Chapter 95: The Scientist Part 1
PZ-825, January 30th, 1999 (Earth Time)
Jack O'Neill was the first out of the shuttle, jumping off the ramp before it touched the ground. Catra would have been faster, but he had had a headstart and had blocked her from slipping past him when he hit the button to lower the ramp. Score one for age and experience.
But she landed - on all fours - a second after he had. "Cheater."
"Catra!"
And here came Adora, also jumping off the ramp - which touched down a moment later.
But Jack was focused on the bot turning to face them. He still couldn't see any similarity to Asgard designs. No runes, no stone-like look, just smooth, grey metal.
Then again, if Jack was setting up some covert alert systems, he wouldn't use bots with the US flag on them. He would use bots that looked like Goa'uld tech instead, of course. Confusion to the enemy, and all that.
Which raised the question if the style of this bot was aping someone else's. Well, they might find out. Jack smiled as he took a step forward - to the edge of the shuttle's shield. Just in case the bot wasn't from the Asgard. Or the bot was from some Asgard who had something to hide and no qualms about getting rid of witnesses. It would be stupid, of course, with all the sensors trained on them and the ships in orbit, but that never stopped some people.
"Hello!" Adora smiled at the drone. "I am She-Ra, Princess of Power. Who are you?"
Jack forced himself to keep smiling. It wasn't as if the bot hadn't already seen the Horde shuttle, and SG-1 was in uniform, with the US flag on the sleeve, but it still went against his instincts to present yourself like that on a covert mission. But the Etherians were in charge of diplomacy. And everything else, if it came down to that.
The bot didn't react for a moment, then slowly floated closer to Adora - though it stopped before touching the shield. "Did you trigger a hyperspace wave on the planet?" It added some technical blah-blah that didn't mean a thing to Jack - or to Adora, he could tell from her expression - but Carter, Entrapta and Bow, who were on the ramp behind them, started whispering.
"Maybe?" Adora tilted her head sideways as she smiled apologetically. "I'm not sure if…"
"Yes, we did!" Entrapta interrupted her. "If we interpreted your numbers correctly, then yes. Are you worried about your hyperspace detector beacon?"
"You found it?"
"It's considered rude in our culture not to introduce yourself if others did so," Jack cut in, resisting the temptation to imitate Daniel's way of speaking. "So, who're you?"
The bot tilted to face him - well, if you could call turning a band of blinking lights towards him that. Jack smiled widely at him. He could be diplomatic.
"You've had contact with us before."
"If you are who we think you are," Jack replied.
Another pause. "We are the Asgard, yes."
"Yes! I knew it!" Entrapta cheered behind him. "The technology matched!"
"It shouldn't have been a clear match," the bot retorted. "I did not use standard parts."
"Welll… it wasn't a perfect match. But there were enough similarities to tell the base from which you developed this," Entrapta told the bot.
"You managed to derive the base technology from this? Of course, you had an example - or multiple examples to study, which must have helped your deductions."
"You still haven't told us your name," Jack reminded the alien before the whole discussion could turn into technobabble.
"Ah. This is… a delicate matter."
Delicate? Jack frowned. That sounded evasive. And the alien had been trying to hide their technology. Coupled with the whole hidden sensor… Jack grinned. "You're not supposed to be here, are you?"
The bot didn't react, but, once again, a moment passed before it replied: "You are as perceptive as your file claims, Colonel."
Bingo! Jack nodded. "I try my best."
Catra snorted.
"So, you don't want to give us your name because you're… breaking a law?" Adora asked.
"Not exactly. It would be more precise to say that I disagree with the interpretation of certain of our policies."
"Yep, you're breaking the law," Catra commented.
"And this isn't one of the protected planets," Glimmer added. "So, what are you doing here?"
"You're looking for something. Something that uses the hyperspace frequency we used to trigger your detector," Entrapta said. "It's not a common frequency amongst the other species we know. So…" She beamed at him. "...it's a new species using that! And if you're looking for them using this, we can do the same!"
"No, you can't!" This time, the bot jerked.
