The First Commandment
By Littlesilverstar, silverstar222b@yahoo.com
When a female soldier goes rogue, another female soldier is sent to stop her


AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is based on the Stargate SG-1 episode of the same
name; however, in my story, the majority of the characters will be female and
most traditional gender roles will be reversed.

Enjoy the story!

* * *

"So, Major, as you may have heard through the rumor mill, SG-23 is six days
overdue from their scheduled return. All attempts to contact them have been
unsuccessful. As commander of SG-17, you are directed to lead a mission to
find out what happened to SG-23 and bring them back home safely, if that is
still possible. Do you understand the seriousness of this assignment?"

Major Skylar Larson nodded. "Yes, General."

"Good." The General handed her a file. "Here's the intel on SG-23 and their
mission. Brief your team. You are scheduled for gate departure at 0800 hours
tomorrow. You are dismissed."

"Understood, sir." She took the file, stood up, and saluted.

"Good luck, Major," he said as he returned the salute. He added in a quieter
voice, "I fear you'll need it."

* * *

Skylar read over the file quickly but efficiently in her office while waiting
for her team to come in for the meeting. There was little more than what the
General had already said. SG-23 had been sent on a five-day mission to scout
an unexplored planet, find out if anyone was living there, and determine if it
had any resources of value. That had been eleven days ago. Accompanying the
mission details were brief biographies of each member of SG-23.

She shook her head. What had happened out there? She was eager for the mission
- she loved a good mystery - but she also felt that sense of doom, that
something dangerous and violent was about to happen, and found herself
agreeing with the General's words about needing luck. She had learned from
experience to listen to her sixth sense, the one that warned her of danger,
when it was acting up.

That sixth sense had served her well during her military career so far. 34
years old and an Army Ranger, Skylar had served in Afghanistan and Syria, and
her nose for danger had enabled her to sniff out enemy ambushes multiple
times. With her short auburn hair, bright blue eyes, tanned skin, and athletic
body, she certainly looked the part of the archetypical female warrior who was
strong but still feminine.

As usual, her second-in-command was the first to arrive to the meeting.
36-year-old Gunnery Sergeant Megan Wallis had spent half her life in the
United States Marine Corps, and had seen combat in Syria and Afghanistan as
well as Iraq. With her shoulder length blonde hair, green eyes, fitness-girl
body, and similar looks to the actress of the same last name, Megan had never
allowed being a model Marine to take away from her femininity. With her warm,
gregarious, and open personality, she was also Skylar's best friend and
closest confidante.

Staff Sergeant Alia Necib stepped into the office a couple of minutes later.
31 years old, Alia was an Arab Christian who had been born in Lebanon and
moved to the United States as a young girl. A member of the secretive, elite
Delta Force, her career had consisted of using her Arabic language and
cultural knowledge, as well as her combat skills, in various covert missions
all over the Middle East. With her dark brown skin, large brown eyes, slender
but muscular body, and long black hair (Delta members were not subject to the
hair length restrictions of other military branches), she had an exotic
beauty. Her personality was quiet, but fiercely loyal.

Right behind Alia was the final member of the team, the only civilian, and the
only male. 33-year-old Dr. Jeff Dorgan was a brilliant scientist and a
well-read historian on all things Stargate, the alien-constructed
transportation system that connected planets all over the galaxy. Short, thin,
and unathletic, he was the stereotypical nerd in many ways, although he didn't
wear glasses. From the way he acted around his three female comrades, Skylar
could tell that Jeff had a fetish for female warriors, although being the
professional that she was, she never let on that she knew.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman," said Skylar as she closed the door to
her office. "I hope none of you made any plans for the near future, because
we've got a mission at 0800 hours tomorrow. I know it's extremely short notice
and I apologize for that, but after I tell you about this one I hope you'll
understand why."

Skylar went on to give a brief summary of the information she had received
from the file and the General. She then opened the folder and took out the
papers describing the members of SG-23. "I thought we'd go over these
together, and also add any personal knowledge we have about these guys and
girls. Let's start with the civilian. Dr. Walter Engleford, age 28. Harvard
graduate and Stargate expert."

"I know him," said Jeff. "We're into the same nerdy stuff, and I mentored him
for a while. He should have a great career ahead of him."

Skylar nodded. "Next. Corporal Kyle Peterson, age 22, United States Marine
Corps."

"I've met him a couple of times," said Megan. "Good Marine. Just the right
amount of gung-ho. Smart kid, too. He's a fighter in the Marine way, but he
asks questions, and encourages younger kids to ask questions too."

"Sounds like a sensible guy," Skylar agreed. "Next. Sergeant Rachel Monroe,
age 25, U.S. Army. Anyone know her?"

The other three all shook their heads. Looking at the file, Megan remarked,
"Well, she was military police before she joined the Stargate program. Take
from that what you will."

Skylar smiled at that, then continued, "Finally, the commander. Captain
Maribelle Strosser, age 29. Looks like she was..."

"Delta Force," finished Alia. "I didn't know she was with Stargate now. She
never told me."

"Do you know her well?" Skylar asked.

Alia nodded. "I served under her on a couple of covert ops missions. She
was...Permission to speak freely about a superior officer, ma'am?"

"Of course, Alia. And I've told you, you can just call me Skylar."

"Well, Skylar, Captain Strosser, she was...I guess intense would be the best
word to describe her. She was determined to the point of being ruthless.
Personally did some pretty gruesome things to men she captured. Not that I'm
squeamish, but she took things to a level that she shouldn't have. She never
was one for following the rules, and liked to say that Delta is all about
bending the rules. Which is true to a certain extent, but she took it a lot
farther than I ever would."

"Hmm. Thanks for that. Anything else?"

Alia ran a finger through her long jet-black hair. "I fear that she may have
bitten off more than she could chew and led her Stargate team into a situation
too sticky to escape from. That almost happened on one of our missions
together. We were lucky to get out alive. A couple of our comrades didn't. She
took too many risks. And I never felt that bond with her that I felt with
other Delta members. Like, she didn't even tell me that she was coming to
Stargate." She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe it
was just because she's an officer and wanted to keep her emotional distance.
Not every officer is as open as you, Major...I mean Skylar."

Skylar laughed. "I suppose that's true."

Megan looked over the files again one by one. "All under 30. Practically just
kids. Maybe they got into trouble because of that. Now it looks like us
old-timers are going to have to rescue them. Same shit as usual."

"Old-timers? Speak for yourself, Gunny. Some of us are still under 35," Skylar
giggled.

"Aw, don't get on your young high horse. That auburn hair'll turn gray soon
enough."

"It'll be a heck of a while before that happens."

Megan tilted her head. "Heck? Skylar, do you ever swear? I don't think I've
ever heard you..."

The major smiled. "Yes. If I feel it's necessary." Turning serious again, she
continued, "Pack lots of sunscreen, the planet is very hot and dry. Any
questions?"

The others shook their heads.

"Watch your backs, guys and girls," Skylar finished. "I know we've been on
dangerous missions before, but I have a bad feeling about this one. It's that
sixth sense. I'll see you at 0700 tomorrow for the final preparations."

"God be with us," said Alia.

"May the Force be with us," said Jeff.

"May the odds be ever in our favor," added Megan.

Skylar waited until the others had left before whispering to herself, "Good
luck to us all. I think we'll need it."

* * *

The planet was indeed very hot and dry. The local star was white-hot, hotter
than the Sun, and larger in the sky. Jeff, despite the heat, shivered a little
as the Stargate shut off behind them. Although he enjoyed adventure, the
danger of these missions always made him nervous, as he was just a civilian.
He was glad (and aroused) that these three sexy female warriors were here to
protect him.

