Stargate: Atlantis; The Alternate First Season
By WeaverOfDreams777
Rating: PG-PG13
Genre:Action/Adventure
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate:SG1 or Stargate:Atlantis.
Warning: This story is not meant to fit the storyline set forth by the producers of Stargate. It is AU, Alternate Universe. If you don't like that, don't review. You don't have to read it.
Hey! Thanks to the two of you who reviewed, I really didn't expect to get any at all. I hope this chapter does not disappoint. I want you to know, Rose, Shep develops over time in this fic. And it's mostly prewritten.
Chapter four: Jerhun's Genius
Amara and Maris had recieved a burial at sea, and Jerhun had become more like a hermit. Kamil had become even more superior in bearing. Sheppard was on so-so terms with Weir, and McKay and Beckett were busy as bees. Only Aiden Ford really noticed that Jerhun seemed to be retreating. The whole team had a difficult task ahead of them, trying to figure out how to stop the Wraith. McKay kept loudly proclaiming that he merely needed a Wraith to study and then the problem would be as good as solved, but after seeing Jerhun and the other hybrids, it seemed hard to justify capturing a Wraith. Gonfalon stepped in with his blunt words of wisdom.
"These Wraith are far removed from their original ancestors. By capturing them you break no law or treaty, but you do risk your lives and the lives of the civilians here. While it may be convienient to have a Wraith specimen at your disposal, weigh well the risks first."
Sheppard discussed it heavilly with the ranking officers and non-military personell, trying to bring about a yes or no descision. Jerhun managed to overhear it, and the coordinates of where they'd last found the Wraith. He had to go with them if they tried to capture a Wraith, else they were predestined to fail. He knew it deep down. He started 'looking' for a soldier who looked like him, reading it during his daily sparring matches. Weir knew something was up, since her charge disappeared frequently.
She found Jerhun tinkering with the ZPM the team had brought back one day.
"May I ask what you're doing?" she asked, seating herself beside him.
"As you Earth Humans would say, I am 'Turbocharging' the zero point module. It is going well." he replied.
"How, Jerhun? You, you're..."
"Blind? I know. I don't have to see to do this."
"Then how are you doing this?"
"Remember how I told you I could remember almost anything, indefinately?"
"Sort of."
"This is not the first ZPM I have worked on. I remember the other ones vividly in my head. I need only feel the parts to know what they are and where they go."
"Why are you doing it, though?"
"Because it will help the team, and if I can be a help, perhaps Major Sheppard will not resent my presence."
"What will it do?"
"You will be able to go farther through our Stargate. Father said your range is far too limited to be of any use. On our planet, things could be different, but we cannot allow you there as of yet."
"So what will you do next, techie?"
"I will disable the security protocols on the gate and reprogram them."
"But the Wraith will get through!"
"Dr. Weir, if there is no power to the gate they will have a dreadfully hard time doing that. They will be trapped in subspace indefinately."
"Oh."
"Each member of the team will wear a beacon, that will enable them to pass through the gate. It will only work on the member whose DNA matches the internal codex. Wraith couldn't use it then. Furthermore, the beacons will self destruct if somone tries to modify them after I lock them in. There is another gate on the other side of the city. We can test the beacons that way."
Weir was surprised. Jerhun had really thought this through. He handed her a beacon.
"This one is yours. It's programmed for you and you only."
It looked much like a wrist watch, and even displayed the date and time.
"Jerhun, it's a wristwatch."
"No it isn't. It's a miniature dialer. Flip up the face of the watch."
The now familiar sequenced runes greeted her eyes. An etching of the atlantis stargate was on the clear crystal of the face. She sat quietly and admired it for a moment.
"I'm glad you like it." Jerhun murmured, putting the housing back on the ZPM. "It communicates directly with the DHD."
He got up and walked over to the stargate, expertly popping out a maintanence door and pulling out some circut boards.
"Dr. Weir, I do need help with this, if you don't have time, can Dr. Beckett or Dr. McKay assist me?"
"No, I'll help you. I want to see how it's done."
"Fine. I'll explain it as we go. Bring that bag and the ZPM over here."
Weir looked dubiously at the zero point module and the Jerhun's bag of circut boards and tools. Both looked very heavy.
"The ZPM is on a dolly. You can move it. The circut boards are actually very light." Jerhun said.
He was right, both items were easilly moved. She pushed the ZPM in front of the disabled stargate and watched Jerhun remove circut boards. He laid them on the floor in order.
