NationStates Jolt Archive

The strong unmistakable smell of burning flesh. The painful screams of the souls of the dead. The blistering heat of the flames that devoured everything in its path. Most would consider this to be a description of Hell, the place of eternal torment. But this time it wasn’t.

These things filled the air as Siri O’Neill once again found herself walking the streets of the devastated capital city, searching for answers to the questions that seemed to fill her mind. Why did this happen? How? When? None of which had ever been answered so far because nothing in the ruins gave clues. It was as if this place was suspended outside of reality. Time seemed to have no meaning there. There was no yesterday or tomorrow, just the present. Nothing changed. The skies constantly remained dark and were mingled with the orange glow of the fires that seemed to always burn.

Siri glanced back to the ominous structure behind her that had housed the central government for the Corporation for over twenty years. It had once been the symbol of Northrop-Grumman ingenuity and might with its nine mile-high towers that had dominated the city’s skyline. Now it was merely a burning heap of blue metal. Years of work, resources, and money, all gone in a matter of hours.

She turned her head back to her original path and stepped off of the sidewalk onto the street like she always had, but this time, it was different. With a splash, she stepped into a puddle, and she felt the wetness begin to seep into her shoes. Surprised that water existed in such a hot, dry place, she looked down at her feet and to her horror she found that it was not water but blood. She tried to scream but nothing came out of her mouth as all her feelings and emotions felt as if they were tied together within her.

With no other options, she ran but the puddle seemed to follow her. Faster. Faster. I must go faster. were the only thoughts that went through her mind. Terrified, she looked back and nearly screamed again when the situation worsened. Out from the burning ruins, the blood began to flow into the street where it gathered as a wave behind her.

Suddenly, Siri stopped. She finally understood why this was happening. Everything here was her fault. She had known about this impending disaster by the visions that she had, and when she failed to warn her husband, everything was taken from her. There was no one to blame but herself, and she turned around to face the wave. This, she felt, was the only way that what she had done could be properly avenged, but then as the wave hit her, everything went black.

A cool breeze flowed over her body and a radiant sun shone down upon her face, a sharp contrast to what she had just experienced. It was almost comfortable, but she still didn’t feel right. Opening her eyes, she found herself lying on the hard ground and clothed in a black dress and funeral veil. A little shocked at this, she climbed to her feet and looked at her surroundings. Around her were fields that were filled with small granite crosses. They were inscribed with the name of each citizen of the Corporation. She wanted to cry but still could not express any emotion.

Two decades ago, she had once named herself the Guardian of the Corporation and vowed to protect every citizen of it in any way possible. But on this field, she realized that she not only failed those who lived in the capital city but every single person in the entire nation, all five billion of them. There was even the possibility that Northrop-Grumman was not only nation affected. How much further did the consequences of her decision go? She pushed the thought out of her mind as she noticed a large monument in the distance. It was not even a cross like the others but instead was a pedestal with a golden sword rising out of its top. It immediately sparked her interest.

As she walked towards it, her hands just happened to brush by one of the crosses. She nearly fell over from the experience as that man’s entire life and every one of his feelings flashed right by her in a matter of milliseconds. Births. Deaths. Marriages. Anguish. Happiness. Terror. Sadness. Love. It was as if she had just lived that man’s life. Terrified, she never wanted to experience that again, and she kept her distance from all of the crosses as she walked.

Finally, she reached the monument. The first thing that she saw on it was an inscription which she read out loud. “Jonathan James O’Neill. Beloved husband, father, and leader of the Corporation who died while trying to save it. Born October 20, 1957. Died…” Her heart began to race because now the date was completely clear to her. For the years that she searched, it had always been blurred or unintelligible, but now she knew. “May 23, 2061." Her eyes widened as she stated, "Tomorrow.”

Suddenly, Siri collapsed to the cold metal floor of her meditating room in the bowels of the capital building. Her chest ached from the speed her heart raced, and her body was covered in sweat. She took deep breaths to calm herself as she lay on the floor. She now knew the date of the catastrophe. Her husband and the Corporation could be saved, but only if she acted and acted swiftly.

OOC: Tag. Looks like a good read. :)

Tag. Damned impressive.

Loud chiming from the towering nineteenth century grandfather clock broke the silence in Chairman O’Neill’s executive office. Jack looked up from his paperwork and glanced over at the mahogany timepiece that stood in the corner. The old clock face showed ten o’clock. Another workday was done, and now he could finally go home to bed. With that in mind, he rose from his leather chair and began to collect the numerous papers that were strewn all over the top of his desk, putting them into his brown briefcase.

“Let’s see…” He began to make notes to himself of what he had to do. “Get this junk together, find Siri…wherever she’s at, check the automated defense systems, then finally, we can leave.”

As he slammed his briefcase shut with one hand, he snatched up the telephone receiver in the other and began to dial his wife’s cell phone number. But suddenly, she burst into the office, out of breath and sweating as if she had just run a marathon.

“Jack! Jack!” she yelled out between breaths.

Startled at the way she came in, Jack quickly dropped the phone back into its cradle. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

“You have got to bring in the army and put the capital city under lockdown. I think we’re going to be invaded.” She noted the time on the grandfather clock and pleaded. “Now! While we still have time!”

He appeared to be quite confused. Who would pull off an invasion now? The Corporation had not provoked anyone. “Wait…invaded? By who?”

“Tall soldiers in ancient black armoring carrying energy rifles. That’s all I know,” she blurted out.

Raising an eyebrow at her, he asked, “Out of curiosity, where did you get this info from?”

Siri froze when her husband asked the question because she realized that she had just painted herself into this corner and was forced to make a major decision. Either she could be honest and tell him the truth about everything, which she feared would have disastrous results, or she could lie to him for the very first time, something she had never wanted to do.

She looked him straight in the eye as she began. “Jack, I have to tell you something very important. This invasion that I am telling you about has been the main focus of a vision that I’ve been having for the past fifteen years or so.” She took a deep breath as the pressure within built up. “And the reason why I’ve been having it is because of the Force that now flows through me because I was changed many years ago…to a Sith.”

Jack’s face immediately paled. How could this be? How could he not have known? “What?! This is just a joke, right?”

She couldn’t look him in the eye anymore. “It’s not a joke. What I tell you is entirely true.”

A rush of emotions flowed over him. Anger. Sadness. Emptiness. Suddenly he felt as if she had just ripped his heart out. He could not believe that she had betrayed him in this manner. He had trusted her completely and she repaid him by keeping this dreadful secret from him.

“Damnit! When the hell did this happen?!”

“Twenty-years ago during my first meeting with Drakomis…”

Angrily, Jack cut her off. “He did this to you?” Before she had a moment to dismiss his claims, he replied sarcastically. “So you’ve been lurking around in the shadows with your new evil powers. Damn. The next thing you’ll tell me is that you’re involved with the Order. They do that kind of crap.”

Her head dropped in shame and began to cry. There was not any sense it hiding it longer. “I am.”

A rage had built up inside of him and caused him to slam the only thing he had in his hands, the briefcase, into the floor, shattering its frame. It was bad enough that she was a Sith but now she participated in an organization that mercilessly murdered people. He had had all he could take and sought retribution for what happened so he yanked open his desk drawer, spilling its contents all over the carpet, and grabbed his service pistol.

“What are you doing?” Siri asked between tears.

“None of your god-dammed business.” He shoved a new clip into the bottom of the pistol and headed for the door. “When I get back, I will deal with you.” When he left, the sound of the magnetic locks on the metal doors resonated throughout the room. She was trapped.

Clang. Clang. Clang A brass fireplace poker in Siri’s grasp continuously slammed against the naquadah reinforced door in Jack’s office. Even though she knew that it was a futile attempt to break through the door as it was constructed for the purpose of standing up to an artillery shell, nothing mattered anymore. Her life was falling apart around her. She had spent the last two decades trying to protect all that she loved from harm, but in the end, she harmed them herself.

To make matters worse, her husband was armed and in a fit of range. Siri knew where he would be going, to Drakomis. And it was obvious what would happen. Jack would murder Drakomis, then he would be cut down immediately by the Anagonian security forces. Two lives would be ended all because of her. Two of her greatest friends.

Now she realized that she was helpless to do anything to save the Corporation as she was completely cut off from making any decisions. The office that she spent so many years in was now her prison and in it she would have to watch as five billion people met their cruel deaths outside, all because of her. The vision was slowly becoming true, but she did not want to experience any of it. She would rather die than watch.

Siri flung the fireplace poker across the room and with a loud crackling sound, it skewered her husband’s desk. Then, she drew the steel dagger out from her belt and lightly ran her fingers across the blade. It was still sharp enough to do the job. It was hard to believe it had come to this point, but she had no fear of death. It was something that she had experienced before. Grasping the hilt, she held the dagger out and aimed for her stomach. First, a deep breath was taken then she thrusted it towards her stomach.

Suddenly, everything around her turned black and changed drastically. She now found herself falling down a deep pit. From what she could tell, there was not a bottom, and when she looked up, she could not see the top. Another vision? she thought, not fearful of the current situation. She was either going to die when she hit the bottom or die by her dagger. It didn’t matter.

A distinctly feminine voice resonated throughout the cavern. “Why do you seek to end your life? There is still much you must do.”

Siri looked around for where the voice came from but saw no one. Was this who she was getting the visions from? “I cannot do anything. My husband will die along with the rest of the Corporation while I am trapped in his office. I cannot bear to watch all the people that I have sworn to protect perish.”

“How do you know that Jack will die? Did not your father tell you that he will live?”

She remembered that day quite clearly now. “He did.”

“You need not concern yourself with what he is doing. He is being guided by someone else now. You must not interfere.”

“But what about the Corporation? I am trapped. There is no way out.”

“You surprise me, Siri. I have seen your past and you have proven yourself to be a resourceful person. Now you are before me claiming that you have no options yet you have not explored any of them. All you want to do is end your life.” A pause then the voice spoke again. “Patience is something you must learn, young one. Remember the old proverb, ‘Good things come to those who wait.’”

“What will happen?”

“I cannot say. The decision is ultimately up to you. I merely provide insight. Now farewell, Siri. I know that we shall meet again.”

