2008
Grand Lodge
Washington DC
After many years of study, the Great Commander could never ever imagine the truth. The truth about Ra. As secret followers of the ancient mysteries of Egypt and Babylon, the knowledge of the gods passed trough generations, in the middle ages by the Knights Templar, the Masonic guilds, and the Vatican High leadership, and now was holded by the Lodges around the world. But it was just a grain of sand in the Sahara. And the stupid military have just nuked them all?!
The members of the Trust present there were finishing. It was the main goal of the group, to get the lodges' support. Some of them where already members of the lodges, something that accelerated the negotiations. reports of the different progress the SGC had were presented as part of the contacts to get this meeting. Mr. ferguson, current CEO of the Stark consortium subsidary Novatech, proposed them the control of the remaining Trust operations, now Ba'al was eliminated.
The Grand Master however, had other plans.
-I see your proposal, Mr. Ferguson. You should know we have been watching over the Stargate program from some time. Senator Haley who was a brother keep us informed, until he fully entered in your Trust, and ended as a puppet of your so called gods. But don't worry, we will take from here.
-So what we will do then? How can we help you?
-Just one thing. Die.
The four suited men at the sides of the Grand Master just pull out Glocks and shoot everyone in the head.
-We should have done this years ago.
The men stood up and leave the room, while others in plastic suits enter the room and took charge of the bodies. He took his Mobile phone and make the call
-We are done here. They are cleaning up the mess much faster than us.
-It doesn't matter. we have the names of the other members.
-Good, we only need get her.
2009
Grand Lodge
Washington DC
The black and white chess like floor of the main room of the Lodge called Athena's attention. The last Goa'uld of The Trust was scepthic of this organization real capabilities, even when it was public knowledge the weight of the so called freemasons in the world stage. When one of them, the Grand Master, contact her (how he could reach her in the first place?) she was curious. A Ra's worshipers cult fully integrated in tau'ri society, for centuries. Goa'uld worshippers. How they would react to a real god, or more precisely, goddess?
The pyramid with the capstone removed and substituted by an eye, the All-seeing Eye, the eye of Ra, according the "brother" who escorted gher inside, was above the throne who was occupied by the Grand Master.
After several pleasantries and formal introductions, all the Lodge member present waited for her to speak.
-The first time I study this planet I found really strange how the worshipping of the Goa'uld endured almost 3000 years after Ra abandoned Earth and forbid the rest of the System Lords to access the planet. Hathor and Yu however, keep using the planet. If a revolution took place almost 5000 years ago, why the Tau'ri keep worshiping us so many years after our departure? It was you, right?
-Not us, but our predecessors, keepers of the ancient knowledge of Egypt, Babylon and more. We try to restore the civilization founded by you many times, with more or less success. Now we are working in removing the monotheistic faiths who keep delaying the ancient knowledge to enlight mankind once more.
-Most of these monotheistic blasphemers dwell deep in this country, as well Russia, Western europe, africa and the Third world. We need to destroy them to rule once more. your efforts in taking control of the government's, the economy and the culture are impressive...but your plans are too slow. We need a more radical approach.
-We are at your service, athena
-First, we need to stall the developing of the Tau'ri armada. Second, to divide them. Third, your plans of a Third World war, with some reconfiguration, would suffice. and fourth, we need some external support. I have some agents deep in the Shol'va nation, they informed me of the growing animosity between the Jaffa and the Tau'ri. we can exploit that. Also, there are at least two Goau'ld system lords hiding deep into the galaxy, forming small empires out of the reach of the Tau'ri, the Jaffa, or anyone else.
-Our candidate has the control of the US, also several of our brothers are gaining control of several countries, my lady.
-Excellent. we have a long way ahead.
Present time
Kherson Frontlines
Kherson Oblast, Ukraine
The entire front was being overrun. A few weeks after the capture of Avdeevka, the entire Donetsk front collapsed and the remains of that sector falled back to the city of Pokrovsk, in an improvised attempt to form a line eastward of Zaporizhia. However, the speed of the russian advance and the loss of the huge army group surrounding Donetsk, made the NATO high command to "recommend" the Ukrainians to "consider" fall back to the Dniéper River. Basically the same thing the russians did when they left Kherson to them withdrawing to the south of the very same river.
