Chapter 14: Chapter 14 Tollan
"Who is Luran?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow at Daniel, but Daniel was just as confused as everyone else in General Hammond's meeting room.
Narim, a Tollan who brought the news that this Luran needed their help in a trial, looked puzzled as everyone stared at him.
"We don't know him," Jack said. Daniel nodded in agreement, as did Sam and Teal'c.
"I think this situation is strange," General Hammond said, looking at Narim. "Narim, has this man mentioned how he knows SG-1?" General Hammond asked.
"Luran said that SG-1 rescued him from certain death at the hands of the goa'uld known as Apophis, after they took him to Chulak," explained Narim.
"Apophis wasn't dead? How is he setting a trap for us now?" Jack questioned.
"Well, it could be some other goa'uld," said Daniel, who also believed this was a trap.
"I assure you" General Hammond raised his hand.
"Narim, we're not accusing you of anything, but it's clear the goa'uld are planning something, and I believe the Tollan might be in danger too," General Hammond said.
"That's not possible," Narim said confidently. "Goa'uld ships can't approach our planet because our defense systems prevent it," he added, noticing their skepticism.
Daniel wasn't convinced at all, and from the expressions of others, they didn't trust what they heard.
"If you don't want to die, don't go there; we don't need these," Maybourne said, looking hostilely at Narim since they entered the meeting room.
"Colonel Maybourne, stay calm," General Hammond said.
Maybourne, who didn't like the Tollan, grunted, but apparently shared the opinion of the others…
Daniel cleared his throat, thinking they might escape this trap relatively easily and help the Tollan at the same time.
"Narim, is there any problem if we bring someone else with us? They are reasonable people and also have advanced technology, like yours. Maybe you'd like to meet them," Daniel said.
"Excellent idea," Jack supported. "Wait until you meet 00; you'll get along great," Jack said with too much excitement. It was clear he would enjoy introducing the Tollan to 00.
"Maybe we should just invite 03," Sam said diplomatically.
"Carter, you don't want to offend our most reliable allies by telling them we don't want one of them to accompany us," Jack complained.
Narim, who hadn't said anything yet, just blinked.
"I suppose there won't be a problem with that," Narim said. "I can meet these people," he added.
"Sir?" Jack asked, looking at General Hammond. General Hammond nodded.
"I'll call them," Jack said.
Three minutes later, 00 and 03 appeared in the room. 00 took her position in front of General Hammond, while 03 stood beside him. 03 seemed like his subordinate, but Daniel knew they both had the same position.
According to what Sam had told them, they weren't simple diplomatic envoys; they could be considered just below their emperor in authority in their empire. Jack smiled, while Narim looked somewhat surprised.
"Our allies like our way of living, so they're always around," Jack teased.
General Hammond cleared his throat.
"Narim, let me introduce you to 00 and 03, close allies who have already helped us out of tight spots in the past," General Hammond introduced. "00, 03, this is Narim from the Tollan, whom SG-1 once rescued along with some of his people," he added, looking at 00 and 03.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," 03 said, and 00 simply nodded with her typical indifference.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Narim said, looking into the eyes of 00.
"We are not humans," clarified 00.
"My apologies," said Narim, somewhat alarmed by the indifferent tone of her voice.
"It seems my tone of voice bothers you. I apologize; I always speak this way," said 00, and Narim appeared even more uncomfortable.
Jack and Maybourne were grinning ear to ear, but Sam hurried to intervene to ease the situation.
…
Daniel, along with his team, Narim, 00, and 03, crossed the Stargate to the new planet of the Tollan.
"So, you've built your own Stargate," said Sam in astonishment, observing the Stargate they arrived through, which was not like the others they had seen, as it was thinner and more stylish. Narim nodded with a smile.
"It's defective, an explosion could destroy it. Also, why is everything here gray, even people's clothing? It seems made by a machine," 00 asked, looking around with obvious disappointment. Narim blinked.
"Well, we've just settled. It will take some time to adjust our society," explained Narim.
"They were already wearing gray when we first met them," said Jack, adopting the same critical stance as 00. 00 looked at Narim.
"Those were protective suits," Narim defended.
"Your people seem to lack visually pleasing culture and traditions. It's strange; Earth humans attach great importance to these things. Has your people undergone any emotional disturbance that can explain this apparent lack of life?" 00 asked, observing Narim as if he were a strange creature.
"That's an interesting question," Jack echoed. Narim looked at him. "What?" Jack innocently asked.
"I think we should meet Luran," said Sam.
…
"What was that?" Jack asked when they entered the building they were heading to, and scanners greeted them.
"They've disabled your weapons and also scanned for hidden devices," explained 03.
