An hour later
Afternoon
The woman blinks. "Is that a train?"
I nod. "Yes."
It is indeed a train. Some goa'uld allow their people to have steam engines for various tasks, not wanting to go to the bother of arranging a logistics train for a more advanced type of engine or motor. Naturally they're not designed to be copied or maintained by the humans operating them, so they're quite a lot more complicated than the one built for the
Rocket. But it can run on wood -something which we have plenty of- and it makes travel dramatically easier.
It's not even -technically- a forbidden technology. Humans in goa'uld space use more advanced machines than that all the time. The issue is that I've taught people how it works. That I've explained the operating principles. That I have humans building more without reference to me. I'm sure that Bastet's had a report by now, but in
my hands I doubt that it's disruptive enough for her to do anything about. Her own capital has anti-gravity trams, so maybe this just seems quaint, or like 'Mammon' is trying to reclaim some part of his former greatness in a pathetically primitive way. Or perhaps they didn't bother investigating in depth. I don't know.
The squad on guard duty at the stargate form up before me and salute… Roman style. I respond in kind and
really hope that none of the squad are Jewish, because along with
pencil moustaches and the name 'Adolf', Hitler really ruined that for everyone.
They lower their hands. "Lord Mammon, was your journey successful?"
"Yes, Corporal Sargat, it was. We shall have naquada, and if I can find time we shall shortly after have our first flying ships. It will make transporting goods across Syrania far easier."
He nods. "That is excellent news, Lord. Do you require an escort for your guests?"
"No, I'll take them to the palace myself. As you were."
"Lord."
He about-faces, and his squad disperse back to their stations. Behind me I
observe the woman open her mouth, then awkwardly glance at her squad leader and close it again.
"Ask him."
"Lord.. Mammon?"
"That's my name. Don't wear it out."
"That was… Most 'gods' prefer-."
"It's okay, you can say 'goa'uld'."
"Ah… Yes. Most goa'uld are… More
formal."
"It's okay, you can say 'crazed egotists'." I turn to their squad leader. "Have you completed your initial observations?"
He makes eye contact with the other two soldiers and receives very small nods in return. "Sure. We taking the rail?"
"No." I raise my left fist into the uppercut position. "
We're flying."
A
hemispherical orange bubble appears around us and
lifts us into the air, prompting a brief moment of unease amongst the soldiers, and…
"Dear lady, you appear somewhat less martial than your colleagues."
"Ah, yes." She calms herself as we
fly across the city. "I'm primarily an anthropologist."
Their squad leader glowers at her mildly. "Doc
tor."
She doesn't seem to notice. "This is the first time I've seen a goa'uld planet with an industrial-age technology base."
"Ah." I nod. "You probably haven't seen the throne worlds of the System Lords. Even with the technology restrictions, they can be fairly advanced. It's really only the more backwards underlords that get super sensitive about it."
The squad leader gives me a level look. "You
look like an underlord."
I nod. "I
am one. But I was once an important functionary under Ra. Before
Colonel O'Neil killed him with a naquada-enhanced fission bomb." I smile at the anthropologist. "I hope that they've given you better training on information control than Doctor Jackson had. While he was on Abydos he was
quite free with information about his home."
The squad leader winces.
"Damnit."
I wave my right hand. "Oh, don't worry, I don't know where it
is, and I'm not going to expect you to do anything stupid like dial home directly from
my stargate-."
The squad leader gives me a small smile. "Our gate is protected."
"Good for you! It's amazing how few people do that. Do you rotate it ninety degrees upwards so everything falls back into the event horizon, or ninety degrees downwards so that everything falls into an
oubliette? I prefer that one, because it still stops armies but it means that if you get some child prank-dialling your gate they don't die like they would if you used a force field barrier or something like that."
There's a
brief pause.
"Something like that."
"What really gets me is the way some people just leave them lying around in a warehouse or something. 'Top men', you know? Just asking for trouble."
"Uh-huh. So about you not being a god…"
I smile. "Finally annoyed you, did I? You aren't obliged to call me that, but... Look. We're flying over a city that worships me in a bubble I created as an act of will. I've never claimed to be all-powerful but I suggest to you that I'm a better fit for the term 'god' than anything you've previously encountered. Am I wrong?"
"I'm Jewish."
I wince inwardly. And then outwardly. "
Might want to stay away from El's core worlds, then. Anyhow." We
descend onto the palace's landing area. The building doesn't look like much from the air, but the lower levels connect directly to the top of the buried Cheops. I dismiss the shield as we land, though only the squad leader manages to land without being rendered momentarily unsteady. "Alright, no one else comes up here. What do you want?"
"Excuse me?"
"I doubt that you were exploring the gate network for fun or xenoanthropology. I'm a God of Trade. What are you looking for?"
"A map of Apophis's territory."
"I've
got one, but it's about a hundred years out of date, and borders have changed a lot since your people killed Ra."
God, I've been here… Thirteen years now? Just finding my feet and doing the place up…
"Naquada. Since you've got a supplier now."
"Ah, I've got plenty, I just don't want the others finding out about my
actual source. Sure, I can trade you what I'll be getting from Am-heh."
That gives him momentary pause. "And what do you want in return?"
"Teachers. Send all the spies you like, as long as they can teach reading and writing -preferably in Akkadian- and arithmetic, and basic science."
"We don't sell
people."
"No, but you have recruitment agencies. And I'm sure that your government is doing that stupid thing of pretending that they don't have a stargate and that them using it
totally isn't going to blow up in their faces and get them invaded by
us, which I'm sure won't annoy the other countries of your planet at all... Which means that anyone who comes here will have to be vetted, so… You might want to get started on that. Anything else you want?"
"I think that'll do for now. Thanks."
"Excellent!" I smile. "Would you like a tour before you go home?"
