Vritra watched the frustrated Indra with a barely perceptible smile. She had managed to outplay her longtime rival in their eternal chess game more skillfully. The mercenary lord, completely indifferent to the insult thrown at him, was now bound by obligations. Indra had become her ally, their armies united to strike against Agni and Surya. To gain the mercenary's favor, Vritra "advised" Indra to pay him the full price for his services. "I am not hiring him to attack you," Vritra remarked. Once the contract was signed—unlike Indra, Vritra carefully studied its terms—the offensive against the worlds of Agni and Surya continued. Vritra and Indra merely discussed which planets would fall to whom. Vritra was unconcerned about Nirrti, as her planets with the largest concentration of troops were blocked by incoming tunnels, limiting her ability to assist Agni and Surya to a fleet. However, infantry was needed to retake the captured planets, and the mercenary lord performed his task flawlessly. His intelligence on the Huttaks' location proved invaluable; the two lords had no idea how they would perish. This is the essence of the Goa'uld: betray and rise through the ranks until you reach the top.
I hovered over the battlefield using my antigravity pack. The world before me was ablaze—or rather, only a limited portion of it around the gate. Two planets full of Jaffa, who, albeit with significant losses, had managed to push back my forces. This didn't bother me in the least; rather, Agni seemed to have misinterpreted this maneuver, which, incidentally, fits perfectly with the established Goa'uld system of thought. Teal'c's memories of Apophis demonstrating this confirm: retreat is an automatic defeat. The loss of almost half my equipment was probably perceived as a resounding "victory" and not the result of my unwillingness to engage in a pointless battle. That's why that idiot didn't even bother sending a Huttak here. Fortunately, the Jaffa were dug in as far as they could, amassing significant forces around the gate. The number of plasma cannons approached a hundred, and the trench lines numbered ten. It was a truly fortified area. However, they had neglected one thing: my satellites were above them.
So, before the assault, I dropped one such satellite into the area around the heavily fortified gate, then activated the self-destruct system. While the Jaffa were recovering from their concussion, a hundred Threaders flew through the gate, carrying heavy laser-guided bombs under their hulls. The entire gate area was transformed into a lunar landscape within the first five minutes of the second invasion. Then ten thousand of my soldiers and I passed through the gate. We formed a defensive perimeter around the gate; during this invasion, air power would be the main striking force. Therefore, numerous vehicles carrying Threader bombs arrived with us. Each Threader had a designated platform where technicians, like a team of professional pit stoppers, could sling new bombs under their hulls in a matter of minutes. Thus, I bombed the enemy until they sank into the Stone Age. I don't know if the local commander warned anyone, but the palace where the communications system was located was covered by a ten-ton bomb... I'll just say that whoever wants to take over this planet will need a construction company.
From my perch, my helmet's sensor systems pinpointed a small Jaffa headquarters. It was a ravine, from which warriors periodically emerged or into which they ran. Hidden by foliage, I could spot it thanks to my thermal imaging. I could have called in an airstrike, but my Jaffa needed to see me personally destroying the enemy, even if it was on video.
With the power of my mind, I directed my antigravity pack toward that spot and then dropped down, fast enough, but not so fast as to break my legs. My landing, in my form resembling a giant skeleton, did not go unnoticed. Several Jaffa pointed their staffs at me. I intercepted the Staff of Light, and the first of the enemies fell, his chest pierced by plasma. The others fired at me, but my shield held, and I responded quickly.
Bang!
One fell.
Bang!
The second fell.
One of them tries to hide behind a tree to fire. A shot from an Asgard-modified staff causes an entire tree to collapse on the planet's defenders. Several Jaffa run out of cover; I kill them with shots to the back.
Then an elderly Jaffa appears before me, with obvious Indian roots, a silver Agni symbol on his forehead. I look around – there's no one left nearby.
"You have lost. Order your warriors to surrender, and you and your families will be treated mercifully."
