WeirdGuyOne: Wrong Gilgamesh. You speak about Archer Gilgamesh from FGO. This story is about Classless Gilgamesh from Fate Extra CCC.
fg7dragon: No, this version of T.E.R. is a molecular disassembler. The weapon is effective against all life forms, including the Ascended Ancient... or the Replicators. Even if Gilgamesh is astralized, the weapon would disperse the prana particles that compose him.
Jyggilag: One need only read the Epic of Gilgamesh to realize that the wisdom of Gilgamesh (innate ability of the hero, inheritance of his mother) is... underused by the King of Uruk. He completely disregards Enkidu's warnings before facing Umbaba, he completely underestimates Ishtar's anger and its consequences (Enkidu's death). When he goes in search of the secret of eternal youth Gilgamesh does not listen to the warnings of mortals and gods explaining that his quest is vain. His foolish search for immortality is the central theme of the Epic.
Arrogant, self-centered, and hot-tempered, certain to always be right, Gilgamesh rarely listens to the voice of reason...
Like Uta-napishti said to the hero:
'[Did you] ever, Gilgamesh, [compare your lot] with the fool?
They placed a throne in the assembly, and [told you,] "Sit!"
The fool gets left-over yeast instead of [fresh] ghee,
bran and grist instead of [best flour.]
'He is clad in a rag, instead of [fine garments,]
instead of a belt, he is girt [with old rope.]
Because he has no advisers [to guide him,]
his affairs lack counsel ...
Translation by Andrew George.
Author Note: thank you for your comments and support for this fanfiction.
I didn't invent the character of Fenrir. This Asgard, the last survivor of the species, appears in the novel 'Stargate Atlantis: Nightfall'. Those who have read this novel might be surprised at some differences between my version of Fenrir's story and the situation in Nightfall (for example the fact that the Aegis is orbiting the planet and not crashed on Herrun's moon). These differences are intentional, the Asgard cruiser is found several years earlier in this fanfic.
The One Who Steals a Mountain
Heruun planet, Pegasus Galaxy
The scene was a routine for many residents of the Pegasus Galaxy. A Stargate had just activated. The naquadah circle was rotating and one after the other the chevron locked. When the seventh was immobilized, the door opened in a liquid-looking geyser which fell back inside the ring.
For a few seconds, the mirror formed by the events horizon illuminated the night, the near forest, the path that moved away towards the nearest village of the inhabitants of the planet, the Heruuni.
Then, a Jumper came out of the ring and deployed its nacelles before accelerating and rising toward the upper atmosphere.
The Jumpers were shuttles designed by the Lanteans to cross the Stargates.
These shuttles had a fairly simple design: a cylinder section with two extendable nacelles at the rear that contained the main thrusters and drone launchers.
At the front, there was a canopy that allowed the pilot to see in front of him, and at the rear an access ramp.
The interior was divided into two rooms. First, an area with two benches for passengers, with nets and wall lockers above, contained equipment: emergency medical kit, weapons, and various instruments. In the forward room, there were four seats. Two were for the pilot and co-pilot just in front of the control panel. The other two were for passengers.
Sitting in the pilot's chair, Lieutenant-Colonel John Sheppard piloted the Jumper with a skill that showed a long habit. In the right chair, Rodney McKay pressed the crystal-clear keys of the Ancient's keyboard.
Suddenly, superimposed with the blue sky and clouds in which the Puddle Jumper flew, graphics, texts in Ancient as well as a representation of the planet were displayed on the smart canopy.
"Ah, the detectors indicate the presence of an object with a strong energetic echo in orbit of Heruun."
Rodney pointed to a blinking red dot. Suddenly, in a side window, a column of text appeared.
"Very interesting..."
Sitting in the chair behind Rodney, Teyla Emmagan leaned toward the Canadian scientist.
"What did you discover?"
"The sensors detect three active generators in the spacecraft in orbit, plus the dispersive emissions from a secondary generator currently at a standstill. The four energy generators are Neutrino-ion generators with a power of 4 PW."
Sitting next to Teyla, the colossus called Ronon Dex frowned.
"Four pico... what?"
Rodney McKay replied with a sniff of contempt.
