Star Trek: The Companion Series Episode Guide

A list of episodes corresponding to my undeveloped Star Trek: The Companion Series. TCS will consist of five 16-episode seasons. Thus far, only 25 of those 80 episodes have any plot assigned to them; this may change in the future when/if I begin developing the series in earnest.

* * *

SEASON 1

    1. "To Boldly Go"

    2. "Uhura's Mission"

    3. "1-3"

    4. "1-4"

    5. "1-5"

    6. "1-6"

    7. "1-7"

    8. "1-8"

    9. "1-9"

    10. "1-10"

    11. "The Alternative Factor"

    12. "Sister in Space"

    13. "1-13"

    14. "1-14"

    15. "The City on the Edge of Forever"

    16. "Where No Man Has Gone Before"

SEASON 2

    17. "Bound in a Nutshell, the King of Infinite

        Space"

    18. "2-2"*

    19. "2-3"*

    20. "The Naked Time"

    21. "Tomorrow Is Yesterday"

    22. "A Reflection Refracted"

    23. "2-7"*

    24. "2-8"*

    25. "The Janus Syndrome"

    26. "2-10"*

    27. "2-11"*

    28. "Space Seed"

    29. "2-13"*

    30. "2-14"*

    31. "2-15"*

    32. "2-16"*

SEASON 3

    33. "Amok Time"

    34. "3-2"*

    35. "3-3"

    36. "3-4"*

    37. "3-5"

    38. "3-6"*

    39. "The Trouble with Tribbles"

    40. "3-8"*

    41. "Cloak and Dagger"*

    42. "3-10"*

    43. "3-11"*

    44. "Deep Mudd"

    45. "3-13"*

    46. "3-14"*

    47. "3-15"*

    48. "3-16"

SEASON 4

    49. "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched

        the Sky"

    50. "4-2"*

    51. "4-3"*

    52. "4-4"*

    53. "4-5"*

    54. "Portrait in Black and White"

    55. "The Real McCoy"

    56. "4-8"*

    57. "4-9"*

    58. "Castles in the Sky"

    59. "4-11"

    60. "Past Imperfect"*

    61. "4-13"*

    62. "4-14"

    63. "4-15"*

    64. "4-16"

SEASON 5

    65. "Strange New Worlds"

    66. "Yesteryear"

    67. "5-3"*

    68. "5-4"*

    69. "5-5"*

    70. "5-6"*

    71. "5-7"*

    72. "5-8"*

    73. "5-9"*

    74. "5-10"*

    75. "5-11"*

    76. "5-12"*

    77. "The Planet of No Return"*

    78. "The Final Frontier, Part I"

    79. "The Final Frontier, Part II"

    80. "In Thy Image"

The Superman Trilogy: Part I – The Last Son of Krypton (Fragment + Treatment)

A decade ago, I began working on a script for The Last Son of Krypton, the first part of a trilogy focusing on Clark Kent's upbringing in Smallville, his activities during the Great Depression, and his first year as Superman in the early-to-mid 20th century.

The Last Son of Krypton

It's been almost three years since I last updated this script. When my previous laptop died in November 2022, I lost a chunk of the screenplay I was still working on, throwing me into a tizzy. And ADHD and depression have long been demotivators in my life, with the latter getting worse since my mother died. I fully intended to get back to work on it, but life's been hurtling barrage after barrage of hardships on me ever since and I've never been able to get back into a constructive headspace. So I've decided to make it official: progress on this screenplay's on indefinite hiatus.

For my long-suffering readers who've had to bear with constant revisions and a dearth of updates, it's not fair that they don't get to know where I intended to go with this and the rest of my Superman trilogy. Below's an outline covering where I intended to go with this screenplay. I'll do my best to summarize my ideas for the rest of the trilogy in a follow-up post.

* * *

Luthor makes the trip to the fertilizer plant. As he touches base with Vale then visits Subject One in her cell, we learn more about Subject One. The same time Clark's stasis matrix arrived in Smallville, hers touched down in the East Coast, crashing and causing a devastating fire in a munitions factory owned by Luthor Incorporated. The matrix was found undamaged and Subject One retrieved soon after, whereupon she was taken into captivity and subjected to scientific observation/experimentation. While not a constant presence in her life, Luthor's the only person she knows who's shown her any affection, having given her gifts on the occasions he's visited her in the past. It's obvious,  however, that Luthor's tenderness is purely performative, the ruse of a charismatic manipulator, that the gifts he's given her — mostly in the form of books authored by figures such as Hobbes and Poe — were curated to make her subservient to him and fearful of the outside world.

Through guilt-tripping and bribery, Luthor wheedles out of Subject One knowledge of her super-hearing. He then tells her of the stasis matrix, the disc found within it, and his desire to learn their secrets, persuading her to interact with them and pass on anything they reveal to him. Under controlled conditions, Subject One's taken to the laboratory housing her matrix and given the disc. Upon finding a niche the exact shape/size of the disc in the matrix's side, she inserts it. Upon doing so, she's thrown back, suffering a violent seizure which leaves her catatonic. Vale performs a cerebral angiography on Subject One, but the underlying cause of her condition eludes them. Luthor orders Subject One fitted with a feeding tube and placed under observation until further tests can be arranged. Unbeknownst to her keepers, Subject One's feigning her affliction. No longer periodically exposed to red kryptonite, her powers gradually return in 72 hours. Then using her x-ray vision to map the layout of the plant, she speedily neutralizes her guards, retrieves the disc, and escapes.

Using her disc as a homing device, Subject One makes the trek from Metropolis to Smallville. Along the way, she crosses paths with a gas trucker who attempts to sexually assault her. Brutally disabling him, she tears his truck apart in a fit of rage, causing a tremendous explosion. The conflagration incinerates her clothing but leaves her unscathed.

Clark pursues his relationship with Helen in secret. Though neither his schoolwork nor chores suffer, he neglects his friendship with Lana and Pete, who've started dating. The amount of time he spends with Helen also draws Jonathan's ire, who's suspicious of Helen's intentions.

Subject One arrives in Smallville. She follows the disc to the Kent farm and begins discretely spying on the Kents. It isn't long before she learns Clark's the one she's looking for.

Early one morning, just before sunrise, Kenny pays Clark a visit. Frantic, he tells Clark that he shot and killed his father and needs Clark's help disposing of the body and gun. Clark reluctantly accompanies Kenny into the woods with the corpse. As Kenny begins digging the grave, Clark changes his mind about helping him, urging Kenny to turn himself in to the police. As the two boys argue, Subject One, who's been tailing them, reveals herself. Taken by surprise, Kenny reflexively fires at the naked girl. Uninjured but angered, she grabs Kenny's gun hand, crushing both, but Clark's able to talk her down before she can do him any worse harm. Clark takes Subject One back to the farm, leaving her in the care of his parents while he goes back for Kenny. He finds Kenny back at his home where he prevents him from committing suicide, revealing his powers in the process. The sheriff arrives and takes a bewildered Kenny into custody.

With the Kents, Subject One's clothed and fed. Though claiming to have amnesia, she recalls that her name's Mala. Initially reserved around Martha and Jonathan, Mala warms up to them the more time she spends with them — helping Jonathan with firewood, receiving a haircut from Martha, etc. — though only truly relaxes when alone with Clark.

After Lana catches Helen and Clark in bed together, Clark confides in her that his relationship with her aunt's purely physical and emotionally unfulfilling. He stops seeing Helen shortly thereafter.

As Thanksgiving approaches, Helen invites the Kents to join her and her sister's family at her house for Thanksgiving dinner. Mala, passed off as a distant relative, accompanies them. Upon meeting Helen, Mala takes an immediate disliking to her. After Helen pressures Clark to assist her in the kitchen, the dinner commences. Helen immediately acts passive-aggressively toward her guests, with especial attention given to Clark and Jonathan, the gibes and innuendoes growing less passive and more aggressive as time presses on. Tensions mount until finally Helen shoves a pecan pie — which Martha's allergic to — in Martha's face. Pandemonium ensues. Screaming at Clark that he's just like his father, Helen slaps him across the face, breaking her hand in the process. Mala grabs Helen by the throat, holding her aloft, choking her until the others persuade her to drop her. Falling to her knees, Helen breaks down crying.

