Chapter 12: Activating the Stargate and Journey to Jupiter

Max guided the Puddle Jumper toward the small station orbiting Earth. As they approached, Tony Stark sat beside him, looking out the window with fascination. The sprawling view of Earth beneath them was breathtaking, but Max knew the real surprise was yet to come.

"We're here," Max said as they gently docked with the station. The low hum of the ship's systems filled the cockpit, and through the windshield, Tony could see a large metallic ring standing proudly in the center of the station's main docking bay.

Tony's eyes widened slightly. "That's the Stargate?" he asked, leaning forward.

Max nodded. "Yep. And today, you're going to see something special."

Max activated the controls, and the Stargate in front of them began to spin, its inner ring rotating as glyphs locked into place. Tony watched in amazement as each glyph lit up with a soft blue glow.

"What are those... symbols?" Tony asked, his eyes following the sequence of lights.

"They're called Chevrons," Max replied, his fingers gliding across the console. "The gate uses them to lock onto a destination. Normally, you only need seven Chevrons to connect between two Stargates in the same galaxy."

Tony furrowed his brow. "Seven? So, what's the deal with this one? It's still going."

Max smirked. "That's because we're not making a normal connection." He continued, his voice taking on the tone of a teacher explaining a complex concept to a curious student. "In most cases, when you use seven Chevrons, the first six represent specific star constellations, like a map. The seventh is the origin point, the place you're dialing from. So, for example, if you dial from Earth, the seventh Chevron will always be the same—our planet's unique identifier."

Tony nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "Okay, so seven Chevrons gets you to another star system in the same galaxy. But what happens if you use more?"

"An eight-Chevron connection," Max continued, "lets you dial outside of the galaxy, to another galaxy entirely. The seventh becomes the identifier for the new galaxy, and the eighth Chevron is where you're dialing from."

Tony crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat. "And what about the ninth? I've never seen anything use nine Chevrons before."

"That's a whole different ball game," Max said, his voice lowering slightly. "The ninth Chevron is the unique identifier of a specific Stargate. You could think of it as the gate's serial number. Normally, it's used for long-range, intergalactic travel, but I've configured it here for extra security. Right now, only the three Stargates in this system are connected, and you need the ninth Chevron to activate them. Eventually, I'll build Master Stargates that can override this, but for now, this system keeps everything locked down tight."

Tony stared at the gate as the ninth Chevron locked into place with a satisfying clunk, and the Stargate came to life. A burst of energy exploded from the center, forming a shimmering blue event horizon that rippled like water in zero gravity.

"That's... insane," Tony said, his voice soft with awe. "And you just... built this?"

Max smiled faintly. "More like I refined what was already there. The Stargate was a design I... inherited."

Tony turned to Max. "Inherited from who?"

Max only gave him a cryptic smile. "Let's get going. You'll see soon enough."

With a smooth motion, Max piloted the Puddle Jumper toward the open wormhole. The ship glided through the gate's surface, and in an instant, they were no longer in Earth's orbit.

As they emerged from the other side, Tony's eyes widened. Spread out before them, floating majestically in the blackness of space, was Jupiter. The planet's swirling storms and bands of gas were illuminated by the distant sun, casting an eerie glow on the ship.

"Holy—" Tony muttered, speechless for a moment. "That... that's Jupiter."

"Yeah," Max said, guiding the Puddle Jumper past the Stargate that hovered near them, just beyond the planet's atmosphere. The other Puddle Jumper, stationed near the Stargate, drifted nearby. But Tony's attention was quickly drawn to something else.

In the distance, about a mile away, a massive structure hung in orbit around the gas giant. The station was colossal, dwarfing anything Tony had ever seen in space construction. It was a series of stacked rings, like a giant molecular model floating in the void, each ring glowing faintly with energy. The rings themselves seemed to pulse with light, their smooth surfaces and curved designs reminiscent of ancient architecture, yet undeniably futuristic.

Tony leaned forward, pressing his face against the glass. "What the hell is that?"

Max grinned. "That's my shipyard. It's still under construction, but once it's operational, it'll be able to build entire fleets."

Tony's eyes scanned the station, taking in the details. Each ring of the shipyard was massive, spanning about a kilometer in radius. The outer shell of the station had a smooth, metallic finish, broken up by glowing lines of energy that ran across its surface, like veins of power. The design was sleek, elegant—clearly influenced by the same ancient technology that powered the Stargates. Each of the three rings had large docking bays and construction arms that extended out into space, ready to assemble ships of various sizes.

The topmost ring, Tony noted, was easily large enough to house something the size of a dreadnought-class battleship. "This thing is huge," Tony muttered, shaking his head. "What are you planning to build out here, Max?"

