Chapter 3
Two human males sat on the floor at the end of one of dart bays, cross-legged, their backs against the rich red wall, their heads together, deep in conversation. They have known each other a long time but operate in different parts of the galaxy so their paths rarely cross. This was the first time they had actually been on the hive together for a while and they welcomed the rare opportunity to exchange news in an environment where they could talk freely. One of them, the elder of the pair, looked up as an incoming dart passed slowly and two more humans, again both males, materialised some distance away in the centre of the bay.
These two newcomers obviously also knew each other and were familiar with the beaming process, standing quietly for the few minutes it took to recover from its destabilising effects before heading over to join the first pair. Although this was not their home hive, they felt comfortable enough to also sit down cross-legged to await the arrival of a commander who would grace them with his presence in his own good time.
-o-o-o-o-
Todd looked down into the uninspiring faces of the humans lined up before him but was not fooled by appearances. Although he had over thirty spies out in the galaxy doing his bidding, only two stood before him, joined by two from the hive that was just entering hyperspace. But he was quite satisfied. His own spies were amongst the most experienced operating in the galaxy, and he was confident the other two were of a similar calibre. Selected individuals who had spent much of their adult lives travelling from world to world collecting intelligence, a testament to their expert skills and innate will to survive. Ultimately their appearance was the reason for their success. Nondescript faces that lacked any distinguishing features meant they could mingle with a crowd and not be noticed, live in a community without leaving any tangible trace of their existence and herein lay their value to their wraith masters. These four were all he needed to begin the subtle process of ensuring his instructions infiltrated the networks of spies throughout the galaxy.
He looked across at the two newcomers, aware that their confident stance masked a sense of uncertainty. They had never been loaned to another commander before, let alone one who projected such a dominant, disturbing yet strangely charismatic demeanour. While their lives were spent in dangerous situations, they had never come across an individual wraith who filled them with so much apprehension as this one and now he temporarily controlled their destiny.
"What have you been told of this mission?"
It took the visiting spies a few seconds to realise the question was directed at them while the tenor of Todd's voice reinforced their perceptions about his personality. They exchanged a quick glance before the older one responded, head bowed to avoid looking this formidable wraith in the eye.
"Nothing Master, we know only to follow your instructions until you are finished with us."
A soft growl of satisfaction rose in Todd's throat and he nodded. This was just what he wanted to hear.
His next words were addressed to all four agents. "I want information about a human called Kol-ya," he explained slowly, his tongue caressing the syllables of his quarry's name and betraying the depth of his feeling. "I believe he is a renegade from a group of humans called Genii so he may either be living openly somewhere using a different name or be hiding away on some remote world."
"I have met this human."
Todd looked inquiringly at the youngest of his own spies, a confident young man he has used before on jobs that require a more subtle approach.
"When? Where?"
"Before he became a renegade, when I was in the Genii settlement I told you about."
Todd nodded slowly. "Yes, I remember. You can describe this human's appearance to the others."
Like all wraith, his highly developed sense of smell meant he recognised other beings, including humans, by their scent rather than their appearance. He neither knew nor cared about how humans saw each other or what particular features were important for them to recognise each other. So while Kolya's face was etched deep in his mind, he could not find the words to adequately describe it to his spies.
"It is important this human does not become aware of our purpose," he continued. "If you discover his whereabouts do not consider travelling there. Any information will be passed to me immediately. You will be held responsible for ensuring my instructions reach the others in your networks and you will make sure this is done quickly. Do I make myself clear? Do you have any questions?"
All four spies shook their heads vigorously. His own spies knew their master well enough to understand exactly what he expected while the others gauged it would be far better to seek additional guidance from their new accomplices rather than their new master.
Todd looked thoughtfully at his borrowed resources, still sensing the raw fear hiding just below their uncertainty and knew exactly how to make this emotion work in his favour.
