Chapter 9
Rodney looked around the newly rebuilt hive.
"Okay, Zed-PM in place, power distributing nicely, no fluctuations. I'd say we were nearly good to go."
A high pitched whine filled the corridors of the hive.
"Oh crap," said Rodney, before rushing to the command deck. "What now?" he demanded as he entered the command deck.
"Two Has'parian ships are approaching our position," growled the commander.
Rodney's eyes opened wide. "Okay, this is really bad. I mean, yes, I've got the Zed-PM interfaces up and running, but the hives are going to need more time to adjust to the new power source."
"Meaning?"
"Err… we're sitting ducks." The commander growled something in wraith and the others looked worried. McKay sighed. "Look, I'll do the best I can, but there is almost no chance of these ships being battle ready before the ships get here."
"Then we must have an alternative stratagem," Grizzle stated. She turned to look at Molly, cocking her head to the side. Molly shifted uneasily. The expedition knew that Grizzle had been… disappointed with Molly's decision to fight back against the Has'parians.
Molly managed look back at the Prophetess stoically. "Then we shall have to hope that the darts are able to hold them off until weapons are online."
"You know how the Has'parians fight," snarled Grizzle. Rodney noticed Ronon, standing in the shadows by the wall, tighten the grip on his gun. "The Has'parians posses beaming technology that allows them to transport their metal monsters onboard our hives and destroy us from within. How are we meant to fight back then?"
Molly glanced over at McKay. He shrugged, what else could he do? He steered clear wraith politics, especially the sort that involved queens.
"We will just have to do the best we can," Molly answered simply. She turned and walked out of the bridge. When she left, Ronon detached himself from the shadows and followed her.
As if my day wasn't weird enough, thought McKay. "No pressure then," he muttered, before hurrying away to try and get the hives battle-ready.
***
Teyla arrived on the bridge of the Daedalus. Caldwell was standing in front of one of the terminals towards the rear of the bridge. He looked concerned
"What is happening?" she asked.
"We picked up two powerful wraith signals," he replied, pointing to two blips on the screen, "and there are two Has'parian cruisers inbound on their position."
Teyla stared at the screen, bewilderment filling her mind. Surely the wraith knew that they were hunted. Why then, were there two such clear signals? Did they somehow wish to go down fighting? From what little she could remember about wraith culture, that seemed the most likely option.
"I believe that we must investigate this," she told to Caldwell. "We still have no clear indication as to why the Has'parians are hunting wraith, or those that have been in contact with wraith, as viciously as they are." Teyla went silent as a fresh memory bubbled to the surface of her mind. Caldwell put a hand on her shoulder.
"We've already set course for their location," Caldwell told her. "We'll be there in under half an hour, there abouts."
Teyla nodded. She left the bridge and Caldwell didn't stop her. He understood that she wanted to be alone to mourn the destruction of the Athosians.
***
When the ship exited hyperspace, the Has'parians had beaten them there. Two Has'parian cruisers were firing on the two Wraith hive ships, darts swarming around the enemy vessels and attempting to do some sort of damage to the Has'parian ships.
"They're never going to win," muttered Caldwell grimly. He saw a strange distortion to the hives, one that he recognized. The wraith were attempting to utilise ZPM technology to increase the power of their ships. That explained the strong signal at least.
"Receiving a transmission sir," one of the crew told him. "Audio only."
"Let's hear it," said Caldwell, nodding to Teyla as she entered the bridge.
"…this is Major Even Lorne of the former Atlantis expedition. I repeat, are you receiving this transmission? Daedalus, this is-"
"Open a channel," ordered Caldwell. "Major Lorne, this is Daedalus."
There was silence for a few moments. "You have no idea how good it is to hear a friendly voice, sir!"
"I take it you're aboard one of those hive ships, Major," said Caldwell, a side long look at Teyla confirming that she was as overjoyed to hear the familiar voice of Lorne as he was. "Are there anymore Atlantis personnel with you?"
"Yes sir, but not for much longer if you don't help us get these Harpies off our backs," answered Lorne. "I'm being told that we can't maintain hull integrity for much longer."
"Fire on the nearest ship!" ordered Caldwell. "I want those Has'parians taken out."
The Daedalus's Asgard weaponry fired at the nearest cruiser, but it didn't even make a dent on their shields. The Has'parian ships stopped firing though. They seemed to be confused about which ship they should be attacking.
"We're not having much luck disabling them from our end either," Caldwell informed Lorne. "Suggest that we start beaming people over here immediately."
"Negative, sir, there's too many for that," replied Lorne. There was a sudden background whispering, of which the Daedalus crew could only hear part off.
"What?... You sure that would work?... McKay, I need-… Okay then, I'll-… I'm not sure that's a wise idea, ma'am… With all due respect-… Fine, it's your call." Lorne finally addressed Caldwell directly. "We've got a few additional Zee-PMs that you can use to boost your weaponry and shields. Dr McKay thinks that you may then have enough fire-power to damage the cruisers."
"We'll lock onto your radio signal and beam you on board," Caldwell told him, "but we'll need you to lower the wraith jamming signal first."
"Okay sir, but you'd better be quick about it."
"Wraith jamming has been disabled on one of the hives, sir," announced a technician.
"Beam him onboard," ordered Caldwell.
There was the sudden shimmer of the Asgard transported beam, but it was not Major Lorne who was standing on the bridge. There was the click of weapons being raised. The hooded wraith shook her head.
"Do you want this or not?" she asked, proffering the Zee-PM she held. Teyla noticed that she was also holding what had to be Major Lorne's com-unit.
