HONOR--An Atlantis scientist meets the Wraiths. Up close.

[keeperofthehive]

I listened to the video. He's fascinating. I am ordering the book.

Glad to hear you enjoyed it, T64. and MCH. Am reading his newest book Physics of the Impossible. I find that he is not as good a writer as a speaker, but still fun to read.

[MCH]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it, T64. and MCH. Am reading his newest book Physics of the Impossible. I find that he is not as good a writer as a speaker, but still fun to read.

Sorry I'm not an engineer that's T64, the only physics which I know is the science of the properties of matter and energy and the relationship between them.
But I do understand science of physics that includes matter ie glass of wine and it's relationship with energy ie the drinker -That's me.
The relatonship between the two in the tranfer of energy from the wine to me and the effects it can have. Not quite the quantum theory as most engineers would see it.
But wine is made of particles which do have units of energy with a value. I keep expreimenting trying work out what the precentage is the energy for each particle of wine, but never quite manage it. So I start again with my rescearch as a daughter of an engineer I feel I should try to find an answer.

Not quite what you had in mind but then I'm a simple soul. .

MCH

[masterling]

Sorry I'm not an engineer that's T64, the only physics which I know is the science of the properties of matter and energy and the relationship between them.
But I do understand science of physics that includes matter ie glass of wine and it's relationship with energy ie the drinker -That's me.
The relatonship between the two in the tranfer of energy from the wine to me and the effects it can have. Not quite the quantum theory as most engineers would see it.
But wine is made of particles which do have units of energy with a value. I keep expreimenting trying work out what the precentage is the energy for each particle of wine, but never quite manage it. So I start again with my rescearch as a daughter of an engineer I feel I should try to find an answer.

Not quite what you had in mind but then I'm a simple soul. .

MCH

wine, a very good choice to experment with. As a fellow wine lover I would encourage as much reasearch as possible If you every figure it out let me know, then i can have a good excuse for being a lush

[keeperofthehive]

Sorry I'm not an engineer that's T64, the only physics which I know is the science of the properties of matter and energy and the relationship between them.
But I do understand science of physics that includes matter ie glass of wine and it's relationship with energy ie the drinker -That's me.
The relatonship between the two in the tranfer of energy from the wine to me and the effects it can have. Not quite the quantum theory as most engineers would see it.
But wine is made of particles which do have units of energy with a value. I keep expreimenting trying work out what the precentage is the energy for each particle of wine, but never quite manage it. So I start again with my rescearch as a daughter of an engineer I feel I should try to find an answer.

Not quite what you had in mind but then I'm a simple soul. .

MCH

AH yes, i see;
Energy transfer as it pertains to the properties of a substance in liquid phase ...

[MCH]

AH yes, i see;
Energy transfer as it pertains to the properties of a substance in liquid phase ...

Yeah, I could have put it better myself.... You know it's amazing what you can convey with a few well structure sentences.

Me and the "boys" have been comparing notes on energy transfer for the matter both before, during and after the liquid phase.
How the energy discharge is influenced by the three different phases partaining to the said matter in the glass while we wait for T64 sort out Wraith hyperdrive and undercarriage....err problem.

Main problem being that after about 3 glases I either lose the plot, my notes or fall asleep. Unfortunately I then have to start again.

Unfortunately you appear to live a fair distance from so I can't enlist your particaption in partaining energy transfer you being versed in engineering matters..

MCH

[Traveler64]

Sorry I'm not an engineer that's T64, the only physics which I know is the science of the properties of matter and energy and the relationship between them.
But I do understand science of physics that includes matter ie glass of wine and it's relationship with energy ie the drinker -That's me.
The relatonship between the two in the tranfer of energy from the wine to me and the effects it can have. Not quite the quantum theory as most engineers would see it.
But wine is made of particles which do have units of energy with a value. I keep expreimenting trying work out what the precentage is the energy for each particle of wine, but never quite manage it. So I start again with my rescearch as a daughter of an engineer I feel I should try to find an answer.

Not quite what you had in mind but then I'm a simple soul. .

MCH

That is BRILLIANT!

Glad to hear you enjoyed it, T64. and MCH. Am reading his newest book Physics of the Impossible. I find that he is not as good a writer as a speaker, but still fun to read.

The book was already shipped. I also ordered The Elegant Universe. No m atter how many ways these string, parallel universe, black hole, etc. etc. stuff gets explained, I alwasy need one more and never quite manate to wrap my mind around it. I don't think anyone really does.

