Apparently, the new planet he and the Spitfire crew discovered was mentioned in the Alteran database. The Alteran stargate-deployer ship had studied the planet before its automation deployed the stargate into the planet in a safe location. The highly enriched form of Naqudah, also known as Naquadaria, was studied extensively by the Alterans. They utilised the mineral as a power source in their early energy systems, but further advancements in Potentia rendered them obsolete. What was obsolete to the Alterans was quite advanced in Harry's eyes. Therefore, he didn't hesitate to order the extraction of the valuable mineral from the newly discovered planet's mines.
After all, their work on Potentia modules had not even started yet.
To that effect, Harry oversaw the relocation of stargate on the planet to a fortified position, securing safe supply lines to Elysium. It also conveniently prevented any Goa'uld incursion via stargate. The elves in his crew were eager to rapidly build a solid structure using their magic, allowing rapid fortification of the stargate. The enchanters and ward masters in his crew took care of the rest, placing heavy wards to protect the facility.
The few scientists in his crew immediately started devising possible methods to harness the power of Naquadariah. Harry made data crystals available about the Alteran advancements with the mineral to speed up the process. He had another group working on surveying the planet for housing defence installations. It was not just the planet that interested him; it was also the moon and the possible meteorite belt hanging loosely in orbit of the local star.
The defense capabilities he envisioned for the star system were extensive. He wanted the hold on the planet and its rich mineral deposits to remain unchallenged. The extensive mineral resources in the star system made it a vital area of interest for Elysium's future growth and power projection. Harry did not intend to hide Elysium from the Goa'uld or keep wizards in isolation. That was the mistake the wizards made on Earth, which led to their stagnation. He was not keen on history repeating itself. If wizards had to shed blood to carve out a place in the galaxy, then there was more than enough blood to spare.
Harry was determined to create an expanded living room for the wizards in the galaxy – a sphere of influence. He had no doubts the emergence of Elysium as a major power in the galaxy would upset the current balance of power established by the System Lords. However, the advantage was that Elysium remained below the radar of the System Lords, and they were most likely engaged in their own internal power struggles.
This was the perfect moment to expand without any concentrated reprisals from the Goa'uld empire. If he could hold on to the anonymity for as long as possible, even the Goa'uld would consider any loss of territory as the work of other rival Goa'ulds.
"Marshall, we've received contact from Elysium. Officer Ross reports the crew we requested has arrived." Officer Parks reported.
"Good." Harry stood up from his seat. "Your ship, Mr Parks."
"My ship, sir." the brown-haired man acknowledged before taking Harry's seat.
Harry assumed his spirit form and flew out of the Spitfire towards the stargate on the planet. When he materialised inside the facility housing the stargate, Harry found himself facing a group of wizards and witches led by Fleur.
"Harry!"
A familiar bushy-haired girl came into his line of sight and slammed into him with a hug.
"Hermione! I thought you were in Australia." Harry said in surprise.
"I cut the vacation short, and it was right on time, thank Merlin. If I hadn't, Fleur wouldn't have contacted me for this mission." Hermione said excitedly, her eyes alight with unbridled curiosity as she took in the surroundings.
"Well, in that case, welcome aboard, Hermione." Harry smiled at his friend before turning his attention to Fleur, the group's designated leader.
He jerked his head to the side and pulled Fleur aside from the group.
"Have they completed the training packet in the data crystal?" Harry asked.
"Oui. They have." Fleur nodded. "We have brought forth all the supplies needed to establish a proper base on the planet."
"Good. I'll have my crew assist you."
"Harry, there has been a new development in Elysium in your absence."
"Oh." Harry raised an eyebrow as it had only been 48 hours since his departure from the planet. "Do tell."
"Many dwarven clans have agreed to join Elysium. One of the famous clans from the Alps was present in Elysium before my departure."
Harry was momentarily surprised by this revelation.
'Perenelle is moving fast. That's good.' Harry mused.
He also felt a hint of jealousy at the ease with which the Flamels bagged a dwarven clan to Elysium. Dwarves were known for their reclusiveness and their feud with Goblins. Dwarves were also known for their powerful enchantments and ability to sniff out gold mines and other precious metals. They also ran one of the largest banking networks back on Earth, making them a vital economic power in many wizarding nations. Naturally, this made them rivals of Goblins.
He had put off making contact with the Goblin Nation or the Dwarven clans simply because of their financial might. Their banks controlled much of the wizarding economy. So, it was in their interest to bring hurdles into the Pax Elysia project instead of cooperating with an idea that would shatter their influence.
'The Flamels must've promised something significant of value to attract the attention of even one dwarven clan to move into Elysium.' Harry mused.
Soon, his attention was shifted to the work of Fleur's crew. He observed from a distance as Fleur and her crew started assembling a high-yield Naquadah generator in the research facility propped up by the hardworking elves. The research facility was supposed to extract and turn the Naquadaria deposits into a viable fuel for a modified reactor.
"Marshall, what should we do with the locals?" asked Officer Baldwin, the man he entrusted with dealing with the locals.