“Wait!”

Before she had a chance to say anything else, her body crashed into the bottom of the pit, and everything went dark again.

Contained within the depths of Centennial Plaza was a dark windowless hall that held one of two stargates that the capital city hosted. Rarely ever was it used for any travel as the terminal downtown provided a much more suitable environment for welcoming delegates from other nations. So this barely furnished hall remained hidden from the public view and was mostly forgotten, until now.

Jack had remembered the second stargate on the elevator ride down and chose to use it this time so as not to draw any unneeded attention to himself. He did not want anyone to interfere with what he had to do. Inside of him was a growing hatred towards Drakomis that was easily seen when he began to not press but slam his hands into the glyphs on the DHD. One-by-one, the orange lights on the stargate began to shine brightly and finally he put his weight on the red button in the center. A split second later, the event horizon swooshed out from the center of the stargate. It then receded backwards until it had created a spinning, funnel-like effect coming out of the back of the gate. Finally, after a brief moment or two, the spinning movement stopped.

As he gazed at the shimmering blue event horizon, Jack realized that there was no turning back once he went through but in his mind, he knew that he had to do this. A wrong had been committed against him and he had to set things right. So without looking, he flipped the safety off of his pistol with his thumb and stepped through.

Upon reaching the other side on what he presumed to be the planet Novar, he found himself standing on the light brown stone steps that led down from the pedestal on which the stargate stood. He noticed that he was right in the middle of a beautiful meadow with tall green grass and numerous kinds of flowers growing everywhere. The sweet smell of spring was carried to his nose by the light wind that swept across from the rolling hills in the distance. It would have made a nice place to relax and perhaps picnic, but he was not here to do so and began to slowly walk down the steps as he screwed the silencer onto his pistol.

His vision became slightly blurred as he walked into the tall grass. He assumed this was from too much stress put onto his old heart and popped two aspirin from his pocket into his mouth. But soon, dizziness set in and he nearly lost his balance.

“Damn,” he mumbled as he sat down for a moment.

As he took deep breaths to calm himself, the beautiful spring day began to change right before his eyes. Darkness seemed to appear from nowhere and began to swirl around him, blocking his view of the surrounding area. What the hell? he thought as he rose from the ground. By now, he was completely encased in a sphere of darkness. Then, he noticed a glimmer of red in it and took a closer look. He nearly fell to the ground as a skeletal face came out with two red orbs for eyes. He brought his pistol up and fired eight shots rapidly. All of them went through the figure as if he was not there. It then stepped further out from the darkness one could see him more clearly. A staff was held in one skeletal hand while the other was hidden under a dark cloak and silver energy swirled around him. Its jaws moved as it chuckled slightly.

“Do you think that a mere firearm can harm me, Jack O’Neill?”

He was frightened at this, “How in the hell do you know my name?”

“There is much that I know about you.” The eyes seemed to penetrate into his soul. “I know there is hate flowing within. Someone betrayed you. Someone you had loved. And now you seek retribution from the one who caused this. There is nothing wrong with how you feel. You must use your hate. Let it flow within and seek out the one who wronged you.”

Fear was lost as he felt the hate building up even more within him and he gripped his pistol tighter. This skeletal figure, whatever it was, knew exactly what he was here for, and he wondered if it may know where to find his target. As soon as he had thought that, the darkness changed. It flowed away from a spot and revealed a Komodren mediating with his eyes closed in a rounded, dirt space. Very tall trees surrounded him and nearby rested a large smooth rock.

Jack realized that the figure allowed him to see this, and as soon as he looked towards it, all of his surroundings changed back to how it once was. Now, he was more confused but he knew what needed to be done and was more determined to do it. Slowly he began to walk through the grass while keeping a low profile.

For several minutes, he snuck around the trees that surrounded the meadow and watched for his prey. Then he saw him as what was in the vision. Drakomis was there mediating with his back towards him. He had the element of surprise as he aimed his pistol directly at him but yet he had to confront the one who had destroyed his life.

“Standup, Drakomis! Standup and face me with your arms on top of your head!” His face reddened with hate and revenge. He sought nothing more than to kill him. “I want you to see the face of the one who you betrayed. You destroyed my life, and now I will do the same to yours.”

It had been a rough sixteen years since he had last seen Siri, last met her and talked with her, last stepped foot on the Northropian surface of Earth. Those days were so plentiful for him, so amazing and so thrilling. Peace was in the galaxy and he had but no worries to his soul. Absolutely nothing could of come back to harm him during those times, for he did his best, put his best, and made himself into a legendary icon unto his People.

A very rewarding time, so much so that the Worlds expanded beyond his imagination. New alliances, new treaties, new members into the Galactic Republic of Anagonia. New races, new peoples, new cultures, new everything! It was the Golden Age of Anagonia, and the silence from the Galactic Community was the most welcoming of it all. Her fleets had not once in those sixteen years been called to duty. Not one shot, not one gun, not one WEAPON used. It was absolute peace and prosperity, the very thing every Anagonian worked for since the beginning centuries ago.

Even now, remembering those times as he Meditated, Drakomis chuckled as the peaceful visions of the past came back to welcome his thoughts, embracing him with comfort and joy that was his lifes legacy. He was the High Master of the Orders, the Leader of the Galactic Republic, an Icon unto his Comrade Brethren....his People. For eight centuries he had led, had done his best, had matured with his People, grown with them, and lived their lives with them. He fought their wars, won against their enemies, raised the Republics flag upon new worlds, and glorified the Peoples efforts by making Anagonia what it was today.

So much had been done, so much accomplished.....so much life had been lived.

The Springtime breeze once more washed across Drakomis' rough and scaly skin, his age apparent now through the wringkles that came down his neck and made up part of his snout and face. His Jedi robe waved with welcome shivers at the breeze, going with, instead of against, that which brings much comfort. He could smell the flowers, taste the water far away, embrace the essence of the Force around him. He could literally be one with it all, using all that was around him as a basis for his meditations.

The Smooth Rock, the Brancing Tree, the Ancient Earth; All three combined to represent his life, and his legacy as a Leader, as a Komodren. It brought harmony to his thoughts as he concentrated on these things, on these foundations. All three brought together assisted him in his peaceful state, ensuring the truths of his quests would be found, and his thirst for wisdom quenced..

Wisdom, he thought, quenced like a pure stream of water. Always flowing, always tredging forward, and always there. Only your mind can shut the stream....

Something suddenly grabbed him, a revelation.... "Like the Force...."

Instantly his surroundings were changed, and as he opened his eyes he saw flaming ruins around him. The meadow was no longer peaceful and beautiful, no longer recognizable. Now streams of black fell from the heavens, beams of light that seemed to be weapons of mass destruction. It was then that he realized Novar was under siege, something unimaginable.

He had to know more about this.

Standing, Drakomis observed that in the cicties to the east, the Ground-to-Orbit defenses were madly firing, something that hadn't happened in generations. Missiles, Nuclear Silos, Fusion Cannons.....gazing around he saw all these things retaliating against the onslaught of black. But, as this world progressed in its demise, he saw that the beams intensified and the retaliation grew weaker.

In every cardinal direction lay a city, as Drakomis looked, even in directions where he never knew one existed. Each one, as he observed, was in flames, shambles. He could FEEL the pain, the sorrow, and the anguish of the beings who fought against the invaders. He would SMELL death, TASTE death. It was horrible....truly horrible....

....and as he looked up he noticed trails of smoke, as if comets decended from the heavens. He watched them split and aim directly for each of the cities. His awareness was stricken to but a few in one direction, suffering to watch what the outcome...watching as the comets soon slammed into each one he could see, erupting in the most awesome mushroom cloud he had ever witnessed in his lifetime.

Pure DEATH, pure EVIL, pure HORROR.

These were the only things to pass his mind as he observed these things, the large cloud of debris flying his way from every direction as he looked. Every city had a mushroom cloud over it, every city was encompassed in this destruction. The Sky, as he noted, was no longer Novarian Blue, no longer recognizable. It was pure RED, with tendrals of black seemingly taking over its hue. It seemed, it FELT, as if a waiting enemy, a nemesis, had finally won a victory over his people. This he thought as the red ash flew past him in winds of intense head and fury....

Then, everything went pure dark, and a face appeared through the eternal darkness. The face of the dead Emperor Palpatine.

The laugh, the taunting laugh came through the void. Eyes so piercing gazing at Drakomis, the figure so huge it encompassed all around him! The Dark Side gripped him now, stronger than every...gripped him with a force never before felt. His body was soon undergoing torture that had never before been felt by an ancient being such as him. It seemed to last for days, for years, each rivers of his own blood flowing towards the Darkness, as if it were a food source.

Finally, it ended.

Gazing up from his bondage to the Darkness, he observed that everyone he knew, everyone he loved, circled him, watched him. He tried to plea for help, for their assistance, to helphim, to save him. Then, one stepped forward, and everything seemed to look for the better.

Jack O'Neill, his most trusted Brethren of the Stars, stepped forward. His hand reached out, closer and closer, until it touched his chest. Confused, Drakomis tried to ask what was going on, but to his ultimate horror the figure of Darth Sidious, Palpatine, stood there....and thrusted into his reptilian chest, ripping his heart and soul out with the consequence of a huge mist of blood and ooze.

Palpatines laughter ensued again......but this time, with one last gaze, he noted that Jack himself seemed to come through Palpatine.....to......carry Drakomis away from the pain......

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Gasping suddenly as the vision ended, Drakomis stood and looked around. Jack was aiming a gun directly at his head. Was this a part of his vision, was Palpatine the representation of Jack? No, it couldn't be. Jack, in his vision, carried him from the pain, not bring him to it! What was going on?!

"Hey Jack, whats with the gun?" He chuckled a little bit, suddenly observing his look. "Jack, what are you doing....why are you pointing a gun at me...."

His body went stiff, his best friend had the look of a killer. He looked so determined to pull the trigger, so determined to end Drakomis' life. Even when Drakomis sensed with the Force, which was in some disarray at this point, he could STILL fill the strongness of his rage.It was unimaginable, unpresedented. Jack O'Neill was about to kill Drakomis Nokomis Reign.

Then, the end of the vision came to mind, and he spoke with as true of words as he could.

