Chapter 76: The Intervention Part 1

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, Unites States of America, Earth, January 1st, 1999

Catra perked up as she noticed the officer approaching the generals. Not that it took a particularly sharp eye to catch it - the man wasn't wearing a dress uniform, so he stood out amongst the party's guests. O'Neill had noticed him as well and was already heading back to the general's table.

But it took damn good ears to listen in at that distance, with Entrapta's holo-singer going off in the background and everyone talking - and Catra had the best ears in the room. She turned them in Hammond's direction just in time to catch the gist of the message.

"...didn't open the iris, but we accepted the radio call from the Tok'ra. They claim it's an emergency and want to talk to the Alliance leadership."

Oh.

"I see."

"Let's get up," Catra told Adora as Hammond frowned. "It's for you."

"What?" Adora looked at her.

"Call from the Tok'ra," Catra explained. "For the Alliance leadership." Technically, Stargate Command wasn't part of the Alliance. At least not directly. And the Russians and Chinese certainly weren't part of the Alliance. And Adora was the Supreme Commander of the Alliance.

"Oh. Glimmer!" Adora called out. "We have to take a call!"

"What?" But Glimmer was already on her feet, Bow following her.

And that started a general move towards the doors by everyone from Etheria - and a lot of murmuring and speculation amongst the soldiers from Stargate Command. Which quickly drowned out the singing.

Sometimes, having the best ears in the room wasn't a good thing.

She grabbed a last sandwich on the way out.

"I'm sorry, General, but this is Alliance business - not Stargate Command business."

"What? This is Stargate Command! This is the Stargate!"

"Yes, but only in as much as it's needed for transportation and communication, General."

"We have oversight over all gate activities! This is a matter of security!"

"The majority of the Command Council is present, sir. Therefore, it shouldn't…"

Catra shook her head with a sigh as the door slid close and cut off the angry ranting from Sidorov outside the gate room. "We should take control of the Stargate here as well."

"What?" Adora gasped at her.

"I mean the Alliance," Catra explained as they walked over towards the gate. It was still covered by the iris, but she could see Garshaw on a screen next to the ramp. "Or the Earth parts of it, at least. Like we did on Etheria."

"Uh…" Adora bit her lower lip. "That should be up to them, I think. The Alliance, I mean. And they already have the majority of the generals in Stargate Command, so…"

"Then they should kick out Sidorov."

"Oh, yes!" Frosta chimed in. "He's such a pig-headed walrus! I'm a princess and a war veteran, not some baby!"

Catra held her tongue - not because she feared Frosta's anger; the girl had gotten one free shot back in the war for… reasons. But this wasn't her problem. She didn't like Sidorov for entirely different reasons.

"Well, he doesn't know you." Adora, of course, considered it her problem.

Frosta scoffed. "That's no excuse. He knew I am the sovereign of the Kingdom of Snows!"

"Things are different on Earth," Adora replied. "And, well…"

Fortunately, they reached the screen before Adora could put her foot in.

"Good evening, Grand Councillor," Glimmer greeted them.

"Good evening, Queen Glimmer. Princess Adora. Princess Entrapta." The Tok'ra leader looked… well, not too concerned, but she had a good poker face, so that didn't mean anything. "I see you've restored gate access to your home planet."

Now, that probably means there's no immediate emergency, Catra thought as everyone was introduced to everyone. Which took a little while.

But after that, Garshaw cleared their throat. "I am calling because we have received disturbing news. Apophis is planning an attack against a planet under the control of a rival in order to frame a third faction for the attack."

Ah. That sounded… well, kind of smart - and just the sort of thing the Tok'ra did.

"And he is planning to use weapons of mass destruction to ensure this will lead to war - and to hide his involvement." Garshaw looked grim. "According to our intel, most of the planet's population will be killed, should he succeed. And, even worse, for such attacks, the general Goa'uld policy is to retaliate in kind."

Which meant another planet would be razed. And then another. And another.

Damn.

They had to stop that - but that would mess up their planned schedule for the war.

"Alright. According to your intel, dear old Aphophis wants to frame Sokar for the attack on one of Heru'ur's garrison worlds so he can then sit back and watch his two most dangerous rivals destroy each other." Jack O'Neill shook his head. And then the snake would polish off whoever remained - if he waited so long; Jack wouldn't be surprised if Apophis would attack both once they're weakened enough just so no one else got to kill them.