"Picowatt is a power unit corresponding to 4 x 10 puissance 15 W. Everyone knows that."
Still busy flying, Sheppard smiled.
"I didn't know that."
Teyla nodded in turn.
"So am I."
The Canadian raised his arms as if to beseech heaven.
"What proves that I am surrounded by idiots... the important thing is the mode of operation and the power generated corresponds to those of a Mark-I Bilskirnir-class Asgard Cruiser."
John Sheppard turned his head slightly to look at Rodney.
"Mark-I? I guess that means there's a Mark-II model."
"Exactly... most people, including members of the SGC, think that the Asgards offer us their technology for free. But we're actually exchanging technologies. The Bilskirnir Mark-II use a Naquadria reactor... based on the model developed by Samatha Carter."
"I didn't know that."
"On Earth, all Naquadria reactor researches were abandoned after the Prometheus accident (1). However, thanks to their technological advance, the Asgards have managed to develop a stable reactor, which is no longer likely to explode at any time. Finally, getting back to what I was trying to explain, in Ida galaxy all the Bilskirnirs have been refitted with a Naquadria reactor... this ship must have left before we begin our technological exchanges with the Asgard."
While Rodney explained the intricacies of the Tau'ri/Asgard Alliance to the two extraterrestrial members of AR-1, the Jumper had reached the upper layers of the atmosphere and the sky was getting darker as the first stars appeared.
"I think it's time to signal our approach to the spacecraft in orbit... The Asgard Cruisers are very well-armed and equipped with very accurate sensors. If they think we're enemies, they will open fire"
"This is Jumper 1 from the Atlantis Expedition, we are friends of the Asgards and ask permission to board, please respond."
Rodney McKay was on his fourth repeat of this message when a reply sounded.
"Jumper 1, I got your message. Who are you?"
Like the Canadian's message, the answer was in the Asgard language. Nevertheless, the voice had a slight metallic distortion.
While the scientist summarized the mission of the Atlantis Expedition and the history of the alliance between the Asgard and the Tau'ri, Sheppard slightly changed course starting to revolve around the alien ship.
He had never seen an Asgard ship before, but he easily recognized a Bilskirnir... Nevertheless, the cruiser was damaged. There were several burnt impacts on the hull. In other places, the armor was ripped open.
Standing behind the lieutenant colonel, Ronon reached out to show something.
"Look here!"
The detectors had also reacted... and on the canopy appeared a diagram of the object that had seen the Satedan... it was a wreck.
The shape was easy to recognize, John had seen identical ships dozens of times, and each time he had to flee to save his life.
"This is the bow of a Wraith's Hive Ship..." briefly he paused to look at the detector screens. "And there's other techno-organic debris in orbit."
Most of the objects whirling through the cosmos were too small to be identified, but there were fragments of at least four wraith cruisers and one hive ship.
Ronon smiled.
"If the Asgards have made such a massacre of the Wraiths, they are friends."
"They are our best allies" confirmed Colonel Sheppard
The Satedan shrugged with an ironic smirk.
"The only Asgard I've met so far is Hermiod... and he still seems to be in a bad mood..."
Interrupting Rodney's explanations, the voice from the radio suddenly rang out, this time speaking in American.
"How do you know Hermiod?"
There was a moment of surprise before John could answer.
"One of our ships operates the Pegasus Galaxy-Milky Way route. This ship, the Daedalus, has an Asgard's Hyperdrive, but also Asgard-type shields and Transporters arrays. We are not yet very used to these technologies... Moreover, the Asgard Council fears that we will misuse them. So they appointed a technician on the Daedalus. This technician is Hermiod."
There was a moment of silence.
"I believe you," the Asgard said.
Although the voice coming out of the radio was artificial, everyone felt irony when the unknown interlocutor spoke again.
"It is obvious that you know Hermiod well, at least you understand his personality. And sending him to spy on someone is in the habits of the High Council. I take it you're what you claim."
"Excuse me," Teyla asked. "But may I ask how you know Hermiod?"
"He was my assistant for years. But perhaps you could first explain to me why he didn't come with you?"
"Daedalus is not back from the Milky Way yet... she is late (2)."
"I see. I was also surprised that you would come if you knew Hermiod."
