Happy new year everyone!
Here is chapter 4, I hope you all enjoy.
To answer some questions from a review:
This is obviously an Alternate Universe for both Stargate and Star Wars. So no, the Star Wars movies/games and any other franchise elements don't exist in this universe so the SG and Atlantis personnel wouldn't recognise and they certainly won't be quoting the movies.
If you're unfamiliar with Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO, it is set after KOTOR. So is this, in regards to Revan's life, is after his fall and then redemption. He is a Jedi Master once again, centuries after his life with Bastilla Shan, kept alive with Sith Alchemy after his capture by the Sith Empire.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please review.
-Spearhead
The 'Puddle Jumper' as Sheppard had dubbed it, touched down with a thud in a clearing surrounded by trees. This was the planet that the Atlantis Expedition suspected the unknown enemy had taken their people. At first they were unsure if they could mount a rescue, but then Doctor Rodney McKay had introduced Major Sheppard to the small ancient craft.
The solider had then discovered the fact that the ship possessed some sort of stealth system, which only increased the odds of the rescue missions success. Revan had agreed to participate in an attempt to build trust, but he wasn't willing for HK-47 or Erica to face this threat, not yet. Not until he knew more about these beings.
HK at the minute was more valuable being in charge of logistics, having hundreds of crates of weapons, armour and supplies to keep track of. While Erica was too undisciplined, under trained and over confident. Plus she needed to learn that there was more to being a Jedi than just swinging a lightsaber.
As the ramp at the rear of the vessel lowered, everyone inside stood and readied themselves. The Atlantis military personnel checked and loaded their weapons, quickly dashing out with them raised, while Revan simply stepped off of the ship to absorb the surroundings of a new planet.
The air wasn't as crisp or fresh as the ocean breeze on Atlantis, it seemed stale here. But Revan took in a deep breath regardless.
With closed eyes, he used the force to reach out and expand his senses.
It was strange on this world, the force was odd. It seemed untouched, natural, yet he could feel death and suffering.
"Alright, teams of two! I want you to lay charges around the exterior of the facility to be used as a distraction. Revan and Ford, with me." Sheppard ordered before marching off towards what the Puddle Jumper had identified as an artificial structure.
Niether Ford or Revan hesitated, both following quickly behind the Major, the Jedi plucking his lightsaber from his side in an unintentionally tight grip.
It didn't take the trio long to reach the strange structure, the whole journey flashing past in a cautious advance.
As they approached, they all noticed how the construct took up most of the mountain above them, an impressive feat of engineering to be sure. As they got closer, they found an entry point in the form of what looked like a door. Sheppard shrugged before pressing the pad beside it, caused the door to open quickly, a stringy residue now stretching across the entrance.
"Some kind of biological technology?" Revan asked rhetorically.
"Maybe." Sheppard grunted before slowly advancing into the structure, retrieving the small device he had gained from the Puddle Jumper.
It activated with a beep and began producing quiet chimes indicating that it was scanning its surroundings.
Revan walked several steps ahead of Sheppard and looked down a vast corridor.
Once again the Jedi closed his eyes and reached out with the force, using his mind to sense where the prisoners were being kept. In the force, he travelled through corridors, over walkways and into rooms before finding a prison cell leaking with fear.
"I've found them, but there's something else." Revan said loud enough for his teammates to hear as his forehead warped.
"What is it?" John asked, approaching the powerful being.
"I'm not sure. All through this place I feel, I'm not sure how to describe it, spots of emptiness." Revan answered, opening his eyes.
"That's good isn't it?" Aidan asked, his weapon still raised towards the corridor ahead.
"No, I don't think it is." Revan said, shaking his head before physically advancing deeper into the construct.
Ford and Sheppard followed the Jedi Master closely, aiming their rifles down the hallways that intersected their path.
"Are we really going to rely on this guys 'feelings', Sir?" Ford asked quietly as they traversed their admittedly creepy surroundings.
