I found Chaya in her laboratory.
The girl stood at the control panel, watching the prototype of our naquadah generator hum and blink. The concentration on her face and her lack of reaction to the fact that I had been standing in the doorway for ten minutes (which she couldn't have missed even out of the corner of her eye) almost inspired admiration for her immersion in her work.
Finally, realizing that she was genuinely not ignoring me, I knocked on the doorframe, drawing her attention. Startled, Chaya gave me a wary glance. And returned to her tasks.
"I thought you were busy working on restoring the 'Satellite'," I said, entering the laboratory.
"That's exactly what I'm doing now," the girl replied completely indifferently. Distracted from the data on the large monitor, she began to examine something on her laptop's display. "Enriching naquadah under these conditions requires all my attention."
"We already have one reactor," I reminded her. "You demonstrated yesterday how well it works. And there isn't much naquadah left."
I looked at the small stones lying on top of the burlap in which they were delivered to Atlantis. I delivered them myself. A couple of days ago.
At the moment, this is the last naquadah that was managed to be obtained on Ermen without starting to clear the collapses in the mine shafts. Which, in fact, is now happening on Alvar Jensen's home planet.
The mining process had to be stopped due to the threat of a shaft collapse. Kirik and Alvar went to the planet. The former had some idea of mining operations – he worked in mines, albeit for metal extraction, before becoming a fugitive. Alvar, on the other hand, was going to conduct a cleanup operation near the mine. The Athosians noticed the appearance of a couple of Jenai nearby. Since we didn't particularly need sabotage, we had to either force the bastards to surrender or eliminate the threat.
From Jensen's mood, I could even guess which path he intended to choose to solve the problem.
"However, that doesn't mean we don't need it," Chaya objected. "The ore itself is of little use. And by enriching and purifying the ore from impurities, I can create a reserve of power elements for our needs. The hazardous materials storage is already functioning, so there's nothing to fear. Unless, of course, a little girl, who can barely distinguish a cube from a rectangular parallelepiped, decides to stick a 'black cube' into a power outlet."
Naquadah.
"Black cubes" was how Selisa called the naquadah obtained as a result of ore purification and enrichment, which she saw in Chaya's laboratory two days ago. While Teyla was dealing with matters on New Athos, Kirik, Alvar, and I were on Ermen, Selisa remained under Chaya's supervision.
It's not that the Proculucian didn't like children... No, I even understand why Chaya categorically stated upon our return that a child's place is not in a city full of technical secrets and, consequently, dangers, but on New Athos, with other children. And I understand why Kirik objected to being separated from his ward...
I understand both of them.
As well as the fact that Selisa, whom Chaya seated at the entrance to her laboratory, simply got bored while the Ancient was installing the systems of our first Atlantean naquadah generator. That's why she became interested in the question: "What are these strange 'black cubes' lying on your table, and can I help you by putting them inside this big machine?"
"She just wanted to be useful," I explained. "Selisa is used to not being a burden during her travels with Kirik. And she thought that since there are nests in the generator that fit the size of enriched naquadah, why not insert them there..."
Chaya froze. Her fingers even came off the keyboard.
The Ancient looked at me with a focused, studying gaze.
"I hope you're joking?" she asked.
"No, I'm just explaining childish logic to you."
"Should I explain that if she had inserted even one of the three power elements into the unfinished reactor, there would have been a detonation?" Chaya clarified. "Considering the reserves of naquadah in the laboratory, as well as its volume in the stargates, the release of energy and the subsequent chain reaction would have generated so much energy that we would have forgotten not only about the existence of Atlantis, but also about Lantea in particular."
High matters...
"Agreed," I nodded, looking at the glowing, steady blue-white energy rod of the first naquadah reactor produced on Atlantis. "But you stopped her in time."
"Then – yes," Chaya agreed. "But what will happen if she does something that I don't notice?"
"We've already locked all laboratories and rooms except a few," I reminded her. "And we send the naquadah to storage immediately after enrichment..."
"I understand what you're doing," Chaya sighed. "Yes, we need Kirik as a combat unit. And without Selisa, whom he can see constantly and spend personal time with, he definitely won't stay here. But I'm talking about the safety of the entire city. Believe me, I tried to anticipate all possible critical situations from the presence of one child who is not too familiar with the consequences of her thoughtless actions. But, unfortunately, I cannot anticipate absolutely everything. Even in her room, she could simply accidentally stick a cutlery into a power outlet and cause a short circuit in the entire residential complex! And this..."
