Chapter 16: The Headstart
Hyperspace, On the Way to Earth, July 31st, 1998 (Earth Time)
Leaning against the wall in his cabin, where he had called an urgent team meeting, Jack O'Neill felt… well, torn. He wasn't happy with his team - except for Teal'c. Not at all. He wasn't happy with the whole situation that Carter's talk, and then Daniel's lecture, had caused either.
On the other hand, if the Etherians had found out about Earth's attitude towards gays after arriving on Earth… He suppressed the urge to wince. That would've been a diplomatic disaster of an unprecedented scale. And he had been aware of that ever since he had first noticed that Adora and Catra weren't just very good friends. And - and that was why he was also feeling guilty - he had known that they had to talk about this before they reached Earth, yet hadn't done so for two weeks. He clenched his teeth. All that didn't change his duties as SG-1's commanding officer.
He cleared his throat and looked at his team. Carter met his eyes without flinching. Daniel looked away. Teal'c didn't show any emotion. "So, what did we learn today?" he asked.
"That the Etherians' reaction to bigotry on Earth was even worse than we feared, and that we should have addressed this long ago?"
Jack wanted to sigh. Daniel was being confrontative. And protective - he knew as well as Jack did that as a civilian consultant, he had a lot more leeway than Carter. But the worst was that Daniel was correct - they should have addressed this before. Still, certain forms had to be followed. "I don't remember anyone asking me if we should bring it up today. I know I'm getting old, but I think I would remember if I had been removed from command of this team." And he did remember telling his team that he didn't want any more such surprises.
"No, Sir." Carter was looking at the wall next to him. "It was a spontaneous decision, Sir."
"Really. And you couldn't clear it with me beforehand?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Sir, I felt my chosen course of action would cause less disruption to the chain of command, Sir."
A lot of 'Sirs' in this statement. "Are you claiming that you wanted to protect me, Carter?" That wasn't how things worked. The officer in command was always responsible for the actions of his subordinates.
"No, Sir."
This time, Jack sighed.
"Would you have let us address this if we had asked?" Daniel raised his chin. "You have been ignoring this for weeks."
So, now it was 'we'. Well, Daniel knew what he was doing. "I was waiting for the right moment to address it," Jack said. It wasn't quite a lie. It wasn't quite the truth, either. And both Carter and Daniel knew it. Carter wouldn't say anything. Daniel…
"And when would that 'right moment' have been? Five minutes before we reach Earth?"
"Presumably after a valiant battle which strengthened our ties to each other," Teal'c said. He ignored Daniel's pout, of course.
"Yeah, something like that." Jack sighed again. "But yes, I might have been a little too optimistic here."
Daniel snorted.
Jack ignored it. "As we found out, explaining how Earth sees same-sex relationships isn't easy."
"Explaining how Earth sees homosexuals is easy," Daniel retorted. "Excusing it is the problem." He shook his head. "Jack, these people literally couldn't imagine why the people on Earth would hate them for their choice of sexual partners! It's something out of their imagination. Was something out of their imagination, I should say."
"Yeah. They are aliens, Daniel. Something we shouldn't forget," Jack pointed out. Even though he wanted to forget the bit about his own ancestry. "Jaffa have different views and values as well."
"We do share the same core values, though, especially when it comes to matters of honour and honesty," Teal'c said.
Jack suppressed a grimace. "Yes, honour and honesty…" He shook his head. "Telling them that half the country thinks they're horrible sinners might have been honest, but not exactly diplomatic."
"Honesty is, in my expert opinion, the best course of action with the Etherians," Daniel said. "Attempts to hide Earth's… faults… from them would only cause more problems."
"Yeah, yeah, But there's a time and place for this, and a way to present the not so nice facts about Earth. Blurting them out over dinner generally isn't either," Jack retorted.
"Jack."
"Daniel."
"Do you really think that this was a mistake? Or are you angry that the truth came out, and that they look at us as if we were worse than the Goa'uld?" Daniel asked.
That was… Jack clenched his teeth together,
"I do not believe that they consider us worse than the Goa'uld. They were shocked by the foolish superstitions about sexualities common on Earth, but I believe that this was such a heavy blow because they held us in high esteem." Teal'c nodded slowly at them.
"Yeah, something like that," Jack said. The kids had looked like they had caught SG-1 kicking puppies - or kitties. "But they need to know that we aren't fanatics who want to burn them at the stake for being gay."
