Chapter 19: The United Nations
Geneva Airport, Switzerland, August 16th, 1998 (Earth Time)
"Alright… they want us to land there!"
Catra looked at the spot Adora indicated. It was right in front of what seemed to be the main building. And lots of people were lined up nearby, held back by flimsy-looking barriers.
But they were already descending. She looked at Entrapta. "Any threats?"
"Uh… the soldiers are armed, but they should be armed. Although the ones standing in a line there aren't armed - their weapons aren't loaded. But the ones on the roofs and around us are armed. But there's nothing that would threaten Darla."
"And us?" Catra asked. She wasn't really worried about Darla.
"Hm… we could take a portable shield generator just in case?"
"Yes," Catra agreed before anyone else could say anything. "And we've got Melog."
Yes. Safe.
"They say it's safe."
"Good. Now let's land. Preferably without crushing the welcome committee," Glimmer said. She was wearing a fancier version of her normal clothes - her 'coronation outfit', Adora and Bow, who were both wearing their Princess Prom outfits, had called it.
Well, Catra's suit hadn't survived the war, but her regular clothes would do. It wasn't as if Entrapta was dressing up at all.
Adora chuckled, but she sounded a little nervous - the space was a little tight, Catra noticed.
But the ship touched down just fine between the large building and the small round buildings that seemed to connect to the planes.
Adora stood and took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's be on our best behaviour!" She looked at Catra.
Catra smirked back at her. "I'm always on my best behaviour."
"Just don't…" Adora sighed. "Don't scare them."
Catra put her hand on her chest. "Me? What about Glimmer."
"I'm not going to scare them!" Glimmer protested at once, as Catra had expected.
"Let's just go and don't scare anyone," Bow said. He smoothed his top and brushed some imaginary speck of dust from his belt, Catra noticed - he wasn't as calm as he tried to act.
They let the ramp down and stepped out. The white-haired man in the middle of the group waiting for them took a step forward and smiled. Behind him, the soldiers tensed and straightened. Just like in the Horde, Catra thought and suppressed a snarl.
Adora tensed as well, she knew, and she ran the tip of her tail over the back of Adora's thigh. A soft giggle told her that it had worked.
Then they reached the bottom of the ramp, Glimmer in the lead, and the white-haired man - apparently the leader of the Swiss, their 'Bundespräsident' - offered a handshake. "Your Royal Highness, we're honoured to welcome you to Switzerland for this historic occasion! I'm the President of the Swiss Confederation. "
Glimmer slowly inclined her head and returned the greeting. "We're honoured to be here."
Then the music started.
"As you told us that you don't have a national anthem, we've picked the Hymn to the United Nations," the man explained. He had a different accent than O'Neill's team, Catra noticed.
"It's alright," Adora said with a smile.
"Is that like The Internationale?" Entrapta asked.
"Ah…" the president's smile froze for a moment. "Not quite." And he was back to smiling widely.
Then they reached the end of the formation of soldiers - who didn't look very impressive compared to SG-1, to Catra at least - and the president introduced the rest of the Swiss government, who had all shown up to greet them. Apparently, that was quite unusual. Not that Catra cared about that - they weren't here for the Swiss, but for the United Nations.
But everyone was here for them. She saw countless cameras and other sensors aimed at them. And banners and flowers. The crowd was getting a little unruly, in her opinion. And a lot of attention seemed to be aimed at her - and at Melog and Hordak.
Right, she reminded herself. Those people were only used to humans like Adora. She grinned at the thought that, for once, she was drawing more attention than Glimmer or Adora. Though, to be fair, Adora wasn't in her She-Ra form.
Then came the speeches. The Swiss president gave a short speech that basically repeated what he had told them. Switzerland was happy and honoured to have them here. Glimmer told them that they were happy and honoured to be here.
Catra wasn't. It was pretty hot, and the crowd was very loud. And she felt exposed - so many people, and she had no idea how many of them hated her.
Fortunately, after Glimmer's speech, they moved inside for a quick 'apéro', which apparently was a Swiss custom that involved drinking wine and eating tiny food while chatting. Or, in her case, watching how Entrapta confused the older Swiss who was talking to her by delivering detailed explanations about Darla's engines as soon as he mentioned the ship. Or somehow seemed to disturb the people from Earth by using her hair to grab the tiny food and stuff it into her mouth with obvious enthusiasm.
