Chapter 116: The Asgard Question Part 3

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, November 21st, 1999

Daniel and Sha're shouldn't have come. They should have stayed in their retreat in the desert until Sha're was over her ordeal. They had been separated for years; it was only fair that they could be together, just the two of them, as long as they wanted now.

And yet, Adora couldn't say this. It would make her a hypocrite - she hadn't said anything when Jack had announced that he would go and ask Daniel to help them. Well, she had voiced some concern, but she hadn't stopped him.

So she smiled at the two when they entered the meeting room. "Hi, Daniel! Hi, Sha're! Jack!"

Catra just waved from where she was sitting - and she had once again propped her feet on the table!

"Hi, Adora." Daniel smiled and nodded at them.

"Hello." Sha're sounded a little shy. And she was avoiding Adora's eyes - no, she was looking around in the room. "This is your office?"

"Ah, no, that's a meeting room. I was just doing some work here while waiting for you," Adora explained. And then wanted to wince - this sounded like Daniel and Sha're should have hurried.

"It's her second office, actually," Jack said. "Not officially, but she's so often in here, they stopped using it for anything else."

Adora winced at that. She had noticed that the minibar had been stocked with all the drinks she and the others preferred, and this was the meeting room they always used for, well, meetings with their friends, but… "Really? Shouldn't I have been told that?" Or asked, actually?

"It's the mark of a good staff and aide that such things are done without bothering the commander. It's not your job to worry about your office," Jack said.

"Yeah." Catra agreed. "Let people do their job and do yours." She flashed her fangs and added: "Unless they screw up, of course. Then, you need to straighten them out. But they've been doing well so far."

Adora frowned at her lover. That was… well, not wrong, but the way she said it was not too nice. But they had other things to worry about than their offices. Though if this was her meeting room, then maybe she could get a few things installed that would… Later, she reminded herself. "Anyway, please sit down. And thank you for interrupting your vacation."

Daniel shrugged. "Jack was very persuasive."

What? She glared at Jack. "He said he would ask you if you could help us!"

"Hey! That's what I did!" Jack pouted for a moment, then frowned at Daniel. "I didn't push you!"

Daniel grinned in return. "I didn't say that. But you did lay out our problems with the Asgard quite clearly. And it seems our relations with them are currently strained."

"Well, so it seems," Adora agreed. "We don't actually know what they will do. Or think of us." Though they had some ideas…

"But Thor was pissed when he left, and not without reason," Catra added.

"So I've heard. And I've read the reports on our flight here," Daniel said. He sighed. "I am not sure if things would have gone differently if I had been there. Both Thor and Loki seemed set in their views."

"But they're brothers!" Adora protested. They just needed to realise that! "Thor is biased against Loki because of their past, but both want what's best for their species."

"But they don't agree on what's best for the Asgard," Daniel retorted. "In fact, Thor seems to think that Loki's vision would be a catastrophe even if Loki succeeded. So, it's not just about Loki's past, uh, deeds. Misdeeds."

"You mean his crimes," Catra cut in. "We did catch him trying to fake a Replicator outbreak to fool the rest of the Asgard, remember?"

Yes, Adora knew that. Loki had tried to trick his people. That wasn't very remorseful - but he was desperate to save his species.

"Yes. And Thor and the other Asgard remain unaware of that," Daniel said.

Catra nodded. "If Thor knew about that, he probably would've been angrier."

"I'm not sure it would have mattered - he was already fuming," Jack said.

"You can always get angrier," Catra objected. "He wasn't attacking us or swearing vengeance or anything."

Adora sighed. That was another secret that would cause trouble when it would be revealed. "We should never have hidden that we're working with Loki."

"We don't have a duty to tell the Asgard everything," Catra said. "It's not as if they told us anything."

"But this concerns them," Adora pointed out.

"We don't know what they do that might concern us." Catra shrugged. "They do control planets with humans who were taken from Earth. You could argue that that is not very honest either."

"You could, but pointing out wrongs on the other side doesn't often help with making things right," Daniel said. "Sometimes, not even when you do it to help fix what's wrong. Certainly not when it's used to defend your own faults."

Adora nodded. That was true!

