Shezmu was in a very good mood.
Not only was the news of Apophis' family a welcome surprise, but apparently, only two out of Sokar's four underlords remained alive. Bynarr had died along with his master, and all the information he could find pointed to Ruax being an idiot of the highest caliber.
The fool had attempted to invade Cimmeria - a planet under the protection of the Asgard - and quite predictably never returned. If the Asgard were anything like he ruthless warriors he remembered, Ruax was either dead or spending his final years imprisoned somewhere, writhing in agony.
Unfortunately, aside from Zipacna, the remaining underlord was arguably one of Sokar's most faithful servants. His name was Aziel, and he was a hulking monstrosity of a man who had somehow vanished off the face of Delmak. It was slightly worrying, as he was no doubt plotting revenge, but Shezmu decided that he would deal with that issue at a later time.
"Brother." called Apophis. The word was laced with disgust, but the fact that he had used it at all was rather surprising.
"Yes?"
"It would be wise for us to bring additional Ha'tak."
He was not wrong, as even the most cowardly of Goa'uld would leap at the opportunity to destroy two powerful lords. If Zipacna believed himself capable of defeating them, he would no doubt attempt it, and for that very reason they chose not to travel by Stargate.
"I agree." concurred Shezmu; rubbing his chin in thought.
While he did not necessarily want to appear a threatening Goa'uld, it would certainly make a statement - and not only to Zipacna. If the Tollan were as arrogant and insufferable as Apophis suggested, their attitude would need to be curbed, for their own sake if nothing else.
"Qe'det should be in charge of logistics." interrupted Seshem; already making her way to grab the nearest communications device. "I can have her dispatch a few ships for us."
"Excellent."
The pilots took that as a cue to bring the warship into orbit. Once they reached the outer layers of the atmosphere, Shezmu was surprised to see a handful of Tel'tak traveling between the planet and its destroyed moon.
Large chunks of rock were towed behind the ships, and he raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Ah, yes." said Medes, noticing his stare. "Sa'ret did say that she wished to make some final use of Ne'tu. I hadn't expected her to begin work so quickly, though."
"Are you not aware of the actions of your subordinates?" asked Apophis in disbelief.
"Light of Atum, of course not! Who do you take me for? Ra? Uncle Yu? No, I leave my people to their devices and they leave me to mine."
"To clarify, he means eating, sleeping and sunbathing."
By the time Seshem commented on his habits, Apophis had already turned around. He was rubbing his temples something fiercely, and even went on to growl in annoyance.
"Gonach! The lot of you!"
How rude, thought Shezmu. What else was he supposed to do on a warm, sunny world with nowhere to go?
A while later the reinforcements arrived, and the entire bridge broke out into laughter. It was not lost on anyone that their amusement came at the expense of Apophis, but the way his jaw dropped to the floor was too entertaining to be ignored.
Seven Ha'tak assumed a circular formation, surrounding the smaller Cheops-class warship. When Sa'ret had then apologized for not providing more, citing a lack of personnel as the excuse, Shezmu could not help but cackle - something he had not done since the peak of the second dynasty.
Then came two dozen Tel'tak, followed by the same amount of Gliders. Lastly, just as he was wondering when the spectacle would end, a pair of Needle Threaders joined the armada. That was perhaps the most surprising addition of all, seeing as the experimental ships had been discontinued long ago.
"Well." said Seshem; watching as they docked with the various motherships. "That's nice."
Apophis was far more vocal in his excitement - perhaps even too much, if his exclamation was anything to go by. The god looked like a child who had just received a new toy.
"We could conquer Tollana with a force this great!"
"Perhaps another day." said Shezmu. "We have yet to ascertain the level of their technology, and I would much prefer to resolve this matter peacefully."
Following Zipacna's instructions, they set a course for Entac. Sokar had ordered it routed on suspicion of Tok'ra activity, and when none was discovered, the underlord assumed command of it himself.
A moment later, and the small fleet disappeared in a streak of light. The fact that he was the only Goa'uld capable of calling such a fleet small pleased him immensely.
"My Lord, the Ha'tak have fallen behind."
Shezmu and Seshem snorted simultaneously, and immediately threw each other a glance. It was almost comical that the smaller and comparatively underpowered pyramid ship took the lead, but such was the nature of the changes that had been made to it.
"How far behind, exactly?" he asked the pilot.
"At our current velocity, we'll reach the star system in about... an hour. The Ha'tak in five."
They had been traveling for half a day, already. Entac was to be a point of rendezvous, where they would be joined by Zipacna before heading for Tollana. That journey would take even longer, but hopefully it would be worth the trouble.
He ordered the ship to slow down, allowing their entourage to catch up to them. It would be terribly humiliating if they were suddenly blown to smithereens, only for a System Lord's worth of reinforcements to show up a few hours later.
In any case, hours were like seconds to him, and before he knew it he was staring at one of the most fascinating planets in the galaxy.
Entac was tidally locked to its star, meaning that one side was trapped in eternal day, and the other in eternal night. Of course, this also meant that the planet was both extremely hot and extremely cold, rendering only a short strip along the equator habitable.
A very fearful and stuttering Jaffa hailed them almost instantly, demanding - or perhaps begging - that they identify themselves. After humoring the man and watching his face grow even more terrified, Seshem finally took pity on him.
