CHAPTER 1: Is this the right planet?
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"These guys are the ultimate trade partners. Builders of ZedPMs and an added bonus…" McKay turned to look back at Ronon & Teyla seated behind him in the PuddleJumper. To say the scientist was giddy was an understatement. "The Heracs boost a healthy coffee and cocoa trade, or rather the rough botanical equivalent of such."
"We can hardly contain ourselves, Rodney." Sheppard replied, his voice drawled in sarcasm. He kept his eyes upon the HUD as he piloted the Jumper through the outer orbit of yet another unexplored planet. It was another one of those planets where the Stargate was situated in space.
During one of the slower periods on Atlantis, some of the scientists had uncovered a plethora of gate addresses to planets the Ancients dubbed as "advanced". McKay and Zelenka took over the discovery from there, working with Elizabeth to translate any information they could find on these planets and the people inhabiting them. One planet in particular had stood out amongst the rest. Situated on the far reaches of the Pegasus Galaxy, quite isolated from other solar systems, resided the planet Herac. It was a rather small planet, nothing special to note of its features except to say it contained only one continent, and a very small one at that: it was comparable in size to main island of Hawaii.
The thing that had captivated the three however was the documented relationship the people of Herac had with the Ancients. Elizabeth discovered that the planet's abundant resources were unique in such a way that it was the one source in the entire galaxy for all the materials used to create a ZPM. Upon discovering this, the Ancients nurtured the rather simplistic Heracs along, supplying them with technology to better their way of life. In return for such gratuity, the Heracs manufactured the ZPMs, seemingly a never-ending supply to the Ancients.
McKay had nearly fallen off his chair at this discovery and proceeded to beg Elizabeth to allow them to go on a mission to Herac. Elizabeth was hesitant. The information in the database was at least ten thousand years old. Were the Heracs still around? Had the Wraith wiped out the civilization? Had the Heracs known the Ancients had retreated from Atlantis? Did they even produce ZPMs anymore? Whatever they would find, it was worth the look. There might even be a warehouse stocked full of unused ZPMs, for all they knew. Or at least McKay would have given all his chocolate to wage that there was.
So here the team was, circling the tiny marbled planet of white and blue, scanning the surface for the usual energy readings. Ronon was sprawled about in his chair, arms lazily draped upon the arms of his chair and looking rather bored. McKay was twitching in his seat in eager anticipation as he searched for energy readings on the HUD. Teyla was focused inwards, probably thinking of her people back on the mainland, in the midst of another harvest. Sheppard was calm and in control, flying with such ease he could have gone to the back of the Jumper for a quick sandwich and a nap and still maintain control over the spaceship.
The Jumper shifted slightly as Sheppard began to lower them into the planet's atmosphere. From the trajectory he had chosen, they would arrive above the continent within the next few minutes. To ensure their safety, and to follow protocol, Sheppard cloaked the Jumper. One could never be too careful.
"Unbelievable." McKay muttered and shook his head. All four leaned forward slightly, looking down upon a tiny green spec among the glittering sparkles of blue stretching from horizon to horizon. Of all the planets they had ever visited, this one took the prize for smallest land mass. It made it difficult to believe the database listed the local population at one million.
As they drew closer and the land mass began to consume most of their view out of the Jumper, they realized the entire continent was covered in a thick blanket of dark green trees. The climate readings on the HUD suggested the land mass was situated in a tropical zone. Not a cloud in the sky and plenty of misty haze hovering over the majority of the trees. Muggy and hot. Sheppard crinkled his nose, his mind briefly thinking of all the kinds of bugs that liked to inhabit jungles back on Earth. Most of them were rather large and scary.
The only impressive feature besides the occasional glimpse through the trees at shimmering rivers or lakes was a single mountain that rose four thousand feet from the sea of green into a blackened rocky tabletop protrusion. There was a mass of trees growing upon the surface and along the layers of exposed black rock. There were abrupt drop-offs along the entire circumference of the mountain and there appeared to be at least one switchback trail carved along one side. This mountain resided at the far western edge of the continent, with three sides surrounded by crashing waves of the ocean and blazing white sandy beaches that proceeded to encircle the entire continent.
