Sanctuary/Transcript

Episode Guide
Sanctuary" Episode Guide

Transcript
TEASER

EXT&mdash;SPACE ABOVE PROCULIS

[A Puddle Jumper speeds around the planet. Wraith darts pursue the craft.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

[Sheppard flies the Jumper, the rest of the team with him.]

SHEPPARD I count two. How about you?

FORD Yes, sir. I recommend shooting back any time now.

SHEPPARD I'm trying. That hit must've caused some damage. McKay?

MCKAY I'm on it.

[McKay gets up to work on the panels in the aft of the Jumper.]

TEYLA Where did they come from?

MCKAY She's right. The darts are short-range fighters. There's probably a hive ship around here somewhere.

TEYLA Then we need to get out of here.

SHEPPARD Yes, we do.

FORD The Stargate is the other way, sir, on the other side of the planet.

SHEPPARD Yeah, we're taking the scenic route. McKay!

[The Jumper fires weapons forward.]

MCKAY I'm almost there!

FORD There's one on our tail!

SHEPPARD Thank you, I know all about that one. Keep your eye on the other one.

MCKAY Okay, you should have weapons now.

SHEPPARD Negative.

MCKAY Are you sure?

SHEPPARD Positive!

MCKAY I'm pretty sure I fixed it.

[A dart flies past the Jumper.]

SHEPPARD Well, obviously you didn't!

[The Jumper is hit by a dart weapon.]

TEYLA Perhaps we can lose them in the atmosphere of the planet.

FORD Two more darts on our two o'clock.

SHEPPARD I see them. McKay!

MCKAY It's not like I'm holding back on you.

EXT&mdash;SPACE ABOVE PROCULIS

[A huge ball of light energy emits from the planet and envelops and destroys the darts behind the Jumper. It begins to follow the Jumper.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

SHEPPARD Hang on!

[The energy passes over the Jumper, jolting but not damaging it.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE ABOVE PROCULIS

[The energy ball moves away.]

TEYLA The Wraith darts have been destroyed.

SHEPPARD Well, that's a good thing.

MCKAY (walking forward, breathless) I thought for sure we were dead. Didn't you think we were dead?

FORD What the hell was that?

MCKAY Some sort of uh, energy weapon?

SHEPPARD What do you say we find out?

MCKAY Yeah.

END TEASER

OPENING CREDITS

EXT&mdash;SPACE ABOVE PROCULIS

[The Jumper de-orbits toward the planet.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

MCKAY So just to confirm, we're all still&hellip;definitely not dead.

TEYLA I feel very much alive.

MCKAY Good. Same here.

SHEPPARD I wish I knew what that was.

FORD Looked like lightning.

SHEPPARD Space lightning?

MCKAY I already said, it's some sort of an energy weapon, one that apparently destroys Wraith darts.

FORD Nice, but why them and not us?

MCKAY Well assuming that we're still alive, and there doesn't appear to be any damage as a result of the pulse, I think we can safely conclude that, uh&hellip; um&hellip; um&hellip; I got nothing. I mean, I got nothing to conclude. I'm just talking for the sake of talking.

SHEPPARD You sure you're okay?

MCKAY You know how much I hate certain death?

SHEPPARD You're alive.

TEYLA Could something like that be naturally occurring?

SHEPPARD My money's on non-naturally occurring.

FORD Like a weapon the Ancients left behind?

SHEPPARD Any weapon that impressive would have to be powered by&mdash;

MCKAY A Zero-Point Module.

SHEPPARD That's right.

MCKAY All right, we need to get down there.

SHEPPARD I've got to put down and check for damage anyways, before we head back to Atlantis.

EXT&mdash;PROCULIS

[The Jumper skims along above trees and a creek.]

EXT&mdash;OUTSIDE VILLAGE ON PROCULIS, DAY

[Ford looks at a primitive village through binoculars. The huts are made of wood and straw, with no sign of technology. Several children are visible.]

FORD If there is a weapon somewhere down here, sir, these folks didn't build it.

SHEPPARD Not these kids. You picking up anything?

MCKAY I'm picking up everything, just nothing worth mentioning.

SHEPPARD These folks look familiar to you, Teyla?

TEYLA The Stargate is in orbit, Major. My people could never have ventured here.

SHEPPARD Right. What say we venture?

INT&mdash;VILLAGE ON PROCULIS, DAY

[The villagers are young and fit, dressed in tropical, tribal clothing, with bone necklaces and tattoos. Sheppard and the team approach cautiously, and people turn to look at them.]

SHEPPARD Hi.

[One villager, dressed in a red robe, runs toward a structure. Sheppard speaks to the others.]

SHEPPARD It's okay. We're friendly. Hi.

TEYLA It is likely they have never seen anyone from outside their village.

[As the walk to the center, the villagers follow them, curious. An older man in a red robe comes out of the structure where the first man had gone.]

