A/N: Hello! No, you're not seeing things. As I prepared to upload another chapter (actually replace the contents in a chapter but I digress…) my OCD finally kicked in and demanded that I fix things. thus, all the chapter numbers are correct now and I will no longer have a nervous tick every time I see my table of contents menu. As such, I'd still like you all to review this one, even if you've already read it once before. Reviews are like crack for authors and I must admit, I'm addicted.
Until then, cheers!
Episode IX: The Leviathan
There were many things that Richard Woolsey thought he'd never see before coming to Atlantis. He never thought he'd literally throw his rulebook out the window on his first day; he never thought that he'd suddenly find himself always skipping ahead to plan B or maybe even C or D because A never really worked; he never thought that he'd ever see Todd as anything more than a nuisance albeit a resourceful, sometime necessary nuisance; but above all, he never thought he'd see the day where Major Lorne was standing in front of him telling him that there was a problem with his commanding officer.
"Tell me again, Major," Woolsey tried to understand, "What exactly is the problem? Major Sheppard, from what I understand, has received a disciplinary action following her assault of a superior officer. How is that out of line?"
Lorne resisted the urge to sigh. When the article fifteen had first appeared on his desk with Kate's name on it Lorne had thought he was imagining things. But, alas, no. Following their return from the wraith homeworld, Colonel Sheppard had actually gone so far as to write Kate up for her having decked him, which, if it were any other command other than theirs, would have been perfectly acceptable. What was not acceptable was that her punching him had been a result of him shooting Todd – which in itself had not been the response of a of a commanding officer but rather the response and action of a overprotective big brother who didn't happen to like his sister's choice in men.
That was Lorne's problem and he hastened to explain this to the director. "The attack came from Kate and not Major Sheppard and she punched her brother, not the Colonel."
Woolsey's eyebrows rose incrementally. "I see," he said, beginning to understand where Lorne was coming from. "So, what you're saying is that Colonel Sheppard's ability to view Kate objectively has been compromised."
Lorne nodded. "Honestly, Sir, it's been compromised for a while."
Woolsey sniffed. "Yes, I suppose it has," he crossed his arms over his desk and leaned forwards on his elbows, regarding the major. "I assume, since you're here bringing it up, that you have a suggestion on how to correct this?"
"Yes Sir," Lorne was nothing if not prepared – although he had really hoped that it wouldn't have had to come to this.
The director of Atlantis sighed and gestured for the Major to continue. "Let's hear it then."
Lorne took a breath. "There's no skirting the fact that Atlantis is unique. If it were any other post, the Colonel and Kate wouldn't even be allowed to serve together in the same command."
"What exactly are you suggesting Major?" Woolsey asked, pushing his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose.
It was now or never. "I want Kate taken out of the Colonel's direct chain of command."
Woolsey's eyes widened. "And how do you propose I do that, Major, without compromising an already very delicate situation? Our alliance with Todd is contingent on Major Sheppard's role; if he thinks for a second that we're going to remove her – no, I'm sorry Major, but I don't even want to consider what he might do in order to keep her here."
"I'm not suggesting we get rid of her, or diminish her duties in any way; I actually want to increase them," Lorne explained, "At least so far as the wraith are concerned."
"Oh?"
Lorne nodded. "Kate told me a bit about what Todd's lining her up for. He's gonna make her his queen if he hasn't already. Her original orders state that her primary objective is to pacify the aggressions of the wraith against Atlantis. I'd say becoming a wraith queen and actually having control over a large faction of wraith damn near completes her duty. We all got sidetracked with who she is that we kinda forgot why she was sent here in the first place. As far as Washington is concerned, she's been in clear dereliction of her duty for the past year."
"So your plan is to…"
"Take her out of the Colonel's chain of command and give her the freedom to perform her assigned duty to its fullest potential."
Woolsey considered this. "And who would she be reporting to if not Colonel Sheppard?"
Lorne shrugged. "You, General O'Neil; someone other than her brother who can't see anything past who she's sleeping with."
"So the relationship has been…consummated then?"
The major nodded. "From what I've been given to understand, as far as the wraith are concerned, Todd and Kate are married."
"Which is why the situation is so complicated," Woolsey lamented then, seeing the look on the Major's face, explained, "As you said, Colonel Sheppard is viewing the situation like a brother and as such I wouldn't put it past him to try and have Kate reassigned to the SGC if he feels things are slipping out of his control. From what Todd was saying, the separation that would occur as a result would kill them both and with Todd dead, would plunge the wraith back into civil war. We'd lose not only Major Sheppard and Todd but also our foothold in the Pegasus galaxy because, let's be honest, the only reason we're still here is because of Todd and his alliance."
"Damn."
Woolsey sighed and nodded. "My sentiments exactly. You understand why I said it's complicated."
"Understatement of the year, Sir," Lorne replied, before sinking into the chair opposite Woolsey's desk. He let out a deep sigh. "When did everything get so screwed up? It was fine when we only saw Todd every other month. Now, he's living with us and our fate is literally tied up with his. Where did we go wrong?"
"I don't believe we fully understood what we were getting into by being here, Major," Woolsey lamented. "This job isn't like working at the SGC where because our planet is in the same galaxy we have some say in what goes on. We started a war that we had no business starting in the first place and now we're reaping the reward for our meddling."
Lorne raised an eyebrow. "Felt this way long, Sir?" he asked.
"It's been a long time coming," the director replied.
"Well what do we do about it?"
Richard considered the man sitting before him. "I think you're right. Our best chance of helping the people of this galaxy get rid of the wraith menace for good is by doing all that we can to help Todd win his war against the queens and for that we need Major Sheppard. I have no delusions about what Todd will do if the Colonel tries to remove her. There is nowhere he could send her that Todd would not find her and bring her right back here."
Lorne snorted. "Too bad there's not a way to make sure he can't have her sent back to Earth. That'd come in handy when he finally does find out they're more than just sleeping together."
"I'll look into it," Woolsey offered, agreeing with the Major. "Until then, I'll contact the SGC and see about having Kate's status updated so that she reports directly to General O'Neil or to myself."
Lorne stood, falling seamlessly into parade rest. "There is one more thing, Sir, if you don't mind," upon Woolsey's nod, Lorne continued. "I realize that he's only been here a day and that there really hasn't been much of a discussion about what's going to happen with him yet but, I'd like to request that Todd be put on my team. That way he stays close to Kate and he's on hand whenever we need him."
Woolsey thought about it. "I'll consider it," he informed the major before standing and walking the man out of his office. It was late and he thought he could do with some tea before bed. Asking if Lorne would like to join him, the two set off for the mess hall.
~xXx~
"LORNE!"
Having been in the middle of teaching Todd how to use Word so that the wraith would be able to write his own mission reports, Lorne jumped as the door to his office was slid open with so much force that the glass rattled. Turning around, the major beheld the fuming figure of one Colonel John Sheppard who looked more furious then he'd ever seen him. Some of the bravado he'd had while in Woolsey's office two days ago faded and he swallowed.
Seated before the major, the resident wraith also noted the expression on Sheppard's face and decided to forgo any type of greeting in the hopes he would simply be ignored. Briefly Todd pondered whether or not now was an appropriate time to apply the human custom of crossings one's fingers.
"Colonel," Lorne was actually quite impressed that his voice came out even. "What can I do for -"
"Cut the crap Major, I don't want to fucking hear it!" John fumed, stalking forwards. "You went to Woolsey – went above my head – and requested that Kate be removed from my chain of command. What the fuck is wrong with you!?"
Lorne looked back at him trying his very best not to scream obscenities at the man like he very much wanted to. Woolsey had finally granted him his request to have Todd assigned to his team after Kate and Cadman had stormed into his office and complained about all the extra rules that the colonel had conjured up for Todd to have to follow during his stay. A camera had been installed in his quarters and he'd been told that he'd be watched twenty-four seven until further notice. Cadman had said that they were treating him like a prisoner and demanded that the director do something. The end result was that Lorne got Todd, Cadman and Kate were appeased, Woolsey had wished him luck and now the whole thing was Lorne's mess. If the major was lucky, Colonel Sheppard would remain ignorant of that last part for just a bit longer and Lorne could focus purely on the situation with Kate.
Mr. Murphy however; had other ideas.
The hapless major hadn't even had the chance to open his mouth yet before the colonel's eyes fell to Todd and narrowed suspiciously.
"And what is he doing here!?" John demanded, glaring at the alien. "I thought I had him in McKay's lab running -"
"Situation's changed Sir," Lorne finally managed, inwardly grimacing as the colonel's glare returned to him.
John glowered at the man and hissed, "Changed how?"
Lorne gulped and took a deep, steadying breath. "Todd's been assigned to my team, Sir. Woolsey okayed it this morning so right now I'm teaching him how to -"
The roar John Sheppard let out sounded more like wounded animal then something a human being ought to be capable of making. "What!?" he screamed. "Why – the fuck!? What exactly are you trying to accomplish here Major because I would dearly love to know."
Squaring his shoulders, Lorne caught Todd eyeing him calculatingly as he faced off against his commander. "Honestly Sir," Lorne began, refusing to back down now that he was facing the full force of John Sheppard's wrath, "I'm doing your job."
John stared at him. "Come again?" he spat dangerously.
"You've lost the ability to think objectively, sir," the major explained. "You've stopped treating Major Sheppard like an officer under your command and started treating her like your kid sister. She punched you, not her commanding officer, you; her brother. You responded by writing her up and putting her on night details for a month. That's an abuse of power Sir and as the next highest ranking officer on base it's my job to correct the issue. I have; Major Sheppard no longer reports to you but directly to Mr. Woolsey who then reports to General O'Neil, her orders have been redefined so that her primary objective is to see to all wraith related issues and she has been given leave to do whatever is necessary to ensure that our alliance with Todd's coalition stands. Your relationship with her became a problem and I dealt with it, it's your turn to do the same."
John was completely gob smacked. He would've never, never thought that things would come to this. Unfortunately, hindsight was twenty-twenty and the colonel knew that Lorne wasn't just blowing smoke out his ass; the major was well within his rights to have acted the way he did and John was both moderately sorry and hella pissed about it.
But Lorne wasn't done. "Furthermore," he went on, his voice gaining momentum and increasing in harshness, "As commanding officer of the base, you have no jurisdiction to interfere in the personal relationships of those under your command so long as those relationships do not affect those persons' abilities to perform their duties."
The feelings of remorse that John had had when confronted with how he'd been acting lately vanished as he could think of only one reason why Lorne would bring that up. "Major," he warned, "You really don't want to go there."
"Oh I think I do," Lorne countered, coming out from behind his desk and Todd to stare Sheppard straight in the eye. "From a military standpoint, you have no say in Major Sheppard's personal affairs and that includes who she sees, who she dates and who she sleeps with."
John growled. "If I find out that he…" he pointed at Todd, "…so much as touches Kate I'll kill him."
"Then I'll see to it that you are relieved of duty for behavior unbecoming of an officer."
"Fuck that! You wouldn't -"
Lorne's voice was deadly. "Try me."
They were at an impasse, John realized, as he stood there fuming silently. Lorne was not gonna back down. "Well," the glare he shot the major could've curdled milk, "Guess we'll see how this pans out."
