Disclaimer: The characters used within this are mostly the property of others. I have a few originals, but the vast majority are not original. Everything here is fiction. This is for entertainment only and not for profit.
-=oOo=-
Araiansu - Chapter 31
-=oOo=-
Julia and Jin had only gotten to sleep a few hours previous, when they received a call. "This better be important," Julia half shouted as she checked if she was suitably dressed before walking in the living room. Her husband followed.
It was their first night in their new apartment. Jin got to the living room first.
On the screen the video call still had the option to answer or not. The remote end was showing a picture of two of Avon's siblings.
Julia commanded, "Answer."
Villa said, "Sorry for the late call, or perhaps early call?"
"It's okay. Why are you calling?"
Dana, the other one on the call, said, "We'll we couldn't let you base an opinion on whether the Asgard tech works purely based on Avon."
"Quite right," Villa agreed. "He would give us all a bad name."
"Wait?" Julia tried to focus and wake up. "You were created with the Asgard gestation technology?"
Dana added, "If Avon was here, he would say some witty comment like, 'Did you really think our mother had Quintuplets?'"
"He really would," Julia agreed.
Jin said, "So you were all the product of that?"
"Sure," Villa agreed. "It doesn't mean much. It means that the health of our mother didn't influence our gestation. Not a bad thing if you ask me, not that I'm saying you or my mother is unhealthy. It just isn't a factor. You also get any potential problems fixed."
"But sadly for Villa's sake, no extra smarts are added," Dana joked.
"Don't let Dana fool you. We all are very smart, but usually in different areas. Cally is shaping up to be a world class healer. Dana is probably the best at the art, but none of us are bad. Jenna is the best pilot. I'm pretty good all around, and just do what needs done. Avon is really taking to the name he chose from the TV series. He is brilliant. We all admit that. What he does he does very well indeed."
"TV Series?" she asked.
Dana replied, "We took our names from the TV series our ship came from. It drove our mother crazy for about a week, before she just went with it."
"And your father?"
Villa grinned, "He knew a losing battle early on. He never argued the point."
Julia laughed. "Thank you. So do you think the Asgard might approve a request to use their technology?"
Dana said seriously, "There is a good chance they will approve it, though it may be delayed, potentially for years. If it slows down our current efforts it will be delayed until later. Sorry, I can't give better news. I doubt they would be opposed to it, just to be opposed. They are just really busy of late."
"No, I expected something like that. Thank you for letting us know."
Villa replied, "It is no problem. We hear you have been trying Avon's new gismo?"
"Really Villa, must you refer to it so?" asked Dana dryly.
"Yes, I must."
Julia said, "I have. I was really impressed. It seems to still be harming him a little. Nothing that can't be fixed, but still concerning. It seems fine with me."
Dana said, "We probably won't be able to try it for awhile, since we are pretty busy, but look forward to it. Jenna will, however, be there tomorrow. We are thinking of updating the Liberator with the tech. The fact that it is causing Avon problems, though only at a higher setting is a concern, but it looks like the risk benefit ratio may make it worth it, at least if you can choose to use it."
"It is the best thing I have ever seen since I started flying," Julia admitted.
"I can feel the smug coming from Avon now," Villa joked.
Dana laughed.
Julia said, "I look forward to meeting Jenna tomorrow, err today."
"Sorry about that," Dana said. "We will let you get back to bed."
"Goodnight," Julia yawned.
"Night," Villa replied.
The next day Julia agreed to ask the Asgard. Twenty four hours later the Asgard agreed to help. The equipment required would be built on Othalla. The estimated delivery would be one to two months. In short, they agreed, but it was a low priority. That was fine with everyone involved.
-=oOo=-
Heimdall sat at the engineering station for the Nozomi. Sam Carter sat next to him, with Ranma sitting next to her. They were back in Earth orbit.
They were only there a couple minutes when Ayiana and Lya beamed in from a Nox war cruiser.
Rommie immediately appeared not far from them. "Hello Ayiana. I'm so very glad that you are well. Us relics have to stick together."
Ayiana smiled. "Yes, we must. Are you better now? I heard what happened. I could try…"
Kasumi smiled, "What can be done has been done. You are, of course, welcome to try."
Lya said, "Then once your life mate gets here we will do so."
