Lesser Lord Sareh Kuria has conveyed to us all the information wrested from the captives' minds. The man who spoke seemed exhausted, weariness oozing from him.
"I still have a book to write," I said, a quiet plea in my voice. "Thank you. Sincerely. How are your people? If anything, I'm ready to share my memory-clearing technology."
"Thank you, but we can handle this ourselves," she replied. "You've given us truly invaluable material for exploring our ancestral home."
"Chancellor, you have every right to scold and curse me as much as you like," I admitted, my voice trembling. "I'm drowning in it myself, trying to continue working on the lesson for the Earthlings. Hundreds of times I've cursed the day I didn't shoot them on the spot."
"Why are you so absorbed in this lesson?" the question sounded much more relaxed, as if the tense armor had been released.
"My wife hates Earth—you share her feelings, I suppose. I mourn her as I mourn the plague that has infected my soul. I may profess rationalism, but my heart trembles at the cruelty of war, at the lust to dominate, to tear enemies to pieces, to punish scoundrels. It would be better if this were a lesson to the people of Earth; whether it is accepted is their choice. We have done all we could."
"I understand... But still, I'm glad this chapter of our relationship is over," the chancellor sighed heavily again. "I and all the investigators have begun praying. If you'd told me a year ago, I would have laughed."
- Who did you pray to?
- Anyone, as long as the place looks like Hell.
"Then I will join you in prayer," I closed my eyes for a moment, indicating my assent. "But, be that as it may, it's time to return to the more pleasant part of our relationship. How did your people react to the nanites?"
"Very positive," the chancellor finally allowed himself a smile. "If you were running for the Curia, your ratings would allow you to win."
"Alas, I am an authoritarian ruler, a feudal lord. So, I've jotted down a few things," I handed him the crystal. "These are notes on possible Goa'uld tactics. Although, perhaps, these are my own thoughts on tactics. To break your defenses, the Goa'uld could launch a multi-pronged attack with gliders. Each one is capable of carrying bombs or biological weapons targeted at humans. Another option is to destroy your star."
"WHAT?" the chancellor exclaimed in shock. "How is this possible?"
"We take the gate, fly to the black hole, and eject it somewhere nearby. We take a second gate and use it to dial the address of the first. This way, you'll not only lose the ability to retreat, but also turn your star into a supernova."
– How come you haven't killed each other yet?
"Because we abide by the codes. You're not part of these codes. But if your space forces discover the gate, they can destroy it. There's no point in attracting attention here. You'll find yourself facing an advanced civilization capable of destroying the System Lords' ships. But everything changes if such a civilization starts poking its nose into everything. Therefore, I strongly advise strengthening the defensive perimeter. I'm doing the same myself."
We appreciate your advice. Are there any other technology agreements you'd like to pursue?
"Yes. I want to commission the development of spacecraft suitable for mining. The technical requirements are on this crystal."
"Such conditions will be acceptable for Kuria, and we will assemble a scientific team to develop such a ship," he assured.
"I'm glad of that too," I said, standing up to say goodbye to the Chancellor and taking all the data obtained by the Tollans from Unit 731 and Mengele. They even rendered the memories in black and white, likely using a highly sophisticated neural network. The goal was to prevent people from realizing they were looking at memories. Once the investigation is complete, all the accused must be returned to me, and justice will prevail.