Chapter 38: Doubts
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, September 21st, 1998
"A funeral for the Goa'uld?" General Hammond sounded surprised.
Jack O'Neill, standing at parade rest in the general's office, nodded. "Yes, Sir. Osiris asked to see the body of his wife - or her grave."
The general sighed. "And it happened in the presence of the Etherians."
"Yes, Sir."
"And letting him see the body would be…" The general grimaced.
Jack nodded again and refrained from commenting that getting the body back together would mean solving a puzzle and draining gallons of formaldehyde.
General Hammond sighed again. "And just when we're about to be formally transferred under UN control."
"Yes, Sir."
The general narrowed his eyes at him.
Oops. Maybe Jack had overdone the dutiful by-the-book officer act. "Do you think that the Security Council won't be willing to please the Etherians? It's our mistake, after all." The Russians and the Chinese would love to rub the United States' face in. And the British and the French wouldn't exactly do their utmost to help out, either.
"I think the Security Council's representatives might see this as a way to present themselves as not prone to making the same mistakes we did," General Hammond replied.
Oh, yes. Jack could see that. Damn vultures. And yet… "Speaking of mistakes, Sir…"
Hammond stopped sighing and looking at the ceiling and zeroed in on Jack once more. "Yes, Colonel?"
"Cimmeria was brought up during the interrogation," Jack said.
"The planet with the people worshipping Thor."
"Yes, Sir. The Etherians would like to visit." Jack straightened just a bit. "They are curious about the technology on the planet - and they voiced their concern that our actions might have left the planet defenceless against the Goa'uld."
"How would the Goa'uld find out?" Hammond asked.
"I said the same, Sir. But the Etherians want to go. There was also talk about installing a surveillance drone to keep an eye on the planet." Jack inclined his head. "Captain Carter seemed to think the proposed design was feasible." Feasible enough to have her spend time in her lab with Entrapta and Hordak working on a bot.
"I see. Well, that's another request I'll have to present our new command crew with."
"Yes, Sir." Another glare. Jack didn't show any reaction. "And, speaking of that, Sir: When will the new brass arrive?"
"I just received the news. They will arrive tomorrow."
It was Jack's turn to be surprised. "That's faster than I expected."
"Even the United Nations can move quickly if they're motivated enough." Hammond snorted. "The security up top is working around the clock to ensure that the new United Nations Stargate Command can be kept from accidentally entering the other areas of the base."
'Accidentally'. Jack snorted - as if the Russians and the Chinese wouldn't try to use this to spy on the Air Force! "Any word of who's going to play overlord?"
"We'll have a joint command overseeing UNSGC operations, with members drawn from all permanent members of the Security Council," Hammond replied.
A committee! Wonderful!
"They'll also provide troops and officers to Stargate Command, although, to my knowledge, it's understood that they will need to be trained before they can cover crucial posts."
Even better - they'd have to train FNGs to take over. And spooks masquerading as FNGs. "It feels as if we're expected to train up our own replacements, Sir."
And Hammond nodded. "That's probably correct, Colonel. International politics being as they are, we cannot expect Stargate Command to remain heavily dominated by the Air Force."
"We're the most experienced, Sir," Jack spat.
"Which means it'll take some time until we're replaced. And the United States will keep troops in Stargate Command. But I think the bulk of our current roster will be transferred to whatever our space forces will end up called."
"Including my team." He clenched his teeth. It was a logical development. It made sense. It still grated. He had been with Stargate Command, well, not from the start, but pretty much from the first time the gate had been used.
"Yes." Hammond smiled. "Your close relationship with the Etherians makes this a no-brainer. The United States need you working with the Etherians fighting a war, not guarding the Stargate."
"Someone has to keep an eye on this new… command, Sir." Who knew what the Russians and the Chinese would try to pull if they were left unsupervised.
"I am certain that this concern will be addressed by our superiors."
"Does that mean we'll get new troops from the NID?" Jack tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.