"Okay," I walked up to the girl and took her hands. "Breathe. She's just a child who wants to be useful. Nothing more."
"Misha, I've seen geniuses in high technology that most races in the galaxies you know of don't even suspect. And, believe me, they also did everything to be useful. In nine out of ten cases, the fruits of their scientific research are known to you as dangerous experiments that you yourself forbid approaching," Chaya carefully released her hands from my grip. "Atlantis is not a place for idle children."
"You said it yourself," I smiled. "We don't need idle children."
"It sounds like you want to hang another project around my neck," Sar tilted her head to the side.
"The holographic hall," I said. "There's a program for training young minds there, isn't there?"
"That's not quite what's suitable for her," Chaya shook her head. "This hall was used to train representatives of younger races. Accelerated learning requires altered genetics, a mind receptive to knowledge loading, and prior physiological interventions..."
"I discussed it with Kirik. Just spend half an hour of your precious time while we're on a mission, find the most elementary knowledge for her, like the multiplication table, or start translating the Ancient's fairy tales into her native language, and block the control panel so she can't change anything there – and let the child enlighten herself. It's clear that she won't become your competitor in principle, but at least she'll develop somehow. After all, she's one of us now, Chaya."
"And don't you think this is overly hypocritical towards the Athosian children?" Chaya asked. "We didn't offer them this option."
"Because there was no need," I reminded her. "And Teyla inquired – there are no willing ones among them to study science. They would gladly take weapons and go kill Wraiths."
Chaya looked at me and silently pondered something.
"And that's all?" she clarified.
"That's all. Kirik had a talk with her and gave her the strictest warning. I did too. She will obey you in everything. And she won't go anywhere without your permission anymore. We gave her a radio, taught her how to use it..."
"And now she'll bother me with her questions?"
"No. I warned her – if she distracts you, she'll be sent to New Athos to learn to plant beans."
"And? For the society she came from, this is a perfectly adequate occupation. As I understood it, her people were at the same stage of development as the Athosians are now."
"On the contrary. You've set an excellent example for Selisa. A woman who possesses great knowledge. She wants to learn. And she looks up to you as a role model."
Chaya flinched almost imperceptibly.
"I am not the best example for the younger generation," the Ancient said. "There have been too many mistakes in my life."
"And who, if not you, knows how to protect a child from making them?"
Sar looked thoughtfully at the generator she had created, the size of a small cabinet, then glanced at me.
"Alright, I'll figure out how to make her learn at least something elementary," Chaya conceded.
"I knew you'd agree!"
"Did I have a choice?"
"Not really..."
"That's what I'm saying," Chaya returned to her work. "And no, it doesn't help me that you're watching me. Believe me, I know the difference between a power outlet and an information outlet, and I won't cause a catastrophe."
"I just wanted to ask when you'll be able to build another reactor just as wonderful," my nod towards the structure once again distracted Chaya from observing the process.
She also looked at the generator, assembled by her from technologies and materials from Ermen.
I was used to seeing a naquadah generator as portable, capable of being moved by one person. Chaya, with the characteristic scope of the Ancients, built a two-meter structure from a hybrid mix of wonders and Ermenian materials, which, according to her, could power a tenth of Atlantis's auxiliary systems for almost an infinitely long time.
The multi-ton behemoth barely passed through the city's internal doors and, at the same time, barely fit into the cargo compartment of the "jumper." And even then, lying down. If it weren't for the anti-gravity engines built into the structure, removed from a disassembled "jumper," this thing would have been impossible to move.
And, if desired, this thing would be suitable for blowing up a hive ship. Or a small planet, a moon. Well, Lantea's second moon would also fly apart nicely if necessary. Like the first one, destroyed by Wraiths ten thousand years ago. Though... Why would we need two asteroid belts around Lantea?
Chaya Sar's Naquadah Generator.
"I hear notes of barely concealed sarcasm in your voice," the Proculucian observed, looking at me.
"Is it that noticeable?"
"Very."
"Well," I sighed. "It's good that your hearing is fine. Because when I asked for a compact reactor for the satellite, I didn't expect that in the Lantian language, compact means 'the size of a ship'."
"Have you said everything?" Chaya clarified.
"I can't even imagine how we'll get this monstrosity through the airlock! Not to mention connecting it, placing it, and so on."
