Two years later.
"Our guest today is Phaeron Sareh," the camera panned away from the host, focusing on me. "I'd like to thank you again for agreeing to this interview."
"No problem," I replied. "Society has accumulated quite a few questions about my policies, and people have the right to ask them."
– First of all, many people express concern about technological progress. What can you tell them?
"I understand them," he said, seemingly surprising everyone. "Just ten years ago, the structure of society was agrarian, but now everything is starting to change. A firm sense of one's path is eroding. Sailors will understand: it's like being lost at sea after a storm, with fog all around and no one knowing where to go. Ten years ago, people toiled in the fields, relying on the strength of their muscles. Now, people have the opportunity to go to work simply by connecting to a system that can control a robot in a factory. And that factory could be thousands of kilometers away from where they live."
Yes, I implemented the Surrogates project. As soon as I informed the governments of Tollana, Svorin, and Galaran of my readiness to launch this project and its nature, hundreds of scientists joined me. First, I needed to improve the chairs to avoid a repeat of Teal'c's situation and eliminate the self-programming environment. Then, using Altair's technology (Harlan was delighted to meet the Guardian, though he didn't share his feelings), I needed to create a robotic humanoid and refine it to a low-cost version through extensive testing. And finally, I needed to launch the product on the market. What is the benefit of the Surrogates? They reduce the risk of injury in any production environment to zero and allow a person to work at their peak, operating the robot without fatigue. Despite the significant initial investment, the return was colossal.
Planets that began using "Surrogates" achieved zero industrial accidents, increased efficiency, and now the infrastructure necessary for people to work in extreme conditions—whether in mines or space mining—was no longer required. However, it was then that I finally got "bitten by the bug." More precisely, it was the currents that said, "It was better before." That's why I had to go on TV shows to clarify what the official authorities thought about this.
"But I still have to ask these people a question. Okay, so you don't like the technologies I'm introducing. But what about technologies that are commonplace to you? The wheel, for example. There are civilizations that don't use it. Fabric production and dyeing technology, or even plows. These are all examples of technologies you're accustomed to. So you should clarify in your speeches: it's not technology that ruins everything, but rather that we're simply not accustomed to it. If you don't want to use it, fine, don't use it. I'm not forcing you. You have hands and a head on your shoulders. If you want to live by your convictions, I won't barge into your home and force you into a virtual reality chair."
– But these people argue that the way of life is changing, which is why many are losing their jobs and they have to find something new.
"Yes, that's true," I said sadly. "However, retraining for other specialties can be done quite quickly. It's not easy to change what you've been doing for a long time, relying on the work of generations of ancestors. But it's worth remembering what technology brought: antibiotics, nanites, and other tools are the result of high technology. The development of antibiotics required access to higher education and the industrial production of microscopes, which, for example, might have displeased glassblowers. And in the end, it began to save lives."
"What about the claim that technology is changing people, like artificial body parts?" asked the interviewer, who had studied society's pressing issues and was prepared to address them to ease tensions.
"Technology doesn't change people at all. For the simple reason that people need time to change. On Earth, the Industrial Revolution was truly a time of contradictions. Factories needed a lot of workers, but cities weren't prepared for the influx of people, leaving them literally sleeping on ropes. Knowing this problem, I tried to eliminate it by starting the industrial production of transport rings. This allowed us to avoid overloading the cities: people worked in the city, but lived on the land of their ancestors. However, this destroyed the rural communal system, where some people worked in the fields, while others were left to fend for themselves, while the latter grew rich. This bred envy, which led to the villages themselves pushing people into the cities. Is technology to blame for this, or is it envy? Technology is neutral; only the hands that wield it matter.
– What would you say to people who are starting to fear technology?
"I'm saying they're still citizens of the Tetrarchy, and I'll protect them. They can live as they wish, but they must also allow others to live as they choose, and not commit any criminal acts. The planet is vast, and if they need a place where they can live according to the old ways, let them."
"There are still political questions. Regarding your creation of the Senate. Many consider it useless, while others consider it necessary. You, Phaeron, and the Phaetarkh of Isara, govern the planet very well, and many do not understand why another legislative body must be created."
