h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*A breathless messanger runs into Atums chamber and falls prostrate before his master*

Atum. To interupt your master in his chambers is either a fool wishing to die or a bearer of important news. Which are you?

Jaffa. Master, master. The ship sent to aid Ses has returned.

A. Bring him to the throne room. Now.

*Atum walks out from his chamber and is seated on his throne*

*Atum sits perched forward on his throne. One hand rested on his knee the other holding his chin. He stares intently at the group walking towards him*

*Ses and the four jaffa surrounding Major Scandrea all drop to one knee*

Ses: My Lord I have brought you a warrior of the Tauri.

*Atums body doesn't move, but his black eyes bore into the major*

*Scandrea does not kneel on her own volition. Instead, she remains standing as long as possible, looking back at Atum.*

Atum: A woman.

*Atum smiles*

A: Who are you woman of the Tauri?

*Scandrea clenches her jaw.*

No one in particular.

*Atums smile broadens and he rises from his chair*

Yet you are someone who feels powerfull enough not to bow before me.

*Atum walks down the steps from his throne. he stands beside Ses who kneels before him. Atum rests his hand on Ses head*

Perhaps you feel you are my equal?

*Scandrea stiffens- her mouth has once again got a few steps ahead of her brain.*

I am no one, why does it matter?

Look around you. Everyone in the room bows before me. But you do not. Tell me tauri woman, why is this? Are you powerfull... or insoulent?

*Some defense mechanism that she really should have left back on Earth kicks in and a nervous grin spreads across her face.*

It's because peer pressure doesn't bother me.

*looks down at Ses*

The tauri woman is you peer. Perhaps she is right. How does that make you feel. Does it make your veins boil?

*looks up again at Scandrea*

Do you have a name warrior woman of the Tauri?

*Part of Scandrea is scared to death. The other part is going to make the goa'uld work for every drop of information she got.*

I told you- I'm no one in particular.

*Atum takes his hand from Ses head and walks forward to Major Scandrea*

There are many ways to extract information. It would be a shame to ruin such a pretty body just to know your name.

*Atum casualy walks to the side and behind Scandrea*

*Tries to repress a shudder.*

Why do you care?

*the smile instanty disapears from his face*

You shall not question you god.

*to the jaffa surrounding the major*

This filth refuses to bow.

*the four jaffa get up and grab Scandrea and force her onto her knees*

Do you know the punnishment for disbedience?

Probably something like a horrendous, torturous death followed by revival in a sarcophagus so you can kill me again...

*the smile returns to Atums face*

A god can be benevolent and bestow great gifts. But only as a reward for those who serve him faithfully.

*he turns his back to the major and walks back over to the still bowed Ses*

As an example take my first prime. For five years he has served me well. Never has he failled me.

Untill now.

*Ses glances up to Atum*

*Atum smiles down to him, and projecting his voice around the hall*

My first took an entire battalion of jaffa to a distant planet. He was to return with a powerfull weapon. Instead he returns with a single tauri woman.

*Atum takes a Zat from his robe and fires a blast into the back of Ses neck. As Ses lies prone on the ground he fires again twice into his head*

*still smiling he turn to Scandrea*

Your fate will not be death. It will be imortality.

*Scandrea freezes, for the first time her words fail her and her fear shows.*

What? You're not... no!