"The Hive Ship is accumulating energy in its hyperdrive with a low flow," the technician reported, looking away from the control terminal.
"They're also putting up jamming," a second one said.
"Can we contact the teams on board?" Larrin shifted restlessly in her seat at the auxiliary console to the right of the command chair. She didn't want to be in it or go through this again.
"No, Lady Larrin."
"Vacuum in my lungs," the Nomad cursed. "They're clearly in trouble."
"And the ship is preparing to leave," the technician confirmed her fears. "What are your orders, Lady Larrin?"
Several options had already run through her mind.
But she couldn't find one that fit the situation.
Except for one.
"Close in," Larrin ordered. "Prepare for battle. The Wraiths aren't escaping from here with our people on board."
* * *
As she had suspected, beneath the main cave was a whole network of tunnels descending deep into the dense layers of the coastal cliff. The dense structure of the local rock largely shielded various forms of radiation.
This was surely why one of the first Wraith queens, Osprey, along with her followers, had hidden Hyperion's weapon here. The deeper they went into the rock mass, the more the scanner beeped, indicating faint, barely perceptible but unmistakable traces of energy.
"Has someone activated the weapon?" she asked, worried.
"As far as I know, no other Wraiths have ever been here except Osprey's descendants," Alabaster paused for a moment, looking at her. "And our line isn't stupid enough to play with things that could burn out your mind."
Chaya showed her the diagram on the scanner's monitor.
"Something here is emitting traces of energy. The deeper we go, the stronger it gets."
"Active emission?" Alabaster leaned in, squinting at the scanner. "I don't think so. Probably a passive background. See, there are no fluctuations in the radiation, which would be inevitable with active power."
"Depends on the connection's energy loss coefficient," Chaya muttered. "And… I'm not surprised I understand this. But I'm confused that you understand high energy physics."
"And why shouldn't I know it?" the queen looked at her.
"You're a queen," Sar tried to explain. "You… rule. For science there are Scholars, for war — the Blades."
"And we're just pretty and supposed to give birth?" A grin spread across the redhead's lips, revealing glassy teeth. A guttural sound came from her throat. Not a threat… Laughter. "Ironic that such a remark comes from you. Also a queen, and also familiar with high energy physics."
"We really have a club of shared interests here," Chaya said, embarrassed. "Sorry I'm not inviting you for a girls-only pajama sleepover…"
"I don't think you have suitable refreshments for me," Alabaster laughed again, waving her hand toward the tunnel again, urging them onward. "Tell me, Chaya, have you ever thought that a Wraith and an Ancient could just talk like this instead of shooting each other?"
"Well… My… husband has some experience in such matters."
"A captive Wraith?" Alabaster asked.
"He's one of the Queen of Death's Blades," the Proculucian warned. "At least, that's what he tells us."
"It's strange that you keep him in a cage," Alabaster said doubtfully. "Since Death is dead, setting the Blades against each other would be the most appropriate solution to the problem. I would even say — the most obvious…"
"Give me a ship and let me form an alliance against him," Chaya recalled Koschei's words. Oops…
"… but only if the enmity between them is strong enough," the queen continued her train of thought as if nothing had happened. "Which is unlikely, given that they are both Blades…"
"Right. And you're not just extracting information from me."
"One Blade — we know that from his own words. The second is a Scholar, his name is Styx, but everyone calls him Scavenger."
"Scavenger," Alabaster said as if spitting the word away from herself. "A vile, treacherous Scholar. Has no one killed him yet?"
"Apparently not. He used to have one Superhive, and now he has a small fleet. A Superhive, a Hive Ship, a cruiser — and that's only what we know about. Not to mention he's trying to build a coalition. And restore power to his flagship," Chaya added, watching Alabaster's reaction.
The young queen looked at her with alarm.
"Scavenger is launching a Superhive?"
"As far as we know."
"It must not be allowed!" the young queen declared firmly. "We need to throw all available forces into destroying him!"
"Yes," Chaya replied with mild irony. "That's roughly what I'm doing right now."
