AN: This chapter was re-uploaded because this website is a sinking ship full of bugs and the chapter was inaccessible without the direct link.
I apologize to everyone who received an email notification because of this. If you want a bug-free experience, I encourage you to move on to the Ao3 version.
Chapter 3: Smash and Grab
"We can conjure pretty much anything, right?"
"We can."
"So why did we ever replicate St Mungo's menu?" Sirius scrapped the last bits of pudding from a cup, the rest of his lunch still untouched on the tray resting on his lap. "This stuff is more bland than Kreacher's cooking."
"Because it's low on fat and sugars and it's good for you." Sitting next to the bed, Harry twirled his wand in his hands, his gaze lost in the smooth floor of Neptune's station infirmary. "You won't heal if you keep being picky."
"Can't you at least get me some salt?"
"I'm not getting Swansforth on my case because you can't finish your plate."
"Come on. I've eaten rats tastier than this when I was on the run."
"If you want, I'm sure I can find you one in the castle..."
"I'll pass." Making a face, Sirius put down his empty plate and dug into the vegetables. "I already had a hard time getting off the stuff the first time."
As good as it felt to hear him joke like this again, Harry could not get the sight of his godfather collapsing in the back of the shuttle out of his mind. He'd repeated the memory endlessly as he sat by his side for two days, waiting for him to wake up.
Had Hermione been any slower getting them out of there...
He wasn't ready to have someone else die on his watch, let alone Sirius.
And there was only one way to make sure of it.
"I'm pulling you out of the crew."
Sirius froze, a spoonful of mashed potatoes halfway to his mouth, and his smile melted off his face.
"What are you talking about?"
"We didn't think things would be so dangerous out there so I'm reassigning some of the crew to the station." His jaw set, Harry finally looked up at him. "They'll be working on the copy of Requirement's database and anything else we bring back from our expeditions."
"I didn't join so I could sit on my hands while you risk your life." Sirius scowled, putting away his tray and straightened up in his bed. "l know things went sour, but you can't just sideline me like that."
"That's the problem. Things will always find a way to get worse and I don't want you to have to go through all of this again."
"If you keep thinking things will go badly, you're only making sure they will. But that's not the point. Hell, I'm the adult here, I should be the one telling you to stay put while I take care of things."
"And I'm your captain. You signed off on this when you joined. Besides ... Can you look me in the eyes and tell me you still have it in you to wage another war?"
Sirius held his gaze for a few seconds before turning away, his fists balled in frustration on the blankets.
"I hate this." Sirius' voice was low and hoarse. "We've spent all this time apart because of the war and now you want to go out and fight another."
And he was not the only one. Already, whispers of discontent could be heard in the corridors. They had opened Pandora's box and dove head first into a fight with an alien race after barely escaping the previous one. And now, they would never be able to close it.
"We didn't exactly go out looking for it. But we can't leave things like this."
"I just want you to be safe." He looked back at him, his grey eyes filled with conflicting regrets and pride. "But you don't need me for that. Not sure you ever did."
"I had enough practice. And now you'll keep Earth safe while I'm out there. Besides, we'll still see each other between missions."
"Because I'll be twirling my thumbs here while you have fun with aliens." Sirius huffed. "I'm not the researcher type, Harry. That's always been James' and Remus' thing."
"Oh, don't worry," Harry said, a cheeky smile tugging at his lips. "You'll have plenty to keep you busy since you'll be in charge."
"Me?" Sirius asked, looking at him as if he had just announced Kreacher was the new Minister for Magic.
"Yup. I need someone I can trust to keep an eye on things when I'm gone." And a place to keep him safe and happy after everything he'd gone through. Though he knew Sirius would never approve of this part. "Just try not to drive them mad."
Getting over his shock, Sirius returned his smile in full. "Come on, you know me. I never make promises I can't keep." His laugh was short-lived, however, as he looked at his godson earnestly. "But I want you to hold on to one for me, alright?"
"I can't—"
"I'm not gonna tell you to play it safe or to stay out of trouble. I know you better than that." Sirius brushed him off. "Look, I know things look bleak. We've been through a lot and now we have aliens to worry about. But you have to remember to live your life. Don't let this consume you. That's not a good thing, trust me on that."
For an instant, the burden of two wars and twelve years in Azkaban came back to weight on his shoulders, before disappearing again.
"Look at this." Sirius gestured at the room around them. "None of it would be here without you. You've already done so much and now you're exploring the stars! You're discovering things no one ever dreamed of! So take it easy, ok? And remember to have some fun."
"I'll try."
"Good enough for now." Satisfied, Sirius shuffled back against his pillows, fetching something behind them. "Pudding? I swiped an extra cup when Reggie wasn't looking."
The last of the ring's chevron lit up and a wave of blue energy burst outward before collapsing back into a rippling puddle.
Despite knowing it was coming and standing a short distance away from the ring, Ron flinched at the sudden eruption.
"Does it have to do that every time?"
"Yes," Hermione answered without looking up from her data-slate where runes streamed by at high speed. "And don't even think of touching it."
"It's how the gate buffers the sudden power influx from the dialling gate before it can be properly regulated." Terry explained from the dialling pedestal that he had been studying with Padma. "We're not sure what would happen if someone gets caught in it but..."
"Dead." Hermione cut in. "They'd be dead. Same as if they tried to walk through an incoming wormhole."
"Noted." With the ring now activated, Harry walked up to it, inspecting the shimmering ripples of energy. "I'll make sure the word gets around."
