53 – Way Back In Days Of Old, There Were Legends Told
Note: Done with Midterms, so have another one of these experimental chapters.
53 – Way Back In Days Of Old, There Were Legends Told
"So…Teal'c," Jack murmured as they walked through the hallways, all in the same style as the city they'd left behind, "Wanna explain why you haven't talked about this apparently big and bad enemy to Apophis and his funky bunch? And don't say-,"
"You never asked," Teal'c said without preamble. "I will share the secrets of the Goa'uld freely, and those that I know of their enemies, if required."
"Well Teal'c," Carter came close enough to whisper, "I'd say that this might be the time."
"Do not worry, my friends," the Governor called out, apparently hearing them despite there being a full twenty feet and multiple guards between them, "I have no qualms with a freedman speaking of us. If anything, it will be interesting to see how one of our former foes views the Empire."
Another ten seconds or so passed as SG-1 continued walked with a full twenty guards surrounding them before Teal'c began to speak.
"The direct time of arrival of the one known as Sun Jian into the affairs of the Goa'uld is unknown for certain-,"
"Five centuries ago, give or take a decade or two," the Governor called out cheerfully.
"…unknown for certain to the Jaffa," Teal'c corrected, "Yet he began with considerable violence."
"How so?"
"He obliterated the god Ba'al within two seconds of his arrival in a vessel that has been termed the Godsgrief. It is said that from one instant to the next the Ha'tak Ba'al was aboard and its gliders were there…and then they weren't."
The human members of SG-1 exchanged glances before Jack spoke up again.
"Uh...correct me if I'm wrong but the good lady Stabsalot seemed pretty determined to paint this Emperor as a nice guy, right?"
A muted chuckling drew their attention, and the Governor eventually coughed before straightening.
"I'm sorry…it's just…that is a very curious translation of the name."
"Which is…," Daniel trailed off, the question going unfinished.
"Not important right now, my friends. We are here!"
'Here', Jack realized, was yet another set of doors. Thank goodness for his soldiery fitness or else he would have started getting pretty tired of walking around. Then the Governor flung the doors open, and Jack immediately revised his earlier opinion of the man. He was a saint.
"That…is a lot of food," Daniel breathed.
And it was. It was a feast, lavishly prepared, apparently in the time it had taken them to walk there. Every kind of Asian dish that Jack could name – so fried rice - was present in some fashion or another, with another few dozen others to boot!
"I always knew the chefs in the Chinese restaurants were fast but this is ridiculous," Jack murmured to Carter, who struggled to keep a smile off of her face.
"I heard that~," the Governor said with a chuckle. "Come, come and eat!"
It was hard to refuse such an offer, and so they sat at the table with food piled high upon it. Yet throughout it all, Jack did not stop keeping an eye on the two dozen guards who in turn lined up along the walls. He almost wanted to call what they were wearing samurai armor but that was pretty clearly wrong. On the other hand, he didn't know a damn thing about what ancient Chinese armor was supposed to be called. Eh, there was food to eat.
"This is your version of tea?"
"Oh no, Daniel Jackson, this is a meal. You know, with food and such?"
Jack chuckled quietly at the look on the scientist's face before putting a giant dumpling in his mouth. It wasn't exactly standard protocol to just accept lavish meals from people you'd just met but then again nothing had been going quite standard on this walk through the Gate. Which was saying something. In any case, while his plate had some food on it already, Carter and Daniel were a tad more cautious in their selections…unlike Teal'c, who had decided to throw everything he could reach onto several plates. Jack had been preparing to put a second dumpling in his mouth before lowering it slightly to stare.
"You got enough there, big guy?"
"The generosity of the Empire of Wu should never be squandered, O'Neill. Even the Goa'uld have accepted that. Refusing them is seen as a great insult... as the false god Ares learned," Teal'c replied without looking up from gathering yet more food onto a fifth plate.
"Ah, Ares," the Governor looked into some middle distance as he spoke, "I remember the tales of that. The Emperor offered him peace and fine terms of surrender…and was refused."
"At which point Ares was destroyed completely and utterly," Teal'c finished.
"Indeed," the Governor said gravely, his previous humor disappearing momentarily.
Conversation lapsed then, in favor of all present at the table gathering some food and beginning to partake. Teal'c had completed the third of his plates before one of SG-1 spoke again.
