Mirra once again appeared before the Tok'ra High Council, and once again the issue of Vritra became the topic of the meeting.
"How depleted is Vritra's power?" Selmak asked, his voice echoing in the hall.
"One hundred and forty thousand fell in the carnage unleashed by the mercenary lord. Another twenty thousand perished under Indra's onslaught. The siege of the gates that held the worlds of Vritra in its grip has been lifted. I assume His Majesty is no longer interested in that role," Mirra replied, her words clear and concise.
"One hundred and sixty thousand lives lost in a month and a half, and the lion's share was wiped out by this new player," Selmak sighed. "And not just in manpower. Vritra's aerospace forces suffered colossal damage. What's the current state of this mercenary's glider fleet?"
"Three hundred and fifty, and that's just the ones we managed to capture. The Huttaks managed to flush him out more than once, after which he, like a shadow, blew up airfields and vanished. There's confirmation: he has access to transport vehicles whose technology is at a level unsupervised by the System Lords on human worlds. Many inhabitants of the attacked planets described these machines as "self-propelled carts."
— And what is Vritra's own reaction to these events?
He didn't touch a single one of the captured Goa'uld. They were kept in cramped, but perfectly acceptable conditions. The governors and scientists were given spacious rooms with private bathrooms. Food was prepared for them according to their tastes, a variety of unfamiliar dishes. For entertainment, they were given books, clearly written by people from a world that had forgotten its Goa'uld. And only a handful of board games, besides. They were housed in pairs, preserving opportunities for social contact. It was less like imprisonment than a vacation with some restrictions. Once a week, all the captives were taken to a remote, uncharted beach to get some fresh air.
"It looks more like a vacation than captivity," one of the Council members chuckled.
"That's how it was for them. Many took books with them, even cookbooks. I personally regret being the first target. I wish I'd had a month off," Mirra added with a hint of irony.
"The time for thinking about rest is over," Selmak snapped.
"I understand. Governors, by the way, have also encountered something similar. They're embarrassed to admit that imprisonment was like a vacation, so they cite other inconveniences: the lack of servants, the need to get out of bed on their own, the lack of harems... And they tried to hide the fact that they were gaining a few kilograms.
"The care of the prisoners is not our primary concern," said another Council member.
"I believe this falls under our consideration, as it reflects the mercenary's personal attitude toward other sentient beings. He killed Jaffa without hesitation, because he was paid to do so—the Jaffa were his strike force. He wasn't paid for the governors' deaths, and he saw no point in taking unnecessary action. They were entirely under his control, and he didn't harm them. Therefore, I am convinced this mercenary possesses an extreme degree of pragmatism, bordering on cynicism. He's probably too lazy to waste even an extra shot from his matok. This is uncharacteristic behavior for a Goa'uld, even considering his extensive use of incendiary mixtures that stick to the body and continue to burn. I'm sure he did this simply because it seemed easier to eliminate large numbers of enemies. He accomplished his mission and retreated. Vritra lost forty percent of its ground forces and was forced to abandon dozens of planets. However, it forged several alliances to contain Indra." The next few years promise to be extremely intense in this sector of space.
— What is the probability of Vritra falling?
"Minimal. Although her forces suffered heavy losses, in a classic confrontation she is capable of holding back the onslaught. Vritra has accused Indra of using mercenaries in the war, but she denies any involvement."
"Our spies in Indra's camp confirm that she's acting as if she has no idea the mercenaries exist. Therefore, this mercenary lord's presence in future clashes will be minimal. I don't think Indra can afford to continue paying him."
— The main thing is that no one pays him for the destruction of her troops.
"It's extremely unwise to accuse someone of using mercenaries and then resort to their services yourself. Besides, Vritra isn't in the mood to even consider such a thing right now. He'll probably be looking for work in other sectors."
"So what decision did the Tok'ra Council make regarding hiring him as a mercenary?" Mirra was curious. The Tok'ra typically preferred manipulation over outright bribery, and they didn't have that much money.
— For now, the Council does not see the need for such an unstable resource, but information about it will be preserved.