Two weeks had passed since their run-in with aliens on Dakhla, and they had not sat idly during that time.
Now that they knew what to search for, Angelina's team had gone through the database to identify these "Chappa'ai" and found a trove of information.
If Requirement's logs were to be trusted, these rings were far older than the ship itself and linked through a vast network that could potentially span the entire galaxy. The word the shipbuilders had used for them was unpronounceable, however, and they had adopted the term "Stargates" as a close enough approximation.
What they had previously thought to be runes inscribed upon its surface were in fact constellations. By selecting six of them on the dialling device, pinpointing the area of space you were targeting, followed by the point of origin of your own region of space and it would establish a unidirectional wormhole to another gate, allowing for instantaneous travel from one planet to another.
The possible combinations were far too numerous, however, and only a fraction of them would lead to a gate. Thanks to Terry's previous attempts, they knew that dialling randomly would be the equivalent of searching for a needle in a haystack of galactic proportions.
Fortunately, Requirement was full of star charts and information on the planets along its original flight path, including their gate addresses if they had one.
After several hyperspace jumps, the crew found itself on an uninhabited planet, experimenting with the local gate. They had so far managed to connect to nearly a dozen planets, sending communication stones through and monitoring their signal—which could travel both ways, strangely enough—to confirm the connection worked. And so far, it had.
Except for one.
Perhaps the most surprising of their discoveries was the presence of a Stargate on Earth. Their fear of the existence of a literal backdoor the aliens could use to invade the planet at any time proved unfounded, however. While they did manage to establish a connection with the gate, the stone they sent through never arrived at its destination.
Reassured that the Earth gate was most likely broken, the team made a note to check it out sometimes to see if they could salvage it and moved on to the far more interesting working gate.
As Harry inspected the puddle, Lee stepped right out of it and almost ran into him, his round trip to another planet on the other side of the galaxy completed in a little under five minutes.
"Welcome back." Harry stepped back, putting a hand on Lee's shoulder to steady him as the wormhole disappeared. "You okay?"
"This was weird." Taking a second to re-orient himself.
"Weird how?"
"It's just ... It's weird how you don't feel anything. One minute you're there and the next, you're here."
"Yeah, I get that," Ron said as he walked up to them, the others following behind him. "The ship's apparition thing is the same."
"The beaming system, Ron. It's not that hard." Hermione chided him. "But you're right, it uses the same principle of demolecularizing its target and reassembling it on the destination point,. You shouldn't even be conscious of what's happening during transit."
"When you put it like that ... I'm not sure I want to try it anymore." Looking paler than usual, Ron sent a cautious look at the gate.
"There's a reason I didn't want to risk using it in the first place."
"Except we did." Harry chimed in. "And it ended up saving our lives so I'm not about to pass on it anytime soon. Merlin knows we could have used it before."
"Yeah, this thing sure beats hyperspace." Lee gave a tap on the gate. "Too bad we can't fit the ship through."
"We could always enlarge it with a charm..." Hermione pondered. "But I don't want to imagine how we'd come out on the other side since that gate would still have the same size."
"Then let's not try that, alright?" Harry said. "You got enough data to work with?"
"For a start, yes. But there's just so much..."
"Good enough. We'll leave a team for long-term study and move on to the next planet. But I don't want any of them going through that gate until we can be sure there are no hostile aliens on the other side."
"You want to leave people here?" Ron asked, scowling at their surroundings.
"This place seems safe enough." Harry let his gaze roam the valley of orange grass and the forest of lopsided palm trees beyond it. They had not detected any sign of animal life during their initial search of the area. "With a Conjurator and a power source, they should have more than enough to manage until we pick them up."
"I don't see why we can't just bring the gate back to the station." Padma scowled at him. "Research like this would be far easier in a proper environment."
He had a feeling she was well aware her knowledge of the gates and his need for the others put her at the top of his list to lead the team and didn't like it one bit.
"And it would bring a working gate to our system, leaving the aliens a stone-throw away from Earth if they ever decide to check our address." Harry rebutted, his tone leaving no place for debate. "We can't risk it."
"Do we even know why they attacked us? Maybe we provoked them somehow." Hermione asked. "There has to be a way to negotiate."
"No." Ron shook his head, bitterness laced in his voice. "These aren't people you can argue with. They didn't even try talking before they started killing."
"And I don't see myself sharing a cuppa with alien slavers." Harry's tone was as harsh as Ron's, fuelled by the memories of Dakhla. "These guys are bad news and we need to be prepared."
"We can't exactly go toe to toe with them." Lee pulled out his data-slate, scowling at the data he brought up. "Requirement is a science vessel, not a warship. Adding to that, we're powering it with the equivalent of alkaline batteries so our options are limited."
"But with sufficient power generation, the shields should be able to take one whatever they can dish out." Terry continued. "And we wouldn't have to cut them to conserve power anymore. No more crippling surprise attack."
"Which brings us back to better fuel." Harry sighed. "Again."
"There's no two way about it. It's the only thing stopping us from exploiting the full extent of the ship's systems. But there are things we can try in the meanwhile."
"I wanted to look into ways we could speed up the shields' charging process so we can raise them faster without drawing more power than necessary." Terry explained. "And the data from our first jumps have helped us improve the efficiency of our power distribution algorithms, though Bridget is still working out the kinks."
"That's all well and good, but none of this will help us if we have no idea who our enemy is." Ron cut in. "We need to know where they are, how many ships they have, why they can shrug off our spells..."
