Chapter 11: Inferno
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.
Loved this episode! Gutted that they couldn't have at least one ally who could have access to some Ancient technology for a longer time. Thought the outpost was pretty awesome as well. So this is my interpretation of the events.
John walked into the Conference Room with Elizabeth in tow after a rather interesting conversation with a race of relatively advanced humans that had access to Lantean technology. They claimed that they were having some problem with the outpost shield generator and that they needed help. And so John had offered their help, considering the potential of having an advanced ally aside from the still safe Olesians and the still settling Lanteans.
"Can you confirm what we were told?" Elizabeth asked as soon as she sat down.
"I know the address. It was indeed an outpost built during the war. A colony that was built when we attempted to regain some territory. We had a degree of success" Loros explained to them.
"Anything else about it?" Rodney asked, impatient to get going.
"I am afraid that I never visited it" the Lantean said with a sheepish smile.
"So we have a green light. Imagine the benefits of having another alliance with a race that can help us in our war with the Wraith" she said and the others nodded. "Will you be going with them?" she asked and he gave an excited nod.
"I can translate the information in the database for them" he said and she nodded.
"Build some trust with them" she said.
He dressed in a heavy black fleece which had the expedition insignia on it, considering that they did not need to hide where they were coming from a secret from the Taranians. He was looking forward to lending a hand in their learning of his people's technology. Humans, be they Terran or of Pegasus, were the inheritors of the galaxy and their technology and his ascended brethren could hardly say or do anything about it from where they were.
"Do you remember if they have a Stargate shield?" John asked the Lantean.
"So far as I know, Atlantis has the only Stargate shield" Loros said with a grin.
"Good, because I like living and dying by a shield of all things sounds like a pretty lame way to go out. Any other hidden nasties in that place that we should know about?" the Colonel asked and Loros sighed.
"There is nothing to be concerned about. Only a few of the outposts have weapons and Taranis was not one of them. I may not have seen it but we were required to know about it if we ever needed to go there. You are actually beginning to sound a little bit like Rodney" he said and Sheppard started to sputter indignantly.
"I believe that is also another of Dr. McKay's characteristics, is it not? Especially when you two get into one of your little disagreements" Teyla noted with amusement.
"And you can not argue against Teyla's logic" Loros said with a small triumphant smile.
"Forgive me for worrying about my team" John said by way of excuse.
Once they had checked that they had everything they needed, Elizabeth gave the order for the Gate to be dialled. Once the connection was made and they had informed the Taranians that a team was coming through, they stepped through the event horizon.
The outpost was larger than it's small exterior. It was practically a city built into the mountain, safe from prying eyes. Norina Pero, who was the chief scientist in the outpost, explained to them briefly how they had found the Lantean settlement, though he was pretty sure that John wasn't listening and he knew that Ronon wasn't for sure.
"Impressive" John said as they looked out of the window overlooking the Stargate.
"This is our central control room" Norina said, walking back. "And this" she began, gesturing to the console that was identical to the ones in the city. "Is our shield generator control" she said.
"The austerity of the facility suggests that it was built at the height of war" Rodney said.
"It is well beyond our science. My skills are rudimentary at best" Norina said.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. It took Dr. McKay years to figure out all things Ancient and he still doesn't completely understand" John said and Loros allowed a small smile to slip onto his face. He was going to prove the Canadian wrong. Lantean, he may be, mature, he was not from time to time.
"I have a very firm grasp of Ancient Technology" was the defensive protest.
"You've blown up entire planets Rodney" John deadpanned.
"It wasn't my fault!"
"Whilst you were exploring the city you caused a lab explosion after activating a single console and that certainly didn't do it by itself" Loros said and Ronon and Teyla grinned at him. Just as Rodney was about to retort once more, a voice catches their attention.
"Are these our guests?" the leader asks.
"Yes, Chancellor. Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, Dr. Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagen, Ronon Dex and Loros of Atlantis" she introduces them all.