Rommie smiled.
A few minutes later Aya walked on to the bridge smiling all the way. "We are ready."
Lya, Kasumi, and Ayiana joined hands with Rommie between them. A soft white glow haloed them all.
Ten minutes later all smiled.
Lya said, "We must thank the Neraida for their excellent work. There was truly little we could add."
"You helped," Kasumi said. "I feel better still."
"Perhaps a little," Lya admitted.
A few seconds later Lindy, Rein, and Hayate arrived in another flash of light.
Heimdall said, "Good, we are all here. My counterpart is still working on the temporal core for this ship. To insure stability he is working on a design that will use three Atlantean power modules."
Ayiana's eyes widened. "So much power. Only Atlantis…"
Heimdall continued. "The amount of available power will provide us with greater temporal shielding than what is normally possible. We will have the ability to keep our existence from interacting with space time for potentially months, thus not risk being changed by any actions our attacker may take. The core will also be a permanent. Control and responsibility will be placed between Rommie, Kasumi, Aya, and those successors that Rommie may one day choose."
Rommie said, "I don't know what to say. That is a lot of responsibility to be placed with one like me."
Heimdall said. "It is not placed with one like you. That would be foolish. It is placed with you and your partners."
Rommie shed several tears that she wiped away. "Thank you."
Lya said, "The Nox support this decision."
Ayiana said, "As last of my people, I support this decision."
Xe'ls, who had came in not long after Lindy did, said, "The Neraida also support this decision."
Sam said, "I can't claim to speak for the Earth, let alone humanity, but the EDF supports this decision."
Anise chipped in, "I can't claim as much experience here, but we have no objections."
Lindy said, "The Time Space Administration Bureau also supports this decision."
"Thank you. Thank you all," the three said as one, even while in separate bodies.
Ranma said, "Well if we are ready, let's go try to fetch some more power modules?"
Aya pointed towards the seat.
Kasumi gracefully sat and Rommie merged with her. They announced on ship wide, "Departure in thirty seconds. Get belted in if your not already."
Twenty seconds later they said, "Everyone is belted. Diving." Then without a ripple she slipped smoothly into subspace. "ETA is six hours."
The normal blue and white of hyperspace surrounded them as they slipped through it without even a ripple of disturbance.
Lya asked, "How is my son?"
"He is well," Sam said. "I blame my daughter."
Lya laughed. "They got into that trouble together. Both knew the likely outcome of their actions."
Ranma smiled, but didn't speak.
Sam swatted him playfully on the head.
Lya asked, "Have you figured out how to control your gift yet Ranma?"
"I haven't tried to be honest. I've been too busy."
Lya smiled.
Ranma suddenly became a she.
"Are you trying to motivate me?" asked Ranma. "This form doesn't bother me."
"Or me," added a mischievous Samantha Carter.
"Or me!" chipped in Aya.
Kasumi and Rommie turned back and said, "Behave."
"Must I?"
The merged pair turned back to face front.
"Must I?" asked Aya again.
They turned around, "Well it would be entertaining to see you try."
Ranma said, "I'll be in the car."
Sam laughed.
The merged pair said, "It seems our dear partner has been spurned. We shall just have to keep a place for her."
"Owe!" Aya exclaimed. She walked in front of the merged pair using her best sultry walk, before bending down and kissing the merged pair to within an inch of their lives.
The merged pair remained stunned for almost a half a minute after Aya went to sit back at her station, her every poise radiating smug.
Lindy said, "Ah well, at least Fate and Nanoha aren't here as well. They might have taken that performance as a challenge."
"It would be a fun challenge," Hayate noted absently.
Aya looked at her and gave her a thumbs up.
A minute or so later Lindy asked, "Shall we sign? I did get the authority to do so."
Anise said, "I did too. Selmak would have been here, but it was thought that my technical knowledge might be more valuable."
"I know," Sam said. "He sent me a message."
Anise nodded.
It was the least fanfare of any treaty ever, yet perhaps the most important.
Four hours later the merged pair separated and Aya replaced Kasumi.
They said, "We are approaching the particularly bad parts of the trip. We don't anticipate problems, but there is a lot of stuff that can kill and will kill you."
Sam said, "No kidding. I'm reading the presence of multiple black holes and super heavy stars. This whole part of space is certainly not a vacation spot."