Yeah, I could have put it better myself.... You know it's amazing what you can convey with a few well structure sentences.

Me and the "boys" have been comparing notes on energy transfer for the matter both before, during and after the liquid phase.
How the energy discharge is influenced by the three different phases partaining to the said matter in the glass while we wait for T64 sort out Wraith hyperdrive and undercarriage....err problem.

Main problem being that after about 3 glases I either lose the plot, my notes or fall asleep. Unfortunately I then have to start again.

Unfortunately you appear to live a fair distance from so I can't enlist your particaption in partaining energy transfer you being versed in engineering matters..

MCH

Today tehre's been a lot of energy transfer, which included lots of cough syrup, a glass of champagne at intermission (Kirov Ballet, Giselle) and then watching lots of enthalpy, entropy and quantum leaps on stage. There were also glimpses of hyperdrives in purple tights which brought WRaith ships to mind... Yes, you can watch classical ballet from the gutter.

As for HONOR--the end is written. Now I am working on the inbetween scenes.

I am just biting my nails if you guys will like it or not...

[MCH]

That is BRILLIANT!

MCH bows gracefully, thankyou I do try my best, I always maintain that energy transfer can happen any time and in any place. One just has to recognise an energy transfer situation when one see it.

Today tehre's been a lot of energy transfer, which included lots of cough syrup, a glass of champagne at intermission (Kirov Ballet, Giselle) and then watching lots of enthalpy, entropy and quantum leaps on stage. There were also glimpses of hyperdrives in purple tights which brought WRaith ships to mind... Yes, you can watch classical ballet from the gutter.

Sorry to hear your not feeling well, but you are taking the correct remedial measure to ensure a full recovery.
As for watching ballet from the gutter

Spoiler:

try watching it from the stalls the closer to the stage you get the better view you get of the enthalpy, entropy and quantum leaps, as for the hyperdrives in tights of what ever colour.... hum just send it round and I deal with any problems the hyperdrive with tights of any colour may have with quantum leap theory.
I can work with the hyperdriver with tights of any colour on it's the energy and angular momentum in discrete amounts (the quanta) hopefully without causing toooooooo many bounces in the Wraith undercarriage......

As for HONOR--the end is written. Now I am working on the in between scenes.
I am just biting my nails if you guys will like it or not...

Fear not the end is near you'll get there, now you got pass the Wraith hyperdriver and undercarriage, plus the cold you'll be fine. Me and the boys have waited this long and we have faith.

OK me the hyderdrive, and a cup of tea are retiring to the gutter to pursue and spin theories on the variety of ways that quatum theory relate to life.....

MCH

[mommygonenuts]

Sorry to be a pest but is the next installment almost ready??? Hope you are feeling better (and the rest of your hivemates as well)

[Traveler64]

Sorry to be a pest but is the next installment almost ready??? Hope you are feeling better (and the rest of your hivemates as well)

Thank you for asking--I'm better. Finally my head feels normal; well, as normal as my head will ever feel. the trouble was that hivemates were also sick. Blah...

The next installment is just about ready; I am hanging on to it because I want to make sure that a plot threat I have in there will actually make it to the end . If not, I have to remove it. I hope to be able to post it over the weekend... or may be sooner.

Odd how easy it was to write three quaters through it, but as it approaches the end, development of hte plot is becoming more demanding. Oh, well...

[MCH]

Thank you for asking--I'm better. Finally my head feels normal; well, as normal as my head will ever feel. the trouble was that hivemates were also sick. Blah...

The next installment is just about ready; I am hanging on to it because I want to make sure that a plot threat I have in there will actually make it to the end . If not, I have to remove it. I hope to be able to post it over the weekend... or may be sooner.

Odd how easy it was to write three quaters through it, but as it approaches the end, development of hte plot is becoming more demanding. Oh, well...

You set yourself high standards and of course you want to make sure the end is just right.
A story is like wine, it's left in the bottle to mature until it just right. So hopeful we can get out the bottle openers and pop the cork. Sit back and relax and enjoy

Glad your feeling better, obviously your family deceided if you can't beat em, join em. Family solidarity or aleast a bunged up nose for all.

MCH

[Traveler64]

You set yourself high standards and of course you want to make sure the end is just right.
A story is like wine, it's left in the bottle to mature until it just right. So hopeful we can get out the bottle openers and pop the cork. Sit back and relax and enjoy

Glad your feeling better, obviously your family deceided if you can't beat em, join em. Family solidarity or aleast a bunged up nose for all.

