Chapter 37: Spooks Part 2
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, September 21st, 1998
"So, they won't talk to us?" Adora bent down and peered at the tank in which one of the Goa'uld they had captured was held. It looked like a fish tank to her, but mentioning that would be rude.
"I wouldn't want to talk to you either if you kept me in a fish tank," Catra commented.
"It's not a fish tank," Sam protested. "It's a secure habitat for alien life forms."
"That's sciency for 'fish tank'," Catra retorted with a grin.
Adora sighed. "And they can understand us in this form?"
"Yes." Teal'c nodded.
"Their senses cover the same range as humans - mostly. There are a few differences, but whatever sound a human can make, Goa'uld can hear," Entrapta explained.
"But Osiris is unlikely to understand anything except for Old Egyptian," Daniel added. "He was sealed in a stasis jar for thousands of years. Seth, though, should understand us perfectly fine."
"Ah." Right, the Goa'uld could just access their host's brains to learn everything they knew. Adora suppressed a shudder - Seth had tried to possess her.
"And Daniel and Teal'c talked to them in their language, but the snakes didn't want to talk back, either." Jack shook his head. "That's the longest temper tantrum I've ever seen."
"Aren't they just doing what you said prisoners had to do? Refuse to give the enemy any information other than name, rank and serial number?" Adora asked.
Jack frowned at her as if she had something mean, but Daniel chuckled, and even Sam smiled. "It's not the same." Adora wanted to ask why it wasn't the same, but he went on: "So, Entrapta and Carter built some keyboards for them, and specially made screens that they can see through the windows of their cells. Yet they still refuse to communicate."
"We tested the keyboards - they work perfectly fine. And we demonstrated them to the prisoners. Although Seth should already be familiar with keyboards since he was captured in the United States," Entrapta said. "They just don't want to talk to us."
Adora wrinkled her nose. Perhaps they should respect that? They weren't the Goa'uld - they respected the rights of their prisoners. Or should - she wasn't sure that the cells here were actually nice enough for that. The Goa'uld had no privacy at all. Still…
"Make them eat rations and tell them they can order better food?" Catra suggested. "They'd have to talk to us then."
"We're not going to torture them," Entrapta protested.
"The Horde lived on ration bars," Catra retorted.
"And that wasn't alright!" Glimmer cut in with a grimace. "That was torture!"
"The grey ones were OK," Adora said. "Way better than the brown ones."
Everyone looked at her as if she had said something stupid. She frowned at them, but Glimmer just shook her head, and Catra giggled.
"I am now really curious whether or not those ration bars are worse than MREs," Jack said.
"Well, we don't have any of them with us, so we can't compare them," Bow said. "But Horde ration bars were really horrible."
"Disgusting." Glimmer nodded with a shudder.
Adora looked at Etnrapta and Hordak.
"They provided the troops with a perfectly balanced meal," Hordak said.
"And if you used food additives, they were quite palatable," Entrapta said.
"'Food additives'?" Adora asked.
"Seasoning," Catra said. "Force Captains got them."
"Ah."
"But we're not here to talk about torture food," Glimmer spoke up. "We're here to make the Goa'uld talk." She looked at the tank and grinned. "And I think Entrapta's plan has a good chance of working."
"Making them curious?" Jack asked. "By showing them the news? A tv show that ends on a cliffhanger?"
"No," Entrapta said. "I'm talking about magic."
"Magic," Jack repeated in a flat tone.
"Yes." Glimmer nodded. "If we had activated Earth's magic already, I could teleport around. I bet that would make them talk to us."
"Unless the Goa'uld can use magic as well, then," Jack pointed out.
"I doubt that they can use magic," Daniel said. "None of our sources show them using any power that wasn't based on technology."
"I think if they had access to magic and then lost it a thousand years ago, they would have searched for the reason for said loss," Teal'c added. "But I know of no such venture."
"Well, I could restore magic," Adora offered. "It wouldn't take long."
"There's something wrong with world-changing actions being done on a whim in five minutes," Jack muttered.
"Well, we don't need to activate Earth's magic for Adora to use magic, right?" Daniel smiled.
"But we might not want to show them her transformation," Catra was quick to add. "And I don't think we should hurt someone so Adora can demonstrate her magic healing."
Adora nodded. Of course not!
"It would be the easiest solution," Entrapta said. "Activating magic, I mean. Or… I could show them our technology!" She beamed. "I bet they would be curious about our bots."
