For two months, we drilled the resistance using SLDF Technology. We covered everything we could, and the resistance members had done quite well. During that time, we had pulled out all the stops.
The Elders had provided more than just weapons, they had also provided radios and reconnaissance equipment. The only thing not provided by the Elders was the armor. As it turns out, Ma'chello very much lived up to his title as an inventor. The Resistance armor was capable of entirely blunting a full on blast from a staff weapon.
First Perk Activated. Complete Blueprint Acquired: Radio (Star League Standard Issue)
Receiver, Transmitter, Encoder/Decoder
First Perk Activated. Complete Blueprint Acquired: Blast Resistance Jackets
Naquadah Weave, Ceramic Plating, Leather
Now, here we were. Our assault on Eris' forces were underway. She commanded a single Ha'tak which sat atop a pyramid to rival those of Ancient Egypt. The Pyramid itself was a maze of corridors and empty rooms, we were lucky the resistance had a map, else we would have likely spent an entire day getting to know the interior of the entire construct..
I watched as Eris' lounged upon her bed, totally unaware of us. Still cloaked, I gently knocked twice on a pillar near the entrance to the large room. A moment later, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I whispered.
"Ready?"
I heard her whispered reply.
"Ready."
I nodded and let out a deep breath, keeping my nerves calmed.
"Flash bangs."
I pulled an irregularly shaped cylinder off my chest, and readied to pull the pin. I took another deep breath.
"Remove the pin."
I pulled out the safety pin and held down the lever.
"3…2…1… away."
And just like that, two separate flash bangs flew into the room. I turned around, closed my eyes, and prepared my Zat.
Within a fraction of a second, several bright flashes went off; I couldn't hear anything, but I had been prepared for just this.
Turning the corner, I fired my Zat at the Jaffa on my right, while Yren who was just behind me fired her Zat at the Jaffa to my left. The two already disoriented Jaffa slumped to the ground. Rushing over to Eris, I approached her.
She looked up at me, her face shadowed with confusion.
"You…"
As she saw me, she seemed to realize what was happening. She began to lift her Kara'kesh, but it was too late. One quick blast from the Zat and she was unconscious. As she fell, I was rather surprised that my perk activated.
First Perk Activated. Partial Biology Acquired: Goa'uld
Musculoskeletal System
I ignored that information for the moment; I didn't have much time. Without wasting a second, I picked up her Kara'Kesh.
First Perk Activated. Partial Blueprint Acquired: Kara'Kesh (Hand Device - Underlord Variant)
Neural Interface Lattice
Immediately, my mind was flooded with information about the device's Neural Interface. The Kara'kesh had a significantly more sophisticated interface than other Goa'uld technology I had come into contact with.
While the Zat'Nik'Tel and Reetou Karesh both had an interface, they were only capable of understanding commands for toggling the device. The Kara'Kesh could transfer large quantities of information between the central processor and the wearer.
I quickly threw the information into the back of my mind and sent the reset code into the device.
The result was instantaneous. Information about the current state of Eris' forces inundated my mind. I began making inquiries about grounding all of Eris' forces on the world. Once again, everything lined up just right. There were several commands I could give that would do just that. Without any hesitation, I grounded all of Eris' forces.
The Kara'Kesh confirmed my orders and I immediately moved on. I pulled my radio off my chest and began speaking.
"Goa'uld forces have been grounded."
Not even a second later, I got a response.
"Confirmed. Assault is beginning."
I reattached my radio to my chest and turned my attention to Eris. I quickly pulled out a pair of handcuffs and attached them around her wrists, injected her with a solution specially prepared by Ma'chello to keep her unconscious, and threw her over my shoulder. As I turned back, I saw Yren waiting for me.
I nodded at her.
"Let's go."
We both reactivated our cloaks and began making a trek out of the vessel. I was rather surprised to find that the Jaffa didn't notice that Eris was missing until we were well away from the her quarters. It was only when we reached our chosen exit that I understood why none of Eris' forces had realized that something had happened to her.
Outside the ship was a warzone.
What had been clear blue skies less than an hour ago was now punctuated with plumes of thick black smoke. I saw several Goa'uld plasma bolts fly into the distance. Most notable was the complete lack of aerial support, a sign that the grounding command had worked as intended. Despite that, it was obvious that the Jaffa were still providing a fierce resistance.
I pulled out my radio.
"This is Arthur. We're clear of the flagship."
A moment later came a response.
"The Sanctum has been captured. Proceed."
So began our trek to the Sanctum. As we approached, the number of Jaffa we saw decreased steadily. As we made a turn, a large wall came into view. Occasionally, I could just barely make out a bright flash from the top of the wall – a sign that an SLDF laser weapon had been used – along with figures that would quickly return to cover.
As we approached the entrance to the wall, I pulled out my radio once again.
"This is Arthur. We are approaching the entrance."
"Understood. Locust's will be exiting in 30 seconds. You are to enter once the Locusts are through."
