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Chapter 29

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Part 1

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Everything we've been able to gather points at a singular conclusion. Goa'uld's conventional wisdom in space warfare makes what Lord Perun did in the opening stage of the war pure madness. While he had already proved his audacity and credentials as a warrior, at the time Lord Perun annexed Earth, he was still a minor Goa'uld. The two worlds Ra gifted him were a tremendous expansion of his industrial power and manpower, yet that failed to put him on an even footing with Kali's more powerful vassals, much less even the least of the System Lords.

At the beginning of the conflict, Lord Perun had ten to fifteen Ha'tak and roughly the same amount of Cheops cruisers. Most of those ships were either brand new, built in his new industrial world, or another gift from Ra. While this expansion of naval power increased Lord Perun's navy by orders of magnitude, Kali still had hundreds of vessels she could deploy on short notice. At the start of hostilities, her loyalists should have been able to crush Lord Perun in short order.

A key example that illustrates this point is the Goa'uld Chandragupta – who was by all accounts a fierce Kali loyalist. His holdings were near Lord Perun's domain, relatively speaking. That made

Chandragupta a logical choice to lead a campaign to deal with Lord Perun. By all accounts, the Goa'uld in question and his direct vassals could muster over forty ships for the operation while dispatching forces to the borders of Kali's realm in preparation for the war that was seen as increasingly inevitable.

from declassified NID report on the Goa'uld civil war

FBI agents and local law enforcement besiege militia members in Tenessee!

CNN

Members of the Saudi Royal Family flee Ryadth as violent clashes between radical extremists and security forces intensify.

Al Jazeera

The Brazilian government discussed declaring martial law as protests paralyzed large parts of the country.

Associated Press

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Vidisha, Goa'uld industrial world
Kali's domain, Milky Way Galaxy

Chandragupta awoke at an ungodly hour, eager to ensure that preparations for the war to come continued as planned. For ten centuries, he has steadily risen in Lady Kali's esteem, hoping he would one day be worthy of becoming her consort and co-ruler.

Perun's rise and the success of that upstart threatened all Chandragupta held dear. It was no coincidence that Ra took two valuable worlds that were under his sway and gifted them to the worm! The sheer offense and loss of tangible power weakened Chandragupta's position in court. However, Lady Kali was as wise as she was magnificent! She knew of Chandragupta's prowess and ensured he would be the one to bring Perun to justice for his presumptions! The Goa'uld already had thirty ships ready for deployment with ten more vessels en route for resupply and to load troops! Soon, Chandragupta could move with overwhelming force when Lady Kali gave him leave to expunge Perun from existence!

The Goa'uld's personal guard formed around him, magnificent and deadly in their new armor, and they headed for the nearby pyramids. He would personally oversee preparations so ambitious underlings, sneaky rivals, or worse, Tok'ra, couldn't fail him. There was vengeance to be had, and status regained!

Chandragupta walked to his new transport, complete with all the creature comforts befitting someone of his station. Its side slid open so he wouldn't have to bend his back to enter. The Goa'uld walked inside and sat on a comfortable couch, dominating most of the troop compartment. A servant already awaited him, ready to offer refreshments. Two Jaffa followed him inside and sat before the door closed behind them. The rest of the guard would board the other vehicles of the convoy, and they would be on their way momentarily.

Hyperspace windows tore realspace asunder, unleashing a small fleet. Flashes blossomed in orbit, ignited by naquadah ammunition going off. A gargantuan vessel like nothing the Goa'uld had seen in ages led the charge.

Chandragupta's first clue that something was wrong was the driver's warning cry. His vehicle came to a sudden halt, momentarily straining its inertial dampeners and shaking the passengers. Chandragupta cried in outrage when the unexpected shaking caused him to spill a glass of wine all over his silk tunic.

"What is the meaning of this!?" the Goa'uld exclaimed in sheer indignation.

Before the driver could answer, thunder struck the vehicle, sending it into the crumbling wall of a nearby building. Chandragupta flew off his seat and slammed into something hard, dazzling him. He was sure he felt and heard something break. Pain flared in his side while red mist clouded his mind.

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When planning the war, there was one inescapable conclusion. Vidisha had to be the primary target. It was the nearest industrial and logistics hub for the most powerful Kali loyalists in the region. That made the planet a logical staging area for offensive operations against Lord Perun's holdings and a valuable prize for itself.

