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

Rogue had curled up on the bed when they'd returned from the arena, using the time Todd was gone to meditate and try to smooth out the cracks she could feel in the walls she'd erected in her mind. It was a struggle not to drift off to sleep while doing so, though. While the enzyme had healed her physically, mentally she was exhausted. The ordeal had taken a lot out of her, especially with the realization of how close she might have been to dying, and working on shoring up her mental shields didn't help matters any.

When Todd returned, she propped herself up against the mound of pillows and looked at him expectantly. There was some element of his expression, or maybe of his stance, that said something had happened while he'd been gone, that there was news or a new development of some sort.

"How are things?" she asked him carefully, hoping she wasn't misreading him. "You were gone longer than I thought you'd be."

"Spoke to Cody, then Kenny spoke to me, and then I spoke to our navigators. We should be arriving at our destination soon."

Being in hyperspace so often wasn't good for the ship and it seemed like they were constantly on the move. After this trip to the worshiper world and then back to Atlantis, they should find a planet to orbit awhile. Landing the hive would be better but taking off from a planet was very difficult and couldn't be done quickly, so they'd be a sitting duck to their enemies.

Todd sat down beside her. "Feeling back to normal?"

She reached over to set a hand on his arm as he sat beside her, giving it a light squeeze. "Pretty much, I'm just tired now," she answered truthfully, giving him a grateful smile. "Mentally worn out, I guess. The rest of me is good, though, thanks to you." He'd saved her life, there weren't words that could express just how grateful she was for that.

Thinking back over what he'd said, she frowned slightly. "What did Kenny have to say? Was it something about what happened with Cody?" Perhaps his second had disagreed with the ways things had been handled, it seemed like that sort of thing would be in his nature.

In the past he might have pulled away at the gesture, but he didn't now. They were mates, and he was accepting of such.

"The usual, wondering why I devote so much time to you, though if you were a wraith he'd not be mentioning it. He also asked me what would happen to you if we should acquire a queen. Told him that's be up to the queen herself."

Rogue looked down at her lap, contemplating the situation. That Kenny was questioning the arrangement she and Todd had bothered her, but not because she felt he should blindly accept it. She was fairly certain that his opposition stemmed from concern for his commander and for his kin more than anything else.

"You do spend a lot of time with me," she acknowledged, smoothing her hand over his arm absently. "Does it bother any of the other crew? Should you be giving more of your time to them? They're more important to you than I am, and I don't want to cause any problems for you with them." She said it without any accusation or assumption of how things should be between them - she'd accepted that a wraith would always rank his kin above a human, and she didn't expect that to change just because they were mates.

"I'd be spending just as much time away from them as I would if we had a queen. It's his job to question everything I do. This isn't the first time he's told me this and thus far no other crew have come together to talk to me about it, so therefore my time with you is not as one-sided as Kenny believes. And if that's all he has to complain about, I find its been a good day." he stated with a chuckle.

"You're also thinking in terms of humans interacting with one another and not wraith. I'll elaborate, the average human does a lot with other humans. Everything from feeding together, to working out, to just sitting around doing nothing. And they do this fairly regularly. This is because they are not in one another's heads, because if they were and they did all those activities too, humans would exhaust themselves to death before the age of thirty. Wraith interaction is different, and as there are so few of us on such a large ship, all with daily duties, coming together to talk in person-or spar or eat-makes such that much more enjoyable. In the meantime, we're almost constantly in one another's minds, an almost consistently updating instant message board, to put it technically.."

He got up from the bed. "We're just as social as humans, but we do it differently." he went over to his desk and picked up The Count of Monte Cristo, returning to sit beside her. It'd be awhile yet before dinner was to be started, and Rogue looked as exhausted as she probably felt, so no more sparring.

If he was spending as much time with her as he would his queen, then things really would change when he got one in the future. Even if the queen let Rogue stay on the ship, she doubted that she would see much of Todd, and the thought made her heart ache. She'd grown incredibly attached to her commander, and with the way things were between them now, she could hardly stomach the idea of losing their time together. But it would happen eventually, she was certain of it, she just wasn't sure how she would cope with it.

