The orb in front of the group emitted a green light from the bulbous lens on its front that swept across the group, scanning them much like the Atlantis medical scanner.
"Scan complete. Life forms count is ten. Two Synthetics, four Potentials, two Deficient's and two Wraith. Eliminating Wraith."
The androids eyes flashed once in unison before they all spoke in a deep steely voice. "Engaging enemy targets."
As one they raised their energy pistols and pointed them at the two Wraith. In a move of camaraderie the other SPECTREs immediately raised their own weapons in response, ready to protect their friends. Before any of them could react though Xander, whose mind had been moving at a light year a minute, stepped forward and started speaking to the androids.
"Hold your fire, all units stand down now," he barked in his voice of command. "Designate Wraith as non hostile."
"Order confirmed Inheritor," the orb chirped as the androids lowered their weapons, before raising them again. "Error. Order conflicts with primary directives. All Wraith must be eliminated."
Once again the tension rose and both sides were fully prepared to engage one another.
"Wait," Rodney yelled having caught up himself and, more importantly, figured a way out of this mess. "Scan Wraith and compare against DNA records."
"Order confirmed Inheritor. Scanning. Error. DNA does not conform to records. Registering a two percent difference with established records. Processing."
Rodney sighed in relief. Two percent, it was enough of a difference. The difference between humans and apes and enough to give the AI pause.
"Processing complete. Re-designating life forms as New Wraith. Designating New Wraith as non hostile. Assigning status level as Synthetic. Threat neutralised. Standing down guardians."
The AI's red glow and the androids eyes changed from their hostile red into a much calmer blue. With that single change the tension in the room vanished.
"Good," Sheppard said. "And now that you're no longer trying to kill us would you mind filling us in as to what's going on here?"
"The guardians were not trying to kill you Inheritor," the AI pointed out. "They were merely neutralising the Wraith infestation."
Todd and Jason growled at him. They didn't like being called an infestation.
"Okay let me make one thing clear here mood light," Sheppard replied angrily. "They are not an infestation."
"Correct Inheritor," the AI replied.
"Okay then, thank you."
"They are New Wraith," the AI continued. "The Wraith are the infestation."
"Moving on," Sheppard said exasperatedly. "Why did you take orders from Rodney and Admiral Xander?"
"Would Rodney and Admiral Xander be the two Inheritors that ordered me to stand down and run a comparison scan?" the AI asked.
"Yes."
"Because they are Inheritors Inheritor," the AI replied, as if it were obvious.
"Want some help Sheppard?" Rodney asked, barely suppressing a grin.
"If it means I get a straight answer then yes please," Sheppard replied.
"Okay then…um…what is your name?" Rodney asked the AI.
"I have no name Inheritor," the AI replied. "I am the artificial intelligence charged with controlling the guardians and servitors and generally overseeing this facility."
"Overseer it is then. Please identify the people here by their categories."
Overseer proceeded to do so. It turned out that Sheppard, McKay, Xander and Sovaer were Inheritors, Teyla and Ronon were Deficient's, Thor and Eir were Synthetics and naturally Todd and Jason were New Wraith.
"I'm presuming all the Inheritors have the ATA gene," Rodney said, looking to Xander and Sovaer for conformation.
The two Averians nodded in response, which meant that Teyla and Ronon were Deficient's because they were human but lacked the ATA gene.
"You two have the gene?" Sheppard asked, surprised that he was only just finding this out.
"It's only natural Colonel," Xander explained. "We are a product of the Ancestors after all and they did intend for us to fight the Wraith. Presumably they also believed that we would need the gene if we ever encountered any of their technology in the fight against the Wraith."
"Somehow though I never expected one of those things to be a talking glow ball," Sovaer replied.
Overseer apparently realised that it was being made fun of because it briefly flashed a deep crimson before returning to blue.
"No offense Overseer," Sovaer added hastily, very aware of the fact that the guardians were still present.
"What is the ranking order here?" Thor asked curiously, though he had a sinking suspicion he knew what it would be.
"In descending order, Inheritor, Overseer, Deficient, Synthetic, then New Wraith, with the last three being of equal ranking," Overseer replied. "You have the lowest rank here Synthetic and have no authority whatsoever."
It was hard to tell given the fact that Asgard had completely black eyes but Thor appeared to be giving the AI a look of intense dislike. It wasn't very surprising, he was the Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet after all and even his former allies the Alterans would never have said he had no authority whatsoever.