Before retrieving Death Dealer, striking at Vidisha would have warranted the deployment of most, if not all, of the navy. Unfortunately, other targets in the region had to be struck at the same time, limiting Prime Iasen's options. Ideally, he would have wanted to try to capture as many assets on Vidisha intact as possible. However, that was simply not possible.

By its nature, and with Lord Perun being now a threat, Chandragupta deployed more ships to act as its garrison on top of the forces gathering for offensive operations.

There were thirty Ha'tak in orbit, backed by twenty Cheops cruisers. More ships were on the ground, either resupplying or in the last stages of construction.

Against such a concentration of forces, Prime Iasen would have needed total surprise on his side and the whole fleet to have a fighting chance.

Instead, he had a surprise, Death Dealer, and most of the Al'kesh and Tel'tak available to even the odds. He also had virtually the whole Space Wolves Legion save for a few detached units moving in to capture softer targets.

Their plan was audacious and had Lord Perun written all over it.

The fleet first exited hyperspace in deep space near Vidisha, outside of the expected sensor range and expected patrol routes, then waited for a cloaked Al'kesh to bring news about the enemy's disposition. Save for some patrols that could be initially ignored, the bulk of Chandragupta's forces were concentrated around Vidisha's capital, as expected. A strike force of cloaked Al'kesh and Tel'tak was already on its way and would attack as soon as the fleet arrived.

A cluster of dangerously close hyperspace windows opened, disgorging Iasen's fleet. Before Perun's ships could return to real space, bombers, and transports decloaked, accelerating for all they were worth. Advanced sensors lit up the sky, tracking targets. Missiles left crude racks, homing in on shocked targets.

The first to die were the Death Glider patrols meant to prevent this kind of sneak attack. Dozens of short-lived stars lit up the sky. Before Jaffa and minor Goa'uld at various Pel'taks figured out what was happening and could raise shields, guided missiles struck. Naquadah warheads designed to channel their destructive potential in a small cone sliced through transparent metal like a hot knife cutting through butter.

In one fell swoop, the sneak attack crippled a third of Chandragupta's fleet. Before anyone was the wiser and someone could reach a secondary control center to take charge, more ammunition struck hangar doors or thinner hull sections so transports could dock and disgorge packs of eager Space Wolves. They would either take control of the ships or cripple them for good with naquadah bombs.

Death Dealer led a pack of its own – four modified Ha'tak, each escorted by two Cheops cruisers. Hundreds of missile racks hung upon the smaller ships' superstructure.

Iasen designated targets for his task force before opening fire. The Al'kesh swept forward, soon joined by rapidly accelerating Death Gliders heavy with missiles. The Ha'tak and Cheops swept in two wings at Death Dealer's flanks, locked in their targets. Within seconds, they ripple-fired all their missiles while shooting plasma bolts at enemy vessels with their shields still down.

Five Ha'tak and a Cheops burned, shattered before their defenses could come fully online. Bomber squadrons crippled two more vessels while their shields were still stabilizing, then proceeded to tear them apart.

Half of the enemy fleet died or was too busy fighting off boarding parties to participate in the battle. That still left Prime Iasen significantly outnumbered in space, before accounting for the enemy vessels on the ground or patrols across the system that would soon be converging on Vidisha.

However, the balance of power had shifted dramatically. Perun's forces had the initiative and deadly surprises up their sleeves.

Here and there, alert squadrons managed to clear their hangars only to fly straight into missile barrages they were not trained to deal with. Dozens of Death Gliders blew up, with their pilots none the wiser about the danger. Al'kesh followed – some dying before their shields could come fully online. The rest took hammering long before they could get into effective range, and at that point, Perun's small craft tore them to shreds.

The capital missiles hit next, unleashing focused firepower upon rising shields. The defense fields absorbed, reflected, and radiated as much energy as they could, and in most cases, it was just enough. Two Cheops were less fortunate – they took most hits in rapid succession than most, and their shields were inherently weaker. The defensive screens were still powering up, which was a factor. They failed, and spears of energy bit into their superstructure, melting armor and turning compartments into furnaces. One cruiser fell out of formation, with its energy-distribution systems crippled and the power core entering emergency shut-down mode. The other lost its Pel'tak and flew into deep space out of control.

Four Ha'tak with their shields strained to the limit found themselves the focus of a Ha'tak and two Cheops cruisers. The defensive fields shattered when the first barrage hit, followed by their superstructure and pyramid core.

