Chapter Four: Beneath the Surface, part I
Series: Stargate: Alchemy
Chapter: Four
Title: Beneath the Surface
Authors: bluecove and aaaaaahz
Rating: PG
One by one, Daniel and his teammates made their way into the stable. For a moment, the distant roar of weapons fire was silent, and Daniel looked at O'Neill, knowing he was thinking the same thing: the soldiers had seen them go in, and were rushing to surround the building. If they were wrong about their new friend, then they'd just been led into a trap.
In the middle of the stable, the Jaffa brushed away debris covering a trap door set into the floor. When he lifted it, they saw a set of small, narrow steps leading down into darkness. Ferretti shone his mag light into the opening, but a stairway was all they could see.
"What's down there?" O'Neill demanded.
"Freedom," the Jaffa replied.
It wasn't as though they had much choice. O'Neill gave the order, and they began their descent, Ferretti in the lead and the colonel going last. There was no illumination in the stairwell, so several people turned on their lights.
A few steps down, the Jaffa stopped, and turned to Daniel. “You must seal the entrance to this place, or we will be discovered.”
Daniel turned sideways, clapped, and pressed his palms against the stairway wall. He swiveled his head to track the energy as it flowed upward, neatly mending the opening. Closing his eyes, he added a little flourish of air, hopefully stirring up enough debris on the surface of the stable floor to cover his handiwork.
When he opened his eyes, he realized the group was moving again. The stairs were steep, forcing several people to steady themselves against the wall to keep from pitching forward. Daniel found that he could touch the walls on both sides by extending his arms, as well as the ceiling. Being in such close quarters didn’t particularly bother him, but he hoped no one else was claustrophobic.
Ferretti answered that question with his next comment. “There’s an end to this at some point, right?” he called, his voice wavering slightly. “These stairs can’t go on forever.”
“Calm down, Ferretti,” O’Neill replied. “We’re all in the same boat.”
“We are nearing the bottom,” the Jaffa added in his deep rumble. “You are safe here.”
True to his word, within a few meters an opening appeared. Everyone stepped out onto a smooth, solid walkway overlooking a dark cavern. They shone their lights into the open space, but the darkness swallowed the beams, giving no clue what lay beyond.
“Now what?” Freeman asked plaintively, his voice echoing.
As if in answer, a bright spot appeared somewhere below them. Rising out of the darkness were a dozen large white globes, spaced at regular intervals in the form of a circle. They floated lazily toward the cavern ceiling with no apparent support or power source, each globe shining steadily with a soft, moon-bright glow.
“Looks as though they’re motion-sensitive,” Sam explained, staring at the nearest globe. “I’d love to know how they’re suspended. First impression is gravity nullification, but if that were true, then whoever created them would be technologically superior to us, and these people aren’t at that level yet.”
Daniel’s gaze had moved from the lights overhead, to the bottom of the cavern. “I don’t think people from the surface built this, Sam,” he said quietly.
She and the others joined him, looking down over the ledge. Below lay what looked like a small city, spread across several miles. There were buildings of varying height, made with smooth, clean lines and placed at regular intervals. The streets were paved, criss-crossing to form an intricate latticework. Although there was some dust in the air, and a few places looked as though they were beginning to crumble, it all seemed remarkably well preserved.
The stairwell had brought them to a viaduct which stretched from one end of the cavern to another. Several others at varying levels made a pinwheel design, each crossing at a central point some distance away. At evenly spaced intervals, circular staircases descended to buildings, other bridges or the street far below them.
“Wow,” Freeman whispered almost reverently.
“So… when should we expect company?” Ferretti’s voice was wary.
“There is no one here, nor has there been for a very long time,” the Jaffa told him. “The lights sense our presence. When we leave, they will sink back into place in the city below, and darken.”
At least they’d be safe, unless there were other entrances they couldn’t see. Daniel glanced around, and didn’t see any other structure that reached all the way to the cavern ceiling. If this were the only way in, then getting out might be difficult -- but in the meantime they’d have a chance to decide what to do next.
O’Neill stepped up to the Jaffa. “Thanks for your help. I’m Colonel Jack O’Neill.” Gesturing to the others, he introduced them in turn. “This is Major Ferretti, Captain Carter, Lieutenant Freeman, and the alchemist over there is Daniel Jackson.”
The man inclined his head. “I am Teal’c, master of Jaffa on this world... though, perhaps I hold that title no longer,” he added ruefully.
