Star Granger Season 5 - Chapter 13

Thoughts

"speech"

"Goa'uld speech"

SG SG SG SG SG SG SG

April 1st 2003 - Atlantis

"Thanks for coming," Captain Helia greets us at the Port.

"Always happy to visit your lovely city," Harry replies with a smile.

Lovely in a somewhat boring way.

The bridge is somewhat different from what it used to be when the city was just brought back from the Pegasus. It's well manned for a start. There are some one hundred and fifty Lanteans living in Atlantis now. About the same number of Humans, Tollans, Nox, and Asgards are stationed here as well, to help operate the city as our long-range early warning system, and to conduct various highly advanced research projects that the extensive lab capabilities here enable.

Outside floats the Tria, undergoing further refit. Mainly, her crew, with the extensive assistance of the Asgrads, are doing their best to add cloaking abilities to the Behemoth.

"When are you planning to go?" I ask Helia, and she can only shrug helplessly.

'As soon as they can', obviously, but there isn't a hard and fast solution for this cloaking business.

Also outside is one of our divisions on quick response duty. Current stand-by unit is composed of HMS Swan and Siren, led by HMCS Chimera - all new and capable, yet mostly inexperienced ships and crews.

Also here is a clan of Goblins, occupying themselves with the mining of the Naquadah asteroid, while their young study onboard.

All this while, Captain Helia leads us deeper into the city and finally into its hospital tower, where a single old woman is laying on a treatment bed.

"Human," she simply tells us.

Obviously?

"So, you seeded humans in the Pegasus galaxy as well?" Luna asks, quite intrigued.

"Once in a golden hour
I cast to earth a seed.
Up there came a flower,
The people said, a weed,"

I quote back.

Right, what Captain Helia really meant is 'Earth human', which is rather surprising.

"We found her in a stasis pod, inside a locked room - not far from the central power manifold." Helia updates us. "She is Earth born and has been in suspension animation ever since the city was evacuated. Logs show she has been awakened three times ever since - each time for about an hour or so."

"A Dr Elisabeth Weir, according to her DNA. Strange, since she's just about to get home for some rest and sleep time, after a long day of work in the UN," Harry updates us, after a long look at his tablet. "Just under thirty too," he adds.

Naturally, Captain Helia has no bleeding idea just who she is. Understandably, since she and her ship were out on missions for months and months at the time.

"That Janus berk probably has something to do with it," she comments.

Right then. Nothing to do but to wake the old lady up and ask our questions. They have been hydrating, nourishing, and strengthening her body for a week now, so nothing truly stops us.


The old lady is quite surprised to see us standing around her hospital chair. Seems like she's desperately looking about for familiar faces and quite gutted for not finding any.

"Alright?" Harry asks her kindly.

He's good at that.

"British?" Weir whispers, clearly surprised.

Harry gets this huge smile hearing this. "I'm the king of Britons!" he declares, raising his hand dramatically, and calling his sword.

A Tollan Doctor, at the desk chuckles lightly at this. "Strange women lying in ponds, distributing swords, is no basis for a system of government!" he tells Harry off, good heartedly.

I just roll my eyes and slap the back of his head.


"You do know that your friends are just as dead as they were, well - both in about two years time, and ten thousand years ago?" I ask Weir with some exasperation, as she nibbles on her toast.

We moved it to the caff, since the view there is much better than the hospital's. The food as well.

"Right!" Harry agrees. "The only future one can change is a future he doesn't know about."

"Isn't it like being able to schedule a meeting with your commanding officer, only when he's out?" Weir asks bewildered.

"Not in the slightest!" I answer.

"Bang on right!" Harry says at the same time, looking too chuffed for his own good. "It's the catch 22 and three quarters," he adds, and I slap him once more.

Behave!

"Otherwise, you just create another useless quantum reality," I try to explain. Across the table from me, Captain Helia nods in complete agreement.

"But then, I might have saved our version of this reality?" she asks.

