Chapter Ten (64,999,998 years ago)
Dintael walked away, the small silver disc palmed in his hand. For a moment he felt a twinge of guilt for using Alana the way he did, but he had to shake it off. Dintael wasn't in the business of falling in love, he was in the business of getting information to use for himself.
As he opened the door to the Science Bureau Building, the secretary looked up from her desk.
"I need to speak with the Overseer of Scientific Proposals immediately."
"Yes sir." The secretary pointed him down the hall to the end and Dintael knocked on the door. He heard the acknowledgement and walked in.
"What do you have for me Mr. Jansok? Is it another tropical fruit peeler that crushes instead of peels?" The Overseer didn't look up from his record book.
"This is far better sir."
"I'm listening."
"I have the plans, research and quantitative evidence on a device that will allow our people to 'dial', so to speak, another domain in the Empire and be there instantly."
"Mr. Jansok, I know you far to well. I know that you could not have come up with that technology on your own. Who was it that helped you? Hmm?"
"There was no help sir."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive sir."
"Well, I'll take a look at it. What media did you use?"
"I used door memory crystals linked by a shell of naquadah. I call it my Active Matrix Disc."
"All right."
About a week later
"Well Mr. Jansok, I have to admit, this research is quite impressive."
"Thank you."
"Naquadah is bursting from the mines all over the galaxy, I'm sure we'll have no trouble making these, what was it you called them?"
"Stargates, sir."
"Ah yes, the first connection we'll make is between Adybosa and Huritatrea. After that we can branch out farther."
"An excellent idea sir."
"I was reviewing this disc. It was very ingenious of you to add the two extra capacitors. They will take the overload energy and buffer it. They also add the extra distance calculations. I suppose you knew this would be an instant success."
"I think big sir."
"Well, we'll begin work immediately, good job son."
"Thank you very much sir."
Dintael thought of Alana sitting in the suspended animation chamber. The chamber was set to revive her in seventy million years, but by then the continent would be covered in ice. It was the perfect way to get the pawn out of the way.
Several years later
The Huritatrea team was set to depart. The crystalline structures powering the Stargate were at full charge. The constellation code was input and the Stargate stabilized. The city had risen and traveled for eighteen days and nights to reach the new home. It had become part of the new structure that would be the ultimate accomplishment of the Alterran Empire. Dintael had set everything for departure. The outpost was closed down as they prepared to depart for Atlantia. Standing, he watched everyone disappear and then he left an electronic note attached to the dialer. He looked in the direction where he knew the chair room was. A slight twinge of guilt panged before he squared his shoulders and took a single step toward a new life.