"Right, of course," Alabaster smirked. "Scavenger… Abomination. He's one of the First Wraiths. Smart, cunning, and treacherous. Queens refused to even talk to him because every word he speaks is poison. While other Wraiths looked for new feeding grounds or ways to protect their old ones, he could never rest easy without confirmation of Atlantis's destruction…"
The queen fell silent.
"You came from Atlantis, didn't you?"
"Are all queens as perceptive as you?" Chaya grimaced.
"Most rely on mental strength rather than their intellect," Alabaster said with a hint of sadness. "I had to adapt to living among humans to survive and carry my child. Two years carrying him inside me in fear that one of the locals would find out I'm a Wraith and how we're connected to humans…"
"Sorry, two years?" Chaya clarified. "But… it's forty weeks."
"Not all the good things came to us from our genetic ancestors," Alabaster laughed. "The Irus bug, whose genes the Ancients used to create us, carries its offspring for a long time, then lays eggs in clutches that the whole hive defends. I think human DNA couldn't completely override the irus's reproductive function. Good thing we don't have to incubate an egg."
"Yes, that would be… un-queenly amusing," Chaya pictured the scene.
"Probably," Alabaster laughed. "Have you already selected suitable traits and endowed your offspring with them?"
"Selected traits?" Chaya frowned. "Wait, hold on. Are you talking about targeted genetic selection of desired traits?"
"I think that's exactly what I'm talking about," Alabaster replied after a couple of seconds' pause. "Or… I've seen it in humans from different worlds, I watched pregnant women closely in this world. Local women can't decide which of their best traits to pass on to their children. But I thought, since we can do it, the Ancients gave us that ability in their own image and likeness."
"I don't have offspring yet," Chaya steered the conversation elsewhere. No need to confirm anything that could be used against Atlantis to a Wraith queen. When or if that might happen was a separate question.
"And why are you delaying?" Alabaster continued curiously. "You're in a state of war. Even in the best years of the Ancients, there weren't more of them than the Wraiths they fought. If you only live in Atlantis, you should produce as many offspring as possible to be ready for any surprises."
"My husband and I have a rather peculiar view on the necessity of making children right this second," Chaya assured her. "Well, the other queen, of course, has a different opinion…"
"Another queen?" Alabaster's voice held bewilderment and genuine surprise. "How so?"
"My husband is so strong and exceptional that he has several queens," Chaya felt no shame or embarrassment before the Wraith, for some reason. "A Queen-Smart One, as our captive Wraith said, and a Queen-Blade."
"Curious," Alabaster murmured. "Unusual, but curious. Among Wraiths it's the opposite. If a queen needs Scholars, her husband becomes a Scholar. If Blades, then a Blade. But for two queens to share one husband… Is he a Scholar or a Blade?"
Chaya thought.
"For the most part, a Blade, but in some moments he can be the wisest of Scholars."
"Does that happen?" Alabaster looked at her suspiciously. "The husbands of Wraith queens can only be Scholars or only Blades. I've never heard of a husband combining such qualities."
"Any more questions, and I'll think you've set your sights on him too."
Alabaster laughed heartily.
"It would be an interesting experience, but I won't do that," she promised. "A queen does not share a husband with another queen. That would mean strengthening another's line."
"Right, of course, how could I not think of that," Chaya snorted. "Not to mention that offspring of a human and a Wraith… it's unlikely, right?"
"Of course," Alabaster confirmed. "Not to mention that for my kind, you are something like livestock. And mating with livestock… That's disgusting."
"You know, that actually sounds offensive."
"But you don't mate with a mule or a mount, do you?"
"No, of course not."
"For us, humans are no more than—"
"Thanks, I get it," Chaya cut Alabaster off. "You know, these are quite deep catacombs."
"They used to be even bigger," the Wraith queen admitted. "But over the thousands of years since Osprey hid the weapon here, much has changed. Part of the complex collapsed into the sea."
It seemed the First Wraiths had anticipated something like this, placing the weapon in the most stable part of the complex. Or else in another five to ten thousand years nothing would be left here, and Hyperion's weapon would be buried under a thick layer of water.
