Chapter 69: Going Home Part 1
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, December 15th, 1998
"Sorry! We'd really love to attend a boring debriefing, but talking to our friends back home is more important."
Glimmer didn't really sound sorry, in Samantha Carter's opinion. Adora and Bow at least looked embarrassed, but Catra was grinning widely, and Entrapta… was still talking with the fleet in orbit.
"So… see you tomorrow, I guess. Or later today, technically," Glimmer nodded at them as the lift stopped, then stepped out of the cabin and headed to the lift leading to the ground level. "Bye!"
"Well, I guess it's just us now," the Colonel said as the Etherians all but charged into the lift. "Us and the brass. And the politicians. Can't forget them - trust me, I've tried."
Sam drew a sharp breath, but Sir Watson, who was standing right behind them, chuckled. "I would mention that we're diplomats, not politicians, but I assume you do not think that there's much of a difference."
"Well, since you generally do what the politicians say, not really," the Colonel replied.
"As do soldiers, I believe - at least in civilised countries," the British diplomat retorted, still smiling.
The Colonel frowned. "That's a low blow!"
"I don't think either war or diplomacy is a game or athletic competition, Colonel O'Neill."
"War has rules, though."
"But pointing out that both soldiers and diplomats are under the authority of the government - and, therefore, under the authority of politicians - does not violate the rules of war, Colonel."
"Well, it should!"
Sam suppressed a sigh as both men chuckled. It was late already, and she wasn't looking forward to the debriefing. Not at all. And with the news that the Etherians had finally reestablished contact with their home planet, the debriefing would take even longer. Sam was sure of that. Even though everyone should be aware that SG-1 didn't know anything more than what everyone else knew - that they could talk to Etheria.
And they had arrived at the meeting room - guarded by a squad of marines. And a number of people in suits. Oh.
The Colonel stiffened as well at the sight. Soldiers were expected. But bodyguards? That meant a high-ranking official was waiting for them.
And since Sam thought she recognised at least one of the bodyguards from her visits to the White House…
She straightened as she entered the room - behind the Colonel, who was walking behind General Peck and Sir Watson himself.
"Mr President!"
Yes, as expected, there was the President waiting for them. She heard Daniel gasp next to her - he must have missed the signs. The Colonel, of course, wasn't surprised.
The President returned the general's salute and shook Sir Watson's hand. "Please have a seat. I know you must be tired, but I don't think this can wait. Especially not with the news that our allies now can talk with their home planet." He gestured towards the table, where more politicians - foreigners, Sam noted; she recognised the Canadian Prime Minister and the NATO Secretary General sitting there. Amongst the others would be representatives of the United Kingdom, France and Germany then. Their allies in NATO, but while the US joining the Alliance against the Goa'uld was, according to everything she had heard, a done deal, it hadn't been formally signed yet - though that should happen any day as soon as the last detail was cleared. Unless something significant happened that could derail the process.
Yes, as she had feared. This wouldn't be a debriefing about the diplomatic meeting with the Tok'ra but also a briefing about the Etherian situation. Or, as Sam suspected, a lot of speculation, most of which would be rendered obsolete in the morning when the Etherians would return to talk.
But, as Sir Watson had pointed out, both diplomats and soldiers served their government, and it was very obvious that their governments wanted to discuss the situation right here and now.
She forced herself to focus. She was, first of all, an officer in the Air Force and would do her duty to the best of her ability.
Earth Orbit, Solar System, December 15th, 1998
Catra smirked when Glimmer all but jumped on the ramp as soon as the shuttle had stopped in Darla's hangar - before the ramp had even touched the floor. "We could have relayed the signal to the shuttle if you're so eager," she said - to the princess's back; Glimmer was already rushing to the door.
"I asked if we should," Entrapta said behind her. "You said you could wait a few more minutes."
"She probably didn't want to appear too eager," Catra said with a smirk and shrug.
"Ah."
"She hasn't seen Micah in months," Adora said.
"And apparently forgot that she can teleport," Catra said with a chuckle.
Her lover looked at the door - through which Glimmer, followed by Bow, just disappeared, and Catra knew she was just holding back from rushing after them herself. Adora was missing her friends back on Etheria.
