As always before, passing through the gates to another planet, located thousands of light-years from the original address, was not a big problem. The "Jumper" slipped through the event horizon, materializing not only itself but also all the passengers inside.
Through the observation porthole, the only one on this ship, for a moment, endless green expanses of the meadows of Proculus were visible. As well as high sheer mountains that surrounded the valley into which we had moved the cosmic gates of this planet from orbit.
"So you're saying the Ancients built a network of such gates in all the galaxies they visited?" the Alvar asked, continuing the conversation started on Taranis.
"Exactly," I confirmed. "It is known that there are about fifty galaxies where the gate installers visited on their journey."
"And these installers..." Tayla hesitated. "Are they automatic spacecraft?"
"Exactly."
"Which the Ancients sent millions of years ago?"
"More accurately, tens of millions of years ago," I corrected. "Or even hundreds. Sorry, friends, I don't remember exactly how much time has passed."
"Madness," Emagan shook his head. "Why would they do that?"
"It's a very convenient way to travel between planets," Alvar said instead of me, while I, in stealth mode, flew around the valley perimeter, scanning the internal space.
"Yes, but why did the Ancients have so many galaxies with stargates installed?" Tayla asked.
"And why not?" I asked. "I don't have all the answers, so let me tell you what I know. So. As far as I know, stargates were invented by an Alteran – that's what the Ancients called themselves a long time ago – at the time when they were preparing to leave their home galaxy."
"And what is it called?" Tayla asked.
"And how far is it from here?" Alvar echoed her. "The Ancients just said that some Orays live there, and they are very bad guys. Though no one has seen the truth in their eyes."
"Personally, I haven't met them either, but... From what I know, they are indeed bad guys. So bad that the Alterans didn't want to deal with them and left millions and millions of years ago. I don't know what their galaxy is called; in the events I know, it was simply called the 'Orays' galaxy.' I suggest we call it that, okay? And yes, it's very far from here."
"We can look up its name in Atlantis's database," Alvar suggested. "It clearly has a name. You, for example, call your galaxy the Milky Way, and from the Ancients, I heard that the Lantians also called it Avalon."
"That's what it was called in the time of the Alterans," I agreed. "And no, it won't work. Too many database files – at least seventy percent – are encrypted with the highest access codes. Chaya is working on decrypting them or finding a key, but... as soon as one is cracked, the others immediately change their encoding. It seems that the last advisor of Atlantis, Mr. Moros, really didn't want his descendants to get to their very terrible and important secrets."
"Like how to create drones, ships, and MNT?" Jensen suggested.
"Most likely," I agreed. "As far as I understand the Lantians' logic, everything is ambiguous there. It seems like they were guided by completely idiotic judgments... But in reality, the reason is significant, they just traditionally didn't care about explanations."
Or maybe they just have fun, having Ascended, watching their descendants rack their brains and die in the process of studying ancient secrets.
"And why did the Alterans leave there?" Tayla asked. "From the Orays' galaxy, I mean."
"The Orays and the Alterans developed together, and together they dreamed of something of their own, something high," I said, relying on my memory. "But the Orays turned to religion, and the Alterans became experts in science..."
"Why eat an animal for your point of view?" Alvar asked.
"I don't know, ask Grishkovets," I suggested. "But in general, it's a stable colloquial expression on Earth. It means you are experienced in something."
"Your kinsmen have a strange way of speaking," Emagan complained.
Well, yes, but we fly in space. Periodically. True, all the efforts of space exploration in the twentieth century are nullified by the bestialization of civilization by watching various "Tik-Toks," the appearance of beauty bloggers, and other cravings for the material. Alas, the spirit of adventurism is lost in us, we are engaged in some kind of crappy...
"Did the Orays and Alterans fight?" Alvar asked.
"No, it didn't come to that," I replied. "The Ancients could have given the Orays some good natural science slaps in the face, but they were inferior in numbers. You understand, when you have an entire galaxy of people fervently believing that your enemies are gods fighting against you, it cools your ardor to fight to the last. Especially if some Ancients' stories are to be believed, the Orays first tried to destroy the Alterans. And they, deciding not to escalate to an all-out war, packed their belongings, took their supporters, and left. It seems they simply had no other solution."
"Obviously," Alvar agreed. "Ihaar once said that the Alterans were afraid to fight and ran away."
"I would call it a tactical retreat," Tayla said.
