SG Nova Roma, Chapter 3.14

14 – Moving Forward

(Slave Dump – Eli’s House – Day 180 / 6 February 2018, 0032)

It had been four days since Slave Dump had become their new home. Colonel Young had led a team to the one planet within range of the Stargate. There, they had made a major discovery. They had learned that Slave Dump was actually called Mining World FR-2. The ores and other substances mined there went through the Stargate to Colony World FR-1, the only planet within range. FR-1 had a small settlement and a factory that turned the materials from FR-2 into construction supplies.

It was this factory that was the major discovery. The seventeen mine shafts on FR-2 were open at the top, where a forcefield kept the atmosphere in. These forcefields required the bulk of the available power to function. And even then, they did not keep all of the breathable air. With the factory at their disposal, the locals were now trying to build roofs to replace the fields. They hoped that it would provide them with a better seal and buy them time. Not to mention that they could divert the power to other things, including the Stargate.

Eli had been helping with the work on the roofs, which helped him keep his mind busy. But now he was in the small house he had been assigned. He was in bed, trying to sleep. But the memory of Ginn kept nagging at him. When they had lost Destiny, they had also lost Ginn and Doctor Amanda Perry. Both had been stuck inside the ship’s computer, in quarantine. He got up and looked out the window. But instead of his own reflection, he saw Ginn.

“You left me behind !” Ginn said.

That was when he woke up. He was covered in sweat and breathing fast. Getting up, he made his way to the window. This time, the window was showing his own reflection. Beyond was the capital city. The place was pretty make-shift, but there was something magical about it as well. ~I wish Ginn was here.~ And he really wanted to know how his mother was doing. But the chance of him getting to use the Stones soon were not looking good. He sighed and made his way back to his bed, trying to get more sleep.

(Spera – Mess Hall – Day 180, 0100)

Jennifer Hailey sat in the Mess Hall eating a sandwich. Her shift had ended an hour ago, but she had needed to fill in some paperwork. She was alone in the Mess Hall, until Cinara came in. The Xivolo grabbed a sandwich and sat down across from her. Hailey had been surprised when she had decided to stay aboard. They had found three broken cloaking devices in the Police Impound Lot, along with a map that showed the range of the sensors on every Xivolo planet. The map had been made by smugglers.

It had taken a day, but they had managed to Frankenstein together a working cloaking device. The device had only worked for six-and-half-hours, but it had been enough. They had left the atmosphere between orbiting warships and then jumped into FTL. Once that was done, it had only been a five hour trip out of the sensor range of both D-7 and the warships. Now they were using the map to plot a course that kept them out of sight. When they had left, the three Palace Guards had decided to stay behind on D-7. But – much to everybody’s surprise – Cinara had decided to stay onboard.

“Your Highness.”

“Cinara, please.” She said. “My days as a Royal are over.”

“Jennifer,” Hailey said. “So, how are you settling in aboard our little ship ?”

“My quarters are tiny. But it has everything I need. I even managed to do a painting on one of the walls,” She paused. “I was studying to become an artist before….you know, happened.”

Hailey nodded, then realized her family was probably a sensitive subject and decided steer the conversation in another direction. “So, Cinara, why did you decide to stay aboard ? You could have going to hiding on D-7.”

“After what happened to my family….” She shook her head. “….and the things Governor Gavis told me. I will not go back. I refuse to be a figurehead. And here, maybe I can make a difference,” She paused. “So, Jennifer, why are you here ?”

“We don’t leave our people behind. And Destiny’s mission, a message carved out in the universe itself ? I’m a scientist, how could I pass that up ?”

“You could have been a scientist in some civilian organization. I get the impression that Earth has plenty of those.”

“Yes, but like you, I was looking for a place to make a difference. And I wanted to see the world and meet people. The Air Force seemed like the best option.”

“So, do you think we’ll get out of the Empire ?”

“With the smugglers map we found in the impound lot, we can stay out of sight for most of the journey. The only part where they will be able to see us, is when we cross the last cluster. That will mean flying in plain sight for three days.”

“Well, at least we can outrun the warships. And the closer you get to the edge of the Empire, the less of them there are,” She paused. “What about the people on FR-2, is there anything we can do for them ?”

“The main problem is the acid that is slowly decaying their life-support. If we could do something about that, it would be a huge change for them. And Colonel Young and his people are basically stranded now.”

“The acid machinery is a safeguard. It was meant to keep the slaves from rebelling. The idea was that the slaves would have to surrender and then the Empire could reclaim the planet and turn the machines off.”

“How ?”

“There’s a master override code for each planet. The problem is that the codes are stored in the Imperial Mainframe, which is in basement of the Senate Building in the Capital City. And to make things worse, it’s one of only three Mark-Nine Mainframes. Which means you need extremely high security clearances to access the files inside. And hacking your way in is nearly impossible.”

“Do you have the proper clearance ?”

“Not anymore. They probably deleted my access codes.”

“Okay,” Hailey paused. “Where are the other two Mark-Nine Mainframes ?”

“One is in Imperial Fleet Headquarters and the other is in Facility Alpha One. If New Xivolo Prime is ever attacked, Alpha One is this huge bunker. It’s where the Senate and the Royal Family would be evacuated to in such a situation. The Mainframe there is a back-up for both the others.”

“How secure is Alpha One ?”

“Well, like Cheyenne Mountain, it is inside a mountain and deep underground. When in use…..oh,” She realized what Hailey was thinking. “…and in lockdown, it is the most secure base in the entire Empire. But, right now, it is in dormant mode. And because there would be no point in attacking the base while in dormant mode, it is only guarded by twelve officers. So, getting in should not be hard. But without the proper codes…”

“One thing at a time. Let’s start with getting through the door.”

Cinara nodded and the two of them began plotting what was soon called the Alpha One Heist.

(FR-2 – Corridor to Doorway Base – Day 181, 0755)

Nicholas Rush was on his way to the Doorway Base. He was not feeling well. Losing Destiny had been a punch in the gut. He had spent the days since in the shack that was now his home. Some people had knocked on his door, but he had not opened it. ~What would have been the point ?~ He hadn’t talked to anybody, only leaving the shack to eat. And then – today – two members of Colonel Telford’s had broken down his door and dragged him out. So now he was being escorted to the Doorway Base.

When they reached the facility, they found it was being reconstructed. The lobby was being expanded into a proper security checkpoint. Next to it, two offices were being built. One was marked ‘Base CO’, while the other had ‘Base CMO’ on the door. Next was the hangar bay that was being expanded to hold both Exodus One and Exodus Two. As for the Gate Room, the cables and electronic had been relocated so that a section of the wall behind the Gate was clear space. That space was being chipped away. Above what was clearly going to become a door, there was a marking that said ‘Infirmary’.

Finally, the computer room was being expanded. There was a yellow line on the floor with the words ‘Communications Area’ on both sides. Next to that was a hole in the floor and a spiral staircase under construction. The Communications Area had a table with two chairs. There was a communications device along with several Ancient Stones on said table.

“So, what is this about ?” Rush said.

“Apparently, the folks on Spera have come up with some kind of plan.”

“This will be a complete waste of time.”

“Maybe, but I still want you to come.”

Rush sighed and sat down. Two seconds later, the Ancient Stone activated. The Doorway Base was replaced by a Mess Hall. Rush had not read anything on Spera, not seeing any point. So he was surprised when he saw that the room was made out Wraith tissue, instead of Ancient materials. Then the briefing began.