Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate. This is a fan based parody only.

Warning: Dubious-consent, explicit scenes.

Pairing: Nicholas Rush/Everett Young

Summary: Deep into the Universe Destiny picks up an alien signal; an intelligent race on an upcoming planet. But when Young leads a team to investigate, Rush rubs the locals the wrong way and the two men are forced into a bizarre ritual to stay alive.

A/N: This story is shameless character torture, smut and twisted romance with an attempted plot so that I don't feel like a pervert, which I am anyways. None of my stories are beta'd, especially not this one. If you want to proof read it or give suggestion just say so. PS: I'm SGU deprived…I can't help myself.

A Rock That Bleeds

"There's a planet coming up on Destiny's sensors," informed Brody from his post at the head of the bridge. He looked over his shoulder at Rush with eyes bulging in awe and fear. "The ship is indicating life forms."

Previously uninterested, Doctor Rush snapped his attention to his left console to confirm the readings. He brought his radio up to his mouth. "Eli, are you getting this?"

The young genius responded in a rushed tone as if he'd been thinking the issue through a lot longer than them. "Looks like Destiny's classified this planet in its own category but I'm having trouble accessing its database…almost like I need a password?"

"Destiny's never done this before," Brody babbled obviously. "We've had encounters with aliens and She's never gone this crazy. It's like 'Red Alert' from Star Trek. "

"Obviously that's because there's something different about these beings of potential use to us," Rush offered.

Almost simultaneously Eli's excited voice sounded over radio. "I think Destiny's trying to tell us that there's an advanced, or at least intelligent species on that planet!"

The luminous hues of FTL faded and opened up into black space speckled with far away stars, amongst them a small blue dot. Brody pointed needlessly in its direction.

"That's it there."

"Colonel Young to the bridge, please," Rush called over his radio.

"Already on my way," was the gruff reply.

Just then Colonel Young made his appearance and planted himself in the chair in a manner that Rush interpreted as arrogant. He gave the Colonel a sideways glance, wishing the man would see the disgust on his face, wanting him to know how distasteful he found him. He always acted like he owned the bloody place, Rush thought.

"What am I looking at?"

Rush rolled his eyes back to the screen; typical empty-headed military inquiry. Better just to ignore it and focus on their current mystery. Unfortunately his voice sounded far more confrontational than he intended. "Destiny's indicating life on that planet. Obviously we're dealing with something significant, or the ship wouldn't bother raising the alarm."

The Scott's harsh tone didn't go unnoticed, but it was like water off a duck's back for the Colonel. They had been butting heads a bit more lately but whatever the reason for Rush's brisk attitude, he didn't want to give him an excuse to start an argument. "Are you saying they could be hostile?"

"There is always that possibility, yes. But Destiny clearly has extensive data on them from the seed ships, we just can't access it. If they were a threat She wouldn't be leading us to their doorstep."

"Anything on scanners?" asked Young.

Volker finally spoke through tightened vocal chords. "No real-time data from the planet yet, we're too far out."

"How long?"

"A few more minutes should do it."

Then Young felt an intense energy coming from Rush. He looked over at him, hunched over a console with his hands either side gripping it like the bridge had just been decompressed to space. His eyes flicked precariously over the information. Young was so good at reading his body language by now that he'd developed it into stages. At the moment, Rush was overwhelmed by a potential life-altering discovery. Once he came to a conclusion he would either relax, meaning they were safe, or he would maintain his intense silence until someone noticed and inquired, meaning they were quite possibly in serious danger.

Suddenly, Eli burst onto the bridge slightly sweaty around the edges of his shirt. "I think I know why Destiny brought us here."

At that moment, Rush leaned up, lips slightly parted, utterly lost for words and Young knew he had come to the same conclusion as Eli. Not taking his eyes from the Scottish scientist he asked, "What is it Eli?"

