When the doors of the Council Hall turned, letting Trebal and Mikhail inside, Chaiya almost immediately understood that these two were continuing their earlier conversation. And it was an unpleasant one for one of them.
"Don't even ask!" Trebal was practically boiling with anger. "That I did it once, and even then, because of the circumstances… It won't happen again! It's beyond my strength!"
"You did perfectly well," Mikhail took his place at the head of the table, looking at the Dorandan with the gaze of a man who wraps his demand in elaborate requests.
"It won't happen again! And don't ask!" Trebal cut him off.
"And what next?" Mikhail asked. "Should I ask Chaiya to help me solve this problem? Or perhaps Larrin? Well, let's say it's Fren, or even Selisa? They have no experience at all, but you're sure someone will handle it better than you!"
"I won't do it again! It's… It's dirty!"
"You suggested it yourself!"
"I didn't think it would be so… disgusting and humiliating!"
"Oh, don't exaggerate! It's nothing you haven't done before!"
The Proculucian leaned forward, propping her head with her hand and shifting her gaze with interest from one person to another. How interesting… What familiar names are being spoken. And what a context.
"Do we have problems?" she asked.
"No," Mikhail replied.
"Yes!" Trebal almost shouted, pointing her finger at the head of their tiny faction. "He's a ruthless sadist! Once was enough for me to feel dishonored, pathetic, humiliated! And he wants it to be like this all the time! 'There's no one but you!'" she mimicked the Earthling from a parallel universe.
"You're the best at it!"
"You haven't tried others!"
"So many questions and no answers," Chaiya nodded understandingly, lowering her eyes. "Don't think this bothers me in any way, but… Are we talking about coitus now?"
The debaters froze, turning their heads towards her in unison. And then, as if on command, they both winced, recoiling from her as if she suddenly smelled like a miner who had spent three days without a shower.
"Chaiya, that's just 'ew'!" Mikhail said.
"Is everything okay with your head?" Trebal chimed in.
Chaiya felt embarrassed.
"Just the context…" she started to explain, then, regaining her composure, took a deep breath and exhaled, putting all the negativity and discomfort she felt into the last action. "So, what is this all about?"
"I will not pilot the 'Ares'!" Trebal roared. "I landed it in the hangar, and during that time, for an hour, just for an hour! From contact with its onboard computer, I felt like a primitive person who decided to use a spaceship. I've never been so humiliated! The ship! Oray in my lineage, the damn ship behaved so condescendingly towards me, as if it was doing me a favor! It got into my head, instantly realized I wasn't a Lantian, and then reduced our interaction to the level of a regular command chair! Chaiya, can you imagine?! It considered it beneath its metallic dignity to interact with me! Even though I'm half Lantian! An arrogant piece of scrap metal!"
"I understand your pain and resentment…" Sar began, but Trebal didn't calm down.
"You understand, right? Go on, get into its chair, establish mental contact! You'll immediately feel spat upon, naked, rolled in mud, humiliated, and made a laughingstock! And that's just in the first couple of milliseconds!"
"Trebal insulted and humiliated a warship," Chaiya stated, not believing her own words.
"I'm not setting foot there again!" the Dorandan cut off. "Take your space junk out of the hangar, I'll land the 'Hippaphoralkus', fix it, and fly a ship that doesn't hate me!"
"You're exaggerating," Mikhail winced. "It has no consciousness, no artificial personality. It's just… not like your ship."
"It's a bigger bitch than I am!" Trebal blurted out. "And that's impossible! Well, or somewhere in the center of the universe, a supermassive black hole of absolute class has opened, and it's starting to digest galaxies!"
"I don't even know what to say," Chaiya mumbled, looking at Mikhail. "Are you sure it's not artificial intelligence?"
"Completely," Mikhail nodded. "Just more advanced programming. More advanced than anything I've encountered. No consciousness, no self-awareness, or anything like that. It's just a warship built by the Lantians as an experimental platform. Nothing more. It's not much different from the third generation. And I think everything Trebal is saying is just her perception and colossal exaggeration."
An indignant snort came from Trebal.
And it coincided with the doors of the Council Hall opening, letting two more people inside.
"And what is she doing here?" Trebal grimaced, pointing at Larrin. The Nomad, snorting, sat down at the table on its left wing under the stern gaze of the Dorandan, leaving Ihaary no choice but to take a seat next to the enraged Trebal.