“Orion would make an example of anyone caught helping us,” Daniel said with certainty.
“Indeed he would.” Teal’c raised his eyes to meet Daniel’s. “Particularly after being humiliated in front of his subjects. I have never seen anyone do the things you did, nor would I have thought them possible.”
Daniel saw the open admiration in his face and smiled tightly, unsure how to respond.
Teal’c turned back to O’Neill. “Here, we may rest for a time without fear of pursuit. You will then be able to return to the surface undetected.”
“First, I need to check in with my men back at the ‘gate.” O’Neill reached for the comm unit on his shoulder and pressed the button, turning his face to speak into the device. “Kowalsky, report.” When there was no answer, he repeated his request. “Major Kowalsky, this is O’Neill, report.”
“We may be out of range, sir,” Sam offered, looking up. “This cavern is pretty far underground.”
O’Neill glanced with her at the darkness of the cavern ceiling. “That’s a possibility,” he returned with obvious displeasure. Then, he leveled the Jaffa with a frank gaze. “Okay, Teal’c. Show us what you’ve got down here.”
“This way.” Teal’c turned toward the city center, leading the group in silence as they studied the dead city. Once they reached their destination, they descended to ground level by way of a set of wide stone steps. They passed through a large square, dotted with the husks of long-dead trees.
Tall, silent buildings clustered around them in various states of decomposition. Some seemed untouched by time, although by Daniel’s rough estimation they had been buried for as long as two or three centuries. The architecture was sweeping and grand, with clean lines of elegant simplicity.
“These look almost futuristic, compared to the village up there,” Sam commented, brushing the palm of her hand against a smooth wall as she passed it. “Look at these windows. I’ve never seen so many shapes before.” She paused, looking up at the flame-shaped cuts into the walls of the buildings, filled with thick, colored glass. “Beautiful.”
Daniel shone his flashlight beam on the wall closest to him and took a good look at the surface. “This isn’t stone,” he announced, pressing his fingertips against it to get a sense of its composition. The surface resonated with almost crystal clarity, but with the deep, solid ring of metal as well, as if the two elements had somehow been fused into a third material. “I’m not sure what it is.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” O’Neill observed. “Buried cities are always more primitive than what’s on the surface. Anyone who’s studied history knows that.”
“Earth history, maybe.” Daniel made brief eye contact with his commander. “We don’t know how the people in the village came to be there, whether they’re native to this world or not. We can’t just assume other planets have developed the same way Earth did.”
Sam pulled a scanner from one of the pockets in her gear vest and tested the surface of the building. “Definitely more advanced,” she agreed. “I don’t know how they did it, but the results are amazing.”
“You getting anything else from that doo-dad?” asked the colonel, nodding at the device.
She shook her head, turned it off and stowed it back in her pocket. “No, sir. Faint power readings, but they’re all around us. Nothing that stands out.”
“Nothing will harm us here,” Teal’c assured them. “I have been to this place many times, and there are only the empty buildings, the lights… and this.” He gestured ahead of them, to a large building, covered by a dome, that appeared to be untouched by the ravages of time. As the group stepped inside, unseen lights activated, bathing the interior in a soft glow.
Daniel stopped as they reached a vestibule decorated with brilliant murals that showed a race of beautiful, elegantly dressed people reaching out to beings dressed in animal skins. Both appeared human, but one race was obviously more advanced than the other. All along the edges, above and below the mural, were rows of alien text that, by now, looked very familiar.
O’Neill came up behind him. “Find something, Jackson?”
“Look at this.” Daniel pointed to the writing, his excitement beginning to rise. “It’s our friends from the cover stone.”
The colonel frowned, peering at the wall over Daniel’s shoulder, while the rest of the group gathered in a semi-circle. “You’re sure this is the same writing?”
“Positive.” Daniel’s mind began to race as it sorted through the possibilities. “The people who buried our ‘gate three thousand years ago really were from another planet. They lived here, in this city.”
“So, why’d they abandon it?” Ferretti wondered. “Looks like this place was pretty sweet, once upon a time.”
“Could’ve been a natural disaster of some kind,” Daniel theorized. “Although, if there was an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption, it should have caused a lot more damage than we’re seeing.”
“Maybe they were in a hurry, and left some goodies behind,” O’Neill suggested, glancing around them.
“As I have said,” Teal’c repeated patiently, “there are only the buildings, and the lights. I have explored the city over many years, and found nothing of consequence, other than this. I believe the pictures represent an invitation.”
