The Korprulu Reich

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I'm on the ground… why am I on the ground? That truck should have sent me to the Pearly Fucking Gates?

A tree behind me explodes, I crane my head to see, but have to roll away as a chunk of the trunk falls towards me.

As I settle back on my stomach, a large yellow bolt shoots over my head, the heat coming off it is incredible… and it missed by several feet!

I stay down, trying to block out the sounds of battle, yellow bolts and white pulsating beams arc over my head for several minutes until silence falls.

I keep down for a few minutes after the shooting stops, not quite believing I was safe.

I raise my head slowly, looking around in fear, seeing nor hearing movement I rose, glancing over the tops of the hedges lining the road.

I was lying in an irrigation ditch beside a dirt road in the desert, and judging by the half built pyramid and just started smaller trio I was at least five miles outside Giza.

The combatants seem to have wiped each other out, a mix of curiously armoured soldiers and robe clad travellers… Wait! Is That?

"Jaffa?" I can't believe it, not only am I five thousand years in the past but I'm apparently in another universe, at least it's a cool one.

I collect one of the staffs and lean over a dead Jaffa, he looks Celtic with the Eye of Ra on his head, the one next to him looks Numidian with Nirrti's symbol.

"Nirrti taking potshots at one of Ra's servants?" I wonder aloud, pulling away a Zat'nik'tel, "mad scientist or not, she's got stones…

Something long and pale leaps into the edge of my vision, a pinch on my shoulder then white hot agony as something pierces the skin and burrows inside.

I can feel it burrowing under my skin, first over my shoulders, then down my back before making a U-turn up my spine, at this point I'm still slightly detached from reality, allowing me to tune out the pain as it wraps around my spine at the base of my neck and bites into the base of my skull.

My vision seems to split, the background is normal though slightly fuzzy but the foreground is pitch black and spreading.

I try to force my vision back into focus and for a moment it works, the darkness fading… it then came back with a vengeance, it felt like I was physically fighting it and something was pushing it.

I took a proverbial step back, the darkness doing the same in surprise. I could make out a vaguely human sized shape in the centre, strange half formed words seemed to come from it, then it attacked again.

It felt like a wall was being pushed onto me, I tried to hold on but was being slowly pushed back, losing my concentration, so I did the only thing I could do…

I attacked.

I let go of the wall and dived straight at the being, my body changing as I did, claws adorned my hands, my face lengthening with my teeth to form a lupine snarl.

The being hesitated, it blinked…

My claws tore into its body, raking its chest and flanks as my jaws clamped down on its neck, sharp teeth savaging flesh, blood and bone, it tried to fight back, counter me…

Too little, too late.

As I tore more of its flesh from it, the darkness pulled back, condensing into the shredded pieces.

The thing died as I tore its torso in two, but its bits remained for some reason, I leant down as my body returned to normal, I then reached out to the mass that now resembled crude oil, it latched onto me…

"Oh Fuck!"

The next I knew the sun was beating down on me from on high, my head felt like a Jaffa had taken a running kick but surprisingly I am grateful.

The thing that attacked me was a prim'ta, an immature Goa'uld symbiote, while its memory and mind were fully formed it hadn't been mature enough to withstand my counter attack.

Ergo, I now have an alien snake stuck in my head and some of its genetic memory, fortunately it seemed to be relatively modern information, whose who, recent technology and… the genetic equivalent to the Kama Sutra, given how my junk seems to eclipse the manhood's of the prim'ta's father's hosts I'm certainly looking forward to testing that knowledge.

But first I need to present myself to a System Lord and hopefully gain patronage, I'd need the protection of one of the Bigger, Nastier snakes if I wanted to survive until I could bump one off and replace them.

But first I had to get there, and I needed a name.

"My God, a youngling wishes to speak with you!"

I mentally prepared myself, I had to pass myself off as a snake for this to work, fortunately I still had full control of the symbiote's body instead of just its memories.

The Jaffa Prime, in this case a Second Prime named Sol'ak, came out and gestured me to follow, I follow the Jaffa, continuing past as the man retakes his place beside the door and enter the Throne Room.

