Chapter 41: Cimmeria Part 1
Earth Orbit, Solar System, September 25th, 1998
"Whatcha watching?" Catra asked as she entered the lab in Darla's hold. There was some angry human on screen, yelling at the camera, and… She blinked. "Is that Daniel's voice?"
"Yes!" Entrapta nodded. "He's correcting the man's wrong assumptions about the Go'auld."
Catra cocked her head. "He is?" That was a surprise. So far, SG-1 hadn't appeared much in the media. "I would've expected him to be the focus of the show," she said.
"He's not present - he's just calling from the base," Entrapta replied. "And they don't have video calls." She frowned. "I don't know why - they could easily do this with their current technology. We have seen it work on television."
"They probably don't want video calls from their base to a television studio," Catra said. "Might be a security risk."
"Really?" Entrapta looked surprised.
Catra shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know." Etheria didn't have television. And Catra wasn't sure it needed it. Sure, the movies and series were entertaining, but all the talk shows… She made a gagging noise.
"What's wrong?" Entrapta peered at her.
"I believe she is regurgitating a 'hairball'."
Catra glared at Hordak. "No, I'm not. Just remembering some talk show."
"Ah. Which one?" Entrapta asked.
"Any one," Catra replied, staring at the screen. The man was now standing and ranting about dynasties and hieroglyphs, with Daniel correcting every second word of his. She grinned when he corrected the man's pronunciation - for such a friendly guy, Daniel could be surprisingly vicious in an underhanded way. Catra approved.
"This Dr Baker doesn't seem like much of a scientist," Entrapta said with a pout. "All his claims are unsubstantiated - or disproven. I expected a more interesting discourse."
"I think I told you that we shouldn't expect much scientific progress from daytime television," Hordak told her.
"Yes, but… it's such a waste! Imagine what research breakthroughs we could achieve if we connected the top scientists together like this!" Entrapta sighed. "And they use the technology to argue obviously false claims."
"Just like their politics," Hordak said.
Catra snorted. "Maybe you should suggest your plan to them."
Entrapta nodded. "Yes! I'll tell Sam about this. If it works, we will be able to do science all day! Even if you need Darla and the shuttle! And if we use remote-controlled bots, we can even work on the same prototype together without being in the same lab!"
That could work. Although… Catra grinned. "You could make a completely remote-operated lab. If it blows up, no one will get hurt."
Entrapta beamed at her. "Oh, yes! That's a great idea! We'll finally be able to do those experiments that would be too dangerous to do on a planet!" She turned away and pushed buttons on her tool. "I'll have to compensate for latency, and I'll miss my hair for fine-tuning things, but… with the right manipulators, we can safely work on Naquadah-enhanced weapons!"
"Indeed. And the lack of air will mean we won't have to worry about pressure waves devastating the planet," Hordak agreed. "Although we should probably consider the danger from radiation."
Catra blinked, then hit her palm against her forehead. She should have known better than to assume that Entrapta would be concerned about personal danger instead of danger on a planetary scale.
She looked at the screen, where Dr Baker was storming out of the studio in a rage, with Daniel asking when his hypothesis would be published. Ah, well… time to check how Adora was doing with Glimmer and Bow.
She left the hold - Entrapta and Hordak were already designing remote-controlled bots with manipulator arms - and swung by the kitchen to grab a salmon sandwich that she had sneaked out of the state dinner last night. It went perfect with some milk.
Munching and sipping alternately, she headed to the bridge.
"Finally awake… Ew!" Glimmer greeted her with a grimace.
"Ew?" Bow turned to look at Catra.
"I can smell the fish from here," Glimmer complained.
Catra doubted that - she had already eaten most of it - but Adora stopped scribbling down notes on a board and sniffed the air. "I don't… Do you think I'm getting a cold?"
"Nope," Catra told her and walked over to them. She finished her sandwich on the way and planted a kiss on Adora's cheek.
"Now I'm smelling it," Adora said with a frown.
"Isn't it heavenly?" Catra grinned and finished her milk. "Earth food has some great things going for it."
"Earth food has a lot to answer for," Glimmer grumbled.
"Catra was complaining about overeating after the British dinner," Adora said.
Catra glared at her while Bow shook his head and Glimmer scoffed. That was classified information! She looked at the board. "So, how goes the planning?"
"Well, we still haven't finished our presentation," Adora said.
