Return to Taranis outpost dispatch room marked by several facts immediately.
Fact one—guards here about thirty people, can't squeeze through.
Fact two—Kirik, Teyla and Chaya now stand pressed to dispatch room's observation glass.
Fact three—in first two's hands Alash.
Fact four—in hands of dozen guards standing opposite also firearms.
Fact five—in air sounds a shrill siren. Very like Atlantis self-destruct sounds.
"What's happening here?" Norina Pero inquired, gaze seeking someone able to give answer.
"I'd like to know too," I admitted, spotting in the crowd who least fit armed guard category. "Chancellor Leikos, won't you kindly explain...?"
Taranis ruler cast me a злобный glance. And immediately, addressing guards accompanying me and his chief scientist, barked:
"Take him!"
Oh... how far gone.
Both guards put hands on my shoulders, started pressing down... Corner of eye even saw pistols aimed at me.
"And how's that?" I inquired of the guards. "Managing to put me on knees?"
Judging by vein bulging on one thug's forehead and sweat drops on the other, they tried properly.
"Drop this, I'd advise," I suggested. "Go plow..."
"Misha," Chaya attracted attention. "They wanted to capture me...!"
"And I thought, chancellor, we can negotiate," I sighed.
"Knock him out!" Leikos ordered. "He's their leader!"
One guard raised his pistol to hit me with butt to the back of head. Swung properly and...
Next second his howl sounded—weapon ricocheted straight to his face with bolt carrier.
"And the guy was on path to success," I commented, taking second guard's hand. He still held it on my shoulder, stunned gaping at what happened to his comrade. And already in several moments, writhing in pain, collapsed to knees, dropping his weapon.
In our youth we had such game—during handshake squeezed each other's wrists, who holds longer. In two out of five cases I won—yard had guys stronger than me.
"Wh-what did you do?" Leikos was taken aback.
"Shook his hand," I replied. "We have such custom—show we mean no harm to interlocutor. Remember, at meeting you, chancellor, didn't shake my hand..."
"Don't know how you do it, but if even one of my people suffers, I'll order to kill your people!" Leikos warned.
"Straight away?" I inquired. Charge in personal shield enough for long. Even if they all decide to shoot me. "Maybe tell what's happening here?"
"I'd like to know that too," the leading scientist with youthful manners inserted her five cents.
"Your woman did something to our base!" Leikos jabbed toward the main monitor speckled with flashing red symbols. "I ordered to detain her for sabotage!"
"Liar!" Chaya cried, looking at me. "He intended to kidnap me to teach them our tech work!"
"I said you'd be our guest!" Leikos objected. "And after that we'd let you go!"
"You wanted me as your hostage!" rage and grimace of disgust hovered on the dark-skinned girl's face. "And when I ran from your office, you ordered to capture me by any means! If I hadn't reached my friends, I don't know what would happen!"
Ah... Now clear how all three ended here. Yeah, local guards' reaction even worse than I thought.
But that's to our advantage.
"That's the least you can do in exchange for insults you voiced against my people!" Leikos flared.
"Is that true?" I clarified with Chaya.
"Yes!" she said. "I just told him there's nothing complex in pressing buttons already marked for pressing!"
"You compared us to animals!"
"And who else plans to take hostage those who came with peaceful intentions?" Teyla clarified.
"I think 'terrorism' fits better here," I concluded, piecing said together. "Chaya, did you do everything as agreed?"
"Yes," she replied. "Generator outputs five hundred percent power and works at limit..."
"What?" the chancellor was taken aback. "Y-you all planned this in advance?!"
"And you thought," I wagged finger at guard who decided to step between me and chancellor, "we came here unprepared? No, dear chancellor, we insured. Somehow I sensed that learning of Ancients' return, your mudacious sense of own greatness would override adequacy and mutual cooperation bar."
"You decided to insult me too?!" the chancellor exclaimed. "I won't forget this, Mikhail!"
"Well, go on," I shrugged, pulling energy pistol from hidden holster. Aiming aside, pressed trigger. Next second massive coffin-like Taranian computer turned into smoking melted scrap pieces. "Next who tries threatening me or my people can behold a hole in their body. But only couple seconds."
"And why only a couple?" Norina asked quietly.
"Because then he'll die, fool!" the chancellor boiled.
"And here you're right, Leikos," passing guards, I shouldered a couple and stood right before Taranian head. My weapon's crystal emitter aimed straight at his belly. "Come on, chancellor! Give me just a reason! Gladly fry your guts!"
"You're acting like bandits!" he hissed.
"Pot calling kettle black," Kirik snorted.
"We came to take what's ours," I clarified. "And, begging notice—backup option where we run geothermal generator amok, causing supervolcano active state, in couple minutes turn your planet into thermonuclear desert branch in post-apocalyptic winter version and ash clouds in atmosphere, was developed exactly in case you suddenly want to 'host' one of us."
