"But you attacked a much older Goa'uld than you are," Isara pointed out, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"If a younger Goa'uld attacks an older one, it's suicide, and no one is obligated to come to their aid," I replied simply. "If the younger one wins, it's a disgrace to the older one and a source of ridicule. If the younger one wins and takes all the older Goa'uld's powers, it means they're strong. But everyone tries to distance themselves from such a confrontation, to observe the pure experiment. You could say it's a form of entertainment."
- But considering there are no survivors left, and you used an alias, the Vritra won't be able to strike back.
"I also used a new weapon that doesn't cause as much destruction as the ship's weapons. I even practically followed war protocol when I didn't destroy a mine that wasn't producing anything."
Overall, Vritra no longer interested me, but if I could extract some information from the Asura general's mind, I could plan other attacks to acquire something useful. Obtaining a massive amount of equipment for seventy thousand men is worth a lot. And if I were to launch more strikes, for example, against slave worlds housing garrisons, then such targeted attacks for equipment and simple attrition would be a logical conclusion to testing my weapons. After all, I hadn't yet used ground weapons capable of heavy assault operations.
"Will you seek to attack Vritra again?" the queen asked.
"No, it all depends on interrogating the asura. If there's nothing of interest to me there and the defenses are weak, then attacking a planet where a ship might be located is an extremely foolish undertaking. I was able to pull off the operation so well because I captured an airfield they didn't regularly use. Too much luck, I shouldn't tempt fate too much."
She nodded at me, understanding that I was risking not only myself but also her planet. Since moving into my apartment, she'd been sleeping much more, her work level had stabilized, and she even looked healthier.
Then Krel contacted me.
"Sir, the prisoner has escaped. Two Jaffa were killed, and we have discovered the address of one of Vritra's worlds."
- Resurrect the Jaffa in the sarcophagus and reward them, they have fulfilled my will well.
One of the questions was how to break the Jaffa. Theoretically, it's possible—for example, if I constantly kill and resurrect him, he'll eventually surrender. But he'll constantly try to trick me. So I pulled a classic prisoner-escorting trick. Using two warriors, I spotted the gate, and when one Jaffa got distracted to dial the address, the prisoner was supposed to attack. Being an experienced warrior, he killed two soldiers and then dialed the address. The only thing he didn't know was that he had a camera embedded in his clothing, allowing him to see what was guarding the gate. They took aim at the unexpectedly appearing Jaffa. Another squad managed to throw stun grenades at the gate. Then they went through the gate themselves, capturing the prisoners, removing their bodies, and taking up guard duties themselves. They prepared to receive a satellite, slightly modified from one of the gliders. One machine is what's needed. If there's a high risk, they'll quickly flee the planet, and the satellite will receive a self-destruct signal. This was a simple ploy. The Asuras are too experienced to make such mistakes and will choose their "Alpha Base"—most likely a small planet with a small garrison, which can be safely plundered after wiping out the entire garrison.
After the film, a man approached me with a woman who resembled him. She was about thirty. It wasn't hard to guess that they were related. Plus, there wasn't a rigid vertical power structure on Urvash. There was a ruling family that managed to gain power after the exodus of the Goa'uld. However, an aristocracy hadn't formed, and there was a gubernatorial model of governance. But there were opportunities for people to gain access to the government, and quite a lot of them. I simply fit into this model, figuring, "If it works, leave it alone, and people won't get annoyed."
- Phaeron. I am Elner Kvart, this is my daughter Arna.
"Greetings," I said briefly, waiting for what they wanted from me.
"I was informed that you have access to a complex planet that would require too many resources for development, including management resources.
I pulled myself together and indicated this with my entire posture, which meant that I had become much more attentive and was already conducting business negotiations.
"Let's say. There are still a lot of locals living there. The sun is incredibly hot for them, so the previous Goa'uld installed a special shield there to protect them from the sun. When it broke, the locals began living in the mines, emerging only at night. They survive by farming, because... there's no living creature there. My interest in this is to start extracting naquadah from that mine, but it's gotten much deeper, where people can no longer breathe. But my technology solves that problem. What's your interest, Arna?"
"A career. The more challenging the task, the greater the reward," the girl replied, looking at me piercingly.
– And I assume that you already have experience in management.
"I worked in my father's trade caravans from childhood, and rose to lieutenant in the army. Then I left and took over several trade lines myself."
I don't have to remind you that there is real equality between men and women here, and there is no question about whether a woman is a human being.
"The main challenge isn't just the manager, but also the balance of resources, labor, and meeting basic needs. Basically, you need to build settlements where residents can live, preferably close to the mines so they can go to work. Then comes training, and a balance must be maintained to maintain self-sustaining agriculture."
"What resources are there in the area?" the woman asked.
"Trees, rock. I can provide a detailed report. If necessary, I can create more sun shields to expand the areas available for exploration, along with the launch of a satellite for general observation."
"I'll be frank too. Many people have questions about having a free workforce. How closely will you react to commercial activity on other planets, and how will you regulate it?"
"Hmm, the local population must work according to labor codes, and some of the population must be employed in naquadah mining. Otherwise, you are free, of course, subject to the basic restrictions of Urvashi's laws. However, I will be correlating your "trading" efforts with the effectiveness of naquadah mining. If the former doesn't correlate with the latter, your career will be in doubt."
"Fair enough," Arna agreed.
"At the same time, to ensure efficient trade and defense operations, I will move both the ship and the gate to another location. The most efficient location will be the mountain range to the northeast. According to my plans, the lower part of the bunker will be occupied by my Jaffa, where we will perform military operations. At the base of the mountain, there will be a transportation hub with trains, warehouses, and other facilities. This level will be used for trade operations, where large cargo is being moved. The final level will be for arriving passengers. The gate will travel between the levels on a special elevator."
– Do you really have to go up the mountain? It looks pretty labor-intensive and not very useful.
"Intruders could get through the gate, so it's best to have some form of deterrent. For example, a small room from which the air could be pumped out, eliminating all enemy forces."
"Why not dig a large pit and build something similar to the Colosseum?" "Yes, they had something like the Colosseum here, but instead of gladiator fights, they held chariot races and performances."
I've really thought about it. The pit will be deep, as some specialized equipment will be required. But it can be dug with a couple of Cheops shots. The main thing is to regulate the power, and then we can set up a full-fledged military base with a trading platform.
- I'll think about it.
- Tell me, are you planning to use Urvashi's army to fight?
"Why are you interested in this? Is there really a demand in an army that's mostly been patrolling and fighting bandits for the kind of battles I fought in?"
"As a former officer in this army, I can say that many are interested in action. Sitting at the controls of flying machines and freeing people from slavery."
I looked at her very pointedly, wondering if this woman was sincere or politically astute. After all, I captured their planet; I didn't restore slavery, of course, but it wasn't long ago that they considered me their ruler, someone they'd follow into battle. And would they accept possible losses? There's also the question of loyalty. Even if I'm blaming the Jaffa, they at least have some concept of loyalty.
"My troops do not free people from slavery, they serve me in the battles that I choose as a priority," I pointed out the difference between the Urvashi army and the Jaffa army.