"They'll probably think any magic used is technology anyway," Jack pointed out, a little belatedly.
"But showing them our technology might also give away important information," Carter said.
"They already know we're working with Etherians - even if they don't know they are Etherians," Jack told her. "Let's try technology first before we change the world for a chat with snakes."
Samantha Carter nodded at the Colonel's words. Returning magic to Earth just for an interrogation… their superiors wouldn't accept that. And the Goa'uld knew their own technology. So, it had to be Etherian technology. Or Horde technology. Or… "We might be able to use Ancient technology," she suggested.
"First Ones technology? Wouldn't they know that?" Entrapta asked. "They use the gates, after all."
"Yes, but they aren't familiar with the Ancient technology on Etheria," Sam explained. She looked at Teal'c.
"Indeed. It's not conforming to Ancient technology known to the Goa'uld," he confirmed.
"So… First Ones technology." Entrapta nodded. "We don't have too much of that here."
"I can summon my sword. After transforming out of their sight," Adora said. "And I can make it change shape."
"It slices, it dices, it makes julienne fries," the Colonel commented.
Catra snickered, but Adora pouted - and Sam made a note that they might be familiar with the idiom.
"But we still should show our bots," Entrapta said. "And Hordak's technology."
Hordak nodded. "They should be familiar with Horde Prime's technology, but my own developments, and those of Entrapta, will be unknown to them." He nodded at Entrapta, who smiled back at him.
They wanted to show off, Sam realised. Well, she could understand the feeling. Perhaps a bit more than she should - but what scientist didn't like showing off at least a little? Even Daniel wasn't immune, as his lessons and briefings revealed.
"Let's start with the bots then," the Colonel said. "We can save Adora's Swiss-army-sword-magic for later."
"Yes!" Entrapta beamed. "I'll call Emily so she can lead the others inside."
"The others?" The Colonel asked.
"I brought more bots - they need to get down to Earth anyway. Being cooped up on a ship all the time isn't healthy!" Entrapta nodded and pushed a button on her multitool. "Emily? Get in here!"
Sam turned to the intercom, but the Colonel was already calling the entrance so the guards would let the bots through.
"Have someone guide them so they don't get lost," Entrapta said. Then she blinked. "Uh… can they get in here?"
Sam pointed at the large door in the back. "Yes. There's a freight elevator there. It would have been impractical to move heavy machinery through the smaller corridors."
"Isn't that a security risk?" Catra asked, cocking her head as she looked from the habitats to the elevator.
"We've got it under guard," the Colonel said. "And usually, the habitats aren't here but in secure cells."
"In cells?" Adora frowned. "Isolated?"
"First rule of handling prisoners for interrogation is not to let them talk to each other and coordinate their stories," the Colonel replied.
"But… they are all alone, all day?"
"They can talk to us anytime they choose."
"That sounds like torture," Hordak said. "At least some would consider it torture - I can understand, given the intellect of the average soldier, that not having to talk to them could also be a blessing."
"Hordak!" Glimmer glared at him.
Entrapta, though, slowly nodded. "Yes. Some did claim that isolation is torture. I discovered that when I researched what was considered torture on Earth."
"Let me guess: You found Amnesty International, right?" the Colonel asked.
"Yes."
"They are sometimes seen as a little controversial," the Colonel told her.
"Mostly in countries that they criticise," Daniel added. "They are also strictly against the death penalty." Sam saw that he didn't look at the Colonel.
Fortunately, Entrapta's bots arrived before this subject could be discussed further - Sam was sure that the Etherians weren't in favour of the death penalty.
"Emily! Come over here! And you too, Gaby! And Silvie!"
Two smaller, but still quite large, bots followed Emily to the group. And the Goa'uld had noticed - Sam saw that both were paying close attention to the bots.
Something she should have done as well, she realised when the bot named 'Gaby' walked to a desk and started scanning the computers there while Silvie was picking up tools on the other side of the room. "Please don't touch anything," Sam said belatedly.
"Put it down, Silvie!" Entrapta said. "You can play with it later. Now you have to show what you can do!"
Emily beeped, and Entrapta shook her head. "No, this isn't an indoor shooting range. Just demonstrate on low power setting."
"Ah… how about not shooting anything on any setting inside the base?" the Colonel said.