Jack looked at Narim angrily, as they suspected some goa'uld had brought them here to set a trap, and now they were without weapons.
"We've also deactivated the weapons of the goa'uld envoys. You are under our protection now…"
Narim's words were interrupted when a group of guards approached them.
"There has been an alert; your scanners have shown no results," explained the leader of the guards.
"Your technology is outdated, and your scanners are rudimentary. We carry a large number of advanced tools and energy sources with us. We cannot allow them to be randomly inspected by undeveloped species," explained 00.
"The Tollan understand that perfectly, right, Narim?" Jack asked with a big smile.
It seemed that their annoyance at the disabling of their weapons dissipated quickly. Narim looked at 00 and 03, stunned.
…
The Tollan didn't insist on checking 00 and 03, and Narim led them to the representative of the curia, an older woman who welcomed them and explained the basis of the trial, where the fate of the so-called Luran's body would be decided, as the goa'uld possessing him, named Nut, also claimed the body.
The trial would consist of three judges: two representing each of the plaintiffs and one neutral. Daniel didn't pay much attention, as he was focused on 00, who was assessing the room with a critical eye.
"They don't look like bonsai," said 00 disappointedly, looking at some small ornamental trees adorning the trial room. The representative of the curia looked at them.
"Bonsai are small cultivated, pruned, and arranged trees. They are part of the culture of a country on Earth," explained Daniel.
Daniel didn't know that 00 was a fan of bonsai, and if she was, it was clear that these ornamental trees did not seem suitable to her. He had heard that bonsai took years to cultivate.
"Earth is an extremely rich place in these kinds of things. It's strange that your people haven't shown interest in it, considering it's their origin," intervened 03.
"We are interested; in the curia, we have discussed it, but in the end, it was decided that our presence could cause tension or provoke an incident in Earth's political situation," said the representative. 00 looked at 03.
"Nothing like that has happened to me; I enjoy going to the large libraries of SG-1's country. Reading has become a much-appreciated pastime for me," explained 03.
"I was gifted a bonsai for taking a photo with a group of humans," said 00 and raised her hand to display a high-definition hologram that looked more like a colorful floating sculpture.
Daniel blinked. Indeed, what 00 was holding was a bonsai, and it was very beautiful, but the atmosphere in the photo and her companions…
"A Star Wars convention," said Colonel O'Neill.
The photo included more than just Star Wars enthusiasts. Daniel realized that these people thought 00 was doing cosplay.
"There were many colors," explained 00. Given the place, Daniel assumed it was true… Daniel shook his head.
"Hmmm…" Daniel coughed, as they had completely veered off topic. "And where is our guide?" Daniel asked, as that's what the Tollan called the one who brought them there.
"Of course, follow me," said Narim and led them to another room in the building with Goa'uld banners and banners with Earth symbols.
…
"O'Neill!" exclaimed a gigantic guy, almost two meters tall, who caught Jack in a hug as soon as he entered the room.
"Ah, now I remember!" said Jack, who could barely breathe.
Daniel smiled because he also remembered their greeter, although he had to admit he didn't know his name, as they had barely interacted with him.
Luran was one of the prisoners on their first mission to Chulak when Apophis kidnapped Share and Skaara, turning them into hosts for his queen and son. They helped them escape, although it seemed that he was later recaptured. Still, this big guy was somewhat hard to forget, even if he now wore silk clothes instead of furs…
Daniel's thoughts were interrupted when Luran released Jack and gave him a hug that almost made him faint.
He then hugged Sam and even Teal'c. He seemed to remember them all, so Daniel supposed they left a great impression on him.
"Luran," said Jack with some strangeness, as until that moment, they didn't know the name of this man. "How did you get here?" Jack asked.
Luran put on a serious expression and looked at all of them.
"A week ago, the demon visited my planet again and captured me again, offering me to one of his servants who possessed me. But on a mission for him, I was captured by Herur-ur, and in an escape attempt, the demon crashed in this place, where I was fortunate to find friends," recounted Luran, looking at Narim, who nodded.
"Two Goa'uld motherships chased Luran to this planet. We warned them not to approach further, but they ignored it, and our automatic defenses destroyed both ships. Luran's ship crashed on the planet, so we hurried to rescue him," explained Narim.
"Luran, don't worry; we'll get that snake out of your head," assured Jack. Luran gave him another bear hug. "Narim, do we have another room?" Jack asked, as he could barely breathe.
…
Narim led them to another spacious room with some sofas.
