Dragon Of The Ecplising Moon: Yes! No one can resist Hakuno's Head Tilt!
Kadzuki Kurokami : Indeed, and this chapter will prove it.
Boyzilla: You know that in all the stories I write about Hakuno, she always ends up becoming the empress, the duchess, or the queen of something.
Ultimate Warrior of Zera: I take that as a compliment, which means I'm describing McKay well.
Thank you for all your compliments, I hope you will also like this new chapter.
Mystification
Asuras, Pegasus Galaxy
Oberoth looked at the city from his office window.
The huge skyscrapers almost reached the clouds, some looked like cathedral arrows, and others were ogival or cylinder-shaped cut oblique. The Asurans, like the Lanteans, appreciated the diversity of forms. Each skyscraper was surrounded by a dozen smaller buildings with equally varied architecture.
There was no park in this part of Asuras. The city looked like a forest of pretty grey stone buildings. The sun was reflected on the windows and the silver metal of the superstructures. Countless Jumpers were traveling at different heights, following marked routes, true aerial highways.
It was a formidable vision of a very advanced civilization. Yet the High Councilor felt no comfort in this contemplation. Oberoth looked at the landscape with his brow barred by an anxious fold. The Asuran had the appearance of an old man with small eyes reflecting obstinacy close to monomania.
In fact, Oberoth was not looking at the city itself, his eyes were fixed on the lake which was the only open space among the skyscrapers. In its midst floated a replica of the city of Atlantis. Several tubular aerial bridges connected the central tower to some of the nearest buildings.
Atlantis...
The Asurans were not human despite their appearance. They were nanomorphs made up of billions of nanorobots gathered in one form. They were created by the Lanteans to fight the Wraith.
But as they refused this mission, begging their creators to free them from the hatred for the Wraith that was the foundation of their programming... the Lanteans had sought to annihilate them.
But the Asurans had survived to see their creators annihilated by the Wraith. A fitting reversal. Unfortunately, this did not free them from this hate program. After the disappearance of the Lanteans, the Pegasus Replicators had fought a brief but bloody war against the Wraith. It ended when one of those alien vampires altered their programming with a computer virus.
Except that the metaphysical problems of the Asurans would not matter to the Wraith, they had not removed the hatred implemented by the Lanteans in each nanobots but just added a line to their programming: don't attack the Wraiths.
When one thought about it, one could only pity the Asurans.
Considered a failure by their "fathers", the Pegasus Replicators were condemned to an eternal hatred of the Wraith, hatred from which they could not be delivered, but which they could no longer translate into action because of the virus that reprogrammed them.
For thousands of years, the Asurans were therefore left without a clear purpose, creating on Asuras a civilization that was only a carbon copy of that of their "fathers". A good third of the Replicators had even sought Ascension both to prove that they were more than machines and also to reach the supreme completion of the Lanteans... a magnificent manifestation of the Oedipus complex.
It explained a lot about their hostility towards the Tau'ri.
The Tau'ri were the "children" loved by the Lanteans. While the Asurans (the eldest children) had been rejected, it was enough for the Tau'ri to arrive in Atlantis for the city to put itself at their service and for their "fathers" to cover them with gifts.
The Asurans were jealous of their "little brothers" that had received everything without making much effort.
A slight ring freed Oberoth from his dreary cogitations.
Returning to sit behind his work table in the shape of a crescent moon, he pressed the button that commanded the opening of the door.
An Asuran looking like a young Mediterranean woman entered the room. She was dressed in a long grey tunic decorated with printed squares. She was a member of the Asuran Council, holding in her hand a Lantean tablet, hardly different from those used by the Tau'ri.
"Ah, Thena! Has the investigation of Hakuno Kishinami progressed?"
The Councilor smiles at her supervisor.
"Yes, High Councilor. Do you mind?"
With her hand, she showed her tablet, asking permission to connect it to the personal holographic terminal.
"Please do."
Having completed the connection, Thena made a hologram of Hakuno appear above the work table. She quickly summarized the results of the research team. They had made the same discoveries as McKay in Atlantis: Hakuno was insensitive to anti-Replicator weapons because she had a 'brain', made of a photonic crystal, independent of the nanobots that formed the rest of her body.
Oberoth was very interested.
"This is a discovery that could prove crucial in our fight against humans. I want a research team set up immediately to study the possibility of equipping each of us with such a photonic crystal."
