Had Szarekh not chosen the path of engineering, his calling would undoubtedly have been the media industry. He managed to pour his heart and soul into a ten-minute commercial. The viewer was relentlessly bombarded with footage of his Jaffa masterfully performing combat missions, eliminating enemy infrastructure and soldiers, demonstrating astonishing marksmanship. The slogan was repeated constantly: "Longing to conquer a planet but don't have any Jaffa to spare? Ask Szarekh." The Goa'uld, being attentive students, gleaned much from this commercial. The most perceptive among them, however, did not delve into the video, preferring to dissect it frame by frame for a detailed analysis of the new player's strengths and weaknesses.
The advanced technology was immediately apparent—Szarekh was banking on technological superiority. Meanwhile, his Jaffa fought with exceptional valor and ferocity. Particularly striking was the solution to the problem that had previously hindered the use of rotating gates: now even inexperienced pilots could pass through them, something previously reserved for only the best. Equally noticeable were the changes in the design of the staffs, zetas, and other weapons, which in the hands of the "Immortals" acquired truly new power.
Yu, Bastet, Sokar, and Baal immediately recognized the advantages of such a partnership. Especially since one of Yu's sons had already resorted to Szarekh's services to eliminate Raiden, acting with the cunning typical of the Goa'uld. Meanwhile, the others slowly realized what was happening. This was especially true for Apophis, humiliated once again, and Kronos, who suddenly realized who was behind the capture and destruction of the Tartarus complex. These conclusions were reached by the most far-sighted lords, as the others simply failed to grasp the scale of the events. For promotional purposes, Szarekh added a scene in which his warriors kill an ashrak to the video, further enhancing his reputation.
Overall, everyone recognized the breakthrough technologies possessed only by Szarekh and realized they could harness this power to their advantage. Moreover, the prices for their services were quite affordable. Each Goa'uld could independently calculate the cost of their desired operation, among which the standard ones were the capture of planets and the destruction of enemy forces. The better the target planet was defended, the higher the fee. Szarekh, however, insisted on full payment upfront, as well as a share of the spoils—a demand fully justified by his ever-growing expertise. The Mercenary Lord had been operating for several years, proving his willingness to go to any lengths to fulfill a contract, even to the point of eliminating the High Lord.
The assassination of Janin, though Szarekh's own, gave rise to much speculation. The Goa'uld, pragmatic creatures, saw this as an opportunity to rid themselves of a competitor and a direct threat. Other Goa'uld were similarly inclined: all they needed was the funds, and the mercenaries would rush into battle. The display of force was impressive—Yanin's head served as a clear demonstration. Simultaneously, Szarekh claimed the title of Elder Lord as the right of the strongest. The Goa'uld, barely ten years old, was only a step below the rank of System Lord. Remarkably, he possessed only one confirmed planet, yet he commanded a fleet powerful enough to capture more than half of the Apophis fleet sent to eliminate him.
Words cannot describe how foolish Apophis looked, but it paled in comparison to his wrath. Several servants caught in the heat of the moment died. After the war with Ra, he was disgraced again, not by Ra himself, but by his son, who acted according to Goa'uld customs, further humiliating him. Now he would be ridiculed as the main supplier of Szarekh's fleet. The death of his loyal vassal only deepened his shame and created new problems. Upon learning of the death of their rival for power, the Jaffa of Yanina found themselves in limbo, unsure of whom to obey. Other vassals were quick to take advantage of this, seeking to seize his planets and armies. A power struggle unfolded within the domain, which Apophis had to closely monitor to ensure no single faction became too powerful.
Moreover, other lords could use Szarekh specifically against his vassals, and this also required consideration. Apophis, a hedonist and arrogant egotist, had nevertheless lived for over five thousand years and was well versed in the local rules of the game. Szarekh, through his intermediaries, could be used against his house by any of the System Lords: be it Ra, Baal, Yu, Olokun, Bastet, or anyone else. Now Szarekh became a neutral force, invited to wage war without asking unnecessary questions. For the Jaffa, the cause of the war was unimportant, and Szarekh never bragged about his operations.
Unlike Zeus, who promoted his operation against Tartarus, Szarekh remained silent, strictly adhering to the non-disclosure clause of his contract. Although his official refusal to fight the System Lords meant he would be used for other purposes: to undermine rivals by eliminating their cronies, or the System Lords themselves could order the assassination of their own children. Szarekh was becoming part of Imperial policy, remaining aloof but possessing a highly skilled army and cutting-edge technology.
Speaking of technology, Apophis will certainly order his scientists to thoroughly analyze everything and create analogues. Staying ahead of the competition isn't his style.
Tok'ra base.
"This is a failure," Persus said briefly at a meeting of the Tok'ra High Council, addressing all the senior operatives. "A new player has emerged; he's been ascending for eight years, and we had no idea who he was. And now he's fully demonstrated his capabilities. Do we have a profile of Szarekh?"
