****As always I do not own Stargate nor do I own Harry Potter. I appreciate any and all reviews. However I just want to address a guest reviewer. I am not the type of person to cry over a bad review people will either like my story or they won't. The reason I won't allow negative guest reviews especially if they are abusive is because I like to be able to respond directly to the person rather than mentioning it here. Now as always I do hope you enjoy this latest chapter.
A/n 1: I know I have portrayed Harry as a bit of a hard-ass at times especially when dealing with politicans but he is worrying about the safety of his people first and fore most.
A/n 2: I know I promised a Eureka/Stargate crossover as a companion piece to this story but I have decided to expand on that and I will be writing it as a Eureka/Stargate story that will also encompass all of the happenings on Earth.****
It was the next day and Harry was once again ensconced in his office reading reports. Captain Helia was on board what was being referred to as the Pegasus-1 station overseeing the repair and refit of the Tria. The Travellers had arrived or some of them any way and the repairs were also underway on their ships. It was funny but the scientist from Earth a Dr Zalenka had almost torn his hair out when he had seen the state of the Traveller's ships engine room. Not that he could blame him but it was a way of life that had served the Traveller's well over the last few millennia in a strange way it worked for them.
The people who had been rescued from the Wraith vessels where healed and most of them were heading home via the stargate. Suddenly Atlantis was rocked by a minor explosion.
Standing and rushing from his office Harry barked out "Report!"
"There was an explosion in one of the residential quarters. Tower 2 interior ring level 17." said Alex.
"Send repair and rescue teams immediately. I'm heading there now." said Harry and he rushed to the transporter booth.
"Ops to Medical there has been an explosion in one of the residential towers. The High Chancellor has ordered rescue and repair teams to the location." said Alex as he relayed the relevant information to Medical.
It was a few minutes when Harry rushed out of the transporter booth. Rushing up the steps to level 17 he could smell smoke and there was a slight haze in the air.
Repair and Medical teams where already on site with more arriving to treat the wounded.
"What happened?" asked Harry as he took in the damage to the corridor. A set of doors leading to one of the living quarters was gone. Destroyed by the blast.
"We have 9 confirmed dead. It looks like an explosion caused by an incendiary device. Also we have 7 others injured two badly. Two of them are our people." replied Alicia.
"Who were using these rooms?" asked Harry as he took in the carnage around him.
"Sir I believe it was the Genii who were waiting here before being sent to their home-world." replied Alicia.
Frowning a little in anger Harry said "Have the wounded transported to medical for immediate treatment."
"Yes sir." replied Alicia and she started giving orders to the Med-techs that had arrived.
Tapping his comm badge Harry said "Potter to Ops, I want a team here to go over the site and find out how this happened."
It was several hours later when Harry returned to OPS.
As he walked in he could see Dr Weir and Dr McKay where there discussing what had happened with Alex. The scans of the damage had been sent through to OPS and Alex had reviewed them.
"Have you had any luck finding out what caused the explosion?" asked Harry as he addressed Alex.
"Yes sir, I called Dr Weir and Dr McKay here to confirm something." said Alex.
"And?" asked Harry as he let out some of his annoyance.
"It was our fault." said Dr Weir.
Snapping his head to her Harry snapped "Explain?"
It was Dr McKay who answered "Alex called us to confirm that the trace residue that was apparent in the scans was made by people from Earth."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry with a slight frown.
"It's the trace residue of what we call C-4 explosives. It's a highly combustible explosive that we manufacture on Earth. We have a supply that we brought through with us when our expedition first came to Atlantis." replied Dr Weir. She choose to answer as she had a basic understanding of what C-4 was and how it worked and she wasn't about to let Rodney put his foot in his mouth.
"Okay but I fail to see how you are responsible. As far as I know there are no humans from Earth living in that tower." replied Harry.
"And you are right there is not. However you remember when the Genii tried to seize Atlantis before you returned." seeing Harry's nod Dr Weir continued "The Genii stole a quantity when they fled during the storm."
Letting out a breath Harry said to all three "I want the Genii removed from Atlantis asap. They are to be returned to their home-world. Make it happen also I will be travelling on one of the ships to relay a message. Dr Weir thank you for this information and your assistance in this matter."
"Thank you. Would you have time to talk?" asked Dr Weir.
Thinking for a moment Harry said "Alex start moving the Genii on ships home but the last group I want you to wait for 2 hours and I shall join that ship. In fact contact Captain Black and request that the Hermes to be waiting for my arrival."
"Aye sir." replied Alex and he went about his duties.
