Honestly, it's rather awkward to sit on the throne when they drag a woman in just a nightgown before you, who we don't quite understand what's going on, surrounded by several Jaffa, and make her kneel. Well, that wasn't my order, but rather the excesses of the enforcers. Apparently, the Jaffa's idea of "being careful" means not even giving the woman time to gather herself together before immediately dragging her to me. I've been with them for two years now, and they're still the same idiots. I snapped my fingers and glared. "Stun everyone you find in the palace, do them no harm, they are my new slaves." The woman looked at me with fear, and what was truly scary? There was a roar, then explosions of energy, then some men in armor entered the chambers and stunned me, then brought me to a man on a throne with glowing eyes. "Bring her something," I ordered my servants. "At least give her some kind of robe, they can't even take a hostage properly." Yes, maybe it's my fault, after two years in hyperspace, I want at least something, some kind of action. I've already secretly distributed poems and books from Earth, ordered servants to stage theatrical performances, sing songs—in short, it was pure madness. Of course, I'm glad I got away from Ra, two years away in hyperspace. He certainly has better hyperdrives, so if he thinks of punishing me, he'll have six months to go. It was all I had to do to secure this assignment. Ra was currently fighting another pointless war with Apophis, so the High Lord needed both warriors and administrators. His "children," the lesser Goa'uld, were scheming to be as close to him as possible (like Klorel would be to Apophis in the future). It was all I had to do to first plant the idea in Ra's head that he needed planets with naquadah that Apophis couldn't reach quickly, thus disrupting the supply chain. He wasn't a fool himself, and he accepted the offer favorably, but for most, it was a banishment, the realization that they could no longer curry favor with Ra, and he wouldn't give them new ships. Since two years in hyperspace is a long way off, we're literally on the edge of the Milky Way. Any communication will only go through the Stargate, which, of course, is ripe for separatism. But the Goa'uld mentality came into play here, where building infrastructure would take time, and Ra wouldn't wait. And he set a high quota for naquadah production through manual labor, not to mention the debt hanging over my head. Or did you think the Goa'uld had all the knowledge of the entire race locked up in their heads? No, I, for one, know very little. And I'm supposedly a "lord," Queen Ra, who assembled me, apparently "optimized" my knowledge to minimize unnecessary details. So I don't know the entire stele of gate addresses that Ra has on Abydos, nor do I know a vast list of other things. For example, for me, Goa'uld history begins literally a couple thousand years ago. Yes, I know they existed before that, but it's the history that the queen at least shared. And she clearly edited everything like a censor—be true to Ra, Apophis is bad, and so on. As for the debts. What resources do you think the Goa'uld rely on to survive? Not the System Lords, but people like me? Even scientists and workers have it better; they have a profession that feeds them. And people like me, the "little lords," are like the younger sons of feudal lords, who can throw a party and sleep with girls, but they have no personal wealth, and if the feudal lord tells you to go somewhere, you go.Otherwise, you're left without a livelihood. And at best, they'll let you wander, seeking shelter (yes, with limited knowledge of the gate network and technology) among other System Lords. But who needs you without a reputation, connections, and useful skills? They'll also suspect you of being a spy. The Tok'ra, through their network, can write a biography for a no-name Goa'uld that makes it look like he's infiltrating Yu (Jacob Carter and Selmak) for an important post, allowing him to replace a personal servant in the palace. Goa'uld like me are closer to the snake pit (literally), where you have to prove yourself in a short time, otherwise you'll be deemed useless and sent... I don't know, work as an executioner, at least not as a sewer cleaner. And that last one isn't a compliment, because the latter requires education. And to prove yourself, you need to undermine the competition, by any means necessary. Among the lesser Goa'uld, who didn't even receive a small planet with a few thousand souls, the intrigues thriving are unmatched in Game of Thrones. Personally, I only survived because I retreated so quickly, so quickly that the others shook their heads. However, the smartest ones were envious. The whole point of my simple plan was to get as far away from Ra as possible, while still having certain resources. So I proposed to the High Lord that we rediscover the planet where the naquadah deposits were supposed to be, but it had been abandoned for some reason. To ensure a steady supply of naquadah through the gate, for example, to the shipyards. Ra liked the idea and found such a planet himself. They abandoned it about 500 years ago because there was another war between the Goa'uld, this time against Kronos, and the Lord based on Urkesh was ordered to conduct a flanking attack (yeah, lasting two years). He failed and died, there was no way to contact the gate, so Ra gave up on the planet. He had enough to do, sending a ship to figure out what had happened to the gate. Until I showed up with this proposal. It's not like it's easy to allocate resources these days, but Ra had a Cheops that was far from new, and modernizing it would be expensive. So they foisted it on me and slapped a price tag that could buy a Hattak. And I also bought a thousand Jaffa (with their families), slaves, and other small things I needed. And that's how my debt accumulated. Which needs to be repaid in addition to sending tribute to Ra. And what if the Goa'uld are capitalists? Do you think Moloch sacrificed girls because he was so happy? The fool simply didn't have the money for the required number of larvae, or he was trying to save money. So Ra did this, completely enslaving me, because he'll be the one setting the price for the larvae (I don't know many addresses, not to mention the other Lords will also be jacking up the prices). As a result, I'll end up with less than nothing left of all the naquadah I mine. At least that's what Ra thinks. I pulled off a little scam here and tricked my most foolish brethren into accepting the blow of going to a remote province for a certain fee. There were still plenty of fools in Ra's court; they hadn't had time to die.So they spent their money on me. It wasn't much, to be honest, but it helped me buy a few things. Two years later, I finally arrived on Urkesh, and I'm ready to quietly thank Ra for the planet. The entire planet had a population of 30 million, rich in naquadah, which is why the Ancients installed the gate here, but it also had a unique concentration of habitable planets. In one system, there were four habitable planets, but that didn't interest the Goa'uld who ruled here before me. He, too, was overwhelmed with debt and had no interest in colonizing worlds that weren't connected to the gate. Otherwise, he would have had to build a space fleet, even if it consisted of those same Alkesh, and that's an investment. And he was clearly spending everything on debt. The first planet is a classic ocean world, 80 percent water, with occasional islands. Urkesh shares orbit with another planet, and they share similar geographic conditions, somewhat reminiscent of Earth. Oceans, continents, and diverse climates. The fourth planet is quite deserted. It's not Abydos, of course, but the distance from the local sun makes a difference. All have stable atmospheres capable of supporting life and reflecting the sun's rays. If you think like an Earthling, that's a "jackpot," but if you think like a Goa'uld, nothing changes. A small population means you need to mine naquadah, and if you're going to develop other planets, you need a surplus population and a space fleet to at least handle transportation. If planets don't have naquadah, then they're agricultural planets. Why make them that way and build a space transport fleet for that purpose if the same can be done on Urkesh? Instead of a developed industrial sector, it's a remote village. And even though I'm a lord, I'll give most of my "harvest" to Ra. In this I am little different from the people on the planet I came to conquer.They all have a stable atmosphere capable of supporting life and reflecting the rays of the local sun. If you think like an Earthling, that's a "jackpot," but if you think like a Goa'uld, nothing changes. A small population means you need to mine naquadah, and if you're going to develop other planets, you need a surplus population and a space fleet to at least handle transportation. If planets don't have naquadah, then they're agricultural planets, so why make them that way and build a space transport fleet for that purpose when the same can be done on Urkesh? So instead of a developed industrial sector, it's a remote village. And even though I'm a lord, I'll give most of my "harvest" to Ra. In this, I'm little different from the people on the planet I came to conquer.They all have a stable atmosphere capable of supporting life and reflecting the rays of the local sun. If you think like an Earthling, that's a "jackpot," but if you think like a Goa'uld, nothing changes. A small population means you need to mine naquadah, and if you're going to develop other planets, you need a surplus population and a space fleet to at least handle transportation. If planets don't have naquadah, then they're agricultural planets, so why make them that way and build a space transport fleet for that purpose when the same can be done on Urkesh? So instead of a developed industrial sector, it's a remote village. And even though I'm a lord, I'll give most of my "harvest" to Ra. In this, I'm little different from the people on the planet I came to conquer. When the servants brought the woman a robe, I sent them away. They knew, of course, that I was a "kind" master, but some decency must be maintained. "Forgive them, they are idiots," I said, turning to the woman. "Who are you?" the woman asked me, trying to somehow maintain her composure and stop the adrenaline-fueled trembling. "Tell me, do you remember who ruled you 500 years ago? That will make explaining who I am much easier." "An evil god who enslaved our ancestors and used them as slaves in the mines. When the people's prayers outweighed the patience of the heavens, he left, and our ancestors buried the gates of evil through which his allies arrived." "In general, everything is correct," I agreed with this formulation of the question. "In fact, we are not gods, we simply have better technology." And he wasn't the most important god; in fact, he was comparable to a minor tax collector. When his powers were needed elsewhere, he was ordered to attack another "god," and that one perished. Your world was so