CHAPTER NINE

CHULAK, 18 NOVEMBER 1998

Sebe't, First Prime of Apophis, the Supreme System Lord of the Goa'uld, stood before the Chappa'ai on his home planet of Chulak, watching as Ril'tak, his chief lieutenant, dialed in the glyphs which would open the portal between Chulak and An'dilat, one of the worlds held by Heru'ur, the enemy of his master. Heru'ur had recently raided another world held by Apophis, his Jaffa despoiling the temple there. Apophis had demanded vengeance, and Sebe't, as his First Prime, intended to see that his god had that which he demanded.

A tall, muscular man of African appearance, with honey-colored skin, closely-cropped black hair and deep brown eyes, Sebe't proudly wore the serpent mark of Apophis, which had been carved into his forehead with the holy blade, the open wounds cauterized by having molten gold poured into them. For Sebe't believed with all his heart, as did all those Jaffa who were not Shol'va, that Apophis was a god, and it was his duty, his honor, and his privilege to serve him. Praise be to Apophis, he thought to himself. May I serve him well.

As these thoughts flashed through Sebe't's mind, Ril'tak dialed the final glyph. But something went wrong. There was a flash of static electricity from the Chappa'ai, and a thin wisp of smoke rose from the pedestal where the glyphs were dialed to call up the wormhole.

"What..." Sebe't started to say.

But then, amazingly, the event horizon of what could only be a wormhole suddenly appeared...not within the ring of the Chappa'ai itself, but in the air, some thirty cubits above it. Sebe't looked upon it with amazement. Unlike the wormholes with which he was familiar, this one was much larger and glowed a strangely reddish color.

Then IT appeared.

About the size of a Tel'tak cargo vessel, it was completely black, and shaped vaguely like one of the flat-bodied creatures which swam in Chulak's seas. It immediately opened fire with some sort of high-energy particle beam, which lanced down and sliced open the pedestal on which the Chappa-ai stood, killing Ril'tak immediately and knocking over the Chappa-ai itself like it was a child's toy.

The Jaffa immediately opened fire on it with their staff weapons, and the strange vessel shuddered as it was hit by scores of bolts in less than a second. The vessel fired again, and a score of Sebe't's Jaffa were instantly killed as the beam sliced through them. Then a nearby battery of staff-cannon opened fire, and suddenly the hostile vessel careened out of control, slamming down into a nearby copse of trees.

"Come with me!" Sebe't ordered, rushing off toward the crash site. Over a hundred Jaffa followed him.

As the Jaffa approached the crashed vessel, Sebe't could see a hatch swing open and a humanoid figure, clad in a black uniform, step out. The creature...for so Sebe't thought of it, so strange was its appearance...raised what was obviously a weapon and pointed it at one of the oncoming Jaffa. It fired, and a smaller version of the energy beam weapon which had been fired from its ship struck down the Jaffa, sending him sprawling. Sebe't raised his Zat'nik'tel and fired, stunning the creature. The creature collapsed, falling on its face on the ground.

The Jaffa gathered around the stricken alien vessel and its pilot. Sebe't knelt down and turned the creature over. The creature, he saw, resembled the Jaffa more than he would care to admit, but with many differences...almost like they had evolved from a common ancestor, far back in the distant past. Its teeth were sharp and pointed, and its skin was distorted and ridged with a dark pigment. It was completely bald, with not even a hint of hair on its head or on its face. Suddenly, the creature's eyes flickered open. Sebe't spoke to it.

"Who are you, who dares to attack the warriors of the god, Apophis?" he demanded.

"And who are you, human, who dares to speak so to your master?" the creature replied.

"Master?" Sebe't replied, scowling. He stood up and kicked the creature savagely in its side, eliciting a howl of pain from it. "Now, answer. Who are you?"

The creature sat up and spat on the ground. Then he looked up at Sebe't. "I am Subcommander Kormok of the 19th Legion of the Kromagg Dynasty."

"Kromagg Dynasty?" Sebe't demanded. "What is that?"

Kormok laughed. "Your doom," he said. "And that of all humans."

Now Sebe't laughed in turn. "I will tell you a secret, Kromagg," he said. "I am not human. I am Jaffa, servant to the great god, and I fear no doom." He kicked the alien again, harder, and smiled as the creature clutched its side in agony. "And I will tell you something else. After I take you to my god, you will beg for death. For it is to your own doom that you go now." He looked at several nearby Jaffa.

"Seize him!" he ordered, and smiled as his order was instantly obeyed. My Lord Apophis will be pleased, he thought to himself as he watched the Jaffa hustle the alien away. Then his smiled faded. Hopefully pleased enough to forgive our failure to carry out the attack on Heru'ur. He knew that it would be several days, at least, before the Chappa'ai was once again restored to its pedestal and ready for use. Surely My Lord will understand. Because if he does not, it will be I who begs for death. With that unsettling thought, he followed his Jaffa, with their prisoner, back toward the city.