The response made the members of AR-1 uncomfortable, who wondered what the Asgard meant.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves."
Sheppard named each of his comrades, explaining their function in the AR-1 team, before finishing by himself.
The synthetic voice replied in turn.
"My name is Fenrira, leading scientist. I'm a physicist and a geneticist... formerly working on direct supervision of the High Council. Now I'm just an exile. Come on board, it will be easier for us to keep talking... I was going to say face-to-face, but as you will discover it is not possible."
The room was small, just big enough to accommodate the four guests. The floor was black and smooth metal while the walls were blue metal. Nevertheless, they were barely visible behind two large holographic screens that showed the plan of the Aegis, Fenrir's Bilskinir-class Cruiser, and schematics. A third screen showed a computer-generated image of their host, a humanoid with gray skin, whose nose and mouth were tiny, unlike the huge black eyes.
There were only two pieces of equipment in this almost empty room. First, a console commanded by an Asgard stone and then... a kind of oval sarcophagus in a metal similar to mercury.
Holding an Atlantean PDA in hand, Rodney McKay had approached the sarcophagus. Behind what appeared to be a blue crystal wall appeared an Asgard who seemed asleep. However, the PDA's sensors told the Canadian scientist that appearances were misleading.
"This Asgard is in stasis!"
"Correct, Dr. MacKay," replied the synthetic voice. On the screen, the image of the Little Grey Man blinked slowly. "My consciousness was downloaded to the Aegis mainframe. This ship has no crew."
"You were wounded in the fighting," Teyla asked.
"No, it's not that... I've been like that since I left Hala."
Rodney and John looked at each other with uneasiness, the planet Hala had been ravaged years ago when the Replicators conquered it. The Asgards no longer lived there.
"Let me tell you my story" suddenly said Fenrir.
Five centuries earlier, Fenris was a physicist working on the development of a new weapon, a bomb capable of turning suns into black holes, the Isa Device. This weapon was to be used to destroy the worlds conquered by the Replicators and prevent their proliferation.
"I was working in a hurry because the Replicators kept attacking our worlds and the other inhabited planets of the Ida Galaxy. Aware that time was against me, I decided to simplify security processes. My assistant, Hermiod, protested but I was the project manager and I prevailed. When a prototype of the weapon was built, I chose to detonate it in an uninhabited system. Once again Hermiod opposed it, pointing out that several nearby planetary systems were inhabited by intelligent species. But I was arrogant, convinced that the weapon would only destroy the targeted planetary system... in my madness, I decided to test without even warning the Asgard High Council. On the set date, I started the Isa Device...
Then, the Asgard suddenly stopped.
"And?" couldn't help but ask Sheppard.
"And Hermiod was right... I hurried too much when developing the Collapsar Devise, I made several mistakes... the weapon was much more powerful than expected... and the safety factors for the experience were too lax. The black hole broke the nearby stars and their planets... billions of people died because of me."
The Asgard finished recounting the events that had led him so far from the Ida Galaxy.
Fenrir was exiled as punishment for the destruction of a populated star system. He was sentenced by the Asgard High Council to be put in stasis on his ship, the Aegis, which was then sent to roam the galactic clusters, on a course set to bring him back to the planet Hala when his sentence was over. His mind remained in a wakeful state so he could reflect on the mistakes his haste, arrogance, and belligerence had led to, prompting Fenrir to contemplate a return to his old research into helping the Asgard's genetic degradation rather than his military efforts due to the campaign against the Replicators. However, in a stroke of bad luck, while traveling through the Pegasus galaxy, he found himself between the planet Heruun and a Wraith fleet preparing to cull its inhabitants when his ship dropped out of hyperspace to make a course correction. Fenrir and his vastly superior ship managed to win the ensuing battle but took damage as a result.
Sheppard and McKay finished recounting the latest events in the Ida Galaxy and the Milky Way (the conquest of Hala, the destruction of the Replicators during the Battle of Dakara...) when a bell rang.
One of the screens showed a graph.
"A ship has just emerged into the system," noted Fenrir's synthetic voice. "Are they friends of yours?"
Worried, the four members of AR-1 exchanged glances.
"We don't have a ship in Pegasus right now," Sheppard replied.