Jack had a bad feeling about this.
Adora blinked. The voice sounded agitated. This must be important.
Entrapta, though, shook her head. "I think we can - we can duplicate your sensors. Though we don't need to; we can just calibrate our own to look for such signals. Or send such signals to see if they notice - as we demonstrated. If we spread out, we should increase our chances to contact this new species!"
"No! You can't! They're dangerous!" the voice yelled.
Entrapta cocked her head. "Dangerous? How?"
She sounded more interested than impressed or even afraid, Adora noted.
It took a second for the voice to answer. "They are an existential threat to every species in the galaxy."
"That sounds as if you know them very well," Jack commented in a casual tone. His eyes, though, had narrowed, Adora noticed.
"We do. I do."
"And yet, you're looking for them using hidden sensors. Hidden sensors that burn out after use. And you use a bot that is supposed to not look like it was built by you." Jack tilted his head a bit to the side. "Something doesn't add up."
"When we met Thor, he claimed that all known existential threats to the galaxy were contained," Catra said. Her tail was swishing back and forth, betraying her tension. "Why would you look for such a threat if it was contained?"
"And why wouldn't the Asgard inform us if there was a new existential threat - or an older threat that broke containment?" Glimmer was frowning. "You know we have advanced technology and magic; if you need help, we'd be the obvious people to ask. Especially if this is a threat to us all."
"On the other hand, not informing us of an existential threat would be kind of… not nice," Jack added.
"Those are logical deductions," the voice answered.
"You still haven't told us who you are. I think we should ask Thor about this," Catra said, making a point of studying her claws.
"I am Loki."
"The trickster god of the Norse pantheon?" Daniel perked up. "There are many myths about you on Earth!"
"I know."
"I'm not an expert on ancient myths, but 'trickster god' doesn't really sound trustworthy," Jack commented.
"Well, we don't have many primary sources about Loki," Daniel said. "Much of what we know was recorded centuries after the Christianisation of the Norse. And such myths and legends tend to be biased depending on who wrote them down. There are parallels to Greek gods in some tales, which might have been added at a later date, for example, but also might be tied to a myth shared by both cultures - there are several legends that appear, in similar form, amongst different cultures. For example…"
"I think we got the gist," Jack cut him off. "So, Loki… care to share what you know about this 'existential threat'? It sounds kind of like we should know about this. And if you don't tell us, we probably have to investigate this, as Entrapta lined out."
"Oh, yes!" Entrapta beamed. "Can we?"
"And can we meet?" Adora asked. "It's better to talk face to face." Talking to a faceless bot wasn't how you were supposed to do diplomacy. Unless it was with a civilisation of faceless bots, of course. If such a thing existed.
Another moment passed. Then Adora heard a sigh, followed by Loki's voice. "I will travel through the gate to meet you."
"Thank you!" She smiled at the bot.
It took less than a minute, and an Asgard stepped through the Stargate. He was the same size as Thor and looked the same as well. They might be related. Although… the Asgard used clone bodies. Maybe they all looked the same?
"I guess clothing is optional for advanced species," Adora heard Jack mutter under his breath.
"I think that might just be the cultural norm for the Asgard," Daniel said. "They seem to eschew clothes, though it remains to be seen if that extends to belts and other pieces meant to carry tools. It might be a cultural taboo to wear anything, which would have shaped their customs and beliefs."
"Let's wait with analysing the Asgard until we have discussed the existential threat to the galaxy," Jack told him.
"Sorry."
"It's mostly that we don't need clothes, so we don't use them," Loki said as he reached them.
He must have good ears… no, his bot was still next to them, Adora realised. He would have overheard them talking through it.
"Ah." Daniel nodded, then smiled at Jack.
Adora cleared her throat. "Hello, Loki. You already know me. These are my friends, Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon, Princess Entrapta of Dryl…"
"I am familiar with your names," Loki interrupted her. "And the stories of my deeds were, no doubt, warped in the centuries since our departure from Earth."
"Of course you'd say that," Catra muttered with a toothy grin.
