And here's chapter one. It's heavy on exposition but it can't be helped : the colonists have to settle in their new abode. Next chapter will have more... stuff happening. Exploding stuff.

Also, I discovered another Draka fanfic on FF, a crossover with Mass Effect. It's quality crack and I can only encourage you to check it if you haven't already. The story's name is Emergence, look for it.

Chapter 1

A New Hope (really)

Samothrace System

December 15th, 2010

"General, welcome aboard Freedom Station !"

Words, so ordinary, so banal. The event was anything but. Not were the people doing the welcoming ordinary by any measure, but even their career and accomplishments paled before the place he was setting foot in, past the Alliance-standard airlock assembly that protruded out of the access point, the very same one that had first allowed entry into the alien facility. While eminently functional and simple to operate, the size and layout of the pressure door frame were not compatible with the standardized airlock design implemented on every Alliance spaceship or station, which relied on a mechanical latch to ensure the tightness of the seal. Therefore and in order to avoid a bothersome spacewalk every time one wanted to enter or exit the giant floating building, a clear sleeve of heavy duty polymer was anchored around the exterior set of doors with space glue. It was ended on the other extremity by a lightweight lock assembly and a brace of girders provided the necessary rigidity. It had taken eight hours of work by a small team of zero-gee work specialists, but now shuttles and runabouts could directly transfer their passengers without the need for them to don vacsuits. In fact, the New America herself could technically latch one of its extensible access tubes on, but so far the leader of the expedition was content to let the colony ship hang in the planet's shadow.

Sooner or later, he reflected, it would come to that. The bulk of the crew was still frozen, but the prospects of them not remaining in that state for much longer were good. The reports from the exploration teams were positive enough. But they left many questions unanswered and he needed to see it all with his own eyes.

Well, maybe Colonel Carter would be able to answer some of those questions. He stepped forward and answered her salute formally, hand to temple, his legs straight enough despite the challenge of Earth-level gravity.

He let a few seconds pass before he added anything. The pull of gravity, the crisp air, fresh and pure as if he were standing on top of a glacier instead of being inside a giant pressurize metal can floating in space, the neutrally pleasant temperature, all the sensory input seemed to belie the fact that he was standing inside an artificial environment. Especially one that had been standing empty and unused for literally longer than recorded human history - although this last fact might come under scrutiny in light of the… history presented by the station.

"Colonel Carter" he said. "Congratulations on your work, first."

The blonde scientist made a self-deprecating gesture, smiling tightly.

"I'm not alone, and everything I did, a monkey could have done it really"

Her attempt at modesty was sabotaged by the man standing close to her side, who held himself in a more relaxed way, apparently not intimidated the slightest way by the presence of a four-star general in front of him. A general he knew well enough that his attitude wouldn't be misconstrued as a sign of disrespect.

"Gee, thanks Ma'am. Glad you value my skills"

The sarcastic remark was taken with good grace. After weeks of working together the scientist had gotten used to the soldier-spook's steel-cutting wit and self-deprecating remarks. And apparently Lefarge had some prior experience of it, too, as his amused snort showed.

The Marine guards remained stone-faced, doing their best to blend in the background and look like fixtures until they were needed to kill something. They were the only ones still wearing full hardsuits, albeit with the facemask removed. In addition to their personal gear and weapons they also carried emergency survival equipment, first of all two inflatable survival bubbles in case of a decompression, fire or any other condition that could render the immediate surroundings uninhabitable. Those could keep up to four people alive and safe for 24 hours before rescue.

Beyond the open airlock was the same corridor first explored by Carter and her team, but its light fixtures were now operating, their radiance evidently subdued but enough to make out the details, or rather, the lack of details on the walls. Smooth grey metal with bronze reflections, a black polished floor that amazingly wasn't slippy despite its glass-like finish. Lefarge could see a number of side doors and hatches at various heights, all of them sporting stenciled labels in the ubiquitous ancient script.

One of the apertures was open as the group walked past and the General glimpsed a narrow room filled with colored piping and luminous… devices emitting a low hum that reminded him of a high voltage cabinet. Two engineers were inside, taking pictures and readings and absorbed enough by their task that they missed the passage of the officers entirely.

Carter commented. "We're trying to catalogue the station's systems, make sense of the various piping and wiring. It's… not easy."

"Why ?"

"Well, most of those things are totally unfamiliar. We're dealing with such a technological gap, we have almost no reference and most of the time we're simply making guesses, and not very educated guesses at that."

"That bad ?"

