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Chapter 11: Storm Front
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Part 7
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Slavna Zemq
Perun's domain
Milky Way galaxy
Recent developments made it feasible for Oshu to openly visit Lord Perun to discuss potential deals and perhaps even a future alliance. An open visit meant honor guard. Honor guard led to more eyes to watch how Perun ran his realm and more different minds to analyze what they saw.
On arrival, one of the first things the Prime noticed was the heavy security around the gate. Some of the fortifications were odd, yet they appeared effective. Guard towers and staff cannon emplacements came as no surprise. Seeing Perun's Jaffa clad in sleek plate armor that had little resemblance to the standard Jaffa armor everyone used for thousands of years was something to note. Lord Yu's scholars were still busy working on the best ways to design and build new armor before beginning mass production. The same was true for new staff weapons. As a first step, they made a lightly modified staff weapon in a form resembling descriptions of the new weapons. These altered weapons allowed Lord Yu's Jaffa to train their marksmanship. At the same time, the scholars were busy figuring out how to build new weapons without sacrificing either firepower, rate of fire, or accuracy.
In contrast to those contraptions, Perun's Jaffa had weapons that looked easy to carry and wield at a close inspection. At the very least, Oshu had to buy some for testing and, if practical, replication. The same was true about new armor, among other things.
Surprisingly, Oshu didn't have to walk to Perun's palace. Perun's Jaffa summoned a transport vehicle with a troop compartment in the back. It was slimmer and smaller than other models he could see parked near the Chappa'ai and lightly armed. If Oshu had to guess, this transport wasn't designed to enter direct combat. In comparison, the machines ready to defend the Chappa'ai were at least a third as large and had turrets that resembled those on Al'kesh.
It was one thing to hear stories from Moloc's realm, where the new weapons and tactics proved themselves. It was something else to see the equipment in question with your own eyes when wielded with practiced ease by warriors who were likely veterans of that fighting. After all, protecting the Chappa'ai on a Throne World was among the more prestigious posts a Jaffa might serve on. Only the duty of guarding your Lord's palace and their person could be considered more vital.
Oshu wasn't only interested in the military angle. The open top of the troop compartment allowed him to observe Perun's capital. How a Lord ran their realm could tell an observant envoy many a thing about who they were about to deal with. That said, the conduct of the Jaffa told stories by itself. Often, even when visiting allied worlds, there would be banter and ill-spirited jokes aimed at the visitors. Such behavior would, in part, test the visitors' discipline while being a crude game of dominance.
All Jaffa Oshu met since stepping through the Chappa'ai were highly disciplined. There was no trace of the usual crude banter, no attempts to get a raise of him and make him dishonor himself. Instead, there were polite pointed questions and scans for hidden treacherous weapons. That did bother Oshu. However, he couldn't blame Perun's Jaffa for their diligence. Everyone knew that the Tok'ra assassin who murdered Lord Heru'ur almost got Perun. There were endless stories of multiple assassination attempts before that as well.
Perun's capital city told a story by itself. It was a far cry from what Oshu expected after visiting the seats of many minor Goa'uld serving Lord Yu. The city might be on the small side, yet it was much closer to the capital of a Great Lord than anything else. Many large cities in System Lords' realms were in much worse shape than this one. Oshu couldn't see a trace of slums where human slaves lived in ramshackle huts that might collapse at a stiff breeze. The roads were all paved with stone and clean. Perun's subjects appeared to be in good spirits. They all looked healthy as they went to do their Lord's bidding. Further, Oshu couldn't see a single Human or Jaffa of ill fortune wearing rags. That was something unheard of outside the borders of Lord Yu's Celestial Realm.
In his years of service, first as a simple Jaffa warrior and then Prime, Oshu had seen cities owned by most of the System Lords. Those in any way rivaling the splendor and order that the Celestial Realm took for granted were few and far between.
From what Oshu could see, Lord Perun took his position seriously. He understood that a proper Lord and a worthy god had to look after their subjects. This was something the Prime approved of. How could he not, when Lord Yu's realm was famous for its lack of slave rebellions and other uprisings that Jaffa across the galaxy had to die often suppressing? In his life, Oshu had to put down a single rebellion caused by the mismanagement of a greedy, incompetent overseer. The whole pointlessly bloody affair ended with the Overseer's head on a pike in front of his mansion.
The interior of Lord Perun's palace was another pleasant surprise. There was little of the tasteless gold decorations found everywhere within most Goa'uld seats of power. Instead, statues and murals depicted Jaffa warriors, Perun in various types of ancient armor, and battles that Perun or his Jaffa presumably fought.
