Yes, I got sick again. Sorry about that. Here it is, finally! The last chapter! Hurrah!

THE THERMOPYLAE
By TIPPER

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: THE STORY OF THE THERMOPYLAE

"...the next thing I know, McKay yells 'stop!' in this both terrified and really furious voice..."

"Pure McKay."

"Yeah, true. Anyway, he yells 'stop' and the ship does; it just stops, coming to a dead halt and...of course, falling. He freaks again, yells something like, "up, up, up!" and guns the...what did you call them again?"

"Thrusters."

"...yeah, thrusters on the front of the ship, so the back end is falling, but the front is lifting and...flips over. Just like that. I got under the weapons console and just hung on!"

Sheppard's laughter at Ronon's story was grating, because there was no questioning at whose expense it was at, and McKay snarled as he floated back to consciousness. He then heard Teyla's soft voice joining the conversation.

"He flipped the Thermopylae upside down?" she breathed, no mocking in her tone, just awe. Rodney liked Teyla. "On purpose?"

"Well, not sure about the purpose part, but it sure confused the Wraith. Dart nearly went into us before spinning off out of control in a different direction. McKay righted us a second later, and then aimed us after it."

"What then?" Sheppard asked brightly.

"Well, the Wraith got pretty far away. I...asked McKay if I could shoot it, but...he had a better idea."

"A better idea?" Sheppard repeated, drawing the words out a little.

"Well, like I said, the Wraith was sorta far out," Ronon replied, sounding uncomfortable, then he ploughed on, as if to avoid any response to that. "Anyway, the dart swings around and heads back, firing and missing. The Thermopylae's swimming from side to side, like a fish in a strong current, avoiding every shot. I looked back at McKay, and he's got that look on his face. You know the one—the look he gets when he's about to do something that's probably both unbelievably brilliant but also incredibly stupid at the same time?"

Sheppard laughed, and Rodney gritted his teeth.

"We know it well," Teyla said, her tone warm, amused. "Saved our lives on numerous occasions." Yeah, Rodney really liked Teyla.

"While also almost killing us, of course," Sheppard noted, and McKay, still not quite awake, could see Sheppard lifting his finger in his mind's eye, to make his point. Jerk.

"We're all still alive," Teyla replied, her tone even warmer.

"Aye, often barely," Beckett's sly voice chimed in. Ah, so the master of voodoo was there as well, was he? McKay tried to shift on the bed, but his limbs felt leaden, too heavy to lift easily. He frowned, and a headache started to pound behind his left eye.

"Anyway," Ronon pulled them back in, clearly wanting to continue his story, which was a bit unusual for the normally taciturn man, "McKay gets that look, tells me to hold on, and we're suddenly whipping sideways at this crazy angle. Before I know what's happening—to be honest, I wasn't sure what was happening most of the time—we're swinging back around like a canderhass, and—"

"What? Canderhass?" Beckett says, stopping the conversation. "What is a canderhass?"

"It's a...uh...It's a fish...well, more like a crustacean..." Ronon paused.

"Like a...a...I do not know how to describe it. It has a certain way of moving, however, which...which...oh dear." Teyla was clearly stumped as well.

"Show me," Sheppard said.

"Oh, okay. It moved like this..." There was some shuffling, then something snapped sharply, and Rodney jerked at the noise, startled. He felt a hand quickly rest on one of his ankles and squeeze lightly. It was a gentle touch, soothing. Whoever it was, they must have seen him flinch. He was lying on his left side, his legs curled under him. Probing down with the leg that wasn't now being held—he found someone sitting on the end of his bed. The hand stayed on his ankle even after he touched the person and pulled his foot back.

"Heh," Sheppard snorted, obviously in response to Ronon's comment. "Gotcha. We call it pulling a one-eighty, though it's usually done in a car." Sheppard was not close enough to be the person on McKay's bed...he sounded too far away.

"Okay, whatever you say," Ronon replied off-handedly. When he continued, though, there was pride again in his voice, "So, he whips us around and, this time, it was definitely on purpose. I saw the look on his face—he meant it. Pretty cool, actually. And then we're aiming for the side of the Dart, on a collision course, like we're going to broadside it. Last minute, McKay pulls up and the front thrusters come on..."

"While the engines were driving you forward full throttle? Oh, the ship couldn't have liked that!" Sheppard laughed.

"It didn't. McKay was talking to the ship almost the whole time as he flew—I don't think he even knew he was doing it—asking it to forgive him, begging it to help him a bit more. And it righted itself pretty quick—I think the ship kinda liked him. It was weird. And his move was effective. The Dart was shoved into the trees. Should've taken it down, but, somehow, it came out again. Wraith had luck on his side, the bastard."

