Chapter 66: Regulations
P34-353J, December 11th, 1998 (Earth Time)
"...and I think we have determined the key points that remain to be settled during the negotiations," Sir Watson finished with a smile as they gathered for the sendoff in the transporter room of the Tok'ra base.
For a man who had been negotiating with aliens for most of a day, the diplomat looked quite fit, in Samantha Carter's opinion. Of course, the Alliance wouldn't have sent the man if he couldn't stand a marathon negotiation session - and this was just the preliminary meeting to prepare the actual negotiations. They would only send their best diplomats.
And SG-1. Sam was very much aware that she wasn't just here because she was the best expert on Ancient technology on Earth but also because she was best friends with Entrapta and had good relations with Anise. Although, she amended her thoughts when she watched how the Tok'ra scientist smiled at the Colone, if Anise keeps bothering the Colonel, I might have to rethink my stance. The woman - either woman, Freya obviously shared that interest - shouldn't exploit the fact that the Colonel couldn't rebuff her as he obviously wanted due to diplomatic considerations.
"You should say something to them."
Sam froze for a moment, then turned to look at the speaker. Martouf. "Pardon?"
"Anise and Freya wouldn't go after someone who's involved with someone else," he told her in the same low voice as before. Too low to be picked up by anyone else in the room. Except for Catra - the woman's ears were twitching already.
Sam considered denying the implied statement, but that would have been lying. And she wouldn't stoop to that. "We aren't involved," she said instead. "Regulations prohibit a relationship between officers in the same chain of command."
"But I think neither your nor his heart cares about regulations."
Sam bit back on the angry comeback - a good officer followed regulations. There were exceptions for saving the world, but not for personal… desires. But Martouf's expression was so… empathic fit it best, she decided. And she knew, thanks to the pang of guilt she felt, why he could feel that way - he and Lantash were both pining for someone they couldn't get, either.
Sam.
So she returned the smile in kind. "But we don't let our hearts rule us. There are good reasons for those regulations."
He inclined his head. "I don't doubt that, but I doubt that they are good enough to justify your and his unhappiness."
"We aren't unhappy." She had a great career. She had friends she trusted with her life. She could work with the most advanced technology on Earth and was making further advances. She had a lab in space and was best friends with a genius alien scientist. She could travel the galaxy. She wasn't unhappy.
But she didn't have… She pressed her lips together and pushed the small, nagging voice in the back of her mind away. Some things weren't meant to be.
But she could apply for a transfer. Away from SG-1. She would get it, Sam knew - as the leading scientist for Ancient technology, she could pick whatever posting she wanted. And that didn't even count her… influence with the leading power in the Alliance.
But that would… She was needed in SG-1. She couldn't leave. Not to mention what everyone would suspect about her reasons for leaving. And about her - and the Colonel.
Martouf inclined his head again, clearly not believing her. But he didn't push further. "I wish you happiness anyway."
Sam nodded in return. "Thank you. To you as well."
Then his lips shifted into a wry smile. "You should still talk to them, though." He glanced at the others in the room, gathering on the spot for the transporter. "And your friends, I think."
Sam caught Catra shaking her head at her. And elbowing Adora.
Yes, she thought with a sinking feeling, I need to talk with them. Before they tried to 'help' her. The last thing Sam - or anyone else - needed was a galactic superpower trying to meddle in her personal life.
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, December 11th, 1998
"So…" Catra didn't grin when she approached Sam in her lab. Not much, at least - that would have been petty. And a bit cruel. Not that she had trouble with being either, but Sam was a friend, not an enemy.
Sam still gave her a flat stare that Mermista wouldn't have been able to top. "If you overheard my conversation with Martouf and Lantash, then you already know my response to whatever you are going to say."
Ah? Catra was tempted to claim she agreed with Sam's stance just to be contrarian, but that would have been petty. And stupid. "That's why I am starting with my response to your last statement," she said instead - with a grin.
Sam's eyes narrowed. "And what is your response?" she asked with a sigh.
"That your rules are stupid. You love him, he loves you, and rules that prevent two people in love from loving each other are stupid." Rules, people, orders - whatever stood in the way of love was wrong.
Sam actually rolled her eyes. "It's not as simple. Those rules were made for a very good reason."
She hadn't denied the other part of the statement, though. Catra sat down on the edge of Sam's desk and picked up a screwdriver to fiddle with. People didn't react to that as they reacted to sheathing and unsheathing her claws. "Don't you have a saying about good intentions paving the road to hell?"