"I would argue..."
"Alright, children," I interrupted my companions, looking at the scanner data. One, two, three... Quite a few. But clearly not all yet. "If we're done with the history lesson, then..."
"No, please, continue," Tayla said. "My people love stories very much. Especially when no one else can tell more than you. Not even the Ancients themselves."
And they couldn't care less about anything that happened before the Lantians came to the Pegasus galaxy. Like robots, honestly. However, I can understand them – they like working with Lantians technologies without the Council looking over their shoulders. And they don't have time for lectures. What difference does it make what happened in the past? The boss said – repair, and they do as ordered.
On Earth, "Roscosmos" would have torn such employees apart.
"The Alterans built a spaceship, and possibly the first city-ship, the ancestor of Atlantis, and left their home galaxy," I continued. "I can't say for sure whether it was to the Milky Way or after they settled in it, but the Alterans encountered the Asgardians. At least on one planet in the Asgardians' home galaxy, there were stargates afterward. And maybe the Asgardians borrowed them in the Milky Way over time... But, one way or another, the conversation isn't about the Asgardians now."
Asgardians.
"They are also an advanced race, aren't they?" Alvar asked.
"Quite an advanced race," I agreed. "I think some of their technologies definitely surpass the Ancients' analogs. But, one must understand that, unlike the Lantians, the Asgardians have not spent the last ten thousand years on Ascension, but have been developing. Although they also have plenty of their own problems. By the way, a group of Asgardians is here, in Pegasus. They came to solve some problems of their race, but the Wraiths attacked them and destroyed their ships. Now they are forced to hide on a toxic planet."
"Are they hostile?" Tayla clarified.
"A difficult question," I admitted. "These guys have their own point of view, and they are ready to stick to it."
"But they are enemies of the Wraiths, aren't they?"
"Yes, they would be happy if the Wraiths all died," I agreed.
"Then why don't we befriend them?" Alvar asked. "Judging by what you know about their planet, you also know how to find them."
Moreover, I also know the coordinates of the planet where their base is located. And the latter is a laboratory complex on a snow-covered moon, where Chaya activated the "Attaro" device ten thousand years ago. And those small gray bastards want that too.
Befriending them and providing assistance, of course, is worth a lot. Asgardians are indeed smart guys. But... specifically, those Asgardians who are now in Pegasus at the "Attaro" device base are damn radicals. They wouldn't hesitate to activate a device that explodes the Wraiths' hyperdrives, as well as stargates and the planets on which they are installed, in order to eliminate the Wraith threat. But the fact that millions of people across the galaxy would die from the explosions of stargates is just a secondary problem for these Vani – Asgardians in Pegasus.
Frankly, I also don't care about abstract sentient beings in the Pegasus galaxy. I'm not going to become a defender of all humanity. But I understand that destroying the Wraiths in this way might take tens, if not hundreds, of years. With one ship, it's an impossible task to find and destroy all the bastards, and not use stargates to travel between planets...
Not to mention that Chaya said directly – she doesn't know how to deactivate all the gates in the galaxy so that they can be reactivated later. And she doesn't know how to fix the "Attaro" device.
So, the notorious "Kill everyone!" button is not yet available.
"In short, these Asgardians, nicknamed 'Vani,' 'dark Asgardians,' are not the friendliest guys," I briefly recounted what I know about them within the context of the series.
"I agree," Tayla turned pale. "In their desire to kill the Wraiths, they are ready for genocide."
"Or perhaps they are simply desperate," Alvar remarked. "You yourself said that their race is degenerating because they clone themselves from generation to generation. It's logical that they are looking for solutions and are ready for extremes. If I were offered to save my kin by exterminating the Wraiths like that, I wouldn't hesitate for long either."
"Remind me not to let you near weapons of mass destruction," I asked. "We still have to live in this galaxy."
"My offer to blow up the Jenai stargates on their home planet or deactivate them, as the Lantians did on Salumai, still stands," Jensen said calmly.
"I remember. We are working on this issue. And have you thought about the fact that not the entire race is responsible for the actions of the Jenai's inadequate government and their army?" I inquired.
Jensen fidgeted in his chair.
"So, what happened with the Alterans in Avalon?" he asked.
"They settled a number of planets, built a network of stargates they called 'Astria Porta,' and gave rise to humanity," I continued my story, realizing that the Ermen wanted to change the subject. "On several planets, they built cities, on others – outposts. And they connected the planets with a network of stargates to facilitate travel between worlds and their colonization."
