Chapter 86: Educational Issues Part 5
Thule Air Force Base, Greenland, Earth, January 22nd, 1999
Well, that went better than expected.
Jack O'Neill was smiling when they left the cell block - well, the aquarium section would be more appropriate, given the cells were special habitats for Goa'uld prisoners, but his suggestion for a name change had been ignored. Still, what mattered was that the two snakes had, by just being themselves, shown their annoying visitor that the Goa'uld were not misunderstood nice aliens but really as bad as everyone who knew them - even or especially the Tok'ra, who would know best - claimed.
Alright, it would have been better if the killer argument hadn't been 'they fail at being good absolute rulers for their faithful', but in politics - and this was politics - you had to take what you could get.
As soon as the doors of the lift carrying them out of the special section closed behind them, he clapped his hands together. "Alright, kids! Now, what's next on the itinerary?"
"We get Frosta to stop playing with the snow and ice, make her clean up the airstrip and leave this forsaken dump for someplace warmer and nicer," Catra said.
Right. Jack had almost forgotten that the kid was still out there. Although it was nice that she had decided to play for once instead of acting all 'serious ruling princess'. "Sounds good," he said. "Any preference about the next destination?"
"Hawaii!" Perfuma blurted out. "I want to meet the plants of Earth!"
"Geneva," Her Honeyness declared. "We need to talk to other leaders of your planet."
Like hell! Jack managed to keep smiling, even though the last thing he wanted was to let the twit talk to the United Nations. It had been difficult enough to keep her from the Russians and Chinese at Stargate Command, and that had only worked because the Alliance had declared this an Alliance matter thanks to their majority in the Command Council.
Unfortunately, flat-out denying this request was, apparently, not possible for reasons of diplomacy. Or something. Jack had received clear orders about that, and Glimmer had confirmed it - and she didn't like it either.
Now, delaying it, on the other hand, was totally fine. So he grinned. "And we'll travel to Geneva afterwards," he told her. "We're still waiting for permission to enter Switzerland - we have to respect their sovereignty, after all. Might doesn't make right, as you know."
Judging by the glare he received from Daniel, he was laying it on a bit too thick. And Sweet Bee was narrowing her eyes at him as well. "As far as I understand, Earth's United Nations meet in New York as well, which is part of the United States and, therefore, should be easily accessible."
"Well, yes," Jack admitted. "But that's the problem - we don't want you to claim that we rigged the meeting by having it happen in our country. Since Switzerland is neutral and not part of the Alliance, this won't be a problem there."
Sweet Bee still frowned at him, but Peekablue nodded. "That seems fair. And I am curious about this Hawaii myself."
"Great! So, who's going to tell Frosta that playtime's over?" Jack asked - they had just reached the top level.
"Not it!" Catra announced. "I'm not going to step outside in this weather. And Frosta wouldn't listen to me anyway," she added with a grin.
"I'll do it," Adora said, with a sigh that told Jack she was used to this.
"Alright!" Glimmer nodded. "Call if you need help."
It didn't sound sincere to Jack - and as soon as they entered the hangar, everyone but Adora made a beeline for the shuttle and its warm passenger compartment.
Jack as well - his job description didn't include 'wrangle ice princesses in the middle of Greenland'. "I'll be starting the pre-flight check."
"Is that really necessary?" Mermista asked.
"It's standard procedure," he told her. "If it flies, you do a pre-flight check." Even though the shuttles were supposed to be as reliable as Jeeps. Jack had heard similar claims about other vehicles.
"We just turned the engines on in the Horde flyers," Catra commented as they reached the shuttle.
"And let me guess: If you lost one to a malfunction, there were more where it came from?" Jack asked, baring his teeth.
"Yes." She matched his grin. "Cut response times down, though."
"I bet it did." It seemed as if the Horde had studied the Russian way of doing things. Well, they had lost the war despite putting tanks against archers. And against magic and trick arrows that would make Green Arrow green with envy… Jack blinked. Good thing he hadn't said that out loud.
He snorted anyway as he walked around the shuttle, checking the engines and the landing gear, and the fuselage in general.
"You don't do this in the field," Bow commented.
"We do it unless it's an emergency," Jack corrected him. If you were under fire, all that counted was getting away as soon as possible. Though Air Force planes generally didn't land in the field. Or if they did, they didn't take off afterwards. But they were in a hangar, on an Air Force base, and airmen were watching - and Jack knew what kind of damage it did if you 'relaxed' such procedures or let the enlisted think they weren't critical. "Well, it checks out."