Inside the bunker below the Kherson International airport the officers of the Army, the Territorial Guard and the Ukrainian Marines in charge of the sector were studying the reports from the Donetsk Sector. There was no explanation of how the heck the russians infiltrated the fortifications north and south of Avdeevka at the same time.
After a couple of hours of examinations they found out how such a thing could happen...
Seven white lights appeared in the middle of the room, making some of them aim their weapons to such a phenomena...just to be killed a second after. After everyone in the room was dead, fedorov lighted a cigarette while Ivanov took pictures with his mobile phone of the maps and notes the ukrainian officers had on the table.
-This is too easy.
-Only for us, Sergei. At this pace, we will liberate Kiev in a month.
-Unless our leaders resolve all these bullsh... up there. General O'Neill was very concerned, never see him like that in the SGC.
-That's because in that time the americans were not stupid, Sergei.
Earth Low Orbit
USS Daedalus
Conference room
Richard Woolsey watched the screen worried. The satellite images showed the fall of Kherson in real time. The Russians were playing the space card with the ship right in front of them. The Pentagon and the White House were considering a strike against the only Daedalus class battleship in the hands of the Russian Federation, the Korolev II, but the russians answered such a thing will trigger nuclear war. Jack O'Neill use this to finally get the IOA and the russians to the negotiation table, just in time to watch them wreck the entire Ukraine frontlines.
-Mister Woolsley-started the russian delegate, Mr. Chebataroff- as you can see your ukrainian puppets are been defeated. Our conditions are simple. We will retain the regions we already annexed to the Federation. Referendums will be conducted in the Odessa, Nikolaev, Dnipropetrovsk and Jarkov regions. The entire Ukrainian government and military leadership will resign and there will be elections, with the proscription of all the anti russian nazi parties. We will provide an extensive list of ukrainian citizens and foreign voluntaries who have committed war crimes in Ukraine, Donetsk, Luhansk and the Russian Federation, and you will deliver to us so they face justice. Finally, the Ukraine will no longer enter the NATO alliance EVER, and IF they decide to enter the UE, they should enter the Euroasiatic Union at the same time.
-Anything else? What do you offer in return?-asked Richard.
-We are already offering to not occupy Odessa to ensure the protection of Transnistria against the Romanian takeover of Moldavia...don't put that face, Mr. Woosley, we are all adults here. Also, we will finance the reconstruction of Ukrainan infrastructure, civilian housing, and armed forces. Including paying for the pensions of the wounded soldiers, and the orphans and widows. And the payments of the mercenaries and volunteers...
Bridge
While the conference was taking place, Col. Mitchell was watching the Korolev II. The new one has the Asgard Beam weapons, too bad the first one didn't have it. Maybe the Battle with the Ori wouldn't end so badly for everyone. 'Another sample of our cleaver politicians'. The COMMs officer call him out of his thoughts.
-Sir, we have an incoming transmission of the Washington.
-Put it trough
-Colonel mitchell
-General Carter, sir.
-How is it going? The meeting with the russians?
-Last time I checked there were all alive and breathing, sir. I was looking at their 304. The sensors show what could be an space variant of the Lancet and geran suicide drones.
-They improved their vessel. Good for them. I hope we don't have to destroy it. The De Gaulle and the Prince of Wales are ready to go, they want to get busy and get rid of the korolev ASAP
-Don't you think that would make us weaker, as a species, sir'
-Of course, that's why Jack pushed for this meeting. But after all these years, I am no longer hoping for a better approach.
-I miss the old times, sir. When we all worked together. americans, Russians, chinese.
-We had a common enemy, Mitchell. Now we are back to our older ways. Let me know if anything happens. washington out.
Mitchell get up a move to the screen were all the ships in earth's vicinity were displayed. The Command Carrier USS Washington with its escorts, the President Hayes and the Enterprise, the Prince of Wales, behind the moon, the Charles De Gaulle, heading for Mars, and the transports New York and Geneva, heading to the new station on Ganymede. His ship and the Korolev II were the other two. Only the chinese were the ones of the UN security Council currently without a ship, because the crippling of the Sun Tzu during the super Hive of the wraith attack. After several attempts to salvage, the Obama administration decided to detonate a nuke inside the hull to avoid being taken by the Lucians or anyone.
shaking his head at the current situation, Mitchell decided to take something to eat while the negotiations continue.
