"This is terrible," Teyla whispered as we moved from one set of ruins to another. "They really believe that sacrifices are what protect their people from the Wraith?"
"Religion," I sighed, looking around. Dozens of people were now wandering through the ruins the locals called the Old City. Mostly kids, curiously peeking under every bush for the device. I described what an electromagnetic generator looked like from memory as best I could. I didn't have high hopes they'd find it first and report back. But it was better than searching this huge area with just the four of us. "It is what it is."
"It's wrong," the Athosian woman declared. "Children shouldn't have to kill themselves so others can live! They're just children!"
"The little ones don't touch themselves," Keras, passing by, corrected her. He and a couple of boys had finished examining large fragments of what was once a big building. "Only those who have reached twenty-five. They've already lived their lives and must fulfill their duty."
"By dying?" Teyla asked.
"Of course," Keras replied. "Teyla, you're a warrior in your world. And a leader. Wouldn't you go to your death so your people could keep on living?"
Emmagan faltered.
"First of all, I'd do everything I could to make sure they survived without costing my life or anyone else's," she admitted.
"We don't have that option, unfortunately," Keras said with an apologetic smile. "Mikhail, time is running short. There's nothing like what you described in these ruins."
"There is," I assured him. "If it had been taken from here, our ship wouldn't have experienced interference. And the Wraith 'dart' the ones whose corpses are on your altar — wouldn't have crashed."
"The sacrifices made that possible," Aries said, approaching us. "Keras, we've searched the old city. There's nothing here. We need to throw them out and get back to the ritual. What if we anger the higher powers by delaying the ritual, and they send the Wraith to us?"
"You seem pretty eager to become the village leader," Alvar smirked as he joined us.
"It's my duty," Aries declared proudly.
"But if there were another way — without sacrifices — would you accept it?" the Ermen asked.
"Of course," the young man confirmed.
"And you, Keras?" I asked. "What if we showed you another planet, one the Wraith don't come to, even though there are no sacrifices there?"
"You want us to leave our ancestral lands?" Aries gasped. "Keras, they're speaking evil! We need to throw them out through the Wraith Ring! Right now!"
"I won't break my word," Keras warned. "We still have a little time left."
"You should be preparing for the ritual, not wasting time on," Aries looked at us with displeasure, "these adults."
"Aries," Keras cut his fellow villager off. "I will fulfill my duty! And you don't need to remind me of that! I gave my word that they still have time. And they still do! Then they'll leave…"
"Or," I took the floor, "we could relocate all your villages to a world where Teyla's people live. There's plenty of open space there; the Wraith don't come there. Your people could live there without any problems and stop killing themselves. After all, we protect that world…"
"You see," Aries drew Keras's attention. "First they talked about some machine that turns off others. Now they're demanding we leave through the Wraith Ring. What will it be tomorrow? Will they say that dying at the hands of the Wraith isn't so bad?"
"We won't say that," I declared. "And this isn't about your religion."
"The Wraith have harvested my planet thousands of times," Teyla echoed. "And for my people, there's no worse fate than serving them."
"And the Wraith destroyed my world," Alvar said.
"And none of you ever sacrificed to your ancestors to protect yourselves from them?" Keras clarified.
"No, never."
"Maybe you should have," Aries said. "Then they wouldn't have come to you."
"Easy," Keras said. "They are our guests."
"Unwelcome guests!" Keras's understudy and eventual successor said. "It's time for you to leave!"
"We'll leave as agreed," I cut him off. "You're not the elder here yet. And Keras isn't changing his mind. So, be a useful guy — help us search."
"There's no more searching to do," Alvar announced. "We found the device. That's why I came back."
"Now they'll pull out some ancient rock and claim it's what protects us," Aries snorted, grabbing Keras's sleeve. "They need to leave!"
"First, I'll see what they found," Keras gently freed himself from his comrade's grip and walked ahead with Alvar. Teyla and I fell in a little behind. The local kids — mostly the really little ones, up to about ten — were running around and gathering at the spot where a small crowd had already formed.
Unremarkable ruins on the outskirts, overgrown with branches of a tree that looked a lot like a weeping willow.