Later that night, back at the farm, Clark and Jonathan have a private conversation in the barn. Jonathan reveals to Clark that he had an affair with Helen years ago. Sad and angry at Martha's inability to have children, he went to bed with Helen out of spite. But when Clark entered their lives, Jonathan and Martha were able to reconnect and his love for her was restored. He immediately ended things with Helen, but never told Martha of his infidelity. Clark advises his father that the time's come to tell her. Jonathan agrees and goes inside. From the barn, Clark spies Jonathan telling Martha everything. She's heartbroken.

Mala joins Clark in the barn and they have a brief conversation on human nature; her appraisal's decidedly cynical while his is cautiously optimistic. She then confides in him, revealing that she was never amnesiac. She tells him of her life imprisoned, of the years subjected to cold, clinical experiments devised by amoral scientists, that the little love she received was false, that she was never given a name, only a number. Then she tells him she does have a name: Mala-Sonn, genetic offspring of Sela-Sonn and Dax-Ur. She tells him of Krypton, doomed to explode, and the Kryptonians, genetically bound to their planet, doomed to perish with it. She tells him that she and he were of 144,000 Kryptonian supermen genetically engineered to live free of Krypton and thrive as gods on Earth. Taking Clark's hands in hers, she levitates them off the ground, revealing that she's capable of flight. She tells Clark it's time he learned who he is and accept his destiny.

Clark and Mala visit his stasis matrix, disc in hand. He asks Mala what the "S" stands for. She tells him it's had many meanings across the millennia — it's been a Raoist religious icon, a family crest for the great houses, a symbol for hope. Over and above all, it represents Krypton itself. Inserting the disc into its niche, Clark's greeted by an AI gatekeeper, the Voice of Rao. The Voice touches Clark's brow, and in an instant Clark's bequeathed with understanding of Kryptonian languages, technology, history, and his own identity; he's Kal-El, genetic offspring of Jor-El and Lara-Van. The stasis matrix then transmogrifies into a pedestal which transport Clark and Mala across the world to the Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica. Accessing the Fortress' computer, Mala brings up a display of Earth marking the whereabouts of all the stasis matrices across the globe. Mala tells Clark that they must seek out their brethren, then together reshape humanity according to proper Kryptonian ways. Clark tells her that for all he's discovered of his heritage, none of it defines him. Krypton may've bred and bore him, but Earth made him who he is. He'll always cherish the memories of Krypton given to him, but he won't be party to colonialism. He urges Mala to come back with him to Smallville to think things through. Mala hesitantly agrees.

Spring 1935. A drought's come to Smallville and the Kent farm's not fairing well. During a conversation with Clark, Mala remarks that with the Fortress' resources, they could put this drought to an end.

One weekend, Clark goes into town to hang out with Lana and Pete at the general store. It's a blustery day, but it gets worse as a twister forms. Tearing through the Kent farm, it doesn't hit the house, though it obliterates the crops and sweeps Mala up into it. The twister then moves toward town. Clark wants to stay and help, but Lana and Pete pull him with them for cover. Meanwhile, Mala emerges unscathed from the whirlwind and gets to work swooping folks out of danger. In the aftermath, Clark laments on how he could've done more if only he had her power of flight. Mala responds by saying he possesses all the same powers she has; its only his insecurities holding him back.

The story of the "guardian angel" who saved people from the twister appears in the Smallville town newspaper, accompanied by an unclear photo of Mala in flight. Luthor catches wind of the story and comes to the conclusion that Mala's hiding somewhere in Smallville. Luthor then gets the idea to reach out to all the linguists he consulted eighteen years ago to decipher the Kryptonian script on Mala's key to learn if any of them have connections to Smallville. His search leads him to Frederick Walden, a grammatologist who refused to work with Luthor. Walden passed away years ago, but his landlady held onto all his correspondence, which she allows Luthor to keep. Reading through the letters, Luthor learns Walden briefly corresponded with Jonathan in regards to the same Kryptonian script.

Luthor sends his men to the Kent farm. Equipped with red kryptonite, they nullify Clark and Mala's powers and take them and Jonathan and Martha into custody. Back at the fertilizer plant, the prisoners are brought before Luthor. Luthor gives Mala an ultimatum: she'll give up all her secrets or he'll have the Kents shot and Clark dissected. Reunited with her stasis matrix, Mala inserts her key, transporting her, Vale, and several technicians and armed guards to the Fortress of Solitude. At gunpoint, Mala leads her captors to the nucleus of the Fortress. Activating the computer, she neutralizes the red kryptonite radiation in her system. Her abilities restored, she massacres Vale and the others. Outfitting herself in a suit of body armour, Mala transports back to the fertilizer plant. Shielded from the red kryptonite of Luthor's guards' weapons, she tears through them, rescuing the Kents. She then corners Luthor, taunting him as she powers up her suit's wrist-mounted blaster. Telling Luthor to burn, she fires a particle beam into him, right through his spine, setting him ablaze.

Mala and the Kents return to Smallville. Having ditched the body armour, Mala talks with Clark in the barn. She informs him matter-of-factly that she has every intention of using the Fortress' resources to track down the other Kryptonians and subjugate humanity, that he'd better help her or stay out of her way. They get into a brutal fight. Bringing the barn down on top of them, their battle takes them clear across the ravaged Kent property, all the way outside town limits. There, Clark barely manages to defeat Mala, punching her unconscious.

When Mala regains consciousness, she finds herself back in the Fortress, contained within a force field. Clark's there to tell her that he's used the time to familiarize himself with the Fortress computer; he's created a computer virus which'll shut the Fortress down for good. Mala pleads for him not to do this, but despite her cries and his own reluctance, Clark follows through. As the systems running the Fortress crash, the force field imprisoning Mala winks out. Clark's resigned to resume their fight if that's what Mala wants. Though fuming, she remarks there's no point to that now. Using the last of the Fortress' power, Clark and Mala transport back to Smallville. She informs him that the time's come for them to go their separate ways. She has the general locations of the other stasis matrices memorized, and she'll seek out the other Kryptonians in due time. She'll convince as many as she can to join her, and even without the Fortress to aid them they'll conquer Earth; in that time to come, Clark'll be made to pay in full for what he's done.

Weeks pass. Their farm heading toward failure, Jonathan and Martha consider their options: taking out a loan they're uncertain they'll be able to pay back or cutting their losses and selling their property. Clark and his schoolmates graduate. Clark writes to Kenny, who's in prison. Back in Metropolis, Luthor's revealed to still be alive but in a coma, kept breathing in an iron lung.

This chapter draws to a close with Clark and Lana walking together through the countryside on a moonlit summer night. Clark finally opens up to Lana, confessing his love for her and his desire to begin a romantic relationship. Lana reveals her own feelings for him and her desire to reciprocate. Clark then admits that he's been keeping secrets from her, that they can't be together until he's told her everything. Scooping Lana up in his arms, Clark leaps into the sky, taking them one-eighth of a mile across the countryside. Lana's flabbergasted.

Stargate Reimagined: Part II (A Fragment)

Over a year ago, I posted the rough draft of my Stargate II script. At this time, I'm close to finishing Act I of the first draft. Almost nothing from the rough draft carried over to this version, which'll be a loose adaptation of Bill McCay's Stargate: Rebellion, including a few elements from his other novels Retaliation and Retribution, once it's complete.

* * *

FADE IN

On catacomb walls.

Upon the walls, bathed in torchlight, are painted murals. Though similar in style to those created by the ancient Egyptians, these are cruder and less colourful. The scenes they depict are of Atum's underlords expanding the Imperium beyond Earth and Abdju, establishing colonies on multiple worlds, each with their own stargates.

