Chapter 187: The Election Campaign Part 9
PB-1763-System, Ba'al's Realm, August 17th, 2000 (Earth Time)
Samantha Carter should have stayed on the planet. Not only could she have done some more analyses of the cobbled-together mic of Horde Prime and Goa'uld technology Ba'al had created - for all its limits, it was a very promising proof of concept, perhaps too promising, even - and she wouldn't have to listen to the latest news from home in the flagship's officer's mess.
"...and this experience that is touted in speeches is questionable indeed! The experience he gained working for and in the same government that started this war in secret? The government that had the leader of the Goa'uld Empire nuked without telling anyone else, not even Congress? That dragged us into a war when we had no allies, no advanced technology, and no plan to defeat the enemy? I say we can do without more of that experience! We need a change of government, a change of plans! We cannot continue like this!
"At the convention, people loved to talk about World War II. The war against the Nazis and Imperial Japan. But none of them mentioned how that war was fought! It wasn't fought by Americans hiding behind their allies, using donated equipment saved from the scrapyard, nor did we fight under foreign command! We led the way and won the war! And it led to the greatest economic boom in our history!
"That's what we need to be doing again! That's the change of policy our country needs, and that's what I am standing for!"
"I believe the British will disagree with those claims," Daniel said with a frown. "Where was the candidate educated again?"
His coffee had grown cold, Sam bet.
"Oh, I'm sure he knows better - he was in the military, after all," the General said, "and he would have studied that war at the Academy. But that's not how you get votes from Americans."
"The truth hurts your electoral chances." Daniel shook his head.
"Don't let Glimmer hear that!" the General said. "She's obnoxious enough about elections already."
Glimmer did have pointed opinions about democracy, American-style, Sam knew. And the current electoral campaign wasn't really doing much to change them, Sam was aware of that as well. And understood it - the US government had been rather heavy-handed in their attempts to use the war for their campaign. Sam wasn't sure why the other members of the Alliance had accepted those demands, but except for the Etherians, the other countries would have extracted their pound of flesh from the US in exchange for support; they hadn't forgotten that the US had kept the Stargate Command secret even from its closest allies. Britain wouldn't have forgotten that the Stargate had been originally in their hands.
"Well, she is concerned about the part of the conservatives that is focused on so-called Christian values, which supposedly are under attack by Etheria," Daniel said. "And I think her concern is at least partially justified. While I haven't yet read any studies - those are still being done - the polls conducted for the election do confirm that the conservatives cannot win this without the Evangelicals, and those have been very vocal about their wish to roll back the rights granted to basically everyone other than people like themselves. And they will demand concessions for their support."
"Good luck with that!" The General scoffed. "The equal rights are enshrined in the constitution. You can't change that."
"No. But as the shameful parts of our history prove, you can do a lot to remove such rights in practice. Local laws, selective enforcement, social pressure…" Daniel shook his head. "If the government is turning a blind eye to such things, they can effectively negate all those protections. The Jim Crow laws certainly proved that."
"Well, doing that would destroy our relationship with the Etherians and get the US kicked out of the Alliance, so everyone making bank right now thanks to the Alliance will oppose them - and those are mainly people with deep pockets and long lists of contacts." The General grinned. "If you can't win without the Evangelicals, you can't win without big business either."
"Let's hope so," Daniel said.
Sam agreed. It wasn't just that they couldn't afford such games in the middle of the war; it would hurt Sam's friends.
"Oh, I'm sure if things start looking a bit close, people will start digging up all the skeletons in the Evangelical closets," the General said. "They have barely recovered from the last wave of investigations and prosecutions."
"Well, we can't count on every Evangelical leader being a hypocrite and criminal," Daniel said.
The General shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. Was he so sure of his view of them - or was he confident that any investigation would find something anyway?
Sam wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer to this question.
PB-1763-System, Ba'al's Realm, August 18th, 2000 (Earth Time)
"I'm a god! For trying to keep me imprisoned, your punishment will be legendary! People will tremble in fear for a thousand years in memory of your suffering!"
"You're no god. And you aren't the original Ba'al either - you're one of his clones."
In the room next to the two, staring at the camera, Catra was impressed by Adora's restraint when facing their prisoner. Catra wouldn't have stayed so calm - just hearing him threaten her love made her unsheath her claws. Of course, she wouldn't actually attack or hurt the host - he was merely another victim. But she would taunt the bastard and try to rile him up even more.
