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Chapter 15: The path to war can be paved with the best of intentions

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Part 5

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Asdad
Ba'al's Fortress World
Milky Way galaxy

The original Ba'al was back on their Throne World, administering the realm and dealing with all the problems that came with it. These days, most of those issues cropped up on the worlds acquired from Moloc. Even with exceptionally high support from the local populations, Ba'al's Jaffa and agents had their hands full with keeping the peace and hunting down loyalists. The latter were exclusively fanatics ready to die for the mad creed of the dead System Lord, who simply refused to die once and for all.

The Spymaster had to dedicate more and more of his attention to fueling agents into the new parts of their domain to deal with those mad Jaffa and gain a complete picture of the situation on the ground. In the long term, those agents would act as the first line of defense against spies and local issues. Such trained Jaffa, Goa'uld one could trust, and even the odd human was not exactly growing up on trees. Finding the appropriate people to train and then training them to be useful was easier said than done. Even with more clones doing their part, it was a relatively slow process that wasn't always successful.

It would be different if they could simply make enough clones to cover all potential issues and critical positions, the Spymaster mused. However, they knew their nature well. Keeping themselves loyal and motivated took a lot of work and incentives. Having more of them running around would guarantee disaster.

The Spymaster finished his report for the original Ba'al and locked the stone tablet in his desk. He would send it later with loyal Jaffa to the Throne World through the Chapa'ai. That would only happen after he had the latest development from their Scientist and his team ready for delivery.

Ba'al's clone rose from his comfortable chair and ensured his working place was secure. Handpicked Jaffa remained at their post at the only entrance when he headed for the research wing of the fortress. That part of the complex was wisely separated from the rest and always surrounded by shields when the scientists there were working. That was a wise precaution against mishaps. After all, they still didn't know how the previous Scientist Clone managed to blow himself up while trying to improve the power cores of the Ha'tak.

That disaster was a significant setback that required rebuilding most of the science wing and reinforcing what survived. Regular backups of the data people worked on staved off a complete catastrophe yet did nothing to compensate for the loss of valuable assets.

It didn't help that neither the Original Ba'al nor the current Scientist knew what went wrong. Sabotage was always an option, but if that was the case, the saboteur likely died. The Spymaster ensured everyone who survived the explosion was interrogated and held no secrets. The same was true for the Jaffa, Goa'uld, and human staff, guaranteeing the fortress operated as efficiently as possible.

The Spymaster reached the dividing point between the fortress' wings and walked through a shielded corridor to a ring transporter. Two secondary shields briefly went down to let him through before coming online moments later. Now, he was a bit deeper underground, moving through well-lit halls that looked nothing alike compared to the rest of the fortress. The other part of the complex combined a military stronghold with a dungeon for prisoners who had Ba'al's attention. Its architecture was a very deliberate choice to awe and terrify.

On the other hand, this place was meant to facilitate a productive working environment – something Ba'al's clones and Goa'uld scientists working for them had been tweaking for over a thousand years. Instead of typical gold or the dark metal and tough stone of the fortress, green and silver shrouded everything here, lit up by carefully calibrated lights.

The Spymaster had to admit that the atmosphere was almost too relaxing. That was a deliberately created balance to help scientists deal with their frustration at failures faster so they could quickly focus and be more productive.

It was no coincidence that this place shared similarities with the private quarters of the Original Ba'al, the Scientist, and Spymaster here in the fortress.

The Clone's first stop was his counterpart's office, only to find it empty.

"The Lord Scientist is the testing zone," One of the Jaffa guards informed him.

The Spymaster headed there, finally finding the Scientist in one of the medium-sized artificial caverns used to assemble and test equipment. Several scientists and two dozen Jaffa were busy working on a silver and black vehicle slowly taking shape similar to an Al'kesh. The prototype was much smaller – it was meant to go through a Chapa'ai. This purpose governed its form – it was flatter and elongated compared to the bomber it was loosely based on.

"Good progress, I hope?" The Spymaster asked. He moved closer and saw the antigravity engine installed, keeping the structure hovering above the ground. Apparently, doing so was very convenient for the people building the thing.

"The prototype will help us figure out any outstanding issues with the design. After testing it, we can look at tweaks that make it easier and cheaper to produce," The Scientist explained. "Considering its primary purpose, I don't foresee building this version in too big numbers. I am more interested in how the other project will unfold after we learn any lessons this thing has to teach us. Under most circumstances, we won't attack any essential world just through the Chapa'ai."

