by Stargate
The Queen gave a throaty chuckle. “I don’t want you, Runner,” she sniffed, offering a hand to the commander as he returned, “you are just…collateral.”
The Satedan saw the Wraith commander drop an Atlantis-issue radio into the Queen’s spindly fingers. She studied it for a moment, and then spoke into the mike. “I wish to speak to Colonel John Sheppard. I know you can hear me, human. Your shuttlecraft was seen exiting the portal. I know you are nearby.”
There was a long moment of silence before the radio crackled into life. “Hi, this is John. Sorry I’m not in to take your call right now, but please leave a message and we’ll get around to kicking your butt just as soon as we can.”
Ronon rocked back on his heels, grinning. “He’s a funny guy.”
The Wraith Queen’s frosty smile became brittle. “Colonel. It is a pleasure to finally encounter your band. You have been quite troublesome to many of my race’s clans.”
“We like to keep busy,” offered the Satedan.
The alien ignored him. “Understand me, we have no interest in this planet or its people. There are so many rich worlds to cull and this ball of dirt has so little to offer us…” She sniffed the air, as if she smelled something unpleasant. “Nor do I care about you, your Runner or the rest…” The Queen shot Ronon a glare. “What I want is information, about the alien ship. The thing these tribals call the Aegis.”
A ripple of fear spread through the Heruuni who cowered in groups under the stun guns of the Wraith.
She gestured at the commander and inclined her head; in turn the Wraith strode over to Keller and the others, and grabbed the boy by the arm.
“Laaro!” shouted the doctor. “No! Leave him alone!” More Wraith crowded in, forcing her back.
Ronon took a step forward and got a rifle butt in the chest for his trouble. He staggered, wheezing. “Not… Not the boy. Me. Take me if you have to —”
“Be silent,” snarled the Queen, as Laaro was presented to her. She gave him a cold, indulgent smile. “Hello, little human. Do you know who I am?”
Laaro was trembling, but he didn’t look away. “I know.”
The Wraith Queen spoke into the radio again. “Sheppard. Give yourself up, show me where you have sent the alien ship. If you do not, then I will let my warriors free to feed on every living being on this planet. And I will begin the cull with this child before me.” She chuckled again, the tip of a black tongue flicking across the points of her teeth.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Carter entered the control chamber with her weapon at the ready, Major Lorne a few steps behind her in a similar stance. “Teyla?” she called. “Are you all right?”
Across the room, close to the cryo capsule, the Athosian woman threw her a wave. “I am uninjured.”
“Where’s the other Wraith?” said Lorne, panning around with his gun.
Before them, the Asgard avatar faded into being. “The Wraith has been subdued.” It inclined its head and Carter glanced in the direction it was indicating. In the corner of the chamber, three Risar stood in a triangle around the trembling form of the alien warrior, each of them holding a glass orb in their hands. Softly glowing rays from the objects bathed the Wraith in waves of color.
“A neural paralysis beam,” explained Fenrir. “The Wraith will harm no one in this state.”
Carter slung her weapon and strode across the chamber to come face to face — or close enough — with the Asgard hologram. A nerve jumped in her jaw; the colonel was about as furious as she could be, and it took a moment of effort to keep her voice level when she spoke. “Your actions have left the entire planet Heruun open to attack by a Hive Ship. Everyone back there, the locals, my people… They could be culling them all right now!”
Fenrir cocked his head. “You have a greater understanding of Asgard technology than any of the humans here. You know that this vessel’s combat and defense systems are not at full capacity. What would you have had me do? Remain in orbit and let the Aegis be overrun by them?” He pointed a thin finger at the Wraith.
Carter bit down on the first angry retort that came to mind and pushed it away. “This ship has teleportation technology. You could have beamed people to safety. You could have —”
“Done what, Colonel Carter?” Fenrir’s dark eyes narrowed. “I made a tactical hyperspace jump in order to save my ship.”
“Where to?” said Lorne.
“Only a short distance away, Major Lorne. A few light-minutes from the planet you call Heruun, up above the star system’s plane of the ecliptic.”