"There are several political issues to consider," Glimmer explained. "And, as I told Adora, we can't really plan for everything when we don't even know the stances of our allies on the post of supreme commander."
"It won't hurt to plan ahead anyway," Adora defended herself. "We need to make a good impression at the first alliance meeting."
Catra snorted. "We've got the fleet. We can make any impression we want."
Adora frowned at her, but Catra knew she was right. The power discrepancy was too big.
"That's shortsighted," Glimmer retorted. "If we act like a bully now, then Earth will remember it when they have caught up to us."
"Right." Catra nodded. "Long-term, it's probably better not to tweak their noses too much."
"We shouldn't bully anyone anyway, regardless of future consequences," Adora insisted. "It wouldn't be right."
Catra patted her shoulder. "And that's why I think you would make a great supreme commander."
Adora kept frowning at her. Glimmer tried not to frown, Catra noted. And Bow… stared at his tablet and tried not to draw attention.
Catra snorted and shook her head. "Sparkles, you would also work as a commander. Probably better than Adora, actually." Glimmer blinked, and Adora looked surprised, but before either could say anything, Catra added: "As Supreme Commander, you'd be able to keep her from trying to do everything and blame herself for every setback or death."
Glimmer laughed, Adora pouted - and Bow gave her a thumbs up.
"I'm not that bad!" Adora protested.
"Adora…" Bow trailed off.
"Yes. Yes, you are," Glimmer said. "We still love you."
Catra didn't grab Adora's arm in response. Glimmer didn't mean it that way. "Yes," she said instead, "We love you despite your faults."
"I'm not that bad!" Adora repeated herself with that pout that always made Catra want to kiss her.
They weren't in the bedroom, but you could hardly call this public. So she leaned in with a wide grin, and Adora's eyes widened, and Catra reached out and planted a kiss on her lips.
But before she could really enjoy it, Glimmer sighed loudly. "This is a planning session, not a make-out session."
"Spoilsport," Catra whispered as Adora withdrew, blushing.
"Sorry, sorry," her lover said. "It's just…"
"It's Catra's fault, we know." Glimmer nodded sagely.
"No! I mean… It's not just Catra's fault."
That wasn't exactly a staunch defence, but Catra didn't mind. She shrugged and leaned against the seat closest to the board, and when Glimmer and Bow looked back at the circles and columns on it, she mouthed 'bedroom' to Adora.
But Adora was, although still blushing, all professional now, standing at parade rest and staring at the board as well. Rats. "So… I think we have a good case here. And we won't need to bully anyone." She frowned at everyone else. "We need to set a good example - for everyone!"
"Yes," Bow agreed. "The people on Earth already complain about us 'forcing' our views on them."
"Stupid idiots!" Glimmer hissed. "We didn't do anything like that."
"We didn't, no. And we won't stoop to bullying our allies around," Adora said. "Even if we think they deserve it or are being stupid. It's not right."
"Not even when it'd be funny?" Catra joked, flashing her fangs. But Adora frowned at her, and Glimmer glared. And Bow looked disappointed rather than amused. Well, can't win them all.
"We need to set an example," Adora said. "Our troops will look to us as role models. If we break our own rules, if we don't do what's right, they won't either."
That was straight out of cadet lessons about command and leadership. Not that it was wrong, of course. If Adora stepped out of line, Priest would take it as a sign and try to outdo her. On the other hand, sometimes, you needed to be a bit… pragmatic in war. Glimmer understood that. Adora… tried to ignore that. Even if it hurt her. Sometimes especially if it hurt her.
"We'll be good," Catra said with a wide smile.
Adora frowned some more at her, apparently not convinced - as if Catra would do anything to hurt her - but Glimmer and Bow nodded.
"And we'll keep our troops - and the Earth troops in line," Glimmer said.
"And we'll keep each other in line," Bow added.
That was a little… Catra blinked; Bow wasn't looking at her - he was looking at Glimmer, who barely managed to stop frowning. Oh.
Well, Bow wasn't wrong. And Glimmer loved him. But it was still brave of him to say it.
Catra reached over and patted Glimmer on the back. "Don't worry. We'll tell you when you're about to go overboard."
Glimmer narrowed her eyes at Catra. "I have no doubt that you'll tell me everything I did wrong - if I become Supreme Commander."
Catra chuckled.
But Adora started to nod before she realised what she was doing. "Well, only if it's a really big mistake," she said - a little too earnest for Glimmer's taste, Catra thought.
