Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Star Wars, or Stargate movies, TV shows, games, books, or comics. This story features elements inspired by Warhammer 40K. They all belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not for sale or rent.


Chapter 14: A race towards damnation

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Part 5

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American businesses sold to foreign nobles! Is this the newest threat presented by the UN's New World Order?

A mysterious 'Lady Lyda' has been operating in Colorado Springs since the end of October, buying good American companies and establishing foreign-backed corporations!

New American Magazine

The Mayor's office announced earlier today that ongoing foreign investments will open thousands of high-paying jobs in the city and the area around it in the coming months. This is a surprising victory for Mayor Gideon Church, whose ongoing election campaign has been faltering over the past few months.

Colorado Springs Gazette

There is truth to the UFO sightings above Area 51 in Nevada!

Over the past few months, UFO enthusiasts have been reporting an increased UFO activity in the vicinity of Area 51. Until recently, all they had to show as proof were blurry pictures taken at night, which were inconclusive.

That changed three days ago when a photographer using high-end equipment captured a clear image of what we believe to be an experimental aircraft the US Air Force is testing!

Las Vegas Review-Journal


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6 November 1996
The White House
Washington DC
The United States
Earth, Milky Way Galaxy

In President Michael Cole's experience, you didn't get to brief your successor on anything particularly sensitive in this line of work. That didn't happen when he became Governor of Virginia years ago. He didn't have anything critical to inform his successor of either.

After becoming President-Elect, Reagan didn't brief him on anything important either – that was done by military, intelligence, and Secret Service advisers. On the other hand, Cole's successor was here in the White House and already had the cliff notes about the situation. With the world's safety at stake, dropping President-elect Roberts on the deep end in January sounded like madness, so he was here as an observer for the time being.

Instead of discussing the primary reason for today's meeting, everyone was focused on the covers of two magazines. That came out of the left field and proved that any attempt to keep the truth under a lid for as long as possible might be futile. At least dealing with that particular headache would be Robert's problem. At worst, Cole would have to inform some of America's allies about recent developments and bring them into the fold.

"At least it wasn't spies in the base that leaked this," Roberts grumbled and put down the magazine he was looking at. On its cover, it was a clear enough picture of a Death Glider coming in for a landing.

"That is something we will have to worry about even more now," Kelly Danvers noted. The National Security Adviser tapped the cover of an infamous conspiracy theories magazine. "As we speak, the FBI should be investigating how these people got some real information about our guest." The saving grace there was the nature of the publication.

"I am not looking forward to seeing anything written there to be validated as a fact," Reese, Cole's Chief of Staff, warned. "We will have more than enough problems if the truth comes out."

The President nodded in commiseration. It was becoming increasingly clear it would be a question of when, not of if, even without Perun pushing for contact and trade with more governments. It was clear why he wanted it – doing so would mean he could make better deals, which was why the US government was doing its best to drag its feet on that point. Besides, the more people knew about the aliens, the sooner the secret would leak. In some regards, it was a miracle they could keep the truth under wraps this long.

"I honestly expected that, at worst, we would see a mention of her in one of the society magazines, just like what happens when an Arabian Sheikh or a Saudi Prince visits for work or pleasure. As long as they don't cause a scene, people quickly forget and ignore them," Reese interjected. "That is one of the reasons why Ms. Kostenkov is her guide on Earth."

Cole did agree with that statement and authorized sending their cultural advisor, most familiar with the Goa'uld so far, to be the alien's minder. Doing so killed two birds with one stone. It mitigated the risk of exposure and ensured Kostenkov got more hands-on experience with the aliens. That way, she could better advise them on handling negotiations and potential problems.

"I recommend we handle the Death Glider like our stealth bombers. Let it be a public secret we don't officially acknowledge or confirm, Mr. President," Danvers offered before scowling at the magazine before him. "There is no avoiding all the spies who will try to learn more, just handling them."

"That's what we'll do then, and we'll see if it works," Cole agreed. "Now, the reason we are all here. Henry?"

The Deputy Secretary of State looked up from a bunch of open folders spread over the table before him.

