"That was a reckless decision," Chaya said, glancing at me from under lowered lashes. "We don't know how dangerous she is."
"So the fact that an entire planet nearly killed us because Mikhail wanted to pick up a defective supersoldier doesn't bother anyone⁈" Ihaar protested. "I've gone gray from this!"
"And your heart stopped beating," I commented laconically.
The chief engineer frowned, processing the thought.
"No, I didn't have any heart rhythm irregularities," he thought some more. "Maybe just a little."
"Well, I don't mind adventures like this," Alvar grinned. "We made a stylish exit."
"You find it funny because you don't understand the consequences!" Ihaar raised his voice. "The explosion destabilized the naquadah. We didn't know how much was inside the planet, but the reserves were huge! All of that created tectonic shifts, magma turbulence, forces that literally tore the planet apart! The blast was so powerful that not every supernova produces one! And the Gate's naquadah amplified it!"
"So what?" Alvar asked. "We survived."
"This time, yes," the Ancient agreed. "But next time..."
He fell silent, weighing his words.
"And Captain Trebal has nothing to say?" Chaya inquired innocently.
The Dorandian woman, watching everything unfold with her arm on the table in the Council Chamber and her head resting on her palm, showed no signs that anything about the situation displeased her.
"What do you want to hear from me?" she asked. "All the criticisms you've voiced... I agree with them. But you're all missing something."
Well, well... If she says it's improper to tell one's own commanding officer that he takes risks, I'll make her my favorite wife.
"And what's that?" Chaya asked.
"After every operation involving Mikhail's departure from Atlantis, the city gains one more woman," Trebal smiled at me with her signature bitchy smile. "I hope the general trend of 'each new girlfriend is more of a bitch than the last' doesn't continue. I don't like competition."
Hmm... No, she's still far from being the favorite wife.
Teyla and Chaya exchanged glances, having analyzed what the third and final lady at our meeting had said. But they remained silent.
"Finished washing my bones?" I inquired innocently.
"What barbaric ritual is that?" Ihaar grimaced. "Besides, none of us were doing anything of the sort... Ah," his face brightened. "That's an idiom from your culture?"
"Remind me to sign you up for linguistics courses," I said. "So, has the female half of the senior officers finished expressing their concern for my well-being, masking it behind overly pretentious logical conclusions?"
"Those aren't pretensions," Teyla said softly. "It's just... We worry. Mikhail, you are the leader of your people... And going on such dangerous missions... It's unwise, to say the least."
"And you yourself, as I can see, follow your own advice," Emmagan pursed her lips, embarrassed. "Well, since we're all alive and death from the legacy of a destroyed race because someone doesn't know how to communicate with pseudo-intelligences," Ihaar snorted angrily, "isn't threatening us, let's move on to what we have. First. Chaya, do you remember talking about blowing up planets for resource extraction?"
"I remember," the Proculucian blinked. "Only, I didn't ask for it to be done to the inhabited worlds we visit."
"What a woman⁈" I feigned indignation. "Can't please her either way."
"That planet probably has little to offer us now," Ihaar said. "In theory, the explosion should have simply vaporized it. The mineral content in its debris is likely negligible."
"We'll check after we repair the ship," I decided. "The address couldn't be dialed again, could it?"
"No," Chaya confirmed. "I agree with Ihaar's assessment of the consequences — the Gate acted as a catalyst for the explosion and was destroyed."
"Well, at least we have a sample of Salumai technology," I summarized.
"I suggest we take her apart for spare parts and throw her into the nearest star," Ihaar said.
"You clearly have problems with women," Alvar smirked. "With such gallantry, you'll die alone."
"No one is taking anyone apart or getting rid of the cyborg," I decided. "That's not what we nearly died for. Ihaar, is she deactivated?"
"Yes, I double-checked. She poses no danger. Alive, but in a coma after I disabled her processor."
"You studied her for a day," I reminded him. "How promising is this technology?"
"This is barbarism, not technology!" Ihaar admitted. "Now I understand why the Lantians refused to cooperate with them."
