Chapter 4 - Tu'ux a kajal? Part B
The first three gates they had dialed they sent through mining robots which would gather reactor fuel, metals to finish a few areas of the ship and minerals for the air scrubbers. The ship would exit FTL within the galaxy every day for an hour to connect the gate and receive a report the FTL drive was designed to produce a field that pushed particles around the ship similar to the way wings on aircraft pushed air over and under the wing to generate lift, though in space such lift would not be needed it could be used to maneuver a ship through particle fields at FTL speeds. Rather than trying to push objects larger than specs of dust out of the way the field instead pushed the ship out of the way. Dust would flare up against the fields which caused a rather spectacular light display from the few windows the structure could afford.
Tav looked at the adaptive energy field resembling blue liquid; he grabbed his pack and joined the team that would be going through the gate. Three weeks ago Amelius had suggested him as potential candidate for the mission and now here he was, the star gates they'd sent ahead to the planets would be picked up on the way through the galaxy, they couldn't afford to leave them there. The probes they had sent out with the gates were programmed to find specific deposits which would be used to stock and fuel their ship for the long journey. Though much of the ship was incomplete from their hasty departure, the amazing part was the size of the city. They had built it to contain many more people but had to leave before it was finished. On the plus side they had most of the supplies they would need to fully finish construction while on their mostly self-imposed exodus. They had not even found bacterial life on any the planets they had surveyed thus far and the only planet with a suitable atmosphere for humanoids was the one with the rather large pyramid on it, which was where he was going to be headed shortly.
Stepping through the barrier into the stasis bubble behind the stargate just inside hyperspace the Alteran science contingent barely noticed the transition between the ship and planet. Though the results where a bit more dramatic than usual considering the long range and low power amounts involved. Their individual stasis bubbles accelerated by the initial inertia cheat from stepping into the gate had a less than stable deceleration from the hastily constructed and inferior model that had been dropped by the hyperspace probe a short distance from the pyramid. The result would have been almost comical if not for the seriousness as they were ejected forcefully from the barrier.
Taking stock of the situation they picked themselves up dusted off and did a quick inventory and status report to see the damages if any.
"Just a sprained wrist, some injured pride and a broken screen on one of the tablets. Recommend looking into holographic displays in the future. We are all go from here you can cut power to the gate." Commander Cimera reported back.
"So what do you think that is?" Ike nudged Tav looking off at the pyramid about four hundred meters from the gate.
"Looks like a pyramid. How should I know? I just got here." Tav picked up his pack again looking at his friend and brother. They had pulled way too many pranks on each other and their shipmates to be anything less than brothers at this point. "Want to go check it out?" He grinned.
Several others had already begun making their way towards the small opening on one side of the pyramid. They would setup a base about halfway there before allowing the scientist to get at everything.
"I'm detecting trace amounts of background radiation" Amelius looked at tablet the nice big screen displaying easily understandable gauges which clearly labeled showed everything slightly above normal but still in the green.
"Prepare your team to enter that pyramid. We don't have long to study it and we want to know as much as we can before we have to leave." Cimera the tactical commander stated before turning to go oversee the camp setup. Tactical didn't like unnecessary risks, most of them showed this by being rather blunt and undiplomatic when dealing with others and Cimera was no exception.
Amelius doubted there would be anything of technological value inside as they weren't getting any significant power readings from anywhere. He brought Ike and Tav along just in case but still. There didn't appear to be any significant markings of any kind on the outer surface. Perhaps inside would prove better luck. "Ike, Tav, Auriel, Iantha" he called the team over to join the two from tactical support already following him around. Ike and Tav were systems experts, Auriel and Iantha, linguistics and archeology respectively. "Alright let's make this as thorough as we can in the short time we have. Ike and Tav will follow in case we do come across a computer Auriel your there for linguistics if something speaks we need translation and Iantha you're here for any carvings or writings or other evidence of civilization other than that behemoth of a pyramid. Tactical wants this as painless as possible. I won't pretend to know what to order them to do. Let's move."
The team of seven approached the entry way which sloped up and a comfortable enough angle that it wouldn't be difficult running back up. But kept going on long enough that what was inside couldn't be seen directly from outside.
"Is that?" Ike stepped back with his tablet turning to Amelius, "Hey, Amy I'm picking up Lepton neutrino emissions"
"Impossible, Lepton neutrinos shouldn't be moving slow enough to be detected by this equipment." The scientist visibly irritated replied retrieving his own scanner, "And my name is Amelius."
Tav shook his head from side to side, "Shouldn't egg him on Ike."
Ike was a passable scientist when He wasn't emulating a trickster god, which wasn't often. Usually his pranks did have a practical purpose though and he rarely pulled one on someone who didn't fully deserve whatever it was.
The constant bombardment of low level radiation while not damaging to them at the moment was enough to have prevented anything but the most basic cells to have arisen in the galaxy around them. Regardless there was still some intelligence in this galaxy or the pyramid would not be where it was. So onward they went deeper inside.