Lorne remained stubbornly defiant. "I guess we will," he said, his head held high as his commanding officer gave him one last glare and then turned on his heel and left.
When he was gone, Lorne let out a sigh of relief and then collapsed into the nearest chair. From across the room, he could feel Todd watching him. "You're welcome," he told the wraith listlessly, tilting his head back and rubbing his face with his hands. "God, what the hell have I gotten myself into!?"
Todd did not know what to say but settled on expressing his gratitude. He was not so certain of all that had transpired most recently but he knew that the human had stood up for him and for Katherine and for that Major Lorne had his thanks.
Evan grunted as he finally turned back to look at the alien. "So, what happens from here?"
Todd quirked a brow ridge. "I am assuming that that is a rhetorical question and that you are, at present, going to tell me."
Lorne snorted. "Yeah, something like that," he sighed. "Right, so we've already gone over what all you're going to have to do as a part of a gate team. You have to go to staff meetings, you have to turn in mission reports and you have to at least wear the patch on one of your arm's; I'll let you pick. I'm not gonna have you wear our uniform. If Teyla and Ronon don't have to I don't see why you have to no matter what Colonel Sheppard says."
"His efforts to have me clothed in such a way are most likely an attempt to maneuver me into a position in which I can be mocked," Todd voiced his opinion before letting out a low, soft hiss, "You have my thanks, Major Lorne, for your interceptions on my behalf."
"Right. Anyways," the major continued, "Other than that, Woolsey's working on a way to make sure that the colonel can't send Kate back to the SGC or station her at one of the Alpha sites somewhere. In the meantime might I suggest a certain level of discretion between the two of you at least while you're on the base? When we go off world I don't care what you do so long as you're quiet about it."
Todd grinned. "I am sure that we can handle those stipulations." His expression changed however as he thought back over what Lorne had said. "I had not considered the possibility that Sheppard might attempt to remove Katherine from her position within the city and send her back to your world. Would he truly go to such lengths just to remove her from me?"
Lorne shrugged. "At this point in time he's still hung up on the theory that he can just shoot you if you try anything but when it finally gets out – and it will, eventually, get out – that you're not only sleeping with her but you sorta married her too; then I don't think that there's anything he won't try in order to get her away from you."
The wraith bowed his head dreading the confrontation that was to take place between himself and the human sometime in, perceivably, the near future. Although he would do all within his power to delay it, Todd knew that Sheppard would eventually come to know of the status change within his sister's relationship and that when he did, he would not react favorably. If precautions could be taken now to ensure that when the truth did come to light, Katherine would not be forced from his side Todd would very much appreciate it.
"How does Mr. Woolsey plan to insure that my mate cannot be sent back to your world?"
Lorne sighed. "Woolsey's not exactly sure how yet but he's working on it. The fact that, according to your culture and your laws, the two of you are hitched is actually a point in your favor. There've been a few, not many, but a few cases of interplanetary marriages throughout the history of the Stargate program. Woolsey's focusing on those and hopefully he'll find something that'll prevent the colonel from sending Kate packing back to Earth faster than a fucking chaeta on crack when all the shit finally does hit the fan."
Not completely sure he understood the last of Major Lorne's statements given that he was still a bit unsure of many of the Earth human's colloquialisms, Todd nevertheless understood at least the base context. "I shall have to impart my gratitude for his efforts when next I see Mr. Woolsey," he paused and then added, "Although, to be honest, the labor is a moot one. It would not matter to which end of which stars Sheppard was to send Katherine. I would, with however much force necessary, get her back."
"Woolsey knows," the major lamented, frustrated by the situation as a whole. The colonel was making everything much more complicated than it really ought to be. "I don't think the thought has occurred to Sheppard yet that if he were to send Kate back to Earth you'd do everything in your power to get her back but Woolsey's actually mentioned it a few times already," he glanced at the wraith and smirked, "He's worried that you'd take your hives and invade Earth if it came down to it."
"If it came down to that then I assure you Major Lorne, Mr. Woolsey's fears are correct," the wraith replied feeling no need to placate the human with false promises of leniency. "Katherine is my chosen, my matriarch, my queen and my life. If forced, there is nothing I would not do to fetch her back to my side."
Lorne whistled. During the whole debacle with the other Attero device, he and several others had learned from the Ancients that the phrase 'so-and-so is my life' was the wraith version of 'I love you'. Hearing Todd say it – actually confirm it out loud – just made everything seem that much more real.
"Well," the major commented after a moment of silence had stretched on between the two for a while, "What say we finish up our lesson here and then go try calling your hive again? Didn't you say that there's one that's supposed to bring all your stuff over or something like that?"
"I did."
"Okay then," Lorne moved back behind Todd and leaned over the wraith's shoulder, "This button here controls the size of the letters and this one here controls the font. All mission reports submitted to Woolsey must be typed up in standard Times New Roman font usually at size twelve but every now and again if you're sneaking you can get away with it being all in size eleven."
"And the difference in sizes of your lettering is really such a victory?"
Lorne grinned. "Oh yeah. Now, after you're done with everything and all the spaces are filled in you save it to this folder here and then…"
~xXx~
John was irritated. It was an almost constant state for him lately, ever since Lorne had dropped the bomb that Kate was no longer under his chain of command. His irritation came and went in waves that ebbed and swelled depending on his proximity to one very particular wraith and at this exact moment in time that proximity was very, very acute. Todd was standing next to him on the south pier watching as a horde of drones (really there were only like five but John had already had it up to here with the wraith so far today and so was prone to exaggeration) made trips back and forth from the cruiser all carrying box after box of Todd's crap.
And he had a lot of crap.
"How much of this shit are you actually gonna need while you're living here?" John demanded snappishly, tossing a glare at the wraith who - he was furious to see - seemed to have adapted an immunity to his temperament.
Todd fought back the urge he had to simply, as Katherine or perhaps Lorne might say, deck the man standing next to him. As satisfying as the action would prove to be it would be counterproductive to his overall plan of prolonging any sort of confrontation he might have with the human for as long as possible. "As I do not know how long I will remain in exile it is beneficial to me to have as many of my belongings with me as possible," he shot a quick glance at the scowling human and went on, "It is also pertinent to have them stored in a location that is relatively safe from discovery."
Interesting. "Why?" the colonel asked, determined to annoy Todd as much as the wraith was currently annoying him simply by standing there. "Got some dirty laundry piled up that you don't want anyone going through?"
The wraith eyed him. "That idiom is nonsensical. I do not understand what you could possibly be trying to infer -"
"It means secrets," Kate's voice interrupted from behind them and both males turned just as she came to join them, her eyes focused on Todd, "Saying somebody's got dirty laundry means that they've got secrets that they want to hide."
Todd's eyes lit up at the appearance of his mate; John glared.
"What are you doing here?"
"I can just feel the love," Kate responded sarcastically, scowling at her brother who seemed bound and determined now and in the near future to be as much of an ass as was humanly possible. She sighed, "Woolsey sent me to come get you."
John frowned. "Why?"
His sister shot him a look that almost made him drop the act. "The SGC just dialed; Andromeda wants our help with something so she, Daniel and Cam are coming through in about twenty minutes," she paused and added, "Jack and Sam are coming too. Don't ask me why. I don't know. Come to the briefing room and you'll probably find out."
John nodded and uncrossed his arms, taking a step towards the city only to stop and turn back at the last second. "What about him?" he asked, gesturing at Todd.
Kate sighed. "Well that sorta depends on him," she turned towards her wraith and asked; "Do you want to stay here and supervise or come up and see what's going on?"
Todd considered his options. "Was my presence specifically requested?" he inquired and when Katherine informed him that no, he had not been asked for, he decided, "I shall remain here then and see to the continued transfer of my belongings."
John was surprised; usually Todd took every opportunity available to him to butt in on their business and now here he was passing one up? The colonel frowned, "What if whatever they're here for has something to do with you or the wraith?"
Todd glared at him before returning his gaze to his mate's. "Then I trust Katherine to act in the best interest of me and mine in my stead."
John's mouth damn near fell open. "What seriously?" he squawked, head lashing from side to side as he looked incrementally between his sister and the alien. "Really!?"
Kate resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yeah, really," she replied, grabbing a hold of her brother's arm and beginning to drag him off after her. She called to Todd over her shoulder as they went, "I'll let you know if anything interesting happens," then to John, "What is wrong with you?"
He scoffed at her and wrenched his arm free, smoothing out invisible wrinkles down the front of his black BDU's as he fell into step besides his sister. "It's nothing."
"Bull."
They entered the transporter and were immediately sent to the corridor just outside the gateroom. "Alright fine," John tried again, "I just didn't know he trusts you that much to, you know…" his fingers made quotes in the air, "…act in his stead. I mean I know you know more than I do about what goes on in Todd's alliance but surely you don't know that much!"
"You'd be surprised," Kate muttered, shooting John a look that clearly told him that that was all he was gonna get from her on the subject. Together they entered the briefing room and looked around at all the people assembled there.
"Generals," they both said, nodding at both Sam and O'Neill before offering the same obligatory greetings to the others, "Colonel Mitchell, Dr. Jackson," their combined gazes shifted lastly to the Ancient standing between Sam and Weir, "Andromeda."
The Lantean lady inclined her head in returned acknowledgment, "Colonel Sheppard," she turned to Katherine and offered up a smile, pleased to see the young woman once more, "Katherine."
Kate smiled back and then took a seat at the end of the table. Beside her, John did the same. "So," she opened, "What's going on? You said you needed our help?"
"Andromeda does, yes," Daniel explained, pushing his glasses a bit further up his nose. "She also has something to tell you."
The attention in the room shifted and the Ancient cleared her throat before speaking, her voice soft but clear. "As you are aware, my allegiance for the duration of the Great War was not to this city but to the wraith," nods of acknowledgment went around the table, some more curt then others. She continued, "As a result I worked closely with the upper command structure of wraith throughout the duration of the conflict. I acquired much insight into the wraith and how they were governed – but it was what I unknowingly stumbled upon near the end of the war that brings me here to you now."
To say nobody in the room was curious to see where this was going would've been an outright lie. "Go on," Woolsey entreated, knowing intuitively that they all were about to learn something very important.
Andromeda continued. "I discovered a message encoded and hidden in the archives of Atlantis' tactical database's. The message was of wraith origin and contained instructions that, had they been carried out, would have resulted in a breach of the treaty we arranged with the wraith at the conclusion of the Daemon Wars."
John was confused. "Hold up," he said, frowning, "I thought it was you guys that started the war and now you're telling us that it was the wraith?" He looked around the table, "That's what it sounds like right?"
The others nodded and Andromeda sighed. "I am aware of how it looks Colonel Sheppard and I assure you that the conclusion you have drawn is exactly the reason why the message was sent in the first place."
The humans looked at her. "What?" the Atlantians coursed together.
Jack smirked. "Just wait, it gets better," he told them before nodding for Andromeda to finish her explanation.
"Even as the daughter of Atlantis' High Commander I was never given any definitive reason as to why we suddenly attacked our allies. All I was ever told was that there was evidence as to suggest that they were planning to betray us. For the majority of the war I thought this a lie but, when I discovered the message I began to think otherwise. My investigations uncovered an elaborate plot that, had I been able to present my evidence, might have greatly altered not only the outcome but the duration of the war."