"Catra," Adora hissed next to her, picking another tiny bread with sausage from a plate. "Be more polite."
"I am being polite," she replied in a low voice. "I haven't insulted anyone." Or clawed anyone.
"I mean, mingle a bit with them! You scared away the one man who tried to talk to you."
"I didn't! He was allergic to my fur."
"What?"
"That's what he said."
"But…" Adora sighed.
Catra grinned. The man had gotten off lightly, anyway - he had asked if her 'ancestors' had ever visited Earth before because, apparently, some ancient people on Earth had worn cat pelts or something.
At least the fish sandwiches were great - she had to get more of that 'salmon' stuff. Perhaps if she acted offended, they'd offer her a load as an apology?
Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, August 16th, 1998 (Earth Time)
"The Etherians are moving," an aide reported to the President. "Their car has already left the airport."
"Finally," Jack O'Neill muttered under his breath as the President turned to the Secretary of State for some more last-minute talk. The Swiss had kept the Etherians for almost an hour. "What took them so long? Everyone's waiting!
"Well, as the host country, they probably felt it wouldn't be dignified if they just, ah, waved them through," Daniel suggested, looking up from his notebook. "But they probably also thought this was a great opportunity to network or something."
"Probably tried to get them to deposit their money in Swiss banks." Jack scoffed. "They aren't even in the United Nations!"
"They claim that their neutrality forbids it." Daniel shrugged. "But there are proposals being discussed for Switzerland to join the United Nations, I believe." Then he frowned. "However, you raise a good point. If an alliance is made, probably even without a formal alliance, we'll have to regulate trade, which will involve money."
"Great. Let's hope that we get to watch when the Swiss get nuked from orbit for trying to help Etherians evade taxation." Jack snorted.
"I believe trade contact will be limited to princesses, at least at first, so tax evasion shouldn't be a concern since the princesses basically tax themselves," Daniel replied. "Although private enterprises might also enter this on the Etherian side, I'm not actually sure how much of the Etherian economy would be compatible with such a system. Most of the enterprises rely on royal charters, as far as I know."
Jack was about to tell Daniel that he had been joking, but they had attracted the attention of the Secretary of Defense. "We will need an analysis of the impact of trade agreements with Etheria on their and our economy. If we can leverage our economic strength…"
Daniel actually winced. "Ah… I don't know enough about economics to do that."
"We have experts for that. We need your knowledge about their planet and society."
"I can do that, I think," Daniel said. "But I have to reiterate that the Etherians aren't primitive. They may lack industrialisation, but they have advanced technology and an extensive trade network that can handle magic powers which, for example, allow near-unlimited agricultural produce."
That, Jack saw, gave the Secretary of Defense pause. "You mean that if they get unlimited access to our markets, our farmers will crucify us."
Daniel inclined his head. "I can't speak for them, of course, but I would advise being cautious when approaching trade agreements."
"Yes. Let's focus on the military question."
"The Etherians are here!" another aide announced.
"And did they receive our request for a short meeting so we can apologise for the lapse in security at Area-51?" the President asked.
"Yes, Mr President."
"Good."
"Didn't we do that already?" Daniel asked in a low voice.
"It's just an excuse to meet with the gang before the big speeches," Jack explained.
"Oh."
And then the Etherians entered the room. Glimmer and Bow in front, followed by Adora and Catra, and then Entrapta and Hordak. Jack pressed his lips together - he really didn't like seeing the former warlord here. All dressed… Well, Adora, Bow and Glimmer had dressed up, but the others wore their usual clothes. Daniel would probably know what that said about them.
"Ah, Your Royal Highness," the President smiled at her, displaying the same charm that had won him the election.
"Queen Glimmer, Mr President," Glimmer replied," if you want to be formal."
"Right. Different planets." The President nodded. "So, I would like once more to apologise for the incident at Area 51. We were surprised by the events."
"Thank you," Glimmer said, nodding.
"Nothing happened," Bow added with a smile. "And it wasn't your fault."
That, Jack noticed, drew some frowns from Glimmer and Hordak, but neither of them spoke up.
And the President smoothly went on: "Fortunately, nothing happened. None of the protesters got close to the actual base - we actually had to save a few who managed to get lost in the desert."
"Ah. As long as no one was killed or seriously hurt," Adora said with a smile that looked a little forced to Jack. So, she was feeling guilty.