The tunnel abruptly came to an end to be replaced with a large open cavern mostly lit by the glowing lights that shimmered from leptons passing through the slightly reactive substance in the stalagmites that rose from a rather very dark pit up from which also rose a narrow walkway and a central pedestal on which sat a rather human looking emerald skull.
Iantha and Auriel were rather excited upon seeing that little piece of culture, both carefully made their way across the narrow walkway to the central pedestal, which seemed rather large now that Tav looked. Though he could have done without the crystal skull, it wasn't even a real skull, but it still made him a feel queasy. He hoped a shield wouldn't be needed today.
Everyone else made their way across following the two ladies. Once they got there they setup scanning equipment and took a look around.
While they weren't looking Auriel had bent to look directly into the eye sockets of the emerald skull which seemed to have some sort of light pattern dancing within it quickly built in intensity before bursting outward engulfing the entire group temporarily phasing them into a pocket dimension between normal space and a highly pressurized dimension. Of the four sensors they'd set up only the two they were currently holding when the field expanded phased with them. The rest remaining in normal space detected a brief surge in muon leptons before it subsided. From the depths below the platform a towering figure of mist sprang forth. It examined them for a moment before speaking, "Tu'ux a Kajal?"
Iantha stepped forwards, "I got this" she whispered, "It asked who we are"
"We are the Altera, where once there stood one, then two; we are one of the two but were cast out by our siblings.
"We have met your form before, though it has been a long time since you kind met with us. We are pleased to talk with your form once again. We have brought you here to converse for we cannot maintain our form within your realm for long, when you wish to return to the world outside the pyramid look into the eyes of the skull again."
"What are you?" Amelius asked first.
"The form you see before you is only an extension of my being, in my natural realm my people would resemble liquid ice. There are few planets in your dimension on which we could exist in our natural form. All of which would be fatal to your bodies. This used to be one such place many years ago." The being before them began to shrink as it moved towards the walkway condensing its form into a more humanoid shape.
"This structure was placed here to watch and wait for your arrival when you were first detected in your galaxy." It left out the part where they had been asked to keep watch over them by an even older race.
Sensing the coming question the now standard human sized mist being before them spoke, "An exchange of technology would be meaningless to both our peoples as our technologies have been developed for different purposes and different dimensions. However if you wish a cultural and historical exchange could be arranged."
"Do you know if anyone else left our galaxy?" Aikino spoke quickly before Amelius could say something else.
"Three other such vessels left your galaxy before you," The alien said before bringing up a galaxy chart above their heads before continuing, "one an even more primitive vessel than yours over seven thousand years ago, and another two just a few years before you. They skipped this galaxy and should be arriving at the next one soon."
The map above their heads reformed to show a closer view of the three local galaxies, one their former home, one they were currently surveying, and the next just slightly farther from the current galaxy. Then a line showing the path of their own vessel leaving the galaxy for this one appeared followed by another two lines so close together they almost formed one thick line shot out from another area of their former home passing over the galaxy to pause still barely moving heading towards the next. And finally a fourth line from the original home planet shot out this one going off into the distance before disappearing off the display.
The mist wavered for a moment adopting a distracted look before reforming slightly more solid, "When your ship reaches the other side of this galaxy there is another planet with a pyramid such as this. Stop above it and we will move your ship to the other two. At that time decide who you wish to exchange with us to learn about our culture and history." It then jumped over the edge of the platform and spread out disappearing.
Beyogi! Hahahaha you make me happy!
No unfortunately for the Goa'uld they are native to avalona/milkyway. Fortunately for the Ancients erm I mean Altera this isn't Avalona. This is a barren galaxy just off to the side of their original galaxy. Which while surprisingly none of them have surveyed yet it's understandable given that they'd only just finished colonizing when their supposed brothers and sisters betrayed them. I've got ideas about that betrayal too. There's more happening than just a simple religious disagreement.
As for the altera wiping out all life… they didn't do that good a job of it, did they. I mean sure the goa'uld dominated sometime after the plague but did you see the various other species that were popping up all over the place? I think it more likely that the ancients used the device when seeding worlds to ensure nothing like the wraith would happen. Also given that the device was available it then implies things. First if they had it before the plague why did they not use it against the wraith or even as a precaution before seeding Pegasus? Second, if they didn't build it until after why build it at all considering it doesn't seem like it was ever actually used. And third if they did use it in the initial colonization efforts of the galaxy but not in Pegasus to eliminate the iratus bug/pre-wraith then something either made them forget about it or the lanteans aren't the same ancients.
I sincerely promise I will pound these altera through the forge soon. But I still want to give them at least some taste of peace before doing so.
Well I'm happy with this chapter, I was able to incorporate some older work I never released and revived a character from another story I had sitting in my docs that had gone nowhere because of it being a bad story.
I'm beginning to regret killing Arwen so quickly after introducing him… He seemed quite likable.
As for the mist boys… wiki/Omeyocan