ZARAH Welcome. I am Zarah, one of the Abbots of Proculis.

SHEPPARD I'm John. John Sheppard. This is Teyla, Lieutenant Ford, and Dr. McKay.

ZARAH Please, come.

[He ushers them to a thatched hut. The kneel around a low table.]

ZARAH This is the first time&mdash;at least in my own lifetime&mdash;that people from another land have come to us.

SHEPPARD Well, we came by ship. A flying&hellip;thing that allows us to move from one world to another.

ZARAH (shocked) Another world?

TEYLA From among the stars you see in the night sky. We are peaceful explorers.

ZARAH Then glory to Athar for bringing you here safely.

FORD Athar?

ZARAH The provider&hellip;and protector of all. Surely you know.

TEYLA Athar is known by many names among the stars.

MCKAY Is, um&hellip;Athar around? We'd love to talk to him. We're, uh, friends.

ZARAH Athar is friend to all, and with us always. Even now.

[He closes his eyes and presses his hands together.]

MCKAY Of course. Hi, Athar.

[Zarah looks at McKay in confusion.]

TEYLA What Dr. McKay means is that we wish to offer our thanks. We were attacked by the Wraith and would have been killed, were it not for Athar's intervention.

ZARAH "Wraith"?

SHEPPARD Pale skin, sunken eyes, suck the life out of you with their hands?

ZARAH We have never encountered such beings.

FORD Never?

TEYLA And there is no mention of them in your history?

ZARAH None. I can assure you that for many thousands of years, we have lived here in peace.

SHEPPARD Could you excuse us for a moment?

[Sheppard starts to get up, but Zarah interrupts.]

ZARAH Of course. Please, I must tell the other abbots of your arrival before we go to meet with Chaya.

SHEPPARD Chaya is&hellip;

ZARAH The high priestess of Athar. This is a great day for our people.

[Zarah leaves. Many villagers look into the hut.]

SHEPPARD Ours too. (to the team) I'm not kidding. This could really work.

TEYLA I agree, Major. Every inhabited world I have encountered in this galaxy has been ravaged by the Wraith.

MCKAY Well, this planet is protected by an Ancient weapon. This just confirms it.

FORD Does it?

MCKAY Well, there's no other explanation. I mean, the power requirements of something like that must be astronomical. Only a ZPM could generate that.

TEYLA And yet, they do not appear to be technologically advanced.

FORD Unless that guy was lying. But he doesn't seem like the lying type.

SHEPPARD So, automated defenses?

TEYLA Imagine a world where displaced refugees from dozens of planets could come and live in peace without fear of being culled by the Wraith.

FORD Maybe we can negotiate some kind of treaty.

MCKAY We just need access to that weapon&mdash;better still, the ZPM&mdash;not that we'd steal it or anything.

SHEPPARD Let's just try to stay on our best behavior.

MCKAY I'm always on my best behavior.

EXT&mdash;PROCULIS, DAY

[The team walk across an open field, escorted by three abbots.]

MCKAY How much farther?

ZARAH Not very.

MCKAY Oh, good. See, we could have taken the jumper.

FORD The exercise is good for you.

SHEPPARD Chaya does live pretty far from your people.

TEYLA It is not uncommon, Major, for clerics to live apart from the community.

EXT&mdash;CHAYA'S TEMPLE

[A beautiful woman, Chaya tends plants in her courtyard. The abbots and Sheppard's team arrive. Chaya approaches them.]

ZARAH Glory to Athar.

CHAYA Welcome, and rest.

ZARAH Thank you, sister.

[Sheppard is open-mouthed in shock at seeing Chaya.]

CHAYA You are new to Proculis.

SHEPPARD Yes. We're, uh&hellip;we're brand new, in fact. Major John Sheppard.

[He shakes her hand. McKay gives Ford a look.]

CHAYA I am called Chaya Sar. And you are&hellip;Teyla, Lieutenant Ford and Dr. McKay.

FORD How did she know that?

MCKAY Oh, please. One of the abbots ran ahead.

SHEPPARD It's a pleasure to meet you, Chaya.

CHAYA You must be tired after your long journey. Shall I prepare some tea for us?

SHEPPARD Well, I was hoping you were going to say just that.

[Later, they all share tea, seated around a table in the courtyard.]

CHAYA And where do they come from, these Wraith?

SHEPPARD They seem to be everywhere in this galaxy, and they appear to have been on top of the food chain for a long time.

CHAYA It's terrifying. Truly terrifying. My heart goes out to your people, Teyla.

TEYLA It is not only my people who suffer, Chaya. The Wraith have awakened from a long sleep, and this entire world is safe from the culling that has already begun. Even Atlantis with all its wonder, may not survive the onslaught. It is our hope that Athar could grant sanctuary here on Proculis.

CHAYA Sanctuary? For so many?

