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Chapter 20: Chaos creates opportunities
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Part 3
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Slavna Zemq
Perun's Throne World
Milky Way Galaxy
"My companions, if we don't do everything right in the coming months, perhaps the next two years if we are fortunate, we are all fucked in a way we most certainly won't enjoy!"
My Primes weren't exactly thrilled at that statement of fact.
"The danger I foresaw was graver than anticipated. You are all aware of the standard policy of my kind as far as other advanced societies are concerned. While we have been reaping boons from our deals with the humans of Earth, most Goa'uld would see such association as betrayal worthy of annihilation."
"This is why you smote down Ra himself, my Lord," Gorski proclaimed with reverence.
"Yes, our allies fucked up by the numbers, and now we must pick up the pieces. Our strategic situation is grave without Ra's patronage," I reminded them.
"Kali will see us as a threat that has to be destroyed first. Otherwise, she would have to fight a war on multiple fronts while watching her back against us," Stephan concluded. "Due to our location, Kali must move against us first as soon as she believes Ra is dead. She can afford to lose control of most worlds on the borders to secure her realm against internal threats."
That was one of the reasons why he was my First Prime. I might never know how Stephan got like this, serving the original Perun. From my personal point of view, my best option, if I didn't start the war, would be to lose my position and become a scientist for Kali, one kept under heavy guard at all times. Either that or abandoning everything and trying my luck as a servant in Yu's court.
Neither option was acceptable, even if I would have to seek alliance and likely vassalage under a System Lord to weather the opening stages of the war once Kali was gone. However, entering Yu's service as a reasonably powerful vassal with a lot to offer would be a different proposition than running to him after losing everything. And l would lose everything if I gave Kali time to mobilize. No matter the training and improvements I could provide my military, the correlation of forces was hilariously against me.
My only option would be to strike first, strike hard, and lead with a decapitation strike against Kali. That was why we have been making contingencies for a few weeks now. However, those contingencies were no longer plans to use in case everything went to hell. They were now action plans we would be using for sure.
"We have a target to strike first, covertly if possible," I informed my Primes. "Ra hid a powerful warship on Dakara. Gaining access to it as soon as possible might make all the difference."
"My Lord, we can't get a fleet there in time. Dakara is months away," Stephan pointed out.
"We can use only one ship if it comes down to an open battle – Ra's advanced Cheops. It has the firepower and defenses to take on a Hat'tak, perhaps two, and win handily. It is also much faster," I briefed my commanders on what we had available.
"That has potential," Iasen stared at the holographic map between us. "Dakara is deep within Ra's territory. It has as many defenses as it does due to its holy nature, which is a problem on its own."
"Infiltration would be best; however, we might have to fight through significant defenses around Ra's ship. Doing so is unlikely to remain unnoticed,' that was yet another complication.
We discussed many options concerning Daraka and couldn't come up with a satisfying plan for the time being.
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Abydos
Ra's domain
Milky Way Galaxy
A small transport skimmed over the sands, carrying me towards the rocky part of the desert, barely visible on the horizon from my new ship on top of its landing site. We climbed over a dune, beyond which the sands sharply gave way to a parched, dead ground that hadn't yet entirely eroded into a desert. It was clear that the area had been cleared by the efforts of the countless miners toiling over dark rock formations sticking out of the desert like gnarled fingers trying to claw their way from underground.
From up close, the mine looked impressive for something so primitive. This was such a waste that seeing it in person filled me with sheer outrage at the idiocy. I knew that the mining operation was a minor bonus for Ra; it was here to act as a cover so no one who stumbled upon Abydos would think twice about what they were seeing.
Going by the ships' sensors, this active mining site, as primitive and inefficient as it was, was still richer than the small naquadah mines I had in my domain before Ra's gifts. The things I could have done with something like this…. Well, it was a moot point. The original, unlamented Perun would have wasted it anyway.
Still, the sight of such waste rankled.
The locals finally noticed our arrival. The resulting reaction spread like an inferno. Everyone turned my way, fell on their knees, and began praying for mercy and to bless them. The sheer amount of fear and honest belief radiating from the crowd of workers focused on me was like the finest of wines, yet had the kick of the strongest of Corellian Ales.
