Thank you all for your extraordinary patience. Thank you to all those who reviewed the last chapter. Some of you have been worried by my absence, I promise, all is well, just been busy with life.
CHAPTER 16: The Face That Launched An Ancient Ship
General Jack O'Neill lowered his military-issued ballistic Oakleys to better see the suddenly blinding terrain as he stepped out of the SGC's artificially-lit gateroom to the overheated globe where the outpost was located.
To his right, he saw Ila do the same. Hours before they were to dial out, the boys had eagerly accompanied her to Siler's to get kitted out for their mission that morning. Hammond had authorized her to leave the SGC through the gate, provided that Jack himself kept a close eye on her. She was their most valuable asset in the fight against the Goa'uld, and if an outing back to where they'd found her would help soften her up into helping them, then sending a General through the gate as a babysitter was a small price to pay to achieve that objective.
Jack was just happy to go through the gate again without the risk of being zatted, painsticked, or imprisoned by some overly dramatic narcissist who could double for Liberace. Although there was always a chance that some nasty character like "Bocce" could show up, he was confident that at least the percentages were in his favor.
Not one but three teams were assigned to guard the outpost. There was already talk at Homeworld Security of permanently assigning a science team and SGC personnel once they'd determined that the place was safe. They might have to move the gate closer to the outpost and install an iris, but the President was willing to invest resources for the larger returns in technology.
Daniel and Jonas had both quickly volunteered for the job of resident interpreter. Only one of them could go, and the men had given each other chagrined looks when this became clear. There had always been potential for conflict there, but Jack knew that whoever he chose to send, the other would accept his decision and would not resent the person who was given the job.
"The oceans are gone." Ila noted in that usual calm that he was becoming familiar with.
Cradling his P90 to his side, he indicated a finger up to the sky. Ila smiled at the bizarre gesture, bowing her head slightly in understanding.
They were all dressed in desert camo, including Ila who looked out of place and ill at ease in the masculine gear. He figured that she was used to finer attire and found the utilitarian clothing at the SGC uncomfortable. She was three inches taller than Carter, but the Colonel's other measurements seemed to fit her well enough; just as well since Carter's sizing was the only ones they had in stock at such short notice.
The SGC didn't get a lot of new personnel due to the high security clearance needed to work at the facility, and the necessary skills required to be even considered. The very nature of what they did under the mountain meant that very few people were found qualified for the job requirements. That resulted in few transfers from other bases, and any new recruits were planned for weeks in advance, giving the SGC staff ample time to organize the required kit.
SG-2 were in charge of patrolling the perimeter of the outpost. Jack spotted Ferretti nearby and gave him a nod. The Colonel executed a lazy salute with his middle finger then winked at him.
Jack shook his head. He was glad that his promotion hadn't changed Louis's irreverent attitude towards his superior officer. Jack figured, accepting full responsibility, that his former special ops subordinate had learned from the best.
"You are a highly regarded leader, Jack," Ila commented as they approached the entrance of the outpost. She looked at him sideways as they walked. "That is a rare achievement for one who has to make such difficult choices of life and death."
He almost burst out laughing. One of his men had just given him the finger, and she thought he was the best thing since sliced bread. Did Lantians have sliced bread?
Jack felt uncomfortable listening to her compliments. He was nothing special. He was just good at doing his job. He cleared his throat before replying. "We've all been through many shared battles. People become close that way."
Ila smiled at him. "Yes, I can see that."
Kawalsky, an MP5 slung across his chest, was standing guard by the outpost entrance. He pushed off the wall he was leaning on when he saw Jack and Ila approaching.
"How's the first day, Charlie?" Jack asked the full-bird colonel as they stopped in a shaded area under a stone awning.
"Can't complain," Charlie grinned. He hiked a thumb behind him. "Specially since the wife's found the medical version of a candy store in there. Been taking samples of samples they found in her lab," he said inclining his head at Ila.
Jack took a peek at Ila. He could've sworn her lips had twitched in amusement at Charlie's comments. Ayianna had been able to decipher their language pretty quickly; he wouldn't be surprised at all if Ila had been quietly learning to understand English.
Charlie's smile wavered as he got a better look at Jack's face. The colonel raised his eyebrows in perfect imitation of his wife. "Rough morning?"
"As you were." Jack chose to ignore the comment and led Ila inside the dimly lit corridor.