Well, that couldn't be helped. They were about to launch a war that was bigger than the war against the Horde or Horde Prime. They couldn't afford stupid mistakes. Or any mistakes.
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, September 25th, 1998
"Well, that went better than I expected," Jack O'Neill said after they had left the meeting room - and had closed the door behind them, of course. Hammond knew him too well not to expect such a flippant comment, but one had to uphold appearances. Especially now, with foreigners in the mountain. "They didn't throw us into jail or demoted us."
"You expected them to jail us?" Daniel gasped.
Jack grinned at him. "Do you really think they would throw the best friends of our magical space princess alliance - our magical space princess alliance with which we want to be allied - into jail for telling the truth on television? That would sabotage all our efforts to make nice with them."
Daniel closed his mouth and frowned at him for a moment. "Didn't you say yesterday that the Russians and the Chinese would love that?"
Of course they'd love to see the USA excluded from the alliance with Etheria. The limeys and the French would probably like that as well. "But they can't do it - we didn't tell them any of the new secrets, just old ones - and those belong to the Air Force."
"I thought we didn't tell any secrets."
"Not real secrets. Just open secrets." Jack grinned. "Anyway - see you at dinner, team. I have to train our FNGs some more." He waved and left before Daniel could find another argument. His friend would get over it. As would Carter.
And if things went as planned, they'd be back in the real action sooner than planned.
Jack had no wish to play security for foreign space tourists while his friends were fighting a war against the snakes. The upcoming trip to Cimmeria would show if Stargate Command could still do any real missions.
He shook his head as he entered the lift leading up - he had another batch of recruits to run ragged in the field.
Before the doors could close, someone else stepped inside, and Jack tensed.
"Lieutenant Lenkova. Cutting it a little close, are we?"
"Colonel O'Neill." The spy frowned. "What do you mean?"
Jack made a point of checking his watch. "Training starts in ten minutes."
"Yes?" She cocked her head to the side.
"It's usually good form to be ready for training in the field before the officer in charge arrives," he told her. "At least in the United States Armed Forces."
"Yes?" That look of confused innocence had to be an act. "It's the same in Russia."
"And you're currently riding an elevator with the officer in charge of the exercise." Well, the training session - the FNGs weren't yet ready for an actual exercise. But it sounded better than 'basic training'.
"Yes?" she repeated herself for the third time.
"Which implies that we'll arrive together." He inclined his head.
Her expression changed into a grin. He would call it impish if that wouldn't make him sound like he read romance novels. "It's good to warm up before exercise, da?"
Jack narrowed his eyes at her. "You're planning to run to the training area?"
"Extra exercise is a good thing, isn't it?"
Was she checking him out - or implying that he needed the exercise as well? Challenge him to a race? Either way, Jack wouldn't be falling for that. He knew he was in top shape - Adora's healing had done wonders. And he wasn't falling for a pretty blonde under his command. Certainly not for a Russian honey trap!
They reached the changeover floor - Stargate Command lacked lifts that went all the way up to the entrance level - and she was out of the cabin before the doors had fully opened. She was actually sprinting to the lift to the surface.
Jack grinned as he followed at a more leisurely pace. Well, the joke was on her - he knew the timing of the lifts, and so he knew he would…
She hit the button to close the doors on the way into the lift. They promptly closed.
…apparently have to wait for the next lift. Jack sighed and ignored the two guards next to the lift. The exercise wouldn't start without him, anyway.
But Jack was man enough to admit that this round went to the Lieutenant. He'd get her back during training.
"Again, from the top!" Jack O'Neill yelled, channelling his inner drill sergeant. "That was almost acceptable - for raw recruits!"
The squad that had just 'run the gauntlet' groaned and grumbled as the soldiers trotted back to the starting point.
"I believe that they performed above the level of raw recruits, O'Neill."
Jack turned to look at Teal'c. "Well, yes, but you don't tell them that. Can't have them become complacent, can we?"
"Would they be suitable for Stargate Command if they are unable to judge their own performance objectively?"
"They know they aren't doing too badly," Jack explained. "But they also know they can do better." Much better, once they sorted out tactics and team roles and adapted to the exercise.
"Ah." Teal'c nodded.
Both of them watched the next squad go through the exercise. They were Lenkova's squad. And, to Jack's slight annoyance, they were doing well. Covering each other was expected, but they also adjusted to the Goa'uld weapons - the simulated ones - well enough. Even the staggered staff weapon volleys didn't keep them down.
