Peace to My New Empire

[Gilgamesh]

Gilgamesh peered over the edge of the cliff to see if there were any alternatives, before seeing the carnage that PJ had wrought. Burning vehicles and pale corpses littered the canyon. He never ceased to be amazed at what his compatriot could pull off.

“Admiring my handiwork?” PJ responded, leaning out of the control tower and putting her hand above her eyes. She turned her head, giving Gil a sly smirk. Rolling his eyes, the King scoffed, ignoring her comment. Left with no other options Gilgamesh turned to head toward their ticket home, but as he neared the motorcycle PJ slid past him and onto the driver’s seat, pushing the corpse out. “Too slow,” she teased as she fondled the controls of the motorcycle, rubbing her hands on the handlebars and eventually finding her way to her keys. With a quick turn, the engine roared to life, and she kicked up the vehicle’s stand.

Gilgamesh eventually came upon the back of the motorcycle and hopped on the back. He turned his head to scowl at the blasted machine, infuriated that they could not retrieve the precious resource right now. Knowing his luck, more of those war boys or even bandits could rob him of this precious resource. He clicked his tongue.

“C’mon Gilly,” PJ teased. “Don’t be so upset. We won!” she continued with her mocking tone. Gilgamesh couldn’t help but smile at her quip. Though he ordinarily despised those that openly mocked him, Pajamas had a certain charm that made it much less insufferable. “Besides,” she continued, “how would we even get this back to Uruk?”

Gil paused for a moment, bringing his finger to his lips. She was right. It’s not like they had an enormous container for the massive amount of water, nor do they have the vehicles to carry it home. He let out a sigh. “I suppose you are correct,” he conceded.

“What’s that? I couldn’t quite hear you,” PJ inquired, cupping her hand over her ear.

“Be silent and drive, Pajamas,” Gilgamesh commanded as blood rushed to his cheeks.

“That’s what I thought, Gilgasaurus,” PJ snarked. “Now hold onto something, I haven’t ridden one of these in a *long* time!”

“I know how to ride a-” he was cut off by the revving of the engine and the pair took off into the desert. Almost falling off, Gil instinctually wrapped his arms around PJ’s waist, clinging on. ‘So this is why it’s called riding bitch,’ he thought to himself.

“Off!” PJ shouted, her voice barely louder than the whipping of the winds. Her usual lax tone was instead replaced with one of anger and discomfort. One of her hands jolted down to her side to rip off Gil’s arm. His hands got thrown into the wind and he barely had enough time to grab to the seat he was on. PJ gave no further explanation, so the two just spent the rest of their time enjoying the breeze in silence.

***​

Twilight approached as the two returned to Uruk. Gilgamesh couldn’t help but carry a large grin to see the enormous walls that now stood fully erect outside. Though the place did seem bigger than he remembered. PJ slowed down the motorcycle as they approached the ornate metal gates that barred their entry.

“Let me in, I have the royal bitch!” PJ shouted from outside. Within seconds, the gate was opened by a few of Gil’s men. PJ revved the handlebar and began to head inside the gate, stopping to speak with a few of his soldiers.

“You’ve arrived, sir,” one of his soldiers piped up as he saluted.

“Yes,” Gilgamesh waved his hand. “Prepare a caravan of engineers and a crew to protect them. We’ve found the water,” he decreed. “I will be heading back to my palace. I shall give instructions there. I expect to be debriefed about this city since I was gone,” he commanded.

“Of course, my liege,” he responded bowing his head. The pair took off towards the middle of the city before PJ chimed in.

“How did you all get them to call you ‘my liege’?

 

[Jak]

Uruk’s soldiers seemed pretty calm about letting a couple of strangers namely Jak and Daxter walk into Gilgamesh’s city just like that. But never mind that.

The doors to Uruk opened when Goldie himself stepped in.

Daxter raised an eyebrow “I’m assuming that’s the big man himself?”

Jak shrugged “Yeah, I believe so. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the man’s face himself.”

It was then the eco warrior tensed up for a second. This was no longer Nippur but a new city, new opportunities awaited. Plus the eco warrior was eager to get the information he and Daxter took a day and a half to get out to this king.

Daxter blinked “You alright, Jak?”

Jak nodded “Just thinking, Daxter. I need to get this information out to goldie himself.”

The ottsel sighed “Just drive the dune buggy into Uruk, we can figure things out later.”

Jak shrugged as he hopped back into the dune buggy and started it up, passing the guards who just kind of shrugged.

Daxter sighed and looked up “So this is what Uruk actually looks like from the inside. And to think, we’ve never seen it up close.”

Jak turned and began to observe Uruk’s citizens. They were much different than what he saw in Spargus back home and the Omniverse. The citizens seemed to dress with less clothing than what he was used to.