Catra… well, it would be great to talk to them. Catch up. She was wondering how Scorpia and Perfuma were doing. And how the Princess Alliance and Second Fleet were doing, of course. Of course, Catra didn't really worry too much about them. Etheria was not known to the Goa'uld, or shouldn't be, thanks to the system having been sealed in a pocket dimension for a thousand years. And even though the princesses she trusted most were here on Earth, the other Elemental Princesses should be able to keep the planet safe and the Alliance going. You could never be sure, though.
But the most important person for Catra - by far - was at her side. She didn't have to rush to the bridge to call home. Home was where Adora was. She grabbed Adora's hand as they stepped into the corridor leading to the bridge and squeezed.
Adora smiled at her and squeezed back.
Then they reached the bridge, where Glimmer was freaking out. "Do I have any stains anywhere? I don't want to look like we're in trouble or something," she asked Bow.
"Relax, Glimmer. You're perfect. I would have told you if you didn't look good."
Catra snickered at the scowl that comment caused to appear on Glimmer's face.
"But we've just spent hours in a diplomatic meeting! Negotiating!"
"And you look fine," Adora told her.
Catra was tempted to make a comment but refrained. Glimmer did look OK, anyway. "So… what's the holdup?" she asked. "I would have expected you to have called already.
"We were waiting for you," Glimmer said with another scowl as if she had expected them to run as well.
Well, good luck with that! Catra leaned against Adora's seat. "So, let's get ready for the call?"
"It's ready," Entrapta said. "We can open a line of communication anytime we want! The network is stable, and the lag should be minimal. That means no more than six seconds because of all the relays. I can't reduce that further, sorry."
"It's OK," Glimmer told her.
"Given the distance and technical limitations, that's a great achievement," Bow added with a smile.
"Well, Sam helped a lot with the setup and programming - and we copied some protocols from the Internet of Earth, although mostly for redundancy. It's not doing much for speed, and while the basics of data transfers are similar, Faster-than-light communication lag can't be helped overly much by protocols for optical or even electronic networks."
Glimmer was sitting on the edge of her seat and doing her best not to bite her lips, Catra noticed. Well, Catra could ask Entrapta to go into some detail, but that would be cruel.
"Let's start the call, then," Adora said.
The screen lit up with a rotating symbol - Entrapta's work; it looked like a stylised bot - while the call went out. Six seconds, she had said. Catra counted, then slid into Adora's lap just as the screen changed and King Micah appeared.
"Glimmer!"
"Dad!" Glimmer cried out, followed by a sniffle.
She must have been really worried, Catra realised. Well, for over a decade, Glimmer had thought that Micah had been killed by the Horde. That would have left an effect.
"How are you doing? We've been waiting for a courier to return," Micah said. His eyes were glittering a bit as well. Catra hoped he wouldn't start crying. Glimmer would follow at once, and so would Adora.
"Yes, we decided that creating a permanent network of bots serving as comm relays would be more efficient than using couriers," Entrapta explained. "Six seconds of lag is better than a few months, right?"
Micah continued. "So, we were very relieved when we received news that you made contact. And then worried when it was from a bot."
"Yes, Dad, but this way, we can talk any time we want," Glimmer said.
"Ah, that explains it. Thank you, Entrapta."
"I'm working on reducing it further, Micah."
Well, a lag of six seconds didn't sound like much, but it made talking a bit awkward, Catra realised as Micah and Glimmer kept talking just past each other.
"We need to space out our answers." Glimmer had realised the same thing.
Six seconds later, Micah nodded on screen. "Yes. So…"
Then Scorpia appeared behind him, grinning widely. "Hey, wildcat!" She waved, and her pincer hid most of Micah for a moment. "How are you doing."
Catra smiled. "Doing good. Even though the humans - the Tau'ri, as you know them - are crazy."
"They aren't crazy!" Adora protested. "Only some of them."
"Scorpia!" Entrapta beamed at her.
Micah cleared his throat.
"Oh, sorry - I thought we could talk," Scorpia told him.
"Dear, Micah hasn't seen Glimmer in months." Perfuma appeared on the screen as well.
What were they doing in Bright Moon? Catra wondered. There hadn't been enough time since the contact had been made for them to travel from the Fright Zone - former Fright Zone - to Bright Moon. She would have expected them to join through a routed call.