"Oh? If we could check our myths against the events from which they originated, this would offer great insight into our understanding of other myths," Daniel said.
"Daniel…" Jack hissed. "Existential threat now, dusty history later!"
"Sorry."
"So, what is this existential threat you are so concerned about?" Adora asked.
"The Replicators."
"The Replicators?" Samantha Carter and Entrapta said in unison.
"They are self-replicating machines that consume everything in their path as they aggressively expand - or attempt to," Loki explained.
Sam's eyes widened. A von Neumann swarm?
"Oh!" Entrapta nodded. "That's what you warned me of, right, Sam? When we were designing our spy bot network."
Sam suppressed a wince. Yes, the topic had come up. But this wasn't the best moment to mention that.
"You planned to create self-replicating machines?" Loki… didn't seem to be as shocked as Sam had expected. She could be mistaken, of course, since he was an alien, but it was something to think about. Later, though.
She ignored the look the Colonel gave her and shook her head. "It was a risk we had to consider when planning our automated recon network. A risk we avoided."
"Well, technically, since we have automated factories producing spy bots, we did create self-replicating machines," Entrapta said. "It depends on how strict you are with your definitions."
"Machines that do not have the autonomy to act on their own," Sam quickly added. "It's just automated factories producing automated space probes."
"Yes," Entrapta nodded. "We didn't make them smart, so they can't expand their parameters and learn new things. Which makes them a bit less efficient than they could be. We have to manually adjust their parameters and orders."
"I see." Loki nodded. "Yes, the reason the Replicators are such a threat is their intelligence. They form a hive mind and so are able to adapt to various circumstances."
"Such as people shooting at them?" the Colonel asked.
"The Asgards encountered the Replicators just when they were expanding past their system of origin. We have since then managed to contain them, although we were not yet able to eradicate them."
"You contained them?" Sam asked. If such self-replicating machines had faster-than-light travel, all they had to do was to send small probes out to, well, everywhere, and start building up in secret. You couldn't contain such a threat unless you could block them from travelling through hyperspace, and to interdict a ship or probe from entering hyperspace would require them to… "How do you keep them from entering hyperspace with their probes?" You could disrupt hyperspace communications - suppress them, as the Alliance had done to the Goa'uld so far, which might be adapted to block travel as well. But that only worked for a short time and within a small range. Sooner or later, a determined enemy would manage to bypass such jamming during an engagement or escape the range of the jamming.
"If you're jamming hem, with enough power to disrupt travel, and within an entire system - or more - then that would require a lot of ships," Entrapta added. "And a lot of power, but if you just used more power, we should have noticed something since that would start to affect travelling through hyperspace in the entire sector. Well, only a tiny bit, but it should still be noticeable with precise sensors. Or when your calculations are just a tiny bit off."
Loki hesitated for a moment. Sam couldn't read him. "The Replicators need constant and uninterrupted communication through hyperspace to form their hive mind. If this is disrupted, they focus on restoring a connection to the exclusion of everything else. They also do not spread too far from each other, always staying within optimal communication range. It is unclear whether or not this is a technical limitation or merely a psychological one, as far as that is possible for machines, but it has allowed us to contain their expansion, albeit with great effort."
Sam frowned at that. If the Asgard could do that to the Replicators, then they should be able to destroy them, not merely contain them. Coupled with their obvious disdain for the Goa'uld and the fact that they had been on Earth a thousand years ago… "How long has this conflict been going on?"
"Quite some time," Loki replied.
"That's vague," Entrapta pointed out.
"Yes, it is." Loki sounded amused, at least in Sam's impression.
Entrapta pouted at him. "Without exact data, we can't really help you."
"We don't require help. Our projections show that the Replicator's capacities are steadily deteriorating in the face of our attacks. We should be able to eradicate them in the future. Eventually."
Sam reminded herself that the Asgard used cloned bodies to extend their lifespan. That would affect what they considered long-term planning compared to humans or Etherians. And yet… Loki might not be telling them the entire truth.