"Welcome to Taranis" Lycus says.
"Thank you"
"And thank you for finally answering our calls for assistance. We tried several addresses from the database but we were beginning to wonder if anyone could hear us" he explained and John had a small sheepish smile on his face.
"Sorry about that. We like to keep a low profile" he explained.
"So as not to attract the attention of the Wraith" Teyla adds on.
"I see. Well hopefully you can help us. Our shield generator has been giving us trouble for some time now. Our knowledge of the technology is limited, and the Ancestors regrettably neglected to leave behind instruction manuals" Lycus said and Rodney chuckled but Loros spoke first.
"Perhaps I can be of assistance. I can have all entries in the database translated for you so you can continue to research at a faster pace" Loros said and Norina had a smile and Lycus also nodded in thanks.
"That would be helpful" he said.
"I'm sure we can also help with your shield generator" John said and Rodney had a blank look.
"And by 'we', he means me. So shall 'we' get to work?" he asks sarcastically.
"I'm sure I can learn a lot from you, Doctor" Norina said and Loros and the others watched as he gave off a stuttered reply.
"Before you begin translating, perhaps you would like to take a more detailed look around" Lycus offered to the others and they in turn nodded whilst Rodney hooked his tablet up to one of the many consoles in the room. They nodded and followed him into a transporter, but they were using it as an elevator this time, heading below ground.
"Ooh! My ears just popped!" John said.
"We are deep below ground. Your people constructed a series of tunnels and corridors throughout the facility and beyond. In fact, it was by following such a tunnel from our nearby settlement that we discovered this facility" Lycus said and Loros nodded.
"It was intended to be a colony during our war. We were trying to gain back some of territory and so we established many outposts such as this" Loros said.
"I see." Suddenly the ground began to shake, causing the visitors to look up in alarm, but Lycus and his assistant seemed unconcerned.
"What was that?" Teyla asked.
"Oh, just a tremor" was the casual reply.
Still a little unnerved, they continued on their walk through the underground tunnels. Loros took it all in and soon they approached a set of double doors that the Chancellor seemed intent to focus on which had him curious.
"This is the hangar" he said.
"Hangar for what?" John asked.
"Mere description would be inadequate" Lycus said and he held his hand over the motion sensor to open the doors. The slid open and they walked in, shock hitting all of them as soon as they saw it.
"I can see what you mean" John said.
There in front of them, was the third Aurora-class warship they had seen in two years of been in Pegasus and on the outside, it looked nearly intact. They continued to gaze down at it and once more, excitement in their eyes.
Back on Atlantis, John and Loros were walking to Elizabeth's office, the rest of the team opting to remain behind on Taranis to get an idea of what they were like. They had already told her about the ship in the hangar and she had a smile on her face.
"Why didn't we become aware of it the same time our sensors picked up the Aurora?" she asked.
"It's likely that it suffered damage and the transponder was destroyed" Loros theorized.
"Beyond repair?" she asked.
"I don't know. Their scientists, or at least the folks who call themselves scientists, have been working on it for years but it's way out of their league. They know how to turn things on and off, but as far as fixing problems..." John let it hang.
"Well, Rodney should still have the technical specs from the Aurora mission" she said and John gave nod.
"I told him to take a look at 'em but first I want him to fix the, uh, shield generator, build some goodwill with these people" John said and she nodded in agreement.
"Good idea. Hopefully we can establish an alliance with them. Another ship like that..." she said.
"Would come in handy now that the Wraith are on the way, I know" he said before gesturing to the way they came from. "We're gonna head back and make sure that McKay's not distracted" he said and she raised a brow.
"Distracted?" she asked.
"Norina Pero" Loros began with a grin. "A very beautiful head scientist seems to have captured his attention" he added on.
"Attention. You mean he's smitten?" Elizabeth asked sweetly.
"Personally I would have said pathetic" he said and they turned to leave.
"Wait. I should head back with you and begin negotiations with the Taranian leader. What's he like?" she asked and John shrugged.