"So we can relax," I joked, and the host and I laughed. "The thing is: we're still limited beings, and we need some help, as well as connections with different regions. When a hundred representatives, knowledgeable about the problems of their regions, propose laws to improve the situation—be it in one region or on the entire planet—it will help us govern. I also believe that happy people, completely confident in the future, are also attentive and want to maintain their good life as long as possible. Due to procedural issues, it could happen that Isara and I don't pay attention to a problem due to lack of time. Senators from a given region can better understand the situation, understand the priorities, and draft legislation that will help their people. It's also a good system of control over governors, who wield significant executive power but can break certain laws to further their own personal interests.
Yes, corruption is a perennial problem. Fortunately, Urvashi is developing a police system that operates very effectively, thanks to technology. The police have acquired a multitude of new tools that they've used to investigate crimes. They've become an effective tool for carrying out their tasks, and the rising standard of living has only made their job easier. The main threats came from psychos, maniacs, corruption, and gangsters. This is now handled by the Tetrarchic Investigative Service, an FBI analogue.
The TIS handles crimes that the police can't handle, deploying more manpower and technology, as well as screening officials for corrupt ties. It's routine and methodical work. I think they'll eventually develop political departments, because "Your people are getting smarter, sir." To curb absolutism, we need a Parliament where different factions can sort out their differences rather than throwing bombs at officials. Both left-wing and right-wing ideas are perfectly acceptable, but I need centrism. Communism and fascism typically thrive when the economic situation is dire, and agitators tell desperate people what they need to do to live better. The middle class generally holds centrist views and is very much against ideas of "taking everything and dividing it up" or other ideas that suggest aggressive expansion. Of course, I've annexed several planets, which have become markets, and I'm trading, improving my economic situation.
"Surrogates" have changed a lot. All industrial enterprises are switching to a system where workers work remotely, for the better. Naturally, there's a certain security system in place to prevent sabotage. The construction of Hattaks has improved significantly with the modernization of production facilities, as has the assembly of Alkesh. Khasar stations were built on other planets, and production also accelerated, and as construction accelerated... Basically, the economic boom is in full swing. The main thing is to avoid the Great Depression.
But from a Jaffa training perspective, this is just the thing. The Jaffa have already seen Alien and Predator, and they "really" liked them. They also play through practically the entirety of World War II. I had to find veterans and turn their memories into action movies. But the Jaffa have a wealth of experience; they know how to fight in many climates, and they also know the history of World War II very well. Well, how well? They literally played through every battle I was able to compile from the participants' memories on the highest difficulty level (I sometimes added the number of enemies; the Jaffa are a peculiar people, after all). Plus, they were given context, so they had a fairly good idea of the forces on both sides and the overall competence of the troops. World War II and the Korean War are enough to significantly improve the competence of my troops. They fight quite a lot in virtual reality, including through Tartarus. Yes, the number of missions was simply abnormal.
A special department on Earth was finding combat veterans and scanning their memories for just such situations. And considering it had only been ten years since the war ended, quite a few of them were still alive, so the Jaffa had the opportunity to have some fun. Or rather, to train. True, I'll have to use them again, since the operation in Kenya was pure massacre.
Princess Elizabeth, now Queen, will no longer be seen in the Kenyan wilderness. This country, through my "modest" efforts, gained independence. Everything followed the SAS pattern: the high command fell, the governor was killed, the airfield was reduced to rubble. Then came the raids, with gunfire everywhere, mines on the roads during retreats, constant ambushes, the use of Panzerfausts, mortars, and machine guns. Three Jaffa companies destroyed the Kenyan colonial garrison, after which the locals took up the banner of resistance, and we retreated. The press was abuzz, like a circus, but the situation was critical: the enormous losses of British troops and police in such a short time required new forces from the British Empire.
Moreover, the US and the USSR, wanting to spite Britain, recognized Kenya's independence. As a result, I gained yet another proxy force that would closely monitor my interests, since I was the one funding them. Overall, I only took on Kenya because a powerful popular uprising was brewing there, under the cover of which I could operate undetected. Furthermore, my Jaffa were of no particular color, so the British suspected anyone—the Egyptians, the Americans, the Soviets. Churchill kicked MI6, but the train had already started moving, and the Empire was disintegrating.
— However, there are restrictions on who can become a senator.
"Complete chaos is unacceptable; law and reason must be maintained. Generally, the age limit is set at 30. By this age, people typically reach maturity, have lost less of their youthful maximalism, and are capable of calculating their actions in advance and understanding the full weight and responsibility of power."
