Chapter 10
The Genii outpost settlement that was the unsuspecting target for the cull sat on a largely water-covered planet that orbited a small sun on the outer edges of the galaxy. Looking down from the hive, Todd saw a carpet of undulating pinkish-hued cloud that was sometimes pierced by the craggy peaks of the tall mountain ranges that dominated many of the world's landmasses. Its population was small, too small to sustain regular cullings, and most Wraith were unaware that humans even inhabited this system. Todd only knew of its existence through his previous hunt for Kolya when one of his human agents had singled this world out as a possible source of information.
As he surveyed the surface, he wondered what drove humans to inhabit such worlds. Although the Lanteans had built one of the rings there and the Genii had a small mining operation, he knew from an analysis of the planet's geological composition and atmosphere done during their last visit that there was nothing of great value down there. Rather it seemed this race of particularly ambitious humans clung to the settlement as a trophy, a sign of their ability to colonize the galaxy as much as anything else. Curiosity aroused, he marked it down as something to ask Kolya about when he was finally captured. The wretched human might as well contribute something of value as well as his life force.
But he was getting ahead of himself. More important things had to be decided now, such as the most effective way to cull this world. Although he had told his lieutenant that taking such action would inevitably end his relationship with John Sheppard and the Atlanteans, some of the finer details still needed to be finalized to his own satisfaction. Initially he had thought to simply annihilate this outpost, to leave nothing but drained husks, to send a message that would leave absolutely no doubt about his response to Kolya's escape.
He sighed deeply. After considering things a little more carefully though a flaw had became evident in this approach. Certainly it was highly likely the culling would be attributed to him but he had no way of guaranteeing that and it would be such a shame to think of his efforts being dismissed as just a random culling by a hive desperate for food.
No, something more inventive was needed here, something that would force contact with his Atlantean 'brother' again, no matter how strained that contact would be. Nostalgia briefly crossed his face before a wily smile began radiating from his dark eyes. It had been quite some time since Sheppard had entered his thoughts properly and Todd felt sure he would not have rated too highly in Sheppard's thoughts either. Of course he had kept a strategic eye on the Atlanteans' activities through reports from the hive's network of human agents in order to feed his knowledge about what was going on in the galaxy. On a couple of occasions he had recognized actions, behaviors and attitudes he had been sure were Sheppard's handiwork though they had never been of sufficient importance to warrant a detailed examination. Since Kolya's escape though, his agents had told him that while Atlantis was certainly showing an interest in the Genii renegade, they were not actively searching for the man.
Which brought him back to this culling. He leaned forward, placing his hands on the ledge of the portal and began tapping a gentle rhythm with his fingers. While feeling confident he would find Kolya using his own resources, having first-hand knowledge about what the humans were doing rather than trying to second guess their actions would be useful and help speed the process along. So the culling must persuade the Atlanteans to take a more immediate interest in finding this renegade Genii, really help them focus their efforts on locating him. A situation in which Sheppard would again be a useful asset. Todd growled softly. Something that would help the Colonel to see that it was in his best interests to be helpful. Of course, he could simply leave a message at the relay station he and Sheppard had used previously to communicate but this situation required a sterner response.
His usually smooth brow knitted into a frown as he paused to consider the other significant ways this new search for Kolya would be different from last time. He would not allow himself to be swayed by esoteric arguments from Sheppard about the morals of Wraith feeding on humans or be influenced by Kolya's own fears. This time he would have the satisfaction of seeing his tormentor punished by his own hand and once that was done he and Sheppard would not part company with an uneasy truce, rather their relationship will be changed forever as he pursued the quest to depose the Primary and seize control of the alliance.
Again a smile cut across his face but not one borne out of humor, rather a smile of smug satisfaction that he had found the perfect solution and had the resolve to carry it through. To the end.
But he had little time to enjoy this satisfaction as a duet of voices suddenly rose above the general hum of the hive's vocal collective to interrupt his musings. One angry, the other trying to be conciliatory. Eyes closed, Todd went out to meet the owners of both voices, taking care that his own thoughts remained muted and confused in the general noise and shadows.