TITLE: STARGATE II

FADE TO

A funeral.

EXT. CEMETERY — DAY

It is a rainy day. A wooden casket rests upon the ground above where it's to be buried, surrounded by bouquets of flowers. Thirty-odd mourners are present, shielding themselves beneath black umbrellas. Among them is MASTER SERGEANT ADAM KAWALSKY. In his blue dress uniform, he stands out from the rest.

Standing at the head of the casket, across from the mourners, a Lutheran pastor delivers a eulogy.

PASTOR

(cont'd) Karin Langford was more than just kind and generous. She had a gift … of an endless, open minded, childlike curiosity. She saw the world not for what it was, but for what it could be. And she saw potential in people that others failed to recognize. Like her father before her, her contributions to Egyptology have changed the world more than most people know….

Time passes.

The mourners are dispersing, leaving Kawalsky standing near the casket. A 25-YEAR-OLD WOMAN with long, wavy red hair and blue eyes approaches the sergeant from behind.

SABRINA

Uh, Sergeant Kawalsky?

Kawalsky turns to face her.

SABRINA

Hi. I'm Sabrina Gosling. Karin's grandniece?

KAWALSKY

Oh, hi.

Kawalsky shakes Sabrina's hand, returning her smile.

SABRINA

Thank you for coming.

KAWALSKY

I'm sorry Daniel couldn't be here. He really wishes he could've made it. He had nothing but the utmost respect for Ms. Langford.

SABRINA

He's tied up in a government project. I understand. Thank you for coming on his behalf. I know she would've really appreciated it.

Sabrina opens her purse. Reaching in, she brings out a familiar trinket: Karin's Eye of Atum pendant.

SABRINA

She wanted Dr. Jackson to have this.

Sabrina hands the pendant to Kawalsky. He accepts it.

EXT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN — SUNSET

Guards patrol the entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 15/DANIEL'S QUARTERS

Inside the medium-sized quarters we find DANIEL JACKSON. Clad in a tank top and boxers, he performs a set of push-ups while opera music plays from the stereo atop his table. Through the one-month growth of hair on his head, a number of small, fresh biopsy scars mark his cranium.

Hearing the lock on his door disengage, Daniel sits up. The door opens, admitting Kawalsky. The sergeant is garbed in a hazmat suit.

DANIEL

Adam. How went the funeral?

KAWALSKY

About as well as those things can go.

Approaching Daniel, the sergeant brings out the pendant.

KAWALSKY

She had this for you.

Daniel takes the pendant, staring at it.

DANIEL

She was her family. She should've kept this.

KAWALSKY

Karin thought of you like a son.

Daniel sets the pendant aside.

DANIEL

How's Sha'ure?

KAWALSKY

Good. Her English's coming along nicely.

DANIEL

(tapping head) If she had my little pals, she'd have a better grasp of the language than either of us, instantly. (beat) Of course, if she did, she'd be locked in this cell here with me.

Daniel begins a set of sit-ups.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 28/EMBARKATION ROOM

The embarkation room's been heavily fortified since the survivors of the Abdju Mission returned. Three  Browning .50 calibre machine guns have been set up facing the stargate. Along the ramp have been planted claymore mines. A metal plug's been inserted through the stargate itself, obstructing the crystal torus. Canisters of nerve gas have even been installed in case the other deterrents fail.

Near the left exit, THREE AIRMEN are seated around a card table playing poker.

AIRMAN #1

 

Oh, man, this hand's as lousy as this detail. (beat) Alright, everybody, ante up. (dealing cards) Seven to the deuce, nothin' there. Boss and the eight, nothin' happenin'. And the jack gets a box.

FEMALE AIRMAN

(antsy) Aren't you guys afraid of somethin' coming through?

AIRMAN #2

It's been idle since the plug was put in. Trust me, nobody's coming through.

AIRMAN #1

(scoffing) All this fortification, and all it did was cost money. They've been shippin' personnel outta here for months.

EXT. PENTAGON — NIGHT

An aerial view of the Pentagon.

INT. PENTAGON/GEN. WEST'S OFFICE

GENERAL W. O. WEST is at his desk going over paperwork. A knock is heard at the door.

GEN. WEST

Come.

CAPTAIN SAMANTHA CARTER enters. Closing the door, she approaches the general's desk, bringing her hand up in salute. Though blonde, blue-eyed, and very beautiful, Carter is no stereotypical Hollywood ditz. Everything about the captain's manner — her disciplined stance, her keen, attentive gaze — indicates she is quite the intelligent, resourceful woman.

GEN. WEST

(saluting) Capt. Carter.

CARTER

(saluting) Sir.

GEN. WEST

Not much for small talk, are you, Captain? (beat) I'm rejecting your request to release Daniel Jackson from quarantine.

CARTER

Sir, Project Giza can't continue without his assistance.

GEN. WEST

He can assist you quite well from where he is.

CARTER

I may need him in the field.

GEN. WEST

Lest you forget, Jackson's carrying technology from a hostile and very formidable enemy inside his body.

CARTER

Lingual nanites, sir.

GEN. WEST

Are you 100% positive that's all they are?

CARTER

Research on the nanites is preliminary. However —

GEN. WEST

Dr. Jackson will remain in quarantine until our people are assured he poses no risk to the general population.

CARTER

With all due respect, General —

GEN. WEST

Dismissed, Captain.

Carter stiffens. Nodding her obeisance, she leaves.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 15/DANIEL'S QUARTERS

Daniel and SHA'URE cling to one another in his bed, their breath coming in tight gasps as their bodies writh in passion. Sha'ure's pale skin seems to glow in the darkness, her flesh soft but sturdy … and very, very active. There's a frantic quality to their coupling, as if they fear interruption at any moment. No time for encouragement, endearments, or words at all.

Blood pounds as they race towards climax. Then the moment comes. Sha'ure gives a great, wounded cry —

Daniel awakes with a convulsive shudder, sitting bolt upright on his cot. He glances down at the crotch of his underwear; he's disgraced himself.

DANIEL

Fuck….

There's another couple knocks at the door. Daniel repositions himself, taking care to hide the wet spot on his boxers.

CARTER

(O.S.) Dr. Jackson?

DANIEL

(irate) I'm up.

Carter enters, clad in a hazmat suit like the one Kawalsky wore earlier.

DANIEL

We met before?

She steps forward, offering her hand.

CARTER

(grinning) We haven't, no. I'm Capt. Samantha Carter, director of Project Giza.

DANIEL

(shaking her hand) Karin Langford was director.

CARTER

I succeeded her after the project was fully militarized.

DANIEL

I can't imagine the last four months have given you much to show for it.

CARTER

That's why I've come to you.

DANIEL

Please sit down, Capt. Carter.

The captain takes Daniel's chair, turning it to face him before taking a seat. She sits there, eyes twinkling like those of a star-struck teen. Daniel shifts uncomfortably under her gaze.

CARTER

I'm sorry. It's just … you're the rarest of all seekers after truth — the crackpot who's proven correct. I predict your name will feature heavily in scientific literature of the future. You'll be another Galileo or Semmelweis, reviled by the so-called experts of their day, but shown to be right.

DANIEL

I hope I'm still alive and sane to enjoy the fame. (beat) Thanks for your good wishes, Captain. But if we could move along…?

CARTER

After the Abdju Mission, my team was asked to research alternative applications for the gate. We didn't get anywhere before word came from the Pentagon to shutter the gate competely. But it came to me: If the ancient astronauts theory is, at least in some points, correct, if they were here for two thousand years, they must've left behind more than just the stargate. I made my proposal to West; I've been granted approval to begin the search.

DANIEL

That's where I come in.

CARTER

You're a brilliant archaeologist. You're fluent in twenty-three languages — twelve of which no one else alive on Earth understands. You're an invaluable asset.

DANIEL

I also probably killed a planet.

CARTER

Dr. Jackson — Daniel — what if I get you out of quarantine? Reunite you with Sha'ure?

