Destiny Among The Stars - Chapter 7
There comes a point where you accumulate enough money to be able to get anything you might want. I wasn't really at that level of wealth, yet, but I was pretty close. As such when my helicopter landed near the newly christened Janus Base, construction had been going very well for the past two months, all the levels had been dug and the three fusion reactors that powered the base had been hooked up.
From up there I could see the giant satellite dish that had been installed alongside the laser receiver and emitters that would serve to make this base a hub for the Iris Constellation system, on the outside the base looked like a bunch of Mars habitat modules strung together, but this was mostly for show and for use as guard stations.
"We have landed sir." A voice said from my headset which I removed, nodding my thanks at my pilot.
"Go grab yourself something to warm yourself," I said to him as I tightened my coat around my body, feeling the coldness seep into my bones. I am sorry for whatever aliens that might try and escape our base considering the hell they would suffer should they leave without adequate clothing in such weather.
Jumping out of the helicopter on the landing pad standing in the middle of the complex, I relaxed, air wasn't really my element and I was feeling better now that I could feel solid ground beneath my boots.
"Mister Hilliard."
Turning around to look at the welcoming committee, I smiled warmly at them, taking each offered hand of the construction crew before stopping in front of the base's commander, an African-American veteran by the name of James Holmes from the Vietnam wars who had felt abandoned by the government and refused to continue working for them.
"Detective," I cheekily answered, I saw more than one face twitch around me and him trying to suppress a smile as the huge muscular military veteran in front of me stoically accepted that this was indeed his official title within the company's file. "How is my super-duper secret underground base going?"
"We are merely waiting for you to input the codes to start the supercomputers."
I shivered, my body reminding me that we were indeed, in Antarctica, something that James Holmes noticed as he huffed a small chuckle.
"Let us go inside."
"Let's." I agreed rather quickly.
The Janus Base's entrance was a rather large hub habitat that was connected to many others, but where I was led was the entrance to the sub-levels, which could only be accessed by this elevator shaft as well as three ladder tunnels that could only be opened from the inside manually. In the same way, this elevator shaft would be disconnected if the base entered lockdown electronically and manually by the staff here.
When I entered the elevator I instantly noticed that it only had three buttons beside a keypad, phone and digital screen which had a "Janus Research Base" logo spinning about.
"I see that you have followed the design plans." I indicated to my company, some eight people that had followed me down the elevator alongside Base Commander James.
"We did, to access any level besides those three, a code will need to be entered on the keypad and a security card will be required on the digital screen."
Unlike traditional military installations, the Janus base seamlessly blends cutting-edge innovation with practical functionality, designed to be both a hub for research and a fortress against any internal threat.
As you descend into the base via one of the high-speed elevators, you're greeted by sleek, reinforced heavy doors that slide open to reveal the main atrium. The walls are a polished, inert metallic alloy that reflects the soft, ambient lighting, creating an almost futuristic glow. The base is laid out in concentric rings, each level serving a distinct purpose, from research and development to command and control.
The elevator's door swung open, and as we turned left we were stopped by armed security personnel equipped with the latest in non-lethal and lethal weaponry.
"Here is my card," I said to them even if they knew me, I better start having them get used to that in case anyone ever impersonates me.
Other teams like this one were stationed at all key areas of the base, believe it or not, weapons had been the easiest thing to get for our company, and the government was rather happy to hand a lot of guns to us when they learned why we needed them, namely protect our research base from any attack from foreign adversaries, like the Soviets.
This would be rather unrealistic since we were the only real research base - Ironic, I know - in this region, all the other had been closed or kept very small crews as most nations' focus had pivoted to space.
"Everything is in order sir." The security leader said to me, handing me back my card.
"Thanks, have a good day."
"You too, sir."
Many of the people in charge of the security had been ex-army soldiers, most came from the Vietnam wars, but a lot were just civilians who had been trained by the former for months. Looking up as I was led deeper into the base I noticed a camera and smiled at it, the corridors were obviously monitored by a network of cameras and motion sensors, that were capable of detecting even the slightest movement.
We did not have much in terms of automated defence beyond retractable barriers to seal off sections of the base in case of a breach.
