Chapter 50

Pegasus galaxy

On the far outskirts of the galaxy within a solar system devoid of life except Todd's forces a lone Asgard vessel exited hyperspace. Thor's mission was simple; establish a dialogue with Todd and develop an end game strategy for the relocation of the hybrid's to another galaxy. A subspace message sent hours before ensured Todd was prepared for the meeting the moment Thor's ship was detected. Locking on to Todd's location Thor quickly beamed the former Wraith aboard his vessel before jumping back into hyperspace.

"Greetings, I am Thor; Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet" began Thor.

"I am the one known as Todd by your allies" answered Todd.

"I have brought you here to discuss your people's relocation after the conclusion of this conflict" stated Thor.

"I have known for some time that the human populations of this galaxy would not stomach the presence of my hybrids. Even though we no longer feed on humans a certain amount of animosity is to be expected" innocently said Todd.

"You and your followers are only being sparred due to the assistance you provided Atlantis in defense of Earth. Do not mistake kindness for weakness. The Wraith view you as a threat and the five races will not fight your war for you. We will assist you in extermination of the Wraith threat in this galaxy once and for all. Any that wish to defect to your side will be allowed to do so. I must stress the point though that once relocated any intimidation of races not threatening to you will be dealt with in the harshest measure" threatened Thor.

"Many Wraith have learned the futility of fighting the Tauri in the years since their arrival. They are a far more adaptable and militaristic people than the ancients. With the tools and technology they now have at their disposal it is simply a matter of time before they achieve dominance of this galaxy. My goal is to unify my followers under one rule and finally bring them together in a common goal" retorted Todd.

"What goal might that be" asked Thor.

"To progress as a species without the constant battle to feed" answered Todd.

"When this war is at an end your people will board your vessels and enter stasis. Vessels of the Asgard Fleet will put you under tow to the galaxy of Othalla where we once called home. You will be allowed to inhabit select worlds within this galaxy and work towards your goal. The five great races will be watching you though make no mistake of that" responded Thor.

"Everyday my numbers grow. A great battle approached though, and the Wraith will be prepared. With this meeting concluded I ask that you return me to my hive" finished Todd

Lord Protector Planet

"Doctor McKay, minimum safe levels of operation have been achieved and surpassed" stated Borealis.

"I can see that. Please perform another system wide diagnostic and transmit the findings to Arkos" responded McKay.

The ancient city ship was still far from repaired, but enough had been done to make the voyage to the Milky Way possible. With the assistance of the replicators created for the task, and several of the SGC and Atlantis science department members working night and day a certain level of functionality had been restored. High above the planet in orbit was the Athena. Her sensors searched out into the void for any threat that might make its presence known. Beaming down to the city ship was Colonel Eckhart.

"Well McKay, what's the verdict" asked the Colonel.

"We're running our final diagnostics now. These things take time" responded McKay.

"We've finished installing the control panels in the gate room and routing all feeds into the panels. Thankfully the replicators were here to handle most of it. The locals on this planet made a mess of removing most of the work stations" stated Dr. Bill Lee.

"Gentlemen, I ask that you keep in mind we are working under a time table. Several sh.i.p.s are standing by near Arkos station in the event the Lucian Alliance tries to make a play for Borealis. Sh.i.p.s are also spread out over the path you'll take through the Milky Way in the event you drop out of hyperspace early" said Eckhart.

"Well we won't be dropping out of hyperspace. Some of us here are very good at our jobs" bristled McKay.

"I agree Dr. Lee is great at what he does" retorted Eckhart while smiling an evil smile at Rodney.

"Hey now" gasped Rodney.

Appearing in front of the gathered men was the avatar of Borealis. Patiently she waited for the men's conversation to end with a smirk on the corners of her mouth.

"Diagnostics are complete Doctor. Power transfer operations are within tolerances, Stardrive function is operational although degraded due to ancillary power bleed from damaged towers, shield emitters are online, and weapons are available if needed" stated Borealis.

"That is your cue to dial the gate to the Milky Way alpha site. The replicators will be going to join the others Atlantis has already sent through" stated Eckhart.

"Provisions have already been beamed down from Athena Colonel. We are good to go on this end" said Lee.

"Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me I must go to the chair room. Someone has a city to fly" stated a very smug Rodney.

"McKay, are you sure you want to do this? We can get Colonel Sheppard or Doctor Becket here in no time" said Eckhart.

"Oh no, Rodney isn't going to let anyone else steal his glory" laughed Lee.

"In the past I have graciously allowed others to fly Atlantis. Being that I have the highest chair interface aptitude here I am the obvious choice for this. I'm sure Sheppard and Carson have other things to do in the meantime anyway" added Rodney.

"Obvious? Um, yeah" answered Eckhart before beaming back to Athena.

"I really don't think he likes you that much" said Lee.

"Maybe he's just jealous" stated Rodney further compounding the already present smugness.

"Um, yeah" said Lee before walking away.

Heading down the stairs Rodney proceeded to the chair room. In all honesty he was a bit nervous about piloting the city ship. As something he had seen done but never done himself he was certain he could do it, but uncertain of how well he could do it. His hope of hopes was to make it to Arkos in one piece without providing any ammunition to laugh at or ridicule him about. Even vanity can have shades of a protective streak.

Waiting beside the chair stood Borealis. Seeing the concerned look on McKay's face and reading the neural interface data flowing from his mind she knew she should step in and assist.

"Doctor McKay I am aware you have never flown anything other than a Jumper. With so much damage to my systems perhaps you would allow me to assist you in this matter. I of course will not inform the others of my assistance" stated Borealis while not saying that she was offering him a way to save face in front of the others.

"I would gladly accept any assistance you could provide" answered Rodney quickly picking up what was left unsaid.

Sitting down in the control chair Rodney felt the power of the city flow through his mind. Like an extension of the ship information filled his mind. Power states, sensor data, weapons status were all available to him.

"Lee, this is McKay. Signal Athena that we are good to go" said Rodney into his earpiece.

In orbit high above Athena left orbit and moved seventy thousand kilometers out. A quick computer command activated the locator beacons of each person on the city ship below in the event emergency beaming was required.

"Sensors are showing massive energy blooms from Borealis" said the sensor operator.

"Keep monitoring them for any problems. They should be lifting off momentarily" answered Eckhart.

Aboard the city ship power flowed in unimaginable amounts throughout the city's recently repaired power conduits. Shield emitters sprang to life spewing forth the impenetrable protective dome around the city. A deep rumble was felt as the star drive charged. Inertial dampeners came online in anticipation of the flight to come.

"Borealis this is Athena. We show zero contacts in the system. You are clear to launch" stated the message from the vessel in orbit.

"Lifting off now" came the reply.