The first voice was unmistakeable as it spit out orders and threats. =Your excuses are pathetic. I demand to know why we are wasting time here and you will find this information or else I will find a more effective use for you.=
Todd growled, a long, low, harsh sound from deep in his chest. The captain had been doing a good job keeping the queen quiet but in reality his influence over her was limited by his position in the hive hierarchy. There was only one way to deal with her current demand and he moved swiftly out of the subliminal shadows.
=We are here to cull and gather information. It is my decision and that is all you need to know.= Ignoring the surprise generated by his intervention, he turned his attention to the captain. "My second will lead this culling but you will take the advance party to surround and isolate the settlement. You will take your instructions from him."
With that Todd severed the connection, took one long last look at the world below, checked to make sure the cruiser was in a higher orbit watching for the unlikely arrival of any possible intruders and headed back to the bridge.
x-X-00-X-x
Rix Cowen was not sure how far he wanted to trust the man sitting at the table with him but at the same time he was equally sure he did not have too much choice about whose advice he could trust. So many of those who had come to join his cause had been supporters of his brother who, while they had been quick to change allegiance when Ladon seized power, had also withdrawn from the world of Genii politics and government so they did not have to put their new allegiances to the test. Now they had risked much, including the anonymity gained during the years since the coup, to join his cause and while his movement had so far managed to avoid attracting the attention of Ladon's agents it was inevitable that will change soon. Kolya's release and Dahlia Radim's abduction had guaranteed that.
The problem was that these supporters still carried the tensions and the mistrust of others they had developed while serving his brother and this one, Dias Basrun, his brother's most prominent advisor was no different. A cold, aloof man, he shared a particularly strong antagonism with Kolya that neither man seemed able or willing to hide. Not for the first time Rix wondered if he really wanted the angst that would go hand in hand with avenging his brother by deposing and killing Ladon.
"You put too much trust in Kolya's abilities and loyalty," the contempt in Basrun's voice drew Rix back to their conversation. "And you certainly should not have sent him down to see Radim's sister."
The man who had baited Kolya when the two first came together here in this room presented an uninspiring picture of a thin, pinched face topped by a receding hairline. Basrun might have been close to his brother but Rix had been unable to develop the same level of confidence in the man's abilities. Perhaps it was Kolya's damning assessment of Basrun as a foolish, cowardly sycophant or perhaps it was simply his own assessment based on the man's refusal to look him in the eye. "Why? Should I have sent you instead?"
Basrun's thin lips transformed into an insolent sneer. "Do you need to be reminded that he planned to betray your brother? Do you really think he will have any qualms about casting you aside when he thinks the time is right, when you have served your purpose?" The sneer was replaced by an unctuous smile. "I am just saying that you are trusting him too much, too easily, you need to watch him more closely."
Rix leaned back in his chair, folded his hands and looked thoughtfully at Basrun. "Really. And if he were here Kolya would say exactly the same thing about you. Which one of you should I believe do you think? Which one of you is so dedicated to my cause you are prepared to put you own ambitions to one side?"
For once the advisor was just a few heart beats too slow with his well-rehearsed response and the gap was filled by a deep, rich laugh resonating around the room. "We all like to think that our own ambitions are paramount but I owe you my freedom so perhaps that gives me a slight edge?"
Kolya stood at the now open door, his face fixed in a grim smile that obviously lacked any degree of humor. Not having heard the door open, Rix was annoyed that Kolya had taken it upon himself to ignore the common protocol of knocking before entering. Feeling his authority was under threat by this simple gesture of disrespect, he made his displeasure known. "This is a private meeting Kolya not one that I would have expected you to consider open to interruption without first knocking. How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough," Kolya moved into the room, bowing his head slightly but the mocking smile that continued to touch his mouth diminished any respect the gesture might have conveyed. "And since I seem to be the topic of conversation perhaps I should stay to defend my integrity?"
Basrun stood before Rix could answer. "Feel free to stay, I have nothing more to say and have more important things to do than listen to your reports."
