1750 Hours, July 6, 2008 (Taur'i Calendar)
Daedalus, Hyperspace, Milky Way Galaxy
Rola was staring out the viewport in one of the mess halls aboard the humans' ship. Staring into the streaking blue-white tunnel of this 'hyperspace' as they sped inside it. It was an incredible sight; so different than the FTL she was used to. There wasn't the normal purple hue of mass effect fields being generated, no stars streaking past them as the ship traveled faster than light across the cosmos. This 'subspace' was so exotic, so unique, so… alien, that she couldn't help but think of the sheer disruption such technology would bring to the galaxy. Flying through an entirely different dimension; the ability to break free of the constraints of the Mass Relays and venture into previously untapped corners of the galaxy was an exciting thought to say the least.
And the Quarians might be the first to benefit from such revolutionary technology!
She still couldn't believe everything that had happened to her and Jal these last few days. Getting their people's ship back, being chased by those pirates, getting rescued by… by these humans. She wasn't sure what to make of them. Despite her initial suspicions, they'd never been mistreated during their time in their custody. She couldn't help but sigh a bit as she thought back to the events after Dr Jackson said they were heading for their base. A short jump later, they arrived in front of a sight that rocked her and Jal to their core.
A city.
A floating shielded city was resting gently in the middle of space as the human ship slowly approached. From their small room and viewport, they could see skyscrapers jutting up out of a main body. Windows lined all of the buildings, though they were still too far to see any people inside them.
On one of the arms that stuck out they saw two starships of the same class as the one they were currently on. However, one had scorched hull plating and holes scattered all over; the occasional flash of sparks shining out all over indicating that repair work was being done. Clearly, the ship had seen battle and had been heavily damaged. The thought scared Rola since she had seen what these ships were capable of; for something to damage such a powerful vessel they in turn must have been extremely powerful too.
On another one of the piers were three strange looking ships that had the shape of a pyramid. Its design was far different from both the city and the grey starship they had been on. In fact, none of the three seemed to have a design that suggested they were created by the same race. Dr Jackson had told her that they had come to this universe to flee a war and that they had refugees from several other races, and this seemed to lend weight to his tale. Or at least that there were indeed other races involved here. She still thought the whole alternate universe thing was a poor and outrageous cover story for something else… but that city…
It was unlike anything she'd ever laid her helmeted eyes on before. Given that the city was just floating in the middle of nowhere told her that it must have had FTL capabilities. Her human charges had confirmed as much and stated that the reason they needed to find a habitable planet soon was so they could land her. The level of technology to create such a massive construct more than a fourth the length of one of the Citadel's arms and a circumference almost that many kilometers, while being capable of traversing through space, landing on planets, and defend itself was far beyond anything the Citadel races had come up with. The Alliance certainly hadn't. Which meant that these humans not only were completely unrelated to them, but they must have found this city and taken it for their own. Even the name seemed otherworldly: Atlantis. Exactly where and how they accomplished this, the humans seemed to remain silent on.
Could it be Prothean? Some other ancient, advanced race they'd never heard of. Rola couldn't even begin to speculate. From what little she'd seen while her and Jal had been guests in the city for a day, it seemed like the place had been designed with normal living quarters and the comfort of any other city. Only difference being that this city was capable of space flight. She saw children, families, and other such sights that would not have been out of place on any other planet. Meaning that this wasn't just a military base, though the large presence of soldiers certainly meant that was a function of the city, but a home for their civilians as well.
She hadn't heard of any new migration of humans venturing out into the galaxy in search of a planet to colonize, however, and if the size of the city was anything to go by there were many humans living there. If they weren't from the Alliance, and they weren't some new colonizers who had stumbled across some old Prothean super-tech, then…
"Rola! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you," Jal cut into her thoughts as he sat down on the opposite side of the table from her.
Behind him, was one of the ship's security personnel who stood silently behind her friend. The human nodded to his counterpart who was standing in the same stance just behind Rola. They had been given limited freedom to roam around the ship, though limited mostly meant their guest quarters, the bathroom, and the mess hall. Still, it wasn't like they were in a position to demand much more freedom than that. Had this been the Flotilla, then the humans would have had far less freedom than even that. Of course, they had surrendered their Omni-tools before being allowed back onboard, so getting any kind of scans for future study wasn't an option.
"There are only three places where you could have checked for me," Rola pointed out as she held a small tube filled with grey paste in her hand.
Jal pulled out his own tube and attacked it to the port on the end of his helmet, "Well, I checked both places and you weren't there," he stated as he began to squeeze the paste into his helmet before breaking it off after a few gulps, "Augh, this has to be the worst nutrient paste I've ever had!"
"Be thankful they were able to synthesize any at all."
During their brief stay on Atlantis, their hosts had tried to offer them rations and water. Rola and Jal quickly explained that because of their dextro-protein based biology they would be unable to eat anything the humans had. This seemed to shock the humans, who obviously had never encountered something like this before. Jal seemed to think it was because in their universe there weren't any dextro-based lifeforms. Rola simply rolled her eyes at that, attributing it to the more likely aspect that they were merely ignorant of how Quarians and other aliens functioned. She wasn't going to burst into frustration at these humans' insistence on maintaining their ridiculous story anymore, but she did find herself somewhat annoyed with Jal being so naïve and believing them.
The humans, however, surprised her when they asked if they had any samples of food with them. Jal had little more than a drop of nutrient paste in one of his pouches and he offered it to them, curious to see what they had planned. About an hour later, Dr Jackson and a man named Dr Beckett returned with two tubes of what surprisingly looked to be more paste. When asked why they tried to offer them levo-based food when they had this already, the two replied that using the sample from Jal they'd managed to synthesize more for them. While she found it odd that they had the facilities to synthesize dextro-based food when this place was populated by humans, she quickly remembered that this was clearly an alien city. Perhaps its food production facilities could synthesize any number of nutrients; or perhaps the race that created the city was actually dextro-based. Regardless, they took the food and scanned it with their tools to confirm its viability before eating it. While it kept them fed, it was truly awful.
Rola put down her own tube as she crossed her arms, "So, what do you think the Admiralty is going to say when we show up in a foreign vessel."
Jal stopped mid gulp and set his own tube down as well, "Bringing aliens to the fleet is never an ideal situation… remember Anora'Vanya vas Selani?"
Rola nodded solemnly at that, "To be fair, this situation is a little bit different. I mean, we're bringing an ally to our people. Probably the ally. The first real one we've had in generations. I'd say that's a pretty good Pilgrimage gift."
"There is that," Jal conceded, "I still can't believe all this. It feels like a dream: that city, this ship? I've never seen such incredible technology."
"In function yes. This ship looks so strangely antiquated though; like the physical appearance and its capabilities don't match up. Not that I'm criticizing; after all, we wouldn't be here if not for this ship."
It was a bit strange; while Atlantis had seemed very advanced from the outside they hadn't gotten any good looks at it from the inside besides the room they'd been confined to. They had seen a decent amount of the Daedalus, however, and from what they had seen it was utilitarian in every sense of the word. But it didn't have, for lack of a better term, advanced holographic-interactive displays on doors and other points of interest. The screens they had seen were all physical, high resolution LED screens that while functional, just weren't the norm in ship building practices. There were a handful of holographic screens that were very different than then ones they were used to, but they were few and far between. Yet despite that, the two Quarians knew very well the capabilities of this ship. It was a contradiction: archaic yet advanced, simple yet complex.
