The gate closed behind us, and the small chamber in the pyramid filled with numerous boxes transported via antigravity platforms. Now I have a very interesting quest ahead of me, called "assemble the teltak I disassembled myself." You have 10 Jaffa to help you. Yes, we're on Abydos; I've opened the gate to that planet a couple of times, sending drones to check when it would be night. Of course, assembling a spaceship at night isn't the best idea, but it guarantees no one will notice. On the other hand, we'll have to build the ship right under the tent using lamps. Also, unlike Jackson, I have scanning equipment that will allow me to find all the voids. I won't touch the vault containing the Eye of Ra. Firstly, because I have a survival instinct, and secondly, if Ra finds out that one of his caches has been looted, he'll become "slightly" unbalanced. Considering that none of the Goa'uld have used this weapon, the Eye is off-limits. If such technology was stolen from Ra, the Eye will search for just about everything. If there's a spy in my circle, they'll be able to tell when I left through the gate, analyze the time the vault was breached, and put two and two together. After which they'll kill me about a thousand times, and that's before they even ask how I knew about the vault. Ra will also no longer consider Abydos a safe haven, not to mention that he won't arrive at Abydos for 50 years, and O'Neill won't kill him. I can take it later; there's the Eye of Osiris, after all, and the Eye that Marduk has. Two out of five could potentially be found by me. And after Ra's death, three out of five. Just the thing for a flagship. I couldn't make antigravity drones like Anubis's; the system isn't very convenient for miniaturization. Or rather, I'm just so clumsy that I can't make one. However, I do have something else—regular quadcopters. I sent them through the gate and used a radio signal to keep the gate open, allowing us to look around. The Jaffa immediately began assembling the teltak using the instructions, and I went looking for the gate addresses. The chamber with the Cartouche was under the pyramid, so we managed to find them quickly using scanners; the scanners were from teltak, which could be connected and see everything we needed. "Sir." The Jaffa walked ahead of me, carefully examining everything through night vision devices, a Z-shaped device at hand. "We found what we needed." I turned on the flashlight, and the camera on my helmet recorded each address; a special program saved any written text to a separate file. In ten minutes, I had all the addresses known to Ra, at least at the time of the temple's construction. And there were thousands of them here. It's worth understanding that there could be billions of gate address combinations, although no more than 100,000-300,000 are actually active, but that still shows the scale of the Ancients. They were the most powerful people in the galaxy, so it's worth trying to quickly start searching for any artifacts they left behind. The vault in Glostenbury is exactly what we can retrieve without any effort. And at the same time, no one will accidentally contact the damn Ori. "Okay, now let's assemble a Teltak and fly to a planet with the resources to implement my plans. Abydos is the closest point for that. It'll take some time, but by local sunrise we'll be in hyperspace. An additional point is that I also found the Earth Gate address. Very convenient."
***
"Do you understand this language, sir?" Jaffa asked me about the radio transmission Earth was broadcasting in all directions. "Yes, I know about that language. This planet has long served as a source of slaves for the System Lords. But we're not here for slaves; first, we need to find the local gate. I flew to Antarctica; the ship's sensors will be able to locate the gate, but then we'll need a permanent base where we can move cargo. Ideally, the gate would be located near major transportation routes—New York, for example. However, other surveys will be required as well; for example, that temple in Mexico where Hathor is kept would be good, for now, while I search for allies. And yes, it's 1947, so I couldn't have helped in World War II in any way; that's... very sad. Now, however, I have a clear understanding of the timeframe in which I appeared; now it's clear there are 50 years. Not that long, actually, 50 years before the death of Ra. My very first task was to find allies who could operate autonomously on Earth. The best place to look was in the United States, among wealthy individuals who could provide the necessary supplies. I'd better find someone wealthier, otherwise he wouldn't be able to justify the necessary purchases. I needed so many different products that I'd have to use my gold reserves, as well as what was in Merlin's vault. I'd also have to figure out my own route; I'm a homeless person by Goa'uld standards and don't have any optical stealth technology. "Jaffa Kree!" All my soldiers had already changed into warm clothes; after all, it was -40 degrees here, even though they were supersoldiers, frostbite was no good for anyone. I myself was dressed in warm furs, since creating warm clothing wasn't a priority for me, so I took the warm clothes people wear on Urvashi. A few men went with me; the rest stayed behind to wait. Guided by our naquadah senses and the scanners, we headed for the cave where O'Neill and Carter had been when they were ejected from the gate by the redirection. We had to clear some space with staffs and plasma. I'd actually planned to blast the entire cave with the Teltak cannons, but first I needed to retrieve the most fragile equipment—the compositor. The gate wouldn't be damaged at all by a couple hundred tons of ice falling on it. Then, using tractor beams, I could dig out the hole, retrieve the gate, and attach it to the Teltak with magnetic grips. Of course, there would be a significant overload, making high speeds unavailable, but transport to Mexico would be possible. The sarcophagus contained enough naquadah, as well as the right energy frequency, so low-altitude scanners could detect it. It's best to do this at night, though, as it would minimize potential encounters with the locals. We made our way down the tunnel created by the kavush, and had to use the rope several times."Sir, we found the dialing device." "We're digging it out and carrying it out." The Jaffa pulled out picks and began digging up vital equipment. I used the antigravity sleds to evacuate the dialing device. An hour later, we were already in the Teltak, blasting the cave. I don't know how the SGC managed it. They got the gate, most likely they brought in super-powerful cranes (to Antarctica), but I had no choice, not that many options. Using the Teltak-mounted cannons, I breached the cave, collapsing the entire roof. This will take some time. Unfortunately, I wasn't O'Neill, it was beneath the Vault of Knowledge, and I don't know how to transform the rings into the Asgard Beam Weapon. I could have burned through the ice, solving all the problems at the same time. But I didn't have access to the Ancients' knowledge; at most, I installed special beacons to understand next time, so I'd know where to look for the "dead seals." It's unlikely that Ayana lies further than a 20-kilometer radius from the gate. Once we have enough people and equipment, we can launch a full-scale search. Incidentally, it's lucky it's the polar day now, not the polar night. Removing the gate at night in a blizzard—the Jaffa and I are technically supersoldiers, but it's extreme even for us. Digging through the ice took us several days; we had to let the Teltak warm up; its reactor couldn't maintain a normal internal temperature or use the tractor beam, so we had to let it rest. I also left the Jaffa in Antarctica (in a tent, of course, with warm clothes and heating elements; I'm not a sick bastard). I needed to pinpoint the coordinates of the temple where Hathor was, and also find the temple near which Osiris parked his ship. If the local news reports a UFO flying over Mexico and Egypt, it's me. Incidentally, the Asgard should have left their bodies in Roswell around this time. I didn't notice the gray ones, and at the same time, I didn't break any Asgard laws. As long as the Empire and Asgard maintain neutrality, we don't interfere with the Protected Planets, and they don't wantonly kill Goa'uld. On the other hand, I'm a small pawn; no one will notice my death. The main thing is that the Asgard don't think so.At most, I installed special beacons to help me figure out where to look for the "dead seals" next time. It's unlikely that Ayana lies further than 20 km from the Gate. Once we have enough people and equipment, we can launch a full-scale search. Incidentally, it's lucky it's the polar day now, not the polar night. Removing the Gate at