Chapter 2

The ships given to me by Lord Yu as our left wing were a quartet of Ha'taks, the Xiaotian Quan, Tian Gou, Zouyu, and Fenghuang, along with the Al'kesh Gunships Guandao, Nandao, Podao, Liuyedao, Zhanmadao, Dadao, Miaodao, and Niuwedao. We were facing off against Orunmila and his two Ha'taks and five Al'kesh Gunships, led by his flagship, the Ha'tak Opele.

As Olokun and his flagship, Nla Ida took the bulk of his forces against Lord Yu on his flagship Tian Lung, our battle would be fought here on the left. The first order of business was to clear away the Al'kesh, rather than go straight for the Ha'taks. The Al'kesh Gunships warded off attacks by Fighters that could be deadly in large numbers, along with performing duties as a light combat ship, adding their firepower to that of the Ha'taks. A'lkesh could themselves down a Ha'tak in groups of three or more to one.

In effect, Al'kesh were the destroyers and light cruisers of the Goa'uld Fleet while the Ha'taks were the Battlecruisers and Carriers. Right now, only Ra was allowed to have any Battleships by ancient agreement, and the Go'auld still lacked dedicated heavy cruisers, but those issues could be remedied later, right now we had a battle to win.

"Launch fighters. I do not believe that the enemy's fighter contingent will be capable of penetrating our modified shields, but it is best not to give them the chance to try. As for our Ha'taks, I want this battlefield sweet clean of Enemy Al'kesh as a priority. Our own Al'kesh are to concentrate their fire on that second Ha'tak." I ordered.

"As you command." Intoned Chen, my First Prime relaying my orders to the rest of the fleet.

Almost immediately, the Primes of my group of ships swung into action. My overlord trained his Jaffa well and they did their jobs with gusto. The Al'kesh Gunships of my section of the fleet pushed forward, ignoring their opposite numbers to fire on the Second Ha'tak. My Pel'tac throne computer said it was the Opon Ifá. As they bulled ahead, the twin-linked staff cannons of the underside of the Al'kesh started firing away, golden bolts of plasma slamming into shields and causing the plasma to wash over the rippling defenses of the Opon Ifá.

The Enemy Ha'tak began firing back with its staff cannons, but it had to spread its fire out and Al'kesh were far more nimble than the larger, more cumbersome Ha'tak. Our Al'kesh dodged and weaved through incoming bolts of golden-hot plasma and responded in kind, the Opon Ifá too cumbersome to take effective evasive maneuvers. This sort of fight went against the standard Goa'uld doctrine of forming a line of battle, but as the enemy Al'kesh moved to fire on the flanks of our Al'kesh, our Ha'taks joined the fray.

Golden beams of light flashed out, pounding the shields of the enemy Al'kesh down with repeated blasts of plasma fire. The Kicker was when I ordered a full salvo of fire from the Xiaotian Quan to fire on the port front quarter of one of the enemy Al'kesh's shields. The blast of golden plasma burned hot enough to show a core of white as it lanced out and punched right through the enemy Al'kesh's shields to burn into its armor, melting bulkheads and armor plates and exposing the interior to vacuum. Our second shot utterly annihilated the Al'kesh and we turned our attention to the next one.

As our Staff Cannons lanced more beams at the next Al'kesh, suddenly, Orunmila's flagship, the Opele opened fire on us. Beams of golden light slammed into our reinforced shields and washed over them like water off a duck's ass. The Pel'tac shook with the thunder of a full salvo of enemy fire, but it was all for nothing.

"Shields holding steady at eighty-seven percent, My Lord." Informed Chen. As he did so, another of the enemy Al'kesh went up in flames.

"Excellent. Have the Zouyu, and Fenghuang switch targets to the Opon Ifá and Opele respectively. Once the last of the enemy Al'kesh have been destroyed, split the rest of our fleet into two portions and have one hit the Opon Ifá on the flank while the other boxes in the Opele. We will attempt to disable the Opele in preparation for boarding. Lord Yu wishes me to capture Orunmila to force Olokun to the negotiating table." I commanded as we kept trading fire with the Opele ourselves.

"As you command, My Lord." Confirmed Chen.