Daxter smirked and lightly poked at Jak, whispering to him “Hey, Jak, check out the citizens, they look almost dressed down.”

Jak blinked and shrugged “Desert wear, I suppose. The eco warrior was so used to desert wear being in the wastelands, the endless dunes and now Mesa Rosa that this didn’t really bother him.

The dune buggy took the grand tour of Uruk, a few citizens on occasion shrugging at the sight of the dune buggy riding through the streets.

Daxter frowned “Where do we find ol’ goldie’s palace?”

Jak pointed “Let’s follow the whole line toward the palace.
Though Jak kept his guard up feeling like something was going to happen to him if he wasn’t prepared for things to happen.

Daxter groaned in aspiration as he swore Jak and him had taken the long road around, on occasion, making detours to find the palace in this strange, huge citystate. Well the citystate with parts of it unbuilt or unfinished anyway.

It took a few hours of deep searching but finally the dune buggy pulled into the palace area.

Two guards stared down the eco warrior and his sidekick, Daxter. “State your business.”

Jak frowned “I have important information to rely to King Gilgamesh. The ottsel comes too.”

The guard sighed “Alright, go ahead.”

Daxter raised an eyebrow “Alright, I hope this trip was worth it.”

 

[Gilgamesh]

Once PJ and Gil got to the ziggurat, the two went to their respective homes. A long day had passed and the two were exhausted, but Gilgamesh couldn’t help but be impressed on how quickly they had built his palace. He couldn’t help but feel cocky as he climbed up these steps, the sun setting beneath the head of the building. This building reminded him of home, of the powerful empire that he built while he was alive. He was even more excited about the prospect of the luxuries that lay inside. To be completely honest, he most excited to see the bath. For the sand and dust of this realm were caked on his skin. But first, he needed to send workers to retrieve the precious water that the farmers were still furious about.

As he entered the entrance, the throne was in view, along with one of his guards. He meandered over to his throne, before practically collapsing on it, exhausted from the heat and the combat. He loosened his armor straps, the bullet holes that decorated his armor wouldn’t serve him.

The soldier shifted uncomfortably, “You called for me, my liege?”

Gil glanced over to the man, who was tightly holding onto the clipboard. It likely contained information that the King should be aware of. However, that could wait until he was ready, Gilgamesh deserved a bit of relaxation. But first, they must acquire the valuable resources that lay unattended.

“Yes, soldier,” the King leaned forward, leaning on his fist with his cheek. “The water the moisture farmers lost is…”

***​

“Yes, my King!” the soldier barked. “We will send a team of engineers right away and will inform the moisture farmers of your achievements.” He made a few notes in his clipboard before taking a deep breath, “Do you wish for your debrief, sire?”

Gil contemplated for a moment before shaking his head. “No,” he decreed. “I wish to enjoy the pleasures of my palace before I perform my Kingly duties,” he commanded.

“Of course,” the man nodded. “Does this mean I should send away the young man who requested an audience with you?”

Gil raised an eyebrow, “I already have another audience request? I do not wish to be disturbed,” he dismissed, flicking his hand.
“Yes sire, but this man said he had important information for you,” the soldier continued.

Gil rolled his eyes. For every ten people who said they were of importance, only one had mattered. Gritting his teeth, he finally conceded. If this fool were to waste his time, he would just have his head.

“Let him in,” the Golden King groaned, leaning back on his throne. His soldier merely nodded before walking out. He then quickly returned escorting a young man, with a small weasel into the throne room. The stranger rubbed his arm, averting his eyes from Gilgamesh’s penetrating gaze. This was not the look of a stranger entering a throne room, but instead of a defeated enemy conceding. The man’s face was far too familiar...had they met before?

“Who are you and why do you request an audience with me?” the King’s voice boomed across the chambers. “And why do I recognize you in this foreign land?”

 

[Jak]

Jak waited impatiently outside of Uruk’s gates. Daxter’s heart jumped when the Uruk soldier called the eco warrior and the ottsel inside the palace. Not only that, the eco warrior was acting a little more nervous than usual.

Daxter frowned “We spent all this time to get information for the king, we better get an audience here.”

Jak nudged Daxter “Be.. on your best damn behavior… I don’t want to screw this up!”

Daxter frowned “Jak, what happened to your pride?”

Jak growled lightly “Dax, don’t mess this up, alright?”

It was then, an escort inside the palace led them to Gilgamesh’s throne, the golden King.

It was strange to be honest, he hadn’t seen a real throne room since Spagus, but that was admittedly years ago.

Jak frowned, looking almost admittedly embarrassed from Dante’s Abyss.

“I’m Jak Mar. Remember me? I was in Dante’s Abyss and had to fight against you out there, and you ate me.”

Daxter stared at Gilgamesh and then at Jak “He.. ate you?!”

Jak stared back “Yeah. That,”

He preferred to leave the bad past out of things at the moment and hopefully Daxter did as well.

