"How long until they get here?" Ryan asked the former Ori.

"I'd guess just under half an hour."

Ryan considered his options. "Can they track me?"

The flaming image of the man shook his head. "No. You're not expending any more energy into our dimension."

"So we could escape through the stargate?"

"They won't stop looking until they've found the source. These two have to die, unless you want them to bring back hundreds more to continue the search."

"Point taken," Ryan relented. "Is there some way I can use my energy to recharge you?"

"Not enough to matter. If these two are what I think they are, I shouldn't have a problem."

"And what do you think they are?"

"The Empire doesn't allow individuals to leave its territory or roam around freely within it. They exist in groups with chaperones, so that they can insure their rules are followed. Only the Empire's most trusted agents are allowed to move about unchecked, but even then there are always two or more together."

"And?"

"And if I'm right, I'm going to have the pleasure of killing a couple of Alterra today."

"What makes you think they're not from another species?"

"Hmmm," he considered. "Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but these two are sprinting so hard to get here it belies their inexperience…and the Alterra are still relatively new additions to the Empire."

"Why are they in such a hurry anyway?"

"Like I said, they can't track you unless you're expending energy. They want to get to this region before the trail grows cold."

"They don't know exactly where I am, do they?"

"No, just the approximate location. I had to guess based on my familiarity with this galaxy's stargate network. Luckily you were right beside the portal."

"Wait," Ryan said as a stray memory clicked into place. "Back up a second. You said the Empire's agents always travel in groups of two or more?"

"I did."

"After the Ori were killed, the first Orici ascended in Avalona and returned here to take their place. One of the Ascended helped a group of Humans cut off her power base and then fought her."

The man nodded. "So I gathered from the Doci."

"This ascended being said she was an exile…and apparently alone."

"More subterfuge I would guess. Even if someone is ostracized they wouldn't be left unchecked, nor would they be allowed to leave the Empire. This person you speak of was ostensibly working with them to kill off the last of the Ori."

"I was also told that the Empire didn't allow members to kill each other."

"To do so would weaken the Empire from within, though I imagine they'll excuse the occasional transgression if it benefits the Empire."

Ryan shook his head appreciatively. In war there are no rules, he reminded himself.

"Is there no way I can assist you?"

The man laughed. "This fight will take place in our dimension. Even if you could access it at will, you'd be overwhelmed by our power levels. As it is, you won't even be able to see the battle."

"If you hide, what do you think they will do when they get here?"

He considered that. "If and when they finally get here, they'll investigate. Since you're the only lifeform on this planet, it shouldn't take long for even your dumb kin to figure out you're the source…especially with that mental block you have in place."

"I meant will they attack immediately?"

"They'll need to make sure you're the source before they obliterate you."

"Would getting the jump on them be of any advantage?"

He shook his head. "When they get close enough they'll detect me. I'd have to move off, and in the few seconds it would take me to cross the gap the element of surprise would be negated."

Ryan considered for a moment. "Could you hide inside me?"

The former Ori looked at him as if he'd just come up with something useful. "I can't hide my connection to our dimension at close proximity, but if we could get them to think it was you then they wouldn't realize I was here."

"Ok, so how do we do that?"

"We make some upgrades," the ascended being said, transforming into a glowing fireball and diving inside Ryan's chest.

The 'upgrades' he spoke of hurt…a lot, but the small crack he'd felt within his mind opened up until he was able to perceive the other's dimension.

It felt like he was opening his eyes for the first time, blinded by overwhelming light, but with the augmentations that were being made to his body and physical components of his mind, the jumbled mess of perceptions began to resolve themselves into recognizable 'shapes' for lack of a better word.

All around him, but more so beneath him, was a web of interconnecting strands, partially solid to his mental touch. They catacombed their way to and from everywhere, but seemed to thin above him. He suddenly realized that the strands were more heavily present in the gravity well beneath him and stretched out to connect to the other planets nearby.

He 'turned around' and looked in the direction of the system's star and saw a tight knob of webs around it, but also stretching out beyond. Everywhere he looked were fibrous elements, with the only clear space being between them, located in an erratic pattern.

