AN: An idea of a fusion between Stargate and StarCraft, reimiagining familiar Stargate characters under the UED aegis.
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the Stargate or StarCraft books, movies, TV series, comics or games. This story is not for sale or rent.
The Bloody Stars – Stargate/StarCraft fusion
=BS=
Prologue: Grim tidings
=BS=
Part 1
=BS=
Sometimes, a single decision could shape the future of a species. Back in the day, the formation of the United Powers Leagues and their draconian policies aimed at achieving genetic purity reshaped Humanity, and ultimately murdered hundreds of millions. Some of those people were a credible threat to the new orders. Too many were unfortunates who simply didn't fit the definition of what meant to be a pure human held by the powers that be at the time. A few lucky ones faced a perilous journey that was to end with a permanent exile tens of thousands of light-years away from humanity's cradle.
These choices shaped the face of Humanity as we knew it, both here in Sol, and in the far away Koprulu Sector.
In 2499, when intelligence sources brought news of the discovery of dangerous alien life-forms, the last incarnation of the UPL reformed itself into the United Earth Directorate. The Directorate finally forcefully brought the remaining dissenting countries on Terra and various holdouts within Terran space into the fold. This new militaristic stance came with both the threat of the aliens running unchecked against the Terrans of Koprulu and the pledge that the UED would neutralize the threat they represented.
The UED dispatched an expeditionary fleet under the famous Admiral Gerard DuGalle, to secure Koprulu Sector, save our long-abandoned cousins from the Xeno threat, and most importantly, neutralize any and all threats towards Terra and her colonies.
The expeditionary fleet failed. Not a single ship made it back to Earth. All the Directorate's military wing received from Koprulu Sector was a series of distress calls that quickly went dark, and corrupted transmissions concerning a lost apocalyptic battle.
In one fell sweep, the UED found its foundations undermined. The truth was that it failed at its self-imposed mission and the reason for its very existence.
That truth led several of UED's leaders to make choices that would once again reshape the face of Humanity…
Like Phoenix from the ashes:
The Fall and Rise of the United Earth Directorate,
by Dr. Francheska Rostov
=BS=
10-12-2500 AD
UED Supreme Council Chambers
Terra
For the first time since its inception, the UED Council deliberately met without the presence of the majority of its Military Directors. Nine of the twelve people who for all intents and purposes ran Earth, and her loyal colonies left dignity at the door, too. Only the current leader of the Council, Director Fallow, who oversaw Internal Security, kept a solid hold on his emotions. Dispatching the expeditionary fleet was both a necessity and an opportunity. Many of the most famous and decorated military officers serving the Directorate left with the fleet. That way, they conveniently removed themselves from the board as rivals and potential threats.
Fallow put down his uniform hat and idly traced the IS insignia, proudly displayed on it. He looked down the long polished oaken table at the arguing Directors. A few of them were merely useful fools – the IS either had them already subverted, or Fallow had convinced them that they were on the same side. A handful of idealists backed by powerful families and corporations were interesting additions to the Council. They could be dangerous wild cards.
That was especially true for Director Samantha Carter – the unusually young leader of the Science Directorate, a position she received due to her genius and family ties.
Her presence was concerning. The young prodigy should have been in her lab, mooning over the first samples recovered from Abydoss. As the daughter of a respected and powerful General, she had backing from multiple corners – her family, the military, and the science community. Most importantly, Director Carter's presence made the absence of the most Military Directors tonight mostly moot.
The IS Director ran over the contingencies ready to go off tonight. Carter going silent, and failing to report to her allies in a timely fashion could prove problematic. Unfortunately, Fallow didn't see a good path forward. The situation in Koprulu Sector was enough of a disaster. The recent events on Abydoss and the information coming from that wretched place put Earth in an even more dangerous strategic situation. Unity and strong leadership were paramount in times like these.
Fallow could allow no dissent, no matter how justified some people might see it. Nothing less than Humanity's future was at stake.
"You're all aware of what our exploratory fleet found at Abydoss!" What they fought too, the IS Director didn't say aloud, "Those revelations, combined with the rumors coming from Koprulu, put Humanity as a whole in a position of unprecedented danger. My people have indications that elements within our military will not accept the blame for the disaster that met our Expeditionary Fleet. Even as we meet, my agents assure me that our missing fellow Directors are plotting action to secure their positions, no matter the cost!"
All conversations and arguments stilled at those words. A multitude of shocked faces stared at Fallow, reminding him of the days-long "spirited" discussions that preceded the decision to intervene at Koprulu.
"This is the time for action and bold leadership! This is the time for unity!" Fallow continued while looking at Director Carter from the corner of his eyes.