Which was the reason she wasn't in the cell, trying to explain to the idiot that his whole life was a lie.
"No! Your feeble lies won't work! I know the truth!"
"The truth is that you were cloned and your memories carefully chosen so you'd think you're the original Ba'al. But we had your DNA tested, by the best biologists and geneticists, and they found that you're a clone and less than a year old. Do you want to see the data?" Adora held up a tablet. "The markers are clear if you know what to look for."
"Save your transparent forgeries! I am Ba'al, not one of the decoys!"
"Your brain pattern doesn't match the scanner data. If you had succeeded at killing yourself, nothing would have happened - you wouldn't have woken up in another body. In fact, the facility hadn't even gone active since the original Ba'al had not been in the system."
Adora's calm explanation shocked the clone for a moment - he hadn't expected that. But he quickly clammed up.
"Another lie! I verified it myself!"
"You checked your own DNA? And then checked the station's computer core? Or did you tell someone to check?"
The Clone was silent for a moment before snarling again. "You all shall rue the day you defied a god!"
"I'm rueing the day we captured you," Catra muttered. "If we had killed you, we would have been spared this ranting."
Adora, as expected, ignored the threat. "Anyway, do you have any questions?"
"What is the point of this?"
"As a prisoner, you have rights. This is medical data you should know."
Catra grinned. Adora wasn't lying, but she wasn't telling the whole truth. Of course, she was such a terrible liar, even this was transparent.
"No… You wouldn't tell me that just out of the goodness of your heart. And you wouldn't come personally to speak to me. You want something."
And that was Catra's cue. She left the room and entered the cell. "Yes, we want something from you."
The clone smiled toothily. "As I knew!"
"Well, it's not exactly an impressive deduction," Catra said as she sat down next to Adora. "Adora's the worst liar I know."
"Hey!" Adora pouted at her.
"What? It's true. Even Kyle is a better liar." Catra grinned.
"No, he isn't!"
"Yes, he is."
She glanced at the clone, who was now looking slightly confused. He did recover quickly, though. "You can save the effort of…whatever you are trying to do. Just make your offer."
"You were manipulated by the original Ba'al. Set up as a decoy - and made to believe that you were the original and all the others were decoys," Catra said. "In short, you were used and even set up to commit suicide with another lie." She leaned forward. "Don't tell me you don't want to get revenge for that."
He glared at her. "You offer me revenge against the Ba'al who betrayed me and took my rightful place?"
Catra nodded. "Yes."
"You offer me to become your tool, to be discarded as soon as I lose my usefulness!"
"We aren't like you, Ba'al," Adora protested. "We don't promise what we don't want to keep."
"And what did you promise to the copy working with you?"
As they expected, he thought Double Trouble was another clone. Since he didn't know better, it was a logical conclusion. Catra grinned again. "What do you think we promised them?"
"You would be a fool to promise them to take over my domain. A paltry planet to rule as your vassal? Under constant guard so he cannot plot against you?"
Catra shrugged her shoulders. "It's better than being separated from your host and imprisoned with the other hostless Goa'uld."
His eyes widened for a moment, but he kept his calm. "And is Bastet amongst those? Did you betray her?"
"I'm not a Sekhmet," Catra replied. "I've never met her. I did hear about her, though - you people keep mistaking me for one of hers."
"And what are you then?"
Catra leaned back with all the nonchalance she could fake. "The offspring of an experiment by the Ancients." Adora frowned at her, but Catra ignored it. Everyone on Etheria was the descendant of the First Ones' experiments. It was not shameful and nothing one should care about. "Her people," she added, pointing at Adora.
The clone laughed. "Another transparent lie!"
"It's not a lie," Adora told him. "I know you don't believe me, but it's not important anyway." She steepled her fingers under her chin and leaned forward. Catra had to suppress a chuckle at how serious she looked. "What do you want in exchange for helping us against the other Ba'als?"
PB-1763-System, Ba'al's Realm, August 18th, 2000 (Earth Time)
"So… no deal with Clone-Ba'al?" Jack O'Neill asked when he saw Adora's expression.
Adora frowned at him, and Catra replied: "The only chance for a deal would have been if he valued revenge more than even the slightest chance at power, and, well…" She shrugged. "It's Ba'al. He's very petty and vengeful, but he's even more ambitious."
"I think we could have made a deal if we had offered to let him keep a host," Adora said.
