"Master!" they called from above. I slipped out from under the Tiger, meeting the surprised gaze of my oil-smeared Jaffa.
"What, I'm doing magic here," I answered half-jokingly, because any technology is magic.
"The group is assembled, we are ready for the mission."
I glanced at my watch. Indeed, it was 1:00 PM – the scheduled time for the mission to one of the first planets on Ra's list. One of the Teltaks on Earth was searching for the Icarus base, which, according to calculations, was located 21 light-years away. This meant the Jaffa had to survey a couple dozen star systems. It is known that there are 56 star systems within 16 light-years of Earth. An additional 4 light-years in all directions adds another couple dozen. We were going to Geopolis; I extracted this information from Katerina Langford's father. Perhaps there will be nothing valuable there, but the working technology of the Ancients was worth the risk. I will place Ernest himself in a stasis capsule. Perhaps, for Katerina's sake, it was worth returning him, but unfortunately, that's not how it works. The only thing I can do is give him a chance at life in the future, preserving his intellect for future SGC operations.
"Give me ten minutes."
I've been hard at work upgrading the Tiger. First, I reworked the machine guns: there are more of them now, and they've been converted into automatic plasma cannons. I replaced the 88mm cannon with a railgun of my own invention. I kept the assault rifle loaded with its original ammunition, but I added the ability to fire naquadah-caliber ammunition, although it mostly uses standard shells now. Yeah, I was just playing with my toys in my garage; sue me.
After changing, I walked out to the gate, where a squad of Jaffa in full combat gear—helmets and armor—waited. I entered the gate's address and sent out a reconnaissance drone. It surveyed the area and transmitted an image of the castle, like something out of an old TV series, after which we passed through the gate. My subordinates carried various equipment, including a mobile generator, since I knew about the damaged dialing device.
Looking around carefully, I noticed movement on my sensor. A man in a diving suit and goggles came out to meet us. He was clearly embarrassed and didn't seem to be expecting visitors. I quickly fired my intar at him.
"Place him in a stasis pod. I don't need any witnesses here, but there's no point in killing him either."
"Yes, lord."
Then I connected the generator to the gate and contacted base to have heavy equipment transferred. The castle needed to be either reinforced or, most likely, the gate had to be removed. We needed space to deploy the gliders, and the city of Geopolis needed to be examined for any anomalies. Within twenty minutes, there were already quite a few people here, including the architect who had been brought in from Urvashi.
"Assess the structure and make a decision: can it be repaired, or should a new, forward base be built?"
"Yes, my phaeron," the architect nodded and, accompanied by the Jaffa, began to examine the place. Incidentally, it turns out that due to the absence of the Carolingian dynasty, the word "king" is not used in Urvashi. So Isara is not a queen, but a phaeron. So am I. I simply called her that in my mind. I was informed of this, too.
Meanwhile, I approached the Ancient device and activated it. Holograms of atoms appeared on the screen, along with inscriptions from the Ancients, Nox, Ferlings, and Asgard. Perhaps this will become a Rosetta Stone, with which I can decipher the language of the Ancients. After all, there is Cimmeria, which understands the language of Asgard. However, I will need a good linguist to decipher the writing. It is unlikely that the Great Races left anything useful, and this could simply be the UN Charter. But the very fact that the entire periodic table known to them is represented there is astounding. Although, I confess, I am stumped by how to decipher a language based on the periodic table. However, I am not a linguist. I know a couple of languages, but I certainly don't study them professionally.
"Master!" one of the Jaffa ran up to me. "Earth has sent a message; a mortal wishes to contact you."
This intrigued me. I didn't ask any questions, as it was clear the Jaffa knew nothing. Using the gate, I found myself at that very same Pyramid of Hathor. It was safe for now, though I'd prefer a warehouse in Canada, just in case. I was met by the local garrison, their cannons trained on me. It was the right thing to do, though—I didn't want to allow any breakthroughs.
"Sir."
Nodding to the soldier, I dialed Ben-Gurion's number on our private satellite network.
"I was given a message and I had some free time."
"Is it possible to increase arms supplies?" he asked bluntly.
"The presence of Allied weapons might attract attention to you. I need German ones, but I expect the same favor. I'll find several sunken ships containing gold, and you can sell it. Half is yours, half will be used to purchase the equipment I need." The deadline for British troops to leave Palestine was approaching, after which war would begin there. "I also need someone who can retrieve a ship from New Jersey Bay. He can present it as a charity—the materials from the Sheldon expedition are stored there. Of the entire cargo, I need three things. I'm prepared to pay handsomely."
"I can use my connections to find someone who can make something like this happen. Tell me, can you provide the aircraft?"
"Captured aircraft are accounted for far more carefully than even tanks. I'll see what I can do. But it will require extra care, you understand."
"Yes, I understand."
"Good. The main thing is that you have pilots."
Now I need to figure out where to steal even more captured Third Reich weapons. There should be plenty of them in warehouses in Hungary, although I've already been there. Stunning the guards again might attract too much attention. Although German weapons aren't exactly monitored; more accurately, they were loaded into warehouses, but no one pays attention to whether a couple hundred units go missing. Of course, they noticed that tanks and armored personnel carriers were missing. But I think the warehouse managers will try to chalk it up to them being transferred somewhere and getting lost, unwilling to explain where their trusted equipment disappeared to.
So, I've probably sorted out Osiris and Isis. Now I need to strap on some scuba gear and retrieve that damn gold from one of the sunken ships and hand it over to Israel. No problem, my Jaffa will go with me, no point in shirking.