They were well-armed, Skylar with a M-14 rifle, Megan with a 7.62mm belt-fed
machine gun, and Alia with an Uzi submachine gun. In addition, Skylar and
Megan wore .45 pistols on their hips. Jeff himself carried only a sidearm, a
9mm pistol, recommended by Skylar after she had taken him to the range to
practice and he'd found that the kick from a .45 hurt his thin wrists. He
looked at Skylar's wrists, thicker than his but still feminine, with a mix of
envy and attraction.

They had all put on a heavy layer of sunscreen before stepping through the
Stargate, even Alia, whose dark brown skin meant that she never burned on
Earth. Skylar shook her head as she looked around at the barren, desert-like
landscape. "Reapply sunscreen every hour. Any sign of their trail?"

Alia looked up from her close examination of the ground. "Nothing."

"It looks like there's a little bit of greenery in that direction." Megan
pointed. "There should at least be some source of water."

Skylar nodded. "Gunny, take point. Alia, follow her, and Jeff, you're behind
Alia. I'll cover the rear. Keep a sharp eye out, everybody."

The atmosphere was tense as they made their way towards the greenery. Jeff
found himself wanting to jump at every animal noise, although he forced
himself to keep as calm as possible so to not lose face with the girls.

Eventually, they came to a line of green shrubs, contrasting sharply with the
reddish desert rock and sand all around them. A small creek became visible in
the middle of the vegetation.

Suddenly, Megan held up her hand. Everyone froze. The blonde Marine pointed to
a nearby bush.

Everyone trained their weapons on the bush. There was a faint moan, then a
figure rose up dizzily and clumsily from behind the leaves.

"Walt? Dr. Walter Engleford? Is that you?" said Skylar as she recognized him.
He was a small, slender man, similar in build to Jeff.

"Urrrggghhhh..." Walt coughed a few times, then began wobbling. Alia caught
him before he could fall, seating him gently on the ground. Jeff gave him a
drink of water.

"Are you all right?" Skylar asked.

"Urrrggghhhh. I guess I am now. Thank you." Walt stared at the others.
"Stargate Command finally sent someone?"

"Yes. What happened here?"

He looked around nervously. "Have you seen any sign of Captain Maribelle or
Sergeant Rachel?"

"No. Why?"

"They're trying to kill me."

That got everyone's attention. Jeff began looking around nervously as well,
while Megan's mouth dropped open and Skylar frowned. Alia simply nodded her
head.

"All right. Why don't you tell us the story from the beginning?" Skylar said.

Walt took a deep breath and nodded. "It was...eleven days ago? We were sent to
this planet on a routine scouting mission. Routine. That's how it always
starts. Later, there's running and screaming."

"One of our main objectives was to find out if there were any natives on this
planet. Well, there are. There's a primitive village of natives about three
miles upstream. When we first arrived, they all dropped to their knees before
us, acting as if we were gods. Maribelle said to play along, that it would be
the safest thing to do. We all agreed...at first."

"It started out innocently enough, seemingly. They prepared a big feast for
us, and there was singing and dancing. They said they would construct a temple
for us, and got to work on it right away. They usually do their outdoor labor
at night because of the heat, but they wanted to get it finished as fast as
possible, so they worked even in the midday sun. Corporal Kyle noticed that a
lot of the laborers were getting terrible sunburns, so he suggested that we
stop them from working during the day, but Captain Maribelle said no, that
that might make them question our status, and if they decided we weren't gods
they might do to us what was done to Captain Cook."

"Well, being worshipped and waited on hand and foot for a few days can get to
your head. It especially did with Captain Maribelle and Sergeant Rachel. They
started enjoying it a little too much. At some point, it stopped being an act
and they began feeling that they actually were goddesses. I saw it happen
before my very eyes, but...It's like the frog in the pot of water, I guess.
The heat was turned up so gradually that by the time we realized it was
boiling, it was too late."

"Finally, one day, we reached the point of no return. One of the young men in
the village did begin questioning our status after accidentally walking in on
Rachel squatting in the bushes taking a pee. He pointed out that we ate,
drank, slept, pissed, and shat just like they did, and maybe we weren't gods
after all. There was a lot of murmuring amongst the villagers, and I knew
things were about to get ugly, one way or another."

"Maribelle called all the villagers together and said she was going to prove
that she really was a goddess, and also that unbelievers would be punished.
She took out her sidearm, pointed it at the man who had spoken against us, and
shot him right in the head. Splattered the poor bastard's brains all over the
place. She then shouted that she had the power to make people's heads explode,
and she would use it on anyone else who questioned her divine status. She even
invited the villagers to try her gun after quietly unloading it. After some of
them tried it and it didn't work, she declared that only gods had the power to
use the magic head exploder."

"The path was pretty straightforward from there. 'Faith,' such as it was, was
restored, and Maribelle entrenched herself as the divine goddess and empress
of the village, with Rachel as her second-in-command and chief enforcer. They
picked out the strongest, most eager young villagers to be soldiers and
overseers, with the rest as common slaves, forced to construct the temple in
the burning sun and tend to their mistresses' every need."

"Kyle, however, wasn't having it. He and I had gone along with the program in
the beginning, but when Maribelle shot that poor sap, he rebelled. He took me
aside, asking me to help him, and said he was going to show the villagers how
a gun worked and how it was based on science, not divine magic. Unfortunately,
Rachel caught us. She took us at gunpoint to Maribelle. The captain demanded
that Kyle follow her orders. When he pointed out that he was not required to
obey an illegal order, she just laughed and said that on this world, she was
the only law."

"Maribelle and Rachel continued to hold us at gunpoint while discussing what
to do with us. Rachel suggested punishing us in public, but Maribelle said
that since we had initially been introduced as gods, that would require too
many explanations to the villagers. Instead, they decided to take us away from
the village, bump us off, dump our bodies, and tell the natives that we had
gone back to our home world."

"While they were distracted talking to each other, we took our only chance. We
just started running as fast as we could. They weren't far behind us. Kyle
said he would double back and try to lead them on a false trail. I begged him
not to, and said that we had to just get as far away from them as quickly as
possible. But he insisted on being a hero. After we separated, I never saw him
again. I don't know if they caught him. But I know that he saved my life."

"I was running and running. The sun was beating down on me and I wasn't sure
how much longer I could last without water. I could hear bootsteps behind me,
gaining on me. Eventually I came to the edge of a cliff, with a pool of water
down below. I looked back and saw a glimpse of a female figure in a military
uniform slowly making her way closer. I was trapped. So I did the only thing I
could do. I jumped off the cliff and into the water. The fall must have
knocked me out and I guess I drifted downstream in the creek until you found
me."

There was a moment of silence as everyone took in the magnitude of what had
happened. Finally, Megan spoke, shaking her head. "Those fuckers. How could it
have come to this?"

"It's not that difficult, considering Maribelle's background," said Alia
softly. "Too many years of black ops. Too many years of bending the rules.
After all that bending, things are liable to break."

"And Rachel?" asked Megan.

Alia shrugged. "She was MP. Like you said, take from that what you will."

Skylar looked at Walt. "How many of these native 'soldiers' does Maribelle
have? And what kind of weapons are they armed with?"

"Maybe about forty. They have spears and axes, some of them carry bows and
arrows."

"Will they fight for her if things get sticky?"

"After her 'demonstration,' they believe that she's a goddess. I think they'd
fight to the death for her."

Skylar nodded slowly. "Here's what we're going to do. Alia, escort Walt and
Jeff back to the Stargate. Tell the General what happened and tell him to send
a full platoon of soldiers to back us up. Megan, you and I will scout out the
village."

"With respect, ma'am, I'd rather not leave the danger zone in the middle of a
mission," said Alia.