Catra shook her head. "I doubt that."
"He still would have planned on betraying us at the earliest opportunity," Jack said.
"Yes, but it might have been enough for him to bide his time," Adora replied. "But it's not really about Ba'al - it's about all the other Goa'uld. They see giving up a host as the worst fate they can imagine. We won't be able to make them surrender if that doesn't change."
"Well, they might change their opinion if the war gets worse for them." Jack grinned.
"I don't think so, sir." Carter had her 'polite disagreement' face on, so it wasn't a hill she was ready to die on, but she didn't think he was right and wouldn't let it stand out of principle. "The loss of brain capacity they suffer when they don't have a sapient host would be terrifying for everyone. It is perfectly reasonable for any being to choose death rather than significant brain damage."
Jack swallowed a remark about brainiacs thinking so. She was right, anyway - he'd rather die than become an idiot. Or more of an idiot, depending on who you asked. On the other hand… "The snake prisoners we have on Earth are quite articulate," he pointed out.
"Yes," Carter admitted, "but the fact that they haven't lost all higher brain functions doesn't mean they haven't suffered a significant reduction of their mental faculties. It's just less noticeable, especially since they are prisoners. And, suffering such reduced faculties will impede their ability to realise it - they are still aware of it on a conceptual level, but they probably cannot objectively compare their two states, partially, again, since their living conditions are so starkly different. If they were still in a position where they would have to make decisions as a ruler or commander, it would likely be more evident."
There were similar comments in the prisoner's psych profiles, Jack remembered. And the analysts were considering this when using the intel from them. But that wasn't the issue. "We can't let them keep hosts. We can't sacrifice anyone to that hell even if it might get some of them to surrender," he said.
"Of course not, sir!" Carter gasped, and he winced slightly - she knew better than anyone else in the room, except for Sha're, who was scowling, he noted, what it meant to be the host of a snake.
"Yes," Adora said. "But we should look into alternatives to having sapient hosts for Goa'uld."
"The Tok'ra seem to be doing fine," Jack pointed out.
"They rely on volunteers, and the number of volunteers will likely shrink in the future, as more people are liberated from the Goa'uld," Daniel said. "The number of people willing to become a host in exchange for a long life and superhuman abilities might be able to compensate for that since Earth has so many more people than the rest of the planets that there are bound to be a significant number of those who would choose this, especially considering the small numbers of Tok'ra. But that would not work for the Goa'uld. And we would have to consider that someone raised to worship the Goa'uld as gods might not be objective enough to make such a decision in the first place. Of course, that touches also on religious education on Earth, so…" He shrugged. "It's complicated."
"Even those who volunteered regretted it." Sha're was almost hissing the words. "The Goa'uld do not share. You are a prisoner - a disembodied spirit forced to watch as your body serves another." She shuddered, and Daniel wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Jack wasn't the only one who winced.
"As long as the false gods are able to, they will enslave others," Teal'c commented after a moment.
"That makes it even more important that we find a way so they don't have to get hosts to be as smart as they can be," Adora said.
Jack didn't think that there was a problem with making your enemy dumber. That made them less dangerous. On the other hand, as long as there was no alternative, the Goa'uld would look at any human - or compatible alien - like an addict looked at crack. They wouldn't stop trying to take hosts until they were all dead.
And that kind of solution was unacceptable as well. History proved it. "Well, aren't we working on that?"
"Not as a priority, sir."
Which meant none of the top scientists were working on that. And if it became a priority, other projects would suffer. Jack knew how things worked. Still… He looked at Adora. She knew the trade-offs herself.
"We should form a team for that," she said.
Without Loki, the odds of finding a solution would be slim. And Jack didn't think Loki would focus on the Goa'uld's problems instead of on his own people's main issue.
"Maybe magic can help there," Daniel suggested. "We should check with Mystacor."
"Good idea!" Adora smiled. "They can easily reach Alpha, anyway."
Alpha, Loki and a bunch of sorceresses… Jack winced again.
Royal Palace, Bright Moon, Etheria, August 19th, 2000 (Earth Time)
"...so we hope you - sorceresses from Mystacor - could help us find a solution for the Goa'uld's dependency on sapient hosts," Adora finished her briefing with a smile.
Castaspella wasn't smiling, although she didn't look put off either. "I see. That seems like a challenge some of our researchers might like to tackle. It might also help with the concern voiced by some that Mystacor is not doing enough to support the Alliance," she added with a glance at Angella.