Soon enough, the last of the enemy Al'kesh was swept before us, and the Tian Gou, Zhanmadao, Dadao, Miaodao, and Niuwedao moved to pincer the flank of the Opon Ifá while the Guandao, Nandao, Podao, and Liuyedao moved to block any escape that the Opele could attempt. Rather than form a line of battle, we swarmed the enemy from multiple vectors and soon, the Opon Ifa was a burning wreck in space while the Opele had lost its shields twice and barely managed to re-establish them, and had several chunks taken out of its superstructure to boot.

Orunmila, seeing his fight was lost, attempted to break through the relatively thinner screen of Al'kesh blocking his route of retreat to the rear. We couldn't have that, however, and I sent a targeting solution to the Weapon Control Station. As the Opele blasted its way through the Podao, leaving the Al'kesh burning in space, the Jaffa at the weapons station didn't hesitate. He plugged the firing solution into the firing computers and the staff cannons of my flagship belched out a torrent of white-gold plasma bolts that punched through the thin, recently re-established, rear shielding of the Opele and tore into the engines. The Opele's engines sputtered out, leaving the ship dead in space, unable to even enter a hyperspace window even if it could open one.

"All other ships, begin damage control and search and rescue for the Podao. I cannot afford to spend the lives of loyal Jaffa recklessly. Chen, take us into position above the Opele and then gather our best warriors. We are going to board that Ha'tak and capture Orunmila." I ordered.

"At once, My Lord." Saluted Chen.

As he did that, I moved from the command throne of the Pel'tac, heading to a weapons locker to grab a Tianyan Staff Rifle and Zat'nik'tel Pistol before heading for the ring transport bay. Twenty minutes later, Chen arrived with a platoon of thirty, hand-picked, Jaffa.

It was time to go Underlord Hunting. . .

XXXX

Orunmila was an intelligent Goa'uld, taking the name and identity of the Orisha of Knowledge. Of course, he had to have discerned we would attempt to board his Ha'tak the second his escape was denied him. He knew his only hope was to hold out until Olokun could prevail against Lord Yu if that was even possible at this juncture.

That was why I wasn't surprised when he had Jaffa waiting with Ma'tok Staff Weapons in the Ring Transport Bay of his Ha'tak. Fortunately, I'd prepared for just such an ambush. They were rarely used often by Jaffa, as they were not considered an entirely reliable weapon, but the Go'auld did have a Grenade design in rotation. The Neser Grenade was an oblong, irregular-shaped, thing that looked more like a lamp than a grenade. It was unwieldy to throw, as it was hardly aerodynamic, hence the issues with reliability and lack of frequent use.

None of that mattered when you were simply rolling it on its side through a ring transport. Accordingly, when our assault force was transported into the Ring Transport Bay of the Opele, it was to find Orunmila's ambush force having been thrown into disarray by the sudden explosion of a Neser Grenade when they had been expecting a Jaffa strike team.

Accordingly, they proved easy pickings for our strike force. The Tianyan Staff Rifles blew through the cheaper armor used by the Jaffa of Olokun like it wasn't there. I myself took a large Jaffa's head clean off with an accurate shot from my own Tianyan Staff Rifle. Within sixty seconds, the fight for the Cargo Bay was over. We had our beachhead on the Opele and Orunmila was down forty Jaffa from the sudden and brutal attack.

"Chen, you may begin transporting down the follow-on platoons. How many Jaffa do you believe Orunmila has with him?" I questioned.

"Not many, My Lord. Perhaps two battalions, but more likely one. The bulk of his forces are currently putting down an insurgency. Anansi the Spider has sown discord on several worlds in the borderland between Olokun and Cronus' territories and it has spilled over onto the world of Uguola which belongs to Orunmila." Informed Chen.

"Then bring the rest of the First Battalion down as reinforcements. That should be sufficient." I commanded.

"As you will, My Lord." Nodded Chen.

As Chen moved to do that, however, a shout went up from the Jaffa I had guarding the entry deeper into the ship. No sooner had my attention been drawn to that corridor than the tromping of booted feet heralded an assault by Orunmila's Jaffa to attempt to retake the Ring Transport Bay. A platoon of Jaffa tromped up the corridor ten abreast in four ranks, firing their Ma'tok Staff Weapons at the hip as they advanced.