"Thank you for always explaining things to me," she told him as he settled back beside her and she leaned into him. "I'm sure it's not always easy dealing with someone who's so completely clueless when it comes to most wraith things, but you're patient with me, and kind. That means so much to me."

Reaching up to run the tips of her fingers through his hair, she let them play over that prominent braid at the side, smiling at all it represented for her. "And thank you for saving my life in the arena. You didn't have to, but of course I'm glad you did."

A chuff of acknowledgement. She was one of them in all but species, he wasn't going to let her die if he could help it.

He read for a little while before they headed down to the kitchen for dinner. Today's group were to be the first to cook on their own without Rogue's supervision. While she sat at the table, they worked together like a well-oiled machine to get the meal prepared.

Todd mostly watched too as he'd had even more practice than any of them but still lent a hand when it came time to clean up while the savory pies baked. As they put things away, a mental broadcast was given out by the crew on the bridge. The hive gave its usual low shudder shortly after. They'd dropped out of hyperspace.

As the pies came out, another broadcast was sent out.

There was a distress signal at the commanders rendezvous point.

Todd looked to Rogue. She'd be fine with his crew. He had to check on this matter in person.

He gave her a quick explanation before heading to the bridge alone. The crew left behind with Rogue watched after him before resuming taking care of dinner.

It was strange for Rogue to be sitting at the table instead of helping in the kitchen, but with the day she'd had, she was grateful for the fortuitous timing. She relaxed in her chair and listened to the sounds coming from the other room, the chopping of knives and the like. It was comforting, soothing even, and something she could get used to. As the various groups got better with certain skills, she'd be happy to let them take over and just be on hand if they needed her.

The shudder from coming out of hyperspace was a familiar one by now, and she found herself looking forward to being able to see the stars through the skylight that night. But then Todd told her about distress signal. That had never happened before during her time on the hive ship and she couldn't help but be worried and a little frightened by it, though she tried to take a bit of comfort in that the crew there with her didn't seem bothered by it. Not that they were the easiest to read, of course.

Still. Wanting something to do other than just sit at the table, worrying and waiting, she joined the others in the kitchen proper and took a look at the pies they'd created, asking about the flavor combinations they'd tried and commenting on the perfectly baked crust. When it was earned, she was liberal with her praise of their newly acquired skills, and it always seemed to have a positive effect on their moods, which was good for everyone in the end.

The wraith were often one extreme in their expressions or the other, this was because they communicated mentally far more than verbally, but with Rogue around, that had changed a bit, and their more subtle expressions had become a little more readable.

After the pies had cooled sufficiently enough to eat and with no commander around, they began without him. They'd made three different pies. One poultry, one beef, and one only with vegetables. Instead of grabbing a slice from each to try and wasting any they didn't like, they each chose a slice of one and tried a bite of the other two from one another's plates, sometimes even trading plates if they liked the vegetable one more than the beef or vice versa.

"Do you think the commander will have us go to the signal?" asked one to the others, though it was hard to know why he'd asked aloud, perhaps in the event Rogue had something to say on the matter.

"Unlikely right away, we have business here with the worshiper colony and our potential farms to take care of first." said another. "Even if we're the closest to answer it, we've been in hyperspace too long and need this pause."

"Perhaps its a trap." chimed in a third.

"If it is, its a clever one. The distress beacon is hardwired into the hive itself. An enemy would've had to have taken an alliance ship and have it still salvageable to get to the rendezvous point, whose coordinates change every meeting with previous ones not kept in the system. And considering how brutal our battles have been, I don't see that happening."

The pies had all turned out exceptionally well, and Rogue was quite proud of the assembled group for their successful efforts. The beef pie was especially delicious in her opinion, and she enjoyed watching them all try the different kinds and trade plates - it reminded her a bit of being back at the mansion.

