Categories > Anime/Manga > Ranma 1/2 > Photocopy
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Date: 110107, 310108
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 never belonged to me and never will. sighs
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Part Eleven:
Nabiki studied the gathering security officers with a growing feeling of satisfaction. Those arrogant Tollans were so going to get it. Nobody treated Nabiki Tendo that way and got away with it ... Period ... She giggled inwardly at the thought of the Tollans becoming guinea pigs for the Japanese military. She smiled at the thought of that stuck-up Omoc being forced to undergo 'cleaning' procedures. She grinned at the thought of him becoming a circus attraction.
All in all, she felt really good at the thought of those stuck up Tollans being turned into lab rats for the rest of their stuck up lives.
Except that ... the Tollans did not even seem to notice the security officers or the events that were happening in the garden of the Tendo Dojo ... Nor did they seem to care about the Japanese special forces coming in by air. Or even the shouts and warnings of the Japanese military. The only one they seemed to be paying attention to was Ranma ... who spoke to them in that strange language of theirs ...
Strange ...
Nabiki longed to know what the ponytailed girl cash machine was saying to them. Unfortunately, she had no clue. And she was equally certain that no one else on the planet understood what they were saying either. If their claims on being a highly advanced alien race in terms of science and technology were to be believed.
And speaking of science and technology, she had tried to get Ranma to give her the secrets of her technology many times but Ranma had declined by saying that her technology was way beyond the understanding of the world's best scientists ... and would possibly remain that way for the next one hundred years or so.
Then a large shadow blocked out the sun ... darkening the skies considerably.
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Tokyo Meteorological Department ...
"Sir, the cloud formations in all the upper level troposphere and stratosphere are moving. I'm picking up a sudden surge in temperature."
"Is it a comet or meteor?"
"Comets and meteors do not come to a standstill in the upper layer of the troposphere. Whatever it is, it's got to be big to be able to be able to cause such a displacement in air and change in air pressure."
"I don't see anything."
"It's there. Take a look at all the cloud displacements."
"Whatever is causing all the cloud displacements ... It appears headed for Nerima!"
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SGC ...
Warning ... Possible alien infiltration ... Please respond ...
"Possible alien infiltration over Japan! Contact SG1 immediately!"
"Daniel! Wake up! We've got a situation!" the Colonel shouted.
"Jack. I'm not deaf. I can hear you. What happened?" the still sleepy archaelogist asked.
"SGC has picked up traces of an alien vessel over Nerima, Tokyo and they want us to be there as soon as possible."
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"Go! Go! Go!" shouted a Japanese SWAT team officer only to see a large blue field of energy appeared in front of him.
There was silence as they watched their targets standing calmly in the middle of the Tendo compound.
Much to their disbelief, large rings began to appear around the targeted group ... one at a time ...
The security officers watched the scene in silence unable to do a thing to stop the event from taking place. Light shone from inside the large rings as they piled up on top of each like dominoes before disappearing in the same way from sight ... with their targets.
Once that happened, the force field separating the security officers from the Tendo Dojo was gone.
From the window in her room, Nabiki watched the scene in stunned disbelief, recording all she saw on hidden camera.
Matter teleportation technology!
The Tollans or ... the stuck up Tollans had matter teleportation technology!
Where did they get it? she wondered.
Maybe Ranma had the same thing. The middle Tendo sister was knocked from her usual train of thoughts by a knocking from the front door. As usual, her older sister opened it only to be told politely to move outside while the law enforcement officers conducted a full search of the premises.
A full search? A full search of the premises? The middle Tendo sister trembled inwardly as she visibly recalled her stash of illegal blackmail material and paraphernalia that she had regarding all her former and current victims in the school. There was no time to get rid of them ... as the security officers swept out in an orderly manner to search every single room.
Wait! Perhaps she could still ...
Suddenly, her room's door opened to reveal a very stern-faced security officer who ordered her to move outside immediately so that the security officers to conduct a check of the premises. Seeing that there was no alternative, the middle Tendo sister quickly did as she was told.
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Elsewhere on a large Goauld Command Ship ...
"Lord Sokar ... the Asgard ... destroyed ... our attack force," the Jaffa commander trembled.
"You dare bring these news to me!" a figure in a hooded red robe answered, his eyes glinting evilly.
"They had allies. Allies we had not seen before. We have no idea who they were. They destroyed our attack force with biogenic weaponry," the Jaffa commander spoke nervously.
"Biogenic weaponry? Show me!" the mighty lord commanded.
A holographic display of the battle was played over the throne room ...
"A thousand curses! Natu! I will give you one more chance to prove yourself! Mobilise the entire fleet!" the figure in red robes ordered.
"Yes. Mighty master. Are we going to attack the Asgard again?" the Jaffa commander trembled.
He hoped inwardly that they were not going to attack the Asgard or their allies again until they were more prepared.
"No. Not yet. We are going to attack Ra's domain. It has been left vacant for some time and I wish to expand my holdings, Natu. Now go!" the figure in red robes answered.
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Japanese police officers continued to search the house. They finally exited the premises with Genma in handcuffs.
"What did I do? What did I do?" the bald-headed martial artist pleaded his innocence only to received a hard look from his captors that silenced his outburst.
"Tendo Nabiki, you must come with us," one of the security officers spoke.
"What is it, officer?" she asked.
"Yes, officer. What wrong did my daughter do?" the Tendo Patriarch asked.
"We wish to question Nabiki in regards to her daily activities and several items that she had in her possession," the police officer clarified.
Nabiki's blood froze at the answer.
No! My blackmail material! They found it! She shrieked.
"Let go of my sister!" the youngest Tendo sister shouted when she saw the police officer slapped the handcuffs on Nabiki.
"I'm sorry Miss but your sister has to answer for many things," the officer replied calmly.
"I don't believe it! Sure Nabiki runs the betting pools and gambling rings in school but I don't think she has done anything against the law! Now, let her go!" the youngest Tendo sister insisted.
"I'm sorry but we have our orders, Miss," the officer replied firmly before dragging Nabiki away.
"POLICEMAN NO BAKA! LET GO OF MY SISTER!" the youngest Tendo sister shouted before charging at Tokyo's finest in a rage.
Akane was about to hit the policeman with her usual mallet when a lightning bolt struck her body causing her drop to the ground and scream in pain. It was so painful that she lost control of her mallet, letting it fly through the air from her hands.
"Thank you American."
The Japanese police officer turned to the new arrivals.
"We shall take over from here. Now Miss Tendo Akane, you are under arrest for trying to assault a police officer with a dangerous weapon."
Too weak to resist, Akane was handcuffed in the same manner as her sister by the Metropoliton Tokyo Police Force. Nabiki watched the scene in a helpless rage, unable to do a thing. Though inwardly, she coveted the strange metallic weapon that curled like a cobra about to strike from one of the foreigners. Like Ranma's friends, she seriously doubted that the weapon originated from Earth.
"Looks like we got here too late. We've received another order, people from SGC. We have to go back immediately," the blonde colonel whispered.
"What's going on?" the bespectacled man asked.
"I'll explain everything when we get back," the blonde colonel answered as they got back into their car.
Not faraway ... a four-legged mechanical contraption followed the group unnoticed.
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"People of Earth. Be warned! Sokar has mobilised his entire fleet to move against Ra's domain. Your world ... which lies within Ra's sphere of influence is in great danger. Sokar's threat would make the one you had with Ra and Apophis minimal in comparison. He is capable of fielding one hundred and sixty-one Hatak Motherships not counting his personal command ship or any of the other vessels at hand. His Jaffa legions number in the millions. His entire invasion force will arrive in seven days."
The recording came to a stop.
"It came from the Goauld symbiote within Dad," the female major commented.
"This message came from the Tok'ra a few hours ago to SGC. A Goauld invasion force has been mobilised to attack Earth."
"Why Earth? And who the hell is Sokar?" the Samantha asked.
"Sokar in Egyptian mythology is the Devil ... and no, he's not moving against Earth alone. He's moving against Ra's domain in general," Daniel answered.
