Chapter 58: The Tok'ra Part 3
P34-353J, December 4th, 1998 (Earth Time)
Jack O'Neill generally liked Catra. She was the one amongst the Etherians - with the possible exception of Hordak, but Jack wasn't going there - who knew that you couldn't trust everybody to play straight with you. More importantly, she was the one who knew how you fought a war. She was the last of the Etherians, actually, who Jack would have expected to defend Carter and Entrapta spilling Alliance secrets to the snakes.
But she had just done so, neatly derailing his well-deserved reminder that operational security was a thing in the military for a reason - something Carter knew very well. Usually, it was Daniel whom Jack had to remind of such things, not his fellow officer. Jack refrained from frowning at the thought - the others would pick up on it. But Carter had changed over the last few months. Jack had thought it was because of the Etherians and their antics. He was too old and had seen too much to change, but between She-Ra and her friends' idealism and the lure of Entrapta's technology and special enthusiasm for science, even an officer like Carter couldn't avoid being affected. That it was hard to be mad at Entrapta wasn't helping, of course - if you criticised her, you felt as if you had just shot Bambi's mom.
And if Entrapta's friends noticed, it also made you feel as if you just kicked a landmine. A nuclear landmine in Adora's case, and a Bouncing Betty in Catra's case, Jack added to himself while he watched Adora go through everything they knew about the Tok'ra in preparation for the meeting with the High Council.
But there might be more behind this. Jack glanced at Carter, who was still busy going over Emily's records. What if this wasn't Carter growing careless because of her friendship with Entrapta but a relic of her possession by the snake? She said she didn't remember much, but that meant she did remember something. Was she unconsciously seeing the Tok'ra as trusted friends? Or more?
He buried that thought at once. But such… contamination would explain Carter's lapses.
Damn. He had to talk to her. Find out if she was influenced by the snake that had controlled her. But they were in the middle of a mission - and about to face the High Snake Council. The worst moment to try and find out if his Second-in-Command was compromised. Ah, well - he'd been in worse situations.
He clapped his hands together. "So, kids, I hate to interrupt playtime, but we'll soon be facing the High Council and have to be on our best behaviour."
In the corner of his eye, he caught Carter frowning at him, like usual when he was a bit too flippant.
"You're usually the one who has to keep that in mind the most, I think." And Daniel reacted as usual as well. He was dependable like that. Even though he was also, well, not compromised, but not unbiased either - the snakes here could offer him a way to save his wife.
But Jack was taking what he could right now.
"That's why we're studying all our available intel!" Adora said. "To be sure we're as prepared as we can be."
"Or just to calm down our nerves," Catra, sprawled on a couch with a datapad sitting unused on her stomach, added.
"You don't look nervous," Gimmer commented.
"Because I don't have any reason to be nervous," Catra responded. "I'm not a princess; securing an alliance is your job. If anything goes wrong, it won't be my fault. I'm just here to watch. But no pressure!"
"We're not nervous either," Glimmer shot back. "We know what we're doing."
"I sure hope so."
Hell, the catwoman is stealing my shtick, Jack thought. Somehow, that made him feel even older right now. "So… don't get lost in details. Just remember: We want an alliance, but we don't want to hand them everything for nothing in return. Or almost nothing." Growing tunnels was nice and all, but Jack had a feeling that this war wouldn't be decided by tunnels. And probably not on the ground, either - this war would be decided in space. "And yes, honesty is the best policy, but information is valuable. Trust goes both ways. And yes," he cut off Adora when she opened her mouth, "someone has to take the first step, but we already did that."
Catra chuckled, Teal'c didn't comment, but the rest of the group looked slightly annoyed. Well, except for Entrapta, who looked a bit confused.
Before anyone could say anything - probably repeat themselves - they heard a buzzer from the door.
"It's open! Come in!" Jack yelled before Daniel made it to the door. When the door opened and Jakar entered, Jack made a mental note to remember that the room's sound insulation wasn't up to snuff. Another thing to consider and analyse for the geeks and spooks back home.
