Ace In The Hole
Chapter 65
"Long deep breathes" says Eli whilst rubbing Lt Scott's back carefully.
"The nausea will pass pretty quickly Lieutenant" says Carson nodding at Eli to continue rubbing the smooth circular motion he had shown him earlier.
"Its OK Eli" he stammers pushing Eli's hand away, unfortunately the minute the rubbing stops a wave of sickness washes over him and he begins to wretch causing Eli to laugh and start the circular rubbing motion once more
"Don't worry Matt, I'll save ya" he grins receiving a grateful if but somewhat bemused look of gratitude off the young officer "We're not sure why it works, it just does, it will pass soon" Eli states cheerfully, within minutes his colour has returned and he smiles a thankful smile to his friend.
"Math boy to the rescue again?"
"Count on it" Eli grins he nods towards Carson "This is Dr Beckett"
"Doc" Lt. Scott nods but he looks towards Eli clearly confused
"They are here to take us home" Eli beams
"how?"
"Come on Everett and Lorne are on the bridge, you gonna be OK doc"
"Aye laddy, there are a few more to wake in the first batch but I should be OK on my own for now, you go on ahead I'll be fine" Carson says as he begins the deactivation sequence for Camille Wray's chamber
The tired lieutenant stumbles slowly to his feet and follows Eli out the room
"How the hell did they get here?"
"By ship"
"Ship?!" Scott frowns "No way Earth has a ship capable of making it all the way out here"
"Earth hasn't" he says with a smile "But Eden has" as they turn a corner they stop dead, less than 10 feet away a glowing ball is gliding slowly towards them, beams of energy are are sweeping out from either side, they glide up to meet at the centre on the ceiling and then sweep back down either side meeting finally at the bottom on the floor"
"Unofficially I'm calling it a starjumper"
"what is...?
"Its called a Renatus drone, but if you ask me it looks like its doing starjumps you know with the beamy things, so" Eli shrugs
"What's it doing?" Eli smiles before proceeding to walk towards it startling Lt. Scott, once he is within 3 feet of it the drone shuts off and merely hovers there in the centre of the corridor, instantly Lt. Scott can see what its doing the corridor behind the drone looks completely brand new, pipes are gleaming, paint is crisp and clear, lights are bright and shiny Matt's mouth drops open stunned at the difference between the corridor in front and the repaired corridor behind it.
"Destiny is 68% fixed a few more days and she will be better than the day she was launched" Eli tugs the shocked Lieutenant past the dormant drone, no sooner than they are safely past it begins to carry on with its work.
"Lieutenant, its good to see you up and about" Everett says with a smile as he munches on what's clearly a chocolate biscuit, a cup of steaming coffee clutched tightly in his other hand.
Everett grins and nods towards a coffee and packet of biscuits waiting on the side "Help your self Lieutenant, there's plenty more where they came from"
"Thanks Sir"
"Is it true we're going home?"
"Soon as Destiny is fixed" Lt. Scott jumps startled to hear a new unrecognisable voice enter the bridge.
"Lt. Matthew Scott, this is Lt. Colonel Evan Lorne and Dr David Cairns from Atlantis" Everett says nodding towards them "Lorne is Atlantis' XO"
"Sir" he nods respectfully.
Lorne merely nods, Cairns sighs with a slight roll of his eyes and brushes past all of them quickly settling in at one of the bridge stations and immediately going to work.
"The power conduits are fixed and I think I am about ready to install the ZPM" Cairns says flicking through the ships blueprints on the screen.
"A ZPM?" Everett says surprised
"A lot has happened in the months that you have been in stasis" Lorne grins.
"Atlantis is back in Pegasus on a world we have called Eden, we have found Ancient construction units, add to that a ZPM machine" Evan says ticking it all off nonchalantly.
"ZPM machine?"
"Makes ZPMs" Cairns says with a grin causing the others to smile.
"Oh and don't forget the big one" Cairns says holding his finger up
"Oh right, Full disclosure happened almost 8 months ago" Lorne says casually noting the looks of surprise.
"How? Why?"
"Nothing bad thankfully, the powers that be just decided that it was the right time"
"I guess I had better use the stones and report in" Everett sighs causing Lorne to merely nod.
