It was difficult to call our interaction friendly, but at the very least, it wasn't hostile. Much of the credit for that went to our Runner acquaintance, who had already managed to discreetly recount the circumstances of our meeting.
I thanked him for remaining silent about the cloaked ship and other interesting details.
"We do not seek trade with those we do not know," Teyla said after we had sipped our tea. The brew, despite the leaves floating in the mug, turned out to be far better than anything I had ever tried on Earth. And I had tried many varieties of tea, being not just a fan of the drink, but a seasoned professional in its consumption. "However, Alvar Jensen vouches for you."
"It seems he commands respect among your people," I noted, taking a sip of the warming drink. Not only was it strong and cleared the head, but it actually invigorated the body and spirit. Energy drinks had nothing on this. "I wonder, for what merits?"
"Our peoples traded shortly before my world was attacked," the Runner explained. "The first world I traveled to after what the Wraith did to me was Athos."
"Our healers tried to help him. But without success," Emmagan added. "However, you succeeded. Though Alvar says you are not a healer."
"Well, a bit of luck and ingenuity," I smiled. "And, truth be told, I was eager to help a man who could help me find a decent cup of tea in this galaxy."
Laughter rippled around the table.
Everyone smiled and chuckled, including Jensen.
Only Chaya remained silent, carefully hiding a scanner under the table, her fingers fluttering across its screen. No matter how many times I nudged her, she didn't react. And her preoccupation was clearly drawing attention.
"I like people who are open and wish no ill," Teyla admitted. "We prefer to trade with such as you."
"How fortunate to be the good guys," I smiled.
No, I wasn't overflowing with irrepressible joy like a fountain. It would be foolish to suspect the Athosians of the tea being more than just tea. Of course, local plants—including the tea and the reed whose juice was used as a sweetener—could certainly affect my system in non-standard ways, but I simply enjoyed talking with these simple people.
After conversations with the Ascended, where it turned out a dagger was hidden behind every smile, talking with the non-malicious and open Athosians literally warmed my soul. I didn't feel like blathering incessantly. Nor did I feel like giving away secrets. I wasn't getting sleepy… in short, no side effects.
"Indeed," Teyla agreed. "People nowadays are quite ambiguous. Even if the Wraith sleep, they come periodically... A few months ago, their 'arrows' attacked us and culled many Athosians," the faces of those present darkened. "Though we tried to fight and flee, the forces were unequal. They surpass us—and all the people we know. Recently, they repeated their raid—and our numbers grew even smaller."
Two raids in a few months?
Hm… that didn't happen in the series.
Oh, you dummy!
Of course it didn't! Because during the first raid, on the same day the expedition arrived on Atlantis, the Wraith attacked Athos, the locals fled to the city, and they never appeared on their home planet again. It made sense that other raids weren't covered—they simply weren't known.
"I think we have a solution for how to make you a bit more combat-capable," I cast out the bait.
"Really now?" Jensen looked at me with surprise. "Didn't you say your people couldn't give us your weapons because of some gene or other?"
"What?" Chaya stirred. "What do genes and blasters have to do with each other?"
"That's how it is," I placed a hand on my companion's shoulder, signaling her to be quiet. "But I'm not talking about our weapons. Do not take offense, but they are quite difficult to handle. It would take a long time to understand the principles of their operation. And repairing them is altogether difficult."
"Then what are we talking about?" Teyla asked.
"I recall when we last met, you had a good rifle," I remembered, looking at Jensen.
"My weapon is still with me," he said. "But the problem is that only the ammunition produced on my planet fits it. There are many firearms in the galaxy, but the calibers differ. Our weapons used large, specialized rounds to increase stopping power. And all the factories for their production have been destroyed by the Wraith. Perhaps if I returned home, I could find a few guns or rifles under the rubble, a couple of crates of ammunition... but that would hardly be enough for a good fight against Wraith ground units."
"That's why Chaya is with me," I explained, looking at the girl. "What do you think? Can we organize the production of firearms by studying a few samples?"
