"So, Imotekh, what did you want to talk about?" I asked, seeing several elderly Jaffa and Krel standing behind him.
"Sir, we have noticed that Urvashi is extremely loyal to you. No resistance to your rule has been observed."
"Of course, the residents remember my favors and know what will happen if they incur my wrath.
"However, the risk of rebellion is now reduced. The space fortress is located directly above the heads of your slaves. Any uprising will be crushed by this mighty fort. And the chance of capturing airfields using the method you and the goddess Vritra used is reduced, as the gliders are also stationed on the space fortress."
Yes, he's right. Due to simple transport logistics and the refusal to build a large number of airfields, all 2,400 of my gliders were divided between five Hattaks, the station, and the planet. On the planet, the gliders reported to ground units. The Alkeshi and Teltaks were partly on the surface, partly on the station. Urvashi Station was actively populated, carrying supplies and establishing a chain of command. There are few people there yet, but over time there will be more. Pilots are still few; only a thousand gliders are in use, but there is reserve for expansion. The technical staff has been upgrading the gliders, creating bomb mounts. Just in case.
"Are you praising my wisdom?" I asked irritably.
"My apologies, sir. I wanted to make a proposition. Your slaves now have a fighting force that enforces your laws. Your Jaffa train tirelessly, but we are still few in number. And if slaves loyal to your word could be trained to defend the planet, in case it is attacked while we are striking at your enemies…"
"You're suggesting I arm the slaves? With what? Staffs?" He feigned anger and flashed his eyes.
"Forgive me, lord, my tongue has begun to fail me," Imotekh immediately backed away. "Your slaves are a useful asset, and they must be protected from the vicissitudes of battle. We, your warriors, must crush any enemy that invades. They must rescue the slaves and hold out for a while until we arrive and crush any enemy. I would not dare to imagine entrusting the weapons of a god to slaves, but the intars have already been entrusted to slaves by you, my lord."
I pretended to think about it. This was the finale of Isara's plot, as well as a balancing act with Urvashi's military elite, who needed their own fulfillment.
"We will train slaves, but we will need to fortify my Jaffa residence so that you are not attacked in your homes. That would be very foolish, and I would lose face. If I agree, what will you teach the slave soldiers?"
Imotekh shrank under my eyes. It was amusing, the effect I could have. He was essentially a warrior of Ra, proposing something that deviated from established procedures, and I could shoot him now—and everyone would think it was a good thing.
"Sir, slave training will focus on garrison duties and defensive warfare. We'll also be assisting with the evacuation of the most important slaves and providing security for them."
"Will they be training to fly gliders?" I asked, a bit tentatively.
"No, of course not, my lord. They should be grateful that we train them to fly light aircraft made of soft metal or wood."
"Well done, you passed my test. Otherwise, you would have been executed immediately. Trusting slaves with complex technology that could be used against us... I thought the years had eaten away at your mind. But I'm glad you're still sane."
- I would never dare betray you like that.
"Okay, prepare a training plan for the slave soldiers, and remember: they're not Jaffa. It's unlikely any of them could withstand even a third of the workload of a Jaffa. You can also use the slave soldiers to train my troops. A stunned Jaffa will be punished with increased training. The slave who stunned him will be rewarded. My warriors must not insult me by being, even nominally, 'killed' by slaves.
The old Jaffa swallowed, as they themselves no longer had any idea where they could intensify their training.
"The unfortunate warrior who got shot by a slave must undergo intensive fire evasion training. He must run 100 meters under fire from five Jaffa without being hit. He does well. If he doesn't, then he'll have to run until he does. Oh, and just in case he does... Jaffa who can't hit a target running toward them must undergo accuracy training." "I wonder if my Jaffa will start to think of me as someone on Sokar's level? There's a clear, constant cycle of punishment here."
- Sir, is the person being punished allowed to use weapons?
"Only zetnickel. Its version is in Intar. And don't tell me I'm not a gracious sir." "That will create a carousel where marksmanship skills improve, and yes, that's without helmets with HUDs. We need to keep the men occupied until McVay arrives." He was in the second round of his fight with the US government, but at least some people sided with him, since intelligence became the scapegoat. The very first torpedo hit the Indianapolis knocked out all power, leaving the captain unable to properly assess the damage, and his orders were relayed down the chain of command. By some supernatural intuition, he realized the ship was doomed and ordered the crew to evacuate. At the trial, he was also held accountable for this, for evacuating without fighting for survivability. After all, according to the prosecution, had he fought for survivability, the ship could have stayed afloat, and the crew would not have encountered sharks. But in retrospect, McVay's order turned out to be correct. Otherwise, he would have been accused of sacrificing lives by ordering a survivability fight when evacuation was necessary. Of course, all that remained was the charge of "failure to perform an anti-submarine maneuver," which allowed the relatives to blame the captain for everything.
Now let naval intelligence, which failed to warn anyone that submarines were entering the US fleet's area of operations, look pale. And so will the commanders of the three radio posts that received the SOS signal, but one was drunk, the second was busy, and the third thought it was a Japanese trap and didn't report it. Thanks to my actions, the public has many more haters, the best of which will be intelligence. They've always been hated, but now they'll experience the hatred of the people, and at the same time, a scolding from their superiors for asking, "Why is classified information leaking to journalists?" I hope it's someone in intelligence who shoots themselves to close the gestalt, not McVay. Worrying about the Japanese learning their codes were cracked in July 1945 is like worrying about safe sex when your wife is five months pregnant.
The Japanese didn't have Enigma; the codes had been cracked before Midway. The Japanese navy in 1945 was extremely limited, so there was no need to hide. By the end of the war, Japan had two aircraft carriers, one battleship, three cruisers, 41 destroyers, and 59 submarines. Japan was completely incapable of developing a new encryption system, and the destruction of submarines should have been a priority, even without much concealment. Intelligence games led to this result. And then there was the command, which didn't provide an escort for a heavy cruiser that couldn't detect submarines. A Japanese submarine could foxtrot right under the bottom of a heavy cruiser, and no one would notice. And you're talking about an "anti-submarine maneuver." It's a simple zigzag, and an experienced submariner can ignore it and make adjustments.
Because the zigzag intervals are cyclical. A ship is a huge, unwieldy machine, so this movement is as predictable as moving in a straight line. That's precisely why destroyers were invented. Even the risk that the Japanese would change the codes for ground forces is no excuse, since naval encryption and land-based encryption are usually unrelated. Especially given the "love" between the Army and Navy. The reasons for this decision elude me. It feels like intelligence has confused its responsibilities. It doesn't exist to store information in its archives. Information is needed to win wars.
I also need to take care of my own independent encryption, otherwise running an interstellar empire would be a very amusing undertaking. I also need to form a cryptanalyst department to crack the ciphers of other System Lords. But a Jaffa makes a cryptanalyst like a bullet made of shit. And then there's the matter of setting up etheric monitoring stations. Essentially, this would involve developing satellites in the necessary sectors of space. The question remains: how to deliver them? Placing satellites above my planets isn't difficult. I'll also provide satellite radio communications across the entire planet, making such communications cheap, easy, and controllable for carrying out orders.
But I'm glad Isara's plot was successful. Now, establishing Planetary Defense Forces on planets within my realm will become standard. And everyone knows it was the Jaffa masters who suggested it, convincing me.
Now I'll have up to 50,000 more or less professional military and police forces under my command, capable of garrison duty and also knowledgeable about how to interact with civilians without irritating them. I don't intend to allow the Jaffa to interact too much with civilians; it's better to let them run. That way, they'll be less of a threat.