"If you could Colonel, tell them to let Atlantis know that the mission has been a success" Lorne smiles "Inform them we should be setting back within a week" Evan sees Cairns nod clearly in agreement with the estimate.
"I will"
The colonel exits leaving Lorne time to fill in on everything that had happened up until the time that they had set out on their rescue mission, the two officers are stood happily drinking coffee watching Dr Cairns running through hundreds of system diagnostics, but it comes as a complete surprise when Colonel Everett comes back onto the bridge 5 minutes later holding a gun pointing towards Lorne's head.
"Lt. Scott!"
"Colonel Everett?" he takes a step back clearly surprised "Here" Everett hands Lieutenant Scott a gun never taking his eyes off Lorne "Everett is still on earth being debriefed he says pointedly towards the shocked Lieutenant "I'm Colonel Richmond clearance code Victor Charlie Delta Twenty One Seven Alpha"
"Yes Sir?"
"Take Lt Colonel Lorne into custody"
"What the hells going on?" Lorne glares at the man in Everett's form
"All military personnel from Atlantis are to be placed under immediate arrest" his contempt for Lorne is obvious in its tone.
"Arrest?" Lorne glares "What charge?"
"Dereliction of Duty and Treason!"
"I think there's been some sort of mistake!" Cairns turns to stare at the gun toting Colonel.
"If he resists you are authorised to use deadly force" he says glancing towards the Lieutenant "is that understood?"
Lt Scott merely nods as the man in Everett's form snaps at him.
"Is that understood!?"
"Yes Sir" Lt Scott points at Lorne with his weapon then to the door way "don't make this difficult Colonel" he almost pleads
"Fine" Lorne sighs glancing at Cairns who merely nods imperceptibly.
"Continue with your repairs Doctor" Richmond barks as they exit the bridge.
"What the hells going on?" Everett sighs looking at the unrecognisable reflection of the officer he currently occupies staring back at him from the mirror.
"I'm not at liberty to explain Sir" the major standing guard at the doorway says.
"Look I need to see either General Landry or General O'Neill right away, and if you don..."
"That won't be necessary Colonel" an unknown general says entering the room "I'm General Ian Hughes liaison to the Tau'ri High Council, I will be conducting your debriefing!"
"Sir" Everett sighs before quickly noting the four stars "With all due respect Sir, I would prefer it if I could speak to either General Landry or General O'Neill, they are both up to speed on our current predicament"
The General glares at him clearly annoyed at the Colonel's presumption "General Landry is in New Zealand, and Supreme Commander O'Neill is at this moment in time visiting Ambassador Jackson on the Nox home world" his eyes narrow "Colonel the military contingent on Atlantis have been ordered to return Earth, they have refused that order and have now set up their own little dictatorship!"
Everett looks at him in surprise, Lorne had mentioned nothing of this to him.
"Disclosure has brought about massive changes here on Earth Colonel, changes that have not all been for the best I am afraid, it is taking us all our strength and resolve to stop Earth from falling into anarchy without the threat from our own forces trying to set themselves up their own little empires"
"Sir?"
"The Tau'ri High Council has issued arrest warrants for all Atlantis military personnel!" he leans forward "they are to be taken into custody on charges of desertion and treason, that includes any military personnel currently on board Destiny! Do I make my self understood!"
"Yes sir"
"Is Colonel Sheppard on board?"
"No sir" Everett notes the look of obvious disappointment "Only Lt. Colonel Lorne and two doctors sir"
"Take that... fruit into custody right away, understood?!"
"Fruit?"
"Lorne!" the General snarls and Everett quickly understands the type of man this general is "Take him into custody and keep him there, I don't care if you have to stick him in a pod to drag his ass home, do you understand Colonel?"
"Yes sir"
Moments later Everett is back on Destiny standing on the bridge his gun pointed at Dr Cairns.
"Dr" he sighs "What's going on?"
"Is that you Colonel Everett?"
"yes" he smiles
"Fucked if I know" he says clearly shaking "A Colonel Richmond took your place and ordered Lt. Scott to take Evan... sorry Colonel Lorne into custody at gun point"
"What's going on back home?"
"What you mean?"