This right here? This kind of emotion? It was power. Once upon a time, long before I gained the knowledge and experience to channel as much of the Force as my body could handle, I would have spilled seas of blood for this kind of power boost. The sensation was exhilarating even without a direct benefit as far as the power I could wield. If I let myself, I could get drunk from this, yet such a display paled in magnitude compared to what my people offered daily.
I looked over the miners' ragged clothes and "tools" of wood and stone. A massive tent of hides covered the front of the mine, where groups of workers sorted proper ore from shards of stone. Baskets and stretchers made of leather held piles of naquadah ore ready for delivery.
Turning this place into a modern mining operation wasn't going to be fun for whoever got to do it. Where did the locals find enough water to sustain such an operation in the desert anyway?
After seeing this up close, there was no doubt that I would "gift" this problem to my allies while retaining the bulk of the extracted ore for myself. Let them deal with the logistics challenges of building the necessary infrastructure and supporting the needed personnel.
That decision begged the question of what I would do with the locals. From the look of it, they were in a much worse state than any of Perun's slaves were when I took over. Turning them into valuable manpower was going to take much time and resources. This would be another gift for Earth to better illustrate what they could expect if another Goa'uld ran into them.
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Part 4
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The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States military issued orders for all US personnel deployed overseas to report to their stations and bring in all dependants for their security.
CNN
Russian government forces halted a train transporting mercenaries through Leningrad Oblast, heading toward St. Petersburg. We have an unconfirmed report of over four hundred fighters aligned with the League of Oligarchs surrendering.
BBC World News
Security services are fighting against terrorists aligned with various oligarchs in the outskirts of Kazan and Zelenodorsk. The terrorists' target is reportedly the railway bridges over the Volga River.
Pravda
The Kremlin released a statement condemning the treason of General Sergei Cherdenko, commander of the 30th Mechanized Brigade stationed at Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast. General Cherdenko is accused of defecting to the League of Oligarchs and bringing parts of his command with him.
Associated Press
Government forces from the Western District are deploying to surround St. Petersburg in preparation to retake the city. Representatives of the Russian Federal government are reportedly in talks with the oligarchs digging in the town in an attempt to gain their peaceful surrender.
CNN
The Russian Civil War escalates!
Last night, artillery strikes damaged bridges over the Volga River to prevent the passage of oligarch's private armies to the west. Russian security forces are engaged in heavy combat across Chelyabinsk and Omsk Oblasts to deny the insurrectionists weapon and vehicle depots belonging to PMCs aligned with the oligarchs and military arsenals across those regions.
BBC World News
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2 January 1997
Stargate Command, Colorado
The United States, Earth
Milky Way Galaxy
Jack put down the newspaper he was reading, wondering if he had died for good on Abydos, only to end up in the Twilight Zone. All the medical examinations he suffered after returning to Earth were a point in favor of that theory.
Dr. Fraser didn't look at all apologetic when she descended upon him with the big needles. The tests lasted for days, yet Jack was one of the lucky ones who were not very dead when Perun's Jaffa shoved them into that blinged-out coffin.
Charley wasn't so lucky. In his case, it didn't help that Ra's Jaffa put him in the box so he could be interrogated later. The same was true for most of the civilians Jack saw lying on the floor of the large room he found himself after his eyes started working. He checked for himself. Those people were dead. Some had huge holes in their chests, big enough for him to shove his arm through without touching charred flesh.
Most awoke stunned and disbelieving that they had died before being brought back. Those few who remembered dying… Jack grimaced. There were at least two of them on suicide watch nearby.
O'Neill himself wasn't among the most religious people in the military. However, the adage that there were no atheists in the trenches was very true for him. That those aliens could bring the recently dead back to life was a mind-fuck, a big one. It didn't help that he was now grateful to the big alien honcho snake for bringing Charley back, not to mention healing him. Jack could recall how messed up he was before shock and some industrial-strength painkillers sent him into la-la land.
Janet strolled into his room, this time wearing a fraction of the protective gear she wore during her last few visits.
