Stargate: Against the Tide of Darkness

[Lucifer1]

This is my first story so... Constructive review (?) are welcome. And I hope that you enjoy...
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October 1, 1967, Avenue of Victory, Jutland Empire
New Berlin (Seat of Government Capital)
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Große Halle was a testimony to the achievements, to the glory and superiority that was the Jutland Empire; it was the home of the Royal Family and the centre of the Empire in the most literal sense. Although the Hall had cost billions of marks to build, every architect in the world agreed that the expense was well worth it. Never in the history of the modern world had any building or construct come close to match its greatness – not even the fabled White House of the USSA nor Russia’s Winter Palace. Große Halle was a monument, the first and last Great Wonder of the modern world.

Surprisingly for such an eminent landmark, the Hall was of a modest design – a simple domed structure with a granite base in the style of Hadrian’s Pantheon in Rome. But the Große Halle was awe-inspiring with its sheer size – the entire Pantheon could fit inside the Hall’s 250-meter wide dome with room to spare. Measuring 290 meters high, the Emperor’s Palace dwarfed every other building, belittled every church and monument in New Berlin. To further enhance its grandeur, the palace’s façade was decorated with a golden mosaic surrounding 24-meter high statue of an eagle carrying two crossed silver blades in its claws.

With its herculean profile and its status as the official residence of the Emperor-Pope, it was easy to see why the Große Halle was often called temple of the Holy and the Faithful, a shrine to the Speakers for the Lord on the Earth. The bodies of Emperor-Popes past were buried in the catacombs beneath the Great Hall, arrayed in a fashion so that their crypts would cast shadows in the dim flickering torches.

But no matter how great the Große Halle was, it could never outshine New Berlin herself. Spreading outward from the Große Halle, past the Avenue of Victory and the 100-meter tall Arch of Triumph, New Berlin was a vast city of unimaginable size. Six million people called New Berlin their home, and as in the Roman Empire, all roads literally led from New Berlin. Never did the city fall asleep as day turned into night, and never did it falter as the Empire continued to expand its already vast borders, and continue to dominate the world and its future history. No other city in the world could exceed the vigor and august spirit of New Berlin.

At least that’s what the General believed.

Sitting in the back of his Volkswagen 1500, General Heinrich Trettner gazed at the bustling streets of the capital as people and cars slithered in the wide avenues and streets. People of all races mingled and talked, rode and shouted. The Jutland was certainly an enlightened Empire – it had never supported slavery and as a result, had condoned racism. Blacks had swelled the ranks of the Jutland army during the dark years of the Reichsheer during the Second Great War. Without them, it was possible that Fascist Britain and the Ottoman Empire might have reduced the Empire to a fraction of it now owned. Never did the Jutland owe so much to another ethic race than that moment.

“Herr General?”

“What?”

The Driver glanced at from the rear-view mirror. “Herr General, where do you want go?”

“The Große Halle,” he murmured.

“Yes sir.”

He was slightly amused that his driver was nervous about going to Große Halle. Rarely did people go into the inner sanctum of the Emperor-Pope, unless it was a matter of uttermost secrecy or urgency. It just so happened that not-to-long ago Trettner’s acquaintance form the Second Great War, Reichsheer General Johannes Poeppel, was granted a similar audience with the Emperor. It was Poeppel who managed to convince the Emperor-Pope to go on with MBT-70 program. The prototype’s test-crews still had their doubts, but the MBT-70 would be ahead of any other Panzer in the world for at least a decade or two, allowing Jutland to maintain the supremacy in Panzer design it enjoyed since inventing the first Panzer over 50 years ago.

Trettner made a mental note to mention to the Emperor the success of the MBT-70 prototypes and suggest that it was time for mass production to replace the Leopard 1’s which had been in service for only eight years already. The Leopard 1 might have had a short amount of time in the light, but the MBT-70 was proving to be superior in virtually every way. The Jutland had to stay ahead of its enemies if it was to survive. It had o conquer and expand to defend itself. That was what history showed them.

But Trettner main business with the Emperor-Pope was one of even greater importance. No, Heiligenschein was more important than any Panzer in the world.

For Heinrich Trettner, Project: Heiligenschein was than just another military research development – it was his life’s work, his legacy to the Empire. Since the moment he laid his eyes on that mystic artifact something pulled him to it, pulled him to the strange designs etched into it. The artifact was thousands of years old, but it didn’t look as weathered as it should, almost as if it was immune to the laws of nature that govern the rest of the universe. It had been discovered in Egypt long ago, and brought to the Jutland during an archaeology expedition. When the military reduced the funding for the project, he was forced to use money from his own savings to supplement the salaries of the researchers. The mineral that the ring was composed of was one that had never been discovered before. Yet it was thousands of years old and found in Egypt! They had spent almost a decade studying it, and had learned a great deal. If he was right (or rather the scientists and engineers were right) then Heiligenschein would usher in a new age for humanity.

The Volkswagen decelerated abruptly as a trio of children ran across the street, carrying heavy backpacks and laughing carelessly on their school, as they crossed the street. Trettner heard the faint chime of a bell in the distance, and chuckled. School was different when he had been a child. Corporal punishment had been acceptable back then, and teachers would beat a student if they were late to school. Not now. Children could be late to school and the teachers would just talk and not take any action.

The sun was glistening above the Capital City, bringing down its life-giving rays upon the world. The sky was clear, no cloud disturbing its blue expense. Cars honked and people shouted as whistles blew, forming a wild but calming orchestra of noise.

The Volkswagen paused in front of a large golden gate. At the edge of the gates, two stone statutes of the Archangel Michael stood guard, wielding silver blades and a rounds shield bearing the Red Cross. Beyond the gate, he saw a pathway spearing the grass field as it curved around a large fountain, and ended into the front of the Große Halle. Two guards stood in front of the gates, holding Heckler & Koch G3-Rifles. They wore old Kaiser-style moustaches, the type worn by Emperor Wilhelm II during the First Great War. The driver was nervous but Trettner was calm. The two soldiers came over to the side of the car and tapped the tips of their rifles on the windows.

“Who are you?” One of the asked when he lowered the window as requested, to Trettner, “What brings you to Große Hall?”

“To meet with Chief of the Reichsheer, Maizière, and the Emperor-Pope,” he said inconspicuously.

“Do you have authorization?”

“Of course,” he said, a bit annoyed now. “I wouldn’t be here if I was not allowed to. Contact the General Maizière – see if I do not have authorization to enter the Große Hall.”

The guard narrowed his eyes and muttered into the cufflink of his greatcoat. “Ja, you have permission,” he said to him. “Forgive me General. Open the gates!” He shouted to the other guard. The guard just nodded and the two of them stepped to the side. The golden gates creaked and shivered as they began to open slowly by themselves. The driver pressed the accelerator slowly; the car inched past the opening gates before he drove at appropriate speed. The General turned around and saw the two guards sling their rifles around their shoulders, the gates shutting behind them.

As they drove around the fountain and to the entrance of the Große Hall, he saw his ‘welcoming committee’ awaiting him. Standing at the steps of the Große Hall doorway, thirty men in black greatcoats awaited him, ten per each tier step. On their chest and on their cufflinks, the Iron Cross was clearly displayed, glistening in the overhead sun. They wore jack boots, and had a Pickelhaube helmet on their heads, remnants of the First Great War and the conquest of Europe.

Branded on their sleeves were two letters.

ST.

Sturmmann.

Stormtroopers.

Only a handful knew the full extent the Stormtroopers power in the Empire. Quite possibly the finest Special Forces, Internal Security, Intelligence Agency and Secret Police force in the world, the only military organization not integrated into the Reichsheer, Stormtroopers were the largest paramilitary group within the Empire, obeying only the Emperor-Pope. They were the most powerful organization outside the Reichsheer, indeed out of the Wehrmacht. They served not just as the silencer of resistance groups, but also as the Emperor’s praetorian bodyguards. They operated within the shadows, and struck from the shadows, blending into them when the job was done. He wondered why they were out waiting for him and, for a moment, wondered if they were going to kill him right here.

Of course that was not possible. If they wanted him dead, then he simply wouldn’t have woken up this morning. “You may go,” Trettner said to his driver as he opened the door and got out, “be ready when I call.”

“Ja, Herr General.”

The General pulled his shoulders back and spun on the heels of his jack boots, and pressed his right fist over his heart. The Stormtrooper saluted him back, and then quickly lowered their arm. The General did the same, slowly though. One of the Stormtrooper guards stepped forward, pausing in front of him. The man was younger than him, about 30 years old. His blue eyes pierced his own brown eyes, as if they were searching and diving into his eternal soul. He had blonde hair, and his complexion was as fair as the legends of old. ‘The boy would be the perfect picture boy for the Arayan Brotherhood,’ he thought. The Arayan Brotherhood was an organization that promoted Arayan superiority, or at least it did. After the ST raided one of their meetings, the Brotherhood had shattered days later.

“You are General Trettner, former commander of the 4th Parachute Division during the Second Great War, Ja?” He asked. “The General Trettner whose Airborne Infantry Division was crucial in the re-conquering of the Balkans from the Ottoman Janissaries, correct?”

“Yes.”

The boy nodded.

He looked pleased.

“Let him pass,” he ordered to the men behind him.

“Yes sir!” Came the chorus of replies.

Without saying else, leaving it at that, the Stormtroopers and the others retreated into the Große Halle, leaving the thick oak door open. Trettner blinked and chuckled. He wondered why they had asked him about his Division during the Second Great War. They probably knew more about him & his operations than he ever knew. Perhaps it was a test, or perhaps the blond-haired youth admired him. Taking the Balkans away from the Ottomans had not been an easy feat, he remembered. The Balkans served as a natural fortress for the Ottomans.

As he ascended the steps and entered the hall, he didn’t see a sign of the Stormtroopers. There weren’t any visible entrances, and the only other exit was on the other side of the entrance, opposite of where he was. The room was shockingly plain, with gray walls. When he looked up however, he saw a layer of overlapping glass, arrayed in a flower pattern all over the roof. He stared at his reflection in the ceiling, and scarcely noticed the other door creak open.

“General?”

The sixty-year old man was startled. “Ja?”