Everyone knew the best way to take such a choke-point was to assault both through it and from space by deploying ground forces as close to its location as possible. Direct orbital fire usually was counter-productive. You wanted the Chapa'ai to facilitate the move of troops and supplies and the retrieval of loot and slaves. If you simply wanted to deny its use to the enemy, you either kept it dialed up or, better, bombed the area holding it from orbit.

Besides, any important world would have so many defenders that there was no taking it simply through a force you could push and sustain through the Chapa'ai. That made the Scarab project of secondary importance compared to its bigger brother. However, due to the similar design and the nature of the Marduc as an upscaled, heavily armored, and better-armed Scarab, they would use the smaller vehicle to build upon after resolving any issues that might arise.

"We decided flight capability was simply not practical. We already have Death Gliders and Al'kesh to cover the air; if needed, we can look into ways to improve them. Giving the Scarab and Marduc the ability to fly would make them significantly more complex and expensive to build. The antigravity drive in this is a fraction of the power and price compared to those used in anything that could fly, even if the basic technology is the same. Merely hovering on the other hand? Achieving that is simpler."

"We aren't going with tiny Al'kesh, despite the similarities then?" The Spymaster inquired. He knew this would almost certainly be the case for some time now.

"We can build tiny Al'kesh. They are much less powerful, yet not cheap enough to be worth it. We spent so much time refining our original ideas because they would require spending too many resources and tying up too much production capacity, compared to simply building more Al'kesh and Death Gliders, then optimizing them to better support Jaffa on the ground."

"We would preferably have both," The Spymaster pointed out.

"We all know we can't rely on everything going according to plan during a battle, much less a war. Perun proved the utility of ground vehicles, cheap yet potent enough to get the job done," The Scientist smiled proudly. "We will do better than him! We have the industry and resources to do so."

It remained unsaid that it simply wouldn't do to be upstaged by that upstart again.

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Part 6

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The City of Culak

Chulak

Apophis Domain

Milky Way Galaxy

Teal'c and Bra'tac were among the many Goa'uld and Jaffa watching a disgusting ceremony. Apophis' Queen, Amaunet, was once again testing to see if she would approve of a new host. The human woman in question was nude and bound to an altar while the Goa'uld Queen slithered over her back. Amaunet's frills opened up, and she hissed in displeasure. Her beady red eyes glowed with malice until the female Jaffa "blessed" to carry the Queen reverently picked her up and guided the Goa'uld back into the pouch in her belly.

Klorel, in his aging host, rolled his eyes at the display. This was the tenth failure today, and they just ran out of potential hosts for Amaunet.

"We will have to find someone suitable for my mother," Apophis' son declared, dismissing the crowd with a gesture. He looked at the Jaffa Primes and waved them to follow him. Meanwhile, Serpent Guards dragged the human slave away, ignoring her relieved sobs.

The Jaffa followed Klorel until they reached the chamber he used to work when on Chulak. Their God's son went to a carved wooden table and poured himself a glass of chilled wine.

"Our spies report disturbing developments," Klorel told them after sampling his drink. "Those who made deals with Perun are becoming more dangerous by the day. We don't have the luxury of developing better ways to wage war while our rivals are already training how to fight more effectively. My father has orders for you, Master Bra'tac."

"I live to serve, Lord Klorel," the old Jaffa declared proudly.

If Teal'c didn't know better, he would be utterly convinced by his mentor's undying devotion to their Gods. He knew better, though. Bra'tac was the one who put him on the path of discovering for himself that Apophis was a False God who didn't care for his followers. Suppose it wasn't for his desire for vengeance against Cronus. In that case, Teal'c might have been eager to risk it all to support Bra'tac's attempts to show the truth to as many Jaffa as possible.

"You will act as an envoy to Perun. From what we know, he fancies himself as a Warrior God. Lord Yu had a great success in sending one of his Primes to negotiate their current deal," Klorel explained.

"I will do my best, Lord Klorel! What must I acquire, and what can I offer in exchange?" Bra'tac asked with such an eagerness that Teal'c struggled not to raise an eyebrow at the performance. He knew his mentor was a cunning old Jaffa who had been fooling False Gods for decades. Yet, seeing Bra'tac in action somehow never ceased to amaze him.

"Resources first and foremost," Klorel offered and drank some more wine. "Some tools to build weapons and other equipment, depending on what he offers. I have a list for you," the Goa'uld walked to his desk and retrieved a stone tablet, which he offered to the Jaffa. "This contains the instructions on what you can offer and what you need to gain in exchange. There is some flexibility on the price, as my father noted."

"I will do my utmost to bring back a favorable deal, Lord Klorel! This is an incredible honor I will live up to!"