“We have to go back,” Teyla told him. “Fenrir, we cannot leave an entire world to the predations of the Wraith…” She faltered. “These are the people you have been protecting, the ones who helped you repair your ship. You cannot abandon them.”
“You owe them,” Carter added. “You have a responsibility.”
The Asgard eyed her and his tone turned colder. “The only responsibility I have is to my work. It must be protected at all costs and that means this ship must be preserved. I will not send this vessel into harm’s way without shields or weapons.”
“Fine,” snapped the colonel. “You give me the access I need and I’ll help you get the combat systems back on line.”
Fenrir considered this for a moment, then gestured at a panel on the far side of the chamber. “Agreed. This console will enable you to access systems directly. I will quicken new Risar to assist you.”
Carter glanced at Lorne. “Get everyone together. Do a head count, find out who we lost in the break-out.”
He saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”
Without pausing, Sam went to the console and began pulling up skeins of data, submerging her foul mood in the task at hand.
She caught Teyla speaking quietly to the Asgard. “You said you must protect ‘your work’. What did you mean by that?”
Carter saw Fenrir turn away. “That is none of your concern, Teyla Emmagan.”
“Colonel Sheppard,” said the Queen, teasing each out syllable of his name. “I am disappointed in you.” She cupped Laaro’s face in her free hand. “Are you really willing to let a child die just to test my resolve?” The Wraith gave a sibilant hiss. “Very well, if I must make an example, I will.” Cries rose up from the Heruuni captives, some of them trying to rise and being clubbed down or stunned for their temerity.
“Wait.”
There was a flutter of wind and a faint humming in the air; and from nothing came the shape of the Ancient shuttlecraft, floating above the wooden boulevard. Sheppard and McKay were visible through the canopy, both men grim-faced with the choice they had been forced to make.
The Queen chuckled once again. “Such a pretty ship. Not so pretty as the prize I want, however. Land your craft and exit with your weapons stowed. Do it, or the boy dies.” She yawned slightly.
In answer, the outrigger pods on the ship extended from the striated hull. “Or how about you let the kid go and I don’t make you chew on a drone missile?”
“This posturing is starting to bore me,” said the Wraith, a dangerous tone entering her voice. “I see through your bluff, Sheppard. I can taste the color of your thoughts from here. You won’t do it. You know what you will reap for this world if you do.”
“Just shoot her,” snarled Ronon, struggling against his captors.
After a moment, the outriggers retracted. “Fine. Let him go.” The Jumper settled to the boardwalk and the aft ramp fell open.
Sheppard exited the ship, his hands out by his sides. McKay followed on behind him, still gripping the data pad that hadn’t strayed from his side since they left the Odyssey.
The colonel gave his team mates a wan smile. “Ronon. Doctor. Looks like we’re on our own for now.” He raised his eyes to the sky, hoping they’d get his meaning. Keller’s face fell; she understood all right.
The Queen approached him. “John Sheppard,” she purred. “I am almost honored to meet you. My clan has so much to thank you for. If not for you, we Wraith migh
t be sleeping still. And the wars and destruction you and your Atlanteans have fostered…” She licked her black lips. “The other Queens you have killed, the clans you left in disarray, that wake of destruction has allowed my kindred to rise to prominence where before we were denied the chance.” The female bowed slightly. “I give you my appreciation.”
“You’re, uh, welcome.” Sheppard’s nostrils flared at the scent of her, the peculiar acidic perfume of Wraith he recognized from dozens of sorties aboard Hive Ships. Zelenka had once told him that was what humans could sense of Wraith pheromone output; like their insect counterparts on Earth, the Wraith Queens exuded chemical smells that trigged genetic command-obey codes in their subordinates. Apparently, the stuff also worked on some human beings. She must have been pumping it out like crazy, because the fug of it was making his eyes prickle. He felt his heart thumping in his chest and the beginnings of a fear response as his body reacted. He swallowed hard.
“Quit trying that crap on me,” he told her firmly. “I’m not a believer, so let’s cut to the chase.”
