Stargate Hastings

Chapter Twenty-one part two: We do not need you

Abydos.

When Larry met up with the others, they were all amazed to see him in the flesh. Larry had chosen a man of peace as his avatar, and liked the reaction it elicited in people. None seemed to be threatened by him, that was until Janus retook corporeal form and revealed his deception. When all of this began Larry was still very young, and not even completely sentient at the time. More than that he had no understanding of the consequences of his actions. Janus however knew the dangers of meddling with time, and had even admitted as much over the years. By the time Larry or just crystal at that time, had gained a level of intelligence that was more than technological; The damage had already been done, and it was all their doing.

There was no chance of convincing his friend of the seriousness of what they were doing. Larry instead made himself essential to all of Janus's plans, and then he waited. What was done, was done! To stop Janus too soon would have caused more harm than good, but it would be Janus's final piece to the puzzle, that Larry would use to bring him down. He was the first person he greeted in his new form and still in the same not posh, but very proper English accent. "Jim, my I shake your hand?". He asked, then reached out his own.

Jim knew that it was Larry as he looked identical to his avatar, but it was the crystal in the man's chest that confirmed it. He took Larry's hand to shake it and said. "That was quick, we were expecting it to take a while". Then released it.

Larry replied. "All I require are the materials, I can alter them into anything we will require. Less complex element's can be fabricated from anything, even water but Naquadah and other rare materials like gold or platinum can not however. It will take longer to change this world, but not too long". Larry saw that Jim was looking at his chest, so added. "The crystal is who I am Jim, this body is only a means of transportation and communication. It is my brain, but it is also my heart". He explained.

"Can you bring Fa'ruuk here? We need him to add weight to my claim". Jim asked Larry.

"I will send you all to him, there is something I must do first; I will be along shortly". Before Jim could say anything, they were all transported away. Alone once more in the desert, he began the process of changing Abydos from a desert world, into a fertile paradise. The process would take years but that was a good thing, the last thing he wanted was to scare the Abydonians. They had endured so much and Larry had grown fond of them over the years, that he had spent watching them. He was certain that they would not want to leave their home, but he could only hope that they would accept him.

When they appeared at the outskirts of Nagada, Jim turned to the Abydonians and said. "I remember this place, is this where you rescued me?". He asked with a smile on his face.

Hassif senior said. "It was you who rescued us Jeem, my brother!". With the other Abydonians all agreeing with Hassif.

"No brother, I only put your people in danger but Larry we will rescue you, us from the terrible mistake I have made. Now let us find the leader of your people, and I do not mean our son Hassif!". Fa'ruuk was the true leader of these people, and the only one who could help him remove his son from his current position as their King.

Hassif Jr then said. "We understand Jeem, we will find Fa'ruuk". He then indicated for Nasseef and Ma'tuff to follow him, but before they entered the city Fa'ruuk came walking towards them.

He walked straight towards Jim, then asked him. "Is it really you? Did you defeat the demon Jeem?". He had witnessed the state Jim was in at the time of their escape.

Jim replied. "He is not a demon my friend. He wishes to help free your people, but leaving Abydos is not the way to do this. Their way will only bring your people suffering and war; There is a better way brothers, but I will need you to trust us!". He asked all of the Abydonians present.

It was Nasseef who spoke first. "What about our brothers and sisters that are still not free? I will die free, so that they can live free Jeem!". The way he looked at Jim left him certain that this boy, no young man meant every word he had just said.

It just made him more determined that these people would not be sold down the river, as his son's mother put it. "Good for you Nasseef, but what about your brothers and sisters that are here? The old people, those that are too young or too old to fight? Those who do not wish to fight or are you going to force them into fighting?". His voice raising with each new question. "Well!". He shouted at the young boy, because now he was a boy.

Nasseef tried to sound defiant. "We are strong, none of our people are Kek!". He was not successful, and knew he was about to be berated for his ignorance.