"Creating life is a very responsible undertaking," Tayla said.
"I think they knew that," I suggested. "In any case, it was at that time that the Alterans began to think about a practical solution to one problem. Namely, to reach the center of the Universe."
"Why?" Alvar asked.
"As far as I remember, from the center of the universe, formed as a result of the Big Bang, there is radiation called relic radiation. It is of artificial, as the Ancients believed, origin. Therefore, to find out what was happening there, they built seeding ships and sent them to the center of the universe. Paving their course through the galaxies that lay in their path, these ships create and install first-generation stargates on planets that the ship's computers deemed interesting."
"Interesting for what?" Tayla asked. "For creating new life?"
"Perhaps," I suggested. "The thing is, another ship was launched after these seeding ships, or installer ships. It has stargates installed, which can be opened, and you can transfer to the ship at any moment."
"And when will that moment come?" Jensen asked.
"I think when 'Destiny,' as the ship is called, reaches its destination," I suggested. "Or when it finally breaks down and can no longer continue the mission."
"And why can't we open the gates to that ship and take it for ourselves?" Jensen became interested. "If the Ancients made it so that it has been flying for millions of years and hasn't broken down, hasn't flown into a star, hasn't deviated from its course, then it's clearly a very good ship."
"In the events I know, the Earthlings sent a team there," I admitted. "And they found the starship in a sad state. It is heavily damaged, and besides, it flies not in hyperspace, but faster than light."
"But we can take it for ourselves, right?" Tayla clarified. "Then we would have two ships..."
"It's not that simple," I sighed. "First of all, all information about the 'Destiny' mission, including coordinates, as Chaya and I believe, is reliably encrypted in Atlantis's database. And we cannot decrypt it. But we are trying. However, one must understand that there are also many problems on board. The ship, I remind you, has no hyperdrive. And it is now tens of galaxies away from us. Besides, to open a hyper-tunnel there, a whole lot of energy would be required."
"And how did the Earthlings manage it?" Tayla asked.
"They used a planet with an extremely developed energy core, like Athos or Taranis. However, after opening such a hyper-tunnel, all the planets from which hyper-tunnels were opened to 'Destiny' exploded. And the ship, possibly, cannot open gates anywhere except the gates in the galaxy it is currently in."
"So, for the Ancients, it was a one-way trip?" Alvar clarified. "If a ship can't open a gate to its starting point, then the Ancients who were supposed to go there at the end of the mission wouldn't have returned, right?"
"Most likely," I agreed. "Well, or the Ancients assumed that in the millions of years it would take a starship to reach its destination, they would find such a method. Because, it seems to me, the farther 'Destiny' is from Earth, from where it was sent, the more energy it will take to even open a gate to the ship."
"It's hard to believe they developed significantly," Jensen grumbled. "They could already travel between galaxies, fleeing the Ori. They populated two, or even more, galaxies. Built, as you say, three versions of the Stargates..."
"That's right, three," I confirmed. "The first is on 'Destiny' and the gate installers, as well as in the galaxies that 'Destiny' crossed. The second version is in the Milky Way, and possibly in the Asgard's home galaxy. The third and most modern gates are here, in Pegasus."
"So, I have a question," Alvar chuckled. "How could a race that learned to Ascend in the Milky Way millions of years ago, learned to build starships that fly in hyperspace, not destroy the Wraith with some superweapon? It gives the impression that they weren't millions, but a few thousand years old. And, arriving from the Milky Way, they seemed to have lost all their developments, except for some, and spent thousands of years restoring their knowledge."
"Actually, it's not entirely clear when the Ancients learned to Ascend," I corrected. "Before they left the Milky Way, or after they left Pegasus. It's likely that in the first case, only a few managed it, but after their defeat by the Wraith, they became more developed and understood what needed to be done for mass Ascension."
"Maybe," Jensen shrugged. "But, Mish, it all sounds like a lie. How could people who built a ship millions of years ago, that's still flying between stars and hasn't completely fallen apart, not figure out how to produce ZPMs in such quantities that they could power cannons on every other planet? For example, if I'm taught how to assemble and disassemble an assault rifle, I won't forget it in hundreds of years of my life, if I live that long. And my children will know it because I'll tell and show them. And so on. And from your story about the Ancients, it gives the impression that with each migration from galaxy to galaxy, they only got dumber."