"The algorithms protecting the information about this planet looked really familiar, and then I realized that they use very similar base codes as the ones from Atlantis. So I tried some of them and got access to a small section of the data."

"Are you suggesting that they're –"

"Humans…yes!"

An unfamiliar beeping sounded from Volker's station, whose expression was the picture of confusion. "We're…being hailed?"

"Not just human," Rush interjected cryptically. "They're Ancients."

Eli lifted a finger. "I was getting there."

"Should we answer," Volker persisted.

Rush stepped forward as a physical barrier between the Colonel and his next order. "No. I don't think that would be wise."

"Why not?"

"Look, the incompatibility of Destiny's outdated systems with Atlantis level technology accounts for the corruption in the data which is preventing us from accessing all the files. That suggests that the data was put there from an external source."

"So whoever's on that planet uploaded those files to the seed ship which then relayed the information to Destiny,' Eli clarified. "And, assuming they're Ancients, protecting that info with Ancient algorithms would guarantee that only their descendents or other Ancients would be able to access it."

"If they're Ancients," Rush countered.

"But you just said they were Ancients," Brody contested.

Rush threw him a withering glare. "Yes, but that's the dilemma isn't it!"

Young sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I still don't see the problem."

Rush planted his hands on his hips and looked much like he was faced with mentally challenged children. "The Ancients launched Destiny and her seed ships hundreds of thousands of years before they built Atlantis."

"It's like being in Paris and then flying to Japan in an hour, it's not possible," Eli continued. "The timeline doesn't allow for there being Ancients with knowledge of Atlantis level technology this far out into the Universe, unless they figured out how to alter physics as we know it…"

Young nodded curtly. "I got it Eli, thank you. So if they're not Ancients…"

"Would you please listen!" Everyone turned to Rush, stunned but not surprised by the man's outburst. "The time they would have uploaded the files to the seed ship precedes the building of Atlantis."

Eli crossed his arms and squinted thoughtfully. "Sooo…they must be Ancients because no one else can master the use of their technology like they just did, but they can't be Ancients because that would be logistically impossible?"

Rush nodded as everyone else in the room came to terms with the paradox.

Brody turned back to his beeping console, skimming the incoming data. "We're getting sensor information. Destiny's detecting energy signatures indicative of Ancient technology, possibly weapons. No telling how big but there is definitely a civilization down there."

"Well we won't know if they're Ancients unless we talk to them," Young decided suddenly.

Outraged at being blown off so casually, Rush yelled, "You have no idea what we're dealing with!"

"I understand your concerns, Doctor Rush," the Colonel rebuked louder and raised a halting hand, "But right now my concern is whether or not they'll take our silence as a hostile move. I need to make sure that doesn't happen."

"What if we just jump back into FTL," Volker suggested.

Surprisingly it was Colonel Young who answered. "No, that would damage our FTL drive unnecessarily. We'll use that as a last resort. Besides, Destiny brought us here for a reason and we'd be fools not to capitalize on an opportunity like this; Ancients or not they are an advanced race and they might be willing to help us." Young knew he had taken the words right out of his Scottish friend's mouth, that for once his logic was synchronized with Rush's so there was no room for argument.

"In the meantime you and Eli can work on recovering as much of those files as you can. I wanna know everything there is to know about those people."

"Right, no problem," interjected Eli. "Though it might take a few…days."

"Then you better get started. Brody, please open a communication channel."

On all the bridge monitors appeared a docile looking woman with long brown hair. She turned her attention from another matter, appearing patient about having to wait so long.

"Greetings, my name is Maridia, third in command of the Alteran High Council." She smiled at her guest's wary glances. "You are no doubt skeptical of my claim and understandably so."

Eli stepped forward first and Colonel Young felt a great appreciation for his youthful, quick mind. "Hang on, you called yourselves Alterans. Would you by any chance be the same Alterans that built the Stargates…just in case there might be more than one Alteran race…"

"We are indeed those to whom you are referring. On your world you call us Ancients, a very accurate but conceited title if I may say so."

