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Chapter 181: The Election Campaign Part 3
Chapter 181: The Election Campaign Part 3

Deep Space, Ba'al's Realm, August 8th, 2000 (Earth Time)


"...and as the authorities confirmed that James Delan has succumbed to what has been identified as a magical curse, the recently confirmed presidential candidate of Mr Delan's party has called on everyone to pray for Mr Delan's family and to abstain from trying to weaponise the tragedy for political purposes. Darryl Miller, NBC."

"Thank you Darryl! Now, of course, a presidential candidate would say that when one of his most important supporters has been implicated in such a scandal. But it feels more than a bit hypocritical when his own party has been weaponising the magical attack on Mr Delan for their own goals practically from the point when he was loaded into an ambulance, wouldn't you agree?"

"I certainly would, Keith. I think we all remember how much certain circles tried to use this tragedy to get magic regulated in the US. In fact, Mr Delan's family is apparently considering a lawsuit because they claim if not for being influenced by the constant calls against magic, they would have consented to letting a sorceress treat Mr Delan since the doctors in charge of his treatment recommended that course of action."

"That's very surprising if we consider their own statements following the attack, Darryl."

"Indeed, Keith. In other news from Philadelphia, the suspect for the magical attack is still being detained and her lawyers have filed a complaint that her treatment is inhumane - apparently, she has been kept sedated for the whole time she has been detained so far, out of fear she might be using magic against the guards to escape. The ACLU has already stated that they are supporting a lawsuit to end this policy."

"As you can see, folks, the attack on Mr Delan is still causing consequences that reach far beyond Pennsylvania. We're looking forward to seeing when the Supreme Court will weigh in on this matter, and…"


Jack O'Neill pushed a button and closed the window on his computer. "I just wanted to catch up on the sports results," he muttered. "And all I get is this affair."

"Well, Jack, it's only expected. One of the most important supporters of a presidential candidate was not only attacked - fatally, now - with magic but also revealed to be a child abuser, and that just when the election campaign is ramping up. Every news organisation will focus on this." Daniel shrugged. "And as we just heard, the ramifications of this event keep growing in importance. This could be a leading case for handling magical murder and detaining suspects with magic power - and that, of course, would influence the political consequences of the attack."

"I thought lawsuits took a long time to be decided," Bow said. "Wouldn't the political consequences manifest before that?"

"Unless the religious fanatics somehow get a majority in congress to support their bills, it'll be a long time before any bill aimed at regulating magic will be voted on. There are many steps bills have to pass before a vote happens," Daniel explained. "And yes, the delay is the point - it's generally not a good idea to enact laws in the heat of the moment," he added when Glimmer opened her mouth.

The princess closed her mouth with a scowl, and Jack sniggered. One rant against democracy cut down before it could get going. Nice work, Daniel!

"Sometimes you can't wait for months or years, though - you have to act immediately to fix something," Adora cut in.

"That's generally the purview of the executive - the President, in America," Daniel told her.

Glimmer snorted. "Your elected princess, you mean."

"It's not quite the same. There are a lot of checks and balances that prevent the President from becoming a monarch," Daniel said.

"I know," Glimmer replied. "But effectively, you still need someone to take charge in a crisis. And if you trust them to do so in a crisis, why not trust them when things are going well? If you didn't trust them, you wouldn't have voted for them, right?"

"The idea is that no single person or faction can have too much power," Daniel explained.

"Yes, we know that. But what do you do if you can't get anything done because everyone keeps blocking everyone else?" Glimmer shook her head again.

"What do you do if you get a bad princess?" Jack shot back. "A bad president can be voted out of office. How do you get rid of a bad monarch without launching a coup?"

"Sooner or later, a bad ruler is ousted because their neighbours get involved," Glimmer said.

"So, it's not a bloody revolution but a bloody invasion?" Jack asked.

"Yes, like you did in Germany and Japan," Glimmer smiled far too sweetly.

"Which weren't democracies at the time," Daniel pointed out.

But at least Germany had been a democracy for a decade or so before, Jack knew. Not that he would mention that. Glimmer and the other princesses already had a bad opinion of democracy, and the latest events back home hadn't done anything to improve them. "So," he spoke up instead. "What's that new and possible stupid plan you've mentioned?"

Glimmer exchanged glances with Adora and Catra.

"It's not a stupid plan," Adora said.

"It is," Catra cut in.

"It's your idea!" Glimmer blurted out.

"So I'd know. It's stupid. And dangerous. But I don't see anyone with a better idea." Catra shrugged. "Anyway, the idea is to send a covert strike team down to the planet, infiltrate the palace, nab Ba'al…"

"I'm liking this plan already!" Jack said with a grin.

"...and replace him with a body double - or a doppelgänger," Catra finished.

Jack frowned. "Are you planning to let a Tok'ra take over the clone we captured?" That would run counter to pretty much every Alliance principle. The princesses had insisted that clones were people and had to be treated as such. "Or… doppelgänger?" Hadn't they mentioned some shapeshifter everyone was afraid would escape Etheria if the gate weren't strictly controlled? What was their name again? Something with 'double'...

"Double Trouble," Glimmer confirmed his suspicion.

*****​

The Enchanted Grotto, Etheria, August 10th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"Ah! The Enchanted Grotto! The place for every successful and famous rogue to mingle with their peers! You'll never find a greater collection of the most cunning scoundrels in all of Etheria!"

"Ugh. You sound as if you're proud of being a regular here!"

"My love! Such fame and prestige is merely the result of my love for ADVENTURE! But what kind of man would I be, what kind of sailor, if I did not accept the fame my deeds earned me?"

"The humble and honest kind?"

"Ack! You wound me, my love!"

"Don't tempt me!"

While Sea Hawk and Mermista either flirted or quarrelled - maybe a bit of both - Adora looked around. The underwater club did look impressive with its huge windows granting everyone an excellent view of the underwater landscape? Seascape? Though the guests didn't look as impressive as Sea Hawk had made them sound - most were eyeing Adora and her friends warily.

"Guess they haven't forgotten that you trashed the place last time you visited," Catra said. She sounded nonchalant, but Adora could see how being underwater made her nervous - her tail was swishing back and forth much faster than usual, and she was flexing her claws unconsciously. And her fur was bristling a little, as Adora felt on the arm she had hooked into her love's elbow.

"That was an unfortunate accident," Sea Hawk said as he walked straight towards the bar. "If we had intended to wreck the place, we would have set it on fire! Bartender! My good woman, an ale for me, and a pina colada for my love, Princess Mermista, the Mistress of the sea!"

The bartender didn't smile and seemed to pay more attention to Adora and Mermista than to Sea Hawk for a few seconds before she gruffly asked: "What's a pina colada?"

Sea Hawk beamed at her. "Oh, you don't know? It's one of the most famous drinks from Earth! It's easy to make, you just need…"

Adora tuned the recipe out as she looked around again. "I don't see them," she whispered. Double rouble could be anyone amongst the gathered smugglers and pirates. Maybe they should have asked Prince Peekablue to come with them instead of merely pointing out where they could find he shapeshifter…

Catra smirked. "They can change their form but they can't change their mind." She looked around for a moment, scanning the room. Then she cocked her head, staring at a goatman in a very flashy suit.

"And there they are!" Catra beamed and walked up to the man, Melog - the one who had actually spotted the shapeshifter - trailing behind her. "Hey, Double Trouble! Just the criminal we're looking for!"

"You brought the princesses here?" the woman Double Trouble had been talking to spat. "Are you daft?"

The man gasped and laid a hand on his heart. "Why, I have no idea why they are here - or why they mistake me for someone else!"

"Save it, Double Trouble, we know it's you. Really? Returning to the Grotto? Where's your creativity?" Catra reached out and grabbed the man at the scruff of their neck. Adora saw that her claws were peaking out again - and pricking the throat's skin. "Let's have a private talk!"

The goatman froze for a moment, looking frightened, then suddenly relaxed and pouted. "Must you ruin my performance? I had them eating out of my hand!"

"Why you!" The woman raised her hand to slap or hit them, but Adora stepped between the two.

"Please don't hit them."

The woman paled and took a quick step back. "I'm sorry, Princess! Please excuse me." She hurried away - towards the exit.

And she wasn't the only one, Adora noted - the Grotto was emptying. Half the guests had already left, or so it seemed.

Her friends must have left a really bad impression the last time they had visited.

"...and then you decorate it with a slice of pineapple!"

And they weren't making a good impression today either - the bartender was glaring at Sea Hawk. "I don't have a 'malibu' either - no, don't tell me the recipe!"

"It's coconut flavoured rum!"

"I said don't tell me!"

"But how can you mix the drink for my love if you don't know the recipe?"

"We don't serve princesses!"

"But… that's discrimination!"

"Sea Hawk! Mermista!" Adora called out. "We're leaving!"

"Finally!"

"But we didn't get our drinks yet!" Sea Hawk complained.

Mermista scoffed. "We can have drinks when we have our private talk with Double Trouble, Sea Hawk. We'll probably need them."

"I didn't agree to a private talk!" Double Trouble protested.

"No one asked you to." Catra flashed her fangs but didn't release her grip on their neck.

"I'm not saying anything without a lawyer!"

Catra snorted. "We're not on Earth. And it's not that kind of talk."

"I think you're enjoying this far too much, Kitty!"

Adora thought so too. Especially looking at Melog's colour. Not that she would say that, of course.

And, if she was honest, she also enjoyed unnerving Double Trouble. At least a little. They had caused a lot of trouble, after all, and she didn't think playing nice would send the right message to them.

Adora and her friends wanted their help, but they wouldn't let them run wild in exchange.

*****​

Royal Palace, Bright Moon, Etheria, August 10th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"You went to all that trouble just to have me sit through a presentation in the palace? You could have just asked! Or… did you call me in because you need some advice about style and panache? Because those are truly dreadful clothes, girlfriend!"

Samantha Carter was a career officer and scientist. How she looked, especially in uniform, did not define her. And Double Trouble may have acted confidently, but it was clear that they were here against their will - Catra had dragged them into the room at clawpoint, and the door was not only guarded but locked.

And yet, the blatant disparaging of her uniform annoyed her. It was a slight against every member of the Alliance forces. Against everyone was willing to risk their lives to defeat the Goa'uld.

So, she didn't ignore the barb. "Clearly, our standards differ."

"You have standards? Could have fooled me! How can you wear such drab clothes? Even Kitty Cat and Princess Sword, who still wear their old uniforms, have more style than that - at least their uniforms don't look like the good old 'one size doesn't fit anyone' style. No wonder you guard the gate so tightly, Earth's people must be desperate to visit our tailors!" Double Trouble shook her head and flashed her a very toothy grin.

"Yeah, as if we believe you haven't devoured every last scrap of information about Earth's culture you could get." Glimmer scoffed.

"You've been following me? A royal fan! I am honoured, Queen Glimmer!" Double Trouble bowed, then sat down in a pointedly casual manner on her seat. "So, what kind of presentation is this?"

Catra rolled her eyes and stood behind her, lightly touching her back with one claw. "The kind you pay attention to."

"Oh, stuff it. You want me bad enough to personally travel underwater, you won't hurt me for being me, Kitty Cat." Double Trouble grinned again, and Sam was reminded of the Unas they had met.

"Oh, we have alternatives," she told them. Loki actually had had a proposal ready to clone a body double and use a synthetic symbiote and the right amount of Naquadah traces to pass for a Ba'al. Sam hadn't liked to tell him that the Alliance didn't create people for a task that needed doing. And that was before she had realised that he had planned to use Asgard technology to move a trained infiltrator's consciousness into it. Clearly, he needed more oversight again. And the Alliance needed better operational security - Loki hadn't been cleared for that knowledge in the first place.

"None as good as the original, girlfriend!"

Sam smiled. She was familiar with that kind of act - she had met her share of blenders in the force and, of course, in academics. "That remains to be seen."

"Yeah," Glimmer said. "Don't kid yourself - it would be nice if you helped us, but we don't need you."

"But you want me so badly, you go to all this trouble for little old Double Trouble!" They leaned forward, and suddenly, they were no longer looking like a humanoid lizard, but like Sam. "Because I'm the best," Sam heard herself say as the double's body language shifted as well - it was like looking at a recording of herself.

"Your help could save thousands of people," Adora told them.

"Wow, you are desperate then!"

Sam never grinned like that, though.

"Thousands of enemies," Catra corrected them.

Double Trouble shrugged - did Sam really look like that when she did it, or had the shapeshifter added a bit more to it? She would have to check that with a mirror. "That's the same thing for you folks. You want to save everyone."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Glimmer shot back. Then she bared her teeth, "It's not. Imagine if we didn't."

"Well, you would…" Catra's claws closed lightly around their neck - Sam couldn't help wondering if the shapeshifter could counter an attempt to strangle them by changing shape - and Double Trouble grimaced. "You consider little old me an enemy?"

"That remains to be seen. We know you've been trying to get through the gate," Glimmer said.

"Everyone on Etheria has. It's the one big thing - the gateway to the stars! Can you blame me for wanting to see new worlds? Imagine the performances they could inspire!"

Glimmer snorted. "That's what we're afraid of."

Adora cleared her throat. "Listen to the presentation. Then you can decide if you want to help us or not."

Double Trouble made a point of looking around while rubbing their neck - Sam wished they would change back and stop using her appearance - and coughed. "The same way I could decide whether I'd attend this meeting or not?"

"That was just to show that we can find you wherever you are and whatever form you use."

Sam also didn't pout like that. It made her look far too… unprofessional. "I shouldn't have used Peekablue's form. No sense of humour, that guy. He should be flattered that I helped his reputation," Double Trouble said.

"Prince Peakblue wasn't very amused to hear that he's supposedly singing in a bar catering to pirates and other criminals," Glimmer said. "Or so I heard."

