Martin, Arcturus, and Dod stared at the abomination before them. They were prepared to fight Harvesters but they never imagined it would be something like this.
"Look out!" Lok Dod yelled as Ashr suddenly leapt at them. Martin and Arcturus dove to the ground as the creature blasted through the tables. Samanya whipped around, transforming her sword into a rifle and opening fire, pelting Ashr with bolts of energy, pummeling him under a relentless storm. Martin felt a wave of relief when he saw this. Even Ori priors would die with wounds like that. But his relief was short lived as he watched stringy tendrils leap out of the wound, reconnecting the two severed halves and pulling it back together. Within moments, the injuries were gone.
Martin saw his opening. Samanya was fighting up close and he was in the back. It was the perfect setup for him. He took aim down the iron sights of his rifle and fired. The rifle was on minimum yield so each blast instantly cooked the patch of flesh they hit. He pulled the trigger on the rifle as quickly as he could, the lowest setting of the rifle giving him the highest rate of fire as well, pelting the monster with lethal bolts of energy.
Ashr shielded his face from the blasts like it was just some sand in his eye. From the back, Lok Dod went to work. The fish man began blasting Ashr with his revolver, chunks of ice forming around each area shot and shattering in a shower of frozen flesh.
It seemed like they were winning, burying Ashr under a storm of weapons fire. Out in the open, no weapon to fire back with, it seemed for sure that they would come out of this on top. With how lanky it was and how many chunks they were tearing out of it, it looked like they were going to rip it to pieces.
Suddenly, it glared up at them, its eyes glowing furiously.
Arcturus was about to fire again, but Ashr rushed forwards. With a single swing of his absurdly long limbs, tables and chairs went flying across the room. Martin and Dod ducked and took cover as pieces of wood, plates, and glass jars came raining back down. With two pests out of the way, Ashr charged at Arcturus. He ignored the weapons fire and slashed at her. His claws were moving too slow for her shield to register and it tore through her armor and flesh and sent her flying backwards, knocking over a table as she hit the floor with a crash, the plates of food shattering on the ground. Ignoring her wounds, Arcturus got up to fire upon Ashr again but a second slash sent her flying head-first into a counter. There was a loud crack as she smashed her head against the marble surface before she hit the ground. Ashr moved upon Arcturus's unconscious form. A long needle like claw seemed to extend from its knuckle, black liquid dripping from its tip like venom.
Martin wasn't about to let Ashr inject her with whatever that was. He got up and took aim with his ion rifle and prepared to fire. But someone else beat him to the punch. A massive fireball erupted from Ashr's back, sending him flying over the counter, bringing the computer and stacks of paper resting on it with him.
Martin looked over, realizing Dod had loaded explosive rounds into his revolver. Ashr tried to get up from behind the counter but another blast sent him flying into the wall. A third round created another fireball that sent Ashr crashing through the wall and into the back room. With a flick of his wrist, Dod opened the cylinder to his revolver, jamming in a yellow bullet into the chamber before closing it. He didn't even bother aiming the gun. Dod fired the round into the room, the bullet exploding the moment it hit the floor, filling the room with a sickening yellow gas.
"Get out of here!" he yelled to Martin, reloading his gun.
"Dod!" Martin called out in protest. He picked up Samanya, but he wasn't ready to leave the guy behind.
"I'm buying you time, you idiot!" Dod barked back. "We'll meet up in the forest!"
"Where?!" Martin barked back. Meet up in the forest? That place was huge.
"Just go!" Dod yelled again, jamming the last round into his revolver. "I'll be right behind you."
Martin stared at Dod. He didn't to leave. He wanted to stay and support his ally. But, he knew he couldn't let them all die.
"I won't forget this," Charles declared, picking up an unconscious Arcturus in his arm, slinging her rifle over his shoulder. He turned around and dashed out the door. With Martin gone, Lok Dod faced the yellow cloud in the back room, watching as Ashr emerged from the gas. His body had reformed, tendrils reconnecting the flesh until the injury was gone. Ashr smiled at Dod's futile attempts to kill him.
"Out of tricks yet?" Ashr growled. Dod glanced at his revolver, glancing at the bullets before glancing up at the pipe running above their heads.
"Not just yet…"
-.-
Even in the forest, Martin could hear the gunfire. And it all ended with one final boom that echoed across the forest. He figured the final boom was another one of Lok Dod's trick bullets. He could only hope the silence following it with no scream meant he got away.
Martin shook the thought out of his head. He had other things to worry about. Running with Arcturus in his arms wasn't easy, but his body was flooded with adrenaline. He could feel the muscles in his body begging for rest, but he didn't stop. The Harvester creature had evolved again. He remembered his encounters with the monstrous creatures and he could scarcely imagine what this thing was capable of.
He didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that he had to get away. He was sprinting into the woods even after the gunfire stopped. He leapt through the underbrush. He could imagine the nightmarish monster being right behind him. He didn't stop running until his legs finally gave out, practically melting under him and sending him tumbling to the ground.
"No!" he growled, trying to get back up, unconscious Samanya Arcturus lying in front of him. He picked up his ion rifle and her sword before stumbling over to her. His body was exhausted. His limbs just refused to move. Running to and from the abandoned city, fighting the Harvester, now running from the creature, it all had taken its toll on him.
Still, he couldn't let it end like this.
He practically fell on top of Samanya, trying to catch his breath.
Thinking about it, he guessed they could take a break if there was enough distance between them and the creature. He sighed and got to his knees. It was still dark but there was just enough sunlight peeking through the clouds that he could see. And what he saw took his breath away.
"The Stargate!" he gasped. He could barely stand, but he managed to stumble to the DHD and began desperate pressing the buttons. His pressing soon devolved into frustrated punching as he realized, and remembered, the DHD was broken.
He fell over. He needed to take a break. Looking over at the silver pedestal, he could see the control panel had been removed. Whoever was fixing it was messing with the control crystals. He could see the data pad and the wires connecting the two, half covered in dirt and laying on the ground. When he looked into the compartment that held all the crystals, he noticed a black slime that covered all the crystals.
"Bugger…" Martin muttered, realizing that the reason the DHD has been broken this entire time was because the Harvesters sabotaged it. But, that still left one question. Martin looked down at the dirt. The entire area around the gate was trampled from a single person walking around but he did spot a single set of fresh prints walking off into the woods. He stumbled forward, following the footprints. They didn't go far. They made it past a set of trees…then stopped. It certainly fit the Harvester MO. Entire planets of people disappearing without a trace as if they vanished where they stood. Martin stumbled back to Samanya, trying to decide whether he should try to go deeper into the woods.
