At it again. Yes, people, I have been promising a big battle, but I need to do some groundwork first. It's like…launching a space shuttle. You don't just turn on the burners and hope for the best, no, you have to flip a billion switches first! There's also all those slider bars that need to be set, and the knobs that need tuning…it's very complicated. The point of all my rambling is that battles are complicated, and I will give you a massive one, within two chapters from now, give or take.
After confirming that it was the Du Weldenvarden Stargate that had dialed Atlantis, Dr. Wier had the shield lowered, and the Jumper glided through the event horizon before ascending into the Jumper bay. Angel was waiting for them there, her white wings spread slightly as she watched the Jumper land, her blue eyes steady.
Ajax carefully set the Jumper down on it's recharge pad, and opened the door. As soon as Amaranth was unbuckled from her harness, Savra went over to Amaranth, and walked out of the Jumper with her, clutching one of Amaranth's neck spikes like a life raft. Behind them Aragon and Thelduin stepped out next, followed by Ajax.
"Hello, Angel." Ajax said, nodding at the young girl. "What's up? You don't typically greet every Jumper that comes in personally."
Angel looked at Aragon. "He's the one." she said, then wound up and slugged him hard in the stomach before Aragon could move to block it. "That." she said ominously. "Was for the disturbance you caused in my nerve center. It took me nearly three hours with the help of McKay to get everything back in working order. Now, I'll deck you if you can't explain to my satisfaction what it was that you did."
Aragon barely even thought about it before grabbing Angel and twisting sharply on his heel. He vanished with a sharp crack! Angel disappeared at the same time.
Aragon reappeared outside the tower, released Angel, and apparated back inside the Jumper bay. Just before he did so however, he noticed a pair of angel-like wings on Angel's back. Moments later, the Jumper bay doors opened, and Angel dropped down inside, folding her wings in as she touched the ground.
"Fail." she said, pointing at Aragon. "Know this, Aragon the Grey. I am linked to this city, and if you try anything like that again, I can make life very uncomfortable for you here. Now, what did you do yesterday that caused the disturbance?"
Aragon worked his mouth for several seconds and Ajax glanced between them warily. That little spout from Angel reminded him a lot of what he'd known Max to do. It was scary to think how well Angel learned from her leader.
"I nearly killed myself trying to get to this world. My transport spell uses a Stargate as the focus point, creating a stable fold for me to walk through. I use the Stargate due to it's resilience as it can take a remarkable amount of energy without failing or being destroyed. When this city was moved here, I didn't know about it. I was aiming for the 'gate in Du Weldenvarden when my spell was forced to choose between two 'gates in one astronomical unit. It nearly killed me; had I not chosen a 'gate myself, it would have continued to fluctuate between 'gates, and I could have been split in half."
Angel cocked her head to the side, thinking. After several moments, she said "Very well. I believe you did not mean any harm. Is there anything you can do to ensure that you will not have this problem in the future?"
"Yes, I can put a spell over the 'gate that will keep me from ever having this issue again." Aragon said, thinking much like Angel.
"Then please do so as soon as possible. Oh, and I'll expect you in the briefing room with the highest echelon of Atlantis in twenty minutes for your briefing on Chaos." With that, Angel closed the upper bay doors with a flick of her mind, then strode down the steps that led down into the Control Room.
Aragon looked at Ajax, then said with exasperation, "Well, wish me luck."
"You'll need it, especially with Angel." Ajax said, jerking his head after her with a grin. "But, after your finished briefing everybody, have someone escort you to my quarters. I've got to get the Lyrical Fire built."
So saying, Ajax walked over to the door control mechanism, and opened the Jumper bay door that led to the 'gate room below. "Geronimo!" was followed immediately by a thud as the falling hybrid hit the deck.
While her Rider went to build the Lyrical Fire, Amaranth guided the young human-lizard hybrid gently down the stairs, headed for the only place she could think would accept Savra.
The Rides' quarters:
The doorbell chimed, and Max got up to answer it, followed by Fang. They had been laying on the queen-sized bed, just enjoying each other's company when the doorbell rang, and Max was on the side closest to the door. When Max swiped the tray to allow entry, the doors groaned open to reveal the young emerald dragoness, patiently waiting with a four-year old girl who's skin was remarkably like scales.
"Can you take care of this one?" Amaranth asked, waving her tail with a lazy flick at the girl who was looking up at Max with wide eyes.
Max blinked, then got down to Amaranth's level, studying the girl curiously. "Sure."
"Her name is Savra, she is a human-lizard hybrid, and she is very shy." Amaranth stated, glancing over Max's shoulder at Fang who watched emotionlessly from the beyond the door. "But I have already introduced her to you in a way."
Max was at a loss for words as Amaranth carefully removed herself from Savra's deathgrip before padding down the hallway.
"My name is Sah-vrah." the girl told Max. She seemed rather matter-of-fact about it, yet still shy. "Will you be my mom?" Max's heart nearly broke at that, and after a moment, she looked Savra in the eye and said "Yeah, I'll be your mom." As she was standing up, she noticed a bird-kid shaped disturbance in the air as Fang walked out.