DANIEL

(skeptical) West'll never let me out.

CARTER

(grinning) West isn't highest on the totem pole; I have my connections. Just give the word, and you'll be out of this room yesterday.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 18/CORRIDOR

Capt. Carter leads Daniel along the corridor. He's exchanged his tank top/boxers combo for an olive green jumpsuit.

CARTER

You can go pretty much wherever you want. The gym, locker room, and mess halls are all open to you. But Level 28 is completely off-limits, and you can't leave the base without written permission and a military escort. I'm sorry; I couldn't bypass the general on that one.

Carter brings Daniel to a door. Taking out her keycard, she swipes it through the lock, disengaging it.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 18/DANIEL'S LAB

Opening the door, Carter holds it open for Daniel. He steps inside his new laboratory. It's equipped with a desk, several packed bookshelves, and a state-of-the-art computer setup complete with 3D printer. Daniel's mouth falls agape.

CARTER

It's alright?

DANIEL

Just feeling a bit agoraphobic.

Daniel steps deeper into the lab, thumbing through the books on the shelves, examining the 3D printer.

SHA'URE

(O.S.) Daniel.

Daniel spins 'round. Kawalsky's arrived with Sha'ure. Like a deer caught in headlights, Daniel freezes, just staring at his lover. Four months have elapsed since she arrived on Earth; aside from the blue jumpsuit she now wears, she hasn't changed in the interim.

DANIEL

Sha'ure….

Embracing, they hold each other close, tears forming in their eyes. After several moments, they finally work up the courage to let go. Eyes of richest brown meeting eyes of intense blue, they come together again, kissing deeply, passionately.

Kawalsky smiles warmly.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 15/SHA'URE'S QUARTERS

The lights've been turned low. Daniel and Sha'ure lie together naked atop her sheets, spooning. Sha'ure kisses his hand. He, in turn, kisses her shoulder.

SHA'URE

In the days before, my people had only rumours — vague traditions of other worlds beyond the stargate. When you arrived, you made those traditions real.

DANIEL

Are you afraid Imperium troops will come through the stargate? That's what Carter and the soldiers are guarding against.

SHA'URE

We have brothers out there, Daniel. They're still slaves to the vultures who served Atum. But I hope to change that.

DANIEL

Change? How?

SHA'URE

You're the one who knows the stargate best. I know you could find the keys to other worlds. Then we could take the struggle to those living enslaved, and bring them freedom!

DANIEL

(sighing) Sha'ure, you were there when we found the cartouche holding the glyphs for Earth. From our troubles then you must know how hard it is to find the routes between stargates.

SHA'URE

But, Daniel, your wisdom —

DANIEL

(interrupting) I'm merely a scholar; I'm not Atum. And I'll tell you honestly, even if West unsealed the ring, I could spend all the rest of my life trying to find stargate addresses for somewhere — anywhere — and not find the key to another world. (beat) Besides, it may be in everyone's best interest if we keep to our corner of the universe. We don't need another Abdju.

Bitter disappointment shows on Sha'ure's face.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 27/CARTER'S OFFICE

Carter is at her desk.

SUPERIMPOSE: "TWO WEEKS LATER"

There comes a knock at the door.

CARTER

Come in.

Daniel enters, a file folder in his hand.

CARTER

You've found something.

DANIEL

The Imperium uses a cursive script unrelated to Egyptian hieroglyphs. I didn't recognize any similiarites to scripts I was familiar with, but my speciality's the Afro-Asiatic languages. I sent samples of the script to universities and institutes around the world to learn whether or not it matched any non-Erythraean writing systems.

Daniel places the folder on the desk. Opening it, Carter begins looking through the print-outs. There're photos of a shattered stele, descriptions, and a sketched map.

DANIEL

(cont'd) There was one find, a stele, which carried some of the script. According to this, the find was made by a German expedition that went to the eastern delta of the Nile back in the '60s. The location seemed to be the ruins of a temple, but they were unable to place the dynasty. And, after discovering the dubious signs in the inscription, there was some suspicion of fraud.

CARTER

What does it say?

DANIEL

The hieroglyphic portion contains an invocation to Sutekh.

Carter raises an eyebrow.

DANIEL

Otherwise known as Setesh, Set, Seteh, Seth. As Egyptian culture went through the millennia, Sutekh went from a brave warrior deity defending the sun god Ra to the personification of evil, fighting Ra.

Carter looks at a photo of the stele afforing a clear shot of a representation of Sutekh. The god has erect, flat-topped ears and a long, curved muzzle.

CARTER

What kind of head is that?

DANIEL

Nobody's been able to identify it from the pictures. Some scholars have identified it a gazelle's head. Others think it's the pig — unclean flesh, and all that.

CARTER

That's a pretty wide range there.

DANIEL

Still others think Sutekh was represented by an animal that's either mythical or now extinct. Most likely the former rather than the latter, since paleontologists haven't discovered any fossils to point to a species like this ever existing. That's why a lot of people in the field just call it the Typhonic beast. (beat) Anyway, the rest of the hieroglyphs make a reference to the god's centre of power to the east, where his strength was measured. The portion in Imperial script seems to be about "godpowers".

CARTER

Godpowers?

DANIEL

Power ratings and constants.

CARTER

You mean derived units? For technology? Weapon yields?

DANIEL

(shrugging) I wish those Germans had recovered the whole stele. (beat) The delta was one of the strongest areas of Sutekh-worship. And, because it's low-lying, often flooded, and still the seat of Egypt's agricultural production, proportionally less has been found there in terms of archaeological sites.

The captain's interest's definitely been aroused.

CARTER

We'll have to re-excavate where they dug.

The First Jedi: A Star Wars Story (A Fragment)

TFJ was another attempt at writing a nonlinear 9-in-1 retelling of the Skywalker Saga that ended up going nowhere.

* * *

EXT. SPACE

TITLE CARD: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….

THE FIRST JEDI

A STAR WARS STORY

PAN DOWN

To Ahch-To, a predominately aquatic world.

A saucer-shaped vessel emerges from hyperspace. This is the Millennium Falcon, a modified YT-1300 light freighter which has seen 88 years of active service and wears her age as a badge of honour.

EXT. AHCH-TO — OCEAN — DAY

Breaking through the clouds, the Millennium Falcon emerges over a pristine and mighty ocean. Dotting the endless blue are islands of black rock.

INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON/COCKPIT — DAY

Inside we meet KIRA and her co-pilot, CHEWBACCA THE WOOKIEE. At nineteen years old, Kira is a beautiful young brunette, her eyes large and brown, radiant with youthful innocence. Chewbacca, 228 years old, 2.3 metres tall, covered head-to-foot in brown fur, glances at his Human companion, thoughtful.

EXT. OCEAN — ISLAND — DAY

The Falcon banks toward one of the more mountainous islands.

EXT. ISLAND — MILLENNIUM FALCON — DAY

Slinging a pack across her back, Kira turns to her companion, 23-year-old FINN. The two couldn't be more different. Skin as dusky as her's is fair, physique as stocky as her's is lean, an aura of world-weariness about him, there remains a kindness in his dark eyes. Hanging from his belt is a chrome bar, 606 mm in length, with ivory inlay and a round guard at one end. It greatly resembles a katana hilt.

As they begin their hike up the considerable hill, they glance back at the Falcon. Watching them from the bottom of the ramp are Chewie and ARTOO-DETOO. A Cyborg, Artoo's brain is encased within a spherical blue-&-white body, his "head" a separate hemisphere containing computer lights and a radar eye. Kira takes a deep breath, then she and Finn continue their journey.

EXT. ISLAND — STONE STAIRS — DAY

Set within the rock and foliage of this idyllic landscape are seemingly endless ancient stone steps. Finn and Kira continue climbing them, determined despite their fatigue.

EXT. OCEAN — ISLAND — DAY

Another vessel closes in on the island. Smaller than the Falcon, it consists of a semi-rectangular cockit, with angular wings sporting heat radiator panels and weapons batteries. A TIE silencer of the First Order.

