A/N: Just finished this chapter. Have fun reading!
Reviews are welcome!
Chapter 27 - The Conference part 1
Sg-1 and Doctor Weir were led by Tarin to the place where the conference was held. They walked down the large stairs leading to the marketplace. Tarin suddenly turned left, instead of walking towards the palace.
"Where are we going?" O'Neill asked.
"To the Grand Hall."
"So I take it the grand hall is not in the palace?"
"You are correct. King Minos thought he needed something different for the conference. The Grand Hall is on the edge of town."
"Ok."
Fifteen minutes later they arrived in the Grand Hall. It was a big building, made out of white-ish stone that resembled the colour of marble, but was not quite it. It still was quite beautiful, especially for a building that large. The only thing missing was ornaments. There were virtually no decorations on the building at all, even the door was plain wood.
SG-1 and Doctor Weir entered the Grand Hall and Tarin returned to the gate to await other arrivals. They walked through a broad hallway, lit by windows to the outside. After several meters, they entered another door, leading to a reception area of some sorts. There were tables and chairs of various sizes placed casually around the area, and there was a large, open, double door that lead to the conference room.
The team entered the room, and saw Minos sitting on the chair at the head of the table. In the chairs next to him were on his right side two Asgard, and on the left side two Nox.
"Hello." Minos greeted them. "We'll start the conference in a few minutes. We're waiting for the others to arrive."
"Who are you expecting?" O'Neill asked.
"A good question. The Tok'ra are on their way now, they've just arrived by the gate. The Ohnes will be arriving shortly and the Galarans should be here any minute. That makes seven races total, if you include the Ancients like me."
"Are those all the advanced races in the Milky way?" O'Neill asked.
"No, there are plenty of them. Some of them didn't want to come, others couldn't come. And I hate races like the Aschen so I didn't even invite them."
Before anyone could say anything, the Tok'ra arrived. Jacob Carter and Councillor Garshaw entered the room, and sat down on one of the seats alongside the Nox.
"Greetings." Garshaw said.
"Hello." Jacob added.
"Welcome to Avalon." Minos said. "We will await with the formal introductions until everyone is here."
"Can you now finally tell us what the conference is about?" Garshaw spoke.
"I most certainly can. But I won't. Not yet. We'll wait until everyone is here before I disclose what you were called here for."
"Who are we waiting for, then?" Selmak asked politely.
"For the Ohnes and the Galarans."
"Have you managed to draw the Ohnes from their planet? That has not happened in centuries." Garshaw spoke in amazement.
"I had pretty convincing arguments." Minos said with a grin.
"Such as?" Garshaw asked.
"I'm not gonna answer that. But if their ambassador sounds a bit 'grumpy', so to speak, it's because I may have had some trouble convincing them to come."
"Wait, are the Ohnes Nem's race?" Daniel asked.
"Nem as in the mate of Omoroca?" Minos returned.
"Yes, that one."
"Then yes. The Ohnes are the race of Omoroca. Have you met them already?"
"Yes, but only once. I helped Nem in determining the fate of Omoroca."
"Poor Omoroca." Minos said. "She sacrificed herself for your planet."
Minos continued after a short pause.
"Let us talk about that later." He said when the Ambassadors of the Ohnes and the Galarans came walking in.
"Greetings! Welcome to Avalon, and to this conference that will define our futures." Minos said. "I believe now is the time for formal introductions."
"I assume you all are familiar with some others, but you might not know everyone yet. These are members of the Asgard High Council, Odin and Thor. Then there are Anteaur and Lya from the Nox, Jacob Carter and Garshaw of Belote from the Tok'ra, Dr Weir, Jack O'Neill, Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson and Teal'c from Earth, Ambassador Varta from Galaran and Ambassador Gren from the Ohnes. I am Minos, an Ancient, and I will lead this conference."
Minos stopped to catch a breath.
"I will start this by answering the question that is on everybodies lips. What is the goal of this conference? That goal may sound simple, but will be extremely complex. I called you all here to help save every society in this galaxy that wishes to join us."
"From what do you want to save them from?" Odin asked after Minos stopped talking for a second.
"From war. Our galaxy and the galaxies surrounding it face an enormous threat. It is my wish to stop the threat from spreading and threatening any more galaxies."
"What is this threat you are talking about?" O'Neill spoke.
"Hmm. I think I can better tell you it in story-format. I'll try to keep it short and simple." Minos stated.
"A long time age, a seriously long time ago, before any of your races discovered space-travel, far before the great alliance of the four races was formed and even before the Ancients lived in this galaxy, there was a race in a galaxy far away. The race called themselves the Alterans.