"You can do that?" Emmagan marveled. "It would be wonderful. We asked for weapons from the rulers of Jensen's people, but they refused us, saying our level of development would not allow us to understand the mechanisms."
"The design of any firearm is a thousand times simpler than the mechanism of a blaster," Chaya revealed, looking up from her work. "I think we shouldn't speak of a full-fledged factory, of course. Но небольшая мастерская, выпускающая небольшие партии, вполне может быть организована. The only question is energy consumption and resources for producing frames, moving parts, and so on."
Teyla and Alvar exchanged a glance.
"You're not joking?" the former Runner asked again.
"Not at all," I said. "The Wraith cause trouble for almost all people. And in my opinion, people have the right to defend themselves."
"Why don't you do something better then?" Jensen burst out. "Your blasters are much more powerful. Even a large-caliber rifle takes several rounds to bring down a Wraith. Your weapon," he pointed to the Lantean blaster resting in a holster on my hip, "takes much less. You were killing Wraith with a single hit."
"Shall I remind you how many shots it took for one hit?" I parried. "Not to mention other variables."
"Peace, friends," Teyla said conciliatoryly. "We gathered here not to quarrel."
"Well put," I said. "If Alvar doesn't mind showing us the planet, we'll inspect everything there, look for weapon samples, and try to produce as many as needed for the Athosians to feel protected."
"I see what you're doing," Jensen said. "You don't want to give me and these people your weapons. Instead of us fighting better and more effectively, you want to complicate everything."
"That's just how it seems to you," I countered.
The guy clearly wasn't going to continue the verbal sparring.
"Alvar, please calm yourself," Teyla said. "We are only having a conversation. And my people could use powerful weapons against the Wraith."
"Except those were weapons for which my people paid with their blood," Jensen said. "And I know that Misha and Chaya can give us all much more."
"Perhaps we will speak of that someday," Emmagan noted peacefully. "Now we are simply discussing the possibility of helping each other."
She looked at me.
"I take it the weapons you supply will not be a gift for my people?" she clarified.
"We'd like them to be," I said, "but it isn't done that easily. Our resources are limited, so..."
"What do you want in return?" she asked.
"Provisions," I said. "Not too much, no more than for five hundred people... Every month."
Teyla looked a bit taken aback. Jensen—interested; the other Athosians—slightly less friendly than before.
At this point, Chaya kicked me under the table. And it wasn't a discreet nudge like mine. No, armored elements collided with a characteristic sound that drew everyone's attention.
"I do not think we will need that much," Chaya said quickly.
"Yes, we will," I let her know with my voice that she shouldn't contradict me. Damn, I should have discussed everything beforehand. But I'd leaned toward the idea that the girl wouldn't butt into the conversation. "We need to think of everyone."
"But won't that be too much?" Sar made "scary eyes."
"Just right," I snapped, returning to Teyla. "Is it possible?"
"It..." she hesitated. "It will not be easy. After the Wraith raid a day and a half ago, our people lost many providers and workers... I do not think we can help you. We have many elders whom the Wraith do not seek to take..."
Chaya and I looked at each other.
A day and a half ago?
It sounded all too familiar.
"Elders have little life force," Jensen explained. "As I understand it, Wraith pilots focus on fast-moving targets during a cull."
"Not only that," Chaya said. "They have quite advanced scanners that allow them to determine the parameters of human bodies."
"Is that so?" Teyla was interested. "We did not know."
"Nor did we," Chaya sighed. "Until certain tragic moments in our history..."
"Perhaps it's worth sharing such valuable information?" Jensen croaked. "If the Wraith can track people selectively... does that mean they can hunt a specific individual?"
"In theory, it is possible," Chaya nodded. "Furthermore, their gathering beam can be tuned to ignore obstacles, or to specific parameters of an object, so..."
"Are you afraid that even without a transmitter they can track you?" I realized the reason for the man's anxiety.
"Among other things," he said. "Teyla, I do not think my presence here will be useful any longer. There is a chance that during the last raid the Wraith might have noticed me here. Forgive me, I thought Mikhail and his people could help you," he gave me a searching look. "But it seems that is not in his power. I cannot risk exposing the Athosians by my presence."
