This post is going to be all about family (of the Wraith variety) and I’ll post a little something Monday at the usual time about my tree and such. It might not be an Atlantis post, but I tend to be pretty proud of my tree putting-up skills and feel like sharing.
I can always talk Atlantis at any time in the year, but this time of the year has different rules.
Onto Wraith families!
Specifically our favorite Wraith, Guide.
In the short story ‘Consort’ (in addition to a whole ton of other cool things) we get a better idea of who Guide was early on before he became the lovable Wraith we met for the first time in Kolya’s prison.
To be honest, not much has changed. He’s still a scheme loving crazy dude, but what I really like about ‘Consort’ is that we get to see how his family, friends and allies dealt with him.
First in line is Seeker!
Seeker is not only a cousin, but also a long time friend of Guide’s who came with him from their former Hive to join Queen Snow’s. Seeker is also a cleverman of the sciences biological. He wants to be Master on the Hive like Guide wants to be Consort and they’ve been helping each other out since day one.
Seeker appears to be used to Guide’s wild ideas as we get to see when Guide is initially asking about the Asurans base code being rewritten. He isn’t happy about it, at all, but he listens and agrees that if Guide can convince Spark (who’s next btw) his idea has merit, then Seeker will support him when they have to convince Snow.
However! Guide apparently knows himself well enough to know he isn’t the best person to tell Snow about the idea in the first place and leaves that to Seeker. Literally. Guide walks out of the room they were in to go find Spark after telling Seeker he was relying on him to break the idea to their Queen.
I like Seeker because he suggests he’d like to stab Guide for that. It’s one of those moments with the Wraith I really enjoy because it’s such a close friend/sibling thing to say ya know?
Now to Spark. Spark happens to be the Wraith Guide actually needs to worry about when it comes to becoming Consort. Other Wraith aboard want the same position, but Spark is really the only one that worries Guide.
Spark is a cleverman of sciences physical and in addition to wanting to be Consort he’d also like to be Master of Sciences Physical on the Hive. The fun thing about the first interaction we get to see between Guide and Spark is a completely antagonistic one. Guide, presumably trying to get a conversation going that won’t start a fight instead, tells Spark he needs to rest.
Not exactly the best start considering they’ve all just come from a bad fight where they lost slightly too much to be safe. Biting at Spark, who is in charge of Hive repairs, while he’s trying to fix things isn’t very polite. Spark, however and entertainingly for us, bites back.
The two go back and forth a bit while Guide asks if Spark can in fact write a new code for the Asurans. Spark can write it, but he would have to be the one to go on the mission because it isn’t something he can just explain to Guide to do.
This is something of a problem for Spark because he really doesn’t trust Guide, or his men, to get him out. Guide, being Guide, convinces Spark that he would get them all out if only for the good of the Hive.
I like that even though the two are at each others throats, Spark can still see that Guide isn’t in it just for himself and to make himself look good for Snow. It may be part of it, but the majority is in fact about the safety and continuation of the Hive.
Spark has to keep poking at Guide though and reminds him at the end of their conversation here, that Snow would not be pleased if Guide got him killed. The reminder doesn’t help Guide’s temper, but it’s certainly funny for us!
Later on we see Spark and Snow talking about the upcoming mission and the conversation veers toward the more personal. Spark insists he wants to be Consort while Snow says he’d hate it. Apparently, she’s right. A Consort oversees the blades and takes care of any infighting and squabbles apparently. It would make sense so that the Queen wouldn’t be bothered with anything less then a real problem and not just hurt feelings.
Spark, in his own thoughts, wouldn’t be happy doing that. As amusing as baiting Guide is, Spark can’t see himself actually winning against him. They’re stuck and Spark is getting tired of the stalemate.
Next we have Seldom-Seen! Snow’s brother and Hivemaster is a friend of Guide’s but isn’t happy about the in-fighting between him and Spark. He would really like the entire matter settled sooner rather than later and he tells Guide that too when Guide realizes that Seldom-Seen likes Spark.
With how Seldom-Seen describes Spark, you can actually see Rodney there too which brings up some fun thoughts. Spark is very very good at what he does and he isn’t afraid to let others know he’s good. He also isn’t very tactful about letting people know either apparently, but he isn’t exaggerating his abilities.
Kind of like Rodney which makes you wonder if Guide working with Rodney so well (while also being antagonistic) wasn’t partially due to the fact that he reminded Guide of Spark. Certainly not a challenger for a Queen’s attention (unless we add Teyla to the equation which is another post entirely if I go there) but definitely a pain in the butt to work with if only because he isn’t wrong.
Back to Seldom-Seen. He agrees to back Guide as Consort, but only if he brings everyone back alive from the suicide mission he’s proposing to everyone but the Queen.
Yeah. Rereading this I have realized that Guide never actually talks to Snow about his idea. Not that we see anyways, and I kind of think he just lets the others talk her into it because of all of them he’s the one who truly wants to be Consort.
He’s also the one Snow wants, but she refuses to give in until he’s proven that he’ll be good for the Hive and not just interested in his own gain.
As for Snow!
It’s hilarious how Guide and the others are forming alliances and trying to help each other get the positions they want. Scheming behind the Queen’s back, as it were, except that they aren’t the only ones trying to work out who should have what position.
Snow isn’t just sitting back while all of this is going on. First of all, she has an inquisitive mind of her own which is one of the reasons for having cleverman for pallax’ (with the exception of Guide) and is also kind of why things are so tense still. It’s been years since Guide and Seeker arrived and still certain positions aren’t filled. There’s tension on the Hive and Snow isn’t unaware of it. She just refuses to make someone Consort who wouldn’t be fit.
Now. She is very much sure of who would make the best Master’s of Sciences Biological and Physical and she already has Seldom-Seen for Hivemaster. The problem is that the Hive needs a Consort and as much as she wants Guide to be that very thing, she can’t risk the Hive if she’s wrong.
They’re all trying to impress her to some degree. I think that Seeker is less likely to care about being Consort, but even if Spark doesn’t necessarily want the job he still wants Snow. I get the feeling that Seeker would be just as happy to work with Snow. I’m not saying he’d say no if she’d offer him the opportunity to be Consort, but I also see him being smart enough to know he’d be bad at it.
Which is why he suggests to her that she make him Master of Sciences Physical when he first brings Guide’s idea to her.
Snow agrees, while also questioning why Guide is on this particular track. Seeker is a good friend to both Snow and Guide. He doesn’t lie that part of the reason is to impress Snow enough that she agrees to make Guide her Consort, but it’s also very much about stopping the Asurans from killing anymore Wraith.
This is, somewhat, rambly because I kept getting lost reading the story and then a few others in the anthology. Can’t be helped, they’re too good.
Anyways, I hope ya’ll enjoyed a much longer post than usual today.
Before I let ya’ll go this week, something that came up in this story was that a habit of the Wraith is that they chew their claws. Seldom-Seen did it while thinking about Guide’s questions on how to confuse Asuran sensors, and Seeker stopped himself from doing it when they were within range of Asuran scanners.
How cute is that?
See ya!
The Dark Library 