"Your not supposed to kill me Jack," he started trying to quickly speak, "You supposed to carry me from my torture..."

Looking with the most serious gaze, facing Jack now as he walked up to his gun, allowing the end of the silencer to press against his chest. He looked at him, straight into his eyes, speaking as his hands slowly reached up...

"Don't let the Darkness win, don't let it end all here. We have a greater enemy, Jack, a common enemy."

Hands readying to make a quick manuver...

"I don't know why you have a gun to me, and frankly I don't care. Were Comrades, in arms and in leadership. We shouldn't die in peace, die unprepared just as our common enemy wants us to do."

Feet positioning themselves......

"I saw the deaths of millions, the death of my people. Why? I don't know. But what I do know is that I will not allow myself to be put to death before I can put a plan of action into effect. I will not allow my Comrades to be manipulated and used against me just so I could not save my PEOPLE!"

With that, and seeing that Jack was not moved, he thrusted his hand up to try to knock the gun from Jacks hand. However, upon doing so, a single bullet fired, and before he could say anything else Drakomis was on the ground.

Looking at the clear sky, he could see it start to darken. He could feel his life seeping away, his essence, but his will stayed constant. Yet....his heart didn't respond, and it was in these critical moments that he managed to feel his chest...sense it...know it. Years before hie left had quit from old age, useless and taken out...his right had taken on the struggles of his life...expanded and enlarged to encompass the responsibilities. But now, a single bullet had stopped that, had hit where it hurt the most.

.......then it thumped back to life, almost as if........

Taking a deep gasp he sat up, the hole was in the middle of his chest...where no vital organ was....his heart had just went into some kind of shock. He nearly laughed out-loud, but realized that Jack had shot him...and was still beside him....

Looking up, he would gaze into Jacks eyes again. "I told you, your not supposed to rip my heart out."

Even though the cool May breeze swept peacefully through the meadow and the trees where Jack stood, he wiped the ever present sweat from his brow and noticed that his breathing was becoming labored. It was slowly becoming apparent to him that his aged body was not handling this amount of stress that well and was pressuring him to calm down. But he was too preoccupied with the present situation to care. He could not back down and wanted to settle this once and for all.

As Jack continuously held the silence against Drakomis’ chest, he rather enjoyed watching his betrayer squirm. It was very unlike him to do so and would come as a surprise to those who knew him well. But things were different now. He had been put into a situation where he felt that he needed to act and a darker side of him prevailed, one that he never really revealed. This side even blocked out all that Drakomis was saying as none of it was deemed important. What could he possibly say that would change his mind?

Then in an unexpected move, Drakomis made an attempt to knock the pistol away, but in doing so, Jack’s finger hit the trigger and fired a bullet into his opponent’s chest. He was startled when this happened and stumbled a few steps backwards in shock. But this time, the damage was more severe to Jack as he clutched his chest. A pain shot out into his right arm and his chest tightened. He knew what was happening, something he had been warned about many times by his doctor. A heart attack.

Jack did notice that Drakomis was still alive and became even angrier. “Damn you!” he yelled, trying to ignore the increasing pain. “Look what you’ve done to me! Damn you! You’ve destroyed what I once loved and did you settle with that!? No! Now you have killed me!”

He angrily fired the remaining six shots in the pistol at Drakomis and even continued to pull at the trigger after none were left. All he wanted now was for his target to be dead. But the pain in his arm increased to the point where he could not hold the weapon any longer, and it dropped from his grasp. He leaned forward in an attempt to catch it but lost his balance and crashed to the ground.

As he lie on the ground in pain, he soon realized that death was only moments away and could not believe that this would be the way that his life would end, heartbroken in the middle of a clearing on another world. He felt that he did not deserve to die this way and even began to cry as his vision slowly darkened. He gazed up into the blue skies as his life seemed to pass before his eyes and it seemed that his face expressed everything that he was feeling. Love. Hate. Sadness. Soon, his heart beat its last and he was gone.

PHHHAAA---THOOOOOOOOM

The sound echoed through eternity, a signal that reality itself had been tricked and backstabbed into the will of another. It was fates last despret attempt to grab back what it wanted, but denied by the power that moved through the previous events. Something so powerful, that even existance itself bent to his will.

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Jack would have been standing in open space, or what looked like open space. In the distance, a sun with complexe beauty shined forth from billions upon billions of miles away. The orange rays were mere to nothing in harm if Jack were to look directly at it, just a figure in space.....nothing more.

Besides that, stars gleamed, some large and some small. It looked like a clear night on any planet, so beautiful and serene that even the most advis starhunter would gasp at it. Truly unlike anything that any mere mortal could see, or so it would feel to him as he existed here. Something in the sorts of a....special place.....perhaps came to mind.

If jack were to face the hopeful sight of the sun in the distance, space would seem to warp in that direction as a dark figure would come out. Its face, its figure, would be the same skeletal figure that Jack saw earlier...the same entity that enticed his rage and hatred towards Drakomis. The same red eyes gazed at Jack O'Neill, with almost intense purpose.

Even the silence of this Space could not describe the amount of concentration one could observe in those red eyes.

"Welcome, Jack O'Neill, to my home," said the skeletal being, walking closer to Jack as if there were solid ground to firmly stand on. "I am Melkos Unchanos, and I am your Death...and Life."

A split second after his eyes closed in death, Jack found himself standing in this strange new place and quite confused. He knew that he had died, but this certainly didn’t look like any kind of afterlife that he had heard about. Too nice to be Hell, he thought. Very quiet, almost too quiet, to be Heaven. Damn, this is odd.

“Hello? Anyone there?” he called out, but there was no answer.

He was about to take a step forward to take a look around when he noticed a lack of ground underneath him and nearly panicked, snapping back a still position.

“Whoa! Holy crap! What the hell is this place?”

As he stood there, he noticed of the corner of his eye something moving out in the direction of the sun and looked. There he saw the skeletal figure from earlier moving towards him. Now Jack was really confused. If he was dead then how was he seeing someone from his mortal life. How can all this be? Finally, it spoke, making him even more curious.

“Wha…what am I doing here?” he had to ask.

Melkos's head tilted forward a bit, just eneough to get that sinister look towards Jack. His red eyes kept watch, kept looking on constantly, never blinking. He held his staff firmly against the invisible ground, whatever the element was that clothed him seem to do a good job of waving in eternity.

Melkos took one step forwards towards the dead Jack O'Neill, then spoke his ancient tone.

"Your dead, and I'm going to make you live again. I promised Siri I would, I promised her you'd come back to life." His skeletal head tilted as he glared, "Now I will reveal why I led you to die, your pupose for these last sixteen years." His expression seemed to darken, "If you want to hear it. Or I could just make you live again, and you'd never know."

Dead? Jack didn’t feel dead. Well, he really couldn’t feel anything physically, but his feelings emotionally were stirred up again when Melkos mentioned his wife’s name and he looked away in sadness. What does she have to do with this? he wondered, not fully understanding what was going on just yet. He promised her that I would live again. Why? It doesn’t make any sense.

He turned back towards Melkos. “Please, I want to know why. You seem to know more about what’s going on than anyone else. Tell me.”

"Very well," he said, waving his hand.

Space seemed to deform in that area, revealing a very dark hole...a black hole. It consumed the light, each star, one by one, in a slow pattern as visible lines reached outwards.

"This is whats happening currently, all the light in the Galaxy is being consumed at a very painfully slow rate."

Star by star, planet by planet, the darkness continued to consume...until there was nothing LEFT but the shining star behind Melkos.

"No light shall be spared the Darkness power, strength. Nothing shall live to tell the tale of the battle for freedom afterwards."

Eventually, that too was taken, and no light was left.

"Every light, every piece of what makes every entity sentient, every being, will eventually die out. The Force shall crumble, existance shall fade, and nothing shall live."

The red eyes glared suddenly, and all the stars started to return to light.

"This is what I intend to make sure doesn't happen, Jack O'Neill. Over the years, even before you knew Drakomis existed, I planned for this day." He waved a skeletal hand at Jack, "then I met Drakomis, who intern met you. I decided you would make sure the Light wouldn't fade, that both you and Drakomis would work together to make sure Light itself wouldn't die out."

The Light behind Melkos seemed to shine brighter.

"I intend to use you, Jack, for my own means. But by doing so, I intend to make sure you save my People. For your future is yet to be decided by your fate......but Mine is decided by the fate of Drakomis."

His eyes seemed to flare in red, staring at Jack, making sure he understood.

"You are my pawn, my key, my chosen to ensure that his empire survives to fight back the Darkness. If he dies, I die. If the Light Dies by the Dark, everything dies." He pointed a boned finger at Jacks, "You are to make sure that never happens, Jack O'Neill of Northrop-Grumman."

Jack gazed at the stars, thinking about the life that lived on each of the planets out there. It was beginning to feel a little like the old days, venturing out to save the galaxy, but there was still a problem with this plan of Melkos’.

“Personally, I’m more than ready to go out and save the galaxy one more time but there are a few problems with your idea. First, if everything my wife says is true, then Northrop-Grumman is going to get pounded and may lose this upcoming war, battle, or whatever it is.”

His face reddened as he spoke on that one particular subject again and the hate began to rise.

“Second, I have a problem of working with the one who converted Siri over to the Dark Side in the first place. I don’t know why he must be the one to save the Light if he’s running about turning people bad. You've got to have some conflicting intel there or something."

He huffed and folded his arms.

"And besides, I don’t think he’d be all that willing to work with me considering I shot him!”

Melkos' laugh echoed through the eternity around him, even his flaring eyes managed to dissappear from his skeletal eye-sockets for more than a few seconds. He was rather amused. In fact, Melkos was very much having an unanticipated well-rounded laugh. This was indeed something very unusual for Melkos, especially since he laughed...almost with jolly.

After a good few minutes of this, he finally stopped and gazed at Jack. He shook his head, the red eyes not-so flaring as they gazed directly at their target.

"Your more dense than everyone says you are," a slight HEH came from him, "I suppose I owe the slow some explanation."