"Since 'this reality' exists only as a result of your travel through time, the poor sods wouldn't have needed potential saving if not for your time trip," I explain farther. "Unless you're a time lord, or some such tosh."

"You've just wasted 1.21 gigawatts for nothing," Harry sighs dramatically. "Sorry," he adds with an infuriating smirk, and I slap him again.

The Weir lady is clearly still not satisfied with our explanation. "But, there are so many realities!" she insists. "It takes ages to find your way back through the quantum mirror?"

This gets Captain Helia's attention. "It was supposed to be destroyed?!" she asks, quite alarmed.

"Right!" Harry amuses himself. "You guys are so good at getting rid of your rubbish."

"Like this galaxy scale sub-molecular resequencer you left on Dakara, behind a word puzzle," Luna smiles serenely. Helia just shrugs.

"You're not the first daft prick who ever played with time," I reply to Weir in a way of consolation. "By the time I was 14, I had travelled back almost three hundred times, just to reach all my classes in school."

Helia is looking at me with huge eyes. Dr Weir as well. Harry just smirks.

"I was young!" I tell them. "And stupid!"

"But you had your priorities straight," Harry kinda agrees and hurries to distance himself from me. Behind him, Luna slaps him with a smile, and earns my regards.

"I don't think I've created more than two or three realities, though," I mumble in embarrassment.

"Six or seven, is more realistic," Harry corrects me.

"We didn't know Sirius was kissed?"

"But Ron and I have seen more impossible appearances than you know," He answers. "Ron was usually too hungry to ask, and I was intimidated," he smirks again.

Luna giggles.

I think Dr Weir reckons we're off our rocker.

"That device was created to try and erase some of the excessive realities," Helia updates us regarding ancient Alteran lore. "Turned out each use created a few more."

"I just wasted sixty years of my life?" Weir bemoans.

"Sorry dear," I tell her tenderly.

"You saved yourself sixty years at the stone-age, at the least," Harry tries to make her look at the bright side of life.


"Are you planning to do something about the Ori?" Captain Helia asks us softly on our way back to control, right after sorting Weir up in a room with a spectacular view, to ponder her options.

Harry sighs tiredly in response "Been a fun day so far?" he asks mostly no one.

"Might as well move this to the library," I reply. "I wanted to search it for some information for quite a while now."

"She won't tell you a thing," Helia remarks.

"Not much that we need her to tell us," Harry shrugs.

The Atlantis library hall itself is an uninspiring, fairly large, brown and turquoise decorated, round chamber. For a library, it is painfully lacking in books.

And couches!

In the centre of it is a round dais and a control rostrum beside it. As soon as we're in, Harry distributes a few plates around and soon enough the hall is well hidden.

I manage to out-rush Luna to the index and step up there, with my back to the platform, as she pouts. A metallic computerised ringing tone sounds and the library is bathed by some white light, coming from behind my back.

"You may enter your quarry verbally, or by entering it manually on the console in front of you," says some unknown voice.

"Morgana!" Luna enthuses, looking up.

"Be careful!" Harry warns her with a whisper, which can be clearly heard by, well - almost everyone who listens. "She's a dark witch!" he gives us his best Ron imitation.

"Ganos Lal," Captain Helia corrects Luna. She then looks up with a slight amused smile. "Alright?" she asks, whoever is there behind me. Harry is certainly rubbing off on her.

And by the signs she's giving, she would love to join us and try it literally.

I finally turn to look at the translucent white woman, standing on the dais and looking blankly forwards.

"Poor dear must be bored stiff, if she has chosen to stand here and masquerade as a computer index, for Merlin only knows how long," I amuse myself saying. Whether the woman finds it amusing or not - she doesn't show any sign and keeps staring blankly forward.

"Incidentally," Harry asks. "Would you know the real name of this Merlin chap?"

"The person who presented himself as Merlin was named Moros originally," says the pretending hologram in a detached voice.

