Chapter 7

Friends and Foes

Lorne wiped at the stain on his combat vest. His fingers came away sticky and he shook them in disgust.

"Look on the bright side, sir." Macklemore pointed out, doing his best to deal with his own fashion dilemma, caused by a thick white cream that refused to come off entirely, no matter how much he scraped.

"If there's a silver lining to this cloud, I don't see it, Mack." Lorne replied.

"Well they could have emptied a chamber pot on us instead of just baked goods." Lorne winced at the mental image of himself covered in human waste instead of whatever this syrupy concoction was. Maybe they should've gone to M7G-677. At least there, they could outrun most of their attackers, what with most of them being children. He shook himself and looked over at Cadman, who had come through the attack at the bakery mostly unscathed.

"Well, I guess that is a mercy." she said, her face saying she was having the same thoughts, "That and the fact no one else joined in."

It had all started so innocently. Entry into the town had been easy enough. There'd been plenty of ugly looks aimed at them, or people who made a point of not looking in their direction, but that had been it. It had gone pretty well up until they'd hit the marketplace, specifically when they'd passed the new bakery. Lorne had decided to take a walk past the place where the woman he been thinking of earlier had once had her stall. He'd been shocked to find there was now a building there, surrounded by trays purveying all manner of sweets. The second he'd gotten close though, a little girl had run out the front door and thrown some kind of pie at Edgars. To her credit, she hadn't fired or really reacted at all for that matter, which almost caused Lorne to laugh. Moments later a woman had come out and dragged the girl back inside. It might've ended there, had Lorne not tried to follow and offered to pay for the...whatever it was that had been thrown.

That had triggered a hail of more pastries, thrown by the men running trays set up along the outside of the building. These were obviously ones unfit for sale, as they had had the sweet scent of rot on top of their already quite saccharine smells. They'd beat a hasty retreat, before it could go further, but the message had been clear.

"How much further to the meeting point?" Edgars asked, looking gloomily at her own stained uniform.

"Not much." Lorne replied. It had been a struggle not to get lost. The bakery wasn't the only new building in town. Furthermore, there was the police...or at least Lorne thought they were police. They all wore deep green uniforms with small flat-topped caps that made them stand out from the crowds, which were usually composed of more earthy colors. They also carried guns, large, gray, heavy-barreled weapons that could only have come from the same Genii surplus the man at the Stargate had been peddling from. It was unnerving, like the radios in the box from earlier. The 'police' had also been carrying those as well. Lorne had even seen a couple speak into them during their journey.

All this change was making his headache. He'd hadn't come expecting things to be exactly the same. That was foolish and naive. That said, he hadn't expected so much...progress. Manaria had been a shining example of the medieval technological state of most Pegasus civilizations the last time he'd been here. Now there appeared to be plumbing, police, and even electricity. It was like walking out of a room, then walking back in to discover someone had redone all the wallpaper in the five minutes you'd been away. Lorne swore one way or another, he'd find a way to the bottom of this. He wasn't going to go back to Colonel Sheppard covered in jam and syrup without answers, if only for the sake of his pride.

As the group turned a corner down another street, Lorne found himself reflecting on the nature of his mission. Since Atlantis' withdrawal from Pegasus affairs, contact between Earth and the Confederation had grown sparse. There had been the occasional official request for aid, sent remotely from Manaria, where it had been agreed that the first official embassy would be built. Of course it wasn't an embassy in the traditional sense. The Confederation had more in common with the United Nations than a sovereign country, but for lack of a better term, embassy was what it was. Regardless, the calls were usually dealt with by the Alpha Site's personnel, as they often consisted of humanitarian aid. The calls had decreased in frequency over time, however, to the point that before today, the last official contact between Earth and the Confederation had been six months prior, to request medical aid for the inhabitants of Jenev, a world which had long ago rejected the Expedition's advances when they'd come seeking trade. It had been a statement as to how far the organization's reach must've grown that they could convince a people as isolationist as the Jenevese to accept outside help.

"You know, maybe the Confederation has something to do with all this Genii tech we're seeing." he stated, "They are members after all. And since Pegasus left, they're the ones best equipped to lead a war on the Wraith."

"I don't see it. The Genii hate the Wraith, but they're also self-interested survivalists. They might keep running a war from the shadows, but something like starting an arms race just doesn't seem like them." Cadman answered.

"Well I didn't say it was voluntary. Maybe the other members laid on enough pressure to get them to spill their secrets." Lorne pointed out. There was a silence as the Lieutenant pondered the idea.

"It would make a bit more sense. I mean, I was going to add that the Genii probably don't have the resources to arm the galaxy. But with the increased trade between all these worlds, maybe if you spread the knowledge around enough it could work."

"I'd buy that." Edgars chipped in, "After all, we're already seeing the effects of galacticization." Her superiors looked back at her in bafflement.
"Is that even a word?" Cadman asked. Edgars shrugged, looking sheepish.

"I took a course in transnational migrations at West Point. Globalization is the result of increasing cultural, social and economic interconnectedness, which generally speaking tends to raise the quality of life for all groups involved...or at least it's supposed to."

"And…'galacticization'?" Lorne asked mockingly.

"Don't look at me like that...sir. Besides, I hear General O'Neill uses the term 'cromulent' in his speeches." she replied hotly, with a touch of guilt. Macklemore stifled a snort of laughter, making it sound like three pigs colliding.

"Well anyway," Lorne stated, rolling his eyes, "one thing's for sure: the Genii are part of the Confederation, and the Confederation is, to our knowledge, the most widespread and pervasive human organization in Pegasus to date. They may have been small-time when Atlantis pulled up sticks and moved out, but I think we can assume that's not the case anymore."

"Small-time's a light way of putting it." Cadman chuckled, "The way I heard it, they managed to get Woolsey to play by their rules after they arrested Sheppard's team and put them on trial." Lorne rolled his eyes again, remembering the event all too well. It had been the first contact between the Confederation and Earth, though they hadn't called themselves 'the Confederation' at the time. They'd sent a note offering Atlantis membership, and an invitation addressed to Colonel Sheppard and his team. They'd agreed to attend, but upon arriving at the supposed meeting place, they had been been abducted and dragged off to another planet where a kangaroo court had tried to charge them with crimes against the peoples of Pegasus, the biggest of which was the premature awakening of the Wraith. Woolsey had intervened on the team's behalf, and in the end the crisis had been resolved peacefully, but trust between Earth and the emergent coalition had never fully recovered.