She nodded as she walked, her hands making gestures to put emphasis on her words.

"Oh, some things are self-explanatory, like the maglev system. Other things we get their function, but how they work might as well be magic." She called up an example from memory. "Like their life support systems. You see, we found one of the air recyclers easily by following a fresh air vent. Got sensor readings on both ends, CO2 going in, O2 coming out, filtered, clean and sterile. We managed to open the casing and thread thing sensors inside, expecting to see reactant tanks, filters, more piping, everything you'd expect from an air recycler"

"And ?" The General's eyes met hers as they continued walking side by side.

"And nothing of sorts. Well, piping yes. In fact the whole thing's apparently a pipe air goes through and… something happens to it, but it doesn't involve any chemical reaction, nothing visible."

"Some kind of ionic process ?"

Carter shook her head. "No… but something definitely happens. There are solid state devices all around the section of piping, with those crystalline logic controls we're finding everywhere. Somehow, those things manipulate matter directly at the atomic level, breaking and rearranging molecules on the go. How they're doing it… I haven't the faintest idea."

"It sounds a bit like our matter transmutation, Colonel"

"In a machine the size of a domestic fridge, Sir ? Atomic transmutation takes kilometer-sized particle accelerators as far as we know it. No, this is much, much more advanced."

It took them a few more minutes to reach the first maglev station, past airtight doors that now opened automatically before them and closed again after their passage.

Both Carter and O'Neill had a not-so-subtle "you're going to be impressed" air on their faces as the group neared the last set of doors, the ultimate separator between the maintenance zone and the public areas that began at the outer maglev ring.

And it was like stepping in another world.

No more drab metal walls. There was a sharp intake of breath and a muttered "Holy Mother of God" as the General took in the vista spread before his eyes. It was an illusion, it had to be, his intellect reacted, but the sight before him did not belong to the inside of a space station, even a gigantic one. He found himself standing on a platform, a narrow-looking one at that, at least in comparison with the sprawling panorama surrounding it.

The dark, dead walls and ceiling the first explorers had found under their flashlights were no more. Now the maglev trench and its parallel boarding platforms appeared to float in the air above a mountain range of snow-capped peaks, glacial valleys and green pine forests stretching from horizon to horizon under a clear blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. It was an illusion, he repeated to himself, it had to be. He took a step closer to where the wall should be and extended a hand. His fingers met an invisible but unyielding surface, smooth as glass but devoid of any betraying reflection. He pulled back his fingers and looked closer, trying to discern something, smudge marks, anything to show there was something solid.

Nothing. A perfect illusion, his point of view changing as he moved sideways, his eyes abused by the artificial depth of field. His sight told him that he was indeed standing over those mountains, but he knew they were just a projection… weren't they ? He touched the screen again, amazement on his face, then turned back with a more collected look.

"Your reports weren't doing it justice, Colonel. This is… amazing. A perfect tridimensional surround display… this is far above our tri-D technology, even the cutting edge military version. If this is the start, where does it end ?"

"Honestly, I have no idea Sir. But you might want to take a look at the center" she said with a grin. She had gone through the same amazing process of discovery after power was restaured throughout the city-station. And while she had had more time to get used to the sights, she was far from jaded yet.

She watched as her commander followed her invitation, and made another "Oh !" face again. It might not look as dignified as an officer general ought to appear, but he had every excuse, and after all they were inside the greatest discovery of human history. Nobody could be held at fault for looking impressed. Besides, she thought with a sobering pang, they all could use some uplifting experiences. A decade may have passed in real terms, but for the cold sleepers the war and defeats were still a fresh open wound in memory.

In any case, the General had the same reaction towards the force field isolating the live maglev track as everyone else. He peered at the faint immaterial gold-hued screen, poked it tentatively then brought up his finger for examination. No pain and no harm done. The whole hand followed, flat on the slippery repulsive screen, moving it as if cleaning a window, trying to get a grip at how it behaved, rapped it with a closed fist and found it rebounding away.

"Might as well be magic."

"Heh, sufficiently advanced technology, as they say."

"Any idea how resilient it is ?"

O'Neill answered this. In a way. The Marines were expecting his gesture and didn't budge, Carter made a "not again, you barbarian" semi-scandalized face, and their commander's eyebrows shot up in alarm, then settled again when nothing catastrophic followed the little experiment.

An experiment that consisted in firing a pistol bullet straight at the forcefield, which reacted locally with a flashing ripple and nothing else, save a low clatter as the flattened bullet fell on the floor.