"You didn't see what he showed me and Doctor Weir, hell I don't even know how he did it. But after finding out about the Stargate and the Ancients, I'm learning quickly to trust things I didn't know existed a few days ago." Sheppard admitted as they followed the stranger they had no choice but to trust.
"Yeah, I guess." Aidan sighed, continuing to have his doubts but choosing to ignore them for the time being.
Without encountering any other being, the trio found themselves in an area filled with prison cells. In this detention area, only one of the small rooms contained life.
"Major Shepard!" The excited and relieved voice of Teyla Emmargen called out.
Revan didn't hesitate, activating his lightsaber and cutting a hole in the cells web-like door. The purple blade easily gliding through the strange material. He deactivated his weapon and reached out with the force. The circle of organic weave pulled away from the door and floated to the side, allowing the prisoners to exit.
"Teyla, where's Colonel Summoner?" John asked with a frown after she stepped out of the containment.
"He was taken by the Wraith, not long ago." The Athosian leader admitted, pointing in the direction of a corridor.
"Ford and Revan, get these people back to the Jumper. I'm going to get the Colonel." Sheppard ordered and before anyone could argue, the man had begun down the indicated corridor with his P90 raised.
"Alright, follow me." Aidan Ford shrugged before leading the small group towards the facilities exit. The young man was so concerned with the enemy that might jump out to attack the group, that he hadn't thought to ask Revan if anything was approaching them.
"Ford, wait here. There's something coming." Revan informed as he hurried through the group from his position at it's rear.
Once again, Aidan didn't have time to object as the Jedi Master had walked past him and stepped into the darkness of another hallway.
Revan slowly advanced into the dimly lit corridor with his lightsaber hilt in hand. He couldn't quite understand why there were blank spots in the force, the only emotions he was getting from them were hunger, rage and pain.
He knew they had to be the enemy he had been sent here to fight. But first, he needed to understand them.
Revan came to a stop beside a doorway and waited, hearing thunderous steps on approach.
As the creature walked across the threshold, a single diagonal slice of a quickly activated lightsaber, severed the head.
The limp body dropped to the floor as did the head that was attached a second before.
Revan reached out with the force and noticed the void had disappeared, meaning the Wraith were the cause. After a quick check, the Jedi couldn't detect any other of the creatures close by.
With a push through the force, the foggy layer that clung to the ground moved away to reveal the muscular body and the masked face sitting a meter apart. They were truly strange, these Wraith as Sheppard had called them. Their skin was a pale blue while the hair that extended from the mask was as white as snow.
"These are the creatures from my vision, however, I suspect this is simply a brute or a solider." Revan thought aloud, bringing his hand up to his chin as he examined the mask that seemed to be bonded with the creatures face.
"I'm guessing it's clear." The voice of Aidan asked as he slowly walked towards the now crouched Jedi.
"Yes, there are no more Wraith between us and the exit." Revan nodded, pushing himself to his feet and releasing his mental suppression on the fog, allowing it to cover the floor once again.
"Then we should get going. The Major will be right behind us and we must be ready to make a quick escape." Teyla said as she joined them, quickly indicating for the others to follow her past the corpse.
"Revan, take them to the ship, I'll go help the Major." Ford said as he looked at the man, who seemed ready to argue, but agreed without complaint after a second of thought.
Revan was after all, a helping hand on this mission and needed the expedition members to trust him.
Revan stood in the conference room in front of an assembled group of the Atlantis Expedition. It had been an entire day since their return from the Wraith planet, the end of the mission not going as well as anyone had hoped.
Colonel Marshal Sumner, the expeditions military leader, hadn't made it. As he was being fed on by a Wraith, Major Sheppard had been forced to end the mans suffering by killing him.
While he wasn't talking about it, or willing to admit it, the young military man was struggling with the choice he had made. Through the force, Revan could detect the enormous amount of pain and grief emanating from him. But the Jedi Master chose not to approach the subject in fear of offending the Major.
While it wasn't being said aloud, everyone present was thinking how different the situation could've ended had Revan not been sent to guide the former prisoners, Aiden Ford's mind was the most chaotic about the subject.
