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Chapter 7: Times, they're changing...
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Part 1
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"Perun, you say? As far as everyone I knew was concerned, he was a nobody. Most of us haven't heard the name before. Those few who knew of Perun would dismiss him as one of the many minor gods. You know the kind, those who are content to rule over the scraps of the System Lord's table they've earned in the distant past. For many of us, little changed after Ba'al clashed with Kali and Bastet. Don't you know, it was no surprise that younger gods vied for power and looked to usurp their betters? When we heard of it, and the rumors followed, it all made sense. Perun has been bidding his time to usurp Kali, it was nothing to be surprised about. Ba'al didn't know about Perun's forces. They were in the right place, at the right time. Such a thing was naturally more than enough to turn Ba'al's sneak attack into a disaster. We all took it for granted. Such things had happened before and will happen again.
What we dismissed out of hand were the tales of powerful new magics that Perun unleashed upon Ba'al's Jaffa. The losers of many a battle told such tales to justify their defeats.
Well, now, we all know better, don't we?"
part ofa conversation recorded by NID covert operatives; time, date, and location: REDACTED
"My Jaffa are as mighty as they're numerous! That pretender you serve would never dare assault my Throne World! Begone, or die, fools!"
last recorded worlds of Grannus, former lieutenant of the System Lord Camulus; time, date, and location: REDACTED
"My wolves, Lord Perun wants this world! You have your orders and assigned objectives. Go and take it!"
A short speech Prime Gorski gave before unleashing the Space Wolves Legion upon Grannus's Throne World; time, date, and location: REDACTED
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Slavna Zemq
Perun's Throne World
Milky Way Galaxy
Three pale Goa'uld stood on an open grass field, surrounded by guards. There were nearly thirty of Ra's best, matched one for one by Perun's own Custodes.
The scientists had no illusions about which group was better equipped and trained. Or who would come on top in case of a confrontation, before taking into account whose world they were on?
Technically, the increased security had a good reason behind it. Ra's scientists witnessed an assassination attempt against Perun, one they would not forget. They also got news of their host's Jaffa capturing at least one more assassin alive.
An Al'kesh came from the distant capital, its anti-gravity engine whining quietly. It came to a stop in front of the waiting people. Instead of landing, it hovered close to the ground. Its side door opened and Perun himself nimbly jumped out, followed by two of his elite guards. The bomber wasted no time in accelerating and heading high up in the sky.
Che'Nub flinched at seeing Perun's happy smile.
The last time the Goa'uld witnessed it was two days ago when he saw the kind of violence he wasn't accustomed to, or particularly enjoyed. Perun had them summoned in his throne room, to publicly demand they finish the prototype combat transport and have it ready for testing within days.
The arrogant bastard had been busy berating them when a servant approached carrying refreshments. The man wore the simple gray clothes that were standard for Perun's household staff. He had approached the Goa'uld, who was apparently none the wiser, too busy insulting his betters, or so Che'Nub thought.
What followed engraved itself in the scientist's mind, in a way he might never forget. The servant unexpectedly exploded in motion, letting go of the tray with drinks. Before it even touched the ground, he had had his right hand outstretched, aiming at Perun. The assassin shot a neural pulse meant to disrupt the connection between a host and Goa'uld. A clear strike would disable the target, making it easier to finish off.
Despite being seemingly unaware of the danger, Perun moved almost impossibly fast. He twisted out of the sneak attack's way. Before the assassin could strike again, Perun activated his Kara'kesh and send him spinning on the ground. Even as the Jaffa guarding the throne room began to react. Perun charged the unlucky assassin and took him apart with his bare hands.
Within seconds, the scientists and their security detail, found themselves surrounded by furious Custodes. Meanwhile, Perun was busy shattering all the assassin's bones, using his bare hands. When he finally calmed down and returned to face them, Perun was covered in splashed blood, and the assassin was little more than a skinny sack containing shattered bones.
"Now, that was a fun distraction. Get the project done, before I decide I'll use one of you as my new punching bag." Perun had announced happily.
Despite technically being under Ra's protection, none of the scientists doubted for a moment that Perun would follow up on his promise. They were certain that he would love every moment of it, and damn the consequences.
Two sleepless nights later, they had a prototype more or less ready for testing.
"The wonders of proper motivation would never cease," Perun stated. "I've spoken with the Supreme Lord. Now that we both know what kind of motivation can make you actually do your damned jobs, you three belong to me. I expect you will not continue to waste my precious time by trying to spy on each other or sabotage your peers' projects. Otherwise, I'll be making a bloody example of you all, then put you back together with a sarcophagus." Perun promised.
While he laid down the law, the Goa'uld could hear the distant whine of an approaching anti-gravity engine. Soon, a Tel'tak came into view, flying low over the nearby forest. It had an ugly boxy form attached under it.
"Make a note. We'll want the production model to be set up so Al'kesh could carry it down as well. It would have to fit through a Chappa'ai too." Perun reminded them.