Jal nodded at her, "True, but maybe that's just how things are in their universe?"
"Jal, you can't honestly believe them?"
"I mean, think about it. Their weapons and hyperdrives, their flying city! How else do you explain these things?" he asked, genuinely looking for another option.
Rola shrugged, "Maybe they found some unknown Prothean technology somewhere? Maybe the Alliance is experimenting with new R&D assets? Anything would be more believable really."
Jal eyes lit up behind his helmet excitedly, "But what if they're telling the truth? It would be the most amazing discovery in history! Imagine it, being able to travel to other universes, seeking out new civilizations! Meeting alternate versions of ourselves, of our people!"
His friend let out a little chuckle as she watched him. Jal had always had a bit of an imagination; countless nights he would drag her over to watch vids in his room when they were young about all manner of fictional worlds. As he got older reality began to set in which made him more grounded, and pessimistic. He had consigned himself to joining the Fleet's tech division under Admiral Daro'Xen given his computer skills. But when he was young, he really wanted to join the Exploratory Flotilla tasked with finding resources, planets, and other such valuables for the Fleet. She hadn't seen him this excited about something in a long time.
"Well, whatever their origins, I think it's safe to say that the Admiralty will forgive our bringing them into the Fleet once they see what they have to offer us," Rola changed the subject, not wanting to dash her friend's enthusiasm.
Back in their city they were taken from their rooms and down the hall before being escorted into some kind of small closet. It had a screen in the back that showed a schematic layout of the city with various highlighted points. Once they and the two guards had entered the small space, one of them hit a point on the map and the doors closed. Rola couldn't help but feel slightly claustrophobic at being packed into the tiny room, but a moment later along with a strange whirling sound, the doors opened to reveal an entirely different corridor than the one they were just in. The two were confused, and even more so when they saw their position on the map showed that they were now on a completely different level and building in the city. When Jal asked how they travelled so fast, the guard merely stated, 'transport closet'.
The two then had been brought into some sort of meeting room down the hall. When they entered, the noticed Dr Jackson and Dr Beckett, but the rest of the humans they hadn't met yet. They introduced themselves one by one: Colonel Carter, Dr Mckay, Dr Weir, and the leader of the city General O'Neill. They all seemed friendly enough, although given Rola and Jal's very limited experience with humans they didn't quite understand all their mannerisms. Particularly the General who, based on their brief encounter, seemed far too relaxed for a man of his rank and position.
They wanted to know more about the Fleet, their people, and surprisingly seemed to want to enter into a kind of trade deal. Apparently, when they were forced to flee their 'universe' they did so without having their own food and supply production facilities fully functional. While they were confident that they would be ready given time, they wanted to be able to take their people off rationing soon than that.
In addition to that, they needed more in-depth knowledge about the political atmosphere of the galaxy that their Omni-tool information couldn't provide, as well as the Migrant Fleet's web of contacts, friendly ports, and associates it had that helped keep the Fleet alive. Lastly, they wanted to have the Fleet as a potential ally to be able to call on for future times of need.
Rola and Jal were, understandably, shocked when they heard all their requests. Since the Great Exodus, their people had been viewed among the lowest of society in most corners of the galaxy. Every day since then had been a struggle to survive, and not once had they been offered any sort of assistance that didn't come with a great cost to the Quarian people. Even their standard business deals that were for even the most basic of supplies almost always lay in favor of the other party, and the Quarians weren't in a position to negotiate.
So, the two became very suspicious that a people with such advanced technology would want anything from the Quarians. And they demanded to know what they intended to offer their people in exchange for such an alliance. Of course, neither one of them expected the humans' response; their offer leaving the young Quarians absolutely stunned with its implications.
Jal nodded in agreement, "Wait till everyone here's that Jal and Rola saved the Quarian people! That we brought back the greatest Pilgrimage gift anyone ever has!"
"If the Fleet doesn't try and shoot us out of the sky before that happens."
"…Can't you just let me have a moment before bringing it down with your negativity?"
1800 Hours, July 6, 2008 (Taur'i Calendar)
Daedalus, Hyperspace, Milky Way Galaxy
Daniel and Elizabeth walked briskly onto the bridge, the heavy bulkhead doors sliding apart and allowing them entry. As they entered, they saw the experienced and steadfast crew of the Daedalus going about their tasks with the quality and professionalism that was expected of them by Colonel Caldwell. Major Marks sat to his left manning the navigation station, having the reputation as the best battlecruiser pilot in the fleet, and Major Pat Meyers to his right manning the ships weapons systems, her being one of the longest serving members of the crew. The rest were going about their tasks at communications, damage control, and other important systems that were key in keeping the battlecruiser ready for whatever might come their way.
Caldwell noticed the two civilians and swiveled his chair to face them, "Dr Weir, Dr Jackson. We're just about to drop out of hyperspace. We'll be coming out just outside their effective weapons range according to the Quarians' intel, but we'll be remaining on high alert until we confirm non-hostile intentions."
One of the many things that Colonel Carter and Dr Mckay had learned from the information downloaded from Rola and Jal's omni-tools, the technology employed by the civilizations of this galaxy was completely unlike anything they were used to. Their weapons, for example, were essentially massive railguns that fired slugs at a fraction of the speed of light using the strange element known as Element Zero. Far faster than what anything in their universe was capable of, with a surprising fire rate to boot and the punch of small nuclear weapons. Of course, their overall yields were much lower than most of the advanced races in their own universe and it was Rodney's considered opinion that they'd prove little threat to the Asgard shields protecting their ships.
Still, when facing a fleet of thousands caution wasn't a bad thing to exercise.
Weir nodded, "And our guests?"
"Being escorted to the bridge as we speak. Colonel Mitchell's team is getting prepped in the starboard hanger bay; you'll be ready to move once we've established safe passage to their fleet."
Elizabeth turned and stared out the viewport at the familiar blue tunnel of hyperspace and the topside of the grey neck of the battlecruiser that the bridge sat at the base of. She couldn't help but let out a small breath of nervousness. She and Daniel were tasked with negotiating with the Admiralty board of the Migrant Fleet in securing this 'alliance' between their two peoples.
Alliance was perhaps too strong a word since this amounted to little more than a trade agreement. But it was a first step in developing relations with these people as well as getting her own people the food, medicines, and pretty much everything else they needed if they were going to do more than just survive. And while she was first and foremost a diplomat, she was thankful to have Dr Jackson here who definitely had a lot more experience in all things alien. Particularly in regard to dealing with nonhuman races.
"Here's hoping this First Contact goes a lot smoother than my last couple," Daniel remarked with a nervous laugh as he stepped up to where she stood near the window, seeming to contradict her thoughts on his skills in these situations.
She tilted her head a bit at that, "Well, it's not like I have a stellar record during my administration of Atlantis."
"Fair enough. So that must mean we're due for a win then given our combined track records huh?" he chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood.
She chuckled softly along with him. The door to the bridge slid open with a mechanical whirl, causing them to turn around and see the two Quarians walk in followed by their Airforce SF escorts. Caldwell stood and nodded to his men who fell back to positions on either side of the entrance.
"Rola, Jal. Welcome to the bridge," the Colonel greeted the young Quarians.