"The high councillor?" Helia asks in surprise. "He was a decent man," she adds, and there's some ghost of a grimace on the hologram's face. "What did this Merlin person do?"

"Well, it depends on the stories you're listening to and the person telling them," I smirk a little.

"There was certainly no love lost between those two," Captain Helia deadpans, nodding her head towards the pretended hologram.

"It's what most of our legends tell us as well," I answer.

"Might as well invite the old berk to join the do," Harry sighs, and reaches out with his hand. "Sorry," he adds, looking at the silent Morgana standing on the dais.

A circle lights on his palm, a long moment passes, nothing happens.

"Wards?" I ask, quite surprised.

"Shouldn't be a problem?" Harry answers. "See?"

With another motion of his hand a shade of our beloved ex-headmaster materialises next to us. The shade looks around and that annoying grandfatherly smile shines on his face. "Harry my…" he tries to say, before dissolving into smoke once more.

"So?" Helia asks.

"He must be alive somewhere," Luna concludes.

"Otherwise, he's truly gone," Harry adds. "Can you guys even move on?" he then asks Ganos, who's still doing her best to masquerade as an index hologram.

Finally she blinks, then sighs, then shakes her head slightly. "Are we hidden?" she asks.

"Come here," Captain Helia calls her down, well - to earth, with a tender smile and open arms. "What have you done to yourself?" She asks. "You were always so vocal against ascension?"

"Brrr," she then adds. Apparently hugging the ascended is not much different than hugging a ghost.

"Someone had to keep a close eye on them," Ganos huffs. "Otherwise, the un-interfering morons are the only ones remaining here to interfere. Probably the only thing Moros and I could agree upon," she adds with a sigh.

"Did you help your friend help King Uther rape his Duke's wife?" Luna asks with some innocent interest.

Genos frowns. "Didn't I say Moros and I seldom see things eye to eye?"

"Right," Captain Helia agrees. "The twit usually couldn't make up his mind till decisively much too late, then went on with ridiculously out and out solutions, for problems, which used to be simple."

"But you are a dark witch?!" Harry insists with a slight smirk.

Ganos just stares wordlessly at him, clearly not amused.

Meanwhile, Helia watches us and her friend with clear amusement. "Is it you who brought the Ignis lacerta from the Furling homeworld to Earth?"

Ganos now turns her wordless stare to her friend, who doesn't seem to mind it any more than Harry did.

"It was a part of your peculiar genome that Moros was trying to preserve there," she then adds, nodding towards Harry, and he suddenly looks a tad green. "Not to worry," Ganos goes on telling us. "You are not related - that line of your particular genome didn't survive the crusades and the French."

Conversation goes on for a while. Ganos seems to be genuinely happy to talk with someone without fear of 'the others'. Takes us some time to bring the conversation back on topic. Apparently, Ganos destroyed whatever weapon Moros was building.

Holy Grail? What kind of a name is this for a weapon?

"Just to be clear," I ask. "There is no amazing device to do away with all ascended beings, safely hidden behind some child's puzzle, or some such?"

Luckily not, but the annoying pillock is still safely locked away, for a millennium now, inside a stasis pod, on a deserted planet. Now, it's quite useless to go and 'save' old Merlin from his pod, since being this old, he's not gonna survive for long. Being formerly ascended, there is no 'moving on' for him. Also, having done what he did - it'll be an awfully bad idea for him to ascend once more.

"Still," Ganos logically argues, "Some other person might find him and persuade him to recreate the device."

Oh well, at least Ganos can get us there without jumping through all the hoops.

"While we're here and having this conversation," Harry asks further, "Would you know, perchance, who is the berk who helped Anubis with his enlightenment?"

Turns out we're already familiar with the lady, and soon Harry invites her to join the party. She's still dressed in the same light natural coloured suit. Didn't even change her hair in the year since we've last met.

Clearly fashion isn't a thing in the ascended realm.

