...'tis more imminent than pain...

Hugh Laurie-General Hippaforalkus.

.....................................................................................................................................

Eighteen years ago.

The Admiral was a tall man, with deep blue eyes and greying hair that reflected the amount of hours he spent protecting the population of this galaxy. He barely ate...one meal a day they said. He had been Renatus' friend and ally for many years and the two men had served together on the Venator during the first battle of the war....that was eighty years ago.

"How's the project going?" General Hippaforalkus said as the made their way through one of the many corridors of the station.

"It's going well sir; I think she'll have the painting done by the end of the week." Villgans replied as he admired the black and brown walls and red floor that was oh so common for their buildings.

"Good, my apartment in the city needs redecorating soon." Both old men began to laugh. A few of the scientists and personnel that were also in the corridor began to look at them in annoyance, idle conversation and laughter in such an important place was odd and almost unheard off...The laughter began to die off when they turned the corner into another corridor. "So how is Alia and the boys?"

"The twins are fine sir, my eldest has just finished his dissertation on native subspace life and Marius has just returned from a trip to Vaclarush Toral." He said proudly,

"And Alia?" The Admiral said.

"You know how teenage girls are sir." Villgans said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Don't worry my old friend, she'll get over it soon enough...How old is she now?"

"23 sir, close to the end of her teenage years."

"They grow up so fast don't they? I remember the day that you asked me to be the Seal Father, the day after her birth...It feels just like yesterday."

....

Adalyx stood in front of his console chair with the small computer in his hand, the back of the chair was open and at least a dozen crystals lay on the floor. The familiar sound of the door opening went through the room and Karyan stepped through. They had never been close...ships physician and gun captain were not exactly similar job descriptions and yet even between these two their seemed to be a rift of dislike between them. ..

"Adalyx..." She said as she looked at the control chair's open back port and de-illuminated base."What did, what happened here?"

"The targeting sensors felt sluggish so I decided to improve them, unfortunately...the ship couldn't handle the upgrades that I made to the sensors and so the data-link between myself and the ship wont activated." He said sternly.

"In other words, you felt that you could improve the ships sensors and instead of calling someone who had done a rotation in the science directorate to recalibrate the sensors, you did it yourself...and failed miserably." She replied with a grin on her face as she bent down to inspect the damage done to the platform. He sighed as she spoke.

In the Lantean Military one chose two of forty two paths, for example Captain Helia of the Tria has degrees in Medicine and from the officer's school while Karyan had degrees in medicine and engineering. ..Captain Villgans held degrees in engineering, one from the officer's school and another one gained from his time working at the fleet command. Adalyx on the other hand had degrees in tactical and navigation.

"Do you really believe that, what you said during the briefing?" She dropped to her knees and began to examine the crystals.

"Don't you?" He replied.

"No, not really...I mean, I admit that as the creators of these people we have a responsibility to protect and guide them but we can't take the living space away from them. It's only a planet."

"How can you say that? We're the Alterans, children of Atlantus...Our ancestors brought reason while their brethren brought fire and death...we have crossed the very width of the universe itself to found the greatest nation the stars have ever seen, our stargates brought life and civilisation to a galaxy empty. And then...when the plague swept through our space we launched ourselves into the stars again...We brought life to a galaxy where their appeared to be none yet again! Our technology is godlike compared to the humans...We have even begun to tackle the question of death itself. When you consider that, how can you not consider us the right people to decide the destiny of these people?" He said. Karyan thought he sounded too prideful, but she wouldn't bring it up.

'The Ascended don't think that about themselves, why should you?'

"You're from one of the old houses aren't' you?" She asked as she put one of the crystals back into the chair platform.

"Yes, the House of Oliveras. How did you know?"

"I've spent a lot of time around members of the various Houses and you sound like many of them, prideful of our species' actions but you seem too arrogant to remember that we've made many mistakes along the way, The Wraith for example."

"The Wraith was hardly our fault, how could we expect that there would be native life hidden beneath the crust of that planet? Topographical scans showed nothing...no one expected the Iratus bug." He said.

"Alright, okay but...Don't you believe that we have a responsibility to help these people? I mean their homes were destroyed in the war against the Wraith and...they're hiding in the atmosphere of a gas giant...It's not like they landed on the south pier of Atlantus, demanded room and board and started to bully children." She said.