"People, Apophis is still alive. Teal'c, I think you should inform the Jaffa of Chulak. That should be one of their main objectives now that he has returned. Although it seems he has a greater interest in the Tollan, he also doesn't seem to have forgotten about us. Any idea what he wants, besides capturing Teal'c?" Jack asked, while Narim looked at them without understanding.
"He is searching for Share's baby," said Daniel with a sigh.
"It's very likely," confirmed Teal'c.
"The snake is persistent," said Jack, looking at 00.
"The child lives in the imperial palace. We have cleared his memory of Goa'uld memories, although his physical development is remarkable," said 00.
"Well, what is the snake plotting now? How do they think it plans to attack the Tollan?" asked Jack. Narim looked at him angrily because he had already told them several times that the Goa'uld could not attack the Tollan.
"Colonel O'Neill, you can keep calm. I believe we can wait for the Goa'uld plans to reveal themselves," said 03 with a smile, intervening in the discussion that was already forming.
Jack thought for a few seconds, but in the end, he nodded, as the smile from 03 warned them that there was no need to worry.
…
Daniel and Jack were summoned to the trial, while 03 and 00 explored everything, and Teal'c and Sam kept an eye on the Goa'uld entourage, led by a Goa'uld named Zipacna, according to Teal'c, a Goa'uld in the service of Apophis and who was the second judge.
…
"Lya?" Daniel asked, surprised to see the Nox woman there, as they usually didn't leave their planet.
"We have formed a good friendship with the Nox. She will be the third arbiter for this trial," explained the representative of the curia.
Daniel nudged Jack not to make his usual joke of asking Lya for space cannons every time he saw her. Jack made a face and simply greeted her appropriately.
"Daniel, it's good to see you all well," greeted Lya, but she didn't say more, as the trial was about to begin.
…
As Daniel expected, the trial made no sense, and the arguments presented would only lead to a verdict in their favor. It was evident that the Goa'uld were plotting something.
…
"Have the Tollan defense cannons been marked?" asked Jack, after receiving the report from Teal'c and Sam at the end of the trial session. They nodded.
"Sir, we've been tracking them, and they have visited the locations of the defense cannons. I can't think of anything else they could be doing," confirmed Sam, supporting Teal'c's report.
"Tollan defense cannons don't seem to have any shields and are in plain sight. Marking them as targets wouldn't be difficult," said 03, who was already in the room, reading a tablet he apparently obtained from a Tollan library. 00 wasn't around.
"Sir, the Tollan are very confident in their defenses, but I don't think they have other means to defend themselves besides these defense cannons," explained Sam.
Jack sighed and brought his hand to his face in frustration.
"03, do you know anything about this?" Jack asked.
"There is a Ha'tak ship whose hyperspace direction coincides with this planet. If what Major Carter and Teal'c observed is accurate, they should try to destroy the defense cannons with a single attack; then, the invasion will begin," said 03.
"It is very possible," confirmed Teal'c.
"Well, then let's warn the Tollan," said Jack, leading the way to speak with the representative of the curia.
…
"I suspect these people have intelligence issues," said Jack as he held his head an hour later. Daniel was equally bewildered.
All arguments presented were rejected after the Tollan reviewed their defense cannons and found no markings on them. Daniel could only blink and think that Jack was right. Even the argument of the Ha'tak ship approaching was dismissed because Zipacna and his group said it had nothing to do with them and that the ship was just passing by.
"03, can you do something to help these people? Narim and his people are good people," Sam asked 03, who hadn't gone with them but stayed reading in the room.
Before Sam finished speaking, 03 lowered his reading tablet, and a light shone in his hand.
"Place this on one of your cannons. It will activate the moment I calculate the ship reaches its firing position, moving the cannon elsewhere. Since the cannons have not been marked by any visible signs, I assume the mark is in their position and coordinates. By moving it, they will lose their target," explained 03.
"Excellent!" said Jack, rushing to take the device and handing it to Teal'c and Sam.
"Carter, Teal'c, choose the cannon that looks most lethal and place this thing," ordered Jack.
"Thank you, 03. We know the Tollan are not your concern," said Sam.
"You're mistaken, Major Carter. My god has sent me here to secure the support of the Tollan, although it seems they are not willing to interfere in external matters," said 03 with a sigh.
"Yes, they're a bit stubborn, but we won't let the Goa'uld bomb them for that. Besides, they must have something good… somewhere," said Jack, looking for something in the room. Daniel supposed he was looking for a TV.
"They have interesting books," said 03, showing his reading tablet, but Jack didn't seem impressed.
"Daniel, let's get back to that trial. We have to get that snake out of Luran's head. It was because of us that he was captured in the first place," said Jack.
That was true. Apophis wanted to capture them and also destroy the Tollan. This had nothing to do with Luran; he just had bad luck, so Daniel nodded.