Instead of getting angry though Thor chose to respond calmly in his own language. "I am Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard Fleet and while I may inhabit an artificial body my mind is completely Asgard and alive."
While the others heard this in their own language, translated automatically by the inbuilt translator, the AI recognised it as Asgardian, understood it and more importantly recognised the significance of the words. The AI backed away from Thor and its inner glow actually became slightly paler.
"Apologies Supreme Commander," the AI said hurriedly. "Re-designating as Asgard. You now have ranking and authority equivalent to that of Inheritor."
"Thank you Overseer."
"Please follow me to the control centre," the AI chirped as it turned and started moving down the corridor.
Ronon, Teyla, Todd and Jason attempted to walk down the corridor only to be stopped by the guardians.
"Deficient's and New Wraith do not have authorisation to access the control room," Overseer said without even bothering to turn round.
"Let them through Overseer," Sheppard practically growled. He was going to need to get ISIS to teach this AI some manners.
"Of course Inheritor," Overseer replied. "Deficient's and New Wraith can come with the Inheritors permission."
"Anything else I'm not allowed to do?" Ronon asked sarcastically.
"I do not need to answer your questions Deficient."
"Don't call me a Deficient."
"You were not gifted with my creator's legacy nor do you possess it in a dormant state, therefore you are a Deficient."
"What would happen if you were destroyed?"
"I do not need to answer your questions Deficient."
"I want to hear the answer to that one," Sheppard added.
"Why didn't you say so Inheritor?" Overseer asked. "I will be happy to give you the answer. In the unlikely event of the destruction of this unit my personality matrix will be placed in a new unit. Operations of this facility will not be compromised."
"Good to know," Ronon said.
In a single swift and practised movement that would have made a secret service agent proud Ronon drew his particle magnum, set it to incinerate, aimed and then fired at Overseer. Instead of taking a massive chunk out of the side of the floating orb though the blast struck a shimmering green force field. In response Overseer's internal glow turned a deep crimson while the hovering orb stopped in his tracks and turned on the spot until its lens was facing Ronon.
"Protocols state that attempts to damage or impair the functions of this facility will be prevented," Overseer said darkly. "Attempts at such action by Deficient's will be met with lethal force."
To emphasise his point a red pulse of energy shot from the lens to strike the floor in front of Ronon.
"However," it continued. "Your previous inquiry means that you were aware that your action would not affect the operations of this facility therefore this directive is not applicable."
It rotated back around and continued on down the long corridor.
"Ronon," Teyla warned when she saw him lining up another shot.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"Don't do it big guy," Sovaer said. "It won't make you feel better if you end up getting shot."
The group passed numerous doors but they all remained closed to them. Eventually they arrived at a large door much thicker than the last one at the end of the corridor.
"Welcome to the control room," Overseer chirped cheerfully, as the heavy door rumbled open.
The open door revealed a spacious room much like the secondary control room of a city ship. Consoles and viewing screens lined the walls, all of which were clearly made using Lantean level technology. The centre of the room was dominated by a holographic projection system similar to the one in the hologram room of Atlantis. In response to the ATA genes of those entering power flowed through conduits and the room came to life, overhead lighting coming on and consoles lighting up.
"From here Inheritors will have full control over this facility barring defensive weaponry," Overseer informed them.
"Why not the defences?" Sheppard asked.
"Defences are entirely automated to safeguard this installation from destruction due to inability to sufficiently utilise them."
"What defences does this installation possess?" Xander asked.
"While access to the defences and information relating to them is restricted Inheritor I can inform you that they consist of numerous beam weapons and drone weapons," Overseer replied cryptically. "They are stationed at numerous hidden positions around the planet."
"Exactly what else does the rank of Inheritor allow me to do?" Sheppard asked.
"As an Inheritor you have full access to the systems of this installation and subsequently all the facilities it possesses," Overseer replied. "You are also entitled to access the legacy left to you by my creators."
"What legacy?"
"Knowledge."
That little golden nugget perked everyone up. No matter how annoying the AI may have been thus far they would gladly put up with it to acquire Alteran knowledge.
"What knowledge?" Rodney asked eagerly.
"Theoretical information for plasma weapons, shields, hyperdrives, ship designs and a complete list of stargate addresses."
You could practically feel the disappointment radiating from everyone.
"Well that's useful," Rodney said sarcastically.
"My behavioural subroutines suggest that you are unhappy with the legacy Inheritor," Overseer said. "Records left to me by my creators suggest that you should in fact be pleased with the legacy given the threat presented by the Wraith."