"We will die, and in rebirth we will serve our master, after which we will become gods. I have no fear of death, only dishonor." And he pointed his staff at me.
A duel. How stupid. He still thinks I can't see the grenade behind him. Instead of a plasma blast, I use an enhanced telekinetic wave on him. He clearly wasn't expecting it and flies backward at incredible speed until he crashes into a tree. The grenade falls from his hands. A plasma blast – and another corpse. An additional shot to the head, to make sure he doesn't resurrect, and I fly upward.
What's the real challenge with the Jaffa worlds and my "bomb everything back to the Stone Age" tactic? The significant presence of civilians. More specifically, Jaffa women and children. So I bombed the infantry concentrations and administrative buildings, but left the Outcast camp alone. Anyone hiding anywhere between the Jaffa city and the gate was identified as enemy; those hiding further afield were of no concern to me. As soon as I blew up the palace/temple, the people began to flee—and rightly so. For now, an army was being forged that would conquer the entire galaxy: my Astartes, my Sardaukar, my World Destroyers.
"My warriors!!! This planet, these Jaffa, were arrogant. They thought they had crushed us. They considered our unwillingness to die senselessly cowardice." My voice echoed across the comms. "And where are they now? Hiding in the bushes, afraid to show themselves. My immortal legions, exterminate every man holding a weapon. Yes, not a single one of them will remain. Let them all die—that is my command! And their city will be plundered and burned."
"YES!!!!!" thousands shouted in response before they boarded the armor to begin their advance, supported by air power. The threaders would be reloaded with 250-kilogram bombs, of which there would be significantly more. And if any unit encountered any problems, they would come to the rescue. "Sarehan!!! Sarehan!!! Sarehan!!!"
Vritra strolled across the planet she'd paid to conquer. Even she, a Goa'uld who'd ordered countless brutalities, felt uneasy, especially the smell of scorched human flesh. The mercenary lord had accomplished his task: he'd destroyed an entire Jaffa world, killing most of the males and burning their corpses with flamethrowers. Vritra even understood why he hadn't used the triple zeta blast—atomic destabilization leaves no smell, bones, caked flesh, or atmosphere of horror.
The city where Agni's Jaffa warriors had lived was reduced to ashes; all evidence indicated that death had arrived. Over 150,000 Jaffa of both sexes had lived there, and the mercenary lord had exterminated them all in less than ten hours, excluding the women and children. He'd left them for her to replenish her army after the devastation he'd already wrought upon her. It seemed her Jaffa would be delighted – each one would have three wives, or even more. Useless bastards! Battles that would have taken her asuras months, this Goa'uld ended in less than ten hours, leaving behind burnt corpses and fear in the eyes of the Jaffa women, so they submitted without any coercion. Vritra was even somewhat envious of this result.
Her fleet had already destroyed five enemy Hattaks. Agni was shocked by her betrayal—it had truly succeeded. If he didn't soon begin begging her for leniency and was prepared to swear allegiance to her (as if she'd believe it), she would crush the last planets still holding out. His capital—the domain's most protected planet, home to all its productive capacity—was what she must capture to establish herself as a contender for greater power.
Now Vritra will laugh at those who lost so many of their troops, not at her. She hasn't forgiven such humiliation and will exact her revenge many times over. One can only hope that the mercenary lord will leave the same demonstrable chaos on the planets occupied by Indra. She could demand tribute from her so that Vritra won't hire him against her. Indra herself is now on his blacklist; it's ironic to charge money not to hire a mercenary. However, instead, she could start fortifying her planets.
"Transfer women and children to our worlds. If any men are found, kill them."
"Yes, my goddess," the Jaffa replied with a bow. "But what if the women defend themselves? Kill them?"
- Yes. It's time to remind them who their true goddess is.
If Agni bends the knee to her, she will leave him 10 khattaks. If not, she will kill him a thousand times.