From Aya's former seat Kasumi said, "The records we have from Liberator show there are some regions that are very close to rupturing. We can't do anything about it now. They are too close to other unstable regions and we are on the clock."
Heimdall added, "From my analysis of the telemetry it seems likely that some of the stars in the region were deliberately collapsed as a crude means to slowly stabilize the fabric of subspace."
"That is possible?" Sam asked.
"Possible yes, but generally a poor idea. It's only real merit is requiring little time."
Nabiki said, "So it is easier to destabilize a sun than it is to fix the actual problem?"
Sam said, "That is pretty common really. Repairing is always harder than breaking in the first place. I presume that the black holes are preventing the required symmetry a full rupture would require, thus slowly dissolving the rupture."
Heimdall replied. "That is the idea, but as you can tell the time required for the process to complete is prohibitive. All they have really done is create a very tempting target if anyone with dimensional bomb tech decided to kill everyone."
"Just great," the merged pair added.
Heimdall said, "I am sending a program for micro cloaked monitoring satellites to your replication system. I know that will require your attention, given the complexity. I would like to create them once we stop at the station."
Kasumi replied, "I'll help Rommie with the assembly as soon as we get time."
Heimdall nodded.
Twenty minutes later the merged pair said, "We are almost there. Rommie remembers this area of space, but it is not what it was."
Nabiki asked, "This place we are going. Would it be a very tempting target for whoever we are after?"
"It probably would," Lindy said.
Nabiki added, "Then could we use it as a trap?"
Sam said, "Possibly. It may not work, but it could be one plan."
Heimdall said, "I will begin work on this. Will you assist?"
"Sure," Sam said.
Minutes later the old space station became visible. It was centered between a cluster of stars.
Rommie and Aya smiled as a large opening appeared on the side. "It seems it remembers us. Heading in."
"We got no such welcome," Ranma noted.
"We have to go regardless. Not taking the invitation might make the guardian twitchy. This was probably our most guarded secret. Had I not personally been here it is unlikely I'd have ever been told the location."
When they got closer they saw something else.
Heimdall said neutrally, "A sister ship."
"No," the merged pair said, "It is far less than that. She has never been activated. It is a collection of parts only."
Sam said, "It's cargo bay is full of zero point modulus."
Kasumi said softly, "Angels and ministers of grace…" She resolutely did not look at her pseudo sister.
Nabiki started to speak.
Heimdall preempted her. He said, "Before anyone makes any heroic but futile measures, what exactly would be the time required before a new living ship would be possibly up to even making the journey out of this system in one piece, let alone with a cargo like it has?"
The merged pair said, "Two years, possibly longer. I was just short of that. You wake up and barely can feel anything. It takes months to grow accustomed to the strange new form, and even at two years I wouldn't have sent me into this area, not without a grave need at least. It would be safer to send a regular ship at that point."
Sam asked "What about Avon's new piloting tech? Could we jury rig it."
"We could give you the information to disable the protective systems to keep that ship from operating without a core. I'll have to link my systems to unlock some of them and bring the ship up to running, but in a day or two we might have it runnable. I can probably just have it mirror my course, but it will need a pilot if something goes wrong."
Heimdall said, "That technology has not been shown to be safe, let alone ready to be fielded."
Ranma said, "I'll take my chances and hop in the tube once we are done."
Heimdall was less than thrilled.
Sam asked, "Does anyone have a better idea? I'd assume Ranma and I would be following the Nozomi out?"
"Very well," Heimdall agreed. "What about the hyperdrive engines? That ship will not have the upgrades."
Rommie and Aya said, "We can probably replicate the changes in that ship. It will be energy intensive, and we may have to take material from the station, but we can do it, probably, well assuming the station allows it. Wait, I'm getting a message from the station. It is asking for us to state our purpose in coming here."
Heimdall said, "Put us all onscreen. I'll speak. It may remember the other me."
"We are on."
"Greetings. I am Heimdall of the Asgard, though technically I am not this dimension's Heimdall. I have been authorized to act on behalf of the Asgard of this dimension on this mission. I'm sending the authorization now."
A generic monotone voice said, "Your authorization is accepted, but the Asgard alone cannot access this station. Please complete full authorization or you will be destroyed."