"Most of us aren't," Daniel said with a scoff. "I can think of a few people who would happily bring back autos-da-fé."
"Yes, but these people are a tiny, tiny minority," Jack replied. "Most people don't hate gay people - they're just… uncomfortable."
"Like they were uncomfortable with black people settling in the neighbourhood?" Daniel said with narrowed eyes. He really was involved in this.
"Yeah, something like that," Jack said. Before he could think too much about that comparison, he forced himself to go on: "But things changed and are changing."
"And we told them that." Daniel tilted his head and pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Yes, you did."
"You didn't say much, though," Daniel went on.
"You had things in hand," Jack told him.
Daniel stared at him for a moment, then pressed his lips together and looked away.
Jack sighed again. What could he have said? The same that Daniel and Carter had said. But coming from him…
Hyperspace, On the Way to Earth, August 1st, 1998 (Earth Time)
Adora sighed as she stared at the ceiling of their cabin. It was… she still had trouble understanding it. "I don't get it," she whispered.
A soft growl sounded next to her. Then she felt Catra's head on her chest move, lift. A moment later, a hand appeared in front of her face, and a finger flicked her nose.
"Hey!" she protested.
"You've been sighing for hours!" Catra complained.
"That's not true!"
"Almost hours," Catra retorted. Then she sighed herself, and Adora felt her shift some more - until she was lying on top of Adora's chest, her arms crossed over Adora's chest, and looking at her. "What's your problem?"
"That Earth hates us!" Adora blurted out. Why wasn't Catra bothered by this?
Catra rolled her eyes in return. "Earth doesn't hate us. Some Tau'ri hate us."
"A lot of them hate us," Adora retorted. SG-1 had been clear about that.
"So? A lot of people hate me, too." Catra shrugged.
Adora pressed her lips together. Catra shouldn't talk like this. Even if it was true. Catra had changed for the better. She wasn't like… like she had been before. But even so… She clenched her teeth. Pointing out that hating Catra for what she had done when leading the Horde, and hating them for loving each other, was very different would be...
Catra flicked her nose again. "Hey! I know it's not the same."
And Catra could read her like a book. Adora sighed again.
"Look, SG-1 might not have been completely honest with us - I understand something about that - but they aren't bad people," Catra said, twirling one finger around a strand of Adora's hair - she could feel the tugging.
"Yes, but… How can we work with the others, knowing that they hate us?" Adora started to shake her head, pulling Catra's fingers back and forth.
Catra rolled her eyes again. "We don't have to work with all of them. There are six billion people on Earth. We can pick and choose."
"After interrogating them to find out if they hate us?" Adora asked. Then she blinked - Catra seemed to seriously consider this. "I was joking," she quickly added.
Catra tilted her head. "I'm sure we can think of something to weed out the bad people." She flashed her fangs in a wide grin.
Adora sighed again. She knew she wouldn't like this. Then she sighed another time. "It's not even that, actually." She shook her head. "It's… It makes no sense. Why would anyone hate us for loving each other? If they were jealous, it would make some sense…" She trailed off, biting her lower lip.
Catra snorted. "I know that. But…" She shrugged again. "You heard Daniel - they were taught that we - people like us - are bad people. Like we were taught that princesses were evil."
"I know," Adora replied. "But we were taught that princesses were bad, so we'd fight them. Why would you want to fight people like… like Bow's dads? And don't tell me that George was a soldier once!"
Catra snorted. "I won't." Then she grew serious. "Well, teaching people that someone's bad and you should fight them also makes them, well… close ranks and follow orders."
"Oh." Adora blinked. "Daniel said something about that."
"Yes. Like unit cohesion."
"Unit cohesion? For families? And villages? Kingdoms?" Adora shook her head. She remembered those lessons from officer training, but… "It's still evil. It's even more evil." They weren't at war. They were targeting their own people.
"Yeah. But you heard them - they're getting better."
"So what?" Adora scoffed. "We treat them like the Horde after the war?"
Catra nodded. "That's a good idea. As long as you don't seduce one of them." She grinned again. Teasing her.
Adora scoffed. "I didn't seduce you - you seduced me!"
"You seduced me without noticing," Catra shot back. Then she pushed herself up on her arms, moved her head forward and kissed Adora. "Now, sleep."
"Now, get off my chest."
"Naw."