remote that no one wanted to waste time sending a replacement. My lord requires remote mines that his enemies can't attack. And through the gate, I can deliver this ore directly to him. A young woman of about twenty-five stared at me, perplexed. I sighed. "You're explaining the concept of space to a medieval ruler; I clearly have a communication deficit." "Your luminary is the star you see in the sky; it's just that this star is close to you. Planets can be compared to small villages; my 'sky castle' is a ship that travels between 'villages.' This takes time; for example, it took me two years to get to you. The Gate of Evil is a way to bypass the distance limitation. And you can reach any 'village' instantly." My master already knows I've arrived and demands I mine ore. If I don't give it to him, he'll kill me. And between dying myself or enslaving you to mine naquadah, I'll choose the latter. Forgive my cowardice. - Are you enslaving us? - Do you want the truth or nonsense like: "The merciful god of science and wisdom, Szarekh, has descended to rule you, bow down to him and submit to his merciful rule"? - I even flashed my eyes to add more absurdity to the whole situation. Yes, I was capturing this planet, although I planned to rule not like a typical Goa'uld, but generally fairly, this doesn't change the fact that I aimed the Cheops cannons, capable of producing an explosion of 200 megatons, at the planet. And also that I have a couple of squadrons of gliders, with which the inhabitants of this world are unable to do anything. And yes, I threaten this woman, her family, and those close to her with death if they do not comply. But even so, slavery is too crude a description of what's happening. If you so desire, you become my subordinate, who governs the people of this planet. And ensures that the naquadah production quotas are met."In the past, these quotas were unsustainable; tens of thousands of people worked in the mines, and all the surrounding farms were forced to supply them with food. Craftsmen repaired tools in the cities. The best men worked in the mines, and this did not bring profit to the people." Oh, her confidence was beginning to return. Good. "The Empire has an extremely negative attitude towards giving slaves technology that allows them to be efficient. I do not share the same thinking, so although a significant number of workers will be required, they will work under acceptable conditions. My master does not care how I mine naquadah, he is only interested in the result. So I will help you improve food production, as well as naquadah mining, but you must obey. Rebellion is an extremely foolish undertaking. I can easily ascend to the heavens and kill all the conspirators, and even if my death is realized, my master Ra has hundreds of small Goa'uld like me, he will send him after me. Because he needs naquadah, and they won't be as kind as I am. They'll reinstate what happened under the previous ruler of this planet: the murder of the families of those who don't meet quotas, constant terror, violence, and so on. I hate it, but when you think about riding on my back, remember that my life, and therefore yours, depends on naquadah production. If there's no production, the High Lord will order my death, and someone capable of ensuring production will be appointed in my place, and my death will be a reminder to him that you can't be soft-hearted with slaves. And meet quotas. The Queen, or whatever the title of the Supreme Ruler was called here, swallowed. I had very little information about this planet, mostly what orbital scanning revealed—it's definitely not feudalism; I saw past Goa'uld cities located near naquadah veins. Slaves lived there, and the building I landed on was a pyramid, the Goa'uld residence, where the local elite lived. Considering it was the largest city, it was the capital. In the 500 years since the Empire's departure, culture and construction had clearly risen; instead of clay houses, there were now very spacious streets with various social facilities. Goa'uld policy typically drains the population of all available human resources, forcing them to work in inefficient production, which brings no benefit to their community. Enormous resources of civilization are being wasted, although I already have my own opinion on this matter. How to incorporate the naquadah industry into the overall trade turnover of these people. "I think I'm getting ahead of myself; you can answer my questions about your government. And the very first one. What's your name?" She tilted her head to see how dumb I was. I mean, yes, maybe I'm not the sharpest tool, but this is practically the second time in my life I've been in self-isolation, and this time without the internet. And had more than a thousand Teal'c as companions. Although none of my Jaffa were so resilient,And they were mostly young losers, sold to me at exorbitant prices. I still have to pay off the loan for them, but they weren't lazy for two years, and trained so hard they had no time for any nonsense. Maybe that's why they took over the pyramid so quickly? In a desire to show off? It doesn't matter, though.
***
The alarm clock rang, tearing me from my slumber. There's no one to blame now—I'm the inventor. It's a hellish invention, but necessary for some organization. I've already become a hikikomori of the local variety over the past two years. More like a Goa'uld variety. I generally prefer not to leave my own chambers, not only because the Jaffa don't expect close interaction with their overlords, but also because I don't want to embarrass people. Considering I have several levels here, a thousand square meters, I have no reason to complain. As a result of some minor upgrades, my room has become smaller and my laboratory larger. The previous owner of Cheops, whoever he was, clearly wanted a huge bedroom with a bed, enough for orgies at twenty. I opted for a standard double bed, a certain number of closets, a desk with a holographic projector built into it so I could work on documents, and a small kitchen. Essentially, my apartment was something of a studio apartment, separated from all the crazy people on this ship. Or did it separate me, the crazy one, from everyone on this ship? No matter, the point is that no one had access to these spaces, and I had privacy. Consequently, I did all the housework; it kept me disciplined, preventing slack when you had at least 500 slave servants and a thousand Jaffa at your fingertips. My studies were primarily focused on applied engineering, which would allow for the rapid economic development of the territories entrusted to me. I understood perfectly well while flying that if I didn't want to be paying off Ra's loans for the next 200 years, I needed to improve my work efficiency, but some of these technologies required extensive development. For example, a jackhammer consumes electricity, so I either needed to run wires everywhere or find a power source compact enough for comfortable operation. I had one, weaponized naquadah in my staves, but it's a strategic resource and shouldn't be wasted. That's how I came up with the idea of capacitive batteries—humanity's holy grail. Naquadah can store and release energy, so I came up with a new way to extract it, although I probably stole it from Doc Brown in Back to the Future. Lightning generates enormous amounts of energy constantly, and it simply dissipates into the void, and all that's required for such a device is a lightning rod and capacitive batteries connected to it. So, on average, 2 gigawatts per strike—not a bad deal. The Earth in my time couldn't afford to store such volumes of energy; Earth has problems with batteries in general, which have never been solved. Using a small amount of naquadah, like batteries, is a perfectly acceptable investment. At the same time, you can skip the whole nonsense with fossil fuels and move on to green energy. Given the "tribute," it's best not to use naquadah reactors for the time being. For agriculture,Tracked vehicles based on tractors were also invented, but this was a universal platform. Once antigravity engines were developed, tracks could be replaced with antigrav engines. Essentially a universal platform, given the lack of an internal combustion engine and the fact that the battery space is similar to a flash drive, it freed up a lot of space. This allowed the tractor to be extremely modular; it can plow the land and, with the right modules, even add combine harvester equipment. I may not be the best administrator, and I've certainly never managed 30 million people, but I at least have a vision for technological development. I'm also not a fool, knowing that loyalty to my rule won't just appear, and it may not even appear for decades. So, I'm holed up on a potentially hostile planet with only a thousand relatively loyal Jaffa. A very unpleasant situation, but it's much safer than being at the court of Ra. Although a thousand of my Jaffa could easily rival a comparable number of idiots serving Ra or Apophyse, or any other System Lord. Such improvements could actually be achieved quite easily—by issuing a proper helmet to the soldiers. I didn't dare redesign the staff and Z, as I'm not a fool. Yes, making a classic plasma rifle is possible, but any operation would scream "I'm the one," not to mention the fact that if all the Goa'uld adopted my invention, it would be bad for me personally. But to an outside observer, my Jaffa are simply very accurate shots. Because their helmets have systems that integrate sighting devices with the mothership, which function similarly to lasers, but not quite the same. Essentially, my Jaffa are, to some extent, participating in a computer game. Each of them is somewhat similar to Iron Man, but with a helmet. Considering the Stargate universe exists, maybe there's a Marvel universe, and Iron Man's helmet beats me there. It's some kind of scientific magic. My helmet was a perfectly functional tool, suitable for everyday use, and it wouldn't fog up after a few minutes of wearing it. This chthonic horror itself, however, must be worn. Overall, the targeting systems, night vision devices, infrared flashlight, cameras and audio recording equipment, communications, motion sensors (if someone could tell me how the Ancients' ones work, I'd be grateful) are extremely primitive. But if a soldier is on patrol, their radar can detect any activity around them. Unless, of course, an intruder has entered the helmet's "visibility" zone. The binoculars also had zoom, not as good as they could be, but if you really needed to for long-range sniping, it was possible. It could also be used to survey the surrounding area. Helmets like these allowed for the introduction of a loose formation, which rivals the linear tactics used by the Jaffa. They can lie low and use trenches, as they can shoot accurately enough to be dangerous even alone. The next invention was grenades.The Goa'uld have grenades too, but they're expensive compared to the classic systems used by humans. The Jaffa also developed C4 for assault operations. Of course, plasma shots can blow up a stone wall with