"I trust that your security procedures will be improved in the future," Hordak spoke up. "A group of mostly unarmed and unorganised assailants shouldn't be able to come near a crucial testing facility."
"Well, they actually didn't - they merely breached the outermost perimeter," the President replied. "But we are indeed reviewing security, I can assure you."
"Thank you," Glimmer said with a glance at the alien warlord.
"So, did you enjoy the reception by the Swiss?"
"The apéro? Yes," Glimmer said.
"Except for the weird man who wanted to talk about cat people," Catra interjected.
"A member of the Swiss government?" the President asked.
"An advisor," Adora explained. "And they apologised for it. With salmon," she added with a glance at Catra, who flashed her teeth with a wide grin.
Everyone chuckled at that. Even Jack - it seemed that the Swiss had made a gaffe.
"So, it seems that, once more, no harm was done," the President spoke up again. "So, it's time for us, I think to take our seats in the assembly. We'll leave SG-1 to keep you company while you wait for your grand entrance."
And Jack was once more reminded why he didn't like politicians.
The Assembly Hall looked very impressive but not quite as large - or tall - as the Great Hall in Bright Moon. Or the hall Frosta had had prepared for the Princess Prom. Still, it was much bigger than the room used for the President's Press Conference, Adora noted as they entered. It was also full - every seat was occupied. And everyone was staring at her and her friends.
Well, she had faced worse. Probably - armies counted, didn't they? In any case, they were here to make a good impression, and that was what they would do. She straightened, raising her chin, and kept smiling.
She wouldn't have to give a speech, anyway - that was Glimmer's job. She followed her friend on the stage, where the Secretary-General of the United Nations was waiting. He looked very dignified and friendly, like he could be Bow's grandfather. And… Well, she didn't want to think ill of their friends, but the Secretary-General looked more honest than the President. His smile certainly seemed more genuine as he shook their hands.
"Queen Glimmer, Princess Adora, Princess Entrapta, Mister Bow, Miss Catra, Mister Hordak, welcome to Earth. The United Nations are honoured to meet you."
No dig against the USA, Adora noted, as the Secretary-General held a little speech about the United Nations representing Earth and the shared desire for peace. Well, maybe there was - it could be a cultural thing she was missing. As Bow said, different cultures had different ways to be subtle.
Lots of applause followed the end of the man's speech. Then it was Glimmer's turn. Adora's friend didn't look nervous at all as she stepped up to the small pedestal, staff field firmly in hand. She looked determined. As if this was a battle to be won.
Adora suppressed a wince. Sometimes, Glimmer overdid it.
"People of Earth!" Glimmer began, "I bring greetings from the planet Etheria. As you may know already, I am Queen Glimmer, and I represent the Princess Alliance of Etheria. We come in peace and offer our friendship and aid. We are saddened that news of our arrival caused so much panic and destruction on Earth and offer our sincere regrets - and our hope that we shall overcome this and won't let those tragic events stand in the way of a close friendship between our worlds."
Adora nodded. They should have handled that better, even though she didn't know how they could've done that. Not without delaying the entire war effort and lying - at least by omission - to Earth.
"However, as Etheria found out, to our chagrin, in the recent past, not everyone in the galaxy desires peace and friendship. As you were told, the Goa'uld desire to rule the entire galaxy and have enslaved countless people - many of them from Earth. They have attacked other planets in the past and twice tried to conquer Earth in recent years. Etheria, too, has faced such attacks. Less than one year ago, our planet was attacked by a brutal enemy, Horde Prime. He had enslaved and even destroyed many planets, but the Princess Alliance defeated him and liberated his enslaved soldiers."
Adora nodded again, her smile gone as she remembered that struggle. She had almost lost Catra. It hurt just to think of that moment when she had seen her friend, her love, speak with that horrible fake voice, smile in that…
A hand slipped into hers, squeezing gently, and Adora smiled again. They had beaten Horde Prime. She had defeated him and saved everyone. Including Catra. She smiled at her.
Glimmer, meanwhile, went on: "And our experience fighting for our freedom against ruthless tyrants is what compels us to offer our help to Earth. We will not let another planet suffer the fate Etheria barely avoided."
Once more, Adora nodded with a firm expression. The Goa'uld wouldn't conquer or destroy Earth. They wouldn't let them.
