"Where is he?" Koschei snarled, looking around rapidly. "He promised to come as soon as possible!"
"Are you sure it's your place to ask such questions?" Kirik inquired, throwing a contraption of chains at the Wraith's feet.
"We have an agreement with him!" the ancient Wraith reminded.
"Yes, and according to it, you're supposed to be in chains, if you haven't forgotten," the former Runner aimed a Stunner at the Wraith. "Choose. Either you put them on yourself, or I do it, but on your unconscious body."
"Or else," the Wraith bared his teeth, "I'll rush at you right now and snap your neck..."
A fountain of earth erupted at the Wraith's feet with a loud crack.
"I wouldn't advise it," Kirik said, nodding towards the emptiness of the surrounding forest. "You don't know where the camouflaged Puddle Jumper is. And in it, there's a pilot with an Ancient pulse pistol, and a couple of Athosians with assault rifles. Even though you've just fed, you won't survive a burst of explosive rounds. Although, you know, go ahead and try," the Runner holstered the Wraith pistol and pulled out the firearm hanging on a strap behind his back. "I've loaded incendiary rounds here. I've been wanting to test how they work on Wraith."
Koschei hissed, showing his irritation.
"You have no honor, humans!" he declared, but nevertheless bent down and picked up the chain. "You treat me improperly!"
"First snap it on your legs," Kirik reminded. "Then, without straightening up, on your arms."
"Unlike you humans, I don't forget what I've promised," the Wraith declared, carrying out the procedure.
In the setting sun of Proculus, his beastly eyes with vertical pupils looked terrifying. His hair, tossed by a strong gust of wind, gave him a disheveled appearance.
The Wraith easily identified the source of the wind and looked almost unerringly at the point where, a couple of seconds later, a Puddle Jumper that had just landed in the clearing appeared. Almost immediately, a second one emerged from camouflage right next to it.
Stasis Pods began to slide out of the cargo holds of each ship. Six of them, and each was accompanied by a person: Teyla, Alvar, and Mikhail were walking from the last arrived ship, and two more armed Athosians and one Ancient from the first.
"Finally!" Koschei snarled, seeing Mikhail, after bringing a Stasis Pod to Kirik, heading towards him. "I've been asking for a meeting for several days straight!"
"And you could have told Kirik everything that interests you," Mikhail stated the obvious. "Or do you think I have nothing better to do than listen to your complaints about your living conditions?"
"What did I do to deserve such treatment on the battleship?" Koschei inquired. "I helped you! And you knocked me out, kept me in the brig, moved me to Atlantis..."
"And we also gave you the chance to stretch your legs and hunt a few dozen people," Mikhail finished. "Why, your complexion has even become healthier. So stop whining and go do your job while I talk to these two!"
"It would be better for everyone if I moved from a cell to normal quarters," Koschei growled. "We're cooperating; I haven't been a prisoner here for a long time!"
Mikhail, approaching the pair of bodies lying in the center of the clearing, winced. Kirik smirked knowingly. That's exactly why he was sitting at the edge of the clearing.
"Did they crap themselves?" he asked the Wraith.
"You said to take them alive," the Wraith exhaled, approaching the first Stasis Pod. "I broke their spines. Naturally, all the muscles in their bodies below the cervical spine relaxed. They soiled and wet themselves. But this way, they would have lived until any time you deigned to show up. If I had started feeding on them, I might not have been able to stop. Or taken too much. And then they would have died prematurely. You need to be clearer in your wishes."
"Well, aren't you just a humanitarian," Mikhail smirked.
"And next time, it's better to take their weapons away," the Wraith added. "I was badly hurt during the hunt. Or, you could give me the Stunners. They won't hurt you anyway."
"Get to work instead of giving advice," Mikhail said.
"That's what I'm getting at," the Wraith snapped back. "I was badly hurt during the hunt! A lot of energy went into healing my wounds! I won't be able to revive six! I need more people!"
He glanced at those present, but they took a synchronized step back, leveling their weapons.
"If even one of them doesn't regain their youth, I'll blow your head off," Mikhail promised, sitting down on a long-fallen tree next to the bodies of the crippled men. "Besides, you'll have two 'snacks' after I'm done with them."
"As you say," the Wraith replied, clearly without much joy, looking at the Ancient pilot. "Open the pod. I'm ready to revive your kin."
No sooner had the transparent lid lifted than he plunged his hand into the aged chest of one of the Aurora's crew members with an animalistic roar. A hoarse cry of pain and the Wraith's satisfied roar rang out.
