T Minus 4 hours Leaving Day
Harry sat on the couch in the living area contemplating the last six months. So many drastic changes had happened, the city had come alive filled with people and he had become the leader of a race reaching out to reclaim what had been lost.
His personal life had changed drastically also, he had a lover now, and who would have thought he would become a parent at his age, and to two bright and energetic boys too. Smiling as he remembered how rich his life had become when they entered his life, Harry leaned back on the couch and relaxed.
"What are you thinking about?" Jack asked coming out of the kitchen.
Smiling Harry replied. "The past six months.More like the last three months."
Sitting done across from Harry, Jack pondered the changes also. "It has been a trip hasn't it?"
Smiling with anticipation Harry opened his eyes and leaned over to give him a kiss. "And we are about to start a new adventure, a new challenge."
"Looking forward to it much are we." Jack smirked.
The boys finished with breakfast and having put the dishes in the sink for the remotes joined the two young men in the living area.
"Do we have to go with everyone else to school for the shift?" Bryce asked not wanting to be away from the action.
"Don't you wan to be with your friends?' Jack asked back, from the floor between Harry's legs.
Seeing Cadfael nod his head yes to that and Bryce nod his head no, Harry asked for an update. 'Aloria, what have the scouts reported back?'
'So far they have seen no sign of Wraith activity in the system. They also report that Atlantis is visible and stationary eight grids from shore. No sign of life near the capital city, in fact they can't find the capitol city. And it seems that the orbital weapons platform is of antique design and non functional.' Aloria told him what she had learned while sending the images through the link also.
Sitting back up, ready to start the day, Harry told them. "Bryce if you want to come up to the command deck I am fine with that, as long as you promise to head straight for the emergency med bay and the Transfer Station there, to evacuate if something goes wrong."
Not turning away until the young teen gave his promise Harry looked over at the youngest of his fosterlings. "Cadfael if you want to be with your friends, I have no problem with that, Jack will drop you off at the school along his way."
Standing up, careful not to step on Jack, Harry reached for the ceiling as he stretched to get any kinks out before saying "Its time to get a move on."
Giving Cadfael and Jack a brief hug and a whisper of "be careful" to Jack so Cadfael would not be concerned that this was not all fun and games, Harry motioned for Bryce to follow him into the TS.
With a last look out the cry-steal doors Harry gave a nod of his head towards Jack before activating the transfer to command one.
Walking through the crowded corridor Harry was slightly surprised to see the looks of anticipation on every ones face.
Stopping once inside the embarkation deck, Harry let his eyes roam across all the stations manned and ready for the Shift.
As he started to walk towards the steps he noticed that the primary crew was in place with both the Theta and Omega crews standing by.
'It's time' Harry thought down the bond, feeling Aloria's excitement.
"Lord Commander on Deck." Aloria's voice sounded above the crystal sounding bells throughout the whole city.
Glowing as he merged himself with his magic and reached out for the connection to the city Harry placed his foot on the first step leading to the first level.
"Open all blast shields." Harry's voice boomed out across the city.
Making his way halfway up the steps Harry turned and gazed out through the cry-steal windows as the Earth rotated in view with the sun just peaking over the edge.
Across the city those not having duties to perform flocked to the windows to take in the last look of the planet of their birth as the listened to the words their Lord Commander spoke.
"You shall not be forgotten. You gave us shelter in our time of need. A place to grow and become stronger than what we once were." Harry started to walk up the stair again, back to the window looking over the eager faces before him.
"Though we slid back and forgot who and what we were, you still provided shelter." Harry stopped at the top of the steps, turned and looked out at the view one last time.
"We ask you to watch over those left behind and nurture them as they to try to find their way." Harry finalized his feelings out loud.
Starting across the deck towards the stairs leading up to the next level Harry gave the command. "Tyaes prepare for Dimensional Shift."
"All search and rescue vessels prepare for Dimensional Shift." Harry ordered as he stepped on the first step to the next level.
"Docking platform secure all mooring lines, secure all craft and platforms for dimensional Shift." Harry ordered as he made it to the middle of the steps.
"Ark clear all moorings and make way to point alpha. You are T minus ten days to Shift." Harry ordered as he made the second level landing.
"Not one minute longer Charlie." Harry added as an after thought.
Now on the third set of stair leading up to his station Harry stopped and looked back at his command staff as they made their preparations and routed information back and forth from the different departments.
"Status report, All Stations report readiness." Harry ordered two steps away from the third level as he stood and watched his people work.
Waving his hand Harry transformed the top two steps along one side into a chair for Bryce to sit in and pointed it out to him.
"Healers Hall, all med bays fully staffed and ready, Life Sciences, manned and green to go." The voice of head Healer Agatha Christenson came over the speakers.
Voices echoed in the back ground as departments and station reported in to their supervising station.
"Bio Sciences ready. Farms locked down and prepared. "Neville's voice came over the speakers.
Minerva who had left the office for a brief inspection of the classrooms, stopped in the one that held Harry's foster son. Moving over next to him plastered to the window she whispered in his ear."
"Education, All classrooms secured and students accounted for." Minerva's voice echoed through the speakers along with Cadfael's as he piped in. "Were ready too."
Harry looked over at Bryce and the two of them shared a smile at the young boy's enthusiasm.
"Response forces, all station green light." Jacks voice came over the speakers.
"All remotes standing by, SAR units standing by," Kevin voice came over the speakers.
"Science labs locked down." Tanaka said into the microphone as his voice echoed over the city.
"Command staff, present and accounted for. All shifts stand ready Lord Commander" Powaqa said proudly as she looked up to where Harry was standing.
Seeing Molly walk in holding one of the rescued babies, Augusta cleared her throat as she opened the com channel. "All infants prepared for Shift, nursery staff present and prepared."