"Yes," Sam admitted, and Catra's grin widened. "But that's not the case here. If relationships between an officer and one of their subordinates were allowed, it would be open to abuse."
Catra shrugged. "The people who do that stuff generally don't care about rules anyway." At least, that had been her experience in the Horde. Not that the Horde had had such regulations.
Sam sighed again. "Some will be discouraged. But even if some would not care, the rules make it easier for the victim to seek help."
"You don't have such rules for your civilians, though. So, it can't be that crucial." Catra hadn't heard that such stuff was common, anyway.
"Many private businesses and bureaucracies have rules to limit such relationships."
"Really? Your movies and TV shows are wrong, then." Catra snorted. She was aware of that. Mostly.
"Hollywood takes liberties with reality," Sam said with a wry smile followed by a wince.
"But that's not important," Catra went on, cocking her head to the side as she crossed her legs and juggled the screwdriver. "Do you think Jack would do such a thing?"
"Of course not!" Sam snapped. "But that's not the issue. Even if the majority of the people wouldn't do a thing, there are always some who would if it were allowed, and the rule is meant to stop them."
"And stops you and Jack. And probably others as well." Which was stupid. "You should get an exception."
Sam frowned deeply. "That's not how it works. If exceptions are possible, then those who would abuse their power would abuse such exceptions."
Catra shook her head. "Why don't you stick to punishing those then, instead of everyone else?" It was easier to go after criminals than to turn everyone into criminals. Hell, even the Horde had taught you that punishing everyone for the faults of one or two was something you only did in special situations. Of course, in practice, things had been different, but still…
"Because the intent is to prevent such… problems. Not deal with them after someone got hurt."
That still didn't make much sense. "But you don't have such rules for everyone. Just the military," Catra pointed out.
"And many public and private organisations."
Yes, she had mentioned that before. "You still should have some exceptions," Catra insisted. "Too rigid rules are bad." She knew that from personal experience. Damn Shadow Weaver.
Sam pressed her lips together. "Not everyone's a princess who can make their own rules. And not every princess knows best."
Catra didn't wince at the barb even though it wasn't… completely wrong. She shrugged. "Yeah, but you and Jack are an exception." No one deserved to be unhappy. Especially not her friends.
"No, we aren't. We're both officers in the United States Air Force. We have sworn an oath, and we will keep it." Sam pointedly turned to her computer, which Catra took as telling her that this conversation was over.
Well, one down, another to go. But she might have to change her approach now.
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, December 12th, 1998
"Hi, Jack. Coffee?"
"Daniel?" Jack O'Neill generally liked every opportunity to put off his paperwork - well, the unnecessary paperwork; the kind of stuff someone once thought would be a good idea, ages ago, and which was kept on despite serving no purpose. Like writing a report for something he and everyone who had been there, as well as a few who hadn't, already had written a report about. But Daniel showing up so early in the morning, with the good coffee from his civilian-bought coffee maker? Without getting prompted by Jack? That raised some concerns. He still took the cup with a smile, of course.
"I thought you'd come in later today. Didn't you stay on past midnight to file your report?" Jack asked - as if he hadn't checked his subordinates' paperwork already; he would also have to tell Carter not to burn the midnight oil outside emergencies. Again.
His friend blushed. "Well, I like to write my reports when the memory's still fresh."
"Well, your memory's not going to stay fresh if you don't get enough sleep," Jack told him with a slight shake of his head.
Daniel pouted in return. "Who said that they could sleep when they're dead?"
Jack chuckled. "That was in the middle of an emergency. Not after a boring diplomatic meeting to prepare the actual meeting."
Daniel perked up instead of pouting some more, which raised more alarm bells in Jack's head. "Well, it wasn't that boring, was it?"
Jack shrugged. "People talking about talking. Of course, you'd find it interesting - you even find broken ceramic interesting."
"Even so-called trash can tell us a lot about an ancient culture," Daniel retorted. "But that's a topic for another day."
Like never, if Jack could help it. "Won't see me arguing that."
"Anyway." Daniel took a deep breath. And another when Jack raised his eyebrows at him. "Glimmer asked me a few weird questions yesterday."
"Yesterday?" Jack frowned. They had returned quite late through the Stargate, and Daniel had headed straight to his office, as far as Jack knew.
"Yes. She, ah, teleported into my office. Almost toppled a stack of Sumerian stone tablets."