"The High Council is now ready for you," the snake told them.
"And it only took them three hours," Jack commented after a glance at his watch. "I'm impressed."
Jakar smiled, but Daniel pouted at him. "Jack!"
"No, seriously," Jack told his friend. "Imagine how long it would have taken - did take - for the US government to react in their place. And the US government isn't hiding from the Evil Galactic Empire, snake edition. I'm genuinely impressed." Jack wasn't even lying - the snakes could have made them cool their heels for a day at least. And many would have done so in their place - not at least so they wouldn't appear as if they needed an alliance. Hell, that sort of powerplay was the bread and butter of politicians.
And Jack had a feeling that the snakes here were no exception. But were they actually that hard off for an alliance, or were they playing some game?
They'd soon find out. "Well, let's not make them wait for us! Shall we?" He flashed his teeth at the snake.
The Tok'ra seem to be quite practical, Adora thought as they entered the meeting room. Instead of some far too-tall and far too-large hall, with oversized tables on a pedestal for the council and pillars lining the walls, it was a decently sized room with two big, crescent-shaped tables facing each other. Of course, the Tok'ra had been fighting a war against the Goa'uld for millennia, so if they weren't practical, they'd probably be dead already.
And they were standing to meet them, Garshaw in the lead. "Welcome," she said, bowing her head. "I am the Grand Councillor, Garshaw of Belote. These are Per'sus, Malinor, Sak'ram, Hen'ru and Salesh. We are the Tok'ra High Council - we speak for every Tok'ra, and we have the authority to form an alliance."
"We greet you, High Council," Glimmer spoke up. "I am Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon. These are She-Ra, Princess of Power, Princess Entrapta of Dryl, Colonel Jack'Neill of Earth, Captain Carter, Techmaster Bow, Dr Daniel Jackson, Teal'c and Catra."
They bowed as well, though Catra smirked as she did so - and Adora couldn't frown at her, not in the middle of the meeting. Or at Jakar leaving.
"I speak for the Princess Alliance, and I am authorised to make treaties in their name, but any treaty involving the Alliance with Earth has to be negotiated with diplomats from Earth as well," Glimmer explained.
"So we don't have the authority to make a binding treaty," Jack said. "But we can get things squared away."
"Does that mean that we could make an alliance with the Princess Alliance even if negotiations with Earth should fail?" Per'sus asked,
That was a good question, Adora had to admit. And judging by the reactions of SG-1, it looked as if things got a bit complicated.
Glimmer kept smiling, but it was her polite 'political smile', as Adora knew. "In theory, yes. But we're committed to the Alliance and the war against the Goa'uld, and being in two different alliances, unaligned with each other, would not help our aims. We need a coordinated, unified strategy if we want to defeat the Goa'uld with the least casualties on all sides."
"Let's sit down," one of the Tok'ra councillors, Sak'ram, said. "It's clear we have a lot to discuss."
They took their seats, Glimmer sitting opposite Garshaw, with Adora and Jack at her side, next to Catra and Sam, respectively, with Entrapta on Catra's other side, followed by Bow, and Daniel and Teal'c anchoring their right flank.
Adora wanted to frown. She shouldn't be thinking like this - this wasn't a battle; they weren't in formation. This was a meeting with potential allies in the war against the Goa'uld. Future friends.
"So, we're here to conduct exploratory talks. Nothing binding," Garshaw said.
"Yes." Glimmer nodded.
"But before we start going into nitty-gritty details," Per'sus spoke up. "You represent an alliance between several Earth countries and the Etherian alliance, correct?"
"Yes," Glimmer confirmed. "The Princess Alliance, forged to defend Etheria against the Horde. My parents were amongst the founders and leaders."
"And you have the power to make binding decisions for your alliance," Per'sus went on.
"Yes." Glimmer leaned forward a little. "Between us here, we represent the most powerful kingdom of Etheria, the most technologically advanced kingdom and the most powerful military power of Etheria."