"Not to mention that they clearly know something about the shipbuilders and visited Earth in the past," Padma added. "but I doubt they'll tell us anything willingly."
"Don't forget that we need new gear." Terry chimed in. "Our suits were made to resist magic, not those energy weapons they're using. We'll have to get our hands on one of those so we can run some tests, but..."
Leaning against the gate, Harry watched as they went on, exchanging ideas, theories and strategies like it was the most natural thing in the world.
It would surprise him how easy it was to slide back into this mindset, if he had not already done so himself.
It had only been a scant few months since they had faced Voldemort's army on Hogwarts' grounds and already they jumped headfirst into another war.
Was this what they had turned their lives into by finding this ship? Would they jump from one conflict to the next, risking their lives times and again to earn brief moments of peace?
He had hoped that they could take it easy after the war. That they would escape the paranoia and fear that had permeated their every thought for so long, leaving them free to uncover the wonders of the universe. A fresh start of sorts, unburdened by the scars of the past.
Instead, they had grown complacent.
Certain that nothing would be able to threaten them again, they had carried on, disregarding the most basic of precautions and ignoring the grief in their hearts.
And why wouldn't they? They had won. No one remained to challenge them. They had taken down the most powerful dark lord in two generations and commanded powers never seen before on Earth.
Everything would be alright now. No more fighting. No more hiding. No more losing loved ones. That had been the promise. Why they had fought so hard for.
This hope had fed their overconfidence, clouding their judgment and making them careless. They had rushed ahead without precautions, leaving themselves exposed to the first threat they met.
This was a mistake they would not make again.
If the galaxy did not want to play nice, so be it.
They would carve out a place for themselves, where people could live their lives without having to fear the wrath of power-hungry maniacs and alien "gods".
They had named themselves the Defensive Space Force. And it was high time they lived up to it.
Elysium.
The land of the most virtuous souls of ancient Greece, where the gods granted them eternal life and fulfilment after their demise. A series of islands where departed heroes knew neither rain nor misery, enjoying instead the blessed reward of a pious or courageous life.
The real place was ... slightly different.
High temperatures, atmospheric imbalances, rapid oceanic currents and unpredictable wind patterns trapped the mountainous continents in a series of perpetual storms. Deprived of sunlight by a thick curtain of dark clouds and bathed in a dense fog, the pale vegetation had adapted by growing next to fluorescent crystalline outcrops, giving the land an eerie glow.
On the slope of the tallest mountain, a gaping maw cut through the lifeless surroundings. The light of a thousand windows shone on the base of pillars so high that they disappeared into the darkness before one would see their full height.
Descending into the depths, a city reminiscent of ancient times was sprawled across wide terraces on the slopes of a well, all the way to its lowest point. Made of dark stone and marbled in gold, the buildings and temples spread out on the various levels had been carved from the bowels of the mountain and linked by one continuous flight of stairs, shrinking as it spiralled out of sight into the abyss.
If one were to follow the many pilgrims in their journey down the well, descending into the depths under the judging glare of gargantuan statues, their steps would bring them to the gates of an upside-down palace suspended above a bottomless pit by chains thicker than the temples above.
As fate would have it, a small procession had just entered such a pilgrimage. Departing from a temple on the higher levels, a priest prayed as he held a crystal lantern high above his head, lighting the way for the two Jaffa guards holding up a litter burdened with offerings.
Their pace was slow, for theirs was the dufy to show their reverence to the wonders of the Underworld, stopping every so often to deposit an offering to a shrine or at the feet of a statue.
Just as the Jaffa lifted the litter after paying their respect to a statue dedicated to the glorious victory over Orpheus, the air shimmered and parted, revealing silhouettes draped in white metal suits from head to toe.
Taken by surprise, the Jaffa were given no time to reach for their weapons. They collapsed to the ground and the litter tipped over, scattering ritual offerings on the steps, some rolling off the edge and plummeting into the depths.
Left alone, the priest stepped back in fear, redoubling the ardour of his prayers, brandishing the lantern before him as if to banish the unknown attackers.
"Hey there." One of them stepped forward. "We're new in town. Mind showing us around?"
Armed with the knowledge provided by the frightened priest, the invisible guests split up to explore the city, urgency fueling their hastened steps.
While they remained confident in their technology and took care to hide their tracks, they knew that it would only be a matter of time until the aliens discovered their presence and brought upon them the full force of their homeworld.
And yet, this was precisely why they had chosen this planet among the few they had discovered. Slave mining colonies and military outposts would have proven easier to infiltrate, but the potential intelligence they would gather from them was deemed too insignificant to risk alerting the aliens of their presence.
The skirmish at Dakhla had been a surprise on both sides, but one they could still capitalize on sinc the enemy would not be expecting them in another part of the galaxy. They knew from experience that this was an advantage that would not last long, however, as the aliens would quickly adapt to their strategies.
Determined to make the most of an opportunity that would not represent itself, they had decided to risk it all by striking at the heart of an enemy stronghold, right where they would be the least expected.
And so far, their gamble had paid off.
Presumptuous in the safety of their homeworld, the ships in orbit had not detected Requirement flying in and out of orbit to drop them off before retreating to the edge of the system, out of sensor range. Under the cover of the storm they had flown their hoverboards right into the city and observed its people's comings and goings until they spotted the priest's little procession, isolated from the rest.
Unseen by the guards, Harry led his team down into the heart of the mountain, slipping inside the palace by following a returning patrol.