"So, you have things well in hand. That's why you have been planting sensors on worlds to look for them, and why you were freaking out about the possibility of us stumbling on those Replicators." The Colonel's sarcasm was quite obvious, but Loki didn't seem to react.
"Yes." Once more, he nodded. But after a moment, he added: "The Replicators are able to adapt quite efficiently to changing circumstances if they are given the opportunity. We have to constantly adjust our technology and tactics to retain our advantage. Your presence, intended or not, would likely prove disruptive."
"That still doesn't explain why you're placing sensors to look for them," Catra said,
"We are winning the conflict," Loki replied. "But there is a chance, not a very great chance, but one that cannot be ignored, that the Replicators, faced with certain defeat, will radically break with prior behaviour and send out probes far further than they used to."
"Past your pickets." Catra nodded. "And you're preparing for that."
Loki inclined his head. "I am testing a method to detect them without being noticed by other civilisations, such as the Goa'uld."
She grinned. "But you're also hiding from your own people, aren't you?"
Loki wasn't amused - Sam was sure this time.
Catra smirked when Loki - if that was actually his name - twitched. She didn't trust him. The Asgard were fighting a bunch of bots that were an existential threat to the galaxy and so dangerous that any 'interference' by outsiders could spell disaster? That sounded far too convenient to be true. A perfect excuse to keep the guy's secret that couldn't be questioned. Except, of course, by asking Thor. It still could be true, though.
"The Asgard are sometimes a bit too conservative. When faced with an enemy like the Replicators, one must be ready to innovate, to act proactively. Merely reacting to the enemy's stratagems is not enough to ensure victory," Loki said, staring at her.
She grinned as she met his eyes. She had seen worse glares, far worse glares. "So, you're doing this behind the back of your people - against their orders and laws, hm?"
"There is no law against placing sensors on uninhabited planets. Sensors that cannot be traced back to my people."
Catra hadn't much experience with the Asgard, but Loki sounded a bit smug here. He had that air of being too clever for his own good. And it was another evasive answer.
"Sure, that works - until you send in a bot that does point at your people," O'Neill said.
"That was in response to picking up a signal that seemed to be originating from the Replicators," Loki told him with a frown. "If Replicators had been present, then it would have been obvious to the High Council that my actions were justified."
"And you would have been vindicated," Glimmer said, slowly nodding.
Catra suppressed a snort. According to what she had heard, Glimmer would be very familiar with that situation. She must have argued like that with her mother a lot. Her mother, who was… Catra pushed the thought and the guilt away. This wasn't the time.
"Yes." Loki nodded firmly.
Catra cocked her head to the side. The way he acted… "This isn't the first time you went against your people's laws."
Loki looked at her again. "I have had disagreements with the High Council in the past."
Catra was sure he had. He sounded very much like a 'the ends justify the means' guy. Not that there was anything wrong with that in principle. But he also struck her as a guy who thought he knew best.
"So, why shouldn't we call our buddy Thor and check your claims?" O'Neill asked. "We've got their number, and informing them of a potential crime would be the neighbourly thing to do."
"It would endanger my project, which could be all that stands between the galaxy and the Replicators," Loki said.
"Oh?" O'Neill faked surprise. "I thought the Asgard had the situation under control."
"All information indicates that this is correct, but there remains some uncertainty. So, a contingency is needed," Loki said.
"So, you have been placing such sensors on empty planets as a contingency?" Entrapta asked.
"Yes."
"How are you doing that?" She looked puzzled, Catra noticed. "According to the logs of the Stargate here, It took you an hour to install the sensors. If you want to cover a decent part of the sector, much less the galaxy, you would have to have a huge, really huge number of bots to place such sensors. And you're limited to worlds with Stargates, which means your sensor coverage will have blind spots. Lots of them. We went over that when we planned our own network, and we could limit it to the Goa'uld Empire - you need to cover everything."
And it would take a massive amount of resources. Even if Loki had access to the resources of the Asgard, he wouldn't get them, Catra was sure. Because if those efforts went into the war instead, it might be won more easily. Loki might be arrogant, but was he such a fool?