Standing at the other end of the hall, wearing a gray uniform with a series of bars and medals pinned over his left breast and a pair of prominent spectacles on his hawk-like nose, was General Maizière himself. Maizière wore an old transitional uniform, a cross between the stylized officer uniforms of the Second Great and the modern era. If he remembered correctly, he had been an aide to Adolf Heusinger when the Jutland shattered the British Royal Navy and stepped onto British soil. “General Trettner, you wanted to speak with me?” The Chief of the Reichsheer asked arms crossed behind his back.

The General nodded. “Yes – with you and the Emperor. It’s a matter of great importance.”

“All matters are of great importance to the Reich,” the General said, walking up to Trettner. “As such all matters are of great importance to the Emperor. He is currently in Rome to speak with the masses. There was has been a sudden outbreak of anti-authoritarian, atheist riots within Italy. Quite ironic really, and he is going to quell it. But… between the two of us veterans.” He whispered, “The Sturmmann are going with him to ensure the atheists are silenced. Atheism is the greatest threat to the Empire. It’s more dangerous than even American communism.”

Trettner smiled a little inside. General Maizière was a fine commander, but he was rather conservative and showed a little too much religious zeal. Had he lived 100 years ago he would have protested that theory of evolution was a heresy; had he lived 200 years ago he would have demanded that Immanuel Kant be burnt for witchcraft. “Can we speak in your office?”

“Of course,” Maizière replied.

Reichsheer’s Chief’s office wasn’t too far away. Beyond the doors was another long hall with a series of doors at the sides, and each of them bore the Iron Cross at front, in the center. Maizière’s office was the second door on the right, and the office was fairly plain. The only light came from a single window, with was covered by blinds. His desk was in the center of the room, and the symbol of the Jutland Empire hung above him on the wall, the eagle displayed proudly. Maizière took his seat and sighed. “One of the gifts of being the Chief of the Reichsheer,” he said, “is that you get these chairs. The finest chair I have ever sat in. And I sat in Churchill’s chair when we took London in the war you know.”

Trettner chuckled, and then coughed. “Forgive me sir.”

“Forgiven,” he waved his hand. “What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Project-”

“Heiligenschein?”

“You know?” Trettner was surprised.

“Of course I knew,” General Maizière grumbled. “How could I not know about this project you’re running with your own money General? Do not take me as some sort of fool – a fool would not be given the position I have now, you know.”

“My apologies,” Trettner was still surprised. “Then you know why I’m here?”

“No.”

“Then-”

“I know about the project, I don’t know why you want to talk about it. So tell me, since you’re here.”

“Yes sir.”

Trettner cleared his throat and took a deep breath. Reciting what he had practiced the previous day, he began: “An artifact of unknown origin and composed of an unknown mineral was discovered in Egypt during an archaeology expedition in 1927. The artifact predates ancient Egyptian civilization by thousands of years and yet it couldn’t be duplicated even with modern technology. The artifact proved to be mechanical in nature when it was activated in 1927. It was abandoned after a fire erupted in the facility and destroyed most of the files-”

“Skip ahead,” Maizière barked annoyance in his voice.

“Yes sir. I have since been put in charge of this project. It has puzzled us for years, but we recently acquired new information that we believe will allow us to activate the artifact – safely – once again. For this venture I require additional funding-”

“Additional funding? General, I will admit, this artifact of your does indeed a paradox that forces us to re-think everything we thought we knew about Ancient Egypt, the bottom line is that no one know exactly what this thing does in the first place. For all we know, it’s just a fancy lamp. The Reichsheer or the Reichsmarine can’t afford to spend money on deciphering mysterious ancient artifacts while our adversaries peruse more tangible and dangerous goals.”

The General was, of course, thinking about the Space Race and the rapidly shrinking gap between the militarization of space. They knew that the Russians and Americans were working on some sort of space vehicle, but how much they had accomplished was still unknown. However the fact that either of the nations could challenge Jutland tentative dominance in space scared the General. The Jutland was working on its own of course, but it was still a while from being completed. It was a difficult endeavor, but the Reich had a history of doing the impossible. Fortunately however, it seemed that the USSA was too focused on expanding its domain into South America, and what intelligence they had suggested that the USSA wasn’t actively focusing on its space ship, whatever it could be.

“On the contrary General, Heiligenschein will put us a hundred years ahead of our adversaries in terms of technological development” Trettner challenged. “My scientists,” he continued, “believe it to be a device used to transport matter instantaneously between here and another such device on different planet. We’ve learned this through the study of a tablet that was found along with the device. The language on the tablet is older than the Great Pyramids, but it is also composed of the same strange material that the device is composed of. The scientists have named it Marinium after Alfred Marius who, if what records was found are right, first identified the mineral as alien in origin.”

Maizière narrowed his eyes.

“You haven’t tested this theory, did you?”

Trettner shook his head. “There is only one way to test this theory – by activating the artifact. It takes money to test the device, money that I don’t have enough off. I need funding to do this.”

“So you come before me with a circular argument? You ask me for money, I tell you that I first need to see some evidence that this is a good investment and then you say that I will see the evidence once I buy into the product? I must tell you Heinrich, you don’t make a very convincing salesman.”

General Trettner pressed his lips together. It took him a few moments to put his emotions under control, but then he replied in a composed tone “Yes General, I am asking you to invest in the project before it has bore any fruits. If the venture fails, than the Reichsheer would lose several million marks. But think of what would be achieved if we succeed – while our opponents try to land a man on the Moon, Jutland could be setting foot on an extrasolar planet. While our enemies try to develop a supersonic passenger plane, Jutland could be learning from the civilization that built the artifact the secrets of teleportation! “While the Americans and the Russians squabble and war over who is to have the control of the Bering Strait, Jutland could be expanding its borders across the stars!”

Despite his efforts, Trettner knew with a heavy heart that his superior wasn’t convinced. Why focus on an ancient artifact, even if it was alien, when local space was open for grabs to the world, to the Jutland? But Trettner didn’t earn his rank and reputation for nothing – he had long ago learned to use his opponent’s character to his own advantage.

“Perhaps...perhaps it’s even our destiny, our calling to be the ones to activate the device now General. Perhaps it wasn’t our time in the 20's – perhaps it was beyond what we knew at the time. We simply weren’t ready back then, just as we weren’t ready to reach for the heavens in the time of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel. But now, now we’re ready. With this device and God’s blessing, we can finally see the universe the Lord has created for us. Who knows – maybe we’ll even have the opportunity to spread His teachings to other sentient creatures He has surely created, to tell them of His glory and the work of His humble servant, the Imperial-Pope. Perhaps THIS is our Manifest Destiny?”

For a long moment, General Maizière was quiet as he contemplated the picture painted before him. Then he remarked “In the possibility that, however unlikely, I do support you, however likely that possibility is, how do you plan on spending the money?”

Trettner cleared his throat.

“The area where the artifact was found isn't suitable to run a program of this size. I propose that we move it to an old military facility. The installation is located in the Kattegat between the Motherland and Old Sweden-”

“You mean the Anholt Installation?”

Trettner smiled: “Ja. We will have to relocate the people there to another island or somewhere in Europe. The base will require some refitting and modernization, of course, but it is cheaper than constructing a brand new base from the ground up. The transfer of soldiers to a re-commissioned Heer base will not be questioned, and the base can and will be self-sufficient. From this base we will conduct our exploration of the universe. If any sentient species is encountered, we’ll evaluate potential approaches to set up diplomatic relations as well as analyze possible threats and countermeasures.”

To his disappointment, Maizière didn’t seem convinced. “You do realize we’re in the middle of several wars with the damned Africans. The majority of our soldiers are on border patrol or fighting in Africa. Even so, the Anholt Island can’t support a large military personal. It will arouse ire and suspicion and I don’t think your little project would want that.” He shook his head. “To move personal would also make people ask questions.”

“Sir, this is our chance to ensure Jutland dominance for all time!”

“I’m quite aware,” Maizière growled. “But we have to focus on terrestrial matters, not the matters of aliens General.”

Trettner felt lost. He had spent so much time on his Project. No-he would not let it go. “One try, that’s all I’m asking for. Give me enough money to activate the relic one time and see what’s on the other side. I’ll send a probe through, nothing else.”

“Excuse me? The main problem with your project is that you have no idea if it goes anywhere else!”

“But sir, we won’t know unless we try. I have a feeling for this. We of the Jutland have always trusted our feelings during these types of situations. We fielded the most advanced Panzers during the First Great War didn’t we, and took advantage of all the advantages our enemies didn’t use? Please sir; I implore you to just trust me on this.”

Maizière seemed torn. “Fine, fine-I’ll give you money. However if you don’t produce tangible results on your first activation, then your project will be cancelled, this artifact of yours buried and all records of it burned and forgotten.”

“Thank you, General.”

Barely hiding a smile as he saluted his superior officer, a man of equal but greater rank (a paradox in those words,) Trettner spun on the heels of his boots. What would lie beyond the gate, he wondered, when they sent warriors through it? What sort of aliens existed beyond the gate? Who had constructed the device, however, was the foremost question in his mind. If it worked the way Einstein had theorized and his ‘successors’ had agreed on, then they aliens who created it had to be very advanced, more advanced than the Jutland Empire by a hundred centuries, more most likely. However, that brought a new train of thought. Why had the aliens come to Earth, why leave behind the device? If they were hostile, would the Jutland be able to resist their aggressive and barbaric ways?

He felt pained thinking about that.

“General, a moment,” Maizière said.

Trettner paused: “Yes, sir?”

He heard some papers shuffle behind him. “What is this… artifact called?”

Trettner was confused: “Sir?”

The General smiled as Trettner turned around. The smile didn’t look so… pleasant on his face. Why, he didn’t have the faintest idea. “I have to know after all, what this artifact is called, General Trettner. Heiligenschein can’t be its official name, now can it?”

Trettner shook his head, “Nein, Herr General.”

“Then what is called, General?”

Trettner took a breath.

“It’s called… the Stargate.”

[Madzcat]

Seems promising.

Though I'm pretty interested in how this universe turned out like this.

[MysteriousDarkLordv3]

Interesting civilization. What fascism was supposed to be by those who envisioned it before it got tangled up with racist mysticism.

But why do Stargate restart stories always start with the Abydos expedition? Why don't they ever start with someone opening the Gate from the other side and bursting in on a pack of confused Earthly researchers? The gate was exposed to open air for decades before Jackson cracked the code. There surely have to be some folks out there opening a captured gate to random coordinates (or an ancient codex like SGC did the first few seasons) hoping to find something.