Unfortunately, Hammond didn't laugh. "I was assured that we'd be receiving people with the necessary training to ensure that the Stargate won't be used in ways that would endanger Earth."
More spooks. Great. Well, at least that meant leaving Stargate Command would be easier for everyone in SG-1 - Jack knew none of his team members wanted to work with the NID. "Can I tell the rest of my team that?"
Hammond smiled. "Never give an order you know won't be obeyed, Colonel."
Jack grinned in return.
"Team huddle!" Jack O'Neill said, peering into Carter's lab. As expected, his entire team was there - Carter was going over the data Entrapta had left, Daniel was going over the transcripts from this afternoon, and Teal'c was… thinking, probably.
"Sir?" Carter tilted her head with a very polite expression - she wasn't in the mood for banter, then.
"Metaphorically," he told her as he closed the door. "With the snakes back in their cells, we don't have to fear being overheard. So!" He clapped his hands. "I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Carter raised her eyebrows, but Daniel seemed to ponder the question. "Uh… bad first?"
"Stargate Command will be formally transferred under control of the United Nations Security Council," Jack said. "The new brass arrive tomorrow."
Daniel blinked, obviously surprised, while Carter pressed her lips together. Teal'c nodded slowly.
"More bad news: It'll be a joint command, committee-style."
"How is that supposed to work?" Daniel asked.
"I assume that they'll have lots of discussions and votes." And Hammond would be forced to make urgent decisions on the spot, which probably would result in him getting the boot - the brass didn't like officers who kept showing them up.
"So, what's the good news?" Daniel asked.
"I haven't finished with the bad news yet," Jack told him with a toothy grin. "We'll have to train up our replacements, and sooner or later, most of Stargate Command - our current command - will transfer to whatever will be our new Space Force." Jack waited a moment, then added: "Including us."
"What?" Daniel gasped.
"They don't want us working for the United Nations," Carter said, looking… not pleased. "Not when we're friends with the Etherians."
"Exactly. And, well - the Space Force will be where the action's at." Jack grinned. "That's the good news. We won't have to suffer the new regime for more than a few months, and we won't end up glorified bodyguards for diplomats." Or casualties of international powerplays.
"We can't really train up competent replacements in a few months," Daniel protested.
Jack shrugged. "Not everyone will leave. Hammond might stay if the United Nations don't piss him off too much. But we're needed in the war."
"The Stargate is crucial for the war," Daniel said.
"Yeah, and I assume we'll be using it when we can." Jack grinned. "But we won't have to deal with that Chinese-Russian clusterfuck. We'll be kicking snake ass."
Carter nodded. "We'll be working very closely with the Etherians, I assume."
"Yep. I can't see anyone, not even Kinsey, being as stupid as to assign us elsewhere." It wouldn't make any sense.
"I am looking forward to fighting the Goa'uld at the Etherians' side," Teal'c commented.
"But… I'm a civilian," Daniel pointed out. "Will that work for the Space Force?"
His friend didn't want to become a soldier, Jack knew that. And Daniel wouldn't be a good soldier anyway. "Of course it will," he said. "The brass needs you."
"They can keep me in the office, translating things. If we're invading planets…" Daniel trailed off.
Jack shook his head. Carter looked concerned as well. "Don't worry about that," he told them. "Remember what the Etherians told us about their war against the Horde?"
"Yes…?" Daniel looked confused, but Carter nodded. "The princesses are planning to fight at the frontlines. And in special operations."
Jack smiled at her. "Exactly. And that means if we want to work with them, we need to send people who can work with them, not just for them. If the brass sends a bunch of marines to work with the Etherians, they'll end up being grunts doing the shooting while the Etherians make the calls." And the United States didn't like subordinating their troops to others like that. "They'll need us. SG-1."
Daniel nodded as well. "Right. The princesses and their friends are like us - not just soldiers, but scientists as well." He smiled. Then he frowned. "But there's no Space Force yet. I mean, not the kind we talked about."