Powaqa moved to the center of deck one, at the center of the stairs and her voice rang out loud and clear as she called for reports from the other stations.
"Alpha Report" Powaqa said calmly.
"Alpha station green light, test routines nominal, all stations manned." Bill's voice rang out.
"Delta Report" Powaqa once again barked out clearly.
"Delta station prepared and all system green." Griphook told them.
"Omicron report" Powaqa said letting just a hint of excitement in her voice.
"Omicron Nominal, all station manned and prepared." Remus replied looking over at the normal crew with a grin.
"Theta Report" Powaqa said, only one more station left she thought.
Stone Crusher who had volunteered to man the mostly empty pylon with several of the Goblin technicians pushed the button on his chair and his voice rang out. "Theta station at standby."
Turning around to look through the window towards the massive structure that were the docks, Powaqa asked for the final report, "Docking Platform report."
The voice of Vlad Sidrorov came over the speakers from the main control room at the docking platform. "All vessels report secure moorings, all weapons platforms down and secured, Dimensional Drive powering up and spatial bubble engaged and shows green."
Grinning from ear to ear the Hopi witch turned and looked up towards Harry. "All stations report good to go." Then she let out a war whoop in excitement.
Laughing Harry looked over the stations once more before ordering. "Search and rescue units you are cleared to Shift. Shift in Five.Four.Three.Two.One. Commence Shift"
Harry was satisfied to watch the eight Bololarys class vessels shimmer before they shifted out of sight.
Waiting for the crews to check in through fold space communication Harry never the less ordered. "Tyaes you are cleared for shift."
Markus who was stationed at the fold space com listened as each of the ships reported in, and that they were moving to stations around the Lantia system.
Clicking the local com to open, He reported. "All search and recovery units report Shift complete, moving to deployment plan baker."
Nodding her head and slightly embarrassed about the whole war whoop thing Powaqa Reported. "Lord Commander, Search and Rescue on station, moving per plan Baker."
"Tyaes prepare to shift. You are ordered to action stations and secure the perimeter to ten light years." Harry ordered before counting down. "Shift in Five.Four.Three.Two.One. Shift."
Thinking back to the conversations he had over the past month with his advisors about the possibility of Atlantis being occupied, and the likely hood that it was by those from Earth, more particularly the SGC, Harry took the last two steps needed to reach his command area and made his way over to the railing and looked at all the station below him.
"Aloria send the signal, shut down Atlantis." Harry ordered the total shut down of the city using the over ride codes that even the Alteran inhabitants did not know about when they took the ship to the Pegasus Galaxy.
Unicorn One who at he moment was stealthed and at station keeping above the city watched as the lights went off all over the city as the computers shut down all relays, refusing to carry power to any but life support systems.
"Unicorn One. Atlantis is shut down.I repeat Atlantis is shut down." The voice of the pilot of Unicorn One came over the cities speakers.
"Vlad, Status of Dimensional Drive?" Harry asked.
"Dimensional Drive fully powered, gravitational bubble fully engaged. We are ready Lord Commander." Vlad told him, as the Russian accent came through a little bit with along with his pride.
"Docking station you are cleared to shift." Harry told them. "Prepare to shift in Five.Four.Three.Two.One. Shift." He ordered.
Instead of reporting the successful Shift, Markus fed the fold space communication into the city speakers.
"Report" Vlad's voice could be heard.
"Lantea system verified." A voice could be heard.
"Stand down Dimensional Drive, shunt power to docking ring." Vlad ordered.
"Release all weapons platforms, deploy weapons platforms." Vlad's voice came over the speaker once again.
For the next fifteen minutes the various voices over the loud speaker informed them all that the docking station was doing its duty in securing the capitol of the last known branch of the Alteran race.
Finally Vlad's voice came over the speaker with what they all had been waiting for. "Lantea system secure."
"All stations all personal stand by for Toria Ai Shas to make Shift." Harry told them.
Taking the glass full of the high calorie drink that had been floating next to him courtesy of Aloria, Harry downed it quickly.
Stepping back from the railing Harry turned and sat down in the high backed throne like chair.
Closing his eyes he thought back to the day he found his true heritage and followed the link that led him to this place. Sighing he thought so much could have been changed, had the secret of this place had not been lost. But so much had been accomplished after its rediscovery, and he had even gained a family he thought in satisfaction.
Leaning back in the chair he closed his eyes as the back of the command chair reclined slightly and he opened his mind further allowing the city to merge with his mind fully.
All around his chair stations came to life as system after system powered up for the first time other than testing and a golden glow encompassed the chair and its occupant
He felt the thrill of pleasure come from Aloria as power flowed through the weapons systems and the feeling that came with fulfilling her destiny. And the almost pleasurable eagerness that she gave off as she prepared to Shift for the first time.
Bryce seeing the golden glow encompass even him, turned around in his chair to see Harry, eyes closed smiling.
The city ship slowly moved out of its station keeping position it had held for thousands of years and gained speed as it headed off towards deep space. Slowly as it moved above the planets it started to spin as the shimmering shield started to ripple with colors.
Receiving the knowledge from Aloria that all was ready, Harry Potter, Lord Commander of the Alteran People gave the command to shift. "Shift in Five.Four.Three.Two.One." and the city built by the Ancients to be the ultimate weapon of war shifted in an explosion of colors as the dimensional drive kicked in shifting them from the Earth system in the milky way all the way to the Lantea system in the Pegasus galaxy in a blink of the eye.
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The end of the Journey, or is it the Beginning.
Scott lent me his most excellent editing skills for this chapter.
The story picks up again in chapter 1 of Ancients Ascended, book 2 of the Ancients saga