I sneered contemptuously at that behind my helmet. Firing like that, they were just making an already inaccurate weapon even more inaccurate. The vast majority of bolts missed, with only one or two hitting and dropping a pair of my Jaffa. It had the intended effect, though of forcing my Jaffa holding the entrance to duck for cover.

Fortunately, my armor could take such punishment. I strode forth, shouldering my Tianyan Staff Rifle and firing as I advanced. My first bolt blasted the chest of a front-rank Jaffa open armor and all, while my second bolt took the right leg off another. I fired bolt after bolt down range as I advanced on the corridor entry, each one finding its mark. Enemy bolts either missed or were stopped by my Armor's Kara Kesh-derived personal shielding. I fired more bolts into the packed mass and took out even more Jaffa.

Soon the front rank was wiped out completely and I was among the enemy, striking out with the bladed parts of my Tianyan even as the enemy Jaffa attempted to strike me down. My Tianyan's spike punched through a breastplate and gored a Jaffa, even as I twisted aside to avoid a downward smash of another Jaffa's Ma'tok. I wrenched my Tianyan free even as I lashed out with a kick, Illempri-derived powered servos adding to my already formidable physical strength to crunch the Jaffa who dared attack me's chest and armor in like a tin can. As I did that, I discharged my Tianyan into the face of a third Jaffa who was attempting to hit me with his staff, blowing his head clean off.

Staff discharges slammed into Kara Kesh-derived shields from all sides, even as I lashed out with Tianyan, fists, and feet. My shields were overwhelmed temporarily, but the Udajeet-derived armor plating diffused the next staff blast and allowed me to punch my fist through the hapless Jaffa's Skull, even as I drove the spike of my Tianyan through the stomach of another Jaffa, killing the Prim'ta inside him as well. A plasma blast from my Tianyan killed another just before a Jaffa in fancier armor charged me with his Ma'tok, knocking me backward and disarming me of my Tianyan with a flick of his staff.

"I am Oluwasanmi, First Prime to Lord Orunmila, God of Hidden Knowledge! I will not allow you to have your way!" Snarled the Jaffa.

At this moment, I looked around and saw that despite my slaughter of the enemy Jaffa, Oluwasanmi had brought reinforcements that had crept around the edges of my fight and now the Ring Transport Bay was actively being contested as my Jaffa fought with those of Orunmila. Looking back to Oluwasanmi, the scanner built into my helmet told me his fancier armor was actually a bit sturdier than those used by his Jaffa, and it had better coverage. I could still peel him out of the armor if I had to.

"You are skilled to face a God so. I respect that. I bid you withdraw your men and advise your god to surrender, there is no need for you all to die for Olokun's Tunnel Vision." I tried.

"You are honorable to offer such, but I cannot. I have orders from my God and as such, they are beyond contestation." Refuted Oluwasanmi.

"Very well, I shall tell your God you died bravely, attempting to carry out his orders when I capture him for My Lord." I nodded.

Then the fight commenced once more as Oluwasanmi let out a battle cry and slashed out with his staff in a vertical smash at my head. I blocked the staff strike on my right forearm and lashed out with my left fist in a punch, even as I flipped my arm around to attempt to trap his Staff in the crook of my armpit. I caught his staff as my fist crunched into his breastplate. The staff discharged into the deck plates behind me as Oluwasanmi stumbled backward.

I tossed his staff to the floor behind me even as he pulled a dagger with a wide, diamond-shaped, blade from a beaded sheath at his hip and came at me again. He struck down at me in a reverse grip and I grabbed his wrist, Ilempri-derived Powered Servos allowing me to easily wrench the dagger out of his grasp and bring him in for a headbutt. My fully-enclosed helmet met his bald one and it was the Jaffa's skull that broke. He fell back with a crack, blood dripping down his nose as his eyes crossed and he slumped to the ground.

"Jaffa of Orunmila! I have felled your First Prime, do you doubt that I could do the same to any of you? Withdraw and tell your God that Erlang Shen comes to Parley with him. If Orunmila truly is as wise as he claims, then he will see that continuing such resistance is futile. I shall give him my word of Honor as the Nephew of the Jade Emperor that he will not be harmed should he surrender now!" I roared out, projecting the 'God' voice a little harder than I likely ought to have.