"I understand, but someone needs to escort the gentlemen to the gate, and as
the youngest and most junior soldier present, the position of safety should be
yours," Skylar responded.

"I'd rather not leave," said Jeff, half of him wanting to run to safety but
the other half knowing he had to be brave and speak up. "We're a team. We
should stick together."

"We're a team of explorers, and we stick together on missions of exploration,"
said Skylar. "This has now become purely a military operation. I can't lead
civilians into a war zone." Her voice softened. "Off the record, though, I
admire your balls for being willing to stay." She smiled and squeezed his hand
affectionately.

"As a soldier, I don't want to leave the..." Alia began.

"Sergeant, I gave you an order. Now move your butt." Skylar's voice softened
again. "I'll see you when you're back with the reinforcements."

"I'll be the first one through the gate back onto this planet," Alia said. She
motioned for Jeff and Walt to follow her.

Skylar watched the three figures slowly grow smaller as they headed off
towards the Stargate, then looked straight up. "If there's anyone or anything
up there, your help would be greatly appreciated right about now."

"We'll need some kind of divine power on our side to take that Maribelle
down," Megan agreed.

Skylar nodded. "Come on. Let's go."

* * *

"We should be getting close n...hold on. What's that?" Skylar looked down into
the creek.

"Blood. Looks pretty fresh," said Megan.

"Come on. Let's see where it's coming from."

It didn't take them long to find it. A few dozen yards upstream, on the edge
of the creek, lay the corpse of Corporal Kyle Peterson. A wicked-looking,
barbed, thick metal arrow was impaled in his chest, and blood was still
trickling out.

"Shit." Megan bent over the body, shaking her head. "One of the natives...?"

"No," said Skylar as she examined the corpse more closely. "Too modern. The
natives wouldn't use metal arrows. I remember Alia telling me that Maribelle
used a crossbow on a lot of her Delta Force missions. This looks like her
handiwork. Went right through his body armor. A primitive bow wouldn't be able
to drive an arrow with that much force."

Megan saluted the body. "Rest in peace, Corporal. You died a true Marine
hero." Skylar bowed her head.

* * *

"Almost there," said Megan. "I see smoke coming from over that ridge."

Skylar nodded, looking at her watch. "Sunscreen time."

As the women reapplied their sunscreen, a frown appeared on the major's face.
Megan, noticing it, said, "Sixth sense time?"

Skylar nodded. Both women ducked. A second later, an arrow whooshed above
their heads.

About a hundred yards away, a band of perhaps ten or twelve natives, young men
and women, armed with bows, appeared from the bushes. More arrows came flying
at them.

"Hold your fire," said Skylar. "We want to save these people, not kill them.
I'll try to scare them off." She took careful aim with her M-14 and fired a
single shot. The bullet ripped through the shrubbery about a foot from one
native's head. There were loud shouts and curses, but they kept advancing,
continuing to fire arrows.

Megan had her machine gun ready. "What now..." Suddenly, an arrow struck
Skylar in the chest. "Major! Are you...?"

Skylar yanked the arrow out. "I'm fine. It didn't penetrate my body armor."
Both women hugged the ground as arrows continued to sail over their heads.
"That tall man with the bald head seems to be the leader," the major
continued. "If I nail him, hopefully the others will run off. If not, we'll
have to do the rest of them before one of us gets shot in the head."

She aimed her rifle again and fired. The bald native's bald head exploded in a
gory burst of red and brown goo. The rest of them froze, then began running
away.

"They'll run straight back to Maribelle," Skylar murmured, upset at what she'd
had to do. "She'll know we're coming now. We'll have to be extra careful."

* * *

As the female soldiers crested the ridge and peeked over the other side, a
strange and terrifying sight greeted their eyes. In the valley below was a
village of perhaps a hundred huts. In the center was a partially constructed,
massive stone temple. Slave laborers toiled in the burning sun, dragging
blocks of stone and assembling them. Other natives acted as overseers, armed
with whips. And watching over them all was the self-proclaimed goddess,
Maribelle, seated on a makeshift throne under the shade of an umbrella, a
goblet of wine at her side. A male native fanned her with a large leaf, and
another brought her a platter of fruit, bowing submissively before he left.

One laborer collapsed from exhaustion. An overseer, a muscular young woman,
struck him with her whip, shouting. She whipped him several more times, but he
remained on the ground, unable to get up.

The overseer looked at Maribelle for instruction. Maribelle snapped her
fingers and two burly men hurried over, grabbed the exhausted slave, and
carried him to an open area completely exposed to the burning sun. They
quickly tied him to a post and left him. Other natives were tied to posts
nearby, some moaning in agony, others long dead, their corpses bright red.

"That psycho cunt," said Megan softly.

Skylar shook her head. "Don't let her off that easy. She isn't crazy. She's
evil."

"So what do we do now? We have to help them."

"If we attack now, we'll have to go through the natives to get to Maribelle.
She's brainwashed them into having blind faith in their so-called goddess."
Skylar's blue eyes narrowed with decision. "Gunny, stay here and wait for Alia
to come back with the reinforcements. I'm going to infiltrate the village and
see if I can turn some of those believers into infidels."

Megan nodded, though the look in her green eyes indicated that she didn't want
to sit and wait. "Good luck, Skylar. Keep yourself alive."

"You too, Megan. I'll see you when I see you." The two female warriors
embraced in a tight hug before heading their separate ways.

* * *

Skylar cautiously made her way through the bushes at the edge of the village.
Staying hidden, she watched as natives employed as guards occasionally passed
by on patrol. She looked at each of their faces as they passed, trying to get
a read on their personalities from their eyes.

Finally, she saw a young woman with a spark in her eyes, seemingly indicating
someone more curious, more open than the rest. Taking a deep breath and
glancing around quickly to make sure no one else was there, Skylar leapt out
behind the woman, wrapping an arm around her neck to prevent her from crying
out, and pulled her into the bushes.

"I'm sorry I had to do that," she said. "But please stay quiet."

The native woman was slender but muscular, with long brown hair, and looked to
be in her early twenties. With her frightened brown eyes, she looked at
Skylar. "Who are you?"

"My name is Skylar. What's yours?"

"I am Callista. Are you one of the evil ones?"

"The evil ones?"

"The Goddess said that the evil ones were coming, and to watch out for them."

Skylar sighed. "Your Goddess is a fake. She's no goddess at all. She's as
human as you and me."

Callista looked doubtful. "At least she didn't start screaming about
infidels," Skylar thought. "That's a start."

"But she's so powerful, and she can kill with magic..."

"There is no magic." The major drew her sidearm. "Have you seen one of these
before?"

Callista's eyes widened. "A magic head exploder, just like the one the Goddess
has..."

"It's not magic, and she's not a g...okay, let's just concentrate on this for
now. This is just a weapon, no different from a bow and arrow. It shoots a
projectile, like an arrow, but much faster. So fast that you can't see it. It
may look like magic. But it's not."

"But only gods can use it...several of us tried it and it didn't work..."

Skylar removed the magazine from her pistol. "The projectiles are in here.
See? She removed them before inviting you to try it."

Callista's expression began changing. "Can I try it now, Miss Skylar?"

The major shook her head. "The noise would alert the others. And you can just
call me Skylar, without the Miss."

"I'm still not sure if I believe it..."

"I understand. It takes time for these things to sink in. Tell you what,
Callista. Come away with me. When we're away from the village, I'll let you
try the weapon. I'll show you all our technology and how it works. There's no
magic."

Callista looked around nervously. "I cannot leave. I shouldn't even be here
with you. I have to get back on patrol."

