Chapter 12: Homeground
Disclaimer: the Stargate franchise and aliens that they created are the property of MGM. This is just a fictional story made out of fun and has no profit or commercial value derived from it.
The Hive fleet had entered the borders of their territory. The unclaimed planet explored earlier was of a lonely solar system. The fleet had entered a group hyperspace jump into the borders. Before them, a large area of plasma clouds in space loomed. From afar, the clouds had looked like a shimmery multicolored line, stretching endlessly. The long vast cloud had shimmery patterns of multicolored lights flashing away. Plasma storms as some Wraiths described it. A spatial disturbance of energised particles in the plasma clouds. It was the only demarcation point between the neighbouring factions and them. Only the Wraiths who came from this territory knew how to get past it. All cruisers were now assigned Wraiths who were familiar to their territory.
Former refugees and transfers have not seen such a sight. They gathered at the hangar watching. They were to transfer in fighter groups to cruisers. Mass transfers amongst the fleet was beginning. New wraiths were to learn how to enter home. Cruisers were the better learning instrument.
The Queens were going to navigate their personal Hive ships. Commands were turned to the Throne rooms. Except for one. The cleverman's Hive was a refugee Hive ship. Their homeworld were invaded and destroyed by the Lanteans while their Hive was providing assistance to this fleet. The Primary Queen absorbed them into the fleet, out of gratitude. There was another reason. Genetic diversity. The majority of the wraiths in that Hive were of Gryphon's line. A lineage which was in a sheer minority in the fleet. His mother had the most experienced Wraith in control, the Primary Queen's Hivemaster and his selected group.
Home was through the area of plasma clouds. A very dangerous one but it protected their territory well. Challenges between neighbouring factions were common. No faction in their right mind wanted an area of plasma clouds that stretched endlessly running between their territory. Hyperdrives were a dangerous combination in a cloud this big.
The inseparable duo and their cleverman were in her group. She was leading her own group to her former Commander, the Lead Cruiser Commander's ship. The Lead fighter pilots got to choose. No wraith, in their right mind, actually wanted to go to a cruiser with one of the most brutal Commanders known amongst their Wraiths. No one challenged her for her first choice. There were plenty of hissing and growling over who went over to which cruisers. All were due to enter their fighters when the next group came in. The shrill pitches of the fighters screeched past them. Their turn was signalled. Everyone scrambled to their fighters. Finally their turn after the long wait. Three groups have left for other cruisers.
The canopy closed in as she entered the course and trajectory into their designated swarm network.
Departure set. The swarm started moving out through the hangar windows. It was an easy route. Automated throughout. The cruiser will automate the docking after they leave the Hive ship's range.
Welcome Food. You cannot stay from me long enough, can you? A familar telepathic presence slipped into her mind privately. The Lead Cruiser Commander probably knew that she would choose his cruiser.
The old Wraith guide next to me needs to be fed on. Unfortunately the Queen will punish me. Not good to change Hives too many times. Or be fed on He added. She laughed. Wraith humor again. He was so used to being in control of his cruiser. He was not from this Hive but he was swapped over before he met them.
His former Queen was also of Night lineage. She had taken him in because she knew his mother, her aunt. There were others who were wily enough to get their way without violence. He was too overbearing and aggressive in his former Hive. The last straw was him feeding on his former Queen's personal worshipper. A favorite. He found out that she was spying for his former Queen. Under the guise of being his personal worshipper. In silent retaliation, she promoted him and chucked him in command of the old battlecruiser away from her Hive ship. A form of cultured banishment to a relative. It could imply a favor or a disfavor depending on interpretation.
His aggression was probably formed from the savage horror he witnessed in his world. His late brother had also served under his former Queen before him. His brother had caught the eye of another faction's Queen. If his brother survived, his late brother would have been made a Consort. She finally understood the resentment he felt and the games both brothers played against each other. And his intense dislike of worshippers. His former Queen turned him over to the Primary where he knew that he had a slim chance of being consort. His aggressiveness was useful to the Primary.
The docking mechanism now switched.
Welcome to the Cruiser. The Lead Cruiser Commander is in a bad mood. Make that terrible. It would be wise to stay out of his way. The Second Commanding Officer sent them all a telepathic message.
Broken bones may be a side effect. The message sounded gleeful. Too gleeful. The Second...and his obsession with the sound of bones breaking.
Their fighters entered the hangar and docked.
Rules to everyone. Stay silent. And do not get in the way of the Commander or his crew, especially the Second and Weapons officer, on this cruiser. Bones may seriously get broken. Not wraith humor. She cautioned the group privately.
A few groans could be heard telepathically.
Spoil sport. The Second had intercepted her message.
She made the cleverman walk behind her. Her rank could be used to shield him without making him look weak. He looked young enough to be bullied. Weakness was bad on this ship. They also had to share quarters. There were not enough quarters because a few got used as feedlots for spare prey. The others were allocated to Wraiths who will be guiding the cruiser. There were three assigned for rotating duties. One feedlot was now allocated to them. She got to pick who shared with her.