And Lenkova was leading from the front. Usually, that could be grounds for criticism - officers weren't supposed to take point since that would leave their men leaderless. On the other hand, sometimes, you had to run ahead because that was the only way to get them to follow you.
And Jack would be a hypocrite if he criticised her for things he regularly did in the field.
Still, it would be nice if she made a mistake he could point out. Just telling her to advance more smoothly and more quickly didn't have the same ring to it.
But the damned Russian spy didn't cooperate - her squad finished as the best so far. And the woman knew it as she saluted him. "Mission accomplished, Sir!" She wasn't quite smiling, but he could tell that she was amused.
"We don't salute in the field," he told her with a nod. They were supposed to act as if they were in the field during the exercise. "Good work. Now make it faster."
She returned the nod and this time, she smiled, then told her squad in Russian to grab more sim ammo and line up for another go.
Instead of joining them, she pulled out her canteen and took a swallow. "Anything else that needs to be improved, Sir?"
"Nothing critical," he told her. "Teal'c?"
"You lead more aggressively than the Americans," Jack's friend said.
"It's our doctrine." She grinned. "We aren't as averse to casualties as the Americans."
'Averse to casualties'? She must have watched American TV. Of course she would have watched it - she was a spy, after all.
"Yes. Like the Jaffa," Teal'c said.
Even Jack couldn't tell if that was meant as a compliment or not. Lenkova nodded, then went to rejoin her squad.
Jack watched her go, looking at how she moved in the Russian fatigues. He still thought the American ones were superior, but now they would be able to directly compare the two.
"She is a formidable warrior," Teal'c commented.
"Without a doubt," Jack agreed. And a dangerous spy - he caught her glancing over her shoulder back at him.
Earth Orbit, Solar System, September 25th, 1998
"We're in space. That's Earth below us."
"What a sight!"
"It looks so small."
"Not as small as from the moon."
"Still…"
"Impressive."
Adora smiled as she watched the three ministers from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as their aides and generals, look at the planet floating below them. It was a touching moment - and very symbolic, in her opinion.
"Who wants to bet that the whole 'your ship is a neutral place for the preliminary meeting favouring no one' was just an excuse so they could go to space?" Catra whispered behind her.
Trust her to assume the worst! Adora sighed as Glimmer giggled. Although she had to admit that their guests were very enthusiastic about space. Maybe they should hold their meeting with NASA's representatives - which they needed to schedule, she reminded herself - in space as well?
Still… they had a war to plan. Adora cleared her throat. "It's an impressive sight, yes," she said. "You can see the entire world from here."
"Or target it," Catra added.
That ruined the mood, and everyone grew serious.
"Yes, the information we received from the USA also showed how vulnerable Earth is to attacks from space," the British minister said.
"That's why we have a fleet here," Glimmer told him.
"But you're not planning to keep it in place until we've started building ships of our own, are you?"
"No," Glimmer said. "Based on our information, we don't need the entire fleet here - or on Etheria - to protect the planet. The Goa'uld are divided, which renders them vulnerable and also makes it harder for them to launch an offensive. Any System Lord who wants to attack Earth will have to expose their own holdings to attacks from their rivals in order to free the troops and ships for that."
"And even if they managed that, using Teal'c's information about Apophis's forces as a baseline for one of the most powerful System Lords, they wouldn't be able to match our forces here," Catra added. "And that's not accounting for our technological superiority."
"So, we can spare the ships for offensive operations." Glimmer nodded.
"But the more worlds we take, the more ships are needed to defend them. This favours the attacker," the British admiral pointed out. "We need to hit their forces and destroy their offensive capability."
"And if they unite against us, the whole equation changes," the French general added. "And once they realise the threat we pose to them, they have a very compelling reason to unite."
"They have to realise that first," Glimmer retorted. "We will conceal our numbers and aims for as long as possible. And the Goa'uld still need to trust each other. We can counteract that by striking at select System Lords and leaving others - preferably their rivals - alone. That would sow distrust."
"If it works out. It's still a risky strategy." The German minister looked grim.
"It's less dangerous than staying in this system and hoping the Goa'uld ignore you," Catra retorted. "They will check on Earth, and that means we have to stop them, and then they'll know about us and our forces. It's better to hit them first."
"But they will attack Earth anyway once they realise Earth troops are taking their planets." The British minister tilted his head.