"Mr. President, I will meet with Lady Lyda tomorrow for further negotiations. We believe she would push for contacting foreign governments now that most of the paperwork around the new companies has been dealt with. It is also possible she has new instructions from Perun. As you know, Lady Lyda briefly left Earth two days ago to check for new instructions and requested said meeting after she came back."

"Keeping it all formal, I see?" The President-elect inquired. Roberts was famous for addressing people informally, often like long-time friends, which worked great with many people during his election campaign.

"For a diplomat, it is not a good idea to informally talk about important dignitaries you must negotiate with, Mr. Roberts. Doing so makes it more likely to slip when speaking with them, and that can cause issues," Hayes explained. "This is especially true considering the balance of power between Perun and us. Offending his representative, if we can avoid it, is foolish in the extreme."

The President-elect grimaced. "It is one thing to know how outclassed we are in theory," He waved a hand at the people gathered around the table. "However…." Roberts chose not to elaborate, though everyone present shared the sentiment.

"You've seen the Pentagon's assessment," Cole reminded them. That made for grim reading with the simple conclusion that if an enemy ship entered orbit anytime soon, it would be all over but the screaming. That was all based on extrapolating what the Goa'uld might possess based on observed capabilities alone… which, in turn, were based on examining obsolete technology.

"We are brainstorming on how to reveal the truth to chosen allied governments first. Henry, please stall for time on that front," The President ordered.

"I will do my best, Mr. President. If she insists?"

"Then we might have to expedite our efforts and do our best to avoid further mistakes," Cole stated.

The last thing they wanted to risk was Perun deciding to dispatch a ship to Earth. By all accounts, now the Warlord had enough assets to risk doing so if sufficiently provoked.

"When can we expect results from our joint ventures?" The President asked.

"Months at best. We are outfitting a building to serve as a research and education facility. Hand-picked personnel working for DARPA will be heading there from the beginning of the next week. We have people vetting locals with the right qualifications for less sensitive positions. At the same time, Lady Lyda is still examining the state of our manufacturing capabilities so she can determine what, if anything, is useful and what would be needed to produce the tools to build the tools, to fabricate advanced materials and equipment," Hayes consulted the contents of one of the folders before him. "Of a more immediate impact will be the theoretical knowledge that Lady Lyda is willing to share in the short term to facilitate our joint R&D efforts."

"That is less than I hoped, but honestly better than I expected," Cole admitted. "The elephant in the room is next. How to approach our allies and which allies to approach first. You've all had time to think about it. I want to hear ideas and options about potential issues we must get ahead of."


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Part 6

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7 November 1996
Colorado Springs

Colorado
The United States
Earth, Milky Way Galaxy

Some avenues to hold negotiations were much better, not to mention more pleasant than others. Tonight was one of the better ones – over dinner, within arguably the best hotel in Colorado Springs.

Hayes sipped his iced water and curiously observed Lyda take small bites from her plate. He idly wondered if there would also be a market for spices to sell to the aliens. The Goa'uld didn't even try hiding her delight at the meal, and he doubted it was just because it was prepared by a master chief.

"My kind should have bothered to take livestock and spices when they were on Earth the last time. It is all terrific and new," Lyda smiled charmingly, and her eyes glowed. "Yet, we aren't here to simply enjoy a meal and discuss culinary delights."

"That is true, my Lady. I am ready to hear any concerns, requests, and offers your Lord or you might have. I will make sure my government takes them all with the utmost respect," Behind his polite smile, Henry braced for what he feared was coming.

"Well, first, Lord Perun does have a trade proposition. He requires complete surveillance systems and their monitoring equipment. With the recent increase of his domain, the areas needing constant supervision greatly increased, and we don't trust the current systems. I believe that would be cameras, connecting equipment, monitors, and such."
Well, that wasn't what Henry expected. Thinking about it, yes, the request did make sense and was in line with what Earth's personnel deployed through the Stargate and Lyda herself revealed. Perun was supposed to have three whole new worlds to work with. If he didn't trust any security equipment there… That was actually good. Then, the Warlord might need literal metric tons of cameras, monitors, cables, and more. Hayes could see how Perun might prefer to focus his industry on higher-end items.

