Chapter 17: It doesn't make it better
Two weeks later I found myself in the strange position of needing to call a meeting to report on my progress with the Dorandan and Aurora files. I looked around almost nervously as Doctor Weir, Carson, Major Lorne, Doctor Zelenka, John and the rest of team Sheppard sat down expectantly.
"At the moment I've got a lot of pieces of the puzzle," I started out. "It may be just wishful thinking but the pattern I see emerging suggests the Ancients were working on a way to neutralise the Wraith from within."
"How so?" Doctor Weir asked.
"The secret communiqué the Captain of the Aurora told Colonel Sheppard about was deleted from the Captain's data unit too," I said. "But Doctor Zelenka and I were able to access the deleted sectors on the hard drive and we found enough incomplete files to form an idea on what was in the communiqué."
"We can't be completely sure," Doctor Zelenka interjected, "but we think the communiqué contained information about the organic nature of the wraith Hive ships."
"The implication being that the weakness has something to do with the fact that their technology is a mixture of machine and biological components." I continued.
"Did you find out anything about why that was a weakness?" Doctor Beckett asked.
"No," I admitted. "The files were too badly damaged to rebuild them completely."
"You said there were other pieces to the puzzle," Doctor Weir reminded me. "Did you find something else?"
"I also copied a number of files off the Aurora database dealing with Wraith telepathy ... most of it was information we already know because of Teyla's skills and Colonel Sheppard's previous run ins with Wraith Queens, but it got me thinking." I said, knowing I was about to get into the realm of instinct and guess work. "The thing is there was a lot more information on Wraith Hive ship operations than I would have expected even a war ship to be carrying. That struck me as strange." I waited to see if anyone was going to comment – Doctor Weir gestured for me to continue.
"We know that the Wraith control their ships by using telepathy through their neural network," I looked at John to see him nodding. "And not just the initiation and main functions like we do with the Ancient technology. From what Colonel Sheppard said even minor functions like opening a cell door are all done via mental commands."
"We saw that on the Hive ship Ford wanted us to destroy," John gestured to himself, Teyla and Ronan. "The first time the guards came to take me for a chat with the Queen, one of them just looked at the door controls and they activated."
"That's all very interesting," Rodney said impatiently. "But we don't have anyone here competent in Wraith telepathy," Rodney glanced over at Teyla in apology but she just smiled her agreement of that statement.
"As you know," I looked across at Doctor Weir, ignoring for the moment Rodney's valid protest, "I found information in the Dorandan database about a project called Imperium. I've translated everything I got off the database. I don't know if there was more because I didn't get the chance to fine tune my search before the database was destroyed," I studiously avoided looking at Rodney as I said that. "Imperium was a project looking at Wraith telepathy – the Ancients on Doranda were exploring ways they could exploit Wraith mind control and use it against them."
"Yeah, but some of the Ancients were telepathic," Rodney pointed out. "That still won't do us much good since none of us are."
"I know that Rodney," I agreed. "But Project Imperium is also mentioned on the weapons research inventory device – in there the Ancients documented an actual device to be used ... somehow ... to overcome that."
"Where is this device?" John spoke for the first time, asking the question that cut to the heart of the situation.
"That's the problem,' I admitted. "There's a chance it was located somewhere on Doranda."
"And I destroyed not just the whole planet but most of the solar system too," Rodney said sickly.
"It might not mean anything," I reassured him. "If they'd actually perfected a device why did they move on to the space-time vacuum energy project? We all know the Ancients were poor at documenting things but I'm beginning to think there was a real reason for that."
"To protect it," John stated simply.
"Yeah," I agreed. "In the case of Project Imperium it seems that information was deliberately separated. The initial research and testing was done on Doranda, but they wiped the database of anything practical about the design of the device. Our weapons research inventory mentions the device but doesn't contain anything about where it is or how to use it. I believe the Aurora's last mission was also indirectly about the project too. Maybe whatever they planned to do that involved Wraith telepathy was only part of the plan – maybe they sent the Aurora to find out more. If so then the Aurora's last destination – the source of that secret communiqué - could be where the end result of the project was kept."
"So the project wasn't complete?" John interpreted all the connections I was trying to draw easily.
"I don't think so," I agreed. "I think the Ancients here on Atlantis had a suspicion about the weakness in the Wraith technology - they were just waiting for the Aurora to confirm it so they could complete their plan."