"I thought we agreed that she wouldn't do that," Jack said.
"Well, she didn't know I had them, and so appeared a bit too close."
"I mean the whole 'teleporting into bases' stuff," Jack explained.
"Ah. She forgot, I think - it was late." Daniel shrugged. "Anyway, she was asking a lot about marriage customs, relationships, and the cultural significance of rules and regulations."
That was weird indeed. Glimmer had read up on that before, Jack knew - when the Etherians had negotiated with the various countries about gay marriage and other rights. But that was, as far as Jack knew, a done deal. And had been for a while.
"Mostly the latter," Daniel explained with the forced smile he usually had on his face when he wasn't sure about something but thought it was bad news.
So, what could… "Oh, damn!" Jack cursed, clenching his jaws.
"Yes. She was, well, not in those exact words, but she was asking about exemptions for certain rules about, ah, fraternisation?"
Jack closed his eyes to calm down and forced himself to unclench his teeth. Then he took a deep breath and sighed. They meant well. And they were stupid kids in some areas. Like this. "Don't tell me that magical space princesses are planning to meddle with my private life." At least Daniel had had the presence of mind to inform him.
"Well, they aren't meddling, at least I don't think they are - Glimmer seemed very aware of the cultural differences between Etherian and American military - but they're, ah, concerned." Daniel weakly smiled, Jack saw when he looked at his friend again.
"I said don't tell me."
"Technically, I told you they aren't meddling."
"But they're thinking about it." Jack sighed again and muttered another curse under his breath.
"They care about y… their friends," Daniel finished with a wince at Jack's glare. "They come from a completely different culture and social position, Jack. They don't really get why, ah, certain rules are the way they are. The idea that, ah, relationships between two adults could be prohibited by law goes against both their culture and their personal experience."
Oh, right. With the kind of messed-up personal history Adora and Catra had, they would completely misjudge the whole issue. The issue that Daniel wouldn't spell out if he knew what was good for him. "Great. Did you tell her not to meddle?"
"Well…" That wasn't the confirmation Jack wanted to hear. Not at all. "I explained the historical and cultural significance of the rules in question?" Daniel smiled weakly.
"To an absolute queen used to getting her whim."
"That's an unfair characterisation, Jack." And the pout was back. "Glimmer understands the importance of the rule of law - Bright Moon isn't an anarchy, and the queen can't just ignore the law on a whim. But their law generally is more, ah, flexible. It has more exemptions."
"You mean the princesses can play favourites." Jack pressed his lips together. Sure, there were mitigating circumstances, but on Earth, Catra and probably Scorpia and even Entrapta, but most definitely Hordak, would be behind bars for their actions in command of the Horde. Well, probably not Entrapta.
"They value their friends highly," Daniel sort of agreed. "And politics are personal for them, often based on personal relationships. Their culture reflects this." He shrugged with a smile. "It's actually not that different from the, ah, flexibility our own politics, especially international politics, has displayed in the past, just adapted to their own culture."
"Did you just compare meddling with my private life to propping up a dictatorship in the Cold War?" Jack asked with narrowed eyes.
Daniel blinked, mouth half-open. "Uh… I didn't mean… I mean, technically? I didn't mean that specific example, though. Just the leeway some people were shown for political reasons."
That still sounded like corruption to Jack. Whatever. "Well, next time you see them, ensure that they respect my… privacy." It wasn't as if he had a love life, anyway.
"Sure." Daniel nodded a bit too quickly.
"And I'll personally talk to them," Jack added.
"That's a good idea, yes."
Jack sighed once more. His friend was a bit too obvious. "Soon, then."
Daniel nodded again, looking relieved. Damn.
Jack nodded at him. "Thanks." For telling him about this.
"Yeah, well…" Daniel shrugged, then nodded back and left.
Well, at least Jack had a good excuse not to finish his second report.
Earth Orbit, Solar System, December 12th, 1998 (Earth Time)
Adora frowned when Glimmer had finished the summary of her talk with Daniel over breakfast. "So we can't help them?" She didn't like that. Not at all. A couple kept apart by stupid rules…
"Well, he didn't quite say that," Glimmer said as she refilled her glass with fresh juice.
Adora refilled hers as well. Entrapta's juicer was working very well, as long as you remembered to check if whoever had used it last had not forgotten to push the 'clean∅' button. Certain flavours really didn't mix well. Like anchovies and oranges, no matter what Catra said.