Adora sighed again. But she did feel better. Maybe they could handle this without a fight or something. It wasn't as if they could just leave and let the Goa'uld destroy the planet, anyway. Six billion people. Hundreds of millions of children.
Hyperspace, On the Way to Earth, August 2nd, 1998 (Earth Time)
"You want to fly ahead with the shuttle?" Glimmer frowned. As did Catra. Adora as well, Samantha Carter noticed.
"Yes," the Colonel said. "I hoped we'd find a Stargate, but… We really need to give Earth at least a few days of advance warning. If the fleet just shows up, there'll be worldwide panic. Even if no one starts a war by accident, people will die anyway in the chaos. Many people."
Sam nodded in agreement. "If you drop out of hyperspace outside the Sol system, we can take the shuttle and reach Stargate Command without being noticed." The stealth system was good enough - Sam knew that.
Yet, the Etherians were still frowning. Catra narrowed her eyes. "That would also allow you to put your own spin on the news."
Of course it would, but the alternative was mass panic and disruption. Sam pressed her lips together - this had to be handled carefully.
"But why?" Entrapta asked. "We're not your enemies."
"But Earth doesn't know aliens are real," Daniel pointed out. "And people fear the unknown. Also… a whole fleet instead of a single ship? That will be seen as an invasion, not a peaceful contact."
That made Glimmer and Adora nod, at least.
"Yes. People on Earth aren't used to whole fleets showing up to help them out of the goodness of their hearts," the Colonel added. "They'll suspect the worst."
"That's no surprise," Catra commented, baring her teeth.
"No, it isn't," the Colonel replied with a mild expression.
Catra snorted in return.
"Please." Daniel leaned forward a little in his seat. "Many people will die if there's a panic."
And that convinced them. Sam could tell as the Etherians started to look at each other and grimace.
"How long do you need?" Adora asked.
"So, we're getting a headstart of a few days," the Colonel said, once again pacing in his room with the entire SG-1 present. Samantha Carter was sitting on his bunk, actually, next to Daniel. "Congratulations! It looks like we've avoided an Independence Day scenario."
Of course he would make a movie reference.
"I think there'll be parties on rooftops anyway." And, equally expected, Daniel would take it and run with it.
"There'll be parties on rooftops in Los Angeles no matter what," the Colonel said. "But we'll have to convince our government to treat this seriously. We can't waste this chance."
Would the government actually dismiss their warning? Sam didn't think so. Stargate Command had built up enough of a reputation over the last year, namely by repelling Apophis's invasion. On the other hand, SG-1 also had built up a certain reputation…
"So, while it'd be nice to have General Hammond call the president and set everything up just fine, we'll have to plan for the worst," the Colonel went on.
Sam leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. What exactly did he mean?
"So, in case Hammond or we get stalled for any reason - for example, to check our credentials, or because something happened to Stargate Command in our absence that led to a change of command - we need alternatives," the Colonel explained.
Ah. Sam nodded. The alternatives the Colonel meant - bypassing the chain of command - would likely end her career, but this was too important. Too many people would die even in the best case, should the Third Fleet arrive in orbit without warning.
Daniel blinked. "What kind of alternatives do you mean?" he asked.
"Contacting the president directly. Calling your contacts to circumvent any roadblocks. Hacking the emergency broadcast system?" The Colonel shrugged. "Probably not the latter, since that would just cause what we want to avoid."
Sam suppressed a snort. It wasn't funny. Too many people would die if they failed. She could call her father, of course - they were estranged, but this was too important. But would he believe her?
"I don't exactly know anyone I could tell about this," Daniel said, frowning. "Nobody outside Stargate Command who would believe me. Everyone knows me as the guy who was laughed out of his last presentation for mentioning aliens."
Sam winced. Daniel hadn't actually claimed that the pyramids had been built by aliens - he had merely mentioned an unknown, advanced civilisation as a theory to explain discrepancies that had crept up when dating the pyramids - but when someone had mentioned the aliens, he hadn't dismissed the idea either. And the media, as well as his colleagues, had run with it and discredited him in his field. He was known as the kooky alien conspiracy theorist now.
"Well, they'll sing a different tune once the Etherians arrive," the Colonel said. "Provided we can keep World War III from breaking out in the meantime."
Which was a real possibility, if, fortunately, not the most likely. Still… "If our credentials were to be questioned," Sam said, "then we will be unlikely to have access to communications."
