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

And just like that, in a matter of moments her entire world had changed again. The week of traveling had been wonderful, getting to spend time with Todd and enjoy his company in every way possible. It had been far too short it seemed now, when they were given the news that there was a queen and she would take her place within Todd's hive. He accepted, of course, as Rogue had known he would - it was the best thing for him and his ship. But she was still terrified of what it would mean for her and the life she had on the hive.

But when she saw the young queen, a little of that fear faded, replaced by sympathy. It was clear that the woman had been through something terrible, a plight which Rogue could understand all too well. The terror returned full force when it seemed that she might be on the dinner menu, though - she'd forgotten as well that queens were still on a strictly human diet. But to go into hibernation, to have to wait like this for who knew how long... And feeding on a human would mean that human dying. She couldn't allow that when there might be another option. But she had to tread carefully, make sure she gave the right impression to this young queen who held Rogue's future in her hands.

"Commander," she said in a low voice, trying to show Todd the respect he deserved and the queen would expect, "I think I might be able to help in this situation, if you and your queen will allow it. When we first met, you fed on me to heal - if I were to borrow a little energy from someone, I believe it would be possible for the queen to do the same."

It was an untested theory, of course. Though she'd offered a number of times, Todd had never fed on her after their run-in on that planet. But with everything that was at stake, Rogue was willing to take the risk, fully understanding what would happen if she was wrong.

Todd froze and looked to Rogue, frowning and shaking his head ever so slightly to tell her to shut up, but it was no good, she'd already spoken, and the queen's hearing seemed to be just fine.

"What's this?" the queen said, brow furrowing. "Borrow energy?...What sort of human are you?"

"She's...an extraordinary one." Todd butted in.

"She isn't like that troublesome hybrid from some years back is she?" the queen said.

"No my queen, she has no Wraith in her whatsoever I assure you." he said.

"...Explain then."

Todd glanced to Rogue again. If she'd kept quiet they might not have to have had dealt with her exile until they reached Atlantis. But there was no stopping it now it seemed. He launched into a quick tale of how he and Rogue met. The crash, where she came from, her ability, and now her ability to control it. As they were expected in the throne room he cut out the details but he assured her he'd fill her in on them later on.

The queen listened without comment. Eventually she said to Rogue, "My new commander seems to think highly of you...Rogue. But as tempting as the offer is to try this method, I am very weak, and the temptation to take more than what you offer is great. And there's the possibility you might lose control and attack me." she turned to Todd. "I will wait for an actual human. We are wanted in the throne room."

The commander was glad the queen was more clever than he'd originally given her credit for. Not only for Rogue's sake but as well as her own. He threw his human a pointed look to not to offer herself like that again...or speak at all unless spoken to.

As they headed down to the throne room, he now had to come up with a way to get hold of a human for the queen to feed on, possibly more than one as she seemed to have sustained her injuries for some time. Atlantis wouldn't like it, but they already knew the queens were still on their original diet. Once she took the gene therapy-if it worked-she'd not need to feed again, and he very much doubted she'd want to live blind and scarred like this forever more. Once they were on their way again, they'd be passing a planet with a Stargate in orbit, and he got an idea of how to feed his new queen.

The way Todd looked at her made her feel like a petulant child or scolded pet, and there was no chance for her to explain that she would never have made the offer if she'd thought there might be a possibility of hurting his new queen. She had more confidence in her control now, had been testing herself bit by bit over the last week, but none of that mattered now.

It became quickly apparent the conditions under which she would be living if she were allowed to stay on the hive. Having never dealt with a queen before, it had only been a distant notion of what to expect years from now when Todd might find a queen. But this, now... She didn't know how she'd felt about it. This sort of hierarchy of power was so far removed from everything Rogue had ever known, more militaristic than anything, and she was beginning to doubt whether she could live in it even if she were allowed to stay.

The idea was heartbreaking.

Rogue accepted the look from Todd and resolved to keep her head down and remain silent as ordered. She had no status on the hive now, being just another humam - though still not one meant to be fed on. She followed behind the group, keeping pace with the other wraith who accompanied them, trying not to draw any further attention to herself.

Todd had no desire to take any unnecessary risks. He had no idea what to expect of this queen. So far it seemed she didn't seem to mind Rogue remaining on board, but she was very weak and her attention not really giving much care to her.

The walk to the throne room seemed very slow and long but he didn't rush the new female, and they got there eventually, greeted by all but those who remained on the bridge to keep an eye on things. And the drones of course, which Todd told her were all in hibernation to keep starvation at bay.

Clawed fingers sought out the throne and the new queen sat upon it, and began her tale to her new crew.