When the conversation turned to the distress signal, she appreciated that they spoke aloud so she could listen in, and she paid close attention to everything that was said. One of the downfalls of having an organic ship, she'd learned, was that need to take breaks in between travels through hyperspace. The same wouldn't be needed with a ship like those used by Atlantis, but there were benefits to the hive ships that the human versions couldn't even begin to touch.

The talk of the potential elaborate trap had her even more worried now, though, because she knew how fierce the fighting between the two Wraith factions had been since the Alliance formed. They couldn't afford to lose any of their allies, especially not any queens, and the potential damage to their own ship and crew if they walked right into a trap was staggering to think about. She'd known from her first day in Pegasus that she was in the middle of a war, but they hadn't yet been involved in any fighting, so in some way it almost hadn't seemed real. Now, though, she was having emotional flashbacks to her own time in a war.

Her expression must have showed the distress she was feeling, because one of the wraith turned to her, cocking his head slightly to the side, and asked, "Are you unwell?"

There seemed to be genuine concern behind the question, and the others at the table all turned to watch her, waiting for the answer to the question. Perhaps they were worried because of what had happened in the arena, or because she was their teacher and the only female on board. Whatever the reason, she was touched by it.

Shaking her head, she gave them all what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, just a little worried about the whole situation," she explained. "This is all still really new to me." She hoped it was a sufficient enough explanation for them.

"No need to be."

They didn't seem in the least bit worried themselves. Perhaps they were even yearning for a fight after months of rather blah traveling back and forth.

"We'll know fairly soon if its a hoax or not. Should the signal be one of ours, we'll likely go investigate once we're finished here. If not, we'll leave it be."

After that, the conversation turned to the food. As the last of the pastry were devoured, Cody came in to relay some news.

"Everyone is to gather." he said "The commander has an announcement to make that should be spoken about in person" and he was off again back through the corridors before anyone could talk to him. The group looked at one another and set their dishes by the sink to be cleaned up later, heading out to follow him, though two of them stayed beside Rogue as they walked so as not to leave her in the dust.

The walk was fairly long, all the way to the queen's throne chamber, the biggest gathering place on the ship with the exception of operations like the ship's bays and the engine room.

Todd stood at the front, expression unreadable. Kenny however, who stood beside him, looked almost excited.

Rogue forgot sometimes just how thrilling a fight might be for wraith. It had been a regular part of their existence even before this ongoing war, and the monotony of travel must be wearing on them. Sometimes things were a little too slow for even her, but a large-scale battle was never going to be her choice of pastime - her preference for fighting was more of the bar brawl nature that didn't result in so many lives lost. But she didn't say any of that, just nodding her acceptance of what had been said and focusing on the changed topic.

It seemed strange for Cody to appear and leave so suddenly, and for the commander to summon everyone together like this when the news could so easily be distributed among the wraith. She didn't bother trying to remember the path they took through the ship, it was far too long for her to have any accuracy with later, and she was genuinely grateful for the crew members who stayed beside her during the walk.

Her worry only grew when they arrived at their destination and took in the expressions of the commander and his second. For Kenny to be so openly displaying emotion and Todd to be so shut down, she couldn't help but think that this wasn't news that she would be celebrating. She stood toward the back of the group, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, and waited to hear the announcement.

Chatter was minimal and died almost as soon as the last of the wraith joined them. Without the drones among them, it was clear to see just how few wraith were spread out on board the hive.

Todd took a breath and spoke.

"By now you all know there was a distress signal picked up as soon as we dropped out of hyperspace. Indications are it didn't just come on, but its been broadcasting for awhile, possibly as early as right after we jumped into hyperspace. It is among the alliance signals, but its an old one. It's the missing hive."

Mumbles and looks were exchanged among the wraith, though quieted when Todd continued.