Melkos sidestepped a few paces, waving the staff and hand across the distant image of the sun. Appearing there was a picture of Melkos and Siri, followed by another picture, and another. It was like a recording of the events beforehand, in motion, like a video. Like a persons mind flashing each instance, like memories combining in a strange manner to produce a very odd set of instances.

Almost as if Melkos' mind was being portrayed here.

"As you can see, Drakomis had no part in converting your loving WIFE, Siri O'Neill." His jaws teeth seemed to slide across each other in an angered manner, "I don't appriciate you blaming Drakomis and ESPECIALLY my CHILD for something that her FATHER did!"

Melkos would thrust forward his staff in the direction of Jack, as if pointing in a very angered manner. His eyes flaring brightly as his voice rose.

"SHE converted per her own will, I did not force her. SHE wanted to make something better of herself, I GAVE it to her. SHE wanted a better way to LOVE you, Jack O'Neill, and I respected THAT." He lowered his staff as it hit the invisible ground with an echo, and he huffed some mist from his skeletal nostrils. "You'd make a great Sith pawn, just because your so STUPID."

Jack sighed to Melkos’ last comment and shook his head. “No, contrary to what you may think, I’m not stupid. I had just made a few bad decisions based on the now very poor information that I had. Obviously, I am not as all-knowing as you are. I am just a mere mortal human. Nothing fancy, nothing special. You should know that.”

He knew he wasn’t perfect and felt that he needed to confess. “Though, I will admit that I am ignorant of many things in the galaxy. Actually, too many things. But unlike Siri I cannot get out and experience everything that she does because I am pretty much stuck as a slave to the neverending paperwork that comes with running a corporation. Most of what I learn nowadays is what is in the extremely boring reports that I have to read. I can’t change that. It’s what I have to do.”

“There is something that you need to understand.” Gazing out at the pictures again, he continued slowly as he tried to bury all the emotions this time. “You must put yourself in my shoes. What if you had a wife that you loved more than anything else and then she approached you and told you that she was a part of two organizations that, at the time, you knew were to be predominately evil, ones that killed plenty of people, wouldn’t you nearly flip out?”

"I've delt with centuries of pain and torment, the likes of which no mere human can comprehend." His teeth scrapped against each other as his jaws went from side-to-side. "I perfectly understand, and comprehend, what you speak of. I've been through WORSE than mere paperwork."

Melkos did manage a sigh, however, as he looked away to think over what Jack said in ending. After a few moments his staff hit the ground softly as he turned back, looking with a more softer gaze of his red eyes.

"I would most likely, as you say, flip out too. But I was once evil, Jack O'Neill, and I still am to an extent. I see no reason why I wouldn't look things over logically before I acted."

Jack paused for a moment and mulled over Melkos’ words before he replied. “Yeah, I think you’re right about that. I should’ve thought more about what she was saying and asked about what was going on before I acted. I definitely screwed up this time.”

He sighed as he looked down in sadness. “I hope she can forgive me for being such an ass because she’s the love of my life, and, as I stand here and think, I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Melkos leaned against his Staff, taking in everything Jack was saying. If he could smile right now, he would. But, alas, he stelled for a soft dark mist to stream from his jaws and nostrils.

"I see," he said, sighing. "I suppose you've learned your destiny, and that you'd take care of my child." His eyes gazed sternly at Jack. "My child is everything to me."

Looking back at what had been revealed to him, Jack was actually glad that he died. It had prevented him from making things much worse than they already were and enabled Melkos to enlighten him, for which he was very grateful of.

“I’ll take care of her, I promise you.” He actually smiled a little when he spoke next. “But it sounds more like she wants to take care of me."

Jack had stopped for a moment, but remembered something that he wanted to ask Melkos that stemmed from earlier in the conversation. "There is something that I am wondering about and that is what’s with the ‘my child’?”

Melkos stood erect as he waved his staff and free skeletal hand. Eternity started making a noise, that started to grow and grow and grow in intensity and frequency. Before the Climax, Melkos would speak one more time.

"Siri wants to take care of you, Siri loves you. Since she abdopted me as her Father, I must honor that which she loves." The voice seemed to slip away. "I admire you Jack O'Neill, for your future is well taken care of...opposite of mine."

KKKKAAAA-TTTHHHUUUUMMM

Jack O'Neill would wake up in the land of the living once more.

With a heavy gasp, Jack felt the rush of the life-sustaining air pour into his lungs in addition to the pulsing of his gently beating heart. At that moment, he knew, he was alive once more and, unfortunately, back in this mess that he had created for himself. But while his mind was clouded with numerous thoughts and questions that had appeared shortly after the conversation with Melkos, he did know that the first thing that he had to do was rectify one of the most serious of his errors.

Carefully raising his stiffened back up off of the hard ground, he sat upright and searched for the friend whom he had nearly killed.

“Drakomis? Drakomis?” his hoarse voice called out…but no one answered.

Behind him, a rustling noise caught his attention, and he turned his head to find the tail of his fleeing friend disappear through a few dense shrubs. Jack had once chance to set things right with Drakomis and knew that he had to catch up with him. He set his hands down on the ground in an attempt to push himself up and found that it was wet with something. A glance down at his hands confirmed what it was. Blood. Not his own, he figured out after looking over himself, but Drakomis’. He quickly rose up and took off after his friend.

It took only a moment before he was able to catch up within a relatively close distance from what he assumed to be Drakomis. The dense underbrush kept him from being able to see his friend. But his aged body was not up to this sort of running, and he began to take deeper and deeper breaths the more he ran. So he tried to make him stop in any way possible.

“Drakomis! Stop!...Please…I want to explain everything.”

No reply.

“Look…” His sentences became phrases came in between each labored breath. “…Siri told me that she was changed into a Sith…I flipped out…I assumed that you had something to do with it and came after you…that was my mistake…I was angry at you and her…but I was wrong…I was directing my anger at the wrong people…when I should’ve been angry at myself for being so close-minded…Drakomis…I am sorry, very sorry…please stop…”

--------------------------------------------------------

The unconscious elven body lying on the carpet suddenly jerked when the previously limp muscles quickly contracted then relaxed, raising Siri from the depths of her dreamlike state. Her body automatically bolted upwards into a sitting position. Her breathing labored from the adrenaline that rushed through her veins. As she gently wiped the cool sweat dripping from her forehead, a throbbing pain pulsed in her side, a reminder that her earlier intentions had inflicted at least some damage to her. As for what exactly, she did not know right off. She brought her hand down and gently pressed against her side.

“Damn.” The curse left her lips when the blood-stained hand was in her eyesight.

Siri tugged at her black robes slightly to see how badly she had injured herself. After delicately moving the skin around the wound with her fingers, she breathed a deep sigh of relief when she realized that the knife had merely grazed her side. In a drastic change of heart, she now wanted to preserve her life, to live on, instead of ending it like she had wanted to earlier. And that was clearly evident when she ripped a long piece of fabric from the bottom of her robes as she rose from the floor and made a makeshift bandage for her side by wrapping it firmly around her waist while she studied the room around her.

As she gazed over towards the small refrigerator that kept the wine cooled, her tongue rubbed the course insides of her dry mouth and served as a reminder that she was quite thirsty. Slowly, she moved towards the wine cooler then carefully opened its wooden-paneled door. There were numerous selections inside that consisted of some of the finest in wines from the vineyards here in Northrop-Grumman and even those from other nations in Greater Prussia. After grabbing the first one that she saw, a bottle of the Ridgian Antonette, she also snatched a basic corkscrew from the wooden bookshelf above it and yanked the cork from the bottle in a rather non-elegant fashion, tossing the cork and corkscrew off to the side.

Upon taking a deep slug of the wine, Siri sighed deeply and her mind began to examine the events of the dream…or vision. She knew that if it truly was a vision then some entity was now influencing her life, someone perhaps more powerful than she. It was troubling for her to know that it was not her father but someone else. She knew that it could not possibly be him for he had told her that he would be looking after Jack for her, and that was exactly what this entity had said was happening. But it seemed odd that this being would want her to live and to go on saving the Corporation. Was this another guardian over her life? She had no answers at this time but hoped that she and this being could one day meet again, perhaps under better circumstances.

Soon though, her mind refocused on the situation at hand when the grandfather clock chimed just once, breaking her previous train of thought, and she turned her head towards the clock sitting in the corner. The old metal hands displayed the time. Eleven thirty. Little time remained to prepare for the oncoming invasion. Siri had to break free from this prison of hers and looked towards the heavy metal doors that led out of this place.

“Naquadah-titanium reinforced doors, impenetrable by most weapons,” she repeated out loud, recalling the construction data from her mind.

As she began to slowly walk towards those same doors, she thought about it more. “Doors with magnetic locks in addition to five inch wide bolts that extend around the edges of both doors…damn…Jack built this place like a fort…especially with the bulletproof glass and the small tube air ducts.”

Tired of recalling the various security features, Siri opted for a different line of thinking. “How do the doors open? They open using tracks and gears mounted on the top and bottom. What makes them move? Four hydraulic pumps mounted on each door.” She eyed the paneling on either side of the doors. “He must’ve put in a system to allow himself a way out if need be.”

Yanking the fire poker out of the desk which scattered sharp pieces of wood all over the carpet, Siri stepped over towards the wooden paneling that covered the walls of the room closest to the doors. She began to tap on each one carefully with the metal poker, hoping that her knowledge of the way her husband thought was correct. The first one was stuck…nothing. The second…nothing. The third…nothing. Finally on the fourth one, the sound was hollow. She jabbed the hook of the poker into the top of ornate molding that surrounded the panel and pulled at it. Unfortunately, it was not able to hold up to her and easily cracked, breaking off into numerous pieces. Cursing at the fragility, Siri began to slam the poker into the panel with all her strength. The wooden panel splintered and collapsed under the force. This revealed a brightly lit recess which contained control circuitry, the hydraulic pumps, and a fingerprint scanner.

“Doesn’t this place ever update anything?” Siri asked herself as she bent down and carefully looked over the area. It appeared that all of the technology contained in it was the original equipment that had been installed when the capital building was first constructed twenty two years before. Apparently, the Corporation thought of this as something that did not need to be updated constantly. But for once, their oversight was to Siri’s benefit.