"We made an Alliance with Earth - well, some countries on Earth," Adora being Adora, explained while the other side was still talking to each other.
"Ugh. Let them talk!" That was Mermista. Was there an Alliance meeting?
"An alliance?" Micah cocked his head.
"Do they really have billions of people on their planet?" Perfuma asked. "How do they feed them?"
Glimmer looked like she was a little annoyed as she replied: "Yes, Dad, we made an Alliance with the leading countries of Earth. And we're working on an Alliance with the Tok'ra - they are fighting the Goa'uld, but they're, biologically, the same species."
Then another face appeared as they waited for an answer. WrongHordak. "Hello!" He smiled at them. "Sorry, I got delayed. Did you tell them about the attack already?"
Catra blinked. "The attack?" she said together with her friends.
"Not yet."
"We were about to."
"Can someone move the camera a bit back?"
Six seconds could feel like an eternity, Catra realised as she waited for their friends to hear their question.
Then Micah stopped smiling - a bad sign. "Ah. We were attacked during your absence." He glanced at WrongHordak.
"Yes." The clone nodded - and he had also stopped smiling. That was an even worse sign.
"By whom?" Adora blurted out. She was very tense.
WrongHordak answered her question before he heard it: "Elements of a Horde fleet that was detached to suppress an insurrection - at least that's what we assume based on their communication - arrived in the system. We hailed them and told them what happened, but they didn't take the news about Horde Prime's death well." He grimaced. "They blamed us for 'betraying' him and attacked. We were forced to destroy them - they wouldn't surrender or even attempt to retreat."
Catra muttered a curse under her breath. It would have been easier if it had been the Goa'uld. Probably. "Do you know if there are more of them?" she asked.
"How many ships did they have?" Glimmer asked.
"Did you lose people?" Adora leaned forward a little.
Seconds passed. Catra clenched her teeth so she wouldn't blurt out more questions. That would only make it harder to get the information she wanted. Damn, she really hated the lag.
Finally, WrongHordak heard their questions. "Ah… We were, unfortunately, unable to confirm whether or not the ships we saw were the entirety of the detached fleet elements. We did not detect any communication with others, though; that much we can state with certainty. They had three squadrons - usually more than enough to deal with a rebellion on a planet, but there were larger deployments in the past, according to First Fleet's archives." He bowed his head. "We lost half a dozen ships. We didn't expect their attack, so we were unprepared. I was… too optimistic. I am deeply sorry."
"It wasn't your fault," Adora told him at once.
Catra didn't quite agree - given how different Third and Second Fleet had turned out after Horde Prime's death, and how the remnants of First Fleet had clung to Hordak, WrongHordak should have expected that there might be some hardcore loyalist forces - but this wasn't the time to sort that out.
"We have increased readiness, though, so that won't happen again," WrongHordak finished.
"This was two months ago," Micah said. "And there hasn't been another contact since."
"We've sent scouting detachments out," WrongHordak explained. "But we kept the bulk of our forces in the system, and we haven't found another fleet element."
Or another fleet. But there could be one out there, Catra knew. Or even several. Horde Prime had kept too much information in his head, off his data banks - no one knew how many ships and clones he'd had under his command at the end. Or where they are. With each fleet having its own supply train, and most ships having been built in his flagship, which was now a space plant, there was no useful data to sift through, either.
"I see." Glimmer nodded. "It seems you have the situation in hand. Now, about our alliances…"
As Glimmer proceeded to fill the others back on Etheria in about how things had gone on Earth, Catra pondered how to handle this new problem. They would have to spread the spy bot network out even more than planned; that was obvious. But they also would have to make a plan for handling more Horde remnants. They couldn't fight a peer opponent and the Goa'uld at the same time.
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, December 15th, 1998
Jack O'Neill clenched his jaw. You didn't yawn in the President's presence. No matter how long a day you'd had and how late - or early - it was. And, a quick glance at the clock on the wall confirmed, it was getting very late indeed. Not quite so late that it started to become morning, but he really wanted to crash in his bunk. In the base - he was too tired to return home. Probably too tired to drive, at least in civilian traffic.