"We already have that legacy Overseer," Xander explained. "My people discovered the Ark on our home planet several centuries ago."
"I see. Processing. Is this the address for your home planet?"
The holographic projector activated and displayed a stargate address.
"That's it," Xander replied. "Although we were never able to get another stargate to establish a connection."
"My records indicate that an alteration to the stargate dialling program was made that prevented a connection from being established except for the stargate on Atlantis or in this facility."
"This facility has a stargate?"
"Yes Inheritor, its address is the first listing in the Ark stargate address archive. It is currently offline and thus unusable but can be reactivated. Once online it will override the gate in orbit."
"Well that explains why we never found this place. What are the specs of this place anyway?"
The hologram changed to show a floor plan of the installation, with a flashing area to indicate their current location at the heart of the installation. It was surprisingly expansive, consisting of a large network of corridors leading to multiple chambers. Most of them were not particularly big but one of which was incredibly large and, if the hologram was anything to go, by several kilometres long.
"What's in there?" Sheppard asked, indicating the large chamber.
"That is the starship hanger," Overseer answered. "It was made to be large enough to hold the largest of Alteran built ships, not including a city ship."
"I don't suppose there is anything in there?" Sheppard asked hopefully.
"It is currently empty."
"Figures."
"You said this installation is defended by drone and beam weapons," Thor said. "Would it be possible for us to relocate these weapons or dismantle them for study?"
"Apologies Supreme Commander but no one of Inheritor level or lower is allowed to access the defensive weapons or know the location of the emplacements. All maintenance work is performed by the servitors."
"What are the servitors?"
"Synthetics similar to the guardians that are not equipped with the guardians defensive or offensive technologies. They are responsible for the maintenance of this installation."
"Can the guardians or servitors be studied or produced in greater numbers?"
"No, while new synthetics can be produced there is a set limit that can be kept online and they will not operate outside of this installation."
"Nice try Thor," Sheppard said.
Thor however would not be put off quite so easily. "Are we allowed to upgrade this installation with our own technology?"
"Processing. Unknown. Primary protocols require that no changes be made that might compromise the security of this installation. What upgrades would you like to make to this installation?"
"Long range sensors, industrial beaming technology for the hanger, matter synthesisers and additional defensive weaponry. Also expansion of the facilities."
"Processing. Additional defensive weaponry would have to conform to stealth protocols and be solely controlled by this installation, as would sensor technology. Industrial beams and matter synthesisers can be installed within this installation provided that they do no jeopardize stealth functions as a result of use. Expansion is possible but can not be performed by servitors. Additional servitor and guardian units will also be required as new sections are brought online."
"Thank you Overseer."
"So you mean…" Sheppard started.
"We can make a secret base in Zarasian space," Xander finished.
"One with Lantean and current Asgard level technology," Rodney added.
"Not a total loss after all then," Thor noted.
Doom Bringer
"What can I do for you Ancestor?" Zarin asked.
"I have news for you Zarin," Vejovis said. "The others have indeed interfered and as I predicted they have steered your enemies towards my secret outpost and that I support your ambitions."
"Do you want me to dispatch a fleet to remove their taint ancestor?"
"No need Zarin. I have preparations of my own in hand to deal with that matter. I have come to give you some information that would be beneficial to you. If things progress further then more will become available, although I would be annoyed if that became necessary."
"Thank you ancestor. What is the information?"
"You have recently encountered two human like races, the Jaffa and the Liberum. You were led to believe they that are natives to this galaxy that came to power with the downfall of the Wraith and the enemy of the Tau'ri, but that is not in fact the truth."
"They are not from this galaxy, but the Tau'ri home galaxy," Zarin surmised, his eyes widening. "They are their allies."
"They are indeed their allies but only the Jaffa are from the same galaxy as the Tau'ri. The Liberum are from a galaxy much, much further away from here."
"How did they get here? Are their ships really that fast?"
"No, they utilised a device similar to stargate, only much larger, to bring their ships here. Your aim though is not to destroy such a device but merely to destroy the Liberum forces. Do you understand what I am saying Zarin?"
"That they are our enemies and not a race in this galaxy to be subjugated. That we simply need to eliminate them, by any means possible?" Zarin asked hopefully, knowing what confirmation would mean.
"Correct."
"It shall be done ancestor."
"See to it then Zarin. Performed correctly and this task will be its own reward."
"I understand ancestor."
"Oh and you should know that the Liberum have retreated to a system nearby to the one you first encountered them in. Look around a little and you should find them easily enough."
