" NOOOOOO...DAMNIT IT CANNOT BE", Rodney shouted as he stumbled backwards clumsily on the machine much to chagrin of Teyla and Ronon who ran in.
"Quick, get me...umm...me...um...DANIEL...yes Daniel...weee...are in trouble", he snapped his fingers impatiently as his eyes slided around in a disturbing look of shock at his computer. Something was deadly wrong.
"Rodney, what is it?", A wash of concern swept over Teyla's face.
"Thaaat that worshipper...thattttt Priva", Rodney's eyes grew big, "Look!".
He grabbed Teyla's hand frantically as he excitedly pointed at his screen. On the display was a photograph of a woman who looked like Priva. An exact match. Ronon immediately went up to see what the panic was about.
"So it is someone who looks like her.", Ronon rolled his eyes. It was not the first time Rodney got ahead of himself and it was definitely not the first.
"Wait", Teyla raised her hand calmly as she studied the words below.
"What is an Ori?", She turned and looked quizzically in time only to catch Rodney gabbing at his temples.
Rodney shook his head repeatedly as his eyes wandered wildly around the room , his face paled in panic. It was not looking good.
"Adria , the woman in the picture. That is an Ori. They are the ...umm...opposing team to the Ancients. Now with all those artefacts we collected recently. Those are similar to the Alteran culture which both the Ori and the Ancients come from. ", His hands pulled down his cheeks in frustration. " Shit...we need confirmation from Daniel on those ships."
"Ok. We will kill Todd's pet when we see her again." Ronon grunted with a snort. The problem was easy to solve. Shoot the worshipper and end of the problem. Wraiths did not care about their worshippers' life.
Rodney swiftly turned to him and yelled, " NO,WE CANNOT DO THAT."
"No one is killing anyone", Teyla interjected quickly, trying to soothe the situation. "Not unless she has done something grievous and resembling someone, even an old enemy is not a logical reason to kill them."
"Kill whatdewhat WHO?" The questioning voice of John entering the work area, followed by Daniel's shuffle.
"Todd's pet", Ronon helpfully put it out there. " For looking like that", his finger shot up and pointed at the computer screen.
John took another few steps forward to examine the display. " Well, I think that she is kind of hot ...but ehhhh not really into Wraith worshippers."
"Probably a coincidence." Daniel pushed up his glasses and shook his head. Rodney was making yet another mountain out of a molehill. Another Adria would be bad news but there was no activity from the Ori. Even if they did resurrected by some miraculous turn of events, it was unlikely that they kept silent without a prior in sight. The Ori liked having worshippers to boost their powers as well as super egos. A straggling unnoticed bunch of worshippers would not feed the Ori's power thirst.
"The ship ...her ship...that ship...that black thing...is it ...", Rodney gulped as he struggled to explain himself.
"Ori?", Daniel finished his thoughts dismissively. "No. You said it yourself the last time. It resembles a seed ship on the database, ones which Ancients used to seed worlds. Unlikely that Ori and the Ancients cared to exchange technology. Even more unlikely that an Ori, with their pride, will choose to ride in one."
"So she does look like Adria but then again, Adria would not hesitate to use her powers. So did anyone feel any telepathy or kinetic power from your Wraith's worshipper? " A sudden chill ran down Daniel's spine giving out a minute shudder at the memory of how well he was acquainted with Adria.
"No." John's eyebrows furrowed deep in thought. It was unlike Rodney to panic for nothing but ever since he was transformed back from wraith form, Rodney had inexplicably changed. Ronon shook his head in agreement but Teyla stayed silent.
" Teylaaaa...", Rodney had sensing her impassive state and he was ready to grab at hope that he, Rodney McKay, was once again correct.
Teyla shrugged nonchalantly in a slightly doubtful manner. "I cannot tell but there is something more of a Wraith presence about her than...another. But that is usually normal in some worshippers when they indulge...in...too much life force gifting. Even more so around certain Wraithkin. Rodney, you had been a wraith, you should be able to discern."
Rodney's face fell in utter disappointment. Teyla was correct. He felt that there was a slight Wraith presence but that could only mean either or and it ended up Wraith anyways. Not some Ori. But his instincts told him otherwise.
Daniel mused and a slight frown appeared. "Unless...unless we test her the next time you see her. Get an Ancient artefact...", he trailed off as Rodney's face lightened at the glimmer of hope. " But no, if she has the gene like John, that is not going to help. The only plausible other explanation is that history was not as it should be according to the Ori and the Ancients, they could have exploring space longer. Perhaps as one, prior to the split...then again no...we would have seen more artefacts sooner logically."
"I say we shoot her."Ronon's tone was heavily loaded with a passionate loathing he felt for all worshippers and a dash of boredom.
John shook his head. "No. If you shoot her, what are we going to tell Todd? Sorry but your girlfriend look like the evil woman who has superpowers and tried to takeover oh say a few galaxies?".
"Like I care." Ronon was straight out honest. He really did not care enough. A good worshipper was a dead one, as far as he was concerned.
"Alabaster did seem a little troubled. But that could be due to the new Wraith Queen which is running amuck in our system." Teyla pensively spoke up. Something clicked in her , an instinctual gut feeling and it did not seem right.