"So, what do you suggest? Sell out Loki?" Catra asked. "That would be breaking our deal with him."

"We won't do that to him! He was dealing in good faith with us!" Adora protested.

"As far as we know," Jack said.

And Catra nodded. As did Sha're, who had been very quiet so far.

Adora frowned. They couldn't assume the worst of everyone!

Daniel cleared his throat. "There's a few things we need to consider - and we need to talk to Loki. I think."


Research Station Alpha, The First Moon of Enchantment, November 22nd, 1999 (Earth Time)

"I fail to see why you should even entertain the notion of contacting the Asgard again before we have finished our project. My stubborn brother has made his opinion clear, and experience proves he will not budge."

Samantha Carter rolled her eyes at Loki's words. It wasn't very diplomatic, but she didn't care any more. He had exhausted her patience.

"His opinion, which was clearly influenced by his personal, ah, issues with you," Daniel said - Loki hadn't exhausted his patience. "We don't know that the High Council shares it."

"He would not dare eat a meal without the permission of the High Council, much less refuse the salvation of our species without the High Council's agreement." Loki sniffed. "I've told you this before."

"Yes, but how can he know what the High Council will think when they have not yet been informed about this project? By now, he will have told them, of course, but back then, he had not yet been able to do that, so he was acting based on assumptions - and you told us yourself that his assumptions were wrong, didn't you?" Daniel smiled.

"I did, but that was about his assumptions about me, not about the High Council." Loki sounded petulant.

"And yet, both are assumptions." Daniel shrugged. "In any case, I doubt that it will do any harm if we contact the Asgard. Any additional harm, at least."

"They might construct this as another attempt to interfere with their precious Asgard destiny and take offence." Loki sneered.

If Sam hadn't already known that he had deeply-rooted issues with his brother and the High Council, and probably the rest of the Asgard as well, this would prove it. Loki was usually at least acting calm and collected, in control of everything. Now, he was showing more emotions in a day than he had during all of her visits before put together.

"That wouldn't make any sense!" Entrapta protested. "We have only talked to you and Thor, so it's just logical that we would want another opinion to ensure we have all the data we need to make a decision about the Asgard."

"Unfortunately, many of those who should be making decisions based on rational thinking seem to lack the capacity for it," Hordak commented.

"Exactly!" Loki nodded sharply. "My former peers are letting their emotions rule them! And base emotions such as fear and pride, at that!"

Look who's talking, Sam thought. Out loud, she said: "They are acting based on past experience. That's not irrational."

"It's science," Entrapta agreed. "Unless you're unwilling to alter your views based on new data. Then you're not acting like a scientist should."

"Exactly!" Loki repeated himself. "In the past, my projects failed due to lack of support. This time, with your support, I will succeed!"

At least you didn't say: 'I cannot fail, only be failed!', Sam thought. But based on Loki's past comments, that was likely what he felt.

"So we hope," Daniel said with a smile.

Sha're, though, who had been silent until now, shook her head. "Failure is always possible. Something that the false gods often fail to accept or understand."

"Do not compare me to those parasites! They are mere scavengers, stealing the technology of their betters to fool the gullible into worshipping them as gods!" Loki hissed.

To Sam's surprise, Sha're didn't flinch. "If you don't want me to compare you to them, do not act in a way that reminds me of them." She looked at Daniel. "The Tau'ri and the Etherians are helping you. They are even risking a conflict with your own people for you. The least you can do to repay them is to show some respect for those not so fortunate. The followers of the false gods are not gullible - they have been raised from childhood to worship them as gods. That is not something you easily overcome."

Loki scoffed. "To mistake mere technology - and often not very impressive technology at that - for supernatural or divine power is the sign of a… naive mind."

"That is not true," Daniel interjected, a bit more sharply than Sam was used to from him. "You cannot expect people who have never been taught science to question their beliefs when they have no reason to do so. The Goa'uld posing as gods act exactly like the gods they pose as are said to act. By now, they have been able to mould their follower's faith. Their dogmas have been entrenched for millennia. This kind of conditioning cannot easily be overcome. You would need to teach them about technology first and show them that what they consider divine power is something they could duplicate with the right tools - and that requires a lot of effort as well."

