DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and all related characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, SciFi Originals, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp and MGM/UA Studios. This work of fiction is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended and no money has changed hands. All original characters and events are the sole property of the author and may not be used or archived without express permission.

WOMAN'S WORLD

By Darrin A. Colbourne

Carter's report to Stargate Command was brief, but thorough. Her first priority was to get General O'Neill to limit the next day's mission to P7X-613 to MALP and UAV reconnaissance and keep SG-10 on standby. The rest of her report made the request perfectly reasonable. If Ba'al really were staking out worlds that Stargate Teams might go to, better it be discovered by robots than live personnel. Next she informed him of the current situation in Themyscira's region of space and of her intention to try to forge an agreement with the natives before things got out of hand. O'Neill responded then by telling her to get her "keister" back to Earth at the first sign her Amazon friends couldn't handle their resident snake as well as their histories claimed.

With that done, Penelope had a Warrior escort SG-1 to the transport rings and join them on their trip to Arachinopolis. As they made their way to the rings Pete took the opportunity to get a better look at the Themyscirans' uniform insignia. There was writing in letters he didn't begin to recognize on the fronts of the uniform shirts. Presumably these were the Amazons' names. The right shoulders were adorned with patches that depicted a Stargate flanked by ancient warriors. Just under the Stargate was the silhouette of an animal, though there were different animals depending on who was wearing the shirt. Left shoulders all bore the exact same patch. It depicted a large spider sitting in the middle of an intricate web. Well, with a name like their city has I guess it follows that they worship arachnids, he thought, but couldn't imagine why. Maybe they thought an intricate spider web was the height of divinity? Just one more question to ask Daniel when he got the chance.

The transport left them in a large, bustling lobby. The design was long and rectangular, just like the spaces in the Stargate facility, though the décor was more artistic and detailed. Statues and plants abounded, and though there weren't any windows that could be seen, the soft, naturally colored illumination gave the impression of the place being sunlit. Most of the women here were dressed in clothes recognizable as suits, dresses and casual ensembles, which was kind of disappointing. Pete was hoping to see women wearing the type of clothing he'd grown up expecting to see Amazons wear. He also felt a little embarrassed about what he was wearing. It was like he was walking into Citibank's corporate headquarters to combat assault the Chief Financial Officer. He looked around expecting to be stared at, but oddly enough the Themyscirans he passed didn't seem to notice or care about the armed strangers in their midst.

He finally got his wish when they reached the reception area at the center of the lobby. The reception desk was a circular counter which was staffed by a Themysciran in a suit and flanked by two Special Guard Force Warriors. These Amazons were dressed the way Pete had expected, in short robes trimmed in gold, metal breastplates and leather joint guards, gauntlets and boots. They wore silver metal helmets that protected their heads, necks and noses. They held their bows casually at their sides, but their eyes still scanned back and forth, taking in everything in their field of vision and thus keeping watch over the entire lobby. It was impressive to see, and Pete wondered idly how the woman flanked by these mighty guardians managed not to just stare at them in awe.

SG-1's escort spoke with the receptionist in their native language for a moment, then turned to face Carter as the receptionist contacted someone with a communications link in the counter. "If you'll wait here, Chief," the warrior said in English, "the Taskmaster's aide will meet you and take you to her office."

"Very well." Carter said. "We'll be fine here. Thank you, Warrior."

The warrior smiled and bowed her head. "As you command." She said, just before she left.

When she was out of earshot, Pete whispered to Jackson. "Okay…why 'Chief'?"

"There's no equivalent in their language to 'Sir' or 'Ma'am'." Jackson whispered back. "'Chief' is the closest thing they have to an honorific. Traditionally, someone with the responsibilities of an officer would be considered a 'War Chief'. They just shortened it."

Pete nodded his understanding as he examined the Special Guards more closely. Even "At Ease" their backs were remarkably straight, and they seemed alert enough to catch a pin being dropped. He continued to take in everything about their appearance until one moved her head slightly so she could catch him in her gaze. When he saw her looking at him out of the corner of her eye Pete smiled sheepishly and gave a slight wave. When she smiled back and nodded in response, Pete turned away, resolving to mind his own business from then on.

A moment later a woman in a dark suit came and greeted them. She was just as tall and pretty as the others they'd talked to, but not as physically imposing. Her hair was also the lightest Pete had seen on a Themysciran. It was almost as blonde as Sam's.

