Chapter 1: The Offer.
Disclaimer: As usual I own no part of this world and I gain nothing from this story, other than getting the ideas out of my brain so they can stop nagging me.
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The tall slender yet muscular woman stepped before them, her weight equally balanced on both feet, her hands on her hips.
"We are The Wraith Hunters." She uttered with a sense of complete conviction and authority that mimicked her confident body language.
"Pleased to meet you." Colonel John Sheppard offered in reply. Teyla watched the not so subtle exchange of appreciation for the woman pass between the three men. Males were so easily led.
The woman, if she noticed the lingering looks of the men, paid it no attention. She turned on her high heeled boots and strode away from them.
"This is our new base of Operations in this area of the galaxy. We thought it prudent to introduce ourselves to you."
The Atlantis team hurried to keep up with the woman's distance eating pace.
"And by that you mean…" Sheppard inquired as he caught up with her.
"We have been operating in a relatively small area of the galaxy for the past ten years. That area is now free of the Wraith and we felt it was time to expand our reach. We have heard many reports of your exploits against the Wraith and we feel that together we could achieve more."
"Did you just say that you have freed an area of the galaxy from the Wraith!" Rodney's sarcastic tone caused Teyla to wince.
The Hunter stopped in her tracks and turned abruptly towards Rodney, who almost ran into her. Having only just stopped himself from being pressed up against her curvaceous form, Rodney stepped back more from embarrassment than from fear.
"Yes, Dr. Mackay. Thanks to our work thousands of worlds have been freed from Wraith oppression. We are the strongest, fastest and most advanced humans you will find in this galaxy or any other. We have been training all our lives to fight the Wraith and have become very good at doing so."
"Really?" Ronon's tone displayed all of his disbelief.
The hunter stepped towards Ronon, until she stood less than a foot away and she studied him. Ronon held his ground and just looked back at her with a completely unimpressed expression.
"I see that you are a hunter at heart, Specialist Dex. I assume you have killed many Wraith over the years, yes?" Ronon merely blinked at her as a reply. "Then imagine entire armies of people as skilled as yourself. Add to that many with knowledge of alien technologies never before seen in this galaxy, and many with the tactical skills of the greatest leaders – all working together to fight the Wraith. Combine that with acquired ships and technologies from across this galaxy and I think you can imagine where we come from. We do not fear the Wraith. We respect what they can do, but we no longer fear them."
With that she strode off once again, leaving them to scurry to catch up again.
"If we work together we believe we can rid this galaxy of the Wraith for good. It will take time, but if we combine our efforts, it may just occur in our lifetime."
And with that she strode off out of the hallway, leaving the Atlantis team starring at each other with a mixture of surprise and hope.
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Teyla was the last to retire to bed. She chose to remain up late sitting by herself in the Hunter's lounge area, for lack of a better description. Tables and benches were packed into the large hollowed out space from the rock. Teyla sat quietly and contemplated all that had occurred over the past week. These hunters did indeed appear to have the skills and drive to fight the Wraith, but still there was something off for Teyla. Something inside her made her keep from relaxing around these Hunters. Something wasn't right.
"We have several of you kind among our ranks." The voice shocked Teyla out of her thoughts and she looked round to see the female hunter who had been their guide since arriving. She appeared to be someone of high rank among the Hunters. Now she walked over to Teyla's table, but did not sit. Instead she stood before Teyla in that half light of the night.
"My kind?"
"Those who can connect with the Wraith, telepathically. They are highly valued hunters, but they are also highly trained. You are not."
Teyla felt initial anger at the statement, but quenched it quickly.
"I have spent my whole life training to fight"
"I do not mean your fighting skills; I mean your telepathic skills. At present you are a liability to your people. The Wraith will be able to influence you, control you, and use you to kill those around you."
Teyla could not help flinching at the words, so similar to her own dark thoughts that crept out of the gloom at night.
The hunter tilted her head, as she studied Teyla.
"I see they already have manipulated you in the past. You endanger those around you by remaining so undisciplined."
"It is not something I do often. I can not imagine becoming skilled at contacting the Wraith without further exposing my mind to their influence."
"We could help you, Teyla. We have technology that hunters such as yourself use to train their abilities without exposing themselves to the Wraith. A kind of mental training that trains the body and mind how to block the Wraith out, how to sneak into their minds undetected and ultimately how to fight them."
It sounded too good to be true to Teyla and she was immediately suspicious.
"We would be happy to let you use the technology. For your kind are of great value to us in our fight against the Wraith. However, there is also a slight risk, as there is with anything worthwhile. Those with weak minds do not always react well to the training. But, I doubt you are anything but a strong focused woman. You know what is important. That we need to do everything in our individual power to stop the Wraith from hurting our people. To protect all those abandoned by the Ancestors. It is your responsibility to train yourself and help your people, not forever being trapped in fear and worry that the Wraith will use you to kill those around you. You do not want to be responsible for such a thing."
Teyla could think of nothing to say in reply. This woman had just confronted her with all her deepest fears and had offered a possible answer. Surely there was something wrong here? But, could Teyla ignore what was being offered to her?
"Take your time to think it over. There is no need for you to make such a massive decision now. I am sure there are many ramifications to consider. I will leave you to rest. Good eve."
And with that the hunter turned and left. Teyla watched her stride out of the door and continued to stare long after she had left. Could she really be able to control her 'gift'? To become skilled at using it? She would be able to slink into the Wraith minds, pull out information, she could gain all the intel Atlantis needed. She had the potential for being a massive asset, or their greatest weakness. Was there really any choice?
TBC
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