The map and reports painted a grim picture: capturing the Spartans was a fool's errand unless they had complete superiority and the enemy's weapons had been reduced to useless junk. New ideas were needed, for the enemy, desperately but ineffectually resisting, resembled ancient children encountering the concept of defense for the first time.
"They have muskets against our tanks," I chuckled, looking at the screen. "A kind of medieval bravado in the middle of the age of nanotechnology."
Initially, the Spartans, as if in vain hope, armed those manning the walls to rain fire on the approaching infantry. But these walls were like fragile houses of cards to the massive infantry fighting vehicles. Most of the warriors lost their weapons, along with the crumbling fortifications. Fortunately, the walls weren't high, and the Spartans were strong, and most survived. But then came the hell of street fighting. The Peloponnesian warriors, armed with clubs, knives, and other primitive weapons, became a real headache, a real thorn in the side of the enemy.
"Three minutes," my fingers drummed on the armrest. "Just three minutes, and the walls fell, vaporized by the BMP's cannon pulse. That's exactly how long it took to breach the breaches, leaving the defenders without several hundred lives. But oddly enough, another fifteen hundred supersoldiers, enhanced by nanites, were waiting for us in the city." Providence, or perhaps paranoia, pushed them to a desperate decision: barricade themselves in the central defense and administrative building. "I'll have to drive them out," I decided. "For a few hours, until the walls of this stubborn anthill turn to dust. I'll shake the very soul out of them, using my entire supply of tear gas. This structure will cease to exist in orbit, and my soldiers, clad in hermetically sealed helmets, will not care a damn about the acrid clouds. That way, I'll disarm most of the garrison."
But the fight didn't give up. The Jaffa, especially when deprived of the ability to instantly destroy the enemy, fight with the fury of the doomed. Everything was used. And if my soldiers fell, they were immediately sent to the sarcophagus.
"The next time a stupid thought comes into your head…" I began, but Egeria interrupted me.
"It was a test," I interrupted, looking her straight in the eye. "A test that showed that entering an unequal fight, refusing to kill, hoping for surrender, is an extremely stupid idea. Especially when the enemy are nanite-enhanced supersoldiers. But I hoped the tear gas would intimidate them."
— Jaffa are extremely difficult to intimidate.
"But catching them in their folly is entirely possible. The first reaction to an invasion through the gate is either a counterattack or a retreat to the walls. I'll just wait until all these fools crash against the armor of my machines like waves against rocks."
- The Jaffa aren't that stupid, they'll figure out how to shoot at the tracks.
"And for that, they clearly need a targeting system. I wonder what genius invented these staves? They've been around for at least five thousand years."
"More," Egeria replied. "Usually, when encountering an advanced non-human race, they bombed it. But if the race is undeveloped, the statistical losses aren't so significant."
"Idiots!" I cursed, clenching my fists. "That's why I can't just give a Jaffa a plasma rifle right away. I have to come up with a ton of modifications that serve as mere stepping stones."
"A staff with zeta, intar, and plasma, with a vibroblade as an additional weapon. If you sold a design like that, it would sell out."
"For how much?" I blurted out.
"I'd definitely give a couple of Hattaks," Egeria replied. "Even without the targeting system, the improvements are obvious. Close combat, the ability to stun enemies... A minor modification won't dramatically change the balance of power, but it will increase the Jaffa's strength by 10-15%. But that way, you could become Ra's chief scientist. And you don't want that fate, do you? Constantly churning out inventions under threat of execution."
"Is it even possible to make such transfers? And what's the point of me, with a naquadaha planet and my own army, becoming a scientist? What's in it for me?"
Egeria looked at me with Evgenia's eyes, and that look screamed: "You're an idiot!"
- They won't kill you.
"But if you look at it this way... then yes, it makes sense. Especially if they find out how I got five Hattaks and an entire fortress."
"Ra will likely give your Jaffa an order cursing you. After all, they're all his Jaffa. But if that doesn't work, he'll negotiate. You've correctly assessed the distance of your domains from the mother country. It will take too long to attract a fleet. And a lot can change in that time. Besides, sending a fleet of ten Hattaks is a serious investment, seven of which will have to be written off as a necessary sacrifice. He'll grant you Lord status, but he'll fill your domains with spies. Apparently, Ra was too stingy with his spies to send them with you. Now, in the midst of war, he needs all the spies he can to track Apophis's troop movements and keep tabs on the other System Lords."
"That's why I need these Jaffa, whom I will reforge to become loyal to me. With the right training and tactics, they will become strong enough to block any of Ra's powers."
"You're very cunning," Egeria laughed. "Using, essentially, Ra's troops, you're acquiring troops that will block Ra's forces in the event of your rebellion."
"Praise from the most cunning woman in Goa'uld history is worth a lot," I teased her. "To be honest, my plans weren't that cunning. It's just that my control over the Goa'uld was so limited that I could easily do whatever I wanted. True, if the system had been closer to the mainland, I wouldn't have had such freedom."
"You handled this intrigue very skillfully, but I share your wife's opinion: you are not cut out for diplomacy.
"I'll go and conquer another planet," I muttered to her.
I'll settle the captured Spartans on a desert planet, already prepared with tents and warm clothing. But something will hold them, like a steel collar. A supply gate floated on an antigravity platform, from which supplies—water, food, and so on—were delivered. Even the Jaffa won't be able to escape. Dehydration is even more dangerous for supersoldiers, as their enhanced bodies expend more energy on sustaining themselves and the symbiote. They simply have nowhere to run.
"Go and free Kenya from British rule," Egeria snapped at me.
"I will," I replied. "Why does everyone perceive me, a simple engineer, as a Viyar who only wants to fight? In my opinion, Earth needs someone who will control everything that happens there. And it would be better if that person were the Tok'ra."
"They won't appear for ten years," she explained. "The symbionts I saved from the Pangarians are swimming in the pool now. Then they'll need to be placed in the Jaffa and wait ten years. The sixties will be the years of the Tok'ra. This will allow them to seize various resources on Earth and control it, so that they can't jump wherever they want. Humanity's home planet has colossal resources, human resources. So we need to be very careful. At the same time, I'm no longer an Earthman, but the ruler of my own state. And if Earth is destined to rise, I must have a sufficient threat to hang this planet if it threatens me. Orbital bombardment is not my style, but economic strikes are quite suitable. It will be very difficult for the US to object if, for example, 50 countries ask about the gate, because they will be controlled by me. Nanites will be one of the means of control." By capturing historically insignificant countries, I will not change history, but I will gain additional leverage.
"Sir, the central palace has been taken!" Imotekh said calmly. "We have not failed you."
"Well done, Imotekh! For your faithful service, you will henceforth be known as Imotekh Stormlord! Let this new name reflect your devotion to Ra and me. You fought a powerful and skilled enemy and managed to capture many of them. This feat will not be forgotten!" I said in a deep voice, using an open frequency so that all the troops could hear. Such a title is the highest reward.
— I humbly accept this award.