Chapter Fifteen

Ten Thousand Years Later

Year Two of the Expedition, 1548 hours(Atlantis Base Time)

"There will be more, you know," said Swenson looking at Kurt.

He slowly nodded his head and looked up at her, "Yeah I know." Kurt looked in the direction that the Wraith had come from, "they'll want to know how we got that Jumper. But its not gonna come to that," he said looking back in the other direction. "We need to get that shipment and bring it back to Atlantis."

Doctor Swenson nodded and smiled, "and if that ship isn't beaten up to bad. Maybe we can bring it back too."

"Its Possible," said Kurt nodding.

Kurt looked back as they walked towards the ship in the distance. The night seemed to get colder as they walked farther away from the Stargate. Kurts boots dug into the deep snow as he continued to walk behind Yanson, who was carrying Lee over his shoulders. The small Luietenant was dwarfed by the larger Luietenant who carried him. In the lead was Doctor Swenson who was using her scanner to search for the ship.

Kurt turned and looked back in the direction of the Stargate, he watched closely for any more signs of the Wraith who had chased them. He turned around as they started to walk into another forest, there boots crunched into the deep snow as they walked. Swensons scanner glowed in the darkness caused by the forest above.

Yanson stepped over a log, he easily lifted the extra weight of the man he was carrying. "How much farther Doctor?"

She turned around and smiled, "Were almost there."

The trench was over a hundred feet across and was dug several hundred feet into the ground. Small snow covered trees were scattered randomly in the trench. The trench was scattered with large fragments of the ships hull, they were shredded and bent into unnatural directions. The size of the trench was impressive, thought Kurt.

He felt a feeling of hope come from down in his gut as he looked up at the large hull of the crashed Ancient Warship. The metal hull of the ship rose up and towered over the four Humans who looked up at it. Its hull was torn and scorched brutally in several spots. It was showing the signs of errosion in several spots dotted along the hull. It also had a few large round holes in several sections, the areas around the holes were scorched and the metal was warped from extreme heat.

"Those are blast marks," said Kurt pointing at a grouping of the holes twenty meters above them.

Swenson scanned them with the grey device and she smiled, "This is, without a doubt, the Nona. Its hull has Wraith laser blasts all over it."

Kurt stepped forward and looked up and down the large ships outside. It stretched over two hundred feet down to his left and down another two hundred feet in the other direction. He saw a large tear in the hull to his left and he began to walk towards it. Parts were scattered around the tear in the hull. Kurt slowly began to walk towards it, "this way."

Kurt reached the hole and turned on his flashlight, he bent his head inside and the raised his P-90. The light peirced the darkness and shone a bright light on the inside wall of the ship. The wall was scorched black, metal wires hung from the ceiling and debris was thrown around the area. Kurt motioned to Swenson and she moved to the other side of the hole with her M9 Beretta drawn, she took out a flashlight and shinned it inside. They both moved in slowly scanning with their weapons. Nothing moved in the darkness as their flashlights cut through the darkness.

Debris dragged its way on the floor under Kurts boot as he walked. He quickly adjusted his footing and the small metal fell from his boot, it clanked lightly against the old metal floor plates. The sounds of the wind whistling against the thick hull gave Kurt a slight shiver as he continued to walk forward down a hallway. Behind him walked Swenson followed closely by Yanson holding Lee. Kurt reached an adjacent corridor and stopped. He put his back against the wall and stepped out with his weapon at the ready.

His flashlight shinned down the empty corridor. Metal was thrown around on the metal floor, scattered in among the debris was the skeleton of someone. Kurt motioned that it was clear and they slowly began to walk down the corridor. Kurt held his weapon at the ready as he walked. He reached the skeleton and looked down at it, the white bones had changed color and were not turning more grey. Lodged deep in its rib cage was a long sharp piece of metal, it was between two ribs on his left side.

"They must of hit the ground hard," said Yanson looking at the skeleton.

"From what this says," said Swenson looking closely at the small grey device she held in her hands. Its blue screen flashed and words in ancient scrolled across it. "The bridge is up three decks and about one hundred and twenty feet that way," she said pointing upward and down the hallway.

Kurt stood for a second thinking, "we'll get there eventually. But first, does that thing say where the medical bay is?"

"Sorry, but its not a library of ancient ships," she said looking up at him frowning.

"Then how do you know where the bridge is?"

"I don't know, it just popped up after we entered the ship," she said rotating it in her hands. "If we find a console, I'm sure I can link up with it and find ships schematics in no time."

Kurt stood for a second, he looked down the hallway into the darkness. His flashlight attached to his gun was pointed downwards at the deck plating. Kurt turned and looked at her, "alright, lets move quickly. We need to find that medical bay as soon as possible."