He gave a sigh and went over to pick up her up again. The Stargate was too conspicuous of a place. If Ashr decided to look for them, this would probably the first place he checks. He didn't run. He just slowly walked into the underbrush. He would have to take Sam and hide somewhere else.
-.-
"Are you serious?"
Hailey and Chen were staring at a room full of scientists, all of them staring back with a dumbfounded expression. Felger nervously stood behind the two, looking at what might as well be an angry mob.
"You sure this is a good idea?" one of the scientists asked. "I mean…this is Felger we're talking about." Hailey knew what they were so uptight about. Felger had made himself a name as the man who failed every project and blew everything up. The idea of trusting Felger's little project seemed crazy. She and Chen may have double checked and designs and corrected all the mistakes they found, but they were still putting faith in Felger.
They all had heard about the time Felger made a virus to disable the Stargate network. It was made under the legendary Samantha Carter's supervision and it still went wrong. No one had faith in Felger's latest project even if it had been checked by Hailey and Chen.
"What's the big deal?" Chen asked. "You guys work with his blueprints all the time."
"Yeah, but we really haven't built any of his projects yet," a scientist in the back said. "Aren't you guys going to the planet to use it?" Chen picked up the hand-held device they had just finished building. It looked like a smart phone. When it was turned on, it would display all the gate's symbols on a touchscreen.
"We've already had several successfully tests on other Stargates including the Fierri's," Hailey said. "It should work."
"Then why doesn't it work on Millennium's gate?" another person near the back asked.
"Millennium's gate has a security system that was specifically made so that it couldn't be remotely dialed," Chen explained. "Fact of the matter is, we've done all that we can to make sure Felger's little project worked. Ideally, we would dedicate another few months to double checking to make sure everything works but we don't have that time."
"You know if it doesn't, you guys will be trapped on that planet," a scientist asked.
"You guys do know you are putting faith in Felger..?" another called out.
Chen and Hailey exchanged glances. They never thought they would ever say this.
"We know," they said firmly
-.-
Frozen chemicals.
Burnt wood.
Saw dust.
Poison gas.
Ashr was used to his tavern smelling like food and alcohol. It was actually almost heartbreaking to see the place in such a state. The once ornate main room was now covered in a fine layer of moisture from a kinetic round blasting the pipes open and a thermal round almost instantly turning it into steam. The water had mixed with the dust and debris, turning into grime that now slathered the floor and walls.
Ashr sighed at the sight. He could always rebuild later.
He walked into the back room through the hole in the wall, looking around at the demolished storage closet. He bent over and picked up shard of glass off the ground, using it as a mirror to take in his new appearance. It was no doubt monstrous, even nightmarish. Still, he could not deny its advantages.
As he looked at his reflection, he noticed something else behind him. It looked like a floating deformed organ, black cancerous growths forming on its surface, at least a dozen tentacles dangling beneath it.
"My friends!" Ashr greeting, turning around. "Come to check on me? Or is there another reason for this visit"
The strange floating creature made no response, no legible one at least. It simply emitted a lot guttural clicking.
"Not true," Ashr replied. "Our masters don't care about keeping their existence a secret. They simply don't want to be found."
The floating creature let out another few clicks, the teeth between its tentacles widening.
"Well, making everyone vanish was a poor way to keep their secret hidden. You really chose the worst way, in fact."
The creature gave a low and clearly agitated growl. Most people would run away in terror at the presence of this creature that seemed to defy all logic. But Ashr had been working with the unholy thing for quite a while and was used to its presence. It was little more than an associate.
Ashr paced around the room, listening to the guttural sounds of the creature behind him, looking at the tattered shelves that he used to use for storage.
"You're wrong," he finally said. "When a someone vanishes, people ask questions. And when those people vanish, more people come looking. There was never a way to hide our masters' existence. Their activities cause enough unnatural background radiation that anyone can detect it if they look. It was never a matter of keeping it a secret. It has always been to turn away all that get close."
The floating creature made no response this time. It simply floated into the center of the room, one of its tentacles lowering closer to the floor. It seemed attracted to the black blood that had been spilt from Ashr when he was thrown in here. The tentacle touched the pool of blood, soaking it up like a sponge until there was nothing left. It finally gave another few clicks, asking Ashr for an opinion.
"No harvest," Ashr answered. "Let things play out naturally. It's a gamble. But it may play out for all of us."
-.-
Light flooded Samanya's eyes, warmth flooding her body. She stumbled forward, stepping out of the pod. She turned around, still piecing together what happened. It was only when she turned around and saw the stasis pod did she understand. And when she did, panic flooded her body.
"No…" she breathed. She could see the control panel by the pod. It had been set for five days. She blinked several times, hoping she saw wrong, hoping this was all a dream.
"No!" she shouted, turning around and sprinting for the door. The heavy door took several moments to open, creaking to life as the hydraulic pumps forced the solid slab of metal to move. She took off down the tunnel, just a long cement hall lined with lights in the ceiling, a simple underground storage chamber beneath the compound. The lift ride up was unbearable as she waited in a tiny container to reach the surface. When the lift doors finally opened, she took off down a short corridor before bolting up the stairs, practically falling back down as she shoulder bashed the wooden door. With a second bash, the knob came flying off and she came stumbling outside. The light of the crimson setting soon filled her vision as she finally gazed upon what she feared most.
Nothing.
She stared out across the buildings that made up her fortress. She stared out at the forest beyond her compound. Or at least, she would if they were still there. The trees, the grass, the bushes, they were all gone. Nothing but dirt lay for as far as the eye could see. There wasn't anything. Not the buzzing of insects in the air. Not the cawing and squawking of birds in the distance. More importantly, there was no people. The fortress was empty. And she could only guess the town in the distance, the settlement she had tasked the Order to protect, was the same.
Arcturus fell to her knees, remembering everything that had happened moments before her men tricked her into going into the storage chamber and shoved her into the stasis pod.
"I should have listened," she muttered. "I'm sorry. We should have evacuated. It's my fault. I did this to you."
She stared out across the horizon, the faces of everyone she lost flashing before her teary eyes, the same sentence leaving her mouth over and over again.
"I'm sorry..."
Samanya woke up with a start. It was just a dream. No. It was just a nightmare, a memory she never wished to see again.
She tried to sit up but immediately fell back down. Her entire body was burning. The last thing she remembered was getting slashed by Ashr. She looked down, realizing she was no longer in her armor. She was left in a black T-shirt and pants, what she wore under her armor. She tried to sit up, but felt a burning pain slice through her body.
"Take it easy," Charles said, only a few feet away. The jacket of his BDU was gone so he was also in a black T-shirt. Arcturus soon found out what he did with it. When she lifted her own shirt, she found a make-shift bandage made of ripped black cloth wrapped around her body.
