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Chapter 8: Rising winds

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Part 3

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"Moloc's downfall began when hundreds of Ha'tak belonging to Ra and Heru'ur surged over the border, striking at dozens of worlds. Moloc knew of the coming onslaught because of the treacherous Tok'ra. Instead of choosing a strategy that would have given his fleet a fighting chance, he deployed it forward to meet the attack in open combat.

Within hours of contact, scores of Ha'tak burned. The armies of Ra and Heru'ur stormed through Chappa'ai, fighting to end Moloc's madness. They pinned down many of the mad god's armies, leaving much of his domain lightly defended.

Moloc's Throne World was one of a few exceptions…"

Jaffa Master Bra'tac of Chulak summarizing the fall of Moloc

"Servants of the wretched madman Moloc, this is your god, Heru'ur. In his divine benevolence, my father Ra has decreed that Moloc's madness ends now. We're here to put an end to a mad beast. Lay down your arms, and we will treat you with honor. Fight for Moloc, the Abomination, and we will purge you from the face of the galaxy!"

Heru'ur's declaration at reaching Moloc's Throne World

"All pieces were in place. The plans to assassinate Heru'ur and Perun were good. Our agents had been whispering poison in their ears for weeks while the two Goa'uld prepared their armies to assault Moloc's Throne World.

We all forgot a key factor. As the Humans of Earth put it, the enemy gets a vote too. That's one of the reasons why we call them the enemy."

Per'sus, Tok'ra Council Leader

"With the benefit of hindsight? The plan would have been good if the targets were your run-of-the-mill Goa'uld. You should have known by then that Perun was anything but normal. Don't get me started about Heru'ur, Selmak. I've read the reports as well. He might have been a megalomaniac. However, he was a surprisingly competent one."

"Jacob, don't forget I never made it to the meeting that decided to start us down on that path. Besides, Perun was a clear threat even then. I can't blame the Council for trying to kill him at the first opportunity."

a conversation between Selmak of the Tok'ra and her temporary host, General Jacob Carter from Earth

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Heru'ur's flagship
on approach to Byblos, Moloc's Throne World
Milky Way galaxy

Heru'ur sat on the command throne in the Pel'tac of his ship. In front of him, his First Prime and a handful of hand-picked Jaffa ran the Ha'tak while he could focus on strategy and tactics.

"Do we have an answer to my generous offer?" Ra's son asked.

A giant hologram hovered in front of him like a stage. It displayed the status of his fleet and the enemy ships they could detect.

The hologram dsiplayed how an even thirty of Heru'ur's Ha'tak proudly advanced, divided into three groups. Loyal and battle tested. Primes commanded the two flanking forces, while Heru'ur was in direct command of the center.

Official intelligence was wrong, as expected. That was the result of more Tok'ra meddling, no doubt. Instead of the ten Ha'tak, Heru'ur should have expected if he was an inexperienced warrior, much less an accomplished conqueror, Moloc had twenty-five.

Most of the madman's fleet was already accounted for. It was either destroyed or engaged in heavy combat on the border. At least thirty Ha'tak would be racing this way from the far reaches of Moloc's domain. However, they would be of no consequence. Even if Moloc knew to call them before Ra announced this conquest, those ships would still be too slow to arrive in time to make a difference.

When all was said and told, about ten of Moloc's Ha'tak were still unaccounted for, presumed to be in transit.

Heru'ur wasn't going to risk a brawl in space when he could soon find himself outnumbered. Instead, he was going to smash straight into Moloc's lines and use the better training of his warriors to concentrate the firepower of his fleet and annihilate any resistance in short order. Each of the three parts of his fleet would focus on one or at most two enemy Ha'tak, destroy them, then repeat until they secured the system.

"We'll be in range soon, Lord!" His First Prime announced. "Still no answer."

"You have your orders. Fire as soon as we're in range." Heru'ur ordered.

Moloc's fleet accelerated to meet them, and finally, the madman dared show his face.

"Launch Death Gliders and Al'kesh. Keep them in a defensive formation around our ships." Heru'ur commanded.

"Heru'ur!" Moloc sneered in contempt. "My powers are greater than you can imagine! Grovel, and I might consider sparing your pathetic life! Continue this foolishness, and I will smite you down! Sacrifices have boosted my power beyond what a pathetic god like you could comprehend!"

