Chapter 89: The Therapy Question Part 2

Bright Moon, Etheria, January 25th, 1999 (Earth Time)

"I already told you the last time you mentioned this: I do not need therapy."

"But you do! Data doesn't lie!"

Samantha Carter tried not to wince at the exchange between Entrapta and Hordak. She hadn't asked, but it seemed clear that this disagreement had been going on for a while. Probably since her last visit, during which the same argument had ended inconclusively. And she was pretty certain that the two wouldn't be able to find a solution. It was obvious that Entrapta wanted the best for her lover, but Sam knew that her friend didn't fully understand, well, people. She meant well, and she was friendly, but dealing with such a situation was beyond her.

And Hordak was… about the same. He was far less friendly, of course, than Entrapta - gruff, most of the time - but he was as socially awkward, though it expressed itself a bit differently. And he had been raised, and socialised, by Horde Prime, who, by all accounts, made Ra look pleasant and humble in comparison.

Which meant it would need outside intervention to solve this before the two hurt each other. At least emotionally. And absent their other friends, it seemed as if Sam would have to step up and intervene.

Great.

She took a deep breath, then stepped forward, not quite between Entrapta and Hordak - a table with the latest prototype of an improved bot blaster cannon prevented that - but close enough. "Please, stop for a moment."

Both turned to look at her, and Sam had to turn her head back and forth to watch both of them. That was… not optimal.

"Sam! The data doesn't lie!" Entrapta wasn't wringing her hands, but her hair tendrils were moving a bit erratically - she was upset.

Before Sam could reply, Hordak scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "The data is not applicable. It's about humans. I am not human."

"But the principles are the same!"

"You don't know that."

"But the symptoms match!" Entrapta retorted.

"The symptoms can vary wildly, so that is no proof. You display similar symptoms at times." Hordak shook his head.

Entrapta looked taken aback. "Well, yes. I might need therapy as well. But the data is clear that I cannot objectively judge my own mental state, and we don't have anyone yet who's qualified to do so."

"Then you can't judge my mental state either." Hordak sounded almost smug.

"But I can compare the data! And the data is solid enough to deduce that you should see a therapist. If my conclusion is wrong, the therapist will tell you." Entrapta nodded firmly. "That's the obvious solution: See an experienced professional."

They were ignoring Sam again. That was… quite a new experience.

"Professional means they do it for a living. That means they have ample incentive to claim a need for their services, so their judgment would be biased," Hordak retorted. "And the incentive for a spy working as a therapist to make a false claim is even bigger since that would allow them to gather information about us."

That was not wrong, technically, but quite biased itself. On the other hand, Sam was very much aware of and shared the Colonel's view that the NID and other agencies wouldn't hesitate to use such underhanded means to gain more information and potential leverage on the Etherians.

"Then we just need to find a trustworthy therapist!" Entrapta nodded. "Please! It's going to help!"

"Glimmer and the others haven't found a trustworthy therapist yet, and the odds of them managing that feat are not good." Hordak snorted.

"I have confidence in them," Entrapta replied. "They'll succeed."

"How could they? This is completely out of their experience. How could they find a trustworthy therapist amongst the corrupt or compromised?" Hordak shook his head again. "And even them, it wouldn't work since I am not a human. A therapist with experience with humans couldn't adequately judge my mental state."

Sam had to press her lips together to avoid blurting out that you didn't need a degree to determine that Hordak wasn't in a good mental state and needed help. But he was correct in that he wasn't human. His mind might not work the same way as a human's did. On the other hand, he acted all too human, in Sam's experience. Close enough, in any case, to not appear truly alien. "I think the basic principles are the same," she said.

Entrapta beamed at her, and Hordak scowled.

"But I am not a psychologist. Although I don't think talking to one would hurt," Sam went on.

"Unless they are a spy," Hordak spat. "The risks are too great for the small probability of success."

"That's not how science works!" Entrapta protested. "If an experiment is too dangerous, you take steps to make it safer!"

"This isn't an experiment!" Hordak retorted.

But Entrapta smiled. "It's a way to gather data - close enough. So, how can we reduce the risk of this harming us?" She cocked her head and looked at Sam.