EXT. ISLAND — STONE STRUCTURES — DAY

Kira and Finn arrive at a clearing. Surrounding them are severals small, modest, primitive stone structures, but there are no signs of present habitation. The pair continue past the dwellings, watchful, but spy no one.

A deep thrum sounds out behind them. They spin around. Standing there is DARTH CAEDUS. The most recent inductee into the Knights of Sith, Caedus wears the black bodyglove and red-trimmed black tabard of their Seventh Knight. With his longish black hair, big nose, and small chin, he's a rather unremarkable-looking fellow — or would be, were it not for the long scar running down the right side of his face. In his right gauntlet is a black steel hilt reminiscent of a longsword's; from it pulsates a red-white energy blade a metre long and 0.1 mm thick.

Kira moves forward with her blaster pistol, opening fire. With preternatural agility, the Sith Knight dodges and deflects the plasma bolts with his sword. One bolt is sent back to sender, sprawling Kira upon the ground.

FINN

Kira! Oh no. Kira! Kira….

Finn drops down beside her, afraid, concerned. Caedus cuts a figure eight through the air with his fiery blade.

DARTH CAEDUS

Traitor!

Finn turns back to Caedus. He unclips the chrome hilt from his belt, raising it. With a sharp snap-hiss, a particle beam shoots out, forming a crimson blade identical to Caedus'. Releasing a battle cry, Finn charges, lunging at Caedus. Caedus deflects his opponent's blade, counter-attacking with his own sweeping cut.

Kira recovers. Getting her bearings, her eyes focus on the two men fighting. Both combatants attack with a primal savagery. Finn blocks, turning defensive moves into offensive ones, and gets a hit in, slashing through Darth Caedus' upper arm. Caedus moves back — wounded, blood freely flowing from the deep slash, but more enraged than weakened — then strikes again.

Weapons clash, blades lock, the two men lit by the red lightsabers, and Darth Caedus pushes Finn back. Attacking with pure ferocity, the Sith unleashes a merciless series of blows, pushing Finn further and further back. Interlocking their blades, Caedus sends Finn's flying from his grasp, unbalancing him. Caedus punches Finn across the face, then lands a blow to Finn's back, opening a nasty gash through cloth and flesh, felling him.

His rival defeated, Caedus turns upon the defenseless Kira. He extinguishes his lightsaber.

DARTH CAEDUS

It's just us now. Yun can't save you.

Caedus strides forward. Kira scuttles back, but there's no escape for her.

An invisible force hits the Seventh Knight with the impact of a battering ram. Lifted clear off his feet, he is sent flying into one of the stone huts, hitting with a sickening crunch.

Kira turns. Standing fifteen metres behind her is a man in a tattered gray jumpsuit and synthleather overcoat. Bearded, dark blond hair shaggy, he meets Kira's gaze. There is suspicion in his blue eyes.

Stargate Reimagined

Stargate '94 has amazing costumes, sets, music, and lore, but weak writing and characterization. Stargate SG-1 has decent characterization and writing, but it feels like a Trek knockoff, complete with generic English-speaking extraterrestrial civilizations and technobabble. My ultimate dream is to craft a Stargate reboot which contains all the best elements of SG '94, SG-1, SGU, and the Bill McCay tie-in novels, with none of their worst.

I completed an SG '94 rewrite in 2016:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10pWz63Qs1xT4CmcH67rm0WHl3pXe73G1/view?usp=sharing

Written at the height of my postmodern phase, it’s a pretty thorough deconstruction of the original film (American imperialism doesn’t save the day; it gets an entire world killed.). It was meant to be the first part of a trilogy, but shortly after starting on the sequel, development stalled; a casualty of the burnout I suffered while working on my Star Wars Prequel Trilogy rewrite at the time.

I never completely abandoned the project. I continued to brainstorm, write notes, etc. to lay the foundation for my personal Stargate universe.

• Ra is Atum. I made this change because Atum is an older god than Ra, was worshipped earlier than Ra, and also because the pharaonic Ra of Stargate more closely resembles Atum than the hawk-headed Ra of myth.
• Atum isn’t a Goa’uld. He's one of the Ancients, who in this universe were amoral gray-skinned reptilian humanoids who reigned in the Andromeda/Triangulum galaxies prior to their extinction. The Goa’uld are a separate, unrelated species native to the Milky Way who were conquered by Atum’s underlords some 5000 years after the Rebellion on Earth.
• Atum has a minimum of fourteen underlords under him: Anpu (Anubis); Apis; Aset (Isis); Ausir (Osiris); Djehuti (Thoth); Hapi; Heru (Horus); Hut-Hor (Hathor); Khnum; Nekhbet; Ptah; Sebek; Sekhmet; and Wadjet. Each underlord serves a different function in maintaining the Imperium. When an underlord dies/abdicates/is ousted, their first prime takes their place, assuming their name and position.
• Atum was originally a benevolent ruler. After 2000 years of rule, ennui drove him to relegate command of the Imperium to his underlords and go into seclusion. His underlords then turned the Imperium to a totalitarian state, inciting the failed Rebellions on Nubt and Abdju and the successful Rebellion on Earth. With the passage of 10,000 years and countless civil wars and regime changes, the Imperium has fragmented and ossilated between authoritarian and liberal governments.
• The Goa’uld were genetically modified by Khnum to curtail their ability to reproduce and take hosts. Only a single fertile queen exists, and its offspring are incapable of growing to maturity. These neutered Goa’uld, known as "primtah", are placed within underlords and first primes, boosting their immune systems, resilency, and lifespans.
• The Imperium consists of several hundred worlds concentrated within the Milky Way. Most are inhabited by humans and genetically engineered human offshoots, all descendants of peoples taken from North Africa in 10,000-8000 BCE.
• A small number of non-human species joined the Imperium. The most notable of these was the Setim. A caninoid race native to Tuat, they agreed to provide Atum the technological infrastructure to build his empire in exchange for help repairing their planet’s damaged ecosystem. This arrangement was mutually beneficial at first, but following the underlords’ rise to power, the Setim were displaced from positions of influence and forcibly relocated to the ice planet Nubt. With the Rebellion on Nubt, the Setim were exterminated by Sekhmet. Disgusted by this and other atrocities committed by the Imperium, one of the first primes, Sutekh, went renegade. Wearing a helm fashioned after the Setim likeness, he established a revolutionary movement across the Imperium, culminating in the Rebellion on Earth.
• The Apep are a species of giant tentacled serpents, former enemy of the Ancients, present enemy of the Imperium. They aren't nice guys.
• Heru Guards wear retractable, full-body power armour; this armour is impervious to any terrestrial ordnance short of .50 caliber machine guns. Heru Guards are armed with over/under pulse rifles; the primary barrel discharges a plasma blast which can kill, the secondary barrel discharges an electrolaser which only stuns.
• The staff weapon is a ceremonial weapon wielded by Nekhbet Guards alone.
• The zat gun is a sidearm primarily carried by Wadjet Guards. One shot from a zat causes debilitating pain; two shots renders one unconscious; three shots are usually fatal.
• The Imperium has developed lingual nanites. Injected within the language areas of the brain, they link the individual to a vast language database, enabling them to understand/speak/read/write any language stored within the database while also uploading any languages they know to the database. Daniel Jackson was injected with these nanites after being captured by Sekhmet’s forces during the Abdju Mission. Following Daniel’s return to Earth, some of these nanites were extracted and replicated, giving the SGC access to this technology.
• FTL propulsion/communicators don’t exist. Conventional interstellar travel/communication is only possible through the stargate/supergate networks. Atum’s intergalactic voyage from his homeworld to Earth took 2.5 million years.
• Stargate addresses consist of nine symbols each. Each address corresponds to an individual gate.
• All stargates are semitranslucent black, with chevrons/engravings which glow white when active.
• Stargate/supergate travel is two-way.
• Apep stargates are simpler in design than Ancient stargates, triangular in shape, with no moving parts. Though utilizing the same wormhole physics, Ancient and Apep stargates aren't compatible without the application of an adapter.