"I'm sorry to ask, but, Teal'c kind of stopped explaining, so I was wondering…," Daniel trailed off as with a tremendous cracking noise the Jaffa at the table ripped a full steamed lobster apart with his bare hands.
"Ah, right, the history of the Empire. You'll have to forgive me, I do so rarely get guests of such…illustrious personage as yourselves. Oh, I almost forgot! My name is Cao Cao, my friends."
"Right...," Daniel trailed off. His face twisted up in a familiar manner, one that Jack normally associated with a lot of inane questions, and so the Colonel busied himself with getting more food after sharing a quirked eyebrow with Carter.
"The Emperor arrived in this manner quite violently yes…but is there truly any other response to those who would put humanity in bondage?"
I can get behind that, Jack mused to himself as he marveled as a plate of…something with colors in it disappeared into Teal'c.
"He immediately set about committing to war against the Goa'uld, which…is likely where your freedman learned of the tales," Cao Cao nodded at Teal'c.
"None but the First Primes amongst the Jaffa are allowed to know of the dark days in which many of the false Gods fell," Teal'c acknowledged…before smirking slightly apparently at the thought of it, "It was a time of great and constant battle. Amaterasu, Ares, Morrigan, Yu, these are just some of those who fell against the Empire of Wu."
"Question," Jack's arm swung up like a child in school, "If this great and mighty Emperor of yours was kicking the collective asses of the Gou'uld so badly…"
"Why did he stop," Cao Cao finished gravely, his expression turning dark and frustrated…and tired, "He was forced to…by his own heart."
SG-1 exchanged glances before Daniel spoke up again.
"I don't…what do you mean by that, precisely?"
"The Emperor," Cao Cao gestured vaguely with his hand, "Was determined to save humanity from the Goa'uld, yet he did not wish to rip them from their places. He would take worlds…and protect them. Instead of pulling the people of those worlds to those closer to the center of the Empire he would let them stay, and allow growth to spring forth as a result of natural – if sometimes guided – development. The Goa'uld…noticed this."
Jack couldn't help but notice that all evidence of the lighter mood that had existed before had scampered away by that point. Even Teal'c had put down his food, his expression returning to its default spookiness.
"In order to prevent the Empire of Wu from further infringing on their borders...," the Jaffa spoke, "It is said that the Goa'uld burned a thousand worlds as soon as the Empire approached."
"It was only twenty, actually," Cao Cao sighed, "But of course those grand standing slugs would pretend as if they had the ability to just sacrifice a thousand worlds casually."
"It does make for a far more frightening figure," Teal'c nodded, "But in the end, as Apophis instructed me, it was enough to force the Empire of Wu from infringing on the domains of the Gods again."
"Only because the Emperor could not bear to see a single world be destroyed like that, let alone another twenty worlds of innocents burned to ashes," Cao Cao tiredly folded his hands in front of him on the table. "And so…instead the Emperor turned inward. The worlds he had saved already, he turned to lifting up. Perhaps where he had failed…they would succeed, yes? Also the Nox decided to publically denounce him for creating a situation in which such destruction occurred at all…but that is entirely another can of worms."
"Still that's…," Daniel sat back and let loose a single breathe, "That's pretty amazing stuff."
"And I suppose you expect us to believe you," Jack suddenly said with an odd accent to his voice, only to stop when everyone stared. "What?"
"Jack?"
"What, were you not, you know, doing a bit?"
Daniel shook his head slowly.
"No."
"Oh."
"You really are just like how you appeared," Cao Cao said, awe in his tone.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It is nothing, Doctor Carter," he shook his head.
"Hey, she has a rank you know," Jack said, pointing at the woman in question.
"Yes, but in the Empire of Wu we are more approving and focused on the sciences than the military, though they too their fair due. The Emperor and his Eyes do not allow for major discrimination."
"Well, thank you, but I – hold on, Eyes," Carter tilted her head. "What are the Emperor's 'Eyes'."
"Oh, his secret police," Cao Cao replied promptly.
"Not very good at being secret then, huh," Jack muttered.
"Oh no, they are very good at their jobs, Colonel O'Neill. There could be anywhere from one to forty in this very room!"
Silence decided to hold the room hostage while every member of SG-1 tried to – and failed at – discreetly look around.