Jim started laughing and shaking his head. When he stopped laughing, he stared at Nasseef with an evil look in his eyes. "They have already got you haven't they, the brave little soldier. You think it is weak to choose peace boy! I have seen weak men, men who would walk into battle fearlessly, and kill other human beings like it was nothing to them. They were seen as strong, but they had been broken and then turned into killers". Jim pointed to Donald's mother, then added. "Her husband saved me from becoming like those men, and I have done the same to others in honour of that man. Tell me Nasseef why do we fight in wars?". He asked the now confused looking boy.

Nasseef could not understand why Jeem was talking like this, he was the man who gave them the belief that they would be free, could be free. "So that our people will one day be free Jeem. You are the one who tell us this, I do not understand". The defiance was gone from his voice now.

Jim did not like tearing the boy down like this, but he was falling into the same trap that he had. "You and all the other men are free to do you as you wish, but if your people are truly free! Then those who wish to choose peace and not war, will be not be branded as weak or do you believe I am Kek?". Jim asked him.

"No Jeem, you defeated a God!". Nasseef declared.

The way he looked at him turned his stomach, like he was a hero! He had not defeated the Gau'auld, that was impossible. Jim had no doubt he would have fought him to the death, but he could never have defeated him. How could he explain that to the child, without losing what clout he had with these people. Before he could start explaining, Larry appeared next to Nasseef. He had not transported himself there, he had moved so fast that no one saw him approaching. He placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and said to him. "We fight to gain peace young one or that is what they tell everyone. I believe that we should fight, so we can learn how stupid it is but I have chosen not to fight, so what would I know?". He asked sarcastically.

Nasseef stood there in silence, with Jim understanding why. He had felt the wind from Larry's arrival, with his improved physiology he was even able to see it to a certain extent. Believing what his eyes were telling him was a whole other matter, not even the Gau'auld could move that fast and he should know. Inside his head Kraytos said to him. "He is a machine, the Gau'auld have vessel's that can reach those speeds. How quiet he was is the most impressive thing about it, we should be happy that he is a man of peace or we would all be in trouble".

Jim replied in his internal voice. "We could still be in trouble my friend. Joseph did not seem to understand the greater implications of our little talk with him. Janus only believes he is the architect of all of this, but he lost control the moment he gave him time to evolve or should I say teach his children. Larry is the most powerful being in this galaxy, possibly the entire universe even. That being now has the power to wipe us all out of existence, I just hope nobody pisses him off!". Kraytos just let his amusement be known to him. San'kha who had stayed quiet and watched attentively, gave Jim a look indicating that he too had witnessed the incredible speed of Larry's new form.

Larry looked at the Abydonians and declared. "You do not have to leave this world, your home. No one will ever be able to harm you again, this I promise you all. I have already began the process of making this world better, and hope you will stay around to witness how beautiful this world will become?". He asked them all, but lingered on Meera and her child as he looked at them.

Little Donald was smiling at him as he always did, but his mother was confused by the situation. So Larry said to her. "Your husband is a good man Meera, but he is still a child. One day I am certain he will make a good King, when he is old enough to know better but your people need peace, not war. You are stepping into a new world with numerous possibilities. Those who wish to go and fight, let them; Those who wish to live in peace must also be given the choice or you will all be slaves still. Do you understand Meera or were you not paying attention during your time on the first-world?". He asked her.

Jim was thankful that Larry showed up when he did, he would never have thought of Meera and what she would have to offer in his support. The girl or woman as the child in both her arms and her stomach attested to, had lived on earth and witnessed with her own eyes what fate awaited her people. So he asked her. "How do they get all of those boys to fight in their wars Meera?". He knew that she would understand.

"Coward!". Was all she said.

Hassif senior looked outraged that she would call her father, that word. Donald had told him the English words for Kek or weakness, and that was no way to talk to her husband's father, her father. "Do not say such things daughter. Jim his your father, you should not disrespect him!". He shouted at her, with an anger he had never shown before towards her or any of his children.