"It is a start."
Catra narrowed her eyes. He wasn't acting as if he had just discovered a flaw in his plan. And he wasn't acting all smug and claiming he had solved this. He was hiding something. Something that made his actions make sense. Somehow. Oh. "You think you know where they'll be going, should they manage to break your people's blockade."
He tensed for a moment. Then he relaxed a bit too much. "I have made estimates based on their past behaviour."
"Oh?" Entrapta blinked. "You mean they have broken out before?"
"There were localised outbreak attempts that were stopped. The Replicators' need for constant communication limits them."
"But that would mean that this system is close to their system of origin," Sam said. "We've mapped this region thoroughly with our own probes and haven't found any sign of those Replicators or the Asgard."
"It isn't close, but I have reasons to suspect that this is the most likely vector for their expansion, should they achieve a breakthrough or overcome their limitations."
"Can we see your data?" Entrapta asked. "This sounds like an impressive deduction. It would also be helpful if we knew those limits in case we met those Replicators."
"Unfortunately, I can't share the data. It's too sensitive to be handed over to outsiders."
"Oh?" O'Neill raised his eyebrows. "But you got access?"
"I have my means, but I can't share the data with outsiders. That is something my people wouldn't easily forgive."
Catra clenched her teeth. Hearing these evasive answers, that smug undertone… Shadow Weaver had loved such games as well. And she hadn't been trustworthy either. This whole thing still didn't make much sense. Even if Loki had stolen the data, if he could predict the replicator's actions, he should already be able to impress their High Council enough to make them overlook that. Results got you promotions and forgiveness. Catra knew how that worked from the Horde. Of course, it could be abused, but… Oh. That would be one way to ensure he got results. And praise. And power.
She narrowed her eyes. "You aren't planning to plant some Replicators in the area for you to discover, are you?"
Loki twitched again.
What? Jack O'Neill narrowed his eyes. That was a far-fetching question - accusation - but the way the alien twitched, Catra might be right on the nose. And it made sense. In a messed-up, stupid way. Time to double down on it. "You know that your enemies will appear here because you will plant them here. So you can play the hero," he said.
The alien stared at Catra, then at him. And didn't reply yet. Wasn't Loki supposed to be smoother than that? Well, the Marvel comics were probably not a good resource about aliens playing gods. Though Jack filed the thought away. It would rile up Daniel quite nicely on a slow day.
"What?" Adora blurted out, belatedly. "You said that the Replicators were so dangerous, we couldn't meet them for fear of disrupting your containment, but you plan to release them yourself?"
"Are you mad?" Glimmer added. The queen looked as if she was about to brain Loki with her staff. Well, Jack wouldn't mind braining the alien himself.
"I am not mad!" Loki retorted, looking angry. "I have things prepared and under control! And even if a risk remained, it would be worth it!"
"It would be worth it? What do you expect to gain from this?" Glimmer asked. "Fame? Power?"
Once more, Loki hesitated.
"Probably both," Jack said. On Earth, one thing tended to come with the other if you wanted both. But things might be different with the grey aliens.
Loki shook his head. "I do not desire power for power's sake - but I need it to save my people."
"You need to save your people?" Jack had heard that before. "From what? You said they had the situation with those 'replicators' in hand." Of course, Loki had said a lot, and none of it could be trusted.
"Yes, the situation with the Replicators is under control. They are still dangerous, but we have been steadily pushing them back, and I do not foresee a reverse of that."
"What about all the talk about them adapting and advancing?" Catra asked.
"Their theoretical potential is limited in practice by their need for advanced communication, massive power generation and the resources to provide both. And we have been attacking those weaknesses. It's a war of attrition, and by my calculations, we have reached a tipping point already."
Jack wasn't quite sure if he would trust Loki's calculations. "So, what's that other existential threat that you need power to deal with? And why does it have to be you?" Making up a huge threat from which only you could save your people was a basic tactic to take over a country. But it seemed that, for all the stuff about the situation being under control - and Jack had heard that far too often right before something went majorly wrong to trust it - the Asgard already had such a threat.
