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.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I should probably stop writing this altogether. I mean, the season's done at this point, they practically did the entire plot in "It's Good To Be King,", and with all the things that's happened on the show since then most of what's going to happen in this story is pretty much pointless.
Then again, what better place for pointless storytelling than a fanfic? Thus we continue:
WOMAN'S WORLD
By Darrin A. Colbourne
A squadron of six Death Gliders weaved its way through the gliders and defense blasts of the giant battleship that was the centerpiece of Ba'al's task force. The immense vessel, one of a few that Anubis had managed to build before his demise, had fired the opening shot when the two Goa'uld fleets met in orbit around the planet Helios. The blast from its central weapon decimated the fleet of ten motherships awaiting its arrival, but another twenty, waiting in reserve behind one of the planet's three moons, rushed in to attack before the weapon could be recharged. The battleship's fifteen escorting motherships moved quickly to the defense, and soon space was criss-crossed with discharges of energy weapons of varying sizes and dotted with the explosions that marked their impacts. While gliders from both sides flitted around the entire scene like locusts, the main objective of the opposition's gliders was to find a way to get inside the battleship's defenses and do as much damage to its main weapon as possible. Meanwhile, an epic battle was taking place on the planet below, as the largest army this world had seen in a millennium was locked in a death struggle against unstoppable drone warriors to keep control of the Stargate located in a temple in the world's capital. On the surface and in the void, it was a battle that could well determine the fate of an empire.
And Artemis knew it was one she was losing.
It hadn't taken more than twenty minutes for most of her fleet to be destroyed. Though her attack was fierce enough to keep Ba'al's flagship from firing another blast from its "big gun", the ship's other weapons were more than formidable enough to help the escorts mount a blistering defense. Space was littered with the remains of all but five of her motherships, and all of the ones still in the fight were heavily damaged. Ba'al had only lost five motherships, while the other ten were giving the battleship much-needed breathing room to set up for another shot. Meanwhile, a mere hundred Anubis Drones, deployed by cargo ships as Al'kesh destroyed the planet's air defenses, were decimating the brigade-strong force she'd assembled to defend the Stargate and the capital. They were impervious to all the hand-held and heavy weapons her Jaffa had at their disposal, and even burying the creatures by toppling buildings on them seemed to only delay their advance - and not very long. Helios, the homeworld of the Goa'uld Artemis and gateway to her empire, was about to fall into the hands of Ba'al, and she was enraged that all she could do was watch it happen. This she did from her throne room, in a mothership hovering just inside the atmosphere over the planet's North Pole.
The trappings of the chamber were small comfort to her. It had only been a little over a day since Ba'al had invaded and he had already seized most of the worlds on the perimeter of the empire and forced her to gather her forces for a last-ditch battle here. Artemis was learning the hard way what too many of her fellows had learned in the weeks since the Tau'Ri had defeated Anubis: Anubis's weapons in anyone's hands were still just as devastating. They'd allowed Ba'al to strike like lightning in more places than she could quickly send reinforcements to, and now they were putting him at her throat.
The sound of the nearby Transport Rings going through their transport cycle distracted her from the screen showing her the space battle. She watched as they worked, leaving a Jaffa on the transport pad a moment later. As soon as the way was clear the Jaffa approached and got down on one knee before Artemis, then said: "You summoned me, My Queen?"
"Rise, Atalanta." Artemis said. At her command, the Female Jaffa rose to her full, impressive height. Atalanta was a double rarity in a Goa'uld army. Not only was she a woman on the front line, she was also Artemis's First Prime, one of a very small number of Female Jaffa to have ever served in that position.
Artemis would not have had it any other way. She could think of no one else she'd trust to lead her forces into battle. Atalanta, tall, muscularly built and strikingly pretty, was one of a small cadre of female troops descended from a number of Themyscirans Artemis had captured and transformed to Jaffa in her last campaign against her treasure world. "Atalanta" was not her original name. It was something Artemis called all her First Primes, more of a title than anything else, yet one that evoked images of competitive spirit and athletic prowess. It was a title that her current First Prime deserved, and they both knew it. Unfortunately, that meant the discussion they were about to have would be all the harder on both of them.
"The battle does not go well." Artemis said.