The prototype detached from the transport as soon as the Tel'tak was past the forest. Instead of hitting the ground, it shook a short distance above it, then suddenly accelerated, heading their way.
It wasn't anywhere nearly as fast as a Tel'tak or Al'kesh, much less a Death Glider. However, the machine moved much faster than a Jaffa could, even at a dead sprint, and it would never tire.
The prototype arched to the right and came to a stop in front of the waiting observers. Before it even halted, its rear ramp opened, and nine Jaffa stumbled out.
"Stage one is now complete. It can detach from a moving transport, then move on its own power. Commence stage two." Perun ordered.
The rear ramp closed, and the prototype sped away. The Jaffa who came out of it took kneeling positions in front of the observers, shouldered their weapons, and waited. The prototype drove through the field in a long arch, passing by the distant forest at high speed, then headed back their way.
"Aim!" The Jaffa in command of the demonstration group barked. "Fire!"
Nine Jaffa opened fire on the approaching transport using Perun's new weapons. When the observers took into account the distance, size, and speed of the transport, they knew a fact that the Jaffa's accuracy was something that they could never achieve using the old staff weapons. Once in a while, a yellow blast of plasma missed the approaching prototype. Most of them struck the prototype in the front. As it approached closer and closer, virtually all shots connected with it.
The prototype came to a whining halt, stopping in front of the Jaffa shooting at it. Its armor glowed and smoked in the cool morning air. However, it quickly became obvious the weapons' fire wasn't sufficient to breach the armor.
"Phase two is now complete. I'll observe Phase three from the air. The rest of you have work to do." Perun pointedly said. "Get the weapon mount ready, as well as the weapon itself. Even if the prototype breaks, we'll be testing them separately first anyway."
Phase three was observing how the prototype drove over all kinds of terrain available around Perun's capital after being shot at.
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Part 2
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Is the age of petrol at its end?
USA Today headline
US government issues contracts for thousands of tractors and assorted agricultural equipment… all outfitted with electrical motors. What does this mean for us?
L.A. Tribune headline
Is there a breakthrough in power generation no one is talking about? Are fossil fuel reserves worldwide close to being depleted? Experts say we should have more than enough petrol for commercial use to meet everyone's needs for decades to come. Is fusion about to become a reality then?
From New York Times editorial, late 1996
European Union leaders are scheduled to meet in Brussels to discuss further economic integration. Rumors persist that a major topic of discussion will be potential first steps towards achieving energy independence.
Euronews morning news
The price of a petrol barrel falls to $15.23. OPEC foreign ministers are scheduled to meet later this month in Dubai to discuss a potential decrease in production.
USA Today
Protests in Moscow after allegations of foreign tampering in the Presidential elections. With the price of petrol falling, the ability of the Russian government to meet its obligations shrinks further, causing increased unrest across the country.
BBC World News
Secretary of Agriculture Davenport, answers "No comment" when questioned about the US government's unexpected interest in electricity-powered agricultural equipment.
What do farmers need to know about electric motors? How do they compare to good old diesel and petrol-fueled engines?
U.S. Farmer magazine
The price of fertilizers skyrockets as farmers and governments stock up, just in case. The end of oil would mean critical shortages in key elements needed for the production of artificial fertilizers. Are we looking at possible famine in the future?
BBC News
What is the Green Commission, and why did it buy thousands of electrical tractors for the US government?
New York Times
US government taking global warming as a danger? A possible answer to the Green Commission's goals. Rumors emerge of government grants offering subsidies for farmers who replace their agricultural equipment with electricity-powered machines!
USA Today
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15 July 1996
US Department of Agriculture
Washington DC
Secretary Mike Davenport put down the morning's paper with a sneer. He took a sip of his scalding hot black coffee and looked at his guests.
The White House's Chief of Staff, the Secretary of the Interior, and one of the FBI's Deputy Directors sat nearby. All had cups of coffee and metal folders in front of them, containing restricted material.
"Well, gentlemen, the situation is going out of hand." Davenport's face twisted into a scowl. "Thanks to many people not thinking things through, I've got a live bomb in my lap. Right now, no one has a good idea on how to disarm it before it blows up in all our faces. I need ideas."
Three sets of eyes focused on the FBI man, who grimaced in response. He looked like a stereotypical bureaucrat, one of the thousands in Washington.
"Our counter-intelligence division has been fending off spies for the last few weeks. The only silver lining is that we caught a few who weren't careful enough. We have both friends and enemies trying to figure out what we're up to. I've spoken with the director. He'll be shifting even more agents to work on spy-hunting. That's the good news. However, he requests that, just in case, we prepare a plan on how to handle a possible critical failure. Especially if it's the press instead of a foreign agent who finds the truth. The former might be less of an issue."
"That's one of the Commission's real tasks." The Chief of Staff, Reese pointed out. The thin-faced man tapped the folder in front of him. "For now, we're going to run with the warming theory the press thought up. Despite the political challenges, it's a plausible one."
"That's going to make a complete circus of the Hill." Davenport sighed in frustration. So much for the bills, he wanted to push through.