"Like that makes me feel any better and I gather he's not one of the regular System Lords," O'Neill quipped.
"No O'Neill. Ra and the rest of the System Lords cast him out for his evil deeds," the former Jaffa added in.
"Evil for a Goauld? Now that's something. I didn't think that those snakeheads were capable of knowing evil even if it hit them on the head," the Colonel answered.
Unseen and cloaked from sight, a four-legged mechanical contraption continued to watch the proceedings in silence.
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"Ra's domain is our master's!" a Jaffa commander shouted.
Twenty Hatak Motherships that disgorged thousands of Alkesh Bombers and Goauld Deathgliders began heading for Earth.
On the surface of the Earth ... a state of mass panic had broken out in many parts of the world when regular broadcasts were suddenly stopped to be filled by that of a hooded figure in red robes in front of their screens. Unknown to everyone, the face of that hooded figure was going to be the planet's most hated face ... in twenty-four hours.
"Former servants of Ra. I have one message for you. Surrender your world to me. Resistance is futile. You will kneel before me as my new slaves or you will fight and die in horrible agony! Choose! You have one hour!" shouted the figure in red robes, his eyes glowing a bright red as he did so.
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Seeing a lack of response from the planet's inhabitants, the Jaffa commanders began their standard procedure of acquiring new worlds for their masters. Namely sending thousands of their Alkesh Bombers and Goauld Deathgliders to attack mass population centers while their Hatak Motherships remained parked in orbit while raining death and destruction on the population below.
It was hell ... literally in many parts of the world as the world's defenses scrambled to deal with the alien invaders. Russia, China, the United States and the European Union led the world's defences ... but all in vain. The world's heavily outnumbered and outgunned ... not to mention outmatched defense forces fought desperately ... to turn the tide ... yet the attack by the alien invaders proved too much even for them.
"The President's here. NATO has already dispatched every available aircraft to take out these Goauld craft but there's too many of them and that doesn't count the twenty Hatak Motherships in orbit around the Earth. Many of the world's leaders are already here. They'll be ready to leave for the Alpha Site in ten minutes."
The president came into the room.
"Tell me the truth, how bad is it?"
"Defences are already down on the East Coast. One of the Hatak Motherships is letting off what I assumed are transport ships. Their Jaffa legions will be here soon. And no word from the Asgard yet," one of the generals answered.
"Sir ... I'm picking up a signal on one of our long range communications."
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On board the Hatak Motherships ...
"Master ... Multiple hyperspace windows opening from all over the system."
"What???!!!" the Jaffa commander shouted.
"Unknown vessels dropping out from hyperspace. Configuration ... unknown. They're powering up their weapons!" the Jaffa navigator warned.
"How many??!!!" the Jaffa commander shouted.
"Fifty-three heavy cruisers. Shield strength is equivalent to our ship," the Jaffa navigator answered.
"Alert Lord Sokar! Emergency transmission! Large enemy attack force detected!" the Jaffa commander shouted.
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Sokar was pleased. The invasion of Ra's domain was going exactly as planned ... that was until he received a transmission from one of his Jaffa commanders about an unknown enemy attacking the Hatak fleet he had sent to attack the world that was said to be the main cause of Ra's demise.
Feeling concerned, he had ordered the bulk of his forces of up to one hundred Hatak Motherships to reinforce the attack force outside Earth. They arrived ... detecting a major war happening around the third planet of the star system. His Hatak Motherships engaging an unknown enemy to the death.
Seeing the bulk of his forces arriving, the losing attack force quickly regained their initiative to attack the unknown enemy force. Without any further hesitation, he ordered the bulk of the fleet to engage the new interlopers.
"Master ... multiple hyperspace windows opening .... " the Jaffa navigator announced as a vortex in deep space opened to spit out two ships that was quickly becoming a special hate among the Jaffa of Sokar's fleet ... and several ships of blocky-looking design ...
"Asgard warships ... and their allies with those biogenic weapons!" the Jaffa commander announced.
"Target the ships with those biogenic weapons first! Relay the orders to all the fleet commanders!" Sokar ordered.
The Jaffa commander quickly did as he was told. Within seconds the orders were given out.
Deep in the tortured subconscious of the host's mind, what little hope there was began to blossom. For the first time in eons, the strange hellish parasite that had inhabited his body, had begun to know fear. What had started out as an easy campaign of conquest was now turning into a war of survival.
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The war was bloody ... violent ... and full of desperate moves by both sides in the conflict. High-powered energy weapons traded fire unceasingly between different vessels. Naquadah enhanced warheads shot towards their targets ... causing the enemy shields to buckle. Quantum torpedoes and photon torpedoes landed unerringly on their targets tearing through the shields with impunity. Glowing spheres filled with biogenic weapons landed on the enemy vessels causing untold casualties. From time to time, a ship from one side or the other … in a final act of defiance would ram the body of their ship into the nearest enemy vessel taking both ships out in the process.
When the battle was over ... millions on both sides of the divide had died. The majority being civilians on the planet who had nowhere to run. Still the battle could have been worse, Hammond thought as he studied the situation in the SG command room. The nations of the Earth were very glad that they had been saved from enslavement at the hands of the Goauld and even happier that the monster called Sokar was dead. They were interested in making contact with these new aliens too who had arrived seemingly in the nick of time.
And what did these aliens call themselves?
The first one referred to themselves as the Optricans. The second one referred to themselves as the Bedrossians. Strangely enough ... they were here not at the behest of Earth's governments but at the request of the one they referred to as the Peacemaker. The one they said who ended the civil war between the two contending factions on their planet. They had been at peace for a year now ... but a century of hatred and war was still difficult to get over with completely ... so for the most part they avoided each other.
The third group who came with the Asgard delegation, like the first two groups, was also a virtual unknown to the SGC. The Aschens, as they called themselves came from a very faraway star system ... they learned. But it could be reached via the Stargate network. They put down their gate address as ... P4C-970 ... for some reason that address stirred some memory within the General but he could not quite place the feeling.
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The previously concluded war between Earth and the Goauld had one ugly side-effect.
Disclosure.
Not just disclosure to a single person or a group for that matter.
But to the entire world.
Needless to say, it was not an easy thing.
But the harm had already been done in one of the worst ways possible.
Invasion.
From deep space.
Any attempt at covering up the truth would certainly meet with failure. Too many people from all over the world had lost loved ones, their homes and not to mention, their possessions, to the Goauld invaders. All governments and non-state entities all over the world could no longer ignore the one question that had been gnawing at mankind since the dawn of civillisation.
Are we alone in the universe?
Once relegated to the sidelines as a commentary for TV talk show hosts or pastime hobby for UFO investigators and amateur scientists (some might say, cultists) to solve, the Goauld invasion had forced the issue regarding the status of intelligent life outside the Earth to one of supreme importance.
Does intelligent life exist in the universe?
That question had been answered in the most violent and traumatic way possible.
Yes.
It does.
And with that undeniable truth came its bedmate … anarchy.
Riots and complete anarchy reigned on Earth for a few weeks before all the governments and institutions were finally able to establish some semblance of order in their respective countries.
This restoration of law and order was of course no lean feat because much of the infrastructure of the world had been damaged in the war. Communication centers, power plants, transportation lines, etc … almost all had been destroyed in the first two waves of the Goauld attack.
Once that was taken care of though ... all the governments from all over the world finally came down to the second order of business.
Namely, dealing with the aliens that had arrived. The aliens who had defended the Earth had already agreed to provide support to all the Earth’s governments in rebuilding their respective countries but all of the world’s governments wanted more.
The chief thing being negotiations and treaties with the aliens to acquire their highly advanced technology especially the ones dealing with weapons technology.
They first approached the Federation.
Despite their role in the war with the Goauld, the Federation stance remained the same ... unchanged. No sharing of any of their highly advanced knowledge or technology with less advanced cultures. The Prime Directive was the primary reason they gave, much to the disappointment and disgust of the entire diplomatic community and their leaders on Earth. The Asgard shared the same sentiment in that regard ... though in a less arrogant manner.