"And we have the trust of our friends," Adora added.
To her relief, neither did Catra mutter about some of them having the trust of the alliance and nor did Jack comment sarcastically about the power of friendship or monarchy.
"The friends with whom you defeated Horde Prime." That was Hen'ru. And he sounded rather doubtful, in Adora's impression.
"Yes." She nodded firmly. "We fought him in person. We destroyed his flagship and erased his consciousness."
"A decapitation strike?" Hen'ru cocked his head.
"Yes." Adora bared her teeth. She didn't like remembering this. "It was personal."
"Ah."
"That's the thing with those despots - once you take them out, the whole system starts to crumble. When we blew up Ra, his minions started infighting at once," Jack added with a smile that reminded Adora of Catra's… not so nice smiles.
Not that Stargate Command had known that Ra's underlings would start a power struggle when they killed him. Adora had heard the story from Daniel, after all - they hadn't even been aware of how large Ra's Empire had been. Still was. But that kind of subterfuge was allowed in diplomacy. It wasn't as if Adora and her friends were sharing all the details of just how badly they had been outmatched by Horde Prime's military, with just one antique spaceship to their name…
She still felt bad about it. Kind of.
"And you've been fighting Ra for millennia - mostly through sabotage, I take it?" Glimmer nodded at Garshaw.
"Yes." Garshaw smiled. "Our small number makes that the most effective strategy. Especially given the internal divisions in the Goa'uld Empire. Timed and executed correctly, a single act of sabotage can spark a war that causes far more losses to the Empire."
Catra nodded appreciatively, Adora saw.
As did Jack. "Yeah. A few pounds of C-4 are surprisingly effective when you place them in the right spot. Never leave home without it."
"Such was your strategy until lately, yes? The Tau'ri's, I mean." Per'sus tilted his head at Jack.
"Yeah, you know - if you don't have a fleet of spaceships with big honking guns, you make do with what you have." Jack shrugged again.
"But the situation has changed now," Glimmer cut in. "We do have naval assets in sufficient numbers to fight the Goa'uld on even grounds. We can switch from sabotage and commando operations to large-scale battles and planetary invasions. We can defeat the Goa'uld Empire for good. Just as we defeated Horde Prime."
"Horde Prime was said to rival Ra's power," Malinor, one of the female Tok'ra present, said. "Defeating him must have cost you a lot of casualties."
Adora pressed her lips together as she thought of all the people who had been killed in the war against the Horde. On both sides. Even knowing that it could have been so much worse - that Etheria could have been destroyed entirely, with everyone dead, if she hadn't defeated Horde Prime and shut down the Heart of Etheria - didn't help much.
"And it wasn't that long ago, was it?" Per'sus interjected. "You must have remarkable production and recruiting capabilities if you already feel confident to take on the Goa'uld Empire."
Adora glanced a Glimmer, but her friend nodded firmly. "We recruited Horde Prime's surviving fleet."
That surprised them - Adora could tell. As could Catra, of course; she snorted.
"They're big on recruiting and reforming people," Jack said.
"It's the best way to achieve a lasting peace." Glimmer smiled. "And it keeps your enemy from fighting to the end, shortening the war."
"Especially their soldiers," Catra added with another snort.
Adora squeezed her lover's thigh under the tale, both to reassure her - Catra had changed, and Adora loved her, no matter her past - and to remind her to keep from getting too snarky.
"Yes! Hordak, one of Horde Prime's commanders, is now our friend. And WrongHordak, another friend we made, leads the Second Fleet." Entrapta beamed at them.
Garshaw, though, didn't look very impressed. "While certainly not impossible, it's very, very rare for a Goa'uld to overcome their genetic memory and conditioning." She glanced at Teal'c for the first time since the meeting had started, Adora noted. "Or for a Jaffa. So, the feasibility of using the same strategy on the Goa'uld Empire seems questionable."
"It won't be easy," Glimmer said. "We're aware of that. But people can and do change. We will make the offers to let them switch sides anyway."