"That's a lot of maybes and I thinks,' Doctor Weir pointed out sceptically. "While I agree that there seem to be some similarities in what you found from the Aurora and Dorandan data any number of conclusions could be drawn from that."
"True," I admitted freely. "There's one final thing I found that really struck me. Colonel Sheppard told me Neera said that the prophecy of The Great Awakening had come to pass. There was a reference to the Great Awakening in the Aurora database – only it wasn't a prophecy ... it was part of the plan. The Ancients planned to do deliberately what Colonel Sheppard did by accident."
"What?" John leant forward in his chair and looked at me intently.
"They planned to awaken all of the Wraith at once," I reiterated. "After all, you can't wipe them all out if they're in stasis pods – we know they don't appear on sensors as life signs when they're hibernating and I'm pretty sure they don't communicate telepathically either. Any plan that relies on telepathy would need all the Wraith to be awake."
"Not bad," Doctor Weir acknowledged. "What do you want to do next?"
"That's just it," I said reluctantly. "I don't know what to do next. If the device was still on Doranda then none of this matters unless we can find an independent way to exploit what they learned." I looked across at Doctor Beckett. "That's where you come in," I said. "Is there any chance you could design a biotic virus – one that could hit the Wraith systems and spread through both the organic and mechanical components?"
"That's an intriguing question," Carson frowned as he thought it over. "I'd have to do a fair bit of research before I can even give you an answer, let alone design something that would be effective. Our resources are stretched with the ongoing work we're doing to perfect the iratus bug retrovirus."
"And then there's the additional problem of how we get it on the Hive ships," Rodney pointed out.
"Clearly that's a long term project," Doctor Weir stated. "Carson, can you assign some staff to work on that." Carson nodded and Doctor Weir turned back to me. "You said if the device was still on Doranda – is there any chance it wasn't?"
"There's every chance," I said. "The outpost at Doranda was a major research site for the Ancients over many years – the database contained references to lots of projects they conducted there. We didn't do a thorough search of the whole facility but there wasn't any evidence that any other projects were active except the space-time vacuum energy project."
"They moved it somewhere else," John said.
"I think so," I agreed.
"But where?" Doctor Weir asked.
"That's the question," I acknowledged. "At this stage I don't have any answer ... but the fact remains that Neera's people knew about the Great Awakening. I'm betting there's a planet somewhere with more clues. Sometime in the last 10,000 years whatever was documented there has moved from fact and become prophesy. Neera's ancestors knew something – they just misinterpreted it to mean that they should serve the Wraith as the only way to salvation."
"And isn't that a revolting thought," Rodney muttered grimly.
"Probably should have saved her then," John admitted reluctantly. "Seeing as her world was culled to extinction and the only survivors were on the Hive ships that got destroyed."
"It's unlikely she would have known anything," I excused. "And I think it's also unlikely Neera would have volunteered the gate address for her home world just because you asked her nicely."
"I don't know," John put on his charming face. "I can be pretty ... persuasive."
"So what's the next step?" Doctor Weir cut in before I could respond to John's provocative statement.
"The database here is enormous," I reminded her, "and we've only just scratched the surface – I'll keep searching and maybe something will twig a clue."
"Okay," Doctor Weir agreed. "Make that your priority for the time being. Good work Sabina," Doctor Weir congratulated me, rising from her chair to bring the meeting to a close. I waited as everyone left the room, leaving only myself and John behind.
"Good deductive work," John said, looking somewhat subdued. We were both frozen in silence for a few moments before John spoke again. "It doesn't make it better," he looked at me intently. We both understood he was talking about being responsible for waking the Wraith ... leading to the mass culling going on all over the galaxy.
"I know," I stood and put a hand on his shoulder. "But can't you take some comfort from the fact that the Ancients were prepared to go at least that far to destroy the Wraith?"
"Maybe," John admitted. He seemed to shake himself out of the reflective mood he'd fallen into – looking at me he smiled. "I bet you were really good at jigsaw puzzles when you were a kid."
"I was a master," I smiled back, letting him get away with relegating the issue into the background once again. "All that talking has made me hungry – let's go get some lunch!" I grabbed his hand and dragged him reluctantly from the room.
Authors Note:
Thanks to everyone who's been reading my story ... I appreciate any comments so if you feel inspired, please leave a review. Next up is Epiphany ... editing and posting that one tomorrow.