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 23: The Emperor cometh

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Part 3

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Lord Perun's abrupt arrival caused panic across New York City, with hundreds of thousands fleeing the area. At the same time, protesters and UFO enthusiasts wanting to welcome their new alien overlords are clashing with police and National Guards to reach the United Nations building.

CNN

An aircraft carrier-sized spaceship hovers above New York!

CBS

Lord Perun is meeting with the United Nations Security Council while world leaders are racing toward New York to discuss the future with the alien monarch.

BBC World News

"This is like on the Independence Day! We have a day or two before the Ayoos start bombing us! Run for your lives!"

Pete Gorman, right before he was arrested for shooting at Perun's ship with a hunting rifle.

This can't be Perun! We are being lied to! It is written all over the ship walls! This is Ra, who has come to condemn the warmongering ways of our governments and his accursed vassal!

Archaeology Professor Richard Armstrong


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18 January 1997
The United Nations building, New York City
The United States, Earth
Milky Way Galaxy

Henry thanked whatever deities might be listening that he managed to get a few hours of sleep before Perun arrived. He still had more coffee in his veins than blood, but at least he could somewhat function now. That was what mattered under the circumstances.

Hayes watched with sick fascination how Perun walked into the Security Council Chamber as if he owned the place. Four Jaffa marched in lockstep with their lord. Jack was there as well, struggling to keep up without jogging.

Despite everything that has happened to date, there were certain expectations about Perun's arrival. It should have been announced earlier; Perun should have allowed people the time to get in place because everyone couldn't wait for him in New York. Most diplomats expected speeches, ceremonies, and all the typical pageantry when a head of state visited.

From what Henry could gather, Perun took one look at the improvised mess outside and decided to ignore it altogether, complete with the hastily assembled diplomats waiting to greet him. Instead, he briefly chatted with Jack before they headed here.

If it wasn't so tragic, Hayes would find it amusing that everyone who mattered had to race to catch up with Perun so they wouldn't reach the chamber embarrassingly late.

Instead of going for the small table where Lady Lyda sat, Perun marched to the head of the table and waved a hand. All but a single chair moved away, scrapping over the floor. He took the seat of the rotating President of the Security Council and looked critically around. His glowing eyes fell on Hayes, who was supposed to ensure everything in this place was ready to receive Perun.

"Henry, is this amount of incompetence common in your world? After dealing with the likes of you and the good Colonel here, I was left with the impression Earth wasn't run by imbeciles. Yet, your people do their best to prove me wrong."

"Lord Perun, I must apologize for…"

"It is not your groveling that I require, Henry," Perun raised an eyebrow at him, even as ambassadors, representatives, and assorted diplomats rushed into the chamber. "Unless you have been spreading misinformation about me?"

Stewart, the US ambassador to the UN, saw Perun sitting in what was supposed to be his chair for the time being and went beet-red. Thankfully, the man had the presence to keep his thoughts on the subject to himself.

"Is this the best your world has to offer, Jack?" Perun asked loud enough that everyone streaming in the chamber could hear him.

"I have to plead the fifth on this one, Lord Perun," Jack deflected.

"A cultural reference?" Perun inquired.

"Here in the United States, we have the constitutional right not to incriminate ourselves," Jack explained.

"What kind of fools came with that one? I am beginning to see that your world's problems are deeper than I thought."

"The Founders of this nation might have had something to say about it…" Jack looked highly uncomfortable at that line of questioning. "I take it things don't work that way in your corner of the galaxy, my Lord?"

"Sane people don't lie to me. Accused have the right to come clean as soon as possible, which I am likely to take into account," Perun elaborated.

"Theoretically speaking, if someone lies to you? Like, say, a diplomat?" Jack didn't quite look at the people hastily taking seats nearby.

"Then I will feel compelled to tear the truth out of their skulls. If their brains haven't leaked out of their ears yet, I would have to make an example of them," the alien happily explained.

Perun looked very pleased with himself when he said that. The worst thing was that Henry could believe the alien could and had, in fact, done so in the past. He was making a point, wasn't he? Hayes examined all relevant representatives and diplomats. Some were disgruntled, others shocked and angry. There was fear too, yes. However, it was clear that not enough of them were taking Perun seriously enough. They saw how he acted and lumped him with the likes of Gaddafi.

