1200 Hours, February 19, 2008/
Atlantis: Lantea, Pegasus Galaxy
A couple of days passed since the remaining Taur'i and Jaffa forces had arrived in Atlantis. Already hundreds of Jaffa refugees and troops had been ferried and ringed down to the city. The population was getting so large in fact, that both groups had begun to occupy the other buildings surrounding the main tower in the central district of Atlantis. The Jaffa were very much in awe of the city, seeing as they were the first of their kind to step foot in it. Everywhere the technology and architecture of the Ancients was present, and it was filling them with hope they may yet live to see better days. Those who had been to Dakara prior to its destruction had seen many examples of Ancient culture left over from their occupancy of it millions of years before; none of what they had seen there compared to Atlantis.
There had been some confusion as to how the Jaffa forces would be incorporated into the command structure of Atlantis. At this point, General O'Neill had assumed direct command of all things military and of strategic importance. Dr Weir remained lead administrator for the civilians of course, but still reported directly to the former SG-1 team leader. With the Jaffa, however, there was no direct precedent on how to go about coordinating both their forces on such a mass scale.
Joint missions were usually small surgical strikes and the occasional sharing of an off-world base during the days of the rebellion against the Goa'uld. Instead, Teal'c and Bra'tac took positions the command staff. Essentially acting as civilian contractors for lack of a better way to describe it, they would offer their full support and resources they brought with to the full defense of the city and the people in it.
On that note, the Jaffa fielded nearly a thousand warriors who were combat ready. Along with that, about twelve squadrons of Death Gliders, eight Al'kesh, several cargo ships, and the four motherships in orbit. Combined with the several hundred more Earth troops the Odyssey and Apollo had brought with them, and their own fighter screens, the overall military strength of the city was stronger than it had been in ten thousand years.
That strength would come in handy, as the Daedalus had arrived with news that made the everyone currently in the conference room turn a shade paler. Colonel Caldwell was standing towards the front of the room in front of a large monitor that showed a representation of the galaxy with several gate addresses highlighted, a grim expression on his face.
"…So, each of those worlds are reporting the same thing?" Dr Weir asked.
Steven Caldwell nodded, "I'm afraid so. Each of the villages we scouted on those planets all said the same thing: a hooded individual with extremely pale skin wielding a staff came through the Stargate preaching about gods called the Ori."
"Well, that's just peachy," Jack remarked as he leaned back into seat.
Daniel couldn't help but roll his eyes but agreed with the sentiment of his friend's thoughts on the news they just received, "These are just the first wave. They'll start winning over the hearts and minds of the humans here. After that, they'll start sending their fleets."
"So, we can expect them to start building a Supergate soon?" Colonel Sheppard asked?
Carter stood up, nodding to Caldwell who returned the gesture and took his seat, and clicked her remote towards the screen. The image changed to show both the Milky Way and the Pegasus galaxies.
"Given the relatively close distance of our two galaxies, the Ori won't need to use one. Their hyperdrives are almost as fast as the Asgard, so getting here won't be a problem for them," she stated bluntly.
"We're assuming that until they've got our whole galaxy under lockdown, they won't commit more forces to Pegasus," the general surmised.
A few sighs echoed throughout the room. Just when they were all getting settled into the idea that they might be safe for some time, they had their hopes shattered. Granted, a few Priors showing up wasn't enough to cause a panic, yet, but the senior staff knew that it was only a matter of time before Ori motherships began showing up in this galaxy as well. Of course, Pegasus had one significant difference from the Milky Way.
"Which will bring them in contact with the Wraith," Sheppard pointed out, a small smirk growing.
Weir raised an eyebrow and nodded at that, "I do like the sound of that."
"So why don't we let them fight it out? Once they've weakened each other enough we can start using hit and run tactics to run a guerilla war," Caldwell suggested.
Rodney scoffed and shook his head, "What, are you kidding? Ori technology is even more advanced than the Ancients'. It's not gonna be much of a war. The Wraith might have superior numbers, but it's not gonna be enough to stop them. This only buys us time."
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I like time," Sheppard dryly commented.
Jack frowned at the younger officer to his right, "I was gonna say that."
"As much as I hate to admit it, Rodney's right," Carter interjected.
"Hey!"