Everyone's eyes are on me, I'm wearing an open silk robe over Jaffa chainmail and trousers, my old boots passed off as Jaffa, around my waist I wear a white silk sash taken from a corpse in which is my zat plain to see, the fact I was covered in dust with several blood spats caused murmurs to ripple across the room.

I strode confidently toward the throne, subtly checking out the Goa'uld flanking it, on the left was an older woman, around forty, classical Greek beauty of average height with long, curly blonde hair, a modest bust under a toga style robe showing off tasteful (for Goa'uld) cleavage but also highlighting an impressive set of hips, Ra's First queen Egeria, and the future Mother of the Tok'ra. To the right was a tall, red haired beauty, curves that could sink cruiser barely covered by an Egyptian styled top that looked like a bikini and long skirt that hugged her thighs but split at the front and back, there's definitely a reason Hathor is the Goddess of Love.

On the throne is an Egyptian teenager, maybe sixteen, but the exquisitely crafted robe, skirt and jewellery tell me all I need to know.

I stop at the customary distance and drop to one knee, placing my recovered staff on the ground and crossing my closed right fist across my chest, my palm facing my shoulder, "My Lord, I present myself before you in the hope I may join the ranks your noble House as your humble servant."

I manage not to sweat but it's definitely nerve wracking knowing the eyes of three of the most powerful beings in the Galaxy are weighing your worth, practice for when I eventually die I guess.

"What is your name?" surprisingly it is Egeria who asks.

"Azrael my lady," I reply, keeping my voice steady.

"What value could you bring to our House?" this time it's Hathor, good she sounds sexy when she's patronising.

"My current host was a rebel skirmisher," I answered, praying my bluff would work, "he was talented at determining tactics that could be used against our Jaffa, his band was reasonably successful before they were pinned down and destroyed, as is the fate of all traitors."

I look up, breaking protocol and look at Ra's chest, "tactics such as his have potential and can do not insignificant damage in the hands of well-disciplined troops, I aim to refine such tactics and use them to destroy your enemies.

I lower my head as I finish speaking, Ra was not overtly angered by my break in protocol but he didn't become top snake by wearing his heart on his sleeve.

"Rise Azrael," I stand, collecting my staff and making sure to avoid meeting his eyes.

"I accept your offer of service," Ra said, sounding very much the benevolent emperor, "I assign you to my queen, Egeria, I expect you to serve her as you will me."

"I lower me head in a bow and cross my arm over my chest in salute, "By Your Command, my Lord."

I walk over to Egeria, bow my head and salute, "what is your wish, my Lady?"

She looks at me then to Ra, who dismisses us with a wave, she indicates for me to follow her out. She leads me into the palace and out to her wing, which is really a second, smaller palace within the main walls, an extension is currently under way to provide a similar accommodation for Hathor.

"How did your host prefer to fight?"

I think it over for a moment, "thin lines of fighters, spread out rather than bunched together, one moving the other covering their partner's advance or retreat, a preference for ambush and a focus on movement, never staying in place long enough for the clumsy Jaffa formations to pin them down, primarily used as scouts and skirmishers in a proper battle, watching the enemy and nipping at the flanks as the larger forces lumber into place. The Jaffa are too slow and cumbersome to be effective, they simply have no adequate answer, I plan to recruit humans an equivalent force, a flanking, mobile light force that corrals the enemy allowing the Jaffa to move in for the kill."

Egeria listens patiently, drinking in my words even after we enter her palace and her own Prime, a Roman female, approaches, who also listens.

"And you think you can improve on what has worked for a thousand years?" Egeria asks carefully.

I can't hold back my sneer, "such stagnation is what allows our enemies to inflict defeat upon our forces, the prideful, lazy belief that what worked before works now. When men such as my host come along, they are easily able to outthink their foes because those foes don't adapt, they don't think on how to counter a problem or work around it, they just throw more bodies at it, such stupidity is wasteful, ignorant and more befitting a dog than a human, never mind Jaffa or Goa'uld."

Both women stare at me, one thoughtful, the other in muted fury for speaking disrespectfully to her God.