"Perhaps even Michael doesn't know everything," Theila suggested.
"I'm inclined to agree with that," I nodded. "But there's something to Jensen's words... I never paid attention before, but... Indeed, something doesn't add up."
If the Ancients could create ZPMs and homing missiles millions of years ago, for example, then... Why, in the thousands of years since their exodus from the Milky Way to Pegasus, haven't they developed better weapons?
Another point – the Ancients in the Milky Way possessed superpowers. Telekinesis, they could heal by placing their hands on the sick person's body, but... I haven't seen any of that from the Lantians. And certainly not from the younger races.
Curious facts... Al'var might be right to some extent.
"By the way, your words about them losing some knowledge might just hold the truth," I said. "It's known that the Ancients fled the Milky Way because the Ori infected them with some incurable disease that killed everyone in the galaxy. It seems the Ancients had to repopulate it when they came from Pegasus. Well, and there was no point in developing further, as they found a proven way to Ascend..."
"Which they did, leaving all problems behind," Jensen snorted. It seems I'm not the only one annoyed by these Ancient quirks. "And in fact, they left behind a huge pile of problems in Pegasus alone. Which we have to deal with."
"We don't have to deal with it," Theila said. "Chaya has already shown how some gates can be closed to work independently of the others. That way, we can live in peace for hundreds of years."
"Until the Wraith, who saw our ship, realize that some planets have become inaccessible to them through the gates," I reminded them. "And then they'll come with ships to figure it out. No, unfortunately, we can't hide in our little corner from everyone. We are forced to search for abandoned technologies, forced to search for ZPMs, ships, and so on."
Not to mention that the Ascended will clearly not be against hinting to me that it's time to deal with the problems in the Milky Way. To avoid them doing it by directly beating me over the head, there's a plan that's currently in the works.
But it requires resources, and especially energy sources. As well as the security of our planets, so that we can safely send the 'Hippaphoralkus' on a reconnaissance mission.
Sending our only interstellar dreadnought to another galaxy, leaving our planets scattered across Pegasus open to invasion from space, would be foolish. It would be another matter if we had more ships.
But first, we need intergalactic hyperdrives. And even Chaya can't help with that – we need energy and knowledge that we don't have. So, solving global problems is as far off as reaching Terra at sublight speeds.
"Let's get back to the Stargates," I said. "Chaya asked me to tell you at least the theory. And, given that I have information that she doesn't even know, this flight is perfect."
Especially since the number of life signs below us has already started to decrease.
"I don't think we'll ever mess with these gates ourselves," Alvar lamented. "Chaya once showed me the dialing device on Ermen, removing its various protective panels... It's impossible to figure out!"
"And yet, one must know at least the theory," I insisted. "So, you already know that one Stargate installation, when an address is activated, creates a stable artificial wormhole between itself and other Stargates, providing almost instantaneous travel from the dialing gate to the destination gate, but not vice versa."
"Yes, by the way, it's always been interesting why you can't travel through the gates in both directions when they are open," the Ermen said. "Or why you can't enter them from the other side, but only 'from the facade'."
"Actually, some types of radiation, like energy or radio signals, can pass in both directions," I said. "As for the other aspects... Chaya said it's related to the technology itself. Essentially, the hyper-tunnel created between the gates is analogous in some ways to the one a ship creates when entering hyperspace. And there, too, you can't fly in any direction – only forward. The laws of hyperspace do not allow large volumes of matter to be sent in both directions. They also do not allow the 'reverse' side of the gate to be used – during the creation of the hyper-tunnel, this side acts as something like the walls of the hyper-tunnel. And, as in a hyperspace jump, if you cross them, you will be torn to pieces. Therefore, my friends, never fall out of hyperspace through the arch of the tunnel – you will be torn to pieces."
"I've lost the desire to fly on spaceships," Theila admitted. She's a bit of a coward...
"Let's continue," I decided. "When a given address is entered, the dialing gate connects to the receiving gate via subspace communication and quickly exchanges precise location data, then establishes a stable wormhole between them. Upon activation, the Stargates produce a strong energy surge, known as an unstable vortex or 'kavush'. This is due to the large amount of energy required to form a stable wormhole, while maintaining one open requires much less energy. This event will destroy any matter it touches; however, if the event horizon is blocked to within a few microns, the vortex will be suppressed."
