Hello everyone!
I'm so sorry I'm late once again, but the personal and professional life are crazy lately.
Just like with the previous chapter, I won't be answering reviews but I do read them all and I'm thankful you're all here and want more to read.
I'm already working on the next chapter so it won't be late this month, I hope.
When I'm writing these chapters I do take parts out, so I know they feel short, but the cut content is coming in later chapters, I promise.
-Spearhead.
The shuttle slowed itself as it approached the star that Atlantis orbited, coming to a stop several hundred meters away from the growing artificial construct.
The hanger bay opened to allow the ship entry. Which it did so without delay. As soon as the shuttle was within the boundaries, the doors closed and sealed the bay.
As it touched down, the loading ramp of the vessel lowered itself and allowed the small team to disembark.
Revan, Sheppard, Zelenka and McKay walked off of the ship to be greeted by HK-47.
"Declaration: Master, I am pleased to see you and hope this means the end of my assignment to this dreadfully dull place." HK's synthetic voice announced loudly as he watched the group approach.
"I'm sorry HK, but you're needed here to oversee operations. For now at least." Revan informed, shaking his head at the droid.
"Resignation: Very well, Master." HK seemingly sulked as McKay and Zelenka walked past the machine, headed for the makeshift work area that had been created for them at the other end of the hanger.
"Rodney, play nice." Sheppard called after the scientist as he whined loudly after noticing something he didn't like about the set up.
"Yeah yeah." McKay responded, actually ignoring the man.
"HK, please update me on the current state of the Star Forge." Revan ordered, stepping past the droid, heading towards the door that led to the rest of the facility.
"Statement: The Star Forge is currently nearly twenty-six percent complete, estimated time until completion, eight Earth months. The facility can now recharge the Bastilla's Might if required and possesses limited manufacturing capability. Those capabilities are being fully utilised in the creation of the droid workforce you requested, while not hindering the Star Forge's self repair functions." HK informed as it fell in behind its creator, Sheppard joining the pair.
"Good, the current batch of droids is to be the last, for now." Revan ordered as they approached one of the many secondary control rooms.
"Query: What is the new construction priority?" HK asked as he watched the Jedi Master access the computer terminal.
"Doctor McKay and Doctor Zelenka's project will be your new focus." Revan informed as he inserted a data chip and bought up the holographic schematics for the portable solar capacitor.
It was a piece of Rakatan technology that McKay and Zelenka had been studying. They had spent weeks learning the ins and outs of the device, learning how to operate and repair the machine.
These rechargeable devices held enough energy to equal a Zero Point Module, meaning they could power Atlantis and her defences.
So here they were, onboard the Star Forge, to construct one of the capacitors. But even then, it would take a while to fabricate and assemble the parts.
"Declaration: Synthesis of components have begun." HK informed after walking over to a nearby terminal and entering several commands.
"Very good HK, now, bring up schematics for sentient habitat constructs." Revan nodded, as he looked up at the hologram displaying the capacitor.
The Bastilla's Might sat patiently above the asteroid field that looped around the outer edge of the Lantean star system.
A dozen of jet pack equip droids moved across the surface of one of the bigger chunks of rock, drilling anchors into it.
When the task was complete, over a secure com-link, the signal was given for the tow lines to be deployed.
Six durasteel cables shot towards the asteroid and linked into the housings perfectly, allowing the Might to retrieve the space debris.
As it floated into the converted hanger bay on the port side of the starship, the cables released and allowed the interior rigging to take possession of the mineral rich rock.
When it was locked in place, the next team of machines began to chip away at the unwanted exterior with their mining lasers, hastily exposing their coveted prize.
A thick vein of unrefined Naquadah ore shone under the hangers lighting, not that it helped the electronic sensors of the mining droids.
Doctor Shaw stood in what was normally the hanger bay's control room, which had been converted into an operations centre for the mining effort.
"The droids are doing a fantastic job." His assistant, Doctor Lu, commented as the pair watched the stripping of yet another asteroid quickly and efficiently.