"Ish'ka," the Jaffa stood straighter, "I will arrange for quarters for our new friend, I want you to place three hundred of your warriors under him, any three hundred will do, and arrange any resources he may need, then return to me," Egeria then turned to me, "These Jaffa will be yours, you will choose your First Prime from among them, they are yours to do with as you wish and you may recruit more, but you answer to me, so if I require them…"

"Understood my Lady," I then follow Ish'ka out.

She doesn't waste time, we quickly reach the barracks and three hundred Jaffa are rounded up, easily the youngest and weakest.

"Jaffa, this is Lord Azrael," Ish'ka addresses them, "from today you will obey his command, do your God proud," She sneers at the word God.

I glare at the Prime, my eyes flashing for effect, "I am no God, I serve the Goddess Egeria as you do, the correct honorific is My Lord."

Ish'ka gulps and nods, but regains her composure and leaves.

I turn to the assembled Jaffa, noting painfully that while the standard of personal discipline is high, their basic drill is virtually non-existent, hooray it looks like I'll be the once to teach Jaffa to use colonial firing lines.

"Jaffa, I am your new Lord, You will obey my orders," I begin, "However, there are going to be some changes, you will be learning new tactics, new strategies and perhaps new weapons, you will also be learning to fight beside other army elements, including no-Jaffa units…"

"We'll be fighting beside humans? Beside slaves?" one Jaffa shouts indignantly.

My eyes flash, "Jaffa! Step Forward!"

"Now!" the young male nervously pushes his way out in front of the unit.

"Yes, Jaffa, Humans Will be recruited too," I confirm, earning several gasps and murmurs."

A female steps forward, a rather busty and pretty Saxon with long brown hair, "My Lord, why would you need to employ humans? Are not we Jaffa superior Warriors?"

I eye the woman, judging her, unlike her male counterparts she's using her brain, not discounting the idea out of hand, "What is your name?"

She swallows nervously, "Aela, my Lord."

"Well, First Prime, Aela," I smirk as the rest gasp, "The reason is simple, Jaffa Are superior in most respects, except tactics and independent thinking. Jaffa as yet march to battle and in battle as a mob, a well-armed and disciplined mob. Jaffa have good stamina but can't run as fast as a normal human, so a well-disciplined enemy can defeat a larger Jaffa force by constantly shifting small groups of warriors to constantly harass the flanks, and current Jaffa tactics mean the unit would take so long to reorient the humans can slip around the side again. I plan to recruit a human light infantry force to act as skirmishers in the same role, countering such tactics directly or corralling the enemy into a position where the heavy infantry, Jaffa line units, can pin and destroy them."

Aela nods respectfully and returns to the ranks, looking thoughtful as most of the Jaffa seem intrigued by the idea.

"There is also the fact it's easier to replace a human than a Jaffa and prim'ta," everyone mumbles an agreement to that point.

"You cannot count on there being slaves to perform the dirty work," I continue, "you cannot count on slaves collecting supplies or building shelter, especially when in enemy territory," more agreeing murmurs though grudging, "you need to learn to perform necessary tasks yourselves in case normal supply lines aren't available, as an exercise in self-sufficiency, you will be building a new barracks outside the walls…"

Jaffa aren't the Roman Legions, but are pretty damn close, in a week basic buildings are up and the permanent structures are planned and marked out. In a month the first permanent structures are up and the first human recruits are being drilled. In eight months the complex is finished and I'm organising my new forces.

I'm basing my forces on the 40k Imperial Guard, company of five ten man squads with a five man command squad and ten companies to a regiment, I currently have a full regiment of light infantry and half a regiment of heavy, with artillery support for both from the Jaffa equivalent of galloper guns.

The first new weapon I introduced I called the limber cannon, the Goa'uld have staff weapons but no staff cannon, instead they use high powered pulse lasers instead for their ships. The weapon is a cartridge loaded plasma cannon based off the staff weapons, a proto=staff cannon, its powerful but fires in a ballistic arc and currently requires fusion cells to be loaded like an ordinary breech loader.

That said, they surprised Hathor's forces when they tried to sneak attack Egeria's palace, the highly mobile artillery and my forces position on the flank of Hathor's attack vector meant I gave Hathor a very bloody nose as her Jaffa didn't even get in range of my line infantry before being routed by both my artillery and Velites, my skirmishers.