"Chaya said that at a distance of these very microns from the event horizon, the Atlantis shield is created," Theila shone with her knowledge.
"Precisely," I confirmed. "This distance not only suppresses the 'kavush' and secures the arrival zone but also prevents the full materialization of objects after transit. And, consequently, without access codes, no one will pass through our gates, even if they have obtained these beautiful devices," I demonstrated a black glove-like object that Chaya created for all the inhabitants of Atlantis.
"When the gates are ready to activate, they make sounds," Alvar recalled. "Loud, as if the gates are slamming shut. What is that?"
"To warn people in the area of the unstable vortex, the Stargates emit an 'alarm signal' of two loud sounds of medium or high pitch," I said. Yes, it was not in vain that I read the database about the gates on Atlantis. Not of my own volition – Chaya undertook to fill in my knowledge gaps. Since I am too biologically old to stimulate my brain and evolution in a holographic room, there is no better way to enlighten than reading good old books. For now, even in Russian. But Chaya persistently wants me to learn the Ancient language. At least the basic one. It turns out there are also dozens of dialects. At the same time, their pronunciation doesn't differ much, but the writing... It's somewhat reminiscent of the situation with Chinese dialects and their main language. – The gate system is designed for use by those who understand the principle itself. Therefore, the sound signals are mostly designed for less developed races than the Lantians. For these reasons, the dialing devices are located outside the 'kavush' creation zone. Next, we move on to the physics of transportation. After the formation of the unstable vortex, it settles on the event horizon. Earthlings, by the way, nicknamed it a 'puddle' because..."
"The stable hyper-tunnel looks like a puddle of water in a container," Alvar finished the thought. "On Ermen, it was also called that."
"Among our trading partners, the Circle of Ancestors is often called the 'Circle of Standing Water'," Theila shared.
"Well, that's interesting," I appreciated the way people in different galaxies think. The analogies are similar, as is the physiology, by the way. "So, travelers enter through the event horizon, which dematerializes them for transport through the wormhole to be reassembled on the other side. Matter is broken down, turned into energy, and reassembled on the other side exactly as it was."
"Like in the Lantians' transport pods," Alvar noted.
"Exactly. The same principle," I confirmed. "The Stargates will remain open as long as matter or energy passes through them, a maximum of 38 minutes."
"But the gates close immediately as soon as the last person passes through them," Theila reminded me.
"Because no one is within the kavush's emission radius," I explained. "This zone serves not only to create the vortex but also determines the volume of objects or items that, being in it after the tunnel opens, affect its opening. If there is nothing, then immediately after the last person or object passes, the gates will close. If there is something, then only after thirty-eight minutes. In the first case, the gates do not close immediately, but only after objects or travelers materialize at the other end. This takes about three seconds. After this moment, maintaining the wormhole requires a huge amount of energy, which ordinary sources cannot provide. However, if you have powerful generators, or, say, a ZPM that powers the gates, you can keep them open indefinitely. The same applies to energy transmission through the gates – if the volumes are large, the gates will not close until the energy supply through the hyper-tunnel stops."
"Large amounts of energy can lead to an explosion of the gates, can't they?" Alvar asked. "Like it happened on Salumai."
"Correct. Therefore, energy should be transmitted through them with extreme caution. Naquadah has an energy absorption limit. If it is reached, the gates will turn into a bomb."
"Like it happened on Salumai," Theila nodded.
"Yes, the whole planet became a bomb there," Alvar chuckled.
"Let's continue our basic education," I said. "The Pegasus gates have thirty-six symbols for dialing coordinates, while the Milky Way has thirty-nine – Avalon is larger than Pegasus. To travel within a galaxy, you need to dial a six-symbol address on the gates; the seventh, unique to each gate set, indicates the departure point. This is called the gate address."
"Ahem," Theila coughed into her fist. "We know how to use the Ancestors' Rings at that level."
"And do you know, my friends, that the symbols on the gates represent constellations visible from the planet?" I asked. I can see from their faces that they don't.
"And what about the galaxies that 'Destiny' visits?" the Athosian woman asked. "Are constellations also recorded there?"
"No, on the first-generation gates, abstract symbols are used instead of constellations," I recalled. "Now let's move on to the chevrons. These are wedge-shaped things located around the gates. There are nine in total. You dial seven, and if the gate address is correct and the gate on the other side is available, you establish a hyper-tunnel within a specific galaxy. An address with eight chevrons requires a large amount of energy, at the level of a ZPM, because it leads to another galaxy. Without an energy source on the other side of the gate, you cannot return."