If the city outside had seemed grand, it was positively shabby compared to the palace's corridors. The walls were made of gold and inscribed with thousands of hieroglyphs and murals all the way up to a ceiling so high a Giant would not be able to reach it. Banners of a rich blue hung on them, proudly displaying the black symbol of a flame held in a bident's prongs in between statues of gaunt men and women twisted in agony.
From what the priest had told them, this was the abode of their "god", and it sure looked the part.
"At least we know we're in the right place." Said Harry as he took in the absurd proportions of the place.
"This is so weird." Terry frowned as he looked around. "These guys have spaceships and can build places like this, but they live in cities straight out of history books."
"Maybe they just like how it looks?" Luna wondered. "You have to admit it has a certain charm."
"It's tacky. Too much gold." Goyle grunted as he kept watch on the patrol that had long left them behind. "Where to now?"
"This way."
Diving into a corridor off the side—mercifully human-sized—the team began their exploration of the palace, blissfully invisible to its occupants.
Despite being painfully aware of the precarity of their situation, the team was meticulous in their search, leaving no stone unturned. There was only so much you could learn from an enemy while running away and dodging staff-fire after all.
Their head tattoo, for example, was a far cry from the golden symbol of the Jaffa who had proclaimed himself the "First Prime of Apophis" on Dakhla—whatever that meant—and none of them wore the metal serpent helmets. Instead, every single Jaffa bore the same symbol they could see on banners everywhere in the palace: a flame held in a bident's prongs.
While they picked up small items and pieces of technology lying around, a few things became quickly apparent. Despite forming the overwhelming majority of the palace's inhabitants, the Jaffa warriors lived in conditions barely more hospitable than the human slaves tending to the place. In a stark contrast to the lavish decorations, they slept in overcrowded barracks, piled up on bunk beds without so much as a mattress and their rations almost made Harry nostalgic about Kreacher's cooking.
Yet none of this mattered to them, and the Jaffa they passed went about their duties with a single-minded drive and reverence. No idle chats or jokes, no laying about and resting between tasks ... They worked tirelessly and without hesitation.
Harry would almost feel sorry for them if they would not turn that restless dedication toward their murder at the drop of a hat.
They passed storage rooms, dormitories for the servants and the guards, training rooms where armour-less Jaffa fought each other with wooden staves, and a multitude of rooms whose purpose they could only guess until, finally, they stumbled upon an adequate target.
Guarded by three Jaffa, a circular room on the edge of the palace—with half its walls replaced by windows onto the abyss below—housed a waist-high round console above which an hologram of the galaxy was projected.
With a nod and a hand sign, the team spread out and the Jaffa were quickly taken care of—one falling to a short-fused shock grenade, another to two point-blank overpowered stunners and the last was pummeled unconscious by his own animated staff.
"Now this looks promising..." Terry approached the console, inspecting the flat crystals forming an approximation of a keyboard. "I'll need a minute."
"Greg. Luna." Harry called out, and the two combat officers took position behind each of the two doors leading into the room.
Joining Terry, Harry leaned on the console, scrutinizing the image of the galaxy littered with symbols and hieroglyphs slowly turning above it. "So. What do we have?"
"I think..." Terry tentatively touched a series crystal and the hologram changed, showing instead a closter of stars with, mst of which were marked with the bident symbol while others sported a snake circled twice. "The jackpot."
"And in layman's terms?"
"It's a map." Terry announced, grinning.
"You don't say." Harry deadpanned, having seen his fair share of star charts by now. "Care to elaborate?"
"Sorry, it's just ... Here." Terry manipulated the crystals again and the hologram disappeared completely. "Oops. One second." After touching some more crystals, the display flickered back to life, once again showing the entire galaxy, though this time it was cut out in many coloured zones of various sizes, all denoted by their own symbols. "Okay, I think I got it. As far as I can tell, this is a territorial map. Like countries on Earth."
"So all of these..." A sick feeling took home in the pit of Harry's stomach as his eyes roamed the map. "They're different factions of these aliens?"
"I'd say that's a good bet. This must be a war room of some sort."
Harry did not hear Terry's observations, however, as his mind reeled at the implications of what he was looking at.
"They're everywhere."
With these two little words, Terry's enthusiasm was wiped away as surely as if the twins had doused him in icy water.
Over two-thirds of the galaxy was covered by these territories, leaving only the core and the outlying branches out of their control.
"They ... Yeah." For a moment, Terry remained silent, letting Harry digest the news before speaking again. "We should be around here." Raising his hand, Terry pointed out a region in the southern part of the galaxy, on the border of two massive territories. "Our host seems to be in charge of this region for whoever these horns represent, and—"
"How are we even supposed to fight those guys?" Harry cut him off. "A few planets, we could handle if we played our cards right, but..." He gestured widely at the hologram. "This?"
"I don't know..." Terry faltered, withdrawing on himself before perking up. "But maybe..." His hands flew across the crystals, the projection shifting from one image to the next until it finally stabilized into a similar view of the galaxy. "Found it."
This new map was similar to the one previously displayed, with one glaring difference. Right where Earth should be, an enormous territory was now covering a fifth of the galaxy, dwarfing all the others which were now considerably smaller and more numerous.
"Is that..."
"The same map. Or at least how it was about a month ago, if I got it right."
"That explains some things."
In the centre of this new—or old—territory, was a symbol that had become quite familiar.
The eye of Ra.
The same that had adorned Dakhla's pyramid.
