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Chapter 23: The Emperor cometh

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Part 5

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Rumors persist, pointing at a disastrous meeting between Lord Perun and the UN Security Council!

Associated Press

Are we about to be colonized?!

New York Times

Lord Perun's arrival on board what is obviously a ship of Ra is nothing less but a demonstration of power and a display of spoils of war. We are not dealing with a typical head of state as we know them. This is a successful monarch who rules an interstellar Empire.

I am afraid our representatives in the UN are not going to be negotiating like they are used to. For example, we are in the position of some primitive tribe on a small island being discovered by the British Empire at its height of power. It's just that the balance of power is even more lopsided in the aliens' favor. I fear we might be about to be colonized for all intents and purposes that matter. As a rule of thumb, colonization didn't work well for those colonized.

History Professor Charles Peterson


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"Admiral Perry", Cheops class 'yacht.'
New York City, the United States
Earth
Milky Way Galaxy

Earth's politicians had marching orders, though details needed to be ironed out. Now, it remained to be seen which way they would jump. I might have to make an example, ensuring that Earth might have to go in the long run. Or they might prove too much trouble to be worth the headache of making this world useful. In that case, I would get Lyda and my Jaffa out, then burn the place to the ground from orbit.

Either way, there were various treasures I would like to retrieve before leaving. While Earth's people bickered, I was back on the bridge, sitting on the command throne and using the ship's sensors to look for goods to loot.

Through the neural interface, the ship's computer core could use my memories to tag various locations, giving them names or at least vague designations. With every passing moment, constant sensor sweeps built a more comprehensive picture of Earth, its geography, and weak points like faultlines active and semi-active volcanoes that, if targeted, would cause extreme devastation to the planet and its ecosystem. If you wanted to get a world from orbit and make it stick without glassing everything, that was the method to do it.

My mind went at any new ping designating the signature of Goa'uld technology or naquadah concentrations large enough for the sensors to pick up among the clutter of an industrialized world like Earth.

Most of them were where I expected them to be – in the hands of the US government, I was vaguely aware of at research sites through Lyda. Others were more interesting. At least a few would be the US and friends poking what I gave them or what they might have found.

Most interesting were the signatures that were out of place for my troublesome allies to have found already.

One was in South America. Both a faint power signature and a concentration of naquadah were large enough to be notable. At the same time, those were so weak that less advanced sensors would have issues picking them up unless the ship was near the area and actually looking.

The next notable signature was tons of concentrated naquadah, which was also faint. Too faint for that much naquadah. This time, it was in Antarctica. I had to wack my brain until I vaguely recalled that Earth might have had a second Stargate. In contrast, I wasn't sure what I might find in South America.

There were also various pings throughout the Middle East and parts of Asia. They were also faint, though that was due to power sources that could barely register or small amounts of naquadah. I had to ask the computer core before being certain why the sensors of this ship were so sensitive. They were tweaked to look for bombs and weapons assassins might try to smuggle in Ra's presence, and not only when he was on board. It was a mere bonus that this Cheops could also serve as an excellent survey vessel.

My first stop would be South America, followed by Antarctica. Grabbing the Stargate there would give me even more options to play Earth's nations against each other. If I brought in a DHD or found Earth's own one reasonably intact, I would have cheaper alternatives to lightly punish my US allies if they acted out.

Even as sensitive as the sensors were, there were limits on what they could detect from the ship's current position. I would do more surveys when I went for the prizes already on my to-loot list.


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18 January 1997

Air Force One
LaGuardia, New York City
Earth
Milky Way Galaxy

President Cole looked between the commander of his security detail, O'Neill, and Hayes. He had to pull rank to get the plan to land in New York in the first place after they had heard about Perun's stunt at the United Nations. Now, he had to convince the people meant to keep him in one piece that going into the lion's den was the safest option. Well, the safer one, anyway.

"First, you two, give it to me straight!" Cole pointed a finger at his Deputy Secretary of State and the Colonel. "What was that alien thinking? What are his intentions? Will it be safe to go meet him?"

"I won't mince words, Mr. President," Hayes looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here, giving this particular bit of bad news. "I believe we just got annexed. Earth as a whole, I meant. We got our marching orders from our new alien overlord, too."

"Perun was playing with us, sir," O'Neill elaborated. "He is now in a position to have a warship hanging over our heads. Perun no longer needs to use silk gloves over his mailed fist to handle us… and we handed him the opportunity to do so on a silver platter," the Colonel looked less than thrilled at that.

"Abydos," Cole spat the world like a curse.

"Abydos, Mr. President," Jack agreed.

