Towards the Sky, by oriolegirl
Title: Towards the Sky
Author: oriolegirl
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine. If they were, they'd be married and snarking in Toronto.
Notes: For the flying_leap challenge and the ancient history challenge at sga_flashfic. Much thanks to my fabulous beta, silver_cyanne, and special thanks to the co-pilots of flying_leap for allowing me to post here before the deadline.
Summary: Paesan had dreams of creating buildings that called out to people, buildings that lived.
"The desire to reach for the sky runs deep in our human psyche." - Cesar Pelli
Rodney was attempting to fix Power Relay Station 5. Abercrombie, the nitwit, had fried one of crystals while attempting to do, well, Rodney didn't know what imbecilic thing Abercrombie had been trying to do. Needless to say, it hadn't worked. He was elbows deep in Ancient wiring and muttering imprecations when he heard someone sigh.
"You should, perhaps, connect that filament with the one in section 17."
Rodney stopped. That wasn't Abercrombie; he wasn't stupid enough to try to help fix the mess he'd created - Rodney liked to think his tirade had destroyed Abercrombie's sense of self-worth - and Abercrombie wasn't female. Rodney pulled his head out of the console and was greeted by the sight of an Ancient, more corporeal than glowy, watching him. Scrabbling for his radio, he whispered frantically, "Sheppard, you need to see this. Get over here. Now."
~*~
Paesan could never get high enough. As soon as she could pull herself up, she was climbing, first onto stools and chairs and then onto tables. Before long, she could often be found sitting in the window in the family's living room, staring out at the tall buildings across the way.
When Paesan was given blocks to play with, she set them one atop the other in an ever higher tower until they overbalanced and came crashing down. She quickly learned to set several blocks next to each other before building upwards. There were never enough blocks. The nursery teacher was always pulling her away from the play area, tapping her hand in rebuke and saying, "You cannot have all of the blocks to yourself. You must learn how to share, Paesan." She thought that was deeply unfair. Most of the other children simply wanted to bang the blocks on the floor and throw them at each other. She wanted to make something. Was that really so wrong?
For her seventh birthday, her parents gave her a set of interlocking blocks. It didn't take long before she realized that they didn't easily fall over. If she set the base correctly, she could make a structure that used every available block and stayed standing until her mother picked it up to move it out of the way.
The next year, she was given something even better than the interlocking blocks: a set of spools and sticks that also had wheels and pulleys and couplings. Paesan spent every free moment creating new and majestic buildings. The most wonderful buildings had tall towers and spires that reached up towards the sky.
Her parents frowned when they saw her building all the time. They encouraged her to go outside or play with the children in her class. She invariably shrugged them off. Her classmates couldn't decide which was more fun: chasing each other or sitting around contemplating nature. Paesan would rather build.
~*~
By the time Sheppard practically skidded into the room, the Ancient had moved to the window. She didn't seem inclined to hurt him or kidnap him or anything, so Rodney had gone back to peering into the console, mind racing as he considered what would happen if he connected the filament as the Ancient had suggested.
"Rodney," Sheppard growled, moving to stand between Rodney and the Ancient, "what's going on?"
"Don't be afraid," the Ancient said. "I won't harm you."
"Yeah, I've heard that one before," Sheppard replied.
Rodney looked up and, realizing that Sheppard was firmly gripping his gun, said, "Hey, no, it's ok. She actually had a great idea about -"
But Sheppard cut him off, still glaring at the Ancient. "What do you want?"
She smiled. "I've kept an eye on you humans over the centuries, watching as you learned to build higher and higher, reaching towards the sky."
Rodney frowned. Wait, she'd given him a great idea about the power relay repairs but now she was moaning about buildings? Why? Buildings were so uninteresting. He'd really been hoping, before Sheppard barged in with his gun and his interrogation, that he'd get her to impart the secret of building ZPMs. It figured. Damned Ancients. Next, she'd probably try to get Sheppard alone for glowy, incorporeal sex.
"I Ascended a long, long time ago. Too long, I think. It's time for me to let go and move on. See what awaits on the other side." She sighed and reached a hand towards the wall. "I just wanted to see my city one last time."
The Ancient began to fade and Sheppard called out, "Wait. What's your name?"
"Take good care of her," she said, looking at Rodney. "She's happy that you're here."
~*~
Paesan came to the attention of the Builder's Guild while she was a teenager. She learned the basics of the trade during summers and took advanced mathematics and engineering courses at school. Before long, she was enrolled in the School for Architects from which she graduated at the top of her class.
After assisting in the design and construction of several Council buildings, Paesan struck out on her own. She moved away from the city she'd lived in since birth and began a new life. Council buildings were all well and good, but they were short and square and soulless. Paesan had dreams of creating buildings that called out to people, buildings that lived.