"I thought you were supposed to keep to the code?" Luna asks her innocently and earns an annoyed stare. Ganos earns a glare of the same type as well - we all do actually.

"Reckon she took them for more like guidelines," I answer. This makes captain Helia chuckle.

"Well, that certainly answers that question," Harry deadpans. "Whether she's good or evil," he further explains.

"I made a mistake!" Blonde tells us exasperatedly.

What was her name? 'Mother' something?

"Anubis is a conniving, slippery bastard!" she goes on.

Indubitably not Teresa with this mouth of hers.

Apparently, knowing everything doesn't translate into being mistake free. Doesn't offer any special wisdom as well. Then the other twits stop you from trying to correct your mistakes as a punishment for all the universe's citizens.

"Can't even get rid of him, " she explains with more than a dash of regret. "I can fully ascend him back, but then will not be able to contain him at all by myself."

"We'll handle Anubis,'' Captain Helia answers her coldly, looking pointedly at Harry.

"Right," he lightly agrees. "What we need from you is help containing the other berks."

"This is what we thought to do…" I add.


July 4th 2003 - Hideaway

"Hammond dear," I smile kindly and receive a soft smile in response.

He was never impressed by my antics.

In front of us are the sad remains of USS Prometheus, in the process of being disassembled and repaired. With most of its bow construct pulverised by Anubis lightening beams, and the heavy damage her hangars and starboard engines have sustained, rebuild is expected to last for about a year.

Just behind her are the reasons for our current visit. Both USS Daedalus and Odyssey are slowly rising from their cradles.

What a way to celebrate Independence Day!

Both new ships are a tad longer, a tad wider, a tad higher than their predecessor. Both are also an important step forward in power and armament. Both are certainly positioning the US of A as a noteworthy power in the galaxy. Indubitably as soon as their other sister ships, and the repaired and upgraded USS Prometheus are commissioned.

Our friends unquestionably have the tools now to go out there and look for trouble.

Surprisingly enough, both ships are manned with their intended crews and all signs indicate that those are about to keep to their formal chain of command.

Mark me astonished.

"Their home base will remain here at the Alpha-site," I hear the General explain their plans to Admiral Boyce. "One ship would stay here on short alert rotation to protect this planet and assist in the protection of Earth. The other will be our long hand into the galaxy. We'll start by trying to help the Jaffa."

The Admiral nods slightly in agreement. Helping the Jaffa is certainly a noble cause, if not almost a lost one, what with the Jaffa free nation being dissolved into five or six warring ones - depending on the day of the week.

Beside me the newly promoted Brigadier-General O'Neill grimaces slightly.

"Like we know just who to help out there," he tells us.

"Teal'c?" Harry asks softly.

"Like trying to stop a drunken mass brawl at the local bar, all by your lonesome," Jack answers.

Harry just pats his back in support.


We're on our way back home and our small bunch starts to scatter. Both Admirals and Commodore Penrose hurry ahead of us back to the moon base and down to London. Sam meets Narim with a hug and a soft kiss, and both disappear through the Port while General Hammond looks at the both of them with a fond smile and Jack with a grimace.

They have been together, much to Jack's chagrin, for almost a year now. Ever since Daniel's memorial at the pool joint.

Rudy thought that all good things
Come to those that wait
But recently he could see
that it may come too late

Oh well, life is not all beer and skittles…

They're actually a match made in heaven, those two. Both are geeks and curious, though in completely different ways. They're also as different as chalk and cheese, what with Narim striving to be more a pacifist then a Nox, and Sam being rather militaristic like.

They are living on Tollana most of the time, and commuting daily, with Narim being the Tollan permanent representative to Earth, and Sam mostly doing research now, and supervising the American ship building effort. Not an easy task, let me tell you, what with the constantly changing time differences between the various planets. Could have stayed on Earth - Narim has a perfectly legal identity here on Earth now, with a home address in Golders Green of all places. Sadly, and for the foreseeable future, he will always be looking behind his back for kidnappers, if he ever becomes too predictable.