Kate suddenly had a very bad feeling about this. "What kind of plot?" she asked, eyed boring into the Ancient.
Andromeda held her gaze and did not look away. "The message was sent with the sole purpose of being intercepted. The one that sent it wanted Atlantis to receive it and, upon doing so, reach the same conclusion you yourselves have reached. There was no planned attack by the wraith; it was an illusion intended to spark conflict."
"Obviously it succeeded," Woolsey remarked solemnly, straightening in his chair. "Who sent the message?"
The room waited on baited breath for the answer. Andromeda gave it. "Nuaura."
John made a face. "New – who?"
"Nuaura," Andromeda repeated, "She was a queen who saw a war with Atlantis as a way to unite the wraith under one banner in order to fight a common enemy. She manipulated and played both the wraith and Atlantis in order to accomplish her own desires. She started the war so that she could get what she wanted."
Elizabeth was the first to understand. "She wanted to be queen of the wraith, all the wraith."
Andromeda nodded. "Yes."
Lorne let out a long, low whistle, "Fuck."
While the major's sentiments just about summed up what they'd all just been told John still felt the need to add his own synopsis. "So this Queen, Nuaura – Is that her real name? Really? Huh. She starts a war so that the wraith'll band together and make her the number one queen," he frowned and looked up at Andromeda, "Normally people don't start wars unless they're sure of the outcome. Just out of curiosity, how'd she know that the wraith were even gonna win?"
"She was never certain but the possibility of defeat was never more than a margin," Andromeda explained, " Not considering what the wraith believed they were fighting for and the perceived duplicity of Atlantis. In starting the war the way she did, Nuaura ensured that the wraith had every cause to fight and also that any remaining Lanteans such as myself who retained loyalty to our former allies had equal reasons to see to Atlantis' demise."
Richard Woolsey, long a veteran of political intrigue, knew that the story didn't end there. "But…" he prompted.
Andromeda let out a weary sigh. "But the power she gained throughout the duration of the war was not enough. When it became clear that the wraith would prove victorious, talks began amongst the other queens, the Matriarchs and the Commanders of how life would return to the way it had been when finally the fighting was over. Nuaura did not want this. She would return to being the queen of only one city and she would lose all powers gained from her tenure as High Queen. She sought to prevent this and so she developed a plan that would ensure that her power never could be taken from her. It was Nuaura's plan to establish the wraith as a space dwelling race and evolved the ships into the hives that you know now. It was Nuaura's plan and Nuaura's manipulations that destroyed the wraith and made them into the broken culture that they are today. She damned them, damned them all with her quest for more and more power. If not for her then the people of this galaxy would not know the wraith as they do; the monsters Nuaura made them to be."
The briefing room was silent as Andromeda breathed, heavily moved by the hatred in her own words. The only one that dared to speak was Kate.
"So, what has to do with why you're here?"
Andromeda took a calming breath and continued to explain. "The one you call Todd seeks to return his race to what they once were, before the Great War. All that Nuaura corrupted can be undone if his alliance proves victorious"
John frowned. "Yeah, we know this," he squinted at her, "How does this little history lesson help us?"
Before the Ancient could answer Kate stopped her. "You said that if you'd been able to present your evidence then the war might've ended early," she paused and looked up, understanding in her eyes. "That's why you were captured isn't it? This queen found out what you knew and tried to get rid of you, tried to have you killed but Seven saved you."
Andromeda frowned, confused. She wasn't the only one. "Seven?" Cam asked.
John elaborated. "The wraith that stayed with Kate when she was sick; Todd's best friend. He's got a tattoo over his left eye that looks kind of like the number seven if you squint."
"So you named him Seven?" SG-1's leader was still incredulous.
John shrugged. "Well, Seven of Nine technically but just Seven for short."
That made Cameron grin. "Star Trek reference, nice."
His counterpart grinned. "Thanks, I try."
"Moving on," Lorne called out turning to look for confirmation in the ancient. "So you found out about this plot and tried to take the evidence to the wraith only to have the bad queen find out and then try and kill you. So both sides continued fighting thinking that they were in the right until eventually, Todd won and you guys submerged the city and left. Then, after someone ordered the – what did TJ's mom call that virus? The ster…ster something, I can't remember what she called it – "
"Sterilian" Andromeda supplied, surprised that the new Atlantians seemed to know as much as they did. "How – "
"Todd and Kate got high jacked by a group of queens called the triad and dumped on the wraith's homeworld about a week ago," Lorne explained, "While we were looking for them we had a whole slew of wraith in the city – Todd's alliance's entire inner circle as it turned out – and we sort of got a crash course in what happened directly after the war. A group of queens defected and released that virus; the whatever you called it, into the population killing everyone who wasn't on a hive somewhere. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that the group of queens, the bad ones that Todd's been trying to take out for a while now, whatever orders they were following probably came from New-new…how do you say her name again?"
"Nuaura."
"Right," Lorne said, "Nuaura. So anyway, the bad queens are following her orders and Todd's trying to take them out but he's not having much luck. I'm going to assume that the reason you've told us all of this is that it'll somehow help tip the odds in Todd's favor. Am I right?"
Andromeda nodded. "You are correct." Her explanation continued. "The wraith who fight against Todd on the side of the queens do so because they have been told he is a renegade that seeks to destroy their way of life. The truth of his plans has been kept from the majority and should they come to realize that then, I believe, the tide of war will change."
Woolsey studied her. "Can we assume that you have some way of doing this?"
Once again, the Ancient nodded. "When I learned of what Nuaura planned to do I tried to alert the Council of Matrons but was captured and imprisoned before I could do so. It took nearly fifteen years for me to escape but once I did and I was able to return to Atlantis I immediately copied all of the histories, the literature, the culture of the wraith that Atlantis had stored within her memory banks and stored it within the memory banks of one of our ships along with the evidence I had incriminating Nuaura. I then hid the ship on a planet nearly on the other side of the galaxy in what was, at the time, neutral territory."
"And so you're here because you want us to help you go and get it," Atlantis' director surmised. At Andromeda's nod, Woolsey folded his hands on top of the table in front of him and took a deep breath. "Well then, I suppose we could help with that."
Andromeda smiled and inclined her head gratefully.
John looked around the table. "So, who's going ship hunting?" his eyes landed on his sister, "I suppose you'll probably want to go, Todd too once he hears – "
"Todd's not going anywhere, Colonel," Woolsey interrupted him. "The whole reason he's here is to keep him away from the queens. Going to a wraith controlled planet to search for this ship will only increase his odds of being captured again and I already promised the other wraith that I'd go out of my way to ensure that that doesn't happen."
John deflated. Sam and Jack eyed him. "You made a deal with the wraith?"
Woolsey nodded. "With Seven who seems to be, by all indications, Todd's second in command."
"Okay then," Jack turned back to Sheppard, "We actually need to talk to you so you're staying here; got some housekeeping things we've gotta go over. Oh and I wanna meet Todd, since he's here. Mitchell and Daniel can go with Kate and Andromeda," he looked at Woolsey and Weir, "Are there any of your people you feel ought to go along?"
They both shook their heads.
"Okeydokey then," the General continued, "It's all settled."
Cameron raised his hand. "Question," everyone looked at him, "How're we getting there?"
"Kate can contact one of Todd's hives," Woolsey supplied, "There should be one nearby as per our agreement. I'm sure, once you explain things to them, whoever is in command won't have a problem giving you a ride."
Kate stood up. "I'll go make the call."
"I will come with you," Andromeda said and followed her from the room. Behind them the meeting broke up and everyone went their separate ways. Lorne headed towards the pier to go check on Todd, John, Daniel and Cam headed towards the equipment room and Woolsey, Weir and the two generals retired to Woolsey's office. There was a conversation that the four of them needed to have and the sooner they had it the better off everyone involved would be.
~xXx~
Cameron Mitchell still wasn't very sure about using a hive like a taxi but after several reassurances from Kate that they all weren't going to end up eaten, the colonel had no choice but to go along with it. Still the shuttle ride up to the hive was silent and when they arrived they were greeted by a wraith Kate had told them they could call Varkan (apparently this wraith had decided that letting Colonel Sheppard come up with a name for him was less preferable then them knowing his real one) and not a single drone for which the two members of SG-1 were thankful. Andromeda thought it strange that the commander of a hive would be willing to greet them alone but she quickly understood why when the commander in question bowed reverently towards Kate and extended her a greeting.
"Lady Katherine," his voice betrayed his age, "Welcome to my ship."
Kate smiled at him and gave a small incline of her head. "Commander Varkan."
The alien's answering smile as he straightened freaked Cameron out. "That's creepy," he said, pointing at the wraith while turning towards Daniel. "Is it just me or are they spookier when they're happy then when they're trying to kill us?"
Daniel gave an answering nod while the wraith scowled and looked questioningly at Kate. Andromeda, meanwhile, glanced towards Colonel Mitchel. It was obvious that the humans of Stargate Command were uncomfortable with their travelling arrangements and that Cameron's comment was a veiled effort to break the tension that at settled over them upon their arrival. She could not fault them their apprehension given the nature of the wraith but it struck her then just how different the humans of earth were to the humans who inhabited Atlantis despite the singularity of their origins.
Varkan, meanwhile, frowned at the humans who had come with Katherine to his hive. "Forgive me," he said, his multi-toned voice resonating within the confines of the dart bay, "But I do not believe we are of acquaintance."
Cameron swallowed nervously at the address and stumbled to reply. "C-Colonel Cameron Mitchell," he pointed at Daniel, "Doctor Daniel Jackson," then at Andromeda, "And Andromeda. Just Andromeda; she's an ancient."
The wraith raised one elegant eye ridge in silent inquiry.
"I am of the race you and yours refer to as Lantean," Andromeda provided. The wraith's eye ridge rose incrementally.
"Indeed," Varkan eyed the woman before returning his attention to the female whom he had been told he was not yet allowed to address as queen, "My Lady, if you would allow – "
"Katherine!"
The interrupted yell cause everybody but Kate and the commander to jump in either fright or surprise as the figure of another wraith advanced on them through the gloom of the dart bay. Kate recognized his voice immediately and smiled at the oncoming wraith calling to him with her mind as he neared.
"Romulus," she said with her mental voice before switching to the oldest version of wraith that both Todd and Romulus himself had been teaching her, "I did not expect to see you here but am happy nonetheless."
The elder wraith grinned and stopped in front of her raising his feeding hand, elbow bent and palm flat as if pressing against an invisible wall, out towards her. Kate responded in kind and pressed her right hand flat against his. It was a greeting, she had learned, practiced amongst family and the very best of friends. Romulus had asked her if he could have the honor of greeting her like this on their next meeting as they'd been returning from the wraith homeworld and, as soon as Todd had explained to her its significance and meaning, she'd readily agreed.
Behind her Cameron, Daniel and Andromeda all blinked in surprise. Varkan, meanwhile, grinned.
Romulus ignored their reactions and begin speaking; this time in standard. "As the Lord Commander's second I am in as much danger as is he. For my safety and the continued integrity of the command structure I will have no permanent residence until this conflict is over."