Max guided the Puddle Jumper toward the docking bay. "Everything from transport ships to battleships. Each ring can be used for a different class of ship, depending on what I need. The top ring is reserved for the largest vessels—think dreadnoughts. The others can handle smaller ships, like frigates, corvettes, and transporters."

Tony stared in awe as they drew closer to the shipyard. The sheer scale of it all was overwhelming. "You're building an army."

"Not exactly," Max said, steering the Puddle Jumper into one of the docking bays. "I'm building options. With a facility like this, I can create anything I need to explore, defend, or... well, whatever comes next."

The Puddle Jumper smoothly docked, and the ship's systems powered down. Max and Tony suited up, donning sleek black and silver space suits. The suits were minimalist in design, with black matte panels and silver accents. The helmets had a seamless visor that allowed for a full range of vision, while internal systems provided oxygen, radiation protection, and communication links.

Tony looked down at the suit, admiring the craftsmanship. "Well, we look like we're about to go play some intense paintball."

Max chuckled. "Come on, let's get inside."

They exited the Puddle Jumper and stepped into the airlock of the shipyard. The corridor was vast, with high ceilings and smooth, metallic walls. The design was similar to the corridors of Atlantis, with curved arches and soft lighting that gave the space a futuristic yet ancient feel.

As they walked through the station, their magnetic boots clicked against the floor, holding them in place in the zero-gravity environment. Tony took it all in, his mind racing with possibilities.

"Are all these systems fully automated?" Tony asked, his voice echoing slightly in the wide hallway.

"Mostly," Max replied, leading the way. "The shipyard is designed to operate with minimal oversight. It can build ships, manage resources, and even self-repair. Once I get it fully operational, it'll be able to run itself."

They continued through the station, passing several control panels and large windows that offered a view of Jupiter's swirling clouds below. The scale of the shipyard was immense, and it was clear that Max had put a lot of thought into every detail.

After about ten minutes of walking through the station's gravity-free corridors, they finally reached a large chamber at the heart of the shipyard—the energy station. Max set down the case he had been carrying and opened it, revealing a glowing crystalline object inside.

Tony's eyes widened. "Is that...?"

"A ZPM," Max confirmed, lifting the Zero Point Module out of the case. The ZPM was a crystalline structure, about the size of a small briefcase, with intricate facets that glowed softly with energy. It hummed faintly as Max handled it, the energy within it almost palpable.

Tony took a step closer, fascinated. "I've heard of these things from you. You're telling me this little thing can power an entire station?"

Max nodded. "Not just a station. It can power a city, a fleet... even a planet. It taps into vacuum energy from subspace, making it one of the most efficient energy sources in existence."

Tony shook his head, still in awe. "And you just... have these?"

"Not exactly," Max said, positioning the ZPM into a slot on a raised podium in the center of the room. "I'm building more, but they take time. This is the first one I've completed for this station. Do you remember the last time you were in my lab? The ZPM here is from the laboratory, but this time it is fully grown and ready for use."

As the ZPM locked into place, the podium lowered, and a series of lights flickered on around the room. The hum of power grew louder, and a moment later, the entire station seemed to come to life. The artificial gravity kicked in, and the soft clanking of systems powering up echoed through the corridors.

Tony watched through one of the windows as lights illuminated the exterior of the shipyard. The station's glowing energy lines pulsed with new power, and the large construction arms on the rings began to move, preparing for their first task.

"Wow," Tony whispered, watching the transformation. "That's... something."

Max grinned, leading Tony toward the control room. The room was modeled after the control rooms in Atlantis—large, open, with a central console surrounded by multiple displays. The walls were lined with panels, each displaying information about the station's status, construction progress, and energy output.

Max walked up to the main console and tapped a few keys. "Let's get this shipyard working."

He quickly input commands, instructing the station to begin construction on three dreadnought-class battleships and ten smaller transporters. The displays lit up with schematics of the ships, each one a marvel of engineering and design. The dreadnoughts were massive, with heavy armor and advanced weapons systems, while the transporters were sleek and fast, designed for rapid deployment.

Tony watched the schematics unfold on the screen, his mind already racing with possibilities. "You're really building all of this?"

Max nodded, his expression serious. "It's necessary. I don't know what's coming, but when it does, I'll be ready."

He tapped a few more buttons, activating the shipyard's ZPM construction lab. "And I'll need more power for that. The station will also build 13 more ZPMs to fuel the fleet."

Tony leaned back, crossing his arms as he stared at the display. "You're playing a whole different game, Max."

Max glanced at him, his eyes steady. "I have to."