…
Two hours later, the trial was interrupted by a guard who entered to speak with the representative of the curia and gave her some coordinates, making her check her computer. The computer showed a Goa'uld mothership at the specified coordinates, and the guard said it had invaded Tollan space a few minutes ago.
"What does this mean?" the representative of the curia asked Zipacna.
"That ship is there to pick us up. We learned about it thanks to the Tau'ri, so I've called it to pick us up after our victory in this trial," explained Zipacna shamelessly.
"Please!" complained Jack at his obvious lie. The representative of the curia didn't believe him this time either.
"Lord Zipacna, this is unacceptable! Besides, the trial is not over yet," reprimanded the representative of the curia.
"We disagree. We will vote now," replied Zipacna.
"Then we will vote too," Jack declared.
"Very well, let the voting begin," said the representative of the curia, whose attitude made it clear that, with a Ha'tak ship approaching their planet, she had better things to do than lead this trial.
"I vote in favor of Nut," said Zipacna.
"We vote in favor of Luran," said Jack, and everyone looked at Lya.
The Nox stood up and looked at them all calmly. She seemed to be the only one keeping her composure in that place.
"Honorable archons, seekers, after evaluating the arguments of both parties, which seem reasonable to me, I must conclude that between Luran and Nut, control of the contested body should be in the possession of the one who was born with it in the first place. And that person is Luran," concluded Lya.
"Snake, this is your end," Jack retorted to the Goa'uld controlling Luran.
"Following the vote, from this moment, Luran will retain control of the body, and Nut will be sent to a Goa'uld planet of his choice, along with Lord Zipacna," pronounced the representative of the curia.
Luran took control of his own body using a Tollan artifact he wore on his chest, and the Goa'uld could do nothing to prevent it. The representative looked at Zipacna.
"Lord Zipacna, tell your ship to leave Tollan space, or we will be forced to destroy it," threatened the representative of the curia.
"Of course, no problem," said Zipacna, pulling out a gray sphere as Jack lunged at him, realizing the obvious stupidity of allowing this Goa'uld to communicate with his ship.
Jack crashed into Zipacna, but he had already managed to say a few words, and a few seconds later, the building shook.
Daniel sighed. If Sam and Teal'c hadn't managed to save one of the Tollan cannons, a lot of people were going to die there. Daniel wasn't afraid for his life because 00 and 03 were there; they could rescue them if needed, but dealing with a Goa'uld ship without having access to transport to it was asking too much of them.
"Let's go," urged Jack, running towards the exit after leaving Zipacna on the floor. Daniel followed.
…
As they exited the building, the first thing they saw was death gliders descending, and smoke rising from the locations where the Tollan cannons had been.
"People, tell me we managed to save one of those cannons," Jack urged Sam and Teal'c.
03 appeared by his side after a flash, and with another flash, one of the cannons appeared, activating instantly and aiming at the descending death gliders, hitting them with millimeter precision despite their high mobility.
The cannon got rid of five death gliders in just about three seconds. Then it aimed at the sky and fired only once more, but from the explosion in the sky, it was clear that it hit the target again with absolute precision.
"Carter, mark one of these as my Christmas gift," said Jack after blinking several times at the effectiveness of the Tollan cannon's shot.
Daniel thought the same. The Tollan were pacifists, but these cannons were incredible and extremely effective. While they talked, 03 moved towards the Tollan cannon and removed the small disk he had given to Sam and Teal'c earlier, so they could place it on the cannon, making it disappear in a flash.
The representative of the curia, who probably wasn't used to running much, arrived as the Goa'uld ship exploded, and with evident relief, nodded at 03, understanding that he was the one who moved the cannon there.
"Carter, Teal'c, good job," praised Jack looking at Sam and Teal'c, then looked at the representative of the curia. "I think in the future, it would be wise for you to hide your defense weapons and not have them exposed for anyone to know where they are. Some good extra shields wouldn't hurt either," advised Jack. The representative of the curia nodded, still trying to shake off the fear from her expression in the face of an almost inevitable disaster.
…
"Colonel O'Neill, on behalf of all the Tollan, I would like to thank you for your actions in this matter, even after we asked you not to intervene," said the representative of the curia a few hours later when things calmed down, and they were invited back to the hearing room.
"You're welcome; it's always a pleasure to ruin the plans of the snakes. By the way, have you seen our allies?" Jack asked.
"00 is sharing some construction models and traditional Earth models, as well as how to create bonsai," said the representative of the curia with a smile.
"Well, they really appreciate our culture," said Jack with satisfaction.
