10: Dawning Alliance
by Chaoseternus

When Enerina is sent to investigate why every gate in an area of space will not establish a wormhole, she finds something totally unexpected...

Five

Enerina frowned, the puzzled and somewhat bemused expressions on the faces the returning diplomatic party were not what she had been expecting, had they run into some strange alien custom without a camera present to capture the embarrassing moment?

She hoped not, Carter had made her orders quite specific concerning Rodney McKay and anything embarrassing and she didn't want to disappoint the SGC's Head of Sciences.

After all, she had some very interesting stories about General O'Neill, just the sort of thing to remember and treasure when Jack was in a difficult mood…

"Enerina" a bemused Weir told her, "we know who the shadows are"

Enerina raised a sardonic eyebrow, "Shadows? Yes, aren't they what's left behind when somebody stands in the way of the sunlight?"

Weir flushed, "sorry, I forgot you hadn't got that far. The Minbari's great enemy, the cause of their military build-up is the Goa'uld Anubis"

Interested, Enerina leaned forward in her throne, "Anubis? I was under the impression he was severely weakened, and losing ground all the time"

Enerina paused, then her eyebrows shot into her hairline, "and when did a civilisation this far out, protected by the hyper barrier come into contact with Anubis?"

"We don't know, but the Minbari seem happy for us to look at their archives, correlate with our own and see what we can figure out" Sheppard replied, "just so long as we remember to send the Minbari a copy of everything we find that's relevant"

Enerina nodded, "do it, and fast. As far as I am aware none of our current intelligence even suggests Anubis has operated in this area for any significant length of time, the old systems lords yes, Maktenos has scouted but Anubis? No, we need to know exactly what he has been up to"

"Yeah, but there is a problem"

Enerina sighed, she should have heard that one coming, "see, the Minbari have already fought a war with Anubis, only last time they had assistance.

From the Ancients, whom they called Vorlons"

Enerina practically shot out of her seat with shock, "Ancients? How long ago was this war? Exactly how long has Anubis been a threat?"

Weir voice was quite, contemplative and worried as she replied, "apparently the war occurred about five thousand years ago"

"This" McKay continued, "Is a problem because the Ancients were supposed to be long gone by then, even the gate in Egypt had been sealed at that point and we know a significant proportion of the Ancient population had either died or ascended several thousand years before"

Weir nodded, frowning, "so far this is the first real indicator we had that the Ancients were still around as late as five thousand years ago"

Enerina shuddered, the Goa'uld memories instinctively triggering a fear reaction within her as she realized exactly what would have happened if the Ancients had come across her when she was still making like a Goa'uld and prospective System Lord, "How do we know the Ancients are not still around?"

"We don't" Sheppard commented, "well, not for definite"

Aiden spoke up, "according to the Minbari, the Ancients left at the end of the war in their, and get this, floating city"

Enerina frowned, they obviously felt that was especially significant somehow but she couldn't… her breathe caught with a hitch, "Atlantis?"

"It appears so" Weir commented.

"It gets better" Sheppard took up the conversation, "see, they left an address for where they were going, a gate address"

"Can we go there?"

Weirs eyes lit up, "a city of the Ancients, a chance to possibly meet the gate builders themselves, to look over their technology…"

"Theres a problem, see most people specify either a six figure address leaving you to add the point of origin for where you are, or a seven figure address. The ancients specified a seven figure address but the seventh figure is not a local point of origin, in fact the world it refers to is on the other side of the galaxy in Cylon space"

Enerina's breath hitched again, "an eight figure address?"

Weir smiled, excitement filling her expression, "apparently so"

Enerina sat back down in her throne with a whoosh, "from now on, all records are to be sealed, maximum security. Find out everything you can from the Minbari but be polite, if we can persuade them to become allies they could be invaluable"

She frowned, "and find out what makes them think Anubis will be a threat again"