Rola nodded alongside her friend, "Thank you Colonel, we are honored that you have allowed us to travel aboard your ship; your ship is truly a wonder to behold."
Her tone was more formal than anything Elizabeth or Daniel had heard her use before. But then they remembered that the Quarian's culture was centered around ships with their Captains being the highest honor and authority one could have outside of the Admiralty. Caldwell being the commanding officer of the Daedalus put him in a place of high standing in their society. Caldwell nodded and thanked her for the kind words before sitting back in his command chair. Jal wandered over to where Elizabeth and Daniel were standing and stared out the window at the sight.
"Amazing… I know several engineers who would kill to get even a tiny peak at this 'hyperdrive' technology," he commented in wonder at the beauty of subspace.
Dr Weir smiled and folded her hands together, "It is amazing technology. Maybe one day they'll get the chance," she responded vaguely, though more as friendly and optimistic words of encouragement.
Among the things that they were willing to offer the Quarians, hyperdrive tech wasn't one of them.
Daniel turned to Jal's companion, "So Rola, you said that there is some kind of code you'll have to say over the radio so that your fleet doesn't fire on us or jump away?"
Rola nodded, "A phrase that all Quarians sent on their Pilgrimage are taught in case we arrive in vessels not registered with the fleet. Once we've entered normal space, I'd recommend contacting them as soon as possible."
"Understood. Collins, I want our shields raised the moment we drop out just to be safe," Caldwell ordered the officer manning the upright station near the screen to the far left.
Jal seemed like he wanted to say that such actions would be unnecessary before he stopped himself. He honestly didn't know how the Fleet would react to a foreign cruiser showing up in its vicinity. Hopefully, given these humans' advanced defenses and their incredible restraint when attacked, a few panicked shots wouldn't ruin their chances for an alliance.
An alert rang out from Marks's terminal, "Sir, we're nearing the Migrant Fleet's coordinates."
Caldwell nodded, "Take us out."
A few moments later, the bright tunnel of hyperspace opened and spat the battlecruiser back out into the star-lit blackness. As the ship came to a slow shuffle, a blue concave shimmering appeared over the entire ship as the shields came online before vanishing from sight. They all stared out the view port as they tried to get sights on the massive fleet they hoped was somewhere out there. Of course, being at the edge of their weapon's range meant that they were several thousand kilometers away and thus the fleet was not visible to the naked eye.
Another alert directed everyone's attention to Meyers's seat, "Sir, sensors are picking up the fleet… registering fifty-k plus. Fifteen thousand klicks off our portside…"
The HUD popped up in front of the view port as it highlighted the area where the Migrant Fleet was while the screen on the left side of the bridge came to life showing a 2D representation of the Daedalus and the Fleet 'in front' of it. Some of the humans couldn't help but feel a little intimidated at the sight: in the entirety of the Stargate Program's existence, they'd never encountered a fleet this massive. Even the Battle of Dakara, of which none of them were personal witnesses to, was only a couple hundred motherships. Though based on what Rola and Jal had reported the vast majority of these vessels were civilian and unarmed.
Didn't make it any less intimidating.
"Sir, we're picking up movement from the fleet. Looks like we've got heavily armed vessels breaking formation and heading straight for us. Majority of the fleet is backing off… looks like they're falling back while their attack ships cover the retreat," Meyer's reported.
"That's our Heavy Fleet. It's made up of our most capable warships, commanded by Admiral Han'Gerrel. He's stern… but he means well," Jal informed them and moved to look at the HUD that now highlighted said fleet moving towards them.
"I take it you know him personally?" Daniel asked.
Jal nodded, "He helped raise me when my own father died when I was young. We've been close ever since."
Soon the Quarian's Heavy Fleet came close enough that the HUD on the viewport zoomed the hull-mounted cameras in. Compared to the small frigate Rola and Jal had liberated and the pirate vessels, the ships that made up the Heavy Fleet were clearly much more capable. They resembled large spoons with a hole on the wheel-like front section. There were two tails protruding from the top and bottom parts of the of the wheel, with the larger third one sticking out past them both like a handle. Running the length of the 'handle' all the way through the wheel section was a massive spinal gun that they knew to be one of those mass accelerator weapons.
Most of the ships in the Heavy Fleet seemed to be variations of this design; some were smaller than the Daedalus while a handful were roughly the same size. All in all, they looked like quite capable warships that one could bet were a lot more dangerous than the pirate vessels they destroyed.
"Sir, we're being hailed; audio and visual," the communications officer informed Caldwell.
The Colonel nodded, "Put it up on the HUD."
A moment later the holographic heads-up-display changed from highlighting the approaching fleet to show the interior of what appeared to be a dimly lit bridge. It appeared to be circular in design with numerous stations arranged in a semi-circle being manned by Quarians. The stations all surrounded a single command chair being occupied by a Quarian in a golden suit with a sigil of some kind held by bracers over his chest that seemed to signify his status.
"This is Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema of the Migrant Heavy Fleet. You have entered Quarian space without authorization and without forewarning. State your identity and intentions immediately or be destroyed."
Caldwell turned to Rola, "You're on ma'am."
Rola nodded and walked in front of the HUD so that the opposing bridge could get a clear view of her, "After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began."
There was a slight pause as this Admiral Han leaned forward to get a better view of the screen on his end, "Rola… is that you!? Is Jal with you?"
At that moment Jal stepped into frame alongside his friend, "It's us Admiral! Don't fire!"
The older Quarian seemed to chuckle a bit at Jal's outburst, "Calm down my boy, I wouldn't dream of it. But you're going to have to explain to me what exactly you're doing on such a strange looking cruiser. Surrounded by humans no less."
Colonel Caldwell decided that now was a good time to introduce himself. He stood up and walked in between the two Quarians so that the Admiral could get a better view of himself. The Colonel stared into the screen as he looked his counterpart directly in the eye, not as a show of aggression but of equal respect and confidence.
"I'm Colonel Steven Caldwell, commander of the Daedalus. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he greeted in a respectful tone.
Admiral Han stood as well and moved closer to the screen as he nodded in return, "Colonel… I must say your ship and uniforms are unlike anything I've seen the Alliance navy use. Are you some sort of off-the-books black ops unit? Or perhaps a private military company?"
"Neither. I'm afraid our story is one that is going to sound unbelievable, but it's the truth. To further explain our intentions, I'd like to introduce our two diplomats: Dr Elizabeth Weir and Dr Daniel Jackson," he replied as he motioned for the two civilians to step forward.
"Diplomats?"
Dr Weir smiled as she looked at the screen, "Admiral. I want to first apologize for any panic we may have caused your fleet. That was not our intention; we only want to open a dialogue with the Quarian people for purposes of trade and an exchange of knowledge."
Han crossed his arms over his chest in thought, "I assume you are here representing more than just a single cruiser. A colony?"
"Of sorts. It's a long story but recent events have caused us to strike out on our own. When we arrived in an unknown system, we stumbled across Rola and Jal here under attack by pirates," Daniel explained as he motioned to their guests.
The bright eyes behind his helmet widened, "Pirates?! Rola, Jal! By the ancestors, what have you two been doing since you left the Fleet?"
The two Quarians in question seemed to visibly shrink as the Admiral's full attention and chastising was on them. For the next few minutes, the Admiral berated the young charges about the recklessness that seemed to have gotten them into trouble in the past finally coming to a head. The crew stood by in silence and slight awkwardness unsure of what to say or do; like watching a friend get scolded by their parents. The shoulders and posture of Jal and Rola dipped further and further down with each beratement.