Sar, looking at how the commander of the "Hippaphoralkus" rolled her eyes and turned away from the Nomad, noted that a triumphant smile appeared on the latter's face. Without saying a word, she managed to silence Trebal.
And with an independent face, as if nothing had happened at all, the Nomad looked at Mikhail.
Larrin.
"The form of the question may be somewhat crude, but it doesn't negate the essence," Mikhail said, meeting Larrin's gaze. "I don't recall inviting you here after your medical procedures."
"I met your scientist," she nodded towards Ihaary. "And exchanged a few words with him. And then I decided to drop by and express my gratitude for your medic being able to save the lives of my people. We appreciate that. As well as the fact that you didn't break the agreement and handed us the planet. Well, and besides, I spoke with Asan before he left. According to him, Katana has already reached the place where Salumai used to be and showed your cyborg large and small debris. In a few days, they will return to Ermen. Oh, yes… Thank you very much for repairing our ships as well. As well as for your frankness regarding our new home."
Chaiya turned her head, looking at the Nomad, who was sitting in a chair, spinning on it from time to time as if it were funny.
It was good that the "Swift" indeed turned out to be fast. Just today, the tenth day had arrived, which Saiya had set as the term of temporary cooperation. Considering that both the "Ares" and the "Hippaphoralkus" were damaged and not ready for flight, and there were no other ways to get to the cyborg's homeland, Mikhail's decision to send a technical group to fix at least one Nomad ship was forced. Saiya had indeed proven to be an extremely effective member of the combat unit. Fast, deadly, dangerous. The ease with which she moved through the corridors and compartments of the "Ares" after jumping from a system full of Nomads proved that all these tricks were not in vain.
After she returns, Chaiya will supplement her augmentations with new programming to make her a little more independent. An initiative, tactically competent soldier on the battlefield is better than a strong one who constantly needs orders.
Frankly, Chaiya did not agree with Mikhail on the issue that he handed over the abandoned Ermen to the Nomads. But at the same time, she understood that neither Athos, nor New Athos, nor Taranis, nor Dorandan, nor Epheons, let alone the planets of the Lantian system, were suitable for such a "sacrifice."
Alvar, as the last representative of his race, reacted stoically to this exchange. "If necessary, then let it be," he said. Moreover, the transfer of Ermen did not happen according to the initial conditions.
In fact, the "Ares" was transferred to Atlantis not by Larrin, nor by Captain Asan – the Lantians took it themselves. With the support of the aforementioned intelligent beings. Therefore, no unconditional fulfillment of previous agreements was foreseen.
Athos and New Athos were not suitable for the Nomads at least because the planets belonged to Teyla's countrymen. On the first, equipment and an Ancient outpost were being dismantled, and after some time, the geothermal generator would be extracted from the depths of the supervolcano, and the planet could be left, taking necessary safety measures. Few wanted to cause an eruption.
But such valuable equipment as an outpost and a geothermal generator are not found on every road.
There was no intention to argue with the Athosian leaders, who were increasingly diverging from Teyla's position. One part of the Athosians intended to return to Athos and cease communication with Atlantis. After all, they believed the dreams sent by the Ascended that the current inhabitants of Atlantis were "not the right Lantians." Well, so be it. There were still many inhabitants left on New Athos who intended to continue interacting with Atlantis. Now there was a "division of property," as those returning to Athos did not intend to leave empty-handed.
Mikhail ordered not to get involved in this "swamp," but forbidding Teyla from participating in something like this would be foolish. Alvar joined her, as for the most part, what the "dissatisfied" wanted to take to Athos belonged to Ermen and was transferred by Atlantis not as gifts. At least Teyla and Alvar intended to prove just that.
Letting loyal Atlantean Nomads onto Epheons was a bad idea. Spaceships can be tracked, and there is still a lot of Epheonic heritage left on the planet. Keras, the leader of the local tribes, although delighted that the Lantians were asking for his advice on such matters, voiced the general decision of the people living in the villages: they did not want strangers on their planet. At least because then, for safety, they would have to be housed within the electromagnetic field, and Atlantis was not satisfied with that. Mikhail did not plan to allow Nomads access to such technology. At least not in the near future.
Taranis… It's complicated here too. Norina Pyro and her people are quite friendly and occupy a modest part of the territories for their development. The Nomads could settle on another continent or even on islands. After all, after the civil war and their return through the gates, there were slightly more than seven thousand on Larrin's side. Some preferred to get away from the "rebels" to make contact with Nomad scouts and return to the fleet ships.