The entrance they had found turned out to be one of many. The main entrance of the large building had been buried under sand dunes. The concourse, once brightly lit when viewed from the inside, now seemed more like a cavern with the exterior skylights and large glass panels now darkened by mounds of sand.
As they walked around the still unexplored areas of the outpost, Ilana recounted the place's former glory. It had been beautiful, she said, overlooking the light blue ocean that often times seemed to melt into the cloudless sky. Looking into endless desert, Jack found it hard to imagine that anything as vast as an ocean ever existed there.
At some point in their tour they bumped into Doctor Lee's team who had been charged with exploring the bowels of the building. The academic looked like he hadn't slept in days with clothes rumpled, scraggly beard, and jumpy as hell from what Jack can only assume was litres of Air Force standard-issue coffee sloshing through his digestive system.
"... I can't even begin to tell you how this desalinator will transform the way we process water," Lee expounded on the large car-sized machine in the middle of the room. "I mean, not only does it separate out sodium chloride, it also removes any impurities present, microbial or otherwise! It's absolutely incredible," Lee said in awe as he patted his newest find.
"He is quite fond of our water processing methods," Ilana observed with a small smile. "Perhaps you should ask him where the deuterium is collected."
Jack raised his eyebrows in astonishment. Clearing his throat, he translated Ilana for the benefit of the scientist.
Lee's expression could only be described as comical. He'd been holding an empty cup of coffee, and the metal mug clattered to the floor at the same time as his jaw had dropped.
"Gen-" Lee begun, then shook his head as if to clear it of cobwebs. "Jay!" he suddenly hollered for Doctor Felger. He wandered off without preamble, muttering to himself. Felger appeared a few seconds later, and grinned when he realized who was there. Jack shifted uncomfortably at the look of hero worship being sent his way.
"General O'Neill!" Felger said with much enthusiasm, which quickly transformed into a frown as he regarded the General. "What happened to your face?"
"Not now, Jay," Lee warned the scientist as he pushed the overly-excited man to their makeshift work area. "I need you to get those laptops hooked up to the desalinator now!"
"But I thought-"
"Now, Jay!"
Jack rolled his eyes as the two scientists squabbled, making Ila giggle. The sound was so genuine and familiar, it squeezed something inside of Jack. It was the exact same kind of sound that Carter used to make when he made her laugh.
He pulled Ila out of the large room and led her back up the now functioning lifts, thanks to four naquadah reactors they'd rigged up to power critical systems.
Ila regarded him with concern. "Are you well, Jack?" Her gaze flickered to the livid bruise that circled his right eye and spread to the bridge of his nose.
Thoughts of Carter had darkened his mood considerably. He'd been restless most of the night, unable to think of anything apart from their confrontation in the park then the incident with Shanahan outside his house. Confessions were supposed to be good for the soul, but all it did for him was make things even more awkward than they already were.
Facing Carter the next day and the day after that filled him dread. She now knew the depth of his feelings and that made him feel entirely vulnerable around her. The veneer of sarcasm and humor was his usual way of diffusing uncomfortable situations, but with Carter he no longer had the strength to pretend. She'd stripped him raw and bleeding. The only tactic left to him was retreat.
Ilana looked on him with concern when her inquiry remained unanswered. Seeing the distant look in his eyes, she exited the elevator at the concourse level and waited for Jack to follow her towards another section of the building, close to the labs where they found her.
She kept moving past the laboratory and the location of the control chair, until they arrived at a dead end.
Jack lifted his eyebrows. "A bit lost, are we?" he said in English.
Ilana ignored him and waved a hand over a lit panel that Jack had assumed was a lighting fixture. His knowledge of Ancient technology was fairly basic. While he could ingest quite a lot of information much faster than other humans were capable of, he still needed to assimilate it. He didn't have a complete working knowledge of the outpost's systems downloaded in his brain. It was one thing to read the manual for turning on the lights and opening doors. It was entirely another to figure out every system within the building.
The wall in front of them seem to stutter, before finally parting and revealing a small room the size of a closet. Jack glanced at Ila's stoic expression, when she didn't look back at him and simply entered the room, Jack had no choice but to follow her in.
"Cosy," he muttered to himself trying to act nonchalant, but gripped his P90 tighter.
"You have nothing to fear," Ilana reassured him. "I am simply showing you another part of the myrdhin."
