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 24: The New World(Sith) Order
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Part 1
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Lord Perun is vandalizing the moon, demonstrating the full power of his warship! Soon after nightfall, Lord Perun took his ship into orbit and opened fire on the moon! He is announcing his possession of Earth and the Sol system with lava trenches visible to the naked eye!
Associated Press
It is official now, folks! We are now a colony belonging to our benevolent Lord Perun. We are useful, or else we are target practice…
The Rick Jones Show
The New World Order is here! Our so-called leaders sold us all out as expected! Resist, brothers and sisters! The storm is now! Fight for your freedom!
from the banned New American magazine
An emergency meeting of world leaders and the UN Security Council just concluded in New York. The Security Council, backed by over thirty heads of state, issued a statement that confirms Earth's new status as part of Lord Perun's realm.
Predictably, this proclamation led to worldwide riots. There are ongoing clashes between protesters, riot police, and military forces across most large cities on the planet.
Associated Press
Militias across the United States pledged to resist the alien occupation, claiming that President Cole's choice to submit made him and his administration illegitimate.
CBS
Congress and Senate are meeting in an emergency session to discuss the situation. Calls for Impeachment of President Cole have come from members of both parties and Independents.
CNN
The ongoing riots across France intensified after the news of what is basically unconditional surrender to Lord Perun spread worldwide. For the first time since the state of emergency began, French military units are moving in to restore order, using tear gas and rubber bullets to suppress riots.
Calls from the opposition for the military to remove President Aubert and his supporters as traitors have fallen on deaf ears. General Hubert, the Chief of the Defense Staff, announced that the French military supported President Aubert's decision as the only sane course of action and would follow all lawful orders. This includes the recent order issued by the President for the military to restore order.
Euronews
Tory and Labor leadership decry the decision of the Caretaker Parliament to surrender, calling it a disgrace unsurpassed in Britain's long and storied history.
BBC
Breaking news! President-elect Richards just announced that he supports President Cole's decision as the only path forward for the nation!
CNN
The UN Security Council just released a list of 'requests' and offers by Lord Perun that Earth must meet. Over forty governments released the same list within the hour, indicating their surrender to the alien Warlord!
Associated Press
Lord Perun's offer for those who choose to serve on his worlds might cause more strife than Earth's surrender! Essential items include access to advanced medical technology that can cure all known diseases and cancer, and even bring the recently dead back to life! As outlandish as it sounds, the governments whose personnel took part in the Abydos Expedition confirm that Perun can bring back the dead! We will have access for interviews with military and civilian personnel who have been either revived or rapidly healed from injuries that should have left them crippled!
CNN
The Antichrist revealed himself, usurping the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ! I call for all the faithful to rise against this corruption before our souls are forfeit! Resist this temptation!
From Reverent Elijah Thompson's last public sermon before he went into hiding
Lord Perun offers access to the resources of the whole worlds! What does that mean to Earth's economy? Read to find out!
Forbes Magazine
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18 January 1997
"Admiral Perry," Cheops class 'yacht'
Moon orbit
Milky Way Galaxy
O'Neill stared mutely at the large holograph showing the moon in incredible detail.
"Your anger and apprehension are delicious, Jack. And that heavy dose of resentment…" Perun stared at him as if he was an excellent meal to devour.
That got Jack out of his funk. He didn't like being conscripted or being thrown to the wolves. Or the snakes, as the case might be. Yet, the alternatives were worse.
"Are you coming onto me, Lord Perun?" Jack somehow managed not to sneer at the title. "I am afraid I am not into snakes."
"Me neither. I prefer women, so you are lucky on that front. Some of my kind consider the lack of consent a feature."
While not a surprise, that information didn't make Jack any happier.
"It is time to demonstrate the capabilities of this fully armed and operational space yacht," Perun's eyes glowed in amusement. A light vibration went through the deck, and Jack watched in fury how blinking dots headed to the moon on the hologram before large orange balls of plasma entered what had to be a camera view.
Strike after strike rained upon the moon's surface, raising mountains of dust and vapor, giving Luna some atmosphere for however long it might last. Perun kept shooting, forming channels full of boiling rock.
"Dare I ask, what are you doing, my Lord?" Jack asked in a hollow voice. He could now very well imagine how an orbital bombardment on a densely populated world looked like. He could hear the screams of the damned every time he thought about it; he could see a world burning.
"I am making a point. The alternative is burning a few of your cities, and at that point, your world will be more of a headache than it is worth in the long run."