Atalanta's face colored slightly at that, but revealed no emotion other than determination. If she felt fear or guilt at having failed her god, she refused to show it. "They have not taken this world yet, My Queen." She said. "All your Jaffa will lay down their lives if necessary to defeat the treacherous Ba'al and his minions."
Artemis smiled slightly. It was just the answer she expected from a loyal warrior. "I do not require such a sacrifice from my Jaffa…yet. We will be victorious, but I'm afraid we'll have to abandon this world. Prepare to get underway. Contact our last reserve forces and get them moving to rendezvous with us."
"What of the Jaffa on Helios, My Queen? And the ships still engaged with Ba'al?"
A pause. "They have served me well. They will die well in my name, but in so doing they will allow me to rid the universe of this scourge. You and I have a much more important task to perform."
"Ask anything of me, Lord!" Atalanta said.
"To defeat this new threat," Artemis said, "we'll need to settle an old account." Her eyes flashed as she finished the thought.
Atalanta nodded in understanding, then saluted and turned to carry out Artemis's orders.
Surprisingly, it didn't take long at all for the other Themysciran city-states to agree to the Taskmasters' Congress. The real trick would be getting the Taskmasters together, since each one had various preparations to make in her respective city before they all made their way to Arachinopolis. While they waited with Clytemnestra, Carter and Sarah received instruction from Scylla on playing their assumed roles.
"Above all you are to remain silent!" Scylla commanded the two Earth women. She paced behind them as they stood at attention before Clytemnestra. "The discussions in that chamber are not for the likes of you to disrupt. When Taskmasters gather, it is an honor to be present among such august company, and an opportunity for you to learn such things as no Themysciran has ever dreamed. It is not the place for the opinions and chatter of lesser women."
"Are you quite sure she understands who you are?" Sarah whispered to Carter.
Scylla got right next to Carter's right ear and said loudly, "Oh, I'm sorry, Colonel Carter! Am I offending your precious sensibilities? Am I not showing proper deference to someone who's level of education would be an object of scorn for my teenage daughter and her friends?"
On Earth I could have you shot for that crack, Carter thought. Scylla was a First Ranger, the Themysciran equivalent of an Air Force Master Sergeant. Instinct and training demanded that she take Scylla to task, but she knew that the first thing Clytemnestra's principal guardian would do is remind her that she and Sarah were playing Scylla's subordinates, and everyone needed to act accordingly. So instead she gritted her teeth and said without facing Scylla: "Of course not, Ranger. I welcome the chance I've been given to participate in this event and appreciate any guidance you may offer."
"I thought so." Scylla said as she pulled away, and Carter gave Sarah a quick elbow poke in rebuke. Clytemnestra, who'd been watching everything with a broad smile on her face, finally gave in to the moment and started giggling.
"You're enjoying this." Carter said to her.
Scylla leaned in again and answered for her charge. "It is a privilege to give the gift of laughter to one who gives us the gift of Knowledge."
"Of course it is…" Carter said under her breath.
"I've commanded Jaffa and I've rarely seen anyone kiss this much arse!" Sarah whispered again.
This time Scylla leaned in close to her. "It's been my experience that Jaffa aren't very picky about who they give their allegiance to." She said softly.
Carter winced and mouthed "Ouch!" as she gave Sarah a quick glance. As for the archeologist, she knew intellectually that she shouldn't have been offended - she had just as much contempt for the Jaffa's masters as anyone - but she couldn't keep a hint of color from reaching her cheeks.
Clytemnestra got control of herself and decided get the training back on track. "Don't be too hard on them, Scylla. You can't expect them to be as good at your job as you are in the short time we have to get them ready."
"As you say, Taskmaster." Scylla said as she drew back.
"Still, Scylla is right about being silent. Once the Congress has begun you must not speak at all unless spoken to by a Taskmaster. To do so would be considered a disrespectful, contemptuous act on the part of the guardian and is therefore something no real Themysciran would ever do. Remember, even if Artemis herself is outside the walls, you must not speak. This is doubly important for the two of you, since neither of you speaks our native language, and thus all you'd be doing is giving yourselves away as outsiders anyway. Understood?" Carter and Sarah nodded. "Good. Now, is there anything else we need to show them?"
