Note: Thank you for all the kind reviews and I'm glad 'Day 1' was well received. So to start 'Day 5' of the 40 planned, I'm posting two chapters together. Happy weekend everyone :)
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DAY 5 – DRIVE
Chapter 5 – Veiled Truths
The large bluish planet moved into the view outside the transport craft's porthole, its swirling atmosphere of fierce dangerous gases made the planet completely uninhabitable, but it was still breathtakingly beautiful.
Ru kept his eyes on the deadly beauty until it slid completely out of view, to be replaced by the bright sparkling starscape once again. The Arkinian System was full of such planets, varied and interesting, but empty of life and useless for an Alliance base.
Turning his attention back inside the craft, Ru considered the report on his electronic pad. He'd only received the report on the recovery work of the new alien drive this morning before he had departed the Sythus for his new temporary assignment out here to help study the new tech. The details of the drive were very preliminary and basic in the report, for it had only been yesterday that the drive had finally been safely installed in a converted space-dock ready for proper study.
He pulled up the limited images of the drive's housing, all having been taken from inside the Hive. It was clear that the Wraith had encased the alien drive in their own bone and membranous housing, so the actual device inside had been hidden. There were no images yet of the drive after it had been removed from the Wraith housing, but he should see it soon enough once the transport craft reached the space-dock. Once there, he and the twelve other scientists all in the craft with him would start the fascinating analysis of the alien tech.
Glancing up from the images, Ru considered the other members of the team around him. He knew all of them by name and reputation, and had worked with some of them before. They were all top in their fields, and the fields were varied – from Wraith tech specialists, weapons experts, Wraith biological research, quantum field physicists, and two fellow engineers.
The Elite wanted the best eyes on the project, and he felt very privileged at having been invited to join the work. His assignment was currently only limited to a week, but the timeline would vary depending on what they found out about the drive, and it was possible that his engineering expertise would not be required for long. Either way, he was going to be part of the first team to study the new tech and he felt exceptionally excited at the prospect.
Of course, he also felt a little sad to leave the Sythus, even for a short time. He'd made some good friends on the ship and would be missing out on some social excursions. Now that his new battleship engines were running perfectly healthily on both the Hastos Son and the Sythus, he hadn't been entirely surprised that the Elite were already considering reassigning him, if not permanently on this project then another would arrive soon enough. When that day came, he would miss his new friends on the Sythus, though Madesh had assured him that their friendship would continue. However, the Sythus would be flight ready within the month, so it was likely that Madesh and the rest of the 'strays' would be leaving on the next mission soon anyway. Though, at least Seeal was stationed in the Training Facility, so he could hopefully see her far more if his next assignment didn't take him too far away.
He'd thought about visiting her at the Facility, but his work on the Sythus had been very demanding before he came here, and she had assured him via text link that she was fine. Madesh had seen her regularly and had assured Ru that she was unhurt from her encounter with the new alien creature and was dedicating much of her time to helping sit vigil at Honoured Elite Oneakka's sickbed. With her absence from the social outings this last week, Ru was rather missing her company.
Loud murmuring suddenly filled the transport craft, and Ru looked up to see that everyone was craning their necks to look out of the right side portholes. Quickly looking out at the view himself, Ru almost dropped open his jaw as the rogue Hive ship slid into view.
The report had included considerable detail on the damage the Hive had sustained from the prolonged radiation produced by the alien drive. Damaged to its very cellular structure, the Hive had been falling apart from the inside out, and when the Hive's deepest power readings had finally ceased two days ago – the Hive now biologically dead – the ship had begun disintegrating at a far faster speed. The salvage and research teams had been working flat out to document everything they could within the Hive and recover anything useful, but it was clear that time was very much running out.
The dead Hive hung in space, its colour that of a dried old tree and it was visibly eroding away from all sides. Dozens of small dock craft were working on the remains, with perhaps hundreds of people in vacuum-safe suits doted around in small groups working on the ship. To Ru' eye, at least half of the Hive was already gone, with only the central sections remaining.