At that moment, one of the green-uniformed policemen stepped out of the crowd and approached the group. Lorne instinctively tightened his grip on his weapon. He'd been waiting for another shoe to drop since the bakery. He silently prayed this wasn't it.

"You are from Atlantis." the man said. His left hand was held away from his holster, but not by much. His words were a statement rather than a question, which somehow made Lorne even more nervous.

"Yes. We're here to see the ambassador. You can check with him. We told him we were coming."

"He knows." the man said gruffly, "My men have been looking for you. We were told to escort you to the embassy." He glanced at the smears on Lorne and his team, then smirked in a not very nice way. "I see we are a bit late."

"A bit of a run-in with some very angry bakers." Lorne explained. The man's nasty grin widened.

"If you'll follow me, my men and I will escort you. We'll make sure you don't get into further trouble." he said. As if on cue, eight more green-uniformed men stepped out of the crowd and surrounded Lorne. Already suspicious, but not wanting to press his luck, the Major finally nodded.

"Alright, lead the way…" he said, leaving an opening at the end of the statement.

"Varrenn. Constable Varrenn." the man stated. He nodded to the other men, who formed up around Lorne's team and began to press them forward, towards a tall, trapezoidal building in the distance with a red-tiled roof that set it apart from the mix of thatch, slate and other materials filling what counted for the skyline.

"So, Constable...a lot's changed since we've been gone. Care to fill us in?"

"Ambassador Mathis will answer any questions you have." the tall, grim-faced man replied.

"Well, questions about larger issues, yeah. I was hoping you could tell me about all the new architecture. Last time we were here, that fountain in the marketplace was just a stagnant pool. Now it's got running water. You see my curiosity?" Lorne pressed. Varrenn grunted in impatience.

"I can't give you answers. I'm not privy to how things get built around here." he replied. Lorne shrugged. It was clear the man wanted to be rid of him and his team as soon as possible. It would probably better not to irritate him. Besides, the embassy was already heaving into view as they rounded another corner. Lorne looked down when he heard his boots land on stone. The street near the embassy had been paved with smooth cobbles setting it apart from the hard-packed dirt of the rest of the streets. More civil engineering courtesy of Edgars' 'galacticization' theory, he guessed. He looked up at the tall structure, which had a set of stairs built into one of its four sides. Compared to most embassies Lorne had seen, this one looked almost like a normal building, except for the fact that it loomed over the streets at two stories tall, a rarity in most small towns like this one. There were numerous windows, as well as one or two trees around it in neat plots, like you would find on a side-walk. Varren gestured for Lorne to follow as he approached the stairs.

"Let's hope we finally get some damn answers." Lorne muttered to his team.

"Let's pray they're good ones too." Cadman added.

-O-

Optimus was unsure of what exactly was going on. Like Sheppard, he'd been expecting more than one person to be present to greet them, though he was not immensely perturbed that this was not the case. Jinto, the newcomer, was not much of a surprise either. While he and the Colonel did not often discuss personal matters, Optimus had been privy to the full mission reports of the original Atlantis Expedition for nearly four years now, so he was well aware of the boy's existence. Even his standoffish behavior towards Teyla was not overtly unexpected. After all, Optimus had been half-expecting it, given some of the reactions certain Autobots had had towards him upon arriving on Earth. A leader who all but abandoned their people tended not to command much respect upon their return, even if that abandonment was not intentional.

All that being said, the news that the Athosians had joined the Pegasus Confederation was a jarring note in the up-until-now predictable medley. Optimus patiently eavesdropped, waiting all the while for Sheppard to indicate that it was alright for his holoform to approach.

"I do not see why you are so surprised." Jinto huffed, "The Confederation's reach has grown far and wide. In the end, our membership was all but a forgone conclusion."

"You did not think to consult me on this?" Teyla all but snarled.

"As I said, you were not here. And the benefits were too great to refuse."

"What benefits?" Rodney asked, snorting. Jinto glowered at the physicist, causing his expression of scorn to quickly melt away.

"When Atlantis left, hopes were high that you would soon return. When you did not, the Confederation stepped in." the young man explained, "Dozens of societies all across the Pegasus had been nearly wiped out by the incessant cullings. The Confederation offered them lands and homes in exchange for citizenship and pledging themselves to the cause of fighting the Wraith. Their desire is to unite all the people of Pegasus, to build an enduring resistance that cannot be defeated by the destruction of one planet or people."

In the depths of his Spark, Optimus felt a newfound respect forming for the Pegasus Confederation. Whether or not Jinto's words were true, it was clear he believed them, and if they were, it meant that the peoples of Pegasus had picked up quite well where Atlantis had left off. Many questions still remained unanswered however. What of the Wraith? There was something in how Jinto had used the word 'had' in his statement about the cullings that made his circuits tingle with suspicion. His mind refocused however, when he saw Jinto step towards him.

"You have your questions, Colonel. But I also have mine." he said, looking over Optimus' vehicle form, "Is this one of the 'Autobots' you spoke of?" Sheppard was obviously caught off guard by having the interrogation, if you could call it that, turned so quickly on its head, but recovered swiftly.

"Yeah, yeah…" he said, stepping up to Jinto's side, looking at the Prime's holoform, "Jinto, this is Optimus Prime. He's the leader of the Autobots." Taking that as a cue, Optimus opened his own side door and let his illusory human self hop down to the ground. Jinto looked back and forth between the holo-form and the big-rig in front of him, then at Sheppard, his face full of bafflement.

"I do not understand." he said, "He does not look much like how I pictured him." The Athosian crossed his arms, looking back to the holoform as it approached. Optimus smiled, or rather, his holoform did so in his stead, and offered his hand in the tradition of Earth, which Jinto shook. As they parted, Optimus bowed his head in respect.

"Do not be confused. This human body you see here is an illusion, a projection. Colonel Sheppard asked that I used it so as not to immediately alarm you." he explained. Jinto's forehead wrinkled as his eyebrows rose.

"You are...not real?" he asked, suspicion clear in his voice, "But you feel...solid!" Optimus nodded, then raised his forearms, hoping his actions would not frighten the young man. Delicately, he allowed one false forearm to pass through the other, his whole form flickering like a glitchy digital image. Jinto flinched and his eyes bugged out in astonishment, but he did not cower. It was likely he had been witness to stranger, and his reaction was refreshing, given how some humans on Earth reacted when he did that little trick.

"You are a spirit?" the Athosian asked, his voice full of awe. Optimus shook his head.