Skylar nodded. "Go, then. Don't tell anyone I was here. But if there are
others who you think would be receptive, tell them what I told you about the
head exploder. And be careful." The major squeezed the younger woman's hand.
"Thank you for listening to me. You're a brave girl."

* * *

Skylar made her way back up the ridge and informed Megan what had transpired
with Callista. "No sign of Alia and the reinforcements?"

"Not a thing, Major."

"They should have been here by now..."

"Look!" whispered Megan suddenly, pointing.

A procession was marching into the village. At the front were eight native
soldiers, bows slung over their backs and spears or axes in their hands. In
the rear, assault rifle in her hands and a smirk on her face, was Sergeant
Rachel Monroe. And in the middle, hands tied behind their backs, were Alia,
Jeff, and Walt. Alia's Uzi and Jeff's pistol were tucked into Rachel's low-cut
pants.

"Fuck," Skylar said softly.

Megan turned in surprise. "You do swear!"

Skylar gave her a look.

"Sorry. More important stuff to worry about and all. So, what's the rescue
plan?"

"I'm going to sneak back into the village. I'll radio you a signal when I'm
ready. Then you create a diversion. Hopefully I'll be able to free the
prisoners and we can all regroup in the hills."

Megan nodded slowly. "Keep yourself alive. Deja vu."

"You too. See you when I see you."

* * *

Skylar, hidden behind a large rock, watched as the native soldiers, on
Rachel's orders, tied Alia, Jeff, and Walt to posts in the burning sun next to
the other prisoners, and carefully placed the confiscated weapons in the shade
near Maribelle. When the new captives were secured, Maribelle casually tucked
Jeff's captured sidearm into her low-cut pants, then came down from her
throne, the male servant still fanning her with the leaf and another carrying
the umbrella over her head.

Maribelle crossed her muscular arms in front of her. From her mixed European
and Southeast Asian background, she had blue eyes and dark brown skin. Silky
shoulder-length black hair framed her attractive but evil face. "Well, well,
well," she smirked. "Guess you were supposed to be the rescue operation, but
looks like you're the ones who need rescuing. Not that you're going to get
it." She turned to Walt. "And you, that wasn't very nice, running away like
that. I'm going to have to punish you." She savagely backhanded him across the
face with her leather-gloved fist.

She saw Alia glaring at her. "What's the matter, baby? Think I'm being too
mean?" Maribelle struck Alia across the face as well, with the pistol this
time.

"You coward," growled Alia. "Why don't you untie me and see if you can beat me
in a fair fight? If you think you're woman enough, that is."

Rachel punched Alia in the face. "As if a skinny girl like you could beat
either of us." Rachel was an attractive young woman with shoulder length brown
hair, hazel eyes, and a muscular build similar to Maribelle's.

"Woman enough?" said Maribelle. "I'm more than a woman. I'm a goddess. And I'm
going to demonstrate it to these villagers once and for all, just as soon as I
come up with the perfect ending for you three." She looked at the prisoners
one by one, stopping in front of Jeff. "Hmm. You may be new, but I know your
type. You're just like Walt. The skinny, weak, nerdy guy who has a fetish for
female warriors. Yeah, Walter, I knew about you from the beginning. Anyway,
Jeffy-boy, I'm more of your worst nightmare." She suddenly kneed him in the
stomach, then did a series of standing back handsprings away from him.

Maribelle looked at each of the three new prisoners in turn. "Now, I know
there are two more of you people skulking about. Where are they? Whichever one
of you tells me will have a chance for mercy. The others will die slow,
gruesome deaths."

There was no response. Alia felt a sense of pride that these two males,
neither of whom were trained as soldiers, were resisting the evil witch.
Maribelle simply sneered. "A couple of hours in the burning sun might change
your minds." She turned to the native guards. "Keep a close eye on the
prisoners. Come on, Rachel, let's go."

Walt groaned. "Damn, how could she tell about my fetish..."

"Walter, I think we have bigger fish to fry right now," said Alia.

"Yeah. We're the fish being fried," muttered Jeff, looking up at the burning
sun.

"Skylar and Megan will rescue us," said Alia in her most reassuring voice.
"I'm sure they already have a plan in motion."

Skylar, watching and listening from her hiding place, slowly and cautiously
made her way closer to the prisoners, going from one rock to another to stay
under cover. Finally, she reached a point as close as she dared, watching the
guards as they paced back and forth around the captives.

She spoke softly into her radio. "Do it now, Gunny."

From her position overlooking the village, Megan opened up with her machine
gun, spraying bullets seemingly all over the place but in reality taking
careful aim not to hit any innocents.

The reaction was immediate, just as Skylar had hoped for. Maribelle began
screaming orders, yelling for the native soldiers to take postions and fire
arrows into the hills. She and Rachel grabbed their assault rifles and began
firing as well. Only two guards, a young man and a young woman, remained
watching the prisoners.

Skylar, sneaking up behind them, clonked the young man on the head with the
butt of her sidearm and karate chopped the young woman in the neck, knocking
both of them out. She quickly untied Alia, then freed Jeff while Alia untied
Walt.

Jeff looked at her gratefully. "Thank you, Skylar. You saved us..."

She squeezed his hand affectionately as she finished loosening his bonds, but
her expression was still grim. "It was a team effort. And we're not saved
yet."

"Sorry about getting captured, Major," said Alia. "I would have made a heroic
last stand, but the priority was to keep the gentlemen alive."

"Alia, don't apologize. The priority is to keep you alive too."

"What about the other prisoners?" Alia asked.

"No time. We need to take the fake goddess and her assistant down first. Then
we can set them free." Skylar handed Alia her pistol, then readied her rifle.
"Let's get those bitches. With the natives, try scaring them if you can, but
if shooting them becomes necessary, don't hesitate. Jeff and Walt, stay hidden
behind those boulders. Alia, take position over there. I'll draw their fire.
You sneak up on them from that side."

Skylar fired a couple of shots in the direction of Maribelle and Rachel, who
were crouched under cover as they fired their weapons. "Hey, bitches, you
wanted to know where I was. Come and get me!"

"What the fuck?" Maribelle and Rachel both whirled. Their mouths dropped open
in shock at the sight of the three missing prisoners. "Rachel, keep blasting
the machine gunner in the hills. I'm going to take care of this cunt.
Soldiers, with me!" She motioned for several natives to follow her.

Arrows began raining down on Skylar's position, some landing only a few feet
from her. She fired several rifle shots in the natives' direction, being
careful not to hit any of them. Most of them began turning and running, but
one, a fanatical glare in his eyes, inserted another arrow into his bow,
aiming for her face. She aimed her M-14 and fired a shot into the center of
his chest, sighing as he slumped dead.

Meanwhile, Alia had stealthily made her way over to Rachel. She took aim with
her pistol...

"Look out, Mistress Rachel!" A male native flung his body through the air as
Alia fired. The large-caliber bullet slammed into his torso, cutting his leap
short and sending him crashing to the ground. Rachel whirled, spraying bullets
as she turned. Several rounds struck Alia in the chest, sending her down in
turn.

Rachel looked at Alia lying still on the stone surface, then at the native,
who twitched, then expired. "What do you know. A useful slave." She chuckled.

Jeff and Walt had been hiding behind the rocks, listening to the bullets fly.
Suddenly, a female figure came flying over the top of the rocks, executing a
somersault in midair, and landed hard right on Jeff's midsection, her
considerable bulk knocking all the wind out of him. It was Maribelle. Before
Walt could react, she had grabbed him with a leather-gloved hand, her other
pointing the pistol at his head.

She stepped out from behind the boulder, forcing Walt into a human shield
position in front of her. Skylar turned, freezing at the sight. The
machine-gun fire from the hills stopped as well as Megan saw what was
happening.