MCH

Hey, there you are! I was just about to take a siesta--my best time to let the wine age to perfection. That's when I come up with my best plot twists. Keep that corkscrew ready. It's coming. I plan to work on it tonight--I do my best work around midnight. I already have a lot.

Tell the boys to keep away, unless they want to get the sniffles. And a Wraith with a head cold--I'm not sure I want to be around them.

[MCH]

Hey, there you are! I was just about to take a siesta--my best time to let the wine age to perfection. That's when I come up with my best plot twists. Keep that corkscrew ready. It's coming. I plan to work on it tonight--I do my best work around midnight. I already have a lot.

Tell the boys to keep away, unless they want to get the sniffles. And a Wraith with a head cold--I'm not sure I want to be around them.

Nay Wraith don't get sniffles, regeneration keeps the cold away. Which is just as well, you know what they say.

Feed a fever and starve a cold..... Wraith who are hungrey are very bad tempered......

Not sure which link you wanted so PM you.

MCH

[Traveler64]

Well, are you ready for this?

It's EPISODE 28 of HONOR!

Spoiler:

“Colonel Santos here,” I heard a familiar voice. “I think you better come over.”
I didn’t ask what was wrong or why I was needed. I was just eager to go. I made my suitcase, buried the amber tablet with the Wraith outfit at the bottom of my pack and took the first flight out to Stargate Command. Reaching Atlantis was a three step trip that took over a week, and included a very long and boring bout in hyperspace on the Daedalus. As far as any information on what was going on, all I got from the Daedalus commander was that ‘the Wraith are not sleeping as peacefully as we had hoped and are not having beautiful dreams of endless fields of humans.’

Colonel Santos, Doctor Bernard and my replacement as the leader of Atlantis, Cyril Feng (don’t ask…) stood at the bottom of the steps as I walked out of the Atlantis stargate. My gaze flew up the steps, in an instinctive and foolish, and absurd—and startling—hope (or desire) to catch the image of a tall figure in black with white hair and pale face. All I saw was Moira, her hands clasped in front of her, looking gaunt and old.

But, as if to welcome me back in the Pegasus, colors and scents fluttered for a moment through my mind and senses and I thought of an amber moth. Then it faded, the feeling of delight just as transitory. My palm was quiet.

“Doctor Feng,” I greeted the man who had taken my place.

“Doctor Vries,” he offered me a nod of his head and a hand shake. He looked stressed.

I glanced quickly at Santos and Bernard. Both faces were expressionless.

“It is unfortunate,” Feng started, “that we had to interrupt your life on Earth. This was not my idea.”

Odd thing to say in welcome. I sniffed something in the air. I never thought of feeling and emotions having a smell, but this time there was a smell, and it was emanating from Feng. It was acrid; like someone who had not washed for a while. I glanced at Feng again. He didn’t seem to lack in personal hygiene. As a matter of fact he was a fastidious little man.

I realized suddenly that I was flexing my right hand; an unnerving instinctive sign of emotion; although I could not discern what emotion.

Feng had a grim, almost angry look in his normally blank eyes. I knew him to be a man of slow decision making, who would waste more energy on covering his *ss than taking action. Was I there to cover his sorry *ss?

I smiled inwardly—I have a little surprise for you, little man. My days of playing devoted team member are gone. Why they are gone, I don’t know; may be I am just not in mood. It’s my game, not yours.

“Let’s not waste time,” I said, hearing my own dismissive impatience in my voice. “I assume it is something about Wraith.”

Feng was fidgeting with his fingers on his throat.

Santos sent me a smile and a wink. It was Bernard who spoke: “I think you are the only one who can carry this out.”

At Bernard’s words, Feng looked like he had just swallowed a sea slug. That brought to mind a subaltern of mine who had made the mistake of shacking up with him. She told me that it felt as if she had a slug between the sheets.

The thought made me smile for a second.

“All right,” I said, “let’s hear it.”

Without further niceties or attempt to conversation, I marched in front of Feng to the conference room, Moira bringing up the rear. Once inside, the doors closed shut and we sat down, I found myself taking the spot at the head of the table, facing the doors, Feng on the other side.

Feng played with his pen, wrote something on the top of the notebook in front of him and then, after a deep breath, said: “We received a message from a Wraith hive that has dropped out of hyperspace a day ago above planet MS34435—“

“Inhabited?” I asked.

“Yes,” Santos answered in Feng’s place. “One of the planets that is part of our alliance with… uh… your Wraith; Beauregard.”