"No. As I said, this body is an illusion. My true form is the vehicle that Colonel Sheppard arrived in." the Prime explained patiently, gesturing towards the flame-coated cab of his body, "Presently it is in concealment mode. Were I to assume my full size, I do not think I would be able to go very far from the gate...at least not without doing severe damage to the treeline." The last part of the statement was a jest, but Optimus quickly caught the nervous nature of the grin he made in response, so he hastily added: "I mean you and your people no harm. I am here at the request of Colonel Sheppard, and would be honored if you would accept me as a guest. There is a matter of some importance that relates to my people which I was hoping to discuss, along with whatever questions the Colonel might have."

Slowly Jinto nodded. The fear was not quite gone, but it had not grown larger, which was as good as he could hope for. He looked back at the dirt path leading into the woods, then back at Optimus' vehicle form.

"I am not sure if we will be able to bring you all the way into our camp...but the path is wide enough that you should be able to come at least to the edge." the boy offered. Optimus was surprised he hadn't simply assumed that he could project his holoform over an indefinite distance. Clearly Jinto was either no fool, or far more accepting of newness than the people of Earth. On some of the less advanced worlds he had visited, the Prime had been attacked with stones and sticks for standing out in his great metal body, regardless of which mode it was in. Perhaps it was a legacy of the advanced civilization Jinto's people had once been part of. Sheppard had told him that despite appearances, the Athosians had been very advanced, once upon a time, before the Wraith had leveled their cities and slaughtered the vast majority of their population.

Optimus bowed his head again in respect.

"Thank you, Jinto." he said, "It is an honor to be welcomed among your people." The young man smiled.

"It is an honor to finally meet you as well, Optimus Prime. Though we have heard little from the Colonel over the years, he has spoken much of you and your people, and the good you have done. The people of Athos would be proud to have you as a guest." Optimus' grin widened.

"Just call me Optimus. There is no need to stand on formality." he replied. The young Athosian nodded, and turned to the rest of the party.

"You are all welcome to come to the village with me. My father has had a feast prepared in your honor. We will do our best to answer whatever questions you have." he declared.

"Great." Ronon said, a classic response from the Satedan, who often treated words as though they were platinum ingots. Sheppard rolled his eyes.

"Lead the way. We'll follow!" he said. Jinto smiled and turned, beckoning the group up the trail.

"This way!" he said. Optimus walked back to his vehicular body and climbed back into the cab. The sound of his engine starting seemed to alarm the young Athosian, but he recovered quite well.

Then, even beneath the rumbling of the faux-motor of his chassis, Optimus heard Sheppard mutter to McKay: "Is it just me, or was that a little too...easy?"

-O-

The ambassador's office, if you could call it that, was not the lavish chamber Lorne had been expecting. The walls were mostly bare stone, with about three tapestries and a painting. The floor was stone, with square, smooth tiles of varying sizes inlaid into a very basic pattern that almost made Lorne think of linoleum. There was not much furniture either. Two chairs sat in front of a large wooden desk with a polished surface, with a third positioned behind it. There were also what appeared to be filing cabinets as well. It was all very office-like, more befitting of a secretary than someone with any real political clout.

Of course, then there was the screen. It was an antique-looking thing, like some sort of ancient television out of the 50's. In fact he was certain he'd seen something similar at a pawn shop in his hometown. Of course, that one hadn't had the strange alien logo stamped on the side that this one did. It wasn't the Genii seal, which consisted of a three-spoked wheel supported by a pair of horn-like sigils, but a trio of four-pointed stars, joined tip-to-tip in an inverted triangular formation, suggesting it was not made by the infamously deceptive quasi-morlocks. Also present was a keyboard, which had more in common with an electric typewriter, heavy and bulky, taking up most of the desk's center. The devices seemed out of place in the already odd surroundings, which bespoke a mix of mid-1800's industrial revolution machinery and early 1900s developmental aesthetic.

"Huh, didn't expect them to aim for a paperless society so quick." he muttered to Cadman out of the corner of his mouth. As Edgars and Macklemore filed in behind them, two of the guards followed, Varrenn included. He held out his hand.

"Your weapons please? They will be placed in the armory until you leave." he said. Lorne peered past him to the small, white-haired and bespectacled man in the chair behind the desk, who was paying no mind to his guests. The Major was wary of giving up his weapons, especially to this crowd, but then he couldn't go back empty handed. And it wasn't like they were being strip-searched...that was a good sign, right? He shrugged, then raised his P-90, checked the safety to make sure it was on and ejected the magazine. Then he unclipped the gun from his vest and handed it to the nearest guards. He then stashed the ammo in a pouch, which didn't seem to bother Varrenn, who held out his other hand to receive his sidearm, and his knife.

Once they had been fully disarmed, Varrenn approached the little man, looking tired and impatient.

"The visitors from Atlantis, as you requested, Ambassador Mathas." he declared. It was several seconds before the man looked up from his 'keyboard'.

"Ah, good. You are dismissed, Constable." The man's voice was almost as small as he was, and reminded Lorne of his grandfather in his later years, though without the encroaching senility. As if he had heard the thought, the man's eyes focused on Lorne and his team, inspecting them with a sharp gaze that felt like being given a hands-free cavity search. He scowled as he finished, and pointedly did not offer them a chance to sit down. Lorne didn't really blame him, given how sticky he was still feeling. Behind them, the door closed as Varrenn followed the last of his men into the small hallway beyond, and presumably, out of the building.

"You are…" Mathis said, before tapping some keys to produce some text on the bulky screen, "Major Evan Lorne, yes?"

"You know my name?" Lorne asked, shocked. He'd suspected the thing was a computer of some sort, but it looked so clunky as to be laughable. Mathis smirked smugly.

"I know yours at least. Genii High Command had files on all the major members of the Expedition. Of course it's been taking a while to get them all encoded. These old Genii computers are absolute rubbish, especially compared with the new models."

Lorne glanced over at Cadman and saw the same sensation of dismay he was feeling in her face, before turning back to the elderly man.

"I know we've been gone a while, but I have to say, I was not expecting-"

"Such rapid development?" Mathis finished, cutting Lorne off, his smirk untarnished, "Yes, I doubt you did. I don't think anyone was." For a moment, the ambassador glanced at the screen of the computer before pushing his chair back and rising to his feet.

"You know," he said, shuffling out from behind the desk, "when I was assigned to this post two years ago, I believed it was a punishment. 'The Atlanteans will never come back. They have what they wanted.' That's what they all said when I was given this position. I had resigned myself to filing papers on people who it was likely I would never meet." He paused, moving to a small table by the wall Lorne had missed which had a pitcher and a glass atop it. The old man poured himself some water and gulped it down, before turning his smirk back on the Major.