Loki scoffed. "That may be so, but the High Council has no such excuse. They were not raised in ignorance, yet revel in it anyway."

"Then that is one more reason to contact them," Daniel said. "How can we hope that they will change their opinion if we do not give them the opportunity to learn more?"

Loki glared at him. He really couldn't stand losing, whether an argument or anything else, Sam thought.


Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, November 23rd, 1999

"...and the police have not yet commented on whether or not they will resume the investigation. While no sign of foul play has been discovered, several relatives of Jones want the authorities to investigate 'curses and other foul magic', claiming that the pile-up near Dallas wasn't caused by Jones' 'brake-checking' a truck but 'evil outside interference'. The new Attorney General of Texas hasn't commented on the case yet, though, with the autopsy results showing that Jones was inebriated at the time of the accident, it seems unlikely that they will resume the investigation."

"Thank you, Carl. While the Dallas case seems like a non-starter, it is not the only case where the police are faced with claims that magic was used in a harmful way. With increasing signs that Earth's magic tradition is not quite as flashy as Etheria's, many people are afraid that what would have been dismissed as mere bad luck or a wrong decision a year ago is actually the result of a witch using magic to curse or beguile someone. According to the latest count, three prominent divorce cases are claiming that the alleged infidelity was actually caused by magic influence, and the number of reports that claim someone was 'roofied with magic' is growing quickly. Some politicians are already calling for literal witch-hunts, despite the…"

Catra rolled her eyes and switched channels. "Took them long enough to find new excuses for their own faults," she muttered as a laundry ad started to play.

"What did you say?" Adora asked, looking up from her magazine.

"They're blaming 'witches' for their problems," Catra said. "If nothing's done about this, we might see witch-hunts in the Alliance." Too many other countries already had those - mainly but not limited to those where religious fanatics were in power.

"What?" Adora frowned. "That would go against all agreements! And their own laws!"

Catra shrugged. "Not if they claim they're just investigating criminals. And it's not completely impossible that someone is using magic to hurt someone." If you had the talent and felt you were hurt, why not strike back?

"But…" Adora blinked. "They don't have the sorceresses to investigate such things. How could they tell if magic was used without someone who can do magic?"

"According to the news, by questioning the suspects until they confess. I don't think they mean torture like in the old witch-hunts, but…" Catra shrugged again. Between the religious fanatics who hated all magic and the idiots who thought this was a great opportunity to blame others for their actions, and the examples from other countries…

"We need to do something about this," Adora said, frowning as she put down her magazine and got up from the couch to get back to her desk.

And now I've ruined your break! Catra thought, pressing her lips together.

"...has voiced concerns about the continued growth of the worship of She-Ra. While the movement is most numerous in India, where a small minority claims she should be part of the Hindu pantheon, calls for her canonisation have also been heard in Europe, even though the Vatican has firmly opposed any such proposals. In the Middle East, several fatwas have been issued that…"

Yeah, no, this wasn't the time to tease Adora about her church. Catra switched channels again.

"...and the latest statistics show a concerning trend that, while currently overshadowed by the shift to a war economy, might lead to significant problems in the future as entire industries are rendered obsolete by advanced technology and magic. But it's not all doom and gloom - many experts think that the vast number of underdeveloped planets that are currently controlled by the Goa'uld represents an untapped potential market that will be a boost to…"

"That's what we need," Catra muttered. "Earth colonising the galaxy." Or was that neo-colonising? Was that a word? She snorted and pushed the button again.

"...have vetoed another resolution that condemned the Etherians for their 'aggressive violation of the sovereignty of other countries in a blatant attempt to enforce their imperialistic values on Earth'. Though the widening gap, both in political values and power, between the countries that joined or are associated with the Alliance and the countries that are not part of it, is a concern that needs to be addressed by the United Nations. If the majority of the countries are effectively at the mercy of the West, then that will have repercussions for the entire world and…"

"We need more sorceresses," Adora interrupted the next ad on the television in her office - Earth had way too many of them, and they were far too repetitive once the novelty had worn off, in Catra's opinion. And it had worn off long ago. "Earth needs to be able to investigate and disprove such claims about curses - and deal with the actual curses."