SHEPPARD Well, we're not talking about everybody in the galaxy showing up at your doorstep.

FORD This planet is pretty big, ma'am.

TEYLA And it is largely uninhabited.

MCKAY More importantly, it is protected by that weapon of yours.

CHAYA Weapon? I am aware of no such thing on Proculis.

SHEPPARD Are you sure about that?

CHAYA Yes.

MCKAY Oh, please.

SHEPPARD Rodney, best behavior.

MCKAY This is as good as it gets, Major. Chaya, the only reason we're alive is because of a powerful energy weapon that emanated from somewhere on the surface of this planet. It destroyed the ships that were shooting at us. That weapon is what's keeping the Wraith away.

CHAYA No, Dr. McKay. It was Athar who protected you.

MCKAY Athar?

CHAYA Yes. Athar saw you were in need.

SHEPPARD Chaya, there are a lot of people just like&hellip;you and me, who are in need because of the Wraith. What you have here&mdash;what Athar has provided you&mdash;is a very rare thing&hellip; But we have a lot to offer, too. That's what friends do&mdash;they share. I think we could help each other.

CHAYA I understand. I shall consult with her now.

[She stands, as do the others.]

CHAYA Please stay here. I don't know how long this will take.

SHEPPARD Thank you.

[She leaves, followed by the abbots.]

MCKAY "What Athar provides for you?" What, are you buying into this?

SHEPPARD Rodney&hellip;what religious people don't take their religion seriously?

MCKAY We didn't imagine that weapon, Major. We saw it with our own eyes, and we saw what it was capable of.

SHEPPARD Yes, we did.

TEYLA Perhaps Chaya is simply unaware of the weapon's existence.

FORD Or she knows, and she wants to keep it a secret from us.

SHEPPARD She doesn't strike me as the lying type, either.

[McKay huffs derisively.]

SHEPPARD All right, let's just see what Athar has to stay.

MCKAY So, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain," hmm?

SHEPPARD Exactly.

[Sheppard lies down on a bench.]

[Sometime later, Chaya returns with the abbots.]

CHAYA Major. We have conveyed your request to our Divine Mother, and although she does not doubt the righteousness of your mission, I'm afraid she cannot countenance any other people but hers settling here.

MCKAY And you really had to chant all that time to come up with that?

SHEPPARD McKay.

TEYLA Is there any way we can ask Athar to reconsider?

CHAYA Athar understands and sympathizes&mdash;these Wraith are a scourge among our stars&mdash;but she has to place the lives of her people first.

MCKAY Well, I think we both knew what you were going to say long before you even went in there.

CHAYA We prayed for Athar's guidance.

MCKAY And what did Athar say? You're hiding behind your religion to justify your complete and utter selfishness.

SHEPPARD (sternly) Rodney&hellip;

MCKAY If Athar existed, she would be ashamed of herself.

ZARAH We ask only to be left alone and in peace.

MCKAY So untold thousands, possibly millions of people will die out there when they could have been saved, all in the name of Athar. How very, very peaceful of you.

CHAYA You should be grateful to Athar.

MCKAY This is a waste of time.

CHAYA Athar regrets that she cannot help you.

MCKAY And I'm sure those were her exact words.

SHEPPARD That's enough! Head back to the jumper. I'll be there in a minute.

MCKAY Why?

SHEPPARD Because you're not helping.

FORD Yes, sir.

[Ford, Teyla and McKay leave.]

SHEPPARD I apologize.

CHAYA He acts only in accordance to his beliefs, as do we.

SHEPPARD But Rodney is right about one thing. This really is about lives&mdash;human lives. Sooner or later the Wraith are going to show up at Atlantis, and when they do&mdash;

CHAYA You're a warrior.

SHEPPARD Well, I don't know about "warrior."

CHAYA It is your vocation, Major. You will fight.

SHEPPARD I'll try, but knowing what we're up against, and the odds&hellip; Look, I'd appreciate it if you would ask Athar to consider that we are her people. Even though we come from very far away, we're the same. We're human, which means we're not strangers. We're family.

[A strong breeze blows through the courtyard.]

SHEPPARD Whoa.

CHAYA Evening breeze.

SHEPPARD I was kind of hoping it was a sign from Athar.

CHAYA Your words are most compelling, Major Sheppard.

SHEPPARD Thank you. I was going for compelling.

CHAYA Do you truly believe we are family?

SHEPPARD We are. I can prove it to you.

CHAYA How?

SHEPPARD Come back to Atlantis. See who we really are. Once Athar learns more about us&mdash;

CHAYA This is acceptable.

SHEPPARD It is?

ZARAH (alarmed) Chaya, please, you cannot leave.

CHAYA Athar is with us always, no matter where we are, Zarah.

[The breeze comes up again; she places her hand on Zarah's chest. He calms down.]

ZARAH I understand.

