Chapter 103: Faith

Earth Orbit, February 23rd, 1999 (Earth Time)

"The Secretary-General wants your magic scanner for the United Nations?" Jack O'Neill was sure he must have misunderstood Glimmer. This was absurd. Carter and Entrapta's scanner was a major military... well, not a military secret; too many knew about it, but it was a major military asset. The Goa'uld had no counter to it, so far, and its utility was almost limitless.

"Yes. Well, to be precise, he wants it to be used by a special task force of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights," Glimmer explained. "To investigate claims of human rights violations."

Oh. Jack blinked. That was… still insane. Handing over such an asset to the United Nations? To the United Nations Commission on Human Rights? Some of its members were amongst the worst offenders, if Jack remembered correctly - he hadn't exactly kept up with a toothless UN commission. "Really?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, it makes sense," Daniel said. "The recordings of torture and abuse in Iran you published showed everyone what your scanners could do. Of course, the United Nations would want to use that to document other human rights violations."

Jack scoffed. "And what for? Not even with the proof you presented, the United Nations were willing to condemn Iran."

"Well, they've decided to investigate the whole thing," Adora said. "And we've disproven the Iranian lies."

If truth counted for anything in politics… Jack shook his head. "I doubt anything will come off it. Too many countries have too much to lose if they don't back Iran." Even in the USA, some pundits had acted as if the Etherians using the scanner on Iranian prisons was worse than torturing and murdering prisoners.

"But why?" Adora asked. "We've proved that Iran is lying about everything. Does that mean everyone supporting them is as bad as they are?"

"No," Glimmer replied. "A number have similar or the same policies against magic, but few are as blatantly murderous. But a lot of countries claim that their sovereignty is more important than human rights."

"No country's perfect," Jack said. "Every country has something that they aren't proud of." Even America. Especially America, as he knew quite well.

"We know that." Glimmer rolled her eyes. "But not every country wants to murder people for being born with magic. They know we won't intervene for individual crimes - we haven't intervened even after lynchings."

"They might not believe that," Daniel pointed out. "Or they fear you'll escalate after having dealt with the worst offenders. It's happened before." He pushed his glasses up his nose. "But back to the United Nations' request. Are you going to grant it?"

Of course not! Jack rolled his eyes.

"We don't trust them enough to hand over such advanced technology," Glimmer replied. "Of course, they can't steal it - we'd easily find it with our scanner - but the potential for abuse is too great."

Jack nodded.

"And if we keep the scanner but operate it on request, they can claim that we manipulated the results," Bow added. "Even if we let them supervise."

That was one obvious angle for Iran and its supporters: Claim the Etherian data was fake. It wasn't very convincing, of course - not with the first interviews of some of the dissidents and witches the Etherians had broken out of prison hitting the news - but in politics, usually, all you needed was a plausible-sounding excuse.

"But that's no reason not to provide help," Adora retorted. "Even if only our friends believe us, we still should document and prove human rights violations."

"And then just let them continue doing it?" Catra scoffed. "What good is documenting a crime if you don't stop it?"

"Do you want to risk another massacre? Or more countries opposing the Alliance?" Glimmer shook her head.

"What can they do?" Daniel asked. "Iran couldn't stop you. I doubt even China or Russia could stop you."

"If you ignore their nukes," Jack pointed out. He expected both countries to revise their stated conditions under which they would consider using nuclear weapons. Probably to include an alien invasion on their soil.

"We're aware of that threat," Adora said. "We're monitoring those bombs."

Jack wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or concerned about that comment. Or if he should ask if that meant what he thought it meant - that the Etherian ships in orbit would stop any nuclear launches.

"And they can't stop us, but they can make the cost of an intervention too high to attempt it short of the worst cases," Glimmer went on. "We don't have the capability to take over a country, much less several. Certainly not if they start a guerilla war. Not us, not the Alliance."

"But a prison break isn't an invasion," Daniel protested. "You wouldn't stay and take over."

"And how long would a ruler last if we keep breaking out their prisoners and crushing their military?" Glimmer asked. "Your rulers don't even have magic powers to legitimise your rule, and even a princess's rule would be threatened if her country kept being invaded and her troops defeated."

"And a regime change is never a nice, smooth affair," Jack cut in before Daniel could ask. "The more brutal a regime was, the more bad blood built up and the more accounts will be settled once it ends. So, unless you want more massacres, you need to be ready to intervene and occupy a country before its regime falls."

His friend frowned. "You mean… the Iranian regime, and other regimes like them, could hold themselves hostage to force us not to topple them? That sounds absurd."

