Myths of Reality

Chapter 3: The City of Traitors

Freedom, the third myth of reality;
freedom of choice is only an illusion
so true freedom can never be reached!

The nature of Reality, Gith database

Shakuras, the City of Traitors

Most people enjoy coming home, eager to meet their loved ones and feeling secure in the familiar surroundings. Belbe definitely didn’t belong to this group for she loathed visiting her home, the City of Traitors, and had no loved ones to visit. As soon as she crossed the event horizon a chill went through her body and every feeling of triumph or security she had felt vanished. She didn’t know why but everything on this side of the Gate had an unsettling and disturbing effect on her, resulting in the constant urge to make sure that no one sneaked up on her.

She scolded herself for being an irrational fool, after all she had spent most of her life here, had nothing to fear at the moment and should concentrate on the task Gix’ had given her. Two soldiers approached her, looking quite disturbed by her arrival. Their discomfort was understandable for she had arrived unannounced and on her own, making her look quite suspicious for few Gith were allowed to leave Shakuras without being accompanied by Wraith. Not wanting to waste valuable time with young, overeager guards, she pulled the signet that marked her as a Necroshade out of her cloak and handed it to them.

“Necroshade Belbe of the Unseen,” she said, “I’m here on an important mission for Commander Gix!”

“Negator Darius of the Enforcer,” one of the soldiers replied, after having examined her insignia, “I apologize, Necroshade, but we didn’t expect anyone to arrive tonight. How may we serve you?”

“The persons within this voidstone have to be rematerialized,” she responded, glad that she wouldn’t have to waste valuable time with this, “They are to be imprisoned but Gix had ordered that no one is allowed to interrogate them expect himself. And tell Highexecuter Veldrin that I want to speak with him as soon as possible.”

The young soldier nodded and left immediately while his companion continued his silent vigil over the inert Stargate, a task that was pointless in Belbe’s opinion. No one could enter the City of Traitors without a Gith signet as long as the thought of crushing into an energy shield didn’t appeal to the traveler. The signets were imprinted one their wearer so they couldn’t be stolen or used by an unauthorized person and the fact that only a handful of Gith had access to those signets made this waste of manpower even more puzzling. She also suspected that similar methods had been taken to prevent anyone from leaving the City without the Wraith’s permission though she had never tested this belief. Why did the Enforcer, whose main task was to maintain order on Shakuras, wasted soldiers, even high ranked officers like Negators, with such pointless work? Perhaps the brutes – like most Unseen she regarded the Enforcer as somehow crude and dim-witted – took pride in the fact that they were allowed to approach the Gate, considering it a sign of affection by their harsh masters.

Pushing these interesting but unimportant thoughts aside, she made her way to one of the cities many balconies, confident that Darius would catch up to her when he had fulfilled his duties. Even to her the sight that offered was breathtaking for the Gate room was located in one of the highest buildings of the City of Traitors, enabling her to overview the caldera that housed her home.

Night had fallen on Shakuras, the Null Moon had vanished and the Jade Moon was rising, bathing everything in a soft emerald light. The high buildings of the City glittered in the strange light – whose color, as far as she knew, came from a specific gas within the moon’s atmosphere –, radiating grace and indestructible beauty. It amazed Belbe how much of the city was still intact though during the last 10000 years fate had been less than gentle to it and its inhabitants.

When the Ancients had learned that their brethren on Shakuras wanted to surrender to Wraith in order to save themselves, they had intended to make sure that the Wraith would gain nothing out of this bargain. They had attacked their own people, determined to destroy any knowledge or technology that would be useful for their enemies. The Gith had been able to ward off the attack but not before the Ancients had destroyed great parts of the city, all their ships, deleted great parts of their database as well as stolen all ZPMs that weren’t part of the orbital fortress Panopticon. This day, the Extinction, had plunged the Gith society into chaos and had been the prelude to a 9845 years civil war which had cost thousands of lives and had devastated great parts of Shakuras.

Even now, more than 10000 years after the Extinction, the Gith still paid the price of their betrayal – or, as Belbe put it, the price of their survival – for the Wraith controlled Panopticon and with it also the City of Traitors. The orbital fortress was equipped with one of the most powerful weapons ever built, the Gith Ray Cannon, and was capable of obliterating about 90% of Shakuras with one shot. Originally it had been designed as defense against the very same creatures that controlled it now but it hadn’t been completed in time to stop the Wraith fleet from reaching the planet. Now, Panopticon was a mockery, a constant reminder of the fact that the Gith were slaves who would be destroyed as soon as their masters considered it necessary, part of the prize the Gith paid to survive.

