Welcome back everyone, I'm glad to see at least a couple comments on the fanfic so far. It warms my soul to see people even reading this. Please review what you liked and disliked with the story so far and I hope you enjoy watching Nabu grow and learn more as he goes.
A few things to note. I do not wish for him to be a Mary Sue, Gary Stu or any of the such and have no intention for him to become such. He is a conniving and manipulating Goa'uld like so many other before him. I want to emphasize the only difference between him and the others is the fact he is more cautious and willing to work with others. He's not as arrogant but he is still arrogant.
I will also reiterate that this draws heavy inspiration from the fanfic Empress in the Shadows by Voider and the remake so please feel free to point out if it is too similar. As always my discord is the best way to reach me directly and is how you should contact me if you want to be a beta-reader. Thank you for trudging through my long intro and without further ado, I present Chapter three of Eclipse.
The report to Marduk about the situation on Assura went by sluggishly slowly.
"You should have sent for assistance, I know we gave you a communications device!" I couldn't help the wince of pain at the raised metallic rasp of Sarpanitum's worry. She had spent the last hour yelling at me for my recklessness and brazen lack of concern for his well being.
"Yes, my Queen." He winced again as she began her next round of admonishments.
"You are our first son and you risk your life, leaving it to the hands of some…some mere Jaffa?! Do you not love us?! Do you not value the life we brought into this world as something to treasure as we do?!" I couldn't help but wince at her words.
My life was something Sarpanitum took great pride in. Maybe it was my advancement of the Kara-kesh after a scant few days, innovative ability being nigh unheard of for Goa'uld save scientists like Thoth, Nirrti, Pelops, or Ptah. Or maybe it was something to do with Sarpanitum being the Queen that specifically birthed me. That my being her offspring created some kind of bond between us. No matter the cause, she had a vested and genuine interest in my well being and that was enough for the small part of me influenced by my host's memories and emotions to feel a little ashamed at my actions on Assura.
I had been reckless and now I was making what was essentially my mother, worry. It didn't help that Sarpanitum doted over me like the human mothers I could find within Abdul's memories but she also had the long life to ensure I might never escape this phase of hers.
"I will not allow myself to partake in such reckless endeavors again, my Queen." Her silence after a huff of acknowledgement being my only response from her as Marduk continued to observe the interaction with passive amusement.
"Now that you have been thoroughly cowed by my Queen, you will join me. We have much to discuss." Marduk stood from his throne before walking towards me. Each step was like another nail in my proverbial coffin as I dared to think about what the elder Goa'uld had in store for me.
As it turned out, he had much just not the punishment that I was thinking would take place. He led me to his Ha'tak, a formidable warship that served many functions. It was a flagship, transport, carrier and also served as a frontline warship. Something about that bothered me.
I was guided through the ship that was currently docked on Tau'ri. Ever since being discovered by Ra, Tau'ri had acted as a homebase and neutral territory for many of my kind. System Lords and Underlords held domain over vast swathes of land in tandem. It was also a sort of sanctuary for many that were under threat. Nobody wanted to waste the veritable wealth of hosts or gain the ire of the Supreme System Lord by settling a petty dispute on the planet.
I end up running my hands along the ornately patterned golden walls of the Ha'tak in admiration. Ptah had outdone himself when he fashioned these behemoth structures out of the first ships that we found among the first worlds we explored through the Chaapa'ai.
"Sarpanitum told me how you fawned over the Kara-kesh. I see that the Ha'tak has also captured your interest?"
I could only nod dumbly at the question from Marduk. He chuckled revealing his own amusement at my inability to pull myself away from my thoughts nor the immaculate craftsmanship of the walls.
"It's immaculate design my Lord, the sheer passion and care shown to these walls. I cannot help but envy them." My words only seemed to heighten my patrons' amusement.
"Then I will leave you to your wonder Nabu. What I have for you is a trifling thing if you can work magic on the ancient Ha'tak as you did with the Kara-kesh. You have a gift that I wish to see expressed. Show me what you can do." With those words Marduk left. I barely noticed.
How long had it been? Days, weeks, or perhaps simply a handful of hours? I poured over the schematics of the Ha'tak. So painstakingly written out by the hand of Ptah himself. Apparently Marduk had to lie and murder his way through several former Underlords of the ancient Goa'uld to obtain them and I was more than grateful.
Even Abdul was grateful for a change of pace as we scoured the blueprints for anything that I could work with. It seemed that most of the systems were run through several different crystals which were stored and managed in the engine room. There were spares and plenty to work with so I tried my hand at making my adjustments.
The first batch was a bust. They exploded in my face but fortunately I could heal the injuries without much fanfare. We had the technology to heal quicker through the Sarcophagus that Telchak had developed based off of Lord Thoth's old design but something about how it messed with the chemical composition of our brain and the brain of our host really didn't sit right with me. I wouldn't find the true cause till some time later but that has yet to come.
The second batch seemed to work, instead of the composite that I had used with the smaller and more manageable Kara-kesh, I instead used one with a much stronger concentration of Naquadah. This seemed to work for a limited time and I was forced to shelve the idea due to the crystals not being able to withstand the much larger increase in power utilization. That is what eventually led me to my third trial. My last batch of crystals that I could easily access without disturbing Lord Marduk or our Queen.