Thena showed no reaction... although she was part of the Liam faction, that is, the Replicators seeking to reach Ascension... a faction far less aggressive than Oberoth faction. But her face changed to show jubilation as she pressed a few touches of her tablet.
"It'll be done, High Councilor. But there's something else that I want to show you."
This time, the holographic projector showed columns and banners of signs crossing in every direction in a spherical projection. For most humans (McKay and Samantha Carter not being 'most humans') this would have been a meaningless mess. But Oberoth easily recognized the source code of the nanobots that made up each Pegasus Replicator.
He frowned before his face reflected great stupefaction.
"But... she doesn't have the hate program!"
As his eyes crossed the lines of codes, Oberoth faded and receded, leaning against the back of his chair. He stopped broadcasting the hologram and then backtracked before stopping the recording. There was a line of code missing! Normally, there was an extremely important line of code there.
"I can't believe it."
"I was as amazed as you are, High Councilor. Hakuno Kishinami can modify her own programming (3)... and thus ours. She can suppress the hate program, and free us... finally!"
Indeed, when the Moon Cell Automaton took control of the wreck of the Sirius and discovered the laboratory used to create Nanomorphs, it had rewritten the programming of nanites for its own needs. And as the photonic computer did not seek to create a weapon to annihilate the Wraith but create an support for Hakuno's consciousness in the physical world, the Alien Computer suppressed the hatred of the Wraith in her nanite program but also the prohibition of endangering the Lanteans (1) and even allowed Hakuno to self-program... so as to leave Hakuno KIshinami free of her actions.
"This way, sister."
In front of Hakuno, a young Asuran in a long white tunic led the way, crossing a massive lobby covering the entire ground floor.
Kishinami could see a large round-arched counter with receptionists, as well as a kind of living room with sofas, armchairs, and coffee tables surrounding a holo-television. There was a crowd of Asurans in the lobby. Some were tenants of the building, some were visitors. Almost all were dressed in light-colored clothing. When they arrived, the conversations stopped and all the Asurans present turned their heads to watch Hakuno while whispering in a low voice.
Intimidated by the many gazes directed towards her, the Last Master had slowed down, falling behind. Bending her shoulders and clutching her hands on her chest, Hakuno looked with an uncertain look around her.
Turning around, her guide smiled.
"Don't be scared my sister, they are just curious. This is the first time that one of our sisters created outside Asuras joined the collective!"
Hakuno nodded.
"Sister?"
"Sorry?"
"Why... you call me 'sister'?"
For a moment the young Asuran seemed surprised.
"Oh, of course, you can't know... It's a habit between us. All Asurans consider themselves brothers and sisters. Maybe you'd rather I call you something else?"
"Hakuno... that's my name."
"All right, Hakuno..." The young Asuran touched her chest. "My name is Themis. If you are embarrassed by the curiosity of the tenants, we will not linger. The Main Entry Lobby hosts all services. If someone wants to come and see you, he has to go to the reception and ask for a pass to use the transporter."
With one hand, Themis pointed to the square-shaped central column. On each side, there was a door that opened onto a teleportation cabin.
"Reception is also useful for you. If you want to go somewhere in the city, let them know through your apartment's communicator. They will put you in touch with a 24-hour Jumpers service that can take you anywhere. Cleaning and repair services are also managed by the reception. In addition, on the ground floor, there are several local shops, including a café, fast food service, and a restaurant (2)."
Themis was already heading for the nearest transporter but stopped remembering having forgotten something.
"Oh, and of course there's also a Security Station."
With her hand, she pointed out two guards in a brown and grey jumpsuit with a plasma pistol on the belt. One was sitting behind the counter; the other was standing behind him. It was the only position where no one was waiting to talk to the receptionist.
As Hakuno remarked, Themis smiled.
"Crime is non-existent on Asuras."
Hakuno's guide let a group of people out of the transporter and let the Last Master in.
In her description of the Lobby, Themis had completely forgotten the emergency medical station... which had never been used... After all, it's not like the Asurans could get sick or hurt themselves. Strange folks that these Replicators, all actors, all spectators on a planet transformed into a vast theater, forever playing a play called "We are the Lanteans".
The transporter doors reopened after a dazzling white light entered the cabin interior.
They were no longer in the lobby.
Before going out, Themis showed the screen on the back wall. A red light could be seen flashing on the section plane of the house tower.
"Your apartment is on the 25th floor. You have three neighbors. Come on, Hakuno."
