Ace In The Hole
Chapter 48
"Fighters can turn the tide of a battle in the right hands" Lorne says with the pride and confidence of a trained 302 pilot.
"Yes they can but it was never the fighter that was the problem" says Alex as he glances over Cairns shoulder at the screen.
"You are always limited by the number of fighters your ship can carry" Rodney says whilst trying to nudge Cairns aside.
"A 304 can carry a maximum of sixteen 302's even the planned 306 will only be able to carry 32" Cairns says whilst bumping back against McKaye with a grin.
"Guys!" Jeannie says with a sigh at their childish behaviour.
"I think I've" as Cairns says the words the doors finally hiss open.
Inside the room are dozens of half completed prototypes and failed experiments but its what is standing against the far wall that catches everyone's eyes.
"Purple?" Rodney says staring at the chevron crystal of the two gates stood side by side.
"That's what Janus was working on?" says Radek looking slightly confused.
"Of course!" Rodney says snapping his fingers causing everyone else to jump "He was gonna use the gate"
"Use the gate?" Jeannie says looking as confused as Radek.
"Think about it, if you have a gate on say Odyssey then she could theoretically call upon not only her own fighters but the whole fighter support you have" Rodney says suddenly excited.
"302's can't fit through the gate" Cairns says with a smirk.
"True but you and I both know that earth has already got the 302's original design teams working on a gate capable fighter"
"So what is it that makes these gates special?" Teyla asks causing the scientists to frown.
"Fully functional?"
"Yes, the next ZPM will have to be diverted there so I'm afraid that the Phoenix will have to wait a little longer until she gets hers but other than that we just need to input the designs and start shipping in resources" Rodney says whilst bouncing on his heels.
"The station is fully automated and is capable of building ships at an impressive rate" Cairns says sounding equally excited.
"I recommend we consider bringing the station to Eden as soon as possible sir, we are gonna start to become a little over stretched if we have to put a defence team on each of the new Nautilus stations as well as this place" Lorne says the practicalities of their current situation clearly bothering him.
"I guess that would be a good idea" Sheppard says smiling at Teyla playing with Torren on the floor "And what about these new gates?"
"Janus called them Gamma gates" says Rodney "He found a way to, put them on a different operating frequency for want of a better term" Rodney sighs when he sees Sheppard is looking at him blankly.
"Other gates can't dial into them or block them" Cairns says noting Teyla's smile.
"I too did not understand the significance" Teyla grins.
"These two gates have been modified to operate outside the normal gate network, they can't be dialled into they can't be even jumped to they are effectively cut off from the normal gate network" Rodney says with a frown.
"How's that even possible?"
"Beats me, I asked Alex but he point blank refused to help, he said 'figure it out for yourself'" Rodney makes air quotes in annoyance.
"Mer its better to find out the answers yourself than have them handed to you" Jeannie say with a grin.
"The answer is still the answer no matter how you come by it, he could have at least given us a clue"
"Rodney this could be huge a totally secure gate network that the enemy can't access could change the course of the war" Sheppard says catching on to the importance of the discovery.
"So you want me to not only decipher the inner workings of the gate but design both a fighter and its carrier" Rodney sighs sounding ever the martyr.
"I thought you wished to design the ship" Teyla asks glancing up with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Then who?"
"Radek and I will design the fighter" Jeannie says with a huge grin.
"I don't think so Miss shake n bake"
"Rodney, fighter or ship you cant have both so choose" Teyla says with a cheery but firm smile.
"Ship, but..."
"Then I believe that is that" Teyla grins sweeping a giggling Torren up into her arms and exiting the room.
"You disappeared quick enough" Lorne says with a smile as he takes a seat next to Alex in the mess hall.
"Sorry"
"That wasn't a criticism, is everything OK?"
"It's just seeing the remains of Halzora just lying there and then going through the Lantian cruiser I..."
"It's OK to feel sad Lexy" Lorne says gently.
"That's just it Evan I wasn't sad, I was angry, so angry I..." Alex swallows sharply.
"What?"
"When Rodney started pushing me to tell him how Janus had modified the gate, I was so angry for a split second I just wanted to deck him"
"So what stopped you?" Lorne says with a grin.
"Elizabeth" Alex says with a small smile
"Dr Weir?" Lorne's brow frowns slightly in confusion.
"All Lantian City ships were linked sort of telepathically its difficult to explain even my people couldn't figure it out entirely"
"But shes..."
"Like the Communio stones that Earth used to speak to the crew on Destiny it seems that the bond between city ships has no bounds where distance is concerned"
"So Elizabeth stopped you how?"
"She pointed out that we are here to guide not direct" Alex sighs "She was of course correct"
"Was she?" Lorne frowns and shifts a little to face Alex more directly "It could take McKaye months or even years to figure out the gate on that level"
"Maybe, but you have to understand the reasons why I can't just give him the answers, your people can create a working hyperdrive but does any of your people truly understand the science behind it?"