"You'd be surprised how many princesses frequent the place, Sparkles. Why, I alone have met half a dozen of them when I was there!"

"Ha ha." Glimmer snorted again, but Sam wasn't quite sure Double Trouble was kidding - royalty going slumming wasn't unheard of on earth. "Let's get on with the briefing."

"Oh, now it's a briefing? That takes me back to the war! Did you work for the Horde before?"

Sam didn't roll her eyes. She was an officer, and above that. But she really wished Double Trouble would stop copying her - it was unnerving. At least the General wasn't here; the twin jokes he'd make…

*****​

"...and that's the situation."

Catra had watched Double Trouble during Sam's briefing. They had kept Sam's form and exaggerated their reactions as expected, and she was sure that they had faked a number of their tells - Double Trouble wasn't so dangerous because they could shapeshift, but because they were the best actor she had seen, at least in person. But Catra also knew Double Trouble better than most who had the bad luck of meeting them. And she thought they were intrigued. Though that might be her being biased - it was Catra's plan, after a..

"So…" Double Trouble leaned back, stretching and pushing their chest out in a way that Sam would never do. "...you want me to sneak into an alien warlord's palace, on another world, and impersonate them so I can order their army to surrender?" Their grin also was far too toothy for Sam.

"Yes." Adora nodded.

Catra was sure that the offer to impersonate an alien ruler was almost irresistible to Double Trouble. They craved drama and attention, but most of all, they had an ego that rivaled Horde Prime. The only questions were what they would demand in return. Because no matter what Double Trouble might claim, they were as much a mercenary - or a fraud - as they were a performer.

"And you think I can imitate them convincingly based on the few recordings you have, and the clone you captured a while ago." Double Trouble cocked their head to the side.

"You're the best, aren't you?" Glimmer said.

"Of course, Sparkles!" Double Trouble snorted. "You won't find anyone else who's even near my league. That's why you went to all that trouble to grab little Double Trouble." She flashed her teeth again. "You are desperate."

"You are the most convenient solution," Catra spoke up behind them and grinned when she saw them twitch. "We have alternatives."

But they remained as smug as ever. "None as good as I am, or you'd not be talking to me."

"None as convenient as you - as long as you play ball," Catra corrected them.

"Sure, sure. You only need to convince his clone to help you. His clone who thinks he's the real Ba'al and hates you. And you would have to provide them with the cloned host to pull this off." Double Trouble scoffed. "Next, you'll be telling me you're planning to blow up the planet."

They sounded far too smug. It didn't take that much to come to that conclusion - Sam's briefing had been thorough, and with soldiers going on home leave after missions, people knew what the Goa'uld were like. And Double Trouble was familiar with the Princess Alliance.

"We don't think that the situation requires the deployment of weapons of mass destruction on a planetary scale," Sam said, in a tone as if she were talking about the weather.

Once more, Double Trouble twitched just a tiny bit.

"We don't need you to win this battle," Glimmer said. "We need you to win this battle without killing thousands of brainwashed clones and indoctrinated Jaffa."

"How considerate of you," Double Trouble shrugged. "Whatever your reasons, you need me. So, let's talk about compensation!" They leaned forward again, putting their hands on the table. "You cost me a nice payout when you wrecked my performance. And you want me to risk my life against a sadist alien prince who will take over my body if he catches me."

"He won't catch you. You're the best, aren't you?" Glimmer retorted.

"Anyone can get lucky. Even you guys managed to find me. Who knows what those aliens can do?"

"We'll take out Ba'al first," Adora said. "You just have to come along and then impersonate him when we have him."

"We've got experience with that kind of mission," Catra added. "No matter where he is, we can find him and take him out."

Double Trouble scowled. "Peekablue didn't rat me out because I used his appearance, huh? He threw in with you for good, but you're keeping it a secret so people won't expect him. I'd say you're smarter than I thought, princess. But that's your doing, Kitty Cat, hm?" They looked over her shoulder at Catra.

Catra flashed her fangs in response. They weren't as smart as they thought they were. Peekablue hadn't joined them - and if he had, the Alliance would never let him get close to any planet under a Goa'uld's control, much less one ruled by Ba'al; the guy wouldn't be able to handle the horrors he would see.

Double Trouble scoffed and turned back to Adora. "I want a spaceship and the promise that you won't track me down again."

"Forget it!" "Not in your dreams!" Glimmer and Catra spoke in unison.

"We won't let you lose on the galaxy," Adora said.

"Come on! What's a bit of fun down the line compared to all those poor people being killed?"

"Playing with people's lives isn't fun," Glimmer told her.

"Oh, but it is. Have you ever tried it?" Double Trouble grinned. "Princesses do it all the time but call it ruling!"

Glimmer scowled. "That's not the same! We do the best we can for our people and kingdoms! We don't abuse our power for our amusement!"

"Perhaps not you - you're far too straight-laced - but others?" Double Trouble snorted. "I've travelled a lot and I know better."

"Are you really trying to give us a 'you and I are the same' speech?" Catra snorted.

Double Trouble narrowed their eyes - still Sam's eyes - at her for a moment, then grinned. "Worth a try. So, that's a no on the spaceship? I'm not working for free. I've got bills to pay."

"More like bribes and fines, I bet," Glimmer muttered.

"It's all the same. So… You want me to risk my life - my freedom, my body - for the Alliance. And if I do it, I'll be saving countless lives. That should be worth a pretty penny, in my opinion! Just think of all the money you'll be saving for repairs!"

Glimmer snorted. "You'll be impersonating an infamous System Lord. Don't tell me you wouldn't pay for that chance."

"I never pay for things I can get for free, darling! It's bad business!"

And didn't that sum up Double Trouble perfectly? Catra shook her head as the negotiations continued. It was all just a matter of money now.

Not that Double Trouble had fooled her, of course - Catra knew they would try to slip away on a ship or through the gate as soon as they saw their chance.

But Catra and Melog would not allow that.

*****​

Deep Space, Ba'al's Realm, August 10th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"The code checks out - it's the Supreme Commander," the Clone at the terminal reported. "Opening the Iris."

A moment later, the Iris retracted, and Jack O'Neill looked at the stabilised wormhole in the flagship's gate room.

"Sending the all-clear. Sent."

"Hi, Jack!" Adora was the first through, followed by Glimmer and Bow. Adora's smile looked a bit forced, and Glimmer wasn't even hiding her scowl while Bow looked a bit concerned.

Then Carter arrived with a wide grin on her face, and Jack's eyes narrowed. He had never seen that expression on her face. It looked off - almost deranged.

And then another Carter arrived, with a familiar expression - lips pressed together, a slight front on her face as she tried to look professional and polite, yeah, that was Carter pissed off.

"Jack, this is Double Trouble. Double Trouble, General Jack O'Neill," Adora confirmed Jack's suspicion.

"Ohh! You're the famous Jack!" The Doppelgänger gasped and clasped her hands over her - their - chest. "I've heard so much about you!"

Jack swallowed his reflexive 'Only good things, I hope?' response and looked at Carter.

"They've insisted on staying in this form for reasons unknown, sir," Carter replied to his unsaid question.

"They like needling people," Catra, who had brought up the rear with Melog, added.

"What? Little old me? Perish the thought!" Double Trouble's laugh was much too loud for Carter and filled the entire room. "I just want to look my best when making a first impression, and Major Carter was the most attractive!"

"The only one who won't hurt you for copying them, you mean," Catra said, flashing her fangs.

Judging by Carter's expression, she was reconsidering that stance. Well, Jack had told her before that there were times and places where professionalism was overrated - not lately, though.

Double Trouble laughed again. "As I said, she is the most attractive among you bunch - but she's also new; I've met the rest of you before. Consider this a demonstration of my skill."

Jack snorted. "Consider me unimpressed, then. Looks aren't everything."

Suddenly, the Doppelgänger's entire stance and expression changed, all the exuberance vanishing in an instant as they straightened. "I concur, sir. For a perfect imitation, one has to copy not just the target's appearance, but everything about them - but most importantly, one has to understand them on a fundamental level. That requires thorough observation, preferably at different occasions so one can study how they react to various situations and stressors."

Jack suppressed a shudder. That was… Carter. He couldn't help but glance at the real Carter, just to check that she hadn't been switched with the copy. Nope, still there - and looking as unnerved as he felt.

He was almost glad when the fake Carter dropped the act again and looked around with open curiosity. "So… nice digs you have here. Or they would be if they didn't give me flashbacks to the war."

Catra snorted again. "Spare us the theatrics. You never were on a Horde ship before."

"How would you know?" Double Trouble shot back.

"You were hiding in the Enchanted Grotto until we exposed you," Glimmer replied. "And we weren't missing a frigate after the war."

Double Trouble laughed again in that un-Carter-like way of theirs. "Good point! But I did fight the very Clones who crew the ship. No hard feelings, I hope?"

"So did we," Glimmer muttered.

The Clone in charge of the gateroom looked at them with a neutral expression. "The Supreme Commander has cleared you."

"And that's all you need, right? Wow, you really haven't changed, have you?" Double Trouble giggled - Carter never giggled - and then clapped her hands together. "So, let me take a look at the material you have on that 'Ba'al'. If you don't let me visit the clone, I'll need every scrap of data you have on the target. Chop chop!"

Jack was reconsidering his stance on not allowing them access to the Fishtank. If they were sent to the Goa'uld holding area, they would be out of his hair for a while. Carter looked as if she was planning an accident for the Doppelgänger. Not that he couldn't understand her - if someone were wearing his face and body like that, he'd probably feel similarly.

Adora nodded. "Catra will lead you to the briefing room we prepared."

"Oh, just give me directions! I'm sure I can find my w…ack!"

Catra had grabbed them by the neck, and Jack could see the tips of her claws just touching her skin. "You're not going anywhere alone."

"It's as if you don't trust me! Aren't we supposed to work together?"

"We trust you - to be as annoying as possible," Glimmer said.

"Now, let's go! Chop chop!" Catra all but marched Double Trouble out of the room, and the last Jack heard was a faint Wow! Are we really in space?" right before the doors closed.

He turned to look at Carter, who sighed. "Everything OK, Carter?"

She straightened at once. "Yes, sir. They're annoying, but I've worked with worse."

Jack nodded. "Well, they're out of your hair for now. You can go back to dealing with Goa'uld networks," he told her with a smile. "We'll handle them."

"Yes, sir." She nodded, but she didn't seem to be as relieved as he expected if the frown she aimed at the door was anything to go by.

*****​

Adora had to admit that for all their very annoying attitude - she had no doubt that if anything happened to Double Trouble, almost everyone who had met them would cheer, even, or especially, Sam, and Jack might already be planning something - they were very good at what they did, and professional about it. Double Trouble had spent the last several hours reviewing every recording they had of Ba'al or his clones. And they had, finally, stopped using Sam's form and had started using Ba'al's preferred host's form.

Unfortunately, that hadn't helped with making them less annoying.

"Bow before your god! It is I, Ba'al, who has come to rule you! You shall rue the day you dared defy me! Resistance is useless! You cannot defeat a god! You may have defeated some of my supposed rivals, but they were weak - now you are facing Ba'al!"

They were obviously enjoying this, too.

"Looks like someone's read a few too many Fantastic Four comics. If this were public, Marvel would sue," Jack commented.

"Oh, all those dictators sound somewhat alike. It's the common language of overblown egos," Double Trouble said - with a smirk aimed at Catra.

"Then you don't even have to make any effort, just being yourself will be enough," Catra shot back with a toothy, too toothy, smile.

"Oh, Kitty's got claws now!" Double Trouble chuckled, and, for a moment, Adora feared that they would push the issue and remind Catra of their shared past. And that wouldn't do anyone any good. But they shrugged and went on: "So, I've gotten through all you have on the man, snake, whatever."

"Reptile would be an alternative." Apparently, Sam could be a bit catty as well.

Adora was starting to wonder if hiring Double Trouble had been a good idea. Even Catra had said it was a stupid idea. But the alternatives were all… so bloody. Ba'al's organisation all but ensured that his forces wouldn't simply surrender should he be taken out. According to the analysts, even records of his defeat would not be enough to convince everyone of his commanders that he was genuinely defeated.

To be fair, the Alliance would have to do extensive scanning and testing to check if they caught the real Ba'al as well - and even so, one of his clones might be able to take over, perhaps without realising they were a clone.

Double Trouble grinned - and shifted into Sam's form. "Oh, are you mad I changed forms? Don't worry, your form is still my favourite. You're the most attractive person among your bunch, after all. Right, General sir?" Their pose had changed as well; they were no longer sitting straight but draped over their chair in an almost lazy - or sensual - manner that more than a bit reminded Adora of Catra at her best - or worst, depending on the occasion.

If glares could kill, Double Trouble would be dead twice over. Maybe more.

Of course, that only encouraged them. "Oh, do you disagree, General? Or should I say Jack?"

Enough. "Stop it!" Adora spoke up. "We're here to prepare to deal with Ba'al. Riling up people doesn't help with that."

"If you can't handle little old me, how do you think you can handle Ba'al? The guy's not dumb; he'll do much worse to rile you up so you will make mistakes." Double Trouble shook their head with a wide grin. "Consider it training."

"Ba'al wouldn't be so petty," Catra cut in. "He would start killing or torturing prisoners to make us angry, not trying to start some relationship drama. This is no cheap soap opera."

Double Trouble scowled in return. "There's nothing cheap about interpersonal drama! The tension! The emotions! You should know best how that can influence wars."

Adora drew a sharp breath. They had gone there. She glanced at Catra.

Catra scoffed. "And if we were trying to work with Ba'al or trusted him, and he were like you, you might have a point. But we aren't and he isn't." She leaned forward. "You should know best how devastating it can be when you suddenly discover in the middle of a battle that your allies don't have your back."