"Didn't really have a choice there," Martin immediately said. He did essentially undress her while she was unconscious. "You bleeding out so I had to patch you up."
"It doesn't matter," Arcturus said dismissively. She began feeling around for her weapon, gently picking it up off the ground. It was back in sword-form. She leaned against it and got to her feet. Her entire body burned from the slash wounds but she would manage.
Her mind lingered on what happened at the tavern.
"What happened to Ashr?" she asked. "Is he still alive?"
"Are you bloody serious, lady?" Martin barked back upon hearing this. "We both just got our asses handed to us and you still want to try to take him alive." Samanya looked away. She should've known Martin would still disapprove. "Even after all this, you still want your revenge?!"
"Yes!" Samanya yelled back. "My men, my people, those under my care are gone because of my failings. I will see that the Harvesters pay for everything they did! I have no choice."
"Blah-blah-blah-blah!" Martin stuttered out really quickly, shutting Arcturus up. "You've told me this story before! And it's a load of rubbish. You have plenty of choices. You can live for yourself. Leading your people was a matter of responsibility. Killing yourself on this stupid quest is idiocy! Don't go throwing your life away for people who don't matter anymore. The past is the past. Bury it and let it go."
Arcturus clenched her fist when she heard this. It sent chills down her body to hear Martin say the men under her command 'don't matter anymore'.
"The moment I took my position as leader of the Aurox, I took on the responsibilities and duties as well," Arcturus said calmly, finally able to reign in her anger. "I've failed those duties and I must atone for that failure. I've only had one desire and that is to see the end of the Harvesters. I understand that it is an impossible goal, but pursuing that will be my penance."
"You dress it up in fancy words but this isn't penance. It's just revenge."
"If that is what you wish to call it…. Then yes, I seek revenge. I seek to end the Harvesters for the lives they've taken. Every action I've taken since the fall of my order has been toward this goal."
"We have a saying back on Earth: those who seek revenge should dig two graves. You obsess exacting revenge, you'll end up destroying yourself in the process."
"You think I don't know that?! Have you ever considered that I know this is a one-way journey for me?! Have you ever considered that people who try to get revenge are willing to dig that grave? I've stopped caring about what happens to me. My final act in this life will be bringing about the end of the Harvesters."
"Are you so blinded by revenge that you can't even hear yourself?! What about Lok Dod. Can't help but notice you didn't ask about him."
"He was willing to kill you without hesitation before and now you defend him?"
"He was a member of our troop. He was an ally that was willing to buy us time to escape! And he could be alive for all we know! You're so obsessed with ending the Harvesters you don't even seem concerned about your own allies. Even if you aren't going to do something for yourself, can't you do it for the people who care about you?! Have you ever thought about how they feel? What about the people you care about? Have you ever thought how you'd hurt them?"
"Funny you of all people should mention this," Arcturus said darkly, closing her eyes. "Did you not join the military without any regard for the feelings of your family? War is a dirty business. Have you ever stop to consider how they feel when their son is sent away? The fear they might feel about never seeing you again? Or did you simply ignore their feelings of fear and pain because of your sense of duty?'
"I…my situation's different!" Martin snapped back. He tried to hide it, but Arcturus could see him shift uncomfortably, as if he just realized something he never considered before.
"Did I touch a nerve?" Samanya scoffed. "I understand that you wish to leave this planet as soon as possible. With the other pirates dead, you can easily take their ship. I will rest and once I have recovered I will face Ashr on my own."
Samanya didn't bother looking at Martin. She could hear him growling at her.
"Fine!" he barked, turning around and storming off. "You want to stay around here and let your ass get assimilate by those freaks, be my guest!"
-.-
Felger watched eagerly as Hailey and Chen worked on the DHD. They were back on the planet and were busy pulling the partially damaged control crystals. The DHD looked almost like a deformed melted candle. The ground was covered in fragments of the DHD, a few twisted and burnt shards of metal, and the tiles that held the symbols were sticking out of the sand.
Hailey and Chen reached inside the DHD and pulled out crystal after crystal, some fresh and undamaged. Others burned, blackened, and singed. Finally, they emptied the pedestal of its devices.
"There we go," Hailey said, putting everything into her bag. "That's the last of it."
"That was easier than I thought," Felger commented.
"The DHD's a mini server farm," Chen said, zipping up Hailey's bag and helping her put it back on. "They're made so you can just yank stuff out and replace it."
"Once we get back to Millennium, we're going to have to extract whatever data we can from these crystals," Hailey explained. "Then we'll have to compare it to the data we have on the gate when it's active."
"Best get to work, Mini-Cater," Chen remarked, folding his arms. Hailey smiled at the little compliment. She took out the remote DHD they had just made, turning it on and watching the symbols populate the screen.
"Moment of truth," she sighed. If they were wrong about this, then they had just trapped themselves on an alien planet. Hailey pressed the first symbol on the touch screen and looked up. Her heart soared. The gate had activated, the inner ring of the silvery device spinning as it found its first symbol. Chen stood near the gate, making sure the symbol she punched in was the symbol they wanted. Finally, it found its way to the top and was locked in by the egg-shaped chevron, the milky-white opal lit up.
"We're good," Chen called out. Hailey pressed the next symbol and the gate hummed to life again to search for the next chevron.
Felger felt a smile spread across his face. One by one, they found each symbol and locked it in until they had all seven symbols locked in. Hailey pressed the final button and they watched as the shimmering wall of water exploded from the ring before getting sucked back in, resting inside it as a shimmering wall of water.
It was time for the final test.
"Millennium, this is Major Hailey," Jennifer said through her radio.
"Major Hailey, this is Donavan. We read you loud and clear."
Felger couldn't hold it in any more.
"YES!" he cheered, jumping up and down in excitement, practically dancing and kicking up sand.
"Millennium, we're heading back with the parts," Hailey said through the radio as Chen punched in the code into his GDO. "We're coming home!"
-.-
The abandoned haven was creepy enough now that it was abandoned. But now Charles had to make his way through it alone. It was supposed to be midday, but the dark gray clouds had completely covered the sun. It was just barely bright enough for him to see where he was going but just that. He could barely see the outline of the building across the street. He wanted to turn on his flashlight but with Ashr roaming about, he was afraid the light would attract his attention. He was going to have to rely on memory to navigate the place.
Still, he couldn't help but feel sad looking at the empty town. It was filled with pirates that hated him and wanted him dead. Still, he couldn't really say that they deserved this fate. No one deserved this fate.
Martin stopped in his tracks when he noticed something in the window of the building in front of him. At first he thought it was just a pointless shadow. But then he noticed the shape. It was humanoid. And it was moving. He didn't need to see the details to know it was Ashr.
Martin slowly back-pedaled, careful not to make too much noise. He could barely imagine what the thing in front of him looked like, couldn't even imagine what the Harvesters mutated him into this time.