"But the Goa'uld already occupy and oppress many planets whose people deserve better. We have to help them as well, and for that, we need help - from Earth. Therefore, we ask for an alliance with those on Earth who are willing to reach out and help others even if it means war. Millions of enslaved people need us - need you - to step up and face the Goa'uld. We won't have peace until those enemies are defeated and their slaves freed. And we've come to Earth to lay the foundation for that. Together, we can save the galaxy!"
Glimmer nodded and took a step back from the pedestal as the people applauded. Some were enthusiastic, some not so - at least it looked like that to Adora - but that was to be expected. It was actually better if the United Nations weren't too eager to wage war, in her opinion.
The Secretary-General smiled again at Glimmer and then opened the floor, as he called it, for questions from the audience.
And they did have questions. Lots of questions. Adora blinked at the number of questions. Some were quite reasonable. Some were not so reasonable. And some were… weird.
"No, we aren't planning to intervene in any local conflicts," Glimmer said. "We want an alliance against the Goa'uld, our common enemy, not an alliance against people on Earth."
The representative - from a country currently waging a civil war - didn't look satisfied. Well, we've expected that, Samantha Carter thought from her seat at the side of the stage as the Assembly questioned the Etherians. Everyone needed to know as much as possible to make informed decisions, after all.
"What is your marital status?" That question came from a country ruled by a monarch - one with multiple wives. Sam wondered if Glimmer was aware of that.
Glimmer looked surprised - as did her friends. "What would that matter? I'm in a happy relationship."
"And so am I!" Entrapta announced. "If you wanted to know!"
Sam saw Catra grab Adora's arm and lean her head against her shoulder.
"Will you demand that your soldiers are exempt from local laws?"
The Colonel grumbled about that obvious reference to US policy.
"No," Glimmer said. "Although we will not ally with any country where we would need such protection from the laws."
Daniel nodded. "That's nicely worded."
Sam had expected someone to ask for clarifications, but the next question changed the subject.
"Will you share your technology with your allies?"
"Yes," Glimmer said, "we are looking for a real alliance - including the exchange of technology. It would be stupid to wage war without sharing technology when we are facing a common enemy. However, we also know about the risks of helping people in need, only for them to turn on us."
Sam didn't miss the glance Glimmer sent at Hordak when she said that.
Another representative was called to ask a question. "We have heard similar promises in the past. What assurances can you give us that you aren't going to colonise us?"
Glimmer blinked and looked at the Secretary-General. A quick whispering exchange followed before the woman nodded, though she still looked confused. "Why would we want to conquer you? We just fought a war to defeat Horde Prime, who tried to conquer us."
"You could be trying to deceive us. You said you need us to fight this war for you, ostensibly to protect us. We've heard that before."
"Well, it's the truth. We have plenty of ships, but you can't really take a planet with just ships, not without wrecking the ecosphere in the process, and you can't hold a planet," Glimmer explained. "Troops from Earth would be ideal to occupy Goa'uld planets and deliver help to the population. You have so many of them."
Sam winced even before several representatives started badgering Glimmer with more pointed questions.
"Yeah, that struck a nerve with many former colonies," the Colonel commented in a low voice. "Betcha that there'll be cartoons depicting Glimmer as a new Queen Victoria trying to rule the world."
He had a point, in Sam's opinion.
"We probably gave the Etherians a not entirely correct impression of Earth's stance towards war," Daniel said.
That, too, sounded plausible.
"Hey!" Glimmer said, raising her hands as the Secretary-General finally managed to calm the Assembly down again. "I'm telling the truth. I'm not trying to deceive anyone. We need each other if we want to save all those people."
"Will you share your technology even if we don't want to fight for you?"
Glimmer, once again, looked surprised, then frowned. "You wouldn't be fighting for us, but for Earth and everyone else in the galaxy. Also, if you aren't willing to help others, why do you expect help from others?"
Adora took a step forward. "We will help you if you need help," she said, her voice carrying through the Assembly. "But we will not just hand out technology that you can use to oppress others. We've seen how that works."
"What about technology to improve the standards of living?"
"What about technology to combat famines?"
"Will you share advanced medicine?"