Or, conversely, it would wash up on the shore.
Or there would be a short circuit and it would accidentally activate.
No one can see that far into the future. Perhaps only the Ascended, who knew exactly where this weapon was. And they would surely have led the "right" descendants here to destroy the Wraiths once and for all.
Just as they did with the Asurans.
After all, it's so "right" first create a problem of galactic scale, and then heroically solve it.
Alabaster smiled darkly, as if she had followed every thought. Sar didn't fully understand why the Wraith queen trusted her. Maybe she was leading her into a trap, or maybe… she wanted to make a deal.
Twenty-one years surrounded by humans… Could it be that this particular queen had changed?
A light appeared in the darkness, the flickering beam of a flashlight sliding across the stones. Chaya held it, pointing it ahead, Alabaster beside her.
The sea roared against the walls, constantly reminding them of its presence beyond the stone barrier. Quite… stirring.
"There's another way you can defeat Scavenger," Alabaster suddenly said.
"Really?" Chaya was interested. "And what's that?"
"You said there's a Hive Ship among his vessels."
"That's right."
"If he didn't find it, he must have taken it from some hive."
"As far as we know, it was the hive of a queen named Cunning Blade."
"A familiar name," said Alabaster. "But she wouldn't have cooperated with him. She despises Death and all her line. And she especially despises men who lead hives without their queens. She wouldn't have submitted."
"There's suspicion that he killed her. Or captured her."
"As I thought," Alabaster nodded. "If that's the case, you just need to spread this information among the Wraiths. They'll unite to finish him off. No male has the right to kill or capture a queen unless acting on behalf of his own queen. And that one has been dead for ten thousand years. There have been no more queens in the Death line since. Or at least I don't know of any, which is unlikely."
"There's a small problem — we don't have any Wraith friends who'd want to help with something like that," Chaya smirked. "I think they'd feed on us first, capture our home, and then deal with the Scavenger problem. Not to mention the Wraiths are in hibernation."
The girl also had no intention of mentioning that the Queen of Death had been killed not so long ago. As long as Alabaster was sharing information about the Wraiths with her, that was very good. And suspicious, of course.
But it was also a perfect way to double-check Koschei's words.
"Now that last part is a big problem," the queen said. "When Wraiths go into hibernation, the Keepers watch over their safety. And Keepers are very specific Wraiths. Stubborn, proud, distrustful. They're not easily convinced of something that isn't their immediate problem. I think Scavenger isn't trying to antagonize all hives at once, but is focusing on harming a specific line and its allies. In that case, the other Wraiths will remain inactive."
"And the fact that your plan involves waking up all the Wraiths in the galaxy doesn't bother you?" Chaya asked.
"More than you know," Alabaster assured her. "There were never enough humans for all the hives to awaken and be sated. We go into hibernation to let your people replenish. But here, on this planet, I realized that our way — gorging here and now — isn't so right."
"I don't think there would be many kind souls among your kind who would want to take life from humans just a little bit at a time."
"Of their own free will, no," Alabaster agreed. "But if a queen commands it, they will do as she wishes."
"But you're here…" Chaya stopped. "This is where you're leading me. So I'll take you with me, isn't that right?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Alabaster asked. "In the war between the Ancients and the Wraiths, Atlantis remained the line my people couldn't cross. You could deny it, but at the same time you understand — if other hives learn of the Lantians' return, they will at the very least, out of vengeance, return to what they didn't finish many years ago. What would be the outcome of that battle?"
"We will fight as before," they had descended into the lowest part of the catacombs during their conversation. By Chaya's estimate, the ocean was raging above their heads now. "We won't surrender."
"And the Wraiths won't surrender either," Alabaster assured her. "It will be a war of annihilation. On the other hand, one hive could declare the Lantean system its feeding grounds. Yes," she raised her left hand, signaling Chaya to be quiet, "I understand that you will not allow me and my hive to feed on you. But together, we can stand against the other hives. For my part, I pledge to implement a procedure on my planets that allows for partial, not complete, feeding. So the population won't be exterminated. If we explain to people that we can exist in symbiosis, similar to what existed on this planet, everything will be fine."