a few shots, but there are many situations where fast explosives are needed. All the related products that might also be useful—for example, mines and smoke grenades—I also made. I give credit for this work not to myself, but to the Goa'uld engineering programs, clearly "honestly borrowed" by the Goa'uld from the ancients when their old ships were discovered. The Goa'uld I am, of course, doesn't know this, but I, a human, already do. It's truly amazing how little Goa'uld knows. Just think about it—I BOUGHT the address of Abydos, and for a pretty penny at that. There's the Cartouche of Abydos there, and Earth is also nearby, not far from Earth is the planet Icarus, where there are vast deposits of naquadria. I don't know how to use it yet (and frankly, I'm afraid), but according to the rules, there should be naquadah veins there. I doubt the Ancients conducted this experiment; with their MNT, it shouldn't be of interest to them. And with 3 MNT, Atlantis, for example, could have gained Destiny. So, having obtained the Cartouche of Abydos, one can retrace the steps of the Stargate teams, taking some rather useful resources. Not to mention Earth itself, which can yield Set, Sekhmet, Isis, Osiris, and Hathor. Of course, some effort will be required, for example, finding Set, as well as retrieving Osiris and Isis's ship from the seabed. The easiest way with Hathor is to simply fly over Mexico with active naquadah scanners. A sarcophagus, which, by the way, I don't have (have you seen its price tag?), invisibility, and a tool for creating new Jaffa. Of course, the "fountain of youth" is not forgotten. After that, we methodically comb the galaxy for available addresses. Take Harlan, for example. The SGC had a damned alien bunker. They ignored it when the android there possessed consciousness-digitizing technology (for humans, this is comparable to digital immortality, or the equivalent of Soulkiller from Cyberpunk), prosthetic technology, and wireless energy transfer technology. Every single one of these technologies demonstrated, according to basic logic, should have motivated the US to dump endless resources on Harlan. But no, they were planning to blow it up because the androids had learned the iris code (as if changing it wouldn't be a matter of a few clicks). And yet, there clearly was high-level prosthetic and robotic technology there. Their android bodies mimicked every human movement, which is a significant technological achievement. The Altairians were clearly humanoid, and since the human brain was suitable for copying, their consciousness worked similarly. This implies ready-made, high-level prosthetic technology, possibly with the preservation of tactile sensation. If the SGC had entered into an alliance with Harlan and helped him renovate the bunker, it would have yielded a good profit. They could have started something like Cyberpunk.At least not the bad part of it. Let's not forget about the computer, which can accommodate the consciousness of humanity and its thought processes. Sure, Harlan's androids are more reminiscent of the necrons from AliExpress, but he should have had all the technical documentation. So what? They ruined it all. The SGC did that often, of course, but I won't allow it. Having donned my robes, I left the apartment. My "divine" attire was very modest. Just black pants, high leather boots, and a long black cloak. On my hand was a black glove with a ribbon device. It was originally silver to indicate my place in the Goa'uld hierarchy (somewhere at the very bottom), but I'd modified the appearance. And on my hip was a proper plasma pistol, crafted by me and for me. That's what all System Lords lacked against SG-1 squads: the ability to fire back from behind a shield. A telekinetic wave is certainly a powerful weapon, but it's a personal one. And if you're being shot at by ten machine gunners, it won't do any good. My host was quite tall, six feet nine inches, so even that allowed him to tower over everyone else. I walked quickly to my throne room. My throne isn't just a chair; it maintains a high-speed connection to the ship's systems. So, I can access programs with my mind. It's certainly not the Ancient Chair, more like a very poor fake, but it does allow for computer connections. The tape device also contained a computer with data storage. Therefore, I need to obtain all the tape devices of Marduk, Osiris, Isis, Set, and Hathor. Their tape devices contain a vast amount of information, including planetary addresses and possibly even technology. After all, Osiris somehow managed to accumulate resources in just a couple of years, which attracted the attention of Anubis, even though they were enemies. Osiris was one of Ra's closest allies during the war with Anubis. Even with the obsolescence of technology, there are always planets the lords "forgot" to inform the High Lord about. And Ra is no foolish Goa'uld; his entire database is his legacy, inherited from past lords. After all, before the serpents mastered space travel, their Empire spread through the gates. For example, Ra himself discovered Earth by accident, meaning he didn't know the address of the gates to the human homeland. The Abydos cartouche is something Ra accumulated over millennia of espionage, but no one can deny that some System Lords can move gates to other planets. At the same time, nishta isn't a common method of controlling people, and Set had large reserves. Hathor had stealth systems, Marduk had the Eye of the Goa'uld, or some kind of reactor multiplier, or an energy source. Perhaps Osiris's tape device contained data. As soon as I took my place, I contacted the Jaffa, sending him messages on his helmet display with a single thought. He contacted Queen Isara, asking her to find time to meet with me. Of course, he could have ordered it, but that wouldn't have made the slightest bit of sense. Unlike me, she was responsible for a country of 30 million, not to mention a city of 200,000, which was thrown into a rather frenzied state by the fact that another pyramid had landed on their ruler's residence during the night, and all reinforcements had been stopped by a force field from "Cheops." And unlike me, she went straight to bed.She worked all night and day, trying to calm everyone around her, and most importantly, to calm herself. And while she was going, I had many projects to implement. In my past life, before the parasitic snake, I was an engineer working in electric transport. So I understand how many Holy Grails there are in this universe, besides the original one that must kill the Ori. I may not be the smartest person, but I can connect the dots. First, I very carefully studied the planet's territory using orbital scanning. Having noted 10 cities founded near the naquadah mines, the locals remained in them, as they were quite comfortable, although they only improved their living space, giving the cities a touch of splendor. Initially, these cities were supposed to be bases for the miners, where they could have their equipment and weapons repaired, and food delivered. The previous Goa'uld brought water here through a system of aqueducts, since the cities often weren't built on rivers. He at least cared for the basic needs of his people, only to exploit them mercilessly. The continent was located in temperate latitudes. A mountain range lay in its center, and the gateways and naquadah reserves were located on the western coast. Therefore, the inhabitants developed by moving south, using the transportation system established by the previous lord. These were generally good "Roman" roads, apparently used to deliver naquadah and various supplies. The locals abandoned naquadah, but developed the production of iron tools. The previous Goa'uld passed on to them the knowledge of how to make iron tools, as this increased productivity without violating the prohibitions on technology transfer to humans. Moreover, unlike bronze tools, they could be quickly repaired. Ten cities remained centers of trade, at least in terms of population density. However, several more cities emerged, located in logistically convenient locations. For example, north of the capital, there were two lakes with a river flowing from them, connecting to the ocean. The river—both lakes—was over 600 kilometers long. I noticed that the main agricultural regions, from which the city drew its water, were concentrated there. Further downstream, 200 kilometers away, lay the course of another river. It was quite large, flowing for 512 kilometers, providing both shipping and water for agricultural needs. On the east coast, there was also a very large lake, 700 kilometers long, connected by a river to the ocean, and a 600-kilometer-long river flowed into it. All in all, these were vast agricultural lands, capable of supporting those working in the mines. It's worth asking how the loyalty of the Eastern Provinces was ensured, since they were essentially self-sufficient. Between the two rivers was steppe, although I did notice the presence of roads. There was also a large fleet of wooden ships. Trade was widespread. But the island between the two continents was not so heavily populated, although it was the size of any of the US states,And yet, they had vast timber reserves. The other continent was completely undeveloped. There weren't even any settlements there. It was still enough for 30 million people. The advantage of being a representative of a spacefaring civilization is that you can obtain information about any resource simply using orbital scanning. By the way, a little about orbital scanning. I always thought the idea of the Ancients' "Game" was somehow magical. Their resources made it possible to create a real-time strategy game, and McKay brought a medieval civilization to the 19th century in a couple of years. That's a pretty decent result. Developing a satellite wasn't that difficult, but it differed from the Ancients'... in that it was a zillion versions less sophisticated. My orbital satellites could act as signal transmitters, equipped with scanning systems that transmit information in real time, and also display weather information. I couldn't make a table like the Ancients'. It clearly involves sensor technology, and I'm not familiar with it; I'm referring to tactile sensor technology. I only needed a standard Goa'uld computer and a printer, or rather, a printer and document scanner. This will dramatically increase people's awareness of events. Incidentally, I have a large supply of radios on the ship. An orbital constellation in high orbit will allow us to do a great deal with these resources. Yes, it was easier for me to issue everyone satellite phones. Fortunately, the Goa'uld computers have the bandwidth to barely detect even a conversation between thirty million people. From a Progressor perspective, I was well prepared, but when I arrived at this point, I was at a loss. I had to start somewhere. I had already assumed that I would need to cooperate with local authorities, but the situation is becoming extremely chaotic. I didn't expect there to be thirty million inhabitants here, so I'll have to adjust my plans.By