Chapter 20: The Negotiations
Hotel Intercontinental, Geneva, Switzerland, August 17th, 1998 (Earth Time)
Samantha Carter checked one last time that the encryption on the satellite phone was working, then established the connection. After a moment, the symbol of Stargate Command appeared on her laptop's screen, followed by General Hammond - and Teal'c - in the General's office.
"Good morning, General," the Colonel said at once. "Well, it's morning here in Switzerland."
Sam's body, though, still felt as if it should be night. Jet lag had finally caught up with them.
"Good morning, Colonel. Captain. Doctor Jackson."
Teal'c inclined his head, and that was it.
Hammond narrowed his eyes slightly. "Do you require more data for a report?"
"Ah… we're just touching base, so to speak," the Colonel said. "What with all the hubbub about the aliens, we wanted to check how things are back home."
The General chuckled. "We aren't suffering from civilians trying to storm the base," he said. "And the Stargate has been sealed for the time being."
"Oh?" The Colonel frowned.
"In the current situation, continued operation of the Stargate was deemed unwise. Our best team is off-base, and we're under a lot of scrutiny." Hammon pressed his lips together. "As far as I am aware, the revelations about the truth behind our project ruffled some feathers amongst the staff in NORAD."
Sam frowned. NORAD's commanders had been informed when the project started.
"You mean some staffers aren't happy that they weren't important enough to need to know about Stargate Command?" The Colonel snorted. "I bet Wilkinson is amongst them."
"Wilkinson?" Teal'c asked, tilting his head.
"A particularly arrogant colonel who thought deep-space telemetry was a dead-end for wash-outs," the Colonel explained, baring his teeth. "He was quite open with his opinion."
And would now be lamenting his judgment, Sam thought.
"And how are things on the diplomatic front?"
"Ah, just peachy." The Colonel's smile grew more forced - Sam could tell. "The Etherians discovered the Internet."
"Ah." Hammond closed his eyes for a moment. "And just at the moment that the Internet discovered aliens are real."
"Yes." The Colonel chuckled. "Although, if you're shopping for a Christmas gift for magical princesses, we've heard that the complete collection of Thundercats would be received well by them."
"Thundercats?" Hammond looked lost.
"A cartoon series featuring anthropomorphic cats," Sam explained. "Humanoid cats," she added.
"Ah." Hammond nodded. "I'll see what we can do."
"They were also interested in a few Japanese series," Sam added. "Outlaw Star and All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku. And Sailor Moon."
Hammond stared at her.
Sam suppressed the urge to wince. It wasn't her fault that the Etherians had stumbled upon a Usenet group of anime fans. "However, only one of those series, the Original Video Animation of All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku" - she managed to keep as straight face repeating the title - "is available in a collected edition. The others just ended their run on Japanese TV."
"Entrapta mentioned that there were fansubs - bootlegs - available, but we explained that this might be against the law here," Daniel added.
"Ah." Hammond looked like Sam felt explaining this request. "I will see what I can do."
"Just ask your granddaughters, Sir," the Colonel added with a smirk. "They'll probably know where to get the series."
"And they'll ask for a copy for themselves, I bet." Hammond shook his head. "They and their friends apparently love the alien princesses."
"Halloween should look different this year," Daniel said.
"Well, it's good that the kids like them," the Colonel commented. "The rest of the world has some issues with our new allies. They've got something for everyone to hate. Magic! Gay marriage! Alien technology!"
"That's simplifying it a bit," Daniel spoke up. "The cultural issues go much beyond gay marriage. Their monarchism alone is a potentially huge issue for some people. And the technology transfer will cause cultural changes as well. And economic upheaval."
Sam nodded. "Entire industries might be rendered obsolete. If we can duplicate the Etherian power generation methods, we can phase out our own power plants." Clean and limitless energy. Better than fusion power.
Hammond groaned. "The lobbyists will storm Washington."
"It won't happen overnight," Sam pointed out. "It'll take years to reach a point where we can replace our power plants. And cars will continue to burn fuel for years after that, maybe decades."
"Aw. I was so looking forward to a flying pickup," the Colonel joked. Or maybe he was serious. Then he looked at Teal'c. "So, how are things with you, Teal'c?"