Her business thrived and, after a few years, she began taking in freshly graduated students. She instilled in them her vision of buildings that were functional, practical, yet beautiful. Paesan's buildings were constantly becoming taller and higher, reaching upwards. Her work was marveled over and word spread.
The High Council summoned Paesan one day and presented her with a proposition. The engineers had finally learned how to mold the new material that had been created and refined a century before. Could she, they wondered, use it to build a great city, a city that would reach high into the sky and house tens of thousands of people?
Not only could she do it, Paesan answered confidently, but it would be the most beautiful city ever seen. Their descendents, millions of years in the future, would gaze upon it in awe.
~*~
Rodney was lingering over dessert in the mess with Sheppard. There had been chocolate cake, probably the last chocolate cake until the Daedalus returned again, and Rodney was intent on savoring every last bit of it.
Elizabeth, coffee mug and tablet in hand, walked up to them. "Gentlemen," she said, sitting down at their table, "I've found your mysterious Ancient."
"And it only took you two weeks, hmm?" Rodney said, licking chocolate icing off his fork.
Sheppard kicked him. "Hey! What was that for?" Rodney asked, as he scooted his chair away.
"Rodney," Sheppard said, using that tone of voice he used off-world when Rodney was insulting the natives.
"I just meant --. Well, you know what the Ancient database is like!"
Sheppard looked at Elizabeth. "So what did you find?"
Elizabeth sighed at them, then looked down at her tablet. "Her name was Paesan. The records in the Ancient database all speak of her with great reverence. She was a builder and an architect, one of the greatest in their history. She was responsible for designing Atlantis."
"Wow." Rodney was, almost against his will, impressed. "An Ancient who actually accomplished something worthwhile."
Sheppard kicked him again.
"What? It's rare! Usually they create machines that are supposed to help you Ascend but actually just kill you, or leave deadly nanovirus projects lying around in labs where any idiot can find them." Rodney paused, thoughts whirling around in his head. Looking at Elizabeth, he said, "This one, this Paesan, she actually seemed to care. I'd be willing to bet she left records behind. Blueprints or circuit diagrams or something. Would you, do you think -"
Elizabeth smiled. "I'd be happy to search the database some more, Rodney."
Rodney grinned. It wasn't a ZPM, but anything that could help him make Atlantis work better was pretty damned good.
~*~
Paesan looked down upon her city one last time before releasing all the emotions that had tethered her for millennia and felt herself scattering away, towards the sky and beyond.
Author: oriolegirl
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine. If they were, they'd be married and snarking in Toronto.
Notes: For the flying_leap challenge and the ancient history challenge at sga_flashfic. Much thanks to my fabulous beta, silver_cyanne, and special thanks to the co-pilots of flying_leap for allowing me to post here before the deadline.
Summary: Paesan had dreams of creating buildings that called out to people, buildings that lived.
"The desire to reach for the sky runs deep in our human psyche." - Cesar Pelli
Rodney was attempting to fix Power Relay Station 5. Abercrombie, the nitwit, had fried one of crystals while attempting to do, well, Rodney didn't know what imbecilic thing Abercrombie had been trying to do. Needless to say, it hadn't worked. He was elbows deep in Ancient wiring and muttering imprecations when he heard someone sigh.
"You should, perhaps, connect that filament with the one in section 17."
Rodney stopped. That wasn't Abercrombie; he wasn't stupid enough to try to help fix the mess he'd created - Rodney liked to think his tirade had destroyed Abercrombie's sense of self-worth - and Abercrombie wasn't female. Rodney pulled his head out of the console and was greeted by the sight of an Ancient, more corporeal than glowy, watching him. Scrabbling for his radio, he whispered frantically, "Sheppard, you need to see this. Get over here. Now."
~*~
Paesan could never get high enough. As soon as she could pull herself up, she was climbing, first onto stools and chairs and then onto tables. Before long, she could often be found sitting in the window in the family's living room, staring out at the tall buildings across the way.
When Paesan was given blocks to play with, she set them one atop the other in an ever higher tower until they overbalanced and came crashing down. She quickly learned to set several blocks next to each other before building upwards. There were never enough blocks. The nursery teacher was always pulling her away from the play area, tapping her hand in rebuke and saying, "You cannot have all of the blocks to yourself. You must learn how to share, Paesan." She thought that was deeply unfair. Most of the other children simply wanted to bang the blocks on the floor and throw them at each other. She wanted to make something. Was that really so wrong?
For her seventh birthday, her parents gave her a set of interlocking blocks. It didn't take long before she realized that they didn't easily fall over. If she set the base correctly, she could make a structure that used every available block and stayed standing until her mother picked it up to move it out of the way.
The next year, she was given something even better than the interlocking blocks: a set of spools and sticks that also had wheels and pulleys and couplings. Paesan spent every free moment creating new and majestic buildings. The most wonderful buildings had tall towers and spires that reached up towards the sky.
