new fic (Assumptions of Risk) part 2 of Postcards,
Title: Assumptions of Risk
Author: karrenia
Fandom: Stargate Universe/SG Atlantis
Rating: PG
Prompt: #87 choice
Disclaimer: Both belong to their respective creators and producers; they are not mine
and are only 'borrowed' for the purposes of the story. This picks up shortly after where
the previous story "Postcards" left off.
"Assumptions of Risk"
At first, Radek Zelenka believed it to be nothing more than random static, the kind of white noise that could only been heard at a level just below hearing and seen as a kind of sagging parabola that often accompanied long distant communications. He was just about to dismiss this latest in a series of such white nose when something about this series of transmissions caught his eye.
One they did not match any frequency that their computers had thus far identified, and they seemed to have been filtered and then sent using the ancient communication stones. “Fascinating,” he muttered under his breath.
Darting a wary glance over at Dr. Rodney McKay, who, even in the best of times, was a difficult person to work with. To be fair, after several years of working together in trying circumstances, Radek was aware that that arrogance, brilliance and impatience with anyone who did not come near his own intellectual level was a kind of mask that he had learned to adopt like a secondary protective layer, he had come to understand some of what made the other man tick.
All the same, the nature of the transmissions and their unorthodox origin, made him intrigued enough to sort out of himself.
“What’s so fascinating?” Rodney griped, coming up to stand beside him.
“It’s a message,” Radek answered, not entirely successful in keeping the mildly aggrieved tone out of his face; for his part McKay either entirely missed it or if, he had noticed it, chose to not remark upon it’
“I know it’s message, but the odd thing about it, it appears to have traveled a fairly long distance in order to reach us, and to make matters even more interesting wherever this thing originated from, they’re using Ancient technology.”
“I know!” Radek exclaimed. His face was flushed with excitement and a gleam that he often got when on the brink of making some new scientific discovery suffused his face with a bright red color that made his swallow white skin look more than a bit splotchy in the bright over-head fluorescent lights of the science lab. Nevertheless, Rodney recognized ‘that’ look but chose not to remark upon it.
In the back of his mind, he thought’ yeah, okay, so you’re onto something, but you don’t need to shout out from the proverbial rooftop, so tone it down a bit. Aloud, all he said. “What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing, it’s just that I discovered this first,” Radek said, rather more defensively than he had intended.
“Okay, okay, you can tell her that you found it first when call Elizabeth down her to show it to her.”
“Agreed, “ Radek replied.
Over the city’s communication, McKay, called Weir, saying, “Elizabeth, I think you’d better get down to Science Lab 5, we’ve got something I think you’ll want to see.”
On her end, she nodded, setting down the stack of mission reports and getting up from her chair. “I’ll be right down.
**
“What have we got here?” Elizabeth asked as she came and joined McKay and Zelenka in the science lab.
“Someone or perhaps something is using Ancient technology, to get in touch with us,” Radek Zelenka replied.
“Indeed, and what do they want?”
“I believe they’re asking for help.” Even as Rodney said this, he rocked back and forth on his feet, and heaved a sigh and went over to one of the many computer screens set up all over the lab, where various computer models were in progress and began to compare notes and run his computations. The other two in the room, along with the other scientists, having witnessed scenes such as this one before, merely went past or around him, like waves breaking around a rock.
A while later, Rodney came back to where they waited, and then said. “Yes, definitely asking for help, and get this, the frequency matches was one of the standard ones that were once used by the SGC.”
“Could it be?” Weir asked. “But this SCG don’t have access to Ancient Technology, not even remotely to the amount that we do, and they
wouldn’t use outdated frequencies.”
“Agreed,” Radek replied. “But who else could it be?”
“Any of our known enemies….” Elizabeth Weir trailed off, wondering what else to make it of this mysterious message and its perhaps even stranger sender. A part of wished to believe that Radek and Rodney’s initial supposition was in fact, the correct one. Another part, the much more rational and logical part, had to consider any and all potential senders and that the message might actually be a trick, or some kind of a trap. She hated to think that way, but after two or more years out here on the fringes of known space, well, one simply could not afford to be too careful.
At that moment, Rodney again stopped, idly reached up to scratch at an itchy spot on his neck and along his hairline, then quietly remarked, “Call me crazy, and I’m going go out on a limb here, but the only logical conclusion is that it’s the other expedition, and they need our help.”
“Destiny,” Weir mused. “According to SGC intel, that ship and its crew were thought long lost, with all hands aboard.”
“I guess, rumors of their demise were greatly exaggerated,” Rodney said with an enthusiastic smile.
“I think we should reply,” Radek said.
“Oh, definitely,” Elizabeth said with a smile.
“What should we say?” Radek asked.
“Make it short and sweet, “ Elizabeth said with a smile. “Help is on the way.”