"Oh, you wouldn't find them. Their stealth systems are very good."
"Well, you wouldn't want your secret…eye…police…being easy to see, I guess," Jack said cautiously, even as he gave up all pretense of politeness and began rubbernecking.
"Is there a reason why the extremely benevolent and kind Emperor has a secret police at all? If you don't mind me asking," Daniel finished rapidly.
"Cultural clash," Cao Cao leaned towards him. "You see, as the Emperor discovered, the Goa'uld had let dozens of varied cultures just…keep going, all over their worlds. And when he brought them together, there were…various issues. For instance, the culture of this world, where women were practically less than property-,"
"As Captain Pokey seemed happy to remind us," Jack murmured quietly enough that only Carter heard and made a face at.
"- and on another world where the Emperor encountered free Jaffa who had broken away from the false god Moloc-,"
"What," Teal'c's voice boomed out, his stare intense as he erupted from his seat – only for in that same instance for five humanoid shapes to suddenly phase into visibility and hold blades against…quite a many parts of him.
"Oh, so five Eyes then," Cao Cao said calmly.
"More. Or less," came an indeterminately gendered voice – almost computerized – from one of the apparent Eyes of the Emperor. Their bodies were also vaguely androgynous, covered in a smooth suit that clung tightly to them and possessed a look almost like liquid mercury.
"Oh, joy," Cao Cao smiled, "Now, as to your question, freedman, yes, there are other free Jaffa. They called themselves your word for Liberation, and were made up entirely of female Jaffa. After the Emperor aided them in rescuing all their sisters from Moloc, they joined the Empire-,"
"Woah, hold on," Jack half yelled, "Would you…slow down with the crazy revelations, please? You might be giving Teal'c heart palpitations."
"I am Jaffa, I do not get heart palpitations O'Neill," Teal'c replied far more calmly than he had appeared before, the blades all lightly placed against his flesh still present.
"Then sit, freedman," Cao Cao gestured to Teal'c's seat, "I will speak of them to you, do not worry."
Teal'c only momentarily hesitated before doing so. In that same instant all of the Eyes and their blades disappeared. Throughout it a, Jack realized that he hadn't even been able to directly see them. His gaze just couldn't seem to penetrate the odd optical effects of their cloaking devices. Which…was kind of worrying, he had to admit.
"Do you know of Moloc, Daniel Jackson?"
"I…yeah," Daniel nodded, "He was a God to the Canaanites and Phoenicians…for a while. I don't…remember that much about him, but he, I think, was most famous for child sacrifice."
"Indeed, Doctor. Well, a few decades ago he decided to start killing all newborn female Jaffa entirely."
Jack – who had elected to take a drink of water from a crystal decanter, began coughing heavily mid sip.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Teal'c, but don't you guys still need women to, you know, make more scary babies?"
"Indeed O'Neill. If this is true, it would explain why Moloc was such easy prey for Apophis, he had lost the ability to rebuild his numbers. But I am more concerned with your words of free Jaffa."
"His former High Priestess leads them, I believe," Cao Cao mused, "Unlike myself, the Emperor deigned to take them to the Capital World, Jianye, and there he did…something. At the end of it, their symbiote pouches had been disappeared and they possessed immune systems of their own once more. After that, they joined up and helped create a colony on another world. Named it Liberty last I recall, and more than a few of them joined up in the army."
"That's great…right, Teal'c?"
Jack looked at the Jaffa's expression and sighed at the utter blankness of it.
"If this is true…then it must have been suppressed from the knowledge of the First Primes, for this is the first time I am hearing of it."
"In any case," Cao Cao raised his voice slightly, "The culture of Liberty's people would be utterly incompatible with the old culture of this world, and that is just an example. The overall point of the Eyes is partially cultural police and are especially involved in such areas of friction."
"Because 'culture' police sounds a lot better than 'SS'," Jack coughed.
"It is a bit authoritarian, Colonel, I will admit, but as the Emperor learned when trying to combine over fifty distinct world's cultures there must be a firm hand to keep from minor friction coming into violence."
"It's…not entirely the worst idea, when put into a certain context, Jack," Daniel sighed.
Jack shifted his seat slightly away from him, the chair squeaking noisily.
"Should I be expecting you to be putting a little cap with a skull on it next, herr Jackson?"