“To what?” asked Sam, stepping away to examine another part of the vestibule, head cocked to listen for a response.
“I am unsure.” The Jaffa clasped his wrist behind his back and glanced at Daniel.
Daniel returned his attention to the writing, wishing everyone didn’t automatically look to him for the answers. He’d never been off Earth before, didn’t know anything about this or any other alien culture, but he was doing his best to find out. He hoped someone else might offer a theory or two, and busied himself with studying the alien script.
“Don’t suppose you can read these squiggles, can you, Teal’c?” O’Neill asked hopefully.
Teal’c lowered his gaze, which seemed to be his preferred way of expressing regret. “I cannot.”
“Well, then, we’re done here,” the colonel returned decisively. “Let’s see what’s next.”
Continuing through the open doorway, the group stepped into a room radiant in its beauty. The walls appeared to be covered in gold and copper strips incised with a multitude of characters. The interior of the room was separated into corridors walled off by glass panels covered with more writing.
The panels were neatly inscribed with constellation symbols matching those on the Stargate. Rather than being a circular arrangement like the ‘gate itself or the dialing device, however, the glyphs were grouped in sets that communicated their message at a glance. Each set was separated by a long, straight line, grouped inside a neatly incised rectangle. In the left panel of each grouping was a single symbol, and beneath it were rows of text in the unknown alien script. In the panel to the right were six glyphs in a vertical arrangement, similar to the design of the cover stone on Earth. As far as he could tell, each panel displayed a different set of symbols, with the one on the left in such a prominent place that Daniel couldn’t help but believe it was a heading or name, and that the six to the right were the unique location of that planet.
“Jackpot!” he cried, seeking out the colonel with a triumphant gaze. “This is what I’ve been looking for!”
O’Neill just nodded. He glanced around at the others on his team. “Ferretti, you secure the perimeter. Everyone else, grab some floor and get some rest. Jackson’s got some work to do here.” He eyed Daniel grimly. “Be sure,” he added softly.
“I will,” Daniel promised. Stepping away from the team, he moved to the first of the glass panels. He fished his mag light from a vest pocket and directed the bright beam of light onto the clear surface to get a better look at the writing. As soon as the beam struck the surface, it turned silvery-opaque like smart glass, making the characters on its face easily readable.
He pulled a video camera from his pocket and began to film the panels, saving a record of the addresses on every section and covering the entire dome before choosing a starting point. That took him back to the first crystal panel, the first set of glyphs, and he began the laborious task of reviewing them all, ignoring the ravenous hunger that always followed prolonged use of his alchemic ability.
It didn’t take him long to find to the second-most important piece: the address of the world on which they now stood. It was an exact match for the coordinates they’d dialed from Earth. This confirmed his theory that he was looking at a catalogue of Stargate addresses. And there were lots of them.
“Oh, my God,” he breathed.
“Find something?” asked Sam, seated on the floor not far away, knees bent, forearms resting on them.
“Oh, yeah,” said Daniel.
“What?”
“There aren’t just two Stargates,” he announced tightly, sweeping an arm toward the glass panels. “There are hundreds, maybe even thousands.”
Sam was on her feet in an instant, moving up to his elbow. “But that can’t be!” she argued. “My team had the same idea, and we tried all sorts of combinations after you gave us the seventh symbol. We still couldn’t get a lock on any of them, just this planet. We decided it must be the only one with a receiving device.”
“I’m telling you, these are all ‘gate addresses,” he insisted. “There must be another reason why you couldn’t connect.”
She was quiet for a moment, head bowed in thought. “It could be stellar drift -- that’s the fact that every object in the universe has been in constant motion since the Big Bang,” she added at his confused look. “Over time, they move further and further apart.”
“Okay, that makes sense, but then how did we get here?”
“The further away something is, the faster it moves. This planet may be close enough to ours to have stayed within range. If you’re right about there being a whole network of ‘gates, then maybe there’s something built into the DHDs that compensates for stellar drift.”
“Which we couldn’t do, because we have a computer dialing program,” Daniel surmised.
She grinned, nodding, excitement lighting her eyes. “That’s right! As soon as we get back to the base, I can program in calculations that will allow for several centuries of drift, and we can try again.” She looked up at the panels, going all the way up to the ceiling, astonishment and wonder written on her face. “They’re really ‘gate addresses?”
“Yep.”
