fateandfortune | Just two vampires, traveling the galaxy... [For Todd the Wraith]

Entry tags:

Just two vampires, traveling the galaxy... [For Todd the Wraith]

[continued from here]

It was a pleasant surprise to glance over and see Todd asleep on the bed, relaxed and peaceful. He can't have gotten much quality rest the night before propped up in the chair as he had been, certainly not when he'd been woken by her nightmare. She hoped that didn't happen again tonight, he had important things to take care of tomorrow; she didn't know all of the details, but with a civil war going on between his people, he needed his wits about him.

To that end, Rogue forced herself to stay awake for hours into the night, eating the dinner he'd brought for her and looking through one of the books from the collection he'd shown her before their sparring session. She didn't recognize anything on the pages, but it gave her a topic for conversation with the voices in her head, providing ample entertainment to pass the time. Eventually she fell asleep herself, the book held carefully to her chest as she curled up in the armchair, her boots set on the floor beside it. It was a fairly deep sleep, and she didn't dream for one of the first times in many weeks, something she was eternally grateful for when she awoke.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"There's a very real possibility of it, yes," she answered, a hint of frustration seeping into the words. "But it's hard to know. When I've touched you, I haven't received any thoughts or even echoes of your psyche, just energy. Maybe that's all I will get. Or maybe my strength will change like with the Kree, and my vision. Or even..."

She looked up at the ceiling, feeling suddenly helpless, everything in her future seeming to hang on circumstances that were beyond her control. "If there's even a chance that I might develop the genetic need to feed on humans like the Wraith, then I don't think I can take that risk. Being accepted by Atlantis is my only good option, and those odds are already stacked against me. I doubt they would help me if I became more Wraith than human in that regard, and it's not like I can stay here. Eventually your new Queen will take her position and my guess is she won't want another woman in her territory, even if you did extend the invitation. There isn't anywhere else for me to go."

She was enough of a pariah among humans without mucking up her genetics even further. Enhanced strength and eyesight, those changes might be accepted as part of her general oddities, but actually feeding on humans to survive? No way.

"My queen to be is your age equivalent of twelve. It'll be some years before she is ready to take a throne...and there is...a possibility that she might reject me as her commander."

If there was anything that he'd learned in his plus ten millennial, it was that nothing was guaranteed. And while nine years may seem like nothing in the life of an old wraith, situations changed like the wind as of late, and he could be dead long before he even got the chance to meet his possible mate.

And there was more.

Queens rarely got to choose their mates. If a commander was killed, the one who killed him took his place. She could reject him, true, but this was rarely the case as a dead commander meant he'd outlived his usefulness and his murderer was far superior.

However, when a female was ready to strike out on her own, she had the luxury of choosing whomever she wanted. Commanders without queens were the first to be considered of course but he'd known males of the lowliest of ranks chosen over war-decorated commanders. For he'd been that lowly male once.

"Very well, we'll hold off on this little..." No, not experiment... "Therapy. until after Atlantis." he said. No use letting her fly into a panic when this was all about NOT panicking.

Edited 2015-11-29 04:50 (UTC)

It was an experiment, but she appreciated his not using the actual word. It was kind of him, and again spoke to the quality of his character.

"Thank you," she said softly, a tension that she hadn't noticed before easing out of her. "And for what it's worth, this young Queen is an idiot if she doesn't choose you. I would, if I were in her position."

True, she knew next to nothing about the dynamic between a Queen and Commander, but a partnership of leaders like that needed trust at its core, regardless of anything else. Especially when the future of a species was at stake, and when that future would impact the rest of the galaxy. And Todd was someone she trusted implicitly.

"Oh?" he asked, unable to help but smile at that, "And why is that?" he asked

Queens-to-be looked for something beyond a good record or a well-run hive, and physical appearance rarely had anything to do with the choice. Compatibility of the mind was priority on the list.

But he heard Rogue out all the same on why.

"For starters, you're a good leader," she began with a small smile. "The way you interact with your crew, it speaks volumes of your true character. They respect you, and you look after them and take pride in them, like with the one who fought while injured in the arena, and your second in command. That goes a long way toward ensuring the strength of a team, or in this case a hive."

She moved a hand through the water, watching the surface ripple slightly with the motion. "You're also incredibly intelligent, and willing to adapt your ways to ensure the survival of your species. You took the gene therapy yourself, and you're working with humans to change the future of the Wraith and the galaxy as a whole. You're seeing the big picture, and that's important."