"Ah…" Sam was at a loss.

"How did you pick your therapist?" Entrapta asked.

Sam didn't. She went to her mandatory counselling sessions when ordered to, and that was it. Officers who thought they needed additional therapy and told the Air Force so would have poor prospects for promotions. Or for being trusted with top-secret projects. But her friend needed an answer. "Well… people tend to look for references when picking a therapist."

"References?" Entrapta frowned.

"They ask their friends if they know a trustworthy therapist," Sam explained. At least, that was what Sam had heard - it wasn't as if she knew anyone who would actually talk about needing therapy in her social circle. Except, now, for the Etherians. And wasn't that ironic?

"Good. So, who would you recommend?" Entrapta beamed at her, obviously expecting an answer.

Sam winced. "Well, I actually don't know a therapist…" Entrapta's face fell, and Hordak started to smile. Or what passed for a smile for him. Sam quickly added: "But I can ask around."

"Great!"

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, January 26th, 1999

"So, as you can see, the electronic reconnaissance has resulted in inconclusive data. Although we managed to get closer to the unidentified fleet with a spy bot without getting detected, we could not determine their identity. Well, we already knew what ships were there and how many, but their transponders are not set to any signal in use by a System Lord - or any that had been used by one in the past. Or by a past System Lord. Which kinda is the same, but it's not quite the same. Anyway! Also, optical sensors were not powerful enough to make out any ship names on the hulls from that distance. I wanted to fly closer, but Sam said that wouldn't be safe and the risk of detection was too high. Even though we would then get better data on the fleet's sensor net capability."

Catra suppressed a sigh at Entrapta and slid a bit forward in her seat. Her friend was pouting - she obviously disagreed with the risk assessment. But knowing how good the enemy's sensors were wouldn't be useful if the enemy would, in turn, be rendered aware of the spy bot network.

One of the Earth officers - the British admiral - nodded. "Yes. We must keep the enemy from becoming aware of our capabilities for as long as possible. As long as they think Earth stands alone, they'll underestimate us."

"And might attribute our attacks to rival System Lords," General Naird added. Catra still didn't know why the USA had sent that guy to this meeting. Jack claimed he was one of their best 'Space Force officers', but that was probably just Air Force propaganda. Can't show weakness against the Navy or something - sometimes, it felt as if the Air Force considered the other parts of the American forces their most dangerous enemy…

"Anyway, since we apparently shouldn't use the spy bots to spy on the fleet - and they aren't happy about that, let me tell you! Well, they wouldn't be happy about it if they had their control matrixes enhanced to include emotions, which they haven't since that would be bad, but the principle stands - and the Tok'ra haven't found out anything either…"

"So far," Anise cut in with a frown. "We're working on it."

Why the Tok'ra had sent Anise… well, they probably counted on getting an in with Sam and Entrapta through Anise and getting more technology through shared research. That's what Catra would have done in their place.

"Yes, of course - you don't stop researching. But! Since we can't be sure this will produce more data, we have to focus on an alternative." Entrapta nodded at Sam and Anise.

On the large screen behind her, an unfamiliar shuttle appeared. "We can use this to test our latest stealth shuttle!" Entrapta beamed at everyone in the room. "Since it's a new design, not a First One shuttle or adapted Horde model, no one will know it's us even if they detect us - which they shouldn't according to our current data. Unless we leave the shuttle and meet them, I guess. Or we get boarded, but we could be wearing masks in that case."

Or ensure that no one who boarded them made it out alive, Catra mentally added.

"Since it's a new class, we will have to train the crews, I assume," the British Admiral said. "That might delay the mission. Possibly long enough for the fleet to become active."

"Oh, that's always a risk," Entrapta told him. "They could go active right now, though we would hear about it almost instantly. But without more data, we can't make any educated guess as to their plans. But!" She smiled widely. "Since it's our design, we can crew it, so you don't have to wait for someone else to learn how it works. Which is a good thing since we might want to make some changes to how it works based on how this mission goes, and if we're in the shuttle, we can do it in the middle of the mission!"