The Asuran walked towards a door that she opened with a badge.
"Here we are apartment 254."
Hakuno blinked surprised and a little amazed... until then her 'room' had been a classroom and her 'bed' was a platform formed by school desks.
"Is this... my place?"
Although her expressionless face did not show it, she had great difficulty adapting to this sudden change in status.
The entrance was a simple platform at the top of three steps between two guest closets for storing clothing and luggage. At the bottom of the steps, she could see a living room with two sofas, two armchairs, and two coffee tables, all facing a holo-television. A sideboard was against a wall. Two doors communicated with the neighboring rooms, and a glass door opened on a balcony.
"This is the living area," said Themis. "Come with me."
Her guide showed her the other rooms. There was an office with a personal computer and a communication system, a dining room with equipped kitchen (an autochef actually), in the kitchen there was even a domestic robot on its refill platform and an automatic laundry machine. The apartment was designed for a couple with two children (the typical Lantean family) in two bedrooms (with their own bathroom) one with a double bed and the other with two small beds.
After staying a few minutes to discuss with Hakuno on the theme 'call me if you have any problems" Themis says goodbye to the Last Master.
The Asuran hadn't been out for ten minutes when the doorbell rang. It was the neighbors who came to say hello and introduce themselves... They had not yet left when the inhabitants of the other floors sounded at the door... they even lined up to convert to the church of the divine Head Tilt... uh... I mean meet their new neighbor.
By the end of the day, the 180 tenants of the building had come to see her. And of course, they were unanimous in judging her as simply adorable despite (or because of) her shyness. In a world without children... Hakuno was the only teenager and all were in adoration, determined to spoil her.
General Hakuno Kishinami had just achieved the conquest of the first building in the huge global city!
Um... don't tell her what I just wrote... the plan to conquer the planet by Machiavellian Hakuno was so secret that even she didn't know...
Abydos, Milky Way
Gilgamesh's Ship of Light screens showed a desert planet with few oceans and even fewer rivers and lakes. Abydos was so arid that even the polar zones were devoid of ice caps.
Three moons (Edfu, Dja'net, and Nuturo) orbited the planet.
Walking calmly, the demigod dressed in gold armor too heavy and precious to be worn by a mortal rubbing his chin as he gazed at the screens.
"Is this the planet where we're supposed to meet these... Tau'ri?"
He was talking to the young woman sitting in one of the armchairs as if woven from threads of light that were one of the only pieces of furniture in this strangely empty spaceship.
"Yes, Lord Gilgamesh."
The blond man with red eyes split like those of a cat looked back at Shallan for a few seconds without saying anything.
Then burst out laughing, obviously very amused by the situation.
"Lord? Have I said something strange" the human wondered.
"No, it's nothing."
Gilgamesh had just remembered that Shallan was Ba'al's lo'taur (most faithful servant) and that she was blithely betraying him because she had fallen in love with a Tok'ra called Kanan. He had felt a brief amusement because if Shallan was really the most loyal servant of this false god, one could only have pity on poor Ba'al...
Getting serious again, Gilgamesh asked another question.
"And where should we go?"
Shallan drew a small silver metal object out of her sleeve. It was a Tollan holographic projector. When she pressed a button an image of Abydos appeared, translucent and slightly blurred. Names were superimposed, designating deserts, lakes, and even a city. A red icon flashed. The renegade lo'taur pointed at it.
"The Tau'ri must meet us at the pyramid of Ra. Here, west of the Great Lake of Khemhelt, not far from the city of Nagada."
"The only locality on the planet, it should not be too difficult to find it" laughed the demigod.
Gilgamesh returned the Ship of Light to the inside of Gate of Babylon as soon as they were down on the ground. His mood had gone dark again. Every time he used Gate of Babylon it cost him mana. Of course, his reserves were impressive. But without Master he was no longer receiving energy and he was getting weaker every day.
Walking in the yellow sand, Gilgamesh advanced to the obelisks at the end of the paved road leading to the monumental pylons that framed the entrance to the immense pyramid of Ra.
The demigod suddenly stopped, frowning.
Men were coming out from behind the dunes. There were about 20 of them. Forming an arc, these soldiers armed with assault rifles surrounded the Golden King and Shallan.
The young woman took refuge next to the king of Uruk, visibly terrified. But the latter only smiled mockingly, looking carefully at these men who dared to wield weapons in front of the One and Only King.