Scylla gave them one last look. "They both stand at attention well enough. They're not very imposing, though I suppose there's nothing we can do about that before the Congress." A quick glance to Clytemnestra, who shook her head. Scylla shrugged and moved on. "I've drilled them on the ceremonial aspects of their task well enough that they should be able to carry it off. Sarah could be better at the formal march, but if she follows Colonel Carter's lead she might be able to fool those not paying attention that she has some military training. I'd prefer they both had more training with the Stormbows…"
A knock at the office door interrupted her. Phoebe entered a second later. "Forgive the interruption, Taskmaster, but you wished to be notified when the other Taskmasters started to arrive…"
"Of course. Thank you, Phoebe." Clytemnestra said, then turned her attention back to the others when Phoebe left. "No more time for training, I'm afraid. We'll have to get ready. Samantha, Sarah, activate your helmets."
Carter and Sarah touched small controls on the right sides of their battle helmets. Immediately the ambient noise in the room was reduced almost to nothing in their ears.
"Can you understand me?" Clytemnestra said in Themysciran.
"Yes." Carter said.
"Quite well." Sarah said. "Though it is odd to see you mouthing some words while hearing others."
Though mostly decorative on the outside, Special Guard Force battle helmets were filled with up to date electronic systems, including an elaborate communications suite. One of the special features of the suite was a translation program that could transpose any language in its database to any other from the same list. The transposition was so perfect that not only did it interpret words, it gave them the right inflection and copied the speaker's voice.
"It's a good thing Daniel doesn't know about these." Carter said. "Order a couple hundred of them for the SGC and we wouldn't need him at all anymore."
"Well, you'd still need someone to learn the languages to program into the translator. It's not universal." Clytemnestra said. "Anyway, since you have them and they're working we'll only speak to you in Themysciran from now on." She started for the office door without warning, and the other three women followed her half a second later. "With the others arriving we should prepare for my entrance."
"Should we let Daniel and Pete know the meeting will start soon?" Sarah said.
"Don't worry." Carter said. "They'll know when it starts." It was the last thing either of them would say before the Congress began.
"I'm surprised they're televising any of it." Pete Shanahan said. He and Daniel Jackson had returned to the Stargate Facility at Clytemnestra's insistence (They had been enjoying Carter's and Sarah's training a little too much). Jackson was waiting in Iphigenia's office for the start of the Congress, while Pete was taking a tour of the Facility with Penelope as his guide. As they made their way through the base, Pete was surprised to learn that news of the coming gathering reached the Stargate Watch Force so quickly, and that it - and not the imminent arrival of Artemis - was the main topic of conversation. "From what I've been told about these meetings I figured they'd be considered too sensitive to be broadcast to the public."
"Possibly, but the issues being discussed are invariably of the greatest importance to the world," Penelope said, "too important for the meetings to be kept completely secret. So, the gathering and opening ceremony will be transmitted as they happen, while the deliberations and final vote will be conducted in secret."
"Clytemnestra says what they decide will depend in part on how you do against Artemis."
"Oh, I imagine we'll do well against Artemis."
"Riiight…so, if you beat her for good, the question is, 'Then What?' What's next for your people without the threat of a Gould hanging over you?"
"I guess we'll know that after the Congress."
"Well, what about you? What do you think your people should do?"
Penelope chuckled. "I'd never presume to make such a decision."
"Everybody's got an opinion…"
"But no one's opinion is more respected than a Taskmaster's. I would prefer to hear their decision. I have confidence it will be the best one for all concerned."
Pete fell silent at that. He wasn't so sure.
In Iphigenia's office, Iphigenia and Jackson watched news coverage of the event on one of the floating monitors. Jackson translated what the newsreader was saying into English in his head as she spoke. "Less than an hour after it was announced that the Congress was being called, Taskmasters have begun to arrive and gather in the Senate Chamber in the Hall of Arachne. One of the early arrivals is Daphne, well-known Taskmaster of Agaea…"
"Oh, good…Daphne's here." Jackson said sarcastically as the image turned to a close-up of Agaea's Taskmaster. She had the typical dark good looks of a young Themysciran, but what made her stand out was the atypical color of her robes. The solid Black traditional attire was unique to the Agaeans, Themyscirans that seemed to always be in mourning.
"Did you expect her not to come?" Iphigenia said.