the way, I have a large supply of radios on the ship. An orbital constellation in high orbit will allow us to do a lot with these resources. Yes, it was easier for me to issue everyone satellite phones. Fortunately, the Goa'uld computers have the bandwidth to barely detect even a conversation between thirty million people. From a Progressor perspective, I was well prepared, but when I arrived at this point, I was at a loss. I had to start somewhere. I had already assumed that I would need to cooperate with the local authorities, but the situation is becoming extremely chaotic. I didn't expect there to be thirty million inhabitants here, so I'll have to adjust my plans.By the way, I have a large supply of radios on the ship. An orbital constellation in high orbit will allow us to do a lot with these resources. Yes, it was easier for me to issue everyone satellite phones. Fortunately, the Goa'uld computers have the bandwidth to barely detect even a conversation between thirty million people. From a Progressor perspective, I was well prepared, but when I arrived at this point, I was at a loss. I had to start somewhere. I had already assumed that I would need to cooperate with the local authorities, but the situation is becoming extremely chaotic. I didn't expect there to be thirty million inhabitants here, so I'll have to adjust my plans. After a while, Queen Isara arrived. She was twenty-three years old, with black hair and eyes, quite tall, and regular features. Her eyes held intelligence; she understood the situation she was in, so she played it carefully. "Lord Szarekh," she bowed. "You can be less formal, just Szarekh. After all, no matter how much I try to screw with you, it won't change the fact that I'm a minor official sent to the edge of the explored galaxy to ensure ore extraction. Frankly, I'd prefer not to change the situation as it is now, with you leading your planet. So tell me, have people calmed down since my arrival? Speak freely. Are people frightened?" "Yes," the woman agreed. "Many want to leave the city." "Are you able to reassure them?" "Perhaps." "I will give you a list of technologies along with a description of what they do. Some will be related to mining equipment, others to management, and a third will concern agriculture. Study my proposals." And correlate it with your administrative experience to implement similar technological innovations. I will search for technologies beyond this planet. "You will leave the planet?" The question was neutral, but there was clearly hope. But no, forgive me, dear girl, you won't catch me like that. "Through the gate. Now tell me, how many people will be needed in the mines to ensure the required level of production?" "In the past, one hundred thousand of our ancestors toiled in the mines. I've been drilling down with data on how much naquadah the previous lord supplied, and it's a roughly comparable amount. I've also recalculated some data and run analytical simulations. "Find a hundred people—I know you mine iron, so you have miners—and let them test the new equipment. I assume with the new equipment, the number of miners will be reduced to 20,000 in order to produce the same volume of ore, or even more. This will help reduce the burden on the population, with the goal of providing the miners with everything they need." "You can pay for their work from tax revenues, for now?" The Queen nodded. "I won't execute you for saying there are any problems. Unlike all the other Goa'uld, I am one of the most sensible. If there is a problem, just say so." "The kingdom's budget is already planned," she blurted out, and then fell silent, realizing to whom she was speaking. Essentially, to the conqueror who had come to enslave her people. "I have some gold reserves; do you think they will not affect pricing in your country?" "Although I was not the sharpest instrument in economics, I remembered how the large influx of gold and silver from the New World had crippled the European economy when gold could not keep up with actual production. On the other hand, she said honestly,The fact that the budget is planned means that they adhere to a rationalistic approach to spending state resources. I doubt she would have told me that "the budget is planned" if they were making her a dress out of mirrors. (A dress for the Queen of France with mirror inserts gave the French Finance Minister a heart attack.) - What will be the volume? - asked the Queen. - Limited. Several hundred kilograms of gold. - This is a very significant amount of money. I would ask you not to use it thoughtlessly. - Yes, Isara, if I were a standard Goa'uld, you would already be dead. On the other hand, an ordinary Goa'uld would, for variety, shoot up a couple of districts of the city and launch a holographic broadcast that he is now their god. - Fine, I will heed your advice. But remember, I am ready to invest significant technological innovations in this planet, but you must ensure that naquadah flows like a river. In exchange for this, the support of your people will be significant. I will provide a higher level of healthcare than you had before. All areas of human life will be improved. Nations like yours typically have high infant mortality; my knowledge will allow me to reduce it to near zero. Unless, of course, the child is very ill or suffers from a rare disease. The woman twitched. "Can you ensure child survival?" Isara asked sharply, more sharply than necessary. "Immediately? No. Within five years? Yes. It will require a certain infrastructure for producing medicines and educating the population, but yes, it is possible. I'll even say more: I'm more of a scientist and not so good at territorial administration. So, I'll tell you how to achieve this; you will be responsible for implementing all the infrastructure projects." "About that," the Queen said hesitantly. "My people may truly become afraid that the gods have returned and that they will enslave them again, sending them to the mines of death. They may take rash actions that could force you to act aggressively. "An uprising could occur, forcing me to kill your people. That can be said much more simply. I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't relish starting my reign with mass murder. Your proposal." "I will marry you." My face clearly reflected shock. Of course, I didn't know that this was practiced in medieval worlds, but I did want to participate. "According to our laws, a woman inherits property. But a man can dispose of it if he enters the family. This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many things into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line.So, they adhere to a rationalistic approach to spending public resources here. I doubt she would have told me that "the budget is planned" if they were making her a dress made of mirrors. (A dress for the Queen of France with mirror inserts gave the French Finance Minister a heart attack.) - What will be the volume? - asked the Queen. - Limited. Several hundred kilograms of gold. - This is a very significant amount of money. I would ask you not to use it thoughtlessly. - Yes, Isara, if I were a standard Goa'uld, you would already be dead. On the other hand, an ordinary Goa'uld would shoot up a couple of districts of the city for a change, and launch a holographic broadcast that he is now their god. - Fine, I will heed your advice. But remember, I am ready to invest significant technological innovations in this planet, but you must ensure that naquadah flows like a river. In exchange for this, the support of your people will be significant. I will provide a better level of medical care than you had before. All areas of human life will be improved. Nations like yours typically have high infant mortality rates. My knowledge will allow us to reduce it to near zero. Unless, of course, the child is seriously ill or suffers from a rare disease. The woman twitched. "Can you ensure child survival?" Isara asked sharply, more sharply than necessary. "Immediately? No. Within five years? Yes. It will require a certain infrastructure for producing medicine and educating the population, but yes, it is possible. I'll even say more: I'm more of a scientific person, and not so good at administering territories. So, I'll tell you how to achieve this, and you will be the one implementing all the infrastructure projects." "About that," the Queen said hesitantly. "My people may truly become afraid that the gods have returned and that they will enslave them again, sending them to the mines of death. They may take rash actions, which could force you to act aggressively." "An uprising could occur, which would force me to kill your people. That can be put much more simply." I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't relish starting my reign with mass murder. Your proposal... "I will marry you." My face clearly reflected shock. Of course, I didn't know this was practiced in medieval worlds, but I did want to participate. "According to our laws, a woman inherits property. But a man can dispose of it if he joins the family. This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many things into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line.So, they adhere to a rationalistic approach to spending public resources here. I doubt she would have told me that "the budget is planned" if they were making her a dress made of mirrors. (A dress for the Queen of France with mirror inserts gave the French Finance Minister a heart attack.) - What will be the volume? - asked the Queen. - Limited. Several hundred kilograms of gold. - This is a very significant amount of money. I would ask you not to use it thoughtlessly. - Yes, Isara, if I were a standard Goa'uld, you would already be dead. On the other hand, an ordinary Goa'uld would shoot up a couple of districts of the city for a change, and launch a holographic broadcast that he is now their god. - Fine, I will heed your advice. But remember, I am ready to invest significant technological innovations in this planet, but you must ensure that naquadah flows like a river. In exchange for this, the support of your people will be significant. I will provide a better level of medical care than you had before. All areas of human life will be improved. Nations like yours typically have high infant mortality rates. My knowledge will allow us to reduce it to near zero. Unless, of course, the child is seriously ill or suffers from a rare disease. The woman twitched. "Can you ensure child survival?" Isara asked sharply, more sharply than necessary. "Immediately? No. Within five years? Yes. It will require a certain infrastructure for producing medicine and educating the population, but yes, it is possible. I'll even say more: I'm more of a scientific person, and not so good at administering territories. So, I'll tell you how to achieve this, and you will be the one implementing all the infrastructure projects." "About that," the Queen said hesitantly. "My people may truly become afraid that the gods have returned and that they will enslave them again, sending them to the mines of death. They may