"Exactly." Garshaw nodded.

"And that intel is dependable?" Jack had been on missions based on wrong intel before. He wasn't keen on repeating the experience.

"It comes from one of our best operatives. They have infiltrated Apophis's court for years."

Jack nodded even though that didn't mean the intel was good - in the spook game, once you discovered an enemy agent, you either turned them or left them in place and fed them bogus information. You could never be sure that the intel was good until after the mission was over. And sometimes not even then. The soviets had gone to great lengths to fool their enemies; even sacrificing a few soldiers or spies of their own hadn't been beyond them. And compared to the commie spooks, the snake spooks were worse.

Not that the American spooks were that much better, of course. At least some of them would fit in with either the KGB or the snakes. Like the spook in the room. Jack glanced at Colonel Maybourne and didn't bother hiding his frown.

Maybourne ignored him, seemingly focused on his notes. Jack resisted the urge to make a face at him. If only they were in private…

"So, they're planning an orbital bombardment to wipe out the ground bases, then loot the mines - and probably have some survivors identify their forces as Sokar's. Pretty simple plan," Catra commented.

"As long as they manage to convincingly pass for Sokar's forces, they won't need a more complex scheme," Garshaw said. "Sokar has only recently resurfaced - he was thought destroyed by Ra and his allies after an attempted rebellion thousands of years ago, and he is reviled amongst the other System Lords. Wiping out the population of a planet is exactly what they would expect of him. All Aphophis needs to do is make his force act sufficiently sadistic when killing the majority of the bombardment's survivors and Heru'ur will be fooled."

Jack scoffed. "What a charming fellow." It would take a lot to get reviled by the other snakes.

Then Maybourne spoke up for the first time during the briefing: "Will acting on that intel put your agent in danger?"

Jack clenched his teeth at the man's comment. He should have expected that question from a spook.

"What?" Adora obviously hadn't, though. "We have to stop this attack!"

"Yes!" Glimmer nodded sharply.

Jack looked at the Tok'ra. They had good poker faces, but… Garshaw didn't show any reaction, but Per'sus was glaring at Maybourne. Of course, that could be an act to impress the Etherians - the Tok'ra were well aware of who was the dominant power in the Alliance. Hell, they might even think sacrificing an agent - or setting up this attack in the first place - was worth it if it made them best buddies with the Etherians! Jack was sure that they had done such stunts before, setting up one snake to fight another.

Maybourne, though, appeared undaunted by the anger directed at him - by aliens able to reduce him to a stain on the floor without trying. Of course, they wouldn't do this, but still - many would show some fear faced with that. The spook even had the gall to smile at the angry princesses. "This could be a ploy by Apophis to discover the agent."

"Other sources have verified that some of Apophis's most loyal and capable forces have disappeared," Garshaw cut in. "I doubt he would risk angering two of his most dangerous rivals just to hunt a spy."

"It could still be a consolation prize." Maybourne shrugged. "But the real question is: Should we stop this, risking that the Goa'uld learn of the Alliance's existence, or would it be better if we let the attack happen and let the Goa'uld fight each other for a bit before we reveal that it was a ploy by Apophis? And then let them fight each other some more?"

Jack narrowed his eyes. That was the kind of cold-blooded thinking common amongst spooks. But, a small voice in the back of his head added, the man wasn't wrong - letting the attack happen and then expose Apophis's treachery would do a lot of damage to the Goa'uld. They would tear each other's armies up.

But it would also kill a lot of civilians.

"You want to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of people?" Adora jumped up, her chair clattering to the ground behind her.

"That's unacceptable!" Glimmer slapped the table with both hands. "We're not going to let them murder people - we're fighting this war to save people!"

A crackling sound drew Jack's attention to his right, and this time, he winced. Frosta was standing, both arms covered to the elbows in gleaming ice - and Jack could feel the cold around the little princess.

He almost quipped about cold rage.

Maybourne finally showed a reaction - he winced. "I'm just asking questions!" he said. "I'm not saying we should let civilians get killed - but it's my job to ensure that our leaders are aware of the costs of intervening. This is a planning meeting, after all."

"I think everyone here is aware of that, Colonel," General Haig spoke up with a frown.

"Yes!" Adora hissed.

"And of the price of our inaction." Bow looked angry as well.

And Catra looked like she was plotting an accident for Maybourne.

"Colonel, I think we need more data on the status of our various forces. Please start compiling a briefing," Hammond said. "The president will want it later."