"Give them time," Jack told him. "There's no alliance with the Etherians yet, either. I assume that once we have an alliance, we'll be amongst the first to be transferred out of United Nations Stargate Command." The sooner, the better - he still didn't trust that damn Russian 'scientist'. And yet… "And the last piece of somewhat bad news: We'll have to clear any mission to Cimmeria with our new overlords."
Daniel's face fell again.
Earth Orbit, Solar System, September 22nd, 1998
She wasn't like the Goa'uld. She didn't claim to be a goddess - quite the contrary. She didn't rule thanks to her powers - she didn't rule, period. She didn't enslave anyone, either. Nor did she lie.
Adora stared at the ceiling above her bed and sighed. No matter how often she told herself that, she couldn't help wondering if it was true. Or, should it be true, if it was enough of a difference. She had led people in the war because she was She-Ra, Princess of Power. Sure, she had the officer training from the Horde, but she hadn't earned her position. Not when she had gotten it, at least. She had proven herself afterwards. At least she liked to think so.
"Stop moping!" Catra reached over and flicked her nose.
"Ow!" Adora rubbed her nose and pouted at her lover. "I wasn't moping!"
"You were. Stop thinking about it. Seth is a liar. You're not a Goa'uld." Catra shifted and slid from Adora's side on top of her chest, looking down at her.
"I know!"
Catra raised her eyebrows, and her ears twitched.
Adora deflated. "I just… I wonder if I've… What if I weren't She-Ra?"
"Then you'd have stayed in the Horde, and we would have conquered Etheria together," Catra told her.
Adora blinked. That was… well, not implausible. Probably even probable. Glimmer was great, as was Bow, and Adora certainly hadn't saved the Alliance by herself, but… the Princesses Alliance had only started winning the war after She-ra had joined them.
"Which would have been a bad thing, of course," Catra added. She wasn't grinning, but she wasn't entirely serious, either - Adora could tell. Her lover might find the thought funny; Catra had changed, mellowed out, as Bow called it, but her sense of humour was still… sharp and dark or something.
"Yes. But… I've been thinking…" Adora started to explain.
"Aha! I knew it!"
"...and I was wondering if we - the princesses - are different enough compared to the Goa'uld."
"You don't burrow into people to take over their bodies," Catra said.
"Not that. The whole… ruling thing. And I know that I'm not a ruling princess," Adora added with a frown before Catra could say anything. "It's the principle of the thing."
"The democracy versus monarchy thing?" Catra cocked her head.
"Yes. Kind of."
"That didn't bother you when Daniel explained things," Catra pointed out.
"Yes." Adora sighed. "But it wasn't… It was just a theory back then. And when we arrived at Earth and found out how much was… weird and bad and wrong here…" She shook her head. It had been so obvious that democracies weren't any better than kingdoms - arguably worse, actually.
"And now you suddenly realised how much worse the Goa'uld are? We already knew that."
"It's not that," Adora protested. "I'm just wondering… without the body-snatching, and the genetic memory, and the eating your kids, what's the difference between a bad princess and a Goa'uld?"
"Princesses generally look hotter," Catra said. Her grin quickly faded, though, when Adora frowned at her. "Well…" She shrugged. "Probably not much of a difference. In principle."
Adora had hoped for a better answer. "So… we aren't really different."
"Sure you are!" Catra snapped. "You, Sparkles, Entrapta, Perfuma, Scorpia, even Frosta and Mermista - you're good rulers. You aren't like the Goa'uld. You care."
"Yes." Adora couldn't deny that. "But that's us. What about… other princesses? Future ones, I mean."
"Ah. You mean… What if Glimmer and Bow's kid turns out to be bad?" Catra tilted her head forward.
"Well… I don't think their child, their potential child, would be bad," Adora said. She didn't even know if they wanted children. Glimmer probably felt she had to, as a princess, but…
Catra rolled her eyes. "I mean as a hypothetical example."