"Yet here you stand." he declared, "And here I am, wondering what could possibly bring you back?" His smirk became a glower and he shuffled to stand between the two chairs in front of his desk. "What is it you want, Atlanteans?"

Lorne had not been expecting the ambassador of all people to be so overtly scornful. The fact that he was he was bespoke how far down the toilet Atlantis had flushed its reputation with its inaction. He cleared his throat.

"I, that is, we-" he fumbled, "We're here about a signal we picked up-" He struggled to recover, but the sharp nature of the ambassador's question had caught him off-guard. He tried to collect himself, then started again.

"I'm here on behalf of my superiors regarding a signal we detected coming from the Pegasus galaxy. It has ties to an enemy which we've been fighting in the Milky Way, and we're worried that it may represent a threat to both of us." he explained, keeping his voice level and calm, while wishing Doctor Weir was there to make up for his poor diplomacy skills.

"Hmm...I see." Mathis finally said, adjusting his spectacles, "And how does this affect us?" His tone was dismissive, making it clear he didn't think much of the veracity of Lorne's words. The Major turned to Edgars, who was already pulling off her pack and unzipping it. It'd already been searched out in the hall by the guards, but the contents were undamaged and that was what mattered. Lorne pulled free the manila folders, containing documents prepared by the AOA and translated into known Pegasus languages regarding the existence of Decepticons, the Autobots, Megatron, Optimus Prime, and above all, the signal Ratchet had detected and what it might mean. Patiently, Mathis took them, then placed them on the desk, not even bothering to open them.

"Is that all?" he asked. Lorne felt a rising urge to smack that smug look off his face. Being angry at Atlantis was one thing, but this little bureaucrat was not going to stand there and treat Lorne like some kind of lackey. Plus, the anger at their treatment that had been building all day since his arrival was starting to crest over the levees of his patience. As the ambassador turned and shuffled back around the desk to his chair, Lorne took a step towards Mathis.

"Well, actually we were hoping you could provide some information on what's been happening while we've been away." The ambassador fluttered his hand dismissively, pulling the documents towards him as he sat down.

"I would've thought the ren'je pastry would've told you all you needed to know." he replied. Lorne felt his face grow hot.

"I meant on a larger scale. Who's running the fight against the Wraith?"

"More to the point, why are the Genii handing out their technology like candy?" Edgars butted in. Lorne gave her a hard stare, but she looked back unrepentant. Mathis, meanwhile, did not seem to be moved, though he had looked up from the documents. The smug smile, however, had somehow gotten broader.

"Yes, I suppose that would confuse you." he remarked, the precursor of a sneer forming on his face, but not quite maturing all the way, "The Genii are no concern of yours. Their beneficence and progressive reforms were what kept us afloat and united when you abandoned us. While you sent handfuls of supplies and aide, the Genii became our backbone, and their doctrine of expansion is what brought us to where we stand today.

Lorne was struck by how the man did not once mention the Wraith. It was unusual, given how the Confederation had been formed chiefly to help fight the life-sucking aliens.

"What do you mean, 'doctrines of expansion'?" he asked, his voice full of irritation "Has the Confederation started forcing people to join?" Mathis snorted.

The sneer was full-grown now, full of disdain and disgust. "It it may surprise you to learn that we are not children, Major. The Confederation promotes growth and development among its members. Technology is shared freely among all member worlds, which is more than you ever did. And because it is shared freely, new worlds flock to us, not only out of their desires to share in this new wealth, but to add their own strengths to the cause."

So that explained it...at least some of it. Lorne could see a rough web of events taking shape in his head. Without Atlantis, the Genii had stepped in, to fill the gap. They'd always made no secret of their desire to return to their former glory, and with their already rigid and rule-bound society, they made the perfect backbone for a new united Confederation military. Of course, their numbers couldn't totally replace the training, technology, and above all, sheer luck the expedition had possessed when it came to fighting the Wraith. Luck wasn't something you could buy, and training was shaped by experience, which the Genii probably didn't have much of when it came to fighting a galaxy-wide war. So technology would've been the great equalizer.

Of course that was the simplistic version. Just the idea that sharing and thereby spreading technology was something Lorne didn't think he ever would've suspected from the secretive underground society. Being as insular as they were, such a collectivist outlook was a shocking about face from their usual hoarding behavior. Then again, maybe the situation had grown desperate enough for even the Genii to worry about the continued survival of humanity as a whole in Pegasus. But even all this new information left many, many new questions.

"So the Genii are leading the fight against the Wraith?" Lorne asked. Mathis rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed by having to entertain this group of fools who thought they could waltz back in after seven years of broken promises and pretend like nothing had happened.

"The Wraith are a dwindling issue. What matters now is cleaning up the mess you and yours made." he huffed.

That got Lorne's attention like nothing else had so far.

"What do you mean, 'dwindling issue'?" he demanded.

"You didn't care then. Why should you now?" Mathis snorted, leaning back further into his chair. Lorne took four swift strides and slammed his hands down on the desk, making the Ambassador jump. He had had enough.

"Listen, buddy," he snarled, "you can hate us all you want, but it won't change anything! We left, yes, and that's caused you a lot of problems, I get that! But being an asshole about it won't undo what's already done!" The ambassador narrowed his eyes at Lorne, a cold gleam present in them that wasn't before. Apart from that, he hadn't moved a hair after flinching when Lorne smacked the desk. Slowly, he composed himself, shuffling the papers and folders as if nothing had happened, then he rose from his chair.

"You want to know what happened while you were gone, Major? Fine. I'll tell you. And then you're going to leave, and stop bothering me and my superiors. We don't want your help. We don't need it." he said, his tone as deadly as the crack of an unstable icicle. Lorne took his hands off the desk and backed up, sitting down in the nearby chair. He knew he'd made a serious diplomatic blunder, but the man's words made it clear that the already poor relationship between his bosses and Earth wasn't likely to change any time soon. Besides, he wanted to watch him squirm as he got jam on his furniture, the prick.

"Fine, talk. Then we'll go." he said. As Lorne sat, Cadman came to stand behind him. A quick glance confirmed his suspicions of how little she approved of his actions. He'd deal with the repercussions of this disaster later. Right now, he wanted answers. Besides, if the mission had been a SNAFU from the get-go, the least he could do was try and come back with something to prove it hadn't been a total waste of time.

Mathis tapped his keyboard, causing the image on the screen to change from a slightly blurred gray-white and black collection of text to some images. Then he tapped a button on the side and switched it off, before focusing on Lorne, distaste clear on his face.