"I have helped the analysts with their projections of the impact of the Etherians on the Goa'uld."
"Good, good. No jealousy that you didn't get to be on TV yet? You wouldn't look as good in a dress as the Princesses, I think." The Colonel grinned.
Teal'c smiled in return. "I am content to avoid such exposure."
And he was honest about it, too, Sam knew. So different compared to many of her 'colleagues', who would already be spreading rumours about her just for having been at the United Nations.
"Well, if you feel bored, give us a call. I'm sure the Etherians would like to talk to you again as well. They have been asking about you," the Colonel said.
That would, hopefully, keep some of the agencies back home from trying anything against Teal'c in the current chaos. Not that Hammond would let anything happen to their friend, anyway.
But better safe than sorry. Everything was in flux right now. She wished she was back in the field. Or in her lab.
Geneva Airport, Switzerland, August 17th, 1998 (Earth Time)
"So… we're getting a multilateral meeting with the Americans, the Russians, and the Chinese?" Adora asked.
Catra briefly looked up from buttering her surprisingly tasty 'croissant' - it wasn't salmon, but with honey, the thing melted in your mouth. "We do?" she asked, trying to sound as confused as possible.
"Didn't you hear it?" Glimmer blurted out.
Adora rolled her eyes. "Glimmer, Catra does know exactly whom we are supposed to meet. She read the notes in bed."
Catra grinned while Glimmer glared at her. Did they really think she could've led the entire Horde if she had actually been as lazy as she acted? "Yeah, I read the proposal. But what about the Indians? They want in on the meeting as well, according to the news we heard."
"Aren't they also Americans?" Adora asked.
"Not those," Catra corrected her. "The ones from India."
"There are two sorts of Indians?" Adora looked confused, And she wasn't acting, Catra could tell.
"Probably," Catra replied.
"Actually, as far as I understand - and I've read up on this a little - the American group was mistakenly called Indians because the Europeans thought they were in India," Bow said. "And they're called Native Americans now."
"Ah." Adora nodded. "But India is a large country. Almost as large as China and larger than the United States and Russia put together. At least if we look at the population. They should be represented, shouldn't they?"
"But they're not as powerful as the other three," Hordak cut in. He looked stupid with a tiny cup held between his fingers, Catra found, but she wasn't about to tell him that. It might hurt Entrapta, who loved those tiny things. "Their value as an ally is not as high as the others."
"If they have many people, they can recruit a lot of troops," Catra pointed out. India also had proportionally more young people, and that meant they would be able to easily train up infantry. Like the Horde, a low voice whispered in the back of her mind, and she clenched her teeth. "And from what SG-1 told us, even regular infantry would be good enough to fight the Goa'uld on the ground."
"And what about their stance towards people like us?" Adora asked.
Bow grimaced, which was enough of an answer before he said: "Same-sex relationships are illegal in India."
"Oh." Adora frowned. "Then I don't think we should be talking to them. If we can't even visit the country without breaking the law, an alliance makes no sense. What about China and Russia?"
"We wouldn't be arrested there. At least not according to the law," Catra said.
"That's good." Adora nodded.
"But meeting with the three big countries is problematic," Glimmer said. "It sets a precedent that we treat countries differently according to their power."
"Why wouldn't we do that?" Hordak asked. "Treating a tiny country like Switzerland the same as the most powerful country on Earth doesn't make any sense."
"It's not just about power," Glimmer told him.
"That makes even less sense."
Catra suppressed a grin when she saw Glimmer clench her teeth.
"We want to deal with Earth - with countries that share our values. And if we single out the powerful countries, that undermines our credibility," Glimmer explained.
Catra had to agree with the princess. "We want the people of Earth to trust us."
"They don't trust us," Adora added. "Have you seen what they say about us? They called us unnatural!"
"That's a tiny minority, as Daniel warned us," Bow retorted.
"It was all over the news," Adora told him.
"Daniel also warned us about that. The news has a tendency to exaggerate things to draw more attention," he explained.
"But that's stupid!" Adora protested. "Daniel told us that in a democracy, the majority rules, not the minority! If they're a tiny minority, they shouldn't be listened to by everyone! It makes people think that they aren't a minority!"