"Yes." Very hypothetical. She couldn't imagine a child of her friends being bad - really bad, not just children doing bad stuff bad. "What then?"
"Then I guess we grab them, lock them up and let Perfuma and Scorpia talk to them until they learn their lesson."
Well, that was a Catra plan, alright. Not a bad plan, but… "And what if they and we aren't around?"
"You mean, what if we all died before it happens?"
"Yes." Adora nodded.
"Then someone else has to do it." Catra sat up, straddling Adora's belly, and shrugged emphatically, which did interesting things to her chest.
"But what if there's no one who can 'take them'?"
"There'll be a She-Ra around."
That was right. Still… Adora frowned. "You told me that I didn't have to do everything."
"Yes." Catra grinned. "But that wouldn't be you. It would be your successor. And they probably won't have much else to do."
"And you don't care about her."
"I don't know her." Catra shrugged again. "I probably won't be around, anyway, to get to know her."
Adora frowned once more. "I'm not going to let you die before me."
"I'm not going to let you die before me," Catra shot back. With a grin, she added: "Let's agree to die together."
"Yes, let's." Adora blinked. "I mean, no! Let's not die at all!"
Catra giggled, leaned down and planted a kiss on Adora's lips.
Adora returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around her lover.
They didn't talk much afterwards.
"So!" Adora said, a little too loudly, she realised right afterwards, as she sat down to eat breakfast. "Good morning."
Glimmer and Bow both raised their eyebrows at her, then looked at each other for a moment before turning back to stare at Adora.
"What's wrong?" Glimmer asked.
"What? Nothing!" Adora replied. "It's a nice morning, we'll be signing the Alliance with the French today, and… the television isn't showing another riot," she finished, pointing at the screen Entrapta had installed in Darla's kitchen.
"...and international tension is rising as representatives of several African nations have accused France of preparing to intervene with Etherian support in…"
Adora frowned and grabbed the remote to switch the channel.
"...protest turned violent, and the police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse it before it could reach the designated landing zone of the Etherians, and…"
"...of India stated that they considered the concerns about magic that the Chinese ambassador had raised to be unfounded, and…"
"...called for OPEC to develop strategies to deal with the expected change in technology that the aliens will bring, but several member states were unwilling to…"
"...the riots in Tehran continue, and rumours of the Revolutionary Guards refusing to follow orders of the government are spreading. Whether this could lead to a coup remains in doubt, but…"
"...general strike has paralysed Mexico City…"
"…of Iceland has created a government agency to deal with magic, should it be restored to Earth. Its focus is expected to be on the Huldufólk - hidden people, or 'elves' - which are an important part of Icelandic folklore, and…"
"...the United Nations Security Council will formally take control of the Stargate later today, despite protests from…"
"...and anyone reading the Bible, instead of just parroting bigoted televangelists, knows that the Bible didn't limit marriage to a man and a woman - many biblical characters had multiple wives. Further, the parts of the Bible, namely the Old Testament, that can be interpreted as condemning homosexuality also contain other rules that we do not follow any more. Jesus never said anything against homosexuality, and…"
Well, that at least sounded positive! Adora nodded and tuned the channel out. And tried not to glance at her friends' smirks.
"So, what's got her so worked up?" Glimmer asked Catra.
"Seth's claim that princesses are like Goa'uld," Catra replied between swallowing a 'croissant' in a few hasty bites.
"Really?" Glimmer shook her head. "We're nothing like the Goa'uld!"
Adora pressed her lips together. "I'm just wondering what we would do if a princess turns out like one of them. You know, cruel and power-hungry."
"Check if it's Double Trouble trying to create drama again," Glimmer replied.
That wasn't the point! Adora frowned again. "What do we do if a princess is a bad ruler? Should She-Ra intervene?"
"You're She-Ra," Glimmer replied.