"You all planned this in advance!" Leikos hissed.
"Well tell me the idea to capture one Ancient in your hospitable embraces didn't arise yesterday when we contacted you via gate and comm system," I nodded toward main screen.
After Chaya opened up on the balcony, took a day to think diplomatic process. Not that I planned to fly off handle right away, but understood such option possible.
In known events chancellor was quite uncompromising asshole. And honestly, I planned to simulate supervolcano eruption to evict all locals from here and take Taranis for ourselves. With outpost, dock and ship.
In case no amicable agreement, of course.
And I honestly believed we'd succeed.
Kirik and Alvar insisted on abstract backup. Latter, by the way, stayed on Atlantis. And ready any moment to bring here armed to teeth Athosians. That'll happen in two hours if we don't return. Full composition, naturally.
"I act in my people's interests!" Leikos declared.
"You're an idiot who thinks he understands what he's doing," Chaya blurted. "You ordered to shut off the siren warning of rising pressure in magma chamber! You ordered to strengthen shields not meant for constant work! And Wraith just flew by! Fifty light-years from Taranis!"
"A...?" Norina voiced.
"Light-year is distance light travels in one year," I explained. "Speed of light equals just under three hundred million meters per second. Or three hundred thousand kilometers. You have kilometer as thousand meters, like us, right?"
"Oh," the leading specialist rounded eyes. "That's... So Wraith flew from us..."
And fell silent. Yeah, hard to calculate in head that fast.
"Imagine what he'd do if real threat appeared," Kirik smirked. "Well, besides shitting himself."
"You're insulting us again!" Leikos proudly raised head. Well or thought proudly. "You must be punished for that!"
"Want, I can kill you all here and not even sweat?" I offered alternative. "After all, hostage-taking warrants punishment too. And since whole nation head ordered it, all their representatives must suffer, right? Think worth waiting a bit until eruption happens and whole your people don't perish."
"What?!" Leikos stepped back. "I... I..."
"Magnetic coil from the buoy!" Chaya voiced, pressing couple keys on her scanner.
Characteristically—no one present even twitched. Though her movements were quite provocative. And, on other hand, local guards already saw they can't harm me. As I hoped, they formed picture not only I might have protection.
Siren fell silent.
But red warning inscriptions and symbols on monitor remained.
"You stopped the cataclysm?" the chancellor inquired quietly.
"No, just turned off siren," Chaya said coldly. "Generator returns to norm only when Mikhail orders."
"Do it!" the chancellor squealed, looking at me.
"And why?" I inquired. "You decided to capture-kill us all here. And didn't think of consequences. Why should I meet you halfway, chancellor?"
"I agree to your offer," he said quickly. "You can access our outpost and inspect the ship..."
"No."
Teyla looked at me surprised. Come on, doesn't she know what to do in such situation? Some chief she is.
"But that's exactly what you wanted, right?!" the chancellor wondered. "You spoke of it when you came here and..."
"When we came here, you didn't capture my comrades," I reminded. "Didn't aim weapons at them, didn't threaten and so on list. Remember, you even spoke of compensation..."
Leikos licked his lips.
"You can take the ship," he 'mercifully' said. "No obstacles to leaving Taranis."
"Warmer already," I prompted.
"What?" the chancellor wondered.
"Saying your planet gets warmer with each nonsense you utter," I explained.
"These terms don't suit you?" the chancellor got lost.
"Chaya," I addressed the girl. "Tell where I'm wrong. This outpost wasn't created just so, right?"
"If you mean not scientific, then no," Chaya said. "Military purpose."
"So it was created to service hangar inside complex," I continued developing thought.
"Not hangar, dry dock," the girl corrected. "Meant for repairing large ships. Built in war's final period when Atlantis was already underwater. And no longer able to receive battle ships."
However. Can land military ships like Aurora on Atlantis? Wonderful revelations. And with extra ears.
But logical overall. Surely by siege end Wraith didn't destroy all Ancient ships. And since remaining starships couldn't break through Wraith fleet, needed to repair them somewhere.
So Lanteans quickly assembled dock where Wraith hadn't passed yet. By leading scientist's tale, they never heard of Wraith. Think so—otherwise life-eaters would interest in Ancient buildings.
Hard to imagine what they could do if managed to figure outpost tech! Or get Ancient ship! At minimum for outpost management no ATA Gene needed, so even Wraith could... Ugh, your mother...
Suspect other ships drifting galaxy were abandoned exactly for this reason—nowhere to tow for repair. Atlantis underwater, other bastions or outposts destroyed, in sole Taranis dock sits fairly (I remember from series events) damaged Hippaforalkus battleship...
And how many more such outposts like Taranis might be in galaxy?