"That's why we need scouts and spies," Catra told him. "We need to track their forces."
Adora nodded. The spy bots Entrapta and Sam were building would help there. But they didn't have actual spies. Well, they could send Double Trouble, but Glimmer and Catra didn't trust them. The Tok'Ra were an option, but not even SG-1 had any idea how to contact them.
"That will be a challenge given the sheer size of the Goa'uld Empire." The French General nodded at the map of the galaxy floating in the middle of the room.
"Yes. But it's a challenge we can overcome." Adora did her best to sound confident. Entrapta had mentioned plans to build self-replicating spy bots or something. That should help.
"I hope so." But the British admiral didn't sound very hopeful, not to Adora at least.
"In any case, we need to first set the structure of the Alliance." Adora leaned forward. That was the point of this meeting, after all. Well, one of the points - she would love to use her presentation, but they were saving that for the main meeting. "We need a chain of command, clear duties, and a structure that will allow us to integrate more members." Such as other, smaller European countries, and the United States, if they managed to stop their bigotry.
The delegations tensed up. "Yes. A chain of command is essential for any military force," the German minister said. "Though who sets the policies that the military is tasked to enact? We cannot simply act according to purely military concerns, or we risk overly focusing on such matters."
Adora frowned. What did he mean?
"The goals of the war will be set by the rulers of the countries involved," Glimmer said.
Adora nodded.
"And what if the rulers are also personally involved in fighting in the war?" the German asked. "Etheria has a tradition of the rulers of states also personally leading the troops, hasn't it?"
Adora blinked. Why would that matter?
Glimmer looked surprised as well. "Yes."
"That would give them significant influence on both policies and military decisions as well as information on both," the French minister said. "This can be problematic."
"I would think that's an advantage for everyone," Adora said. "Less friction and possible misunderstanding between those who make the policies and those who execute them."
That sounded logical to her - and to her friends, who were nodding - but it was obvious that the Europeans didn't quite agree.
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, September 25th, 1998
"...and that is why a mission to return to Cimmeria should be undertaken," Samantha Carter finished. She didn't show her annoyance at having to give an entirely superfluous presentation when she nodded at the five generals facing her. Even if you discounted the need to further investigate the mystery of the creator's of Thor's Hammer or the moral need to check on how the planet fared without its protections - something Sam had to admit Stargate Command should have done much, much sooner - it was also obvious that refusing permission would antagonise the Etherians.
And why would anyone want to do that? The Colonel had speculated that some countries might want to show that they didn't bow to the Etherians, but Sam didn't think that any of the permanent members of the Security Council would be amongst those - not when they were either in an alliance with the Etherians or courting their favour. A powerplay was also not very likely since the Etherians could probably just claim the spare Stargate they had found on the way to Earth. Sam had no doubt that Entrapta could rig up a computer to use it. Russia or China might want to play to their populations, but Sam doubted that they would be willing to leak secrets like Cimmeria to the public.
And yet, the command committee was acting as if approving this mission was somehow controversial and had to be deliberated carefully.
"We've read the files on the last - and only - mission to that planet," General Li said. "Two members of your team almost died, and you had to destroy a planetary defence system of unknown origin to save them."
"Yes, Sir." Sam had just explained that.
"Your actions could be very well seen as hostile to the population of Cimmeria - or their protectors," Li went on.
"Yes. That is why we need to find out who created the defence system so we can explain our actions, should that be needed." Sam also had said that already.
"And what if that fails?" Li didn't frown, but his tone carried the same meaning. "Wars have been started over less. What if you open a new front with an unknown galactic power? A power with more advanced technology than the Goa'uld."
"That's why we should meet them and explain what happened," Sam said. She wished that the Colonel was here instead of training the soldiers. On the other hand, after his stunt with Daniel, it was probably better that he wasn't here. General Hammond might have arranged this deliberately.
"They would have to tie this to Earth, first. And then they would have to find us," General Haig cut in.
"The Cimmerians know that we're from Earth," Sam retorted.
"The Cimmerians know that you claimed this," General Sidorov said. "But would the unknown party believe that? Or would they assume that this was a covert operation by a Goa'uld hoping to divert retaliation? You had a Jaffa with you and disabled the defence system. This does look rather suspicious."
The Colonel's comments about paranoid Russians might have some merit, Sam thought. "This seems rather reaching, Sir," she said with a very polite expression.
He glared at her anyway.