He stepped inside to do the rest of the checklist.
Over the Pacific Ocean, Earth, January 22nd, 1999
"Oh, imagine sailing on this ocean! To boldly go where no Dragon's Daughter has gone before! Adventure!"
"Ugh. You mean, to boldly sink where no Dragon's Daughter has sunk before?"
"Ah, my dear Mermista! No ship will sink if you are with me! Just imagine - the Dragon's Daughter VII, sailing the seven seas of Earth! The two of us, travelling to the distant ports of a strange planet! Enjoying alien sunsets and fresh breezes! Oh, I wish we were flying so low that we could open the windows and smell the ocean breeze!"
"The windows of a shuttle don't open."
"The airlock then!"
"Ugh, no!"
Adora grinned at the antics of her friends. First Frosta playing in Greenland, now Mermista and Seahawk enjoying the Pacific Ocean - well, one of them was, but Adora was sure Mermista would like it as well, even if she didn't like to show it. And Hawaii would be a paradise for Perfuma with all those new plants.
It was almost ironic that this trip was the result of Sweet Bee's stubborn refusal to trust Adora and her friends about the Goa'uld. Or maybe it was ironic - Adora wasn't sure. But this was turning into a nice trip.
"I don't see any difference between this and our own oceans," Sweet Bee said.
"That's because you aren't a sailor!"
"No, it's because she's a fool who thinks she knows best," Mermista said with a sniff.
"I know I don't know best - unlike others I might name." Sweet Bee sneered in return. "And that's why I am here: To find out the truth directly from the source."
"Well, so far, you've found out that we told you the truth about the Goa'uld." Glimmer cut in. Adora didn't have to look at her friend to know she was smiling smugly.
"That remains to be seen. Two people - especially since they are considered criminals by their own people - cannot be taken as examples for all Goa'uld. What if someone else would judge all of Etheria by the example that the Horde set?" Sweet Bee retorted.
"Well, in that case, they'd clearly overestimate you," Catra commented with a snort from Adora's side.
Adora reached over and gently patted Catra's thigh. Her lover was trying to hide it, but Adora knew that this was a sore spot for her - and she was pretty sure that Sweet Bee knew it as well. So much for this being a nice trip. At least they hadn't seen that Great Pacific Garbage Patch Entrapta had mentioned once - that would have probably ruined Mermista's mood. More than Sweet Bee's comments had, at least.
"This is your captain speaking. We're on our final approach to Hickam Air Force Base. Please fasten your seatbelts and return your tray table to its full upright and locked position," Jack called back from the cockpit.
Daniel snorted, as did Catra and Bow.
"It's a joke about civilian aeroplanes," Catra told Adora.
"It's what they tell passengers before they set down," Bow added.
"Ah."
"And that's supposed to be funny?" Sweet Bee asked.
"We're in a military shuttle, not a civilian aeroplane. Procedures are different," Bow explained. "At least, I think they are."
"They are. We don't have tray tables," Catra said. "Also, don't cover the airstrip with plants," she added with a glance at Perfuma. "They might not be as chill as in Thule."
"Of course, I wouldn't do that!" Perfuma said with a huff. "That would be irresponsible!"
"I didn't know that they actually needed the entire strip for their shuttles - we didn't need it!" Frosta defended herself.
"What? Oh, no, I am sorry; I didn't mean it like that," Perfuma told her.
"So, how did you mean it?"
Catra snorted again, and Adora sighed as the two bickered while the shuttle set down.
Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, United States of America, Earth, January 22nd, 1999
"Ah, the smell of the sea! The scent of… Adventure!"
"It smells a bit like the Fright Zone, actually."
Adora sniffed the air. Mermista was right - it smelt a bit like it.
"That's the Air Force base behind us," Jack said.
"Aren't we technically still in the base?" Bow asked.
"One of your Air Force Bases is in an icy wasteland, and this one has a beach? Talk about differences!" Scorpia said. "How do you decide who gets sent where?"
"I bet the screwups go to Greenland," Catra commented. "Kyle would be stationed there for sure."
"There's nothing wrong with snow and ice!" Frosta protested. "At least you don't have to worry about heatstroke and bug bites!"