"That's… a little reckless even for you, O'Neill" Lefarge observed with a frown, to which a shrug answered.

"I tried punching and kicking it first. Figured it was safe."

Behind the tranquil-looking Major, the blonde physicist rolled her eyes.

The trigger-happy Major's demonstration, and any argument that may have followed, were interrupted by the timely arrival of a mag-train, its motion silent and smooth as only magnetic suspension and drive could be. Instantly recognizable as a mass transit instrument, two interlinked cars joined by a flexible connection, silver hulls and glass panels, the interior brightly illuminated. Sparse seating, no handle bars, the most glaring difference with an Earth-built tube. Either the ancient denizens had a great sense of balance or there was something else - the thing seemed to decelerate and presumably accelerate faster than a normal train.

Side doors slid open automatically and corresponding sections of the safety force field vanished to allow access, and the Earth-born leader stepped inside, leaving the station's immaculate vistas behind.

By comparison, the stark but soothing off-white surfaces of the car were rather pedestrian. The holographic displays hovering in the air below the roof were not. While they certainly fulfilled the same function as the printed ones back on Earth, namely displaying navigation and line information, the way they did it still induced wonderment.

A moment later the doors closed and the station started to move around the mag-cars. At least that was the illusion his abused senses presented Lefarge with. The car was moving - but it did so without the slightest felt sensation. There was none of the unbalancing acceleration one was accustomed to in Earth transports, nothing. It felt as if the train wasn't moving at all, yet it was picking up speed at a good rate.

"I understand now why there are no handles in this crate…" he said to no one in particular, though he was answered by his female guide.

"We were all surprised the first technology behind it must be -"

"Far above ours, I get it" amusement, patient sufferance and wonderment were all present in the General's tone. He was already resigned at the prospect of hearing that particular spiel a lot more. "At least we're evolved enough to know it's not magic or gods doing it like that movie with the primitive tribesman in the New York metro !"

The humorous reference to a pre-war blockbuster comedy sent a mental image of the little group wearing feathers and painted tribal markings and gaping at the magical moving metal chariot, and grins appeared over every face. Until the men got their mind invaded by the picture of Colonel Carter wearing nothing but a banana skirt and their deeply ingrained sense of propriety reasserted itself with a vengeance and a few barely concealed winces.

It wasn't the sort of thing a decent man contemplated about a lady and a superior officer to boot. Both Marines stamped on their imagination. The General thought of his wife. O'Neill allowed the charming image to linger in glorious detail before their arrival at the next station distracted his mind.

Oblivious to her companions' mental struggle, Carter resumed her running commentary.

"The average interval between stations on the ring lines amounts to roughly 800 meters and ten seconds of travel time -"

"Ten seconds ?" the General's tone was one of mild shock. 'But that's an average speed of…"

The physicist answered before he could finish the calculation.

"288 kilometers per hour, yes. Average. Which means a higher peak speed and a rate of acceleration and deceleration that would be entirely unhealthy in any circumstance."

He let the facts soak in then almost blanched.

"Dear God, I hope these ancient mechanisms won't fail for lack of maintenance !"

"So do I, Sir. Logically the designers must have included failsafes and self-checking routines though."

Three more stations went past, each sporting a different view although all were mountains of sorts, of various sizes and shapes and color and times, showing autumnal red and gold or lively spring greens in addition to wintery whites. Forests, prairies and glaciers, all true to life and teeming with life too, at least moving specks that looked like birds and others scattered on the virtual grounds. There wasn't enough time for a close look.

"… and we've started to call it the Mountain Line since all the stops share that theme."

"What about the rest ?" Lefarge gestured to the closest holomap displaying the orbital city's spiderweb-like transportation network. The lines' geometry wasn't exactly regular - while the rings were more or less perfectly circular, the radials were neither straight nor evenly spaced and some sported side branches to fill out the wider exterior areas.

"All have a unique theme it seems, usually natural scenery -"

"I take it those sceneries are from… different planets ?"

Carter nodded affirmatively. "As far as I can see, yes. And in case you're wondering, Earth is among them"

Her little bombshell had the expected effect.

"What ? Are you sure of that ?"

"I saw it myself Sir." O'Neill interjected "Inside one of the habitat sections. A big great holowall with old Earth as if viewed from high orbit. Except it's a really old view, with jungle instead of desert in the Sahara"

The General's eyes went to Carter as if to demand a confirmation. She provided it.

"As the Major says, Sir. Earth as it was millions of years ago."

"Too far to see any dinosaurs though." O'Neill added with a look of wistful regret.