"When you left, the Genii stepped in. They helped pick up where you had left off as best they could. Of course, without your technology, there was only so much they could do. So they devised the Ladon Agreement."

"Which did what?" Lorne asked. Mathis' lips pursed and his eyes, already narrowed, shrunk to slits of irritation.

"It allowed for the creation of all you see around you. The day the Agreement was signed, the old Confederation of loosely allied sovereign powers, all bickering and biting at each other, ceased to exist, and a newer, stronger one was born. Scientific knowledge was spread far and wide, washing away old superstitions in favor of pragmatism. Where it was applied, societies flourished. Our membership grew as well, with societies that had been driven to the brink of extinction by culling being brought into the fold, resettled on worlds with land to spare."

"So you basically just decided to modernize? Sorry if I don't see how that turns the Wraith from a galaxy-eating scourge into a 'dwindling issue'." Lorne scoffed. He knew he was pushing his luck, but then it was clearly too weak to move on its own. He wanted answers, not a history lesson. Mathis gave him a frosty glare.

"The Wraith are a dwindling issue, Major," he said, and Lorne had seldom heard a word sprayed with so much venom, "because the Wraith are going back to sleep."

-O-

The trek to the Athosian encampment was a brisk and quiet one. As they walked along between the trees, Sheppard repeatedly found himself wondering if he should drift back and try to talk to Teyla. She had spent the walk fuming at the back of the group, next to Optimus, who was weaving through the trees with an uncanny grace for such a large vehicle. On the one hand, he felt sorry for her, and could only imagine how it must feel to have been sidelined by her own people. On the other, with a twinge of guilt, he found himself wondering what exactly she had expected. Any organization or society that could not readily rely on its leader's swift and prompt response to crises, or even their presence, usually ended up choosing a new leader entirely. That they hadn't yet spoke to how much respect they had for Teyla, even if they'd still made decisions in her absence.

Just as he had made up his mind to have a talk with her, the sound of voices reached John's ears, along with that of wood being chopped, fire crackling and shoes on leaves and dirt. Slowly, the Athosian village slid into view amidst the trees, tall trunks parting and thinning as they grew closer. Drab tents, some the size of small houses, seemed to grow up out of the forest, their presence only fully becoming apparent once the group had come within fifty meters or so. Long before that, John saw the people, dressed in browns, blacks and other earthy colors typical of Pegasus fashion, moving about amidst the structures. Many had gathered to form a small crowd near the place where the dirt road passed between two small tents and entered the settlement, whose edges were only loosely defined.

It was all a very familiar sight to John. Once, the Athosians had been a powerful and advanced society, but centuries, or possibly even millennia ago, the Wraith had culled them so fiercely that what stood before him was all that remained. Of course they had been far more numerous before meeting the Atlantis Expedition. The guilt of that thought settled down across John's shoulders like a yoke, making the happy smile he put on for the crowd hard to maintain.

"Hiya folks!" he said jovially, as a young woman emerged from the group to stand before Jinto.

"Is everything alright, Jinto?" she asked, causing the young man to beam.

"Yes, all is well Yara. Is my father still in his tent?"

"He is here." said a louder, older voice. John's attention was refocused as the crowd parted and three people stepped forward. John only really recognized one of the three faces, but it was one he knew well.

"Halling! Nice to see you!" John called, and was encouraged by the warm smile the man gave him. Halling's relationship with the Expedition and its members had never been as smooth as John would've liked, but clearly Atlantis' absence hadn't totally ruined the friendship between the Athosians and Earth. John also noted quite quickly that he had a Genii sidearm, just like Jinto. In fact, there seemed to be quite a few people with such weapons. One was even carrying one of the triple-barreled rifles that he'd seen Genii soldiers wielding on occasion back in the old days. According to Ronon, it was a design they had likely pilfered from the ruins of his homeworld, Sateda, though what mattered was that they were all holstered, or in the rifle's case, slung on the bearer's back with a sling.

John approached Halling and glanced at the two people standing on either side of him. One was an middle-aged woman who was showing the first signs of wrinkles and greying hair, while the other was a man with long hair like the style that Halling himself had used to wear, before he'd shaved himself bald, a decision he had apparently stuck with. The Colonel stretched out his arm and Halling took it in the traditional greeting, grasping at his elbow while John did the same.

"It has been many days." Halling declared.

"Too many." John agreed, "It's good to see you again."

"And you as well Colonel. I received your message, and I promise that we will do all we can to answer any questions you might have, but before we do, I must ask why you bring this…" He trailed off and gestured at Optimus, whose holoform had again jumped down from the cab and was striding forward. Jinto intercepted him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"This is the one the Colonel spoke of, father." he said, his tone full of excitement, "This is Optimus Prime." Optimus took the chance to offer his illusory arm to Halling in order to mimic John's actions. Halling complied, but wore the same look of confusion his son had before the details had been explained.

"It is an honor to meet you...but I must ask why you have brought this machine." Halling said.

"It is not a machine father. It is his true form." Jinto explained. When the confusion persisted, Sheppard found himself compelled to cut in and try to simplify. The full explanation could wait.

"Just think of the guy in front of you as...well, sort of a puppet. We thought it'd be easier if he did this than showing up in his usual shape. We didn't want to scare you." John's words seemed to cause some consternation, with shocked mutterings flowing through the assembled villagers in a susurrus. However, after a few whispered words amongst his associates, Halling nodded.

"I will not pretend to understand, but we welcome you nonetheless. Of course, we hope it will not cause too much trouble if your...true form remains here at the edge of the village?" he asked. John looked to the holoform for a response, which nodded, smiling.

"That is understandable. This form can move about within a radius of around a hundred meters from my body. There will be no trouble, I assure you." This caused Halling's smile to cautiously return, before it slipped away again as Teyla stepped forward with a look in her eye saying that while Optimus might not want trouble, she was not going to be so easy to placate.

"Halling." she said calmly.

"Teyla Emmagan." he replied. Both their voices were calm and collected, but while behind Teyla's expression of cool indifference there boiled a dark storm cloud of anger, Halling's gaze betrayed only a sad disappointment mixed with frustration.

"I hear things have been busy while I have been away."

"They have indeed. Many things have occurred." John looked back and forth between the two. In the privacy of his head, the idea of having a chat with Teyla was rapidly turning into one of pulling her aside before she lost her temper and spoiled their welcome. However, the argument he was expecting did not erupt. Instead, Teyla merely extended her arm, which Halling shook.

"It has been many days." she said flatly.

