The rant is at the bottom!

Point of Ascension

Chapter 2
"How the hell did you do that?"

"Not only would the power fluctuations be too great, it's impossible for the shield to do that."
"You're wrong."
"No, I'm not." McKay looked as if he was talking to an idiot as he continued explaining. "The shield relies on the shape of a sphere, causing the impact to spread on the surface. Therefore the bottom is needed as support. Besides it's another 20 years until such a storm hits."
"You're wrong. If you use the grounding stations the impact can be transformed into electrical energy and discharged into the ocean. And it's not only at times of the great storm it's useful to limit the shield. During an attack you only need it to cover the ship. Or are you telling me the Wraith have built submarines?" Vera took no defeat in having the man talking to her condescendingly. The both of them sat in the mess hall having breakfast, continuing to discuss the idea of limiting the area of the shield. At the beginning of the evening the words between them had been odd and forced. He wasn't sure of how much he needed to simplify things for her. But it hadn't taken long before he realised she was well versed with her own peoples technology. Since then they had both worked by the jumper continuing endless discussions.
"Well, I guess that's true." He admitted. "But there's no way to limit the shield like that." He gestured with his palms up, trying to implicate the hopelessness in her line of thought.
"I say I can do it." The smile wasn't obvious, but it was there.
"How?" He folded his arms and looked at her with a challenge in his eyes.
"From the command chair."
"Huh... I'm not saying it would work-"
"Which it would."
"But. I don't think we have anyone in the city who could do it."
"Ship." She stated. "And that's because none of you have been trained to use it."
"Oh and you ha-" He started rolling his eyes when he suddenly remembered. "Of course you have!"
"Yes, just so."
"Suddenly there's about a hundred things I'd like to try before even thinking about the shield.. Are you sure you can use the grounding stations for that?" His former doubt suddenly dispelled by the possibility that the theory could actually work.
"I hope this doesn't involve anything that could possibly destroy the city?" The voice that joined them belonged to Dr Weir.
"I would never... Well, at least nothing I couldn't fix."
"I hope he isn't boring you too much?"
McKay wanted to defend his honour but Vera stepped in before him.
"Not at all Dr Weir. Quite the contrary." Vera didn't quite know what to make of the slightly confused look Elizabeth gave her.
"Did you find the room adequate?"
"Oh I never went there. Actually since you are here now I was hoping you might show me. Within the hour I am planning to begin some exercise."
"Of course."
Vera excused herself and left together with Weir.
"Could I ask you something?" Elizabeth looked over to the stranger.
"You may." She answered, keeping her eyes up front.
"You seem so calm despite the situation. Aren't you sad your... kinsmen are all gone?"
"When I stepped into the pod I knew that when I woke up, the people I knew might not be alive, or at least have aged greatly. I have experienced the situation before. I am trained for it."
"But now there was no Ancien-... What did you call yourselves?"
"Lanteans."
"No Lanteans to greet you. Only us."
She stopped and waited for the other woman to do the same and face her. Vera's bright blue eyes seemed to catch Elizabeth's green/yellow and hold them in a deadlock. What she was about to say was important.
"As I said before, I was surprised of how well you had integrated with our technology. I didn't mean this just using the apparatus."
"You mean the gene."
"I do." She blinked as she nodded. "Activating the machines are after all crucial to using them. Dr McKay told me you have a treatment which allow you to awaken the sleeping apparatus. But some of you carried the gene from birth."
"Yes, Colonel Shepperd and Dr Beckett are two of them."
"Then you are descendants of the Lanteans. Of us." She let a few moments of silence pass to empathize the meaning of her words. Her cold blue eyes showing a depth of gravity. "I served and protected my people 10 000 years ago. I will continue to do the same for the days to come."
There was no sliver doubt in her face and Weir was caught off-guard with such a strong statement.
"I'm sorry if I seem startled. The ascended of your people we've met usually aren't that.. willing to help."
"I trust they have their reasons. But I choose to remain in this plane of existence for the sake of this ship."
Vera didn't realize it until later, but with the exchange of words she had already exposed a glimpse of the truth. Could she be just an observer with such loyalty to serve and protect a vessel?
"For that I want you to know we are much more than grateful."
"I understand if there is much you would like me to explain and teach you." She turned and started walking again, with Weir at her side. "But I hope you will understand if I wish to observe you for the time being. I said I had decided to trust you and offer you my alliance. But before-"
"I understand. You want to get to know us first."
"Something such as that."
"I'll tell Dr McKay to not bother you too much. He can be quite persistent to get things he want."
"He is an intelligent man."
"And arrogant."
"You might not realise how much it makes me feel at home." She said with a secret smile.
"Oh, here it is." They stopped and Weir waved her hand in front of the crystals so the door opened.
Not wanting risk an insult to their, to say the least, important guest they had chosen a quarter with both bedroom, own bathroom and a lounge. The colour scheme was the green and red you found in the larger part of the city. With the same wall decorations of grey panels. Large windows gave natural light to the rooms, and also a balcony looking over the west part of the city.
"I hope it's good enough?"
"It will do well."
"Then I will leave you to it."
"Thank you."