The price of survival, Belbe had paid it often enough. The Wraith used Shakuras not only as a supply for loyal spies but also as a feeding ground from time to time. These cullings were not nearly as severe as on other planets and much carefully planned, killing only those who had no other virtue for the Wraith. The best way to avoid this fate was to become as useful for them as possible, making sure that they had more to gain if they wouldn’t eat you. Out of that reason Belbe had become one of their agents, determined to do everything in order to survive and – as a long-term goal – to regain her freedom. Though almost 20 years had past since she had made this vow, now was the first real opportunity to reach this goal. It was a unique chance and if she made the right moves at the right time not only herself but all Gith would be free from their chains and the Wraith would finally pay for their arrogance.

She reconsidered the plan for about the thousand time and was surprised to feel a sudden pang of guilt when she thought about the role Aiden and his friends would play in it. She had treated the Lieutenant very badly by capturing him in order to save her own life and now she planned to use him as a pawn in the deadly chess match she intended to play against the Wraith. Perhaps there would be another way, a way that wouldn’t get him into danger, maybe she should just leave Shakuras and flee to an uninhabited planet, preferably with him . . .

It took her only a few moments to realize how foolish these thoughts were: If she left Shakuras the Wraith would search the whole galaxy for her, never stopping until they had found and executed her. There was no alternative to her plan and she should concentrate on getting all objects into motion instead of acting like the protagonist in one of these sappy stories she had heard on several other planets. Aiden was a fling, no more and no less, and she really should get a grip before making a grave mistake that would ruin everything she had planned.

“Necroshade?” Darius said, having returned from his errands, “The Highexecuter will see you now.”

Belbe abandoned her vantage point and made her way towards Veldrin’s office, wondering what she would do if the Highexecutor was more loyal to the Wraith than she had thought.


* * * * *

Atlantis

Dr. Weir paced her office nervously, waiting for the rescue team to return. Colonel Sheppard and his team were 6 hours overdue, something that occurred quite too often, but she had the distinct feeling that whatever was keeping them this time was even more serious than usual. Her mind was filled with scenarios what could have happened to them, one more terrible than the other, and she was unable to concentrate on the translation that was spread out in front of her. Finally the sound of the dialing Stargate interrupted her dark musing and she went into the Gate room immediately, praying that they would be among the travelers. However, her hopes were crushed as soon as she entered the room for only Major Lorne and his teammates had made it back to Atlantis, looking exhausted and discouraged.

“No traces of Colonel Sheppard’s team, Ma’am,” Lorne stated before she could say anything, “We searched the whole ruins but haven’t found them. I doubt that they’re still on this planet.”

“Any idea where they what has happened out there?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

Not Lorne but the Satedan called Ronon answered her question; he had insisted on helping them with the search and she had gratefully accepted his help. Of course, Caldwell had protested but she would ally with the Goa’uld themselves if she could save the lives of her people in the process.

“We have found this next to the Stargate,” the former Runner rumbled, handing her an Ancient device, “And there were signs of a fight close to the Gate and in a certain part of the ruins. I suspect that someone has subdued Sheppard and brought him on another planet!”

“Is there any way to determine to which planet they have been brought?” she inquired, trying to remain professional.

“I don’t think so Ma’am!” Lorne said, before quickly correcting his statement – had her face revealed her emotions? –, “but maybe Zelenka should have a look at this. With McKay away he’s the expert for this and if he can’t find a solution, no one can.”

If Lorne had intended to cheer her up with his last statement, he had failed miserably for she felt even worse than before, provided that this was possible. An unknown and probably hostile force had kidnapped her prime expedition team, bringing them to an unknown destination and she was powerless to help them unless Zelenka did the impossible and found the dammed Gate address. She finally found her voice to accept Lorne’s suggestion and to thank him for his good work, before returning to her office, hoping that she would be undisturbed for some time.

All emotions she had stored up bubbled out and she was neither able nor willing to hold them in check anymore. Although she know she only made it worse, she couldn’t help thinking about what would happen if they didn’t make it back alive. She felt personally responsible for every death that had occurred on this expedition for she had been the one who had led these people here. Up to now, she had been able to handle the stress and the guilt her position held, after all her people relied on her objectivity, but the prospect of loosing McKay, Teyla and John at one fell swoop was too much for her, especially after having lost Ford only a few weeks ago.