"We appreciate it too, and the curia hopes that we will be allowed to visit your planet for a 'cultural exchange'," proposed the representative of the curia.
It was evident that they wouldn't share their technology this time either, but they already had the technology to create their ships, so they wouldn't regret much if they didn't get cannons.
"Daniel, this is your part. I'll go see how Luran is doing and how the hell they let Zipacna escape after leaving him on the floor ready to capture him. I'll also see if I can get a TV around there," said Jack, leaving him with all the work. Daniel sighed.
…
Maybourne observed the row of ten transport vehicles with equipment and materials getting ready to cross the Stargate.
Maybourne was on the base planet, in an underground facility that their allies had discovered and deemed suitable for the new location of the Stargate, which had been in a city before they brought it there.
The people who once Inhabited this planet had not encountered the Goa'ulds and had no idea how dangerous the Stargate was. Unfortunately for them, they became extinct due to a bug that crossed their Stargate, part of some experiment gone wrong on another planet. However, it was a different story for their country, which, thanks to their allies, had claimed the planet for themselves and had taken everything: secret bases, weapons, factories, plants, space shipyards, vehicles of all kinds, immense cities, and fully equipped and fully operational military bases.
As for the technology of the place, it only took them a month to adapt to it because it wasn't very different from theirs, and their allies collaborated with them, providing detailed manuals for use.
So far, they had only claimed one percent of everything on the planet, but they wouldn't need more until the Stargate project was revealed to the public, and millions of people came to live and work there. For now, they had only taken three bases, the shipyards, and some factories, as their workforce was limited: only a few thousand people, a few hundred scientists, and three army battalions.
"Sir, we're ready," reported a soldier, interrupting his contemplation of the gate.
Maybourne saw the line of cargo vehicles and nodded.
"Commence the operation," ordered Maybourne, and the soldier made a few signals.
Another soldier dialed the gate using a DHD. This wasn't Earth, and there wasn't a control room; they were in a one-kilometer-long, half-wide, and twenty-meter-high hangar, a large warehouse for military vehicles. But as it was a good underground location, the vehicles were evacuated, and the gate was brought there to be placed at the far end.
The rest of the space was prepared for material transport operations, which arrived there. So it was almost a loading zone, although it was guarded at all times by a company of soldiers. The gate also had its shield for unscheduled visits.
Maybourne watched as the line of vehicles advanced and disappeared into the gate.
The Stargate might look like a small personal device, but it was not at all. The ring was over six meters in diameter, and a fully loaded truck could easily pass through it, even a tank or a company of soldiers. It was not a small object. It was not lightweight either, weighing over twenty-nine tons.
The Stargate was the center of all the resource operations that the Stargate project and the NID currently possessed. They had a small mining base on Abydos, where they extracted naquadah. A mining base on PXY-887 where they extracted trinium in massive quantities, with which they could build several ships a week, and a multitude of automated mines on this planet that provided them with iron and other common materials. Although they didn't need them since they had entire reserves already extracted from this material, but since it was free, it didn't matter.
This planet, which its extinct inhabitants called Svorin and which they had named Base Planet, was their true operational base. And it would likely be humanity's main stronghold when the Stargate project was revealed. Along with PXY-887, where they had the trinium mine, they were the most valuable resources for Earth at the moment.
PXY-887, despite being inhabited by an advanced race, sent some clueless indigenous people to negotiate, and they obtained all the trinium they could extract as long as they didn't harm the environment of their planet.
With the technology borrowed from their allies, not a single leaf would be touched, meaning they could extract all the trinium they wanted. So far, they didn't need trinium as they had enough to build several ships per month. That made PXY-887 a valuable resource, second only to this Base Planet, thought Maybourne with a smile as he watched the line of cargo vehicles pass.
These vehicles were not of human construction but Svorin. All equipment on this planet was Svorin; their country had only brought people and food. They had been there for just over a year and had set up several shipyards for the production of starships, human-designed fighters, and Goa'uld technology. But for the past six months, they had been stuck in the construction of their first ship, the Prometheus, because the Naquadah they extracted from Abydos was not enough.
Stealing it from the Goa'uld was also too suspicious, as they were already stealing it for other projects like weapons, fuels, and generators that powered this planet, as the energy sources of the Svorin were deficient and did not give them the required productivity. Naquadah was a thousand times better and safer.
The problem was that Naquadah was also vital in the creation of the Prometheus, as the hull would be an alloy of trinium and Naquadah, and the engines needed it as well, like almost any circuit or energy conduit, as it was a superconductive element and was vital in all construction areas.
Maybourne sighed, but then he smiled because this problem was about to be left behind. He watched as the last vehicle advanced and crossed behind the line.
