Chapter Summary: A visit to the Grand Canyon, but no pyramids.
Chapter Word Count: 5,112
"Your parents are nice," Ginny said, as they strapped into their seats on the Lucia and prepared to leave. "Think they'll actually contact the Council like you asked?"
"No," Andy said. "They just don't see the need. They've given us copies of the records they have so we can look at them. And that was because they were concerned about the Kraal. Maybe there's something useful there?"
"Lady Shadow will probably contact them once you talk with her about them," Ixchel said. "She's not going to miss a chance at another source of information for her model."
"We'll see," Andy said. "My parents can be slippery. They are very good at doing things their way."
"It seems to be a family trait," Miranda said.
"Did you have enough of a visit with the girls?" Andy asked Miranda. "I know we weren't there long."
"We'll see them again in a few months," Miranda said. "They'll be busy with school and their internships."
"You still have that trip to the Wind Clan Seers," Andy said. "Don't forget about that."
"Of course," Miranda said.
"Prepare for departure," Garnes said on the ship's comm. "Bay door opening." The Lucia thrummed and the engine hummed. "Air space clear, ascending."
"I wasn't expecting the local Gate to be in the Grand Canyon," Andy said. "Though it makes a kind of sense. Those rumors that the Egyptians built a pyramid there had to come from somewhere."
"Nonsense conspiracy, it's very unlikely to be found," Miranda said. "Though getting there without attracting attention may be difficult."
"The Lucia has excellent shielding," Garnes said. "No one will see us, unless they're Fleet. And they can see our beacon."
"We're just checking out the Furling base there," Harry said. "One that hasn't been stripped when they left," she added excitedly.
"Lady Shadow will want access to it," Ixchel said. "Even though it doesn't belong to the Serpent Clan."
"I'll let my parents deal with that," Andy said. "We're just going to enable the Gate, look for anything interesting, and then continue looking for the Prophets."
"The base records may provide information as to where they took them," Romana said.
"And they may not," Miranda said. "No one has used the base in over a millennia, according to Andrea's parents."
"Maybe it'll have a library?" Memo said. "A seventh Heart?"
"Possibly," Andy said, "but my parents have never been inside of it. We're just lucky they could tell us where it is and how to get inside."
"How to get inside if you're a Furling," Ginny said. "The rest of us are out of luck. Not even the best Shadow lock picks can get us in one of them."
"Better tech," Harry said, sighing. "Tech we could really use."
"Not so much better as different," Andy said, shaking her head. "And a lot older."
"A different civilization," Miranda said. "A much older one, though they appear to have left it all behind. But not to the extent the Ancients did."
"Which reality do you think they came from, and did they go back to the same one?" Andy said.
"No way to tell," Miranda said. "We don't have enough information. In both, that we are aware of, the Furlings have been long gone. It's very possible they went to a third reality."
"So we'd never find them," Andy said.
"Do we need to?" Ixchel said. "We actually found them, your family, and have access to their libraries. Do we need the Furlings themselves?"
"It is an interesting conundrum," Romana said. "Possibly the Prophets can answer that for us."
"And we still have to deal with the Kraal," Harry said.
"Approaching the base," Garnes said. "The beacon is responding to the code your father gave us, Lady A. If you could come up to the control center, it's requesting additional clearance."
"I'll be right up," Andy said, quickly unstrapping herself. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back."
"Where would we go?" Ginny said. "Without our suits on it's a long drop."
"I'm sure Lady P would rescue you if you jumped out," Harry said. "Maybe?"
"Possibly," Miranda said, keeping a straight face.
"We'll be landing in a minute," Andy said, quickly returning. "It's run by another of those Guardians. Took a minute to convince it to allow us entry in a non-People ship."
"We're people," Ginny said.
"But not of the People," Andy said. "It scanned the ship. If we hadn't had my father's clearance codes it wouldn't have allowed us to get this close."
"It's another underground base?" Ginny said. "Or just disguised very well?"
"Underground," Andy said. "No idea how big it is."
There was a faint clunk and the engines wound down. "Landing complete," Garnes said over the ship's comm. "You can all unbuckle now."
"What's it look like?" Harry said. "Can you put it on the view screen in here?" She said.
A large empty artificial cavern appeared on the screen. "It appears to have been designed for much larger ships," Garnes said. "Just like the smaller station your parents have. But for more of them."