"Well, I hoped against hope that she'd be sick or something…" Jackson muttered. On their last visit, they'd found out from Clytemnestra that Daphne had been the strongest opponent of an alliance with Earth.
"I'm sure Cly was hoping the same thing." Iphigenia said. "Daphne is most assuredly not her favorite person."
"There's a saying on my world," Jackson said, "'Familiarity Breeds Contempt.'"
Iphigenia chuckled. "Maybe that's it." She said. The two did have common traits. Clytemnestra was the youngest Taskmaster on the planet, beating Daphne out of the distinction by only a year. Both were considered geniuses by their peers' standards, and thought of as among the most beautiful of Themyscira's celebrities by the general populace. Daphne was even contracted to a General Commander in Agaea's armed forces, though her Conqueror's promotion was much more recent than Iphigenia's. "Though, of course, you can't dismiss the influence of cultural rivalry."
"There is that…" Jackson said. For reasons lost in the past Arachinopolis and Agaea had been culturally at-odds almost since the latter's founding. While Arachinopolis was a forward-looking, optimistic society, Agaea fashioned itself as a brutally realistic civilization. As usual Jackson thought of it in terms of parallels on Earth. If Arachinopolis were Athens, Agaea would have to be Sparta.
"I'm actually worried about Clytemnestra's plan." Jackson said. "I don't think a Special Guard uniform is much of a disguise for Sam. I mean, she's famous across the planet, and people have seen her in Themysciran dress before. I'm worried that it won't take Daphne long to recognize her and expose her."
"That worry could apply to any Taskmaster." Iphigenia said.
"Yeah, but most of them might be willing to overlook it, or would think the matter under discussion was too important to worry about one of Clytemnestra's underlings. I think Daphne would get a kind of perverse thrill out of embarrassing Clytemnestra in front of her peers."
Iphigenia dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. "The worst that could happen is that Samantha will be asked to leave and deliberations will cease until she's escorted out of the chamber. To keep her from telling anyone what she heard, she'd be sequestered under guard in an undisclosed location until the results of the vote are announced."
"'Sequestered under guard?' That sounds an awful lot like she'll be put under arrest."
"You worry too much, Daniel. She won't be hurt in any way, as long as she leaves willingly." She suddenly turned to Jackson. "She will leave willingly if asked, yes?"
"Oh, of course!" Jackson said, a little too quickly. Iphigenia nodded and turned her attention back to the monitor.
"At any rate, I'm sure Cly has thought all this out as well."
"Which is why she's taking Sarah along."
"Exactly. Samantha is well known here, but the only Themyscirans who know Sarah are the ones who've met her today. She's in no danger of being unmasked, and should Samantha be asked to leave your people would still have an ear in the chamber."
"A voice would be better…"
"You have one in Cly. I don't know how yet, but she'll find a way to help Earth. I'm sure of it."
A chime sounded from one of the other monitors. Iphigenia turned her attention to it. "What's wrong?" Jackson said.
"Artemis's battle has reached a decision point." Iphigenia said. "What happens in the next minutes will tell us when she's coming."
"Should we try to stop the Congress?" Jackson said. "Can we stop it?"
Iphigenia shook her head. "Once the gathering is called, nothing stops it but the final vote."
There were twenty-one Taskmasters in all. Carter and Sarah waited with Clytemnestra in an anteroom as the other twenty arrived in the Hall of Arachne, one by one, and made their way to the Senate Chamber. Each Taskmaster was escorted by a squad of Special Guards wearing the respective traditional garb of their city-states. Two guards were allowed to accompany their charge into the hall. The two Earth women would accompany Clytemnestra.
When the last of the Taskmasters had arrived, Scylla gave her last instructions to Carter and Sarah. "Stand tall, stay alert. Do not just pretend to guard Clytemnestra. The debate may become heated, passionate. It's not impossible for the Taskmasters to fall on each other in a rage."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Scylla." Clytemnestra said. "It only happened once, and that was centuries ago."
"Forgive my impertinence, Taskmaster, but as you well know the war that resulted ran for six years and devastated three cities."