"Our diplomatic norms are irrelevant to him, Mr. President. We kind of knew that we also noted that personal relationship might be more important than here on Earth, but," Hayes shrugged. "He's a monarch, sir. Trusted subordinates, advisers, commanders, even diplomats, that is how he gets things done, I believe. The rest of his government would be beholden to do their bidding and, through them, Perun's. Diplomats who he doesn't personally know and respect, he doesn't care about them. Diplomacy might only matter between peers or a noble and their vassals. Most of the people he met with at the UN were neither…"

Cole listened attentively. It was clear that Hayes was doing his best to digest and explain what had just happened so there would be no more disastrous misunderstandings. From what the President heard, what Steward said wouldn't have been out of place if it was addressed to him in person by a diplomat from a tiny third-world nation of no consequence that people couldn't find on the map, even with a geography professor helping them.

On the face of it, Perun overreacted to an insane degree. However, Hayes had other ideas about what happened, and damn it, he was speaking sense. If they survived this mess, Richards better keep his promise and put that man in charge of the State Department. Doing so might make all the difference in the long run.

Naturally, Cole wasn't thrilled at the prospect that Earth was now owned by an alien. The consequences would be grave, and that was before someone foolish or too defiant tested Perun's patience enough for him to demonstrate the offensive capabilities of that ship.

"I need to speak with him and be certain exactly how deep a hole we are in," The President decided. "My terms ends in less than two days. The Vice-President, the President-elect, and his Vice-President are all as safe as you people can make them. I don't know where they are in case I am compromised. Besides, speaking with Perun face to face might be the safest alternative for all of us."

Cole half expected that the Secret Service would pile on top of him if he headed for the exit, intending to visit Perun on the ship floating above the city.

The Secret Service agent looked torn. His expression changed rapidly until his shoulders slumped. He looked through the window at the golden pyramid gleaming in the early afternoon sun.

"We can't guarantee your safety, Mr. President, but you already know that."

"Right now, no one on Earth is safe. If we don't handle this right, we won't have a place to run or hide," Cole sighed. "You two are coming with me. Let us hope for Richard's sake that Perun doesn't give you my job next."


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Part 6

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"Admiral Perry", Cheops class 'yacht.'
New York City, the United States
Earth
Milky Way Galaxy

A brief, intense, yet soft light. Humming that resonated with his whole being. A sensation of motion. That was all President Cole felt after a set of metal rings fell around him, O'Neill, Hayes, and two unfortunate Secret Service agents.

Michael blinked, and instead of standing in front of the UN building with that huge ship looming above them, they were now in a well-lit corridor, surrounded by armored alien soldiers.

"Lord Perun expects you," A Jaffa in particularly elaborate armor declared in heavily accented English before pointing down the corridor. He walked away, and Cole followed. His entourage and more aliens fell in step behind him.

Michael wasn't surprised that inside the ship, the halls were chock-full of gold decorations built into the walls. Alien scrip surrounded them, almost certainly proclaiming how great Ra was. How did someone put it? Was this Ra's pimpmobile or something? That crude description certainly fit.

Cole couldn't marvel at the fact that he walked through the halls of a real, honest-to-god spaceship. Instead, he felt fear and apprehension. The Jaffa led them through long corridors that seemed endless until they reached a door with more aliens posted in front of it. The guards saluted with fists across their chests and stepped aside. The door slid open, revealing that it was a relatively thick, double one, with each part vanishing into a nearby wall.

Their guide led them inside a rather large compartment that showed signs of combat. There used to be a door at the far end of the chamber. It was there still, just torn and twisted, stuck in a way that would require cutting it off alongside parts of the walls to remove and replace. Beyond, I laid the ruing of what might have been a corridor. The metal walls and deck were twisted around each other as if smashed together at high speed. To the right, what might have been a viewport had been torn from the outside. Jagged edges of transparent material pointed in all directions. A slab of armor was in place, sealing the breach from outside.

Perun was to the left, sitting on a golden throne and staring at a detailed hologram of Earth. Cole could see various locations surrounded by lines leading to the alien script. His heart sank when he recognized some of the annotated areas as volcanos and faultlines. The odd natural disasters worldwide during his tenure as the President meant that Michael needed a geography refresher not long ago.

There weren't many reasons why Perun would be interested in places like that, and none were suitable for Earth.

The hologram dissolved, and finally, Perun looked their way.

"Welcome, said the spider to the fly," Perun lightly nodded to the center of the compartment, near where the hologram used to be.

Cole grit his teeth and walked there. He was supposed to be the most powerful man on Earth. It came with the position he had held for eight years now. That might even still be true, technically. They were not on Earth but above it right now. Here, Perun reigned.

"Someone decided to listen to you at last, Jack, Henry?" Perun inquired politely, pointedly ignoring Cole.

Michael didn't need to look over his shoulder to know how O'Neill stiffened at that.

"Something like that, Lord Perun. This is Michael Cole, the President of the United States," The Colonel introduced them.

"So you are one of the people who are to blame for that idiocy on Abydos," Now, Perun's eyes focused on Cole, and he didn't like the experience at all. They didn't glow like expected, but in the way Hayes described from the mess in the Security Council chamber.

"It sounded like a good idea at the time, Lord Perun," Cole used all his decades of experience in politics to sound composed despite the predator starring him down as if he was its next meal.

