Hello all! I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy and safe. I'm very excited to have finished NaNoWriMo with 117,000 words written. Now to start editing! Lucky for you guys I did a lot of work on Trust Once Broken!
Happy Reading!
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Sateda Cont
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Kai knew it was John before he even spoke. The warmth in her chest and vague feelings of concern and impatience weren't her own emotions. She strained her hearing and she could just make out John and Teyla's heartbeats outside the room.
As soon as the tracker hit the floor the door swung the rest of the way open. "Don't look so surprised," John quipped from the doorway as he and Teyla stepped into view.
Both of their shoulders were tense and Teyla took watch at the door to make sure no Wraith snuck up on them. John however stalked inside. His eyes went from Ronon to Kai. He looked Kai up and down, reassuring himself that she was still whole, although he had felt Kai radio turn on as strong as if she were standing next to him the second they were through the gate. He knew she could block it or turn it off or whatever if she wanted to. He wondered if she had left it on full volume to help him find her. Kai's own version of a sub space tracker. He hoped so.
Ronon had tensed when he had spoken, ready to face a potential enemy. Kai however was harder to sneak up on. Ronon grunted when he realized it was them and dropped back down to sit on the floor.
Kai crossed the room and stepped up in front of John cocking her head to the side. She glanced down at an imaginary watch on her wrist.
"You call this a rescue?" She challenged sarcastically.
What she really wanted to do was to throw her arms around John's neck and just let him hold her. She was so relieved to see him there weren't words. She would let herself feel the terror of being hunted again later, once they were all back home safely. She couldn't let herself fall apart now, not with Ronon barely holding it together and a tracking beacon connected to her spine.
John looked down at Kai with a frown as he noted the injuries and blood soaked bandages, what worried him the most however was the pained, haunted look in her eyes, but he quickly flashed her a wry smile so she wouldn't see how worried he had been. "A single Wraith hive...we assumed you two had it covered," he said with a boyish grin. "We figured we'd show up to catch the finale and give you a ride home. Although you forgot these," he said and he pulled her two blades off his belt and held them out to her.
Kai grinned and eagerly took the blades from him. She had told him once her Blades weren't magical as he had guessed, which was true. But there was something about them; they had faced almost 10,000 years of blood and battle. One she had trained with since she was a child, it had been her constant companion for almost ninety years. She had killed to keep it and protect it's legacy. The other, she had taken in true combat from another Mortii who had come to kill her and those she cared about. It made the Blade somehow more hers than the one she had been given. For a Mortii to be given a weapon is to imply they aren't strong enough to take it themselves. It was why taking a Blade through combat was such a big deal. As she slid them away in the sheaths on her low back it felt like she could draw a deep breath for the first time since she had awoken on the Hive. They were grounding and gave her confidence; like talismans of her abilities.
Kai winked at John and he flashed her a wry grin, relieved. Whatever had been haunting her gaze was gone now and she looked like his Kai again. Confident, powerful and sexy as hell.
"Are you okay?" Teyla asked more seriously as her gaze settled on Ronon who hadn't moved from his spot. Ronon grunted but otherwise gave no indication he had heard her.
Reassured that Kai was fine, John turned to Ronon. "Come on," John said walking deeper into the room to approach him. "You can thank us later. McKay and Beckett are waiting for us in a jumper on the roof. If we hustle we can get out of this shithole before the Wraith make it up the stairs."
Ronon wasn't going anywhere. He lifted a gun and pointed it at John's chest. "Take Kai and get out of here," Ronon snarled.
"Ronon!" Kai snapped angrily. She shoved forward towards him, but John pushed her back behind him with a sweep of his arm.
John didn't honestly think Ronon was going to shoot him, but accidents happened and John had a propensity for pissing people off. He kept himself between Ronon's weapon and Kai. Ronon wasn't acting like himself and John wasn't going to take any chances. John raised his hands. "Okay, hey buddy, look, know you've been through a lot, but-"
"I'm not going anywhere," Ronon growled resolutely. He refused to even look at Sheppard. John was going to try and make him leave. But they weren't on Atlantis anymore. John wasn't the Colonel here who could order him around. They were on Sateda. They were on Ronon's home world and he wasn't about to take orders.
"I kept Zian safe for you, now get her out of here and leave me alone," Ronon snarled.