I did suppress a laugh. Beauregard?! “Is that what you call him?”

“My idea,” Doctor Bernard intervened.

“And since when is he MY Wraith?”

“Well…” Santos smiled back at me trying to look innocent. “Isn’t he?”

“Oh, yeah… I’m his child bride.” I swiveled in my chair. “Beauregard?”

Feng made an impatient noise through his nose. We all turned to him.

“They hailed us using your channel and requested a meeting to discuss terms of an alliance.”

“Really?” I leaned back in my chair. “Terms of A alliance or of THE alliance?”

“We didn’t get the finer point of that,” Santos quipped.

Feng drummed his fingers on the table, apparently unconscious of it.

“In order to get our attention--” Santos continued.

“Naturally….”

“—the hive blocked the two gates—the one on the planet and the one above it—and took hostages the humans in one of the major towns. The humans there are early industrial age phase.”

“Any culling?”

“Not that we know of. But, they said that they will cull ten people for every hour we delay accepting the invitation, starting at 0900 hour. Which is an hour from now.”

“And they are inviting us exactly where?”

“In a neutral location on the planet.”

“And they are requesting you,” Feng interjected. “If you are not there, even if we show up at the rendez-vous, they will cull.”

I tightened my lips. “Not very subtle…” I stared at the closed doors. “Wraith can be brutally direct, but this is crudely direct.”

“It’s a trap of some kind,” Santos said.

“Too crude to be a trap. The meeting is not the trap in itself.” I shifted my gaze on Santos. “It’s nothing that is visible to the naked eye, so to speak.”

“Do you think it’s Beau--… I mean, the Commander’s hives?” Feng asked.

“Have you seen any movement other than this?”

“No,” Santos answered.

“In the face of it, and if this is all there is, it is too simple to be the Commander,” I said.

“He’s rather refined in his methods, I must admit,” Santos agreed. “This is not his style.”

“Something else is hiding behind it,” I said and smiled, rather ruefully: “Something more elegant and more deadly, I think.” I focused on Feng and put him on the spot: “So, your decision is that we walk into this based on believing what the Wraith tell us? Do we even know who’s on the other side?”

“No,” Santos rumbled.

Forever the cautious and wavering man, Feng countered: “What do you think is the trap?”

“I cannot fathom,” I said. But, I was lying. My suspicion was that ‘someone’ wanted a piece of my DNA; again. But, that was the obvious. Again, if it was the Commander, he knew enough and the two of us had shared enough for him to know that he would not have to go through such crude subterfuges. “If it’s the Commander, I cannot imagine why he would find it necessary to deal with us like this.” Even if his purpose was to have me show up. “If it’s another faction of Wraiths… They would not know of me, unless someone has betrayed the Commander.” In which case… they could want a piece of my DNA.

“Can you hail the Commander to come to your aid?” Feng said.

I stared at him and an alarm went off in my head; or rather I could smell that acrid odor again. “Disappointingly, no.”

“It could be a splinter group,” Santos chanced.

“I thought you could hail your Wraith,” Feng insisted.

I did not like the tone of ‘your’. But, I shrugged. “He’s a Wraith; which means he’s not stupid and certainly does not trust humans enough to give me a way to hail him.”

“I thought he trusted you,” Feng continued his line of discussion.

“He used me, Doctor Feng, didn’t trust me. And I didn’t trust him. These are Wraith we’re talking about. Never assume anything.” I decided to give the little man a crumb so that he would reveal where he was going. “But, it could be,” I said with a cogitative tone of voice, “that, although in hibernation, he is keeping an eye on his territories and the status of the alliance—I am sure that in true Wraith fashion he’s got something underhanded going on—and that he might receive a signal that someone is encroaching on his empire. There is a chance that he might show up.”

Feng seemed pleased. “That is good.”

There was more behind this. A lot more.

I stood up. “Anything else? I understand that time is short.”

“Yes,” Feng mumbled.

I locked my gaze into Feng’s eyes before he could avert them: “You don’t have any theories, suspicions, hunches?”

Feng’s eyes slipped. “No. That’s why you’re here, Doctor Vries. You’re with the suspicions and theories.”

Liar. I glanced at Santos. He nodded softly.

“Shall we contact the Wraith and tell them that I am coming?”

Feng stood up quickly. “I will contact them. In the meantime, I suggest you use the time to prepare.”

That smell reached my nose again. “I will be speaking with them from now on. No one else. Is that understood?”