"Exactly." The Colonel grinned. "I'd ask Queen Glimmer to come with us so she can teleport us around if I thought they would let her go on the shuttle with us."
Sam winced again at that. Taking Glimmer with them - well, technically, the shuttle belonged to the Etherians, so it was more the other way around - would be a headache. Some idiot would, 'just to explore all options', ask about taking her hostage, and if the NID got wind of it, or some of the brass got paranoid… It was very unlikely that there would be such a blunder, but not impossible.
"Glimmer or Adora can't go with us," Daniel said. "They don't trust us enough for that."
Sam nodded. Not after their revelations.
"And I don't think they'll let Entrapta come," the Colonel said. "Which - no offence, Carter - is a good thing, or you two would probably build a doomsday device to pass the time while we wait."
Sam dutifully snorted at the weak joke. But she couldn't see the Etherians sending Entrapta with them, either. Not without someone to keep her from being taken advantage of. The thought of some of the more… ambitious officers trying to influence Entrapta made her clench her teeth. Hordak was bad enough.
"So, no help on that front. We'll probably have Bow with us," the Colonel said. "Of course, that means advanced communications. But we'll have to arrange a way to prove that there's a fleet about to arrive without letting everyone else discover them."
"We lack FTL sensors at Stargate Command, Sir," Sam reminded him. There had been work into it, but it had been far from completion - Sam doubted that her colleagues had managed a breakthrough in the time she'd been away.
"I know." The Colonel leaned against the wall. "So, I need more ideas to save Earth if we're locked up."
"We'll have to prepare measures in advance, Sir," Sam said. "And we need to decide where we can land the shuttle without revealing it to the world at large." Cheyenne Mountain wasn't the best choice, being the most important base for the defence of North America. Not many officers serving in NORAD were read in on what actually happened down in Stargate Command.
The Colonel grinned. "Oh, that's easy. There's really only one site where we can land an alien shuttle without everyone freaking out."
Sam blinked. Then she groaned.
Daniel looked confused. "What do you mean, Jack?"
"Why, Area-51, of course." The Colonel flashed his teeth. "It's nicely isolated, and anyone who hears about it will think it's a hoax."
Sam sighed.
"I believe that is called hiding in plain sight," Teal'c added.
Sam still couldn't tell if he was serious or not.
Outside the Solar System, August 12th, 1998 (Earth Time)
SG-1 were nervous, Catra could tell. Not from looking at Teal'c, of course; the big man was both built like a rock and could hide his emotions like one. But while O'Neill acted as if he didn't have a care, his jokes weren't quite on point, and he was talking a little too much. Especially compared to the last two weeks, when he had been somewhat restrained. And Carter was fidgeting with her gear as if it might have been broken in the five minutes since she had last checked it. Daniel, at least, wasn't even trying to hide his nervousness as he sat down, then stood and then sat down again on the ramp of the shuttle.
"So… we're about six hours out from Earth in the shuttle. We could fly closer, of course, since you said you don't have FTL sensors." Entrapta cocked her head.
"We were working on them before we left for our mission," Carter said. "But while it's unlikely that my colleagues managed to complete the project in my absence, it's not impossible."
"Oh, come on, Carter!" O'Neill butted in. "The nerds wouldn't be able to turn on their computers without you!"
"It's not like that, Sir." Yeah, Carter's pained half-smile was a generous reaction to that comment. "We have the most qualified research staff at Stargate Command."
"We have you. And your assistants."
"There's also the potential of being observed by telescopes," Carter went on. "It's a very faint possibility, but not one to be neglected. We're talking about an entire fleet, after all."
Catra snorted. "And you want us to be as far out of your system as possible." She saw Glimmer tense up, and Bow shot her a glare. But she wasn't sorry - someone had to point this out.
"A little delay can often avoid hasty responses," Teal'c commented.
"Yeah. And the further you're out, the less chance that someone spots you and Earth panics," O'Neill added.
"I just said that, Sir."
Yeah, definitely nervous. Catra wasn't actually sure if that was a good or bad thing. SG-1 were, by and large, decent people. They couldn't hold a candle to Adora, of course, and Catra honestly doubted whether any of them would have accepted her in their ranks after all she had done - she was quite sure that they wouldn't have given her a second chance if she had spent a few years fighting them like she had the Alliance.