In the same span of time, Death Dealer blew two more enemy battleships up by simply overwhelming them with sheer firepower. Simultaneously, Iasen brought each cannon he could to bear on ground targets, unleashing deadly firepower upon landed warships.

The enemy finally rallied, pulling back closer to the planet in a ragged formation. However, by then, it was too late. Iasen's task force was coordinated, and its firepower could easily be focused. The numbers were close to equal now, yet the Death Dealer could make all the difference in the world. Then there were all the bombers and fighters buzzing around like swarms of angry wasps, ready to tear into an enemy the moment their shields faltered.

The Goa'uld civil war had just begun.

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Part 2

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Kalighat

Lady Kali's throne world

Milky Way Galaxy

Dealing with Kali had to be quick and dirty. Over the past months, I considered various options for taking her out, from an all-out naval assault to a stealth insertion aiming to bypass her security systems. I didn't have the time to train and insert an assassin, so that was out. A naval attack would have required my whole fleet and Battle Meditation to have a prayer of success, leaving my realm ripe for conquest or outright destruction.
A stealth insertion would take time, might fail, and had no guarantee of reaching Kali in the first place. My Jaffa were much better nowadays, but they were not proper commandos yet.

After Dakara, my options for taking out Kali decreased even further due to obvious time constraints. In the end, I decided to do it in a simple and straightforward way. It helped that after my heart-to-heart conversation with Lord Yu, I had far less incentive to hide my abilities.

I walked out of the Chapa'ai wearing my gilded armor, as it befitted an audience with Kali, and waited for the Jaffa in charge of security to approach.

"Identify yourself and state your business." The Prime who challenged me and security, in general, were far more alert than during my last visit.

"Lord Perun to meet your Lady Kali. I have orders from the Supreme System Lord Ra. The rumors of his demise are patently false," I lied blithely.

The Prime stared at me through his helmet for long moments before relaxing a fraction.

"No surprise there, my Lord. God's like Ra don't die so easily," the Jaffa nodded sagely. "Lady Kali is not going to enjoy this, is she?" he murmured louder than he intended.

"Lord Ra mislikes your Goddess for some reason. She won't be happy. Lady Kali and Lord Ra will be even less happy if I do not deliver his orders in a timely fashion. Bring me to her," I laced my voice with the Force, reinforcing my perceived authority as a Goa'uld serving Ra.

"This way, my Lord Perun," the Prime bowed deeper than was strictly necessary and led the way to the ring transporter.

Why sneak into or assault a fortress when you can walk in through the front door?

Soon enough, I was near Kali's palace, where a small contingent of her Jaffa hurried to surround me, falling in around me as an honor guard befitting a representative of the Supreme System Lord.

Courtiers and Jaffa alike noted my arrival as we walked through the palace's corridors. It was no surprise that my presence got tongues wagging. Everyone knew I was no longer welcomed here due to Ra's shenanigans. My audience with Kali would gather a large audience unless she ordered it to be private. In the latter case, I would have more options and have a chance to get out with Kali's symbiote in good enough condition to revive. Ideally, I would have brought a Canopic Jar for her; however, doing so would raise undue suspicion. That was not a chance I was willing to take. If Kali got spooked, she might just get away, which was unacceptable.

As befitting the tense situation, before we reached the throne room, I had to walk through multiple scanners to ensure I wasn't bringing in anything out of the ordinary, much less suspicious. This possibility was why I brought only my armor, lightsaber, and hand device. A Goa'uld wouldn't walk into the court of another of their kind with less if they could help it.

This was going to be a public audience. Over a hundred Goa'uld of various ranks and at least a dozen Primes were in attendance. Kali's personal guard lined the walls while half a dozen Jaffa in ornate armor stood on the steps leading to her intricately carved throne.

At a glance, it appeared that Kali was holding court already. Unfortunately, she was willing to make a possible humiliation from Ra a public spectacle instead of a private one. A pity that. I drew on the Force, grasping the Dark Side and binding it to my will. My perception expanded, and everyone glowed, with each Goa'uld appearing like a stain wrapped around their host's head. I ignored all save for Kali. At a glance, her Force signature was the same. I looked closer, focusing on the wavering shadow that was her real body within the woman she inhabited.

This was Kali, all right, not a double.

"Lord Perun, it is such a rare pleasure to have one of Ra's lapdogs grace us with their presence. Has the Supreme One ceased hiding?" Kali sneered.

I might have underestimated how all the other Goa'uld might react to Ra being silent for so long after Dakara. Clearly, Kali saw it as a sign of weakness to be exploited. If most other System Lords were of the same mind, even if Ra was alive and ready to publicly come back, a war might have been inevitable.