"I'm sure some of them do, Carter, McKaye"
"Maybe the basic theory but the actual science behind it, you're people are leap frogging so much that even the brightest minds are struggling to keep up"
"So you're with holding because you think we're not ready? Now you sound like the Asgard" Lorne says dryly with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"The Asgard had a valid viewpoint but this time it runs much deeper" Alex sighs rubbing the back of his neck in a very Sheppard like way.
"It's your baby" Alex glares but Lorne can see through the annoyance that he has hit an element of truth.
"The gate network was created to be a single entity for free travel to every world by every world not to be split into the good and bad"
"You didn't know what Janus was up to? That's who you are really angry with"
"No! I didn't know, why do you think he was doing that particular bit of research on the station, the second you begin to subdivide the gate network the whole ideology behind its creation is destroyed and that is one principle I won't sacrifice"
"Nobody is asking you to sacrifice any principles"Lorne says thumping Alex playfully on the shoulder "Think of this as creating a new military gate network"
"And where are the gates going to come from? You are going to have to modify existing gates thus dismantling the existing gate network, I'm sorry but that is something that I will not do"
"What if we build new gates?"
"Yeh" Alex chuckles "Like McKaye would have a clue where to begin"
"McKaye might not but I do" Lorne grins
"Yeh right" Alex scoffs "Evan you know a lot of things but I seriously doubt you know the inner workings of the gate"
"I don't need to" Evan says nonchalantly "Thankfully everything we need is packaged up nice and neatly in Destiny's seeder ships"
"You can't be serious" Alex says slightly taken aback "The gates the seeder ships are producing are totally different, their dialling range, internal triangulation matrix, power core, even their basic dialling system is completely incomparable with the Pegasus network"
"I'm guessing those ships still have the original blueprints on board for Pegasus style gates" Alex glares at Evan knowing full well he will sense any lie "I take it from that glare that is a yes" Evan mocks triumphantly
"Fine! Yes" Alex sighs
"We recover a single seeder ship when we rescue Destiny and you and only you get to modify the gates" Alex frowns but Lorne just smiles "If McKaye wants to know how its done, let him learn the hard way" Evan grins "Deal?"
"Thank you" Alex smiles
"Report"
"Sir we just received an encoded subspace message from Commander Liow" Chuck nods toward the screen as the Chinese commanders image appears.
[Yun Zho to Atlantis, we are sending you a recording of a Wraith culling that as just taken place in this system be advised we are cloaked and remain safe, I have decided to trail the Wraith fleet as best we can from a safe distance, we will check in once more within the hour Yun Zho out]
"There's a second file attached sir" Chuck says bringing the second video up on screen"
A blue green world can be clearly seen sitting serenely in the void of space.
"Cazara" Teyla says with a weak smile.
"How could you possibly know that?" Sheppard asks momentarily taking his eyes of the screen
"The mountains" She says pointing to an almost horseshoe shaped range of mountains at the corner of the image "They are easily identified"
"The Cazarans turned down our offer of a sentinel system" Rodney sighs nudging in besides chuck "We diverted the satellite to Degan instead" as Rodney says the words a single hive drifts into frame and hundreds of darts begin drifting towards the planet.
They watch as the hundreds of dart quickly become thousands of darts "That can't be right a single hive" as the words leave Sheppard's mouth the Yun Zho's camera begins to turn slowly right, the one hive in view is slowly joined in shot by dozens more.
"Jesus!" Rodney says "Seventeen hives, poor bastards"
"Get a malp ready and prep..."
"You don't need to Colonel" Alex says as he walks up the steps towards the control room "They are gone"
"What like?"
"Yes Rodney" Alex smiles a haunted weak smile "Every man, women and child has been taken, even babes in arms no one was left behind"
"But that's ridiculous they have to leave some survivors for the population to recover" Rodney sputters terror clearly bubbling below the surface of his unusually controlled face.
"I too find that hard to believe, the Wraith rarely decimate a world entirely" Teyla says
"There were 31'321 people on that world this morning" Alex sighs "Now there are none the gate was active and dialled in the whole time, I'm sorry but according to the gates sensors there isn't a single person left alive"
"Why? Why would they do this? Are they mad? Taking away a planets population entirely means its never gonna be able to recover, its like signing their own death warrant" Rodney says his fears finally breaking through.
"The Wraith have formed into three distinct factions" Alex says looking at Sheppard who just nods understanding Alex's reasoning.
"You think its about denying their enemies a food source as much as anything else"
"You've seen how territorial they are"
"But this is taking it to a whole new level" Rodney says pointing to the frozen image of 17 hives "They have to be stopped"
"They will be Rodney, they will be"