"People like you?" Catra briefly grinned at the pout that caused. "More seriously, do we want to play their games?"
"If the three most powerful countries want to face us with a united voice, shouldn't we accept that as their decision?" Bow asked. "Do we really want to force them to accept others in a meeting? Or to break up?"
Glimmer nodded. "If that's their decision, then they can ask for a meeting. But we need to make it clear that we'll be dealing with any country willing to talk to us."
"There are almost two hundred countries, though. We'll be here for months if we talk to every single one of them," Adora replied.
"We can dismiss every country where our relationships would be illegal," Catra pointed out.
"There won't be too many countries left after that," Glimmer said. "And how do we count countries where it's illegal in one part and not in the other?"
"How would that work?" Catra asked. That sounded weird.
"Something about a country made up of smaller countries," Bow explained. "A federation."
"A country made up of other countries?" Catra was tempted to quote Hordak's 'that makes even less sense'.
"Forming a country."
"Earth is a weird planet," Adora said.
"It's not as if we have visited many other planets," Glimmer objected, "so we can't make comparisons."
"They'll probably think that we're the weird ones," Bow said.
"They don't think that. They think we're unnatural and evil," Adora told him.
"And sexy," Catra added with a grin. The picture of Adora transforming into She-Ra was all over the world. And many people loved it. And her.
Adora blushed a little, then cleared her throat. "That's not important right now. Let's focus on politics!"
Hotel Intercontinental, Geneva, Switzerland, August 17th, 1998 (Earth Time)
"I'm sorry, General, I do not know this." Jack O'Neill said for what felt like the umpteenth time this day - and 'umpteenth' was a perfectly precise term, thank you very much, Daniel, he mentally added. Who had had the bright idea to have a military meeting in a luxury hotel, anyway? If the Marines ever heard of this, the Chair Force jokes would never end.
"And what would be your best estimate? You have spent weeks with the aliens, according to what we have been told. You must have built up some rapport with them," the Russian general asked. "Do I have to remind you again that this meeting is supposed to build trust? Trust which cannot be built if you keep holding back crucial information."
"We talked about the Goa'uld. Food. Entertainment. Physics. History. Military build-up." Information that had been - mostly - shared with the Russians, which went against Jack's gut feeling. "But they did not say anything concrete about magic on Earth." Jack bared his teeth. The Russian might be a general - he certainly had the arrogance for it - but he wasn't a soldier. Jack was sure the man was a spy.
"One of the most shocking developments, and you didn't think to ask about the potential consequences?" The man sneered. "I doubt this, Colonel."
"I've told you before that the Etherians said that they didn't know what kind of magic Earth would have," Jack repeated himself. At least they had told Daniel that.
"But they did know that Earth once had magic. That means that they knew about it, doesn't it?" The Chinese general - the same rank as the Russians and the American general in the room, as usual for such meetings - smiled.
"They assume that magic was once common to all planets in the galaxy which can sustain life," Daniel - finally! - cut in. "They base this on their own history and knowledge of the laws of magic. But as they said, and we have no reason to doubt their claims, they do not know how magic expressed itself on various planets. The current theory in Mystacore - that is their leading centre for magical research - is that magic is shaped by the environment, which includes the people on a planet."
"You talked about the 'laws of magic'. Laws imply a certain predictability," the Chinese officer remarked.
"Yes. But in order to predict anything, more data is needed," Daniel said - and Jack could hear Entrapta's voice in his mind. "Data they - and we - lacked back then."
Both the Russian and the Chinese general turned their attention to Carter after hearing that. Jack saw her straighten in return. The generals had focused on Jack and Daniel so far; Jack was pretty sure that was because Carter was a woman.
"Captain Carter. You've been working closely with the aliens' expert on magic. Someone who is, again according to what we know, quite free with information. What did she say about magic on Earth?" The Chinese officer wasn't sneering - his smile didn't change - but Jack thought he caught a certain condescension in the man's tone. One he had heard from American officers when talking to or about Carter.
"Entrapta mentioned several times that she was looking forward to studying Earth's magic once it was restored," Carter replied. "It was clear that she had no expectations with regards to what kind of form this would take."
"How convenient!" the Russian exclaimed. "Of course they would claim this!"