"Dr Weir join me for lunch?" said Harry.
"Of course." replied Dr Weir with a small smile.
It was a few moments later when Harry and Dr Weir entered the commissary. Walking to the dispenser Harry ordered himself and Dr Weir a light lunch.
Returning to the table where Dr Weir had taken a seat Harry placed the trays on the table.
"Thank you." she said.
"Now I believe you wanted to talk to me?" asked Harry as he tucked into the sandwich that he had gotten for himself along with a cup of tea.
Taking a bite of her sandwich Dr Weir took a moment to chew and said "Yes, it's about what we discussed yesterday."
Raising an eyebrow Harry replied "Oh?"
"Yes, it seems very aggressive and also very final." replied Dr Weir as she searched for the words to get across her point.
"I can see where you are coming from." said Harry as he held up his hand to forestall any interruption. "I am aware of your history Dr Weir. We have spoken to the Tollan, The Asgard and the Nox. While they believe you have potential as I do there are still the issues I outlined yesterday. Greed, self-interest, personal glorification and war are the order of business on Earth. What's to stop an organization like the NID getting someone more like minded to their way of thinking elected. The same could be said for the Trust. I know we have given your people the names of those infested with Goa'uld's but that does not mean we got them all."
"I can see where you are coming from but I will tell you now there will be people, politicians on Earth who won't be happy. They could decide to do without any help or assistance from the Alteran's." replied Dr Weir. She knew the High Chancellor was not going to budge on the issue of the declaration. Not that she wanted to she, had spent enough time in the UN working with leaders who did not care about their people only their own power and prestige.
"That's fine they are entitled to do that. However you should be aware that if you do you will loose the stargate you currently have as well as any rights that you claim over planets with a stargate on them." replied Harry after he swallowed a bite of this sandwich.
Taking a moment to digest what she was being told she asked "Would I be able to travel to Earth and inform them personally of this. I think it would be better if I was there to help keep heads cool and rational."
"That would not be a problem. Speak to Alex in Ops and make arrangements. You can come back via Avalon when you return." said Harry with a slight shrug.
"Thank you." replied Dr Weir and she stood having finished her lunch. "If you'll excuse me." and with that she left to speak to Alex.
As Harry watched Dr Weir leave he could only hope that they would make the right choice.
It was 90 minutes later when Harry transported to the Hermes. Making his way to the bridge he nodded to those he passed.
As he entered the bridge he heard Captain Black speaking "Helm beak orbit and set course the Genii home-world."
"Aye sir." was the helmsman's response and view changed from Lantea to open space. On the right of the viewscreen Harry could see the Traveller's ships that where waiting to dock at Pegasus-1 for repair and refit. All of a sudden the green vortex of an opening hyperspace window formed and sucked the Hermes into it.
"How are things?" asked Harry as he made his presence known.
"Well sir, We have the last contingent of Genii in our cargo bays. There are 753 in total. As the trip will only take about 3 hours I decided that it would be best to have them confined for transport." replied Captain Black.
"Very good. If you have some time I would like to talk to you." replied Harry.
"Of course, Commander Tonks you have the con." replied Sirius and he headed for his ready room with Harry following along.
It was several hours later when the Hermes dropped out of hyperspace above the Genii home-world.
Tapping the icon for intra-ship communication Tonks called out "Captain Black we have arrived at the Genii home-world."
"We are on our way. Black out." came Sirius's reply over the comm line.
It was three minutes later when Harry and Sirius came from Sirius's ready room. Both where smiling so it appeared that they had a good talk.
"What have you got?" asked Sirius.
"We are in stable orbit above the northern continent. Sensors say that majority of their population is located underground I am reading approximately 75000 life signs." replied Commander Tonks as she stood from the Captain's chair.
"Alright lets do this. Beam the Genii to the surface and engage the holographic communication device." said Harry.
"Aye sir." replied Tonks. Inputting the required commands there was a small noise and a section of the floor opened revealing a small circular device that raised from the floor to a height of 6 inches.
On the surface of the Genii home-world those that where tending the fields where startled when there where a series of flashes and all of the people who had been culled where returned.
Before alarm could be raised there was a high pitched whine and suddenly a man appeared. He was wearing robes and had short shaggy black hair and green eyes. Taking a moment to look around he took in what he was seeing and then said "I have a message to relay to your leaders."
"I am Ladon Radim. I am a member of the leadership of the Genii." said a man with short brown hair and blue eyes.
"I am High Chancellor Harry Potter of the Alteran's or as you would know us the Ancestors." said Harry.