"Just frostbite. And you wouldn't have to worry about heatstroke if you were wearing sensible clothes." Glimmer sounded a bit… annoyed. Well, it had taken a while to clean up the ice on the airstrips, and she might have felt responsible.
"This is amazing! But I hoped to visit a jungle, not a beach." Perfuma pouted a little.
"Oh, we will, don't worry!" Jack grinned. "But I thought it would be nice to hit the beach while we're organising a trip to Waimea Bay."
"Meaning, you wanted to hit the beach," Daniel said.
"What do you have to organise? Can't we just take the shuttle and fly there instead?" Sweet Bee asked.
"Security has to be set up," Jack explained. "And that's going to take a while. You're VIPs, after all."
"I am sure we can handle any threat on Earth," Sweet Bee retorted. "Peekablue can spot any danger from afar."
"Only the danger I know."
Adora blinked. Prince Peekablue had looked out of it, yet he had obviously been listening to their talk.
"He's a better spy than I thought," Catra muttered next to her.
Adora was forced to agree. Of course, Peekablue would be experienced in using his power - and he had been a member of the first Princess Alliance, so she should have expected that.
Cheyenne Mountain Colorado, United States of America, Earth, January 22nd, 1999
"...and rumours of another delegation of aliens visiting Earth are spreading. We have eyewitnesses reporting shuttle flights from places all over the world, and we are doing our best to match them to scheduled flights to exclude those and find unscheduled flights, although with the information blackout for military traffic, that remains a challenge…"
Samantha Carter shook her head at the television. Trying to find the Etherian visitors using a method like that… Even if all shuttle flights were logged in advance as a rule, you'd still have to consider spontaneous flights in response to an emergency. Or a summons from Washington or Brussels.
Or a general wishing to go home for the weekend, she added with another shake of her head - she had no doubt that with the continuing proliferation of shuttles, sooner or later, the brass would start treating them as helicopter rides for their personal use. She had heard a rumour that General Naird was planning to use one for a personal trip to the moon under the guise of 'familiarising the pilots under my command with the route in case there's an emergency'.
And, speaking of trips into space… She checked the time, then leaned over and asked Siller at the table next to them: "Can we check CNN?"
"Sure, Captain." He pushed a button, and the channel changed.
Perfect timing - CNN's special report about the upcoming Mars Mission had just started. Interest in the mission had dropped a little since the news of the first Alliance operation on another planet had been released, but it was still a scientific landmark, in Sam's opinion.
Or would be once they actually got it launched - they just announced another delay for unspecified 'technical reasons'. I should look into this, Sam thought. I bet I could help with sorting out those issues. If they were technical issues in the first place and not politically motivated - Sam was somewhat familiar with the way NASA operated.
In any case, it meant that there wouldn't be any more interesting news on that front. "Thank you. That was all I wanted to know," she told Siller.
"Alright." A click later, the channel changed again.
"...and PETA has released a controversial statement yesterday," an anchorman commented on screen. "What do you make of it, James?"
"Well, John, we already knew that they think eating meat is murder, but now they're claiming that eating meat is cannibalism, citing the existence of aliens with similar features as animals as proof, and have launched a new advertising campaign to emphasise their point."
Sam sighed and prepared to see pictures of Etherian minotaurs next to Earth longhorns. She wasn't aware of any species that would line up with pigs or chickens, but there was a satyr-like species, and some people ate goats, so that would probably…
"What's this shit?"
"Turn that off! We're eating here!"
"That's disgusting!"
Siller quickly changed the channel again, and another news report from Europe replaced a not-quite-graphic scene of a butchered minotaur being put on a grill. The special effects were quite good for an ad, Sam noted, and the production value seemed quite high. Still…
"Do they think we eat people on Etheria?" Entrapta added, looking shocked.
Sam clenched her teeth, mentally cursing whoever came up with the ad, and started explaining PETA's campaigns to her friend. "No, they want people on Earth to feel as if they were eating people when eating meat. They think…"
Waimea Bay, O'ahu, Hawaii, United States of America, Earth, January 22nd, 1999
"Another beach?" Catra raised her eyebrows as they stepped out of the shuttle. "You really want a vacation, don't you?" she asked O'Neill. She was tempted to ask if he just wanted to see them in bathing suits, but without Sam being present, it would lack any sting.
"There's a jungle walk here, to a waterfall," he told her. "But if someone doesn't want to walk through a jungle, this should be a nice spot to wait for the others to return."