Fortunately, it seemed to have worked as the fighting ceased for a few, brief moments. That was all it took for the Third Prime of Orunmila, his second having been slain leading a squadron of fighters in the space battle, to call Orunmila to parlay with me. Twenty minutes later, a robed, bearded, African-descended Man in an elaborately beaded headdress came walking into the Ring Transport Bay. His eyes lit up as he saw me and I knew this was Orunmila.

"It seems you and your Lord have won this day. Swear to me by the Fires of Nilor that I will have the safe passage you promised and I will surrender." Demanded Orunmila.

I frowned behind my helmet as my genetic memory recalled the details of the Oath he wanted me to swear. Very few pacts were considered binding among the Goa'uld based on swearing of Oaths alone. The Legal System of the Empire tended to defer to might makes right far more often than not. The one exception was promises made by the Fires of Nilor, which constituted a binding covenant for which one Goa'uld might seek redress for broken pacts made by swearing to such an Oath. Mind you, the proper legal channels for that were to petition the Supreme System Lord, which in this case might be difficult since Ra was on his Galactic Progress and was scheduled to be nuked before he returned. Still, it wasn't an Oath to be made lightly, even for Goa'uld.

It referenced the Defeat of the First Goa'uld Dynasty under Emperor Shu at the hands of the Asgard during the Seven Battles of Nilor, an area of the Milky Way where the Asgard once had primacy, even though they've since retreated from their outposts here. Emperor Shu, his Queen Tefnut, his Children Nut and Geb, the High Admiral of the Empire Lord Ouranos, the High General of the Empire, Lord Fuxi, the High Chancellor of the Empire, Lord Enlil, and a whole host of other Goa'uld were slain along with three quarters of the combined fleets and armies of the Empire in seven battles over the course of three weeks. It was the first and most major defeat of the Goa'uld at the hands of the Asgard and even Ra's defeat millennia later paled in comparison to an entire dynasty being snuffed out along with the court.

Suffice it to say, swearing by the Fires of Nilor was one way to ensure that I was on the level, even when Orunmila had no other recourse to ensure I kept my word. Fortunately, I happened to know for a fact that Orunmila wasn't going to be harmed. He was a bargaining chip that Lord Yu wanted to use to force Olokun to back off. That wouldn't happen if Olokun didn't get his chief minion back intact.

"I swear by the Fires of Nilor, you will have your safe passage." I swore.

"Then I surrender to you, Erlang Shen. On the conditions sworn to this day." Nodded Orunmila.

And with that, my part in the Third Battle for Longinus was over. I'd lost one Al'kesh and sixty Jaffa. Orunmila had fared far worse, losing five Al'kesh, one Ha'tak, and one-thousand-one-hundred-twenty-five Jaffa destroyed or killed, as well as one Ha'tak and Five-hundred-seventy-five Jaffa Captured, including his First and Third Primes, as well as himself. A devastating blow to Olukun's fortunes.

As it would transpire, his Overlord Olokun didn't fare much better, losing four Ha'taks and six Al'kesh destroyed and lost with all hands. Lord Yu was pleased, even without my capture of Orunmila, it would be decades before Olokun rebuilt enough to try his luck again. With Orunmila as a bargaining chip, however, well, it was likely he might actually roll back some of Olokun's territory. Now it would all come down to the negotiations.

One thing was for sure, I damned well earned my new Domain. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we see the Third Battle of Longinus from Erlang Shen's perspective. He didn't fight how like anyone expected a Goa'uld to fight, and his unorthodox tactics took Orunmilla's Forces by surprise. That, plus the Morale of his Jaffa relative to Olokun's plus having proper equipment in a bunch of cases allowed him to dominate.

Erlang Shen might not have fully understood what his care for casualties among his Jaffa looks like to his Jaffa, but most Goa'uld aren't so considerate of their troops' well-being. The same goes for ensuring they have proper equipment like the Tianyan Staff Rifles and even fighting on the Front Lines alongside them. To the Jaffa that are serving under him, Erlang Shen is essentially the best-case scenario for a God to serve.

Other Goa'uld might look at such methods and see weakness, but Yu is actually one of the better Goa'uld to try that approach under. Yu's one of those overlords who likes things to run smoothly, the kind of guy who is willing to tolerate subordinates trying new things so long as they get results and aren't plotting sedition.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the negotiations with Olokun.

Stay tuned. . .