Double Trouble recoiled but recovered. "You're the Princess Alliance! We have a deal!"

"Yes, we do. So stop trying to make us break it or we will," Glimmer said.

"Would you really be so petty as to abandon the best hope of saving all those people over some teasing?" Double Trouble looked around with a tight smile.

Catra shrugged pointedly. "If you can't control yourself you can't be trusted to pull this off anyway."

Adora caught Double Trouble glancing at her and nodded.

Double Trouble's scowl deepened, but they slouched in their chair and crossed their arms over their chest. "You all need to loosen up!"

Adora took that as agreement to stop the petty needling and started the briefing.

*****​

Deep Space, Ba'al's Realm, August 11th, 2000 (Earth Time)

As she had expected, Samantha Carter found the General doing the pre-flight check of the stealth shuttle the team would be taking for the infiltration mission. "Sir."

"Carter!" He straightened from where he had been bent down to inspect the undercarriage. "You're early."

She was aware of that - she had planned on it. "Just making sure everything is ready," she lied. "This is an important mission."

"Yes." He nodded, then looked towards the hangar entrance. "I hope our latest volunteer won't be too difficult."

Sam nodded. That they would be difficult was clear as day; the only question was how much trouble they would cause.

"And I hope they will pick another form. Having two of you around gets confusing," he added after a moment, cocking his head to look at her.

She nodded a bit too firmly. "The last thing we need on a mission is confusion."

"Right." He nodded curtly.

For a moment, it looked like he was about to say something else, but he didn't.

Sam wasn't quite sure if she was relieved or disappointed. But they had an understanding. "I'll go set up, sir," she said, and entered the shuttle. She needed to be prepared for their insertion - the target system had a lot more potential threats than any system they had infiltrated before. Sure, none of the Death Gliders' sensors could detect an Alliance stealth shuttle - they had not detected the spy bots surrounding them either - but there was always blind luck.

And Sam wasn't in the habit of leaving things to luck. Not when she could help it.

*****​

"So, that's the stealth shuttle!" Double Trouble had not changed forms, Sam noticed while she tried not to scowl. "Able to fly up right to an enemy flagship and dock with them being none the wiser! A ship after my taste!"

Sam pressed her lips together to avoid blurting out her first thought.

"You won't get one," Glimmer said it out loud. "They are reserved for Alliance special operations."

Sam expected the General to add: "And for my commute!", but he merely nodded with a tight-lipped expression.

"Aw! But they are made for me! Can they change shape as well? Or just transponders?" Double Trouble mock-whined in a way that Sam would never.

"We're going onto a dangerous mission," the General spoke up. "The danger of friendly fire is always present in such situations, and we can't afford any potential confusion. So, pick another shape to wear, Double Trouble. One we can't mistake for one of our own:"

"Really? You of all people think you would confuse me and Sam-Darling here?" Double Trouble laughed and stepped next to Sam before she could react. They tried to wrap an arm around Sam's shoulders, but she blocked them.

"See?" Double Trouble grinned and stepped in front of the General. "She's the grumpy, unapproachable one. I'm the friendly one!"

Sam imagined a little friendly fire right now. Using a taser. The General looked like he was imagining a little friendly fire with a flamethrower.

"Double Trouble!" Adora snapped. "Stop it!"

"Change into your usual form," Catra said. "We wouldn't want to mistake you for someone else that Ba'al cloned. After all, his forces have met all of us before, and we don't know what he's been up to."

Double Trouble narrowed her eyes and scowled - Sam made a note to check if she ever looked like that - before snorting. "And you'd shoot first and ask questions later, huh?"

Catra shrugged and bared her teeth in a wide grin. "With a zat, we can just stun people and wake them up later."

"It might be less trouble for the team if we would stun the shapeshifter before departure and wake them up once we have secured Ba'al, Supreme Commander. I could carry them without much trouble," Teal'c commented with such a perfectly bland expression, Sam would not have realised he wasn't serious, at least not entirely so, if she hadn't known him as well as she did.

"What?" Double Trouble gasped at him, then looked at the others.

Adora blinked, Catra's grin grew even wider - Sam didn't have to look at Melog to confirm she was amused - and Glimmer looked smug. Even Bow seemed to struggle not to smile.

Sam caught herself grinning as well.

Double Trouble muttered a curse under their breath and shifted into their lizard-like form. "I wonder how you think you can win this war when you can't even handle a little chaos in your schedule."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the General asked with a satisfied grin as everyone boarded the shuttle.

*****​
 
Chapter 182: The Election Campaign Part 4
Chapter 182: The Election Campaign Part 4

PB-1763 System, Ba'al's Realm, August 11th, 2000 (Earth Time)


"We've entered the target system and switched to passive sensors."

Catra nodded at Jack's announcement and checked their position on the holoprojection. They were flying on a slightly curved route that would take them around some of the known concentrations of enemy craft and avoid flying too close to the staging points of Ba'al's fleet in the system - at least on the approach; couldn't do anything about having to close in with them when they had to land on the planet.

"Do we have to whisper? Your stealth system is so good, we could hitch a ride on the next enemy ship, couldn't we?"

And Double Trouble was still fishing for information. So, they must have heard something about Alliance stealth ships. Probably some sailor with loose lips - another reason not to let Double Trouble out of their sight on this mission; they already knew far too much about the Alliance.

"It's traditional not to yell when you're sneaking," Jack said.

"Traditional? I thought Earth was all about efficiency!"

"We're traditionally efficient," he shot back.

"I'm suddenly not so confident that this will work," Double Trouble went on - but in a joking tone.

Catra shrugged. "The sensors aren't a problem out here - the real issue is to get down on the planet without the plasma from re-entry marking our position for every ship with a line of sight to us."

"What?" Double Trouble didn't sound amused any more. "I was told this is a routine mission for you!"

"We routinely risk our lives on such missions, yes," Glimmer commented. Catra didn't have to turn her head to know she was grinning.

"We have done this before," Bow, ever the spoilsport, cut in. "Though usually, we didn't have to deal with quite so many ships guarding the planet."

"Really? I'm not an expert - though I could be, in an instant!"

"Don't copy Sam or anyone else here!" Adora interrupted them.

Double Trouble rolled her eyes. "Anyway, how can you avoid being detected when they have ships covering the entire planet?"

"By being very sneaky," Jack replied. "We've got a plan."

"Yes! With a very good chance to work and not kill us all!" Entrapta chimed in, beaming at them. "We got it ready in time for this mission!"

Catra suppressed a wince. Entrapta was as honest as ever, but 'a very good chance to work and not kill us all' were not the kind of odds Catra liked.

That Double Trouble liked them even less helped keep her grin on her face, of course. Anything to rile up them.

"Now be quiet! We're closing in on the first Death Glider network."

"I thought they couldn't hear us in space."

"They can't. But I can, and I need to focus on flying this ship," Jack said.

"Yes," Sha're, the co-pilot added. "This requires our concentration."

Catra could tell how much it cost Double Trouble - their expressions were almost comically clear - but they did fall silent while the Stealth Shuttle continued its approach.

*****​

PB-1763 Orbit, PB-1763 System, Ba'al's Realm, August 11th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"That's your plan? Dropping us from orbit? In caskets?"

Catra smirked at Double Trouble's outburst.

"Those aren't caskets." Entrapta shook her head. "Those are drop pods - stealth drop pods. With a bot navigation system. They are small enough and manoeuvrable enough so they can make atmospheric re-entry without creating a bigger thermic trace than a bunch of micrometeorites. So! Unless Ba'al's sensor net is calibrated for tracking micrometeorites, we should be perfectly fine in them! And even if something goes wrong, they wouldn't be caskets!" She frowned. "Mostly because they would be destroyed with the passenger, of course. Although that could be called a sort of cremation if it happens in the higher atmosphere, and they do use caskets for that - even though it's such a waste, burning perfectly fine wood! - so… They could be caskets, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Get into your pod, Double Trouble," Adora spoke up.

"We can always zat them and stuff them into the pod to collect them on the ground," Glimmer added.

"That's… That wasn't the deal!"

"It was. You just didn't care about the details," Catra said.

"Is this your revenge for me teaching you a much-needed lesson?"

Catra shook her head. "This is just for being an asshole."

Double Trouble was about to respond, but Sam stepped in front of her. "We're on a timer. Everyone needs to get in their pods."

Catra checked her helmet seal - not that her suit would help her if the pod malfunctioned during re-entry, but they were going into space - and climbed into her pod. The lid closed with a slight hissing sound, and the inside lit up with a holographic projection that let her see the outside.

"Drop Pod One, ready."

"Drop Pod Three, ready."

"Drop Pod Five, ready."

"Drop Pod Four, ready."

"Drop Pod Seven, ready."

"Drop Pod Six, ready."


Catra listened to the bot voices reporting from the different pods, counting off.

"All pods ready."

"Release!"
Sha're, now the pilot in charge, ordered.

Then the bottom seemed to fall out from underneath Catra, and her tail swung wildly as she instinctively tried to stabilise her fall before the pod's inertial compensators kicked in, and she felt gravity again.

Her stomach still protested since, according to her eyes, she was falling forward - head first - toward the planet.

Then she hit the atmosphere, and everything lit up.

*****​

Jack O'Neill clenched his teeth as the picture projected on the 'lid' of his drop pod switched to a good attempt at how the sun must look inside, and the entire pod started to shake almost violently. He had gone through many re-entries before, but those had been with his shuttle - protected by armour, shielding and inertial compensators that turned the process into a smooth ride with a nice light show.

Strapped into a small pod, feeling every vibration even with the rudimentary inertial compensators installed, and hoping that Carter, Entrapta and Bow hadn't missed a small but fatal mistake when they had thrown those things together was a very different experience. Of course, he trusted Carter with his life without hesitation, but… it was a bit easier to trust her with his life when he wasn't currently surrounded by plasma and hoping no Death Glider pilot decided to use the apparent micrometeor for a spontaneous target practice session. Damn, he wished this wouldn't take so long - even if the risk of getting detected was higher the faster they were, waiting inside this pod - which the soldiers were going to call 'coffins', Jack knew - was almost torture.

Finally, the picture changed again, now showing the planet below and space above them - they were through the worst part. His holographic display also showed that they hadn't lost any pod on the way - all of them lit up green, and he let out a relieved breath.

Then the turbulences started, and he cursed again. He had flown through turbulences before, and he knew better than most that even modern planes could be wrecked by them. This falling coffin had advanced technology, but just enough to make taking it down to the ground not outright suicide.

His pod started to veer and roll around - he saw it on the display with the artificial horizon, but the way he was pulled into the harness holding him safe would have been clue enough. It was a pilot's worst nightmare - all his instincts were screaming that he was in a flat spin and he was about to crash if he didn't do something.

"Trust Carter; she said that this was normal and planned for," he muttered to himself through clenched teeth as the ground grew closer and closer. "This thing is on autopilot." Had to be - you couldn't really teach ground forces to steer what was a one-way miniature spaceship. Not without turning them into pilots.

But as the pod kept falling, it kept spinning. Was it defective? No! Jack gasped when he realised that the pod was adjusting their course towards the rally spot. And it was slowing down! If only it stopped spinning…

It did stop spinning about a second before it hit the ground, straightening and rightening itself just in time to plant its bottom into the ground - though not deep enough to keep standing; Jack sighed when the pod toppled over, rolling as it fell so it would land on its back.

"Climbing out of a coffin isn't how you're supposed to invade a planet," he muttered as he hit the quick release of his harness and opened the lid. "Then again, you also aren't supposed to jump out of a perfectly working plane, but here we are."

He looked around, rifle ready. Half a dozen pods had landed almost on top of him, all but one - Drop Pod Two - opening. A few were a bit further away.

Catra slid out of hers, crouching on all fours as she looked around, quickly joined by Melog.

Adora all but jumped out, sword out and in full She-Ra regalia.

Glimmer appeared in a cloud of sparkles, grinning wildly. "Hah! This world didn't have a Stargate, so the First Ones couldn't steal its magic!"

Oh. That was good since it meant Glimmer could teleport. But it was also bad since it meant Adora didn't have the 'unleash the world's magic and turn all enemies into turnips' ace up her sleeve. Still, good to have confirmation - with the way some snakes were moving Stargates around, and the data banks being less than reliable, they hadn't been sure.

And there came Carter and Entrapta! Safe and sound! Jack smiled.

"See? The spins served to slow down our fall as planned! And it was a nice ride, too!" Entrapta beamed.

Jack stopped smiling. So, that had been deliberate.

Carter must have caught his mood since she said: "The spinning also serves to throw off an enemy gunner's aim, should they detect the pods, sir."

Yeah, and it probably saved some power, too - but Jack had a feeling they had picked that system because Entrapta thought it was fun.

Well, there would be time enough to talk about briefing your test subjects more thoroughly even if time was precious once they were done here. He looked around. Everyone was accounted for except the still closed pod.

"They're pounding against the lid. I think we need to let them out now," Catra said.

"Oh, yes!" Entrpata nodded and pointed her multitool at it.

A moment later, the lid opened, and they heard Double Trouble's voice: "...open, you piece of crap! I'm not going to end up as a snake egg incubator because of… Oh."

"Seems like your pod had a malfunction," Jack told them. "Carter, make a note to look into that afterwards. We can't have our troops be caught in their coffins."

"Yes, sir!"

"Really?" Double Trouble narrowed their eyes at him. "That's your story?"

Jack nodded. That was his story, and he would be sticking to it. "Alright, grab the gear from the pods, then hit the self-destruct and let's be on our way. We've got a way to hike before we reach our objective."

"We're going to walk?" Double trouble gasped as if they hadn't known that from the briefing.

Jack ignored them and grabbed his rucksack from his pod, then started the process that would turn the pod into dust in a process that Carter said totally wasn't burning it to ashes… He sighed. There really was no way the troops wouldn't be making coffin and ashes to ashes, dust to dust jokes once they got their hands on the production models.

