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

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."

He noticed how her clothes stuck to her. While it was warm compared to the ship, he was pleasantly comfortable thanks to his organic clothes which kept warmth in when it was cold and cooled the body when, like now, it was warm and wet. He'd have to see about getting her some wraith attire...especially if she were to be leaving the hive.

"Green houses...You'll have to describe how they work."

The others soon accompanied them on their way further down, some of the crops were ready for picking but they wanted Rogue's opinion before doing so.

The first block were filled with yellow tomato plants and most of them were indeed ready, each trying a bite of the freshly grown fruit-vegetable. It was sweet and tangy on the tongue and warm from the early afternoon heat.

While they tasted the tomatoes that were coming along quite nicely, Rogue explained the mechanics of a greenhouse. The general construction of using glass or clear plastic, the way sunlight turned into heat that was held within the structure by the soil and water, the type of ecosystem that developed and the best things to grow in them. Thankfully, she was able to go into a fair amount of detail since there had been a greenhouse back at the mansion that had been regularly used in their science classes.

As they moved on to the second block that was filled with potatoes, she advised they wait another few days before harvesting and replanting.

"Do you have any storage facilities for what's harvested?" she inquired, returning the growing spud to its dirt bed. "With this kind of climate, it might be hard to keep things from molding quickly."

One of the wraith pointed to a large hut sitting just before the treeline. "Its equipped to freeze, dry, and refrigerate anything we harvest, and there's two more in this area. The crops belong to the whole alliance after all, we can't take everything we pick on board." he said

"We'll take what we need to replenish our stocks, clean and store the rest, and leave it for the next hive to come through." Todd added as they moved onto strawberries. While there were plenty of plants, there were few to harvest. Apparently they did better the longer they remained in one spot so next year's yield would be better than the few handfuls they picked.

As they harvested what they could, they'd fill a basket or bucket with the item and one wraith would jog it over to the hut to clean and store right away.

Normally it was the drones that'd be doing this sort of work, but until a serum for their gene therapy could be created, they'd be stuck in hibernation, leaving the warriors the more menial tasks. However, it was good to see and complete for themselves what was ripe, what wasn't and so on so that when they passed on the orders to the drones, it would be easier for them to make fewer mistakes.

Once Rogue gave the okay for each crop, another wraith would mark it on his portable screen and they'd move onto the next. Todd and his group were here as inspectors, the wraith that were here when they arrived would remain until their next trip. By then of which they hoped the drone's gene therapy would be complete.

Their storage facility was incredibly impressive, and would be more than useful when they got their operation running at full-scale. She could picture the place in a few years, the drones tending to crops and the stores full and waiting for alliance ships to restock their pantries. It would be a good system, one that work exceptionally well once they were able to keep the drones here long-term.

Rogue was thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to get her hands dirty, as it were. She could tell herself whether most of the fruits and vegetables were ready for picking, and for the ones she was less familiar with, there was usually someone in her head willing to volunteer some information. They had done really well in their planting and organization, and only once did she suggestion relocating one of the varieties to a raised bed in the hopes that it would do better - the ground seemed a little too wet for the roots as it was.

By the time they'd gone through the whole field, her hands were caked with dirt, and the bottom halves of her pants and shirtsleeves had soil clinging to them that was hard to shake. But she didn't care. She didn't even notice the streak of dirt along her neck.

Since each field was identical to the one they were in, the information she passed onto the wraith stationed here would then be transferred to those in the other fields.

For now however, Rogue, Todd, and the others that had come with them headed to the ship to fly to the livestock areas. They didn't need as much help with them as they did with the fields from Rogue but it wouldn't hurt to let her give any input she could offer.

The livestock fields and barns were were far more north than the vegetable ones, but the ride in the scout ship had barely been ten minutes long, everyone brushing dirt off themselves as they flew along. The wraith who were in charge of these were not from Todd's hive but another, having decided early on in this arrangement that having one hive be on the planet at all times was unfair in several ways.

As such, they were surprised by the appearance of the human beside the commander as they strolled up to the fence where the cattle were being kept. The field was quite large, the other end of the fence not visible from their location, and the cows and steers were turned out to graze in the green grass. They weren't the black and white ones Rogue might be used to be looked like a cross between the Pakistan Tharparkar and the Highland breed found on earth. One cow laying down nearby and chewing her cud moo'ed dolefully at them.