Kirik had seen the crew members revived many times before, so he signaled to Alvar that he wanted to talk to Mikhail and left his post. The Ermen would keep an eye on the Wraith just as well as he could.
."..don't pretend," he heard Mikhail's voice, leaning over a motionless man with gray hair. "Leikos, the fairy tale about these being your devices would only have worked in one case — if we didn't have samples of Genii technology. But we do. Along with the fact that this one," he nodded at a young, physically strong man with a frantic look lying next to the gray-haired man, "is a Genii agent. Want me to tell you how it happened?"
"I will not talk to an accomplice of the Wraith!" the gray-haired man, whom Mikhail had called 'Leikos,' declared proudly.
"We are somewhat alike, Chancellor," the leader of the Atlantis inhabitants smirked. "We would do anything for our people. So, here's the story. I've even gained some experience in this matter lately... Pyro said that before our arrival on Taranis, you opened your gate several times and sent out reconnaissance groups. I think in one of the worlds, you ran into Genii agents. And, knowing your lack of foresight, your diplomats probably told everyone about the Ancient technology at your outpost. As a result, the Genii contacted you, promising many benefits in exchange for studying the outpost's technology. You agreed. They brought their scientists, brought their instruments, and started dismantling what had been perfectly preserved for ten thousand years. Then we came. And you hastily hid the Genii among your people, passing them off as your guards and scientists. For a long time, I couldn't understand how your guards had firearms while the rest of the population didn't even know what a tractor was. You have no factories, no workshops. You haven't even discovered gunpowder yet. But you already have guns... Well, when Pyro told me that after the gate closed, unknown people were trying to break in, and you didn't go yourself but sent a man who supposedly came from a distant village but knew best how to train your guard, everything finally became clear."
"If you understand everything, then just kill us," Leikos sniffled. "I would do it again. And again! Everything for my people!"
"You're a fool, ex-Chancellor," Mikhail sighed. "No one would have helped you with anything except us. The Genii barely understand what Ancient technology is. And they don't handle it well. They probably promised you protection, help, and all that. But I think they would have just taken everything for a pittance and then installed a puppet in your place."
"You did the same thing!"
"Yes, but your people are actually developing," Mikhail said. "We're creating fertilizers for them; the Athosians are teaching them to plant various crops. Soon we'll show you how to build stone buildings. In a little while, cities made of concrete will appear on your planet, cities that will last for thousands of years! Roads will appear! And what did the Genii give you in all this time? They didn't even show you how to make a simple cart! They only took what they needed!"
"We were promised a place in the Confederacy!" the Chancellor exclaimed, his eyes glistening with tears.
"You're carrion," Mikhail kicked the young man lightly in the side. "You didn't tell the ex-Chancellor that your Confederacy fell apart a thousand years ago? Or maybe you told him how you stole data from an advanced civilization that was once part of that very Confederacy, and then set the Wraith on them? Or maybe you told him about the hundreds of your agents across many worlds who steal technology? About the atomic bombs you're building? You tell everyone they're for the Wraith, but in reality, you're clearly planning terror and a takeover of the galaxy. Why are you silent, spy? Cat got your tongue?" Mikhail leaned over the young prisoner, pressed his thumb and forefinger hard against his teeth through his cheeks, and the man, reluctantly, opened his mouth. "No, it's still there. You want to live, carrion. Well, come on, let's talk now."
"My name is..." he began, but Mikhail gave him a light slap.
"I'm not interested in what your name is," he said. "First, I'll ask the questions that interest me. Then you'll tell me the rest. And only in that order. Do you understand me?"
"Yes," the man, no longer looking fierce, nodded, hearing another wild roar from the Wraith. "Just, please, don't give me to him..."
"That depends on what you tell me," Mikhail said. "Hide anything, and you'll have only yourself to blame. Understood?"
The prisoner nodded.
"So, what was wrong in my story to the ex-Chancellor?" Mikhail asked.
A roar from the Wraith rang out.
"It's all true," the man replied, swallowing a lump in his throat. "They came to Manaria. Our people are there. The government is cooperating with us too. They have orders to report anything of interest. New technologies, races looking for patrons..."
"And those that can be conquered?" Mikhail clarified.
"Yes," he swallowed again. "We were supposed to study the technology on Taranis and report the results to the outpost used by spies for resupply and receiving orders."
"Charming," Mikhail assessed. "What would have awaited the Taranians in case of an alliance with you?"