"At the base of the generator, in addition to the anti-gravity cushion, I also installed a powerful electromagnet," the girl said. "So it can be attached to almost any artificial structure. In general, I took a ship reactor from the database as a basis..."
Ah, yes. Why rack your brain and reinvent the wheel when you can unscrew everything unnecessary from a scooter?
"So it," I pointed at the behemoth reactor, "can power the satellite?"
"Not just power it, but provide it with a surplus of energy," Chaya smiled.
"Now, tell me more," I became interested. "You're a smart lady, and you perfectly understand that installing a super-efficient generator on a defenseless gun platform would be a waste of resources."
"That's the whole trick," Chaya said. "If everything works out as I planned, then the 'Satellite' will no longer be defenseless. And it won't be put out of commission with a couple of hits anymore."
A thousand years ago, something irreparable happened in the galaxy.
The mighty Confederacy of Jenai, uniting thousands upon thousands of human worlds in the Pegasus galaxy, was destroyed by Wraiths during another feeding process. Insatiable monsters did everything to make the once-great civilization languish in poverty, oblivion, and hide its true nature from everyone, even other humans.
On the surface of their home world, they are just a bunch of harmless farmers and tillers, unfamiliar even with electricity.
But underground, many meters below the surface, in vast underground bunkers built thousands of years ago for entirely different wars, loyal soldiers and brave scientists hid, waiting for their time. The only ones capable of resisting the Wraiths.
The only ones capable of leading humanity in the fight against them.
Underground Bunker of the Jenai.
Only a handful of the numerous Jenai people managed to survive in the underground bunkers. Hiding their survival and the preservation of technological progress from the Wraiths, the Jenai slowly but surely prepared for retaliatory measures. The blood of millions who died as a result of Wraith attacks will soon be avenged.
After all, it's not for nothing that the Jenai have been dispersing their agents across the worlds of the Pegasus galaxy for a thousand years. It's not to alleviate boredom that they continued to develop their technical craft, improving technologies and weapons.
All this is necessary for the time when the final blow against the Wraiths will be needed. To strike and win.
Beneath hundreds of meters of soil, concrete, and metal, in a small windowless office, a seemingly unremarkable man sat by the light of a desk lamp. Short curly hair, a stocky, stout figure clad in an earth-colored uniform with brown lapels, a broad, slightly flabby face...
The commander of the Jenai gave the impression of a well-to-do farmer when he shed his true guise for a "signboard" needed for communication with outsiders in their world.
But few knew that beneath this unassuming exterior lay the heart of a true patriot and the mind of a brilliant strategist. It was thanks to this man that the Jenai survived more than one attack by Wraith scouts. And thanks to his intellect, as well as the intellect of his predecessors and blood relatives, the Wraiths still haven't discovered the underground city of the Jenai.
And, if this man remains in power, no one will ever discover the true power and greatness of the Jenai.
At least Ladon Rodim was sure that the leader of the Jenai sitting opposite him thought exactly that about himself. Finally, a few minutes after one of the smartest Jenai scientists entered his office, Commander Cowan deigned to tear himself away from his urgent affairs, put aside his guard's report on the mood within society, and looked at the visitor with a penetrating and simultaneously heavy gaze.
By the way, the leader of the Jenai had no other kind of gaze.
Commander Cowan, a Jenai.
"I was expecting your report twenty minutes ago, Radim."
The voice of Commander Cowan rarely changed its tone. For the most part, this man always spoke calmly, without unnecessary expression or aggression. A person holding the post of commander of all Jenai simply didn't need to lose their temper. After all, the Jenai were one large, well-coordinated mechanism, working diligently for the good of the entire nation, meeting every victory with trepidation, mourning losses as one front, and knowing that they had no one to rely on but themselves.
At least Dadon knew that Cowan thought so.
"I apologize for the delay, Commander," the middle-aged man, dressed the same as the leader of the Jenai people, expressed sincere regret on his face. "My team and I lost track of time."
"Are you studying the archives of the Ermen?" Cowan clarified. Although Ladon could bet that the commander already knew the answer. Cowan's spies, informants, and lookouts had long and firmly penetrated every corner of Jenai life. It was no wonder he knew everything.
And about everyone.
"Yes, Commander. The second part that our people obtained, it is... very informative."
"Medicine," Cowan demonstrated his knowledge.