take rash actions, which could force you to act aggressively." "An uprising could occur, which would force me to kill your people. That can be put much more simply." I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't relish starting my reign with mass murder. Your proposal... "I will marry you." My face clearly reflected shock. Of course, I didn't know this was practiced in medieval worlds, but I did want to participate. "According to our laws, a woman inherits property. But a man can dispose of it if he joins the family. This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many things into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line."the budget is planned" if they were making her a dress out of mirrors. (A dress for the Queen of France with mirror inserts gave the French Finance Minister a heart attack.) - What will be the volume? - asked the queen. - Limited. Several hundred kilograms of gold. - This is a very significant amount of money. I would ask you not to use it thoughtlessly. - Yes, Isara, if I were a standard Goa'uld, you would already be dead. On the other hand, an ordinary Goa'uld would shoot up a couple of districts of the city for a change, and launch a holographic broadcast that he is now their god. - Fine, I will heed your advice. But remember, I am ready to invest significant technological innovations in this planet, but you must ensure that naquadah flows like a river. In exchange for this, the support of your people will be significant. I will provide a better level of medical care than you had before. All areas of human life will be improved. Nations like yours typically have high infant mortality rates. My knowledge will allow us to reduce it to near zero. Unless, of course, the child is seriously ill or suffers from a rare disease. The woman twitched. "Can you ensure child survival?" Isara asked sharply, more sharply than necessary. "Immediately? No. Within five years? Yes. It will require a certain infrastructure for producing medicine and educating the population, but yes, it is possible. I'll even say more: I'm more of a scientific person, and not so good at administering territories. So, I'll tell you how to achieve this, and you will be the one implementing all the infrastructure projects." "About that," the Queen said hesitantly. "My people may truly become afraid that the gods have returned and that they will enslave them again, sending them to the mines of death. They may take rash actions, which could force you to act aggressively." "An uprising could occur, which would force me to kill your people. That can be put much more simply." I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't relish starting my reign with mass murder. Your proposal... "I will marry you." My face clearly reflected shock. Of course, I didn't know this was practiced in medieval worlds, but I did want to participate. "According to our laws, a woman inherits property. But a man can dispose of it if he joins the family. This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many things into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line."the budget is planned" if they were making her a dress out of mirrors. (A dress for the Queen of France with mirror inserts gave the French Finance Minister a heart attack.) - What will be the volume? - asked the queen. - Limited. Several hundred kilograms of gold. - This is a very significant amount of money. I would ask you not to use it thoughtlessly. - Yes, Isara, if I were a standard Goa'uld, you would already be dead. On the other hand, an ordinary Goa'uld would shoot up a couple of districts of the city for a change, and launch a holographic broadcast that he is now their god. - Fine, I will heed your advice. But remember, I am ready to invest significant technological innovations in this planet, but you must ensure that naquadah flows like a river. In exchange for this, the support of your people will be significant. I will provide a better level of medical care than you had before. All areas of human life will be improved. Nations like yours typically have high infant mortality rates. My knowledge will allow us to reduce it to near zero. Unless, of course, the child is seriously ill or suffers from a rare disease. The woman twitched. "Can you ensure child survival?" Isara asked sharply, more sharply than necessary. "Immediately? No. Within five years? Yes. It will require a certain infrastructure for producing medicine and educating the population, but yes, it is possible. I'll even say more: I'm more of a scientific person, and not so good at administering territories. So, I'll tell you how to achieve this, and you will be the one implementing all the infrastructure projects." "About that," the Queen said hesitantly. "My people may truly become afraid that the gods have returned and that they will enslave them again, sending them to the mines of death. They may take rash actions, which could force you to act aggressively." "An uprising could occur, which would force me to kill your people. That can be put much more simply." I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't relish starting my reign with mass murder. Your proposal... "I will marry you." My face clearly reflected shock. Of course, I didn't know this was practiced in medieval worlds, but I did want to participate. "According to our laws, a woman inherits property. But a man can dispose of it if he joins the family. This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many things into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line.(A dress for the Queen of France with mirrored inserts gave the French Finance Minister a heart attack) - What will be the volume? - asked the Queen. - Limited. Several hundred kilograms of gold. - This is a very significant amount of money. I would ask you not to use it thoughtlessly. - Yes, Isara, if I were a standard Goa'uld, you would already be dead. On the other hand, an ordinary Goa'uld would shoot up a couple of districts of the city for a change and light a holographic broadcast that he is now their god. - Fine, I will heed your advice. But remember, I am ready to invest significant technological innovations in this planet, but you must ensure that naquadah flows like a river. In exchange, the support of your people will be significant. I will provide a higher level of medical care than you had before. All areas of human life will be improved. Peoples like yours usually have a high infant mortality rate, but my knowledge will allow it to be reduced to near zero. Unless, of course, the child is very ill and does not suffer from a rare disease. The woman flinched. "Can you ensure the survival of children?" Isara asked sharply, sharper than necessary. "Immediately? No. Within 5 years? Yes. A certain infrastructure will be needed to produce medicines and educate the population, but yes, it is possible. I'll even say more, I'm more of a scientific man, and not so good at administering territories. So, I'll tell you how to achieve this, and you will be the one implementing all the infrastructure projects." "About that," the Queen spoke hesitantly. "My people may truly become afraid that the gods have returned and that they will enslave them again, sending them to the mines of death. They may take rash actions that could force you to aggressive action." "An uprising could occur, which would force me to kill your people. This can be said much more simply. I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't feel like starting my reign with mass murder. Your proposal." "I will marry you." "My face clearly reflected shock. Of course, I didn't know this was practiced in medieval worlds, but I did want to participate. "According to our laws, a woman inherits property. But a man can dispose of it if he joins the family. This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many things into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line.(A dress for the Queen of France with mirrored inserts gave the French Finance Minister a heart attack) - What will be the volume? - asked the Queen. - Limited. Several hundred kilograms of gold. - This is a very significant amount of money. I would ask you not to use it thoughtlessly. - Yes, Isara, if I were a standard Goa'uld, you would already be dead. On the other hand, an ordinary Goa'uld would shoot up a couple of districts of the city for a change and light a holographic broadcast that he is now their god. - Fine, I will heed your advice. But remember, I am ready to invest significant technological innovations in this planet, but you must ensure that naquadah flows like a river. In exchange, the support of your people will be significant. I will provide a higher level of medical care than you had before. All areas of human life will be improved. Peoples like yours usually have a high infant mortality rate, but my knowledge will allow it to be reduced to near zero. Unless, of course, the child is very ill and does not suffer from a rare disease. The woman flinched. "Can you ensure the survival of children?" Isara asked sharply, sharper than necessary. "Immediately? No. Within 5 years? Yes. A certain infrastructure will be needed to produce medicines and educate the population, but yes, it is possible. I'll even say more, I'm more of a scientific man, and not so good at administering territories. So, I'll tell you how to achieve this, and you will be the one implementing all the infrastructure projects." "About that," the Queen spoke hesitantly. "My people may truly become afraid that the gods have returned and that they will enslave them again, sending them to the mines of death. They may take rash actions that could force you to aggressive action." "An uprising could occur, which would force me to kill your people. This can be said much more simply. I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't feel like starting my reign with mass murder. Your proposal." "I will marry you." "My face clearly reflected shock. Of course, I didn't know this was practiced in medieval worlds, but I did want to participate. "According to our laws, a woman inherits property. But a man can dispose of it if he joins the family. This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many things into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line.A regular Goa'uld would have shot up a couple of city districts for a change and then broadcast a holographic broadcast that he was now their god. - Okay, I'll heed your advice. But remember, I'm willing to invest significant technological innovations into this planet, but you must ensure that naquadah flows freely. In exchange, your people will receive significant support. I will provide a higher level of medical care than you had before. All areas of human life will be improved. Nations like yours typically have high infant mortality; my knowledge will allow us to reduce it to near zero. Unless, of course, the child is very ill or suffers from a rare disease. The woman twitched. - Can you ensure child survival? - Isara asked sharply, more sharply than necessary. - Immediately? No. Within 5 years? Yes. A