The base also featured advanced communication systems, allowing for seamless coordination between different levels and departments through laser relays. The command centre, located at the deepest part of the base was a hub of activity with large slender screens everywhere alongside proper computer terminals which all had a link to the supercomputers a level above.
The command centre was a hub of activity, especially today as I visited. The screens all showed real-time data from the Iris Constellation satellites, mission updates from the Phoenix ship going to Mars, and the movements of every personnel on base. But most importantly, it had a direct look into the room adjacent to this one.
I looked at it with wide eyes and bated breath.
In front of me was a Stargate. It stood in a large dome, slowly being lowered with cords at this level under the coordination of many people. We had found the Stargate three days ago, it came with a DHD which had no more battery that I hadn't remembered being a thing, my faulty memory has pleasantly surprised me.
"We haven't been able to determine the composition of this artefact," Holmes explained, gesturing to the Stargate. "It's made of materials unlike anything found on Earth."
"The device we found alongside it, the so-called DHD, is equally baffling," another scientist added. "Its internal systems are incredibly complex, particularly the crystalline components. Understanding these could revolutionize our computer systems."
"We have started working on a dialling system as you call it," Bill said as he made his presence known. "Hello, bossman."
"Hello Bill," I greeted my friend and employee. "How is it going?"
"Well enough, we have been working with the parameters you have given us, 7 characters being an address with the last one always being the strange pyramid one indicating point of origin. We're trying every possible combination, but it's a shot in the dark."
"Good work, now where is my office?"
"Right here, sir," Holmes said, directing me to a small staircase leading to a conference room where my office was just behind a set of intricate wooden carved doors. As I entered, I looked around before smiling at the familiar Athena computer already set alongside a picture of Sam in her astronaut gate up throwing a peace sign at the camera with me by her side.
"The personal computers aren't connected with Iris directly, right?" I asked to be sure.
"No, it was thought prudent that the only outside connection is by proxy which can only be disconnected from the central computer manually."
"Good, thank your staff for me, I will need to get started on my own work, we will have a staff meeting at a later date."
"It was an honour."
"No, no, the honour was all mine trust me."
Commander Holmes nodded before leaving, closing the door behind him.
Bill, who had been silently observing from his own post, finally spoke up. "So, Adam," he began, his voice tinged with curiosity, "how did you know this was here?"
I turned to him, a knowing smile on my face. "Let's just say I had a hunch," I replied cryptically, glancing back at the Stargate. "A very strong hunch."
"This can't just be a hunch!" Bill said, trying to keep his voice even and failing. "Look, this is too big, if what you said is true, this could connect to another world! A network of those gates all around the galaxy? This is too big for us, the government should be-"
"Told?" I stopped him softly. "Bill, anything that can help our government's struggle against the Soviets is going to be militarized, do you truly want possible first contacts with aliens to be antagonistic? To have the exploration of alien worlds be turned into political games just like the Space Race?"
"No, of course not, but it won't end well, playing with the fate of the world is too much for one person, Adam, no matter how well-prepared you think you are."
"I know," I repeated to him and myself. "But I have a plan, trust me."
"I will, but the moment it goes badly, I will be there to 'tell you so'."
I smiled at that, looking once again at the smiling face of my wife staring back at me from the picture on my desk. "Don't worry, no one will be as sad as me if I fail."
"I hope, anyway we are going to test dialing in a few hours, so see you then…"
The sound of Bill's footsteps was distant, but I did not know when he had left, only that he had closed the door as I lost myself in my own mind.
Plans had already been made after all, while setting up a civilian-led Stargate Command was impossible considering the hostile political situation - even as it seemed to turn more amicable in recent years - it would be impossible for the US government to leave the Stargate away from their influence, and especially in civilian's hands, more so when said civilian was connected to Dev Ayesa.
Not that they had much ill-will toward the man, but with his ship Phoenix, he had made both the Soviet and US governments look bad as he achieved what they did with much less resources and manpower, even as it seemed he would overtake both in the race for Mars.
Powering the computer on my desk, I slotted a memory stick and began to transfer my personal files within.
"I have some time to spare," I thought out loud, launching one of the game icons on my computer, a collaborative project of my team that had since then spiralled into something more. Called simply "World", it was an MMORPG in the third person, the first of its kind where depending on the physical location of the computer the player character would be generated in a fictional country, each country had its counterpart within the game and the players would have a different flavour for their class depending on which country they were from.