Alabaster's fleet was worn out and battle weary. The Wraiths had never allowed any humans in Pegasus to own spacefaring technology and much less a mysterious ship. A design they had never encountered , except in the sprawling archaic Ancient databases, with a seemingly more advanced engine which may travel faster than light. Returning would have been suicide against the new Night Queen's newly allied fleet. Outnumbered and outgunned. A trump card was a likely given that Todd dared to make an appearance. The problem was the cunning old Wraith never told them anything much than what they needed to know. A given addition was when they knew, it was usually too late to repair any damage or recoup any losses. Most of the schemes ended in all escaping barely by their nape of their necks.
"We need a ruse to get near to that...what's her name? Priva?" John's eyes suddenly lighted up. He was the man with the plan.
Trap. Origin of Fire gracefully straightened out her long crimson flowing dress and flicked a tiny greenish flower bud caught in the delicate fabric with her meticulously manicured nails. Beside her lithe figure, stood a very guarded Guide as six growing figures walked slowly towards them in the wild grassland.
Shepherd would not be so smart to get past me.
You underestimate him.
She threw a furtive glance at the Wraith. Todd...old but there was some inexplicable reason for his deep attachment to the human. Respect had to be given to worthy foes but that respect was in battle and underestimation would be a deadly combination. She had sensed the presence of Steelflower , or Teyla as Todd's pet called her. Origin of Fire narrowed her eyes. The humans were a scheming bunch and in this meeting, a clandestine trap was blatantly obvious.
Guide raised his brow slightly at her in mild curiosity. Her thoughts were tightly shielded from the time they landed. She could sense a Queen before he could. Then again, she could sense one further even in the cold void vacuum of space.
"Todd...dear friend, We needed a worshipper to test something." The familiar sound of John Shepherd floated through the gentle breeze as Origin of Fire cocked her carefully plucked eyebrows.
This will be interesting. Your playmate has a plan to exhaust me mentally.
"Her mind..." John and Woolsey looked at a very confused Teyla in anticipation.
"...is either shielded which means that her mind is stronger than mine." Both their eyes grew bigger.
"OR she is just a Wraithkin with an Ancient gene." Teyla made an intentional emphasis on the alternative. It was not exactly what they had hoped to hear. But it was not bad news to have the alternate explanation. Priva was not exactly always coming to Atlantis as a frequent visitor.
"But..." Their ears pricked up at her hesitancy.
"I never met a Wraithkin with an Ancient gene. The gene of our Ancestors is not found in our people unless she is of a ruling bloodline by the others or there was more than one Wraith scientist who experimented."
"Or a descendant of a ruling bloodline mingled with your people...like oh say Disney? Cinderella meets prince and runs away with him?" Exasperation could be seen on John's scrunched up face. Uncertainty got on his nerves and made him restless.
"Unlikely. Unheard of. This goes against traditions. And even if she was a descendant, their wraith presence would not be strong due to blood dilution." Teyla was amused at the rather wanton suggestion thrown so carelessly. "She does have a presence."
"You do know...you made McKay a rather sad man. He would be obviously...hoping for the worst as he always does."
"Todd was on his guard. His mind seem rather heavily shielded than usual. There is definitely something about her. She is not an ordinary worshipper. Todd doesn't care for them but I could see it in his eyes..."
"Before we go on, please don't tell me that Todd is in love with her. It is sort of gross. I mean that she is a rather hot chick but...him her them sort of makes ..." A look of nauseated disgust broke out on John's face as he rubbed his abdomen in a motion of mocked ache. A forced gagging made a usually serious Teyla break into laughter.
Woolsey had only continued to maintain his silence albeit with some difficulty in holding a poker face earlier. Things at Atlantis was not faring well. One Queen Death, now another new Wraith Queen. To make matters worse, Todd chose the wrong time to re-appear for yet another power struggle where victors seemed uncertain in Pegasus. And now this...once again Todd was keen on tangling them into a mangled web which he himself could barely escape at times.
"We need to somehow find another opportunity to isolate her. " Woolsey suddenly quipped.
Origin of Fire sighed slowly as she caressed her black leather sleeve softly. Her old uniform was always more comfortable than impracticality of superficial prey clothing. She suspects. That Steelflower Queen of yours.
A low growl of frustration escaped Guide while his face betrayed nothing. Long had he not gotten a mind presence of reprimand from a Queen, the fiery fuming unleashing in intermittent amounts lashing his mind presence. Displeasure and disdain could be felt in unison, yet unlike other Queens with the exception of Alabaster, she did not resort to mental or physical violence. She was absolutely correct in pointing out that it was a trap.
Anything else to say, Guide? Do you still think yourself more cunning than your pet human? The scathing remark burnt itself into his mind but within his long cultivated tolerance. Silence was an only unappreciatively unreciprocated answer. Guide knew better than to add unnecessary fuel to a Queen's fury.
Well. Your Shepherd makes a nice human pet if the owner knows how to control. Yet another deliberate insult flung at him.
Guide clenched his fists as tightly as he could but replied nothing. His golden eyes flashed a glint of anger which she caught swiftly.
That artefact they asked me to pass to you can only be activated by the Lantean gene which is similar to mine. Since I preceded them through maternal lines. It was a test to see if I am Lantean. Secondly, your Steelflower did not try further to probe into my mind. She was probing yours more.
Guide said nothing but his mind presence once resistant to her lecturing appeared to have more resigned now. His pride melting at the realisation that Origin of Fire could foresee where the stratagem laid in the growing divide between the humans and him.
However I like games with your pet Shepherd. A game which cause some perturbations would be highly appropriate, you think not?