She went directly to Carter and shook hands. "Samantha!" She said, smiling. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Phoebe." Carter said. "I just wish it were under better circumstances."

"I know what you mean." Phoebe said. "Clytemnestra's still in her audience with the Senate. It's taking longer than she expected, but she knows you're here. If you'll come with me you can wait for her in her chambers."

"Lead the way." Carter said. Phoebe did just that, taking SG-1 across the lobby to the elevators, then up the building to the Administrators' Level and then to Clytemnestra's suite of offices. On their way to the main office they passed another receptionist, whom Phoebe informed them would get them anything they needed while they were waiting. They ended up in another large office, one that was more elaborate and less functional than Iphigenia's. There was more statuary, more color, a type of bookshelf filled with old fashioned books and even older-looking scrolls. The furnishings all looked antique and hand-crafted. Almost all of one wall was taken up by a picture window that looked out on the city. The strangest thing - to Pete anyway - was that while there were several small sofas, chairs and mats to sit on, there was nothing that looked like a desk.

Phoebe left the Earth people here and went off to resume her normal duties. Pete and Sarah immediately went to the window to check out the view. The entire Southern half of Arachinopolis was open to their gaze, including the Amazon Colossus standing watch at the tip of the city, emulating the way the guards downstairs stood watch over the lobby.

"How high up are we?" Sarah asked.

"The hundredth floor." Jackson said. "The Hall of Arachne is the tallest building in the city. Their entire government is headquartered here, including their Homeland Defense Force."

"Arachne…" Pete said. "That's like arachnid, right? I noticed the Amazons in their SGC have a thing for spiders."

"Not spiders, per se." Jackson said. "According to myth Arachne was a woman who considered herself more skillful than Artemis. To punish her for her arrogance Artemis turned Arachne into the first spider. The Amazon tribes that formed the precursor to Arachinopolan civilization took the transformed Arachne as their symbol to honor her confidence and defiance in the face of the goddess's tyranny."

"The architecture is amazing!" Sarah said. "Art and functionality are blended beautifully."

"That's what I thought when I first saw it." Carter said. "These people even have city management down to an art form."

"City management?" Pete said.

"It's a city of 10 million people. Keeping its infrastructure running smoothly is like trying to maintain an incredibly complex machine that never turns off. The Arachinopolans make it look easy. There are plenty of cities on Earth that could use their expertise."

"You must really be impressed with them."

"It's hard not to be."

"But you must have seen other advanced cities before."

"We have, but to achieve the level of order and civility these people have reached other races tend to impose severe restrictions on freedom. Tollan cities, for example, are very advanced and well run, but their citizens are constantly monitored in every aspect of their lives."

"There was also a city we visited that managed to run smoothly in the middle of an Ice Age, but that was due only to the efforts of a slave class the city dwellers sequestered underground." Jackson said.

"Moorlocks and Eloi." Sarah said. When Pete turned to look at her, she said, "The Time Machine, H.G. Wells."

"Right." Pete said. It had been a while since he'd read it. As he looked around one of the statues, the largest in the room, caught his eye. He walked over to it to get a closer look. The sculpture was made of polished marble and looked to be about two feet from base to tip. It depicted two women sitting together on a rock, in a mild but intimate embrace, with no clothing but a bolt of material draped across both their laps. The thing that struck him most was that one of the women looked familiar.

"That's odd." He said, pointing to the figure. "I would swear this one was that General in their SGC."

"It is." Jackson said. "And the other one is Clytemnestra, the woman we're waiting to see."

"Oh. So they're together?"

"Yep."

"Well, that makes sense, I guess, given where we are. So, what would that make Clytemnestra? Her Soul-mate? Significant other?"

"Defender." Carter said.

Pete's head turned slowly so that he could see Carter's face. She was wearing the most innocent smile she could manage, but he wasn't buying it.

"Oh, Daniel," he said as he turned to the archeologist, "remember that explanation you promised me?"

"Thanks, Sam." Jackson said. He was hoping Pete had forgotten. With that hope dashed, he spelled it out for Pete. "On Earth, civilization is based on the structure of the family, which in turn is based on the concept of marriage. Marriage in our history has its roots in two things: religion and politics. On Themyscira, civilization is also based on marriage and the family, but the Themyscirans' concept of marriage is based on something they considered more practical than religion or politics: strategy.