The Etherians seemed surprised and looked at each other. And then Entrapta spoke up, her hair lifting her up to the better look over the desk: "Well, according to the data we gathered, you have all the technology and infrastructure to feed and treat everyone, but you don't for some reason. We would first need to know why you don't do that in order to see how we can help there." She nodded. "If it's a lack of magic, that should be remedied as soon as Adora unlocks Earth's magic."
Sam winced at the storm of questions and yelling that unleashed. It took several minutes for the Secretary-General to calm the Assembly down again this time.
"That'll kill the relations with a lot of countries," the Colonel commented.
"Yes, magic," Entrapta explained. "Much of Etherian's native technology is based on magic - especially for medicine. Though," she perked up, "we have made strides in cybernetics as well, you prefer to replace rather than heal damaged limbs, for example!" Bow whispered something to her, and she frowned. "Anyway, Earth's magic, like the magic for most of the galaxy, is currently blocked, but Adora can unblock it. Once she does, you'll be able to use magic."
Several representatives loudly opposed this plan, and the Assembly descended into chaos yet again.
The Etherians looked confused and even shocked for a moment. But as the chaos continued, Adora suddenly frowned, then took a step forward. She raised her arm, and her sword appeared in it, pointed towards the ceiling.
"Oh, no!" the Colonel spat.
"For the Honour of Grayskull!"
Sam looked away as blinding light enveloped Adora for a moment, and she transformed.
Then She-Ra was standing there on the stage, still frowning at the suddenly quiet Assembly. "I am She-Ra, Princess of Power. I'm not here to conquer anyone. I'm here to help you. Magic was taken from Earth long ago. I'm here to restore it to your world - if you want me to." She lowered her sword. "Magic is not evil. It can do a lot of good. It can heal. It can restore destroyed lands and improve and save your lives. And it's your birthright."
"That struck a nerve as well," Daniel commented as the assembled diplomats erupted in yelling again.
"Hrrngh!"
Glimmer looked tenser than after a battle, Catra noticed when they'd finally left the Assembly Hall and 'retired' to a private room with a big table and comfortable chairs. She wasn't quite gnashing her teeth, but you could almost feel the frustration radiating from her. And the desire to do some violence.
"What's wrong with them?" Glimmer spat as she sank into a chair at the head of the table. "We told them everything they wanted to know, and they still don't trust us!"
"They think we could be lying," Bow said, moving to the small fridge in the corner.
"But that makes no sense." Entrapta frowned. "Even with just the ships in orbit, we're strong enough to conquer Earth."
"Telling them that made things worse." Adora sighed and laid down her head on the table for a moment. Then she suddenly seemed to remember that they weren't at home and sat up straight.
Catra chuckled at the sight and moved to stand behind her, rubbing her shoulders.
"They are very irrational," Hordak commented. "Although they might think we are trying to deceive them and do not have the force to conquer them. Maybe a demonstration would correct that misconception."
Catra shook her head as Glimmer and Adora glared at Hordak. Her former leader still didn't fully understand people. Just like Entrapta.
"We are not going to 'demonstrate' an orbital bombardment," Glimmer spat. "We're here to form an alliance, not to conquer a planet. Or colonise them. We're not imperialists!"
"Someone's learned a few new words today!" Catra said, snorting.
Glimmer glared at her, and Adora frowned, but that was to be expected.
"Oh, lighten up," Catra said, sliding into Adora's lap. "They're bound to distrust us. How would we react if a fleet arrived out of nowhere and wanted to help us fight another Horde Prime?"
Adora stopped shifting around under Catra and said: "We offered our help when SG-1 arrived on Etheria."
"They were four people and needed help. They weren't a fleet," Bow pointed out as he placed several bottles of drinks on the table.
"Oh! Soda!" Entrapta grabbed two of them with her hair and handed a third to Hordak. "That's from that show we saw!"
"That was advertising," Glimmer told her. "And yes, I completely understand that they might be cautious." Catra cleared her throat, about to mention Glimmer's earlier words, but the princess went on: "But they think the worst of us! And their questions were very rude!"
"Were they?" Entrapta asked, blinking, between sipping from two different sodas.
"Yes," Glimmer said.
"You generally don't ask after someone's relationships in such a meeting," Bow explained. "That's a private matter."
"Even when it's two princesses?" Entrapta asked.
"Well… we're not," Glimmer replied. "But that's not what I meant. The way some of them asked after our technology…" She shook her head.
"And magic," Bow said.
