Chapter 1
Lord Takazi
Stargate has been established for almost 750 years now. In that time, we have grown from a group of disgruntled settlers leaving the Republic to a massive empire spanning farther than the Republic could ever imagine. In this time, I’ve done so much for what I created. And now, this mistreated lord (once among us), rallies a quarter of the galaxy against us.
Few can truly imagine our plight. We are at a point of brother versus brother, sister fighting sister, cousins warring against their own cousins. Even now, I sit here, judging a young girl who we trusted, a young commander who had such a promising career in the military. And now I must give her the death penalty. It is at these times where my heart aches for those around who must watch, those involved, or in the future of those affected by our choices now.

Commander Niakiria
There are so many people here cheering for my death. They all know what I have done cannot be pardoned. I smile inwardly with the pride and knowledge that I stood for what was right. I was Lord Bosophorous’ right hand officer, and carried out several dozen missions for him, and more than a hundred for Stargate before the Rebellion. I almost laugh when remembering how many times he had to come to my rescue during a critical battle in this rebellion. He was my savior. And the most loving person alive.
The proceedings begin, with several of the Stargate Covenant Lords taking their seats. I am on a platform above the Covenant Lords, overlooking the crowd surrounding us. Lord Takazi, the head of the Covenant, stands below me, and starts to speak. My mind drifts away. Most likely he’ll find an elaborate way to say the dreaded words, “The Covenant has come to a decision. She is guilty and will be terminated. Does the accused have any last words?”
But for now he only drones on, his voice rising and lowering to catch the crowd’s feelings. My mind drifts away again, to ponder what Lord Bosophorous will do to win this war. My only regret serving in his service was that I could not do more.
The words came. I jolted: it was the exact words I had imagined. I remained silent, and the executioner walked up the spiraling stairs to the platform, her broadsword in hand. Lord Takazi nodded, and as the crowd roared the executioner raised her blade, and sent in towards my neck.
This time, my leader was not here to save me.