Kate caught on quick. "So you're playing musical hives?"
Romulus smirked. "That is an apt description, yes."
"Then in the interest of the command structure is it really a good idea to have both of us in the same place?" Kate asked with a frown.
The wraith sighed. "Admittedly no but I know the Lord Commander. He would wish me here because you are here. He trusts so very few with your safety."
"That and you wanted to see your bondmate," Kate smirked, switching back to ancient wraith. A language, she was told, that not even Andromeda knew.
Romulus chuckled at the female's easy understanding of his desires. "Yes," he admitted in the same tongue, "There is also that."
Kate smiled at him knowingly. "You guys aren't all that hard to read you know."
"Only to those who know us well Kaara Sura."
Kate raised an eyebrow. "Kaara Sura?"
The wraith nodded. "You will not allow me to honor you with the title that you deserve. I have thus been forced to improvise."
"Sura is sister what does 'kaara' mean?" Kate asked.
"An approximate meaning is one who is treasured and beloved," he studied her. "It is an applicable description of your importance to me."
The sentiment made Kate smile while the others, Varkan included this time, stood by in unabashed shock. The moment was interrupted by the hive's second who entered the dart bay and informed his commander that a course had been plotted and that his motem wished to speak to him. Having delivered his message the hive's second left while Varkan turned towards the humans, the Lantean and the Lady Katherine and bid them all follow. They did and together the group quitted the dart bay Varkan in the lead followed by Katherine, then the two humans and finally the Lantean and Romulus.
As she fell easily into step with the elder wraith, Andromeda deliberately slowed her steps so that the distance between they and the others lengthened. "I have missed you," she spoke softly. "It has been too long."
"Indeed it has," Romulus replied, sweeping his eyes over his chosen hungrily. He folded his hands behind his back as they turned a corner. "When I learnt that you would be a participant in this endeavor I will admit that I was beyond reason in insisting upon my presence here. Katherine is correct in stating that it is not truly wise to have both she and I in one location."
Andromeda frowned. "And why is that? I know that she is important to Valloran but surely she is in no more danger from the queens then the rest of Atlantis? What possible threat is she to them?"
"A great one," Romulus answered her. "Valloran has not yet been able to persuade her to accept the title but, whether we name her as such or not, it is known throughout the alliance that Katherine is Queen."
Andromeda felt her eyebrows rise. "Queen!?" she exclaimed, shocked. "But she is human!"
"That does not matter."
"It should!" the ancient argued. "Does he bow to her?"
Romulus stopped walking and turned to face her. "If Katherine would allow it he would do so without hesitation."
Andromeda's eyes bored into his. "Would you?"
The wraith nodded. "Yes."
Scoffing loudly in indignation Andromeda sifted her eyes away and continued walking. After a moment Romulus followed. "I do not think it wise," she told him. "I understand that Valloran wishes to validate his choice by elevating her position but to make her his Queen? Katherine cannot understand what that means."
"It is true that she is having some…difficulties with the concept," Romulus agreed, "But she is learning. She allowed both Caavin and Vasseera to make vows to her as matriarch and, in turn, traded vows of a similar nature back to them. She responded as would a queen of old proving that she understands at least partially the gravity of what it means to be a true matriarch. I agree that she is not yet ready to accept the mantle of the full title but she will be and on that day, the day she allows Valloran to bow to her, that day will be a magnificent one indeed."
Such was the passion of his avowal that Andromeda could not find the strength to argue with him. Instead she turned her gaze away as Romulus came to a stop outside of the receiving room that Varkan had persuadably lead the humans too. For a moment neither of them spoke but then Romulus made his excuses and took his leave. Andromeda stood there contemplating what she had been told, trying to understand how Valloran, Romulus and all the others could have such faith in Katherine; in a human woman. She did not understand it, could not comprehend Valloran's choice to make her his Queen despite how capable she knew the woman in question to be. Disappointment, in Andromeda's opinion, would be the only outcome of such a foolhardy endeavor.
With a sigh she pushed her musings to the side and entered the receiving room only to find it empty save for the two members of SG-1. Neither Katherine nor Commander Varkan where anywhere to be seen.
"Where are the others?"
Cameron looked up. "Oh Kate and the commander left to go talk to his mother, or something, about her staying in Atlantis while we go running about. I think they're on the bridge."
Nodding in acknowledgment, Andromeda joined the two humans at the table at which they sat and contented herself to wait. It was clear, at least to her, that she and the two human males were considered outsiders in this endeavor while Kate maintained and almost equal footing with all wraith involved. Again, she could not see the situation ending well but, as such, there was nothing she could do about it. Only time would tell whether Katherine's current elevation in status would be a calamity or a success. Thus, Andromeda reluctantly removed her tablet from the satchel she wore and joined both Dr. Jackson and the colonel in wiling away the time until it was seen fit by those in charge to include them again. She hoped it would not be too long. There were still more truths to impart concerning the integrity of this mission and Andromeda was most eager to have them told.
There were certain secrets, she felt, that had been kept for long enough.
~xXx~
"You wished to see me?"
At the sound of his voice, Maliaka turned from one of the throne room's only two communication terminals, towards her son. "Sit"
Varkan complied, draping himself casually across his motem's throne. Leaning back, his eyes tracked the queen as she began to pace.
"I trust our visitors arrived well?" her eyes darted to his in time to see him nod, "Where did you put them?"
"The two males and the one female are in the council room. Katherine is on the bridge with the Elder; Commander Valloran's Second," the young wraith frowned. "There is something about the female."
Maliaka looked to him. "Oh?"
Her son nodded. "Yes. When the humans, one of the males, were introducing us he claimed that the female, Andromeda, is Lantean. Neither Katherine nor the Elder corrected him on this statement so I assume that it is true."
"It may very well be," the queen replied. "If this is the case then I trust you shall keep an eye on her for the duration of her stay."
Varkan raised his head. "Will you not also keep an eye?"
Maliaka shook her head. "That is I summoned you. Commander…the Commander…"
"Valloran," her son supplied.
Maliaka glared at him. "Does it not bother you to say it?" she asked. "Have you really reconciled the Eldest to that name?"
The younger wraith gave a flippant shrug of his shoulders. "It is his name Motem," he explained, not so certain why the concept was so difficult for her to grasp, "As mine is Varkan."
"Yes but -"
"He has given us leave to use it."
Maliaka let out a low hiss. "Then you are far braver then I, my son for I can still not make myself say it."
Varkan sighed. "Very well. Now, what about the Commander?"
The queen drew a deep breath. "He has requested that I remain behind. It is his desire to try and repair Atlantis' medical database and discover the exact nature of my…Lantean association."
"He has been apprised then?"
His motem nodded. "He has. The news caught him unawares but, from what I can gather, it has done nothing to shift his perceptions of me."
"That is…" the commander searched for the right expression, "…good."
Maliaka agreed. Personally, given what she now knew of his identity, she was surprised the Eldest had taken it so well. In fact, it had barely bothered him. "It is more than I expected," she said, before returning to bid her goodbye. "I must depart. Do try not to let those accursed humans destroy the hive whilst I am away. The Eldes -, the Commander has told me tales of the dangers of working with his human allies and I am quite fond of this ship."
Varkan smirked and stood, offering his motem a bow as she swept past. "I will endeavor to prevail," he informed her, waiting until she cleared the room before taking his own leave of it. Turning left, he headed towards the bridge. When he arrived it was to find the Elder apparently giving Katherine instructions of the flight maneuvers of a hive. For a moment he hesitated upon the threshold, watching. It was clear that Katherine was concentrating, trying to absorb as much information as she could quickly. He smiled; he had been so eager and it was a marvel to behold that same eagerness on the face of another.
"Commander."
The spell was broken; the Elder paused in his intrusions as he, Katherine and all Varkan's officers turned their attentions towards the Hive Commander. "As you were," he instructed, coming fully onto the bridge his eyes still trained on the female standing before the flight controls. "Are you to be our pilot, Katherine?" his eyes danced, a smirk forming on his mouth, "I was not aware your skills, although numerous, included hive flight."
If Kate didn't know any better she'd have thought that Varkan was flirting with her and, to an extent, she knew he was. But she also knew that he didn't mean anything by it just like John didn't mean anything by it more than half the time either. "I can fly a dart," she replied, just as flippant, "How much more difficult can it be?"
The young wraith grinned and took two steps, mounting the platform upon which the flight controls and Katherine stood. Coming before her, he looked down on her, a teasing expression playing across his features. "Very."
Kate raised an eyebrow at him while, beside her, Romulus openly frowned. The other wraith, Varkan's officers, snickered over their commander's behavior. It was always a treat, at least to them, to watch him interact with females. His behaviors never ceased to amuse them and the females; they never seemed to mind.
Romulus growled. "Watch your place, youngling," he reprimanded.
Both Varkan and Katherine turned to look at him. "Forgive me," the former began, "I assure you that I mean no disrespect."
The Elder eyed him. "See that you remember your place. Katherine now sits above you -"
"What?" the voice of one of the officers rang out. All eyes turned towards him. The short haired wraith sneered. "No human stands above the wraith! I will not bow -"
"If you wish to keep your life I suggest you hold your tongue!" Varkan hissed sharply, rounding on his lead weapons specialist.
The wraith, older than his hive's commander by but a handful of years, was not cowed. "She is human, commander," he hissed imploringly, "I know that the Eldest would keep her as a pet but that does not entitle her -"
"I said hold your tongue!" Varkan lashed out and in one long stride he moved off the flight control platform and caught the offending officer by the throat. "Or would you like me to remove it?"
Caught in his commander's vice like grip, the wraith's eyes widened in fear; his breathing became labored. Varkan did not let go. Instead he turned, his feeding hand still wrapped around the other's throat, and met the eyes of each one of his officers in turn.
"Know this," he began, the silence only punctuated by the gentle hum of the hive, "Katherine is no mere human. Her presence here is an honor; whatever notions of dominance you clam over her I suggest you relinquish. She is the Eldest's chosen and therefore of more import than any other female in all the stars," he released the officer's throat and pushed him away from him, listening both with his ears and his mind as those around him adjusted to this news. Their shock and awe was paramount. His eyes continued to track theirs. "She will be treated with all due respect."
In the wake of such an announcement, none dared speak. Instead, all present simply bowed low in reverence, as they would for a queen, before returning to their duties.
Varkan returned his attentions to Katherine and saw, from the corner of his eye, the Elder nod approvingly. "Do you know our course, my Lady?"
Kate nodded, still a bit stunned over whatever the hell had just happened. "Y- I do."
"Then by your leave," Varkan said with a bow of his own, "Take us to hyperspace."
Nodding, Kate turned back to the flight controls and called on the instructions Romulus had given her. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and willed the ship to do what she wanted it to do. The hive responded, sending vibrations up her arms that echoed in her mind almost like the purr of a very large, very content cat. Seconds later Kate felt the ship leap forwards as it entered hyperspace. She opened her eyes.
"I did it."
Romulus smiled at the young female's clear excitement. "Very good Kaara Sura," he praised her, gracing her with his approval, "You did well."
Kate beamed.
"Yes," Varkan added his own appraisal, "It was very well done."