"The general that briefed me said that Atlantis has gone renegade" the shock on Cairns face was all the conformation he needed "Everett to Lt. Scott" he says tapping his radio.
[Scott here sir, is that you?]
"Yes, bring Colonel Lorne back up here"
[Sir?.. I was given express orders to take him into custody on charges of treason]
"Bring him here Lieutenant, that's an order"
[Yes sir] he hears a sigh of relief over the radio [We're on our way]
Moments later Lt. Scott and Colonel Lorne enter the bridge "Care to explain what the hells going on?"
"Honestly" Lorne sighs "I'm as baffled as you are"
"Take a seat Lorne" Everett points to a seat nearby "I want to know everything that has happened"
"Independence?" Camille says surprised, awaking to find Destiny being repaired and people from Earth here had been a big surprise for the IOA representative when she had finally come around from her long sleep but the information about developments back home had been a complete shock, the IOA's disbanding, formation of the Tau'ri Alliance, return of Atlantis to Pegasus she had taken in her stride but independence.
"Woolsey explained that it was all a looks good on paper exercise" Atlantis was free to run its own affairs in Pegasus and Avalon.."
"Avalon?"
"The other city ship found in Pegasus has been repaired and is now home to the SGC on Earth, its just off the coast of..."
"New Zealand?" Everett says cutting him off.
"Yeh?" he says frowning
"General Hughes said that Landry was in New Zealand" he shrugs.
"Which means that the Communication stones are still probably in the Pentagon somewhere" Camille surmises.
"Probably" Lorne agrees
"So why the hostility?"
"I have no idea" Lorne shrugs "There were no problems when I left, I mean things were happening but nothing going on between Eden and Earth"
"Eden?"
"Atlantis' new home world" Lorne smiles wistfully
"That good?" Camille asks a twinkle in her eye
"Better" Lorne smiles.
"So if nothing going on between Earth and Eden?" Everett asks promoting Lorne to think
"The Apollo had gone missing and Richard Woolsey had been assassinated, they put it down to terrorists the intelligence agency is looking into it"
"So what was Hughes going on about then? He said that there has been problems since disclosure?" Everett asks clearly struggling to sort through the conflicting stories
"Problems?" Cairns laughs looking up from the console "Earth has never been so peaceful, Russia finally got rid of those corrupt idiots running it, China has freed Tibet, Israel and Palestine have finally agreed and set a permanent border and ended hostilities"
"Even Korea as been unified, you should have seen the partying in Seoul" Lorne shrugs with a smile.
"So what was all that he mentioned about empire building?" Lt. Scott asks causing Lorne to look at him clearly deep in thought.
"I wouldn't call what's happening in Pegasus an empire, the people in Pegasus took on board how well disclosure has gone for Earth and kinda ran with the idea" Cairns grins clearly excited "Its actually been quite fascinating to watch if you have an interest in that kind of thing"
"So Sheppard is becoming a dictator?"
"Hardly!" Cairns says with a glare before Lorne as chance to reply "The Lantian Alliance had 197 world signed up as we set out" Cairns says clearly upset that anyone would find Atlantis' corrupt "The leaders of each world voted democratically to install Teyla as their first President"
"Teyla Emmagen" Camille says surprised
"O'Neill even convinced the travellers to come on board, went as far as giving them an Aurora" Lorne says shrugging.
"O'Neill wouldn't have done that if he thought that Sheppard and his team were going to become their enemies" Everett says looking to Wray for conformation
"No, he wouldn't" she sighs "Something more is happening here"
"Look I know you have no reason to trust our word Colonel" Lorne sighs "But we have a mission to complete, getting this ship home"
"Agreed" both Everett and Wray say in unison causing Lt. Scott to sigh in relief.
"In the mean time" Camille smiles at Everett "I'm going to go back to Earth to see if I have better luck finding out what the hell is going on" both Lorne and Everett nod in agreement.
"I'm afraid you'll have to be confined to quarters Colonel, just for show, we don't know who they will send in Camille's place" Everett can't help but sigh at the absurdity.
"Wish me luck" Camille says smiling over her shoulder as she leaves the bridge.
"I just hope she finds out what the hells going on" Lorne sighs suddenly feeling tired.
"You and me both Colonel, you and me both"