As the transport craft performed a slow pass by of the Hive, Ru could actually see right through some of the Hive, the ship-wide corridors open to space on both sides, and one section off Hive floor level with the craft porthole was visibly crumbling away into dust.
The transport craft started turning away from the Hive and increasing its speed, and soon enough the Military Fleet's converted space-dock came into view – the location of his new assignment for at least the next week.
As the pilot brought the craft into alignment with the space-dock, Ru drew out a thin jacket from his large bag at his feet. Research stations were always kept a little on the cool side to inhibit any possibility of biological contamination from the Hive or from any organic components of the new drive – if there were any.
He felt the faint shudder through the craft that was the ship docking and his eardrums tightened slightly as the pressure equalised with the space-dock's atmosphere. All very much used to such trips, his fellow scientists were all already rising from their seats, bags in hand, and heading for the exit. Ru took his time closing up his bag and tucking his pad under his arm before he rose from his seat and was the last to leave the craft and step onto the plain white space-dock corridor.
He'd been on many of these docks over the years, and had probably been on this very dock before. As he followed the others, he noticed that his pad had picked up a report update, so he watched as the pad downloaded the new information from the space-dock's system and displayed the latest information on the drive.
They had indeed removed the outer Wraith housing and the alien drive was fully exposed and apparently safely secured in the reinforced section of the space-dock. Good.
The person in front of Ru pulled up and Ru lifted his eyes from the report to see that they had arrived at a junction where Honoured Elite Seifer was stood waiting for them all.
"Greetings," the Elite warrior declared and the team all said their hellos back. "If you consult you computers, you'll see that the new drive has been removed from its Wraith drive housing. The drive has been sealed into tight quarantine for the rest of the day, but scans are underway and you can now view the drive."
Murmurs of excited scientists filled the corridor.
"This way," Honoured Elite Seifer stated and led them down one long corridor before turning a sharp right, pausing before an air-locked chamber.
Moving in single file, his fellow scientists all started through the airlock and into the room beyond, and, once again, Ru held back until last. He'd worked on plenty of such locations, so the setup wasn't new for him or most of the others, but a strange quiet echoed from the other side of the door as he reached it.
He stepped over the lip of the air-lock's frame and turned into the main viewing room that overlooked the docking space beyond. Normally this part of the dock sealed around a section of a Fleet ship, but today the seal was entirely enclosed and reinforced to create an accessible but fully isolated chamber.
Inside the chamber, there was a large platform filling most of the space, large robotic arms still but ready for use at its corners, and in the centre there was a tall plinth on which sat the alien drive.
Ru moved forward with the others, all unusually quiet for such experts, but Ru could understand why.
The drive was ridiculously small, perhaps only half a metre in size, and it looked like nothing Ru had seen before.
It looked rather like an egg, a metal egg with various ports along both sides, which was presumably where the Wraith had connected it up to their systems. Down the centre of the 'egg' there was a panel made up of flat sections, possibly press-able buttons, and a purple egg-shaped crystal was embedded at the top of the panel.
"It's so small," someone voiced what they were all thinking.
"It's definitely not Wraith," someone else concluded. "They don't use metals like this."
"Its interfaces are organic though," someone else noted.
Ru shifted closer to the glass, angling his head to try to peer around the sides of the curved drive to see the ports and, indeed, he could see organic-looking sockets inside. They didn't have the colour of Wraith spore-growth tech, instead being white-green in colour.
"Do we know if the purple crystal has a function or is it aesthetic?" One fellow engineer asked, presumably of Honoured Elite Seifer.
"We know nothing yet," the Elite warrior replied. "That is why you are all here."
"When can we access it?"
"No one is going inside the chamber," the Elite answered. "All interactions will be at distance and using the mechanical arms.