"That's why you don't go to Avalon through the gates," Alvar figured out. "There's nothing like a ZPM on Earth?"
"Since they didn't come to Pegasus, I suspect not," I concluded.
"And the ninth chevron?" Theila inquired. "What is it for?"
"The 'Destiny' address consists of nine symbols," I said.
"And can you dial ten symbols? Theoretically?"
"No. The maximum possible address consists exclusively of nine symbols. And it only leads to 'Destiny'. And it's not really an address, but a recognition code. Upon receiving it, the ship emerges into real space, establishes its exact location, and waits for arrival. Yes, and also – if the gates are moving in space, then it is impossible to communicate with them. You can ask Chaya about the exact speed, the maximum for travel and hyper-tunnel activation, if you wish."
"Then that's even more foolish," Alvar sighed. "The first-generation gates, built in other, uninhabited galaxies, only allow communication with other similar gates within that galaxy. The Ancients built at least two gate networks with nine chevrons... For 'Destiny' alone? Why? To get to it from anywhere? You yourself said that it requires an entire planet's worth of energy. And not every planet, I understand, is suitable. Did they have so much time and resources to create two networks of gates with nine chevrons, to go from every planet to other galaxies or to 'Destiny'? It's madness! They didn't even have assembly lines, it seems, for anything other than the production of those very gates. And each with nine chevrons... It would have been much more economical to create gates with seven chevrons for the entire galaxy, and only a few gates – with eight or nine. More economical and logical."
"I'm sure there was some logic to it," I replied after thinking. "But it seems alien to us. I don't think the Ancients, when creating their gate networks and human civilizations, thought they would die out from disease or be defeated by the Wraith. Probably this approach was dictated by the fact that they would populate the galaxy, develop it. And after millions of years, on every planet, there would live beings as developed as they were. Who would possess colossal energy sources and be able to go anywhere directly from their gates."
Otherwise, Alvar is right, and it's all just madness.
"If so, they were incredible optimists," the Ermen chuckled.
"Now let's move on to the dialing devices," I said. "All Stargates in each galaxy are connected into a network through dialing devices. This is necessary not only for dialing addresses but also for the gates to exchange information with each other. For example, about planetary drift over millennia. This should be taken into account for the hyper-tunnel to be stable. I remember that Earthlings, when they didn't know this, came out of the gates frozen at first. Or were ejected from them like a bullet from a gun barrel."
"Not very pleasant," Theila agreed.
"You know, I was thinking," Alvar said. "If the gates on 'Destiny' are so simple, then they are effectively not gates. And not even a gate network in a galaxy. They are some kind of prototypes. Well, say, for testing the technology or for energy saving."
"That's quite possible," I agreed. "All versions of the gates – in Avalon, in Pegasus, and those on 'Destiny' differ from each other both in technical aspects and in functionality. For example, the gate network installed before 'Destiny' does not cover the entire galaxy, but only a narrow 'corridor' through which the installer ships passed. At the same time, it is impossible to connect from such gates to any gates in the same galaxy – only to those located nearby. Also, there are no dialing devices on the planets – travelers must use special dialing computers that they carry with them. However, there are quite a lot of limitations that you don't need to know about yet. This is an introductory lecture, not a practical course."
Stargates on the ship 'Destiny'. On planets in other galaxies visited by 'Destiny', but without Ancients, the gates are exactly the same. Only installed on ramps.
Like these.
"I presume the Milky Way gates also differ from those we know in Pegasus?" Theila asked.
"Yes," I confirmed. "I've already mentioned the larger number of symbols. Also, unlike our gates, in Avalon, the lower part of the upper triangular chevron extends when a symbol is locked. With the characteristic sound of a locking mechanism. By the way, the chevrons on the Milky Way gates are red, not blue, like ours. They are also built into the inner ring of the gates. Most gates are built into a stone platform with a ladder for easy access. The inner ring rotates during dialing, and it can be manually shifted with some difficulty to dial the gate in the absence of external control, if enough energy is supplied to unlock the ring. But it should be understood that in this case, each symbol is dialed gradually, which takes a long time. During which someone on the other side can dial the address to these gates and establish an incoming connection."