Adora frowned slightly at that - had Angella criticised them? Mystacor's neutrality during the Horde War had been a bit of a sore issue, Adora was aware of that, but she hadn't really taken it seriously, not with the war being over and far more pressing issues, such as the treatment of the former Horde lands and Horde people to deal with. And then the war against the Goa'uld had started, and Adora had restored Earth's magic, and that had caused quite a lot of interest in Mystacor, last she heard. Well, she could address this now. "Who said that?" she asked.
"Mostly the sorceresses who volunteered for the Alliance," Glimmer replied. But she was glancing at Angella as well.
Angella looked annoyed, then made a little snort. "I, as well as a few old friends of mine, merely mentioned that Mystacor could do more."
"That's what you call the demand that we change the curriculum and our research to focus on combat applications of magic?" Castaspella scoffed. "As much as I understand the sentiment, not all of the sorceresses of our kingdom are suited for combat. Those who are already are, for the most part, fighting. Trying to force others to join them against their will won't do any good. They wouldn't be able to stand the conditions of the battlefield."
"There's more to a war than fighting on the frontlines," Glimmer said. "Logistics is a huge, perhaps the most critical part, of it. You do not need to fight to play a crucial role."
"Unlike the magical powers of certain princesses, a sorceress's magic is far more limited as far as its applications for logistics are concerned," Castaspella replied. "The problems the Alliance is facing in that area can't be solved by magic."
"It's also about showing solidarity," Angella retorted.
"We've already sent as many sorceresses to the war as we can spare," Castaspella said. "Trust me on this." She looked at Micah, who had, so far, stayed quiet.
He nodded. "We also need to care about the future. As much as the Alliance needs sorceresses, we can't turn Mystacor into barracks churning out soldiers. Magic is a core part of Etheria's culture, and Mystacor is at the centre of it."
Angella's expression made it clear that she disagreed with that. Which was a bit ironic, in Adora's opinion, since Angella hadn't been as willing to militarise Etheria during the war. Her time in the dream dimension had really changed her. Though the fact that she had returned when Etheria was fighting a new war, on an even larger scale, probably played a role as well.
"In any case, this is something Mystcor's researcher can work on that caters to their strengths. We might even see some of those currently studying Earth's magical traditions help with that," Castaspella said. "And it should quiet the complaints that we're hiding behind the Princess Alliance."
"Provided it works," Catra spoke up for the first time in the meeting.
"No one can guarantee that," Castaspella said. "Not even magic can solve everything. But it can solve a lot of problems if you are creative enough."
Adora surely hoped so. They needed a way to convince Goa'uld to surrender.
"And working on the First Moon of Enchantment will help recruiting researchers as well," Castaspella said. "There have been complaints about the lack of access to what some call the birthplace of our people." She snorted. "None of them have met Alpha, or they would not be quite so eager, but I'll do my best to pick those who can stand working there."
Adora nodded. Alpha was doing better, but it still took some time getting used to her, and Loki was worse.
Catra chuckled. "Don't send the most arrogant ones if you want them to work together."
"Most of our best researchers are, unfortunately, blessed with an ego matching or surpassing their considerable talents," Castaspella replied. "Something not uncommon outside Mystacor, of course."
Adora knew that by heart, of course. Between the various officers in the Command Council and the politicians (and some princesses) leading the members of the Alliance, she was very familiar with those kinds of people. "Alright," she said, "Then that's settled. How are the students from Earth doing, by the way?"
Castaspella tilted her head slightly. "They have more trouble adapting to Etherian magic than expected. We aren't yet sure if that's an effect of being on Earth when its magic returned, leading to them being more attuned to their home's magic, if it's rooted in their ancestry or if they have troubles with the way we teach. The fact that they can learn the spells developed in Mystacor indicates it's not a genetic condition. But the sample size is too low to draw any conclusions. In any case, we have to readjust our expectations when they will be ready to join the Alliance Forces. On the other hand, cooperation between students who already have some magical training or experience, however little, has sometimes proven to be surprisingly fruitful."
Adora smiled. That sounded good.
"Although lately, there have been a few issues between students based on political divisions on Earth," Castaspella went on.
"What?" Adora narrowed her eyes. "Political divisions?"
"We're still looking into the matter, but it seems the students from Earth are divided on the question of whether or not to engage in Earth politics, and how to do so most effectively."