Unlike her chief military advisor and would-be lover, she had realized that the chances of finding the Lieutenant alive tended towards zero and this loss tormented her most of all. Ford hadn’t deserved to die like this and the fact that there was no body to bury made his death even more difficult to bear. She wondered if John would share his former second-in-command’s fate, if he simply wouldn’t return from his current mission, leaving her alone with her grief and uncertainty.

Ironically, it would be a fitting end for their totally messed up relationship that was an enigma to everyone itself. She had no idea what John really felt for her and he probably didn’t know the true nature of her feelings either. Despite her experiences as a diplomat it was impossible for her to tell whether the signs she picked up were the result of deliberate flirting or if he just treated every woman in this manner. Perhaps she should have told him that she wanted more than friendship from him but up to now she never had the opportunity to do so. At first she had tried not to fall for his charm for she had had a boyfriend on Earth that waited for her. That had changed as soon as Simon had left her but somehow she hadn’t found the courage to tell the Colonel. The breakup with Simon had hurt her more than she had expected and she had been hesitant to risk her heart again. Despair filled her when she realized that it probably was too late now to change anything; that John would be gone and she would have to run Atlantis on her own.

“Please John!” she whispered, “Please come back! Don’t leave me alone! I need you!”

A knock on the door interrupted her, probably Zelenka who wanted to tell her how difficult it would be to find the right address. She returned to her desk and bade him to enter after wiping away the single tear that had run across her cheek.

* * * * *

Somewhere within the City of Traitors

Conscious returned suddenly and violently, leaving Ford disoriented and groggy. A cylindrical energy field surrounded him, blinding him with its intense radiance. He gingerly extended his hand towards the force field, expecting to feel resistance or some kind of shock. To his surprise, his hand passed through the energy without resistance, accompanied only by a familiar prickling sensation. Hardly believing his good fortune, he trusted himself forward and landed face first on the cold floor. Cursing, he got back to his feet and tried to gather his thoughts, unsure where he was and what to do next.

Once out of the field, thinking properly became a lot easier and the remaining dizziness quickly was replaced by another, more sinister feeling, the burning sensation caused by the lack of enzyme. Ford reached for the enzyme bottle in his jacket only to realize that both bottle and jacket had disappeared. He was down to his pants and T-shirt without anything that could be used as a weapon. Due to the fact that the last thing he remembered before waking up was Belbe’s triumphant voice, this insight was highly unsettling. Driven by the urge for more enzyme, he gave the room a much closer inspection.

He had awoken in a large hall that was filled with several others of these cylindrical holding cells. Three of them were active and illuminated the room with a flickering white light, making it difficult to make out details. His hope that his equipment was stored nearby turned out to be extremely short-lived for except for the cells the room was completely empty.

Soft footsteps interrupted his examination and he quickly retreated into a shadowy corner, hoping to surprise the intruder. A door he hadn’t noticed yet opened and a young man, probably not older than himself, entered the room. Like Belbe, he was dressed in a shiny black armor but he lacked the aura of experience and cunningness that surrounded the bounty hunter. He approached the cells - presumably it was his job to check on them -, taking no notice of the Lieutenant that crept in shadows, stalking his prey.

Ford was determined to use this lack of vigilance to subdue the soldier quickly for without weapons and enough enzyme he couldn’t risk a long fight. He made his move when the guard was busy with examining the now empty but still active cell, slamming the youngster into a nearby wall. To his surprise, the lad recovered quickly and even managed to wiggle out of his grip, launching a blurry of startling strong counterattacks. Aiden suddenly found himself in the defensive, struggling to parry the blows his opponent aimed at him while feeling how the urge for more enzyme got stronger and stronger. He had to come up with a new strategy before the withdrawal would render him helpless, ruining his properly only chance to escape.

The guard apparently realized his fading strength for he attacked even more viciously, eventually landing a vicious backhand swing that caused Ford to stumble backwards. Having lost his balance, he was unable to defend himself properly so his opponent’s next attack crashed through his improvised defense and knocked him to the floor. Just as he had planned the young soldier believed him finished and moved forward to pin him down, neglecting his defense in the process. Aiden made him pay for this mistake, sweeping his legs away and pinning him to the ground. The lad tried futilely to free himself for the Lieutenant had gravity on his side and didn’t make the mistake to underestimate his opponent twice. To emphasis his point he grabbed the guard’s right arm and broke it with a quick, violent twist.