Thinking for a moment, she rose from the floor and ran over to her husband’s desk where she rummaged through his drawers as if looking for something. Newspaper…toothpicks…cough syrup…a box of cigars…an old sandwich. None of that was useful for her, but in between those objects she found what she was looking for. Before slamming the drawers shut, she grabbed a lighter out of one and snatched up a thermometer from another. She then quickly moved back over to the control panel, grabbing the wooden drawer by the side that Jack had dumped out earlier.

Straddling the drawer between her legs, she ignited the lighter and held it to the edge of the metal handle while pressing the thermometer against the handle with her other hand. She waited a few seconds then glanced at the digital display on the thermometer.

“Perfect,” she mused to herself with a slight grin.

Siri then threw down the unlit lighter and thermometer and gently pressed the drawer’s handle against the fingerprint scanner. The dated machine hesitated for a few seconds as it tried to read the data it was being given. But soon, it beeped twice, a signal that it had accepted the fingerprint.

Ka-chink-chink-chink-chink-chink-chink-chink-chink-clank

The sound of the five-inch bolts retracting around the twin doors reverberated throughout the room followed by the bright light that burst in from the opening gap in the doorway. Definitely glad that she was now free, Siri rose from the control panel and ran through the gap with the intention of preventing the upcoming disaster.

A male voice stopped her in her tracks. “What is going on, Siri?”

“Wha?” she replied as she turned her head to see a tall Noldor standing beside her. It was Vice Chairman Naelthasser.

“I have been here for the past twelve minutes, attempting to enter Jack’s office. Can you tell me what is going on?”

“Nothing you need to be concerned about, Shiran,” came the reply as Siri resumed her walk towards the elevator now in a rather aggravated manner, the norm for her when interrupted.

Shiran noticed the blood-stained bandage on the Chairwoman’s side as she turned to step onto the elevator and asked her, “Are you feeling well? Should I get medical attention for you?”

“I am perfectly fine. What is it you need to see me about? Quickly, please.” She tapped the white circular button for her intended floor and the doors began to close.

“Wait! Anagonia is being attacked…” Being cut off by Siri was what typically happened to him when it was something important and he merely sighed at what happened this time. He shook his head and was about to press the button to call the next elevator when the one Siri was in opened before him.

“What was that again?” she asked as she leaned against the back wall of the car.

“We have just received word through our embassy on Novar that the Galactic Empire has begun an invasion of the Galactic Republic of Anagonia.”

“Damn,” Siri cursed. “We must do something…Shiran, send a force composed of five of our fleets to the Nova Kretani System through our orbital stargate. Send them as soon as humanly possible. Then, I want you to go down into the Emergency Command Center and prepare for an invasion of the capital city.”

Shiran cocked his head and looked at her curiously. “Why would I need to do that?”

“Do not question me about it. Just do what I say.” She huffed and pressed the button for her intended floor again. “Good luck,” was the last thing that Shiran heard right before the doors shut.

--------------------------------------------------------

OOC: For those who are reading that have no clue on what is going on, this RP does relate to the one listed here quite heavily: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=479431

It was after his tired voice that Jack would smash into a wall of, what would feel like, bricks. The give-way of muscle was apparent, but it was hard muscle, tensed to the extreme of the reptilians physical capabilities. Blood would be on odd places across Jack's face and body as he would undoubtably fall to the ground. Drakomis would watch, amused somewhat in some far-off place of his mind by how weak this human was, yet retaining the hardened anger he restrained from showing through other than a stern expression.

A sudden THUMP on the earth below signaled that the Komodren's heavy tail had impacted the ground in a fit of uncouncious anger, even as the reptilian was very aware of what his body was doing, allowing the farthest reaches of his instintive mind to show his feelings within. The voice that would expose itself once more was changed, more-so than any encounter of past between Jack and the now-exiled Anagonian Leader. So forceful, so full of age was his voice, that it seemed to rumble through his chest as he spoke. It was as if the concentrative restraint Drakomis had practiced for most of his life had been broken, forever betrayed by the growing situation of the future that stalled the growth of the present.

"Jack O'Neill," started the severely transformed voice, "I have lost more than a pathetic heart in my life."

The Komodren nealt, blood dripping on the ground from the hole in his chest, where one heart had been literally destroyed by gunshot. Luckily, Komodren's have two hearts, and his second was straining to keep his muscles as tense as they were. Being the heart that failed him long ago didn't help the situation either, and as he spoke, and as he remained tense, his body was slowly failing him with each breath. Death was as near as the wind for Drakomis now, for he truly was dying. Knowing it made it a bit easier for his old mind.

Softly, he spoke again, taking his mind off his failing heart. "Of course, the question arises, what explanation can you give to possibly match that?"

BUMP

Snap! It was the first distinctive sound that Jack heard as he crashed to the hard ground, followed by his own painful screams. His right arm had bore most of his body weight when it went down, snapping the brittle bone of the upper arm, the humerus, into numerous pieces. The sharp, split bone fragments had ripped through his flesh with ease and were now jutting out of his arm as his wounds bled heavily.

As he tried to push through the agony, he gazed up to Drakomis’ face and was even more distressed by what he saw. The peaceful, caring Jedi that he had always known was no longer there, and in his place was an angered Komodren, betrayed by his best friend. Jack knew that all this was his fault, he had changed Drakomis for the worst.

What could he possibly do now?

Forcibly taking Drakomis down was obviously not an option to the much smaller and weaker human. He decided that talking would be his only option at this point. Perhaps he would listen…Jack only hoped…

“I…I have lost many things in my life too: friends…” He began to choke up with the next few words. “…my son, my previous wife…I have made mistakes that took the lives of these people and I have to live with that including this one…”

His eyes gradually fell towards Drakomis’ chest and the shattered remains of what was once his heart, hanging from the bullet hole. He didn’t realize that he had injured him this badly and was even more regretful of what he had done.

“…but…the mistake I will not make is to let millions of people die because of this. You said it yourself, we have a common enemy to fight so we can save our people. Drakomis, we must save our people. The only way we can do that is if we work together. If we don’t then we’ll all die. Is that really what you want? You have a responsibility to your people, President Reign, and I do to mine.”

Drakomis took two seconds of his existance to evaluate his friends words, observing his arm and the bone sticking out. He sighed, somehow he knew the truth was there in Jacks words. The Komodren's expression softened up, and help lift Jack from the ground, helping him stand and ripping some of his Jedi clothing to try his best to seal the wound.

Concentrating mainly on his bone, he would expertly deal with the situation as any trained Jedi would. His insticts would show during his course of action, and how his motions seemed to be well-given to him, almost as if he was born with it. Somehow, along his centuries of existance, Drakomis had gained knowledge in the medical arts. One would definitly assumed the Order would have played a key role in this.

But, in reality, it was the Soldier in him that worked, and not the Force.

Several minutes later, he would nod to Jack silently, giving a smile. "There," he winked a reptilian eye, "your not gonna die in a few hours like m-" skipping the final word and starting towards the path "-anyway. We need to get to the city, there will be treatment centers there. Couple hours walk, not too far."

Drakomis' normal voice, attitude, and peaceful stance seemed to return. Indeed, he acted like his old self again. Expect for the occasional stumble for some odd reason, and the fact that he held his other side of his chest and not the side with the bullet hole, he acted physically healthy. No more blood seemed to be escaping his wound, which could indicate his body suited well for it, perhaps diverted the blood flow. Whatever the case, he carried Jack on his own weight.

"I tell ya, I'll never get tired of how many times we butt heads with each other." Drakomis chuckled, "your one of'em hot heads, no doubt. Good thing I've lived this long to meet one as you."

The usual compliments would spout here and there, even words lof memories of days long past. It was as if Drakomis was reliving his life, making sure it was parts were Jack and he were there. Odd, at first, but somehow Drakomis made his tone of voice seem as if he were sealing back the friendship, reassuring Jack their Comradeship was assured. The reality, of course, was darker.

As they exited the forest, and gazed towards the scenery and beyond, flames were on the horizon. Drakomis was in shock, and he seemed to stumble to one knee.

"What the-" he held his other heart, as if in severe pain that seemed to show in his expression "-what the hell...."

::BUMP::

For the first time today, one thing, at least, seemed to be heading in the right direction for Jack. The friendship that he had torn asunder by his tendency to be close-minded and hotheaded appeared to be now restored. But underneath the joy that he displayed, he still had the regret for what he had done and was constantly reminded by it as his eyes wandered towards the bullet hole in Drakomis’ chest.

Jack did his best to turn his mind towards happier thoughts by continuously chatting with his old friend about all that had happened with his family over the past sixteen years since he had last seen Drakomis. He spoke often about how his son, Alakantar, had grown up to be quite a gentleman. Someone calm, knowledgeable, kind, yet still had all of the fighting skills of his parents. Someone who would definitely be a great leader of his people when the time comes.

As Jack talked about his son, a certain glow of pride seemed to come across his face, taking the place of the pain that he used to feel. He once thought of himself of as a poor parent because he blamed himself for his first son’s death and lived with that pain for decades. But for once, on this lush green planet, he felt confident in his abilities and felt that he had done something right.

His joy was soon shattered though when he viewed the spectacle that lay just beyond the edge of the forest. The flames of a burning city rose towards the heavens and seemed to consume everything in sight. And the blue skies that had once been clean and clear and full of life suddenly were as black as the void of space. It appeared that all light from the sun had simply vanished.

As Jack gazed upon the depressing scene, he remembered something from Melkos’ conversation. Without realizing, he mumbled it. “No light shall be spared the Darkness’ power, strength…If the Light dies by the Dark, everything dies.”

His attention was drawn upon Drakomis, beside him in shock. Jack rested his hand upon his friend’s shoulder and knelt down to speak to him. He knew that he had to get Drakomis’ mind off of the tragedy that happened and onto finding a strategy that would best work for this. “Drak-o, do you know of any way you contact your fleets in orbit? Is there something like a communications station around here? We have got to find out what exactly is happening and get some ships down here to help you and the people that could still be alive in that city. And perhaps I can get the Northrop-Grumman space forces in here too.”

