Previously in Stargate Atlantis
They are called the Vedeenans.
I've known about them my entire life but I've never met them.
They do occasionally trade with
others in the galaxy but for the most part they keep to themselves.
And you wanna visit them because ...?
It is said that their leader, a man named Davos, is a great seer.
What do you mean, like a psychic?
I do not know the full extent of his powers,
but it is rumoured that he can even glimpse the future.
Oh, gimme a break!
You do not believe such a thing is possible.
Well, gee, let me think. No
Look, in a mechanical, Newtonian universe, not a problem.
I mean, you know enough variables, you can predict the outcome;
but quantum physics blows that out of the water.
I understand your scepticism.
Even among my own people, the stories were not widely believed.
But I need to know for myself.
You think this Davos might be able to help you find out what happened to your people.
I realise that it may seem ... desperate, but it has
been several weeks and our usual means of investigation have turned up nothing.
Rodney, what's the latest from the forensics team on New Athos?
Uh, well, they're, they're still searching
but so far they haven't found anything useful.
Intel hasn't turned up anything either.
As far as we know, they vanished into thin air.
Allow me to make a prediction.
This will be a complete waste of time.
I knew you were gonna say that.
All right from what Teyla says, these people sound a
these people sound a little skittish.
You can bet that four heavilyarmed strangers
showing up out of nowhere's gonna set `em off a little,
so let's be on our best behaviour, children.
Welcome.
You must be the people of Atlantis.
These people don't look very surprised.
You sure you didn't tell them we were coming?
I've had no previous contact with these people.
My name is Linara.
Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard.
We know.
We know all of you. You've been expected for some time now.
Mr Woolsey! How was your trip?
Well, spending a day in quarantine on the Midway Station
wasn't exactly my idea of a good time,
but I suppose it beats a three week journey on the Daedalus.
Well, that quarantine was only set up at the insistence of the I.O.A.
In response to some recent contagions that have taken holdon this base.
Let's face it, Midway is the only buffer between
Pegasus and the Milky Way. It can't hurt to err on the side of caution.
Anyway, it gave me a chance to prepare for your threemonth evaluation.
Right So how am I doin' so far?
That's exactly what needs to be determined, but I want you
know I'm here as an observer only. I have no intention of getting
I have no intention of getting involved in the daytoday operations of the base.
Really? Huh! That's refreshing!
Well, the I.O.A. has come to realise that bureaucratic interference on Atlantis
isn't always as beneficial as we might like to hope.
And on a personal note it's been brought to my attention
in my own performance evaluations that I can, on occasion,
be a bit of a busybody.
Unscheduled offworld activation.
Excuse me.
We're receiving a signal. It's Captain Robbins on M2R441.
Ah. They're delivering medical supplies to a
planet that was recently culled. Patch him in.
Captain, this is Colonel Carter. Please report.
We had a bit of a development here, Colonel.
According to the locals, a few days after the culling another hive showed up.
They didn't kill anybody they just wanted the surviving villagers to deliver a message.
A message?
That's right. Apparently this particular Wraith wants to meet with Colonel Sheppard.
So, you're telling me Davos knew we were coming?
He had a vision of your arrival.
Before I take you to see him, there's something you should know.
He is very ill. Our healers have done all that they can, but it's not enough.
Some of us were hoping, well ...
if you do come from the city of the Ancestors ...
... we may be able to help.
We would be forever in your debt.
He must be very important to you.
We owe him our lives. Two years ago he had a vision that the Wraith were coming.
We had time to gather our provisions and escape to the caves in the northern mountains.
Even from deep underground we could hear their ships searching for us.
Eventually they went away and never returned.
Not a single Vedeenan was taken.
Impressive!
Of course, for me, it's much more than that. He's my father.
Father? The people of Atlantis are here to see you.
Yes. Yes, come in. I've been expecting you, and I know why
you're here.
You have doubt in your heart.
Anyone with a basic understanding of body language could have told you that.
Among my gifts is the ability to show others what I can see.
Well, you're the sceptic. Fine.
What happened?
II think I saw a vision.
Of what?
Us, being captured by the Wraith.
You said it was a forested planet misty with ancient ruins.
It's what I saw, yes.
What?