"Send a memo to Castaspella?" Catra suggested. "They might have some sorceresses who don't want to fight in the war but wouldn't mind police work." Not many, though. Not nearly enough.

"That won't be enough. We need sorceresses from Earth." Adora nodded. "We need a training program that actually works. Sending a few students to Mystacore is not enough."

And that was still just in the start-up phase, anyway. "Tell Glimmer to handle it," Catra told her lover. "Between her, Micah and Castaspella, they should be able to figure things out." She didn't add: 'You have other things to do', but she was sure Adora understood it anyway.

Judging by the way Adora pouted at Catra, she did.


"Hello, Jack!"

"Hello, Anise." Jack O'Neill nodded at the Tok'ra as he entered the meeting room. "Entrapta."

"Hi, Jack!" Entrapta waved at him with her air, nose buried in a tablet in front of her, with two keyboards held by her hair at her sides.

Anise's stance shifted slightly, and Jack knew she was releasing control before she spoke in Freya's voice: "Hello, Jack."

"And hi, Freya." He nodded again. Polite and friendly. The Tok'ra were allies. And Freya was a lovely woman and not quite as focused on having his baby as her counterpart. Her interest in him would have been flattering - but still not wanted - if she weren't a host to a snake.

"How are you doing?"

He shrugged. "Oh, you know - the usual. Kicking Goa'uld ass, dealing with paperwork…"

Freya laughed, but it was Anise who answered. "I see. Entrapta has been filling me in on the progress of her cloning research."

"Yes!" Entrapta looked up. "Unfortunately, it's not very useful for the Tok'ra since they need sapient hosts, not just bodies, and we haven't yet solved how to transfer someone's consciousness into a new body, like the Asgard do. Horde Prime knew how to do it - probably better than the Asgard since he did it so quickly and so often, but we lack data about the Asgard's process, except for some comments from Loki, which seem to indicate that it's not a short or easy process. Unfortunately, Horde Prime's data was lost when Adora turned his flagship into a plant, and the Clones didn't know anything about it. They haven't been interested in restoring it, anyway - which is kinda understandable, but still a loss for science. I could ask Loki, I guess, but if he told us how the Asgard do it, then the Asgard might get more annoyed with us and him for taking their secrets or something. Anyway, that's what we're currently doing!"

Jack blinked and tried to digest all that. "So… you're trying to transfer minds?"

Entrapta nodded. "Well, that would be the goal. Though we probably shouldn't do that unless we're sure it won't have side effects on us. We don't know everything we need to know about a person's consciousness yet. I mean, we know how the brain works, and the memories, but we're not sure if that's all or if there's more. Like, can you copy someone's consciousness into a new body and have a copy of the person? Or would something be missing? Or is your consciousness unique, and you can only transfer it but not copy it?" Entrapta shrugged. "I can think of a few experiments that would help with finding out more about it, but they're kinda… questionable?" She cocked her head to the side.

"Questionable?" Anise asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, what if something goes wrong, and we lose the consciousness we want to copy? Or it suffers data loss during the process? It's a very delicate process. And what about magic? Is that tied to your consciousness, or is it tied to your genes? What if your new body lacks the talent? And what if you can copy a consciousness but not their powers?"

"Or what if you can copy someone?" Jack said, smiling thinly and trying not to show his actual thoughts about the whole idea. "Multiple times?"

"Oh!" Entrapta perked up.

"And what about their friends and lovers?" Jack went on before Entrpata could get carried away.

She blinked again, looking at him with her mouth open. "Oh. Yeah, I guess that would be… weird. And a problem."

"I concur. The implications of duplicating someone, and the effects of such actions on their relationships, and society in general, seems rather complicated," Anise said.

"That's one way to say it," Jack said.

"Maybe we should ask Loki if the Asgard have tried that," Entrapta suggested.

"I think we don't want two or more Lokis," Jack said. He could imagine Thor's reaction.

"But they must have thought about it - it's kind of obvious, isn't it?" Entrapta said.

"It might be a cultural taboo - or there might be, as you speculated, reasons why you cannot copy people," Anise said.

That was above his pay grade. Or should be. Jack shook his head. "Best not to rock the boat. We're still dealing with the problems caused by Loki's research into new bodies for the Asgard." And he didn't want to know how the rest of the Alliance and Earth as a whole, would react to Entrapta's speculation about copying people.