"Alright, this is why I need help. The boards are color coded, get the board that matches the first board in color out of my bag."
Understanding dawned on Weir, and she pulled the matching board out of its soft wrappings and handed it to Jerhun. He popped it into the slot where it belonged.
"Did the LEDs on the edge light up?"
"Yes, all of them. They're flashing in sequence."
"Good, the board is compatible. The rest of them should work too."
They repeated all the steps until only one board was left. Jerhun left the access panel open and the board out. He turned to Weir.
"Can you call the whole team up here? I need to program the beacons, and I can't do it without them."
Weir immediately called Sheppard and asked him to send up the team members in groups of six.
"But what if the Wraith try to jam the beacons' frequency?" Sheppard asked skeptically.
"I thought of that," Jerhun replied. "As a result, the beacons transmit on several frequencies, and the gate security computer now recieves on several."
"Couldn't the Wraith steal these and imput their own code?"
"No. Only I can. I locked them down with instructions to self destruct if tampered with."
"Besides, Major, it works on DNA identification," Weir said. "The Wraith's DNA doesn't match ours."
"Sound thinking, Jerhun," Gonfalon said. "But how did you do the etchings?"
"A machine. They're laser etchings. I didn't have to see to do it, the machine could work from a picture."
Sheppard shook his head in astonishment.
"Alright Jerhun, you win. Lay it on me."
Jerhun handed him the beacon and told him to put it on. Sheppard obeyed, slightly unnerved that a blind ancient could do so many things. Jerhun gave him the dialing code of the stargate across the city. Sheppard put it in on the tiny device. To his surprise, the stargate powered up right away. Jerhun put on his own beacon and activated it, then stepped through the stargate, leaving Sheppard behind. Jerhun came out in the massive library on the other side fo the city, running his hand down the spine of the nearest book, he knew exactly where he was. He turned around, then walked back through the stargate, ending up back in the gateroom.
"As you would say, 'Have at it!'. The gate works and the beacons work as well."
The team adventurously trooped through the gate to the library. It was as Jerhun said. They wouldn't need as heavy a watch now. To Aiden Ford, this was the final proof that the Ancients were a technologicly advanced race. If a blind one could do this, imagine what the sighted ones could do!
Jerhun smiled tiredly as he 'watched' the team go back and forth. Finally, the gate was powered down, and the team gathered around him.
"Alright Jerhun, your point has been proven. You can go with us tomorrow."
Jerhun bowed, smiled, and left the room.
McKay sighed, watching Jerhun from across the room. It bugged him that the hybrid was blind. True, Jerhun bore up bravely in spite of it, and he found many ways to overcome his difficulties, but still, Dr. Rodney McKay wished there were something he could do to restore Jerhun's sight. It was unnerving how Jerhun could appear to be watching the goings on of the city, and yet not actually see any of it. McKay had to admit that Jerhun had more courage than he did, in that Jerhun was always the first to try his own inventions, and seemed to have no problems with requesting help when he needed it. He didn't have any pride issues.
Aiden Ford had to help Jerhun with some of the straps and buckles of the battle gear that the team wore, but Jerhun seemed to be perfectly fine with admitting he needed the help. He in turn helped Aiden to do things that Aiden couldn't do alone. Jerhun was so ready and willing to be a help, despite the fact that the team was responsible for the loss of his sight.
"Jerhun, can you come here?" McKay called out.
He could feel Jerhun search the room mentally before his thoughts came to rest on McKay. Jerhun could navigate the room by touch if he knew what he was trying to reach, as he had demonstrated on many an occaision. He didn't fall short this time either.
"Yes, Dr. McKay?"
"Be careful. Sheppard and the others are trying to capture a Wraith, they're going to the planet where they found the hive-ship before. Don't risk your life unnessecarilly. Despite what you may think, we like you and want to keep you."
Jerhun smiled and saluted smartly.
"Yes sir, Dr. McKay."
McKay snickered.
"You just live to make others' lives a little more humourous, don't you?"
Jerhun nodded, turning to go. He looked perfectly at home in the human battle gear, slender but well muscled, tall and stately. The long-fingered hands brushed tables and chairs as Jerhun found his way back over to the rest of the group.
As the small battle group stepped through the stargate, McKay sighed again. He had a long and boring day ahead of him.
Sheppard watched with interest as Jerhun lifted his head into the breeze and inhaled, ears twitching, and all his senses obviously engaged in the task at hand. He rather wondered what exactly would transpire, should they meet a Wraith. Sheppard was not overly suprised when Jerhun became more Wraithlike in appearance.