His supporters and subverted Directors were quick to voice their support. That made for five of the Council. Admiral Sing-Hale remained silent. His piercing dead eyes stared at Fallow, and he offered a small nod – that was as good of an acknowledgment that you could expect from the old bastard. It was good enough. With Sing-Hale's support came a large chunk of Home Fleet. Those assets, along with Fallow's people should be enough if they struck fast and hard enough. All they had to do was to neutralize enough of the suspected dissident leadership and secure enough military bases to make the specter of a civil war go away.
One way or another, this night was going to go down in history. They were going to either succeed and save humanity or fall and see it divided and doomed. Thus, failure was not an option.
Fallow pressed his thumb to the IS symbol on his hat, sending a signal.
"You're going too far…", The Director overseeing Agriculture exclaimed. The Director holding that particular position oversaw and ensured the feeding of the billions upon billions of Humans spread all over UED space. "Do you have any idea what kind of disruption your stunt can cause? The number of people who might starve if your mad plan doesn't go off flawlessly?" The dark-skinned African man continued in the same accusatory tone.
"I am painfully aware of the dangers. Yet, our colleagues in the military don't care. Even as we speak, they're meeting to decide if they could get away with launching a coup. All I'm suggesting is that we do what's best for Humanity as a whole and pre-empt them!" Fallow spoke both to his fellow Directors, and the various recording machines immortalizing the meeting.
"This madness is not something I can support!" Mbeki pushed forth and looked at the other Directors for support.
Those who weren't already on board often showed their shock, though curiously, and dangerously enough, Carter had an impassive mask on her face.
"While nice to have, your support is not strictly speaking required, Director Mbeki," That revenant, Sing-Hale spoke in a dry, yet strong voice. "All we'll require is that your Directorate keep doing its excellent job, and we'll do our best not to disrupt logistics any more than necessary,"
"Director Fallow, I can only ask of you to think long and hard before you do something we are all going to regret." Carter finally spoke, addressing him directly.
"I've thought long and hard about the future, Director Carter. All I did, is for the betterment of Humanity, and the preservation of the UED,"
Armored doors hissed open, and cool air entered the unsealed chamber. UED's crimson banners flanking the table fluttered at the artificial wind. Combat boots struck the metal floor, sending sinister echoes throughout the Council chamber. Infantry in the midnight black armor of IS marched in, alongside units in the brown and green of Sing-Hale's security detail.
"These loyal soldiers will see to your safety over the next few tremulous days," Fallow explained.
A few of the Directors raised a fuss, only for armored fingers to not so gently guide them out of their chairs.
Carter simply face-palmed and sighed in apparent disappointment. She offered no resistance when a hand-picked unit of Fallow's people reached her chair and gently guided her towards her new temporary residence.
=BS=
Part 2
=BS=
10-12-2500 AD
Colorado Springs suburbs
North American Alliance
Terra
"Home, sweet home!" General Jack O'Neill didn't quite skip out of the transport that brought him down from his flagship. It took calling all kinds of favors to ensure having a peaceful night with his family before reporting in front of the UED Council tomorrow for debriefing, though it was all worth it, he was sure.
"We'll be here to pick you up at zero six in the morning, sir! Have a good night!" The pilot waved at her commander and the sleek navy blue ship rose from O'Neill's backyard with a quiet hum.
For a moment, Jack's eyes trailed the descending transport, which quickly joined the countless sparkling stars shinning in orbit. Everything was up there. Massive orbital platforms, warehouses, shipyards, and countless warships. Personal transports, and the endless streams of logistics vessels that were the Dominion's lifeblood. They all glowed like a shield surrounding Earth.
That was a defense they would need now more than ever before, O'Neill mussed and shook himself. He had one night for himself and his family, then tomorrow, he could continue to worry about all the alien threats facing humanity.
He walked to the porch and was about to reach for the sensor controlling the back door, when it swung open, revealing a grinning Sarah. His wife wore casual clothes – a breath of fresh air after being stuck surrounded by uniforms and power-armored soldiers for what felt like an eternity.
"Jack, you made it!" Sarah wasted no time and skipped forward to pull O'Neill into a tight embrace, which he returned wholeheartedly.
"Of course he did. Dad's a sneaky, cheeky…" Charlie's voice trailed off, and he came into view.
His son was even taller than before. Now Charlie had visibly put some lanky muscle on his otherwise light frame. He looked cheerful enough, despite his dangerous position.
"Charlie! Language young man!" Sarah snapped.
Charlie merely rolled his eyes and came to greet Jack, pulling him in a one-armed hug.
"Hey, old man. You look even older. Are those white hairs I see?"
"They aren't making you as they used to in the academy, and I'm not yet sure if that's a good thing or not," Jack quipped in bemusement.
"It's all for the good, I promise!" Charlie answered while keeping his cheeky grin. "Come in, I'm hungry and mom's cooked my favorite ribs!"