"I'm Major Skylar Larson, commander of SG-17," said Skylar in her calmest
voice. "Captain Maribelle Strosser, as your superior officer, I am ordering
you to release that man, stand down, and surrender yourself to face
court-martial."

Maribelle simply laughed. "Majors and captains and all those other ranks are
irrelevant now. I'm a goddess. I outrank everybody."

Behind her, Jeff struggled slowly to his feet. He began sneaking up on
Maribelle from behind...

She suddenly performed a back kick, her booted foot impacting Jeff's solar
plexus with the force of a horse's kick. He collapsed in the fetal position,
groaning. Skylar jumped up, but Maribelle tightened her grip on her hostage,
pressing the barrel of her pistol right against Walt's head.

"Uh-uh. Naughty naughty, boy. Can't sneak up on a warrior with my skills. And
naughty naughty too, Major Larson. Now drop that rifle and stay still."
Maribelle then called out. "Rachel! How'd it go over there?"

The sergeant's head popped up. "Took one of 'em out, the skinny girl. Bitch
got the drop on me, but one of the natives took the bullet for me." At that,
Skylar's tanned face went pale. Alia? Dead?

Maribelle laughed. "I love it when slaves are useful. All right, Rachel, come
on. I have a hostage, they won't bother us. Soldiers, follow your Goddess."
About twenty native soldiers formed a protective circle around Maribelle and
Rachel as they all began marching away. Maribelle glared straight at Skylar.
"If I get the slightest inkling that you're trying anything, Walter here is
going to buy it like it's on sale for $19.99."

Skylar was forced to watch helplessly as they marched off into the distance.
She then turned and reached out to help Jeff to his feet. "That was a brave
thing you did. It takes balls for anyone to take on a bitch like that, but for
an unarmed civilian, that took real courage."

Jeff smiled modestly and blushed, then groaned as he stood up as the pain hit
him again. "Damn, that bitch has strong legs."

"I can imagine. Come on, let's go see if Alia's really..." Her voice trailed
off.

Skylar and Jeff made their way over to the edge of the stone temple. Megan,
making her way down from the hills, joined them. All three froze as they saw
Alia lying there on the stone floor.

Alia sat up slowly, groaning. She patted her chest. "Stargate does issue us
the best body armor. Really can stop assault rifle rounds. Still hurts like a
motherfucker, though." She stood up, brushing a strand of black hair out of
her face.

Megan and Jeff sighed in relief. Skylar's face broke into a wide smile. "We
thought you were..."

"It'll take a lot more than wild shooting from an ex-MP who's now playing
henchwoman to a crazy fake goddess to take this skinny bitch down." Alia's
face lit up as she noticed her weapon on a nearby stone table. She handed the
pistol she was carrying to Jeff, then retrieved her Uzi.

"Sorry I couldn't get a clear shot at either of those bitches," said Megan.
"There was always a stone column or a native in the way."

Alia looked down at the corpse of the male native who had sacrificed himself
for his uncaring Mistress. "The brainwashing must be really strong."

"Come on," said Skylar. "Let's free the rest of those poor saps from those
posts."

They swiftly untied the natives, giving water to those who were still alive
and laying the dead ones neatly in a row. Megan frowned as she looked at some
of the moaning ones. "Some of these guys are beyond any medical help. There's
nothing we can do for them."

"There is one thing," said Skylar. She took out her pocketknife, looking at
the badly wounded men and women one by one, opening the veins of those who
clearly couldn't be saved, shaking her head as she did her grim work.

"So what now?" asked Jeff, feeling like throwing up.

"They must have gone to the Stargate," said Skylar. "With control of it and
their hostage, they've put us between a rock and a hard place."

"Are they going to escape?" Jeff wondered.

Megan shook her head. "I don't think so. Not yet. If they go through the gate,
we'll be free to get back to Earth. We'd be able to track them down
eventually."

Skylar nodded. "They're going to make sure we're finished before they leave."
Everyone gulped at that. "Then, even when Stargate sends another team,
there'll be no witnesses, no information. They can go to any uninhabited
planet and set up a new empire, and they won't be tracked down because no one
will know what to track. But first things first. We have to organize something
to help these natives..."

There was a sudden rustle from behind a bush and a young native female
warrior, bow and arrow in hand, stepped out. Alia began raising her submachine
gun, but Skylar held out her hand. "It's okay. I know her. Callista, it's good
to see you again." She introduced her to the others. "Looks like you decided
not to join the fake goddess."

Callista nodded slowly. "After seeing what happened...A goddess should be the
one to protect her subjects, not need a human shield to protect herself."

"What about the other soldiers and overseers? How do they feel?" Alia
inquired.

Callista shook her head. "Those who stayed behind may have lost faith in their
Goddess. But they still fear her."

"Understandable," said Megan. "They can't be expected to help us take up arms
against her."

"I wish to thank you all," said Callista. "You have set us free. Now, we can
regroup and rebuild, as best we can."

"We try to help people out when we can," Skylar said modestly. "But if you're
willing, you can still help us. We still have a fake goddess to deal with."

"Yes. I am willing to help. But first, you must be hungry. I will tell the
cooks to prepare a meal for you, our saviors. Then perhaps over some food we
can discuss our plans."

"Thank you. That sounds great. I'm hungry, and I'm sure the others are too."
Skylar motioned for the others to follow her.

* * *

"So," said Skylar, a turkey leg in her hand, "you see the problem we have
here. Maribelle has cut us off from our home planet, she has one of our men
hostage, and she's surrounded by natives that she's brainwashed whom we don't
want to hurt. It's more like she has twenty hostages instead of just one. We
need someone to infiltrate that group, someone that she'll trust and accept
into the group. But also someone who can talk to the natives, show that
Maribelle's a fake, and get them to turn against her."

Callista nodded. "And the only one who fits the bill is me."

"Please understand that we're only requesting your help, not ordering it,"
said Skylar. "It will be a dangerous mission. If Maribelle suspects you're not
loyal to her, she'll kill you in an instant."

"I understand," said Callista. "But I want to do this. I have to do this. It's
the only way my people will ever truly be free."

Skylar smiled, squeezing the younger woman's hand. "Thank you. You're a brave
girl. You wanted to see how our technology works. Now you can."

Megan handed Callista her sidearm. "You should take this with you. You may
need it. Hide it under your skirt when you go. Now I'll show you how it
works." She demonstrated how to load and unload the magazine, and the on and
off positions for the safety. Megan put the magazine back in, showing Callista
how to chamber a round, flicked the safety off, and handed the gun to her.
"Now you try it. Squeeze the trigger slowly."

Callista took aim at a nearby bush and squeezed the trigger. Though the recoil
from the .45 caliber weapon was heavy, her slender but muscular wrist was able
to handle it easily. The bullet ripped through the leaves. She looked at the
others. "That's all there is to it?"

"That's all there is to it," Skylar nodded. "Like I said, there's no magic,
just science. It's just another weapon, more modern than a bow or a spear, but
other than that no different."

"You should also take a radio, Callista," Alia suggested. "Here, take mine.
This device lets us talk to each other even when we're out of sight." She
demonstrated how it worked.

"More technology, no magic?"

"Right." Skylar smiled. "Use it to give us updates on the situation. You'll
have to contact us because we don't want the noise to give away that you have
it. Now eat up, this may be your last decent meal for a while. When you're
ready, we'll see you off."

* * *

The others watched Callista disappear into the distance, bow slung over her
back and pistol and radio hidden underneath her leather skirt. "Strong girl,"
murmured Alia. "I'm not sure I would have had the balls to do that when I was
her age."

"Do you think we can trust her?" Megan wondered.