"Are they causing any trouble?" Harry asked curiously while observing the work setting up the research facility.
"They're manageable, sir, but…"
"But what?" Harry prompted.
"These people have worshipped the Goa'uld all these years. They consider mining the Naquadariah to be a spiritually fulfilling act. Now that we've taken over the mines, they're getting restless and, quite frankly, living without a purpose."
"Hmm…" Harry grunted but didn't say anything else.
However, he knew leaving the locals as they were and to their devices was the wrong move to make. Removing the Jaffa was one thing, but keeping the human slaves as prisoners indefinitely didn't sit well with him. Ignoring them also had the potential to bring unnecessary problems down the line. So, he supposed a meeting was warranted, but Harry suspected some guile was needed to make the populace behave.
'Some theatrics will work wonders with superstitious people.' Harry thought with amusement as an idea took root in his mind.
******
Aharon stared dejectedly into the ground with a thoughtful look. His god had fallen in battle, which itself was something he considered impossible. Being a son of the supreme god Ra, he considered Isa an invincible god.
But time had proven him wrong as well as the faith of his ancestors. New gods came from the heavens to wage what witnesses claimed was a one-sided war. He was in the mines, so he missed the divine war of the gods. But his wife and children saw it from their hut. His youngest daughter, Aya, was the one to animatedly describe the battle to him in detail upon his return from the mines. She described the divine weapons of the gods streaking across the sky in different colours of beams.
He had seen the warriors of the gods and interacted with some of them, but they were tight-lipped about the identity of the god who had attacked their home. It was also unknown what fate befell their god, Isa. So far, the new god had not shown any hostility towards them, nor were there any demands made. The only order that was passed to the odd fifty families in their village was that they were prohibited from going into the mines.
Working in the mines was their only livelihood. All families in his village were miners for generations in service to Isa. They were diligent in their work and faithfully served their god all these years. In return for their services, their god would give them grain to fill their bellies during winter.
But now, the prohibition in mining brought great uncertainty to their lives.
"Say something Aharon. We must seek an audience with the new god in charge of the planet, yes?"
Aharon eyed his neighbour and fellow miner Abanoub with a sigh.
"I know what you mean, but we must be patient. This must be a test from the gods." Aharon said sagely, even though he lacked confidence in his own words.
"What test is that? We've mined for the gods all our lives, and now they no longer want us." one of the miners heatedly said, echoing the sentiments of most people in their meeting place deep in the woods.
Another miner stood up and said,
"Yeah. I saw the gods' magical chariots flying into the mines and taking the tribute with their magic. The gods are surely wroth with us for something. We must prepare a greater tribute to please the gods."
Aharon watched his people argue back and forth on what to do. As the tribe's leader, Aharon was supposed to steer the minds of his people to the will of the gods, but even he was blind to what the gods were planning.
Suddenly, a bright light akin to a star appeared before them, flying down from the sky. The light was so bright that Aharon was forced to turn his eyes away. At first, he feared the gods were about to punish them with their divine weapons, but then he felt no pain.
He hesitantly opened his eyes, and slowly, his eyes adjusted to the brilliant light at the centre of their camp. The miners who were granted a voice in their meeting remained in stunned silence. It was the voiceless women and children that first broke the silence.
"It's a lion!" a familiar childish voice broke the spell of silence.
To Aharon's horror, it was none other than his daughter who had committed this crime. The women and children were only supposed to be mute spectators in this meeting where the village elders discussed matters of their faith and paid tribute to the gods before the sacred flame. Before he could say anything, the ethereal lion bathed in silver light turned its head towards his daughter.
"Aya!" Aharon rushed to his daughter's side and shielded her from the sight of the divine lion.
"Forgive me, O great messenger of the gods. My daughter is but a child and knows no better. We beg for your mercy." Aharon fell on his knees with his forehead touching the ground.
"Hmm… your daughter did not cause any offense." the lion said, its voice booming across the clearing. "In fact, I'm pleased by her reaction. Most people are too stunned or afraid to speak their mind."
"Oh, thank you, lord. You are most merciful."
"I'm no one's lord or god." the lion said. "The Goa'uld you've mistakenly perceived as a god is nothing more than a reptilian parasite from another planet. They will no longer bother you or your people."
"We've given many tributes to our god Isa. If it offends you, great spirit, we're more than happy to pay tribute to the new god in charge of this domain." Aharon said earnestly, with his fellow minors voicing their agreement, thinking that their new god was unsatisfied with their past actions.
The lion seemed to sigh and muttered something under its breath. The lion suddenly flared up with white light before disappearing altogether before Aharon's eyes. The abrupt departure of the lion spirit plunged them into the darkness of the forest with the measly camp fire providing them with some light. Everyone in the camp uneasily whispered amongst each other at the meaning behind the abrupt departure of the spirit messenger. Something extraordinary happened as they tried to divine the reason behind the spirit's abrupt departure.
"Look, Papa. There is a star flying in the sky!" Aya happily exclaimed.
Aharon wanted to chide his daughter for breaking the silence again, which was a bad omen, but when he looked to the sky following his daughter's eyes, he found himself speechless. There, amongst the stars of the night sky, he saw a star moving towards their position.