Jack wasn't familiar with the term, but he assumed she meant the outpost itself. Jack put his fascinated expression on, but it was a struggle. "Not much to look at," he said after a pause.
Ilana didn't try to understand him. She reached out to touch the back wall and the wall suddenly parted, activating a screen that was hidden behind the panel. Jack recognized a map of the main section of the outpost, but the floor plan shifted and transformed into a different and unfamiliar layout that Jack couldn't recall seeing when he'd accessed the outpost's blueprints.
She selected a section and Jack experienced the familiar sensation of an Asgard transporter. He blinked slowly. Ila moved forward, the door of the closet parting open, revealing a completely different corridor from where they'd started.
"Where are we?" Jack questioned Ila. He craned his head up to see the towering glass ceiling that spiraled upwards to a distant point. The roof tapered into a cone shape, the room they were in a perfect circle surrounded by glass and metal walls.
Ilana stood perfectly still in the middle of the room with her eyes closed. Jack waited a full minute before clearing his throat.
"I spent much time here," Ilana explained, her eyes still closed. "It is a place for contemplation, to reflect on one's existence and prepare for the path of ascension." She turned to look at Jack. "I was not very good at it," she smiled ironically. "Fitting, I suppose, that I am the last of my race to be left in corporeal form."
Jack felt distinctly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. He wasn't very good at this sort of 'meaning of life' stuff. This was Daniel's department since he'd done the whole glowy thing, before he pissed off the 'The Others' and they tossed him back to the mortal plane for being naughty. "I don't…" He trailed off not really knowing what to say.
Ilana suddenly laughed. "I do not expect you to meditate with me, do not worry!"
He couldn't help letting out a relieved sigh. "Then what are we doing here?" He spread his arms wide to indicate the large circular room. He personally couldn't see how anyone could be comfortable in such a huge space without any furniture.
"I needed to see that it existed, that something of my previous life has survived," she replied sadly. "You are the closest thing to what I am, a part of my people lives in you," she reminded him, referring to his Ancient genes. "It felt right to share our legacy with you, Jack."
Jack glanced around, trying to see with new eyes the appeal of the Ancient tower. The wide glass panes of the roof was now covered in layers of golden dust from the desert winds. But he could imagine them in their former glory, displaying the inky night sky. "A beautiful place to look at the stars."
"It was," Ilana agreed. "I spent many nights here looking up at the sky that no longer held any mystery for my kind, but still brought me comfort and beauty. Perhaps if I had not allowed such distractions, ascension would not have been so difficult."
Jack wanted to ask her so many questions, but it felt wrong somehow to interrogate her at such a vulnerable time. Normally he wouldn't hesitate, it was his job to find out as much as they could about Ilana's history. On the other hand, General Hammond and the President had been very clear that he was not to alienate Ilana. He was to befriend her, gain her trust, get her to see the wisdom of helping them.
He found befriending her a lot simpler than he'd anticipated. She was the no-nonsense type he'd always liked in a woman which made things a lot easier. Being an Ancient, she was smart, but wasn't arrogant like the Tollan were, or condescending like the Nox. Best of all, she didn't confuse the hell out of him like the rest of her race, Oma and Orlin coming into mind. Even Daniel had got all up on himself when he'd ascended.
"I can depart if you prefer," Jack offered. He winced at his lousy grasp of Ancient, wishing Ilana would hurry up already and pick up English like Ayianna did.
Ilana smiled sadly. "It is not necessary. The path to ascension is not dependent on places such as this. It is a full awareness of one's being and the ability to release one's burden. It is clear that I am not yet ready for that task."
Her smile brightened. "Come," she led him deeper into the room, towards a doorway he hadn't noticed was there. "I have much to show you."
Jack hesitated for a moment, thinking about radioing his location as per SOP, but to get Ilana to trust them he also needed to show some trust in her. Against his usual reservation, he clutched his weapon tighter and followed her lead.
Daniel, come in.
The sudden crackle of the radio startled Daniel out of his deep contemplation of the Ancient historical notes he'd been studying, making him jump. His empty cup of coffee landed on its side as the large tome he held clipped its edge.
From across the room, Teal'c raised his eyebrows at his skittish behavior, and pulled out his radio. "It is I, O'Neill."
T! I need you and Daniel to meet me at this location here.