"For those who joined us recently, early on in the alliance a ship went missing on the outer reaches of the galaxy. We checked their last known coordinates but found nothing useful to clue us in on what happened. We're not close enough to go take a look and come back in a timely manner, and as we've been in hyperspace for some days now, its likely we won't be the first on the scene anyway. We're going to proceed with what we came here to do. Afterwards, we'll detour there before heading back to Atlantis. If the ship is indeed there and with the crew intact, it'll mean we have more allies."

Kenny glanced to him, perhaps to nudge his superior officer into telling them everything, no matter what. Todd continued as though he were going to anyway. "The ship was last known to be carrying a queen and a female, presumably her daughter. If all aboard the ship are alive and well, we may have another chance to acquire a queen sooner than previously believed."

The excited chatter that followed definitely uplifted the small bit of worry hanging over some heads.

"However, I'd advise not to get your hopes up. The ship has been missing for two years now. Hives don't disappear and reappear for no reason." he said wisely, and there were murmurs of agreement. "In the mean time, those who are set to go down to the planet, do so and check in with our brothers. Bring all drones back to be put into the hibernation pods, and tomorrow we'll meet with the worshiper colonies."

The crew began to disperse, Todd remained where he was by the throne, though Kenny left with the rest.

It wasn't anything Rogue could have imagined, and she hated the reaction she was having to the news. A new if old hive, possibly full of allies, would be wonderful for the alliance. A potential new queen this soon would be incredible for everyone, especially if she chose Todd. But if she chose Todd...

She stayed behind while the others left the room, watching Todd from where she was until everyone had gone. When it was just the two of them, she slowly crossed the room, arms still tight around herself, and stopped when she was a few feet away from him.

"This could be good news, right?" she asked quietly, trying not to let on how much she didn't want this to be happening. Because it was wrong to feel that way, and she refused to let it effect her actions in any way. This was her home, yes, but she had to be willing to do what was best. What was right. Even if it hurt her.

Todd looked up as Rogue approached him. He could see the conflict in her eyes. Wanting his and his crew's happiness, but the very real possibility that it might mean the end of her time here.

However, he was not as optimistic as his crew. The sudden appearance of this formerly missing hive was troubling. Allies and a possible queen could be on board. Or the ship had been conquered by another and they were being lured into a trap. Fortunately, they'd not be the first to walk into it, and should the signal move or remain broadcasting much longer, then they'd simply avoid wasting the time traveling there and send a dart scout out to investigate instead, as there was a gate on this planet and there was one relatively close to the missing ship it could travel through to.

"Could be" he answered "But there's a chance that its not as it seems to be. There's a fifty-fifty possibility its an ambush. There's little point in jumping to conclusions in either scenario."

He touched her shoulder and started to leave the throne room. "Quite a day." he said

He was right. It could still be a trap, or there might not be a second female on board. Or... There were any number of possibilities really. Thinking ahead without more facts would only stress her out, and that wasn't something she needed after she'd just spent so much effort on rebuilding herself mentally. Stress would put cracks back into those walls, and bring out the worst of her nightmares. Best to avoid that for as long as possible.

"Yeah," she agreed quietly, walking beside him. "It's been a doozy. I think I could sleep for a week at this point."

They made their way back to his chambers, both mentally and physically exhausted, but talking about how dinner went. Todd had no appetite so he skipped going to get some leftovers, head still buzzing from the events of the day, but still wished to hear how the first group did with their first lesson alone on the way.

After changing and crawling into bed, he felt more at ease looking at the stars through he skylight but didn't let Rogue curl up alone. He spooned against her back, wrapping a strong arm around her to keep her grounded and not allow her voices to overcome her. Breathing softly in her hair, he was asleep within moments.

It was comforting to have Todd wrapped around her, the strength and security he offered doing enough to keep her calm and relaxed, though she didn't fall asleep as quickly he did despite the soft rhythm of his breathing against her. Instead she lay there awake for hours, going over the events of the day again and again in her mind. It was like a sickness, she couldn't get her own thoughts to settle down, and It was only having him so close that kept her from completely panicking over her brush with death and the possibility of being with her home very soon.