— However, there are also those in the Empire's administration who are younger than this age, for example, the phaetarch Isar.
- Yes, but she was prepared for rule from childhood, so despite her noble birth, she was deprived of much.
Urvashi was currently undergoing profound social transformations. Advanced technology had reduced the number of people employed in agriculture by 10%, with the potential for further decline. The freed-up labor force was channeled into factories. Thanks to teleportation rings, urban overcrowding was avoided, allowing workers to live in close proximity to rural residents. However, social stratification, primarily in terms of wealth, was beginning to emerge. Despite all efforts, Isara kept food prices low enough to allow farmers to profit, remembering the lessons of the Great Depression. Over time, conflicts between workers and farmers began to wear down the former (largely because the latter did not understand the nature of the former's work, and then "Surrogates" appeared), and the workers began to establish their own cottage communities. As I've already mentioned, distance was irrelevant for teleportation (except for the delivery of materials). Cars remained the primary means of transportation within cities (not every home had a teleportation ring), for trips to the countryside, and so on.
To deliver cargo to places where the highway hadn't yet been built, antigravity platforms were used. Initially, I planned to create a multitude of transport aircraft, but then I gained access to thermonuclear fusion, thus solving the energy problem. So instead of aircraft, we used antigravity platforms, which flew low but could carry enormous loads. Piston-engine aircraft, however, developed rapidly: the Jaffa trained anyone who wanted to fly (on my orders), and as a result, thousands of people learned to fly in their free time, and they loved it. From here, pilots were recruited for the antigravity platforms, which, among other things, delivered equipment to virgin forests where people sought to establish their lives.
There was a backlash: too much technology, and people couldn't keep up. So, a decision was made to take a step back. Factories weren't destroyed, although a few fanatics emerged, preaching that all this had replaced "real" life. But most people remembered the last epidemic and how, thanks to technology, death from disease had become a thing of the past. So they preferred my technophilia to someone else's technophobia. Science fiction books and dreams of colonizing other planets were actively distributed. Overall, a large-scale propaganda campaign aimed at technophilia was carried out: "Join in and create something useful." The education system made it possible to make the entire population literate, and further development was dependent on desire and availability. This determined those who wanted to further advance science and those who simply wanted to work in their jobs. Against the backdrop of universal literacy, a culture of reading and literary creativity developed. Urvashi literally leapt through eras, but socially, it changed little. I was convinced that the difference between a medieval person and a 21st-century one was minimal, limited to technological advancement.
At the same time, Jaffa equipment was improving: elite sniper units emerged with sophisticated helmet-mounted sighting systems and unique small arms reminiscent of heavy sniper rifles, mortars, MANPADS, wheeled rocket launchers, and artillery. All of this had to be coordinated by a battle management system. The Germans left behind a wealth of data and research, which was passed on to the US and USSR, and to me. It's ironic that from 1945 to the 21st century, humanity only invented helicopters and satellites. Meanwhile, 80% of the world's armies at the beginning of the 21st century barely reached the level of the Wehrmacht in 1945, when everything was used in combat. The remaining 20% of countries were developing weapons technology, selling their developments to other countries in exchange for loyalty.
Technically, the V-2 is the basis for all intercontinental ballistic missiles on the planet, including mine—just add the necessary electronics and call it your own missile. Plus, I have data on several missile programs, not just Earth's. So, I was able to create a series of missiles suitable for military use. The time will come, and everyone will have fun. Especially the Goa'uld. However, Perseus informed me that Vritra reassembled the exploded Rhino and set up small-scale production. Looks like the Goa'uld are starting to get smarter.
While she's playing with the BMP, I'm moving forward: developing tactics and a strategy for deploying units to other planets without the aid of a Gate. The Gate satellite, which has proven extremely effective, allows us to bypass even protected Gates. The pinnacle of my tactical thinking is reconnaissance drones and drone-human combinations, as well as drone-artillery mounts. Basically, lots and lots of drones. We're talking about a highly secure communications system. Whatever the Goa'uld think, they have electronic warfare systems, which was even demonstrated in the series when they flew up to SG-1, going live.
With the right installations, they can detect radio and other communication systems. So for now, I'm experimenting with the general concept, and my units are trained as highly skilled assault infantry, whose competence demonstrates high results. The interaction between aviation, artillery (mortars), and infantry is at a decent level. Understanding the concept of "Blitzkrieg," my troops practice lightning wars, taking other scenarios into account. I had no interest in holding territory that was 100% mine, so I needed to quickly arrive, destroy (take) everything, and leave. The concept of garrisons for my troops becomes unclear.