“Now, you and I are going to have a nice little chat!” he said, once the soldier had quit screaming, “If I like your answers, there will be no need to break any other bones!”

Several minutes later Aiden had the information he wanted and had stored his would-be captor in one of the holding cells. He quickly extracted the enzyme bottle out of his retrieved equipment and gave himself the much needed shot of the precious liquid, not one second too soon for he had already began to feel feverish and convulsions raked his body. The familiar feeling of strength and confidence filled him but he still felt a little light headed and made a mental note to avoid further confrontation until all side effects of the unintended withdrawal had expired.

His gaze fell on the unconscious forms of his former teammates who slept peacefully in front of their now deactivated stasis cells. The guard had told him that he had been rematerialized in one of them and that they used the same technology as the Wraith stunners to keep the prisoners from awakening. The enzyme had protected him, of course, but Sheppard and the others would remain unconscious for some time even after getting out of the energy field. So he retreated into a shadowy corner and settled down to wait.


* * * * *

Belbe walked through the deserted corridors of the Academy when her nerves finally got the better of her: Up to now she still could discard her plan and continue working for the Wraith but once she had told Veldrin of it there would be no time for second thoughts anymore. Either the Highexecuter would have her arrested at once or he would see how much he had to gain and would help her. She hated this stray factor in her scheme but it simply wasn’t possible to get rid of the Wraith without his approval. Besides she suspected that despite his kind words Gix had stopped to trust her, what rendered working for him even more dangerous. The thought of becoming Wraith food as soon as she failed to accomplish a mission didn’t appeal to her at all so she probably had to take this outrageous risk.

Despite her jumpiness, she was amused by the pure irony of the situation. Of all places in the universe she actually chose the Academy to decide that she had to trust someone, violating one of its most basic teachings. A blend of university, barracks and military headquarter, the Academy represented all the things that distinguished the Gith from the other humans of the Pegasus Galaxy: the cold efficiency and the lack of values many other cultures held in high esteem: friendship, trust, love and honesty. And she was about to ask the spider in this web of paranoia and ruthlessness, whether he was willing to risk anything he had achieved in his life for the small chance that they could actually break free of the Wraith. Even to her this sounded like a stupid idea but she pushed her doubts aside for she sill hadn’t found any alternative to this plan.

When she had finally arrived at the door that led to Veldrin’s office Belbe was more than a little surprised to find it guarded. Two hulking soldiers flanked the entrance, Lifestealers by the design of their armor that looked remarkable like the cloths Wraith soldiers wore, probably more to keep an eye on the Highexecuter than to offer any real protection. Belbe did her best to keep her fact neutral despite the contempt and profound hatred she felt for the Lifestealers who willingly served and occasionally even worshipped the Wraith. In her opinion they were nothing but lunatic opportunists who lived in the illusion that the Wraith appreciated their work and would reward them for their loyalty. But she had more pressing duties than to wonder about their incredibly foolishness, so she paid them no more heed and entered the office.

Nothing in the room indicated the power that its inhabitant wielded but this simplicity fitted for Veldrin was one of the most pragmatic persons Belbe had ever met and probably despised anything that had no practical function. The furniture in the office apparently followed this principle for the majority of the room was covered by bookshelves and a massive desk that was piled with innumerable notes, reports and books. The only ornamental piece of furniture was the emblem of the Shadow Legion, a sword in front of an eclipse, which was painted on one of the walls. Veldrin himself stood on a massive window that offered a spectacular view over the graceful spires of the City of Traitors and seemed completely lost in thoughts though Belbe was sure that he had noticed her entrance and waited patiently for him to make the first move.

Her gaze fell on the Shadow Legion insignia again and she thought of the course of events that had made the Legion to the main force in Gith society. After the Extinction and the occupancy of Panopticon by the Wraith dozens of so-called guilds had formed, each striving for dominance over every other faction. Part of them had been religious cults, some had represented certain parts of the society like the wealthy upper-class and some had been a receptacle for notorious roughnecks and anarchists. The former leaders of the city that had survived the Extinction had been unable to maintain order and soon each of the guilds had controlled a certain part of Shakuras, constantly striving for more power.