"The grass is flattened," I said, pointing Teyla's attention to the several trails leading through the tall grass to the ruins.
"A lot of people have come here," she said.
"That's the point," I threw a glance back. Aries and about ten older kids hadn't followed us. They were standing, talking among themselves, shooting us hostile looks. "Stay alert. I don't like this."
"Neither do I," Teyla said. "Misha… I'm not going to kill children."
"You won't have to," I assured her. "I doubt their stone arrows could pierce our suits — they can take a knife strike without tearing or puncturing. But still, no point taking risks. I think a couple of warning shots into the air or at their legs should be enough to deter them. In a worst-case scenario, Celise will be happy to stitch up another dozen bullet wounds."
"Agreed," Teyla said. "From your story, there's only one thing I don't understand. If the Epheons were working on this device ten thousand years ago, why did the field and the ritual only appear five hundred years ago?"
"I've got the same question," I admitted. "And I'm hoping Ihaar can tell us something more substantial. Keras," I turned to the elder. "The other villages don't have altars with Wraiths like yours, do they?"
"No," he confirmed. "We've stood guard over their peace for many years. All the best hunters and warriors live here. If the Wraith come, we fight. And the trophies are ours too. The artisans and children live in those villages. Including my own."
"You have children?" Teyla was surprised.
"Of course," he said. "Don't the two of you?"
I coughed into my fist, and Emmagan looked away.
"We're not a couple," I explained. "We're friends and allies."
"I understand," Keras said. "That's how it started with my wife and me. The important thing is to send your children to other villages so the bloodline in yours doesn't stagnate. Mikhail, Teyla is a very beautiful woman. You'd have beautiful children. Trust me, I know women."
I think Teyla wanted the ground to swallow her up right about now.
Seeing her embarrassment, Keras fell back a step and gestured for me to talk privately. Stepping a few paces aside, we stopped.
"Mikhail, if this is my last day," he said with a sad smile, "then before you leave, hear my advice."
"Of course," I assured him. "What is it?"
"If you don't find what you're looking for here, or if my people don't believe you, leave," he said seriously. "Aries is a good friend. But he's very worried about our safety. He won't let you come back."
"I think," I gestured at Aries slowly approaching us with the kids following him, "he's already set on kicking us out."
Keras followed my gaze.
"He won't do anything as long as I'm alive," the young man assured me. "And I gave you my word — you will leave our planet, and very soon. But it's better if you don't come back."
"Only if we're wrong," I reminded him.
"Especially if you're right," Keras said, turning serious. "There are hundreds of people here. And many of them are very religious. Sacrifice is part of our heritage. After five hundred years, it's become our essence. Letting go of it won't be easy."
"The main thing is to start somewhere, right?" I clarified. "I'm sure we can find a way to overcome this."
"You're an optimist," Keras smirked. "Let's go. Your people are already waiting for us at the ruins."
When we got close to the ruins, we had to push through a crowd of kids to get inside. Teyla, Alvar, and Ihaar were already there.
As was a rather massive device.
It looked like an elongated gear laid on its side, with one end sunk into the ground. The visible end consisted of two truncated cones with rectangular facets — the smaller one serving as a cap for the larger. Now, seeing us, Ihaar pressed a key on top.
With a soft hiss, the smaller cone rose upward along with a round sheet of metal supported from below by half a dozen cylindrical pillars. And between them, on a panel glowing with a steady orange light, sat a ZPM.
"Keras," Ihaar, grinning from ear to ear, gestured at the device. "Allow me to introduce you to the electromagnetic generator that's been protecting you from the Wraith all this time. And from scientific and technological progress, incidentally."
A shot from the series. The electromagnetic generator.
Keras looked at the device, then at all of us, and finally said:
"I don't understand."
"It wasn't the sacrifices protecting you from the Wraith," I explained. "It was this mechanism. Like we said — it shuts down advanced technology."
