Trust Once Broken | SGA John Sheppard

0.62.0

The guards brought them to the throne room. Kai scanned the room, quickly trying to identify possible exits. Kai's guards held her  back by the door while the others shoved Sheppard back towards the main dais. He stumbled over his feet and hit his knees as the queen of the hive stepped from the shadows.

Kai tensed. She had never seen a queen in person before. The other guards were all treating her with a reverence that made Kai wonder if her position was tied into their religion as well. She wore a dress that hugged her curves with long drapping sleeves. Her skin was lighter than most of the wraith she had met before and smoother. Her long hair was silky smooth and she was better groomed. Hygiene seemed higher up the priority list for a queen than the soldiers.

"Shall we talk now?" The queen asked stalking around Sheppard. She let her fingers trail over his shoulders seductively and Kai tensed before she was able to get control of her emotions. The guard holding her clamped down on her arm hard enough for Kai to suck in a breath.

The queen turned to look at her. She cocked her head to the side curiously as she regarded Kai. Kai glared at her and the Queen sniffed the air. The Queen glided across the throne room to Kai. She bent at the waist so she could look Kai in the face. She reached out and picked up a section of Kai's hair and sniffed it. "A Mortii," she said and she closed her eyes as she sniffed again. A slow smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I've been told they taste as good as they smell. That their life force is the most powerful of all species."

The Queen turned back to Sheppard. "You keep interesting company human."

"Yeah well, I have all sorts of meaningful business relationships," Sheppard ground out. He hoped to convince the Queen they were mercenaries. It was the only plausible explanation for why a Mortii would attack a hive with a group of humans.

The Queen whirled back around, her eerie yellow eyes narrowing on Sheppard. "Is that so?"

Sheppard lifted his brows and flashed a cocky smirk. "Yep," he said. "Perhaps you would like to make us a better offer?" he asked as though they were negotiating and he wasn't on his knees with half a dozen stunners pointed at him. "We haven't found anyone who pay as well as the Wraith, isn't that right Kai?" John called, lifting his chin towards Kai. He needed her to understand his plan and fast.

Without missing a beat lifted her chin defiantly. "That's right," she agreed. She stiffened her shoulders as she adopted the air of confidence and indifference the Mortii had trained into her. It appeared Sheppard wanted them to look like powerful allies. She could do that.

The Queen narrowed her eyes dangerously glancing back and forth between Sheppard and Kai.  "You lie," she snarled at Sheppard.

"Okay," John responded calmly as though he didn't care one way or the other. "But tell me this. How else could I get my hands on a dart? And who else could provide me with specific instructions on how to infiltrate your hive and destroy it?" he challenged in that casual way of his.

Kai had always admired his ability to think on his feet. The man was absolutely unflappable under pressure. Rage was building in the Queen's body but John was dead calm.

The Queen broke first. She snarled angrily and clenched her hands into fists. "Of which Queen do you speak?" she demanded.

John allowed a pleased smile to tug his face into a crooked grin. "You gotta have a window on this boat, don't you?" John asked smuggly. "Take a look. The other hive that joined you for the culling," he shrugged. "There's a lot more people to feed on when you don't have to share."

The Queen was in a rage. "I will speak to her of this," she snarled.

John shot her an incredulous look. "You don't really think she would admit to trying to have you killed, do you?"