Chapter One

Varro stood solemnly in the doorway to the infirmary, his hands clasped together behind him. He gave a swift gesture of his chin before the Lucian soldier Koz, who was acting as medical officer, came hurriedly across the room wiping blood from his hands onto his pants.

"Yes sir," Koz said, not quite meeting Varro's eyes.

"How are they?" Varro asked as his eyes scanned the room containing both injured Lucian soldiers and crew of the SGC.

Koz looked back at the motionless bodies over his shoulder before staring down dejectedly at his worn, faded shoes. He dug the toe of his shoe into the metallic floor and started to speak. " Matthias will live; the bullet went through and through but um...Commander Kiva...well...," his voice trailed off.

"Speak," Varro said forcefully.

"I don't think she's going to live Varro," the make-shift medic said in a mournful whisper. "There is so much internal bleeding and I don't have the proper training to do this alone!"

Varro grimaced and clasped his hands together tighter behind him. This was not the news he had been hoping for. Although the Lucian soldiers had succesfully taken control of the Destiny, having his Commander out of commission, or dead even, simply lay grounds for Dannic, a power-hungry soldier in the Alliance, to make his move for her replacement. As much as Varro didn't mind serving his people, serving under the command of someone as narrow-minded and vicious as he, was definitely something he would like to avoid.

Varro's eyes caught the swirl of golden blonde hair from the far side of the room and his gaze rested there for a moment, forgetting about Commander Kiva.

"The medic?" he asked Koz. "And her child?"

Koz twisted his hands awkwardly. "The baby has been lost; I think that was instanteous. But the mother seems strong. I think she will live."

There was a small faraway pang in Varro's chest for the loss of the child but he couldn't help but feel pleased that the mother should survive.

He nodded to Koz and told him to do what he could for Kiva before walking back down the hall to speak with Dannic.

He found Dannic inside the room where they were keeping all the military personnel prisoner. Dannic was perched over a crumpled bleeding mess of a soldier, whose face was so bloodied that Varro could scarcely tell if the soldier was male of female.

"Dannic!" he said harshly, interrupting a kick mid-swing.

Dannic whirled and practically snarled, malevolence and enjoyment mixed in his expression.

"What?" he said angrily.

"A word," Varro said, trying to remain calm.

The bulk of the SGC personnel were lumped together in the center of the room. Most of them looked bloodied, all of them were terrified. Their leader, Colonel Young, looked as though he had suffered the worst. He looked determined though, Varro thought; determined to not go easily into death and that was something he himself could respect. This scene here was barbaric and he felt there was no need to torture prisoners who had nothing to offer in return. This he knew was what to be expected if he allowed Dannic to succeed Kiva.

Dannic slowly made his way over to Varro, cracking his neck experimentally as he crossed the floor. He needn't even look back in worry over being attacked by the prisoners. There was none in their company that any longer served as a threat.

"How is the Commander?" Dannic asked, his eyes full of interest in Varro's answer.

Varro took a moment before deciding how to respond. "She is...mending. Koz thinks the Commander will recover though it may be some time. The SGC medic was injured badly during a brief attack. She was shot in the abdomen and once she regains consciousness I think she can assist in-"

"NO!" roared a voice behind them. They both turned, surprised, towards the bulk of prisoners to see Colonel Young, barely able to stand, screaming and coming at them wielding broken and battered fists. They easily subdued him and forced him to the ground before Varro realized there were tears streaming down the Colonel's normally stoic face. It didn't take him long to understand their cause.

Dannic looked curious though he didn't hesitate to throw a unneccesary blow to the Colonel's gut. Varro looked disgustedly towards Dannic before giving Young a long hard look.

"I'm sorry..." Varro said quietly while the broken man sobbed on the floor.

"What are you apologizing for?" Dannic demanded. "These people are are enemy!"

Varro spun on him, barely containing his own anger. "They are an obstacle. And one that has been overcome. Your continuous torture of them will be answered when Kiva regains herself. And if not by her...then by me."

Dannic's eyes lit up at the threat and he took a few steps closer to him, barely getting within breaths length.

"I see Varro. Perhaps if the Commander does not make it through we will get a chance to learn which of us truly deserves having her power."

"Till then."

"Yes, till then."

Please leave a review...