Copy database at least several million years old. And it has whole race's knowledge! Records of species met on planets, about worlds and moons, stars and black holes, ships and medicines, about... Yes about everything! And that's only small part of what's there!
I think worth thinking after Earth contact to organize production of new info storage. Well, for dozen or two terabytes. Or produce latest computers altogether. Though don't know if Ancient tech can run "Crysis" on ultra max settings. Say if do, universe will collapse...
Okay, all later.
"You're in the city less than a day, and already wrote such complex program?" I clarified.
"Made it in breaks between other work," Chaya said.
"Other work?" I clarified. "You mean city assessment?"
"I thought I can think up occupation for myself," the Ancient narrowed eyes slightly. "Didn't know I'm under your command and live from order to order."
"Of course not," I came to myself. "Just... Ahem... Of course I'm not against you doing your things..."
"Good," Sar interrupted me, checking her scanner. "When Atlantis lost power, its systems shut down in emergency order. Activating the battery led to restart of all city systems."
"Right all?" I asked.
"Absolutely all that can work without direct operator indication," she said. "Various sensors, long-range scanners, subspace transmitter, shuttle recharge, corridor and room lighting in uninhabited city part, power to all laboratories and so on."
"So the city devours our ZPM energy with same appetite as bull slop?" I inquired.
"Analogy crude, but I think true," Sar said. "Part of systems I managed to shut off with control room panels. Others need to shut manually or at distribution panels. However..."
"Right," I nodded. "You know, in floor before gate there's some console with which can shut off... much, if almost all."
"Yes, I understand what you mean," the girl said at the moment we entered the transporter. "But unfortunately, the emergency shutdown mechanism can only be used by pure-blooded Lanteans."
At that moment I was already pressing the point on the city map.
"Pure-blooded?"
Light flash illuminated the cabin.
"Yes," doors swung open and Chaya exited first. "You know that those you call Ancients aren't a homogeneous race?"
"Um... Guessed," I lied without blinking. "But it'd be better if you refreshed my memory."
Chaya looked at me suspiciously and surprised.
But didn't refuse satisfying the request.
"When those you know as Ancients came to this galaxy, they populated it with life," she said. "Over time a large number of human and not only races appeared. They developed for long years under Lantean protection. Many reached such development level that Atlantis inhabitants paid attention and entered open contact. Peoples exchanged knowledge, traded and so on. Over time, if developed peoples demonstrated technical, moral and spiritual development similar to Ancients', the latter accepted them into society and revealed their secrets."
"So these crafty weirdos still shared knowledge!" I said irritably.
"Yes, and very often," Chaya admitted. "For example, I come from Proculian people. We weren't sufficiently developed technically, but at same time our spiritual development and aspiration to enlightenment impressed the Ancients. Many of my people joined them in sign of our past merits. But," she saddened, "most of my people still couldn't cross threshold of low society development. Afraid I'm to blame. I loved my people so much that helped them, built and provided all necessary. That was my big mistake."
"Because your planet's people got used to getting everything on first request," I understood. "Why develop if you have all necessary anyway?"
"Exactly," Chaya said sadly. "My people valued and value spiritual development above material. They don't aspire to stars, not impressed by scientific world cognition. Afraid exactly I became reason why they remain so."
"By the way about your people," I came to myself. "You protected them from Wraith while Ascended."
"Probably," Chaya replied absently. "I don't remember, sorry."
"Yes-yes-yes, that's how it was, you can believe me," I said. "Only thanks to you your people knew no Wraith invasion. But now when you're plain human, and they're—defenseless, need to think how to secure them."
"I..." Chaya got confused. "I didn't think they're still alive... I... I forgot about them..."
Light panic appeared on the Ancient's face (if still can call her so).
"I forgot about my people..." she muttered, quickening step. "How did this happen⁉"
The girl, quickly stepping, at some point broke into run, turquoise arrow matching her dress, rushing to the control room.
All I could do was run after her.