Glimmer groaned. "Don't remind me. You'd think we threatened them with extinction when we offered to restore magic."
"Not all of them reacted like that," Adora said, one arm tightening around Catra's waist. "A few were very positive. Well, they were interested," she added.
"Because they probably think that as soon as you unlock the magic of Earth, they'll have princesses and sorcerers," Catra said, leaning her head back against Adora's shoulder.
"Why would they think that?" Entrapta shook her head. "It's obvious that they will need to study magic and learn how to wield it before they can achieve anything. And we don't even know if they have dormant princesses."
"It's not obvious," Bow told her. "They probably think it's easy to use."
"Their TV shows certainly gave that impression," Glimmer said, slumping a little. "Snip your fingers and do magic." She scoffed.
"Well, we have to correct that misunderstanding," Adora said. "We need to talk to them again. The more they know, the more they'll trust us."
"More shouting at each other?" Catra snorted.
"I mean private meetings, of course," Adora retorted. "Before the actual negotiations."
"Then we'll get accused of hiding secrets." Catra shrugged. "Not that that can be helped, I guess."
Adora was about to say something - probably another optimistic thing - but a knock at the door interrupted her before she could start.
"Yes?" Glimmer spoke up.
The door opened, and the Secretary-General entered. "I'm sorry, I was held up by some insistent delegates." He smiled. "They had some concerns about today's revelations."
"We're not going to conquer Earth," Glimmer said.
"Though we have the capability," Hordak added.
"Actually," the man told them, "most of the concerns were related to magic."
"Really?" Adora blinked.
Catra frowned. Those people were actually more concerned about magic than about the war with the Goa'uld?
The old man nodded. "Magic is a controversial topic for many religions."
"Daniel mentioned something like that," Adora said with a deep frown. "But we're not going to force anyone to use magic if they don't want to."
The smile on the Secretary-General's face slipped a little. "They are concerned about others being able to use magic."
"Why would that concern them?" Glimmer asked. "Are they afraid that a princess will conquer their country?"
"Without runestones to boost magic powers, that is very, very unlikely given your level of technology," Entrapta said. "I would say impossible, but there's always the theoretical possibility of an incredible outlier."
"As I said, it's based on religion," the Secretary-General told them.
"You mean it's irrational," Hordak said.
"In a way, yes," the man replied. "Although since, apparently, magic is real and was common on Earth in the past, many such preconceptions might have to be reevaluated." He sighed. "The revelation that malevolent aliens posed as gods in the past hasn't helped, of course. Many religious people are very… concerned about the ramifications of this."
"So, they need more data to process this?" Entrapta asked. "We can help with that!" She beamed at the man.
Looking at the man's polite smile, Catra somehow had the impression that things wouldn't be as easy as Entrapta thought.
Hotel Intercontinental, Geneva, Switzerland, August 16th, 1998 (Earth Time)
"Quite nice digs," Jack O'Neill commented when he stepped into SG-1's - minus Teal'c, who was still stuck at Stargate Command - temporary quarters. A room in a luxury hotel surely beat the usual bachelor's quarters on a base. Hell, it beat his home. Well, as long as they had room service that served beer.
"We're on the same floor as the President," Daniel said, looking at the two beds. "Which one do you want?"
"Pick one," Jack told him as he looked for the remote. He knocked on the door to the next room. "Carter?"
The door opened, and Carter appeared. "Sir?"
"Everything alright, Carter?" Jack asked. There! He grabbed the remote from the sideboard and switched the TV on.
"Yes, Sir."
"Now, let's see how the world's reacting to the arrival of our new friends," Jack said.
"...Queen Glimmer, representing the Princess Alliance of Etheria, gave a speech in the Assembly Hall of the United Nations building in Geneva where she promised help against the Goa'uld threat and offered to share the advanced technology if Earth joined the war. Our analysts predict…"
"...Wallstreet is in an uproar. The stock market is oscillating - investors cannot seem to make up their minds whether or not the news about aliens are good news. Even shares in military corporations, which have jumped in price since the shocking reveal by the US government, have suffered losses today as analysts profess doubts that all of them will benefit equally from shared alien technology…"
"...als Vertreter von Rheinmetall führte aus, dass nun dringender Handlungsbedarf bestehe. Die Gesetze, die die Ausfuhr von Rüstungsgütern kontrollieren, würden die Sicherheit Deutschlands und der Welt gefährden, und er forderte…"
"...protests against the war with the Goa'uld have been announced all across the world, with varying attendance so far. In some cases, violent confrontations with protesters who call for immediate action to free humans enslaved by aliens have claimed several victims…"
"... so we ask: Who is this 'Queen Glimmer', and why should we care what she wants? So far, we haven't seen any proof that Earth is in danger - we have only the word of the United States Government, which has admitted to having lied to the world for years, and the word of aliens who openly want mercenaries for their war for this. I call for…"
"...the Swiss police is out in force to keep protesters from reaching the Palais des Nations. Several clashes have resulted in entire streets being cordoned off and the arrests of hundreds of people."