certain infrastructure will be needed to produce medicines and educate the population, but yes, it is possible. I'll even say more, I'm more of a scientific person, and not so good at administering territories. So, I'll tell you how to achieve this; you'll be responsible for implementing all the infrastructure projects. - About that. - The Queen spoke hesitantly. - My people might actually become afraid that the gods have returned and that they'll enslave them again, sending them to the death mines. They might take rash actions, which could force you to act aggressively. - There might be an uprising, which would force me to kill your people. This can be said much more simply. I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't relish starting my reign with mass murder. Your proposal. - I will marry you. - My face clearly reflected shock. Of course, I didn't know that this was practiced in medieval worlds, but I did want to participate. - According to our laws, a woman inherits property. But a man can dispose of it if he joins the family. This is how rulers usually appeared on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, most of whom never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many matters into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line.A regular Goa'uld would have shot up a couple of city districts for a change and then broadcast a holographic broadcast that he was now their god. - Okay, I'll heed your advice. But remember, I'm willing to invest significant technological innovations into this planet, but you must ensure that naquadah flows freely. In exchange, your people will receive significant support. I will provide a higher level of medical care than you had before. All areas of human life will be improved. Nations like yours typically have high infant mortality; my knowledge will allow us to reduce it to near zero. Unless, of course, the child is very ill or suffers from a rare disease. The woman twitched. - Can you ensure child survival? - Isara asked sharply, more sharply than necessary. - Immediately? No. Within 5 years? Yes. A certain infrastructure will be needed to produce medicines and educate the population, but yes, it is possible. I'll even say more, I'm more of a scientific person, and not so good at administering territories. So, I'll tell you how to achieve this; you'll be responsible for implementing all the infrastructure projects. - About that. - The Queen spoke hesitantly. - My people might actually become afraid that the gods have returned and that they'll enslave them again, sending them to the death mines. They might take rash actions, which could force you to act aggressively. - There might be an uprising, which would force me to kill your people. This can be said much more simply. I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't relish starting my reign with mass murder. Your proposal. - I will marry you. - My face clearly reflected shock. Of course, I didn't know that this was practiced in medieval worlds, but I did want to participate. - According to our laws, a woman inherits property. But a man can dispose of it if he joins the family. This is how rulers usually appeared on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, most of whom never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many matters into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line.and does not suffer from rare diseases. The woman flinched. "Can you ensure the survival of children?" Isara asked sharply, sharper than necessary. "Immediately? No. Within 5 years? Yes. A certain infrastructure will be needed to produce medicines, educate the population, but yes, it is possible. I'll even say more, I'm more of a man of science, and not that good at administering territories. So, I'll tell you how to achieve this, and you will be the one to implement all the infrastructure projects." "About that." The Queen spoke hesitantly. "My people may truly be afraid that the gods have returned and that they will enslave them again, sending them to the mines of death. They may take rash actions that could force you to aggressive action." "An uprising may occur, which will force me to kill your people. This can be said much more simply. I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't feel like starting my reign with mass murder. Your proposal." "I will marry you." "My face clearly reflected shock. Of course, I didn't know this was practiced in medieval worlds, but I did want to participate. "According to our laws, a woman inherits property. But a man can dispose of it if he joins the family. This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many things into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line.and does not suffer from rare diseases. The woman flinched. "Can you ensure the survival of children?" Isara asked sharply, sharper than necessary. "Immediately? No. Within 5 years? Yes. A certain infrastructure will be needed to produce medicines, educate the population, but yes, it is possible. I'll even say more, I'm more of a man of science, and not that good at administering territories. So, I'll tell you how to achieve this, and you will be the one to implement all the infrastructure projects." "About that." The Queen spoke hesitantly. "My people may truly be afraid that the gods have returned and that they will enslave them again, sending them to the mines of death. They may take rash actions that could force you to aggressive action." "An uprising may occur, which will force me to kill your people. This can be said much more simply. I suspect you have a solution to this problem. I don't feel like starting my reign with mass murder. Your proposal." "I will marry you." "My face clearly reflected shock. Of course, I didn't know this was practiced in medieval worlds, but I did want to participate. "According to our laws, a woman inherits property. But a man can dispose of it if he joins the family. This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many things into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line.This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many matters into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line.This is how rulers were usually created on our planet. This system arose because the previous lord of the planet took many men to the mines, and most of them never returned to the land from which they were taken. Women were forced to take many matters into their own hands. And although the scribes who took power after the lord's departure were men, over time, power began to pass through the female line. - It's interesting, in most cultures I've encountered, it's the man, and the eldest, who inherits all the property, while women are mostly... something akin to broodmares, with limited rights. - I was truly surprised; in Earth's history, such freedoms were rare. - They weren't even allowed to learn anything outside of managing a household. But here I suspect something different, and quite progressive. So how will your people calm down about our marriage? - It will allow them to accept it better. I am the ruler of the planet, the fact that you married me and didn't kill me will allow others to perceive you more... - Adequate. And what about your rejection of the naquadah mines? - Tell me, could this naquadah be useful to the planet? - Yes, it is useful. Many amazing devices are made from it. Naquadah can store lightning energy, which is what powers all my inventions. Therefore, naquadah will indeed be useful to you, but mined above the norm established by Ra. You'll be able to use this not only to motivate merchants and finance mining operations yourself, but also to achieve significant technological advances that could advance your civilization by 300 years. "Then I think I can convince society's financial elite to finance naquadah mining, while providing a sufficient level of comfort so that people don't perceive it as slavery." Queen Isara was sincere. "I must warn you right away that I will not require a marriage to consummate the marriage. We are barely acquainted, and you clearly don't harbor warm feelings for me, having shattered your cozy world. Sexual relations between us would be akin to rape, and I also don't restrict your actions in my personal life. If you find someone you like, you need not fear my wrath. Also, in civilizations like yours, the topic of an heir comes up, and I'm afraid I have some disappointing news for you." Goa'uld are forbidden to have children with humans; we reproduce in a different way. If word gets out that a Goa'uld has a child with a human woman, the entire planet will be destroyed. If this is truly such a problem for your civilization, then you can have a child with whomever you wish, I will accept it. "Your terms are extremely... generous," the woman said. "The question of an heir is not so critical for me, because at the moment, one of the oldest System Lords is over 20,000 years old." The queen's eyes widened. "Yes, natural death is a very distant prospect for a representative of my species. But here are the unnatural basic statistics. When more resources become available, I will fortify this planet, because despite its remoteness, someone may wish to capture it to annex it to their domain. But for now, such a prospect is not in sight. And a little advice, in case I lose Isara – surrender. I knew,That this woman was hatching plans for an uprising, perhaps even approaching me to extract more information. It was hard to blame her; she acted intelligently, coldly, and prudently. These were the very qualities needed for a ruler, the very qualities I lacked. But one can always utilize resources people lacked—lifespan. The influence of propaganda on people's minds is decisive. The situation on the planet will begin to improve rapidly, for example, with those same medicines, and believe me, I will ensure that people know who is responsible, and that already means increased loyalty. This will quickly knock the numerical advantage out of the Urush elite; if they do plan a coup, it will be by a small group of conspirators, and precisely when I let my guard down. Therefore, I will not demonstrate the capabilities of the tape device. At the same time, it will be possible to later harness the people's anger against the old elites. Although my knowledge of politics doesn't extend beyond historical series, political dramas, and manhwas, it allows me to have a few aces up my sleeve. But given Isara's intelligence, she'll be very patient, perhaps striking in ten to thirty years, or perhaps eventually backing off. That she'll be very patient is a 100% certainty. After a brief silence after this information, I offered to give her a ride to the planet's major cities so she could inform the governors herself about the changing power structure, negotiate with the local elites, and so on. I had a Teltak specifically for this purpose. So I could temporarily act as a taxi driver, along with providing all the necessary technology, such as a satellite phone, computer, and printer. And my Jaffa escort. I didn't forget the books in Goa'uldish