Prison Break

Lord Bosophorous
Meditate. Focus. Calm. Stay…calm…The images came back to me.
I was standing in the center of the circular room. Light glowed from the walls, creating a dim feeling in this area: The Covenant Circle, it was a room I used to be a part of. I am standing judged. This room was for only the highest authorities in High Command, the Stargate military. General Robison, branch Director for the Legionnaire Forces, looms above me on a stand, the rest of the people in this room sitting in seats around the room. “This man is a traitor!” She could not keep the hate and envy out of her tone. “He is responsible for raising his Quadrant against our empire!” There were whispers everywhere. I had been trusted. I had been loved. And now, I had been betrayed. Someone had been monitoring my conversations ever since I had been arrested for injuring a clone squad who did not follow orders. I should have known better to have begun mobilization of the Realm after my first arrival. God, for a Quadrant lord, I am very daft. “He has issues! He is no longer fit as a Quadrant lord. As leader of the Legionnaire command, I hereby use my authority to remove him from office.” Her words rang through the room.
I faintly remember being roughly taken away by 2 legionnaires. No one would listen, or even look at me. But I caught their whispers:
“…traitor…against our empire…issues…no longer fit as a Quadrant lord.”
And now I sit in the Tower, the Capitol Prison, guarded by those I used to fight beside.
“Peace…Focus…There is balance in the Force…”
Commander Niakiria
Until the Quadrant lord was judged, the Legionnaires had been charged with guarding the Tower. I glanced around at the fortress. There was a military-grade dome shield that reddened the teal sky. The Tower was itself a quarter mile wide sitting on top of a square barrack complex, with another mile-long “dead zone” between the edge of the Tower and the walls that marked the end of the prison complex. Snipers sat in their towers on the wall, to stun any prisoners who came near the dead zone. Even now, someone stepped too close and there was a short whistle before he fell to the ground, unconscious.
I turned from the window in the lowest floor on the tower. Commander Ella, a fellow division leader for the Legionnaire command, sat in the largest office chair in the room, toying with a lightsaber I found very familiar. She looked up at me, smiling, “Elegant weapons, for a more…civilized age. Don’t you agree?”
I only stared at the weapon, wondering how I could get it from her. She continued, now activating its brilliant white blade, “He did nothing wrong, you know. Our leader was only jealous.”
“I know,” I replied. The Legionnaire Director’s husband was Quadrant leader for Technic: Realm’s rivals.
Ella continued to observe me, slowly burning circles into the air from the saber in her left hand. The blade pierced and pulsated its white ray. Deactivating it, she took her blue eyes off of me, now examining the saber. “Heavier than most, of course the blade is also longer…” She dropped it on the table, a loud smack resulting.
She stood and walked to the door, sending 2 guards away who had come to investigate. She turned back to look at me, winking, then walked out the door.
I ran to the table and quickly picked up the saber, running towards the blast door that guards the elevators going up. Each floor held 500 cells, right? Of course highest level prisoners were held on the top floors…how hard could it be to find him?
Lord Bosophorous
…Calm…there is strength in peace…An ancient master once said, ‘Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.’ To be a true master of the Force-
A clang interrupted my focus. There was an almost inaudible curse. I sensed a clone had run directly off an elevator into a ray shielded door. A slight smile showed on my face before I tried to refocus myself. The clone’s silent footsteps sounded like clanging bells to my focused ears. The legionnaire commander stopped in front of my door, holding something in her hand.
I opened my eyes, “Niakiria?”
The door deactivated, and she dropped my saber. There was a pause before it began to roll to me faster than the gentle slope should have allowed. I pulled it to my hand, chuckling, “Good to see you, too, buddy.”
I looked up at her helmet, I could see nothing. A monotonous speaker said quickly, “You are to resist and overpower me, and use me as a hostage to get down to Floor 144, where the highest window appears. Your commandos will be shutting off the Tower’s shield generators in…3 minutes and 45 seconds.”
She lunged at me, but with my heightened senses I sidestepped and slammed her to the ground. I have done many missions with her, and knew that her armor could hold up to almost anything…A camera in the corner of my cell flashed red and the alarms began blaring. I ran out of the cell, holding Niakiria by the throat, my lightsaber almost kissing her neck. 5 floors to go…
Just as I reached the 144th floor, all power went out. I saw a Kodiak [military helicopter] waiting outside the window, and used my lightsaber to carve a hole in the thick glass. I jumped through, landing on the Kodiaks deck gracefully, turning back for Niakiria. She only stood there. Vice-Admiral Wilkes shouted over from the co-pilot’s seat: “Sir, we need to go now!!”
I nodded before grabbing the commander with the Force and pulled her to the Kodiak’s deck. It took off. I pulled her up, grabbing the side of her helmet.  “You. Are. Amazing.”
“You should have left me behind…” The mechanical voice spoke.
I ripped off her helmet, leaning close momentarily until our lips almost touched- before an explosion rocked our helicopter and we began spiraling downward into the ‘dead zone’. Wilkes ran toward the door and yelled, “JUMP!”
Wilkes and I activated our lightsabers and jumped, immediately deflecting dozens of sniper bolts that came too close. I landed on the ground in a roll, Wilkes following. I saw him and his red saber began to cover me. I turned around and slowed the legionnaire commander’s fall. She still hit the ground with a crack. I paused, “Are you ok?”
She winced and nodded. I turned back to Wilkes, “What is our backup plan?”
He glanced back, blocking a sniper bolt by instinct rather than sight. “Your honor guard captain should be here shortly…”
“He’s your nephew…”
My Vice-leader glared at me, while deflecting another blaster shot. “Legionnaire infantry’s incoming.”
“You know your orders, Lord Wilkes. Do not harm any Stargate clone. Anytime now, Sterling…”
There was a youthful laugh above us. “Well, Uncle, look who’s saving you again.” Wilkes Force threw a nearby rock at him and growled. Sterling goaded, “Hmmm, if you had listened to me the first time, and had…”
There was a snicker as Sterling dodged another rock easily before jetpacks were dropped to us. “Just get us out of here; you can brag later,” Wilkes snapped. Sniper bolts flew past our heads as we geared up and ascended away from the nearing vehicles. I saw our men falling all around me, and it wasn’t until we were aboard my fleet’s battleship that I noticed Niakiria hadn’t made it off the ground…