He took cover behind a wall. He could hear it now. He could hear the gentle footsteps against the ground. It was unnerving that a single wall of sheet metal was all that stood between him and whatever was on the other side.
Martin slowly took out his knife. It was suicide but curiosity was getting to him. It was Ashr. He was sure of it. But he needed to know what the man looks like now. He slowly inched the blade of his knife around the corner. He looked at the shiny blade, looking at the reflection. It was a distorted image but he could see the black humanoid figure lumbering past, the tall lanky beast just walking through the abandoned pirate haven. It disturbed Charles that it's arms were so long that it only need to lean forward to crawl on all fours. He could tell it had mutated again but he couldn't see the details on the blurry reflection of the blade.
His curiosity sated, he put his blade away. Now, it was only a question of whether he should move or wait for Ashr to leave.
His question was answered for him when he felt a gentle breeze blow past him. He let out a silent groan of annoyance. He was upwind. Which meant that wind would blow his scent right at Ashr. Right on cue, he could hear Ashr's footsteps begin to grow louder as the mutant creature began to make its way toward him.
He didn't have time to think about it. Ashr was making its way around the building which meant he would have to go in the other direction and put himself downwind. He slowly made his way around the building, the soft sound of Ashr right behind him. Once he was on the other side of the building, he began walking off into the distance. He had to count his lucky stars. The space port was down wind so at least his smell would be masked.
He didn't have time to ponder. He had to get to the spaceport.
-.-
Martin had a decent array of ships he could just from. With the Stargate down, the only source of commerce for the haven was by ship. Now it was only a matter of boarding one. Most of them had their ramps retracted so there was no way for him to get aboard. He had to find one that had an old-fashioned door. He continued walking down the rows of parked ships. He rushed up to the ones with regular doors and pulled on the nob. Again and again, they were locked.
He was just about to test a nearby corvette when he spotted one: a ship with its ramp opened.
Martin felt his heart soar. He had a ship. He wasn't out of the woods yet. He was far from it, in fact. Still, this was a victory. He rushed to the ship, looking inside. He finally got the courage to turn on his flashlight and shine it into the ship. It was a simple cargo ship, a single cargo bay lined with crates leading to the cockpit. Looking down, he understood why the ramp was open. He knelt down, putting his hand on a puddle of black slime on the ground, a pulse rifle laying right beside it. He could only imagine the poor bloke trying to get away when the Harvester got him.
He couldn't mourn the stranger now. He had to get out.
Reaching the cockpit, he soon came across his next challenge: figuring out how to fly the ship. He gazed over the controls. Forget flying the ship. He had to figure out how to start it. Was it a button he had to hit? Did it need a key? He prayed not because that would mean he would have to find a key.
"Bugger me," Martin muttered, looking over all the controls. Suddenly, trying to jack a ship to escape from seemed like a dumb idea. The only thing he could figure out was the joystick but even that presented a problem: there were two of them.
"Ok, ok, ok," Martin muttered as he began pressing random buttons. "I swear if I accidentally hit the self-destruct button, I'm gonna kill myself."
He had to have been pressing buttons for like five minutes. He found the controls to the lights in the cargo bay and the controls to the headlights outside the ship.
"Yes!" Charles cheered when one of the dials he turned started up the ship. He could feel the floor beneath him begin to rumble, the engine humming to life. "Alright, part two: how to fly." The roar of the engines was louder than it should be since he never figured out how to raise the ramp but that wasn't at the top of his list of priorities.
He let out a yell as he pushed one of the joysticks and the ship suddenly lurched forwards. Cursing his own stupidity, he took a seat and began to think about all the different controls. He pulled back on the same joystick and felt the ship lurch backwards, the entire craft creaking as it dragged its ramp and support legs across the ground. He even heard at least one snap off. He pressed forward on the second joystick and felt the ship tilt forward, the crates in the cargo bay sliding across the floor.
Considering his options and how he had no idea what the rest of the controls, he opted to fly back to Samanya using only these two controls. He just had to figure out how to get this hunk of junk off the ground. There was probably a lever that controlled vertical takeoff but he didn't have time to find it.
Charles pulled back on the tilt stick before pushing forward on the movement stick. He could hear the cargo in the back sliding as the ship tilted itself, anything not anchored down tumbling out the back. He could have Samanya figure out how to close the ramp. Right now, he just wanted to get to her. He didn't know where Millennium was in space but if Samanya could take him to a stargate he could just gate back. But first, he had to get to her.
He felt his body whip forward when he accidentally clipped the edge of a building. He still had a long way to go, but he was starting to get the hang of this.
He had a general idea where he was going. And he turned the ship's spotlights back on so he could see the forest floor as he slowly flew over the tree tops. He didn't even need to find Samanya. She wasn't close to the Sargate but he knew where she was in relation to it, assuming she hadn't moved, so he only needed to find the gate. And that was easy to see.
"Alright, Sam," Charles said to himself. "You're gonna hate me for this, but I don't care. I'm taking you with me to Millennium."
He could see the silver Stargate in the distance. He just had to bring the ship down somehow. As he aimed the ship at the ground, the light difference between the darkness of the outside and the brightly lit inside of the ship had become noticeable. He was sure there was probably a button that removed the reflection but he didn't know where it was. He could turn off the cargo bay lights but he didn't know where the cockpit lights were, and all he could see through the window was his own reflection.
That's when he noticed it. It wasn't just his reflection he could see through the cockpit window. His blood chilled, his eyes blinking as if to make sure he wasn't seeing things. In the reflection, he could see a humanoid figure standing in the cargo bay, a tall lanky humanoid figure.
He turned around, spotting a humanoid figure standing in the cargo bay, leering at him with its sunken eyes. It opened its jaws, a second jaw extending forth, its long needle-like teeth extending as it let out a bone-chilling roar.
Charles yanked out his pistol, took aim, and began pulling the trigger as quickly as he could. Not long after, he heard the empty click as he emptied the last of his bullets into the creature, but to no avail. He didn't even bother to reload. Martin immediately began fumbling with his ion rifle, accidentally bumping the yield dial. He didn't even bother fixing it. He just aimed his rifle at the creature and fired.
-.-
Samanya was inspecting her armor. The claws had twisted the metal so that it was now unusable. But a little metallurgy would be able to fix it. The uniform was also damaged but that was just a piece of cloth so it didn't really matter. But it wasn't the armor or uniform that concerned her. She fumbled with the gauntlets until it came off: the shield generator. It was still intact and undamaged. This was her primary source of protection. She was glad it was still functional. She then reached into the pocket of her uniform, pulling out the science journal, easily the most important thing. She looked at her rifle. It was also undamaged. Even if Martin left, she could continue her quest.