"First off, I would like to welcome the Athosians into the city. While not our intention, or an ideal situation, the hallways will have to accommodate your people until our security teams have completed thorough sweeps." Elizabeth Weir said diplomatically, talking more to the only Athosian present.
"On behalf of my people, I thank you. Not just for allowing us into the City of the Ancestors, but also for saving so many from the Wraith." Teyla nodded her head in a bow, her voice full of wonder and appreciation.
"Well we didn't do it alone." Sheppard remarked indicating to Revan who was also sat at the table with Erica and HK stood behind him.
"I thank you also." Teyla smiled, once again bowing her head.
"Think nothing of it, it is a Jedi's duty to serve." Revan commented, trying and failing not to sound too much like a preacher.
"Speaking of, I have some questions that I feel need answering." Doctor Rodney McKay interjected rudely.
"Rodney." Elizabeth said disgruntled in an attempt to silence the man.
"Please, by all means." Revan nodded, agreeing to the mans demand.
"So you're from another galaxy, where this Republic and Sith Empire are at war, why exactly?" Doctor Rodney McKay asked, as Chuck typed away furiously, taking the minutes of the meeting.
"Nearly 30 years ago, measured by the Coruscant Calendar, the Sith Empire emerged from their small corner of our home galaxy and began attacking Republic worlds. Of course in response, the Republic and it's Jedi Knight protectors rallied to face the assaults. The Great Galactic War was fought for 28 years, only ending when the Empire managed to capture our capital world. For the past two years we've had an uneasy peace. Of course there have been radicals, on both sides, trying to spark a new conflict. Recently, those sparks caused the fire of a new war to burn." Erica answered, remembering her lessons as best as she could.
"I'm sorry, I missed all of that apart from Jedi." Carson Beckett, the expeditions chief medical physician said bluntly.
"The Jedi are traditionally peacekeepers, protectors and philosophers. We use our abilities to help others. The Sith are the polar opposite. They use the force as a tool for destruction and greed. Taking power and dominating anyone they deem weak." Revan added, choosing to ignore the physician.
"So it's a war of ideologies." Weir remarked, looking at the Jedi Master.
"In a way, you are correct. However, nothing is ever as simple as right or wrong." Revan nodded, agreeing with the diplomatic leader of the expedition.
"So there's a war going on, but you're here?" McKay asked, his obnoxious grating on Erica's calm exterior.
"We are here, because we must walk a different path. That war is behind us, the consequences and outcome of which will only effect our home Galaxy. The war that is coming will rage across many." Revan replied honestly, looking the man directly in the eye.
"Well I for one am happy to have the help." Sheppard nodded, remembering the mans small display of his abilities.
"If there's no more questions about this subject, I believe we should talk about the Wraith." Doctor Weir suggested, looking around the room.
"Very well, what do you wish to discuss?" Revan queried, as he folded his arms across his chest.
"I'd like to come up with a plan on how to fight their ships. The ones from your vision." Sheppard suggested, looking between the pair.
"Well didn't you bring a ship with you?" McKay quickly questioned, his eyes suddenly fixed on Erica, obviously finding the young woman attractive.
"That's certainly an option." Erica admitted, looking over to her Master.
"The Bastilla's Might should be used in defence of the city and nothing else. Her hyperdrive is woefully slow." Revan added, knowing of course why they'd arrived so quickly.
"Well that's just great. What good is that?" Rodney scoffed in arrogance.
"I do have a solution, however, it isn't a quick one." Revan offered, pulling a shard of metal from a pouch on his belt.
"I'm sorry, but what are we looking at?" Elizabeth asked, squinting slightly.
"The beginnings of this." Revan replied as his free hand pulled a circular device from a different pouch. With a press of the activation switch, a blue hologram leapt from the machine to hover in the centre of the room, large enough for all to see.