Carter and Sarah looked at Scylla with that, then looked at Clytemnestra, who looked back at them and shrugged. "Well," she said, "the Pleiadans started it…"
Before anyone could say anything else Phoebe walked in. She had exchanged the suit she'd been wearing when SG-1 first arrived for the traditional robes that came with her position as the Taskmaster's chief aide. "Clytemnestra," she said, "everyone is here."
"Lead the way." Clytemnestra said. Phoebe nodded and left the anteroom, followed by Clytemnestra. Carter and Sarah fell in step behind her, followed by Scylla and a squad of Special Guards. It was up to the lead guards to set the cadence for the other soldiers, so Carter was putting on her best Parade March. Sarah was trying her best to match it, but it was hard with only the sound of Carter's footfalls to guide her. The helmet blocked her peripheral vision, and she couldn't simply turn her head to see how Carter was marching. Their passage to and arrival in the meeting hall would be covered by news cameras all the way, and it wouldn't do for a Taskmaster's Special Guard to look hopelessly confused on worldwide television. Still, she did her best as they walked through the corridors of the Hall of Arachne to spot the hidden cameras providing the news feed. Clytemnestra said that certain areas of the government building were lined with the devices to allow coverage of special events without reporters and camera operators getting in the way of the people's business. Convenient, but Sarah wondered who was in charge of turning the cameras on and off - and how anyone else would know if the feed were still live.
"There they are!" Pete said. "And it's probably not a good thing that I recognized them so quickly."
His tour of the Stargate Facility had ended up in the enlisted Mess Hall, and he and Penelope were watching coverage of the Congress along with a large segment of the base's off-duty personnel. A picture-window-sized flat-screen viewer mounted on a spare wall showed live footage of Phoebe and Clytemnestra leading a precession of Special Guards through the government building. When they got close to one of the cameras, Pete could make out Carter and Sarah marching right behind the Taskmaster.
"You saw them in Clytemnestra's office." Penelope said. "You knew what to look for. I doubt the other Taskmasters will care enough to examine them that closely."
"How can you be sure?" Pete said.
"You said it was Clytemnestra's idea, yes?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, if she's sure, then I'm sure. I have faith in her."
Pete turned to look at her for a second, then said as he looked back at the screen: "I guess I'll never understand."
"Understand what?" Penelope said as she turned to look at him.
"It must be a cultural thing. I mean, despite some biological differences we're essentially all Human, right?"
"Essentially, yes."
He turned to her. "And no Human Being is perfect. I know Clytemnestra and the other Taskmasters are supposed to be brilliant, but even the smartest people make mistakes, or can be corrupt, or weak. Like I said, maybe it's cultural, or maybe it's the cynic in me, but I really don't see how you can have such faith in them."
Penelope smiled. "When you spend your existence at war with God, you need something to have faith in."
"Maybe so, but why them?"
"Throughout our history, women like the Taskmasters, through thought, through planning, through puzzling, taught us how to live and thrive as a civilization, millions of stadia from the world our mothers called 'Home' and in the face of relentless attacks from beings who commanded the skies, rained fire on our communities, stole and possessed our loved ones and demanded our worship and blind obedience. Women like them transformed us from desperate savages to Themyscirans. True, there have been corrupt Taskmasters, and others have made grievous errors at times, but we survived them. We couldn't, however, survive as a people without women like them."
The sound of someone speaking drew their attention back to the viewer. "Okay, so they're important." Pete said. "But isn't Artemis's arrival more important right now?"
"The final battle with Artemis will come whenever it comes. The Taskmasters are meeting to tell us what we're fighting for."
The precession stopped just outside the massive wooden doors that led into the Senate Chamber. Phoebe went forward and opened them, letting them swing in wide to reveal a large portion of the hall. Carter and Sarah could see that the other Taskmasters were seated on a set of marble bleachers. Their attention was drawn to the doors as Phoebe stepped a few paces inside.
"Taskmasters, As You Command, I present to you Clytemnestra, Taskmaster of the City of Arachne." With that, Phoebe stepped aside so that Clytemnestra could enter, trailed by Carter and Sarah. The two Earthwomen tried very hard not play tourist as they entered, doing their best to stay in character as they carried out Scylla's instructions. Just before Clytemnestra reached the center of the room, Carter and Sarah turned in opposite directions and headed for stairs that led to the balcony from which the Special Guards watched over the proceedings. Their ascent was timed to be almost simultaneous, and when they were on the balcony they approached at a brisk march, passing the various robed guardians of other Themysciran civilizations. They met in a spot set aside for the host Guards which was directly opposite the main entrance, turned to face the double doors, then came to attention.