What was an inactive screen in the far wall opposite the sand darkened windows suddenly came to life displaying a three dimensional map of the facility. Two square bleeps on the screen appeared.
That's you on the lower level. That's us here in the spire. Meet us up here in ten. O'Neill out.
Daniel quickly abandoned his study, eager to know what Jack had managed to get Ilana to show him that was so important. The future of their planet depended heavily on her cooperation, and if Jack had accomplished that in such a short time… He couldn't help the leap of excitement in his chest.
Jack and Ilana's entrance activated the huge see-through screens. The long disused room sputtered to life as they walked further inside, the internal sensors detecting the ATA gene of both occupants.
Jack squinted at the extremely bright lights once the room came to full power. He winced as his bruised eye muscles protested at the sudden movement.
Ilana noticed his discomfort, and approached him. "May I?" she reached forward and touched his right cheek. Jack's eyes involuntarily closed at the warmth her touch induced. A few seconds later, his eyes flickered open, and the pain in the side of his face was gone.
Ilana grinned. "That color of blue did not suit you." She slowly pulled back her hand and turned towards one of the screens. "This was my work space," she indicated the room at large. "Like my father before me, I was a scientist. Most Lantians spent their days pursuing the path to ascension; others, the few who were too stubborn to accept defeat, worked on ways of defeating the Wraith."
Jack's ears perked up at the new information. "The Wraith?"
"I am relieved that you have not heard of them. The fact that Terra flourishes means that they have not found a way to travel to this galaxy."
"Where exactly are these Wraith from?" Jack kept his tone even, but inside, his pulse rate had risen and his mind was going a million light years a minute. Another threat, another enemy, another thing to prolong the war.
"Your question requires a complicated answer. Suffice to say, they do not come from this belt of stars."
"So… from a galaxy, far, far away?" Jack said jokingly.
"Pegasus."
Jack's amusement disappeared. Pegasus. The same galaxy where he'd sent the Atlantis expedition. Daniel's theory about the genealogy of 'Lantian' went from mere speculation to reality.
"These 'Wraith'. You were at war with them?"
Ilana hesitated before answering. She seemed to struggle with herself, before deciding to answer his question. "They were the reason that we returned to this galaxy. Too many of our people had perished and still the Wraith grew in number and in power. Even with all our advancements, we could not hold back the tide, and eventually we realized that retreat was the only solution," she smiled grimly.
"'The evil is too strong to resist. The only way to win is to deny it battle'."
Ilana gave him a curious look.
"Just something I heard once… It's one of yours actually. The Ancients I mean," Jack haltingly explained. "One of you said it. I just… kinda… put my own twist on it." He grimaced at the end, feeling extremely uncomfortable with all the spiritual talk. He really needed to stop hanging around Daniel and Teal'c.
Yeah. Not gonna happen.
She smiled in understanding, and turned back to the console in front of her. "But the Wraith is not why I brought you here. Your friend Daniel was correct. It would be wrong to stand by and allow the slaughter and enslavement of many, when I may be able to assist in some way. My people chose to not interfere, because they felt their time in this path was in its twilight, but ultimately, we must all travel the path alone."
Ilana brought up schematics of a ship. "This is a gateship," she began. "It is an exploratory vessel capable of travelling through the Astria Porta. It was designed for scientific exploration, but also functions as a short-range transport vessel."
"You want to give us a ship?"
"I want to give you many ships, but my intended purpose at the moment was to utilize the ship we might still have in this outpost to bring you here." She brought up a gate address and a planet appeared on the screen. "Perhaps you might be able to find something there to help defeat the Goa'uld once and for all."
Jack regarded her for a moment. He'd certainly hadn't seen this coming. He tried to summon some suspicion, the cynical part of him that should say that this was too good to be true, but there was nothing.
He still didn't know what experiment they had been conducting that made her volunteer to be in that stasis chamber, or why they had failed to wake her up after two years, but for some reason his instincts were telling him that she was harmless, and for once, didn't have a shady agenda.
Jack snapped out of his contemplation, and pulled the radio attached to his tac vest close to his mouth. "Daniel, come in."
We're gonna be taking this story off-world in the next few chapters... And fixing the mess Sam and Jack have made. I love hearing from you guys, so please don't forget to review!
Oh, anyone else in the US see David DeLuise in a Purina Beneful ad? Cannot take him seriously...