Finally, the Admiral seemed to reach his limit as he let out a long sigh, "…I'm so thankful both of you are safe. I've been worrying for months about how your Pilgrimage was going."
Jal seemed to brighten up a bit at those words, even as Rola seemed to be even more uncomfortable than before. The Admiral turned his attention back to Caldwell and the others.
"Thank you for bringing them home safely; words cannot express our gratitude. You were saying that you wish to enter into a trade agreement with the Migrant Fleet? Given that Rola and Jal brought you back here during the Pilgrimage, you must have something of great value to the fleet that you're willing to offer."
Weir nodded, "Yes, would it be possible for me, Dr Jackson, and a small team to bring back Rola and Jal by shuttle and discuss this in person? We're willing to submit to whatever security precautions you deem necessary."
The Admiral raised a hand to the chin of his helmet in thought, "Hmmm, I'll have to clear it with the other Admirals first… but given your peaceful conduct so far and the fact that you brought back two of our own… I don't see there being too much of an issue. Of course, we will need to wear your own environmental suits and have you and your shuttle to go through a decontamination process. Your ship must also remain here, and under the guard of our Heavy Fleet. This is nonnegotiable I'm afraid."
"Colonel?" Weir asked as she turned to the officer.
Caldwell nodded slowly, having expected such conditions, "As long as we remain in contact, I don't see an issue. I'll have word sent to Atlantis that we've made contact with the Quarians."
"Then I will speak the other Admirals immediately and get back to you shortly."
The starboard hangar bay doors slide open allowing a tan cylindrical ship about the size of a large truck to glide out smoothly; two flight pods then extended out from the hull and pushed the ship to even faster speeds. The Puddle Jumper quickly accelerated away from the battlecruiser and towards the larger Migrant Fleet. Given its advanced sublights, it crossed the vast distance in no time at before nearing one of the largest ships they'd detected in the fleet: the Rayya. It was a massive, bulbous ship that was apparently designated as a live ship; its sole purpose was growing food and housing a large portion of their civilian population. It was an impressive sight, being nearly the length of a Biliskner-class Asgard mothership but with much more mass. It was also glass castle, however, given that it had virtually no means of defense besides its barriers.
"Jumper 1 to the Rayya. We are on approach and are requesting docking clearance," Colonel Mitchell spoke into the comms as he mentally piloted the Ancient shuttle towards their destination.
"…Understood Jumper 1. Docking clearance granted. Transmitting flight path. Proceed to docking bay seventeen; our decon-unit will be waiting there."
"Copy that. Jumper 1 out," he finished as he clicked off the comm.
Beside him, Dr Weir sat and watched the ships in the Migrant Fleet pass by as they got closer to the Rayya. Behind them, Dr Jackson and Dr Beckett sat in the cockpit seats, while in the rear compartment Rola, Jal, and Ronon sat. They had contemplated bringing more troops for security purposes, but quickly dismissed the thought in fear of being perceived as too aggressive. Plus, Ronon essentially counted for a few marines, so it about evened out according to General O'Neill. And like Daniel had stated a few days before, if things took a turn for the worst the Daedalus could always beam them out.
In the back Rola couldn't help but be impressed with the Jumper they were riding in, "The inertial dampening system this shuttle has is amazing! I can't feel a thing!"
Mitchell laughed a bit from his seat, "Yep! The ride's so smooth I feel like I could fall asleep at the wheel."
Daniel blinked, "Please don't."
Mitchell ignored the plea, "Too bad I didn't get the gene therapy years ago… one of these sure would have come in handy at the SGC."
The Jumper continued to bob and weave around ships as Mitchell seemed to be both testing its maneuvering capabilities and showing off his skills as a pilot. A short clearing of the throat from Dr Weir, however, caused him to chuckle nervously as he righted their flight path to a more mundane and straighter one as they approached their destination.
"If there's one thing I've noticed you humans seem to have in mind when it comes to your ships, its comfort," Jal pointed out as he leaned back into his cushioned seat and thought of the absolutely luxurious quarters they were given on the Daedalus.
Ronon grunted, "If that was true then these suits wouldn't be so tight."
Each one of the humans on board were wearing skintight suits of a deep blue material that seemed to resemble normal cloth, though it was anything but. The shoulders, forearms, knees, shins, and chest areas were all reinforced with a lightweight, ebony colored armor that offered a fair amount of protection. Airtight seals attached at the wrists for gloves and the shines for boots combined with a similar seal at the base of their necks would create a hard seal once a helmet was adorned. The helmet was of a similar material to the armored pieces on their suits with a narrow slit of hardened, transparent material that provided sight and visual data for the HUD that activated once the helmet was initialized. The suit was capable of maintaining breathable air for up twelve hours in vacuum and would prove quite useful once aboard the Quarian ship since they would not be allowed to remove their helmets for risk of contamination.
When they had been discussing the possibilities of a meeting with the Quarians, Rola and Jal informed them of the sterile environment aboard their ships. While they had a number of space-suits available, such things were clunky and not ideal. Instead, Sam ran a quick search in the Asgard Knowledge base and pulled the design for them out of the archives. They were used back when the Asgards' original forms were similar to humans and had a number of technological advantages built into them. Using the matter converter for the sake of time and convenience, she created enough suits for the five of them to use while sending the schematics and data to one of their tech labs to begin working on mass producing more of them.
"Hey, it was either these or those bloody oversized space suits," Beckett pointed out, though as he shifted uncomfortably in them, he couldn't help but silently agree with the Satedan.
Ronon merely grunted in response, instead taking his attention back to his Particle Magnum as he checked the power cell for fifth time. While the civilian members of their group would remain unarmed, Ronon and Mitchell were allowed to have a single side arm. Ronon went with his signature weapon while the Colonel went with a Zat gun.
Jal and Rola watched as strange human twirled the weapon in his hand. Both felt more than a little intimidated at the sight of one of the largest humans either one of them had ever seen, while the look in his eye forced both to avoid eye contact whenever possible. They'd heard what other races called the humans of the galaxy: savages, brutes, primitive. If there was a human who seemed to fit that description more than any other, this man was the one.
"So Rola, what can we expect once we arrive?" Dr Weir asked from her seat as she swiveled around to face the young Quarian.
Rola peeled her eyes away from the dreaded human and turned towards the fairer sight of Dr Weir, "Once we arrive, they'll bring us from the bay and into a decontamination hall while they scrub the exterior of your ship. From there, we'll be escorted to the Rayya's meeting hall where a public quorum will be held."
Weir raised an eyebrow at that, "A public meeting? I assumed that we'd be brought somewhere more private."
Jal shook his head, "There are no secrets in the Fleet Dr Weir. Such things are counterproductive to making us strong and united. If there is a problem or any kind of Fleet level disturbance that needs to be addressed, we always hold a public discussion on the matter. Of course, only the Captains who are not on duty and other high-ranking officials of the fleet will be in attendance."
Daniel turned to his fellow ambassador with a raised brow, "Well… that certainly makes things more interesting doesn't it."
Weir raised an eyebrow in turn at that, "I think you've been spending too much time with General O'Neill and John."