"I-is the accent necessary Jack?"
"Och no, sir, I'm just…wait, no that's Scottish," Jack trailed off…before turning to look at the bemused Cao Cao. "Sorry…uh…no offense."
"It's perfectly fine," the elderly man shrugged with a pleasant smile, "I cannot recall if there was a single world that did not run into slight issues on the front of cultural clashes in the first generations. Fighting over the meaning of different words, over marriage traditions, the subject of erotica legality, defining the age of consent, substance laws, so on and so forth."
"And…without a force like the Eyes, you're saying things like that could have escalated into revolt, civil war, stuff like that?"
Cao Cao tilted his head and smiled faintly.
"Things did escalate into revolt, civil war, and 'stuff like that', Doctor Jackson. As Captain Sun so…loudly…spoke of, at first the Emperor freely granted his technologies and resources to the worlds he had liberated. A mistake, as we all tragically learned."
"Captain Sun said that 'one world was enough'," Daniel murmured.
"Indeed," Cao Cao confirmed, "Too many conflicting cultures, suddenly with weapons that could scorch the earth – when a week before they had been in more than one case banging around with bronze and rock clubs? Some even took the Emperor to be some other Goa'uld and attempted to 'rise up' against him…with his own weapons."
"Oooh," Daniel sucked air in through his teeth.
"I'm assuming that that didn't go well," Jack quirked an eyebrow.
"Thus did the Emperor prove himself, unequivocally, to be no truly divine figure," Cao Cao's smile flickered and disappeared.
"Well that doesn't sound ominous or anything, eh Doktor Jackson?"
"Jack – please, continue Governor," Daniel sighed.
"The Emperor destroyed an entire world out of frustration," Cao Cao whispered.
Jack felt a sudden trickle of coldness along his spine.
"They had taken his weapons, his technology…and used them to begin enslaving the populaces of other worlds – after forcibly taking control of a Warp Gate that he had built for them. Their culture supported it…and so they continued it afterward," Cao Cao continued, "And they were not alone in their actions. Cultures built entirely around raiding for resources…immediately turned to doing so the moment the Emperor tried assuring them that he would not be destroying them or enslaving them himself – not like a Goa'uld would do, you understand."
"And…in going so far to assure these people that he would not treat them like the Goa'uld, they…yeah, I can see how that would go badly."
"Thus," Cao Cao gestured to the air, "The Eyes came into being. The Emperor destroyed one world…and learned to firmly suppress such things until they could be changed by time, education, new generations learning that the old ways were to be left behind. He held the capacity to obliterate every world that defied him and his wishes – yet he refused to do so. Luckily, after demonstrating the power under his control…another was not required."
"Bet Palpatine wished that worked for him, huh?"
"Jack…," Daniel huffed as he dropped his head into his hands. He breathed deeply and then raised his head up again. "Governor Cao Cao, this is…all quite…"
"It is a lot to take in, I know, and yet our records are publically accessible," Cao Cao hummed. "I am sure that the Emperor would love to meet with you personally – but he isn't here at the moment."
"But he can't be waging war against the Goa'uld, so-,"
"Openly, no," Cao Cao murmured, "But no, even if he were there is little doubt that he would not enjoy meeting the people who killed Ra and managed to finagle Apophis's First Prime out from under him."
"Well if he's so eager, then where is his Immortalness?"
A bump of an elbow dragged Jack's attention away from the governor.
"Sir, all due respect, aren't the Emperor's Eyes still…here with us? Shouldn't we try to you know, not antagonize them?"
Jack's response was to shrug at Carter's suggestion.
"Eh."
"I am far too old to be getting riled up, don't worry about me. In any case, the Emperor would no doubt be delighted to stop in and say hello but he isn't in the galaxy right now."
Which brought another bout of silent staring at one another between SG-1. Daniel opened his mouth once before closing, while Carter started doing some form of calculations in the air with her fingers before slowly stopping while shaking her head.
"Well that's a neat trick," Jack finally said. "Wish I could get out of staff meetings that way."
"You're not in those anyway most of the time though Jack."
"Now is not the time to be spreading lies to people Daniel."
"Uh, right, I have a question," Carter raised a hand slightly, "How?"
"Means I am not cleared to know, only that he has. The Immortal Emperor has been in another galaxy for almost…a century and a half now."