[DKeith2011]

Interesting world. I'd like to see where this goes.

[Lucifer1]

I have a Timeline in the works, and I'll post a link when its done if anyone wants to know.

And who's to say the Jutland is the first one to make alien contact?

[Lucifer1]

November 24, 1967, Pyrenees Military Testing Site (Abandoned), Jutland Empire
Iberian/Spanish Peninsula
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Constructed underneath the Pyrenees Mountain range that split France and Spain, the Military Testing Facility had seen the start of the Great War as it served as a bunker for the Iberian Conquistadors, the pompous title the commanders of the Iberian-based armies used. From there, they had overseen the attacks the British made from there, coordinating with the Franks. After the war it fell into disuse until the Stargate was brought in, and found further use as a secret facility for the use of untested chemical and biological weapons. Several hundred people had called it home until the Incident. Afterwards, the facility was abandoned the Stargate with it. The entrance had been covered up until a simple accident had caved the opening in during a training exercise. He had gone to investigate and lo!

He’d found the Stargate.

It had taken a month to bring the facility to minimum capability. Halls had been cleared and scrubbed, walls had been polished and new furniture had been moved in. Although General Maizière had only given him enough marks to sustain teleportation activation for an hour, he was confident that the Stargate would work, and that this facility would serve as a research point for when the Stargate was moved to its new home. Provided, of course that all of their work was correct and the Stargate did indeed work. He wondered if he had been given enough money-the amount of energy it took to power the gate was all guesswork. The money would be used to pay the energy bills and the workers.

The majority of the people in the Military Testing Facility were technicians and soldiers, engineers and researchers. A small minority of the few hundred (very few hundred,) people were Egyptologist. Their jobs were to decipher the writings on the cover stone and act as diplomats in case, upon the first activation, any alien life forms came through. Since the writing on the cover stone was older than the oldest dialect of Egyptian, and yet was still recognizably Egyptian, it only made sense to include Egyptologists into the fray. Leading their department was Manfred Bietak, an Austrian archeologist who had earned his PhD two years before. He had spent the last two years in Cairo, overseeing digs he sponsored for any more artifacts of… how did he would put it, ‘Mysterious years.’

Co-heading the department was Jan Assmann, a Prussian who had been conducting fieldwork in Western Thebes where the Stargate had been discovered decades ago. Not as rich as Bietak, Assmann was a part-time soldier as well, a militia. That made him a better man in Trettner’s eyes-any man who had military training was a good man, a man worthy of being a Jutlander.

‘Now if they were smarter.’

He sighed.

“They’ve done it!”

Trettner grumbled irritably as someone shouted down the hall. Money was becoming tight now. They had spent a month trying to decipher the last few symbols, and the money the General had given him was being drained quickly. God damn it-he had some of the best Egyptologists working for him-they should have started the Stargate weeks ago! “They’ve done it!” The voice was louder this time, and he heard the increasing pace of footsteps come nearer.

He sighed as a man skidded to a halt at his door, pushing it wide open: “Sir, they’ve done it!”

“Who’s done what?” He growled a lashing waiting at the tip of his tongue.

“Bietak and Assmann-they’ve found the last symbol!”

His mouth dropped comically.
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November 25, 1967, Pyrenees Military Testing Site (Abandoned), Jutland Empire
Iberian/Spanish Peninsula
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“Programming seventh symbol into computer…” Jenny announced as the General strolled into the Gate Oversight Chamber. The chamber was a flurry of activity, people rushing in the cramped room as he stared out of the glass window. ‘A month of work… let’s see if all the effort was worth it. Let’s see if the marks spent were well spent.’ He wanted to reach out and touch the Stargate, touch it as the outer ring began to rotate. He blessed God for this. He hoped it work-his reputation, his rank, and his legacy rested on this. “Chevron one is holding-Chevron is locked in place!”

The briefing had been brief yesterday, with Assman explaining what they had done. They’d used a number of terms he didn’t understand or know, and named a dozen different Egyptian Gods and technologies, compared dates and data, wasting hours until they drifted to the main topic: the final symbol. Assmann had found it, a lucky guess when he’d looked at a star chart. If he was wrong, and all of the marks that were being used was ill spent, Assmann was going to die.

He’d kill him. He really would.

“Power output at 21%!”

“Chevron two is locked!”

“Holding at 37%,” someone shouted.

“Condition Red at the Gate, evacuate all personal,” Trettner barked, “All personal get out of the Gate room now!” He turned to a guard, “close the gate room doors, and initiate lockdown. Ensure that the technicians are all out.”

“Yes sir.”

At that exact moment, Manfred Bietak and Jan Assmann walked in, Nicholas Grimal following Bietak. Grimal was Bietak’s assistant, a good man. He was also part of the militia. “Just in time, we haven’t missed a thing,” Grimal said happily. The General glanced at the Egyptologists and smiled as they stared at the Stargate like children in a candy store. It wasn’t proper, but he’d let it slide this time. “Chevron five is locked in place,” Jenny shouted, “power levels are now holding at… 79%”

“Shit!”

Trettner staggered suddenly, and grabbed onto a wall as the floor began to shake. Everything began to shake in fact, the desks and computers. Coffee cups began to rattle and equipment began to shiver. A man reached and grabbed a cup, steadying it as it teetered dangerously near one of the edges of the desks. Trettner grimaced as the shouting became louder. He heard a low hum rise, becoming louder and louder. “Chevron six is locked, it’s locked in place!”

‘Come on,’ he thought, nervous. ‘Come fucking on…’

“Chevron seven….”

‘Come on…’

“..Is locked!”

The final chevron locked in place, slamming on the outer ring of the Stargate. Electricity crackled on the surface of the ring and the chevron flashed erratically. “Magnificent!” Bietak shouted happily, “By God, this is absolutely amazing!” Trettner growled at the man as a giant vortex of energy burst forth from the inner ring, streaming outwards. “General Trettner, this is history in the making! All of our work, all of it is in the making here!”

The General cracked a smile.

‘Now comes the next stage.’

“Send in the probe.”

The Mobile Analytic Expeditionary Probe (or MAED) was a custom designed probe, designed for this specific purpose (although the manufacturer didn’t know that.) It rolled out jerkily from the opening blast doors, its tires crunching on the floor. Several soldiers surrounded the probe, leveling their rifles at the Stargate as they glared with distrusting eyes.

“Record all information from the Stargate,” Trettner ordered, watching as the probe rolled closer to the gate. The blast doors slammed shut as the soldiers took positions inside the Gate room, pressing the butts of their rifles against their shoulders. Every set of eyes were on the probe as it ambled up the ramp, its single ‘eye’ staring at the shimmering event horizon. ‘Oh Mother of God, please let this work,’ Trettner thought as the probe paused just in front of the event horizon before sticking one of its ‘hands’ through the water-like energy wall.

Without warning then, the probe lurched forward and vanished.

“Where is it?”

“We’re tracking it,” Jenny said, rising from her seat as she guided him to a glass star chart. A map of the galaxy was there, showing the estimated location of various stars. The original chart had been found in the facility, meaning that the original researchers had an inkling of what they were dealing with back then. The map had been updated and repaired to suit their purposes. “The MAED has locked itself to a point in the… Perseus Arm of the Galaxy near the Crab Nebula… a little beyond it in fact.”

“How long has the Stargate been active?”

“About ten minutes sir.”

“Keep it active, continue recording data.”

“Ja, Herr General.”

“We’re getting a signal.”

The General tore his eyes from the chart and focused on a monitor. Images appeared, obscured by shadows and dust. There was an unsettling glow in front of the probe, the light the Stargate let off most likely. “Move the probe forward; see if that light is from a Stargate.”

“Yes sir.”

The probe turned, and Trettner saw long columns extending to an invisible ceiling, a hall that was probably wide enough for an old Armored Car, perhaps two side by side. “There’s the Stargate,” Trettner muttered, crossing his arms as he saw a sliver of the stone-like ring at the edge of the camera. The probe rotated even further, giving them a full view of the Stargate. “Atmosphere seems to be nitrogen-oxygen based without any sign of toxins,” a man reported from a computer, “The pressure is within Earth norm and gravity is 0.99 gee, a near perfect match to our own.”

“The Stargate’s in a temple,” Trettner said, “what reports we found indicate that the Stargate was also found in a temple, or at least the ruins of one.” He smiled grimly. “Everything’s paid of-we’ve made connection with another world.” ‘Time to move now,’ he thought, “Finish setting everything up in the Heer Base and begin shipping personal there.”

The time was here.

“Hang on…”

“What is it?”

“Those symbols,” Bietrak muttered, peering at the video screen, “those symbols… they’re different. They don’t match the symbols on our ’gate.”

‘Crap.’

“But Professor,” Nicolas Grimal said, “sir, this planet, if it is another planet, is in another part of the galaxy. It must see different stars than we do. It’s probable that it needs different coordinates to dial to this gate and our gate. See,” he pointed to one of the chevrons. “This is our symbol, the pyramid. And that is an unknown symbol, one of the planet’s constellations. If we can take pictures or record the images of the chevrons and their symbols, we can find out the gate address to dial back to Earth.”

“Smart, very smart,” Beitrak said with a smile.

“Yes he is…”

[Lucifer1]

How do you edit a previous post?!?!

[DKeith2011]

Should be an edit button at the top of your posts.

[Lucifer1]

Oooh...... thank you. How'd I miss that?!

[Master of Cards]

Every interesting story, I love the ahints you're dropping to a prior war, I would love to see stories set in those wars.

[DKeith2011]

Oooh...... thank you. How'd I miss that?!

In plain sight = best place to hide things.

[Lucifer1]

December 16, 1967, Stargate Headquarters, Jutland Empire
Anholt Island, Heer Military Base (Reactivated)
Stargate Headquarters


Stargate Headquarters was well known to the world. Built underneath an unknown Reichsheer military base in the Jutland Empire, Stargate Headquarters was the site of the development of improved solar power generation, and the study of using concentrated beams of light into a weapon. The latter was already in somewhat use, in the form of laser pens and laser sights. At least however, that was what the intelligence agencies in Russia, America, Japan, Brazil and the few other free nations learned it was about. For all their boasts, none of them heard the truth about SG-HQ.