"I am sending proof of a new signing of the alliance. I am also sending proof of the loss of our dear friends the Furling, as well as what happened to the Alterans. Please acknowledge, and update your requirements to reflect current conditions."
"Proof is acknowledged. This station acknowledges the regrettable losses and the termination of this stations mission. A new mission may be created by verbal acknowledgement of all new signers. Would you like to create a new mission? Warning. Failure to create a new mission will result in self destruct in five minutes."
"Yes, I Heimdall of the Asgard would like to create a new mission. The new mission is to help us stop an unknown entity or group that has used at least one dimensional bomb. We have also detected the use of time travel by the entity or group. Our initial plan is to gather the available power modules, some of which will be used to pursue those responsible. The others will be used to better prepare us for further conflict."
"Please send proof of this."
"Sending."
"Mission accepted pending membership revalidation. Do the Tollan accept this mission?"
"I Narim of the Tollan Curia do approve this mission."
"Accepted. Do the Nox approve this mission?"
"I Lya of the Nox approve this mission."
"Accepted. Do the members of the Earth Defense Force approve this mission?"
Sam said, "I am Samantha Carter and on behalf of the Earth Defense Force I do approve this mission."
"Accepted. Do the remaining members of the Lantean race approve this mission?"
"I Rommie, once of Earth, now free living ship under this new alliance, do approve this mission."
"I Ayiana, do approve this mission."
"Accepted. Does the Time Space Administration Bureau approve this mission?"
"I Lindy Harlaown, in the name of the Administration Bureau do approve this mission."
"Accepted. Do the Tok'ra approve this mission?"
"I Anise of the Tok'ra do approve this mission."
"Accepted. Finally, do the Neraida approve this mission?"
"I Xe'ls do approve this mission."
"All acceptances noted. How many members will be required in future to make changes to this mission?"
Heimdall said, "We wish a short time to discuss this."
"Please resume when ready."
Nabiki suggested, "How about four? If we do keep this thing going somehow, well it may be hard for all of us to meet again. Four is over half."
After a short discussion Heimdall said, "Four is agreed to."
"The agreement was noted. Locks are released. The remaining modules on the station will nearly fill your cargo bay. Are you planning on taking the other ship?"
Rommie asked, "My counterparts and I plan to link and pilot remotely the other craft. This will require significant upgrades to it. Is there raw material on the station that may be used for this purpose?"
"This station exists to serve. A priority list is being compiled."
"Thank you."
"You are welcome, members of the new alliance."
Kasumi asked, "What happened to the one who was to be the heart of our sister ship?"
"Toma was expected to aid our people in the Pegasys galaxy in fighting the species known as the Wraith. Records show that the process of creating living ships was restricted a few months after it was delivered here. No record exists of such a candidate being chosen."
Rommie asked, "Do you have any further standing orders regarding Toma?"
"I do not."
Heimdall asked, "Did your previous orders required destruction of this station for any non permitted action?"
"Those were standing orders."
"We are going to create stealth monitoring and communications satellites. I will add access to you so you can monitor and report. Your standing orders to destroy this station for any non permitted uses beyond supporting this group in our task, or such subsequent tasks we may assign are reactivated. If possible, you are to forward available information via the sensor web prior to that destruction. Do you understand?"
"Orders are understood and accepted."
Rommie merged with Kasumi, giving Aya a break. They asked, "Do you have any updated access codes for Toma?"
"No such codes are stored on this system."
The merged pair frowned. "She is not listening to us, and her systems are powered, at least enough to have received my messages."
Ranma said, "I'll go. Keep a transporter lock on me."
Sam hesitated, but nodded.
Ranma beamed over to the Toma's cockpit, and immediately had to dodge several laser beams. He kept dodging.
"Beam out," he exclaimed.
He dodged two more before he was beamed back. He did not escape unscathed. There was a hole through his shirt and a burn on his stomach that he was in the process of healing.
Sam started healing it. "Your lucky your so hard to injure. That would have been serious on most people."
"I know, but what do we do about the ship trying to kill us?"
The merged pair said, "We are thinking about it. Right now the best thought we have is to beam over with you, which may not work. Someone has installed a defense program, and if we wreck the immediate defenses, it may get stupid, and we really really don't want that with what it contains."