"And rotten luck on ours," Carson said, quietly.

"There was a lot of that," Teyla agreed solemnly.

"Bad luck the Wraith came in the first place, maybe," Sheppard said, "but bad luck for them we were there. Took down four darts, killed over thirty Wraith, saved all our people and almost all of the Cutsarkians..." He trailed off into a soft silence, and Rodney could imagine him lifting his eyebrows as he regarded his team. Rodney found some of his annoyance at the colonel fading away.

"Very true," Teyla agreed, and the warmth was back.

"So then what happened?" Carson asked.

"Well," Ronon made a sound like he was shrugging, "after that, the dart must've decided we were too much for it, and it headed straight for the Gate. I shot two missiles after it, but the dart did this amazing turn and...McKay told me not to fire on it, to let it get away, but..." He paused, and you could hear the awkward guilt in his hesitation.

"It all worked out in the end," Sheppard said then, clearly cutting off the man before any guilt or remorse could be worked into the story. "Besides, if it had gotten through, they probably would've sent more darts back."

There was a pause, then, Ronon spoke again, "Suppose."

"Sounds like Rodney really outdid himself," Carson said. "Flying like that. Never knew he had it in him."

"He didn't either," Ronon agreed.

"As with all things," Teyla said, "you never know until you try."

"Of course, with Rodney," Carson mused, "he usually doesn't try until he has no choice."

That earned bright laughter from anyone, even Teyla, and Rodney scowled some more. He hated it when they did this—didn't they know he was right there? He shifted again, and the hand on his ankle tightened its grip. What the hell? Whoever it was thought he could get away? Meanwhile, the laughter died down, until there was a sort of comfortable silence.

"Damn," Sheppard sighed finally, "I wish I'd had a chance to fly that ship. Bet it was amazing."

"You get to fly everything else," McKay muttered, "It was my turn." He managed to break the seal on his eyelids as he spoke, allowing light to filter in through his long lashes. "And, despite what Dreads there says, I saved your ass, so laughing at me is not nice." It took a few determined eye blinks, but he managed to focus a glare on the spiky haired lump in the bed to his left. Sheppard grinned cockily back.

"I thought I got to tell everyone how much better it all would have been if I had been flying," Sheppard teased, his eyes dancing as he met the scientist's gaze.

McKay scowled. He wasn't in the mood to be teased. He didn't really feel in the mood for much of anything to be honest. He lifted his head and blinked some more, trying to see who else was here.

It was Teyla on the end of his bed, her hand on his ankle. She smiled warmly and squeezed it again when he looked at her, and he scowled a little less, resulting in a frown. He didn't move his ankle. She looked well, except for a bandage on her head. Much of the temple and left side of her face was a mottle of yellowing bruises as well. She appeared a little pale, but, otherwise, well.

His eyes shifted to see Carson sitting in a chair between the beds, his feet up on Sheppard's bed and his lap filled with paper that he had apparently been writing notes on. The pen was forgotten in his hand as he too smiled at McKay.

That was a lot of smiling in his direction. It was a bit much. He wasn't a child in need of attention. He thought about moving his ankle from Teyla's grip...

One more eye shift, and he saw Ronon sitting on the end of Sheppard's bed, leaning forward—because if he leaned back he'd probably knock into the colonel's elevated left leg. The limb was trapped inside an air cast from thigh to ankle. Hunh. That looked like it hurt.

Good.

Ronon wasn't smiling at him. He was just arching an eyebrow. That was definitely better than a smile.

He finally turned back to Sheppard. The colonel was no longer grinning. He looked concerned.

"You okay?" he asked, worry clear in his voice.

"Oh, right," Carson said, as if startled. "Where's my head?" Papers scraped against each other as the physician stood up without grace. McKay watched him for a moment, then closed his eyes again. It was too much effort to pay attention. A moment later, he felt a hand on his head.

"Rodney?" Carson asked softly. "How are you feeling?"

The answer was obvious—he felt sick. Nauseous and disoriented, like he wasn't sure which way was up. His head hurt, his left arm felt bizarrely numb, and his back felt strained. But...at the same time...he also didn't feel up to sharing this news with everyone staring at him.

"Fine," he mumbled.

That earned a moment's silence, then Beckett was picking up his right arm and taking his pulse. McKay opened his eyes again, and this time, everyone was watching him with real concern. He frowned again, but more in confusion this time. Why were they suddenly worried?

"Can you tell me what hurts, Rodney?" Carson said, putting his arm back down and pulling out his penlight. "Is it your arm? You managed to curl your fingers for me yesterday, remember? Can you do that again for me now?"