Her parents frowned when they saw her building all the time. They encouraged her to go outside or play with the children in her class. She invariably shrugged them off. Her classmates couldn't decide which was more fun: chasing each other or sitting around contemplating nature. Paesan would rather build.
~*~
By the time Sheppard practically skidded into the room, the Ancient had moved to the window. She didn't seem inclined to hurt him or kidnap him or anything, so Rodney had gone back to peering into the console, mind racing as he considered what would happen if he connected the filament as the Ancient had suggested.
"Rodney," Sheppard growled, moving to stand between Rodney and the Ancient, "what's going on?"
"Don't be afraid," the Ancient said. "I won't harm you."
"Yeah, I've heard that one before," Sheppard replied.
Rodney looked up and, realizing that Sheppard was firmly gripping his gun, said, "Hey, no, it's ok. She actually had a great idea about -"
But Sheppard cut him off, still glaring at the Ancient. "What do you want?"
She smiled. "I've kept an eye on you humans over the centuries, watching as you learned to build higher and higher, reaching towards the sky."
Rodney frowned. Wait, she'd given him a great idea about the power relay repairs but now she was moaning about buildings? Why? Buildings were so uninteresting. He'd really been hoping, before Sheppard barged in with his gun and his interrogation, that he'd get her to impart the secret of building ZPMs. It figured. Damned Ancients. Next, she'd probably try to get Sheppard alone for glowy, incorporeal sex.
"I Ascended a long, long time ago. Too long, I think. It's time for me to let go and move on. See what awaits on the other side." She sighed and reached a hand towards the wall. "I just wanted to see my city one last time."
The Ancient began to fade and Sheppard called out, "Wait. What's your name?"
"Take good care of her," she said, looking at Rodney. "She's happy that you're here."
~*~
Paesan came to the attention of the Builder's Guild while she was a teenager. She learned the basics of the trade during summers and took advanced mathematics and engineering courses at school. Before long, she was enrolled in the School for Architects from which she graduated at the top of her class.
After assisting in the design and construction of several Council buildings, Paesan struck out on her own. She moved away from the city she'd lived in since birth and began a new life. Council buildings were all well and good, but they were short and square and soulless. Paesan had dreams of creating buildings that called out to people, buildings that lived.
Her business thrived and, after a few years, she began taking in freshly graduated students. She instilled in them her vision of buildings that were functional, practical, yet beautiful. Paesan's buildings were constantly becoming taller and higher, reaching upwards. Her work was marveled over and word spread.
The High Council summoned Paesan one day and presented her with a proposition. The engineers had finally learned how to mold the new material that had been created and refined a century before. Could she, they wondered, use it to build a great city, a city that would reach high into the sky and house tens of thousands of people?
Not only could she do it, Paesan answered confidently, but it would be the most beautiful city ever seen. Their descendents, millions of years in the future, would gaze upon it in awe.
~*~
Rodney was lingering over dessert in the mess with Sheppard. There had been chocolate cake, probably the last chocolate cake until the Daedalus returned again, and Rodney was intent on savoring every last bit of it.
Elizabeth, coffee mug and tablet in hand, walked up to them. "Gentlemen," she said, sitting down at their table, "I've found your mysterious Ancient."
"And it only took you two weeks, hmm?" Rodney said, licking chocolate icing off his fork.
Sheppard kicked him. "Hey! What was that for?" Rodney asked, as he scooted his chair away.
"Rodney," Sheppard said, using that tone of voice he used off-world when Rodney was insulting the natives.
"I just meant --. Well, you know what the Ancient database is like!"
Sheppard looked at Elizabeth. "So what did you find?"
Elizabeth sighed at them, then looked down at her tablet. "Her name was Paesan. The records in the Ancient database all speak of her with great reverence. She was a builder and an architect, one of the greatest in their history. She was responsible for designing Atlantis."
"Wow." Rodney was, almost against his will, impressed. "An Ancient who actually accomplished something worthwhile."
Sheppard kicked him again.
"What? It's rare! Usually they create machines that are supposed to help you Ascend but actually just kill you, or leave deadly nanovirus projects lying around in labs where any idiot can find them." Rodney paused, thoughts whirling around in his head. Looking at Elizabeth, he said, "This one, this Paesan, she actually seemed to care. I'd be willing to bet she left records behind. Blueprints or circuit diagrams or something. Would you, do you think -"
Elizabeth smiled. "I'd be happy to search the database some more, Rodney."
Rodney grinned. It wasn't a ZPM, but anything that could help him make Atlantis work better was pretty damned good.
~*~
Paesan looked down upon her city one last time before releasing all the emotions that had tethered her for millennia and felt herself scattering away, towards the sky and beyond.