CHAYA I am ready.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAY

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS GATE ROOM

[Chaya has arrived. Weir greets her. Teyla and Rodney look on, Rodney appearing very skeptical.]

WEIR Welcome to Atlantis.

CHAYA Thank you.

WEIR I hope you don't mind, but our doctors do require a medical exam of all off-planet team members and our visitors. But after that, perhaps you'd like a full tour.

CHAYA I would love that.

TEYLA Major Sheppard has already promised to do so.

WEIR (brightly) Of course he has.

SHEPPARD Of course I have.

WEIR Please, if you'll follow me to the infirmary&hellip;

MCKAY Maybe I should tag along, in case you have any questions&mdash;

SHEPPARD I think I've got it handled, Rodney.

MCKAY There are a lot of systems you know absolutely&mdash;

SHEPPARD Got it covered.

[Sheppard, Weir, and Chaya walk away.]

MCKAY Fine.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Chaya gets scanned by the Ancient scanner; Beckett watches the results on a laptop.]

BECKETT Hold still. Just a minute more. Well, my dear, it seems you're just as lovely on the inside as you are on the out, if health is synonymous with beauty. You can get up now.

[She sits up.]

CHAYA How does this device do what you say it does?

BECKETT It creates images of the tissues inside your body, and they are picture-perfect.

CHAYA Did you bring these machines back from your world?

BECKETT Some. Others are Atlantean technology that we've figured out how to use, and a few&hellip;well, I haven't the vaguest idea of what they do. Hopefully one day I'll have a chance to meet one. I'll ask them myself.

CHAYA Do you know what happened to them?

BECKETT Well, some returned to Earth after the war with the Wraith. That much we know, but we also know that some of them ascended.

CHAYA Ascended?

BECKETT To a higher plane, where they exist only as energy. Are all the people of your world as healthy as you?

CHAYA Yes.

BECKETT No disease, ailments? No one ever breaks a leg?

CHAYA Such things are rare, but my people heal quite rapidly.

BECKETT Really?

[Sheppard enters.]

SHEPPARD Are we done?

CHAYA Are we?

BECKETT Healthiest patient I've ever had. Off you go, love.

[She pats Beckett on the shoulder as she passes, then takes Sheppard arm, and they leave.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

[Weir and McKay walk from her office down to the gate room.]

WEIR Where are we at?

MCKAY Well, either she knows where the weapon is and she's playing us, or else she has no idea, in which case, we are wasting our time.

WEIR So what do you suggest?

MCKAY Take another team back in the jumper, scan the planet for energy signatures. Chaya's people won't have a clue what we're doing from orbit, unless they're a technically advanced race that are pretending not to be&hellip;which has happened before.

WEIR Did you find anything abnormal? I mean, something that would suggest they are more advanced than they claim to be?

MCKAY No. They're either pathetically pre-technological or brilliantly post-technological.

WEIR And there's no way this could be a natural phenomenon?

MCKAY A perfectly timed, directional energy burst that only affected the Wraith ships?

WEIR That's a no?

MCKAY That's a no.

BECKETT (over radio) Dr. Weir, I have those results.

WEIR (into radio) Thank you, Carson. We're on our way.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Sheppard and Chaya walk the corridors.]

CHAYA How many of you are there?

SHEPPARD Counting all the Athosians on the mainland, you might get a couple of hundred, which leaves a very large, empty city. Right now, we're living in one section, because we don't have the power to spread out more than that. What do you think so far?

CHAYA I think it's wondrous&hellip;but ultimately, the decision is up to Athar.

[Sheppard slumps in disappointment.]

CHAYA You're not a believer, are you?

SHEPPARD Look, Chaya&hellip;I respect that you believe. Look, I can't talk to Athar; I can only talk to you, so let me ask you this: what if the shoe was on the other foot? What if your people were in trouble and we could help you? Would you just take no for an answer?

CHAYA It must have been very hard to live your entire life under the shadow of the Wraith.

SHEPPARD Don't misunderstand me. Teyla and her people have known the Wraith forever, but when I say we're new, I mean we just got here. We're from another galaxy. A planet called Earth.

CHAYA Earth?

SHEPPARD It's very far away. You know those clusters of stars you see in the night sky? Some of them are called galaxies, and they're even further away from you than the stars. Earth is in one of those galaxies.

CHAYA You came through the Stargate.

SHEPPARD That's right.

CHAYA And can you not simply return?

SHEPPARD Well, not simply. We knew going into it that it was probably going to be a one-way trip, but we thought what we would find here would be worth the risk.

CHAYA And is it?

SHEPPARD So far. Ask me again when the Wraith show up.

[The have arrived back the gate room, and start to climb the stairs.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

BECKETT Blood work shows no viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections. MRI reveals no tumors or cancers; no heart defects of any kind. Blood pressure 130 over 70; total cholesterol 107. She's in perfect health.

WEIR I'm happy for her. Why did we need to see this?