"Only one guy I have my eyes on, Elizabeth" he said and she smirked. "So I wouldn't know" John added with a grin.
"He seems to be a reasonable man. These negotiations will be simple enough for you, Elizabeth, and on the note of his physical qualities, he was not the attractive leader stereotype you were hoping for" Loros said with a small grin and she hit him on the arm playfully.
"What about that translation program?" she asked.
"It is going through every entry. They were enthusiastic to begin and have already begun researching the vast amounts of technology they now have at their disposal" Loros said with a small smile. "In time they will be equal to your people in knowledge on the technology of my kind" he said.
"We can all talk later. Let's head back"
Loros was at one of the consoles, going over what had been translated so far. The database is the equivalent of the one back on Atlantis, only filled with logs on the outposts role in the war. It was to serve as a drydock and patching station for at least one ship. Aside from the shield and drones, there were no other forms of defence.
"Loros, come over here!" John called and he did so, worry on his face at the tone.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Yes! The shield has been active for over a year at full power. The outpost is built inside a massive supervolcano which is was dormant but use of the geothermal energy below has made it extremely active. The tremors were a warning" Rodney said.
"So things are going to get worse?" Sheppard asked.
"I think we can safely say that things are going to get worse" Rodney said and Loros was already in thinking mode. He was stopped as a large tremor shook the entire outpost and one of the scientists was injured at his console. John was already calling for Elizabeth.
"I don't see any volcano" Elizabeth said as she looked around.
"Because you're standing inside it right now. Look, when you think of regular volcanoes, you think Mount St Helens, or, uh, Kilauea" Rodney said.
"And supervolcano?" she asked.
"Yellowstone National Park" he said and Loros raised a brow. "With a caldera over fifty miles wide and a massive sea of molten rock right below the surface"
"My people chose to build the facility here in order to tap into the geothermal energy" Loros said and Rodney nodded in agreement. They continued to explain to Lycus what the consequences of running the shield for so long does, and then they moved onto solutions for the problem, with John been the first to volunteer one.
"Is there anything we can do to relieve the pressure somewhere else? Uh, maybe we can fire a drone down into the crust on the other side of the caldera" he suggested.
"Every problem has a military solution in your world, doesn't it? Look, when this baby goes, the whole thing goes" Rodney said and Loros chipped in.
"Actually Rodney, John is right. It will take more than one drone and it will only be temporary but if we can command the drones to burrow deep below the crust, it will create a temporary place for the magma to flow and relieve the pressure. I worked in an outpost that was similar to this one. We had a near incident when the pressure built, however we created machines specifically designed to resist the extreme heat and create levees that can take the pressure off"
"Large drills? You created large drills?" Rodney asked in disbelief.
"Preparation is key, Rodney. I would have to return to the city and bring the Helios back with me to begin immediately and as a precaution, I would like to recommend that you evacuate your people" Loros said and Lycus looked to be distrusting.
"Excuse me" he said, suddenly turning and whispering to a guard.
"Loros, you're with me" Elizabeth said, and he followed her after him.
When the door opens, the aide is given the silent order to leave and they enter, the door closing just behind them. Lycus has poured himself a drink and looks grimly at them. Loros could understand his reasoning. He believed that they were there for the ship and nothing else mattered to them and whilst that was their primary motive, they still wanted the alliance.
"Chancellor Lycus. Doctor McKay and Loros are the finest scientists that we have. Loros himself is an Ancient, his kind used to live here" she tried to press to him. "I follow their advice without any reservation"
"And I don't know you" was the cold reply.
"You asked for our assistance and we came" Loros replied.
"To fix our shield generator and translate our database, not to incite evacuation of our planet" he said and Elizabeth steeled herself.
"Your shield generator is what's causing this problem. Now, we would not advise such drastic measures unless there were no other alternatives" Elizabeth said and Lycus had turned to look at them.