Meera did not seem scared by her father's outburst, and said to him. "Not him father, those boys. They teach them that they are cowards if they do not fight, from a small child they teach them this father. You should listen to Jeem". She then raised her voice so all gathered could hear her. "There are good people on the first-world, but there are many no better than the Gau'auld. We will be safe here, and those who wish to fight and free our brethren, will have a home to return to, but I am staying here". She looked at her father defiantly, then walked into the city. Her mother followed behind her.

Nasseef shouted after her. "Where are you going?".

"I am taking my mother to see my home, do not leave without me!". Meera said to them. She then disappeared in a flash of light along with her mother.

Larry then said. "It is quite a walk, and we really should not leave our friends waiting Jim. Once she as shown her mother around I will bring her back here, then we should really get going; This as gone on long enough".

Crowds of people started pouring out of Nagada, headed towards them. As much to see the heroes who had attacked the pyramid and proved the gods false with their defiance, as they were to see Jeem. They did not know what to make of Larry, with his crystal marking him out as something different. It was the children that swarmed around him asking questions. A young boy no older than seven years old asked Larry. "What is this?". With a little fear, mixed in with the wonder in the boys voice.

Larry touched the boys chest where is heart would be, then his head and said. "It is my heart and my brain young one, but most of all it is my soul". He then spoke to everyone gathered, and asked them. "Would you like to see what your world will look like, when I am finished?".

Most of the people there did not understand him. Not because they could not understand his speech, he was the accumulation of the Ancients entire database. Larry was capable of creating and using the same technology as the city now stationed in this system. A technology that simply altered peoples perception of what they were hearing into words they could understand, with even the perception of the persons lips changing. The technology was a passive one but it could be used in other ways, and had been in the universe that was created by their mistake. It worked by reading the brainwaves of each individual present, and creating a perfect translation from one person's language, into the language of those that they were speaking to.

The Ark of truth they had called the weapon, but to Larry it was an abomination, worse than even genocide or slavery. The Ancients had decided against using the device for good reason, even those arrogant fools knew that free-will was the most precious thing anyone had. They could not do anything about that universe, they had done enough by preventing them from using the time-machine, and continuing on without the loss of SG1. Larry had copied the video recording they had made, along with a fully charged Zero Point Module, and placed them in the same location that SG1 had in the universe or reality that they had found themselves in.

Larry had not counted on Samantha Carter being able to get passed his lockouts on the time-machine or that she would bypass the part of the device, that kept the vessel within it's own timeline to do it. This was before he had gotten to know Samantha Carter through her Replicator duplicate, and would not have made the same mistake if he had already met her; Except the mistake was made after he had become her adoptive father, they had merely discovered their mistake before they had made it, and could not prevent it from happening without condemning a world to enslavement even if they wanted to. The actual mistake was not building the time-machine with security in mind, and only relying on the fact that only an Ancient could operate the device.

The reason the Abydonians could not understand him was because they were preparing to leave Abydos, but Hassif senior wanted to see what Larry was capable of. "Yes, show us my friend". Adding the friend to put everyone else at ease.

One moment they were all stood in a desert landscape, the next they were surrounded by fields as far as the eye could see. There were fields of greens and yellows, with a blue river that seemed to flow around Nagada. When their eyes finally fell on Nagada it literally took their breath away, with even Jim having to remind himself to breath. It was not like the images Larry had shown them in his pyramid form, this was real and they were seeing this world as it would be when Larry was finished with it.

Jim turned to Larry and said. "Even the Asgard technology, was not this realistic". To prove his point, Jim knelt down and ripped some blades of grass out of the ground and passed them to Larry.

Larry smiled, then replied. "This is not an holographic projection Jim. I am sending my vision for this world directly into your brains, you should not believe everything you see or feel". He then winked at Jim, and just as suddenly they were back in the desert on the outskirts of the real, for now Nagada.

Hassif who had spent time with the Tok'ra and learned how technology worked, seemed to be amazed by what Larry had shown them. He asked him. "Are you truly a God?". With a look of awe on his face.