"I think the mere possibility that we might have antagonised another galactic power is grounds enough to investigate the planet," General Haig said. General Petit and General Hammond nodded, so that meant the majority was in favour of the mission. Sam started to smile when the General went on: "Although I think it might be better not to send the same team that created said incident in the first place. The system did detect a Jaffa, didn't it? And according to your file, you still have enhanced levels of Naquadah in your blood, Captain Carter. You could be mistaken for a Goa'uld host."
Sam clenched her teeth at the reminder of her time as a host. As much as it stung - and felt insulting - that the General thought she should be excluded, she couldn't refute the reasons offered.
"Yes," General Petit agreed with his British colleague. "I think a new team would be a better choice. Together with whoever the Etherians send, they should have less trouble convincing whoever built the defence system that it was a mistake, not an act of sabotage that destroyed it."
"SG-1 is our most experienced team," General Hammond pointed out. "And they have been working with the Etherians before."
"No one doubts that. But we cannot rely on a single team," General Li said. "We need more teams with experience and who are used to working with the Etherians."
Sam couldn't fault the logic here, either - but it also felt like a political move. And an attempt to squeeze SG-1 out.
"Captain Carter is also our foremost expert on alien technology," Hammond retorted.
"Another reason not to send her into high-risk situations," General Haig said.
Sam clenched her teeth again. She was an officer in the Air Force, and she had probably more combat experience than most of the generals in the room. But as a captain, you didn't snap at generals.
"The Etherians might not want to work with an unknown team instead of their friends," General Hammond argued.
"I am sure they'll understand our reasoning," General Sidorov told him.
Sam wasn't so sure. But she held her tongue.
Earth Orbit, Solar System, September 25th, 1998
"Congratulations, Supreme Commander Adora," Catra said as she handed Adora a glass.
"I'm not Supreme Commander. This was just a preliminary discussion. Nothing is set in stone." Adora shook her head.
Catra smiled wrily.
"They were pretty insistent," Glimmer said. "I don't think they'll budge on that. They don't want a ruling princess as Supreme Commander. Because they fear corruption." She frowned.
Bow patted her back, then slung his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. "They don't know you. You'd never abuse the position to favour Bright Moon."
Catra agreed - but also because the war would be fought in space and on other planets. There was no reason nor any real way to favour Bright Moon by strengthening its defences and letting other kingdoms get conquered. She wasn't entirely sure what Glimmer would do if she had to decide whether Bright Moon or Salineas would be defended.
Glimmer didn't look mollified, even though she leaned into Bow's side. "It's just so stupid."
"Yes!" Adora nodded. "Whether or not you rule shouldn't be a reason to deny you a post."
Catra hesitated a moment, then made a humming sound. "Well, you could claim that if you have to rule a kingdom, you can't focus entirely on fighting a war - especially away from your kingdom."
"I've got Dad for that," Glimmer said with a pout.
Catra shrugged. She agreed with the others that their new allies just didn't want too much power concentrated in one person. Which was… well, it was inefficient. On the other hand, Earth was full of stories of the military taking over a country. That's what happened if you didn't have princesses. Or, she reminded herself, if you had technological superiority. Hordak had taken over the Scorpion Kingdom in a similar way, after all. "Anyway, so Adora's set as the Supreme Commander. They think they've won, but it won't really change things."
Adora nodded. "And we can tell them that!"
Catra sighed and looked at Glimmer and Bow. Bow looked away.
Glimmer set her jaw. "No, Adora. We can't tell them that. We can't undermine your command from the start. If they don't want a ruling princess, they'll get She-Ra. But you can't act as if you're just doing my bidding."
Adora opened her mouth, but Catra was quicker: "And we know you wouldn't actually just do what Sparkles said. But when you act as if it doesn't matter whether you or Glimmer are in command, they'll assume the worst." She shrugged. "They'll see how the Alliance runs things soon enough." With lots of talking and discussing until a decision was made.
"I think they run their alliances the same as we do, actually," Bow said. "That's why they want Adora."
Catra snorted. "They underestimate you."
"What?" Adora frowned again.
"They probably think you're a bit naive - inexperienced in politics," Glimmer said.
"I am inexperienced in politics," Adora told them. "But I'm not naive. Right?"
"You are a little naive," Catra told her. "And we love you for it." She knew it very well - anyone other than Adora would have given up on her years ago.
"I think you made a good impression, Adora. They trust you to be completely honest with them." Bow beamed at her.