Whispers broke out amongst the people present.
"Can you tell us what happened to our stargate?" asked Ladon.
"It has been removed and placed into orbit on my orders." replied Harry.
"Why would you do this. With all the Wraith awake we are in more danger now than ever before!" exclaimed Ladon.
"That Wraith or at least the vast majority of them are dead. My forces are currently scouring the galaxy destroying any remaining Wraith technology. If you are wondering why we have done this and by that I mean removing the stargate. I have information that your people under a man called Koyla attempted to take our city by force. Not only that when we rescued your people that had been culled by the Wraith some of them set of an explosive device that resulted in multiple injuries, damage to our city and the deaths of two of your people. It has been decided that until such time that you can prove to be good and honest people who can interact with the galaxy at large you shall remain isolated on your home-world." replied Harry.
"We are only doing what we had to, to survive." snapped a man to Ladon's left.
"Murder and theft are not the way forward!" snarked Harry.
"Wait, you said the Wraith are dead? All of them?" asked Ladon.
"We believe so yes. There may be one or two ships left with minimal crews that have to be found and destroyed but essentially the Wraith are extinct." replied Harry.
Thinking furiously for a moment Ladon said "We thank you for this information. The changes you have mentioned will be implemented. Is there a way we can contact you?"
Looking at the man for a second Harry waived his hand and a box appeared in the field in a flash of light. "This box contains a communication stone. Once you pick it up with will scan your DNA and will only work for you. Simply hold the stone and think of contacting the Alteran's and we shall be in touch."
Moving to pick up the box Ladon removed the lid and took the stone from the box. The stone glowed with a white light for about three seconds before it returned to it opaque state.
"Thank you. We shall be in touch." replied Ladon. Already he had plans forming in his head on how to oust Cowen and Koyla. He would not let his people suffer under their military dictatorship any longer.
"You know how to contact us. I hope we shall hear from your sooner rather than later." replied Harry before his hologram vanished leaving the Genii to think on what they had been told.
….Hermes...
As Harry stepped down from the padd it lowered itself back into the floor and cover closed over it. It was strange but if you didn't know it was there you would never be able to see it.
"Well that went well!" said Harry.
"Why did you leave a communication stone?" asked Sirius.
"Just a feeling. I got the impression that there will be a change in Genii leadership in the near future." replied Harry.
Just as Sirius was about to reply there was a beeping sound that came from one of the consoles.
"Sir we are receiving a hail. It's Atlantis." said Tonks.
"On-screen." replied Sirius.
As the viewscreen sprang to life Alex appeared and said "High Chancellor, Captain Black."
"Alex is something wrong?" asked Captain Black.
"Sir's we have a situation that I feel warranted your attention." replied Alex.
"Oh?" asked Harry.
"Indeed, Major Sheppard's team visited a planet called Taranis. They discovered one of our outposts and a ship yard complete with a ship that was undergoing repairs. However they have also discovered that the outpost is run of geothermal power. When the Wraith all awakened the Taranian's activated the outposts shields and never turned it off." said Alex.
"Let me guess they are having issues now with the power source." replied Sirius.
"Yes Captain. With the shield running at full power it has drawn a lot of magma up to the caldera of a dormant or should I say not so dormant super-volcano." said Alex.
"How long till it goes?" asked Harry as his mind ran through scenarios.
"They shut down the warning alarms but given current estimates we are looking at weeks possibly days before the planet is rendered uninhabitable." replied Alex.
"Send us the co-ordinates and have whatever ships you can spare to head to the location to start emergency evac. Contact Taranis and have everything powered down only emergency lights are to be left running." said Harry.
"Aye sir. Atlantis out." said Alex and with the the connection closed.
"Captain Black I will be in engineering." said Harry as he turned and headed from the bridge.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Sirius.
"There should be specs for some cold fusion devices in the ships computer banks. I hope we can get everything ready and we can put the volcano back to sleep." replied Harry as he vanished down the corridor.
"Cold fusion devices. Why would he need them?" asked Tonks.
"I have a feeling the High Chancellor is planning on make a hell of a snowball." smirked Sirius as he turned to Tonks.
"If you say so sir." replied Tonks.
"Helm set course for Taranis maximum speed." said Sirius as he took his seat.
"Aye sir." replied the helmsman.
In space the mighty Hermes swept into the hyperspace window it opened and vanished on course for Taranis.
….Earth SGC...