BECKETT Because, Doctor, she's too healthy.

MCKAY What does that mean?

BECKETT There's no trace of any diseases or congenital conditions that you typically find in pre-technological societies. No rickets no fungi, STDs&hellip;

WEIR Perfect health?

BECKETT Aye, and from what she told me, this may be the norm among her people.

MCKAY But she is human?

BECKETT Oh, without a doubt.

WEIR So how is that possible?

BECKETT I can't say that for certain without visiting the planet myself, but if this data is accurate, then people on Proculis live in optimal health for a very, very long time.

MCKAY You make it sound like some sort of a&mdash;

BECKETT Paradise? Aye, because it is.

WEIR And that's a problem because?

BECKETT Because human life, quite simply, Dr. Weir, is more fragile than that. I don't care what galaxy we're in. It's unnatural.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS BALCONY, DAY

[Sheppard and Chaya step outside.]

CHAYA The ocean air is so invigorating.

SHEPPARD Plenty of that here. Most of the planet's ocean.

CHAYA Well, surely there's enough land to resettle the refugees.

SHEPPARD Well, there is. We just can't guarantee their safety.

CHAYA Even though you control all of this?

SHEPPARD I'd be lying if I said we controlled it all. This place is so far beyond us in so many ways. For example, Atlantis does have a shield that can withstand anything the Wraith could throw at us, but we have no way of powering it up. We can't risk taking in any more refugees than we already have. Come with me.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

[The walk toward the control room from the balcony.]

CHAYA Major Sheppard&mdash;

SHEPPARD I'd prefer you call me John.

CHAYA John&hellip;how did you make enemies of the Wraith?

SHEPPARD That was my fault.

CHAYA Yours?

SHEPPARD I basically woke them up trying to rescue some people they'd captured. They didn't take too kindly to that.

CHAYA But you saved your people?

SHEPPARD Most of them.

CHAYA And that is how you know for sure they're coming back?

SHEPPARD (pointing to various consoles) Yeah, we just don't know when. Main control console, environmental support systems, communications, and this&hellip;this is, uh&hellip;

[He mouths "what is this?" to Grodin.]

GRODIN Sorry, Major. We haven't the faintest idea what it&mdash;

[Chaya touches the console, and it comes to life.]

GRODIN This is a new piece of equipment we found in another section of the city. It hadn't yet been initialized.

SHEPPARD So you're saying she has&hellip;

GRODIN She has the gene!

CHAYA Did I do this? What does the machine do?

GRODIN We don't know. Not yet, anyway.

SHEPPARD The Atlantians were good at lots of things, but writing instruction manuals wasn't one of them. We should probably wrap this tour up. I know Dr. Weir is anxious to talk to you.

CHAYA Will I see you afterwards?

SHEPPARD And during.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BRIEFING ROOM

[Weir, Teyla, Sheppard and Chaya are there.]

WEIR What we are proposing is a kind of land lease, in which refugees rendered homeless by the Wraith could resettle on Proculis. In return, we can offer you services and knowledge which would be of benefit to your people.

CHAYA Such as?

WEIR Well, you've seen the sort of technology we possess here. We could help you down a path to a more industrialized society, but at a pace that will maintain your planet's ecological balance.

CHAYA Your scientific knowledge is impressive, Dr. Weir, but we have no need of it. Athar provides us with everything we require.

SHEPPARD Well, food just doesn't show up on the dinner table.

TEYLA You do plant all your own crops?

CHAYA Of course we do.

WEIR We can show you ways to increase your crop yields.

CHAYA We grow all the food we need to live. Anything else would be gluttony.

WEIR Building materials, then.

CHAYA We have abundant timber and iron ore to forge what little metal we need. Athar is kind.

WEIR There must be something.

CHAYA What my people value most is spiritual knowledge. What can your culture provide in that regard?

WEIR Earth's people don't share a single spiritual belief. We embrace a number of different religions and philosophies&mdash; Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam&hellip;

SHEPPARD Hinduism. Kwanzaa&hellip;

CHAYA Interesting. Tell me about them.

WEIR All of them?

CHAYA Yes. They sound fascinating.

WEIR Well, I am hardly competent to discuss all of Earth's religions, but I can offer you some resources. With very little training, you could have complete access to our historical database.

CHAYA That would be wonderful.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

[McKay rushes in to see Grodin at the console Chaya had initialized.]

MCKAY You got it working?

GRODIN Yeah.

MCKAY Well, do we know what it does?

GRODIN It would appear to be an internal-external biometric sensor array.

MCKAY See, now, sadly, I understood that. Where did all those Saturday nights go?

GRODIN These seem to be the biosignatures of everyone in Atlantis.

MCKAY How can you tell? I can't make heads or tails out of that mess.

GRODIN I've been working on deciphering the Ancient logarithms. I suspect this was designed primarily as an early warning system to signal any alien presence in the city, like the Wraith.