"Yes, General."

The spook got up and left the room, and Jack relaxed. A little. Why had Maybourne done this? He had to know how the Etherians would react. Was Kinsey behind this? Was this an attempt to sabotage this meeting in preparation for the Alliance meeting where the actual decision would be made? Not that Jack doubted that they would intervene since the Etherians were unified in this. Had that been the goal? Show that resistance was futile? Or had someone set up Maybourne to take a fall to replace him?

And what was the Tok'ra's game?

Jack clenched his teeth again. He hated dealing with spooks as much as he hated dealing with politics.

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, Unites States of America, Earth, January 2nd, 1999

"Here's another argument for the Alliance taking over the Stargate: We could cut the meetings in half."

Adora frowned at Catra's whispered comment, but her friend had a point, sort of - this was the official Alliance planning meeting, and they were going over mostly the same things that they had covered in the first meeting here at Stargate Command.

And judging by Glimmer's snort, her friend agreed. Still, while Adora didn't like rehashing things, she also knew you couldn't just rush everything. And even with shuttles, it took some time to ferry in the Alliance leaders from Earth.

"You're the Supreme Commander," Catra went on. "Just tell them what we'll do."

That… wasn't how things worked either. And Catra knew that. But this was the second hour of the meeting, and they hadn't made much progress.

"...and why is Apophis doing this now?" the German general, Müller, asked. "At the best time to hamper our build-up and make us throw away our plans?"

"No plan survives first contact with the enemy," Jack commented.

Müller frowned. "We both know what Moltke actually meant with that, Colonel. And that's not the point. I'm wondering if Apophis is doing this as a reaction to the preparations of the Alliance - if he knows about our plans."

"Our operatives have not found any hint that would support this," Garshaw replied. "If Apophis - or any System Lord - would suspect this, they would reach out to their peers, not attempt to play two rivals against each other."

"His reputation suffered following his defeat at the hands of Stargate Command," Per'Sus added. "His material losses were minor, but he was personally leading the attack. His rivals will wonder if he had gravely underestimated his enemies, showing a lapse of judgement that might be exploited - or if he couldn't spare the forces to ensure victory, showing a fatal weakness. This might be his attempt to counter that and present the conflict between Sokar and Heru'ur as a distraction."

A distraction that would cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people! Adora pressed her lips together. They couldn't let that happen! At least none of the Alliance leaders here had suggested that they should let it happen. This Maybourne… She clenched her teeth. How could anyone think like that?

"Why Apophis is doing this doesn't matter as much as what we're doing to stop it," Glimmer spoke up. "We can't let him murder countless people. We have to stop him."

"Can we stop him?" another European General, Hansen, asked. "Can we reach the planet with the fleet before his ships reach it?"

"If he sticks to the schedule our agent discovered, yes," Garshaw said. "The Horde frigates can reach the planet in time to meet the attack."

"Convenient," Müller muttered.

"If we send the fleet, we will expose ourselves. The Goa'uld Empire will be aware of our forces - and that we're about to fight them. We have to keep that in mind," the British General - Forsythe - said. "We will have a harder time preventing information from getting out than if we struck a target of our own choice."

"We have to send the fleet - we can't stop an orbital bombardment with whatever forces we could send through the gate. If we can secure the gate in the first place," Jack pointed out.

"Maybe." The Canadian representative, Miller, didn't seem convinced. He looked at Adora, she realised. "Princess She-Ra, Could you activate the planet's magic and use the, ah, surge of power to attack the ships in orbit?"

Adora winced. "That was a unique event that can't be repeated." And that was a relief! If there were another Heart of Eheria-style weapon… "Not to mention that it would mean that I would have to do this right before the bombardment starts, but after the attackers are in position. The timing would have to be perfect."

"So, that's not an alternative. We'll have to bring the ships out. And the Goa'uld will know those are Horde frigates," Catra cut in. "They will investigate Horde Prime's former Empire."

"But they won't know about the Alliance. Not right away," Forsythe said.

"Sooner or later, they'll find out about us," Glimmer said. "We didn't attempt to keep his defeat a secret."

Of course not! They had spread the news so his subjects knew they were free! Adora nodded.

"We'd still gain some time. It would be better if we could use Goa'uld ships, to make them suspect each other, but…" Forsythe looked at the Tok'ra.