"So the ribs are more important than your weary old man, is that it?"
"Obviously! I tend to see or hear of you more often than I get to eat mom's baked ribs!" Charlie spoke in a deadly serious tone, before chuckling and smoothly heading towards the kitchen.
"I can't stop worrying about the two of you," Sarah muttered with her head buried in Jack's shoulder.
"I'm just glad that things changed a few decades ago, otherwise…" O'Neill trailed off. His position and connection might have been able to protect them. Might. It was now a public secret, that the primary reason why Terra still had Psykers, was that high-placed families managed to keep some of their members safe from the purges following the formation of the UPL.
Nowadays, having a Psyker in the family was instead complicated – both encouraged and frowned upon, and never something to advertise to the neighbor unless you wanted to court trouble.
Sarah all but dragged Jack towards the kitchen, disrupting his brooding.
"None of that tonight," She whispered before letting him go and gently pushing him towards the sink.
"Old man, we've been hearing all kinds of fascinating rumors at the academy. Is there something you're free to share with the class?" Charlie needled.
"Absolutely, not! And don't try pocking around my head!"
"I know better now!"
"Boys!" Sarah grumbled in fond exasperation.
=BS=
Psychic Directorate HQ
Europa
Sol system
Director Harold Mayborne stood within a dimly lit command center, built under one of the mountains of Europa. As useful as Psychic troops were, the citizenry in general, and much of the military distrusted them at best, which was one of the downsides of the less than brilliant decision the former UPL did in the past. Unfortunately, it was one of those policies that kept on poisoning the well of public perception even centuries after they broad support. Hell, now, decades since becoming fully defunct, the UPL's purity dogma was still a pain to deal with due to being entrenched among large swaths of the population.
That was one of the primary reasons why many of the Psychic Directorate's facilities were at far-off places, away from the regular citizenry. What you could find on, or near populated planets were academies for initial training. Those and various needed but not critical administrative centers.
Thus, in Sol, the heart of the Directorate and the largest concentration of trained Psychics in the system was Europa – their distant home away from home.
Several screens displaying real-time troop deployments that shouldn't be flickered. The picture changed to display the images of several Generals and Admirals, including the Directors of the Navy, Ground Forces, and Homeworld Defense.
"Harry," General Korolev, the Director overseeing the UED's conventional Ground Forces, greeted. "We can confirm your information. Elements of Home Fleet are mobilizing and there are most concerning movements of Marines and IS personnel all over the place."
"The UED Council is in session as we speak. You weren't invited, Directors," General Carter spoke after looking at something off-screen. Notably, he was in combat armor with his visor up, keeping his face visible. "My daughter confirmed receiving an emergency summons for a session, which should be underway as we speak."
"I received no such request," General Korolev shook his head, followed by Director West from Homeworld Defense, and Admiral Vera Schmidt, who was in overall command of the Navy, with the notable exception of the fleets dedicated to Earth's protection.
"No one deemed me loyal enough to call either," Director Mayborne added with a wan smile. "The pressing question is what are we going to do, ladies and gentlemen? You're aware of what little we got back from Koprulu. That combined with the events on Abydoss change things."
"This is not the time or place for internal strife!" Admiral Schmidt snapped.
"I would agree, however, let's be honest, those are inevitable. The Directorate as a whole, and the Council, in particular, staked our credibility and legitimacy on a success. Realistically, there will be a political and personal price to pay for whatever disaster struck our Expeditionary Fleet. And to be blunt, this crisis will be a great opportunity for certain parties to consolidate power and ensure no one else will be in a position to oppose them."
"That bastard Fallow and his secret police," West grumbled.
"We all agreed that the IS served the UPL, and as an extension, the Directorate, well," Mayborne shrugged. "It was even true at the time, they made consolidating our positions much easier and cleaner than it should have been. Unfortunately, that's no longer the case."
"Local IS teams are on the move. We're running out of time, Director," One of Mayborne's aides informed him.
"My friends, time is up. The IS is already moving. What are we going to do?"
"I'm mobilizing the fleets, and all available Marine units to secure the orbitals," Director Schmidt threw her lot in what was shaping to be a military coup in progress.
Or more precisely, a counter-coup, considering what Fallow and company were busy doing.
"I'm putting on alert and preparing for deployment our ground forces. We'll have our hands' full hunting down the IS and trying to reach everyone they're after before it's too late," Korolev spoke in a voice like gravel. "My security just detected two infiltration teams making their way towards my primary command center,"
"I'll do my duty and see that Earth remains safe no matter what," Director West finally added.
Moments later, UED's various military networks lit up with chatter. At the same time, the IS and Home Fleet units followed contingency plans and moved to neutralize all potential sources of heavy resistance and dissent against Fallow's new order.