Larry reached his hand behind Hassif's ear, then produced a coin out of thin air. He replied. "No my friend, I am merely a magician!". He then placed his hands into the sleeves of his robes, before producing a bunch of flowers and passing them to a young girl of around five years old. "Pretty flowers, for a beautiful young lady". He said to her, as she tentatively took the strange but very colourful flowers from him.

The smile on Larry's face changed to one of confusion. "It seems that your son's wife and mother are having a disagreement Jim, it may be best if you were the one to mediate for them; Mrs. McCain is quite disagreeable". Said Larry, with an almost fearful look in his eyes.

"Are you afraid of her Larry?". Jim asked with an amused expression on his face.

Larry replied. "Fear is an emotion Jim, I am not built that way".

Nasseef then said. "She scares me".

Hassif then stated. "She does not scare me, I will go to them". Then asked. "Please send me home Larry?".

Jim put his arm around the big man's shoulders, then said. "You do not know her well enough yet brother, it is best if I go to them". Still laughing to himself. Jim looked to Larry, who read the look and sent him to the squabbling women.

Larry had transported him straight into the middle of the argument, literally between the two women who were not shouting at each other, as Meera had Donald Jnr in her arms; They were just talking very loudly. When they both just took a step to the side and continued arguing as if someone had not just magically appeared between them; Jim, and even Kraytos inside his head, could not stop themselves from laughing. Which was not the best idea he could have came up with, although it did stop the women from arguing.

Meera looked furious as she asked. "What are you laughing at?". Her words did not have the desired effect, as Jim started laughing even harder, with her mother suddenly getting the joke and bursting out in laughter of her own.

Jim tried to stop laughing and attempted to apologise, but all he could get out was. "I'm sorry, but you didn't even skip a beat". Then started laughing even more uncontrollably. "Every time I stop laughing, he starts me off again". He added when he finally caught his breath.

Kraytos found it just as hilarious as he did, neither of the women would have seen this magical technology before today. Yet they acted as if a man appearing out of thin air, was not as important as their argument. Which it probably wasn't in the grand scheme of things but he thought they would have atleast stopped to take a breath, and ask why he was there. When they had finally stopped laughing. Jim asked them. "What is the problem here ladies?".

Meera answered him. "Tell her she must stay with my son, these are my people and one of us must stay here". With exasperation in her voice.

Jim then looked to Mary, who said. "She does not know how to deal with these slippery devils, they'll have them all in a factory before they know what's happening to them". She said to them both.

Jim replied. "Don't you think that's a little dramatic. There are going to be some changes for the better back on our own world Mary. The Hastings are not bad people, they just only look at the bigger picture sometimes, and not the suffering in-between. These people are not going anywhere unless they choose to, and no one will ever threaten this world again so please stay with the child. I am going to need Meera, but it is no place for him". Jim took the heavier than he looked boy from his mother's arms, and placed him into his grandmother's.

Mary McCain asked Meera. "Did you bring any food with you?". She then turned to Jim and said. "If anything happens to my grandchild...". She left the threat unspoken, but it was most certainly a threat.

When she walked away from him he rolled his eyes back, with Kraytos saying to him. "You are a little afraid of her, she would probably frighten a Jaffa master though. You must really like strong women my friend".

Jim silently replied. "Rachael is only strong on the outside my friend, and I only performed a kindness for this woman; As you well know". Kraytos was not wrong, he was a little afraid of her. On the rare occasions he had met her, he had witnessed her rip into her husband enough times to give him a healthy respect for the woman.

Once Meera was ready, he said into thin air. "We're ready when you are Larry".

Fa'ruuk and both Hassif's appeared, with the Abydonian chieftain then saying. "Larry say that we should talk, before he sends us up to the city in the sky Jeem". He took Jim by the hand, then continued. "We trust you, if you say we should stay, then we stay. You are our King's father, a son must always show respect to their father; Especially our King or he should not be our King". He said, reminding Jim of who these people were, and how devoted they were to family hierarchy.