General Hammond himself is about to step to the Port and to return to Colorado when a stable wormhole forms and Seth steps out.

"General," he says amicably. "Can you please come with me? I have something important which needs your attention."

We are about to follow, when Seth stops us with a raised finger, and they both disappear through the Port.

Vis-Uban?

Harry sighs and looks at his watch. "Almost six in the afternoon already," he tells us.

"Another day gone down the drain," I sigh.

"It's just us now," Harry tells Jack. "Fancy joining us for a pint?"

"A beer?" is Jack's surprised response, looking at his own watch.

Digital…

"It's not even lunchtime?!"

"Well," I answer with a sweet smile. "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."

Apparently, that's enough to convince the newly minted General.

We make a short stop at control to report back and check out on our way down.

"Welcome to Earth space, Asgard." Says the control shift officer, as a ship drops in a tad closer to Earth than common.

"It's the same old Biliskner who dropped in and jumped back out a couple of times already," remarks a duty officer.

"Please keep behind the moon and identify yourself." control asks politely, but the ship doesn't respond once more, and leaves at once.

"I'll forward the telemetry to Thor," the duty officer reports. "Might be able to identify this ship."

"Tagged it in the system, so we'll know where she's going," control updates him back.

"Let's go?" Harry asks impatiently.

It's all back being R's problem now, as it should.


July 11th 2003 - Brick Ln.

We're having dinner with my parents and Sirius to watch Fleur on the Telly. She and Dr Stebbins are interviewed in the news this evening to announce our great plan to rid the Earth from our excessive nuclear waste.

All this turned into a nightmare, let me tell you.

First was Greenpeace complaining about anything and everything: accidents risk during transportation.

Like we don't transport all this waste to 3rd world countries as things stand.

Our vehicle exploding on take-off and spreading radioactive waste throughout the globe.

We got it covered, mates. honestly!

Material won't even be on the shuttle during take-off - it will be long ringed up somewhere safe. There are demonstrations held now, in front of various locations of interest, to stop our 'irresponsible' efforts.

Then, intel started coming in regarding all kinds of 'freedom fighting' organisations, looking to secure said potentially hazardous material while in transfer. All for the benefit of humankind, naturally. Again - nothing we can't handle.

But can't really explain how.

Stebbins new shuttle is about to launch for the first time next week, making a milk run of useless parts for the international space station, and launch a couple of intelligence satellites, disguised as comm-sats, just to prove it's safe and reliable.

Then, there were voices starting to inquire just why the BCE Inc. was given a monument like the Battersea Power Station to use 'for no good reason', as the story goes.

It was a ruined old building no one wanted for two decades?

Nevermind that we are formally paying for it by supplying the London metropolitan with free and abundant electricity. But, try and explain this to the public, since the poor sods are still charged for it by the energy suppliers.

Then, few have started to look deeper into the taxes we pay. Now, all the rest is an annoyance alright, but this gives the exchequer a real headache.

"Got a call, last week, from the Prime Minister's office," Harry tells me conversationally. "He wants to further discuss exposing extra-terrestrials' existence to the population."

"That desperate?" mum asks.

"Is it set?" I ask Harry.

"I still reckon we could do it quietly. Go after dark, load all this nuclear rubbish into a container, and ring it all up to Precious," Daddy remarks, after a sip of his whiskey.

"Pinky got his Naquadah shots," mum kinda agrees.


July 15th 2003 - moon base

General O'Neill,

And isn't this something to get used to?!

Is our guest today for our new step towards galactic domination. The head of the Joint Chief of Staff is his guest. As usual, Lt. Colonel Davis is here with them, so someone will handle the actual work.

"We have been working on this for more than a year now," R remarks as one after the other the five long range sensor satellites come online.