"They're at war. All of them." Harry mused, his eyes growing wide as Terry brought back the first map. "Ra died and they're all fighting over his scraps. And we just walked right into it."
"Looks like it. They're fighting all over the galaxy. A lot of the smaller territories have already been conquered by the stronger warlords, but that's not all. This map is very generous with what it's considering controlled territory. See here? Earth is considered part of their empire, but we know that's hogwash."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we'd have noticed." Harry gave him a small smile, the dread that had turned his stomach disappearing as he began to think. "We can use this. They've ignored Earth for thousands of years. As long as they don't know that's where we come from, they'll be too busy fighting each other to care about it."
"And we can slip in between them to get what we need in the meantime."
"Exactly."
"Seems like a plan."
"The start of one at least." Harry's smile turned wry. "Think we can take all of this back with us?"
"No idea. I don't even know where I'd start to interface it with our gear, but ... Maybe..."
Crouching down, Terry circled the console until he found a small hatch. He pushed it and a tray filled with long, prism-shaped crystals of various clear colours came out of the console's casing. Terry took out as many as he could fit in his bag, the console's projection dying out as he did, before getting back up.
"Either I got it or I pulled the plug."
"Good enough. Let's keep moving."
Deep shadows danced on the hieroglyph-covered walls, cast by firepits that filled the space between the marbled columns along the path to a silver statue depicting a bearded man sitting on a throne and holding a golden bident. At its feet, Angelina hung unto every word of a priest dressed in a long blue tunic as he regaled her with the tale illustrated on the mural on the base of the statue.
Off to the side, Books, scrolls and archaeological magazines were scattered everywhere as Zacharias and Daphne studied the writings covering the walls.
"I don't get why you're wasting your time trying to read this stuff." Sitting cross-legged on a trunk and resting her chin on her hand, Alicia looked like the very definition of bored.
"Because it's important." Zacharias answered wearily without looking up from his work.
"It's not like it will be helpful anyhow."
"Of course it will be." Daphne rebuked. "And it would go a lot faster if you shut it and let us work."
"Hey, don't get short with me." Alicia bit back. "You were the ones saying it was all a load of crap when the priest went over it."
"And I stand by it. This is nothing more than propaganda, designed to keep the masses in check." Zacharias turned the page of the book floating in front of him, continuing his comparison of the translations described inside to the hieroglyphs on the wall. "But it doesn't mean it's useless. Beyond giving us a basis to translate their language, it's important to know your enemy's history. How they think, what they believe, how they reacted to certain situations in the past..."
"Who cares? I don't need to know what they think to blow them up."
"I'm sure you don't."
"Aren't you the least bit curious?" Daphne looked down at Alicia.
"Not really, no. I feel like I'm back at school."
"These aliens pretend to be the gods of ancient Earth cultures. They've intervened in humanity's development so long ago that we don't have any record of it. No scrolls, no tables ... nothing."
"And they haven't sat idle since." Zacharias continued. "This," He pointed at a section of the text isolated from the rest. "should be a well-known story of kidnapping and forced marriage the Greeks used to explain winter. But according to our host, there's no mention of marriage anywhere and the two deities were bitter rivals." He kept on with his passionate retelling, unaware of Alicia's eyes glazing over behind him. "So either the lovebirds had a falling out after leaving Earth, or these aliens took on the identity of pre-existing mythological figures that did not reflect their true relationships."
"Or both." Daphne added, discarding another unhelpful magazine and picking up some parchment and charcoal instead to make a rubbing of the writings instead.
"Or both." Zacharias conceded. "There's just too much we don't know about their implication in our history and how they shaped each other. And the writing itself! It's nothing like what we've seen on Earth. And the fact that we're finding it in a Greek temple instead of an Egyptian one could mean this is a standardised system used..."
Already regretting having started him, Alicia tuned him out, dropping her head and covering her ears to get some peace.
It seemed like hours since they had requisitioned the temple now, and they were no closer to deciphering the strange script than they had been on Dakhla. They had come prepared this time, bringing with them a library's worth of references, but none of the translation techniques or dialects contained therein had been of any use.
The priest they had ... forcefully recruited as a guide had been hesitant at first, however the unending questions of the researchers quickly had him preaching the legends of his god, no doubt in a misguided attempt to convert them.
"... but it won't be with this waste of paper."
Snatching the floating book out of the air, Zacharias threw it toward the pile of its discarded brothers, cringing when it missed and clattered to the ground, the sound echoing across the temple and startling Alicia.
Everyone froze, looking at the source of the commotion, no one daring to say a word.
This was far from the first mishap he had caused since they arrived, and it certainly won't be the last. Yet no one could hold it against him.
How did you get used to losing not only your dominant hand, but half your arm with it?
Even with the help of magic, simply holding things became unwieldy and the missing weight threw off his balance more often than he had been willing to admit.
His jaw set, Zacharias turned to Alicia and broke through the awkward atmosphere with a tense smile.
"Next book, please."
"I—Yes." Jumping off the trunk, Alicia opened it to reveal a series of impossibly deep compartments. Plunging her upper half inside, she rummaged for a while before coming back up with a thick muggle paperback. "Here."
"Thanks."
He levitated it over with a wave of his wand, frowning as he caught a glimpse of the name. The truth about the pyramids? What kind of sensationalist junk had Abbott stuffed in their collection? Here they were, trying to solve millennia-old mysteries and rewrite the history of the world and she expected them to do it using the rambling of some conspiracy crackpot.
