With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Rafin · Feb 21, 2024

Thirteen years of ruling a minor nation (with the territory of a planet) and trading across the local galactic empire. All while influenced by the Orange Light, but without achieving enlightenment of any kind and without any advice by Lanterns or Maltusians or even magic users. All the while pretending to be a god.

How much has he diverged since SI insertion? What does his daily life look like? Does he have a mortal consort (or multiple)? Does he have anyone who he is even halfway honest towards, let alone a friend? Has he directed his uplift efforts in any direction that led to the recreation of stuff he missed?

Mr Zoat said:
While I'm far from being an expert with the orange light

This seems like a weird thought to have. He's had the ring for a decade by now, longer than most OL variants scattered across the multiverse. He hasn't met any other DC Emotional Spectrum user anywhere (if he wasn't among Krona's random abductees). Who is he even comparing himself to, given that he's had a decade to study his own varied abilities?

Also, can someone remind me how Paragon discovered the Brand?

Mr Zoat said:
The SI went an 'acquired' one from elsewhere.

That sounds like it could have been an interesting chapter as well. What's the gist of that event?

Darko · Feb 21, 2024

Rafin said:
Who is he even comparing himself to, given that he's had a decade to study his own varied abilities?

Probably comparing himself to memories he had of the comics.

LaVa · Feb 21, 2024

Rafin said:
Also, can someone remind me how Paragon discovered the Brand?

This happened when he first merged with Ophidian and branded Martian Manhunter.

Mr Zoat · Feb 21, 2024

Rafin said:
Thirteen years of ruling a minor nation (with the territory of a planet) and trading across the local galactic empire. All while influenced by the Orange Light, but without achieving enlightenment of any kind and without any advice by Lanterns or Maltusians or even magic users. All the while pretending to be a god.

How much has he diverged since SI insertion?

He got sacked while I've still got a job.

He's probably harder working than I am, if only because his efforts have observable effects on the world around him.

What does his daily life look like?

He doesn't have much of a routine. He heads up his people's research and development effort and has to do the diplomacy that allows them to trade with their goa'uld-controlled neighbours, so what he actually does on a particular day depends on what needs doing.

Does he have a mortal consort (or multiple)?

No. It would be a risk, and they'd probably be either a devotee or another goa'uld and there are problems with both ideas.

Does he have anyone who he is even halfway honest towards, let alone a friend?

He's at least halfway honest with most of his people, in a 'there are simple magics which are well within your comprehension. Perhaps someday your descendants will know greater magics' sort of way. He explains what he's doing and why, and he's also clear that Ra was in the right in their dispute.

Has he directed his uplift efforts in any direction that led to the recreation of stuff he missed?

He accidentally introduced chess when he confused it for a local game with a similar board, but otherwise no.

This seems like a weird thought to have. He's had the ring for a decade by now, longer than most OL variants scattered across the multiverse. He hasn't met any other DC Emotional Spectrum user anywhere (if he wasn't among Krona's random abductees). Who is he even comparing himself to, given that he's had a decade to study his own varied abilities?

No one. That's the problem. He has no idea whether or not he's any good because there's no established standard.

That sounds like it could have been an interesting chapter as well. What's the gist of that event?

Not really. He flew around until Mammon's navigational database made a bit more sense, went to a world recorded as 'fallow', picked eup the gate and flew back.

WereDragon · Feb 21, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Yes. Most System Lords have three dimensional starcharts which allow them to work out what constellations would look like from large parts of the galaxy. Everywhere has constellations even if they're not the same as the ones we have on Earth.

You misunderstand what a constellation is.
A constellation is not a group of stars. It is not a location. It is a 2D optical illusion created by a bunch of stars that have the right distances and brightnesses to appear prominent.
Best explanation I have seen of this recently was here in the The Real Stars and Scale of Sci-fi video.

Mr Zoat · Feb 21, 2024

WereDragon said:
You misunderstand what a constellation is.
A constellation is not a group of stars. It is not a location. It is a 2D optical illusion created by a bunch of stars that have the right distances and brightnesses to appear prominent.
Best explanation I have seen of this recently was here in the The Real Stars and Scale of Sci-fi video.

I am perfectly away of what a constellation is. If you don't like the way the Ancients set up the address locator, blame them.