night in a blizzard—the Jaffa and I are technically supersoldiers, but that's extreme even for us. Digging through the ice took us several days; we had to let the Teltak warm up; its reactor couldn't maintain a normal temperature inside and use the tractor beam, so we had to let it rest. I also left the Jaffa in Antarctica (in a tent, of course, with warm clothes and heating elements; I'm not a sick bastard). We needed to pinpoint the coordinates of the temple where Hathor was, and also find the temple where Osiris parked his ship. If the local news reports a UFO flying over Mexico and Egypt, it's me. Incidentally, the Asgard should have left their bodies in Roswell around this time. I didn't notice the little gray ones, and at the same time, I didn't break any Asgard laws. As long as the Empire and Asgard maintain neutrality, we don't interfere with the Protected Planets, and they don't wantonly kill Goa'uld. On the other hand, I'm a small pawn; no one will notice my death. The main thing is that the Asgard don't think so.At most, I installed special beacons to help me figure out where to look for the "dead seals" next time. It's unlikely that Ayana lies further than 20 km from the Gate. Once we have enough people and equipment, we can launch a full-scale search. Incidentally, it's lucky it's the polar day now, not the polar night. Removing the Gate at night in a blizzard—the Jaffa and I are technically supersoldiers, but that's extreme even for us. Digging through the ice took us several days; we had to let the Teltak warm up; its reactor couldn't maintain a normal temperature inside and use the tractor beam, so we had to let it rest. I also left the Jaffa in Antarctica (in a tent, of course, with warm clothes and heating elements; I'm not a sick bastard). We needed to pinpoint the coordinates of the temple where Hathor was, and also find the temple where Osiris parked his ship. If the local news reports a UFO flying over Mexico and Egypt, it's me. Incidentally, the Asgard should have left their bodies in Roswell around this time. I didn't notice the little gray ones, and at the same time, I didn't break any Asgard laws. As long as the Empire and Asgard maintain neutrality, we don't interfere with the Protected Planets, and they don't wantonly kill Goa'uld. On the other hand, I'm a small pawn; no one will notice my death. The main thing is that the Asgard don't think so. The Goa'uld have been adjusting their scanners to search for naquadah for a very long time. About 20,000 years, so they're experts at it. A ship wouldn't be able to find a couple of kilograms of naquadah from high orbit, but if a Teltak flew practically directly overhead, it would be possible. That's why none of the incoming Goa'uld detected Seth, even though he had a significant arsenal, it wasn't enough for any scanners to detect him; he was literally background noise. I knew I needed to target the structures located in the jungle. Fortunately, that's relatively small for a ship capable of vertical takeoff. Mexico's tropical rainforest region is relatively isolated, so I could narrow the search area to several hundred thousand square kilometers. A huge number. And there are indeed many structures there, but I only needed the pyramids. Using the scanners, I was able to filter them out and then visit them one by one. As luck would have it, only the last pyramid turned out to be the right one. It was far off the beaten path, and the pyramid was protected by literally impenetrable jungle. I can just imagine searching for the "Fountain of Youth"—a kilogram of naquadah is much harder to find than a couple of tons. Completely different orders of magnitude. And there are no landmarks. It's literally a hole in the ground where two scientists crawled. No wonder no one was able to find this device. Searching for a device weighing a kilogram of naquadah anywhere on the planet? I don't think even Asgard scanners will help. Honduras, although the size of the area I searched in Mexico, has no landmarks at all. Although you don't have to search the plains, it's clear that Jackson went up, meaning the vault is located in the highlands. That means 20% of the country can be eliminated from the analysis. Although Egypt was easier, I identified all the temples located in the desert (there are many) and flew around them, spending some time scanning. I even became curious about whether the MNT from the SG-1 teams traveling back in time was already there or not. I don't like time travel, especially if there's a time machine somewhere out there. After twenty hours of tedious scanning, I managed to find Osiris's ship. The bastard hid it in an underground storage facility accessible through the rings; in general, he's somewhat similar to Set. To scan each temple, I'd have to literally land right next to it; scanning from orbit would have yielded nothing. I didn't risk opening the storage facility containing personal tape drives without a key; I'm no fool; such security systems don't just happen. Fortunately, I could easily retrieve the Teltak. The ship wasn't password-protected, considering it was simply an escape vehicle to the nearest planet with a gate. Even though the ship was old, it had the ability to escort the main ship, so I simply connected it to my ship and flew back to my Jaffa. They weren't frozen, by the way, but were glad to have a second ship to sit in while their "god" worked. After securing the gate, I waited until night fell in Mexico.And we flew together, deliberately choosing the least densely populated areas. After which we unloaded the gate, setting it upright using tractor beams leaning against the pyramid. After that, I ran a wire to transmit power from the teltak to the gate's dialing device. It worked, and the Earth gate was now connected. "Sir, the local queen tried to contact you," my subordinate said from the other side. "Did she clarify how important it was?" "Isara was an intelligent woman and wouldn't have bothered me without reason." "Yes, it concerned the general council of local mayors. She needed to speak with you." "Okay, tell her I'll be ready for a meeting in a couple of hours." Then he disconnected and gathered his subordinates. "A dangerous goddess sleeps inside this pyramid. She is inside a sarcophagus, so any manipulations will be carried out without opening it." We'll blow up the wall and retrieve the sarcophagus, then transport it to Urvashi. A few of you will remain on this planet as a garrison. Don't draw attention to yourselves. If you see any intruders, simply stun them. "Yes!" The Jaffa didn't have phrases like "Yes sir"; that's how they confirmed orders. "I'll be back in a couple of days at the most. Now I need to figure out where to keep the Goa'uld queen, who can manipulate her pheromones and who is more treacherous than a thousand of my brethren. I could send her to Cimmeria, but I'll do that as soon as I find Harlan's technology to copy her entire consciousness. Stasis capsules were an excellent option. That's how the Goa'uld transported people from Earth in ships. They could take tens of thousands at a time. The main thing is to stun her first and hide her in one of the secret rooms on Cheops. You can congratulate yourself – Hathor is captured. And now I also have a sarcophagus.Don't attract attention. If you see any intruders, simply stun them. "Yes!" The Jaffa didn't have phrases like "Yes sir"; that's how they confirmed orders. "I'll be back in a couple of days at the most. Now I need to figure out where to keep the Goa'uld queen, who can manipulate her pheromones and who is more treacherous than a thousand of my brethren. I could send her to Cimmeria, but I'll do that as soon as I find Harlan's technology to copy her entire consciousness. Stasis capsules were an excellent option. That's how the Goa'uld transported people from Earth in ships. They could take tens of thousands at a time. The main thing is to stun her first and hide her in one of the secret rooms on Cheops. I can congratulate myself – Hathor is captured. And now I have a sarcophagus.Don't attract attention. If you see any intruders, simply stun them. "Yes!" The Jaffa didn't have phrases like "Yes sir"; that's how they confirmed orders. "I'll be back in a couple of days at the most. Now I need to figure out where to keep the Goa'uld queen, who can manipulate her pheromones and who is more treacherous than a thousand of my brethren. I could send her to Cimmeria, but I'll do that as soon as I find Harlan's technology to copy her entire consciousness. Stasis capsules were an excellent option. That's how the Goa'uld transported people from Earth in ships. They could take tens of thousands at a time. The main thing is to stun her first and hide her in one of the secret rooms on Cheops. I can congratulate myself – Hathor is captured. And now I have a sarcophagus.