It did sound like that scene from Blazing Saddles.

"They're holding their people hostage," Glimmer pointed out. "Because the people are the ones who will be suffering."

"Right."

"They're suffering anyway," Catra said.

"But if a country plunges into anarchy, it's going to get much, much worse. Just look at Somalia," Jack said.

"We've read about that," Adora said.

"And we're aware that even some of the victims of the current rulers would fight us if we stayed in their country," Glimmer said, scowling.

Jack nodded. Between religious fanatism and plain old 'my country, right or wrong' patriotism, any occupation of Iran or its neighbouring countries would be a terrible mess.

"But we still can help the United Nations," Adora said. "At least, with proof of human rights violations, the guilty countries will have more trouble covering it up. And everyone will know what they did."

"And the Alliance can sanction them," Daniel added with an optimistic smile.

Jack suppressed a scoff. Sanctions didn't really work well, in his opinion. They took too long even if they worked. And the introduction of advanced technology was already causing upheavals in the economy. On the other hand, that might mean some of the sanctions might be more effective - especially for countries that didn't have access to alien technology and a war economy to compensate for the results.

Things might get a bit more interesting.

"...but even with the fires under control and power slowly being restored, the situation in Tehran remains far from normal. Most Western embassies still present in the country have evacuated their staff in response to increasingly furious protests by Iranians blaming the entire West for the Etherian intervention. The efforts of the authorities to protect the embassies have been deemed lacklustre by some sources, prompting fears of a second Iranian Hostage Crisis. Although after the Etherians' demonstration of their power, it is very doubtful that an attempt to take civilians hostage would result in anything but a swifter and harsher response with overwhelming force since Queen Glimmer left no doubt that the Etherians wouldn't tolerate atrocities against civilians."

"At least as long as they aren't the ones committing them, Bob. We all saw the reports about civilian casualties in Tehran."

"Those reports haven't been substantiated by any proof, though, Jim. And the data the Etherians have presented to the United Nations has been said to convincingly refute the Iranian claims."

"Yes, but neither claim has been independently verified, right? It's basically one word against another, and who knows who you can trust? Your government?"

Adora frowned as both men on the screen laughed at their own joke. "Our data proves our innocence," she muttered.

"Well, this channel isn't the most reputable," Daniel said. "The other channels are less, ah…"

"...lying?" Adora asked.

"It's not lying, technically. They merely… report in a slightly biased way." Daniel smiled weakly. "Though I would have expected this particular channel to be a bit more, ah, supportive of our government's policies about Iran. They have been very vocal in their criticism of the Iranian regime in the past."

That was weird. Or not. "Just because they don't like Iran doesn't mean they like us," Adora told him. She thought she remembered that news channel as being quite hostile towards them after they had revealed themselves to Earth - after First Contact, as the humans called it, even though the actual First Contact had happened on Etheria.

"Or they just focus on what gets better ratings - and that's controversial news bites, not facts and truth," Jack cut in. "That's how the news works, Daniel."

"That's a very cynical view, Jack. And incorrect. There are trustworthy news sources."

"But that channel's not one of them." Jack grinned.

But people are still watching it, Adora thought. And why would they be watching a news channel if they didn't trust it? She shook her head. "Darla, change the channel, please."

The picture of the two men vanished in the middle of a tasteless joke about the 'manhunt' for escaped prisoners in Tehran, replaced by footage from the United Nations building in Geneva.

"...that the recent proposal of the Secretary-General of the United Nations has caused a deep rift in the organisation. And while much of the outrage stems from countries with very questionable reputations concerning human rights, many diplomats from Western countries have, publicly and privately, voiced concerns about the increasing influence of the Etherians on world politics, and that the United Nations should not be allowed to become dependent on their power even if it was used to protect human rights."

"But they asked us!" Adora hissed. "That wasn't our idea!"

Spacelab, Earth Orbit, February 23rd, 1999 (Earth Time)

"...and so we've decided to grant the request by the Secretary-General, but with restrictions. A delegation of their committee can ask for support, and we will use a scanner to provide the information they seek while they supervise to ensure the data won't be tampered with. They won't be allowed to use the scanner themselves. So… could you build a spare magic scanner and instruct the clones on how to use it?"

Glimmer's request surprised Samantha Carter. She hadn't expected that. Not after the United Nations General Assembly session had ended in a memorable row over the scanner data taken from Iran's prisons.

Entrapta, though, nodded. "Sure thing, Glimmer! We'll build a spare one - well, we can take one of our spares. Do you want it to be able to tap into our scanner network? It would make information gathering easier and faster if it had access to all the data from the fleet in orbit. It would allow the operators to narrow down the areas of interest as well."