You could always share with the Commander. You are his food. The Second snickered. Wraith humor was getting old.
I might share with you. She retorted. She was annoyed.
No. The Commander does not share food. He laughed. Another jab at her.
Just give us the quarters and we will decide. She thought wisely.
He nodded with a grin and left them to decide in the Meeting room of the cruiser.
She assigned sharing. As she was the highest ranked in the group, she could take her own quarters but that meant that three wraiths in the smaller quarters while the rest took two. One will sleep on the floor. Only worshippers sleep on the floor. A fight might break out. She looked at the group of nine wraiths. Five quarters. The cleverman will share with her. The inseparable duo will have their own. She continued assigning. Her Wraith group seemed satisfied with the arrangement. The cleverman seemed too happy with his. At least no hissing or growling.
Bridge was busy. Their group of ten were standing at a corner watching the screen as they saw the Hive ships and cruisers spreading further and further apart from one another.
No hyperdrives. This will cause an explosion. An old Wraith explained. The plasma cloud was sensitive. Lantean vessels had attempted to enter it before. The outer material used externally on Lantean hulls attracted charged particles. Lantean shields compounded the problem. Wraith hulls were organic in nature. It was not a problem to them. Debris littered the initial entry. The reason why the ships had to be far apart was that any explosion could trigger a shockwave within the clouds and affect neighbouring ships nearby. They did not want to be thrown into a plasma storm or create one.
Commence sensor sweeps. When a window opens, use thrusters. The Lead Cruiser Commander ordered while he monitored his console.
Switching to full neural interface. The Second Commanding reported.
Hull integrity intact.
Hyperdrives locked.
Sublight engines half powered.
All available power to thrusters and hull regeneration.
The old Wraith took over from another officer at his console. The cruiser moved in on the window slowly. The cloud seemed to swallow some of the other ships entering. Everything disappeared from sight. They were in the cloud now with swirling pillars seen ahead. The pillars seem to switch from from pink to orange..then blue to green as the energy artistically painted them as they soared upwards then downwards. Some pillars appear to play with a remnant of a Lantean ship , they whirled towards it and threw one past the Lantean battleships have attempted to cross certain areas. The scattered debris were a testament to their failure. The cruiser avoided it closely.
Now look out for those going reddish. Those are the ones you want to avoid. They generate too much interference. Timing is important. Impatience will blow you ship up. The old Wraith continued as the cruiser nimbly swerved to another side, another pillar was forming below.
Continue sensor sweeping. Wait for another window. This area is quite regular. Unlike the others. Timing and knowledge of the cloud were of the essence. There was also a special technology installed in ships of their faction. It was not a shared knowledge. It was a portable special mapping organic device which indicated clear windows. It calibrated the routes by prediction. It interfaced with the screen kept changing the displayed routes on the viewer.
The cruiser rocked slightly as it glided across the shimmery plasma like a bird in the skies. It have been ages since they entered the cloud. Those who never seen it before studied it with intent. All the changing colors of energy...pink..blue...yellow...violent... flashed before them. An unending passage of soft fluffy looking colors. The cleverman and the inseparable duo each had a small device attached to their data tablets. They were taking readings. Their faces beamed with each input.
Be careful. There are gravitational abnormalities here. Some are unseen. Follow the map. Growled the old Wraith.
Hull integrity minimal damage. The Second reported again. The Commander was in full concentration. Then a calm fluffy parting of plasma was seen. The cruiser agilely entered it and glided for a while. Then before them , a labyrinth of color changing pillars appeared. Pinkish yellowish swirls. The cruiser niftily avoided them as it flew around it.
Nearly home now. The old Wraith said as their ship pulled out of the clouds into clear space. There were three other cruisers onscreen. She counted an almost full cycle. The Hive ships took longer due to size. They were distracted looking at the screen that they forgot rest. Sleep was not important to the Wraith, unlike worshippers or humans.
Second you take over. Hissed the Commander. She sensed that he was exhausted. He went out of the bridge. The old Wraith also left it to another delegated Wraith.
Do you need a bedwarmer? Or food. She is here. The Second asked the Commander privately.
A loud growl from the corridor was heard. The Second grinned at her. His sharp teerh gleaming mischievously. He was having another joke at her expense. She did not know what it entailed.
The cleverman was purring loudly beside her. They had no choice but to share the bed. Sleeping on the floor was demeaning to a Wraith. His non-stop purring in the sleep drove her mad. He had shared a bed with her when he was injured. However he did not purr. Then his non feeding hand whacked her arm. He was turning in his sleep. She was about to become a personal pillow booster for him. She got up and put on her uniform. She could sleep on the window sill in the corridor near the feedlots. Almost all seem well fed. No many will venture into the area. It was going to another cycle before the Hive ships emerge out of the area.
