Chapter 193

Vis Uban

Fast asleep, Eli's mind raced in many directions. Floating through his mind were complex mathematical equations that dealt with power flow algorithms. Drifting at the periphery of his mind, these seemingly indecipherable cl.u.s.ters of numerical artistry played out. As this happened, Eli watched the departure of Atlantis from Earth bound for the Pegasus Galaxy play out. Standing in the operations center of the city ship, Eli could feel the raw emotion and tension of those around him. On some level, he knew this was a dream.

Moving backwards in time, Eli's dreams went elsewhere. Suddenly, he found himself in an astronomic's laboratory on Taonas Proclarush, the ancient city on a world now uninhabitable. Around him, he watched as the first fragment of the message contained in the cosmic microwave background radiation. From there, he watched in awe as the initial sketches of Destiny began to take shape. Destiny was the one thing that never failed to show up night after night in his dreams.

Eyes fluttered as Eli awoke. Taking a moment to catch realize where he was, Eli sat up. Looking beside him, he gazed at the woman he loved. Ginn, with her flowing red hair and pale skin was sleeping peacefully. He loved her, of that, he was certain. So many times before, he had wondered when he would find someone to give his heart. This was the woman he wanted nothing more than to spend his life with.

Running his fingertips over her bare shoulders, Ginn began to stir. Her steady rhythmic breathing changed pace as she transitioned from sleep to wakefulness. As she opened her eyes, Eli's breathe caught at the sight of her. Even half asleep, he thought she was beautiful. Smiling happily, she curled up closer to him. With one eye half open, she began to speak.

"What are you doing awake so early? It's still dark outside." Ginn began.

"I was just dreaming, and then found myself awake." Eli replied.

"Have a bad dream?" Ginn asked.

"Not bad, just weird. Since using the repository of knowledge I've had these incredibly vivid dreams of Atlantis and Destiny." Eli explained.

"Destiny? Going back to where we met." Ginn said with a smile.

"Are you awake enough to have a serious conversation?" Eli asked.

"I am. It's not going to be a bad one right?" Ginn asked cautiously.

"Um, I don't think so. This is something I have been putting a lot of thought into the last few days. It kind of affects us both." Eli stated.

"What is it?" Ginn asked.

"After what the Ancient's have done for me, we both know that someday I am going to ascend. I was so caught up in all of this that I never stopped to ask what you think." Eli said.

"The Ancient's chose you. That means they see in you the same brilliance and good that I do. You should be honored." Ginn replied.

"But how does this affect us?" Eli asked.

"Eli, I see it much simpler than you. Consider this from my perspective for a moment. I grew up on a world where the only future was being put into the service of the Goa'uld, and later the Lucian Alliance. When we met, I was technically an enemy of your world. Now, I am in love with a brilliant man that will someday walk among the Ancient's on another plain. It makes me treasure our time together that much more." Ginn explained.

"Does it bother you that I won't die?" Eli asked.

"Remember, people from my planet do not share the religious beliefs of your world. My only hope is that we make the most of every moment we have together in this life. What comes after that, I have no control over." Ginn answered.

"Honestly, I don't know if this is something I want to do if it means being without you. If we could spend forever together, would you want to?" Eli probed.

"Of course I would. Where ever I am, I only hope it's with you." Ginn replied.

"Janus and I had a conversation yesterday about that. He explained a few things, and it made me feel much better." Eli stated.

"What did he explain?" Ginn asked.

"Well, I explained my concern about living forever in some form, but without you. He informed me about a solution. I think he did it more to keep me happy than anything, but whatever. He said that if it is my wish, when the time comes you can join us among the ascended." Eli said happily.

"Are you kidding me?" Ginn asked somewhat shocked.

"No, totally serious here! So are you telling me that you want to spend eternity with me and a bunch of ascended beings?" Eli asked lightly.

"Some men give women flowers or jewelry. You are offering me forever with you, among the Ancient's! I don't know what I did to be so lucky, but I give thanks everyday for your love." Ginn said with tears in her eyes.

"If Janus hadn't told me this could be done, what would you have done?" Eli asked with curiosity.

"I would have gone to my end full of pride for the man I love Eli. Yes, it would have hurt knowing you would have been left alone, but I would have been content in the knowledge that one good man would forever be out there somewhere." Ginn said softly.

"Ok gorgeous woman, go back to sleep. I'm going to go talk to Janus about a few things." Eli said.

Kissing her softly, Eli tucked the covers back over her. Rising from the bed, he made his way to the closet and began to dress quickly. All the while, a bright smile had hold over the features of his boyish face. Once dressed, he quietly slipped out of his quarters. Not even for a second did the smile leave his face.

Making his way through the hallways of Vis Uban, Eli saw Ancient's going about their business. With a smile and a nod, he greeted them as he passed. Passing through an open peristyle garden, he rounded the corner and made his way up a sprawling set of stairs. All was quiet in this section of the city. Many times, only he and Janus were the only two in attendance. Making the turn into the shared laboratory, Eli saw Janus seated deep in thought.

"Good morning Eli." Janus said in greeting.

"Barely morning you mean." Eli replied.

"It is still dark out isn't it? I would have thought you were asleep with Ginn." Janus stated.

"Well, we were asleep. My dreams woke me up." Eli explained.

"I'll wager a guess that your dreams were of events long past. That is a side effect of repository use I'm afraid." Janus surmised.

"I kind of wanted to talk to you about that." Eli hinted.

"Destiny." Janus stated plainly.

"My destiny?" Eli asked somewhat confused.

"Not your destiny Eli. I'm referring to the Destiny." Janus replied with a smile.

"Oh, yeah. We have done some amazing things so far, and I know you have plans for other things we can do. I do not want to ruin that, or be ungrateful for all that you have done for me. My dreams are just telling that this isn't where I'm supposed to be at this point in my life." Eli explained.

"You feel your place is aboard Destiny. That's a statement, not a question." Janus said.

"I do. For right now, it is where I belong. Is that ok with you though?" Eli asked.

"My boy, one day you will ascend. We have oceans of time to pursue our work. Distance isn't a factor for me." Janus answered in an amused tone.

"I thought it only fair to run this by you. Destiny's mission is something that is extremely important to me. When she leaves, I will be going with her." Eli stated.

"Destiny is your destiny as it were. You did well before, but after your recent upgrade I feel that Rush will not know what to do." Janus said with a laugh.