As the inner ring of the stargate signalling someone was dialling in Walter who had been manning his position called out "Off-world activation, unknown source,"
Placing his hand on the palm scanner and the iris sprung from it's resting place and covered the event horizon of the wormhole.
"What have we got Walter?" asked General Jack O'Neill as he came down the stairs from the briefing room. Secretly he was glad of the reprieve. He really wasn't sure how to take that woman. With a slight smile that was quickly smothered he had left her with Daniel and the new Lt. Colonel.
"We have an incoming wormhole sir. No IDC." replied Walter.
Moving to the mike O'Neill called out "Defence teams stand-by."
"Sir we are receiving a signal audio and visual." said Walter.
"Let's see it" replied O'Neill.
As the viewscreen sprang to life O'Neill could see the interior control room of Atlantis. Dr Weir appeared.
"Dr Weir?" asked General O'Neill.
"Sir I request permission to come through I have some vital information that I need to go over with yourselves, the IOA and the President." said Dr Weir.
"OK but you know we don't have the power to open a gate to the Pegasus Galaxy." replied O'Neill.
"I know sir. I have already discussed this with the High Chancellor and he has given permission for me to return via Avalon." said Dr Weir.
"Alright come on through. Walter open the iris." replied O'Neill.
"Yes sir." said Walter once again placing his hand on the palm scanner. As the iris retracted it was a couple of seconds later when Dr Weir came through with her shoulder bag and briefcase.
As she descended the ramp she could see that General O'Neill had left the command room and was coming to meet her.
"General." she said as a greeting.
"Dr Weir, not that it isn't a pleasure to see you but what is so urgent that you had to come to Earth to report in person?" asked General O'Neill as he shook Dr Weir's hand.
"There is a lot to go through sir..." she replied as she and the General made their way to the briefing room.
"I know the cypher. Now I could have come by ship only I know nothing about your fair planet other than it has an interesting if somewhat limited gene pool." said a woman who was dressed in a black leather outfit. She was about 5ft9 tall with black hair that had a blond streak at the front.
Daniel Jackson and the other man looked at each other with a measure of surprise.
Just as the as yet unnamed man was about to reply General O'Neill interrupted them with a cough.
Snapping his head around towards the stair the man snapped to attention and said "Sorry sir."
"At ease soldier before you sprain something." replied O'Neill.
"Yes sir." replied the man and he moved to parade rest.
"Please take a seat." said O'Neill.
As they all took seats around the table General O'Neill said "Allow me to introduce Dr Elizabeth Weir the leader of the Pegasus expedition." indicating Dr Weir.
"And this is Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Vala Mal Doran who arrived an hour ago with some information about the Ancients apparently." continued the General.
"A pleasure." replied Dr Weir with a side long glance at Vala she continued "Sir..."
"Daniel, Cam why don't you take Vala and that tablet to your lab and continue your discussion." said O'Neill.
With only a slight hesitation Daniel stood and said "Of course." as Cam and Vala stood and followed Daniel out of the room.
"She's..." started Dr Weir and she stopped as she couldn't quantify Vala and neither could the General.
"Yea, I don't know what to make of her either. Anyway what is so important that you had to travelling four million light years to make a report rather then saying it over subspace?" inquired General O'Neill.
"Yes sir, I had a conversation with the High Chancellor two days ago and again this morning and I felt I had to make a report in person..." started Dr Weir. Over the next hour she explained about the Declaration and what would happen if they attempted to lie while signing it. She explained his reasons and outlined their conversation.
Letting out a whistle O'Neill digested what he was being told and said "He specifically mentioned the NID and the Trust?"
"Yes sir. He has obviously been speaking to the Tollan. He also mentioned that the Asgard see us as a possible 5th race and the Nox think we have great potential. He has said that and it's true we have had no interaction with the Furlings and he has yet to make up his mind one way or another." replied Dr Weir.
Frowning a little General O'Neill said "I knew the NID would come back to haunt us."
Standing and going into his office he picked up his phone and dialled Daniel's lab.
"Daniel I need you and Cam back up here now...You may as well bring her god knows what would be left in your office if we left her there alone." said O'Neill and he hung up.
Coming back into the briefing room he retook his seat and said "I called Daniel and Col. Mitchell to come back up as you probably heard."
"I don't know what to do in this situation. Personally speaking and completely off the record of course, but I can see where he is coming from and I am sure there are many millions of people around the world living under brutal regimes that would feel the same. By the way how is the hunt for the Goa'uld trust operatives going?" replied Dr Weir.