With this third batch of crystals, I reinforced the crystal with an isotope of Naquadah that had a very volatile nature to it but could withstand a much greater influx of power. It could both act as a capacitor and then direct that energy as needed and due to its volatile nature it could store massive amounts of generated power in case we over supplied allowing for a sudden burst of power to a system if needed. It wasn't much as I could only manipulate a small amount of the isotope but it would be enough to allow our weapons one more volley or our shields to withstand an additional hit at a pivotal moment in battle. It would be enough. It also vastly increased energy efficiency. It would be perfect.
I took the batch of crystals and sent them through several weeks of trial runs to ensure their functionality before installing them and making my way back to my Lord with my findings.
To say that he was ecstatic would be an understatement. After a quick showcase against Dagda, a subordinate of the System Lord Balor, and a resounding victory on his part, Marduk returned and commanded Nabu be brought before him and his Queen.
"Nabu." I knelt before my Lord, pride swelled within me as I felt his pride wash over me. The tone of his voice and the approving glean in Sarpanitums eyes made my heart swell.
"Yes, my Lord." My mind was a blaze with all the ideas of how he might reward one as young as I. My body practically shook with anticipation, unable to contain the emotions welling within.
"Since the day you were born into this world. Joining our ranks as a Lord, you have proven yourself. Your studies have never been left unattended. Your mind never satiated. You've shown yourself to be both a valuable asset and loyal child of my Queen. It has come to the attention of both myself and my Queen, Sarpanitum, that you are adept in our technology in ways that have not been seen since the birth of Ptah. A drive and thirst for knowledge I dare say surpasses the ranks of Nirrti or Pelops. In a week, you've enhanced the Kara-kesh. In a scant few months you've quelled a riot and reasserted our claim on a world as well as strengthened our warships. You have done well and now I believe it is time to finally reward you for your efforts."
I could not stop the torrent of thoughts swarming my mind. Abdul was silent but I knew he was listening in on the happenings right now. I couldn't even help the slight jitter that ran through my body as Marduk praised me. Oh the joy brought memories of Ra being rewarded by Apep. Memories not my own of many Goa'uld pleasing their masters and receiving many rewards, all of which could eventually become mine in due time.
"I am unworthy of your praise my Lord, I merely act as is expected of a loyal servant." Marduk chuckles reverberate throughout the room, echoing against the walls and sounding as a thunder clap would.
"Do not take me for a fool, I know you have your own reasons for advancing us the way you do, however as long as your purposes serve us and this court, I will allow your ambitions some room to grow. I do warn you, if they grow too much, I will not hesitate to remind you of whence you came and put you in your place Nabu. I do not suffer an arrogant servant. As for your reward, I would bestow upon you a lab. A research facility fit with everything you would require to serve your purpose. You will no longer serve me as my administrator, you will serve as my researcher. Fully devoting yourself to your work."
I, having known that this was the only possible outcome that would come from my tampering with the technology, accepted my fate. It was one thing to be adept at working the technology that they absorbed from other races. It was a whole other thing to advance and improve upon it for the first time in centuries. However this would be a secure place. Marduk would never tell Enki of his discoveries and even if he did, he would never reveal that I was the one who had made them.
No, the older Goa'uld would take credit and that meant that others of my species would never know of my existence. That would be the best so that I can grow my forces and eventually gain the strength needed to subdue and take over Marduk's armies. That would take centuries, millennia even but I could wait.
"I will accept this great honor, my Lord. I am grateful to be of such use to you and our Queen." Marduk already knew what I was up to but I knew that he could also kill me in an instant, it wouldn't be much of a hassle to simply get rid of me before I could become an issue but our kind was more arrogant than that. Marduk wanted to gain as much from me as possible. He knew I could still be useful given what I've already accomplished and with me under his thumb, I would only grow more useful if given time.
It was like a grand game of chess, each side simply using the other for their purposes. Such was our way of life. I would play his game though. I would play by his rules for now. I had much left to do and I needed his patronage for it to work out.
Marduk bid me go explore my new laboratory and I left the hall. In my absence Sarpanitum and Marduk would most likely discuss how to keep me tame in the meantime till they could squeeze out everything I knew. Little did I know then that Sarpanitum was going to truly be my greatest threat. Her plans would cause me much grief in the coming years but also prove to be a boon decades after that.
For now I had a lab to explore and more research to conduct. Having to be grateful that I still had my head. Much worse befell Goa'uld of lesser intelligence. Marduk was truly a cunning creature.
Thank you for reading Chapter three of Eclipse, as always, please review your thoughts and where you think I am going with this. There will be a pairing later however it has nothing to do with what you think. I am going to heavily utilize some under utilized Goa'uld in this story and will hopefully be fleshing out their stories with this fanfic. Showing another side of the several events only mentioned in the series and in supplementary material. I will share with you one thing. Events from Season 2, 3 and 6 will be vastly different because of this story when they eventually happen but that won't be for a long time. Next chapter will be short, either as short or shorter than this.
Next: Chapter 4: Sarpantium