Sam couldn't explain how a huge spherical three-legged robot could look sad, but Emily managed. Entrapta patted the bot's dome with her hair. "There, there - we'll get you something to shoot under safe conditions. Safe-ish, at least."
But Silvie and Gaby were already working on something - something the two Goa'uld were very interested in.
Something using First Ones technology, Sam realised. And…
"Are they making a bot?" Daniel asked.
"Yes! A prototype spy bot Mark II!" Entrapta confirmed. "One that can fly!" She frowned. "Well, it will fly once we solve the tiny little issues with making a small engine that won't blow under stress and still is powerful enough to let it explore a star system."
"Or, alternatively, is fast enough to serve as ordnance," Hordak added.
Judging from the beeps from all three bots, they didn't like that idea.
"Hordak!"
Neither did Entrapta.
"I meant for non-sapient bots," the former warlord tried to defend himself.
"They can still learn enough to become sapient!" Entrapta protested. "We can't use them as missiles."
Ah, yes. Artificial intelligence rights - another touchy subject Sam would rather not go into right now.
Catra sighed as Entrapta scolded Hordak about using bots as missiles. Bots weren't people. Sure, some of them were exceptions, but the vast majority didn't have any more brains than any other machine - she would know; she had had to command tons of the things in the war. They made Kyle look like a genius.
But at least the prisoners were paying attention - she could see the snakes all but pressing their ugly little heads against the fish tanks' glass to study the bots as they built another bot.
Her ears twitched as she overheard O'Neill mutter: "Just what we need - self-replicating bots."
"That possibility always existed once we encountered sufficiently complex and capable robots, Sir," Sam told him. "Although for truly self-replicating bots, they would have to be able to provide the components and the raw materials as well."
"And how likely is that? The brass will want to know if we don't just have to deal with aliens but Skynet as well."
"It shouldn't be too difficult to construct mining bots, Sir."
"Great."
Catra shook her head. It seemed that O'Neill was more worried about what the Etherians could do than about the Goa'uld. Well, it fit him, in her opinion.
But they were here to interrogate the prisoners, not discuss O'Neill's hangups. She kept an eye on the Goa'uld as the two bots, with some concerned beeping from Emily, finished the spy bot.
It didn't look very different from the models she had used in the war. A small bot with a round body like the others and cameras rather than weapons, scurrying around on three legs. Whatever changes Entrapta and Hordak had made must have been internal.
"Oh, look at it go!" Entrapta gushed. "Already used to walking!"
"Shouldn't that be standard?" Daniel asked. "Or do bots have to learn how to walk?"
"That depends on their control matrix," Entrapta replied. "They can come pre-programmed, like most bots we used in the war - with the networks copied from older bots. Or they can learn from scratch, as you say - that way, they tend to be a bit more effective, although it takes longer for them to be ready for deployment. They can learn more routines that way, though."
"Ah." Daniel nodded. "Like people?"
"The control matrixes use networks similar to neural networks," Sam told him.
The spy bot was demonstrating its sensors and other gear now - First Ones technology, Catra realised; she had seen those scanning rays before. She focused on the Goa'uld's reaction and could see their tails twitch more and more. Of course, that didn't have to mean anything - they weren't like her - but she would bet that it meant they were agitated. Or excited.
"And now, testing the gravity generator!" Entrapta announced.
The spy bot stopped moving, pulled its legs in - and a humming noise filled the room.
Catra clenched her teeth; it didn't actually hurt her ears, but it grated - though she seemed to be the only one affected. The others probably couldn't hear it.
And then the spy bot rose into the air and started to float around. Like that droid in the movie. The legs unfolded again, further showing the parallels. The top rotated as well, small cameras looking at everything in the room.
And at the Goa'uld. A red light appeared, a cone moving over the first, then the second Goa'uld.
"Ah, the scanner works as well!" Entrapa beamed. "Look!" She pushed a button on her tool, and floating holograms of the two snakes appeared. "It's not quite as detailed as our magic scanner, nor with the range that one has, but it's a medical scan!"
She bent forward, her hair lifting her up, and looked at the Goa'uld. "Hello? Do you want to communicate now?"
"They can't hear us," Sam told her.
"It would be counter-productive if they could listen in on our talks," O'Neill added.
"Oh." Entrapta blinked, then two hair tendrils shot out, grabbed a whiteboard and a marker and started writing.
HELLO! YOU CAN USE THE KEYBOARD!