Garhsaw shook her head. "We do not have nearly enough ships for that."

That was putting it mildly.

"Can we mask the Horde ships as Goa'uld ships?" Miller asked.

Entrapta cocked her head to the side. "We can use false transponders, but camouflaging their visuals is tricky. The frigates are very different designs."

"We could ambush the attackers before they reach the planet. That would cut down on the number of witnesses," Catra suggested. "Jam their communications and wipe them out."

"And make Apophis wonder what happened - if we can pull this off." Bow nodded.

"It would make him suspect a mole," Garshaw said. "But any defeat would result in that."

"Yeah, that's Dictator 101 - it's always the fault of traitors, never your own incompetence." Jack scoffed. "But if you deal with Apophis's forces in space, that still leaves Heru'ur's troops on the planet - and what assets they have in space."

"And they would have the sensors to detect the battle and will investigate it. At least a few scouts will be sent," Per'sus said. "We will have to deal with them as well."

"But that won't take a full invasion. More like a strike by special forces," Forsythe added.

"So, a space fleet action and a ground-based commando strike. At least, it's not a Forest Moon," Jack said.

Adora blinked, then snorted. "The Alliance won that battle anyway," she pointed out.

"But it was still a trap!"

A number of people were laughing, but they had to explain the comment to the rest of the room. Still, joking aside, they had the start of a plan.

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, January 3rd, 1999

"You know, riding a space shuttle to reach a meeting at the other end of the world just doesn't have the vibe of boldly going where no man has gone before," Samantha Carter heard the Colonel comment as they stepped off the shuttle ramp.

"It's a Horde shuttle, not a space shuttle," she corrected him. "And we didn't leave the atmosphere during our flight."

"It's a shuttle and it can fly in space - it's a space shuttle," he retorted.

She didn't have to look at him to know he was grinning. She did it anyway.

"It's amazing, Jack!" Daniel chimed in. "This is revolutionising travel. Or will, once the shuttles spread to civilian use."

The Colonel shrugged. "Making it so you have to commute around the world is not the kind of revolution that we want, I think."

"Once holoprojectors become more common, many meetings won't be held in person any more," Sam pointed out. "And many office workers will be able to work from home. With advanced waldos and matching headsets, even industrial work could be done from home."

"That would be a security nightmare," the Colonel retorted. "Imagine having access to classified material - or weapons - from your home. Go on a toilet break, and come back to find your kid driving a tank across a base as if it was a remote toy!"

"That can be handled with proper computer security," she pointed out as they entered the building.

"The computer security that can defeat human laziness hasn't been invented yet." He grinned again. "I think we'll have meetings in person for a long time yet. No offence, Carter."

"As you say, sir."

"Want to bet?"

"You want to bet whether or not commuting will still be common?" Daniel sounded surprised.

"Yes, Daniel."

"But how would you define what counts as common? Or commuting? Especially since with shuttles, what would be considered a long commute might become a quick trip down the block, comparatively. Further…"

"And we've arrived!" the Colonel interrupted him. "Welcome to the really official planning meeting! Not to be mistaken for the official planning meeting. Or for the planning meeting. Oh. Sir!" He snapped a salute.

The American general - General Smith according to his tag - standing at the door that had just opened didn't look amused. "Colonel O'Neill. We've been waiting for you to finally arrive."

Sam half-expected the Colonel to make a joke about traffic, or about generals answering the door - though Sam was sure the officer had been on the way out of the room. But he just nodded. "We came as quickly as we could once we got our orders, sir."

General Smith harrumphed. "Well, you're here now. Let's get this started."

Sam wondered if he didn't want them here - technically, they were still assigned to Stargate Command, not the Alliance forces. Though since they were the foremost experts on gate travel and the Goa'uld… They stepped inside.

"Hi, Jack!" Adora greeted them.

"Hey." Catra looked up from her pad and waved.

Next to them were Netossa and Entrapta, waving as well.

"I saved you a seat!" Entrapta beamed at them. "Glimmer and Bow are meeting the presidents and prime ministers."

Sam nodded, though she had known that already.

"Alright." Adora rose after everyone had taken their seats. "Let's get started. We're here to discuss how to spoil Apophis's attack on PZ-921."

As she spoke, a holoprojector turned on, and the floating hologram of a planet appeared in the middle of the room.

Next to Sam, the Colonel muttered something about Endor, but she tried to ignore it.