“I can do that,” Rodney said and began to transmit in all known frequencies and languages.
Author: karrenia
Fandom: Stargate Universe/SG Atlantis
Rating: PG
Prompt: #87 choice
Disclaimer: Both belong to their respective creators and producers; they are not mine
and are only 'borrowed' for the purposes of the story. This picks up shortly after where
the previous story "Postcards" left off.
"Assumptions of Risk"
At first, Radek Zelenka believed it to be nothing more than random static, the kind of white noise that could only been heard at a level just below hearing and seen as a kind of sagging parabola that often accompanied long distant communications. He was just about to dismiss this latest in a series of such white nose when something about this series of transmissions caught his eye.
One they did not match any frequency that their computers had thus far identified, and they seemed to have been filtered and then sent using the ancient communication stones. “Fascinating,” he muttered under his breath.
Darting a wary glance over at Dr. Rodney McKay, who, even in the best of times, was a difficult person to work with. To be fair, after several years of working together in trying circumstances, Radek was aware that that arrogance, brilliance and impatience with anyone who did not come near his own intellectual level was a kind of mask that he had learned to adopt like a secondary protective layer, he had come to understand some of what made the other man tick.
All the same, the nature of the transmissions and their unorthodox origin, made him intrigued enough to sort out of himself.
“What’s so fascinating?” Rodney griped, coming up to stand beside him.
“It’s a message,” Radek answered, not entirely successful in keeping the mildly aggrieved tone out of his face; for his part McKay either entirely missed it or if, he had noticed it, chose to not remark upon it’
“I know it’s message, but the odd thing about it, it appears to have traveled a fairly long distance in order to reach us, and to make matters even more interesting wherever this thing originated from, they’re using Ancient technology.”
“I know!” Radek exclaimed. His face was flushed with excitement and a gleam that he often got when on the brink of making some new scientific discovery suffused his face with a bright red color that made his swallow white skin look more than a bit splotchy in the bright over-head fluorescent lights of the science lab. Nevertheless, Rodney recognized ‘that’ look but chose not to remark upon it.
In the back of his mind, he thought’ yeah, okay, so you’re onto something, but you don’t need to shout out from the proverbial rooftop, so tone it down a bit. Aloud, all he said. “What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing, it’s just that I discovered this first,” Radek said, rather more defensively than he had intended.
“Okay, okay, you can tell her that you found it first when call Elizabeth down her to show it to her.”
“Agreed, “ Radek replied.
Over the city’s communication, McKay, called Weir, saying, “Elizabeth, I think you’d better get down to Science Lab 5, we’ve got something I think you’ll want to see.”
On her end, she nodded, setting down the stack of mission reports and getting up from her chair. “I’ll be right down.
**
“What have we got here?” Elizabeth asked as she came and joined McKay and Zelenka in the science lab.
“Someone or perhaps something is using Ancient technology, to get in touch with us,” Radek Zelenka replied.
“Indeed, and what do they want?”
“I believe they’re asking for help.” Even as Rodney said this, he rocked back and forth on his feet, and heaved a sigh and went over to one of the many computer screens set up all over the lab, where various computer models were in progress and began to compare notes and run his computations. The other two in the room, along with the other scientists, having witnessed scenes such as this one before, merely went past or around him, like waves breaking around a rock.
A while later, Rodney came back to where they waited, and then said. “Yes, definitely asking for help, and get this, the frequency matches was one of the standard ones that were once used by the SGC.”
“Could it be?” Weir asked. “But this SCG don’t have access to Ancient Technology, not even remotely to the amount that we do, and they
wouldn’t use outdated frequencies.”
“Agreed,” Radek replied. “But who else could it be?”
“Any of our known enemies….” Elizabeth Weir trailed off, wondering what else to make it of this mysterious message and its perhaps even stranger sender. A part of wished to believe that Radek and Rodney’s initial supposition was in fact, the correct one. Another part, the much more rational and logical part, had to consider any and all potential senders and that the message might actually be a trick, or some kind of a trap. She hated to think that way, but after two or more years out here on the fringes of known space, well, one simply could not afford to be too careful.
At that moment, Rodney again stopped, idly reached up to scratch at an itchy spot on his neck and along his hairline, then quietly remarked, “Call me crazy, and I’m going go out on a limb here, but the only logical conclusion is that it’s the other expedition, and they need our help.”
“Destiny,” Weir mused. “According to SGC intel, that ship and its crew were thought long lost, with all hands aboard.”
“I guess, rumors of their demise were greatly exaggerated,” Rodney said with an enthusiastic smile.
“I think we should reply,” Radek said.
“Oh, definitely,” Elizabeth said with a smile.
“What should we say?” Radek asked.
“Make it short and sweet, “ Elizabeth said with a smile. “Help is on the way.”
“I can do that,” Rodney said and began to transmit in all known frequencies and languages.