She favored him with a smile. "Now -"
The hesitant voice of Daniel interrupted her. "H-hey Kate?"
Kate, Varkan and Romulus all turned. The other wraith stubbornly kept their eyes on their terminals, no doubt fearful of another reprimand should they utter a sound. Kate stepped down off the flight control platform and turned to face her friend. "Yeah?"
The archeologist looked around fearfully wondering as he did how the hell Kate was so comfortable surrounded by so many wraith.
"Daniel?"
His eyes snapped to hers and he took a deep breath. "Ah…Andromeda says she's got more to tell us," he explained quickly wanting nothing more than to scurry back to the room he'd left Mitchell and the Ancient in. "S-she says that the – um…that the wraith, are gonna want to hear this too."
Both Varkan and Romulus lifted a brow ridge at the human's nervousness. Kate nodded. "Okay," she started forwards, "Lead the way."
Daniel all but flew out the door while Kate and the two wraith followed at a more sedate pace; Varkan after leaving mental instruction with his second to alert him when they reached the coordinates. Once they arrived back in the council room, Romulus pulled back the chair at the table's head and held out a hand to help Katherine sit down before taking the seat to her immediate left while Varkan took the one on her right. Once settled, the three of them turned towards the males and Andromeda who Romulus noted, was eyeing him with a peculiar glint of dissatisfaction in her eyes.
He frowned. Andromeda shifted her eyes away.
Kate took a breath. "Before we get to whatever it is you need to tell us," she looked first at the wraith on her left then to the one on her right, "How much do you guys know about what's going on?"
"We are going to recover a lost Lantean ship," he looked down the length of the table towards the Lantean. "You claim there to be information aboard that would be of use to us."
Andromeda bristled. "I do not claim, wraith," she bit out, "It is fact."
"Is it?" Varkan frowned. "Forgive me if I put no stock in your words."
The Ancient scoffed. "And the reason for your mistrust?"
Varkan leveled her with a glance. "I do not know you and I make it a habit to trust no one I do not know."
"A sound practice," Romulus meted, intervening before his beloved could react. Andromeda was not used to being met with such distrust from a wraith and, most likely, thought Varkan's caution unfair. He did not. Ten thousand years had passed since last his mate has sought council with the wraith and Romulus was beginning to think that his Andromeda did not understand how much had changed.
"But-"
"Moving on," Kate plowed forwards, ignoring the dark look the Ancient in question shot her way, "So, to make a long story very short: A long time ago on a planet far, far away a really nasty wraith queen came up with an idea to gain a whole lot of power by tricking the wraith into going to war by making it look like the Ancients betrayed them."
Romulus let out a snort of derision. "The Lanteans did betray us, that was no trick –"
"No, they didn't," Kate informed him, jumping forwards before the wraith could interrupt her,"…well they did, but they thought you all had betrayed them first."
"We did nothing of the so -"
"I said they thought you'd betrayed them," Kate explained, putting extra emphasis on the word 'thought'. "That really nasty queen I told you about? She sent a message with a whole bunch of garbage in it about how the wraith were gonna attack some Ancient outposts to steal their ZPMs or something like that to a wraith outpost but not before bouncing the message off a Lantean communication satellite. She wanted that message read because she wanted Atlantis to think that you all were about to turn non them. She needed them to retaliate and they did; Tanis tried to kill Todd and, exactly like she planned it, poof: the wraith were at war."
Mind working furiously to try and comprehend what Katherine was telling them, Romulus turned to his mate. "And this message, you recovered it?"
She nodded. "Whilst I was searching Atlantis' redundant archives for information to give the Council of Queens, I found and uncovered the original transmission as it was first relayed to Atlantis. I was...it was not what I had expected to find. Nonetheless, I meant to impart it to the council upon my next visit but was intercepted before I could reach the cities."
Cameron frowned. "I don't get it," he said, confused, "If you were supposedly on the wraith's side during the whole thing; why'd they capture you?"
"Because evidence was fabricated so as to suggest that Andromeda had defected back to the Lantean Council," Romulus explained. "The order for her capture and execution was issued as soon as she entered wraith occupied space."
"Execution…"Varkan trailed off, his eyes searching out the female Lantean. "And yet, here you sit."
"I was saved," Andromeda informed the young wraith who, in her opinion, was not one with whom this level of intelligence should be shared. She did not have a say in the matter however as Romulus seemed to trust him and, as he was the ranking officer, it was his decision.
"How?"
"The correct question is by whom," the senior wraith interjected causing Varkan's head to turn in his direction. "And the answer is I."
Varkan appraised his elder. "You stayed the order of execution?"
Romulus shook his head. "I did not stay it so much as suggest an alternative that appealed to the Hive Matriarch's sense of superiority over her new Lantean prisoner. "
"And this alternative was?" Varkan asked, curious. "I admit I can think of few things comparable to an order of execution but that are yet preferable to death."
The elder wraith was hesitant to answer, unwilling to cause his mate any undue stress. Katherine however, did not seem to see a problem and answered readily.
"Companion."
Varkan's brow ridges lifted upwards in unmistakable surprise as he looked first at the elder wraith and then sidelong to the Lantean female. At the other end of the table, both human males looked rather perplexed.
"What's a -"
"Think Princess Leia in 'Return of the Jedi'," Kate interrupted Cam before he could even finish asking the question.
The color drained out of Mitchell's face as he turned his green eyes towards his former teammate. "Weren't you one of those things?" he asked, a slight tremor in his voice, "Twice?"
Kate opened her mouth only to have Varkan round on her.
"Twice?" he asked, his multi-toned voice coming out at a much higher pitch then it normally did. In his concern, Varkan didn't seem to care.
"Yes, twice," Kate informed him hastening to elaborate. "The first time to Todd's eldest son for two days; nothing happened. The second time to Todd for over two months while we were stuck on Seven's - that's you," she told Romulus, "Prison planet."
Varkan quirked a brow ridge noting that Katherine did not say that nothing transpired during her second tenure. "And did anything…occur whist the commander had you -"
Romulus made a face. "I fail to see what relevance that line of inquiry has to this conversa-"
"Almost," Kate answered over Romulus' attempts to change the subject. She thought she had a pretty good idea why Varkan was asking and it had to do with what she'd told him not too long ago. "We got interrupted, didn't even make it past second base."
Romulus' eyes narrowed to slits; Varkan looked appeased. "You were not lying then," he queried, "when you said that I was…you did not bed the Eldest first?"
Kate shook her head.
Cameron's face lost nearly all its color. "Y-you mean you a-and him…" he pointed wildly between the two of them, "…I think I'm gonna be sick."
Varkan ignored the human and looked directly at Katherine. "Is it wrong of me that I find comfort in this?"
Romulus leapt to answer before anyone else could respond. "Yes."
Kate shot him a glare. "I have no idea why you're so upset; you're the one that told him to sleep with me in the first place."
"I was only trying to help…alleviate some of your distress."
"Doesn't matter why you did it you still sent him to me while I was in an emotionally vulnerable state knowing that we'd most likely end up in bed together. We did, it helped, can we move on please?"
Romulus glared.
"Yes," Daniel begged, "Can we move on please?"
The older wraith let out a huff while the younger suddenly began to study the table. Andromeda, whose shrewd eyes had studied the three of them intently whilst the conversation had played out, turned those same eyes onto the human woman who she had first thought was a kindred spirit. Now, however, she was beginning to doubt the faith she had invested in the girl. She clearly had no concept of the position she was now in; no understanding of what had happened to her. The wraith loved with a ferocity that was all encompassing and Kate, Andromeda could see, was unprepared for it. Petty games of jealousy played amongst the wraith never did well. If Valloran ever found out she had bedded another after he had made clear his intentions to her the young commander would forfeit his life for the girl's silly mistake.
"Let us hope your Todd does not learn of your indiscretion."
Kate rounded on her. The Ancient had been acting increasingly antagonistic towards her since they'd left the city and Kate was damned if she could figure out why. "What's your problem?" she demanded, glaring down the table at the one Ancient she could actually stand. That stance, though, was rapidly changing.
Andromeda looked back at her. "I have no problem with you."
Kate rolled her eyes and looked at Romulus. "Your girlfriend's a terrible liar."
Romulus let out a low, harsh hiss and replied in the same forgotten tongue that none but he and Katherine could speak. "So it would seem."
Varkan raised a brow ridge; the human called Mitchell made a face. "You know it's rude to talk in languages nobody else understands."
"My bad," Kate switched back to English. "Anyway, if we're done talking about my sex life and who at this table I have or haven't slept with, I would very much like to know, now that we're all caught up, what else Andromeda here has to tell us."
"As would I," Varkan agreed.
As one, the three individuals had the head of the table turned to eye those down at the foot. The Lantean Lady began to speak.
"Within Leviathan's archival storage lies not only the evidence of the queen's guilt which I believe will be useful in turning the tide of war but also the combined history and anthropological culture of the wraith," she paused and looked directly at her mate, locking eyes with him for the first time since he had left her to take Katherine to the bridge. "All of your histories, cultures, arts, music and literature is retained inside her data banks and I should think you and the High Commander might wish to save it."
"Indeed we would," Romulus inclined his head. All was not well with his mate but now, as he could feel Katherine mentally reminding him, was not the time. "I thank you for your efforts on our behalf. They are well met."
Glowing under the praise, Andromeda bowed her head and smiled. Before she could verbally accept the adulation, however; their group was interrupted by the arrival of the young commander's second in command.
"Commander," the wraith said entering the room and bowing first to Kate (which confused everybody accept the woman in question and the three wraith) and then to his superior. "We have reached the coordinates."
Something in his tone made Varkan frown. "And?" he prompted.
His Second hesitated but then replied, "There is nothing here."
Sounds of incredulous shock radiated throughout the room as Andromeda rose to her feet."What do you mean there is nothing here?"
The wraith eyed the Lantean woman. "Exactly what I said; there is no Lantean vessel located at these coordinates."
"That is impossible! It must be here."
The hive's second hissed. "You Lanteans are forever misplacing things, are you quite certain you gave us the correct location?"
Andromeda glared at him. "How dare you! I -"
"Andromeda sit down," Kate admonished, twisting in her seat so that she could look up at Varkan's miffed first officer. "Now, you said there's not a Lantean ship at this location. Is there something else?"
Golden eyes appraised the human that, according to his commander, the Eldest had chosen for his mate. Katherine of Atlantis was not stupid, not like this Lantean that his hive was unfortunately playing host to. He answered her. "There is…I do not know what it is but I believe that it was meant to be a hive."
"Meant to be?" Kate questioned. "Can you elaborate?"
"It has the bio-technic signature of a hive but it does not…resemble a hive," he explained to her. "It is grotesquely misshapen and has proportions that would render flight and maneuverability nearly impossible. I cannot fathom what function such a ship was meant to have."
Kate smirked. "I can."
The wraith felt his eyes widen. "Can you?"
Nodding, she turned back to Romulus. "You and Andromeda had an ally on your hive right; one of the Hive Matriarch's daughters or something?"
He inclined his head. "A sister not a daughter but yes, she was our ally. Why do you ask?"
Kate grinned. "I think I know where the ship is."
Three wraith, one Ancient, Daniel and Cam all asked her the same question. "Where?"