"But Sam was pretty angry when I talked to her," Catra reminded her. "They take their rules seriously. Far too seriously." She stretched and swiped another slice of dark bread to top with smoked salmon.
Adora agreed. Catra might not take all rules seriously enough, but this was a very stupid rule.
"Daniel said it was a cultural thing," Glimmer said. "He said Earth, and especially the United States, was 'beholden to the rule of law'."
"And they have no princesses to step in and correct mistakes." Adora shook her head. "Isn't their president supposed to do that?"
"That would be favouritism, according to Sam. And they don't think it's a mistake," Catra said with a shrug. "Earth people don't really trust each other, so they want to make rules and laws that don't need trust."
Glimmer scoffed. "Oh, yes. Even the countries in the Alliance seem to expect the others to stab them in the back in the middle of the war."
"It's not that bad," Bow objected. "But they've had bad experiences with rulers and with allies. That colours their view. And Etheria has seen similar issues in the past. The Horde changed things since it was a threat to all of Etheria, so things are different in the Princess Alliance, but the other kingdoms haven't changed as much. Such actions were quite common once."
Adora nodded. She remembered the Princess Prom. So many princesses hadn't cared much or at all about the Horde threat. Not even after Catra and Scorpia had blown up Frosta's palace. Well, part of it. "But they wouldn't make such laws."
"Of course not. Limiting a princess's power like that would weaken their rule," Glimmer said.
"And we can't have that," Catra drawled with a smirk.
Glimmer shot her a glare. "Those who have the responsibility and duty also need to have the corresponding power."
That sounded like a quote. Probably from Queen Angella. Adora pressed her lips together for a moment. "Anyway, how do we help our friends then?" There had to be a way to work with the system.
"That's the question," Catra said. "Sam was annoyed at me for telling her she should do something about it."
"Uh…" Entrapta spoke up. "Are we sure that they love each other? Maybe they're just friends."
"Oh, yeah, they've got it bad for each other," Catra said.
Glimmer nodded. "Definitely."
"Yes." Bow nodded as well.
"Yes," Adora agreed with her friends. It was obvious.
"But why wouldn't they want to be together if they loved each other?" Entrapta asked.
"Because they don't want us to 'play favourites' or something," Catra said. "They think that will weaken the whole system they have and open it to abuse by others." She shrugged.
Adora frowned again. "If they have officers who would abuse that, they need to get rid of them."
"They have a lot of officers." Bow shook his head. "They have more soldiers than a lot of kingdoms on Etheria have people. And not enough princesses. Well, people with the power and prestige of princesses. Almost everyone has someone above them - or is limited in other ways."
"The numbers are like the Horde," Catra said. "I couldn't check everything myself, and the Force Captains were, well… of mixed quality. Couldn't trust all of them, of course, but as long as things worked out more or less, other stuff took priority."
"Yes, loyalty was a concern in the Horde," Hordak agreed. He was staring at Catra, who smirked back at him. "But I think harsh punishments for those who abuse their position would be better than preventive prohibitions."
"We can't really make them reform their whole system," Bow objected. "They have it for a reason."
"A stupid reason," Catra retorted.
"But intervening in another kingdom is not done lightly," Glimmer said. "Usually, you don't do that over a stupid law."
"But we can't let our friends be unhappy like that," Adora reminded them. We all know where that leads to, she thought with a glance at Catra.
"But they might not be happy if we meddle," Bow said.
"Not at first, at least," Catra added with a grin.
"Should we meddle?" Entrapta asked. "If they don't want us to…" She shrugged. "Sam isn't afraid to say what she wants, is she? She would have said something if she wanted help, right?"
"She might be too proud for that," Hordak pointed out. "Or she thinks the consequences of doing something aren't worth it."
"Yeah, that sounds like her," Catra agreed.
"Oh." Entrapta pouted. "Poor Sam."
"And poor Jack," Catra added. "So, we should…"
Darla announcing a call interrupted her. Adora quickly checked who was calling. Stargate Command? "Put them through," she told the ship.
Jack's face appeared on the smaller screen in the kitchen. "Good morning, everyone."
He was smiling, but he didn't look happy, Adora noticed when she returned the greeting. Too many teeth were showing.
"I think we need to talk about a few things," he went on. "In private. Face to face. So, any chance you could visit today?"
That sounded… ominous. Adora felt a little queasy. On the other hand, maybe this was an opportunity to talk things through with Jack? Honesty was the best policy, after all.
