Chapter 5

The Daedalus' trip to the Pegasus Galaxy hadn't been the desperate flight it was when the ship had first traveled there, but had still proceeded at a fairly urgent pace. Caldwell had been informed that it would be in the best interests of the mission to speed the journey up. Thus, it was a number of days ahead of schedule when they had reached the outer edge of the galaxy. He'd been made aware that this was primarily for the benefit of the wraith. This "Todd" had apparently gone for months without feeding. From what he understood, that was pushing the limits of even a wraith. Also, truth be told, Caldwell would feel a lot more comfortable once they'd gotten him off of the ship. Of course, he was still hastily carrying a wraith, which would feed on humans as soon as it arrived, to its destination faster. Caldwell tried not to think about that. Regardless, Todd was a vitally important component to this mission, and Caldwell's orders were to get him back to his wraith allies as quickly as possible. It was as simple as that. Frankly, the Daedalus' commander was most eager to get that part of his job underway and over with.

"Colonel, we're well inside the Pegasus Galaxy now. We are going to need a more precise heading very soon, sir." The navigation officer said.

Caldwell activated the internal communications.

"Security, escort the wraith up here now. And do it carefully, please."

*Meanwhile*

Sheppard was in the ship's mess hall. He was sitting at a table opposite Carson. The doctor was finishing off what was left of a selection of food he'd picked out. He didn't seem to be enjoying it much, but Sheppard scarcely noticed that. John was still immersed in thought. It wouldn't be long before they would have to go out on the field.

"So, you're sure you know what you're going to be doing when we begin to head down to the planets?" Sheppard asked. He wanted to be certain that he and Carson were on the same page.

"Aye. I remember the planets we are going to visit. I know my job here, Colonel." Carson reassured him.

"Your team will be accompanied by Major Gregory's squad for the majority of your assignment. Then I'll need you for our last stops."

"Hi guys!"

John looked up to see Rodney with Teyla and Ronon walking up from his left. Rodney sat down next to Sheppard and began to unwrap what appeared to be a sandwich that he'd brought. Carson then suddenly made an observation.

"You know, you've been fairly quiet on this trip, Colonel."

"He is right, John." Teyla said. "You haven't seemed quite yourself. Are you quite sure you are alright?"

"I was just thinking about our job. This trip could be our last break before we go into some action. I mean we don't know what we'll find when we get there. We might not get a lot of chance to rest afterward. But at the same time, I still kind of want to get this whole thing underway soon." John said.

"He's not the only one." Ronon said, still sounding more than a little annoyed at the whole state of affairs.

Rodney sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Have you two considered that maybe this whole 'fact finding mission' of ours won't be anywhere near as serious as you make it out to be? I mean, what if there's no 'dangerous wraith infested warzones' or 'desperate life or death battles?' What if all we have to do is take a leisurely stroll across a few planets, have a few awkward conversations with some of the locals and then just fly right on home?"

John imagined that Rodney was likely not looking forward to either scenario. But Sheppard just looked at him, his expression unchanged and impassive.

"With everything that has happened here, do you really think we're going to be that lucky?"

Rodney didn't immediately reply, instead he simply sighed again and opted to take a bite out of his finally unwrapped sandwich. Barely had he done so when Caldwell's stern voice broke over the intercom.

"Colonel Sheppard, you and your team and report to the bridge."

"Let's go." Sheppard got up and left without a moment's pause. Everyone followed him, except an irritated Rodney who remained sitting for a second longer.

"I just sat down!"

*Moments Later*

When Sheppard got to the bridge he saw that Todd had already been brought up there. He seemed noticeably more haggard than when they had left Earth. Colonel Caldwell had also made his way back from the front of the bridge to talk to them.

"Sheppard, we've reached the point now where we'll need a specific objective. You are the one in charge of deciding that objective. Otherwise we're just wandering the galaxy aimlessly. Where are we going to start the mission?"

"We've compiled a list of all the peoples we've encountered in our time here that I'll need to check up on." Dr. Beckett said first.

"I'm familiar with the entirety of the operation, doctor. But we'll need to pick one of them for our first stop." Caldwell said.

"We must rendezvous with my alliance at once!" Said a still restrained Todd, as he wearily inched towards them. The wraith's two guards kept their gaze fixed on him, ready for any sudden moves. "They are of the most importance, by far, to this whole undertaking of yours. Contacting those of them that remain should be your primary goal."

"No." Sheppard said. He turned back to Caldwell. "Head to the athosian settlement. We're contacting Teyla's people first."

"Thank you, John." Teyla said. She didn't seem to have expected him to chose to travel to her people's settlement first.

Todd was clearly not happy.

"Need I remind you, Colonel... that my wraith allies and I have the most strategic value! All your other allies should be secondary! Your people can benefit the most from us. They cannot provide even a fraction of the resources or assistance we can!"

"We didn't come all the way here just to ferry you home. The athosians are our closest allies. You sit tight, we'll get to you soon enough."

Todd's frustrations were becoming palpable.

"Sheppard! I grow weaker by the day! I will not be able to help if I remain in these conditions much longer!"

"You've survived this long. You'll be fine for a couple more days." Sheppard said flatly. "Our first objective will be to reach the athosians."

Todd let out an incensed growl and hobbled to a nearby console to lean on.

"How are we even going to contact the wraith?" Caldwell asked. "We don't have any reliable information on their position or activities."

Todd spoke up again, calmer this time.

"My allies monitor several wraith communication frequencies for certain emergencies. If I can modify your long range transmitter to send an appropriate coded message along one such channel, they should be able to send coordinates for a viable meeting place and time."

Caldwell considered that for a moment and then exchanged a look with Sheppard before finally speaking again.

"Alright, fine. We'll proceed with that. Dr. McKay, help the wraith establish contact with his hive. Make sure you find us a suitably secure location."

"On it." Rodney said as he walked over to a control station. Caldwell then looked back to the helm.

"Lay in a heading to New Athos." Finally he turned to face Sheppard again. "Make sure to be ready, Colonel. We'll be there within a day."