“Which one is ours?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Working on that.”
on to Chapter Four, part II
back to Chapter Three
Chapter: Four
Title: Beneath the Surface
Authors: bluecove and aaaaaahz
Rating: PG
One by one, Daniel and his teammates made their way into the stable. For a moment, the distant roar of weapons fire was silent, and Daniel looked at O'Neill, knowing he was thinking the same thing: the soldiers had seen them go in, and were rushing to surround the building. If they were wrong about their new friend, then they'd just been led into a trap.
In the middle of the stable, the Jaffa brushed away debris covering a trap door set into the floor. When he lifted it, they saw a set of small, narrow steps leading down into darkness. Ferretti shone his mag light into the opening, but a stairway was all they could see.
"What's down there?" O'Neill demanded.
"Freedom," the Jaffa replied.
It wasn't as though they had much choice. O'Neill gave the order, and they began their descent, Ferretti in the lead and the colonel going last. There was no illumination in the stairwell, so several people turned on their lights.
A few steps down, the Jaffa stopped, and turned to Daniel. “You must seal the entrance to this place, or we will be discovered.”
Daniel turned sideways, clapped, and pressed his palms against the stairway wall. He swiveled his head to track the energy as it flowed upward, neatly mending the opening. Closing his eyes, he added a little flourish of air, hopefully stirring up enough debris on the surface of the stable floor to cover his handiwork.
When he opened his eyes, he realized the group was moving again. The stairs were steep, forcing several people to steady themselves against the wall to keep from pitching forward. Daniel found that he could touch the walls on both sides by extending his arms, as well as the ceiling. Being in such close quarters didn’t particularly bother him, but he hoped no one else was claustrophobic.
Ferretti answered that question with his next comment. “There’s an end to this at some point, right?” he called, his voice wavering slightly. “These stairs can’t go on forever.”
“Calm down, Ferretti,” O’Neill replied. “We’re all in the same boat.”
“We are nearing the bottom,” the Jaffa added in his deep rumble. “You are safe here.”
True to his word, within a few meters an opening appeared. Everyone stepped out onto a smooth, solid walkway overlooking a dark cavern. They shone their lights into the open space, but the darkness swallowed the beams, giving no clue what lay beyond.
“Now what?” Freeman asked plaintively, his voice echoing.
As if in answer, a bright spot appeared somewhere below them. Rising out of the darkness were a dozen large white globes, spaced at regular intervals in the form of a circle. They floated lazily toward the cavern ceiling with no apparent support or power source, each globe shining steadily with a soft, moon-bright glow.
“Looks as though they’re motion-sensitive,” Sam explained, staring at the nearest globe. “I’d love to know how they’re suspended. First impression is gravity nullification, but if that were true, then whoever created them would be technologically superior to us, and these people aren’t at that level yet.”
Daniel’s gaze had moved from the lights overhead, to the bottom of the cavern. “I don’t think people from the surface built this, Sam,” he said quietly.
She and the others joined him, looking down over the ledge. Below lay what looked like a small city, spread across several miles. There were buildings of varying height, made with smooth, clean lines and placed at regular intervals. The streets were paved, criss-crossing to form an intricate latticework. Although there was some dust in the air, and a few places looked as though they were beginning to crumble, it all seemed remarkably well preserved.
The stairwell had brought them to a viaduct which stretched from one end of the cavern to another. Several others at varying levels made a pinwheel design, each crossing at a central point some distance away. At evenly spaced intervals, circular staircases descended to buildings, other bridges or the street far below them.
“Wow,” Freeman whispered almost reverently.
“So… when should we expect company?” Ferretti’s voice was wary.
“There is no one here, nor has there been for a very long time,” the Jaffa told him. “The lights sense our presence. When we leave, they will sink back into place in the city below, and darken.”
At least they’d be safe, unless there were other entrances they couldn’t see. Daniel glanced around, and didn’t see any other structure that reached all the way to the cavern ceiling. If this were the only way in, then getting out might be difficult -- but in the meantime they’d have a chance to decide what to do next.
O’Neill stepped up to the Jaffa. “Thanks for your help. I’m Colonel Jack O’Neill.” Gesturing to the others, he introduced them in turn. “This is Major Ferretti, Captain Carter, Lieutenant Freeman, and the alchemist over there is Daniel Jackson.”
The man inclined his head. “I am Teal’c, master of Jaffa on this world... though, perhaps I hold that title no longer,” he added ruefully.
“Orion would make an example of anyone caught helping us,” Daniel said with certainty.