Unspoken but clearly implied was the 'of course you would claim that' aimed at Jack's team.
General Naird cleared his throat. "So… I think we have covered the subject of magic extensively, right?" He smiled like a schoolboy asking the homeroom teacher if they could go play.
Jack still didn't know how the man had been chosen to represent the United States in this meeting; he wasn't part of Stargate Command's chain of command and while he had been read in on the program, he had no actual experience with Stargates or aliens. Perhaps this was an attempt to mislead the Russians and the Chinese? Jack had no doubt that both were aware that Air Force Space Command was only tangentially related to Stargate Command, but the Russians at least might suspect that this was a ruse; they certainly were fond of pulling that stuff themselves. Or had been fond of it during the Cold War.
The two generals exchanged a glance, then the Russian nodded. "We will file a formal complaint about this."
"Of course." Naird kept smiling. "So… can we talk about space ships now? And interstellar landing operations? The topic of this meeting is the military, after all."
"We would prefer to talk a bit more about the cultural aspects of a potential alliance," the Chinese general said. "Technical details aren't as important as our ability to effectively work together in the field with aliens."
Daniel perked up, Jack saw. As he had known and as the two generals had known he would. He suppressed a sigh.
"Dr Jackson, you stressed that the Etherians consider politics a personal business. How does this translate to their armies?"
"Ah, as I said, their princesses are expected to personally lead their forces, often fighting on the front. That is not limited to those who have powers applicable to such operations - though most powers seem to have military uses - but also to princesses like Entrapta, who is one of their foremost scientists."
"They risk themselves and their researchers on the frontlines." The Russian scoffed.
"We know that," the Chinese smiled. "But how… prickly are they?"
Daniel frowned. "Do you mean how will they react to bigots and sexists working with them?"
"That seems a harsh term, but, essentially, yes."
"Well, we haven't had any such working with them, so I cannot say for sure, but…" Daniel tilted his head and pushed his glasses up. "...I think they would take such insults personally. Any personnel assigned to work with Etherians should be chosen accordingly."
The Russian scoffed again, but the Chinese nodded. "Do you have any specific examples of issues we should be aware of?"
"Well, you shouldn't expect their monarchies to work like monarchies on Earth…" Daniel started lecturing.
Jack suppressed another sigh. He had heard this particular lecture far too often by now.
Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, August 17th, 1998 (Earth Time)
The Secretary-General was all smiles again as he greeted them and this time, he had his wife with him. As far as Adora knew - Entrapta had researched this, but Earth's customs were confusing - that meant the meeting was meant to be less formal. Or less focused on politics. Although Entrapta had also said that this was just for appearance's sake, and a lot of politicking was done in such meetings.
Well, Adora wasn't planning to act any differently anyway - honesty and truth would win the day.
So, when Glimmer introduced them, she shook the man's hand, then his wife's and kept smiling. It was only a short meeting, anyway - they had most of the morning booked full of meetings already. Especially one with the Americans, Russians and Chinese, though technically, that was, according to Glimmer, a meeting with the Russians who would bring along the other two or something.
"So," the Secretary-General said as they had all taken sears around a low table and were sipping drinks, "I hope you kept enjoying our hospitality."
"It's nice," Adora said.
"Except for the protesters accusing us of wanting to corrupt Earth," Glimmer added.
"Nutcases," Catra muttered - loud enough to be heard around the table.
"Well, your announcement that you are considering restoring magic to Earth has caused many people to worry about the consequences," the Secretay-General said. "As I mentioned before, it's a controversial issue for many religions."
"We won't force anyone to use magic," Adora explained, trying to keep from frowning. This whole thing didn't make any sense.
"They are afraid of others using magic," his wife added.
"You've got enough weapons to kill the whole planet several times, according to what we've heard, you have Goa'uld trying to conquer Earth, and you're afraid of magic?" Catra scoffed. "I've fought princesses for years without magic. It's no big deal."
The couple seemed surprised, and Adora shook her head at her friend. Catra was trying to help, but that might not be the best way to do this. And Adora didn't like to be reminded of the years they had fought each other.
"Indeed," Hordak said. "My troops could hold their own against princesses most of the time with weapons that were comparable to yours. To a prepared force, magic is not a major threat by itself."