Well, that's their choice.
Taranis was an outpost and Atlantis's only dry dock where ships could be easily and effortlessly repaired, with large reserves of raw materials at hand. Moreover, at the moment, the Wraiths did not know about this planet. And it would be better to attract as little attention to it as possible. In case of a siege and the need to raise a shield protecting the entire planet, the only way to evacuate to a safe place would be through the stargate. And it would be better if only the Taranian, whose numbers are significantly smaller than the Nomads, had to be saved.
Reiner was out of the question. Not only because Trebal expressed categorical protest, but as the highest-ranking Reiner among the survivors, she had the right to do so. The fact that the planet was in ruins and not comfortable for habitation also influenced the decision. But, more than anything, everyone was interested in the safety of the "Arcturus" project platform. As well as the numerous Reiner technologies compatible with Lantian technology. And all of this had to be searched for under the ruins.
Proculus, despite its size and suitable living space for humans, was immediately out. The planet had been a "dead end" for too long for the defense of the gates by the existing coalition of planets under the Atlantis flag to settle humans there. Moreover, they could not leave it without a dialing device, and it was not included with the space gates, which had been moved to the planet.
The planet where the Wraith experiments on "improving the taste of humans" were conducted was out of the question. Not only because, like Proculus, it lacked a dialing device. But also because work was being done on Naquadah mining, and the Wraith laboratory was located there, which could be useful.
Lantea and Lantea-2 were out, because in case of a Wraith attack, it would be necessary to either evacuate the Nomads from the continent of Lantea or transport them on ships from Lantea-2. In the best-case scenario, to save their lives, they would have to load combat ships with people and evacuate them somewhere far away, depriving Atlantis of additional protection. In the worst case, they would have to transport them via "jumpers" to the city and transfer them through the gates. None of these options suited any of the inhabitants of Atlantis. And Mikhail (as well as Chaya and Trebal) flatly refused to allow such a number of people, whose loyalty was highly questionable, to live in Atlantis.
It was necessary to search for new planets where the Wraiths had not been for a long time, but a decision was needed right now. Ermen was an obvious and temporary solution.
Wraiths, clearing planets to the ground, do not return there without good reason. And they still haven't returned. The planet's gate is protected, but not with the technology used by Atlantis. But now it was possible to enter Ermen only if the Nomads guarding the gate received a valid identification signal.
Mikhail called the new gate protection principle "diaphragm." According to him, in the events known to him, this is how they protected their stargates on Earth from the penetration of unwanted elements.
The stargate diaphragm on Earth (in the closed state).
The diaphragm was a set of overlapping metal plates, on the principle of a "multi-leaf shutter in a camera." At least, that's how Mikhail described it.
In the closed state, the iridescent membrane forms a barrier less than three micrometers from the event horizon of the wormhole, thereby preventing the proper reintegration of most forms of matter. Objects passing through the wormhole are instead destroyed, accompanied by a loud click against the iridescent membrane. However, radio signals can penetrate, allowing their people on the planet to be properly notified that the hyper-tunnel is not open to strangers.
When Mikhail described his idea as a simple and energy-efficient way to protect the gates, Chaya, to be honest, was bewildered. And slightly in admiration. The fact that the protection was invented by Earthlings, and moreover, at the beginning of their study of the stargate program, did them credit.
At least for the reason that it seems simple in practice. But only in appearance. Well, let's assume that developing a drive mechanism that would close the gate after the formation of a kavush when establishing a hyper-tunnel is quite easy. Elementary. But the distance at which the diaphragm is located from the event horizon surface...
Humans, creating this device, were not yet in Atlantis. And they had not encountered the shield technology that protected the local gates. To know the distance from the event horizon of three micrometers, one needs to try hard. And either conduct many practical experiments or a colossal amount of theoretical ones. Because only at such a distance from the event horizon does matter passing through the hyper-tunnel interact with the materialization systems and, at the exit, return the object from an energetic state to a physical one.
But the presence of a shutter at such a distance, whether it's a shield or a mechanical diaphragm, prevents the full materialization of the object. In fact, the object is restored, but does not acquire form... Instead, it simply disintegrates against the gate's protection. Easily and effortlessly removing the danger of a possible breakthrough from the other side.
And enemy soldiers coming to this side are only a minor problem. An explosive device or a stunner bomb that would disable the control room and its team could also be sent through the gate.