In reality, Stargate Headquarters was the site of the Jutland’s most important programs. Designed to be hidden from everybody and everyone who might try and find it, Stargate Headquarters was located not in the Reichsheer base, but below it. Located deep beneath the military installation, SGHQ was safe from detection from any satellite that might try to take a peek at it. Located on the Anholt Island in Kattegat, the SGHQ was surrounded on all sides by ocean, and had a fleet of patrol ships ensuring that the Island was safe from spies. This meant that the SGHQ was well isolated from spies and possible information leak, although the threat was always present.

The underground bunker had been reinforced to withstand a Tsar-type nuclear warhead, a hydrogen bomb with a yield off fifty megatons. Despite being the creator of the atomic bomb, the Jutland did not claim the title of mastering it and improving it.

Oh, no.

The Russians claimed that title.

He remembered that, the detonation of the Tsar Bomba, that dreadful day of October 30th, the moment that Russia eclipsed the Motherland. A frightening weapon, Tsar Bomba had become the most powerful nuclear weapon in the world. Nothing in the Jutland arsenal at the time could contend with it. At the time, he’d been inspecting a military compound in Sweden when the thundering roar of the explosions reached his ears, and heard the thundering whiplash as windows cracked and shattered around him. The Cold War, the uneasy ‘peace’ between the Jutland, the Americans, and the Russians (to a lesser extent) had grown hotter. Key military installations had been refitted and armored to withstand the new threat. The Reichsheer was on constant guard, patrolling the Russo-Jutland border. If the Tsar ever betrayed the Emperor, then they would face the instant fury of the people.

He smiled then.

But what would a Tsar Bomba be compared to what existed beyond the Stargate? What wonders were hidden from the rightful eyes of Jutland? What weapons and technologies were there that the Jutland needed to gain control of the world once more? That was the rightful place of the Jutland-to rule the world as it had before the Great War. Surely the beings beyond the Stargate, the beings that had created the teleportation device, would support Jutland hegemony once they saw the prosperity Jutland had. Ray guns, space ships, all would surely be at Jutland hands!

The Unimog slowed down as it neared the gate of the military installation. A man walked up to the driver, a pistol visible on his waist. He heard a clean shaven face, and sharp brown eyes. Unlike the Stormtroopers, he wore a black Stahlhelm. On the side visible to him, he saw the proud symbol of the tricolored shield of Imperial Jutland; “Identification.”

“General Trettner,” he said from the back of the truck.

The man saluted: “Excellent-welcome to SGHQ.”

Trettner smiled as the gates leading to the compound creaked open, and the truck rumbled forward to its destiny.

The Reichsheer base was entirely self-sufficient like other Heer bases. There were several greenhouses located within its fenced walls which were supplemented by standard shipments. Power came from a nearby canal and power generators that had been carefully (with great difficulty) lowered into the bunker. At any given them, there were four hundred Jutland soldiers living on site, acting as both guards and, when the time, travelers and conquerors and diplomats. Their quarters took an entire block, more than one actually. They had to remove the unused fences of the compound and rebuild their section for the soldiers.

It had taken only two months to refit the military base with the current technology and make it livable and secure enough for use. Materials and weapons and dangerous ammunition from the Great War and the Second Great War (the base had been abandoned for quite a while,) had to be carried out and dumped, and many more things had to replaced, upgraded, and dismantled. It was dangerous work, and several men had been killed due to defective ammunition. It had been difficult, but recreating the old into a new image was something the Jutland soldiers and engineers excelled at. They had, after all, repaired the Coliseum at Rome for the yearly games, as well as the Athenian Acropolis, the Great Pyramids, and many other crumbling monuments. They had all been restored to their glory. Even the Jewish monuments had been restored, and the province of Israel rejoiced at the gleaming sights.

“This is your stop, General,” the driver announced, pausing at a small building at the rear of the compound, looking plainer than the other buildings around it. Without saying anything, the General left, slamming the door behind him and walked away. Behind him, he heard the car rumble to life and leave. Two guards were at the door, stiffening as they saw his stars and saluted. “Herr General,” they declared.

“At ease,” he said.

“Yes Sir.”

The security guard s lowered their right fists, but did not loosen their posture. He ignored it and walked in. The room was smaller on the inside, and the only thing he saw an elevator door on the far side of the room (which wasn’t far.) He guessed that the building had thick walls, although that was a waste of space and resources. He would have to see about that. Perhaps it was for the best, it made the building more secure from possible attack, however unlikely. Still…

He pressed DOWN.

It was quite ironic, Heinrich Trettner thought as he the elevator descended down to the underground compound. Quite ironic that the world knew about the Stargate Program, but that no one really knew anything about it at all. Well that wasn’t true actually.

They really were working on improving current solar generation, and creating true directed-energy weapons, Lasers as some called them using American terminology. Work however was going slowly, although they had gained some achievements. One of the main issues was the size of the power cells.

The elevator chimed as the door slid open, having descended nearly more than a dozen levels, revealing a corridor of bland gray walls with dim lights hanging from the roof. The lights were newly installed, but he saw one of them flicker unevenly. He frowned and made a mental note to have that looked at. It would not do at all if the most secret program in the Empire had faulty lighting. If the Stargate HQ was ever invaded, and the underground labyrinth was discovered, then an enemy could take advantage of faulty lightning and pick off proud Jutland soldiers. It was an unlikely trick, but who knew what aliens were capable of? Maybe they were like chameleons like in the comics?

He was exaggerating of course.

There had been much superstition on what the aliens were like beyond the Stargate. Were they humanoid, wearing toga’s and living in crystal spires? Were they reptilian like the rumors had talked about? Were they furry, scaly, slimly or other? What sort of wondrous technologies did they have? He could not wait to find out about that.

Striding down the corridors, he saw crates that had yet to be unpacked, people arguing in the halls and unfurnished rooms, men and women moving things around. He saw lamps, desks, paper, light bulbs, pens and pencils, books and a host of other things. Like him, they wore dress uniforms although he saw a few new recruits, fresh meat, out of uniform, lounging in a corner. He narrowed his eyes and darted towards them as they chuckled to each other.

“What is going on here?”

One of the recruits growled: “Who what’s to kn-General!”

Seeing the four-stars, the soldier’s immediately pressed their right fist over the heats and shouted, “Herr General Sir!”

“At ease,” he barked. Despite his age, his voice had not lost its intimidating tone. “What in blazes is going on here soldiers? Answer when I ask a question! I said answer,” he added, snarling as the soldiers slowly lowered their arms and paled dramatically. He crossed his arms over his chest and growled in irritation as the seconds and then a minute passed.

“Speak!”

“General Sir,” one of the soldiers, a Corporal murmured, shaking a bit. “Sir, we were only talking.”

“Talk on your own time,” he snapped. “Where are your uniforms?”
“Ah, sir,” one of them asked bravely.

He pointed to the clothing: “Your uniforms! Order and preparedness is one of the reasons that the Reichsheer is the most powerful and elite military force in this entire damned world,” he spat, “the three of you make me sick with your state. Get your helmets, fix your neck ties, and button up that suit! Where’s your pistol, your sidearm” he demanded, frothing now. “Shine those boots too! God damn it in hell, where the HELL IS YOUR GODDAMN DAGGER!”

They stood there, watching him with wide eyes.

He was quite certain he was creating a sir. His voice was bouncing off the walls and around corners. The entire bustle he had heard coming in suddenly vanished the moment he started shouting. Good-let they know his annoyance. He was breathing heavily, his left eye twitching. He couldn’t believe his sight that the most important (if for only purely ceremonial and traditional reasons in the time of ‘peace’,) weapon on a Jutland soldier was missing from their rather loosely tied belts.

Daggers had been part of the Jutland soldier armament since the Great War, in the brutal and unforgiving Trench warfare. They had proven their worth in the muddy trenches; killing the invaders from the books and movies he had seen. Made from pure steel with ornate handles, the daggers had proved their use in the Second Great War and in urban warfare. Each dagger had the symbol of the Jutland Bird-of-Prey scorched into their hilt, a red bird with golden linings, carrying a single blade that was held by its two claws. Every soldier had one, and it was the duty of every soldier to always have on their person.

“Well?” He growled.

They stared at him.

‘Uniforms, pistols, daggers, pathetic’ he thought. “Move you fucking idiots!” He bellowed.

“Sir!” Scampering away, the soldiers fled around the corner of the hall.

Trettner shook his head and resumed his pace. The soldiers were gone, and while everyone busied them with organizing their personals and opening crates, he saw a number of people glance up at him and fix their uniforms like proper soldiers. He grunted, feeling nervous now, more so than usual. These were them men and women that were going through the Stargate, who were going to represent the Jutland Empire to the alien race beyond the gate. But they weren’t the soldiers that he had been during the Second Great War-they didn’t know the constant threat of war anymore.

The Jutland and the people were safe; there was no threat to her supreme rule anymore.

And so, because of that little fact, the Reichsheer Academies had fallen below the standard he had trained under. Soldiers were not the same, and they were lazier. He lamented that fact, and the fact that General Maizière did little to change that.

He saw a patrol of guards wearing gray greatcoats with Second Great War-era Karabiner 98K’s. Factories had overproduced on the amount of weapons that were actually needed (which was quite a shock considering that the Jutland Army literally tippled overnight,) and so many of the GW-II weapons had been refurbished for use in the modern times. It was quite a popular weapon as well, and he still had his own weapon, the first weapon he held in service to Her, hanging in his room. They nodded their heads and pressed their fist over their chests as he did a quick salute and went on his way

He smiled.

SG-HQ was quite heavily defended.

Besides the soldiers above ground who would gladly give their lives to defend their country and the underground bunker, they had Rheinmetall MG 3 Machine Guns placed at the walls to pick up enemy infantry. And if they managed to overcome them, they would have to contend with Panzers, the Jutland’s fearsome Leopard’s. Enemy armor would have to deal with RPG’s and anti-armor cannons, would have to cross great fields of land mines and trip wire. Should there be helicopters and skycraft, they would face the pride of the Reichsheer Sky Force, the Me 35F Drache Skyfighter's in the yet to be completed airfield, ready to be used at a moment’s notice, and their anti-skycraft vehicles.