"Wouldn't that reveal the capabilities of our sensors?" Hordak cut in.

On the big screen in the spacelab, Glimmer shook her head. "They already know what the magic scanner can do. Revealing that we have a sensor network when most Earth nations use similar setups isn't anything to worry about."

"What about our stealth bots?" Hordak asked.

"They already know we have stealth shuttles since we used them in the mission. And they assume we have magic ways to turn invisible."

Hordak nodded, apparently satisfied.

"Alright. See you later. Don't work overnight again!" Glimmer's picture vanished.

"So! We'll have to update the spare scanner we stored in the lab, I think. Probably add some safety features, right?" Entrapta asked.

"Yes," Sam said. "And a tracking device." They could track it with a scanner, but a beacon would make it easier and quicker. Maybe a self-destruct device… no, that would probably be too much. Besides, she doubted that any country would risk retaliation by the fleet and steal the scanner. Although if they planned to frame someone else… She shook her head. "I'm still surprised that the secretary-general asked for this."

"Why? If they want to gather data about human rights violations, the scanner is perfect. Well, for some cases, we would need spy bots as well, I think, but overall, it's what they need," Entrapta said.

"Most people don't like the thought that we could be watching everything they are doing." Sam felt a bit queasy about that herself - and she could be sure the scanner wouldn't be used on her.

"Understandable," Hordak said. After a moment - he must have noticed Entrapta's surprise, though Sam hadn't expected this either - he added: "Horde Prime knows all. Horde Prime sees all."

Ah. Sam nodded. Of course.

"Oh." Entrpata bit her lower lip. "But we aren't Horde Prime. And we won't abuse it!"

"The people on Earth don't know that," Sam pointed out.

"Most likely because they would abuse it," Hordak said.

Sam frowned, but she couldn't claim he was wrong. Even parts of the United States government might be tempted to abuse such a scanner - history proved that.

"You mean like Horde Prime?" Entrapta asked. She looked… not shocked, but ill at ease, Sam found.

"The similarities between Horde Prime's… habits and many ideologies on Earth are striking," Hordak said.

"We've made progress, but many countries are still ruled by autocracies," Sam agreed. "Although many of the worst examples are gone." Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union had been vanquished. China… was slowly reforming, according to her knowledge. But the massacre on Tiananmen Square happened less than ten years ago.

"I was mostly thinking of your most popular religions," Hordak said. "The way they indoctrinate their followers is very much like Horde Prime acted."

"What?" Sam snapped before she could help herself.

"Many humans believe in an all-mighty god whose commands they have to obey. A god who sees all and knows all they do. They are raised in that belief and taught not to question their god's commands. Like Horde Prime raised us," Hordak explained.

"That's… not correct," Sam said. "At least not for the mainstream religions. Some sects might act like that, but they are the exception."

"Really?" Hordak tilted his head. "How do you explain the common belief in such a god then, when no facts support their existence?"

"That's because it's a matter of faith," Sam said. For a moment, she felt like she was back in college, watching a debate between a few vocal students. "You can't prove or disprove the existence of God."

"Assuming something exists without any data supporting that doesn't seem very scientific," Entrapta pointed out.

"It's not a scientific matter," Sam retorted. "It's a personal matter for most."

"Quite public for a personal matter," Hordak said. "It's also striking how similar the most popular religions, at least those which postulate that there is only one god, are, yet how much their respective followers seem to focus on insignificant differences to condemn each other."

"That's based on history - the monotheistic religions share a common origin," Sam said.

"I didn't know you studied Earth religions," Entrapta said - to Hordak.

"I felt it would be prudent to look into the matter, with Priest starting the Church of She-Ra," Hordak said.

"Do you think he's going use Earth religions as examples to follow?" Entrapta asked.

"He has people proselytising like certain Christian Churches," Sam pointed out.

"That's a rather insignificant similarity." Hordak shook his head. "But even if he wanted to follow the examples provided by Earth religions, he couldn't. Adora is real - and vocal. He cannot speak in her name without her correcting him, should she need to."

"And yet, she hasn't been able to convince him that she isn't a goddess," Sam said.

"Yes." Hordak nodded. "Though that might be because she cannot disprove that she is a goddess. She has all the powers that most Earth gods are supposed to have. And she has used them, in front of witnesses, and in scientifically provable ways."

"And yet she isn't a goddess," Sam said. "She said so."

"Earth religions have numerous examples of gods or their messengers hiding their nature," Hordak retorted. "Usually to test their followers."