"I mean, what if, in the future, a princess turns bad and none of us is around?" Adora explained while Catra sighed. Loudly.
"Ah." Bow nodded. "Historically, such situations were solved through war or the threat of war. Neighbouring kingdoms usually banded together to deal with, ah, a rogue kingdom if it became apparent that they would not stop trying to expand."
"Someone missed the Horde, then," Catra said.
"We didn't miss it - but by the time Hordak made his move, he had already managed to entrench himself and raise an army that was too powerful to be easily defeated by the Princess Alliance." Glimmer scoffed. "But we did win, and now the Scorpion Kingdom has been restored."
"But what if they aren't attacking their neighbours? Just, ah, ruling like a Goa'uld?" Adora asked.
Glimmer frowned some more. And Bow blinked. "Internal affairs of a kingdom have usually been left to the ruling princess of a kingdom," he said.
"Meddling in another kingdom runs the risk of starting a war," Glimmer added. "Everyone would fear that they would be next. If there are issues, like water rights, that's what the Princess Prom is for."
"So, if a princess is cruel to her subjects, that's a topic to discuss at the Princess Prom?" Adora asked.
"More like gossip, I bet," Catra said, earning her a frown from Glimmer.
"Princesses are expected to rule wisely and lead by example," Glimmer said. "No one wants to be shamed in front of their peers."
"But it's a loose system - there's no laws or anything," Bow added. "It's a touchy subject."
"Well, maybe there should be a law," Adora said.
"It would have to be enforced by starting a war, ultimately," Glimmer pointed out.
"Or by She-Ra," Bow said. "But that would be seen as a war as well. Two princesses fighting, and all."
Adora slowly nodded. Maybe that would be a task for She-Ra - and future She-Ras: Dealing with bad princesses.
Catra raised her eyebrows at her, but Adora didn't react. She had to think about this. If She-Ra was supposed to deal with bad princesses, then there needed to be rules to determine what was bad.
But who would make the rules?
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, September 22nd, 1998
Samantha Carter stood at parade rest while General Hammond saluted and formally handed over command of Stargate Command to the United Nations Security Council.
The four foreign generals present - she recognised General Li, General Sidorov and General Haig from their first visit to the Mountain, but the French had sent a new officer, General Petit - saluted in return, then everyone shook hands.
"General Petit…" She heard the Colonel whisper next to her.
"Jack!" Daniel hissed in response.
Sam suppressed a sigh. She just knew that the Colonel would make jokes about 'General Little'. At least the United States picked General Hammond as their representative on the UNSGC Joint Command instead of someone from the Pentagon without any experience with the Stargate.
"Let me introduce my staff," General Hammond went on. "Most of you have already met SG-1."
More handshaking followed. General Petit, despite the stereotypes about French womanisers and the Colonel's grumbling, was completely professional as he addressed Sam. More professional than many Air Force officers, actually. She didn't get a read on Li, Haig seemed to be slightly annoyed to be here and Sidorov…
…was looking at the Stargate more than at the people present.
"Samantha!" Dr Georgovich beamed at her. "Now we finally can work together!"
"Iwan." Sam smiled at the enthusiastic scientist. It was hard not to like someone so passionate about their work - and so congenial. Of course, Dr Georgovich almost certainly was working for the Russian FSB, the successor of the KGB, in some capacity, but Sam didn't think he was an actual trained agent - the man was a scientist through and through, after all.
"Too bad we not yet in new location. Not much room for science here."
"It hasn't been an issue before," the Colonel said. "The Mountain's got perfectly fine facilities."
"Perfectly fine for American Stargate Command, yes. But now we are United Nations Stargate Command!" Dr Georgovich beamed. "New mission! Less war, more science! And other civilian missions!"
"For a civilian mission, there surely are a lot of new soldiers here," the Colonel retorted, nodding towards the new generals and their entourage.