Atlantis Briefing Room:
Aragon was finishing the briefing on Chaos, and with the exception of the girl who had punched him as soon as he had exited the Jumper, and a quiet warrior type man, Aragon got the impression that nobody truly believed him.
"Well." Dr Wier said, standing up as she picked up her computer. "Thank you for taking the time to share this with us." Her tone belied her words, and Aragon knew that she didn't believe him, not for a second.
Just then, Angel spoke up. "Dr Wier? Could you please sit back down?" After a surprised Dr. Wier had done so, Angel continued. "He speaks the truth."
Dr Wier's eyes opened wide at that. "Really."
"Yes." Angel stated, her angelic face rather serious as she gazed about at the humans. "He could share that with you, but seeing as how there's no bucket nearby, I'd rather he didn't."
"I believed him before you said anything." Ronon said, addressing Angel. "There have been stories among my people about warriors with great strength, stronger than even the Wraith. We hoped we would never see them, we hoped they were mere tales handed down from our great-great-great-great-grandfathers, meant to frighten us as children." Ronon glanced at Aragon with unconcealed mistrust as he continued to speak. "These warriors had much strength, and were completely honor-less. They were a disgrace to any who called themselves a warrior." So saying, Ronon sat back in his chair.
"You said they were a disgrace." Aragon said, his hands tightening into fists though he struggled to keep his face noncomplacent. "Not to nit-pick, but they still are. Or did your people kill these warriors you speak of?"
"In the stories, only five warriors of their horde were felled. Seteda's women and children ran for the caves while our greatest army did battle with them."
"I'm sorry for the massacre that must have occurred." Aragon said. "Why did they leave again?"
"They couldn't find our women and children, and a planet with no slaves must have seemed worthless to them." Ronon replied, his eyes distant. "Our warriors fought well, and made their ancestors proud. There is nothing to be sorry about."
"If Angel believes you," McKay said, speaking up suddenly, "Then I believe you as well. She is the only person in this city smarter than me, much as that pains me to say it. I'll be going over weapon schematics after the meeting is over." With that McKay stopped speaking.
"Well," Sheppard said, still reclined in his chair as if at ease. "If this MFO's are as bad-ass as he says, what assets do we have besides the city that can help us live another day?"
"The Daedalus is due back in three days."
"You would know, your favorite coffee is on board."
"There's also Voyager and the associated assets there."
"There are five people who can use magic far beyond anybody else, and they would be willing to help, I think."
"Don't forget Max and the rest of my family." Angel said, her wings ruffling behind her back. "We know how to fight."
Just then, one of the many door panels opened, and Ajax walked in, his hand on the hilt of one of his swords. "Sorry I'm late. I've already been briefed on Chaos, and in more detail than he gave all of you. I needed the nearby stream when he was done."
"And you're here for…, what?" Dr Wier asked, her eyes narrowed though her voice held no hint of interrogation. "You don't typically come around unless you have something."
"As a matter of fact, I do have something." Ajax said, turning to the Doctor. "I asked the SGC to give Phoenix permission to fly here. She's due in three days. Also, I've been working on a special device I have dubbed the Lyrical Fire project. If it works like I think it will, it will amplify my magic by as much as four hundred percent. I also saved seven sets of armor I picked up in my travels, and six matching weapons. I believe Max and her family are already familiar with them."
The room was silent after that, as everyone tried to think of anything that hadn't already been mentioned.
"Dumb question alert." Ajax said suddenly. McKay's eyebrows shot up; whenever Ajax chose to precede a question with that statement, it typically meant that he had a good idea, but wasn't confident about it.
"Make that two. Number one. Could we get Todd's help in exchange for a 'hot meal'? Two, could we get some Jaffa to help us?"
"That's actually a good idea with the Jaffa." John said, sitting up right in his chair and pointing one finger at Ajax. "From what I heard from Mitchell, the Jaffa are scary good fighters. Almost as good as Ronon's people, from what I heard."
"Who would we be giving to Todd for his 'hot meal'?" Dr Wier asked.
"Actually, seeing as how I am immortal, I could…volunteer for it." Ajax said, swallowing hard in his throat though he stood his ground.
"Are you sure about this?" Dr. Wier asked. "From what I've heard, it's very painful to the person being fed on, and the person also ages very quickly."
"I can handle it." Ajax said, sounding more confident than he felt. "And I'm willing to do it if it means that nobody else has to die in order to gain serious reinforcements. I know what a Wraith cruiser can do, and I personally think that his assistance will be welcome."
"Very well. If you're willing to do it, then you may negotiate with him for his assistance." Dr. Wier said. She tapped out some notes on her computer.
Ajax nodded sharply, as if he was expecting her to say that.
"So, is that it then?" Aragon asked, preparing to rise to his feet.
"Yeah, pretty much. We'll have to ask about the Jaffa, and Todd may or may not decide to come." Dr. Wier said. "Meeting adjourned." While everyone else got up to leave, Dr. Wier continued writing down notes on her computer.
"So, what now?" Aragon asked of Ajax, as they left the Control room.
"Well, from here, we take J7, which has been specifically designated for Rider use, and we see what else we can set up."