"Yes, Commander. The knowledge of our brothers can..."
"They are not our brothers," Cowan objected. And now there was a hardness in his voice.
Usually, Cowan spoke like this only to enemies. Well, or at least, to those he didn't trust. And it was becoming easier and easier to fall into this category of Jenai with each passing year.
Ladon Radim, a Jenai.
"Yes, Commander," Ladon said submissively. "I misspoke..."
"For decades, Ermen has been developing, using the knowledge that remained with them after the previous raid of the Wraiths," Cowan said, as if not hearing him. "They had magnificent knowledge that could help us. But Ermen did not want to share. They came to us, looked down on us, bought our grain, and left. They never mentioned anything that connected our peoples in the past. Although we know for sure - the Ermen who were here knew perfectly well that our ancestors stood side by side against the Wraiths. We were first among equals, and they occupied only second place. But they always envied our ancestors. Our steadfast character, our determination, our technical genius..."
"And our persistent desire to be leaders in the Confederacy, without having the resources for it, they, obviously, also envied," the scientist thought.
"We have all read their historical chronicles," Cowan reminded him. "They saw us digging in the mud and exhaled. They realized that they had a chance to finally surpass us, to succeed... That's why they didn't extend a helping hand to us, even though they saw that we needed it. So, think next time, Ladon, before calling these traitors our brothers."
"Certainly, Commander."
"Now, to business," the Jenai leader changed the subject. "Were you able to contact Tyrus and his people?"
"No," Radim admitted. "No matter how much we tried, we are unable to establish contact with Ermen. Probably, their gates are destroyed. Perhaps the Wraiths have returned..."
"The Wraiths have nothing to do on that planet," Cowan cut off. "They completed their mission - they found and destroyed our non-brothers. You know as well as I do, Ladon, that the Wraiths do not return to cleared worlds. Especially when they are brought nuclear warheads from those worlds onto their ships."
"Except the warheads were ours," Radim said to himself. "And there was less than nothing of Ermen in them."
Currently, only three relatively undamaged databases from Ermen had been transmitted to the Jenai homeland by scouts under the command of Tyrus and his daughter. Before the gates became inaccessible, Radim, like other high-ranking Jenai, had familiarized himself with them. "History," "Medicine," and "Atomic Energy."
Three carriers of information, amazing in their content. Only "History" was studied only by senior commanders, and scientists tried to concentrate on understanding the information from "Medicine." The technological progress of the Jenai was high enough to understand something about atom splitting technologies. But they did not learn how to build new defenses or perfect the atomic warhead being developed.
But, on the other hand, with the help of some discovered trophies and the study of the "Atomic Energy" database, the Jenai made progress in the areas of interest to them.
Not much, but still.
Ladon, like his like-minded colleagues, believed that the failed strike against the Wraiths was enough to identify the problem. And for this, it was necessary to re-engineer their main destructive weapon according to Ermen blueprints.
But Radim already understood perfectly: protection was needed for scientists who would work with new data without fear of deadly radiation. Which the deceased Ermen scientists had warned about.
The Jenai's own system for protecting workers left much to be desired - almost all those connected in any way with the nuclear bomb project felt far from their best. Many were already dying, the rest were about to join their ancestors.
"Finish studying 'Medicine'," Cowan ordered. "Continue deciphering the atomic energy database. I want our new bombs to be ready as soon as possible. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Commander. I'll get on it immediately," Radim replied.
And he himself wondered who would be the target once the new warheads were manufactured and ready for use. He really wanted to believe that the Jenai would not destroy the remnants of the peoples who once belonged to the Confederacy. But with each such meeting with the commander, Radim felt that Cowan's thoughts were increasingly directed outward, not inward to Jenai society.
Something needed to be done about this. And the sooner, the better. Because, instead of using the knowledge of the Ermen to improve the lives of ordinary Jenai, Cowan dreamed of creating a superweapon.
If things continued like this, there would be a revolution in society. And, no matter who won it, they would have no time for victory and studying the stargates.
"No, Ladon," said the Jenai leader. "Let others handle the nuclear bomb. I need you as an expert on the Ancestors' Ring. Find a way to establish contact with Ermen. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Commander. Everything that is done is for the good of our entire people."
"That's right, Radi, that's right..."
For the first time in thousands of times of uttering the ancient Jenai motto, the man thought that it had long ago become nothing more than a legend about glorious, troubled times.