"We've run a few projections based on fleet strength, ground tactics, and a Prior's abilities in the field. It's true the Wraith are going to be able to put up a much better fight than we were able to thanks to their numbers and physiological advantages, but once the first wave of Ori motherships arrives in Pegasus, we estimate that it'll only take them about a year before they've completely overrun the galaxy," the Colonel finished, her head dropping a bit as she returned to her seat.
Silence swept over the room. A year. That's the kind of time they had, at most. Time enough to do what? They'd already fled to a new galaxy, where else could they go? They barely had the resources to defend this city; in any kind of prolonged siege or battle they wouldn't have a chance in hell.
"…So, what do we do?" Weir asked, hoping someone had a good answer.
Jack stood up and blew a puff of air out of his cheeks and started rubbing his temple as he felt a headache coming on. He should have been retired right now, sitting on his cabin's lake sipping a cold one. Just sitting in the peace and quiet with no one around for miles to bother him.
'Well… maybe one person' he thought to himself as he found his gaze drifting to his left.
Shaking his thoughts from his mind he focused on the current situation, "First and foremost we focus on bolstering the cities defenses. I've got Mitchell and Teal'c getting the ground troops and strike teams prepped and trained for when we need them. Caldwell, you and Ellis will be running more recon for the time being. I want details on Wraith movement and how they'll be responding to Ori incursions."
The commander of the Daedalus nodded and stood, grabbing his materials and leaving the conference room to go inform his fellow ship commander of their new marching orders.
"Sheppard, how are the runways for our 302's coming along?" Jack asked turning his attention to the AR-1 team leader.
The Lt Colonel pushed himself up from his seat and moved around the room to the screen, pulling out his own wireless remote. He pointed it at the screen and gave it a click. Nothing. Tilting his head, he pressed it again more forcefully. Still nothing. He turned back around to everyone else and, noticing their less than amused looks, let out a nervous chuckle. He turned towards the table and banged the remote on it several times. Trying a third time, the screen finally changed to show a x-rayed outline of the city and formed a smug grin to appear on Sheppard's face. Specifically, it showed two long narrow sections highlighted in red that showed them leading from base of the tower where a Puddle Jumper bay was located.
"Thanks to the Apollo and its beaming tech, we're just about finished. Another couple of days and we'll be able to launch close to a hundred 302's that you and the Apollo brought."
Jack smirked at that, "Nice, like my old man used to say you can never have too many fighters… well, he used to say something like that," noticing the looks he finished, "…Beer, he said beer."
Rodney suddenly cleared his throat, calling the attention in the room to him. Jack looked over at the Ancient-technology expert and groaned.
"Yes, what is it Dr Mckay?"
Jumping up excitedly from his seat, he sped his way over to the screen the General and Colonel were standing in front of. As he got to the front, he stopped and tried to find a way to squeeze through the table and the General block his way to the screen. Bouncing back and forth between in front of and behind him, Mckay stopped when he noticed Jack's stone face staring at him.
"Uh, sorry. C-could you move a bit so I can squeeze through there," the scientist asked pointing at the spot where the General was standing.
Jack looked down, then back up at Mckay, his expression unchanged, "No."
"Well-can I just-but… okay," he stated in a defeated tone, his shoulders slumping slightly.
Everyone couldn't help but smirk a bit at this.
Rodney pulled up a remote and changed the screen to show several different points on the city highlighted in a similar red hue that the new F-302 runways were. Alongside the highlighted points, small data boxes containing power output and yield calculations appeared.
"Since the Odyssey is going to be out of commission for the foreseeable future, we've taken the liberty of moving the Asgard Knowledge Core from the ship to a secure lab here in the tower. With help from Dr Jackson and Colonel Carter, we've managed to get a somewhat rudimentary grasp on the matter synthesizer installed on it," noticing the blank stares from a couple of the people in the room, he clarified, "Matter synthesizer: it can take anything from raw materials to raw energy and reconstruct it into virtually anything the user can come up with. Within reason. General you used the technology to create the first ARW a few years ago when Colonel Carter was captured by the Replicators."
"Oh yes, I remember that quite well," Jack replied, raising his eyebrows and crossing his arms in impatience.
Nodding nervously, the doctor continued, "Yes, right, well we've been using it to create the parts for several new Plasma Beam emitters that we're going to be placing around the city to reinforce our firepower. We're working on a new weapons command interface in the control room for the time being, but we're hoping to be able to hook it up to the neural interface of the control chair eventually."