"According to their historical records, the Arachinopolan Civilization was formed by the union of two Amazon tribes in the pre-classical era. The tribes' original names were lost over the centuries but we do know that one tribe was still living the same hunter-gatherer existence that their ancestors had lived on Earth, while the other tribe had graduated to farming and domesticating animals in order to survive. At one point the Hunters had taken over prime hunting grounds near where the Farmers had set themselves up, and the two tribes might have come into contention had Artemis not chosen that particular time to launch one of her attacks.

"All the tribes on the planet were severely hurt by the assault, but the Hunters and Farmers had suffered worst of all. When the smoke cleared, both tribes assessed their situations and realized that they had been hurt so badly because their natures had left them lacking things they needed to survive a continuing war with a God. The Hunters discovered that their nomadic lifestyle would eventually leave them as nothing more than starving fugitives as prime hunting grounds were either taken up by farming communities or destroyed by Artemis. The Farmers, meanwhile, determined that they had become so specialized in defending their individual homes that they had forgotten the skills necessary to do what we'd call 'power projection' today. Essentially, they couldn't properly raise and maintain an army whose sole purpose was to go find enemies and destroy them. Every time they tried, the resulting force was little more effective than a violent mob, and it often left the community sparsely protected. Both tribes expected these problems to correct themselves over time, but they had no way of knowing when Artemis might strike again and decided they couldn't afford to wait.

"So soon the leaders of the tribes called a truce and met to discuss their problems, and after talking for a full day and night decided on a solution. Each tribe would provide to the other what the other lacked. The Hunters would agree to act as the Farmers' army and take up arms against anyone who would challenge either tribe. They also promised to share whatever spoils of war they obtained. The Farmers, in turn, would provide permanent homes, food and comfort to the Hunters and act as a defensive reserve within the community itself. These terms were drawn up in a contract, which was signed by every member of each tribe. They coexisted tenuously for about three generations, neither side really trusting the other, until Artemis's next attack. That was when they realized how well their pact worked for them. The Hunters' expertise grew to the point where they could challenge Artemis's forces with impunity, while the Farmers became so skilled in combat that the few forces Artemis managed to get into the community were destroyed with practically no loss of life on the Farmers' side. In the aftermath of their victory, the two tribes officially merged into what was called the 'Tribe of Arachne' and settled in the valley this city is in now. When other Amazons saw the Arachne Tribe's success, they either joined it or formed similar tribes of their own.

"Well, soon after that the educated members of the Arachne Tribe figured out how Amazons could reproduce among themselves using technology left behind by Artemis. After that, the Amazons began pairing off to create families, and the tribal leaders decided that to bind the resulting unions they would alter the original contract to serve as an exclusive agreement between two tribeswomen. In it would be written that one member of the couple would take on the role of 'Conqueror' and accept the duties and obligations of the Hunter, while the other would take on the role of 'Defender' and accept the tasks of the Farmer. When the couple 'Signed the Contract', the Conqueror would be promising to fight all the couple's enemies, no matter who or where they were, and the Defender would be guaranteeing that the Conqueror would always have a home to come back to, no matter the outcome of the battle. In today's terms, that means that the Conqueror usually spends the bulk of her adult life in Themyscira's various armed forces, while the Defender will start a career in one of the professions that keep the cities running, like Public Service, Education, Business and Industry…"

"Law Enforcement?" Pete said.

"Uh, yeah," Jackson said. "That too." He could tell by the incredulous look on Pete's face that the detective finally got it.

Actually, Pete had half of it figured out as soon as Jackson had said the word "marriage", but he had no idea how truly horrible the notion was until the archeologist had finished his lecture. "So what they were asking me back there was whether or not I was Sam's wife???"

Female laughter erupted in the room before Jackson could answer. Carter contributed only slightly to it since she was earnestly trying to hold it back. Sarah was making no such effort. She was currently seated on one of the backless chairs in the room, doubled over with loud giggling.

"Okay, you're not helping!" Jackson said to her. It didn't do any good.

"Sam!" Pete yelled at Carter, and she almost lost it. He sounded like Darrin Stevens after Endora pulled off the Mother of All Pranks.

"I'm so sorry, Pete." Carter said when she could control herself. "I didn't expect them to ask anything so personal when they met you."

"So why did they?" Pete said.

"Probably because they'd never met you and Sam introduced you as a Police Officer." Jackson said. "And they already know she's not 'contracted' with me…"

"But what about Jack? Or Teal'c? Or her?" Pete indicated Sarah with that. "Women marry women here, right?!"