Escape

Commander Niakiria   Avery, Technic Quadrant, Stargate
My eyes were closed as the blade spiraled towards my neck. My executioner had been my Legionnaire leader, General Robinson. The cold steel hit my neck, then there was nothing; no wind, no pain, no sound. The crowd’s roar faded away, but I felt no different. Is this how it feels when people die? Their souls just fade away to who knows where? When I open my eyes, will I just be a hollow me floating away from my body? Bosophorous had only mentioned death once to me. Something about another dimension and transforming into the Force…Whatever it was, it was just another random thing he sputtered occasionally which…always caused his command group to groan and find something else to do- faaaarrr away from wherever he was until his “mood” was over.
The silence pounded my ears, and I began feeling an irritable itch on my neck. I opened my eyes, immediately seeing an anxious crowd staring directly back at me. I turned to see General Robinson staring at me in shock. My eyes focused on her blade quivering in the air between us, trembling as it barely kissed my neck.

Lord Bosophorous
Every advisor I spoke to had told me not to save her. Wilkes and Sterling had held me back once I realized she hadn’t followed. Our best asset was not worth losing an entire fleet and a quarter of my army over. “Attacking the Stargate capitol? You must be crazy!”
I agreed. Yet here I am. Why?
The blade near her neck clattered to the ground. The crowd gazed in horror. They began looking around. The Covenant lords stood, now sensing my presence. Lightsaber in hand, I jumped from the crowd up to the top platform, landing beside the General Robinson. She had no time to turn before I sliced her head cleanly off her body. It rolled with a splat off the platform down into the crowd below, leaving screams and a red trail where it previously traveled.
In 3 long strides I stood before the Commander. She wouldn’t look at me. “You should have left me behind, sir.”
I said quietly, “I am never leaving you behind again, Niakiria.”
Lacking a response, the 5 Covenant lords flipped unto the plateau, activating their lighsabers. Before they could advance, a gunship chased by two Kodiaks flew low, and crashed into the crowd. More and more gunships flew from the sky into the mass of people. Panicking, the crowd rushed in every direction, including into the pillars where the Covenant stood.
Through the distraction of falling aircraft, I used Force lightning to push Salomon and James off the pillars into the stampeding herd. Lord Takazi walked cautiously towards me. I used Force lightning again, but this time on my activated lightsaber. When I swung at him, he parried and blasted himself off the platform. Now standing alone, I untied Niakiria and assisted her through down the stairs and through the throng. I saw Lord Salomon come after me, but Lord Takazi stopped him, saying, “Let them go. They will treat her better than we ever could.”
I led her through the crowd, narrowly dodging several aircraft. She screamed at me, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
I replied back quietly, almost not to be heard, “I’m saving you.”
She glanced at a family who stood in the middle of a wreckage: all of them were on fire, screaming and begging someone to help them. No one paid attention to them. Dead corpses surrounded them. I carried Niakiria away toward a gunship that touched down nearby. The door opened, and Sterling with several commandos stepped out. He saw us, and motioned quickly, shooting quickly past us at a squad of Stargate troopers behind us. They backed away into the crowd, only watching. We boarded and flew past the raining hellstorm to space, and to my flagship, which was taking heavy fire from the Stargate Avery Defense Fleet. We crashed into the silent main hangar. I paused, lifting Niakiria. I cursed myself for the carelessness I controlled. She had passed out from the numerous injuries, trauma, and loss of blood endured while in Stagate’s hands. I know she had several broken ribs from the fall at the prison Tower.
Exiting the gunship, Sterling and the squad breathed a sigh of relief, gazing at the fight outside. Sterling motioned towards a nearing troopship. “Sir, looks like Commander Wolf and his Centurion troops will be here shortly. We should go.”
Turning around, we stood face to face with a tall figure, leaning on a staff. Sterling cursed and grabbed his dual pistols. The armored figure raised his staff which transformed into a lightsaber and deflected the 3 shots Sterling fired, directing the last one back to him. It hit his shoulder, and Sterling wheeled back in a shout of pain. The commandos advanced, but where quickly taken out by the agile man. When done, he stood in front of Sterling and I, staring down at us. Lee’s saber reformed into a cane, and he leaned on it heavily. “Lay down your weapons, Bosophorous. This war is over,” He wheezed.