Jack looked at the screen and then back at Mckay with a nod, "Nice work Mckay. It'll be nice to have something to shoot with that isn't reliant on the rarest ammo type in two galaxies."
"I'm sorry, this all sounds well and good but there are a lot of worlds out there that don't have access to the same defenses: what are we doing about them?" Dr Weir chimed in, having been silent for most of the scientific and military jargon.
Jack sighed and turned to civilian leader, "Weir, I know what you're gonna say, and I'm pretty sure you know what I'm gonna say right back."
"Jack, this is important. We need to discuss this," Daniel suddenly stated firmly, being one of the few people willing to challenge him so directly.
The General turned to his friend with a serious glare plastered on his face.
"Daniel."
"Jack."
"Daniel… we talked about this already," he explained through slightly gritted teeth.
"No, you talked and told me to be quiet. Well, I'm not being quiet now."
"Taking on any more people in this city is going cause food shortages across the board. We're barely getting by as it is," the General groaned, "I'm all for going on a diet, hell I could probably shed a bit of weight, but things are gonna get real ugly, real fast in a month or two if we don't figure out how to feed ourselves; let alone another couple thousand hungry mouths."
"I'm not saying we take in everyone out there, but we can't just turn our backs on a whole galaxy. Again!" Daniel tried to explain.
Jack rolled his eyes at that, "Here we go. You know something, maybe you could have asked your old Ass-cended pals for a big fat-"
Weir stood up and raised her arms in a calming manner, "Gentlemen, please. We can discuss this matter civilly," waiting for the two men to settle down she continued, "General, I understand that we are short of manpower and supplies. I understand that logistically, taking on any more people would be unwise at best."
Turning to Sheppard, who gave her a subtle nod of approval, she continued, "But the fact of the matter is that without our allies in this galaxy, Atlantis wouldn't have been around for you all to retreat to. Are we just supposed to abandon them all? We already let down our own world and our own galaxy. Can we really just sit by and let our friends here meet the same fate?"
Jack clicked his tongue on his cheek and couldn't help but concede that point. He hadn't gotten over how dirty he felt over abandoning Earth, even though it was his duty to make sure what people had survived would live to see another day. Then all the people they'd made friends with over his tenure at the SGC; all of them either dead or worshiping the Ori. If they'd had more time, maybe they could have saved some of them. No more than a handful of people at most, but some. People like Jonas Quinn, the Madronans. There was a very good chance they would never see those people again. While he hadn't gotten to know many people from the Pegasus galaxy, save for Ronon and Teyla, from the mission reports he'd read they seemed to be decent people.
"…Alright, I'm willing to make the occasional exception. Like Miss Emmagan's people. We can take on some refugees here and there, but I have to put our people's needs first. So, don't take this as an open invitation for the whole Pegasus galaxy to grab a cot and set up shop," Jack gave in, earning small smiles and nods from the Atlantis personnel.
"With that being said, I want you guys to start doing some public outreach with these allies. We've got a lot more mouths to feed so we're gonna need to start ramping up food production and trading starting yesterday."
Weir nodded, "On that I am in agreement. I'll talk to Dr Brown down in hydroponics. And Teyla to see what can be done about it. Dr Jackson, I could use your help in coming up with new trade agreements with our off-world allies."
Nodding, the archeologist stood up and followed the diplomat out of the room. Rodney nodded and stated he should get back to working on installing the plasma beam emitters, among a dozen or so other 'crucial' projects he claimed to be working on. Sheppard, upon noticing that it was just the General, Colonel Carter, and himself in the room bashfully stated that he would go and see if Mitchell and Teal'c needed any help. This left the two alone in the conference room, both not sure what to say.
Jack broke the ice, per usual, "Soooo, I'm still waiting to hear one of your last-minute galaxy saving ideas."
Sighing but letting a smile creep its way onto her face anyway, she stood and moved directly in front of her commanding officer, "I'm afraid I might have to disappoint you again, sir."
He scoffed at that, "Carter, I'm pretty sure it's against some law of physics for you to disappoint me; just not possible. Also, what did I say about the sir thing when we were alone?"
"Right, sorry si- I mean, sorry Jack."