But the meeting wasn't over yet.
"...and so I believe that the Etherians will ask for help restoring the Stargate on Etheria. Which, in this case, means adding either a D.H.D. or a replacement like the installation we use at Stargate Command. Both options are within our capabilities," Carter finished her technical assessment.
"But the D.H.D. is Russian," the Secretary of State remarked. "They'll want their pound of flesh for parting with it and then some. Probably access to advanced technology as if they were in the Alliance."
"Would the Etherians agree to that?"
"No," Jack said. Damn - he had spoken up without being prompted. He must be more tired than he had thought. "They won't agree to that. In my opinion."
Daniel followed his lead. "I agree. They haven't shown any inclination to change their stance on the minimum conditions for sharing technology."
"I see." The President looked relieved. "And how fast could we provide them with a copy of Stargate Command's, ah, installation?" He looked at Carter.
"A copy of the installation at Stargate Command would take several weeks to a month," Carter replied. She probably had calculated that long ago. "However, that would be inefficient. The Etherian computer and power technology allows for a more efficient setup to be developed. We would only need to share our database. About a week, I would say, at the longest."
"And then a month to transport it back to their home planet?" a foreign politician asked. German, according to the accent.
"No," Carter replied at once. "The Stargate on Etheria cannot open a wormhole to another gate, lacking a control device, but other Stargates can connect to it as soon as it is recovered from where we sealed it. We can send the control device replacement as well as a team to set it up through our Stargate."
And Jack would bet a month's worth of the good jello in the canteen that Carter and Entrapta had the whole setup prepared already and were only waiting for the order to go ahead.
Hell, he was pretty sure that they would go ahead even without official permission if the government dragged its heels. Probably with some flimsy excuse that the Etherians developed it themselves.
And Jack would back them on that. Even a complete idiot would realise that they needed a Stargate on Etheria, Jack was sure about that. But he wasn't as sure that everyone realised that this was too important to play power games or attempt some horse-trading to gain an advantage.
The Etherians wouldn't take well to that. Unlike most on Earth, they had been fighting a war for years, decades even. And that sort of thing shaped you and your views.
He blinked. Damn, he really needed sleep - he started to sound like Daniel in his head.
Earth Orbit, Solar System, December 15th, 1998
"...and that's the current situation," Glimmer finished summing up the state of their negotiations with the Tok'ra. "We expect the alliance to be formalised within the next few weeks."
Adora nodded - that was what Sir Watson had said as well. And if everything went well, the United States would formally join the Alliance before that - even though it was, as Sir Watson liked to say, a de facto member already.
"Provided the Earth leaders don't mess up." Catra snorted. "It wouldn't surprise me. Over," she added with a glance at Glimmer before she leaned back against Adora while they waited for the response from their friends.
Glimmer frowned at her in return. Adora gave her a smile and a shrug - Glimmer had forgotten to tell the others that it was their turn to talk, so Catra wasn't at fault for adding it. And all of them had agreed that using old Earth radio protocols was a good idea to make communication easier and less chaotic with the annoying lag.
Bow patted Glimmer's hand.
Then, on the screen, Micah nodded. "I see. That's good news."
"Yes," Perfuma agreed. "More allies is always a good thing. And it proves that the Goa'uld can change." She blinked. "But they don't like being called Goa'uld, the Tok'ra, right?"
Adora owned her mouth, then waited. They hadn't given the signal to talk yet.
"Ugh." Mermista sighed. "Over."
"Yes, they don't like it," Adora said, nodding. "They don't consider themselves Goa'uld, actually."
"Just treat the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra as different kingdoms," Glimmer said. "Or like the Horde and the Princess Alliance. Over."
Another six-second pause. And they couldn't really talk since they were still transmitting. Maybe they should turn the transmission off? As if it were a radio from those old Earth war movies? But that would feel weird. And they wouldn't be able to watch their friends then. Just turn the microphone off? That would feel a little rude.
"We will do that." Perfuma beamed. "And we have an alliance with Earth!"
"With some of their kingdoms," Mermista corrected her. "Which aren't kingdoms. Whatever."
"The best kingdoms of Earth," Scorpia said. "Like the Princess Alliance has the best kingdoms of Etheria."