While you were gone,
we received a report that the people of M2R441 were recently visited by a Wraith.
from the description of his facial markings ,it sounds a lot like the Wraith
who helped you escape from the Genii last year.
My old buddy?
Apparently he has a matter of great importance that he wants to discuss with you.
We already sent an advance team to the address that he proposed for the rendezvous
The interesting thingis, it sounds an awful lot like the planet in McKay's vision.
So, we're believing this now?
Davos did know we were coming.
Did you ask him about the Athosians?
I did not have a chance. After he showed Rodney the vision,he fell ill.
They were hoping we could help him out.
I'll send Doctor Keller.
In the meantime, there's only one way to know for sure i fhe's right
go to the rendezvous, check it out.
Do you have something to add, Mr Woolsey?
Well, as I said before, I'm here strictly as an observer.
But since you ask, I have to wonder how wise it would be. I
I may share some of Doctor McKay's scepticism
but we don't need any mystical visions to tell us that this Wraith probably can't be trusted
You're talking about walking deliberately into a trap.
Exactly.
This is a bad idea.
You're the one who said it's impossible to see the future.
Yeah, I was thinking about that.
I realised that quantum uncertainty doesn't necessarily preclude the possibility
of seeing probable futures.
It's like blackjack: you never know exactly what'sgonna happen next,
but a card counter can certainly increase the odd sin his favour
and frankly, this feels like hitting on an eighteen.
It's more like doubling down against a ten.
Hold on. This is the place. This is where it happened.
You were supposed to come unarmed.
Yeah. Sorry about that
How's the patient, Doctor?
Well, from what I can tell,
he seems to be suffering from a kind of lymphatic cancer.
There's not a lot I can do for him here.
Have you detected any physical anomalies that might be
related to his visions?
Sorry. Force of habit.
I don't really have the equipment with me that's necessary to make that kind of analysis.
All right, why don't you bring him back?
Understood. Um, just so we're clear:
are we doing this to try and save his life, or to study him?
I'll have the Infirmary prepped and ready for your arrival. Carter out.
So much for trust.
You tried to ambush us.
I had no intention of causing you harm, but I could not
guarantee your cooperation simply by throwing myself at your mercy.
My intent was to have this discussion on neutral ground.
A "discussion"?
The reason for my contacting you.
I require your help.
We worked together once before.
Doesn't mean I wanna do it again.
You will.
Oh, more predictions. Just what I need.
As you know, Wraith are at war. I believe you refer to our
enemy as the Replicators.
Sounds vaguely familiar.
While we have a weapon a virus that was designed to reset
their attack directive, causing them to stand down and return to
their planet at present it is not working.
Get to the part where we care.
It is well known among the Wraith that Doctor McKay
made certain changes to the Replicator base code,
opening the door for them to alter their own programming.
Well, knowingly or not,
they have since repaired the weakness our virus exploited which means, in order to get it working again,
I need to know the changes Doctor
McKay made.
Now, here's the part you're not getting: we're glad
they're kicking your ass.
Only because you are as yet unaware of their new tactic.
What are you talking about?
They realised we have a significant vulnerability: our food supply.
They have begun to annihilate human worlds.
Do you think he's telling the truth?
He gave us an address claims it was a human planet the
Replicators destroyed.
Is it in the database?
M5S768. We visited it last year. It was a thriving preindustrial society.
Send a M.A.L.- P. OK.
Receiving M.A.L.P. telemetry. Here we go.
No life signs.
How do we know the Wraith didn't do that?
The M.A.L.P.'s detecting residual radiation.
Energy signature's consistent with Replicator weapons fire.
He's telling the truth.
How many people lived on that planet?
Estimated somewhere between fifty and seventyfive thousand.
What does the machine do?
It scans the cells in his body and reports any abnormalities.
Hopefully they'll help us figure out exactly what's wrong with him.
And then you'll be able to cure him?
I'll do my best.
You'll have to forgive her, Doctor.
She's not used to dealing with uncertainty.
I may have spoiled her in that regard.
Yeah, I've heard about your gift. It's remarkable.
I can see many things,
but unfortunately my own fate remains hidden from me.
If we hadn't deactivated the attack code, this never would have happened.
It was my call, Rodney.
But it was my idea.
We had a ZedP.M., we had Elizabeth.
All we had to do was leave, but I opened my big mouth.