He immediately backpedalled, as did his fellow miners. He swept his daughter into his arms and pushed back his family as the falling star came towards. He expected the falling star to be a divine punishment from the gods, but the bright light gently touched down on the centre of the clearing. The campfire fluttered out when a strong wind swept through the forest.
The bright light which lit up the forest dimmed slightly, showing a man inside.
"My name is Harry Potter. I have come to extend a hand of friendship from the good people of Elysium."
Aharon stared at the offered hand with an incompressible expression. He didn't understand the gesture, but he understood this was some sort of gesture representing peace and friendship. The strangeness of the situation was not lost on him, but he complied despite his fears. After all, he could see with his own eyes the divinity of the being standing before him.
With great apprehension, he took the being's hand and saw the bright green eyes of the being shining with approval.
******
Harry observed the process of extracting the Goa'uld Isa from the human host without causing any mortal danger to the host. His medical team, which comprised some of the best magical healers and muggle surgeons, managed to extract the Goa'uld safely. Their combined efforts saw to the formation of a procedure to safely remove all Goa'uld without harming their hosts.
The implications of this new procedure were not lost on Harry. He could keep any captured Goa'uld without holding the host his prisoner.
Harry observed the reptilian parasite being dumped into a glass container with a viscous liquid inside.
"Good work, doctors. Can you say anything about the host's health at this point?" Harry asked through the microphone while the doctors were finishing up inside the medical chamber.
"The host is health Marshall. However, I'd recommend some sessions with a mind healer after the anaesthetics wear off."
"Thank you, doctors." Harry nodded before focusing on the isolated parasite in the glass jar.
A house elf brought the chamber to his person, and Harry gripped the Goa'uld in a telekinetic hold while pressing a small black ball against its reptilian body. There was a small light blinking away on the surface of the ball before the light became steady. Harry pulled the black ball away and nodded at the elf. The Goa'uld Isa was put back in the glass jar with protective enchantments binding the parasite inside the jar.
"What eez eet?" Fleur asked, watching the tiny black ball in Harry's hand.
"The sum total of Isa's memories. It'll be a goldmine of intelligence considering the Goa'uld pass on genetic memory to their offsprings."
"If that eez true, we will gain more information on Goa'uld worlds, no?" Fleur asked, her blue eyes sparkling with intrigue as she stared at the small metal ball.
"Even though the information is outdated, we can still gain a picture of the disposition of Goa'uld forces in the galaxy." said Harry. "Now, what do you have to report, Fleur?"
"We have finished assembling the Naquadah generator, and the elves have started constructing protective structures around the generator. The cooling is now taken care of using enchantments lining the floor, but the engineers recommend the installation of a proper heat exchanger."
"Do we have one?" Harry asked curiously.
"No, we don't."
"I suppose we'll have to obtain one from the muggles." Harry muttered, remembering the last one he installed in Elysium was taken from an old nuclear submarine.
The industrial capacity in Elysium was not built up enough to source all required hardware for the fleet or infrastructure expansion in other captured colonies. Some of it had to come from the muggle world, which was a serious constraint since they had to compromise on the effectiveness of their current technology. He was only halfway through with supplanting the British defense industry into Elysium. With the Flamels taking over the whole process, he suspected it'd be delayed even more if they persisted in keeping their prejudices front and centre.
"Fleur, what is your opinion on inviting Veela clans into Elysium? Would they be interested in working together within a representative government system that guarantees their voices are heard?" Harry posed the question.
"Eet eez 'aard to earn the trust of a Veela." Fleur said with a complicated look.
"I understand. Would you be willing to talk to them?" Harry inquired before quickly adding, "I shall, of course, put in a good word with those handling the immigration policy."
"What do you think my people can do for you, 'Arry?"
"Ideally, I'd like some of them to move into this planet and contribute in building our industrial capacity. I can provide all the resources for the transition, and there is more than enough land for Veela communities to thrive." Harry offered.
"'Ere?" Fleur raised a sceptical eyebrow.
"As you know by now, there are less than 200 people here on this planet. This world is resource rich, and with a healthy use of crystal memory imprinting technology, the Veela community can transform this planet into an industrial hub. Once this place becomes integral to Elysium's economy, it also translates into political power. The voice of Veela clans will have an undeniable weight in the governing council of Elysium once it takes shape." Harry painted a wonderful picture, but he was keenly aware a lot he promised was far out of his hands.
But he needed some magical population out of Elysium and build up local infrastructure. He came to this decision only after seeing the hopelessly oppressed human population of the planet. Thousands of years of oppression were not going to magically change, no matter his best efforts. So, it was better to create conducive environments for the human population to grow at an organic pace with steady improvements in their quality of life. For now, the locals were not ready to contribute anything substantial to the growth of Elysium.
The prime movers of growth remained wizards and muggles. Harry had no misconceptions that would change further in their journey.
AN:
To read ahead of the update schedule: patreon.com/Dragonspectre
For artworks: https://discord.gg/Nw2JH25fJf