"We have no choice but to trust her," Skylar replied. "There's really no other
way we're going to take Maribelle down."

"So what do we do now?" Jeff asked.

"We should set up defensive positions, and organize a night watch," said
Skylar. "Maribelle will probably send soldiers to attack us at some point.
Then, we wait."

* * *

Walt quivered in fear as he sat near the Stargate, listening as Maribelle
barked orders. "Rachel, take half a dozen soldiers and scout out the village.
Try to see what defenses they've made. Once we know what we're up against,
we'll make our attack plan."

"Right." Rachel pointed at three young men and three young women. "The six of
you, come with me."

As the scouting party left, Walt turned to Maribelle. "Please, Captain. Just
let me go. You can escape through the Stargate, go wherever you want. You can
be free. Just let me be free too..."

Maribelle suddenly rammed her knee into Walt's face, releasing a massive spray
of blood. "I'm not a mere Captain. I'm a Goddess. And if I let you go, you'd
tattle on me and Stargate Command would send troops after me. No, you're not
going anywhere."

Walt groaned, both in disappointment and in pain. Maribelle snickered. "Aw,
what's the matter, baby? From the way you acted, I knew you had a fetish for
muscular, dominant female warriors from the first day I met you. You must have
thought you hit the jackpot when you were assigned to my team. Now this muscle
bitch has taken you hostage. Shouldn't that be one of your fantasies or
something?"

Walt said nothing. Maribelle swung her large, leather-gloved fist at his face,
stopping it at the last second, laughing as he flinched. She then turned to
her native soldiers. "You two, keep an eye on the hostage at all times. The
rest of you, keep an eye out for the evil ones. They may try to attack us..."

"Goddess, someone is coming!" one of the soldiers reported.

"It's okay, it's only Callista," said a female soldier as she recognized her.

"Goddess," Callista bowed submissively. "I was knocked out during the fight.
When I came to, I asked one of the villagers where you had gone and I came
here. I am ready to serve, Goddess."

Maribelle looked her up and down for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, soldier.
Take a position with the others and keep an eye out for any enemies."

Callista saluted as she took her position. Meanwhile, a trembling Walt was
praying for rescue from the other female warriors, praying for what he really
wanted, something more in line with his fetishes, not being taken hostage by a
psycho bitch.

* * *

Skylar and her team took shelter for the night in the half-built stone temple.
An open window from the highest room in the temple provided an excellent
vantage point overlooking the village and the direction of the Stargate.

Skylar took the first watch. All was quiet, however. When it was time, she
shook Jeff awake for his turn.

Jeff looked out the opening at the village below and the stars above, feeling
the cool night breeze on his face. He shivered a little as the magnitude of
what had happened and where he was sunk in. He was thousands of light years
from home, trapped on a remote and isolated planet, with two psychopathic
women who wanted him dead.

But he also had three strong women who could protect him, he thought as he
looked at Skylar, Megan, and Alia, all snoring softly a few yards away. And
the adventure, the exploration, the Stargate...millions of people would dream
of the opportunities he had.

He looked out the window again, then froze. Something was skulking through the
bushes at the edge of the village. He stared, rooted to the spot. A head, then
another, then another, popped up. A native man, a native woman, and...Sergeant
Rachel Monroe.

He shook Skylar awake. "They're here!" he whispered.

Skylar was up and alert quickly. She woke Alia and Megan and they all listened
as Jeff explained what he had seen.

Skylar nodded. "She'll probably have more soldiers with her. Megan, you stay
here with Jeff. Keep your weapons ready. If you get a clear shot at Rachel,
pop her. Alia, you and I will make a circle around the village. I'll go
clockwise, you go counterclockwise. Try to knock out and capture any native
soldiers you run into."

* * *

The native man sensed something as he skulked through the bushes. He began
turning...and was greeted by Skylar's fist as she smashed it into his jaw. His
eyes crossed and he slumped down, out cold before he hit the ground.

Suddenly, a booted foot slammed into Skylar's back, sending her to the dirt
face first. She rolled over and was greeted by the same boot, worn by a female
native, stomping hard on her face. The woman raised her boot again, but Skylar
kicked her in the stomach, then used a kip-up to get back to her feet.

The woman swung her fist, but Skylar dodged, then popped her in the nose with
a quick punch. While her opponent was stunned, she cartwheel kicked her,
knocking her down. A swift kick to her head knocked her out. Skylar looked
down at her. "Got the drop on me. Got some skills. Would make a good Ranger."

Meanwhile, Alia came up on a male soldier in the bushes and knocked him out
with a roundhouse kick to his head. Sensing danger, she threw her body into a
standing layout backflip. The arrow she had guessed was coming whooshed safely
between her legs as she was upside down. She drew her Uzi as she landed,
aiming it at the female archer who was reaching for another arrow. "Don't do
it, girl."

The woman dropped the arrow and raised her hands. "That's better." Alia
quickly bound and gagged her, then continued her patrol.

She came practically face-to-face with two female figures - Rachel and a
female native - as she rounded a corner. All three froze in shock for a second
before reacting. As Alia raised her Uzi, Rachel grabbed the native girl,
holding her in front of her as a human shield.

"You coward," said Alia. "Is this how you react? Taking your own troops
hostage?" She addressed the native woman. "See what your goddesses are really
like?"

The woman nodded slowly. "They were right about you all along, Rachel. You and
Maribelle are both fakes. I should have listened to..."

"Coulda, woulda, shoulda," smirked Rachel. "Little late for that now, though."
With that, she suddenly and brutally snapped the woman's neck, then flung the
corpse at Alia. Living and dead woman went down in a tangle of arms and legs,
Alia's Uzi flying loose.

Rachel unslung her assault rifle. "Time to say goodbye, bitch..."

Suddenly, Alia's booted foot slammed into Rachel's face as she leapt up with a
powerful launch that immediately turned into a flying kick, sending Rachel's
weapon sailing as well. The two women circled each other, fists raised.

"Skinny little girl," said Rachel. "You don't have a chance." Although Alia
was indeed outweighed by at least twenty pounds, all of Rachel's extra weight
being muscle, she wasn't afraid. No one got into Delta without knowing how to
outfight larger opponents.

Rachel swung her fist. Alia, in a lightning move, grabbed the bigger woman's
arm in a painful hold. Although Alia's arm was much slimmer than her
opponent's, she was clearly in control. She applied pressure and Rachel's arm
broke with a sickening snap.

Rachel screamed in pain, clutching her broken arm with her good one. Alia,
balancing on her left leg, kicked Rachel in the face a dozen times in rapid
succession with her right, breaking facial bones and knocking teeth loose. She
then performed an aerial cartwheel, one boot after the other slamming into
Rachel's head and knocking her down. "Not bad for a skinny girl, huh?"

Alia leapt onto her fallen opponent, punching her in the nose and breaking it.
She punched her several more times, then drew back her leather-gloved fist,
preparing a killing blow.

Suddenly, she screamed as Rachel plunged a hidden knife into her chest. The
blade went through Alia's body armor easily. She began coughing up blood.

Rachel laughed sadistically as she stood up, dropping the knife from her good
arm and still clutching her broken one to her chest. "You good guys are
weaklings because you fight fair. We fight to win. You'll bleed to death in
less than a minute. I have business to take care of...hey, what the fuck are
you smiling about?"

Alia held up her hand, a pin from a grenade on her finger. "We fight...to
win...too," she grunted.

Rachel looked down in horror at her belt. Sure enough, the grenade that was
attached to it was missing its pin. She reached for it with her good arm, but
it exploded while it was still on her hip, blowing her to bits.