"Or they might have realized you were here by the weapons you used," Emmagan agreed. "Mikhail, forgive me, but it seems we cannot come to an agreement. We would be glad for the chance to protect ourselves more effectively, but... weapons—that is too little for my people to labor in the fields without sparing themselves. Especially as the threat grows."
"You know, Alvar, my offer to join is still on the table," I said unobtrusively.
"As are my requirements," the Runner replied.
"You are recruiting warriors?" Teyla was interested.
"We need people who know the planets of the galaxy well," I explained broadly. "And who are ready, if necessary, to repel Wraith attacks should it come to a fight."
"Among the Athosians are many brave warriors," Teyla said. "We can fight. And we hate the Wraith with all our souls. As do all honest people in the Pegasus Galaxy."
"Yes, but how much will your people be weakened if we take their warriors into our service?" I decided to cool the alien woman's fervor. "It might happen that you need help while your people are far from home. That could create problems."
Like the fact that the Athosians are acquainted with many local civilizations. And far from all of them are without skeletons in the closet. Furthermore, what is the probability that, if captured by the Wraith, the Athosians won't give away our secret? It wasn't as if we could keep our infantry-scouts on another planet. Living separately would cause too many problems.
And I have no desire to relocate the Athosians to Atlantis—in the events I know, they already managed to "cause trouble."
"And what if you didn't have to fear a Wraith attack?" Chaya asked. Yes, she'd ignored my under-table kick.
"Excuse me?" Emmagan marveled. "How can one not fear the Wraith when they come through the Ancestors' Ring? We are unable to prevent that."
"But our good friends, I think, can," Alvar looked at me searchingly, leaning on the table so as to sit half-turned toward us. "Or am I wrong, Misha, and your ship has nothing to do with Ancestor technology?"
"Ship?" Teyla asked. "What ship are we talking about?"
"You have an Ancestor ship?" the other Athosians also grew interested. "They possessed great power! You could protect us!"
Well, shit...
I looked at the smirking Jensen.
Think you've managed to pin me against the wall, leaving me no choice? Clever guy. He wanted answers when we parted. And he'd decided to get them this way.
"Fine," I said. "I think we can talk more openly. But only the four of us."
"That won't do," one of the young Athosians stood up. "Teyla will not remain with strangers..."
"I can stand up for myself," Emmagan said softly but with no room for argument. "Leave us. And see to it that we are not disturbed."
A couple of minutes, and the "yurt" was empty.
"Don't take it personally," Alvar said when no living soul remained inside except for the four of us. "But I see that you want help from these people. And from me. I will not work with someone I do not trust. And those who hide the truth from me are not exactly easy to believe. So, let's be honest."
"Alright, let's," I agreed. "But you understand that you'll have to take our secrets to your grave?"
"Took the words right out of my mouth," the former Runner smirked.
"On behalf of my people, I promise that everything you say will not go beyond this hut," Teyla promised.
Though she was hiding her interest, I wasn't to be fooled.
"Well then..." I exhaled. "I suppose I'll start by telling you who we are..."
* * *
"Is that all?" Jensen asked me skeptically after an hour of conversation and three mugs of tea.
"In broad strokes," I nodded.
"Astonishing," Teyla exhaled, looking at Chaya and me with awe. The latter even seemed embarrassed. "You are living Ancestors! That is... that is a miracle! We thought you had been gone for a long time."
"Technically, we aren't exactly Ancients," I clarified. "We simply have a direct connection to them."
"Those you call the Ancestors are a confederation of many peoples," Chaya explained.
"To my people, that is not so important," Emmagan said. "To think... You live in the Ancestors' city, you control their technology..."
"I wouldn't say with complete confidence," Jensen said. "I saw how Misha flies. A disgrace."
"Experience comes with practice," I said. "In time it will get better."
"Can you provide us with security?" Emmagan asked. "Settle us in your city and protect us from the Wraith? My people revere the Ancestors and everything connected with them. We will not cause you inconvenience, I promise you."
She might be able to vouch for the adults.