"Here, look," Ihaar showed the screen of his scanner, covered in notes. "See that? It's working. I turned off the generator, and now the tech works. One moment," he brought the scanner to the unit, pressed a few buttons, then grunted with satisfaction but simultaneously winced and sighed. "And like this," he walked up to the unit, thought for a second, and pressed a few of the rectangular ribs on the cones. With a soft hiss, the ZPM sank back inside the device. The engineer showed the now-blank screen. "Doesn't work. I could do this all day…"
"The Wraith devices aren't working, I hope?" I asked, nodding at his backpack, where we'd put the Wraith transmitters collected from the village.
"No, I removed the power cells," Ihaar explained.
"This… This can't be true," a shocked Keras said. "Everything… Everything we believed in — a lie?"
"Not exactly," I said. "Most likely, whoever created or activated this device five hundred years ago realized they couldn't protect the entire planet from the Wraith. That big yellow thing in the center is the energy source. And it's probably very depleted. So only a certain area is protected from the Wraith. The sacrifices helped you regulate your population — kept you from growing too large and leaving the suppression field's range. The Wraith could detect those living outside the field and come for them. But inside the field, they had no chance — their ships, weapons, and other tech don't work when the field is active."
"They wouldn't risk coming at you with just their bare hands," Teyla added.
"And as we can see," Alvar smirked, "not all advanced civilizations can make a bow and arrow."
The engineer grimaced, turning the device back on. I looked at the ZPM, trying to remember why it had proved useless for the Earth expedition.
"Atlantis, the city we came from, runs on crystals like that," I said. "But it's heavily depleted, and it won't serve our purposes."
"Yeah, there's less than one and a half percent charge left," Ihaar admitted, looking at me. "We'd only use it in a dire emergency. Raise the shields for seven hours, or warm up the engines. But it's a drop in the ocean. Though if things get really bad, we could take it, I suppose…"
"And for them?" Alvar asked, nodding at the stunned, silent Keras. "Would it help them?"
"It's been helping them all this time," Ihaar reminded him. "However," he stepped forward and got close to the generator, "I need to study this some more. I can probably expand the electromagnetic field several times if I rework a few things…"
"This is Ancient technology, isn't it?" I clarified. "Can you handle it?"
"I'll manage," the engineer promised. He deftly pried off a couple of side panels and revealed the unit's internals. "The problem is," he said, "that the generator was damaged at some point. See? Some crystals and wiring have been replaced. Fibers fused with metal wiring. Some things weren't restored… I think it broke, and about five hundred years ago someone fixed it as best they could. Only," Ihaar pulled a laptop from his backpack, connected a transition bus to the crystals. He was silent for a few seconds, then added, "So, there's good news, and there's bad news…"
"Start with the bad news," I requested.
"At its core, like I said, it's Ancient technology," he said. "If I'm reading the logs right… yeah, it started working a little over ten thousand years ago, so it's definitely the generator the Epheons built. So-o-o… Hmm… Interesting… What if I do this? Hmm… Doesn't work… What about this? Oh, now that's interesting…"
"Ihaar," I called the engineer back to the conversation in my grandmother's tone, but not as loud. "We're interested too."
"Anyway," the Ancient put his laptop on the ground and stood up. "The Epheons built this device to jam exclusively Wraith technology. It ran in that mode for a long time until it broke. About a thousand years ago, I think."
"That's probably when the Wraith attacked the planet and started collecting the inhabitants," Teyla hypothesized.
"Yeah, and they likely destroyed the city around the same time," Alvar theorized.
"But someone fixed the device," I noted. "And that's not easy to do."
"Actually, it is easy," Ihaar sighed. "The generator failed because someone with clumsy hands tried to get the ZPM out of here. They couldn't, and just caused a short circuit."
"Is it really that hard to get the ZPM out?" I reached between the metal pillars, grabbed the set of crystals, and pulled it out. "How could that cause a short circuit?"
"That action wouldn't," Ihaar confirmed, tapping his finger on the nearest pillar. "But these are actually force-field emitters. A fool-proof protection so someone can't just yank out the power source if they don't know how. By the way, it was originally brought here from Atlantis. And it had a little over seventy percent charge…"
That ZPM — the one they used to create human bodies, and then swapped out. Janus… Damn it, I hope you're burning in hell, you moron.