"If we meet a Wraith, fear is to be the last thing on your minds. Remember that he or she cannot see you unless I otherwise dictate."
"And how exactly do you intend to control what the other Wraith sees?"
Jerhun smiled.
"It is simple. He sees what I tell his brain he sees."
Sheppard nodded, unable to think of a suitable reply.
Weir held her breath, hoping that the sounds issuing fron the gate room would not bring the techies running. She dialed in the gate code for Earth. Beckett was with her at least, and McKay. They needed reinforcements, they would be deployed here for a long time, and 150 people were simply not going to cut it. Especially with so many non-military people. General O'Niel and Dr. Daniel Jackson were the first people to jump through the gate. Weir smiled nervously down O'Niel's gunbarrel.
"Dr. Weir? But how did you find a powerful enough energy source?"
"We didn't, Jerhun turbocharged the ZPM yesterday and upgraded the security codes."
"I didn't send any such person on this expedition."
"No, sir, he's an Ancient, actually. A blind one."
"Then the Ancients are alive?!" Daniel exclaimed.
"Yes, but they no longer live here. Jerhun is from another planet."
"What a pity that he's blind. It's really too bad that he never saw Atlantis." Jackson mused.
"Um, actually, he did. He wasn't blind when he first got here." Weir looked ashamed.
Thankfully, General O'Niel cut in.
"What do you need, Doctor?"
"Military Reinforcements, sir, and supplies. We've encountered a powerful enemy and we'll need more military power than we presently possess."
"Well, I'll ask Colonel Sumner what exactly he needs..."
"Sir, Colonel Sumner is dead. Major Sheppard is the commanding officer right now, and he doesn't know we're having this conversation."
"Alright," General O'Neil sighed. "Dial us in at 2200 hours. We'll send your reinforcements, supplies, and a higher ranking officer through the wormhole as soon as you establish it."
Weir nodded her thanks.
"And Weir, we'll send through a depleted ZPM as well. Have your Ancient friend turbocharge it, if possible. Maybe when you send it back, you could send him along? Dr. Jackson is dying to meet distant kin."
"Yes sir."
O'Niel and Jackson stepped back through the wormhole and the gate was powered down. They had eight hours to prepare.
The Wraith hailed Jerhun, seeming oblivious to the humans around him.
"How is the hunting? Have you caught the wretches who desecrated our hive?"
"No. The hunting is poor and we have nothing to show for our effort. We will try again."
The Wraith nodded slightly, and moved to pass Jerhun.
Aiden was ready for him, and struck the Wraith hard on the head. The Wraith crumpled softly into Jerhun's arms.
"Alright, that's all we signed up for, lets make like a bananna and split." Aiden hissed, slinging the Wraith over his shoulders and turning toward where they'd hidden the Puddle Jumper.
Sheppard seconded the motion, and the whole party swiftly headed for the escape craft.
"There's only one problem, what do we do with this life sucker?" Aiden asked softly.
"I have no idea. I honestly never thought we'd get this far." Sheppard admitted.
"We'll put him in the cargo area, I suppose." Jerhun murmured.
Weir waited patiently for the return of the Wraithcatchers. She knew Sheppard was not going to be pleased with her, but that was really not something she was concerned about at the moment. Gonfalon had set about preparing a place to keep their dangerous guest. Weir wanted that 'Puddle Jumper' to come through the gate quickly so that she could get this over with.
She wondered what Sheppard would do when he found out that he was no longer the ranking officer...
The Puddle Jumper glided though the gate, coming to a stop in front of Weir. Sheppered grinned and gave her the thumbs up. Weir smiled grimly. He wouldn't be giving her the thumbs up in a few minutes. Gonfalon was wiping his hands on a towel, finally finished. Jerhun emerged from the puddle jumper with a seemingly lifeless male Wraith in his arms.
Gonfalon took the Wraith to put it in the containment cell.
"It was too easy! Jerhun told the Wraith's brain that he only saw fellow Wraith, and it worked! We only had to knock him out." Aiden laughed.
"I wonder what tall, blue, and scarey will think when he wakes up." Sheppard said softly, an evil grin stealing over his face.
Weir smiled thinly.
"Major Sheppard, I was able to talk with General O'Niel. He will send us reinforcements and supplies at 2200 hours."
"He's sending a ranking officer to replace me, too. Am I right?" Sheppard said quietly, reading between the lines.
"Yes sir." Weir said stiffly.
"Okay." Sheppard sighed, walking away.