"Adora wouldn't do that, though," Entrapta pointed out. "She wouldn't play with people's lives like that."

"She wouldn't," Hordak agreed. "But like many followers of a religion I've read about, Priest won't be deterred by that. It's a very minor inconsistency compared to the fallacies in the dogmas of most Earth religions. In fact, Adora's insistence that she is no goddess and that she doesn't want to be worshipped might be the most important reason that Priest and his followers keep worshipping her. She is very much the antithesis of Horde Prime. She doesn't demand uncritical obedience or blind faith. She wants to help and protect people, not oppress and conquer them. Or vanquish them. And she leads by example. She does what she can to help others, not herself."

"Oh." Entrapta nodded. "That makes a lot of sense. And her powers might support that - we still don't know how She-Ra's power is granted to someone, but the data we have, the histories of past She-Ra's, show that there must be some process of selection when a new She-Ra acquired her powers. All of them were protectors of Etheria, not conquerors."

According to the history books, Sam thought. Those could be manipulated.

"Some think that Etheria, or Etheria's magic, chooses She-Ra, but whether that means the planet or its magic is sentient or even sapient is unclear," Entrapta went on. "Imagine if we could find out if that's the case! Would that qualify as proving a god exists?"

"I don't think there's a scientific definition of godhood," Sam said.

Her friend frowned. "There should be one. How can we call the Goa'uld false gods if we don't have a definition for what a real god is?"

"Yes," Hordak said. "That seems a bit hypocritical."

"What is considered a god is a matter of faith, not science," Sam said. "But I think we should focus on our projects - we have a lot to do."

"Yes! Let's do science!" Entrapta cheered.

Sam smiled, relieved. She really didn't want to continue this discussion. She was a scientist, not a theologian.

Though she suspected that a theologian wouldn't have any better answers, either. Especially about the parallels to Horde Prime's rule. Or how to define what was a real god.

P.O.W. Camp "Hotchins", Newfoundland, Canada, February 24th, 1999 (Earth Time)

"...and tensions remain high as several countries have protested vehemently against the Secretary-General's request to the Etherians for support for fact-finding missions of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. A proposal in the Security Council to prohibit such measures was vetoed, prompting Russia and China to voice concerns about the influence Etheria has on its allies on Earth. We have here in the studio Professor Keith Harcrouft of Yale. Hello, Professor. Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for inviting me."

"Well, you're one of the most famous experts on the constitution. And, speaking of the constitution, can you tell us what it says about the kind of spying the Etherians apparently do?"

The professor on the screen cleared his throat. "Well, to answer that question, we first have to look at the exact circumstances of the surveillance. No constitutional right's protection is absolute, after all, and…"

Catra sighed and tried to ignore the convoluted talk on the TV in the mess hall. "If that's what they have for entertainment, the guards here are worse off than the prisoners," she muttered. While the supposed expert basically said that spying was OK if it was for a sufficiently important reason, she finished her fish sandwich - at least the food was good here.

"Thank you, John. And now, back to more international politics. Russia and China have released a joint declaration demanding that Earth's Stargate be placed beyond 'factional control' and not be militarised. The American government has refuted the proposal, stating that the Stargate was of critical military importance and crucial for the safety of Earth and announced to veto any decision of the Security Council that would…"

Catra rolled her eyes, not for the first time. How the United Nations got anything done when everyone could block everything was a miracle. And a reason not to underestimate the Seretary-General, she reminded herself. He did get at least some things done.

The door to the mess hall was opened - not the one to the outside, thankfully - and Catra smiled when she saw her love enter. Adora must have finally finished dealing with the prisoners. It had taken longer than usual, so something else than just ensuring Haken didn't die today must have come up.

Adora sighed as she sat down at the table, and Catra was sure that if they weren't in public, her lover would drop her forehead on the table. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Adora closed her eyes. "I was asked to bless people - the prisoners."

Catra frowned. "They needed your healing?" The prisoners shouldn't need healing unless more had lost their symbionts.

"No. Just to bless them." Adora sighed again. "More people, I mean. It's spreading."

"Ah." Catra shrugged. "Better they revere you than the Goa'uld."

Adora frowned at her. "Apparently, my 'dedication to keeping Haken alive' is swaying more Jaffa. But I'm not healing him to impress people! This feels like I'm abusing my power - and my position - to convert them!"

Catra shook her head. "You aren't, and you know it. Stop being an idiot. You're doing what's right, and people realise that. That's perfectly normal."

"Being worshipped isn't normal," Adora complained.

