AN: I'm just going to give a plot a good kick I think. Really I think the Soviets would be far better prepared for this mission, especially the characters I've established here, however I want to get things going faster so we can actually get on with stuff. As such please suspend your disbelief for now. Also, a weird thing about SG-1 as a show, they seem to forget in later seasons that there are human slaves as well as Jaffa. Weird that.
-x-
"Comrades," said Abramovich, "Let's get started."
Durov had been talking to Ilya a moment before and they stopped, turning to look at the general.
"The last few weeks have been very productive. We've gained knowledge about our enemy, their capabilities and their numbers, as well as made an ally in the Unity."
Ra's cartouche spoke of a planet where the enemies of the Goa'uld had been destroyed, the Soviets had decided to visit it in the hope of finding allies, this had gone badly at first but later turned out well. A Corporal Zaytzev had come back through the Stargate after visiting the world and had no longer responded to 'Zaya', only to the full form of his name, as well as acting unusually in general. This had aroused the suspicions of his teammates and it had turned out that he'd been replaced by a crystalline being. Happily, the being and its race were enemies of the Goa'uld and the race, the 'Unity' had given them some interesting information, though their bizarre nature had prevented any further discussions.
"However, despite these advantages, it is my belief that no matter how prepared we may be, we can never anticipate everything the Goa'uld will do." Abramovich continued. "Therefore we must seize the initiative and simply go out through the Stargate to see what we can find out directly. I have full confidence in you all, which is why you've been chosen for this mission."
There was a murmur of general agreement from those attending the briefing. Durov knew it all of course, having discussed the matter extensively with the General, but the others like Chaya or Basin hadn't been aware of it before, being busy with other matters.
"SG-1 will travel to PE-6 to investigate that world for Goa'uld presence. Major Reniv and his team as well as Captain Vozchik and Comrade Basin with their respective specialisations will standby as reinforcements in the case of combat. To explain why you'll be going to this world, I'll let Doctor Diakonoff take over, Doctor?"
Igor nodded, "Thank you General." He said and after a short pause to compose himself he began his own explanation: "From what we've experienced so far we believe the Goa'uld are primarily interested in mining Naqudah. This mineral forms almost the entirety of their advanced technology and the accumulative efforts of these parasites push them toward attempts to gain control of mines or existing population centres in order to train more miners or soldiers to hold territory. We assume from our cosmology that the Goa'uld state, such as it is, is a feudal one. This world, PE-6 is termed 'Chulak' on the Abydos cartouche, and is one of the earliest addresses included there. Because of this, like many other very early sites we've been to, we believe that the Naqudah there will have run dry in the time between the cartouche's construction and the present day. Finally, it should be noted that in Vulcan's notes Chulak was listed as one of Apophis', an enemy of Ra."
"Thank you Doctor." Abramovich said, "Comrades, we believe Chulak will be lightly garrisoned, probably only with a ceremonial guard, given its relative unimportance in the wider Goa'uld economy. Colonel Durov will lead his team there and make a reconnaissance. Ideally we will make contact with any natives there under the guise of trade to determine other Stargate addresses and perhaps to find out what some of our own mean."
The general continued and Durov largely tuned him out. They'd discussed it all and this briefing was largely so that everyone could be on the same page regarding their objectives, rather than to give any actual new information. Reniv for example, though an intelligent officer, likely didn't care where he was going or who he was fighting, whether Fascists or aliens.
They'd decided to take a smaller team, SG-1 only, due to the nature of the mission. They risked everything each time they stepped through the gate, and each time they might be walking into an ambush, but for the most part the Stargates were situated some distance away from the villages they'd seen prior to now. Ideally they'd only send one man each time, and that individual would be able to do everything necessary, but also be disposable in case of capture or death, but that was largely impossible for logistics reasons, let alone anything else.