"This is the world in question. Heru'ur is using it to grow food for his forces and mine ore for his industry, but according to our intel, it also serves as a Jaffa training camp. The planet's Stargate is located here, and the main mining sites are here and here."

As Adora pointed out the various locations, they lit up on the projection.

"According to Apophis's intel, the base housing the Stargate is fortified and has two squadrons of Death Gliders assigned to it as well as a battery of anti-aircraft artillery." Adora nodded at the others. "We'll have to verify that once we have assets in the system."

"We've sent spy bots to the system, but since it's not close to their current line of advance, it'll take some time for them to reach it. But they'll reach it before our fleet does!" Entrapta chimed in.

"So we will have advance warning in case this turns out to be a trap for Apophis's forces," the British admiral commented.

The Colonel mouthed something that Sam missed.

Adora nodded. "If it is a trap, we'll let them handle Apophis's attack."

That made sense, of course - the Alliance was only intervening to save the civilians.

"But if it's not a trap, we'll have to deal with the planetary garrison. And that's where it gets tricky," Adora went on. "We have to take control of the base housing the Stargate without them calling for help."

The projection zoomed in on the gate location, showing an extensive Goa'uld base.

"I'd rather sneak into a shield generator," the Colonel muttered under his breath.

Sam agreed.

Bright Moon, Etheria, January 4th, 1999 (Earth Time)

"I've got some experience assaulting and defending similar bases, you know. Well, mostly defending, back when I was a Force Captain, but still, that should be useful, right? And, well - I've received so much help from you, I think I should start helping others in turn. And I don't need my magic power to fight, as you all know."

"We didn't help you and your people because we expect your help in return but because it was the right thing to do. And we are bringing back magic to every planet in the sector anyway, so there's no reason not to start with this planet. And I could do some good on that planet as well - and it's a whole planet full of new plants! And you might need my help if the fields get damaged during the fighting so there won't be a famine as a result."

"You could handle that after the fighting; you don't need to be on the frontlines. And both of you are ruling princesses, unlike us. We don't have other responsibilities, and we need first-hand experience if we are to lead similar missions in the future. With or without powers."

"This sounds like an adventure!"

"Sit down, idiot! But as the map shows, the Stargate is near a body of water. I could cover that and grant us a decisive advantage."

"I can freeze the entire lake and form walls around the base. And I can do that without having to have water nearby. Or setting things on fire."

"You lack the experience for this kind of mission."

"What? I've been doing the same things in the war against the Horde!"

"This is a different war."

"War never changes."

Another meeting. If there was one thing Catra didn't like about the Princess Alliance, it was how often they had meetings. And squabbling princesses. And politics, which was usually squabbling princesses. Alright, there were a few more things she didn't like about the Princess Alliance, but right now, meetings were pretty much at the top of her list.

Of course, some meetings were necessary. A number of her operations as Horde Leader would have gone a lot better - or wouldn't have gone off at all - if there had been a meeting where others could have pointed out any flaws with her plans she had missed (and there had been a number of those, obvious in hindsight, but she wasn't going there).

But the meeting she was currently attending? In Sparkles's palace? This wasn't about the best way to deal with a Goa'uld fleet and garrison. Or about potential problems and complications that they might have to deal with in the middle of it.

No, this was just about telling people that they couldn't come along. And the relative novelty of having more volunteers than spots to be filled in a roster had long since worn off. Especially since it looked as if half the princesses would be ready to fight each other if that meant the would get to fight the enemy. "So much for the vaunted power of friendship," she muttered.

Adora shot her a look before speaking up - again - in an attempt to keep order in the meeting. Or peace. "Look, all of you have good arguments, but we can't take everyone with us."

"Why not? Overwhelming power focused against the enemy's weak point is a good strategy, isn't it?" Scorpia asked, slamming her pincers together.

"Not always, as the Horde found out a few times," Glimmer retorted. "And no, we won't bring back magic for this battle."

"What? Why not?" Frosta pouted as she glared at her.

"Because we - I - don't have enough experience with that yet," Adora said. "If I make a… if anything goes wrong, the middle of a battle isn't the best time to try to fix it."

"But you'll do it afterwards, right?" Perfuma asked.

"We're not sure yet," Glimmer told her. "We have to find out more about the planet's situation, the population… Apophis didn't really care about knowing anything about them, other than how to kill most of them, so his intel doesn't cover that."