The game had been rather hard to sell to the Soviets, though they had been quickly placated to learn that the Soviet's counterpart in this game was also communist and well-represented.
Never mind the fact that a lot of questlines revealed the corruption of their systems and their hypocrisy, but this was something that each nation and political system had, each questline was tailored for the specific nations the players came from and were end-game stuff that the censors hadn't yet seen.
The goal was to control and direct public perception, the fact that the main enemies came from gates appearing all over the world and that they were led by snake-like creatures was just the cherry on top.
Anyway, players had access to magical abilities as well as steam-punk weapons, the economy of the game was rudimentary but each farming session of a player was reflected on a "national" leaderboard which directly contributed to a Worldwide leaderboard of which country was best in different categories.
Overall, the game had quickly become one of the main draws of the Athena computers and the Iris system, which was all well and good as it meant a lot of enterprising people had contacted us to try and make their own games, who would have thought a worldwide communication system would be what was needed to spur creative minds in the direction of games.
As I directed my character to start mining some iron veins, the screen of my computer switched to a call I was receiving and I smiled.
"Hello, Sam; how are you up there?"
Iris quickly loaded up the flux of information and soon I saw her face smiling back at me even as her long hair was tied in a ponytail which lightly floated behind her. "Good! Still can't believe I'm actually up here in Skylab!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement, though tinged with the familiar echo of space transmissions.
I grinned at her enthusiasm. "I hope everyone's been welcoming to you?" I asked, not too worried—my Sam had a pretty mean right hook if anyone tried to mess with her—but still, it never hurt to ask.
"Oh, everyone's been very sweet," she replied, before pausing with a slight tilt of her head, listening to something off-screen. A chuckle escaped her lips as she turned her attention back to me. "Ben says 'hi.' He also wants to let you know that his kids love your game, but you should hide next time you come to eat at his house—Sharon is very cross with you."
I couldn't help but laugh. "I'll be sure to watch out for Sharon," I promised, still chuckling at the thought.
We drifted into easy conversation, the kind that comes naturally after years of knowing someone inside and out. We talked about the latest movies, how Sam's brother was doing, and how my dad was swamped with work as usual. It was comforting, to share these mundane details, even when separated by so much distance.
"Your father still isn't talking to me," I said at one point to Sam and she laughed at that, giving me a half-lidded look.
"Have you insulted him again recently?"
"Me?" I said innocently before letting the façade go. "No."
I sighed.
"He was just asking when he can expect grandkids."
She laughed, flicking her hair back from whence it had floated from. "I am sure we can arrange that."
I looked surprisingly at her and she only curled her lips seductively at my look, her eyes holding a promise in them that made it that much harder for me to focus on our conversation.
Eventually, our conversation shifted to my current location. "I'm at the Janus research station in the South Pole," I explained. "We powered up the supercomputer and servers here. Everyone's hopeful about the new generation reactor working as expected, though the mood's a bit heavy with the Mars mission on everyone's mind."
Sam's face softened with understanding. "It's going to be alright," she said, her voice steady. "If they needed help, I'm sure Baldwin would have asked. They've got Iris, and the speed of communication is on their side. Just don't stay holed up too much, okay?"
I smiled, touched by her concern. "Come on, you know me. I'm less likely to hole up than you."
She raised an eyebrow, a playful challenge in her eyes. "You're right. I do know you, husband. I know you well enough to bet that you've already started working on your next project and don't expect to resurface until I'm back on solid ground."
I laughed, caught out. "Maybe you know me a little too well."
She gave me that look, the one that said she always had and always would. "That's because I love you," she replied simply, floating gracefully in the microgravity of Skylab.
"I love you too," I said, my voice softening. No matter the distance, no matter the challenges, that would never change.
Her smile brightened the screen. "Take care of yourself down there. I'll be back before you know it."
"I'm counting the days," I said, already looking forward to that moment.
After the call with Sam ended, I leaned back in my chair, the weight of our conversation settling into my thoughts. She was right, of course. I had a tendency to dive headfirst into projects, losing track of time and reality until something—or someone—pulled me back out. But that was just how I worked.