Unfortunately for the Federation and the Asgard, the other three alien races were not so ideally inclined. Alliances and treaties quickly made the news of the day as governments from all over the world moved rapidly to setup contact with the Optricans that took part in the war followed quickly by their old foes, the Bedrossians. Due to their old animosity, both sides were still avoiding contact with the other unless absolutely necessary.
Since NATO had already made contact with the Optricans, the Bedrossians went to the major post-cold war countries. Any Earth government that made contact with either the Bedrossians or the Optricans quickly found out that they could signed treaties or agreements with one side or the other but not both.
The world soon found itself dangerously split and polarized by their interactions with the two alien factions with the Western countries forming the bulk of the Optrican sphere of influence while the former Soviet-bloc and Communist countries formed the bulk of the Bedrossian sphere of influence.
As usual, NATO and many of the major former Communist countries tried to stem the flow of advanced technology to nations and groups who were opposed to their interests and agendas with vigor. 'Get all the goodies. Deny it to the enemy,' went the motto.
It worked up to a point until those who were left out in the cold approached the seemingly benign Aschen who had arrived together with the Federation and the Asgard. Much to their relief and the dismay of their opponents who had sought to contain and isolate them, the Aschen did not share the same sentiment as their Federation and Asgard counterparts.
The seemingly indifferent Aschen dealt with them in the same way that they did with less advanced cultures they came into contact with. They shared their knowledge and technology with those isolated countries and non-state entities. Once that happened ... technological restrictions placed by both the West and the former Soviet Bloc countries on their rivals became a joke amongst the Third World nations (especially the Middle East) for Aschen technology was on par and in some fields, superior to that of the Goauld.
As rivalry among the different alien factions persisted, so too did their activities on Earth. This was notable in terms of world affairs. Countries that were once isolated by other countries in terms of politics, economics and technology could now count on both material and technological support from their highly advanced allies from the stars.
And with that ... the dynamics of world politics was forever changed.
What did this hold for the future?
Well here's an example. A country that had economic sanctions slapped on it by every other country on the planet could simply arrange to open negotiations with other worlds for trade and assistance ... which not only allowed said country to survive indefinitely but move forward progressively with the surrounding countries.
The potential dangers of wars increased dramatically as the threat of more and more advanced (not to mention, destructive) weapons came to be brought to the fore by hostile nations and terrorist groups.
These dangers also forced many countries to band together in the face of hostile nations and technological terrorism. Almost all countries on the Earth joined up with their respective alien benefactors.
First of all came the Western countries who formed NATO. They linked up to form the Stargate Interplanetary Alliance with the Optricans.
They were then followed by the post-Soviet bloc, former communist and left-leaning countries who united with the Bedrossian leadership. They linked up to form the Bedrossian-Earth Defense League.
After this came the pariah and non-viable state entities who for some reasons or other were ignored or ostracized by the rest of the world such as Myanmar, North Korea, Taiwan, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Syria, Algeria, Somalia, Eritrea, Kurdistan, Chechnya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Aceh, Pattani, Jaffna, Venezuela and so on. All these states and non-state entities were now benefiting greatly from Aschen interference. They linked up to form the Aschen Commonwealth (yes ... the Aschen have finally gained a foothold on Earth).
Last of all came the countries that didn't trust aliens in general or who just didn't want to take sides in an interstellar war which could happen but happened to have the means to move forward on their own. Countries like Japan thanks to the Goauld technological upgrades implemented by Ranma.
They were joined by several other nations such as Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, Fiji, The Solomon Islands, Thailand, Singapore and nearly all the island nations who didn't want to join either of those three new blocs. All the remaining ones linked up with Japan to form a FOURTH UNDECLARED NEUTRAL bloc. These countries relied on Japan (Ranma) for much of their technological advancement.
Consequently, instead of unifying the people of Earth in the face of a powerful hostile alien foe, contact with extra-terrestrial races had simply left them divided more than ever before.
The ponytailed girl simply shook her head in dismay at the situation. She still vividly recalled the elder Tollan’s parting words just before the Tollans left for their new home.
Remember Serita.
He had said.
They had warned her of what would happened if she were to push forward with her own plans to accelerate Earth’s advancement in technology beyond what it was supposed to be. Ranma had of course, told them not to worry as she would be controlling what type of technology was introduced to the world, when it was introduced and where it should be used.
Except that it had not happened. Instead, this matter had been completely taken out of her hands altogether by three distinct alien groups from the five alien races that had stepped into the fray from out of nowhere to save the Earth.
Oh sure … Ranma was truly grateful for their help in stopping the invaders and restoring the damaged planet but she was suspicious as to their long term intentions when they too readily agreed to all the world leaders’ suggestions to upgrade all of Earth’s technology to their level without strings attached.
What did this mean for the future? She asked herself that question.
Ranma began extrapolating on the possibilities that this event could entail … and she did not like what she was seeing one bit.
None of the countries on the planet could hope to match the industrial output nor the technological advancement of the three alien factions so they would most likely end up falling one way or another, under the sway of their powerful alien benefactors. Since Earth’s technology was at least a century or two behind that of all three alien factions, not to mention the Goauld invaders, it would be impossible to manufacture all the advanced parts required to reproduce their advanced devices even if they understood the principles behind the workings of the device due to lack of materials and technical know-how.
This left acquisition of weapons, fighters and heavy warships in the form of imports or purchase from their alien benefactors. Either that or have them stationed a permanent detachment on the planet or in the Solar System. This would of course have the undesirable side-effect of those countries becoming increasingly dependent on technological know-how and material support from their alien counterparts.
The Jusenkyo cursed martial artist’s prediction was proven right when she witnessed NATO and the Optricans forming a new alliance. She was vindicated once again when many countries in South America and the former Soviet Union linked up with the Bedrossians to form a rival league. And she was proven right one final time when a large number of the non-aligned nations united under the Aschen Commonwealth.
Sure there was the United Nations for Earth but since when had the United Nations body truly ever been united?
Even before the war was over, the countries of the world had already reverted back to their old predatory behaviour over who gets what from the aliens. Ranma was quite certain that if the Goauld attack had not caused such widespread damage to the ecology and infrastructure of the planet, they would already be at each other’s necks.
Already, there were plans to dismantle the old and decrepit United Nations body and revamp it as the new Galactic Assembly with the Optricans, Bedrossians and Aschens occupying positions as new permanent members of the Galactic Council. They had also offered it to the Asgard and the Federation on a permanent basis but they had declined preferring not to interfere with the development of a more primitive civilization.
All this, more than anything else, proved that the alien factions were here to stay and already each of them was shaping events across the world directly or indirectly, in whatever way they saw fit. Consequently, the disunited nations or factions across the Earth would end up becoming nothing more than proxies or satellites to their powerful alien neighbours in the process.
Even if they meant well. And that was a big ‘if’.
The ponytailed girl simply shook her head again.
And just why did all these things happen?
Ranma’s thoughts ran back to the Goauld and she swore inwardly at the whole lot of them. All these happened just because some parasitic worm with a god-complex called Sokar got greedy and decided to add Earth to his already vast domain. His attack had failed miraculously, of course, but untold damage had already been done to Earth’s future in the form of technological and economic subjugation since Earth technology and its divided economy would not be able to compete with alien technology and resources for the next two generations at the very least.
Why couldn't things have been easier? Correction, since when have things ever been easier? In her life or in the world for that matter?
Well, things could have been worse, she thought while petting one of her creations affectionately on the head.
Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance when suddenly a bright light engulfed the ponytailed girl causing her to disappear from sight.
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In a galaxy far, far away ...
In a large hall ... on a seemingly unremarkable planet ...
In a vast empire ... of immeasurable power ... and dimensions ...
A very important ceremony was taking place …
A large group of people in the same wardrobe gathered ... before a small path leading to an aisle. At the center of the gathering ... a man in white robes spread his hands before the crowd ...