Zarin smiled a predatory grin. "Thank you very much ancestor."
The Installation, as certain members of the allied forces had taken to calling it, had not been instantly fully occupied. It could be called paranoia but the allies had no interest in simply moving in right away until they made a few important changes and were certain that it was secure. While they were quite pleased with their discovery it didn't change the fact that it was not what they had been looking for when they came here. They still didn't know where Vejovis had his secret base that housed the followers that were fuelling his incredible powers. They didn't know where the base was, how many followers were there or how well defended it was. It was arguably quite a presumption on their part that they were operating on the belief that there was only one base to find and not several.
The one small commitment they had made to the base was to relocate Borealis so that the base ship was orbiting the planet in geo-synchronous orbit. Of course the base ship had entered stealth mode the moment they had entered system so that they wouldn't be detected by the base. Paranoia extended to the possibility that when Vejovis had seen fit to remove this place from the Ark legacy he had also left a few surprises for them. It honestly wouldn't have surprised them to learn that Overseer had been programmed to wait until a certain number of people had appeared on the base before slaughtering them all, cleaning up the mess and then waiting for the process to repeat all over again. Admittedly that was one of the wilder theories floating around but quite frankly it was hard to put much faith in the potential actions of someone who was backing the single most hated man in the entire galaxy.
The first thing they had done was to set up transport lock boosters throughout the entire facility. This meant that they could bypass the interference created by the shielding in place and actually beam their people out if the need arose. They now had people crawling through the facility searching for something that would indicate foul play. Bypassing security lockouts on the computers was proving to be difficult but it was actually possible and all they needed was time, a scarce resource at the best of times. They had found out that the installation was powered by a single ZPM, one that hadn't seen much use in the last few millennia and as a result had a fair amount of juice remaining. It was also possible to tie in their generators to power the installation but it wasn't possible to remove the ZPM.
Whenever they had even suggested it Overseer had said, "Those of Inheritor rank or lower do not have the authority to alter the primary power source of this installation." And that had been the last word on the matter or rather it was the only thing Overseer had been willing to say. It may have been an AI but it was rather reluctant to offer much in the way of conversation being solely dedicated to its duties.
In many ways the AI was actually more of a hindrance than it was a benefit. It was useful in that it could provide instant information about the installation as well automatic control of the various systems. However that particular advantage was also a double edged sword because it meant that in an instant Overseer could also lock down every section, drain the air supply, set the base to self destruct and even start firing on the orbiting fleet. Until they could access the AI's base code and determine its intentions for them they were not willing to install so much as a new light bulb. They were also trying to check everything the AI told them on the chance that it was lying to them.
Borealis was in stealth mode, the fleet was cloaked, technicians were scouring the computer core and armed teams were searching through the various rooms of the installation. Plans were being drawn up to make changes to the installation but not a single new piece of technology had as of yet been brought onto the planet that was a part of the upgrade. The stargate hadn't even been switched on yet, since no one wanted to find out that it had been rigged to explode when powered. Of course with the addition of the one aboard Borealis the planet already had two gates so a third wasn't considered to be a priority.
Unknown Location
In a darkened chamber not a single creature stirred. The room had been long since unused, at least by normal people, but had been sealed and so not allowed to gather dust. In many ways this room was quite similar to the control room of the installation that was governed by the AI designated as the Overseer. The consoles in this room though were all dimmed but active which indicated that they were operating and performing tasks in the background, unlike those in the installation when they were first encountered. Even Atlantis when it been found slumbering didn't have consoles that weren't completely shut down as the city slumbered which surely meant that no one was present, and yet there wasn't a single sign of life. There was no sound of gentle footsteps or distant whispers that suggested the presence of people unseen but somewhere. Of course it was impossible to actually hear any sounds at all since there was no atmosphere to allow the sound waves to travel. Vacuum prevailed here, air having never even known the corridors of this particular installation except for the control room.
There was air in the control room, what kind was of no consequence since it was not for breathing but instead for hearing. It was only here by the whim of Vejovis, so that he could ask a question and hear an answer without having to go through the inefficient process of having to type in questions and read replies. No conversation was so much faster when it came to his little visits and today it was time for one of them.