Several points to mitigate the risk had been proposed though, for instance, the carrying of staff weapons instead of guns, or the replication of their gear by Elysian artisans to prevent it looking mass-produced and therefore indicating an industrial civilisation, however Durov had pointed out that they'd not yet seen rifles used anywhere else so carrying the staff weapons would probably make them stand out more. Besides, all the SG personnel knew how to move and fight quietly, Durov had seen to that when he'd commanded them all behind the enemy's lines, dressed in uniforms that were not their own and often speaking foreign languages to cement the deception.
"Let's go test our assumptions eh sir?" murmured Ilya to him as they walked out of the briefing afterwards. The sniper had returned along with Dimitri from Elysium and was back in the team. It felt good to Durov, who had missed the presence of his most trusted subordinates.
"Nothing to do about it." He replied to the man, and turned to Reniv. "We'll be waiting for you Tolya."
They shook hands, "Don't worry sir, we're right behind you. A few billion kilometres behind." Reniv laughed.
It was cold on the other side of the gate. The SGC was heated and it was often a shock when they came up the lift and out into the Urals that the air was so biting, but this Chulak seemed to be a similar climate. All around them though was a pine forest, still very green, but Durov could see snow-capped mountains in the distance, though not much else as they seemed to be in a little valley. The Stargate was situated on a small dais, with two rows of stone pillars in front of it. "Definitely a Goa'uld world." Said Igor, gesturing to them. The archaeologist had a theory that the pillars they often found on world like this one were later additions, and he'd begun to make categorisations on that basis.
"Send the probe back through." Durov ordered, setting off toward the lip of the valley. He slung his rifle over his back, using his hands to climb up the slope. The ground was stony and frost made them slightly slippery, but eventually he made it up, turning to help Igor the last few steps.
"You'd think they'd put a road here." Igor said as he picked himself up.
"Not if Apophis travels mainly by ship." Replied Durov, watching the skies.
Ilya and Dimitri soon joined them at the top of the hill. "Where to sir?" asked the later.
Durov looked at Ilya, the man was an excellent tracker, and true to form the sniper nodded over his shoulder. "I saw a smoke plume off over to the east sir."
It was good enough for Durov and they skirted the edge of the valley, diving into the woods and along what looked like a forest trail toward Ilya's smoke. The track soon took them out again into overgrown fields, with Dimitri speculating that it was winter on the planet. Walking for another half hour once they exited the forest they came to a small village, and took cover behind a hedgerow, binoculars out.
"They're just peasants." Said Ilya, peering down, "I see farm animals, a few carts… Wouldn't be out of place in half the farms in the Union."
"Except we have tractors." Replied Igor.
Dimitri snickered and Durov grinned as well, Igor wasn't particularly well informed about conditions outside his expertise.
"I suppose we should go say hello." The Colonel said eventually after they'd gathered all the information they could probably get. "Ilya, you stay here and give us cover in case we need to make a quick exit. I don't think there'll be any trouble though. They seem pretty harmless."
They got up and walked easily toward the village. One man wrestling a cow into a barn stopped to look at them, he turned to a child and said something to them, sending them running into a house.
"Friendly sort." Remarked Dimitri.
Eventually a crowd of the villagers gathered and an older man stepped forward. Where most of the clothing was quite plain this man's was patterned, though clearly worn. "Hello strangers hello! Are you from the Citadel?" he asked them.
"No, our god Vulcan sent us here to trade with the servants of Apophis." Durov answered, giving their cover story. They knew the most about Vulcan so it seemed best to imitate his servants if necessary. It was also useful for the purposes of deception in case of discovery. Though it would be painful, a Goa'uld fleet above Elysium would be far less damaging than one above Russia.
"I see." Said the Elder, "Well, we welcome you anyway then, though we have little to trade much of our harvest has been taken for the feast. In any case, my name is Ormoc, you're all welcome to my table while we talk."
The man led them inside and dismissed the others who'd been watching. He then asked them various questions which Durov was at a loss to answer, though Igor seemed to be following things and helped out.
"I'm afraid there isn't much I can help you with." Said Ormoc, "You would be better off talking to Lord Kah'l, or one of the other Jaffa. They could then relay your god's message to Lord Apophis."