Another awkward silence ensued, neither one of them sure what to say. Or rather, what they wanted to say out loud. Things between them had been… tense to say the least ever since O'Neill had been promoted to the head of Homeworld Command. Being in Washington so often put a strain on things. Things they had been trying to pursue. Things that they couldn't be open about. Sure, rumors had flown around the grapevine that was the Stargate Program and its affiliates for years now. Nothing was obviously said one way or the other, though some suspected. And with the recent Ori threat, things had gotten more complicated for the two of them. In fact, this was the first time they'd had together, alone, in over a year; not counting the occasional email and video call. And now, with their home destroyed, a part of them realized that they couldn't hold back anymore. Shouldn't. Life was short, and in their line of work it was even shorter.
Sam let out the tears she'd been holding in for the better part of a week, streaming down her cheek and onto her shirt. Closing the distance, Jack wrapped his arms around her and let out a shaking breath he had been holding in. Sam did the same and hugged the man tightly. They stayed like that for a long time, neither one of them saying a word. Both of them just glad that they were both alive.
Together.
Sheppard was walking briskly down the hall after getting out of the transporter, and away from a potentially awkward encounter. Personally, he didn't really care if the two had something going on. But he also understood that appearances needed to be maintained for the sake of morale and the chain of command. So, he decided that checking in on how the Jaffa and his guys were mixing.
Coming up to a set of large doors, two Airforce SF's standing guard in front of it. Saluting the Colonel, who returned it just as crisply, one of them waved their hand over the Ancient door interface and the entrance slid open. Sheppard was immediately hit with the salty smell of the surrounding ocean. Stepping out, he slid his sunglasses into place over his eyes as there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
Walking forward, he made his way through one of several new outdoor training grounds set up on the 'ground' level of Atlantis in the open areas near the western pier. Everything from marksmen ranges, environmental simulation training, and strength and conditioning areas were now present. Not only kept their military men and women sharp, but they would soon serve as an impromptu bootcamp for the new recruits that would be coming in from the civilian population.
'Almost makes me feel like I'm back at Lackland' Sheppard thought to himself, wincing slightly at the remembrance of his own time during the start of his long career.
Making his way past the range where several Jaffa were exchanging weapons and small talk with some SGC marines. Smiles and laughs were being thrown about as they watched a marine and Jaffa go head-to-head with some 9mm Barettas. Their spread was tight on the targets and neither seemed to have the upper hand even as they threw light insults at each other. The Colonel noticed his own guys standing nearby but off to the side a bit. It wasn't surprising that the Jaffa and SGC personnel were much closer given the years of combat they shared in fighting the Goa'uld.
As he walked John started hearing shouts and cheers coming a couple dozen yards away. Breaking into a light jog, he came upon a massive circle of people: Jaffa, Atlantis civilian personnel, his own guys, a couple of the SG teams, and even some of the new civilians. Seeing one of their commanding officers, a small path was immediately formed so he could squeeze his way to the front. Breaking the line of people after a moment, the Colonel found himself spat onto the edge of the large circle of people. In the middle of them all was an open circle with a familiar dreaded-individual circling a couple of Jaffa.
"Howdy Shepp', come to see how your boy is doin'?" a voice asked to his right.
Turning, he came face to face with Colonel Mitchell and Teal'c, both of whom were standing and watching the current event unfold.
Sheppard looked back at his teammate and smirked, "Little friendly sparing match?"
Mitchell nodded, "Yeah, don't worry we're keepin' things from gettin' too wild. Figured our guys could blow off a little steam."
"Which of course ballooned into this mosh pit you've got going on," Sheppard tilted his head at the crowd.
Mitchell held his hands up innocently, "Hey, hey now! Don't look at me; this started off as a few SG teams workin' out some built-up aggression. Then your boys joined in."
"Oh, so it's my guys' fault?" Sheppard asked dryly, amusement clear in his voice.
"Well, I wouldn't say just theirs," Mitchell smirked, "But once they joined in the Jaffa decided this looked a hell of a lot more entertaining than training with our weapons. Then we got a few more onlookers and gawkers and voila: got ourselves the first Fight Night in Atlantis's history."
Sheppard scrunched his mouth and nodded, clearly liking the idea, "So, how long has Ronon been going at it?"
Teal'c moved forward, "Ronon Dex is a formidable opponent. Since he arrived, he has had seven challengers and has yet to lose even one. He has beaten several of my brothers and sisters in single combat, and now seeks to claim victory against two Jaffa at once."
