Slipping through the gate, I found no sign of guards—how shortsighted! My drones confirmed the gate was in use, but it was completely deserted. Such neglect was unforgivable even by Goa'uld standards, let alone mine. A sneer crossed my lips: Ramius was a rare klutz. Especially considering that his elite troops, along with the Jaffa, had been ambushed by my blade halfway to his pyramid. This made him stand out even among his peers. My hand gripped the Staff of Light tightly, my body tensed in anticipation of battle. With a mental impulse, I activated my antigravity pack and soared upward, the ground rapidly shrinking beneath me. Heading straight for Ramius's pyramid, I soared into the very heart of the clouds.
Teltaks and gliders hovered near the pyramid. Luckily, the bastard had a hundred of them, making up his space fleet. Using my helmet's HUD, I marked the approximate location of Ramius's throne room. I didn't want to waste time searching for it before he escaped. I set the Staff of Light to maximum firepower and hovered above the stone that I assumed was the throne room wall.
Shots rained down one after another, my helmet automatically blocking the blinding flashes. The stone gave way, creating an opening, and the room filled with clouds of dust. My visor switched to smoke-adjusted mode. There were ten enemies in the room. I threw a flashbang grenade. It was devastating for them: after the explosion, they clutched their ears, doubled over, trying to close their eyes.
Even the man sitting on the throne didn't escape this fate. Ramius didn't have time to realize what had killed him before a plasma blast vaporized his head. Then I methodically eliminated all the guards in the hall, using no more than a single shot on each.
At that moment, several Jaffa burst into the room, pointing their staffs at me, a two-meter-tall skeleton. They immediately opened fire, but my shields were already activated. It was time for the divine show. Noticing them hitting my shield, I tilted my head, as if in disbelief. It must have looked strange to an outsider: a two-meter-tall skeleton tilting his head. At least the Goa'uld's staffs, in their ribbon-like casings, glowed when in use, while mine merely flickered green. I swung it forward slightly, and several Jaffa flew back at incredible speed against the wall, a sickening crunch of breaking bones echoing.
"Jaffa Kree!" the speakers distorted my voice, amplifying it to instill fear. The Jaffa froze, stopping their fire. "I have defeated your worthless god in fair combat. Now your paradise is mine, and they themselves will become fire, like those who betrayed their god."
I pointed at those defeated by the kinetic wave.
"Do you wish the same fate? I can arrange it. I am the god Szarekh, and I can kill ten, a hundred, or a thousand of you. My power makes no difference. The only way to earn my forgiveness is to kneel immediately."
"For Ramius!" some idiot shouted. Before he could react, I approached him and, with a lightning-fast movement, switched the Staff of Light into cutting mode, slicing him in half. As the two halves fell, blood gushed from every artery, drenching both me and the shocked Jaffa.
"Not the best choice," I muttered. What was he even counting on? A terrifying, two-meter-tall skeleton stood before him, surrounded by an aura typical of the Goa'uld—and it attacked the deity. "Anyone willing to try again?"
The Jaffa, impressed by my strength and generously covered in blood, fell to their knees.
- "We humbly ask for forgiveness, Lord Szareh."
"A wise choice. Convey my will to every Jaffa on this planet. My forces will arrive here within the hour. You will obey the will of the Jaffa Masters without question. I captured your planet in two minutes. Weakness and incompetence—I will not tolerate such things. You will become the finest warriors in the galaxy… or die trying."
After that, I left the hall through the passage I'd made, allowing the Jaffa to see me soar into the sky. I'd deliberately left Ramius's corpse behind so that fools would try to revive him (assuming they had a sarcophagus, of course). It would be proof of my victory—his inability to be resurrected. Ah, one down, nine more to go. It's a heavy burden, being a competent Goa'uld. He could have, like the others, started a harem and had his fun.