After a while, Queen Isara appeared in the hall. She was twenty-three, with jet-black hair framing her perfect features, and deep black eyes that held undisguised intelligence. She understood perfectly the situation she had found herself in, and so she behaved with deliberate caution.
"Lord Szarekh," she said, bowing her head.
"You may simply address me as Szarekh," he replied, a condescending smile spreading across his face. "After all, no matter how much I abuse your people, it won't change the fact that I'm just a minor official, exiled to the edge of the known galaxy to ensure ore extraction. Frankly, I'd prefer to maintain the current state of affairs, with you leading your planet. So tell me, have the people calmed down since my arrival? Speak freely. Are they frightened?"
"Yes," the queen agreed. "Many want to leave the city."
— Are you able to calm them down?
- Maybe.
"I'll give you a list of technologies with detailed descriptions of their functionality. Some will relate to mining equipment, others to control systems, and others to agriculture. Study my proposals and combine them with your administrative experience to implement these technological innovations. I'll search for technologies beyond this planet."
"Are you leaving the planet?" The question sounded neutral, but there was a distinct hope behind it. "No, my dear girl, you won't catch me like that, " Szareh chuckled to himself.
— Through the gate. Now tell me, how many people will be needed in the mines to maintain the previous production level?
— In the past, one hundred thousand of our ancestors worked in the mines.
I checked the data on how much naquadah the previous lord supplied, and the numbers were roughly comparable. I also re-ran some of the analytical simulations.
"Find a hundred people. I know you mine iron, so you have miners, and let them test the new equipment. I expect it will reduce the number of miners to twenty thousand, while still producing the same volume of ore or even more. This will reduce the burden on the population and provide the miners with everything they need. Will you be able to pay them from tax revenues for the first few years?"
The Queen nodded.
"I won't execute you for saying you have a problem, unlike all the other Goa'uld. I'm one of the most reasonable. If there's a problem, just say so."
"The kingdom's budget is already planned," she blurted out, immediately stopping herself when she realized to whom she was speaking. Essentially, to a conqueror who had come to enslave her people.
"I have some gold reserves. Do you think they will affect prices in your country?" "Although I wasn't an expert in economics, I remembered how the massive influx of gold and silver from the New World had collapsed the European economy when precious metals no longer matched actual production. On the other hand, she honestly said that the budget was planned, which means they adhere to a rational approach to spending public resources. I doubt she would have said that if she were wearing a dress made of mirrors."
"What will the volume be?" the Queen asked.
— Limited. Several hundred kilograms of gold.
"That's a significant amount of money. I would ask you not to use it thoughtlessly." "Yes, Isara, if I were a standard Goa'uld, you'd be dead by now," thought Szarekh. "On the other hand, a typical Goa'uld would shoot up a couple of blocks for fun and then start a holographic broadcast about how he's now their god."
"Very well, I will heed your advice. But remember: I am prepared to invest significant technological advances in this planet, but you must ensure that naquadah flows freely. In exchange, your people's support will be substantial. I will provide a higher level of medical care than you had before. All aspects of human life will be improved. Nations like yours typically have high infant mortality; my knowledge will allow me to reduce it to near zero, unless, of course, the child is very ill or suffers from a rare disease."
At these words the queen shuddered.
"Can you ensure the children's survival?" Isara asked sharply, even sharper than necessary.
— All at once? No. Within five years? Yes. It will require a certain infrastructure for drug production and public education, but yes, it's possible. Moreover, I'm more of a scientist and not so good at territorial administration. So I'll tell you how to achieve this, and you'll be the one implementing all the infrastructure projects.
"About that..." the queen faltered. "My people might truly fear that the gods have returned and will enslave them again, sending them to the 'death mines.' They might take rash actions that would force you to take aggressive measures."
"An uprising could break out, forcing me to kill your people. There's a simpler way to put it. I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't fancy starting my reign with mass murder. What's your suggestion?"
"I will marry you," Szarekh said, shock evident on his face. He knew, of course, that such a thing was common in medieval worlds, but to participate himself... "According to our laws, a woman inherits property, but a man can dispose of it if he joins the family. This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned. Women were forced to take matters into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line.
"Interesting. In most cultures I've encountered, it's the man, and the eldest at that, who inherits all the property, while women are mostly... like broodmares, with limited rights," he said, genuinely surprised. "They weren't even allowed to learn anything outside the scope of managing the household. But here, I suspect, it's different, and quite progressive. So how will your people be able to cope with our marriage?"
"It will make them accept it better. I am the ruler of the planet, and the fact that you married me instead of killing me will make others accept you more..."
— Adequate. And what about your disapproval of naquadah mines?
— Tell me, can this naquadah be useful for the planet?
"Yes, it's useful. Many amazing devices are made from it. Naquadah can store lightning energy, which powers all my inventions. Therefore, naquadah will indeed be useful to you, but only if mined in excess of the established quota. You will not only be able to use it to motivate merchants and finance your own mining operations, but also to achieve significant technological advances that could advance your civilization by three hundred years."
"Then I think I can convince the financial elite of society to finance the extraction of naquadah, providing a sufficient level of comfort so that people do not perceive it as slavery," Queen Isara was sincere.
"I must warn you right away: I will not demand consummation of the marriage. We are barely acquainted, and you clearly have no warm feelings for me, for I have destroyed your cozy world. Sexual relations between us would be akin to rape. I also do not restrict your actions in your personal life. If you find someone you like, you need not fear my wrath. Also, in civilizations such as yours, the issue of an heir arises. I'm afraid I must disappoint you here: Goa'uld are forbidden from having children with humans; we reproduce in a different way. If it is discovered that a Goa'uld has a child with a human woman, the entire planet will be destroyed. If this is truly such a problem for your civilization, then you are free to have a child with whomever you wish; I will recognize it."
"Your terms are extremely… generous," the woman said.
"The question of an heir isn't so critical for me, as one of the oldest System Lords is over twenty thousand years old." The queen's eyes widened. "Yes, natural death is a very distant prospect for a member of my species. But unnatural death is a basic statistic. When more resources become available, I will fortify this planet, as despite its remoteness, someone might wish to seize it and annex it to their domain. But for now, such a prospect is not in sight. And a little advice in case I lose, Isara: surrender."
I knew this woman was hatching plans for an uprising; perhaps she'd decided to get closer to me to extract more information. It was hard to blame her: she acted intelligently, coolly, and prudently—qualities needed in a ruler that I lacked. But one can always use resources people lacked—lifespan. Propaganda has a decisive influence on people's minds. The situation on the planet will begin to improve rapidly, for example, with those same medicines, and believe me, I'll make sure people know who's making this possible. And that already means increased loyalty among the population. This will quickly knock the numerical advantage out of the Urush elite, and if they do plan a coup, it will only be with a small group of conspirators, and precisely when I'm relaxed. Therefore, I won't demonstrate the capabilities of the tape device. At the same time, I can then harness the people's anger against the old elites. Although my knowledge of politics doesn't extend beyond historical dramas, political series, and manhwas, it allows me to have a few aces up my sleeve. But knowing Isara's cunning, I can be sure she will display boundless patience. It's entirely possible the blow will be dealt decades later, or she might even forego revenge altogether. But one thing is certain: her patience will be truly phenomenal.