"Yes." Adora nodded firmly. It was the right thing to do.
"If you start winning the war, many System Lords will offer to switch sides in exchange for keeping their power," Per'sus said. "But you can't trust them."
"We won't let them keep slaves or oppress anyone," Glimmer said. "That's non-negotiable."
"Their slaves have been conditioned from birth to worship them as gods. Overcoming that has proven to be very difficult," he retorted.
"We're aware of that," Glimmer replied. "And we'll be working on fixing that as well." She bared her teeth. "We have some experience with that."
Catra snorted again, and Adora squeezed her thigh once more. She felt her lover's tail brush over her hand before she withdrew it.
"System Lords switching sides might not keep much more than their lives," Jack said, "but that's still a bargain for them."
"And yet you kept Horde Prime's commanders in charge." Malinor cocked her head.
"Not all of them," Glimmer retorted. "Just those we can trust. Each of them has to be judged individually."
"And what about their crimes?" Per'sus stared at them. "Each System Lord is responsible for countless deaths and unimaginable atrocities. Would you suggest just letting them go without punishment?"
Adora didn't need to touch Catra to know her lover was tensing up. And she had to struggle not to frown. This was a contentious issue; she knew that very well. But she wouldn't budge on that, either.
Samantha Carter didn't show any reaction to the Tok'ra's comment, though she couldn't help agreeing with them. Per'sus had always valued morals highly, sometimes even at the expense of efficacy, and given the Goa'uld's cruelty and the scale of their crimes…
She blinked. She had never met Per'sus before today. This was another of Jolinar's memories. Pressing her lips together, she focused on the mission. They were here to form an alliance - more precisely, to lay the foundation of an alliance, which diplomats would then form. Not to reconnect with the friends of a dead Tok'ra.
"People can change - even if they were raised to serve someone evil. Even the Goa'uld can change," Adora said, meeting Per'sus's eyes. "Refusing to grant them the chance to change wouldn't be right."
Sam knew Adora was sincere here. The princess honestly believed it. But she was also very, very biased because of her personal history. Because of Catra.
"And what about their victims? Should they be denied justice after all their suffering?" Per'sus asked with a hint of a sneer.
He was taking this personally as well, Sam knew. No, Jolinar had known. She clenched her jaw. Perhaps coming here had been a mistake - seeing familiar faces triggered more remnants of memories. And feeling friendly towards a stranger was more than a little disturbing. But she was an officer of the United States Air Force. She could overcome this - she knew her duty.
"What do you consider justice?" Daniel asked, leaning forward. "People have many different views of that."
"Justice means criminals receiving what they deserve - their fair punishment," Per'sus replied.
"And what would you consider a fair punishment?" Glimmer asked.
"For what the System Lords did, only death is sufficient."
Sam knew the Colonel agreed with that, even though he didn't show it.
"That sounds more like vengeance than justice," Glimmer said. "A dead person cannot make amends. Cannot help set things right. Killing someone doesn't bring any of their victims back."
"But their loved ones can find closure," Malinor pointed out. "Instead of knowing that the murderer of their family remains alive, free to commit more crimes."
Once more, Sam had to force herself not to nod.
"If people change for good, they won't do any more crimes," Adora said.
"But what about atoning for their crimes?" Garshaw asked. "Do you expect people to forget what was done to them?"
"If fighting to take down the Goa'uld Empire isn't enough to atone for your crimes, then that really sounds like vengeance and not justice," Bow spoke up. "Just saying."
Sam caught Garsahw nodding at that, which - weirdly - didn't surprise her.
"And it would make it hard to get anyone to surrender or switch sides," Glimmer added. "Which would prolong the war and cause more people to suffer."
"Well," the Colonel spoke up, "does anyone here think that the big bad System Lords will actually change for good? Abandon their slaves, including their hosts, and switch sides?" He shook his head. "I don't think so, so this is a rather academic discussion - no offence to our academics, of course," he added with a grin at Daniel and Sam.