"The men would be conscripted into the army and sent to the harshest campaigns, so the weak would die, and the strong... The Genii only need strong men. The women work in the fields and bear children."
"Genii children?"
"Yes. That's what the other races in the Confederacy are for — to help the Genii grow stronger."
"And how often does this happen?"
"Always," the gray-haired ex-Chancellor squealed next to the prisoner.
"What did you manage to tell them about Taranis?" Mikhail asked.
"Only that it's an old Ancient outpost and there's a warship there," the Genii said. "The scientists started working on studying the defense systems and the geothermal generator..."
"So you're not completely stupid; you managed to figure some things out," Mikhail understood.
"Norina Pyro helped with a lot," the Genii admitted. "She's quite foolish, so she immediately believed in a special group of scientists who supposedly kept a low profile before... But she learned how to turn the outpost's mechanisms on and off, so we got her knowledge too... She was so engrossed in studying Ancient technology that she took it on faith that our scientists from Taranis were just from distant villages..."
"What did you learn about the outpost and the ship?"
"Just general information. We wanted to get the generator and dismantle the shields, but the Chancellor started getting suspicious. So we planned to first take the scientists from Taranis, then depose him and put our puppet in charge. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to dismantle the devices."
"Why did you need to dismantle them?" Kirik asked. "Why not just study them and make your own analogs? You have an army, so you must have resources."
The Wraith roared victoriously again.
Kirik looked in his direction. Judging by the fact that figures in white uniforms were visible in the twilight, everything was going according to plan.
But the question was, why was Koschei growling as if he'd found himself some prey? He didn't feed on them — on the contrary, he gave his energy to resurrect the Ancients. What triumph could there be in that?
Strange people. They would probably never understand the Wraiths. And was there anything to do with them besides exterminate them?
"I don't know," the frightened prisoner whispered. "They don't tell me details like that. I was just told to do it this way."
"Who gave the order?"
"Commander Cowan. He's the leader of the Genii."
"The gate activations that happened — were those your soldiers?"
"Yes. When we didn't return and didn't make contact, Commander Kolya's soldiers came after us. Cowan's Guard special operations battalion. He gets involved when special operations are needed."
Kirik noticed Mikhail wince.
"You know him?" he asked the Lantian.
"In a way," the other replied. "A ruthless and extremely clever commander. He'll do anything to achieve his goals."
"Y-yes, that's him," the prisoner confirmed. "He's quite popular among our people. They say he'll become the next ruler after Cowan dies. Cowan knows that too, but he's afraid of Koli."
"Strange that he's still alive, then," Kirik said. "Why keep a potential enemy alive?"
"You have no idea how much I regret that Chaya set up a defense with redirection instead of putting up a shield to splatter them against it," Mikhail said. "Koli... He's such a bastard."
"I was asking the Genii," Kirik explained. Mikhail, realizing this, waved his hand. He seemed lost in his own thoughts.
"Koli has many supporters who would rebel if he disappeared on a mission Cowan assigned him," the Genii said. "Koli is too cunning and smart to die on a mission. So everyone knows who would be blamed for his death if it happened."
"And what would happen then?" Mikhail asked. "An uprising?"
"Most likely, but not immediately. Koli's supporters are numerous, but they're also Genii. They understand that a split within our society only benefits the nation's enemies," the spy revealed. "So they wouldn't start a civil war. But they'd be unhappy, of course..."
"Pretty weak fears for Cowan," Kirik chuckled.
"Koli's supporters could leave through the gates," the prisoner said. "And take with them the military units that are unconditionally loyal to them. No one knows how many soldiers and officers in the command are loyal to Koli. And the fact that they won't attack is just an assumption... Reality could be different."
"Do you know about Ermen?" Mikhail asked.
"Traitors who envied us," the man said. "When the Wraiths destroyed them, Cowan said they got what they deserved for betraying the Genii Confederacy. Units were sent to evacuate as much equipment as possible that might have survived. But after a while, no one came back from there."
"Units were sent there?"
"Yes, but they all ended up on other planets. Then I returned to Taranis — right before you arrived — and I don't know what happened afterward."
"Will there be more units trying to get to Taranis?"
"After two weeks of trying, they'll probably stop," he said after thinking. "At the outpost, they told me about many operations. The special operations battalion is needed in many places..."
"Where else are operations happening?"
"I don't know," the prisoner coughed. "My mission was Taranis. But I heard that on some planets, they've started cultivating our crops. They're poor, they thought they could fool us..."