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, December 12th, 1998
"So… How's the lab work going?"
Samantha Carter suppressed a sigh at Daniel's comment. Her friend's attempt to make conversation while avoiding the elephant in the room - or, to be precise, the Colonel missing in the mess hall - was very transparent.
And that meant he knew why the Colonel had suddenly left the Mountain for a visit to the Etherians in orbit - without anyone else from SG-1. Well, Sam had a suspicion about the reasons for that, but she needed confirmation. So she narrowed her eyes at him. "So spill, Daniel - why did Colonel O'Neill leave so urgently this morning?"
"Ah…" Daniel opened his mouth, then closed it again and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I, ah, don't know exactly, actually."
"But you have a reasonable suspicion," Sam pressed.
"Indeed," Teal'c surprisingly supported her.
"Ah… Well, it's really just a guess…"
"Daniel…" She raised her eyebrows at him with a sigh.
He caved. "I think he's gone to tell our friends not to, ah, meddle with his private life."
"Ah." Sam pressed her lips together. Just as she had thought. Her friends had bothered the Colonel as well with their nonsense.
"They mean well?" Daniel's tone and weak smile turned it into a question.
"It's none of their business," Sam spat. Then she glanced around. If someone overheard them, the rumour mill would go into overdrive. And the damage that would do…. "We'll continue this in my lab." That would assure their privacy.
"Ah, I still have a report to… Alright." Daniel forced another smile.
Teal'c merely rose without a word.
By the time they reached Sam's lab, she had calmed down. A little, at least. It was true that their friends meant well, but they didn't understand. Not even after she had explained things to Catra. She sighed as she sat down at her desk.
"The Etherians have a different view of, ah, the private life of soldiers," Daniel said, sitting down on one of the tables with non-critical parts.
Teal'c cocked his head to the side.
"I am aware of that," Sam said. "But we're on Earth. In the Air Force."
"They grew up in a very different culture," Daniel tried again. "And their personal experience also has an impact. Adora and Catra, well…" He shrugged. "You know their history."
Sam did. And that mess was completely different from… living in accordance with sensible rules and regulations. It wasn't as if an abusive parental figure was manipulating Sam's life. Dad might not have been the best father possible, but he certainly cared for Sam and tried his best.
"So, it's only understandable that they, ah, would react to what looks, from their perspective, like a rule prohibiting relationships such as theirs, by attempting to fix what they would see as a great injustice."
"I am aware that they see our laws as a problem," Sam snapped. Her friend was dancing around the issue, which was annoying.
"I think they are primarily troubled by the Air Force regulations that prohibit two soldiers from forming a relationship," Teal'c commented. "Such as Colonel O'Neill and yourself."
Sam suppressed a gasp and stared at him. He was going there?
Teal'c weathered her glare with a slight tilting of his head and a small smile.
She clenched her jaw. Maybe dancing around the issue would have been better.
Daniel cleared his throat and went to refill his mug. Coward.
"My relationship with Colonel O'Neill is strictly professional," Sam very carefully said.
"Indeed. But it need not be." Teal'c took a sip from his own cup.
Sam took a deep breath, suppressing both the urge to yell at her friend - friends - and the feeling of longing. "What 'need not be' doesn't matter. We have those rules and regulations for a reason. A very good reason."
"Well, relationships between officers are only prohibited if they are within the same chain of command," Daniel pointed out.
As if Sam wasn't aware of that! But that would mean breaking up SG-1. And apart from the personal cost that would incur - Sam didn't trust anyone else as much as her team, and she would loathe seeing them fight without her - there was nobody else who could replace them. Not yet, at least. None were as qualified as Sam and Daniel in their fields. And Teal'c was… Teal'c. His knowledge of the Goa'uld was crucial, and he was the best fighter she knew. Not counting princesses. And the Colonel… Well, he would be promoted sooner or later.
But not today. Or tomorrow. And when the Colonel was promoted, he would likely move up to command Stargate Command. Or whatever formation SG-1 would be serving in at that point - Sam was aware that the odds of them staying in Stargate Command as the war began in earnest were low.
In any case, she would still be in his chain of command for the foreseeable future. She could apply for a transfer, but… Sam didn't want to become stuck in a lab. She was a soldier, not merely a scientist. Sometimes - quite often, actually - her skills were needed on the frontlines. She was needed there.
And she wouldn't sacrifice that for personal, selfish reasons.
