"Your shafts are over two hundred kilometers from the outpost, beyond the supervolcano. There the rock is thicker and magma not so close to the crust. So you haven't encountered..."
"Want to impress me with what you supposedly can't know?" the chancellor smirked. "My chief scientist, Norina Pero, already reported you connected to our instruments. That's where you got the info."
"I connected to the outpost equipment," Chaya clarified.
"And did it without permission," the chancellor reminded.
"Because I saw a warning of rising pressure in the magma chamber," the girl said.
"Ah, those flashing symbols on the screens," the chancellor smirked. "Our scientists already figured it's just a screensaver on non-working monitors."
Inside the girl wanted to scream. Very loudly, very strongly...
"All outpost systems are working," she said softly.
"You said literally half an hour ago that's not so," the chancellor continued smiling. "Something about emergency system and all that..."
Chaya closed her eyes, calling on remnants of patience. One part of her soul very much wanted the agreement to happen anyway. The other, larger, advocated for no deal and the place exploding to all Ori.
"When you managed to launch the outpost systems..." she began.
"Ah, so now we're not so primitive we can't handle inherited Ancestor systems?" the chancellor teased her.
"Turning on even the most complex equipment costs nothing," Chaya said irritably. "Especially since the needed buttons were likely highlighted or flashing. And since no genetic input control system was installed here, even Wraith or unreasoning animals could do it!"
A shadow crossed the chancellor's face.
"You're insulting us, Chaya!" he said in a warning tone.
"You're spoiling tech over ten thousand years old!" the girl gritted. "And if you continue treating your inheritance so negligently, your planet will simply become uninhabitable! Is that what you want?!"
Threat flashed in the chancellor's eyes.
"You and your friends won't like what I want," he warned.
*
"The complex extends many levels down," the young blonde woman reported, touching the side panel. The elevator doors swung open, and she made an inviting gesture.
Young... No, 'youthful' fits better. For tons of makeup on her face and ill-fitting tight evening dress suited visiting a restaurant or party much more. But not exploring ancient outpost hidden corners.
"Ladies first," I drew a smile on my face.
"You're so gallant, Mikhail," she gifted me a smile. "We absolutely must chat alone. I so want to learn more about your world and customs. And," she tried to bat her eyelashes at me. I nearly vomited. "About you personally."
The two guards standing at the far elevator wall meaningfully glanced at each other when Norina Pero first left the cabin.
The lady didn't forget to sway her hips, attracting attention to her figure.
"God, kill me!" flashed the thought.
Leading Taranis scientist Norina Pero.
I'm no sexist, no chauvinist, no club card for 'Blue Oyster' bar. I love women. But damn your mother! How old is this Norina?! Forty? Fifty?!
Even makeup doesn't save her from crow's feet and all that. Madam clearly tries to flirt and tease me. Though I don't think she has issues with attention from the opposite sex. But... I'm no gerontophile, not at all!
Yes, I'm in a young body, but my brains aren't pubertal. But no desire to hit on her. And it's not even her age... Okay, I overdid—she doesn't look over forty. That is, roughly my contemporary from past life. But even then I wasn't for tying myself beyond work relations with women who in their conditional forty try to look like teens.
How this woman became Taranis's leading scientist only the Ascended know. But only two options: either through bed (and that explains the barbaric approach to studying Lantean tech), or she pretends to be a fool. Well, known female ploy: I can open a pickle jar myself, but pretend I can't, let the man do it, so he feels strong, and thus more amenable to what I really need.
Knew, been through. Even Marina didn't scorn such tricks. True, she did it when she didn't want to drive the car to service or dust the cabinets herself.
Five minutes we walked corridors, silence in which was broken only by heels clacking (heels, your mercury!!!) Norina's and her empty-headed babble about how the complex was discovered, how much time spent mastering it, and how great we came, we'll teach them everything... and other blah-blah-blah.
