Star Granger Season 5 - Chapter 15
Thoughts
"speech"
"Goa'uld speech"
SG SG SG SG SG SG SG
November 15th 2003 - Upper East Side NYC
Early Saturday morning is one of the only few times when there is hope of finding the esteemed Dr Elisabeth Weir at home. Otherwise, she's probably out there, trying to save the world from itself, one negotiation at a time.
We called in advance, not to frighten the lady by knocking unannounced on her door. Also, to make sure she is awake and dressed at this unreasonable time of the morning. We are about to ruin her weekend.
Or make it, maybe.
No reason to add a surprise visit to the incredulity.
"I am agent Evans, WIB," Jane introduces herself and hands Dr Weir her card. "Jane Evans," she adds with a soft smile.
Long habits are hard to break.
"Sorry to ruin your day of rest," she adds. "I understand that we were announced?"
Dr Weir takes Jane's card and gives it a glance. "You were," she sighs. "Please come in. Didn't know the British consulate gets involved in practical jokes," she deadpans.
"No pranks today," I answer. "Please read and sign this," I add, and hand her a tablet. She easily recognises my face. Quite surprised to find me standing in her NY lounge. Weir does read the secrecy contract before digitally signing it. Unlike most people in these times and days. We looked into it a while back, after some loud and amusing disagreement between Keira and Calvin. The most commonly used lie nowadays goes something like 'I have read and agree to the terms of this agreement'...
Not recommended with Magically binding ones.
"Alright," Jane states, accepting the tablet back, and taking her mobile out. "Do you need anything else?" she asks softly, then presses 'talk' - "Scotty, three to beam up."
For a long moment nothing happens, and Jane presses the button again. "Scotty?"
In front of us, Weir opens her mouth, probably to say something about us going too far on her expanse, when 3rd and 48th view is suddenly replaced with the space view of the Atlantis sea - about the Bermudas.
"Yer perfectly capable o' transporting yourselves up," our navigation officer is rather miffed about Jane's antics. "you're juist bothering me tae amuse yersel'," he rightly accuses her in his heavy Scottish brogue.
"Close your mouth, dear. We are not a codfish," I tell Dr Weir dryly.
"Welcome aboard HMS Seahorse," Commander Reiley greets us warmly. She came a really long way from that young, nervous, and bossy officer, who annoyed me so during that struggle to keep the replicators away from Earth, oh-so-long-ago. "Can we be on our way, ma'am?" she then asks me.
Naturally, she's still well capable of annoying me.
In front of us, a hyperspace window whirls, and soon enough we drop in.
It takes a bit of a while, but Dr Weir seems to have finally got a hold of her wits.
"So," she asks, turning back to us all. "Rosenberg the jeweller?"
It makes me chuckle.
November 15th 2003 - Atlantis
"High Chancellor Helia - congratulations!" I greet my friend, as soon as we're seated for some gossip, we both can call strategic updates.
"Acting High Chancellor," she replies dryly. "Still can't locate the current codes to make it official."
Helia and I are at the Atlantis Cafe, giving Dr Elisabeth Weir and the other Dr Elisabeth Weir some space to get to know each other. Those two, who are different representations - 'versions' if you like, of the same person, are as different as chalk and cheese, and I'm not referring to the age difference alone. Both have different body types, different hair, and certainly different attitudes. Same DNA though.
"Indeed" was the only thing 'old' Weir has said, when I've remarked regarding, so there must be a story behind this. Also, she probably had the joy of knowing some version of Teal'c. None of my business though. 'Old' Weir did ask if she might meet with her current counterpart, and there was no actual reason not to oblige.
"Ready to go then?" I probe.
Helia sighs and points out the windows, where I can see absolutely nothing. This is probably exactly her point. The Tria is now as well cloaked as any of the Asgard ships and is ready for her mission as she can be.
Even included spares for her core system's parts in her transporter's pattern banks.
Helia, though, is as happy to stay behind as R is. Still, someone has to stay and manage this reintegration effort of whatever is left from the Alteran race into current times. They need to be helpful; They also need to play the galactic political game; They will eventually need to have children and grow as a people; but, above all else, whoever is left of the Alteran people of old, must learn to be cautious.