"You can't do that with the Pegasus gates," Alvar said, scratching his head.
"Yes, they don't have a movable inner ring," I confirmed. "The Pegasus gates are more advanced compared to all others."
Milky Way Stargates.
"And what is the significant difference?" Alvar asked. "Besides the number of symbols and the movable inner ring. Ah, and yes, the blue color of the chevron crystals..."
"The difference is about the same as between wired technology on Taranis and the crystal technology of the Lantians," I said. "The symbols are not engraved on the inner ring, but are digital symbols that light up during dialing. If we are talking about programming the Pegasus gates, then only from the Atlantis gates, thanks to additional devices, can you dial an address outside the galaxy. I think this is a security measure, like the absence of intergalactic hyperdrives on spaceships other than city-ships."
I omitted the fact that, if necessary, this crystal can be extracted and installed on others, thereby giving other gates the ability to dial intergalactic addresses. As well as the fact that Chaya can, in principle, manufacture additional sets of crystals for this purpose if needed.
"Also, thanks to their new design, the Pegasus gates have a dominant position over all other gates," I continued. "If, for example, you place a gate from the Milky Way and a Pegasus gate next to each other, then all incoming wormholes, regardless of which of these gates' addresses is dialed, will pass through the Pegasus gates."
Typical Stargates in the Pegasus galaxy. In a Lantiian setting, naturally.
"And in other galaxies, were the gates placed in orbit?" Theila inquired. "There are such gates in Pegasus."
"Until recently, the gates of Proculus were in orbit," I reminded them. "We brought them down to this valley some time ago. And studied the stabilizing engines they have. But no, in the Milky Way, there is no such approach to placing gates."
"There are rumors that the Wraith placed the gates like that so that people wouldn't escape from their feeding planets," Theila said. "But this rumor is many years old. One of the now-destroyed races managed to track that some gates are in orbit around planets. Then they encountered the Wraith and died... the inhabitants of Pegasus know many addresses, visiting which leads to death. Therefore, few people search for new addresses – without technologies like your drones, few people want to go to a new world and die, finding themselves not on a planet, but in its orbit."
"We cross-referenced the addresses you gave us," I said. "Not all of them lead to space, by the way. Some lead to poisonous planets, others to planets occupied by the Wraith. So that's..."
"So who put the gates in orbit?" Alvar asked. "The Wraith or not?"
"There are gates that the Lantians placed in orbit," I confirmed. "These gates have stabilization engines that keep them in orbit and correct their trajectory from random collisions. Thus, they protect them from damage. There is confirmation that wraiths have settled on some such planets. On other worlds, where the gates do not have engines, but are also in space, wraiths have also settled. I think this was done on purpose. After all, this approach protects them from attacks by various avengers who have gathered armies to reclaim their people. But it doesn't prevent them from sending 'arrows' through the orbital gates for hunting and gathering. Well, and Teyla is right – this way they can also prevent people from escaping planets. In short, a convenient approach. I don't think this tactic has spread in the Milky Way because ship technologies for traveling through gates are not developed there. At least not widely developed."
Lantian space gates.
"And why would the Lantians install gates in orbit?" Alvar asked, intrigued.
"Who knows," I shrugged. "There are hardly any records about it, and those that exist indicate that the approach to each planet was individual. There were separate plans for each such planet, but for the most part, as I see it, they didn't come to fruition."
"Like all the plans of the Ancients," Alvar grunted habitually. "Some developed civilization, indeed."
"There's a saying: 'If you want to make the higher powers laugh, tell them your plans'," I stated philosophically.
In fact, for this reason, I prefer to keep silent about my plans.
And about how, when, and with what forces I intend to send to the Milky Way and take any legacy of the Ancients into my own hands.
And about the fact that, as soon as a real opportunity arises, I will send spare parts, a technical team, and tons of equipment to the "Destiny." The Alteran plan to reach the center of the Universe is, of course, good and wonderful. But I need starships. And on the "Destiny," unlike the "Hippaphoralkus," there are quite adequate energy weapons that have not lost their relevance and destructive power over millions of years.
I don't know what happened to the Ancients over all this time, and why their technologies changed so drastically from simple to complex and inconvenient, but I will find out in time.
Well, for now...
Looking at the virtual screen, I noted that the number of life signs in the valley had decreased to the agreed-upon level.
"We're descending," I informed the team. "It's time to clarify one extremely interesting question, my friends."