We never could have known it was gonna go this way.
We don't know that for sure. Look, remember the nanovirus
that caused the fatal aneurisms?
I always suspected the Replicators were behind it.
Yeah, but you never proved it.
Yeah, but we know how they feel about the humans.
They think we're a mistake.
Look, we should have seen something like this coming.
John, Rodney. OK, I know this news is hard for us to accept,
but right now we need to focus; figure out what our next step is.
I suppose the most obvious solution would be to shut down the
attack code again.
Can we do that?
It's been done before just not by us.
By the Wraith.
Yes.
What about our prisoner?
What exactly is he proposing?
Well, he claims to have the original virus that deactivated the attack code the first time.
It's not working this time around because of the changes we made to the Replicator base code.
Theoretically, knowing what we know and knowing what they know,
we should be able to work together to shut them down again.
Well, obviously that's out of the question.
Do I really have to remind everyone what happened
the last time we cooperated with the Wraith?
The circumstances have changed.
And what happened to non interference?
As you said, the circumstances have changed.
Colonel Sheppard, you've had the most experience dealing with the Wraith.
Do you seriously think this is a good idea?
I think it's not your call.
I need to contact my superiors.
It's just been confirmed. Two more worlds have been destroyed.
That makes three.
How many are dead?
Well, it's just an estimate.
How many?
Hundred and fifty thousand.
And this is just the beginning, isn't it?
There's no reason to assume they're gonna stop.
No. What about Woolsey?
He's contacted the I.O.A. They're taking the matter under advisement.
Oh! Well, they're good at that!
They'll bicker and argue,
but in the end of the day they're gonna leave you holding the bag just like they did with Elizabeth.
Now I know why you didn't want the job.
Look, John, Woolsey was right about one thing:
you have had more experience with the Wraith than just about anyone,
and in particular with this Wraith.
You have a history.
Well, it's not like we're dating.
I know we can't trust him not completely
but what I don't know is whether or not it's worth the risk to play along with him,
at least for a little while.
You're the only one who can answer that.
Colonel Carter, this is Doctor Keller.
Go ahead.
I've got something you need to see.
I'm on my way.
How's he doing?
Uh, not good. He went into convulsions a while ago.
I gave him a sedative.
Truth is, we got him here too late.
All I can do right now is alleviate his symptoms
but whether or not he survives ... it's out of my hands.
This is what I wanted you to see.
This is the result of his brain scan.
He's showing abnormally high synaptic activity.
It's similar to what happened to Doctor McKay
when he encountered that ascension device,
only not as extreme and in his case it's not advancing.
Presumably he's been like that his whole life.
You're saying he was born this way?
He's a genetic accident one in a million, if not more.
Oh, and by the way, Mr Woolsey's already asked for a copy of these test results.
I'm sorry, Doctor, but like it or not, this is important information.
He may be a window into our own evolutionary future.
Doctor? He's awake.
How are you feeling?
Much better,
thank you.
Hi. I'm Colonel Carter.
You are the leader of these people.
Well, the ones on this base, yes.
Not an easy task, I imagine.
Some days are worse than others.
I understand. I myself was in a position of authority back on my homeworld.
From what I understand, you had a little bit of an advantage.
Believe me, catching glimpses of the future is not always as
helpful as you might think. But there is something you should see.
Uh, you're not feeling well. I think ... it's OK.
You should rest.
Everything has a purpose,
Colonel, including the circumstances that brought me here. Please.
Oh my God!
What is it? What did you see?
I'm sorry.
We should stop trusting that Wraith now.
I'm not buying it.
Doctor McKay's vision came true exactly as he saw it.
Oh, I don't care.
The Replicators are not destroying this city not if I have anything to say about it.
Maybe Rodney's right. Maybe what Davos can see is only a probable future.
Well, his track record's pretty good,
so I'd have to say it's highly probable.
Which means it's gonna be hard to avoid.
For all we know,
nine out of ten courses of action are gonna lead to the same fate.
Now, unfortunately, the vision I saw had no context to it.
We have no way of knowing why the Replicators were attacking.
Isn't it obvious?
We're contemplating joining forces with the Wraith against them.
We don't know that that's what causes it.
It's a pretty safe assumption. Right now we're not a target.
No, no. But the rest of the humans in this galaxy are, and it's our fault.