"Hang on, how do you know what we call you? For that matter how do you know us…you don't seem particularly surprised to see us on your ship."

Maridia smiled kindly, indulging her young interrogator. "You have many questions, young man, all of which I'm confident we can answer. Are you the leader of your people?"

Eli turned a deep shade of red. "Uhh...n-no I'm…no…he…"

"That would be me." The Colonel rose from his seat and clasped his hands behind his back. "Colonel Everett Young."

Maridia bowed her head lightly at him. She had the air of being much older and wiser than she looked. The way she smiled was as a mother would to a mischievous child; filled with understanding and patience and a bit of disapproval.

"Are all your people so bold, Colonel?"

"I apologize for Eli's forwardness. You can understand that we're still trying to figure out how you could be who you claim. The Ancients we know died from a plague in our home Galaxy or otherwise Ascended thousands of years ago." Somewhere in his mind, Everett was still struggling to come to terms with the fact that he was brokering his first civil alien encounter, alone billions of light years from backup. How many times had the SGC and Atlantis base been lured into a false sense of security by seemingly benign races only to be betrayed?

He was brought back to the present by the open look of shock on Maridia's face. Other Alterans had gathered behind her at the news. Overcoming the frantic whispers she said, "Forgive us, we had no idea. Our brothers and sisters left our planet eons ago and we have not heard from them since."

Eli couldn't help himself. "Wait, wait, wait. They left from this planet? Are you saying –"

"This is the original Alteran home world," answered Rush in complete awe. He stepped forward, removing his glasses and stared at Maridia with the highest reverence Young had ever seen on the man's face. She nodded, encouraging him to continue. "We knew that your people left your home galaxy millions of years ago, but we never found any records of where you were from or how many of you there were. I suppose we always assumed the entire population left…"

"Back then our race was terribly divided on our ideals. A large portion of the population believed that Ascension should be obtained spiritually, without the aid of technology. But the majority believed in the way of science and so we divided. Instead of war, those who wished to pursue the path to ascension through technology left in their most advanced ships."

Everyone on the bridge was acutely aware of just how delicate the next few words needed to be. Each knew what the other was thinking as they tried their best not to let their assumptions and fear show. Brody, Volker and Eli looked to the Colonel as the leader, but Young deferred to Doctor Rush as the leading expert on anything Ancient. He gave the scientist a look that implored him to handle the discussion with precision.

"Maridia, if you don't mind me asking, did any of your people manage to ascend…of those that stayed behind?" asked Rush.

"Indeed," she smiled proudly.

"Have they contacted you since?"

"They have not. But we all strive to join them. That is the foundation of our society."

"I see. Then how do you know about us?"

"Nearly a million years ago one of the seed ships sent ahead of Destiny passed by our planet, undoubtedly because it detected intelligence. We recognized the technology and quickly accessed its database, which was heavily protected. In it stored all the history and knowledge of our counterparts up until the ship's launch, including their attempts to populate other worlds. We compiled a comprehensive database of our own and sent the information back to the seed ship along with a command code ensuring that Destiny would one day come."

"So the algorithms I thought were from Atlantis…"

"They were the same ones guarding the database of the seed ship. It was obvious to my ancestors that the others had purposefully left that information there for us to find in the event that one of the ships found us. It was our hope that if they ever saw Destiny's mission to completion they would find the information we provided in turn, and one day reunite with us."

"They ascended before Destiny was far enough out into the Universe," Rush explained.

"It is unfortunate that we did not have a chance to amend our differences. However, we are just as pleased to meet their descendants."

"We're the second evolution of their race, yes," Rush confirmed.

"Hang on, how do you know that?" Eli asked briskly.

Miranda smiled, relaxed as ever by the onslaught of difficult questions. "Their database indicated that they successfully populated a planet called Terra. Please, let me assure you that we are those you call Ancients. Colonel, the Head of Council has been informed of your arrival and desires very much to meet you and your people. You are invited to meet with him at your convenience."