"There's certainly plenty of Naquadah, but we haven't detected any Triniu or Neutronium. I expected at least a small amount to be present." Shaw sighed as he glanced down at his pad to check the data from the latest sensor sweep.
"It was always doubtful we'd find deposits of all three in the same place." Lu reminded, pressing a file on his own tablet.
"How are we looking so far?" Shaw questioned as he moved over to a console that seemingly showed a security feed.
"The hangers cargo lift has already taken three tonnes worth of the ore to the cargo area below. The space isn't even a tenth full." Lu chuckled, looking up at the monitor with his colleague and watching as more droids stacked containers of the raw material.
"What about refinement?" Shaw asked, pulling his pad close to his chest and folding his arms across its back.
"That will be a little trickier. While the Might can synthesis the equipment, doing it on a starship, might not be the best idea." Lu chuckled, changing the screen's information once again, this time showing a schematic of a belt fed industrial refinery.
"While I am open to suggestions, I don't think Doctor Weir would allow it to be done on Atlantis or the Mainland." Shaw admitted, looking down at his data pad.
"I suppose we don't have much choice. It's not like we can waste the resources to build a space station." Lu laughed.
"Right now, probably not." Shaw smirked, tapping on his screen, beginning a report to send back to Atlantis.
Erica, Jedi Padawan, unwillingly stood in Doctor Weirs' office. Because of the recent conspiracy of security leaks, the evidence being her master and Sheppard's team running into the Wraith so much, she had been asked to sit in on the discussion.
"With respect, ma'am, I am head of security and I honestly believe it has to be the Athosians." Sergant Bates said, quite bluntly.
"There is no evidence to support that accusation." Weir counted, trying to look for answers.
"No, ma'am, however it can't be one of our people. Also, Miss Pravin here has yet to leave the base." Bates informed, his words snapping the young woman out of her thoughts.
"So what, you think one of the Athosians is somehow getting mission intel off of Atlantis and physically giving it to the Wraith while escorting our people to meet potential allies?" Weir queried, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"I can't answer that, I don't know. But what is obvious, we should remove the Athosians from offworld activities and limit their access to sensitive areas." Bates suggested.
"You're talking about confining innocent people?" Weir questioned, shocked and concerned with the suggestion.
"I'm not suggesting we lock them in their rooms, just limit their presence in operational areas, like the control room." Bates reiterated, unsure as to how the woman couldn't make the connection, even if it eventually wasn't proven correct.
"I will take it under advisement." Weir sighed, effectily putting an end to the conversation.
"Thank you, Ma'am. I only suggest you make a choice, quickly." Bates nodded before turning on his heels and leaving the room and heading off through the control room.
"What do you think?" Weir asked, looking to the young woman.
"I'm not sure it's my place to comment." Erica admitted, even though her mind was generating many different thoughts.
"Indulge me, please." Weir smiled at the womans' obvious attempt at being mature beyond her years.
"Bates is unfortunately correct, even if there is no connection, it is a decision that not only protects this city but also their lives. I sense no malice or pleasure in his suggestion, if anything, he is filled with regret." Erica informed, crossing her arms.
"But confining them to their quarters isn't living." Weir mentioned, her mind racing with a million thoughts, not just about the Athosians.
"What about moving them to another area in the city?" Erica questioned.
"I wish we could, for their sake. But we've only been able to explore a small part of Atlantis and even then, we can only maintain a security presence in an even smaller part. For now, we're only inhabiting this tower due to manpower constraints." Weir explained, not seeing any good options.
"That's not entirely true." Erica suggested, tapping the lightsaber hilt on her belt.
Well, there is June's chapter and I hope you enjoyed.
Like I said up top, I am working on July's chapter and it will be posted early.
This is slowly simmering and it will be reaching boiling point soon enough.
I will remind you all that this is a slow progressing story, not necessarily slowly paced though.
I'm still trying to be faithful to the Atlantis show's layout, but there are certain things I will be skipping over or removing from the lore entirely. For example, I got a message upset that I didn't flesh out the Old Weir story with Revan, but I felt as though there wasn't much to add to the interactions other than maybe mentioning Revan lurking in the background.
Please leave a review and let me know what you think.
-Spearhead