Although he knew he should have ordered Basrun to stay and Kolya to leave, Rix remained silent watching the two men. The advisor took his time to leave, stopping to carefully push his chair back under the table, ignoring Kolya as he walked past, slowly and deliberately closed the door as he left. Kolya then made a beeline to sit in a different chair to the one Basrun had just vacated.
"Why do you bother with that man? He can not be trusted."
Rix raised his eyebrows. "You probably would not be surprised to hear he says exactly the same thing about you," he sighed, deciding that any further comments about not disturbing meetings would be totally useless. "Did you see her?"
"No."
"I told you to sort things out, that was supposed to be the purpose of your visit to the city."
Kolya laughed. "I never do anything with only one purpose in mind. I wanted to have a look at the second gate there, see if there is any potential to set up a secondary base. Visiting Radim's sister was not necessary once I spoke to the bodyguard who came with her."
"But you have sorted the whole debacle out though?" Rix frowned as he leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. Secondary bases were of no interest right now, he needed to make sure Kolya had ameliorated any problems that could flow from springing the trap to take Dahlia early.
"If you mean the fools who acted prematurely, they will not be bothering us again and they will not be telling anyone about their error."
"So you do not anticipate any additional trouble?" Rix asked hopefully.
Kolya narrowed his eyes. "Any additional trouble? I am not sure what you mean by additional trouble, there is going to be plenty of trouble. Ladon's agents will now be working overtime to find anything that will give a clue to her whereabouts, we knew that would happen, it has just started a little earlier than we planned." He also knew there was a good chance that the Genii leader would try to enlist help from Atlantis but decided to keep that information to himself. Mention of Atlantis would inevitably draw thoughts back to his own vendetta, an issue he would rather keep out of the limelight for as long as possible.
x-X-00-X-x
Dinner was all but finished by the time Sheppard finally made it to the mess hall but he still managed to make up a tray that he hoped would satisfy his hunger. Looking around he spotted Ronon, Teyla and McKay so made his way over to their table.
"So was Woolsey as pissed as he looked?" Ronon had volunteered to go along to explain their little side trip to the Genii but, while his offer had sounded genuine, it had lacked any real enthusiasm so Sheppard had refused.
"Yep," Sheppard nodded as he placed his dinner tray on the table and sat down next to McKay. "But we've come to an understanding and naturally he's happy we won't be actively involved in the search for Ladon's sister."
"Mr Woolsey waited for you for quite some time," Teyla glanced up from her own dinner and looked at her three team mates. "He was not happy when I told him I did not know where you had gone in fact I thought he was going to tell me he did not believe me but," she smiled confidently. "He did not actually accuse me of lying."
The three men exchanged a quick glance, none of them would ever be foolish enough to accuse Teyla of lying either.
"So d'you think they'll find her?" As usual Ronon's question was short and succinct.
"Well, there's an awful lot of places she could be. Thing is whoever's got her isn't going to be holed up on any of the Genii outpost settlements or any of their deserted outposts." Sheppard pushed some of the food around on his plate as his mind went back to the bleak prison he had shared with Todd. The silence of his three fellow diners confirmed that they were probably having much the same thought.
Finally it was Teyla who broke the silence. "We can assume who ever has her wants her alive, for the time being anyway. Do you think it was Kolya who took her John?"
"Oh, two significant things involving Genii happening out of the blue is no coincidence and I'm pretty sure they're being guided by the same hand. Trouble is none of Ladon's Genii contacts seem to have any firm ideas about who that hand belongs to."
"Well, I guess taking power by blowing up your leader and a whole bunch of his men is going to leave a pretty wide field of potential enemies," Rodney smiled sardonically.
Sheppard looked at the three faces turned expectantly in his direction. "You'd think so wouldn't you, but Ronon and I went down that path with Ladon and he seemed pretty sure most of those potential enemies had come round to offer their support to his regime. At least most of those with any military background who'd have the knowledge and experience to think they could organize a successful counter-coup."
Ronon pushed his place away and folded his arms. "Way it looks to me, this isn't someone with any military experience which is why they needed to bust Kolya out of prison." Teyla and Sheppard both nodded in agreement before Ronon continued. "One thing for sure, it's been well planned and like you said they won't be easy to find."