But then again, they had seen an alien spaceship use a pyramid as a landing pad not two weeks ago...
Browsing through the summary, Zacharias quickly found a section on pre-dynastic hieroglyphics, finding pages upon pages of references and translation techniques the more reputable works like Budge's never even hinted at.
Fully expecting this to be a waste of time he might not have, yet frustrated enough by countless failed attempts, he got to work inspecting the wall again, searching for similarities in the symbols and their combinations.
The work continued in silence, only perturbed by the priest's distant rambling and the sound of Daphne rubbing the charcoal on the parchment.
With each passing moment, however, Zacharias' movements became more and more frantic, glossing over entire sections of the wall as coherent words began to emerge from the now familiar text. The symbols were different from his references and some were completely unknown, but that was to be expected, given the time difference. Some context clues or dialectal differences might also come into play and he would need to study other samples on other worlds to be sure, but...
Where he had found gibberish, he now saw the pieces of a puzzle coming together.
This book—written by a rising star in the field—had been derided as a joke by the archaeological community and destroyed the career of its author.
And yet, this random academic had given him the key to an alien derivation of the oldest and barely known form of writing known to man.
Closing the book, Zacharias scrutinized the picture of the author on the back.
He would have to look up this Dr Jackson when he got back to Earth. He might be a useful person to have around...
"Just because they visited Earth before doesn't mean they still do."
"But it explains so much!" Luna insisted, righteous determination fuelling her voice. "And Muggles have seen their ships flying around across all of history! They've even kidnapped people and replaced them with clones."
"How do you even know about cloning?" Terry gave her a strange look for a second before shaking his head. "Doesn't matter. All of these have been debunked time and again."
"Weak cover-ups. Just like Harry's."
"Luna, for the last time, we don't have a secret team of trained dragons. We'd have used them by now if we did." Harry groaned, looking around to confirm the absence of a patrol "Terry?"
"On it."
Walking up to a closed door, Terry removed its control panel, exposing the crystals underneath. Since handles were apparently not good enough for aliens and each door necessitated typing a hieroglyphic code, the team had to improvise as they advanced through the palace. While he would be incapable of explaining what these crystals did or how they worked, the power distribution was similar enough that Terry had quickly found a way to short-circuit it and trick the door into opening.
And considering how many times he had to do it in the last couple of hours, he had become quite adept at it.
In a matter of seconds, sparks flew out of the panel and the crystals burnt out as the door slid open, leaving them face-to-face with two Jaffas.
"Crap."
Alarmed by the door opening seemingly on its own, the Jaffa hurried out of the room, staff weapons in hand. The team tried to back away, but Harry barely had time to raise his wand before the business end of staff hit Terry in the guts.
"Ashah kree lok!"
The shout echoed throughout the halls, and by the time the two guards fell to the floor, they could already hear the sounds of dozens more running in their direction.
"Inside, quick!"
Rushing inside, Harry quickly realised that they had been backed into a corner. The room was small and except for the lavish circular decorations on the ground, the unnervingly large windows onto the abyss and two crackling firepits, completely empty and devoid of another exit.
"The door won't close!"
"They'll raise the alarm everywhere. We need to get out of the city."
"They're coming." Goyle took position by the door, a staff weapon in hand as he searched for the trigger mechanism.
"Terry, find a way to open these windows," Harry ordered as he took position on the other side of the door. "We can fly out and regroup with the others." He brought a hand to his communication stone. "This is Harry. We've been discovered, start packing up and—"
Energy blasts flew by the door's opening as new shouts echoed from outside, cutting him off.
The next few minutes blurred together as they exchanged fire with the guards, Goyle having found a way to fire his staff, burning the wall behind them black while bodies filled the corridors.
"Hol mel!"
The firefight suddenly lessened in intensity and all heads turned to the floor of the room where the circular decorations had folded back on themselves to let several thick metal rings rise up at a man's height.
"What the—Incoming!"
With a flash of light, four figures appeared inside the rings before they disappeared back into the floor, leaving behind four Jaffa. Metal helmets in the shape of dog heads covered their faces, fangs bared and eyes made of large glowing blue sapphires, their staff weapons already lowered and ready to fire.
They were outnumbered and they had just lost what little cover they had. There was no getting out of this.
"Wait!"
"Captain?" Luna stood defiantly, her wand aimed at the nearest Jaffa and ready to jump out of the incoming fire.
Slowly, Harry stood up, hands raised high.
"We surrender."
"This sucks."
"Shor'wai'e, mikta."
A Jaffa hit Goyle in the back and he stumbled forward, barely stopping himself from falling on the well-waxed floor.
Behind them, Harry was gritting his teeth, knowing full well there was nothing he could do.
His hands were tied. Literally. And to add insult to injury, their wands had been taken alongside their bags full of stolen goods and their captors were now leading them down the disproportionate entrance hall. No doubt to meet their master.
Going into this mission, Harry had known the risks. However, he had truly hoped it would not come to this. All that remained for them was to drag this on as long as they could and see what their host had planned for them.
And it seemed they would not have to wait long to find out, as the corridor widened and forked in a crescent shape, a set of doors rivalling the one at the other side of the corridor towering in its centre.
Yet, no matter how grand and extravagant the palace was, none of them could spare it a glance.
They heard its footsteps before they saw it. Thunderous echoes reverberating in the halls and shaking the walls.