Giving her the gimlet eye and with a small smirk O'Neill replied "I feel the same Dr Weir, as for the hunt we have almost all of them. There have been a few tricky ones to get to as we had no way of getting to them with out raising all kind of hell in the media but let's just say they are no longer a problem. Off the record of course."
It was at that moment that the trio of Daniel, Vala and Cam came into the briefing room.
"Oh come on Daniel I know you figured out where the treasure is located just as the General rang down." whined Vala.
Pinching his nose Daniel said "Vala be quiet."
"Problems Danny boy?" smirked O'Neill.
Narrowing his eyes Daniel was about to say something smart but thought the better of it and said "It appears that the tablet Vala brought us indicated that the treasure was under Glastonbury Tor."
"Really?" said O'Neill all humour gone from his voice.
"Yep." replied Daniel as he popped his 'p'. "Anyway what is so important that we had to come back up here?" asked Daniel as he took his seat.
As Dr Weir relayed the same information that she had relayed to the General mouth's hung open.
"Wait, wait, wait are you telling me the Ancie...no Alteran's are still around?" asked Vala. Her mind ablaze with the possibilities of what she could do with that information.
Looking at Vala for a moment General O'Neill said "Yes but that information does not leave this base."
Adopting an innocent look that she couldn't pull of while wearing black leather she replied "I wouldn't say a word to anyone."
Taking his eyes from her O'Neill said to Dr Weir "I see you have brought an overnight bag?"
"Yes." replied Dr Weir.
"Good, Mitchell your in charge until I return. As you have only been here 24 hours I will have all off-world teams diverted to the Alpha site unless they are experiencing a Code Red. All teams going off-world can still proceed as planned. Daniel you can assist Mitchell while I'm away and perhaps you can bring Vala up to speed about the Tor." said O'Neill as he addressed those in the room who looked at him in varying degrees of shock. For some reason his gut was telling him that Vala was more trouble than she was worth but also very important. After a few years leading SG-1 he learned to trust his gut immensely.
Startled both Daniel and Mitchell said "Sir? Jack?"
"I'm travelling to DC with Dr Weir. I will be back in approximately 48hrs." replied O'Neill as he stood heading to his office to make arrangements and without looking back he said "Ms Mal Doran as much as I hate to say it you will be guesting with us for a while."
Startled Vala's face took on a lecherous look as she looked at Daniel and Cam before saying "Really."
….Several hours later on board the Hermes...
As the Hermes and the fleet of ships escorting it moved through hyperspace Harry was in engineering with Lt. Commander Victor Krum.
"We now have 15 cold fusion devices ready for deployment." said Krum.
"Excellent work. It's a shame we can't harness the cold fusion discharge as a fuel source when we set them off." replied Harry.
"Hhmm." started Victor and he went to one of he terminals in the room and started typing in some command rapidly.
"What are you doing?" asked Harry as he watched Victor work.
After a moment Victor replied saying "I think with a few modifications our smaller solar collector could be modified to collect all the steam powered energy that the explosion will produce."
Reviewing the schematics Harry replied "I think this will work and it would be better to put this energy to use. It would certainly be better than allowing all that steam into the atmosphere. It would cause severe storms for a few months. Nothing to concern ourselves about obviously but I don't think the Tanarians would appreciate 3 or 4 months of rain."
Chuckling Victor replied "I would think not!"
"I'll leave this in your hands. I'm heading back to the bridge. We should be arriving in the next 20 minutes or so." said Harry.
"Aye sir." said Victor in response and Harry turned and headed for the turbolift.
As Harry made his way to the bridge he was lost in thought. Stepping into the turbolift he called out "Deck 1."
It was a minute later when the lift stopped and the doors opened. It was only 30-40 seconds of a walk to the bridge from the turbolift. As Harry approached the doors opened to reveal the hub of the ship.
On the screen in front of him was the swirling blue vortex of hyperspace. All the bridge crew was working diligently at their stations with Commander Tonks in conversation with Captain Black as they sat side by side with the Captain's seat being in the centre and Commander Tonks's seat a little lower down and to the left of Sirius.
Moving to take the third seat that was vacant and to the right of Sirius Harry said "How are we doing?
"High Chancellor, we should be exiting hyperspace in 15 minutes." said Sirius.
"Good stuff. Commander Tonks how are you getting on in your new command?" asked Harry.
"Very well sir. It's a change from being an Auror but I'm enjoying it and the work we are doing." she replied with a smile.
The trio engaged in small talk for a further 15 minutes until the helmsman said "Sir we are exiting hyperspace in 20 seconds."
"Alright please hail the Abderas when we exit hyperspace." said Sirius.