"When can we start?" The engineer asked next.
"Now," Seifer replied. "This way."
Ru kept his eyes on the drive though as the others filed out. The drive was perhaps strangely small, but then so was a Portal when you considered what it could do. Though large in diameter, the actual tech housing that made up the ring of a Portal was not all that thick, yet it could allow one to cross vast galactic distances.
"It is odd, isn't it," a familiar voice announced from Ru's left. He looked round to see Silvar approaching.
Silvar was very famous in the Alliance, and was one of the Elite's top three Lead scientists, but Ru had known him most of his life. Silvar had been a friend and colleague of Ru' Mother, the two having been part of the team who had developed the first Alliance own space-able engines together. Since Mother's death, Silvar had remained a constant presence in Ru' life, rather like an honorary uncle, and when Ru had started out on his own engineering career, Silvar had become something of a personal mentor.
Ru respected Silvar a great deal, but occasionally felt a little uncomfortable, as he was never entirely sure if he had gained his position in the highest ranks of the Elite's engineers due to his own skill or if Silvar had pulled certain strings to help him. Today felt like another perfect example of that question.
"I am no expert on alien engines, Silvar," Ru told him, skirting up against the question he had always felt too awkward to ask.
"To some in the Alliance, the latest battleship engine you created would seem 'alien'," Silvar replied as he arrived beside Ru at the massive window looking in at the drive. "You look at engines with different eyes to others, Ru, and that is just the kind of viewpoint we need to understand this."
Ru frowned into the chamber at the strange device sitting all too innocently on its large plinth.
"Here is the scan we've just taken of it," Silvar held across a small pad.
Ru took it, again feeling a little odd that he was being shown the latest data while the others had all left to prepare to work on the drive. Then he forgot his distracting thoughts as he looked down at the scan.
The scan had been able to penetrate the outer metal housing of the drive and revealed various reasonably recognisable components inside. Some rather too recognisable.
"Interesting isn't it," Silvar commented.
Ru frowned at the scan, the mixture of organics, metal components, and crystalline structures something he'd never seen together before. The organics appeared oddly limited to the ports and ran rather like the veins of Wraith tech down into the centre of the drive that was not entirely visible in the scan. However, it was the shape and distribution of the crystalline structures that truly caught his attention.
"How many cultures do we know that use such crystalline components?" Silvar asked, his 'mentor' tone old and familiar to Ru.
Ru frowned up at him from the scan. "The Ancestors never used organic components in their tech," he argued.
"I agree," Silvar nodded with a faint smile. "Look at the next results," he instructed.
Ru tapped on the pad's screen to pull up the next section.
"We took a small sample of the metal housing and the organic ports when we moved the drive into the chamber," Silvar explained.
Ru frowned at the results displayed. The metal was a familiar mix of known elements and the organic components had been successfully dated. The results suggested the drive was thousands of years old, dated from the time of the Ancestors.
"Genetic testing of the organics will take another day or so," Silvar continued, "but the time period corresponds with the Ancestors."
"It doesn't look like Ancestral tech," Ru pointed out. "Yes, these deeper crystalline structures are very familiar in shape, but it could be that these aliens, the Skerti, were able to incorporate Ancestral tech into their own."
"And when have non-Ancestral or Human species been able to manipulate Ancestral tech to this degree? And without the Ancestral genetics?"
Ru frowned up at his mentor. "The Skerti don't have the Ancestral genetics, do they?" He asked.
"The Skerti alien found on the Hive did not, no," Silvar replied. "We have never seen a case of Ancestral genetics showing up anywhere other than in Humans. It is probably not even possible in the Skerti or the Wraith, not without some form of previously unseen genetic engineering. Even if they had been able to do that, that does not mean that they can suddenly use Ancestral tech to the point where they were able to design an entirely new form of technology and transportation across space."
Ru nodded.
"One wonders then, if perhaps they had help," Silvar added pointedly and started turning away. "Let's join the others and see if we can find out."