Feng seemed to dissolve in stress and incertitude. I was higher in rank by virtue of my position on the IOA, but my high handed manner had thrown him off balance. “Put me through to the Wraith,” I said to Bernard.

“Yes!” Doctor Bernard jumped to his feet.

A few minutes later, I stood in the control room, facing the screen filled with static.

“They are responding,” the Lieutenant manning the communications said.

“Patch them through,” I said. My heart was in my mouth.

The screen cleared and the face of an unknown Wraith appeared. His hair was slick and carefully arranged, two strands of beard adorning his chin.

“I am Doctor Vries,” I announced before the Wraith could speak.

“Ah… Doctor Vries. Glad to see you.”

“With whom am I supposed to meet?” I asked directly.

The Wraith seemed to appreciate that. He tilted his head. “My Queen.”

“Do I know your Queen?”

“That’s immaterial, Doctor Vries. Be there at the agreed upon time and we will not cull, or feed upon the hostages.”

“You realize that there was no need for the hostages and all the other niceties. You could’ve just asked.”

The Wraith grinned. “It did not appear to be enough at the time. And not everyone is as reasonable as you are, Doctor Vries. We are expecting you.”

The screen went blank and ‘signal lost’ flashed on the screen.

“What did he mean?” I turned to Feng.

“Just Wraith talk,” Feng answered. Too hastily.

So, there have been discussions between Feng and the Wraith beyond what he had told me… “I get the feeling that they didn’t just take hostages and showed up on our screen.”

Feng shrugged.

I turned on my heels and walked out. Colonel Santos came in my wake and caught up with me. Moira brought the rear.

[Traveler64]

EPISODE 29

Spoiler:

“Let’s talk in here,” I said and veered through the opening doors leading to the great terrace over looking the ocean.

I took in a deep breath, the smell of the ocean filling my lungs. “I am happy to be here,” I said.

Colonel Santos came alongside while Moira remained in the corridor. I couldn’t help thinking that she was guarding our privacy. Slowly, she closed the doors.

“What troubles you, Colonel,” I started, “besides the obvious.”

He clasped his hands behind his back and stared over the turrets of the city. “Let me be brief and to the point.”

“I expect nothing less from you, Colonel,” I smiled.

“I have the same suspicions you have, Doctor Vries. I think Feng has been talking to the Wraith before they showed up with this ‘we’ll cull if you don’t come and talk to us; and by the way, we will only talk to Doctor Vries.’”

“Are you saying that Feng is hiding a piece of this so called future alliance?”

“I think,” Santos said, “that we’re not doing this just to save those villagers. We are not that noble. I think Feng is getting something in return.”

“Any suspicions?”

He shook his head. “I’m just saying, nothing is what it seems. We need to keep our eyes open.”

“Always with the Wraith.”

“I don’t like this. I want you to know that I will back you up in whatever decision you make.”

“I am the Trojan horse?”

“I don’t know that. But, that’s what I feel in my gut.”

“So do I.” I squared my shoulders. “Let’s see what these Wraiths are all about. And let’s keep in mind that we have an alliance with the Commander’s hives. It could be all about that.” I kept to myself the next thought—and I am the Keeper of the Commander’s hive. I will not be the one to destroy it. I said however: “If this hive we’re going to talk to today threatens the alliance, we might have to choose sides among the Wraith.” I was silent for a while. Then I said: “Colonel, I need you on my side.”

“I am on your side.”

“I don’t want Feng to be able to track us.”

Santos nodded. “I understand.”

“Can be done?”

“Yes.”

As we opened the door to the hallway, we both looked at Moira. “She might know something,” he whispered to me.

Inside the room assigned to me for my stay in Atlantis, Moira was unpacking for me and laying out my things on the bed, placing the computer on my desk. I watched her as she reached the Wraith outfit. She paused looking down on it. She was older and looked drawn.

“How have you been, Moira?” I asked.

She straightened up. “I have been well.”

“Do you miss the Commander?” The question was really: have you seen him?

She glanced at me. “It is the way things must be.”

Was that a yes, or a no?

“He was a kind master when you didn’t cross him?”

“He is Wraith. He was just.”

“Wraith justice.”

“Their justice is predictable if you know their ways.”

“Their treachery is a code.” Then I asked directly: “Has he communicated with you at all while I was gone?”

There was a prolonged silence. “He is Wraith. It might simply be that neither of us is needed to him anymore.”

And that was the heart of the matter. That worm of forlorn despondency and feeling of loss squirmed in my heart and gut. I took a deep breath to rid myself of that sensation. It was illogical, unreasonable and absurd. Absurd seemed to describe a lot of what was going on.