"Hurry and report to your master. He's expecting us."
Unfortunately, her face was already hidden behind her lion's helmet, causing the words to sound more sinister than intended.
"We shall be landing within the next ten minutes." added Shezmu, and that appeared to be the final straw for the agitated Jaffa who fled in desperation.
They took a Tel'tak down to the surface, escorted by Gliders and a squadron of Jaffa. To Zipacna's credit, the minor deity had managed to assemble a welcoming committee despite the short notice.
They found the Goa'uld standing proudly outside the ruins of a temple. It was strikingly similar to the pyramids constructed on Earth, but much smaller, with a perfectly square-shaped shrine located at the very top.
The temple appeared to have suffered much damage, however - most likely during the subjugation of the planet. As it were, many hours of labor would be required to restore it to its former glory.
"The son of Chimalmat, he called himself..." muttered Shezmu. The name sounded vaguely familiar, even if he could not recall where he might have heard it before.
"My Lords!" the man called pompously. He was outrageously dressed, clad in a garish tunic and embroidered leather armor. To top it all off, his head was crowned with feathers, and his face painted with elaborate tribal patterns.
Zipacna raised his arms, beckoning the group toward him.
"You are most welcome to my humble home. I am afraid there is much work left to be done, though not for lack of effort."
Several slaves were hard at work; drenched in sweat under the heat of the red sun. It was odd, thought Shezmu, that at his left Apophis would nod in approval while at his right Seshem growled in anger.
It made him consider his own position, and where exactly it was that he wished to stand.
"So it would seem."
Perhaps the Garden had spoiled him, but in the way of wildlife and vegetation, Entac left much to be desired. It was quite literally an arid wasteland, and the climb up the stairs to the shrine could not have been too short.
They were led inside by a tall, muscular Jaffa with a goatee, who introduced himself as Zipacna's First Prime. Whatever remained of an ancient altar had been haphazardly strewn aside, in favor of a large, stone table.
A servant dressed in garments similar to her master's then approached them; head held low. It could not have been particularly pleasant to stand in the presence of three Goa'uld, one of whom was a cruel warlord, risen from the dead, and another a lost relic remembered mostly as the arch-traitor.
Were it not for Sokar, it was likely that Shezmu would have been considered the devil instead - at least in the eyes of the Goa'uld.
The woman bowed wordlessly and held up a plate, presenting them with some kind of wine. It was surprisingly savory, though both he and Apophis made a point of drinking only after the host. Seshem outright refused, choosing to stand guard with a pair of warriors nearby.
"Would that you had announced your arrival earlier." said the underlord, who somehow managed to sound both annoyed and sycophantic. "Alas, I can only offer this meager feast in your honor."
The meager feast he spoke of was an assortment of meats, fruits and drinks, which filled the lavishly dressed table. It was far too much for any single person, and if Zipacna had been caught off guard by their appearance, it said much of his extravagance.
"You may dispense with the pleasantries." snarled Apophis. "I am here for my son."
The metallic undertone to his voice sent a shiver down nearly everyone's spine, and the poor servant even fumbled with her tray as she trembled.
"Come now, brother. It would be a shame to see such a banquet left neglected... especially one held in our honor."
Shezmu suppressed a smirk, relishing at how easily he sowed unease into the hearts of the Goa'uld.
While slavery and brutality were pernicious things, they were also to be expected. It was something he had grown used and desensitized to. Wastefulness, however, was a different matter entirely, and something Zipacna showed plenty of.
His sarcastic remark - for the tone of his voice contained little else - was enough to have the underlord wary and on edge. He would not kill him, but it would behoove him to teach the underlord just how he differed from Sokar.
"You there!" he called; looking toward a man that had served them their fare. "What is your name?"
"H-Hunac, my Lord. Have I... offended you?"
He looked startled at being spoken to, and the mere thought of offending the gods seemed to cause him excruciating pain.
"Not at all!" exclaimed Shezmu; grinning when the servant sagged in relief. He patted the man heartily on the back, much to the suprise of the other two Goa'uld, and heard a faint snicker in the distance.
Unsurprisingly, Seshem was feeling rather entertained.
"Quite the contrary, in fact. Your master speaks highly of you, and we feel that a reward is in order."
"We do?!" exclaimed Zipacna.
"Very much so. Please take the remainder of this meal and distribute it amongst the other servants. Let it be known that the gods are kind, and a number of shelters, hospices and schools shall be erected to your benefit."
Hunac stared at him with eyes like saucers; his lips parted in astonishment. A wide smile then broke out across his face, feeling every bit as rewarding to Shezmu as those of his own people.
"Off you go, then."
"Y-Yes, my Lord! Thank you!"
"Do you see?" he asked, once the man had hurried away to fulfill his task. "A single act of kindness can earn you a lifetime of loyalty, and one never knows when the help might become the helper."
"Meaningless sentiment." snarked Apophis; his patience wearing thin. "Now that this... absurdity is over with, we can direct our attention to more important matters."
Zipacna seemed to agree, because he smiled wickedly.
"You will be pleased to learn that I have devised a way to neutralize the Tollan ion cannons. Once Lord Klorel has been retrieved, that accursed planet is ours for the taking."