Adora cleared her throat. "The crew will be composed of selected individuals from both Earth and Etheria with experience in such missions and the skills to handle a variety of unexpected situations, including diplomacy."

Catra caught Naird muttering something about 'SG-1 again', but she ignored that. It wasn't as if they had better alternatives, and she would rather work with people she could trust - both to be able to handle this kind of mission and to not betray them - than someone new and unknown.

"That's a quite diverse set of skills you'll need for this. Do you have individuals in mind already?" the German General asked.

"Yes. Myself and my friends, and SG-1," Adora told him. "But if you wish to add someone else to the mission, we should have room for them."

Catra leaned back and stretched as the first suggestion to leave the mission to expendable crew members instead of the Alliance leadership was voiced. They really should know better by now. Princesses led from the front.

And it wasn't as if there was a better team to handle this than the BFS and SG-1. Especially if something unexpected happened.

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, January 26th, 1999

"So, we're volunteering to go on a recon mission?" Jack O'Neill asked, leaning forward in his seat in the briefing room and putting his elbows on the table.

"Well… only if you want to, of course," Adora told him. "Otherwise, it wouldn't be volunteering. And we only want volunteers."

"We're not in the Horde; volunteering means volunteering here," Catra said, flashing her fangs.

Jack was tempted to correct her, but Entrapta spoke up before he could think o the perfect way to explain 'voluntold': "But we could really use Sam! We're going to use our new shuttle design!"

Jack turned to look at Carter. "A new shuttle design? And you didn't ask me for my input? I'm hurt, Captain!"

Her eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed. "I wasn't aware you were a spacecraft designer or an engineer, sir."

"I'm a pilot," he told her. "One of the guys who's going to fly those things. You know, those who will suffer from ergonomic mistakes all their lives."

Once more, Entrapta butted in: "That's great! You can test the layout of the bridge on this mission, then, and suggest any changes afterwards! You'll be our test pilot! Well, our first human test pilot!"

"Is it a good idea to use a dangerous recon mission to test a new design?" Daniel asked with a frown.

Jack raised his eyebrows at Carter. Daniel was always a bit of a spoilsport, but the question had merit. It was 'train as you fight', not 'test while you fight'. Although he knew Carter - she wouldn't have them risk their lives in untested experimental designs. Not unless the situation was truly desperate. Which this wasn't.

"The design already underwent extensive testing, sir," she replied. "And it passed every benchmark."

"Yes!" Entrapta nodded three times, her hair bopping. "It's ready for field testing."

"That's still testing, isn't it?" Daniel said.

"Technically, yes," Carter told him. "But it's safe."

"Yes! We already did the destructive testing! And the stealth system doesn't overheat any more! Not that that was too much of a problem unless you were in the engine room without a space suit. Or left the door open."

That wasn't nearly as reassuring as it should be. But Jack trusted Carter to keep Entrapta's enthusiasm for bypassing security measures in check.

"Well, are you in?" Catra asked. "Your general didn't seem happy about the plan."

Jack had to briefly remind himself that she didn't mean Hammond. That would be a change once they left Stargate Command for good. "Naird?" he asked.

"Yeah." Catra shrugged. "What's his problem? Jealous he can't go on the mission?"

"He could have asked if he wanted to come along! We even asked for such suggestions!" Adora added.

"General-rank officers rarely go on recon missions," Jack told her. Though he wouldn't put it past Naird to try and finagle such a mission - the guy was still trying to get approval for a 'familiarisation flight' to the moon. But he probably had used up too many favours to get a seat at the Alliance table. Of course, that was a good thing since he was Air Force - the Navy was still trying to gain control over the new Space Force in the making. If they got their way… Jack almost shuddered at the thought of wearing a Navy uniform. "No, we're in. Right, folks?" Couldn't let Carter have all the fun. And Jack was looking forward to getting some stick time in a shuttle on an actual mission - just the bragging rights if he met another Blackbird crew boasting about the speed of their plane would be worth it.

"Yes, sir."

"Of course, Jack."

"Indeed."

"Great!" Entrapta beamed. "This will be such a nice trip!"