Battlestar Galactica
CIC
The senior officers in the room gathered around the star maps in the table. New data gathered by the raptor scouts was being added in real time. so far about 23 star systems were scouted, 11 of them with planets. 2 of them having habitable planets, and one of those the ruins of a human settlement.
An abandoned village of 20 houses and 5 structures, a granary, a warehouse and two other structures, most likely a blacksmith and a pottery, plus some kind of reunion centre, were identified by the archaeological team. The architecture was very similar to old caprican settlements of a thousand years ago, with steel and iron artifacts, copper plomber, mechanical water pumping systems, and some kind of steam powered machinery. All these with no more than a coupe of years of abandonment.
So far the bodies of 26 people, 10 children included, were founded scattered in the streets of the village, except for two of them who were founded in a bed in one of the houses. The advanced state of decomposition of the remains made difficult to get the cause of dead, but it was clear the were assassinated by some kind of burning weapon. there were several with broken bones and the like, but according to the coroners and experts those wounds were provoked by fighting or trying to running away from the threat.
The other remarkable thing in this settlement was the huge metallic ring lifted in the center of the village, not only for the strange mineral and complicated structure this ring has, also because there were several footprints and signs of dragging in the soil, showing people going from it and towards it. It was a sacrificial altar? there was no blood or human remains in it or the area surround it. But it was clear whoever build it was years ahead the technology level of the villagers. Perhaps even the level of the colonials.
Commander adama, after reading the reports, decided to go to Condition One, because it was clear this human settlement was in a danger zone. Raptors were deployed in greater numbers and fully armed. A small contingent of colonial Marines, with anti Aircraft weaponry and vehicles were deployed with the archaeological team, as well a small strip for the use of a Viper Squadron and 2 Raptors. In charge of the whole group was Captain Adama, the son of the Galactica's Commander.
-Ok, so far we have mapped every system in a 50 lightyear radius. besides these settlement here-pointing it with his right hand's index finger- there is no signs of human civilization or presence whatsoever.
After Colonel Sigh's conclusion, Adama asked to Dr. Baltar.
_So, Dr. according to you, this village has to be connected to other settlements. Were exactly? There is nothing in the surrounding area.
-By the artifacts already founded, Commander, this village can't be isolated, cause most of the technology they used required foundries, craft shops and spare parts we didn't found in the settlement or anywhere else in the planet. They acquired those somewhere else.
-A spacefaring civilization-answered the commander
-Exactly. an advanced one, if they were able to travel more than 50 years light. Maybe two civilizations, the one who build the village...-
-And the one who destroy it.-completed Tigh.
-But doctor, how such a underdeveloped village could master space travel?It doesn't make any sense
-You're right. It doesn't. This village is an outpost of a similar civilization in other planet. The means of travel between both, are from a different origin. Maybe, the same origin of the destroyers of this town.
-Our Chief has been looking for the reports of those "energy" weapons, so was our Doctor. He said those burning were made with something really hot. Plasma levels of hot.
-So, were are dealing with an advanced hostile civilization.-sighed Baltar, changing soon from a somber look to an excited one.
-Maybe... aliens.
-If you say so, doctor. you're the egghead here-answered Tigh
-Colonel. Anyway, we most be careful then. I will send a Raptor to Picon to report our progress, and these discovering. We can leave a couple of ships to help with the research on this planet, with orders of evacuate at the sight of invaders. There are two other destinations we could keep exploring. This cluster here, 3 systems, at least a dozen planets, 9 light years from here, and this other one, 4 systems, 15 light years in the opposite direction. What do you think, doctor'
-Can't we just... explore both?-asked Baltar, with his best plying face.
-With Raptors no problem, but with the possibility of hostiles I don't want to split the fleet-answered Adama.
-In that case let's go here-pointing to a void between the current star system and the first cluster- and spread Raptors. When we find some thing valuable enough, we jump there.
-I agree. Mr. Tigh, make it so-ordered, looking to the star maps in deep thought.
-Yes sir. Doctor-he said looking to Baltar
-I...I was wondering if I may... you know, stay here for the time being. To look more deeply into this ring.
-Sure, doctor, We will send a raptor if we found something more.
-Thank you commander.