No matter how much she wanted to.
"I'm not going to transfer out," she said, nodding firmly.
Teal'c nodded, and Daniel looked both relieved and disappointed.
Earth Orbit, Solar System, December 12th, 1998 (Earth Time)
O'Neill was annoyed. And angry. Catra could tell the moment he stepped off the ramp of the shuttle in Darla's hangar. His smile showed his teeth, and if he had had the ears for it, they would have been flat against his head. She half-expected him to hiss, too, as he greeted them. "Hi, kids."
"Hi, Jack!" Adora beamed at him, but Catra's lover was nervous. Her smile was just a tad too wide, and her tone just a bit too loud.
"Hi, Jack!" Catra waved. She wasn't nervous. It wasn't as if they had done anything to feel really guilty about. No war had been started, and no one had been killed. Just trying to help out two friends. Even if they didn't want to get helped. Or especially if they didn't want to get helped.
"The others are in the lounge. That should be private enough for… whatever you want to talk about." Adora nodded twice and gestured towards the hangar door as if O'Neill hadn't spent more than a month on the ship and knew exactly where everything was.
Catra sighed and shook her head as she followed the two.
"Hi, kids!" O'Neill repeated himself when they entered the lounge.
"Hi, Jack!" Bow smiled at him.
"Hello, Jack!" Glimmer nodded.
"Good morning, Colonel O'Neill," Hordak said in a flat tone.
"Kids? I don't think we qualify as kids according to the accepted definition, Jack." Entrapta looked puzzled.
"For someone my age, you all look like kids."
"Even Hordak? Since you're actually younger than him, I think." Entrapta frowned.
Catra grinned at the question - O'Neill looked momentarily taken aback.
But the man recovered quickly and sat down in one of the chairs to the side, facing the couch with Glimmer and Bow and the armchair where Catra decided to sit on Adora's lap, leaving Entrapta and Hordak's couch to the side. As expected.
"So… I've heard you were looking into certain Air Force regulations," O'Neill said.
"Yes? I mean, yes," Adora replied with a nod.
"Regulations about the proper conduct of officers in the Air Force." O'Neill leaned forward with a frown.
"Regulations that state you and Sam can't get together." Catra flashed her teeth at him.
He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment. "And you are planning to do something about that," he went on in a flat voice.
"Yes?" Adora shifted a bit in the seat. Not enough to move Catra out of her lap, but enough to force her to adjust her own seat. "I mean, it's obvious that you two…"
"Stop," O'Neill interrupted her. Yes, he was angry now but controlled himself. Oops. "I don't know how things are done on Etheria, but on Earth, you respect your friends' privacy. And you don't start spreading rumours about them."
"Your TV shows disagree with that," Catra pointed out.
"That's TV." O'Neill glared at her. "It's not a role model - and not funny when it happens to you."
Catra wanted to disagree with that, but O'Neill was mad right now.
"But aren't you in love with Sam?" Adora asked.
The man closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. But he was still tense when he looked at them, Catra noticed. "That's not important. Not at all. You don't mess with your friends' - or anyone's - private life."
"Not even when they are, ah… 'showing self-destructive behaviour'?" Entrapta asked. "That would be an 'intervention' according to my data."
"We're not talking about drug abuse or drinking or whatever," O'Neill replied. "We're talking - entirely hypothetically - about two people not doing a thing that would break rules and regulations. And contrary to what kids might think, not acting on every urge isn't the end of the world."
Catra glared at him. Not acting on such 'urges' had almost caused the end of the world! Worlds, actually.
"We're talking about love, not urges," Adora objected.
"And if you don't want friends interfering with your love life," Glimmer added, "then why do you let rules interfere with your love life? That's basically the same thing."
O'Neill sighed again. "It's not the same thing."
"Why not?" Entrapta asked.
"I should have taken Daniel with me," Catra heard O'Neill mutter under his breath. "Look, those rules were created for a good reason. It's like… You know, it's like traffic rules."
"Traffic rules?" Glimmer cocked her head to the side.
"Do you mean trafficking?" Entrapta asked.
"No! Traffic. Cars on roads. On roads, you have a speed limit - the maximum speed you're allowed to go. That's because letting everyone drive at whatever speed they wanted to drive would mean a lot of people would drive too fast and endanger others. And even if you think you could drive faster without risking an accident, you don't do it. Because if you do it, others will do it as well - and they might not be able to safely handle their car at the same speed. And that means they'll crash. Probably into someone else."
