Shadow of Glory
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fan fiction for fan purposes only.
Stargate is also the intellectual property of someone else, and is being used in this fan fiction for fan purposes only.
All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of me. People, situations, and characters in this story are entirely fictional; any resemblance to actual people or events is unintentional.
Shadow: 1. a dark figure or image cast on a surface by a body intercepting light. 4. a specter or ghost. 6. a cause or period of gloom or unhappiness. 7. to cover with shadow: shade. 8. to follow and watch secretly.
9. to represent faintly or prophetically
Glory: 1. very great praise, honor or distinction. 3. adoring praise given in worship. 4. resplendent beauty or magnificence. 5. a state of absolute happiness.
Unauthorized Off-world Activation! Incoming wormhole!
Klaxons resounded with the male voice, conveying urgency while still sounding calm. Flashing lights, descending partitions and running armed soldiers heightened that sense of urgency to a fever pitch. Inside the control room, technicians worked frantically, their barely controlled panic evident in their hurried movements, if not on their faces. Below them, in the gate room itself, running soldiers positioned themselves strategically while others scurried out of the room leaving their tools behind. The third chevron locked into place.
General Hammond stormed into the room, closely followed by Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter, his very presence causing several of the uniformed men to stand at attention. His voice nearly obscured by the sound of the fourth chevron locking. "Silence that alarm and tell me just what is going on?"
The klaxons silenced, Colonel O'Neill released an audible sigh of relief and merely shrugged as he met the glares of the others. A Sergeant chose that moment to speak from his position at the main computer. "No teams were scheduled to return for at least three weeks Sir, so the Iris is, was, undergoing routine maintenance. It was to be down less than thirty minutes, and the odds of this happening…"
"Are astronomical Sir." Major Carter finished for the flustered Sergeant as chevron five locked. Gen Hammond paused thoughtfully for a second, then spoke quietly, thinking out loud.
"So there's nothing we can do…"
"No Sir, we attempted to dial out, but the incoming wormhole prevented the connection." Chevron six locked.
"All right everyone! I want this base sealed! Prepare for the worst, but do nothing until I give the signal!" General Hammond barked his orders loud enough for even the soldiers within the gate room to hear. He cleared his throat, then spoke more quietly and hopefully. "Who knows, perhaps the Tok'ra…"
"Hey, it could happen." Col. O'Neill quipped cheerfully, then threw up his hands to ward off the glares aimed his way once more. "Just trying to lighten the mood…"
"Now is not a good time Colonel." Gen. Hammond spoke as Maj. Carter sat at a freed terminal. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, the display flickering rapidly as she called up a scanning program. Chevron seven locked into place… and kept dialing…
"What the…?" Everyone was stunned as the Stargate spun one last time and landed on a symbol that had never been seen in any coordinates before. Chevron eight locked and…
The Stargate burst into life – literally — the horizon of the stable wormhole at first resembled a huge rush of incoming water. This was sucked back into the arch with a great flash of light, and once the light cleared, resembled nothing more than an illuminated pool of water. A very deep, very cold, clear blue pool of water.
"No IDC received Sir." Maj. Carter spoke quietly. "Incoming object." Silence reigned supreme for a moment before a small tubular something flew out of the gate to clang loudly on the platform and down the ramp. The soldiers retreated minutely, only ceasing their tracking of the object when it rolled to a stop. In another blinding flash of light, the gate vanished just as quickly as it had formed. The tension within the two rooms was so thick, so heavy with apprehension, one of the younger soldiers at attention in the command room paled and fainted dead away.
Immediately another team of four soldiers appeared below, covered in armor and level four biohazard gear, they resembled aliens compared to the more normally uniformed soldiers in the room. A plastic container, the size of a baby's isolette, was brought forward and one of the soldiers carefully lifted the dark metallic tube inside. When the gate room had been cleared, Gen. Hammond's voice rang out loud and clear. "Get that Iris working NOW!"
The soldiers that had been working on the Iris scurried back inside the gate room, and those who had come in during the initial alarm remained until the protective device was safely closed once more. Gen. Hammond, along with O'Neill and Carter, hadn't waited around, but proceeded straight to the isolation labs.