The three watched as the match continued. Ronon was had an aggressive and wild twinkle in his eyes, despite the leaking of blood from his mouth and a cut above his right eye. He paced back and forth like an animal waiting for its kill, his long dreads swaying back and forth behind him soaked in sweat. The two Jaffa in front of him stood in squared and solid stances as was typical for their fighting style. Each of them had bruises over their faces and bodies, with one's nose being bent at an unnatural angle despite his lack of reaction to it.
Ronan sprang forward from his back foot, using the momentum to launch himself into the air and preform a front kick to the face of the Jaffa on the right. Unprepared for the speed of the Satedan, a sickening crunch rang out through the air as the Jaffa backed up a few steps holding a hand to his face. The other, taking advantage of Ronon's distraction, launched a powerful open-palmed strike to his opponent's chest that sent the man reeling backwards.
Letting out a grunt, the AR-1 member recovered quickly and sent a flurry of punches to the Jaffa's head. He managed to block a handful of hits, but Ronon's speed was far greater. Unfortunately for the Satedan, Jaffa were far more durable than humans, and his attacks barely managed to stun the Jaffa. Quickly, the Jaffa recovered and managed to land a powerful kick to Ronon's stomach, launching him onto his back. The first Jaffa had now recovered but sported an equally bent nose as his companion with a river of blood leaking from it. The two began moving quickly towards the down man.
Growling in frustration, Ronon kicked back up to his feet and kept his head down with his arms at his sides, seemingly lowering his defenses. The two Jaffa took up positions on either side of him so that if he attacked one, he was vulnerable to the other. His eyes were hidden by the jungle of hair on his head; the two Jaffa circled him, then glanced at each other as they tried to figure out what he was doing. Nodding to one another, they closed the distance and intended to assault him at the same time.
Ronon's fist shot up, cracking the Jaffa in front of him across the temple before spinning around in a blur and hitting the other with the same swing. Acting quickly, he grabbed the second Jaffa by the head and yanked down while driving his knee up as hard as he could at the same time. The resulting impact reverberated throughout the crowd, causing them all to offer a simultaneous 'ow'.
The Jaffa collapsed in a heap on the ground. Ronon turned his attention the other, who was still dazed from the surprise blow, and sprinted towards him. Just before he was in striking range, Ronon leapt into the air and delivered a savage superman punch to his opponent's head; his legs spread in the air from the momentum of his jump as he connected. Another crack sounded and the Jaffa fell the ground in a daze.
A deafening cheer broke out from all those present. Whistles echoed, cries of 'Ronon' and 'Team Pegasus' rang out through the air. Some exchanged high fives while other exchanged various items as a result of lost bets. Ronon wiped the blood from his face, walked over to where the two Colonel's and Teal'c were standing.
John looked over at the two Jaffa now being helped up and to the medics, then back at Ronon, "I thought this was supposed to be a friendly sparring match?"
Ronon looked back at his work, "They said they could handle it."
"Do not fear Colonel Sheppard. Jaffa train this way from the day they are able to hold a weapon. We believe that one should treat each lesson as though it may be their last," Teal'c came to Ronon's defense.
Sheppard glanced to the side at that, "Well, I don't know about you, but I tend to call it quits when my nose gets broken."
"You call it quits as soon as you get knocked on your ass more than once," Ronon stabbed back, smirking as he did.
"Hey! I told you, I like the guns."
Mitchell smiled at their interaction, noticing how different yet familiar it was to his own with Teal'c. Moving away from them, he walked to the center of the circle and cleared his throat.
"Alright people, show's over. Staff Sergeant Strickland, resume CQC drills. All civilians participatin' in training today, stick around and prepare to get dirty. Everyone else, back to whatever it is you were doing before this."
A few groans and complaints followed, but the crowd quickly dispersed until only the marines and airmen remained. Some civilians had volunteered for weapons training and now all the stalls at the range were filled. The Jaffa had spread out with various groups, some training hand-to-hand while others were learning Earth military tactics such as breaching, assaulting an entrenched position, or fast-roping down a building over in the environmental sims area.
Nodding at the sight, Mitchell walked back to his original spot as he caught the tail end of Sheppard's question.
"…interacting with my guys?"
