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john777
The Aschen seem to be isolated, and it might be best to leave then alone. Then again they might make an interesting enemy if I need one in the future.
Jump Chain Gothic 4 - Confederation
Part 13
Annwn. Milky Way Galaxy.
"Ori technology ranges from the biological to the mechanical" I said into my omni-tool.
I didn't often do this, but sometimes I took inventory of the new tech my group was acquiring as it was important to keep records. Not much actually made it into the warehouse these days as it was simply a better use of space to study the tech and keep the gathered information on data discs, crystals and other means of storing knowledge.
"As far as I can tell all the technology the Ori let their mortal minions use, exists for the purpose of gathering more worshippers so as to increase their own power, or to show off their power in order to control their current followers. They only have Stargates so the Priors can move about more easily".
Well that was the impression I'd gotten from watching the show, and it was support by the fact that the humans who lived in the Ori galaxy were medieval peasants when they could be living in city-ships.
"Any technology or artifacts that even suggest the Ori were not always the dominant force in their galaxy is destroyed with no exceptions, this is done so that their human worshippers don't doubt their validity as gods" I was now saying "And this helped by keeping the worshippers in a primitive setting".
So not that unlike the Goa'uld really.
"Ori technology is compatible with the technology use by the Alterrans, which makes some sense as they both originally lived together as one society" I went on to say "Even with their incredibly advanced technology, the Ori tend to rely on brute force when possible. Suggesting a lack of creativity despite their great knowledge and power".
I moved over the table which contained the few bits of Ori technology that I'd been able to gather. It was tempting to go get more, but that was also very risky and as such should be planned out well in advanced. Also I should only go after the bigger stuff when I had backup.
"For more information on the Ori consult my files" I said before pausing the recording.
I had detailed files on everything to do with this science fiction franchise and while not many people had access to that data, as it was in the Cosmic Warehouse, that was fine because I didn't everyone to know about the Ori, just in case it led to those Ascended beings somehow becoming aware of the humans in this galaxy. However those that were allowed to know more could have access to my warehouse.
Soon I began scanning the Ori tech I'd gathered, letting my AI get a good look at the weapons. Cortana wasn't emotional like an organic person, however she did have a craving for knowledge, so it was nice for her when I scanned stuff like this.
"Ori staff weapons are very different in design from Goa'uld staff weapons, despite having the same purpose" I said, once the recording had resumed "The weapon is more lightweight and slender, easier to carry and easier to aim. I'll confirm this with Cameron in the firing range later on".
No doubt my Terminator would enjoy getting to try out a new weapon.
"The tip of the staff is a two-pronged fork with a blue power crystal in the centre, from which the energy blast is fired" was what I said next "I think they were made this way because it's similar to the Ori symbol".
I added a photo the file so that people could see what I meant.
"The staffs fire a small bolt of energy which can kill most humans in a single shot. Even a glancing shot can be the cause of a grave injuries. Unlike the Goa'uld staff weapon a blast from this staff does not cauterize the wound. Meaning that someone is more likely to bleed to death if shot with one of these weapons. Also this suggests that it isn't a plasma weapon".
I tested the weight of the staff weapon again and then span it around. Yes it was much easier to use than the weapon the Jaffa seemed to love so much. And also easy to use, judging by how quickly the Ori were able to turn peasant farmers into a somewhat effective army.
Perhaps it would make a good weapon for the warriors who came from more primitive worlds within the Confederation. They'd never be able to match the soldiers of the more advanced planets, but with staffs like this they would least have a chance against raiders and Jaffa.
Maybe I should train another military force. One meant to be a defensive force, and ceremonial guards, when on duty and a militia force when at home. I could call them the Confederation Guard and hire some Jaffa Master to train them. It wouldn't cost me much in terms of resources, and it would allow to me to recruit form many humans worlds for this guard force, while the Confederation Army recruited from industrialised worlds.
That would give the military, the Confederation Defence Force, more troops to call upon when needed, and decrease my dependence on mechs for security. They were vulnerable to hacking, and weren't that much more durable than an organic soldier despite having been built from metal. I'd smashed enough of them close quarters combat to know this for a fact.