The Alterans were the first sentient creatures in their galaxy, and since there was little other life, they had all the time and space they needed to evolve. They slowly did that, and as they evolved they developed technology. It was simple at first, but as time passed over the centuries, it became more complex. So complex that they eventually managed to go out into space. Soon after that they had colonised their entire solar system, and they wanted further. But they couldn't. Their technology limited them to their own star system.
Over the course of millennia, they eventually managed to develop enough technology to reach nearby star systems. But over the course of those millennia, they started questioning themselves. The Alterans believed in what they called 'Origin'. An ideological rift started to form when some Alterans strictly held themselves to the word of Origin, while others started believing in science and logic.
But they managed to hold their society together for many years. Over those years, their technology made enormous bursts forward, until they reached high enough levels to create the 'Astria Porta'. They spread the devices, which are now referred to as Stargates, Rings of the Ancestors, Chappa'ai or just plain gates, throughout their home galaxy. They used these gates to transport themselves to other planets in instants. But the ideological rift that had formed centuries earlier caused trouble.
The religious believers flocked together on planets, and the Alterans guided by logic and science chose other planets. They chose their own ways for a time. But not long thereafter, many of the Alterans that believed in logic started believing in Origin too. And the believers in Origin became more hostile towards the 'unbelievers' as they called them. Eventually, there was only one small colony of 'unbelievers' left.
They saw the threat of the believers in Origin, and they decided they had to act. Since it was illogical to stay and fight the believers, they chose to flee. With a fleet of several ships all the Alterans that hung to the principles of science and logic fled out of their home system, out of their galaxy. For a long time, they lived like nomads. They occasionally stopped in a star system on their way out of their home galaxy, but eventually they reached the void. After many years in the void between the galaxies, they found what they were looking for. A new home.
They named their home Avalon, or Via Lactea, The Milky Way in English. It was then an almost empty galaxy, with only a few non-sentient species of animals spread out over planets. They distanced themselves from the Alterans, and they called themselves otherwise. They called themselves the Ancients, for that was what they were. An ancient civilization in a galaxy where life had yet to evolve.
They colonized a new home, Terra, which is now called Earth. It was on that planet that they built their capitol city of Atlantis. From there they seeded stargates throughout the galaxy, for them and other creatures to use.
Millions of years later, the great wars came. Fighting off unheard enemies that do not exist in today's universe anymore, the Ancients grew. Both in technological and physical aspect they grew. They learned of a process called 'Ascension', where one sheds its physical body and continues to exist as pure energy, not limited by the possibilities of mortals. They tried to increase evolution, and some succeeded, but some others failed. It was then that they learned of another route, the spiritual route.
A being, pure of heart and soul, can ascend if it is evolutionary relatively advanced. The Ancients learned that art over time, over a long time. Too long. A great plague came out of nowhere, ravaging across the Ancients, killing everyone who fell prey to it. The Ancients fled again, to where exactly is unknown to me. Over time, they ascended or returned to Earth and ascended afterwards, until only rumours of living Ancients remained on planets where life had developed.
The enemy that now threatens life in this galaxy is one of very long ago. The remainder of the Alterans, the believers in Origin, are on their way to war. Soon, they will reach the gates of this galaxy. That is the enemy of which I am so fearful, the one enemy that will truly pose a challenge. They call themselves the Ori, the followers of the Origin.
The Alterans that founded Origin have evolved, and they have ascended too. In this galaxy, we are protected from their powers by my brethren, who have hidden this galaxy from their views for as long as they could. Although the Ancients here can act and protect us from attacks from the Ori directly, they will not act against any attacks from the followers of the Ori. As we speak, ships of war are being built, soldiers are being trained and weapons are being made. We must prepare for the onslaught, for they will not stop in destroying us."
Minos ended his monologue, and everybody sat in awe. Complete silence ruled the conference hall, as everybody tried to process the information Minos gave.
"Wow. That was unexpected." O' Neill said.
"Not really. The Ascended have known for a long time that the Ori would tempt to do something. What they did not know was when or how. The Ori themselves can not act in this galaxy. Their powers are no match for the Ancients in this galaxy. The other way around is the same. The Ancients cannot act in their galaxy, and protect this one at the same time. Partially because they do not want to, and partially because it would mean the destruction of one of the galaxies, or multiple planets at least."
"How do you know all that?" Odin asked.
"An old friend of mine had her suspicions, and she finally found the time right to send someone out. We knew that the Ori still inhabit the old Alteran home galaxy, so that is where we started our search. We visited many planets, some uninhabited and some full of factories of war, where countless ships are being built."
"Who was this old friend of yours?" Thor asked.
"She is called Gannos Lal, but she is known under many names. One of those names, which she often uses in this galaxy, is Morgan le Fay."
"The Morgan le Fay, the sorceress from the Arthurian legends?" Daniel asked.
"Exactly that one." Minos answered.