"Of course! Galaxy is dangerous, scientists need guards." Dr Gergovich nodded at him. "Take good care of us, da?"
"For as long as we're here." The Colonel's smile showed many teeth.
Sam cleared her throat. "Well, let's see how we can fit you and your colleagues into our labs here. We've made a preliminary plan, but the roster hasn't been finalised yet."
"Da! Need to check if all scientists survived gulag, first, before sending them here." Dr Grogovich chuckled. "It's not real gulag, of course. Just top-secret research stations in Siberia. But name is tradition."
The Colonel chuckled at that - he would; he liked dark humour. Sam politely smiled.
"So, once we move to Canada or Australia, we will have one big science building. And another as a spare. And a testing ground for experiments!"
"Once the United Nations decide on a location," Sam said.
"It better be Canada," the Colonel commented. "Can't move to a land without a decent hockey league."
"Da! I love NHL! Almost as good as Russian hockey league, now that Russians play in the USA!"
"In any bar, those would be fighting words."
"But this is no bar." Dr Georgovich laughed again, then turned to Sam. "So, do aliens work with you here as well? Do they have their own lab space? Will they share?"
Entrapta would, in a heartbeat. "They visit from time to time," Sam replied. "But they have their own research facilities in space."
"Oh! I love space. Is it public lab?"
"Invitation only," The Colonel told him. "And the Etherians are a bit touchy about non-allied visitors."
"Like Americans, da? You still have no alliance." Dr Georgovich nodded. "Maybe I talk to them. Entrapta is fine scientist, too. Science does not care about country."
"But scientists generally do," the Colonel said.
"Bad scientists care!" Dr Gerogovich retorted. "But we are all one world now! We need to think like that!"
A lovely attitude. Sam wished that would be true. But they couldn't even get all Americans to agree on what had to be done - or to care more about the whole than themselves. "I think that's an ideal to strive for." Daniel would agree - where was he, anyway?
She looked around and saw him talking to a French officer. Quite an attractive woman. Probably a member of the DGSE, Sam thought, then berated herself for being petty. She should know better than to judge people for their appearance.
Even though Daniel would be a prime target for a honey trap, as the Colonel called it. At least in the eyes of those who didn't know him.
"Da! What was President Lincoln said? 'House divided cannot stand'? Wise words! Earth has to stand united to face Goa'uld!"
Well, there was nothing anyone could say against that. Even though it looked like the Colonel really wanted to disagree.
Sam probably should talk to him if this persisted. They had to work with the newcomers - at least until they were reassigned to Space Force.
"Let's head to the lab," she said. A good distraction would help soothe tempers.
Le Palais de L'Élysée, Paris, Earth, September 22nd, 1998
"Well, that's an impressive palace for a non-princess," Catra commented as they stepped on the red carpet leading up the stairs to where the French president waited with his wife.
Glimmer looked around - probably trying to figure out if her own palace was bigger, Catra thought with a grin.
"Catra!" Adora hissed next to her.
"I'm not saying anything," Catra defended herself. "I just had a funny thought."
"Don't have funny thoughts when we're signing an alliance treaty," Glimmer said.
Catra would have retorted, but they reached the top of the stairs, and the French president greeted them with a wide smile before introducing his wife.
Catra flashed her teeth, matching the man's smile. She wasn't an idiot - she knew this was an important diplomatic occasion. Like the Princess Prom, but hopefully with better security. At least the soldiers - those not just standing around at attention - looked sharper than Frosta's guards. Well, they had Melog with them; they would spot any trap. Probably.
They posed for the press, shook hands a few times so everyone got the message and then entered the palace to actually sign the treaty. Or not - there was more posing and smiling for the press before Glimmer and the president signed the treaty.
Which then was held up so everyone could smile some more for even more pictures. If Entrapta were here, she'd probably be wondering if this was done so the treaty couldn't be denied since there were too many witnesses.
But Entrapta was running tests of their spy bot with Hordak.