"This wiring," Ihaar pointed at the mess of fiber-optic and metal wires with insulation crumbling at the slightest touch, "is a nightmare… It was clearly fixed on a 'just make it work' basis. So they fixed it wrong. Originally, the field was about five times larger, but after this 'repair'… Well, they not only shrunk the field, but also activated a different operating mode. So now it shuts down all technology, not just Wraith tech. That led to excess energy consumption and rapid depletion. It's clear," he mused, "the Epheons had spare time to invent all kinds of modes."
A thought occurred to me, revising my initial theory of why they were here.
"Can you get the generator's schematics?" I asked.
"No problem," Ihaar knelt by the computer and pressed a few keys. "Done."
"Can you fix it? So it works properly?"
"I'll do what I can," the engineer assured me, pulling his backpack closer. "Give me a couple of hours and something to drink — I'll restore the field to its original state and bring the coverage area back to normal. So… If I understand correctly, the field should have covered the gate too."
"That makes sense," Alvar said. "If only Wraith tech gets shut down, then stepping through the gate, they'd get disabled immediately. The soldiers would be unarmed and defenseless, the 'darts' would crash…"
"With devices like this, you could protect thousands of planets," Teyla perked up.
"Only if you have ZPMs," Ihaar said. "The device runs exclusively on its power. And not just because it's a powerful energy source. The generator is tuned to this type of energy, and it resonates with it to suppress energy…" Ihaar went pale. "Oh, no."
"What did you break?" I asked.
"It was broken before I got here," the engineer snapped, pulling a cracked and soot-stained crystal from the guts of the device. "See this?"
"What is it?" Keras asked.
"This is where the algorithms for counteracting Wraith energy signatures were stored," Ihaar said. "The main circuit. The mode that shuts down all technology is the backup. So when the device got damaged, the main circuit burned out. They switched to the backup only because there were no other options."
"Can you fix it?" Alvar glanced at Aries and his people, who were approaching us.
They weren't hostile, but they didn't look friendly either.
"I could if I knew what protocols were used here," Ihaar sighed. "But I don't. And no one does — I checked Atlantis's databases. Only the Epheons worked with electromagnetic fields; everyone else considered the technology too dangerous because it also suppressed Lantian tech."
"So you can't make the field like it was originally?" I realized.
"Maybe someday," Ihaar's voice lacked optimism. "In about a hundred years, maybe two hundred, or sometime…"
"Chaya used an electromagnetic pulse to burn out the first-generation nanites," I recalled. "Could we use that device?"
"We could, if we wanted to burn everything here," Ihaar sniffed. "I studied how it works. It's even cruder than what's here… Shuts everything down and is very dangerous for biological organisms. No, it won't work for us. Unless someone wants to die faster."
Now I understood why Chaya did it from a distance and why that lab is no longer operational and needs repairs.
I needed to pay more attention to details, not just rely on the others.
"So you broke the device?" Aries spoke up. "And now we're defenseless?"
He spoke with anger. But the very fact that he understood from our words that it was the device that protected them already said a lot.
"The main circuit was burned out before I got here," Ihaar repeated irritably. "I can start the secondary circuit. I can expand the field... Hmm... By about double, but the energy consumption will increase, of course."
"How long will the field hold?" I asked.
"A hundred years, maybe a hundred and fifty," Ihaar said. "But these kids will have more territory to live in if they want to stay here. I'd take the installation to Atlantis, overhaul it under normal conditions and..."
"You're not touching anything and you're not taking anything with you!" Aries declared. The children standing next to him raised their bows, aiming at us. "You only bring trouble!"
"Say that to my face, you little brat," Alvar said, raising his rifle and aiming it at Aries's head. Several bows were immediately trained on him. Even something like a crossbow. We could, of course, test who'd win — our gear isn't bad. But the kids, some of them, were aiming right at our heads. I don't think anyone wants to go through the rest of their life missing an eye.
Atlantis can enhance tissue regeneration, but they can't grow a new organ.
Teyla had another group of children in her sights, the ones who'd come up behind us. Ihaar was looking around in bewilderment. Keras was glancing around in surprise, trying to understand what was happening.
As for me...
"You really don't want this," I said. Since the device was off, activating a personal shield was simple. Same with the impulse blaster.