Yet another surprise was the throne room and the attending court. Well, the lack of sycophants and court was a surprise. Perun's Jaffa escorted Oshu and his Honor Guard inside a small, by System Lord standards at least, throne room. Globes of frozen fire lit it well. The light shone off well-polished marble, making the place positively glow.
Perun sat on his throne wearing golden armor similar to his guards if a bit bulkier. A pair of Jaffa flanked the throne, and a single woman stood to Perun's right, reading from a stone tablet. That was the extent of the court.
"Prime Oshu, welcome to my humble realm." Perun's voice echoed clearly throughout the throne room. If nothing else, the place had excellent acoustics.
"Lord Perun," Oshu bowed as appropriate, and his Honor Guard followed suit, carefully observing protocol. "My Lord Yu sends his regards."
"I remember your face!" Perun stared curiously at him and leaned forward. "It was a few thousand years ago. It was one of the last times I attended a meeting of the System Lords as Lady Kali's servant." Perun spoke in a thoughtful tone. "That was Sun Tzu, wasn't it?"
Oshu bowed again, pleased at the recognition of his distant sire.
"That was my ancestor, Lord Perun. Sun Tzu was Lord Yu's most favored warrior, adviser, and friend."
"You have a heavy legacy to shoulder then, young Prime." Perun nodded. "But we aren't here to discuss who your ancestors were. What does the esteemed Lord Yu desire?"
If it were proper, Oshu would have nodded in approval. The rumors were true again, it seemed. Lord Perun was a warrior at heart and didn't have time for a court's usual intrigues and word games. As a Jaffa, Oshu could only agree with such a sentiment. Too many courtiers were full of bluster and had little to say, yet they kept yammering until someone of high enough rank got tired of hearing their voices. Perun had no patience or time for courtiers. This fact proved Lord Yu's wisdom in sending a warrior like him as an envoy instead of a more traditional court member.
"First, I must deliver my Lord Yu's congratulations and appreciation for your achievements, Lord Perun."
"I appreciate the sentiment. Now, please get to the point, Prime Oshu. I have a realm to run and no time for pleasantries."
Oshu nodded sharply, glad that he had not misjudged his host.
"Lord Yu has sent me to explore the possibility of establishing trade links between our realms. My Lord authorized me to offer resources for knowledge, military equipment, and the expertise on how to build it and best utilize it."
Lord Perun smiled and leaned back into his throne. His likely adviser put away her stone tablet and focused her attention on Oshu.
"You have my attention, Prime Oshu. Explain plainly what Lord Yu needs and what he is ready to offer in exchange."
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Lord Yu was quick to act. He was among the first System Lords to dispatch envoys to Lord Perun's court. Prime Oshu was one of the first, if not the first, envoy to meet with Lord Perun after the Supreme Lord Ra took him as a vassal. This immediate acknowledgment and the honorable deals established between Lord Yu and Lord Perun would lay the foundations for future closer ties, perhaps even an alliance.
from Against the Storm, the Celestial Realm in the Age of Strife, by Ai Fang, a historian in Lord Yu's court
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Part 8
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Slavna Zemq
Perun's domain
Milky Way galaxy
Ishta felt out of place in the opulent quarters the odd, heavily armored Jaffa brought her, and the little girl the High Priest tried to burn. Every time she closed her eyes, the Priestess could see it all happen again. The slaughter in the temple haunted her dreams, even if she enjoyed seeing that fat bastard burn for all he did.
Once upon a time, Ishta believed with her whole being that Moloc was a god, not just a god, but a worthy one. Then he went mad, spitting on and betraying everyone who followed him. What got to Ishta was how many of Moloc's subjects…. No, this wasn't the time to lie to herself. Almost all of his subjects just accepted Moloc's new insane practices. Ishta was sure some did it out of fear, but too many followed out of sheer faith, even if it led them straight into a decades-long nightmare.
Watching children burn for no other reason but because Moloc demanded it shattered her faith. It didn't help that Ishta didn't see Moloc gaining any power from the sacrifices. They didn't purify his domain. His Jaffa didn't suddenly become stronger and faster. Moloc himself didn't become all-knowing. Otherwise, Ishta wouldn't have been able to spirit away a single child.
Yet, countless Jaffa quietly or even happily gave their daughters to the priests to be sacrificed.
Ishta didn't know when she stopped believing in any greater power or the gods themselves, unlike her faith in Moloc. She knew when her faith in her false god died.
That is why what happened in the temple confused the Priestess. She could feel the power of the newcomer! He had real power! She saw him use it! Perhaps that is why she got stuck in this gilded cage for weeks. Ishta beheld the true face of a god, saw him unleash his power, and slaughter the wicked. She was the only one alive to behold Perun's wrath save for his sworn warriors.