"I just hope we don't get in too much trouble for bringing foreign ships to the Fleet," Jal commented as he rubbed his arm.
"Why would you get in trouble for that lad?" Carson asked.
"Besides the fact that bringing in outsiders is only done in extreme circumstances and with the unanimous approval of the entire Admiralty board? We've had issues in the past with opportunists and scavengers who thought they'd try their luck in making runs at the Fleet. Exposing the Fleet to such risks is extremely frowned upon," Rola replied dryly.
Before Weir could reply that she doubted the two would face punishment for letting Atlantis contact their Fleet, Mitchell spoke up saying they were entering the bay. The Jumper glided towards the Rayya, an opening appearing on its curved hull. As they entered, Mitchell retracted the flight pods and slowed the Jumper down to a gentle hover before finally landing it on the deck. Behind them, the massive hangar doors closed before the slight hiss of re-pressurization could be heard throughout the bay. Just ahead a door with a red holographic display on the front beeped and turned green before opening from its center and retracting into the walls. A group of Quarian's carrying tubes and supplies for decontaminating the Jumper began walked through and made their way towards it.
Mitchell stood up and grabbed his helmet that he had set on the floor, "Alright folks, rides over. I'll take point, Ronon you've got the rear."
Everyone else stood up and began moving towards the back of the shuttle. Elizabeth, Daniel, and Carson all stood up and secured their packs behind them and then put their helmets on with a snap and a hiss. As Mitchell passed Ronon, he noticed the taller man holding his helmet in his hands as he wondered how he was going to get his dreads to fit inside.
"Just put it on big guy. Carter said the suit would take care of the rest."
Ronon eyed the Colonel with suspicion, causing Mitchell to roll his eyes.
"She said it wouldn't cut them off."
Grunting in response, the man raised the helmet above his head before slowly pulling it down. As it past the crown of his skull and began to pull on his dreads, the back of the helmet melted away from the protruding hair. It continued to split open as the metal peeled back until the helmet was completely over his head. Then, the opening in the back began to reform itself from the bottom up until the dreads were bundled up and sticking out of a much smaller hole. Amazingly, a web-like weave began to spread out from the helmet and trail all the way down the dreads until they were completely encased in shiny but flexible mesh. Ronan grabbed the coated dreads and pulled on them a bit, wincing as he felt the nerve endings in his head light up in pain.
"Huh, that was pretty cool. You kinda look like a Predator now," the Colonel commented as he stared at the Satedan, feeling the man looked more intimidating than he ever had before.
He ignored the Colonel's comment and strapped his sidearm to his thigh. The others joined the two in the rear of the compartment. Once he saw that everyone had their gear and their helmets were on, he placed his own on his head and opened the hatch. Slowly the door came down revealing the Quarian squad that had entered the bay. Mitchell led the group out until Ronon finally emerged from the rear. The Colonel could see that the decontamination unit was taken aback slightly at the sight of the former Runner who stood a head and a half taller than everyone, not that Mitchell could blame them. Once Ronon cleared the hatch, Cam lifted his right arm and pressed down on a small button near his wrist. A small screen came to life on his armored bracer as he entered in a series of commands. A moment later, the hatch to the Jumper raised back up and closed, sealing the shuttle from any prying eyes.
The lead Quarian, whose suit seemed to be of similar quality to the Admiral's, stepped forward, "Jal, it's good to see you again."
Jal nodded respectfully, "Captain Kar'Danna, we are honored."
Captain Kar'Danna turned to Jal's companion, "Rola."
"Captain."
The group of humans exchanged looks with one another as they sense no small amount of tension between the two Quarians that seemed to be staring each other down. For a moment no one said a word as the awkwardness continued to rise until Daniel finally cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"Hello, Captain Kar'Danna was it? I'm Dr Daniel Jackson, it's a pleasure to meet you," he stated as he stuck his hand out.
The Captain turned to the archeologist as he stared down at his hand, "It is a pleasure to meet you as well doctor. I understand this is a human custom, yes? Unfortunately, until you've all undergone decontamination I can't allow any physical contact. I'm sure you understand."
Daniel retracted his hand as he offered his apologies. The Captain then turned and motioned for the humans to follow him towards the door in front of the Jumper. Mitchell took the lead followed by everyone else. The remaining Quarians then began the process of scrubbing down the exterior of the shuttle and the surrounding area that had no doubt been infected with microbes and other substances harmful to the Quarians aboard. Leading them into a long hallway that was sealed at both ends, a strange mist followed by blue-lit lasers began to wash over the entire group.
Beckett found himself startled as the laser worked its way up his body and nearly lost his footing only for Ronon to grab the pack on his back and bring the medical professional back to his feet, shaking his head in annoyance. A few minutes later, the decontamination procedure finished, and the Captain turned around.
"Head through those doors and my men will escort you to the quorum. I must take my leave; my duties require my full attention. Jal, I will speak to you later," he finished as he turned around and went back the way they came in.
Mitchell stared after the Captain, "Huh. Charming fella."
Rola sighed as she rubbed her arm, "I'm sorry about that… it's probably my fault. I should have expected it."
"Is there something between you two? Back in the bay you could cut that tension with a butter knife."
"What's a butter knife?"
Weir stared blankly for a moment before shaking her head, "…Never mind about that, but there is something isn't there?"
Rola suddenly found the floor a lot more interesting, "It's a long story. Perhaps later when there's time, I'll tell you."
Seeing that the young Quarian wasn't going to open up any more about it and even Jal seemed uncomfortable, the group moved on and passed through the doors at the end of the hall. Kar'Danna's men were there waiting for them, and the group soon found itself coming out into a much larger area. It seemed very out of place for a spaceship: there were trees of a kind they'd never seen before, grassy areas, and simulated sunlight coming from the rafters. In the center of the room was a small arena of sorts with public seating rising from a lowered area. At the bottom of a small set of stairs was a slightly raised platform clearly meant for the Admirals or some other high-ranking officials to stand. Already, the seats were filled with numerous Quarians all wearing very fine-looking hoods and other decorations over their environmental suits. Rola and Jal were sequestered away from the humans; the Captain's men stating that they would be needed for questions during the quorum.
Before long, five individuals walked onto the stage in front of everyone. The quiet chatter echoing throughout the room died down as everyone else took their seats. The three doctors stood straight and waited in front of the podium before them while Mitchell and Ronon flanked them on either side.
One of the Admirals finally broke the silence as she addressed the whole place, "I, Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, call for this Conclave to be brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah se'lai."
"Keelah se'lai," the rest of the those in attendance, minus their human guests, echoed.
"Today, we welcome back to our fleet two of our young who've been away on their journey of self-discovery as they searched of something to bring back to the Fleet to enrich all our lives. Rola'Jaram vas Nuvo, Jal'Fimas vas Nuvo; we welcome you home," she stated as she nodded to the two Quarians sitting in the front row and just to the right of the humans, "As for our human guests, we welcome you as well. We thank you for intervening and saving the lives of two Quarians who you have never met. Very few in this galaxy would have been willing to risk their lives to help."
Dr Weir stepped forward and nodded, "Thank you Admiral Raan; my name is Dr Elizabeth Weir. We are happy we were able to help. Rola and Jal have been welcomed as guests into our home and in turn they've been extremely helpful in keeping us informed about your people. In fact, it was that information that led us to ask them to bring us to you."