“Indeed he would.” Teal’c raised his eyes to meet Daniel’s. “Particularly after being humiliated in front of his subjects. I have never seen anyone do the things you did, nor would I have thought them possible.”
Daniel saw the open admiration in his face and smiled tightly, unsure how to respond.
Teal’c turned back to O’Neill. “Here, we may rest for a time without fear of pursuit. You will then be able to return to the surface undetected.”
“First, I need to check in with my men back at the ‘gate.” O’Neill reached for the comm unit on his shoulder and pressed the button, turning his face to speak into the device. “Kowalsky, report.” When there was no answer, he repeated his request. “Major Kowalsky, this is O’Neill, report.”
“We may be out of range, sir,” Sam offered, looking up. “This cavern is pretty far underground.”
O’Neill glanced with her at the darkness of the cavern ceiling. “That’s a possibility,” he returned with obvious displeasure. Then, he leveled the Jaffa with a frank gaze. “Okay, Teal’c. Show us what you’ve got down here.”
“This way.” Teal’c turned toward the city center, leading the group in silence as they studied the dead city. Once they reached their destination, they descended to ground level by way of a set of wide stone steps. They passed through a large square, dotted with the husks of long-dead trees.
Tall, silent buildings clustered around them in various states of decomposition. Some seemed untouched by time, although by Daniel’s rough estimation they had been buried for as long as two or three centuries. The architecture was sweeping and grand, with clean lines of elegant simplicity.
“These look almost futuristic, compared to the village up there,” Sam commented, brushing the palm of her hand against a smooth wall as she passed it. “Look at these windows. I’ve never seen so many shapes before.” She paused, looking up at the flame-shaped cuts into the walls of the buildings, filled with thick, colored glass. “Beautiful.”
Daniel shone his flashlight beam on the wall closest to him and took a good look at the surface. “This isn’t stone,” he announced, pressing his fingertips against it to get a sense of its composition. The surface resonated with almost crystal clarity, but with the deep, solid ring of metal as well, as if the two elements had somehow been fused into a third material. “I’m not sure what it is.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” O’Neill observed. “Buried cities are always more primitive than what’s on the surface. Anyone who’s studied history knows that.”
“Earth history, maybe.” Daniel made brief eye contact with his commander. “We don’t know how the people in the village came to be there, whether they’re native to this world or not. We can’t just assume other planets have developed the same way Earth did.”
Sam pulled a scanner from one of the pockets in her gear vest and tested the surface of the building. “Definitely more advanced,” she agreed. “I don’t know how they did it, but the results are amazing.”
“You getting anything else from that doo-dad?” asked the colonel, nodding at the device.
She shook her head, turned it off and stowed it back in her pocket. “No, sir. Faint power readings, but they’re all around us. Nothing that stands out.”
“Nothing will harm us here,” Teal’c assured them. “I have been to this place many times, and there are only the empty buildings, the lights… and this.” He gestured ahead of them, to a large building, covered by a dome, that appeared to be untouched by the ravages of time. As the group stepped inside, unseen lights activated, bathing the interior in a soft glow.
Daniel stopped as they reached a vestibule decorated with brilliant murals that showed a race of beautiful, elegantly dressed people reaching out to beings dressed in animal skins. Both appeared human, but one race was obviously more advanced than the other. All along the edges, above and below the mural, were rows of alien text that, by now, looked very familiar.
O’Neill came up behind him. “Find something, Jackson?”
“Look at this.” Daniel pointed to the writing, his excitement beginning to rise. “It’s our friends from the cover stone.”
The colonel frowned, peering at the wall over Daniel’s shoulder, while the rest of the group gathered in a semi-circle. “You’re sure this is the same writing?”
“Positive.” Daniel’s mind began to race as it sorted through the possibilities. “The people who buried our ‘gate three thousand years ago really were from another planet. They lived here, in this city.”
“So, why’d they abandon it?” Ferretti wondered. “Looks like this place was pretty sweet, once upon a time.”
“Could’ve been a natural disaster of some kind,” Daniel theorized. “Although, if there was an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption, it should have caused a lot more damage than we’re seeing.”
“Maybe they were in a hurry, and left some goodies behind,” O’Neill suggested, glancing around them.
“As I have said,” Teal’c repeated patiently, “there are only the buildings, and the lights. I have explored the city over many years, and found nothing of consequence, other than this. I believe the pictures represent an invitation.”