"Yes," Selmak replied, opening the relevant file. "Warlike, paranoid, extremely rational, not without intellect, patient. Judging by the opinions of his entourage under Ra, he is considered a fatalist, and was often ridiculed because he never chose a single slave to cohabit with. He possesses immense personal courage, so necessary for duels or personal presence in battle. A talented commander who relies on superior technology. Either he has access to talented scientists, or his profile should include a note about engineering skills. And also—he somehow acquired a sizable fleet; video footage shows 16 Hattaks engaged in combat. The presence of six ships can be explained. But the other ten? Two he captured from Apophis, one was built for him by Yu with Ra's money, three he seized from various minor lords. That leaves ten more."
— Maybe he built it?
"He's doing just fine with his taxes," noted another Tok'ra, the one in charge of economic intelligence. "They left him very little naquadah."
— Interesting. If he has shipyards capable of building ships…
— Could these be the shipyards of the previous lord who ruled this planet five hundred years ago?
— Unknown. Reconnaissance is necessary.
"He didn't hide his existence for no reason; he would have continued to do so, but Apophis sent a fleet against him. And Szarekh had to explain to Ra that it was best to act from a position of strength. Meanwhile, his paranoia is at its peak now; he'll still accept orders, but he'll likely never find any employees."
"That's quite possible," Persus agreed, unwilling to send agents to an unverified person. "But it will take a scout a year to reach his planet."
"Yes, he wisely chose such a remote location. Now his business will flourish, and he'll learn about the ships sent to him in advance. And the enemies of the fool who did this will learn about it. Szareh was well aware of the fleet sent for his head," Selmak noted. "That's why he planned this operation. This isn't a spontaneous action, so perhaps we should look for traces of intelligence activity that might have gone undetected."
"Indeed," Persus agreed. "But we need to adjust our plans regarding his actions. His actions have already provoked a civil war in the domain of Kronos; Zeus is gaining power. Now the domain of Nirrti, then the domain of Apophis. Szarekh is playing into our hands, disorganizing the Goa'uld. Now they'll be able to betray each other more easily, knowing they can attract an ally for money and loot. And one who doesn't lay claim to the new planets, since they're too distant. They'll be at each other's throats."
"And we'll be able to hire him," Selmak said. "While causing even more chaos."
- Yes, but because of this chaos we cannot evacuate our agents.
"Szarekh is extremely rational; he doesn't kill needlessly. Moreover, he captures Goa'uld, then releases them, considering them future clients. However, what he did to Yanin... our agents barely survived. It's good they weren't in the palace. Otherwise, they hid in safe places and were unharmed.
"Yes, with Yanin it was definitely personal. But the blow was aimed more at Apophis. He couldn't attack Apophis directly, as that could provoke another war and unite Apophis and Ra against him, as happened when Jolinar united Apophis and Kronos against herself. Szarekh acted wiser: he clearly demonstrated, using Yanin as an example, the lengths he was willing to go to against Apophis, brought glory to the House of Ra by eliminating the Elder Lord, presenting his head as a gift from Ra. And he made Apophis a laughingstock. It's difficult to unite with someone who is laughed at. He divided them—a shrewd political move."
— Absolutely. But it's still a failure; we didn't recognize the rising force and didn't adjust our plans.
— There is always an element of the unexpected.
- Yes, but we assumed that the Mercenary Lord would die quickly.
"He adapts quickly, too. Previously, he wouldn't attack planets with protected gates and Khasar stations in orbit. That would have been suicide. In just eight years of operation, he's overcome what was once considered impossible."
- This is confusing.
"Sarakh is indeed extremely talented. Therefore, we need more information."
"I think many System Lords and High Lords are sending their scouts to Urvashi right now. I think we could use their intelligence instead of needlessly risking our own agents," Persus said.
"There's a certain logic to that. But at the same time, it seems to me that before we do that, we could hire him to eliminate a couple of our enemies," Selmak said, a smile playing on his lips.
—Our budget, unfortunately, is not unlimited.
"Unfortunately, there are ways to force lords to pay for such operations. However, it's important to remember: he's acting as a mercenary, not an ashrak, and assassination is likely not his primary specialty."
"Judging by Yanin's actions, this is undoubtedly his doing. And this despite the fact that there are dozens of other potential perpetrators. This time, he clearly didn't skimp on firepower. Previously, he acted more cautiously, capturing the pyramid rather than destroying it with a powerful explosion."
"All these actions served as a diversionary tactic, designed to force him to withdraw his fleet. The competence of the troops entrusted to him had increased significantly: previously, no more than ten hours were allotted for the mission's completion."
"This mission involved planetary capture. He wouldn't be able to hold a planet with billions of inhabitants and millions of Jaffa without resorting to total destruction. This time, the goal was precisely destruction, so the first missile was aimed at the gate and the palace, followed by actions to neutralize it."
"Yes, that's the most likely scenario. Transmit the appropriate orders to your operatives: they are to persuade the Goa'uld to hire Szarekh. This way, we'll be able to control his orders through other means."
All those present voted and the decision was made.