The Crone-Maiden

One of eleven surviving short stories/novellas I wrote in a roughly five-year period (2004-2008).

This is a prime example of the junk I was producing at the time. I had recently discovered Lovecraft and immediately took to emulating his style. Or trying to emulate; I was a sixth-rate hack, plain and simple, using my small vocabulary of big words to prop up subpar writing. The sex-negativity is also strong with this one; another distasteful quality of my writing which I've thankfully overcome. Plus a bonus demerit for "hauntingly sensual pseudo-Teutonic"; this prose is so purple it's bruised. 😬

Original spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, omissions, and alterations have been preserved for your reading pleasure.

* * *

There are many universes parallel to our own. Each of these universes is very much like ours, but each one differs in ways either subtle or profound. In a myriad of realities exists worlds counterpart to our Earth, orbiting a sun or suns, often populated with humans (or human subspecies). On a number of planes, including that of our world, sci-ence holds sway; and the forces of magic are oppressed, kept in states of ineptitude and relative impotence. On others, though, the reverse is true.

The quantum universe the Crone-Maiden calls home is one such world.

Born originally from the same progenitor universe ours ultimately ties its origins to, this alternate Earth possesses the exact principals which govern our continuum; yet history there is widely divergent from our own, and the languages and cultures known to us have no counter-parts there. It is a technologically degraded society, dominated by feudalism, and the rise in atheism and rationalism has turned many of the spiritually hungry toward nature worship and self-denial.

You may now ask how I know of the existance of this universe, and the details of. Let it be said that there are many special projects sanctioned by the United States Government, the existance of which remains intentionally undisclosed to the general public. The project I was assigned to dealt with experiments involving wormholes and the manipulation of the fabric of spacetime. In on particular experiment, there was a horrific accident, killing many scientists, and depositing me into a rip in spacetime.

In the blink of an eye, travelling faster than the speed of light without truly travelling faster than the speed of light, I took an extradimensional trip sideways through time.

I landed in a fiflthy bog pond located with a dark bower on the far side of the world. The journey had left me disoriented and nauseous, and the birth into this world had been turbulent; thus, I slipped into semi consciousness. I pitifully flailed my arms about as liquid slip over my fingertips, and water entered my lungs. Just as my vision was obscured, I glimpsed a hazey white mirage located within the treeline beyond the pool's shore. I sank forever, and the murrky brown-green around me went red, then black, as I felt a nearly indiscernible touch on my hand.

Somehow

Somehow,  I had not died. When I awoke, I found myself dry before a popping and snapping camp fire, laying amongst the trees, yards from the pond I had landed in. And I was not alone. Before me, on the opposite side of the orange blaze, stood a woman. I started, and scrambled back-ward a number of inches.

She stood there unmoving, her gaze upon me. She was a tall, young woman with an appearance of twenty-six years of age. She possessed striking Scandainavian features: long, straight blonde hair encircling a face with high cheekbones and flowing down over slender shoulders, while piercing eyes of ice stood under near invisible eyebrows and over a straight Nordic nose, which in turn was stationed above a pair of full pink lips; her skin, which possessed a glow originating not from the flames, was pale, a soft peach which gave brillance to the white volumous robe she wore over her body.

Her facial features lacked expression, yet her eyes stabbed with a ra-venous hunger. With a swift, effortless move she unfastened her obscuring robe, drawing it open and exposing me completely to me her naked body.

I gasped. Naturally, I would have turned away, pled to her to redress. Yet at that moment I was entranced, frozen, and suddenly aroused.

She was voluptous, all firm curves. Her body was flawless, her taut breasts and buttocks shaped and proportioned perfectly — neither too large nor too small. Her entire body below the neck was lacking altogether in body hair. Her radiant skin had a exotic shine to it, as if having been anointed with oils. Her robe hung loose and hanging from her arms, in a single lithe movement she glided toward me, lowering herself to the grass.

Lay with me, she drawled in a husky, seductive voice. The voice had not issued from her lips to my ears, but from her mind to mine.

She removed my clothes as swiftly as she had her own, and thrust her body against mine; my erect organ penetrated her smooth, shaven, tight, orifice. She uttered a moan of ecstasy, a true moan, not one of tele-pathic origin. I ran my hands over her smooth, hairless body, fondling her firm bosom and posterior. We melted together, and she brought her robe up and over us, hiding our sex from the outside world. I cannot say how long we coupled. When we climaxed, she withdrew from me, a smile on her perfect lips.

We have shared each other. You are mine.

With those words suddenly came an influx of images, thoughts, memories. As I grew aware onf the gravity presented within these uploaded items of data, a horrendous dread seized me.

This is what I quickly learned to be the truth of this hauntingly sensual pseudo-Teutonic. Hundreds of years into the past of this universe separate from mine, this girl had once been human, an innocent daughter to a pair of kindly peasants until she had been seduced by a darkly hand-some man from outside her home village, a reputed sorceror who dabled in the black arts. He awoke in her heart lust, and stole from her her chas-tity and virginity; feuled by evil, she willingly devoted herself to her immortal lover and his diabolical practices, sacrificing her own parents upon a stone altar in his honour. They stayed in the village of her birth; in time, they came to be feared, and reproachable , their house avoided by all.

As the years went by, the townspeoples' hatred for the two demon-worshippers grew in potency. Though they had engaged in the most profane acts of inter-course, they had been unable to spawn any progeny. In order to fulfill their desire to pass  their knowledge on to a younger generation (as well as for the ritual sacrifices they observed on a monthly basis) sthey had begun to steal into the homes of parents, and kidnap their little ones. Finally, after finallu retrieving evidence that directly connected the two magicians with the missing children, a murderous mob organised, and came in a wave to their cottage weilding farming tools and flaming torches.

They forced their way into the dwelling, overturning tables cluttered with obscene objects and shelves stacked with tomes covered in obscure characters and frightful covers. They beat down the two lovers, then dragged them out in the open and into an animal cage. The riot forced open the basement door, where they found children, and the remains of children, huddled together in piles upon the stone floor covered in filth. The two criminals were given not any trial, but were instead led out into the forest depths by wagon, where their cage was ultimately unloaded. The carriage departed, and they were left to die within under the dark canopy of trees.

The sorceror eventually died, from hunger and thirst; what became of the girl, I could not positively identify from the content I had absorbed, but I do know that in the wake of her husband's death, an unquenchable hatred arose with her, as did an undying addiction for vengeance. She embraced completely the powers of the dark side, was transformed, and in doing so lost any humanity that had remained in her after her slaying of her own parents. She became a living corpse, forever immortal and youthful, yet bound to the forest wherein her partner had met his end; if ever she were to cross beyond the trees of the woods, she would immediatly age and die. She was unable to return to the village, unable to exact her revenge.

In time, she escaped the cage that had been her prison, and continued to develop her black magic. She knew she could not go to them, but, how-ever, they could come to her. A plan began to form.

She began a daily pattern in where she would build a large fire at the mouth of a cave she had located and begun to dwell within, the idea to attract any passersby within the forest in search of passible shelter. A year had passed since her lover's demise when she encountered her first wayward traveller, a homely young male amateur cartographer. She beck-oned to him telepathically, inviting him into the foul depths of the cave which smelled of rodecaying flesh and mould, where she seduced and lay with him, enslaving him forever.

This procedure would commence anytime she encountered a man capable of intercourse. For years since her transformation, she would on occassion encounter vagabonds, exiles, disgraced and dejected theives, Sodomites, adulterers, murrderers, etc. Weakening their minds with her abilities and seducing them with promises of pleasure or power, she would have sex with them, and hold them for many dawys, until their essence was spent and they became living corpses as she was; their minds would remain active, but they would have no control over their own bodies, which were commanded only by her to do one thing: bring living men to her, to increase the numbers of her minions and take her revenge against the members of the living.