She looked around the room. "It's inside the hive."
Andromeda frowned. "That is both improbable and unlikely. Where you not listening when this Hive's Second was describing the anomaly to you? No, it is far more likely that Leviathan was discovered and has subsequently been destroy -"
"Before we throw in the towel, let's just find out shall we," Kate countered, glaring hotly at Romulus' wife who was really starting to get on her nerves. She turned to Varkan. "Got anything bigger then a dart we can use to go…" she made a walking motion with two of her fingers, "…check out this not quite a hive?"
The wraith nodded. "I do. In the aft most dart bay, there is a transport. It has an interior spacious enough to curry the six of us to the other…" given the description, Varkan could not make himself call it a hive, "…object."
"Great!" Kate exclaimed, standing. "Let's go."
With single-minded determination, Kate marched out of the room and headed towards the transport leaving the others to follow. They did; all of them. Varkan's second however broke off as they passed by the bridge and Kate figured that it was probably a good idea that somebody who knew what was going on was staying here. When she reached the dart bay she stopped and waited for the others to catch up; tapping her foot impatiently to hurry them all long. Ten minutes later they were flying into what was immediately recognizable as a dart bay (at least from the inside) but was conspicuously void of darts.
"We're here!" Kate sing-songed as they landed and carefully ventured outwards into the cavernous room that yawed eerily empty. "Now, let's see if I'm right."
Taking that as his cue, and because he wanted to put as much distance between he and the wraith as possible, Mitchell started walking. The life-signs detector that Kate handed off to him clearly showed that they were alone on whatever this thing they were walking through was and it took a good fifteen minutes of navigating corridors before they literally ran into a wall.
"Now what?" Cameron asked.
Romulus stepped forwards and peered over the human's shoulder, eyeing the device curiously. He reached out to take it. The human jumped nervously and spun away from him, projectile weapon pointed directly at him in a matter of seconds. "I do not mean you harm," he attempted to placate the startled male.
Mitchell lowered his P-90 but kept his finger on the trigger. "Pardon me if I don't believe you."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Cam, if he wanted you dead you'd be dead. Calm down."
Where the wraith's assurances had fallen flat, Kate's seemed to do some good and the leader of SG-1 visibly relaxed. "So…now what?" he repeated his question.
Kate sighed. "Now we go keep going," she turned and pointed down a hallway that veered off to the left. "That way."
Daniel, who had been quieter than normal ever since they'd left Atlantis, was the first to head off in the new direction. Cam followed, then Andromeda and then Kate and the two wraith. Five minutes later they came to a corner, turned hard right and then promptly found themselves faced with a double set of doors. Advancing from the rear, Kate waved her hand over the door controls and pushed her mind forwards like Romulus had told her and willed the doors opened. With a hiss they slid apart and the six of them stepped onto a ledge that overlooked a room about the size of Madison Square Garden. A room that, at its center, was perched a Lantean warship.
The Leviathan.
Cam let out a low, long whistle. "Now there's something you don't see every day."
Around him, his companions could only nod taking a moment to appreciate the ingenuity of what they were seeing before they started the trek downwards.
~xXx~
"So let me get this straight…" Jack's eyes flickered rapidly from Woolsey to Weir as he tried to grasp the gist of what Atlantis' two directors had just told him, "…the reason Kate's no longer under Sheppard's chain of command really has absolutely nothing to do with her being out of compliance with her orders but has something to do with Todd the wraith and the two of you are going to explain it to us right now."
They nodded.
Jack threw a sideways glance at Carter before fixing the two of them with a look. "I'm all ears."
Woolsey took a deep breath and prepared himself to explain what was still a little hard to understand himself to both Generals Carter and O'Neil. "How much do you know about Todd and Kate's relationship?"
Jack frowned. "Only that they have one, you guys aren't really all that forth coming when it comes to Todd. Weird, by the way. Is he really living here?"
Elizabeth nodded. "He is."
"Remind me why," Jack instructed the pair, eyes still tracing back and forth between them. "What possessed you two to just let him…move in?"
Richard Woolsey dared to look the General in charge of Homeworld Security dead in the eye. "It's complicated."
Jack was not moved. "Un-complicate it."
Woolsey sighed. "As you have undoubtedly been made aware, there are far fewer differences between us and the wraith then we originally thought."
"Yes," Jack said, sarcasm dripping from his every word; beside him, Carter snickered. "We are aware. I'm assuming you have a point in here somewhere? A relative point."
It was Elizabeth that decided to take the leapt instead of Woolsey. "Todd and Kate are in a relationship."
Jack found himself nodding. "Yes…"he said slowly, "We know this. They're friends; it's still weird."
"They're more then friends," Woolsey said, taking the reins back from his counterpart as he folded his hands on his desk and leaned forwards. "And their relationship is no longer platonic."
Sam, having talked to John somewhat recently about what he called Todd's "unhealthy infatuation with Kate", had a good idea as to where this was going. "You mean they've…" even thought she'd half expected it, Sam still couldn't make herself finish the thought.
Her husband frowned. "They've…what?" he asked, confused. Why was he always the last one to know everything? "What's going on?"
Upon receiving a nod of confirmation that she was correct from both Mr. Woolsey and Elizabeth, Sam turned reluctantly towards her former CO. "Kate and Todd have – are? – slept together."
There was a moment of silence during which time Jack's eyebrows threatened to disappear into his hair before the three star General let out a baffled and confused, "What!?" Swiveling in his seat he rounded on the two directors and searched both their faces for any signs that he was over reacting.
He didn't find any.
"Someone please tell me I just heard wrong."
Sam shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Sir."
He rounded on Woolsey. "What happened!?"
"It's not just that their relationship has become intimate," Elizabeth, rather than explain the pair's entire history that even she only knew half of, said. "I'm afraid it's much more complicated than that."
"You don't say?" Jack replied, voice dripping sarcasm. "By all means tell me how this…really, really bad situation is even more complicated. Yes, I wanna know everything."
"There isn't time to tell you everything, not from the beginning at least…" Woolsey began only to have General O'Neil cut him off.
"Well then start somewhere else."
The director sighed. "A week ago Todd asked to speak to both myself and Elizabeth in private. He explained that, according to his culture, he and Major Sheppard are now united -"
"United?" cut in Sam, confused.
Elizabeth elaborated. "Married."
This time both generals nearly lost their eyebrows before exclaiming in unison, "Married!?"
"Yes, at least by wraith law," Elizabeth continued, "Trust me; it was a surprise to us too. We knew he harbored feelings for her but we never thought they went that deep. Especially not deep enough to make her his…"
"Wife?" Jack croaked.
"Queen," Woolsey supplied.
Rather than say anything at this bit of news both generals just sat still and waited for the explanation.
Woolsey continued. "Todd explained that as a result of their - apparently the wraith word is Binding – Major Sheppard is now, unofficially, his Queen."
Sam frowned. "Unofficially?"
"Kate's not very fond of the idea but Todd thinks that she'll come around to it eventually," Elizabeth said, "His mother was apparently a queen during the war and, when this one is over, Todd intends to have Kate succeed her."
"As queen of his hive?" Jack asked.
"Not his hive no," Woolsey deadpanned, "When the war is over, if Todd wins, Kate will be Queen of all the wraith."
Sam and Jack were stunned. "All of them?"
Woolsey nodded. "That's his plan."
"And how does Colonel Sheppard feel about this?" Carter asked wondering if John had followed through with any of his threats about shooting Todd if the wraith should, in his words, 'make a move' on his sister.
Elizabeth let out a weary sigh. "He doesn't know."
Sam's eyes widened while Jack peered inquisitively at both Woolsey and Weir. "I assume there's a reason?"
"There is, several in fact," Woolsey went on, "The foremost being the reason why we asked that Kate be removed from his chain of command."
"Which is?" Jack prompted.
"John's made it very clear that he doesn't want Todd to have anything to do with Kate. Unfortunately the situation is out of his control."
"Let me guess, the wraith don't do divorce?"
Woolsey shook his head. "As we understand it, if we try and separate them they'll both die."
Well that was an unforeseen complication. "I'm sorry, come again?" Jack exclaimed.
"Todd called it Separation sickness. He said that, in essence, he and Kate have been bound together; their lives tied together as one so that any attempt to break them apart would result in both their deaths," Elizabeth looked back and forth between the two generals and wondered if they'd be able to fill in the gaps, "They literally cannot live without one another."
"Which is why Kate almost died," Sam said, understanding beginning to set in. "The connection was broken."
Woolsey steepled his fingers and inclined his head. "Todd had just learned that Major Sheppard's internment as a runner was to punish him; not us and not Sheppard. He reacted badly and without a full understanding of what would happen when he broke their connection. He was trying to protect her."
For a full minute nobody spoke, the occupants of the room each digesting in their own way what they had learned. It was Jack who broke the silence.
"So, what, exactly, does all this mean?" his gaze lingered on Woolsey, "What do you need from us?"
"Insurance," replied the director with a sigh.
"What kind of insurance?" Sam asked.
"We're keeping this a secret for now, at least in the city," explained Elizabeth, "The wraith, from what I'm given to understand, are another matter. Todd has already made it clear that Kate is queen whether she likes it or not and is to be treated as such by everyone under his command. Here, in Atlantis, we've given Todd to Major Lorne to satisfy his need to be physically close to Kate while assigning her sole responsibility over all wraith related matters. We didn't know how else to accommodate them except to keep them as close as possible."
"How'd Sheppard take the change?"
Woolsey shook his head wearily. "Not well."
She glanced towards Jack. "Could we maybe redefine her orders so that her sole directive is to deal with the wraith?" she turned back to Woolsey and Weir, "That could help ease some of the tension."
"It would," Elizabeth agreed.
"Anything else?" Jack asked.
The two directors shared a long, meaningful look before turning back to the Generals. "Actually," Woolsey began, "There is one more thing…"
~xXx~
It took the six of them a good fifteen minutes to reach the Leviathan and, in the end, Varkan volunteered to remain outside in case his hive tried to contact them and to try and see if he could figure out how to get the Lantean vessel out of its cocoon. Meanwhile, with Andromeda leading the way, the rest of them entered through a hatch on the port side of the ship and began making their way past various safety precautions towards the bridge.
"There," the Ancient said, pointing to the last door separating the four of them from their destination.
"Finally," Cam exclaimed, glancing towards Andromeda as she set to work on the door controls, "How many security measures did you take?"
"The information stored in the Leviathan's archives is precious," Andromeda explained while keying in the last sequence, "I could not take any changes that it would fall into the hands of those that would destroy it."
Glancing around the hallway they were in and at the complexity of the code the Ancient was using, Kate let out a long, low whistle. "Well you did a good job."
The door opened and without so much as a backwards glance, Andromeda led the way onto the bridge. Five steps inwards and lights began to switch on, sensing their presence. On the main communications terminal, a light began blinking.
"What's that?" Daniel asked.
Kate and Cameron shrugged while Andromeda moved towards it as if in a trance. "It is a message," the Ancient said, "Someone sent a communique after then ship was interned."
"For what purpose?" asked Romulus. The wraith, having hesitated upon traveling too far inwards, now took several purposeful steps that took him to stand directly behind his beloved.