"It's excellent that you understand that," I agreed. "We'd also like to partake in that knowledge."
"Agreed," Alvar chimed in.
Sighing, Ihaar ran his fingers over the keyboard of his portable computer, and a schematic hologram of a human appeared before us. The anonymized image was literally glowing with red zones — that's how the computer marked the areas where objects not intended by evolution had been implanted.
"So, the scan showed that our guest, who calls herself Object-41, is a modified human organism supplemented with augmentations of not the most advanced quality," Ihaar explained. "At her core, she is a human woman, but she has undergone a number of changes, primarily at the genetic level."
"What kind exactly?" Chaya clarified.
"Her organs are more developed than, say, Teyla's or Alvar's," Ihaar explained. "More efficient respiratory, digestive, and circulatory systems. The muscle framework is reinforced, the skin is more elastic, and the brain is slightly better developed compared to typical representatives of the human race."
"And these aren't evolutionary changes?" I clarified.
"Some are, yes — for example, her abdominal cavity is additionally protected by a hard but elastic membrane that prevents, say, her intestines from spilling out. A number of vestigial organs are absent. But the more significant changes are still targeted mutations, created for quality integration with the augmentations of the modified organism," the engineer explained.
"What was surgically altered in her?" Trebal inquired.
"At the base of the brain," Ihaar pointed to the first of many red dots, "something like a neuroprocessor is implanted, allowing her to think faster. But it lost contact with the brain during freezing — the solution they used for cryogenic preservation damaged the microelectronics. Also, her body is literally riddled with a network of similar devices connected to the neuroprocessor. Arms, legs, lungs... All so she could react faster, move faster, be stronger, while not suffering from lack of oxygen, blood circulation, and so on. I managed to scan some of her devices and concluded they were assembled by hand. That is, they're not factory parts. Because their insulation was compromised, and the manufacturing process itself was clearly amateurish, we ended up with a damaged cyborg who asked for our help in order to kill us. From what I can tell, her mind contains only the most basic knowledge, and everything else is loaded onto the neuroprocessor. I can assume it activates only for combat, and then her 'civilian' consciousness is blocked and 'killing machine' mode kicks in. After the task is completed, the neuroprocessor shuts down, returning her to her 'base state.'"
"And that's what happened when we met?" I asked.
"Yes, she couldn't complete the basic task of eliminating us, so she prepared a diversion and switched to the 'civilian' version of her consciousness. But she knew what she was supposed to do, Object-41, and she was striving toward it."
"She mentioned combat protocols," Alvar reminded. "Did you understand what that was about?"
"Due to the imperfection of the technology, as I understand it, data arrays about the target and various combat knowledge are uploaded to the cyborgs right before the mission. Hand-to-hand combat techniques, knowledge about a specific opponent's vulnerabilities, and so on," Ihaar explained. "Interestingly, from what I gathered, she has a primary task and secondary ones."
"Meaning?" Trebal tensed.
"Our elimination was a secondary task," the engineer replied. "But killing Wraiths — that's the priority. It's literally embedded in her consciousness, written into both the 'civilian' and 'military' versions. I don't know what technology they used, but she was literally created to kill Wraiths. At the same time, her cybernetic parts handle combat operations, while the biological parts in 'military mode' are only there to assist. By the way," he seemed to remember something, "I found traces of interference with biological memory. It appears they removed part of her biological memory. And that, first of all, isn't easy to do, and secondly, it's quite technologically advanced, because it involves working with specific areas of the brain and memory."
"What was that done for?" I asked.
"That's exactly what I'm getting at. The pseudo-intelligence apparently detected a problem with the neuroprocessor, so it wrote additional tasks and combat protocols into her consciousness. But this terrible creation of a failed programmer can't calculate such a situation, so even though she has the task of killing the intruders in her head, she can't do it — her cybernetic part isn't working. And without it, she's still human, even if enhanced. Even reinforced bones wouldn't save her from the damage we could inflict. So, I think she was trying to deceive us by saying she couldn't let us go. In case of conflict, we would have shot her and moved on."
"Well, it's good we didn't shoot her," I summarized.
