To copy the database which is at minimum several million years old. And in it all the knowledge of a whole race! Records about species encountered on planets, about the worlds and moons themselves, stars and black holes, about ships and medicines, about… Yes about everything! And this is only a small part of what is there!
I think it's worth thinking about organizing the production of information storage of a new type after connection with Earth. Well, for a dozen or two terabytes. Or produce the newest computers altogether. However, I don't know if Ancient technologies are capable of launching "Crysis" on ultra-maximum settings. They say that if you do this, the universe will collapse…
Okay, this all later.
"You have been in the city less than a day, and already wrote such a complex program?" I clarified.
"Made it in breaks between other work," said Chaya.
"Other work?" I clarified. "You about the city assessment?"
"It seemed to me that I can quite come up with an occupation for myself," the Ancient squinted slightly. "I didn't know that I am in your subordination and live from order to order."
"Of course not," I came to my senses. "Simply… Khem… Of course, I am not against you doing your affairs…"
"Good," interrupted me Sar, checking her scanner. "When Atlantis lost power, its systems shut down in emergency order. Turning on the battery led to restart of all systems in the city."
"Right all?" I asked.
"Absolutely all that can work without direct indication of the operator," said she. "Various kind of sensors, long-range scanners, subspace transmitter, recharging of shuttles, lighting of corridors and rooms in the uninhabited part of the city, power supply of all laboratories and so on."
"That is, the city devours the energy of our ZPM with the same appetite as a bull slop?" I inquired.
"Analogy rough, but, I think, correct," said Sar. "Part of the systems I managed to turn off with the help of control panels in the control room. Others should be turned off independently or at distribution consoles. However…"
"Exactly," I nodded. "You know, in the floor before the gates there is some console with the help of which it is possible to turn off… much, if almost everything."
"Yes, I understand what you are talking about," said the girl at the moment when we entered the transporter. "But, unfortunately, use the emergency shutdown mechanism can only pure-blooded Lanteans."
At this moment I was already pressing the point on the city map.
"Pure-blooded?"
A light flash illuminated the cabin.
"Yes," the doors swung open and Chaya exited first. "You know that those whom you call Ancients are not a homogeneous race?"
"Em… Guessed," without blinking an eye I lied. "But it would be better if you refreshed my memory."
Chaya looked at me with suspicion and surprise.
But in fulfilling the request she did not refuse.
"When those whom you know as Ancients came to this galaxy, they populated it with life," said she. "Over time, a large number of human and not only races appeared. They developed over long years under the protection of the Lanteans. Many of them reached such a level of development that the residents of Atlantis paid attention to them and entered into open contact. Peoples exchanged knowledge, conducted trade and so on. Over time, if developed peoples demonstrated their technical, moral and spiritual development similar to that of the Ancients, then those accepted them into their society and revealed their secrets to them."
"So these cunning freaks still shared knowledge!" irritably pronounced I.
"Yes, and very often," confessed Chaya. "For example, I originated from the people of the Proculians. We were not sufficiently developed in the technical plan, but at the same time our spiritual development and aspiration to enlightenment impressed the Ancients. Many from my people joined them in sign of our past merits. But," she saddened, "the major part of my people still could not step over the threshold of low development of society. I'm afraid, in this I am guilty. I so loved my people that I helped them, built and provided all necessary. This was my big mistake."
"Because the people of your planet got used to receive everything at the first request," understood I. "Why develop when you possess all necessary anyway?"
"Precisely," with sadness said Chaya. "My people valued and value spiritual development above material. They do not strive to the stars, not impressed by scientific knowledge of the world. I'm afraid, precisely I became the cause of why they continue to remain such."
"By the way about your people," came to my senses I. "You protected them from the Wraith while being Ascended."
"Probably," absentmindedly answered Chaya. "I don't remember, forgive."
"Yes-yes-yes, so it was, you can believe me," said I. "Only thanks to you, your people did not know the invasion of the Wraith. But now, when you are a simple human, and they are — defenseless, it is necessary to think how to secure them."
"I…" Chaya got confused. "I didn't think that they are still alive… I… I forgot about them…"
On the face of the Ancient (if still can call her so) appeared a seal of light panic.
"I forgot about my people…" murmured she, accelerating the step. "How did this happen⁉"
The girl, quickly moving her legs, at some moment rushed into a run, turquoise, in the color of her dress, arrow, throwing to the control room.
All that remained to me, so this is only to run after her.