The casual way Perun discussed genocide and the death of a world was chilling. There was no malice or joy in the way he spoke. It was mere cold-blooded calculation, and that, in some ways, made it worse. It was easier to simply dismiss him as an extremely dangerous monster.
As if that wasn't bad enough, now that Perun wasn't playing games, it was uncanny how he could read Jack like an open book.
"Why the charade then? Was it amusing to toy with us?"
"That's your people's fault, Jack. I would have very much preferred to have the time to put my realm in order and then focus on properly subverting your world. I wouldn't have had to resort to such heavy-handed methods in that case. Instead of the carrot, you are getting the stick approach with a few incentives to sweeten the pot," Perun explained as if subverting governments and taking over worlds was an everyday occurrence.
For all Jack knew, that might very well be the case. He glanced at Perun, thinking about that ascension business he kept talking about. From what he experienced tonight, Jack wouldn't bet against Perun being literal. Or perhaps he meant something else. It was clear that the snake had decided to uplift his people recently. That was clear by the reports from the people deployed to aid him in those efforts.
It might be that Perun was just grandstanding when he issued his ultimatum to the President and showed them how a dying world feels. Or it might be that Perun was telling the truth. Jack didn't know how that worked; however, it was clear that Perun had radically changed not so long ago. If he wasn't bullshitting them, O'Neill didn't want to know what Perun used to be or the kinds of wars he had fought. Nevertheless, that was the kind of information his country and Earth, as a whole, needed.
Otherwise, next Perun wouldn't be painting oversized dick pictures on the moon; he would be carving up parts of Earth.
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Part 2
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We can already read what Lord Perun is 'writing' on the moon. He basically proclaims his ownership of the Sol system and dominion over Earth.
Dr. Daniel Jackson
We are seeing low-key defection of National Guard members, who are joining various militias to resist Lord Perun and his takeover of Earth. This happens while law enforcement, the National Guard, and several regular military units that are involved in a few controversial cases do their best to restore order and contain riots.
CNN
We will resist until the bitter end!
A Humanity First poster found in Harlem, New York
Contact and Men in Black movies post-production put on hold, Hollywood insiders claim.
Financial Times
A vote to skip a trial and Impeach President Cole failed in the Senate. Nevertheless, the Senate successfully voted to put the President on trial for his 'actions against the best interests of the United States' and for exceeding his authority by surrendering to Lord Perun.
CNN
The United Kingdom will hold an emergency vote next Saturday. Labor and Tory leadership face severe criticism and accusations of being collaborators for not firmly stating they will reverse the course set by the treacherous Caretaker Government!
Sun magazine
After Lord Perun's demonstration last night, protests and counter-protests clash in many countries worldwide. While many are outraged by the capitulation of their governments and demand immediate action, a large number of scared people are on the streets demanding the government do its job and keep them safe.
Across Germany, an unusual alliance between pacifists and rallies organized by far left and far right parties clash with police, counter-protesters, and, in a few cases, military units deployed to restore order.
BBC World News
The last oligarch stronghold in St. Petersburg fell to government forces half an hour ago. The city is still under martial law, while military units are conducting sweeps for saboteurs and processing prisoners to ensure there are no alien infiltrators.
Fighting continues in the vicinity of the Volga River. Russian mechanized formations converge on the positions held by the rogue General who defected to the oligarch side.
Due to the ongoing civil war and martial law in effect, Russia is paradoxically one of the countries handling Earth's annexation best so far.
Euronews
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19 January 1997
"Admiral Perry," Cheops class 'yacht'
the Amazon, Brazil
Earth
Milky Way Galaxy
Jack decided that flying in a starship and watching the moon get bombed, all after being conscripted, ruined what should have been an incredible experience. The nightmares didn't help.
Now, he was in the jungle at the break of dawn, wearing his dress blues, and to top it all, his shoes were definitely the wrong choice for this place.
"Why am I here anyway?" Jack grumbled.
"What was that term? You are Earth's military attache in my court, Jack. You have things to learn to be useful. So keep out of the way and pay attention. Besides, it might calm down your governments if they have some idea of what I am up to while on Earth," Perun explained.
The damn snake waved a hand and tore off a tall tree overgrown with lianas, then used it as a battering ram to clear the way to some stone structure. The jungle had swallowed this place, leaving no trace of it. A plane with a suitable radar might have been able to find it. Jack glanced at the trees towering above them. This was old growth. He doubted anyone had been around for hundreds of years, perhaps longer.
"Good, the entrance is on this side!"