"I don't know," Catra retorted. "The Jaffa were raised to worship the Goa'uld as gods. And they focused on one particular Goa'uld, the one they were fighting for. So, it would only be natural for them to look for another god if they lose faith in their old one."

"You know what I mean!"

Catra grinned and flashed her fangs. "I think worshipping you is perfectly natural. I do it myself. Regularly."

Adora blushed. "Not… not like that!" She shook her head. "Anyway, let's go. We have to visit the saved prisoners before we're expected in Brussels."

"Alright."

Temporary Refugee Housing, Travis Air Force Base, California, February 24th, 1999

The prisoners we've saved are living in worse conditions than the prisoners of war we've taken, Catra thought - not for the first time - as they entered the camp. For all that the Americans had offered to house the Iranians temporarily, they did so in tents. Better tents than the Horde used, of course, but that didn't mean too much.

And the area was under guard. Officially for the protection of the former prisoners, but Catra was sure that the guards were here as much to keep the people in the camp as to keep potential threats away. The base had a big clinic, which was part of the reason the Americans had picked this location, but Adora had healed the freed people anyway. Catra suspected that the Americans were hoping to recruit the suspected sorceresses from amongst the prisoners. Or just wanted to look good for taking in refugees or something. But it wasn't as if the Etherians had had many alternatives - or the time to ask for them.

"She-Ra!"

"She-Ra!"

Their arrival hadn't gone unnoticed, and people quickly rushed out of tents to welcome them.

Catra smiled a bit more toothily as they were crowded, but the mob didn't really back off. That's what they got for rescuing them, she guessed. At least none reached out to touch her or Adora, but they were so loud as they talked rapidly over each other. Catra didn't understand a word. Well, except 'She-Ra', which was repeated all the time.

And then one woman - a woman they had saved from Evin Prison, accused as a witch - fell down on her knees and bowed to Adora, and… Catra blinked as a number of the people surrounding them hissed and even cursed, moving away from the kneeling woman, while others stood their ground, and one woman joined the first. This was… "You're right," she told her lover as she understood what the woman was saying. "Your worship is spreading." It made kind of sense - Earth people, at least these people here, were raised to worship a god as well, after all.

Adora groaned.

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States of America, Earth, February 25th, 1999

"..and contrary to Adora's… concerns, or certain media reports, two women converting to, ah, the Church of She-Ra doesn't indicate a general trend. In fact, judging by the generally very negative reaction amongst the rescued Iranian prisoners to what they see as a case of apostasy, I don't think we can expect a lot of people converting to worshipping Adora even amongst those she personally saved."

Jack O'Neill snorted at Daniel's summary. "That's one way to describe it. The base had to isolate the two women for their own protection." There hadn't been an actual attempt, last he heard, but there had been vocal opinions.

Daniel frowned at him. "I had to explain to Priest that they weren't being imprisoned for their faith. Fortunately, Adora was present as well, and the two women have been released."

And were now, as far as Jack knew, the first Iranians in space. The Alliance would have to screen for spies amongst new converts once that tidbit got out; no spy agency would baulk at using that to insert people into the fleet. Priest claimed they were prepared, but Jack knew better than trusting a zealot's assurances.

"But would not the fact that, despite the Iranians' reactions, the two women chose to convert - and publicly - indicate that the appeal of the Church of She-Ra amongst the Tau'ri is greater than expected?" Teal'c asked.

"It's the hot new thing. Like New New Age," Jack replied with a shrug. "I guess it'll be really popular in Hollywood for a while." But he didn't think it would last. Just another fad.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, and Daniel frowned and replied: "I don't think we should dismiss this so easily. The potential consequences of even minor incidents such as this… Conversion is a very sensitive subject for many religious people."

"Pretty much everything is a 'very sensitive subject' for those people," Jack retorted. "Even whether you use chunky or smooth peanut butter."

"Well, peanut butter isn't covered in scripture, but many religions have rules and taboos about food," Daniel said.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Whatever. The situation in Travis Air Force Base has been handled, and Earth wasn't bombarded by alien zealots in response. So, we came out ahead."

They could leave religious debates to the preachers. Jack was an Air Force officer, not a military chaplain.

Earth Orbit, February 25th, 1999 (Earth Time)

"...and Jaleh Davani and Reyhan Turani have been assigned cabins on my flagship - I assume this meets with your approval, Your Divine Highness."

Priest was trying to hide his glee, but he wasn't doing a good job. Adora could tell. The clone was almost oozing satisfaction as he led her through the corridor of his ship, with clones bowing to her at every corner or, so it seemed.