Heimdall said, "Samantha and I will attempt to find a way to override the program."
It took them over twenty hours, with several breaks before they finally disabled and deleted the defense program. Then with the codes Rommie had, they disabled the other restrictions on the ship.
While that was occurring Rommie and Kasumi alternating with Aya created the satellites before beaming the other already packaged power modules into their cargo bay.
The station continued to operate on its solar energy supplies and one half depleted ZPM in reserve. It estimated another five years before another would be completed.
Nabiki asked, "Can I ride on the new ship?"
Rommie said, "The people you have to convince, if you are really serious, are here, not there. We have fully disabled the pilot chair over there. Nothing good would come from attempting to use it as it is. That is not a living ship as it is. It is mostly just dangerous."
"Oh."
Sam asked, "How will Ranma pilot then?"
"He doesn't need to be in the main pilot chair. One of the others is fine, at least once we make the interface diadem, bracelets, and all the rest to make it work."
Sam asked, "Oh. Could I get a set too?"
"Of course."
Hayate said, "I'll go. I can't pilot, but worst case I could transport people out with my own power if we ran into trouble."
Narim said softly, "I will go and help where I can."
Nabiki said, "We need to also make sure we transfer over enough food. I could at least organize that."
"Thanks," Sam said.
-=oOo=-
Nabiki didn't know what to do. Rommie had not outright banned her from going. No one had, though their positions were clear. Yet she became more and more sure this was the path for her. There she could eventually contribute. It was scary beyond all reason, but if she couldn't be number one, she would take number two. That appealed to her.
She had at first really been scared it was too inhuman, but it seemed Rommie could have real relationships, even if, apparently, only with her partners. Then again, who would agree to partner her? She considered Ranma and his wife, but, well, they were going with the Nozomi or if not her, then back on the Liberator. She also remembered how Ranma had rejected Rommie, even if he had reason to be suspicious at the time. There was also the fact that her insights might yet help, and the priority was the current situation, which one ship sitting for two years while a pilot came up to speed would not help.
She kept pondering as she divided their food, storing it into what containers they had. She was a bit surprised to see another. "Heather?" she tried.
"That's right. I'm Heather Davis, from the Vatican's history division. We are the small group that hang around to help out and learn from the ship's records."
"Oh," Nabiki said, momentarily embarrassed at wanting to do something more, when there were those content just doing what they could.
Heather asked, "Will you be going to the new ship? We guessed that since it has not had a crew before that our experience may help more there than here."
"Oh, I'm going," Nabiki decided right there. Going did not mean jumping in head first, and, well, being highly suggested not to, just made her, now that she thought about it, want to go anyway. Wait, Rommie said that she would have to help any transition. Either she left off something and it was possible to do by herself or, or she could have her mind trapped in a vessel unable to even intelligently communicate because Rommie was too busy to help.
Heather said, "You seemed suddenly upset?"
"I just realized one of my not very well thought out plans was a fairly bad idea."
"Well, that is good isn't it? If you caught the problem before starting."
Nabiki smiled. "It is. You know I have a sister named Kasumi Tendo. She is a bit different than this one. I keep wondering how I should act around this one. It is really weird."
"How do you treat your own Kasumi?"
"Not as well as I should, but better than I have in the past."
"Perhaps you should tell her about it?" Heather asked.
"Your right, I probably should. It might help her understand Ranma a bit, which can't hurt. I guess I will be staying here after all."
Heather smiled. "What do you think of our current situation?"
"It is interesting. I don't think it is someone just trying to destroy the universe, unless they are doing some variation of building suspense or playing games. I tend to doubt that."
Heather asked, "What else?"
"Oh, the most likely one is they either don't intend for it to destroy everything, perhaps thinking they are smart enough to avoid that, or they simply are willing to risk it for whatever their plan is."
Heather added, "That doesn't really help though. Just thinking you can control chaos does not make it so."
"Oh, I agree. It has no particular value other than maybe helping to identify the culprit, and even then it is a guess."
-=oOo=-
Kasumi was merged with Rommie aboard the Toma as they settled into the seat that was built for the temporary pilot. She wore her own interface diadem and bracelets.
Ranma, Aya, Lya, Heimdall and Nabiki were also there.
Sam asked, "How does it feel?"
"Wrong."