Even Nebu showed proper respect to his father, and would never see himself as above him or superior to him or Fa'ruuk his other father. Even if Nebu would have been chosen as these people's new ruler, he would have still treated them in the Abydonian way. Each generation gave due respect to the one that went before it, with their children then following the example they set for them. It was just another reason that Jim had for not wanting these people to suffer.

Jim then asked Hassif. "How do you think Nebu will take it?".

"Nebu will listen to his fathers!". Hassif replied.

Jim spent the next five minutes both explaining and asking permission for what they intended doing. The Abydonians seemed to be amused by what he was telling them at time's, and intrigued at others. When he had finished and had been given permission to speak for this world and her people. Jim spoke into thin air. "We are ready Larry". Looking up as he said it, until realising there was no point.

Larry's disembodied voice then said. "I am introducing the children to cartoons Jim, I will be along once I have finished". Before Jim could ask what a cartoon was, he and the others were swept away in a beam of light.

Just as Larry had finished building the first cinema on Abydos, the part of him that was watching proceedings on New Atlantis, alerted him that it was time to make his entrance. The cinema was nothing more than a huge tent, with a large screen and projector. Instead of seats, Larry had fabricated cushions and rugs for people to make themselves comfortable. The way Larry saw it, many of these cartoons may never be created in this universe now, and it would be a shame if someone did not get to enjoy them. He could not wait to introduce them to Luke Skywalker, he was certain they would relate to him, but he did not think they were ready for that just yet.

Larry had downloaded all of the earths knowledge from the satellite's in orbit of that world, and particularly admired their flare for the dramatic or fantastical. War was even at the centre of much of their art, but usually accompanied by a message of hope or a warning of what could be again. To Larry humans were a paradox, and was why he saw them as far more dangerous than Janus hoped they were.

Not in an arrogant way, he saw himself as above every other life form he had encountered. Larry had perfect recall of all of the knowledge of Janus's race, and any other knowledge he had gathered himself. While he had not been able to gain emotions of his own, he understood them and how they could both help or hinder those who felt them. If not for Janus obtaining him and feeding information into him; He would be nothing more than a part of someone's collection of rare crystals. Instead he was the most powerful being in known existence, and luckily for everyone he only wished to create, not destroy.

When Janus pleaded to speak with him in private, he decided that it was time for his entrance. Larry could not transport himself, once he became energy he would not be able to reintegrate himself into solid matter, but he could use the city's transporter to make his arrival. When he stepped out of the booth. Larry heard Janus remark on his new form, but chose to ignore him. Instead he remarked on their surroundings. "This room or others like it, were once used for peaceful matters Janus. Why would you use them to declare war!". It was not a question, and Janus knew what his friend's statement meant.

Janus knew why his friend was here, but he still had to ask. "Why are you here old friend? I believed we were in agreement".

Larry looked over to Jim and said. "To answer your earlier question Jim. Janus as not known me long enough to understand who or what I am". He looked back to Janus and declared. "But soon you will old friend". Larry then gave a look to the Asgard, and said. "It is an honour to meet you Supreme Commander Modi, you are a remarkable individual in any reality". To Magni he merely bowed his head, who returned the gesture.

The Gau'auld had spoken amongst themselves but they had all remained silent for the most part, listening for any information that could get them out of the predicament they were in. They knew that the Asgard had rules that prevented them from interfering in Gau'auld affairs, but they also knew that they had to stick to certain rules themselves or the Asgard would have reason to interfere. Of the progenitor race they knew only that their empire or civilisation, was the largest this galaxy had ever known and far larger than the Gau'auld's; More vast even than the race who had created much of the Gau'auld's own technology.

Janus seemed to take the change to proceedings in his stride, and decided to continue on as normal. "It seems everyone else his here, only our final delegation is required before we can begin". He looked to Larry as if to ask permission.

Who said. "By all means Janus, I am not here to stop you. Yet!".