"And the best of the Horde." WrongHordak was smiling widely again. "I am happy to hear that Priest hasn't caused trouble. Much, at least."
Catra snorted again.
"So…" Micah turned to face the others in his room. "For the record: Does anyone oppose the decisions taken by Glimmer, Adora and Entrapta in the name of the Princess Alliance?"
Adora bit her lower lip. She didn't expect them to disagree, but…
"Of course not!" Perfuma said.
"No," Scorpia added. "Good work."
Mermista snorted, then shook her head. "I mean, no."
"No," WrongHordak said. Then he blinked. "Although I wasn't aware that we had a veto."
"We don't, technically," Micah told him. "Glimmer, Adora and Entrapta were mandated by the Princess Alliance to conduct the exact negotiations that they then did."
"Ah."
Adora saw Glimmer shift in her seat, pressing her lips together. She obviously wanted to say something.
"I doubt Netossa and Spinnerella will disagree, and Frosta probably won't, either," Micah said. "Though you'll have to talk to Castaspella about the magic issues. Over."
"I will," Glimmer said. "Where are they, anyway? Over."
Right. Adora would have expected the rest of their friends to be present - at least via comm.
Micah blushed a little. "Ah, we didn't want to disturb them. They're resting - it's the middle of the night here."
Oh. Adora had forgotten about the time differences.
Mermista snorted again. "That's what you call it?"
"Frosta is resting," Micah said. "In her palace. We informed her people, of course, but it's up to them whether or not they wake her up. Netossa and Spinerella didn't want to be disturbed."
That meant they were… Ah. Adora felt her cheeks heat up a little, and Catra snickered.
"They're gonna hate that they missed this," Cara mumbled.
"Their own fault, then," Glimmer said.
"Can we speak now? Anyway." Entrapta smiled. "We need to get Etheria's Stargate working again - then we can visit any time we want. So, you need to excavate the gate and set it up so we can send a control unit to you. Once we finish it - we need some data still. And a power supply. And you probably need some security for the gate. I have some ideas about bots and gun emplacement. We also might want a huge bomb to blow it up, just in case - Sam said they have such a bomb at Stargate Command. Uh, over!"
Micah and the others nodded as they listened to Entrapta, but Adora could tell that they didn't like the 'huge bomb' part. Well, they probably didn't need that part of the security. Not if the rest held up.
"Ah. Yes, that sounds like a good idea - though we can iron out the security details later, I think," Micah said. "So, you will be able to return to Etheria? Over."
"Yes. Though we have a lot of work to do here, with the Stargate, we'll be able to travel back and forth easily - and to any other planet with a Stargate," Glimmer said with a wide smile.
"Hence the need for security," Catra said.
Glimmer frowned a little. "But we'll also have to decide how to handle travel in general. There are a lot of humans - Tau'ri - who want to visit Etheria. And, well… that could cause some trouble. Especially if they want to visit other kingdoms that aren't in the Alliance. Over."
"Oh, yes," Catra mumbled.
Adora agreed. But compared to finally being able to see and visit their friends again, it was a small thing.
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, December 15th, 1998
Almost noon. Samantha Carter felt as if she had overslept the whole morning. She knew it was irrational - the meeting with the President had lasted until early morning, and she had barely caught five hours of sleep - but she never started her day this late.
She pushed the guilt away as she stepped out of the lift on her floor. Now that work was to be done, she wouldn't waste any more of her time.
"Ah, good morning!" Iwan greeted her in the hallway. "I heard you have eventful day, da? No science, but plenty political!"
Was he fishing for information? It wasn't a secret that the Alliance was negotiating with the Tok'ra. And the Etherians hadn't kept the news that they had reestablished communications with their home planet secret either. And if anyone thought that the President visiting Cheyenne Mountain would be ignored by anyone in the base… She shrugged and deliberately yawned. "Yes. It got very late."
"Ah, yes. Ours is not to reason why, da?"
Tennyson. Of course, a Russian might know a poem about the Crimean War. "We're not the Light Brigade," she replied. "A lengthy meeting won't kill us."
"Not here, but in Soviet Russia, it might very well have killed us. By alcohol poisoning or firing squad." He laughed. "Good thing there's no more Soviet Russia. Would be awkward to court other princesses on Etheria as soviets, da? After we shoot Tsar and princesses."
