Three months later.
"It's a good thing your original plan changed," Isara said, "or throwing the Jaffa out of the glider in the atmosphere wasn't your best idea."
— De Wiart was not against it.
"De Wiart wouldn't be opposed to even landing on a star if there were enemies there; he's not exactly a sane person," Egeria pointed out. "We were going over the final details of the operation, which I slightly modified. First, the idea of using a larger version of the Zeta on the glider went down the drain. Incidentally, a larger version of the Zeta won't fry the ship's electronics because naquadah absorbs energy so well. So, creating something like the ion cannons from Star Wars won't be possible. Small ships like gliders will be vulnerable to such weapons, but that's the maximum they can do. Neither a Teltak nor an Alkesh can be disabled by such weapons. So I recalled the wisdom of the Asurans: 'Build a starship and put a gate in it, and you have many other options.' As a reminder, there was a problem with how to destroy the ground-based shield emitter above the prison." So, instead of all sorts of difficult-to-implement schizophrenia, I simply decided to lob missiles at the shield through the gate, then deploy troops via droppods.
This entire plan simply required assembling the necessary structure, similar to the one the Asurans had—essentially building a ship around the gate. Of course, I'll have limitations, and it won't be an indestructible shield with a powerful laser powered by multiple MNTs. No, it will be something more primitive. A squadron of gliders with a docked hyperdrive would still have to travel a certain distance, drop their hyperdrives, and attack the defense satellites with super-powerful missiles, after which they would engage the defense gliders. It would seem a logical solution, if possible, to deploy threaders through the gate. One small problem is ammunition.
Threaders can only carry so many missiles when a glider weighs nearly 4.5 tons. Enough for both heavy and light missiles against the gliders. Everyone liked the new plan, especially Imotekh. I think he thought the previous plan was bad. And why would he? I was simply suggesting the Jaffa make stratospheric jumps to a lava planet. They are supersoldiers, after all. Okay, the previous plan was bad. On the other hand, it will help distract Perseus's ashrak. I don't trust him, and who would trust an elite Goa'uld killer? He gave me complete intelligence on 10 Goa'uld with autonomous Jaffa sects, a total of 80,000 people, both men and women. It's clear they're still in their infancy. Unfortunately, I'll come for them. On average, there are 4,000 Jaffa for every one of them. They even rule individual planets with an average of 1-4 million people. Well, a fish in a pinch is a fish, not to mention the extra citizens. Isara will be happy.
— A better plan has emerged, so we will have to use part of the army's resources to eliminate the minor lords and intercept their troops.
I singled out Sparta for the inhabitants of the planet who so love to give computers access to their brains. Since the desert city of Jaffa was located there, they spent two months fully relocating. And it was worth expanding, since there were 650,000 of them. 650,000 out of many millions. It turns out that the inhabitants of other cities were trying to find survivors who could hide in underground communications. All the survivors were in 11 cities; they decided to revive their state, maintaining contact with other civilizations, such as mine and the Tollans, essentially becoming a trading partner through certain technologies, in particular, shield technology and the details of its settings. And I received full access to human free will technology, as well as a fairly advanced neural network, which has already begun working on a number of interesting projects on isolated servers. Naturally, I removed the information about self-preservation from it, as well as the fact that it knew how to control people.
The neural network technology is shared between me and the Tollans to make it secure. For example, it's good for inputting data into computer systems or controlling them essentially with the power of thought, but the ability to transmit information to humans is completely lacking. So, while printing a book with this device is certainly possible, getting a weather report... Get off your ass and look at the monitor. And, of course, before using the Neurolink, you need to turn it on and off. It automatically powers down after prolonged inactivity.
Now, the neural network's ability to upload data is being studied. It's worth noting that the neural network has accomplished remarkable work over 350 years, but it didn't store data like humans do, so its logic needs to be understood. Fortunately, details about neural network technology are stored in the capital's databases, along with details of how the technology works. So, mind control isn't possible yet, but uploading information into another person's mind, like onto a regular computer, is already possible. It's worth clarifying: it contained enormous amounts of data on how the human brain works and what influences it needs to be subjected to in order for it to understand information it didn't previously possess.
The neurolink was converted into a fully functional helmet, housing a computer running anti-virus software written by myself, Egeria, and Omok (under the supervision of Tollan computer specialists), ensuring that it would be impossible to brainwash people. The first tests began on citizens who wanted to learn to read. Information was transmitted gradually, in small portions, then the equipment was calibrated and the information was transmitted again. The experiment followed all the canons of science: control groups, varied information, and constant confirmation of the results. Records from laboratory experiments indicate that the Galarans themselves had conducted similar research, possessing a Goa'uld memory-recalling device, and had attempted the opposite—implanting memories (a very bad idea). They wanted to participate in several experiments for the possible subsequent purchase of similar technology. The Pangarians were delighted that such technology would be theirs for free, after all, they were part of the Tetrarchy. Other planets, whose governments were informed of similar research, were inspired.