"It can't be helped. We lost the ball and are playing catch up now." Reese commented. "Another angle in the medium to long term is energy production. Depending on how the deal with our new acquaintance goes, we might be looking at a significant breakthrough in that area. While it would be a matter of infrastructure, electric motors might become practical in the foreseeable future. That's another level of cover we're looking at."
"That's well and good, but you didn't require this meeting just to tell me that," Davenport noted. "Get on with it. We all have fires to put out before they turn into even bigger infernos."
"As things stand, we're going to use your department for cover for all its worth." Reese began. "Mike, your people have the least exposure to the truth, so at least that they can't leak if we got a whistle-blower, or someone gets greedy."
"I'm liking this less and less. What does the President have in mind, and what will I get in exchange?"
"We will back some of the bills you want, though how much will depend on the situation. We're going to burn much political capital in the coming weeks to calm things down." The Chief of staff explained.
Davenport waited for the other shoe to fall.
"We're going to buy various tracts of land to test how equipment with electrical motors works in different conditions. Then we'll try to get as much attention focused on that exercise as possible. We'll use that for cover to build a proper secure facility for the project, one that can offer easy enough access when we trade in bulk."
Mike stilled at that. The idea actually had merit, even if it meant much more work for his people.
"The same goes for my department. We'll be focusing on mining, covering that base, and the actual construction of the facility." The Secretary of Interior finally spoke. He was a quiet man, who preferred to observe people and usually spoke only when he had something of note to say.
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Tok'ra base
location classified
Milky Way galaxy
The Tok'ra council met at a temporary base dug under the surface of a dead world. Due to circumstances that could not be helped, several councilors couldn't make it in time. Nevertheless, the meeting couldn't be postponed. It was rare something with potential widespread repercussions caught the Tok'ra by surprise. That was especially true when they had an agent in the heart of the situation. Doubly so, when the agent in question was still able to communicate.
"I'm glad all of you managed to get here safely." Per'sus opened the meeting with a relieved smile. "As you know, or suspect, we're meeting here because at least one of our agents is potentially compromised."
"Lyda," Garshaw noted aloud from her seat around the stone table.
"The last report we got from her, is similar to all the rest – Perun had been indulging himself, as usual. He was doing nothing of consequence, like usual." Thoran's teeth flashed as he smiled grimly. "I wonder how many reports of things are as expected we're getting come from compromised agents?"
"That's something we'll be looking into." Per'sus acknowledged. "However, the first, and most important topic of the meeting remains the same, Perun."
"Our agents in Kali's court put forth the theory that someone has usurped Perun, taking up his public persona. It might have been one of Kali's schemes, to build up power at a place where no one would look." Garshaw introduced a theory that several of her agents reached independently."From all we know of Perun, he either radically changed without anyone noticing, or we're dealing with someone completely unknown."
"Practically speaking, it doesn't matter much if Perun decided to become competent and worked for it over the past few millennia. It does matter if Kali had him replaced with one of her agents, or if a competent underling usurped him." Delek put forth. "The reality is we have a new dangerous Goa'uld in play, one we know little about, and have to deal with" His face tightened. "Besides the fact that he managed to either suborn or deceive one of our agents."
"You're right, Delek." Per'sus agreed. "What matters is what we do now. I'm open to ideas and suggestions for handling Perun, but first, let's hear the fallout of his actions. We need to work with the same information to make an educated choice."
"The good news is that many Goa'uld are ignoring the new developments as something usual." Garshaw sneered. "They'll suffer when caught off guard. By all credible accounts, Perun has been busy turning his Jaffa into proper soldiers. He has been training and equipping them for war, not the limited clashes Ra allows or suppressing rebelling humans. The weapons and armor he has developed will give an edge to those who adopt and improve on them."
"Unfortunately, it's going to be the most dangerous of System Lords who do it, wouldn't it?" Malek's rhetoric question briefly hung in the air.
"Lord Yu gathered his most trusted Primes soon after he had a good grasp on what happened," Per'sus confirmed. "Ba'al has gone the ground, undoubtedly plotting something Kali and Bastet won't enjoy."
"Apophis is waiting for more information before deciding how to best react. He has nevertheless recalled some of his oldest and most experienced Jaffa to Chulak." Malek shared his knowledge. "He'll undoubtedly put them to work soon."
"Heru'ur is traveling towards Ra's court. He'll want on the action as well. We can't have the infamous conqueror have an inferior Jaffa after all." Delek added.
"Sokar's a concern as well. Not so long ago, he called some of the most famous and infamous mercenaries in the galaxy to his court. I'm sure we can all guess what he wants of them." Selmak broke his silence as well.
"The Necropolis Guard are bad enough already. The last thing anyone needs is to see them becoming competent warriors as well." Garshaw's grave voice echoed in
the chamber. "We need to do something about Perun, or whoever replaced him before he could make System Lords even more dangerous."
No one disagreed with that sentiment. The only question was how to take him out.
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