Finally, from this vantage point they could take in the whole chamber just by moving their eyes. It was about two stories tall and circular, made mostly of marble and trimmed with wood and gold. The walls were lined with tables that held bowls of fruit and pitchers of water and wine. Above the tables, the walls were decorated with murals of Themyscirans at War, at Peace and in Love. An ornate version of the Arachinopolan standard - a spider in its web - was painted in the center of the marble floor. The bleachers were constructed in a semi-circle around the standard's perimeter and faced the main entrance. The balcony was held up by thick, elaborately carved pillars and, as with most traditional spaces on the planet, statues dominated the whole scene. In this case two twin statues flanked the main entrance. They both depicted a woman in classical dress holding a shuttle. Each represented Arachne, whom Themyscirans knew as "Arachne The Defiant" or "Arachne The Challenger", the woman who first dared to claim she was better than Artemis.
As she regarded the statues, Sarah wondered if the Greek Myth that they alluded to was based on a real person, and if so, whether she lived on Earth or Themyscira when she matched her weaving skills against those of Artemis and won. The answer was suddenly very important to her, because while she knew of no Goa'uld technology that could actually turn someone into an arachnid, she was very curious to know what Artemis could have done to someone to make the Amazons think otherwise.
She forced herself to pay attention to the proceedings as Clytemnestra spoke from the center of the standard. "Taskmasters, I welcome you to the City of Arachne and to this Congress. If you please, my aide will explain why we have been called." With that, she nodded to Phoebe, who pulled a small scroll from her robes and began reading it aloud:
"'The Citizens of Arachne, as the Keepers of the Stargate and on behalf of the People of Themyscira, do hereby ask that the Taskmasters of Themyscira meet in Congress, and in Congress, advise their people on the resolution of the following questions: When the Matter of the Artemis War is finally resolved, how will Themyscira Continue? Will Themyscirans be lost as a people if Artemis emerges victorious? If Themyscira is victorious, what new challenge will we take on?
"'The governments of the several Cities agree and command that the government of Arachne ask this of you, and will abide by the decision you make in relation to said questions.' The document is signed by the members of the Arachne Senate, Ephone by Calliope, Presiding." Phoebe closed up the scroll and put it away when she was done reading.
Clytemnestra nodded then turned her attention back to the other Taskmasters. "Is there anyone among us who does not agree that this Congress should take place?" She asked.
"No!" The others responded in unison.
Clytemnestra turned back to Phoebe and said: "You may call attendance."
"If you please, Taskmasters," Phoebe said, "stand and be recognized when I call your name." She had the list committed to memory and called the names in order from oldest to youngest. "Melina of Pelasgia!"
One of the women sitting on the bottom bleacher, a septuagenarian, braced herself on her antique walking stick and rose to her full height. "I Am Here." She responded in clear, stentorian tones.
"Cleis of Cyprii!" Phoebe said.
Another gray-haired - but stronger - Taskmaster sitting on the bottom bleacher stood. "I Am Here." She said.
This went on for a few minutes. Each time Phoebe called a name she got the proper response, from senior Taskmaster to middle-aged, to the youngest members of the group. The call ended when Clytemnestra gave the proper response. "All Taskmasters are present." Phoebe announced.
Clytemnestra nodded, then spoke clearly for the audio pickups and cameras in the chamber. "Let it be known that on this day the Taskmasters of Themyscira have gathered in Congress to consider the question put before us. Let no one disturb this meeting in any way before we have resolved the issue. Phoebe, you are excused."
"As you command." Phoebe said, then strode toward the main the entrance as two more Arachinopolan Special Guards entered and stood by the doors. Phoebe stopped just beyond the threshold, turned and bowed deeply, then rose as the Guards pulled the doors closed on their way out. These Guards would stay just outside to keep others out (and, by tradition, to keep the Taskmasters in) until a decision was reached.