Ah. Of course, that Russia and China - and many other countries - would want to open diplomatic relations with other Etherian kingdoms was obvious as well. Sam nodded. "Provided the Etherians open their Stargate for travelling."
"You think the Princess Alliance will keep the Stargate closed for rest of Etheria?"
Was that his angle? Did he want information - intelligence - about the political situation on Etheria? Or her views of the Princess Alliance? "I don't know," she said. "That's up to the Princess Alliance." It was a political decision, and she was a scientist.
"Ah."
No comment about her close friendship with Entrapta. But as she walked towards her lab, he was walking with her.
"Will there be a Stargate Command Etheria, maybe? Independent organisation of Etherians?" He shrugged. "Etherians wanted to talk to entire Earth, so only fair if we do the same?"
That was true, of course. And Sam was sure that her friends would struggle with the implied hypocrisy. "Etheria doesn't have a United Nations," Sam pointed out. "The Princess Alliance is the closest organisation they have to the United Nations."
"So, Etheria is ruled by Princess NATO?" Iwan laughed, turning it into a joke.
Sam nodded. "They were at war for decades, and they're at war again." And that would influence their actions. Only, Sam didn't know in what direction.
They reached the door to her lab, and she nodded at him. "Have a nice day."
He smiled back. "You too! Don't stay too late today!"
She snorted. Although she was planning to stay a little longer - she had a feeling she would have to.
Once she was inside her lab, and the door was closed, she grabbed the VR glasses and switched the Waldo controls on. A moment later, she was staring at the inside of the spacelab. "Entrapta?"
No answer. That meant her friend wasn't in the lab. But she, or a bot of hers, would be listening, so…
A hologram appeared next to her. "Sam! I was wondering why you weren't around in the morning!" Entrapta beamed at her.
"I had a meeting late at night," Sam told her. "So I slept in."
"Ah!" Entrapta nodded - and then yawned. "Maybe I should have slept in as well. But we were talking with our friends, and then there was so much to do. Still is, actually."
"I can imagine." Sam wouldn't go fishing for information. Entrapta was her friend.
"Oh! We need our gate controller finished," Entrapta said. "Can we use your computer data?"
Sam had expected that. And she winced. "I asked, but it's currently in dispute if the data is the sole property of Stargate Command or if the US Government has a claim as well."
"Huh?" Entrapta's hologram blinked. "But you gathered the data!"
"Yes, but the agreement that transferred Stargate Command to the United Nations apparently is a bit unclear about that point." Sam frowned. Russia and China were, in a blatant attempt to extort concessions, claiming that the data was part of the Stargate and, therefore, entirely under the purview of Stargate Command.
"But… Don't you have a majority in the Command Council?" Entrapta looked puzzled.
"Yes. But the United Nations is getting involved." Sam sighed. And the Alliance didn't have a majority there. Veto powers cut both ways, too.
"Oh." Entrapta frowned. "That complicates matters. But since we know Earth's gate address, and the Tok'ra's, it shouldn't be too hard to reconstruct the data we need to open gates to either location from Etheria."
As Sam knew from experience, it was actually rather hard. But she had done it before - she knew exactly how to do it. And when she had done it, she had been using computers that had been vastly less powerful than the computers she was using with Entrapta.
Doing this wouldn't, technically, be violating her orders. Of course, her superiours would know what Sam was doing -, and why. But they would also know that punishing her for this would not sit well with the Etherians - and that the data was crucial for the war effort.
And Sam was a little tired of political games right now. Literally.
She nodded at her friend. "Let's get to work then."
"Yes!"
Washington D.C., United States of America, Earth, December 18th, 1998
Standing in the back of the oval room, Catra struggled with the temptation to show how bored she was while the President - of America, not of any of the hundred or so other countries with one - signed the Alliance treaty. It was just a formality, as far as she was concerned. Anything of note had been settled a while ago, but, apparently, the United States had a specific way of doing treaties, which delayed the whole thing. One more reason why a proper kingdom was more efficient - a princess would have just formally signed the treaty at the first opportunity. According to Bow, in the past, some treaties had been signed on napkins at a Princess Prom. She had to suppress a snicker as she wondered if the napkins had food stains on them.
