Atlantean Thunder: A New Oddessy Begins
by Andrew James Williams
Chapter One
Ravenbright
A Few Hours Later
General Jack O'Neill stood in the room on Ravenbright that had been converted into a lab watching as the artefacts recovered from the Ancient outpost on the planet below were carefully wrapped in bubble wrap before being stowed in cargo containers for transport back to Earth where they could be properly examined. The few artefacts recovered from the planet would be all there would be from the outpost - since shortly after the investigation team left another powerful aftershock itself measuring 3.8 had shaken the area and the Ancient outpost had been obliterated by a second landslide.
The artefacts recovered from the planet had been given a cursory examination by both Kalinda and Narim when they had been brought aboard Ravenbright. They didn't have the equipment here to do an in depth analysis of the Ancient technology but what there limited examination had revealed was surprising. One of the most curious was why only certain people could seem to make the Ancient technology do anything even light up. One of them was the RSS marine lieutenant from the investigation team David Anderson, the other surprisingly was Jack himself. No one else on Ravenbright could get the technology to work. To determine why that was Kalinda had with medical assistance taken DNA samples from both Jack and Lieutenant Anderson, samples which had been placed in a portable refrigeration unit for transport back to Earth where they could be analysed by a geneticist and medical doctor who'd done work for the RSS in the past. Jack couldn't remember his name properly something Becket.
Another thing that everyone with an ounce of scientific knowledge - not to mention there engineers - intrigued was the recovered Ancient power source. There basic scans had shown that it was indeed based on zero point technology. Yet zero point technology applied in a completely different way to there own. Inside the power module - already dubbed a Zero Point Module by Kalinda and Jack could see the name sticking - was a ZPE collector but its shape was all wrong for this system. Yet somehow the device was still producing massive amounts of power - 40% more than there ZPE collectors did - and yet it didn't have any effect on Kalinda or anyone on the station with latent psychic abilities. It ran counter to everything that they knew about zero point technology - even Chocky who'd shown up when she'd sensed Kalinda's confusion was stumped to explain it. Though she had admitted that the Ancients had been alot more advanced than her people and might have found away around the awkward problems that came with zero point technology. Thinking about it Jack realised with a smile that Sam Carter was going to go nuts when she got to have a look at the Zero Point Module.
"How is it going," Jack asked at last letting everyone in the lab know that he was here. Everyone jumped and Kalinda came over from where she had been supervising the packing of the artefacts.
"We are almost ready general," she told him. "How long until the Illustrious docks?" The Dauntless-class destroyer was due to return to Earth where it would be part of the fleet that was being sent to look for the refugee fleet they'd been hearing rumours about. Going along with it would be the Del Shakka Mel but they hadn't wanted to stow the Ancient artefacts on board the mothership for transport. While Enerina was on there side she was still a Goa'uld and they still didn't completely trust her.
"They were approaching the station when I left the command centre to come here," Jack replied. "They should be docking anytime now."
"Then we had better pick up the pace a little bit," Kalinda replied. "But we can only stow artefacts so quickly."
"I know. Daniel was always bitching at me if I told him that we had to leave a dig damned quick," Jack replied. "Course we usually had the Goa'uld on our tail but he'd still moan." A smile graced Kalinda's face as she imagined that scene taking place in her minds eye. It was quiet amusing. "What," Jack asked seeing her smile.
"Nothing," Kalinda replied then before Jack could say anything she walked back over to the tech's packing away the Ancient technology and began helping them herself. Jack sighed and rolled his eyes before turning and leaving the room.
******
A Short Time Later
Kalinda stood on the bridge of the Illustrious as the destroyer maneovered away from Ravenbright and out into open space preparing to make the short hyperspace jump home. She thought about the Ancient artefacts stowed in the ships small cargo bay and the mysteries that they had yet to reveal. She couldn't help but get the impression that they were going to lead the Tau'ri into a completely new direction to a completely new adventure. Possibly one including one of the Tau'ri's greatest and most enduring legends. The legend of Atlantis.
Accompanied by the Del Shakka Mel the Illustrious jumped into hyperspace and Kalinda sighed and left the bridge she had a few things more to do before they reached home. A few things to prepare.