"We do know that Heru'ur seems to have a better relationship with his Jaffa than most System Lords," Bow added. "He is said to fight at their side and value them as comrades, which Apophis considers a weakness. But that doesn't tell us anything about the humans on the planet."

"You think they would pick their oppressors over their liberators?" Perfuma stared at her.

"We don't know. The System Lords pose as gods so their slaves obey and revere them. That kind of conditioning is harder to break than slavery," Glimmer said.

Adora didn't say anything, but Catra saw how she tensed. She sighed - the differences between what the Goa'uld were doing and the situation with Third Fleet were obvious, namely that Adora hadn't done anything to be revered as a goddess. Not intentionally, at least. But her lover still blamed herself for it. "Don't be silly," she whispered, letting her tail brush over Adora's calf.

Adoa smiled, though a bit weakly, at her in return.

"Anyway," Glimmer went on. "We'll have to run this mission without our magic powers. Which means those amongst us who are effective without magic will take point."

And that meant Catra as well - not that she would let Adora fight alone, of course. And speaking of her… Catra waved at her lover with a grin. "And those who can use their magic powers anyway."

Adora blushed.

Glimmer nodded. "But you're right about the overwhelming power, Scorpia. We need to not just win, but win decisively, shocking and awing the enemy and their enslaved population to break the Goa'uld's grip on them."

"I can do that!" Scorpia grinned and slammed her pincers together again.

"Yes. You and Adora will be crucial for that. And Catra will help."

"And our bots!" Entrapta chimed in.

"Yes." Glimmer nodded again. "But we can't take everyone - that would mean our entire command structure is in this battle. And that would be foolish." She glared at a few of the princesses for a moment. "Anyway, we'll use stealth shuttles to land at the three key locations, then hit them right before the fleet action starts. Two will be held in reserve, and Entrapta, Bow and Sam will be present as well to ensure the enemy communications are cut."

It was a decent plan - Catra would have objected otherwise. Not perfect - they also had to keep a reserve to deal with straggling or unknown elements, and getting those in time would be tricky if they had FTL comms, but it was the best they could do.

She just hoped it would be enough.

"I still want to go!" Frosta said.

"It certainly wouldn't hurt if we came along," Netossa added.

Catra sighed as the bickering started again.

Earth Orbit, Solar System, January 5th, 1999 (Earth Time)

For a moment, Jack O'Neill felt as if he was on a base in the United States as he stepped on the ramp of the shuttle that had brought him and his team into orbit and heard the sergeant in charge of the platoon assigned to the same bellow, the man's voice filling the entire hangar.

"Alright, form up! You're bunking by squad, so don't lose your squad leader!"

It sounded like, well, home. Even though the soldiers forming up next to the other shuttle were marines and not airmen.

Then he heard another familiar voice, and the illusion was shattered.

"Hello! Welcome on board the 'Three-Two'! I am Lucius the Faithful, and I will be your guide today! Please follow me to your quarters!"

The clone was far too cheerful for an American base. And far too polite when talking to the enlisted. And far too alien, of course.

Jack glanced at the marines as they lined up. A few of them were staring at the clone, and he hoped it was just surprise at the cheerful tone. If they had sent people who had trouble interacting with aliens, that wouldn't be a fun trip. And not a smooth mission on the target planet, either.

"You heard the man! Follow us! Forward, march!"

The marines marched off - and ran into their first problem when the clone turned out to walk more slowly than they were used to. Well, that was for the sergeant to figure out, and none of Jack's business. Hell, since SG-1 was still part of Stargate Command, he wasn't even officially part of the chain of command of this operation - at least not of the Earth part of it; officially, SG-1 was here on detached duty at the request of the Etherians.

"Hi, Jack! Hi, Sam! Hi, Daniel! Hi, Teal'c!"

And speaking of said Etherians… Jack nodded at Entrapta. "Hello."

"You came!" the princess went on - as if that had been in doubt.

"Yep." Jack grinned and resisted the urge to joke about having an opening in their schedule. Instead, he commented: "So, Three-Two? I expected something like 'Righteous Wrath of the Goddess'."

"Oh, no - all frigates have numbers. Three-Two means this is the second ship of the Third Fleet. Priest wanted us on the flagship, Three-One, but Adora explained to him that the flagship shouldn't serve as a transport or shuttle carrier. I am not entirely sure if that's correct - they could launch the shuttles way before the fleet action since they're stealth shuttles - but Adora insisted." Entrapta nodded.