"Usual exploration rules?" Andy said, as they gathered at the hatch.
"Yes," Ginny said. "Everyone going out is in EVA or hard suits. We don't know what's here, and it would not be good if one of us got hurt. So Harry and I first, followed by Andy, and then everyone else."
"Okay," Andy said. "If it's the same tech as the libraries, the base Guardian will be able to communicate with us even in our suits."
"I want that tech," Ginny grumbled. "I want us to have that tech," she corrected herself.
"If we find out how it works," Dart said, preparing to open the hatch for them. "I'm sure we can make use of it."
"We haven't so far," Harry said. "We've known about the Ring Gates for a while, and the Confederation has known about them for even longer, and we still have no idea how they work. All the cool info is locked away."
"And we don't have time to find it," Andy said. "We still have part of our quest to complete."
"Yup," Ginny said. "We found out what happened to the Winter Folk, they never really existed, and the Furlings have gone off on an extra-dimensional adventure that we can't follow."
"Which just leaves finding the Prophets and what they have to say. Maybe they'll know where in the piles of info we've found how to deal with the Kraal," Andy said.
"Like those Kraal-Killer shields," Harry said. "If we had those, and they worked on the current Kraal fleet..."
"Maybe," Andy said, interrupting her. "Let's do our job, and the Fleet can do theirs."
The hatch slid open, a short stairway extended to the floor of the cavern, and they cautiously stepped out onto the floor of the cavern.
"This is huge," Ginny said, looking around. "Big enough to hold a couple Clan cruisers, not just a scout ship like the Lucia."
"And empty," Harry said. "I wonder where all of their ship maintenance gear is."
"It is properly stored away, as it should be," a musical voice said over their suit comms. "Please proceed to your left."
"It speaks Clan," Harry said. "Shouldn't it speak something more Furling-ish?"
"It has been determined, from examining your thoughts, that the language of the local Clans is most appropriate," the voice said.
"Oh," Harry said. "That's considerate of you."
"You are guests," the voice said. "Accurate communication is essential."
A small vehicle came to a silent stop in front of them. It contained enough seats for all of them.
"Shotgun!" Ginny shouted, climbing on board the vehicle. She quickly sat. "Who's driving?" Everyone else climbed aboard and took a seat.
"The conveyance is driving itself," the voice said.
"Do you have a name?" Andy said.
"Name?" The voice said. "It is not necessary for my functioning to have a personal designation."
"I think that's a no," Harry said.
"Where are you taking us?" Miranda asked.
"To the visitor greeting center," it said. "From there it will be determined where you have need to go."
"The library," Memo said softly.
"Exploring," Harry said.
"The library is good, but information about the base from a practical view would be useful," Ixchel said.
"That shall be determined shortly," the voice said.
"Are you the only sentient being here?" Romana said.
"The base has been in stasis for a number of your centuries," the voice said. "Base knowledge update from the caretaker's base is in progress."
"Caretaker?" Andy said.
"The Sachs family base," the voice said.
"Of course," Andy said, sighing. "Another thing Mom and Dad left out," she whispered to Miranda over their personal comm.
"You can't expect them to give away all of their secrets right away," Miranda said.
"No, but finding out they have more secrets?" Andy said. "When will it not surprise me?"
"We have arrived at the visitor greeting center," the voice said. A large part of a high smooth wall opened and the sled floated inside. The door closed behind them and lights came on, illuminating the area.
"Doesn't look like much," Ginny said, looking around the large empty room. There was nothing to see. No decorations or furniture. At the far end they could see several openings.
"When was the last time there were visitors here to use it?" Memo said. "This isn't an active base."
"One thousand planetary rotations around the system sun," the voice said. "But it will serve its intended purpose."
"We would like to see the library," Andy said. "Does it have its own Guardian or are you responsible for the entire base?"
"I am the only entity available," the voice said.
"Do you have an actual presence or just a voice?" Romana said.
"I can appear in multiple forms," the voice said. The was a brief flash in front of them and a familiar looking chibi-like entity appeared floating in front of them. "If this makes you more comfortable, this form can be used."
"That's fine," Andy said. "It's just easier to communicate when we have someone visible to communicate with."