"Yes, that happens here, but it's not the norm on Earth and they know that, so they wouldn't automatically assume Sam and Sarah were a couple. And they already know that neither Teal'c nor Jack is her mate…"

"Anything can happen in three years! They didn't even speak English three years ago!"

"They would never consider Jack and Teal'c eligible mates for Sam because all three of them are Conquerors by Themysciran standards. It's a cultural bias. Even though we've been out of touch for three years they'd never expect two conquerors to pair up, even if they were both from Earth. Look, a stranger is a puzzle to them. When you showed up they had no choice but to try to discern what you were based on what they knew and what they could observe. Sam didn't treat you like a subordinate or superior so they could assume you're not actually in our armed forces. That meant you could only be here because you meant something special to her. The same could go for Sarah, but she's the wrong gender, and they already know my special relationship with Sam is friendship, and we haven't given them any reason to believe that relationship has changed. And Sam pretty much clinched the deal when she pointed out you were a cop. I mean, if you were Themysciran what would you think?"

"If I were Themysciran I'd probably be out there in Spider City walkin' a beat and nowhere near you nutcases!"

"Y'know, this wouldn't have come as such a shock if you had bothered to read my detailed brief on Themysciran Culture…"

"Uh, Daniel," Carter said, "in Pete's defense…nobody reads your cultural briefs."

"I didn't." Sarah said, her composure finally intact. When Jackson gave her a dirty look, she shrugged and said, "We only had a night to prepare. That wasn't anywhere near enough time."

This from the woman who claimed she was fascinated by my Doctoral Thesis, Jackson thought. "Colonel Piedmont reads them all the time."

"Colonel Piedmont's specialty is International Treaty Law." Carter said. "Compared to the paperwork he goes through every day one of your cultural reports is light reading."

"Look, could we get back to why everyone thinks I'm Mrs. Samantha Carter?" Pete said.

Sarah had to choke back a renewed giggle fit before she could speak. "Yes, Daniel, why would they assume she'd bring him here? Shouldn't he be back on Earth…landscaping the garden…waiting for Samantha with a hot meal and a cold beer?" She looked at Pete with a mischievous smile of her own.

I should have put a bullet in your head when you were shooting the finger-laser at me. Pete thought as he gave her a dirty look.

"Well, even in peacetime a Conqueror and Defender can be separated from each other by their duties for years at a time, so whenever they get together it's a special time, but since they take their roles very seriously the first thing they're likely to do is demonstrate how they're living up to their obligations. If the Conqueror returns home, her Defender will likely spell out how she's secured and enriched their living space, while if a Defender visits her Conqueror's base she'll likely be given a tour and an explanation of the Conqueror's accomplishments since being assigned there. In each case the woman's friends would go out of their way to help her make her case in order to foster a good relationship. They may have thought you were on that type of visit and Sam was showing you her work. In fact, Iphigenia and Penelope probably thought they were helping her. If you had said 'yes' they would probably have just gushed about how great they think she is."

"Oh. Well, in that case, Pete," Carter said, "just say 'yes' next time someone asks." This started Sarah giggling again.

Exasperated, Pete looked at Jackson and said, "Are they gonna be like this the whole time we're here?"

"Welcome to Themyscira." Jackson said in a defeated tone.

"I thought I was supposed to say that, Doctor Jackson." A new voice said. Everyone turned to the door to the office. Standing there was a slim, pretty Themysciran wearing long colorful robes and sporting long dark hair and a friendly smile. Pete immediately recognized her as the other woman in the statue, but even without that he knew she could only be one person.

"Clytemnestra!" Carter said.

Clytemnestra beamed when she heard Carter's voice. She came in and ran over to the Colonel and greeted her with a big hug. The impact and constriction knocked the wind out of Carter for a moment. Clytemnestra was stronger than she looked. When the Themysciran stepped back to arm's length Carter took a surreptitious breath.

"It's so good to see you again!" Clytemnestra said. "I missed you so much! I talk about you all the time!" She got a little closer to whisper in Carter's ear. "In fact, I think Genie's a little jealous of you. She may have gotten the impression that you might steal me away some day."

It took Carter a minute to figure out how to respond to that. Finally she whispered back, "I think you can tell her she has nothing to worry about."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Clytemnestra said. "Fear is a great motivator, and Genie can perform miracles if she thinks she has a little competition." With that she went over to greet Jackson. Their meeting was less taxing on him than it was on Carter. Clytemnestra chose to simply shake his hands and give him a quick peck on the cheek. "It's good to see you too, Daniel! Were you surprised to hear so many of us speaking English?"