A few minuets later.
"There has got to be something she isn't telling here." John Sheppard was sitting across Elizabeth's desk with one of his boots over the knee.
"I agree." She closed the door and walked over to sit down. "I think there is alot she's not telling us."
"So why don't we just crack up that file and-"
"We're not."
"I don't see why." He gestured with his hands.
"I told you. We're trusting her." She said folding her hands over the desk.
"While we know she's lying?"
"That's diplomacy for you. Besides.. it's clear she can lock us out of the system if she wants. By right this city belongs to her."
"Well without us the shield would've failed and flooded the city, right?"
"Look at this her way. She was left for 10 000 years, abandoned by her people and woke up to a bunch of strangers living in her home."
"Yeah I guess I'd be pretty pissed off about it."
"I'll take any friendship she's willing to offer us. I have a feeling she will tell us her entire story in time."
"Once she's warmed up to us you mean?"
"Something like that yes. So play nice. Ok?" She tilted her head telling him by body language that she really meant it as an order, in case he got any.. ideas.
"I'm always nice!" He raised his hands in a gesture indicating helplessness.
"Of course." She smiled and shook her head.

Vera stood tall in the center of the gym in the west pier. Not holding any weapons she was dressed in a top with a tight fit and pants with a loose width. Her workout consisted of a series of slow movements, straining the muscles of the body. Without warning Teyla entered the room, but she didn't flinch at her. Just breathed out slowly and continued.
"Excuse me, I did not know anyone else was here."
"You needn't leave for my sake, Teyla was it?" She halted her exercise and faced Teyla.
"Yes, and thank you."
"You are different from the others. Would I be correct if I guessed you are not from the same planet as them?"
"You would." She smiled and nodded, walking further into the room. "I am from this galaxy. My people are called the Athosians."
"From the planet of Athos?"
"Yes." Teyla tilted her head and spoke with a little tone of surprise. "You know of my planet?"
"Yes, I remember it well. I always mired your peoples talent in integrating technology with beautiful design. I would love to visit your cities once again."
"As much as that honours me I am afraid our cities has long since fallen."
"The wraith?"
"Yes."
"It saddens me to hear that. I hope my ancestors did all they could before abandoning the Pegasus galaxy to its own fate."
There was a silence between them that Teyla broke before it would become uncomfortable.
"Perhaps you would like to join me?"
"If I may, yes. It was a long time since I had an opponent face to face."
While Teyla took the two short sticks as was her favourite tools, Vera armed herself with a long staff. The two women circled each other slowly, reading each others stance and movements. Teyla seemed much more on guard than the other, but it also became clear that she was the most experienced of the two when they crossed weapons. When the first strike came Vera didn't see it coming. And the next sixty minuets she was busy defending herself. Perhaps one would see it as a courtesy to go easy on an opponent who had already informed of a lacking experience. But according to Teyla's customs it would be an insult to the opponent to not do ones best. However Vera did not complain. In fact when Teyla asked 'perhaps a break was in order' the other woman wouldn't have it. Instead she picked up on the moves and learned fast. But at the end she still wasn't a match for Teyla.
"You are well trained in these arts." Vera stated and sat down to catch her breath and slow her pulse.
"I have traveled to many worlds in search of trade partners. Sometimes you need to protect yourself."
"I could learn much from you, if you would teach me."
The implied question silenced her due to both surprise and honour. To be asked to become a teacher to one of the ancestors who had created so much in this universe...
"Of course."
"Do you train here the same time every day?"
"Yes." She said with a slightly skew nod. "As often as I can."
"Then I shall join you."
Looking forward to having a student that would actually pay attention and taking lessons seriously Teyla bowed slightly. Perhaps one day she could actually spar with her. Not that Ronon didn't offer resistance enough. But he was more about force than any form of technique.
"Do your people still use the same gestures for greetings and such?"
"We have used them as long as our history goes."
In response the two stood in the middle of the room and met in a traditional Athosian greeting. Leaning their foreheads together while holding each others upper arms.

