Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Star Wars, or Stargate movies, TV shows, games, books, or comics. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not for sale or rent.

Chapter 5: Consequences

=SBS=

Part 3

=SBS=

Hasara Space Station
Hasara System

Milky Way Galaxy

It took me a lot of effort not to squash Ra like a bug. Sadly, right now, doing so would be counter-productive. His damned stunt put me into a position where I had to re-evaluate my plans and priorities.

For the time being, I couldn't rely on Kali being reasonable, instead of acting out of spite as a typical Goa'uld. Thus, removing Ra from the board would put me in a vulnerable position. On the other hand, the more things changed, the lesser the odds of him going on a vacation, much less choosing Abydoss as the destination. Without that known point, getting rid of Ra could be less than optimal. For example, I wouldn't likely have about a year or so of a grace period to prepare for the coming storm would be off the table.

On the other hand, for the time being, Ra offered a new way to increase my assets and get my name out among the Goa'uld. That would make future takeovers of their domains a more viable strategy. When all was said and done, utterly defeating, or killing a Goa'uld wasn't necessarily enough to take over their domain. To do so, you needed a certain amount of reputation, the right kind of it. Otherwise, Jaffa might decide to either fight to the bitter end or defect to a rival Goa'uld.

If that wasn't the case, usurpation by ambitious underling would be an even greater threat than it usually was. To make it work, the Jaffa and other minor Goa'uld had to know you, and more importantly your deeds.

Then again, the more time I spent with Ra, the more I wanted to rip him out of his host and make sure he was dead here and now. The reason for that wasn't because he was an insufferable obnoxious bastard. After the theater in the meeting room, there was little to no typical Goa'uld grandstanding.

He led me to a spacious, comfortably furnished office. One that was well lit, and had much less gold ornamentation than expected at that. Ra sat on a plush throne. He pointed at an impressive carved wooden stool. He kept staring at me with rapt attention as I explained the basics of proper small unit tactics.

Ra kept asking questions, good ones at that. I was glad I didn't choose to risk bullshitting him because he would have likely caught it.

Simply put, the bastard was one smart and extremely dangerous snake. While if I was lucky, I might rise far under his patronage, the only one more dangerous to work under in this galaxy was likely that crazy bastard Anubis.

"More fire support would have won you the battle faster, and with fewer casualties." Ra pointed out after I explained my tactics against Ba'al. "More Al'kesh would have been useful in a bomber role." He looked through me into the distance, obviously thinking.

To make matters worse, Ra was bubbling in excitement at these new developments. I had the nagging suspicion that he wouldn't consider them a mere curiosity to be forgotten when something else got his fancy. Instead, he was already thinking about how to further improve my tactics.

On the top of my head, only Ba'al, Yu, and potentially Anubis would do so in the short term. Without seeing their Jaffa shot to pieces multiple times to drive home the lesson, anyway.

Those, of course, were the major players. Some multiple ambitious underlings might have the right mindset, but not the position to act on it. Fortunately, for the time being, most Goa'uld were more interested in protecting their thrones than promoting competent subordinates. The few most likely to risk it were the most dangerous of the lot.

Then again, considering the few assets I had available, there was only so much that clever tactics and innovative weapons could do. The sheer weight of numbers a System Lord, and many of the lesser Goa'uld could throw around were a tremendous obstacle to overcome by simply building up my available assets. There was no time for that.

Ra's eyes refocused on me.

"Staff cannons, the like we use on Death Gliders, or to breach fortified positions on the ground." Ra smiled in triumph and grabbed a tablet lying beside a stack of similar devices. He quickly wrote down a few notes, then looked back at me. "Mobility might be an issue unless we're talking about an ambush prepared well in advance." Ra stared expectantly at me.

"The fastest solution would be a leather harness so multiple Jaffa could transport a cannon at large distances without getting exhausted. Animal transport when available could do the trick…" I trailed off. The bloody snake was on the cusp of rediscovering mobile artillery. That would make opposing Jaffa that much more dangerous. From there, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out how useful other support weapons could be.

Ra laughed merrily at that.

"You continue to surprise, Perun. There aren't many of us who would think about such a primitive yet viable option."

"It's the lack of advanced technology to work with, I guess, Supreme Lord."

"Perhaps. We can and will do better. Animals, hah! Some kind of vehicle to carry the cannons will be faster. It can also carry the Jaffa to use them…" Ra trailed off. His smile widened. Soon he had a positively gleeful expression on his face. "Like an Al'kesh but ground-based. It would be cheaper and easier to build that way. No need to train Jaffa to pilot, that would be easier and faster as well…"

And the bastard figured out motorized infantry at the very least, perhaps mechanized, or worse, if he followed the Al'kesh analogy to its logical conclusion. He had to go sooner rather than later and damn the consequences.

"That's going to be your first task. Use Nerus when my guards drag him here. Figure out a vehicle that can get the job done and we can build in large enough numbers!"

"Supreme Lord, please define large enough numbers, and the industrial capacity available."

"You'll start with one of my industrial centers I'm going to loan you for dealing with the Tollan issue." Ra waved a hand as if it wasn't important. "That will give you a baseline to work with and some competent staff to make your ideas reality. Now, those new weapons your Jaffa used first. Tell me why the staffs weren't good enough, and how you got to the idea in the first place!" Ra demanded.

"The staff weapons are not weapons of war. More than anything, they're meant to impress slaves. For all their striking power, the staffs are not particularly accurate, which makes them have a limited effective range. The idea for the rifles came from the need for my small number of Jaffa to do more than rival ones. They had to be more accurate and get hit less. That meant a weapon that could strike the enemy accurately from a longer distance, which means my Jaffa would be smaller targets for return fire. Simply cutting the staff wasn't enough…"

"The staff weapons rely on their length to accelerate the plasma charge. It is a key component for both the power of the plasma bolt and one of two components that govern its range." Ra interrupted.