Luckily, when she did sleep, it was a deep, dreamless rest. She didn't even shift around in her sleep as she sometimes did, she was so dead to the world. When she finally did wake, though, she was still tired, and there was an emptiness that clung to her like the shadows of the room.

Todd woke shortly after she did, letting go of her and sitting up.

He'd slept deeply, though dreamed of memories when Teyla had become a wraith queen to help get the alliance into his hands. Felt as long ago now as when they'd been at war with the Lanteans.

"I think you should come down to the planet. The fresh air might do you good after the events of yesterday" he said, getting out of bed and beginning to dress. He knew he was looking forward to some time on solid ground for sure. Being on a hive was great and all but he had a taste for the outdoors. The smell of the forest, the cool air, even the rain.

Rogue sat up slowly and watched him dress for a moment, considering the idea. It would be nice to be off the ship for a little while, it might even help get her out of this funk she was in, but she was concerned about one thing.

"Will it be safe for me?" she asked him, worrying one of the blankets between her fingers. "You said yesterday you'd be visiting the worshipper colonies. If worshippers aren't allowed on the alliance ships anymore but they see me traveling with you, how will they react to that?"

"Another group will be going to them, we'll be heading for the designated farmland. Should you see anything we should be doing differently I'd like your input. Atlantis has been reluctant about visiting this world because of the worshipers, who thus have been our only help in learning to farm." he answered, sitting down to pull his boots on. "You'll be safe, the worshiper colony is on a different continent than our farming land."

It was done this way to not only ensure the wraith left there didn't be tempted to feed on the humans, but also so that the humans didn't try to steal food or livestock from the wraith.

Nodding, she tossed back the covers and moved over to him, feeling small in her very human blue pajamas while he was in his full wraith uniform. She didn't mind the feeling, though - she might feel small, but she also felt protected with him.

"Then I'd love to go down to the planet," she told him with a smile, leaning over to set a kiss on his hair, smoothing a hand over those unruly strands, her fingers tracing the decorations left there. She still felt a constant thrill at having that small piece of him be hers.

He looked at her at the kiss but said nothing of it. He ought to be used to her little affections by now, but still, it was...strange.

After dressing and washing up, they headed down to the ship's bay where two transport ships were ready, one for the party going to the worshipers, the other to the farmland. When all were on board, the pilots steered them out of the bay and down to the planet. Their group consisted of Todd, Rogue herself and three others. Kenny remained on board in charge while they were gone, and to keep an eye on the distress signal

It was early morning when they stepped out into the bright and green. It was very warm and muggy compared to relatively cool, dry hive ship, and they stood on the edge of a very large cleared field. In half acre tilled earth there were the gardens, each had a different fruit or vegetable growing within the block, some farther along than others.

While Rogue and Todd walked at a languid pace, the others went over to the second transport ship to meet up with the wraith group that had been put in charge here.

"We have two more fields like this" Todd said to Rogue. "Unfortunately we don't know where the best place to farm will be but we picked spots where the weather is almost constant year-round. In another year we'll find out which plants do better where and transport the saplings if need be."

It had been months since Rogue had seen grass and touched real solid ground, and she hadn't realized how much she'd missed it. Atlantis was a lovely city, but there were no forests, no fields, and the air always smelled of saltwater. This place though, despite the warm wet air, was amazingly refreshing. She shrugged out of her leather jacket while they walked, carrying it while they surveyed the field.

"It was a good call to try here first," she told Todd while she stepped closer to one of the growing plants, smoothing a leaf between her fingers. "I think a lot of these will do well here. You'll probably need somewhere with a more temperate climate if you want to have a good harvest of things like corn and wheat, at least I think so."

She shifted her jacket to her other hand and adjusted her shirt slightly, the wet air making it stick to her skin - it was a little unpleasant after so long on the hive ship. "In areas that get colder, though, green houses would work well to keep crops growing year round."

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