"I have high expectations of the quality of the service my spies provide and I do not take failure and disappointment well." He walked over, reached out with his feeding hand to straighten the coat front of the older spy and smiled down into his face. When he continued, his voice was barely more than a whisper. "I am under an obligation to your commander to replace any from your hive who come to harm while working for me, no matter how that harm might befall them. I'm sure we agree that it will be better if I'm not forced to fulfil this obligation."
The implicit threat was understood only too well and the human bowed his head to hide the fear in his face. "Yes Master, we will not fail you."
"Good."
Todd left the dart bay without a backward glance. Confident the spies would do their work well, his mind was already moving on to the next element of his plan. He sent the coordinates of their next destination to the second in command and almost immediately felt the rhythmic pulse of the hive's engines as his long, powerful strides carried him back to the command centre.
x-X-00-X-x
It had been nearly five years since Sheppard and McKay first set foot in the Genii home world. On that occasion they had been totally fooled by an elaborate deception and believed their hosts to be an agrarian, pre-industrial society. They had come looking for tavo beans and allies. Instead they stumbled onto one of the most technologically advanced races in the galaxy who were developing a line of primitive nuclear bombs in a secret underground production facility contaminated with deadly radiation. McKay knew the Genii had now abandoned that facility, moved their stargate and relocated the majority of their population to a similar, non contaminated facility on the other side of the planet otherwise he would never have volunteered to accompany Sheppard.
As they tread the well defined track that led away from the gate, they caught the sweet scent of spring blossoms that made a pleasant change from the salty marine atmosphere of Atlantis. As on that first visit, the sun was shining and both men enjoyed its warmth on their backs although Sheppard was aware that if it got too much warmer McKay's satisfaction could easily evaporate into mild hysteria about being exposed to dangerous rays. Luckily the scientist seemed more alarmed by the small midges that swarmed silently around them, attracted by the faint sheen of sweat that was starting to appear on their faces.
"Relax Rodney, they're harmless and they're not going to bite you."
"Oh really, so you're an expert on alien insects now? You have absolutely no idea what these things are – they probably can bite and most likely carry a multitude of diseases." Sheppard rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to respond but McKay was not yet finished. "Are you sure we're going the right way? It's been awhile since we've been here and you did get us lost last time d."
"No, I didn't get us lost, I was just taking the shortest route from the gate to the village. End of story. If you look where you're walking now you'll see this is the main track that we've followed all the way from the gate and which, I assume, will take us to the village. Happy?"
"I suppose ... but d'you think we could walk faster, this sun is getting very hot and..."
"Okay, okay, we'll walk faster. Just stop waving that damned gun around like a fly swat, you're makin' me nervous."
Sheppard was relieved when they crested a small hill to see the first rustic cottages of the Genii settlement nestling among the trees just down the track and he spotted one of Ladon's lieutenants coming along a narrower, winding track off to the right. The tall, thin man was approaching quickly and greeted them with a frown.
"We were supposed to meet at the gate."
"Oh, yeah, sorry 'bout that, we just got here a little early and since it was such a nice day thought we'd take in some of the scenery." Sheppard accompanied his words with a smile but it did nothing to lighten the Genii's mood.
"Follow me."
-o-o-o-o-
McKay wrinkled his nose as they walked through the maze of corridors, each one identical to the last. He had never really liked enclosed spaces and even though this facility was not contaminated with radiation, it was still old and full of stale, musty air that he was sure could not be healthy.
Sheppard's military mind had a different focus. Despite the fact that the design of Genii technology still reminded him of earth technology from the 1930s, he noticed that they had incorporated some improved security features into their new home. Wall mounted cameras told him they now had a basic surveillance system while a series of solid metal shock doors looked as if they could withstand sustained attack by most of the weapons technology he had seen in Pegasus, including wraith stunners.
Finally they stopped in front of a set of elegant double timber doors that their escort swung open to reveal a large room. Entering slowly, Sheppard quickly realised it mirrored the room where they had been the guest of honour at a dinner given by Cowen, the previous Genii leader, during their first visit to this world. Large tapestries hung from the walls and a subtle light cascaded from two large chandeliers that hung over a long timber table, resplendent with carved legs and matching high backed chairs upholstered with fine grained leather. Ladon Radim sat at the head of the table facing them.