The first Goa'uld, Osiris, didn't react. Well, they didn't use the keyboard.
The other, though, Seth, started to type, using its tail.
WHO ARE YOU?
Entrapta beamed.
I AM ENTRAPTA, PRINCESS OF DRYL
"We're supposed to get intel from it, not the other way around," O'Neill complained.
"You have to give data to receive data. Even if you're just observing, the act of observation affects the observed, which is kind of giving data," Entrapta told him.
"And he should know our names - we know he saw us on television before we captured him," Catra reminded them.
Seth was typing again.
WHAT ARE YOU?
Entrapta cocked her head, frowning, "I just told you!"
ENTRAPTA, PRINCESS OF DRYL
ARE YOU A TAU'RI?
"Well, now that's a matter of opinion. What do you think, Sam? We are the same species - we can have viable offspring without genetic manipulation - but so were the First Ones. And I don't think he'd call the First Ones Tau'ri."
Before Sam could answer, Entrapta wrote on:
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF A TAU'RI?
A HOST SPECIES FROM THIS PLANET
NO, I AM NOT FROM THIS PLANET. AND I AM NOT A HOST SPECIES.
O'Neill sighed. "Who thought it was a good idea to let Entrapta start the interrogation?"
And then the other Goa'uld started typing, and symbols Catra didn't know appeared on his screen.
"Oh, he's using hieroglyphs!" Daniel exclaimed in the same tone Entrapta had when she saw tiny food. Or a First One relic.
Catra snickered again as O'Neill groaned.
"How can the snake type hieroglyphs?" Jack O'Neill asked. It was a dumb question and not relevant, but he wanted to know.
"I've added a database with the hieroglyphs known to us to the tiny keyboard, accessible through the touchpad on the keyboard - or the keyboard, with key combinations," Entrapta explained. "They can use their tail or other limbs to draw on the pad or just flick through the database until they find the symbol they want, although the sorting algorithm was a bit of a guess - I don't know what the Goa'uld would find intuitive, and the Japanese system wasn't applicable since the hieroglyphs are drawn differently, so sorting according to the number of strokes needed to draw them was not applicable. I wonder what system they use for their own communication."
"They probably dictate to a slave," Jack said. That seemed to fit them.
"That is correct, O'Neill," Teal'c confirmed.
Jack grinned. "So… what's Osiris saying?"
"He's warning us not to trust 'the traitor'," Daniel replied, looking slightly put out.
Jack snorted. That, too, should have been expected from a snake. He glanced at Seth's screen.
I NOTICED THAT I COULD NOT TAKE OVER THE BLONDE WOMAN. SAME SPECIES?
"Someone needs to make him understand that we're the ones asking the questions," Jack said.
Catra made a sort-of agreeing noise.
"Well, should I tell him yes? It's not true, but we're both princesses," Entrapta asked. "And the jury's still out whether or not First Ones are the same species as humans."
"It might keep the Goa'uld from trying to possess us. Or at least you and Glimmer," Bow pointed out.
Jack shook his head. "They'll probably still try it if they have the opportunity - out of desperation or because they suspect a lie." He doubted that the snakes would trust them to tell the truth since the Goa'uld would lie if their positions were switched.
"Ah." Entrapta nodded and typed with her hair.
NO. YOU ARE SETH, CORRECT?
YES.
Jack wanted to step in and take over. Entrapta wasn't a trained interrogator. And she was too trusting - or naive. But as long as she listened to the others, there was no reason to be rude to her.
He glanced at Daniel. "What's Osiris saying?"
"Well, technically, he's typing," his friend replied. Jack rolled his eyes, and Daniel cleared his throat. "Sorry. Anyway, he's telling me how Seth betrayed him and Isis, and… well, basically how everything is Seth's fault. And he's asking where Isis is." He grimaced.
Jack shook his head again. "Tell him that she died when her stasis jar was broken centuries ago."
While Daniel started picking through hieroglyphs, Jack looked back at the other Goa'uld. Entrapta was typing again.
YES, WE WERE NEVER RULED BY THE GOA'ULD.
Well, Seth had seen them on TV, Jack reminded himself.
DO YOU TRUST THE TAU'RI?
Jack narrowed his eyes. That was less subtle than he had expected. On the other hand, perhaps Seth thought that the Etherians had taken control of Earth, overtly or covertly.
SOME ARE OUR FRIENDS.