Three pairs of mad glowing eyes followed their movements as three noses, twitching and quivering, found the faintest trace of their smells in the air. Bared, yellowed fangs glistened with drool in three maws each large enough to chew a car. While well-groomed, its jet-black fur was marred by countless scars where it would never regrow, not the least of which were the cauterized wounds where its ears should be.
The door could not close behind them fast enough.
On the other side a circular room of excessive proportions awaited them. Its domed ceiling was held up on the backs of two colossal statues, their hands cupped to hold flames burning so bright they lit up the entire room. Smaller statues dotted the room, their eyes crying waterfalls that fell into wide pools filled with water lilies and indistinct shapes dancing underneath.
"I'm starting to think they're compensating for something."
Harry heard Terry's whisper as the Jaffa pushed them down the lone path traversing the room, bringing them to a flight of stairs leading to a throne of dark stone.
"On your knees." The helmet of the Jaffa leader folded back on itself, revealing a blond man with a square jaw and a golden brand in the form of the bident symbol on his forehead. "You stand before He who receives many guests."
On the throne sat a black-haired and bearded man of advanced age, draped in a tunic underneath a black leather armour engraved with silver accents. A golden bident was laid against the throne and a crested silver helmet resembling the Greek Hoplites of old sat on the armrest.
"The Lord of the Underworld and Warmaster of Cronus." The Jaffa announced, lowering his head and bringing a fist to his heart as he knelt. "Hades."
"Thieves. In my domain." From atop his throne, the "god" looked down upon them with disgust, his voice was deep and echoing. "How did they get here, Der'ac?"
"The Chappa'ai was not activated, my lord, nor did we detect any ship in orbit."
"Then how?"
Oh, how he had missed this part.
"Well, we're new in the neighbourhood, you see," Harry said, earning himself a glare from both Der'ac and his master. "So we decided to drop by and introduce ourselves. I'm Harry."
"Insolence."
"No, Harry." He repeated, taking care to articulate each syllable. "Maybe you'd hear better if you joined us down here."
"Silence!"
Faster than he could see, Der'ac backhanded him across the jaw.
What was it with bad guys and their lack of humour?
"We caught them trying to escape with these."
With a nod, Der'ac had one of his men step forward and drop their confiscated bags in front of the stairs, the crystals and other pieces of technology they had stolen spilling out everywhere.
"Careful." Harry chastised. "This stuff's fragile."
Ignoring his outburst, Hades scowled at the scattered items and Harry began to wonder if his face was permanently stuck like that.
"I find it hard to believe that you allowed them to plunder the heart of my domain, Der'ac. You disappoint me."
"I will find out how they did, my lord, and—"
"No." Hades interrupted him, rising from his throne. "I will question them myself."
Walking down the stairs, Hades glanced at one of the scattered items and a Jaffa stepped forward, kneeling to pick it up and present it, head bowed, to his god.
Hades put it on, the metallic silver ribbon wrapping around his left wrist and hand up to the tips of his fingers.
Towering above Harry, the god extended his palm, revealing the device's red gem nesting in his palm and the world exploded in pain.
The light shining from the device cleaved through his mind, tearing his every nerve apart in a way he had not felt since Voldemort's Cruciatus.
Gritting his teeth and tightening his fists so hard his nails drew blood, Harry held on for what seemed like hours until, finally, it stopped.
"Who do you serve?" The deep, booming voice demanded. "Apophis? Olokun?"
"You know..." Harry looked up defiantly. "You're supposed to do the torture after I refuse to talk. Not before."
Hades' eyes glowed—as if lit up by an internal fire—obscuring his dark irises before the device lit up once more and the pain returned anew.
Harry could hear the others shouting, pleading the alien to stop as his mind burned, yet he knew he would not stop. Not until he got what he wanted. What Harry could never give.
He knew the type well.
"Where did you find this technology?" Harry fell back on his knees when the light stopped, drained and still fighting the lingering pain as Hades' gaze roamed over his suit. "What planet do you come from?"
"Don't remember." He mumbled through his teeth. "Have you tried Tesco? Or maybe—Aargh!"
Harry was no stranger to pain. His unusual childhood had seen to that. He had even gotten used to it, up to a point. He would not have survived this long otherwise.
Yet everyone, no matter how strong their will, had a breaking point.
When he came to, Harry found himself face down on the floor, his throat hoarse and his ears ringing. Grabbing a fistful of hair, Hades pulled him back up, bringing them face to face.
"Your resistance is ... vexing." Despite his words, Hades' scowl had disappeared and he now studied him as one would a puzzle. "However futile it may be."
Hades released his grasp, letting Harry collapse as he approached a Jaffa.
"Your attempts at concealing your secrets might be impressive where you come from..." He unfastened the strap keeping the Jaffa's chainmail in place and pushed it aside, revealing an X-shaped wound. The Jaffa stayed perfectly still when Hades plunged his hand inside, pulling out a wriggling serpent-like creature. "Yet I think you will find my arguments quite ... persuasive."
Walking back up to Harry, he brought the alien snake right to his face. Forty centimetres of greyish, slimy skin, wriggled in front of him, looking at him with red beady eyes and snapping four sharp fangs as it whined.
His head pounding and his mind still in a daze, Harry figured that he did not have much to loose at this point and started hissing.
"Hsss. Hsss hsss."
"What are you doing?" Hades asked, looking just as incredulous as the other prisoners.
"Well, you were so busy talking to yourself, I thought I'd strike a conversation with this little guy instead." Harry shrugged. "He doesn't have much to say, though."
Perplexed, Hades watched him in silence for a moment.