"I do not know," Andromeda replied. Reaching out to retrieve the message, she lay her hand flat upon the terminal's interface. It read her genetic signature and, moments later, the main screen to the rear of the bridge lowered. The message, a file containing both audio and visual, queued up upon its surface.
"It's a wraith," Daniel observed, surprised. "Why would a wraith send a message to your ship?"
Cam had a very likely idea. "Probably to explain why she cocooned it inside a hive."
"Perhaps," Andromeda agreed, tapping the console. The message began to play.
"Greetings Andromeda of Ascorn. If you are receiving this then it is as I have always known and you have found your way back to us and to your ship. I am sorry that I am unable to meet with you and to tell you this in person but it is as we feared, the matrons have turned against us and Nuaura's plan has been put into action. My days are numbered and I choose, in what may well be my final moments, to tell you as much as I can so that you may finish what you and I have begun and save the wraith for we are now in much need of saving."
Romulus' eyes widened in alarm. "Nuaura?" he questioned looking wildly about, searching for the eyes of his mate. He did not find them; instead he met with Katherine's gaze.
"Yeah," Kate confirmed, a bit confused not to mention concerned over Romulus' reaction. "The queen that sent the message that started the war, the one I told you about."
The wraith hissed. "You did not tell me her name!"
Kate's look of concern deepened. "I didn't think it really mattered. What's done is done."
"That is because you do not understand the implications of -"
"Nuaura's deceptions and manipulations go further than ever we could have imagined," the recording cut Romulus off and returned their attentions to the viewing screen, "Not only does she plan to abolish the old order and erect a new one but even now she has given orders to three lesser matrons – females who are as equally depraved as she – to destroy all evidence of our lives before the Lantean conflict was begun. She means to leave nothing of us behind to conflict with her new world order, any remnant of what once we were is to be eradicated so that only her word and her laws remain. She would see this ship obliterated as well if she could find it so I have taken measures to insure that she does not. I have grown this hive around your ship to ensure its protection. You must relay this information to Valloran and his commanders as quickly as possible. I know that, in the end, his first loyalty is to our race and not the female from whom he has the misfortune of having been birthed. There are Lords and matriarchs aplenty that would follow him, ally with him against our Queen so that he might topple her from her throne. While it is true that Nuaura's triad now hunts for our Matriarchs and their Lords and Commanders she has left explicit instructions not to harm her first born. She had plans for him and I say use that to your advantage and warn him so that he may save as many as he can.
"I know not for what nefarious purpose Nuaura has planned for him but this I do know; there have long been rumors that our Queen desires her eldest in ways a motem should not desire a son. Whatever she would have him for, be it to settle her own unnatural desires or to use him as an integral part of a much larger plan, she is most desperate to entrap him. Valloran is greatest among us, favored and revered by all; you must spare him if you can. The wraith cannot lose him. He is, to us, our one true direction. Like the stars that guide us in the heavens he gives us a path in which to follow. Save him or, if you cannot, find someone who can."
"Sounds like the wraith messiah," Cam commented when the wraith in the recording paused. "Wonder if he can walk on water."
"He hates water," mumbled Kate which earned her a look from both her former teammates.
"Wait a sec," Cam turned to her, "You've met this guy? Who -"
But the recording resumed affectively cutting Cam off mid-sentence. This time the expression on the wraith's face wasn't a pleading one. She looked sad and as soon as she started talking again it was immediately clear why.
"My time grows short. Nuaura's triad is coming for me, coming for my head because I dare to defy her. There is still one thing more I must tell you and that is the fate of your child."
Andromeda and Romulus both froze. The former looked stricken while the latter's eyes widened, his heart hammering a violent cadence in his chest. Standing beyond the pair Daniel and Cam's faces took on expressions of surprise, mouths yawning wide in stupefied shock. Kate, meanwhile, looked to Romulus in concern.
The message played on. "She is beautiful Andromeda. Even at so young an age I can see much of you in her. Her eyes are flecked with your emerald green and I would be surprised if she does not also inherit your scarlet locks. Her Lantean blood tempers the sometimes sharp features of our kind, in face I believe that she will grow to much resemble her motem. In temperament I believe she will favor her sire. She is strong and in strength she will grow; hidden, safe from all those that would exploit her. I have purged all knowledge of her from existence; her conception, her birth. I have kept my promise, Saava Sura and stained my hands with my sister's life blood to keep your daughter safe. There are none that can find her now."
Tears traced Andromeda's cheeks, her vision blurring as, on screen, the image of her friend shook; explosions and screams ten centuries old echoing through the Leviathan's bridge. "Do no morn me, dearest Sura; I have done what I set out to do. Succeed where I have failed and may the stars ever shine upon y-"
A loud boom, a scream and then a wall of flame took over the screen, the message's last images ones of terror and destruction. The recording ended, the screen went blank and an almost deafening silence descended upon the bridge. No one dared speak.
A minute later, Cameron finally found his tongue. "Well…that was…"
"Why didn't you tell us you had a child?" Daniel abruptly asked, turning to look at the Ancient, a frown marring his face. "In all the time you've been with us, you never said -"
"I'm more concerned about who this Valloran person is," Cameron interrupted. The other three occupants of the room turned and looked at him. "What?" he shrugged, "I'm sorry about your kid, don't get me wrong, but the first part of the message made him sound like he's the guy to know about. You know, the whole one true direction thing. We should -"
"Is it too much to ask for a little compassion?" Daniel chided, shooting his teammate a dark glare. "I mean, would it kill you to just -"
"Nuaura is Valloran's mother."
Daniel and Cam stopped arguing, the both of then turning to Kate who was wearing an expression on her face that neither one of them could quite interpret. Her eyes rose to Andromeda's.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, searching the Ancient's face for any sign that she'd meant to but just forgot. "Before we came all the way out here, why didn't you -"
"Because it is none of your concern!" Andromeda snapped, rounding on the woman who she had at first felt such a kinship to. Now, however, she could not see past the girl's naivety. Katherine had no concept of what it was she had so boldly inserted herself into. She was as a child playing at being an adult and Andromeda was sickened by it. What was Valloran thinking to have made this one his queen? She understood nothing.
Immediately on the defensive, Kate's eyes narrowed as she faced off with Andromeda the Ancient. "What the hell is your problem?" she demanded, "You've been up in arms since we left Atlantis and I would very much like to know what I did to you because fuck if I know!"
Cameron winced. "Now Kate..."
She rounded on him. "Don't 'now Kate' me Cameron," she whirled back around and pointed an accusatory finger at her supposed friend, "She's got a stick up her ass and I really wanna know what -"
"You do not have the authority to demand answers from me Major Sheppard," Andromeda sneered. "I need not -"
"Katherine may not possess the ability to compel answers from you but I do," Romulus interrupted, talking two steps towards his mate until he stood directly before her forcing her to look up at him. "Why did you not inform Katherine of Nuaura's importance and connections when first you briefed -"
Angry emerald eyes flashed as they looked up into the wraith's golden orbs. "Katherine, Katherine; yet again your first and only concern is to Katherine! Do you care nothing for the information we have just received? Does it matter so little to you that you would dismiss it so-"
"Of course it matters!" Romulus growled, the sound echoing in the near empty bridge, "But where you have spent the last ten millennia locked in stasis I have been forced to languish on the fridges of a dying world unable to do anything to save it! The wraith are dying, if nothing is done to stem the damage that Nuaura and her thrice cursed triad have done then we will cease to be in but a handful of years beyond this one! I cannot afford to linger on my own sorrows when the fate of my entire race hangs by but a thin thread!"
Andromeda was not swayed. "If truly you care for the continuation of your race then why do you insist on giving such validation to Valloran's idiotic decision to name a human woman Nuaura's successor!?"
"Whoa, wait up – what!?" Cam exclaimed, confused as all fuck. "What the hell are you -"
"Is that truly your only argument?" Romulus spoke, ignoring the human, "What does it matter that Katherine is human or n-"
BANG!
Everyone stopped talking and turned towards the origin on the sound. Kate stood a bit of a ways away, nine millimeter pointed towards the ceiling, a furious looking expression on her face.
"Everyone shut up!" she yelled, looking at everyone in turn before settling on Andromeda. "And you, what the hell are you talking about? I'm not succeeding anyone. Who told you I wa -"
"Do not tell me that you are so simple that you cannot understand a basic concept!" Andromeda raged. "I had thought you intelligent but it would seem that I was quiet mistaken in my estimation of you intelligence."
"What are you talking about?"
"In choosing to bind you Valloran has chosen you to succeed his mother making you Queen of the -"
"Fuck that I already told him, I don't want to be a wraith queen! I'm not -"
"Want has nothing to do with it; you are queen regardless of your own desires. It baffles me what could have possessed him to elevate you to such a position and when you clearly do not understand the honor that has been bestowed upon you. You flaunt yourself to others and even attempt to entice -"
"I don't flaunt myself and what the fuck do you mean I'm a queen no matter what? In case you haven't noticed I'm not a wraith so their rules don't mean shit to me!" Kate shot back, voice dripping disdain. "I don't live on a hive, I have shit control over the drones and I don't strut around demanding people bow to me. I refuse to believe that getting married magically means I have all this sudden control over the wraith. I don't control jack!"
Andromeda opened her mouth to throw back an argument only to have Cam cut her off. Turning to Kate wildly he yelled, "You got married!?"
Kate deflated, but only a bit. "Yes Cameron I got married," she sighed, "Sorta."
"To who!?" Cam demanded. "And what do you mean sort of? You can't be sort of married, you either are or you aren't."
"It's complicated," Kate attempted to explain, "By Earth standards I'm still single but by wraith law I'm -"
"Wraith law?" Cam stared at her, horrified. "You married a wraith!? What the hell is wrong with you!?"
"Nothing's wrong with me Cameron, why do most people get married?"
"When we get back to Atlantis we need to get your head examined because there is clearly something wrong with y -"
"It's Todd isn't it?" Daniel interrupted, eyes switching back and forth between Kate and Cam. They both stopped talking and looked at him. "I'm right, aren't I? It's Todd, you married Todd," he took a deep breath, "And Todd…Todd is Valloran. That's why you're so upset Andromeda didn't tell you."
Daniel always had been remarkably good at figuring things out which is why Kate knew that it would be pointless to lie when he'd already reached the right conclusion. Looking him dead in the eye, she gave a succinct nod. "Yes."
Cam exploded. "WHAT!?"
The woman glared at him. "My current marital status isn't really what's important right now Cameron," she rebuked him, turning back to Andromeda. "I'm gonna assume Todd doesn't know his mother started the war."
The Ancient shook her head. "No."
"Good, we're not gonna tell him," Kate said, her tone leaving no room for argument. Andromeda glared at her while Romulus bowed his head pleased that she wished to keep this from him. Nuaura was long dead and Valloran finally free from her grasp; he did not need to be dragged back under by her ghost.
Kate took a deep breath. "Now, what's say we work on figuring out a way to -"
"Katherine."
Kate stopped and cocked her head to one side as Varkan's mental voice infiltrated her mind. He sounded worried. "Yes?" she responded.
"My second has just contacted me. There are two hives on approach belonging to the triad. This is their territory, we cannot be found here. We must leave or risk termination."