"Well, there are exceptions, of course," Entrapta spoke up before anyone else could say anything. "The power of a princess attuned to a runestone is far greater than that of a regular princess, and the talent and skill of sorcerers vary greatly, but absent special circumstances, magical powers won't destroy a planet. Even destroying a city is usually out of the reach of even a princess, though I guess Perfuma and Mermista could do so thanks to their control over plants and water. Frosta might be able to do so as well, but her power is more situational."
"A princess could destroy a city with magic? Or a planet?" The Secretary-General looked concerned now.
"In certain circumstances, but those were pretty unique to Etheria. Are unique to Etheria. As far as we know," Entrapta said. She tilted her head as her hair tendrils grabbed another drink. "Compared to what we heard of Goa'uld technology, especially bombs and biological warfare, it's not an urgent threat."
"Some might disagree with that assessment," the man said.
"Someone's always disagreeing with something," Glimmer said. "But magic hasn't hurt anyone on Earth while twice you were almost killed by the Goa'uld, so I think the real danger should be clear."
Adora nodded. "And magic can be used for so much good - you can heal people. Restore nature."
"Turn an enemy spaceship into a plant," Catra said with a grin.
"You can do that?" the Secretary-General's wife asked.
"Those were special circumstances," Adora said.
"And She-Ra is the most powerful princess in Etheria's history," Bow added. "Really, magic is… just another thing?" He shrugged with a half-smile.
"Not for many religious people," the Secretary-General's wife retorted.
"We've seen the news," Glimmer said. "But we've also seen the people who want magic returned."
Adora nodded. "They want their birthright restored." It had been nice to watch the interview with those 'Wicca', even if they had seemed a little weird. But they liked Adora and her friends.
"But what if a country doesn't allow magic?" the Secretary-General asked. "You can't really limit magic to specific areas, can you?"
Adora shook her head. "No. Once I restore magic, it'll be everywhere on the planet."
"That's the natural state of magic on a planet full of life," Entrapta added.
"That's a difficult decision, then."
Adora frowned. "Why would it be difficult? Some people want magic restored so they can practice magic as their ancestors did. Why should anyone be allowed to forbid that? No one is forced to use magic."
"Yes," Catra chimed in. "It's the same stupidity that makes idiots want to keep people like us from loving each other." She leaned over and hugged Adora while she flashed her fangs. "Why do they think they have the right to tell others how to live? We're not hurting anyone."
"I see," the Secretary-General said. "But that won't be popular in many countries."
"Too bad for them." Glimmer scoffed. "We already said we won't ally or share our technology with countries where our way of living is illegal. We're not going to help people who hate us just for being us."
The man smiled in response. "Well, it'll be interesting to see how the world will react to that."
"Say…"
Samantha Carter looked up from her laptop. "Yes?"
Entrapta cocked her head at her while her hair grabbed another soda bottle from the minifridge in the small waiting room. "Why are you here and not in the meeting? I mean, you're Earth's foremost expert for First One's and Goa'uld technology. At least you told us so. As did Daniel and Jack."
"Yes," Sam replied. This wasn't the time for false modesty - certainly not when Entrapta might think she had been lied to. "I am the foremost expert for Stargates and advanced technology. However, there are several other scientists working in this field who might surpass me if they achieve a breakthrough in their research." Although she couldn't help thinking that it wasn't very likely.
"Oh. And is your Secretary of State or your Secretary of Defense amongst them?" Entrapta flicked the soda open and took a sip from it - without using her hands.
"No," Sam replied.
"So, why aren't you in there?" Entrapta cocked her head to the other side.
"I'm ready to advise my superiors should it be required."
"And that's why you are waiting here?"
"Yes."
"And Jack is in there. With Daniel."
"Yes. Their expertise might be in more immediate need," Sam explained. And they were men, which the Russians and Chinese might take more seriously. Well, good luck trying that attitude on the Etherians!
Entrapta frowned. "That sounds not very logical. Technology is the key to winning this war, isn't it?"
"Many would think so."
"Then you should be in there!" Entrapta firmly nodded.
"And what about you?" So far, Entrapta had been with the other Etherians in every meeting.