"We'll certainly speak to one of his bondsmen yes." Said Igor, neatly answering Durov's question about what a Jaffa was. "Tell me, what is this feast about? Is your Lord Apophis having a celebration?"
"He is, Lord Kah'l told us that there's to be peace between Ba'al and Apophis. The war has been much protracted but Lord Apophis' new First Prime Teal'c has won many battles, our Lord Kah'l has fought with him and won twenty new worlds for Apophis!" explained the elder, "I certainly hope the wars will end soon, with all the celebrations of victory we've been having we've had had to take from our seedcorn for the next harvest."
"Lord Teal'c was no doubt granted a feast then?" asked Igor, leaning forward.
"Oh yes, only a few years ago now. Lord Bra'tac gave up his position due to his age, and his student was granted it instead. He is a fine Jaffa, Lord Bra'tac, he has given us permission to hunt on his land when we need the food and the other Lords have followed his example, both our own and also Lord Sebe't, who's lands are close by."
Igor spoke a few pleasantries regarding the benevolence of the various Jaffa, but before he could say anything substantive they heard a high horn call from the woods.
"That must be Lord Kah'l come to take our tribute. As I said, Ba'al has sent his servant, Lord Mot to speak with Apophis about the peace."
Not wanting to be there when this Kah'l arrived, Durov have Igor a look. The man nodded and turned to their host, "It is most unfortunate, but our own Lord Vulcan serves Lord Ba'al. We did not know there was war between them, and so as to not offend your lord on this most auspicious day, I feel it best that we should leave without them knowing."
Ormoc evidently understood the delicacy of the matter and he bustled them away from the main street of the town just as several armoured men walked up. Durov hung back behind a woodpile, peeking round at the men. Each was covered from the neck down in metal plates, intricately carved and each held a staff weapon. All had something on their foreheads but Durov couldn't see what. He slipped away into the woods and soon found Dimitri and Igor.
"Where's Ilya?" he asked, coming up to them.
"Here sir." Said a voice and the sniper pushed a fern aside and came up as well. They lowered their weapons and knelt down for concealment, Durov looking at Igor.
"Alright, as best I can make it there are many different tiers of the society here." Explained Igor. He took his knife and drew a pyramid in the dirt. At the bottom we have these peasants, they seem to be feudal serfs, tied to the land. Their lords are the Jaffa, it means warrior, servant, bondsman really, I assume a warrior aristocracy, and then at the very top they probably have the actual Goa'uld, Apophis, his high priests and so on."
"And the First Prime?"
"Chief servant I imagine. General, head bodyguard… something like that. Evidently one has retired and been replaced by another, drawn from this class of warrior-lords."
Durov nodded, "Ilya, did you see what those men had on their foreheads?"
"Tattoos sir, couldn't tell what, or maybe they might just be paint, but the one in the lead had a silver tattoo."
"That'd be Lord Kah'l I imagine." Said Igor.
Durov nodded again, that made sense. "Did you see the way he looked at us once we told him we were serving Vulcan? As if we were worth less because of which god we served."
"I wouldn't be surprised if there was a hierarchy among Goa'uld. We already know Vulcan was subservient to Ba'al, and of course we have their family trees, Cronos, Zeus, Ares, Hippolyta, all children of the last one and presumably the next generation. If Goa'uld can live for thousands of years by taking new hosts or modifying their bodies like Vulcan did, then it's not as if normal succession would take place."
Durov thought for a moment, "He said the Citadel didn't he? Do you think that's where Apophis lives?"
"Probably." Replied Igor, "Mot will be coming there as a supplicant, probably on foot, if he's an emissary not a sovereign. Were you thinking about ambushing him?"
"I am yes, but where? The valley near the Stargate would be perfect, as long as they're not greeting Mot there."
"Sir." Ilya interrupted them from his sentry position, "The men are moving off, they've got a load of sacks with them."
"The tribute." Supplied Igor.
"Let's follow them." Said Durov, "We'll see where this Citadel is and whether there's any sort of reception there. If there is that means Apophis is probably greeting him at the city, not at the Stargate. Ilya, get ahead of us and we'll follow you."