***
"Queen Isara, was there something you wanted to discuss?" We spoke in my office, where I preferred to work. Although it resembled the laboratory of a deranged scientist more than an administrative office. Flasks of chemicals, physical measuring devices, and existing measurements were everywhere. Even a chthonic battery attached to a flask of liquid naquadah. Yes, I tried to repeat O'Neill's feat of squeezing enough energy from naquadah to dial an intergalactic address. Of course, the universe gave me the fig. "The governors were shocked by the news, and also by the fact that they would have to pull people out of the economy to resume naquadah production—a highly unpopular decision. But using the carrot you provided me, they're already thinking in terms of railways and the expansion of various industries." They have very close ties with the guilds and merchants. I've edited your proposal on many points to make it more acceptable. - More acceptable? - I think it was very generous there; there were extensive proposals for reforming agriculture, switching from manufactories to factories, and electrifying production. I also planned a larger purchase of various machines and immediately converting them to electricity. So as not to create an entire useless industry called the oil industry. I plan to fully utilize nuclear reactors; fortunately, uranium mining and refining is a very simple task for me. "Your terms are, shall we say, very generous." "And that's unacceptable?" "My people are accustomed to hard work, not to mention it's wrong to simply give away goods for free. It's better for them to buy them, even at reduced prices. But buying them is worth far more than just gifts. I was also able to negotiate with the owners of various mines; they're willing to persuade some of their miners to transfer to the naquadah mines if you can supply them with the same tools. The miners, dressed in the new uniforms, will be an excellent example to the unemployed in the city that the work, while hard, will be well-paid. I've taken into account your wishes for shifts to be as short as possible." "Okay, let's start with the miners, giving them a high wage." I can make equipment for other miners, but won't metal production increase, which will lower the prices of metal products? And even if we allocate one combine harvester per community, even on an installment plan, it will increase the food supply, which will lead to a drop in food prices when supply exceeds demand, and it may become unprofitable for farmers to harvest their fields. - Maybe I was ignorant, but I knew this stage in US history. Only the internal market is available within the planet. - Additional regulation may be necessary at this point, when the state will have to set the price, preventing dumping. - Such an analysis eluded me. - Think about it, now about the railroad. I will finance its construction myself, which will connect 10 mining towns where naquadah is mined, using export goods, but the trade guilds can already use internal resources to build their own railroads. Once iron becomes cheaper, I will provide industrial enterprises that smelt iron ore with electric furnaces, as well as the opportunity to purchase electricity from me. True, this will put those who produced charcoal out of business, although it's not very good for the trees. They'll become unemployed. However, I think I can provide them with work. I can't fly around and catch lightning myself. Otherwise, I'll just reorient people's work. The local tropics were completely uninhabited, and lightning strikes are precisely in the tropics. We could find such a place and install lightning-receiving devices there for naquadah batteries. It would take a lot of effort to create such a structure, but it would create jobs for the people who previously created the fuel, and now they'll have to travel for a month to monitor the equipment and replace already filled batteries with empty ones. Considering that I plan to practically "set fire" the local cities by bringing a lot of electricity-based technology from Earth, demand will be high until I find Harlan and figure out this damn wireless energy transmission. The Goa'uld have something like that.Apophis had a handheld wireless dialer, but it clearly wasn't scalable across the entire planet. Essentially, I had an idea to create something like the Internet, but for energy. Routers could distribute power to different areas. This would eliminate the need for wires, ensuring energy independence. Essentially, a receiver would allow you to connect to any router; it's somewhat similar to the Protoss pylons from StarCraft, but I need Harlan to give me access to his database. And then I suspect decades of work, if the Altairians didn't already have a ready-made solution. By installing several hundred nuclear reactors, you could create a significant surplus of free energy. "City councils are very interested in your water, sewer, and other technologies." "Oh, I think I finally figured out what you're doing, Isara." You're trying to make me a participant in the economy, so I'd be paid for my technologies, which I would then use to mine naquadah. That way, I wouldn't devalue gold by introducing gold that isn't backed by commodities. Smart, you could have said so directly. "I'm still studying you and your reactions, trying to be as cautious as possible," the black-haired woman stated bluntly. "There's some logic to that." I couldn't disagree. "But my goal is as transparent as possible: I need a prosperous domain. Prosperity is achieved through economic activity, a constant circulation of goods. The most successful nations are those where the average citizen has a substantial income cushion. Let's say a person earns 10 gold a year, and their mandatory payments for living expenses are 7. That means they can spend 3 on themselves and various luxuries, or save up to start their own business. The higher the income cushion, the more goods they can offer. He will be actively involved in economic activity, wanting to increase his own well-being, enriching everyone around him. "In theory, this sounds noble, but for some reason you think technology can solve all problems." Isara's words were quite accurate, reflecting my worldview. "But they will simply create new ones. For example, when people realize that wages in the mines are high, they will all rush there, leaving other sectors of the economy bare. To compete with the mines, everyone else will have to raise wages, which will be an impossible task for many. Right now, the fear of the death mines is strong, but in a month or two, when significant funds are handed out, word will spread. Everyone will want to sign up." "And these mines once held 100,000; taking into account my six-hour shifts, the possible level that the mines can provide in four shifts is 400,000. 400,000 men and women removed from production will be quite significant and will distort the economy." Usually in such situations the first to suffer is the agricultural industry, without combines with various attachments,Under normal circumstances, this would lead to famine. But thanks to my technology, the outflow of population from rural areas won't be a one-time disaster. On the other hand, 400,000 miners extracting naquadah, even taking into account the density of the material, could amount to several hundred kilograms of naquadah ore per person. In the short term, this is a benefit for me, but it would completely shake up your economy, which is already the case. Perhaps opening a mining school as a buffer? This would reduce the risk of collapses and also establish a wage buffer. Professional miners with extensive experience would earn more for their seniority and experience, while young miners would earn less. This wouldn't create a wage imbalance. However, it could create an internal elitism. The conversations with the Queen were quite interesting. I had a basic understanding of economic processes, but only basic. With such an education, I wouldn't have played the stock market, let alone business. But Isara was a practical person; even with her lack of education, she understood many things instinctively. In the Middle Ages, economic problems also arose when it was necessary to choose who to subsidize. I need to bring her some books on economics from Earth. And then translate them into Goa'uldish. I'll have to look up synonyms for "futures," "swaps," "floating interest rate," and other such nonsense in Goa'uldish. Will someone have pity on me? - After some time, I will establish contact with a far more advanced world than yours; it will be capable of supplying a certain range of technologies. This includes self-propelled carriages, as well as airplanes, flying machines that can fly on their own. But such devices rely on combustible fuel, which I'm not comfortable with, so we'll need infrastructure to replace this inefficient energy source. Therefore, we'll need to organize the production of electric motors and replace old motors in vehicles. This will require a fairly large building to assemble all the necessary materials. True, this could put horse breeders in an awkward position, but I'll find some planets where I can sell your animals. I might even be able to justify this to Ra. So, I landed, herded a bunch of them to work, and then sold off the surplus horses. Given the low technology, there's a constant need for pack animals. Horses might also be needed by those Mongols who wanted to force Carter into a harem, and there are still plenty of low-tech planets. It's important to preserve jobs and production capacity, and gradually reduce them. - After initially saturating the market with vehicles for naquadah transportation needs, I will transfer all the technological information for creating self-propelled vehicles, allowing your merchants to create their own designs. As well as the technology for creating electric motors. "That's generous." "Practical. Creating such self-propelled machines will require competent workers, which will force everyone to invest in education, laying the groundwork for universal education. Given your population of 30 million, the number of educational institutions will need to be increased to 15,000. Of course, not overnight; that's simply impossible. Increasing literacy will lead to increased competence." "Are you preparing a rebellion against your master?" Isara asked unexpectedly. "Of course, as would any Goa'uld. Right now, my status is lower than that of your tax collector; I want to climb the ladder." I smiled. "However, 'rebellion' is too strong a word. If Ra can't control me, then it's his own fault. Weakness is not forgiven in our society."He set the conditions, gave me the worst ship to bind me to him; if I bypassed these restrictions, I would show my value as a servant or a rival. I would prefer that he consider me a weak Goa'uld for as long as possible. But I'm not a fool; I can wait 50 years to make my move. Or I can wait longer. Patience is key; those who rush never win. Your planet has all the resources necessary to become a powerful space power. I'm interested in this; this planet is remote from the Empire's territories; you can develop. - This