"No, I can't say that I do. I was always taught that we are superior to them and that they should always do as commanded. That even though we are close as two species' can be...if in the end it came down to them or us...It would always be us." She was sickened by this familiar teachings...She finished the repairs and stood back up again.

"You know, with that attitude you will never ascend." She said to his face, she looked into his eyes and he saw a fire that few people ever saw, a rage. "It's a mindset like that turned the Ori from our brethren to...monsters." She said and left the room, quickly.

..............

"They've broken past the satellite defence perimeter!" The technician said from the console, on the screen in front and above them red graphics broke through the vast number of blue dots that represented the thousands upon thousands of satellites that littered the edge of the Lantean system. Thousands of them, fighters to hive ships swarmed through.

"Send out a message to all ships in system; regroup in orbit of Lantea...maybe if we can take enough of their ships out in the first wave they'll back off...give us enough time to think...gather the fleet together for a counter attack before..." Before he could finish however another officer appeared and handed him a data pad. He looked at the data pad and a single tear began to roll down his cheek. He cleared his throat and began to read...

"General Hippaforalkus is dead. The LWS Amelius has been destroyed with all hands aboard the fleet sent to negotiate with the Primary Queen has been destroyed or routed." All around the people were stunned at this turn of events. The Amelius was the flag ship of the Lantean Fleet, a third the total size of the city of Atlantus itself, double the total amount of weapons...It only got worse when one considered the fact that with the attrition that the war had brought to them eighty five percent of fleet command was stationed there during the destruction...

"Sir, there's a message from High Councillor Moros." One of the techs said.

"Put him through!" He ordered. The old man's holographic avatar appeared in the middle of the room. The High Councillor's holographic head shone, even as a being made of light his head still shone...in a lighter situation that might have made the Captain laugh.

"Captain Villgans, the enemy fleet has broken through the satellite fortifications that surround our system. I want that station evacuated and everyone there back in the cities defensive shield before the Wraith get here."

"Sir, I have ordered every ship in the system to regroup over Lantea...you see my plan is to..."

"No, we cannot hope to survive a direct assault by the Wraith. Your orders have been rescinded."

"What about the people in the cities on the mainland? There are almost ten thousand people there..." Villgans said passionately, pleadingly....

"They are casualties of war." The levee broke...

"Casualties of war, you unfeeling son of a bitch, Moros! What about my family! And the thousands of other families down there! Don't you even feel anything...!"

"Enough!" The High Councillor exclaimed so loud that all the technicians and soldiers in the room flinched and the equally as furious Captain shut up. "Guards, arrest Captain Villgans. I am ordering the complete evacuation of this station as off now. All personnel are to report to Atlantus immediately..."

A young woman, as tall as the captain if a bit taller stood up and pointed her sidearm at the Captain. She had blonde hair that appeared to be carefully brushed and she had a beauty to her that seemed strange to old men such as them. "Yes sir." She said.

As the old High Councillor smiled at the predicament and the other station officers worked she lead him out the room with the weapon still pointed at his head...As soon as they were out the room and sight of the hologram she dropped the crystalline weapon to the ground and looked at him pleadingly.

"Go on Captain, there's an excess gateship in hangar three. Go save your family." He smiled at her and began to run to the aforementioned hangar. He stopped suddenly.

"I'm sorry; I didn't even get your name officer." He said.

"Trebal, sir." She replied.

"Thank you, Officer Trebal." He said as he went running again.

.................

The Aurora glided through the currents of thick hyperspace, the gentle currents of energy washed around the ships shield as if it was a bubble in water

...................

Karyan and Villgans sat in the Captains quarters enjoying a drink of what Villgans had been told to believe was genuine Ki Sador whiskey but what both physician and Captain actually believed to be three hundred year old apple juice. Oh well, they drank anyway.

"So, how do we compare to what your used to?" He said as he finished his glass and poured more of the 'Ki Sador whiskey'.

"Well..." She said with a smile. "It's nice to work in a dimension made of matter again, and I pity the man who doesn't love to work with matter." They both began to laugh heavily at the absurdity of the question and the response.

It was a difficult question for anyone to be perfectly honest, how do you talk to a formerly ascended being?

The captain opened his hand and the bottle rose into the air before it slowly hovered into his hand.

"There is one thing...I really don't understand where that came from." She said.

"Pardon me, ma'am?" He replied in puzzlement as he poured another cup.