McKay blinked a few times, the frown fading into confusion and then real anxiety. Remember? He didn't remember anything of the sort! He looked up at the physician, eyes opening wider. "What? Why, is there something wrong with me? What is it? Is there something wrong with my arm? Why are you all looking at me like that?" He shifted his left arm as he spoke, and flexed the fingers of his hand—they seemed to work, although his arm felt oddly weak and the movement slow, difficult. "Oh my God, is that permanent?" He looked up again, wide awake now and scared.

Carson was about to flash the light in his eyes, but McKay's questions and sudden liveliness obviously stopped him. He looked puzzled, then, slowly, he straightened, a knowing smile on his face.

"Oh, I see." Carson nodded, tucking the light away in the pocket of his lab coat. "Your arm is still healing, Rodney, but Doctor Morrison is confident it'll be just fine. I take it you're just feeling a bit out of sorts, yes? Hence the pissy mood. That's to be expected."

"Expected?" McKay's brow furrowed, taking the news about his arm in stride. "I'll have you know I feel like I'm going to throw up all over your shiny white shoes, you poor excuse for a care-giver! And 'out of sorts'? Is that a medical term? Where did you earn your degree—Make-It-Up-As-You-Go-Along University?"

Beckett was smiling more broadly, and he nodded. Turning to look at the others, he gave a tiny shrug, "He's just fine."

"Well, I was! I'm not so sure now!" McKay huffed, and he tried to shift onto his back, only to hiss when the movement pulled something that felt like duct tape on his back, holding his skin together.

"Hush, Rodney," Carson said, patting his head in an infuriatingly parental gesture, "and don't lie back just yet—we just changed the dressing on your back and it's probably still a wee bit sore." He smiled and backed up a step. "I'll get you something for your stomach." Turning, he nodded at the other three before stepping around the chair he'd been sitting in, heading out of the curtains separating McKay's and Sheppard's beds from the rest of the infirmary.

McKay watched him leave, brow furrowed in both confusion and annoyance that his injuries and obvious illness were being so easily dismissed. He looked again at his left arm and moved the fingers again.

"You really okay, McKay?" Sheppard asked, his tone quiet. Rodney looked up, and met the hazel eyes evenly. Oddly, the genuine worry in them calmed him down a little, and he was able to think again about the others.

"Yeah," he said finally. "I guess so. How about the rest of you?" He glanced down at Ronon and Teyla as he spoke.

"We're okay," Ronon nodded. Teyla smiled again. "Sheppard's got the strained back from hell though." The Satedan glanced at the colonel, who gave him a sneering smile back.

Rodney grimaced, then looked around, as if just realizing where he was for the first time. "Oh, hey. We're home," he said, and then frowned a little in bewilderment.

"Just noticed that, did you?" John grinned.

"Clearly," Rodney replied snarkily. "How did we get back?"

"Daedalus came and got us," Ronon explained.

"Oh," Rodney frowned. He was looking at Teyla now, and his logical mind realized that her bruises were fading. Which meant...time had passed. "How long ago?"

"Four days," Teyla supplied.

Rodney's eyes opened wide, and he tried to sit up...and hissed in pain as his back pulled.

"Don't do that," Ronon suggested. Rodney gave him a dark look.

"Yes, thanks for that," he snarled. He frowned again, "Four days? Wow."

"Yeah, apparently we all slept through most of it," Sheppard said, sounding a bit sheepish.

"You too?" Rodney asked him, curious.

"And me," Ronon said, raising a hand. "Really embarrassing."

"Huh," Rodney frowned again. He opened his mouth to ask another question when he caught Beckett bouncing back towards them out of the corner of his eye.

"Here we go," Carson said cheerily, holding up a small cup of water and some pills. He rested the cup on the table next to Rodney's bed, then took Rodney's right hand and dropped the pills into it. "Swallow those."

Rodney stared at them a minute, then did as he was told, chasing them with the water. The liquid felt good sliding down his dry throat. Carson, meanwhile, sat back down in his chair and stretched a little before settling with his arms crossed. He smiled at Rodney, who was crushing the little plastic cup in his right hand into a ball.

"There now. You'll soon be—"

Rodney suddenly threw the empty plastic cup at him, and it hit the doctor square in the middle of his forehead. Carson jumped slightly, clearly surprised, then gave Rodney a dark look—making no move to pick the cup up. Rodney grinned.

"Guess he's feeling better already," Ronon supplied, grinning as well.

"What was that for?" Carson demanded, his arms crossing more tightly.

"I had to hit someone for that little make-fun-of-McKay story," Rodney answered, smiling smugly now. "You're the least likely to retaliate."