on how everything works and how to use it. I want to point out that I'm not a great programmer, even with my knowledge of snakes. So, I more or less copied the operating system and wrote some programs I'm used to. A file manager, similar to World Wide Web and Excel. It's not a great deal, I'm sure it has a lot of bugs. And I converted some programs from a neural interface to a holographic one. (I don't know how to make LCD screens; my satellite phones also have holograms.) Like a calculator, for example. To save power, the phones only had a phone book and a search engine. It would be funny if they conspired to kill me using my satellite phones.And believe me, I'll make sure people know who's behind it, and that already means increasing the population's loyalty. This will quickly knock the numerical advantage out of the Urush elite. If they do plan a coup, it will be by a small group of conspirators, and precisely when I'm relaxed. Therefore, I won't demonstrate the capabilities of the tape device. At the same time, I can then use popular anger against the old elites. Although my knowledge of politics doesn't extend beyond historical series, political dramas, and manhwas, this allows me to have a few aces up my sleeve. But given how smart Isara is, she'll be very patient, perhaps striking in ten to thirty years, or eventually backing off. That she'll be very patient is a 100% certainty. After a brief silence after this information, I offered to take her to the planet's major cities so she could inform the governors herself about the change in the power structure, conduct negotiations with local elites, and so on. I had a Teltak specifically for this. So, I was able to temporarily work as a taxi driver, along with transferring all the necessary technology, such as a satellite phone, computer, and printer. And also my Jaffa escort. I didn't forget about the books in Goa'uldish on how everything works and how to use it. I want to say that I'm not a great programmer, even with my knowledge of snakes. So, I more or less copied the operating system and wrote some programs that are familiar to me. A file manager, similar to World Wide Web and Excel. It's not a great idea, I'm sure there are a lot of bugs. And some of the programs I converted from a "neural" interface to a holographic one. (I don't know how to make liquid crystal screens; my satellite phones also have holograms.) Like, for example, a calculator. To save power, the phones only had a phone book and a search engine. It would be funny if they agreed to kill me using my satellite phones.And believe me, I'll make sure people know who's behind it, and that already means increasing the population's loyalty. This will quickly knock the numerical advantage out of the Urush elite. If they do plan a coup, it will be by a small group of conspirators, and precisely when I'm relaxed. Therefore, I won't demonstrate the capabilities of the tape device. At the same time, I can then use popular anger against the old elites. Although my knowledge of politics doesn't extend beyond historical series, political dramas, and manhwas, this allows me to have a few aces up my sleeve. But given how smart Isara is, she'll be very patient, perhaps striking in ten to thirty years, or eventually backing off. That she'll be very patient is a 100% certainty. After a brief silence after this information, I offered to take her to the planet's major cities so she could inform the governors herself about the change in the power structure, conduct negotiations with local elites, and so on. I had a Teltak specifically for this. So, I was able to temporarily work as a taxi driver, along with transferring all the necessary technology, such as a satellite phone, computer, and printer. And also my Jaffa escort. I didn't forget about the books in Goa'uldish on how everything works and how to use it. I want to say that I'm not a great programmer, even with my knowledge of snakes. So, I more or less copied the operating system and wrote some programs that are familiar to me. A file manager, similar to World Wide Web and Excel. It's not a great idea, I'm sure there are a lot of bugs. And some of the programs I converted from a "neural" interface to a holographic one. (I don't know how to make liquid crystal screens; my satellite phones also have holograms.) Like, for example, a calculator. To save power, the phones only had a phone book and a search engine. It would be funny if they agreed to kill me using my satellite phones.So, I was able to temporarily work as a taxi driver, along with transferring all the necessary technology, such as a satellite phone, computer, and printer. And also my Jaffa escort. I didn't forget about the books in Goa'uldish on how everything works and how to use it. I want to say that I'm not a great programmer, even with my knowledge of snakes. So, I more or less copied the operating system and wrote some programs that are familiar to me. A file manager, similar to World Wide Web and Excel. It's not a great idea, I'm sure there are a lot of bugs. And some of the programs I converted from a "neural" interface to a holographic one. (I don't know how to make liquid crystal screens; my satellite phones also have holograms.) Like, for example, a calculator. To save power, the phones only had a phone book and a search engine. It would be funny if they agreed to kill me using my satellite phones.So, I was able to temporarily work as a taxi driver, along with transferring all the necessary technology, such as a satellite phone, computer, and printer. And also my Jaffa escort. I didn't forget about the books in Goa'uldish on how everything works and how to use it. I want to say that I'm not a great programmer, even with my knowledge of snakes. So, I more or less copied the operating system and wrote some programs that are familiar to me. A file manager, similar to World Wide Web and Excel. It's not a great idea, I'm sure there are a lot of bugs. And some of the programs I converted from a "neural" interface to a holographic one. (I don't know how to make liquid crystal screens; my satellite phones also have holograms.) Like, for example, a calculator. To save power, the phones only had a phone book and a search engine. It would be funny if they agreed to kill me using my satellite phones.
***
"Master, why are you so soft with your slaves?" my "first warrior" asked me, though it was more of a joke. Only System Lords can be given such titles, and I'm a small fry. Anyway, this is my eldest Jaffa, a full twenty years old. "Because it's effective. Cruelty can achieve impressive results. There are three great emotions: Loyalty, Greed, and Fear. You serve me out of loyalty, carry my banner, and will not betray my secrets. For your loyalty, I reward you. Greed is the desire to possess as many wondrous resources as possible; a person experiences joy when they obtain the object of their desire. Fear is a powerful emotion, but over time it fades; a slave who toils in the quarries for months loses the fear of death. Loyalty and Greed are much more similar than they seem. Reward for effort is the key factor in these emotions. With proper compensation, the miners will be permanently relocated, and there won't be a single controller. The main thing is to ensure this compensation. My Goa'uld brothers don't care about that, as they have countless planets and endless slaves. My resources, however, are limited. Krel nodded; we didn't usually interact that much. I had him train my troops, divided into 10 companies that constantly trained on the ship, using my new technologies. Their regimen was like that of Warhammer Space Marines. When 90% of the time they are either busy eating or preparing for war. I didn't have hypnotic training, so they mainly trained in assaulting spaceships and fighting in cramped spaces. Having provided me with a lot of data for improving helmets. "We must complete the task of Lord Ra; the end justifies any means." "This woman forced you to marry her," Krel said. "So what? If it calms the population, then it's a small sacrifice. The last "god" ruled them 500 years ago, they need to get used to this new way of thinking. Ra sent me here not so that the population would become loyal to the gods, but to mine naquadah. That's all that matters. We sat in the teltak cabin. Isara left to speak with the next governor, and the locals gazed with interest at the spaceship. The Queen, out of harm's way, ordered the stunned garrison to guard the landing site, mostly with the Jaffa's resources. It's worth mentioning that I had already gotten a feel for the existing law enforcement system. There was no military as such; it was primarily the National Guardsmen, who maintained law and order and hunted down bandits on the roads. Units of these troops were constantly moving throughout the kingdom to prevent local governors from colluding with the "military." Given this system, cities had a fully-fledged police force to maintain law and order. The "National Guardsmen" became mere patrolmen; their officers led these patrols; thanks to standardized laws, duties were the same in every province. A typical unit of this army numbered a thousand men. There was cavalry, but these types of troops resembled state police, responsible for numerous villages near cities. Overall, I think it was a sound system for a planet without armed conflict. The primary weapons of such an army were clubs and shields in the cities, and bows and swords outside the cities. So, over the course of their service, a soldier becomes a strong generalist who doesn't see his own people as enemies. This usually happens when a real army is assigned to such a job. Units were staffed from across the kingdom. Potential incidents were reduced because there was a 100% guarantee that the "legion" included people from the region. And they could stand up for their fellow countrymen. This reduced the threat from internal troops, and prevented the development of a reputation for some units as saints and others as demons. At the same time, soldiers helped with firefighting, and they are also involved in evacuating people during natural disasters. Women served there, and here are the reasons. Gangs also emerged during the reign of my predecessor,So the women who farmed had to defend themselves from bandits. Because the Jaffa didn't care if the gangs left the cargo destined for their god alone. And then it remained as a recognition of the equality of all before the law. Slavery is VERY unpopular here, so any form of slavery on this planet is punishable by death. Ironically, that's why Isara is so keen to present it as a Union, not "God has returned and we're slaves again." She can even pass off technological gifts as "well, he wants to negotiate." She went to great lengths to ensure the people wouldn't rebel and I wouldn't have to shoot them. And I didn't want to do that at all. Yes, it wasn't essential to my survival, but this planet offers the opportunity to overthrow the entire Goa'uld government. Remote from the System Lords' primary worlds, it could become a staging ground for them to return and crush them. Anubis is