Dragon Wings and Puddle Jumpers pt3

Index

Rodney decided that being a passenger on a dragon reminded him of the fairground rides he remembered from his childhood. To start with there was the sense of terror, the closing of eyes and hanging on for dear life. But sooner or later you got used to the ride, opened your eyes, relaxed your grip and maybe even started to enjoy yourself. He had survived chasing after wraith darts, teleporting without warning and crazy manoeuvres that he was sure would throw him to the ground, but the flying harness had held him in place on Grall’s back. Now the battle was over, and they were flying back to the Citadel, he felt brave enough to look around and enjoy the view.

It helped if he distracted himself from noticing how high up they were by talking to Kellis. He learned the same information that Saul had told John Sheppard, that the  dragon riders had the ATA gene, and that they had rescued the crew of the downed puddle jumper. He also discovered that the dragons had been genetically engineered by the ancients to fight the wraith. Apparently the Citadel was an ancient city, now fallen into disrepair, and it had once had other defences against the wraith. Rodney wondered if the city was similar to Atlantis, like the other Ancient cities they had found. He could almost smell the ZPMs and other ancient goodies that might be waiting for him to find, and he hoped that Grall wasn’t listening in on his thoughts.

They were coming to the end of the open plains, and in front of them was woodland and rolling hills. To their right he could see snow capped mountains in the distance, while to their left he could make out the sea, and the distant outline of a city. The sea was gradually getting closer, and they were soon flying over a wide sandy beach. As they got closer, Rodney realized that the Citadel was not on the land, but floating on the sea, just off the coast. It bore a rather strong resemblance to Atlantis, but with some subtle differences. For a start, the air was filled with bronze and copper dragons flying between the towers, or out to sea to dive for food. Many of the towers had been modified with wide ledges to give the dragons somewhere to land. A number of ships, with old fashioned masts and sails, were moored at the city‘s piers. Some of them were at sea, carrying goods or people between the Citadel and a settlement on land, a sprawling city that looked a little like London in Shakespearian times. It was a weird mix of medieval construction and alien technology that you could only find in the Pegasus Galaxy.

Rodney found himself watching the dragons, amazed that they didn’t collide with each other, or with any of the towers. He noticed that very few of the dragons seemed to have riders. Curious, he asked Kellis why that was. She explained to him that the dragon population had grown with time, but the number of people born with the ability was decreasing. It was the same story they had heard before on other worlds.
Rodney caught himself wondering if John “Kirk” Sheppard would end up flirting with the local ruler’s daughter again. That man had all the luck. Grall must have heard his thoughts, as he could just make out the silvery sound of her laughter in his mind.

Grall landed on a wide ledge near the central tower of the Citadel. People came forward to help Rodney down. When he put his weight down on his bad ankle it hurt, and he could not stop himself from crying out.  Suddenly Kellis was at his side, supporting his weight. He heard Grall’s unspoken concern.
“Its my ankle, I think I twisted it when I fell.”
“Don’t worry, our healers will know what to do.“ Kellis told him. Rodney decided to reserve judgment until he met the healers. In his experience most healers in the Pegasus Galaxy were little more than witch doctors, practising the local equivalent of voodoo.

The inside of the tower was decorated with the usual pastel colours and geometric designs the Ancients seemed to be so fond of, but there were some more homely additions, such as the large dribbly candles that the locals preferred to use for lighting. It did not appear that the Citadel had any power left, which was disappointing, as Rodney had hoped to find a ZPM. Kellis was concerned that Rodney should not walk too far, so she took him to a transporter device. Inside, the lights and map inside it lit up.
“You’ve got power to the transporters!” he exclaimed.
“You know what a transporter is then?” Kellis asked.
“Sure, we have them back home in At…” he caught himself, remembering that Atlantis was supposed to have been destroyed.
Kellis smiled, “I knew it, your people are the New Lantians aren’t they?”
Rodney considered denying it, but Kellis would probably see he was lying, and he suddenly realised he did not want to alienate the blond dragon girl. He decided  it would be safer to change the subject.
“What’s puzzling me, is why you are using those candles, if you don‘t have to?”
“We are trying to extend the life of the Power crystals. The ancestors knew how to make new ones, but we don’t have the skill.”
Power crystals, that must mean ZPM’s,  Rodney thought to himself.
“So does the city have enough power to use the shields? He asked.
“It did have, until recently, but one of the grid technicians thought he could turn the shield into a cloak of invisibility, to hide the city from the Wraith. He did something wrong, and now the shield does not work at all.”
“You know, I could take a look at that for you?” Rodney suggested. “In Atlantis, I’m considered the leading expert in the technology of the Ancients.”
“Really, you would do that for us?” Kellis asked.
“It would be my pleasure.” and Rodney realised he meant it.