"And we'll be taking a task force there with enough firepower to take the enemy fleet out," Glimmer said.

Ah, that was the style of recon Jack could get behind. Find the enemy and destroy them at the same time.

"If it is an enemy fleet," Bow cautioned. "We don't know that."

"It's made up of Ha'taks, Al'kesh and Tel'taks," Catra said. "All Goa'uld ship classes. Who else do you think is flying those? We already know they don't belong to the Tok'ra."

"Well, it could be another splinter faction and potential ally," Daniel pointed out. "All I am saying is that we shouldn't assume they're hostile."

Jack shook his head. When it came to the snakes, assuming the worst was best.

"We'll see," Glimmer said. "That's why we're doing a recon mission. If they aren't part of a System Lord's fleet, we'll find out."

"They are taking quite the precautions to hide their allegiance, according to what we already know," Teal'c spoke up. "If they are observing strict security protocols, finding out who they answer to might be a challenge even for someone with your skill at penetrating Goa'uld computer security, Captain Carter."

"If we can't hack their systems, we'll have to sneak into their ships and take a look ourselves," Glimmer said with a grin. "Shouldn't be too hard even if I can't teleport us into a Ha'tak."

Now that was a mission Jack could get behind!

"We could use a ring transporter, but that's kinda tricky. Even without active counter-measures - and the Goa'uld know how to block transporters - interference can build up. We were working on linking the transporter to our improved scanner, but the signal lag is still a factor. So, we'll probably have to sneak on board using spacesuits," Entrapta said. "Good thing we have spacesuits for all of us!"

Jack grinned.

This should be fun.

Earth Orbit, Solar System, January 26th, 1999 (Earth Time)

"...so we've been working on stealth shuttles for some time, between our other projects. First we were mostly focused on trying to duplicate the ones we have. Which was harder than expected, even though it shouldn't have been. It's that Horde standards don't mesh well with First One technology, probably because Horde Prime didn't want compatible technology or something, which is why the Horde factories didn't really work well for producing the prototypes. So we switched to modifying Horde designs to create a new stealth shuttle. Well, we ended up using a mostly new design using Horde technology and matched it with better stealth generators based on First Ones technology once we had the interfaces adapted, for which Sam's experience with linking First Ones and Goa'uld tech was really helpful. And it also means that the Third Fleet's supply train can assemble the prototypes, and we didn't need to build or repurpose an existing shuttle factory for it. That would have been bad, Sam said, since everyone wants more shuttles - everyone on Earth, at least - and this would have cut into shuttle production. I don't get that, actually, since the new design is obviously superior, so we will have to switch over anyway." Entrapta shrugged without stopping her explanation as she led Adora and the others through Priest's flagship towards the hangar. "Anyway! Sam also said switching a factory would have caused a delay, and they would have wanted a 'proven design', so maybe we can switch all factories over after his test mission?"

Adora blinked, trying to sort out what Entrapta had just said. If her friend got really enthusiastic, she tended to talk very fast and very much, and it was a bit of a challenge to keep up. Even when she wasn't talking about technology that Adora didn't quite understand.

At least Glimmer looked like she had the same trouble, though Bow was nodding.

"Good luck trying to get the Tau'ri to make any changes to their plans," Catra said with a snort. "I bet they'll need at least three months just debating it before deciding if they do it."

Adora frowned a little. That was… well, not completely wrong, but not fair. Earth leaders could make quick decisions. Sometimes.

Glimmer giggled, though, and Bow smiled. "Well, they just built the new factories, so changing everything might not sit well with them. They'd have to retrain the workers as well," he said.

"But that's the fun part! Learning new technology!" Entrapta protested.

"It's also a matter of costs," Adora pointed out. "And most of the missions they want the shuttles for don't require stealth capabilities. They just want fast and tough transports."

"And I bet that they don't want all of their shuttles to be stealth shuttles," Catra added. "They don't want everyone else being able to sneak around."

Adora nodded. Earth people were already concerned with advanced technology being stolen and used by others. Of course, with Entrapta and Sam's scanner, they could detect any piece using Naquadah on Earth, so that wasn't such a huge deal, in her opinion.