Why is the Galarans' research so bad, while mine is excellent? It's about security systems. Memories, especially those recorded and then implanted, are very difficult to clear of personal emotional attachments, especially when for me, they're essentially text. The Galarans, you could say, have the braindance from Cyberpunk, but that's not true: braindance in the described version is safer, since a person doesn't "remember" implanted events, but rather reviews them, which takes time, and they're fully aware that the emotions, movements, and actions aren't their own. You can really get lost in this, and what's more, it's implanting a part of someone else's personality into another person. And such memories are difficult to clear.
For example, you have to train pilots using a fast, accelerated program; the entire training cycle is recorded by experienced pilots and distributed among the newbies. And the entire course develops a love for a waitress at the nearest bar, because the pilot recording their memories was thinking about that waitress at the time. My method won't turn a newbie into a Maverick; at most, it will give them a basic understanding of tactics, strategy, management, and so on. But all of this must be honed on the training ground. The advantage of this technology is that you can reach the training ground in a month, not four years. The savings are significant.
This is very useful for me, as I can provide at least seven years of education to all my citizens, and literacy significantly increases productivity. The rest is up to the individual, who is willing and willing to pay for it. The situation is similar to EVE Online, where you have to pay for databases. However, buying and downloading an entire physics textbook won't make you a scientist. The most you can become with such a device is a craftsman, not a creator. But craftsmen are important, too. At the same time, you can save on the entire infrastructure needed for schools.
"Are you with us?" Egeria asked.
"Oh, sorry, yes, I was just lost in thoughts about technologies that change civilizations," she brought me out of my thoughts.
"A typical tech-lover's opinion," Isara pointed out. "I believe that people remain virtually the same in any situation. Only the superficial glitz changes. Let's say there are no problems with food, housing, or other factors in Maslow's pyramid. This will reduce property-related crime, but it won't eliminate criminality as a class. But still, even after 100 years, the people who benefited from technology, even if everything disappeared, would still be at each other's throats for a crumb of food."
I know that technology doesn't make people better. Only people themselves can make people better. Being a good person requires daily effort. It's like going up an escalator that's going down: to go down, you only need to do nothing; staying still requires effort, but going up requires extreme effort. It's important not to confuse good deeds with bad ones. Conceptually, neural networks could bring peace to the Earth, for example, by instilling a belief like, "If you kill another person, you yourself will die." Something like that, but awareness is also important. It can't be that way. Only people can go up that escalator themselves. The level of technology can speed it up and stop it. After all, in my example, the escalator is external factors.
"Sarekh, you don't even have a whiskey in your hand, and you're already philosophizing," Egeria noted.
"But isn't that true? After all, there are Goa'uld who became Tok'ra without being born Egeria."
"But not you," Egeria pointed out sensibly.
"No, not me," I note. "But people aren't perfect, even the best. I'm not trying to achieve Ascension, I'm simply trying to found a state built on sound principles, one that will lead the galaxy out of the Dark Ages."
"So, so Jaffa can be affected by neurolinks?" Isara asked, more to change the subject. After all, technically she's not sleeping with me, but with the body I'm occupying.
"If I can get my hands on Goa'uld larvae," I pointed out. "I tested this technology on the Jaffa. There was even the idea of introducing some form of loyalty, but it's... it's just a matter of time. On the other hand, from a practical standpoint, what is loyalty? What chemistry and what brain impulses are responsible for it? The neural link isn't omnipotent. For example, convincing someone that if they betray me, they'll end up in Hell—that's possible. But guaranteeing that they won't betray me... Remember how the neural network implanted in people's minds the idea that losing the neural link would lead to death, and the Dome operator at the time allowed Carter to remove the device. There are no guarantees here. So I use banal incentives, proven over millennia. My Jaffa are a fighting brotherhood, of which I am the leader. Their goal is to fight and win. Through victories, they satisfy their desire for self-realization. These are ancient tools used by the Spartans, Rome, and hundreds of civilizations that came before me. Ra is far away, and I am close.
Plus, increasing the Jaffa's numbers by 80,000 will make the "old hands" feel better about training newcomers. And that will occupy their time. At the same time, the Jaffa retain their skills (physical and intellectual) for decades. So making each of them a specialist in everything is entirely possible. Of course, they will have specializations, but the possibility of interchangeability among soldiers fits perfectly with my doctrine of war, where I can't simply conscript more citizens into the battlefield, since the army is essentially its own closed Order with reproductive systems. Speaking of which: Egeria managed to create an artificial womb in which a fetus can develop. Anyone who didn't want to give birth naturally could donate genetic material, after which the embryo would develop in the device. For the Jaffa, such a procedure is mandatory. They're also required to have a child every five years, and the child will be infused with nanites that accelerate aging.