"Oh…" Entrapta grinned. A little sheepishly. "I got bored with all the politics." She sighed. "No one was talking about technology in detail. I'd rather do some science, but my friends said I can't do any experiments here. And my science buddy is talking politics as well. And strategy." She craned her head to look at Sam's laptop screen. "What are you doing?"
"Refining my report," Sam told her.
"Oh?"
"Adding more detail and responding to some questions." Sam checked that her current page didn't contain anything that shouldn't be revealed to Entrapta. Good.
"Ah." Entrapta sighed again. "Say… is that urgent?"
"It's important."
"But is it urgent-important? Like, there's nothing more important than that?" Entrapta leaned forward and tilted her head to smile at Sam.
Ah. Sam saved her work and closed the laptop. "What do you have in mind?"
"Wellll…" Entrapta grinned. "What do you think about using our scanner? We haven't given Earth a full scan yet - still had to calibrate it, and we were busy with all the meetings and speeches, and there was so much data to collect from your media, but… Aren't you curious about possible Naquadah deposits on Earth?"
Sam was actually curious. Very curious. But… She glanced at the door to the meeting room. She was supposed to be ready to advise the delegation.
"If they need your advice, they can call you with the radio or phone, right?" Entrapta asked with a hopeful expression.
"Yes." Sam nodded. And a scan of Earth was more important than waiting for her superiors. Officers were meant to show initiative. "They can. But I should inform the Colonel anyway." But she shouldn't interrupt him. So Sam suppressed a smile when she texted the Colonel.
Assisting Entrapta with a scan of Earth on request. Reachable over phone.
Her phone vibrated before she had stashed her laptop.
Lucky you. Don't blow up a country.
Sam smiled. "Let's go."
"Yes! It's time for science!" Entrapta pointed to the ceiling.
A car - armoured, Sam knew - took them to the airport, past several crowds of protesters separated by Swiss police officers and soldiers. The cardboard signs they were rising supported and denounced the war against the Goa'uld, LBGT rights and magic. The Swiss authorities had trouble keeping the protestors from fighting each other.
"I don't get it," Entrapta said as they passed a particularly unruly crowd. "Why are they so… why do they care so much about what other people do? We haven't done anything to them and we're not going to do anything to them."
Sam suppressed a wince. She wouldn't touch magic or gay marriage, and why some people were so adamantly against either being accepted on Earth. "Some think that by fighting the Goa'uld, we're endangering them. They think we could peacefully coexist with them." It was foolish, but then, they didn't know the Goa'uld like Sam did.
"Ah." Entrapta nodded. "That makes more sense than what I thought."
"What did you think?"
"Well, Hordak speculated that they might be agents for the Goa'uld, hoping to be rewarded when the Goa'uld conquer Earth."
Sam sighed. "A fifth column?"
"A what?"
"That an Earth term for such… traitors." Sam sighed. "But, no, I doubt that they are motivated by this. They just… have a different opinion on what the Goa'uld are like."
"But they don't know the Goa'uld. They don't have any data to base their opinions on." Entrapta shook her head. "You've told them what the Goa'uld are like. Glimmer did it too. They should know better."
Sam sighed. "They don't trust us or you."
"Oh." Entrapta looked at the floor of the car. "Then we need to gain their trust."
"Easier said than done," Sam said.
"Oh, I'm sure the others have a few ideas!" Entrapta perked up.
Sam managed not to wince.
"Look, we have to be pragmatic there. We're faced with an evil empire of body-snatching parasites bent on enslaving everyone in the galaxy. Fighting them has to take priority. We can sort out cultural differences after we have ensured that we won't be destroyed."
Catra narrowed her eyes at the Secretary of Defense's words. The Russian and Chinese delegates nodded in agreement, she noted, though Daniel winced and O'Neill's face seemed frozen. Well, O'Neill had worn the same expression for pretty much the whole meeting so far. Which said a lot about his views since he generally was quite frank with them.
"Yes," the Russian diplomat said. "Our three countries have faced such a threat before, and if we had let ideological differences divide us, we wouldn't have won against an enemy as dangerous as those Goa'uld."
He was probably talking about the Nazis. Catra hadn't studied those in detail, but what she had heard about the biggest war in Earth's history, mainly from Daniel and from television, had been horrible. Horde Prime had destroyed planets, but he hadn't been so… She lacked the words to describe it.