AND THE OTHERS?
"Osiris is asking if he can visit Isis's grave," Daniel said.
Jack didn't have to look at his friend to know that Daniel looked sympathetic. Even though his own wife had been taken from him by the Goa'uld. Or perhaps because of that.
"We did an autopsy on the corpse, Sir," Carter informed him. Was that a wince?
Jack sighed. "And I guess that all the parts are now floating in formaldehyde in some jars, ready to be studied?" Couldn't be too many jars, of course, given the alien's size.
"Yes, Sir."
"It's a perfectly valid request, Jack."
"You… didn't bury her?" Adora sounded shocked. And no snarky comment from Catra.
Carter pressed her lips together and tensed. Jack held up his hand - he was their commanding officer. This was on him. "We need more information about Goa'uld. We don't know enough about them, how their bodies work, anything."
"But you can scan her. Then you have all the data you need. You don't need to keep the body except for some tissue samples, do you?" Entratpa apparently had stopped chatting with Seth.
Jack sighed. He would have to convince the brass - well, that shouldn't be too hard, not if the Etherians supported it. "We'll see about a funeral. Ask Osiris how we should bury her - but tell him no pyramids."
No one laughed at his joke.
"I doubt that he would expect a pyramid for her," Daniel said as he typed. "Based on his era, it will likely be a grave chamber in a small temple."
"That won't go over better with Congress, I think," Jack said. The Etherians still looked… disapproving. "Don't forget that they don't care about the dead humans," he reminded them. "Seth didn't ask about his followers, did he?"
"No. Should I remind him?" Entrapta asked.
Jack shook his head. "Let's see how long it takes him to remember them." Probably forever, in Jack's opinion.
ARE YOU THE NEW PROTECTORS OF THE TAU'RI?
"Uh…" Entrapta looked around, "Kinda?"
"Technically, we are," Bow said.
"Officially, once we have the Alliances signed," Glimmer added.
"Tell him that we will protect all the Tau'ri," Adora said, nodding curtly.
YES
The snake couldn't hear them - but they could see them. Could gauge their reactions. And they were smart. Seth had thousands of years of experience with manipulating people, Jack reminded himself.
Maybe they should call in spooks. No - those had no experience with Goa'uld. They would try to treat them like humans.
And that would be a disaster. Wait! "'New protectors'?" He frowned. "Does that mean there were old protectors?
"Old protectors?" Adora looked at Jack, then at the others.
"I think assuming that there were old protectors solely based on Seth's question is reaching a little," Daniel pointed out. "While he certainly knew about the Etherians' arrival, he might merely be trying to confirm their policy towards Earth."
"I am not aware of any protectors of Earth - or the Tau'ri as a whole," Teal'c said. "However, certain planets are off-limits to Goa'uld attacks. I was never told why, though. I assumed it was a decree of Ra, like the order to leave Earth alone. However, the planet Cimmeria was protected by unknown forces against the Goa'uld."
"Right." Jack nodded. "But Earth doesn't have anything like it. Or the snakes would have been killed long ago."
"Cimmeria could've been protected by another faction of the Goa'uld posing as the Norse gods," Daniel suggested.
"The technology used was unlike and beyond the Goa'uld's known capability," Sam objected.
"It certainly wasn't Ra," Jack said. "He wouldn't have posed as another god that wasn't under his command - or tolerated others posing as such gods."
Adora was a little confused. "Could you explain what happened on Cimmeria?"
"Oh, sorry!" Daniel blushed. "It's a planet with a population that worships the old Norse gods, and when we arrived there, a defence mechanism - Thor's Hammer, it was called - captured Teal'c and Jack and sent them into a labyrinth where they had to fight a former alien host. We managed to disable the mechanism and save them."
"With the help of a native named Kendra," Sam added.
Ah. That explained… not very much.
"Did you recover the technology? Did you analyse it?" Entrapta asked.
"No." Sam shook her head. "But it didn't resemble any known Goa'uld technology. Or Ancient technology."
"So, it wasn't the First Ones," Adora said. "And I don't believe the Horde would have done anything like it."
"They would have conquered the planet, not defended it against the Goa'uld," Hordak said.
"Do you want me to ask him about Cimmeria?" Entrapta cocked her head.
"If he knows about it, then that changes things," Daniel said. "The Norse gods weren't worshipped when Ra was driven from Earth. So, whoever took the people from Earth to Cimmeria did so after Ra had left. If Seth knows about it, he might have had contact with them."