She didn't like it.

But he was correct. Kind of. "As long as their presence won't impede fleet operations," she said. It was a bit petty, but a little reminder that they were at war and that civilians didn't have a place in war never hurt.

"Should we have to move out they will be transferred to a frigate of the task force guarding Earth," Priest replied. "Unless, of course, they would prefer to serve in Your fleet or army, Your Divine Highness. Both have a talent for magic."

Adora knew that. But neither of the two women had had any training. Military or magical. They'd need years of training. If you wanted to send untrained sorceresses - untrained civilians - into war, you might as well just kill them yourself. They would have to get training anyway, whether or not they wanted to fight in the war. But should she ask Castaspella for help? And would that be fair to all the other potential sorceresses on Earth? The last thing she wanted was for people to think that if they worshipped her, or fought in the war, they would receive training in magic. Or that if they worshipped her, they must fight in the war. "They know they don't have to serve, right?"

"Of course, Your Divine Highness!" Priest nodded. "No trickery or pressure shall be used to spread your faith!"

That wasn't exactly what she had meant, but it was a good - a very good - rule anyway. "Yes."

"Can't have that," Catra agreed, though a glance told Adora that her lover was grinning. As if this was funny!

"I'm no goddess," she muttered. But could she tell the two women that? They had lost their home, their families, and they had risked their lives by abandoning their old faith. To tell them off, after everything they had suffered… Adora couldn't do that. That would be too cruel.

"And here we are, Your Divine Highness!" Priest announced, pointing at two doors ahead of them, with a pair of clones standing guard between them.

"Good security," Catra commented.

"They shouldn't be left alone on the ship, being so new to Your flock," Priest said with a nod.

Adora pressed her lips together. It felt wrong to keep guards on the two women after rescuing them from prison, but they had to consider the potential security risk both represented. Catra and Priest had insisted on that.

The guards bowed as well, and Adora nodded, reaching out to push the buzzer buttons next to both doors.

A few seconds later, the two doors opened almost simultaneously.

"Yes? Oh, Your Divine Highness!"

"She-Ra! I mean, Your Divine Highness!"

Both women gasped and bowed.

Adora froze for a moment, staring at them. Not because of their reaction - she had expected that. But they were wearing the same clothes as the clones in the fleet - and it reminded her far too much of what Catra had been wearing when she had been brainwashed by Horde Prime. When she had fought Adora and she had…

Behind her, she heard Catra hiss.

Research Station Alpha, The First Moon of Enchantment, February 25th, 1999 (Earth Time)

Morrison apparently had decided to move in, turning a spare storeroom into a bedroom, Samantha Carter thought as she looked at the man working. And he got along a bit too much with Loki, in her opinion - the two scientists were lost in their work, bent over the latest results from the test tubes. Cell cultures, not anything more developed, of course.

"It feels good to see the base serving its original purpose again," Alpha commented. "Original research, expanding the knowledge of the First Ones, breaking new ground, creating what is, essentially, a new species based on another, lesser species…"

Sam glanced at the projection next to her. Alpha looked a bit too enthusiastic.

"Yes!" As did Entrapta, of course. "And we're also making progress on finding a solution for the Jaffa's immune system. That's trickier, of course - we can't just modify their genes so the next generation won't need the Goa'uld. Well, we could, but that would still leave so many without a working immune system."

"We've decided on a dual approach. Genetic engineering to remove the inherent weakness the Goa'uld created and a synthetic symbiont to replace the larvae," Alpha said. "There is some data from a failed project that should be able to serve as a base for the latter project."

"A failed project?" Sam asked.

"Yes. A project aimed at creating a biological, self-replicating weapon based on a macro-organism. It was deemed a failure since micro-organisms were more efficient and harder to detect and defend against, but its method of attack and killing shows parallels to the Goa'uld."

They were working with a biological weapon? Styled after the Goa'uld? Sam suppressed a shudder as she remembered a particular science fiction movie.

"Oh! Was it based on the Goa'uld? Or inspired by them?" Entrapta asked.

"The latter. No Goa'uld genes were used for the organism. Which is unfortunate since that would have likely facilitated our current project," Alpha said.

It was 'unfortunate' that the First Ones hadn't created a bioweapon using a sapient species as a base? Sam was very glad that they didn't rely on the artificial intelligence to keep an eye on the researchers.

But they were making progress in their research, and that was what counted.

Earth Orbit, February 25th, 1999 (Earth Time)

"...and the rooms are perfectly fine - more than fine, actually. To think we're on a starship, above Earth… the views are beautiful. I know it's a screen, not a window, but I also know we are in space, so that's… almost the same. And the bed is fine as well, Your Divine Highness."