When the doors were shut tight, it was up to Carter to kick off the proceeding. As the senior guardian of the host Taskmaster, the others in the balcony would follow her lead. A second after the door latch clicked she came to the Themysciran version of at ease: legs apart, bow in front, free arm behind her. Sarah and the other guardians followed suit a split-second later. On cue, the guardians in the Hall of Arachne's Security Section killed the press feed. The ceremony was officially over.
Clytemnestra smiled at her colleagues. "Let us begin." She said.
There was a moment of darkness on the floating screen before the Themysciran newsreader returned. "And thus begins the latest Congress of Taskmasters. As usual we will keep you apprised of any new developments and we will have the decision for you as soon as we hear from Arachne Hall. Now, the timing of this Congress is interesting, because it has only been a few years since the last Congress which, as you know, was called to resolve the question of an alliance with Earth…"
"Y'know," Jackson said, "it's nice to know that no matter where you go in the universe, the press never changes."
Iphigenia chuckled. "I don't think 'nice' is the word I would use." She said. "You can turn that off. They'll do nothing but babble until we hear from the Taskmasters. Anyway, we'll know when a decision is reached before they do."
"How?" Jackson said as he looked for the screen's off-contact.
"Benefits of Command." Iphigenia said. "As the host city it's the Arachne Special Guards' responsibility to keep the respective Guard Forces informed of the movements of their charges. The Guard Commanders, in turn, inform senior commanders in the Regular Forces. When the Taskmasters are ready to leave, I'll be one of the first people notified."
"So you'll know when they've made a decision, but will you know what it is?"
Iphigenia shook her head. "No one will know that until--" An alarm from the screen she was standing near sounded, drawing her attention. A quick look caused her to utter a native curse.
"What's wrong?" Jackson said.
"Artemis's stand at Helios is collapsing. The last of her ships are being destroyed, and the observers we have there are reporting that the surviving Jaffa on the planet are attempting to flee via the Stargate."
"I don't suppose Ba'al managed to solve your Artemis problem for you?"
"We're not that fortunate. There was at least one enemy hyperspace jump detected headed toward this system. It has to be Artemis's command ship."
"Well, on the bright side, you ought to be able to handle one mothership…"
Another alarm sounded and Iphigenia changed the perspective on the screen. "Did you have to say that?" She said.
"What now?"
"We could easily handle one mothership. Eighteen, however, will be more difficult."
"Where'd the others come from?"
"Here!" she said, pointing at the screen. "The Charybdis Sector."
"What's there?"
"Nothing. Charybdis's development was stilted in the early stages of planetary formation. It is essentially nothing more than a small sun, a few large planetoids and a massive accretion of rocks, dust, gas and background radiation. It is extremely difficult to pick anything as relatively small as motherships out of the debris - which makes it the perfect construction and staging area for a reserve fleet."
"You can tell how many there are?"
"The hyperspace contact was powerful enough to have been made by seventeen distinct vessels. Of course, smaller ships' contacts might be masked by those of the larger ones."
"And they're all headed here?"
Iphigenia nodded. "Artemis will most likely meet up with the other ships in the outer system so that she can concentrate all her assets on us."
"How long do we have?"
"Less than an hour. Excuse me, Daniel." Iphigenia went over to her desk and touched a contact. "Sound the War Alert, and connect me into the Emergency Action Channel!"
A second later, an electronic reproduction of clanging bells sounded throughout the facility, causing everyone within to head for combat stations. Jackson was so caught up in the sound that he almost missed it when Iphigenia pressed on her belt buckle. Suddenly, black strands of some kind of fiber crawled out from her uniform's shirtsleeves and tail, wriggling down until they connected the shirt to her pants and formed gloves around her hands and tightened. Then the whole uniform turned rigid, leaving a few flexible points for her to move freely but otherwise turning from workout gear to body armor.
"You're on the Action Channel, Commander!" A voice said as Iphigenia retrieved her combat helmet. It was a stylized, futuristic version of the classic ones the Special Guards wore.
She touched another contact. Her voice would now be heard on every military and police radio on the planet. "This is Iphigenia, General Commander of the Stargate Watch Force. Within the hour, Artemis's ships will be in orbit around the planet. As Commanded by the Contract For Mutual Defense, I hereby assume control of all of Themyscira's Armed Forces for the duration of hostilities. Switch to Combined Channel Epsilon, assume defense stations and await further orders. This is no drill! Repeat, This is no drill!"