"Now why didn't you report this before ?" the colony's commander added a moment later.

The reply came with a disarming smile from the blonde woman.

"I thought it warranted more than a dry electronic report Sir."

The radial line they switched to five minutes later was the aptly-nicknamed Volcano Line, with spectacular and sometimes frightfully close displays of raging geysers of lava and flowing rivers of molten rock under darkened skies ; black tormented plains of solidified magma in chaotic jagged piles or smooth-flowing paste ; and in places the display designers had added sound as well, roaring crashes and subterranean breaths filtered just enough to allow conversation and not deafen waiting passengers.

The variety and scope of the displays brought more questions, and answers whose scope defied human imagination.

"Just how many hours of recording does this represent now ?"

Carter took a breath before answering, as if to underline the magnitude of the answer.

"We're probably talking years of recording for some scenes, with a level of detail that's simply frightening in order to create those perfect illusions. I don't know, assuming every holowall shows a different view… I guess it would take petabytes of data storage."

Lefarge whistled softly. "Petabytes of storage… just for their equivalent of wallpaper ? Just who were these people ?"

"People so advanced…" Carter began "… they make us look like chimps in comparison" O'Neill ended without missing a beat.

"I see I wasn't wrong putting you two on the same team."

Both officers grinned in unison.

As expected, "Earth Village" was a sight to see. Situated three stations from Volcano Line's innermost terminus, the self-contained habitat was as close to an outdoor environment as could be expected inside a gigantic metal can, starting with an access street off the maglev stop whose wallscreens mimicked lush gardens - a sensory experience enhanced by the fragrance of greenery and flowers distilled into the air and the chirping of birds over the rush of wind in branches and leaves. A thought flashed inside the General's mind. The fucking Snakes would love this. Then he consciously corrected himself. We're not Snakes but it doesn't mean we can't enjoy beauty too - and we aren't hiding the ugliness of our character under pretty appearances either. And I'm certainly not going to let the bastards spoil this, even through their mere memory.

The entry way opened mid-height into a wide circular atrium, extending vertically for a hundred meters up- and downwards in a terraced fashion, leaving the narrower bottom portion occupied by a small pond of clear water into which ran the small waterfalls running downwards from the top in zig-zagging patterns. Long dried and petrified arboreal skeletons also hinted at widespread greenery arrangements all around the levels.

"Whoever likes gardening will have their work cut out for them" Carter observed. "At least once Life Sciences checks it all out for suitability"

"We'll grow veggies first rather than ornamental plants then" Lefarge answered. "About that, any progress on the dome ?"

Carter shook her head in negation. "Access is still blocked, but we're getting hints that something's happening out there. Atmosphere's changing according to spectral measurements and the probes also caught movements on the surface, what might be machinery at work under the cloud layer. Unfortunately the dome's material's interfering with scans so we're mostly guessing. Me, I think the station's automated systems are restoring the dome's environment for human presence or something like that."

Her admission elicited a grinning smile from her commander.

"So what it takes is a millions year old alien space station to reduce our genius scientist to guesses and vague conjectures." He was rewarded by Carter's sheepish face.

"Anyway Sir, should you want to look straight up… " she bounced back, moving toward the edge of the platform they were standing on, and the General followed her. Craning his neck he caught the object of interest at once - filling what passed as the atrium's ceiling was a football stadium sized holowall displaying Earth in all the home planet's glory, pristine and untouched by Man's hand. The continents were instantly recognizable with the tip of South America and a green Antarctica that clearly drove home the notion that this Earth was from a long, long ago past.

The vision threatened to bring along a wave of longing and nostalgia which he fought back dutifully, staring at the blue, white and green colors of mankind's cradle hovering above and looking as real as the real thing. Yes, Earth was a jewel, but a jewel presently sullied and polluted by the cancerous Domination. The worst thing was knowing there still had to be free men and women fighting against the Yoke, with no hope beyond hurting the Snakes enough before the Redoubts died out.

He was mercifully pulled away from those depressing thoughts by the Colonel's resumed account of things delivered in a continually "wow isn't it amazing ?" tone.

"…all checks out. Life support's all good, the New America's crew could move in the station tomorrow with room to spare, see Earth Village alone can hold two thousand easily and it's just one of the ninety or so similar habitation quarters indicated on the station's schematics, not even including the actual dome which could conceivably hold a lot more and..."

"I get it, there's room for everyone. But can we trust this place to hold together for several lifetimes ? We don't have any control on its inner workings, what if tomorrow some alien computer decides we've overstayed its welcome ?"