"Indeed, the signature of the hyperpropulsor is not Asgard."
"Wraiths" immediately assumed Ronon.
"Neither" contradicts their host. "The unknown ship is not techno-organic."
"Maybe if you showed us an image of the approaching ship, we could recognize our visitors," Teyla suggested.
"I can do that."
One of the virtual screens briefly disappeared before reappearing, now showing the somewhat blurred image of a long and slender ship but with the hull covered with detector modules, weapon turrets, and various other equipment.
The quartet reacts at the same time
"An Aurora-class Battleship."
"I see... you know this type of ship. Besides, they also know you. Colonel John Sheppard, the ship just hailed us and the message is to you. I'll put you in touch."
The starship image disappeared from the screen replaced by... Hakuno Kishinami. The strange Asuran was dressed in a long brown tunic decorated with square designs. She nodded, acknowledging them.
"John Sheppard," she said as a greeting.
"Oh... Hakuno?! What are you doing here? We did not expect your visit."
She tilted her head.
"Help you. Tow the damaged Asgard ship to Asuras. Repair."
Sheppard smiled a little overwhelmed by the events.
"You want to serve use this cruiser as a... tow truck, right?"
"Yes."
"And how did you know the Asgard ship was damaged and can't leave?"
"Deduction."
"Wait, we found out when we saw the ship in orbit, and... you deduct it?"
"Yes."
As he looked at her dumbfounded, the Asuran High Councilor nodded again.
"The ship remained for a long time without moving, so damaged. It was obvious."
Perga, Pegasus Galaxy
Wearing the two-tone uniform of the Atlantis Expedition with the American flag on her shoulder, Jennifer Keller was a medical graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was an assistant to Dr. Carlson Beckett, the chief medical officer of Atlantis.
Descending the ramp of the Asuran's Jumper who had just crossed the Gate, she looked around. The room was huge a kind of artificial dome-shaped cave. An opening closed in the ceiling and only the artificial light of regularly arranged lamps allowed seeing the many alveoli in the walls, mostly occupied by other Jumpers.
Followed by two guards in a beige and brown jumpsuit, a Pegasus Replicator dressed in a long white tunic approached her.
"Dr. Keller?"
"Yes, it's me. To whom do I have the honor?"
"My name and Selem, I am in charge of welcoming you. My leader, Thena, apologizes. She is currently on Asuras."
Jennifer Keller smiled and as she was a beautiful young blonde woman, she became even prettier.
"Don't worry; it's not a big deal. I'll meet with your superior when she's there. All I need is a place to store my medical equipment and examine my future patients."
Jennifer turned to the Jumper and discovered that several Replicators had begun to unload the shuttle, effortlessly carrying the crates and insulated bags.
"We have already solved this problem, Dr. Keller. This Lanteans base was a biology laboratory, and there is a large hospital... that we do not need, as you must suspect. We have installed you there. If you need something, do not hesitate to ask."
A Transporter Closet similar to those that existed on Atlantis brought them to the hospital. As the Asurans had just begun to install the equipment brought by the Jumper and she had no patients yet -the refugees evacuated to this planet by the Replicators before Wraith's culling- Jennifer took the opportunity to ask some questions.
"This planet, Perga, was normally inaccessible and its coordinates are secret, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"That means the Lanteans had to do extremely important research, here."
"Indeed, our fathers studied Wraith biology in these laboratories. First, they sought to discover an exploitable weakness to destroy our enemies, as well as a treatment for the aging process caused by the Wraith's feeding enzyme. Nevertheless, the Lanteans were not as good at biology as they were at making nanobots, which explains why they finally opted for our creation. By the end of the war, they had still not made significant progress."
Jennifer had listened carefully.
"What remains of the Lanteans' experiments?"
"Nothing alive, no cell culture, no virus culture survived ten thousand years of abandonment. Nevertheless, the computer databases contain a very complete archive of all the experiments carried out in the laboratories."
"Can I access it?"
"Of course. Are you interested in the subject?"
"This should be of interest to my superior, Dr. Beckett. After all, he worked on the Huffan Drug."