The second weapon was a modified staff weapon for my scouts, it was considerably shorter with two vertical grips, a trigger on each one to activate the other to fire, and a stock that contoured over the shoulder, not as user friendly as a normal gun but the best I could get away with considering both tech and size requirements.

It too proved a nasty surprise as my Velites were far more accurate than Hathor's Jaffa, even with 18th century tactics, my Jaffa could only hit a third of the time out to three hundred yards, better than most but disappointing by my standards.

A week after the battle and two days after I deliver the first true staff cannon, Ra summons me.

I enter the throne room to find it nearly empty, most of the other Goa'uld are on their own business, only Egeria and Hathor are in attendance, the latter glaring at both the former and me while Eferia smiles warmly.

I stop in front of Ra and kneel, "What is your bidding, my Lord?"

"Rise Azrael," I slowly stand, Ra sounds… proud?

"Your achievements over the past year have reached my ears," Ra says looking over me appraisingly, "you not only design new weapons for my armies, but prove yourself a capable strategist, defeating the larger and more experienced forces of my wife, Hathor a week ago."

The queen in questions glares at me with such intensity I can almost feel it.

Ra clicks his fingers and Egeria presents a small tablet.

I take the tablet and read it, I'm stunned by its contents, "A gate address, my Lord?" I know about the Chappa'ai but I've personally never seen it, having stayed close to my patron.

"That planet, its resources, people and the forces defending it, are yours," Ra states, "to do with as you wish as long as you continue to serve me, I am also sending one Hat'tak, four Al'kesh, three Tel'tak and twenty Death Gliders for your use."

"My deepest thanks, My Lord, you have bestowed upon me a most magnificent gift," I say sincerely, though a part of me sneers inwardly at grovelling to this thing.

"I am a generous God to my faithful servants," Ra replies, dismissing me with a wave.

I bow again and rise to leave, I walk slowly through the palace, contemplating my new future when I notice I'm being followed, I look around and see it's Egeria, "Good day, my Lady."

"Good day," she replies, smiling warmly, it was almost a secret smile that gave me the impression I stopped Hathor learning a terrible secret last week, "I wanted to thank you again for your actions last week."

"It was nothing," I say dismissively, "after all, you are my direct patron, I'd likely be under torture now if Hathor had won."

Egeria grimaced was true, "never the less, you have done me a service I can never repay."

"As have you," I retort, "after all, without your generosity I would not have been in a position to attack Hathor."

Egeria nods, conceding the point, "Will you be leaving soon?"

"Within the day, if I can," I admit, "the thought of a planet and it's resources to myself is very appealing."

"Then I wish you fair travels," Egeria responded.

"You're welcome to visit, my Lady," I say, meaning the invitation, "I must admit I've grown fond of your company, I will miss our talks."

Ever since I'd arrived, Egeria had regularly summoned me to debate various things, at first I'd found it tedious, but this gave way to intrigue as I saw the true face of the fledgling Tok'ra queen bit by bit.

"As will I," Egeria replies, "hopefully I will see you soon," she then turns and leaves, heading back into the palace.

I return to my journey and start planning on what new research to pursue once I'm safely out from under Ra's immediate eye.

I step through the stargate onto a green meadow, a dirt road leading to a river then forking left and over the river into a forest and right to a distant settlement.

I look to Aela, who is looking around in undisguised wonder, having never left the desert.

"I want guards on the gate at all times, I want walls and ditches dug to corral an attacker into a killzone and crossfire," I'd taught the snakes what those two were the hard way, "and I want fixed fortifications for an artillery battery on the tree line."

"It will be done, my Lord," Aela acknowledges, then starts barking orders to the arriving warriors, I take a moment to admire her toned legs and full figure, my under stimulated manhood swelling in appreciation. Over the past year I've grown more and more attracted to my First Prime, both to her delicious figure and elvish beauty but also to her personality, if I didn't know better I'd say she was from my reality.

I shake my head and set off to the settlement with the rest of my guard, I have a planet to secure.