Moments later, the massive metal entrance opened and three Locust's marched out. We strode through, and just as we passed the door, I heard the firing of several Jaffa staff weapons behind us. I turned just in time to see a dozen Jaffa all open fire on the Locust's. I hadn't seen where these Jaffa had come from, but it didn't matter. Moments later they were all reduced to steam and slag as the pulse lasers mounted on the Locusts boiled them alive.
Within seconds, almost fifty Jaffa were gone and the locust's continued forward. The Sanctum entrance closed behind me and the sight of almost a hundred dead disappeared from my sight.
I deactivated my cloak, and a moment later Yren followed suit. With Eris slung over my shoulder, I made my way toward the heart of the Sanctum, where the Stargate rested atop a raised stone platform. The Sanctum was a massive open-air enclosure, ringed by a stone wall nearly five meters thick. At its center stretched a wide, open field—easily a hundred meters across. The entire space was a killbox; anyone stepping through the gate uninvited would find themselves exposed to fire from every angle.
The ground of the sanctum was covered in craters and I could see dozens of corpses strewn around the walls. Near the center of the Sanctum stood six Locusts, two of which were heavily damaged. Near them, several tents were being erected to serve as temporary shelter.
I saw Elders Elias, James, and Callum alongside Ma'chello and Eudora standing over a table. Surrounding them were dozens of Resistance members as well as many of the older Hunters of Veyna's Rest. Ma'chello had been staring at me – or, more accurately, at Eris – since I had entered his line of sight.
Elder James turned his attention away from the map on the table and up to me.
"Status."
"Primary and secondary objectives both completed. None of the Jaffa even noticed our presence until we were gone."
He nodded at me.
"Get her transferred to the medics. Hopefully we'll be able to remove the parasite soon."
I nodded in return. After handing off the Kara'Kesh – which was placed in a padded box and stowed away safely – I made my way to the medical tent where I left Eris in the care of the same doctor who had been responsible for testing us at the Resistance Base.
Over the course of the next three hours, 98% of the Jaffa in the city were either captured or killed. I was rather surprised to discover that nearly 200 Jaffa had been working with the resistance; many of them for years, a few of them for nearly a decade.
Ideally, the resistance would have taken the time to consolidate their control over the gate and the world, but we simply didn't have the time. Every second that was spent was a second that Ares could realize that the Resistance was actually fighting back.
Three hours later we began readying ourselves for the next part of the plan. Ma'chello and the Elder's approached as we were prepared to head through the Stargate.
"Once you have captured Ares and grounded all of his ships, you will be approached by Arktos, Ares' First Prime. He is working with us."
That… made a surprising amount of sense. Many of the inhabitants of Veyna's Rest had lived under other Goa'uld – namely Amaterasu, Nirrti, Cronus, Morrigan, and Ra. Athena bought many of the villagers from these Goa'uld and settled them in what would later become known as Veyna's Rest..
I had heard horror stories from those who had lived under Nirrti, Cronus, and Ra. It occurred frequently that groups of slaves would be forced to work for days straight without being provided food or water. Every single person who had come from those domains had multiple close friends and family who had starved to death.
Compared to that, Ares' treatment of those living in his city was vastly dissimilar. They received three full meals a day, regular supplies of water, and more than sufficient shelter and sleeping accommodations.
Ares' Jaffa treated the laborers with exceptional care. It also explained why the Resistance members were so certain that no one would care about their absence when Ma'chello came to visit Ares' world.
Hell, with that sort of advantage, they likely could have captured Ares without our assistance. So how the hell did the resistance end up succumbing to Ares' forces in the original timeline?
I furrowed my brows.
"Sir, are you really sure you can trust him?"
Ma'chello nodded without any sort of doubt.
"The man has had the opportunity to capture me and end the resistance on multiple occasions; more than that, the man has saved my life several times and it is only with his direct aid that our Resistance has survived as long as it has."
His words didn't quiet my own doubts. I turned to look at Elder James, but he simply nodded at me. The Elder was also aware of how Ma'chello ended up in Stargate SG-1, but if they were willing to put their trust in him, then so be it.
First Perk Activated. Partial Blueprint Acquired: Astria Porta (Stargate)
Dematerializer
The gate dialed, and we found ourselves on Ares' world of Mycena. Once more, we made the trek from the gate and into Ares' city. The trip had become almost routine, though I had only made it a few times at this point. With any luck, I would only have to make it twice, maybe three times more.
The sight of Ares' severn Ha'tak motherships still managed to take my breath away, and before I knew it, Yren and I were standing before Ares' mothership.
We used the same trick as before – simply following behind another group of Jaffa – to get inside. Within ten minutes I was looking at Ares' throne room.
If I didn't know any better, I would have said the man hadn't moved since I had last seen him. He was still lounging in the exact same place, being waited on hand and foot.
Yren and I didn't waste any time. We readied our Zat's and a pair of Flash Bangs.