Loki stared at him without saying anything. Time to increase the pressure, then - Jack was tired of the alien's attitude.
"We can always ask Thor," Catra stole Jack's line before he could say it.
Loki frowned at her.
Jack grinned. The alien probably regretted showing up. But them's the breaks when you try to pull off a plot like his.
Adora, though, smiled at Loki. "If you are in danger and need help, we'll help you, of course! But we can't help you if we don't know what you need. So, please, tell us what your problem is." She blinked. "That came out wrong. I mean, the threat to your people, not… uh…"
Catra snickered, and Jack had to grin himself. "Your attitude?" he suggested.
"Jack!" Daniel hissed behind him.
"Yes," Entrapta chimed in. "We can help you! I think we can, at least. But we'll try our best to help you, anyway."
"You already let slip that your people are facing a huge threat, so that secret's out already," Catra added. "Just tell us."
That was obviously not true. Revealing a potentially huge vulnerability was still a massive breach of security. Or would be on Earth. Not that Jack would say so, of course.
Loki looked from Adora to Entrapta, then to the rest of their group. Then he seemed to… not quite deflate, but hunch over a little. "This is not going as I planned."
"That's life," Jack told him. "You either adapt or die."
To his slight surprise, Loki chuckled at that. "That is actually an apt description of the problem, Colonel O'Neill."
"Oh?" Jack blinked. It had just been a platitude.
"As you know from Thor, the Asgard use cloned bodies to transfer our minds, our consciousnesses, into."
Oh, damn. Jack knew that tone - a lecture was incoming.
Of course, some of the others ate it up. Daniel looked as if he was going to take notes, and Entrapta…
"Yes!" She nodded several times with a wide smile. "An ingenious use of cloning and mind-reading technology! You could theoretically live forever that way! And if you use braindead clones, you're not hurting anyone, unlike Horde Prime."
Loki twitched again, Jack noted. But the alien quickly recovered. "There are a few drawbacks we discovered after the fact," he said. "We lost the ability to sexually reproduce. And… the cloning method was not quite as perfect as we thought."
They didn't have sex any more? Wait, Loki said reproduction. No need to feel sorry for them, then.
"Oh." Entrapta cocked her head. "You had cloning errors?"
"Over time, our genome degraded. We realised it too late to easily fix it," Loki explained. "If we cannot halt and reverse the process, we are facing extinction."
"You want to fix your genome?" Entrapta asked. "That shouldn't be too hard. I mean, you created Horde Prime, didn't you? And his cloning technology is impressive! Or was that your technology?"
"'Horde Prime' was an attempt to fix our genome. An attempt that was… less than successful." Loki scowled. "The changes were far more extensive than projected, especially in the psyche. He was meant to be an Asgard, not… whatever he turned out to be in the end."
"You mean when he ran away?" Daniel asked.
"Yes." Loki nodded. "But he showed me that there was a way to adapt our cloning process and, if not restore our genome, force it into a viable state again, close enough to what we were so we would still be Asgard and not something too different."
"Yes." Entrapta nodded with a smile. "If your experiment fails, you try again until it works. That's how science works!"
"Exactly! I just needed a few more experiments!" Loki smiled at her. "But the High Council forbade me from further refining my research. And without their authorisation, I cannot access the data I need for my research!"
"What resources do you need?" Carter asked. "Your 'experiment' here must have taken significant resources as well."
"That only took time and some material resources. But I need access to our restricted databanks so I can work with the last archived semi-viable genome data. I tried using my own genetic data, but as Horde Prime showed, that was not enough."
Ah. "And as the hero who prevented the Replicators from spreading across the Galaxy when everyone else missed them, you could get that access." Jack nodded. That explained it.
"Yes!" Loki nodded sharply. "Do you now see why this is necessary?"