"Just a reconnaissance mission at this stage," she tries to set me at ease. We are all understandably reluctant regarding our Lantean friends visiting their former lands and potentially alerting the wraiths, out of either negligence or hubris, of the fact that the Milky-Way is the land of happy meals on feet.
Her former XO was promoted to captain the ship. He will take with him about a third of the ship's former crew, almost every drone left in Atlantis banks, and three of our Bricks. Those can't go through the Ports, like Lantean shuttles can, but have a relatively fast interstellar hyperspace engine and can fold, which is a huge advantage when making an effort to be sneaky.
"Old Dr Weir asked to join our mission," Helia updates me.
"Neta as well," I answer. "We'll probably offer you a few more people."
"I'll be gathering a planning group, probably sometime next week," Helia agrees.
February 17th 2004 - former Moloch's domain
"Pathetic weaklings!" states the heavy-bodied Jaffa, who presents himself as the current head of one of the warring factions of the Jaffa people. Well, he actually presents himself as the king of the Jaffa empire, but there you have it…
Kings are like stars- they rise and fall.
At the head of the table Ishta is looking at him impassively. At her left sits Teal'c and according to the stares he is giving the berk, he wishes for him to go the way of Charles I of England, or Mary, Queen of Scots.
"Still, I can use your meagre forces in protecting my empire frontier, towards the unclaimed sectors," he states pompously. Probably reckons it's 'imperiously'.
Ishta doesn't exhibit any sign of reaction. Probably what makes her the most stable sovereign among the various Jaffa states. The fact that 'her' people are the ones who chose to take Sappho's medication, making all other 'real' Jaffa look down on them in contempt, is certainly a contributing factor. Also serves that both Gerrak and Bra'tac are standing guard over 'her domain' and that they have the best ships among the Jaffa nations available to them. Better than most of the Goa'uld's as well, as things stand.
Improved is here, now boosting two of our early model reactors, a fully featured early version targeting system, and a couple of our first generation particle cannons. Those won't do any good against Anubis-grade ships, but will certainly give anyone else, local to this galaxy, a pause. Also here is the last Anubis-grade Ha'tak we have underhand. Truthfully, the best defence for the place is the fact that no one is interested in the weakling, Goa'uld-larva-less Jaffa, who live here, albeit - this is the fastest growing Jaffa community out there.
"Our ships will remain here to protect our community and young," Teal'c states calmly and earns a glare full of scorn.
"Cowards!" shouts one of the other leaders around the table, but that doesn't earn any response from the impassive Ishta either.
Actually, one of the reasons this community has proven itself to be so stable is the fact that its military do not tend to cower from anyone in protecting it. That, and the fact that they were the only Jaffa community which accepted Earth's offer of help with education and with agricultural technologies and know-how. As a result, this community is one of the best fed in this galaxy. This has invited several attacks on this domain, but those were repelled after some fierce fighting. It also helped that we are using the two planets here as somewhat of a testing ground for several new technologies, like armed satellites and orbital mines.
"It's time you will stop this Empire nonsense and join forces with us to take control of this sector," declares one of the other pillocks.
"Indeed," Teal'c replies levelly, though what the pillock actually meant was that said 'joining of force' will be handled under his crown.
They, and I mean all free Jaffa people in this, were well underway to achieving exactly that. They had a decent and very loyal army. A decent fleet in the making, and a stable, level headed leadership. Then Gerak-one-R and Dakara happened, and the budding Jaffa nation broke into several fragments, warring with each other over ship control, domain, Goa'uld larva, and obviously - prestige. This turned the free Jaffa from a noteworthy force in this sector into a mockery of themselves within the course of a single year.
"What say you, not Isis?" Gerrak asks me, with a glint which well reminds me of his former leader, and my friend.
"Too many kings will ruin an army." I answer, both agreeing and rebuking the gathered concentration of testosterone and Goa'uld derived hormones. It earns me a round of derisive scoffs, a thankful nod from Teal'c, a thin smile from Gerrak, and not even a blink from Ishta.
