Chapter Four
His footsteps echoed throughout the hallway as he made his way through the pyramid. The echo created by the black marble was louder due to the metal boots he wore as part of his Jaffa uniform, and the louder echo seemed to make him appear more threatening. That was a sense he felt was rightly deserved by him; the leader of Egeria's elite guard.
Turning a corner Ven'ar thought only for a moment about the pyramid's décor. The whole of the interior seemed to glitter and shine in an attempt to convey the raw power of the Goa'uld. Like the sense of strength that was bestowed upon him he felt that the sense of power bestowed upon them was equally as deserved. After all, what more should a god expect to have except absolute grace in all they controlled and pure adoration from all they commanded? This thought Ven'ar kept in the back of his mind as he made his way to Egeria's quarters.
Since arriving on Ventarea the day before, Egeria had not left her quarters at all. Once she had finished talking to Aphrodite she had refused to let anyone in her quarters, save for a few Tau'ri slaves which she allowed to bring her food and wait on her. Everything that had happened to her involving the mine which she had lost so much to gain and the death of her First Prime had taken a toll on her. Now that she was back on her home world she felt that some time to enjoy her stay and gather her thoughts was necessary.
For the rest of the evening after they had arrived Egeria did nothing but relax and enjoy the comforts of home. A lot of stress had been dealt to her over the past few days and she felt that she needed a pause before starting anything new. When she had awoken on this new day though she had decided it best to get going on things and not put them off any longer. She hoped that by doing so it would relieve some of the stress she was feeling.
This had caused her to call upon Ven'ar. While Aphrodite was off working to further their plan to take down Ra she felt the best thing to do was try and sort out the ordeal involving her First Prime. With Lo'tak dead a void had opened in her ranks, one that quickly needed to be filled. Knowing how dedicated and how strong the Jaffa of his guard were Egeria felt that if she were to find a sufficient First Prime then it would come from his ranks.
When Ven'ar reached the large golden doors of Egeria's quarters he paused for a moment and glanced at the stalwart pair of Jaffa that guarded the room before pushing the doors open and making his way in.
Inside Ven'ar saw no sign of his goddess. The room looked barely touched, and a group of Tau'ri slaves working to erase those hints were the only thing to catch Ven'ar's eye. Carefully walking past them he made his way towards the balcony just as he saw Egeria come into view. After pausing a moment and waiting for acknowledgment from her he decided to chance it and simply kneel before her. "My queen," he said to her kneeling once he had made it to her side.
When Ven'ar had spoken it had startled Egeria as she had become lost in her gaze upon Ventarea. The moment she became aware of him she turned slightly and commanded him to rise. Looking into his fierce eyes she wondered what exactly had been on his mind since learning of the death of Lo'tak. "You know why I have asked you here," Egeria said with indifference as she turned her attention back to the lush world below.
"I would assume that it has something to do with Lo'tak and your need for a new First Prime." Ven'ar said as he stood next to Egeria, both of them looking out upon Ventarea's capital and the world that lay beyond it.
With her attention turned back outward she felt her being begin to fade away and mix with the beauty of the landscape. There was something about the world before her that had simply captured her the moment she first laid eyes on it. "This truly is a world of greatness and beauty," Egeria muttered, though it took her a moment to realize she had spoken it aloud.
"Indeed," was all Ven'ar said in response. Unlike his goddess, Ven'ar did not find such beauty a thing that needed to be so focused on. No, his mind was that of a cold and cunning soldier, one that was spent studying the grace of combat rather than the grace of nature. Because of this he couldn't imagine why Egeria spent so much time on this balcony looking out at the world. He didn't always understand his goddess, but he always honored her. That honor, he believed, was all that she really needed from him.
Egeria felt Ven'ar shift next to her as he grew impatient of simply standing there and staring out at the horizon. Soldiers had no time for aesthetics; no they only had time for death and combat. This fact she did not envy of her Jaffa soldier. Instead she almost pitied him for it as she turned her gaze from the world beyond to the group of Jaffa who were training directly at the pyramid's base.
Looking down at the Jaffa soldiers a sense of pride came over her. Below her was a strong and dedicated army who were willing to make any sacrifice that needed to be made in her name. That was of course the role of the Jaffa, the role thrust upon them by the Goa'uld who had created them years upon years ago. Through the blind dedication that had been borne in the Jaffa the Goa'uld had thrown countless waves of the soldiers at each other in their fierce struggle for dominance among themselves. Being created to do nothing but be sacrificed most Goa'uld took the Jaffa who served them for granted. To them the Jaffa had become nothing more than a faceless tool of destruction that required no maintenance and was constantly being re-supplied. In the struggle for power the Jaffa were no longer anything different then a Ha'tak or a staff weapon. This was the view held by all the Goa'uld, except Egeria.
