he could be talking about the finer points of football, joking and laughing, while in the next breath shouting curt orders during an attack. Sheppard as king surprised him the most however, in how he had adopted the formality expected of him when he wore the crown. He expected an awkwardness that never came.

Sheppard turned around and mounted Zorthos as troops moved forward to take the caskets to their final resting place. The flags were removed and hoisted together near the memorial. There was the haunting horn sound and Sheppard moved away, back toward the Serian Pass followed by a smaller contingent of the cavalry and a few others, including the Atlantis team, the Guardians, generals and defense ministers.

After they watched him leave, many of the people moved toward the memorial while others returned home to congregate and talk to others and try to return to some sense of normalcy.

oOoOoOoOo

It was a very small contingent at the memorial site near the temple of the Wise Ones. Sheppard would not speak much here. The one who would replace Sophistides would lead the ceremony. Sheppard had the role of placing Sophistides' ring within the memorial wall. He looked for Sam, but could not find him. He was still searching when he heard a familiar voice. His head snapped toward the wall, and he saw Sam standing in dark robes, leading a small procession.

He could feel McKay's and Weir's eyes on him instantly, but he kept his face relaxed and with no indication of his surprise. I'll be damned, Sheppard thought.

Yes, sire. It is me.

Samsus looked at Sheppard and then the crowd. "We honor the life of Sophistides, my brother, today. It is easy for us to feel sorrow that he is no longer with us. I do indeed mourn, but I know that he fulfilled his desire to see the return of Evander's heir, our great Armentarius." Samsus looked directly at Sheppard. "When he first had a vision of your birth, my lord, he could think of nothing else but awaiting your arrival and what it would mean for these worlds, and this galaxy. He gave those visions to me, and from that time he trained and prepared for you, so that he might assist you, he also trained and prepared me to complete that role. He always knew, my lord, that he would die saving you and that together you would increase each other's abilities with him finally being able to ascend." Samsus turned, reached for a ring, and raised it up. He said an Ancient prayer, then approached Sheppard and placed it in his hand.

McKay swallowed down the lump in his throat as Sheppard repeated the short prayer and cupped the ring tightly in his hand as he approached the wall. There was an opening with a small red box. Sheppard placed the ring in the box, then reached just inside his cuirass for a small piece of paper and something else McKay could not see. He watched his friend hang his head slightly as he whispered something, then stood back with his chin high and his face a mask that McKay had come to read as I might be hurting, but no matter who you are, you won't ever know how much. It wasn't that Sheppard did not have emotions, he just could not express them even if he wanted to. That kind of awkwardness made it easier to just not show them or even talk about them. McKay knew the sentiment for the most part, but not to Sheppard's refined level.

A plaque with some inscription was placed over the opening and sealed into place. McKay sighed. He was grateful that the ceremonies were over. Sheppard would go to his room no doubt for a while. He and that Samsus guy would have a lot to speak about. There was going to be a dinner tonight with the Guardians, and military and civilian leaders then some meetings starting tomorrow regarding how things were going to be run and how Sheppard would work both worlds. McKay watched his friend go. He wanted to bother him, provide a distraction like he always did, but he knew that Sheppard would seek them out when he was ready, if that ever came.

oOoOoOoOo

Sheppard said nothing as an attendant helped him out off the cuirass. Sheppard turned to thank the attendant when the door burst open. A child ran into the room and a woman called after him "Denald! You are not to go in there!"

The toddler ran straight for Sheppard, "No no. Wan see Shepa!" He felt little arms wrap around his legs.

The male attendant looked horrified. Sheppard grinned, "It's okay." The attendant left and said something to the woman. She stepped just inside the door but waited.

Sheppard kneeled down and the child wrapped his arms around Sheppard's neck.

"Denald." Sheppard tried to say seriously, "You should listen to your mother."

The little boy looked at him undeterred . "Wan see Shepa."

Sheppard grinned. "Good to see you, little guy." The little boy looked at Sheppard intently. "Shepa and Sophis save Denald."

Sheppard said nothing, but hugged the little boy a bit tighter and sighed. The little boy stared at him then placed a hand on Sheppard's cheek and rubbed it gently. Sheppard looked at the boy quizzically for a moment. "Shepa no be sad no more, kay? No be sad, Shepa."

