Ace In The Hole
Chapter 28
Cam wakes abruptly to the sound of weapons fire, even though he's still half asleep he has the sense to grab his own side arm as he slowly makes his way to the balcony trying to move as quickly and quietly as he can to the source of the sound... he peers
over to see a young Traveller women shooting on the firing range below... trust Sheppard to have given him a room this close to the range he muses to himself causing him to smile to himself but his smile quickly disappears as he becomes transfixed as he watches the women below in action... her dark hair blowing slightly in the morning breeze, quickly he returns to his room gets dressed and head's out.
"You know if you wanted me to get up this early you could have just given me a call" Cam says trying to sound casual, Larin spins around towards the unrecognisable voice.
"Do I know you?"
"Colonel Cameron Mitchell" Cam holds out his hand but he can clearly see that her defences are already going up... as she regards him with a cold calculating stare.
"So you're the one they sent too baby sit us?" Larin asks the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Yep...that would be me" Cam grins "Though after the last few years in the field... this place is like a vacation"
"Vacation?"
"You know holiday... break..."
"We don't get many of those with the Wraith around" she says starting to get annoyed at Cam's cheery mood.
"Well hopefully soon that will change once and for all"
"We'll see!" Larin snaps before firing a few shots off at the target.
"Cool gun... Ronons got one of em ain't he?" Larin sighs she knew he wasn't just gonna up and walk away but it had been worth a try.
"Yes... Ronon has one... I'd like to know how he got it " She mumbles to herself but she blushes slightly when she realises it wasn't quiet enough.
"Have you asked him?"
"No!" she sighs "Its not important really"
"So where do I get myself one?"
"You don't!" Larin glares at Cam.
"Woooow... there's that famous temper I have read about" Cam smirks at the glare he's receiving but is a little chuffed with himself when he sees the glare mellowing slowly and another smile fighting to appear.
"Sorry..." Larin finally smiles weakly... "Our weapons are irreplaceable... passed on generation to generation we don't have enough for all of our own people as it is let alone any for outsiders" Larin answers honesty slightly confused as too why she as told him.
"Can't you just make some new ones?"
"Not as easy as you would think" Larin sighs handing him the weapon carefully.
"I take it McKayes had a look?"
"It's my understanding he basically disassembled Ronons as soon as he could to see if he could replicate it"
"Didn't fly I take it?"
Larin frowns slightly before understanding the analogy "No... the power crystal in it is unique... he has no idea how to replicate it."
"McKaye might not... but I may know a man who might" Cam grins "Leave it to me... I like a challenge"
"OK... Colonel consider this your challenge for the time you are here with us" Larin smiles an open honest unguarded smile, Cam just nods at the young women before quickly retreating back the way he came.
"It's 08:00... you telling me he's already in there?"
"Yes sir" Amelia says grinning "He and Lt. Weir have been in there since 6am I believe"
"The man is not normal!"
"No sir" Amelia laughs as Mitchell heads for the conference room.
"Oh please don't get me started Daniel... the very idea that the nations in the west are democratic its..." Alex uses air quotes to emphasise the word democratic "well its ludicrous enough to blow my stardrive!"
"The right to vote is enshrined in almost all Western powers how can you say that!" Daniel says clearly annoyed.
"So long as career politicians and party politics exist its a sham... people get into power as a job... a way to make money they aren't in it for the good of the people they are in it for themselves for what they can get out of it... once they attain office all they worry about is getting re-elected they dare not make an unpopular decision for fear of being kicked out of office so they coast along... and on top of that its mostly the rich and elite that attain these positions in the first place... you are so deluded my friend" Alex shakes his head as Daniel huffs clearly annoyed, Cam quietly takes a seat watching them go as they are clearly unaware of his presence.
"I get to vote... making an informed decision on who I think is best too run my country... my choice!"
"Correct... and more often than not you get a good man in charge I agree" Daniel nods feeling he is making progress before Alex continues "However even when you get good men in charge they have to work with overpaid bureaucrats who block them at every level... President Hayes case in point!" Alex says forcefully
"What do you mean?"
"Hayes is a good man... willing to listen to advice from those more knowledgeable, capable of making the tough choices when needed but also able to think for himself"
"OK... I agree with you so far" Daniel says nodding slightly.
"But even he has had to go though hoops just to get the funding through for the new 303A designs to be pushed through... your planet is currently waging war against two separate forces across two different galaxies were both out number you drastically and he has to fight against not only the IOA but his own government just to get the designs for the frigate approved... forgive me but if this is democracy at work then you and I have very different ideas my friend" Alex shakes his head sadly.