"Aye sir." replied the Helmsman.
In space a hyperspace window opened and the Hermes shot out at relativistic speeds before coming to a stop in geosynchronous orbit above the planet. Twelve other ships where already in orbit as part of the temporary evacuation of the people of the planet.
The viewscreen sprang to life and the bridge of the Abderas filled the screen.
"Commander Wood. How goes the evacuation?" asked Captain Black.
Commander Oliver Wood was 27 years old with short brown hair and brown eyes. He had a well muscled build. "Very well sir. There was an issue when we arrived with a Chancellor Lycus. He seemed to be under the impression that the outpost and ship belonged to them even though his people had no clue how to operate anything apart from the shield and a few basic functions. We currently have all of the Tanarians and a few others who had fled there from the Wraith in our cargo bays and in our empty crew quarters."
"Very good Commander. We have 15 cold fusion devices ready for deployment however we will need your ship and the Tyche to use their plasma beam weapons at 20% power to drill vents around the edge of the caldera I am relaying the firing patterns and co-ordinates now. Tonks if you would." replied Captain Black.
"Aye sir." came their joint reply.
"Who is left on the surface?" asked Harry.
With a nod Commander Wood answered "The team from Earth along with some Taranian scientists are still in the outpost High Chancellor. Also Chancellor Lycus remained to "oversee" operations." and you could hear the quotation marks in Wood's response.
"I get the impression you are not that fond of the Chancellor." inquired Harry with a raised eyebrow.
"Permission to speak freely sir." replied Commander Wood.
"Of course Oliver." said Harry.
"The Chancellor reminds me a little of Fudge sir." replied Oliver.
"Hhmm well let's see what is happening on the surface. Captain Black would you and a security detail care to accompany me to the surface." replied Harry with a slight smirk.
"Of course, Tonks you have the bridge ensure that the drilling plan is carried out." replied Sirius and then he turned a followed Harry from the bridge.
"Aye sir." replied Tonks and she took the Captain's seat.
"Helm co-ordinate our drilling pattern with the Tyche and the Abderas and move us into low orbit." said Commander Tonks.
"Yes ma'am." replied the Helmsman as he input the co-ordinates for atmospheric entry.
"Ma'am thermal sensors indicate the caldera of the volcano is at least 50km's wide. Also the temperature is approximately 1637 degrees Celsius. There is evidence of some cooling but no where near enough to prevent an eruption." replied Mr Olivetti who was manning the OPS station on the bridge.
As the Hermes entered the atmosphere the star-field gave way to the planet's beautiful scenery.
"Will the drilling be enough to save the planet?" asked Tonks as she took in the readouts scrolling along the side of the viewscreen.
"Yes ma'am but to be on the safe side I would suggest we double the number of drilling sites. It would alleviate the pressure during the explosion and relieve any tectonic stresses." replied Mr Olivetti.
"Steam vents? Alright Mr Olivetti calculate the additional drilling sites and relay the information to the Abderas and the Tyche. I'll inform the Captain." said Tonks.
….Taranis Lantean outpost...
As the Taranian scientist a Dr Norina Pero and Dr McKay discussed the issue. Major Sheppard stood watching from the area near the windows that over looked the stargate.
It was at that moment that there was a flash of light, a high pitched whine and suddenly there was 8 others in the room.
"High Chancellor, Captain Black good to see you." said the Major.
"Major it's good to see you too. What's the situation?" replied the High Chancellor.
"We have evacuated everyone to the orbiting ships and powered down the site. We have a minimal team in the outpost as ordered." replied Major Sheppard as he made is way over to him.
"Very good. Captain Black can you see to the vessel the..." started Harry.
With a slight air of distaste Major Sheppard replied "The Hippaforalkus sir."
"I take it you don't care for the name Major." chuckled Harry before continuing "Captain Black can you see to the Hippaforalkus I know the the vessel cannot travel in hyperspace without repairs but I want the ship in orbit. The sub-light engines should be in working order. Move the ship to the fleet in orbit and we shall tow in to Atlantis and have the hyper-drive repaired and the ship upgraded to new standards asap." said Harry.
"Aye..." started Captain Black when his comm badge beeped.
"Hermes to Captain Black." came the voice of Commander Tonks.
"Black here, go ahead Commander." replied Black after tapping his comm badge.
"Sir we are in low atmospheric orbit above the caldera. Mr Olivetti suggests we drill additional holes to relieve pressure and tectonic stresses when we set off the cold fusion devices." said Tonks.