"Oh hey, who saved who from those Wraith," Kai snapped angrily stomping forward. She had always thought Ronon respected her as an equal for her abilities now she wasn't so sure. She was tempted to throw it in his face that he had been the one to freeze up when they first arrived, but then she remembered his pained expression as he told her about Melena. She couldn't do that to him. No matter how much of a jerk he was being, he was hurting.
The radio activated. "Hey, what's going on down there?" McKay's voice came through in John's ear. Kai was standing close enough to hear it. "You have 40 Wraith closing in on your position from ground level."
"It seems Ronon doesn't want to leave," John replied conversationally, although his jaw was tight.
McKay huffed impatiently. "Well too bad! You tell that ungrateful example of unevolved humanity that we came all this way to rescue him so he'd better get off his-"
John turned down the volume on the comm at the last second. "McKay says he's very hurt you won't come with us," John said, paraphrasing.
Ronon sat with his back against the wall and hung his head in defeat. All the rage he had felt draining out of him. "I can't," he said. "Keturah and his people, they had a deal. They traded me for their freedom."
John scowled down at Ronon in confusion. "Are you doing this for them?" he asked incredulously. "Those people? The ones on the planet who turned you over to the wraith?"
"It was my fault they were culled," Ronon said through gritted teeth.
"Ronon, the Wraith didn't honor the deal," Teyla told him in a soothing voice. "Keturah and his village, they are all dead."
Ronon looked up at them, first in disbelief, then as he processed what they were saying, rage burned in his eyes as he closed his hands into fists.
"Can we go now?" John asked sarcastically.
"No," Ronon snarled through gritted teeth.
"Why not?" John snapped impatiently. He had been so sure they had convinced Ronon. He was well aware of the time, every second that passed was another second the forty Wraith drew closer to their position.
"Because now I'm going to kill the wraith responsible for all of this," Ronon snarled.
John sighed dramatically. "I don't suppose he happens to be one of the ones out there that's about to come in here?" John asked hopefully.
"No," Ronon said. "He's probably still up in the Hive."
"We can't take on a hive ship now," Teyla said incredulously. Even the ever patient Athosian had clearly reached the end of her understanding with their friend. Yes, Ronon was in pain, but none of them were willing to undergo a suicide attack on the Wraith.
"We won't have to," Ronon promised them, his thoughts racing.
"Why aren't you moving?" Rodney's voice came through the comms impatiently.
"Ronon wants to take care of a few things first," John responded calmly as he stared down at his friend. This went beyond orders and Atlantis. Ronon had been carrying this rage since they had met, since the destruction of his home world and the death of his family. If John could help his friend move beyond that, he would, no matter the cost to him professionally. His eyes cut to Kai, as though she knew what he was thinking she nodded once in agreement.
"Oh really, like what?" McKay snapped angrily.
John walked over to Ronon resolute in his decision. It was a bad call, he knew that. He should have ordered them all up to the roof and off the planet without engaging the Wraith, but he knew Ronon would stand at his back if their roles were reversed. "Come on," he said holding out his hand to help him up. "Let's go kill some Wraith."
Ronon groaned in pain as John helped get him on his feet. He stared down into John's face. He wasn't good at this sort of thing, and he wasn't going to thank him because he hadn't been asking for his permission in the first place. "Just don't get in my way," he snarled aggressively.
"Hey," John called after him indignantly.
Ronon stopped and turned around, his eyes hard and wary as though he were waiting for Sheppard to order him off the planet. If John handed down that order and he refused he knew he would forfeit his place on Atlantis and in the expedition, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. He couldn't let this go, not when he was this close. He could end this once and for all.
"Thought you might want this back," John offered, pulling Ronon's gun and belt out from inside his jacket. Ronon took it without a word. "You're welcome!" John called after the surely Satedan. He met Kai's gaze across the room but she only shrugged. She pulled both her Blades and twirled them through her fingers.
"What in the hell is going on down there?" Rodney demanded through the comm.
"Ronon thinks he can get the head wraith responsible for all this to come down and fight him if we kill all of these wraith first," John said as he and the others jogged down the hall after Ronon.
"That is the stupidest plan I have ever heard," McKay snapped.
"I don't know, killing a bunch of Wraith always seems like a good idea to me," John said hopping from stair to stair to avoid the bodies of Wraith Ronon was leaving in his wake.
"They outnumber you 40-4," McKay hissed angrily.
"Actually," Beckett filled in. "It's 37 - 4, now 36, 35, 34..." Beckett drew off.
"And Ronon appears to be quite angry," Teyla added.