As the Jumper drew closer, they finally saw evidence of civilization…or something close to it. At the Eastern tip of the tabletop mountain was a massive dome. From the distance, it appeared as a smoky glass globe cut in half and perched precariously at the edge of a tall cliff. For the view it offered, the structure was most likely an observatory of some kind. Other than this, there were no other visible structures, and still no energy readings. Little dots began appearing on the HUD's LSD, scattered sporadically around the landmass. There were even a few within the dome at the moment.
"Where do we land?" Ronon inquired, trying to see past McKay's constantly fidgeting mass. Sheppard raised an eyebrow at this question as he continued to visually scan the surface below them. True, there wasn't much of a flat surface for them to land. Even the beaches were thin and narrow and he didn't trust that the planet's tides were very forgiving. After all, there were three moons orbiting this planet.
"There." Teyla pointed towards the mountain. It took a keen eye to spot it. On the far western edge of the surface was a dip in the level of the trees revealing a small clearing.
Sheppard maneuvered the Jumper so that they could get a better view, lowering down to hover above the mountain. As they flew by the dome, they noted they could not see beyond its glassy surface. When they arrived above the clearing, they could see tendrils of green vines and shrubbery taking over a flat slab of ebony-colored stone. In some ways, its shape reminded them of Atlantis. Seeing as the Ancients had once been frequent visitors of the planet, this was more than likely a landing pad for Puddle Jumpers.
Minutes later, Sheppard had landed the Jumper upon the surface and the team was gearing up to head out. The Jumper remained cloaked. Even if the locals were familiar with Ancient technology, it had been ten thousand years. Judging by the overgrowth of vegetation the team was betting there hadn't been too many visitors since.
As soon as the back of the Jumper opened, the team found themselves momentarily out of breath. Hot and humid had nothing on this planet. Sweat already began to bead on their foreheads. The blazing hot sun glared down at them as they emerged from the shade of the Jumper and into the clearing. As far as jungles went, this one was pretty ordinary at first impression, not unlike those found on Earth.
"Let's get this show on the road." Sheppard commented, adjusting his tack vest and tightening the clip attaching his P90 to his vest. "What do you have for energy readings, Rodney?"
McKay already had the detector in his hands and was making a sweep of the area in a wide circle. He slapped the side of the thing in frustration and took a few steps forward, in the general direction of the dome they had seen earlier. Even though it had been a large structure, they could not see it from their limited view above the trees surrounding them.
"Nothing. I got nothing." McKay fiddled with the detector for a moment while Ronon and Teyla took up points around the perimeter, silently scanning the shadows of the nearby jungle. Sheppard stepped up to McKay to view the screen of the detector for himself.
The heat was bearing down on them and the shade of the trees was enticing. Even in the few minutes they had been here, they were already tiring. Ronon took a swig from his canteen. Sheppard released an exasperated sigh.
"How can there be nothing, McKay? I thought you said these people were advanced. ZPM gods, even." Sheppard put his hands on his hips, staring the scientist down. His patience was already growing thin. The heat was unbearable, worse even than Afghanistan.
"Is this the right planet?" Ronon inquired. All three turned to McKay. The scientist's mouth dropped open in shock and his eyes widened.
"Oh! I get it. The genius must've dialed the wrong gate address, that's it! Of course." McKay threw his hands up in exasperation before turning his expression into a look of loathing.
"We all make mistakes Rodney." Teyla replied, doing her best to console him.
"Hmm. Now that'd be a first." Sheppard smirked. McKay stomped his foot and crossed his arms.
"I. Did. Not. Dial. The. Wrong. Address." McKay stated through clenched teeth. He looked each teammate in the eye before continuing. "I'd be careful with the insults. If it weren't for my aptitude for coming up with ingenious ways of saving your collective asses every time we run into trouble, you'd all be dead."
"And it's a wonder how we survive the other half of the time when you screw up." Sheppard retorted.
"Wh..wha…" Rodney stuttered before shaking his head in defeat. "We should head to the dome. Seeing as it's the only sign of civilization, it's our best bet for establishing contact with the locals. It'd be nice to finally meet someone with enough intelligence to engage in a decent conversation."
