Chapter 5
Lightning Fervor
- - Chapter Begin -
On Earth the 'traditional' purebloods made sure to keep their children educated on the matters of the gods but even they didn't really understand things about the multitude of deities. That and Sirius had never been the most attentive of students to his family's traditional lessons
Sirius had vaguely known about the legends about the dark brotherhood. He'd vaguely remembered lessons about them, and others. Mad Eye hadn't really been in the mood for lessons. So when he'd 'explained' it'd basically boil down to you had the death eaters and then you had daedric cultists who would let horrid monsters eat your face, and then you had the Daedra's personal human assets who were worse. The Dark Brotherhood fell into latter territory apparently. Then there was the whole ranting about Sithis walking the damned earth, and at that point Sirius had stepped back and let Moody vent for a bit.
From what he'd heard Moody was a bit stressed. Dumbledore, according to old Mad Eye, was mindlessly sloshing along heedless of other threats in the goal of finding the chosen one. This was were Sirius tuned back in because it involved his godson.
Dumbledore said they needed to find Harry because he was fated to defeat Voldemort, and that with Voldemort's second rise, and the dark lord gathering forces now they had to find him so he could face the dark lord. Apparently Mad Eye had inadvertently lead them all into a trap, or maybe not a trap from the sounds of it. Moody definitely thought it had definitely been a trap, but Sirius wasn't so sure. Of course Moody also happened to think that Harry was actually Sithis, uber evil daedric dark good of doom... err death, who was masquerading around as Raiden for the Japanese. So really Sirius was kind of taking everything Mad Eye said with a mountain of salt as opposed to a pinch of salt.
'Little Brother' had added, ever so helpfully at that point, that, "The gods only intervene in the affairs of the faithful or those tied to the will of the gods. For the Gods have granted man the gift of free will to live in creation."
"The gods agreed to let us live because they wanted to avoid kill each other," Moody snapped back angrily, "We all get to live because the Gods have a ceasefire going on where they'll restrict meddling with us mere mortals so they don't render the whole planet unable to sustain life. Thats what the truth is."
Sirius recoiled, well that was a charming sentiment, "Uh mad eye could calm down really uh I need to know whats going on." Sirius said, "So could you explain it without screaming about how we're in deep shit, and tell me how I can help."
Moody's face contorted, "Fine black except we are in deep shit, but fine you want to help you can join the fight against against the daedra, and while we're at it Voldemort too," For Sirius the plan Moody laid out was a little vague, but he supposed it was better than sitting around doing nothing.
– scene break-
This was one of Raiden's numerous worlds, for to be a system lord was to be a ruler who decided the day to day fate of many hundred worlds. Today was borning, just another bit of bureaucracy, important but boring. Cogs in a machine as it were, but it kept the empire flourishing. He'd been busy, all week, overseeing various reports and data from across this sector. There were reports of Heru-ur unveilling some knew 'dai', or large ha'tak against Sokar. Raiden was not particularly concerned initial reports considered it was most likely a larger mildly enhanced type two one off. He was much to busy persecuting his war with Susanoo, who had unwisely presented Raiden with an opening in his defenses while he, Susanoo, had moved to seize several resource rich worlds which belonged to an unaligned former underlord of Ra.
"My lord we have apprehended a Tok'ra operative." Announced the regional leader of the Jaffa. On Raiden's worlds, like many, the populations were organized according to social class. A semi rigid caste society determined the order and layout of day to day life. His Samurai, whether Jaffa or human, or in the rare case Unas, and along with certain classes of priests belonged to an elevated social class. It was however the Samurai who largely handled administration on most worlds. In these days especially the Samurai reminded that they were supposed to be warriors as well as administrators of their god's mortal domain, which meant constant vigilance.
"Have you now?" Raiden's face took on a malicious appearance his magic causing his eyes to glow. It was a welcome reprieve.
The Dungeons themselves were unremarkable strictly speaking. "I will never tell the Goa'uld anything of the Tok'ra no matter how much you torture me." Hissed the Tok'ra
"Good I had no intention of interrogating you anyway." Commented the system lord off hand. The Tok'ra looked confused for a moment at the proclamation, then why would he come at all. The system lord spent several minutes memorizing every detail of the Tok'ra, how his host looked. He remembered each and every obscenity the Tok'ra screamed at him as the tok'ra's eyes flashed as the child of Egeria attempted to elicit a rise from him.
Then Raiden walked out of the cell, before abruptly stopping midway through the doorway and bolting around a bow of lightning forming in his hand. "I hate the Tok'ra." Raiden released the arrow of lightning. He had once asked himself why the Tok'ra fought. "I have listened, and all I have seen is your death. I will see to it the Tok'ra punished for their crimes they will be destroyed like the rest of my enemies."