Nevertheless, our priority remains the safety of this expedition
and you know as well as I do, the Wraith can't be trusted.
This one may be different.
Yes, I read the file.
He helped you escape from a Genii prison and as a reward you let him live.
Let's hope we don't all come to regret your decision.
Colonel Carter? We've got a problem.
We routinely track a number of hives with the longrange sensors.
They don't usually do anything out of the ordinary.
Most of the time they're just passing through.
A few minutes ago, this one suddenly changed course.
It's headed straight for us.
They don't know we're here.
They're not supposed to.
What did you do?
What are you referring to?
There's a ship on the way.
Ah. They picked up my signal.
What signal?
Ask your Satedan friend. He's familiar with the technology.
A subspace tracking device.
I had it implanted.
We would have detected it.
I only activated it after you brought me here.
The ship is necessary to complete my plan.
The Replicator virus is contained within its databanks.
When it gets here, we will begin our work.
When it gets here, I'm gonna blow it out of the sky.
Now that would be unwise.
That hive is loyal to me.
For the moment they are the only ones who know the location of Atlantis ...
... but if you attack them,
they will broadcast these coordinates to every hive ship in the galaxy.
There is no reason for us to be at odds, John Sheppard.
We need each other.
Rodney. We need to know if you can shut down the Replicator attack code on your own.
I've been looking into that, and it's not very promising.
You're the one who activated it in the first place!
Well, that was easy ... well,
actually it was spectacularly difficult, but then everything's relative.
Rodney.
Look, the Replicators were originally designed
and programmed to do exactly what they're doing.
I mean, they were built for this.
It's much harder for the Wraith to get them to stop than it was for me to get them to start again.
But with this Wraith's help, you think you could do it.
If he really has the original shutdown virus, yeah, I think we can.
He claims he ordered the hive ship not to give away our
position unless they're attacked.
Do you believe him?
Well, are there any other ships headed this way?
No.
That's it. For the moment, he's telling the truth.
Doctor Keller told me I might find you here.
She was kind enough to let me go for a little walk.
It's quite something, isn't it?
Yes.
I know I was brought here for a reason
to play a role on a much bigger stage before I die.
Surely it is not time to start speaking that way.
Doctor Keller is a dedicated and skilled physician,
but it doesn't take a great seer to know what she is thinking and not saying.
My time is coming to an end.
You wish to ask me something.
You know why I came to your planet.
To learn the fate of your people.
Yes.
I can tell you only this: they are still alive ...
... but they are shrouded in darkness.
I know you will continue to search for them,
but I'm not sure this burden should be borne by someone in your condition.
My condition?
You carry a life inside you, do you not?
Yes.
You conceal it from the others.
It is complicated.
I see. I'm sorry I cannot offer you more.
That is all right. Thank you.
And now you must take me to Colonel Carter.
Yes, of course. This way.
Davos?
This is Teyla to the Infirmary. I need a medical team now.
Firing drones.
Teyla's vision only confirms what I've been saying all along.
If we destroy the hive ship, we lose our best chance of stopping the Replicators.
We may not have a choice. One way or another, events are
going to result in the destruction of that ship.
Well, if you believe that, then you believe Atlantis is gonna be destroyed,
and we might as well pack up our bags and go home.
How `bout this: we play along.
We wait for them to transmit the programme to Rodney's computer,
then blow `em out of the sky.
Betray them before they have a chance to betray us.
They're Wraith. Anyone gonna lose any sleep over this?
Rodney, can you guarantee that you could finish the job without the Wraith's help?
If I have the original virus, not a problem.
Can you guarantee it?
Well, I mean ...
No.
That is not the only problem.
If we do not destroy the hive quickly enough,
it may have time to send a message.
All right. I think I need to meet this Wraith myself.
Mr Woolsey.
Yyou want me to come with you?
Well, I'm sure you want your report to the I.O.A. to be as thorough as possible.
Of course.
I've never met a Wraith face to face before.
Oh, well, you're in for a treat.
Ladies first.
Open it.
Don't!
It's all right.
I'm Colonel Samantha Carter.
A pleasure to make your acquaintance.
Richard Woolsey.
I understand you're proposing that we work together on a joint venture.
That is correct.
Last time we went down this road,
things didn't exactly work out the way we'd hoped.
