Stargate - Alpha Team

Davis knew that sound. It's the very subtle sound of metal scratching over metal with too little lubricant solvent. As an engineer he knew that sound all too well and it was a sound he would usually not allow. But he also could assume this machine to be more than a thousand years old, and that without sounding insane.

The sound came from the machines opening mechanism. Out of a ring-shaped opening came light, it's source appeared to be of glass but it was certainly not your usual lightbulb. Before he had time to examine it, five rings flew out of it. Each one made a “whush”-sound, like doors in old science fiction movies. A quick look at the compass on his hoof told him there were no magnets were involved in the rings levitation.

After hovering about a second in the air they all emitted a blinding light, first targeting the ground, then moving up as if to scan him. Well... they probably is a scanners and served as the borders of the device. Five very advanced 360 degree scanners, he imagined the accuracy to of them to be amazing. Barely containing his engeneergasm about supreme extraterrestrial technology he knew he would never have the pleasure to examine this machine, the wooden crate he was sitting on will make sure of it.

The scanners light has forced Davis to close his eyes for a moment and when he opened them up he was on a counter piece to the machine he had just been on. It looked exactly the same and even was in the same state, the rings of this one were in the air too and just starting to float back down into the main part. Why would they have been there? The rings on this side wouldn't have scanned anything... unless it swaps the matter.

The rings had brought Davis to a large, beautifully decorated room which had a throne not far from away. It would obviously have been a throne room if it weren't for the windows showing a view of the planets curvature. He already figured that the rings will sent him to a spaceship. Their plan had actually relied on the rings sending him to one. Building an entrance in the control room? Who comes up with something like that?

There were a number of ponies in the room, most wore the same style of armor as the warriors sent on the planet. But these armors were lighter and didn't look like they could protect from bullets of usual firepower. Only through luck, the element of surprise and superior numbers had they been able to overwhelm the warriors. A few servants stood near the throne and upon the throne sat a mare. She wore a simple but stunning looking gown in white with golden accessories, as well as a small tiara with an pink crystal embedded into it. The coat color of ponies from Earth was usually white to black over brown. Hers was a light pink.

She stood up from the throne, Showing fear wouldn't go well with the cover of being a god. But there was no hint of fear in her beautiful features, she was even amused that someone found the courage to stand up to her. “Hi there, hot stuff. My name is Don Sinclair Davis, what's yours?” She did not respond, of course not, she can't show of to her slaves she was incapable of something as a language. As she walked towards him and he noticed that a pink coat wasn't her most extraordinary feature: She had wings.

A smile adorned her as she read his expression and what he was looking at, so she decided to put on a show for him. She expanded her wings to her full span a flapped them twice. Her wingspan wouldn't be enough for anything her size to fly. Tertapods evolved on Earth around 375 million years ago, Equidae around 54 million years and Equus ferus sapien around 200 thousand years ago. There cannot have been a Hexapod which evolved exactly the same, it's even another Subkingdom of Animalia.

Davis could only come up with two logical explanation: They possess a technology to implant complete bones and muscles, as well as connecting them to the nervous system or can completely rewrite DNA. The later means one had to have his DNA changed while only being a fertilized egg. Or was the offspring of such, but having powerful children as a ruler means they might stand up to you. And if you are immortal, having children is like endlessly spawning competition.

According to their information there were only a small number of these “gods” and with what he gathered just now it was highly likely that they all crawled out of test-tubes. The immortality might have been a side effect of that procedure. After thousand of years the civilization died and left them alone with all this technology. They may have a sad background but he was only speculating wildly around.

Davis returned her smile, though not for socializing purposes, but for coming to think about family. It seems natural that, if you know you are about to die, you think about family. The thought wasn't even on purpose, the train of thought had just lead to them. It is said your life flashes before you die but he was not thinking back, he was thinking forward. He was thinking about the life he was going to miss. Making sure that they will have a life was more important than watching over them.

“This,” Davis pointed at the 'radioactive hazard' warning sign on the wooden crate, “is a present for you, my lady. You are going to be so surprised, it'll literally blow your mind.” He made no attempt at hiding it and she was able to hear his sarcasm, even though she did not understand the words. Her smile faded, shifted into an frown and stopped in her movement towards him.

The tip of her right wing started glowing golden. No, scratch that. The air around it started glowing. How could anything interact with air to make it emit light? Neon has a yellow to red emission spectrum but there can't be enough in this air for it to glow. And she would get her wing singed if the Neon would actually be hot enough to emit light. Why would they bother to make a light show? It has to be some kind of side effect...

Davis didn't come to think any farther as he was engulfed in the same glow and lifted up from the ground. He didn't feel anything, neither was there pressure coming from any direction, which would explain his floating and he still felt gravity effecting his vestibular system nor was there any warmth that would come from glowing Neon if there would be some.

She flicked her wing and he flew across the room, smashing into a pillar and then unceremoniously on the ground. He just lay there for a few seconds without being able to form a clear thought. The first thing that came to his mind was the realization he didn't feel anymore pain, he also remembered that there were several snaps when he crashed into the pillar. How practical, he had never been in an nuclear explosion before, but feeling no pain would probably come in handy. Always think positive.

The mare has already turned her attention toward the crate, checking for traps. A guards was standing right in front of him now, raising a blade only to be stopped by one word of the mare. Multitasking, only computers and mares can do that. He was grateful to be able to see if she can recognize the presents nature before her impending doom. Davis mimicked her »stop«-command to the guard. “Ya hear that, pal,” he added, “I would better do what she says. Has a temper, that one.”

She opened the crate carefully and revealed the nuclear warhead. It's interface showed a timer slowly counting down. Now that is going to be interesting. Can she figure out a countdown in symbols she never saw before? Schwarzenegger was able to do so in Predator.

The realization came as the ten jumped down one, with nineteen seconds to go. She shrieked back from it, but seemed at ease quite instantly after. Looking to Davis she made an expression of faked surprise and smiled evil. She loudly spoke something in their language to the ponies in the room while pointing at the bomb, earning a few shocked faces. But then she tapped two times onto the transport-ring-plattform and called out something again. Now some of the guards were laughing. Yes, they are thinking they could dispose of the bomb. He kind of wanted to join their laughter. Time was valuable and actually doing so would tell them it might not work.

She sat down to have both her forelegs free. Once again she showed of to him, this time one of her bracelets. She wanted him to understand, but why? Up until now Davis had been able to come up with something for anything. But a mares mind exceeds his knowledge. She pressed a ruby crystal on it the bracelet, but nothing happened.

Five seconds to go, now what? He returned her smile, but she had already given up on smiling. She pressed the crystal again and again with the same result or rather the same lack of result. She realized the counterpart on the planet had to be destroyed. Yes, now panic for today ends your reign. She shouted something at him. My dear, there is nothing you can do anymore.

One Second. Epic last words, “Yippie ki-yeah, motherf...”

• End of Prologue -