The eco warrior frowned “I came from the Omniverse. But that’s not really important right now.”

Jak wasn’t even sure he knew how to bow to someone, but from one lost prince to a royal king, he’d force his pride down.

The eco warrior forced his leg down in front of Gilgamesh, and pushed the ottsel down to do the same.

“I came here on important business. You said some bandits, warboys and Marauders were gathering for one hell of a party?” “Well, let’s say me and Daxter took the long ride out there and found their gathering spot.”

 

[Gilgamesh]

Gilgamesh couldn’t help but grin at the immediate servility of the arrivals. The fact that they had kneeled to readily had brought back some of the ego and pride he had lost along his years. He was King after all, and he should be revered as one. He leaned forward and placed his hand on his knee.

Even more curious was that this man and his ottsel were also refugees from the Omniverse. He would certainly be a valuable asset if he was an ex-prime. Though that begged the question, what could have possibly occurred that made the universe pop? Gil didn’t think he would ever find the answer, nor was it important.

“You may rise,” the Golden King announced, raising his hand to imply that they should stand. “I certainly appreciate your service. I do despise those *brutes*,” Gil hissed, scrunching up his nose. He snapped his fingers, a golden portal flickered into life, and slid a brown sack into his palm. He wrapped his fingers around it and tossed it at the feet of the heroic duo. “This is your reward. Inform my guard and leave me, I wish to relax in peace,” Gilgamesh dismissed. “Oh, and my apologies for eating you in the Abyss,” he said way too casually, “I was not in my right mind.”

Jak and Daxter were startled as the sudden projectile was thrown at them. Daxter hurriedly crawled down from Jak’s shoulder and onto the marble floor. He loosened the string that tied the bag together and his face light up.

“Jak, these are jewels and gold!” the ottsel grinned with glee. “We hang around this guy more often,” he said, withdrawing a ruby and pressing it tenderly against his face.

The young hero chuckled awkwardly before speaking up, “We didn’t really do this for the money.” He started to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

Before Jak could continue, Gilgamesh interrupted. “Ah, you seek to take refuge in my glorious city. You wish to pull your own weight,” he nodded thoughtfully before smiling at the two of them. “That is quite admirable,” the Golden King waved his hand, the bag of jewels and gold began to dissipate into golden sparkles. The ottsel noticed and began to grasp at the golden sprinkles that floated away sadly.

“You asshole, Jak! We had it made!” the small creature screeched, almost on the brink of tears.

“Sush, Daxter,” the eco-warrior intensely whispered. He then let out a forced cough before continuing. “We’ll I…” there was an awkward pause. “I wanted to find my purpose and help people again and I thought I could do that with you,” he said with newfound pride.

The Golden King raised an eyebrow at the recent development. He certainly did need more people at the moment, especially valuable ones. Gil grinned. “Of course,” he chuckled. “You wish to help the people of Uruk, do you? Serve me, and we can create a prosperous nation,” he proclaimed with vigor, raising his fist in the air. “If this is the case, you may stay in the barracks overnight. I am dreadfully tired and wish to remain undisturbed until the morning,” Gilgamesh declared, stretching his arms.

“Of course,” Jak said, nodding.

Daxter then chimed in, “Wait, can we still get the money.”

 

[Gilgamesh]

With a chuckle, Gilgamesh snapped back the sack of jewels back into reality. The pair of heroes mumbled to one another before taking their leave, the eco-warrior stiffly bowing before making his exit from the ziggurat. As the two began to descend down the rather large amount of stairs, Gil walked over to a balcony, conveniently close so that he may watch over his Kingdom as he pleased.
The Golden King leaned against the railing, resting his cheek on his hand. As the sun descended off of the horizon, a beautiful night sky gleamed over his new city, still unpolluted, unlike those modern cities. The lights from the large construction equipment flickered off, one by one until the only light source in all of Uruk was the flickering candlelight in the sparsely occupied homes. Gilgamesh let out a satisfied sigh. He had not been able to enjoy the fruits of his labor in quite some time, let alone peacefully look at it. There was something enjoyable about *not* watching your city burn to the ground, and he guessed that was what the walls were for.
Satisfied with himself, Gilgamesh turned back into his palace, eager to explore the wonder he had built. His primary concern, however, was to get off the blood and sweat caked sand off from his skin. He went back into the throne room, his fingers gently tracing the craftsmanship of the wall. He snapped his fingers, dissipating his golden armor into sparkling dust and revealing more desert appropriate attire.
The echo of his footsteps was quite unsettling to Gilgamesh, most royalties are frightened at the thought of an abandoned palace. However, Gil had the distinct feeling that his ziggurat would not be empty for much longer. So he decided to embark on a journey to the Royal Bath and enjoy the few brief moments of relaxation, by himself.