Ember’s eyes shifted. “I said I did not know. I did not think it was he.” He shook his head. “It was Ardent who had the watch, and he did not take it to the Queen, saying that he would not waste her time on trifles.”
“Still,” Guide said contemplatively, “Thorn will call again. He must hope to make a trade, and he will call if his words are not responded to in due time. I take it he left coordinates so that the Queen may speak with him of this if she wishes?”
“He did,” Ember said. Fear was bright within him. Sheppard knew too much. He knew too many plots within plots, and most of all that Guide had told him where to find Bright Venture. The damage to the Queen’s favorite ship still rankled within her. The example she would make of Ember and Guide…
“Coldly,” Guide said, his mind working furiously. “Be cold, Ember. He is not in her hands. You have done well to throw doubt upon Thorn’s words.”
“He will call again,” Ember replied.
“Yes. But it will be some time.” He turned about in a swirl of leathers. “I must return to our ship. Say that I have urgent business, for I do.”
“What do you go to do?” Ember asked.
Guide shook his head. “If you do not know, it cannot lie uppermost in your mind. Stay your thoughts, Ember. And know I will manage.”
“I do,” Ember said, and there was no doubt in his eyes.
“Colonel Carter.” Todd’s face was slightly distorted by the poor transmission, but she thought he was taken aback. “What an unexpected surprise.”
“It’s nice to see you too,” Sam said, leaning over Zelenka’s shoulder to the camera above the viewscreen in the control room.
“I do not see Colonel Sheppard with you,” Todd said.
“He’s busy at the moment,” Sam said pleasantly. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.” It had occurred to her that Todd always seemed more cooperative with her than with some — maybe because of the battle with the Replicators. If so, she was ready to take whatever advantage it gave her.
“You mean he is missing and the prisoner of a certain hive,” Todd said. “I would like to know what you would give for your consort’s safe return.”
Zelenka started to say something, and Sam put her hand on his shoulder, hopefully out of range of the camera. “Sorry. I don’t know what you mean.”
“You do know what I mean, Colonel Carter,” Todd said. “And I am prepared to tell you where Sheppard is while it is still possible for you to recover him. If you hesitate, he will be in Queen Death’s hands.”
“And then she’ll know you’re double dealing,” Sam said with a cheerful smile. “So I don’t think I’ll need to give you anything for the information.”
She thought that he would hiss and spark, but instead Todd smiled. “What have you done with Woolsey, Colonel Carter?”
“He’s on Earth right now,” Sam said truthfully. “Tending to some business. Like I said, you’re stuck with me.”
“Indeed I am,” Todd said, and bowed his head slightly with what she thought was an expression of amusement. “Then I will tell you that he is the prisoner of a very young Queen named Waterlight, aboard her hive ship at these coordinates. Waterlight is not yet a member of Queen Death’s alliance, but she hopes to be so. She will trade Sheppard to Queen Death for favorable terms. Mind you, I do not think it is an alliance she wants, but these are difficult times. We must all make what compromises we can.”
Teyla hurried into the control room and stopped, but not far enough back.
Todd could apparently see her on camera, for he nodded pleasantly in her direction. “I see the Young Queen is with you still, Colonel Carter.”
“Teyla’s a valuable part of the team,” Sam said, not certain what that was about.
“Indeed,” Todd said, grinning wolfishly. “You choose your proxies well. But you must act quickly. Once Sheppard is in the hands of Queen Death’s men, there will be nothing you can do.” He cut the transmission, and it dissolved into a burst of static.
Sam let out a long breath, suddenly aware that her hand was still on Zelenka’s shoulder. Her eyes met Teyla’s. “Not good,” she said.
“I did not hear the beginning,” Teyla said.
“I’ll recap.” Sam glanced along the control panels at Airman Salawi in the far seat. “Airman, will you ask Doctors Beckett and Keller to join us in the conference room? Also Colonel Hocken, Ronon, and of course you, Dr. Zelenka?”
“Of course,” Radek said, getting to his feet. “This is very interesting.” He pushed his glasses back up on his nose. “Are we to recall the Daedalus?”
“That’s one of the things we need to talk about,” Sam said.
Theoretically, Radek was in charge, Teyla thought. But he took his usual seat along the side of the conference room table, looking at Sam expectantly. Old habits were hard to break, and she had been in charge here once. She hesitated, looking at the chair at the end of the table. By rights it was John’s place, but he was missing. Leaving it empty was perhaps too stark. Sam slid into the chair at the end as Colonel Hocken and Ronon came in.
Ronon sat down beside Teyla. “What’s going on?”
“Todd has called,” she said. “He told us where he thinks John is.”
Ronon blew out a long breath. “Another of Todd’s deals,” he said.
“Yes. And we do not know what it portends.”
Jennifer and Carson came in together, sitting down beside Radek across from her, while Hocken took the seat on the other side of Ronon, leaning forward expectantly in her crisp flight suit.
“We’ve had a communication from Todd,” Sam said, and hit the playback to the wall screen to let it speak for itself. When the transmission finished there was a long silence.
“We go get him,” Ronon said. He put his hands on the table and looked at Hocken, who was frowning. “That’s what we do.”
Sam’s brow creased. “How?”
“What do you mean?” Ronon asked.
“I’m not saying we shouldn’t,” Sam said, one finger tapping on the table. “What I’m asking is how. The Hammond isn’t capable of hyperspace travel and won’t be for six or seven days at least. The 302s have no hyperspace capability, and there is no Stargate near the coordinates Todd gave us. It’s the same problem with a puddle jumper. We don’t have any way to get there.”
“Daedalus,” Radek said. “We could recall Daedalus. Colonel Caldwell—”
“The Daedalus left three days ago,” Sam said. “Right now it’s between galaxies and out of communications. Even if we could recall Daedalus, it will take Daedalus at least three days to get back here. By that time Colonel Sheppard may be dead or traded to Queen Death. And if you’ve got a way of reaching the Daedalus while she’s in hyperspace, let me know. That’s the scientific coup of the century.”
“We can’t just do nothing,” Ronon said.
“We could try to contact the Travelers,” Jennifer said. She looked across at Teyla appealingly. “They like Colonel Sheppard. They loaned him a ship before.”
“I’m comfortable with trying that,” Sam said. “The problem is that the last time we did that it took weeks for them to get the message. We can’t count on their help in time.”
“There’s no other ship that’s hyperdrive equipped?” Hocken asked. “What about that warship the Genii have?”
“I’ll try flying the damned thing,” Carson said, putting his hands on the table. “No promises, now. But I’ll give it a turn.”
Time, Teyla thought. Time. Time to contact Ladon Radim, to hope that he could be persuaded, as unlikely as that seemed. Time to get the ship here and then get there. Time was slipping through her fingers like a fistful of water.