Whom:

Author's Note: So throughout the whole episode of Travelers I was just waiting for Larrin to figure out exactly who she had captured. Honestly, how stupid would she have felt to know that she randomly picked up the military commander of Atlantis? (Well sort of, I guess Sam kinda has that role now) But if her intentions had been bad, I mean the possibilities are endless. I just wondered what she would have done and how she would have reacted had she known all the facts. (Wow, I wrote a drabble of sorts—this was kinda cool. Usually I get long drawn out ideas, like the massive fic I am working on presently. But this wouldn't leave me alone—so voila!)

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Exactly at what point had this man completely managed to get so far under her skin? What was it about his cocky grin? The sarcastic tongue or complete satisfaction he took in being difficult? Even now, mulling things over, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Larrin had reluctantly agreed to let Sheppard go, even though her instincts screamed against it. Normally, when she took prisoners they did not leave until all their secrets had been spilled, but she still knew little to nothing about this man. When they stumbled upon the little ship, she had been thrilled to finally capture a pilot, someone with skills she could exploit. Never in her wildest dreams, did she plan on finding an equal in regards to stubbornness and trickery.

Initially all he seemed to be was a pilot, hardly one to cause her much trouble. But the fact of the matter lay with the fact that Sheppard was a certifiable pain in the ass. She found it hard to believe that a mere pilot could be so annoying. Even though her people traversed space, they still had little contact with others, simply because they preferred to roam the stars. Only vague rumors floated to them in regards to a new group of people who had risen to prominence in the galaxy from the few trading partners they kept. The people were rumored to have the knowledge and ability to operate ancient technology, while using it to fight the wraith. So, Larrin's people waited for a chance to "borrow" such an individual after stumbling on the ancient warship.

She sat back in her chair contemplating the sides to this man. Sifting through his lies had proven difficult, suggesting expertise in the matter—hardly typical for a simple pilot. His tactics too, had been risky and borderline insane, but nonetheless successful. But what struck Larrin most was his complete disregard for being cooperative. True, most prisoners were not the most compliant, but Sheppard's defiance had been astounding, and completely indifferent at times. Only so much could be attributed to cockiness, she conceded, but the rest was perhaps from experience? She just could not keep from wondering what exactly Sheppard was to his people. He obviously was more than just a pilot, a fact that she noticed he tried to hide. Definitely an officer, perhaps a commander? Nah, his persona did not fit the typical leader, but there was more to him. After all, his extreme proficiency with ancient weapons was too familiar, too used to responding to his commands. Larrin had made up her mind; it was time to do a little digging, because she had this nagging feeling that would not go away. She had to know. Who was he exactly?

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He was from Atlantis. The Atlantis, the city of the ancients, cache of ancient toys galore, the perfect place full of things her people needed. However, the city's new inhabitants weren't ancients; in fact they were from an entirely different galaxy all together. Over the past few months, Larrin and her crew had been making small inquiries in regards to Sheppard's people whenever they stopped to trade for food. They were the 'do-gooders' of the galaxy, working to stop the Wraith for good. Larrin had learned that Sheppard was indeed more than just a pilot, apparently he lead one of the premier teams from the city, which would explain the experience factor. Still, she wanted to know more, so when some of her men had reported to finding an abandoned Genii outpost that contained an archive of sorts, she agreed to personally investigate.

While the split between the two main Genii factions was no secret to her, the circumstances that had led to Ladon's take-over and Kolya's defection were still a mystery. Her men quickly determined that this safe house had been one of Kolya's, and it was here that she 'hit the jackpot' so to speak. Among the remnants of weaponry, ammunition, and there also remained a workstation filled with a variety of Intel. As she quickly scanned some of the files, she realized a large portion was on the Atlanteans, in particular one Colonel John Sheppard—complete with a picture. Yes, indeed, here seemed to be everything she wanted to know about the men. Apparently, Sheppard had created quite a name for himself among the Genii. Sadly it did not surprise her to learn how he had thwarted Kolya's attempts to take Atlantis, stopped his plan of finding a ZPM, assisted in Ladon's coup, and escaped capture with a wraith. Apparently, the military commander of Atlantis did not mess around much. Larrin could not believe how far from a simple pilot Sheppard had been. Yet, this Intel made sense and explained a great deal about the man. Hmmm, Colonel John Sheppard indeed you are trouble, she mused. Well, the next time they met, she would not be quite so unprepared—in fact she quite looked forward to meeting again.