The visitors looked around as they walked to meet him, one on each side of the table, and quickly decided the room was not to their particular taste but then neither of them had ever been big on interior design. As the doors closed behind them, Sheppard stopped to run his hand along the top of what is obviously a high quality table.
"Classy furniture, I thought nuclear bomb making was the Genii speciality not fine carpentry?"
Ladon smiled. "Oh we did not make it. I managed to acquire it as part of an agreement to provide some assistance to a community that was having problems with their neighbours."
Sheppard immediately remembered Carter's comments about different values and ethics but obviously some concepts, hired muscle for one, were universal. He raised his eyebrows and looked across to where McKay was closely examining an erotic scene on one of the tapestries. Sheppard coughed and the scientist swung around looking like a schoolboy whose mother had caught him reading a girlie magazine.
The atmosphere seemed quite relaxed as the two visitors pulled out chairs, sat down and turned to face Ladon. A tray holding a jug of green liquid and several glasses sat in the middle of the table between the three men and the Genii leader poured three glasses. Putting the jug back on the tray, he handed a glass each to Sheppard and McKay but left the last one on the tray. Sheppard picked up on a sense of expectation, obviously having requested the meeting he was expected to begin the conversation.
"It's been a while since we met and we thought we'd just come by and see how you're settling into your new bunkers, share any info on the wraith, that sort of thing."
Ladon nodded slowly. "We completed our move with a minimum of fuss although to be honest, it has been difficult for some, especially the old and some of the weaker members of the settlement but they have managed. We moved our nuclear development program to another site, complete with the safety features you told us about Dr McKay," Sheppard noticed the smug little smile this news brought to McKay's face and knew he had not heard the end of it. "And we have permanently sealed off our old facility. As for the wraith, obviously we lack the sophisticated monitoring capabilities that you possess on Atlantis, but we have noticed, as I am sure you have, that this civil war seems to be altering their behaviour and taking its toll."
"Yeah, they're becoming more even suspicious of others and forming alliances although from what we've seen individual hives are still looking out first and foremost for themselves. How's your sister doing?"
"I doubt she will ever recover her full strength but she is doing as well as can be expected. Thank you for asking." The Genii leader leaned back in his chair, linked his fingers together and finally graced his visitors with a smile. "So now we have got the formalities and small talk out of the way, do you want to tell me why you are really here?"
Sheppard tried to look surprised by this challenge but failed miserably. "I told you, we're just seeing how things are going. We're supposed to be allies and that's the kinda thing that allies do, keep in contact with each other."
"Colonel Sheppard, I know our meetings before I became leader of the Genii were often under difficult circumstances but I thought we had started to trust each other since then. Please do not undermine that trust by treating me and my people like fools – you are here for a reason and I have to admit I am disappointed you cannot just come straight out and say what you want."
Sheppard looked at McKay who just shrugs his shoulders and silently mouthed. "All yours."
"Okay, d'you know where Kolya is?"
"Ahhh." Ladon nodded his head slightly and smiled. "I have often wondered if the time would ever come when you would want to exact some sort of revenge for what he did to you."
A slight hint of annoyance tinged Sheppard's reply. "No, this isn't about revenge, it's about making sure that a man who has such little respect for human life pays the price for his crimes."
"By crimes you mean trying to take control of Atlantis and what he did to you personally? Do not look so indignant Colonel, if I were in your shoes I would feel exactly the same way. So you are here to find out if I am keeping tabs on my rival."
Sheppard leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. "Well, are you?"
"We try but, as you know, he is a very clever, experienced tactician, motivated by the belief he has a genuine claim on the leadership of our people." Ladon finally reached over and took the third glass from the tray. "We lost touch with him briefly after the incident with you and that wraith. When we picked up his trail again, he was trying to find support for an uprising which still has not eventuated and probably never will. The latest rumour we heard was that he has been laying low, consolidating his position I expect."