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The last few days had not been easy.
After the recent high success of the Intergalactic Conference, Torren had hoped that matters would settle back to a resemblance of normal. However, it did not look like that would happen any time soon now. Not after Kolya's successful and deceitful rise to power.
Torren had been swift in his public condemnation of Kolya's involvement in the capture and torture of John and the insult to the Athosian people, the Elite, and Atlantis. Along with submitting an official complaint to the High Council, he had immediately broken off all trade deals between Athos and the Genii, of which there had been many. A significant number of other trading partners also followed suit, ending their trading contracts with the Genii Confederation in protest and to show unity with Torren's position. He was very grateful for that political support, but, unfortunately, the Genii also had support and a small, but very loud, number of other worlds had ended their trading contacts with Athos in response.
Then the High Council, instead of supporting or acknowledging his complaint about Kolya, had called Torren's own motives into question and had publically ordered an investigation. Torren had responded that he would be more than happy to see such an investigation completed, as long as the High Council ensured that the Elite were included so that they could give testimony in the investigation. The High Council's legal representatives had been kicking up a storm since, no doubt motivated by certain very pro-Genii High Counsellors, stating that he was trying to stir up a large political disagreement because he did not like Kolya. They had also accused him of siding with Atlantis over those within the Alliance, a story that had been repeated many times on the Alliance-wide newsfeeds.
There had also been a good number of political rumours being spread that called into question whether John had ever actually been taken hostage. Such rumours and plain fictions were fast flowing through newsfeeds and across trading negotiation tables, all doing significant damage to the renewed stability Teyla's recent Political Marriage had attempted to bring to the Alliance. Many with sudden strong opinions had even started to question the Political Marriage, stating that it was not legitimate, which was of course rubbish and stank of Kolya's reach.
Torren sighed heavily as he re-read the latest trading report in his hands. A regular trading contract for tava beans had been newly agreed and sighed before Kolya's rise, but the other party were now concerned that Torren would break the agreement at any time of his choosing. He had tried to reassure the trade negotiators that the circumstances of what had happened to John and Kolya's rise to power were very unique, but it seemed that his actions had rocked everyone. Athos had always been well placed as a central trading world, with long held trading links and a previously unquestioned solid reputation within the Alliance, but it appeared that this situation had given that reputation a serious hit.
How he had become an enemy and deemed untrustworthy was confusing and frustrating. John was his new Son-by-Marriage, the victim of Kolya's manipulations, but suddenly it was Torren's actions that were being called into question rather than Kolya's.
A knock at the office door was a welcome distraction.
"Come in," Torren called out as he sat back in his chair.
The door opened and Charin's aged and wise face appeared. "Are you available for a guest?" She asked.
Torren shot up from his seat. "Not a guest, family," he stressed as he moved around the desk to meet her. "And you know that you are always welcome and need never ask."
As he reached her, he gently cupped her shoulders in his hands and leant his forehead against hers. She felt frailer in his hands than the last time he had seen her. She had been on a long trip away with her cousin, so perhaps she was simply tired from her journey.
"I will order us some of your favourite tea," he told her as he lifted his forehead from hers and gently assisted her to her favoured high-backed chair.
"Hakon has already put in the request," she smiled at him as she reached the chair and settled down in it with a soft sigh.
"Your trip went well?" He asked as he moved round to the other chair.
"It did, despite all the recent adventures your family, our family," she corrected, "have been going through. When is Teyla due back from Atlantis?" She checked.
"Later today," he confirmed the one piece of positive news for the day. He looked forward to his family gathering again, especially as it was likely that Teyla would be off on some new mission soon enough.
"Ah, good," Charin smiled widely a she relaxed into the soft cushions of the chair.
"You will be staying with us?" Torren checked. She had permanent quarters in the Complex, but she had spent considerably more time with her cousin of late, seeking a quieter life no doubt. As she grew older, her need for assistance was growing, though Torren would obviously ensure it was available for her here, but he suspected she did not want to bother him.