The deflated look on Carter's face only lasted for a couple heartbeats. Clearly it was a possibility that had crossed her mind before, and her reply was as far from mathematical certainty as could be.

"Well… we have to have faith."

"Alleluia !" O'Neill kept his skepticism at a mutter. Yet loud enough to be heard.

"Major ? You have a suggestion ?"

He nodded emphatically.

"Yes Sir. We find that central computer, strap a nuke on it and blackmail it in case it goes all uppity on us meatbags !" he delivered in a deadpan tone.

"Riiight. Bringing a nuke aboard's the last thing I'd do lest the station feels threatened, Major."

"Just keeping options open."

"… And that's the 'Knowledge Room' as we call it."

"I see"

Another trip trough the maglev system had brought the group to another highlight. One of the most promising ones, too judging by the activity inside. While most areas they had visited so far were largely devoid of human presence, the core sector was understandably at the heart of the exploration effort and the present room laid a mere two levels and one section from the Control Center. A faceted circle in horizontal layout with a tall domed ceiling, the sides were filled with display terminals set in the walls, the absence of depth a notable change from the omnipresent holowalls. The controls were highly reminiscent of the workstations in the Control Center, and all were currently occupied by a New America crewmember tinkering and taking notes of the changes each input created.

But the truly spectacular sight was taking the entire center of the room. Another volumetric hologram generated by a central pedestal, the controls for which were operated by a small man with Asian features. The name tag on his chest was superfluous.

"Doctor Nagami" Lefarge called, simultaneously gesturing for everyone to stand down from attention and resume their work.

"General" the man replied, bowing as was his cultural custom, rooted in old Japan and kept faithfully alive by the New Edo colonists on Luna. "Your presence here honors us."

"I had to see it for myself, Doctor" a nod answering the bow "How's your work progressing ?" he pointed at the arcane light sculpture filling the empty space.

"Ah, allow me to show you General" the Japanese-accented computer expert put his hands back on the control surface. "Let's begin with…" he fiddled a short instant and the hologram reconfigured in the blink of an eye.

"Do you recognize those ?" he pointed at one of the multicolored clumps orbiting silently over their heads.

Lefarge peered in. It looked like a planet and a moon doing circles around it. The other shapes were similar albeit with more spheres… Realization struck at once.

"Hydrogen"

"Indeed General." Nagami was practically beaming. "And every element besides, including a few superheavy ones we never managed to create in high energy physics experiments" he pointed to a complicated and large atom floating amidst the others. Without waiting for a comment the doctor changed the display again, focusing on a single element.

"Hydrogen, the simplest of all" The hugely magnified atom was now flanked by placards of text in alien script. "With all the relevant data, although we haven't entirely cracked yet what is what."

"But that's not all !" the exclamation was followed by yet another reordering of the holo. Figures and more text. Basic geometry, Lefarge understood. Areas and volumes with formulas. More complex shapes and increasingly arcane high level geometries.

"Like a textbook" he commented.

"Yes, yes ! All laid out in logical fashion once you understand how the interface works. Took a lot of trial and error, but safe."

Another switch.

"Galaxy map !"

That was obvious enough. The Milky Way in detailed volumetric glory, illuminating the room with golden light.

"I can zoom in !"

A sector of the cosmos expanded. Individual clusters became visible, then single stars, then a star system. "The Solar System !" The enthusiastic doctor wasn't leaving his visitor any time to speak first. But then Lefarge was content enough just looking at the show for now. The view was understandably not entirely at scale - the Sun in the center and the planets in orbit were much larger for the sake of facilitated vision.

Cartouches of text sided each celestial body, but there was something else to the now familiar alien characters near Earth. A set of unknown symbols, seven of them.

"What are those ?" Lefarge pointed at the strange cartouche.

Nagami made a minute shrug.

"I don't know General. I found similar inscriptions next to planets in other star system, but there are so many of those I'm afraid I have only scratched the surface."

"Only planets ?"

"Indeed General. Planets and moons of size and composition similar to Earth."

"Interesting."

Freedom Station, Samothrace System

December 23th, 2010

It wasn't Earth Village, but it was otherwise similar in design. This habitat was closer from the core, and Lefarge had selected it as much for the proximity with the station's most crucial systems as for the fact that its ceiling did not sport a virtual recreation of Earth along with the sorrowful memories it evoked. Others hadn't shared this sensitivity and gladly moved in, but their commander had settled for more neutral quarters. The planet adorning the virtual sky was a gaseous giant reminiscent of Saturn with its spectacular and colorful rings and close orbiting moons and the display was truly vertigo-inducing if one gazed too long. Nobody knew where in the Universe this collection of orbital bodies laid or what its original name was, but it didn't matter. To its prospective denizens it was home.