A few hours later Vera had gone back to her room, showering and seating herself on the balcony with the laptop the Atlantis crew had given her. She sat in a chair with her back to the room reading the Atlantis crew mission reports as it knocked on the door. Putting the computer down she headed to the door which swooshed open to reveal McKay ready to knock again.
"Oh hi."
"Hello."
" I uuh, I was just wondering if you might want to .. help us with the chair. Not anything big, just some measurements."
"I would." She answered and followed him to the room after he replied with a 'great!'.
When the both of them entered the room Zalenka was already tweaking some instruments. He stopped and introduced himself with a handshake.
"Anything in particular you want me to do?"
"No just sit in the chair and we'll take some readings. To see if there is any difference."
"Allright." She nodded and walked over to the chair.
She looked at it, almost longingly, while she pulled out a hairband to gather the long flow of curls in the back of her neck. Her fingertips slightly stroked the surface of the armstead before she sat down. It wasn't solely to help she had agreed to do it. Before she had been pondering how she could gain access to the chair without just bluntly asking. There were information she could pull from he system that would be harder to look for from a normal panel. Also, growing up she had spent alot of hours in this room. It felt more like home, more like her room, than any other on the ship. The chair reacted instantly and readings came scrolling on both Zalenka's and McKay's screens.
"Holy crap!" McKay's jaw dropped at the scene before him.

Only moments later Zalenka called Weir over the radio.
"Go ahead Zalenka." She touched the radio in her ear while her head still hovered over the screen listing planets they had yet to visit.
"I think you would like to see this."
In the background she heard McKay's voice going "How the hell did you do that?"
"Where are you?" Weir straightened her back and looked over at Colonel Shepperd, not without a concerned look on her face.
"In the Chair-room. Oh and if you find Shepperd on the way you might want to bring him aswell."
"We'll be there soon." The conversation was cut and she turned instantly towards the transport.
"What was that about?"
"Zalenka says there's something interesting going on in the chair-room."
"Interesting?"
"Well it should be, McKay sounded surprised."
"Really?" The young man raised his eyebrows as they walked out the gateroom.