"Hey, what do you think about exploring a shipwreck at a depth of several tens or hundreds of meters?" I asked my warriors. I was met with stoic looks, which the Jaffa master, Sodan, clearly saw. "That would be fun."
I still need to fly over Honduras, especially to see the waterfalls. How many waterfalls are there in the mountains? Thousands?
"Please don't kill me, I'm just a shepherd," the Hindu-looking man prayed. Yes, perhaps I need to modify my diplomatic protocol somehow. I took the first address from the Ra Gate map and visited the planet. There was no one near the gate, but the good road indicated it was in use. My Jaffa and I donned camouflage clothing and followed the road. The gate was located in a desert area; it definitely wasn't the "first" planet shown in the series. Using data from the probe, I dressed my Jaffa in desert-style uniforms. The drone detected a large city, as well as a Jaffa, which worried me—I didn't want to encounter other Goa'uld just yet. On the other hand, I needed to find out what kind of place this was, who ruled it, and what resources it had. So we knocked out a simple shepherd tending his sheep. I'm telling you, we need better diplomatic protocol.
"I won't kill you, I needed to talk privately." My eyes flashed, startling the shepherd. "Which god rules here? Whose warriors are stationed in the city? I don't want to intrude on another deity's territory without an invitation. So answer my questions, and I'll reward you handsomely."
After which he showed the gold.
"Indra, we are ruled by the good goddess Indra. However, the evil Vritra has conquered us, killing our heroes, the Jaffa Maruts. She has forced us to dig deep mines, which consume many people; food is scarce. Anyone can be sent to the mines."
"What do they mine in these mines?" If this is a naquadah planet, then we should knock this man unconscious, wipe his memory, and run away as fast as we can. On the other hand, this man speaks glowingly of the old goddess, despite being captured by the new one. And he still sees the Jaffa as heroes! Or has Indra introduced more advanced technology here to make labor easier?
"Nothing," the shepherd replied.
"How so?"
"Nothing is being extracted from the mines; the evil god Vritra is searching for something. Some kind of storage facility, I don't know more." – Storage facility? Then I have no idea. Does he know anything? However, the threat level of "there must be a Khattak above us" has been lowered to "there is definitely no Khattak above us," and even Cheops. We just need to clarify a couple of things.
"Indra is a benevolent deity. Did she live here and rule you directly?"
"The goddess had many affairs in heaven, and we were ruled by her priests, but she honored us with her presence several times. My grandfather remembers that joyful moment. My grandfather's brother became Indra's warrior!" the man said proudly.
"It's commendable that your kind served their god," I say neutrally, understanding the situation. It was a breeding planet, so no one closely monitored it, which led to a certain fanaticism. At the same time, the Jaffa made slaves out of the locals and left them here. They had no interest in terrorizing their compatriots, so they lived well. Out of curiosity, I'll still ask about the Jaffa's number, even though I'm talking to a simple shepherd, but education was valued in Hindu traditions. But I'm not expecting any particularly high numbers.
– Do you know how many warriors of the evil deity Vritra are in the city?
- Many.
- How many warriors will you meet for two hands of inhabitants?
– I'm trying to make numerals in a certain way, like people used to do in ancient times when referring to their hands and showing their fingers.
The man looked at his hands, paused, and then held up two fingers. So, two Jaffa for every ten inhabitants. The city was large; I didn't have any scanners, but I could tell it had a population of over 100,000. Most likely more. I'd need to bring a glider from the satellites here to launch it into orbit, quickly scan the surface, and then retreat in case there's a sensor network here. The gates aren't guarded, so it's entirely possible. Considering how fanatically loyal this man is to Indra, capturing this planet is impossible. But testing my weapons under controlled conditions is already possible. I'll also retreat immediately if there's a significant glider or other Goa'uld air force presence on the planet.
- Are the inhabitants of this planet loyal to the evil goddess Vritra?
– I ask him defiantly.
- Of course not. The Maruts and the Holy Warriors fight the Asuras, but there are many of them, and the evil goddess has imbued them with magic.
- Good. Your god can be proud of your loyalty, and he will certainly reward you.
– The man fell to his knees.
"As I reward you for your frankness." After which he gave him gold.
"Do you wish to serve your goddess? I respect the goddess Indra and cannot watch her people suffer. Therefore, I must see how deeply Vritra's taint has entrenched your people. My warriors and I cannot enter your city, for the Asuras will sense me. I will use magic on your staff so that I can see through it. Once I see through it, I will decide whether I can help or not. Your name will be remembered for your heroic deed."
Honestly, before using a satellite, which is highly likely to be detected, you should use something less drastic, like surveillance cameras. Set up an observation post here and determine the number of Vritra Jaffa, their main bases, and the amount of resources. It's worth learning about the gliders, although the satellite will detect this too.
I let this man go without even knowing his name, it didn't matter.
- Sir, do you want to take over this planet?
"I'd rather test the new weapon. This planet is useless to me, the population is loyal to Indra, so I need to test this weapon on an enemy I'll never encounter. Besides, you need to show me what you've learned."
- Yes, Mr. Sareh.
If the Asura don't attack me, they'll take up positions in the city, making napalm useless. We'll have to fight a trench war. And if there are more than 20,000 Jaffa there, that could become a dire situation. And then there are the Vritra warriors. They could send a signal and launch an attack through the gate. They'll be caught between a rock and a hard place, and that's it. There's little information yet, so I need to think carefully about whether I need to intervene.