"Still bowing to your Tau'ri lords, I see," remarks the emperor twit.
This manages to anger the newly minted general O'Neill. "See here, buddy!" he starts, but an alarm sounding stops all conversation in the hall.
On screens around the hall is the image of space above this planet, where a ragtag fleet of four Ha'tak ships dropped relatively far from orbit and immediately vectored towards the farmlands on the far side of the planet.
"Another barn heist," Bra'tac sighs.
"The good Ha'tak is at our village planet," Teal'c remarks softly. Improved is already vectoring towards the attacking ships, but it will be hard pressed to fight off all four of them. Even if it could, one or two of the attacking ships might delay her long enough for the others to complete their nefarious mission and flee.
"My ship will protect you!" the emperor stands and declares pompously.
"Be quiet!" Ishta orders in a soft, levelled tone. It's the first words she's said since welcoming us all at the start of this meeting. Surprisingly enough - he complies without another peep. She then looks at Commodore Penrose and me questioningly.
We don't even need to respond. On screen, a blue streak is seen tearing through space and towards the attacking ships. It disappears just shy of the leading ship. For a long moment nothing happened, then that ship ceases to be in a short burst of plasma fire. The other three ships prove to be of the clever sort and hurry to open their hyperspace windows and flee.
"I am sorry, but we need our ships to guard our worlds," Ishta finally summarises the discussion for today. "We will not send whatever ships and the few men we have to police your borders."
"We will be willing to help you with supplies," Bra'tac goes on. "But you will have to start by showing some respect," he snaps. Teal'c gets his serene smile, hearing this. Jack has a small smirk as well.
"And you will have to pay for it with some other resources you might have," Ishta adds, and earns a nod of approval from me.
This meeting ends with a collective huff at that.
"Someone will have to police these sectors someday soon," Ishta sighs, looking at the information we patch through to her meeting hall.
The assembled leaders have just left, loudly bickering with each other. One Al'kesh tried to take a shot at another, but that one managed to enter hyperspace and safety - just. Good thing - Ishta doesn't need this war to start on her turf.
Teal'c loses his serene smile and gains a frown. 'Those sectors' used to be the collective domains of several low-levelled Goa'uld and were never the most stable region of their empire. Syndicated crime has flourished there even back then, and has now developed into a kind of an oligarchy rule.
"We sent the Odyssey there, on her maiden voyage, as a show of good will," O'Neill updates us.
Also, in an effort to trade for more technologies, not controlled by either us or our advanced allies.
"They were missing a few small ships by the time she returned," he goes on telling. "Sadly, the Odyssey herself was missing one of her fighters, and was in need of some minor repairs."
"There was also an effort made to take over the ship, while visiting one of the planets," Teal'c adds to the tale.
O'Neill seems to be a tad embarrassed by this. "A woman ringed in, suited in a black soldier's armour. She then went on and tried to stun the crew."
A picture of the Odyssey's moderately scarred return has made its way to our weekly intelligence brief, but this hijacking attempt is news to both Peers and me.
"What did you do?" Peers asks.
This has the making of a truly hilarious story.
"Shot her?" Jack states the rather obvious. "You don't play around with black soldiers," he shrugs. "We asked around about her, after finding out she's not a Goa'uld zombie. Mal something. She was well known as a smuggler and thief. Pretty girl," he adds. "Daniel would probably have had kittens about it all," he then does the unspeakable thing and mentions one of our lost friends in a casual conversation.
I still find myself reaching out to ring him, when something utterly ridiculous happens.
A rather gloomy silence follows.
"Utterly daft!" Peers breaks the moment. He then walks to the screen and takes a closer look. "Any new intel about the going on with the Goa'uld?" he asks.
"Still bickering over fertile queens," Bra'tac replies. "Torn between the opportunity to gain an advantage over their brothers and sisters, and the need to bend together to face Anubis."
A glance at the screen shows that Anubis' fleet is still well entrenched at Dakara.
"Who of the Goa'uld still controls a fertile queen?" I'm interested to know.
Well, Kali is a fertile queen, though not young anymore. It's a huge advantage for her army, since Jaffa flock to her whether in need for a first symbiote, or a replacement for a mature one.