The system lord had asked himself this when his mind was still acclimating itself and his personality still in the process of forming his new personality. The answer he had gotten in response to the Tok'ra from the fragment of Sithis identified these actions as not dissimilar to those condoned and encouraged by Mehunes Dagon, a Daedra who had been slain.
For him though... the Tok'ra had no honor, originally there cause was just perhaps. They had risen to defend their mother, stupid though she might have been, and what cause could be more just than than that. Egeria children however now well they were little more the conniving murderous traitors They would do anything to accomplish their goals. This is why they will never win because they always betray or look down upon those who could help them.
-scene bereak-
In truth he'd underestimated Susanoo's defenses, but it'd been worth it. What had formerly been Susano's home world was now a burning wreck. The orbitals of the planet were crowded with the debris from ships over both sides. Susanoo had been prepared, he had had enough time to prepare to make a final stand, but not enough to stop a true System Lord's assault
Raiden stood over his fallen rival, and technically the brother to the original goa'uld. "This vendetta has ended." Raiden brought his sword down severing his Goa'uld nemesis's head from its host body. It was true that he would have to eliminate the last of Susanoo's vassals, and in particular his fleet but that was something that could be done in the coming weeks.
"And you tell me not to go running off to deal with petty goa'uld lords, is that not a tad hypocritical my Lord Raiden." Stated Artemis entering, waltzing was more like it, the hall. Raiden glowered at the Greek goa'uld irritated at the defiance of his explicit orders only for her to speak up. "As you commanded Lord Raiden the project is ready to progress to stage two." She announced smugly to the Shinto Kami, which was after all the terms of her leaving.
The system lord did not seem pleased. "Jaffa leave us." Artemis paled at the command.
The majority of the warriors bowed moved to comply with their god's command, one however spoke up, "My lord?" inquired one of the elite of Raiden's personal jaffa guard speaking on behalf of the rest of the group. His armor was thick reinforced, marking him as a member of Raiden's Thunder Guard
Raiden in a calm tone uttered a single word to the questioning jaffa, "Now." He allowed the question, the man was hatamoto, his jaffa guard, a personal bannerman, an envoy he could depend on. The man's loyalty was proven, and his honor great. It didn't matter he was not Raiden's first prime.
The remaining jaffa did not need further orders. "Yes my lord." The jaffa bowed made haste to exit the room, pondering why with varying reasons as to the command. Not even Artemis's jaffa guard questioned the declaration, not that it would have mattered as in Susanoo's throne room there was an entire company of Raiden's lightning guard, as well as a company of his Thunder guard. Susanoo had never built anything small, or half done in his life. A total of 500 Elite Jaffa Guard in the room versus twenty five? Suicide, Raiden's men could beat them into submission without effort.
As the last Jaffa left magic sealed and isolated the Hall and the system lord's personal guard frowned but stood dutifully at the doors. If it was their god's will that they not be in the hall then no other would be permitted to enter until Raiden deemed it so, even should it cost them their lives. This was what it meant to serve a system lord. Artemis's jaffa guard waited patiently, her overlord was fond of their goddess, but he was the living storm too.
– scene break-
n orbit around the Alteran Space Facility Bairn like its many siblings the Sun Tzu, named for one of Yu Huang Shang Ti's favorite human ministers, the nineteenth of the Rashomon class built rested.
Artemis rubbed her cheek as Raiden took the time to look out from one of the dry-dock observation deck at the new Test bed ship. It was for a new design that would be called the Izumo, the class was being laid down alongside the newTsuigara class vessels and new Menalos carriers. The Menalos would be a line of light carriers that Artemis herself would employ.
The Izumo class would serve not only as a test bed for smaller designs of the Fleet Mobile Weapons Project it would serve as a test bed for working out and perfecting most the weapons in the Daitenchi class which shared a large number of weapons with, despite being of a different class of warship. The Izumo and Daitenchi were intended for completely different roles in the fleet.
The Tsuigara class would be replacing the aging, in Raiden's opinion Goa'uld designed Frigates. Truthfully was overdue, especially with the increasing value of small craft. This was most evident by the battles being fought recent by many system lords.
Heru-ur had done what Susano had done. Or rather that had been his first assumption on hearing the news, but that had turned out to be wrong. Susano had been rushing in his preparations bringing everything he could to try and defend his capital world. The infantry defense fighting house to house had been spirited as humans, and Jaffa of Susanoo had taken up both goa'uld and human weapons against Raiden's forces. Susanoo had been amongst the first goa'uld to adopt human firearms, and he'd refined it, and the staff weapons over the years despite the trouble he'd gotten in for it. The bastardized staff weapons were effective with their primitive sights, and bracings especially the short ones in close street to street combat. However it'd been in space where things had been decided.