But that was something to think on more later. Right now I wanted to finish my work here before I handed over the tech to Seven of Nine for a proper study.
"The Ori stun weapon" I said while scanning the wrist device "Is used by warriors of the Ori Army for the purpose the name suggests. It is shaped in the symbol of Origin and worn on the wrist, it fires an energy blast that stuns the target. While not inherently fatal, several blasts will kill a victim, When active, small blades extend from the tips. The technology is somewhat similar to a zat'nik'tel, at least in the show that is how the weapon is used, and was possibly created because the Jaffa use zat weapons. Much like how the Ori staff weapon is so somewhat like the Jaffa staff weapon".
I'd also been tempted to bring a Prior's staff back with me, however I'd decided not to because I remembered that the staffs connected all the Prior's together, and to Doci, who was like the Ori Pope. I didn't think that the staff's had the range to reach the Ori galaxy, but if I started messing with one the Ori in the Prime Universe might somehow detect it, and send a Prior to find what was going on. It didn't seem likely, but it simply wasn't worth the risk given what happen should the Ori realise that there were humans in this galaxy.
Besides I had Merlin's staff, which seemed to serve the same purpose in that it enhanced my near-ascended powers. I suspected that should I master it then it would allow to perform some feats the Priors could do that shouldn't be possible for a near-ascended human.
Aside from that stuff I'd taken a helmet and sword from an Ori officer to see if they were made from normal materials. Once I scanned them I discovered that they seemed to be a type of steel, which was a little disappointing, but at least they'd make good decorations for my city-ship.
"That's all I was able to acquire for now" I said into my omni-tool "I carry on with this once I have acquired more Ori tech".
Which could be a while, but it wasn't as if I was lacking in stuff to study.
(Line Break)
Stargate Command. Alternate Earth.
With my telekinetic powers I opened fire with the two staff weapons that I'd been controlling with my mind, killing two more Jaffa before letting the staffs drop to the ground. Then when more Jaffa arrived they found no enemies, only dead bodies, and they quickly moved on, looking for an intruder they couldn't see.
No doubt they were searching the entire of this version of the SGC, which in this dimension had become a Goa'uld stronghold at some point. Not that surprising considering how defenceable it was, and it had plenty of space for storage. You could house an army down here.
I leaned down to inspect one of the Jaffa and as I'd expected he was a Necropolis Guard. In the prime universe they had been the Jaffa guards of the former System Lord Sokar. Unlike the traditional silver-gray armor, the Necropolis guards wore red armour. Also this red armour, which I guess was meant to look like it had been painted with blood, was made of a different metal that regular Jaffa armour. I could tell that just by looking at it, but since I was out of phase I couldn't scan the stuff to find out more about it.
Some of their helmets had horns, giving them a demonic appearance. In the prime universe Apophis absorbed all of these Jaffa into his army after the death of Sokar, and outfitted some of them them with serpent helmets, although they were allowed to keep their distinctive colour scheme. I knew this was also true here because I'd already killed some of those Jaffa with serpent helmets.
This made it highly likely that I was in a timeline were Apophis had conquer the Earth, and possibly much of the rest of the galaxy. I debated doing something about that, but if I interfered in every reality I came across my Confederation would fail without me around to manage it. Besides there was enough going on in the prime universe to keep me busy, these trips were about looting war materials and some technology from people who couldn't reclaim the stuff or retaliate in any way.
I de-cloaked for just long enough to grab one of the demonic helmets, which was very ornate, and I'd never seen it in the show. Then I cloaked again, taking myself out of phase. The helmet would soon decorate one of the many rooms within my city-ship.
"Grab a couple of staff weapons and we'll go" I said to Cameron.
Since I didn't want to risk anyone hostile, say like Jaffa who served a Goa'uld, finding an active Quantum Mirror I was limiting my trips through the Ancient device. And while a couple of staff weapons might not mean much I knew that the Jaffa in the prime universe would soon be having a civil war and I wanted to make sure that the Jaffa I was allied with had more weapons than the side I didn't much care for.
Of course I'd grabbed a load of stuff when assaulting yet another alternate Earth that was ruled over by the Supreme System Lord Ra, but I knew that war consumes vast amounts of resources, and there were thousands of Jaffa warriors out there willing to support Bra'tac and Teal'c in the coming war if given a reason. Them having lots of weapons was a good reason.