"You plan to force them to release their hosts?" Garshaw asked. "Even if they switch sides?"
"Of course!" Adora said at once. "They don't get to keep any slaves or oppress anyone - we already said that, didn't we?"
Judging by the glances the High Council exchanged, Sam knew they didn't think many Goa'uld would take up such an offer. She doubted it as well.
"Making them release their hosts and rely on volunteers to bond with them seems a sufficient show of good faith," Malinor said.
"Good luck finding any volunteers," the Colonel muttered.
"You show a quite remarkable mix of idealism and pragmatism," Garshaw commented. It sounded like a compliment, but Sam wasn't sure if it was honestly meant that way.
"We're just doing what's right," Adora insisted.
"Well, everyone's trying that, but not all agree on what's right." The Colonel shrugged once more. "But we're here to talk about an alliance."
"And our different stances towards the Goa'uld are a central part of any such talk," Per'sus told him.
"Yes," Glimmer spoke up. "But I think we have explored that topic sufficiently for now. Let us talk about what you expect from an alliance and what you can offer to the alliance."
Garshaw inclined her head, then straightened. "We need more hosts. Our numbers are small because finding a willing host who consents to become our partner is a difficult task."
Ah. This time, Sam couldn't help wincing. That was a much more delicate issue than how to treat potential Goa'uld turncoats and prisoners.
"If you're looking for volunteers, I don't see any problem with that," Adora said. "People are free to make their own decisions - provided those are informed decisions," she added.
"Well," the Colonel spoke up with a frown, "that's all fine in principle, but some people have classified knowledge. Top secret knowledge which cannot be allowed to be revealed to anyone without the necessary clearance."
Sam nodded. The way a Goa'ld and their host blended together would mean that anything the host knew, the Tok'ra would know as well. And that could cause all sorts of problems. Not that most of the people with such knowledge were likely to volunteer to become a host for the Tok'ra. But there were always exceptions. And even so - having a host from Earth or Etheria would give the Tok'ra immense insight into either society.
And why was the Colonel glancing at her? And why was he avoiding her eyes when she looked at him? Had she missed a cue? Or… was this a warning? He certainly couldn't expect her to want to become a host, could he? It was ridiculous! Jolinar possessing her had been more terrifying than anything else she had experienced and survived so far!
No, the Colonel couldn't suspect her of wanting to join the Tok'ra. He must expect her input, then. She set her jaw, but Garshaw was already replying.
"We are familiar with the need to keep crucial information safe, even if that might necessitate limiting someone's freedom," the Tok'ra leader said.
They had mentioned the problem of educating potential hosts, only to have to detain them, should they reject the offer, so they wouldn't spill Tok'ra secrets to the Goa'uld - voluntarily or involuntarily. "Yes." Sam nodded firmly. "The safety and security of everyone have to be considered when making and accepting such offers."
But of course, the Etherians didn't agree - or not fully. "But if someone desires to enter such a relationship with a Tok'ra, it feels wrong to deny them their wish just because they know some of your secrets," Glimmer said. "In a way, it feels not very different to prohibiting relationships across borders because you question the loyalty of someone interested in a foreigner."
Ah, yes - that would raise their hackles. Maybe literally in Catra's case, Sam thought. Even though Earth's history had proven that honey traps worked exactly like that. She almost snorted at the thought of the Tok'ra being honey traps to gather intel.
Then she realised it wasn't far off the mark - they offered a much longer life, centuries it seemed, and great physical enhancements as well as a civilisation with advanced technology in exchange for sharing your body with a loyal partner who would never leave you. That would be tempting for a great number any people with few prospects on Earth and likely on Etheria as well, even accounting for the fact that every Tok'ra was fighting in the war against the Goa'uld. So… "I think candidates should be vetted by everyone concerned, at least as long as the Goa'uld are a concern," she said, "because anyone joining the Tok'ra will likely risk being captured by the Goa'uld." Jolinar's memories of undercover missions were very fragmented, but Sam had seen enough to deduce how dangerous they were.