Sheppard looked at the little boy in amazement and grabbed the little hand on his cheek and held it. "Okay, Denald. I won't be sad and you listen to your momma, deal?"

The little boy grinned wide. "Deal Shepa! Play ball?"

Sheppard laughed as he reached to the table next to him. "Maybe we can play ball later. Here, a little chocolate for later after lunch and momma says it's okay."

The little boy nodded and hugged Sheppard one more time. "Love you, Shepa."

"Love you too, little guy. Now go on with your momma and remember our deal."

Denald ran and grabbed his mother's hand. The little boy turned to face him and gave Sheppard a bow as his mother did the same. Then they were gone.

Sheppard sat down in a chair and closed his eyes. Out of the mouth of babes, but a deal was a deal. Sheppard also knew he could not be a hypocrite. He asked his people to keep living life to its fullest. He had to do the same. Sam would be by soon. He had to admit that Sam taking over Yoda's role was a nice surprise. He might have to create a new nickname.

oOoOoOoOo

Samsus looked at the sleeping king. He had caught him asleep so often. He did not want to wake him so almost turned to leave when he heard Sheppard touch his mind.

I am awake…Obi-Wan.

The older man turned and sat next to Sheppard. Is this to be my new name, sire?

Sheppard looked at the old man in his robes that carried a hood. He grinned. "It is now that your role has changed, as have your clothes." He shared images of Yoda and Obi-Wan and what they meant to him. He saw Samsus nod his head slightly. "Yes, sire. I see why you chose these names despite the fact that they are fictional characters."

Sheppard shrugged. "I'm kind of immature that way."

Samsus laughed but said nothing more for a while, waiting to see what his king and protégé would say.

Sheppard was glad Samsus was the apprentice, but a bit apprehensive. He was not sure if he was willing to let him see what he had let Sophistides witness. But if he was going to reach his full potential then he needed to continue what he started.

"Does that mean that you won't be trying to spoil me and set my clothes out to wear anymore?"

The old man laughed again. "It depends, my lord, in how you will define your role and mine."

"I have not completely figured that out yet. My part, I mean. I am not sure what cover story to give. I can't let the entire Atlantis Expedition know everything. It could place them in danger if they were captured on a mission."

"A semblance of the truth is usually best. But I think we can provide protection to them if such is the case. We must protect your identity from the Wraith and any other enemy," he said knowing that this is not what Sheppard had meant. "It will alleviate your mind if you know that if they were captured, they would have no knowledge of your heritage or abilities."

Sheppard looked at Samsus suspiciously. "Okay, let's hear it."

oOoOoOoOo

Sheppard sat with his team, Samsus, the Guardians, as well as Sorhan and Lear. They had been discussing at length how Sheppard would straddle both worlds, at least for now. He did not know if it would work for long. He did know that the intention of his ancestor was for him to use his knowledge from both his worlds to help the Pegasus galaxy and now the Milky Way galaxy, as the Wraith would not stop until they found Earth or were destroyed. Weir, O'Neill and Caldwell were in agreement that Sheppard should retain his commission and remain under Weir and continue as team leader. It was the best cover, and what others they had encountered, including the Genii and Wraith, would expect. Although the possibility of his exposure was a danger, he could continue to operate as normal except with extra information and abilities. Samsus would accompany him to Atlantis to continue his training and to assist them.

If he had quit Atlantis altogether, something he did not want to do anyway, he would encounter the enemy but a cover story hiding his identity as Evander's heir might be difficult to maintain. Zelenka would lead a small team to Sheppard's system to study the Ancient technology that McKay had begun to examine, but Sheppard would retain final say on what technology and knowledge would be shared with Earth and in particular the IOA. It would be a difficult balance, but Sheppard would have to ensure that a balance indeed remained.

"But how will the King serve under others when he is actually the leader amongst his people?"

"It has happened on our planet before Guardian," Weir said to Sarik , "Although not kings of planets, we have had kings serve in various armies usually under protected roles. They agreed to follow the rules of their respective services, but this did not impact their role as king, although this situation is a bit different."

"Yes, His Majesty will not be in protected role, but in a very dangerous one, although not one much more than he currently serves," Saphides said thoughtfully.