"More like amazed." Jackson said. "How did you create such an effective language training program? I didn't leave you all that much source material for research…"

"But it was enough for us to analyze, and once we broke it down we discovered some amazing things. What you call 'English' actually possesses so many characteristics of ancient languages familiar to us that it took practically no time at all for our linguists to decode it into terms we could understand, and then it was just a matter of isolating the basic structures…"

"Because once you know the vowels…" Jackson said. Clytemnestra nodded and smiled.

"With all the information we had gathered we crafted a Rapid Teaching Regimen and put all our Educators and Stargate Facility staff through it, and a little over a year ago we'd perfected the program enough to introduce it into our primary and intermediate school curricula. In a few years everyone will speak it."

"That's…great…" Jackson said, alternately wondering and dreading what a planet full of English-speaking Themyscirans might choose to share.

Satisfied that she had sufficiently impressed Jackson, Clytemnestra went to introduce herself to the newcomers in her office. Sarah was first. "And who might you be?"

"Call me Sarah." Sarah said, reaching out her hands. Clytemnestra took them and gave them a quick shake and then used them to pull Sarah in for a friendly kiss.

"It's good to meet you." She said as she stepped back. "How do you like our world?"

"What I've seen of it so far is fascinating." Sarah said. "I hope we'll have time to tour the city once our business is concluded here."

"Then we'll get started as soon as I meet my other new guest." Clytemnestra said as she went over to Pete, sporting a wide, friendly grin.

Pete straightened up noticeably as Clytemnestra approached. She wasn't nearly as - and he was ashamed to admit it - intimidating as the other Themyscirans they'd encountered since they'd arrived. She was slight, pretty and feminine, and her appearance and demeanor caused his macho instincts to kick in ever so slightly. It was the best he'd felt the whole trip. "Hi. I'm Pete Shanahan." He said, offering a smile of his own.

He was filled with a sense of dread when Clytemnestra's smile disappeared and a pensive look came across her face. Instead of hugging him or shaking his hand she crossed her arms as she got close, then looked directly into his eyes. His smile melted away in the agonizing few seconds of silence as she studied him. Fearing a repeat of previous events, he was taken aback when she finally spoke.

"People have been interrogating you since you got here, haven't they?" She said.

"Actually, yeah…" Pete said. Clytemnestra closed her eyes and shook her head. When she looked up at him again she was apologetic.

"You have to understand, Pete - may I call you 'Pete'?" Pete nodded. "You have to understand that my people are almost curious to a fault, and often we have trouble governing the impulse to examine and analyze strange and wondrous things…and, unfortunately, there have not been enough non-threatening Men in our midst for the concept to cease being a novelty. I managed to protect Daniel and the others from such scrutiny when they first visited us, but I couldn't tear myself away to greet you and spare you the same fate. I hope your experience hasn't hardened you to my world. It really is a lovely place once you get used to it."

"I'm sure it is…" Pete said. That brought back Clytemnestra's smile. She took his hands then and held them tightly.

"Well, don't worry!" She said. "I'm here now, and I won't let anything else bad happen to you, all right?"

"All right..." Pete said, amazed at how quickly he'd gone from "wife" to "five-year-old".

"Clytemnestra, Iphigenia said that you were meeting with the City Senate about what's going on." Carter said, trying to get their own meeting back on track.

"We just concluded." Clytemnestra said, sounding exhausted. "I came straight here from the Senate Chamber." She made her way to the largest seat in the room, a long, backless sofa. She also kept one hand securely clasped to Pete's, so he had no choice but to let her drag him along. He gave a plaintive look to Carter, who just smiled and shrugged helplessly. A quick glance at Sarah's grinning face showed he'd get no help from her, and Jackson merely looked away as the educator sat Pete down next to her.

"What did the Senate decide?" Jackson said, keeping his gaze on Clytemnestra's face.

"Well, it took a great deal of convincing," Clytemnestra said, "but I finally got them to agree to call for a Congress of Taskmasters."

It was clear from the look on Clytemnestra's face that she thought this was a great accomplishment, but Pete could see that the others didn't share her enthusiasm. Sarah had a confused look on her face, while Carter and Jackson looked dejected.

"Sorry," Sarah said, "what exactly is a 'Congress of Taskmasters'?"