Not many minutes had passed when the both of them got into the chair-room. McKay was busy rambling.
"It's not even using more power than usual, if anything it's actually using less."
"What's going oooooh-" Shepperd was cut mid sentence when he saw what had startled McKay so. "How did you do that?"
"My question exactly. She just sat in the chair and wosh!" The Canadian gestured raising his hands still holding the touchscreen in his arms.
"Rodney perhaps she can explain it better herself." Weir gave him a demanding eye.
"Well I guess she- yes, sorry."
"What is all this?" John asked as he walked up to the chair.
He was watching six images, screens, hovering above the chair. She pointed with her whole hand at the different screen as she explained.
"These four projects a full view around the ship. This shows the long range scanner and this on the short range. The different icons gives the various intel that might be needed. Friendly vessels in the air as well as hostile, missile count and such."
"You call those yellow things missiles?"
"No, but I guessed you did."
"We call 'em drones." He said, looking briefly at the woman before returning to the screens. "What else can you bring up?"
"Anything that would be needed in defending the ship. In an attack there would be several more screens, but six are the basic number."
"Basic?" The look on the colonel was both sceptic and surprised.
"Yes, have you only managed four before?"
"Well actually..."
"Two?" Vera raised her eyebrows.
"We didn't even know it could do that." McKay cut in. "Look, you're in a completely different level of control that we ever came close to."
"What have you been using the chair for really?"
"Firing drones, mostly."
"Blind?" Now there was a clear look of scepticism on her face.
"Imagining the target help." Shepperd defended his honour.
"Yes it hits and most likely explode on first impact. Beside, it's harder to specify a certain area to target without visual."
"Wait, what do you mean it explodes on first impact?" Weir stepped closer to the chair.
"These weapons you call drones. They are not made to take out a single target. You can steer it through solid objects. You should be able to take out at least three of the Wraiths smallest ships with a single 'drone'."
"Really?" John tilted his head.
"Anyway, doesn't all this drain much more power?" Weir waved her hand at the screens.
"She's using less power than Carson does just by sitting in it."
"How is this possible?" She looked over at Vera for an answer but McKay cut in.
"It's probably effective use of the system. She- I mean you, know how this technique works at a complete different level than us."
"Subconscious?"
"Something like that."
They were interrupted as a sound was played and some words in ancient projected over one of the screens announcing 'Scan Complete, Building Graphics'."
"What happened?"
"I requested a scan of the shipped docked to Atlantis."
The six screens shrinked to disappear and was replaced by a larger one building a 3D image layer by layer of the Deadalus. Also text started to list at its sides.
"The hell?" Shepperd fixed the image and tried to read the text, with no success, it was in ancient.
"Yes there's going to be alot of that." McKay stated, just as surprised himself.
"What does it say?"
"It's specs on the ship, isn't it?" Weir read the text with her limited knowledge and pieced it together with some common sense.
"Yes." Vera answered." Weapon capacity, flight capabilities, volume, personnel-count, ship-count and so on. And it seems to have picked up an alien life-form along with some unknown technology." She fell silent for a moment in surprise. "There is an Asgaard on your ship." It wasn't a question, but Weir answered anyway.
"Yes, the ship is a joint project with the Asgaards."
"You got all that from a single scan?"
Vera had wanted to speak more about the Asgaard Life-form that Atlantis picked up at the ship and was irritated by the colonel's question. But it didn't show and she answered his question.
"Their shields are down, they're stationary and docked to Atlantis. It makes a thorough scan much easier. It took so long because I requested the 3D model."
"Could every Lantean do this?"
"All those who had received basic training would have no problem doing most these things."
"Could you teach me?"
"Perhaps." She nodded at the black haired man. Understanding that he had a more significant role when it came to the military organisation of this expedition than she had previously thought. "It depends much on the mind of the individual. But if you are willing to devote yourself to the training I will teach you."
"I'll do it."
"Why were you doing this anyway? I thought I told you to wait with your experiments." Elizabeth gave McKay an accusing eye.
"I asked first! Besides if we can put this theory into practise it would help us alot."
"What theory?"
"I can see why it is an urgency." Vera cut in and pushed the image of the Deadalus to the side, bringing up a graphic of Atlantis power supply. "You're running on extremely low levels. This will not hold the shield for long if we had to defend ourselves against the Wraith."
"What?" Weir peered over at McKay and Zalenka for an explanation.
"Don't look at me, I have no idea what they're talking about." The Czech defended himself.
"We discussed the possibility to limit the shields area. For example the storm only require a wall of protection, if the area could be limited we could save a significant amount of power, but the shield relies on a closed sphere. The force of the impact being supported by-"
"McKay, the short version please."
"If the Wraith attack we only need a dome to protect the city.. But the shield still closes around the entire thing, draining more power than theoretically needed."
"You can do that?"
"Yes, I can." Vera now rose from the chair, continuing the explanation. "If the energy of the impact is transformed into electricity we can divert it to the grounding stations. In fact, with a few alterations we can reroute that power to use it in powering the chair."
"-Giving us more power the more the enemy shoots at us. That's genius!" Rodney snapped his fingers and veered of to a computer screen, starting to work.
"Is this possible?" Weir had already lived through enough set-backs for the doubt and scepticism to overshadow the hope.
"Yes! Well... theoretically." He admitted.
"Have you ever tried something like this before?" She turned her eyes over to the Ancient.
"We have never had the need to conserve power. But I have altered the shape and seize of various shields through the chair. And you most certainly have the need to limit the amount of used power."
"Yes, the single Z-PM doesn't give us alot of options."
"Z-PM?"
"A Zero Point Module." Zalenka went ahead and explained. "The crystal that powers the city."
"Ship." Vera stated. "I see why could call them that. Well, as said it is theoretically possible, but there is work to be done."
"I want you two to start working on this right away." She looked at Zalenka and McKay.
"Already am." McKay stated, somewhat absent minded.
"If I may, I have a request for my own sake Dr Weir."
"Go ahead."
"I would like to meet with the Asgaard on-board your warship."
"Of course. I'll see to it right away."