Not to mention that an energy shield can be hacked. It's not easy, but possible.
Therefore, it's not surprising that such an idea interested her. One cannot always hide behind redirection. After all, this is a very crude interference in the operation of the stargate system. And in the long term, it can lead to unpredictable consequences.
Mikhail had already told her that her program, loaded onto the "Ares," was perceived by the onboard computer as hostile. Moreover, it affected all the ship's systems, hindering their normal operation.
And all because it was developed based on data from the "Hippaphoralkus" systems. The "Ares" was programmed much later, more complexly, and the "backdoors" in its software, which the program was supposed to use, turned out to be not so accessible.
In short, they walked on the edge of a knife. And they didn't want to act like that anymore. Mechanical protection, and moreover, as simple as possible, with minimal programming, should be effective enough.
And Ermen, the Nomads, were the best fit for field testing to "break in" the technology, correct existing errors, and create a more perfect model.
"I think you'll be interested to know that our people have inspected your abandoned mines," said Larrin. "You were involved in their development, weren't you? Judging by the poor quality of the extraction, it was done by unqualified workers. Most likely Atosians. What they were doing in the mines threatens a collapse."
"You're lucky Teyla isn't here," Trebal chuckled. "She could have been very offended that you called her people incompetent."
"I'm just stating facts," Larrin cut off. "My people have worked on planets with abandoned mines more than once, and we have the relevant knowledge, skills, and some equipment. I understand that you abandoned the mines because the planet seemed unsafe to you due to the possible return of the Wraiths. Or the Jenai."
"It sounds like you want to offer a new deal," Mikhail said.
"Yes, that would be good," Larrin confirmed. "My people are forced to live in the remains of the dungeons built by the Ermen. It's not very comfortable there, and there are big problems with food. It's not easy to feed and provide for an entire people."
"Get to the point," Chaya asked.
"You offered Asan help in setting up our ship systems," she said.
"And we have already provided you with blueprints for improving life support systems, and we will soon manufacture and deliver the necessary hull parts for repairs," Mikhail reminded. "What else? There are limits to requests."
"I'm not asking to redesign our ships to your level, if that scares you," Larrin smirked. "But your engineer said that our reactors are our biggest problem." She looked at Ihaar again. In fact, everyone looked at Ihaar. "I would like to fix that."
"Ihaar?" I asked.
"I just said that only a madman would put such a fragile structure as their fusion reactors on a combat starship," he shivered. "You've seen what 'Ares' did to their ships. Trebal shot at the engines, but even then their reactors had to be shut down, cooled down urgently, and so on. Their ships are held together by spot welding and prayer! Of course, I was outraged! Such an approach to technology offends my engineering sensibilities!"
"How sensitive you are," Larrin chuckled. "And talkative, an inexperienced little..."
"One more word in the same tone about my comrades, and you'll need a dentist, an orthopedic surgeon, and a neurosurgeon," Trebal said in a threatening tone. The girls met gazes, and this time it wasn't the Dorandan who backed down.
"Don't be offended," the Nomad said to the engineer and immediately turned her gaze to Mikhail. "So, we can make a new deal. We give you the metals you needed on Ermen. And you help us secure our power systems on the ships. However, I think you need a lot of materials, constantly, so it would be wrong to talk about specific quantities. But," she smiled with satisfaction, "we can supply you, and you, in return, help us continue to improve the ships. Nothing from your high technologies, but good and understandable analogs for our understanding and use would be useful."
Mikhail seemed to be thinking.
Well, whatever decision he made, Chaya had to make a few clarifications.
"You don't use solid-fuel reactors," Sar said. "And your energy consumers are less capacious than those that should be used for, for example, our generators."
"Several captains tried to build reactors using radioactive material that we found on Salumai," Larrin said. "And the mineral you call Naquadah, we also found on some dead planets. Apparently, you know how to handle it. We don't. But I don't think it will be difficult for you to create a suitable generator for us using this material. Considering," she gave a strained smile, looking at Sar, "our low energy needs."
"Not bad," Mikhail said, leaning back in his chair. "I'm sure the next technology you'll ask us to adapt for you will be engines, shields, weapons, navigation, and so on, until a couple of your starships are fully modernized."