"Oh, you think so, do you? Well, I'll..." He trailed off, his hand reaching up to touch at the radio in his ear—the only one of them wearing one. "Yes, Elizabeth?" He waited a moment, then smiled. "Of course, lass." He looked up at the others. "I can say with some certainty that they are all up for visitors, seeing as they're already all visiting each other. Even Rodney appears fully awake for the first time in...what?" He paused again, his blue eyes lifting to look at Teyla. "Yes, Teyla is here. I'll tell her." He lowered his hand and smiled up at the Athosian, "Elizabeth is looking for you. Halling is visiting from the Mainland and wants to discuss some things."

Teyla sat up straighter, looking oddly uncertain at the news. Rodney couldn't even bring himself to complain when the grip on his ankle tightened almost painfully, seeing the nervousness in her frame.

"That's good news, isn't it? You can tell him about the Thermopylae," Sheppard said, sounding a little tentative. He was no fool—his brow had furrowed at her reaction.

"I...yes," she said, sliding forward off Rodney's bed to stand up, "I just...I am not sure yet what I can tell him." She frowned again, then straightened her shoulders and nodded a farewell to all of them. "I will tell him as much as I can. Thank you." With a smile, she turned and left.

Sheppard frowned some more, then looked at Carson. "Has anyone been doing any research into the archives about what we found?"

The physician gave a small shrug, "I think Elizabeth was going to, but we had a couple of small crises since you've been in here. I don't think anyone has had a chance yet to really look."

"Still," Rodney noted, "I'd think she'd be excited to tell Halling and the others about the Thermopylae. Why'd she look so worried?"

"Maybe," Sheppard shrugged, biting his lip a little, "it's not so much about telling them, but what to tell them. We really don't have the full story yet behind the ship. She might have been hoping to learn more before talking to them."

"Well, we're not doing anything," Ronon said, sitting up straighter. "Couldn't we help with that?"

"Oh, no, now wait," Carson straightened as well, sensing that Ronon was suggesting leaving the infirmary. "You're all three still recovering and—"

"Well, hang on," Sheppard held up a finger, and looked over at Rodney, "I know Elizabeth doesn't like us to use Morgan, because of the power drain, but something like this...?"

Rodney stared at him for a second with a frown, then gave a tiny, rueful smile. "Oh, go ahead. You know you can get Elizabeth to do anything you want, if you just charm her enough. And if Carson lets me have access to a tablet," he turned to look at the physician, "I could probably get it all set up in advance, so that less power is used in the actual search."

"What are you all talking about?" Ronon asked, clearly confused, looking back and forth between the three men. "Who is Morgan?" Sheppard and Rodney just smiled back.

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A little over a week later, Sheppard hobbled along on his crutches, clearly unhappy with his infirmity, heading to the hologram room at a slow pace. Rodney walked alongside, matching the slow pace without a word and unconsciously cradling his left arm with his right, bandages peeking out from under the jacket sleeve. Up ahead, they could see Ronon leaning against the outside wall of the circular room, not waiting for them so much as not wanting to have to go inside before he had to.

When they were along side him, the Satedan straightened and gave them a nod. Then, as they entered the round room, he ghosted inside behind them. Sheppard and McKay headed straight for a collection of chairs that had been placed inside the normally Spartan room, and Ronon set himself up so he was leaning against the wall behind Sheppard's right shoulder. The Colonel immediately sprawled out on his seat, as loose limbed as he could be with his injury, while McKay sat ram-rod straight, his eyes bright.

Elizabeth was already there, standing on the far side of the room, talking to Vasa, Innis, and Fallen, the three Cutsarkians obviously there to represent their people. Carson was sitting in a chair not far from them and Zelenka was standing next to him, the two men listening to Doctor Travis—who had become the resident chief "historian" at some point—as he spoke quickly and gestured about something with his hands. Halling and an Athosian woman named Reyna were hovering somewhere in the middle, looking a bit unsure of their presence.

Finally, the guest of honor (as Sheppard thought of her) came walking in, her brow furrowing in puzzlement as she saw the large collection of people already there. She tilted her head and, with a nod to Halling and Reyna, walked over to her team first.

"Colonel," she said softly, "I thought you told me to meet you here to go over some new information regarding the Mainland." She trailed off as she saw Travis give her a grin from across the room and a small wave. She lifted a hand in reply.

"Well," Sheppard shrugged lightly, "it's really more information about the people living there, not the Mainland itself."

Teyla returned her gaze to him, her eyebrows lifting. "You mean..."

"Yeah."

"But I thought Doctor Weir said we could only use the hologram archive for emergencies..."

"And special occasions," Rodney interrupted. "Plus, I've put in a few parameters to make the program less of a drain in this instance. Elizabeth couldn't say no."