"It is important that the SGC, IOA, and whomever else know that they cannot use their command over him through the SGC to gain whatever they want," Caldwell said. Weir was somewhat surprised the Caldwell was actually looking after the colonel's best interests, but a lot had happened and she had seen another side of Caldwell.

"You know they'll try," O'Neill drawled, "But all Shep has to do is say he's not playing or that he'll resign his commission and not play with Earth anymore and they should back off."

Sheppard was leaning back in his chair and grinning. They were talking about him as if he was not there, but they all seemed on track so he did not interrupt. He knew that this was going to be a challenge.

"So Samsus, you think that we should not try to hide that Colonel Sheppard has been named king of some world, but that there should be no mention of him being Evander's heir or of any unique abilities or knowledge that he has?" Weir asked.

"That is correct. His Majesty and I talked about a semblance of truth. The worlds and system itself should not be spoken of directly to those that do not need to know, and they will likely create their own. We humans seem to be able to create stories quite easily. He was made king of a world because of his ancient gene. We should leave it at that as they will create variations from there. That is to our benefit. We know that at least for now, these worlds are a safe haven from the Wraith. It is possible that there are certain areas that we can make available for relaxation purposes for the Atlantis personnel and that the people of these worlds know very clearly that they are not to speak of his majesty's heritage to any off-worlder. We can also be a refuge for those that have lost their world's," he said looking at Teyla. "For any few that do know of his identity and abilities I can help them block this information in the event that they are captured. It is minimally intrusive and of course would be voluntary, but for his protection and theirs, those that are given this knowledge of him must be willing to submit to this."

Sheppard sighed. He hated all this. Everything had become so complicated, and he was concerned about putting others in danger, but he also knew that even if he had to go it alone, he would have to continue this mission. He also knew that many of his Atlantis team would agree to these terms, as would Zelenka and a few of other well-chosen scientists.

"We are unaware of any special abilities," Weir said with a knowing look toward Caldwell and O'Neill. They would have to be cautious about their reports.

O'Neill shrugged. "Well, if Sheppard here had any special abilities then I think we would not have crashed on Arcadia."

Caldwell grinned. He knew how to write reports with a truthful vagueness that satisfied superiors. This would be no different. He was sure the O'Neill's skill with such was probably superior to his own.

"So how are we going to explain the presence of Samsus then?" Teyla asked.

"He can be a liaison between our worlds," Sheppard said. He wanted to laugh when everyone turned to him with a look that showed embarrassment of having ignored him as if he were not there.

"Does this arrangement seem suitable, Your Majesty?" Sauriko asked, realizing they had left the primary person out of the conversation.

"I am curious to see how long we can keep it going before the cat is let out of the bag, but I think that for now it may work. We basically try to go along with it for as long as we can. No secret that I am some sort of king of some world because of my gene, lucky me, but only a few know who I actually am. I will serve my commission but no one from Earth will tell me how to run my system of planets or take our technology without asking. I in turn will continue to follow orders as I always have." He said the last part with a half smirk that was matched by O'Neill's. "If things get too complicated, well, we will address that issue then. One thing, General. The SGC should probably know that I will not abandon this galaxy. If for any reason I should retire, be fired or whatever, I will remain in Pegasus. I can understand if they don't like that and force a choice sooner, but I need to do what is best for us, not for me, the SGC, IOA, USA or just Earth."

"I think I can find a palatable way to let them know that," O'Neill said. They would not like it, but Shepard was right. He could not be at the whim of anyone or thing from Earth when there was a greater mission to fulfill.

"Well, I guess that sums it up then," Sheppard said standing. "Anyone want to take bets to see how long the arrangement will work?"

oOoOoOoOoOo

Sheppard packed his bag lightly. There really was not much he would be taking back to Atlantis, and he knew that he would be back within a month or two. They would be setting up regular visits. The Guardians would run the day-to-day operations as they had for centuries. Frankly, he really was not needed to rule a kingdom, but he had come to understand what all this had meant to them and he would keep that promise to his grandparents and not lithely throw that away. He understood loyalty and they had remained supremely loyal as a people. He had also made that promise to them.