*****​

Wilderness, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 11th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"This is undignified!"

Adora ignored Double Trouble's complaints. If they didn't want to be carried 'like a bag of potatoes', they should have kept walking.

"You're literally carried by a princess, and you think it's undignified?" Glimmer sounded amused.

"It is! This isn't a princess carry - she's slung me over her shoulder!"

Well, Adora needed at least one hand free if they were attacked, and she already had a pack with a spy bot in it on her back, so that left her shoulders.

"Adora could always just drag you." Catra, on the other hand, wasn't amused, as her snidish tone illustrated whenever she wasn't scouting ahead.

But that couldn't be helped - they had to cover quite the distance, and if Double Trouble was being dramatic - their feet were never in danger of 'literally falling off' - then carrying them was the obvious solution. It kept the group on schedule and also made it harder for Double Trouble to run off.

Running off on a planet held by Ba'al, and which would soon be facing a massive attack by the Alliance forces if this mission failed, wouldn't be very smart, but Double Trouble had done more stupid things - they weren't as smart as they claimed to be, in Adora's opinion. Then again, few people who claimed they were smart were that smart, in her experience.

They were moving through a dense forest - they had adapted their planned route as they approached the planet since they had gotten their best scan of the surface - and making decent time. They would be making better time if they were walking through more open terrain, but that would expose them, and Ba'al had too many Death Gliders up in the airspace for that. Even if many of those were test flights and not patrols, the risk was still too high.

"Hey! Watch where you walk - you almost smashed my face into the trunk here!"

Adora rolled her eyes. She hadn't even come close!

"It's a pity she didn't succeed!" Catra mumbled as she passed them.

"Hey!"

"I wish we'd have the time to build a drop pod for Emily," Entrapta said behind her. "And a stealth module for her, or, at least, a better shielding for her engines so she can better hide from sensors. Then she could carry us through this!"

Adora doubted that - the forest was a bit too dense for a bot the size of Emily to walk through without having to literally cut a path for herself; they had seen that often enough in the war against the Horde, where they had used that to track and ambush the bot forces. And unlike in the Whispering Woods, this forest wouldn't grow over such tracks in a day or two.

Well, she hoped they wouldn't.

"I still don't know why I couldn't have waited back in a safe and comfortable spot for you to reach the palace and then have Glimmer fetch me by teleport!" Double Trouble was pouting behind Adora's back; she didn't have to look over her shoulder to know that.

"Because you'd have been gone the moment we were out of sight," Glimmer replied.

"Don't you trust me?"

"No."

"You could have left someone else with me. Like Daniel - he doesn't look that happy to walk all over this planet himself! I'd change into his wife's form so he doesn't have to worry too much about her being left alone in orbit in a single shuttle!"

Adora clenched her teeth. That was a low blow, even if Double Trouble didn't know about Daniel and Sha're's tragic past.

"Jack?"

"Yes, Daniel?"

"Remember what I said about treating our latest ally with more respect?"

"Yes?"

"I take it back!"

"No one here has a sense of humour! Or a taste for the performing arts!"

"We do. That's why we know how bad you are," Glimmer shot back.

"Well, we don't actually know - we've never seen them on stage," Entrapta commented while her hair tendrils wrapped around a tree branch and lifted her over a tangle of thick roots. "I think, at least - it's not as if we'd be able to tell, would we?"

"Oh, I am sure you have seen me perform in one of my many forms. I captured the hearts of audiences all over Etheria! Some of the best actresses can thank me for their fame!"

"You just made that up when Entrapta gave you the idea," Glimmer said with a scoff.

"How would you be able to tell?" Adora heard and felt Double Trouble chuckle. "In the future, you won't ever be sure if that great performance was me or someone else!"

That was… well, a worrying possibility. Or would be if not for Melog, Adora thought.

"Stop it with the inane drivel!" Catra hissed as she dropped to the ground from the tree ahead of them. "I've found traces of an old campsite ahead."

Oh. They shouldn't be near the outer perimeter of Ba'al's palace yet. Did he have patrols range that far? On foot?

"Let's take a look," Jack said in a lower voice than before.

Catra led them through the woods, past a really dense patch of underbrush - a former clearing about to be grown over if Adora remembered Bow's comments about the woods correctly - and to a huge tree.

And she was correct - there were the remains of a fireplace there and other traces of a camp.

Bow knelt down and ran a finger along a dent in the ground, then looked at the ashes scattered over the ground. "About a few days old, I think. Any longer, and it would have been gone already."

"If we're stopping here, then you can let me down now, you know?"

Adora ignored them again and looked around. If it had only been a few days, then whoever had done this might still be in the area…

*****​

"What do you make of it?" the General asked. "Some long-range patrol? Or fugitives?"

"Probably fugitives," Bow replied. "The campsite is not ideal - there are better spots nearby - but it's very well hidden from aerial observation. A patrol wouldn't have had any need to hide and would have picked a better spot for a camp."

Samantha Carter agreed with the logic, though she had to take Bow's words for the reasons - she wasn't enough of an expert on such things to tell.

"If there are fugitives, then there will be hunters," Catra said. "The question is, will they use ground forces to hunt down fugitives - or will they stick to Death Gliders?"

"They have a ton of Death Gliders. Ba'al might think bombing fugitives is good training." The General shrugged. "But they seem to know how to hide."

Or they were dead already, Sam thought. The distance to the palace - the closest inhabited area from here - meant they would have managed to reach this spot if they had fled at dusk and walked as quickly as Sam and her friends were going. If this was a few days old, then Ba'al's forces would have had enough time to hunt them down.

Daniel was going through the ashes. "There's nothing here - no trash, no broken tool, no leftovers from anything they might have crafted or repaired. A nomadic culture setting up a camp would likely perform such activities and leave corresponding traces."

"And what does that mean in non-Archaeologist, Daniel?"

"It means I don't think this was a camp set by indigenous travellers. It would fit a group of fugitives who didn't have the opportunity to make or repair tools," Daniel replied.

"You mean they weren't prepared?" Glimmer asked.

"That is difficult to say. They could have no need yet to repair or craft anything since they set out well-prepared," Daniel said. "Or they had to flee in a hurry and couldn't take anything with them that would require repairs."

"Oh! We can give them what they need - or make it for them!" Entrapta chimed in.

Sam glanced at Adora and saw she was wincing.

"We can't spend the time tracking down a group of fugitives trying to hide," Adora said. "The best thing we can do to help them is to take out Ba'al and take over the planet."

"I wouldn't mind a detour," Double Trouble, still slung over Adora's shoulder, spoke up. "This is not very comfortable. Your shoulders are very bony."

Sam couldn't care less about the shapeshifter's discomfort.

"Shift to a more padded form, then," Glimmer told them.

A moment later, Double Trouble had shifted into a double of Glimmer. "You're right; this helps. You must have spoken from experience."

To Sam's surprise, Glimmer didn't seem annoyed but snorted, apparently amused. "Let's go now. The sooner we reach Ba'al's palace, the sooner we can stop whatever suffering the people here endure."

"Yeah," the General agreed.

Adora still looked guilty but nodded as well.

*****​

Near Ba'al's Palace, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 12th, 2000 (Earth Time)

It had taken them several hours, but shortly after midnight, they had reached their target - or, at least, the vicinity of their target. Usually, a Goa'uld base would be in the middle of a flat, wide area, cleared to remove all cover and concealment. Ba'al's palace differed. The forest had been cleared, the trees cut down, in the entire area, but instead of a featureless plain where hiding would be impossible without advanced technology - and difficult even with such technology, given its limitations - it was surrounded by fields and irrigation canals fed from a lake.

Between the lake and a village - a small town, actually - that housed the slaves working the fields lay the palace. Hidden in the underbrush at the tree line at the outward edge of the fields, Samantha Carter studied the buildings through her binoculars, using the night vision mode, although enhanced to show true colours.

"Interesting," Daniel commented in a low voice. "I would have expected less Egyptian architecture given Ba'al's history, more Phoenician, probably Punic, but the palace shows few such influences - a few ornaments, possibly furniture, but the general layout and building style is almost exclusively Egyptian. This may signal Ba'al's intention to take over as Ra's successor, but why would he go that far on a secret world?"

"He probably doesn't intend to keep it secret once he is the new Emperor," the General replied.

"Oh. Right. That would be possible. Still, it could also indicate a true cultural shift on Ba'al's side. Perhaps it's an attempt to improve his reputation and downplay his past actions so the other System Lords will more likely accept his rule?"

Sam doubted that it would work, genuine or not - in her opinion, the only thing that would make the System Lords accept an emperor was naked strength and power. And even then, they would secretly plot to topple them as soon as they thought they could get away with it. Still, it would be like Ba'al to do something like that in order to gain a small advantage. And, of course, the advantage might not be so small when it concerned the slaves and Jaffa, who would have suffered the most from his past crimes.

Sam hoped it wouldn't ultimately matter - they were here to end Ba'al's reign, after all. And those irrigation canals provided a great opportunity to sneak to the palace - and likely into it, since the palace probably drew water from the lake as well.

She looked the palace over again. Several defensive gun emplacements lined the walls. Dual-purpose, able to engage aerial threats as well as ground targets - and three covered the village. Patrols on the walls and at the base of the walls, probably on both sides of them, and in the fields. Those were pretty standard defences. Ba'al almost assuredly had some nastier surprises hidden in the palace and a few escape routes prepared, but Sam was confident they could deal with that; between Entrapta, Bow and herself, and their experience with Ba'al's systems, they should be able to take over the security systems and sensors easily enough.

"Alright. It looks like we've got a window of opportunity to reach the walls through the canal there as soon as that patrol has passed us," Adora said in a low voice over the communicator. "Be ready."

Sam was ready.

*****​

Ba'al's Palace, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 12th, 2000 (Earth Time)

Passing underwater through the irrigation canals to the palace walls had been slightly uncomfortable but easily handled. The new uniforms and their sealed helmet option helped a lot. If her fur had gotten all wet… Catra shuddered at the thought. There had been a lot of gunk in the murky water, and she didn't give a damn whether that stuff would be good fertiliser for the fields or not, and that the wastewater from the palace had to go somewhere, as Daniel and Sam had explained - they didn't have fur all over their body that would take ages to clean if that filth got on it.

But now they had to enter the palace proper, and that meant diving deeper into the lake here - according to Entrapta and Sam's scans, the pipe that led into the palace grounds was pretty far down there. Something about varying levels of water or whatever. But unlike the spot where the palace's wastewater line fed into the main canal, this spot wasn't guarded by a squad of Jaffa.

It still meant that they had to dive a bit too deep for her taste. Fortunately, the uniforms were rated for space, so they didn't have to worry about pressure effects and things. They only had to deal with security systems, sensors and traps.

"Alright, the sensors covering the lake are currently blind to us," Entrapta reported over the communicator.

"Let's dive and rally at the target," Adora ordered.

Catra was first into the water. No 'cats and water' jokes today for her. She didn't jump, of course - that would have caused a splash guards could hear - but slid into the water and then dived down, the HUD in her helmet showing her where she needed to go. If they had had such a thing in the Horde, a number of exercises and operations would have gone differently. Well, some of the officers would have still managed to get lost, she was sure of that.

Forcing the stupid stray thoughts away, she pressed on, quickly reaching the large pipe that took water from the lake into the palace. There was a massive grate on it, but that wouldn't stop her. Once the others caught up - she made sure that Double Trouble hadn't gotten 'lost' on the way - and Sam checked that the sensors were off, Catra quickly sliced through the metal, and Adora pulled the grate away.

Entrapta sent the spy bot they had brought along ahead, and Catra closely followed its track on her HUD as it entered the pipe. Between the data data from the hacked security system and the stealthed bot, she got a decent picture of the pipe's interior as she looked for traps and other obstacles. It would be just like Ba'al to have some undocumented surprises in such places to catch those who thought that they just had to deal with the computers to get in. Though any trap would have to operate under some limitations, what with the need to let water in, so the trigger couldn't be too simple, and that meant sensors as well.

Ah! She grinned inside her helmet when she spotted a sensor on the feed from the bot that wasn't already marked by the HUD. "There's a trap ahead," she said.

"Got it!" Entrapta's voice answered. "Good bot! Now let's see what… Oh! That's a shaped charge, aimed down the pipe - the pressure probably would… no, the pipe's reinforced, so it wouldn't burst but funnel the pressure wave forward. Quite nasty."

Catra kept smiling even though she couldn't help imagining what would happen to anyone inside the pipe if the trap was triggered. They'd be pulped.

But her friends were already working on it, directing the bot to close in, and then started to disarm it - after the group had cleared the pipe entrance. Just in case.

But the charge didn't go off, and the bot moved on. They detected another trap, a stunning device built into the pipe where it bent to head straight up, but that was easily dealt with by hacking its sensor, and after cutting through a few more grates and filters, the bot reached the main water reservoir of the palace and surfaced in it.

"Jackpot," Jack muttered as the feeds showed rails lining the basin and ladders leading up.

"Multiple sensors that track the water quality," Sam reported. "We have to hack them so they won't report the effects of the bot cutting through the filters."

More delays - but necessary ones. Waiting underwater was getting a bit stressful. Fortunately, it didn't take too long until Sam announced that it was safe now, and Catra was the first into the pipe.

She quickly swam forward, resisting the urge to use her claws to pull herself along the pipe even if it would have been a bit faster, then up once she reached the bend.

Then she hit the surface inside the reservoir and looked around. No guards, no obvious traps.

They had it made inside the palace. Now came the fun part.

*****​

Sneaking around in a snake palace never got old! Jack O'Neill bared his teeth in a grin while he peered around the corner ahead - he might be covered by Melog's illusion, but better safe than sorry; nothing was perfect. Certainly not magic.