"And what will the Genii do?" Mikhail asked with interest.
"First, they'll intimidate them. If that doesn't work, they'll send Koli's battalion to deal with them."
"And if they can't immediately reach the planet, like with Taranis?" the Lantian asked.
"They'll try for a while, then that's it," the prisoner answered uncertainly. "Please, heal me... My head hurts."
"That's because it's starting to think," Mikhail said, nodding toward the chancellor lying nearby. "Take a lesson from Leikos. He just passed out when he realized what a fool he'd been. And what awaited his people."
"You promised me my life," the Genii said, swallowing, his lips trembling. "I've told you everything I know!"
"No, not everything," Mikhail snorted. "So far you've only answered questions. And not even all of them. For instance, you haven't told me why you need Ancient technology. It's very different from yours. You can't understand it or integrate it into your own. So why?"
"I don't know," the spy babbled. "They don't tell me things like that."
"And you don't ask questions?"
"No, of course not. I'm a soldier!"
"Some soldier," Kirik grimaced. And not just from the smell. The very sight of this man made him sick.
"Do you know Ladon Radim?" Mikhail asked.
"Yes, I know him," the prisoner said, clearly surprised. "He's one of the leading Genii scientists."
"How loyal is he to Cowan?"
"Absolutely!" the surprised Genii seemed not to even suspect there could be a different answer. "The scientists are selflessly devoted to the ideals of the Genii people! To the very end! They're ready to sacrifice themselves so we can achieve what we want!"
And Koschei is running wild again...
Should I shoot him in the leg or something?
"And what do you want, the Genii people?" Mikhail asked insinuatingly. "Peace throughout the galaxy?"
"To rule," the prisoner licked his lips. "Cowan says we are destined to rule the entire galaxy. And the peoples who inhabit it."
"And what makes him think that?"
"Because we are the most advanced race among the living."
"It's a bad thing to be a führer with an uncontrollable sense of self-importance," Mikhail sighed. "Anything else you want to tell me?"
"I'd like to, but I don't know anything else," the Genii admitted. "Please, save me..."
"Of course," Mikhail assured him. "And you wouldn't want to share the address of the planet where the Genii outpost is located?"
"Y-yes, of course," the Genii said. "Only... I can't draw the symbols."
"Don't worry so much," Mikhail asked him, pulling his datapad from his pocket. "Everything's been arranged. Or do you think the address substitution on Taranis was done just so you'd die here for nothing? So, what's the first symbol?"
He turned the device's screen toward the Genii.
"Third in the top row," the man said. "Now the sixth in the second. First in the third. First in the fourth. Fifth in the fifth. Second in the sixth."
"Good boy," Mikhail praised, saving the address in the device's memory. "Let's continue. What other addresses do you know?"
"Not that many..."
Even Kirik could tell the Genii was starting to hedge.
"It's not good to lie," Mikhail wagged his finger. "I can save your life, you know."
"And let me go?" the Genii laughed bitterly. "I can hear what you're doing. Your Wraith was hunting us. Taking our life force. For what? Tell me, I'm as good as dead anyway..."
"You're a clever one, kid," Mikhail praised. "You see, my friend. I have almost two and a half hundred Ancients who spent ten thousand years in stasis. And their bodies are very old... And they want to live. Wraiths can not only drain life, but also transfer it to others. That's what we're using to revive our people."
"Oh, Ancestors," the prisoner began breathing rapidly. "So... the Ancients have returned?"
"You could say that," Mikhail smiled. "And you, silly, didn't believe me when I said I came from Atlantis?"
"I did believe you," he admitted. "But... You could have found the Ancestors' city. Or been lying to us to get the outpost on Taranis..."
"So you didn't believe me," Mikhail concluded. "And you didn't believe me because you yourselves lie left and right. I think you even pretend to be the heirs of the Ancients sometimes. Oh, I see your eyes darting to the side. So I'm right, you do pretend. So, shall we continue our conversation?"
"I've told you what I know," the Genii turned his head with great difficulty.
"But I haven't finished the interrogation yet," Mikhail reminded him. "So, let's find out something more interesting." He turned his attention back to his scanner and showed the screen to the man. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"
"No," the man replied. Too quickly, in Kirik's opinion.
"Wrong answer," Mikhail concluded. "You have a ZPM in your warehouse. Probably depleted, as I recall. But you never know, right? Let's continue. Do you know the planet with the abandoned Wraith device? You must have sent a team there that didn't return. And if they did return, they told a lot of scary stories. About how they saw the most terrifying things. Wraiths all around, scenes from the past..."