Dr. Frasier was there, already removing her level 4 gear as they arrived. The General spoke into the observation room's single microphone when she looked up. "Status report Doctor."
"No evidence of nanocytes, replicant technology, energy signals either active or passive, or anything that would be harmful to us on the outside. Remind me to thank the Tok'ra for the use of one of their scanners." Dr. Frasier paused as she called up a large image on the monitor for them. "The case is an iron-lead composite, so we're unable to view anything inside, but it is completely covered in hieroglyphs! I've already taken a few photographs and scans for Dr. Jackson to translate."
"Thank you Doctor. Wait for Dr. Jackson before proceeding." She nodded, turning back to her assistant who was involved lining up another photograph. Gen. Hammond turned to Col. O'Neill and Maj. Carter. "Make sure Dr. Jackson gives this priority. We need to know what that message says."
-
The next morning a bleary-eyed Jack O'Neill walked into the debriefing room and gratefully accepted a steaming cup of coffee from Samantha Carter before sitting down. Jack moaned aloud as he pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "Why are these things always at such ungodly hours? What time is it anyway?"
"It's 0630 Jack." Daniel Jackson answered as he entered the room.
"Good Morning O'Neill." Teal'c spoke serenely as he arrived immediately after Jackson and sat at the large table in the room. Daniel glanced around the room, adjusting his glasses before speaking.
"So, where's Jonas?"
"Off-world with SG-6. Now, about your report Doctor." General Hammond, as always, appeared unaffected by the early hour, years of military discipline and training in evidence. Daniel shuffled around, still nervous, even if everyone in the room was his friend.
"Um, well, it's a message to someone here on Earth. The tube's hieroglyphs are a dialect of Ancient Egyptian slightly different from those in use on Abydos. There are several lines detailing a 'Dark Curse' that will befall anyone other than the Pharaoh, the intended recipient of whatever is inside." Daniel cleared his throat before continuing. "The symbol here has a number of meanings depending on the context… making this phrase 'The Pharaoh of Darkness' or 'The Shadow Pharaoh'…"
Daniel drifted off into his own thoughts as his mind tried to place the meaning of the particular symbol pointed out for the others.
"Daniel… Daniel… DANIEL!" Daniel blinked, then focused in on Jack who had yelled. "Contact! Now, how do we find this Pharaoh? Egypt hasn't had one in, like forever!"
"Actually, they provided directions… of a sort… they're obscure, to a remote desert site East of the Ancient Thebes…" Daniel faded off again as he re-read the numerous symbols. "…follow the mighty Nile as it flows … The mighty Eye of Ra shall ascend into heaven twice… When Nut has spread her cloak of stars upon the heavens on the third evening, follow the red star's rising into the 'Sacred Cleft'… There the keeper shall wait and prepare the bearer for audience with the mighty Pharaoh…"
"Dr. Jackson, in English now please." Gen. Hammond appeared unperturbed, his experiences through the SG program granting him an incredible patience.
"Ah, basically we head North from where Ancient Thebes was located, it names one of the Temples there, for two days, then into a 'Sacred Canyon' where someone named the 'Keeper' will be waiting for us on the third night." Daniel pushed his glasses up again and examined another photograph. "However, I'm still unable to translate these last three lines though; there are several symbols I've never seen before…"
"Do what you can Dr. Jackson. SG-1 you have three hours to prepare. The next available flight to Egypt is at 1000 hours. Consider this an initial contact mission; be on your guard, and on your best behavior." The last, Gen. Hammond spoke directly to Jack.
"Yes Sir!" He spoke innocently waving a salute as the General left. O'Neill then leaned over toward Daniel and spoke irritably. "Don't you think you should've figured them out before calling this little charade?"
"I tried Jack, even Teal'c doesn't recognize them. I'll email a colleague of mine. Dr. Bakira retired 10 years ago, but he still enjoys the digs in Egypt. He has a knack for discovering new items, small things that are normally overlooked." Daniel yawned tiredly, removing his glasses to rub at his eyes. When his vision returned, he found himself alone in the briefing room. "Well, at least I can sleep on the plane…"
-
"Ryou? Ryou? Do you know a Jackson-sensei?" Ryou Bakura leaned over his father's arm. His dad was paying him a brief visit on the insistence of his Mom and Sister. The email had an unknown attachment, and that in itself was suspicious.