"Indeed." Halling agreed. With that they parted, and Sheppard breathed a sigh of relief, which he then almost choked on as Halling turned back to him.

"We have prepared a feast in the main tent, enough for your team and the council." he declared, then looked over at Optimus, "There is place for you as well. To be honest, we were not sure what to expect, given the Colonel's stories and the tales Teyla related to us." Optimus smiled apologetically.

"I have no doubt that the meal is delicious, but unfortunately I cannot consume your form of nourishment, much as I may wish to." he explained. Halling bowed his head in understanding.

"There is no need to apologize. We are happy to entertain the leader of such a great and noble people. The Colonel in particular has spoken highly of you and your warriors." Optimus returned the head-bow.

"And I too, am honored, to be the guest of such an understanding and compassionate people." he replied. There was a pause, before Halling turned to the rest of the crowd.

"The people of Atlantis will be dining with the council. If you are not part of that arrangement, then there is still a harvest to bring in and work to be done!" he declared. This seemed to be the signal the largely silent crowd had been waiting for. The latest novelty having been seen, and with the reminder that there were things to still do having been given, they dispersed, men and women returning to the tasks they had abandoned, with children running to their parents. One or two started towards Optimus' vehicular form, but were quickly intercepted by their scolding mothers. Sheppard briefly wondered if Optimus might've been alright with being a jungle gym for a bunch of five year olds, but put it out of his mind as Halling spoke again.

"Before we retire to the feast, allow me to introduce my fellow council members. This is Anri, daughter of Astra, and Helven son of Ikos. They have helped me tend to our people's needs in the absence of a traditional leader."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but why not just pick a new one?" Rodney asked, before quickly backpedaling verbally at Halling's appalled look, "I mean, I just...it makes more sense, right?"

"It would not be proper." Halling said firmly, "Teyla is still our leader, even in her absence. If she had died, then we would have elected a new leader, but until that time, she is still our leader." John glanced over at Teyla as Halling spoke. Her concealed anger seemed to diminish at his words, but still remained. Maybe he wouldn't need to have a chat with her, but then it always paid to play it safe. Anri gestured towards the large tent near the center of the messy grouping of dwellings.

"If you would care to follow, the feast is waiting. We will attempt to answer your questions afterwards."

"Thank god, I'm starving." Rodney muttered, causing John to give him a sharp glance. The physicist responded to with an expression bereft of even an ounce of shame. Rodney never apologized when food was involved. Sheppard rolled his eyes and turned back to the elderly woman."

"We'd be delighted." he said.

As the group, sans Autobot and plus holoform, began to walk towards the tent, Ronon shuffled to the front to stride next to Halling.

"Hey, uh, I don't mean to pry, but I get the feeling that we're...well, not totally welcome." he said. Halling nodded in understanding while Sheppard gave him a confused look, wondering what the Satedan had picked up on that he hadn't before realizing he hadn't given the crowd or the expressions they might have been wearing much attention.

"Your return is being viewed as a good omen by some, but many others feel it is a sign of fresh misery yet to come."

"Understandable, given what's happened so far." Rodney mumbled, so low that probably only John caught it.

"It is of no concern. You are safe here; you have our word on that." Helven said. For some reason, his statement made John glance at the Genii sidearm he was carrying. Apparently the man took John's silence for continued doubt, so he went on speaking.

"It's nothing personal, you understand. Everyone's just still a little jumpy since the cullings stopped."

If John had been an Autobot, his engine would have stalled. His brain certainly did, that much was certain. It took a moment for the full content of that statement to trickle into his brain and start setting off implications like fireworks in his skull.

"The cullings have...stopped?" Teyla asked, her tone carrying the dismay John was already feeling. Helven grinned, showing a smile missing one canine, and chuckled lightly.

"Forgive me, that's probably an overstatement. I doubt they've stopped everywhere. But yes, here and on the neighboring worlds? Most certainly. There has not been a culling for almost a year and a half. In fact, word throughout the Confederation is that the Wraith are going back to sleep."

"That's…" John started, then faltered, unsure of what to say next. Everything he might've used as a response seemed to pale in comparison to the enormity of that statement. McKay finally saved him the trouble with one of his classic, dismissive quips.

"That's impossible." the physicist said. This only caused Helven to chuckle again.

"There are many who feel the same, Doctor McKay, but it is a divisive issue."

"Helven speaks the truth." Halling commented, seeming slightly offended at having to defend his associate, "There have been no cullings for fourteen months. Some say it is merely a prelude to something new. Others believe the great war between Hives has ended, and the survivors are preparing to enter hibernation once more."

"Wow…" John said. It was all he could manage. The idea that the enormous Wraith civil war and its consequences that Woolsey had used to help leverage the AOA delegates might be nearing its end was so vast and unexpected that he was having trouble just fitting it into his head.

"Is there evidence to support either idea?" Rodney asked. He was not one for ideas without proof, and was not afraid to show it. As they reached the large tent and Halling pulled aside the flap to allow them entrance,

"As I have said, no worlds we have contact with have been culled in fourteen months. If you are looking for more solid evidence, you would need to seek out someone with a wider range of contacts that us." he said. Rodney to his credit, merely looked unimpressed, rather than responding with an acerbic comment like he had in the old days. Not for the first time, John was glad to see his friend's relationship with Dr. Keller was paying off for his people skills.

"I would like to hear more of the Confederation." Optimus said as he passed into the tent. Inside, a long wooden table sat on a woven rug with backless chairs arranged around it. In front of each seat was a steaming bowl of brown soup that made John think of gumbo, with a touch of spicy cinnamon. There were various other dishes as well, ready to be dined on, though not as many as you might've found on certain other worlds. The Athosians were reserved, even in celebration. You had to be, in a life as hard as theirs. As they entered, he saw a conveniently placed wicker basket, and glanced over to Halling.

"Hey, you mind if we put down the guns here? It's kind of hard to eat with these things on." Halling chuckled.

"By all means. You may retrieve them afterwards." Nodding thanks, Sheppard relieved himself of everything except his knife and sidearm, as did Teyla and Rodney. Ronon, of course, surrendered all his visible weapons as well, apart from his pistol. Visible was the key word though. Sheppard knew for a fact he never went anywhere without twelve concealed knives on his person, and that was just the ones he knew about.

"What in particular do you wish to know?" Helven inquired as the rest of the group entered behind the holoform, who politely passed his bowl to the left as he sat down at one end of the table.

"I know only what the Colonel has told me; that they are, or were, a loose union of planets dedicated to joining forces, both against the threat of the Wraith and for the betterment of all their members. I also know that the Genii were among its founding members, as well as the Manarians." Optimus explained. The elderly man nodded as he took a seat next to the other end of the table.