I took a couple of steps forward.
"Stop right there!" Aries ordered.
"Lower your bows immediately!" Keras commanded. "These people are helping us!"
"They're not helping anyone!" Aries barked. "They said it themselves — their device isn't working. That means we were defending ourselves with sacrifices!"
"That's not what we said," I said, stepping closer.
"Stop right there!"
"Make me," I offered. "We're friends. And we'll fix your installation — it'll protect you like before. There's no need to fight with us!"
"Shoot them in the head," Aries ordered.
"No!" Keros lunged forward, trying to prevent the worst... Alvar, cursing, grabbed his arm and stopped him from making a noble but stupid move.
The arrows struck the shield, which flashed with green light. The projectiles fell at my feet, harmless.
"Sorcery!" Aries shouted.
"Technology," I corrected, raising my hand with the impulse blaster and aiming it at Aries's face. "And right now, one of them can send you to a world that isn't the best."
I moved my hand slightly to the side and fired past Aries and anyone standing near him.
A white-blue energy bolt slammed into an old piece of wall, melting it down to the foundation. Aries and the other children stared at the aftermath of the shot with extreme astonishment, then turned their gazes to me.
"If I wanted to, you'd all be dead faster than you could remember your mothers." Aries was scared, but he had enough sense to order his rebels to lower their weapons. "Smart boy. But if you try to start a rebellion against Keros again, I'll come back and kill you. Need a reminder of what happens in your religion to those who die without a sacrifice?"
"They won't go to the better world," Keros said, breaking free from Alvar's grip. "Enough! There's no need for anger! These people are our friends! And they'll help us so we no longer need sacrifices! You saw it — while this device," he pointed at the generator, "was working, their technology didn't work. Neither did anyone else's. And now it's off..."
"Only until I fix the wiring," Ihaar added. "You don't want this mess to explode one day, do you? I wouldn't. There's enough energy here to create a crater a couple of kilometers in radius."
"We're friends," I announced, holstering my weapon. "And I'm sorry our acquaintance started off on the wrong foot. But everything can still be fixed. You don't like the Wraith, neither do we. So why can't we trade, visit each other, for example? I'm sure we have things to offer you."
"At the very least, Concrete-811, so you don't have to live in trees like animals," Ihaar grumbled. "Look," he nodded toward the stone wall. "Even that's better than your wooden huts. And these ruins are clearly big — a couple of hundred people could settle here without any problems."
"Live out in the open?" Aries was horrified. "If the Wraith come, they'll see us..."
"No one's coming!" Ihaar said. "Give me time to sort out this generator, and you'll have plenty of territory to live in. Besides, if the Wraith wanted to look for survivors here, they'd have come in spaceships. They forgot about you long ago, decided it wasn't worth the risk! The electromagnetic field between the gate and the rest of the planet is a pretty good buffer. You can live inside the field for at least a hundred years and lack for nothing."
"There isn't that much land in the forest suitable for fields," Keros said doubtfully. "If we grow in number, we won't be able to feed everyone..."
"That's not a problem," I declared. "We'll help you cut down some trees, pull out the stumps, teach you about fertilizers."
"My people will help you," Teyla said. "We'll show you how to work the land, teach you how to get more harvest for your needs."
"And why would you do that? Why help us when you have such great technology that melts stone?" Aries asked, looking at the generator. "We won't give you this machine."
"We're not the worst people in this galaxy," I assured him. "And yes, your question is valid. If it helps you sleep better, then maybe there's something on your planet that you don't need now or for the next thousand years or so. And we could use it. Or, when you have more food, we'd be happy to trade it for our medicine, clothes, or knowledge. I'm sure you don't know what a plow is."
"That's the first time I've heard that word," Keros confirmed, smiling. "But my people will definitely be glad to learn a lot from you. Especially if we have to fight side by side against the Wraith."
"In that case, we all need to take a breath and talk in a calmer place," I assured him. "Ihaar, can you handle the repairs while we talk with the elders?"
"As long as no one tries to shoot a piece of stone and a stick into my eye," Ihaar grumbled. "And for the love of atoms, keep the kids away. I don't want to run all over the village later collecting my equipment!"