Susanoo had wheeled out what had been dated designs, slightly modernized previously mothballed ships. He'd upgraded them to suit his battle line and his defense tactics. The ships he had wheeled out of storage had been repurposed and given new life. The ships had both been before the first flight of Ha'tak had been standarized by Ra. The Cheops, and the heavily armed but power intensive and maintenance needy siege ships the Chel'tak. The Cheops class ships had proved devestating against Raiden's fighters, while the Chel'tak had battered his main line of ships as Susanoo's ha'tak had attempted to smash his flashship's defense squadron. It'd failed, of course, but not without destroying some of his type threes. A handfull had been lost because of the assault from dozens of ships.
Raiden had made Susanoo pay for that small price he had inflicted on him. Raiden's flagship the Shinku Rai Tatsu was built nigh entirely of Ancient technology he'd used it to eviscerate Susanoo's ha'tak line as they had closed. Once the flight two ha'tak had been eliminated, and only the aging flight ones remained the battle had been theirs.
Susanoo's fleet had shown great courage in giving their lives by fighting on. The system lord's capital ships decimated the Chel'tak, whose shields were inferior to Ha'tak
Raiden turned his eyes to the Taurus Mobile suits and the CGUE, were the two mobile suits slated to enter primary mass production within the next six months in order to field advanced weapons to deal capably against any foreseeable threat while Research continued, or so Raiden asserted. This was the future he had said. A weapon to turn the tide in the air and ground.
"Pity they weren't ready in time to kill Susano," He murmured continuing to survey the weapons, then again the Cheops with their retrofitted rapid fire anti fighter guns would have been effective against them just like the gliders. At least the mobile suits en mass would have been able to threat the Cheops. "I would have enjoyed the look of abject terror on his face. Oh well. Artemis I will not likely return until Two point one examinations." He remarked.
The Mobile Suits were humanoid weapons meant to be more effective in attacking both 'ground' and ship targets than traditional units. Originally the technology had been pioneered by the Ancients, but the ancients had been much more advanced physically so they could handle the stress of piloting the machines as well as they had had the ability to build inertial dampeners which could absorb the force. Even their human subjects had been able to pilot mobile suits, it was a sore point for Raiden.
Sithis no doubt had access to the technology but of course due to the rules the Daedric lord would not act without the request from a mortal to intervene.
As it stood the mobile weapons and the new ships all of them were meant to be of use to him in claiming the position of supreme system lord... well eventually. Some of the new ships were vastly smaller than the regular goa'uld Ha'tak vessels, but they could be as dangerous if used correctly or had newer technology.
Ha'tak vessels were expensive to build, but they were multirole vessels, and even the older models were amongst the most powerful ships in this galaxy, due of course in no small part to the Goa'uld limiting development of other empires wherever possible.
Of course due to the pricetag and the resources that Ha'tak were an investment of for that same price it was possible to construct multiple smaller vessels, which was one method of using the new ships or at least the smaller ones. Besides specialization had its own benefits.
Raiden leaned back contemplating his other half Sithis's goals were of course his own. Sithis was taking steps to expand his power and influence by getting around the rules, which kept the powerful group of beings he was apart of, in check.
There was also the matter of Earth to consider the planet had prospered, as a hybrid between a goa'uld soul and a fragment of Sithis's, he no longer was interested in humans as host they had other uses though. He was of course not the only Goa'uld to reach the ranks of 'True god', but luckily most of the others were his allies of had disappeared centuries ago. It'd been suspicious, but then well Sokar's terrors had been a bad thing for everyone in the galaxy. That was an extreme understatement.
Now that Ra was dead, who hadn't possessed magic but had instead had a very dangerous ability all his own, and those others were not in the way the only impediment was conventional resistance from the mundane system lords. As it stood the time was right to begin to expand, and that was precisely what the system lord intended to do.
That was not to say it would be easy. No this would be a battle. A battle he had expected, but he could prepare and he had all the opportunity to do so. Heru-ur, and Cronus were both furiously involved in fighting now. So were lesser system lords like Moloc, who was a potentially ideal target to test his new weapons on. Moloc wouldn't be able to mount any sufficient resistance.
There were other options to be a system lord in a time of unrest and civil war in the empire was to control vast swathes of space. Bastet and Kali weren't options and while he would have liked to intervene and smash both Camulus, and Mannaan as it stood both were currently involved in a fight that was ultimately to likely turn in Mac Lir's favor. There was also the fact those two were too far from own domain. There were closer enemies to consider in any event.
Green eyes narrowed and a dark smile curved warping the system lord's face, and there was the matter of those wizards, but that could wait until everything else was handled.
– chapter end -
Helltanz's notes: There are now mobiles suits.