The sniper nodded and bounded off, rifle low as he darted between the trees.
"Am I correct in thinking these villages form some sort of tributary arrangement and they supply the Jaffa in the Citadel, who protect Apophis?" Durov asked Igor as they followed Ilya's path.
"I was thinking the same yes. Though I'm frankly amazed at how underdeveloped this all is. I was expecting floating cities or a flying bus. I wonder why... I doubt Apophis is as lacking in resources as Vulcan was, certainly he's higher up in the Egyptian pantheon than Vulcan was in the Roman."
They walked on till Ilya appeared again. The sniper motioned for them to go down and they all crouched, moving forward slowly. "Just up ahead sir." Said the man, "The forest ends again, there's a pretty big town, lots of activity, big castle."
Durov's eyebrows rose. "And the Jaffa?"
"Heading up the road toward the castle."
"Alright, let's have a look."
They crawled forward, bringing out binoculars again. Beyond the limits of the forest it was as Ilya said. Dominating the skyline was a massive castle, not particularly elegant, and made of a dark stone. Around it walls and beyond them a few rooves of houses and the like, all in an oriental style that seemed inappropriate for the climate.
"You think those walls would take one of Vulcan's cannons?" Durov asked Igor.
The man shook his head. "Must be ceremonial. That or he's got turrets hidden somewhere to stop that sort of thing. Ships in orbit perhaps, but no I think this is Apophis' winter lodge or something like that."
Durov nodded, turning his attention to the activity below the walls. He could see tables being set up and generally it looked like they were preparing for a festival, or, as it actually was, a negotiation between warring parties.
"Who's this 'Mot' then, is he Jaffa or Goa'uld?" Durov asked.
"Canaanite death god." Replied Igor immediately, "Fought Ba'al, evidently Mot lost if he's serving Ba'al now."
"Is he important?"
Igor gave him a look. "What do you want me to say? Yes he's important mythologically, but I have no idea what's happened in the last three thousand years, he could be Ba'al's butler for all I know."
"Alright. Ilya, you know the way back to the gate?"
The sniper nodded.
"Well let's get back there double time. We'll ambush Mot when he's coming through."
They quickly made their way back and Ilya's sense of direction once again proved its worth. Durov dialled the gate and explained the situation over the radio, asking for reinforcements and equipment. This was duly provided and Reniv soon arrived with the others.
"Cold here isn't it sir?" he asked, "What are we doing?"
"The Goa'uld Baal has sent his servant Mot to negotiate with Apophis, we're going to ambush Mot as he exits the Stargate. We'll take him alive if possible, but dead's just as good." Replied Durov savagely. They hadn't yet got an infested Goa'uld body for study though they had the larval Goa'uld from the lake world, as such a dead or alive Goa'uld was needed for study. They had Vulcan's old host before Gaius, but that body was useless as a control group because of the many implants Vulcan had used on it to prolong his life.
It was also advantageous as it seemed to Durov that if they took Mot it would spur war between Ba'al and Apophis, which was always good for the Soviets. Better even if it looked like Mot hadn't arrived at all, which would probably be seen as an insult to Apophis.
They worked quickly, with Reniv positioning a machine gun on top of the DHD, as well as handing Ilya a magazine of caseless ammunition which they'd specially procured for him to minimise their leavings after a battle and avoid leaving any cases behind for the enemy to draw conclusions from. Durov and a few others all received their only working staff weapons, four of which they had on base for this purpose.
Igor was fiddling with a magnifying glass, trying to tell the time by solar observations through the cloud cover. He turned to Durov, "It's getting on toward late afternoon, and while I don't know how long the days are here, I doubt Mot will arrive at night."
Durov agreed and sent Igor off to take cover behind some rocks. They were almost ready. He turned to the men, "Alright! We're here to take a Goa'uld! Check your firing arcs! I don't want any stray shots. Reniv!"
"Yes sir!"
"I want staff weapons here, we'll fire first, if there are more than six in the enemy's party, your men will fire also, if there aren't, leave it to us. Every man be aware of your position, don't leave anything behind, that means casings, canteens, anything, we're out as soon as possible!"