However, before that, enemy forces would have to trudge through the border defenses of the Empire, contend with a military that never slept. Fight an enemy that was as zealous and murderous as the Japanese. They would have to avoid bombs the fell from their vast Heer-Luftwaffe. They would have to battle in towns against the proud citizens of the Empire, pay for every inch of land they took with entire armies. There was a chance that SG-HQ would be attacked, but that likelihood of that was extremely slim. Virtually impossible, he told himself… unless it came from within.

Walking into the briefing room-the door had yet to be installed which irked him quite a bit,-he saw several officers milling around, talking. He saw two Colonels, one rank below him, chuckling, talking about something he knew nothing about. There were also four scientists arguing away from the soldiers, making exaggerated hand movements, having their arms wildly. He stood at the door; arms crossed his back, waiting. Finally one of the officers, a Lieutenant Colonel, saw him and immediately saluted. He snapped his feet together and took a deep breath:

“General!”

The others panicked when they saw him and properly saluted. He noted pleased, that the officers uniforms were all tidy and well cared for. Not a thread was out of place, and their daggers glistened as if they were brand new. The scientist’s clothes were also obviously well taken for. They wore white lab coats, a cliché from so many movies, and one of them had glasses on, he noticed. “At ease,” he barked. Quickly returning the salute, he noted the briefing room. There was a large oak table in the center of the room, rectangular in shape with the symbol of the Jutland branded in the center. The Jutland flag was displayed proudly above the table, and three four flag poles had been added to the four corners of the room.

“What is the status of the facility?”

“In three months, the facility will be at 100% capacity,” one of the Colonels reported, snapping to attention. “The minimal required of personal had already arrived.”

“Excellent.”

He relaxed and smiled. “Tell me, where is the Stargate? I have not seen it in a while.”

“Below us,” one of the soldiers said. “We'll show you.”

The Stargate was indeed below them. Filing down the nearest staircase, Trettner saw two rooms at the flanks of the stair case. One room was rather large, and seemed to be filled only with computers. Zuse Z67 Supercomputers, one of the scientists told him. He ignored the technical talk and only nodded here and there, although his interest was piqued for a moment. “… now, however, these supercomputers serve very little purpose for the facility. Orders are underway to remove them from the room and to make better use for it than to waste space.”

He frowned:

“Useless?” He asked. “How so?”

The scientists blinked, obviously caught off guard. “Ah, yes sir.”
“How can Supercomputers be useless?” He demanded.

The scientist gulped. “Sir, the archeological dig in the 1930s found not just Stargate, but another device we have only recently procured. The device had been sent a museum and displayed until we… learned it about and brought it back.”

“What is it?”

“We believe it to be a dialing device.”

“Dialing device?” He was confused.

The scientists nodded.

“How does this change the need for a supercomputer?”

“The Dialing device, or a ‘Dialing Home Device’ as some of us have come to call it, creates a wireless link to our Stargate,” the scientist explained, clearly in his element. The General had a feeling that the man was also simplifying the explanation. It was, he thought annoyed, probably for the best though. “With it, we don’t have to manually rotate the gate or develop our own computer interface. Consider it be a… well, consider it to be similar to a telephone dial, abet much larger.”

He merely nodded. “Where is it?”

“This way sir.”

They led him into the room opposite of the room with the supercomputers, and into a bustling center of activity, dozens of people manning computers and reading papers, talking and whispering orders and decisions. He saw a strange device in the middle of room, lacking any sort of visible wires or cables, simply sitting in the middle room without any evident reason. “That is the… DHD?”

“Ja,” one of the scientists said.

“These external symbols on the Dialing Device seem to represent constellations, and they’re surrounding this orange button which we theorize to be the central activation button.” He shrugged. “Until we get your permission, we have not yet actually tested the majority of our theories. The device seems to be composed of control crystals, which is far more advanced than what we currently have although we believe we know the purposes of a few of the crystals.”

“Do you know?”

“Not completely, I assure, but we have suspicions.”

The General nodded-that was interesting, but not too him.

“Test the device and see how long the Stargate can remain active with it,” he ordered, “When we first activated the Stargate was active for thirty minutes. Perhaps it’ll be longer with this DHD of yours. Once you’ve made contact, contact me so we can begin the next phase of this program. Three SG-Teams and a ambassador will be sent through the Stargate.”

It was a dangerous thing, sending men and women to another world. There was no promise of a safe return, and Trettner, despite propaganda on the cold and indifferent attitudes to the lives of the men under Jutland command, there was not a single man alive who did not care about them men they sent out to fight for them.

He closed his eyes.

“What’s the schedule?”

“On the eighteenth we’ll be ready to begin primary gate activation.”

Trettner nodded.

[Lucifer1]

December 18, 1967, Stargate Headquarters, Jutland Empire
Anholt Island, Heer Military Base (Reactivated)
Stargate Headquarters


The Second Great War was a name that was used across the globe. However different nations had different names for it. For example, the Americans called it World War while the Russians named it the Third Russo-Japanese War. The Africans labeled it the Eurasian War or the White Wars. The Brazilians termed it the Atlantic War (as their area of fighting was in the Atlantic and in South America mostly.)

However for the Jutland, it was known as the Great Patriotic War. Never before had the Jutland been more united than that moment when every man and women rose up against the fascist oppressors. Great armies had sprung to fight against the barbarians, to repel them from Holy land. Entire factories once devoted to luxury items became factories of war.

Panzers rather than cars emerged from the assembly lines in the hundreds, and thousands of Skycraft were produced within weeks. Warships were refitted and rearmed, and the hulls of carriers were laid down in newly activated or newly build shipyards.

Men and women took up arms and bled together on holy ground, throwing their bodies against the fascist hordes to allow the great nation time to rebuild and prepare. Farms were burned to deny the enemy food, and entire cities were leveled to deny them housing. The iron will of the Jutland was what allowed it to survive for the century when the Roman Empire, the Horde of Mongolia, the Empires of Persia and more crumbled away into the ashes of history. Great armies had carried the banner of Jutland and marched across entire miles to defend the beloved homeland.

The same men and women of the younger generation now patrolled and walked through the gray-hued walls of the SGHQ. Naïve to the true nature of war yet their hearts filled with precious love and pride in their nation, they were all willing to do what was necessary for the homeland. The wars of the Jutland, the Great Patriotic War, had all weeded out the weak. The Great Purges had decimated the inferior and left only the strong.

It was through them that the strong of will emerged to dominate the Empire, that they could say that the Empire claimed the title of the New Roman Empire, with a Roman Emperor at the forefront.

They were also men that were going to take the first steps into a land unknown, defying Jutland battle doctrine and the very nature of sensible combat. These men, unaware to the horrors that Trettner knew all too well of war, were going to make way into the spearhead of glory.

It was these men, these brave young men and women who stood before him in the Gate Room. Wearing Tropical Tunics reminiscent of those used by the Afrikacorps (very similar in fact,) the 30 soldiers were armed with H&K G11 Assault Rifles, next generation Assault Rifles that were only beginning to go into mass production.

The weapon, if he remembered correctly, used 4.73x33 mm caseless ammunition, with the propellant shaped into square blocks. The weapon used caseless bullets, which made its ejection and reloading process shorter through a bit more complicated in naïve hands. In hands of the trained though, it was a quick and swift movement of hands.

The men appeared emotionless, yet Trettner saw in their eyes the fear yet excitement that was being contained. He noted with pleasure that they all had the Jutland Dagger strapped to their waists. Behind them, there were four boxes of basic essentials-MRE’s and water to last for two weeks, the equipment they would need to set up base, additional ammunition (although hopefully they would not need it,) and a few other possibly useful things.

In addition to the thirty soldiers, there was Gerhard Schröder and his four bodyguards. Schröder was the Jutland’s ambassador to the aliens beyond the Stargate, if contact was made. Schröder had a good record of keeping peace (however much liars they were,) with the African nations and keeping relations with Japan and Persia from flaring.

He took a deep and slow breath and straightened his back, standing erect in front of the ramp leading up to the Stargate. “Men and women,” he began, “the moment ahead brings to you, and brings to the Empire, the most important moment in our history. We have toppled the monuments of old with our glory, and have brought civilization the untamed wilderness that is Afrika. From this moment on, you will all live within the annals of history as the first to step into the unknown. What lies beyond is unknown, and what you will find is unknown. Yet, what you will know is that no matter what foe we might face, no matter what obstacles that shall dare stand in the way, you CAN overcome it!”

He paused and scanned their faces.

He noticed that a few had clenched their rifles tighter, but did no one twitched.

“Chevron 1 locked.”

As the Stargate began to rotate, quivering as the first chevron light behind him, no one moved nor did a single gaze stray. “Warriors of the Jutland do us proud,” he bellowed as another chevron lit behind him. “The hopes and dreams of all of your fathers and mothers, of your unborn sons and daughters, stand with you. Remember your priorities and remember the code that you live by. Remember the honor you have of being born a man and women of the Jutland. Never falter in your resolve to show Jutland might and prosperity. Your ancestors bled to fight off the fascist oppressors, and it is their blood that now allows you this opportunity.”

“Chevron five locked.”

He took a deep breath: “WILL YOU FAIL?”

“SIR NO SIR!”

“IS FAILURE AN OPTION?”

“SIR NO SIR!”

He nodded in approval. Another chevron locked behind him as the three SG-Teams, SG-Alfa, -Bravo and –Charlie, flicked the safeties off their rifles and prepped themselves. “This moment will be recorded in the secret history of the Jutland,” he declared. “Your actions will be remembered by all, for this is the moment that all of our hopes will emerge! The fateful decay of Empires will be removed from our future, for we will be an Empire that shall last TEN THOUSAND YEARS!”

He pressed his fist over his heart.

“What are we?”

With a thundering roar: “The Ten thousand year Reich!”

Trettner nodded in approval. They were the future of the Jutland. Yes they were unaccustomed to war, mere children in the greater scheme. Yet their loyalty and fanaticism would lead them to victory. They knew the Reich; they knew its people and would die for them, for Her. The men and women here… they truly were the sons and daughters of the men and women he had fought with, the children of the Jutland peninsula that had united Europe under a single banner.

“Chevron 7 encoded.”

The final chevron, more ornate than the others rose into the air and snapped back into place, glowing brighter than the others as light exploded from the ring. The soldiers, despite the water-like mushroom burst that had erupted from the interior of the gate, stood their ground. None of them twitched as they stared in awe as the bloom floated in midair for a second and then retreated back into the gate, forming what looked like a puddle of water.