But SG-1 also were competent and experienced. They hadn't looked nearly as nervous when they had been facing potential Goa'uld traps and ambushes. So, was the situation on Earth really so bad? She glanced at Bow, who hugged Glimmer and whispered something about everything being fine. Well, it better would be fine. If something happened to Bow, things would get ugly. Glimmer would blow up. Maybe literally.
On the other hand, SG-1 would have said something if their idea was putting Bow at risk. They weren't stupid, after all. So, they were probably nervous about how they would be received back on their home planet. Well, that was their problem. Catra didn't really give much of a damn about that.
Adora, of course, would care, so even in the worst case, SG-1 should be fine.
"So… I'll contact you in a few days, when Earth's ready," Bow said with a half-smile, rubbing the back of his head.
Glimmer nodded, then hugged him again. "Be safe."
"And don't wait too long," Catra said. Advance warning was fine to avoid a disaster, but they wanted to talk to Earth's leaders. Not to the USA alone. And the longer they waited, the more time the USA had to influence the rest of the world. Well, that was Glimmer's problem.
O'Neill didn't quite clear his throat when Glimmer and Bow started kissing, but Catra could see he wanted to. She hadn't quite figured out what his problem was with kissing or sex, but maybe once they could study Earth's society, that mystery would be solved as well.
Glimmer and Bow finally separated, and Bow entered the shuttle to prep it for takeoff, followed by Carter and the rest of the SG-1.
Glimmer joined Adora, Catra and Entrapta at the door to the hangar. "If anything happens to Bow…" she whispered through clenched teeth. "I should be going with him."
Catra rolled her eyes. They had gone over this before. Glimmer was Queen and the Commander of the Alliance (as long as Adora didn't contest that, of course). She couldn't go. Adora couldn't go either for similar reasons. And because no one wanted Priest to be left alone at this point in time. If something happened to the shuttle's comm, the clone would probably think it was an attack. Catra would have gone with Bow, but then Adora would worry far too much as well.
So she held her tongue - Glimmer was probably just venting - and watched as the doors closed, and the hangar was depressurised. Then shuttle lifted off and slowly flew out of the ship before speeding up and quickly vanishing in the distance.
"They're on the way. We'll know soon how it goes," Entrapta said. "It's so exciting! A whole new planet! With six billion people!"
Well, at least someone was looking forward to this.
Solar System, Approaching Orbit Above Earth, August 12th, 1998 (Earth Time)
This was it. Jack O'Neill did his best to appear nonchalant when Earth grew visible through the cockpit windows. "Well, I guess we better call in, so they know to prepare the red carpet."
"Yes," Bow agreed.
Good. Not that Jack had expected the kid to disagree - Bow was one of the nicest people he'd met in this business. A little like Daniel, just with a bow and no glasses. And a bare midriff.
"The radio is tuned to the gate frequency, and I have checked the encryption, Sir," Carter reported from where she had been fiddling with the communication suite Entrapta and she had cooked up.
"Thank you." The codes would be outdated, but it would prevent any radio enthusiast on Earth from picking up the transmission. Or a foreign country. Well, they would pick u the transmission but would, hopefully, think it came from a military satellite. He cleared his throat. "Open a channel."
"Yes, Sir."
"SG-1 to Stargate Command, please come in! SG-1 to Stargate Command, please come in!"
He didn't expect an answer right away. Not a month late and using old codes, and from Earth's orbit. But they would be scrambling down below. Checking the radar, trying to locate their position. Hammond would be barking orders.
"SG-1 to Stargate Command, please come in!" Jack repeated himself. "General Hammond? I know we're late, but we kind of got lost. But we found some nice people who hate snakes and gave us a ride home, so I hope you won't be too mad with us."
"Sir!" Carter hissed.
He grinned at her - she really should know him better than this by now.
Daniel sighed as if he had anything to complain about.
Bow remained unfazed, but then, Etherian radio discipline was very… flexible, from what Jack had observed.
"Stargate Command to SG-1. State your position." That was Hammond!
"Hi, General!" Jack said, as upbeat as he could. "We're currently in orbit, about…" He glanced at Carter. "Carter?"
Carter immediately relayed their position.
"We're in a stealth shuttle to avoid causing worldwide panic and all that stuff," Jack added. "Quite considerate from our new friends."
Then came the expected questions and exchange of signs and counter-signs to prove their identity. Fortunately, Jack was an old hand at that. Hearing Hammond sigh told him he had convinced his commanding officer that they were the genuine article.