Suddenly another augmentation adjusted his vision and the strands disappeared. All he saw was thin filaments at a great distance, resolving themselves into a great disc with a bulge at what must have been galactic center. Off to the side was a long, thin sweeping arm that matched up with those of the galaxy in his dimension, where his body still remained. It felt odd being able to look beneath his 'feet' and see nothing. He couldn't even perceive himself, he was just an omniscient viewpoint with no substance, rooted in one place.

He looked around in every direction, noticing two small lights in the distance. He could barely make them out, but they appeared to be oscillating slightly whereas everything else was static. If they hadn't been slightly winking he wouldn't have noticed them at all.

He was back in his dimension as a sudden lurch inside his body broke his connection. He felt his secata organ and nervous system catch on fire and burn continuously. He rode out the pain as best he could, knowing that it was a 'good' pain, yet he imagined the Ori was pleased to have been causing him so much discomfort.

Bleed off your energy again, he felt the Ori speak to his mind. They are veering off course.

Don't you want a few more minutes? he spoke again through his mind. Though his mental block kept the Ori out of his memories and prevented him from taking control of his mind, Ryan's telepathy wasn't restricted, though it was awkward connecting with an energy-based lifeform.

No.

Alright, Ryan thought, concentrating. His energy wasn't erratic anymore, and there was more of it than there had been before. In fact he felt two sources of energy.

Use your Kadarva energy. We don't want to alert them to your upgrades.

Ryan pulled the original energy, what he guessed was Ovartka, and pushed it through the now easier to create breach between the dimensions. It was heavy and awkward, not meant for the transition, but Ryan managed a small spurt that immediately got the attention of the ascended beings. He could see them adjust their line slightly amidst a small 'vibration' within their visible signatures.

Almost finished, the man said as Ryan was suddenly in pain again, this time from portions of his body that he couldn't identify, and eventually lost his connection with his senses…

Ryan woke again, standing on the planet's surface. He blinked his eyes a few times, feeling very weird.

The former Ori stood beside him again, awash in flame. "They will be here within minutes. All I need you to do is distract them, and draw them in close. Even with the adjustments I've made to your physiology, you haven't the energy to challenge them. I've taken your development as far as I can, and retained your internal flux so you can continue to grow stronger over time. You shouldn't have to worry about inadvertently throwing off energy the Empire can detect. I stabilized your Kadarva energy, but with your mental block I wasn't able to give you the knowledge you need to use it. That, you will have to learn on your own."

"I understand," Ryan said, seeing the two agents approaching overlapped onto his 'real' vision.

"If you hadn't lost control of you Kadarva energy," the man lectured him, "you wouldn't have found yourself in a position where you needed to bleed it off. Because you were in such jeopardy, you found a way to break the dimensional barrier in order to save yourself. Remember that in the future when you revert back to your science. Power develops from need, not desire, and not from a preprogrammed template. The weak shall remain weak…and the strong will grow stronger."

"You're saying I caused myself to accelerate my development?"

"Accelerate what? It's not predetermined."

"That's a matter of debate," Ryan argued, thinking about the other versions of himself in the alternate realities Janus had told him about. Ovartka energy should have been 50 years away, and breaking the dimensional barrier centuries after that.

"Yet you stand here now, a product of something your science cannot predict. That is the nature of the universe. Embrace it, learn from it, and harness its power. Those who believe in rules and procedures blind themselves to the universal truth, thus denying them access to true power."

"And what's universal truth for an Ori?"

The man's visage smiled. "There are no rules."

Ryan had to smile at that. "No rules?"

The man shook his head. "Only that which you can do, and that which you can't do. Embrace the challenges of the universe, confront them, push your apparent limits and attempt the impossible. Only then will you know what you are truly capable of."

Ryan, oddly, found those words ringing true. "I suppose that's how you learned to ascend first?"

"We did not learn, we attained."