She looked up at the skies at the sound of an engine roaring, a ship clumsily teetering back and forth across the sky. It looked like Charles actually figured out how to pilot one of the ships. He was only using the small thrusters but it didn't matter.
Suddenly, the craft suddenly began spinning, veering left and right. It was as if the person at the controls suddenly went insane. It couldn't have been Charles. Even if he didn't know how to fly or land, the way he maneuvered the ship here would suggest he had some idea of how the controls worked.
Samanya watched as the corvette dove into the ground, the forest floor exploding from its impact. She spotted the column of splinters and dirt launch up into the air before showering back to the ground.
"Charles!" she gasped. Her wounds were still burning but she didn't care. She had to make sure he was ok.
She made her way to the crash site. The ship wasn't too high off the ground when it impacted so it was still in once piece. The metal tub was embedded deep into the ground and was half covered in dirt and fallen trees. Still, she didn't care about the ship. She was worried about the person inside the ship.
"Charles!" she called out, hoping to get a response. She stared at the mangled ramp that led into the ship, a cloud of smoke rising from the hole. She stared at the smoking hole, not sure what to do. She was about to approach the remains of the ship when she heard a cough.
She felt a wave of relief as she watched Charles crawl out of the ship, his ion rifle hanging from his shoulders, his right hand holding a massive burn wound on his left arm. Blood trickled from a wound on his head.
Samanya rushed up to him, letting him lean on her.
"Figures I'm the one who gets killed by a movie trope," Charles sighed. "He's in there." Charles weakly pointed at the ship. "He should be busy growing back his head. Go get him."
Samanya looked at the ship. This was the perfect opportunity to go in and get him.
"C'mon," Samanya said, leading Charles away. She still intended to get Ashr. But first, she needed to make sure Charles was ok. The Harvester still needed several seconds to regenerate. She had time.
She took him to the side and leaned him against a tree. He was bleeding from his stomach too. She didn't know what was in the ship but she could guess something loose hit him. Gently brushing aside the ripped edges of the shirt, she could see a shard of metal embedded in his stomach. It was certainly painful, but it wasn't lethal. She then gently felt around his stomach and chest. He had at least one broken rib.
"How bad is it?" Martin asked.
"Well, your death won't be horribly painful," Samanya replied with a smile. Martin gave a chuckle. She said this statement with a straight face too.
"Now I know you're not being serious." he laughed, wincing as each laugh sent shooting pains up his body. Even Sam had to smile at this.
It was only then Samanya noticed Charles's expression stiffen as he looked past her. Samanya turned around and she felt her blood run cold.
They could see a set of long spindly legs slowly inching over the busted ramp of the ship. They latched onto the edge of the ship and hoisted up the abomination within.
"Bloody hell," Charles groaned in pure frustration as Ashr rose from the ship. His wound had not only regenerated but mutated. Martin had blown a hole through its body so it grew spider legs from its spine. Martin had blown the top of its head off, so it grew a new head, a smooth bone-like surface where its eyes should be. "Why is everything in this galaxy so damn hard to kill?!"
Ashr let out an ear-piercing screech. Charles immediately aimed his ion rifle and fired. But Ashr dropped on all his limbs and leapt to the side as the bolt hit the ground and exploded behind him. Arcturus grabbed her own rifle but didn't get the chance to fire it. Ashr leapt up into the air, clinging onto a tree and taking off into the canopy of the leaves.
Charles tried to get to his feet but merely pushing on the ground sent him back writhing in pain.
"Stay down!" Arcturus ordered, aiming her rifle into the trees and opening fire. Light split open the darkness with crimson light as bolts of energy streaked into the canopy above. Ashes and embers rained from above, scorched branches and bark falling to the ground. Arcturus cursed under her breath as she realized that Ashr was out of sight somewhere in the tree leaves.
"Charles, go!" Arcturus ordered. "I have business to settle."
"You crazy?!" Martin barked back. "We have to get out of here!"
"You go! I'm staying!"
Charles and Samanya's arguing could be heard up in the treetops. And it made Ashr laugh; a long hollow cackle.
"Even now, you still wish to throw yourselves into our maw," a cold scathing voice came echoing from the canopy.
"I swear that I will wipe the stain of your evil from this universe."
Ashr furious snarling echoed from the darkness around them.
"I don't know what's more infuriating," Ashr roared from the tree tops, his voice echoing through the night. "Your ignorance or your arrogance? Would you acknowledge the views of an insect colony to be of any importance? You think because of your stargates and hyperdrives, because of your ships and computers, your word of what is and isn't is absolute. Rule and live how you wish but don't presume you who is finite can dictate the rules and ways of that which is not."
While Ashr continued rambling on, Arcturus was busy examining the tree trunks. After going through several, she found one that seemed to be shaking more than it should, shaking with each word that left the fowl creature's mouth.
"Time to shut you up," she muttered angrily. She aimed at the base of the trunk with her rifle and pulled the trigger, a storm of bolts blasting through the wood trunk, splinters and embers flying in all direction. Within moments, the trunk had been disintegrated. She jumped back as the massive tree came crashing down, smashing its way past the other branches before it hit the ground with a crash, a cloud of dust kicked up from the impact.
Arcturus got ready, aiming her rifle into the haze. Ashr didn't even bother waiting. It burst out of the pile of tree branches and charged. Samanya was about to pull the trigger but it was too late. She felt a set of claws get pushed straight through her body. She could feel the paths the bony points took, the flesh around them burning as if they were on fire. But that should've been impossible. He was still standing a good distance away from her.
Looking up, she realized that his right hand seemed to have been shot from its arm like a crossbow, connected to where it used to be by a single long tentacle, wielding his claw like a whip. Skewered by the talons, Ashr lifted her up and tossed her aside. He was about to descend upon her when a bolt hit his arm, the tendril connecting his wrist to his hand exploding off. Ashr roared in frustration, turning to face Martin. The human had grabbed his ion rifle. Ashr moved forwards and seized Martin by the throat with his left hand, lifting him off the ground. The creature opened its mouth, which seemed to have something glowing within.
"You can hear it, can't you," Ashr asked through his mutated jaws. "The drones you encountered before were merely designed for reconnaissance. But a forerunner like a myself, we act as beacons. Though me, you can hear them."
Martin actually knew what Ashr was talking about. He thought it was just pressure, that maybe he was hearing things because of how tired he was. When he first arrived on the planet it was just nightmares. But now he could hear it: voices in the back of his mind. It sounded like someone was standing behind him, whispering in his ear. He couldn't focus. He couldn't concentrate. Now he could not help but wonder if it was something more.