"Ah." Entrapta nodded. "So, you serve as a role model for others by conforming to laws that shouldn't apply to you."
"But you have exceptions for that," Glimmer retorted. "The police are allowed to drive faster."
"In emergencies," O'Neill replied. "And this isn't an emergency."
"But we're talking about your… private life," Adora protested. "Not about cars."
"My private life, yes. If I need help, I'll ask for it."
Catra had her doubts about that.
"Look, I know you mean well, but messing with our rules like that will hurt a lot of people. I have seen lives ruined by people… getting involved with each other. Or abuse their power. We need those rules. And every exception would weaken them." O'Neill shook his head. "It's not worth it."
Catra doubted that. Love and happiness were worth it. Everyone deserved to be happy.
But it was O'Neill's life. And Sam's, though Sam hadn't wanted them to help either. So, it was, ultimately, up to them. Even though they were being stupid about it.
He looked at them. "Do you understand that?"
Catra was tempted to shrug, but everyone else was, reluctantly, nodding, so she did as well. But once they finally saw reason, Catra wouldn't let them forget this for a long, long while!
He sighed. "Ask Daniel about the reasons for those rules."
"I did," Glimmer said. "His explanation didn't sound very convincing."
"Well, ask him again." Under his breath, Catra heard him add: "He deserves it."
Jack O'Neill felt a bit guilty about throwing Daniel under the bus. But this was something his friend should have handled when he had been talking with Glimmer. If Daniel had done his job, Jack wouldn't have had to read a bunch of well-meaning magical princesses the riot act and wouldn't have to look at half a dozen disappointed faces. Well, four. Hordak looked bored, and Entrapta was focusing on her portable super-computer. Or three - Catra didn't look too disappointed.
Still, Jack felt guilty about that as well. "So, yeah, that was what I wanted to talk about." He nodded, suddenly feeling awkward.
"Sorry," Adora said. She looked far too sad for someone with their lover in their lap, Jack couldn't help thinking.
Glimmer, though, frowned. "But with those rules, what about mixed formations or chains of command?"
"Ah… everyone follows their own rules, I think," Jack replied - but he didn't think it would be so easy.
"Our rules say a princess can adjust such rules," Glimmer pointed out with a wry expression. "And our people are used to that."
Just forbidding fraternisation wouldn't work - Jack knew soldiers; fraternisation would happen anyway, but under strict rules, people tended to be more discreet. If they expected a princess to bail them out…
"You can't really expect us to forbid our people from following their hearts," Glimmer added. "Or not help them if they ask us to."
Yeah, Jack knew better than to expect the same people who picked their allies according to how tolerant they were of gay love to play along with a strict non-fraternisation policy. "Well, that seems like a question that should be handled by the brass," he said. He absolutely didn't feel guilty about throwing them to the wolves - handling that was their job, after all. And Hammond was good at it.
And now everyone was frowning at him. Damn.
"Now that you said your piece, it's suddenly none of your business any more?" Catra shook her head.
And Adora nodded. "Yes. You obviously thought about this."
"We would like your opinion on this." Glimmer wasn't smiling, but Jack was sure she wanted to.
He sighed. "Well, we have different cultures - military cultures. We don't really like the idea of staff officers playing favourites." He had explained that, hadn't he?
"Yes. But our people expect us to take care of them," Glimmer insisted. "Even - or especially - when visiting another kingdom."
And there went Jack's 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do' idea. Not that that would have worked well once the Etherians found out how the United States insisted on not subjecting their soldiers to foreign laws.
"We could just treat any formation with Etherians as an Etherian formation," Bow suggested.
"Yes!" Adora nodded. "That would mean they wouldn't be subject to your regulations! And they would be free to have relationships with soldiers in other formations since those wouldn't be in the same chain of command!"
That sounded… well, if no Etherians served with Americans, that would work. Sort of. The brass wouldn't be happy, of course. And Jack knew, though some politicians might not, that soldiers would fraternise anyway. And since this would, technically, not break any rules… He shrugged. "Well, I'm no lawyer or politician, but it might work. Don't quote me on that, though," he quickly added.
The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into a discussion of this proposal with the brass. Handling politics like this wasn't his job - he was only here to ensure that his completely hypothetical relationship - it wasn't as if he even knew what Carter thought about that - wouldn't be meddled with by magical space princesses.
And that was a job well done, if Jack did say so himself.