"It still makes no sense!" Entrapta insisted. "And we are still starting out with building shuttles - it's easier to switch now instead of later."

Catra shrugged. "It would be nice to have just one model of shuttles to maintain in the field, but we can't count on the Goa'uld remaining static. Sooner or later, they'll adapt, so we need to stay a step ahead of them."

That was also true. Adora nodded as they reached the hangar.

"And here it is! The new stealth shuttle prototype, the Esmeralda Mark V!" Entrapta spread her arms and hair, beaming at the shuttle in the middle of the hangar.

"Esmeralda?" Glimmer asked.

"Yes!" Entrapta nodded several times. "It's a nice name. Emily approves."

Catra snorted, and Adora frowned at her lover. Esmeralda was a perfectly good name, as far as she knew at least.

"So, can we take it out for a spin?" Catra asked.

"Once Sam and the others arrive," Adora told her. Their friends from SG-1 had been held up by a meeting with the Stargate Command Council. Or was that the Stargate Command Command Council? In any case, it seemed SG-1 required formal orders to join them on the mission, and while that was merely a formality, the Russian general was being difficult or something. "We don't want to go over the briefing twice."

"I can sleep through the second briefing." Catra grinned.

"I don't mind explaining twice!" Entrapta smiled widely. "Sam said, most stuff you have to explain repeatedly anyway, so people get it."

Catra snickered at that, of course.

"Anyway, if you look at it, it's basically a modified Horde space transport. We added the stealth systems, so it got about half the cargo capacity, and we improved the sensors - although in stealth mode, you are limited to passive sensors and magic, since active sensors would give you away, and that would defeat the stealth mode. But it got the latest magitech sensor we could build. For now, at least."

"What about armament?" Glimmer asked. "Those look like turrets." She pointed at the shuttle.

"Yes! Two turrets with two blaster cannons each, one on every side. They're remote-controlled and mounted on the armour, so they're kind of vulnerable, but we would have had to compromise armour integrity if we had mounted them inside the armour, and compared to the shield generator, the armour is not that effective anyway."

That sounds a little… confusing, Adora thought.

"I wanted missile launchers as well, but we didn't have the space for that. Maybe with the next upgrade, we can add them to the underside. Anyway, let me show you the interior! Esmeralda, open up!"

A ramp started to descend in the back of the shuttle, and Adora smiled. Entrapta was always so enthusiastic about her projects. It was great to see someone so passionate.

"Ah! Your Divine Highness, praised be Your name as we bask in Your holy presence as you inspect Your next blessed vessel!"

Adora's smile froze as she noticed Priest standing on the ramp. She should have realised that he wouldn't miss the chance to meet her. That was a kind of passion she really didn't need.

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, January 26th, 1999

"If this had been an emergency, we'd all be dead by now," the Colonel commented as they walked towards the base's landing pad. Or the base's shuttle port, as most had started to call it. "From old age, probably."

"But it wasn't an emergency, Jack," Daniel spoke up. "Besides, if it had been an emergency, and we'd die from old age, then wouldn't that mean it wasn't an emergency in the first place?" he added with a frown. Then his eyes widened. "Uh, I mean… not like…" He trailed off with a sheepish expression. "Sorry."

Samantha Carter suppressed a sigh. In a way, Daniel was a bit like Adora, blaming himself for things that weren't his fault.

The Colonel snorted. "I brought it up. Don't feel bad about it. It was just a joke."

Sam managed not to shudder at the memory of that mission to Argos. When the Colonel had started to age rapidly, growing older, weaker, practically by the day, and she had frantically tried to stop the process, to save him, before he died of old age in front of her… She shook her head. He hadn't died. His age had been restored. And since She-Ra had healed him, he was even healthier than before. Probably the healthiest he had ever been, given his past and lifestyle. And it showed…

"So, Carter," the Colonel interrupted her inappropriate thoughts. "Are there any other secret projects of yours that you'd like to share with the class?"

Sam cocked her head at him. "Sir?"

He snorted again, obviously not fooled. Not that she had expected that, anyway - but some forms, even informal ones, had to be observed. "Your stealth shuttle project was a surprise to everyone. Sneaky of you, by the way. How many other such projects do you have going between you and our mad scientist princess?"