On the other side of the gate, SG-1 awaited him in a large warehouse they had hastily built to house the gate under acceptable security conditions. They had installed a shield and a defensive perimeter for this base, although it was not too necessary because the Goa'uld did not want this planet, and its inhabitants had medieval technology. They were delighted with Svorin machinery and all the artifacts they received for the use of the gate.
At first, they had shown interest in the planet because of the enormous amounts of Naquadah it had. A diplomatic team hurried to the place to negotiate the establishment of some mines.
However, the surprises did not end there, as a few days later, SG-1, who was the initial liaison, discovered that the Naquadah from this planet literally fell from the sky. Beyond the planet's orbit, there were entire chains of Naquadah asteroids that rained down on it every hundred and fifty years, hence its large reserves.
With this information in their hands, they forgot about picking up the crumbs from the ground and now intended to set up a complete space mining operation.
"Maybourne, these are humble people, so we need some rules not to scare them. First of all, don't smile," Jack said with a welcoming smile.
"Jack, if they could endure your unfunny jokes for a whole month, I doubt anything about me would bother them," Maybourne replied, not entirely bothered by the jab. He was getting used to this guy and his annoying sense of humor. It was even starting to amuse him a bit.
"Maybourne, was that a joke?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched the technical team unload the trucks.
"Let's meet your farmers. I'm not here for tourism but to assess threats," said Maybourne, putting an end to his nonsense.
"Sure, I swear I saw a crustacean yesterday that seemed to carry a .22 under its shell," Jack said. "I'll take you to see it," he added. Maybourne sighed. This would be a long day.
…
After spending half a day talking to the locals, Maybourne concluded that there was indeed no danger on this planet. The natives, who called themselves Edorans and their planet Edora, adored them. They had saved them from a deadly meteor shower by bringing a shield to protect them.
SG-1 led the population to some caves, and that, along with a shield, allowed them to escape the calamity that befell their villages after the meteor shower. Later, they rebuilt their homes, provided them with food, and many Svorin machines. Now, they were their saviors and adored them. They didn't hesitate to lend them the Stargate, which would be the basis for this space mining operation.
At the end of their security inspection, the technical team reported that preparations were ready to start the mining operation. Maybourne returned to SG-1, who had watched him all day to make sure he didn't mess with their farmers, at the warehouse that served as their temporary base on this planet.
…
"Are you coming?" Maybourne asked when they were back in the warehouse.
Maybourne was standing on one of the ring platforms they had stolen from the Goa'uld System Lords in an NID raid.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," said Jack, and his team joined him.
The group was transported to the planet's orbit, to a cargo hold on one of the three Ha'taks owned by Earth. The cargo hold was cleared, and in its center were what looked like a couple of train cars, but these cars were twenty meters long, ten meters wide, and ten meters high. Around them were about twenty people forming the technical team. On the sides were about twenty one-meter-diameter spheres next to a control panel, which they approached to see deep space separated from them by a shield covering a fifty-meter-high, wide, and deep entrance.
"SG-1, Colonel Maybourne, we're about to start the operation," said the lead scientist, Dr. Jay Felger.
The guy was a typical nerd, but thanks to the knowledge downloads they had put in his head using the knowledge transfer technology obtained from the Obanians, this man was now one of the most qualified scientists on the planet, second only to Major Carter, who had free access to all scientific information from the Stargate project.
Maybourne initially disagreed with giving one person access to all knowledge, but over time, he came to accept it because these nerds were the foundation of all their current projects. Even Dr. Jay Felger, whom Maybourne used to consider a complete idiot, had come through and now contributed brilliant ideas, like this space mining project that was the work of his team.
"A little introduction?" Dr. Felger asked excitedly. Maybourne shrugged at the same time as Jack, which made them both frown.
"Maybourne, don't try to imitate me," Jack scolded, and Maybourne rolled his eyes.
"Go ahead, Dr. Felger," said Maybourne, refusing to play along. After blinking a couple of times, Dr. Felger got to work.
"Before you is our space mining project, the crusher nicknamed Salamander. As the name suggests, it's really just that, a rock crusher.
"In the first car, we have the crusher itself, which with Svorin technology and a Naquadah power source, has an autonomy of a couple of years working at full capacity. After that, we'll have to do a parts replacement.
"The second car is a storage space where its load will be deposited," he said, touching his control board, which was a mental interface that didn't require typing anything.
At the back of the second car, at the end, a Stargate rose, and once it was out, it activated and then concealed itself inside the car without deactivating.