"They still kill most of the symbiotes who mature," Teal'c remarks softly. "Very few of any litter are female these days. Not even a single fertile one in most years."
"Bonkers!" is what Peers has to say about this.
"Sweet!" Jack disagrees.
"Didn't use to be this way," Ishta tells us softly.
"Anubis must have one, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to create his soldiers," I add to the list.
"Lord Yu too. It is believed that Pelops still has his queen, and Sobek, Sokar, and Svarog are fighting over a couple."
"Your community here is about to grow ten-fold in a decade or so," I turn back to Ishta.
There was a baby boom within Jaffa communities, right after many of them were released from Goa'uld rule. About a hundred thousand or more newborns, some say. In about a decade or so they will be of Prim'ta age and will have nowhere to go but here, to ask for the medication.
"I just hope we'll be ready to support them," she whispers.
HMCS Chimaera is our ride today. Being a destroyer, it has an officer meeting room and this meeting room has a hologram emitter. It is showing the hyperspace tunnel we are currently travelling through.
Lovely.
Soon enough, though, we are back to the galaxy map and sensor information.
"Most of Anubis' fleet is at Dakara for a while now," O'Neill remarks softly. "He deported all locals from the city and is levelling it, looking for something."
Commodore Penrose gives me an uncomfortable glance. We are equally ill at ease both for keeping those secrets, and for disclosing information that will then climb up their 'chain of command'. Both O'Neill and Teal'c are good people though, and have been signed into our confidentiality for a while now.
A short burst of typing on the room's post and a questioning raised eyebrow from Peers later and the galaxy map is replaced on display by an aerial of Dakara city. It's all in shambles except for the pristine temple at its heart.
"The lost Prim'ta temple," Teal'c states in a grave tone.
"Indeed!" Jack agrees with an unmistakable sarcasm in his voice.
"Anubis is looking for Alteran tech which is hidden inside the temple. Luckily the temple itself is now decently hidden," I explain. "The fact that he actually knows that something of interest should be there is quite worrisome in itself."
At the south pole of the planet is a large crater. Much larger than Keira's. Someone came here looking and was a wee bit disappointed with his findings.
"Can't you use this super-weapon against him?" Jack is immediately interested in potential miraculous solutions for our problems. I just shake my head in exasperation.
"General," Peers is the one to actually reply. "It's the kind of device which can make half the galaxy go for a ball of chalk, in case the wrong button is pressed.
More like the right button is pressed the wrong way.
"Don't you have those Ancients working for you?" Jack further asks.
"They don't work for us - they're their own people," I answer dryly.
"This thing was designed millions of years ago, by the best Alteran scientists of the time," Peers elaborates. "Current Lanteans only have a few ship engineers available. This device works using multidimensional, pan-phasic, modulated particle waves. It's powered by…"
And O'Neill stops him with a sound and a motion that clearly conveys the 'please don't explain this to me' notion.
That's the part when I stop trusting him to even make lunch decisions.
"Cheeseburgers for lunch?" I ask, and earn a raised eyebrow and a slight smile from Teal'c.
The Tria's chief engineer actually visited the temple and had only two words to say - 'fat chance!'
"Do you know Anubis' next target, Hermione Granger?" Teal'c finally asks.
Peers and I exchange some more uncomfortable looks. "He's been to Praclarush, then came here to Dakara. Heliopolis was utterly destroyed by the alliance. If he's truly after Alteran technology, next target will be either Vis-Uban, or Earth."
No one among us has anything constructive to say about that.
February 24th 2004 - Agartha orbit
We actually learned about this place from SGC, for a change. A few weeks back I kindly pointed Sam in Harry's way when she came for some more testing. Just wanted her to realise that Harry has a charming personality as well. There was not a moment of doubt, really. Harry is generally liked by most.
This place came up in the conversation; Harry was strongly warned about the walls grabbing at your head to fill it with too much information; Jack, naturally assured us that there is nothing to be done here; And now we have a distinguished company on our bridge.