"What the fuck was that?" said Megan from the window, hearing the explosion.
She saw a male native in the distance, aiming his bow. She fired her machine
gun close to his feet. He thought better of it and began running away.

"What the heck was that?" said Skylar, hearing the explosion. She rushed over
to the sound, finding Alia lying in the dirt.

"Oh no. Alia." She bent over her, preparing to press on the wound.

"Too...late. Lost...too much blood...already. At least...I took that bitch
Rachel...out. Those boots and ankles...all that's left of her. Just promise
me...you'll take...Maribelle... down...urghhh." With a final spasm, Alia
expired.

Skylar clenched her fists. "Fuck."

Back in the temple, she found Megan and Jeff waiting for her. "Where's Alia?"
Megan asked.

"She didn't make it."

"Motherfucker." Megan clenched her fists. Jeff looked down at the stone floor,
shaking.

"She took Rachel out before she expired. Blew her up with her own grenade.
That's something. Now there'll be time to mourn later. Right now, we have a
mission to complete. That was Alia's last wish."

Megan nodded as she regained her composure. "How about the natives? I ran one
of them off."

"One dead, four captured."

"Five less potential hostages or enemies to deal with. Six counting Rachel."

Skylar nodded. "Come on. Let's make our plans. I don't think any of us will
get any more sleep tonight."

* * *

The male native soldier made his way back to the Stargate. "What happened?
Where are the others?" demanded Maribelle.

"I'm sorry, Goddess. They were killed or captured. I was the only one who got
away."

"Where's Rachel?"

"She...she didn't make it, Goddess."

"Is that so? Well then, you don't deserve to make it, either." With that,
Maribelle whipped out her crossbow and fired. The steel bolt impacted the man
right between the eyes, causing his skull to erupt in a fountain of blood and
brain matter. A massive amount of red and brown goo drenched Walt, who was
sitting nearby.

Maribelle clenched her fists, causing the muscles in her thick, dark brown
forearms to ripple. "Those fuckers will pay. With their own blood. And so will
you, Walter." He trembled in fear.

* * *

It was mid-morning when Skylar's radio crackled. "This is Callista," came the
soft, familiar voice. "Come in, Miss Skylar."

She jumped up, alert. "What's happening over there?"

"Sorry I couldn't talk sooner, but this was the first opportunity I had to get
away for a bit. Maribelle's becoming increasingly unhinged, especially with
Rachel dead. Last night, she executed the messenger who reported her death.
She and her remaining henchmen and henchwomen are planning a grand, final
attack to finish you off."

"How's Walt? Is he..."

"He's still alive. For now. Maribelle's been beating and threatening him, on
and off."

Skylar shook her head. "Have you talked to the others? How many do you think
you can get to turn against her?"

"I talked to three of the others that I think I can trust. I showed them the
pistol and the radio and how they're not magic. I don't dare try talking to
anyone else because I can't trust them enough not to run straight to Maribelle
and snitch. Even the ones I talked to, they'll probably only be willing to sit
out of the battle, not actually fight her."

"Are you willing to fight Maribelle, Callista?"

"Yes, Miss Skylar. I'm ready. I've seen enough."

"You're a brave girl. All right, we'll start making our way over to the
Stargate right now. We need to attack before she attacks us. We should be
there in a couple of hours. Rachel killed one of my girls last night. We'll be
badly outnumbered, and need all the luck we can get. Contact us if you can. If
you can't, I'll try to signal you from the hills. Be ready to attack when we
do. And thank you."

Skylar looked at Megan and Jeff. "This is going to be rough. Maribelle still
has eleven natives loyal to her, so it'll be twelve against three."

"Only three?" said Jeff. "But..."

"Walt is unarmed and probably restrained, and you're going to stay here.
Megan, Callista, and I will handle the attack. Hopefully we can get the
sitouts to join us."

"I don't want to stay behind...I want to fight..."

She smiled at him. "I appreciate your courage. But someone has to be able to
tell Stargate Command what happened on this planet. There's a good chance we
won't be coming back. If you don't hear from us by nightfall, flee the village
and circle back to the Stargate. The first opportunity you have to escape back
to Earth, take it. Don't worry about looking or waiting for us."

Jeff nodded slowly. "I understand. Good luck. And come back alive."

"We'll try. Keep yourself alive too. Come on, Megan. Let's go."

* * *

"The Stargate should be just over that next ridge," said Megan as she
reapplied her sunscreen.

Skylar nodded as she finished reapplying hers and looked down at her silent
radio. "Nothing from Callista yet. Maribelle must be keeping a tight hold on
the natives."

They reached the ridge and peeked over the top, trying to get a look at the
enemy without giving themselves away. Near the Stargate, Maribelle was huddled
with some natives, apparently giving them orders. Other natives were on guard,
bows and arrows at the ready.

"There's Walt," whispered Megan. The male captive was seated on the ground, a
muscular female native guarding him with a knife.

As the huddle broke up, Skylar's blue eyes lit up as she recognized Callista.
She watched as the young woman took a position on the edge of the camp.

"I think she's far enough away. I'm going to risk the radio." Skylar pressed
the button. "This is Miss Skylar. We're here on the ridge. We can see you.
Come in, Callista."

"Callista here. Is it time to fight?"

"Yes. Be ready. I'll radio you when it's the exact time. We'll try to take
Maribelle out. Hopefully that'll end it. If not, be ready to start shooting.
Good luck and thank you again."

Skylar clicked off the radio, then turned to Megan. "I'll try to nail
Maribelle from here. Keep your weapon on the girl who's guarding Walt. If she
looks like she's going to do anything, pop her."

Megan nodded. "One way or another, this nightmare will finally be over."

Skylar turned the radio back on. Whispering just loudly enough for Callista
and Megan to both hear, she said, "Ten seconds." She then aimed her M-14,
placing the crosshairs over the center of Maribelle's torso.

Maribelle was evil and cruel, but she was also a talented and lethal warrior.
Years of black ops had given her a sixth sense for danger similar to Skylar's.
Something told her to look up at the ridge. Her trained eyes suddenly spotted
the glint from Skylar's rifle.

Skylar's bullet slammed into the chest of the male native that Maribelle had
in a lightning move grabbed as a human shield. Then Maribelle was backflipping
away with blazing speed, becoming nothing more than a dark brown blur with the
sheer level of her gymnastic talent. Skylar fired several more shots, but her
female target was simply too fast and skilled. With a final back flip,
Maribelle disappeared behind the safety of a large boulder.

Meanwhile, as soon as the shooting had started, the female native guarding
Walt had tensed, drawing back her knife. Megan fired a three-round burst from
her machine gun, dropping her dead. Suddenly, a powerfully thrown spear
impaled Walt in the center of his chest. He remained sitting ramrod straight
for a second, then collapsed. Megan cursed as she saw the muscular female
native who had thrown it, and trained her sights on her, shooting her down as
well.

"FOR OUR GODDESS!" A male native, a fanatical gleam in his eyes, raised his
bow. "Send a volley to the ridge, where the evil ones are!" He drew back the
string, but suddenly fell dead, a .45 caliber hole in his chest.

Callista looked at the man she had just killed, a fellow villager that she had
known all her life, and shook her head sadly. She looked at the other archers.
"Enough! This is no goddess! All she's brought is death and misery!" The
others hesitated. A couple lowered their bows, but four of them aimed their
bows at her.

Maribelle was now spraying the ridge with rounds from her assault rifle. She
and Megan fired at one another, ducking, popping out to shoot, and ducking
again.

"Keep her busy! Callista needs help!" said Skylar. She aimed at the natives
who were pointing their bows at her.

"Please," begged Callista, looking at her fellow villagers who were still
aiming arrows at her. "No more killing. No more following this..."