"How's this herd?" Todd asked the ranking member of the wraith in charge here.

"Well enough, we needed to bring in worshipers early on to help out with milking, breeding and birthing though." the wraith said, clearly not happy that he'd been given this job, which was understandable. Up until now all wraith were used to their food doing everything on their own, especially the dirtier bits of life. "Things will be easier when the gene therapy for the drones is spread."

"We'll be heading back to Atlantis soon enough." Todd said "With some luck, they'll have progressed on that front."

It was the first time that Rogue had been around wraith who weren't from Todd's hive, and she wasn't entirely comfortable with the way they were looking at her. She couldn't begin to interpret what those looks might mean, but she was at least fairly certain none of them were contemplating having her for dinner, which would have been the case with any wraith who hadn't already received the gene therapy.

While Todd spoke with the other wraith, she watched the cattle grazing, her gaze taking note of the large space and the way the animals filled it. When the topic of Atlantis came up, she turned to Todd and suggested, "It might be good to speak to the Atlantis crew about getting some dogs to help with herding the livestock. There are quite a few breeds on Earth that have been used to keep cattle in groups for easy handling, or getting them to different pastures for grazing. I'm not sure how they'd work with the drones, but if trained properly, I think they could be really effective."

Her discomfort grew as the strange new wraith focused their attention on her, and she tried not to let on how it affected her. Todd was still there beside her so she wasn't exactly afraid of the other wraith, but wasn't about to try joking with them like she occasionally did with the crew she'd gotten to know so well in the kitchen.

Edited 2016-01-11 06:46 (UTC)

"Dogs?" the wraith asked.

"Canines." Todd clarified, not liking how this one was looking at Rogue in a mix of confusion, disgust, and sizing her up for a meal, though he knew for a fact he'd taken the gene therapy.

Unlike he and his crew, who were regular visitors to Atlantis and were relaxed around humans-especially this one with them, other wraith like these didn't have nearly the amount of exposure as they did, just with worshipers.

"We shall look into it." Todd nodded to Rogue before the group headed to the stables. There were horses kept as well, as the wraith learned quickly they were far easier to get around on-and round up the cattle for the night-than trying to with a dart, which were very noisy and hard to maneuver in such a relatively confined area.

She stayed close to Todd as she walked to the stables, but she couldn't help but stop at one of the stalls to inspect the horse within. A few of the people in her mind had ridden at some point in their life, either simple riding or as part of a sport, and there was a sense of nostalgia circling her mind, feeding her own memories of the stables at the mansion. She'd never been much for riding herself, but she still reached out to smooth her hand along the nose of the horse, who sent a puff of breath at her playfully.

It was a struggle not to jump at the wraith that appeared close to her, especially with the way he was looking at her, the way he was holding his feeding hand. She glanced at him for just a moment, trying to keep her expression calm despite her racing heartbeat, and moved closer to the wraith she knew, the ones who knew her and didn't see her as a walking meal.

[ooc: Just found out David Bowie passed away :< So sad...]

"They seem to be well-taken care of." Todd said, wanting this inspection done with, but they still had several other livestock to check on before they could.

"Yes, we don't plan on eating them but they do receive some extra care." the wraith answered, then glanced to Rogue. "Much like pets..."

Todd decided to nip this in the bud right now. "She's not a pet, nor worshiper, nor food. She's a consultant, and those on Atlantis would not take kindly to finding out she was taken advantage of by you." While everything he said was true, they weren't exactly interconnected. Still, the commander knew his way around a lie to get what he wanted. And what he wanted was for this underling to cease his hungry looks.

The other frowned, but Todd out-ranked him, even if he was from another hive, and didn't press the matter, instead leading them to the pig pens next.

More like wild boars than your large pig oinkers back home, they were very vicious and their pen was electrified to keep them from butting against it. Still, they were being treated well too with full troughs and plenty of room.

"Unfortunately they are the worst to manage." the underling said

"You should have heeded our hive's advice and barter for ones from humans, not go collecting from the wild." said Todd.

"All those we looked at didn't have stock big enough to take from, and these are far larger in their weight." the underling elaborated. He was telling the truth, they were quite massive, but so were some of their tusks. Fortunately when it came time to slaughter, wraith stunners would make the job fairly easy, both for wraith and pig.

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