"It's a gathering of the Taskmasters of the various city-states." Clytemnestra said. "We call for such meetings at times of great importance for the entire world."

"A Taskmaster is a city-state's leading educator." Jackson explained further. "She usually earns the title by demonstrating superior intelligence and an extraordinary ability to pass her knowledge on to others. Themyscirans rely on them to maintain the intelligence of the race, and will call on them to make world-changing decisions when such decisions would otherwise be overshadowed by legislative politics."

"And that's what you were doing in the Senate?" Pete said? "Getting them to call one of these Congresses?"

"Yes," Clytemnestra said. "They will contact the leaders of the other cities and ask them to send their Taskmasters here, and we can discuss the current state of affairs concerning Artemis."

Pete was a little nonplussed for a minute, then he said, "Well, with all due respect to your position, Ma'am…I-I mean 'Chief'!…no, I mean…!"

Clytemnestra bailed him out. "Clytemnestra's fine."

Pete nodded his thanks. "I don't see how calling a meeting is going to help. There's really nothing to discuss here. From what Iphigenia told us Artemis will be here soon. Now, I'm the new guy, but from what I've heard about these Goulds I would think the time for 'Congresses' was over. You have to get ready for her arrival."

Clytemnestra gave him a confused, searching look. What did I say this time? Pete wondered.

Suddenly understanding dawned on the educator's face. She gave Pete a reassuring smile. "Now I see," She said. "We're not meeting to decide whether to fight Artemis, Pete."

"But Iphigenia said you were discussing the crisis with the Senate…"

"Genie misspoke…or you misunderstood. I'm well aware of Artemis's impending arrival. The whole world is aware, and we're prepared. We've been prepared for this for centuries! And when she comes, Genie and her colleagues will do what they've been prepared to do for centuries, which is battle Artemis across the world until she is defeated once and for all. No, what I want to discuss with my colleagues is what we'll do after Artemis comes."

"You mean, in the aftermath of the battle?" Pete said. Clytemnestra nodded.

"Our assessment is that, one way or another, this will be Themyscira's final battle with Artemis, so we need to decide what we'll do as a people once the battle is over. If we lose, we'll have to figure out how to preserve our society until we can break the Star God's yoke of slavery again. If we win, then the threat that has driven the development of our culture will be gone forever, and we need to know how we'll continue as a society from that point on."

"Do you know what you want your people to do?" Sarah said.

"Absolutely! I want us to explore, the way your people do! We've had an active Stargate for so many centuries, and we have ships with star drives that can take us to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, yet all we've ever used them for was tracking Artemis's forces. I want Themyscira to reach out to the rest of the universe, and I want Themyscirans from every city to set their feet on distant worlds, the way I had a chance to visit the world of our ancestors."

"That may not be as easy as you make it sound." Carter said. "Not every world is welcoming place. Artemis may be the only threat your world has faced for five thousand years, but she's not the only Star God out there. And there are other threats you may not have imagined."

"Actually, we have very active imaginations…but I'm sure you're right in any case, and that will be something we discuss as well."

"Would it be possible for us to have an audience with the Taskmasters' Congress?" Jackson asked.

"I'm sorry, Daniel," Clytemnestra said, "but you know as well as I do that only Taskmasters and their guardians may be present in the chamber while debate is underway."

"Couldn't you make an exception for Sarah and Sam?" Pete said. "Say they're 'Taskmasters from Earth' or something?"

"No. Only Themysciran Taskmasters are allowed, and all of us are known to each…" Clytemnestra was suddenly lost in thought. Everyone watched as she seemed to weigh a decision. When she finally made it she called out "Scylla!"

The door to the office opened. A Special Guardian stepped in, energy bow at the ready. She said something to Clytemnestra in Themysciran.

"English, Scylla," Clytemnestra answered, "for my guests."

"Forgive me, Taskmaster." Scylla said, with a quick bow of her head. "How may I serve you?"

Clytemnestra stood, finally letting Pete's hand go in the process. "I need a favor from you, Scylla. Samantha, Sarah, come with me." She was heading for the door before Sarah and Carter could say anything, so the two women stood up and dutifully followed her out, giving Pete and Jackson confused glances on the way. Pete stood up when he and Jackson were alone in the room and was about to say something when Clytemnestra's receptionist walked in.

"Clytemnestra sent me to see if you want anything to eat or drink." She said.

"Did she say how long she'd be?" Jackson said.