"Just wrong? Can you give me some details?" asked Sam.
"Together we are the ship. This is like a false overlay. It is crude. There is a delay between thinking and it happening. The imaging presented is clearly false. We can use it, but it just screams wrong with every fiber of our being."
Aya, just off to the side, said "I had hoped we could use the diadems to be partially in the link when not, but if you react this badly to it."
"Why don't you try it? You have your own." asked the merged pair.
She shrugged. "Sure, why not? I'll do it alone. There is no part it making Rommie feel it twice if it is this bad."
The merged pair smiled.
Sam said, "I've deactivated Kasumi's interface."
Aya sat down in place, and not a minute into it she said, "No. Not doing it. Stop."
"Deactivated."
Ranma said, "Well, I guess it is my turn."
Ranma went through the interface setup and integration without hiccups. He said, "I like it a lot. I can see a lot more detail. It seems fine to me."
Kasumi said, "Maybe to you, but to us it is unnatural and just wrong."
Ranma shrugged. "I don't doubt your word, but fortunately for our sakes I have nothing to compare it to."
Nabiki asked, "Do we have any idea why there is such a different response?"
Lya said, "One is living. One is not. To one used to the wonder of a living mind in these tasks, I can't imagine it is pleasant." She looked right at Ranma and added, "I imagine it would be a bit like you linking with Ayiana and me again and then suddenly feeling what you felt after we parted."
Ranma grimaced.
Sam said dryly, "Well that is a comforting thought, and I hope you two don't take it personally, but I hope we never need to do that again."
Ranma said, "No kidding. We can still feel the ache a bit when we are near you."
Lya said, "We too feel it, as I feel the ache of my husband being so far away. We make do, and in truth, ship wise, we use something similar, as we do not believe in transferring our souls to things like ships. I would have offered our version, but we would have to return to my home world to have one made and I doubt it is dramatically better."
Rommie separated from Kasumi.
Rommie said, "Agreed. It is not the technology. That is fine, we think. It was the best I could find in my data stores for the work that eventually led to the Lantean control chair. The chair's technology is not recorded anywhere we found, and while the Asgard might be able to reverse engineer it, so far Heimdall has had zero luck scanning the existing chairs we have, even while active. Avon, Heimdall, and others have reviewed this interface and tweaked it as best they could for the modern human brain. We don't know why it works better for some than others, but the basics are sound."
Lya nodded. "Our physiology is different enough that changes would likely be required for ours as well."
Sam asked, "What about …"
"Our children?" she asked.
Sam and Ranma nodded.
Lya said, "Don't tell them, but we are likely close enough to be compatible, and if not, we can of course address any issues that may occur."
Heimdall added, "Indeed."
Ranma said, "I don't know whether to be relieved or feel worse."
Lindy and Lya laughed.
Lindy added, "Oh worse for sure. I made very sure my son and his wife have their own house."
Sam added dryly, "Thanks." Then a bit later she asked, "Are we good to go?"
Ranma said, "I think there is at least one more simulation run recommended, but as this is just for an emergency, we could probably go."
Rommie added, "I do have control of Toma, otherwise I couldn't be here like I am. We are packed. The upgrades are done, including the hyperdrive and transporters. I think we are ready for an extended hyperspace run to Othalla. This won't be our fastest time, since this ship is incomplete, but we should be able to get there within about a day."
Heimdall said, "Then let us depart."
-=oOo=-
Their first destinations were where Heimdall wanted to place cloaked satellites. Aya was merged with Rommie for that part of the journey. Each activated and linked to the old outpost.
Once they were done with the satellites they were far enough away for a direct route to Othalla.
They were half way there when they got a message from Atlantis. Sam read it and then asked both ships, "Has anyone ever heard of the Aschen Confederation? It seems that our favorite liar claims to have somehow signed a treaty with them, and that they are the good aliens and are going to give those worthy their technology, and not steal it from the sick and needy who deserve it."
Heimdall asked, "Did they give a home planet?"
"No,"
Lindy said, "I very much fear this is bad."
"Without doubt," Ranma added.
Heimdall asked, "Can you increase speed?"
Kasumi again merged with Rommie. Together they said, "We will try."
Ranma said, "I am standing by though I'm not sure I can react quick enough to do anything at these speeds."