For almost 9850 years the guilds had fought each other, devastating great parts of the planet in the process. These dark epoch, the Guild War, ended when three minor guilds formed the Shadow Legion and defeated the other ones who had been unwilling to work together even when facing certain defeat. Now, the three sections of the nihilistic, militaristic and order-loving Legion controlled almost everything within the City of Traitors. The Enforcers served as guards and prime military forces while the Unseen operated on other worlds, collecting information and fulfilling the duties the Wraith set for them. There were also civil members, called the Sentinels, who could be found in nearly every aspect of civil life on Shakuras.

As Highexecutor, Veldrin was the leader of the Legion, organizing and supervising these operations as well as training the younger members at the Academy. He was probably the most powerful being on Shakuras, second only to the Evincar, and was one of the few non-Wraith who had – although limited – access to Panopticon. Unlike Belbe who had spent most of the last 10 years on other worlds, Veldrin was familiar with the security systems of the city, an expertise that would be invaluable to her plan, provided that he agreed to help her, of course.

The Highexecutor finally snapped out of his thoughts and turned around to face his visitor whose patience had been about to end.

“Belbe,” he said, “That’s a pleasant surprise! How is my favorite and most capable Necroshade?”

Veldrin was a tall, lean man with icy blue eyes and short, jet black hair that was riddled with a few gray strands. Though he had given up active duty as an Unseen after his promotion almost 15 years ago, Belbe was sure that he was still a capable fighter and master tactician.

“I’m fine though it has been a rough day,” she replied, “Gix ordered me to capture a human that turned out to be much more capable than we had expected……”

Though she apparently told Veldrin about her current mission, her mind was on a totally different conversation, one that didn’t use words but signs to deliver a message. She wanted to make sure that the Lifestealers outside couldn’t overhear their conspiracy so she made use of a certain very accurate form of sign language every high-ranking member of the Legion knew. The Highexecutor played along, feigning interest in her mission report while listening to her plan.

“That’s quite a risky plan!” he signed after she had finished her silent explanation, “What makes you believe that I would take such an enormous risk?”

“Just think of the possible reward, Highexecutor!” she answered equally silently; “We would finally be free of the Wraith and all their restrictions. We have enough potential to defeat them and found a new glorious empire, an empire you could lead by the way! This prospect should be worth the risk!”

Veldrin seemed to consider this offer for a few moments before vanishing suddenly within a flash of blue light. Startled, Belbe got ready to defend herself and was quite surprised when she heard the distinct sound of two bodies hitting the ground from outside the office. The door opened a few seconds later, revealing the Highexecutor who stood calmly between the bodies of the two guards, wiping the blood from two wicked-looking daggers which had probably been hidden within his clothes. He seemed completely undisturbed by the fact that he had just killed two men and was about to risk anything he held dear. Veldrin’s indestructible calm was something Belbe had always admired and she was convinced that nothing short of an apocalypse could catch him off guard.

“Sorry for not inviting you to join me,” he said, not bothering to explain how exactly he had passed through the wall, “But I have been waiting to do this for far too long! But now, let’s start our little putsch!”


* * * * *

John slowly came back to his senses and was surprised to find himself lying on the floor of a dimly lit room in front of a pile of clothes and weapons. He had expected to wake up in a cell on a Wraith ship, stripped of everything useful but this room looked more like a storage hall than a prison. He sensed movement to his left and realized that McKay and Teyla had woken up next to him both looking as confused as he felt.

“Are you okay?” John asked and was relieved when both nodded, “Any idea what where we are Teyla?”

“This looks different than any Wraith ship I’ve ever seen, “ the Athosian replied, “Perhaps Aiden has brought us to another planet, he mentioned some of them before Belbe captured us.”

“I hate to burst your bubble, Teyla,” Ford said, stepping out of the shadows, “But this isn’t Pool Planet or any other of my hideouts!”

“Pool Planet?” McKay echoed, “Why would anyone name a planet like this?”

“Because there are several wonderful lagoons next to the Gate,” the Lieutenant responded as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, “They are perfect if you want to take a swim so I named the planet Pool Planet.”

“Can we change the subject please?” McKay asked, “The image of you going skinny dipping on another planet is disturbing!”