"Except we'll have to destroy Scavenger…"
"And it would be better for a Wraith to do it than for the Lantians," Alabaster smiled. "On the brink of defeat, Scavenger will certainly inform the other hives that you've returned. He's not doing that now because he's confident in his success."
"Yes, we thought something similar," the Proculucian agreed.
"Then we can cooperate," the queen said reasonably. "A humane Wraith and humans. There are plenty of hives in the galaxy that don't care about the future. They live for today. They're tormented by hunger and won't listen to reason. I, on the other hand, having lived among humans, have begun to see the situation from a different angle. We can help each other."
"Only you don't have a hive," Chaya reminded her.
"But Scavenger does," Alabaster countered. "Not the Superhive, but a Hive Ship and a cruiser. We destroy Scavenger, and I take what he has. At minimum, those will be Cunning Blade's feeding grounds. At maximum — the planets of everyone he has already destroyed to achieve his goal. Many planets, many humans, few Wraiths. And we can give our people healing, in exchange for a portion of their life force. That sounds like a fair deal to me. In this world too, not everyone who came seeking protection was willing to give up part of their life. In other worlds, there will be even more. And if we cooperate in destroying other hives that won't join me, there will be even more planets. My hive and the power of Atlantis — one by one, we can destroy all our enemies."
"And then what? When only we and other humans remain on one side, and your hive on the other?"
"It will be many years before that happens," Alabaster smiled. "If it ever does. But I think your people will make the right choice. This is a good deal — I give you Hyperion's weapon, which you will always have as a club you can use to crush me at any moment. And you give me a hive."
"Our captive Wraith offered pretty much the same thing. Except he didn't have Hyperion's weapon."
"Because this is the most productive deal," the queen noted. "Especially since that," she pointed at the stone wall where Hyperion's weapon was presumably located, "is clearly not just a deadly threat to all Wraiths."
"What makes you say that?" Chaya looked around. Quite dark, but using the flashlight… "Oh. Mollusks."
A pale, coiled creature no more than twenty centimeters long crawled along the wall, leaving a long slimy trail behind. And it wasn't alone. Dozens of similar creatures surrounded both women.
"That's a snail," Alabaster said with a hint of amusement. "It's completely harmless. Like all of them — their diet isn't humans, but plankton, small fish, or fish roe. Also moss or mold. However, while they aren't intelligent, they are telepathically…"
"They can perceive telepathic commands," Chaya said. "The Ancients suspected that."
She watched as the snail, clearly obeying Alabaster's will, changed its trajectory and crawled toward the queen.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Alabaster asked, stroking the snail's tiny horns. "I suspect that it's from them we inherited much of what we use, perhaps even some of the genetic material that went into designing our ships. So much from such a small thing!"
"Let's get back to where we started?" Chaya suggested. "Hyperion's weapon and all that…"
"There should be a power source below, in a passive state," Alabaster said. "I think you understand that a device meant to kill all Wraiths would consume a colossal amount of energy."
"It depends on whether it's a weapon of mass or localized destruction," said Chaya. "We don't have those answers yet."
"Agreed," Alabaster nodded, looking at her. "But before we start breaking what's hidden, condemning it to discovery despite my line's intention to hide the weapon forever, can you guarantee me an alliance on my terms?"
"No," Chaya wasn't ready to lie. "You consider me a queen, but among us humans, the woman doesn't always dictate her will. Honestly, if I were in charge of our people… I don't even know. We'd probably have gone extinct by now."
"Self-critical," Alabaster agreed. "You're not ready to kill children, you're not ready to use Hyperion's weapon out of compassion, but standing one step away from it, knowing that my son is no longer nearby and I could attack and fight you until one of us dies, you still don't want to lie to me? Promise everything I wanted in return, just to get what you desire, but no backstabbing?"
"As I said — I'm not the smartest," said Chaya, placing her hand on the Pulsar.