"I guess that's the difference with us. We learned it was possible through science, studied our physiology, simulated the permutations, then created an environment where the likely transformation would be most easily attained through training and meditation."

"And still, by your own admission, only a few of your people achieved the transformation."

"I didn't say it was easy."

"And yet I feel that you disapprove of your own people's ways."

Ryan stared at him for a moment. "Despite my technical knowledge, I'm not much of a scientist."

"You would prefer earning the power yourself?"

"Given my circumstances I have to," Ryan argued. "Like you said, it's a matter of need."

"So you don't fault your scientists?"

"No, why would I?"

"They do not seek the truth of the universe, and are weak because of it."

"Yet one of them, a Lantean no less, did manage to create a device to wipe out all the ascended beings in this galaxy in a matter of seconds. On the power scale, I'd say Merlin did rather well as a scientist."

"Only because we allow your kind to exist."

"Not to argue, but why haven't the ascended wiped out everyone in this dimension?"

"Not worth the bother," he said dismissively. "It's much easier to pluck the weed than incinerate the forest…for the forest will eventually grow back."

"It's been done before?" Ryan asked, alarmed.

"Somehow new lifeforms arise over time. Another mystery of the universe that your science can't explain."

"We noticed," Ryan said, beginning to make out more detail of the approaching ascended beings. They appeared white in hue, whereas his protector had originally appeared green, then switched to flame orange. "Is white the signature color of the Ascended Empire?"

"As your eyes see it, yes."

"Well the two approaching look white as well."

"They won't once they arrive. You'll notice the difference then. Flush your dimensional energy through your body. It should obscure my presence. Do not connect to our dimension while I am inside you. We need them to think my connection is yours. Two would be obvious."

Ryan reached inside him for the second, newer type of energy available and distributed small amounts throughout his body. "Ready."

"Watch through my eyes until the time is right," the Ori said, reverting back into a fireball and entering Stevenson's body. He sent his vision through Ryan's nervous system and into his mind.

Suddenly the 'sight' Ryan previously had improved greatly. Not only could he see the galaxy around him, he could see others off in the distance. Dozens, actually, as if they were just out of reach rather than hundreds of thousands of light years away.

How fast can you move? Ryan mentally asked the presence within his body.

Faster than any of your hyperdrives.

How long would it take you to travel from here to Avalona?

Four or five days, if I was in a hurry.

Ryan stifled his surprise. It would take seven years with the Alterra's more advanced hyperdrives.

We can move faster than you using the stargates then?

Yes, that's one advantage you have over the Empire…assuming they don't use them as well.

How do you react with hyperspace?

Your ships are beyond their reach while in transit, he said, guessing his intent.

Good to know, Ryan mentally cataloged for future reference. How do you go through the stargates then?

We can withdraw from our dimension for a handful of seconds. That's long enough for the transition.

How about long range communications?

Courier only, unless we utilize technology in your dimension.

Does the Empire?

Word spreads fast, but we have little knowledge of the inner workings of the Empire.

Ever known them to have slaves in my dimension.

No…but if you like you can ask them yourself, he said as the two ascended beings came within range enough to detect 'Ryan's' connection to their dimension.

The energy Ryan was exuding leaked through the Ori's connection, essentially blurring his presence enough for the others to think that this was typical of a juntar…especially since they'd never encountered one before. The two ascended beings traveled quickly to the planet then hovered nearby, studying him.

One of them eventually approached, and to both of their surprise she appeared to Ryan in his dimension, glowing in white robes.

"Hello," she said, appearing before him.

"Hello," Ryan echoed. "Lost?"

The woman frowned. "Lost?"

"Yeah lost," Ryan repeated. "That's just a polite way of asking what you're doing here."

"I was wondering the same of you," she said evenly. "I take it you know what I am?"

"Ascended? Yeah, I figured that much out."

"You accessed our dimension, and have a presence there even now."

"Sorry…did I trip you or something?"

"Your physiology shouldn't be advanced enough to break the barrier," she continued, ignoring his jibes. "How have you managed this?"

"You're asking? Not just raiding my mind for the information?"