Jack nodded. "Ask if he knows about Cimmeria."
DO YOU KNOW A PLANET NAMED CIMMERIA?
NO
That was quick. Of course, that didn't mean it had to be a lie - Seth would probably be more cautious if he were lying. Still…
"He's watching us. He knows we're talking about something, "Jack said. "Damn - could he be able to read lips?"
Read lips? Oh.
"We can't dismiss the possibility," Sam said, wincing.
So the Goa'uld might have been able to understand what they were discussing?
"Overestimating an enemy is often as bad as underestimating them," Hordak pointed out.
"Well, let's huddle for the next discussion," Jack said.
"Huddle?" Adora asked.
"Gather round, like this." He demonstrated. "So… we need to know if he knows anything about Cimmeria's protectors. Any suggestions on how to ask that without revealing what we know and don't know?"
"Uh." Adora hadn't been trained in interrogation. That had been something Shadow Weaver had reserved for herself. She probably hadn't wanted to teach Adora how to spot lies either.
"Let's just ask Seth about what he did on Earth. Let him talk and see what we can find out," Catra suggested. "We can ask about Cimmeria later."
"And what about Osiris?" Daniel asked.
"He's been sealed in that jar since Ra's departure," Jack replied. "I doubt he has a lot of actionable intel."
"But as a high-ranking Goa'uld, he has a lot of important knowledge," Teal'c pointed out.
"Right. But it's not urgent either. And since he hasn't been raising and murdering cults on Earth for thousands of years, we might make Seth think that we like Osiris more," Jack said.
"Play them against each other." Catra nodded with a grin.
Adora frowned. That seemed manipulative. On the other hand, they needed information. "Let's let them talk? To us, not to each other," she clarified. "Before we make more plans."
"Good idea."
"And we should visit Cimmeria," Entrapta said. "See if we can get more technology samples. Imagine - a completely new technology!"
That was a good idea. Adora nodded. "And we can check how they are doing."
"And if the defence mechanism has been restored. That would mean that their protectors have kept tabs on them and have returned," Catra added.
Adora's eyes widened. "If it hasn't been restored, then they've been left defenceless!" And that meant they would have to step in. You couldn't leave a planet at the mercy of the Goa'uld!
"Well, the Goa'uld wouldn't know that the defence mechanism was gone without attempting an invasion - and they have no reason to assume it is gone," Jack said. He looked a little guilty, though.
"You know what they say about assuming anything," Catra retorted.
"We should not underestimate our enemies," Teal'c added.
"Yeah…" Jack grimaced. "I guess we'll have to see if the new management is OK with visiting Cimmeria."
New management? Oh, he must mean the United Nations. Adora nodded. "Why wouldn't they want us to visit Cimmeria?"
Jack shrugged. "Oh, lots of reasons. That they didn't have the idea, that they think it's too dangerous, that they think it's too expensive, that they want to move the Stargate first…"
Adora frowned. Those sounded like very silly reasons. But Glimmer nodded with a wry expression. And Catra snorted.
WHY DID YOU FORM A CULT?
I HAD TO HIDE FROM RA
Samantha Carter heard the Colonel snort at that. "And that's why he used variations of his own name for every cult."
"To be fair," Daniel pointed out, "he was hiding - he did not seek attention or tried to spread his, ah, faith. In all the past cults that we could identify, he kept the number of his followers small and hid from the authorities."
"Until the mass suicides."
"Ah, yes."
Sam saw that the Etherians grimaced at that.
"Should I ask why his past followers killed themselves?" Entrapta asked.
"Yeah. Let's see how he tries to justify that." The Colonel grinned.
WHY DID YOUR PAST FOLLOWERS KILL THEMSELVES?
Sam saw the Goa'uld hesitate a moment.
I HAD TO LEAVE THEM AND THEY COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT ME.
"Good answer - blame the victims." The Colonel snorted again. "Ask him why he had to leave them."
WHY DID YOU HAVE TO LEAVE THEM?
IT WAS BECOMING TOO DANGEROUS. I HAD STAYED TOO LONG. RA WOULD HAVE NOTICED.
Catra scoffed. "Didn't his cults always worship Seth?"
"Or Setesh, or similar names," Daniel said.
