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The Wraith known as Cloudeyes was one of the best pilots in the Alliance. He relied little on his instruments and focused only on watching the sky as he flew through the atmosphere. Simply by noticing the subtle shapes of the clouds, even in the moments as he passed, he was able to adjust the dart to glide through the atmosphere.
It was because of his skill as a pilot that allowed him to get out of the way of the drone that the Lantean ship fired as it turned off its cloak. His two squad-mates weren’t as lucky. He felt their minds cry out in fear and pain as they crashed. Darkmist and Gentleforce disappeared and Cloudeyes knew he was alone. He banked to the left as a second shot flew by. He remembered during the Great War when the real Lanteans were the enemy. Though he was young at that time, he rose in prominence for his skill. Still, this pilot was better than any he had faced before. The ship fired a third shot and faded under its cloak again. With the drone locked on, Cloudeyes dove into the tree line, forcing the drone to follow and explode upon hitting a tree.
The fourth time the Lantean vessel appeared, Cloudeyes launched a volley of attacks. The Lantean pilot truly was skilled as they managed to avoid most of the shots. But one of them did strike the ship. The ship, rather than turning on the cloak, launched several volley’s of drones at Cloudeyes. He surmised that his shot must have damaged the cloak. Cloudeyes raced across the planet, keeping the drones from locking on. He knew he would not be able to avoid the shots forever, so he spun the dart around and charged the Lantean vessel. He fired several volleys as he ducked and weaved as he closed the distance. One of the drones struck the underside of the dart at the same time he his the Lantean ship with two rapid shots. Both ships dove towards the ground. Cloudeyes pulled the dart into a glide as fell, hitting the ground at enough of an angle to avoid the ship exploding. He climbed out into the harsh sunlight glinting off the snow. He tried to shade his eyes, but the light was extreme.
The last thing he did before leaving the ship was to set the program to automatically repair itself. The damage was intense. Uninterrupted, it would take twelve hours until it was capable of taking him the Hive. If it was given twelve hours. The Lantean vessel likely survived as well, given the skill of the pilot. They would hunt them. And so he would hunt them back.
Based off the smoke rising from the distance, they were south about ten miles. He started running south-east, wanting to avoid running directly into them. As he ran, he started to get a feeling. It was strange. It was a mind that was almost Wraith. Not quite, but almost. He tried to focus on it, hoping that others had survived and were injured, but the mind was like smoke. Avoiding his probings and sealing itself off.
It took almost eighteen minutes for him to sprint close enough to see the Lantean ship. He slowed to a stop and cautiously crept forward, making as little noise as possible. His palm itched. He couldn’t wait until he fed on them. He listened as he heard the two humans speaking.
“Can you fix it or not McKay?”
“Aren’t you listening, without the appropriate parts, it’s not a matter of fixing it. The shielding is compromised. The front window is shattered. I could easily fix all the electrical damage, but without shields and a new windshield, any attempt to leave the atmosphere is useless.”
“Well we can’t just sit here. Teyla said she could still sense a Wraith nearby.”
“What do you want me to do about it? You’re supposed to be a decent pilot. And you couldn’t out fly a Wraith dart?”
“Well if you had fix the cloak-“
“I was working on it.”
“What about dialing Atlantis?”
“No, because we need to be in space to dial the space gate.”
“Can we get high enough in the atmosphere to dial the gate and contacting Woolsey?”
The whining one went back inside and came out a minute later.
“No. The range isn’t that great, and I don’t have the necessary tools to make modifications.”
The sound of footsteps jolted Cloudeyes. He was just about to pounce, to take the military one before he could defend himself. The footsteps were behind him. The way they walked were like wraith. All but silent. Even the large one, large enough to be blade, moved like the forest belonged to him. Cloudeyes did not move a muscle. He made a mistake. A mistake that a Wraith an age his younger would not have made. Lucky for him, they passed by, mere yards away from where he was.
“Find anything?” The soldier asked.
“No.” Said a voice. An impossible voice. It was impossible. She couldn’t be here. “But I know there is a Wraith nearby. I can sense it.”
She turned as she spoke, scanning the forest and he saw her face. Her face. It was different. She looked... human. Her skin, her eyes. Everything. This had to be. There was no other possibility. This was his Queen.
Steelflower.
“It looks like we’re gonna be stuck here until Woolsey sends a rescue jumper. I don’t like the idea of a Wraith wandering around while we wait. Why don’t you scout ahead, see if you can find it. Ronon, go with her and keep an eye on her.”
Keep an eye on her. It made sense now. It was well known that these humans had captured, tortured, and mutilated Lastlight, who they called Michael. According to stories, they even found a way to turn a Wraith into a human and that was how he had been made into what he was. They must have done that. To his Queen. Tears welled up in his eye’s as he thought of the horrors they must have subjected her to. But they learned their lesson. It was clear that the large one was mandated to kill her if she learned the truth.
Cloudeyes looked forward to freeing his Queen from these barbarians. He wouldn’t feed on them. That honor could only belong to her. He just needed to get her away from them.
As they walked back into the forest, not noticing him, he slowly peeled away, slowly following behind. He followed for two miles, waiting until they were far enough away from the others.
Cloudeyes burst from the brush, his stunner raised as he fired three shots into his back. He fell to his knees, but to Cloudeyes surprise, did not fall collapse completely. With speed that he could barely believe a human was capable of, he spun, pulling his weapon from the holster, and fired a shot, passing by inches from Cloudeyes.
His Queen lifter her weapon, the weapon he recognized the Lanteans used. Cloudeyes dove out of the way as the spray of bullets rained past. He raised the stunner and pointed it at her, but couldn’t bring himself to fire. Not on her. Instead he turned at the last minute and fired two more shots at the large man. The gun fell from his hand as he slumped, but he was still conscious. He never even heard of a human strong enough to take so many stunner blasts. He was, at least, unable to defend himself anymore.
Turning back to Steelflower, he cautiously raised his hands. She pointed the weapon at him, but did not fire, giving him hope.
“My Queen.” He said. “You must come with me. You do not understand: these humans are lying to you. You are not one of them.”
“I am not your Queen.” She said. Cloudeyes blinked at the statement and shook it off. She was not herself. She didn’t know that she had struck him with the greatest of shames: to be denied by a Queen.
He hoped she would forgive him, but he would understand if she commanded his death. With a whisper, he sent the Shadows at her. She flinched, but recovered quickly. Not quick enough, he fired three shots of the stunner into her, making sure she fell into the sleep.
She fell, unconscious. He rushed to her, holstering his stunner and grabbing his Queen. He slung her over his shoulder. An undignified way for a Queen to be carried, but times were desperate. He tossed away her Lantean weapons onto the ground as he ran. At first he only ran for speed, getting away from the sounds of pursuit as the soldier responded to the weapons fire.
After several miles, he changed course and adjusted his footsteps, focusing on stealth. After two hours, he felt his Queen begin to stir and he set her down. He knew, in his heart, that he should bind her. His Queen she may be, she did not know better. He knew she would try to kill him and return to her captors in her confusion. But still. He could not bring himself to do it.
As she was jolted into consciousness, he laid a gentle hand on her. “Do not be afraid my Queen. You are safe now. The Lanteans cannot harm you.”