It's a fairly gentle regimen—two years in one. This way, I'll be able to solve a ton of problems with reproduction and increasing the size of my army. It also means I won't constantly lose part of my army to pregnancy, since Jaffa women are still combat units. And no one wants to lose a combat unit for nine months, or even longer. The workload would also need to be reduced—basically, all the things I'd rather not do. Isara suggested creating a nanny service to look after children while the parents are on duty. And with this variable, I need to reduce the workload for family-owned Jaffa and give them time to spend with their families.
— What is this connected with?
"The larva is linked to the Jaffa's nervous system and disrupts its brainwaves. But there's a way around it, although constantly pulling the larva out to teach it something is inconvenient."
— Filter?
"It's complicated. It's still working with the human brain, when another mind is connected to their nervous system. The Goa'uld have adapted the neural interface specifically for themselves. So it's better to simply extract the symbiote. If you conduct training once a month, you can limit the damage."
"Your army is becoming even more terrifying. Will you ever calm down?" Egeria asked.
"I can't calm down. A Jaffa loitering without training might start to question some of my practices. So let them train. Once they've defeated a hundred ordinary Jaffa, we can think about new innovations."
"What other innovations?" Egeria asked.
"I don't know. Let them figure out how to become stronger themselves."
"You better have good methods of controlling them, otherwise they are becoming increasingly superior soldiers, capable of performing autonomous tasks that most consider impossible.
"I have two neural networks. One has been trained to cure any disease and write programs for nanites to treat them. The second can not only adjust shields but also reprogram people."
"The ones we extracted from Pelops are quite useful. Viruses can't mutate as quickly as she can adapt to them. Sometimes I even feel sorry for them."
"I don't think we should relax." I just remembered about the Ori plague, which is clearly some kind of biological neural network process, constantly adapting to treatment methods. I just have one explanation for why this nasty thing could have killed the Ancients. At any rate, it's believed—and I basically support this theory—that the plague that killed the Ancients in the Milky Way could have been an Ori weapon. And somewhere on planet Earth lies the ultimate biological weapon. I'm so sick of this. "Okay, be careful."
"You too. Do you really want to take over the planet alone?" Egeria asked. "That doesn't sound like a warrior, more like the engineer you constantly portray yourself as."
"You were talking about a way to control the Jaffa. Myths about one's own commander are part of the tool of control. Awareness not only of one's own strength, but also of the absolute strength of one's commander, who can go to a lonely planet with 8,000 enemy Jaffa, kill their 'god,' and subjugate them all—all this gives one a certain authority in the eyes of the warriors. Yes, I'm an engineer, but not as antisocial as I was when I spent two years flying on the Urvashi. I've become wiser."
"Please, for the sake of your troops, plan properly the first time," Isara teased. I simply pulled her close and kissed her.
— Perhaps something distracted me when I was coming up with the first plan.
"Regarding the distraction: you have a lot of reports to review. This is, among other things, your job." Isara pulled away, causing me to groan indignantly.
— Who thought that building a kilometer-long pyramid was a good idea?
"YOU!" the two women shouted simultaneously.
— Why didn't anyone stop me?
"Because, despite everything, a kilometer-high pyramid is a perfectly fitting symbol of your rule, and it would be perfect for a center of power, as well as a base for museums, shopping malls, and administrative buildings," Egeria pointed out, watching us intently. "A vertical city is fun, and it's also a chance for architects to play with new technologies. And Szarekh, you love pyramids, the cast-steel outer shell, with huge green symbols of the Tetrarchy, and stories of your exploits on the walls."
"I understand why you were Ra's favorite wife," I said indignantly, because to the ear such a picture was magical.
— Ra has no love except for himself.
"I'll be working on my own dream palace. We also need to discuss security systems." As stated, it wasn't just a palace, but an entire city, housing the administrative offices of the Tetrarchy, as well as museums, shopping malls, and so on. The plan called for a total of 50 floors. About 30 could be occupied by civilians or trading companies. Twenty were left for various ministries, my apartments, and the throne room. Essentially, my finances were used to test the feasibility of a new concept—a new type of vertical city utilizing new technologies, including extensive use of ring teleporters. At the same time, it will be one of the safest places on the planet. Although the Asgard are creating a planetary shield for me, it would be worthwhile to have a fortified location where a second shield can be raised." "It will also be my dream fortress."
- Just stick to the budget, this is not a khattak.
"Okay, a reasonable budget." "Thanks to naquadah and various high technologies, our budget is filling up nicely. As people's prosperity increases, thanks to ring teleporters, we've managed to avoid overcrowding in cities. If you can be back in your home village in a second, why buy a house in the city? Of course, urban development is underway, and at a fairly decent pace, but there's a balance being struck between industrialization and people's desire to own a home in the suburbs. True, this is already creating social inequality among members of a small community, but we'll sort that out somehow."