Trettner had already seen it before.

“Analysis of the data the probe sent us,” he announced to the SG-Teams, “showed the world on the other side of the Stargate to be livable. Atmosphere is nitrogen-oxygen based with no signs of toxins. Pressure is well within Earth norm and gravity is 0.99 gee, a near perfect match to our own. Temperature is 28 Celsius. The Stargate appears to be housed in a sort of temple, based off the columns that were discovered. Be warned, for we do not know if there are friends or foes there. Measure yourself as the Jutland Code of Honor, and act as an honorable man and women should.”

He paused again.

“Should hostiles be discovered on the other side of the wormhole, your orders are to destroy the Stargate and the surrounding area and prevent possible alien incursion. Should you die in the process, your lives will be remembered and honored.” He hated saying that. The lives of all the men under his command, no matter what you were taught during the Academy, were dear to him. He hated sending them into the unknown, not knowing what they were going to face. But it had to be done, and he hated that. He hated himself for being the one to see them off.

He sighed.

No point in waiting any longer. “SG-Teams… move OUT!”

Stepping way from the ramp, the soldiers marched up in three columns, three men per column with the overall commander. Major Kajut, the overall commanding officer of the three SG-Teams, marched in the middle of the formation, leveling his G11 at the gate as if to charge in the Old Way. “Zu Gleich,” the Major barked, “Nach Vorn!”

“Forward!’ The three SG-Team Leaders replied back.

As the soldiers vanished behind the shimmering event horizon of the Stargate, Trettner waited there, staring at the beautiful shimmering horizon. Two reinforced blast doors slid open, and ten soldiers poured out with H&K G3 Rifles in their hands. They pressed the gray walls against their backs and leveled their weapons at the Stargate, a precaution.

He shook his head - Warriors of Jutland going to areas unknown, with such little fanfare.



December 18, 1967
Unknown Location



It was exhilarating.

What seemed to last all too briefly, Major Alfred Kajut was reminded of looking through a kaleidoscope, and saw flashes of a torrent of blue fire, curving inward to form a swirling tunnel winding and splitting into dozens of smaller tubes. He saw stars, at least he thought he saw stars, vanish beneath darkness, and balls of ice erode to nothing. It seemed to last a lifetime of unimaginable wonders, of strange special anomalies never discovered before. He wanted to reach out and touch them, feel the warmth of the passing star streaks and feel the pull of their gravity.

As he emerged through the other side, he stumbled out, and nearly fell. He gasped for breath, and wheezed as he struggled to breathe. He coughed, and staggered forward. The rest of emerged, and only a few staggered as he did. ‘Lucky bastards,’ he thought as he composed himself. He looked around, straightening his helmet as he did so. “Flashlights, now,” he ordered somewhat painfully, coughing. That was interesting-maybe the equivalent to car sickness? “Get some light here.”

“Ja Major.”

Behind them, the Stargate flickered and closed.

Light illuminated the surrounding area, and they advanced not far, securing their position. It seemed darker, and it was, without the Stargate illuminating the area. It also seemed more foreboding, and he felt his skin prickle in fear. He squashed that fear though, and waved his rifle around. The darkness seemed to flee from the light and the room seemed to get bigger. “Area is secure for the moment,” Captain Himmel reported, walking up to him, “no unknown contacts for the moment.”

‘Strange,’ Kajut thought.

Where were the alien women?

‘The General lied to me,’ he thought bitterly. Alien women indeed! Oh well, he’ll have to make do with what he had here. He looked around, pleased with the space the Stargate was in. It was large enough to fit an old A7V through. Maybe even a Leopard… oh yes, definitely a Leopard he though as he measured the chamber the Stargate was in.

“Recall all Teams and begin to set up our new temporary home,” he said, “and search for some sort of dialing device here.”

“Um, Sir?”

He had already guessed what the soldier was going to say. He had noticed it too, in fact.

“The DHD was found with the Stargate in Egypt,” he reminded the soldier, “best guess would be this Stargate should have one as well.” ‘If there isn’t one then we’re screwed until SGHQ decides to dial again... if they even care about us.’ He’d served under a few commanders who could care less about their soldiers. To them, he and his team were just tools to be used and, when dulled, thrown away like rags. He had a feeling that General Trettner wasn’t like that though. But he had been wrong before.

“Ja, Major.”

The next few minutes saw a flurry of movement, of activity. Their skills well rounded, they unpacked the crates and began to set up lights, sensors, two .50 Caliber Machine Gun Emplacements, tents and blankets, and many more essentials. Lights flickered, forcing the darkness away. Menacing shapes fled as light flood the chamber and illuminated the surrounding area. The chamber the Stargate was in was far larger than they had believed, in terms of height.

"Mein Gott,” someone whispered.

There were two statues parallel to each other, built into the walls and standing next to the Stargate. The statues were huge, their heads just barely avoiding scraping the now visible ceiling. Humanoid in stature, the statues held a spear in their hands, an ornate spear with a strange tip. It looked rounded, not sharp like a spear should have looked like. From the shoulder up, the statue had the face of a bird of some kind, perhaps a Hawk. He shuddered and looked away from the empty eyeholes. The bird-head didn’t even look it was part of the statue-like it was an add-on.

As the final touches were placed, the Major glanced at his watch. He wondered if the planet had a 24 hour cycle like on Earth. ‘The HQ should be beginning to dial back any moment…’ at that exact moment, the Stargate began to rotate. “First chevron’s locked,” someone commented.

"Turn those 50 cal’s around and target the Stargate, give the Gate a wide berth!” He was about to add ‘kill anything not-human,’ but caught himself. It wouldn’t be a good way to start relations with aliens, after all. He wanted to be careful – you could never be too paranoid. His orders, as soon as the first word came out, were unnecessary. They had already armed the cannons and the 30 soldiers had already taken cover behind the crates they had dragged away and behind the things they had brought with them. “Take cover,” he bellowed as the final chevron locked in place.

The energy burst lashed out.

Retreating back into the interior of the gate, the event horizon shimmered as it rippled from an unknown push, with impossible waves spreading out on it. Thirty rifle muzzles were aimed at the activated Stargate, lights aimed at it. They waited for a minute, so quiet you could hear the breathing of each man and women. The Major shivered but steadied himself. Then his radio crackled, releasing a burst of static. ~ssht…of the SGHQ… is there anyone there? Major, can you hear me? I repeat… -Eneral Trettner of the SGHQ. Is there anyone-? ~

“This is Major Kajut of SG-T Alpha reporting from Home Base. We read you loud and clear.” He grinned and his teams lowered their weapons.

~Good to hear. Have you made contact with the aliens? ~

“No sir, nothing so far.”

There was a brief pause: ~That was somewhat expected. What have you found? How much of the Stargate’s chamber have you explored? ~

Alfred flinched. “Sir, we haven’t explored much beyond the chamber. But based on the dust and the deterioration of the surrounding area, it’s safe to say that this place hasn’t been visited in a while. Any form of intelligence would take care of the area around the Stargate.”

~That does not mean that there isn’t alien life. We will dial in several hours for a check-up. Your priority is to secure your base and search for sentient alien life. Failing that, explore your surrounding area and search for anything useful. One of the focuses of this facility is to find alien technology and use it. On that note, we’re sending three more Teams to reinforce you. Do not fail the Empire, for Her future rests upon the shoulders of you and your men. Good luck. ~

Alfred nodded. “Never,” and turned his radio off.

Everyone was quiet, as soldiers staggered out of the active wormhole, coughing as they gasped for sweet breath, bumping and colliding with each other. Behind them, a number of crates wheeled in. They were small, although that didn’t mean that whatever was in them wasn’t going to be useful. “Comrades, welcome to your new base of operations.” Drawing breaths, they collected themselves, they returned his salute quickly. “Herr Major.” 'The General must have given me overall command,’ he thought since there were two other Majors leading two of the new arrivals.

“Sir, what are our orders?”

‘Straight to business then,' he thought, ‘excellent.’

“SG-T Bravo and SG-T Foxtrot stay here and guard the gate. Everyone else, fan out!”

The Hauptmann of SG-T Bravo saluted. “Yes sir.”

The new arrivals grumbled amongst themselves but nodded.

“What about me?”

“Stay here-perhaps the aliens will come here since we activated the Stargate.” The Ambassador nodded and sat on a fallen piece of stone. His guards stared at him, and then at the major, and then shrugged, staying behind to protect the ambassador. The Major, for the first time, noticed the dagger strapped to the ambassador well-pressed suit, cleverly hidden. Clearly the man wasn’t just a man of peace, but he was also a very dangerous mean as well.

The Stargate illuminated the area with its bluish glow as well, providing additional light. The light vanished abruptly as soon as the connection was cut off. The area appeared similar to the pyramids and temples found in Egypt and a bit like the pyramids in Nubia.

The walls and pillars that held a ceiling unseen were of bare hewn rock, without a trace of color. He saw someone stray from the others and run his hand on the walls, whispering to himself. “Assmann,” he barked to the part-time soldier and part-time Egyptologist, “get moving! Don’t dawdle here!”

Jan jumped. “I ask forgiveness.”

The Major his hand, annoyed. “Move with the others.”

“Yes Major.”

He glared at the part-time soldier and sighed irritably. He didn’t approve of the Jutland’s Militia Army Program; he felt that part-time soldier’s weren’t useful as full-time soldiers like him. The Americans had a similar program, the National Guard which made it worse in his eyes. However the General had ordered Assmann to be part of his force, and he had to obey. Discipline and order, after all, led to power and power could only be achieved by taking action.

The teams advanced, spreading out in two teams of two. They blended into the colorless walls, their shadows mingling with the dark corridors. The lights from their rifles flashlights did little to actually carve a path of glow ahead of them. The air felt arid, and it felt dry. The Major blinked and shook his head. The corridors were all parallel and, through rectangular gaps in the walls, were right next to each other. “Useless walls, annoying walls,” he heard someone mutter.

He had to agree.

After what seemed to be hours (in reality only a quarter hour,) they found the chamber’s exit, on the far side opposite to where the Stargate was. There too, were the two Hawk men statues. These however were keeling, their spears crossed over the entrance. Inching outward in a semi-crouch, the 30 solders held their rifles close, their fingers hovering over their triggers. “The air’s a little stale, isn’t it?” Captain Rudel muttered, moving next to Kajut.