"I'm asking," she said, almost politely.

Ryan nodded. "Bumped my head."

"You bumped your head?" she repeated, clearly not taking him seriously.

"Yeah," Ryan said, rubbing his temple. "Can't feel anything anymore."

"I find that unlikely," she said. "However, your mind is currently inaccessible. Perhaps you have been damaged."

"I thought you said you weren't in my head…or was that your friend?"

The woman's eyes widened. "You can see into our dimension."

"Na, just a lucky guess," Ryan said, almost believably.

"Wait," the woman said, holding up her hand and looking to the side. Ryan could see her companion move towards him slowly and begin to build up some sort of charge…

All of a sudden he lost connection with the other realm as the Ori leapt out of him. He reconnected on his own with his incredibly diminished vision and saw the two of them locked in battle, swirling about each other and breaking through the 'web threads' which quickly reformed, some of which branched off into new connections.

The woman he'd been talking with, however, didn't move. She stood by, retreated in fact, just a bright, glowing energy blob in Ryan's vision drifting off to the side watching the other two fight.

Ryan felt a sting to his mind as bits and pieces of ascended being washed over his vantage point in the other dimension. The two were tearing into each other, releasing what looked like tiny shards of glass whenever one of them took damage. Most of the 'glass' shards appeared etched white, with a pattern that Ryan couldn't articulate, but what the Ori had mentioned was the designator of the Ascended Empire. The Ori bits and pieces felt orange, but had more ornate structure, almost artistic whereas the Empire's was rigid and complex.

And there was many more Empire shards being thrown off than there were Ori.

Yet still the other didn't intervene. Ryan stretched out to her with his mind.

"What are your intentions?" he asked her, trying to not be distracted by the awe-inspiring battle taking place virtually on top of him.

"I am not your enemy," she said, retreating back a bit further. Ryan could sense her apprehension…and fear.

Suddenly there was an overwhelming shower of Empire shards as the Ori broke the other ascended being apart in a spherical explosion of debris. The tiny bits and pieces fizzled, releasing pent up energy like smoky streamers as they spread out away from the blast.

Energy refocused within the Ori and its exterior damage disappeared, but its overall 'size,' for lack of a better term, diminished slightly.

The two ascended beings remaining stared each other down, but neither moved.

"Talk to me," Ryan insisted.

Suddenly he felt both of them diminish, and his normal senses saw two figures appear on the sands beside his body. Ryan pulled back as well, completely disengaging from Alfleheym.

"Please…I mean you no harm," the woman said quickly. "I would have aided Herram if I did."

"It would not have changed the outcome, coward," the Ori said coldly.

"I thought Adria was the last of the Ori," the woman said meekly.

"She was," Ryan said forcefully. "I'm Alterra."

Her eyes widened. "How?"

"What species were you?" Ryan asked, guessing the answer.

"They're both Alterra," the Ori all but spat.

"Then you should know the answer already," Ryan insisted.

"You were Human?" she asked.

"I was."

"From what planet?"

"Avalon," he said, the name catching her attention.

"Then you've successfully used the Repository of Knowledge…and received the special programming within."

Ryan glanced at the Ori, who stood passive.

"If you know of it, then tell me who created that special programming?"

"I was told it was Lyran," she said softly.

"By whom?" Ryan asked.

"He told me."

Ryan held up a hand towards the Ori. "Seems this one is on my side."

"You won't live to realize your mistake if you're wrong," he warned.

"Only those loyal would know of the secondary programming," Ryan explained. "It's what's forcing my advancement, and if even one of them had turned Empire all of the Repositories would have been destroyed."

"Who are you?" the Ori demanded.

"My name is Morgan Le Fay."

The Ori turned to Ryan. "Is she the one you said killed the first Orici?"

"Yes."

"First?" Morgan echoed, then looked at Ryan.

"If you've been in this galaxy for a while you should have noticed by now?"

"I knew the Ori followers had been reorganized, but our mission here had no connection with your realm. As a result I haven't kept informed of corporeal matters."