"Join us, Charles Martin. The Harvesters are not a malevolent race. If you could just see how small and insignificant you are in the grand scheme of things, you could understand why their actions truly don't matter. Besides, the masters could always use another prophet, especially a member of the Tau'ri. What do you say?"
Charles tried to say something but Ashr's grip was too tight so only gurgles came out.
"You might want to speak up," Ashr remarked, easing his grip.
It was only then Samanya began to recover from her new wounds, barely getting to her feet and looking at what was happening.
"I said…" Samanya heard Charles growl through his teeth. "Smile, you son of a bitch!" Charles raised his rifle and placed it directly against Ashr's head.
"Charles, what are you doing?!" Samanya called out. But it was too late. Charles pulled the trigger. In a single flash of light and a deafening boom, Ashr and Martin were launched in either direction. Arcturus shielded her face with her arms from the wall of dirt and debris that flew at her. When she looked up, she could see Martin's mangled body in front of her. She crawled across the ground to him, placing her fingers on his throat. The pulse was weak, but it was there.
His rifle was on medium yield. That was the only explanation. At minimum yield, it wouldn't create the explosion she saw. And if it was on maximum yield, his body would be in pieces. Still, that was too close for Martin to use his rifle at medium yield. He was now coughing up blood and she was sure that broken rib now punctured something.
Samanya looked up, watching as Ashr's body healed again, tendrils shooting out of its wound and reconnecting the two sections of his body, growing a new hand and reforming its head. Its spidery legs were fusing together, forming new limbs.
"You know," Ashr remarked, his newly formed hands reaching across his chest and pulling himself together. "I don't even think I needed to harvest the haven. It's easier to work in the seclusion of the woods instead of the maze of buildings where people can hide."
"Impressive trick," Arcturus scoffed. "But you can't get something from nothing. You can only regenerate your wounds so many times before you run out of energy. Then, your life is forfeit."
"Is this not what you wanted?" Ashr asked as his wounds stopped regenerating. "I thought you wanted me alive, Samanya Arcturus. After all, you sacrificed everything for this moment. You sacrificed your honor as a knight. You betrayed everything the Aurox stood for. You used innocent people bait for your own gains. And you've even sacrificed Charles Martin, your partner who willingly helped you, for this moment. Rejoice, Arcturus. Your sacrifice has paid off."
Samanya looked at Charles again, thinking back to all he had done for her.
"It was for my people," Samanya said, closing her eyes.
"Keep telling yourself that," Ashr laughed. "But you know what I think? I think you just couldn't stomach taking responsibility for your own actions. Your advisors told you to evacuate, that the planet was within the harvesters' path of expansion. But rather than evacuate like they suggested, you chose to stay and fight."
"There was no way to evacuate all the settlements on the planet in time!" Arcturus argued. "It is the duty of the Aurox to protect the innocent."
"So you chose to stay and fight. You tried to save them all. But, in the end, you saved none. Now you're just trying to make yourself feel better for your failures as a leader, even if that means at the cost of other people, trying to erase the guilt of your poor decisions."
Arcturus wanted to retort, to say that he was wrong. But, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She closed her eyes, thinking about everything Charles told her. She rose to her feet, her rifle powering up in her hand.
"You're right," she said, the parts of her weapon shifting and moving. She could feel the energy being sapped from her body. "You're right about me. No more innocents will pay for my failures. Now, I will pay for my own transgressions."
Energy surged through Samanya's weapon as the rifle continue transforming, it's barrel becoming bigger, its grips shifting so that it could rest atop the wielder's shoulder.
"What are you doing, Arcturus?" Ashr asked in amusement.
"I will no longer hold back," she growled. "Let's see you survive a fully charged shot!"
"Aurox weapons were meant to be fueled by the energy of their wielders. You'll drain your fuel cell dry and it'll begin sapping you for extra power. You fire that weapon fully charged, you might not survive. Don't you care about what happens to yourself?"
The gun had finished transforming and was now glowing with energy. Samanya's vision was blurring. She could feel her weapon draining her of her life energy.
"No," Samanya said darkly. "But I do care about the lives of the people close to me."
"And they're all dead."
Samanya looked at Charles Martin.
"Not all of them," she said. "You know, Ashr. I too find the seclusion of the woods to be advantageous. You see, out here I no longer have to worry about scorching the town with my blade!"
Ashr let out a roar and charged at Sam, the glow of her weapon intensifying. It was as if there was a miniature star at the back of her gun.
Suddenly, Ashr let out a pained yell when his back erupted in to flames, sending the creature into the ground. Arcturus looked up, spotting a familiar figure standing atop a hill in the distance, his revolver still smoking from the shot.
"Arcturus, do it now!" he yelled. Arcturus gave a single nod. She mounted her newly-formed cannon on her shoulder and took aim at the creature, the blinding white light laminating its nightmarish form. It could not regenerate fast enough. She gritted her teeth, her vision blurring as she gave a final shout:
"NOW DIE!"
A massive stream of crimson energy erupted from the barrel of her gun, engulfing Ashr and tearing through the forest. Wood and stone evaporated, the sheer heat of the beam disintegrating everything in its path. The beam finally died and as the light did as well, Samanya looked at the carnage she had just caused. A wall of trees surrounded her, and now there was a hole in the wall that went through the forest, a tunnel going through the mass of trees and rocks. A plume of steam slowly rose from the demolished ground, embers on the destroyed wood still crackling. There was no sign of Ashr. He had vanished along with everything else that had been caught in the beam.
Samanya's knees finally gave out. She fell to the ground in a heap, her rifle clattering to the side. The depleted power cell fell from its socket. That single shot had used up a fully charged power cell and most of her life energy. She could barely move. All she could do was crawl over to Charles's unconscious form.
"Charles?" she wheezed. She couldn't even tell if he was still alive. Her arms soon gave out and she fell to her stomach. She used the last of her energy to roll herself onto her back, staring up at the sky. "I'm sorry, Charles," she muttered to herself. "I should've listened to you earlier."
She stared at the gray skies, watching as her world faded to black.
-.-
Martin let out a weak groan. Before it hurt to breathe. Now it just hurt. He looked around, spotting Arcturus on the ground next to him.
"Sam," he wheezed. "Sam?"
"Save your breath," a voice said. Martin couldn't move his head. But he could move his eyes. And he could see Lok Dod walk over him, tapping his forehead with the barrel of his gun. "She's alive. But there's nothing you can do to help her."
Martin let out a weak groan, not sure whether to feel panic or relief.
"And Ashr?" he asked.
"What's left of him goes as far as the eye can see," Lok Dod remarked with a chuckle. "Your girlfriend did a real number on him."
Charles didn't even bother giving a retort. He was too tired to.
"So what now?" he wheezed. "Still want to kill me?" Dod twirled his revolver in his hand, looking at it with keen interest.