"Thank you, that's very generous. You'll understand if we take some time to discuss this amongst ourselves?"

"Of course. I await your response."

The monitors closed and everyone let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.

"Thoughts," Young invited.

"They're Ori," Eli stated.

"Not exactly," Rush said. "The Ori did ascend from the Ancients of this planet, but they don't seem to know anything about the Ori's history."

"And we're going to keep it that way," Young ordered. "We're going to keep all knowledge of the Milky Way Ancients under wraps as much as we can for as long as we can until we're one hundred percent certain that they aren't a threat."

"They could be lying," said Volker.

"About the fact that they're Ancients or that they don't know anything about the Ori?" Eli asked sarcastically.

Rush crossed his arms, once again looking like it was a challenge for him to be in the same room with such low IQ's. "Well as far as them being Ancients, there's no denying that. There's no way that they could be imposters with their level of understanding of Ancient technology. Their energy signature, appearance and the fact that the entire planet is layered with Naquada are all in their favor."

"But the Milky Way Ancients left here for a reason," interjected Eli. "Just because they're not Ori doesn't mean much when you consider that the Ori probably got a lot of their maniacal ideas from these guys."

"Which is why we're going to take every precaution when we go down there," said Young. He waited for Rush to protest, but nothing came. Indeed, the man looked torn between the uncertainties and the potential benefits.

Everett would never ever admit to anyone that times like these often found him wishing someone else was in command. If it wasn't for Rush's unreliable behavior and rudeness he would make a more suitable commander, he thought. He was glad for this rare agreement between them if only to give his nerves a break. Yet he found himself often yearning for more moments like these and wondered if the unruly Scott felt the same.

"Brody, please inform the Alterans that we accept their offer. I'll organize a team in the meantime." Young turned to leave.

"Actually Colonel, there was one thing." Rush's voice his the back of Young's head like a bag of bricks. "I'd like to join the away team, if that's alright by you."

Young wanted to collapse in relief and have a laugh, but he refrained opting for a succinct answer instead.

"Done."

From above in the shuttle the Alteran city looked shockingly similar to Atlantis, with long towers and spirals. The population seemed concentrated along the shore of an ocean where there was a port that docked a few very impressive ships. The weather was bright and clear, the sun reflecting nobly off the metallic surfaces of the buildings.

Young had carefully picked the members of his team. Camille was the obvious choice to handle the diplomatic issues. Anyone else was liable to stuff that up. He had left Lieutenant Scott in command of Destiny in his absence, and so chose the loyal Sergeant Greer as his right man and Lieutenant James as backup. He had wanted Eli but his instincts demanded that those files be accessed ASAP. Doctor Park was his next choice; not only did Young appreciate her objectivity, but he got the impression more than once that she knew what she was doing a lot more than Brody or Volker. And lastly there was Doctor Rush, whom would have been Young's first pick. Regardless of the man's overbearing pragmatism, he was their only real chance of spotting inconsistencies in the Alteran's story.

Before departing, Young had gathered his crew for a short briefing and made them all aware of their current situation and the risks. He had ordered all military personnel to be on high alert. And the science teams were busy making sure that Destiny's systems were inaccessible. He couldn't shake the niggling feeling that his precautions weren't paranoia.

The team was instructed to land in an open plain of grass in a public park.

"This must mean they don't have any military facilities," said James confidently.

"This doesn't conclude anything," Rush retorted harshly. "Surely you can think of more than one case where an advanced civilization kept their technology hidden? The Genii, for instance."

"I was thinking more along the lines of the Nox," Young countered, effortlessly diffusing the tension. After all, there was the possibility that these people were just as benign and gentle as the Nox. As the shuttle door slid open, Young said, "Stay on your toes, keep your eyes peeled. And I want everyone on their best behavior." He threw a pointed look over his shoulder to Rush, who rolled his eyes defiantly.