"Sadly, we aren't here to compare interrogation techniques. Mr. Hayes, is everyone relevant here? I do notice the notable lack of government leaders," Perun was now outright kicking all semblance of diplomatic protocol. At the same time, it was curled on the floor, crying.

"The Security Council is assembled. The people here represent the most military and economically powerful nations on the planet," Henry noted after ensuring everyone in question was in place.

"That will have to do for now. Congratulations! The Galaxy is in excellent shape. A war will set it on fire soon, killing billions, all because your governments didn't get the hint about what is out there," Perun waved a hand at the ceiling. "We will now discuss how Earth will best serve a useful purpose in the war."

"Lord Perun, we haven't reached any agreement about providing military or material aid in any conflict you might have to fight!" Stewart countered.

Perun raised his right hand in a chilling imitation of Vader's iconic scene and slowly closed the distance between his thumb and index finger. Stewart grabbed his throat, gasped for air, and began choking. Security personnel moved in, drawing weapons, while the ambassador's aides tried to help him.

"Stand down! Now!" People from the security details barked at Perun.

Hayes watched, stunned at how the Jaffa didn't react to all the weapons pointed at them. Suddenly, the approaching security halted their approach, their demands cutting off mid-word. The lights in the chamber flickered, throwing deep shadows all around. The chill of the winder flooded the pleasant, warm area. The shadows were moving, Henry realized, gathering around Perun.

"I have been extremely generous and accommodating, only for you people to trample my generosity and put my realm in deadly danger," Perun's voice thundered like that of an angry god.

Henry understood this wasn't the slightly odd alien he had been negotiating with. No. They beheld the Warlord who had conquered whole worlds and reigned over entire star systems. Perun's patience was obviously at its end. He wasn't shy about expressing it straightforwardly, which was a huge problem.

He also understood that everyone had grossly underestimated how dangerous Perun could be. His very presence screamed threat. It demanded submission and obedience.

"Lord Perun, please release that… man. Killing him is not worth the disruption doing so would cause," Jack babbled as soon as he got over his shock at what was happening.

"I do like you, Jack. Now, you owe me another one," Perun lowered his hand, and Stewart collapsed in the hands of his aides, wheezing for air. "Get that fool out of my sight. He was your country's representative, wasn't he, Henry?"

"Yes, my Lord," Hayes managed to choke off.

"From now on, you will be speaking for your people. I am certain you won't disappoint."

The living shadows retreated and moved around Perun as if caressing his form before melting away alongside the unnatural chill. The lights ceased flickering, and Henry found he could breathe easier. It was as if colossal pressure had lifted from his shoulders.

"Get your toy soldiers out of here before they have an accident," Perun added. The frozen security stumbled forward, released from whatever had held upon them. It was a pure miracle that there were no accidental discharges.

Henry dragged himself to Stewart's seat and collapsed in it while everyone looked between him and Perun with undisguised terror.

"Are you ready to listen, or should I make a more impactful demonstration?"

Somehow, the people around the chamber became even paler as the blood was left on their faces, drained away.

Henry didn't want to see what demonstration Perun had in mind and blurted out his denial, rapidly followed by the other ambassadors.


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Part 4

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18 January 1997
The United Nations building, New York City
The United States, Earth
Milky Way Galaxy

"Boys and girls, sheathe your weapons and leave the room, please," Jack implored. "If Lord Perun wants anyone here, or all of us, dead, then we are dead. You didn't miss the ship above us, did you?"

The security personnel looked at each other. Some of them glared defiantly at Perun, though most appeared shaken, and rightly so. The leaders of security details and whoever was in charge of security turned out not to be complete fools. The radios of the protection details and assorted security crackled to life, issuing orders for everyone to leave the room.

Soon, only ambassadors and their aides remained. Henry let out a sigh of relief. That way, there would be fewer people to antagonize Perun, and that was excellent.

"I see that you are all suffering from certain grave misconceptions," Perun's voice was deep and inhuman. It resonated throughout the chamber, almost sounding like a chorus instead of a single man, alien, speaking. "From the moment I stumbled upon your world, your options were severely limited. You are either worth the trouble, or you are not. You are either a valuable asset in the wars to come, or you are a liability. I do not need liabilities. I have no need to justify my actions to the likes of you. It is by my grace that I do so. Any other of my kind would destroy your civilization and enslave the survivors if they bothered to leave any. Your future is linked to that of my realm. Your world will not only serve but also be useful. Earth will prove itself a sound investment worth the political price of shielding you from the System Lords in the long term. Your only alternative is annihilation."