"Yes, if you will have me," she smiled as movement in the doorway was Hakon carrying in the tray of tea.
"I thought I would bring the tea myself," Hakon smiled as he set the tray down on the table and Torren quickly reached in to set about serving the tea before Charin tried to do it herself.
"Aw bless you, dear Hakon," Charin reached up for Hakon's offered hand. He too was like family to both her and Torren, and Torren noticed how carefully Hakon held Charin's hand. In the gentle cradle of her hand, Torren saw Hakon's own concern for Charin's growing frailty.
"For you, dear Charin, anything," Hakon told her kindly.
"Sweet boy," Charin patted his hand with her free one. "But, I suspect it is not just tea that has brought you in here. You no doubt have something for Leader Torren."
Torren sent her filled teacup in front of her and looked up at Hakon. "Is it pleasing or distressing news, Hakon?" He asked.
Hakon gently let go of Charin's hand and winced at him.
"Distressing news it seems," Charin concluded for them.
Hakon handed over a small pad. "Ambassador Keltree has informed us that he feels our response to the Genii new Supreme Leader is over-exaggerated and Cador does not support our decision."
Torren took the small pad that held Keltree's official statement no doubt sent to Athos mere moments before the decision was made public. However, it was Hakon's use of the phrase 'our response' rather than 'your response' that gave Torren a small boost of gratitude. It seemed that, at least on Athos itself, he had considerable support for his decision against the Genii, and he had received a vast amount of supportive messages from his people.
"A disappointing, but unsurprising choice," Charin summarised Keltree's decision. "He will now look to break Cador out of the Athosian shadow and grab some new trade from the Genii."
Torren nodded as he skim read the statement. Hakon had summarised it clearly enough.
"Keltree is no doubt looking to pursue his own leadership intentions on Cador," Hakon noted.
"He had hoped to gain that political position from his son's Political Marriage with Zabetha or Teyla," Charin pointed out as she picked up her teacup, delicately balancing the base in one palm. "Now both opportunities are lost, he will see this as his chance."
Torren handed the pad back to Hakon.
"What response would you like to send?" Hakon asked.
"That we have received his official statement, nothing more," Torren replied.
Hakon nodded. "And our trade with Cador?" He checked.
"Pull out the details of our contracts for me to review," Torren sighed.
"Are we going to cancel them?" Hakon pushed.
"We might need to review them if matters worsen with Cador," Torren delayed that decision for now. If he started cancelling other trade deals it would not look good.
"Perhaps an amendment that we will not be trading any Atlantis products with them?" Charin suggested. "As I understand it, we are due our first new shipments of Atlantis goods next week?"
"Yes," Torren confirmed. "We sent our agricultural supplies and tea yesterday, and their medicines and other new goods are being sent tomorrow."
"Elkaska is no doubt overseeing it all," Charin smiled as she sipped at her tea.
"He is in his element," Torren smiled with her. His Brother-by-marriage had continued to be a most vital adviser and ambassador in all matters of trade. However, Torren could not predict how long Elkaska would be prepared to stay on Athos before his itching wandering trade feet would kick back in.
"I saw Xinda's very stern statement to the Genii," Charin reported. Rhakshar's people had at least been very forceful in their support for Torren's actions and had cut off their very vital metal ore supplies to the Genii Confederation until such time as the Genii acknowledged Kolya's involvement and provided reparations for the harm caused to Athos, the Elite, and Major Sheppard.
"Rhakshar is very unhappy," Torren told her. "I have never seen him so upset about anything. He has taken John's kidnapping very personally and his family business has already offered the ore supplies held back from the Genii to Atlantis. I believe Colonel Carter has accepted and in exchange she is trading some of the tava beans we supplied to them."