could endanger my subjects. - Your subjects have always been under threat, they just never realized it. It is impossible to negotiate with the Goa'uld, to beg forgiveness or neutrality. Only races that can fight them have a chance of survival. The Tollans, the Hebrideans, the races that challenged the Goa'uld and won. Only by understanding the threats from space will you have any idea how to defend yourself against the Empire. Even if you betray Isar in an instant, perhaps even kill me, you will need to protect yourself from the Empire. Only by becoming strong will you earn the right to life. - Can't we just live without fear of invasion? - I know of four powerful races, as many times more powerful than the Goa'uld as the Goa'uld are more powerful than you. The Asgard possess super-powerful weapons and ships. They are peaceful, but they have the resources for war. The Nox are pacifists, but they possess technologies to hide from us, and if forced, they will strike powerfully. The ancients, the builders of the gate, were peaceful explorers who hated war, but their weapons are capable of crushing star systems. Usually, a peaceful existence is ensured by a big club with which to strike anyone who doesn't take a hint. Such races can live peacefully, others exist in blissful ignorance. Now you have a chance to rise, use it. - I will use it. - The Queen was very convincing. - Well, your success is also my success, because I am not such a good administrator. - He laughed a little, catching a cold look.The Tollans, the Hebridans, the races that challenged the Goa'uld and won. Only by understanding the threats from space will you have any idea how to defend yourself against the Empire. Even if you betray me, Isara, in an instant, perhaps even kill me, you will need to defend yourself from the Empire. Only by becoming strong will you earn the right to live. - Can't we just live without fear of invasion? - I know of four powerful races, as many times more powerful than the Goa'uld as the Goa'uld are more powerful than you. The Asgard possess superpowerful weapons and ships. They are peaceful, but they have the resources for war. The Nox are pacifists, but they possess technologies to hide from us, and if forced, they will strike powerfully. The Ancients, the builders of the gates, were peaceful explorers who hated war, but their weapons are capable of crushing star systems. Usually, a peaceful existence is ensured by a large club with which to strike anyone who doesn't take a hint. These races can live peacefully, while others exist in blissful ignorance. Now you have a chance to rise, take it. "I will take it." The Queen was very persuasive. "Very well, your success is also my success, because I'm not such a good administrator." He laughed a little, catching her cold gaze.The Tollans, the Hebridans, the races that challenged the Goa'uld and won. Only by understanding the threats from space will you have any idea how to defend yourself against the Empire. Even if you betray me, Isara, in an instant, perhaps even kill me, you will need to defend yourself from the Empire. Only by becoming strong will you earn the right to live. - Can't we just live without fear of invasion? - I know of four powerful races, as many times more powerful than the Goa'uld as the Goa'uld are more powerful than you. The Asgard possess superpowerful weapons and ships. They are peaceful, but they have the resources for war. The Nox are pacifists, but they possess technologies to hide from us, and if forced, they will strike powerfully. The Ancients, the builders of the gates, were peaceful explorers who hated war, but their weapons are capable of crushing star systems. Usually, a peaceful existence is ensured by a large club with which to strike anyone who doesn't take a hint. These races can live peacefully, while others exist in blissful ignorance. Now you have a chance to rise, take it. "I will take it." The Queen was very persuasive. "Very well, your success is also my success, because I'm not such a good administrator." He laughed a little, catching her cold gaze.
***
Earth. August 1947. New York. Walking in a huge crowd of people was uncomfortable, considering I don't like crowds, but it was necessary. Having taken all of Hathor's property and frozen her, I managed to obtain an invisibility device, which allowed me to carry out specialized operations. Not that I'm an expert in this, or rather, none at all, although what's so difficult about landing on a roof and using invisibility to infiltrate a building? And if there are guards there, I can carefully stun them with various weapons. Now I need to immerse myself in the city's atmosphere and analyze the situation to determine where to look for allies. I need someone with significant resources, but not a criminal background; they're too unreliable. I need money, and lots of it, but it can't be old money; they won't take too many risks. By the way, I've already visited the US Patent Office and had it scanned. No one will sue me for using a patent without paying royalties. It's unpleasant, but it's necessary. It's hard to do anything on your own, like making bulk purchases. Plus, there's still the search for Set, not to mention Osiris and Isis. In New York, I need a canopic jar with two Goa'uld to scan the ocean floor at night for sunken ships, but the problem is I can't organize an expedition, and I don't know which ship is where. And then there's that idiot with the naquadah bomb and the Sekhmet canopic jar. Finding the latter is a whole other headache; the bomb is isolated so it won't respond to scans. That's the whole point of the bomb. I hope the idiot doesn't activate it, or some city will disappear, and that will trigger World War III. Dollars, I can make as many as I need. The equipment of a space civilization is still better than the equipment of Earth in 1947. Any counterfeit can be made, the main thing is to make different series. Considering the money was genuine, no one would be able to tell it was a fake. So I had free rein on my spending, which is why I immediately bought a large library of several hundred books. I had to have it delivered to my rented apartment. Fortunately, I could forge documents just as well; the only problem was the black-and-white photo. I had to go and have my passport photo taken. After that, I created a high-quality forgery based on the information provided. Using publicly available data, I had to compile a list of wealthy people in the US to find the right person. I won't even consider Rockefeller; that shark would swallow you whole, and he has colossal resources. However, we don't have to limit ourselves to the US alone. Apparently, Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat illegally arrested in Budapest by the NKVD, is currently in Lubyanka. I know about him solely because he was a "Righteous Among the Nations" who saved 100,000 Jews by convincing German generals not to transport Hungarian Jews to death camps, and also issued them Swedish passports. Not to mention the Wallenbergs are a very powerful dynasty in Sweden; it seems that in the 1970s, 40% of the Swedish workforce worked in industries under their control. Of course, Raoul was a diplomat, not a businessman, although he must have had a certain share in the family business. However, to free him, I "simply" need to storm Lubyanka. I don't think it will be very difficult. It's doubtful that it will be possible to get the entire family to cooperate, but it's quite possible for him specifically. However, this would create a huge scandal: the USSR held a Swedish diplomat in custody without charges, thereby violating the immunity of diplomatic personnel, and also concealed the very fact of such a person's arrest from the Swedish government. However, after his release, he could indeed become quite influential in Swedish politics, perhaps making a career in politics. But his usefulness is primarily diplomatic, which is just as valuable; he could connect him with the right people much more quickly.I'll have to take all the prisoners, though. I'll land those who are Nazi war criminals in the American occupation zone, notifying the military commandant's office. It will be especially amusing when the USSR realizes that all the prisoners escaped from Lubyanka. I think Stalin will shoot everyone there. There's even a certain karmic justice in that: all the prison guards will end up sitting in the cells they used to guard, and their colleagues will beat them up so they can tell how they helped the prisoners escape. And then, most likely, they'll be shot. It would be possible to deliver a Soviet NKVD general, for example, to the Americans, but that's clearly unnecessary. The miraculous rescue of a couple of Swedes is one thing; there will be diplomatic tension, but it won't change the course of history. But delivering a high-ranking NKVD officer to the United States will significantly change history. So, I shouldn't interfere too much. I can't accidentally break history. I just need to accumulate sufficient resources for various projects. If Earth's history breaks, there could be many consequences, at the very least, I'll have to kill Ra myself. And the only information I have for assassination is that he'll arrive at Abydos in 1996. He'll arrive there with a small force, a hundred men at most. I'm thinking this in case of active intervention in the USSR regarding the post-war repressions. I could really pester them by extracting political prisoners. So maybe they'll execute all the NKVD men, or even the MGB men? Still, there's no point in feeling sorry for them. In addition to all the other purchases, I also bought cookery books, because, oh horror, after two years in Cheops, with so little food, I wanted to eat properly. The first couple of days, I just went to decent eateries and ate, occasionally stopping at restaurants. Perhaps I overdid it. But hey, I have to have some joy someday.A hundred people at most. I'm thinking about this in case of active intervention in the USSR regarding the post-war repressions. I could really pester them by dragging out political prisoners. So they could execute all the NKVD officers, or even the MGB? However, there's no point in feeling sorry for them. In addition to all the purchases, I also bought cookery books, because, oh horror, after two years in Cheops, with so little food, I wanted to eat properly. The first couple of days, I just went to decent eateries and ate, stopping in at restaurants occasionally. Perhaps I overdid it. But hey, I have to have some joy sometime.A hundred people at most. I'm thinking about this in case of active intervention in the USSR regarding the post-war repressions. I could really pester them by dragging out political prisoners. So they could execute all the NKVD officers, or even the MGB? However, there's no point in feeling sorry for them. In addition to all the purchases, I also bought cookery books, because, oh horror, after two years in Cheops, with so little food, I wanted to eat properly. The first couple of days, I just went to decent eateries and ate, stopping in at restaurants occasionally. Perhaps I overdid it. But hey, I have to have some joy sometime.