"Then there is much you do not know." he said, pausing to blow lightly on the broth of the soup while everyone else took their seats. When this was done, he continued. "The Confederation started as a loose coalition of worlds, to ease trade and unite against the Wraith. Its economic influence spread quickly after it established and agreed-upon standard for trade and pricing of goods."

"And now?" Sheppard asked, taking a seat in front of his own bowl of soup.

"Now...things are different. Very different."

-O-

Lorne's head was spinning. The assertion Mathas had made about the Wraith returning to hibernation was still ringing in his ears, but that had been just the first shell in a rain of explosive revelations. As he sat on the steps outside the diplomatic office, if you could call it that, he looked to his squad.

"So let me get this straight:" Macklemore said, "We leave, and suddenly they decide to form...what, the United League of Planets?"

"Actually the way he described it sounds more like the Roman Senate." Edgars commented. Macklemore looked at her curiously, causing her to shrug. "I studied political history as a hobby. It's fun seeing how humanity screws up over and over." she said. Macklemore snorted.

"Yeah, a real riot." he said. Edgar's expression said she would not be apologizing for her interests. Lorne ignored them both.

"I think we're missing the point here." Lorne finally said.

"And what's that?" the red-headed lieutenant asked.

"The Genii are basically in charge of Pegasus."

"Well, them and the Travelers." Edgars pointed out. Lorne nodded, conceding that point.

Mathas' explanation of recent history had painted a picture of a galaxy left in chaos by Atlantis' departure. Shortly after the city had rushed off to stop a Wraith invasion of Earth, the Genii had stepped into the political shoes they'd left behind, using their influence to dominate the Confederation's ruling council. Their immediate first step had been to push through the Ladon Agreement, forged with the backing of the most developed planets in the original coalition, which reformed the loose economic and military alliance of the old Confederation into something approaching a representative democracy. Under this new system, any planets which were less developed than the signatories of the Agreement that were already either part of or seeking to join the Confederation were to be annexed while retaining partial sovereignty. They would retain their right to self-govern, however should the territory they were a part of be called upon by their neighbors, then they were to answer with all they could muster. Examples of such aid would be the support armed assistance in the event of a Wraith attack or supplying surplus crops to a less fortunate group in case of famine at reduced costs.

Of course, the Genii were not unreasonable in their conditions or actions. Forcing any of the worlds not included in the Agreement to participate would've meant a costly period of near-anarchy at best and the collapse of the Confederation in the worst case scenario. Everything was to be done with the consent of native populations, and those societies that acquiesced were to be parceled out evenly among the signatories to divide the burden and benefits of administration equally. Furthermore, as a way of appeasing the annexed nations that might've have felt cheated about the apparent trade-off, the signatories were also treaty bound to share knowledge, technology and resources with the worlds they were charged with to provide an overall improvement of the quality of life. Mathis hadn't been specific on how the Genii had managed to keep their fellow signatories from reneging on their oaths, but it didn't take a genius to work out that their wetworks division, which was feared across the galaxy, was probably working overtime throughout the whole process.

Initially the change prompted resentment from those not slated as part of the Agreement. This was expected, and the Genii had moved swiftly to provide proof of their sincerity. Over the course of six months, working with the other participants named in the document, they'd transformed a few key, backwards planets into rapidly growing economic centers. Word soon spread and shortly afterwards, planets began lining up to join. However, Lorne, while being no student of geopolitics, or whatever you might call this whole mind-boggling scenario, was smart enough to see that such a situation could not possibly last. Sooner or later, such a vast concentration of power in the hands of the Genii, even if it wasn't official, would start breeding discontent. However, Mathas had quickly quashed that concern when revealing the next phase of the Genii's plot: mass industrialization.

For generations, the greater portion of Genii had lived underground, their true technological prowess concealed by their idyllic front as simple farmers. With the restructuring, they'd abandoned this tactic, and moved large portions of their people, supplemented by immigrants from worlds devastated by cullings, to the surface. This was quickly justified by the construction of huge factories to churn out vast amounts of goods, including arms and military hardware, which soon flooded offworld markets. Of course, this sudden new focus also ended up balancing the scales, as the Genii began importing more and more food to feed their enormous workforce, which soon placed them at the mercy of their fellow signatories of the Agreement, and thus stabilized the political landscape.

Lorne had to hand it to the Genii. By reorganizing the balance of power, they'd sparked a galaxy-wide industrial revolution, or at least a renaissance, which would grow unstoppably, no matter how many worlds were culled. Progress was a fire, and the Genii had doused Pegasus in gasoline. Of course, just as he'd thought Mathas was winding down, the old man had dropped another bombshell on him and revealed that shortly after the new arrangement had settled into place about four years ago, another player had stepped onto the galactic stage, one whose mere existence again threatened to upset the scales: the Union of Lemnos.

This new nation as it turned out, was headed by another 'old friend' of Atlantis, the Travelers. Apparently the formerly nomadic space dwellers had recovered from their last attempt to establish a planetary colony in a big way. Mathas had stated that they had sent an emissary to the Confederate Council roughly three years after Atlantis had left, claiming they had set up on Lemnos, a 'fortress world' formerly belonging to the Ancients.

Lorne had gotten a little fuzzy by that point in the explanation due to the overwhelming shock the information was causing him, but apparently the planet had been slated to be part of a massive line of defense, similar to the Maginot Line of France, during the original Wraith-Ancient war, as a means to curb the Wraiths' expansion into Lantean space. Not only was it protected by a high-radiation nebula that rendered most of the Wraith's organic technology at serious risk should they attempt a protracted siege, but it had unfinished war infrastructure left by the Ancients that could be exploited and expanded on. Of course, the Union had not given any information as to why such a valuable location was left not only intact, but largely operational by their accounts.

The Travelers had rediscovered and claimed the planet about a year after Atlantis had left, and shortly after settling in, had started building their own alliance, drawing on those worlds the Confederation's influence had not yet reached to expand its workforce, gaining their allegiance with the same promises the Confederation had used. Upon encountering the expanding sphere of influence of their competitor, they'd sent an emissary to strike up a deal, on the basis that both powers hated the Wraith, and the life-sucking aliens had to be exterminated if anyone in Pegasus was ever to really achieve their potential. Unsurprisingly, this argument had been enough of a foundation for a compromise to form.