About a week before the hive went missing, they got into a battle with another hive from those who were against taking the gene therapy. The battle was intense and lasted nearly an hour before her hive managed to take out and blow up the other. But theirs was severely crippled and on the edge of the galaxy, hyper-drive completely destroyed. Their queen was killed when shrapnel struck her, thus putting her daughter in charge.

So few of the crew were left after the battle but they worked furiously to repair it, cannibalizing other systems where necessary, using sub-lights to at least move to a populated planet to feed. The Stargate on the planet was their way to tell the other hives of their problem, but before they could reach it they were ambushed by Genii who'd gone into hiding but couldn't resist taking out some Wraith.

The new queen was injured and the Genii found themselves lucky to get her. They took her back to their base and tortured her for information. Cutting her throat and even removing her eyes and some fingers. All of which had grown back but her sight was still gone. After a month under their boot, she managed to escape, feeding on and killing as many as she could before making her way back to the scout ship parked on the planet, and then back to her hive. Blind, she worked as best she could, alone. Fortunately much of Wraith technology was worked by touch and mind than by sight. It was some time before she managed to get the hyper-drive working to putter on to the coordinates of the last rendezvous site she could think of.

The distress beacon was activated and, without sustenance, she didn't know when or if she'd be picked up so she went into hibernation, until they found her.

It was a plausible story, and a horrific one to be sure. To lose an entire crew and be taken captive, tortured by the same twisted society that had done so to Todd in the past, and in such horrific ways. But despite that plausibility, Rogue began to realize the potential problems with the situation.

Even if the queen's story was completely true, that sort of experience took a great toll on people. She'd been alone for so long, and wraith did not do well in solitude. And after the torture she'd endured... It might have been different if she'd been able to heal, but there was no telling yet how having to live with her injuries for a lengthy time might have affected her mental state.

And if her story was only partially based in truth, there was even more to worry about. The queen was young and did not have the endurance of a wraith even half Todd's age. If she had been held captive by any group for a lengthier time than she'd said, there was a chance that she'd been manipulated in some way. It wasn't uncommon to try to 'turn' prisoners through pain and brainwashing tactics, and such a young queen would be perfect for such things.

But Rogue was in no position to voice any of these concerns. If she was given the chance later to be alone with Todd, she might broach the subject, but it was difficult to say whether her wariness would be accepted. She knew how Todd had been before the queen's arrival, but now that he'd seen her current state... Well, a lot of things had changed, she would just have to wait to see how much.

A horrifying thought, to be brainwashed by the very group that he'd been captured by. But such a thought had not even crossed the commander's mind. But then again, unlike Rogue, he knew the strength and limits of a queen, even a young one.

After her tale, she ordered to have her former hive destroyed. Even if given a decade to regenerate, it would never be battle-ready again. She then ordered her new crew to go about their duties and Todd agreed, though first...

"I think I know where to get you some sustenance." he said then looked to the nearest wraith. "After destroying the hive, pass on the order to head to the nearest Genii hideout, you'll find several coordinates in our database for such times like these." he grinned, and the other wraith nodded and inclined his head to his new queen before hurrying off.

The queen turned to her commander, "Is that wise?...How did you even find such locations?" she said, narrowing her eyes.

"I...liberated them from the Atlantis database not long ago." he grinned "They've done wrong by me as well, my queen. I have no qualms about taking a few Genii to replenish your health before going into hibernation. And Atlantis doesn't seem to be in alliance with them anymore. The galaxy will not miss a few Genii, and my crew are well and healthy thanks to Rogue here." Todd said, nodding to the mutant.

The queen relaxed. "Good. You may send your crew away so that we may talk as three."

Todd did as he was ordered, the rest of the crew going back to work, leaving just the queen, commander, and sort-of-human alone in the chamber. A quiet settled on them before the queen spoke again, this time addressing Rogue. "From what I gather from my commander's mind, you are a strong one. Worthy of a throne yourself if you were wraith." Todd smiled, glancing to Rogue. "Your ability is an incredible one, as is your story. I may be blind, but I'm no fool, I know my commander and the crew have grown quite attached to you, and exiling you out would not sit well with any of them, especially since you're his mate."

Todd stiffened, listening to his new queen's final verdict on keeping or kicking Rogue out.

"You may remain on board."

Todd's plan was... a sound one. In the past, Rogue would never have condoned killing of any sort unless in self-defense, but things had changed for her during the war. She'd seen firsthand the cruelty that humans could inflict on others, experienced the genocide of her people and destruction of her entire planet. If these Genii were even a fraction as horrible as Todd had described, then perhaps the galaxy could do with a few less among their stars.