"Of course - it would hardly be fair if we dismissed such concerns by allies," Molinar said. "And we are aware of the damage a captured operative can cause, trust us on that. Very familiar."
Sam noticed Teal'c shifting a little, which was a surprising reaction from her stoic friend - was he remembering some action he had taken as Apophis's First Prime? Something to, maybe, bring up in a moment of privacy. Back on Earth. If at all.
And the Etherians seemed to accept that, if a bit grudgingly - Adora was frowning.
"So, you want hosts and accept that there are security concerns," the Colonel summed up.
"Yes. And what is your primary goal for this alliance you propose?" Garshaw asked.
"Information," Glimmer replied at once. "We have the fleet to take on the Goa'uld Empire, and we're training up the ground troops, but we need as much information as we can get on the strengths and weaknesses of the System Lords so we can pick the best targets and strategy."
She was correct, of course, but relying on the Tok'ra for crucial intel would also give them an unparalleled way to influence and shape the entire campaign. Garshaw would love that - she had made her mark when she had defected after sabotaging her System Lord's military. It had earned her the trust of the Tok'ra even though she hadn't been a descendant of Egeria, and…
Sam blinked once more - another memory of Jolinar that she hadn't been aware of until now. Just how much of the Tok'ra was left in her mind, she couldn't help wondering - or fearing. Would she keep remembering such fragments? Would she change? Had she changed without noticing?
"Information we can provide," Per'sus said, as Sam had expected. "Of course, even our own information-gathering capability could be improved with more information from other sources."
"Sharing information seems an obvious course of action," Adora commented. "The more we know about our enemy, the better we can fight them."
Everyone nodded in agreement, though Sam was sure almost everyone planned to hold back some information, for various reasons. Catra's snort showed that she had the same thought.
"So, an exchange of information can be set up," Glimmer said. "What else do you expect from an alliance?"
"Magic," Garshaw told her. "Information and support to explore magitech. If magic is returning to the galaxy, we need to be prepared for it - and after a thousand years, none of us has any experience with it. Meanwhile, the System Lords can rely on their memories from the time when magic was ubiquitous."
"If Goa'uld cannot use magic, I wouldn't expect them to make extensive use of it - it might have made them look weak," Daniel commented.
"They did suppress such knowledge amongst their slave populations, but at the very least, they would have taken measures to protect themselves against attacks using magic. And, as you told Anise, anyone can work with magitech, provided they have access to the resources only a magician can create," Garshaw said.
Per'sus looked a little sceptical, Sam thought. Sak'ram, Hen'ru and Salesh had remained more or less quiet - as throughout the meeting so far - but at least Hen'ru looked interested, as did Molinar.
"We can do that," Entrapta said. "And we're very interested in your own technology!" she added with a beaming smile. "It's so fascinating!"
Both Glimmer and the Colonel seemed a little annoyed at her butting in, but Sam had expected that. And it didn't really matter - Anise and Jakar would have told the Tok'ra High Council about Entrapta already.
Though there was another delicate topic to cover: Technology. While Sam wouldn't have expected this situation a year ago, as part of the Alliance, they had, through the Etherians, access to technology that was more advanced than the Goa'uld's - or the Tok'ra's - at least in some areas.
Which meant that negotiating technology transfers would be amongst the most difficult parts of any alliance treaty to negotiate. Or should be, unless the Etherians planned to simply share their technology like they had with Earth, provided some basic conditions were met.
Which, Sam realised as Glimmer nodded, they probably were.
Sharing intel and technology, providing hosts - the Colonel wouldn't be the only one with deep reservations about such an alliance.
Well, the devil was, as always, in the details.
"...and support in the field, as you call it, would strain our means too much. We are not ready to wage open war against the Goa'uld - we fight from the shadows with subterfuge, sabotage and assassinations. We aren't Jaffa," Sak'ram said - with a nasty glance at Teal'c, Catra noticed.