"Once the cargo hold is full, the portal will activate and send everything to the base planet, where the material, in this case, the Naquadah, will be processed by the ton, meaning we won't have any supply problems in the future, and we won't need to steal from the Goa'uld, putting our security at risk.
"To fulfill its navigation function while crushing space rocks, the Salamander will be equipped with the propulsion engine of a Goa'uld cargo ship, and to locate asteroids and areas in the asteroid belt with higher quantities of naquadah, we have these specialized sensors that have just come off the production line of the Base Planet," Dr. Felger said, touching the sensor once again, and the twenty spheres floated around the place.
"These spheres, created by Dr. Samantha Carter to replace the current MAC probes, were modified to locate asteroids with higher naquadah content, and occasionally, they will also assist in production," Dr. Felger concluded.
Maybourne and SG-1 applauded, and Felger and his team bowed.
"Colonels, with the arrival of the spheres, we are now ready to start the operation. You can order the ship to move…"
"Colonel **** speaking, initiate Operation Hungry Salamander," Maybourne and Jack hurriedly ordered at the same time. Then, they looked at each other with narrowed eyes.
"Colonels, I must remind you that this is my ship," a voice over the radio said.
"Of course, Colonel Caldwell, go ahead," Maybourne and Jack said at the same time.
Maybourne looked at Jack with narrowed eyes, wondering if he was doing it on purpose.
…
Korr read the reports from the last few months about Earth with a smile while sitting on his throne, fanned by two servants, and a maid offered him wine. He listened to the monthly report from one of his Goa'uld governors.
It had been five months since he got rid of that little thieving nuisance, Sokar, and Apophis took his place. He sent a death threat to him daily, demanding his queen back, but he didn't dare to attack, and he didn't steal from the minor Goa'uld either; instead, he attacked other System Lords directly, following the Goa'uld traditions of demonstrating their power by conquering territories, rather than robbing and fleeing like that coward Sokar, who became a thorn in his plans and had to be eliminated.
Korr smiled because Earth, once again and using the tools he had put in their hands, acted on its own.
Finding a system with a naquadah-rich asteroid belt, they didn't just stand by; instead, they managed to set up a space mining operation, thousands of times more efficient than any Goa'uld mine. Now they had plenty of naquadah, and just a month after establishing their operations, they had already completed their first starship, the Prometheus.
The name was the same as that of the Prometheus Project, but the ship was entirely different. It had a design similar to that of the Daedalus or the Apollo but much more stylized, as its hull was an alloy of naquadah and trinium, more robust than the alloy of the Ha'tak due to its industrialized manufacture.
There were no antennas, as the sensors were Goa'uld. Still, it wasn't a Goa'uld design ship, as it had impulse engines that gave it much superior maneuverability to that of a Ha'tak, despite being several times larger than an Al'kesh.
Its specifications stated that it could match the maneuverability of these ships. Its firepower was also not inferior to that of a Ha'tak, and thanks to a superior weapon system, it was more efficient.
These specifications made these ships the nemesis of the Ha'tak used by the System Lords, although they were not a problem for their ships since these had a superior weapon system. Against that, the mobility of Earth's ships would give them no advantage, as their targeting system could take down a fighter with a single shot, not to mention a ship that measured over three hundred meters long.
The design of the Prometheus indicated that Earth had created it to defend against the Goa'uld, which meant their plans were bearing fruit. Furthermore, the Prometheus was only the first ship, and a month later, they had launched the second and begun the production of fighters.
It took a System Lord a minimum of two months to get a Ha'tak out of their shipyards, but humans could do it in one month. They consistently added improvements to their shipyards to increase production. Their ships incorporated their enhancements and were by no means less efficient than the Ha'tak he had designed.
These ships required a crew, and soon a significant part of the army would be involved in this project, meaning the day the Stargate Project was revealed was approaching.
Korr moved on to the reports about Apophis. Apophis, as a System Lord, did not act like Sokar.
His first move, as a System Lord, was to claim Sokar's army. Then, he tried to destroy the Tollan to gain glory, but his plans went awry, and he only lost three Ha'tak in vain.
The Tollan accused him of violating their peace treaty with the Goa'uld, but Apophis blamed Herur-ur. The Goa'uld System Lords paid no attention. The Tollan were pacifists, not acting like the Asgard, who punished violations of their peace treaty with blood. Therefore, this time, no one bothered to reprimand Herur-ur; instead, they mocked his failure and loss.
As for Apophis, he did not come out unscathed from this. Earth learned of his return and hurried to share the information with the rebel Jaffa of Chulak, who quickly left the planet. When Apophis arrived to reclaim his rebel Jaffa, he found only those still loyal to him and the rebellion members who, upon learning he was alive, quickly kneeled, convinced of his divinity.