"Don't suppose you have any idea where?"
"No, he seems to have a preference for keeping out of sight and staying away from the bigger trading centres. We occasionally check our unused outposts and sometimes find little signs that they might have been inhabited but, of course, that does not automatically mean Kolya has been there."
Sheppard frowned. "Doesn't sound like finding him is a very high priority."
"I must admit our recent surveillance efforts have not been as rigorous as I would have liked. Things have been busy and, to be honest with you, making sure that his agents do not infiltrate my own circle of advisers has been a far higher priority."
"Any idea how many followers he's got now?"
"Ah, now that is the tricky question. Hard core supporters who form his body guard and inner circle – I would say perhaps twenty, thirty at most. Sympathisers are more difficult to pin down but they are out there – spread across the galaxy feeling alienated from my regime for one reason or another but just not quite bitter enough to risk their lives in an uprising. In many ways I think their animosity towards me is maintained by the knowledge that Kolya is still out there providing a potential rallying point if they ever cared to escalate their own issues."
Sheppard was reluctant to ask too many more questions. The answers he had got so far were predictable but not very satisfactory so why look for more doubt and uncertainty. McKay clearly did not feel the same constraints though.
"So shouldn't you be doing something more to find him?"
"Are you looking for him yourselves?" Ladon asked, throwing a surprised glance in McKay's direction.
"No, we thought we'd come and find out what you knew. Seemed silly to start combing the galaxy for him if you already had some idea where he was."
"Is that what you intend to do?" Ladon asked, looking mildly surprised as he turned to Sheppard for an answer. "Comb the galaxy?"
"No, we all know there's no use searching openly for a man who clearly doesn't want to be found." Sheppard threw a warning glance in McKay's direction to make sure the scientist understood not to intervene in the conversation again. "No, we'll just start asking a few questions during our off-world missions and see what turns up."
The Genii shook his head. "And I will ask my agents to also make discrete inquiries. Now, in the spirit of our alliance, I am prepared to share any useful information we might come across, are you prepared to do the same?"
"Oh yeah, you've got my word you'll be the first to know if we find Kolya." Sheppard had no hesitation in agreeing to Ladon's request, but also had no intention of sharing information on Kolya's whereabouts until he had dealt with the rebel himself.
x-X-00-X-x
The solitary dart skimmed across the tree tops with the morning sun at its tail, lessening the chance of being spotted. The pilot had been fully briefed by his commander so he knew exactly who his targets were and, if the hive's agent had done his job properly, where they would be. Slowing as he banked over the fields where these pathetic humans were working to grow food in the rich red dirt, he saw the terror appear on their faces as they spotted his craft and his excitement rose as he sensed the fear his presence generated.
It was a small village on a remote world but he recognised the communal square he had seen in so many human settlements he had culled. Sure enough, just as expected, his targets were standing on the steps outside a large oblong building. Three humans, two males and one female, marked out by the red scarf tied to the leather tool bag that sat on the wraith spy's shoulder. He adjusted his course, slowed again, activated the dart's culling beam and was gone in the blink of an eye.
Too late, a small group of Genii soldiers ran out into the square powerless do anything but join the other occupants staring at the space where their fellow villagers had stood only seconds before.
-o-o-o-o-
The fear in the room was palpable but the scent of strong emotions emanating from the two humans they guarded left the two wraith drones unmoved. A female of middle age sat on a hard wooden chair, rocking gently with her hands wrapped around her waist, tears gently rolling down her face. Her male companion, of a similar age, stood quietly behind her with a hand resting gently on her shoulder. They were both village councillors, respected members of the outpost Genii community where they had lived together since they were young adults. They looked up as the drones moved out of the room leaving them in cold, dark silence.
The woman spoke first, her usually strong voice subdued by an uncontrollable tremble. "Why have we been singled out and left here? Where do you think they have taken the rest of them? What do they want?"