Kirik frowned. What was this question even about?
"I don't know anything about that."
"You're lying again. Moving on. A planet with a monarchical system of government. There are three sisters, one of them just a little girl. To confirm their right to power, they go to ancient ruins where the spirits of their ancestors must confirm or reject them. Sound familiar?"
"No." Now even Kirik could tell the Genii was lying. But... Why had he been so talkative at first, and now was stonewalling?
"Continuing. Tyrus didn't return. But you have a Wraith data storage device, with which you think you can determine the location of the hive ships in the galaxy." Mikhail was no longer asking. He was stating facts. "Who has that mechanism now?"
"No idea. One of the scientists, probably."
"Who worked with Tyrus?"
"His daughter, Sora."
"After they disappeared, who will take over this project?"
"I don't know. Whoever is ordered to."
"What stage is your atomic bomb at?"
"We conducted tests, but there was no explosion..." The prisoner stopped short, looking at Mikhail with frightened eyes.
"We figured as much anyway," the Lantian assured him. "The question is different — how many bombs of that class are you currently developing?"
"I don't know."
"And Cowan never bragged about his arsenal?"
"I'm just a simple spy," the Genii almost whimpered. "But if you heal me and let me return to my homeland, I'll find out everything you want to know!"
"What a tempting offer," Mikhail chuckled, getting up from the tree. "And I might even believe your sincerity, Genii, if it weren't for one thing... Kirik, will you help search him?"
"Of course." Despite the prisoner stinking of excrement, the former runner didn't think Mikhail was doing this for his own pleasure.
The object was found quickly enough.
A small device, half the size of an Ancient scanner. Several buttons on the end and something that looked like rotating dials inside.
Mikhail, ignoring the Genii's babbling, pressed several keys in sequence. With a dry crackle, two of them emitted a buzzing sound. The third, with a dry click, played back part of the recent conversation.
"'What a tempting offer,'" Mikhail smirked, hearing his own voice. Then he pressed the button again and it stopped. "Cunning bastard. If I didn't know you'd been on Ermen, I wouldn't have thought you were recording us. First you showed cooperation, then fear, started bargaining for your life, planted the idea of double espionage... Clever, clever, I'll give you that. We would have revived you, sent you back to your people, where you'd tell them everything you knew about us. Then a trap, capture, negotiations, and all that... You miscalculated by thinking I'd believe in a Genii who would betray his own. I'm sure that even at the outpost, whose coordinates you gave us, either there's no one there, or a trap has been set for fools."
The Genii was silent. Judging by how his face twisted, Mikhail had clearly guessed everything he'd planned.
"Well, now, let's get back to the interrogation," Mikhail smiled. "And the price of your life has just gone up. I want to know everything..."
"And I won't say anything," the Genii replied. "You can torture me all you want, but I won't betray our secrets!"
"That's where you're wrong," Mikhail assured him. "Koschei, how about breaking the will of one annoying little shit?"
Kirik flinched, taking a step to the side and putting his hand on his pistol. As it turned out, the Wraith had silently approached them.
"I'm hungry, Mikhail," he growled. "Restoring your friends took all the strength I had left after healing my wounds."
"I feel for you, kid," a fake concern and worry for the Wraith's condition appeared on the Lantian's face. "Just think... You devoured fifty people, and it's still not enough for you... Here." He pointed to the unconscious former chancellor. "Feed on him. Then restore this one." He pointed to the Genii. "Just a little. So he feels euphoria. Then take almost everything. And restore him again. Keep going until he's sobbing and begging you to become your worshiper and do whatever you command."
"And what do you need that for?" the Wraith asked suspiciously.
"You want to make him a Wraith servant," Kirik understood. "And send him back to the Genii as a spy?"
"Do I look like an idiot?" Mikhail clarified. "Believe that a Genii, even doped up on Wraith enzyme, would be a double agent? No, sorry, I don't believe that. He'd be exposed the moment he returned. So the best option is to find out everything he knows," the Lantian looked at the prisoner, "and then kill the bastard."
"Your death will be terrible," the prisoner promised. "You will all be found and destroyed."
"I readily believe that," Mikhail declared. "But you certainly won't live to see it. Get started, Koschei. Dinner is served."
Letting out a monstrous roar of an animal that had cornered its prey, the Wraith began to feast, as was the custom of his people.