Drakomis swollowed the blood that forced itself into his mouth, refusing to spit it out and allow himself the luxury of collapsing. Jack's refusal to submit to the situation also helped him gather the strength to stand. Thinking as clear as he could, he realized he didn't have a clue about how to contact anyone, or anything, in orbit. If the world had been consumed by fire, and the star itself quelled of it's light, Drakomis had no idea what else could be done.

"I don't know Jack," he started, "I'm so-"

Least expected was Drakomis to feel his words halt as he swore he felt his body tingle. Afterwards, he blinked, only to find himself in a room of some sorts surrounded by officers and marines. Blinking another time, he felt his body, realizing he was in one piece, and seeing Jack standing beside him. Slowly, he started to speak, only to find himself spurrting blood from his mouth, collapsing afterward.

Everything else was a blurr, unrecognizable sights and sounds, followed by complete darkness. Drakomis knew he wasn't dead, but he also knew he was barely alive. Whatever had occured, it was to his benefit, that much he was sure of.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

A tall Marine Colonel from the detached Anagonian Marine Core stood beside the Medical Room doors as he gazed at Jack O'Neill. Already revealing his name as Gregory Paladin, and identifying this ship as a top-secret design used by some organization, he would explain the situation fully to Jack. He assured the Grumman Leader that Drakomis would make a full recovery, and explained that situation in full to Jack also, stating how his other heart had just failed and "it was good they were transported aboarded when they had been."

Of course, they would be far from Novar by now, on a heading towards an unidentified base on the map. Uncharted, undesignated, it seemed to be in the middle of no where. As he took him to the bridge of the mysterious ship and sitting in his Captains Chair, motioning for Jack to sit in one beside it, Gregory left the field open to Jack to ask his questions, any questions.

On the bridge of Paladin’s vessel, Jack nearly collapsed into the rather comfortable chair offered to him with a heavy sigh of relief. It had only been a short time ago that he had been stranded upon the burning planet along with the dying Drakomis. He knew what was happening to his friend and tried to keep him alert and attentive by talking to him, forcing him to think to buy some time for a rescue. But in the back of his mind, he was aware that it would only last but so long. Death was only the next breath away, and Jack knew that he had caused it all. His emotions from earlier resurfaced once again, and he nearly began to cry out in despair as he tried to help Drakomis stand. But then, what Jack labeled as an act of God happened, he found himself and Drakomis instantaneously disappear from the planet and appear aboard one of the Anagonian vessels. Medical personnel had quickly surrounded the two and brought them down to the sickbay where Jack was quickly patched up and taken out of the room while the others worked to save Drakomis’ life.

Pushing through all his memories of what had happened, Jack rested there quietly in the chair, he contemplated all that Colonel Paladin had told him about the war against the Galactic Empire and the Corporation’s involvement in it from a General’s standpoint. There was still hope that good would come out of this. People could still be saved, a nation could live on.

After a moment, he looked up towards the Marine and smiled, only a little though. “I must say that I am sure as hell glad that you came when you did. I was beginning to think that we’d might be stuck there. By the way, how did you ever find us?”

Motioning towards the tall tactical map of Anagonian Space, Gregory pointed towards the reference of Novar. Following a few zooms by the map-born computer, he replayed how his ships sensors detected two life-forms among the burning remains of the Novarian cities.

"That is how we found you Jack O'Neill," Greg leaned back against the wall, "our ships sensors are more than qualified to be of use in these types of situations. All we had to do was calibrate it and do a system-wide sweep. You were the first life-forms we picked up, so we came and got you."

The Map-screen then changed to a system-wide tactical map of Nova Kretani, followed by many red dots. Obvious to the situation, Greg looked back at Jack with a grim expression.

"Unfortunatly, we won't be able to stay here any longer. It's too hot, and we need to escape to another location." A devious grin was expressed on the Marines face. "That location, Mr. O'Neill, is where your friend Melkos resides."

Watching the replay of earlier events on the tactical map, Jack nodded slightly. He was quite familiar with the way those sensors worked as the Corporation’s functioned in almost the same manner. “Ah, I get it. Ours work almost the same way. Often we do lifeform scans just like that, but other times we look for certain kinds of DNA especially if we’re looking for a particular species or something. From experience, I can say that it works quite well overall.”

When the tactical map changed to one of the current situation in the Nova Kretani system, he began to examine it carefully as any good general would, studying the tactics of the various fleets that were displayed. But his deep thoughts were disrupted when Greg mentioned Melkos.

“Oy,” was the only thing that managed to leave his mouth as he rubbed his hands on his face. He had already met Melkos twice in only a few hours and now he would meet him again? Jack really was beginning to not look forward to this especially how the last two meetings had gone.

He sighed a little and glanced over to Greg. “Got anything to drink around here? Something strong would be nice.”

Gregory Paladin nodded, handing Jack a glass of the strongest ale on the ship. After pouring himself some, he drank a bit, then set the glass on the chair beside him.

"Look, I know meeting Melkos is strange, especially since you two became so familiar earlier." He shrugged, "All I know is reports, honest. Anyway, he needs you for a plan, and Drakomis for the ending."

He grinned, "Basic operations for me."

After taking a slug of the ale, Jack leaned his head back on the chair and sighed deeply as he ran his hand through his thinning white hair. “Sure…basic operations for you. But you’re still a young man and have a long life ahead of you. On the other hand, I’m way too old to be gallivanting around the galaxy, being some part of a master plan, and other crap like that.”

He took another slug and continued in a softer voice with a somber expression on his face. His eyes seemed to stare into nothingness. “I don’t know…I think I’m getting too old for a lot of things unfortunately…the body is slowly beginning to wear itself out…”

-------------------------------------------------

Never used except for during the chaos that resulted following the assassination of Prussian Emperor Napoleon IV sixteen years earlier, the Emergency Command Center (ECC) located deep within the capital building had never been updated since its installation those many decades ago. Most of the computer consoles that lined the wall of the circular room still used the dated CRT monitors and were operated by ancient keyboards and rows upon rows of multi-colored toggle switches. None of the old silicon components had been replaced with the newer control crystals that currently comprised nearly all of the Corporation’s computers. Overall, it was a mess that should have been fixed long ago, but the lack of use forced it to be at the bottom of the list of repairs and often was overlooked.

Standing in the midst of these antiquated devices, Shiran Naelthasser gazed warily at those who manned them and at the dust that blew across the metal floor and into the air vents of the computers themselves. He could not believe the state in which such an important place was kept. But he could not do anything about this problem right now for he had a job to do. He glanced up towards the row of nine lights over the power control station, waiting for the last of the zero-point modules to connect themselves into the power grid in the eight secondary towers of the building. One by one the orange cylinders of crystal slid into their appropriate holders and began to glow brightly. A moment later, the nine lights over finally switched to green indicating that all were in place.

Turning to the one manning the power control station, he commanded, “Disconnect the city from the main power grid and reroute all power through us.”

“Very well, sir,” one of the technicians replied.

Outside of the city, relays between it and the power plants were severed, plunging the city into total darkness an event rarely seen for those who lived in it. But soon, the power grid was switched to the nine zero point modules within the capital building, restoring electricity to the forty million people.

“Rerouting finished,” the man announced.

Shiran nodded slightly and turned his attention to the technician at yet another control station. “Enable the city lockdown protocol.”

“Aye, sir.”

Over the city, the lockdown began as aircraft and spacecraft alike were ordered to either immediately land at the international airport or divert to other secondary landing fields in the adjacent counties. Those that were approaching were told that the airspace over it was restricted to military traffic only and would be shot down if they came any closer. Also, the stargate terminal was immediately closed and the few waiting passengers were asked to leave as the iris slammed shut over the stargate itself, rendering all inbound and outbound travel impossible.

Meanwhile, separating the various districts of the city, most of the thirty-foot-high naquadah reinforced gates slowly began to slide shut except for those that stood between the army base and the capital building so that the tanks and infantry could be brought in. The largest of these gates slid along a track that spanned a forty lane freeway leading out of the city. Over the track were slabs of grating, strong enough to support the millions of automobiles that crossed over it but weak enough to be easily crushed by the multi-ton gates. This one and more closed off each of the districts, keeping those inside trapped but protecting them from a potential invading enemy.

“Lockdown complete, Mr. Vice Chairman.”

“Excellent.” The elf pivoted towards the young man operating a rather small station towards the doorway. “Schickelgruber, powerup the shields, please.”

He nodded, and after toggling a row of switches, a low hum began to emanate from his console and the power control station but quickly ceased, then oddly enough, it started back up again, only to stop again a short moment later. Curious as to what was going on, Schickelgruber studied his screen carefully with a frown upon his face. He flipped a few more switches and noticed the same result.

“What is wrong?” Shiran asked, growing concerned.

“There appears to be a short in the control panel, sir. Fifteen of the twenty shield generators are receiving more power than needed, and the other five are receiving none at all. The fifteen are beginning to overheat as they cannot release their power.”

Clenching his fists, the Vice Chairman ordered, “Shut it all down. We will have to have someone manually turn them on.”

Quickly, Schickelgruber began to toggle the switches off, but things appeared to have become worse as he frantically flipped a few up and down.

“It’s not working,” he shouted and dove onto the floor, shortly before a shower of sparks burst forth from the console. A power surge had been released from the generators and had ripped through the console, rendering it incapable of operating by frying all of the components including the screen.

As he stared at the damaged console, Shiran realized that if there truly was an invasion on its way, then the city would be an easy target without the shield. He spoke the only word that could leave his mouth at this time.

“Shit.”

-------------------------------------------------

Across the lush flowering gardens that surrounded the capital building, the warm summer winds gently flowed, lightly rustling the green leaves on the branches of the tall oak trees. The full moon overhead shone down through the branches, illuminating everything in a pale light. It was mysteriously tranquil for Siri as she sat upon a stone bench in the middle of these gardens, taking this time to relax some and reflect on what was going on. She chose this area for its beauty and contrast to the prison-like feeling of her husband’s office. But other reasons had been taken into consideration. For she knew that out here, in the city, was where the battle would take place, and instead of acting like most leaders, who commanded their forces from the security of a bunker, she wanted to be out, fighting with her people and leading them through this harsh time.