"Behold, brothers and sisters! Today we are gathered here to welcome the newest adherent into our ranks! The newest defender of the faith! I ... present ... to... you ... all ... Brother ... " the man announced.
The audience cheered loudly. The walking figure stopped before the man and as he turned to face the crowd ...
"Ryoga ...”
“Hibiki!"
"Hallowed be the Ori!" he shouted.
"Hallowed be the Ori!" he shouted.
"Hallowed be the Ori!" the congregation rose up and shouted in concert.
"May all who stand in the way of the Ori be destroyed!" the lost boy shouted.
The End.
Maybe. Time will tell ...
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FAQ:
1. The Russian submarine carrying the Stargate was hijacked by the Replicators and lost to sea. Ranma got the location of the Stargate from the Replicator drone that was swept to shore.
2. Tollan arrogance and a middle Tendo sister's greed certainly do not go hand in hand.
3. Earth’s success at finally acquiring advanced technology from aliens even in the face of Federation and Asgard disapproval may for all purposes appear to be godsend at first … but things are never quite what they appear to be … especially when it concerns the Optricans, the Bedrossians and the Aschens on Earth. Each of whom will have their own hidden agendas which may or may not be quite in the best interests of the Tauri/Earthlings.
4. Yes … Ranma has disappeared but to where?
5. Ryoga has thrown in his lot with the Ori … Seems like his ability to get lost has caused him to come into contact with those Ascended Beings. What this means for the universe … remains to be seen.
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Plot Idea One???
Lord Abal was a minor System Lord. All he had under his control in his little corner of space were a couple of star systems in the Sirrus Nebula and Orion Constellation. His entire fleet consisted of just ten Hatak motherships and his one command ship. Not much but ... it was a start and ... with some clever planning, not to mention ... backstabbing ... a key to a great and glorious future ... as the ruler of the galaxy ... of course ^_^.
Like any Goauld worth his salt ... he plotted long term ... to increase his power and prestige.
There was no place for weaknesses of any sort among his kind. It was a vicious world of eat or be eaten among the Goauld where one's foes gave no mercy and expected none in return. He planned of course ... to be on being the sole surviving winner ... dreaming of the day when all the System Lords were eliminated or bowing to him as the single Supreme System Lord in the entire galaxy with the rest of the alien races as his slaves.
A truly ambitious design but one he was prepared to accomplish ... at any cost ... even if it meant the end of the Goauld as a living species throughout the galaxy.
Alarm klaxons began sounding all over the ship disturbing him out of his daydreams. What was it? he pondered his temper beginning to rise at the sudden disturbance to his favourite dreams, namely of everyone kneeling at his feet for mercy.
"Master! A ship has appeared within striking distance of our ships!"
"Whose ship?" he asked, his voice curt and imperious ... like any System Lord.
His expression and facial features masking his true fears. Inwardly though ... he cringed at the report. Had one of the major System Lords decided to move against him? If this was the case ... he was in serious trouble. So far he had managed to stay independent of the major System Lords such as Chronos and Ba'al by keeping a low profile ... and doing nothing to attract any of their attention.
But if they should ever decide to scrutinise his activities ... he was done for ... The only way out was of course ... eternal servitude ... but he was not prepared to call any other Goauld ... Master ... if he could help it.
"Ship's configuration ... unknown ... It doesn't match any known ship design in our database!"
The reply from his ship commander caused him to involuntarily raise an eyebrow. That was strange. In the centuries of their dominance in the galaxy ... the Goauld had come across many alien races and ship designs in their travels and life experience ... Consequently ... not recognizing a ship design was virtually unheard of ... unless of course ... it was a new ship ... or it came from some uncharted region of space.
"Put the intruder on screen!" he ordered.
A sinister-looking black ship with sharp spikes like cystal formations appeared on the viewscreen.
"Tell the intruder to surrender or be destroyed-"
"Master! The unknown vessel is powering up its weapons!" his commander interrupted.
"Raise shields! Target and disable the intruder vessel! Do not destroy it! I want the ship intact."
A purple discharge of energy struck one of the Hatak motherships ... effectively cutting it in half like a hot knife through butter. The other Hatak vessels responded quickly ... firing all their weapons upon the sinister looking black ship only to hit an impenetrable orange barrier of energy.
Another discharge of purple energy lanced out towards another the closest ship ... destroying the shields just as quickly and punching a hole straight through the hull, virtually slicing the large mothership into half.
More energy beams rained down upon the strange ship only to hit the strange energy barrier with no visible effect.
"Master ... our weapons are not penetrating the shields!"
"Order the fleet to fire at full power!"
Once again ... large bursts of plasma fire from all the remaining Hatak motherships and the command ship rained down on the strange black vessel only to hit nothing as it disappeared from sight.
"The ship has disappeared from our sensors ..."
"Find it! This ship must not be allowed to escape!" he bellowed loudly.
An explosion rocked the closest Hatak Mothership causing it to spin wildly out of control as it struck the Mothership next to it.
"It re-appeared behind us!"
Again the dreaded discharge of purple energy reached out towards a Hatak mothership cleaving it into half instantly while multiple bursts of green energy from other parts of the alien vessel struck a second Hatak mothership causing its shields to collapse almost instantly.
Lord Abal quickly reached a decision. There was no point in continuing a battle when his fleet could not even damage the enemy vessel. Unlike most of the high-ranking Goauld, he knew when to push and when to fold. This was one such time ... especially when his fleet was being cut down to size rapidly like flesh before a sharp knife. Good ships especially Hatak motherships were hard to replace in large numbers.
"Get us out of here! Tell the fleet to do the same!" The System Lord ordered.
"Ready the hyperspace window. Jump on command!" His First Prime answered.
As one the Goauld command ship and its remaining Hatak motherships took the jump into hyperspace ... leaving the area for safety ...
Multiple explosions shook the Goauld command ship causing sparks to flare from broken circuits and downed powerlines.
"My Lord ... shields completely down! All our shields and weapon systems have been disabled! Damage to the hyperdrive has forced us to drop out of hyperspace." The Jaffa guard knelt trembling before his Goauld Master.
"What???!!! Get-" He shouted.
Whatever the System Lord was going to say next was never to be known for the eerie silence of the bridge was suddenly broken by a powerful explosion that shattered the powerful doors like glass barring the entrance to the bridge.
Smoke shrouded the entrance ... and the silhoutte of a shadow-like figure stood amidst the remains of the broken doorway.
True to their nature ... the Jaffa quickly took guard positions in front of the entrance to the bridge. The shadow-like figure took a step forward. The smoke cleared to reveal a hooded figure in black robes. It stopped as if to take stock of its surroundings before moving forward. Then as if having considered and then dismissing the threat of the opposition before it casually, it advanced forward.
Row upon row of Jaffa warriors barred the path of the hooded figure in black robes … plasma fire streaming endlessly from their staves to impact harmlessly upon an orange barrier of energy.
In answer ... the hooded figure simply raised a hand and a wipespread distortion left its hand in a ripple-like wave to hit upon the Jaffa, breaking them like matchsticks and scattering the rest like rag dolls strewn across the ship.
Even the mighty System Lord himself was not spared ... being thrown into the wall of the ship by the wake of the distortion wave.
“Intruder!!! How dare you attack a god???!!!” The wounded Goauld gasped as the cloaked figure approached the throne.
A Jaffa guard rushed the hooded figure with a broken plasma staff only to find himself flying into the wall of the ship, courtesy of a large distortion blast that struck him evenly in the chest.
“Who are you … intruder???” The System Lord asked … at last.
“I don't know ... but if you must give me a name … then call me Calypso ...” the voice answered as the darkness of clothing extended forward like a lance ... A large worm-like parasite leaped from the body of the Goauld Lord only to be seized by the hand of the hooded figure.
"Patron of The Flying Dutchman ... Collector of Souls …" the voice continued as more of the strange dark chrome-like cloak that covered the figure wrapped itself around the captive Goauld. The hooded figure then faded from sight.