"Why?" Chaya asked with interest.
"Because we have in our hands a cyborg created to destroy Wraiths," I reminded her. "Exactly what I thought would be useful when I wrote the draft of the Spartan Project."
"You want to use her?" Teyla was surprised.
"Why not?" I answered in the Jewish manner.
"She's a useless piece of mutated flesh with useless augmentations," Ihaar explained. "I won't take on repairing this mess!"
"And it doesn't need to be repaired," I said. "I'm sure Atlantis has better technologies."
"Of course there are," Ihaar confirmed. "It's just... Really, why?"
"Because we have a ready test subject for obtaining data on genetic mutations," Chaya understood my thoughts. Hmm, angling for favorite wife, is she? "We won't have to sacrifice or beg any of our people for such experiments. We already have a cyborg. We just need to remove the old augmentations from her body and replace them with improved ones."
"And we'll also have to remove part of her brain," Trebal said. Catching the surprised looks, she explained: "You haven't forgotten that only the tech is malfunctioning, have you? And the information about needing to kill you, and possibly us too, is written into her brain? I don't think it would be a good idea to leave such orders in place."
"Agreed," Teyla voiced. "Ihaar described her as the best cyborg soldier on Salumai..."
"That's not true," the engineer objected. "She's just the sole surviving second-generation subject out of forty-five test subjects. There were third and fourth generations, on which they tested more advanced technologies and deeper modifications."
"And where did you learn that?" I asked. "You didn't get that much data at the base."
"The general level of technology in her body indicates she was a test platform," Ihaar said. "However, for example, the processors of her motor functions, responsible for limb movement speed, are more modern. As is the neuroprocessor. Most likely, they tested samples of new technologies on her, but decided she wouldn't withstand full modernization and left her in the cryo-pod."
"I wouldn't want to leave her on Atlantis," Chaya admitted. "The city already has enough problem areas and dangerous laboratories. I wouldn't want to increase their number by one more."
"I never assumed she would stay here," I said. "Ihaar, choose those who can work with her. On Athos, there's the old Athosian city — it's abandoned. We'll deliver the necessary equipment there from Atlantis and let the team work on our problem."
"Wouldn't it be simpler to build a lab on Lantea's moon?" Alvar asked. "Or on Lantea-II?"
"It's easier to reach the lab on Athos than to fly to the moon or the second planet in the system on a Jumper," I explained my decision. "Besides, Athos has a geothermal generator, so there will be power. There are ruins, and part of them are preserved. So we won't have to build a lab. Also, Athos currently has none of the objects important for Atlantis's survival. Meanwhile, Lantea-II is regularly visited by our ships and Athosian harvesters. If the cyborg gets out of control, she could capture our people or cause terror. But on Athos, she'll be completely alone."
"I wouldn't want my planet used for such a purpose," Teyla expressed. "Especially since our ancestors' city is dangerous. And no one has gone there for many generations."
"And our reconnaissance teams?" I asked Chaya, recalling something.
"We don't have enough people to leave even a couple on every planet," she explained. A weight lifted from my heart. "Captain Trebal returned the Hippaforalkus to dry dock on Taranis. I asked all available technicians to work on repairing the starship. That's far more important right now. If the Wraiths figure out where to find us, I'd like to have a battleship on hand for emergencies."
Can't argue with that.
"However, it's just a suggestion," I said, addressing Teyla. "For such experiments, we can always find another planet where Wraiths don't go. Safety measures will need to be refined, of course. For all possible adverse outcomes."
"In that case, I'd rather not bring her back to consciousness at all," Ihaar suggested. "Who knows how she'll react to our interference? Especially since sorting out what's mixed up in her head right now isn't so simple..."
"And she doesn't need to be brought back to consciousness," I said. "Not yet, at least."
"Then how do we work with her?" Trebal asked.
"First, we'll put her in a stasis pod from the Aurora," I said. "Ihaar was planning to restore a virtual environment for the sleepers. We'll do something similar for her. That way, after removing the implants, we can make contact with her and check her aggression levels. If we can't remove the aggression toward us from her memory or convince her we're on the same side, we'll freeze her until better times. Or destroy her, if there are no other options."
