"Isara, you know, I'm starting to get scared by the monster I've created," I said, looking through the enthusiastic reports from the Jaffa women. One of them, after burning a dozen enemies with a flamethrower, then bludgeoned some hapless foe with a legion standard. "I think I understand why the Goa'uld forbid women from participating in combat. Have you even seen these reports?"
"I saw it," my wife agreed. "But I must say, the blame lies with you. Now take these reports, give them to those Jaffa who oppose women's participation in the war, and order them to inform the women that they are against their presence on the battlefield."
"I can't even find this idiot's atoms!"
"Exactly."
"They tied themselves to the threaders and used them as landing craft."
"The girls were imaginative," Isara reassured me. "It's okay. The Goa'uld view you and your legion the same way."
"Should I now introduce additional payment for female warriors?"
"That's a great idea. And don't forget to praise them for their fights, otherwise I don't want to shoot back at them because they weren't praised."
"Yes, definitely," I said, taking another report. "Look, one of them used vibroswords and wiped out an entire squad of enemy Jaffa, claiming she didn't want to waste plasma shots. Like she was paying for them. Or this: she used multiple plasma grenades, created a pileup, and killed a hundred enemies. It seems they want to show off absolutely everything they've learned, or they're just bored."
"Yes, women often get bored. At least now they can relieve the tension by artistically slaughtering their enemies."
"Right now, everyone who can reach her without getting into trouble is probably yelling at Bastet over the phone."
"This has doubled your troop numbers and brought forth new military leaders. With the artificial womb system, they have plenty of time for war and the pursuit of glory in battle. It also reduces a certain level of suspicious behavior on the part of the smartest Jaffa. All in all, it's all positives, except for those Jaffa who saw this long-pent-up force spring unleashed with such force that it swept away most of the enemies it was intended to defeat. Hopefully, they'll calm down in a couple of months."
"The Goa'uld are beginning to fortify worlds, combine new tactics, and, most importantly, leave some worlds ungarrisoned unless absolutely necessary," I pointed out the results of my activities.
"But at the same time, they're becoming stronger and more technologically advanced. Gone are the staffs, gone will be the tracked vehicles, gone will be other primitive technologies, and they might even become your equal."
"That's true," I still agreed with the possibility. "But the Hydra breeds on worlds that will rise up. By cultivating and spreading to abandoned worlds, they will rise to power in local communities and do the same as your ancestors—evolve. Any move the Goa'uld make will lead to my victory because of their nature, which is opposed to any organized alliances. Permanent alliances."
"But they don't have the same strength as your military forces."
"That's true, but it will allow us to control worlds that are no longer controlled by the Goa'uld."
"In the end, it's still a plan to conquer the galaxy."
"It was always the plan to conquer the galaxy," I replied. However, I understood her concerns; there's nothing good about a single ruler. Although Urvashi is an absolute monarchy, Isara managed to form a Senate and political careers for many overly active individuals who would otherwise have become radicals. Now they work for the good of the planet and fulfill specific roles. No overtly anti-monarchist political parties emerged, as a high standard of living—a very high standard—was ensured.
The estimated lifespan of humans reached a thousand years. A thousand is a very long time, and a very good life: perfect health, a wealthy life that even most people who remembered the times before Szarekh's arrival could not have dreamed of. However, other problems arose: technocrats who wanted greater political rights, and industrialists. Of course, no one tried to rebel, but there was a lot of talk. Fortunately, the huge orders from the Goa'uld resolved these issues as well. Now they receive colossal orders and opportunities for self-fulfillment, increasing production rates, and constructing numerous defensive stations and production facilities. The remains of ships destroyed during the Battle of Urvashi were recycled into new vessels.
"What will you do when you win?" Isara asked.
"I'll leave with you. Victory isn't for my own sake, but for the galaxy to have an organized force that won't allow anarchy. The rest doesn't concern me. Perhaps I'll go to another galaxy and devote all my time to my interests and to you."
"And who will you give this galaxy to?"
"Egeria, maybe. Just don't ruin her surprise. I want to see her face when I tell her we're going on a hundred-year vacation, and she's in charge now."
"You are a very bad Sareh," Isara remarked, sitting down next to me.
"That's why you love me! And it's not right for me to read reports about other women. I'll pretend I don't have units like that. My God, one of them got hold of vibroclaws somewhere and tore dozens of enemies to pieces in close combat. Why did I give them ranged weapons if they're so eager to engage in close combat?"
"The desire to dominate," the wife pointed out. "The desire to dominate absolutely and to demonstrate one's superiority."
"They'll burn worlds like that."
"The main thing is that it's not ours."
"Yes, I need to channel their overpowering influence into something else," I concluded, deciding to focus on my wife. I needed to calm down, otherwise I'd become afraid even of the Jaffa women. It was good that they followed the laws I'd laid out and ingrained into their society at the level of their instincts. None of my troops touched ordinary people. I imposed my own sense of right and wrong on them, which would ensure their safety. My book clearly explained why I personally don't use slaves, and why I don't own any at all, yet they all literally worship me. My stance in life is that keeping slaves is a sign of weakness.
Your servants should follow you because your strength inspires awe and reverence. Dominating the weak and broken is not a challenge, and the satisfaction you get from it shows you lack the strength to take on a true challenge. A true leader must always strive to challenge themselves, to face opponents worthy of the name, to overcome trials worthy of overcoming. Dominating the weak is a sign of weakness. Those who possess true power shouldn't resort to chaining others to force them to serve. Many Jaffa now look down on other System Lords because, instead of being strong, they wallow in idleness.
My personal strength convinces them that I'm worthy of their service. I'm no longer a "god" to them, but a strong leader who trains and achieves the impossible, defies the laws of logic, thereby becoming stronger. The image of a six-foot-tall skeleton charging into battle signifies that they are all created in the image of a mighty warrior—me. Of course, I have my own thoughts on this matter, but that's propaganda. Dominating the weak is weakness. However, over time, they—most Jaffa—will come to view others as weak.
Eradicating one's weaknesses is a central element of the Immortals' martial culture. They strive to surpass their enemies, learn, and then surpass themselves. The training cycle was only necessary at first, to help them understand this philosophy and distract them from my reforms. Then they immersed themselves in this training, inventing the most perverse methods to become stronger.
They reached the natural human limit, surpassing human potential. But at the same time, reason is as powerful as physics. They began to hone their intellect, defining various military doctrines in seconds, and were capable of formulating plans on the fly and executing them. After all, they weren't primarily superior to the Jaffa or other Goa'uld; they were competing with Immortals like themselves. There were irreparable losses during battles, but this only strengthened the soldiers to train harder, minimizing losses. Given their constant opportunity to fight, this made them even stronger. For the Jaffa, strength is the defining factor in their worldview, constantly proving that they are the best beings in the galaxy. And constant victories convince them of this. And me, the creator of monsters.