A sudden shock jerked her arm back and disrupted her thoughts. Glancing down at the bracelet that had caused this, she pressed a symbol on the side and caused the device to interface with her mind, allowing her and only her to hear the incoming transmission.

My lord, forces from the Galactic Empire have invaded Anagonia compelling us to evacuate all our forces. the feminine voice stated.

Very well. Proceed with the evacuation except do not leave through the orbital gate. I need you here, now, so come through the stargate that you have aboard your vessel and self destruct it. Am I clear?

Yes, my lord.

Dismissed.

Severing the connection rather quickly, Siri rose from her stone bench and slowly began to walk towards the main roadway leading into the complex. Overhead, a soft sound could be heard that caught her attention.

Pszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt Pszzzzzzzzzt Pszzzzzzzzzt

Her eyes gazed up into the sky and saw a flash of light from the thin cloud cover over the city every time the sound occurred. She was familiar with what typically happened when the shield was raised. It always cut though the clouds overhead making that very sound, and after it was stable, any clouds that struck the shield would cause the invisible shield to appear but only in that area. But what was happening tonight was not normal at all.

Only a moment later, silence filled the area and a feeling of dread appeared inside of Siri for she knew what had happened. The city’s greatest protection was not operating and an enemy was soon to appear on their doorstep.

A soft chuckle from Gregory, and time flew by as space, in its vastness, encompassed what little time remained. Slowly, the ship would dock at a facility, and Greg would escort Mr. O'Neill inside a station brewing with life. Guards, Marines, and even civilians of many a race were scurring about in business and life. Through this, Greg Paladin would show Jack the way to a dark and secretive corner of the base, going through many doors and security measures to enter just one room.

In this room stood a dark and tall figure, gazing behind him with bright red eyes, unblinking in an eternal fire that bruned through eternity. A majestically calm and deep voice echoed through the room, one so familiar to Jack he would know it was someone he knew from a distant vision.

Greetings Jack O'Neill, started the voice, I, as you undoubtably have finally concluded, am Melkos Unchanos.

A dark grin erupted from the now-visible skeletal face. Nice to finally see you alive.

For the third time today, Jack found himself in the presence of this being, this manipulator of people, and felt the urge to cringe at the sound of his voice. He had been persuaded to fire upon his friend Drakomis, then he was resurrected from a terrible death only to be faced with the annihilation of Anagonia, and now he was faced with the unknown contents of this plan. He feared what it could hold but at the same time was curious as to what it could be.

Sighing some, he did not turn around to face Melkos at first but instead replied somewhat tiredly, “And so we meet again, Melkos...”

Finally, stepping to the side, Jack turned and faced the one whom Siri had called as her father and master. “And same to…eh…nevermind.” Realizing the usual saying didn't work here, he went with something different and gazed up into the skeletal face. “It is good to be alive. Thanks to you. Now…I have heard of a plan that you want done…what is it exactly?”

--------------------------------------------

As she continued her slow-paced return to the main entrance of the capital building, Siri remained ever observant, keeping her eyes watchful, her ears listening, and her mind alert for anything that may be happening within the city. But there was nothing…except for the sound of a gentle breeze rushing through the trees nearby. Her eyes took in her surroundings, finding it quite eerie that a city of forty million, often bustling with traffic and all sorts of racket, even at this hour, was dead silent. She understood the situation, but still found it eerie to be in the midst of this normally-busy ghost town.

Finally nearing the edge of the gardens, she decided to stop for a few moments and leaned against one of the old oak trees, gazing out across the only roadway that led into the complex. The first thing that was readily apparent was that the front gates were still wide open and nothing was traveling down the street that looped around the building’s outer walls. Impatiently, Siri glanced down at her watch and huffed. It was nearly midnight and there was still no sign of the Corporation’s army yet. She was about to contact the Vice Chairman and scream at him about the poor response time of the military when she began to hear squeaking and scraping, increasing in volume as it neared. The army was here.

Though, what occurred next confused her. Shouting erupted from the direction of the incoming army, coupled with the constant blaring of a car horn and the squealing of tires. What the hell is going on?! she thought, jerking her head back towards the main gates. There, Siri immediately saw what was creating all of this noise. Swinging around the corner, a large black Lincoln coupe, with its fully illuminated headlamps nearly blinding the elf’s eyes, bounded over the rows of speed bumps in front of the main gate and bolted down the roadway towards the building. Suddenly, the car’s brakes locked suddenly, causing the two ton vehicle to slide sideways into the grass before coming to a halt. Siri knew exactly who this was and stomped over to the driver who was just getting out.

“Sam! You had better have a good explanation for pulling in here like a maniac!” she shouted at the white-haired old Admiral, the Chief of Naval Operations, who was still dressed in thin shorts and an undershirt that he normally slept in.

His eyes widened greatly, and he began to shake as he spoke in his Southern drawl. “Sorry, ma’am, for bargin’ in like this. With all the gossip that I keep hearin’ from folks about an invasion, I just had to find someone who would know what was goin’ on….where’s Jack?”

Sighing, she shook her head. “He’s not around right now. You could say he’s on important business and probably won’t be back for a while.”

“Oh…damn…well…since yer here, what is goin’ on?…if you don’t mind tellin’ me.”

Her eyes studied him briefly before she asked. “Sam…do you trust me?”

“Well…I…er…”

“Admiral,” Siri forcefully replied as her arms folded upon her chest. “Honest answer, now….and that’s an order.”

He began shaking nervously again and broke eye contact with the Chairwoman. “Umm…yur my friend’s wife. I know he trusts you…so if he does, I can too….but…I just am just flat out scared to death of you, ma’am. You broke my leg, most of my ribs, fractured my skull…still can’t damned near walk as good as I use to.”

Siri chuckled some at that old memory of their first meeting in her then-boyfriend’s office. “However, you did point your pistol at me first.” Her expression then became more serious. “Now, look, that’s all in the past. I see no reason to dwell on such a thing any longer. I have no intention of breaking every bone in your body without a good reason to, and right now, I need you in one piece.”

He took a long sigh of relief. “What do ya need me fur?”

“The gossip you hear is correct. There will be an invasion. However, I do not think it will be from anything or anyone we’ve faced before.”

Siri immediately noticed that the Admiral raised an eyebrow slightly at the sound of what she said but still listened, without making any comments about her being crazy or anything like that. She then continued on. “I need for you to make a call out to whatever ships you have in the area and get them ready to fire upon the city on my command, alright?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, saluted.

She shook her head and pointed towards the main entrance. “Knock it off with the formalities and go up to Shiran.”

The Admiral chuckled and began to slowly walk to the building, limping on that one leg of his. Once again, Siri was left alone in the darkness, waiting for her own forces to arrive and that of the enemy.

Melkos grinned, wider than jack had ever seen, and raised a skeletal hand at Jack. Instantly, he would be teleported to a seat on one side of a table that somehow appeared, followed by Drakomis appearing in another seat. A few words were exchanged between Melkos and Drakomis, yet Drakomis would loose as Melkos smacked him in the face with his cane. A few words in Anagonian, then Melkos smiled.

As you can see, I don't give a flying riktar how much Drakomis is mad at me. He hits Drakomis upside the head with the cane again. Now, concentrate!

Drakomis huffs, snorting a bit as he grumbles to the situation. He seemed in good health, with no mark of death or harm. A few anger problems perhaps, but with Melkos doing the secretive teleports who wouldn't?

Now, Drakomis Reign and Jack O'Neill- He gently waved two skeletal hands at each individual as he spoke -Welcome. You both are called here to discuss how in the Eternal Darkness of Space my People will survive. If you can't come up with a solution, I'll personallyu continue hitting Drakomis with the cane.

Something seemed off about how Melkos was acting, as if toying with the Anagonian and Grummian leader with...playful words and irritating actions. Indeed, it seemed as if the entire ordeal for the first few seconds was a game by an evil, twisted mind of a psycotic! Perhaps this was just a game, the entire invasion a game, just to be enjoyed by Melkos Unchanos.

Or....perhaps....he was serious, and trying to be annoying for a reason.

Giving a simple nod and wave of the hand to Drakomis when he appeared, Jack was quite glad that his friend appeared to be doing much better physically after his ordeal. So now he was more concerned about he was emotionally, considering his nation was being ripped out from under him.

Jack was on the verge of asking him how he felt and engage in a little friendly conversation but then apparently for no good reason he thought, Melkos proceeded to smack the Komodren with his cane. Furious at these events, Jack bolted up and leaned over with his hands resting on the meeting table.

“Cut that out!” he snapped at the skeletal figure, his face reddening. “Don’t you think he’s been though enough lately with what is going on out there!? Apparently not, by the way you’re acting! For cryin’ out loud, give the poor guy a break and let him rest!”

Jack dropped back into the chair and folded his arms, lowering his tone a degree. “If you really wanted a solution, all you had to do was ask. I would have been more than happy to figure something out.” He stared right at Melkos, pointing the next question to him. “But first, do we even know what the hell is going on back in Anagonia? I do know that you do.”

----------------------------------------------

As the chrome clock hanging upon the wall slowly ticked away the time, Alakantar O’Neill, son of the Chairman and Chairwoman, found himself watching the monotony of the secondhand steadily move its way around the clock’s face. Accompanying every tick, he lightly struck his fingers on the plastic surface of the table, trying to pass the time as he patiently waited. And every so often, his eyes would glance over to the glass door leading outside from the diner, observing those that came in or disappeared out into the night. To his amazement, he found it to be a very active place even at this hour and pondered about what everyone else was doing out this late. Surely they could not all be waiting for someone as he was.

A woman’s voice next to him interrupted his thoughts. “Would you like some more coffee, dear?”

The young Drow looked up at the waitress and blinked, “Excuse me?” Then, seeing the pot of steaming coffee in her hand, he realized what she was asking and peered over into his empty mug before replying. “Oh…yes, please.”

“Thank you,” he said as she finished pouring and began to walk away.

With a spoon stirring with one hand and the jar of creamer pouring with the other, he began to prepare his coffee just how he liked it, about an eighth creamer, and while doing so, glanced up at the clock once more and sighed heavily. His original plans for the evening involved heading out to the Air Force Academy and meeting an old friend of his, Jon Martin, who was in his last year as a cadet. But those plans were quickly discarded when he was unable to meet Alakantar because of a sudden meeting with all the cadet officers of the academy. So a different plan was thrown together at the last minute and that involved a simple dinner at this very diner at approximately eleven-thirty at night. But it was now almost midnight and still no sign of Jon.