Frederick Lefarge hadn't picked the apartments he was occupying - or rather sleeping in when he wasn't inspecting some part of the city-station or dealing with the myriad tasks involved in setting up a colony or shuttling back and forth to the New America.

The choice had been Marya's. His sister, who had spent longer than a decade under the Yoke, owned by one of the most prominent Snakes at that, and the cruel irony of fate had made it so that he, as an OSS agent escaping the Domination's boot falling over India, had unwittingly shot Yolande Ingolfsson's lover. A lover whose clone was borne in Marya's womb. The sister of the assassin bearing the dead one's unnatural progeny as well as the secret weapon that would have spelled the doom of adoptive mother and child… had it only remained a secret a little longer.

And Cindy, his own wife, pushed into abominable self-inflicted torture to save their children by a Yolande Ingolfsson acting out of vengeance against him, out there in the cold void between planets.

Yet both had lived, survived the Snake's bite, and were with him now. It had meant a lot to him in those dark days when the free Alliance had crumbled, but he hadn't escaped survivor's guilt either. He'd escaped with his family. Many others weren't so fortunate.

In any case, Marya had taken the outlandish news in stride after her thawing. Maybe she was inured to surprise after everything she'd experienced. Certainly she had a strong mind. Stronger than his, he believed. And she decided to scout out a new home for the family before Cindy and the kids were brought back to life in turn. So when the reunited Lefarges left the colony ship, Marya was there to greet them and guide them to a place they could call home.

And it certainly deserved the title, taking half the uppermost level of the habitat with vast patios and balconies overlooking the rest, right under the virtual sky. The kids had their own room to rest and experiment with the interactive wallscreen display on their free time. Their father had been leery of reviving them so early - Marya had found the words to persuade him. They were yound adults with extensive education. They could carry their weight on Freedom Station, she'd said. He knew that, of course. She only needed to overcome his fatherly anxiety.

And the girls were not dead weights, they'd volunteered on their first day for agricultural duty inside the Dome.

It was therefore with more than purely professional interest that the General turned to the woman sitting among the other assembled department heads in the improvised conference room. Grey-haired and willowy, dusky skin and regular features revealing her mixed Indian and South-American heritage, Doctor Isabel Prabhinder was the ship's foremost expert on Life Sciences and Biosphere Systems and the agricultural projects fell under her authority.

Feeding the colonists was the priority number one concern. The ship's stores wouldn't hold forever and the sooner they got crops going the better he would feel.

"Now that everyone's here, let's not waste time. Isabel" all the men and women inside the room were long acquaintances, and stood on a first-name basis in such a semi-private setting "let's hear you first."

The Doctor leant forward on the table even as her colleagues reclined in the ancient, but devilishly comfortable chairs, and spread her hands to bracket the flat perscomp laying before her. The touch screen was displaying the salient points of her expose, not that she actually needed the crutch.

"Well" she intoned, a faint trace of accent coloring her soprano "I'm pleased with the results so far. The microbial seeding is successful so far in very sample culture, so the first step towards tailoring an Earth-compatible ecosystem, even a simplified one, is done. As you know, when the Dome became accessible two weeks ago it was a sterile environment, albeit with all the chemical prerequisites to amino-based life and well-balanced soils. It also appears that the automatic reclamation process has included a mechanical component, with dredging of the waterways and fine ploughing of the flatlands. A good thing, that, after millennias the superficial layer must have become as compact as concrete and tough as the underlying rocky foundation."

"Did we find the machinery that did all this ?" Lefarge interjected.

"We didn't see anything moving when we finally entered, but we did find tracks and followed them. We found two very large gates in the rim, which must open to hangars of sorts, but we had no luck trying to open them. Anyway, the central island and the rim shores were utterly devoid of life, as were the sea and lakes. In a way that was disappointing, but we're getting the benefit of a blank slate we an tailor to our needs."

"How long then before we can eat fresh bread ?" the question brought hungry thoughts all around. Ship rations were palatable enough, but real food was something everyone looked forward to.

"Give me six months if all goes well. With a stable maintained climate we could get two grain crops per year although I'd recommend avoiding soil exhaustion. Fresh vegetables, earlier than that. Our fast-growing fruit trees should yield produce in a year hence. In short, I'm optimistic that we'll be able to feed ourselves long before the New America's reserves run out. That's assuming environmental conditions inside the Dome stay constant, and not taking into account the habitats and their culture beds."

