1. He cut his hair, because Priors didn’t go for style.
2. He watched the one person he thought might be with him forever look at him with cold, empty eyes, and he couldn’t say anything as she walked away because Priors didn’t feel.
3. He finally embraced his unique physiology as the other Priors and the Ori alike couldn’t tell that he was playing them for all they were worth.
4. There was no way to know for sure if it was luck or something else, but it all came down to a final charge. The Priors were confused, some left, and the underground resistance that Jonas had been sheltering rose and brought the Ori troops to the ground—with no distinction between nationalities. Jonas stood against the final Prior, a tight grin on his face through the last battle, until they both struck at the same time. Even from where he lay collapsed, he didn’t close his eyes until the Prior did. And he died.
5. “But I don’t want enlightenment,” said Jonas in front of the glowing Order. “There are a lot of things I haven’t done yet—you have to send me back.”
If ascended beings had eyes, they would have glanced surreptitiously to each other. “Then I suppose you will do some of them again,” one finally answered.
Jonas frowned, but he only had a moment of confusion before it was all gone.
He woke up, cold and naked on a forest floor, looking up into the eyes of a teenage girl. “Hello? I don’t know you, do I?”
“You are Arthur reborn,” she whispered, awed. Jonas glanced at her long woolen dress and the cocked floppy beret, something whispering to him that that name and those clothes went together. “I knew you would return to us. Come, my father will introduce you to your new knights.”
Jonas wasn’t going to say no to a woman who handed him a large cloak. “So my name’s Arthur?”
“You don’t remember?” she asked. “Then how did you know to come when I pulled the sword?”
He shrugged, wrapping the warm cloak around himself.
“Don’t worry, we’ll teach you everything,” the girl assured. “My name’s Valencia from Camelot.”
And well, that sounded about as good a start as any.
Five things that happened to Jonas Quinn after the Ori conquered his world
2. He watched the one person he thought might be with him forever look at him with cold, empty eyes, and he couldn’t say anything as she walked away because Priors didn’t feel.
3. He finally embraced his unique physiology as the other Priors and the Ori alike couldn’t tell that he was playing them for all they were worth.
4. There was no way to know for sure if it was luck or something else, but it all came down to a final charge. The Priors were confused, some left, and the underground resistance that Jonas had been sheltering rose and brought the Ori troops to the ground—with no distinction between nationalities. Jonas stood against the final Prior, a tight grin on his face through the last battle, until they both struck at the same time. Even from where he lay collapsed, he didn’t close his eyes until the Prior did. And he died.
5. “But I don’t want enlightenment,” said Jonas in front of the glowing Order. “There are a lot of things I haven’t done yet—you have to send me back.”
If ascended beings had eyes, they would have glanced surreptitiously to each other. “Then I suppose you will do some of them again,” one finally answered.
Jonas frowned, but he only had a moment of confusion before it was all gone.
He woke up, cold and naked on a forest floor, looking up into the eyes of a teenage girl. “Hello? I don’t know you, do I?”
“You are Arthur reborn,” she whispered, awed. Jonas glanced at her long woolen dress and the cocked floppy beret, something whispering to him that that name and those clothes went together. “I knew you would return to us. Come, my father will introduce you to your new knights.”
Jonas wasn’t going to say no to a woman who handed him a large cloak. “So my name’s Arthur?”
“You don’t remember?” she asked. “Then how did you know to come when I pulled the sword?”
He shrugged, wrapping the warm cloak around himself.
“Don’t worry, we’ll teach you everything,” the girl assured. “My name’s Valencia from Camelot.”
And well, that sounded about as good a start as any.