-Don't mention it-he said, without looking up. In his mind, the real goal of the mission was to find more resources, perhaps a new planet to colonize. But a human settlement? not impossible though. However, finding the tracks of an hostile civilization, capable of space travel and energy weapons, meda him shiver. The Thirteen tribe? maybe, maybe not. Could them become an oppressive starfaring empire? or were the villagers an outpost of the Thirteeners, reduced to an oppressed race of... aliens? other humans? 'Lords of Kobol, have mercy on us? he prayed inside his heart, for the first time in decades.
Planet Alpha Sigma Theta 3 (colonial nomenclature)
Unknown Human settlement
4 hours later. 10:30 local time
Dr. Baltar, after eating something went right to the ring, followed by several other doctors and assistants. Once there he saw several archeologists and the Forensics Doctor brushing the strange device near the ring.
-What are you doing?
-Hi, good day dr.! It's a beautiful morning don't you think?-said Dr. Toupolos, teasing Baltar for his lack of models.
-Yes indeed it is, doctor. I am so glad to see you again, all of you- answered, with bored face and crossing his arms to the chest- Now, what are you doing'
-We observed those symbols in the ring are also in these ... buttons in the device. So, i wondered if those could be pressed up, and our assistant here push one of them and the ring reacted
-what?! Reacted... why you don't tell me?
-We knew you'll be heading here in the day, so we decided to go further and save some time. Anyway, as soon as we push some of the symbols, the circular inner section of the ring starts to spin until said sybol reaches that triangle thing on top. said triangular thing locks on the said symbol.
-Wow, so those symbols are like a key, a combination to activate this ring.
-Exactly. that's why or Forensic doctor here thought he could find out if some of this buttons were pressed more often than others, looking for fingerprints
-Cleaver. Though, we don't know how many symbols we should press, or how many times each one. But, progress is progress.
-Sorry to interrupt but if these device is used enough to have fingerprints in it, it means someone maybe have written down the key somewhere, maybe a book, or something. Why we won't look for something like it in the village?
-She is right. How many houses have you searched yet?
-Just two. We don't have more people to doing it right, preserving and cataloging the artifacts...
-Too slow. Private-said baltar to a Marine who was doing guard a few meters from them.
-sir.
-will you please call your superior? I need help with... something.
-right away sir.
a few minutes later a Marine Lieutenant appear with a Sargeant and two other privates.
-What can I do for you, dr. Baltar?
-Here-said he giving him a paper with several symbols in it. will you please take some men, all you can spare, and go searching the village for a book, a paper or a graffitti with this markings, and bring them to me?
-ok...do you want to...
-Yes, please, as soon as possible. Thank you, lieutenant... Bordon-said, reading the label in the uniform.
-Ok, sure. Do you have more of this papers? thanks.
soon he leave the area and gather two platoons, and after a small talk, he distributed the men in groups of three and send them house by house. Captain Adama and another pilot join the search after founding one of the groups and knowing about this search of sorts. He was curious about this ring artifact. Was a weapon? A communication device, maybe to contact the homeworld of this settlers?
one hour later one marine found a notebook behind the pillow of a bed in one of the bigger houses in the village. it was written in an unknown language, but there was 5 sequences of 7 symbols just like the ones in the paper. Those symbols were the ones with fingerprints. after calling through the radio, the group of three returned to the Ring square, were Captain Adama and Lieutenant Bordon were also heading. The rest of their platoon stopped the searching and go there to see if it worked.
Baltar studied the symbols, and started to push the buttons in order. The ring activated, and everyone stared in awe at the huge thing. The Marines took their weapons on instinct, and wait. After the seventh was inserted, nothing happen. everyone started to look each other, and Baltar without noticing put his hand in the orange centerpiece of the device.
Whooosh!
A huge skyblue splash of something like water expelled from the ring and everyone stepped back in panic, several Marines going down and aiming at the water vertical pool created.
-What the frak is that thing?!
-Hold your fire!-ordered Adama, standing up.
Baltar and several scientists advanced slowly to the ring. He went up the stone steps bellow the Ring, and touched the water like horizon. after two attempts, without ever fully entering it, the ring deactivated.
-Captain, do you have one of those robots to disarm bombs?
-The Marines have. Do you need...?
-Yes. We would send it to the other side. -he said and started to walk towards the dialing device-And maybe after we could send a Raptor too...I think it fits there-said the doctor, pointing to the ring.