Though he'd have to check with Carter about all of this. She would know just how likely all of this speculation was.

And speak of the devil… Carter, Teal'c, Daniel and Sha're entered the room, interrupting the disturbing discussion. Jack checked his watch as greetings were exchanged. Adora, Catra, Glimmer and Bow were still not here for the meeting with Anise. And while arriving just on time was something Catra did, Adora usually was always early. And overprepared, of course. And Glimmer or Bow were never late when they could help it.

So, something was probably up on Etheria.


"Hello, everyone!" Adora said. She smiled at the others in the room, feeling slightly embarrassed for almost being late. But their discussion about magical training had gone on for a bit longer than expected. And hadn't been very successful - at least, Glimmer hadn't been very optimistic about recruiting more sorceresses for police work instead of the Alliance forces.

But she had to focus on the task at hand now. She took a deep breath and nodded at Anise. "Thank you for coming, Anise and Freya."

"We're allies - and friends," Anise replied. "Of course, we'll come when you need us."

"And when you need us," Adora heard Catra whisper under her breath.

She didn't react, though. "Yes. Do you have more information about the state of Apophis' court and forces?"

Anise nodded. "Our operatives have reported that he's still conducting a purge of his court. He has culled at least a dozen Goa'uld and triple that number of Jaffa for treachery or incompetence - which he seems to use interchangeably."

"Your god cannot fail. He can only be failed," Jack commented.

"And failure is treachery," Daniel added.

"Yes," Teal'c said, nodding. "That is what the false gods teach their followers."

"The loss of his queen has weakened his position. He has taken steps to hide that fact - he has killed the witnesses - but he cannot conceal it forever. Already rumours are spreading that she was hurt during the attack - or that she was behind it," Anise went on.

Adora looked at Sha're. The woman smiled at that, but she looked more resigned than satisfied. Of course, she would have known the other women in Apophis's harem, who had been murdered just for seeing Amaunet being captured.

"That will greatly weaken his position," Sha're said. "Losing his queen is already a heavy blow, but rumours that she betrayed him? And reports of an attack on his palace, with significant damage? His rivals will probe for more weaknesses. And he will have purged some of his senior commanders and subordinates, in addition to those you killed, while his faith in the remaining ones will be shaken as well - and justly so. Most of the Goa'uld serving him will be looking for an opportunity to betray him, and the rest is only loyal out of fear."

"Yes," Anise confirmed. "Our own assessment concurs. Even worse for Apophis, it seems his hold on his Jaffa is weakening as well."

"It is?" Teal'c leaned forward.

Anise nodded. "Our operatives confirmed that some of the surviving Jaffa who have fought you are questioning their god. In secret, of course."

"Do you know why they are doing this? As a rule, Jaffa have been fanatically loyal to their Goa'uld lords," Daniel said.

Anise lanced at Adora. "We are looking into it. We have heard that some of them talk - or whisper - about a 'golden goddess'."

Adora closed her eyes. Not again! "I am no goddess!" she muttered.

"Ah, yes," Daniel said. "Adora returning magic to the planet, and the effects of this action, especially her healing, would be able to shake even a Jaffa's faith. Though I would have expected Apophis to claim this, ah, deed, for his own."

"He tried, but too many Jaffa had witnessed the event, and killing them made even his followers question why he would heal them in the first place only to execute them afterwards." Anise shrugged. "It's too early to say how this will shake out, but it is another problem for Apophis to deal with when he's already dealing with multiple crises."

"That sounds like Apophis is a prime target for an attack," Jack said. "The only question is who will strike at him first - a rival snake or us."

"He still has a tight hold on his forces on other planets; rumours are spreading through his systems, but slowly. And hearsay will not impress people as much as personal experience or at least the testimony of first-hand witnesses," Anise pointed out.

"And we need to settle our problems with the Asgard before we can launch an attack on Apophis," Adora added.

"Ah, yes," Anise nodded. "We don't know much about the Asgard - but the Goa'uld consider them a peer power, at the very least, and respect the treaty with them. Though last we heard, their goals aligned with ours. What happened to change that?"