Catra took a step closer to Adora. Bow had his own princess to handle.
"And they don't trust me," Glimmer complained.
"Well, we already knew that they have issues with princesses - ruling princesses," Bow said. "They have their own system."
Not a very bright system, in Catra's opinion. You could see that when you looked at the trouble the Americans had with changing their policies. On the other hand, if Hordak had lost his position after an election, that would've been funny. She snorted.
"What's so funny?" Glimmer glared at her.
And Adora was frowning again.
"I just imagined a democratic Horde, with Hordak losing an election," Catra explained.
Adora giggled. "Could you imagine his reaction?"
Glimmer and Bow were a bit more restrained.
"Anyway, I think you're set for Supreme Commander, Adora. No getting out of this." Catra grinned and took a sip from her drink.
Adora sighed once more and took a swallow from her own. Then she gasped and stared at the glass? "What's this?"
"White Russian." Catra grinned, showing her teeth. "Vodka and cream!" And some other stuff, but that was optional in her opinion.
Glimmer made some gagging noise even though Catra hadn't offered her one.
And Adora frowned. "What's vodka?"
"Strong booze from Russia," Catra told her.
"We shouldn't drink when we're in a planning session."
"We had a planning session. We're relaxing now," Catra corrected her.
"I can't relax if I might become Supreme Commander!"
"That's what the drink is for!" Catra raised her own and took another sip.
"Catra!"
Catra grinned. Adora was so cute when she got mad over nothing. "Drink your White Russian and relax." She was pretty sure Adora would, too.
Her lover was still holding the glass, after all.
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, September 26th, 1998
"So, instead of sending us, they'll send a new team without any experience?" Jack O'Neill didn't bother hiding what he thought of that plan.
"The majority of my colleagues feel that the presence of SG-1 could be misunderstood by whoever built the defence system that you destroyed," General Hammond replied. "Especially in the case of Teal'c and Captain Carter."
Who could be mistaken as a Goa'uld and their Jaffa. Jack frowned. It wasn't a bad point. It was a good point, actually - at least in this particular situation, where the defence system had already mistakenly identified Teal'c as an enemy. But he hated admitting anything like that - he had a reputation to maintain. And Carter didn't look like she agreed, and Jack wouldn't stab her in the back. "Are they going to disguise the team as well? That'll do wonders for building trust."
Daniel snorted, Jack noticed. Hammond, though, wasn't amused. "The consensus was that our Etherian friends wouldn't take well to that kind of deception."
Translation: It was actually proposed, but people wised up and used the Etherians as a face-saving excuse. At least Jack hoped that this was the case - if the only reason they hadn't gone with disguises was that the magical space princesses might not like it, then things were worse than he had feared. "And how have the Etherians taken the news that they'll go to Cimmeria with a bunch of unknown FNGs?"
"Stargate Command will be sending a veteran team." Hammond slightly frowned at him.
"Oh, great. Strangers then. I bet they're thrilled." Jack shook his head.
"The Etherians have yet to be informed about the details of the mission." Hammond didn't like it either, Jack could tell, even though the general's expression remained neutral.
"They won't like that even less," Jack said.
"Yes," Daniel chimed in. "As far as I understood, they expect to head out there with us - SG-1. Now, the concerns about possible misunderstandings shouldn't be dismissed easily, but I think they would expect to be allowed to have a say in this before a decision was made."
"And wouldn't that be a shame if they demanded changes to the mission!" Jack watched Hammond's reaction to his comment.
The general frowned. "Stargate Command isn't in the habit of letting its teams use their relationship with foreign powers to get their way and overrule their commanding officer."
So, Hammond wouldn't look away if Jack had a frank talk with the Etherians.
"But the Etherians will want to talk to us. Do you expect us to refuse a meeting with them? Or to lie?" Daniel asked.
"I expect you to act with the loyalty and integrity expected from a member of Stargate Command," Hammond replied. "If the Security Council gets the impression that the Etherians have undue influence on Stargate Command, and that individual members are trying to exploit that to control which teams are assigned to any missions, then the whole agreement will be revisited."
Jack wouldn't mind that. But Hammond would. And it would be bad for the entire Stargate Command - well, at least for the part Jack cared about. So he nodded. "Yes, Sir."
Hammond stared at him for a moment, and Jack did his best to look honest. He wasn't about to stab the general in the back either. And he would make sure that his team would follow his lead.
But he had a bad feeling about this mission now.