As he sighed once more, Alakantar struck his stainless steel spoon against the table and pondered where his friend could be. He knew that he was late quite often but never ever to this extent. Then a vibration in his pocket attracted his attention, and he grabbed his cell phone, flipping the mouthpiece down.

“Hello?” the Drow answered

“Hey, Alak. This is Jon.”

“Where the heck have you been?”

“Yeah…erm…sorry about that, but apparently the city is under lockdown…” There was a brief pause. “…you do know that…right?”

Alakantar’s eyes widened. “No...what’s happening?”

“I hear from command that there’s an invasion, but the details are rather sketchy.” The Drow could hear shouting in the background, coupled with the sound of jet aircraft. “Look, I’ve gotta go. It’s looking like we’re going to be backup for the regular Air Force, in case things go bad…”

“Take care of yourself out there.”

“Alright.”

“Bye”

“See ya.”

Ending with that, the connection was quickly severed, leaving Alakantar sitting in his seat in shock. He could not believe that this was happening especially considering he had received no previous warning about this. But as he sat there and thought about it, he knew that he had to find out more information so he called out to the waitress working behind the counter.

“Excuse me, miss. Could you flip the television on for a little while, please?”

She nodded politely and reached up to the power button, pressing it. The screen soon flickered on to show a newswoman reporting, what the captions labeled as, a breaking story.

“…no word yet from Centennial Plaza detailing who is invading Northrop-Grumman, but they are recommending that citizens remain indoors and off of the streets to allow the police and military to distribute arms amongst the population for defense. They are also stating that each of the districts in the city have been sealed off from one another for protection and no one under any circumstances will be allowed through unless it is either military or police related. Once again, they are asking that everyone remain calm and comply with the directions of the Corporate forces in the streets…we now go to our military analyist…”

Alakantar stared at the screen in disbelief as did the rest of the diner’s patrons. But he knew that there was only one thing he could do, find his parents and find them fast. So jumping up from the booth, he grabbed his helmet and ran near the cash register, sliding his debit card through the reader before leaving through the glass door. Outside, he gazed up and down the pitch-black street for any signs of activity, but there was none, not even the police. So he sat upon his black motorcycle and knocked the kickstand out from under it. Then, he fastened his helmet to his head, along with putting down the visor, before he started the motorcycle and rode off into the darkness, alone.

It's quite fun to annoy him, a very cryptic grin appeared on the skeletal face, a motivational tool.

A shot sigh, then melkos lowered his cane and gazed at the two "guests". He stood silent for a few moments after Jack had finished speaking on behalf of Drakomis' defense, both thinking of an answer and trying to put things into words at the same time. A few more moments would pass before Melkos would speak again.

I believe that Novar will be destroyed, both by Sith and Dark forces. I know this, and it is becoming apparent that we need Drakomis to bring back together the massive fleets of people that left the Kretani system before the attack. A nod towards Jack. You are to make sure both sides come together and reform themselves, for I do forsee that Civil Strife and War will erupt if intervention is not met.

He grinned again, skeletal face unmoving but the energies around it making the face viewable. That's why your both here, and that's why I want both of you to figure things out. If you don't, you both die.

Tremendous rage began to build up inside Jack causing him to tightly clutch the arms of the chair, his teeth clenched together. Frankly, he was growing very tired of the rudeness of this being, of the stresses that he was constantly being put through, and of the threats of death. But the latter was becoming useless to use against him anymore for he had died already, numerous times in fact. What was once more? Besides, he was nearing the point where he was going to die of natural causes anyway so these threats did not matter anymore.

But while he tried to calm himself down, he could not help but ponder why his wife had chosen such a rude being as her adopted father. He appeared to display nothing of merit but instead everything evil, not exactly a worthy candidate for the job. What the hell was she thinking? he asked himself as he huffed slightly, aggravated still at the situation. How could she still want to be in cahoots with this thing?

Releasing his grasp from the chair, he rested them lightly on the armrests and tapped his fingers a bit hard, attempting to keep a sound mind for his response. “Look, I have an idea on what to do with the people that have escaped….the Corporation has a system that’s next door to our own Criun System. We’d be happy to give that to them to help rebuild Anagonia. We could do more to help but I just am not sure at this point…”

Drakomis hurfed as he gazed at Melkos and back at Jack. This was turning into a very frustrating time for him. Going through an entire system-wide obliteration and a mass-exodus wasn't exactly something his body could handle every day. His mind alone was on the breaking point, barely able to keep what small links of sanity that made him appear calm. He thumped his reptilian tail on the floor, a subcouncious reaction to the rising anger within him.

"Sounds like a plan, how can we implement it?"

Melkos gazed at the two and nodded in satisfaction. He didn't want to have to pressure the leaders, and the Gods knew they didn't need it. But he had no choice, because if he just gave the solution away 100% of the time nothing beneficial would come for their futures. Melkos knew that Jack, especially, didn't need it. He was dying inside, and he knew that Jack had less time than he thought if something didn't come of this meeting.

A short aggravated sigh as he thought over the consequences of failure, then gazing back at the two leaders his voice rose.

That's not good enough! A simple action can only go so far....how will you get the ships there, what must happen?!

His eyes burnt holes in Jack as his gaze was piercing...he had to quiekn his healing if Jack were to survive.

Ker-bump from work! :D

OOC:

Jack...hope everythings alright buddy. I got access to a comp here and there so we can continue whenever both of us can. :D

Pondering what was being asked, Jack’s eyes wandered around the room as he stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought. He considered the positions of the Grummanian fleet in the Nova Kretani system, the vessels of the Anagonians, and the status of the enemy from the last time he was able to survey the sensor display aboard Paladin’s vessel. But he also made a note of the orbital structures above the planets in both Anagonia and Northrop-Grumman and considered all of their functions.

Through this information, he was able to throw something together rather speedily in his mind and after only a moment of sorting it all, replied to both Melkos and Drakomis calmly, “Really the only option that we can use is the orbital stargate, but the main problem there is that neither allied fleet knows what this plan is. So really, Melkos, you’re the only one that can get this to work.”

Jack rested his hands upon the armrests and turned his attention towards the skeletal figure. “The only way my generals will listen is if they are told to do so from whoever sent them…in this case, Siri or the Vice Chairman. So someone will have to get one of those two to order the generals to get the vessels through the gate.” He sighed slightly. “Now as for the Anagonians, what you could do…since I clearly think you are powerful enough…you did bring me back from the dead…is send me and Drakomis to one of his ships where we can get things straightened out there, and I will personally handle the new system for his people when the time comes…alright?”

Melkos gazed at the two leaders for a few minutes, his expression unchanged. The silence could have been unbearable, almost as if a computer was stuck trying to decide the best plan of action. In Melkos' case, he was being an ass, and trying to make it apparent. After a few extra seconds, he nodded.

"Very Well, now get the hell out of my office!"

*POOF*

Drakomis and Jack O'Neill found themselves onboard an Orbital Station, above a dark-clouded planet somewhere around the location where they met Melkos. The stars outside had constellations not similar to what Jack and Drakomis were used to seeing; patches of nebula were scattered here and there bringing forth a beautiful reddish-blue haze on the station. The planet blow seemed to hold it's own, with no apparent sun in sight. Perhaps a mystery for them to explore should they have free time.

Outside, in deep space, three ships erupted from Sub-Space, shattering the tranquil atmosphere of the moment. Two were of unknown configuration, while the lead ship looked similar to an Anagonian Battlecarrier, with slight modifications. The insignia on the side of the Battlecarrier resembled nothing that Drakomis had seen recently, but something in the back of his ancient mind poked at his counciousness, believeing that it was familiar. He cocked his head slightly, seeming to grasp the memory that poked at his mind. A reptilian grin crossed his expressionless snout, and he looked to Jack and nodded.

"Honestly, I believe were in the safest region of space. I never thought Melkos could find a region of space with enough resources to found his own Guard." He gazed back at the Battlecarrier, "Thankfully, he did."

Behind them footsteps were heard, clicking against the hard surface of the station beneath them. A Soldier came forth, in what seemed to be mock-steel armor of some sort. Drakomis couldn't put his finger on it, but he believed he resembled a dark knight, if anything. With a sudden movement, the soldier stoped, bowing slightly, and spoke.

"Honored Leaders, welcome to Algerist. I am Dukan, your personal Guard for the remainder of your stay." He bowed his head in respects to Drakomis, "Grand General, I apologize for saying this, but you have but little authority here."

Drakomis was taken back, tilting his head, then nodding. "I see. Melkos reigns here?"

The Guard shook his head, "No, honorable General. King Hugbard does."

Nodding one last time in approval he crossed his hulky reptilian arms across his chest. "So be it, I trust him. Now, why did Melkos bring us here?"

"Unfortunatly, only the King can answer those questions. It just so happens-" he gestured towards the open doorway behind him "-he will see you now. Follow me."

Dukan's dark armor gleamed from the reddish-blue light, a sword visiable by his side. The same markings as on the battlecarrier were on his shoulder plate, and his face was contorted to that of a hardened war veteran. Darkish hair lend itself to whatever air came through the room, turning towards the door he would look back to make sure they followed. Once he was sure, his armor clanked against the floor, which now seemed to resemble marble.

"This way," he said, "we must hurry...he did take a trip to the station just for you."

BUMP :D

OOC: I was hoping you will get online but you haven't so I'll have to do it this way...

First: There is no border at that time between Anagonia and N-G.

Second: The Exodus fleets have not met up yet since one went to Abh and the other went to N-G through the orbital stargate.

Third: Just want to let you know that another person (Kaymiril) is coming to RP on the homefront while Jack and Drako are out bounding around.

I'll replace this post with a RP once you fix all that.

OOC:
This is a classic case of miscommunication, albiet my fault specifcally because I haven't had good connections at home.

At any rate, thank you for the imformation. I will make sure to replace this post with a rp once things are sorted out.

Revised Post...BUMP