But the children... how to keep an eye on them? In my memory, it was an Athosian child who caused an energy-consuming being to be released on Atlantis, which caused no small amount of trouble.
And how much more could it cause, given the danger of most of Atlantis's labs?
I told Teyla about the latter without beating around the bush.
"It isn't necessary to settle them in the city," Chaya said. "There is a continent on Lantea. We could move the Athosians there and help them settle in a new place. It would be much simpler that way."
"Yes, but the city is underwater," I reminded her. "If something happens, a hurricane for instance, we'd have to evacuate people from there to the city. And we only have two people who can fly 'jumpers'. That means hundreds of trips, which is a waste of time and energy."
Not to mention that only one of our jumpers can boast of being fully functional. The others will need maintenance, repair... Parts are tight, so the only way is to strip some jumpers for parts for the others. And again, it all comes down to time—Chaya is the only person I know who could handle repairing Ancient equipment.
"Yes, that is a problem," she admitted.
"Furthermore, my people are traders," Teyla reminded us. "We cannot avoid conducting trade with our other partners. We will need fertilizers, tools, and much else."
"Which means free passage to the gate is required," Alvar concluded. "The city must be a restricted site. We can't regularly have scheduled excursions to other planets. Furthermore, it would require at least one of your ships to constantly fly to the mainland to pick up traders, bring them to the city, and send them through the gate to other planets."
"But there is a way out," I said. "What if we find a planet with a gate for the Athosians, but one where the Wraith do not appear?"
"Is there such a thing?" Alvar doubted. "The galaxy is swarming with them. I do not know of a single race that has not encountered the Wraith."
"The planet doesn't necessarily have to be inhabited," Chaya lit up with the idea. "As far as I am familiar with the principles of seeding planets, the Lanteans sought to create identical conditions for life on them. That means, if nothing has changed, the Athosians can find suitable conditions for themselves in almost any world. The only problem is clearing land for fields, building houses, and other infrastructure. Furthermore, I can come up with something regarding gate defense and an early warning system for approaching Wraith."
"Are you suggesting installing a set of long-range sensors on the new planet?" I asked. "That would be quite costly."
Long-range sensors allowed Atlantis to detect ship movement, including in hyperspace. Not across the entire galaxy, but in a specific and quite significant area of Pegasus.
I don't know how many resources are needed to produce a sensor complex, but one thing can be said with certainty—sensors like those installed on Lantean city-ships no longer exist in the galaxy.
"I'll have to agree there," Chaya said. "However, we can use simple satellites for such purposes. If we obtain the necessary materials, I will build simple satellites that will at least warn people of ships appearing in orbit a few dozen minutes before they exit hyperspace. If the settlement is near the gate, it will help them escape the Wraith."
"And you can't put some big gun here that would shoot down the Wraith?" Alvar asked.
It didn't escape me that Chaya winced at that question. Seems she's not a fan of large calibers.
"No," she said. "Installing a universal weapon that could equally effectively shoot down both fighters and large ships would take a very long time."
"Well, there is time, since the Wraith are sleeping," Jensen shrugged.
"And it would also require quite powerful energy sources," Chaya continued.
"I take it portable generators like the ones used on my planet to power military camps with electricity wouldn't fit here?" the former Runner clarified.
"If they are at least capable of drawing zero-point energy, then yes, they would fit," Chaya looked at the man with such kindness and a slight smile that I wanted to applaud her and tell everyone that the first bit of Ancient sarcasm in my life had just been voiced.
Zero-point energy... sounds a bit like a Zero Point Module. Hardly a coincidence. I'd need to talk to her at least in broad strokes about how Lantean technology actually works. I can't just keep pressing buttons without understanding what I'm doing on the level of elementary mechanics, can I?
At the very least, it wouldn't hurt.
"Zero-point energy?" Teyla asked a very timely question. Except she asked it of me.
"Exactly," I confirmed with a straight face. And immediately, realizing I couldn't answer the question, I looked at Chaya. "Could you..."