Artemisnemo · Feb 21, 2024

Someguy Somewhere said:
Memory is a bit fuzzy, but I don't think they got doctor janet fraiser in time for the pilot episode...they were 'flying in the best people' but she didn't show up for a little while. So you get to blame what ever mook doctor they started off with. I don't think they would have fired one of the few medical professionals ever to see an alien snake, but they might have shipped him off to area 51 to sit and think about it for a while.

No Janet. The specific doctor comes up a few times later in the series somewhere between second in command of medical and bumbling assistant.

Dur'id the Druid · Feb 21, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Thank you, Jim diGriz.

Nice, I haven't even thought of that series in years! I loved it.

Wonder if any more has been published since I last checked....

And my 2 pence on how the Stargate address system works, well there has been a fair amount of ret-con and handwavium about it. Remember in the movie when the other world gate had diffrent symbols entirely? And Dr Jackson just assumed there would be a return sequence near the gate? But in the series all the gate have the same symbol set?

Duke Long · Feb 21, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
He shakes his head. He'd might have taken advantage of Indian superstition once or twice, but it sounds like someone took these guys for a ride.

'He might'?
I really quite liked the Ancestor chapters. I suppose there's only so much you can write about it, though.

Mr Zoat said:
**This isn't funny. Mitchell and me are a lot tougher than you, and there are plenty of things we could run into who aren't affected by telekinesis.**

'which aren't'? Seems strange to say 'things' and then 'who'.

Mr Zoat said:
I pull one off my harness-. Looks like they're all coming in from the west this time, trying to deprive me to the space to move between them.

'of the space'?

Mr Zoat said:
Ah… I point at the closest, thought that's a pretty near thing.

'though'

Mr Zoat said:
Jhiaxus development of spark-splitting technology-"

'Jhiaxus''?

Mr Zoat said:
That requires a spark, which nubulan technology cannot provide." Slipstream frowns. "I intended for him to replace my head."

'nebulon'?

Mr Zoat said:
Did you want to actually fight in Unicron ourselves, or just run the business?"

'in Unicron' seems a bit strange, but since Unicron is pretty big I suppose it could be literal.

Mr Zoat said:
"Do I..? Personally want to fight things a thousands times my size and with no capacity for reason?"

'thousand'

Mr Zoat said:
Autobot Trepan

Gotta love it when a name is that on-the-nose.

Mr Zoat said:
Basically, yes. I did not know that those had a specific name.

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Image no work. : (

Mr Zoat · Feb 21, 2024

Duke Long said:
Image no work. : (

It does if you click on 'reply' and look at it in the reply section.

Duke Long · Feb 21, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
It does if you click on 'reply' and look at it in the reply section.

How bizarre. Thanks.

Mr Zoat · Feb 21, 2024

Duke Long said:
'He might'?
'which aren't'? Seems strange to say 'things' and then 'who'.
'of the space'?
'though'
'Jhiaxus''?
'nebulon'?
'thousand'

Thank you, corrected.

'in Unicron' seems a bit strange, but since Unicron is pretty big I suppose it could be literal.

It is.

Valint · Feb 21, 2024

I'd be happy reading an entire story that was just this crossover.

Also, as a nitpick: Goa'uld hosts and ex-hosts have naquadah in their bloodstream, which is needed to activate any Goa'uld technology and also detectable by other people with naquadah in their bloodstream. That was a recurring plot point in SG1, in one case because Carter (even just being an ex-host and without any context for the ability) could tell that someone pretending to be a Goa'uld wasn't.

Did Paul screw up once with another Goa'uld and then figure out how they knew he wasn't really one of them, or is his ring just fooling them without him knowing the details?

Mr Zoat · Feb 21, 2024

Valint said:
I'd be happy reading an entire story that was just this crossover.

Then I'd need to rewatch the entirety of Stargate SG1.

Also, as a nitpick: Goa'uld hosts and ex-hosts have naquadah in their bloodstream, which is needed to activate any Goa'uld technology and also detectable by other people with naquadah in their bloodstream. That was a recurring plot point in SG1, in one case because Carter (even just being an ex-host and without any context for the ability) could tell that someone pretending to be a Goa'uld wasn't.

Did Paul screw up once with another Goa'uld and then figure out how they knew he wasn't really one of them, or is his ring just fooling them without him knowing the details?

They can't feel him, but it looks like he's got some sort of force field active at all times so they assume that's what's doing it. He hasn't tried to use goa'uld-locked devices much because he's got a power ring. If he got caught without the ring he'd be in trouble, but that's true anyway because he doesn't speak Akkadian.

Vaermina · Feb 21, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
They can't feel him, but it looks like he's got some sort of force field active at all times so they assume that's what's doing it. He hasn't tried to use goa'uld-locked devices much because he's got a power ring. If he got caught without the ring he'd be in trouble, but that's true anyway because he doesn't speak Akkadian.

Force Fields don't block the sense.

Also, a body hugging personal forcefield would be catching massive amounts of Goa'uld attention.

SotF · Feb 22, 2024

Dur'id the Druid said:
Nice, I haven't even thought of that series in years! I loved it.

Wonder if any more has been published since I last checked....

And my 2 pence on how the Stargate address system works, well there has been a fair amount of ret-con and handwavium about it. Remember in the movie when the other world gate had diffrent symbols entirely? And Dr Jackson just assumed there would be a return sequence near the gate? But in the series all the gate have the same symbol set?

The semi-fix for that was that it's the Point of Origin symbol that's different for each world.

They also had things that explained a lot of other things such as the insane firepower level of Ra's staff weapons in that several other System Lords or even minor lords had their own modified ones, and Heru-ur had some of Ra's special ones that were, primarily, for Ra's personal force.

Mr Zoat · Feb 22, 2024

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. "Doctor."

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?"

Celtic Spartan · Feb 22, 2024

since he's posing as a goa'uld i expect there to be an immediate assassination before they even perform any reconnaissance.

Darko · Feb 22, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"I'm Jewish."

I wince inwardly. And then outwardly. "Might want to stay away from El's core worlds, then

Hmm, I thought that Ra was El.

At least that's what Ba'al's wiki page said about his past.

KaiKolo · Feb 22, 2024

I have been enjoying this Stargate crossover reality. It's always fun to see Paul get deep into character and have people genuinely think that he is who he's pretending to be.

Paul still has his power ring charged without a lantern after a decade so I wonder how much he plays into greed and avarice as part of his Mammon persona.

I wonder how far SGC and the US government are willing to work with a "Goa'uld" that treats his subjects way better than the others.

Celtic Spartan said:
since he's posing as a goa'uld i expect there to be an immediate assassination before they even perform any reconnaissance.

It's practically tradition, maybe even an expectation, for some middling Goa'uld to try to take a stab at a superior and for the superior to retaliate.

I wouldn't doubt that "Mammon" had to retaliate and rein in opportunistic snakes multiple times in the last 10 or so years.

SotF · Feb 22, 2024

Darko said:
Hmm, I thought that Ra was El.

At least that's what Ba'al's wiki page said about his past.

It was theorized as that a few times, but other than Sokar playing at being the Devil, they heavily avoided mentioning him or any of the abrahamic religions as part of things

GhostKing 666 · Feb 22, 2024

Darko said:
Hmm, I thought that Ra was El.

At least that's what Ba'al's wiki page said about his past.

The Stargate RPG mentions that Ra took the place of the ruling god of several other cultures besides just the Egyptians, with the Canaanites knowing him as El.

Not that it matters, Yahweh is a different god from El, Ba'al and Asherah, even if the cult of Yahweh basically absorbed* the cults of those gods, crossed the names out of the gods in a lot of their religious stories and put Yahweh in their place. There is no known Yahweh Goa'uld and certainly no Christian Goa'uld**(something confirmed by Teal'c). The lack isn't even that surprising, Yahweh is after all an Iron Age god rather than a Bronze Age one. While the Goa'uld still kept tabs on Earth during that period, and still occasionally adopted the guise of a human deity, it was less often than during the Bronze Age.

*And not all at once to. I still find it funny that there was a time where God actually had a wife and Queen in the form of Asherah and that she's still actually mentioned in the Old Testament and Torah is a handful of spots the editors missed.

**Earth was long abandoned by the time Jesus was a thing. But not actually forgotten. Sure, the Jaffa had forgotten the address for Earth, but the Goa'uld had no problems remembering it. They just didn't care about the planet as it had no special resources for them outside the human population. So other than occasionally grabbing an off the books seed population(like Sokar did from the European Middle Ages, though he played Satan rather than God), Earth had virtually no contact with the Goa'uld at that point.

Vaermina · Feb 22, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"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."

Paul thinks he's being smart here, but he's really really not.

Because both of those allow someone to fire shit through the Stargate. Or utilize one of a couple systems to near instantly cause the Stargate to overload and explode with continent shattering force.

Chojin Patriarch · Feb 22, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
An hour later
Afternoon

The woman blinks. "Is that a train?"

I nod. "Yes."

A primitive one, no doubt. Goa'uld do have a thing about their slaves getting too advanced for safety's sake. After all, a culture who's so busy handling farming or mining or whatever daily tasks they do isn't going to be thinking much about higher matters.

It is indeed a train. Some goa'uld allow their people to have steam engines for various tasks, not wanted 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.

And I suppose you had plenty of manpower spare to help lay track. Both paid workers and criminals doing 'community service' punishment.

It's not even -technically- a forbidden technology. Humans in goa'uld space use more advanced machines that 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.

Yes, I can see that sticking in the Goa'uld's craws. And it fits with his logic of 'investing in his property to make it more profitable in the long term'. ...Where 'profitable' means a higher standard of living and a general improvement of quality of life.

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?"

The salute being done with the arm and hand in a slightly different position to the other kind. Sometimes turned outward a little, sometimes with the hand tilted up or down. Can't imagine what his guests are thinking though.

"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?"

So, trains and zeppelins, at least anti-grav ones. That alongside the salute... I bet the SG team are wondering what's next, Crystal Spires and Togas?

"No, I'll take then 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.

Heh. Definitely not the most conventional of Goa'uld, is he?

"Ask him."

"Lord.. Mammon?"

"That's my name. Don't wear it out."

So many mixed signals. They have got to be so confused right now...

"That was… Most 'gods' prefer-."

"It's okay, you can say 'goa'uld'."

How easy going of him.

"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?"

Taking in the defences of the stargate, eh? Just in case, you know...

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."

Hmm. Signalling their readiness to engage him in combat, perhaps? Until...

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."

...They see just how outmatched they actually are.

"Ah, yes." She calms herself as we fly across the city. "I'm primarily an anthropologist."

Their squad leader glowers at her mildly. "Doctor."

A logical choice for an exploratory mission. No doubt to assist in the learning of local languages. Or at least analysing the local culture.

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."

I suspect they would not be too welcome there, after all.

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."

And the second he can kick the Goa'uld to the kerb and go independent...

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-."

Though I have no doubt he can at least tap the DHD system to check the logs. Assuming he uses one here, since a Power Ring could do a lot of heavy lifting in activating a gate.

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."

And that's entirely possible, given the way some planets have gates located far from any sensible urban center. Probably to avoid the 'shove a bomb through' sort of threats.

There's a brief pause.

"Something like that."

Although an oubliette sounds marginally easier to keep clean than the Iris. ...Assuming the latter even gets stained by unwanted visitors.Then again, a good power-washer could probably handle either.

"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…"

Or a military command center's deeper levels. Because The SGC gate room is in Cheyenne mountain, one of America's more well-known bases. Even if it's now decommissioned in the real world.

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."

...Awkward.

Though he does have a point. Without their technology, what can a goa'uld really do? Sure, without his Ring, he's merely a young man in peak human shape, but still...

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?"

I'm guessing El took his name from proto-Judaic sources. And a nice way to have a private chat, certainly.

"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?"

Doing that sort of exploring thing blindly sounds just a wee bit foolhardy. Never know who you'll run into, after all.

"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."

Still, it's probably more complete than anything they have.

God, I've been here… Six years now? Just finding my feet and doing the place up…

"Naquada. Since you've got a supplier now."

Presumably that means in his current digs, rather than overall. What with the earlier 'Ten years later...' timestamp.

And the subsequent 'Three years later...'

"Ah, I've got plenty, I just don't want the other 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?"

And now we come down to brass tacks: What do they have that he wants?

"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."

Bit off the mark, I bet, but easy assumption to make on their part.

"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?"

...Again, awkward. I can just imagine the squad leader mentally wincing as he considers the possible fallout of such a revelation. Or an invasion.

"I think that'll do for now. Thanks."

"Excellent!" I smile. "Would you like a tour before you go home?"

More intel the better, after all.

Let's hope they don't go grabbing completely the wrong idea about Mammon. If they've met the Tok'ra by now, they might make some inquiries on that front and learn his 'history'. Ideally, the tour will show them that he's a quite benign ruler for his people, though. Which is probably how he's managing any Orange Light contamination, by subsuming his desires into improving his world.

Liquid Night · Feb 22, 2024

Must admit, this Stagate run is probably my favourite after the Warhammer Fantasy one.
I love creative world-building scenarios and uplift stories/empire-building; plus Zoat always keeps more than enough character interactions around that it doesn't devolve into the normal boring spreadsheet-via-words that so many uplift and similar stories end up as.

Vaermina · Feb 22, 2024

Chojin Patriarch said:
Though I have no doubt he can at least tap the DHD system to check the logs. Assuming he uses one here, since a Power Ring could do a lot of heavy lifting in activating a gate.

DHD's don't keep logs in the sense of detailed travel records.

It's more like a flash memory system that leaves informational residue on the control crystal each time the gate is activated. So if you try and figure out where someone went, the best you will end up with is a randomly organized number of the past 50 or so people to dial the gate.

Rogos · Feb 22, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
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...

Ah, yes, one of the more awkward parts of the Stargate program : the US military monopolizing it in order to get a leg up on the other countries, even though it should by all rights be a joint effort involving the entire UN. Aren't there a bunch of treaties stating that the universe beyond Earth belongs to all of mankind, not to any one nation, and didn't the US and USSR once sign a pact saying that they would fight side by side in the event of an alien invasion ?

Prince Charon · Feb 22, 2024

Rogos said:
Ah, yes, one of the more awkward parts of the Stargate program : the US military monopolizing it in order to get a leg up on the other countries, even though it should by all rights be a joint effort involving the entire UN. Aren't there a bunch of treaties stating that the universe beyond Earth belongs to all of mankind, not to any one nation, and didn't the US and USSR once sign a pact saying that they would fight side by side in the event of an alien invasion ?

Yes, but humans being humans, not many seriously expect that if a significant power (or just an egotistical one) got an advantage like the Stargate, they'd be all that quick to share. It's just that they'd do so a lot sooner than the USA in the show did, if issues similar to those in the show happened.

WereDragon · Feb 22, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Her own capital has anti-gravity trams
-
"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."

Always nice to see worldbuilding in stargate.

"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."

The upwards orientation has the advantage that people cannot through bombs or plasma blasts through.
Guess it depends on whether you are more merciful or more paranoid.

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."

...and? The Jews have no more evidence of their omnipotent deity actually existing than anyone else.

God, I've been here… Six years now?

About thirteen years and one hour going by the time stamps. Does his Ring not know how long an Earth year is?

"Teachers. Send all the spies you like, as long as they can teach reading and writing -preferably in Akkadian- and arithmetic, and basic science."

Given he is selling a strategic resource I would have expected his to want their entire techbase. Such as it is.

Mr Zoat · Feb 22, 2024

KaiKolo said:
Paul still has his power ring charged without a lantern after a decade so I wonder how much he plays into greed and avarice as part of his Mammon persona.

No, he has a personal lantern. Mammon had one in his vaults. Exposure to it is what made him flip out and betray Ra in the first place.

I wouldn't doubt that "Mammon" had to retaliate and rein in opportunistic snakes multiple times in the last 10 or so years.

Not really. SG1 focuses on the bits where the goa'uld fight each other so that the humans have a hope in hell. A lot of goa'uld get along with their neighbours, particularly when there's a System Lord around who is enforcing the peace.

Chojin Patriarch said:
The sarge taking in the defences of the stargate, eh? Just in case, you know...

That's not a sargeant. SG squad leaders are majors at the minimum. That sort of work requires too much mental flexibility to be left to noncoms.

Presumably that means in his current digs, rather than overall. What with the earlier 'Ten years later...' timestamp. And the subsequent 'Three years later...'

No, that was missed when I edited in the 'ten years' thing.

Let's hope they don't go grabbing completely the wrong idea about Mammon. If they've met the Tok'ra by now, they might make some inquiries on that front and learn his 'history'. Ideally, the tour will show them that he's a quite benign ruler for his people, though. Which is probably how he's managing any Orange Light contamination, by subsuming his desires into improving his world.

No, all their information would be about actual Mammon. At the moment the SI is too small fry for them to send one of their few agents to spy on. If Bastet starts to take a liking to him then maybe, but not now.

Honestly, it's more likely that the other goa'uld would suspect him of being a Tok'Ra agent than he'd meet a real one.

WereDragon said:
Given he is selling a strategic resource I would have expected his to want their entire techbase. Such as it is.

Without an educated population that wouldn't really help with anything. For himself he can get more technology by hanging around Tell Basta and scanning stuff.

With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

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