"I see the rumors are wrong. You're even madder than expected." Heru'ur shook his head in exasperation. "Come then, let us see you try to smite me!"

Moloc's eyes glowed, and he ended the transmission.

"We're in range now, Lord! Firing! Moloc's ships are launching Death Gliders and Al'kesh bombers!"

To Heru'ur's utter lack of surprise, Moloc lacked a super-weapon or divine power to smite down his fleet. Hundreds of full-powered plasma bolts flew in both directions. At the same time, Ha'tak maneuvered to avoid fire and hammer down the enemy. To Heru'ur's experienced eyes, it was clear that Moloc's Jaffa were nowhere near as well trained and experienced as his own. Two or three ships attempted to focus fire here and there but got into each other's way.

Moloc's small craft came at the fleet in a swarm, only for Heru'ur's elites to meet them in glorious duels.

Five or more of Heru'ur's capital ships had little trouble maneuvering so they could focus fire on a single Ha'tak. The tactic soon proved its merit. Almost simultaneously, four of Moloc's ships lost shields and shortly died fiery deaths. A fifth followed soon, giving Heru'ur a comfortable advantage.

At the same time, two of his ships with weakened shields fell back to recover, while the rest repeatedly surged, striking the enemy. Moloc's bombers sensed an opportunity and went for the retreating ships while squadrons of Death Gliders swarmed all over them.

A sixth, then a seventh, Ha'tak died. Then Moloc's remaining ships surged forward in a suicidal charge at Heru'ur's center. He didn't even have to give an order, and the flanks collapsed around the enemy, surrounding them and raining fire from all directions.

"Have the center steadily fall back and keep firing," Heru'ur ordered.

Moloc was mad, and his Jaffa was more fanatical than usual. At least those in this fleet were. He wouldn't put it past them to try and go out in a blaze of glory by trying to ram his Ha'tak.

"Watch out for ramming attempts!" Heru'ur warned.

His words came a moment too late. One of Moloc's Ha'tak accelerated faster than anyone sane would risk, especially under the strain of combat, and rammed one of Heru'ur's ships on the right flank. Space lit up with the funeral pyre of thousands of loyal Jaffa.

That bit of insane devotion made Heru'ur's ships suddenly veer off, trying to gain a safe distance. The enemy would not have it, and the remaining Moloc's Ha'tak went for death rides of their own.

Two died under Heru'ur's guns, then a third. A loyal Ha'tak barely avoided fiery death when it managed to get out of the way of a ramming attempt. The shield bubbles of both ships touched at insane speeds, stripping the defensive barriers and blowing up shield generators. Fire blossomed in the pyramids of those Ha'tak. Heru'ur's warships ended Moloc's Ha'tak. Moments later, a squadron of Al'kesh broke through and bombed Heru'ur's crippled ship into a burning wreck before loyal Death Gliders pounced on them.

Another of Heru'ur's Ha'tak flew like a Death Glider, barely avoiding two, then a third ramming attempt. Moloc's ships still hammered their shields down. Yet, the Jaffa in command managed to fly up and away, barely leaving the effective range, suffering ravaged and burning superstructure.

More Ha'tak blew up, and suddenly, there were no more Ha'tak to shoot in range. Just four of Moloc's ships remained, all battered and now behind Heru'ur's fleet.

That is not to say that the fighting was over. Far from it! Hundreds of Death Gliders and dozens of Al'kesh were shooting at each other and strafing Heru'ur's ships.

"Reform the fleet and cover the damaged ships. The rest of the fleet will advance and end this, now!" Heru'ur ordered.

Five damaged and four Ha'tak with depleted shields hung back, forming a ragged defensive formation. Nearly two-thirds of Heru'ur's surviving Death Gliders went to defend the crippled ships. That left their brothers and the shields of the intact Ha'tak to handle the remaining enemy's small craft.

Unsurprisingly, Moloc's ships came straight at them, flying into another death ride. Heru'ur had none of that nonsense.

"The center will rapidly fall back! Keep enough space from our ships to allow free evasive maneuvers!" Heru'ur ordered. A wave of plasma met the suicidal Ha'tak. It blew them out of space before they could get anywhere near ramming another one of Heru'ur's ships.

"Status of the fleet?" Ra's son demanded while watching the light show of small craft, going at each other with fanatical determination.