"It's a famous surf spot," Daniel added.
"Surfing?" Mermista asked.
"Wave riding," Catra told her.
"You have wave riding on Earth?" The princess perked up and turned to look at the rolling waves.
"For a famous spot, this seems rather empty," Sweet Bee commented.
"We had to move out the tourists for security reasons," O'Neill told her.
"And they'll blame us, I suppose."
"We didn't tell them why we needed the place cleared, so they'll blame the government or the military, as usual," O'Neill shrugged.
"That's still not right. We aren't here to disrupt the lives of others." Sweet Bee frowned.
"They'll survive being cut off from their favourite beach for a few hours." O'Neill grinned. "Besides, I am not sure they could handle Mermista."
Catra looked at the shore. Indeed, Mermista was in the water, riding the first wave. Unlike the Tau'ri, she wasn't using a surfboard.
Catra took a step closer to Adora, just in case Mermista planned to 'accidentally' hit her with a wave, but the princess seemed to simply enjoy the water. Any time now, she would probably change into a mermaid or something…
"I will stay here as well," Frosta announced. "It's much too hot to walk around."
"Just create some ice to cool down," Catra told her.
The kid glared at her, then sniffed. "I don't want to deal with bugs, either."
"And that's perfectly fine!" Adora cut in. "So, who's coming with us to the waterfall?"
As it turned out, the 'jungle walk' was a botanic garden or whatever they called it. Not an actual untouched wilderness. And the waterfalls were not quite as impressive as they had sounded. Not when you were familiar with Bright Moon's waterfall. And the pool below didn't look very appealing, at least to Catra. Not that she planned to go swimming, anyway - trying to get her fur clean of the algae, muck and other stuff in it afterwards was a nightmare. Almost as bad as cleaning up after swamp training.
"Oh, look at that! Another new flower!"
"It's very pretty!"
At least Perfuma was having fun. Which meant Scorpia would be happy as well.
"This is… it's far too hot! And why can't you do anything about the insects attacking me?"
And Sweet Bee was annoyed, which meant Catra was having fun. "They probably think you're a bee," she told the twit.
"I'm not a bee!" the princess shot back.
"But you do have some, ah, aspects of a bee?" Daniel asked. "Maybe your scent is similar to the scent of a bee on Earth?"
"Are you insinuating that I smell?" Sweet Bee sounded outraged.
Daniel opened his mouth to apologise, but Catra was faster. "You do smell." She wrinkled her nose for emphasis. "All that sweat…"
"What?"
"Catra!" Adora frowned at her, as expected. But the opportunity to get a dig in had been too much to miss.
Sweet Bee swatted at another bug trying to land on her. "This is insufferable!"
"Well, we can't just spray the whole island with RAID," O'Neill said with a shrug. "So, I am sorry, but you'll have to endure this for a bit longer."
"I could probably build a bug-repeller, but… I would need some materials, and it would take me some time," Bow said.
"Oh, let me help!" Perfuma beamed at them. "I have a solution!"
"Ah… you can control bugs? Not just plants?" O'Neill looked wary.
With good reason - Perfuma looked excited. And enthusiastic. A bit like Entrapta when faced with something dangerous but interesting. Catra felt the fur on her neck rise.
"No. Well, not directly. But I can control plants, and through that, affect bugs!" Perfuma gestured, and the flowers at the side of the path suddenly grew in size. By a lot. "That should smell far more appealing to bugs than Sweet Bee, now."
Indeed, the bugs buzzing around quickly changed course and flew straight to the giant flowers. Which were dripping yellow liquid on the ground, Catra realised. Honey?
"Uh…" Daniel blinked. "What exactly did you do?"
"I increased the size and yield of the flowers here," Perfuma explained. "And the quality of the nectar."
"Uh. That sounds like… a major change to the flower," Daniel pointed out.
"Oh." It was Perfuma's turn to blink. "I guess I should fix that, then?"
"I think so, yes." O'Neill managed to not sound too sarcastic. Catra was sure it took a lot of effort.
But by now, most of the new flowers were covered with bugs. And more were arriving. A lot more.
"Ah. Maybe wait until we leave?" Bow suggested.
"Just how much did you improve the nectar?" Glimmer asked.
"Well, I wanted it to be so good, no bee would bother Sweet Bee…"
"Great. You produced bee crack." O'Neill shook his head.
"Sorry! Ah, what is 'crack'?" Pefuma asked.