You were betrayed. Believe me,
I understand your reluctance.
If we do this, we do it our way.
Your ship remains in orbit.
They make the slightest false move and they'll be destroyed.
Fair enough.
The programme will be downloaded into a nonnetworked computer in one of our labs.
All work will be conducted on this base.
You will remain under constant guard and when you're done, we keep the virus.
It won't be easy to upload it into the Replicator network.
Are you sure you're up to the task?
We did it before; we'll do it again.
I agree to your terms. You see, I want this as much as you do.
Let's say that this works. What happens then?
In my time as a prisoner among the Genii,
I lost my position among Wraith.
I still have a few loyal followers but nothing like the standing I once had.
So you're going to use this to leverage your way back in.
In a manner of speaking.
Sooner or later we're going to end up on opposite sides.
Yes, but not today. Do we have an agreement?
We do.
I believe among your people it is customary to shake hands.
Just a little Wraith humour.
I hope you know what you're doing.
Wraith ship just dropped out of hyperspace.
Are they powering weapons?
Negative. They're sending a transmission.
Rodney, you're on.
That's it? That's your superweapon?
Well, what were you expecting?
A big gun? Something that goes boom?
"TRANSMISSION COMPLETE."
Sam. That's it. We got it.
I can go down to the Chair Room and finish this off right now.
Can't risk it, John.
Security, have the Wraith escorted to Doctor McKay's lab.
No, this is all wrong.
What do you mean?
You must iterate all values of the expression before you can aggregate the results.
Are you kidding?
We're better off using known data points and extrapolating.
You risk compounding errors.
What?!
If my hands were free, I could help you.
No, it'sit's fine. I'll do it myself. Thanks.
As you wish.
He's holding out on us. Part of the virus is missing.
I mean, sure, they're minor subroutines
nothing that would be greatly affected by the changes I've made to the Replicator base code
but still necessary to make it work.
Look, I probably wouldn't have even noticed it except ...
well ... you know, I'm really good.
Look, he's definitely up to something.
We know.
You know? What do you mean, you know?
A few minutes ago, we started tracking another hive ship on course for Atlantis.
I swear I know nothing of this.
You gave our position away to another hive ship.
Why would I betray you now, just as we were beginning to trust each other?
We're not, really, are we?
You held back some of the virus. Just a small portion.
Nothing that prevents us from completing our work, and once that is done,
I will gladly transmit the remainder.
I say we kill him right now.
I agree.
I had no way of knowing you would not simply take the virus
and then turn against me.
I'm offended you could even think that.
The point is, you lied. How do we know you're not lying about the ship?
Wraith are divided into many camps.
There is much suspicion and mistrust.
The last thing I need is for another hive to appear before I can complete this work.
That's it. That's why they're coming.
They're tracking his ship.
Think about it:
a single hive off by itself out in the middle of nowhere, orbiting a supposedly uninhabited planet.
That's bound to raise a few eyebrows...
I mean, if you had eyebrows.
There is only one solution. You must cloak the city.
We'd be completely vulnerable to attack.
And what if he's telling the truth?
If we don't cloak, we'll be giving up our position.
He's been playing us from the start. This is what he wanted all along.
All right, wait a minute.
A little while ago you thought the Replicators were gonna destroy the city.
Now you think the Wraith are gonna do it. Which one is it?
How long until the second hive gets here?
Two hours.
Hello again.
Colonel. It's nice to see you,
but I'm afraid I can't offer you any more insight into future events.
These medicines dull my mind.
That's all right. That's not why I came, although I did
wanna ask you a few questions about your visions if you feel up to it.
Of course.
Have you ever been wrong?
No.
Knowing how events play out, you haven't been able to change the future or avoid it?
I'm afraid not.
What about the culling on your planet?
I did not see a culling, merely the Wraith ships arriving,
and that is exactly what happened.
Doctor McKay's vision happened as he saw it, but his interpretation was incorrect.
Pretty hard to misinterpret what I saw.
I make no judgements, but I do know it will come to pass.
It's hard for me to accept that.
You're telling me that the future is predetermined
but I have always believed that the future is what you make it.
Perhaps both are true.
Perhaps the future is predetermined by the character of those who shape it.
One thing has been clear to me from the moment
I set foot in this city: the galaxy is at a crossroads.