Each word Perun uttered was like a hammer slamming into yet another nail in Henry's coffin, or so it felt. Was this how hearing your death sentence felt?

"You are fortunate that I do not care about your petty squabbles or how you rule yourselves as long as your world is useful. You are also fortunate that because of your primitive equipment, your soldiers are worthless in combat and would remain so for years to come," Perun leaned forward, looking at everyone in turn. His eyes were like pools of hellfire, marking anyone who dared look into them.

"Am I getting through your thick skulls, humans?" Perun demanded.

Henry's thoughts were sluggish. He intellectually knew much of what Perun was saying already. It was just that, deep down, he couldn't fully accept it, even if he tried. Hayes could clearly see that many other diplomats were at least a step or two behind him on that front. However, it was one thing to hear Perun's wild claims about the galaxy at large and something very different to accept them as gospel.

The trick was that it didn't matter how much of Perun's narrative was truth and how much was creative interpretation of facts.

Perun was here. He brought a warship and demonstrated for everyone to see and experience that he wasn't acting like anyone expected him to. This was what laid under the mask of the benevolent monarch Hayes had seen before, and he would rather Perun put it back on.

It was much easier on the nerves and his heart to deal with the ruler, not the warlord.

"Yes, Lord Perun. We understand our position," Henry spoke and marveled at his voice. It wasn't the gibbering wreck he expected to hear, though it did sound odd to his ears. "We might not like it, but we understand."

Mute nods of agreement spread around the table.

"Good. Then you will no longer waste my precious time with foolish notions," Perun offered them a single sharp nod. "You will pool your scientific and engineering resources and, under Lady Lyda's guidance, turn your industry into something useful for the war effort. Abydos will provide you with a source of naquadah. I will sweeten the pot and offer your people a chance, even if their leadership is infested with fools. You will develop and exploit the naquadah deposits on Abydos. In exchange for my benevolence, you will offer an appropriate amount of the material you mine as tribute. Ra used the settlement and primitive mine as a cover, giving the impression that the world was worthless. As soon as my Jaffa have finished securing his stashes, you will have access to the planet. Uplifting the local human population will be an educational experience for you. That way, you will see exactly what awaits anyone unfortunate enough to survive the other Goa'uld if I lose the war, I must fight because of you!"

Henry's eyebrows crawled up at those orders because that was what Perun was doing. He wasn't suggesting or negotiating. Lyda was right. Perun was here to issue orders. So much for the united front, they hoped to present in front of him. If anything, that idea might help sell Perun's demands to the people of Earth. Otherwise, the Independence Day movie could be used to predict reasonably what could happen. However, Henry doubted that salvation would come at the last moment in typical Hollywood fashion.

After what happened, no one dared contradict Perun or argue with him. There were no questions either, though some needed to be asked.

"You will provide access to suitable personnel to uplift my human subjects. I will need trainers and teachers for them. Construction workers and equipment to get my subjects better housing and amenities as well. I will handle their payment and offer benefits you simply can not. And you will make it clear to your people exactly what I am offering them. Further, you will provide more mining and agricultural equipment and the required trainers and support to free more of my people for more vital tasks. I have multiple undeveloped worlds with untapped resources. Exploiting anything of use, there is something you can do, hopefully without running into another System Lord and getting us all killed."

Henry closed his eyes. That was going to be a disaster. He was certain Perun talked about access to a sarcophagus and advanced medical science to those who served him. That alone could get him millions of people who would eagerly, or at worst grudgingly, work for him and cause no issues as long as they or their families were cared for in a way no one on Earth could replicate.

On the other hand, Hayes couldn't miss all the carrots he was offering, even though it didn't sound that way.

"Some of your soldiers will have a role to play. Due to Ra's gifts, I have nearly a million garrison troops to turn into frontline combatants. They might not listen to humans about better infantry tactics, and making them forget their foolish habits will be an issue," Perun sneered at that, "however, they will listen to experienced vehicle crews when being retrained to be a part of mechanized and combined arms units. The same is true for those young enough to begin their training. Most of them won't have many foolish misconceptions and should listen to human instructors."