"When I was in human form the first time, we showed our abilities openly...we were proud of what being Alterans had given us...The Lanteans seem to hide their abilities away, it's almost like its a taboo to be an evolved being." He put the glass and bottle down onto the floor.

"As you know, our domain in the Avalon galaxy was governed by a high council much like our current government; however their high council was made up of representatives from each of the great houses...the descendants of the original high council at the time of the exodus from the home galaxy. The plague wiped out the majority of the members of the great houses which lead to the current government..."

"Yes and the abilities?" He smiled as she interrupted him.

"The remaining members of the Great Houses found this rather...insulting and it wasn't before long before civil war seemed like a possibility. Eventually there was an altercation, between a member of the House of Antaru and man who wasn't part of one of any of the houses...History doesn't remember their names, as children we're taught that their names aren't what's important but what is important is that after the dust settled it became taboo to use our powers in front of others, that the story taught us not to overstep our bounds in case it lead to disaster."

He gestured for the glass again and it rose up into the air and into his hand. "Can I ask you something?" He said.

"Yes Captain you may, however only if I am awarded the same." She replied with a smile.

"Where did you go after you Ascended?"

"I travelled throughout the local group of galaxies...starting in Avalon and then throughout the other largest two...After that I left and travelled in the general direction of the Destiny."

"The Destiny?" He asked.

"A pre-Ascension, pre-Atlantus city built by our kind..." Suddenly the intercom activated and Commander Trebal's voice flowed through the room...

"Captain Villgans, we're about to exit hyperspace." He tapped the button on his collar.

"Thank you Trebal, I'll be with you in a moment." He tapped it again and stood up. "Would you join me on the bridge ma'am?" She stood up.

"Yes, I would." She replied as they began to walk to the bridge.

.............

Trebal sat on the bridge's control and pilots chair. Her face was relatively calm, especially when you considered that she had to jump into orbit of the gas giant close enough so that Wraith sensors didn't detect the ship yet far enough that the ship wasn't destroyed by the planets unique electro-magnetic field...Most people would have fallen of the seat with sweat but not Trebal.

"So how long have you known the Captain?" Second Watch Captain Verro asked her from just outside the control chairs left control console.

"Eighteen years and counting...I met him the same day he took command of the Aurora actually." She replied.

"Oh...were you one of the original candidates for first officer?" He said.

"No, I was his arresting officer." She said with a grin as dozens of numbers, statistics etc went through her mind. Verro looked at her perplexedly with wide eyes.

"What...?"

"Trebal, if I've asked you once I've asked you one hundred and seventeen times...please don't tell anyone on the crew about how I came to command this vessel." Captain Renatus Villgans said with a smile which Trebal copied. Behind the Captain came the ships physician, Karyan, who was a mystery even to those on her staff.

"Sorry sir." She said with a grin.

"Just, please don't do it again." He replied.

"We are fifteen seconds away from real space. Should I inform the crew sir?" Verro said.

"No, I think I'll do it." He said as he tapped the button on his collar twice to activate the ship wide intercom.

"Crew of the Aurora, this is the Captain. We are soon to exit hyperspace in low orbit of LX-335. Brace yourselves for possible gravitational turbulence." He said and tapped the button again. On the bridges front window a HUD appeared, counting down before it was best possible time to leave hyperpace (too late and the ship would be too far into the planet and would be pulled apart, too early and the ship would be in open space, easily traceable by the Wraith.)

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

Suddenly the blue and black of hyperspace was pulled away to reveal the blackness with the occasional sprinkle of stars while at the bottom of the very large screen the blue and orange storms of LX-335 raged below.

"Verro, get me a reading...should I tell Adalyx to get in the chair?" The bridge went silent as the third officer walked to the sensor console and examined the readings...

"Stable low altitude orbit of LX-335 confirmed, I believe that we have managed to avoid detection by the Wraith." He said with a smile to which the entire bridge replied with applause. The Captain smiled at his crew, his family...He let their happiness wash over him, rejuvenating him...He stayed silent as the cheer died down.

"Commander Trebal and Second Watch Captain please begin scans for Janus' station...I believe it to be somewhere in the upper atmosphere I think it's the best place to start."

"Yes sir." The two officers said in unison.

.......................

As the Aurora dove into the gas giant's atmosphere a small, purple dart like fighter made a visual confirmation of its presence in system...