She strolled through the pulsating corridors. Some of the Wraith nodded in recognition to her. She nodded back. She looked out of the window, one more cruiser had arrived. She hurried long to the window sill and curled up there. She drifted off to sleep ...
Someone was sniffing her. Her eyes open quickly to see the Commander's tattooed face. His sensor pits were twitching. He straighten himself and stood tall before her.
The scent of the cleverman is on you. He narrowed his eyes. Airlock for trying to mate with food?
No mating. I don't even know how it is done. We are sharing quarters. She looked at him sleepily. She was not in a mood to get off the window sill.
Your rank allows you your own quarters.
It means one Wraith will end up on the floor. Only worshippers sleep on the floors! She argued.
Wrong. It means that one Wraith sleeps in the feedlots if he loses the fight for the bed. His logic was hard to fault there. She thought for a while. How she would say it without the cleverman ending up in the feedlots.
Well I am a Wraith officer. That makes me a wraith. Not food. So if he tried mating with me, it would not be an airlock offence. She remembered the words of the Commander's late brother. She is recognised by right as a Wraith and now she lead a group of blades. That is a solid argument.
IF you are a female Wraith, then I will assert my rank over him for first mating rights. You are not a Queen. The lower female ranks allow us that right. His answer was swift.
She knew he was toying with her. It was a deliberate push to a dangerous corner.
As a female wraith, my pheromones are not at mating levels. Besides I have no right to mate. So there can be no fight. She found her way out. Pheromones were essential to their mating process. It was not like prey mating habits.
He eyed her. She was not that stupid to push for a fight. He did not like losing.
Then I shall claim you when you have your mating rights. He had to win. Mating with the hybrid was highly unlikely. He just wanted to see her squirm in defeat.
FINE. Not like she will be mating with any wraith soon. The pheromone testing was meant to monitor her levels. They had injected her with something when the Queen was in heat. She knew that it was to depress the levels in her.
As you are NOW claimed, you will have to scrub off HIS SCENT. The Commander's mind roared at her. And either you kick him out or YOU WILL BE MARCHED TO MINE AND I WILL KILL HIM. He was determined to torture her. Silly hybrid could not back away from the argument. All she needed to do was to call herself food. They backed each other into a corner both did not like. Their Primary Queen will never allow the claim. So it would be fine. He really had to win.
Her anger grew and she faced him eye to eye. She was shorter but she was determined to get the point across. That she will not be bullied. She will sleep on the floor then. She turned and ran towards her quarters.
The inseparable duo sat silently with her in their quarters. It was a bad situation. They could squeeze the cleverman in. It was not a problem. The first Hive ship had arrived. Soon the others will come out of the area. The cleverman stood silently. The Lead Cruiser Commander could kill him in a few blows. He already got the eye from the Commander. She is now claimed. For first mating rights, if the Primary allows it. The homeworld they were going to, allowed this practice. It was a known tradition amongst those of the foremother, Night. An old custom.
The cruiser personnel already known. They kept out of her way. Any scent of theirs on her meant regenerating painfully in the feedlots. No one wanted to take a chance. The Commander had little or no chance of mating with the Primary or other Queens in the territory. Their lineage were likely of Night. His foremother's gene was very strong. Only the cleverman's Queen mother was the one the Commander had a good chance with. However she already has a Consort. The cleverman's Sire. The Primary Queen may actually allow him. From the way he was quickly promoted and the battles, he was in favor with her.
Unless she became Queen. That was never heard of in Wraith history. No visible hybrid could be Queen. The worst part was if they were allocated a place in the home planet, she had to stay with him. The arrangement will stay until the first mating rights are claimed. They knew he kept calling her food. Not a good sign. It does not matter if he gifted her life. It was how she was going to survive directly under his thumb. It was different from serving on the ship.
The cleverman offered to train up to fight him. That was a terrible idea. Even she could not defeat the Commander. The Commander had years of experience. A Gryphon vs A Night in direct combat. Night lineages will win. If it was ship to ship, perhaps a Gryphon will win with the technology. Challenges are always direct hand to hand combat.
She covered her face. She should have just tolerated sharing the bed. Then scrubbing herself clean of the cleverman's scent before stepping out. It was a mistake to argue with him. Her temper got the best of her. She should have stopped. The cleverman swore that he will never mate with any Queen. It did not make things better.
Her lone figure watched a small swarm of fighters depart the cruiser's hangar back to the Hive. Her items in her old Hive quarters will be delivered to the cruiser. The Primary Queen knew of the claim now. She had to stay with the Lead Cruiser Commander at all times until the rights were claimed. Traditions have to be followed. It was the Wraith way.
This was after all homeground.
Author's notes:
End of the Paths of Origin. Next: War of Origin. The final part of the trilogy is in progress now.