At one point she too saw the Jaffa as nothing but a mindless weapon with blind devotion to give her. Something though had changed within her, and now she was able to see them for what they truly were: living and breathing people. She couldn't remember when or why that long held belief started to change, but she believed it had started when Lo'tak had become her First Prime. There had just been something about him that seemed to echo the presence of something more then a mindless soldier. A certain finesse had just seemed to come from him that had shown something more in him than the role that his birth had given him. Through her dealings with him a newfound understanding and respect for the Jaffa that served her had appeared and now she was no longer so eager to throw so many away as fodder in her war against the other System Lords. Now she felt a loss every time Jaffa were sacrificed in her name. Especially with a loss as great as Lo'tak and the other Jaffa that she had lost to gain the mine from Ra. Standing there she sighed as she realized that even knowing that the Jaffa were something more than tools of war couldn't prevent her from having to use them as such.
As the Jaffa below her continued to train she noticed that they were the elite guard that Ven'ar commanded. When she realized who they were she turned to look at the strong Jaffa who stood next to her.
He too was staring down at the Jaffa who trained with a sense of pride all his own. Being in charge of the group with the highest kill record and the lowest fatality record was enough to make any commander proud. Ven'ar was not exempt from such pride. Knowing how much his goddess relied upon his group of warriors for the most dangerous of tasks seemed to justify himself in some way. After all it was one thing to have the talents of a great warrior, but those talents would seem useless if they didn't receive any recognition.
"Ven'ar, I'd like to ask you about one of the soldiers under your command," she said to the Jaffa next to her. Ever since her arrival the day before something had bothered her. In the moment before Ven'ar's Jaffa had left her presence one of them had caught her attention, and she hadn't been able to shake off the feeling she got when her eyes had met those of the soldier. There had been something between them in that moment that had felt so familiar too her, yet she couldn't decide if that familiar feeling was good or bad. Either way she felt the need to find out.
"Which one?" Ven'ar asked as he wondered whether her question would end in praise or discipline for a member of his group.
"Well," she began as she looked through the training Jaffa below, hoping she could spot the soldier in question and point him out. When it looked like she wouldn't be able to find him she decided to describe him as best as possible. "He's one of the taller members or your group, about six foot I'd say. Fair skin tone with dark brown strands of hair cut a bit short."
"Do you mean Arbrol't?" Ven'ar said as he pointed to one of the Jaffa below.
As Egeria's eyes followed to where Ven'ar was pointing she burned the soldier's name in her mind. The moment her eyes fell upon him she felt the same familiar sense she had felt when she had seen him before. Arbrol't was standing just off to the right of the main group of Jaffa as they trained. He was apparently taking a moment's rest as he stood there and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Yes," she barely whispered as she stared at the soldier.
"What about him?" Ven'ar pressed, still curious whether Egeria's inquiry about the soldier would end on a good note or a bad one.
Still staring at Arbrol't, Egeria almost didn't hear Ven'ar's question. Stuck in a trance not unlike the one she was in when he had first come to see her it took a moment before she was able to register what Ven'ar had asked and was able to give him a response. "Tell me about him, Ven'ar. I want to know everything you've learned about him while he's been under your command."
"Well," Ven'ar said with a bit of hesitation as to where he should begin. Turning, he looked at Egeria for any clue as to why she would want to know about this one particular soldier. He found none. Whatever her purpose was Ven'ar couldn't quite figure it out, but he saw no reason to hide anything from her.
"Arbrol't has been part of my group for longer than just about any of the others. In that time I have gotten to know him well, and I would say that he is a most capable warrior. On many campaigns he has fought bravely by my side. From his first one when we killed Cherti, till our last campaign on Kel'nur."
"You almost sound as if you admire him, Ven'ar." Egeria said suppressing a smile as she looked down at Arbrol't.
"I do," Ven'ar said back to his goddess. The statement shocked Egeria in the moment's pause until the Jaffa beside her finished it. "I admire all of the Jaffa who serve under me. They are the best a commander could ask for."
The sentiment that Ven'ar had towards the Jaffa under him was a sentiment that Egeria understood well. Like Ven'ar, she too admired the Jaffa who had sworn their lives to fight in her name. There was just a noble quality about them that she found appealing, especially in ones like Ven'ar and those that served under him. While she fully knew that this quality had been something woven into the tapestry of Jaffa creation she couldn't help but to make a special note of it.
Silence once again came between Ven'ar and Egeria and once again the Jaffa began to grow uncomfortable. His mind grew in curiosity about why she had asked of Arbrol't and about something else. That something was what she was to do about the role of First Prime, the most coveted role in all the Jaffa army. Not wanting to risk upsetting his goddess he stood there waiting for an answer to either question that plagued his mind in the silence. As the moments faded away and nothing was said between them Ven'ar finally brought up enough courage to venture a question. "Does this have something to do with Lo'tak and the vacant role of First Prime, my queen?" he asked with a slight hint of regard.