"We lost two ships with all crew. One is little more than a wreck with a fried engine. Four have moderate to high damage. Six more ships have light damage from energy bleeding through the shields. It's a magnificent victory, my Lord Heru'ur!" His First Prime answered in an awed tone.

"So it is!" It wasn't unheard of for fleets at near parity in numbers to batter each other into impotence if they were determined to fight it out to the bitter end. Even better, Heru'ur faced Moloc's best today and utterly crushed them. "We will finish Moloc's small craft first. Then we will go into orbit and deploy the assault transports. It's time to test Perun's new way of war. Prepare my ground forces for deployment. We're going to take Byblos in a glorious conquest!"

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Part 4

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"You ask me, why, brother? I was at Byblos! I was among Heru'ur's elites! He chose us to test the Assault Transports in combat! I was there when Lord Perun stormed through the Chappa'ai, leading his Space Wolves! I saw him act and knew he valued his Jaffa! He was a Warrior God! After the treacherous Tok'ra murdered Lord Heru'ur, who else could, we serve? Who could drag the Tok'ra into the light and make them pay for their crimes? And we were right to join Lord Perun's forces, brothers! He lives up to Heru'ur's legacy as a warrior and conqueror! We will gladly serve Perun until death and beyond!"

Prime Mel'chan confronts Free Jaffa rebels

"We were none the wiser. Back then, when Perun took his first steps upon the path of galactic relevance, we were busy stumbling in the dark. We were playing with what toys he traded us at a discount, and we were glad to have them. If I have the dates right, when Byblos happened, I was looking forward to test-flying a Death Glider for the first time. After weeks of pocking the thing and studying it, the engineers finally decided it was worth the risk. It wasn't until Abydos that we got a better idea who we got in bed with, and by then it was far too late to change our minds."

Colonel Jack O'Neill from Earth, speaking in front of an International Oversight Committee commission

"Salvation came when the heavens burned! Ra's own son, blessed Heru'ur, burned the Ha'tak of the Demon Moloc.

From the havens, they came, silver birds of prey, crying clarion calls! They were heralds, for His arrival was at hand!

Behold, the Thunder and Fire! Behold, Salvation!

Perun comes!"

Book of the Dawn, by High Priestess Ishta

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Byblos
Moloc's Throne World
Milky Way galaxy

Red light illuminated a cramped metal box. That was the troop compartment of an assault transport, filled to the brim with Jaffa. Mel'chan looked at his brothers, feeling pride at being here beside them. He was a member of Heru'ur's personal guard, like many of the volunteers making the assault troops.

They all had newer, tougher armor and weapons that took some time to get accustomed to. For weeks, the chosen ones trained in the bowels of Ha'taks, learning to shoot accurately with the new weapons. They marched and fought hand to hand while wearing their heavier armor until it was like a second skin.

Finally, it was the moment of truth. Their Lord, Heru'ur, won another stunning victory in space, crushing Mad Moloc's Ha'tak. Now, it was their turn to prove themselves worthy of their position.

The assault transport shook, entering a steep dive.

"We're on a final approach to the Chappa'ai! It's active, and Lord Perun's forces are ready to begin their assault!"

Distant explosions echoed through the hull.

"Al'kesh are bombing Moloc's madmen! We're going in now. Deployment imminent!"

The distinct sounds of staff cannons reverberated through the transport. The gunner was shooting the enemy, Mel'chan recognized.

The transport came to a sudden halt, and the rear ramp opened.

"Go, kill those heretics!" The pilot urged them one.

"Follow me, brothers! For Heru'ur and glory!" Mel'chan roared. He released the straps holding him secure on his seats and was the first to run outside.

The Jaffa found himself in the middle of a war zone. There were at least eight assault transports he could see. All had turrets that rotated and constantly fired at dug-in heretics. Several of the fortifications surrounding the Chappa'ai were burning, partially collapsed wrecks. Al'kesh screamed overhead, releasing plasma charges and strafing the enemy with staff cannons. Death Gliders dueled for control of the sky.

"There's no cover! Fire and advance! Don't let the heretics rally! Focus their attention on us!" Mel'chan roared and followed his advice.

The Jaffa could barely feel the kick of the staff rifle against his armored shoulder. He was too busy firing at a mostly intact fortification used by heretics to lay down inaccurate fire.