***
"Everyone, report ready," I ordered, hovering literally 20 kilometers directly above the Lubyanka building. "Black squad, ready." "Red squad, ready." "Gray squad, ready." When all the squads reported in, even though I personally controlled one of them as a pilot, the operation wasn't Jaffa style, meaning it required secrecy. But they were quite trained to fight in cramped conditions. The minimum task was to find Raoul Wallenberg and his driver. If we could do everything quickly, and there was time to carry out the operation quietly, we could create an airlift, evacuating all the prisoners. Even if there were Nazi officers there, transporting them to the Americans would be enough. And that would help allay the MGB's suspicions; otherwise, my future ally would be in trouble, and Stalin wouldn't hesitate to find out how he escaped. The USSR could be unusually persistent. The operation wasn't very sophisticated. Land on the roof of the building at 2 AM, exit the teleporters, breach the roof entrances, and descend below. Take the high floors, where there likely won't be any personnel, and if there is, stun them with stun grenades. Then take positions on the stairways, ready to storm when the EMP goes off. Use night vision goggles to conduct a quick assault. Descend to the prison level, find Raul and his driver (I provided photos), and then get our bearings. If there are any loud sounds like gunfire or panic, grab those two and leave. If all is quiet, we can hang around for a while. Throwing the Teltak down, I carefully landed it on the roof. The second ship, we activated the scanners to determine the number of living beings. "Are you even sleeping?" I asked irritably when I saw a thousand markers. Even considering there were a couple hundred prisoners, that meant there were 800 workers here even at night. There really weren't that many people on the upper floors; the bulk of the contingent was below. There were 100 people on the top three floors. 60 were sitting in offices, and the rest were standing in the corridors, probably secretaries or guards. Invisibility is a big help; it always helps. On the other hand, most of the people here had seen the war, except for those on the highest floors, so they could have participated in combat and have heightened instincts. So it's better to use our technological advantage. I ordered all the Jaffa to stay until I cleared the last floors of the structure. They had already breached the entrances and were ready to move. I was being led via radio. Speaking of radio, the Lubyanka communications and cryptography center was operating 24/7. I think after discovering their security center had been attacked, they'll think their codes had been cracked. I don't envy anyone here. I went into one of the offices where there should have been five people. Most likely, some kind of meeting was going on. I quickly knocked out the secretary, almost falling over, creating a huge noise. I had to hold him back. I threw a stun grenade into the office and heard chairs fall. The soldiers reacted to the cylindrical object flying into the room, but the stun field did its job. Entering the office, I saw bodies lying all over the place. I aimed the tape device at their heads, then activated the stun system to prolong the incapacitation. I left them lying there, taking their weapons. Then I found the keys and simply locked two doors. This took me some time; it was too tedious. "Sir, there are no unstunned people left on this floor," said the Jaffa coordinating the attack. I dragged the floor's duty officer to one of the restrooms. He had a large ring of keys. This is getting more and more difficult. Especially the entire cache of weapons I acquired. I'm sure those I stunned were not insignificant people; their personal weapons must be valuable. And how much will their value go up when they're executed? We could even create a museum of our own operations later. Wouldn't it be too much if I stripped them all naked? So that we could put them on mannequins in the museum of our own operations later. The Jaffa quickly descended from the roof, straight to the 7th floor, occupying the main staircases, ready to attack anyone who climbed them. They all had Zs, which were actually Intaram. And a lot of stun grenades. "Sir, we could have quickly crushed them with a direct attack; you shouldn't have strained yourself so much." "And a huge number of their troops would have come running here."This is a primitive world, but it recently fought a major war, and I don't have a large ship to impose my will on. Subtlety is required, and the Jaffa don't take easy paths. Clearing the next floor was similar to the 7th. Stun those in the offices first, lock them down, and then stun the guards. It's a good thing people from the lower floors rarely visited their superiors. The few that did were stunned. This reduced the amount of time available. After all, those same guards had to return, and if they didn't, there would be unrest. They could also call their superiors, so time was running out. After clearing the 5th floor with grenades, I ordered an EMP. All the lights in the rooms immediately went out, and the Jaffa quickly sprang into action. They had night vision goggles, so they quickly stunned the guards, then moved through the corridors, throwing grenades into the offices where people were concentrated. Using the element of surprise and the near-blackout, the Jaffa exploited their technological advantage. The MGB personnel shouted and used lighters to illuminate their path. However, they were quickly discovered and stunned with multiple shots from intars. Almost the entire communications unit was stunned; several had to be stunned in the classic sense. With blows to the head. Fortunately, the communications personnel were unarmed. "Second floor clear," the Jaffa coordinating the attack reported to me. "All targets are stunned. Only the first floor and the underground rooms remain; the entrances to the prison block are minimal. It is possible to neutralize all the guards." "Okay, tell the second Teltak to take off for where I left the stasis capsules. Load it up and return." The operation was going well; no alarms or unforeseen circumstances occurred. The last floor remained; someone could run out the doors and open fire to attract attention. The EMP jamming was only effective against one building. If residents saw someone shooting near Lubyanka... They'd call the appropriate authorities and, realizing there was no contact with the building, they might send in some troops. So the first thing the Jaffa did when storming the first floor was block all the doors. And from there, they proceeded, stunning everyone they encountered. It's very convenient when everyone goes out into the hallways to ask other people, "What happened?" They could be hit with grenades; of course, there were still people who noticed the blaster fire, so they shouted. But they were moving toward them, which was unfortunate, as the operator saw it and ordered them to surround and stun the person. "Sir, all enemies are stunned." "Okay." I had a sudden urge to go around everyone and wipe their memories, but that would be a pain. Then I'd have to return the weapons I'd taken. I didn't carry them far, though. "Post guards; if anyone arrives, let them in and stun them." After which the teltak descended from the roof into the courtyard so that it would be easier to drag the stunned prisoners.And not drag them to the roof of a seven-story building. I found Raoul Wallenberg and his driver relatively quickly; the officer in charge of the investigation had his name and the cell they were in. They were the first to be knocked out and taken to the Teltak. By then, the second ship had arrived, and we were able to load the remaining prisoners, along with their personal files, onto the transport. There were two hundred of them, so the stasis capsules had to be stacked in several rows. While the Jaffa were loading them, I methodically wiped everyone's memory. It only took a couple of minutes before something extraordinary happened. In a few days, I'll dump all the prisoners near some American command post, along with their personal files. If they're political prisoners, they'll likely be released and given asylum, but if they're German officers who've committed crimes, they'll be released. Then I need to treat the most seriously ill ones so they don't die. "Sir, two vehicles have pulled up to the door. There are over twenty people inside." I seem to have missed a call. "Stun them and retreat." The infantry platoon was quickly stunned using grenades as they were deploying. It's worth mentioning that we don't have many grenades, they're just reusable. They're not widely used on the battlefield, so any sufficiently thick cover can become a shield for the field, which stuns people. And their range is limited. A useful tool, but nothing more. They were dragged inside the building, after which we retreated. In the end, I left only with the prisoners and their personal information, as well as proof that they were actually at Lubyanka. Let it be the mystery of the century: who or what carried out such a daring operation. I can just imagine the headlines: "The secret of the escape from Lubyanka revealed," where elderly madmen will spout nonsense. Although the madman who talks about aliens will be right.