Tales of the living dead girl and her cadaverous servants, as relayed from escapees who had managed to avoid the fate of those undead forest-dwellers, begun to circulate amongst the villages and towns nearest to the forest. They came to know this undead and undying witch as the Crone-Maiden, as she was as ancient as she was youthful.

I returned to reality as a sigh of satisfaction, a true vocalised one, escaped her lips. She rose to her feet, pulling her robe back into place and tying it shut, hiding her body once again within the sexless robe. I lay there, frozen and naked, breathing heavily from the sex and the terror that came with my newfound information.

"You — you used me!" I stuttered, excstatic. "Took advantage —"

I merely released your inhibitions and gave you what you would have wanted, she thought. Your essence is spent for now, but in time you will be replenished, and we will experience each other once more.

And that is when my mind snapped. In a fraction of a second, I went from sane to frightened to completely and incurably insane. My throat tore as a frightful amnimal howl escaped, and I was up and off before the pleased smile of my tormentor could vanish. All I could think of was my likely fate, and knew death was my only escape. I ran headlong back to the stagnant swamp pool, diving into the water and algae, fighting downward to the bottom, in hopes of drowning myself; as the liguid, I felt the slender but strong arms of the Crone-Maiden encircle me, attempting to haul me up and back to dry land.

Suddenly, I was elsewhere. I was still wet, but layed out upon a plat-form of titanium steel, not floundereing in filthy water. I was semi-conscious and full of nausea, yet I could make out dark shadows, damaged machinery, and smouldering corpses. Above and around me stood the forms of scientists in white loaboratory coats; all wore, as near as I could tell, fearful and concerned expressions upon their faces.

"Sturrmer!" one obscurre visage uttered, his or her voice distorting as I slipped out of the conscious world. "What happened? Where did you..."

The voice faded. Just as darkness overcame me, I turned over on my side; as I did so, a brittle, grey skeleton, clad in a white robe, came apart over me and scattered around the platform in pieces.

It would seem that the rip in spacetime that we had created had remained open after the initial incident, and had not sealded shut after I had passed through into the alternate reality. When I had raced back into the pond in search of death, I had stumbled into the rip which had originally brought me there, and returned to my familar world. It would seem that as the Crone-Maiden had caught me, she as well had gone through to the portal. As she was bound by magic to the forest, when she left her entire universe for mine, she aged rapidly and was nothing more than bones when we arrived. The author-ities never did learn about the nature of the female skeleton, or where I had gone; the rip had never closed, so the goverment cancelled the project, and had the base closed down and put under heavy guard.

As for myself, I never did recover. I am as mad now as I was mad then. For you see, although the Crone-Maiden's physical form had ceased to function, she was not dead! My initial ramblings upon regaining consciousness after my return led me to my comitmittal to an insane asylum. I was put in straight jacket and padded cell to in order to protect me from myself, yet nothing could protect my dreams from her visitations! My first night there, I was visited by the Crone-Maiden within my troubled nightmares, where she slept with me again, and has been doing ever since; she is as beautiful as she was in life, and as pleasurable.

But now she tells me that she tires of incorpereal existence and incorporeal lovemaking! She desires to dwell within the natural world again, to have intercourse with live flesh!

Now, at this moment, I hear the sound of the door of the padded cell unlockeing; and watch as it swings inward. In steps a woman in a white nurse's uniform. She closes the door, locks it, and turns to me. She is visibly dissimiliar from the Crone-Maiden I remember, a Latino with long black hair, brown eyes, and an olive complexion; yet she is tall, and as alluring.

"I just want to say," she uttered, as she began to unbutton her dress. "I never planned to absorb you into the ranks of my living dead slaves. You are not of the stock that killed my husband and dis-graced me, thus you were never subject to my venegence. You were meant to be my new bridegroom, and I was to place within you eternal life. You and I would have ruled the forests together, and took of the flesh of the living together. Now that cannot be. But I can still give you solice, some comfort to make the rest of your life in imprisonment somewhat easier. Do not worry, my love, I will visit you often, and give you vast pleasure until the day you die."

She pulled open her uniform, exposing a smooth, shiny voluptous body of firm curves and hairless features. She left the white clothing drop to the padded floor.

I scream now, as she comes to me, forcing my pants down, my mind shattering further, thankfully, into animal nonsenttience.

The End

Stargate Reimagined: Part II (Rough Draft/Fragment)

I completed my first draft of Stargate Reimagined: Part I in July 2016. Almost a year later, I began writing Part II, but quickly pushed it aside due to all the stuff I had on my plate at the time. Almost three years later, I'm finally ready to get back to work on the script.

What follows is the incomplete rough draft I wrote in 2017. It consists of a recap of Part I, the opening titles, and a single scene introducing Samantha Carter. I'll be taking the story down a different direction from the one I initially envisioned, so most of this won't carry over into the first draft.

* * *

FADE IN

On the Haru Guard SIHATHOR standing within the pyramid on the planet Abdju, a pendant bearing the Eye of Atum held up to the iridescent black stargate rising before him. Behind him, crumpled upon the floor, is CAPTAIN JACK O'NEAL of the United States Air Force.

As the pendant glows in Sihathor’s hand, the nine panels on the stargate bearing the symbols for Earth light up. Within a second the entire stargate powers up, unleashing a geyser blast of glowing quicksilver to form a bridge back to Terra.

As Sihathor stands there, basking in the silver light of the rippling puddle, O’Neal picks himself up and staggers over to an energy rifle lying upon the floor. Picking it up, he takes aim, wavers on unsteady knees, then fires. The plasma bolt blasts right through the bomb’s arming mechanism, disabling it automatically. Spinning around, Sihathor finds O’Neal standing there with the rifle in hand. Growling, he takes a running leap for the captain.

INT. LADY OF SLAUGHTER/FAIZAH’S CHAMBERS -- TWILIGHT

Aboard the starship perched atop the pyramid, FAIZAH, first prime of the war goddess Sekhmet, strides forward, dark folds of her brown robe unfurling behind her like the wings of a fallen angel as she approaches SHA’URE, a young Abdjuan woman. Battered but alert, Sha’ure scurries backward, fishing around inside her robes until she gets her hands on a pistol. As she pulls it out, Faizah lunges, seizing the girl’s wrist in her right hand, knocking her aim off as she pulls the trigger. Activating the punishment jewel worn over her palm, the demigoddess begins to rearrange the atoms in Sha’ure’s forearm.

SHA’URE: NGHAAAAAAH!!!

Faizah releases Sha’ure’s arm before the jewel can work any serious damage, taking a step back as the Nagadan girl cradles her wrist in agony, evaluating the helpless creature. Faizah brings her hand up again, reactivating the punishment jewel -- not to realign the molecules of Sha’ure’s body this time, but to pulverize it into the floor with a force blast.

DANIEL: No!

Collecting himself, Egyptologist DANIEL JACKSON rushes headlong for Faizah, but the demigoddess is quick to redirect her blast, knocking him back as he comes within reach of her.

FAIZAH: (frowns) I am no longer amused.

Leaving Sha’ure where she lies, Faizah moves over to Daniel. Crouching over him, she seizes the crown of his head in her right hand, engaging the dark jewel within the centre of her palm to deliver him a most grisly finale.

INT. PYRAMID/STARGATE CHAMBER -- TWILIGHT

O’Neal seizes Sihathor in a bear hug as he comes to him. Wheeling him around, the captain then headbutts him, breaking the Haru Guard’s nose and knocking his head back. Using fists, knees, and elbows, O’Neal turns the tables against Faizah’s first. Locking his leg around Sihathor’s, he brings the Haru Guard crashing down.

Pinning Sihathor in place, O’Neal then brings his heavy, armoured boot down on his throat, crushing it, bringing this conflict to a close.