She finally shrugged and looked over at him again, smiling a little sheepishly. "And I trust you. If I were fighting for the future of my race, I'd want someone like you to have my back."

Because she'd been fighting that fight for her own race, and it all would have been so much easier to bear with someone like him at her side. But maybe she was completely off base and those things weren't important to the Wraith, or at least not to a Queen choosing her Commander.

It was hard for his species to look ahead, particularly since most of such looking had involved culling humans. But he was glad someone had noticed his hard work. Even if it was a human he'd met less than a week ago.

He'd known since his imprisonment that if he ever got out, things would have to change in the wraith-human, predator-prey relationship...but until the gene therapy he'd had no idea just how far that would take him outside the norm that was male wraith behavior.

He was a bit of an odd duck as the saying goes. He'd spent a lot of time with humans, especially of late, and little of it to do with feeding upon them. He'd lost the loyalty of several hives thanks to his dealings with humans, but...he'd gained many too.

It was really hard to judge how the new queen would take him. Would he be the experienced male she chose, or would she prefer the hidden gem in the underlings and pass him up entirely?

He could be all those things and more than Rogue had described, and still not get the girl as it were.

Time would tell.

He thrummed quietly at the praise and nodded in thanks.

Edited 2015-11-29 05:55 (UTC)

Rogue truly wished she could stay here on this hive, with Todd. She was beginning to understand things here, and she understood him. He was so very like Erik, willing to do whatever it took to make sure his species survived, and she respected that and understood just how far that meant things might be taken. Erik had been willing to kill every human who would do the same to mutants, and while she once would have seen that as being monstrous, now she realized that such an approach might have saved billions of lives. Not that she was condoning genocide, but... things weren't always black and white. Her world was filled with grey now, and grey was a good fit for Todd.

She didn't say anything further on the matter, instead taking a moment to properly wash her hair, recalling the times Remy had done it for her when they'd 'shared' a bath. More bittersweet memories that she wouldn't trade for the world, especially when his own recollection of those events surfaced to match with hers. He'd loved her with the same passion she'd felt for him, and he'd never felt resentment toward her for the difficulties placed upon their relationship by her mutation. He'd done more for her self-confidence than a thousand therapists could have.

Todd idly watched her wash her hair, but his mind was elsewhere, contemplating about offering her place here on the hive.

In the end, he kept his mouth shut.

Decisions and experiments would have to be made after the trip to Atlantis. Only then will the Ifs and Perhapses be asked and answered.

For now, he got out and dried off, leaving the bathroom so that she could come out in her own time. He got dressed again and sat in his chair, waiting for her to come out so that they could go to the kitchens for dinner.

Rogue took her time finishing up, enjoying the moment of solitude without letting it stretch on for too long. By the time she'd climbed out of the bath, the ache was completely gone from her knee and she could walk without difficulty - that salve was incredible, plain and simple.

She dressed in the cotton outfit and the pants portion of her uniform, but left off the jacket; she'd be more comfortable without it in the kitchen, and the long sleeves offered plenty of protection for his men. Her wet hair was pulled back into a loose French braid, the white streaks being pulled into the center from the sides. Practical, comfortable.

Leaving the bathroom, she set her jacket in the desk chair before turning to Todd. "Do you and your crew know what to do if someone is choking on their food?" she asked, the question having occurred to her while she was getting ready. Perhaps they might have learned in their childhood, but even if that were the case, how many of them remembered or could put the knowledge to practical use?

While waiting, he'd re-knotted and braided his impossible hair exactly as before.

When she came back into the bedroom he got up and stood by the door, waiting for her to put her hair up and the like when she posed the question.

And eh had to think on it.

"We don't" he answered. "What do you do?" he asked

"There are a few methods, depending on the severity of the situation," she explained. "When someone's choking, food is lodged in the airway, and sometimes simply slapping them on the back with a good amount of force is enough to loosen the obstruction and induce a cough to expel it." The walking medical textbooks in her head were preening as they fed her the terminology to explain, though she tossed aside the more complex words for her own sake.

"Other times, pressure needs to be applied here," she set a hand on her abdomen, between her navel and ribcage, "pushing up under the ribs. It has the same end result, but requires more accuracy."

Todd listened to the short safety tip on how to eat real food.