Showing amusement wouldn't be appropriate, after all. This was a serious occasion, at least according to Glimmer and Adora, who both stood next to the President with suitably polite smiles for the occasion. Well, Adora also was as tense as if she were on a parade ground facing inspection - or at Princess Prom - but she still took such matters a bit too seriously. At least Glimmer was more relaxed.
"...and with this signature, the United States is now a member of the Alliance against the Goauld Empire."
Also known as the Alliance. Not to be mistaken for the Princess Alliance, Catra silently added. Some poor secretary now had to remove the 'provisional' from all the paperwork already passed in the meantime. Although they probably had a second set of regulations prepared that went into effect right now - Earth countries sure loved their paperwork.
Everyone applauded, so Catra joined in. And as people started to shake hands, and cameras clicked wildly, she leaned closer to Adora and whispered: "Can we order some food now?"
"Catra!" Adra hissed. But she was smiling and not as tense any more, so Catra counted that as a win.
Besides, Earth people knew how to feed their diplomatic guests. Once the press was done taking pictures, they would have a state dinner.
"...so, the Yanks managed to get their act together to sign up with the Alliance before the Tok'ra do. I guess we should be grateful to our future alien allies that the Americans finally stopped trying to take over half the Alliance leadership, but..."
"...well, it's not as if this was something that could have been delayed further, but I think waiting one more day so we could dominate the Friday evening news would have been better…"
"...and I know we're already involved in the negotiations with the Tok'ra, but that was merely a courtesy. Now that we're an official member of the Alliance, I think a few things should be revisited. Sir Watson did his best, no doubt, but since he's a Brit, I think the American perspective was a bit neglected, so…"
"...and yes, that's a really good potato soup. Reminds me of…"
"...when do you think we'll be able to buy shuttles? My kids are asking every day when I'll take them to the moon for dinner. They don't believe me when I tell them that we don't have a moon base yet, so…"
"...don't know why they are making such a fuss about the 'Mars Mission'. Who cares about that? It's just a trip riding in the back of the Etherian cab, so to speak, so…"
"...and yes, I think the United States formally joining the Alliance will simplify many organisational matters for us, though…"
Catra's ears twitched as she listened to a few conversations around them while Adora was busy explaining to some dense American that she didn't have a country of her own to rule and didn't want one either. It sounded a lot like the Princess Prom, actually - just with less gossip about relationships. But the jockeying for position, snide remarks and backstabbing she overheard were about the same.
It almost made her feel homesick. Or would, if she was a princess. She finished her third tuna sandwich - catering finally managed to get proper sizes for them after two complaints filed by her - and grabbed a fourth.
"...so, you see, I am Supreme Commander of the Alliance, so I wouldn't have the time to rule a country anyway," Adora repeated herself for the second time.
Catra shook her head and stepped closer to her lover as the - senator? Or representative? It didn't matter, anyway - frowned. "But you are the most powerful princess, aren't you? And an Ancient. Shouldn't you rule?"
"That's not how it works!" Adora exclaimed.
"Hey, Adora," Catra spoke up before the man could keep bothering her. Why had anyone given the man access to classified intel like the Ancients anyway if he was so stupid? "I think we're needed over there." She pointed at the dessert buffet.
Fortunately, Adora was annoyed enough that she played along at once. "Oh, right. Terribly sorry, Senator, but duty calls."
Catra snickered as they left - and then checked that he didn't attempt to follow them.
"Oh, this was terrible - the man seemed to think whoever is the most powerful rules on Etheria!" Adora complained as soon as they were out of earshot. "And no matter how often I explained that that wasn't how it worked, he didn't listen."
"Go thank the press for that," Catra replied with a shrug. "And Hollywood." She cocked her head. "And probably their own system."
"What?"
Catra grinned. "Well, you know that the most powerful countries rule the United Nations and how much they can get away with. They probably think that's how it works back home. Of course, if you wanted a country, I don't think anyone could stop you from taking whichever kingdom you wanted."
"I don't want a country to rule!" Adora pouted at her. "I don't want to rule anyone!"