While Daniel explained, Catra looked at Peekablue. The prince was staring at something only he could see. And she had no idea what.
Above the Atlantic Ocean, Earth, January 22nd, 1999
"I am really sorry. I didn't mean to endanger your ecosystem. I should have known better!"
Yes, the princess with magic plant control should have known better than to meddle with plants. But Jack O'Neill didn't say that. That wouldn't be very diplomatic, and Perfuma meant well. And he was flying the shuttle, so he couldn't exactly focus on the conversation, anyway.
Catra snorted. "No harm done."
"Except to the poor plants and the poor insects." Perfuma sighed.
Jack didn't really care about that. Wiping out both plants and bugs might have been a bit extreme, but he had been improvising, and with that sort of stuff, it was better to err on the side of caution. And of a higher blast radius.
And adapting some of Bow's trick arrows to create an incendiary charge large enough to burn down the entire affected area had been fun. Especially since Jack didn't have to explain the result to the local authorities. It was all classified. Fortunately - if the environmentalists got wind of this, it would be a disaster.
"You restored the plants. And the bugs will recover," Adora told her.
"But still…" Perfuma sighed. "I should have known not to introduce such changes to the ecosystem. Even though I didn't introduce new organisms but simply improved existing plants, and so it shouldn't have violated any of your laws."
"You restored the destroyed area," Daniel added. "That's more than we managed in a lot of places."
"What do you mean?" Perfuma asked.
"Well, a lot of fragile ecosystems are endangered by illegal logging and poaching," Daniel said. "For example, we've lost huge swaths of the Amazon rainforest to both. So, you actually did quite well in comparison."
Jack couldn't help snorting. That was a backhanded compliment if he ever heard one. Daniel would be embarrassed about it, no doubt.
"What? You lost forests?"
"I think we told you that, didn't we?" Adora spoke up. "Lots of Earth was treated like the Fright Zone - the forests were cut down and turned into fields. Or settlements."
"Or deserts," Bow added.
"I didn't… I thought you just had more deserts than Etheria. To think you are losing forests…But… I can help with that!" Perfuma sounded enthusiastic. "Just like I helped with the Fright Zone! And I don't have to introduce new plants or create living cities, or anything, I just have to restore what was there before - that shouldn't be any problem! Who do I talk to?"
"Well, there are several organisations fighting to preserve nature and the environment…" Daniel started to explain.
Jack felt a cold shiver run down his spine. And he had thought handling Sweet Bee was the problem he should focus on!
Above Geneva Airport, Switzerland, Earth, January 22nd, 1999
Landing a shuttle was easy compared to landing a plane. Very easy. Which was a very good thing since Jack O'Neill kept getting distracted by the discussion in the main compartment behind him. I really should have grabbed a crew, he thought. Or asked Bow to fly it. But I wanted some stick time, and this is the result - stuck in the cockpit while our friends plot the destruction of our agricultural sector.
"...and I could change the plants to need less fertiliser or less fertile soil. Or both. That way, you need fewer fields to grow the same amount of crops, and we could restore more of the jungle and forests."
"Earth has enough, more than enough, food to feed everyone - people still starve because they don't share, Perfuma."
"What? That can't be right, Glimmer!"
"It is. Right, Daniel?"
"Uh, yes. Food production is, overall, ah, sufficient, or would be, to feed everyone. But it's a complicated issue, with politics and economics playing a part," Daniel replied while Jack made a last course change on the approach to Geneva Airport.
"Wow. And I thought the Horde had inefficient supply troops."
"You can't really compare a military supply system with the free market, Scorpia."
"Why not? If you can't feed your people, you're doing something wrong, whether it's an army or civilians."
"It's not that simple, Netossa." Daniel was trying, but defending Earth's economy wasn't something he was good at. "It's, uh… well, one thing is that most people don't see people in other countries as their people."
"And they let them starve because of that?" Netossa asked while Jack cut back on the shuttle's speed and slowly came to a stop above the landing zone.
"No, well… they do help. It's just, usually, not enough."
"How can that be? I've checked the numbers we got from the Alliance. You've got enough resources to transport all the food and then some across your world - and that's without the new shuttles or help from the fleet!" Netossa said.
"As I said, it's a complicated issue. Most seemingly simple solutions created more problems, worse problems, along the line."