Before we could reach the mirror two Jaffa who carried heavy weapons came around the corner, they each carried a portable staff cannon that I'd seen in the show. Samantha Carter was able to rig a staff cannon from a downed glider to be used as a portable weapon by Teal'c. He used it to kill his enemy Tanith by shooting down his Al'kesh, but was trapped in the Stargate as a result for a period of time.
My guess was that Apophis had adopted some Tauri methods for his own forces, including portable staff cannons, which were no doubt proving useful for his Jaffa, when they weren't going up against people like me.
"Change of plans" I said to Cameron "I'll deal with this two and you grab their weapons, they'll make for much better gifts for our Jaffa allies than just more staff weapons".
Once more I reached out with my mental powers and slapped around some bad guys.
(Line Break)
Annwn. Milky Way Galaxy
"You want me to what?" I asked as I jumped down from the cockpit of the Death Glider I'd just finished upgrading "Say that again".
Miranda stayed firm under my glare, despite knowing that I could crush her with a thought. Not that I would, but still it took guts to come up to guy who cold snap your neck with a flick of his wrist and tell him what to do. I admired that and her.
"You need to step down as leader of the Confederation" Miss Lawson repeated.
I was shocked to hear this second time as well.
"Why?" I asked.
My intention had always been to hand over leadership once the Confederation, but it was too soon, the worlds that made up the Confederation of Planets (COP) weren't yet developed enough to work together successfully and the citizens of the Confederation needed more education before I'd let them have this city-ship.
"Because you're not a diplomat, you're a problem solver" Miranda said.
That didn't answer my question, and she understood that.
"You see things as problems to be solved" she was now saying "You created the Confederation because you saw the poverty that the humans of this galaxy have to put with and decided to do something about it. And you do have diplomatic skills, but you're too willing to compromise".
Well I could afford to be generous I had all the advantages.
"I've seen you handle the Jaffa easily, you know how to talk to them, and when we were on Voyager it was always you who made the deals the ship needed to make to get what it needed" Miranda was now saying "But the leaders of the human worlds we need to deal with require a different approach".
Janeway had often let me handle diplomatic missions when it came to acquiring the resources required to carry on with the long trip back to the Alpha Quadrant. I had some skill when it came to bartering for goods and the exchange of knowledge, but that hadn't been helping me much with the likes of the IOA.
"Then who should led?" I asked.
Miranda gave me a smile.
"Me of course" she said "At least in the sense of providing a leader for the administration. The Confederation needs someone who can act as head of state and as a diplomat without also being the supreme commander of the military, which is a role best suited for you since have more experience in leading our military than anyone else. Right now you and the Thunderchild are pretty much our military".
Well I was working on that. The upgraded Death Gliders, which I'd named Reapers, would soon make up part of the Confederation Defence Force, and would help to protect the city-ship.
"I've already been running the city-ship, which can be considered its own nation" she was now saying "Make it official and give the governor, or governess in this case, of Annwn a seat on the Assembly. That way I can set up a team of people, recruited from our allies and member worlds, to deal with diplomatic matters and the uplifting of worlds, while you basically do what you've already been doing".
Which was acquiring resources and battling threats. The stuff I liked doing.
"You'd have to answer to Assembly" Miranda stated "but not to me alone, I'll only give you orders if they come with the agreement of the Assembly, which they have already agreed to. We can't have a military commander who doesn't answer to a civilian authority in a free society".
My intention had also always been to leave an elected leader in office once I was gone. I just hadn't thought that the Assembly, which was only a small group of people the moment, would assume leadership so soon, and I hadn't thought that Miranda would be my boss. Okay so she had been before back on the second Normandy, so maybe it wasn't that odd.
"You won't be able to declare war or drag us into other people's conflicts either" Miranda let me know "Again that will take the authority of the whole Assembly, not just me as I'll be focused on administration and diplomacy. As the Supreme Commander you can still perform diplomatic duties, like handling first contacts, and exchanging technology with groups that can't reach the Confederation".
Which was more or less how things worked now.