"I have analyzed the Serpent Clan communication network," the Guardian said. "It appears to work fairly efficiently without such contact."
"It works because we know that there is an entity, often physical, connected to the communication," Ixchel said.
"I see," the Guardian said. "I will take this into consideration. What is your purpose in seeking out this facility?"
"Knowledge," Memo said.
"That encompasses a large amount of information," the Guardian said. Several benches appeared. "Please sit." They gratefully sat down, the benches easily supporting their weight.
"It's a long story," Andy said. "Where to start?"
"At the beginning of our quest?" Romana said.
"Of course," Andy said. "Okay. First, you must understand that my parents did not tell me anything about my heritage, as one of the Winter Folk, a Furling, or even as part of the Sachs family group. I'm sure they had their reasons."
"Your thirty-fifth birthday," Miranda said. "That was when they planned to start telling you."
"Which was yesterday," Andy said. "But before then, the Serpent Clan appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. And they went searching for Clan among the population of this world. I was working as a journalist and decided to investigate. They could tell I was different and not a standard human, though they couldn't tell why."
"We can skip over a large portion of the story. There are many things the Guardian doesn't need to know," Miranda said.
"Miranda would rather we not discuss some things, and I agree," Andy said. "Suffice it to say that we traveled to an alternate reality, met some Goa'uld, and came home."
"That leave out all of the exciting parts," Harry said, pouting.
"By the time we came back, the Kraal, an ancient enemy of the Clans, had been detected. The Serpent Council hired me to do some things. Not really exciting stuff, but interesting. And then the quest happened."
"Quest?" the Guardian said. "A journey in search of something?"
"Yes," Andy said. "The Serpent Clan Council decided they needed an edge against the Kraal. So they sent us on a quest to find the legendary Prophets of Zircon Nine to get some answers. The Winter Folk had supposedly taken them somewhere, so it seemed like the best approach was to gather information about the Winter Folk."
"The Winter Folk is the designation the Clans give the Furling?" the Guardian said.
"Yes," Andy said. "And since I didn't know much about my own heritage, other than a family friend claimed we were Winter Folk, and mentioned the Furling being another name for them, we used that as the story to explain why we were wandering around."
"You could not just tell those you encountered the truth?" The Guardian said.
"It did not seem advisable," Romana said. "There are those who do not wish for us to survive the Kraal. Once the Kraal have gone through our sector they plan to take it for themselves."
"That seems short sighted," The Guardian said. "So you were not actually looking for the Furling?"
"We were, but it wasn't our primary motivation," Andy said. "And then Memo here mentioned an ancestor who encountered an ancient library on an abandoned planet. That was the first 'Heart of the People' we encountered."
"And from there we traveled to the others," Memo said. "We have learned a lot about the People, though I find the distinction being made between the Winter Folk, Furlings, and Sachs to be confusing."
"After the first 'Heart' Miranda and I encountered two of the People in a dreamscape of some sort, and could speak the People's language, and we were no longer completely in the dark and had access to real information."
"But we still do not know what happened to the Prophets of Zircon Nine or why they were taken away," Romana said.
"Do you still seek them?" The Guardian said.
"Yes," Andy said. "A Seer of the Wind Clan told us to seek them out. That they wouldn't give us the thing needed to defeat the Kraal but that they are important."
"It is possible that the whole journey is teaching us things that will help defeat the Kraal," Miranda said. "But we won't know until it is over."
"There is no information in this facility about the Kraal," the Guardian said. "They were considered to be a force of nature, what you might call locust, and were dealt with like the pests they had become."
"We can't just do that," Andy said. "We don't have the technology of the Furling that would keep them away."
"I shall open the Heart of the People here to you. But it does not contain much. It was meant to assist those of the People who were passing through. You may also have access to the base logs that do not compromise the existence of this base."
"That's a start," Andy said. "You are aware that our ship's crew is still aboard?"
"Yes," the Guardian said. "They are welcome to join you."
"What of the Ring Gate that is here?" Ixchel said. "Will we be able to use it to travel to other gates?"
"The Gate on the planet you call Mars is in disrepair, but the other Gates are accessible," the Guardian said.
"Even the one in the asteroid field?" Ginny said. "We know about the Ancient Ring Gate, but haven't discovered the Furling Gate out there."