"Sort of." Jack wasn't sure granting a mad scientist access to such data was a good idea at all. "But…"
"Wait!" Entrapta blurted out, interrupting him. And she beamed at Loki as if he had just told her she could have an unlimited research budget and tiny food forever or something. "You used your genes to create Horde Prime? That means you're Hordak's grandfather! You're family!"
Oh, damn… Jack clenched his teeth together so he wouldn't curse out loud.
Oh! Adora gasped. She hadn't considered that - and she should have! She had known that Horde Prime was a clone of the Asgard, ever since their meeting on Cimmeria, but she should have realised what that meant. He had a family! All the clones had a family! Not just people related to him, but their actual grandfather! Or grandmother, or however that was supposed to work with clones. Of clones. And clones of clones of clones.
This was a little confusing.
Loki looked… well, a little shocked. "That's not how the Asgard see it," he said. "We have stopped sexually reproducing."
"But if you used your own genetic material to create new life, that would be your offspring. Biologically, at least," Daniel spoke up.
"Yes!" Entrapta nodded. "And you created your clone deliberately - in an attempt to solve your species' problem. So, Horde Prime was supposed to be an Asgard, you said that yourself. And his clones share enough of your DNA that your own systems on Cimmeria considered them Asgard. Kinda, at least." She nodded. "So, they are your children. Yours, as in you, not your people."
Loki stared at her, his mouth opening, then closing, before he shook his head. "That is not how it works for the Asgard."
"Well, I'm not sure that argument would fly in a family court on Earth," Jack added with a smirk. "If all the clones want child support…" he whistled. "That could be quite expensive."
"What?" Loki looked confused.
"Ah, Jack is, ah, joking - I doubt that a court on Earth would have jurisdiction, although if a clone became a citizen of a country on Earth…" Daniel shook his head. "Anyway, I do not think a parent - or grandparent in this case - would owe anyone child support since the clones are adults and employed. Although, technically, and biologically, I guess, some of them are very young."
"Yes! WrongHordak is a few years old - we were there when he was released from the cloning pod!" Entrapta nodded.
"But I don't think we can just project our own cultural norms on the Clones or the Asgard," Daniel retorted. "Our histories and societies are far too different."
"Yes. We have abandoned sexual reproduction," Loki said.
"But did you abandon any reproduction?" Sam asked. "You said you transfer your consciousnesses into braindead clones. But do you also, ah, grow clones with brains to raise them as new individuals?"
"With our genetic degradation, such reproduction has been put on hold. It was deemed unethical to create a new individual under such circumstances."
Adora blinked. That sounded…
"Was that before or after you created Horde Prime?" Glimmer asked.
"Long before that, fewer and fewer Asgard had opted to raise offspring," Loki replied.
"So, the answer is 'Yes'." Jack snorted.
"It was a short-sighted decision." Loki seemed to pout. "Even with our current problems, creating new individuals is a necessity. They would not be worse off than existing Asgard. And they would serve to alleviate some of the constraints caused by our war against the Replicators."
"You said the war was as good as won," Adora pointed out. "Why would there be such 'constraints'?"
"I said that the war will be won, although it will still require considerable effort," Loki corrected her.
"Well, fighting a war while you don't reproduce seems a little short-sighted," Jack commented. "People tend to die in wars."
"Exactly!" Loki nodded at him. "We can't afford to lose more individuals. Especially not those with a vast range of experience and talent."
Adora blinked. That was… "You wanted clones to use in the war? Was that why Horde Prime deserted you?"
Loki glanced at her. "Every Asgard is expected to fight the Replicators if they're needed."
"So, Horde Prime was supposed to be an Asgard!" Entrapta nodded. "He was your child then!"
"He was not an Asgard!" Loki snapped.
Entrapta shook her head. "His DNA was close enough! So, technically, all the Clones should be Asgard! You all are clones anyway!"
"I don't think that's how it works," Daniel said. "There are obvious differences between, ah, Horde Clones and the Asgard."
"Superficial Ones!" Entrapta retorted. "Who cares about different exteriors? The DNA matters!"