"Also I'll be putting Seven in charge of whatever we end up calling our science division, and I'll put that version of Samantha Carter you brought back with to work in that department as well" Miranda told me "I'm placing Tali in charge of the engineers, we've got a lot of them working on the uplifting of member worlds, but they aren't very well organised, which is partly my fault".
By the sounds of things she just wanted to formalise the existing arrangement and to make sure we all better focused in our fields. I would lose some power, but I'd not formed the Confederation with the intent of seizing power. If that had been my intention I'd be off building an empire. Which I could still do in a future Jump.
"Very well" I said to Miranda "I'll step down formally when the Assembly next meets. Draw up some official looking documents for me to sign".
I started to move over to another Death Glider, I needed to focus on upgrading them for now as my Jaffa allies were going to need them, and this city-ship wasn't as secure as I would have liked. Some fighters would help with that.
"Before you formally step down you should great the new Jaffa ambassador" Miranda advised "If your going to be the military commander then the Free Jaffa civil war will be your concern".
So really nothing much was actually changing. I was still having to deal with every crisis that came along. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.
(Line Break)
Annwn. Milky Way Galaxy
When I returned to my office I found Rak'nor, a Jaffa warrior and member of the Progressive Party, waiting for me. He was reading my version of the Book of Origin, and by the looks of things he was engrossed by the section that dealt with the process of obtaining Ascension via spiritual growth.
He didn't notice my presence at first, but when he did, the warrior realised that I had entered my office he closed the book in a hurry and got to his feet. The Jaffa was dressed in the robes they sometimes wore, often when travelling, and he carried a staff weapon. Despite security measures this was no concern as the Tollan technology which disabled unregistered weapons was in effect here. That tech was so effective that the staff weapon would still function once it left this part of the city-ship.
The feature that most drew people's eyes when looking at this Jaffa warrior was the scar on the man's forehead, which was in place of the tatoo most Jaffa had. My advanced mind easily allowed me to access a memory I had from the show were Rak'nor told Teal'c that the mark of the serpent was removed from his head by his father.
It would offer to heal it, as I could do that simply by placing my hand on the scar and he would be left with a smooth forehead, but that seemed like something too personal right now. Once we'd gotten to know each other at least a little better I'd make the offer.
"Greetings, Lord Gothic" said Rak'nor, with a slight bow "I was sent by Master Bra'tac to serve as ambassador to the Confederation in his place".
I mimicked the gesture
"Tek ma tek" I then said.
Which was a respectful greeting, flattering in fact.
"I must ask if the knowledge in this book is the truth?" Rak'nor wished to know.
His high level of interest didn't surprise me as I'd created the book for people just like him. Now that the false gods were no longer worshipped there was a spiritual void of sorts for many humans and Jaffa. Ascension offered a goal, and spiritual path to ascension could give people direction in their lives they were currently lacking.
"Everything in that book is true" I assured Rak'nor "Before I founded the Confederation I travelled far, and I spent months with a group of humans who manage to achieve Ascension".
With a little help from me when it came to dealing with their inner fears.
"Keep the book" I was now telling Rak'nor "Consider it a gift, and if you have any friends who are interested in ascension then visit the library we have more copies than we now what to do with".
Since I'd not wanted to around forcing to accept the truth of existence, like some sort of fanatical preacher, I'd decided that my version of the Book of Origin would be made freely available to anyone who visited the city-ship, and copies would only leave this place if those visitors felt that the knowledge in the book was something they should trade with others.
"So Master Bra'tac is busy on Chulak I assume" I said to Jaffa warrior.
While Rak'nor had once betrayed the Jaffa rebellion, he'd later become of one its biggest supporters, and had even served as Teal'c's proxy on the council. Which made him suitable as the new ambassador.
"As you have no doubt heard the council has split" Rak'nor told me, getting down to the real business "While it happened quickly, not long after the Hak'tyl withdrew from the council, this has been coming for some time".
The problem with the council was that it should have disbanded by now, it was never meant to last this long. Bra'tac and Teal'c had always intended to convert the Jaffa over to democracy once the council had all the major Jaffa planets organised enough for an election. Working with the Tauri it would have been possible for the new democratic government to organise trade between Jaffa world and to set up at least some infrastructure. Basically what I was doing with the Confederation, only on a larger scale since the Jaffa had more worlds.