It was painfully clear that trying to bullshit him about the design details would be pointless. Not that said idea had much merit in the first place. I was sure Ra would get his hands on some staff rifles to play with sooner rather than later.

=SBS=

Part 4

=SBS=

Hasara Space Station
Hasara System

Milky Way Galaxy

By the time a bunch of Ra's guards dragged Nerus to his office, the nature of my long-term task had changed somewhat. Obviously, Ra wanted to utilize me for all I was worth, before risking that I fucked up by the numbers against the Tollan and got myself killed.

Instead, the first tasks I had to deal with were centered on creating an armaments program that would ensure his military would remain the most dangerous among the Goa'uld. He also graciously offered me some table scraps, just enough to outfit my Jaffa with new toys. In practice, considering the disparity in Jaffa numbers alone, what I would get would be a drop in the bucket compared to the sheer number of equipment Ra's people would need.

Then there was the little fact that without a large enough fleet, my ground forces would not be particularly relevant if push came to shove. In that regard, for the time being, I would at best get a few more hulls to test my ideas with, whose crews would be loyal to Ra.

As soon as Nerus saw where he was, he ceased his grumbling and did his best to bow deeply. His sheer girth made that look comical.

"Supreme Lord Ra! What a pleasant surprise!" Nerus simpered.

Ra stared at him for a few long moments and shook his head.

"It's a miracle you can keep your host from dying on the spot." Ra started at Nerus with fascination, then looked back at me. "Make sure you have some guards around to drag his carcass to a sarcophagus when his host inevitably gives out. Sadly, he's still of use." Ra decreed.

"Several large and strong guards, Supreme Lord." I agreed while examining Nerus. I could barely recall how he looked in the show I watched so many years ago back on my Earth.

The only thing in common was that Nerus was huge and that he wore a white toga, covered in food stains. His sheer size would certainly prevent ordinary any human from moving on their own.

"My host is perfectly fine!" Nerus objected. His argument would have more merit if he didn't stumble trying to rise from his pathetic excuse of a bow.

"Congratulations, Nerus, you did the impossible, you just made me feel sorry for a Human!" I shook my head. "You know what, you are going on a restricted diet until you produce results."

The sheer horror and disbelief that exploded from Nerus' flabby form were hilarious.

"You wouldn't dare!" He hissed.

"I find the idea appropriately devious." An amused Ra chimed in.

Nerus stared at us in horror then gripped his chest and wheezed. I could feel him experience a stabbing pain, then he collapsed.

"He needs a new host and restricted diet as an incentive to be useful." I shook my head in disbelief.

Ra just stared at the twitching form on the ground, then cursed long and hard in an unfamiliar language.

"Get him into a sarcophagus… if he fits." Ra barked at his guards, showing his irritation. "He's your problem now, Perun. Get him off my station as soon as possible. I'll have some more reliable scientists arrive at your throne world soon. I expect prototype designs ready for manufacture and testing soon after their arrival. Do not fail me, Lord Perun."

"By your command, Supreme Lord." I stood up and bowed deeply.

Meanwhile, four of Ra's guards gave up on carrying Nerus, and instead picked him by the legs and arms, turned him on his back, and began dragging him away.

=SBS=

Slavna Zemq
Perun's Throne World
Milky Way Galaxy

A few hours later, I finally got back to my capital. The logistics of it would be hilarious if they weren't sad. First, I had to take transport back to the planet, which was the fun part. Nerus couldn't fit in the standard entrance, and Ra's guards had some difficulty sticking him into the cargo hold.

All things considered, it was impressive that Nerus was able to get through the gate under his power without collapsing again. To be frank, it was equally impressive that he could still fit into a sarcophagus, if barely.

Nerus looked around suspiciously.

"Where's our transport?" He demanded.

I looked in approval at the Jaffa aiming all kinds of weapons at us, mostly through the slits of bunkers. The closest buildings beside the obvious defense installations were the fortified barracks used by the quick reaction force meant to at least slow down a major incursion.

My capital's outskirts were a few kilometers away, and by design, it wasn't growing this way. Well, I had ensured that various fortifications faced this direction, but no civilian buildings.

"What transport? We'll be walking to the palace." I pointed at the distance, where my palace was visible in the heart of the growing city.

Nerus whimpered at that.

"Consider it an incentive, my new friend. After that display in front of Ra, you're lucky that you may still prove useful."

"Lord Perun, identification, please." The commander of the security detail demanded.

"The code word of the day is Tartarus." I paused. "Or dusk depending on how long I was off-world."

"It's dusk, my Lord. Please come in for scanning."

"What is this nonsense?" Nerus demanded.

"Basic security precautions. After all, this could be anyone wearing my face and some fancy clothes." I reasonably pointed out. "Move, or I'll get the Jaffa to drag you to the palace."

Nerus started to quietly curse. He nevertherelss least waddled after me as instructed.

By the time we got to the palace, Nerus had been drowning in sweat and wheezing as if I was choking the life out of him for a long time.

"Drag him to the baths to clean up. For now, he's restricted to light meals, fruits and vegetables only." I ordered the security detail at the entrance. "And have a squad in his vicinity at all times in case his host dies on us. If it happens, stuck him in the sarcophagus."

With Nerus dealt with, for the time being, it was time to see how my projects were going and properly plan on how to deal with Ra's advances.