"The hope is that matters will eventually settle with time," Charin set her tea down gently. Her grip looked strong still and there was no tremor to her hands.
"I have asked Colonel Carter if John could visit us sooner than planned, so that we can invite our trading allies to meet with him for a banquet," Torren informed her.
"A good idea," Charin agreed.
"Do we have an exact date for that yet?" Hakon checked, his usual computer tablet poised ready against his forearm.
"Teyla will have some dates when she returns later today," Torren confirmed to him.
Hakon nodded, but there was the faint disapproval of an administrator who would prefer to start organising things as soon as possible. "I shall speak with her this evening," Hakon stated as he tapped something into his tablet.
"Torren?" A voice called from outside the open office door.
"Yes, I am in here, Elkaska," Torren called back.
Elkaska bustled in a second later. "Are you watching the newsfeeds?" He asked, his hair slightly dishevelled at the front, which happened when he repeatedly ran his hand through his fast growing locks.
"No," Torren confirmed the obvious as he reached out to the nearby wall where his secondary wall-screen woke up at his touch.
"Kolya is giving a live interview on the Genii newsfeed that is being broadcast Alliance-wide," Elkaska reported.
Torren didn't need to look far, for the interview appeared on the first newsfeed he found.
Kolya was sat, straight-backed, but appearing relaxed as he spoke. He wore the standard military Genii uniform, which was noticeably absent of any insignia that showed his new station, though the uniform was clearly very new.
"...considering the attack by Cowen on Major Sheppard, it is entirely understandable that Leader Torren would react protectively," Kolya was answering a former question. "I am sure that once the facts are confirmed, that matters will return to normal, even improve. The stability and strength of the Alliance is of greatest importance to both myself and Leader Torren."
Torren sighed at the screen.
"And what of the rumours," a female voice asked Kolya, "that there was a wider involvement within Government of Major Sheppard's capture?"
"We do know that Cowen had some supporters within the Government," Kolya replied calmly. "I have worked hard in these first days of my leadership to weed out those responsible, but it appears that most involved had already fled the homeworld. I have arrest warrants out on them to ensure that, should they reappear, that they are brought to task for their involvement in Major Sheppard's capture."
Torren frowned at the clear threat to Hulte, the former Genii Ambassador who had claimed asylum from Athos and was now currently in a secure location owned by the Elite themselves. Though Hulte had done a great service in providing intell on Kolya and Cowen, he had in the same strike killed any chance that he could return to the Genii homeworld any time soon. Considered under clear and dangerous threat of assassination by Kolya's orders, the Elite themselves had volunteered to protect Hulte, which was unprecedented to Torren's knowledge. It had, however, provided Torren with a reprieve, for protecting Hulte fulltime would have been very demanding and dangerous work for Athos. He had no idea where Hulte was now, but he had made his respect and gratitude clear to the Genii male before he had left with the Elite. Torren just hoped that the Elite really could keep Hulte safe from Kolya's reach.
"There still seem to be many questions about former Supreme Leader Cowen's death?" The interviewer asked.
Kolya nodded along with her, as if he was just as concerned as those who were raising such questions. "I was also intent to find out the true extent of what happened to Cowen, but we are certain now that there was only one man involved, Ladon Radim. Ladon had discovered Cowen's involvement in Major Sheppard's capture and had confronted Cowen in the Palace. We believe that Cowen drew his weapon on Ladon and Ladon defended himself and in a bid to free us from the tyrant that Cowen had become. Though he was successful, Ladon was unfortunately too gravely wounded."
"A deep lost to us all," the interviewer agreed.
Kolya nodded. "Ladon and I fought together on many campaigns and I feel his loss, but I am also grateful for his legacy to us."
"He is very charismatic," Charin considered of Kolya. "Appearing the epitome of a Genii soldier."
Torren hated to agree with her, but Kolya looked perfectly calm and steady as he spoke, appearing very much in full control and not in the least concerned about his true actions.