"I'm almost afraid to ask why," Jack murmured to himself.
"He is killing some of his children," Cao Cao answered regardless.
"He's what now?"
"Jack, calm down," Daniel waved a hand at the Colonel, "I'm sure that there's a perfectly good explanation."
"As I've heard it told," Cao Cao said mildly, "His son, Alphan – a lesser intelligence and man, only ever making Sub Commander in the military – was driven insane by the Gods there. And though the Emperor slew those same Gods with a weapon made by another God…Alphan refused to be put down. He corrupted more of his brothers, Betai and others, and together – with full access to his technologies – they have…done terrible things. He fights a war against them even now."
"That's….that's terrible," Daniel rubbed the back of his head as he leaned back in his chair.
The food had long gone cold by that point.
"Indeed. With him fighting a war all on his own, the Goa'uld having standing policy to commit atrocity when we approach – and us in turn committing to the total destruction of any force they intrude on our territory with – we are rather…stuck besides our own internal improvement as according to his decrees."
"Hold on," Jack interrupted, "You said he killed all the Gods – in some other galaxy. Are there even more Goa'uld we didn't know about? Daniel how many more Gods did Earth have?"
"Quite…a lot, Jack," Daniel rubbed his forehead, "Do you…do you want me to get you a list?"
"I was hoping you'd say like, twelve, but once again you have taken my optimism and strangled it," Jack sighed.
"I know of every Goa'uld alive, and many of those dead. I have never once heard of more of them in another galaxy entirely," Teal'c spoke, his brow furrowed. "That is…worrying."
"Not false gods like the slugs," Cao Cao shook his head, "I mean real ones. Bolts of lightning, miracles, manipulating time, space, and matter as they will…with their strength and power directly contingent on worship."
"That's…I'm sorry but I kind of find that hard to believe."
"You are not required to do anything, least of all believe Doctor Jackson," Cao Cao splayed his hands out. "But that is the truth. I can see that this is all quite a lot to take in, would you care to rest…or we can revisit this at a later time? I believe that all SG teams are required to return home to report yes?"
"Uh…Jack?"
"Right, um…Carter?"
"I'd be fine with staying for a bit, sir."
"Teal'c?"
"I am interested in learning more on these free Jaffa O'Neill."
"Right," Jack clapped his hands, "We're fine with staying I guess."
"Wait," Daniel waved, "Do I not get a vote?"
"Oh, well excuse me Daniel, what do you want to do," Jack stuck his fists on his hips and twisted to look towards the SG-1 member.
"Well I'd…," Daniel's voice faltered, "vote…to stay," he finished weakly.
"Oh, my! Well what an unexpected answer! Now then, governor," Jack looked to Cao Cao, "We'd love to stay for a while."
"Well, I'm sure we'll love having you. I can have you escorted to our guest apartments here in the palace, or…if you would prefer to have a place in the city proper?"
"Uh," Jack looked at the rest of his team, "The first one sounds good."
"Excellent!"
Cao Cao clapped his hands…and servants flooded into the room.
"Oh! Hello there," Daniel yelped as hands suddenly appeared across his body, "That's – that's actually very – oh I need these actually, to see-,"
"Well," Jack turned his head to look above the sea of servants to Carter who had simply just raised her hands up in the air in surrender, "I feel like we've made a good decision here. And look, Daniel is already enjoying himself."
"Yes, sir, but um…shouldn't we be concerned about them getting access to our equipment?"
"Carter, I hate to tell you this, but they've got laser shooting swords and space ships that apparently can wipe out Goa'uld in a second. I don't think we've got much that they'd really want."
"What about this thing we call love?"
"Think they've got that," Jack shrugged. "Good try to Carter. What about apple pie and freedom?"
"Aside from the scary invisible police, I think they're ok on that front too sir."
"Shame," Jack shrugged as they were slowly carried away by the tide of white silk wearing servants, new and far comfier looking clothes being offered up to them.
"Oh no thank you, I'm quite – no I mean, please, I'm fine!"
Jack looked towards Daniel, then the stoic Teal'c who appeared wholly unaffected by the people around him. Then he looked back towards Carter, and Cao Cao who had somehow teleported to just ahead of the whole sea of servants.
"Well, it's better than getting shot at."
"Jack!"
"Suck it up Daniel!"
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