"To seek an alliance, yes?" asked one of the other Admirals, his suit patterned with white and red, and based on his tone she could tell that he was suspicious of their intentions.
"Admiral Zorah, you have something you'd like to ask?" the Admiral from before questioned her peer.
This Admiral 'Zorah' nodded as he directed his attention on the woman before him, "While I cannot deny our gratitude at saving and safely returning two of our own, I must question why exactly. From the bit of data we have that Jal and Rola transmitted to Admiral Han from your ship, you only intervened on behalf of our people when those pirate ships attacked your cruiser. Furthermore, it seemed like the only reason you were there in the first place was to gather information, not save them."
There were some subtle mutterings at that, as people couldn't help but see why the Admiral was suspicious. Weir turned and looked at Daniel who nodded as he stepped forward.
"Admirals, Quarian people, I'm Dr Daniel Jackson. Yes, there is truth in what you say. We were trying to get navigational information about this galaxy when we detected Rola and Jal's ship fleeing from the pirates. After several attempts to get them to cease fire, our battlecruiser was forced to destroy them. Of course, had we known the circumstances of who and why the two were being chased, I assure you we would have stepped in sooner."
Admiral Zorah seemed to contemplate what the human had said for a moment before nodding, "So what is it that they told you that made you want to seek an alliance with the Quarian people. We know you're not representatives of the Systems Alliance, nor are you like any colony we've heard about from the humans."
There it was, the kicker. The question whose answer would make or break these negotiations before they'd barely begun. Based on how Rola had reacted when they told her the truth of their origins, Elizabeth and Daniel doubted the Quarian government would react much better. But, given that they already explained their origins to Rola and Jal, they saw little point in hiding the truth now. It was all or nothing.
Daniel cleared his throat, "We learned that we have a lot in common. That we've both lost our people and our homes."
A small amount of pandemonium broke out at that; Captains and other officers in their seats shouting cries of 'how dare you' and 'humans have it better than the Quarians ever had it' to 'you still have your homeworld'. A hand raised from Admiral Han quickly silenced them, however, and turned his attention to the archeologist.
"What do you mean by that exactly Dr Jackson? Are you and your people facing some sort of political exile? Were you ousted by pirates from your colonial settlement? We've not heard of any events happening on the extranet, so you'll have to understand how such a statement hits particularly close to home for us," he responded calmly and respectfully.
"My apologies, Admiral. I meant no disrespect for what the Quarians have had to endure for the last few centuries. But… we too have suffered our own atrocities at the hands of powerful enemies," he explained as he pulled out a tablet from his pack.
A moment later, an orange holographic screen appeared between him and the Admirals large enough for all to see. Using information from the Quarians' Omni-tools, Sam had created a way to wirelessly connect their computer systems to the holographic technology that seemed to be abundant in this galaxy. This way they could show them proof of their claims for everyone to see without having them try to hunch over their small laptops and datapads.
The screen remained blank for a moment before changing suddenly to show a world on fire and under attack. The camera seemed to be situated on the hull of one of the humans' ships as the long grey neck remained in the foreground unmoving; whether it was the Daedalus or another vessel they couldn't tell. The Quarians watched in fascination as this garden world came under heavy assault from dozens of massive, white oval shaped starships that were unlike anything else they'd seen in the galaxy. Their design and aesthetics almost reminded them of Asari vessels, but these were clearly far more advanced.
Incredibly, beams of light were shooting out of the front of the vessels and impacting various points on the planet. They couldn't be mass accelerator weapons since their speed was much slower, and the beams were far larger than what should have been normal for a weapon discharge. Massive explosion erupted wherever the beams struck as if nuclear detonations were occurring, indicating the power behind the weapons. Cities seemed to be consumed by the explosions, mountain ridges cracked open, and on the western part of a large continent ships began blasting the ground until even from orbit it appeared as a blackened red scar. Moments later, a massive explosion vomited out and into the sky. Hot magma shot up into the atmosphere and a massive plume of smoke began to quickly spread out from the sight. The rest of ships continued their bombardment of the once beautiful world that was quickly being reduced to an ashy and burnt corpse.
There were a few gasps from the crowd as they watched; at first they believed to be watching a vid of some kind, but as it went on the realism of the events unfolding seemed to make them think otherwise. There wasn't a single piece of altered footage that their sharp and technical minds could pick out, or if there was it was the most advanced vid alteration any of them had ever seen. Rola and Jal felt a cold sweat inside their suits as they began to piece together bits of information that they'd learned from the humans over the last few days as they watched this footage that they'd never seen before.
"Dr Jackson… what exactly are we watching?" Admiral Raan asked as she watched in horror.
Daniel was quiet for a moment, as were the rest of the humans in their party. Their heads hung low, save for the tallest one to the left of them, and they seemed to be actively avoiding looking up at the disturbing images being played. Finally, the doctor let out a sigh as he turned his attention back to the Admirals and the screen in front of him.
"This was our home. This…was Earth."
The Admirals were silent as they continued to watch the destruction in confusion at the human's explanation. How this could be Earth, none of them knew. Such an attack, based on the timeline of events leading the humans and their Quarian charges back to the Fleet, must have occurred days before, perhaps weeks at the most.
Such an assault against a charter race's homeworld would have been galaxy wide news that even the Migrant Fleet would have heard about even with their relative isolation. Especially given the brutal and heinous nature of an attack such as this; the scouring of garden worlds came with some of the harshest punishments in Council space, just ahead of illegal AI research.
"Dr Jackson, that is not possible. If the Alliance was involved in such a war we would have heard about it. Your homeworld has not been touched," one of the other Admirals pointed out from his position.
Elizabeth stepped forward, "That's true. This universe's Earth is still standing and unharmed."
Again, the room went silent as they comprehended the woman's words.
"What do you mean this universe's Earth?" Admiral Zorah questioned, suspicion returning to his voice.
And so, the two doctors went through the arduous process of trying to convince the Admirals and the crowd around them that they were from an alternate reality. As predicted, their claims were flatly denied. They explained that using advanced technology they created a bridge between their two universes that allowed them to flee to this one.
Still, they weren't believed.
They even forwarded all the data of the 'Alternate Reality Drive' and how they got here to the Quarians, despite McKay's insistence that they wouldn't even understand it. Finally, they showed the hull-mounted footage of the Daedalus destroying the pirate vessels with ease and using unknown technology to do so, as well as their return to the city of Atlantis shortly thereafter. Rola and Jal even spoke up in confirmation of the events that led to their rescue, and the incredible sight that was the Ancient city.
Admiral Han sighed as he tried to reason with their guests, "You have to understand, what you claim violates every known law of physics we have. You seem to possess advanced technology that is unknown to the galaxy at large, but-"
"-But such things could be explained through Prothean technology you might have found," the other female Admiral finally spoke.
Jal stood from his seat, "But what about their FTL drives? Surely if the Prothean's had such technology they would have used it more prevalently. And then we would have inherited that tech! And their flying city! Had you been there in person maybe you'd be more willing to believe the wonders it beheld!"