"And what a legacy it is," the interviewer chuckled. "I do not know if the camera can see out of the windows behind us," the angle of the image shifted to the left and a large window came into view, out though which there was a large courtyard full of celebrating Genii.
"There have been days of celebrations here on the Genii homeworld," the interviewer reported as faces and waving hands plastered themselves up to the glass.
Kolya could be heard chuckling and the camera swung back to him to see him waving back to his people before turning back to the camera.
"All of us in the Confederation are grateful to Ladon," Kolya stated. "A new beginning has started for our people and we are immensely grateful to all those within the Alliance that are supporting us."
Which left the silent commentary that Athos and others were not being supportive to the 'newly freed' Genii people.
Torren looked away to his tea and drank down several long gulps of the hot liquid.
"Thank you, Supreme Leader Kolya for allowing us some of your very precious time," the interviewer gushed.
Kolya smiled as he nodded back.
Torren turned off the screen.
"We'll see if he's still smiling once the real facts come to light," Elkaska muttered.
"It will not matter," Charin replied though. "Even if the Genii know for certain that Kolya murdered Cowen, even if they had actual footage of the event, they will do nothing. Assassination is a perfectly justifiable method of ascending to power among the Genii. If anything, they will respect Kolya more for his success."
"He's their saviour," Torren muttered as he put his teacup back down. "And we become the enemy for fighting him and appearing to take Atlantis' side over theirs."
"Yes," Charin confirmed. "It is unlikely that there is any way to oust Kolya now without causing irreparable damage to the Alliance."
"Which is what the Elite have surmised," Torren shared with them. "The only crime we could hold to Kolya is the kidnap of John, but only John saw him and they weren't in Alliance territory at the time. As Kolya has repeatedly stated in his official responses, we have no physical evidence of his involvement."
"What about Pelyrian involvement?" Elkaska asked. "They send in their mind-readers and we'll soon know the truth."
"They will not do that," Charin cut him short. "They will not do anything that will interfere in the stability of the Alliance and they have previously made clear that they will not use their abilities for such political matters."
Elkaska sighed loudly and sat back against the edge of Torren's desk. "Then he's won? He really gets away with it and we're left looking like the sensitive biased traders favouring Atlantis?"
Torren nodded. "There is also a growing amount of negative conversation about Atlantis as well, which Colonel Carter and I are working to help mitigate."
"It may be, Torren," Charin said softly, "that we have to just let this pass."
Torren scratched at the top of his head, his scalp itching for no good reason other than he was irritated with life today.
"Withholding our trade will impact the Genii Confederation," Elkaska put in. "But I suspect Kolya will do what a good trader does, find new trading partners and wait for you to change your mind."
"Considering the recent Hive attacks in our space," Charin continued, "this matter will not last long in the forefront of people's minds. Cowen was not regarded highly by most in and around the High Council, so he's loss will not be seen as something for them to concern themselves about. I advise to stay the course in regards to holding back trade with the Genii and limiting Atlantis goods trade to their allies, and wait. Through our certainty and support from the Elite, we show where we stand."
"And Kolya just gets away with trying to kill Major Sheppard?" Elkaska protested.
"The Elite know the truth," Charin reminded him, "and through them, the Military Council, Division, and Enforcement. Do not doubt that scrutiny of the Genii will have been increased dramatically and that Kolya will have to tread very lightly from now onwards."
"My concerns are that he has far more reaching plans," Torren shared. "That leadership of the Confederation will not be enough for him. That he would prefer leadership of the entire Alliance itself, whether directly or through control and influence of the High Council."
"In that," Charin lifted her tea again, "I am afraid, Torren, that we have little control ourselves. We can only trust that everyone will hold to the rule of law and remember Athos' good reputation, and that the Ancestors are watching over us."
Torren nodded, but, for the first time in many long years, doubt in his fellow human beings settled in his heart.
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On to Chapter 6...