"Yeah, I can see that." Jack wouldn't have wanted to travel on the same ship as Priest either. Hell, travelling in the same fleet was already a bother, and Jack wasn't being worshipped as a god by the clones.

On the other hand, neither Anise nor Castaspella was part of this mission, which was definitely a plus in his book. Sure, they were about to launch a landing operation on a planet occupied by snakes, but Jack could deal with Goa'uld and their Jaffa warriors much more easily than with a Tok'ra scientist or an Etherian sorceress interested in his ancestry and progeny. Ugh, 'progeny'? He must have been listening too much to Daniel and Carter!

"So, everyone is on this ship? Wouldn't that make it the flagship by default?" Daniel asked.

"I've asked the same thing!" Entrapta beamed at him. "But no - the fleet will be commanded by Priest on Three-One. Adora will command the landing operation from this ship, though. Well, until we launch the shuttles, that is. Then I guess the shuttle she's on becomes the flagship?"

"I don't think that's how it works," Daniel said. "But I'm no expert."

Why was everyone glancing at Jack? Did he look like he was a Navy Puke? He was Air Force, and the Air Force didn't have flagships! "Well, it's not as if we're doing things by the book - whatever book there is." Otherwise, Adora wouldn't get to fight on the frontline. Most of the Alliance brass had protested against that part of the plan, though Jack suspected that many of them just didn't want to look bad when the Supreme Commander led from the front and they stayed behind. No matter how insane that was. But then, if you were a magical princess that could cut spaceships apart with their magic sword, it wasn't as insane as it sounded. But still insane.

"Ah." Entrapta nodded as if he had told her something profound. "Anyway, we're all here - well, all those who take part in the attack. They're in the planning room, but I'll show you the lab space for us first!" She beamed at Sam. "And, I guess your cabins, too. Come!"

"Your chosen companions are on board the assigned ships, Your Divine Highness! The fleet stands ready to depart at your orders!"

"Thank you, Priest." Adora managed not to wince. Her title was She-Ra - or, maybe, 'Supreme Commander' in the Alliance - not 'Your Divine Highness'. And the 'chosen companions' should be the 'Alliance Expeditionary Force'. But she knew from experience that trying to correct Priest would only lead to frustration and waste time.

Time they couldn't afford to waste if they wanted to stop Apophis's plot. "Set out at your convenience, then."

"Your slightest wish is our holy command!" Priest bowed so deeply, she could only see the back of him, then straightened and snapped orders.

Adora watched Earth pass as Three-Two turned and fell in formation next to Three-One, the other frigates of the task force forming a screen around them and the other transports.

They were underway for the Alliance's first operation in the war. She straightened. This would be the official beginning of the war. And it would see them foil a callous, cruel plot by a Goa'uld. A plot aimed at his rivals. In Adora's opinion, that was a good omen.

"And now we wait," Catra commented next to her.

"Even in hyperspace, we have a lot of work to do," Adora corrected her. Planning the assaults, going over the latest intel - the spy bots should be reaching the target system soon, so they would be receiving more data to go over, which would mean their plans would have to be adjusted and refined, there would be all kinds of problems cropping up that she would need to deal with, and…

Her thoughts were interrupted by Catra elbowing her into the side. "Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Worrying yourself into a frenzy!" Catra snorted. "We've got this. We've done this before - hell, we've done entire invasions before."

"But never one like this," Adora retorted. And those had been Horde invasions that Catra had done, but she didn't say that.

"The principles are the same. Which means that the Supreme Commander gives the orders and doesn't try to micromanage everything." With a toothy grin, she added: "And if an idiot tries to bother you with small issues, I'll take care of them."

Adora blinked. Catra was an experienced officer, but to volunteer for dealing with all the nuisances… Oh. "Are you talking about taking care of the issues or the…" She wouldn't call them idiots.

"Both." Catra grinned again. "Can't have our Supreme Commander stressed and exhausted when the battle starts. Well, maybe a bit exhausted is OK…"

Catra's gaze left no doubt about what she was hinting at, and Adora blushed. "But…"

"No buts!" Her lover shook her head. "There'll be enough stuff to personally handle for you, anyway, so you can feel like a proper princess."

That wasn't what it was about! Adora pouted at her. Or it was just a small part of it.

But before she could retort, the frigate - the task force - entered hyperspace.

They were on their way to the first battle of the war.