That she forgot about the protection of her people with the use of the powers of the Ascended, of course, was explained by that she has no memories for the last ten thousand years. But… How could she forget that her people are defenseless?
I have a bad premonition, very bad… Can it be so that the Ascended purposefully extracted from her these knowledge as punishment or revenge for the new disobedience?
Chaya I found near the control panel, typing the address. Her concentrated face evoked compassion, therefore, I intercepted her hand before she launched the gate.
"I need to get to the planet!" said she.
"We will do this together," explained I. "On the 'Jumper.' Because, as I remember, the gate on your planet are ejected into space."
"What?" was stunned the Ancient. "Who and for what did this⁈"
So… With each day to live becomes all more fun.
"Do so that no one except us could pass into the city through the gate," ordered I, heading to the staircase leading to the hangar of "Jumpers." "We don't need to meet guests yet while we are absent."
"Give me several minutes," pronounced she.
Having climbed into the Jumper, I launched the engine of the ship, waited for Chaya.
Immediately after that as deadly pale (what was well noticeable on the swarthy face of Sar) Ancient typed the address, began descent into the gate room. Must say, Chaya really didn't fail — the virtual screen before me was speckled with marks in the native language. Yes, the engraving of symbols on the Ancient this didn't erase from the instrument panel, but control by thought coped with this defect.
As soon as before the eyes appeared the familiar outlines of the "puddle," the ship rushed through the gate.
***
"Commander," the first officer approached Styx at that very moment when the hive began acceleration for the jump into hyperspace. "This was a risky operation. In the past, not a single hive managed to leave from here alive."
"We — not all," cut off Styx.
He did not intend to enter into disputes with the subordinate.
To, at minimum, not designate the fact of random confluence of circumstances. Damaged in battle old ship needed repair — therefore had to exit from hyperspace earlier than planned.
How great was the surprise of Styx when the scanners of the hive ship detected on the planet under them a significant number of life signals. The planet was not listed among the list of distributed lands of other hives. On the contrary, since ancient times it was preferred to bypass side because of unknown energy protection, guarding the residents from culling.
But nothing happened.
While the "darts" conducted culling, the damaged hyperdrive restored by itself. As well as part of the damages inside the ship. The restored integrity of the hull and the healed wounds in the hangar pleased him.
But not more than several thousand people, collected by pilots of "darts" and delivered to the ship.
Soldiers who drove the locals on the surface of the world, were in bewilderment — people them completely did not fear. As if even did not know about that who they such and how dangerous similar meetings.
And therefore sudden attack and culling passed as cannot better. And Styx was pleased with how the circumstances developed.
He not simply survived and preserved his ship after meeting with the Cunning Blade. But and found nearby from her lands a world in which managed to restore the damaged ship, yes gather people. This quantity will suffice him for not small time.
For the first time for long months, his Wraith will be able to produce feeding to satiety. And even will remain not small reserve on the future.
"It was necessary to leave on the planet several families for breeding of the herd," pronounced the first officer. "Then at us would be own lands."
"No," cut off Styx. "Hive ship is easy to track. Confident that soon here will visit ships of the Cunning Blade to learn what we here did. I am not going to war with her because of a pair of animals."
And to war would have to.
Overgrowing with feeding lands, the Wraith simply are obliged — otherwise them will consider weak — to drive away persistent from their planets. Not to make this — means to awaken in the rest interest to the reasons of weakness.
Conflict — this is not that what to him now is needed. It is necessary to reach his secluded base and bring the hive to combat readiness. And, then, to begin hunt on Lanteans.
"I think, it is worth studying the words of the chief monk about his goddess," suggested the first officer. "She can be real."
"In such case, why she us did not interfere?" asked Styx.
What to answer the subordinate did not find.
"You sufficiently exactly searched the planet?" asked the commander of the hive. "Traces of energy, buildings surpassing the level of local residents?"
"Nothing, commander. What ever destroyed Wraith on this planet before, this here already is not."
But in the galaxy appeared minimum one small Lantean ship traveling through gates. Can this be coincidence?
Unlikely. It is necessary more carefully to collect information about that what happens in the galaxy.
Flashed the window of hyperspace and the giant organic ship disappeared from the orbit of the planet Proculus.
***
Searches did not take much time. By the end of the next day we finished the search of Proculus.
And the results did not please.
Already on the orbit it became clear that on the native planet of Chaya there are no survivors. Not a single person.