***
I was sitting next to two stunned men, one of whom was starting to wake up. He opened his eyes, the sun shining directly into them. He stood up in horror, looked around, and noticed me sitting by the fire, munching on pizza. He seemed to think he'd gone crazy, fallen asleep in an MGB cell, and woke up on some rocks, with a strange man sitting next to him, eating pizza. "You're not crazy," I said softly, in English. "Is this another provocation?" "Oh, I don't serve in the MGB; to be precise, I am the ruler of my own state." Although Queen Isara should have argued. You're in Sweden, there's a village five minutes down the path, we're not that far from Stockholm, I left you some local currency so you could get home. You've saved a lot of people, Raoul, you could say it's karmic justice, I was just in need of a diplomat with your level of connections. I'll contact you in the future for a few favors; they won't be too much trouble. I delivered your cellmates to Germany, near the American command post. Your driver is lying next to you; you can find out when you get home. Good luck. I contacted a Teltak that emerged from behind the rocks and hovered above me, after which I activated the rings and disappeared in a flash of light. I don't think he'll tell you about this. Now I need to return to the US to find some businessman in trouble. And also stop by Glastonbury. The Knights had to get into Merlin's Vault somehow; I need to find the local rings. Or I can simply try to contact the rings at a depth of 900 meters by simply landing on the surface. Without Asgard scanners, I'll have to rely on a background signal. Wellenberg's file was in his suit; I had to change him because he was clearly dressed inappropriately, as was his driver's file. So, I've rewarded some of the "Righteous Among the Nations," but now I need to address the more mercantile issues. I need someone who can procure huge quantities of products for me, and also disguise them. Considering this is the 1940s, I have plenty of guaranteed ideas that will gain popularity, so I can easily pay with "intellectual" property. At the same time, I need someone capable of finding Seth. He's definitely not in Europe, as he could have been killed by a stray bomb there, and he wouldn't tolerate such a risk. I think he'd choose the US; it's peaceful there and there are no risks for someone with his desires and capabilities. Canada and Mexico are also options; I don't think he'll attract too much attention by expanding his cult. A hundred members would be plenty; in 2000, he had 50 people, which isn't all that many. Which puts him, as a cultist, at a low priority for the government. Seth has been here for over 5,000 years, so he should have easily understood how to hide, aided by his wealth of nishta. Taking his fortress by storm would be difficult, Seth could become careless with the goods, but SG-1's path was too optimistic.It's also possible he has scanners capable of tracking Goa'uld ships, so he knows when to hide, so it's best not to fly near him on a Teltak. At the same time, we need to find a suitable location for the gate, so that it's private, protected territory, and no one can encroach on it. It also needs to be large enough to store a large quantity of goods. Essentially, I need a large warehouse, although in reality, I need to create fully-fledged identities, with school certificates and other documents. Fortunately, people are fleeing Europe now, and this can be done. And before digitalization, it will be difficult to correlate multiple identities. But someone has to administer it, pay the bills, and reveal their existence to the system. Of course, I can't do that; I have an entire planet to manage, and an entire galaxy to explore.
***
1995. "The August Miracle" The historical account of the event known as the "August Miracle" is one of the most mysterious in modern human history. It is known that 200 prisoners in the MGB headquarters disappeared and reappeared in Germany and Sweden. Despite all evidence to the contrary, the USSR denied that any of these people were in custody, one reason being that they detained Swedish diplomat Raoul Wellenberg without charge, after announcing through controlled media that he had died in Budapest. Despite the miracle, it was well documented, as 198 people were found in Stuttgart near the American command post. All were detained, and personal files written in Russian were found. Later, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg and his driver told the same story. He claimed to have woken up near a small village with a small amount of Swedish kronor, which he used to pay for his passage to the capital. He also asked for a telephone and contacted his family, claiming to be alive. The entire situation was well documented; police arrived and questioned local residents. It was an isolated village, and no one had seen anyone else. Only Raoul and his driver were strangers who had appeared in the village, and no one had seen them arrive, so everyone was intrigued. The commandant's office in Stuttgart also conducted an investigation into who could have brought 198 people directly under their wing. The investigation yielded no results. Upon hearing of this incident, Raoul Wellenberg contacted Stuttgart to find out the names of such "lucky ones" and confirmed that they had been held together in an MGB prison. Stuttgart prisoners also confirmed that Wellenberg had been held with them. Sweden raised numerous questions about the illegal detention and torture of its diplomat, but the USSR denied any involvement in the incident, claiming it was a hoax intended to discredit the USSR. Wellenberg gave a lengthy interview after his return, where he stated that the reason for his arrest was that the Jewish community of Budapest had entrusted him with gold, which was stolen by NKVD agents, and that the rest was used to cover up the crime. The MGB tried to extract a confession from him that he had collaborated with the Nazis, so they could "legally" convict him as a Nazi collaborator. But they failed. This sparked a major diplomatic scandal: the Swedish ambassador filed a note of protest, the Swedish government conducted a comprehensive investigation, and a massive public review, "The Miracle," led to the discovery of people from the Budapest ghetto who confirmed Raoul Wellenberg's story and also commended his heroism in saving the Jewish population. He promised to return the money to everyone who had entrusted him with gold, believing that the NKVD theft was not considered force majeure. He took out a loan from his own family and opened accounts in his family's bank for everyone who entrusted him with gold. This story became a huge springboard for Raoul Wellenberg's political career; his life story is well known and will not be discussed here. So, let's consider another point of view: according to declassified KGB data, on August 4, 1947, at 2:30 AM, contact with the MGB building was lost. Various agencies called the Central Building, but when the building stopped responding to calls from the Kremlin, an armed army group was sent to check on the situation. Afterward, contact with them was lost. Forty-five minutes later, a much larger group was sent. According to the officer in charge, upon entering, he saw soldiers from the first detachment lying unconscious right at the entrance. Suspecting the use of chemical weapons, he ordered everyone to don gas masks. After searching all the buildings, the officer confirmed that no one was conscious, and all the prisoners had disappeared. No electrical equipment was working in the building; the officer used his detachment's radio to report what had happened to his superiors. A significant military force was immediately deployed to seal off the area, and a large contingent of medical personnel also arrived. When the MGB workers regained consciousness, they told the same story. They were working, then darkness fell, and they woke up in the hospital. The investigative commission suspected the use of some kind of gas, and given the prisoners' escape, all measures were taken to prevent them from escaping. But all efforts proved ineffective. When Raoul Wellenberg arrived in Sweden two days later, the government realized the prisoners were no longer in the USSR, and an investigation was launched. Everyone in the building was subjected to intensive interrogation, regardless of rank, and Stalin lost confidence in the MGB, actively seeking internal enemies who could have carried out such an attack. Considering that the prisoners had been in Europe within two days, this meant that the USSR had an extensive network of agents operating within it, capable of carrying out such an attack and casting the communist state in a bad light. The presence of