Her companion shakes his head. "Loris, I know only as much as you. I..."
He stopped as a tall, powerfully built male wraith entered the room. Feeling Loris stiffen in fear, Audren bent down closer in an effort to shield and protect her from this monster.
Todd was satisfied. The spies had delivered results much sooner than he had expected and when one reported hearing these two humans talking about Kolya, he sensed they could provide solid information. He scanned their minds quickly but what he sought remained hidden, clearly it was not something they considered important. Once he would have just pillaged their minds to get the information he wanted but his dealings with the humans from Atlantis had shown him that often more could be learned by asking questions. He sensed their fear but it did not stimulate his excitement as it had done the dart pilot, rather he knew he must allay it if these humans were to be useful.
"You are here because I need some information, nothing more." He pointed to another chair. "Sit down."
A momentary hesitation made it clear the male wanted to stay close to his mate, but he obeyed without question.
Todd remained standing, partly as a totally unnecessary strategy to remind these humans who controlled their destiny, but mostly because he had no intention of remaining here too long.
"I want to know the whereabouts of one known as Kolya, " he whispered in a low voice far softer than his usual tones.
"We do not sympathise with his cause so know nothing about where he is or what he might be planning." She may stink of fear but this human female's response was delivered with a strong clear voice.
But this is not what he wanted to hear. Todd moved to stand behind the woman and placed his hands on the back of her chair. instinctively she moved forward to avoid any possibility of touching him and her whole body stiffened in response to his presence.
"Indeed, so you know nothing about him?"
"Our village is loyal to Chief Radim. We do not have anything to do with Kolya."
The slight change in the odours flooding up from her body told Todd she was lying. "Really? I have heard differently."
"Then you have been wrongly informed. We know nothing."
Todd growled quietly. He was in no mood to pander to her misplaced loyalty and he was starting to get tired of asking questions. Sensing the male's loyalty to Kolya is not as strong, he decided to try a different, more traditional approach to the interrogation.
Pulling the female off the chair, his feeding slit formed a raw, vivid red slash as he moved his hand on her chest and prepared to feed. "I do not like being lied to."
The response was immediate. "No! Stop, please." The hand moved back slightly, waiting for the male to continue. "One of his lieutenants visited our village looking for support. He mentioned only that Kolya is on a remote world, an old mining settlement on the edges of the fourth quadrant. We don't know exactly where ... only his most trusted supporters would know that. Please ... do not hurt her. I swear to you this is all we know."
Todd nodded slowly as two unarmed drones re-entered the room. His lip curled contemptuously as he finally entered the humans' minds and confirmed they had nothing more of value to give him.
"Take them away."
"Where are you taking us? You promised we would be safe, that you only wanted information and we have told you everything we know." The female's still defiant voice was now tinged with fear as she clung to her partner.
Turning as he reached the door, Todd knew his cold response would destroy any hope of mercy his captives might have held. "I made no promise. I wanted information which you have provided ... in part. I do not keep humans on this hive who are no longer useful to me."
He did not wait for a reply. They will have the choice of either becoming worshippers or meals but their ultimate fate was not his concern. Again, he sent his second in command a set of coordinates that would take them to a part of the galaxy that would, hopefully, provide more useful information.
x-X-00-X-x
A hot shower had never felt so good. Sheppard stood like a statue, head bowed, hands by his sides as the powerful stream of water washed away the dust and sand he had brought back from the desert planet his team left behind only hours earlier. Their mission had been to convince the inhabitants of a world with a rapidly diminishing water supply to relocate to a new world that would allow them to not only survive but prosper and grow. It had been a hard sell that eventually only succeeded when Teyla and Ronan used their local knowledge to swing the argument. Unfortunately, things quickly became difficult after that, as a sand storm blew up when they were half way back to the gate and they were forced to take shelter amid some rocks and spindly vegetation.