"Where is Major Lorne?" Teyla asked, her own gun pointed at the wraith.
"He is aboard one of the hives, but unless you aid us now, he will be destroyed, along with those ships."
Caldwell nodded, and a scientist took the ZPM and ran to hook it into the Daedalus's power systems.
"If you don't mind me asking," Caldwell said to their surprise guest, "but who the hell are you?"
The wraith's white eyes fixed onto Caldwell. "Among my people, I am known as the Prophetess." A smile played across her lips, revealing her needle-like teeth. "But I believe your Major Lorne has named me 'Grizzle'."
Caldwell looked like he was about to comment, but the sudden shudder as the Has'parian ships turned their fire on the Daedalus made him reconsider.
"Return fire," he ordered, "and I want that Zee-PM online asap!"
As the Has'parian fire increased in ferocity, the Daedalus's shield were boosted just in time to prevent their immediate destruction. With their juiced-up beam weapons, they were able to take out first the engines, then the weapons, of one of the ships. There were cheers as the enemy ship hung there in space, completely crippled. Caldwell was not so optimistic.
"We're not out of the woods yet," he said. "We've still got another ship to deal with first."
"Not just one," Teyla said darkly. "Another ship has just dropped out of hyperspace."
The crew ceased their premature celebrations.
"Sir, we're receiving a radio transmission." Caldwell nodded to the technician.
"Let's hear it," Caldwell said.
"About time you lot showed up!" cracked Sheppard's voice over the speakers, to the collective amazement of everyone on the bridge.
"I was about to say the same thing, Colonel," replied a shocked Caldwell, with a shared smile to Teyla. "Any chance you can give us a hand with these ships? Major Lorne informs me that there are a number of you expedition onboard those hives."
" Will do," came Sheppard's reply.
Soon, the Ancient warship joined the fight, firing drones at the remaining Has'parian cruiser. The odds started to look more in their favour at last.
"The other ship has been disabled," announced one of the Daedalus crew members.
"Looks like we might actually get through this," said Caldwell.
The ancient wraith suddenly stood stock-still. Her eyes stared ahead blankly, as if seeing something no one else could. With a sudden snarl, she looked down at the nearest technician.
"Move!" she ordered. The technician complied and the Prophetess sat at his place typing commands into the consol.
"What are you doing?" demanded Teyla.
"Saving your lives," it answered, continuing to type.
"We have hostiles onboard!" cried a technician. The door to the command bridge burst open as three metal Guardians entered. The crew fired at them, but their guns made no effect. The Prophetess looked at them with blind eyes before hitting one button on the keyboard.
Enter.
There was the flash of the Asgard transport beam and the three Guardians vanished. The crew of the Daedalus were looking around in confusion, wondering what happened. Then Teyla saw the wraith hit another button on the keyboard.
Delete.
"What have you done?" demanded Teyla, grabbing the Prophetess's bony wrist.
"I merely beamed the Guardians both here and aboard the other ships into this ship's buffers, before clearing them," replied the wraith, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Daedalus," said Sheppard's voice, "what just happened?"
***
It was several hours later. There had been much catching up to do. The wraith had been more than willing to allow the crews from the other two ships onboard, after the offer to help make the more battle ready. McKay had been most interested in Grizzle's method of disposing of the Guardians. He was more curious however, in knowing how the blind wraith had worked out how to do it. She had, so far, denied him a satisfactory answer.
Now the respective leaders of each faction waited patiently for the arrival of the last. The hive commander stormed in, and nodded curtly to the assembled group.
"My apologies for my late arrival," he growled, "I was delayed by members of my crew. It appears I have not yet stamped out this strange obsession they have developed." He took his seat.
"What's he talking about?" Sheppard whispered to Mckay. Rodney smiled nervously at the Colonel. They had all been shocked by Sheppard's new appearance.
"Umm, he's referring to the fact that some of the wraith, well, most of them actually, have taken up poker." McKay shrugged. "He keeps trying to make them stop, saying it's a waste of time."
"Sounds like my battle against Solitaire," chuckled Caldwell.
"This is not what we are here to discuss," reminded Grizzle. "It is clear that the Has'parians will stop at nothing to destroy all trace of wraith from this-"
"That's why we have to fight back," interrupted Sheppard.
"And how are we to do that?" she asked. "The hives were significantly damaged in the battle. It will take time for them to be repaired."
"And with the Zed-PMs in place," added McKay, "the Harpies will be able to detect us, no matter what sort of shielding we use to alter the genetic signal."
"My people too," said Farina. "No doubt we'll be classed as 'contaminated' for helping you. What are we to do now?"
"I think I have an option."
All eyes turned to Molly. She immediately shied under their gaze, but she managed to recompose herself.
"I know of a world we can go to, where the Has'parians will never be able to detect us."
"Where?" asked Lorne.
"My home-world," she answered, "Reilith." Molly turned to the Prophetess. "You foresaw this, didn't you?"
Grizzle merely allowed the merest hint of a smile to curl her lips. "We have much work that will still need to be done if we are to get the hives fit for hyperspace travel," the elderly wraith said, ignoring Molly's half-hearted growls. Rising, she swept out of the room, and many of the others followed suit.
Lorne offered the hybrid girl an exhausted smile as he too started to leave.
"Look on the bright side," he said. "Looks like you're going home."
"Oh joy," she replied sarcastically. She watched the others leave, and with a sigh, decided that she might as well do the same.
There was much that needed to be done before her home-coming.
And so ends the first Phase! But worry not! Work has already started on the second phase, so watch this space!
Please don't forget to R&R as well. Reviews are a good way of making me work faster...