MCKAY And you're saying that it activated when our visitor touched it?

GRODIN Which must mean she has the Ancient gene.

MCKAY Or it was initialized already and only activated because it was detecting her. I mean, she could be some kind of an alien, and this thing knows more about her than we've been able to decipher. Look, someone should be keeping an eye on her.

GRODIN Major Sheppard is.

MCKAY Oh, I'm sure he is.

GRODIN Not entirely for the reasons you think. Dr. Weir asked him to.

MCKAY I'm sure she did.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, NIGHT

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Teyla walks beside Sheppard, who is carrying a picnic basket.]

SHEPPARD Dr. Weir wanted me to make sure Chaya saw everything.

TEYLA Everything?

SHEPPARD Well, not everything, everything. Chaya mentioned she wanted to see the best view of the city at night, which I think is atop the southwest pier, and since it's such a long walk, I thought I'd bring along a few provisions.

TEYLA Continuing our efforts to secure a treaty.

SHEPPARD Exactly.

TEYLA As our ambassador.

SHEPPARD (brightly) I am an ambassador, and she is a&hellip;diplomat.

TEYLA (skeptical) On a late-night&hellip;picnic?

SHEPPARD Yes.

TEYLA I know that as ranking military officer here in Atlantis that you feel a heavy burden of responsibility but you&hellip;are allowed to have feelings for others.

SHEPPARD Oh. No, this is a&hellip;this is an ambassadorial, diplomatic picnic outing&hellip;thing.

TEYLA Without having to justify them to anyone. Good night, Major.

SHEPPARD Good night, Teyla.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

WEIR You want to send her back?

MCKAY All I know is she's not who she's pretending to be.

WEIR And you know this because&hellip;?

MCKAY What, I'm not allowed to have intuition?

WEIR You? No.

MCKAY Oh.

WEIR I asked Major Sheppard to keep an eye on her.

MCKAY Which is like asking the fox to guard the henhouse.

WEIR What?

MCKAY Well, look, the biometric differential is not insignificant, Elizabeth. What I'm saying is&hellip;the woman set off an alien alarm.

WEIR Come on, you don't know that for certain. Now, Grodin says you are nowhere close to understanding what the nature of that device is.

MCKAY There are too many unknown variables. There's the energy weapon, the fact that they claim never to have seen the Wraith&hellip; What about the fact that she's essentially a textbook case of healthy?

WEIR All very mysterious, yes, but what does it prove?

MCKAY That we should give her a one-way ticket back home.

WEIR There is obviously something very&hellip;different about her, yes, but that doesn't necessarily make her a threat.

MCKAY It doesn't rule it out, either.

WEIR Then, for the moment, I think what we could gain by securing a treaty is worth the risk of her being here.

MCKAY (frustrated) Fine.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BALCONY

[Sheppard and Chaya sit on a blanket on the balcony, eating.]

CHAYA (drinking from a cup) Mmm. This is delicious.

SHEPPARD Well, enjoy it while you can, 'cause it's the last of what we have.

CHAYA Then I am honored.

SHEPPARD When McKay finds out, he's going to kill me.

CHAYA Athar will save you.

SHEPPARD Oh, good.

[They smile and chuckle.]

CHAYA Such wondrous things. I can't imagine wanting to do anything but eat all the time, with such a variety of foods.

SHEPPARD Well, we manage to pull ourselves away somehow.

CHAYA I've been learning much about Earth. Dr. Weir has gotten me on your information machines.

SHEPPARD Elizabeth's got you on a computer already, huh?

CHAYA I'm fascinated by your many religions. So many beliefs. So many philosophies.

SHEPPARD Yeah, we've got a few of those.

CHAYA So many contradictory faiths.

SHEPPARD Yeah, it's a bit of a mess. More?

CHAYA Yes, please.

[He pours her more of the drink.]

SHEPPARD We traded for grapes. The Athosians, Teyla's people, they make this on the mainland.

CHAYA I wasn't completely truthful with you about something. On Proculis, when I told you I did not feel lonely&hellip; Coming here, and being with you&hellip;it reminded me what it was like not to be alone.

[Sheppard smiles and stands up.]

CHAYA What?

SHEPPARD Well, I mean, nothing. It's just that&hellip;this is the first time I've been in a romantic situation with a woman from another planet, and it just strikes me as really, um&hellip;

CHAYA Wrong?

SHEPPARD No. God, no. Just&hellip;just&hellip;funny. I'm sorry. I just thought that I would, uh&hellip;

CHAYA You said it yourself&mdash;we're both human.

SHEPPARD Yes. We are. And I'm really glad you didn't say "family," otherwise I'd have to leave.

CHAYA Don't.

[He sits down beside her.]

SHEPPARD I'm not going anywhere.

[They begin kissing.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Sheppard walks alone, then McKay catches up to him.]

MCKAY Major.