     Commander Sterling
Bosophorous lay the wounded commander down, now rising and growling at the person before him. “I have come this far. I am not going back.”
He drew his brilliant white from behind his back, and lunged at the leader. The leader lifted his cane, and it transformed in a lightsaber. The red and white blades crossed, and a physical blast shot me back. I teetered at the edge of the hangar, almost falling backwards past the shield into the vacuum of space. The two saber wielders continued to dance across the hangar, their blades pulsating a blinding light every time they touched. I regained my balance as the Stargate troopship landed on the deck. Covering behind the gunship, I began to shoot with my one good hand at the troopship entrance. The Centurions stood behind the shielded entrance and watched the saber fight. They waited a few seconds before activating their tall, rectangular shields and charging out. I laughed, the fools had no idea…

Lead Commander Wolf
I felt my core burn with an uncomfortable heat. Using the mirror in my helmet, I noticed my pupils were dilating, and my usual blue eye color was fading to midnight’s color. Soon, my eyes were a solid black, and a voice not mine spoke through my speaker, “Let’s go! What is the problem with you? MOVE!!”
A centurion turned to say something and an anger unlike I ever felt before entered me, and I shot the soldier. Before any more protests, the pitiful group activated their rectangular body-length shields and ran out the door. “Good, good…”
Sterling stood and fired at the nearest centurion. It was a 30-yard charge. I stepped out, cursing to myself, “I will kill him myself.”
The shot went through the centurions shield and instantly killed the soldier. There was a temporary pause in the charge, this rebel soldier had a specialized high powered firearm…I shouted, leading the charge, “We are legion! There are too many of us for him!!”
The despicable soldiers I led began falling all around me. Finally reaching the gunship, I vaulted over, sidestepping the pistol shots aimed at my face. The shots I dodged hit the two remaining centurions that had survived behind me. I grabbed Sterling’s face, now in a fit of rage, and slammed him into my knee. His skull cracked, and I slammed him into the ground, kicking him again and again. Sterling rolled away, shooting at me with one pistol. I did not even bother to dodge his bad aim. I pulled out my long barreled sidearm and shot his chest. He coughed twice then stopped moving.
The traitorous commander Niakiria lay only a few feet away. I aimed at Sterling before slowly stepping toward her.

Commander Niakiria
The pain…hurts…so much. I slowly opened my eyes to a sharp report. I looked behind me, past the dead bodies, past the wreckage of burning ships at Bosophorous who was deeply engaged in a duel with a masked figure. The crash of their blades flashed and only worsened the pounding in my head.
I look back at Wolf who stalked towards me, throwing off his helmet. It wasn’t him. I recognized Lord Jeadon, leader of Technic in those eyes…whimpering, I edged back despite the pain. Wolf sadistically grinned before stepping on my foot, twisting it even further. I yelped as he chuckled, “Can’t have you running away again, can we?”
His voice deepened at the end, and he raised the weapon so it was pointing at my face. “Wolf-”
I had no chance to say more before he pulled the trigger. The hangar went dim. I could only faintly see Wolf standing there, laughing while shooting me over and over and over as the darts of pain wrecked my body. Suddenly, he stopped, dropping his weapon. His face returned to the friend I remembered. “Oh my God! NO! NONONO!!! Niakiria!! What have I done?!”
His voice went quiet, the lights went dim, and the pain…the pain was gone.