"Good idea," Ihaar admitted. "Strange it didn't occur to me..."
* * *
"You literally saved us from big trouble," I told Chaya when we were alone. The girl, to be closer to the heart of events, had settled into the commander's office — a small room next to the command center. In the series, the expedition commanders were here, having set up their office. I'd mentioned it a couple of times in conversation with the Proculucian. Apparently, she liked the idea.
"Which ones exactly are you talking about?" she clarified, sitting down at her desk. Judging by the material and shape, the Athosians had made it for her, carved from wood. Beautiful, by the way. A corner desk adorned with carvings, on which sat a couple of portable computers and several stacks of crystals. The modest workspace of a perfectionist.
"In the series, the Terrans found Teyla's medallion in the ruins on Athos," I explained. "As it turned out, it's a Wraith transmitter that activates upon contact with the Ancient gene. I was told that's how they tracked the Ancients during the war."
"That's true," Chaya said, pulling out a small drawer under the desktop. "I believe I told you about this when we discussed similar Wraith technology."
"Maybe," I evaded, watching what Chaya was showing me in her hand. "Oh, come on⁈ You found that thing⁈"
"Teyla's necklace was exactly where you said it would be," Chaya smiled. "I didn't go straight to Dorandan. I stopped by Athos first and found it."
"And why do you need a Wraith tracking device?" I asked.
"They'll come if it's activated," the Proculucian looked at me quizzically. "I detected it with a scanner and deactivated it. It's safe now and doesn't emit a signal."
"That explanation doesn't answer my question," I said. "That's a damn dangerous thing."
"Only if you don't understand how it works," Chaya corrected me. "The power source and transmitter here are too weak to send a signal directly into subspace. In the past, the Wraith used relays in planetary orbits to transmit signals."
"But I just asked you to look for Ancient outposts in the galaxy," I reminded Chaya of her task.
In the series, people repeatedly stumbled upon Ancient structures and technologies scattered across the galaxy. In some cases, these were very useful finds. For example, Atlantis's twin city. With an arsenal of projectiles, many Jumpers, and a ZPM — even if seriously depleted. We could really use a find like that: you can never have too many spare parts, you know.
"I did look," Chaya said innocently. "The list is impressive. A bit shorter if I remove the planets where the Wraith have settled. But that can wait. Do you want to hear my plan regarding this necklace?"
Teyla's necklace.
"Most of all, I want Teyla not to be offended that you're keeping her property in your desk drawer. You know, women can be very treacherous when you take their trinkets without asking."
Chaya's lips spread into a smile.
"She knows. And she knows what this necklace really is."
"Then — speak," I offered. "I want to hear your devilish plan for using enemy technology."
"Two of the pods from which we haven't yet extracted crew members are having critical system failures," Chaya revealed. "If nothing is done, the people inside will die in a few days."
"We need people to feed the Wraith," I understood. "Otherwise we can't save them, right?"
"Yes," Chaya admitted. "I worked out the option of extracting them from the Aurora's stasis pods and placing them in more modern ones on Atlantis, but unfortunately, they'll die sooner. We'll have literally a couple of seconds of life after thawing. In that time, we can't open the pod, remove the person, and put them in another pod."
"That's unfortunate, but I still don't see how the Wraith transmitter is connected to this," I admitted.
"Koschei fed on his own kind," Chaya reminded. "In principle, from what I've learned from the observation systems, it doesn't much matter to him what kind of intelligent life he feeds on."
"Wraiths, humans, what difference does it make to a feeding proboscis," I played on her words. "So, you want to use this medallion," I pointed at Teyla's necklace, "to lure Wraiths to a planet, capture several of them, and feed them to Koschei?"
"Yes," the Proculucian nodded. "Even if he gets less energy than from eating humans, he'll still get some. And theoretically, this solution could be repeated indefinitely. Though..."
"I think after a while the Wraiths will realize they're being led by the nose and give us hell," I finished her obvious thought.