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Date: 110107, 310108
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 never belonged to me and never will. sighs
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Part Eleven:
Nabiki studied the gathering security officers with a growing feeling of satisfaction. Those arrogant Tollans were so going to get it. Nobody treated Nabiki Tendo that way and got away with it ... Period ... She giggled inwardly at the thought of the Tollans becoming guinea pigs for the Japanese military. She smiled at the thought of that stuck-up Omoc being forced to undergo 'cleaning' procedures. She grinned at the thought of him becoming a circus attraction.
All in all, she felt really good at the thought of those stuck up Tollans being turned into lab rats for the rest of their stuck up lives.
Except that ... the Tollans did not even seem to notice the security officers or the events that were happening in the garden of the Tendo Dojo ... Nor did they seem to care about the Japanese special forces coming in by air. Or even the shouts and warnings of the Japanese military. The only one they seemed to be paying attention to was Ranma ... who spoke to them in that strange language of theirs ...
Strange ...
Nabiki longed to know what the ponytailed girl cash machine was saying to them. Unfortunately, she had no clue. And she was equally certain that no one else on the planet understood what they were saying either. If their claims on being a highly advanced alien race in terms of science and technology were to be believed.
And speaking of science and technology, she had tried to get Ranma to give her the secrets of her technology many times but Ranma had declined by saying that her technology was way beyond the understanding of the world's best scientists ... and would possibly remain that way for the next one hundred years or so.
Then a large shadow blocked out the sun ... darkening the skies considerably.
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Tokyo Meteorological Department ...
"Sir, the cloud formations in all the upper level troposphere and stratosphere are moving. I'm picking up a sudden surge in temperature."
"Is it a comet or meteor?"
"Comets and meteors do not come to a standstill in the upper layer of the troposphere. Whatever it is, it's got to be big to be able to be able to cause such a displacement in air and change in air pressure."
"I don't see anything."
"It's there. Take a look at all the cloud displacements."
"Whatever is causing all the cloud displacements ... It appears headed for Nerima!"
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SGC ...
Warning ... Possible alien infiltration ... Please respond ...
"Possible alien infiltration over Japan! Contact SG1 immediately!"
"Daniel! Wake up! We've got a situation!" the Colonel shouted.
"Jack. I'm not deaf. I can hear you. What happened?" the still sleepy archaelogist asked.
"SGC has picked up traces of an alien vessel over Nerima, Tokyo and they want us to be there as soon as possible."
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"Go! Go! Go!" shouted a Japanese SWAT team officer only to see a large blue field of energy appeared in front of him.
There was silence as they watched their targets standing calmly in the middle of the Tendo compound.
Much to their disbelief, large rings began to appear around the targeted group ... one at a time ...
The security officers watched the scene in silence unable to do a thing to stop the event from taking place. Light shone from inside the large rings as they piled up on top of each like dominoes before disappearing in the same way from sight ... with their targets.
Once that happened, the force field separating the security officers from the Tendo Dojo was gone.
From the window in her room, Nabiki watched the scene in stunned disbelief, recording all she saw on hidden camera.
Matter teleportation technology!
The Tollans or ... the stuck up Tollans had matter teleportation technology!
Where did they get it? she wondered.
Maybe Ranma had the same thing. The middle Tendo sister was knocked from her usual train of thoughts by a knocking from the front door. As usual, her older sister opened it only to be told politely to move outside while the law enforcement officers conducted a full search of the premises.
A full search? A full search of the premises? The middle Tendo sister trembled inwardly as she visibly recalled her stash of illegal blackmail material and paraphernalia that she had regarding all her former and current victims in the school. There was no time to get rid of them ... as the security officers swept out in an orderly manner to search every single room.
Wait! Perhaps she could still ...
Suddenly, her room's door opened to reveal a very stern-faced security officer who ordered her to move outside immediately so that the security officers to conduct a check of the premises. Seeing that there was no alternative, the middle Tendo sister quickly did as she was told.
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Elsewhere on a large Goauld Command Ship ...
"Lord Sokar ... the Asgard ... destroyed ... our attack force," the Jaffa commander trembled.
"You dare bring these news to me!" a figure in a hooded red robe answered, his eyes glinting evilly.
"They had allies. Allies we had not seen before. We have no idea who they were. They destroyed our attack force with biogenic weaponry," the Jaffa commander spoke nervously.
"Biogenic weaponry? Show me!" the mighty lord commanded.
A holographic display of the battle was played over the throne room ...
"A thousand curses! Natu! I will give you one more chance to prove yourself! Mobilise the entire fleet!" the figure in red robes ordered.
"Yes. Mighty master. Are we going to attack the Asgard again?" the Jaffa commander trembled.
He hoped inwardly that they were not going to attack the Asgard or their allies again until they were more prepared.
"No. Not yet. We are going to attack Ra's domain. It has been left vacant for some time and I wish to expand my holdings, Natu. Now go!" the figure in red robes answered.
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Japanese police officers continued to search the house. They finally exited the premises with Genma in handcuffs.
"What did I do? What did I do?" the bald-headed martial artist pleaded his innocence only to received a hard look from his captors that silenced his outburst.
"Tendo Nabiki, you must come with us," one of the security officers spoke.
"What is it, officer?" she asked.
"Yes, officer. What wrong did my daughter do?" the Tendo Patriarch asked.
"We wish to question Nabiki in regards to her daily activities and several items that she had in her possession," the police officer clarified.
Nabiki's blood froze at the answer.
No! My blackmail material! They found it! She shrieked.
"Let go of my sister!" the youngest Tendo sister shouted when she saw the police officer slapped the handcuffs on Nabiki.
"I'm sorry Miss but your sister has to answer for many things," the officer replied calmly.
"I don't believe it! Sure Nabiki runs the betting pools and gambling rings in school but I don't think she has done anything against the law! Now, let her go!" the youngest Tendo sister insisted.
"I'm sorry but we have our orders, Miss," the officer replied firmly before dragging Nabiki away.
"POLICEMAN NO BAKA! LET GO OF MY SISTER!" the youngest Tendo sister shouted before charging at Tokyo's finest in a rage.
Akane was about to hit the policeman with her usual mallet when a lightning bolt struck her body causing her drop to the ground and scream in pain. It was so painful that she lost control of her mallet, letting it fly through the air from her hands.
"Thank you American."
The Japanese police officer turned to the new arrivals.
"We shall take over from here. Now Miss Tendo Akane, you are under arrest for trying to assault a police officer with a dangerous weapon."
Too weak to resist, Akane was handcuffed in the same manner as her sister by the Metropoliton Tokyo Police Force. Nabiki watched the scene in a helpless rage, unable to do a thing. Though inwardly, she coveted the strange metallic weapon that curled like a cobra about to strike from one of the foreigners. Like Ranma's friends, she seriously doubted that the weapon originated from Earth.
"Looks like we got here too late. We've received another order, people from SGC. We have to go back immediately," the blonde colonel whispered.
"What's going on?" the bespectacled man asked.
"I'll explain everything when we get back," the blonde colonel answered as they got back into their car.
Not faraway ... a four-legged mechanical contraption followed the group unnoticed.
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"People of Earth. Be warned! Sokar has mobilised his entire fleet to move against Ra's domain. Your world ... which lies within Ra's sphere of influence is in great danger. Sokar's threat would make the one you had with Ra and Apophis minimal in comparison. He is capable of fielding one hundred and sixty-one Hatak Motherships not counting his personal command ship or any of the other vessels at hand. His Jaffa legions number in the millions. His entire invasion force will arrive in seven days."
The recording came to a stop.
"It came from the Goauld symbiote within Dad," the female major commented.
"This message came from the Tok'ra a few hours ago to SGC. A Goauld invasion force has been mobilised to attack Earth."
"Why Earth? And who the hell is Sokar?" the Samantha asked.
"Sokar in Egyptian mythology is the Devil ... and no, he's not moving against Earth alone. He's moving against Ra's domain in general," Daniel answered.