"Look no one ever said the system is perfect... but its gotten us through so far" Daniel sighs.
"Yes it has... and the Asgard the Nox and even my people are proud as to how far you have come in such a short space of time... but you have to realise the Ancients have tried so many different forms of government over the aeon's I have been alive"
"What you describe sounds so..."
"Alien?" Daniel just smiles seeing the irony.
"How did the Ancients government work?" Cam asks shocking them both to his presence.
"Cam!"... Daniel looks at his watch slightly shame faced.
"I'm guessing Jackson didn't get the answer he expected?" Cam asks curious too why Daniels so annoyed and worked up.
"You are correct Colonel... the Ancients were not elected to their positions... in government"
"He picked them" Daniel says sounding slightly annoyed, Cam's eyebrows knit together slightly before he nods to Alex too continue.
"As I have explained... it was not as if I chose on a conscious level... as it is with your jury service people were picked at random from those eligible" Alex says.
"Eligible?"
"Candidates for congress had to have lived in the city for a period of seven years and be of good character... any one over the age of 16 years could be called to serve as one of 50 appointed congress member's" Alex pauses to make sure he is listening so far before continuing "Each member served a period of five years …. when you are not worrying about re-election... well lets just say that more actually gets done"
"What about the council... you know Merlin and those guys?" Cam asks looking slightly confused until he sees Alex smiles.
"The high council was put in place by their piers" Alex sees Cam's confused so tries to elaborate "Council members where nominated by their piers... who ever attained the highest votes got elected for a one off term of ten years"
"So there were some form of elections then" Cam says slightly confused again.
"No" Daniel says "Only doctors could elect the minister for health... or only people in the armed forces could elect the defence minister..." Daniel frowns once more "Most ordinary people didn't get a say" Cam's eyes widen slightly in surprise as he looks back to Alex for clarity.
"Daniel... you are looking at the situation slightly blinkered... and I do not wish to be unkind...it is after all what I was trying too explain before your rant about the value of having an elected government ... but the vast majority and we are talking approximately 99.9% if you wish to be picky were what you would class as highly educated... at the hight of their civilization most Lantian children had already completed their basic education which I believe is currently equivalent of your phd level by the age of nine years old"
Daniel sits open mouthed pondering the information as Alex just smiles at him before saying "When you truly serve the needs of the people and not yourselves it is amazing at the progress that is made"
"Now that you have finished beating on Jackson how about you gimmi a little help" Cam says grinning at Daniels scowl.
"What can I do for you Colonel?" Alex says turning his attention once more too Mitchell.
"The travellers side arms have got me thinking... Earth has been trying and failing for years to make a compact energy based side arm... now there is no way that we are going to just give up on our faithful P90's... but..."
"You would like me too see if I could replicate the travellers technology?" Alex says with a smile.
"The SGC has come across so many different weapons over the years but so far... finding a way of powerin em... not so good" Cam grins.
"Of course Colonel" Alex nods and almost immediately the flash of an Asgard transporter beam has deposited a weapon on the table.
"Is that?" Cam reaches out and takes the weapon.
"Lantian..." Alex nod's with a small sigh "When the Ancients abandoned me, each Lantian that left took their own side arm with them so of course there are not many left... in fact that is one of only four left in the entire city that are normally in a storage locker on the north pier"
Cam just looks at the weapon turning it in his hand slowly.
"The crystal it uses as a power source is called a Darinar, they are blue in colour and hold enough power to last... well to be honest a long time... but once they were depleted they were simply discarded" Alex says pointing to the monitor on the wall as a schematic of the weapon and the crystal in question appears.
"Couldn't it be recharged? Cam asks frowning slightly
"It could... but by forcing a charge into it you shatter the subatomic structure of the crystal and you end up with the red power crystals that the travellers are using"
"You're saying that the travellers weapons use binned Lantian power crystals that they have figured out how to recharge? Daniel says looking intrigued now that he has stopped brooding.
"Yes doctor... the Ancients weapons were much more efficient and much less showy" Alex grins
"You mean they were quieter" Cam chuckles.
"I could have Nautilus replicate the Lantian side arms in weeks or I could come up with a single weapon combining elements of multiple weapons that you have into a single design but either way we will need to acquire the needed Darinar crystals to power them"
"And how do we get those?"
"Easy Colonel... you just go collect them" Alex says cryptically.