"Good news, I hope?" Jack didn't quite whine. There was no needless in sight, so that was good, right?
"You appear to be your inimitable self, Colonel. You are also in better health than the first time I examined you."
Jack looked at his knee and moved his legs, feeling none of the stiffness in his knees he experienced when not exercising correctly as of late. Or when it was cold or about to rain…
"Honestly, I am feeling surprisingly well, especially considering what I could recall," Jack grimaced. "I also read the medical report about my state before Perun's people dragged me away. Then you explained to me in excruciating detail everything that was supposed to be wrong with me. You are a cruel woman, Doctor."
"I am stuck doing my best to put together overgrown children who keep breaking their bodies in novel and fascinating ways, Colonel. If a few of you listen and do your best to create more work for me and my people, then my bedside manners work as intended," Fraser shot back. "Congratulations, by the way, you are about to get out of my hair. Try not to end back here for the next week or two if you can, Colonel."
"I make no promises!"
"Do you want me to break out the needless or schedule you a prostate exam? We can't be too sure where an alien parasite might hide after all," Fraser gave him a sweet, innocent smile.
"For the record, Chief Medical Officers are the best people ever! I'll behave!" Jack promised. He even meant it!
Irritating General Hammond, or better yet, driving Mayborne up the wall, were much safer and entertaining options. The worst they could do to him was send him to Alaska or on a suicide mission.
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A shower, fresh uniform, and hot coffee heralded Jack's release from captivity. He strolled into General's office, whistling a jaunty tune and wondering when he could catch on the latest episodes of the Simpsons.
Jack's jolly mood took a nosedive when he saw Harry already inside and sitting in one of the chairs before the General's desk.
"I thought you found a new home on one of Perun's worlds? Didn't the snakes accept you as a long-lost relative?" Jack snarked.
"You wound me, Jacky boy!" Mayborne brightened when he heard him. "Besides, from what I hear, you and Perun are best friends now!"
"He might be a bastard of a dictator, but he knows class when he sees it!" Jack kept trying to rile up Mayborne.
"That's enough!" Hammond grumbled. He put down a piece of paper he was reading from and glared at the two of them. "Colonel, sit down. Your message and report made it all the way to the President and beyond."
"It put the fox right in the middle of the chicken coop, too," Harry chipped in. "We now know for a certain your buddy is coming to visit in a ship and that he will want to talk with the whole planet," Mayborne's mouth twisted as if biting into something rotten. "This isn't a good time for him to visit."
"I don't think he cares. Did anyone ask him nicely to wait a bit?" Jack inquired.
"We did. We have about two to three weeks before he deals with all immediate issues in his realm and can spare the time for a visit," Hammond said.
That was certainly a piece of news for Jack.
"Do we have any issues beyond the obvious I read in the newspaper?"
"The Russians confirmed they found a Goa'uld infesting one of their oligarchs. We have pictures and tissue samples from the snake in question. Everyone is freaking out and looking for infiltrators now," Harry informed him.
"For crying out loud! How many of those things are there?"
"There might be no one else. There can be several who have been laying low, or even more," Hammond grimly announced. "Searching for alien infiltrators is not our concern, Colonel. Considering that Perun likes you for some odd reason, you are being seconded to the State Department until his visit concludes. You will be Perun's liaison and guide while he is on Earth. Do not antagonize the alien who will bring a warship into orbit."
"I will be on my best behavior!" Jack promised.
"I've seen your best behavior, Jack. You will have to do better than that," Mayborne had to be a bastard like usual.
"You have a second important task, Colonel. During your time attached to the State Department, you will meet with representatives of the countries currently in the know. They will all require answers. You will answer all their questions about the expedition and our experience with the aliens."
"That is classified information, sir. Can I have a proper guideline about what I can reveal? I would like them in writing."
"You will receive a proper briefing from Captain Davis when you get to Washington. After you arrive, you will work with the Deputy Secretary of State Henry Hayes. I believe you are familiar with the man?"
"We've spoken a few times," Jack confirmed.
Now, he had to behave around politicians and snakes for potentially weeks. That was going to suck. Even though he was back on Earth, he might miss more Simpson episodes, which sucked even more!