My BMP stopped next to the figure. A second later, a drone soared from its roof and, landing next to the ashrak, projected my hologram.
"I hope you won't find my precautions excessive," I said, peering into the face of the ashrak who had invited me to this meeting. "The last time my forces encountered members of your species, the defenses were breached at the cost of twenty Jaffa lives. Apparently, you managed to steal the coordinates and communication frequencies from Vritra. These aren't Goa'uld palaces, honestly, they're a walk-through."
"I don't care. I want to hire you," the ashrak snapped.
"I'm listening." "It's not every day you get an offer from an elite assassin."
"I want to free Zeus from Tartarus." So that's it. Now everything falls into place. Tartarus is Kronos's prison colony, and in the future, it will become Anubis's base. A place similar to Sokar's prison, only further away and much more heavily guarded. Kronos keeps prisoners there, whom he doesn't want to kill, but prefers to torture. There's a small chance that a prisoner could be rescued and used as expendable material in the next war. Unlike the young Goa'uld, these are veterans, tested by time, with clearly defined skill cards. But this clearly doesn't apply to Zeus.
Greek myths paint a picture close to the truth: he seized power from his father, Kronos. However, Kronos later planted his agents among Zeus's entourage, and they recruited his Jaffa, which is unsurprising, given their undying loyalty. As a result, Zeus has probably been sitting in Tartarus for two millennia. Goa'uld prisoners are, of course, allowed to use the sarcophagus; otherwise, a constant supply of slaves would have to be established. But with the sarcophagus, everything is much simpler.
"What's the reason for such interest in Zeus? No offense, but all the ashraks work for Selket and are contracted to one Lord or another. Your contract, I believe, was bought out long ago."
"I am loyal to Zeus," the elite assassin answered shortly.
"A rare quality these days, especially two thousand years after the master's capture." "That level of devotion commands respect." "But what about payment? An attack on Tartarus isn't like walking through a gate to slaughter some weak Jaffa. Honestly, I haven't studied Tartarus's defenses, but I know the gates there may have an energy field."
"That's more than anyone knows about this planet," the man muttered. "Attacks through the gate are completely out of the question. The gate is located in a secure complex, from where all prisoner quarters are monitored. However, there are numerous autonomous tracking satellites in space, capable of detecting a ship's exit from hyperspace with pinpoint accuracy. There's a quintuple orbital defense system there."
— What kind of protection is there against gliders?
The orbital weapons are protected by powerful shields capable of deflecting damage from gliders. Glider evacuation is impossible due to a powerful air defense system that operates during both landing and takeoff. A hundred of the facility's own gliders are capable of protecting the complex. Furthermore, to prevent a landing, the entire prison area is protected by a shield. At the same time, the orbital weapons can be deployed to fire at the surface. At this point, the entire prison area will be protected by the shield, reducing the risk of a breach to a minimum.
"And approaching with large ships will be even more difficult because Tartarus is Kronos's domain. Any hyperspace monitoring system will detect several Ha'tak-class ships heading for Tartarus," I finished for him. "Kronos has clearly done everything to make escape from his prison impossible. Unlike Netu. If you asked me to organize an escape from Netu, I would do it at a significant discount."
"Can you organize an escape from Netu?" the ashrak asked in surprise. After all, Netu and Tartarus were considered equally difficult.
"You too can figure out how to escape this moon, if you use a little imagination," I snorted. "But Tartarus... it's protected from both sabotage and military assault. Why would I agree to such an offer? The downside: I could lose a lot of troops, and Kronos would dislike me. Why would I quarrel with a powerful High Lord of the Systems for the sake of a Lord who has lost power and, therefore, is unable to adequately repay me for my troubles?"
"A reputation as a warrior capable of accomplishing the impossible," the ashrak immediately replied.
"So you're asking me to do all this for the sake of my reputation? A reputation I'll have anyway in a hundred years. Why risk biting off more than I can chew?"
"As an ashrak, I'm capable of much. My work can pay for any expenses." He was indeed right. After I learned the ashrak's prices from Egeria, I had to sit down and smoke (figuratively, of course, I didn't need the validol). Especially considering this experienced killer has been around for two thousand years.
— No offense, but wasn't the last Ashrak who became a private citizen torn apart by Selket and buried in five star systems?
- Was.
It seems this ashrak is truly unconditionally loyal to Zeus. It's almost enviable. That's a lot of devotion—planning his master's escape after two thousand years. How did this hedonist, who screws everything that moves, earn the loyalty of such an elite assassin?
"Place the crystal with your information about Tartarus's defense on this drone. Meet me here in a week, and I'll give you the answer. Zeus's release is a question of money or common sense. Right now, without complete data, I can't say anything."
Ashrak placed the data crystal on the drone and retreated. The drone returned to its place in the BMP. A small compartment opened to return it to the vehicle. Then I dialed one of the staging bases on the handheld device. The BMP turned around and entered the gate. I have a long way to go to cover my tracks, and then a full check to make sure a dozen assassins haven't infiltrated my vehicle. I can't be too paranoid. That's why I'll be viewing the data on the crystal on unplugged electronics, and definitely not at my base. But the task is too interesting! At the same time, if I'm going to save, then save everyone.
A crowd of Goa'uld hating Kronos is a plus. I can even issue them all Teltaki as a gesture of goodwill. I also need to consult with Egeria; won't this cause the strategic chaos for which the Tok'ra are so famous? And how could I not damage the legendary Goa'uld reputation? True, after this, I risk repeating the feat of Jolinar, against whom Apophis and Kronos united—an unprecedented occurrence. However, releasing a bunch of snakes who hate Kronos into a pond is an interesting idea. If they prove talented, like Osiris, for example, they could begin to dismantle Kronos's domain with their squabbles. And there's also an ashrak in service who could help implement some of my ideas. But this is dangerous.
Word of "Mercenary Lord" Broke Tartarus will spread like wild fire across the empires. And several times more ashraks will try to get to know me than before. Of course, Kronos will have to capture all the fugitives first, which will divert a significant portion of his resources. Moreover, if an experienced ashrak immediately joins Zeus's retinue, it will mean they will have certain advantages in this unfair game. It's clear that my "Mercenary Lord" alias will surface. Zeus has a loose tongue; even if everything is kept secret, he'll spill it all at the next feast. I need to figure out what to ask of the ashrak in return and how to turn an attack on one of the most well-defended Goa'uld planets into monetary gain. I can't ask for cheap: an ashrak is literally a professional killer, and a very expensive one. If I take too little, they'll lose respect. After all, it was the ashrak who came to me for help. Therefore, the payment should be equal.