"Yeah, Sam told us that," Bow added. "If you just hand out food for free in a region, the local farmers will stop growing food of their own since it won't pay, and so you might end up with even less food next season."
Carter had done a better job at explaining than Daniel. That was sure. Jack sighed as he guided the shuttle down to the landing zone. Smoother than a helicopter and much easier to pilot.
"But you could just hand out enough food to cover the deficit, couldn't you?" Spinnerella asked.
"That's also complicated, but we try that."
"You should try harder, then," Sweet Bee commented with a sniff. "How are you supposed to fight a war against a space empire if you can't even feed your own people? That obviously won't work!"
Jack was tempted to tell the princess about some examples from history, but the wind was picking up, and he had to be ready to compensate if the shuttle suddenly swayed. It was supposed to shrug off such stuff thanks to the artificial gravity generators, but a good pilot didn't blindly trust machines.
"Well, if we change the crops to be more efficient - I could make it so they can extract fertiliser from the air, for example - then everyone should be able to grow enough food in their country," Perfuma suggested.
"That, uh, might work, but I assume the corporations producing seed and fertilisers wouldn't be happy about losing their business," Daniel told them.
They would go screaming at their lobbyists. Which would be funny, actually. Jack snorted as the shuttle touched down on the tarmac. "And we've landed in Geneva," he said out loud. "Check if you've got all your gear before you leave the shuttle."
"Finally!" Her Honeyness exclaimed. "This took far too long!"
And it would take a bit longer, Jack knew. The Swiss had organised a reception for the delegation. Hell, they probably felt Sweet Bee was a kindred spirit, a fellow neutral or something.
Or they just wanted first dibs on offering to handle the princess's wealth.
Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, Earth, January 22nd, 1999
"...and this is where the United Nations meet to discuss Earth politics," Adora told Sweet Bee and Peekablue as they walked through the hallway towards the meeting room prepared for them.
"We're aware of that. That is why we wanted to visit this country," Sweet Bee replied with a sniff. "We didn't come here for a guided tour. Or for weird food and drinks."
"Could have fooled me," Adora heard Catra mutter. "You certainly pigged out at the buffet."
Adora suppressed a snort. Her lover was right - Sweet Bee had tried all the food at the 'apéro' the Swiss had prepared. Quite enthusiastically, too.
"And we could speak to the leaders of a country not involved in the war," Peekablue added.
"But they're also unwilling to take a stand against the war!" Sweet Bee complained.
"That's the Swiss for you. They're just interested in your money." Jack shrugged.
"Well, they're a very small country," Bow said.
"That's even more of a reason to stand up for what's right!" Sweet Bee retorted. "Otherwise, the more powerful countries will attempt to roll over you."
"Demanding to use the Stargate without doing your part to protect it is not what I would call right," Glimmer told her with a glare.
"Of course, you wouldn't because you want more soldiers for your war! But that doesn't make it right!"
"And here we are!" Adora forced herself to smile widely as she opened the door to the meeting room and interrupted the bickering. "We'll be meeting the United Nations Secretary-General here."
"For all the good that will do," Catra muttered next to her.
"...and that's how modern diplomacy on Etheria started." Sweet Bee slowly nodded.
"Fascinating! So, your supra-national organisation grew out of a social event for princesses?" The Secretary-General - without his wife this time - chuckled.
Adora pressed her lips together so she wouldn't lecture the man about the Princess Prom. It was a social event which, since it was open to all princesses and a neutral place during times of war, also served as a diplomatic event. Sweet Bee had not explained that correctly! But explaining that would be pointless - Sweet Bee certainly hadn't taken well to Adora's explanation that the Secretary-General wasn't Earth's ruler but also not a general.
"More or less, yes." Sweet Bee slowly nodded. "Although it is only held every ten years, generally at least."
This time, the Secretary-General laughed. "That wouldn't work on Earth. We're always busy at the United Nations."
Earth certainly needed all the help it could get with its problems, in Adora's opinion.
"Princesses are also always visiting each other, for various reasons," Sweet Bee said.
"Like to annoy their neighbours who saved their asses," Catra whispered.
Adora had to press her lips together again to keep from grinning.
"And, speaking of visiting your neighbour and friends…" Sweet Bee leaned forward a little. "Your United Nations controls Earth's Stargate, right?"
"Ah." The Secretary-General sighed and spread his hands a little. "That's not entirely accurate. The situation with Earth's Stargate is complex. It is essential for the war, which is in defence of all of Earth, of course. But at the same time, the Stargate belongs to all of Earth, regardless of whether or not they are part of the Alliance."