But the corridor ahead was clear. No surprise there - they were just above the cistern, and it was pretty damp here; Ba'al's contractors must have pulled a fast one on him - according to Carter and Entrapta's scans, the entire level here was useless for pretty much anything that couldn't handle lots of humidity. No provisions, delicate electronics or archives would survive here.

Of course, Ba'al being Ba'al, he still found a use for it - the cold humidity was perfect for some good old-fashioned dungeon, as long as you don't mind that your prisoners died from pneumonia or inhaling poisonous mould or whatever. And Jack hadn't yet met a snake who would mind that. In fact, knowing Ba'al, he might have micro-managed construction to ensure he got mouldy cells in his dungeon…

Of course, anyone with a symbiont wouldn't die from a bit of mould and cold. And the prisoner they had detected with their scans had a symbiont inside them. The only question was whether they were a Jaffa or a snake.

As he moved down the corridor, to the cell tracts projected on his HUD, Jack hoped they were a Jaffa; you couldn't trust the snakes.

He reached the door barring the way into the dungeon proper and stepped to the side, letting his carbine drop, caught by the sling, to draw his zat while Carter and Bow dealt with the lock. There shouldn't be any guards inside. Entrapta was monitoring the hacked security system and hadn't spotted anyone behind the door who wasn't in a cell. And the magic scanner hadn't detected any symbionts outside the one in a cell, either.

But it wouldn't hurt to be ready to stun someone before they could raise the alarm.

"Oh! That's interesting…" Entrapta muttered.

He glanced at her, then at Carter. Carter would be able to tell if whatever Entrapta was talking about was important enough to share with the class, right?

"Entrapta?" Carter asked.

Or not.

"Oh, it's just the camera layout. It's quite complex - you know that already - but there are some blind spots that are cleverly hidden!"

Oh? "Maybe Ba'al's IT guy isn't as good as he should be," Jack said.

"No, no, that seems deliberate - there's a subroutine that alters the coverage angle without reporting it to the controls. Hm…"

"So, someone infiltrated this system before us? I guess the Tok'ra will feel even more embarrassed," Jack commented. Would serve them right, actually.

"But who could have done this? A rival? Sokar, maybe? Or a third faction we don't know yet?" Daniel speculated.

"Or someone planning a coup," Catra said.

"Well, I'm looking into this!" Entrapta announced - her face was almost completely hidden behind all the displays in her helmet, Jack noted. It didn't seem like she could see through it.

But before he could say anything, Bow spoke up. "Finally! That was harder than we expected! But we managed it!"

It has taken longer than I expected, Jack thought as he turned around and aimed his zat at the door. A moment later, it slid to the side, revealing an empty room - empty of people, that was. There were lots of torture devices. Some of them wouldn't have looked out of place in a fantasy movie, and some looked like someone misused a dentist's tools.

"Guess our pal Ba'al is a torture connoisseur. No one-size-fits-all torture device for him; he wants variety and all the classics," Jack joked and managed not to wince at what he recognised as a flensing knife thanks to one of Daniel's bloodier lectures.

"Oh. You think that's Ba'al's personal torture chamber?" Double Trouble bent over a rack. "How interesting!"

They sounded far too happy about this.

"This is so inspiring!" they went on.

Jack wasn't the only one narrowing his eyes at them, and Double Trouble looked annoyed when they noticed. "To better play his role, of course! This gives crucial insight into his character! Really, what do you think I meant?"

"That you like to torment people," Catra replied.

"Really! How long will you carry a grudge? It was good for you!"

"I can think of a few things that would be good for you too." Catra flashed her fangs.

"According to the security records, there is currently no cell occupied, sir," Carter interrupted the brewing clash from the closest console. "Our scans confirm that one is occupied, though."

"But the cell's not under surveillance," Bow added.

"And no guards are supposed to be here."

"And there are no guards. So… this is either the planet's most harmless prisoners… or someone no one is supposed to know about," Catra said.

Adora nodded. "Let's find out."

Jack went in first, just in case. Adoa could fix him if anything happened. But he couldn't fix her if Ba'al had cooked up something nasty enough to harm She-Ra.

He reached the cell marked on his HUD easily. There was no window in the door to peer inside either. More sloppy design?

Carter and Bow went to work on the lock of the door while the rest secured the area. Once again, it took them longer than expected - Carter seemed both annoyed and impressed, Jack noted.

But they managed to unlock the cell. Jack aimed his zat with one hand and opened the door with the other, revealing…

… Ba'al?

*****​

"Colonel O'Neill… and She-Ra, Princess of Power, Protector of Etheria. I have to say that it is a surprise to see you two together, but I really should have seen this. The clues were all there."

Adora stared at the smirking man. Ba'al? In his own prison cell? That made no…

Catra's laugh interrupted her thoughts. "So, are you the original Ba'al who fell victim to a coup or a clone who failed to coup the original?"

Ah! That would explain it - of course, Catra would think of this, given her past.

Ba'al, who was wearing pretty plain clothes, not a glimpse of jewellery visible, shrugged. "Does it matter? What matters is that I am an enemy of your enemy, as my current circumstances clearly prove." He smiled at them, his eyes seeking out Adora's. "We are natural allies."

"If you say: 'join me, and together we can rule the galaxy', I'll have to shoot you," Jack said.

"Indeed." Teal'c was glaring at the Goa'uld.

Ba'al, still smirking, tilted his head slightly as he looked at Jack. "I would not make such an offer, Colonel O'Neill, since you aren't a fool, and neither am I."

"It's General these days," Jack replied. "Just for the record. Wouldn't want to confuse people."

Right. This Ba'al knew about She-Ra, which meant he had had access to the intel the Commander must have shared with Ba'al back in May this year. So, his imprisonment would have been a relatively recent event.

"General O'Neill." Ba'al nodded with what looked like genuine respect, even if he was still smirking. "Of course, your people would promote you, given your many victories over the Goa'uld."

Jack shrugged. "I just do what is needed. You know, pest control."

Ba'al nodded again and looked at Adora. "But none of those victories were as impressive as defeating Horde Prime and taking his realm for yourself."

That… wasn't exactly what had happened. Not like that. And shouldn't he know that? He had recruited the Commander and his fleet, after all. Adora narrowed her eyes. Was he fishing for information?

"Flattery won't get you anything," Catra spoke up.

"My experience would contradict that," Ba'al said.

"Of course it would - your people always flattered you, didn't they?" Glimmer cut in. "And the only peers you met were other System Lords - or yourself."

"You make a good point, Miss…? Or should that be Princess?"

That was a good guess. But no one had ever called Ba'al stupid.

"It's Queen these days," Glimmer said.

"Ah." Ba'al looked from her to Adora and back before smirking at Jack. "You keep interesting company, General. It seems you've become a bit more tolerant of other forms of government. Unless this is merely a temporary alliance and you intend to settle your ideological differences once you have taken care of your common enemies."

"We're not like you!" Glimer spat.

"So it may seem." Ba'al laughed. "But trust me on this - you won't have the measure of someone until and unless they are in a position to betray you and either do it or don't."

Was that a subtle claim that he was the original? Well, every clone thought they were the real Ba'al, didn't they?

"Well, we found out who's in this cell, and I think you'll keep. We can continue this talk once we've stopped kicking your other version's ass," Jack said.

"I wouldn't be so hasty, General," Ba'al said - a bit too quickly for his confident tone. "You've managed to sneak into my palace, but you are undoubtedly aware of how many forces I have amassed here - and how their weapons have been upgraded. My help would allow you to take this system without suffering huge casualties. Or causing them," he added with a smile while looking straight at Adora. "I think you are familiar with my standing orders for my forces - this will be a bloodbath even if you had overwhelming numbers, and the fact that you are currently here, in a covert and likely desperate attempt to decapitate my forces, tells me that you would prefer to avoid an all-out battle. I can help you there - and all I am asking for is a temporary alliance where you'd be holding all the cards."

He was good, Adora had to admit. Even a bit charming. But he was right - they were holding all the cards. And he was Ba'al.

She turned to Double Trouble. "Do you think that's enough?"

They smiled and nodded - and turned into Ba'al.

The expression on Ba'al's face when he saw this almost made Adora laugh out loud.

Jack and Catra didn't show such restraint.

*****​
 
Chapter 183: The Election Campaign Part 5
Chapter 183: The Election Campaign Part 5

Ba'al's Palace, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 12th, 2000 (Earth Time)


Samantha Carter was professional. Laughing at an enemy's misfortune was unprofessional, so she didn't. She felt like it, though - seeing Ba'al - the clone or original, she was leaning towards a clone - gape at Double Trouble was immensely satisfying.

"That's… How?" Ba'al stammered.

Double Trouble sneered at him. "You want to rule over the galaxy and lose your wits at the smallest surprise? No wonder you were left in this cell; obviously, you are no threat to actually competent rulers and were only kept alive as a source of replacement organs."

"Actually, Goa'uld Healing Devices should handle most cases where a host might need a replacement organ," Sam pointed out.

"Or they just switch hosts," Daniel added.

She nodded - that was, of course, the obvious solution for a System Lord.

"Who are you people?" Ba'al asked.

"We told you," Adora said. "I am She-Ra, Princess of Power. Protector of Etheria."

"I am Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon."

"I am Bow."

"Catra."

"And I'm Princess Entrapta of Dryl! Hi! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!"

Ba'al blinked before glaring at Sam's friend - he seemed to have mistaken her honest offer for gloating mockery. That was good - it might mean that he distrusted the information the Etherians had just given out.

"And you know us already. By reputation, at least." The General shrugged. "So… as you can see, we don't really need you. We brought our own Ba'al."

"And I am far more suited for this role than you, you worthless worm!" Double Trouble spat.

Ba'al mirrored their expression. "You might be able to fake my host's appearance, but you cannot copy my true self! My Jaffa will quickly expose you fake!"

Sam felt the slight urge to gloat and tell Ba'al that since they could replace a Jaffa's symbiont with a synthetic one, modifying one to mimic a Goa'uld's presence took no more than a bit of Naquadah and an afternoon's work at Alpha. But since she was a professional soldier, she didn't.

She smiled widely, though.

"That's what you think, you poor excuse for a Goa'uld!" Double Trouble chuckled. "Unlike you incapable imitation, I am a true System Lord! I shall rule this system and turn it into a fortress the likes you have never seen!"

"Well, perhaps dial down the megalomania a bit, Chameleon," the General spoke up.

"Chameleon?" Double Trouble frowned. "I am far beyond that mere colour-changing animal! I am an artist! And this is merely me exploring the character so I will be able to portray him so perfectly, he will be doubting his own self if he sees me in action!"

"Well, you certainly have his ego down pat," the General said.

"Not that they had to make any effort for that," Catra added.

"A cheap imitation won't fool my trusted guards!"

Glimmer snorted. "The same trusted guards who threw you in this cell?"

Ba'al ignored her, but Sam caught him clenching his teeth. "This won't work. You lack the knowledge to pass for me. You can't copy me!"

"Watch me and despair!" Double Trouble boasted.

"I think this is getting a bit repetitive. And annoying- We've got all we need from here?" The General looked around.

"There's no need to have this wretch face his own inadequacies any longer."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"Wait! You are making a…"

The General's stun shot cut Ba'al off.

"So, do we leave him here?" Glimmer asked. "If we carry him with us, it might look suspicious, but if he wakes up and calls the guards, they might raise the alert."

"Yep. He would help the other Ba'al just to spite us," the General said.

"The dungeon was isolated and empty," Adora said. "We can leave him here, I think."

"The risk should be minimal," Catra agreed. "But keep an eye on his cell, Entrapta."

"Will do!"

The General nodded.

None mentioned the alternative to ensure Ba'al couldn't hurt them, but Sam was sure many amongst them were thinking about it.

"Let's head upstairs. We've got a snake to replace."

"Indeed."

"Yes! Soon, the entire world shall bow to my greatness! They shall gaze upon the most magnificent performance ever and despair when they realise they will never see its equal again!"

Sam rolled her eyes and clenched her teeth. She wasn't sure whether Double Trouble was deliberately aggravating or method acting, but she was rapidly wishing they would copy Sam again - those boasts in Ba'al's voice were just too annoying.

*****​

Catra wasn't quite sure that Double Trouble was a more trustworthy temporary ally than Ba'al - she expected them to try to betray them sooner or later, depending on how they judged the situation - but it was better to go with the devil you knew, as the humans from Earth said.

Prepared.

She nodded at Melog. Yes, they were prepared for Double Trouble. As much as they could - Catra wouldn't put it past Double Trouble to pull one over them in the chaos of whatever awaited them in the upper parts of the palace. She had fought too many battles - and coups - to trust that everything would go according to plan as long as you just prepared hard enough.

Unlike Adora, she added with a fond smile as she glanced at her love. Catra had her work cut out for her to keep Adora from working herself to exhaustion in the war.

"So… which outfit should I pick for meeting my faithful guards upstairs?" Double Trouble asked.

Catra rolled her eyes when she saw them circling through multiple different outfits - several amongst them that hadn't been in the briefing about Ba'al. Well, the prisoner rags technically were worn by one version of Ba'al.

"Not the prisoner's outfit," Glimmer told them. "That would make everyone assume you are a clone."

"Or the loser of a power struggle - the Ba'al there could be the original," Daniel pointed out.

"Oh, but if they think I am the Ba'al from the dungeon - which were quite stylish, just saying if you want to expand the Royal Palace, Queen Glimmer - escaped and now coming to settle the score, that could attract both hidden loyalists and opportunists and throw the enemy into chaos!" Double Trouble smiled so widely, Catra suspected they were stretching Ba'al's face more than what was naturally possible.

"We don't want chaos," Ador reminded them. "We want to replace the current Ba'al with you without anyone noticing so you can order the garrison to surrender."