"In your place, I might have done the same. However, I would have ensured no one I sent could be taken intact for interrogation," Perun's eyes blazed harder. Cole could feel pressure descend upon him. "At any rate, your intentions don't matter. The consequences do."

This was just like Hayes described. Arctic cold flooded the compartment. The shadows around them deepened and began moving.

"In my long life, I have fought three galaxy-wide wars," Perun growled. "I've seen civilizations tens of thousands of years old laid to waste. Species died by my hand and by my word. I've led armies beyond your comprehension. I have fought battles where the shattered hulks of dead ships blotted out the stars themselves, yet the carnage didn't even slow down," Perun raged. "Yet, here we are, on the cusp of yet another conflagration. This galaxy will burn. Billions will die. Your intentions do not matter, President Cole. Your actions do. Will your people be useful, or will your world burn like countless others are about to?"

The pressure abated. Michael's lungs burned as he inhaled deep gulps of freezing air. Around him, the shadows still moved. He had the vague impression they were hungrily staring at him.

"This is a really nice show, my Lord Perun!" Jack quipped and bowed. "I am awed at your performance, my Lord!"

Hayes hissed a warning at the Colonel, and Cole was about to snap at him when Perun chuckled.

"Jack, do you really think that so many consider my kind Gods just because of a few parlor tricks most of them use to awe primitives?" Perun asked in a voice ringing with dark amusement.

Cole froze. He didn't hear Perun speak. Those words echoed within his skull, making his head ache from inside.

Well, that was precisely what Cole thought. He didn't recall asking the Colonel's opinion on the topic.

"It has been a very long time since I had to fight a war from such a position of weakness as you forced me into," Perun spoke aloud, in a softer, still coldly furious tone. "The survival of all I've built since ascending once more as a God of War is now under threat of annihilation. All because of you, humans! I am tired of repeating myself. Will you serve?!" The question echoed within Cole's head with such an intensity it brought him to his knees.

The President was vaguely aware that his entourage was in a similar position.

"Or will you be a liability?" As soon as Perun hammered those words like a spike in Michael's skull, the world around him collapsed.

Cole was on a different ship a long time ago. He could feel the dying screams of countless men, women, and children as something monstrous devoured the lucky ones. It infected, twisted, and subverted many others, making them part of something monstrous. Michael somehow knew that he was watching through Perun's eyes, feeling what the alien was experiencing.

Whatever was consuming the world below, its mind was vast and could touch those beyond the planet, just like Perun was doing right now. Cole could feel Perun's own mind stretch in a way that should have been impossible, touching everyone across a large fleet. They were all as one. They knew it was only their General standing between them and Crimson destroying their minds.

An order was given. Countless weapons took aim and opened fire. Billions burned, their screams echoing through the void, drowned by the fury and endless hunger of the abomination designated Crimson.

The vision abruptly ended. Michael found himself lying on the freezing deck, gasping for air.

"That is just a taste of what horrors lurk among the stars, President Cole. This is the kind of madness a galaxy-wide war can unleash."

"What are you," Hayes blurted out.

"In this day and age, I am Perun, the God of War."

"What you need, you will have it if I have anything to say about it," Cole rasped. He had no illusions that this thing masquerading as a man would burn Earth to cinder without a second thought if it deemed doing so necessary. "However, my second term ends in two days. My successor has already been elected and is ready to take his place. It will be up to him and his administration to fulfill your orders, Lord Perun."

"I care not how your irksome tribes of humans upon this world handle your affairs. All I care about are results."

"All I am saying, Lord Perun, is that depending on what you do, it might be impossible for our governments to deliver what you need in the time available. It won't be from a lack of trying!" Cole hastily added. "An object lesson could make it even harder. We need our people in the factories, our scientists and engineers working, not running for the hills to save their lives," Cole explained. He prayed that Perun would revert to the reasonable monarch his people negotiated with before Abydos.

"You have guts, human. I will give you that," Perun chuckled darkly.

The shadows abated. Their hissing ceased, and they retreated and melted into the deck. Warm air washed over Cole, thawing his chilled blood.

"You and your fellow human leaders will issue a statement with my demands as soon as you return. You and your successor will do your best to see that your world is a productive part of my domain. If not, your world won't be a liability for long."

Cole gulped at that reminder. He could hear the dying screams of a whole world now, knowing it would feature a central place in his nightmares for the rest of his life.

"We will also discuss the price you owe me for bringing back and healing your people. Jack included."

"Hey! I am right here, you know?!" Jack snapped. "Lord Perun," He added a moment later.

"Yes, you are here. And you will be useful. I have a few items to pick up; some people misplaced the last time they were on Earth. While I do that, with Jack as my guide, was it?" Perun said, "You will get your fellow humans on the same page. I have wasted more than enough time with your foolish notions."

"I will do my best, Lord Perun," Cole agreed. He slowly got himself off the deck, followed by everyone else.

"See that you do. Now, pay attention, I won't be repeating myself..."