"Our goals still align with regard to the Goa'uld Empire," Adora said. "As far as we know."

"We don't know much about the Asgard either," Glimmer added. "We only met two of them, but one of them is Thor, the Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet and member of their High Council. And he took offence at us helping Loki, who is trying to find a cure for their genetic degradation."

Anise looked surprised. "They do not want your help?"

"They don't trust Loki," Adora explained.

"Apparently, he violated a lot of their laws in the past," Jack said. "And they think we're the same."

"Ah." Anise nodded. "I can see how that would be a problem."

"Hindsight is always 20/20," Jack said with a shrug.

There wasn't much to add to that. They should have been honest from the start.

"So, what are you planning to do?" Anise asked.

"Talk to them and explain that we only want to help them," Adora said.

"With the entire High Council, not just Thor," Glimmer added.

"What if they do not believe you?" Anise leaned forward a little. "And what if they do not want your help? Or Loki's?"

Andora grimaced. "That's a tricky question. They can't forbid Loki from working on this - well, they can, they did, but it's not right. That would be like ordering him to commit suicide since if their genetic degradation continues, he won't be able to get a new body and die."

"And no kingdom has the right to order people to die," Glimmer added.

"Well, there's the death penalty," Jack cut in. "And sometimes, you have to order soldiers to their deaths in a war."

Adora frowned. The death penalty was barbaric. Brutal, cruel and such a waste. But Jack was correct about soldiers in a war - even though she'd do anything to avoid giving such orders, she would do it if there was no other way.

"And even without Loki's past deeds, ah, mudding the water, it's understandable that the Asgard would resent an outsider interfering with them on such a fundamental level," Daniel said. "Loki is trying to define their future - without their approval."

"If they want to die, then why should he listen to them?" Catra asked. "Once they're gone, it doesn't matter to them any more."

"Well, their legacy obviously matters to them," Daniel retorted. "They might consider this an appropriation or usurpation of their species' identity, history and culture. Imagine if this happened to your kingdom." He looked at Glimmer.

Glimmer frowned in return. "I wouldn't want my kingdom to die rather than change."

"Life means change," Bow added. "Nothing can last without adapting and changing."

"The Asgard tried, in a way at least," Sam said. "They have been transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies." She frowned.

Daniel nodded. "That would make it likely that their society is deeply conservative and inherently opposed to changes. Even at the cost of their own and their species' existence."

"It might be why they are facing extinction in the first place," Sha're spoke up. "On a fundamental level, they stopped changing, stopped adapting - stopped evolving."

Adora nodded. That made sense. She noted that Sam seemed surprised by Sha're's words.


Sha're is more eloquent than I expected, Samantha Carter thought - and immediately felt ashamed for the assumption. Just because the other woman had been raised on Abydos didn't mean that she would be… simple might be a good word. She had been married and living with Daniel since the first Stargate mission, after all, and Sam knew how prone to lecturing Daniel was. And then Sha're had been possessed by Amaunet for years. Of course, she would have picked up more than just intel while she had been a prisoner in her own body. Sam knew from personal experience that if all you could do was observe, you did that - even though, sometimes, you'd rather not.

That didn't mean she was right, of course. "That seems a bit philosophical," Sam said.

Sha're looked at her, but Daniel replied before she could: "It is - but that doesn't mean we should dismiss the idea."

"It's not a philosophical point," Sha're said, frowning a little. "If you are no longer concerned with evolving, merely with maintaining the current state, you tend to grow lax as familiarity breeds contempt. Without a challenge, you don't rise above your current level."

"That sounds like a description of the Goa'uld," the General cut in. "They've been keeping things the same for thousands of years."

"Not quite," Anise retorted. "While they might not have advanced their technology very much, which would support your assessment, their internal struggles did keep them from growing too complacent. One also has to consider that due to their inherent traitorous nature, any technological advantage gained by one System Lord tends to be quickly stolen and spread to their rivals. So, for extensive research and development to be profitable, a Goa'uld has to not only develop new technology - and advanced enough to render existing technology obsolete - but also build and deploy it in sufficient quantity to overpower their rivals without them noticing that buildup. Sufficient to not only topple the most powerful Goa'uld, namely Ra, but also defeat the coalition of their rivals that would form as soon as their power was revealed. This has been attempted multiple times in the past, with varying degrees of success, but never did it fundamentally change the balance of power under Ra - or Ra himself."