"Oh well that evens it out, you do realize that there is a Hive ship in orbit capable of blowing us all off the face of this planet!" McKay exclaimed, but his complaints were lost to the sound of gunshots.
John and Teyla stood back to back as they shot at a small group of Wraith. Kai bounced off a crate and launched herself at two wraith. She kicked the first in the face and buried a Blade in the second's heart, then she flipped off her second Blade and it was buried in the heart of the first. She jerked her blades free and ran after Ronon.
The three of them seemed to be perpetually chasing him. The Wraith had swarmed the hospital, coming at them from all directions in the maze of hallways. The three of them fought and killed the few that escaped Ronon's wrath. Kai was breathing heavily as she jerked her blade from the last wraith.
"That's it," John said over the radio. "We got them all. McKay?" he called when Rodney didn't respond.
"Yeah, it's just you guys left, that was quick," he said in surprise.
John stretched. "Yeah, I got six, Teyla got..."
"Eight," Teyla filled in.
"I got Ten," Kai supplied helpfully shooting John a playful grin.
"I got eleven," Sheppard corrected. "Teyla got eight, Kai got ten, Ronon took care of the rest."
Teyla and Kai exchanged an amused look and Kai rolled her eyes as she wiped the Wraith blood from her Blades on the last body.
Ronon stooped over one of the fallen wraith and picked up the body cam off one of the bodies. "You wanna see me die up close?" he challenged. "You're just going to have to come down here and do it yourself. You want me? Come get me. I'll be waiting," Ronon snarled.
Ronon turned back to them. His eyes ran over each of them, finally he turned his eyes and met Sheppard's gaze. "If you kill him before I do, I kill you," he warned.
John shot him an indignant look. "And if he kills you first?" John asked.
"Then you kill him," Ronon said.
"Right," John said. "Got it," he added sarcastically and he met Kai's eyes who shot him a warning look. Ronon was still on edge and John's sarcasm wasn't going to help anyone. John just shrugged.
Ronon stalked out into the middle of the main street and stood there waiting. Making himself a obvious target. Kai, John and Teyla all took up position on the roof that overlooked the street.
"I don't like it," John muttered.
"I believe that is why he threatened you and not us," Teyla told him.
John snorted. Although Kai tended to agree with Teyla. Of all of them John was the most likely to go off book and forget the plan to save Ronon.
A dart buzzed overhead and the head wraith appeared in the middle of the street fifty yards from Ronon. They both postured to one another and Ronon charged. He leapt to the side at the last minute intending to slam his knife into the Wraith's neck. The Wraith however easily backhanded him, sending him flying into a wall. The wraith stalked up to him and grabbed Ronon's hair, lifting him by it. Ronon screamed in pain and flailed but couldn't get away. It was hard to watch Ronon being beaten so completely by the Wraith who had tormented him for years.
"I could shoot him right now," John said, his P-90 aimed at the lead Wraith's chest.
"I wouldn't," Teyla warned.
"You really think Ronon would kill me?" John asked .
"I think he would never forgive you," Teyla said.
"I think he would get over it," John piped up.
Teyla looked up at the sky with a wince. "The hive has to be watching. If we shoot that Wraith, they will blast us all from space."
The wraith knocked Ronon to the ground and crouched over him, preparing to feed when suddenly the Jumper appeared. A single drone was fired and took out the wraith, throwing the wraith back fifty feet before it detonated.
"Holy crap," Sheppard exclaimed.
"We need to move!" Kai called.
The three of them ran for the ladder. They had just hit the ground when the building they had been on was hit, sending bricks and debris into the air. Teyla and John grabbed Ronon's arms and dragged him towards the Jumper. The road behind them exploded as they leapt into the jumper. The ramp closed and it was immediately cloaked.
John slammed his fist against the closed bulkhead door. "Go!" he hollered. The ship rocked as it took a glancing blow from a blast from the hive. Ronon hit the floor and Kai was thrown sideways onto the bench.
Once they were clear of the planet the doors slid open and McKay and Beckett stepped out.
"Everybody okay?" Beckett called, looking back and forth.
"We are okay," Teyla promised.
"Which one of you killed the Wraith?" Ronon demanded dangerously.
"That would be me," Beckett said excitedly.
"My idea," Rodney added smugly, pointing at his chest.
Ronon stood up with a snarl.
"Ronon," Kai warned, pushing herself to her feet.
"What? Don't tell me you aren't happy it's dead," Beckett swallowing thickly.
"I had him in my sights," John said. "And Ronon told me he would kill me if I shot him," John told them.