"...and we've prepared a small reception here."
Oh? Finally, a good thing! Catra's smile turned genuine when they entered a large room with a buffet. Her nostrils flared when she smelt fish. Grilled fish.
"Don't drool," Adora commented.
Catra snorted - her lover was as fond of good food as she was. Growing up in the Horde tended to result in that.
They made their way over to the buffet and started filling plates with food. The French president seemed to relax as well - he even pointed out French specialities for them.
Which, Catra had to admit, were delicious. So delicious, she refilled her plate before joining Adora and the others talking to the French president and his ministers and generals.
"...and we should start the technology transfer right away. Changing production to advanced vehicles will take some time, so it's best not delaying that any longer than strictly necessary," one of the generals was saying.
"You need educated engineers first - and scientists," Glimmer retorted. "You can't really start producing spaceships without knowing what you're doing."
Catra snorted. "Well, you can - but it'll end up like Kyle doing maintenance on a hovertank."
Adora giggled, Glimmer groaned, and Bow frowned. As expected. But the French looked lost, so Catra explained: "He was in our cadet squad. Hard-working, but a screw-up."
"He's a little clumsy, but he's very brave," Adora added with a frown at Catra.
"Anyway, the hovertank broke down in the field. Blocked a whole company from crossing a mountain pass because they didn't dare to push it over the side," Catra went on. "I think the Alliance should have awarded him a medal for that. Heroically holding the pass or something."
"Catra!"
But the French were laughing. "Oh, yes, we had one of those in our company as well when I was a recruit," one of the generals said. "Almost blew himself up with a grenade."
"So, it's true you both were originally enemies of the Princess Alliance?" another general asked.
"Yes," Adora said, standing a little bit straighter. "But we all joined the Alliance to fight Horde Prime."
Of course, it had happened at pretty much the last possible moment, in Catra's case. She nodded anyway.
"Well, a common enemy generally has a unifying effect," the general commented. "We've seen the same with the Goa'uld - after the Americans finally informed us."
"Yes," Glimmer agreed with a nod.
Catra was tempted to mention that the Americans had wanted to keep their arrival secret as well, but… she wasn't Double-Trouble. Causing more problems for shit and giggles was stupid. Although the reaction of the French might tell her how much they knew about Stargate Command… No, that was stupid as well. They needed Earth united if only to make dealing with the lot of the people here a little easier.
"I'm still a little surprised that our weapons are deemed effective against aliens with spaceships," the first general said.
"Well, on the ground, they don't have better weapons," Catra told him. "Probably worse, all things considered - although your weapons need more supplies. We haven't faced the Goa'uld, though, so our estimation is based on the experiences the Americans have gained fighting them for years."
"Well, we can match the Americans on the ground," the second general said. "Soldier per soldier, at least."
"Only if you send in the Légion," another general retorted. He had a different uniform.
Everyone laughed again.
"But, more seriously, we need to train our troops for fighting the Goa'uld. We can't just send them into battle without preparing them for this." The first general shook his head. "And we need the resources for that."
The easiest way would be to do joint training with Stargate Command, Catra knew. They had the experience - it'd be like some old sergeants giving lessons and training to cadets. It didn't turn cadets into experienced troops, but it cut down on basic mistakes. At least for most cadets.
On the other hand, sometimes, they taught the wrong lessons. Or just didn't know enough. Like the time the Plumerians suddenly decided to start fighting back thanks to She-Ra. All the past Horde actions had shown that they wouldn't fight back in an organised manner and would stick to individual resistance. They would have to wing it to some degree.
And such training would be good for their own troops as well - both clones and Alliance troops. Heh, former Horde soldiers might be the best pick for this kind of war, what with having been trained to fight princesses with weird magic powers. Not that the training had been very successful.
"We'll have to ask Entrapta to make some Goa'uld-style training weapons. To simulate the effects," Adora told the generals. "At least for the staff weapons - the zat'nik'tels can be used as they are since they stun and don't kill their targets." She blinked. "Unless you hit a target twice. Maybe those should be simulated as well," she added with a weak smile.