That didn't sound good. Not good at all.
Research Station Alpha, First Moon of Enchantment, August 21st, 2000 (Earth Time)
"We could use spirits to possess a body. Since they control the body directly, the Goa'uld would not be able to control the body themselves - probably. Experimenting would be needed."
"But the body would still have a perfectly functional brain and, therefore, a consciousness."
"We could have a spirit possess the body as it forms in this magical womb."
"It's an artificial womb, and that would not change anything! The brain would still develop naturally."
"I don't think you can call that natural at all!"
"It is a natural development, merely done so in an unnatural womb."
"That means it is unnatural."
"By that definition, all of us are unnatural since our ancestors were created in the same way."
"But we developed naturally!"
"Semantics! Our origin was, according to your definition, unnatural, which means we are unnatural, according to your definition. You cannot just arbitrarily set a point where something unnatural creates something natural - that is impossible by the very definitions you use!"
"Of course I can! That is how definitions work!"
"They need to have at least a semblance of logic behind them!"
"If you think that the difference between natural and unnatural is whether or not you're grown inside a person or a tube, you are excluding and potentially discriminating against a huge number of people who were created that way - and I am not talking about Horde Clones!"
Samantha Carter was impressed. Not even five minutes, and the first meeting of the new project team had turned into an increasingly heated academic dispute over a topic that wasn't relevant to the project at all. "Whether or not a method of procreation is natural is not relevant at all. We're here to find a way to provide the Goa'uld with a replacement for sapient hosts. Any proposed method that still requires a sapient brain is, by definition, a failure, and such a proposal will be dismissed from the very beginning - and there will be no experimenting," she added with a glare at Alpha's projection.
The bot's attempt to appear innocent and not disappointed was as obvious as it was a failure, and Sam shook her head. After a moment - right before the assembled researchers, both from Earth and Mystacor, could gather up steam again, she added: "Focus on alternatives, not semantics. And don't try to use this to get more funding to research your pet project." She narrowed her eyes at the sorceress who had mentioned spirits; Sam wasn't an expert on magic, but she had read the team member's backgrounds, and she knew that the sorceress in question was researching spirits in Earth's magical traditions because those were unknown on Etheria.
After a moment - a quite long moment - of much pouting and grumbling - another sorceress spoke up: "We could create a magical construct that simulates a brain, and pair it with a cloned body without a brain! The interface would be a challenge, but if we take the interfaces from cybernetic prosthetics pioneered by the Horde and the interfaces that allow magitech devices, it should be possible!"
"But if we simulate a brain, wouldn't that mean we simulate a consciousness as well? And if we simulate that so convincingly that it can work for a Goa'uld, wouldn't that mean that we created an artificial consciousness?"
"It would still be a simulation, not a real person. Turn off the power, and it vanishes."
"That seems like an arbitrary difference. Turn off the air, and a person's consciousness vanishes as well, after a short time."
"Also, bots have a consciousness. Technically, theirs is a simulation as well."
"That's only true if you stretch the definition of simulation well beyond the point I made! And the point is to use a simulation in order to avoid creating an actual consciousness."
"We could attempt to only simulate the parts that will complement the Goa'uld consciousness. Not the parts that create a consciousness."
"We don't know if that's even possible - we would need extensive testing to see how the Goa'uld's brains work, first."
"That was obvious from the start."
"But how do you do that without experimenting on sapients? The Goa'uld count as sapients, don't they? Even with reduced brain capacities, right?"
"Of course they do!"
"Is it experimenting if we only examine the process? With volunteers? Maybe we could ask a Tok'ra to help us?"
"They don't consider themselves Goa'uld and might consider this an insult twice over - once for calling them Goa'uld, the second time for threatening the very core of their culture."
"Asking is free."
"No, it isn't!"
"We need their help anyway since they are the foremost experts on Goa'uld biology."
"So, in for a penny, in for a pound?"
"That's not how it works!"
"Worked for me!"
"Until your lab blew up and Castaspella cursed you!"
"She didn't curse me! That's a vile rumour! She cursed at me!"
"So, that's how you look normally? I thought that was why you were researching counter-curses!"
"WHAT?"
"Stop! No fighting in the research station!" Sam snapped, hand on her zat'nik'tel. "How old are you?" she blurted out before she could help herself.
"What does age have to do with this?"
"Nothing in your case, I'm sure."