"We're still trying to decode the alien data cube we found on the way back to Earth from Etheria," she told him.

"Still? I'd have expected you to crack it over lunch."

Another joke, but Sam knew the Colonel trusted her competence, so even a mild joke stung a little. "It's a very complex challenge, sir. We have to deal with a completely different architecture and likely very alien language influences. And we have had to prioritise other projects for the war. Such as the self-replicating spy drone network." And a few more projects Entrapta and Sam had come up with but not seriously pursued. And there was more found technology to analyse. And interface issues for Earth weapon developers to deal with. And paperwork.

"Not even a hint of future surprises?" The Colonel grinned.

"We've got a wide range of potential projects. It's impossible to predict which will reach a breakthrough and which won't." That was how research worked. Something those in charge of her budget never seemed to understand. But working with Entrapta had been a huge help with that problem - as a sovereign ruler and key member of the Princess Alliance, Sam's friend didn't have to deal with bean counters and penny pinchers. Not to the extent a captain in the Air Force had to, at least. Fortunately, officially entering the war had led to massively expanded research budgets for Sam as well.

They reached the shuttle waiting for them - the same that had carried Entrapta into orbit while SG-1 had had to deal with the Command Council. Or, to be more precise, with Sidorov and Li stalling them for reasons only Russia and China knew. Probably related to the recent diplomatic visit by Sweet Bee and Peekablue.

But they had received official orders to join the Alliance task force for the recon mission, and that was all that mattered now, Sam reminded herself as they boarded the shuttle.

"Welcome aboard!" the clone pilot greeted them, smiling as widely as a flight attendant greeting First Class passengers. Maybe even more so.

"That feels creepy, all that cheerfulness," the Colonel grumbled as they took their seats and the pilot had retired to the bridge.

"You'd say the same about a bot pilot," Daniel told him. "Why don't you commandeer the shuttle and fly it yourself?"

"I already got my flight hours for this period," he replied. "I wouldn't want to abuse my rank."

Daniel gave him a flat look, and Sam narrowed her eyes a bit herself. Even Teal'c raised his eyebrow a smidge.

"Well, I'm going to test fly the stealth shuttle soon," the Colonel admitted with a grin.

"It handles quite similarly," Sam told him, smiling slightly when he frowned a bit at the reminder that she had flown the new shuttle before.

Then the shuttle took off, and they quickly left Colorado and then the atmosphere behind them. It still felt a bit weird to Sam how quickly space travel had become normal. Reaching orbit felt almost banal. Like commuting to work.

She wondered how the NASA team preparing for Mars felt about that. Were they excited - or did they resent the fact that, but for Alliance orders restricting shuttle flight paths to near Earth, anyone in a shuttle could have reached the planet already? But the mission had better start soon; there was talk about using Mars as a training location for Alliance marines, to prepare them for landing operations on hostile planets. And that would rob the NASA mission of even more of its fading mystique. Of course, planting a few bases on Mars wouldn't change the fact that it was barely explored and could hold untold mysteries, but it wouldn't feel nearly the same.

But that wasn't Sam's problem, she reminded herself. She had to focus on the new stealth shuttle and the upcoming recon mission.

Earth Orbit, Solar System, January 26th, 1999 (Earth Time)

"...and that's the passive stealth system, minimising our sensor signature. It reduces the range at which we can be detected by Goa'uld sensors by a factor of two compared to the standard Alliance shuttle."

While Sam explained, Catra cocked her head and looked through the cockpit - or bridge - windows. The frigate they had launched from was just a speck in the black now. Which meant Priest was just about far enough away for Adora to relax again. Which was a good thing, even though her reaction to his praise had been cute.

"It's actually kind of a misnomer," Entrapta added. "It's not as much a system, but design choices that make detecting the shuttle harder - provided that people are using sensors we know of. The stealth system, on the other hand, is an active system masking our presence - including a camouflage field warping the light around us. From the outside, we're almost invisible. But! We also have a camouflage system that can be set to make us look like we're transparent - because warping the light around us might not always work best, say if we're on a planet's surface and the warping effect could be noticed. It shouldn't, but it could. But the camouflage - which can also change the paint coat of the shuttle to any you want, in case the normal one gets boring - is optimised for that kind of hiding."

