Pentavus

Chapter 7

"Sir." Hallie looked shocked as she looked at the glowing crystal keyboard and the LCD computer screen.

Jordan walked over. "What is it?"

Then he saw exactly what it was. The keyboard, the controls, even the monitor, all had English labels.

Hallie looked up. "Ancient technology?"

"Probably. Can you dial?"

"Definitely. I'm accessing the database..."

The screen popped up with the address for P7X-BB3 with a little button labeled "Dial?"

Hallie had a lieutenant stand by to click the button as Pentavus-1 headed down to the gate room.

Jordan looked up at the control room. "Begin dialing."

The first chevron began to flick through the symbols before it stopped. "Chevron 1 encoded."

Hallie checked that her gun's safety was off.

"Chevron 2 encoded."

George sniffed and fought back a tear. Their friends they had barely met were dead.

"Chevron 3 encoded."

Jordan looked over a Hallie, a friend through many adventures at the SGC.

"Chevron 4 encoded."

He wished there was something he could do to repay her for sticking by him for so long.

"Chevron 5 encoded."

Beads of sweat dripped down Jordan's brow. He was nervous and eager to make these unnamed enemies pay for their crimes.

"Chevron 6 is...holding?"

"Makes sense," Hallie said, "That the address would have to be temporarily suspended until the processor located the Stargate whose address we are dialing from for the seventh chevron. You know, instead of the point of origin."

"Chevron 6 is encoded."

"Now it has so locate the gate's coordinates..."

"Chevron 7 is...located. Chevron 7 is locked."

The splash formed and the event horizon appeared. The team all took a simultaneous deep breath and stepped through the gate.

They emerged in the dark. The light from the Stargate itself lit the cavern somewhat, allowing for the appearance of harsh lines caused by stone corners. They were either underground or in a building without corners.

When the gate disengaged, the cavern blacked out completely. Hallie quickly opened and lit a flare.

The cavern was definitely not natural. It was a rectangular shape, with crude paintings of things that looked like people going through what could only be the Stargate. The flare's reach didn't go very far, and the darkness looked very uninviting.

Jordan cleared his throat. "Hello?"

There was no response.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Hello, Hello!" the voice was deep and coarse. "Who disturbs my hibernative sleep cycle?"

"Er...I am Major Shawn Jordan, along with Miss Hallie Colbert and Dr. George Totus. We come to find the Oratrion."

"Then you have come to the wrong place, my friend," the voice replied, "For the Oratrion is no more."

Jordan was taken aback by this. "I was sent by Mottè."

"You come to me before his blood is even cold and expect my help?"

Jordan scowled, not caring how this person knew of Mottè's death. "Show yourself!"

A man stepped into the light. He was old and bedraggled, but seemed, like George, full of energy.

"Listen to my proposal, travelers," he said.

"Why should we?" Jordan snapped back, "If you are not the Oratrion and he is, as you say, no more, then we will be on our way."

"You would do well to listen, for you do not know how to return to Pentavus."

"Is that so?" Jordan said smugly.

Hallie turned to him. "I'm afraid it is."

"WHAT?" Jordan barked, "Can't we just dial the 9th chevron again?"

"Well, sir," she said, "I had forgotten that an ordinary DHD can't handle anything except a 7-chevron code. Thus, it can't handle the power to power the 9th one. We are kinda stuck."

"But I," the man continued, "Have a way of returning there."

Jordan sighed. "What do you propose?"