"I gotcha. Just offering an alternative," Double Trouble said.

Scheming.

Catra knew that already. Sure, if they couldn't achieve the main objective, throwing the enemy forces into disarray by launching what would look like a coup was a decent alternative, but she was sure that Double Trouble had some ulterior motives as well. They loved chaos even if it caused a lot of harm, and if Ba'al lost control and his forces started to fight each other, they would likely have an opportunity to slip away while everyone was busy fighting or trying to save the innocent victims and calling in the task force. They had done the same thing in the past.

But they wouldn't get away this time, Catra vowed. They couldn't risk Double Trouble falling into the hands of the Goa'uld; they knew too much. And no one could afford Double Trouble taking over a System Lord's domain.

Not to mention that Catra still owed them payback for what they pulled in the Horde War.

Angry.

Yes, she was. But with good reason.

"We'll hack the systems and then find out what Ba'al is wearing," Sam said.

"Oh! Just for me? You're too kind, honey! And too pretty, should you just make a tiny effort. But you already know that, right?" Double Trouble chuckled, and Catra felt the fur on her neck bristle at the sound.

Really, Ba'al's voice and looks with Double Trouble's attitude was the worst possible combination.

"So… perhaps that great skirt and bare chest combo? With enough gold to drown a siren?"

"Quiet now!" Catra hissed. They'd reached the stairs leading to the ground floor.

"As quiet as a grave. Oh - too dark? I thought gallows humour was all the rage in the army."

"Double Trouble."

"Yes, yes. Just trying to keep up morale."

Watching.

Catra smiled at Melog and then slipped past Adora to take point. Her ears twitched as she sneaked up the stairs, noting a half-finished security sensor installation on the way.

"Possible access point here," she said through her communicator after marking the location while she climbed the next flight and approached the door there.

"Footsteps outside!" she hissed a moment later. "At least four, marching in step. Probably not much more."

"Patrol on the grounds," Jack replied. "Ba'al would have increased his security after a coup even if he won it."

Of course.

"We can use the ventilation ducts!" Entrapta suggested. "They usually forget to patrol those!"

"Not Ba'al. I bet he has them trapped like he trapped the pipes," Glimmer protested.

"We can deal with traps," Bow said.

"Let's see if Melog can get us through the palace without having to take the Entrapta express," Jack said.

"My express? Oh, you mean the ducts! Yes, they are often the fastest way to get around! And you don't usually get stopped, either, as long as people know you."

"The sensor installation is incomplete and not connected to the main security nodes yet," Sam reported. "But it's clearly meant to be an independent, secondary security system relying mostly on hard lines. And if they started building it, we have to assume that there are already parts of it that are working."

Meaning, they needed a way to hack those as well. If they relied on data lines, they couldn't hack them remotely.

Catra hated it when enemies were competent.

*****​

Things were going about par for the course, as far as Jack O'Neill was concerned. One surprise Ba'al appearance in a cell - it was always nice to see a bad guy hoisted by his own petard - and the more-or-less expected minor complication due to the snake being a sneaky bastard.

But Jack trusted his team and allies. Carter and the others would deal with the tech part and hack the secondary system as well. If it was actually working already; it certainly wasn't finished - it looked like Ba'al might have overreached a bit, or miscalculated how many resources he had available. Or he had played his cards too close to his chest - not a bad idea for Ba'al, actually, since he was dealing with clones of himself - and kept the project a bit too secret, so some underling had reassigned workers to tasks that looked more important than whatever excuse Ba'al had come up with for this.

Lots of things could go wrong when you were playing those games.

Just as lots of things could go wrong when you were sneaking into an enemy palace to nab the ruler. Doubly so if you did it with an unreliable and only half-willing shapeshifter in tow who couldn't be left out of sight or they would bail on you - or worse - at the first opportunity.

Still better than trying to make a deal with either Ba'al's clone or Ba'al himself, of course. And three Ba'als were two too many to begin with.

But he had better focus on the problem at hand. He checked the map on his HUD, watching as the scanners updated the known locations of everyone - or so he hoped - inside the place. It was pretty obvious where Ba'al's quarters were - the top floor was laid out like some dictator's dream vacation home. It reminded him of a mansion that Jack almost got to raid to nab a troublesome individual before the local government changed and the problem solved itself, so to speak. Although the manor had lacked a command centre and a ring transporter next to the oversized bedroom. And, of course, a snake in a human body surrounded by Jaffa guards, but they had had the human servants the scanner showed him here.

He nodded. "So, unless Ba'al has gone as far as to use his luxury penthouse as bait with another clone of his inside it while he is staying in a spartan room, the top floor is our target. We need to secure or sabotage the ring transporter so he can't escape."

"Re-route it to transport him into a cell next to his clone," Catra suggested, and he heard her smirking through the communicator.

"We can do that, but it will probably take some time to crack the encryption." Entrapta, of course, took the joke seriously.

"Just disable it - but make it so we can still use it in an emergency," Adora said.

"Well, we need to crack the encryption for that as well, so… OK!"

"Shouldn't we worry about how we get to the top, first, Jack?" Daniel asked. "There's a lot of security on all the floors between us and the top floor."

"Even with Melog's help, we'll have to be very careful about moving around the patrols," Catra said.

"They don't patrol in the ventilation ducts," Entrapta said.

They didn't - but as they had already discussed, Ba'al couldn't have overlooked that weakness and would have trapped the ducts with some nasty stuff. And if they were detected inside the ducts, they would be trapped, barely able to defend themselves against whatever response Ba'al had had his guards prepare.

"I am sure I could convince the patrols that I'm the real Ba'al and they should let us through," Double Trouble said.

That might be possible, but Jack didn't like it. He didn't trust them - and they sounded a bit too smug when they suggested it.

"I could teleport us, two at a time, but without a clear image of the destination, it's a bit… iffy," Glimmer said.

"Like when you visited me for the first time?" Entrapta nodded. "And you were randomly teleporting around my palace?"

"Yes," Glimmer replied in a flat voice.

Yeah, Jack had heard about that. No, the odds of raising an alert by ending up next to a guard by chance were too damn high for his taste.

Adora shook her head. "We're not desperate yet."

"We don't have cameras hacked inside the top floor. But could you teleport us to the floor beneath the top?" Carter asked. "We have a good coverage of that area."

Glimmer nodded. "Yes, I should be able to do that. But I won't be able to do it more than once."

That was… well, less than ideal. Jack had liked having a teleporter as a safety net. But the mission came first, and if things went sideways, well, it wouldn't be the first time they would have had to shoot their way out of a snake's palace.

"Yes, let's do that," Adora said. "And then work on a way to reach the top floor."

Jack looked at the model on his HUD again. Back when he had been preparing the manor raid, they had discussed various entry points. The palace didn't have laundry chutes, but Ba'al had a huge balcony, to properly look down on his slaves. And with Melog's illusions, climbing up one floor shouldn't be too much of a problem, even with Double Trouble…

*****​

Hidden by Melog, Adora leaned out of the window - which looked like an unfinished gun emplacement judging by the holes and connections left open on the ground - and watched as Catra scaled the wall to the balcony above them. Her claws left marks in the walls, but that was OK - by the time anyone noticed, they would have finished the mission. And if anyone noticed the marks, they might even think that they were leftovers from construction - Adora had seen a few such spots on their trip through the palace.

Catra reached the top, and Adroa saw her carefully raise her head to peer over the railing, wait a moment, then slide over it in one smooth motion.

"It's clear," she reported over the communicator. "Doors are closed."

A moment later, she reappeared and lowered a line down.

Adora grabbed it and stepped back in, securing the line to the wall with one of Entrapta's 'quick-adhesives' or what Jack called 'magic glue'. She gave it a quick tug to test it - just in case the line was cut above them - then nodded. "Let's go."

Jack climbed up himself, followed by Bow, and Entrapta's hair could reach the edge of the balcony without any help, but Adora quickly carried the others - Double Trouble first so they wouldn't try to sneak away - up. She ignored their complaints. The faster they were all up there, the better.

Once done, she pulled the line off the wall before going up herself. Melog could cover a lot, but there was no need to make them hide more than they really needed.

On the balcony, the others were already checking the doors. They looked plain but massive, more fitting for a bunker than a palace. Then again, given Goa'uld views of loyalty in general and Ba'al's in particular, that made sense. And Ba'al probably planned to decorate the doors with half a ton of gold anyway.

"It feels half-finished as well. Just how old - or new - is this palace?" Jack asked.

"They incorporated Horde tech on a basic level. That would indicate that planning was only finished after they made contact with the lost fleet, sir," Sam told him without looking away from where she was analysing the locks.

"It just feels weird that he hasn't finished the palace before moving in," Jack said. "I'd expected him to rush things by throwing slave workers at it in huge numbers."

"He probably prioritised yards and factories," Catra said.

Adora nodded. "And the way he compartmentalises his forces, he probably couldn't move too many workers here." That would have defeated the point of his policies.

"That's a very sophisticated lock. We've hacked the security on the balcony, but the lock is completely independent," Entrapta said. "I wonder how they update the data banks with permissions - maybe they have to do it by hand and on location? And if they haven't updated recently, maybe the Ba'al from prison could have opened it."

"I think Ba'al - whoever Ba'al - would have adjusted the permissions in this case," Bow said. "I don't think they would risk a rival escaping and then entering their quarters."

"Yeah." Catra nodded. "But they need a way to tell one Ba'al clone from the other."

"Right!" Entrapta nodded. "And if that's in the door's data banks…"

"...then we can secure it!" Sam finished for her,

"Do you always work like that?" Double Trouble asked.

"Pretty much, yep," Jack said with a toothy grin.

Double Trouble made a scoffing noise. "Wonderful. It's like having a stage crew who are doing things for the first time while reading the manual out loud."

"You really think you're the star here?" Catra snorted. "You're the late-comer playing a side-character added at the last minute."

"I'm the one who will make or break this act!" Double Trouble announced as if they were on stage. Since they were looking like Ba'al right now, it didn't seem out of place.

But this wasn't the time to bicker. "Quiet. We're about to sneak inside and need to take control of the ring transporter and the other doors before anyone notices us," Adora told them.

Catra snorted again, and Double Trouble pouted, but they did stop bickering, so Adora counted this as a success.

"Is Ba'al even in there right now?" Double Trouble asked after a moment.

"We're tracking a matching individual through our sensors," Sam told them.

"That's not a yes or no."

"It's Ba'al. We don't know yet if this is the original or another clone," Daniel said.

"We will need to examine both Ba'als very thoroughly to find out who amongst them is the original," Sam added. "Both could be clones."

That would fit the unfinished palace, Adora thought. On the other hand, the original probably wouldn't have left two of his clones at the same place. But he wasn't perfect. And if a clone of his went rogue, they might have attempted to take over another's base… Adora pressed her lips together.

She didn't like such head games.

"Alright! We've got the database copied over! Oh, and we cracked the lock," Entrapta announced.

Adora smiled. "Then let's open it!"

*****​

Samantha Carter tensed when she entered the command on her computer to open the doors. Their scanners showed that the room behind it was empty, but the rooms connected to it were occupied, and a corridor led further into the building. Melog could only do so much to hide them - if someone noticed a draft from the open door, or heard them, things could go wrong in an instant. Ba'al would have placed his best and most loyal guards in his quarters.

And as she had feared, when the doors slid to the side, revealing a luxurious lounge behind them, with three closed doors and one open door ahead showing a corridor, she saw decorative plants move in the air streaming inside.

But no alert rang out as the group quickly entered. Still, Sam rushed to close the doors again, overriding the lock once more, and a moment later, the doors closed and the plants stopped moving.

Entrapta and Bow were already at two of the closed doors, hacking the locks - this time, to seal the rooms and keep the people inside contained. Sam hastened to the third to do the same. Fortunately, the locks were not quite as difficult to hack as the one on the blast doors had been, and her computer quickly gave her complete control.

"Rooms are sealed, sir," she reported. "No Jaffa detected inside," she added after a glance at the HUD.

"Alright, you've got your targets! Good luck!" the General announced over the communicator, and the group split up in the corridor.

Sam, Teal'c, Bow and Glimmer headed to the right, towards the ring transporter room. The others continued straight down, to the command centre where the single Goa'uld on this floor was located. Unfortunately, that meant Melog couldn't hide Sam's group. They had the routes to the transporter mapped out, and her HUD showed her that no patrols were in the way, but it still made Sam feel exposed as she did her best to move both quickly and silently down the corridor towards their target. If anyone did cross their path, they would either have to take them down before they could sound the alarm or have Glimmer teleport them to an empty room before they were seen.

Sam wasn't too keen on either option; Glimmer had already teleported the entire group, which meant she was not at her best, and even with zat'nik'tels, which made stunning someone easy, something could go wrong. Catastrophically wrong.

But as they moved down the hallway, then took a turn left and continued past several smaller rooms that seemed to be servant and guards quarters, they managed to avoid the patrol headed in the other direction as well as a servant suddenly leaving their quarters by ducking into an alcove in the corridor - which contained a maintenance terminal, Sam discovered, hidden behind an ornate curtain. A heavily secured maintenance terminal.

She hesitated a moment. If she could hack this… but their objective was clear, and they were on a tight schedule; the General and the others were already in position, just waiting for her go-ahead to deal with Ba'al.

They continued to the transporter room, Teal'c taking the lead. Two guards were stationed inside, as the scanner showed. Teal'c and Sam would take one, Bow and Glimmer the other.

Everyone got ready. Sam met Glimmer's eyes, nodded and received a nod in return. A moment later, she hit the door controls.

Teal'c moved as the door started opening. His shot took the guard on their side by surprise as the Jaffa was just turning to cover the door.

Bow was barely slower, loosening an arrow through the gap before it was wide enough to pass through. Sam heard a muffled cry, then Teal's zat'nik'tel shot again.