Being alone with Todd and his new queen was one of the most intimidating experiences of her life. This young female was about to decide her future, and at the start of the 'conversation' Rogue had no idea which way the axe would fall. Things certainly started off well, with the praise Todd had given her, and then the queen's acknowledgement of the position Rogue had held thus far on the hive.

But then the decision was made and she had to remember how to breathe again.

"Thank you," she said to the queen, real gratitude in her voice. "If I may, you are incredibly strong yourself for having survived what you did. It's an honor to be allowed to stay on your ship." She paused for a moment, then decided to continue while the opportunity had presented itself, hoping that she wasn't ruining things by speaking too much. "And I would like to assure you that my loyalty truly is to this hive - its crew, the Commander, and yourself."

"When I am feeling more like myself again, you may elaborate to me on that which my commander has left out about your time here, and your world." the queen said with a slight nod. "For now, I must talk to him alone, and then rest."

Todd escorted Rogue out into the corridor and, out of sight of his new queen, pressed his forehead to Rogue's own. "You troublemaker." he whispered with a grin.

Having him close again, even for just a moment, was something like a miracle. She'd been so afraid she would lose him, lose her home, but she was staying.

"It's not the first time I've been called that," she whispered in return, giving him a small smile. She set a hand on his chest, enjoying that closeness for another moment, then gave him a gentle shove backward. "Go on, your queen's waiting. I'm not going anywhere."

The commander nodded and withdrew, the weight lifted from his shoulders felt good, and he could only imagine what it must be like for Rogue.

He returned to his new queen's side and he talked about what had happened in the two year span she'd been out of touch. The gene therapy had been perfected for all the males and they were in the process of getting it done for the drones next. The worshiper/farming world's progress, how many were now in the alliance, which had doubled since her mother had joined. And everything she asked about.

She, in turn, told him of her time with the Genii, and before that, he time on board the hive with her queen and her kin.

In the meantime, the hive steered towards the nearest Genii outpost, and, after approval from queen and commander, three darts ventured down to scoop up as many of the humans they could to feed their new queen.

Rogue was having a hard time taking in her new situation, actually. It felt like a dream, with everything having happened so quickly. She stood out in the corridor, arms crossed over her chest, and eventually started pacing while she waited - she didn't know this part of the ship and therefore was essentially stuck until Todd finished with the queen. In the meantime, she could do little else but wait and replay everything that had happened in the hour or so since the queen had arrived.

As the minutes passed, she contemplated asking one of the crew to guide her to the part of the ship she was familiar with, but after she'd made the decision to do so, none happened by. Which was typical of the universe, really.

Eventually, Todd reappeared, the queen on his arm again.

"Rogue? Why are you-oh, right, sorry, I thought you knew your way back. Very well, the darts have returned, we're headed down to the holding cells to let her feed, from there I'll take you back to my chambers."

And the trio headed off again, the queen seemingly weaker than before. She'd come out of hibernation shortly before they picked her up, and usually right after a wraith emerges they fed. Such was not the case here, the queen on board the hive that answered the call wouldn't allow her to take from her store of humans. And between her ordeal, the excitement of gaining a new commander and hive and learning of Rogue all in the span of a couple hours, it was a wonder she was on her feet at all.

The wraith who'd picked up the Genii had just tossed their unconscious forms into the cell when they arrived.

"Four?" Todd said, a little disappointed in their haul.

"Sorry, they must have detected us before we arrived." said one of the pilots.

"Four will be enough to sustain me, and perhaps even get my sight back" the queen said, letting go of her commander's arm and approaching the unconscious body.

Todd, not wanting Rogue to witness this, touched her elbow and led her away.

When they were out of earshot of the holding cells, she glanced at Todd apologetically. "I'm sorry, I would have tried getting back on my own, but I wasn't sure I could make it without getting lost, and I'm sure that would have made a great impression," she told him, the last coming out a little on the bitter side. She felt useless when it came to things like this, like another silly human.

She ran a hand through her hair, the side without the braid he'd given her, and sighed. "Maybe I'll see if Cody will walk with me through nearby parts of the ship when he isn't on duty," she commented, mulling over the idea. "If you don't mind, of course. I need to be able to get around on my own if necessary, since you're going to be busier now. And he kind of owes me after what happened in the arena."

"If you're okay with him leading you about where you don't know where to go, I can arrange that." he nodded, able to faintly hear the cries of the Genii being fed upon, which was quite a wonderful sound.

As they continued to walk he said, "What's your impression of the queen?" he asked. it was likely she'd have nothing to add that he didn't already know, but he wanted to hear it aloud anyway from her.