Of course, the fact that they were in a stealth shuttle helped with that - Hammond would be aware that they could easily bomb any place on Earth if they wanted without anyone able to stop them. They wouldn't need subterfuge to take Earth.
"Good to have you back, Colonel," Hammond said. "Now, what's this about new friends."
"Well…" Jack trailed off for a moment. Hammon would tense up right now, he knew. "That's a story best told on the ground. Can you call Area-51 and tell them we have a stealth shuttle to land, no questions asked? And get us an inconspicuous flight to Peterson Air Force Base?"
Hammond chuckled, but Jack could tell his commander wasn't really amused. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, Sir," he replied. After a deep breath, he added. "We didn't fly all the way here in this shuttle. Our new friends took us here - one is flying this shuttle. And we've got a fleet of them waiting outside the system."
"Could you repeat that, Colonel?"
Jack winced at the tone. "A fleet of spaceships, sir. Big spaceships with big guns - and they outnumber our Navy. Fortunately, they are friendlies looking for an alliance against the snakes."
"I sense a 'but' there, Colonel."
Well, Hammond knew Jack. "Yes, Sir. They want to talk to Earth, not to the USA. And they won't wait forever. We've got a few days to prepare for First Contact, Sir."
Another moment passed. "I see. I'll call Area-51. And the president. This better not be a joke, Colonel."
"Dead serious, Sir."
"Stargate Command out."
Jack sighed as he leaned back in his seat. "That went about as I expected."
"That's a good thing, right?" Bow asked with a smile.
Jack shot him a tired glance. The kid was just too naive.
Area 51, United States of America, Earth, August 12th, 1998 (Earth Time)
"Well, someone has a sense of humour," Jack commented as they glided in towards the designated landing field - it was marked with a big Roswell-Alien-style logo. "Or someone is about to get canned." Bow looked puzzled, so Jack had to explain the joke. "There's an urban legend about aliens looking like that. Supposedly they landed on Earth forty years ago and are kept here."
"Ah." Bow nodded. "So, anyone watching us will think this is a joke."
"There shouldn't be anyone watching us, but if they are, yes." Jack nodded.
Then they touched the ground, and he saw a platoon of soldiers rush out to surround the shuttle. "Alright, let's face the music, team! Be all nice and friendly - Hammond must have lit a fire under the base commander to get us landing clearance so quickly, but they'll be suspicious. Bow, just… stay on board, OK?"
"OK!" Bow nodded. "And if anyone tries to enter, I'll just lift off."
"Yes." Hopefully, nobody would be as stupid as that, but you never knew.
"The shuttle should withstand most attempts to enter," Carter remarked.
"Unless they start with trying to blow the doors open," Jack replied. "So, let's go, team! See you soon, Bow."
"Bye!" The kid waved at Jack.
Jack shook his head as the ramp was lowered.
Outside the Solar System, August 12th, 1998 (Earth Time)
"Incoming call."
Adora turned, pulling her hair out of Catra's hands, as she heard the announcement. "Accept it!"
"Hello, everyone!" Bow appeared on the screen on Darla's bridge.
"Bow!" Glimmer beamed at him. It was the first time she had smiled in hours, and Adora felt a little guilty about it - Catra hadn't gone with SG-1, after all.
And Bow smiled back. "Glimmer! How are you holding up?"
"Oh, it's fine. A little bored but fine."
Catra coughed behind Adora's back, but Adora ignored it and Glimmer's lie. "How are you doing?"
"We've safely put the shuttle down on Earth," Bow told them. "Some sort of secret base - but it's in the desert, in the open. They had to put some tent over the shuttle."
"What?" Catra frowned. "A tent?"
"A mobile tent of sorts, yes." Bow shrugged.
"Big enough to cover the shuttle?"
"Oh, yes. Jack said it's to cover prototypes."
"How does that work when flying?" Entrapta asked.
"It's not meant for flying, apparently."
Adora shook her head. That didn't make much sense.
"Anyway, SG-1 left - they took off with an aeroplane and should arrive at their base in an hour or two," Bow said. "No one bothered me here, no one tried to get into the shuttle - Jack ordered them to leave me alone." He frowned. "I'm not sure if they even know that I'm on board."
"Used to keeping secrets," Catra commented.
"Of course they are!" Glimmer blurted out. "They kept the Stargate secret. And their war with the Goa'uld."
"Well, as long as you can blast through the tent if you need to…" Catra grinned.