"Like that makes me feel any better and I gather he's not one of the regular System Lords," O'Neill quipped.
"No O'Neill. Ra and the rest of the System Lords cast him out for his evil deeds," the former Jaffa added in.
"Evil for a Goauld? Now that's something. I didn't think that those snakeheads were capable of knowing evil even if it hit them on the head," the Colonel answered.
Unseen and cloaked from sight, a four-legged mechanical contraption continued to watch the proceedings in silence.
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"Ra's domain is our master's!" a Jaffa commander shouted.
Twenty Hatak Motherships that disgorged thousands of Alkesh Bombers and Goauld Deathgliders began heading for Earth.
On the surface of the Earth ... a state of mass panic had broken out in many parts of the world when regular broadcasts were suddenly stopped to be filled by that of a hooded figure in red robes in front of their screens. Unknown to everyone, the face of that hooded figure was going to be the planet's most hated face ... in twenty-four hours.
"Former servants of Ra. I have one message for you. Surrender your world to me. Resistance is futile. You will kneel before me as my new slaves or you will fight and die in horrible agony! Choose! You have one hour!" shouted the figure in red robes, his eyes glowing a bright red as he did so.
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Seeing a lack of response from the planet's inhabitants, the Jaffa commanders began their standard procedure of acquiring new worlds for their masters. Namely sending thousands of their Alkesh Bombers and Goauld Deathgliders to attack mass population centers while their Hatak Motherships remained parked in orbit while raining death and destruction on the population below.
It was hell ... literally in many parts of the world as the world's defenses scrambled to deal with the alien invaders. Russia, China, the United States and the European Union led the world's defences ... but all in vain. The world's heavily outnumbered and outgunned ... not to mention outmatched defense forces fought desperately ... to turn the tide ... yet the attack by the alien invaders proved too much even for them.
"The President's here. NATO has already dispatched every available aircraft to take out these Goauld craft but there's too many of them and that doesn't count the twenty Hatak Motherships in orbit around the Earth. Many of the world's leaders are already here. They'll be ready to leave for the Alpha Site in ten minutes."
The president came into the room.
"Tell me the truth, how bad is it?"
"Defences are already down on the East Coast. One of the Hatak Motherships is letting off what I assumed are transport ships. Their Jaffa legions will be here soon. And no word from the Asgard yet," one of the generals answered.
"Sir ... I'm picking up a signal on one of our long range communications."
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On board the Hatak Motherships ...
"Master ... Multiple hyperspace windows opening from all over the system."
"What???!!!" the Jaffa commander shouted.
"Unknown vessels dropping out from hyperspace. Configuration ... unknown. They're powering up their weapons!" the Jaffa navigator warned.
"How many??!!!" the Jaffa commander shouted.
"Fifty-three heavy cruisers. Shield strength is equivalent to our ship," the Jaffa navigator answered.
"Alert Lord Sokar! Emergency transmission! Large enemy attack force detected!" the Jaffa commander shouted.
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Sokar was pleased. The invasion of Ra's domain was going exactly as planned ... that was until he received a transmission from one of his Jaffa commanders about an unknown enemy attacking the Hatak fleet he had sent to attack the world that was said to be the main cause of Ra's demise.
Feeling concerned, he had ordered the bulk of his forces of up to one hundred Hatak Motherships to reinforce the attack force outside Earth. They arrived ... detecting a major war happening around the third planet of the star system. His Hatak Motherships engaging an unknown enemy to the death.
Seeing the bulk of his forces arriving, the losing attack force quickly regained their initiative to attack the unknown enemy force. Without any further hesitation, he ordered the bulk of the fleet to engage the new interlopers.
"Master ... multiple hyperspace windows opening .... " the Jaffa navigator announced as a vortex in deep space opened to spit out two ships that was quickly becoming a special hate among the Jaffa of Sokar's fleet ... and several ships of blocky-looking design ...
"Asgard warships ... and their allies with those biogenic weapons!" the Jaffa commander announced.
"Target the ships with those biogenic weapons first! Relay the orders to all the fleet commanders!" Sokar ordered.
The Jaffa commander quickly did as he was told. Within seconds the orders were given out.
Deep in the tortured subconscious of the host's mind, what little hope there was began to blossom. For the first time in eons, the strange hellish parasite that had inhabited his body, had begun to know fear. What had started out as an easy campaign of conquest was now turning into a war of survival.
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The war was bloody ... violent ... and full of desperate moves by both sides in the conflict. High-powered energy weapons traded fire unceasingly between different vessels. Naquadah enhanced warheads shot towards their targets ... causing the enemy shields to buckle. Quantum torpedoes and photon torpedoes landed unerringly on their targets tearing through the shields with impunity. Glowing spheres filled with biogenic weapons landed on the enemy vessels causing untold casualties. From time to time, a ship from one side or the other … in a final act of defiance would ram the body of their ship into the nearest enemy vessel taking both ships out in the process.
When the battle was over ... millions on both sides of the divide had died. The majority being civilians on the planet who had nowhere to run. Still the battle could have been worse, Hammond thought as he studied the situation in the SG command room. The nations of the Earth were very glad that they had been saved from enslavement at the hands of the Goauld and even happier that the monster called Sokar was dead. They were interested in making contact with these new aliens too who had arrived seemingly in the nick of time.
And what did these aliens call themselves?
The first one referred to themselves as the Optricans. The second one referred to themselves as the Bedrossians. Strangely enough ... they were here not at the behest of Earth's governments but at the request of the one they referred to as the Peacemaker. The one they said who ended the civil war between the two contending factions on their planet. They had been at peace for a year now ... but a century of hatred and war was still difficult to get over with completely ... so for the most part they avoided each other.
The third group who came with the Asgard delegation, like the first two groups, was also a virtual unknown to the SGC. The Aschens, as they called themselves came from a very faraway star system ... they learned. But it could be reached via the Stargate network. They put down their gate address as ... P4C-970 ... for some reason that address stirred some memory within the General but he could not quite place the feeling.
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The previously concluded war between Earth and the Goauld had one ugly side-effect.
Disclosure.
Not just disclosure to a single person or a group for that matter.
But to the entire world.
Needless to say, it was not an easy thing.
But the harm had already been done in one of the worst ways possible.
Invasion.
From deep space.
Any attempt at covering up the truth would certainly meet with failure. Too many people from all over the world had lost loved ones, their homes and not to mention, their possessions, to the Goauld invaders. All governments and non-state entities all over the world could no longer ignore the one question that had been gnawing at mankind since the dawn of civillisation.
Are we alone in the universe?
Once relegated to the sidelines as a commentary for TV talk show hosts or pastime hobby for UFO investigators and amateur scientists (some might say, cultists) to solve, the Goauld invasion had forced the issue regarding the status of intelligent life outside the Earth to one of supreme importance.
Does intelligent life exist in the universe?
That question had been answered in the most violent and traumatic way possible.
Yes.
It does.
And with that undeniable truth came its bedmate … anarchy.
Riots and complete anarchy reigned on Earth for a few weeks before all the governments and institutions were finally able to establish some semblance of order in their respective countries.
This restoration of law and order was of course no lean feat because much of the infrastructure of the world had been damaged in the war. Communication centers, power plants, transportation lines, etc … almost all had been destroyed in the first two waves of the Goauld attack.
Once that was taken care of though ... all the governments from all over the world finally came down to the second order of business.
Namely, dealing with the aliens that had arrived. The aliens who had defended the Earth had already agreed to provide support to all the Earth’s governments in rebuilding their respective countries but all of the world’s governments wanted more.
The chief thing being negotiations and treaties with the aliens to acquire their highly advanced technology especially the ones dealing with weapons technology.
They first approached the Federation.
Despite their role in the war with the Goauld, the Federation stance remained the same ... unchanged. No sharing of any of their highly advanced knowledge or technology with less advanced cultures. The Prime Directive was the primary reason they gave, much to the disappointment and disgust of the entire diplomatic community and their leaders on Earth. The Asgard shared the same sentiment in that regard ... though in a less arrogant manner.