SHEPPARD (surprised) Rodney. What are you doing up so late?

MCKAY I was just, uh&hellip;I couldn't sleep, so I was going back up to the control room to do a little research. What about you?

SHEPPARD Oh, no thanks.

MCKAY No, I mean, what were you doing up so late?

SHEPPARD I'm always up late, Rodney.

MCKAY A word of caution&mdash;the whole Captain Kirk routine is problematic, to say the least, let alone morally dubious.

SHEPPARD What routine?

MCKAY The romancing the alien priestess. It's very 1967 of you. Actually, I'm surprised&mdash;

SHEPPARD If and when anything I do becomes your business&hellip;

MCKAY It becomes my business, Major, when an alien woman who is clearly not who she claims to be has the ranking military officer wrapped around her little finger.

SHEPPARD Don't go there, McKay.

MCKAY I'm sorry. I know I'm not normally Mr. Sensitive, but you've got to believe me when I say there is something about her. I know it's intangible, but I can feel it&mdash;

SHEPPARD (stepping toward McKay, angry) I said don't go there!

MCKAY It's just a matter of time before I prove it, Major. I'm just recommending that in the meantime, you keep your&hellip;

[Chaya has entered from a door behind McKay. She crosses her arms as if annoyed by what she has heard. She turns and leaves. McKay gives Sheppard a defiant look; Sheppard looks at him sternly then leaves.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAWN

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

[McKay shows Weir to a laptop with graphics on it.]

WEIR Did you sleep last night?

MCKAY No. This is the data from the biometric sensors. I can't tell you exactly what all of these signatures mean, but, uh, look at this. These are ours, and this, this is hers. There's a distinct difference.

WEIR She was born on another planet in another galaxy.

MCKAY (annoyed) They're different from Teyla's, too.

WEIR That doesn't mean&mdash;

MCKAY Elizabeth, she's not what she seems to be.

WEIR I sense nothing but a very honest and spiritual person.

MCKAY All right. There may be a way to find out. You're opening negotiations with her this morning, right? Okay, well, let me sit in. I'll pretend to be taking notes on the laptop when really I'll be scanning her for anomalies. Radiation, E.M. scans, energy signatures&hellip; That way if I am crazy, you and I are the only ones who need to know. Now, what's the harm?

WEIR All right&hellip;but be discreet.

MCKAY I'm Mr. Discreet.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BRIEFING ROOM

[McKay has sensors attached the underside of the table, aimed at Chaya. He works at a laptop on top of the table.]

CHAYA I admit to being impressed by most of what I've read of Earth religions. The Torah, the Koran, the Talmud, the Bible&hellip; Most of them reveal a diverse and deep desire to grasp the divine.

WEIR So we do have something we can offer you.

CHAYA But I've also been reading about your history. Even now, somewhere on your planet, you are at war.

SHEPPARD Well, yeah, that's true.

WEIR I made no attempt to hide that fact from you. Chaya, we are definitely not perfect.

CHAYA There's a lot about you as a people that I find disturbing.

TEYLA Can that not be said of any people?

CHAYA No. Every soul in Proculis is free from the hatred and the anger the people from Earth seem to feel for each other.

SHEPPARD Come on. We're not all that bad. You know that.

[The touches his arm with a smile.]

CHAYA I do.

WEIR We're not talking about the people on Earth. I'm talking about every member of my expedition team here in Atlantis, and I'm talking about the friends we've met since coming here, like Teyla's people.

CHAYA There are some among you&mdash;yourself included, Dr. Weir&mdash;that I know Athar would welcome with open arms&hellip; But there are others.

[She looks at McKay, who continues to work on his laptop.]

WEIR I hand-picked every member of this expedition, and I know Teyla feels as confident about her own people.

CHAYA I'm sure.

WEIR At the end of the day, this is a matter of trust.

CHAYA Yes. It is, Dr. Weir. Have your scans found anything yet, Dr. McKay?

MCKAY Uh&hellip; Uh, actually&hellip;no.

[He closes his laptop.]

SHEPPARD What the hell is this?

WEIR I'm sorry, Major. There was cause for legitimate concern as to&mdash;

CHAYA Whether I was or not who I claimed to be.

WEIR I'm sorry, Chaya. I honestly felt it would do no harm.

MCKAY (standing) Stop apologizing, Elizabeth. How did she know?

SHEPPARD McKay!

MCKAY She's an Ancient, Major.

SHEPPARD She's what?

MCKAY I'm right, aren't I? The perfect health, the energy weapon the fact that she has the gene&hellip; It's the only logical explanation.

SHEPPARD What the hell are you talking about?

MCKAY I just don't understand the act. I mean, you must know we'd give just about anything to talk to you, to learn from you. I mean, what is it? What, are you&hellip; checking us out?

CHAYA I see that in my desire to come to Atlantis, I have revealed too much of myself.