“Do you know anything about the Wraith who asked to see me?” I asked Moira.

“It is someone from the Commander’s alliance, I think. A faction that betrayed him.” She looked pale. Was it anxiety or was it simply the long fasting from the Commander’s gift to the worshiper. I glanced quickly at myself in the mirror across the room. Was I also pale and withdrawn, looking as if fading from some mental form of starvation? But I found my face was glowing and looking content in a way it had not looked through my long stay on Earth. I looked as if I’ve just been to a spa. “You must go, Doctor Vries. You must.” She came a step closer. “This is not what it seems to be. Something is wrong. I fear for the Commander.”

I bit my lip in an old gesture of discomfort. I looked carefully at Moira. Very carefully. “What do you know of Feng’s dealings with the Wraith who want to talk to me?”

She answered me readily enough, in a very soft voice: “He has promises from these Wraith.”

“How do you know?”

“I know.”

I nodded and didn’t press that particular point. “Do you now what?”

“No. But I do wonder.” She gazed squarely at me. “You think like a Wraith; and you think like a human. You know what the Wraith would want; and you know what someone like Feng would want for his glory. There is a desire there that is common to Feng and these Wraith.” She took a step towards me. “Think.”

I paced the room. Time was running out; I only had minutes before we would be ready to leave. The Wraith would desire many things, but mainly domination and acquisition of feeding grounds; humans wanted to eliminated the Wraith as a power in Pegasus; weaken them and eventually, short of turning them in some kind of grass eating eunuchs, eliminate them; Feng in the particular, who was a very ambitious little man, wanted the be the one to do it. The Commander’s alliance was the most powerful of all the Wraith factions; it dominated and it had acquired most of the human feeding grounds; held in waiting for them by Atlantis. Not a very comfortable arrangement. The common thread; the common desire… I took in a deep breath.
“The destruction of the Commander’s hives,” I said softly.

Moira nodded.

“These Wraith want the destruction of the Commander’s hives and freeing of his feeding grounds; also they want to destruction of one of his greatest assets—me.”

Moira was very still.

“Feng would agree with it, including delivering me to the Wraith…” I almost gasped in surprise at the thought that occurred to me: “He fully expects the Commander to come to my rescue, to save his great asset, and thus reveal himself and the locations of his hives.”

Moira’s gaze was downcast now. But, the look on her face was one of agreement; almost triumph.

I continued. “Failing that, perhaps the Wraith will tell Feng the location of the hives. Feng will attack them while they’re still hibernating.”

“He has a weapon he’s been experimenting with. A disruptor that attacks Wraith DNA.” She looked up at me. “I’ve seen it. He’s been working at it secretly. Not even Doctor Bernard knows. It works slowly, so it has to be in a hibernating hive.”

I let out my breath. “And after that, it would be easy to destroy the smaller Wraith factions. They would be of lesser threat.”

Moira looked up at me, her eyes sparkling. I wasn’t sure why. She said: “But, you know the Wraith, Doctor Vries.”

“They will not play the game they led Feng to believe they would play. They’ve got their own deadly game. They don’t play games with humans as part of their team. They are using Feng.”

“Yes.”

“And me?”

“I don’t know.” She shivered a little. “Take the tablet the Commander has given you. Hold on to it for dear life.”

“The simplest way to break up the game, is to refuse to go,” I said.

Moira looked at me horrified. “No,” she almost cried out. “No. Perhaps the commander needs you. And then there are all those humans the Wraith will kill. There is no way of knowing how this will turn out.”

I smiled. “I wasn’t seriously suggesting it. Oddly, I have no fear of it.”

“Of course not.” She bowed to me. “I ask permission to go off Atlantis to the village on the shore.”

I wanted to ask why, but I let it go. She would tell me, if I needed to know.

“You have my permission.” And I hope you contact the right person.

She bowed again and slipped out of the room.

I stared at the closed door. After a while I turned to the terrace and looked out over the ocean. I bent my mind into the Commander’s name. As soon as I did that, it bloomed in my brain and spread out with tendrils of light and color. He was not gone. Not gone at all. Now I knew why I accepted the mission without hesitation and agreed to go along. Somehow, I had lost the concept of fear; somehow, all that moved me was the prospect of encountering the Wraith; and a driving force that I preferred to call loyalty. The strangeness of that only troubled me somewhere at the peripheries of my consciousness.