“If you’re done with imagining how the Lieutenant might look without his clothes, Rodney,” John said, causing everyone except McKay to snicker, “we might concentrate back on the task at hand which is finding out where we are and how to get out of here.”

“I already know where we are,” Ford stated, “But getting out of here could become difficult. Belbe used some kind of Wraith transporter to capture us and brought us here. Unlike you, I woke up immediately after being rematerialized, subdued a guard and retrieved our weapons. The guard told me that we’re within the City of Traitors which is on a planet called Shakuras and that a Wraith called Gix will come for us soon. I know where the Stargate is located so we should get moving before anyone notices our escape.”

“Well done, Ford,” John said, while arming himself, “Take point and lead us to the Gate! Perhaps my rotten day will get better from now on.”

The Lieutenant nodded and followed the order immediately, opening a door on the other side of the room. Sheppard followed his former second-in-command and stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he had crossed the threshold. The door led out to a balcony, overlooking a massive caldera that housed a city that was built in the same graceful and astonishing way as Atlantis. However, the beauty was lost to John whose mind was filled with one unsettling thought: Teyla had been right; they did fight direct descendants of the Ancients.

“The guard told me that the Gate is in this building,” Ford stated, pointing to a complex about one mile east of their current position, “I explored part of the city earlier and didn’t encounter any guards but it is possible that the area around the Gate is more heavily secured and I didn’t want to scout it without someone to watch my back. Probably Belbe didn’t consider it necessary to set up any further guards so reaching the Gate should be a piece of cake!”

Like last time Ford had made such a statement, McKay contradicted the Lieutenant: “I don’t know if you have managed to miss the blindingly obvious but this city was built by the Ancients! This leads to the conclusion that the Gith who have brought us here are descendants of them and probably have access to technology that is far superior to us. But breaking out of their city is of course no problem for our friend Super Ford who presumably has already come up with a brilliant and suicidal plan that will get everyone except him in grave danger!”

“Rodney!” John warned, “Get a grip! Panicking won’t help us at all!”

“I’m not panicking, I just want to point out how desperate our situation is!” the astrophysicist replied, though the fact that his voice was shaking slightly undermined this statement, “Ok, we could get out of these stasis cells but that doesn’t mean that we’re safe already. None of us has the faintest idea what is lurking within this city or how long it will take this Gix to arrive. The last thing we need now is an overconfident hotshot who throws all caution aside just because he feels invulnerable!”

“I don’t feel invulnerable and if you don’t stop bitching around anyone within a 3 mile radius will know where we are!” Ford snapped, looking as though he had to fight down the desire to throw McKay over the edge again, “Now, let’s go! I think dawn is only a few hours away and I would like to be gone by then!”

While following the Lieutenant, Sheppard overheard McKay mumbling something about being a dead man. John hoped that the scientist was exaggerating as usual.


* * * * *

Predator somewhere in hyperspace

Commander Gix sat in his chair on Predator’s bridge surrounded by his subordinates and completely absorbed in his own thoughts. He should feel delighted after all the operation had been successful and a wonderful dinner in form of this extraordinary human waited for him in the City of Traitors. However, he loathed having to return to Shakuras where he probably had to deal with Crovax – no, Evincar Crovax – again. Words were not strong enough to describe the contempt he felt for the ruler of the City of Traitors who was also his commanding officer. In Gix’s opinion every Evincar had been either incompetent, uncaring, mad or a combination of these vices. Though Davvol hadn’t done anything except culling the city during his rule and Tichondrius had been obsessed with his genetic experiments, Crovax was far worse than any of his than any of his predecessors for he was paranoid, schizophrenic and unpredictable.

He was so extremely irritating and full of himself that up to now every encounter with the Evincar had left Gix angry enough to murder the next person who crossed his way, a fact that was well-known to Belbe. Not for the first time, he wondered if the bounty hunter had used a voidstone simply to anger him, to make him pay for accusing her of treachery. Or could there be more behind this than simple vengeance? Only a few days ago, he would have regarded the thought that Belbe might be plotting against him ridiculous but the fact that she had withheld important information had shattered his trust. But what did she hope to achieve by bringing the humans into the City of Traitors?

Perhaps she planned – no, she couldn’t be that foolish, could she? However, the thought deeply unsettled him, the sheer possibility of what might happen made his skin crawl. Maybe he was getting paranoid on his old days but it was probably better not to take any chances when dealing with one of the most cunning Gith bounty hunters. He was determined to make sure that her plans – provided that she had any – would be foiled so he snapped out of his thoughts and gave the necessary orders. A small smile found the way to his lips for this might be the perfect opportunity to get rid of a certain, bothersome Evincar.