Even the Admiralty had to admit, that question had them stumped. The brief explanation of this 'hyperdrive' technology sounded truly wonderous and far more useful than the standard mass effect drives the rest of the galaxy had. It explained how their vessel was able to get so close to the fleet without their sensors detecting them. And Jal raised a fair point; if the Protheans had such technology they would have most definitely used it and therefore left some kind clues about it. Even more so, this 'Atlantis' was unlike anything they had ever seen before. If such a thing truly existed…
Weir raised her hands in metaphorical surrender, "Ladies and gentlemen, please. I think we've gotten away from the purpose of our seeking the Quarian people out. Regardless of whether or not you believe our origins is not as important as what we can offer you in exchange for your help and support."
The Admirals pulled themselves away from their thoughts of whether these humans were crazy or just deluded. They had to admit she had a point; their technology could do wonders for helping the fleet not only defend itself but colonize new sectors of space. Perhaps, even find a more permanent home outside of the Relay network where their civilians could be safe while they worked on other, more dangerous endeavors.
"What exactly do you want from us?" Admiral Raan asked.
"Supplies: food, medicine, clothing, and other necessities to support a population of a few thousand. Of course, we are aware that given the biological differences between our two peoples we can't eat any of yours, and the same goes for most of the supplies we will need. So, instead we would like you to act as our intermediaries between us and the galaxy at large," Dr Weir explained as she forwarded the list from her own tablet.
"Meaning you wish to have your existence kept a secret," Admiral Zorah deduced.
Daniel nodded slowly at that, "Given our current situation, General O'Neill thinks its best if we stay out of the galactic spotlight for a while. In fact, it'd be better if as few people knew of our existence at all."
"Given that one of those pirate vessels escaped that seems to be unlikely to last forever. Should you make ventures out into the larger galaxy, and someone gets glimpses of your technology…" Admiral Han trailed off.
"We know that we can't stay hidden forever. But we need time to replenish ourselves, both physically and mentally. Our people have been through a lot these last few months," Elizabeth finished quietly.
Regardless of the opinions of their origins, the Quarians couldn't help but hear the strain in her voice and read the body language of their guests. Centuries of living in environmental suits made them experts on reading even the most subtle of motions and inflections. Such things were nearly impossible to fake, and they could see that these humans were in genuine pain. Again, from what they couldn't be sure. But they were dealing with people who seemed genuine in intent.
The other unnamed male Admiral spoke again, "And what can we expect in return for such support. Your technology?"
Daniel and Wier shared a look. They knew that the main thing the Quarians would push for was access to their hyperdrives, shields, and weapons. Of course, Jack had made it clear that there was no way that was going to happen. This left them somewhat stumped as to what they could offer the Quarians.
That problem was solved thanks to a certain Scottish doctor.
One of the humans behind Weir moved forward seeing his moment, "Hello there, Dr Carson Beckett here. Um, as I understand it your people suffer from having extremely weak immune systems from living in a sterile environment, correct?"
"Yes. That is correct doctor," Admiral Raan stated curtly, hinting at the sensitivity of the topic.
Beckett nodded and reached into his pack. He pulled out a silver case and undid its locks. Inside resting in precut foam were six vials filled with a dark liquid. He held up a single vial for the whole of the gathering to see.
"This is a drug known as Tretonin. It was originally synthesized from a race known as the Goa'uld in our home universe. This race is a snake-like creature that functioned parasitically with the host it inhabited. They were known for having incredibly strong immune systems that made them impervious to all known diseases, and in turn made their hosts immune as well. On Atlantis we have another race of humanoids called Jaffa whose lack of immune systems require the presence of either a Goa'uld symbiote, or since this drug was developed, a regular dose of Tretonin. Using this drug, they have been able to overcome their lack of immune systems that would leave them dead inside of a day. It is our hope that with the assistance of your own geneticists we can engineer a stable version that could one day give all Quarians the ability to live without your suits."
Once Beckett had finished explaining what Tretonin was, every Quarian in the place went silent. Throughout the entire room only the sounds of engines running, and life-support could be heard.
Admiral Raan's eyes were as wide as they could go, "How… how do we know this that is what you say it is. Such a drug doesn't… couldn't exist."
"We have several years' worth of medical data and trials we're willing to give as proof, as well as the samples we have in this case for your own doctors to test and verify. We can even have some Jaffa brought here if you need to see their biology for yourselves. Once you've confirmed it validity, we will bring in several experts on the drug to assist you developing your own version for mass production," the Scotsman reassured them.
"So, we're supposed to just agree to this alliance on the promise of a possibility of a drug that sounds far too good to be true?" Admiral Han asked, doubt clear as day in his voice.
"We're also willing to discuss the possibilities of a military alliance. If your people run into trouble in the future, we may be willing to provide military support. Within reason," Colonel Mitchell spoke up for the first time.
"And you are?"
"Lt Colonel Cameron Mitchell, leader of SG-1. Our flagship reconnaissance and First Contact team. General O'Neill has agreed to provide limited support from the Daedalus in providing security for your fleet if it helps cement this alliance. And should this alliance prove beneficial to both our people, maybe certain technologies of a non-combative nature could be on the table."
The other female Admiral leaned forward, "Such as…"
"Sorry ma'am, I never got your name?"
"Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh, I head the Special Projects division of the Migrant Fleet."
Mitchell nodded at her introduction, "Well, for starters the ships in this galaxy don't have very effective means of direct communication without the use of those comm buoys that have pretty limited ranges. Our ships on the other hand use subspace channels for direct, real-time communication anywhere in the galaxy. It makes phoning home a hell of a lot easier."
"Subspace… this is the dimension that your ships travel using these 'hyperdrive' engines of yours?" Xen clarified.
The Colonel nodded, "Yep, don't ask me how it all works, I ain't a scientist."
The Admirals were quiet as they began to process all that had been discussed in the last several minutes. These outrageous claims made them want to dismiss this Conclave and quit wasting more time… but the sensor data and footage Rola and Jal had transmitted from their rescue kept them interested. They couldn't deny that these humans must have discovered some very advanced technology somewhere in the deep recesses of the galaxy. In particular, their unique barriers, weapons, and hyperdrive technology had several of the Admiralty very interested. But this claim of having a super-drug to solve a problem that has plagued them since the moment they were exiled? A promise of an alliance when the rest of the galaxy shunned and mocked their people?
"Your people seem to make a lot of promises Dr Weir. How can we know that your technology will live up to what you claim? How are we to know you have the good of the Quarian people in mind?" Admiral Zorah asked as he folded his arms.
Dr Weir shared a concerned look with her team before turning back to the Admiral, "What would it take to convince you of our word?"
The Admirals in turn shared a look as they seemed to silently debate between them before turning back to the humans. Their answer was not something that Colonel Mitchell was particularly ecstatic about.
"They wanna what?" the loud and exuberant voice of Jack O'Neill rang out from his life-sized hologram that now stood next to Colonel Mitchell and his team.
The SG-1 leader rubbed the back of his head nervously, "They wanna come to Atlantis sir. Two members of the Admiralty board, and a handful of their staff."
Jack groaned as his hologram shined brightly, "And why pray tell do they wanna come here?"
"To see this 'flying city' for ourselves General. And to confirm the story of a wayward people without a home whose civilians are on the verge of being unable to feed themselves," Admiral Raan answered for the Colonel as she stared at the hologram in fascination.
Jack turned to the Admiral in question, "And all the data files, the neatly organized footage, and the word of two of your own kids aren't enough proof?"