"That shouldn't be a problem," Bow replied.
"So," Entrapta cut in with a wide smile, "did you test my receiver already?"
"Ah." Bow smiled. "I've tested it, yes - it can receive the transmissions from Earth."
"And the television broadcasts too?" Entrapta leaned forward. "Does my adapter work? The autotuning?"
Bow nodded. "I had to adjust a few settings, but yes - it's basically the same principle as SG-1s radios."
"So…?" Entrapta fidgeted. "Can we watch Earth entertainment now?"
Bow nodded. "Yes, we can, but…" He grimaced.
"What's wrong?" Adora asked.
"It's a little… Well, you have to see it to believe it," Bow said. "I'm relaying the signal now."
Adora watched as another screen lit up on the bridge. Then she frowned. "What's a 'Jerry Springer Show'?"
Stargate Command, Colorado, August 12th, 1998 (Earth Time)
"...and then we landed at Area-51," the Colonel finished. "From there, we returned to base."
Samantha Carter sat straight in her chair and looked at a point to the left of General Hammond's shoulder without showing any expression on her face. Even though she wanted to wince a little - the Colonel had summed up their experiences in a slightly flippant manner. Well, they had been thoroughly examined in the infirmary, and the Colonel always was a little annoyed after that.
"I see," the General said with a frown. "You've made contact with an advanced civilisation willing to help us against the Goa'uld."
"And they followed us home," the Colonel joked. "And we can't get rid of them."
"And we really need to call the government," Daniel spoke up. "General. If the Etherians lose patience, then they'll cause a mass panic on Earth." He leaned forward, as Sam saw with a glance. "We don't have much time to prepare Earth for their arrival."
"And there is no chance that these 'Etherians' can be persuaded to abandon their plans of revealing their presence to the entire world?" the General asked.
This time, Sam winced.
"No, Sir," the Colonel replied, shaking his head. "They've left absolutely no doubt that they want to contact Earth and not just the United States. They do not recognise us as representatives for Earth."
"The president will not be happy about this," the General said, leaning back. He was still frowning. "An alien space fleet about to make contact with Earth. The Stargate program revealed. The Goa'uld threat exposed." he shook his head. "This goes against every standing order."
"It's not as if we had any choice in the matter, Sir," the Colonel told him. "The only way to avoid this would have been to refuse their offer to fly us back to Earth. And while some members of our government would be very happy if we had decided on that, I think making an alliance with a power strong enough to give the Goa'uld pause is more important than secrecy."
Secrecy that was very unlikely to survive the next attack by the Goa'uld - it was a miracle that Apophis's attack hadn't exposed the Stargate program.
"The Etherians have proven their mettle," Teal'c said. "They will be mighty allies of the Tau'ri."
"Unless the government screws this up," Daniel added. "They aren't happy with several of the country's policies."
The General turned to look at Sam. "What's your opinion, Captain?"
"Sir, we need this alliance," Sam replied at once. "The Etherians' technology is more advanced than the Goa'uld's. They have hundreds of ships, their military has experience fighting a war in space, and they are willing to protect Earth."
"They'll protect us whether we like it or not," the Colonel cut in. "They're kind of like that. And they have the power to get their way."
"The President won't like that either," the General said.
"That won't change the facts." Daniel shook his head. "We need to inform the world about this so people can prepare for their arrival."
The General slowly nodded with a deep sigh. "I think so as well - but many will disagree. And some will doubt your report."
Sam knew what and who the General meant.
"We can call Bow and ask him to tell the fleet to shoot their guns. Telescopes will pick the flares up," the Colonel said.
"Let's hope it won't come to that." The General got up. "I'll call the president."
Sam sighed - silently - with relief. But she hadn't expected General Hammond to doubt them in the first place. The real problem would be persuading the government that they were telling the truth about the Etherians.
Stargate Command, Colorado, August 13th, 1998 (Earth Time)
"...and did you see those ships with your own eyes, Captain?" Senator Wooley, his broad face and bald head visible on the screen in the room, asked. How this man had gotten on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Samantha Carter couldn't understand.
She had to make an effort not to glare at him - they had covered that question already. "It's a space fleet, sir," she replied. "The distances involved are too big to be able to see the whole fleet with your naked eye. But I saw and rebuilt the sensors used to detect them, and I saw enough of the ships close by to be confident that the numbers we cited are true. The electronic data is also supporting this."
