"Get your ass down, get it down! The plasma shot's aim is poor!" Elena roared, slamming the heel of her boot into the mud of one of the girls. She gasped and fell into the muck. "If you get hit, your platoon will have more work to do—a penalty of ten laps on the course! Do you need me to explain that to you? Grab your poles and do another twenty laps on the obstacle course!"
The Jaffa girls and women, gripped with fear, grabbed their gear and rushed back to the start of the obstacle course. Helena, once Queen of Sparta, commanded the legion. This title was earned through hard work, not simply a legacy from the previous queen. Szarekh, true to his word, had helped her initially, and through her own efforts, she had grown stronger. Then, combining strength and organizational skills, she proved herself a talented commander, achieving exceptional results in training exercises. She kept her subordinates on a tight rein, forcing them to grow stronger. Thanks to her, they repeatedly defeated men, which caused the other Jaffa to dislike her, and that was precisely why she was single while others had husbands. The status of queen was gone, but a power capable of crushing even a man had emerged.
Moreover, it would be shameful for a man to have a wife of higher rank. Even though women were barred from participating in offensive operations, she was feared. For both men and women, she was like a female version of Imotekh, making their lives hell. But over time, as they grew stronger, they realized she knew no kindness. After all, if Urvashi were attacked, the attacking men would show no mercy. Such high competence granted her vast resources, which came in the form of her salary. Elena's home was spacious, two-story, and boasted a level of comfort the Jaffa could only dream of before Szarekh's arrival. Even the food had improved, and thanks to the electronic ordering system, she could order anything she wanted from any restaurant. But the former ruler's analytical mind saw something beyond this façade. Lord Szarekh ruled his domain, but his wife did so even more. Elena had never heard of a Goa'uld marrying an ordinary woman, but Faetah Isara had given Elena more sleepless nights than Lord Szarekh, who had threatened to blow up her city. Faetah Isara was many things, but she was certainly not weak or stupid. She had a knack for leadership that Elena never had, and she possessed a steely, unyielding character. Crossing her was not recommended, not only because she was the wife of a god, but also because without a husband, she could destroy anyone on her own.
Elena delegated the affairs of Pelops's domain to her and allowed her to socialize. Furthermore, the former queen discovered that the slaves in Szarekh's domain had quite a few rights. They were truly unforced, and they worked for wages, just like her. Moreover, their deity bestowed upon them a wealth of divine magic, and this bore fruit. Szarekh also didn't want to involve his Jaffa in this. The men eagerly trained, striving to become "super warriors," but Elena, as a queen, good or bad, had seen through certain management decisions. Especially those that removed the Jaffa from direct control, leaving them only to battle. But the woman shared her conclusions with no one. Firstly, because she feared Szarekh. Secondly, because she feared Isara. Thirdly, because she lived far better than she should have.And any unrest in the troops was punished severely. Lord Szarekh was a benevolent ruler until he was tested. There was no point in angering a deity who marched into battle alongside his troops and could single-handedly capture planets, no matter how many garrisons they contained. His planet, Pelops's, and dozens of others—those were places where Lord Szarekh's leadership or personal involvement led to victory.
There was no point in angering a deity who, instead of idle life in a harem, trained, created new tools for destroying enemies, and fought side by side with his troops. The Jaffa's loyalty to such a commander was extremely high, and he himself could tear you apart. There was no point in that, either, as she would lose more than she gained. Elena trained new troops, conquered by right of victory. They looked weak (at least the women), but they quickly made up for lost time. The influx of new troops, the division into cohorts, and the promotion of officers required considerable effort. As the commanding officer, she had free time, but sometimes she checked on the sergeants as they trained the new "young ladies." An Earth word meaning a girl unaccustomed to work, it could... Those who couldn't lift anything heavier than a writing instrument—that's what they called young Jaffa women who hadn't undergone the "breakdown," unaware that Szarekh had different standards. All Jaffa are warriors.
The concept that all Jaffa are warriors was evident in Lord Szarekh's other decisions as well. A month ago, he'd invited (or rather, ordered) her to one of the laboratories, where, through some kind of high magic, memories of several Earth military operations were implanted into her mind. She absorbed information on how to fight and what tools to use, after which she became quite thoughtful and began questioning the phaeron about artillery, rocket artillery, and minefields. He pointed out that what the humans had was too primitive and needed improvement. For now, her tools included heavy guns, infantry fighting vehicles, and aircraft.
However, the knowledge implantation required the removal of a Goa'uld larva, so such procedures were performed monthly, as with the other cohort commanders. If she received information on warfare at the "highest" level, it was usually limited to companies and cohorts. She was also expected to impart the memories herself after training. It was annoying, telling her opponents how she'd beaten them. But then they had to do the same. It made everything so much more interesting. The new learning mechanism was truly effective, but it was strange to learn things you didn't know before in seconds.
The pilots who will be deployed in the operation against Tartarus exchange memories weekly. This increases their effectiveness, as they are constantly engaged in combat for several hours each day. Of course, the entire fleet trains with the same zeal as the infantry (otherwise they would lose respect), but this elite group trained more and more often than others. Plus, they were testing experimental phaeron magic. Yes, many knew that the lord was preparing for battle against the most secure prison in the galaxy (except for the Menetu), and they were confident of success. The troops were overly well prepared, but Elena still worried about what couldn't be predicted. A khattak could be there, and the whole plan would go to waste. Lord Szarekh was smart and should have calculated many contingencies, but the anxiety persisted. Elena wasn't particularly fond of these military games of conquest, as each time they carried a risk to everything she had built. But Urvashi was far from the Goa'uld's domain, so she could be at peace to some extent. But only to some extent.