"It seems I have underestimated the resilience of your mind." He walked away from Harry, instead turning his attention and that of the snake to Terry who recoiled in horror. "You will do."
"I think we'll pass, thanks." Harry announced. "Ron?"
In a crackle of energy, Ron appeared out of thin air, standing among the prisoners and his arm moving like a flash and his wand brimming with power.
Blown back, Hades crashed onto the stairs, losing his grip on the snake and sending it flying into a pool.
"Hands off the crew, mate."
The room was plunged into chaos as more invisible wizards appeared, taking the Jaffa by surprise.
Seeing Der'ac aiming the back of one of his men, Harry rushed himself up and tackled him. Straddling him with his hands tied, Harry wrestled the staff out of the surprised Jaffa's hands and pummelled him unconscious.
"Ka Kalach..." Having fallen on his back, Hades pushed himself on his elbows and watched the invaders with wide eyes before pulling himself together. "Jaffa! Ashah Kree!"
"Oh no you don't!"
Still on top of the Jaffa, Harry brought the staff up and quickly found the trigger mechanism, blasting Hades until he dropped, his eyes glowing one last time as he drew his last breath.
Turning his weapon around, thumb on the trigger, Harry relaxed as he saw the last Jaffa go down, dragged underwater by the animated water lily roots.
"I was beginning to think you were enjoying this." Walking up to him, Ron offered Harry a hand.
"Hey, I had to give him a chance to talk." Dropping the staff and taking the offered hand, Harry pushed himself up. "They're usually more forthcoming."
The sound of something heavy impacting the door echoed through the room, shaking the walls and stopping everyone in their tracks. They could hear growls and whines from the other side as the Cerberus racked its claws against the door.
"Alright, time to go."
Harry raised his tied-up wrists and Ron's wand slashed the air, cutting the ropes to ribbons. As he rubbed his wrists, Ron brought a hand to his communication stone.
"Requirement? We're ready for pick-up."
"Acknowledged." Marietta's voice answered through the stone. "We'll be there in two minutes."
Wasting no time, the crew freed the others and picked up their loot and stolen wands.
"Stand by for beaming."
As the now familiar light enveloped them, a Jaffa they had thought dead threw himself at Luna, disappearing with them.
In a flash of light, the team appeared back on Requirement's bridge, their relief lasting less than a second before a shout rang through the room.
"Get off!"
"What—"
As one, a dozen wands were trained on the Jaffa holding Luna.
"Let her go."
"What is this?" Holding Luna in a chokehold, the Jaffa looked around him with a mix of confusion and terror as he dragged her away from the group until his back hit the wall. "Where are we?"
"I said let her go!"
With almost everyone in the room aiming at him and closing in, the Jaffa shouted his rage as he threw Luna onto Katie, taking advantage of the confusion to run away.
He did not take more than a couple of steps before the bridge was bathed in the red light of a dozen stunning charms, cutting his running short.
"This wasn't part of the plan..." Harry looked down at the unconscious warrior. "Find somewhere to lock him up. And call Susan. She'll want to look at him."
With a nod, Alicia levitated the Jaffa out of the bridge—Goyle following close behind—before the rest of the team dispersed, Terry helping Luna and Katie up.
"That went well." Ron said as he put away his wand.
"Oh yeah?" Harry groaned, massaging his head as his headache returned. "Well next time, you'll be the bait."
"And rob you of your fun? Come on, mate, I'm not that heartless." Ron chuckled. "But seriously, you okay?"
"I'll live."
"Captain!" Malcolm called out from the sensor console. "Four motherships coming our way. They're deploying fighters."
"And that's just the tip of the iceberg." Ron crossed his arms, frowning at the planet on the other side of the window. "We saw plenty more down there before we had to bail you out and you can bet there's more in the neighbourhood."
"I'd say we've overstayed our welcome, then." Harry sat down in his chair, overseeing the bridge. "Cho?"
"Hyperspace window opening, Captain."
Alien weapon fire darted across the viewport, missing them as they flew straight through a tear in the fabric of space-time.
The danger now behind them, Harry slouched in his chair, his exhaustion catching up to him.
"We have our work cut out for us."
"We do," Ron answered. "But at least we won't have to worry about that Hades bloke."
In the deepest chambers of Elysium's palace, Der'ac knelt before a metal sarcophagus, the flames lighting the room flickering as it opened.
A hand gripped the edge and Hades arose among the livings once more.
He stepped out of the sarcophagus, his gaze losing itself in the abyss beyond the sole window in the room as two slaves hurriedly replaced his ruined clothes.
"I have failed you, my lord." Der'ac's voice was calm, announcing the truth of his failure without any hint of fear.
"Yes, you have."
Der'ac did not move an inch, awaiting the moment when the inevitable sentence would be announced.
And yet, it never came.
Hades remained silent, looking pensively into the dark even after the slaves had excused themselves.
"I place myself at your mercy, my lord. My second will serve you well in my stead."
"He shall have to wait." Finally tearing himself from his musings, Hades approached his First Pime. "I still have a use for you."
Der'ac's grip on his weapon tightened.
"I shall bring retribution to those who have wronged you, my lord."
His god had granted him a second chance and he would not waste it. His honour shall be reclaimed.
"No."
The answer was swift and firm, leaving no place for discussion.
"My lord?" Der'ac looked up at his god in shock.
"You will find these demons and bring them to me. Alive."
"It shall be done."
"And fetch Aristaeus. I have a new project for him."