They were dressed in a kind of uniform in light brown fabric, yellow with brown broken lines that allowed it to camouflage in the desert. On the shoulder, they had an emblem representing a chevron of a Stargate with the number "11" above the letters "SG". Some soldiers had a hat, while others had a helmet; all had two canteens on their belts and a haversack on their shoulders.
"Are you the ones who invited me here?"
One of the men with a cap and sunglass advanced toward the First Hero.
"I'm Major O'Reilly of the SG-11 team. Are you Gilgamesh?"
"I'm King Gilgamesh of Uruk!"
There was a click while Major O'Reilly armed his sub-machinegun MP-5K. Without warning, he opened fire... All SG-11 members fired on Gilgamesh and Shallan, following the example of their leader.
SGC, Cheyenne Moutain Complex, Earth
Major General George S. Hammond entered the briefing room and replied to the salutes of the soldiers present.
"Gentlemen, Dr. Jackson, sit down."
While he walked to his chair at the end of the table, the others settled down.
"Jacob, what did the Tok'ra decide?"
There was a moment of silence; Jacob Carter had lowered his head, staring at the table... without reaction... Then, he lightly jolted like a man waking up after a long sleep and clearing his throat before speaking in a strange voice. It was obviously Selmak the symbiote who answered.
"First of all, I would like to convey the apologies of the Grand Council of the To'kra for the current situation. It is clear that Apophis has infiltrated a spy into our ranks."
"Once again," interrupted O'Neill, spreading his arms in an exaggerated gesture of despair. "That's the third time, isn't it? You should book them private apartments in your base with a vase of flowers and a box of chocolate surrounded by a pink ribbon. They would feel even more welcome!"
Selmak winced.
"I can't answer that, Jack. Your criticisms are justified. The worst part is that we haven't identified Apophis' spy yet, so we don't know what he knows about our plans."
Hammond coughed in his fist ostensibly.
"Selmak, let's talk about what the Grand Council suggests we do about Gilgamesh?"
"We think it's better to tell the whole truth to Gilgamesh and take him to the Pegasus Galaxy. If he delivers Hakuno Kishinami, you will be freed from the Pegasus Replicators' menace. Otherwise, the Replicators will get rid of him."
Teal'c nodded his head.
"A rather typical tactic of the Tok'ra to let their enemies kill each other."
Daniel Jackson readjusted his glasses.
"This reminds me of Machiavelli or the Roman proverb 'Divide to Conquer'."
Selmak had a rather embarrassed smile.
"We managed to survive in a Goa'uld-dominated galaxy by manipulating them to weaken each other. It's not very glorious, but it works."
George Hammond wrote a few lines in the file before him.
"And who will go to Abydos with you?"
This time it was Jacob who answered.
"Teal'c, first of all, no one knows the tricks of the Goa'uld better than he does, and we will need him to convince Gilgamesh to break his alliance with Ba 'al."
The Jaffa warrior nodded ceremonially, raising an eyebrow.
"Indeed."
"Then I need Dr. Jackson. Daniel's diplomatic skills and knowledge of Mesopotamian myths will be indispensable in negotiating with Gilgamesh."
The archaeologist sighed.
"I hope I can be helpful, but... Gilgamesh is arrogant and stubborn, once he decides on something to change his mind must be a mythological feat."
Jacob Carter turned to his daughter.
"I also need Sam to explain to Gilgamesh who the Pegasus Replicators are."
Major Samantha Carter replied with a warm smile.
"And this will be a chance to spend some time with you, Dad!"
Selmak's host smiled.
"That little benefit didn't escape me, Sam."
Jack O'Neill looked to the right, then to the left before pointing at himself with an offended mimic. Jacob Carter seemed to remember something.
"Oh! And of course, Colonel O'Neill has to come with us. Without him to make silly jokes during the trip, Selmak will get bored."
A few hours later, Abydos
O'Neill readjusted his sunglasses blinded by Nut, the sun of Abydos. After the darkness prevailing in the pyramid, this clarity, but also the heat waves running through the dunes were hardly bearable.
"It's always a pleasure to revisit this old ball of sand. If Skaara didn't live here, you'd have to drag me across the Stargate."
Daniel nodded without enthusiasm. Everything here reminded him of Sha're, his dead wife.
"I'm worried I didn't see any guards near the Stargate."
Sam shrugged her shoulders.
"They must not be far away; there were blankets and a campfire in the gate room."