"But you speak honestly," the queen said with a slight smile. "I'm glad I wasn't wrong about you."
"Oh, so there was some kind of trust audition going on?" Sar was surprised.
"Of course," the queen assured her. "I observed you and your frankness. I noted the moments when you could have lied to improve my impression of you. But you didn't. Yes, you're hiding a lot. But so am I. However, our intentions align on several points. And that's enough for me. Would it be within your power to do at least one small thing for me? In exchange for what I'm offering you."
"And what would that be?"
"I would like to leave this world. Whether you lock me up on Atlantis or somewhere else, it's still better than being here."
"Except here you can feed, and on Atlantis no one will serve you a normal diet."
"But on Atlantis, there is your husband, the Husband of Two Queens, who makes decisions that are not permitted to you. If he's truly wise enough to have won over two queens, my proposal will certainly interest him."
"And… if not?"
"Holding me prisoner on Atlantis would be foolish," Alabaster reasoned. "Two powerful Wraiths — a queen and a Blade from the lineage of the Queen of Death… I wouldn't advise it. But you can always return me to this planet. Where there are those I can help. And you'll always know where I am. And no Wraiths ever come here."
"That sounds reasonable," Chaya agreed. "I can promise you that I'll take you to Atlantis. And that you'll speak with my husband. If the negotiations fail, I'll try to persuade him to return you here. But anything more…"
"That's enough, Queen-Smart One," Alabaster assured her, turning her gaze to the stone wall before her. "I think your weapon can burn through this wall without causing a collapse."
"Probably," Chaya stepped back a couple of paces, took off her shield, drew her weapon, and put the shield back on. "You'd better step back."
The Queen clearly appreciated the fact that the girl hadn't deactivated her shield in her presence, showing that their trust was not yet absolute. The redhead moved further away, after which Sar, adjusting the settings, fired at the wall.
A white-blue energy charge burned through the stone as if it were paper. A perfect hole about a meter and a half in diameter.
Moving closer, they could both see a niche behind the wall.
The niche was no more than two meters wide. And on the floor, side by side, lay two metal boxes.
"Small transport containers of the Ancients," Chaya instantly identified, looking at the scanner. "Very archaic, but quite recognizable. Traces of energy lead from here."
She hesitated for a couple of seconds, deciding whether to go in first. Who knew what the Wraith might do. But the Wraith did something the Proculucian hadn't even considered.
"Tell me where I should move to avoid causing you any fear of betrayal," Alabaster asked.
"By the entrance to the cave will be quite sufficient," Chaya smiled guiltily. The Queen silently nodded and did as she was told.
Chaya slipped into the opening.
Without wasting time examining the contents, she checked the space for traps, then carried both containers out one by one.
Alabaster watched her actions with interest but did not approach.
The Ancient opened the simple locks on the first container and flipped the lid. On a soft black material lay a cylindrical compilation of golden and orange crystals with a red core.
A very well-known compilation.
The girl pointed the scanner at the discovered ZPM, barely holding back a cry of joy. The battery had retained ninety-seven percent power. Which was pretty good for passive discharge over more than ten thousand years.
"You were right," Chaya said to the Wraith Queen, looking at her with a stunned expression, as if she could hardly believe it. "There really is a power source included."
"Useful to Atlantis?"
"That it is."
"Then I'm glad you have extra energy. And what's in the second one?"
Chaya looked at the second container warily. Honestly, she really wanted it to be empty. Or for it to hold some junk. She wanted the First Wraith to be wrong, to have mistaken Hyperion's weapon for the best energy source in millions of years...
This would have simplified the struggle between her opposites a great deal.
The girl flipped the lid of the second crate. Pursing her lips, she looked at the scepter made of Naquadah, covered in Ancient writing and geometric patterns.
"I think this is Hyperion's weapon," she said with a sigh, looking at Alabaster.
The Queen remained cold and calm.
"In that case, our mission here is complete," she said. "It's time to pack up and return to Atlantis. I can't wait to speak with your husband."
Absolutely, Chaya thought, looking at the chronometer. "But first, he's definitely going to kill me."