"To borrow from a human euphemism, 'seeing is believing' General. If you want this alliance to happen, we need to make sure that there is something the Migrant Fleet will get out of it. We've been taken advantage of far too many times in the past, and that was with relatively known organizations and people. You are unknown, and we have no way of knowing if you will keep your word. Seeing the truth of what you claim would go a long way in proving that you are true to that word," Admiral Han replied sternly.
Jack clicked his tongue and folded his arms over each other as he stared at the Quarian before letting out a deep sigh, "…I guess I can understand that. No way in hell am I transmitting you our coordinates though. You'll hitch a ride on the Daedalus and subject yourselves to intensive searches. No weapons, no fancy orange computers. Just your people."
"Such strict rules General, yet as you can see, we did not subject your own people to such measures," Admiral Xen pointed out.
"We've got a lot more to lose than you do at this point. That, I can guarantee. This isn't negotiable," he shot back with a bite in his voice, his 'famed' patience already wearing thin.
Han seemed to be losing his patience as well, "We aren't in the habit of sending our top officials into unknown territory without the means to defend themselves. Perhaps you should look to the courtesies we have shown your people as an example."
Sensing a rising argument out of the two men, Weir quickly raised her hands to stop any further argument, "Gentlemen, please. Perhaps there's a compromise?"
The two seemed to glare a bit at each other before nodding at her to continue.
"While the Daedalus takes your people to Atlantis, Dr Beckett and I will stay behind as guests to ensure the safe return of your people. And in the meantime, he can get started on trying to adapt the Tretonin for use by the Quarians."
Both parties went silent at that as they thought it over. It made sense; having both their people in the care of the other would ensure nobody did anything stupid. Of course, Jack wasn't exactly happy at the idea of leaving two of his best people with a race they'd barely met. Granted, the Quarians hadn't mistreated or done anything aggressive with his people, but he still didn't like it. He should have sent a second Jumper that they could have been left cloaked, but this hadn't been a foreseen direction of where the negotiations would go. Or if the Odyssey wasn't out of commission, it could have easily kept an eye on their people while it remained undetected thanks to the unique cloak Daniel installed on it and beam them out if things went south.
Admiral Raan seemed to sense his hesitation, "I assure you General, your people will be treated with the upmost care and respect. We treat guest rights very seriously and given the care you've provided for Rola and Jal, we can do no less."
Jack raised a hand to his chin, then directed his attention left and away from everyone as if someone was speaking to him. He continued to stare at the wall before nodding and turning back to the Admirals.
"Alright, you've got a deal. I'll contact Caldwell and go over the details with him. It's gonna take the Daedalus about five days to get to our current position, so I'd recommend you pack provisions for that long. Weir, I'm leaving Ronon with you guys, and I'll have the Daedalus beam over some supplies to last you all that long."
"Jack, I think I should stay too. I can-"
"-Nope."
"But-"
"-Uh-uh."
"What if-"
"-Not gonna happen."
"…Fine."
With that, the Conclave was called to a close. The Captains and other officials slowly filtered out of the hall, murmurs and whispers of everything that had occurred filling the air as they left. No doubt the Migrant Fleet rumor mill would be very active for the next few weeks with all the information the humans had given them. Mitchell's team returned to their Jumper while they waited for the Quarians to assemble their diplomatic team. They'd decided to leave them with the Jumper so that they'd have a place the Quarians could keep quarantined and so that the humans could remove their helmets and suits in the Jumper without risking the rest of the liveship.
"I still don't understand why I have to stay here. Can't we just hold off on working on the Tretonin until the Daedalus brings back the long-term team and Tok'ra scientists?" their medical doctor complained, his dislike of being off-world well known.
"Carson, we need to show these people that we can be trusted. This will go a long way in proving that. If we're going to survive in this new galaxy, we're going to need some friends," Elizabeth reassured him, echoing the statement Sheppard had said to her all those years ago when they first arrived on Atlantis.
"Aye, I understand that. But couldn't we just bring their scientists with us instead?" he nervously asked.
Ronon bumped into the Scotsman as he continued to carry the supplies into the Jumper that Caldwell had beamed over, "We're staying."
Letting out a sigh and shaking his head, Carson went over to help him and Colonel Mitchell carry the rest of the supplies onboard. Weir was organizing them into neat piles of food, water, toiletries, and other necessities they'd need during their stay onboard. Daniel walked over and kneeled down as he began to help her.
"I wish I was sticking around here to help ease some of these tensions."
Weir smiled at him as she set down a box of MRE's, "Actually, I kind of agree with General O'Neill. Having you with their delegation will be just as important as being here."
Daniel tilted his head and reluctantly nodded in agreement, "Fair point… still. This is one of the few non-human advanced civilizations we've come across that hasn't been trying to conquer or enslave us. The things we could learn from them, their language, their culture?"
"And I'm sure we'll have all the time in the world for that once we've secured this alliance. But until then I'll make sure to ask plenty of questions for you so you can study them later."
"Oh, that reminds me," the archeologist suddenly remembered as he reached into his pack.
He pulled out a small, smooth, triangular white stone with various runes written all over it. He waived his hand over the top and the stone began to glow dimly. He handed it to her as she took it in thanks before putting it on of her suit's pockets for safe keeping. Mitchell dropped a box directly in between them, standing up and dusting off his hands.
"Alright, that's the last of it. Should keep your bellies full till we get back. General O'Neill wants updates every three hours on the hour, so don't be late," he informed her, nodding to the pocket she had placed the stone in.
"Colonel, looks like they're ready," Beckett called from outside the shuttle.
The three shuffled out of the Jumper to see the Quarian's delegation walking towards them. Admiral Rael'Zorah led the group, followed by the other male Admiral who hadn't identified himself during the meeting. Behind them, a small entourage of Quarians carrying packs and various other supplies they would no doubt need during their stay.
"Admiral Zorah, and Admiral…" Mitchell trailed off, not knowing the other's name.
"Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib," he introduced himself.
The Colonel had just enough tact not to make a mention of the odd sounding name, "Got everything you need there?"
Zorah nodded, "Nutrient pastes, filtrated water, anti-biotics. I assume you'll wish to scan us before allowing us on board your vessel?"
Mitchell nodded and pulled up his right arm. Hitting a series of commands into the blue-lit screen, a pale ruby beam lanced out from it and washed over the group. Seconds later a beep alerted him that the scan was complete, and he lowered his arm.
"You're clean. Alright then, let's get this show on the road. Weir, Beckett, Ronon. Keep your eyes peeled and stay in contact. We'll be back next week. Everyone else, stand in a circle right over here."
The Quarians, Mitchell, and Daniel all formed a loose circle a few meters away from the Jumper. Once everyone was settled Mitchell radioed the Daedalus saying they were ready to be beamed up.
"I must confess Colonel, I'm rather excited to experience this incredible beaming technology for myself. The implications that this tech could have, the disruption in both civilian and military sectors it could cause are almost too much to comprehend. This could eliminate the need for shuttle transportation entirely!" Admiral Zorah stated as he held his arms behind his back loosely.
Mitchell nodded at that, "It definitely makes getting to work a bit easier. Sure, as hell beats taking the stairs."
The Admiral didn't know how to respond to that. Before the awkward silence could drag out, however, a high-pitched musical chime began to fill the air. The Quarians, like Rola and Jal before, began to look around for the source of the noise. Then nine pillars of light engulfed the group before shooting up and out of sight; leaving the bay empty save for a lone Jumper and its human cargo.