"We have no other choice," Larrin said seriously. "We have parted ways with our people and, in fact, have become not enemies and targets number one for them, but certainly not brothers in blood and arms. Neither the 'Swift' nor the 'Endurance' will withstand a fight against a couple of Nomad ships. And I'm not even talking about the Wraiths. And it will be these ships and their crews who will be responsible for delivering everything you need from other planets. You won't send two of your dreadnoughts to the outskirts of the galaxy for some ore. And it will take a long time until we clear and strengthen the mines. And you need materials, I understand."
"What makes you think that?" Trebal asked.
"From the fact that one of your ships is clearly weaker than the second," Larrin said. "'Ares' only needed a couple of shots from pulse cannons to destroy a Nomad ship. And your dreadnought fired at them with almost its entire broadside. I suspect that the ship that came into your hands thanks to us is newer, better, and stronger. And you can clearly make the second dreadnought just as powerful. But you will definitely need energy. And that's Naquadah. And we can give you a lot of it. At least more than you have now."
"You think we don't have enough of it," Chaya corrected, realizing she was playing a very subtle game of disinformation. "However, for our needs, it is enough."
"Well, if you say so," Larrin smirked. "However, I won't believe you. There are never too many energy resources. They are usually prepared in advance. And we know this better than anyone else."
"Maybe so," Mikhail joined the conversation. "But tell me, Larrin. How quickly will your former friends discover that your ships are appearing at common mining sites? How many days will it take for an ambush to be organized?"
The Nomad stopped smiling. Not that this news was something unexpected for her. It seemed she understood it immediately.
She was just going for a little deception.
And not only her.
"The only relatively safe place where your people and your ships can be is Ermen," Mikhail continued. "Until you repair the damage and get the starships in order, it's not worth sticking your head out into space. And you know this. If there were another way to get recommendations for improving fusion reactors, you wouldn't offer your ship for a flight to Salumai. And you know perfectly well that your people have developed spy satellite technologies. So you will be tracked down, they will come to Ermen, and it will not be good."
"Unless the Council sees that your ships have improved," Trebal said. "And the first thing they will think is that you have Lantian technology on board and it's not worth messing with you."
"That's why you mentioned the resource planets known to the Nomads," Chaya added. "To first get improvements, then demonstrate them to other Nomads, and either force them to beware of you, or to join you."
"Cunning bitch," Trebal said, either with condemnation or admiration.
"Felt a kindred spirit?" Larrin retorted. "No, don't hope. I know for sure that I am the only child of my parents. You don't look like your long-lost sister at all."
"And like your great-great-great-great and many times 'great' grandmother?" Mikhail asked, eliciting smiles from those present. Even from Trebal.
"Caught," Larrin sighed. "The plan was good, of course. But since it was figured out so quickly, it wasn't good enough. Let's go the simple way. How can we help you? And how will you respond to our help."
Larrin's tone changed. From the usual mocking-provocative to a calm one, with notes of a plea uncharacteristic of her.
"Is the situation that desperate?" Mikhail asked.
"We have enough food for maybe a week, and even then, on reduced rations," Larrin didn't try to deceive. "We sent people to buy from trusted suppliers, but it's a drop in the ocean. Before, each ship took care of its passengers and crew, but we lost many ships, many supplies, and their people have no one else to ask for help. We are not farmers to plow fields, and we have no seeds."
"Not to mention that you won't get a harvest soon," Trebal unexpectedly said without sarcasm. "Did you contact the Atosians?"
"We took everything they had for sale," Larrin nodded. "And it cost us all the remaining valuables after the battle. Two battered ships, a hungry and angry mob, and a few weapons, tools - that's all I have. I'm open to offers, Mikhail," she looked at the Lantian leader, but there was nothing flirtatious in her eyes, voice, or behavior. This could be considered a plea for help. Except Chaya understood, looking at this girl, that she wouldn't stoop to begging. She would rather just draw her own conclusions and start solving problems with the available means. Losing people, influence, and patience. "Tell me, how can I and my people help you. What will make you happy?"
This is a very bad scenario. At least because she knows more than Chaya would prefer her to reveal.
And the fact that she is willing to bargain on Atlantis's terms means she is practically desperate. She just doesn't want to show it, fearing that she will be used and discarded.
"We will help," Mikhail said after thinking. "Chaya, review our supplies and determine what food we can share."
"Of course."
"Thank you," Larrin replied seriously. "But this isn't a housewarming gift, is it?"
"No," Misha confirmed. "You can do something to make me happy."
"I hope he's not hinting at what I think," Chaya's wild thought flashed through her mind.
She didn't like the meaningful smiles exchanged between Misha and Larrin.