Course, eating humans could be dangerous too, but not quite like this, and he thanked her with a nod and a chuff before they headed down to the kitchens.

As Rogue contemplated in the pantry, the commander told the others this potentially life-saving tip.

Today, those that had not gotten the chance to learn from Rogue, switched with those that had the day before. Todd remained, though quickly became an extra wheel when all the chopping and measuring duties had been assigned, so he stood out of the way, but near enough to listen and watch as she worked.

Rogue taught this group the same basic methods as those from the night before, making sure each grasped the overall concepts as well as a particular skill. The main dish that night was a stew containing all the same ingredients as the meal from last night but with different spices. She wanted to impress upon her 'students' that they could manage quite a lot with what they had on hand if they just used a little creativity.

Finally the stew was left to boil and she moved them on to dessert. Heating the oven was an interesting experiment, trying a mid-range heat setting and then adjusting it when it wasn't quite what she wanted. She had them wash and core a pile of apples that were set in a baking dish and filled with a mixture of butter, cinnamon, and something vaguely similar to brown sugar. With a thin layer of water at the bottom of the pan, they were set in the oven and left to bake while the stew was ladled into bowls and handed out. Again, Rogue stayed in the kitchen, content to eat at the island as before.

She was a good teacher. Like before, the underlings obeyed Rogue and only questioned when necessary. They weren't quite sure what was going on the with apples but did as they were told, enjoying the stew at the table while the commander and the head chef enjoyed their meal at the island.

"Creativity is something Wraith will have to work on now that our meals are not ready to eat." he said. "We have very little in our culture and imagination that doesn't revolve around feeding on humans in some aspect." he admitted.

Edited 2015-11-29 07:55 (UTC)

"That's understandable," she commented with a slight nod. "It's been your way of life for a very long time, and change like this doesn't just happen overnight. But I'll do what I can to help while I'm here."

For however long that was. She enjoyed teaching them, enjoyed the actual act of cooking, and it was comforting to know that she was helping to make a difference in the quality of their lives. It was only a small difference in the grand scheme of things, of course, but it still meant something to her.

He chuckled, "A lot of what we do these days has not or never been our way of life"

Not just associating with non-worshiper humans, but gathering together regularly to discuss the state of things with fellow commanders and queens. Not to mention, considering Alantis as an ally and not as the great enemy.

After eating, those that had not helped cook helped with the clean up while whatever was happening with the apples continued.

As the cleanup was finishing, Rogue carefully removed the apples from the oven, the delicate scent of the baked fruit and cinnamon filling the room. Each apple was set onto a small plate with a fork, and the first was presented to Todd.

"This is my way of saying thank you," she explained as she passed out the rest, "for being quick and helpful learners." And now they would find out if Wraith liked sweet things, as a culture and as individuals. She was intrigued to see the results of the little culinary experiment.

Todd blinked a little confused. A meal after a meal? Well, thanks to the large party, seconds had not been allowed, so this second meal might tide him over longer.

Not above trying new things, the commander was the first to have a forkful.

It was very different than what they'd just finished. An entire different palette of flavors. The only dessert he'd been able to try was on Atlantis and it was jell-o. It'd been too much for him, but McKay had been only too happy to finish it for him.

This however was not overly sweet and the tartness of the apple balanced it out. Some of the group liked it more than others but the general consensus was that it was good.

It was a relief that they liked it at all. Most adults Rogue knew who had not grown up with sweets in their diet didn't care for them at all, which was why she'd chosen to try something that was more naturally sweet than anything. There were other fruits in the pantry that they could experiment with in the coming days, as well as the cheeses. It was another way to demonstrate creativity and improvisation.

Rogue, on the other hand, adored sweet things, especially chocolate. Smooth milk chocolate was definitely one of the things she missed most about life before the war. Finding an intact Hershey bar these days had become as likely as the Sentinels bringing them flowers, everything had been so picked over. It was more than a little depressing.

She finished the last of the cleanup once everyone was done and put away the final plates and utensils, then turned to her escprt with a small smile.

The underlings all thanked her again with a respectful nod before going their separate ways and Todd led the way back to his chambers.

Again, the idea of offering the position of cook on board came up in his mind but he pushed it away. After they reached Atlantis, that was best.

He took his chair tonight again, not tired for once, so he stayed up to read, adn also write out the Lantean translation key for her.