"To Sheppard," Ronon supplied lazily. Rodney frowned at that, and looked over his shoulder to glare up at the Satedan. Ronon just smirked.

Teyla glanced at them, then at the rest of the room. "Do they all already know what she will say?"

"No," Sheppard said, still smiling, "none of us do, except perhaps Travis to a small degree."

Teyla looked again at the three of them, and, slowly, began to smile in return. She gave them a nod, then turned and walked across to Halling and Reyna to greet them. Elizabeth watched her, obviously waiting for the right moment. A couple of minutes passed, then the leader met Sheppard's eyes and nodded.

"Right," she called, stepping forward to get everyone's attention, "as everyone is now here, I'd like to start." Elizabeth waited until they were all either seated or watching her before speaking again. "As you all know, Colonel Sheppard's team returned from the planet Cutsarkia about a week and a half ago with some new friends," she nodded to Vasa, Innis, and Fallen, "and some very interesting news about a crashed space ship called the Thermopylae. At the insistence of certain members of said team," she smiled at Rodney, Sheppard and Ronon, "it seemed important to use this discovery to learn a little more about both Atlantis' history and that of Pegasus. So, Doctor McKay, Doctor Zelenka and Doctor Travis have all been working together to set this up." She looked over at Teyla, "Teyla," she smiled, "if you would do the honors?" She indicated the main podium with a sweep of her hand.

Teyla looked at the Atlantian leader for a moment, before understanding her meaning. She glanced over at Rodney.

"Just ask her to tell you the story of the Thermopylae," the scientist called encouragingly. Teyla nodded at him, then moved forward to step up on the dais.

Immediately, a white clad hologram of the Ancient Morgan Le Fay appeared before them.

"Hello," she said, bowing her head once to Teyla. "How may I assist you?"

Teyla lifted her chin. "My name is Teyla Emmagen of the Athosian people. We would like to know the story of the Thermopylae."

Morgan smiled and nodded again. "Of course. It would be my honor."

The room darkened around them at her words, and a three-dimensional projection of the Pegasus galaxy appeared over their heads, spinning softly. Everyone in the room looked up as the hologram started to speak, watching the projections as she began the tale.

"The Lanteans were able to witness the growth and prosperity of many great civilizations during our time in the Pegasus galaxy," she began. "Of these, five grew greater and stronger than any other, blossoming to form alliances among planets and amongst themselves through the use of the Stargates. We were proud and honored to consider these great civilizations amongst some of our closest friends and dearest allies in Pegasus." She looked a little to her right, and the others in the room did as well, following her gaze. "One of these five were the people of the Ring of Athos." As she spoke, a ring of eight planets lit up, and in the middle of them, one planet glowed more brightly than the others. Halling, Reyna and Teyla all stared at it with wide eyes—a planet none of them had known, but had always wondered about. The original Athos.

"Might want to add that to the planets to be visited in the near future?" Sheppard whispered to McKay. The scientist just nodded.

Morgan continued, "When the Wraith scourge truly began to take its toll on this galaxy, we soon found ourselves outnumbered and in a protracted war we were ultimately going to lose. Despite our best efforts, we could not protect the people of this galaxy any more than we could effectively protect ourselves. One by one, our allies fell, until only the five great civilizations still held out."

The hologram turned, and she seemed to be looking at the three Athosians in the room as she continued.

"One of our chief engineers, Donal Magay, suggested that we needed new thinking and new ideas in our battle with the Wraith, something outside the Lantean mindset. Perhaps a new ship, something the Wraith would not expect and could not anticipate. The council heeded the wisdom of his words, and a challenge was issued to each of the five great civilizations to design a new kind of ship, one the Lanteans would build but which the winner of the challenge would fly. The Athosians presented the design for the Thermopylae, and it won the challenge."

The hologram of the stars disappeared, to be replaced by a new image, that of a familiar silver ship slipping its way through space, dancing between stars.

"The strength of the Thermopylae was not its weaponry, but its speed and handling. It had the maneuverability of a much smaller ship, on the level of the quick Wraith darts, but the speed and endurance of a warship. In battle, it would out-flank anything that came at it. Its only flaw was how light it needed to be. For it to carry an effective arsenal, it could not carry a large crew nor some of the more effective defensive capabilities that protected our ships—like a powerful shield emitter. Nevertheless, it was felt that its speed would make up for these flaws, and Donal Magay agreed to work with the Athosian engineers to resolve some of the other issues in its design. He even managed to include a pulse cannon into the design, without sacrificing any power."

Above their heads, a photograph appeared of a middle aged man, dark haired and handsome with an easy smile. His hair was cut long, curling under his ears, and while his nose was a little large, his blue eyes were sharp and bright.