"But Ra's gone for a few years already," the General said.

"And you can be assured that the System Lords have been busy trying to find a decisive advantage over their rivals ever since they didn't have to fear Ra's wrath any more," Anise said. "We have been striking at the research projects that we found - such as that laboratory we sabotaged when we met you."

"But there might be other such projects," the General said. "Wunderwaffen."

"Wunderwaffen?" Anise cocked her head to the side.

"A propaganda term from the Second World War on Earth," Sam told her. "It referred to revolutionary weapons that were meant to change the outcome of the war, although they never were deployed in numbers high enough to actually have a significant effect on the war."

"Ah."

"So, let's hope that whatever the snakes are working on in secret follows that example," the General said.

"The sooner we strike at the Go'auld, the less time they have to develop new weapons," Glimmer said.

"But as soon as we reveal ourselves, they will have a reason to band together against us," Adora cautioned.

"What's Apophis working on?" Anise asked, looking at Sha're.

"He did not share all he was plotting with Amaunet," she replied. "She was privy to some secret troop deployments but not to any such research projects. If she had been, she might have tried to gain control over it to topple him."

"You've received that intel already," the General told Anise with a slight frown.

Sam pressed her lips together at the implications as well. They wouldn't hide that kind of information from their allies - especially not their allies with the best spy network in the Goa'uld Empire.

Anise nodded. "We digress. We were talking about the Asgard."

"Right." Adora nodded. "We'll have to meet with them. Explain our point of view."

"And without Loki there," Catra added.

Sam agreed. Loki wouldn't like that, but as the meeting with Tor had shown, if they wanted the High Council to listen to them, they couldn't have Loki interfere. And his mere presence would escalate matters if Thor's reaction was an example of the general view of the Asgard.

"Is this a meeting between the Alliance and the Asgard? Or Etheria and the Asgard?" Anise asked.

That was a good question. The agreement with Loki was, technically, between the Princess Alliance - or Bright Moon - and Loki, but SG-1 had been present as well, and it wasn't as if representatives of Earth had protested when they had been informed about it. However, they likely wouldn't have realised the consequences of the deal at the time. And while the Tok'ra, Earth and Etheria were in an Alliance against the Goa'uld, Sam doubted that the Asgard would draw that distinction. On the other hand, the Asgard might consider the Tok'ra just another faction of the Goa'uld.

"I think it would be best if you were present as well," Adora said, smiling. "So they won't feel that we're hiding something else."

"Well, we're not going to reveal our military secrets to them, I hope," the General commented in a joking tone that didn't quite hide his concern - at least to Sam.

"Of course not!" Adora said.

"But we would want some representatives of Earth with us as well, then," Daniel said. "I mean, representatives other than us. Elected ones."

"Of course," Glimmer said. Though the way she looked at Adora, Sam couldn't help thinking that they would much prefer to handle this with SG-1 and the Tok'ra.

"Great, more politicians," the General muttered.

"I was thinking more about diplomats," Daniel said.

"Same thing," the General retorted. "They'll mess this up."

"I wouldn't go that far," Daniel said.

"I would," the General insisted.

"I'm sure we can find a reasonable diplomat or two on Earth," Glimmer said.

Catra scoffed. "You remember our tour of the United Nations, do you?"

"That was the United Nations. We're talking about the Alliance countries," Glimmer replied. But she did look a little unsure, in Sam's opinion.

"They will send a delegation, I think," Daniel said. "So every major member of the Alliance is represented."

"So… at least four? With assistants?" Glimmer shook her head. "That won't work."

"Well…" Daniel shrugged. "Etheria's represented by all of you." He nodded at Adora, Glimmer, and the others.

Glimmer had the grace to blush, Sam noted. But she shook her head anyway. "Technically, it's just me for Bright Moon and Adora for the Alliance as a whole."

"Ad me as a science expert," Entrapta said with a smile.

"Then the countries of Earth could claim the same," Daniel said.

"We'll ask them to send a delegation," Adora said. "It's only fair."

"Great," the General muttered.