One Jaffa stunned, one knocked out by a trick arrow with a charge and then stunned for good measure, Sam noted when she followed Teal'c inside and went straight for the transporter controls. It shouldn't take long, even accounting for Ba'al's heavy security, to take over the console.

"We're inside the room," Sam heard Glimmer report while she was connecting her computer to the console. "Guards down, working on the controls."

Sam focused on her task. The encryption was stronger than normal, but they were expecting that - and the architecture had enough similarities to the other machines she had hacked here to make her task easier. After about a minute, she had installed overrides to bypass the biometric checks, allowing them full control over the transporter. Objective achieved. She was about to report when her HUD flashed, announcing an alert - her scanner had detected an energy buildup in the power unit of the transporter?

She gasped. Was the transporter going active? But there was no transport being initiated! And the readings… The charge was already above the power necessary for a transport and still building up! This wasn't a transport override - this was a trap! The room was turning into a bomb!

She must have missed a secondary scan or security sensors! But she had no time to berate her stupidity - she had to stop this charge from going critical. "The power supply's about to blow up - it's overcharging. I need to stop this and drain or divert the power!" she hissed into the communicator, her fingers flying over the keyboard of her computer.

"What?" Glimmer gasped, echoed by Adora and the General.

Sam repeated herself as she focused on the power lines. If she could connect them to an alternative outlet…

"What's going on?" Bow asked, kneeling down next to her to check the base of the console. "That's… oh!"

"I'm trying to initiate a transport to slow down the buildup," Sam said. "Move out of the ring!"

"Should we evacuate?" Adora asked.

"Give them time," the General answered.

The security circuits had locked, but she managed to override that, sending the rings up as the transport initiated. Maximum range - not that much of a difference, but every little bit helped.

But it had only slowed down the build-up, not even set it back. She keyed up a dozen more transports and focused on the power lines again. As she had suspected - she couldn't use the controls to reroute the power.

Bow had noticed the problem as well. "We need to physically connect a power line," he said. "But what system can take so much power?"

"Weapons or shielding," she stated the obvious solution - but this was Ba'al's personal quarters, not a floor with weapon emplacements. They would have to…

Her eyes widened. "…find the secret backup shield generators he would have undoubtedly installed!" she spoke out loud.

"Right!"

Sam switched her HUD to her scanner. If the scanner had not spotted such systems, then they were inert and not connected to a power source - not yet finished, in other words, and, therefore, not highlighted as a point of interest by the sensors. But they would be there, and with a slight adjustment… "There!" She marked the location.

"On it!" Bow rushed over to the wall. "We'll need to cut through here! And we need a powerline!"

"On it!" Sam replied, opening the console. There were all the backup power lines she needed - she just had to ensure she wouldn't get fried by the primaries while they initiated transport after transport.

And that would require finesse. And caution.

Clenching her teeth, Sam started to disconnect the secondary power line.

"I'm through the wall. I'm splicing a connector into the powerline here!" Bow reported.

Sam barely listened. She had to pull the loosened cable out without triggering a discharge by the already overheating main lines. And the charge was still building! By her rough estimate, they had less than a minute left before it went critical!

She bit her lower lip and pulled. The cable resisted for a moment - had it snagged on something? - but then Sam felt it come free.

She quickly pulled as much as she could - several metres - and then turned. It should be enough to reach Bow's connector. Should.

"Should the lines be glowing like this?" Glimmer asked.

Sam ignored her and rushed to Bow, dragging the line after her. He took it and pulled some more, forcing it into the connector.

Sam was already on her computer, greenlighting the new power line in the system. She could feel the vibrations from the console. "Get clear, everyone!"

"Clear!"

Sam initiated the power rerouting.

And watched, slowly releasing her breath, when the power supply finally started to decrease.

*****​

While she waited for Sam and Bow to stop whatever trap had been triggered in the transporter room - and trying not to show how anxious she was, no matter how much she trusted her friends - Catra wondered which Ba'al had installed it - the Ba'al inside the command centre hadn't really moved at all since the charge had started building up, and he surely would have received an alert if the trap had triggered - at the least so he could get clear himself before this section of the palace blew up. So, this hadn't been his doing. It was probably either a coup attempt or some failsafe from the real Ba'al.

Catra hoped it was another coup attempt, if only because then there was still a chance that this was the real Ba'al.

"The ring transporter has been secured."

That was a very restrained way to report that they wouldn't be blown up, in Catra's opinion. Typical for Sam, though.

"Alright! Everyone, ready?" Adora asked. She tried to sound confident, and did, but Catra could hear the relief in her tone.

"Yep."

Ready.

"Yes."

"I'll just wait out here, if that's OK."

"It's not."

"Yes!" Entrapta sounded as cheerful as ever.

"Yes," Catra said, grinning at the thought that her friend was probably disappointed because she hadn't been able to tackle the trap.

"Let's go!" Adora snapped.

"Opening the door!"

The door slid open, and Adora charged inside, Catra on her heels. Inside, half a dozen Jaffa were turning to face them, reacting to the sound of the door opening - Melog could hide them from view, but couldn't suppress the noise. The Ba'al in the centre of the room, staring at a holographic projection of the system, was looking over his shoulder.

Cara saw his eyes widen when Adora slammed into the closest Jaffa, sending the warrior flying through the air. Catra herself jumped over the console in front of her, slashing at the Jaffa manning it with her claws, and his attempt to cry out in alarm ended in a gargling, bloody sound while he gripped his slashed throat with both hands.

A third guard was down, struck by Jack's zat.

But the rest was already firing - two at the walls, though.

Fooled.

Those guards were good indeed. They were calling out alarms as well, but the door had closed again, and Entrapta was handling the electronic alerts.

The last Jaffa, operating another console, was shooting at Adora even though she was still hidden. Adora was even hit - Catra felt her heart skip for a moment - but ignored the shot and tackled Ba'al.

A moment later, Catra pounced on the shooter, her claws shredding his arm and throat, before he could shoot a second time. She landed in a crouch on the dying Jaffa, her foot claws ripping into his chest as she launched herself at the remaining guard - Jack had downed the second already.

That one whirled his staff weapon around him in a decent but doomed attempt to fend off attackers he couldn't see. She came at him from behind, ducked under the spinning staff and slid over the metal floor, feet first, to slash through his ankles with her claws, then ripped through his neck when he twisted and started to fall.

"Room secured," Catra reported over the communicator after a glance around.

"You! Traitor!" Ba'al, held up by Adora gripping his collar as if he were a kitten, ignored everyone to glare at Double Trouble. "I should have killed you right away! You think you can replace me?"

"Oh, honey!" Double Trouble's smile threatened to reach their ears. "I'll do much more than replace you. When I am done, even you will think I was the real Ba'al!"

Ba'al blinked at that. "You know you're but a clone? And you still dare to go against me?"

"Oh, I am much better than a clone of yours." Double Trouble chuckled and stepped closer to him before reaching up and touching his cheek with the tip of one finger.

Ba'al tried to pull back, looking more disturbed than angry now - Catra saw that he had a small scratch where Double Trouble had touched him. "What… Who are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Ba'al looked around, staring at Catra as if he noticed her for the first time, then at the others. His eyes widened when he saw Jack and Daniel. "SG-1? But you aren't…" He craned his neck, trying to look at Adora. "She-Ra!"

"Always nice to be recognised," Jack said with a grin.

"Uh, I thought being recognised was bad, especially on infiltration missions?"

"Daniel! Not the time!

Catra snorted and checked with Entrapta. "Any alarms?"

"None got through!" her friend replied, hair tendrils flying over two consoles. "I stopped them before they could ring out."

"So, you have joined forces with Horde Prime's successor, O'Neill?" Ba'al scoffed, sounding as arrogant as if he were talking to a prisoner instead of being one. "And you think they won't turn on you at the earliest opportunity?" He turned to Adora. "And you! Do you know what they did to Ra? You think you can avoid his fate?"

"Well, we dealt with the bomb in your transporter room already," Catra told him.

Ba'al looked honestly surprised for a moment.

Damn. That meant there was another one involved. Granted, that had been a possibility from the start, but it would have been nice if they had been lucky for once. But things had been going a bit too well, it seemed.

*****​

Jack O'Neill frowned. The snake hadn't known about the bomb - Carter might call it something technical, but if it was triggered like a bomb and blew you up like a bomb, it was a bomb. That meant someone else had placed it. And he didn't think the Ba'al in the cell was responsible.

"That was merely one of my precautions!" Ba'al boasted. "This is my palace! You will never make it out of here alive!"

Jack waited a moment, then made a point of looking confused. "Isn't that the point where you make your transparently dishonest offer of letting us live if we surrender? Followed by more lies and bribes you never mean to pay?"

He heard Catra snicker at that.

Ba'al sneered and twisted a bit. "Princess She-Ra! Surely, you know better than to trust those traitors! They will betray you as soon as they think you are the bigger threat to their plans!"

Adora scoffed. "I trust my friends!"

"If you trust any clone of mine, then you are a fool!" he spat.

"Uh… that doesn't seem to be a good argument to get us to trust you, I think," Daniel spoke up.

"I am not a clone! I am Ba'al! Lord of my entire domain!"

What was the saying again? If you had to tell people that you were strong, you weren't? Yep, that guy didn't seem to be the real Ba'al. "So… any more surprises left around here?" Jack asked Entrapta.

"I didn't detect any explosives - or sabotaged power supplies or capacitors," Entrapta replied. "No toxins, either. Although there are several unfinished potential delivery systems for such agents. But those could also be some pest control devices. Or if you wanted to flood your bedroom with the perfect scented candle extract for each mood you wanted to set."

That… Jack wasn't going to ask if she was talking from experience.

"So… Do I still replace this clone, or are you going to find the real Ba'al first?" Double Trouble asked.

They didn't sound as disappointed as Jack would have expected, so they were probably planning how to use this development to their advantage.

"No." Adora shook her head - Ba'al was shaken a bit along, Jack noted. "We've planned for such a situation."

"What? I wasn't told that! Why wasn't I told about that plan?"

"Need to know, and you don't need to know," Catra told them.

"They don't trust you!" Ba'al, ever the opportunist, cut in. "They plan to betray you as soon as you are no longer useful, you fool!"

"Of course they do! That's how the game is played!" Double Trouble replied with a wide grin. "That's what makes it exciting!"

"No, we do not betray our allies or break our word," Adora said. "But we aren't fools either. We will keep our deal with you."

Jack heard the unspoken 'and you better do the same' just fine.

And so did Double Trouble, it seemed - they were pouting and scowling.

Adora turned to Entrapta. "Tell me when you've hacked their communication system and the chip network."

"Will do!" Entrapota replied enthusiastically without looking up from whatever she was staring at in her HUD.

"What are you planning? If the real Ba'al is out there somewhere in the system… Oh!" Double Trouble was smiling widely. "You're going to throw everything into chaos!"

Jack glared at them - they knew that this would start the battle they had hoped to avoid altogether, and were happy about it.

Adora turned to Catra. "Contact the task force. We're going with the alternative attack plan."

Timing would be crucial so the task force would arrive at the optimal moment to exploit the mess they were about to start.

"So, what do you want me to do? Order the clone fighters to attack the home fleet?" Double Trouble asked.

"We're trying to save them, not kill them ourselves!" Daniel snapped.

"You will tell all of Baal's forces that reinforcements are coming - another Horde Fleet has joined him," Adora said. "Then you'll act as if there's a coup, and someone's trying to kill you and crash all communication."

"And then you'll crash communication, and my last orders will be to assist your fleet." Double Trouble nodded. "Ruthless. I like it!" Another of those too-wide grins followed. "Hordak would be proud - or is that his idea?"

Adora scowled, and Catra hissed under her breath.

"No, that wasn't Hordak's idea," Entrapta said. "I think it was a collaboration between Sha're and Catra, but we were kinda split between different planning groups, and I was focused on the technological parts, not strategy and tactics."

Both Double Trouble and Ba'al were staring at her.

"Oh, and we've got control of the communication networks - both of them!" Entrapt added with a smile.

"Great!" Adora smiled. "Give the signal to the fleet to launch the attack and tell us their ETA!" she told Catra.

"Melog, please fetch Glimmer and the others."

The cat nodded and dashed out of the room.

"Wait!" Ba'al blurted out. "If you wish to save my servants and warriors, I can help you more than anyone else!"

"Darling, you can't even help yourself!" Double Trouble chuckled.

"How dare you, you insolent…"

Jack stunned the snake with his zat. They had no time to waste listening to his ranting.

"Sha're is ready to pick us up," Daniel reported.

"The fleet's underway," Catra added. "ETA is oh seven thirty-four and fifteen seconds."

Jack checked the time on his HUD. It wasn't too long, but he hated waiting.

*****​
 
Chapter 184: The Election Campaign Part 6
Chapter 184: The Election Campaign Part 6

Ba'al's Palace, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 12th, 2000 (Earth Time)


"My loyal warriors! My faithful! I bring joyous news: Another fleet has joined me, their God! Their ships, countless engines of destruction carrying weapons without equal, filled with my followers, will shortly arrive in this system. Together with you, they will form the mightiest force in the galaxy - none shall be able to stand against me!

"Check and double-check that you have the latest IFF codes; if you fire on my new faithful by mistake, your punishment will be legendary!"

Adora, staying out of the angle of the camera Double Trouble was speaking to, winced at the performance. It was so… She shook her head. The real Ba'al had a similar bombastic manner, at least when addressing his followers.

"IFF codes sent," Sam reported through the communicator.

"Ready to crash the communication networks!" Entrapta added.

In the centre of the room, Double Trouble raised their arms. "Soon, all shall bow before your God! My rule will extend to the edge of the entire Galaxy! I shall…"

A staff blast passing close - maybe a bit closer than predicted, but Teal'c wouldn't hit them by mistake - to their head cut them off.