He nodded.

“Looks bright out there,” he commented, squinting. He could see sand-a hell lot of sand from inside the pyramid. ‘Sand... why does it have to be sand?’ He glanced at his uniform and shook his head. “No contact here,” He whispered into his radio. “Do any of you have anything in your areas?”

He got a collective nein.

Well then. ‘Fortes fortuna adiuvat - Fortune favors the brave, after all,’ he thought, amused by the little quote.

“Forward,” he hissed, walking ahead of his group. The sun’s terrible rays came bearing down upon them, scorching their exposed skin. He heard someone curse at the heat. “Damn... it's all sand,” he whispered, shocked. Sand-sand as far as the eye could see. He squinted, adjusting to the light. Sweet Jesus-he hadn’t seen so much sand in his life. It was literally all sand-no rocks or anything.

“The Darkies would love it here,” Rudel chuckled.

“They’re not smart enough to get here,” he joked. “If they were, well damn-they’ll be a bunch of Super-human African Supremacists, wouldn’t they? Poor damn world if the Africans ever united and found the device.” He shook his head. “But like that would ever happen.” He grinned sardonically.

He couldn’t see-no one could see-anything beyond the massive sand dunes surrounding the pyramid. The scorching sun bore down on them-no wait, Kajut corrected himself in shock-dual pair of suns. ‘No wonder it’s so hot,’ he thought horrified. They were going to die in these uniforms.

Note: request air conditioners.

‘What a world,’ he thought. “Fuck.”

[Lucifer1]

Nothing?

[Madzcat]

I'm kinda waiting for something to happen. I mean its all interesting, but for the most part its rather same ole same ole as far as Stargate stories go.

One thing I have to say is that seems really early to be getting the G11 and the real big advantage of the G11 wasn't the faster reloading it was the fact that it could fire 3 round bursts and there was no recoil until after the 3rd round was fired meaning all 3 rounds should hit approximately the same spot. Not to mention for 3 round burst the rate of fire was approximately 2200 rounds/min.

[Lucifer1]

Oh.

There won't that much change until a few chapters in. Maybe four or so more. So... is there anyway I can improve, change?

[Lucifer1]

December 30, 1967, Große Halle, Jutland Empire
New Berlin (Seat of Government Capital)
.
.
MISSION REPORT FROM PB-1 (PLANETARY BODY ONE)
DAY ELEVEN
TO: GENERAL HEINRICH TRETTNER
FROM: MAJOR ALFRED KAJUT
.
.
“The eleventh day of our residence on this world has yielded some results although not of the caliber that you might expect. One note is that this world has a 36-hour day cycle, and following this cycle only a week would have passed. As a result of this, time lag might appear between communication and personal rotations. I suggest aligning clocks to deal with this time different with due haste. As the days past since we first stepped foot onto the new world, it has became clear that the aliens who had built the Stargate are nowhere to be found. The layers of dust and cobwebs that occupy the corners are evidence of that. We have not yet moved far from the pyramid, however there is doubt we will find any villages not year a water source.

"All civilizations begin near a water source, and considering the hostile environment we are in, it is likely that any intelligent civilization will exist near a water source. There is a lack of any form of towns or villages or any sort of civilization near the pyramid within a five day walk. We have found two strange animals though (pictures are at the final section.) It is likely that any forms of civilization might exist beyond that although without any form of certainty I am unwilling to have anyone move beyond that. This world is a desert world although due to the presence of oxygen, it is likely that there is a large body of water or multiple bodies of water scattered across the world, including plant life.

“As the pyramid does not seem to be near any bodies of water, it is unlikely we will see forms of civilization if we follow the common practice of our ancient history. Based on studying the size of the pyramid, we estimate that it is as large as those in Giza, perhaps larger. Yet unlike those in Giza, the pyramid is almost perfectly preserved, three sides obscured by sand which is not unusual. It is likely there were sandstorms on this world. The Stargate does indeed have separate symbols for dialing to Earth as you and others saw. Assmann has theorized that the Stargate does not lead to just here, but other areas as well.

"This has merit as any intelligent civilization capable of such engineering would not just connect us to this world, but connect this place and Earth to many other areas as well. It is very likely that the Stargate is part of a network of many more devices. The reason there is a lack of use of the pyramid by our predecessor may be that this world did not have any purpose for them anymore. A world of sand, after all, can’t bear that many riches. That does not mean that this expedition is not a complete loss. While we may not make contact with our predecessors, we can search for anything they might have left behind carelessly.

“On that note, we have recovered the Stargate’s DHD. It was buried beneath the sands of the Stargate Chamber, right in front of the Stargate. It is a replica of what is in the HQ and bears the same number of symbols and keys as our own. Like our DHD, this DHD is capable of making a wireless connection to the Stargate, and its power source does not seem to be diminished. I would request permission to attempt connection to another world with our DHD, however as we lack proper gate addresses, I would not attempt. The sheer number of address possibilities is staggering after all. We have begun to fortify the pyramid with the armaments you sent us, and have erected a military colony on within the confines of the pyramid. Eventually when the proper time comes, we can begin preparations on bringing our civilization to this world. The two additional SG-Wings you sent to reinforce us have aided us in accelerating our plans. We’ve discovered several suits of armor within the lower levels of the pyramid as well as the broken remains of what appear to be staffs.

“With his report we’ve sent you everything that we’ve discovered. It took near two clips of to simply dent the plates of interwoven armor. The armor itself seems to be based off a combination of European armor and Japanese Samurai armor. We’ve discovered a partially intact layer of some sort of fabric that seems to act as another protective layer, possibly similar to Kevlar. I add that the metal that the armor is composed of is neither Titanium nor steel nor iron, suggesting that this is an alien metal. The staff shards will also be sent as well as two greenish vials discovered in a ‘secret’ chamber within the walls of a chamber. Also to be sent will be a snake-shaped device of some sort discovered with the armor. As a recent development, a chamber was discovered not long ago beneath the pyramid. We are still trying to break into it, but by the next scheduled report we should be ready to send you what we find.

“In addition to this, I would like to request vehicles support for long term travel. This would allow us to move faster and further than on foot. These do not have to be modern vehicles-older vehicles will do fine especially those that are designed for easier mobility on sandy surfaces. From what we've seen, an early guess would be that this planet, or at least the land we're on, is just sand. With this also comes the need for gasoline and other essentials. As a side note, this would also give us, if we make contact with hostile natives (a bleak possibility,) it would give us a slight advantage. Hopefully this scenario will not come to pass. With this I also report that Ambassador Schröder will be returning with these finds as, due to the lack of alien contact, he feel as he is not needed at the moment.

“I also report on some discoveries not related to the military.

“In our exploration of the pyramid, we’ve discovered several skeletons scattered throughout the interior of the pyramid, which suggested that aliens used to come to the pyramid before, abet rarely. What is interesting however was that the skeletons were humanoid! From what we could tell they are almost identical to our skeletal structure except for a few differences in both length and size. If these are truly alien bodies, then it is likely that the aliens that we expected to see here are human as well! This find is truly amazing as it suggests that our shape is one of destiny. Clearly our shape, the shape designed in God's will, is destined for all races.

“However, from translations of ancient Egyptian writings on the walls, there is a second theory that bears a darker theory. Militia Assmann has deciphered some of the writings on the walls which suggests that a race of aliens visited our world in the distant past and assumed the guise of the ancient gods, namely those of Egypt and the Middle East. We’ve found writings and images that suggest that this pyramid was the home or a ‘fortress’ for one named Ra. Assmann says that ‘Ra’ was the King of the Egyptian Gods, something along those lines according to Ancient Mythology. But according to the writings, he was a powerful alien ruler who ruled over Earth and hundreds of other worlds with many other alien lords before a rebellion of some sorts overthrew their rule and forced them away, never to return….”

“As you can see, the Stargate Program had made some interesting discoveries,” Trettner reported, standing in front of Maizière as the Chief read the report. “We’ve already received the shipments he stated, and our scientists have already begun to study them. They report that the armor is indeed composed of an alien metal although they had found traces of presumably Marinium and Titanium. They concluded that the vials are some sort of energy source, and that the snake-like device is a sort of weapon. It’s not conclusive since we still haven’t managed to activate it.”

“Why? Does it have some sort of Gene-lock?” Maizière grumbled, flipping to the next page.

“Nein, at least we don’t think so.” The General wondered if that was case. He would have to check his scientist wing when he returned. It actually frustrated him that he hadn't considered that option. “It’s just that we haven’t been able to open it as of yet. There aren't any obvious signs of activation. There is also the problem that it has been lying in the confines of that pyramid for an untold period of time, quite possibly centuries.”

“Ja, of course…”

Trettner resisted the urge to go at ease, standing erect with his arms behind his back. Trettner was reading the files he had brought over, peering at them from behind his glasses. “What about this request for additional personal, and vehicles? Have you sent them the vehicles and weapons they’ve requested?”

“I’ve assembled twenty Pinzgauer’s and twenty Unimog’s. I’ve also approved the use of three UAV’s for long range evaluation and study. On the issue of personal, that is tricky. Due to the sensitive nature of our project, we have to find people who are willing to cut ties to set up an encampment on another world. I've gotten twenty more people to join the Major's force, but I've also considered using a prisoner workforce - Cheap labor without pay." He paused briefly and went on, unsure about what he was about to say next. “I also promised to send several Panzer IV’s as a precaution.”

“You expect trouble?” He rumbled.

“We are beset by foes on all sides, General,” Trettner said. “Despite our optimism of those in space, of these Gate Builders, we must be prepared. Quite a turn form my initial views, but you’ve read the reports as I have of the Americans. They've begun the expected-they've pushed into Venezuela and Ecuador, and have begun to make gains into Colombia. Even worse, from the reports I’ve read, Communist influence is growing rapidly in Peru as the Socialists continue their own wanted advance. Even Colombia has fallen into Civil War as the American armies come closer. Even worse, Brazil is now striking Paraguay, and it has been suggested they might strike Uruguay. If we war against our own kind with such brutality, what will the Builders do to us if they are indeed hostile? If the report is accurate, these are the same aliens who took our people away.”