At any rate, the war was here. Prime Iasen should be striking at Vidisha within the hour. No matter if I killed Kali today or missed her completely, the war was on.

The Dark Side swirled around me. It felt like a child eager to please. I drew in as much as my body could safely handle and smiled at Kali. My eyes glowed with the power flowing through my veins.

"What does the Supreme System Lord want?" Kali demanded.

"There is only one thing expected out of you, Lady Kali," I pointed a finger at her, guiding the Force to do my bidding. My power happily obeyed, wrapping itself around Kali's host. "Die."

I closed my fingers, and the Force followed suit, slamming into Kali like a press. Flesh, blood, and bone imploded under a telekinetic grip fit to crumple a tank like a tin can. The upper half of Kali's host turned into a bloody mess held in place by my hold.

For a brief moment, everyone stared at the gory sight in utter shock. A ripple of fear and anger went through the crowd, feeding the Dark Side. I let go of Kali's remains and struck in everyone's moment of vulnerability. I channeled the Dark Side for all I was worth, becoming a conduit for its power and reshaping it into lethal intent. I rose in the air for a second, engulfed by a field of building energy. A few people had just enough time to peer at me while overcoming their shock.

I unleashed the gathered power into a telekinetic pulse, which erupted in all directions around my body, smashing everyone like a loaded speeding truck. People flew away screaming as if they were kindling picked up by a hurricane. Bodies smashed into walls and columns, while others flew until they eventually lost momentum and slammed into the marble floor.

Dozens of Force signatures simply flickered out as the people in question died from blunt trauma. Dazzled shock radiated from everyone else before agony from shattered bones and ruptured organs hit them. A mental command through my hand device had my smart-metal helmet unfold and seal my armor. I closed my eyes, focusing on drawing a perfect picture of the ring platform near the Chapa'ai.

The first time I saw this ability used was long ago when dealing with the bloody Dread Masters. It took me a very long time to crack it, much less master it to be practically useful. I wasn't confident and desperate enough to nail it for good until near the end of the Clone Wars.

In a sense, this was the closest one might come to becoming one with the Force while remaining alive. For a Sith, it was arguably the ultimate expression of mastering the Dark Side and binding it to your will.

With a destination in mind, I gathered as much energy in my body as it could hold and then more, feeling like I was about to burst as I channeled it. I was riding the line between using the Force and beginning a suicidal chain reaction that would burn me to a crisp yet briefly allow me to use more power than my body could handle. The trick was in striding that line without killing myself. Matter was energy, and energy was matter. The Force was energy, and it was everywhere.

For an instant, I was the Dark Side. Or I was within the Dark Side. It was part of me, not something to draw in and use. I was everywhere and nowhere. There was only the Force – a boundless ocean raging all around me, threatening to devour all I was until I became one with it for good.

Instead of letting go, I wrenched the Dark Side, binding it to my will while fixating on the destination I needed to reach. Reality screamed as the Dark Side tore a bleeding wound in it, which leaked pure Dark Side energy. Waves of devouring darkness poured into Kali's throne room, eating at everything they touched.

I didn't really move through the rupture, but it flowed like a man-shaped mist, only to appear hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometers away from the palace. Jaffa were screaming and running from the wound in reality. I wrenched myself clear from the bleeding sore, and suddenly, I was back myself. The Dark Side howled with glee. Pools of it rose around me like a veil, caressing me through my armor with a cold, almost gentle touch. With all that power right here, not only ready but eager to be used, all I had to do was direct it. Tendrils of the Dark Side shot out, impaling Jaffa as if their armor was little more than wet paper.

Men and women howled in agony as the Dark Side sheared them from within until there was nothing left.

I ran to the Chapa'ai and used my hand device to dial my throne world. While the Dark Side was gleeful at all we wrought, going all out for the first time in this body took its toll. I could feel every cell in my body scream in protest, bursting with too much energy for comfort. The Chapa'ai activated, and I sent my identification code.

Shouts of alarm, blaring horns, and sirens drowned out the screams of dying Jaffa. Guards in the area who were still alive opened fire at me. I threw up a barrier of Force energy for all I was worth, freezing the incoming plasma shots in mid-air before they could hit me.

Confirmation came from the other side of the wormhole, sending a tingle of relief through my abused nerves, and I jumped into the Chapa'ai before more of Kali's Jaffa could arrive.