"We know about your world war," Glimmer replied. "But we also know, from personal experience, that giving help to the wrong kind of person can lead to disaster." She glanced at Hordak.
Hordak actually stopped looking at the door through which Entrapta had vanished to 'do science with Sam' and turned to face the delegations. "Yes. Earning the trust of someone and their help, and then turning against them is a valid strategy."
Catra had to suppress a snicker when Glimmer scowled at him. Fortunately, Bow spoke up before the princess could blow up. "Yes," he said. "We don't want to hand over our technology to a country which might use it against us as soon as the Goa'uld are defeated. Or use to conquer Earth."
"And we can't fight together with people who think people like us are criminals," Adora added, wrapping an arm around Catra's shoulder. "How can we trust anyone in battle like that?" She shook her head.
Catra smiled, enjoying the contact - and the expressions on the people's faces - for a moment before she spoke up: "And I think we should turn the question around: If the war against the Goa'uld takes priority, why can't you change your laws?"
"And we mean your laws," Glimmer added with a glance at Daniel. "Not some order from your leader which can be taken back as soon as he or his successor wants to."
The expression on the American's face almost made Catra snicker out loud. The Secretary of State pressed his lips together before answering: "Changing our laws is a lengthy process. We're a democracy; we can't just skip the proper procedure."
"Not even when we're about to fight a war?" Adora frowned. "Isn't your 'parliament' able to prioritise such things?"
"There are political considerations that hinder quick changes to laws."
Both the Russians and the Chinese looked at the Americans, and the Russian diplomat said: "Homosexuality is legal in Russia."
"By the letter of the law," the American retorted. "It's still considered a mental disorder, isn't it?"
"That is an artefact which can be corrected immediately."
The Chinese people nodded as well. "It will be adjusted in our country."
"And that means people like us would enjoy the full rights like everyone else?" Adora asked.
"There is the matter of gay marriage," the American said. "No country on Earth has legalised that yet. The hurdles for that are quite substantial."
Catra glanced at Daniel, who was frowning and looked like he wanted to speak up but controlled himself. That told her enough. "You mean you don't want to do it."
"Russia can do it."
"As can China."
The American frowned openly. "And can you guarantee that your countries won't just reverse that at the earliest opportunity?"
"Can you guarantee the same?" The Russian shot back.
And O'Neill muttered something under his breath that sounded like a curse to Catra's twitching ears.
"Colonel?" Glimmer looked at him.
O'Neill tilted his head. "I'm here for military advice. Politics isn't my field of experience."
Daniel mouthed something to the Colonel.
"I'm just thinking that if we can't trust each other to play ball, this will be a rather short war," O'Neill said.
"But that's the question." Glimmer nodded. "Can we trust you? Can we trust you not to use our technology to conquer other countries?"
The Secretary of Defense shook his head. "Historically, all our countries have conquered foreign territory. But the United States, unlike others, hasn't done so in a hundred years."
"Russia has let the conquered countries go," the Russian claimed. "We didn't conquer any territory since the USSR was dissolved."
"China has not taken any foreign territory; we merely took back formerly Chinese territory."
"That's a matter of debate," the American said.
Catra had a pretty good idea of what that meant.
"But who can say that you won't try to colonise us? Your insistence on forcing your own customs on us is not a sign of trust," the Russian said, looking at Adora.
"We're not forcing anything on you," Adora replied. "We're just telling you the conditions under which we'll form an alliance and transfer technology. Whether or not you will accept that is up to you."
"We don't owe you anything," Glimmer added. "We want to work with you, but not at any price."
"And I am sure that there are other countries which will have an easier time with our demands," Hordak added.
That made everyone at the table opposite them frown. Well, good for them - Catra wouldn't let them play such games.
"So… that happened." Jack O'Neill shook his head as he followed the Secretay of Defence and the Secretary of State out of the room.
"What happened?" Daniel asked in a low voice.
"The Etherians made it clear that they know how to play one side off against the other," Jack explained.
Daniel frowned. "But… that was clear from the beginning! I mentioned it in my report - we're dealing with sovereign rulers of their countries who have fought a lengthy war as part of an alliance. Of course they would have experience in diplomacy!"