"I know." Catra leaned in and wrapped an am around her lover's waist and her tail around her leg. "Something else the idiot didn't get. But we might have to talk to Brown and Julie about setting things straight about Etherian politics. Especially now that we are close to reopening the Stargate."
Adora nodded. "Yes. We need to make sure people on Earth know how things are done back home. Especially if they want to visit."
"If they are allowed to visit, anyway," Catra pointed out. That was something the Princess Alliance hadn't settled yet. It was a touchy question, too.
But they should discuss that in private, not in the middle of a room full of Earth politicians, diplomats and officers. And spies.
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, December 19th, 1998
Jack O'Neill had expected this, but he still narrowed his eyes at his second-in-command. "So, the Etherians finished their own version of a D.H.D.?"
She straightened slightly but didn't otherwise react to his best 'superior's disapproval' glare. "The project was started a while ago but wasn't a priority until recently, sir."
"But once they reestablished contact with their homeworld, it became a priority." He tapped the tips of his fingers together, elbows on his desk.
"Yes, sir. It was obvious that they needed a control and a power supply unit to operate their Stargate."
He squinted - was that a smile? No. Carter wasn't amused. She was… pissed off? No. Or, at least, not at him. It was more… defiant would fit best. He was familiar with the feeling. "And you asissted Entrapta."
"In the spirit of cooperation with an important ally, sir." And now she smiled.
He sighed. "And, of course, that cooperation didn't include access to Stargate Command's computers."
"Not as far as any data related to the Stargate itself was concerned, sir."
Now that was a relief. With the power discrepancy between the Etherians and the United States - or Earth as a whole - as blatant as it was, Carter as Etrapta's best friend could have copied the entire database in the Mountain and the brass would be forced to smile and nod in response. Though they would likely try their best to punish her in some unofficial way afterwards - that was how things were done, after all. And while Jack would still back Carter if she had done that, he really didn't need that kind of trouble.
Of course, some unofficial disapproval-signalling would likely be done anyway, but that was something Jack was familiar with. He could easily shield Carter from that - he had done it for Daniel before, usually after a too-honest briefing of a senator or general.
Still, better check - only so he knew if he had to lie or not. "So, they didn't get our address list and code?"
Was that surprise that he knew computer-speak? He wasn't that old or hide-bound. But Carter nodded. "Entrapta knew the addresses used on previous missions already. With a source of power, they could, in theory, dial manually."
It was a lot more complicated than that; even Jack knew that - Carter had explained it once. Stellar drift something, updated data, and the Etherians would want an iris as well to keep the gate secure. But it was a fig leaf to hide behind from the brass and politicians. "But they would still profit if they had our own address list?"
Carter's lips twitched. "Yes, sir."
"So, the US government still has a bargaining chip - or bribe - once they sort out things with the United Nations." Good. That would keep most generals and politicians happy. And if the United Nations managed to win that particular struggle, Jack doubted that anyone would mind if, somehow, the Etherians got the database unofficially. Quite the contrary, actually.
"I would not presume to second-guess our government, sir."
He rolled his eyes at her. "Don't overdo it, Carter."
"Yes, sir."
"So… when will the Etherians have their Stargate operational?"
"I would estimate it would take them a week to set up security and the control unit and power supply - provided that there are no issues related to Etheira's political or military needs, sir."
"You mean as long as the Etherians don't have to deal with the same problems we have," Jack summed up.
She nodded in return.
He leaned back, folding his hands over his stomach. "So, they know their gate address?"
"Yes, sir." Carter raised her chin a little.
He got the hint. Best not to ask too many questions about how exactly the Eherians had managed that without records. "Well, everything seems to be in order then, Captain."
She nodded again.
"Now, there's another task for you, Captain."
"Sir?" She cocked her head a little to the side.
"The traditional Stargate Command New Year's Party is coming up." He smiled when he caught her eyes widening. "And since I have no doubt that we'll invite the Etherians this year, I think we need your help organising it, so we don't accidentally offend anyone." And Daniel's, but he would consider that a treat.
"Yes, sir."
She narrowed her eyes at him, and his smile grew wider. Yes, officially, everything was fine, but unofficially, some punishment was still merited for doing this behind his back instead of telling him.
And, more importantly, for getting caught by him.