Stepping out of the shower stall, Sheppard wrapped a towel around his waist, wandered out of his bathroom, lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. Knowing he must eventually head out to grab some dinner he was reluctant to lay too long but the shower had done its job well and he quickly drifted into a quiet, relaxed sleep.
The voice of one of the control room technician's finally infiltrated his sub-conscious and he woke with a little start.
"Colonel Sheppard, are you there?"
"Yeah, yeah, I was just in the shower."
"Sorry to disturb you then sir but we've got an incoming transmission from Ladon Radim."
"I'll be right there."
-o-o-o-o-
Carter and the rest of the team were already in the control room and Sheppard shot a quick smile their way before he turned to the screen.
"Ladon, don't tell me you've tracked Kolya down already?"
The Genii leader smiled and shook his head. "Unfortunately, no, but a couple of things have happened that might interest you."
"Really?" Sheppard shot a quick look at Carter.
"Shortly after our meeting, one of our outer settlements was culled and now another one has been attacked today. Both cullings followed a pattern we have never seen before – a single dart came in daylight, took only a couple of people and was gone before anyone really realised what had happened."
Sheppard nodded thoughtfully."What's the second thing?"
"One of our agents on a remote world in the third quadrant of the galaxy was told about a stranger, a trader, who had been there just two days earlier asking questions about Kolya – said he owed him money and wanting to know if anyone had had contact with him lately. The locals were not sure but they had their suspicions that the stranger was a wraith worshipper, a spy. He appeared out of nowhere and then disappeared just as quickly, the way wraith spies usually approach a settlement. More than a coincidence I think and I just thought you might be interested. I will be in touch if and when I hear anything more, as I trust you will be if you find out anything that you should share."
"Yeah, of course, we've got an agreement."
The transmission ended with the sound of Ladon's ironic laughter reverberating in the speaker. Sheppard turned to the others who all looked as surprised as he felt.
McKay was the first to find his tongue. "Well, well, I guess we all know there's only one wraith in this galaxy who's got as much reason as us to want to find Kolya."
Sheppard's interest was twigged by McKay's use of the word 'us' rather than 'you' but he let it go for the moment. "Todd! You know I didn't think wraith were into revenge but I can't really think of any other reason why he'd be looking for Kolya."
Carter shrugged her shoulders. "Well, we all know Todd's approach to many things is different to that we'd usually expect from a wraith. I said he might also have some unresolved issues with Kolya." Sheppard raised his eyebrows, the last thing he wanted to hear now was the "I told you so" but he refrained from interrupting. "We know he's worked pretty hard over the past few years to regain his power base amongst the wraith, perhaps he feels comfortable enough now to take time out to deal with Kolya."
"Mmm, I guess that could be the reason. Kolya kept telling me it wasn't personal," Sheppard shook his head. "But for me this is personal so I don't really give a damn what Todd's doin' just as long as he doesn't get in my way."
"Well, you know I don't really think this is going to be quite that simple." McKay's voice of reason cut through the Sheppard's defiance. "Look, if Todd is looking for Kolya it's not to give him a hug and tell him all's forgotten so if he's as determined as you are to bring this business to an end then he's not going to take kindly to you trying to beat him to the prize so to speak. Things could turn very nasty, very quickly and I for one don't want to be in the middle of it all when that happens!"
Teyla agreed. "Rodney is quite right. We need to think carefully about how to handle things when, and I am sure it will be when not if, we run into Todd. He might have helped us out on occasions but I think in this situation cooperation will be the last thing on his mind. He is a wraith."
Teyla glanced across at Ronon who nodded in agreement. Both felt it their duty to remind Sheppard of the side of Todd's character he hid so well when dealing with them here on Atlantis. "A wraith," Teyla repeated. "Until you came along he viewed all humans with the same cold contempt you have seen from other wraith and if you two had not shared that experience with Kolya then he would treat you exactly the same way. We all know that he helps us because it benefits his own cause. If he truly is hunting Kolya it will be to take his life and we need to think very carefully about the wisdom of getting in his way."