"I'm just finding it curious that you advise us to leave this planet shortly after you discover that we possess an Ancient warship"
"Chancellor, we already possess such a ship. One that works. We also have an ally that has one as well" Loros reasoned.
"Your people possessed a large fleet of these ships. One is good, yes, but two is better"
"And that fleet was used to protect humans across this galaxy to the best of our abilities" Loros argued back.
"As I said, I don't know you"
Another tremor, this time as violent as the last shakes the building and dust falls from the ceiling, they can hear the sound of the ground cracking. Loros and the other three rush to see that pressure had increased.
"Your plan is still viable if you leave now" Rodney said and he looked to Elizabeth and Lycus.
"Dial the Stargate to Atlantis" Lycus said and the other sprinted out of the room, activating his IDC and his headset, ordering his crew to the ship.
He didn't stop running. The moment he set foot through the 'Gate, he put his legs to good use and flew through the doors that opened the moment he approached them, much to the astonishment of everyone he passed. He made it to the ship and immediately sat down and powered up the engines, using the hyperdrive whilst in atmosphere.
They dropped out and sped down to Taranis, arriving at the front of the facility, much to the surprise of the others inside. Immediately, he closed his eyes and the chair leant back. Drones began to pour out of the ship and began to burrow underground, spreading out across he caldera. For every one he used, he put as much energy as he could spare to replacing it. He then put on the comms.
"Elizabeth, I recommend you oversee the evacuation and organise a team to head to the outpost. Atlantis itself will dial the address the moment you return" he said and she acknowledged it. He could hear the Stargate activating.
"Pressure is slowly decreasing" one of the crew members reported.
"Rodney, deactivate all non-critical systems. Stop the pressure from having even the slightest of increases" he advised.
He had already fired a full compliment of drones and then some, they were now beginning to pour out at a significantly lower rate now.
"Loros, send a Jumper down. I'll come up to relieve you" John said softly.
"Thank you, John" he said, feeling the fatigue already catching up.
After what felt like a while, a soft hand rested on his shoulders and he opened his eyes, the chair lurching forward and he got up, as John sat down. He leant on the back of the chair as John took up the role of replacing the drones first and then firing them all.
"Pressure has no decreased to a stable level" one of the crewmembers said and he stopped firing.
"Rodney?" Loros asked tiredly.
"We're good for a while at least. This buys us a couple of weeks and we shouldn't really need that time. Looks like your military solution worked after all, Sheppard" Rodney said. "Though I still think it is just a fluke" he added on.
"Rodney, just admit it. I might just have enough intelligence to compete with you" John said.
"Ha! Let's see you try" the physicist challenged.
"Mensa" John said in a reply and he heard the trademark sputtering of the scientist.
"Loros, you should be made aware" Elizabeth spoke, a wormhole now open. "Sensors have picked up a Hive Ship heading for us. If it maintains it's direction and speed, it will be hear within three weeks" she said grimly and the two of them looked at each other wearily. "We can't attack it or we risk exposing ourselves"
"The large automated drills we found are been put to use. We also found some terraforming robots as well. It has the capacity to make some form of land through means we may never understand"
"We ourselves won't. It was an accidental discovery. However it did make some worlds habitable" Loros said, feeling considerably rested.
"The Taranians have also agreed to allow us to use the ship, renamed the Orion by popular consensus, for our assistance" Elizabeth added.
"Let's talk about the massive elephant in the room. The Hive Ship, it's a single target, we could quite easily kick it's ass and just prevent it from coming here in the first place" John said but Loros shook his head in disagreement.
"It doesn't know we are alive. I prefer not to confirm our presence. The EM field does have a delay when activated, long enough for them to tell them that we are still here and that Atlantis is still intact. We have drones, we have three ships and a shield, but it will not be enough to fight off a fleet of Hives, such as the one that will come when they know we exist" Elizabeth said.
"We'll play it safe" Elizabeth said.
The next few days passed by relatively normally, but despite that, tension still hung in the air about the impending ship. If only they would know of the events that would come to pass.