"That's outstanding, Isabel. I hope it pans out, that would sure lift a huge burden off our shoulders."

After a breath, the General straightened on his seat and looked down the length of the table.

"Sam" he addressed the blonde woman who spearheaded the exploration and discovery aspect of things. As her name was called she leant forward and brushed away a strand of hair unconsciously. "How far along are you on the control systems ?"

"Making progress Sir" her military formatting stubbornly prevented her from addressing Lefarge by his first name "with the basic vocabulary translated, understanding what the various displays are all about became easier, but so far we're mostly making observations. I wouldn't dare change the settings on things like life support !"

"No need to" the General's frowned a little more than was normal and pinched his nose, the following subject being a teensy bit awkward "Did you find out how to modify those environment holos…?"

That mention made everyone around the table dip their head slightly and look elsewhere, a few judiciously raised hands concealing restrained smirks.

The question's recipient blushed in assaulted modesty. As the crewmen surveyed more sectors of the station, they had stumbled on places where the omnipresent holowalls were showing scenes considerably more risqué than volcanoes and exploding supernovae.

Eight days before the meeting an exploration team had called in to report a major discovery - no immediate danger, they'd told Carter on the radio, but it warranted attention by some higher-ups. So she had made her way down three levels, flanked by O'Neill who insisted on being protective, and across two mag-lines into a newly-opened inter-habitat passage and then happened upon the two-man team. She'd recognized the two Space Forcers and answered their nervous salute, and naturally asked what it was all about. She couldn't spot anything abnormal in the wide sinuous corridor. Given its location it probably wasn't a very busy one even at the height of the station's past occupancy, with a rather unsurprising if perfectly charming virtual scenery. A mid-sized clearing with forest on all sides, a small waterfall on her right was feeding a clear little pond with grassy banks and moss-covered polished rocks and sunlight playing a myriad reflection. There was the murmur of rushing water and the rustle of leaves in a light breeze and a pleasant chirping of birds, all in all a very welcoming place but hardly cause for her immediate presence.

"Ah, Ma'am…" the first crewman began, clearly at odds with the apparent serenity of the place "it's, well -" his partner cut him with a side look "Ma'am, we just saw people in there."

"People ?" Carter was unable to contain a rush of excitement. "In the holo ?"

Both men nodded.

"Where are they… what did they look like ?" she was looking in every direction, searching for a hint or trace of the apparitions.

The second crewman pointed at the waterfall. "They climbed on that rocky outcrop and disappeared behind it, about five minutes ago but we heard their voices again… Ah, and they looked human just like you and me Ma'am" he finally delivered the breaking news, leaving her momentarily speechless as the meaning of the words sank in.

"Human - but then - I mean," she spoke for herself as much as for her companions "it fits with everything else but…" he eyes were wide and she put her hand on her mouth prior to speaking again, leaving the hand cradling the side of her face "are you sure...?"

The crewman nodded, then froze instead of answering at once, shifting his head as if to listen better. Carter followed his example, focusing her ears in the same general direction, and she heard them. Voices, unmistakingly human-sounding even if the words didn't mean anything. Shouted words and exclamations of… joy, excitement ?

Her raised hand fell down along her side. Them. Hopping down to the level of the pool with agile steps, a small group of humanoids - entirely human-like in their exterior appearance, healthy-looking, well groomed state precluding the notion that they were prehistoric, cave-dwelling creatures - entered the water again with a flurry of splashes.

Men and women, good-looking, and naked.

"Oh my" was all the Colonel could say for a while.

After the initial shock, surprise and elation - the greatest discovery of human history, again - at finding confirmation that the original occupants of the station were indeed human-looking, more cases were spotted across the facility's organized maze of internal streets, public areas and even private housing units. They were mostly transient, whenever some of these beings found themselves in the scope of the scanning apparatus which had recorded the scenes, and in most cases fully clothed in a variety of styles and colors. Yet, in a few number of instances, but those balanced their scarcity with their unpredictability, the figures were naked. Which was awkward enough.

In one case though, the New America's crew witnessing the scene were subjected to a very passionate love-making session involving a teenage-looking couple in a flower-strewn meadow.

Oh well, at least these people were straight, Lefarge had sighed when shown the helmet-camera recording. But still, we can't allow kids to see this. Something has to be done.