Teal'c looked back at his fellow Jaffa, "Many of the Jaffa here were some of the first to join the Rebellion while it was still in its infancy. They have had much experience working with the Taur'i and have great respect for your people. While many have had… mixed reactions at having to flee our home, they are adapting better than I had hoped."
Ronon looked confused, "Taur'i?"
"It is the name for the people of Earth in Goa'uld. Translated it means: Those of the First World. All humans and Jaffa in our galaxy are descendants of the humans of Earth."
"Sounds weird."
Sheppard seemed to shrug at that, "I've always thought it was a cool name. Better than calling ourselves Earth people. Or Terrans; sooo cliché."
"Yep, and just a little better soundin' than being called Atlanteans, eh Sheppard?" Mitchel asked, crossing his arms as he came upon the group.
"Hey, we didn't come up with that! That's just what everyone else started calling us," the spiky haired Colonel defended himself and the Expedition.
Shaking his head in amusement, Mitchell turned to the Satedan, curious what he thought of the alien race from the Milky Way, "So Ronon, what do you think of the Jaffa?"
Ronon turned to make direct eye contact with Teal'c, "Not so bad."
Mitchell and Sheppard shared a look as they watched the two veteran warriors have a serious stare down. Neither one backing off. Although privately the two very much wanted to see a fight between a former First Prime and a Runner, such an event would no doubt bring everyone off, and on, duty down to the training grounds to watch.
Mitchell stepped slightly in between the two, though stayed back just enough to dive out of the way if need be, "Alright, easy fellas. There'll be time to decide who's the top contender another day. Teal'c, why don't you take Ronon here over to the range and show him how to use some of the toys you guys brought."
Teal'c finally broke eye contact with Ronon, nodded at his friend, and motioned for the younger warrior to follow him. Grunting, the man held his belt and holstered weapon over his shoulder and followed the much older Jaffa over to where the sounds of staff weapon blasts and Zat'nik'tel discharges were sounding off.
Sheppard stepped up to his peer with a slight wince on his face, "Think those two will be alright around each other?"
"Oh yeah, Teal'c is as levelheaded as they come. Especially ever since he was stuck in the time dilation field on the Odyssey. Aging an extra fifty years really put some miles on his soul. Ronon on the other hand…"
Sheppard couldn't help but nod in acknowledgment, "Yeah… well, luckily it seems like the Jaffa operate at more his pace anyway," he thought back to the intensity that the alien warriors all seemed to fight with, "At least there's finally some people that can keep up with the big guy. Usually, we'd have a marine or two in the infirmary every couple of days after sparring sessions with him."
Mitchell nodded at that, then took a moment to look around at the camp around them. Despite thinking that these days would never come, he felt hope watching a Jaffa show a woman in civilian clothes how to fire a Zat. From the moment he learned that of the Stargate, he feared of what could one day happen to their world. He just didn't think that he'd live to see it. Seeing even this many people still alive, and the many hundreds of others throughout the city, well…
"Think we've got a chance here Shepp'?" he couldn't help but ask, curious as to what the officer next to him thought.
Sheppard, sensing that the conversation was taking a serious turn, crossed his arms and looked around them as well.
"Well… I never thought I'd see this many people on Atlantis at one time. It's been nice having some new faces around," he formed a smirk on his face, "Plus, seeing Carter consistently put Rodney in his place has made this whole situation seem worth it."
The two shared a short laugh at that.
The Atlantis veteran patted his SGC counterpart on the back, "I know things seem pretty hopeless right now; trust me I've been there. When we stepped through the Stargate at the SGC and came here, we knew there was a very good chance that we'd never see home or anyone from there again. For a whole year we figured that we were as good as dead."
Mitchell nodded at that, "Yeah, I guess ya'll know a thing or two about desperate and hopeless situations."
"But it all worked out in the end. And I don't know how we're gonna pull out of this one, I really don't. But we've got the smartest, most capable people in the most advance city in two galaxies trying everything they can to make sure we all live to see another day. So, call me an unabashed optimist… but I think we've got this."
"…Huh, you know you've got a thing for speeches. Ever think about changing careers? Corporate speaker?" Mitchell joked.
Sheppard waved him off, "Teyla said the same thing; it's from hanging around Elizabeth too long," checking his watch he realized the time, "Well, this has been fun Cam, but I gotta get going. Promised Rodney I'd help him out with the neural interface on the control chair. I'll see ya at the next board meeting."