That sounded… very impressive.

"Like a ring of invisibility. Now you're just missing the SEP field generator," O'Neill said with a grin.

"What's a SEP field?" Entrapta asked. "Did we forget something? I thought we covered all sensors that we knew of."

"It's from a novel series," Sam said, frowning at O'Neill. "It's fictional - not real."

"Oh. What does it do?" Entrapta cocked her head.

"It makes people think that whatever it surrounds is 'somebody else's problem'," Daniel explained. "And asking about it tells us that Jack has read the novels," he added with a grin.

"If you're stuck at a base far from civilisation, you'll read anything in the library," O'Neill said with a frown.

"Well… that might be possible with a spell, I think," Entrapta said. "And it would probably help if you want to shoot at something without being detected. That's kind of a problem we haven't been able to solve yet."

"It's theoretically possible, yes," Glimmer agreed. "But that kind of magic would require tampering with the mind of everyone affected - and that's… a very questionable kind of magic."

Catra nodded - that kind of magic, in the wrong hands, like Shadow Weaver's… She felt the fur on the back of her neck bristle at the thought. She smirked at Adora to distract herself. "And I guess it wouldn't work on the kind of people who think every problem is their responsibility, huh?"

Adora pouted at her. "We can't exactly test that."

"And we would have to create a magitech device to replicate the effect. That could be tricky," Entrapta added. "Although… if we could reverse-engineer the technology that we encountered on Beast Island, the device that made people want to stop doing anything…"

That had happened when Catra had sent Entrapta to Beast Island for not wanting to risk destroying the world to win the war… She clenched her teeth at the reminder of her folly. She had almost destroyed everyone. And it had cost Glimmer her mother. It was…

"I don't think we should build or use that," Glimmer said, shivering. "And it might not work on Goa'uld - or Jaffa. Dad wasn't affected, and he was there for years."

"Yeah, best not build a brainwashing machine like that. Dictators would love it to turn their people into mindless sheep," O'Neill said.

"Yes." Adora nodded firmly. "We don't want to follow Horde Prime's example."

No, we really don't want, Catra thought. Mind control was… She clenched her teeth. Anyone who had suffered from Horde Prime's chips would agree with that.

"The ends don't justify the means," Bow added.

Hordak nodded without saying anything. But he was looking at Entrapta, Catra noticed.

And her friend looked a bit sheepish. "Anyway, we also thought about a system that could actually alter the hull, but that would require a lot more research and testing. And we didn't have the time for that. But imagine a shuttle that could look like another type of ship! Well, with roughly the same mass, but still! That would be great, right?"

Perfect for infiltration missions. Like.. a ship version of Double Trouble. Catra gritted her teeth at the unwanted stray thought. This was supposed to be a test flight in a new shuttle, not a trip down memory lane, as the Tau'ri liked to say. Not to memories she really didn't want to revisit. "So, can we see how that works?" she said.

"Oh, sure! Well, kinda - the light-warping system makes it so you can't actually see out any more, so you kind of see and don't. But other sensors still work, so we installed screens for that," Entrapta explained with a wide smile. But if you're outside the field, you can see it - well, you can't see it any more, which tells you it's working. So, you want to go outside?"

"Maybe later," Catra told her, taking a step closer to Adora.

"Alright, so… here we go!"

Entrapta flipped a switch with her hair, and the stars and the curve of Earth outside the shuttle's windows vanished.

Jack O'Neill grinned as he took the shuttle through another loop. Sneaky Carter hadn't mentioned that she and Entrapta also had improved the performance of the shuttle's engines. Or maybe she had, and he had missed it, but he usually paid attention to critical information such as that.

Unfortunately, they were doing the test flight in space, not in the atmosphere, and so Jack couldn't do some nap-of-the-earth flying. The moon was a bit too far away to coincidentally approach. There was the frigate, but… playing chicken with large movable objects you launched from was for Navy pukes.