That she forgot protecting her people using Ascended powers, of course explained by no memories of last ten thousand years. But... How could she forget her people are defenseless?
Bad premonition in me, very bad... Can it be that the Ascended deliberately extracted these knowledge from her as punishment or revenge for new disobedience?
I found Chaya near the control panel, dialing address. Her focused face evoked compassion, so I intercepted her hand before she launched the gate.
"I need to get to the planet!" she said.
"We'll do it together," I explained. "On the "Puddle Jumper." Because, remember, the gate on your planet are blown into space."
"What?" the Ancient was stunned. "Who and why did that⁈"
So... With each day life gets more fun.
"Make it so no one but us can enter the city through gate," I ordered, heading to stairs leading to Puddle Jumpers bay. "Don't need to meet guests while absent."
"Give me several minutes," she said.
Climbing into the Jumper, I started the ship engine, waited for Chaya.
Immediately after the deadly pale (well noticeable on Sar's swarthy face) Ancient dialed the address, began descending into the Gate Room. Gotta say, Chaya really didn't let down—virtual screen before me was speckled with native language marks. Yes, symbols engraving on Ancient didn't erase from instrument panel, but mental control coped with this shortcoming.
As soon as familiar "puddle" outlines appeared before eyes, the ship rushed through the gate.
*
"Commander," the first officer approached Styx at the very moment the hive began acceleration for hyperspace jump. "That was a risky operation. In the past, no hive managed to leave here alive."
"We're not all," Styx cut off.
He didn't intend to enter disputes with subordinate.
At minimum not to mark the fact of accidental circumstances confluence. The battle-damaged old ship needed repair—therefore had to exit hyperspace earlier than planned.
How surprised Styx was when the hive ship's scanners detected on the planet below them significant number of life signals. The planet wasn't listed among allocated feeding grounds of other hives. On contrary, since ancient times it was preferred to bypass due to unknown energy protection guarding inhabitants from culling.
But nothing happened.
While "Darts" conducted culling, the damaged hyperdrive restored itself. As did part of ship internal damage. Restored hull integrity and healed hangar wounds pleased him.
But no more than several thousand people collected by "Dart" pilots and delivered to the ship.
Soldiers herding locals on world surface were perplexed—people weren't afraid of them at all. As if they didn't even know who they were and how dangerous such meetings.
Therefore sudden attack and culling went excellently. And Styx was pleased how circumstances turned out.
He not just survived and saved his ship after meeting Cunning Blade. But found near her feeding grounds a world where he restored the damaged ship and collected people. This amount would suffice him for considerable time.
For the first time in long months, his Wraith could feed to satiety. And even considerable reserve would remain for future.
"Should have left several families on planet for herd breeding," the first officer said. "Then we'd have own feeding grounds."
"No," Styx cut off. "Hive ship easily trackable. Sure soon Cunning Blade's ships will visit here to learn what we did. I don't intend to war with her over a couple animals."
And war would be necessary.
Growing feeding grounds, Wraith simply must—otherwise considered weak—drive off persistent from their planets. Not doing so means awakening interest in others to weakness reasons.
Conflict—not what he needs now. Should reach his secluded base and bring hive to combat readiness. And then start hunt for Lanteans.
"I think worth studying chief monk's words about his goddess," the first officer suggested. "She may be real."
"In that case why didn't she interfere with us?" Styx asked.
Subordinate had no answer.
"Did you search the planet accurately enough?" the hive commander asked. "Energy traces, buildings exceeding local inhabitants' level?"
"Nothing, commander. Whatever destroyed Wraith on this planet before, it's gone now."
But in galaxy appeared at minimum one small Lantean ship traveling through gate. Can this be coincidence?
Unlikely. Need to gather info more thoroughly about what's happening in galaxy.
Hyperspace window flashed and giant organic ship disappeared from Proculus orbit.
*
Search didn't take much time. By end of next day we finished searching Proculus.
And results didn't please.
Already in orbit it became clear no survivors on Chaya's home planet. Not a single human.