From what she said, can highlight: Taranian found the complex some time ago thanks to a network of tunnels they stumbled on. Their society is quite developed, I think at early twentieth century level adjusted for space universe realities. Before they didn't use Stargates, as they were installed on the platform before the outpost and Taranian knew nothing of them. However, among this people were whole villages who came through gates to Taranis, fleeing Wraith. For long locals thought Wraith on their planet, but after outpost discovery everything fell into place.
Wraith don't fly here, but clearly that can't last forever. Especially after Taranian launched outpost systems.
"Some time ago we spotted a passing nearby Wraith hive ship," Norina said. "By then we figured how to control energy shield and chancellor ordered to activate it. Since then we heard nothing of them."
"Well, imagine," I forced a smile. "Figured it out yourselves?"
"We saw designations on one screen," Norina explained, pointing to a passage at corridor crossroads. "Right for us."
Chaya already figured locals launched the outpost and all its systems. Including long-range sensors like in Atlantis. And those showed them a lone Wraith hive ship. Which supposedly flew to them.
Actually, looks like that's the very hive that visited Ermen and destroyed everything there. Then headed to Sudaria and other planets hunting Runners. So it happened these planets were in long scanners' range. But locals sufficed with it just passing by. Refugee tales from distant planets played right into local government's fear.
And Chancellor Leikos ordered to strengthen shields.
Power source at this outpost—geothermal generator, like on Athos. It draws energy from planet depths. In theory inexhaustible—while mantle and core don't cool, generator gets energy.
But shields strengthened. Needs more energy. And generator works like mad. Which reflects on pressure in magma chamber...
Roughly same was in known events with Atlantis expedition members. Only they discovered Taranian a year after they activated shields. Suspect circumstances of that are identical for series events and us. Just Earthlings in their 'universe' didn't stumble on Alvar, Ermen and such. Simply causal chain of events broken.
But that's for emphasis. Need simply understand unlikely series events will unfold with us same as with Earthlings. Somewhere we'll 'snatch the prize' in time, somewhere failures await.
But current situation on Taranis not as dire as at Earthlings' meeting. Latter came to Taranis in expedition's second year, when Taranian already lived long under strengthened shield. Eventually that provoked supervolcano eruption, outpost destruction and Taranian evacuation.
We came long before that. And chance to fix all. But suspicion we might not succeed. For in known events, only supervolcano eruption convinced the paranoid chancellor he's not being duped like a fool and taken over...
"And here's the hangar," Norina smiled, running hand over entrance door control panel. "Sure you'll appreciate what's there."
"Don't doubt it," I assured, following her.
We ended on observation platform from which left a simple stepped staircase on the left, lost in gloom of the huge room opening to us.
As Chaya told me, finding database records, Ancients stumbled on Taranis already war's end. Their resources were running out. She supposed, and now I can confirm in practice, Ancients, though not from shit and sticks, built this complex with minimal tech saturation. High tech—only necessary, no more. And everything replaceable with much simpler, like familiar elevator instead transporter, stairs instead transporter and so on, replaced. Likely they lacked enough resources for high-tech objects. After all, Taranian outpost built war's end.
The girl, as most obvious Ancient representative who could powder local ruler's brains—after all, Taranian respect Ancients (like most galaxy people)—went to negotiations. I proceeded to inspect surroundings.
Needed to understand what's noteworthy in the outpost besides what I already know. And at negotiations... Think more savvy in that Chaya can handle better.
Ceiling and wall lighting fixtures began lighting. So powerful they dispersed darkness in the huge room we now looked at.
And on what was in it.
"We think this is," Norina's face showed indescribable joy, "Ancestors' warship."
View from the hangar to the Ancient battleship.
I looked at the battered by life Ancient battleship, then politely smiled.
Suddenly one guard's radio crackled. He quickly brought it to ear like a mobile phone, listened something, and looking at us, said:
"Chancellor demands you leave Taranis. Immediately."
Norina looked at me with surprised gaze.
And me... I very much wanted to talk to Chaya and learn details of their meeting with Chancellor Leikos.