"Exactly like on Etheria," Sweet Bee said, nodding. "And yet, on Etheria, the Alliance controls the Stargate while it is under the control of the entire planet on Earth. Isn't that correct?"
"Well, technically, that is true. But since three of the five permanent members of the Security Council are also members of the Alliance, the Alliance also effectively controls Earth's Stargate."
"Those five permanent members of your council can dictate the world's policy, right?" Sweet Bee asked with narrowed eyes.
Adora pressed her lips together. The princess was quite well-informed about Earth - not that Adora and her friends would lie to her, of course. But she had to have sources in the Alliance.
The Secretary-General smiled. "I wouldn't go that far. They have the power to veto a decision of the Security Council, but they do not rule the world."
"But do they ban other countries from using the gate?"
"Access is, for now at least, limited to the Alliance and the five nations guarding the Stargate," the Secretary-General told her. "The risk of an unprepared expedition or delegation running into Goa'uld forces is too high."
Glimmer snorted, not quite triumphally. But she had a very wide grin on her face, Adora confirmed with a glance.
Sweet Bee, though, smiled. And it wasn't the kind of fake smile you had when you didn't want to let the other know you were annoyed. She was smiling like Glimmer. "Of course, that is, for a threat as the Goa'uld are presented at, quite reasonable. However, there will be planets that are safe from such dangers. For example, planets that the Alliance has conquered."
"Liberated and secured," Adora corrected her. The Alliance didn't conquer territory!
"If a planet is secured, then, by definition, it poses no risks to visitors." Now Sweet Bee was sneering.
Adora clenched her teeth together. "You still have to remain alert. We're at war."
"You claim to be at war. I have yet to see any sign of it." The other princess sniffed.
"Maybe you should open your eyes then. Or ask Peekablue," Glimmer snapped.
"Earth is preparing for war," Peekablue spoke up, surprising everyone, or so it seemed - even Sweet Bee. "It does not seem to be mere pageantry to deceive us. If it were, the effort would vastly outweigh the benefits they might gain from it."
"Convincing everyone to go along with their policies seems worth such efforts - especially since naked force would be needed to enforce their will anyway, should their plan fail," Sweet Bee retorted.
"With the fleet in orbit?" Catra rolled her eyes. "You're delusional. Hell, the Alliance wouldn't even need soldiers; Adora could take on all of you at the same time with one hand tied behind her back, and she'd win. Easily."
"Catra!" Adora hissed. That was… well, probably not wrong, but not a nice or diplomatic thing to say!
Sweet Bee glared at Catra. For someone claiming to be neutral and against the war, she certainly seemed to loathe Catra and other former Horde members. "Even if that is the case, there would be no reason to hinder traffic between Etheria and Earth! Didn't you claim that you could detect any Goa'uld or Jaffa on either planet?"
The Secretary-General raised his eyebrows at that, for a moment at least, before he smiled politely again.
"We can't block the Stargate for emergency traffic. That would hinder the war," Glimmer said.
Sweet Bee scoffed. "A single trip would not take more than a few minutes - much less time than a supply transport such as the ones we observed takes. If you were so concerned about emergencies, you would not move so much material through the gate," the princess said.
Peekablue nodded, and Adora had to wince a little - that excuse did sound a little weak to her as well. But just letting everyone travel between the two worlds sounded like a recipe for disaster to her. Adora and her friends had read up on what happened when countries suddenly had access to advanced or formerly prohibited technology, and in this case, it would probably go both ways. Smugglers on all sides, Tau'ri hunting for magitech - or sorcerers - to acquire or destroy them, all the Earth media, Etherians peddling exotic plants and other dangerous items… "We'll need regulations and limits," she said.
Glimmer shot her a betrayed look, but Adora didn't falter. They couldn't keep the other princesses from using the Stargate, so it was best to, ah, mitigate the damage. So to speak.
"So we'd be only able to use the Stargate - Etheria's Stargate - at your convenience?" Sweet Bee sniffed again. "With your gratuitous permission, to be withdrawn whenever you fell like it?"
"Yes," Glimmer told her in a flat tone. "The war takes precedence. We can't risk an invasion of Etheria - or Earth - just to cater to your pride."
"This is a matter of principles, not pride!" Sweet Bee protested.