outsiders was confirmed after examining the roof. According to the investigative report, the attack originated from the roof itself, with 30 attackers. The only remaining question was how they reached the roof. There were numerous theories, but the main consensus was helicopters. However, such theories also didn't stand up to scrutiny, as Soviet intelligence knew of no helicopters capable of such a heavy-lift. Overall, the situation for the Soviet leadership was dire. An unknown group had broken into the security center and freed 200 prisoners, not to mention the classified documents they might have accessed. This also raised security concerns, given that Moscow's air defenses had missed numerous enemy helicopters. The issues were so serious that even the head of the MGB, Abakumov, risked being removed and accused of treason. However, he was saved by the fact that no method of distributing the gas that knocked everyone out had been found. And air defense was not his responsibility. Although large-scale purges, led by Abakumov, began, they were all aimed at finding traitors who might have aided foreign intelligence in this incident, along with a search for potential enemies possessing weapons similar to those demonstrated in the MGB building. The Soviet government also had to deal with the ensuing scandal, something Molotov was not happy about. The imprisonment of Wellenberg, a diplomat of a neutral country, a hero who saved Jews from extermination, and himself Jewish on his mother's side, greatly tarnished the Soviet Union's reputation, weakening its position in some areas. Wellenberg, meanwhile, became an anti-communist voice worldwide. KGB assassination attempts, which were unsuccessful, increasingly turned neutral Sweden against the USSR. Sixty years later, no documentary evidence has emerged as to whose forces carried out the operation.
***
"So you're an alien?" the elderly man asked me curiously. I'd been studying him too. "Yes. Technically, 90% of pagan gods are someone from my lineage. Except for the Asgard, they were just flying over the USA and lost an entire ship." "So they're those unknown UFOs? The ones that crashed in Roswell." "Yes, well, I don't meddle in their affairs; they don't pay attention to me. The Asgard are a very powerful race, with whom my line has warred many times. They're generally peace-loving, although I don't know how their teachings led to the Vikings. Sometimes the Asgard are too smart for their own good; they might not have suspected that the teachings they brought would transform so much. However, why the Asgard became interested in Earth is unknown to me. Perhaps there was some crisis with the Goa'uld Empire, which forced them to intervene more than they wanted, but I know they saved some of the Scandinavian inhabitants. "So the galaxy is populated by representatives of the human race?" David Ben-Gurion asked me. "Yes, because about 11,000 years ago, Ra came to this planet, found your species, and summoned representatives of the entire Empire here to replace their hosts, regroup, because the Asgard were pushing us back on all fronts, and begin settling humans throughout the galaxy as a more profitable labor force. We left only 5,000 years ago. Because another Asgard offensive had begun, with the desire to end the Goa'uld's claim to rule the galaxy. The Egyptian rebellion had just begun on Earth. Because the planet had become insignificant, it was abandoned, although various Lords periodically used Earth as a slave warehouse. They'd fly in, gather as many as they needed, and fly away, leaving behind new cults. For example, Celtic mythology, Japanese mythology, and a number of others emerged precisely because various lords needed slaves. Considering how fond they are of spreading quasi-religion, stories about them remained among those who didn't make it on the ships. The latter had already formed their own mythology based on the information provided to them by the preachers. I know for a fact that Sokar was the one who visited you last; at least, he has English villages that profess Christianity and also use the "Hammer of the Witches," so it must have been around the 16th century. It's funny that there are no records left. And so, the gods haven't visited you for 500 years, and pray that it continues for another 500. That same Sokar loves negative publicity, and his distinguishing feature is being Satan. It's not that Ra, Apophis, and Baal are sane, but Sokar breaks all records; even the Goa'uld consider him insane. So that's why I've come to you: in the System Lords' food chain, my place is below the bottom. I've been entrusted with the management of a planet whose level of development is roughly comparable to Ancient Egypt, except for iron and the methods for smelting it. I owe a huge debt to my master, and the interest is accruing.Therefore, I would like to accelerate my rise through technological innovations accessible to people. While we dislike technological human civilizations asserting their right to explore space, I am not such a retrograde. Therefore, I am willing to trade with you. "Why me? They could have turned to the US, Britain, or the USSR." They asked me a reasonable question. "Because contacts with aliens will sooner or later become public knowledge, which could lead to another war, which would end badly. I would prefer to cooperate with private individuals rather than with governments, but I quickly reconsidered my position, as I had no idea how to search for someone who could be my agent on the planet. Therefore, I turned to those who are interested in assistance and will keep trade deals sacred, since I will literally be their only ally." "Very frankly, but why do you think you will be the Jews' only ally?" "Because, purely politically, you are the underdogs. Even in the escalating confrontation between the USSR and the US, everyone will be interested in the opinion of the most numerous forces in the region, and they will curry favor with them—the Arabs. No one will bet on a sure-fire loser." This is a chain of logic accessible to all politicians who think they decide the fate of the world. As soon as the British troops leave, the Arabs will try to destroy you. The Western powers, playing their games, will tell the UN how sorry they are that this happened, but nothing can be done. The situation is similar to mine: victory or death. And in such situations, allies are valuable. - What will I need to do? - To develop the industry of my planet, I need machine tools, mining equipment, and rails. I will give you the full list later. And I need a lot of this, I will give you the money to purchase all this through your channels. You can keep half for yourself. The money will be presented to you in gold. In exchange for this scheme, I will help with the accumulation of weapons for the Jews. - What volumes of weapons are we talking about? - After the war, weapons effectively became free. Even tanks, it is worth understanding that I will not buy them; they will simply disappear from warehouses, after which I will hand them over to you. I will also clarify that I think the best solution would be to use German weapons, since they are not subject to the same controls as national weapons and are already flooding the black market. I'll just take some supplies from some warehouse of captured weapons. I'm talking about small arms, as for guns and tanks, that's not a big problem for me either. But you need to figure out where to store it all until the right time. - How much gold are we talking about for purchasing the equipment you need? - 20 tons of gold. If necessary, I can increase this figure to 50 tons. - I've already visited Merlin's storage and took the gold from there, as well as everything dangerous. It wasn't difficult. Apparently, Merlin didn't install protection against the Goa'uld for some reason; passing the tests was easy. My Jaffa defeated the Knight; while Mitchell, in less than perfect condition, defeated him, the Jaffa supersoldier did it in a short time. You could say that Avalon became my base of operations, to some extent, because it contained Ancient technology,The same beam teleportation, and complete stealth. If you hack into the rings' control circuit, you can install a coded signal that links the Avalon rings with mine. I didn't care how they laundered the money; it was just resources to be spent. Not to mention that with a large group, there would be fewer questions about where they got the money. They'd blame it all on the war. - That's a significant amount of resources, so what products are you interested in? - I'll give you a list, we'll agree on it later. - Is technological trade possible between us? - It's not that I completely deny it, the problem is that it could put you at risk. For