"We don't expect squads of Tok'ra commandos, but advisors and intelligence agents attached to an invasion force would be a great help. If something unexpected appears, shorter lines of communication would save lives - on all sides." Sam smiled at the Tok'ra. She seemed rather invested in this, in Catra's opinion. This tunnel-growing technology better was worth it.
"You seem to care almost more for saving the soldiers of the enemy than for saving their slaves." And Per'sus had to pipe up again. He'd made it clear long ago that he certainly only cared about the victims of the System Lords, not their soldiers or the Goa'uld themselves.
Catra could understand that, to some degree. But then, if Adora had been like him… She clenched her teeth together. This had become a drag. They had some preliminary agreements on the core issues, but now they were talking details and circling around each other. That sort of stuff was what diplomats and princesses were for!
"Actually, with the bot network we're building, we shouldn't have any issues with long-range communications. We won't need an open Stargate, just a dedicated faster-than-light communication array to contact planets, and while those aren't portable - though we could construct bots with those instead of weapons - they could easily relay calls from communicators to the network. So, communication lag shouldn't be an issue." Entrapta beamed, and Catra suppressed a sigh - her friend was missing the point.
"Even if we could call the Tok'ra whenever we want from across the galaxy," she said instead, "they wouldn't be aware of our situation. We'd have to brief them before they could advise us."
"Yes," Glimmer agreed. "That's why advisors in the field would be useful."
She was right, of course. But Tok'ra advisors would also be useful for spying on the Alliance. And influencing the Alliance military decisions. So, why didn't the Tok'ra want that? Did they really have so few agents that they couldn't spare enough?
"Well, as soon as we get more hosts, we will have more people available for such missions," Salesh said.
Now, that could be true - or just a cheap way to force their hand. It was hard to tell. But Catra didn't think that the Tok'ra had been very open with them so far. Jakar claimed he had been, but he was a trained and experienced spy and would have carefully chosen what information he shared or 'let slip'. And none of the Tok'ra had reacted to Entrapta mentioning the bot network, even though Catra was sure they had not missed that bit.
"Well…" O'Neill rubbed his neck and rolled his shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I could use a break. I'm not getting any younger, after all."
Catra nodded, stretching her arms over her head. "We've been at this for a while."
"Indeed," Garshaw said. "Let's take a break. It's almost dinner time. Let us schedule the next meeting for after dinner?"
"And refrain from continuing our current discussion at the table," Per'sus added with a faint smile.
"Good luck making Anise not talk about magitech," Malinor told him with a grin.
"Or you?" Per'sus shot back.
Catra snorted at the exchange.
"Oh, we can talk about magitech - there are many aspects of it that were not mentioned yet in this discussion," Entrapta said, nodding enthusiastically. "And there's all the technology that we haven't touched yet, of course."
"Oh?" Malinor cocked her head. "I am looking forward to our discussion then."
"So am I!"
Catra kept a polite smile on her face while they left the room, but as soon as they were inside their quarters and Sam and Entrapta had done their anti-surveillance thing, she sighed. "Now, that was a drag."
"We've been making great progress for a first meeting with an unknown kingdom," Glimmer reported.
"Still a drag," Catra insisted. "We went around in circles for so long, I started to get dizzy."
"It looked more as if you were getting sleepy." Glimmer's smile had too many teeth.
"Naw. I would have taken a nap in Adora's lap if I had been sleepy." Catra grinned at her.
"Catra!" Adora blushed. "You can't do that in a meeting!"
"You mean 'shouldn't'," Catra corrected her.
"You're not doing this!"
"Of course not - I'm bored, not sleepy." Catra shrugged.
"Anyway," Glimmer said. "Let's go over the meeting so far to refine our approach."
Ugh. "The Tokra want hosts and won't help us until they get hosts," Catra said. "They could be telling the truth, or they could be lying about their numbers. And they really want magitech."
Glimmer frowned at her. "It's a serious issue."
Cara shrugged in return. "That's my take on it. We're dealing with spies, saboteurs and assassins."