Unfortunately for the Federation and the Asgard, the other three alien races were not so ideally inclined. Alliances and treaties quickly made the news of the day as governments from all over the world moved rapidly to setup contact with the Optricans that took part in the war followed quickly by their old foes, the Bedrossians. Due to their old animosity, both sides were still avoiding contact with the other unless absolutely necessary.
Since NATO had already made contact with the Optricans, the Bedrossians went to the major post-cold war countries. Any Earth government that made contact with either the Bedrossians or the Optricans quickly found out that they could signed treaties or agreements with one side or the other but not both.
The world soon found itself dangerously split and polarized by their interactions with the two alien factions with the Western countries forming the bulk of the Optrican sphere of influence while the former Soviet-bloc and Communist countries formed the bulk of the Bedrossian sphere of influence.
As usual, NATO and many of the major former Communist countries tried to stem the flow of advanced technology to nations and groups who were opposed to their interests and agendas with vigor. 'Get all the goodies. Deny it to the enemy,' went the motto.
It worked up to a point until those who were left out in the cold approached the seemingly benign Aschen who had arrived together with the Federation and the Asgard. Much to their relief and the dismay of their opponents who had sought to contain and isolate them, the Aschen did not share the same sentiment as their Federation and Asgard counterparts.
The seemingly indifferent Aschen dealt with them in the same way that they did with less advanced cultures they came into contact with. They shared their knowledge and technology with those isolated countries and non-state entities. Once that happened ... technological restrictions placed by both the West and the former Soviet Bloc countries on their rivals became a joke amongst the Third World nations (especially the Middle East) for Aschen technology was on par and in some fields, superior to that of the Goauld.
As rivalry among the different alien factions persisted, so too did their activities on Earth. This was notable in terms of world affairs. Countries that were once isolated by other countries in terms of politics, economics and technology could now count on both material and technological support from their highly advanced allies from the stars.
And with that ... the dynamics of world politics was forever changed.
What did this hold for the future?
Well here's an example. A country that had economic sanctions slapped on it by every other country on the planet could simply arrange to open negotiations with other worlds for trade and assistance ... which not only allowed said country to survive indefinitely but move forward progressively with the surrounding countries.
The potential dangers of wars increased dramatically as the threat of more and more advanced (not to mention, destructive) weapons came to be brought to the fore by hostile nations and terrorist groups.
These dangers also forced many countries to band together in the face of hostile nations and technological terrorism. Almost all countries on the Earth joined up with their respective alien benefactors.
First of all came the Western countries who formed NATO. They linked up to form the Stargate Interplanetary Alliance with the Optricans.
They were then followed by the post-Soviet bloc, former communist and left-leaning countries who united with the Bedrossian leadership. They linked up to form the Bedrossian-Earth Defense League.
After this came the pariah and non-viable state entities who for some reasons or other were ignored or ostracized by the rest of the world such as Myanmar, North Korea, Taiwan, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Syria, Algeria, Somalia, Eritrea, Kurdistan, Chechnya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Aceh, Pattani, Jaffna, Venezuela and so on. All these states and non-state entities were now benefiting greatly from Aschen interference. They linked up to form the Aschen Commonwealth (yes ... the Aschen have finally gained a foothold on Earth).
Last of all came the countries that didn't trust aliens in general or who just didn't want to take sides in an interstellar war which could happen but happened to have the means to move forward on their own. Countries like Japan thanks to the Goauld technological upgrades implemented by Ranma.
They were joined by several other nations such as Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, Fiji, The Solomon Islands, Thailand, Singapore and nearly all the island nations who didn't want to join either of those three new blocs. All the remaining ones linked up with Japan to form a FOURTH UNDECLARED NEUTRAL bloc. These countries relied on Japan (Ranma) for much of their technological advancement.
Consequently, instead of unifying the people of Earth in the face of a powerful hostile alien foe, contact with extra-terrestrial races had simply left them divided more than ever before.
The ponytailed girl simply shook her head in dismay at the situation. She still vividly recalled the elder Tollan’s parting words just before the Tollans left for their new home.
Remember Serita.
He had said.
They had warned her of what would happened if she were to push forward with her own plans to accelerate Earth’s advancement in technology beyond what it was supposed to be. Ranma had of course, told them not to worry as she would be controlling what type of technology was introduced to the world, when it was introduced and where it should be used.
Except that it had not happened. Instead, this matter had been completely taken out of her hands altogether by three distinct alien groups from the five alien races that had stepped into the fray from out of nowhere to save the Earth.
Oh sure … Ranma was truly grateful for their help in stopping the invaders and restoring the damaged planet but she was suspicious as to their long term intentions when they too readily agreed to all the world leaders’ suggestions to upgrade all of Earth’s technology to their level without strings attached.
What did this mean for the future? She asked herself that question.
Ranma began extrapolating on the possibilities that this event could entail … and she did not like what she was seeing one bit.
None of the countries on the planet could hope to match the industrial output nor the technological advancement of the three alien factions so they would most likely end up falling one way or another, under the sway of their powerful alien benefactors. Since Earth’s technology was at least a century or two behind that of all three alien factions, not to mention the Goauld invaders, it would be impossible to manufacture all the advanced parts required to reproduce their advanced devices even if they understood the principles behind the workings of the device due to lack of materials and technical know-how.
This left acquisition of weapons, fighters and heavy warships in the form of imports or purchase from their alien benefactors. Either that or have them stationed a permanent detachment on the planet or in the Solar System. This would of course have the undesirable side-effect of those countries becoming increasingly dependent on technological know-how and material support from their alien counterparts.
The Jusenkyo cursed martial artist’s prediction was proven right when she witnessed NATO and the Optricans forming a new alliance. She was vindicated once again when many countries in South America and the former Soviet Union linked up with the Bedrossians to form a rival league. And she was proven right one final time when a large number of the non-aligned nations united under the Aschen Commonwealth.
Sure there was the United Nations for Earth but since when had the United Nations body truly ever been united?
Even before the war was over, the countries of the world had already reverted back to their old predatory behaviour over who gets what from the aliens. Ranma was quite certain that if the Goauld attack had not caused such widespread damage to the ecology and infrastructure of the planet, they would already be at each other’s necks.
Already, there were plans to dismantle the old and decrepit United Nations body and revamp it as the new Galactic Assembly with the Optricans, Bedrossians and Aschens occupying positions as new permanent members of the Galactic Council. They had also offered it to the Asgard and the Federation on a permanent basis but they had declined preferring not to interfere with the development of a more primitive civilization.
All this, more than anything else, proved that the alien factions were here to stay and already each of them was shaping events across the world directly or indirectly, in whatever way they saw fit. Consequently, the disunited nations or factions across the Earth would end up becoming nothing more than proxies or satellites to their powerful alien neighbours in the process.
Even if they meant well. And that was a big ‘if’.
The ponytailed girl simply shook her head again.
And just why did all these things happen?
Ranma’s thoughts ran back to the Goauld and she swore inwardly at the whole lot of them. All these happened just because some parasitic worm with a god-complex called Sokar got greedy and decided to add Earth to his already vast domain. His attack had failed miraculously, of course, but untold damage had already been done to Earth’s future in the form of technological and economic subjugation since Earth technology and its divided economy would not be able to compete with alien technology and resources for the next two generations at the very least.
Why couldn't things have been easier? Correction, since when have things ever been easier? In her life or in the world for that matter?
Well, things could have been worse, she thought while petting one of her creations affectionately on the head.
Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance when suddenly a bright light engulfed the ponytailed girl causing her to disappear from sight.
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In a galaxy far, far away ...
In a large hall ... on a seemingly unremarkable planet ...
In a vast empire ... of immeasurable power ... and dimensions ...
A very important ceremony was taking place …
A large group of people in the same wardrobe gathered ... before a small path leading to an aisle. At the center of the gathering ... a man in white robes spread his hands before the crowd ...