"I'll admit," he said. "When I saw you just lying there, it crossed my mind." Martin was too tired and hurt to feel anything when he saw Dod take aim. But, a smile spread across the fish-man's face and he holstered his weapon. "The valgrind opened just a few moments ago. Your friends will be finding you soon enough."
"And what about you?"
"Eh, you didn't wreck all the ships at the space port. Figured I'd hotwire one and fly out of here. It'll break the old man's heart but I'll tell him that his little girl was harvested. That should satisfy him, hopefully discourage anyone else from snooping."
"So you're sparing me?" Charles wheezed.
"Surprised? Trust me I am as well." Lok Dod crouched down and put a hand on Martin's shoulder. "I hope we work together again in the future," he said sincerely. He stood back up, aiming his revolver up at the sky. With a single pull of his trigger, a brilliant flare shot into the sky. The last thing Martin saw was Lok Dod walk away, giving a wave behind him as the word faded to black.
-.-
"Jesus Christ, what do you think did this?"
"Stay focused. Whatever did it might come back."
"Major, we found him! He's over here."
"Za pulse is weak. We must get him back to Millennium. Beelien"
"We found another! She's still breathing."
"Barely breathing."
"Get another stretcher over here!"
"You sure that's a good idea? We don't know anything about her."
"We'll sort it out later. Bring her back to Millennium."
"Mercer's gonna love this…"
-.-
Martin gave a weak groan. His entire body felt like it was on fire. All he could hear was a steady beeping. He tried to move his arm but it felt like it was too stiff to move. Finally, he opened his eyes and let the light flood his vision. As the white began to subside, he realized he was in the Millennium infirmary. Looking down, he realized he was in a white hospital gown. He couldn't see it, but he could feel his entire body covered in bandages.
He looked around him, realizing that he was surrounded by his team. Nova was standing beside him, scruffing his hair. Corin was in a chair beside the bed, giving him a friendly wave. Chen was asleep in the bed next to him with Hailey sitting in a chair, resting her head on Steven's chest.
"Ugh, bugger me," Charles muttered, trying to sit up.
"Hey, easy there," Corin said, holding Martin down. "According to Doctor Osborn, you got burns across most of your body and more than a few broken bones." Charles instinctively touched the bandages around his head. He could feel the fresh wounds on his cheek.
"It's a good thing we have Alliance medical technology," Nova remarked with a smile. "Otherwise, some of those injuries would be permanent."
Charles groaned as he laid back and made himself comfortable.
"Hey, I'm like an action hero," Martin chuckled. "They get hurt one episode, but they're on their feet and kicking ass the next."
"That simply means you're suicidal," Chen groaned, still half asleep.
"You should've seen him," Nova said with a smile, seeing her opportunity to humiliate Chen. "He worked his ass off to find you."
"I know what you're doing, Terra," Chen protested. "I'm too tired to deal with your crap right now."
Charles chuckled. He was too tired to bother Chen, anyways.
"Wait a minute," Martin spoke up, looking around in a panic
"Martin?" Nova asked curiously. "What is it?
"Well, two things," Martin stuttered out. "Was there a notebook when you found us?" Corin and Nova exchanged glances, confused why martin would be in a panic over that.
"We found it on the ground," Corin said. "It's right now in my room. I was going to read it later."
"Don't," Martin said firmly. "Lock it in a safe. I'll explain everything later. But, whatever you do, don't read it!"
"Ok…" Corin said slowly. "And what's the second thing?"
"Where's Sam?"
"Probably back on Earth," Chen wheezed from his hospital bed.
"Not that Sam! The…the blonde one!"
"Still back on Earth."
"Oh, shut it."
"She recovered yesterday," Corin explained. "You both have been out for a couple days now. She was in a coma when we found her but Kara managed to patch her up."
"I want to see her," Charles said, trying to sit up but Nova held him in place. With his broken leg, he couldn't get up by himself Corin quickly picked up the pair of crutches laying by the bed and handed it to Martin. Nova and Corin gently eased him onto his good foot, careful to keep his broken foot in the air.
"I'm good," Charles said, hobbling his way out of the infirmary.
-.-
Arcturus was exactly where the guards said she was. She was in one of the empty storerooms, fully rested and healed after the stunt she pulled. This was actually the first time he'd seen her in her 'civilian' clothes. Martin could only assume the clothes she wore had been lent to her. He didn't know where she had put her armor, but now she wore a white dress shirt buttoned all the way to the top and a navy-blue knee-length skirt. She had taken off her shoes and had put on black stockings as if the place was some sort of dojo that she couldn't wear shoes into.
She was at the center of the wooden floor, sitting on her knees, her eyes closed and her head down like she was meditating. The clacking of the crutches caught her attention. She opened her eyes and looked his direction. They stared at each other for a moment, neither of them saying anything. This all still seemed surreal. It had been so long since he was on Millennium, part of him wondered if he was going to wake up and find himself back on the planet.
Finally, Martin spoke up.
"Sam, what're you doing here?"
"Your General Mercer was kind enough to permit me sanctuary," Samanya explained, getting to her feet. She fell silent again, looking at his casted foot before looking back up at his bandaged face. "How are your injuries?"
"Eh, give it a few days," Charles said, stretching his right arm as if to prove a point. "I'll be back and kicking ass in no time."
"I'm glad," Arcturus said. "I…want to apologize. Had I listened to you, you might not have been as injured as you are now."
"Hey, it's an occupational hazard," Martin said casually. "I'm just glad you finally pulled your head out of your ass."
Samanya smiled at Martin's humorous slight at her.
"Revenge had blinded me for the longest time," she said. "I disgraced everything the Aurox stood for, placed innocents in harm's way for my own gains. I will repay you for all that you have done for me."
"Nah, forget it," Charles remarked with a dramatic wave of his hand. "We're friends now. You don't owe me anything. Hell, maybe you can stay here. We could always use another heavy hitter."
Arcturus looked at Martin in surprise, stunned that he was not angrier at her. But, her stunned look dissolved into a smile.
"I'd like that," she replied.
-.-
General Mercer leaned back in his chair at his desk, his mustache twitching. He looked at the small group of suited men before him.
"Gentlemen," the old man greeted, folding his hands in front of him. "You seem displeased with the current arrangements."
The four men stared at the aging general. Between his age, his blue dress uniform, and what they knew about him, there was something about Mercer that commanded fear. Not respect, but fear.
"You took in the newest member rather quickly." the man on the far right commented, looking down upon Mercer.
"I hardly see what the issue is," William Mercer said calmly. "From what I hear, she can prove herself to be invaluable to the team as a former Knight of Aurox. And was it not the IOA that dictated the mandate to bring in more alien allies? Wolf Pack and now the Berserkers have both greatly benefitted from their new additions."