I went to my living quarters, in the hallway to my office, much like the base it was designed not only for sustainability and security but also for the comfort of the people living in it. Each room was equipped with modern amenities, including adjustable lighting, climate control, and soundproofing. The common areas offer recreational facilities, such as gyms and lounges, providing a much-needed respite for the personnel stationed here.
Considering I was the commander of this base and the possibility of foreign dignitaries visiting we also had luxurious suites, just like the one I was going to live in was designed to impress, echoing 19th-century European elegance with ornate furnishings and decorative oil paintings—more for show than value, but pleasing to the eye nonetheless.
The base's design included a lot of things like an advanced air filtration system, water recycling and more. I walked to my bed, letting myself fall to sleep.
A few hours later, I woke up and decided to wash myself before moving away from my suite.
The base was quiet, with a hum of activity here and there, but the real buzz was down in the command centre. My curiosity piqued, and I decided to head down and see if I could lend a hand, walking down the briefing room.
I arrived at the command centre, where the atmosphere was charged with anticipation. Screens glowed with streams of data, and a small team of scientists huddled around the main console, murmuring in low voices. The images of the Mars mission had long since been replaced by algorithms.
"Hey, what's going on?" I asked, sliding into the room.
Dr. Haynes, one of our lead researchers, looked up, his face a mix of excitement and anxiety. "We're running the latest version of the Dialing Program. We've been testing various symbol combinations, trying to figure out if there's a pattern or sequence that might activate the gate."
I nodded, intrigued. The program had been a massive undertaking, designed to systematically test every possible combination of symbols on the Stargate's ring. But so far, it had been more guesswork than science.
"Anything promising?" I leaned in to study the screen.
"We've been narrowing down the possibilities," Haynes explained. "And we're about to test the closest match to a combination we think might work. We just need to input the final sequence."
"Let's give it a shot," I said, feeling a spark of excitement.
Holmes gestured for everyone to take their positions. "You heard him!"
Haynes nodded to Bill who was below in the gate room with a technician, after a few checks at the cables connected to the Stargate they signalled back and Haynes began typing in the last command. The room fell silent as the Stargate's inner ring began to rotate, the massive symbols locking into place one by one.
The few probes hanging around and in front of the gate at varying heights began to sway in the air.
My inner child couldn't be contained as my smile widened to an impossible degree at saying the Stargate actually lit up and spun.
Everyone watched, holding their breath. The final symbol clicked into place, and for a moment, nothing happened. I sighed, it was too much to hope for success without the coordinates on the first try.
"Seems like we will need to-"
Then, with a loud, mechanical whirr, the Stargate sprang to life, cutting me off.
Blue energy rippled across the surface, expanding outward into a shimmering, watery event horizon. My eyes widened in confusion as the whole room erupted into gasps and hurried whispers.
"What… what the hell?" I muttered, more to myself than anyone else.
"It's… it's active," Haynes whispered, his voice trembling. "The gate is active. "
"We have a stable connection," Bill reported with his radio, standing right next to the gate, his voice tinged with awe. "It worked."
Before anyone could react, one of the probes that had been set up for data collection in front of the gate fell down as the strings that had held it together were sucked into the event horizon, the probe itself fell, disappearing into the glowing blue surface without a trace.
The room fell into stunned silence. I stared at the spot where the probe had vanished, my mind racing to catch up with what I'd just witnessed. This wasn't supposed to happen—not yet, not without knowing more.
"What… just happened?" I asked, still trying to process the scene.
Haynes turned to me, his face pale but eyes shining with a mix of fear and wonder as he read what the probe was still sending. "I think… I think we just made contact. That probe… it's gone somewhere. Through the gate, we are still receiving data."
The room was buzzing with a mix of panic and exhilaration as the realization set in. We had done it. We had activated the Stargate. And now, there was no turning back.
Author's note: I had to cut the chapter as it was starting to get a bit too big, so I still have around 4k words that I need to edit but this is it, the beginning of the Stargate Program for Adam, you can expect the next chapter next week where I will answer your reviews, I also decided on what planet they have connected to first, let's just say this isn't going to be any I first expected but it wrote itself naturally so you can expect some spirituality for next chapter.