She had to put that sort of trust in someone, since as she'd pointed out she couldn't wait around for Todd to escort her everywhere now. Cody was one of the wraith she was closest to on the hive, and that hadn't changed after the accident.

The sounds from the holding cells were just barely within range of Rogue's hearing, and while Todd enjoyed it, she was forced to deal with memories of trying and often failing to liberate people from the prison camps on her world.

"I'm not really sure what to think of her," she answered honestly. "She's the first queen I've met, after all. But with everything she's been through... I worry about the toll it might have taken on her, mentally more than physically."

Perhaps they ought to lay out some string along the floor to lead her where she needed to go, which were primarily the sparring arena and the kitchen. Or paint some arrows on the walls.

"She was with the Genii for a month, I was with them for nearly fifty years. If anyone's mental stability should be in question, its mine" he chuckled. "No, I've seen what a wraith is like when he loses his head. She might be injured, stressed, and worn to the bone, but her mental state is fine." he answered

If he laid down string for her or did anything else of the sort, she'd kick his ass in more than the arena. She didn't need the crew thinking she was a dumb human who couldn't find her way around, and she sure as hell didn't need the new queen getting that sort of impression of her either.

She wasn't as certain of things as Todd was, but it wasn't her place to push the matter when he was likely entirely correct. It wasn't that Rogue was necessarily worried about the queen's mental stability, though - more the impact that her experiences might have on her decision making. But that really wasn't her place to comment on, so she would keep her mouth shut for once.

"That's good, then," she replied, forcing a small smile. "I'm so glad that things are working out for you. You have a queen now, and it didn't take years to find one." It was a good thing, for him and for his hive.

Something about her said she was still worried, but he said nothing of it, deciding that if she had something to say, she'd say it.

"Indeed" he said, swelling with pride a little. Hard not to, he'd not had a queen in decades, and Teyla's short reign didn't count in the slightest, though her actions did set things in motion for this alliance.

"It'll be some time before we start to replenish our numbers, but you can't have it all at once." he chuffed. "For now, we're headed back to Atlantis, and there we'll remain for awhile."

The queen would have to be monitored for side-effects of the drug, and while there he'd also simultaneously work on the serum for the drones too.

He deserved to be proud, it was a really big deal for his hive to have received this queen when there were so many others in the alliance that were still without. And Rogue held to the belief that this queen would have chosen Todd and his hive even if the circumstances hadn't been quite so dire.

"I guess that'll give me the chance to train with Teyla," she said with a smirk. "If I can learn to be even half as good at fighting as she is, our sparring matches will take a very different turn." She might have learned how to mostly hold her own with him, but she was under no illusion about how she would fare with other wraith who didn't hold back - Cody had made that outcome very clear to her.

A chuckle at that, "I'm sure she'll teach you everything she can about knocking me off my feet." He grinned, "Though I advise not to fight with Ronon if you're not going to set some boundaries," he said, recalling her cracked ribs. All too soon they arrived at his quarters. "I'll send Cody by to bring you to dinner." he said.

He still wasn't sure where he'd be sleeping tonight. Would the queen want him in her bed after being alone for so long? Or would she prefer to remain on her own? He'd find out soon enough.

After dropping Rogue off, he returned to the queen's side just as the bodies of the Genii were being dragged away to be shot out into space. She was infinitely better looking, all visible wounds healed, and seemed to be looking herself over now that her sight was back, eyes once all black, now deep yellow again.

They walked to her new quarters, now not needing to be led by his arm, but still walked beside him. Searching through the wall panels, they found some clothes for her. The rags she had on, she discarded, and they took a long hot bath together. He combed out any knots and snags from her hair and by the time they showed up at the kitchen, she had practically transformed into a different wraith entirely.

While she didn't eat real food yet, she still wished to see the crew in action. They paused what they were doing briefly before resuming their work with Rogue, who'd been brought by Cody as asked.

While she waited for dinner to roll around, Rogue's thoughts drifted along the same line as Todd's. It wouldn't surprise her if the queen wanted him with her that night, or any of the others in the near future, since she'd been so long without companionship. At the same time, she could understand if the queen preferred to remain alone, as she might have grown used to being that way. Trying to guess which one it would be would just drive Rogue crazy though, so she passed the time by perusing one of the many books stored in the hidden shelves - it was good to practice her Wraith reading skills.

She should have expected that the queen would want to see the crew in the kitchen, but it took Rogue by surprise to look up from the island counter and see the transformed woman standing there with Todd. The change was nothing short of breathtaking, and it took Rogue a moment to snap out of it enough to incline her head in respect as she'd seen the others do.