The Travelers, despite being more technologically advanced, were late to the party in terms of getting people to join them, which meant a smaller workforce, which meant a greater cost in time when it came to building new ships. Meanwhile, the Genii and company were salivating at the chance to build actual starships to fight the Wraith on their own terms. Such an advantage would allow the Confederation's militarization policy to go from emphasizing defense and attrition to advocating actual offense and pre-emptive strikes.

Everyone could see the benefits to both sides, so after much negotiation the Union was absorbed wholesale as another Confederation 'territory', headed by the Travelers, who entered as a fellow signatory of the Ladon Agreement. Their admittance into the alliance allowed them to annex and draw on far more manpower and resources than they ever could've hoped for alone. Those worlds whose loyalty they'd already possessed under the Union were placed under their jurisdiction, just like with the other Confederation demesnes. To wrap it all up, the end result was that the Genii, Travelers and a few key other worlds were essentially in charge of a new, massive political, economic and military alliance, bent on the singular goal of eradicating the Wraith...at least until fourteen months ago.

The sudden, yet steady decline in cullings across the galaxy had quickly come to the attention of the Confederation government through its newfound space power and intelligence networks, and immediately resulted in a huge political wedge being driven between certain factions. Those factions had eventually coalesced into two main groups: those who thought the decline signalled an end to hostilities between the Hives and a return to the old, cyclical system of hibernation and feeding, and those who thought a scenario all-too-similar the one proposed in the Weir Report was on the horizon. This last part had been relayed in very partisan tones. Mathas was quick to make his opinion clear, asserting with vehement insistence that the Wraith were going back to sleep. When Lorne had tried to point out the flaws in his logic, he'd finally ejected the squad from his office.

As he sat on the stone steps, brain caught in the swirling maelstrom of information he'd just received, all Lorne could think was that when he got back he was going to see to it that whatever IOA asshole who had made it their job to keep Earth out of Pegasus affairs was fired, preferably from the barrel of a cannon. On the one hand, he was pleased to learn that in Atlantis' absence, the peoples of Pegasus had not simply run around like chickens with their heads cut off. On the other, he was deeply worried about what having the Genii in ascendancy might mean for Pegasus' future. Ladon and his people might have the best in mind for Pegasus, but that didn't mean he wouldn't eventually turn down the path of his predecessor Cowen who had tried to use his people's' newly developed nuclear weapons to force other worlds under his banner. Lorne reflected on the irony that Ladon had managed to essentially do just that anyway, but without the mushroom clouds and screaming.

"So now what do we do?" Cadman asked, "Obviously Colonel Sheppard's going to want to hear all this. I don't think the Athosians will be able to give him as many of the details as we can."

"Probably." Lorne agreed, standing up and pushing his shock aside. There would be time to process everything later. The pastry from earlier that he hadn't managed to remove was drying and making him uncomfortable, so he focused on that, and made getting rid of it his objective. Everything else would follow after.

"I'd love a nice hot shower, but I don't know if they've gotten as far as that particular feature of indoor plumbing yet. Plus, I don't want to stay in this town longer than necessary. People don't like us, and I'm not in the mood to check into an inn and wake up tomorrow with all of our boots having been stolen."

"That's assuming they don't slit our throats in our sleep." Edgars commented, cleaning her nails.

"Edgars, do you have a boyfriend?" Lorne asked.

"Girlfriend, sir." she replied, not looking up. Lorne stumbled mentally, his snarky retort aborted by the inconveniences of fate.

"Whatever, let's go." he said. As he turned towards the general direction of the Stargate, Varrenn stepped forward. The Constable had been waiting at the foot of the stairs when the squad had emerged from Mathas' office, and had remained silent the whole time while his men returned their weapons.

"I will escort you. I would rather you not trigger any altercations before you leave. It makes for less paperwork."

"That's awfully kind of you." Lorne snorted. Varrenn's face betrayed no offense in response to his sarcasm. There was a pause however, before he spoke again.

"I would have you know that because you and your people, my father is alive, as is much of my family." Lorne's eyebrows rose in interest.

"Really?" he asked.

"My father was Orin, friend of Teyla Emmagan. She and your warrior John Sheppard warned him of the Wraiths' coming, when they were preparing to attack you for the first time many years ago, and needed to harvest food for their voyage." he explained.

"So does that mean you don't hate us?" Lorne asked. Varrenn flinched, but did not show any expression apart from a small frown.

"No. I cannot forgive the way your people abandoned our galaxy, after causing so much pain...but I recognize that you are not all bad people. If it were not for you, I would've died long ago."

"You know, a lot of us wanted to come back." Lorne said.

"Then why didn't you?"

"We had problems of our own back home."

"And these problems...they existed before you returned to your galaxy?"

"Some of them, yes.?" Lorne admitted. He didn't like where this was going. Varrenn smirked.

"Did they threaten your world directly?" he pressed.

"Not all of them, no. But-" Lorne tried.

"Did you create these problems yourself, or were they already in existence?"

"Look, I don't think you're being fair. You don't even know what kind of problems we had to face!" Lorne said hotly.

"You're right, I don't." Varrenn admitted, "But I do know what kind of problems we had to face here." His face was grim. Lorne had no answer for that. He sighed and shook his head.

"You cannot save everyone." Varrenn said, "I understand that. But you stopped trying to save anyone. And that, I cannot forgive."

Lorne wanted to tell the man it wasn't his fault, that like everyone in the Expedition, he'd been obeying the orders of his superiors. But when had that ever mattered? Sure, Lorne was no hot-shot like Colonel Sheppard, who'd flipped the IOA the bird more times than he could count, but he'd had a choice, and he'd chosen the Milky Way, even though it had been facing far, far less turmoil than Pegasus likely had. The pockets of leftover Ori worshippers, the Lucian Alliance, the Hybrids, hell, even Megatron and his band of merry bad bots had all paled in comparison to the vast and horrific scale of the Wraith civil war that had been raging in their absence.

"Come with me. Evening will be setting in soon." Varrenn said, turning his back to the squad. As he strode off towards the road out of town, Lorne watched his back recede into the dwindling crowds and wondered if Atlantis would ever be able to fix this mess they'd made, or if they were doomed from the moment Sheppard had pulled the trigger on that first Wraith Queen, twelve years ago.

o

A/N: Sorry for taking so long on this chapter. I'm still uncertain about that huge lore dump at the end, but I think the scene with Lorne and Varrenn that followed was a good means to balance it out. Of course, the real issue is that there's still a ton of stuff to address. It's likely the next chapter will be the one where we FINALLY get back to the Transformers and their side of things. It's going to be in a big way too. So brace yerself and hold onto your afts!