Something roared. Jack glimpsed a blur moving towards them. The Jaffa deployed as perimeter security raised their weapons faster than they had any right to, especially when wearing their thick armor.
"Hold!" Perun bellowed. His left hand was up…
Jack blinked dully at a snarling jaguar frozen in a mid-leap. Was that a female?
Mraow? That cry sounded like thunder across the subdued jungle. A tiny furball stumbled and slid down the vegetation from higher up on the building.
"This brings back memories…" Perun muttered in a wishful tone.
The alien walked towards the furious mother jaguar and lowered his hand. The feline softly landed on the jungle's floor and kept snarling. Perun moved beside it, muttering something too quiet for Jack to hear. Then he rubbed the big cat's head. The Jaguar purred and relaxed, then bumped Perun's armored leg with its head, as if demanding more attention instead of savaging the alien for his foolishness. Perun scratched it below the chin, muttered something quiet, and walked towards the building.
The Jaguar mrowled. It stalked towards its cub, sniffed it, carefully picked it up by the neck with her teeth, and trotted to the clearing where they landed using those ring things. The mother put down her cub and began cleaning it, paying no attention to the people around.
Jack stared at the cats, then back at Perun. Why was he surprised again? That crazy snake was apparently doing many impossible things before coffee every morning.
"Jaguars? Really?!" Jack scoffed.
"My kind used to keep much more dangerous animals as companions, Jack. These two are tame in comparison," Perun told him.
What would be next? A T-Rex? Perhaps baby Godzilla? Jack thought better of it and decided it might be best not to give the crazy alien more ideas.
Perun casually waved a hand and tore out a massive stone block that someone used to seal the building. The place might be vaguely shaped like a pyramid under all the greenery covering it. Jack wondered if he wanted to know what the snakes might have left here.
Two Jaffa followed Perun inside, and Jack decided he might at least see why they were here, beyond Perun finding himself pets. O'Neill walked into a dusty, wet tunnel that stank. It wasn't a nice combination. The less said about his shoes, the better. The place was lit up by a floating sphere of light that followed one of the Jaffa like a puppy.
The corridor led into a single chamber that didn't appear to have other exits.
"Is this what I think it is?" Jack asked.
The sarcophagus he awoke in back on the ship was all golden and covered in elaborate carvings. This one was made of stone, or at least covered in it. For all Jack knew, he might be looking at a regular sarcophagus with a mummified corpse inside, not a magical one.
"We are about to find out, Colonel," Perun didn't approach. Instead, he once again waved his hand like a damn wizard. Whatever he did, a section on top of the sarcophagus rotated. Dust fell from it, revealing a sizeable dirty gem. It might be a massive ruby below all the much clinging to it.
Jack noted that the sarcophagus was the magical kind, even though it was covered in stone slabs. It shifted and hissed, opening up and breaking the stone surrounding it. Smoke billowed from the inside. A hand slowly emerged and grabbed the side of the device with thin fingers, each wearing a gold ring crowned by a large precious stone of a different kind. A red-haired woman with dusky skin rose from the sarcophagus. She wore an elaborate headdress of woven gold and silver. Strips of gold hung from thin chains, each holding a large oval ruby.
The woman blinked and looked at them. Her lidded eyes briefly went over the Jaffa and lingered on Jack before focusing on Perun.
"Where is Ra?" The woman rasped. She cleared her throat and scowled. "Bow before your Queen Hathor and give me your name!"
Jack's nose twitched. He could smell something sweet and captivating. The next thing he knew, he was kneeling in the dirt, watching the Goddess he would die to make smile.
"Really, Jack?" Perun's voice came from somewhere very far away.
"Your name! Tell me who you are!" The Goddes pouted. Jack got up and glared at Perun, who had the temerity not to immediately do as their Goddess demanded. He was about to lunge at the damn fool of a Goa'uld when he found himself frozen. No matter how much Jack strained, he couldn't move at all.
Perun raised a hand, and something silver uncoiled like a snake in his grasp. Recognition flashed in Jack's eyes, and he tried to scream a warning to his Goddess, yet no sound came out of his lips.
Hathor's eyes widened. Her hand snapped up, ready to activate her shield and use the Kara'kesh to smite that fool… only to feel the lack of the neural interface slotting in place. She had a moment to remember her imprisonment and how Ra's warriors stripped her of all the technology her host has been wearing before a Zat'nik'tel shot knocked her out.
Jack wanted to scream and rage. He had to tear Perun apart with his hands and teeth for daring to harm their Goddess! That bastard turned his way, giving him an unimpressed look. Perun raised his weapon and shot Jack in the face.