INT. LADY OF SLAUGHTER/FAIZAH’S CHAMBERS -- TWILIGHT

Faizah and Daniel are locked together, her hand upon his head, the energies of her punishment jewel wreaking havoc upon his nervous system, paralysing him in place. Daniel’s very face begins to ripple, the molecules swelling and contracting. Within seconds, Daniel will be dead.

Sha’ure then comes to Daniel’s aid. Attacking Faizah, she elbows the larger woman in the back. Distracted, Faizah’s concentration breaks and the punishment jewel goes dim. Turning on her heel, she backhands Sha’ure across the face, sending her sprawling and quickly ending her role in this fight. With the matter-displacing energies of the punishment jewel no longer working upon him, however, Daniel’s been bought the opportunity he needs. Lunging at Faizah, Daniel sends his hand forth, plunging it deep into her abdominal pouch. Pulling out a white worm -- Faizah's prim’ta -- Daniel tosses the alien creature clear across the room.

FAIZAH: NGHAAAAAAH!!!

All thoughts of anything else forgotten, Faizah’s rushes over to the prim’ta, intent on preserving its health. Daniel and Sha’ure are quick to use this opportunity to escape.

INT. PYRAMID/ANTECHAMBER -- TWILIGHT

O’Neal steps into the antechamber, dragging the dead form of Sihathor behind him. Bringing it around, he deposits it directly beneath the inactive ring transporter.

O’NEAL: Give my regards to the Pussy Queen, asshole.

The captain presses down on the colourless crystal adorning his left gauntlet, activating the ring transporter.

INT. LADY OF SLAUGHTER/BRIDGE -- TWILIGHT

Having returned to the bridge, Daniel and Sha’ure head on over to the ring transporter. Climbing atop the platform, they then hear the mindless raging of Faizah in the distance. Entering the chamber, face red and contorted with rage, the demigoddess charges them.

The ring transporter activates at that very moment. White light shining up from the platform under their feet, the five iridescent black rings of the ring transporter rise up to surround the pair, cutting Faizah off from them. With a flash of silver light, they are teleported away, Sihathor’s severed head taking their place upon the platform.

Faizah ROARS.

INT. PYRAMID/ANTECHAMBER -- TWILIGHT

The ring transporter disengages. Daniel and Sha’ure find themselves back down inside the pyramid. O’Neal is there waiting for them, face hard, the pendant clasped in his hand. Sha’ure recoils when she spots the decapitated body lying at their feet.

INT. PYRAMID/STARGATE CHAMBER -- EVENING

O’Neal, Daniel, and Sha’ure enter the stargate chamber. The stargate has returned to its dormant state, the connection to Earth severed. Raising the pendant up before the gate, the captain closes his eyes, his brow furrowing as he concentrates. In moments the Eye of Atum glows anew and the stargate reopens.

O’NEAL: (hands pendant to Daniel) It’s a key to the stargate. It can open the door to Earth. It can probably open other doors, too.

Taking Sha’ure by the arm, Daniel takes a step forward toward the gate. She stops him from stepping through, though, when she hears a GROAN. Leaving the gate, they walk over to MASTER SERGEANT ADAM KAWALSKY. Picking Kawalsky’s limp form up between them, Daniel and Sha’ure head for the stargate. They only stop when they notice O’Neal isn’t joining them. Indeed, he has turned his attentions to the bomb. A makeshift dead man’s switch has been jury-rigged into the weapon.

DANIEL: (dumbfounded) I thought we agreed to dismantle the gate on the other side.

O’NEAL: And you will. That’s your job now.

Taking hold of the switch, O’Neal engages it.

O’NEAL: (cont’d) I’m gonna stay here, make sure this goes off.

Daniel is ready to protest, but the captain silences him with a steely gaze.

O’NEAL: (face softens) I’ll be seeing you around, Dr. Jackson.

Resigned to the captain’s decision, Daniel exchanges solemn glances with Sha’ure. Together, Kawalsky held between them, they step through the stargate, leaving the pyramid and the whole of Abdju behind for all time. O’Neal watches the lovers vanish through the portal, his gaze lingering there for several moments.

As the ring transporter activates, O’Neal turns his attention to the antechamber. The ten rings pile up over the floor, white light shining down through them. Silver light passes down through the rings, then the transporter deactivates, leaving Faizah and seven Haru Guards standing there, all attired in their armour, armed with energy rifles.

Capt. Jack O’Neal releases the switch and the world goes white.

INT. CREEK MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 28/EMBARKATION ROOM -- DAY

Daniel, Sha’ure, and Kawalsky are spewed from the gate into the dark abyss of the embarkation room in the Creek Mountain military installation. Hitting the ramp, they take a roll, tumbling end-over-end until they come to a stop near the base.

After tending to Sha’ure as her first bout of gate sickness takes hold, after checking Kawalsky to make certain the sergeant suffered no further injuries transiting through the stargate, Daniel turns to look upon the glowing doorway which links Earth with Abdju. There then is a sudden burst of intense white light and that link is violently severed, casting them in pitch darkness.

CROSSFADE TO & PAN ACROSS

The details of an inactive stargate.

TITLE: STARGATE II

ZOOM OUT

To reveal this stargate is installed within a dark, frozen chamber of extraterrestrial design.

FADE TO

A shot of the moon hanging ghostly in the clear blue sky.

ZOOM OUT & PAN DOWN

To a panoramic shot of an archaeological excavation site centred around a partially unearthed Egyptian-style temple situated in a desert landscape of large dunes.

SUPERIMPOSE: "THE RUB' AL KHALI, FOUR MONTHS LATER"

INT. TEMPLE/ANTECHAMBER -- DAY

The antechamber, without doors or windows, sealed since construction, is dark. That darkness, undisturbed for eight millennia, is quickly dispersed as shaped charges in the north wall go off, blowing the wall in and admitting dim light from the other side.

As loose stones and debris are cleared out of the way, FIVE INDIVIDUALS enter the antechamber, all attired in the Airman Battle Uniform of the USAF. Leading this outfit, heavy-duty flashlight in hand, is CAPTAIN SAMANTHA CARTER, commanding officer of this operation. Though blonde, blue-eyed, and very beautiful, Carter is no stereotypical Hollywood ditz. Everything about the captain's manner -- her relaxed but disciplined stance, her keen, attentive gaze -- indicates she is quite the intelligent, resourceful woman.

The south wall of the chamber, unlike the surrounding walls of bare, unadorned stone, is decorated with a beautiful, intricate mosaic of precious gemstones. This mosaic, circular in pattern, surrounds a round depression set three-fourths of the way down the length the wall, at about chest height.

CARTER: Lieutenant.

LIEUTENANT ROBERT ROTHMAN, Carter's archaeological consultant, motions for an airman to come over. The airman steps up to Rothman, a small, latched case in his hands. Opening the lid, Rothman reveals what appears to be an oversized, jewel-encrusted gold doorknob nestled inside. Taking the "doorknob", the lieutenant turns and gingerly approaches the decorated wall. Bringing the knob forth, he slides it into the depression; its jewels come alive with varicoloured light.

CARTER: Careful.

Rothman takes a folded print-out from his left breast pocket. Unfolding it, following the archaic Arabic instructions, he begins cautiously turning the knob. Counter-clockwise; clockwise; clockwise; counter-clockwise. Once he has finished entering the combination, the mosaic lights up, glowing along with the knob. Pulling the knob free from the depression, the lieutenant steps back as the wall slides up into the ceiling.

INT. TEMPLE/BURIAL CHAMBER -- DAY

Carter and her men enter the burial chamber. The chamber is circular, devoid of decoration, empty save for the stone sarcophagus at its heart. Approaching the sarcophagus, the Americans find a coffin inside. Decorated with gems and hieroglyphs, arms crossed over its chest, it brings to mind the gorgeous coffins used by the pharaohs. Unlike the pharaonic coffins, however, its been carved from dark gray naqahdah, its non-humanoid face bearing a long, curved snout and long, flat-topped ears.

CARTER: (rests hand on coffin) Magnificent….