Jack sighed. "Yes. but they're also a bunch of kids." And that made underestimating them easy. And Entrapta, who was far closer to thirty than to twenty, acted like a kid most of the time.
"I mentioned that in my report as well. They might be considered kids in the United States - actually not since all of them are over twenty years old - but they've been fighting for years in their war and held leadership positions for about as long. We can't judge them according to our views." Daniel shook his head. "I explained that!"
"Yes, you did." The Secretary of State obviously had overheard them. "But you also mentioned that they were not familiar with our customs and policies."
"Yes, I did." Daniel looked confused.
Jack snorted again. "Which meant some people thought they could manipulate them."
"Oh."
"I would describe it as a slight miscalculation," the Secretary of Defense cut in, slightly pouting. "Although I think the Russians and the Chinese were more surprised."
"But they correctly calculated that the Etherians do not care as much about democracy as we do," Daniel interjected. "That part didn't even come up."
Jack's nominal superior frowned even more. "This was supposed to be a meeting about military cooperation."
"And now we know that without gay marriage, we won't get cooperation," Daniel said.
"That was their opening offer," the Secretary of State objected. "We've barely started negotiations."
"Ah…" Daniel smiled in that apologising way of his that he usually used when trying to pass on bad news. "I don't think they'll budge on this point."
"It's more like a red line," Jack agreed.
"Yes." Daniel nodded twice. "They do take politics personally, after all, and they don't see such discrimination as negotiable."
"But they have to be aware that the Russians and the Chinese will promise anything to get advanced technology, and then turn around and do whatever they want to their gay population!" The Secretary of State shook his head. "You just said that they weren't that naive!"
"They aren't naive. But they…" Daniel sighed and pushed his glasses up again. "They lack a democratic tradition. They are used to dealing with monarchs. Absolute rulers. They'll focus on them."
"Ah. So… they'll want to meet the Russian President and the Supreme Leader of the Chinese before formalising anything. Good." The Secretary of Defense stared at Jack and Daniel. "You'll need to tell them why they can't trust the Russian and the Chinese."
"But I thought we're negotiating with them to present a unified front," Daniel replied.
"We are. But that won't happen if the Russians or the Chinese can get an alliance on their own."
"Do you want us to… influence the Etherians?" Daniel sounded as if someone had told him to seduce a princess for the benefit of the country.
"Just tell them the truth about Russia and China. The Holodomor. The Great Leap Forward."
"Ah. But… that's in the past. The Etherians are big on giving second chances and people changing," Daniel retorted. "They spent years fighting a war against Hordak and Catra. Entrapta changed sides twice during the war. And yet, they're now friends." He shook his head. "Telling them about past atrocities won't do much, in my opinion."
The Secretary of Defense scoffed through clenched teeth. "Just do what you have to to stop them from blindly trusting the Russians and the Chinese. We can't let them get advanced technology first."
Unfortunately, the man was right about that - if the Chinese and the Russians got their hands on advanced technology and the United States didn't, then that would have dire consequences for the world. Even if the Etherians stepped in and stopped any attempts to force concessions from the rest of the world, that would still destroy any semblance of a balance of power, "We'll see what we can do," Jack said. "But we won't lie to them."
"Yes. Honesty is the key to reaching an agreement with them," Daniel added. "We need to trust each other, and we can't if we start with lies."
"Don't lie. But be as honest about Russia and China as you were about the United States." The Secretary nodded at them, then turned and walked away.
Daniel looked at Jack.
"Well, he got you there," Jack told him with a grin he didn't quite feel.
"Jack!"
"Sorry. But you did explain our faults at lengths, didn't you?"
"I wanted to avoid any misunderstandings!"
"Well, you tried." Jack shook his head. "Anyway, we've got our…" His phone vibrated, and he held up his hand as he pulled it out. "It's Carter."
We did a scan of Earth. Please meet us at the ship. Entrapta is calling the others.
"She wants us to come to the ship," Jack said. That wouldn't reassure their allies that the United States wasn't hiding something. But Carter was aware of that. "Well, if the Etherians invite us, it would be rude to decline the invitation."
But he had a bad feeling about this.