Plus it wasn't easy for the Jaffa from all over the galaxy to unite as they were used to fighting each other as much as anyone else while they'd been serving the false gods, and they'd been doing that for thousands of years.
Having been trained as a warrior race, they valued military assets and saw that those who possessed the greatest of these to be considered the greatest leader. The first leader of the Free Jaffa Nation was Gerak, an elderly, but formidable, warrior who felt that the new Free Jaffa Nation should be acknowledged by other races in the galaxy as equals, perhaps even their superiors. Gerak was strongly suspicious of the Tau'ri, and the Tok'ra, and this made things worse for the Jaffa as those two groups were the best suited to help the Jaffa build their new nation.
Even if I'd not returned their queen to them the Tok'ra could still have passed on their knowledge to the Jaffa in the long term while in the short term providing a few experts to help the Jaffa maintain their ships while fighting the worlds and armies Baal still controlled. As for the Tauri well I was using their experts to help me build the Confederation's infrastructure, the Jaffa should have done the same.
Sure that would allow Earth to have influence over the Free Jaffa Nation, just like they no doubt influence the growth of the Confederation, but it would be more than worth it to ensure the the people of this galaxy were elevated out the poverty they currently suffered.
"Master Bra'tac is gathering many warriors and ships, soon will we declare Chulak to be our new capital, while the traditionalists under Garek remain on Dakara".
Since Chulak was a major Jaffa world as well as the birthplace of Teal'c and Bra'tac it made sense that the Progressive Party would be based there.
"What about Kallana?" I inquired.
Kallana had been the main Jaffa world of Kronus's domain, and while in the show it was destroyed by the Ori in in this reality it was a Free Jaffa world that Bra'tac had arranged a trade with. They'd given me some rare bits of Goa'uld tech and I'd agreed to an unspecified amount of supplies, including staff weapons and zats.
If that world would soon be at war then it might benefit me to send more supplies soon. It would not suit me at all if Garek won as the Confederation needed stable allies.
"The Jaffa of Kallana have already pledged their support to Progressive Party, and to Master Bra'tac should we win the coming war I have no doubt he will led the Jaffa Nation".
While there had been no formal election it did sound as if Bra'tac was going to end up as President of the Jaffa Nation, assuming they won their struggle for freedom.
"I also received word that a Jaffa leader called Arkad has declared his support for Garek, which only adds to military power of the Traditional party" Rak'nor told me.
In the show Arkad was a sly and untrustworthy Jaffa who rose to the rank of First Prime under one of the Goa'uld. After their fall and the rise of the Ori, Arkad worked with the Priors and created his own "Illac Renin" movement. He tried to become the head of the Free Jaffa Nation by using terrorist attacks and intimidation. He was killed by Teal'c.
My gut told me that the despite the massive changes I'd created in this timeline that Arkad would still be a total bastard who needed a good killing. Which made me wish I had a dependable assassin to call upon, someone who wasn't openly linked to the Confederation, but that was something to ponder on later. Perhaps I'd hire some bounty hunters.
"As for the other worlds in the Free Jaffa Nation they have not yet declared their intentions, and some may take this chance to become independent" Rak'nor let me know "I am sure that Master Bra'tac will have more information for you. I know he wishes to speak with you, but for the foreseeable future he must remain on Chulak".
So I'd have to go to him, and that suited me fine as I should organise the next shipment of supplies to that planet as a show of support.
"Once you've settled in here please go to Master Bra'tac and inform him that I will speak to him in a few days" I told Rak'nor "Then when you return I'll demonstrate the upgraded Death Gliders to you".
A while back Bra'tac had mentioned that he might be able to send Rak'nor to this world to instruct pilots in use of the Death Gliders, and this would be a good use of his time now that he was an ambassador, and it would allow to repay the Confederation in some small way for the aid I was giving the Progressive Party.
"I will leave soon" he promised.
The warrior then bowed and left, leaving me free to go finish my work with the upgraded Gliders, which I called Reapers. My allies would need them soon I figured.