I picked up the amber tablet and held it in my right hand. I remained dark. I stared down on it. Before I left Atlantis, I had been able to see the location of a hive, very far away, beyond the reach of any of our ships. But, now, the tablet was mute. I felt cold. Something was terribly wrong. I was needed.

[Traveler64]

EPISODE 30

Spoiler:

***


After I boarded the Horizon—a new battle cruiser attached to Atlantis under Colonel Santos’ command—and it looped around the Atlantis planet and then towards a in space gate, I asked Santos if he could render Atlantis ‘silent’ in space for a couple of minutes.

Santos did not ask why but touched a few icons on the screen and nodded in my direction. I quickly went to the bay outside the control room and took the amber pad out of my pocket. I cradled it in my right hand. I waited, my heart beating, but it stayed dark. In a gesture of anxiety, I put my other hand over it, to feel its neutral warmth.

I almost leaped back as the amber turned hot and lit up, the glow penetrating through my hand, the outline of my bones visible. I took my hand off and looked down on it.

It showed the location of our destination and the gates. Near the gate was a hive ship. There were two more behind the planet, where they would not be visible or easy to detect.

I felt a lurch and the high pitched sound that accompanied a jump into hyperspace.

I ran into the command room.

“Why did you jump into hyperspace?” I asked as I saw the Colonel and his second in command stare at their screens, while a third officer was punching the keyboard. Murderous suspicion bloomed in my mind. “You are in with Feng in this!” Oh, I wish I had my weapon.

Santos looked up startled. “No!” he cried out. “I didn’t order any jump!”

It was then that I noticed the agitation in the command room—there was a general, low buzz and everyone seemed to be flipping switches and running diagnostics.

“It’s not a malfunction,” the Colonel’s aid, a Major, called from his station at the Colonel’s right.

I took in a breath as I felt the piece of amber in my palm turn cold. “Sorry, Santos…”

“Quite understandable.”

“Where are we going?”

Santos looked to the Major, who shook his head. “We won’t know until we come out.”

“Find the damn problem before we come out of hyperspace in a circle of hive ships!” Santos barked.

Quite unnecessarily, I decided. The men behind him were working feverishly at the controls.

“We can’t override it, Colonel.”

What are you doing? The question sprung in my mind from nowhere. I slowed down my breath. Who was I talking to?

As if I didn’t know…

“We’re dropping out of hyperspace!” the second in command called out.

“Where?”

The ship glided out of hyperspace. A red planet surrounded by an orange halo of gases filled the observations windows of the control room.

“Major?” the Colonel said, staring at the planet.

“We’re midpoint to our rendez vous,” he said looking at his screens. “Slightly off course, but not much. This planet does not have a gate.”

“Not populated?”

“Empty, according to our scans. Also, it does not native life.”

The Colonel moved sharply in his chair, his eyes on the panoramic view in front of him of the planet. “We’ve got company,” he said quietly.

A hush fell in the control room, the clicking of a computer keyboard the only sound. The Colonel rose from his chair and we both walked to the window. There, between the planet and the Horizon, first just a small speck glinting in the light of a far away sun, then becoming bigger as it glided forward, was a hive ship. It glowed like old gold as the light of the planet and the sun bounced off it. There was something very silent about it and feral.

“I never thought I’d say that about a hive ship,” the Colonel said, “but it’s kind of beautiful.”

“Looks like a great, deadly golden scarab,” I mused, looking at it.

“Don’t you find it interesting,” the Colonel echoed my unvoiced musings, “that we went into a wild hyperspace jump and came out just here, exactly where this hiveship is?”

“It’s waiting for us?”

“Colonel,” the Major said. “I found the source of the jump. A viral program patched into our system. It self destructed just as I pulled it up.”

“How?” the Colonel swerved around and reached the Major’s station in two bounds.

I turned slowly on my axis, facing the sudden agitation in the command room.

“I don’t know,” the Major answered, his fingers flying over the keyboard and the controls. “It wasn’t there before. It just penetrated the systems, locked us out, initiated the hyperspace jump and then…” He put his hands up in the air. “Gone.”

I froze, my hand on the tablet in my pocket.

“Please don’t tell me,” the Colonel rumbled, “that Wraith hacked into our computer out of nowhere and kicked us through hyperspace!” He turned to face the windows. “Is it hailing us?”

“No. It’s absolutely silent.”

I felt a vibration in my hand. The piece of amber was now warm. I took it out of the pocket. It pulsated with blue and orange lights, back and forth. Oh, crap, no! I looked at the hiveship floating like a lethal wasp between us and the planet. A blue and orange light flashed in our direction, cutting through black space.