That was the difference, Ishta thought. She couldn't help but compare Moloc's pointless sacrifices and their effect to Perun's warriors! They walked through staff weapon fire, shrugging it off as if it was mere rain splashing over their heavy armor. That was the strength the sacrifices should have offered Moloc's warriors! It was what the mad god claimed their purity would grant them.
It was all lies and madness.
There was no divine judgment to strike Perun when he cast down Moloc's High Priest into the same fiery pit where countless children burned. If the few rumors Ishta heard from her guards and attendants were true, Perun's next step had been Moloc's palace, where he cast down the mad god himself!
There could be no more decisive proof that all Moloc did was for naught, yet that realization didn't make Ishta feel any better. It didn't bring the dead back to life. All she could console herself with was the knowledge that it was all over now.
Days blurred into weeks, perhaps months. Ishta lost track of time while stuck in her cage. Her only companion was the little girl she tried the save, the same child, Perun himself, plucked out of the fire. The only distraction the Priestess got were regular checks from Perun's guards, the attendants who tended to her quarters, and a milkmaid. The latter regularly visited to feed the child.
They were all polite yet tight-lipped, giving nothing. If it wasn't for the general jubilation surrounding Moloc's fall, Ishta doubted she would have learned even that much.
The Priestess, well, former Priestess, if she was to be brutally honest with herself, despised the boredom. It gave her too much time to think about the horrors she experienced and her failures. Suppose Ishta could have only brought a handful of veteran Jaffa to train her and her sisters! In that case, they might have survived the disaster at the temple. Only if! There were too many instances of what could have been, too many mistakes Ishta could think of now that she had nothing else to do.
Doubts and the bitter taste of failure ate at her.
One evening, chill spread throughout Ishta's cage, no different than all the others. Shadows crept up the walls as if living things. Instead of crying, distressed at the cold or oppressive sensation that washed over the room, Ishta's charge giggled from her cradle.
The doors opened silently, and Perun himself stalked through them, like wrath surrounded by an intangible cloak of power.
"Priestess Ishta, we meet again," Even as he spoke, the god didn't look at her. Instead, his gaze focused on the cradle. "It was a good thing you protected this child. Even at this tender age, she shines with untapped potential." Perun spoke in a wishful tone Ishta had never heard a god use before.
Yet, she could see his eyes. They glowed with power, but not the Goa'uld way. Instead of lighting up with bright light, it was the color of molten metal she saw.
Perun strolled toward the cradle and raised his hands. The child floated out of it and gently flew into his open arms.
"You can already sense it, I see. You like it, don't you? The Force is your birthright, little one." Perun crooned and gently rocked the child, who kept giggling.
The living shadows stretched further, surrounding the god and child like a blanket. Ishta was sure she could hear distant whispers coming from the shifting darkness.
"I can see you already. One day, you will be magnificent. I can see you wielding both Light and Darkness, charting a new path for us all…." Perun whispered.
A wave of warmth washed over Ishta. The shadows evaporated in front of her eyes, and she could swear she could see the child glow like a tiny star.
"I haven't felt something like this in ages…." Perun spoke in wonder. "This is a different universe altogether, isn't it?"
It was right then and there, that moment. Sparkling lights and shards of shadows danced around Perun. That was the moment, Ishta fully beheld divinity, and it rekindled her faith.
An impossible wind came through the room, feeling like spring. The power surrounding Perun vanished, like a mirage blown away. The god finally turned around and looked at Ishta with slowly cooling eyes.
"I'm in the market for a new High Priest. I had to render my last one to pieces for abusing my subjects. That's not the done thing." The god explained calmly. "You've seen firsthand wickedness and know to avoid it, Priestess."
Ishta shuddered, and her body fell on its knees of its own volition. Her mind was a mess, still trying to process what she beheld.
"You honor me greatly, my Lord!" Ishta babbled.
"Get yourself together, woman! I do not need boot-licking sycophants!"
That barked order helped Ishta focus. Of course, a god would have no need of empty platitudes and useless fools who only knew how to sing his praises!
"I live to serve, my Lord!" Ishta could hear the devotion in her voice.
"Bloody hell, the last time, it was at least intentional!" Perun grumbled.
"Get up, woman! I have no patience for bowing and scrapping either." Vexation crept in the god's voice, and Ishta hurried to obey.
"What in the name of the Force am I supposed to do with you now?" Perun frowned at her, while Ishta wondered what she did to offend the first real god she had the fortune to meet.
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