Catra fought the urge to check her neck. Horde Prime was dead. His mind-control chip had been removed. She was free. She was fine. She was doing fine. And if Adora didn't stop glancing at her every minute as if she wanted to hug her and pat her head, then she'd demonstrate just how fine she was. With her claws.

She forced herself to ignore the glances and stared at the two women, the two sorceresses, they had saved from Evin Prison. Jaleh Davani and Reyhan Turani. They needed help. Catra was fine. She wasn't effectively exiled from her own country on pain of death - twice over, actually. Once for being sorceresses and once for having changed their religion. Hell, they couldn't even trust their fellow former inmates because even some people who had been in prison with the two might kill them for that.

It was a very fucked-up situation. And Adora and Catra were here to do something about that. "So, you've settled in fine here," Catra said as soon as Jaleh had finished. She added a glance at Adora to remind her lover what they were here for.

"Yes," Reyhan said. "We're very grateful for your generosity, Your Divine Highness."

"Ah, I'm…" Adora trailed off. "We're doing what we can. It wouldn't do to save you and then just… leave you. We aren't leaving the others, of course, but they are not… in as much need as you are."

"To help those in need when and where you can is what we strive for. Just as you showed us, Your Divine Highness," Jaleh said. Both women nodded with shining eyes and wide smiles.

Adora's smile slipped a tiny bit. Catra could tell she was internally wincing. "That's… a good ideal, yes," her lover said. "But don't feel that you have to do this, you don't have to follow me, just to get help. That's not how things work."

"Priest has explained that, Your Divine Highness," Reyhan said.

"Do not give only so you shall receive; only what is freely given is a real gift," Jaleh added with a slow nod. Catra could hear Priest's voice in her quote. "We know, Your Divine Highness. But we want to help. We want to be better than those who threatened and hurt us. We want to make the world a better place. The greater your means, the greater your responsibility."

Reyhan nodded once again. "We have the talent, the magic, to make a difference, and so we want to, we have to, use it to help others."

Catra nodded with a sly smile. There wasn't much Adora could say against that without being a hypocrite. "But you need the training to actually do something with your talent," she said.

"Yes," Adora nodded. "Without training, you can't do much."

Whether as sorceresses or as soldiers, Catra thought. During the Horde War, the Princess Alliance had found out that guts and knowledge of the terrain only went so far. And the Alliance against the Goa'uld wouldn't be fighting in Iran. Well, not unless the Iranians went completely crazy.

"I looked into… magic," Reyhan said. "I studied old tales, old books. I only found some curses, though. And some old folks remedies that didn't seem to work."

She didn't say whether she had tried any of those curses, Catra noted.

"Yes," Jaleh added, nodding twice. "What I found didn't work - it was mostly prayers."

The way the two looked at Adora… Catra shook her head, snorting softly.

As expected, her lover caved in. "Well, if you don't know Earth magic - your own magic - we can get you training on Etheria. I'll have to ask Castaspella, but she mentioned a while ago that she would like to work with and teach an Earth sorcerer."

Meaning, Castaspella would have liked to teach O'Neill, Catra thought. She doubted that these two had the same talent as O'Neill had; they weren't First Ones - they had been tested for that. But still, she didn't think Castaspella would refuse to teach them.

"And we can teach others," Jaleh said. "Both magic and how to do good in your name, Your Divine Highness."

Yeah, Catra thought as Adora winced a little, Priest has been busy. The clone obviously wasn't going to waste this opportunity.

Washington D.C., United States of America, Earth, February 26th, 1999

"...and so you and your team will report to Alliance Headquarters in Brussels at the earliest opportunity. Quarters in the city have been arranged, although given your unique circumstances, it is in doubt whether or not you'll use them often, I suppose."

Jack O'Neill glanced at the written orders he had received to confirm this, then nodded. That's what you did when you received legal orders from your superior, and short of the Commander-in-Chief himself, the Secretary of Defense was pretty much the highest authority. And shouldn't actually hand out redeployment orders for a mere Colonel and his team - that would have been General Hammond's job as Jack's commanding officer. And it should have happened in Colorado Springs. Not Washington D.C.

Which told Jack all he needed to know that this was a political thing. Of course, SG-1 was going to be reassigned to the Alliance forces; Jack had known that for months - ever since Stargate Command had been put under United Nations control, at least officially. But he hadn't expected it to happen so soon - they were still preparing the move to the new gate location. Carter had just sorted out another problem with her future lab.