The inhabitants of the planet Hoff had managed to create a drug that protects humans from the feeding process. Feeding on a treated human killed a Wraith... alas, in 50% of cases, the human also died. The Wraiths had ravaged the planet Hoff in retaliation, without preventing the cure from spreading over many worlds.
Selem smiled.
"'In that case, I will download the files from the lab computers and send them to Dr. Beckett."
Dakara, Milky Way galaxy
In a beam of light characteristic of an Asgard's Transporter Beam, appeared a group of six individuals. Five of them could pass for humans, but the sixth was a Unas, a humanoid with reptilian features.
Captain Selena Rodriguez, a pretty Latin American, and the only Tau'ri among the members of Phoenix-1 lowered her P-90 after looking around her.
There was no one alive around the Stargate... but the ground was littered with corpses, countless Jaffa lying on the ground in the middle of a pool of blood.
"What the hell happened here?"
"They have been killed by edged weapons," replied Maste in that voice so typical of the Tok'ra.
She was the only member of Phoenix-1 not wearing desert camouflage. She wore the grey version of the Tok'ra garment... except she was in a skirt and bare legs.
A grunt-like voice sounds, speaking in Goa'uld dialect.
"This one, abnormal death..."
Captain Rodriguez turned to Oringo, the Unas scout. The Alien had stopped next to a corpse whose appearance had nothing reassuring... indeed it was a mummy that seemed several millennia old.
"Lanni, Bervell, what do you think?"
Bervell a large Tollan approached the corpse and used a PDA to scan the mummy.
"Despite appearances, the body is recent. It is as if all its vital energy has been sucked."
Lanni, the scientist from Kelowna readjusted her glasses.
"Only one species known by the SGC has this ability... the Wraiths."
"A Wraith here? Impossible!"
But the answer was very different...
As they examined the bodies, Oringo walked away. He came to rest showing prints in the sand.
" Footprints!"
Selena Rodriguez joined the Unas.
"What can you tell me about the attackers?"
"One man... footprints very deep... wears heavy armor... "
Even though Rodriguez was not as good as the alien when it came to following a trail, she saw the footprints in the sand and the stranger was heading for the only building in the Ancient's city that the Goa'uld had rebuilt: the temple.
The Ancient ruins were plunged into a dead silence... literally. There were hundreds of corpses, Jaffa, but also Anubis' Supersoldier. Some had been killed with bladed weapons. Others had been electrocuted, frozen, or burned... there were even heaps of smoking ash that was all that remained of disintegrated enemies.
Although accustomed to the horrors of war, the Unas was impressed by this carnage. It was a unilateral massacre... only one man had faced an army... and the army had lost!
Although large and heavily muscular, Oringo was able to move without making a sound. Hiding behind a stone pillar that rose near a wall that had long ago been leveled at knee height, he directed his binoculars toward the temple gates.
The sun reflected on a golden armor as Gilgamesh exited the building.
The scout huddled in the shadow of the column and activated his radio.
"Individual in gold armor in the temple."
A few seconds later, Selena's voice responded.
"A Goa'uld?"
The Unas stood up to look towards the stranger but... the Alien was surprised to see that the man in golden armor was looking straight at him with a mocking smile.
Oringo almost dropped his binoculars.
"He saw me! The man in golden armor saw me."
"Madre de Dios!"
Selena Rodriguez started running followed by the other members of her team.
She was afraid she would arrive too late... and in a way she did.
Suddenly stopping, the young Latin American hesitated and lowered her P-90. Oringo was kneeling holding his wounded hand. Before him, stood an incredibly handsome man... as the scout had said, he was dressed in gold armor too heavy and too precious so that a mere mortal could wear it. When the Golden King turned to her, the young woman swallowed at the sight of his eyes... they were red with a vertical pupil like that of a cat.
The other members of their team were also tense and worried. Given the massacre that the unknown had done when arriving on the planet, they had little chance of winning a possible fight.
Finally, 'tense and worried' was true for all Phoenix-1 members except Lanni. On the contrary, the four-eyed Kelownan seemed ecstatic and began to speak in an excited tone, like a groupie who could finally approach a rockstar to ask for an autograph.
"It's Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes!"
The contempt on the face of the First Hero of Humanity was instantly replaced by a mixture of fun and irony.
"Bow down mongrel, only for my sake! I am the King and the King is me!"