"We have many such systems. I will ensure a specialist contacts you, my Lady, so you can decide what systems you want to purchase. What quantity are we talking about?"

"We think to begin small due to the need to train personnel to operate your equipment and to install it in the first place. I am thinking about a few thousand sets," Lyda elaborated.

That would be a lot of equipment, and the initial purchase would likely be just an appetizer.

"What can we expect in exchange?"

"My Lord suggested to offer your government Intar technology and examples to test it. We use Intars in training when simulating combat They are non-lethal weapons, that can be used for law enforcement as well. If you cannot produce Intars, we also offer research and development aid. Suppose you want delivery of such tools before establishing a production line on Earth. In that case, my Lord might be persuaded to redirect some industrial capacity if the price is right."

Henry had seen the preliminary report about the capacity of Earth's industry to build advanced alien technology. While Lyda was still to familiarize herself with specific bleeding-edge processes, she was reasonably sure that they were at the stage Earth would need to build multiple iterations of such tools to get there. It might be required to obtain advanced tooling from Perun to jumpstart a new industrial revolution in a reasonable timeframe.

Hayes was confident that if Earth wanted those for itself, they would have to pay a hefty price. In that regard, it was good that there were still various good enough items they could supply the Goa'uld with.

"I believe that we can make this work," Henry noted after he thought a bit more about it. Like with the tractors, the US government would buy the surveillance gear, then offer it with the right specialists to Perun's people while getting tech to reverse engineer in exchange. Seeing how those Intar things could be precious for training was easy. If they were safe enough, they might become standard gear for most police forces across the planet.

The deal was good for both sides. Henry was sure that those Intars were everyday tech the Goa'uld and their Jaffa used, so Perun lost nothing by offering it. Yet that didn't make it any less valuable to Earth.

"I am glad to hear this," Lyda picked up her wine glass, sniffed it, then took a sip before returning to her meal. "Next, I would require in-depth information on caste societies, particularly Indian ones, and how they changed into something else. The information we exchanged shows that society seems to be your equivalent of how Lady Kali runs many of her worlds. I am unsure which came first, and I don't know if it matters."

"Your new worlds," Hayes concluded.

"The castes separating the societies on them are a problem. Attempting to alter them has led to violence against those who 'forget their place' as the locals put it. My Lord is not amused," Lydia explained.

Henry made sure to commit everything he heard to memory. Any piece of information about the aliens could be priceless in the future.

"In exchange, we are ready to offer more cultural information. I believe that doing so would be reasonable."

"I think that my superiors will agree," More information was always good, especially when they were still stumbling into the dark as far as the truth of what they were dealing with was concerned. That wouldn't change until they had independent ways to verify the narrative. Perun's people did their best to feed the US government.

"Splendid," Lyda pursed her lips. "I am afraid you won't find my final request so agreeable. My Lord's patience concerning contact with the many other governments on this planet is beginning to run thin. He would very much prefer that any future deals be offered to a broader number of entities who can supply us with what we require."

"I see," Henry noted. It was a very reasonable request from where the aliens stood. It was also the last thing the US government wanted in that regard, even if they all saw the writing on the wall.

"I hope you do. I understand that revealing the truth would have consequences and that you must handle it carefully. However, such contact is in our best interest, and we will accept nothing less," This time, Lyda's eyes glowed and remained that way. She spoke in her deep, alien voice, underlining her point. "As a gesture of goodwill, we would require introduction with at least a few of your other governments in the foreseeable future. Otherwise, my Lord might have to consider how to best deploy a Ha'tak to this system and open direct negotiations with all the other nations on Earth."

Henry was rather unhappy that reality met his expectations in times like this. Further, he had to accept that this outright threat was how these aliens negotiated with allies, a radical change of how diplomacy on Earth usually worked. At the same time, Hayes had to remind himself that despite how generous the aliens were so far, this wasn't a negotiation between equals. He also wasn't looking forward to figuring out for sure how the Goa'uld negotiated with their enemies.

"I will make sure everyone hears this message loud and clear, my Lady."

"Please see that you do, Mr. Hayes."