"I am not aware of the status of that Gate," the Guardian said. "It was once on the same asteroid as the Ancient gate."
"Something must have run into it," Ginny said, sighing. "All that's left is that Ancient gate."
"It was intended to provide access to the Ancient Ring system in this galaxy," the Guardian said. "It was only accessible from the Mars gate."
"So, looking for it won't help," Harry said. "Okay. Plenty of other things to do."
"Who has the authority to negotiate access to this facility?" Miranda said. "The Serpent Clan Council are curious."
"The head of the Sachs Family unit may allow others access, as you have been given," the Guardian said. "But nothing that threatens the integrity of the facility will be allowed."
"Got it," Andy said, nodding. "So, library? And base logs?"
"The base control center can be accessed through that door," the Guardian said, pointing across the room to the opening to their right. "The Heart is through the other door."
"Good," Andy said, standing up. "Shall we get started?"
The others stood. They split up, half heading for the library, and the others to the base command center.
"This isn't exactly what I was expecting," Andy said, looking around the base control center. 'There's nothing here."
"We did not ask what they used this room for," Miranda said. "It's possible it is just a meeting room."
"I was expecting something like at NASA or Lady Air's command center on her ship," Andy said. "A place to control things."
"The control surfaces have been disabled and put away," the Guardian said, appearing in front of them. "There was no need with the base in stasis."
"Okay, that makes sense," Andy said. "Can you enable them for us?"
"Enabling training mode," the Guardian said. Several view screens, showing scenes of the Grand Canyon, and of Andy's' parent's house from the air, appeared on the walls. Several long counters with view screens sticking up from them also appeared. Several chairs then popped into existence.
"Okay, that's more like it," Andy said. She sat down in one of the chairs in front of a screen. "Keyboard? Or something to control the screen?"
"It's holographic," Ixchel said, holding her hand out. "The Goa'uld had something like it."
"What do you wish to see?" the Guardian said.
"Base logs?" Andy said. "Can we search them or do we have to read them from the beginning."
"They can be searched," the Guardian said. "But you will need to know what something is called to be able to use it."
"What does that mean?" Andy said in a low voice.
"You need to know the search terms. If you didn't know a book was called a book, how would you get it to show you a book?" Miranda said. "It requires knowledge to learn."
"Yes," the Guardian said.
"This isn't going to be simple, is it," Andy said. "Can we take copies of the logs with us?"
"No," the Guardian said. "They are locked, and require appropriate authority to access. You are only allowed access in this location."
"That sucks," Andy grumbled. "Can we at least take notes?"
"Of course," the Guardian said.
"How do I access the logs?" Andy said.
"Place the palm of your hand against the authorization block," the Guardian said.
"The what?" Andy said, looking around. Eventually she noticed a depression in front of the screen. Retracting her suit gloves, she placed her hand on it. "This? It tingles."
"It may take a minute to run, if you are not in the facility parameters," the Guardian said.
There was a bright ping, and the screen in front of Andy lit up. "Okay," she said. "Now what? It's not like one of those readers is it? Or do I use my magic key fob?"
"Key fob?" The Guardian said, clearly puzzled. Andy held up the small device she'd gotten while visiting one of the other libraries.
"Yes, that will work," the Guardian said.
"There's a lot here," Andy said, scrolling through another log entry, "Centuries worth. But most of it is boring comments about checking the heat pump or practicing for when things open back up again and they can safely travel between realities again."
"Again?" Miranda said.
"Lots of traveling between realities, apparently. Maybe something in the library will explain why?" Andy said. "What did you find?" She asked Ixchel.
"Holographic maps," Ixchel said. "Historical and current."
"Maps of what?" Andy said.
"This planet. Mars. The entire sector," Ixchel said.
"Really? Can we see the Bugs?" Andy said.
"Do you know their current coordinates?" Ixchel said.
"Nope," Andy said. "So, no search feature? Or index?"
"I have not quite discerned that," Ixchel said.
"Guardian?" Andy said loudly. "Is there an instruction manual for the map system?"
"Map system?" The Guardian repeated, sounding puzzled. Andy pointed at Ixchel and the holograms floating in the air.
"There are training visuals on the operations of the control center," the Guardian said.
"Where?" Andy said. "Can we use them?"
"In the Heart," the Guardian said. "They would need to be adjusted for non-People usage."