"With Donal Magay's help, the first Athosian spacecraft, the Thermopylae was built, and its crew chosen for its inaugural flight."

Magay's image slipped to the side, and new photos joined it, showing the smiling and proud faces of twenty three men and women, all wearing the same green uniform that Teyla had found on the Thermopylae. Names appeared beneath each image, and Teyla found herself staring curiously at the image of "First Engineer Jorgan Relegar." It was the same face as the one she had seen on the ship—and it caused her to shiver slightly.

The hologram had paused, waiting for all the faces to be viewed, before continuing.

"The Athosians intended the Thermopylae to be the first of many, to be the centerpiece of a fleet they hoped to build with our help in the increasingly dangerous war with the Wraith. The fleet was to be called the White Star line, and an eight pointed star was created to be their symbol."

Above the faces, a green triangle formed with a white star in the middle—the same symbol on Teyla's new jacket and on the tiny triangle she had found near the clearing.

"I know that symbol," Innis said suddenly, stepping forward, her head tilted in interest.

Teyla hit the pause button on the console and turned to the blonde woman, "What?"

"Near the Stargate on our planet...our former planet," she amended, "there is a graveyard, one my people have tended," she frowned slightly, "I think since they first arrive on Cutsarkia. Curiously, who is buried there had faded into memory, but we still always maintained it..."

"Part of our heritage," Vasa agreed, the large red-headed woman's sharp eyes narrowing as she too studied the symbol floating overhead. "At least, we thought it was. Now I think it must have been part of yours." She looked at Teyla. "The markers for the graves are each adorned with a small metal triangle, like that one. My people," she looked up again, "must have come across the bodies of your ancestors there and buried them, then made it part of our legacy to always tend to the graveyard." She shrugged, "I do not know why. Some superstitionm, I assume."

"Perhaps they thought them to be Lanteans," Elizabeth suggested, "because of their uniforms." In response, Vasa merely shrugged again.

"I found one of the markers," Teyla said, "affixed to a tree near the Stargate."

Vasa nodded, "A few mark the trail to the clearing. You probably were not far from it, wherever you were."

Teyla looked down at that information, then turned and looked again at the faces of the Thermopylae crew.

"Let's hear the rest," Rodney said impatiently. Teyla glanced at him, then hit the button again on the console.

"Unfortunately," Morgan said, continuing her story, "the Thermopylae was commissioned around the same time that the Wraith succeeded in delivering what would turn out to be a fatal blow to Lantean control over this galaxy—they found a flaw in the weapons satellites guarding most of our outposts and Atlantis, effectively destroying their ability to protect us. Immediately, all our outposts found themselves brutally under attack, and we were losing people all over the galaxy." She frowned, and her eyes now shifted to the left, where a white spinning outpost was blown up.

"At the time of the Thermopylae's completion, several of our greatest minds and military leaders were stationed on the outpost of Claris, in the Flying Cloud system, including Donal Magay's daughter, one of our greatest generals." She looked back at Teyla, "And Claris was under attack."

"We could not afford to send anyone out to rescue the Lanteans trapped on the outpost—its location was simply too far flung. The Thermopylae was still being tested in the space around Atlantis when the news came in, and, upon learning the news, the Athosian crew, despite being very green, immediately requested leave to attempt a rescue. The Athosian leadership denied the request, as did the Lantean council..." Morgan gave a tiny smile, "And both were ignored. Completely unsanctioned, against orders and with no real experience, the Thermopylae took off towards Claris." She tilted her head, and the Thermopylae was seen jetting away from the blue planet and into the cosmos.

"The pride of Athos never reached Claris. Its fate was unknown, lost somewhere in the deep of space, we assume because of the Wraith. Their loss was devastating to the Ring of Athos and to our own people. We would have no opportunity to build another—our own fleet of ships was too much in need of repair and replacement. And it was not long after this event, that the Lanteans were forced to evacuate back to Earth." Morgan lowered her head, as if in respect.

Teyla sighed softly and nodded, as if something had been confirmed to her. She shifted, as if to step off, but Rodney called at her to stay. She looked at him, frowning curiously.

"Give her a moment," Rodney said, gesturing at the hologram. "She'll continue."

Teyla frowned, and looked back at Morgan. Indeed, the hologram appeared to be studying the ground, as if reading something. When her head lifted, she smiled.

"Until now," she began, "no one knew what had become of the Thermopylae and her crew. However, the ship rediscovered recently by Teyla Emmagen," and the hologram smiled and nodded at Teyla, "a descendant of the Ring of Athos, and her team. The records of the Thermopylae have been added to the database, and the rest of its story can be told." Teyla's jaw dropped, and she turned to look at Sheppard, Rodney and Ronon. The three men just grinned back.