"And what was your mission?" the man asked.

"To fully survey and monitor this galaxy."

"As a prelude to annexation?" he demanded, still a bit hot under the collar from the battle.

"No," she said slowly, trying not to antagonize him. "We were to determine the possible threat level should others take the place of the Ori."

"And what did you determine?" he asked.

"Our survey was only partially complete, but we both believed this galaxy could not sustain more than a hundred inhabitants based on resource extrapolations. There is little here to survive on."

"But enough for you two to remain as scouts?" Ryan asked.

Morgan nodded. "Yes. Such was my assignment…and punishment."

"Jackson said you'd been exiled," Ryan pointed out.

"You know of Daniel Jackson?"

"Answer the question," the Ori demanded.

She looked at him briefly. "I was exiled, but I was left unattended. I tested my bounds and I discovered I was allowed to leave the Empire. I followed the Humans through their stargate and, with their assistance, was able to defeat the last of the Ori," she said, looking at the man. "Or so I believed."

"How did you pick up your friend?" Ryan asked.

"After defeating Adria, I was located and forced to return to the Empire. As reward for ending the Ori threat, my exile was ended. Subsequently I was tasked with scouting this galaxy along with Herram."

"You didn't have a choice?"

"None of us do," she said, anxiety in her voice.

"And now?" Ryan guessed.

"I do not know," she answered honestly, then looked at Ryan's companion. "How is it the Ori still live?"

Ryan and the Ori exchanged glances.

"What do you intend to do about me?" Ryan asked.

"As I said, I mean you no harm," she repeated.

"But if you return to the Empire, what will you tell them?"

"I don't know," she repeated.

"Can you run away, with your chaperone gone?"

"If they found me I would surely die."

"The universe is infinite," Ryan reminded her. "If you run in one direction and don't turn back, how can they catch you, with the lead you have by being here."

"The Empire has its ways," the Ori reprimanded Ryan. "Otherwise more would have run by now."

"Indeed," Morgan agreed.

"What options do you have?"

"Very little," she said regretfully.

"Can you descend?" Ryan suggested.

Morgan looked between the two of them.

"The Empire would still want answers," the Ori declared.

"Can you retake physical form in a way that they wouldn't recognize?"

"I can only reassume my previous form," Morgan told him. "I can't change it."

"How did Merlin?" Ryan pressed.

Morgan glanced at him, then realized that he must have spoken with Daniel at length. "Merlin reassumed his form, taking with him some advancements, but he was still very much himself."

Ryan looked to the Ori. "I can change her looks with genetic alteration. What else would have to be done to conceal her identity?"

"Her memories, obviously," he said, not wanting to get involved, but knowing that the Orici needed all the help he could get…and he liked the idea of the Alterran woman losing her powers. "Unless you can shield her mind the way yours is…though that too would raise suspicion."

"I don't know how…but I might know someone who does. Give me an hour," Ryan said, walking towards the distant stargate. "Assuming of course you two can play nice while I'm gone."

"She's not going anywhere," the Ori said menacingly. "I can assure you of that."

"I will remain here until you return," Morgan said agreeably.

Ryan nodded, then gated back to Celestis…

Forty seven minutes later Ryan returned to the wasteland planet along with his number one scientist, whose trim, bright Alterran clothes stood out in stark contrast to his surroundings, making him 'glow' almost as much as Morgan was.

"Janus?" she said, recognizing him instantly.

"Hello, Ganos…it's been a long time."

"We thought we'd lost you," she said, hardly believing he was still alive after all these years.

"You can save the reunion for later," the Ori interrupted.

"Yes, I understand from what he has told me that the Ascended Empire will eventually come looking for you," Janus began almost rhythmically. "If you can retake corporeal form and be altered enough so that the others won't recognize you, I can shield your mind against ascended influence, the way ours are."

See, Ryan told the Ori telepathically so only he could hear, science has its uses.

"Otherwise," Janus continued, "the only other option is a total wipe of all identifying memories…including your years in the Pegasus galaxy."