"So are we just going to ask questions when we go on missions?" Rodney looked across at Teyla's untouched jello. "You going to eat that?"
Sheppard just smiled. "Well, that's what we told Ladon we'd do and that's what Woolsey's happy for us to do."
The others exchanged quick glances before Teyla asked the inevitable question, "And if it becomes clear Kolya is involved, will you be able to just stand back and not become more involved?"
"Hey, I just do as I'm told!" Sheppard declared as skepticism flashed across his friends' faces. "Unless of course Kolya decides to come after me personally, that'd chance the dynamics of the situation just a little."
x-X-00-X-x
In the beginning there was nothing to differentiate this particular culling from any other.
It was obvious that apart from the two humans who had been taken in Todd's earlier hunt for Kolya, this settlement had not been culled for many generations if at all. The humans were taken completely by surprise, but responded in the usual manner. Some allowed their panic to drive them from their homes out into the open, running blindly through the darkness, stumbling, falling, allowing the hive's darts to do their job of beaming-up in the usual concise, clinical manner.
Others hid in small, dark places they thought safe, so desperate to survive they failed to realize that millennia of culling have given the Wraith a sophisticated understanding of such places. These humans, caught in the trap of the homes they had always thought of as safe havens, were herded out into the open space of the town square where they now stood waiting to learn their fate under the watchful eye of three squads of drones.
Family groups huddled together as the pre-dawn chill was quickly replaced by the first light of the new day. While none had ever experienced a culling, they shared the knowledge common to all human settlements in the galaxy that some would be taken while others would be left to re-populate the community. So each family waited in silence, knowing that any missing kinfolk were already doomed but each hoping that no more of theirs would be chosen. Instinctively, eyes were cast down to avoid making contact with either the Wraith or the friends they desperately hoped would be taken instead of their own loved ones. As the rays of sun started to filter across the square, the only sound was the harsh cawing of a flock of crows as they circled the township like black demons silhouetted against the pink clouds, awaiting the sign to feast.
-o-o-o-o-
As Todd walked through the deserted streets of this settlement he felt the dual thrills of power and exhilaration that came from having humans completely subjugated and under his control. Some lives would have to be lost in his quest for vengeance but what were they to him, nothing more than resources to be used for a much greater purpose now than anything they would ever have achieved on this pathetic world.
Anticipating that his path was about to take him out of the shadows, he narrowed his eyes as he stepped out into the rays of the rising sun that were slowly infiltrating the clouds on the horizon. Like all Wraith he was more comfortable in subdued lighting and was usually back on the hive by this time of the day but he needed to take command of this final clean-up phase of the cull. Crossing to the other side of the street he moved back into the shade, pausing occasionally to look inside some of the buildings, searching the paraphernalia of human life for something that might add to his collect. As usual, once they culling was completed, patrols would collect food and clothing for the hive's human population and scavenge for anything that might be useful.
Finally reaching the square he looked across to the solidly built meeting hall that human societies across the galaxy had adopted, obviously a throwback to their common Lantean ancestry. The second and the captain stood together at the top of the steps leading to the hall's large front door, each doggedly ignoring the other as they awaited his arrival
Two warriorss instinctively stepped forward to escort him through the crowd but Todd subliminally waved them back. He had no fear here and, as if sensing this confidence, the mass of human bodies parted as he approached, allowing him an unhindered path to the hall. Breathing deeply, he reveled in the range of attitudes that bombarded him, fear, hatred and the occasional scent of defiance.
=How many?=Todd asked the question before reaching the hall and while it was not directed to either one of these two rival underlings in particular, as expected, it was the second who responded.
=Roughly a hundred have been taken to the hive already Commander, as usual mostly the young ones who thought they could escape. There are another two hundred and fifty or so here.=
As he walked up the steps Todd turned to make his own quick calculation and came up with a number closer to three hundred but he merely grunted as he finally joined his officers. =They are inside?=
The second just nodded as a drone moved forward to open one of the wooden double doors to the meeting room. But before he moved inside Todd turned to again survey the human crowd.