“Such a shame. We treat those who worship us with great care.” The alien female gave him a demure, toothy smile. “Very well then. You know my question. You know my offer. The ship that hid itself on the moon claimed the lives of many of my clan. I want it, and the being aboard it. In exchange, I give you my word that we will let you leave unharmed and that we will not cull this planet.”
“Your word?” Despite himself, John let out a short bark of laughter, and then coughed. “Oh, I’m sorry. You were actually serious.”
“Wraith lie,” rumbled Ronon. “That’s all they know how to do.”
A Wraith commander pressed his gun into Dex’s throat. “I warned you before, Runner. Don’t speak out of turn again.”
Sheppard glanced at McKay and saw the determination in the other man’s eyes. He didn’t need to hear Rodney say it; it would be bad enough if he actually delivered the advanced technology of an Asgard vessel into the greedy claws of a Wraith clan, but with what they had learned about Fenrir and his doomsday device… His blood ran cold just thinking about it.
“Well?” prompted the Wraith. “Your answer?”
The colonel blew out a breath. “Y’know, even if I knew where that ship was, which I don’t, I wouldn’t made a deal with you, not even if you threw in box seats for the Super Bowl.”
The false coyness fell from the Queen’s face to be replaced by cold anger. “That is so very disappointing, John,” she began, putting brittle emphasis on his name. “I had hoped you would be accommodating. Association with the Wraith can be very rewarding if you work with us…”
He shrugged. “What can I tell you? I can’t help you out. I’m sorry.” He paused. “Wait, no, not sorry. What’s that word I meant? The opposite of sorry. Glad.”
She turned her glare toward McKay. “And you, Rodney?” She said McKay’s name like it was two separate words.
The scientist hugged the portable data screen in front of his chest in a gesture of self-protection. “What he said. Can’t help. Don’t know.”
“That is not true!” cried a voice.
For a moment, Sheppard was thrown off-guard and he cast around, looking to see who had spoken. He heard Keller call out a warning, and suddenly Kullid was pushing his way forward, stepping out across the boardwalk.
The Wraith commander moved to intercept him, but the Queen made a guttural grunt in her throat and her warrior stood aside, allowing the healer to come closer.
He bowed. “I am Kullid, your highness,” he began.
“I don’t like where this is going,” said McKay, from the side of his mouth.
“Long have the stories of your kind been told on Heruun,” continued the healer. “In secret, passed from generation to generation. But I never….” He took a deep breath, and Sheppard realized he was willingly inhaling the Queen’s pheromone aura. “I never expected to see you myself.” Kullid’s face was lit by something new; an attraction that knew no bounds.
“Wraith worshipper…” Ronon spat the words.
“Here?” said McKay.
“Why not?” Sheppard replied. “There’s clearly a sucker on every planet.”
“Kullid, no!” Keller was calling out to him, stunned by his words. “You can’t possibly… These creatures, they’re predators! They only exist to prey on other life!”
“But they can give it as well as take it, is that not so?” he snapped.
The Queen gave a languid nod. “It is so.”
“You see?” Kullid turned and addressed the other Heruuni. “If we look past our primitive fear of the Wraith, they can save us! They can cure us of the sickness!”
“Sickness — ?” repeated the Wraith commander, but the Queen spoke over him, seizing the opportunity.
“Of course we will,” she said silkily. “If you in turn help us, Kullid. You said that Rodney was being less than truthful. Please explain.”
“The Atlanteans have knowledge of the Aegis, I know it,” he went on, moving toward McKay. “They left our world through the portal to gather it up and return here.” He looked at the data screen and nodded. “Inside that device. Yes, I am certain of it. They carry the words of more texts than I have ever seen before!”
“No, that’s not it at all,” Rodney managed, clutching at the portable computer. “This is, uh, I just use it for playing Minesweeper —”
The Queen gave the smallest of nods and one of the Wraith warriors stepped forward and slammed his stunner rifle into the back of McKay’s knees. Rodney howled and crumpled; Sheppard surged forward to step in and received the same blow from another of the masked aliens.