But she insisted on that to descend and see all with own eyes.
I don't know what she wanted to see, wandering through the destroyed villages, examining the destroyed garden near something similar to a temple… However, from her words I understood that this and is the temple of Athar. Under such name she lived here after Ascension.
The Ancient turned into pure energy, accepted as I remember, the human appearance of the girl Chaya Sar, servant of Athar, to have possibility to communicate with people whom she protects. Protected…
And that what became the temple, initially was a house which she built for herself and for meetings with compatriots, passing to them that what was needed to them. So was in times before her Ascension. So continued and after that as she returned to the planet and became an outcast.
Curious history for a novel, but… The end at this history too tragic.
"I did not find a single body," quietly pronounced she when we, having searched the last, the largest and the closest to the temple village. In it lived about a thousand people. By her words, all as one inhabitants of this world — calm, trusting, life-joyful, kind.
"In their hearts there was no cruelty and malice," pursing lips, said Chaya.
"Afraid, to the Wraith it turned out to spit," quietly said I, glancing at the destroyed village. "Residents did not kill. Them took with themselves. By force."
About this spoke the household items scattered around the dwellings, utensils, pieces of torn clothes, traces of dragging on the soil. The Wraith, and more I cannot find reasons by which disappeared the remaining without protection of Chaya people, did not ceremony. They did not meet resistance, and therefore took all without losing anyone. And not starting bombings for intimidation.
"This I am guilty!" exclaimed the Ancient. "If I did not become again a human, then they would be under protection!"
To me here nothing to say.
But in the head spun the thought that somehow too smoothly all coincided. Worthed to Sar to disappear — and here her people gathered the Wraith. Not the glowing ears of the Ascended decided to take revenge on her stick out from the situation?
Aloud I did not want this to say, not having proofs more substantiated than guesses.
Several minutes we stood at the "Jumper" while Chaya with pain on the face peered into the destroyed buildings of the settlement. By the characteristically folded palms I assumed that she prays.
Quite logically, considering that here was strong the faith in her as in a goddess. Probably, pays tribute to the memory of people who perished.
"It is time for us to return," said she. "I entered into the program of the energy shield of the city our biological signals, so that us nothing threatens at passage of gates neither now nor in the future."
Somewhere on the edge of consciousness arose the thought that the lady so not from the race of the builders of gates, so could and confuse something. To smear in the completion of the flight did not want, but… I think all will be in order.
"If to you it is necessary to be alone, then I will fly to one planet to meet with someone," pronounced I when the "Jumper" already lifted from the atmosphere. Despite the absence of signals around, the camouflage I still continued to hold until that zone when it turns off automatically. "Or, if you want, we can talk…"
"Thanks for the care," quietly pronounced Chaya, looking at me. For that time that we lifted from the planet, she for the first time tore away from drilling with gaze the instrument panel from the side of the helmsman. "To me it hurts because of my failure, but… Unfortunately, they were doomed from that very moment as I became a human. I don't know why my memories about their vulnerability turned out not in the center of my attention, but… I also understand that even owning the whole Atlantis, we would not be able to do anything. Passed only a day, maybe a little more from that moment as them collected. I understood this by the warmth remaining in the hearths of houses. Unfortunately, we could not save even the larger their part."
Because Atlantis at us while "not on the move," and on Jumpers many people not to transport. However, if we came to senses immediately, then surely could on "Jumpers" to evacuate at least someone.
But the done not to return.
"It is necessary to return to the command center," said Chaya at that moment when the "Jumper" already lifted into the hangar of Atlantis. Despite the fears, we survived this flight and on the shield at the gates did not crash. "To both of us. This will not take much time."
"For what?" with suspicion asked I. "What do you want to do, Chaya?"
"I think, at you there is more in common with your Earthlings than at me," said Sar. From me did not escape that she switched with me to "ty." Not at all the catastrophe on the native planet forced her to be less prim?
However, in comparison with Ganos Lal and Melia, Chaya in principle was a darling. Me the girl and her people are fully sorry.
But to do we could nothing. If even the Proculians the Wraith did not "drink" immediately, then they on the board of the ship. Which exactly — remains only to guess. Yes, was the probability that the Wraith came through the gate, but… Somehow this is doubtful.
"With my Earthlings?" was stunned I. "Not quite understand…"
"I intend to open the gate to Earth," firmly said the former Ascended. "Since I did not save my people, then, maybe, will manage to help yours."
Ah so that's what…
***
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