Seeing Harry nod Sirius said "Make it so. Black out."
"What are cold fusion devices?" asked Dr Pero.
"Sorry may I introduce Dr Norina Pero and Chancellor Lycus of Taranis." said Major Sheppard with a small cocky smile.
Rodney muttered something about Kirk but didn't say anything more.
Nodding Harry said "Captain Black see to your orders."
"Aye sir." replied Sirius and he and the teams with him departed for the ship.
"Simply put a cold fusion device will set off an explosion that will in essence free the liquefied magma below. We also have modified solar collectors which will capture the released steam energy so it can be used for other projects." replied Harry as he addressed Dr Pero.
"Now see here, who are you to come and claim my ship!" snapped Lycus with a look of anger on his face.
"Who am I?" replied Harry as he took in the man before him. "I am High Chancellor Harry Potter of the Alteran Peoples. Or as you would know us the ancestors. It was my people who built this outpost and my people who built the ship in the docking bay. I have every right to that which was built by my ancestors! Remember that Chancellor."
"I'm so.. sorry Ancestor but when the team came through and said they would help us. Your ships then arrived and I thought you where invaders. With all of the Wraith awakened this is the most protected place we know of." replied a crestfallen Lycus. He realised how badly things had gone when the challenged the High Chancellor of the Ancestors.
"You didn't tell him?" asked Harry of Major Sheppard.
"We tried but you know politicians sir." replied Sheppard with a slight shrug.
"The Wraith are gone. I set of a device that wiped most of them out. We estimate that there are only around 20-30 left in the galaxy and my fleets are out patrolling space and destroying any Wraith technologies and such that are left." replied Harry.
"That's I don't know what to say." said Lycus both awed and horrified at the same time. Awed at the fact that the Wraith where virtually extinct and horrified that he could have brought the same down himself and his people.
Nodding Harry turned and looked out over the caldera. He could just make out the Tyche in the distance moving into position to fire.
"Black to Potter." came Sirius's voice over the comm.
Tapping his comm badge Harry said "Potter here, go ahead."
"Sir we have the ship powered up and the sub-light engines and atmospheric thrusters are online." replied Sirius.
"Can the ship open the hanger bay doors?" asked Harry.
After a moment Sirius replied "Aye sir. The docking bay doors can be controlled remotely."
"Alright we will be there momentarily. Potter out." said Harry as he closed the comm line.
"Shall we?" said Harry and started towards the ship.
"Alright you heard the High Chancellor. Let's move out." said Major Sheppard.
As they followed along it was only a matter of minutes before they reached the ship and entered through the gangway.
Reaching the bridge Harry could see Sirius and two of the security escorts manning the bridge.
"Report." said Harry as he entered.
"All systems are green across the board apart from the hyper-drive." replied Sirius.
"Alright Captain, please do the honours." replied Harry as he moved to take one of the vacant seats at the back of the bridge.
Seeing this the team from Earth and the Taranian's rushed to take the other unoccupied seats.
"Open the hanger bay doors, activate anti-grav engines and atmospheric thrusters on stand-by." said Captain Black.
"Aye sir." replied the helmsman and he input the commands to remote open the doors. As he did so sunlight spilled into the hanger and for the first time in 10 millennia the Hippaforalkus was once again under the sun.
"Take us up." said Sirius with a smile.
As the helmsman input some commands those on the bridge could hear the thrum of power flowing through the ship. After a moment the mighty Lantean vessel began its ascent. On the screen in-front of them the people could see the view changing from the interior of the hanger to the open skies of Taranis.
"Engaging sub-light drives and disengaging atmospheric thrusters." said the helmsman as the blue tinted sky gave way to the openness of space and the stars beyond.
As the vessel gracefully moved into stable orbit the helmsman said "We have achieved stable orbit at 170kms."
"Good work Ensign." said Sirius.
"Sir we are receiving a report. The Hermes, Tyche and Abderas are each on their last firing runs they should be finished within the hour." said the Ensign.
"Acknowledged. Tell them to proceed with the deployment of the cold fusion devices and energy collectors when done." replied Captain Black.
"Aye sir." replied the Ensign.
"What will happen now?" asked Lycus from his seat.
Turning to Harry, Sirius said "That will be up to the High Chancellor."