“It’s hailing us,” I said, quietly and raised my hand with the amber tablet. The ship and the tablet synchronized. “Or it’s about to blow us up.” The Colonel came back to me and looked at the object in my hand and then at the ship. “Anything, Lieutenant?” he asked over his shoulder the communication officer.

“Nothing. All our systems are fine. No energy surge.”

“I think,” I said showing the small square of amber to the Colonel, “this is how we ended up here.”

“What is it? Wraith?” he asked, looking down on it with increased curiosity.

“Yes. The Commander gave it to me before he left Atlantis.” I didn’t say that I had found it in my pocket. I would’ve had to explain how it got there without me knowing it. I couldn’t very well tell Santos that I was in Wraith LaLaLand at the time.

“Son of a *****…”

“I don’t think this hive means us harm,” I said. “Anyway, not immediate harm. It could’ve blasted us out of the sky when we came out of hyperspace. The hiveship is just sitting there.”

“Did he tell you what this was for?” Santos asked, still drawn to the tablet in my hand.

“No. I thought it was just a gift… until it started to glow on me.” Not a lie. Not entirely the truth. But, it was now in the open.

The Colonel let out his breath. “I would say it was a bit foolish to carry it around.” He made a face. “Or perhaps, it was not. Depends. The Wraith are not the most predictable of creatures. Unfortunately, I have to admit they are also the brightest bulb in the house. A very deadly combination.” He looked at the hiveship. “What do you suggest, Doctor Vries?”

“It’s hailing us in some sort of way. I think we should go and look.”

The Colonel was silent for a second. “Damn risky. But, I’ll trust you on this.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his finger. “I’m also kind of curious.” He glanced at me sideway. “Do you suppose it’s the Commander?”

“I don’t know.” The truth, again. But, that truth hid my knowledge of Feng’s plan; and also my conviction that this was the beginning of the game change Moira and I had predicted. I had no doubt that as of this point, the Wraith had discarded Feng’s hopes.

Also, I could not discount the fact that Santos, or one of his men, would carry Feng’s disruptor device.

“I think it’s best,” I said, “if I go alone.”

“Damn dangerous,” Santos grumbled.

“It will have to be that way.” Somehow, this has become the Commander’s game. I did not fear that.


###


The puddle jumper—looking to my eye like an ugly housefly buzzing around the beauty of the hiveship—circled over and under the ship, finishing its slow spiral underneath the hive. It hovered for a few moments around the hyperdrive ports. There was no damage in that area, or in any other parts.

“All quiet,” I communicated to the Horizon.

“All quiet here,” the Colonel answered. “Of course, we can’t tell what’s inside the ship, other than no powered weapons and no engine activity.”

“Could they be in hibernation?”

“Out in the open like that?”

I made a face. “We were brought here…” And I am supposed to be some kind of a keeper… according to Moira.

I opened several screens to give me a reading of the hiveship. “No welcome mat,” I said. “But—“ I hovered in front of an opened bay door. A dark, blue light glowed inside. “Someone left the back door opened and the porch light on.”

“Are you going in?”

“We’ve come this far.” Inside me was the very tiny, timorous hope that the Commander was there. It didn’t mean it was not dangerous; it didn’t mean that it was not a trick; it meant a lot of things. Because it meant a lot of possibilities, I had to go in.

“I think we can keep communications open,” Santos said.

I eased the puddle jumper into the bay, a long and narrow space, its walls a mosaic of blue reflections and darkness.

“No one here,” I communicated, after scanning around. I looked at the pattern of the ceiling—rhomboids filled with a liquid, blue light, glowing cones falling in front of the jumper, receding into the far depth of the enclosure.

“It’s open to space,” I said. “I need to put on my suit—“

A loud hiss and a hollow sound of moving plates made me turn. The bay doors were closing and the chamber was pressurizing.

“I guess they have some kind of detection device. Colonel, do you receive me?”

There was no answer.

“Colonel?”

Silence. Then: “Vries!”

I felt my heart settle. “Thank God. Colonel. I thought we lost contact.”

“Just temporarily. Good sign that we are not blocked or that there are any shields in place.”

“Pretty defenseless,” I mused.

“Could blow it out of the sky any moment.”

“You’ll warn me first, right?”

The Colonel chuckled.

“I am getting out of the jumper. The chamber is pressurized and safe to breath.”

“Be careful out there.”

“Yeah… don’t let the bugs bite,” I joked.