"...in a blatant powerplay, the aliens offer technology for soldiers for their war…"
"...China has refused to comment on the situation and continues to exert the strictest control over all media in the country since 1989…"
"...has voiced concerns about another attempt at colonisation…"
"...released a statement that calls for immediate action against the Goa'uld and stronger powers for the United Nations. As she was quoted, 'if there ever was a time for Earth to unite, then this is the time. Faced with a war in space and alien allies, we have to speak with one voice for the betterment of humanity as a whole."
"...asked about the stance of the Catholic Church on magic, the Vatican declined to comment, announcing that such a question required careful consideration, and…"
"...renowned scholar at the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, stated that the Qoran doesn't condemn magic as a whole but only certain practises of it. Yet several imams have already denounced the Etherians as enemies of the Faith and called upon…"
"...was quoted as saying that 'the Bible clearly condemns both witchcraft and homosexuality' and called upon the immediate cessation of diplomatic contacts with the aliens in order to 'save the American people from eternal damnation'."
"Russia's president announced a national state of heightened alert and stated that the government was looking at emergency measures to prepare the country for a possible war. He didn't specify which war, nor did he react to questions about rumours of Russia defaulting on…"
"...Japan's Prime Minister is about to meet with several Shinto priests to discuss the subject of magic…"
"...Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England, denied that there were any plans to propose a dynastic marriage between one of her grandchildren and a princess of Etheria."
Jack took a deep breath. He really should have expected that. "So… that happened."
"It could've been worse?" Daniel offered.
Before Jack could ask Carter, who was uncharacteristically silent, their phone rang. Daniel picked up the receiver. "Doctor Jackson." He blinked. "Yes, we're on the way." He looked at Jack and put the receiver down. "We're to attend a briefing in the President's suite."
Great. Jack sighed. "Alright, folks. Let's go."
The suite was just down the hall - past half a dozen suits from the Secret Service. There were more, Jack knew - they had to rent the entire floor on short notice, and no one was happy with the current security. But it was still safer than staying in Airforce One on the tarmac. At least according to the Secret Service.
The President's suite wasn't packed as Jack had expected - the President was there, currently on the phone, as were the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense and their aides. And more Secret Service personnel.
The President nodded at them while he paced. "Yes, dear… Yes, that's a good idea… Talk to him again… yes…"
"So!" The Secretary of State smiled, although he looked tired. "That went well."
"Sir?" Jack cocked his head.
"The reaction from the rest of the world," the man clarified. "That should increase our chances to form an alliance between NATO and the Etherians." He shook his head. "That they fixated on magic…"
"Have you seen the reactions from several prominent televangelists?" Daniel asked.
The man waved the argument away. "That's just a bunch of extremists. We can handle them. But the Etherians have now seen that we're amongst the most progressive countries in the world." He smiled again. "This is the opportunity we need."
Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, August 16th, 1998 (Earth Time)
"...Russia's president further demanded joint talks between the aliens, NATO, Russia and China, claiming that, in light of the fact that the USA hid the existence of aliens for years, bilateral talks wouldn't be conducive to building the necessary trust for…"
"...China has still not commented on the recent revelations about aliens except to assure its population that the government has the situation in hand. Independent information about the events in China are hard to come by given their total information blackout, but reports claim that several spontaneous protests, even pro-government, have been harshly subdued and…"
"...speculation about the aliens continues to run rampant. An analysis of their body language during the speech in the Assembly Hall of the United Nations indicates romantic entanglements between…"
"...pundits were torn regarding the question of whether or not the aliens favoured same-sex relationships and what that would mean for Earth…"
"...several members of the clergy have already condemned those potential relationships while the church officially is still debating whether or not aliens are part of God's creation…"
"...question of magic, thousands of concerned citizens have been calling their representatives, demanding…"
"...physicist Stephen Hawking released a statement that he was looking forward to observing magic and adjusting his theories accordingly…"
"..in contrast, several 'covens' have filed preemptive complaints that any action by the government aimed at preventing the, I quote 'release of magic' would be a violation of their religious freedom. The government hasn't yet…"
Adora shook her at the rapidly changing screen that Entrapta had rigged up in their room - a conference room - in the Palais des Nations. "Are they really focusing on magic and our relationships?" she asked. "Instead of, like, the war against the Goa'uld?"