"Can it be done, now?" Ixchel said. "I think Lady Air and Lady Shadow should see this."
"We'd have to get them here," Miranda said.
"There is a Gate here somewhere," Andy said. "I'm assuming anyway. Guardian, where is the base Gate?"
"In the lower level," the Guardian said. "It is currently dismantled for maintenance."
"How long before it is put back together," Andy said.
"Parts are currently unavailable, due to unforeseen circumstances," the Guardian said.
"Unforeseen circumstances?" Ixchel said.
"Contact was lost with the Hoosr several centuries ago. Spare components are manufactured in its machine shops." The Guardian said. "Until it is found there will be no spare parts to repair the Gate."
"The Hoosr is a large moon sized vessel?" Miranda said. "With one of the Hearts in it?"
"Yes," the Guardian said.
"Is this it?" Ixchel said, displaying Saturn and then focusing on the large ship in orbit around it.
"That appears to be it," the Guardian said. "Attempting contact with short range comms."
"Well, that seems to answer that," Andy said. "No Gate but we do have the repair ship."
"The Hoosr Guardian reports severe damage to engines and repair facilities," the Guardian said. "Maintenance parts for this base Gate are available but transport is unavailable."
"You're in luck," Andy said. "We've got plenty of transportation available. Tell them to wrap it up and we'll go get it."
"I want one," Santana said, watching Ixchel operate the base map system. "Does the Hoosr have access to this system?"
"Yes," the Guardian said.
"Can you show me the Bugs?" She asked.
"We need coordinates for that," Ixchel said.
"Galactic standard or something else?" Brittany said.
"Oz can translate between Furling coordinates and Galactic standard," Andy said. "Just tell him where they are."
"We need to connect him to our Clan Council comm channel," Brittany said.
"Are you sure about that, babe?" Santana said. "Do we really want the Confederation AIs snooping?"
"I do not snoop," Oz said over the ship comm. "There is no need to."
"Please translate these coordinates," Brittany said, rattling off several long numbers. "And send them to Ixchel."
There was a pause and the view changed from a view of the system, to something further away. Gradually tiny objects grew larger until it was a top down view of the Bug fleet.
"How long ago was this?" Santana said, stepping closer. "Can you rotate it?"
"There's Q's scout," Brittany said.
"It appears to be in real time," Ixchel said.
"How does it work?" Brittany said. "We can't come close to that detailed at this distance."
"Technical documents for the construction of the area watcher are not available," the Guardian said. "It is private information. People Only."
"Of course it is," Santana said, grumbling. "But can we use it from the Hoosr? It must have a map viewer?"
"The Hoosr Guardian requires authorization before providing access," the Guardian said.
"Who can give us authorization?" Santana said. "There's no one there except us."
"The Sachs Family matriarch is currently the only available authority in this zone," the Guardian said.
"Guess we'll be having that meeting with your parents sooner than expected," Santana said.
"Don't worry, we'll be nice," Brittany said. "Sue will probably want to come along."
"Do you want us to take you there?" Andy said. "Can we contact them from here?" She asked the Guardian.
"Certainly," the Guardian said. "It may take time for them to respond."
"Right," Andy said. "All their comm gear is in their secret lair. I can't believe my parents have a secret lair."
"Family secrets can be so annoying," Santana said. "I still can't believe my mother kept the whole alien Clan family thing a secret from me growing up."
"My parents did the same thing, except they didn't admit it until my thirty-fifth birthday, a couple days ago," Andy said.
"Yeah, that was a surprise," Santana said. "If they'd told you earlier you wouldn't have gone on your quest."
"It's been very informative so far," Brittany said. "They still need to find those Prophets. The Furling Winter People issue is more or less solved but the Prophets are still out there somewhere."
"We do need to get back to it," Andy said. "As soon as that Gate is running and you have access to the library here."
"Gaining authorization to use the Hearts of the People should be possible," Miranda said.
"Might have to read in one of the Cousins," Andy said. "The Guardians will want a member of the People around. My mother would know who would be best for that."
"Something else to discuss with her," Santana said.
"Andy? The Guardian said you needed me?" A hologram of Andy's mother appeared in the center of the control center.
"Mom, remember how I told you several members of the Serpent Clan Council would like to talk with you," Andy said.