First to join us was Sam, who couldn't resist the opportunity to see Ancient, as she insists on calling the Alteran's for some reason, technology at work. Jack joined to 'keep us safe' and since he really doesn't have anything better to do. General Hammond was on his way up and out, then he and Seth had that mysterious conversation, and the dear General came back to his office with renewed energy and passion. That left the newly minted other General with no team to lead and no desk to sit behind. Teal'c was visiting too, to buy some eucalyptus fragrant candles, also some lavender fragrant soap bars, and watch the last of the Star Wars films once more. He heard about his former teammates going and couldn't resist.
Then, there is the newly re-minted SG1. Colonel Mitchell had the unbelievable luck to survive the battle over Langara in a F-302, but he was rather severely wounded. Poor bloke was drifting out in space in his damaged 302, which has just launched right into a nearby ha'tak's shields, looking out at the raging battle all round him. Had the unbelievably luck to be right out of the range of Anubis' lighting weapon. He is now the head of SGC's leading team and is rather miffed about said team being altogether new, with not one of its (in)famous members remaining.
That little underground cavern was rather packed, while we all waited and looked at the Lantean engineer dismantling and packing the repository and relating databanks for transportation. Surprisingly enough, Jack was right and the surface of this planet offered very little to explore.
"Is it done?" Charles asks from the command chair, up in orbit.
"Sorted," answers an engineer.
"Ace!" Charles approved. "Next destination at your convenience," he orders helm.
"Engaged!" Helm confirms. "6 hours, 35 to destination," he reports, and hyperspace is back swirling around us.
"Tea?" Harry offers.
February 25th 2004 - Nysa orbit
Our SGC friends imaginatively call this place P3X-439. The Lantean culture officer, who joined our space trip, tells us that he was able to locate this planet in Atlantis' records of old. Apparently, there used to be a rather harmless cult, who planned to turn this indubitably lovely planet into the spiritual centre of the Alteran nation. Records say construction was never completed, but even Merlin wouldn't have known what was left behind here.
Being several million years too young.
Scans show very little. There are several structures about the planet, but the only place showing any kind of energy reading is that ostentatious and quite dilapidated statue-like structure, not far from the planet's Port. There's a familiar installation at the south pole of the planet, yet sensors get nothing from the place, but visual.
"Let's head down?" Harry offers.
That's the part where Beatrix used to start having fun…
"Nothing," reports the marine captain who was sent to check the planet's south pole.
"Nothing here as well," reports the other unit commander from one of the other ruins sites on the planet.
"It's gonna take us some time," the Lantean engineer updates us. It took him about five seconds to locate and trigger the repository interface. Dismantling it and getting into the structure to see what else is there will be a tad harder to do.
"Several hyperspace vectors heading this way," Charles updates us from the ship in orbit. "Too far to count yet. About an hour and a half out."
We look at each other. There is no reason for anyone native to this galaxy and hyperspace travel able to be heading this way.
"Origin?" The marine major commanding this group asks.
"Dakara."
"Language!" I snap at Harry, even before he manages to say anything at all. By the rueful smile I get from him, it was well timed.
The engineer and Sam shake their heads. There is no way they can have this thing disassembled and ready for transport in ninety minutes. I shake my head slightly as well. There is no way we can have this place hidden without a large enough and well prepared team.
"We'll be needing some reinforcements," Harry tells Charles.
"Acknowledged!"
"Can't you guys just blow this place from orbit, and leave?" Colonel Mitchel asks.
"Sir!" Carter complains to O'Neill. "This might be our only chance to learn the secrets of the Ancients. This knowledge is priceless!"
Not really.
This repository is rather old, and we have others from that era underhand.
"It has important historical value for the Lanteans," Harry makes up his mind. "And we have no idea what else is in there," he adds and taps his hand on the wall.
Sam and the engineer nod in agreement and get back to work. Mitchel seems like he wants to argue, yet reconsiders. The rest of Commander Caniff's division is on its way, though they will arrive a little late. The rest of the marines are sent planet side with some of their heavy equipment to establish a perimeter.
We're as ready as we can be.
Just hope Anubis' new flagship isn't ready yet.
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!