"Still jealous that I graduated a year before you, huh?"
"By only doing the absolute minimum! I was doing research before graduation!"
"On a pre-graduate level. And it shows."
"Still better than your attempt to replicate a princess's power using spells."
"That was a valid theory!"
"Don't flatter yourself! It wasn't even a hypothesis! I've seen more coherent research statements from people too drunk to remember their own name!"
"Why am I not surprised at the company you keep?"
"What?"
Sam closed her eyes as the bickering continued. If those people were on the frontlines, they would probably end up shot by their own allies. Or by themselves, in the more reckless cases - what fool would volunteer to serve as host to see how it was? As if they would let that happen! Even though a Goa'uld couldn't use a host's magic power, who could know what they would end up talking about in the privacy of their minds?
"We need more minders," she muttered as she made a note to that extent.
To think she had missed the 'academic discourse'!
Royal Palace, Bright Moon, Etheria, August 22nd, 2000 (Earth Time)
"...and so, with Sam and Entrapta having gone to Beta to find a way to trace the metadimensional scanners Ba'al is using for his conscious-transfer devices, we need someone else to supervise Alpha's new research project?" Catra summed up Adora's briefing.
"It's a bit more complicated than that," Adora said with a slight pout, "but, essentially, yes."
Catra looked at Glimmer. Bright Moon claimed the Moons of Enchantment as their territory, and she was a trained sorceress, so this was her business.
Glimmer looked at Micah. "Auntie Castaspella would be the obvious choice. She knows all the new researchers."
"And she won't shoot them, unlike others," Catra added - she was only half-joking. What Adora had told them would have tried anyone's patience.
Adora frowned at her, but Glimmer snorted, and Bow grinned.
"Castaspella said she was too busy running Mystacor and training new sorceresses to relocate to the Third Moon of Enchantment," Micah replied.
Catra shook her head with a grin. "Looks like she dumped her troublemakers on you." She had done similar things when she had led the Horde.
"She totally did," Glimmer confirmed. "But they are Mystacor's best researchers. They're just also some of their worst people."
Which, Catra thought, isn't that unusual. Loki was probably a good example of the kind of personality many of the best scientists often developed. Or was it the other way around, and the kind of people like Loki were best-suited to become the best researchers? It didn't matter; they had to deal with the problem.
"Anyway, we need someone to supervise them before they create some abomination with Alpha or kill each other over who gets the best lab," Glimmer said. "I can't do it - I'm too busy with my duties in the Alliance."
Catra grinned. Glimmer could make the time - she could delegate some of her duties just as she had delegated some of her duties as the Queen of Bright Moon to Micah and now Angella - but with her temper, she wouldn't be a good choice for that kind of position anyway. Which everyone knew but wouldn't say.
Micah glanced at Angella before looking at Glimmer. "I could do it. It's been a while since I was studying in Mystacor, but I am a sorcerer like the researchers."
And a powerful one - and the brother of the current leader of Mystacor. Pretty much the obvious choice, in Catra's opinion.
"In the absence of Glimmer, you're also Bright Moon's regent," Angella pointed out.
"Well…" Micah looked from Angella to Glimmer and back. "You could take over my duties."
Glimmer didn't scowl, but she wasn't happy with the suggestion; Catra could tell from a few signs. And Angella didn't look happy either. She and Glimmer had made up, but their relationship was still a bit strained over the whole queen title. This might add more strain. It made a lot of sense, though. So…
"I think I should do it," Angella said.
"Mom!" Glimmer blurted out.
"I was born in Alpha," she said. "I also have a lot of experience dealing with arrogant but powerful people. Especially in the context of making them work together."
"I guess princesses and sorceresses aren't that different," Catra commented. Angella had run the first Princess Alliance, after all. And, especially after her experiences in the Dream Dimension, she probably could scare most of the prissy sorceresses into behaving.
"The Princess Alliance never behaved as badly as what Aodra told us about those researchers," Glimmer said.
"Oh, you've never read the records of our early years, then, Glimmer." Angella smiled. "We once even came to blows. That's why the windows in the eastern salon are newer than most other windows."
Catra chuckled at Glimmer's expression. Obviously, she had never heard about that. And to think the Alliance still managed to force the Horde into a standstill… Granted, the Horde had had worse infighting…
"Ah!" Bow smiled. "I had wondered about that. I should have looked at the Alliance records; the palace records only mentioned that they were replaced, not the reasons for it."