"And I was just starting to think you liked us. All right. Teyla you take point. Ronon, keep an eye on McKay and I'll take our six."
"Why do you always assume that I'll get into some kind of trouble?" McKay slapped his hands to his sides in exasperation.
Sheppard had turned away but shifted so he could allow McKay to see his expression of endearment.
"It's what you do best Rodney." With that, the colonel waited silently as a glaring McKay strode past him, Ronon taking up his six and Sheppard following shortly after. Teyla lead the way into the depths of the trees, her P90 raised and ready.
"I just don't understand." It was the fifth time the scientist had said it. Ronon growled. "Just go ahead and threaten me, Chewie. I don't mind keeping that supply of Snickers all to myself."
Ronon glanced back at Sheppard with an air of impatience. Sheppard caught his eye and smirked.
"Guys, guys. Let's save the threats for any uncooperative locals we may encounter, shall we?"
By now, the entire team was drenched in sweat, their faces red with the exertion of navigating the rocky terrain of the jungle. There was little shrubbery to hamper their efforts and pleasantly enough the spindly pale white trunks of the towering trees around them were few and far between. Aside from the few draping vines, there was an expansive space that was cooler than the air above the canopy of waxy leaves above them. So far, they hadn't seen any evidence of the coffee or cocoa trees this planet supposedly grew in abundance.
"I find it difficult to believe that a million people once inhabited this planet." Teyla announced, pausing in her advance through the trees. Sheppard noted the unease upon her face.
"Yeah, I was wondering that too." Sheppard replied, watching his footing carefully as he nearly tumbled on a few loose rocks – the same mineral as that of the black stone they had landed the Jumper on, he noted.
"Still sure this is the right planet?" Ronon dared to ask a second time. Because they were all beginning to seriously doubt this had been the home to a million people, the caffeine source of the universe, and the holy grail of ZPMs. It was all beginning to sound a little too good to be true.
Rodney emitted a shriek and stopped in his tracks. Teyla raised her P90, Ronon rushed forward, stunner at the ready, to stand at her side. Sheppard joined them and all four stopped to view a short, dark-skinned man robed in white from shoulder to bare toe. He was bald and wore a spear of white bone through the middle cleft of his nose. He stared at the newcomers, his mouth hung open in shock.
"Hi." Sheppard began but stopped short when the man took a step forward, continuing to gape at them.
"You are from the city of the Ancestors."
It wasn't even a question.
Sheppard exchanged weary looks with his team before stepping forward to greet the man formally.
"Ah, I guess that depends on who you are and why you think that. See, my friends and I happened to be passing by and wished to introduce our selves. I'm Lt. Colonel…."
"You came in a vessel from Atlantis."
Sheppard didn't continue. Again, his team exchanged weary looks. Was this guy psychic? In the Pegasus galaxy, anything was possible. The man's shocked expression transformed into one of inquisitiveness laced with pain.
"Why did you abandon us?"
Silence. Sheppard was almost sure he could hear the sweat from his nose splat onto the rough terrain at his feet. The man stood there, frozen in his quandary. The team was completely perplexed. Who was this man?
"Please, tell us who you are and how we may help you." Teyla was serene in her offering, yet her finger never left the trigger of her P90. They were all alert. Time and again they had learned to never let their guard down.
The man's seemingly harmless persona shifted as suddenly as the light breeze that began to flow down upon them. The breeze was cool and the man's face even colder.
"It does not matter now. We have managed quite well on our own."
He made to turn then, leaving them shrouded in mystery.
"Wait!" Sheppard took a step forward, lowering his weapon and raising a hand to show a gesture meaning no harm.
The man glanced back, his face stony, his mouth curled into a snarl. His eyes flashed with contempt.
"You will see."
The man retreated back into the depths of the trees, his form fading in the dimming light of the late afternoon.
Ronon motioned to begin tracking the man when Rodney lifted an arm up to block him. Ronon glanced down at the arm blocking his chest, then scowled at the owner of said arm.
"Are you crazy? Wait, don't answer that." He lowered his arm. "He could be leading us into a trap."