The Jaffa have two roles: to train and to fight with maximum efficiency. And this efficiency is determined solely by the concept that perfection is unattainable, but one must do everything to achieve it. For example, in defense, my Immortals prefer the Wehrmacht's "Falsch-Schneider" tactics, as they demonstrated greater effectiveness in this type of combat. This was particularly noted during the analysis of the Battle of Monte Cassino (a place in Italy). From February 15 to May 19, 1944, German forces defended the Gustav Line, which, nevertheless, was broken. The Allies lost 50% of their casualties (despite capturing Rome), while the Germans lost only 20%. Despite the breakthrough of the defensive line, this did not lead to the defeat of the German 10th Army; they retreated to a defensive line in the Florence area. Even after the Normandy landings, the defense at Monte Cassino slowed the Allied advance for a long time.
Because of the atypical composition of the army, where my army is essentially a separate branch of humanity, I have access to different resources than humans. I can train the Jaffa as much as I want and in anything. A universal army is emerging, capable of literally anything, something others are unable to create for simple reasons: the days when a soldier could serve 20 years in the army are long gone, and even then there were no resources for training. Here the situation is somewhat different: essentially, I need to inspire their loyalty and distract them from my activities. And if every soldier needs to master the operation of tanks, planes, infantry fighting vehicles, and how to fire artillery, then that's even better. They have time, a lot of time, that can be used. So I dread to imagine what a book listing the specialties of a private Jaffa will look like in 50 years.
The Jaffa have also begun to display remarkable intelligence. No, they're not asking if I've elevated them to the rank of gods—their thoughts run much deeper. They're inquiring about improved land mines, begging for better equipment, and, imagine, even training with scuba gear! This goes beyond the scope of a conventional army, but let me remind you, my human branch is an army unto itself, and thanks to the nanites, their service is now lifelong, extended for three centuries.
For example, new recruits will join the ranks upon reaching fifteen, or I'll conquer another lord. The soldiers will serve until they're promoted, despite the fact that their level of competence may already be comparable to that of cohort commanders, or captains. At a minimum, they'll possess the skills of platoon or company commanders. Essentially, my privates will, over time, develop into experienced commanders, ready for promotion.
Intensive training allows me to assess each individual: who's ready for career advancement and who's content with their current status. This level of preparation transforms my army into something akin to special forces—a rare phenomenon, achievable only among warrior races like the Jaffa or, as in Warhammer, the Space Marines. Under normal circumstances, training such versatile specialists would be prohibitively expensive, and no one would bother with it, or at least only the bare minimum. Remember the False Jaegers: there were only one hundred thousand of them, and seventy thousand of them died. In other words, the number of specialists maintained during combat operations was extremely small compared to the rest of the forces. My objectives are different, and so the results are corresponding.
Should I seek revenge on Apophis for his forces directed against me, or should I hold off? Simply killing Teal'c and Bra'tac would be unforgivable. Perhaps I should limit the scope of my operations.
Yes, and I need to focus on the interview. It's not just a coincidence that they're asking me to do it – it's a crucial part of propaganda, or, more accurately, covering events in the way I want.
– What, in your opinion, is the role of the state in governing society?
– Restrained. The state's only role in governance is to set standards, but without excessive zeal. The state shouldn't dictate what music you listen to, but it should give musicians the opportunity to protect the rights to their creations. The state should make it easier for people to earn a living, since their taxes constitute the bulk of the budget.
Perhaps this is too little dictatorship and too much libertarianism. But overregulating people will do more harm to the economy. The essence of my economic policy is for everyone to be able to start their own business in literally an hour. However, some regulation is necessary. The Great Depression and the mortgage crisis—that's what scares me.
"However, regulation still exists," the interviewer points out.
"The state creates the rules. And if it's the right state, acting as an arbitrator between different groups, then the rules will be more or less fair. The Senate is also needed so that representatives of these groups can express their point of view on various laws, offering a unique perspective to model the situation."
But mostly, this is being done to reduce the burden on me and Isara, and to have someone to blame in the event of popular discontent. Discontent will arise sooner or later, even if I act impeccably, for the simple reason that "Your subjects are getting smarter, sir."
- Let's move on to the next questions.