It would be good to have Samsus with him, although he worried that the ruse would not last long, but for now it would do. Hopefully they would be ready when that time came. They had managed to keep Atlantis a secret for a long time, so he figured they could keep one man's identity a secret as well.

He turned when there was a slight knock at the door. Samsus walked in. "Are you ready, sire?"

"You know, Sam, you can't call me that on Atlantis."

"Yes, colonel, I do understand that amongst others I should call you by your military rank."

"You know, Sam, I was wondering something all along. If my brother had come instead of me…"

"No, sire, it was only you. The genetic inheritance would only go to one sibling in the event of more than one child. Evander himself witnessed sibling jealousy as you yourself did as it carried through to Vanitis. He did not want to chance that two siblings would have the same abilities. It is generally the same in the Guardian families."

Sheppard did understand the reason, but he just could not understand how Evander had pulled it off. Maybe Carson had or would figure it out. "Well, I guess that's it Obi-Wan. Time to get going."

They walked out together toward the main gathering hall where everyone was waiting. Sheppard chatted with Lear, Sorhan and the Guardians. There were no good-byes as he would be returning regularly, but it had been a very eventful few weeks. Sheppard shook Lear's hand. "See if you can have it ready for the next time, Lear."

"Yes, my lord. We can finish Evander's ship now that you have provided the completed plans."

"Looking forward to testing it out."

He looked around the room. "Well, guess I will see you all in a few weeks." The rest of his team, Weir, and Caldwell had already returned to Atlantis.

O'Neill had remained behind, and he, Sheppard and Samsus rode down with Eileron and a few guards to the gate. They had agreed there would be no announcements of his comings and goings to the rest of the people both for security reasons but also because it would become tedious.

"You want to test my new toy out when you return, General?"

O'Neill looked at Sheppard with feigned seriousness. "Can you guarantee no pirates?"

Sheppard looked like he was thinking. "Yes sir. I think I can do that."

"Deal, then."

Sheppard dismounted and patted Zorthos. "Behave boy. I'll be back soon."

The horse snorted and put his head on Sheppard's shoulder. Sheppard obligingly scratched under his head. "You really are spoiled, you know that."

Eileron laughed. "I wonder how that happened."

Sheppard shrugged innocently. "Thanks for everything, Eileron. See you soon."

The man bowed deeply. "I look forward to it, sire."

Sheppard nodded at Sam and O'Neill, and they stepped through the gate.

Epilogue/Prologue

McKay watched Sheppard in fascination. He was standing face to face with the Wraith queen.

They had already killed the other Wraith, except for maybe a few that were headed their way.

"Kneel, human," the queen hissed. McKay could feel the power of her mind, but surprisingly Sheppard did nothing but smile with his head leaning slightly to the right. He actually looked charmingly amused. A human female would no doubt be in a puddle of adoration at that look. The Wraith queen just looked pissed and confused.

The queen hissed again. She actually looked like she was struggling. "Who are you, human?"

Sheppard smiled again but not quite so charming. "Wouldn't you like to know? I am sure you would all like to know, but you can't talk to the others now."

McKay realized that he no longer felt the Wraith queen's mind and that Sheppard was actually blocking her thoughts, or at least that is what he guessed he was doing.

McKay heard Ronon and Teyla in his earpiece. They were very close now.

"I said kneel, human!"

McKay saw Sheppard straighten his head as he eyed the queen darkly. He saw the look of surprise on the queen's face as she dropped to her knees. McKay felt a shiver down his spine as he turned to see Teyla and Ronon staring with open mouths. Cool. Very cool.

Sheppard grinned once more, then said. "You first."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The End (for now)

Well that wraps up this part of things. I have left the door open for more later, just need to step back a bit and think a little. I will probably just do sequel rather than add chapters to this one so I am calling this complete. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas, or unresolved issues you think I should explore. I might tweak the story a bit and will do some clean up a few areas based on feedback as I probably will go back and read it through.

Thanks to each of you for your reviews. It really made me thing through things at times. I truly have appreciated your feedback. It made writing this very fun, and your encouragement was sustaining when I got stuck.

A special thanks to my primary beta Comanche Antigo for cleaning up my messess and also a thanks to Highonscifi especially near the end.

Be back as soon as I can with a sequel.