"I am not surprised by this irrational behaviour. Not in the slightest," Hordak said.
Catra, Adora saw, rolled her eyes. "Daniel warned us about that, remember?"
"I didn't think it would be that bad," Adora admitted. Why were they so concerned about who other people loved? Or about magic? "They're calling me a witch." She pressed her teeth together. She wasn't a witch! She wasn't like Shadow Weaver! Not in the slightest!
"They're idiots," Catra said. "They know nothing about witches."
"Or princesses," Glimmer added. Adora's friend was angry. "First those questions in the Assembly Hall, and now this! Aren't those people aware that we're fighting a war?"
"They're questioning that," Entrapta commented - she was again wearing her mask, hooked up to the TV receiver in the room. "Some people claim it's all a hoax invented to make people comply with our demands."
"What demands?"
"Legalise gay marriage, apparently," Entrapta said. "And corrupt their children. And 'imperil their immortal souls' - whatever that means - with 'fell sorcery'."
"That's ridiculous!" Adora spat.
"Actually, we're indirectly pushing for that," Bow interjected. "Not for the corruption and endangering, I mean, but we did say we wouldn't ally with countries where our families would be illegal."
"That's not the same!" Adora insisted.
"It kind of is," Catra retorted. "The technology we can share means that any country that gets it will be much more powerful than those who don't get it. And people don't like being powerless," she added with a tight impression that made Adora want to hug her.
She didn't do that, though - Catra would be more embarrassed than reassured and probably push her away. And… "Great. So we are pushing our morals on others," Adora said
"No!" Glimmer objected. "We're looking for friends who are like us. That's not the same. And it's perfectly legitimate."
"But we need Earth." Entrapta pushed her mask up. "What do we do if there are no people like us who like us?" She looked worried.
Hordak scoffed. "Based on my analysis of Earth so far, we do not have to worry about that. There will be many countries whose leaders are willing to adapt to become our allies." He nodded. "As we have seen, many resent the current balance of power on Earth."
"And we're upsetting that balance." Adora sighed again. "What do we do if war breaks out over this?"
"We would crush any enemy. Earth does not have the technology to threaten us," Hordak said at once.
"I meant between different countries on Earth," Adora explained.
"There are multiple wars currently being fought on Earth, though they seem to be civil wars - wars between people of the same country," Entrapta said. "What would one additional war change?"
"A war between powerful countries isn't the same as the wars here," Glimmer objected. "They can lay waste to entire countries - even the world - according to Daniel and Sam."
Adora pressed her lips together. They would have to make sure that this wouldn't happen. No matter how.
"Oh!" Entrapta sounded surprised. "Some people are calling us magical girls. And speculating whether or not we all have 'the power to transform'. And they wonder if Catra can change into Melog."
"What?" "What?"
Adora looked at the screen. It was showing two old men talking at a younger woman about magic and the economy. "Where did you find that?"
"It's on another part of the communication network," Entrapta said. "Let me put it on the screen… there!"
The moving pictures were replaced by text. And drawings. Drawings of…
"Cat people?" Catra blurted out. "Why would they have pictures of cat people?"
"Those are called cartoons," Entrapta explained. "I haven't found the ones they refer to yet. They seem to be obscure."
The pictures shown were drawings of cat people. But they didn't look like Catra. Some didn't even have a tail!
"Whatever," Catra spat. "Let's focus on Earth politics. We can watch cartoons once we've dealt with that."
"Are you sure? This could grant us important insights into how Earth people behave!" Entrapta objected.
Catra glanced at Adora. Well, glared would be more correct.
Adora sighed. "Yes, let's focus on politics for now."
They needed to talk to so many people…