"Fuck," then, when realizing that she had four people eyeing her in confusion, "There are two hives on the way."
"And how the hell do you know that?" Cam demanded.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Varkan told me."
Daniel frowned. "Who?"
Kate let out an exasperated sigh. "Varkan, the wraith whose hive we were just on."
"What the hell kind of name is Varkan?" Cam wondered hotly.
"A wraith one," Kate snapped. "Normally John comes up with names for all the wraith but Varkan decided he'd rather us know his real one then end up as Steve two point oh."
"What the hell does that mean!?"
"It doesn't matter look," Kate turned to Andromeda, "We need to go."
"We cannot just leave," Andromeda argued. "There is not enough time for a full data transfer and there is too much valuable information on this vessel for us to just abandon – "
"If we're still here when the hives show up we're all dead," Kate threw back, "Now I don't know about you but I'd like to live."
The Ancient leered at her. "Of course you would care more for your own life then for the good the intelligence contained within my ship's -"
"What good is information if the triad kills us before we can pass it on?" Kate wanted to know. "Or are you arguing with me just to argue?"
Andromeda's nostrils flared. "I would never -"
"ENOUGH!" Romulus yelled. Both human males jumped while Katherine and his beloved both turned to him. "As much as I detest the thought of surrendering the intel contained within Leviathan Katherine is right. It is enough that we survive to recount it. And besides," he paused and looked pointedly at Andromeda, "Katherine's life is tied to Valloran's; if she dies he will follow."
This seemed to quell the Ancient who dropped her eyes to the ground. Kate, on the other hand, turned to look quizzically towards Romulus who, upon meeting her gaze shook his head so as to suggest she should ask him later. Then, when no one else dared speak, the wraith continued. "We need to leave."
"I cannot just surrender the Leviathan," Andromeda protested. "There is too much knowledge she protects. I cannot justify -"
"Do the weapons on this thing work?" Kate asked.
Andromeda eyed her. "They do. Why?"
Kate looked at her. "You don't wanna lose your intel and we can't be here when the hives show up so, we need to get this ship out of here."
Her fellow female regarded her. "And you wish to use Leviathan's weapons to…escape this cocoon?"
"Yep."
The Ancient shook her head. "That is not a viable option. There is not enough power in the ship's batteries to engage the engines even if we were free. Blasting our way out would only make us even more vulnerable. We must think of another way."
"What of the hive?" Romulus suggested. The two female turned to him.
"Varkan's hive?" Kate asked, "What about it?"
Romulus explained his plan. "If we were to free this ship then the commander could position his hive around us much as this hive surrounds us now. Then, if we were to jump into hyperspace the window would encompass Leviathan as well. We would not be able to travel the full length of a normal jump but we would be able to put enough distance between ourselves and they that we would no longer be in danger."
Andromeda regarded her mate, wondering when he had taken the time to learn of hyperspace physics. As she recalled any sort of mathematical science was not his strong suit. "That plan is…viable."
The wraith nodded. "Then it is what we will do."
With a round of nods, everyone jumped to the task. Kate gave mental instructions to Varkan who agreed to return to his hive and do all the necessary maneuvering; apparently he didn't trust his second with such complicated maneuvers. Cam went off to find the chair room with Daniel trailing behind. Romulus stayed on the bridge and Andromeda began the necessary repairs to the ships various systems in order to make the wraith's plan work. When all was sorted, the Ancient lady gave Cameron the signal and instructed him where to aim the Leviathan's weapons in order to effect the necessary damage so that they could break free.
Four shots later, Leviathan's sub-lights kicked in and she floated out of the debris field. Above them, Varkan's hive was already maneuvering into position.
Daniel and Cam walked back onto the bridge. "Ya know," the colonel said, looking - impressed - out the forward windshield, "I've never really appreciated how big those things are. They're huge!"
Daniel nods in agreement.
Andromeda looked over her scanners and controls. "The hive is in position. We are ready to -"
Outside, a hyperspace window opened and two hives dropped out of hyperspace. The Triad's ships had arrived and they immediately began firing.
"Shit!" Cameron yelled. Above them, Varkan's hive shifted position so that the blast hit their hull rather than the Ancient ship. "We need to get out of here!"
Another volley of weapon's fire impacted Varkan's hive. Reacting quickly, Andromeda began recalibrating Leviathan's shields. Draining power from all other systems except life support, she redirected them to the ship's defenses. Before the next volley was fired she engaged the shields and pushed their range outwards so that they encompassed the protective hive. The Leviathan was loosing power rapidly and the shield would not hold long at it's current configuration but it was her hope that it would hold just long enough for them to be able to get away.
It did. A moment later their hive opened a hyperspace window and took it and them into hyperspace. They dropped out after only a few minutes but, after a quick scan of the quadrant they'd jumped too, it seemed that they were well out of danger.
Andromeda dropped the shield in order to preserve power. "The batteries are now all but depleted; they are holding at point two percent," she looked around at the humans and at Romulus. "We will lose life support in a matter of minutes."
"Commander Varkan has already ordered a transport and will arrive shortly," Romulus informed the others after the much younger wraith was finished communicating with him mentally, "We can retreat to the hive."
"Then what?" Cam asked. "How are we getting this ship back to Atlantis?"
"The hive's got a grappling arm on it we can tow it," Kate said. "As soon as we're back on board I'll have Varkan latch on and then we can go."
Romulus looked at her. "When we arrive you may wish to relay your condition to the Commander. I am sure he will want to know that you are safe and on your way back to him."
With a nod, Kate agreed and the five of them left the bridge after shutting down all non-essential systems. Andromeda led the way to the hanger and keyed in a code to allow the wraith transport to land. Without preamble thy boarded and were back on the hive after a short five minute flight. Varkan met them in the dart bay and instructed a drone to take Daniel and Cam to a guest room. He then offered to escort Katherine to a terminal where she could contact the Commander in Atlantis. Andromeda remained behind to oversee the transport of her vessel and, after a few moments contemplation, Romulus approached her.
"We must speak," he said purposefully.
His mate barely glanced his way. "What of?" she asked, watching out one of the hive windows as the grappling arm extended towards her ship. "I believe we have said all that we need say. You have made your position quite clear."
Romulus shook his head. "Obviously I have not or you would not be acting this way," reaching out, he made to take her hand in his only to have Andromeda pull away. "Please, preena, look at me."
With reluctance, Andromeda lifted her eyes to his. "What?"
Romulus sighed. "Do you truly object to Valloran's choice? You have known that if ever he were to take a mate then they would succeed Nuaura. Is Katherine so terrible a choice? She is capable, Andromeda, more capable then I think you know."
The Ancient woman sighed and pulled away from the wraith, wrapping her arms around herself defensively. "She is capable yes," she agreed, "But not in the ways a queen needs to be. She is strong, yes, but strength in arm does not mean that she has the same strength of will. If he wished to make her matriarch then I could understand but you and I both know that he would see her queen of all wraith not just those under his command. She cannot understand -"
"And she will never understand if those around her do not give her the opportunity to see," the wraith countered. "Katherine knows only what is, she has no knowledge of what was but, before the end, she will be made to. Queens are made Andromeda not born and Katherine will make an excellent queen. She but needs time to learn. It is her potential that drew Valloran too her and it is that same potential that we all now can see. All except you. You doubt her strength; do not. Nuaura's might saw all the wraith united and made the many worlds upon which we set foot shudder but Katherine; she has within her the power to make the stars themselves tremble. You need only believe her capable of discovering her own strength."
Andromeda looked to him. "You have such faith in her, in what you believe her capable."
Romulus nodded. "I do," he took a step forwards, "I watched her penetrate Valloran's heart, watched as the strength of her essence drew him to her and then, watched as he surrendered himself completely to the power she has come to have over him. Katherine may not realize it but she is now the single most powerful individual to walk among our starts. She has but to ask it of Valloran and he will obey."
"And he has said this?" Andromeda could not believe it, could not believe that after so long Valloran would simply give up his free will and hand it over to the human without thought or question. "He has said that he will obey her, bow to her?"
"Yes."
"Does she know that?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Romulus sighed. "Because Katherine is not wraith and it will take time yet to understand what it means to have others surrender their will onto her. She is not ready but she will learn. I have every faith in her."
Andromeda still did not like it but she knew that if she continued to argue she would only estrange her mate even further and she was tired of being gone from him. "When we return to Atlantis I shall remain. I will not be returning to earth," she looked at him, "If what you say is true then I wish to see it. I will watch her and him and judge for myself that she is as capable as you say. And, while I wait, I can begin searching."
"Searching?" Romulus asked. "Searching for what?"
"Our daughter," Andromeda responded, a determined gleam in her emerald eyes. "I will find her."
A sudden thought occurred to the elder wraith and he wondered why he did not think of it before. "I believe that she has already been found," he admitted, drawing a gasp from his beloved. "I am not certain of course but it seems to be too much of coincidence to dismiss."
Hope flared to life within her. "And what coincidence is that?"
"One of the queens in Valloran's alliance possess the ability to operate Lantean technology. The humans attempted to discover how by running a sample of her blood through their medical database. They were unable to get a match. A subroutine hidden inside the databases caused them to crash as soon as the sample of the queen's blood was run through the system."
"Then we have found her," Andromeda informed him, almost giddy with excitement, "I wrote that routine so that it would be impossible to trace our daughter back to myself through our shared genetics. I did not want to run the risk that if she were ever found she could be identified through my bloodline."
Romulus graced his mate with a smile. "And you succeeded," he frowned, "There is but one problem."
"And what is that?"
The wraith hissed. "She does not know the circumstance of her birth. As such, she must be approached with caution."
Andromeda agreed. "We will discuss how to handle the situation when we arrive back in Atlantis until then," she glanced at him shyly, "I would see you in private."
Romulus grinned. "My quarters are this way."
~xXx~
In another part of the hive, Kate found Daniel and Cam back in the council room with the fruit bowl.
"I thought you were gonna stay in your room for the rest of the trip?"
Cam looked up. "We were but the room was just too creepy," he frowned. "There was fog everywhere and it was real cold. I like it better out here."
Kate sat down. "Look guys," she addressed them, "We need to talk."
Mitchell eyed her. "Yeah, I figured."
Daniel glanced over her. "I wanna know how you ended up marrying Todd."
Kate sighed. "I'll tell you but you both have to swear to me that when we get back none of this gets back to John."
Daniel made a face. "He's your brother," he reminded her, "Doesn't he have a right to -"
"No," Kate said and there was fear in her voice. Fear of what John would try and do if he were to find out. Daniel and Cam looked at one another before both men leaned back in their chairs.
"We're listening."
Kate sighed and began to explain.
A/N: Well hi there, I see you've made it to the end. Please ignore my rant up there at the top, it's late, and i really ought to be in bed right now. If this is your first time reading this chapter, please review. If this is your second time reading this chapter, please review anyway. If this is your second time reading this chapter and you're upset because my lovely rant about Kate is gone, I'm sorry. If it means that much to you I'll go back and add it in at the end of the next chapter (and by next I mean next new one). Anyway, regardless of anything, you should just review. It's the only way FanFiction authors get paid so drop a penny in my cup and make my day.
Until next time, cheers!
Lady M