"The Thermopylae," Morgan said, smiling again, "did in fact nearly make it to Claris, but bad luck in the form of a solar flare disrupted their cloak within range of a cluster of Wraith ships. Badly outnumbered, the Thermopylae was rendered a devastating blow when Wraith fire took out the main pulse cannon, the ship's primary weapon, and ruptured a massive hole in the ship's hull. In an impressive feat of engineering skill and speed, Donal Magay rerouted the power that had fed the cannon into an energy shield that would fill the hole long enough for the ship to land on the nearest planet with a Stargate."

"Oh," Rodney said suddenly, "Is that why..." he trailed off, making odd humming noises. Teyla hit the pause button again, looking at him.

"Rodney?"

He smiled at her, "Oh, nothing. Just explains why I could never get that shield to form over the entire ship. It's because it wasn't originally a shield."

"You mean," Sheppard leaned forward, "they didn't design it to have a cloak and a shield at the same time?"

"Obviously not originally, no. Donal Magay must have found a way to do it using the extra power from the pulse cannon—which is damned impressive. Incredible, really, considering they were in space and flying and..." he just shook his head. "It also explains why the coding for it was so messed up and difficult to manipulate. He must have cut corners like crazy, and ended up with something so specialized, it couldn't be unraveled without tons of work—so the shield filled the hole...or holes...only. Huh," his lips formed an inward looking smile.

"Sounds like something you might do, Rodney," Teyla said. McKay looked up, meeting her eyes, and grinned, taking that as a compliment. She nodded back at him, indicating she meant it as such, then turned and hit the button to reactivate the hologram.

"The Thermopylae crashed on a planet known as Ten Five One Two Kay. Many of its crew were killed in the battle, and some in the crash. The few that survived, led by acting captain Jorgan Relegar, attempted to escape through the Stargate back to Atlantis—but the Wraith had followed them. They were ambushed, and, ultimately, all killed."

"However," Morgan lifted her head proudly, "they did manage one final act of defiance. By their actions, the Thermopylae remained hidden from the Wraith for ten thousand years, and its power, over time, was restored. When Teyla Emmagen and her team discovered the ship, they were able to bring the Thermopylae back into the fight against the Wraith. It was used to defeat a new set of Wraith warriors and to rescue a different group of worthy allies, the Cutsarkians."

"For this reason, although the Thermopylae was destroyed in battle, its name will not again be forgotten," Morgan promised. "The Thermopylae's greatness is measured by these deeds, and its name, along with its crew, will be added to the roster of honored ships in the Atlantian Database."

Morgan bowed her head, and looked again at Teyla. "And that is the Story of the Thermopylae."

Teyla stared at her a moment longer, then nodded back. "Thank you," she said softly.

"You are most welcome," Morgan replied, and she winked out of existence. Teyla stepped down of the dais and turned to look at the people in the room.

Halling was the first to move, a huge grin appearing on his face, and he grabbed Teyla into a hug. Soon everyone was talking and laughing, all except the three men still sitting over by themselves. Sheppard watched Teyla as she was surrounded both by her own people and that of Elizabeth and the Cutsarkians, smiling softly. Rodney was looking down at his shoes, as if thinking. Ronon sighed softly behind them.

"Anyone else hungry?" he asked quietly.

Sheppard shrugged, and McKay looked up.

"Carson suggested I eat more soup," the scientist said, not sounding all that pleased at the idea.

"Then let's get you some," Ronon replied, poking McKay's shoulder. When the Satedan pushed off the wall and left, Rodney and Sheppard sighed and followed quietly behind.

—————————————————————————————

Teyla saw her team leave, feeling a tiny pang of regret that she wasn't with them, and then turned back to see Carson watching her. The physician smiled at her, and she remembered something she had wanted to ask him. Excusing herself from Halling, Reyna and the others, she walked over to him and asked to speak to him alone. He gave a short nod and led her to the other side of the room.

"What is it, lass?"

"I had a question," she replied softly, "one I did not want to ask Elizabeth and the others. And," she hesitated, glancing at the others in the room, "I would appreciate it if you did not tell anyone else that I have asked it."

"Of course," he replied.

"I understand that," her eyes narrowed slightly, "ascension is something that has not only been achieved by the Lanteans, but by ordinary humans as well. That is to say, I know that those people within the time dilation field we found were able, after many years of study, to achieve it, but..." she frowned, then plunged on, "what about others? Those whom, perhaps, were not trying to ascend, but may have done so anyway. Has that happened?"

Carson studied her a moment, brow furrowed slightly. Finally, he nodded.

"Yes. Though not always with the best results." He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. "Why?"

"I..." Teyla frowned, then shrugged. "Nothing. It was just a thought."