In his ascended, and yet humanoid, form he appeared in the control room. There was no need for deception anymore so he did not bother to conceal his true power, not that he had ever bothered to in this place. This was his place, his special place and, above all, his secret place. No one knew about this place, Zarin certainly didn't but then again he had never told Zarin much more than he needed to know. The other ascended, even those that saw the merits of his plans, didn't know about it but once again it wasn't that hard to keep it secret from them. If you knew how then you could easily hide yourself from the view of even an ascended being. Ganos had certainly proven that much when she had managed to sneak into enemy territory unnoticed until the last moment and even then she had revealed herself intentionally. But he was not here for a social visit, although they did happen even now and then. He had a task to accomplish, preparations to make for eventualities that may never happen and even if they did it would be nothing more than an inconvenience.
"Caretaker," he intoned.
At his unspoken instruction a metallic orb identical to Overseer appeared in a flash of light.
"Welcome back master," the AI said respectfully. "I am happy to report that systems are operating at maximum efficiency with no breakdowns."
"Good, now what news of the planetary installation?"
"The subterranean level has been discovered and accessed. Currently there are numerous Inheritor, Asgard and Deficient class beings present. Overseer reports…"
"Overseer?" Vejovis asked, interrupting Caretaker.
"That is the name that the neural construct in the facility has been given by an Inheritor," Caretaker explained. "With the splinter protocols still in effect I am using the name as the identification of the construct."
"I see." He had never bothered to name that particular construct. There was no point in giving a personal name to a limb after all since it was still a part of the whole. "Continue."
"Overseer reports that they are attempting to ascertain whether there are any command protocols present that may prove harmful to the installation inhabitants. No attempt has yet been made to stop them but they have yet to translate all of the protocols. If none are found then they will upgrade the facilities and use the installation as a strategic outpost. They are also performing a manual search."
Vejovis nodded. He had expected as much, not that it would make any difference. They would not find any malicious coding nor would they be able to seize total control of the installation even if they did gain access to the core coding, for the simple reason being that there wasn't any to find. That particular avenue of investigation would pose no threat to him. The fact that they were searching every inch of the facilities was troubling though. There wasn't anything on the official floor plan that would prove to be problematic if stumbled upon but that didn't mean such areas didn't exist. Measures needed to be put in place for such an eventuality.
"Have the guardian platforms ready for deployment," he ordered. "If the security of secure area of the subterranean section is compromised intruders are to be eliminated. Guardian platforms are to be deployed in response and the compromised area to be placed on lockdown."
"Yes master."
"You are then to begin full scale production of additional guardian platforms for deployment into combat. If security here is compromised by whatever means then you are to disregard stealth protocols and switch to full response protocols."
"Yes master."
"In the mean time I want you to load all stasis capsules for evacuation and be prepared for possible departure. We may have to leave this location."
"I will endeavour to ensure the total protection of this facility against an enemy incursion Master. The defences of this facility are strong enough to hold off an entire Wraith armada and the enemy fleet present cannot breach them."
"I have no doubt of your ability to protect this installation or my children Caretaker but I have learned not to underestimate this particular opponent. How do you imagine this installation would fair against this systems star going supernova?"
"All scenarios indicate a complete annihilation of this installation. However my sensors indicate that this systems star is not on the verge of going supernova."
"And if the star collapses into a black hole?"
"The star does not possess enough mass to collapse into a black hole master."
"Indulge me."
"Once again all scenarios indicate an eventual complete destruction of this installation."
"Those are two possible methods of attack that you must guard against Caretaker."
"I understand master. I will be on guard."
"I expect nothing less but be ready for immediate evacuation in any case. I will not take chances when it comes to my children and there is always the possibility that we will not have such a large warning as sudden changes to a star."
"It will be done master. However I should point out that current ship transport capacity does not allow sufficient space for the stasis pods and your personal pods. Which would you like to be left behind?"
"Leave behind my personal pods. If and when this installation is discovered then they will no longer be necessary."
At his command the installation that had long been operating at minimal levels entered a much more lively state of activity. Systems which had never been activated, except for regular tests to make sure they were functional, came online and started performing their repetitive functions. In a rarely travelled to section of the installation countless numbers of stasis pods travelled through passages not meant to be traversed by people to be eventually loaded into a ship. In other areas automated assembly lines were readied to begin producing a legion of guardian platforms, should they be needed.
In the Installation Overseer chirped, happy at finally having masters to serve after all these years. Despite what the allies may think Overseer was completely loyal to them and had no instructions to betray them. That was the task assigned to Caretaker, and of course they knew nothing about Caretaker. Ideally they would never know about Caretaker until Caretaker chose to make its presence known to them. It seemed though that that time would be coming sooner rather than later since a search team was approaching a door that, according to the floor plan, was supposed to lead to nowhere.
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