"She wasn't sure, so she asked me to make you comfortable. Would you like anything?"

"Some fruit, I guess."

"I won't be long." She said with a smile, then left the office.

When he was sure they were alone, Pete said, "Have I got this right? She's so sure that her Hunter-Gatherer girlfriend and her buddies will either stop Artemis or die trying that she went out of her way to call a coffee-klatch to figure out how they're going to go boldly where no Amazon has gone before when the smoke clears??"

"Mmm…yeah, that's right." Jackson said.

"Right. I'm ready to go home now."

"It's like I explained before, Pete. They…"

"No, no! I don't need the Social Studies lecture again! All I need to know is that this chick is betting our lives and her people's lives on chicks in workout clothes and she's not even thinking about what might happen if they lose."

"She did say…"

"It's not what she said, it's how she's acting! She's pretty much walking around like the battle is already won, and I do not want to still be on this planet if she's wrong!

"But this is exactly where we want to be if she's right, especially if we can find a way to have any influence on that meeting!"

"What's so great about the meeting? You looked like she kicked your dog when she first mentioned it."

"That's because the last Congress of Taskmasters was called to decide whether Themyscira should ally itself with Earth. You already know how that went. This time might be different."

"Oh, yeah? How?"

"Because Earth won't be the focus. Maybe they see no reason to ally with us, but if they do end up expanding into the galaxy they're going to have to face our enemies eventually anyway. Getting them to see the merits of Clytemnestra's vision would also involve getting them to think about confronting the other Gould, especially Ba'al. If they think the potential reward is worth that risk, we win."

Pete sighed. "So we want Clytemnestra to get what she wants."

"There ya go." Jackson said.

The receptionist came in with a bowl of fruit and two glasses of some sort of juice that was light blue in color. She laid the refreshments on a small table in a corner of the room, smiled at Pete and Jackson, then left the room. Jackson went immediately over to the table and picked up a fruit that resembled a peach, but he began to peel it, revealing a dark red interior. Jackson bit into it when he had it half uncovered.

"Where do you think they took the girls?" Pete said as he came over to join Jackson.

"No telling." Jackson said. "Clytemnestra's kinda mercurial."

"There's a vote of confidence." Pete muttered as he tasted his drink.

It was about twenty minutes later when Clytemnestra returned. Jackson had been pointing out landmarks in the city to Pete when they heard her come in. She was grinning broadly when they turned to see her. "Will this do, Daniel?" She asked, then said out the door: "Come in."

On Clytemnestra's command, two Special Guard Force warriors in full regalia walked in. Pete was wondering what Clytemnestra was talking about, until he realized something.

These Amazons were…shorter.

Pete's lips started to quiver as he fought to keep a smile off his face and snorts of laughter in his throat. Jackson was less successful, so he turned around to hide his face.

"Don't…" Samantha Carter said. Most of her face was obscured by the silver battle helmet, but her eyes and mouth conveyed the dire warning clearly. Unfortunately, all it did was trigger the laughing fits Jackson and Pete were holding back.

Clytemnestra rolled her eyes. "Very Well." She said. "They're not perfect disguises, but they should serve our purposes."

"Oh, on the contrary." Pete said. "Sam's never looked better! She's got kinda skinny knees though…" This made Jackson double over.

"All right," Carter said. "All right, you've had your laugh. You got your revenge. Are you happy?"

"Wait!" Jackson said as he turned around quickly. He pulled a small digital camera out of one of his pockets and snapped a photo. "Locker room." He told Pete.

"Poster size." Pete said, then both men faced the women and flashed toothy grins. Carter just grunted through clenched teeth.

"Well, I think you look great, Samantha," Clytemnestra said, "and it's only temporary anyway. The point, Daniel, is that Samantha and Sarah can be in the meeting. They may not be able to talk, but at least they can give you some perspective on what happened."

"That's fine." Jackson said, forcing the rest of the laughter back down. "I guess Pete and I will just wait here, then."

"Well, we still don't know if the other cities will agree to the meeting," Clytemnestra said, "but I think that would be best if they do."

Jackson nodded and he and Pete went back to the window after one last glance at Sarah and Carter. Clytemnestra went sit in her favorite seat, while the distaff members of SG-1 went to stand nearby. As they walked, Carter whispered: "I don't see how you're not just as embarrassed as I am."

"Are you kidding?" Sarah whispered back. "Have you forgotten so soon how Osiris used to dress?"