“To what?” asked Sam, stepping away to examine another part of the vestibule, head cocked to listen for a response.
“I am unsure.” The Jaffa clasped his wrist behind his back and glanced at Daniel.
Daniel returned his attention to the writing, wishing everyone didn’t automatically look to him for the answers. He’d never been off Earth before, didn’t know anything about this or any other alien culture, but he was doing his best to find out. He hoped someone else might offer a theory or two, and busied himself with studying the alien script.
“Don’t suppose you can read these squiggles, can you, Teal’c?” O’Neill asked hopefully.
Teal’c lowered his gaze, which seemed to be his preferred way of expressing regret. “I cannot.”
“Well, then, we’re done here,” the colonel returned decisively. “Let’s see what’s next.”
Continuing through the open doorway, the group stepped into a room radiant in its beauty. The walls appeared to be covered in gold and copper strips incised with a multitude of characters. The interior of the room was separated into corridors walled off by glass panels covered with more writing.
The panels were neatly inscribed with constellation symbols matching those on the Stargate. Rather than being a circular arrangement like the ‘gate itself or the dialing device, however, the glyphs were grouped in sets that communicated their message at a glance. Each set was separated by a long, straight line, grouped inside a neatly incised rectangle. In the left panel of each grouping was a single symbol, and beneath it were rows of text in the unknown alien script. In the panel to the right were six glyphs in a vertical arrangement, similar to the design of the cover stone on Earth. As far as he could tell, each panel displayed a different set of symbols, with the one on the left in such a prominent place that Daniel couldn’t help but believe it was a heading or name, and that the six to the right were the unique location of that planet.
“Jackpot!” he cried, seeking out the colonel with a triumphant gaze. “This is what I’ve been looking for!”
O’Neill just nodded. He glanced around at the others on his team. “Ferretti, you secure the perimeter. Everyone else, grab some floor and get some rest. Jackson’s got some work to do here.” He eyed Daniel grimly. “Be sure,” he added softly.
“I will,” Daniel promised. Stepping away from the team, he moved to the first of the glass panels. He fished his mag light from a vest pocket and directed the bright beam of light onto the clear surface to get a better look at the writing. As soon as the beam struck the surface, it turned silvery-opaque like smart glass, making the characters on its face easily readable.
He pulled a video camera from his pocket and began to film the panels, saving a record of the addresses on every section and covering the entire dome before choosing a starting point. That took him back to the first crystal panel, the first set of glyphs, and he began the laborious task of reviewing them all, ignoring the ravenous hunger that always followed prolonged use of his alchemic ability.
It didn’t take him long to find to the second-most important piece: the address of the world on which they now stood. It was an exact match for the coordinates they’d dialed from Earth. This confirmed his theory that he was looking at a catalogue of Stargate addresses. And there were lots of them.
“Oh, my God,” he breathed.
“Find something?” asked Sam, seated on the floor not far away, knees bent, forearms resting on them.
“Oh, yeah,” said Daniel.
“What?”
“There aren’t just two Stargates,” he announced tightly, sweeping an arm toward the glass panels. “There are hundreds, maybe even thousands.”
Sam was on her feet in an instant, moving up to his elbow. “But that can’t be!” she argued. “My team had the same idea, and we tried all sorts of combinations after you gave us the seventh symbol. We still couldn’t get a lock on any of them, just this planet. We decided it must be the only one with a receiving device.”
“I’m telling you, these are all ‘gate addresses,” he insisted. “There must be another reason why you couldn’t connect.”
She was quiet for a moment, head bowed in thought. “It could be stellar drift -- that’s the fact that every object in the universe has been in constant motion since the Big Bang,” she added at his confused look. “Over time, they move further and further apart.”
“Okay, that makes sense, but then how did we get here?”
“The further away something is, the faster it moves. This planet may be close enough to ours to have stayed within range. If you’re right about there being a whole network of ‘gates, then maybe there’s something built into the DHDs that compensates for stellar drift.”
“Which we couldn’t do, because we have a computer dialing program,” Daniel surmised.
She grinned, nodding, excitement lighting her eyes. “That’s right! As soon as we get back to the base, I can program in calculations that will allow for several centuries of drift, and we can try again.” She looked up at the panels, going all the way up to the ceiling, astonishment and wonder written on her face. “They’re really ‘gate addresses?”
“Yep.”
“Which one is ours?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Working on that.”
on to Chapter Four, part II
back to Chapter Three