sure to be sitting on an equally remote planet. And doing the same. I can leave through the gate and wander the planets as much as I please, but that won't put an end to the System Lords. However, for the Lucian Union to emerge, there must be a superstate capable of holding everyone accountable if necessary. Earth won't do that. It's ridiculous. The Fifth Race proved incapable of anything. The Deus Ex Machina defeated all their enemies. The Asgard died transmitting their knowledge to these single-celled beings, and several years after transmitting the knowledge to a race that was a Type 3 on the Kardashev scale, Earth is still a dump. In the end, they were nearly blown up by the Lucian Alliance, which proved more powerful than the Asgard heirs. Shameful. It's lucky that there's a single unitary state here. If it were Quin's homeland, where three countries were constantly at war with each other, it would be a real headache. A very important technology for me, which Harlan clearly has, is wireless energy transmission. With such technology, anything is possible. Essentially, you don't need wires, just energy relay technology. This would greatly simplify many things and save time on any deployment anywhere or on any planet. For example, there are other naquadah deposits here, on another continent, but the previous Goa'uld didn't mine them because they clearly had logistical problems. Essentially, they had to send a ship to the gate at the end of each month to deliver the metal, while they didn't worry about providing the people with all the infrastructure. Speaking of naquadah, by the way. Cimmeria clearly has naquadah, and that's why Heruur captured it, so it's entirely possible to attract locals to mine it for economic reasons. And no, I'm not a crazy idiot who'd go to Cimmeria and end up in jail. Just take people as proxies who will do the trading. At the same time, we can check if the Asgard scanners will scream at regular jackhammers and naquadah batteries, which didn't notice the INVASION. I think the gray ones have a problem with logic; they should know, after all.That the Goa'uld have fanatical followers among humans. Like that idiot I'm sitting in. In this world, naquadah is the central resource; the more people extract it, the more powerful a System Lord becomes. There are obvious ways around this, but it'll be needed for those same ships, and access to "black naquadah" allows me to disrupt Ra's plans, depending on how much and how long it takes me to develop. I don't know if I have spies; in theory, I might, but Ra is currently quite busy waging war with Apophis. But I shouldn't relax; the gate should be placed, for example, in the mountain range in the northeast, setting up a bunker there for the gate, where a full-fledged checkpoint can be set up and every atom can be scanned. However, unlike the SGC, I have no reason to be stupid. And I can build a multi-stage bunker. By placing a gate on the elevator, for example. The lower level is for exploring other planets, the middle for deploying troops, the upper level for trade deals, and maybe even a railroad. This would optimize many of my ideas. Another downside is that I'd have to travel between planets as a diplomat. Because trusting Jaffa diplomacy? That's the worst idea in the universe, since the creation of replicators. Jaffa are raised as warriors, with a sense of superiority over everyone else. They're a complete representation of how the colonists controlled any colony—the Jaffa are colonial troops recruited from various planets who have completely rejected the culture into which they were born. Trusting them for anything other than combat is foolish. Teal'c, for example, had no initiative, and the SGC had no one to question his knowledge. Which is rather strange, by the way. But that's not so important now.Because trusting Jaffa diplomacy? That's the worst idea in the universe since the creation of the replicators. Jaffa are raised as warriors, with a sense of superiority over everyone else. They're a perfect representation of how the colonists controlled every colony—the Jaffa are colonial troops, recruited from various planets, who have completely rejected the culture into which they were born. Trusting them for anything other than combat is foolish. Teal'c, for example, had no initiative, and the SGC had no one to question his knowledge. Which is rather strange, by the way. But that's not so important now.Because trusting Jaffa diplomacy? That's the worst idea in the universe since the creation of the replicators. Jaffa are raised as warriors, with a sense of superiority over everyone else. They're a perfect representation of how the colonists controlled every colony—the Jaffa are colonial troops, recruited from various planets, who have completely rejected the culture into which they were born. Trusting them for anything other than combat is foolish. Teal'c, for example, had no initiative, and the SGC had no one to question his knowledge. Which is rather strange, by the way. But that's not so important now. Developing technology required a vast foundation of scientific knowledge. I've determined the approximate year I'm living in, dating back to the "Uprising on Earth." However, the whole Uprising thing is a complete nonsense; the Goa'uld have freely visited Earth throughout history. They did, of course, take a few people, as many as they could in stasis capsules on the Huttak, but overall, it was simply a warehouse, housing primitive humans without resources at any given time. While they remained primitive for thousands of years, while powerful races emerged from many forgotten planets to challenge the Goa'uld, Earth always remained primitive. It only developed enough to pose a threat to the Goa'uld in the last three hundred years. Coupling galactic time with Earth's is quite difficult, but I used my Jaffa to do it; they're real gossips. For example, they knew that Kronos executed his Prime by crushing his primate. If Kronos didn't do this to every First Warrior, then it was Teal'c's father. This happened about 30 years ago. So, given that Teal'c was born in 1899, it's either the 1930s or 1940s. I don't know what to do if World War II is happening, but I'll definitely help as much as I can. I couldn't live with the knowledge that I could have prevented 100 million deaths. Of course, I understand that the Goa'uld are killing many civilizations I know nothing about, but I can't help them because I'm blessed with ignorance. And with Earth, I'm cursed with knowledge. Earth has what I need—technology that can be easily replicated. I could also create goods; in principle, I could create electric engines for propeller-driven aircraft and cars, but it's much easier to simply replace the gasoline engine in an existing vehicle than to launch production. If we buy enough planes and create clubs where you can literally learn to fly, this will eventually create a mobilization potential for glider pilots. This will take 10-15 years. During this time, thousands of pilots should be recruited, and the planet's population itself should be interested in such fast transport. I also plan to build a railroad (so it's better to buy rails on Earth), which will be built not only for short trips but also for trade. Electrification, mechanization—if this planet wanted to survive and become a superpower, it would have to undergo thousands of years of development in just a few decades. It's quite possible that those who work on Earth today will mine metals from asteroids. I don't have time to calculate the sociological aspects, since the Goa'uld wouldn't care if they attacked such a planet. Taking various factors into account, the population here will increase to 100 million in 40-50 years. Given that infant mortality will be radically reduced, people won't be able to slow down very quickly, so my new "wife" will need to make a certain effort to create an education system. This planet already has one; they train doctors, for example.Architects and other specialists. There are schools, but not in rural areas, where 90% of the population lives. Funding the creation of rural schools, as well as medical centers, would contribute to the development of these people, although those who know Goa'uld aren't very knowledgeable, and you can't force Jaffa to work as teachers; it's beneath them. Essentially, these idiots are more like liabilities than assets, requiring feeding, clothing, and petting. On the other hand, it's better to have them than not to have them when needed. Could someone else be Isara's taxi driver? Of course, I just didn't want her to be stuck with idiots—meaning my Jaffa. At the very least, they're so arrogant that they'll spill half the secret information simply by bragging about how awesome they are compared to slaves. Although I often complain that they are like Teal'c, unlike the First Warrior of Apophis, mine are not so clear-headed when it comes to speaking. This woman will be able to play on their passions, and they will blurt out important information. Of course, they will do so sooner or later, which is why I do not trust the Jaffa with important information. I have ten close warriors who form my guard, selected mainly for their ability to think and speak when necessary. A few hours later, Isara returned and sat in the co-pilot's seat. This way she can be controlled better, and at the same time, the woman can see how they fly. If you unpolarize the window, it can be done. - Were your negotiations successful? - Yes, the governor will arrive in the capital to receive instructions. - At the right moment, I will send a Teltak, - I answered. - So they should not worry about that. Can you tell me what structure your political system is? I was interested, but the woman's look hinted that she didn't want to talk to me.I have ten close warriors who form my guard, selected primarily for their ability to think and speak when necessary. A few hours later, Isara returned and sat in the co-pilot's seat. This way, she can be controlled better, and at the same time, the woman can see how they fly. If we unpolarize the window, this can be done. - Were your negotiations successful? - Yes, the governor will arrive in the capital to receive instructions. - I will send a Teltak at the right moment, - I answered. - So they shouldn't worry about that. Can you tell me what structure your political system is? I was interested, although the woman's look hinted that she didn't want to talk to me.I have ten close warriors who form my guard, selected primarily for their ability to think and speak when necessary. A few hours later, Isara returned and sat in the co-pilot's seat. This way, she can be controlled better, and at the same time, the woman can see how they fly. If we unpolarize the window, this can be done. - Were your negotiations successful? - Yes, the governor will arrive in the capital to receive instructions. - I will send a Teltak at the right moment, - I answered. - So they shouldn't worry about that. Can you tell me what structure your political system is? I was interested, although the woman's look hinted that she didn't want to talk to me.