He blinked. Oh, for… He had launched in a small spaceship from a large spaceship. Like a Navy puke. Worse, he had thought of this as a carrier operation, not an Air Force mission. Damn. No one could ever know!

"Is something wrong, Jack?" Entrapta, who was sitting in the co-pilot seat while the rest of SG-1 and the Etherians were in the back checking the stealth system, asked. "You're frowning, which usually means something is wrong. Is there an issue with the shuttle? The readings are all within expected parameters, but…"

"No, no, everything is fine. Better than fine, actually," Jack was quick to assure her. "I just remembered something unpleasant."

"Oh? Something unpleasant?"

"And private," he told her.

"Oh. OK, private. That means no prying. Unless it's for your own good." Entrapta sounded as if she was repeating a lesson. She probably was, Jack realised.

He really didn't want to touch that, so he changed the subject. "So, how do we test the weapons? Do you have target drones out there?"

"Oh, no - this was supposed to be a test for the stealth and flight systems. We've tested the weapons in the lab - well, they're standard Horde blaster cannons, and the power supply was tested and works, and the remote controls are from proven designs - I wanted to improve them, maybe turn them into bots, or make them detachable so they could act as escorts or attack craft, but Sam said we should focus on the stealth system… anyway, they should work."

"Never assume a weapon works without live firing," he told her. "Preferably until it breaks, so you know its limits."

"That's what Hordak says as well. Catra says it's fun, too."

Jack managed not to scowl. He didn't want to be compared to Mr Former Warlord. Even if the guy was correct. "So, how about we fire on the frigate? The shields can take it, right?" he joked.

"Oh, yes. That's probably a faster solution than building a few target bots from spare parts," Entrapta replied. "But we probably should tell them first."

"Yes." Entrapta often had trouble getting jokes, Jack reminded himself. "And we should inform Earth so they don't think there's a coup going on or something." Or an attack by enemy stealth ships - the stealth system hid them from Earth sensors as well, after all, as they had already found out.

"Right! That would be bad, I think."

"Yes." Jack could imagine what might happen if a bunch of fanatics thought their goddess wanted a specific ship destroyed. And the panic it would cause on Earth.

So, a few calls and some narrowed eyes from Carter later, they were happily flying loops around Priest's flagship and shooting at its shields. Which was fun but also a bit disappointing - obviously, the fact that the shields regenerated faster than the shuttle could damage them meant that a stealth shuttle - or a space fighter, like he had heard being discussed - wasn't really going to be effective against a larger ship. Unless you sent tons of them against it. "We need missiles," he said. "Big honking missiles." Torpedoes, even if that sounded like a Navy thing as well.

"We're working on that. Unfortunately, the stealth system is too big for the missiles we have," Entrapta told him. "And reducing its size has hit a few snags since some components don't work if we make them smaller - we haven't found a way to miniaturise them yet."

Jack hadn't thought about stealth missiles. Just normal missiles would be useful - though they would allow the enemy to track the launch location. But stealth missiles… "What about making the missiles bigger?"

"Hm. They would have to be half the size of a shuttle for the stealth system to work. Maybe a little smaller. And that means we couldn't launch them from a shuttle. I think."

That sounded more like a kamikaze shuttle than a missile. An unmanned kamikaze shuttle. Maybe a Kamikaze bot? "Well, if it can fly like a shuttle, we can launch it from a frigate," Jack suggested.

"Well, yes. But it would also have to be able to get through a shield. That's easier the smaller something is, once the shield starts wavering. A shuttle-sized missile…" Entrapta made some humming noise, and Jack could hear her hair typing. "The shield would have to be almost completely gone to get through it. On a spaceship, at least."

And at that point, you didn't really need stealth any more. A pity.

Well - the shuttle was meant to deliver soldiers to their targets, not to shoot down enemy ships. But Jack would have liked to have the option.

On the other hand, in a pinch, Carter could probably whip up something on the fly if they needed it. And Jack had no doubt that space fighter/bombers would be a thing soon enough.

But, most importantly, they were now ready for the recon mission. Jack couldn't wait to use the shuttle for real.