The merged pair said, "We will continue. Increasing speed."
The ships started to hum softly as they nearly doubled their velocity.
Aya and Kasumi swapped back and forth three times before the arrived at Othalla.
The bulk of the ZPMs were to be held by the Asgard until they were needed. The Tollan and Nox each kept fifty. No one wanted to bring a collection this powerful anywhere near Earth until the new situation was better understood. If all went well many would end up in the new warships. An Asgard ship was sent with an additional fifty to the world of Mid-Childa to power ships built by the Administration Bureau.
The Asgard may not be a fan of the hard to replace modules, but they did allow them to field a lot more powerful ships fast, well provided you were fortunately enough to find a big collection of them..
-=oOo=-
Jack O'Neill groaned. He had been listening to a report from Reverend Carlos Alverez and, well, groaning was the only response.
"So, you saying an SG team met the Aschen. They offered to make all our dreams come true. They then somehow met our ex president, who has no power at all. They, somehow, are blocking our monitoring of him, but based on another source of yours it seems he had a complete copy of every Stargate address we ever collected, including some we were warned not to visit, and he just handed them all over."
"That about sums it up, and of course you know the rest?"
"Oh I do. A major political party just decided to trust people I wouldn't trust with a ten foot pole and people are lapping it up, because, hey they look human."
He banged his head lightly against his desk.
"Do you have this in digital form?" Jack asked hopefully.
He handed Jack a USB drive.
"Okay, I'm going to go to Atlantis and send this to Nozomi, because I have a bad feeling this is related. When did this turnover happen?"
"As near as we can tell, Hank Landry had orders not to reveal the Aschen to anyone or take any records. We think the initial contact was a couple months ago. The information on the turnover of the gate addresses is only a few days old though. They probably haven't had time to use them."
"Your assuming someone like our dear favorite Senator didn't himself give them more. For that matter, if they are advanced enough they could have just hacked the mountains computers. The seditious actions of our ex leader may not be relevant. They may have had the technology of the bomb already, assuming it is related.."
"Actually," the Reverend said, "Since you said time travel was involved his actions could be relevant. This group may find what they need in the future."
"It is still not good. You have people lining up on the side of the ones promising all the toys, not just to help you with what you actually need, and people are lapping it up. If there is not a hidden agenda I'll eat my boots!"
"Oh, I quite agree, particularly with the way they are trying to stir up hate against the EDF. They are now circulating the story the the Goa'uld invasion was a false flag operation to promote their own interests, and that your technology all causes cancer and sterility. They of course made a friend out of the country that launched all their nuclear ordinance at you guys."
"Why people think trusting people who are friends of known sociopathic killers is a good idea is beyond me."
"Me as well I'm afraid. I assume you won't just leave like they are wanting?"
"I'm seriously trying to figure out why I shouldn't make some Aschen just disappear, though I probably shouldn't be telling that to a priest."
"You won't make their lies just disappear," the reverend cautioned.
"That won't happen in any event. Unfortunately, while I'm willing to do what needs doing, I need more proof than just an alien race playing politics."
"I've watched their press conferences. They are smooth and practiced. They aren't going to make obvious mistakes, nor are they going to do anything you can easily detect."
"If there is proof, it will be in their territory, or their planet." Jack added.
Carlos asked, "How would you go about their stuff about doubling lifespan and such?"
"No idea. That would be a Carter or maybe Rodney question. I'm guessing it is not Asgard healing tubes. Other than the fact that they don't extend your life, beyond keeping you healthy, there are just too many people on a planet."
"Some kind of injection perhaps?" mused the priest.
"That makes as much sense as any. If they start injecting people well who knows what they might end up doing."
"One of the press asked when the treatment would be ready. They said it would take a few years to study human physiology to adapt the treatment."
"So again nothing," mused Jack.
"I'll keep digging."
Jack said, "If they were ordered not to write anything down, they still wrote something down. It would be too obvious if they didn't. The gap in the records would be noticed."
The priest said, "I'll search for the discrepancy. If I can identify the team that met the Aschen originally we may have more luck. Copies of all SG reports from the expected time range are on that drive as well."
"I'll let them know. Thank you for your help Father. Could you do us all a favor and say a prayer for us?"
"Of course."
-=oOo=-
Author's Note: Comments?
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