"Iie Chichi-san… I'll look at it later. Did Haha-san or Imooto-chan write?" His father shook his head.
"No, but then they're probably busy. How about I take you out to dinner? You can tell me more about this 'Kura' person…" Ryou blushed at the mention of the spirit's 'pet name'. Oh was he going to have so much to make up for…
-
"Kura please! It's only for a few days until my Father leaves. I'll be perfectly safe!" He paused as he felt the spirit's last resistance crumble. "I, I'm sorry Kura, but I can't concentrate when you… you… ohh….!"
"You wouldn't want to 'evict' me now would you my chiisai yadonushi?" The smirk in the spirit's mental voice could be clearly heard as he controlled Ryou's hands.
"Kura… please….!"
"Yadonushi… Ryou…." The spirit purred.
"Hai… Kura… onegai…" Ryou spoke in short panting gasps.
"Make it up to me."
-
Ryou only half-listened to his father that evening, preoccupied with his own thoughts until his attention caught on something his father had said. "You're what?"
"You're doing well here, much better than you were at home. And, I know you want to get back to your Kura, so I'm going home tonight. I can catch the late flight and meet up with Tsuma and musume-chan there. Are you ever going to tell me about Kura, Musuko-chan?" His father's direct question had Ryou blushing madly. He tried to stammer out a coherent reply, but his father held up a hand to silence the effort. "You don't have to tell me about her now, but when the two of you are ready, come and talk to me?"
Ryou took a moment to compose himself. "Arigatoo Chichi-san. I, we, appreciate it."
"You're going to have to learn that you talk in your sleep Musuko-chan. If you don't want people overhearing you, you need to remember to shut your door." They shared a warm laugh as their dinners arrived and spent the remainder of their evening together in pleasant companionship. Ryou saw his father off late that night in the taxi they'd come home in. He loved his father, but was glad to see him leave. He wasn't convinced that his father would understand his relationship. After watching the taxi round the corner at the end of the street, Ryou ran upstairs to where the Sennen Ring, and his Kura, waited for him.
It wasn't until he was checking his e-mail the next morning that he remembered the strange message. After scanning it to assure himself that it contained no viruses, he opened it and began to read:
Dr. Bakira,
I was wondering if within your experiences, if you had seen
any symbols resembling these? I've been away, and out of touch with
the community for the last few years. Have there been any new
discoveries….
The message continued for some time and Ryou skipped the rest of it. Curiosity compelled him to open the attached image file where he was greeted with seven very familiar symbols. "Kura, are you awake? I think you should take a look at this…"
He could feel the spirit stir and stretch as he awoke. Red heat suffused his cheeks as Ryou 'felt' strong arms wrap around him in a sleepy hug. "Aa yadonushi… I am always here for you."
Ryou blushed nearly fifty shades of red as he felt a ghostly pair of lips caress the side of his neck. Then the spirit glanced through Ryou's eyes at the image on the screen and instantly stilled. "Warn the Pharaoh my yadonushi and the Ishtar Clan as well. Someone else has become aware of the Sennen Items."
-
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Vocabulary and Note:
Iie no
Chichi-san respectful term for one's own father
haha-san respectful term for one's own mother
imooto-chan familiar term for one's own younger sister
chiisai yadonushi lit. "Little Landlord" The spirit of the ring refers to Ryou as his landlord in the Manga.
Aa/Hai yes
Onegai lit. "I beg of you" a very respectful pleading way to say 'please'
Musuko-chan familiar term for one's own son
Hope you all liked this little attempt at a YGO/SG crossover! I'm not really happy with the title, but I guess it will have to do until I think up a better one. Reviews, suggestions and constructive criticism are craved.
I had this idea blossom into being while reading the Taur'i Pharaoh, specifically the scene where Yuugi/Yami is dialing out of SG headquarters. It developed and changed over several weeks, and has come to you, my reader, as this. :bows deeply: Arigatoo gozaimasu!