Carson watched her a moment longer, then smiled sweetly. "Say no more, Teyla. I understand, believe me." He looked back at the other people in the room, "Shall we rejoin the party?"

Teyla glanced at Halling and Reyna, then Carson again. "Actually, Doctor Beckett, I need to find my team. If you could pass along my regrets?" And, with a quick smile, she gave his arm a squeeze then turned and almost ran out of the room.

Carson watched her leave with a soft smile. Elizabeth came up alongside the physician, her face questioning, but Beckett just shook his head and walked her back to where Travis was regaling the Cutsarkians, Zelenka and the Athosians with what else he had found regarding the "five great civilizations."

—————————————————————————————

Teyla found them in the mess hall, sitting together. Ronon was demolishing what appeared to be a meal made for two. Rodney sat opposite the Satedan, pecking away at a data tablet, a barely touched bowl of soup forgotten in front of him. Sheppard sat on Rodney's left side, arms crossed on the table and staring out the window to the sea beyond.

She slid quietly into the seat next to Ronon, and smiled brightly when three sets of eyes lit on her. Her face was still flushed slightly and her eyes bright. She looked strangely young, and the full grin she wore only emphasized it.

"Colonel," she greeted them, "Ronon. Rodney."

"Teyla," Sheppard replied, and Rodney gave her a nod. Ronon's eyebrows lifted.

"You look happy," Rodney noted.

"I have reason to be," she answered, her grin growing even wider. "We have some exciting tales to tell the Athosian people."

"I'm sure," Sheppard said with a smile.

"And," she leaned forward a little, "I take it I have the three of you to thank?"

Rodney snorted, and pointed at Sheppard, "It was his idea."

"Well, to use Morgan sure," Sheppard shrugged in embarrassment, smiling more now, "but Ronon had the idea of including the information from the Thermopylae and what we did on the planet."

"McKay did all the work to put it together," Ronon said, also shrugging and talking through a mouthful of food. Rodney gave a tiny smile at that, and looked down again at his data tablet.

"Travis and Zelenka helped," he muttered.

Teyla looked at the three of them, then wrapped a hand on Ronon's shoulder and reached across the table to grab hold of one of Sheppard's crossed arms with the other. Meeting each of their gazes in turn, she bowed her head.

"Thank you," she said. "The three of you..." she trailed off, shaking her head.

"The four of us," Sheppard said in reply. "We're a team."

"We are," she replied, grinning again.

Ronon just snorted, shoveling more food into his mouth. Rodney, blushing a little, went back to tapping on his tablet. Sheppard continued to smile at Teyla.

"So," he said, "ready for what's next?"

—————————————————————————————

The End!

A/N – thank you all for lasting through this long, long story! I knew it would get long. For those who are curious, the thing I was going to cut out was the entire story-line surrounding the buffer from the second crashed dart. I was just going to kill everyone on that second dart. Without it, the story probably would have been quite a bit shorter and less angsty. :) As it stands, it is 204 pages in TNR 11 pt font. Yikes.

A/N 2 – oh, and as most of you guessed, the theme was indeed ships: (1) The Thermopylae was the faster clipper ship ever to run the trip between the East Indies and Britain, the pride of the Aberdeen, Scotland arm of the White Star Line (yes, the same White Star Line of Titanic fame. White Star, out of Liverpool, owned the Aberdeen Line along with others). Its greatest rival was the (2) Cutty Sark. In a famous race, despite the fact that the Cutty Sark's crew outperformed that of the Thermopylae, bad luck and weather put the Thermopylae into dock about a week before the Cutty Sark. However, later, the Thermopylae would be destroyed at sea, while the Cutty Sark, as anyone in London knows, still resides fully intact in the docks of Greenwich. (3) The Innisfallen is the name given to five different ships that ran the ferry service across the Irish Sea between Fishguard (Wales) and Cork. The only ship I've ever been seasick on! LOL! (4) Vasa, or, really, the Regalskeppet Vasa, is a Swedish galleon that sank in 1628, since restored and displayed at the Vasa Museum. (5) The Kalakala was a Washington State Ferry in Puget Sound for much of the early part of this century. (6) The Flying Cloud was built by the famous shipbuilder, (7) Donald McKay of Boston (but originally of Canada). It holds the record for fastest sailing ship to travel between New York and San Francisco. The names of all the Thermopylae crew, except Jorgan Relegar, are also named after famous ships or shipbuilders. So, there you go.

A/N 3 – I'm well aware, as I was writing that "story" of the Thermopylae that what I wrote may, and probably will, eventually become AU. But I couldn't stop myself. Figured, what the heck!

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR READING AND YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS! Hope you liked it!