Jack grimaced, Adora noticed. Entrapta was a bit too dismissive. This was a delicate subject, after all. Adora knew that - she was a First One, but she had been raised in the Horde. Hordak's Horde. Was she a First One or not? She straightened. This wasn't about her. "I think that's not something anyone of us can decide. Not even you, Loki. Not without asking the clones what they think."
"Yes!" Entrapta nodded. "We have to tell them that their grandfather is here!"
That wasn't exactly what Adora had meant or how she would put it. But it was close enough.
She nodded and took out her communicator. Then she froze for a moment. The highest ranking Clone present was Priest…
"So you are the father of the Great Deceiver. He who wanted to rule the universe's ashes but was brought to justice by Her divine grace, the holy She-Ra, Princess of Power, hallowed be Her name!"
Priest seemed to be expanding his vocabulary. Or at least varying his sermons - Samantha Carter wasn't quite sure if she had heard those titles before, though she didn't make a habit of following the Church of She-Ra. It was better for her peace of mind. And she was a scientist, not a theologian.
"You claim to be a goddess?" Loki stared at Adora, but Sam couldn't tell if he was outraged or surprised. The Asgard despised the Goa'uld, after all, and this would likely include their practices of deceiving their followers into worshipping them.
"I am not a goddess!" Adora protested, blushing.
"Your deeds prove Your divinity, Your Divine Highness, for you have saved us all from being enslaved by the Great Deceiver! Evidence of Your miracles is everywhere to be found!"
Sam suppressed a shiver at the rapt expression on Priest's face. This kind of fanaticism was dangerous - and the way he kept insisting that She-Ra was a goddess, despite her open denial, was almost delusional.
"You revere her as a goddess against her will?" Loki seemed surprised now. "Despite her clearly denying it?"
"As Her divine wisdom teaches us, your deeds, not your words, define you. And Her deeds are, undoubtedly, those of a goddess," Priest retorted. "Her Divine Highness has wrought multiple miracles by any definition found on both Etheria and Earth. She has turned the Great Deceiver's base from a weapon into a monument of peace, transforming dead metal and advanced composite into a living plant that thrives even in the cold vacuum of space. She has healed the sick and raised the dead, saved countless worlds from destruction and returned Etheria from the dimension in which it was trapped to this universe, restoring the very stars to the sky and magic to the galaxy!"
Loki blinked, then stared at Adora. "Is this true?"
"It's… technically, it's…" Adora shook her head. "It's not like that!"
"You can transform metal into living matter and move worlds between dimensions?"
"That was a special occasion where all the magic that the First Ones had taken from the galaxy was released, and I had to channel it into something!"
Sam winced at that. Adora might try to downplay what she had done, but this was making things worse. Priest was beaming at her, and Loki… looked sceptical.
"I see," he said.
"You do?" Adora smiled at him. "I am no goddess!"
"Many tales speak of gods walking the earth in mortal form," Priest said. "And gods often test the faith of their followers. But we shall not fail You, Your Divine Highness! Your divine wisdom shows us the way! As You have freed the slaves and protected the weak, and are tirelessly working to expunge evil wherever You find it, so shall we, following your example!"
"Ah…" Adora trailed off, obviously at a loss for words.
Sam was sympathetic. Those were noble goals, after all. But who knew how Priest would define what was good and just in the future? He was clearly willing to ignore Adora's words when it suited him. Not quite unlike certain priests ignored the Bible when it suited them.
"I don't quite understand this," Loki said.
"OK! Hordak's coming!" Entrapta interrupted before Adora - or Priest - could reply to the Asgard. "WrongHordak as well!"
The Stargate through which she had been communicating with Etheria deactivated. A few seconds later, it activated again, establishing a connection from Etheria.
And Hordak stepped through, followed by another clone. WrongHordak.
"Loki, these are Hordak and WrongHordak, two more of your grandchildren!" Entapta beamed to Loki. "Hordak, WrongHordak, this is Loki! He created Horde Prime from his own genetic material!"
Both clones looked at the Asgard. After a moment, Hordak spoke.
"Why?"