"Yep, can't really call that hiding. On the other hand, for a snake used to be worshipped by entire countries, he probably was all humble and stuff," the Colonel commented.
"Are you serious?" Glimmer asked. "Do Goa'uld honestly think like that?"
"The false gods are arrogant to a fault, but it would not do to underestimate them," Teal'c commented.
"Also, we have to consider that Seth was used to a much more limited world - not a world with computers and the internet," Daniel said. "What measure he took to avoid notice would have been sufficient in the past, like in the eighteenth century, when his last cult suicided."
"You still found him." Bow frowned a little.
"Yes, but that was because vast archives have been scanned and archived electronically," Daniel explained. "That wouldn't have been possible just a few years ago."
"So, what should I ask him next?"
"Ask him why he didn't tell his followers that he'd return."
Entrapta typed, and, once more, the Goa'uld hesitated just a moment too long to give an honest answer, in Sam's impression.
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN CRUEL AND A LIE
"Yeah, right."
"He's the picture of the compassionate god." Catra snorted again.
Seth was still typing.
YOU RULE YOUR PEOPLE - WOULD YOU LIE TO THEM?
Sam pressed her lips together. This was a blatant attempt to drive a wedge between the Etherians and Earth, aimed at the most obvious difference between their worlds.
Entrapta frowned, and her hair flew over the keyboard.
I WOULD NOT LIE TO THEM AND CLAIM TO BE A GODDESS.
WHAT MAKES A GOD OR GODDESS? POWER? YOU HAVE POWER BEYOND BELIEF OVER THE TAU'RI. YOU CAN HEAL YOUR PEOPLE. FEED THEM. GUIDE THEM.
ANY PRINCESS CAN DO THAT. THAT POWER DOES NOT MAKE YOU A GOD.
WHAT ABOUT MAGIC?
That was a good question, in Sam's opinion.
Apparently, the Colonel shared this view since he said: "Well, if you can heal the sick and the lame, feed the masses and raise the dead, we can start talking about what makes a god."
"No, we can't! I'm not a goddess!" Adora blurted out. "Just tell him that we aren't goddesses."
WE ARE NOT GODDESSES. WE ARE PRINCESSES.
SEMANTICS. YOU RULE BECAUSE YOU ARE THE MOST POWERFUL. BECAUSE YOU ARE THE MOST EXPERIENCED. BECAUSE YOU ARE DIFFERENT.
"Well, technically, he's correct." Catra stretched her arms above her head.
"It's not the same!" Glimmer hissed.
Catra nodded. "Yeah, you don't claim to be a goddess."
"We also don't lie to our people!"
Sam glanced at the Colonel. He was pressing his lips together - he probably had to bite his tongue, literally, to keep from snarking.
"Well, fundamentally, the rule of the princesses is based on the magical power that makes them princesses," Hordak said. "Or that made their ancestors princesses. Any legitimacy by lineage still devolves from power."
"We assume that that was how the royal lines started, but we don't know," Bow objected.
"Well, it's the most likely explanation," Entrapta said. "If the First Ones had installed the royal families, the research base should have had data on that."
Sam was inclined to agree. But saying so would have been… undiplomatic. Even the Colonel was aware of that.
"Well, how your ancestors came to power doesn't matter nearly as much as how you use your power - both magical and governmental," Daniel said. "The Goa'uld only care about themselves. That is the difference."
"Yes!" Adora nodded several times. "We don't rule for ourselves!"
"You don't rule anything anyway," Catra added. "Well, unless we count Third Fleet."
Adora scowled at her. "That doesn't count! I didn't ask for them to… follow me!"
Entrapta was typing again.
WE USE OUR POWER FOR OTHERS.
AS DO I - IT IS A POOR RULER WHO NEGLECTS HIS PEOPLE.
"You're a parasite!" Glimmer spat. "Living by possessing people - and exploiting your slaves!"
"Should I tell him that?" Entrapta asked.
"No." The Colonel shook his head. "Ask him what he did to Osiris."
This time, the Goa'uld hesitated even longer, Sam noticed.
Catra clenched her teeth and suppressed the urge to hiss - again - at the lies Seth was spewing on the screen. If one were to believe him, he was the innocent victim of jealous rivals - Osiris and Isis - his weakness being too caring about his followers while, at the same time, being too successful thanks to his followers 'flourishing' under his gentle guidance.