"Perhaps," she replied softly as her mind drifted further and further away from Ven'ar and the reality that enveloped her. The pain she felt at losing Lo'tak was still too fresh in her mind and she couldn't help but to cower away from the mention of a replacement. Still though deep in her mind she knew that it was a task she simply could not avoid. The role of First Prime had grown too important to a System Lord to be left vacant for too long. She needed a strong and dedicated Jaffa to stand by her in that role, especially if she was to declare all out war on Ra. Sighing, she decided on where to start her search for a new First Prime. "Ven'ar, go and bring Arbrol't before me," she said as she began to stare out at the crimson sun as it began to fall beyond the horizon.
"Yes my queen." Ven'ar said crisply as he gave a slight bow. As he made his way out of the room he wondered if Arbrol't was to become Egeria's new First Prime. A hint of jealousy about being passed over for the role took form in Ven'ar's mind, but he quickly whisked it away as he reminded himself that Egeria was a goddess and therefore infallible.
Staring out at the world as a pink hue danced its way across the sky Egeria could feel her worries slip away along with the fading sun. The role of System Lord had always been a glorified role, one coveted by all Goa'uld the moment they learned of it. But since becoming one of the Goa'uld elite Egeria had sat back and watched as that golden vision of power had been eroded away by the harsh and sobering reality that the position truly held. As she thought about all she had lost since gaining the title of System Lord she had a feeling of loss course through her. So much had been destroyed, so many killed in her scramble for power. How could she possibly cope? Then all of a sudden all that washed away and she shook away the feeling of loss and any other feeling of the sort. She was a goddess, one with untold thousands at her command. And whether officially declared or not she was at war with the other System Lords in their vie for dominance. Casualties were to be expected, that was the one certainty of war. To herself she made the decision as one who commanded so many possible casualties to distance herself from those soldiers she threw in death's way. War was no place for passion, unless it was the passion to kill.
In the silence since Ven'ar's departure Egeria had let her mind slip away from the cares that seemed to have become such a burden on her. When she heard the doors to her quarters open behind her those cares seemed to come flooding back to her. As she heard the footsteps come near her mind whispered that it couldn't possibly be Ven'ar already. Even if he had walked at a quick pace down to where the Jaffa stood training he still wouldn't have had enough time to make it all the way back to her quarters with Arbrol't. For a moment she wondered who it was. When the mystery greeted her in a feminine voice Egeria didn't have to wonder any longer.
"My queen," Aphrodite greeted with a slight bow. "I have news for you."
Turning away from the crimson view Egeria couldn't help but to wonder whether her subordinate brought good news or bad. She had not seen Aphrodite since sending her on the task of trying to get them some support against Ra. Undoubtedly the news was involved with the task, but still Egeria didn't know whether that was good or bad. "What have you brought me Aphrodite?" Egeria asked as she looked at the blonde haired woman expectantly.
"I have done as you asked my, my queen, and contacted as many System Lords as I could reach to discuss the plans of an alliance against Ra."
"And?" Egeria asked after Aphrodite paused. She was anxious to learn whether or not any of the other System Lords would aid her in her fight against Ra. When the look on her subordinate's face changed Egeria's hope for aid dimmed.
"Well, a few of them agreed to meet with you and hear your case for declaring war on Ra." Once she spoke the words Aphrodite cringed slightly, not liking the taste the words left in her mouth.
They agreed to meet and hear her case? The moment Egeria had heard that she had immediately felt the sting of insult on her being. "Those sanctimonious, egotistical...." Egeria began to say, obviously upset of their response to her cry of help. Gripping on the balcony's ledge she seethed for a minute as the full force of their insult washed over her. When the tide of her anger receded and sensible thought was given the chance she decided that their response wasn't too bad. After all, they could have flat out refused. "What are the detail's for this meeting, Aphrodite?" Egeria asked of her subordinate with a new, calm tone.
"We are to meet with them in the Reloor sector in two days. It's still neutral territory and far enough from Ra that he will never catch wind of what we are planning."
The Reloor sector. As Egeria absorbed the name she thought about where it was. "Two days?" she asked of Aphrodite when she realized the distance there. When Aphrodite nodded it prompted anther shocked response to come from the Goa'uld queen. "That means we have to leave immediately if we are to get there on time."
"I have already sent for preparations aboard the Ha'tak. We should be able to depart within the hour."
"Very good, Aphrodite." Egeria said as a hint of pride for her subordinate sneaked its way into her being. "Now go and make sure that everything is finished smoothly." With her new task Aphrodite quickly gave a bow before skittering off.
With Aphrodite gone Egeria took one last opportunity to look back out on the beauty that was Ventarea. The sun had almost completely sunk below the far off horizon and twilight was fast approaching. It saddened her that she would have to leave her home world already and in such a rush. She had just said hello to her world and already she was being forced to say goodbye. "Don't worry," she said out to the beautiful world she had created as though it were a child that was upset at her departure, "because when I come back you will be safe from Ra, for good."