"GODDESS!" shrieked a female archer. Skylar immediately opened fire. She
dropped all four hostiles in rapid succession. Three before they could loose
their arrows. The fourth managed to let her arrow fly before she fell dead.

Callista looked down at the arrow impaled in her chest, right between her
small, perky breasts. She collapsed to her knees, then collapsed to the
ground.

"NOOOOOOOO!" screamed Skylar. Suddenly, a burst of fire from Maribelle's
weapon struck her in the chest. Though the bullets didn't penetrate her body
armor, Skylar was knocked down by the force, rolling helplessly down the
hillside, her M-14 dropped at the top of the ridge.

"NOOOOOOOO!" screamed Megan as she watched her commanding officer and best
friend come to a stop at the bottom of the hill.

A figure appeared from behind the boulder. It appeared to have four legs.
Megan saw that it was the combination of Maribelle and a male native. The man
was being securely held by Maribelle with one arm in a human shield position.
Her other arm held her assault rifle. She fired at Megan as she advanced, her
thick forearm and strong wrist enabling her to handle the recoil. Megan cursed
as she was forced to duck down again.

Skylar sat up, slowly and painfully, alive but unarmed and completely
vulnerable. Maribelle smirked as she noticed and began advancing on her. "I've
been waiting a long time for this. I'm going to enjoy this moment."

"You coward!" shouted Megan, stuck with no clear shot because of the human
shield. "You call yourself a goddess, but you don't even count as a person.
You're just a cunt."

"Scream all you want," laughed Maribelle. "It's over. I've won."

Skylar looked at the two figures moving closer to her. Ignoring Maribelle, she
addressed the native man. "You don't have to do this. She's no goddess. She's
just a weak, insecure witch who will dispose of you when your usefulness is
over. Rise up. Turn on her. Fight her."

"Shut up, Major!" shouted Maribelle, saying the last word with contempt. "All
of the old ranks, all of the old rules, all of that shit is gone now. I'm the
goddess. I'm the queen. I'm judge, jury, and executioner, and it's time for
your death sentence to be carried out."

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Megan rose up again, ready to shoot the man if she had to in
order to save Skylar. She was fast, but Maribelle was faster. A split second
before Megan could pull the trigger, three rounds from Maribelle's assault
rifle slammed into her head.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" After seeing Kyle, Alia, Walt, and Callista dead, Skylar had
managed to regain her composure each time. But Megan's death was too much.
Skylar had seen more than her fair share of death in her career, she was an
elite soldier. But she was still only human. The sheer stress of the past
couple of days had taken its toll, and the loss of her best friend was the
final straw.

Maribelle cackled evilly as she aimed her weapon back at Skylar. "This is the
end..."

Suddenly, the male native turned on her, knocking the rifle away. He tried to
punch her, but Maribelle blocked it easily, knocked him down with a vicious
headbutt, and finished him with a quick stomp to his throat that crushed his
windpipe underneath her military boot.

Skylar had begun moving the millisecond the native had made his attack,
performing a series of cartwheels and front handsprings towards her opponent.
Meanwhile, Maribelle raced over to the assault rifle. Picking it up as Skylar
flipped closer and closer, she got a quick burst off, but the bullets passed
safely between Skylar's legs as she was upside down in the middle of one of
her well-timed front handsprings. Maribelle's finger continued to hold down
the trigger, but there was now only a clicking sound. She cursed.

Skylar crashed into Maribelle with a final cartwheel, knocking her down, and
delivered a quick but powerful kick to her head from her booted foot, stunning
her. She stood over her, glaring down at her dizzy enemy coldly.

"Urrrrgggghhhhh..." groaned Maribelle, helpless and in pain. She looked up.
"Okay, okay, I'm ready to face my court-martial now..."

Skylar bent down, picked up a large rock, and simply bashed Maribelle's skull
in, striking it several times, completely destroying it and spreading red and
brown goo everywhere. "There's your court-martial, cunt."

She stood back up, looking around at the bodies of her friends. Megan. Walt.
Callista. And then there was Alia, and Kyle...So much death. She put her head
in her hands...

A noise made her look up. The remaining natives, five of them, were in front
of her, on their knees. "What's this?"

One of them, a young woman, raised her head briefly. "You slew our old
Goddess. That means she was weak. That means you are strong. That means you
are our Goddess now."

Skylar looked at her, then at the bodies all around her, then back at the
natives, still on their knees before her.

* * *

AT THIS POINT...CHOOSE YOUR ENDING! THE HAPPY ENDING OR THE CYNICAL ENDING.

* * *

HAPPY ENDING

Skylar took a deep breath. She had to keep control of her emotions and not do
anything stupid or crazy, no matter what the circumstances. She had lost those
she loved before, whether in battle or at home. And she would lose more. That
was part of life, and she had to be strong enough to deal with it. It would
hurt, she knew. It would hurt for a long time. But she was a soldier. She
wouldn't let the pain break her.

"Get up," she said. "Get up, all of you, and end this silly Goddess business.
I'm no goddess. I'm just a mortal, and so is anyone else who might come
through the Stargate. If you keep worshipping newcomers like this, you'll
never be more than slaves."

The woman who had spoken to Skylar stood up first, followed by the others, one
by one. The woman spoke again. "I understand. If you say you're a mortal, I'll
take you at your word. But I still wish to thank you for saving our
village..."

"I appreciate that," said Skylar. "But the ones we should really thank are
those who gave their lives to overthrow the fake goddess. Your people and
mine. Now come on, let's get back to the village. I have to tell Jeff what
happened, you have a community to rebuild, and I have a very long report to
write to Stargate Command."

THE END

* * *

CYNICAL ENDING

Jeff paced back and forth on the outskirts of the village, staring at the
silent radio on his belt, wondering what had happened. He'd give them thirty
more minutes, he decided. Then, he'd get down to the Stargate and find out
what was going on...

Suddenly, he heard bootsteps. A procession was marching towards the village. A
native woman was leading the way. Behind her was a makeshift litter carried by
four native men. And on the litter, reclining regally, was Major Skylar
Larson.

The villagers all immediately dropped to their knees upon seeing Skylar
carried in the litter. Jeff was the only one who remained standing. "Skylar,
what the hell is going on..."

Her booted foot lashed out with blinding speed and expert precision, striking
Jeff in the face, releasing a massive spray of blood, and knocking him to the
dirt. Skylar stood up, performing a front tuck somersault off the litter,
landing gracefully on the ground. She reached down and grabbed Jeff by the
throat with a leather-gloved hand, lifting him with one arm. "You do not
address your Goddess that way, peasant." She kneed him hard in the stomach,
then threw him back to the dirt. "Do you understand?"

Jeff groaned, both in pain and in shock and terror at this sudden change that
had come over Skylar. But it hadn't been so sudden, actually, he slowly
realized as he thought about it some more. There had been little signs. And
all the stress, the death, the lack of oversight...It probably hadn't been all
that different from what Walt had felt when he had gone through this with
Maribelle.

She kneed him again, in the face this time, releasing another spray of blood
and jolting him from his thoughts. "Your Goddess asked you a question, slave."

"Yes! Yes, I understand."

"I understand...what?"

He took a deep breath. "I understand...Goddess."

Skylar smirked. "That's better. Now get up." She leaned in close, whispering
to him. "I know about your fetish for dominant female warrior types. I've
known it since the first week I met you. If you're obedient, your life won't
be so bad. I think you might even grow to enjoy it...slave."

Jeff gulped, fearful, but also with a hard-on beginning to grow in his pants.

THE END

* * *

Contact me at silverstar222b@yahoo.com if you liked this story. Especially if
you've seen that Stargate episode. Also please let me know which ending you
liked better.