Maste was the diplomat of the group, even if the terror had initially frozen her, she was a Tok'ra, and her race was proud (arrogant would have said Colonel O'Neill)... she advanced a few steps.
"Let me greet you, King Gilgamesh. The SGC has long wanted to meet with you to clear up a misunderstanding."
Gilgamesh's eyes squinted as his eyes shone with a dangerous glow. Again, all trace of amusement had disappeared on his face. He replied in an abnormally soft voice.
"A misunderstanding? As it is elegantly put. You have attacked me on Abydos. Whoever incurs the wrath of the King must expect to pay with his life. But the King is equally known for his wisdom. Let not your tongue stand still in your mouth. Speak, the One and Only King allows you to defend yourself, woman!"
Maste bowed deeply.
"I thank the King for his meekness!"
She remained silent for a few moments before resuming speaking.
"Have you heard of the Goa'uld called Apophis?"
"Yes, the King has heard this name spoken a few times... and never in good."
"Once again Your Majesty speaks wisely, Apophis has the serpent as his emblem. And that's exactly what he is... a deceitful, lying snake, a traitor."
The Golden King's lips formed a pout as to show a deep disgust.
"I never liked snakes... However, I hope for your sake that this conversation will not waste my time because the King is not known for his patience. Remember that only the immense leniency of the Edge of Heaven holds back his legitimate anger."
The Tok'ra nodded strongly as a drop of sweat slipped over her temple. She resumed her explanation by speaking more quickly.
"Apophis created a fake organization based on the SGC, some humans wearing the same uniform, with the same weaponry as the SG teams. They talk to each other using typical North American names. They wear U.S. rank badges. It was members of this SGX who attacked you on Abydos, Your Majesty. You weren't attacked by the SGC, just by enemies using their uniforms. Apophis' goal was clear; he wanted to create an enmity between us, hoping you would destroy us."
Gilgamesh frowned as he remembered different facts, the high number of men in the SG team on Abydos, and a conversation with Ba'al where he mentioned that Apophis had attacked the Jaffa on Kresh'ta using an undercover troop in SGC uniform.
Moreover, the King of Uruk had inherited the divine wisdom of his mother. He knew how to recognize the truth of a lie and... his interlocutor did not lie.
Gilgamesh suddenly turned around, losing interest in Phoenix-1.
He looked towards the false mountain decorated with a carved basrelief depicting a pharaoh, simple camouflage masking the Ancient's Superweapon. He smiled...
"A weapon capable of creating as well as destroying... capable of striking all over the galaxy... and killing even those protected by shields. What would you call it?"
There was a moment of flutter as the members of Phoenix-1 looked at each other trying to understand what the Sumerian king wanted.
But Gilgamesh didn't really expect an answer, he was talking to himself. He loved the sound of his own voice...
" In any case, the King calls it treasure..."
He snapped his fingers and a vast disk of golden light appeared above the Dakara's Superweapon.
"... and every treasure between heaven and earth is mine and mine alone!"
The disc of golden light -an opening that led inside of Gate of Babylon- swallowed the entire mountain before disappearing... there the Ancients had built their weapon remained only a crater several hundred meters deep.
Without adding a word, Gilgamesh walked away.
Selena Rodriguez forgot all caution and ran after the King of Uruk.
"What have you done?! Where is the Superweapon?"
The Golden King turned slowly, his eyes were squished, reduced to two thin slits.
"I have taken back what was mine from the beginning of time."
"But... the Superweapon was created by the Ancients and..."
"Whatever, all the treasures are mine! But as the King is generous and amuses himself with what men do with his treasures, he lends them from time to time. However humans are stupid and clumsy creatures, inevitably they misuse the King's gifts and end up believing that what their King lent them was theirs. I left the Dakara Superweapon here so you could protect yourself from threats like the Replicators but... instead, you sought to use it for your pitiful and laughable internal conflicts."
Captain Rodriguez remained speechless, unable to find an answer to this twisted logic... but that was the logic of the lion when he spoke to the sheep.
When Gilgamesh left for the Stargate, she did not try to stop him.
Revanna, Tok'ra secret base, Milky Way.
A huge black ship circled the planet. It looked more or less like a disc surrounded by 'sun rays'.