Never before have I sensed that the future of so many worlds can turn on the actions of so few.
The other hive ship'll be here soon.
I know. You should get down to the Chair Room.
So we've decided to take`em out?
Right now, I'm having a hard time deciding anything.
Know what the problem is?
Too much information. Really?
There's only so much information you need to make a decision.
Anything after that complicates it like these visions.
Are they making things better or worse?
Well, they helped you avoid being captured by the Wraith.
You and I both know we would never walk into a trap
unprepared, even if McKay didn't have that vision.
"The future is predetermined by the character of those who shape it."
What's that?
Nothing.
Look, technically Woolsey is correct.
The safety of this city is our first priority and,
based on that, there is only one decision:
take out both the hive ships as soon as possible.
But ...?
But what the hell's the point of being out here if we're not gonna help people?
We're gonna be safe and sound while the rest of the galaxy gets slaughtered?
So play it safe, or take a chance with the Wraith
and maybe save millions of lives.
This kind of decision used to be easy, but then I was just making it for myself.
Now, I'm asking a lot of people to take a chance with me.
Everybody on this base chose to be here,
and they did so because they believe in the same things you do.
If anything goes wrong ...
I'll be ready.
Rodney, prepare to cloak the city.
All right, people, you heard her. Let's do this.
My understanding is it takes some doing to switch back from the cloak to the shields.
It's not something that can be done right away.
That's right.
So if we commit to this course of action, there's no going back.
I'm afraid not.
There's still some time before the second hive gets here.
You could return to Midway if you like.
But then my report wouldn't be as thorough as possible, would it?
I'm in position, Colonel.
Understood. Rodney, how are we doing?
Engaging cloak now.
Father? Father?
Doctor! Doctor, help him!
Davos? Davos?
Father?
No!
I'm sorry.
Second hive just dropped out of hyperspace.
This is it.
First hive is sending a transmission.
They're probably trying to explain what they're doing here.
C'mon, guys, what's happening?
Stand by.
Rodney?
They're still just talking.
Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoawhoawhoawhoa, wait a minute.
We've got a problem.
What is it? What's going on?
Both ships just powered weapons.
My God!
That's it. Firing drones.
John, wait!
Just give it a second.
Are you insane?! They're gonna wipe us out!
Shut up, Woolsey.
Colonel Sheppard. As a ranking member of the I.O.A.,
I'm assuming command of this base.
I'm ordering you to launch the drones now.
Belay that order!
One more word out of you and I will have you removed.
Hold on. Something's happening.
The hives are firing on each other!
Are you sure?
Definitely! They're not pulling any punches either.
They just destroyed each other! I guess the other Wraith didn't buy their story.
Was either ship able to get off a subspace message?
Oh, right
Negative. We're good!
John, you can stand down.
Gladly.
I'm taking him back to Vedeena to be buried according to our custom.
It is good that he is going home.
I don't know what my people will do without him.
He's always been there, warning us of danger, protecting us from harm
And for the first time in my life, I fear the future.
Just because something is unknown does not necessarily mean it needs to be feared.
Trust yourself, and the rest will unfold as it is meant to.
He was an interesting man.
Yes. He knew that I was pregnant.
Really?
You know, pretty soon, other people are gonna find out too.
You're gonna have to tell them.
I know.
So all it took was the destruction of my ship for you to finally trust me.
No, not true. I still don't trust you
Take him to the lab. He's got work to do.
Well. This is awkward.
Yes.
For the record, I thought I was making the right call.
It was a difficult situation for everyone.
I just have one last question.
How did you know the two Wraith ships would fire on each other?
I didn't. You gonna put that in your report?
It probably would be better if I didn't.
There may be such a thing as being too thorough.
Right.
Where's Woolsey?
Oh, you just missed him.
That hurts my feelings.
I didn't even say goodbye yet.
How's McKay doing?
He and the Wraith are back at it,
but I guess they're having a problem getting this virus to work.
I'd hate to think this was all for nothing.
Well, we got out alive and we kept our location secret.
That still counts for something.
You're still thinking about those visions, aren't you?
I can't get them out of my head. Everything Davos saw came true.
For all we know, it won't come true for another thousand years.
Or it could come true tomorrow.
Right!
So what else is new?
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