"He wasn't leading us anywhere, Rodney. He was leaving. Probably because of you." Sheppard supplied. He had completely lowered his weapon now, relaxing and trying to relish in the breeze that had picked up around them. Ronon and Teyla mimicked his actions. Teyla took a rather large swig from her canteen and rested the surface upon her brow momentarily. Her hair was getting stringy and frazzled in the mugginess. Ronon sat down upon a small boulder and proceeded to drink from his canteen as well.
"What are you guys doing?" Rodney was growing exasperated.
"Cool off before you faint on us." Sheppard ground out as he lowered down onto his haunches and unscrewed the cap of his canteen.
Beaten into submission, McKay placed the energy signature detector into his tack vest and fumbled into another pocket to retrieve a Power Bar.
"What flavor is that?" Ronon asked, glancing at the Power Bar hungrily out of the corner of his eye.
Rodney began to stuff the bar into his mouth at a faster pace than normal, mumbling a response that nobody could decipher. He discarded the wrapper in his pocket and wiped his hands together before proceeding to lean against the trunk of a nearby tree. He washed down the power bar with a swig from his canteen and eyed the trees around them, studying them as the team studied him.
"For the last time, there are enough power bars for this mission and the Daedelus is due back with a whole shipload of goodies in five days. Deal." McKay stated, his gaze never leaving the canopy above.
After five minutes of rest in refreshing silence, Sheppard announced it was time to move on. Over the next twenty minutes, the team drew deeper into the jungle. The trees grew closer together the further they progressed, with smaller plants thriving in more abundance in the rich black soil. The terrain was becoming more difficult to navigate as well. Teyla, in all her grace, nearly fell face first into a steep incline when a few stones came loose beneath her. The four clambered up the incline and came to an abrupt stop at the top, realizing they had reached their destination. The jungle had grown so thick here that they had not even been able to see the light of the clearing until they were in it.
Just a few paces ahead of them towered the smoky glass dome they had seen from their arrival. The dome was well over ten stories high and just as wide. Even from this close, they could not see through the glass. It even appeared as if the smoky surface were alive, with faint swirls of misty white snaking about the shiny smooth surface. As the team emerged from the shadow of the jungle and into the searing heat of the sun, they realized there was no visible entrance to be seen. They'd have to circle as far as they could around either side to find one, if there even was one.
McKay had dug into his vest to retrieve the detector and was now analyzing the structure. He shook his head and without a word, the team knew there was still nothing to be detected.
From their position, they could see that the dome perched off the edge of towering cliffs to either side of them. There would be no way to completely encircle the dome to find an entrance. For once, they were at a loss as to how to proceed.
Sheppard bit his lip in thought, staring at the dome. He glanced back into the darkened jungle behind them and proceeded to walk over the edge of the incline they had previously climbed. His team watched him quizzically.
"That's it."
"What is it?" Teyla inquired, tilting her head. The others followed as she came to join their leader.
"There has to be an underground entrance."
"Over here." Ronon called. He was perched at the top of the incline several feet away from them, looking over the edge.
The team joined him to view a dark opening in the rock just below the ridge they were standing upon. They carefully climbed down the steep surface and came to stand before the entrance. It was a natural opening in the rock, as far as they could tell. Nothing manipulated by the hand of man. So far, the dome had been the only evidence of such.
Flipping on the flashlights upon their P90s, Teyla and Sheppard pointed them into the entrance. They could see very little, for the walls of the tunnel were made of the same black rock, thus most light was absorbed rather than reflected. What little they could see showed them the tunnel was not long and ended at a shaft of light shining down from a point above. Sheppard went first, followed by McKay and Ronon, with Teyla taking up their six. They traveled as quietly as possible, knowing that they were heading into a potentially hazardous situation…as far as they knew this was the only entrance to and thus exit from the dome.
Only a hollow silence greeted them as they came to stand in the swath of light spilling down from a small opening in the rock above them. A few divots existed in the face of the wall before them providing enough support for one to climb up and into the dome above. Being the leader, Sheppard went first. It only took the look in his eyes for the team to understand he wanted them to remain hidden at the first sign of trouble. With that, Sheppard headed upwards into the light.
A moment later, they could hear Sheppard calling down to them. They looked up, momentarily blinded by the light.
"Ah, guys? You might want to come and join us."
Us?
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