"Joint training," Catra said. "Most of our own troops will gain from that as well."
"Right."
Can help too. Know Goa'uld.
"And Melog will help," Catra added, nodding at her friend. "They have experience with Goa'uld."
A number of the officers stared at Melog as if they had forgotten that they were here. Well, Melog could be very sneaky if they wanted. But… Oh. They had forgotten that Melog wasn't an animal. Even though Adora had introduced them.
At least the president smiled and didn't look surprised. But that raised another point. If even the generals were like this… Catra shook her head. "And your troops also need to train for interacting with other species. Like Melog here. Otherwise, they'll make stupid mistakes. Maybe even fatal ones." If Melog had wanted to harm them with their illusions back when they had met for the first time…
"And magic," Adora added. "People on Earth have weird views of magic."
A few of the people around them winced. "It's a touchy subject for many," the president said. "Mostly because they don't know what magic can do."
"It's more what magic can't do," Adora said. "And we really don't know what Earth magic will be like - your myths and history are a little confusing."
A lot, in Catra's opinion. And so many of them contradicted each other!
"But that might be because you have so many people," Glimmer added. "You have enough people for almost two hundred planets like Etheria. That could spawn hundreds of magical traditions. And, as far as we can tell, you never had a centre like Mystacore on Etheria, where all the sorcerers gather to study and research."
And to hide from the war, Catra thought. It was a bit unfair, of course, but the Alliance would have done much better even before She-Ra joined them if they had had sorcerers fighting for them. Had done better back when Micah had been with them. But pointing that out would only set off Glimmer.
"Could we send people to study there?" the president's wife asked.
"That would be up to Mystacore," Glimmer replied. "They're not officially part of the Princess Alliance."
"Your father and your aunt are, though, and they're the most powerful sorcerers on Etheria and members of the city's council," Catra said. It wouldn't hurt to remind Earth's people that Etheria might not be united, but that the Alliance pretty much called the shots for the planet.
She caught Adora flinching and blinked. Why would…? Oh. She had just reminded Adora of the reason that princesses ruled, and her lover was still worrying that she wasn't any better than the Goa'uld.
Damn.
"Well, it would allow us to study magic without having it returned to Earth," the French president said. "That would likely calm down a lot of people worried about magic."
It would also give them sorcerers trained at the best academy in Etheria - maybe the galaxy. Predictable. But they had misjudged Adora.
Catra's lover shook her head. "That would take years. And Etherian magic might not work the same as Earth magic."
"It would also mean that instead of your native traditions, you would have Etherian traditions," Bow said. "A lot of people want their magic back, not someone else's."
"Yes," Glimmer said. "And there's no reason to wait years before returning magic, anyway. Not when so many people want it returned. India sent another request to restore magic, and the Japanese have stated that this is part of what they want to discuss at our upcoming meeting as well."
That made the French wince, Catra noticed. Well, she had expected that.
"We might have to look into hiring instructors, then - France doesn't have, ah, magical traditions," the president said. "Or if we have, they were lost. Our myths don't tell us how to use magic, only what magic did. And our current research into the matter was inconclusive."
"Well, you'll figure it out," Catra said.
The French didn't seem to take much heart from that, though.
Aéroport de Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, Roissy-En-France, Earth, September 22nd, 1998
"Well, the food was good, but the company…" Catra stretched as they entered their ship.
"They weren't that bad," Adora objected.
"They wanted us to hand over everything, technology and magic, right away." Catra scoffed.
"They didn't want magic," her lover objected.
"They want magic, just without everyone getting magic," Glimmer corrected her. "And their 'entrepreneurs' wanting unlimited trade with us as if we didn't know how dangerous that is! I hope the British aren't like that, or tomorrow will be the same, just with worse food."
Catra snorted at that.