Disclaimer: 'Stargate SG1' and all the characters associated with the show belong to someone who isn't me. As I doubt that the owners would be willing to trade their rights for some magic beans that aren't in any way magical, this is not going to change at any point in the foreseeable future.

Chapter Six

The next day

"You know, this could be a great place to retire to." Jack observed. "Great weather, nice folks, Carter's royalty - I wonder what the fishing's like."

"I believe that there are several lakes on the royal estate, and that fish are plentiful in them and in the oceans." Teal'c contributed. "Armida is a planet rich in natural resources."

"Which is part of the problem." Sam pointed out, reaching for a piece of fruit. As part of the hastily arranged coronation celebrations, the royal court was spending the afternoon at a picnic and, thankfully, the gown she was wearing was simpler and lighter than the others she had worn, though her ladies in waiting - now eight in number - hadn't approved. "It's Armida's resources Earth needs. That's why we're here." She was quiet for a moment, thinking that her teammates wouldn't be allowed to remain with her indefinitely. General Hammond had been able to assign them as her escorts and advisors, but eventually they would be needed back in the field.

"Don't worry, Carter." Jack reassured her, guessing what she was thinking. "My bet is that you're the first person they'll need to bring back. The SGC would fall apart at the seams if you stayed away too long."

"That could lead to another problem." Teal'c said seriously. "Should Major Carter's services be required at the SGC, it is unlikely that the NID will be content to allow their control over the planet or their access to its resources to be lost."

"You mean they might want to have Sam abdicate in favour of their own choice of ruler?" Daniel asked.

"Indeed."

Jack shuddered inwardly at the thought of somebody like Samuels, or another of Simmons' pawns, setting up shop as a puppet ruler. "You think Simmons is going to try to make Carter abdicate so he can put one of his own people in charge?"

"Armidan law doesn't allow for abdication." Sam said immediately. She smiled wryly. "It was the first thing I checked."

"Sounds like the snake who ran this place didn't want to take any chances about losing power." Jack observed.

"Few Goa'uld would." Teal'c stated.

"What's with the sword, though?" Jack asked. "I don't get that."

"It makes sense, sir." Sam responded. "I think that the release mechanism for the sword must have been designed to allow only someone with naquadah in their blood to pull it from the stone - if the Goa'uld who ran the planet had to change hosts, or if he was away for a long time, then Armidan myths and law would let him reclaim power easily."

"But what would stop another Goa'uld slipping in and taking the throne?" Daniel asked. "If the naquadah in Sam's blood was enough to fool the sword into thinking that she was a Goa'uld, why didn't one of them come to take over when the one who ruled here left?"

"Given the resources of this planet, it is unusual that none of the System Lords have attempted to claim it." Teal'c agreed.

"Maybe they don't know that it exists." Sam suggested. "Teal'c's got a point. If they knew about the planet and its naquadah, they'd have somebody here already."

"Maybe the good king didn't want to share with the other snakes and kept this place a secret." Jack said. "He just didn't anticipate Carter waltzing into his castle and drawing the sword."

"Or that Simmons and the NID would try to use Sam being queen to strip the planet of its naquadah." Daniel sighed. "Samuels will be back at the end of the week to get Sam's signature on the treaty - and we all know who it'll benefit most. I know Earth needs naquadah for reactors and X-302s, but it isn't right to exploit these people like this. Is there anything we can do to stop them, to make sure that the Armidans at least get a fair return?"

"Well..." A small smile tugged at the corners of Sam's mouth. "Colonel O'Neill gave me an idea about that."

"I did?"

The large hall was a hive of activity as a dozen carpenters worked on their project. As soon as Sam entered, they stopped, bowing deeply.

"Carry on." She gestured for them to rise. "We just came to see how you were getting on."

"We are making excellent progress, your Highness." The foreman assured her. "We should be finished within a couple of days."

"Thank you. So," She smiled at her friends. "What do you think?"

"I can't believe you're actually having a round table built." Daniel muttered incredulously.

Jack frowned reprovingly at him. "Carter respects tradition. A sword in a stone and a round table go together. Everybody knows that."

"Tradition aside, this might help us make sure that the Armidans get a fair deal." Sam told him.

"There is a little known law in the archives." Teal'c explained. "It is written in an obscure Goa'uld dialect, one I was able to translate. It lays out that any agreements with a foreign power must have the approval of a council of the citizens of Armida and an ambassador as well as that of the monarch."

"Teal'c and I think that the law was enacted because the last king didn't want to be bogged down by all the day to day responsibilities of running a planet." Sam said, looking as though butter wouldn't have melted in her mouth. "This way, the council could do most of the work. Lord Cai and the heads of the other noble houses will be sending representatives. Even if I wanted to sign the treaty, I couldn't."

"Good thing Teal'c was able to translate it then." Daniel praised.

"I had no difficulty understanding the document, Daniel Jackson." His friend told him solemnly. "I wrote it."

"You're kidding!"

"He's not." Sam told him.

"We won't be sharing that little tit-bit with Samuels or Simmons, I take it?" Jack smirked at the thought of the expressions on the men's faces when the new law was explained to them.

Sam shook her head. "I don't think that'll be necessary, sir. All they need to know is that the law is valid, and that it was in the Armidan legal archives - which I made a point of studying."

"So this is what you two have been plotting for the last few days." He grinned at both her and Teal'c. "Never would have pictured you as experts in diplomacy."

"It was not difficult, O'Neill." Teal'c said quietly. "During my time with Apophis, I witnessed many worlds being stripped of resources on the order of one they believed to be their rightful ruler. Major Carter and I merely considered the question of how best that might be avoided here."

"The table will be ready and the council established by the time Samuels gets here." Sam said. "All we need now is an ambassador." She met Jack's eyes.

It took him a split second to realise what she had planned. "You've got to be kidding! Carter, do you honestly think that I'm ambassador material?"

"Yes."

"You did a commendable job negotiating Earth's inclusion in the Protected Planets Treaty." Teal'c observed.

"I think you'd be able to hold your own against Samuels and Simmons better than any of the Armidans we've met." Sam added, knowing how effective any hint from Samuels or Simmons that she wished the treaty signed would be where any of the courtiers were concerned.

"I'm not a politician!" Jack protested. "Wouldn't Daniel be better at this? Why should I take the job?"

"It probably comes with diplomatic immunity." Daniel offered.

"Well..."

"And I think I can throw in another incentive." Sam said coaxingly, seeing him waver. She moved to the dais and took the sword from its mounting before returning to stand in front of him. "Kneel."

TBC.

Author's Note: That's all for now. Please don't forget to review.