Chapter Six
Once the rings had vanished back into the platform from whence they came Egeria found herself standing in a small room that was lit only by a few wall-hung torches. Looking around she figured that she was now in some ancient pyramid that could have been built by anyone. As far as she knew no Goa'uld had occupied a world in the Reloor sector for as far back as their history could account. Without a Goa'uld master she wondered why the inhabitants of this world would choose to build such a structure. Her thoughts were only given a moments chance though before someone walked into the room to greet her.
"Queen Egeria," the man before her said, bearing a quality that showed a hint of welcome in an otherwise monotone greeting. "The others are waiting for you. If you would please follow me." Egeria was looked upon with indifference as the man spoke before he turned around and made his way back out of the room.
Following her guide a new question came to her mind. Coming out of the ring room the light level had increased dramatically and she was given the chance to better see whom it was she was following. The man before her was a Tau'ri, and undoubtedly a slave as well. There was an armband around his bicep, but it wasn't until Egeria took a quick glance at the man's face could she guess as to whom this Tau'ri served. Seeing what had been referred to as Chinese qualities she knew that her guess had been correct and suddenly she knew the identity of one of the Goa'uld she was about to meet. Her question though had not been the man's identity but rather his purpose. In the original message she had received it said that all present were to ring down alone. But if this slave was here then surely some rule had been broken, and she was angered by the fact.
Walking on Egeria took these last few minutes to try and prepare what she would say. She didn't know how many System Lords had shown up to listen to her plea for help, but she figured there would only be a few that would be curious enough by that plea to come. Either way it was a disadvantage for her not to know. Another disadvantage was that she didn't know whom she would be meeting with. Each Goa'uld had their own personality that was sometimes vastly different from the next. Knowing who was here she might have been able to work out a plan to appeal to each of the System Lords on a more personal level and thus have a greater chance of getting their support. She knew who one was, but that was barely of any use to her. Whether she had known who she was meeting or not became an irrelevant issue as her guide led her toward two large copper doors that seemed oddly out of place. Pushing past them she found herself in a chamber that was exposed to the world beyond the far wall. Unlike on Ventarea though her attention didn't rest on the landscape below. Instead she just looked straight ahead into a set of piercing eyes as they stared back at her with a faint glow.
"Queen Egeria," said the eyes' owner in a cold tone. "I'm glad you could finally make it. Now, why don't you tell us why we are all wasting our time here so we can move on?"
"Of course, Lord Yu." she said to the Goa'uld before her. "I will tell you all exactly why if we do not face Ra now then surely he will conquer us all."
Before she began to speak to the Goa'uld around her she drew in a breath and faced them all for a moment. Only five System Lords had shown up here, waiting to find out exactly what it was she had to say. Looking at each of them she took note of who they were.
The first System Lord that she noticed was the one directly in front of her, Lord Yu. Known sometimes as the Jade Emperor he was in command of a sizable army. Still new to the title of System Lord, when compared to some of the others tenure, he wasn't so much feared as simply respected on the battlefield. His presence here confused Egeria, as he was one of the last System Lords she had expected to meet. Recently his forces had been involved in many battles with hers and she was beginning to assume a rivalry between them was forming. Being here now when she asked for help made her think that he was above the petty cycle of fighting they had fallen into lately. Even with that thought in mind she found her reminding herself that not all motives were clear motives.
To Yu's right Egeria found a Goa'uld that she knew only by reputation, Marduk. He had quite a reputation behind him and acts that he was proclaimed to have done that were only safe to be whispered about. A ruthless master, he was known for the torture and almost holocaust like deaths that he brought down upon all of the Tau'ri he encountered; even his own slaves. By way of these acts he had spread fear like a plague through his domain, but in such a great amount that it was rumored even his highest priests were beginning to question their belief of him. Looking upon him an evil wake seemed to exude as he sat staring at her, which made her believe in the stories of his deeds and wonder if he was really someone she wanted to ally herself with.
On Marduk's other side was a Goa'uld who had not chosen to impersonate a god, but rather a well-known hero called Gilgamesh. What was known about him seemed to reflect a less dramatic life than those of his Goa'uld brethren. He held the rank of System Lord, but just barely. The territory he controlled was small and his forces so weak that it was an amazing thing that he had not yet been wiped out. From what she had heard he had tried to move on a few weaker Goa'uld like Apophis and Mokoi, but he had had little success in those campaigns. Gilgamesh seemed to be more of a pacifist than the other Goa'uld, if a Goa'uld could be a pacifist that is. Even with a small army at his command Egeria would still welcome his support against Ra.