Thinking for a moment Harry replied "We shall be taking this ship. It is ours by rights and we need to repair the hyper-drives and upgrade various systems. The outpost itself will remain our property of course but changes will be made so that it will no longer run of geothermal power. I will have a potentia installed. Locked of course that it cannot be removed. That will power the outpost and systems. Once it has been given the all clear it will be left in the care of your people Chancellor and those from Earth. They have a much better understanding of the systems than your people and they will teach you those systems. The details can be worked out with Dr Weir when she returns from Earth. It is your planet obviously but I have an idea that I would like to talk to you and Dr Weir about upon her return. Is that OK?"
The High Chancellor thought about it and with a quick glance to Norina he smiled. Smiling Dr Pero nodded and said "Yes."
"Thank you Ancestor." replied Chancellor Lycus as he sat up a little straighter in his seat.
"It is not a problem and when we are in a more relaxed setting Harry will be fine." said Harry.
"Thank you Harry." replied Lycus.
"If you'll excuse me. Captain a word." said Harry as he stood and addressed Sirius.
Sirius stood and with a small smirk he said "Major why don't you take the bridge while I talk to the High Chancellor."
"Me?" squeaked Major Sheppard (although you would never get him to admit it.)
"Yes, you, we are in orbit and there is nothing much to do other than sit and wait for the operation to be finished." replied Sirius.
"Aye sir." replied Major Sheppard and he stood moving over to the Captain's chair.
Sirius and Harry then left the bridge to discuss whatever it was that the High Chancellor needed to.
"It is truly beautiful to see our world from above it's atmosphere." said Norina as she stood.
Standing and heading over to stand beside Norina John said "It is a beautiful sight isn't it." with a roguish grin.
With a roll of his eyes Rodney snarked "Oh get over yourself Kirk."
"What was that Rodney." replied John turning his head towards Rodney.
Startled at being heard Rodney quickly said "Nothing, nothing."
An hour later and everyone was again on the bridge Harry and Sirius having return from having their conversation.
"Sir we are receiving a signal. The drilling is complete and the cold fusion devices have been place and the energy collectors are in place." said Ensign Roberts.
"All right, you may want to watch this. You won't see much but you should see for yourselves that everything has gone according to plan." said Harry.
"Of course." replied Chancellor Lycus.
"Ensign put the site on main viewer and increase magnification." said Sirius.
"Aye sir." replied Ensign Roberts.
The viewscreen changed to show the outpost and the site around it to a radius of 60km's.
"Detonation in 3...2...1." said Ensign Roberts.
On the viewscreen there was a series of blue flashes from a series of vents and at about 500m from each vent large plumes of steam escaped.
"Wow." whispered Rodney.
Norina and Lycus stood transfixed watching the explosions and the steam escaping into the atmosphere.
"Sensors indicate that the caldera is returning to its dormant state. The temperature has already dropped by 700 degrees and is still falling." said Roberts.
"Marvellous." replied Lycus as he watched the process and the resulting steam escaping from the earth.
"Now there is something we have to discuss." said Harry.
Turning to Harry both Norina and Lycus looked at him and waited for him to continue.
"That steam that has been released into the atmosphere was only a miniscule amount of what was released and captured by our collectors. Even so it will upset the ecological balance of the world for a few weeks possibly a month or two." said Harry.
"What do you mean?" asked Norina.
"Well all that hot steam escaping will cause more rain and tropical storms for the next few weeks as it dissipates into the atmosphere." replied Harry.
"What kind of storms?" asked Lycus.
"Nothing to bad I should think. The caldera and the stargate is not located near an ocean so there will be no large bodies of water to reinforce the strength of the storms. So you won't have to worry about hurricanes and the like. However I would expect some heavy rains and high winds." replied Harry.
"That's alright." replied Lycus with a small smile and he turned to watch the planet below.
"Alright well there is much to be done. I will ask Commander Wood to take you on board and then we shall depart for Atlantis with this ship under tow by the Hermes." replied Harry.
"Alright folks lets get this show on the road. There is a jumper in the shuttle bay we can take that to the Tyche. Why don't we let the High Chancellor get under way." said Major Sheppard as he addressed Rodney, Norina and Lycus.
As they all stood to leave Harry said "Thank you Major."
Nodding he turned and followed the others from the bridge.
"Once the jumper has cleared the bay move us away from the planet and prepare the ship to be taken under tow to Atlantis." said Captain Black.
"Aye sir." replied Roberts.
It was about 15 minutes later when the jumper cleared the shuttle bay and the Hippaforalkus moved to open space. The ship was powered down and the crew beamed to the Hermes. As the Hermes moved into position above the Hippaforalkus and the silver hue of the Hermes gravitational beam encompassed the ship. Opening a massive hyperspace window both ship jumped in and departed for Atlantis.