Fortunately, not even Horde Cadet Adora at her worst would have been naive enough to believe him. Not after the way he ruthlessly ordered his followers to suicidally attack them so he could escape. The additional information Daniel had dug up was just confirming that they were dealing with a monster on par with Shadow Weaver - worse than Shadow Weaver, actually. Catra could easily see Seth acting like Horde Prime, spouting drivel about harmony while murdering everyone who didn't fit in enough. Or brainwashing them, she added with a shudder.
"Wow, we're holding Gandhi's spiritual successor here!" O'Neill exclaimed with a chuckle.
"Gandhi?" Adora asked.
"A famous Indian pacifist," Daniel replied. "He was crucial for India gaining its independence from the British colonial rule and used nonviolent means to protest and oppose oppression. Although some of his views and policies have become controversial lately."
"Daniel, if you explain things like that, people miss the point."
"That could be avoided if you pick a better example, Jack."
"Whatever!" Glimmer blurted out. "The snake's lying through its pointed teeth, and no one's buying it! Enough of that! What's Osiris saying?"
"Uh…" Daniel cleared his throat. "I've been translating his messages, though they mostly deal with Seth's treachery, warnings about not believing any of Seth's claims, and his dead wife."
"And he's presenting himself as the innocent victim of persecution?" O'Neill asked.
"The victim of a backstabbing attempt at treason that framed him and his wife as a traitor in the eyes of Ra," Daniel told him.
"What I said, then."
"But he doesn't try to appear as a benevolent ruler using his power and wisdom to rule and guide the humans for their own good," Daniel objected.
"Probably because he hasn't seen us on television and doesn't know anything about us," Glimmer said, scoffing. "Or he'd probably claim his wife was a princess."
Catra shook her head. Sure, Seth was as subtle as a hovertank if you compared him to Shadow Weaver, but the others were reacting a bit too strongly to Seth's claim that princesses were the same as the Goa'uld.
Especially since, well, he wasn't entirely wrong, as Daniel would say. Princesses ruled because they were princesses, and they were princesses because they had magic powers that they were born with. Dress it up however you wanted, it still came down to power. Netossa and Spinnerella weren't ruling a country, but if they wanted to, they could probably find an area not claimed by any princess and take it over. Catra doubted that too many would care.
And she didn't doubt that a princess could be as bad as the Goa'uld. Maybe even worse, though that would take a lot and probably lead to other princesses banding together to deal with you. There probably had been such bad princesses before. She didn't know any example, but Bow was the historian, or at least the son of two historians, not Catra.
But none of that meant that Catra's friends were bad people. "He's just trying to manipulate you," she said. "As we expected. But compared to Shadow Weaver, he's bad at it." Mostly because Seth didn't know them, not really.
"He's trying his best," O'Neill added. "But he's still a Goa'uld - I bet he can't really take us mere humans seriously."
"The Goa'uld do not consider anyone their peer, or even just deserving of respect," Teal'c said. "Horde Prime might have come the closest thanks to his power, but they would have destroyed him as soon as they found a way to do so."
"Well, he didn't even bother with pretending. Whatever got in his way was destroyed." Catra shrugged. "Anyway, Seth is just trying to suck up to you because he thinks power's all that matters and that everyone's the same." And she was very familiar with that view.
Adora nodded, but she was still clenching her teeth, Catra could tell. And Glimmer was still staring at the Goa'uld as if she wanted to smash them in their cells.
Well, so was Hordak, she noticed. Entrapa looked upset, which must have set this off.
What a mess. In hindsight, they should have left this to Stargate Command. On the other hand, Seth had only started talking once he had seen Adora and the others.
Catra stretched again, the claws in her feet slightly digging into the floor - it was only concrete, so Catra didn't have to worry about damaging a mosaic or some polished wood or expensive carpet. "So, do we have to keep listening to those lies? Or can we do something more productive now? Like taking a nap?"
"Both Seth and Osiris were present when Ra ruled the Earth - and Seth lived through almost our entire written history!" Daniel said with a pout. "The knowledge they hold could change history and offer crucial insight into Goa'uld society."
Catra chuckled. "Well, looks like you just volunteered to keep talking to them." She tugged at Adora's arm. "Come on! Let's get something to eat; I'm hungry!"
Adora didn't object to being dragged out of the room. That meant she was still mulling over Seth's words. Probably questioning if she was a Goa'uld-style ruler.
Damn. Catra really wanted to shred the snake with her claws.