* * *
"So, what was that all about?" Kirik asked when it was all over, several hours later. The revived Ancients had been returned to Atlantis, their stasis pods as well. The weapons and belongings of the people the Wraith had fed on had been collected and sent to the Ancient city's warehouses. Even the Wraith had been taken away. By the time the procedure — which made anyone with ears' blood run cold — was finished, only Kirik and Mikhail remained on Proculus.
Two days of endless torture. Infusing and draining life... Over and over... Blissful babbling and heart-rending screams... It felt like it could drive you mad. Unable to take it anymore, Teyla had flown off with a group of Athosians who were searching the bodies. Alvar had left early in the morning, also unable to bear it.
The Genii only started talking by evening, when even the Wraith seemed to be getting tired.
For a moment, Kirik even thought the prisoner really didn't know anything. But how wrong he was...
"We have descriptions of the Genii residents, addresses of some caches and safe houses," Mikhail listed, piloting the ship toward the gate. "And we also tested our trap for enemies."
"This valley is a trap?" Kirik clarified, studying the part of Proculus surrounded by cliffs. A bit of flat ground — a couple of clearings at most, on one of which the gate was placed. A not-very-dense forest where you couldn't really hide, and the only game was a few birds. A small mountain stream that could provide water and, possibly, fish.
But there was no way out of here.
"The Wraiths gathered the entire population here," Mikhail reminded him. "One of the reconnaissance drones was constantly in orbit. They haven't been back since. But setting up a camp here is quite dangerous. At least for now. However, we have a valley with no exit, where you can't hide. The satellite will always tell us if someone has come through the gate here without our knowledge. If so, we'll send Koschei in for a snack."
"You want to make this place a transit base," Kirik realized. "Go through Proculus so the enemy thinks this world is our base?"
"Bingo," Mikhail confirmed. "That deception will work for a while. We just need to think it through carefully. If everything is as our late informant said, the Genii are closely watching all more or less developed and known peoples. If so, sooner or later we'll cross paths."
"You don't even want to try to make peace with them?" Kirik clarified. "In your universe, they were enemies of the Earthlings... But here... They have an army! They could probably be our infantry."
"Teyla asked you to clarify?" Mikhail smirked.
"Yes," Kirik didn't deny it. "After all, the Genii haven't done us any irreparable harm specifically."
"Tell that to Alvar," the Lantian suggested. "And watch his reaction when you say it might be a good idea to cooperate with the race that exterminated his people. Just put on some armor first. Though it might not save you."
"Teyla believes..."
"Teyla is an optimist," Mikhail interrupted. "I prefer to be a realist. Yes, I'd like all humans to unite at once and beat the Wraiths. But that's not going to happen. Certainly not with the Genii. You heard them yourself — they want to rule the galaxy. Fine. I have no desire to argue with their ambitions. But I won't let them get in my way either."
"Do you think they're doing it consciously?"
"And you think they're just casually interested in Ancient technology?" Mikhail replied with a question. "No... I have a feeling they have something from Ancient technology. The spy definitely knew they had a ZPM. And I remember that too. And that it's depleted. Things like that don't just lie around under trees. So they've found something serious from Ancient technology. And they're probably trying to restore it."
"Any idea what it is? A ship, an outpost?"
"I'm not even going to guess," Mikhail cut him off. "I'm not going to start a war with them just because I remember how bad they are and how they're behaving now. But I'm not looking for an alliance with them either. Not for now, at least. I'm sure they'll show themselves soon. And they'll show themselves aggressively. Remember what the spy said about the peoples who started cultivating their crops?"
"The Genii sent punishers after them."
"Teyla said that on the trading planets, the Genii are starting to make claims against the Athosians. That's too good a reason to gather some Genii feed for Koschei to restore our people."
"Harsh, but fair," Kirik agreed. "If they're Koli's punishers, they have a lot to answer for."
"That's what I think too," Mikhail said, dialing an address on the Jumper's panel. "I need to discuss with Chaya how best to do this. Because it seems to me that if the Genii do go after Teyla's people, it definitely won't be with just a couple of squads. Koli's entire battalion might come. And Koschei alone definitely can't beat them. We could lose the 'reviver' and not get rid of the Genii."
"Haven't you thought about what you'll do with the Wraith when he's finished?"
Mikhail was silent for a few seconds, then, just before the ship entered the gate, he said:
"I'm hoping positive reinforcement will work. If not, we'll blow his head off for bad behavior. That guy knows too much."