"That's an oversimplification," Daniel spoke up, "but the cultural influence of a millennia-long conflict centred on hiding, infiltration and covert operations shouldn't be underestimated. We're dealing with a unique culture for which we don't have existing references. It's really fascinating how they have built their society."
Ugh. Another lecture. Catra hopped on Adora's lap, prompting a yelp.
If she had to listen to this rehash, she might as well get the most comfortable she could.
Unfortunately, after Daniel finished his five minutes of speculation about the Tok'ra culture, Adora thought it was her turn to speculate about the relationships between the members of the High Council. So Catra found herself removed from her favourite napping and lounging spot in favour of watching her lover improvise a whiteboard with the help of Emily's side. Sometimes, Adora's tendency to overprepare for a meeting was cute, but Catra had spent hours in a meeting already, and dinner, which likely would be another sort of meeting despite the Tok'ra's words, was still fifteen minutes away. Which was fifteen minutes too long to sit and listen to amateur analysis of facial expressions and body language.
In hindsight, watching the Earth media trying to analyse the relationships between everyone in Catra's circle of friends based on their body language had been a mistake. Sure, it had been kind of funny at the time, but apparently, Adora had taken it seriously.
And Catra was quite fed up with sitting still and listening to people talk without any results, and not even Adora there to cuddle. So she got up, stretched, and announced: "I'm going to prowl a little before dinner. Been sitting down for too long."
"'Prowl'?" Daniel asked.
Catra shrugged. "Wander around, see the sights, poke my nose into stuff that looks interesting." Adora pouted, but Catra just had to do something instead of nothing. "Toodles!"
"'Toodles'?" Glimmer asked.
"Ask Daniel!" Catra told her as she stepped out of the room.
"Don't start a diplomatic incident!" she heard before the door closed behind her.
She snorted. As if! They had permission to explore the entire base. And it would be rude if they didn't after the Tok'ra had gone and created the whole base just for this meeting.
Not to mention that, decoy or not, Catra wanted to know more about the base's layout and how it compared to Horde bunkers and forward bases. If they routinely used such bases to fool the Goa'uld into thinking they had left a planet, then the base had to look close to the real thing. Reasonably close, at least. Which meant weapons lockers, command centres, barracks and choke points should net some information.
Sure this had been a rush job just for this meeting, but at least in the Horde, a rush job meant grunts were falling back on what they had been trained to do instead of getting creative.
Grinning, she picked the next few turns and crossings at random and started to explore.
After five minutes, she had found half a dozen empty quarters, an unused mess hall, bathrooms without anything in it and what must have been a fake armoury. Which meant it was getting boring. And she hadn't met anyone to bother either. She could check the transporter room or follow the scent of food to the kitchen or whatever dining room the Tok'ra were preparing…
Her ears twitched when she picked up some murmuring from another empty bathroom down the hallway. Was that a Tok'ra who had sneaked away for some private talk? Or just to bitch about their superior officers? Catra had done both in the Horde as a cadet with Adora.
She grinned. This could be interesting. And she could find out how good the Tok'ra were at noticing her when she was making an effort at sneaking. Valuable data, as Entrapta would say.
Soon, she could make out what was being said - those doors didn't block sound well enough to fool her ears.
"...and they claim to have a fleet rivalling the Empire's and are preparing to wage war against the Goa'uld, requesting information and support from the Tok'ra. They're currently in a temporary base on the planet but may move back to their home planet or the planet of the Tau'ri soon to fetch diplomats for another meeting with the Tok'ra."
Catra frowned. That sounded… well, like the Tok'ra version of what Adora and the others had been doing. Only… She wasn't an expert on the Tok'ra or a scholar like Daniel. In fact, Catra would be the first to admit that she wasn't particularly experienced at picking up alien culture stuff.
But the man - it was a male voice, at least - was talking to someone who wasn't present since she hadn't heard anyone else.
And he sounded as if he didn't consider himself a Tok'ra.