"This is the technical read outs of the Star Forge. A giant automated shipyard designed to pull energy and matter from a star in order to create an endless supply of ships, battle droids, weapons, machinery and anything else required by its users." Revan informed, watching the design slowly rotate and displayed text change.
"How are we suppose to build this thing from a single splinter of metal?" Rodney asked mockingly, rolling his eyes.
"It can build itself. All it requires is energy. Now at the moment it's too small to draw power from a star, however I believe one of your power generators would start the process." Revan informed, changing the hologram to show the simulation that HK had created for him that showed an estimated timeline for the Star Forge's construction.
"It must use some form of energy-matter conversion." Zelenka said, leaning forward as he watched the hologram once again display the finished product.
"Sure." Erica shrugged as she agreed, completely unsure of what the scientist was talking about.
"How long will it take?" Weir queried, looking to the Jedi Master.
"One year until completion. 3 months until construction capabilities, which of course will slow down its progress if used too much." Revan replied truthfully.
"So we can build a warship ship in 3 months, cool." Aidan nodded enthusiastically.
"3 months until it's capable of building a ship. Then however long it'll take to build the actual ship." McKay informed, shaking his head.
"Still cool." Aiden said bluntly looking directly at the scientist.
"Well before we build any warships, I think perhaps we should focus on repairing the city." Weir suggested looking at the young man with a smile.
"The lady's got a point." Sheppard nodded in agreement.
"The droid crew from the Might can begin that process, they don't require rest and can work continuously. Also they recharge using the ships power supply. Although I am hesitant to use the 'energy-matter' converters as they are a power hungry system, especially for material creation. However, the power needed to create food, clothing or basic tools is minimal." Revan thought out loud, rubbing his chin.
"What kind of power supply?" Zelenka questioned out of curiosity.
"The ship has a power cell that stores vast amounts of solar energy. It was designed for years of continuous flight without the need to recharge, unfortunately it can only be replenished by the Star Forge." Revan explained, leaving out the fact that the Might was actually built and charged by the Foundry.
"Well to power a whole ship as well as energy-matter conversion technology, that could be ZPM level energy." Rodney suggested, thinking about the implications if he was correct.
"I don't know what a ZPM is. However, I will of course allow you and your scientists to do whatever tests or examinations you would like on the Might's power cell and any other systems you may find of interest. Also, I will provide the technical specifications of both my ship and the Star Forge as well as a droid assistant to help with the conversion calculations." Revan said as he deactivated the hologram and placed both the projector and shard of the Star Forge into their pouches.
"That would be brilliant, thank you." Zelenka smiled as he pushed his glasses up before they fell off of his nose.
"HK has already prepared a schedule for unloading the Might's hanger bays. While most of it is military equipment, there are some essentials stored on board like bedding, medical supplies and foodstuffs. With your permission, I would like that to begin." Revan explained, looking at Elizabeth directly.
"I'm not inclined to refuse you, however where are we going to store what isn't used? Also what about monitoring access to the storage area?" Weir queried, looking between Sheppard and Revan.
"On our way here, we passed through several large areas. Perhaps one of those closest to the landing pad?" Erica suggested, her arms tucked behind her back.
"As for monitoring and security, droids from my ship can handle that task. With your permission, I would like to claim and use one of the towers as I see fit. " Revan informed before Sheppard could recommend using his own men.
"Sounds good to me, again, we just arrived and claimed the whole city. A single tower won't make much difference. There seems to be more than enough space here. But I would like some of my people to be present and help where they can, maybe taught a few things about your technology." Weir quickly agreed, raising an eyebrow as she shrewdly negotiated her terms.
"I have no objections, HK will be more than happy for any oversight appointed." Revan nodded after a second of though.
"Statement: I do hope that was a joke, Master." HK-47's synthetic voice remarked, seemingly unimpressed.
So in regards to this chapter, I felt as though it kind of had to follow a similar route to the Atlantis show, even with Revan.
There will be both similarities and differences from this point on, probably more of the latter, especially when the Star Forge is complete.
Once again, I hope you all enjoyed and please review.
-Spearhead