"Welcome to our home," Maridia greeted as they walked down the ramp. She was alone, though to either side of them was a row of guards every few meters leading all the way to the entrance of a building.

Colonel Young was about to lead his team, assuming that was the next step, but Maridia rested a halting hand on his shoulder. "Before we proceed I feel it crucial that I inform you of particular social standards." Camille and Young looked cautiously between each other, neither liking this unexpected turn so early into the mission. "You stated during our earlier conversation that you are the leader of your people, Colonel Young."

"Of Destiny's crew, yes."

"Then that is what you must adhere to. All of you."

"With all due respect ma'am, we have a very structured chain of command," said Greer pointedly.

"I have no doubt." Maridia's smile was mildly tense. "Let me be direct. Certain habits that you take for granted – speaking out of turn, talking back to your superiors –are deeply frowned upon. Serious offenses of those rules are punishable by our most severe laws. Before you meet with the council you must be clear on the order of ranks."

"We understand," Camille compromised, "but on our planet, the civilian government commands the military, and both of those entities take advice from our scientists."

"Do you mean to say that you are in charge?" Maridia asked.

"Oh…no, that's not what I meant at all…"

Young stepped in. "What she means is that the military and the civilians aboard Destiny collaborate openly. We do not attempt to oppress each other."

"But who makes the final decisions?"

There was a heavy pause. Camille pinned her eyes to the ground and Park gazed cautiously between Rush and Young, the former of which looked on the edge of spilling something very rude. "Military," Young replied heavily.

"Then I must ask you to follow that to the letter, even if in jest."

"Why didn't you tell us this before," Rush said hotly.

"It is that sort of behavior that you must discontinue for the duration of our dealings," Maridia said pointedly.

"Rush has a point," Young stated. "It would have been better to know your terms before we came here."

"Would it have influenced the choosing of your team?"

There was no hesitation as Young replied, "Yes it certainly would have."

Maridia folded her hands in front of her and gave Rush a look that reminded him of his days at boarding school in Glasgow. "My apologies. However, council is waiting; we do not have time to make changes between members of your team. You must decide here the order of rank."

Young turned to his team and put on his game face. He found this whole thing very extreme and that gut clenching feeling of imminent danger was expanding through his system, made worse by having such an unpredictable bomb as Rush with him. He had no control over him and so felt unable to control his team as a unit.

"This is going to be the order, based on how we normally conduct ourselves aboard Destiny. It also takes into account the role of our military. Starting with me, then Camille, Sergeant Greer and Lieutenant James. That leaves Rush, and then Parks. Are we perfectly clear?"

"Yes, Sir!" the soldiers replied in unison.

"Because if we're not," he looked at Rush, "then you're jeopardizing everyone's safety."

"Just what exactly are these rules you're talking about," Rush asked. Young had been planning to ask that himself if Rush was only a little more patient. Barely a minute into their new roles and Rush was getting out of character…assuming he was ever in character.

"There are countless little things that are impossible for you to know, and so we do not expect you to follow. For instance, one must always walk behind a superior, not as an equal. It is the more serious offenses that you must not commit. Do not speak unless invited to do so at any time. Any sign of disrespect to a superior cannot come through, including towards the council. Above all do not question a superior."

Rush crossed his arms and snorted. "This is ridiculous. How are we supposed to have proper communication if we're not allowed to speak when necessary?"

"If you wish to meet with the council it is unavoidable. If you're prepared, please follow me." Maridia turned on her heels and began a brisk walk.

Young approached Rush and spoke low so the others couldn't hear. "I need you on this mission because you are my eyes and ears when it comes to the Ancients. But I don't know if I can trust you to keep your mouth shut."

"Believe me; I'm just as irritated by this whole thing as you are."

"Then maybe it would be better if you stayed here in the shuttle. Lieutenant James can stay with you."