The man frowned at her from the screen across the table. "So, you could have been deceived about their actual power."
Not for the first time, Sam wished that the President wouldn't have decided to treat the whole event as a bipartisan affair and involve the Senate at this point. It could cause critical delays. "I consider that very unlikely, Sir," she replied with all the composure she could muster.
"Well, you wouldn't know if you were deceived, would you?" Wooley sniffed.
Sam clenched her teeth. Wooley hadn't made any openly disparaging remarks, but she was familiar with his attitude towards women in the military from his interviews, and it grated on her nerves that a man who had never served himself was looking down on her. But he was a Senator. "Leaving aside the facts that I just told you, Sir, there's also the question of what the Etherians could gain by such a deception."
Another sniff. "You told us about their agenda."
"Their stated objectives focus on an alliance with Earth against the Goa'uld, Sir. If they were weaker than they claimed, we would find out quickly in the field."
"But then they would have already achieved their objective."
"Which objective do you mean, Sir?" Sam didn't raise her eyebrows.
He didn't take the bait. "That remains to be found out, Captain. That's obviously not part of your expertise but ours."
She couldn't help herself - she frowned in return.
Fortunately, Senator Smith, the chairman of the committee, stepped in at this point and appeared on the screen, replacing Wooley. "Captain Carter comes highly recommended, James. Her service record speaks for itself."
"This is a matter of policy, though, Jim. And that's our purview."
The President's actually, but Sam wouldn't point that out.
"And we're here to gather the information we need to make a decision," Smith said. "Captain Carter, you stated in your report - well, Colonel O'Neill did, but you signed it as well - that you don't think that the Etherians will be reasonable and limit their contact with Earth."
"Yes, Sir. They've made that absolutely clear." Sam nodded sharply.
Wooley cut in again. "We haven't talked to them - all we have is the testimony of Captain Carter, Colonel O'Neill, an archaeologist and, apparently, an alien infected by the same kind of parasite we're supposed to be at war with."
"You've read the files, James," Smith replied, a little more sharply.
"I've tried to - this was all sprung on us a few hours ago. There wasn't enough time to actually study everything in detail. It's already a scandal that we are at war with an alien power, and Congress wasn't informed!"
Which, technically, was true, though there were good reasons for that.
"That's another matter which will have to be discussed at a later date. We have more pressing problems to settle," Smith commented. "But selected members of Congress were informed."
"Which will also be discussed, mark my words!"
Sam didn't sigh.
Smith cleared his throat. "Back to the business at hand. Captain, I think you've detailed the military situation quite clearly. But you've also observed and interacted with the leaders of this 'Princess Alliance' for close to a month. This committee would like to hear your impressions, especially of their political views."
"Yes, Sir." Sam took a deep breath. "The Princesses Alliance is made up of the most powerful kingdoms of Etheria. It was formed in a war against the Horde - a war that was only recently concluded. They're mostly absolute monarchies led by a hereditary ruler."
"With magic powers. Magic princesses," Wooley didn't appear on the screen, but Sam knew he was sneering.
"The rulers of Etheria have powers that would be best described as 'magical'," she went on. "Those powers have been observed by my team and myself. Dr Jackson is of the opinion that those powers were crucial for the development of Etheria's current political structure, and I agree."
"Yes, we've read that." Smith slowly nodded. "Leaving the exact nature of their powers aside, do you think they plan to colonise Earth?"
Sam had expected that question. "No, Sir."
"And what do you base this opinion on?"
"My personal impression of the leaders of Etheria," she replied. "They are, in my opinion, honourable and decent people, not conquerors."
"Nothing else?"
"No, Sir."
"That's not much."
She didn't reply to that.
"And what if you're wrong?" Wooley butted in again. "They are the absolute rulers of monarchies. What if they want to conquer us? What do we do in that case?"
"If they want to conquer us, Sir, then asymmetrical warfare would be our best and only means to resist. The technological gap is just too big for organised warfare."
"Even with the technology you've recovered and studied?" Smith asked.
"Yes, Sir. We haven't mass-produced any of the weapons we found." They hadn't produced any advanced weapons, period, but that was a detail. And they had gone over this before.
"I see. So, back to the Etherians' capacity for warfare…"
Sam suppressed a sigh. They were wasting time here. Time they couldn't afford to lose. The Etherians wouldn't wait forever - who knew what they were doing right now?