"No," the Ancient said in a categorical tone. "It is enough that it is one of the highest orders of energy generation in the universe. And we do not have sufficient resources to power a defense installation for an entire planet."
"And what if we cloak the planet?" Alvar asked. "Your ship can become invisible."
"Is that true?" Teyla seemed to be experiencing catharsis after catharsis today.
"Yes, true," I said. "Invisible for real, to scanning systems, but it's still real. If the Wraith, who know about Athos, fly here in ships, don't find the planet in its place, get surprised, and out of interest decide to take a shot at the place where it was, that won't save it from destruction. Not to mention that a cloaking field of such size is also difficult to build..."
"Simple," Chaya replied.
"...and to power," I finished my sentence.
"So, everything comes down to energy sources?" Jensen asked.
"As always," I agreed.
"Let's raid a Wraith base," he suggested. "They surely have some kind of generator."
"Their efficiency is much lower than what we need," Chaya rejected the suggestion. "Moving to another planet is the only reasonable option in your case. This place is too dangerous."
"If your plan succeeds and we obtain weapons," Teyla pointedly hinted at what had already been said, "then our home will not be so dangerous."
"You are dealing with Ancestor technology," Jensen echoed her. "Which means you also know how to make it so the Ring doesn't let the Wraith through."
"That won't save you when they arrive in ships," I countered. "I understand you don't want to move to another planet. But we are offering you the chance to live in peace and security. At least for a long time. Once we have the means to secure Athos, we will of course do so."
"We won't," Chaya interrupted me. "Your planet is a dangerous place to live."
"Forgive me," Teyla smiled tensely. "But we have lived here for many generations. And, excluding the Wraith, Athos is a wonderful place."
"Yes," I agreed. "It's lovely here..."
"Until the supervolcano, in whose caldera your settlement, the entire valley around, and the city ruins on the other side of the river are located, wakes up," Chaya showed those present her handheld. The screen featured several diagrams and a few pulsing dots. Along with uneven edges of something that looked very much like a volcanic caldera. Only a very large one. "Since we are being honest, your planet is threatening you and your children. A single eruption from a supervolcano can not only kill you all with magma flows or volcanic gas emissions, but also destroy the entire biosphere."
"I think you are exaggerating," Alvar said. "I saw several volcanic eruptions on my home planet. Yes, it is frightening and uncomfortable to be near them, but at the same time they did not threaten the planet as a whole."
"The caldera of this volcano has a radius that could fit a thousand settlements like this," Chaya explained. "Once the supervolcano wakes up, the ash emission will quickly fill the atmosphere, making it impenetrable to the light of the local star. Without light, there will be no heat. That means the surface will cool, and plants and animals will gradually die out. Then it will be your turn."
Emmagan looked shell-shocked. It isn't every day you meet your Ancestors—or rather, their descendants, as Chaya and I had introduced ourselves. And you certainly don't expect from that meeting to be told about the end of your civilization in a very vivid form.
Even I had nothing to say.
"One can always leave through the Ancestors' Ring in case of danger," Jensen suggested.
"The gate is built of a material called naquadah," Chaya said. There was an unclear expression in her voice. From the moment she'd started speaking about the giant problem under our feet, it was as if she'd been replaced. Usually calm and impassive, she was now speaking as if convincing the Athosians to get out of here was her life's work. Which was strange, actually... but I didn't intend to conduct an interrogation in front of others. It seemed that after losing her own people, the girl had developed a human-rescue complex, which she was trying to implement to the full here. Well, I wouldn't stop her—not because it's foolish to debate someone smarter than you. I had my own interests in what was happening. "The density of that substance is reflected in its mass. Once the rock beneath our feet becomes unstable, the gate will sink straight into the magma. You will no longer be able to use it and will find yourselves trapped on the planet. You will be very lucky if by that time we have a starship with a hyperdrive that can descend into the atmosphere and take all the refugees on board. Otherwise, the number of victims will be measured in..."
Chaya fell silent, looking at those present as if she were a teacher explaining to children in a classroom that naming a triangle's vertices "A-B-C" rather than "x-y-z" isn't the best idea when participating in a National Geometry Olympiad.