"Ready?"
I asked, in a whisper.
"Ready."
Came the reply.
Like that, we threw our two flash bangs into the room, turned around, and closed our eyes.
With a bang, I opened my eyes and entered. There were eight Jaffa in the room, all of them kneeling. All but two had been incapacitated, but that wasn't what worried me most. The first thing that caught my attention was Ares standing before his throne, snarling at me.
Yren and I each fired one Zat blast and then another into one of the still standing Jaffa, before Ares finally managed to do something.
He seemed as if to roar at me – though my hearing was still recovering from the dual flash-bangs – and he raised his hand, the jewel at the center of his Kara'Kesh lighting up.
I immediately took cover, rolling out of the way. When I turned back, I saw that Yren had made it to cover against another piece of furniture in the hall.
We moved onto Plan B. Quickly, I pulled a smoke grenade off of my belt, and removed the pin. Yren meanwhile pulled out a second flash bang and threw it. I covered my eyes and ears and not even a second later another massive blast went off.
I now threw my smoke grenade. In a massive puff, a second shock wave ripped through the throne room. SLDF smoke grenades were completely different from those used in the 21st century. They were capable of filling a large area with dense aerosol in a matter of fractions of a second. Within three seconds, I could barely see more than 5 feet in front of me.
I fired my Zat at the spot that Ares had been just moments later. Moments later I saw a second Zat firing. Rushing forward, I found Ares collapsed on the floor with Yren also unconscious beside him.
Kara'Kesh are capable of forming powerful energy shields which could stop fast moving projectiles and energy blasts, so our plan should Ares manage to activate his energy shield was to just bum rush him and shoot him from within his shield.
The issue was that we didn't know how close we would have to be in order to bypass the shield. The only surefire way was to just make sure that the Zat was touching him when it fired. Thankfully, it had worked, and Ares was now out cold.
I pulled a syringe off my chest and stabbed it into Yren's leg. This was something especially prepared by the Elders, tested against the effects of Zat blasts. Quite frankly, I had no idea what it was, but apparently it had been tested and worked to immediately awaken those who were under the effects of Anaesthesia.
Not even fifteen seconds had passed since we entered the room. I quickly found and targeted the four still conscious Jaffa, leaving them all unconscious. I had now been in this room for thirty seconds.
Finally, I turned my attention to my primary mission; the Kara'Kesh.
First Perk Activated. Partial Blueprint Acquired: Kara'Kesh (Hand Device)
Emitter CrystalsComplete Blueprint Acquired: Kara'Kesh (Hand Device)
In a rush, I pulled the device off his arm and provided the codes for a reset.
Just like with Eris' Kara'Kesh, the device immediately reset. I ordered all of Ares' forces to be grounded and turned my attention to Ares.
I gave Ares an injection and began to restrain him; to my side, Yren's eyes snapped open. As I finished restraining Ares' nose and mouth, Yren was awake.
She moved to restrain his legs, but froze for a brief moment, almost moving to take her Zat from the ground.
I turned to find a giant of a man standing at the entrance, pointing his staff weapon at the two of us. His most easily identifiable trait was of course the golden mark of Ares upon his brow, but the knife scars covering the left side of his face were almost as noticeable. His thick black hair was braided into a ponytail that ended somewhere in his armor. His bright green eyes stared at us, appearing confused for just the briefest of moments. This was Arktos.
Finally, he pointed his staff at the ceiling and spoke.
"It would have been nice to know that the Resistance was making their move. I will have my followers begin dealing with Ares' supporters."
I nodded at him and Yren moved into the nearby armory. Pulling up my radio, I spoke into it.
"Primary secure. Moving to secure secondary. Tertiary has made contact."
I replaced my radio and spoke to Arktos.
"We will be sending support through the Stargate. All of Ares' forces have been grounded. Can you hold out for a couple hours?"
He raised an eyebrow; the action was so reminiscent of Teal'c that I almost thought I was looking at Apophis' first prime for a moment.
"If I do not have to worry about Ares' ships being used against me, then I can have all still loyal to Ares captured within an hour."
I was rather surprised, but if the man had been preparing to take action anyway, then I suppose it made sense that he would be prepared for a proper assault. I nodded once to the man and threw Ares over my shoulder. Yren walked out of the nearby armory and nodded at me – a sign that she had secured Ares' backup Kara'Kesh.
We both activated our cloaks and exited the room. As we exited Ares' flagship, I once more sent a radio transmission, informing the resistance that we had made contact with Arktos.
All the Jaffa still acted as usual, and it was only when we were well outside the city that I began to notice the intermittent fire of staff weapons.
While that certainly hadn't gone as well as I had hoped, we had completed all three of our assigned objectives – even if the last one had been rather tense. While I couldn't say for certain that the man was trustworthy, he showed absolutely no interest in saving Ares and I could only take that as a good sign.
Now there were only two more Underlords to capture before we would be truly safe.