A bubbling behind her had Rogue turning quickly and reaching around the wraith at the stove to move the deep pan full of oil to a different burner. "You have to watch the temperature closely when dealing with oil," she advised the crew member as she adjusted the temperature. "If it overheats, it'll bubble like it was starting to and can overflow and catch fire. It also changes the taste of the oil, and since we're frying things, that would kind of ruin dinner."

The other wraith at the island who had been chopping and breading vegetables and chicken paused in their work to listen to Rogue's instruction before again resuming their tasks.

The queen quietly asked her commander questions about what was going on as they watched. Why not eat the vegetables as they were? What did frying the food do? Why must so many herbs and spices be used?

He answered to the best of his ability, which, being one of the first to be taught all this, was quite good. Still, in between Rogue's work, he sometimes repeated a question to her as she was able to elaborate where he couldn't.

The crew seem to be rather...obedient around her

The kitchen is a dangerous place at times my queen he answered, figuring she might wish to speak to him without Rogue knowing. Sharp knives, hot pans and ingredients, and when you're serving a group, there's a lot of it and thus more hands and a leader is needed Everyone must work in unison lest someone get hurt. When you get your chance to learn, I'm sure you'll appreciate how smoothly things run when there's someone in charge in the kitchen.

Me? Learn how to cook?

Of course. You see, humans come to us pre-made in every form. Taste, build, looks, and so on. With food, the array of choices is as wide as our pantry is. And if you don't like how something tastes, you can change it. Believe me, once you've begun on the new diet, you'll want to try new things all the time, and even create your own. Working in the kitchen and getting a hands-on feel of it all helps one enjoy the meal more than just a meal.

She cocked her head at him and then nodded once before turning her gaze and mind back on the work of their underlings.

It was a little intimidating being watched by the queen while they worked, but Rogue did her best to get past it. Of course the queen would want to see her crew in action, and from the sorts of questions that were passed on by Todd, she didn't imagine a whole lot of this made sense to the other woman, just as it hadn't for any of the others when they'd first started. And doubtless there were a number of other questions that weren't being asked aloud.

Later, when they had another chance to speak without the crew around, Rogue decided that she would offer the queen private lessons in the things she'd already taught the crew. Things could move more quickly without a group, and the new queen wouldn't have to worry about keeping up appearances in front of her crew - if she understood things correctly, anyway. It was hard to say what the queen would be like in future interactions.

The final meal was a whole lot of fried things and a side of mashed potatoes to make sure there wasn't too much oil for anyone. They hadn't had much experience with wraith getting indigestion, and she wasn't even sure if it was possible, but in Rogue's mind it was better to prolong the not knowing than find out now.

One of the crew was moving to dispose of the pan of oil when Rogue quickly stopped him, explaining that the oil would need to cool before they could do anything with it, and pouring it down the sink would cause a great deal of damage. Since they wouldn't be part of the next day's cooking shift, she showed them the plastic jar she'd saved from the supplies provided by Atlantis, the perfect container for such a task, so they would know what to do if they encountered this situation on their own.

Because that was the whole point of this, wasn't it? To make the wraith self-sufficient when it came to their food supply, from growing it to cooking it. It would be a good thing when one day Rogue became completely unnecessary to the process - even if it hurt a little to think about such times.

As the others sat down to eat, Todd gave the queen the tour of the kitchen, which was already showing signs of great use despite efforts to keep things neat. He'd ask Woolsey about getting more equipment. Maybe it was time to expand the place a bit, especially since, once the serum was complete, the drones would also be eating and thus more than double their usage of the kitchen.

Hungry himself, Todd then sat down to eat with the others, the queen sitting at the island with the few cookbooks they had, silently browsing through them with curiosity.

Edited 2016-01-20 07:06 (UTC)

A larger kitchen operation would definitely be needed once the drones began to eat food, and eventually the size of their hive would increase as well. A little extra space and more equipment would do wonders for their productivity.

Rogue finished her meal quickly, not having much appetite after the stressful day, and returned to the kitchen to begin the last of the cleanup. With the queen there, though, she wasn't quite sure how to act. Everything with the arrival had happened so suddenly that she hadn't exactly had time for an etiquette lesson. Pausing partway into the space, Rogue hesitated before quietly saying, "Excuse me, my queen," and moving to the sink.

It felt and sounded strange, mostly because her instinct had been to say 'your majesty' and that certainly didn't seem right. "Is that how I should address you?" she asked the young woman in that same low tone, glancing back at the queen. "I'm not Wraith, so I don't want to make any assumptions that would offend you."

She really needed that etiquette lesson...

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