"We question the integrity of some of these newcomers," another man said. "Samanya Arcturus spent a fair amount of time using her allies for her own gains. Soren Stavig's was a mass murderer that was responsible for the deaths of over sixty people."
"A majority of which were Valken Royal Guards that were out on patrol," Mercer pointed out. "Highly trained and heavily armed elite soldiers. You've seen his training results. His close quarters combat abilities are unprecedented. If you are still fearful of his actions, he still is escorted by a marine when roaming Millennium."
"It's also the morality of this action. We do not pardon murderers simply because they feel remorseful."
"If you wish for me to dismiss Soren, just say the word. And when your worst fears are realized, you will no longer have his skills at your disposal." Mercer watched in amusement as the four men shift uncomfortably. "I see. I guess fear really does take precedence over morality."
"None of it will matter if we cannot sway them to our side if the time comes," one of the IOA members said.
"What would you have me do? I have done exactly as you wished and you still question my actions."
"We question your motivations, Am-heh," the man on the far left said in an inhumanly deep and distorted voice. Mercer smiled at the accusation.
"If you truly believe that I am attempting something, then take me out, Tok'ra," the aging General replied. "I am under constant surveillance by your assassins. Surely, the three waiting outside could kill me."
The four men took a nervous step back at Mercer's remark as the General's eyes flashed.
"Enough!" one of the IOA members spoke. "Back on topic. I believe it was the Tok'ra that called this impromptu meeting today."
"Indeed," the Tok'ra official said. "After reading Lieutenant Martin's mission report, I believe we must pursue the Harvesters. Their bio-engineering capabilities are unprecedented."
"What do you hope to accomplish?" the IOA official on the far right scoffed.
"He's hoping that by studying the abilities of the Harvesters," Mercer explained. "They may be able to genetically alter a Tok'ra symbiote to become a queen."
"It may be the secret to saving our race," the Tok'ra added. "We do not know the extent of their bio-engineering capabilities but surely if they can mutate one species into another, turning a Tok'ra symbiote into a queen should be within their abilities.
"I guess we'll add it to the list of topics we need to discuss," the third IOA representative remarked. "It seems we have much to discuss."
-.-
The dark hallways at the edge of Millennium has not seen activity for thousands of years. But, now a single lone figure regularly came through there, delivering reports to his master.
"Sir," he announced as he walked into the room, the hooded figure in a long coat looking up from his strange chess board, a board that seemed to be designed for five players.
"So, I assume you've finished listening to Lieutenant Martin debrief his friends," the hooded man said, taking a seat in front of the chess board. "Tell me, Halphas, what do you think of his story?"
"Anything in particular?"
"Ashr and the Harvesters," the hooded man stated, leaning forward in interest. "What do you make of the narkoss's story?"
Halphas fell silent, his hand to his chin as he recounted the mission report in his head.
"He could just be a useful idiot," Halphas remarked, pacing back and forth. "The System Lords always perpetuated stories like this to elevate their status. The Harvesters simply manipulated him into believing in a far higher power. Then again, it's also possible every word he said was true."
"Indeed. With the Stargate and hyperdrive technology, races tend to think they have seen all there is to be seen. They think that their conflicts are the ultimate battles between good and evil. They never stop to consider what if their conflicts are insignificant, that they are just ants fighting for possession of a crumb. If and you and your conflict is really that small, is there any point in fighting? Alas, it won't matter. They will see their problems as the ones that determine the fate of the universe. I just wonder how Charles Martin will treat this information with his return."
"Fearfully," Halphas answered. "He has only confided in his team with the information about the harvesters's masters and excluded mention of it from his mission report. Clearly, he hopes he can prevent people from learning about it."
"He can run away for as long as he want," the hooded man said dismissively. "But he cannot escape the truth."
"And what truth would that be?"
The hooded man smirked in amusement, standing up and pacing the room.
"I do wonder," he said. "I always hear that the stargate would unite the planet, that countries would put aside their differences and work together. But I always wondered if they truly thought their wish through."
"I do not understand."
"Even now, there are countries and governments on Earth known for their mistreatment of their citizens. When they say people will 'put aside their difference and work together', do they expect to work alongside these countries? Do people realize that by uniting you will be allowing something like that to continue? Why stop there? Surely an infinite universe is large enough for a galaxy to put aside their small and petty differences and work together. Would the Tau'ri have been willing to put aside their petty differences and work together with the Goa'uld to explore the infinite universe? Or, when they wish to unite something, they mean conquer that which they see is wrong and replace it with someone in line with their beliefs?"
The hooded man said this with long bated breath, a twisted smile on his face as he chuckled at the notion.
"Is this why you were relieved to hear Charles Martin survived?" Halphas asked.
"Indeed. I wish to see him try to find the answers to these questions. He is an intriguing individual. I've always been fascinated by him and his desire to be the hero."
Halphas looked at his master in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
The hooded man summoned a hologram of Martin.
"Flight Lieutenant Charles James Martin," the hooded man said, looking at the image as text scrolled past the screen. "Ever since he was a child, the one thing he always dreamed about was becoming a hero."
"A farfetched dream," Halphas commented, reading the text floating through the air.
"Perhaps, but it was this dream that shaped him. He strongly believed in good and evil. He wanted to help people, to give to the weak and innocent! He took pleasure in it! He is exactly what people imagine when they imagine what a hero would look like."
"I don't see why that would be cause for fascination."
"It's because one trait that people imagine in all heroes is the sense of happiness they feel when they help others. People view it as a noble quality. But are they really good people? If they truly take joy in helping others, are they not simply doing it to fulfill their own desires? Are they not simply doing good to make themselves feel good? What would happen if you take a man who felt this way, and removed that sense of joy? What would happen if you took a man like that and replaced that joy he feels when he helps the weak and innocent with joy at their suffering? Is their kindness an act of true heroism? Or just selfish convenience?"
The hooded man so enraptured by the question that it was not the beeping of his data pad the voice of his subordinate that sent him back to reality.
"Sir, there is one more thing," Halphas said, looking at the data pad as new information appeared on its screen. "Our informants say General Mercer has gotten new information. We have word that the Typhon flies."
The hooded man smiled when he heard this.
"I guess things are about to get interesting."
-.-
A/N: Whoo. Sorry for the late posting. I hope it is to your liking. I had decided to change a few things at the last moments. One big on was Lok Dod. In the original, Dod was supposed to be killed. But, I decided to have him survive his encounter. Thought it'd be interesting for him, as the person who wanted to kill Martin, to form a sort of bond with him. So what do you think? What do you think of the harvesters? Do you think I should have kept Dod dead? Do you think Arcturus would make a nice addition to the expedition?