example, naquadah is a super-dense metal that forms the basis of Goa'uld technology. And also a fuel source. I developed what you consider the Holy Grail—the ability to store energy in large quantities. It's a naquadah battery, but there's practically no naquadah on Earth; intelligence will sooner or later find similar batteries and ask questions. Therefore, I believe it would be much wiser if I paid you in gold. Considering that with the formation of your own state, you will have certain financial problems. Ben-Gurion nodded. "But what if someone from your people arrives on the planet?" "That won't happen anytime soon. Ra is fighting Apophis. And their territories are closest to your location in the universe, and the two Lords are more interested in mining worlds than worlds with nothing. But even if that happens, I have a way to contact Asgard. Most likely, they will come to your planet's aid, and there will also be an opportunity to have Earth included in the list of Protected Planets. A similar agreement exists between Asgard and the System Lords, for the creation of small enclaves where people are allowed to develop without Goa'uld supervision. But the status of an unknown distant territory is much more advantageous than "protected," because according to one of the clauses, the planet must not possess technologies that threaten the System Lords. And they have the right to declare any technology as such. Right down to all the technologies for generating electricity. - This is... absurd. - On many planets, Ra forbids even basic literacy for slaves. So this is reality, so it's better to develop slowly and hope that the System Lords don't discover your planet. And if they do, then run to Asgard for help. I will leave you with the communication systems, but I advise you to use them in a situation of greatest danger. Essentially, it's an open channel to the galaxy. On Earth, you can contact me through another device. - I handed over a long-distance communication sphere, as well as a primitive satellite phone. And yes, I hung a satellite above Earth, having painted it black beforehand, just in case, and also made it inside an asteroid. Even more so, just in case. There is no noticeable telecommunications equipment there,So astronomers will simply assign it some index if they discover it. – However, if I discover any humanitarian technologies, I will share them, but I must warn you: large countries usually react very annoyed when smaller countries develop toys that are superior to theirs. Even if it's a new antibiotic or something similar. "I thought advanced civilizations would conquer all diseases. And that they would have more advanced technology." "You thought like a human. But what if there's a race that doesn't have diseases? Why would they need to develop pharmaceuticals? For example, my race, we live for twenty thousand years. And even that might not be the limit; I've never heard of a Goa'uld who died a natural death. Although the proverbial cure-all exists, the price is exorbitant—a single application will cure anything except genetic problems, but you'll no longer have an immune system. And such a medicine would need to be taken daily, simply to avoid death. With regular use, you can live a very long life, but the price of disrupting the supply chain is your life. Not to mention that possessing such a medicine confers colossal power. And where there's power, there's a desire to take it away. As for why I buy tractors from you, it's because people take out loans. To get a much faster start than my own resources allow. For example, I invented an antigravity platform that, using various attachments, can function as both a tractor and a combine harvester. However, I'll start mass producing them in ten years, and we need to initiate an agricultural revolution now. It's practically the same with other advanced systems: the Goa'uld keep people in the Middle Ages to use technology to instill faith in themselves as deities. "But you're different." "I'm literally 14 years old, the youngest among the System Lords, 5,000-7,000 years old, and they've taken their positions by imposing their views on others. There are far more liberal Goa'uld, called the Tok'ra, who prefer the standard liberal political package. Equality, brotherhood, and so on. But they're being hunted, and they fight the System Lords using guerrilla warfare. I don't fit into this ideological paradigm, as I don't meet the main requirement for entry—coexistence with the host on equal terms." However, other than that, I share all liberal views. Although I can't say I'm a socialist; oh, your political parties can break your brain, so even defining your political orientation is not an easy task. - Considering that, judging by the stories, the Goa'uld are all feudal rulers, it must be difficult. - Bastet is definitely a feminist, - I clarified. - She has a female host, and women's rights are protected in her domain. And yes, they are all megalomaniacs. I don't think this is anything unusual for you; look at the political map of the world and name a country without a megalomaniac in power. - A good argument. I will prepare all the infrastructure so that we can exchange goods. - Excuse me, I need to steal a couple dozen tanks now. See you soon. I was also planning to steal a few APCs to equip them with antigravity technology, and it would be better to replace the armor with trinium. Why does it seem to me that while I interfere in the affairs of the Earth,Isara will simply sue me for Cheops? Although that's impossible, everything there is password-protected; the hyperdrive and weapons could only be used with a rather complex password. This will give some time to seek other allies. Israel has long had very complex relations with the rest of the world, so once the demand for primary supplies is satisfied, it's worth maintaining allies in the humanitarian sector, and perhaps even military. Earth has many interesting weapons that can be adapted for combat between system lords, adding firepower here and there, and control there. I didn't take any firearms for myself. Why bother? Any rearmament of the Jaffa would be noticed if fighting broke out between Goa'uld, and for the people of Urvashi... would they shoot me? So it's worth focusing on economic development. I took samples of penicillin, so I can issue a certain amount of antibiotics. I'll have to develop some of the drug production on my own planet, as purchasing drugs for 30 million people would attract anyone's attention. It would be best to discuss this with Isara. My plan is to economically develop a planet that is already capable of supporting an army and navy of at least a couple thousand fighters, a couple hundred Alkesh, and 20-30 Hattaks. A fleet like that, with a single developed planet, is what's needed for explosive expansion. On the other hand, I'll clearly have more than one planet as a source of naquadah. For example, surplus naquadah can be stored to provide resources for subsequent fleet construction once the infrastructure is in place and experienced workers are available. This will take 10-15 years. Maybe more. Right now, I have a meeting with one of the private detectives. I'll find Seth, and I don't care how much money it takes. Considering that this money is, in fact, fake/real.My plan is to economically develop a planet that's already capable of supporting an army and navy of at least a couple thousand fighters, a couple hundred Alkesh, and 20-30 Hattaks. A fleet like that, with a single developed planet, is what's needed for explosive expansion. On the other hand, I'll clearly have more than one planet as a source of naquadah. For example, surplus naquadah can be stored to provide resources for subsequent fleet construction once the infrastructure is in place and experienced workers are recruited. This will take 10-15 years. Maybe more. Right now, I have a meeting with one of the private detectives. I'll find Seth, and I don't care how much money it takes. Considering that the money is, in fact, fake or real.My plan is to economically develop a planet that's already capable of supporting an army and navy of at least a couple thousand fighters, a couple hundred Alkesh, and 20-30 Hattaks. A fleet like that, with a single developed planet, is what's needed for explosive expansion. On the other hand, I'll clearly have more than one planet as a source of naquadah. For example, surplus naquadah can be stored to provide resources for subsequent fleet construction once the infrastructure is in place and experienced workers are recruited. This will take 10-15 years. Maybe more. Right now, I have a meeting with one of the private detectives. I'll find Seth, and I don't care how much money it takes. Considering that the money is, in fact, fake or real.