But she insisted on descending and seeing everything with own eyes.
Don't know what she wanted to see wandering ruined villages, examining destroyed garden near something like a temple... However from her words I understood that's the Athar Temple. Under that name she lived here after Ascension.
The Ancient turned into pure energy accepted, as I remember, human form of girl Chaya Sar, Athar servant, to communicate with people she protects. Protected...
And what became temple was initially a house she built for herself and meetings with countrymen, passing what they needed. So it was before her Ascension. So continued after she returned to planet and became outcast.
Intriguing story for novel, but... End of this story too tragic.
"I found not a single body," she said quietly when we, having searched the last, largest and closest to temple village. About thousand people lived there. By her words, all as one world inhabitants—calm, trusting, joyful, kind.
"There was no cruelty or malice in their hearts," Chaya said, pursing lips.
"Afraid Wraith didn't care," I said quietly, glancing at the ruined village. "Inhabitants weren't killed. They were taken with them. By force."
Scattered around dwellings household items, utensils, pieces of torn clothes, drag marks on soil spoke of that. Wraith, and I can't find other reasons for disappearance of Chaya-unprotected people, didn't stand on ceremony. They met no resistance, so took all without loss. And without starting intimidation bombings.
"It's my fault!" the Ancient cried out. "If I hadn't become human again, they'd be under protection!"
I had nothing to say here.
But thought swirled in head that somehow everything coincided too smoothly. As soon as Sar disappeared—and immediately her people were culled by Wraith. Not Ascended's glowing ears sticking out of situation, deciding to get even with her?
Aloud I didn't want to say this without more substantiated evidence than guesses.
Several minutes we stood by the "Puddle Jumper" while Chaya with pain on face peered into ruined settlement buildings. By characteristically folded palms I assumed she was praying.
Quite logical considering strong faith in her as goddess here. Probably paying tribute to memory of perished people.
"We should return," she said. "I entered our biological signals into city energy shield program, so nothing threatens us passing gate neither now nor in future."
Somewhere on consciousness edge thought that the lady isn't from gate builders' race after all, so could mess up something. Didn't want to smear on flight end, but... Think all will be fine.
"If you need to be alone, I'll fly to one planet to meet someone," I said when the "Puddle Jumper" already rose from atmosphere. Despite no signals around, I still kept camouflage until the zone it auto-deactivates. "Or if you want, we can talk..."
"Thanks for concern," Chaya said softly, looking at me. For the time we rose from planet, she first tore gaze from drilling instrument panel from copilot side. "It hurts because of my failure, but... Unfortunately they were doomed from the moment I became human. Don't know why my memories of their vulnerability weren't in center of my attention, but... I also understand that even owning whole Atlantis we couldn't do anything. Only a day passed, maybe a bit more since they were collected. I understood that from warmth remaining in house hearths. Unfortunately we couldn't save even most of them."
Because Atlantis "not on wheels" yet, and can't transport many people on Jumpers. However if we came to ourselves immediately, surely could evacuate at least some on "Jumpers."
But what's done can't be undone.
"Need to return to command center," Chaya said at the moment the "Jumper" already rose into Atlantis bay. Despite fears we survived this flight and didn't smash on gate shield. "Both of us. Won't take much time."
"Why?" I asked suspiciously. "What do you want to do, Chaya?"
"I think you have more in common with your Earthlings than me," Sar said. I didn't miss she switched to "you" with me. Not that planet catastrophe made her less prim?
However compared to Ganos Lal and Melia, Chaya was a sweetheart anyway. I fully pity the girl and her people.
But couldn't do anything. If Wraith didn't "drink" Proculians immediately, they're on board the ship. Which exactly—only guess. Yes, possibility Wraith came through gate, but... Somehow doubtful.
"My Earthlings?" I was taken aback. "Not quite understand..."
"I intend to open gate to Earth," the former Ascended said firmly. "Since I didn't save my people, maybe can help yours."
Ah, that's what...
***
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