"J7?"
"Yeah, after the green egg hatched for me, Dr. Wier said that Jumper 7 was to be set aside for Dragon Riders. This means that, in essence, I have my own Jumper, though I've been working on teaching Eragon how to fly it." Ajax grinned. "He's still a bit wary of the whole thing, but he's coming around."
"And just how did you convince him to even entertain the idea?" Aragon asked. "He seems like the type to go everywhere with his dragon."
"Aren't we all?" Ajax said, gesturing to Thelduin. She snorted at the comment, but chose not to reply. "I managed to convince him by saying that it would help him function better if Saphira wasn't around."
"That sounds like a line from Orimis." Aragon said. His face indicated that he still wasn't much for it.
Ajax cast a side glance at him but kept walking, his voice tight when he said, "Orimis is dead. Killed by Murtagh. We don't talk about it much."
"I wondered why he wasn't at the 'gate to greet me." Aragon said, nodding as if that made perfect sense.
"Well. Like I said, we don't talk about it much. Eragon and I both agreed that Q has punished him enough."
"How?" Aragon asked, climbing the stairs to the Jumper bay. "His torc. Also, he's not allowed inside the borders of Du Weldenvarden."
"I've been meaning to ask about the thing on your neck. What's that all about?"
"Q decided that the Dragon Riders should follow old Celtic traditions. I'm guessing you would hate having one, seeing as how there isn't one on your neck." Ajax closed the door and strode to the pilot's seat. As the bay doors opened, Ajax guided the Jumper up and out of the bay, neatly clearing the still-opening doors.
Due to the fact that the Jumper was cloaked, Ajax had no qualms about flying low, and for the most part, he flew just over the trees, running the Jumper at half-throttle.
"So, where are we headed?" Aragon asked, glancing out the front glass. "Because you don't look like you're scoping anything out."
"I'm not." Ajax replied, tapping a crystal. The Jumper bleeped in response, and Ajax stood up to get a better look a the terrain, looking for a descent spot to land. "I intend to visit the Queen."
"The queen."
Aragon's statement wasn't lost on Ajax, who explained. "Queen Nasuada took the throne of the Empire after Galbatorix died by my hand."
"You killed him?" Aragon asked, incredulous. "How?"
"He transmuted several crows into steel, and then directed them at me, but then realized that he would have a hard time making it out of the battle zone without being reduced to a mere man and tried for his crimes. He fell to my Klingon Batt'leth." Ajax said. "Two seconds later, the crows knocked me off of Shruiken, and I fell to my death."
"Then how are you here today, flying this Jumper?" Aragon demanded, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Ajax who turned to look at him.
"I came back to life. Remember what I told you about the moonpool?" At Aragon's nod, Ajax continued. "I've developed a sort of ranking chart for immortals. Class One immortals can be killed with a blade or poison. Class Two can be killed with a ceremonial weapon or in a certain part of the body, or both. Class Three can be killed in a certain ceremonial time, with a ceremonial weapon, and Class Four can't be killed. On that list, I am Class Three. Anything short of the proper ceremony will result in me coming back to life. That's how I survived."
Ajax turned and saw the palace up ahead, where Nasuada resided as Queen of the Empire. De-cloaking the Jumper, Ajax slowly set it down in the courtyard, making sure the Nighthawks knew he was there.
Amaranth jumped down from her chair, having been listening to their conversation quietly, and padded to the back of the Jumper, acting as if she was leading her Rider to the back.
Together the Riders and their dragons left the Jumper, preparing themselves for what would come next.
Time to put this chapter to bed. Next chapter, we'll see the briefing of the Queen, the Urgals, and the dwarves. The elves have already been informed while Ajax was cutting z's in his hammock.
Readers, Answers to:
Feather-sensei: This battle will be massive, possibly spanning more than one chapter. I may or may not decide to wipe several important characters out of existence, and Aragon is hard to write, because I'm very acutely well aware that his creator is reading down my neck as I write.
Master of the Blood Wolves: I made sure people noted the usage of HP-verse magic. I skipped the scene in which Aragon explains how he survived the Fall, but he did explain. As for the torc of the Riders, you'll note that Aragon was not given a curved piece of metal around his neck. Aragon uses the Stargate because it is able to withstand the force of his spell, to date, nothing else in Alagaesia has been able to do that.
Now, I'll turn it over to Avenging Angels after telling you all No One Liners! Avenging Angels?
Yeah! What he said, I think? Haha, remember to R&R. I know for a fact that the final battle is going to be epic. What with Hideout Writer's knack for script written chapters ( a style I envy because it is very fluid while reading) and my ability to add a little emotion, there's no doubt in my mind that you won't be able to stop reading until he decides to end it. So, leaving you on that bright and cheerful note, I bid thee farewell.
Fly on,
Avenging Angels
Okay, Hideout Writer here again. After reading what Avenging Angels said, I should tell you here and now, this upcoming battle is by no means the 'final battle', though a battle like that will of course be epic, just due to the nature of last battles. I still have quite a ways to go with this before I finally close Microsoft Works Word Processor for the last time on this story. I will tell you when I'm about to shut it down, though.