"That would be best," the Ori suggested. "Then there would be no possible way of her presence being discovered. A mental block will still draw suspicion."

"We both have mental blocks," Ryan argued. "Which means we're already under suspicion. One more won't make much of a difference."

"But it will make me someone of note," Morgan said, siding with the Ori. "If I have no memories then I will be of no consequence to them. I will make the sacrifice if I must."

"No," Ryan said firmly. "You're not. Besides, we have another idea."

Behind the two of them was a small floating sled carrying a piece of Alterran technology.

"If you're not going to try to make a run for it in their dimension," Ryan said, not precluding that possibility, "then this should alter your appearance and body enough to disguise you. He can check out the changes and make any extra alterations required to insure security," Ryan said, referring to the Ori.

"And I can subsequently make the alterations necessary to shield your mind," Janus added.

"If you're sure you want to do this," Ryan asked.

The Ori looked at her, raising an 'eyebrow' as if taunting her.

Morgan nodded. "So be it."

Her glow brightened, then suddenly dimmed for a moment as her body reformed. Her last bits of energy matrix resettled into her corporeal form, transferring her core energy from one dimension to the other. The 'clothes' that she wore disappeared in a wash of light as her control of the energy matrix that they were made of relinquished. Her small, petite Lantean body was all that remained, standing on the dirty, desert planet.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," the Ori said, enjoying the moment.

Morgan walked up to Ryan and Janus, having to look up at them.

Ryan turned around and telekinetically elevated the Repository of Knowledge. He'd recently had Janus retrieve all of the surviving devices and return them to Atlantis to insure that no one else died attempting the conversion, now that the end result had already come to fruition. They'd dismantled most of them, but saved a few in storage.

Morgan took a final step forward and the device leapt out and grabbed her head. A few seconds later it was finished.

The nude Lantean didn't fall unconscious, but she did stagger backwards a bit, disoriented. Inside her body and mind the transfer from Lantean to Alterran began, along with a shift in body structure to match the Alterran female template…which would change her looks from head to toe.

"Well?" Ryan asked the Ori.

The ascended being's image crossed its arms over its chest. "Pretty good, assuming her change of appearance, but she retains a small amount of energy. It may dissipate over time, but it's best if I remove it now."

He waved his hand, but nothing else visible happened. Ryan sensed a quick connection between him and Morgan, but he couldn't detect the energy that he'd mentioned.

"You're going to need a new name," Janus told her. "And a back story."

"Her name is Liona," Ryan said, already having thought through that part of the plan. "She is from Destra, formerly one of the anti-Ori underground. She has proved her worthiness and is joining the ranks of the Alterra."

"Close to the truth," the Ori grumbled.

"Thank you…" Morgan/Liona said. "I'm sorry. I don't even know your name."

"Ryan Stevenson."

"Two names?" she asked.

"I kept it from Avalon."

"I see," she said, suffering from a mild headache.

"Come inside," Ryan said, gesturing towards his private retreat. "I'll have the Priors bring you some proper clothes. I assume you're not going anywhere in a hurry?" he asked the Ori.

"I have a few other tasks to handle for the Rivera before I return to them," he said, catching Morgan/Liona's eyes at the mention of the other ascended beings. "After which I'll be returning home. You're on your own after I leave."

"Then I suggest the four of us have a very long conversation considering all things ascended…to maximize the chances of our mutual revenge."

The Ori seemed to settle on that last caveat. "One last thing."

"Yes?"

"I saved your life."

"Yes, you did," Ryan agreed.

"Then you owe me the pleasure of hearing it at least once."

Ryan frowned. "Hear what?"

The Ori just looked at him, letting him fill in the blanks.

Eventually it came to Ryan, who rolled his eyes. He did owe him.

"Hallowed are the Ori," he said, keeping his disgust out of his voice.

The Ori smiled. "Now you're a proper Orici."

Morgan/Liona raised an eyebrow in Ryan's direction.

"Long story," he said, putting a hand on her bare shoulder and nudging her forward.