"Back when I lived in Abydos I told them over and over not to go away from the door. I can't help but worry."
"O'Neill!"
It was the voice of Teal'c. While they were talking, he was about 20 meters ahead, scouting. With his hand, he pointed to several black spots, filled with smoking sand.
"There was a fight!"
Jacob Carter jolted.
"But it's an SG team!"
Indeed, the bodies lying on the ground... some cut to pieces, others charred (an awful sight) wore the same desert Battle Dress camouflage as the members of SG-1 and Jacob himself.
O'Neill leaned over an almost intact body except that a sharp blade had pierced the flak jacket at heart level. He looked at the SG logo on the body's shoulder.
"This scene looks like a little déjà vu. These men wear the SG uniform. They have the SG-11 crest... But I don't recognize any of them..." The colonel quickly counted the bodies on the ground. "Yet there are 20 bodies in this SG-11 team that I don't know... that's a lot of people for one team."
"We all think of the same thing," asked Daniel.
Samantha Carter nodded.
"Yes, Apophis' training planet."
"Sam, what are you talking about?"
She smiled at her father.
"A few years ago, we discovered a training site where Jaffa wearing the Apophis brand were training humans to behave like members of an SG team. At the time, Apophis had not been able to use the fake SG teams against us because he was a prisoner of Sokar (4)."
Jacob blemish.
"But if they came here... sent by Apophis... then whoever killed them can only be Gilgamesh! Apophis attacked Gilgamesh with men claiming they were an SG team! Do you understand what that means?!
Jack nodded his head.
"Our old friend with a snake in his head is a little too smart. I just regret that he still hasn't figured out how to die despite the multiple lessons SG-1 has given him. He always comes back. I'm starting to despair of finding a way to get rid of Mr. Snake."
At this moment, Teal'c, who had gone away as a scout, turned around.
"Jack O'Neill, we have a problem."
"One problem? Only one? It must be our lucky day so... what kind?"
"The very big kind!"
Hearing a very recognizable hum all raised their heads.
In the sky, a Ha'tak was advancing in their direction rapidly growing... and two black spots appeared at it side, also growing... until they became clearly recognizable as Death Gliders!
Passing over SG-1, the Goa'uld fighters fired repeatedly. The Staffs Weapons opened smoking craters in the sand, creating mushrooms of flame and smoke which rose up toward heaven.
The Tau'ri had thrown themselves to the ground, firing their P-90s in ripost while Teal'c was using his own Jaffa's Staff. But the Death Gliders were too agile and fast. They were not touched. Going beyond the pyramid, they veered...
O'Neill rose again.
"Run to the pyramid, Teal'c and I are holding them. We have to warn Hammond!"
(1) In this regard, the Asurans were originally programmed not to endanger (intentionally/unintentionally) the lives of the Lanteans. But (please note), their original programming did not include any obligation of obedience... unfortunately, during an attempt to hack the Asurans, Mckay unintentionally removed this part of the Pegasus Replicators' programming. This will play a very bad trick to the survivors of the Aurora-class Battleship Trias, found adrift near Midway Station by the Tau'ri (Season 3 Episode 10: The Return Part 1 and Episode 11 for the second part). They will indeed be eliminated by the Asurans who will briefly capture Atlantis. In the original Time-Line, of course...
(2) And yes, the Asurans eat... to be exact, they absorb energy from other materials. An Asuran 'eats' simply by touching the object he wants to absorb (including non-organic materials... nothing prevents them from 'eating' a good piece of steel with sulphuric acid sauce). Note that the Asurans can even transmute matter since they can transform the atoms of a material they assimilate into neutronium atoms (nanobots are made of this material). It is also a way for them to attack their opponents from within. As a virus they infiltrate the cells of an individual and transform these cells into nanobots... this is what happened to Dr. Weir in the original Time-Line of Stargate Atlantis.
However, Asurans copy the behavior of humans and thus eat cooked dishes by ingesting them by mouth. Like actors on a stage, the Asurans reproduce the lives of the Lanteans... including activities they have no real need for.
(3) This is an extremely important line of code in Asurans' source code. On the one hand, it is because of this line of code that they are unable to alter their own programming and remove the 'hates the Wraiths' program. But it also prevents them from learning new knowledge. The Asurans didn't invent anything, not out of lack of intelligence, but because this line in their programming forbids them from any innovation.
(4) Rules of Engagement, Stargate SG-1, Episode 9 Season 3.