Then it happened. A black machine shot through the Chappa'ai. It made a sharp turn, and its gunner opened fire, laying down an impressive amount of plasma. A second transport followed, then a third. Perun was here, and the machines just kept coming. Before Mel'chan could even get to the fortification that was his goal, a combat transport suddenly stopped between him and the enemy. This one had a different weapon mount. It wasn't enclosed like on an Al'kesh, the assault transports, and the first machines through the gate. Instead, the Jaffa up there had sheets of thick metal creating a small fortress around them, which he used for cover.

Mel'chan noted the gunner had a staff cannon and oddly mounted staff weapons he used to rake the enemy bastion. The transport's rear ramp opened, and nine Perun's Jaffa ran out. Two went to their right, straight into the enemy fire. They used their bodies to cover their brothers, who went left, so that the transport could shield them.

Every single one of Perun's Jaffa had armor much thicker and heavier than Mel'chan and his brothers. Their weapons looked different as well. As if that wasn't enough of a difference, they all had leather straps over their chest plates and belts, heavy with all kinds of odd-looking equipment. They even had swords and axes with jagged teeth, for Heru'ur's sake!

"Hail, brother!" The presumed leader of Perun's warriors greeted. "It's a good day for war, isn't it?"

"That it is, brother." Mel'chan quickly approached, waving his Jaffa to follow. "Let us go teach those heretics a lesson!"

"For Perun! Dead to the demon Moloc!" Perun's Jaffa roared and charged into the fray.

They all charged the heretics' position under cover of the transport's heavier weaponry. Mel'chan forced himself to pay attention to Perun's Jaffa, even if doing so meant he might catch a plasma shot.

The two who went right were still alive. That pair of Perun's Jaffa carried large shields, big enough to cover their bulk, and had Zat'nik'tels in hand. Plasma and blue streams of energy lashed at the enemy position. More than a few of Perun's Jaffa put their staff rifles away, in favor of Zat'nik'tels and those odd, toothy close-quarters weapons.

Very soon, Mel'chan found out that there was a method to their madness. As soon as the loyalist Jaffa breached the walls of the heretics' bastion, the Zat'nik'tels proved even easier to maneuver than the new rifles. Those, in turn, were much better in cramped spaces than the regular staff weapons.

It also turned out that the close-quarter weapons were anything but primitive if anyone wondered. Their teeth began spinning with a roar just before Perun's Jaffa fell upon the heretics.

What followed left Mel'chan and the chosen he led speechless. He had seldom seen the aftermath of such butchery, much less watched it occur with his own eyes.

Perun's Jaffa literally tore the heretics to pieces in showers of steaming gore. After the first moments of stunned disbelief, Moloc's Jaffa broke and tried to run for all the good it did.

"At them! Don't let those honorless cur escape! For Perun!"

"Perun!"

"Victory!"

The maniacs began screaming war cries as they purged the fortification of heretics.

One thing was sure, when this was all over, Mel'chan would have much to report. Until then, he decided that Perun's maniacs had a point. His primary task was to test the new equipment and kill as many of those heretics as possible.

Mel'chan decided his best bet to do both was to follow Perun's people and gain more helpful information. As soon as they cleared the fortification, the Jaffa gathered outside.

That was when Mel'chan saw Perun for the first time. The man wasn't huge. Even if he wore intricate golden armor, there were many heavy armored Jaffa who towered above him. Perun's presence made him appear immense, more real than all the Jaffa around.

"Get the medical areas set up and secure. Make sure our allies have access to them as well." Mel'chan heard Perun's order in a firm, commanding voice that carried far.

He looked around and saw a square near the Chappa'ai. It had a combat transport at each corner, facing outward. Close to forty Jaffa stood guard at the perimeter, looking for any trace of danger. Inside that space, close to a hundred lightly armored Jaffa were busy setting up tents, folding beds, and caches of supplies. More importantly, groups of them carried stretchers with wounded or, in odd cases, brought the fallen over their shoulders.

More than a few of the wounded wore the same armor Mel'chan did, which was quite different from anything Perun's Jaffa had available.

This level of care for wounded Jaffa was practically unheard of, even among elite warriors! Only the best of the best might earn a spot in the sacred sarcophagus or have a minor god heal them with their powers. Jaffa had to set up their own healing camps when the time permitted, and tending to the wounded was generally their problem.

After all, their Prim'ta allowed them to eventually heal from what wounds didn't kill them in short order.

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