=Take them all.=
Just as he had expected, both underlings turned quickly to look for some sign, some expression that might give a hint of why he had chosen what could only be described as an unusual course of action. But Todd's face remained inscrutable as he turned back to walk into the hall.
Not too much time was wasted looking around. He had been in such halls before on those rare occasions when he deemed it necessary to speak with the leaders of a culled settlement. This room was of medium size with windows down two sides and a large table at one end that faced rows of simple wooden chairs. The rhythmic tattoo of his boots filled the room as he strode down the length of the hall towards the table and was met with rising apprehension by the four humans who awaited his arrival.
Three men and one woman, stood together behind the table keeping a watchful eye on the four warriors who guarded them. Todd took them in with a single quick sweep of his eyes. The oldest two, a male and the female, were holding hands indicating they were most likely a pair, a thought that was confirmed by reaching into their minds to see they cared as much about each other as they did themselves. Todd had always classified this idea of putting someone else's safety on a par or even above thoughts of one's own safety as a rather quaint concept, just another human frailty that confirmed their inferiority as a race when compared to Wraith. Still he had learned long ago that it provided a valuable lever to manipulate humans and so this pair were immediately placed into the category of useful assets.
The other two males were younger and one, the taller, more strongly-built one, was standing with both hands on the back of one of the chairs that had been pushed under the table watching the Wraith approach, trying very hard to appear defiant. It was clearly false bravado but to Todd it was a challenge he felt obliged to take up so he finally stopped directly behind the man.
"What is your name?" he almost purred but still his multi-toned voice echoed around the room, breaking the silence and causing all four humans to jump involuntarily.
"Tobias," the man's normally deep voice trembled slightly but he still took a deep breath and turned around to face his inquisitor.
Todd nodded and looked more closely at this human. Here was one who was obviously well used to having his orders obeyed, one who repaid obedience but punished those who step out of line. "Well Tobias, I want you to tell me all you know about this Genii named Kolya."
Beads of sweat appeared on the man's forehead but he returned Todd's unblinking stare. "I," he glanced at his three fellow councillors. "We know nothing about him."
Todd's sharp eyes scanned the human's face before he nodded and turned to walk over to look out of a window. "We both know that is not true and I am disappointed you do not see that it is in your best interests to tell me the truth," he turned back to Tobias and leaned against the window jamb. "But I am prepared to give you another chance so tell me what you know about Kolya," he hissed in a tone that left no doubt about what would happen if he thought he was being lied to again.
"He has escaped from prison," again Tobias glanced around.
"Yes, I know that," Todd nodded in an effort to adopt a tone of supportive camaraderie. "I want to know who was responsible for freeing him?" He knew very well that Kolya would probably already have been recaptured if the identity of his benefactor was common knowledge but asked the question anyway.
"I do not know, nobody knows. Ladon Radim sent men to all our outposts to find out what people know but we are isolated here, we do ott have many visitors," Tobias laughed nervously. "We often do not find out about things until they are over. This is all we know you must believe me."
Todd believed him and since this human's value was now as a messenger to Sheppard, he saw little point in continuing the conversation. Instead he briefly turned his attention to the fourth Genii who had been watching the proceedings but not volunteered and information. His face was still etched with fear and Todd decided he would be of little value as anything more than a source of energy.
He turned back to Tobias, "I want Kolya and I do not want to have to wait too long. Remember me well and when other humans, particularly one they call John Sheppard fro Atlantis, come here you will tell them that there will be more cullings until Kolya is delivered to me. Do I make myself clear?
Tobias nodded. "Yes."
Eager to return to the hive, Todd walked back outside and stopped next to his second. The town square was empty. =Leave the one tall one but bring the other three.=
This approach to culling was so totally at odds with convention practices, the second was unable to accept this final order without a challenge. =There will only be one human left.=
=Yes, that is my intention,= he nodded but was prepared to offer at least a partial explanation.=One left to deliver my message. That is all I need.=
Concise as always and the second knew he would get nothing more to satisfy his curiosity. "As you wish Commander."