"Yes, but there's really no hurry is there?" Her mother said.
"Lady Sachs," Brittany said, "I am the Lady of Shadows and this is Lady Air, of the Council."
"None of that Lady nonsense for me," Andrea's mother said, shaking her head. "No need for titles. It's not a concept that translates very well. Now what can I do for you?"
"Of course," Brittany said, smiling. "Hierarchy is a big thing in the Clans but we can skip it if you wish. We'd like to use some of the facilities on the Hoosr. Apparently we need your authorization?"
"The Hoosr? It's been found?" Andy's mother said. "Why am I only hearing about this now?" She asked the Guardian.
"Matriarch, we were not aware of it until now. There appears to be some damage to its' communication systems," the Guardian said.
"It's in orbit around Saturn right now, Mom," Andy said. "One of Lady Air's scouts found it somewhere out there between systems, and they towed it back here."
"It's not in very good condition," Santana said. "The library is intact and the Gates appear to all work, but it doesn't appear habitable."
"It had a small crew when it disappeared. We'll have to investigate," Andy's mother said. "Unfortunately, we don't have anyone available with the proper training at this time. I'll have to see if one of the Cousins is interested. What part of it did you want to use?"
"We would like permission to access all of the libraries of the People," Brittany said.
"Yes, as long as you don't remove anything, destroy anything, and don't impeded the activities of the Guardians," Andy's mother said. "What else?"
"This mapping system," Santana said. "It would help greatly against the Bugs. We don't have anything like it. We would like access to it on the Hoosr."
"There should be technical specifications in the Hoosr library," Horace said, his hologram appearing next to Andy's mother. "You should be able to build your own access point to it, though there are limits on how many more can be added in its current configuration."
"That sounds like a yes, but you really need to make your own mapper to connect to it," Andy said.
"You know me so well, Andy," Horace said, smiling.
"Years of experience," Andy said. "So they can use the mapping system from the Hoosr while the Clan techs figure out how to make their own?"
"Yes," her mother said. "Guardian, inform the Hoosr Guardian."
"Yes, Matriarch," the Guardian said.
"You had other things to discuss?" Andy's mother said.
"An informal meeting to introduce you to the Council would be appreciated," Brittany said.
"We would be interested in meeting at some point," Andy's mother said. "Horace and several of the Cousins are curious about your plans for the Kraal."
"We can do that," Brittany said. "Where? Here? Not here?"
"They have a nice place down in Cancun, Mom," Andy said. "Very relaxing. Very friendly. Miranda and I were thinking of building another home down there when we don't want to deal with the New York winters."
"We'll have to talk with the Cousins," Andy's mother said. "See who's available and when."
"Someone nice," Andy said. "And who isn't afraid of aliens."
"That isn't a problem," Horace said. "As you know."
"Sometimes I do wonder," Andy said, shaking her head. "But we won't be here for that, we still have to find the Prophets. There must be some reason why a Seer told us to do that."
"Make sure to stop at the house before you leave," Andy's mother said. "I suspect you'll be gone for a number of months."
"Can't say," Andy said. "We'll see you in a day or two."
"Good," Andy's mother said. She nodded at the others and their holograms disappeared.
"That was easy," Santana said. "Now we just need some smart techs to figure out how to hook us into that surveillance system."
"It's an interesting system," Brittany said. "We'll need to find the specs for it. Do you need anything from us before we go back?"
"Interpretation of this phrase?" Andy said. "At least your interpretation of it." She pointed at a phase on the log reader.
"That's interesting," Brittany said. "That seems to imply that traveling between different realities was a fairly common thing. Which likely means all of their ships are outfitted with some kind of engine that can make the trip. Instead of accidentally falling through those holes in reality that we keep running into."
"We don't have a defense against that," Santana said. "I'm assuming they did. Do?"
"Do," Brittany said. "They are still around somewhere, even if the majority of them have gone elsewhere, except for Andy's family."
"I wonder..." Andy said. "That girl Furling we ran into... she was also from Ohio."
"You think her family anchors another reality transfer point?" Brittany said.
"Maybe?" Andy said. "It's just speculation."
"A visit to the base library may be in order," Miranda said. "Romana, Memo, and the Potter Twins have been there all day."
"Should probably go check on them," Andy said, nodding.