"We didn't want to undermine the growing trust in the Alliance leadership," Micah said.
Angella nodded, but her expression clearly said that she wasn't about to discuss it further.
Of course, that made it tempting to do exactly that.
"Well, if everyone is OK with that?" Adora spoke up before Catra could decide one way or the other. She looked around. As expected, no one objected. "Then that's settled."
Good. The meeting had been dragging on. Catra sat up in her chair. "Let's get something to eat." Before she could get up and drag Adora to the dining salon, her tablet announced a new message. She read the header and frowned.
What was the 'Magical Movement'?
Alliance Base Lübtheen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, August 22nd 2000
"Travis Cadbery, NBC. We're here in the literal shadow of a giant tree that has sprung up overnight - literally overnight - in the Mojave Desert in California. It reaches the astonishing height of 404 feet, topping even the tallest redwood tree in the world, Hyperion. Unlike Hyperion, this tree has a canopy that's even wider than it is tall, with a diameter of almost 600 feet. Authorities are trying to seal off access to the tree, but are facing resistance from a gathering crowd of protestors. A new group of apparent activists, the so-called 'Magical Movement', has claimed responsibility for the tree's existence. According to their spokesperson, it's the result of a ritual based on 'Gaia's Blessing', and will 'transform the desert into an oasis of magic'."
"...while I would not go as far as some of the - understandably concerned local politicians and call this an 'act of magical terrorism', America is based on the rule of law, and this tree obviously violates several laws and should be removed at once, with all the appropriate measures taken to ensure no harm comes from it. If this had happened in Texas, it would already have been taken care of. Further…"
"...is a symbol of Earth's magic - Gaia spreading her arms to shield us and rejuvenating the planet as magic returns. We pray to Gaia to strengthen her power, and we will…"
Jack O'Neill shook his head as he flipped through channels. What the hell was going on?
"...and authorities are still not commenting on the question whether or not the giant and apparently magical tree that sprang up in the Californian desert can be removed without violating constitutional rights or not. Dr Clark Gonzalez, as an expert for environmental cases, what's your take on this?"
"Well, madam, it's obviously a political question since legally, it's a clear-cut case - this tree is obviously not native to America and, therefore, an invasive species that should be removed at once."
"Thank you, Clark. Several environmental groups have already filed suits to force the state government to remove the tree before it can affect the desert biodome, though various religious groups claim that removing the tree would violate their religious freedom. In addition to that, there are concerns by various churches that the tree will influence the residents with its magical nature. What are your thoughts on that?"
"Well, I am no sorceress, so I could not possibly comment on whether or not the tree is radiating magic energy. Although I think it's safe to say that this tree must be magical in nature - normal trees cannot grow as big and, obviously, not as fast. Whether or not removing the tree would endanger the population or environment through some sort of 'magical backlash', I cannot say either."
Not very useful, Jack decided, switching channels again. So much for his lazy Tuesday afternoon.
"...and the Alliance released a statement that Princess Perfuma of Plumeria was not involved at all in procuring, planting or growing this tree, but said that she was impressed by the feat and proud of how far Earth's sorceresses have come in the short time since the world's magic was returned to them and would love to examine the tree with her power. Asked on whether she would be willing to use her power to safely remove the tree, the Alliance spokesman declined to comment, though anonymous sources stated that the princess was not entertaining such thoughts."
"...after this display of magical might, everyone in the country - and the world - is asking themselves urgent questions: Who are the members of this 'Magical Movement', and what are their goals? We have some answers! According to the press statement released today, the Magical Movement was founded by several representatives of 'major magical traditions of Earth' with the goal of spreading 'awareness and acceptance of magic in the entire world'."
"...and apparently, the members of the Magical Movement have decided that Americans need more magic in their lives - whether they want it or not. Such arrogance bodes ill for the future of the country as more and more people grow concerned about magic and…"
"...analysts are wondering what effect this event will have on the presidential election. Magic has been a controversial topic, especially for the conservative voters, even without such a blatant demonstration of its power, and it's currently unclear how swing voters will be affected by this…"
"...and the crowds of protestors and counter-protestors are growing. Though the mood has been peaceful so far, the police are worried about the growing potential for violence, and state police are supposedly moving in to provide support while the first calls for the National Guard have been raised."
Jack's computer beeped, announcing an unscheduled meeting. He had a feeling that he knew what it was going to be about.
