diff --git a/arangod/Agency/Agent.cpp b/arangod/Agency/Agent.cpp
index 65219b2df2..7b224ee0b7 100644
--- a/arangod/Agency/Agent.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Agency/Agent.cpp
@@ -57,12 +57,6 @@ State const& Agent::state () const {
 /// @brief Start all agency threads
 bool Agent::start() {
 
-  LOG_TOPIC(INFO, Logger::AGENCY) << "Starting constituent personality.";
-  _constituent.start();
-  
-  LOG_TOPIC(INFO, Logger::AGENCY) << "Starting spearhead worker.";
-  _spearhead.start();
-
   LOG_TOPIC(INFO, Logger::AGENCY) << "Starting agency comm worker.";
   Thread::start();
 
@@ -106,6 +100,10 @@ bool Agent::leading() const {
   return _constituent.leading();
 }
 
+void Agent::persist(term_t t, id_t i) {
+//  _state.persist(t, i);
+}
+
 bool Agent::waitFor (index_t index, duration_t timeout) {
 
   if (size() == 1) // single host agency
@@ -238,11 +236,23 @@ append_entries_t Agent::sendAppendEntriesRPC (id_t slave_id) {
 }
 
 bool Agent::load () {
-  
   LOG_TOPIC(INFO, Logger::AGENCY) << "Loading persistent state.";
-  if (!_state.loadCollections())
+  if (!_state.loadCollections()) {
     LOG(FATAL) << "Failed to load persistent state on statup.";
+  }
+
+  LOG_TOPIC(INFO, Logger::AGENCY) << "Reassembling spearhead and read stores.";
+  _read_db.apply(_state.slices());
   _spearhead.apply(_state.slices(_last_commit_index+1));
+
+  LOG_TOPIC(INFO, Logger::AGENCY) << "Starting spearhead worker.";
+  _spearhead.start();
+  _read_db.start();
+
+  LOG_TOPIC(INFO, Logger::AGENCY) << "Starting constituent personality.";
+  _constituent.update(0,0);
+  _constituent.start();
+  
   return true;
 }
 
@@ -299,6 +309,7 @@ void Agent::beginShutdown() {
   Thread::beginShutdown();
   _constituent.beginShutdown();
   _spearhead.beginShutdown();
+  _read_db.beginShutdown();
   CONDITION_LOCKER(guard, _cv);
   guard.broadcast();
 }
diff --git a/arangod/Agency/Agent.h b/arangod/Agency/Agent.h
index 83b2cba9f7..0323050d33 100644
--- a/arangod/Agency/Agent.h
+++ b/arangod/Agency/Agent.h
@@ -121,6 +121,9 @@ public:
     return o;
   }
 
+  /// @brief Persist term
+  void persist (term_t, id_t);
+
   /// @brief State machine
   State const& state () const;
 
diff --git a/arangod/Agency/Constituent.cpp b/arangod/Agency/Constituent.cpp
index 98e7f59d34..d422848a84 100644
--- a/arangod/Agency/Constituent.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Agency/Constituent.cpp
@@ -185,6 +185,10 @@ bool Constituent::vote (
   }
 }
 
+void Constituent::update (term_t t, id_t i) {
+  
+}
+
 void Constituent::gossip (const constituency_t& constituency) {
   // TODO: Replace lame notification by gossip protocol
 }
diff --git a/arangod/Agency/Constituent.h b/arangod/Agency/Constituent.h
index 4905fc6006..d71f8025f7 100644
--- a/arangod/Agency/Constituent.h
+++ b/arangod/Agency/Constituent.h
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ public:
   /// @brief Orderly shutdown of thread
   void beginShutdown () override;
 
+  /// @brief Update with persisted term and voted_for
+  void update (term_t, id_t);
+  
 private:
 
   /// @brief set term to new term
diff --git a/arangod/Agency/State.h b/arangod/Agency/State.h
index 01f02ddef7..b9a2aee677 100644
--- a/arangod/Agency/State.h
+++ b/arangod/Agency/State.h
@@ -114,8 +114,12 @@ public:
     return os;
   }
 
-private:
+  // @brief Persist term/leaderid
+  bool persist (term_t, id_t);
   
+private:
+
+  bool snapshot ();
 
   /// @brief Save currentTerm, votedFor, log entries
   bool persist (index_t index, term_t term, id_t lid,
diff --git a/arangod/Agency/Store.cpp b/arangod/Agency/Store.cpp
index a5362ffc62..76adb9d4a9 100644
--- a/arangod/Agency/Store.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Agency/Store.cpp
@@ -185,15 +185,14 @@ bool Node::addTimeToLive (long millis) {
 bool Node::applies (VPackSlice const& slice) {
 
   if (slice.type() == ValueType::Object) {
-
+    
     for (auto const& i : VPackObjectIterator(slice)) {
-      std::string key = i.key.toString();
-      key = key.substr(1,key.length()-2);
 
+      std::string key = i.key.copyString();
+      
       if (slice.hasKey("op")) {
         
-        std::string oper = slice.get("op").toString();
-        oper = oper.substr(1,oper.length()-2);
+        std::string oper = slice.get("op").copyString();
         Slice const& self = this->slice();
         if (oper == "delete") {
           return _parent->removeChild(_node_name);
@@ -204,7 +203,19 @@ bool Node::applies (VPackSlice const& slice) {
             return false;
           }
           if (slice.hasKey("ttl")) {
-            addTimeToLive ((long)slice.get("ttl").getDouble()*1000);
+            long ttl = -1;
+            VPackSlice ttl_v = slice.get("ttl");
+            if (ttl_v.isNumber()) {
+              if (ttl_v.isDouble()) {
+                ttl = 1000l*static_cast<long>(slice.get("ttl").getDouble());
+              } else {
+                ttl = 1000l*slice.get("ttl").getInt();
+              }
+              addTimeToLive (ttl);
+            } else {
+              LOG_TOPIC(WARN, Logger::AGENCY) <<
+                "Non-number value assigned to ttl: " << ttl_v.toJson();
+            }
           }
           *this = slice.get("new");
           return true;
@@ -382,11 +393,10 @@ bool Store::check (VPackSlice const& slice) const {
     return false;
   }
   for (auto const& precond : VPackObjectIterator(slice)) {
-    std::string path = precond.key.toString();
-    path = path.substr(1,path.size()-2);
-
+    std::string path = precond.key.copyString();
     bool found = false;
     Node node ("precond");
+    
     try {
       node = (*this)(path);
       found = true;