The Tok'ra High Council, hunched over cups of diluted alcohol, digested the stunning news. They expected Szarekh, upon learning of the expedition's scale, to immediately abandon the planet with his fleet, seeking refuge under Ra's protection. There, he could become a military commander, under constant supervision, allowing Ra to contain his growing power. However, Szarekh, once again, turned the tables. He destroyed the punitive fleet sent for his head, captured the flagship, and received original orders to destroy Urvashi in retaliation for the dishonor of House Apophis. He then demonstrated a new warship, exchanged it for a larger fleet, and suffered minimal losses in pennants. He then organized a rapid hunt for the High Lords sent for his head, clearly hinting to Apophis that he could be next.
However, the reason Szarekh didn't kill Apophis was obvious: doing so would have made him a target for the other System Lords, and he would have been unable to control Apophis's House on his own. Therefore, he began to undermine his power base, effectively initiating five civil wars, forcing the Jaffa to choose which "god" they would serve after their master's death. This entire complex of measures led to Apophis, under pressure from the united Elder Lords, tired of the delusional ambitions of Apophis and Ra, complying with Szarekh's ultimatum. Goa'uld politics, it turns out, can be unpredictable. From now on, Szarekh pays no taxes and can cooperate with anyone, which he has already begun actively doing, selling his obsolete tracked vehicles, new-model plasma rifles, and other equipment that he, as Ra's "vassal," was forbidden from selling. Now these restrictions have been lifted, and trade, rather than prestige, appears to have become his primary goal in his quest for System Lord status.
The Tok'ra watched in amazement as he recruited other Goa'uld. Szarekh himself had accepted no one, deeming them incompetent. Officially, he owned no other planets except Urvashi. Everyone knew this was a lie; a Goa'uld with such a colossal supply of naquadah was bound to own many planets. However, attempts by other System Lords to plant their governors to obtain information about Szarekh's planets were unsuccessful. The Mercenary Lord politely refused all requests, as the Goa'uld had failed his tests. The very system of constructing these tests spoke volumes about Szarekh, who sought the most competent personnel. The Tok'ra, however, by virtue of their primary mission, could not appear overly competent in the service of the Goa'uld.
A new, powerful force had emerged in the galaxy, demonstrating vast ambitions. The Tok'ra had no information about it; even Sokar's camp had spies, but Szarekh had none. This was a grave concern. They knew where he would strike thanks to his list of contracts, but no one could have foreseen his ability to destroy five High Lords in just a few weeks. No one in the galaxy expected this, nor that he would capture a Huttak and then use drop pods with integrated teleporters to deploy his forces. And even less expected that he would personally lead his Lych Guard in an assault on an enemy palace and achieve success so quickly. Also, no one foresaw the demonstration of Atlas-class walkers, which had proven themselves to be excellent in urban combat. While vulnerable in linear combat, they proved an effective replacement for tanks in airborne assault operations in urban environments.
The Goa'uld immediately ordered their scientists to create a similar weapon as quickly as possible. The Goa'uld scientists, beaten to within an inch of their lives despite the proximity of their sarcophagi, were under constant pressure to produce immediate results. The leisurely pace of previous generations was a thing of the past, along with Szarekh's rapid raids on Goa'uld worlds. The Tok'ra suspected that Szarekh was using these attacks to build his intelligence network, as it was impossible to explain the incident in which a Jaffa shot his own master—one of his most loyal warriors, chosen precisely for his fanaticism. There was also a sabotage of the Elder Lord's flagship, which caused the weapon to turn and fire on its own ship. Szarekh was clearly cultivating his own Ashraks, employing unconventional methods of killing. Fortunately for the Tok'ra, he did not hunt them, as they held no interest for him.
The new System Lord's actions significantly aided the Tok'ra. Kronos was engaged in a civil war with Zeus, and Apophis was embroiled in five local conflicts. Furthermore, Szarekh's actions were constantly draining the Goa'uld's strength, forcing them into intense warfare, which negatively impacted their budgets and contributed to the elimination of some lords from the galactic arena. However, wars were now being resolved quickly, as competitors could hire Szarekh. Everyone hired him because he only took money and was considered a very reliable Goa'uld—in Goa'uld society, this was considered almost a compliment, so he was trusted. But when he was hired against you, it was no longer a joy.
However, after millennia of warfare, the Goa'uld had become accustomed to disappointment. Maps of new domains were updated almost weekly. All Goa'uld had five years to prepare, and they were showing results. Szarekh's old tracked vehicles were purchased by impoverished minor lords to equip their units. Those who managed to establish production had antigravity IFVs and tanks, often with rather strange modifications. Some insightful Goa'uld even found a way to transport threaders through the gate without losing any pilots. The wheel of military thought began to turn, guided by the trendsetter – Szarekh. As soon as any new development appeared, scientists braced themselves for beatings and demands to create the same or better. It was nerve-wracking.
Despite the fact that all of Szarekh's drop pods had self-destruct systems, the idea was simple: toss teleportation rings into the landing pod. This was precisely the idea the scientists pored over. Szarekh used them for boarding and landing operations. Missiles and other weapons were also popular. But inventing a new weapon was one thing, teaching the Jaffa to use it quite another, which was no easy task. So the war was a mixed bag. Some units might be equipped with new armor and plasma rifles, while others ran around with unwieldy staffs, climbing into infantry fighting vehicles with them. Reforming the Goa'uld armies was accompanied by certain problems, unique to each, but there were also common ones. A lack of understanding of how Szarekh trained his legions to achieve the same. There were no captured Immortals; even bodies that couldn't be retrieved exploded. Everyone wore helmets, and removing them triggered an explosive device.
The Tok'ra rejoiced at the significant losses among the Goa'uld and the weakening of their influence on many planets, as fewer and fewer Jaffa were deployed for garrison duty and more and more for combat. This allowed them to stage local uprisings, manipulate intelligence, and launch large-scale wars that claimed dozens of Huttaks.
However, at the same time, the organization recognized that someone else was playing by their own rules, seeking victory, undermining the System Lords, and then attacking them. Of course, every Goa'uld dreamed of overthrowing Ra, but not everyone had the strength. Heruur remained a loyal ally, Sokar was amassing his strength, Apophis was temporarily sidelined, and Kronos was dealing with Zeus. Yu was uninterested. All that remained were Baal, who retained most of his forces, and a growing power far removed from all conflict, a year's journey away: Szarekh. But he himself couldn't have quickly redeployed his forces, and most importantly, maintained his conquests, so he never even attempted it. The Tok'ra High Council had its suspicions, but the situation was too complex, so they simply got drunk. After all, they had to adjust their plans to account for highly maneuverable warfare.
"It will be funny if Szareh becomes Emperor," Selmak said.
"It won't be funny," Persus replied. "The Empire might tighten its grip on the galaxy even more."
"It will be funny that the Empire now has a ruler who takes risks on the battlefield along with his troops.
— It was during the early Empire.
"Ra didn't fight in the battle. Only Apep. The lords became lazy. However, this played into our hands. Now we need to find new ways to influence them."
"That's what we're looking for," Persus pointed to the still full bottles of diluted alcohol.
"I hope alcohol will provide an answer," Selmak said.