Actually, it was Liam's 'great project'. He was on it ever since we discovered that we won't be able to access the few remaining Alteran satellites, and on the other hand - understood the great contribution the long range sensors of Atlantis offered. The first 'satellite' was the good old HMS Hind, which had its reactors swapped for a couple of medium-size power crystals, after which we used the liberated space for an additional CIC, and more accommodations.

Now, five such satellites cannot cover the whole galaxy. Certainly not the void around it, but this network can cover most of our sectors of interest, and some of the space around those. It can also replace Atlantis in the network, which is a bonus, since we're still reluctant to notify our American friends about its existence. Also, since after all is said and done - it still belongs to the Lanteans and the daft twits might decide to take it with them back to Pegasus.

We are standing in the newly built galactic CIC hall. The galaxy hologram floats below us, while around us various displays are showing areas of interest. Obviously, ship travel and details are shown only at the few parts of space, which are either covered by our new sensors or by the few Alteran satellites still active out there. Otherwise, the system mostly shows old information from the Alteran, Asgard, and Nox databases.

"Impressive!" Jack remarks, clearly impressed.

"First rate!" Davis agrees.

A chap at the monitoring level makes a few adjustments on his post and the display focuses first on the Odyssey over hideaway, then moves to focus on the Daedalus travelling in hyperspace towards the galaxy centre. Most of our ships are shown as well. Others don't - either out of range, or cloaked.

Naturally, it shows foreign ships as well. Do you remember that interface routine Paul had once developed for Luna, before our first visit to Vis-Uban? Turns out it works nicely for capital ships too. Display plots with red spots places where two or more ships have encountered each other, and a few less went their merry way afterwards. There is a rather large concentration of those red spots, about the region where the Daedalus is heading.

"A bit black over Bill's mother's," Penrose remarks softly, mostly to himself.

"This will identify any ship with her AIS active, and will show any unfriendly ship our sensors recognise." Liam further explains his system, proudly. It will also show any Asgard and Nox ships in covered space, as long as they don't ask to be hidden." he adds.

Well, the Nox can actually hide from our sensors…

"These are network transponders for you to install at headquarters and on your ships, to have the data available for you," R offers, pointing at a trolley with three medium sized boxes on it, standing to the side. "We included the designs so you can manufacture more for your new ships."

"Sensors?" asks the Joint Chief of Staff.

"As soon as we're able," R promises.

"Like we can make them ourselves," Liam mumbles with a healthy dash of exasperation.

"We have a mission you might want to join," I tell Jack softly, while we watch one of the secondary displays showing Earth space. Our home division clearly shows a couple of light minutes above the ecliptic. An Asgard ship is also there.

The few Asgard helping with the Goblin education are more comfortable living there than in London.

A few Bricks are also visible, travelling around. So are the three cloaked Al'kesh SGC keeps round the planet - one of them low over Iraq.

Jack responds with a raised eyebrow, to which I just shrug.

"Where are we going?" he asks, instead of discussing their ship's activities over Iraq.

"Camelot," I answer lightly.

This brings a soft smile to Jack's face. "Daniel would have liked that," he tells me, turning away from the display.

"Beatrix as well,'' I reply with a similar smile.

"What are you looking for?" Davis asks.

"The Holy Grail, naturally," Harry answers with a wide smile.


We see our guests to the rings and back down to Earth, when we meet Sam and Calvin talking animatedly with a rather shocked bloke of a race I'm not familiar with. Narim is standing beside them, clearly exasperated.

"Finn, buddy!" Jack calls, and earns a smile back.

"Mate," Calvin calls the shocked Alien chap's attention - Finn apparently, back to himself. "You mean anyone can show up and register for this race?!"


Ignis lacerta - Fire Lizards (Latin)


Huge shout, once more, to flyboy38, my beta, who takes the time to make sure the story is a much better read.
Also to Dalwolf For doing Brit-Picking for, well - you all, and help my British characters stay British.

I am eternally grateful!