The interior was decorated in the typical Goa'uld style. With metal walls covered with hieroglyphs and burning braziers... nevertheless, the ship was dark and the walls, the ground, everything was black metal.
Sitting on his throne, Lord Anubis looked at the parallelogram-shaped window. The surface covered with mercury showed Hok Al'kesh posed on the planet. Battalions of Jaffa were deployed in search of the underground Tok'ra base.
Above them were Death Gliders patrolling the sky.
Her'ak, Anubis' First prime, knelt before his god.
"My Lord, the Jaffa have found no trace of Tok'ra installations on the planet."
The half-ascended Goa'uld remained silent for a few seconds. Then, he turned his mask towards Her'ak.
"No underground facilities?"
"The geo-radar shows nothing. Moreover, the Chappa'ai (Stargate) disappeared. We found only its base."
Anubis knew that the Tok'ra created their anthills with special crystals that grew crystal tunnels. In the same way these underground galleries could collapse in an instant. If there was no trace of the Tok'ra installations, it was because the 'traitors' must have fled. However, it was not a hasty escape... they knew Anubis was coming before he even left.
Even as the evil Goa'uld thought about it, a hyperspace window opened and several Ha'tak reappeared in Einsteinian space. One after the other they maneuvered and deployed, encircling Anubis' mothership.
"I see" whispered the sinister ghost sitting on his throne. "It was an ambush."
The Tok'ra had lured him here by providing him with the coordinates of a base they had already evacuated while warning his enemies of his presence in Revanna's orbit. Very well done...
The screen/porthole split into three parts, showing a trio of faces.
Anubis recognized these Systemlords: Amaterasu, a Goa'uld whose host was a beautiful Japanese, Camulus a so-called Celtic 'god' in leather armor, and finally Olokun, a Goa'uld whose host was a colossal African warrior.
It was the latter who spoke.
"In the name of the Systemlord Alliance, I command you to surrender, Anubis, you have no chance!"
Oh? Mere wolves made common cause against the lion now?
"If you resist, we will not hesitate to destroy you," insisted Camulus.
Indeed, 10 Combat Ha'tak surrounded his Mothership. Normally, a solitary spacecraft would not have had any chance against this kind of concentration of force. Normally...
Amaterasu spoke in turn.
"You must submit to the decisions of the Systemlord Assembly. You came back when your exile had not been revoked. We ask that you submit immediately to our justice!"
On the surface of Anubis' glass mask, a blurred shape appeared... a ghostly skull head...
"You will learn that much has changed since my return, especially the authority held by the Systemlords. I am your new pharaoh. If you do not submit me... you are useless to me!"
With a hand gesture, he pressed a large red button embedded in the armrest of his throne.
Like origami, Anubis' Mothership unfolded.
The vessel was made up of a series of rings nested around a cylindrical tower. As the tower rose, the rings separated.
The top of the tower was a dome. It opened like a flower with triangular petals, exposing a well filled with a yellow light.
Electric arcs spread over one of the triangular 'petals', the energy concentrating at the tip.
The Systemlords reacted by opening fire: a dozen Ha'tak shooting simultaneously! But the plasma projectiles flowed on a powerful shield... like drops of water hitting a steel wall... completely powerless!
At the same time, a formidable golden lightning burst from the electrified 'petal' and struck a Ha'tak. Where, a moment earlier, there was an intact warship, firing from all her Staff Cannons... there was only an expanding mini-sun. Her shields and her armor had not even resisted a split second!
Already, the process began again, the electric arcs that propagated in the direction of the tip of a petal, the formidable lightning streaking the cosmic void to strike a Ha'tak... which exploded immediately.
Two times, three times, four, five...
When half the Ha'tak had exploded, the survivors panicked and flew in disarray, each on his own...
Still kneeling before the throne of his master, Her'ak had witnessed the battle with wonder.
"You are the greatest of gods, Lord Anubis."
The ghost's glass mask briefly turned to his First Prime.
"This is nothing. You have not yet seen the full power of Anubis."
(1) Event narrated in the twentieth episode of the sixth season of Stargate SG-1 (Memento)
(2) The ship participates in the Dakara's counter-offensive.