"It was all Beckett's idea," McKay said quickly, taking half a step back away from Beckett.
Ronon grabbed Beckett by the vest and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you," he gasped.
"What?" John asked in disbelief. "Him you thank? I could have killed him at any time but Teyla wouldn't let me," he whined.
"Thank you, all of you," Ronon said sincerely and he turned to Kai. "Thank you for saving me," he told her and he wrapped her up in a hug. She seemed so much smaller than Ronon as he engulfed her in the hug. She patted his back soothingly. She could feel the fine tremble to her friend's muscles and knew he was barely holding it together.
"It's nothing really," John said, clearly uncomfortable. "I just killed ten, twelve Wraith, no big deal," he said with a casual shrug.
Teyla rolled her eyes and Kai chuckled. Ronon pulled back from Kai a little bit, but he kept one arm across her shoulders, using her to help stabilize himself. Now that the adrenaline was fading he was beginning to feel the pain radiating through his body.
Beckett turned to Ronon and Kai. "How about you both sit down and I get those tracking devices out of you and deactivated before the Hive gets a bead on us?"
Ronon started to collapse back. Kai fought to keep him upright, but he was too heavy. He passed out and he hit the bench hard. She grimaced, but was glad he was out so he didn't feel the pain.
"Maybe start with him Carson," Kai said exhaustedly.
Carson nodded. He turned to his med kit and pulled out a shot. "This will put you under so I can remove the tracking device," he said.
Kai sat down on the bench and rolled up her arm. She watched as Carson slid the needle into her arm. She didn't flinch from the pinch and the warmth of the drug began spreading through her body almost immediately.
"There," Beckeet said. "You'll be right as rain in about ten minutes," he said and he stood to go work on Ronon. "Teyla did would you lend me a hand?"
John sat down beside Kai. He reached down and took her hand in his. Their hands resting in the space between their bodies. He followed her gaze to where Kai was watching Beckett work over Ronon.
John cleared his throat. "You care about him, don't you?" he asked in a low tone.
Kai turned to face John. "Sure," she said with a small frown. "He's like family," she told him. She drew in a breath and laced her fingers more securely with John's. She could feel the sedative working it's way through her system and she wanted to get the words out before she fell asleep. "I saw the pain he felt, the regret over Melena," she said. "That was her name," she added, her voice becoming sleepy. "I don't want to regret anything," she drew off and her head drooped and she fell asleep on his shoulder.
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When Kai awoke she was in the infirmary of the Daedalus. She pushed herself up and grimaced as stitches pulled painfully across her back. She could tell there was some kind of numbing agent on her back, and she still felt foggy enough she was betting Beckett had given her some kind of pain meds as well.
"I had heard you should be waking up soon."
Kai turned to see Colonel Caldwell standing at the end of her bed. She frowned. It must have been late. The lights were all turned down and John was fast asleep in the chair between her and Ronon's cots. Ronon was still unconscious.
"Thank you, for coming after us," Kai said turning back to face Caldwell. "I was surprised to hear you were willing," she added, unable to resist pushing the surly Colonel who had never tried to hide his dislike or distrust of her.
Caldwell rested his hands on his hips. "As much as you probably don't believe me, I wouldn't just leave you to die," Caldwell told her.
Kai snorted in disbelief.
"I don't dislike you," Caldwell told her. "I just don't like the way you follow the rules. Or don't," he added sharply. "but you and Ronon have proven your loyalty."
Beside her John jerked awake. Caldwell cleared his throat and nodded once to Kai before he strode out of the room. John blinked tiredly, his gaze flickering to the door that had just slid closed, but he missed who had left. He turned tired eyes back to Kai.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Just fine," she said. "Which probably means Beckett gave me a lot drugs..." she dragged off.
John nodded. "He said they did a hack job. He said it might be a while until you are feeling better."
"Guess they didn't think I was going to live very long," Kai said wryly.
"You showed them," John said wryly.
Kai reached out and laid her hand on top of his. "Thank you for coming for me," she said.
"Did you think I wouldn't?" John challenged gently.
Kai shrugged, but her brows were pulled into a frown. "I knew you would want to," she said, although she didn't sound certain. "But I didn't expect this," she said gesturing to the Daedalus.
John's smirk stilled on his face and he became very serious. He carefully took her hand in his. He rested her palm against his. He stared down at her hands. It never ceased to amaze him how hands so small and delicate could be so strong. John lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "I will always come for you," he promised.
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I hope you enjoyed the update!