All of this was a severe blow to the Jaffa rebellion, which had stalled again. The supposed dead god had returned, and they lost eighty percent of their followers.
Korr knew that Apophis was a disgrace and would soon find a way to die again. This would make the Jaffa doubt the divinity of the Goa'uld once more. Therefore, Korr made sure to make it clear to his Jaffa that he was no god. When this rebellion took place, his Jaffa would have nothing to reproach him for.
The Tollan were the only ones who continued as if nothing had happened after Apophis's attack. "Miserable pacifists," thought Korr. They refused to accept his offer of Goa'uld technology in exchange for supporting Earth. However, Korr wasn't concerned about this, as the Goa'uld would always seek to gain glory by destroying them. At some point, they would understand they couldn't stay on the sidelines and would be recruited for their law enforcement forces, alongside Earth.
Korr left the reports because his Goa'uld governor was concluding his report. The Goa'uld, named Svak, was a man of dark skin, 1.90 m tall, with golden eyes. He wore a black cloak and attire similar to Korr's, although the scorpions on his arms, calves, and crown were silver instead of gold. All his governors had adopted this attire; some did it to gain his favor, others because they liked it, and most to avoid drawing attention to themselves and not contradict the norms of worship towards their emperor.
"…Emperor, in summary, our territories enjoy peace. The System Lords have not managed to penetrate our defenses at the border, and your servants revel in the freedom and happiness your laws provide them. They thank you for your gifts and build temples and statues in your honor," concluded Svak.
Korr nodded and looked at the ten Jaffa who were part of Svak's guard, as his territory was on the border, and he was also a military commander. He led a fleet of ten Ha'tak and an army of fifty thousand Jaffa.
"Jaffa, are you satisfied? Have you found any worthy enemies?" Korr inquired.
One of the Jaffa removed his helmet, revealing his raised silver mark on the forehead. This was not a tattoo; it indicated that this Jaffa was part of the imperial army under Svak's command and also held a position as the first prime.
Korr had reorganized the Jaffa in this way since governors of border planets, who led fleets, needed a hierarchy. He wouldn't trust them with his own Jaffa, as they should always remember they were part of a larger army.
"My god, our enemies have willpower, but their tactics are outdated, and their weapons are mere instruments of terror. They are not worthy opponents for a warrior," replied Svak's first prime.
Korr was pleased because his plans to show his Jaffa that others were merely slaves had yielded results. This meant they would use the Zat'nik'tel more frequently.
"Svak, you have done great work. Allow me to invite you for a wine with your emperor," said Korr, rising.
Svak responded with a bow and signaled to his first prime to wait while Korr bid farewell to his servants. Then, both disappeared in a flash.
…
Korr appeared seated on his Leviathan throne, while Svak appeared five meters in front of him, alongside other prominent Goa'uld who served him. Upon seeing him, they hastened to kneel beside Svak. These were his military governors ruling his border territories.
"My god!" greeted all the Goa'uld.
In official meetings, they stood, but in private, they followed Goa'uld tradition and maintained the protocol, just as they demanded of their lesser Goa'uld servants. Since Korr's ego was also enormous, he did not reproach them for this.
"Svak, begin your report," ordered Korr with a Goa'uld voice.
"My god, the humans in the territory are content. As my god commanded, the troublemakers have been politically neutralized, reducing their chances of social ascent and exposing their moral flaws and shortcomings among their followers," reported Svak. "My god, it is indeed an interesting game," added Svak with a smile, while the Goa'uld around him nodded.
"I assumed you would enjoy it," said Korr.
"My god, Earth is an intriguing world," Mot interjected, and the other Goa'uld nodded.
Korr supposed they wanted to go to Earth and participate in power struggles, but he could not allow that; Earth had to remain stable.
"Mot, Earth is in my plans and must remain stable to secure our empire's future," Korr said seriously.
"My god, those foolish System Lords have already tried to destroy the Tau'ri on several occasions," Nerul interjected.
"My god, Earth is in danger. We should claim its territory and ensure the System Lords have no access to it," Mot proposed.
Korr smiled inwardly; all his Goa'uld lords shared the same concern, that the System Lords would invade Earth and sever their connection to the internet.
"Calm yourselves. If Earth is in danger, I will order intervention. For now, they manage well against the System Lords and don't seem to need help. They are under the protection of the Asgard, so a direct attack is unlikely," reassured Korr.
Note 1: The Goa'uld have become addicted to the internet after only two years. Earth has secured a stable resource source and begun industrial ship production.
Note 2: In the next chapter, we reach the end of the third season with the arrival of the insectoid replicators and Thor.
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