"See that you do. You'll be accompanied by a Serpent Guard to impress upon Perun that you are speaking with the authority of Apophis himself in this instance," Klorel looked at Bra'tac's armor. "First, go to the armory and outfit yourself as it befits an envoy of my father."

"I will do so immediately, my Lord! Are there any more tasks I need to accomplish first?"

"No, you are dismissed," Klorel shook his head and looked at Teal'c. "You weren't around the last time my mother had to take a host that wasn't to her liking. That is an experience neither my father nor I want to endure again. Have our warriors find out if the slaves in the dungeon have any useful skills. If so, put them to use. Otherwise, dispose of them. After that, you will focus on finding high-quality potential hosts. Buy some if you have to. The price is of no consequence. Look for fit young male hosts as well. Mine need replacing too," Klorel ordered. "Jaffa Kree!" He waved Teal'c away.

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Slavna Zemq
Perun's Throne World
Milky Way Galaxy

For Bra'tac, visiting Perun's Throne World was a revelation. It was still clear that the place used to be a typical city if on the small side, one might find all across the Goa'uld Empire. However, those traces were few and far between. They were all crawling with working crews consisting of fit humans in better clothes than anyone not working as a servant to a Goa'uld could generally be seen with. Here and there, Bra'tac could see Jaffa and the odd Goa'uld overseeing the construction work.

As they went deeper into the city on their way to Perun's palace, it became apparent that humans lived in many of those buildings, even if there was no doubt that most of the population was Jaffa. What was extraordinary was that the humans were not regular slaves. That much was obvious to see. At least in this place, they lived like Jaffa on most planets. The Jaffa were in homes usually fit for the wealthiest and most influential families or even Goa'uld overseers.

There was a sense of energy to this place Bra'tac had rarely seen. The more he got to experience as they approached the palace, the clearer it became that Perun might not be a False God like most, if not all, Goa'uld. The old Jaffa wondered if that was wishful thinking on his part.

Finally, they reached their destination and disembarked from the combat vehicle that carried them from the Chapa'ai. Bra'tac couldn't fail to recognize how valuable that thing was, even discounting its weapons and armor. The speed with which they covered the distance was impressive. In combat, that alone offered countless opportunities that until now would not be worth even considering.

The weapons and armor on the vehicles were another thing that changed warfare, and the veteran Jaffa wasn't sure yet how to best utilize them. He could see some possibilities and incorporate them while training youngsters. Yet, the old Jaffa was sure he was merely seeing the most basic of stratagems. Once Apophis craftsmen delivered enough machines for him to experiment with, Bra'tac was sure he would better understand what they could offer.

The False God was right in that regard – discovering everything from the beginning took time. It was arguably a wasted time when others had already figured it out and were busy retraining their armies.

Part of Bra'tac wished to sabotage the negotiations and damn the consequences. However, doing so would only mean that one day, someone worse might end up owning Apophis' domain, which was to be avoided. On the bright side, the changes fostered by Perun might mean that more and more Jaffa might eventually see the truth of the Goa'uld as False Gods unworthy of worship.

Bra'tak walked into Perun's palace, feeling uncomfortable in his new gray and silver armor. While it was thicker and better than anything he had carried in combat, it was also heavier and not adequately fitted for him. The decorative silver snakes etched on his breastplate, and arm-guards also made him look ridiculous. For all the protection the armor offered, it was more of a ceremonial piece than something he would choose to wear in combat.

In sharp contrast to the relatively ornate armors of the Serpent Guard, Perun's Custodes wore plain equipment without decorations. The golden or silver color set them aside from his regular Jaffa. Their armor was also thicker and obviously different from anything Bra'tac had seen before.

A tall Jaffa met them in the palace's antechamber. He was the first among Perun's warriors Bra'tac saw wearing ornate armor. An eagle was engraved on his chest plate in such detail that when the Jaffa walked, it created the illusion of the mural moving.

"Master Bra'tac, I am Prime Vasil. Lord Perun will meet you now. Your honor guard will have to wait here," Perun's Jaffa introduced himself in a no-nonsense tone.

Bra'tac could sense the Serpent Guards' bristle despite being encased in heavy armor, complete with helmets shaped like a hooded serpent's head.

"It will be an honor to meet your Lord, Prime Vasil. I am Prime Bra'tac. I bring greetings and an offer from my Lord Apophis. My companions will wait here," Bra'tac spoke in a sharp tone that left no place for argument.

"Then follow me, Master Jaffa," Perun's Prime gave him a slight bow of respect and turned around, then headed deeper into the palace.

Bra'tac gave a warning look to the Serpent Guard for good measure and followed the younger Jaffa.