Catra loudly snorted. Adora didn't quite follow her example, but she agreed with the sentiment - this was about Sweet Bee's pride and ego. Mostly. It was just unfortunate that she had a point about the Stargate belonging to Etheria. "Besides, you said that only Etheria and Earth were safe worlds, didn't you?" Catra cocked her head sideways.
"I said that they were safe by your own definition, not that they were the only planets safe to visit." Sweet Bee huffed.
Close enough, in Adora's opinion. She smiled.
"No planet with a Stargate is entirely safe from invasion," Bow pointed out. "Anyone can dial in from anywhere in the galaxy. The measures we've taken reduce the risk of an invasion, but every team that is sent out to another planet runs the risk of being captured and then taken over so they can use their codes - and bodies - to sneak back through the gate."
And gather intel about Alliance plans and operations.
"And then attempt to secure the Stargate for the main force," O'Neill added.
"But that risk can be neglected when we are merely talking about travel between Etheria and Earth," Peekablue spoke up again, smiling in a slightly smug way.
Adora nodded. If they had to fear Goa'uld infiltrators on either planet, then… well, then having Sweet Bee and her friends travel back and forth would probably not change anything.
"Earth itself isn't entirely safe for Etherians." Glimmer was still frowning. "Don't blame us if you get stoned or burned as a witch."
"Or blame the rest of Earth." O'Neill smiled. "That is if the United Nations actually accepts such a deal, mind you. We're just talking hypothetically here."
"I doubt that the United Nations will refuse," the Secretary-General said. "The majority of the General Assembly will support it, in my opinion." He spread his hands again. "Of course, some member states will be concerned about, ah, magic and sorceresses, but most will be looking forward to receiving visitors from Etheria - and visiting themselves."
"As we are," Sweet Bee declared.
"Just keep an eye on all those visitors," Catra spoke up. "Some might be fanatics in disguise. Or spies and saboteurs. Or just thieves."
"Are you accusing sovereign kingdoms of abusing their birthright to send criminals through the gate?" Sweet Bee glared at her.
Adora's love grinned. "Yes."
"Well, yeah, that kind of stuff is par for the course for many countries on Earth. We always have spies in our delegations." O'Neill shrugged. "And, of course, there have to be strict regulations about animals and plants. Wouldn't want to grow a haunted forest in a suburb by accident. That would ruin the property values, you know?"
"What?" Sweet Bee stared at him.
But Perfuma nodded. "Yes! We can't endanger the local ecosystems by introducing alien plants and animals. That could cause untold disasters!"
"You'd know what you're talking about." O'Neill grinned as Pefuma blushed.
"I said I am sorry!"
The Secretay-Geneal raised his eyebrows but didn't ask for more details.
Sweet Bee sniffed. "Well, for now, we can agree to limit travel to Earth and Etheria - provided we can confirm that the Goa'uld do represent such a threat to the Galaxy."
"Just talk to the Tok'ra and you'll be convinced in no time," Catra told her.
Sweet Bee frowned, then turned to the Secretary-General. "So, since everyone is in agreement, we can formalise this."
"Well, we'll need a vote by the General Assembly and, of course, also the agreement of the Security Council," he replied. "Although, especially with the support of the Princess Alliance for it, I don't see why this would be rejected."
"Well, unless the Alliance wishes to betray the lofty principles they claim to defend, this should be a formality quickly dealt with, then." Sweet Bee smiled smugly.
O'Neill laughed, and the Secretary-General looked a bit ruefully.
Sweet Bee frowned again, her eyes narrowing.
Glimmer snorted. "You don't have any experience with Earth politics, do you?"
"What do you mean?"
Adora's friend smiled widely as she started to explain how long it would take for such an agreement to be ratified - in the best case.
Cheyenne Mountain Colorado, United States of America, Earth, January 22nd, 1999
The beeping noise of her computer interrupted Samantha Carter's lab session with Entrapta.
"Oh? Are the Tok'ra arriving early?" Entrapta asked, looking up as her hair tendrils kept adjusting the latest experiment.
"I don't think so - the gate room would have called us in that case," Sam answered as she walked over to check.
"Too bad. Anise would be a great help here, I think."
Sam nodded, but her reply died on her lips as she skimmed the message on her screen.
It was a report from the spy bot network. They had found a concentration of Goa'uld ships. Not too close to PZ -921, but close enough to threaten it.