She stood in one of Deadalus rooms, looking out a window over Atlantis. Looking up the Central spire of the ship stirred something and caused her to draw a feint smile. The door to the room opened and closed. She turned slowly and faced the gray skinned Asgaard.
"I will ask for your forgiveness." She stated in a formal and correct voice. "As I am not qualified for such diplomatic relations."
"From my intel it is quite the contrary, Admiral."
It silenced her, causing her to study the small frame of the Asgaard, looking at her without any malice or defence. It wasn't a threat, merely a statement.
"You have access to Atlantis database."
"We know more about your technology than we share with other races. Finding the classified files in Atlantis was not very hard."
Now, on even grounds, they greeted each other with a bow before seating.
"I guess there is no reason for me to lie then."
"No."
"Over tenthousand years ago I held a dialogue with your people. Part of negotiations for an alliance."
"The Alliance of Four Great Races."
"It was signed then?"
"Yes. Though little remain of it."
"Am I the last of my people then?"
"It is hard to tell. Remaining fragments of your people are found now and then in statis, such as yourself."
"And the Furlings, the Nox?"
"We have a lasting contact with the Nox but the Furlings seem to have drawn back into hiding."
"They were never the social kind." She stated and they nodded in agreement. "You are in alliance with these humans now?"
"We call them the Tau'ri. And yes. They were of vital assistance in dispelling a lifelong enemy of ours."
Her look was that of scepticism, but it didn't last for long.
"I suppose they would have to achieve something great for you to share such a groundbreaking technology with them. And allowing one of your own to serve on such a vessel."
"We have confirmed them to be the Fifth race."
Vera fell silent and broke their eye contact. Thoughts running through her mind but nodding at the end of them.
"I will keep this in mind."


Authors Rant:
If this feels a bit rushed, it's because it is. It took longer than I wanted and became much less than I planned. There were two things constantly coming in my way. Work, and this little thing called "Uncharted 3".
I noticed the more I pondered on this the more crap it got. There was no real plot to this chapter except the revelation of the Chair. So I decided to write out the ideas I had and just go with it. I didn't even struggle with the transportation from scene to scene.
So please just forgive me for this one and hold your breath for the next chapter, which I am really looking forward to.

I'm planing to do a re-write of the Episode "The Tower" I think this can actually get pretty good. The middle age era is spot on for me. So I'm going to have fun with it ^,^
Don't expect it to be written too fast though. There's still Assassins Creed Revelations in the way! (And lots to be done at work)

And thank you so very much for reading! Every follow and comment spurrs me to write more and more 3