Soon it was time and the Stargate activated. Its rings glowed as they turned, the chevrons lighting up.
"Ready!" shouted Reniv.
Something tall came through, a pair of horns on the right of the portal, then another on the left and Durov saw two minotaurs come through the gate, their armour and headpieces like that which Vulcan's lieutenant had worn.
Between the two minotaur strode a haughty man. He wore a black robe of some slightly shiny material, as well as a leather harness with silver ornaments. His face was strong with a straight nose and a receding hairline. He wore a sort of silver glove on his left hand like the one Ivanovich had reported Vulcan to have. Durov knew Vulcan's glove had been capable of producing an energy shield, as well as a concussive blast and he knew to give the order.
"Fire!"
To Mot's credit, as soon as he got through the gate fully and saw the Soviets he dove to the side, conveniently getting behind some of the decorative stonework.
"Supressing Mot!" shouted Ilya, firing three of his caseless rounds and sprinting right to get a shot.
"Concentrate on the soldiers!" called Durov to the rest of them, trusting the sniper to act on his own.
The first two Bull Guards fell, two staff weapons for each of them, with Durov's shots taking one of them low in the belly, bending him at the waist with the weight of the shot while the other was struck several times on his helmet and fell to the side dead. But by the time they were down two more had come through the gate, one of them firing several shots from his own staff weapon. Durov saw Dimitri dive to the side to avoid one, while another went wide of him sailing off to strike the valley slope. In the lull caused by their dodges two more Bull Guards had come through, with one advancing forward swiftly. That made seven of them and happily Reniv could count. Just as one soldier was struck by a bolt from a staff weapon Reniv gave his own order and the Bull Guard was shredded instantly by a platoon worth of fire. His armour, though strong, completely unable to withstand the sheer weight of fire.
One Bull Guard stood, his staff weapon levelled at them. Durov rose, advancing. Clearly the Jaffa knew his situation was hopeless, but as Durov called out for him to surrender the Jaffa threw himself off the platform, the Stargate closing behind him. He went out of sight for a moment before Ilya, having flanked the platform during the shooting, ran in as well.
Without giving any order Durov ran to the side, but Dimitri was there before him, the big man throwing himself into a tackle and bearing the Bull Guard to the ground. Ilya was kneeling, blood running down his face. Soon other soldiers came running up, each seizing one of the Bull Guard's limbs and keeping him down.
Seeing that things were in hand Durov helped Ilya to his feet. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I'm fine sir, he cracked me with his staff." Replied Ilya, wiping away some of the blood with his sleeve. "It's… Well sir, you'd best see it."
Frowning Durov followed Ilya over to where Mot had hidden. As they rounded the corner Durov saw a bloody mess. Mot was dead, an ornate knife sticking out the back of his neck.
"The Jaffa knifed him." Explained Ilya lamely, "Sorry sir, I wasn't expecting it."
"He must have known we were trying to capture Mot; probably thinks we're working for Apophis." Mused Durov, "Oh well, can't be helped." He looked around. Reniv had given orders and the men were scrambling around looking for the casings to the bullets they'd shot. Happily, the frosted ground meant they were relatively easy to find. "Secure him and dial the gate, we're leaving!" called Durov to the men wresting with the Jaffa. Dimitri, get Mot."
It took ten minutes before Durov was happy with the scene and everything was gathered up. There were probably a few bullets that had missed and ended up on the other side of the valley but the Colonel was satisfied that they'd done a good job. The living Jaffa, as well as the dead ones and Mott were all through the gate and many of the men were clanking with their pockets full of casings. Just then he heard the strange hunting horns again.
"Better get going sir." Said Reniv and Durov agreed, stepping toward the gate.
"Do you think that's for us?" asked Reniv, looking toward the horn calls.
Durov thought it was probably another hunting party but he wasn't sure. "I'm not planning on hanging around to find out." And with a last look at the bloodied stonework when Mot had died he stepped through the gate.