"Exactly," she confirmed. "So it's a slightly ambitious plan. But at the same time, no human will be harmed..."
"Except that we'll have to be under Wraith fire," I reminded. "And if they come in ships instead of through the Gate..."
"I'll try to find a planet with no Wraiths nearby," Chaya said. "If I recalibrate the long-range sensors, it should work. Besides, most of the Wraiths are sleeping... I don't think they'd send a Hive Ship or anything bigger than a few Darts and a support squad for such a hunt. We just need to disable as many Wraiths as possible and arrange a meeting with Koschei."
I thought about it.
The idea is actually not bad. There are hardly any Genii left on Ermen to feed to Koschei. And searching for new ones... Not something I'd want to do right now.
But the option of catching Wraiths... We have a couple of specialists in countering them. And it's time to test the Athosians in a full-scale battle against a real enemy. Yes, the Wraith haven't declared war on us with their entire race, but it's clear anyway — we won't just part ways. They're the permanent enemy of all humans. Well, until we push them to the brink of extinction, of course.
"We need a good plan," I concluded. "Our operations based on big assumptions don't lead to the best results."
"I'm glad you're so self-critical about your actions," Chaya laughed softly. "But seriously, that was very dangerous."
"Well, well," I squinted. "Worried about me?"
"Of course," Sar nodded. "As I am for everyone living on Atlantis."
"But it seems to me you worry about my hide a little more than you should for someone who just slept off a drunk night with you," I jabbed.
The Ancient digested this for a second, then said: "Oh, you know, I won't be upset if, to save other Ancients, you offer yourself to Koschei as a snack."
"You have no compassion, Chaya," I sighed, realizing I'd just been outdone in the banter department.
"One always has to sacrifice something when returning from the energy level of existence," Sar laughed. "Speaking of which, aren't you hungry? The cafeteria has excellent root vegetable porridge today..."
I let the girl go first and asked: "By any chance, is there a mention in the Atlantis database of a planet populated by chefs?"
"I haven't come across one," Chaya laughed. "However, I did find something interesting... Did you know that the Ancients studied an energy being from one of the planets, and it's trapped in a containment field in one of Atlantis's laboratories?"
Mother of... I forgot about that crap!
"I hope it's still in its trap?"
"Of course," Chaya said as if it were obvious. "I don't make a habit of turning on lab equipment without studying the lab journals."
You're my clever girl...
The expedition encountered a non-sentient (most likely) creature resembling a black mist. It fed on energy and grew in size. The Ancients studied it while researching Ascension. I don't remember what conclusions they reached, but they left the dangerous creature in an energy trap right in the city.
Since the Terrans initially lived on Atlantis alongside the evacuated Athosians, one of their children, while playing, discovered the lab. And since children's hands aren't meant for idleness, he released the little bastard nicknamed "energy-hungry black mist."
Seemed like nothing much, but it drained the Terran naquadah generators in no time. Things got worst when they denied it a diet of reactors, and then it reminded people that the human body actually generates electricity too. And the black mist was happy with even crumbs.
"Do me a favor," I asked. "Find the nearest black hole."
"No problem," Chaya agreed. "But... Why?"
"We'll throw that thing in there and forget about it," I said. "The crap is too dangerous to leave alive."
Chaya laughed softly, approaching the teleportation booth, and looked at me with amusement in her eyes.
"You do know that a black hole converts any kind of matter into energy, right?" she clarified. "Among other things."
"So..." I muttered, sensing trouble. "And?"
"The accumulated energy collects beyond the black hole's event horizon, and then, after a certain amount of time, it simply collapses and releases all the accumulated energy back into reality," Chaya explained. "Are you sure you want to throw a creature that feeds on energy into a place with an unlimited supply of it?"
"Now I'm not sure," I admitted. "The last thing we need is to create our own version of Galactus."
"That sounds... interesting," we entered the booth. "Will you tell me about it?"
"Are you sure you want to know Terran folklore?" I asked.
"Do you want to spend the whole meal in silence?" she offered the counter-proposal.
An astonishingly logical woman…