The Goa'uld that sat to Yu's left was one that made Egeria both excited and hopeful that her plan against Ra would work. Beneath a suit made of gleaming steel and bone sat one of Ra's most notable and dangerous foes, Shaq'ran. A very noted warlord, Shaq'ran had stormed across Goa'uld occupied space with an iron fist that had destroyed at least half a dozen System Lords. His place in the Goa'uld hierarchy was clear, as he was one of the strongest of foes that one could get and had an army that nearly rivaled the one held by Ra. While he was a fierce System Lord he was not ruthless in the way that Marduk apparently was. To Shaq'ran war was more like a strategy game to which could only be won after all the other players had been picked clean from the board. With his vast forces Ra had posed the biggest threat in Shaq'ran's quest for domination. While Egeria didn't wish to be under Shaq'ran's rule any more than Ra's, she decided to push that threat aside for the moment and she hoped to use the rivalry between the two Goa'uld to help push her agenda of an alliance against Ra.
The last System Lord was also the only one to take a female host, Rhiannon. For some reason very few Goa'uld who took a female host managed to gain much power, but Rhiannon was one of the few exceptions to that. Unlike some of the other female-hosted Goa'uld she was neither a queen nor a subordinate to any of System Lord, but a full System Lord in her own right. She had a reputation not unlike any of the other four Goa'uld that sat beside her, and yet Egeria for some reason was drawn to her. Looking the Celtic goddess over Egeria saw that she wore a snug earthen colored outfit that was similar to one that Egeria herself often wore. Rhiannon's hair fell from her head in dark black locks and Egeria felt that she and Rhiannon were very much alike in their personalities. If that were the case then it would be very interesting to see her take on Egeria's plans for Ra.
Having looked over each of her potential allies Egeria carefully wetted her lips as she chose a few final words in her mind. Noticing a hint of annoyance that was coming from them she swallowed before beginning what she hoped would be the most convincing speech ever given.
"My fellow Goa'uld," she started in a diplomatic tone, "the reason for me being here is this: Ra must be destroyed. Plain and simple. Now the first question that is undoubtedly on your minds is to why we must band together against the most powerful of our kind alive. In that question right there is your answer. Ra is without a doubt the most powerful Goa'uld right now, perhaps ever. He has amassed such a force that I believe if we do not band together against him now then surely he will dominate us all; and soon."
"Don't you mean that if we don't act now then it is you who will soon be dominated by him?" Rhiannon's words surprised Egeria and she turned to look upon the female-hosted Goa'uld with confusion. "I have noticed that your territory is encroaching upon that of Ra's," Rhiannon continued. "That in addition to the fact that you recently captured a naquadah mine of his. With these two facts it would seem that you are coming to us for aid as you fear you might have brought his fury down upon yourself."
"Both my borders and my recent capture of the naquadah mine are inconsequential," Egeria shot back in defense, though still with a calm and diplomatic tone. "I am coming to you today not as a plea for my own preservation, but for the preservation of us all."
"And why would you care about our preservation?" Shaq'ran asked with a look of feigned interest. "We are all System Lords here and we are all engaging one another in a war for dominance and power. In effect, we are all each others enemy. Why would you, or any of us, care what happens to another System Lord?"
A point had been made with Shaq'ran's words and it caused Egeria to think for a moment about what she would say next. Shaq'ran was right, why should any of them care what happens to her or to each other? Ever since the first Goa'uld took Unas for hosts and left their home world untold millennia ago they had been at war with each other in an attempt to be the most dominant among them. This point was further mentioned as Gilgamesh spoke.
"You are right Egeria, in that Ra has amassed a sizable fleet and controls one of the largest domains a Goa'uld has ever controlled. But is this really something that we should fear and come to sneaking about, whispering schemes to overthrow him? Is what he doing not what all Goa'uld aspire to do? Are the thoughts of destroying us all and seizing the entirety of known space for yourself not ones that you too harbor?"
Again a point had been made against her and for it Egeria felt her calm manner begin to crumble. They were right in that no Goa'uld ever much cared for another and that each one of them had devoted their life to the destruction and subjugation of any race they encountered, including their own. But couldn't they see that there were bigger issues here then domain sizes and resource stockpiles? Ra may very well be doing just what all other Goa'uld had done throughout history, but this time it was different. This time one single Goa'uld may very well accomplish what so many had sought to do for so long. While the thought of her own demise at his hands was surely a frightening and driving motive behind her reasoning there was something else.
"The issue here is not what thoughts I may or may not be harboring, but what must be done now to stop Ra." With Egeria's words came a change in tone that was instantly noticeable. Her smooth and diplomatic voice was beginning to weaken under the barrage of questions and she was beginning to lose her reasons for trying such a tactic on these System Lords.
"You are wasting our time," Yu said in a harsh tone that cut into Egeria as though his words were daggers. "Your words are going around in circles and giving little if any reason for us to move against Ra. True he has a large domain, and true also that he has a sizable force occupying that domain, but this is what Goa'uld do. We conquer. This is our right as gods and as superior beings."
"There have been many Goa'uld rise to the level of System Lord in the past," Shaq'ran added, "and many of those System Lords have at one point been formidable enemies. Those System Lords have been defeated though and the only power of theirs that remains is written about in fables passed on by us. For some power can be a fleeting thing, and Ra's power may not be as long lasting as you might think."
"Precisely. Now, if you're done taking up our valuable time…" Yu said as he began to rise from his chair and the other System Lords followed suite.
This action, to which Egeria could only label as a blatant insult, angered her and the last part of her that had wished this meeting to be a civil one faded away. "Sit down you stubborn old fool," Egeria shot at Yu as her anger seethed its way outwards from her being.
"How dare you…" Yu started to say back to her, but she cut him off short.
"How dare I? Yes that is a good question to be asked here. How dare I come here, believing that a sane Goa'uld existed amongst the ranks of the System Lords, and ask for you to save yourselves against a mortal threat. It disgusts me that I could believe that any of you would be serious about the prospect of an alliance against a great and common adversary."
"And what makes you think that we weren't serious about joining you against Ra?" Rhiannon asked of Egeria. "If we weren't serious then why would we even be here?"
Turning to face Rhiannon she looked at the Goa'uld before her for a moment then drew her hands apart in a gesture meant to include all of them. "What makes me think that none of you are serious? Well, from the very moment this was planned an attempt was made to make me inferior. For example, I noticed that each of you have your own Tau'ri attendant. What happened to all participants ringing down alone? I had the honor to abide by that rule and thus walked into a vulnerable position set up by you. Where was your honor?"
"You are our guest and had to be given a few restrictions. After all, you're the one that wanted this meeting and you're the one that had the case to make. Each of us are content with the current status of Ra's forces and therefore had no need to be subjected to such standards." The air of superiority was so thick as Yu spoke these words that had they been tangible then surely Egeria would have been strangled. Force was behind his tone and a glow came to his eyes as he stared down Egeria, hoping that his speech would put her back in her place. That hope failed him.
"Oh how mighty we so called gods are." Egeria said with disgust. "If this meeting was agreed upon as an act of pity for me then you have just offended me far worse then you could imagine." Looking at each of the Goa'uld before her Egeria could feel her anger towards them grow and she found that her hands were beginning to clinch into fists. Had she not of believed so strongly in the threat of Ra she might have left them right there to die at Ra's hands in ignorance. Deep down though she knew that if Ra was to be defeated then this would be her best chance.
"Let us hear all of what she has to say before we jump off to conclusions," Gilgamesh said, hoping to calm things down and give the chance that something might actually be accomplished by all of this.
With Gilgamesh's words the mood in the room changed drastically as everyone cooled off from the harsh exchange of words they had just been engaged in. Seeing this change meant one last opportunity for Egeria to drive her point home and one last opportunity to get them on her side. She knew that her next words would be critical if she were to walk away with their support.
"My fellow System Lords, you make valid points. But there are a few things you must keep in mind here. The first is that while there has always been a cycle to a Goa'uld's reign in that new Goa'uld seemingly always step up to System Lord status and pick off the older and weaker among us, that cycle has never before encountered the disruption that Ra would cause if he were to gain supremacy over us." Pausing and looking at each of the System Lords before her she saw that either they didn't follow her or that they didn't care. Taking the chance that it was the former she decided to go further in her point. "Every time a System Lord has been wiped out then another Goa'uld ultimately has stepped up to take their place. This is something that we've all come to accept in our hierarchy. But in each of these instances where a System Lord was defeated they were usually defeated alone. If Ra were to launch a campaign against each of us simultaneously and win in that campaign then it could very well cause a big enough void in the System Lord ranks to destabilize the entire Goa'uld hierarchy and ultimately give him supreme control over all Goa'uld territories."
This was a fact that none of them had given much thought and as such it caused them to all stop and consider it for a moment. Silence wrapped itself about the scene and Egeria began to feel just a bit of relief seep into her being as she thought that maybe she might finally be convincing them of the threat that Ra posed them.
"You are making two assumptions here, Egeria." Marduk suddenly said, breaking the silence and everyone's thoughts as well. "The first is that you assume that the deaths of the handful of System Lords present here would be enough to crumble the entire Goa'uld race and leave only the shattered remains that would fall into Ra's hands. There are several dozen Goa'uld right now that are all about on the same level of power. Undoubtedly they would be enough to keep the Goa'uld race intact were we to all be destroyed, and life would go on as they say. That is, of course, if we were to take your other little assumption as true. There are millions of loyal Jaffa and vast fleets of Ha'tak vessels between us. For Ra to launch an attack on all of us would take a great deal of both troops and resources. I think there is no way he would be able to gather enough of either of these to be a real threat to us."
The fact that Marduk suddenly had chosen to speak took Egeria as a surprise and for a moment she found herself just standing there and looking at him. When his words finally did register she felt a wave of disgust returning to her. How very Goa'uld Marduk had seemed in those words, speaking with arrogance and the seeming impression of invulnerability that was a common trait amongst the Goa'uld. Seeing that her tactics to try and convince them might be failing once more she decided on a different approach.
"Are you afraid Marduk?" Egeria asked of him in a blatant and bearing manner.
"Afraid?" he responded in a harsh tone that showed just what he thought of Egeria's insult. "What pray tell would I, Marduk, son of Ea and slayer of Tiamat, be afraid of?" As he asked the question he leaned forward and brought himself closer to Egeria's face. Leaning forward, the dark black robe that he wore shifted and shimmered in the light and gave it an ominous presence. This in concert with the bristling spikes of his hair and the wicked grin he flashed gave him a truly menacing appearance.
Had Egeria been looking at Marduk from the eyes of a Tau'ri she might have understood their fear of him and the reasons for his reputation. Having the eyes of a Goa'uld though she simply saw this as a pathetic attempt to try and gain some ground in the private little war their words were now fighting. She looked at him for only a moment longer before turning back to address the rest of the System Lords.
"Though I asked this question of Marduk I meant it for all of you. Are you afraid?" Knowing that the insult had now been extended to them the tension level in the room once again rose and Egeria could tell that if she didn't finish her thought quickly then she was about to have five very angry Goa'uld to contend with. "Are you to tell me that out of all five of you not a single one has the courage and the honor to face Ra head on? Or is it just that you don't believe that an alliance between rival Goa'uld can actually succeed? If that is the case then let me remind you of the downfall of Sokar. Like Ra now, Sokar was a powerful Goa'uld and one that threatened the balance of power between the System Lords. And where is he now? Dead, at the hands of an alliance between a few brave Goa'uld that were willing to fight for their survival. Like then, we are now facing the choice of our survival. Now you must decide whether Ra is someone you should fear or someone you should destroy."
Egeria's words carried a weight behind them and they struck at the System Lords with such a force that they could not simply shrug her words off. Though Egeria may have just insulted them that insult had proven to be the foundation for something to truly consider. Yu though decided that a few more words must be said on the matter before anything was decided.
"You forget, Egeria, that Sokar's downfall was largely credited to Ra and the support he gave in that alliance. Also, Sokar was a threat and a menace to all Goa'uld and therefore had to be dealt with. Ra on the other hand is doing exactly what he needs to do to survive in this power struggle."
"What he needs to do to survive?" Yu's words came as a shock to Egeria and she decided to voice that shock and come back with a response that would settle things once and for all. "There is a tenuous balance of power amongst the System Lords that has evolved and been in place after countless millennia. That balance helps in a large way to keep our race from collapsing in on itself and becoming stagnant. If Ra tips this balance then surely we would see the end of our civilization. Does this not qualify him as a menace to all Goa'uld kind? Is this not a strong enough reason for each of us to consolidate our forces and deal with the threat he poses while we still can? I ask you that if these points do not validate my desire to take down Ra then what will? What will be enough to convince you to help me save our race?"
As Egeria drove her final points home and gave her final plea to them for help each of the System Lords just sat there and absorbed each word into their being for further consideration. Knowing that she could not have said anything more to convince them of Ra as a threat Egeria just stood there before them and awaited their response.
"We have been at this a long time, Egeria." Yu said with a more calm and reserved tone. "What I believe should be done know is a short pause in this debate. In the meantime us System Lords can discuss your matter amongst ourselves and decide on what shall be done. It that agreeable?"
Though Yu looked at Egeria when he asked the question it was meant for all of them. All of the remaining System Lords gave a slight nod of their head and muttered agreements. Feeling like her job had been done in as much of a capacity as she could have Egeria began to turn away from them and back towards the entrance from where she had come from. "I will be aboard my Ha'tak," she said to the others over her shoulder. With that she took a step forward and walked out feeling that she had accomplished something and hoping that that feeling would prove to be the first step towards the downfall of Ra.