The days developed a pattern during their trip to Atlantis. Sparring happened regularly, and reading now that Rogue could stumble her way through Wraith and Lantean texts. She cooked every evening, teaching new skills to Todd's crew and himself. It wasn't the most eventful life, but after years of war, she was pretty okay with that.

As they drew closer to arriving at Atlantis, though, Rogue became increasingly nervous, all too aware of how much of her future depended on the people there and what they would think of her. More of her daily time was devoted to meditation to keep herself and the hitchhikers calm, and the day before the arrival she found herself able to do little else, even sleep. And the day of? She was certain her heart was going to leap out of her chest from the way it was racing.

The Wraith were quick learners and soon Rogue didn't even have to lift a finger during dinner time. Which was good because by now all fifteen inoculated Wraith turned up every night. The daily large scale feedings, even if it was only once a day, decimated the pantry pretty good, so it was good they dropped out of hyperspace near Atlantis when they did.

Todd got a message from his second and he had Rogue follow him to the bridge, the first time she'd been allowed up there. There were only two other wraith on the bridge, Kenny and one of the other inoculated ones, not many were needed to fly the hive when not in battle.

The wall in front of the bulbous podium that was the helm came to life when Todd gave the word to contact Atlantis. And they answered. A man with messy black hair came on screen, standing next to a nearly bald man with glasses.

"Hello John Sheppard, and Mister Woolsey, still in charge of Atlantis I see." Todd said.

"Todd. Keeping her afloat." Sheppard answered with a lopsided grin smile.

"You're two days later than expected." Woolsey said, a stickler for things being neat and on time.

"Negotiations with the third hive went slow then sour." Todd answered "I'll have the full details, good and bad, for you when we talk face to face."

"Sounds like a date." Sheppard said then left the screen to go talk to someone out of sight.

"Speaking of...dates...who's the girl?" Woolsey asked

"Come now Mister Woolsey, I thought you were better than that." Todd tsked.

Woolsey pulled a face then sighed and turned his eyes on Rogue. "I'm sorry, who are you?" Considering the only humans found on hive ships were worshipers or happy meals with legs, it was very strange to see Rogue standing beside a wraith. Even if it was Todd.

Rogue had to remind herself to stay calm, breathe, and not panic. She would be fine, it was pointless to freak out before anything had been decided. But as often as she went through that silent mantra and had it echoed by her knights, she still felt like she was near to shaking like a leaf from nerves.

And then they were on the bridge and there was John Sheppard on the screen. She liked the look of him, with his messy hair and a smile that she was sure could turn mischievous or sardonic at the drop of a hat. Someone who could be trusted.

The same could not be said for this Woolsey fellow. He reminded her of the politicians who had sat on their pedestals and signed off on the legislation that had ended her world, not even giving a moment's pause to consider who they were sentencing to death and imprisonment. But she had faced those politicians, she had faced the President of the United States, and she still just as tall now as she had then, despite the fear gripping her chest.

"My name is Marie D'Ancanto," she began, having debated for many hours over how to introduce herself when the occasion presented itself. "I'm from Earth in the year 2015, but Earth in another, parallel dimension. I came through a portal shortly after the aforementioned negotiations ended badly, and the Commander has been kind enough to offer me safe passage on his ship in the hopes that Atlantis might be willing to help me."

Any mention of her mutation was going to be kept for another encounter, she'd decided. Best to take this in stages, see first if they'd even consider aiding a human who had traveled with Wraith before stacking the deck against her.

Woolsey was surprised by this answer, clearly expecting some other sort, but before he could reply, another man came into view.

"W-Wait did I just hear you came from earth in a parallel dimension?"

"Doctor McKay" the commander acknowledged, both for Rogue's information and just to be polite.

"Hey Todd" he answered but seemed far more interested in Rogue's sudden appearance in this dimension and was about to question her further when Woolsey stepped up again.

"Are you here to deliver a warning or here on accident?"

Clearly this was not the first time that they'd encountered people from other dimensions.

So this was Doctor McKay. Rogue had asked Todd about Sheppard's team during their journey, since he had so much experience with them. His description of McKay had been... accurate, to say the least.

"A warning?" Rogue repeated, then shook her head. "No, I'm not here intentionally. None of this," she gestured broadly, "exists in my dimension. Not that we've discovered anyway."

At least they didn't seem too phased by the whole parallel universe thing. Just another day of weirdness at the office. But she really was not liking this Woolsey guy at all.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

time jump?

Re: time jump?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject