Being a System Lord, while not much different from being a High Lord, offered valuable opportunities for free trade with other System Lords. For this purpose, I even specially developed a remote and inaccessible trading planet, somewhat reminiscent of the pirate Tortuga, but considerably more civilized. It was a protected refuge, carved into the cliffs, where representatives of various System Lords could conduct trade transactions via numerous computerized terminals. Security was maintained by my Immortals, and the trade itself proved an extremely profitable enterprise. Starting with arms sales, I attracted the attention of every System Lord in the galaxy, including Sokar. The demand for my flagships was so great that I was forced to urgently expand my shipyards to accommodate the simultaneous construction of dozens of large vessels.
The construction of these ships was modular, and I carried them out in parallel rather than sequentially, in order to provide all the Goa'uld with orders as quickly as possible. The idea was that they would use these ships to destroy their enemies for a year, and then return to me for new orders. A similar situation existed with the regular Hutts. My neutrality and refusal to seize other people's possessions were highly valued, allowing me to count on orders for ship construction. However, it's possible that orders from lesser Lords were "passed on" to me, while ships for themselves were being built in my own shipyards. I didn't care; the important thing was the payment for the construction.
The expansion of the regular shipyards turned it into a full-fledged business, creating a huge number of jobs. It seemed like I could become a Kuat from Star Wars, though that was still a long way off. I needed to ramp up component production, build factories and plants to manufacture them. Even though the "resources" were provided by customers, supplemented by my profits as a shipbuilder, the initial demand was for the Kern-class battleship. I was literally bombarded with naquadah, and Ra, cunningly, ordered two.
Later, someone inquired about the possibility of building hattak ships, and I confirmed it was feasible, after which orders for them began to come in. My reputation as a man who honored contracts like an Orthodox Jew who observed the Talmud and Torah was impeccable. Regardless of the circumstances, I fulfilled all my obligations. The only difficulty was that the ship crews faced long flights, but I guaranteed the delivery of the ships. My mercenary business also grew steadily, not experiencing the explosive growth of the early days, but not declining either. The Goa'uld, playing with tanks and drones, were trying to understand the principles of warfare, believing they could match Szarekh. Those who nevertheless hired me understood the difference between a cheap knockoff and a professional.
It's ironic that I was selling thousands of ATGMs, and some idiots tried to use them against me. Didn't they realize that my machines and soldiers were hardwired with anti-targeting protection at the operating system level? I even encountered Goa'uld knockoffs, the quality of which left much to be desired. The Jaffa, however, while not understanding the principles of ATGM use, quickly mastered MANPADS. Armor, advanced technology, artwork, books, and other goods also found a market in the poorly regulated market. In exchange, the Goa'uld supplied me with slaves, naquadah, and artefacts. For a Goa'uld of my rank, there were few, if any, restrictions. The main thing was that they didn't know about my ongoing and extensive collaboration with Asgard, my violation of Imperial law, and the significant development of my own planet.
Most of the newly arrived settlers were sent to the second planet in my system, where they came under the watchful eye of the Tok'ra. The Empire was aware of the potential for life on my system's second planet, so my appointment of all city governors as minor lords, with their subsequent concentration on a single planet, came as no surprise. This move was appreciated by those who saw how I managed to concentrate all my forces in the capital and resist Apophis.
The establishment of new settlements on the planet allowed for the effective detection of spies. The first 50 cities, formed by 50 million settlers, flourished. Food synthesis technology significantly accelerated urbanization, allowing for the rapid creation of urban populations and compact settlements. The Tok'ra, for their part, faced the difficulty of managing these people, who, however, were the future workers operating the robots in the factories and shipyards located in orbit and on Urvashi's moon, using the Surogat system.
All this happened during the city-building process. Each Tok'ra settlement manager was tasked with building their own city, a test of their managerial skills. Perhaps they would have taken it easier if I hadn't entrusted them with millions of people at once, which caused them unnecessary stress. But Isara managed it, and they will too. The other Goa'uld also succeeded, creating cities with unique charm, including even the pyramids, which I especially love.
A million people quickly brought in a decent income, stimulating trade. Therefore, all cities had a developed transportation infrastructure, primarily spaceports, as well as a network of robotic vehicles for goods delivery. People typically transitioned from medieval development to the 21st century and beyond within one to two years. At the same time, all possible spies were caught. However, increasing production could lead to a crisis of overproduction, so some goods were sent to factories for the production of spaceships, which were then supplied to the Goa'uld.
Fighters, Alkesh, Teltaks, Hattaks, and standard models were still valued by the Empire, or the Goa'uld didn't trust me to modify them according to blueprints, which was entirely logical, as revealing secrets to the enemy would have been foolish. The remaining goods were exported to the Goa'uld Empire, my allies, and the IIC. I didn't care how they were sold, as long as they were sold. At the same time, Urvashi had a significant domestic market, capable of absorbing a significant portion of the goods produced.
I also took up writing, creating my own legends designed to shape public opinion among the peasants. Finally, my title of Phaeron, as well as my divine right to rule and the style of my House, became known to the other Goa'uld. I went to great lengths to expand on the plot, continuing my Necron style. I indicated that a House could comprise several autonomous dynasties with unique heraldry, a troop rank system, a system of unique ranks, and I also published lists of my most distinguished warriors. The poor Goa'uld, reading this, were astonished, for I had people who had killed thousands of enemies, as confirmed by monitoring systems, captured ships, and so on.
I sang the praises of my Lych Guard, describing them as incorruptible and fanatically loyal. Overall, I was actively writing fantasy, joined by Isara and Egeria when it came to describing my queen. Isara is listed as my queen, stolen from the first High Lord I killed. The women also enjoyed themselves, and this didn't bother me, as long as they didn't spoil my image of a two-meter-tall, smashed-headed skeleton.
Nevertheless, they made significant edits to my opus, making the myths more realistic. The main message was that hard work can achieve anything. Elements were also included emphasizing my status as a patron of knowledge and the arts, especially martial arts. The end result was something reminiscent of Odin. The girls even commissioned fan fiction for my legend. I later sent all of this to the Goa'uld, so they would be amazed at how it was possible to lie and tell the truth at the same time. After all, all my victories were incorporated into my legend, particularly the fact that I am the leader of unstoppable warriors, whom every deity desires as an ally.
Gateway exploration was slowed by the sheer number of planets to study. This was no easy task, given the thousands of animal species inhabiting each planet, including dinosaurs. The accumulated data was colossal, and I had only scratched the surface of what the Ancients knew. Thanks to Patrick Sheppard, I was able to access some of the outpost data. Strengthening the Latin American countries and Ethiopia would allow them to launch a joint project to search for the Earth outpost and the ancient creature suffering from the most dangerous disease in the universe, which the Goa'uld had successfully treated. Forming a sufficiently powerful expedition would allow me to avoid the attention of the US and USSR. On the other hand, if my allies weren't searching for oil or gas, everything would be fine.
Technology capable of withstanding extreme temperatures could be developed specifically for Antarctica. A zone 80 kilometers from McMurdo Station could also be delineated to search for an outpost and establish a station there, as well as mark the location of the previously discovered gateway. The creation of our own alternative station for exploring the continent would facilitate scientific progress. However, there were certain restrictions, such as the ban on the use of nuclear energy in Antarctica. Considering that the nuclear reactor at McMurdo Station had broken down 454 times, it's clear they had no experience with the reliable Goa'uld reactors. Just five thousand years ago, I installed the Osiris Teltak in a single operation—now that's reliability.
Urvashi benefited from technology, and at the same time, culture was developing: new films were being produced, games were being created, and animation projects were being developed. A unique cultural identity was being formed. Even after my investment in Marvel Comics, the superhero genre emerged on Urvashi. However, it did not gain widespread popularity, as the police had proven themselves to be a highly effective tool for maintaining order. It's worth noting that Urvashi's hero was a two-meter-tall skeleton. I was later informed that this wasn't my fault, but I chose to ignore the remark. Superman and Batman found no resonance among the people of Urvashi. The people of Urvashi, influenced by the Tollans, valued a scientific approach, fundamental truths of the universe, and the concept of comprehensive logic.
Evgenia was both irritated and amused by the portrayal of Hydra in Marvel comics as a Nazi terrorist group. She wondered about the reasoning behind this decision. I couldn't explain that I had no direct involvement. However, it was best to avoid calling her "Madame Hydra" to avoid a negative reaction.
Having received significant orders, I was able to begin building my own fleet. The Goa'uld generously supplied me with naquadah, unaware of what was to come. In twenty years, O'Neill would assassinate Ra, sparking one of the most devastating civil wars in the galaxy, during which most of the system lords would perish. Therefore, I could remain neutral toward them, even smiling, as their demise was inevitable and would soon occur. Considerable patience was required to finally recruit the Jaffa women into the fighting. Otherwise, they would likely overthrow me, seeking glory in battle. I would pity Bastet when word got out about the appearance of female immortals on the battlefield. She would be accused of revealing to me the secret of psychological conditioning the Jaffa so they would not object to women's participation in combat.