Nodding, Mitchell watched as Sheppard quickly walked back to the entrance and disappear into the hallway of Atlantis. Despite his jokes, Sheppard's words did help a bit. It made Mitchell chuckle a bit at the fact that a man who had much less experience in the Stargate Program than himself was able to give such a good pep talk. Shaking his head, Mitchell started making the rounds around the training encampment to ensure training was being maintained at a certain standard. Plus, it got his mind off depressing topics and ideas.
0903 Hours, February 23, 2008/
Atlantis: Lantea, Pegasus Galaxy
Rodney had been in his lab for the better part of four days now. Everything from installing a new weapons grid to maximizing the efficiency of the power systems of the city had been taken on by him and his team. More than once he had made his exhaustion loud and clear to all those present. But at the same time, he wouldn't allow himself to take many breaks. There was just too much to do; too many problems that needed to be solved and not enough time or people to get them done. And now with more reports of Priors popping up all over the galaxy, the need to have Atlantis in tip-top shape was more important than ever.
At the moment, he and Radek were trying to figure out how to engage both the cloak and shield of the city at the same time; an idea they'd been messing around with for some time but hadn't made much progress in.
"No, no, no, no! I'm telling you that if you drop even one emitter to create a cloaking field the shield integrity will be severely compromised. Atlantis's shields were designed to operate at one hundred percent or not at all!" the Canadian scientist reprimanded his Czech peer.
Groaning and rubbing his temples in frustration Zelenka replied, "Yes, but as we've seen in the simulations installing a separate field generator to cloak the city not only doesn't have the strength to cover such a large area but also becomes attenuated and would easily be penetrated by advanced scanners! So, using Atlantis's existing emitters is the only option."
Rodney scoffed and shook his head, "And your solution is to not only weaken the shield and our only means of defense, but possibly fry the system all together when we try to engage both at the same time?"
"I'm not saying there wouldn't be some risks but-"
"No, no. Sure, let's go through with your plan. I'm sure that explaining to everyone that the minimal risks involved will be a comfort when the shield grid is wrecked beyond repair."
"Přísahám, že jednoho dne budu žádat o přeložení.…" Zelenka muttered in his native language.
Rodney stopped what he was doing and spun around in his chair, "I'm sorry, what was that?"
Sighing, the Czech stood up with and grabbed the empty pot of coffee, "I'm going to get more of this. A lot more. Do you want me to grab anything for you?"
Turning back around to his station Mckay replied, "Yeah, yeah, yeah grab me a turkey sandwich. Oh, and some of those fudge brownies they had earlier."
Rolling his eyes, the physicist walked out of the room muttering other choice words in his language, though low enough so that Rodney couldn't hear. Rodney, meanwhile, continued to type in his equations into his laptop. Finishing, he hit selected the begin option and sat back and waited. A few minutes went by before a large box appeared on the screen: SIMULATION FAILED.
Rodney groaned and dropped his head into his hand, "Oh come on!"
Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes and tried to relax a bit. His mind had been going a million miles an hour and he felt like he'd been pulled in as many directions these last few days. He just needed five minutes. A five-minute nap would help no doubt. Falling into a light sleep almost immediately, he drifted through the black recesses of his subconscious.
A spark erupted in his mind!
An explosion of inspiration!
A thought so profound that it gripped him tightly and forced him to wake up. Bolting up right in his chair, he shook his head as he tried to come back to full wakefulness. He looked over at the white board that was covered in equations and theoretical physics, then frantically back at the screen in front of him. He only took a moment before he began furiously typing. He closed the simulation program and began pulling up a number of older files and mission reports. Lab notes, simulation results, and several other key pieces of data all relating to two major program reports: Project Arcturus and the mission report titled 'Ripple Effect'.
About a half hour later Zelenka returned, his arms full of food and coffee, to find the entire lab had been turned upside down. Paper and white boards scribbled with equations unlike any he'd seen before were littered all over the room, and each computer was either running simulations or running corrections on the same equations. In the middle of it all, Rodney was jumping back and forth between computers and a whiteboard as he frantically tried to figure out if the crazy idea he had was even possible.
"Rodney! What is all this?" Zelenka asked, slightly alarmed at the mad look in his colleague's eye.
Rodney shot up from his laptop and looked over, a massive smile plastered on his face, "I think I just came up with one of the most brilliant epiphanies I've ever had."