“True,” Maizière said thoughtfully, nodding in agreement as he closed the report file. “However Brazil has already made its move against Uruguay and has met a surprising amount of resistance there. They've been halted at Paraguay, blunders you can expect from those Protestant heathens. Your information is, however, out of date, my comrade General. There is also a more... disconcerting development occurring in America that we've only recently learned of.”

"Sir?"

He shook his head. "Never mind that."

Trettner cocked his head. "Yes sir.”

“What about this theory…” Trettner flipped through the pages of the report. There were pages on the Gate and a varying number of schematics, news, reports and such from the research and study on the things the people from PB-1 had brought back. “Ah, here we go-about this Ra being? Has it been verified that this Ra alien indeed came to Earth?”

"But of course. How else could the Stargate have arrived here? It surely wasn't created by early man. It would explain though how the Egyptians and the basis for our civilization emerged in Egypt and the Middle East. However from what little I've read about Egyptian Mythology, Ra was the God of the Sun and was a benevolent being. He was well respected by the Ancient Egyptians. This isn't like what the Major say's in his report."
Maizière grumbled at that.

The General closed his eyes, thinking. Trettner resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably. Despite the limited progress they had made, Maizière continued to resist advancing out from the pyramid. He knew that Maizière considered the expedition, the project, a waste of money and time, especially with the American's beginning to actually use their vast fields of resources. Constant warfare and hell had torn apart Europe and used so many of its resources. Europe was still rich, but when compared to America, it was nothing. The Communists were, for all of their lies, extraordinary workers. They produced enough so their people were happy, which no one could believe. The people actually enjoyed living under the cruel bastard President. “Part of me doesn’t want to continue this expedition-we have threats on our own soil, and we cannot deal with threats from beyond. However what secrets we can learn on our own, even without aliens, is a gold mine I cannot ignore.” He sighed. “I’ll see how many men I can assemble for you. At most, and you will be lucky my friend, you'll get one hundred."

Trettner resisted the urge to grin. 'More than I expected. I expected at least 50 men.'

“Ja, thank you sir,” Trettner said grateful.

"I'll also be replacing Herr Major Kajut with Oberst Franz Scheer," the General reported carelessly, "he's more equipped to handle command."

"Sir?"

"Don't." The General warned him. Trettner nodded. He was getting more things than he could have asked for-he didn't want to ruin his luck so far.

"There are a few more things I need to discuss with you however. The primary thing is this suggestion I read… The Major wants to move the Stargate out of the pyramid? By the Emperor, why would he want to do that?” He asked. "The Stargate is safe inside the pyramid-and these sandstorms are a hazard."

“Necessity,” Trettner said, remembering what the Major had told him when he returned from PB-1 to write his report. “While the halls are wide and high enough for any of our vehicles to come through, there are sharp turns that can, according to the Major, hamper movement. It’s why he’s going to move the Stargate out of the pyramid and begin work on a small bunker for our vehicles to have easier access. I’ve also authorized the sending of the needed supplies he needs to build the bunker.”

His counterpart grimaced but nodded. “Have you tested his theory on the possibility of other Stargates,” he pressed.

“We’ve attempted several times, however we failed to dial other Stargates. For the moment, it has been agreed to focus on PB-1 rather than search for other Gate Addresses.” He paused and added, “Sir, several of my Egyptologists have demanded to go to Egypt to search for any artifacts near where the Stargate was initially discovered. While I can approve it, I need your seal for it to be an actual operation. The only reason I'm considering the proposal is that there is the possibility of finding other Gate Address in Egypt that had been overlooked, ignored or simply unrecognized in the past.”
Maizière seemed torn. “Fine, go on with your little dig.”

“Ja, thank you sir.”

[DKeith2011]

Sounds like things on Abydos (if this is Abydos) went a bit differently in this timeline.

[Lucifer1]

Anen was a God-fearing man.

Coming from a long generation of Mastadge herders, Anen was a man set in tradition, in custom and strict following of Ra's words. On the Day of Creation, the day that Ra crafted them from the sands of Abydos and gave them life, he sacrificed the fattest and finest Mastadge in his flock and bathed himself in its blood, offering his soul, body, and strong faith to the Sun God. He would offer the few fruits that he had and a jug of water to show his faith to God. Despite the fact that Ra had not appeared on Abydos for many years, the ancient stories always said that Ra would vanish for long lengths of time and return when the people needed them most, and when he needed them.

Those who remained faithful, the ones with the strongest will of all it was said, Ra would take to his chariot and take them away to the Afterlife, to the joyous fields of eternal peace and pleasure. As a result, Anen was determined to show his God his faith, to show that he was one of those that he could take away. It didn't matter that he was losing a prized Mastadge, because when Ra returned, it would be worth it.

Oh those fools in the cities, they didn't care anymore. They abandoned their faith, abandoned the glory that was Ra. They had turned away from him and his Eye and had rejected his teachings. They had expanded and used the mineral their God demanded they produce for themselves, using it to create light. They used magic in defiance of Ra!

Oh but when the time came, when his God, when his brother's God returned, they would pray for forgiveness when he unleashed terrible fury upon them and their souls. He saw himself surrounded lovely concubines, and relished the time when Ra returned.

'Eternal peace and pleasure,' he thought happily, smiling at the thought.

For the moment however, Anen was busy controlling his herd.

"Move back you beast!" The herder shouted, whipping the thick backside of the shaggy beast. The Mastadge roared and waddled back to its herd, grunting as it did. Anen glared at the beast as it kicked sand up-purposefully-into his face. He covered his face just in time, and grumbled, hoping for the Lord of all Lords to return soon. High above, the sun smacked his back, scorching the sandy landscape with its heat.

The heat, however, did not bother Anen. Generations of life on Abydos had made them used to the heat, had made them immune to its effects. Treading on the sand field that was their home, his Mastadge searched the sands for food, pulling Undercrawlers into their mouth.

"Stay!"

Running, he whipped another Mastadge as it began to move away from the rest. The ugly beast groaned and stayed, shifting. Anen sighed mentally, wondering how difficult it would be if his ancestors-bless their souls-had chosen to raise goats, rather than Mastadge. One of his friends raised goats, and loved them as much as he loved himself. Was there any question, then, why no one in the Citadel wanted to marry their daughters of to him? Well, besides the fact that he was a goat herder, of course. Taking care of Mastadge was hard, but because of the use of the beasts as transportation, food and shelter, it was more rewarding in payment and women.

Crossing his arms, he watched his herd when he heard a distant noise - a soft buzzing scream - grow into a frightening roar. It was unlike anything he had heard before, and didn't sound like any sort of beast that he knew of. Even his Mastadge were afraid, roaring and stamping their feet as they formed a circle around their young.

He looked around the landscape, and then looked up into the sky. He covered his eyes to protect them from the sun, searching for the source of the noise. No, the noise wasn't coming from the sky... it was coming from the east... from the Great Pyramid. 'By the Eye of Her'ur...has our God finally returned? Has Ra come to choose the faithful?' His heart leapt into his throat, and he felt giddy. He saw then, the black specks that were rapidly growing larger in the distance-strange beasts that galloped down and up the sand dunes without pause. Yes, he had returned!

'The others must know! Preparations must be set!'

"To the Citadel," he shouted, waving his whip around as he climbed on one of his Mastadge. The animal snorted as he clambered on its hide, gripping its long fur. "Move you dumb beast! Our God returns! Move now!"

The beast growled, stamping its feet.

SLAP!

"I said MOVE!"

With a roar for its pride and for the pain, the Mastadge trudged forward, the rest of the herd following him. Anen turned around and saw the strange creatures coming closer, and saw small figures riding them, half buried into the beast.

Oh joy!

Oh joyous joy!

Ra had returned!

[Lucifer1]

Forgot this little piece to the previous chapter!
.
.
“You must be lying!” The High Elder challenged.

“By Ra himself,” Anen pleaded, “I am not! I swear, I swear on my Ka that our great God has truly returned for us! He has come once more to choose the faithful!”

One of the Elders dressed in a simple yellowish linen robe shook his head in disbelief. “The Sun Lord has not visited our city in years. He has never answered our pleas, our prayers for bounty and forgiveness.”

“You speak blasphemy,” Anen whispered.

“I speak only truth,” the Elder shot back. “He has been gone for longer than any period in our history. Where was he when the Tribe of the Far East, followers of his great enemy Apophis, went against us? Where was he when the traitors of the Dark Sect tried to destroy our homes with the Mineral? Ra has left us, has abandoned our people. His children are free to do as we must, and done we have!”

“But he comes, he does! I saw his forces myself!”

Anen couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Oh yes, he had known the Elders had fallen out of place with the ways set forth by their God, but never by this much! “I know what I saw benevolent ones,” he cried, “You must prepare for his coming! Repent for your sins or he will send your forces to the eternal pits of the Next World, your Ka devoured by the Great Beast! We must prepare our people!”

“We have not heard of his coming. We, his most sacred and chosen leaders haven’t seen or heard the omens that would signal his coming. You are a herder of Mastadge, nothing more! What would you know?”

Anen flinched.

“You see? Your Ka cannot lie. Now be gone-care for your Mastadge while we tend to true matters of greater importance.”

‘Such as tampering with the sacred mineral for your faux-magi weaponry,’ he thought distastefully, ‘but you will learn! Oh yes, you will all learn! When Ra descends to choose his most faithful, they will see and gawk as I ascend to join the side of Ra.’ He smiled at the thought, rising to his feet as he left the Central Building.

The Citadel was the greatest in all of the Dune Hills. The pride of Ra’s children, it housed 9,000 people, not counting women and half-aged children. It was the center of trade and life, and in its past before the new Elders rose to dominance, the most faithful of all cities. A young soldier rushed past him, clambering over the smooth stone walkways. ‘No respect! He will certainly be punished when Ra returns!’

He paused to glance at the dunes and felt something rise in him. There-he saw the dust rising from the Great Pyramid, pooling backwards in a small area. They were closer now. If the Elder’s wouldn’t tell the people, then he would.

He would save the people.

[MysteriousDarkLordv3]

Okay, now we're getting interesting.

No Ra for a long time might be evidence of a general collapse of the System-Lord setup. Or it may mean that whoever is taking over Ra's holdings hasn't found Abydos yet.

And now a Bronze-Punk civilization with a naqudah-based technology? At least it should prevent it from being a walkover. And these Jutland babies need a bit of humility.