* * * * *

When they had finally reached the complex that housed the Stargate after sneaking through the city for what seemed like hours but was probably not longer than about 30 minutes, John was more edgy than ever before in his life. Even though nothing had happened during their journey the constant fear of being spotted and the nervous anticipation that something had to go wrong soon had taken their toll. The City of Traitors was one of the most disturbing places had had ever seen for it was filled with an omnipresent aura of impending disaster and hidden malevolence that set his teeth on edge.

The others seemed to share this impression for they looked as exhausted and weary as he felt. Only Ford seemed unaffected by the strains of their escape whether due to the endurance the enzyme granted him or because he was paranoid himself and therefore used to feeling surrounded by enemies, John didn’t know. At the moment, they were gathered in a huge ornate hall that was decorated with innumerable statues and insignia, all depicting the same symbol: a sword in front of an eclipse. The same symbol could be found on a large door that –as far as the guard Ford had questioned had told them – led to the Gate room but was locked for anyone who didn’t have a certain ‘signet’. McKay was currently fumbling with the door controls, searching a way to undo these security measures while cursing under his breath.

“Making any progress, Rodney?” the Colonel inquired, “I don’t want to sound impatient but on Atlantis you could open any door within a few seconds.”

“Although this is basically the same technology, the combination of crystals is far more complex than anything I have seen on Atlantis,“ the scientist replied, “Unless you’re suddenly an expert on Ancient technology, it would be great if you could concentrated on looking for bad guys and let me do my job! Otherwise it will take ages to….”

The door opened at this point and revealed a soldier who was dressed in the silky black armor of the Gith and armed with a CMG. It took both him and Sheppard some time to realize what had just happened before the two of them raised their weapons simultaneously. In the end, the Colonel overcame his surprise a bit sooner and buried half a dozens bullets in the Gith’s body. Ford shouted a warning and only a few seconds later a CMG projectile slammed into the wall only millimeters next to John’s face. The second guard lasted hardly longer than his companion for the Lieutenant hit him in the chest with a Wraith stunner and knocked him out.

After making sure that no other soldiers lurked in the shadows, the companions entered the room and were relieved to find the Stargate, waiting to take them out of this nightmare. Sheppard immediately headed towards the DHD only to slam into an energy field that surrounded the Gate and had been completely invisible until he touched it.

“Seems like our entry has activated some kind of security system,” McKay stated, “I’m quite sure I can find a way to deactivate ….”

“Sorry to disappoint you but this is completely impossible!” a familiar voice behind them said, “Once activated there is no way to lower the shield from here so I guess you’re once again trapped within the City of Traitors!”

Sheppard turned around to see the last person he wanted to see right now: Belbe who was accompanied by a tall man he didn’t know. The bounty hunter was smiling her usual mischievous smile and the Colonel was quite sure that he wouldn’t like the reason for her amusement.

“Your friends are indeed quite capable, Belbe,” the other Gith said, “They have escaped out of their stasis cells and were skilled enough to reach this complex. I understand now why you want them to join our little rebellion!”

“What do you want Belbe?” Ford asked, “And what does he mean with ‘joining you in a rebellion’?”

“Technically it’s more like a putsch” the Necroshade replied, “Highexecutor Veldrin and I want to offer you your freedom in exchange for a small favor! If you help us to break free of the Wraith we’ll allow you to return to your world. You’ll get all the required information once you have agreed to assist us.”

“And what happens if we refuse to become a pawn in your little mind game?” Sheppard inquired though he was sure that he already knew the answer.

“Then we’ll drag you back to your cells where you can wait for Gix to arrive,” Belbe stated, “But because you probably won’t survive this encounter I would advise you to accept our generous offer.”

“So you want us to help you breaking the 10000 year old reign of the Wraith on this planet without giving us any information and with the prospect of becoming Wraith food if we refuse to assist you?” Sheppard asked, considering this the worst offer he had ever heard.

“Exactly,” Veldrin replied, “And you should know that your life has no value what-so-ever for us, so don’t expect us to do anything in order to save you!”

“Ok, we’re in!” John said, knowing that they had no other choice “When do we start?"