"We both know that would make this a wasted trip. We're here to confirm who they claim to be and I'm the only one who can do that."

"Right. Then stick to the plan."

The meeting was an overall success. Council leader Eldran and his right hand man, Worrin, had welcomed them warmly to join them around the table. The rest of the council listened in silence as the hours slipped by through conversation. Young had announced that Rush was best suited to lead the discussion which was suitable to the Alterans. The Scott had made a few slips here and there, which hadn't gone unnoticed, but the information he provided was more than enough to compensate.

Rush was very particular about what he chose to disclose about the Milky Way Ancients. He excluded the Ori completely and offered no detail on any matters of Ascension. He focused on Atlantis, the technologies they had invented and their culture, and had gone into great detail about the human role in the ongoing history of the Alteran race.

For their part, the Alterans gave Rush and Park extensive access to their database as they took the team through the finer episodes of their history, beginning with the departure of their brethren and their evolution into a very different society.

"Our group always believed in the natural path to ascension," Eldran had explained. "Any aid by technology was unacceptable and considered cheating. The true path to enlightenment comes from a deep spiritual connection to all the unseen realities around us. As you can see by our great city, we did not reject technology outright; we simply chose not to use it in our quest for Ascension. Therefore a philosophy developed based on research that had been conducted on the physical state of the brain at the moment of Ascension. Those chemical changes are in direct correlation with how one leads their life. Therefore all of our culture, which may seem foreign to you in comparison to the Alterans to which you are familiar, is in fact based on the science of the mind."

They had then been invited on a virtual tour of the city. The building they were presently occupying was the chief government house, much like Parliament in America. There was a room dedicated to knowledge on the top floor, much like the one on Atlantis.

"It's like something outta Star Trek," Greer chuckled as the room morphed into various historical and significant sites. Young was on edge, constantly eying Rush for any sign that the man had spotted some flaw, an inconsistency that proved they weren't Ancients. It wasn't until they had been given accommodations while they waited for a banquet in their honor that they all got to talk.

"They look like Ancients, their architecture and technology is certainly Ancient, but they're simpler than the Ancients we know," Camille pointed out. "By this time they should have advanced far beyond what they are now."

"They've chosen to stunt their technological evolution in favor of their religious beliefs," Rush said.

"Okay, what are the odds that the seed ships would come across the original Alteran home world?" Young asked.

"Astronomical unless you assume that the Milky Way Ancients sent the seed ships in this direction on purpose, in which case the odds are at least tangible," Rush replied. "Their story is flawless…" He paused and didn't continue.

"What's wrong, Sir?" James asked when she spotted the Colonel so deep in thought.

"He knows this is too good to be true. We all do," Rush provided. "And given what the SGC has experienced we can't rule out the possibility that there's something else at play here."

"Right, like replicators," Park said.

"Well we've already determined that's not the case here." Rush and waved the Kino sensor around. "But since we're in an entirely unknown galaxy, she shouldn't rule anything out. Though I don't know how anyone could imitate Ancient technology so perfectly."

Park grimaced and shivered imperceptibly. "Their whole ritualistic society gives me the creeps. Did you see how everyone behaved with each other? It's like they're all brainwashed; reminds me of cults back on Earth."

Young shook his head and his face grew dark. "Something's not right."

Greer nodded, the fire of loyalty burning in his gaze as he prepared to follow his Commander, whatever decision he made. "What would you like us to do, Sir?"

"We'll attend the banquet so that we don't attract suspicion. Then we'll make our way back to Destiny; I'll consult with home world security and we'll have a look at what Eli's uncovered so far. We'll go from there."

Later Colonel Young would curse his decision outright. What had he suffered through training for if he didn't listen when his instincts demanded that his team was in a bad situation? A thousand apologies would never reverse the next hours and Rush would never be the same…

TBC...

For those half a dozen people who will actually read this, please R&R ;)