He hit the decking hard, and saw Ronon take the opportunity to rush his own captor; it was a bold but futile move. The Wraith commander spun and slammed the butt of his pistol into Dex’s chest, putting the Satedan down with one blow. Keller ran to him, desperately checking his pulse. Ronon groaned and coughed.
Kullid pulled the data screen from McKay’s hands with a savage jerk and turned to present it to the Queen. She inclined her head in thanks and tap-tapped a curved nail on the plastic surface, a curious smirk playing on her lips.
“Take this,” she handed the computer to another Wraith, this one in a leather long-coat of the kind their scientist cadre liked to wear. “Drain it dry.”
“We can translate the human language,” he replied. “It will be done.”
“Tell me you encoded that thing,” said Sheppard.
“Of course!” McKay retorted hotly. “I’m not stupid…” He trailed off. “I just hope I encoded it enough.”
“Well,” said the Queen, flashing them a shark-toothed smile. “It appears that the advantage is mine.” She glared at Sheppard. “You have won so many victories, John. I wonder if you remember what being on the losing side feels like.”
“I remember,” said the colonel, steel beneath his words. “I remember every man and woman we’ve lost to your kind.”
“That is good. I would hate to have to remind you again.” She nodded at the Puddle Jumper. “I think I will begin here by taking this little vessel as a trophy. You will convey me to my Hive.” She walked casually toward the rear of the ship, the scientist and a cluster of warriors moving with her. “And do bring Rodney with you.”
“What?” McKay piped, clearly unhappy with the suggestion.
The scientist eyed him. “He may come in useful if his data device proves…difficult.”
The Wraith commander prodded Sheppard in the back. “Go, prey. Do as you are told.”
“Colonel?” Keller gave him a terrified look.
Sheppard got to his feet and returned the gaze, looking at Keller and then Ronon in turn. “You two stay here. Keep safe, understand?” When the doctor hesitated, he silently mouthed something else. For now.
Keller nodded, fighting back her fear.
“Your highness?” said Kullid, trailing after the alien female. “And what should I do?”
The Queen gave
him an indulgent glance. “Tell your people the truth about us, Kullid. Spread the word.” She nodded to the commander. “Remain here. Help him understand our kind.”
The Wraith officer bowed. “As you order.”
Fenrir’s avatar stood motionless before a panel at the rear of the chamber, above which a wide oval screen showed a cutaway display of his starship’s interior spaces; many sections of the craft were dark across numerous levels where the internal sensors were inoperative.
Teyla watched him work the screen via thought, her gaze flicking between the holographic Asgard and the chilled capsule where the real flesh-and-blood Fenrir lay in stasis.
Across the room, Colonel Carter caught her eye. She nodded toward the alien, and her inference was clear. Talk to him. Find out what you can.
The Athosian approached the panel, as Fenrir muttered something in a low voice. “Is something amiss?” she asked.
He glanced at her. “I cannot understand how the Wraith were able to approach my ship so swiftly, without detection. How did they locate me? I ensured the complete destruction of all their craft, blanketed this system and nearby space with a dampening field to retard subspace communications.”
“The Wraith can communicate through other means,” she noted. “They possess a telepathic ability.”
“That is known to me. But the range of that ability is limited.”
“For common Wraith, that is so. But the Queens aboard the Hive Ships… They are much stronger.” Teyla shivered as she thought of the cold psionic tendrils of the Queens she had encountered, and the scars they had left in her psyche.
The avatar nodded, accepting this. “I understand. It was my error to preserve the lives of some of the Wraith from the last craft I destroyed. I was curious. I sampled the superior elements of their genetic code in order to…” He paused, as if he suddenly realized he had said too much. “Their regenerative qualities are quite incredible.” After a moment, Fenrir looked at her. “I believe the Wraith have been looking for me for some time, perhaps since the aftermath of their first attack on the Aegis, when I arrived in the Pegasus galaxy. Other Wraith have come to the Heruun system in the past.”