And speaking of that… "What about lab spaces for my team members?" he asked.

"Captain Carter has her spacelab, hasn't she? She is usually off-wold anyway, according to your reports." The Secretary of Defense shrugged. "I am sure Dr Jackson will have ample office space for his records."

They were fine with Carter spending more time off-world, meaning, with the Etherians? Where she could, should she want to, ignore any orders from command? Not that Carter would, of course, but, in Jack's experience, the military and the government liked to have more control over critically important assets such as her.

So why were they doing this?

"This is unexpected," he commented.

The Secretary of Defense snorted. "Unexpected? After the mess in Iran? The Russians and the Chinese aren't quite screaming bloody murder, but they've made it clear that Stargate Command members fighting the Goa'uld with the Alliance was one thing, but intervening in a sovereign country on Earth without a United Nations mandate was another thing altogether."

"We were observers. We didn't do anything to help that intervention," Jack snapped.

The other man snorted again. "And that's the official stance of our government. But we had to do something to placate them anyway."

"What could they do?" Jack asked. "The Alliance outnumbers them in the Command Council, and we can veto anything they try in the United Nations." He didn't have to mention that, with the Etherians casually confirming that they wouldn't let a nuclear war happen, the Alliance didn't have to fear either country - or the rest of the world - at all.

That earned him a glare. "Don't play the fool, Colonel! You know that politics aren't that simple. They never are."

Jack wanted to make a few comments about all the legitimacy coming out of the barrels of guns but managed to hold his tongue. He didn't agree with the man either, though.

After a moment, the Secretary of Defense scoffed. "Sooner or later, the Russians and the Chinese, and a number of other countries, will get advanced technology. The Cold War taught us that. You can't use technology and keep it secret at the same time."

We've managed quite well at Stargate Command. Until we met the Etherians, Jack thought.

"And we don't really want half the world hating our guts by the time they get that technology. We're still dealing with the fallout from keeping the Stargate a secret." The man scowled as if that had been Jack's fault - it was his government that had decided to keep it a secret. The Secretary himself had supported and enforced this policy!

"They would still take decades to catch up," Jack said.

"We can't be sure," the Secretary of Defense retorted. "We're facing the biggest war the world has ever seen. We don't know how long it will take. We don't know what it will do to our and the world's economy. Hell, we don't know what advanced technology and contact with aliens will do to our society. But we know that the World Wars reshaped the world and the United States - and that this war will be worse. So, we can't just antagonise the rest of the world," he repeated himself.

"Did anyone tell the Etherians that?" Jack asked before he could help himself. Well, he could only control himself so much.

The man's scowl deepened. "As you are surely aware, Colonel, the Etherians value human rights above long-term geostrategic concerns."

And you don't, Jack thought. "Must be annoying."

Another glare was aimed at him. Jack tried to look innocent. "Long-term, the Etherians are unlikely to keep their currently dominant position," the man told him. "Proliferation of advanced technology, coupled with our demographic advantage, ensures that. We have to plan ahead with this in mind."

Jack had no doubt that the man, and a great number of other people, were looking forward to that day. He wasn't sure how to feel about that himself. Being a distant second power wasn't fun, but the Etherians, at least the Princess Alliance, were honest, straightforward and generally plain good people. Jack wasn't sure if he wanted to see the typical politicians replace them as the top dogs.

But he was sure that mentioning that would be very, very foolish. "So, the Russians and Chinese will be satisfied with us being removed from Stargate Command?"

"They will have to be satisfied with the United States having taken the necessary steps to ensure that Stargate Command is not perceived as taking sides in international conflicts," the man replied. "That's how we're framing this." The man grinned. "Of course, everyone knows that they would prefer to keep SG-1 under their command."

Especially Carter. Jack nodded. Still, there were a few open questions left. "Dr Jackson will be hired as a consultant by the Alliance?"

The man shrugged. "Unless the Etherians want to hire him directly. Or adopt him. His insight has proven valuable in the past in a variety of situations."

That sounded like an excuse, but Jack wasn't about to complain that he got to keep his friend on his team. "And Teal'c as well, I suppose."

"Yes. The Etherians have a tradition of coopting former enemies, as far as we know, so they should be fine with this."

It didn't look as if the man cared for Teal'c, and what Jack's friend had done for them and Earth. Well, as long as it kept the team together…

Jack nodded. So, that was it. The end of his time at Stargate Command. And the official start of his time in the Alliance forces.

He didn't quite know how to feel about this. But it didn't matter. He had his orders. And a war to fight in. He knew his duty.