Freedom Station, Samothrace System

December 24th, 2010

A sea of faces greeted Frederick Lefarge when he stepped through the door and walked on the stage up to the lectern. Finding this amphitheater a few days beforehand was a very timely occurrence, of course such a thing wasn't much of a surprise any more. The similarity between the New America's colonists and the long-departed builders of the station went a long way towards explaining why things looked the way they were despite being made by aliens. Like the bathrooms. Or the cooking implements found in the homes, perfectly stacked in magnetic drawers without a single grain of dust. Drawers that also worked as washers thanks to some technological wizardry nobody had an understanding of.

About four thousand men and women were present, ranging from twenty-somethings to white-haired ones although the latter were not as prevalent. New America was always meant to contain a majority of passengers in their breeding age. There weren't any children either, which made for a strange Christmas eve, but those were still deemed better in coldsleep while the adults made sure the new home was ready. And everyone knew that kids running around unknown and potentially dangerous surroundings were a recipe for disaster.

Skin tones spanned from milky to dark brown with a large helping of olive and caramel, representing the variety of people that used to form the Alliance. Men and women in roughly equal proportions. Little knots and groups, brought together by prior history and affinities. What lacked in variety was the clothing. All wore the issued utility suit, a sturdy, comfortable and protective garment meant for in-atmosphere duty. Providing isolation from temperature contrasts and protection from scrapes and cuts, fireproof and self-cleaning, the suits were intended to last decades - until the fledging colony could make new clothes.

Name patches, specialty badges and service colors were the only variations.

Every revived colonist was here save those on-duty aboard the ships. A retransmission was set up for them.

A rumble of applause started as the General took his place behind the lectern. It contained workstation controls linked to the vast wallscreen behind him, and Carter had managed to set a snowy forest scene as background, choosing from the built-in gallery.

The acclamation picked up as all four thousand crewmen joined in until the vast chamber resonated with rythmical clapping and Lefarge felt a knot forming in his throat in response, the repressed feelings and the weight of past events rushing to the surface. He caught Cindy and Marya in the front rank and met their eyes, finding quiet pride on his wife's features and contained assurance on his sister's.

He blinked once then twice, took a sharp breath, swept the assembly under his gaze and composed his face in a serene and voluntary facade. His arms rose in answer to the clamor, hands motioning to stop and listen - it took almost a minute for the applause to die down at last.

All were then silent and looking at his person. Waiting to hear his words. The first general address of a new era. Lefarge expected that future historians (if the colony survived long enough) would hail the coming speech as the founding one of a new society. He snorted inwardly. I'll keep it short and to the point and do the schoolkids of two centuries hence a favor.

"My fellow colonists" he commenced. "Free men and women, escaped from the clutches of tyranny unprecedented in History. We all know how much we lost, how much the last war cost us. The Draka think they have won, that they're the uncontested masters of all Creation. No doubt they expect us to be dead after the New America disappeared from their scopes. Well, we are very much alive. More, a higher force took pity on us. An instrument of God's Will or the Providence, we don't know. Maybe whoever brought us all here shares a connection to the beings who created this place long ago. Their inheritance is ours now. Through their knowledge and our ingenuity we will build a new society and hold high the torch of Freedom unextinguished."

A few "Yeah !" and "Hear that, Snakes !" were shouted enthusiastically. Lefarge nodded and continued.

"We have found a shelter, a new home. It, and the wonders it contains are a gift, a marvelous gift. We have to show ourselved worthy of it. More importantly, we must not repeat the mistakes of the past. Never again shall we let the seed of oppression grow and fester. We owe this to our brothers and sisters left on Earth, we owe it to every last victim of the Draka, every last rebel impaled on a stake while our former countries sat in the distance, watching and doing nothing to crush the Snakes before it grew too strong. "

Murmurs and growls of "never again" rose up from the public. This lesson was well learnt among that crowd.

He went on after a good breath.

"We will survive. We will thrive. We will uncover the secrets hidden behind our mysterious displacement and its destination. And with God's help we will build an army, an army of Freedom to smash the Yoke and cleanse the universe of the Domination's stain !" he hammered out, punctuating his last sentence with a pumping of his fist on the lectern, face set strong and resolute.

The crowd's reaction was matching. As soon as he finished a rolling roar of approval drowned the chamber. Cries and shouts of revenge and curses against the Snakes mixed with more basic yells and stamping feet ; high fives and fraternal hugs and grinning faces, joyous faces. They were looking forward to success, to life, to justice brought in the universe. They were a people, his people and they had a mission.

As the clamor died out, the General concluded.

"Merry Christmas, my fellow Samothracians !"