"Behold, brothers and sisters! Today we are gathered here to welcome the newest adherent into our ranks! The newest defender of the faith! I ... present ... to... you ... all ... Brother ... " the man announced.
The audience cheered loudly. The walking figure stopped before the man and as he turned to face the crowd ...
"Ryoga ...”
“Hibiki!"
"Hallowed be the Ori!" he shouted.
"Hallowed be the Ori!" he shouted.
"Hallowed be the Ori!" the congregation rose up and shouted in concert.
"May all who stand in the way of the Ori be destroyed!" the lost boy shouted.
The End.
Maybe. Time will tell ...
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FAQ:
1. The Russian submarine carrying the Stargate was hijacked by the Replicators and lost to sea. Ranma got the location of the Stargate from the Replicator drone that was swept to shore.
2. Tollan arrogance and a middle Tendo sister's greed certainly do not go hand in hand.
3. Earth’s success at finally acquiring advanced technology from aliens even in the face of Federation and Asgard disapproval may for all purposes appear to be godsend at first … but things are never quite what they appear to be … especially when it concerns the Optricans, the Bedrossians and the Aschens on Earth. Each of whom will have their own hidden agendas which may or may not be quite in the best interests of the Tauri/Earthlings.
4. Yes … Ranma has disappeared but to where?
5. Ryoga has thrown in his lot with the Ori … Seems like his ability to get lost has caused him to come into contact with those Ascended Beings. What this means for the universe … remains to be seen.
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Plot Idea One???
Lord Abal was a minor System Lord. All he had under his control in his little corner of space were a couple of star systems in the Sirrus Nebula and Orion Constellation. His entire fleet consisted of just ten Hatak motherships and his one command ship. Not much but ... it was a start and ... with some clever planning, not to mention ... backstabbing ... a key to a great and glorious future ... as the ruler of the galaxy ... of course ^_^.
Like any Goauld worth his salt ... he plotted long term ... to increase his power and prestige.
There was no place for weaknesses of any sort among his kind. It was a vicious world of eat or be eaten among the Goauld where one's foes gave no mercy and expected none in return. He planned of course ... to be on being the sole surviving winner ... dreaming of the day when all the System Lords were eliminated or bowing to him as the single Supreme System Lord in the entire galaxy with the rest of the alien races as his slaves.
A truly ambitious design but one he was prepared to accomplish ... at any cost ... even if it meant the end of the Goauld as a living species throughout the galaxy.
Alarm klaxons began sounding all over the ship disturbing him out of his daydreams. What was it? he pondered his temper beginning to rise at the sudden disturbance to his favourite dreams, namely of everyone kneeling at his feet for mercy.
"Master! A ship has appeared within striking distance of our ships!"
"Whose ship?" he asked, his voice curt and imperious ... like any System Lord.
His expression and facial features masking his true fears. Inwardly though ... he cringed at the report. Had one of the major System Lords decided to move against him? If this was the case ... he was in serious trouble. So far he had managed to stay independent of the major System Lords such as Chronos and Ba'al by keeping a low profile ... and doing nothing to attract any of their attention.
But if they should ever decide to scrutinise his activities ... he was done for ... The only way out was of course ... eternal servitude ... but he was not prepared to call any other Goauld ... Master ... if he could help it.
"Ship's configuration ... unknown ... It doesn't match any known ship design in our database!"
The reply from his ship commander caused him to involuntarily raise an eyebrow. That was strange. In the centuries of their dominance in the galaxy ... the Goauld had come across many alien races and ship designs in their travels and life experience ... Consequently ... not recognizing a ship design was virtually unheard of ... unless of course ... it was a new ship ... or it came from some uncharted region of space.
"Put the intruder on screen!" he ordered.
A sinister-looking black ship with sharp spikes like cystal formations appeared on the viewscreen.
"Tell the intruder to surrender or be destroyed-"
"Master! The unknown vessel is powering up its weapons!" his commander interrupted.
"Raise shields! Target and disable the intruder vessel! Do not destroy it! I want the ship intact."
A purple discharge of energy struck one of the Hatak motherships ... effectively cutting it in half like a hot knife through butter. The other Hatak vessels responded quickly ... firing all their weapons upon the sinister looking black ship only to hit an impenetrable orange barrier of energy.
Another discharge of purple energy lanced out towards another the closest ship ... destroying the shields just as quickly and punching a hole straight through the hull, virtually slicing the large mothership into half.
More energy beams rained down upon the strange ship only to hit the strange energy barrier with no visible effect.
"Master ... our weapons are not penetrating the shields!"
"Order the fleet to fire at full power!"
Once again ... large bursts of plasma fire from all the remaining Hatak motherships and the command ship rained down on the strange black vessel only to hit nothing as it disappeared from sight.
"The ship has disappeared from our sensors ..."
"Find it! This ship must not be allowed to escape!" he bellowed loudly.
An explosion rocked the closest Hatak Mothership causing it to spin wildly out of control as it struck the Mothership next to it.
"It re-appeared behind us!"
Again the dreaded discharge of purple energy reached out towards a Hatak mothership cleaving it into half instantly while multiple bursts of green energy from other parts of the alien vessel struck a second Hatak mothership causing its shields to collapse almost instantly.
Lord Abal quickly reached a decision. There was no point in continuing a battle when his fleet could not even damage the enemy vessel. Unlike most of the high-ranking Goauld, he knew when to push and when to fold. This was one such time ... especially when his fleet was being cut down to size rapidly like flesh before a sharp knife. Good ships especially Hatak motherships were hard to replace in large numbers.
"Get us out of here! Tell the fleet to do the same!" The System Lord ordered.
"Ready the hyperspace window. Jump on command!" His First Prime answered.
As one the Goauld command ship and its remaining Hatak motherships took the jump into hyperspace ... leaving the area for safety ...
Multiple explosions shook the Goauld command ship causing sparks to flare from broken circuits and downed powerlines.
"My Lord ... shields completely down! All our shields and weapon systems have been disabled! Damage to the hyperdrive has forced us to drop out of hyperspace." The Jaffa guard knelt trembling before his Goauld Master.
"What???!!! Get-" He shouted.
Whatever the System Lord was going to say next was never to be known for the eerie silence of the bridge was suddenly broken by a powerful explosion that shattered the powerful doors like glass barring the entrance to the bridge.
Smoke shrouded the entrance ... and the silhoutte of a shadow-like figure stood amidst the remains of the broken doorway.
True to their nature ... the Jaffa quickly took guard positions in front of the entrance to the bridge. The shadow-like figure took a step forward. The smoke cleared to reveal a hooded figure in black robes. It stopped as if to take stock of its surroundings before moving forward. Then as if having considered and then dismissing the threat of the opposition before it casually, it advanced forward.
Row upon row of Jaffa warriors barred the path of the hooded figure in black robes … plasma fire streaming endlessly from their staves to impact harmlessly upon an orange barrier of energy.
In answer ... the hooded figure simply raised a hand and a wipespread distortion left its hand in a ripple-like wave to hit upon the Jaffa, breaking them like matchsticks and scattering the rest like rag dolls strewn across the ship.
Even the mighty System Lord himself was not spared ... being thrown into the wall of the ship by the wake of the distortion wave.
“Intruder!!! How dare you attack a god???!!!” The wounded Goauld gasped as the cloaked figure approached the throne.
A Jaffa guard rushed the hooded figure with a broken plasma staff only to find himself flying into the wall of the ship, courtesy of a large distortion blast that struck him evenly in the chest.
“Who are you … intruder???” The System Lord asked … at last.
“I don't know ... but if you must give me a name … then call me Calypso ...” the voice answered as the darkness of clothing extended forward like a lance ... A large worm-like parasite leaped from the body of the Goauld Lord only to be seized by the hand of the hooded figure.
"Patron of The Flying Dutchman ... Collector of Souls …" the voice continued as more of the strange dark chrome-like cloak that covered the figure wrapped itself around the captive Goauld. The hooded figure then faded from sight.
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