WEIR He's right?

MCKAY I'm right?

CHAYA I am what you call an "Ancient"&hellip; And it is also true that I can never offer your people sanctuary&hellip; But you are wrong as to why I came here.

SHEPPARD Why did you come here?

CHAYA You, John.

SHEPPARD Me?

CHAYA I have lived in solitude for so long that when you asked me to come to Atlantis, I&hellip;

MCKAY (sitting) Oh, my God, he is Kirk.

SHEPPARD So this was never about uh&hellip; Could we just have a moment to ourselves here?

MCKAY, TEYLA, AND WEIR (in unison) No.

CHAYA (standing) That's all right. I've stayed here long enough.

[She leaves. Sheppard gives Weir a stern look then follows.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR OUTSIDE BRIEFING ROOM

SHEPPARD Come on, Chaya. You and your people were the reason we came here in the first place.

CHAYA I can't&hellip; I can't&hellip;

[She faints into Sheppard's arms.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE ABOVE PROCULIS

[Many Wraith darts come through the active Stargate; cruisers are already in orbit.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR OUTSIDE BRIEFING ROOM

[Chaya steps away from Sheppard.]

CHAYA No.

SHEPPARD What the hell was that?

CHAYA They're coming for them. I should have never left them.

SHEPPARD What's going on?

CHAYA I'm sorry, John.

[She transforms into an ascended being of white energy while everyone looks on in amazement. The Stargate activates, and she goes through. The 'gate shuts down.]

SHEPPARD I'm taking a jumper back to Proculis.

WEIR What just happened?

SHEPPARD There's only one way to find out.

WEIR Go.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS GATE ROOM

[The Stargate activates. A Puddle Jumper descends to the room. Sheppard is inside alone.]

WEIR Major, are you sure you know what you're flying into?

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

SHEPPARD I have a pretty good idea the Wraith are attacking Chaya's people.

WEIR You can't hope to defend them with one ship!

SHEPPARD I don't think I'll have to.

[Sheppard flies the Jumper through the Stargate.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE ABOVE PROCULIS

[Dozens of Wraith ships swarm around the planet.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

[Sheppard steers around the threats.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE ABOVE PROCULIS

[The Jumper fires two drones and takes out two Wraith darts. Then the Jumper turns among the many ships.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

[Chaya takes her human form beside Sheppard.]

CHAYA What are you doing here?

SHEPPARD I'm here to help you.

CHAYA Help me?

SHEPPARD To defend your people.

CHAYA Leave. I will take care of this.

[She resumes her ascended form.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE ABOVE PROCULIS

[Sheppard moves away from the Wraith ships. The energy "weapon" appears again and starts destroying the Wraith. Sheppard sees what's going on and turns the Jumper toward the planet.]

EXT&mdash;CHAYA'S TEMPLE

[Sheppard rushes up the stairs and back down. Chaya appears across the courtyard.]

SHEPPARD Is it "Chaya" or "Athar"? I'm just curious.

CHAYA When I was a mortal, I lived here. This was my home. When those of us who you call the Ancients ascended, we were supposed to leave behind us all human ties. Some of us found that difficult.

SHEPPARD So you couldn't stand by and watch your people getting wiped out by the Wraith.

CHAYA When their terrible fleet approached, I lashed out with my mind, and with a single thought, destroyed them all. The others of my kind did not approve of such interference with corporeal matters and so I was exiled. My punishment was the unending protection of this world.

SHEPPARD (walking toward her) Why pretend to be human at all?

CHAYA So that, time to time, I may walk among the people, know them as the good and kind souls they are. For thousands of years, I have come and gone to the villages, never staying too long to get attached to anyone&hellip;until I met you. I have never regretted the choice I made all of these years&hellip;until now. I am permitted to safeguard my people, but my people only. This is my punishment. This is what makes it punishment. If your people came here for my protection, the others would stop me. Do you understand? I can never help your people.

SHEPPARD I'm not sure I'm willing to walk away that easily. And I'm not just talking personally here, although that's definitely part of it&hellip; There is so much more we can learn from you.

CHAYA I can't, John. The others won't allow it.

SHEPPARD That's just&mdash;

CHAYA It is their highest law to never interfere. I am bound by those laws, however much I wish to help you.

SHEPPARD So, uh, we can never&hellip;

CHAYA I can never leave.

SHEPPARD Well, I could come and visit. And now I'm flirting with somebody from another species.

CHAYA We're not as different as you think.

SHEPPARD I think we're more different than you think.

CHAYA I can show you.

SHEPPARD Show me?

CHAYA By sharing each other. We will know each other as well as anyone ever can.

SHEPPARD Okay. I've got to get the car back by midnight, though.

CHAYA This will only take a few moments. Just close your eyes.

[She takes his arms in hers, then partially transforms into energy, wrapping her energy around him.]

SHEPPARD This is cool&hellip;

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

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