Adora nodded at Entrapta.

Double Trouble screeched: "Treason! Treason! In the moment of my triumph, you turn on me? You shall…"

A loud, buzzing noise blaring from every speaker filled the room for a moment.

"Regular communication network crashed," Entrapta announced.

"Chip network flooded with orders to sleep," Sam followed.

"Couldn't you have waited a minute longer?" Double Trouble complained. "I was about to say my best line!"

"No, we couldn't," Catra told them. "The fleet's arriving… now!"

Indeed, on her HUD, Adora received flash reports - task force had arrived, task force engaged the enemy. And as her HUD updated the projections, she could see the Alliance forces quickly moving to envelop the closest concentration of enemy ships. They hadn't dropped from Hyperspace in the middle of the enemy formation, but they had come in at practically point-blank range.

"Sha're's on the way - entering atmosphere now," Daniel said.

He sounded worried, and with good reason. The stealth generator of the shuttle Sha're was piloting couldn't fully hide the plasma atmospheric reentry created, and if any of the anti-air installations on the planet started firing on the thermal bloom…

But the planet's orbit was already filling with debris from small ships being destroyed by the opening volleys of the task force's perimeter, debris which would burn up in the atmosphere - or so they hoped.

"Move to the balcony!" Jack snapped. "Our ride is coming."

"But… I've got them fooled!" Double Trouble complained. "We can stay here and manage the surrender!"

"We can stay here and end up bombed by any Ha'tak that reaches low orbit," Jack corrected them. "There's still one Ba'al at large here."

"At least one Ba'al," Catra corrected him. "The enemy is forming up too quickly for anything else."

She was right. The enemy fleet was still disrupted, single ships getting destroyed by focused fire from the squadrons of Alliance frigates, but the core of it had recovered and was restoring their formation. At least, the fighters and suicide-fightercraft were still, mostly, staying their course. "Get me an ID on the flagship! We need to stop whoever is rallying them!" Adora snapped as she picked up Double Trouble and started moving towards the lounge.

Teal'c, carrying the Ba'al from this floor, was running after her.

"Hey! I can stay here - I volunteer!"

Adora didn't dignify that with a response. Did Double Trouble think she was stupid? Well, yeah, they probably thought everyone else was stupid.

"Hurry! A formation of bombers is pushing for the orbit, out of range of the task force!" Bow said.

Adora sped up. "Release the locks and give the order to evacuate!" she snapped.

"That will…" Sam started to say, but Jack, Teal'c and Catra simply shot (or cut) the locks they had hacked before.

"Run!" Glimmer yelled. "Seek shelter! Bombs incoming!"

A moment later, alarms sounded.

The servants - and two guards - from the three rooms gasped, and most started fleeing. One turned, though. "Hey! Unhand our God! Stop! Treas…"

A trick arrow hit his face, silencing him with a glop of sticky glue. He started trying to pull off his face, and Adora kept going.

"See? If I had been here, he wouldn't have noticed!"

Adora ignored them and kicked the door to the lounge open, going straight to the blast doors. The bombers were being attacked by a squadron of Horde fighters, but they outnumbered the fighters, and more were on the way - stealthed Tel'taks as well. Whoever was in charge really wanted the palace bombed.

"Sha're's about to enter the airspace above the palace," Daniel said as he entered the lounge.

Bow went to open the blast doors.

"Glimmer!" Adora said. "Go grab the second Ba'al!" They needed him to check if he was the real one. It was a slim chance, but they couldn't risk losing them.

Glimmer disappeared with a pop.

The blast doors slid open. Adora checked the HUD - the bomber formation had been disrupted, but a few were still on course. Anti-aircraft installations were already firing. If they hit Sha're by mistake…

But her shuttle was already inside the envelope and flying so low, most anti-aircraft cannons were above it - it had to gain altitude to reach the balcony!

And there it came - only visible on the HUD. Then it turned, and the ramp went down, and Adora could see the interior as if there was a hole in reality. She put Double Trouble down on the ramp and turned around.

"Hey!"

"Move, Chamaeleon!"

"I'm not…"

"Move!"

A cloud of sparkles formed, and Glimmer with an unconscious Ba'al appeared, panting as she touched the ground. "That was…"

Adora picked both up before Bow could rush to them and carried them inside. Entrapta and Sam were already headed to their stations. Teal'c dropped the other Ba'al off as Jack and Daniel stepped into the shuttle.

Catra and Melog brought up the rear, scrambling up the ramp. "Hurry!" Catra yelled.

Sha're started flying before the ramp fully closed, and through the shrinking gap, Adora saw the first bomb blow up a field in the distance.

*****​

Near Ba'al's Palace, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 12th, 2000 (Earth Time)

Samantha Carter focused on her computer screen while the shuttle sped away from the palace grounds, flying at wave-top height over the lake to avoid the anti-aircraft fire filling the airspace above them with blaster bolts. With all the jamming, even connected to the shuttle comm, her computer could barely keep track of the battle in orbit, much less the wider system - the updates were lagging almost as badly as if they were sending data from Earth to Etheria and back over the comm relays of the spy bot network.

Even so, she could see that the Goa'uld formation was stabilising - and the number of fighters engaging the Alliance task force was increasing. Not at a fast pace, but she could tell that this was just the beginning. As more and more Death Gliders joined Ba'al's main formation, even more of those currently fooled by Double Trouble's act into staying out would be pushed to do so as well.

She checked the jamming fields. Both the regular FTL comms and the chip network were still down. But Ba'al had been prepared for that tactic. In addition to short-range radio transmissions linking the ships in his formation, the enemy ships were also using laser communications - the sensors of the spy bots surrounding the battlespace were picking up stray signals.

They had to stop that.

"Analysis of the enemy transmission complete!" Entrapta announced next to her. "Oh - you were right; it's from another Ba'al."

Sam quickly read the decrypted transmissions - yes, according to that, the orders, both for the capital ships and the clone-piloted Death Gliders, came from Ba'al. Whether that was true, or if it was true, whether that Ba'al was another clone or the original, Sam couldn't say. Though as Daniel had pointed out, it was very unlikely that any of Ba'al's guards and commanders would dare to pretend to be him without explicit orders - and she doubted any such orders had been issued. Their course was clear. "We need to find the enemy commander," she said.

"I'm analysing the data traffic on the chip network, but it's inconclusive," Entrapta replied.

"They're rerouting the radio transmission through all capital ships," Bow added. "No luck there either without a detailed breakdown of every transmission."

"Then let's do this," Sam said, opening the data feed on her computer. "We need to find the enemy flagship." She ran the different datastreams through the analyser, shutting down the regular communication updates to the bare minimum.

Not seeing how close they came to getting shot down as Sha're and the General took the shuttle to orbit was helping her concentrate, anyway. She knew that the odds of getting hit by a stray shot were very, very low - space was just too big - but they were never zero. And the planet's orbitals, and even more so the airspace, were very crowded right now.

There! A sequence in the orders had been identified and matched with time stamps. That reduced the number of potential sources - unfortunately, communication lag affected logs as well, so they still had half a dozen Ha'taks to search.

And time was running out - the jamming field was weakening as the enemy was compensating, and soon, the task force would either have to switch to the hyperspace equivalent of broadband jamming, which would affect their own communication, or accept the restoration of the enemy communication networks. They had to find this Ba'al before that!

They needed more precise data. More timely data - if they could time the transmissions so precisely to overcome the lag problem… "We need to get closer to the heart of the enemy formation," she reported, "or we can't find Ba'al."

"That would take us right into the middle of the fleet battle," Glimmer said.

"Do it," Adora said.

"Are you crazy?" Double Trouble protested - Sam was not sure if Ba'al's vocal chords could hit that high naturally.

"We need to stop Ba'al," Adora said.

"Be happy: You can repeat your performance, maybe even with the original," Catra added.

"I never do the same performance twice! I have artistic integrity!"

"But no other kind of integrity," Glimmer commented.

"Where are the escape pods? I want to get off this shuttle! This wasn't in the original mission briefing! No one said anything about flying into a space battle and boarding a battleship!"

"It actually was," Catra pointed out. "Under 'contingencies'."

"What? No!"

"It was in the appendices," Glimmer explained.

"Those were just about material and data sources!"

"Those were appendices A to L. Appendix M covered the contingencies."

Sam did her best to ignore the bickering, eyes fixed on her screen, as the shuttle slipped past the Allied squadrons and closed - at an angle - with the enemy. Another transmission. More orders for the Death Gliders. Almost - only two Ha'taks were possible sources now.

Could she order the task force to focus on both? That would be very costly; they were defended by almost the entire enemy fleet, and by the time those were dealt with, most of the Death Gliders would have chosen to join if the trend kept up, but… Her computer lit up with another transmission. And the time stamps… "Source of the enemy orders identified!" she announced, highlighting the ship and transmitting the data.

Ba'al had tried to be clever and sent a direct transmission to another ship, which then broadcast it. But they were close enough to catch the original transmission as well, now.

"Take us in. We're going to board them," Adora said. She would have run the same calculations Sam had - trying to take those ships out would be too costly, and take too long.

"What? No!"

"Taking us in," the General acknowledged.

"No!"

Sam focused on the display again. This would be dicey.

*****​

PB-1763-System, Ba'al's Realm, August 12th, 2000 (Earth Time)

Catra watched the feed from the sensors as the shuttle flew towards their target. The data from the task force's units was augmented with the shuttle's own passive sensors at close range, so it was pretty complete - complete enough to make this mad dash towards the enemy flagship possible.

Highly dangerous, but possible.

"You are crazy!"

She snorted at Double Trouble's continuing protests and complaints and turned to glance at them. "Really, how could a master performer like you have failed to expect this? Haven't you analysed all of us?"

"I knew you all were too brave to be sensible. I didn't know you were suicidal!" they spat.

Catra shrugged. For all their boasts and obvious talent and experience, Double Trouble still seemed to ignore that knowing people wasn't enough, not nearly enough, to predict them, much less imitate them if that was all you knew. If they had any actual military knowledge and experience, they might have known that. But they were basically trying to predict military decisions without the knowledge and intel required to understand the situation in which such decisions were made.

Catra wasn't about to explain that to them, of course; no need to help Double Trouble become even more of a threat should they manage to copy a System Lord. Instead, she said: "Just hold on to your seat; in a few minutes we're either storming a Ha'tak or dead."

Double Trouble bared their teeth at her, and Catra shrugged. "You get used to it."

"To dying?"

"To risking your life," Catra corrected them.

The expression of horror on their face was great to see.

"At least, we aren't being shot at yet," Double Trouble muttered.

Oh, if they only knew enough to realise that the shuttle was currently weaving through beam cannon fire from a couple of Ha'taks forming the inner perimeter! Granted, the shuttle wasn't being shot at, so they were technically correct, but this was the second-most dangerous part of this mission, after the docking. If they caught a stray shot, it would be over.

But they cleared the defence line and reached the core part of the enemy fleet - the half a dozen Ha'taks serving as reserve - and as decoys for the actual flagship hiding amongst them. Those ships only fired sporadically, whenever an Alliance Squadron darted in to savage a Ha'tak at the outer edge of the formation.

Cara checked the display to see the overall situation. The Alliance fleet was still overwhelming the Goa'uld forces, but they had had to dispatch a few more squadrons to fend off mass attacks by Death Gliders. So far, they hadn't suffered complete losses to the suicide bombers, but the damage was mounting, and several frigates had been rendered combat ineffective. Catra knew - it was a gut feeling, but all the indicators were there - that it wouldn't be long before the losses started to mount.

They had to finish off Ba'al fast. If they boarded his flagship and rigged the reactor, engine or any of the magazines containing bombs to explode… It would disrupt the chain of command for the Goa'uld and hit their morale hard. But it would not stop the retransmissions of his last orders, and Catra knew what kind of contingency orders Ba'al left for his forces. The battle would not end until the last of his fanatics had been killed; few if any would surrender.

If Double Trouble announced the death of the pretender after blowing up the ship, it might be enough to convince the majority of the enemy to stop fighting. Might. But the best option was to take this Ba'al prisoner and have Double Trouble take over. Killing your enemy was one thing, killing your enemy and taking over their flagship? Catra was pretty sure that would convince most of Ba'al's forces that they were the real Ba'al.

But for that, they had to board the ship in the first place. And that was the trickiest part. Catra clenched her teeth when the shuttle closed in with the enemy flagship. They had to align with it so they could dock - well, use magnetic clamps to attach the shuttle to the hull in this case. Docking with a ship performing evasive action in the middle of a fleet battle was too dangerous to risk it. They were all wearing suits rated for vacuum, anyway.

But even so, lining up the shuttle correctly was a challenge. Catra saw how tense Jack and Sha're were - sweat was gathering on their faces - and how frantic Sam, Entrapta and Bow were working on their tools. It made her feel more than a bit queasy.

Not that she would show it, of course. Certainly not in front of Double Trouble. She had a reputation to uphold.

"Alright, folks - here we go! We're on terminal approach!"

"Terminal?" Double Trouble gasped.

"We're about to hit the hull."

"WHAT?"

"Terminal approach, not terminal velocity." Daniel tried to be helpful, but Catra didn't think Double Trouble knew what either was.

But before they could resolve that, the shuttle vibrated, and Catra's ears picked up metallic sounds from the bottom - they had locked onto the enemy flagship's hull.

She unbuckled and stood. "Let's go hunt down a snake!"

*****​

Jack O'Neill had tested the new suits in vacuum before - he wouldn't let his troops use a crucial piece of gear he hadn't personally checked - and knew it worked, but a small part of him still was relieved when Carter and Bow opened the airlock on the Ha'tak and he could get inside Ba'al's flagship. There was just something… eerie about being out in empty space in just a thin suit.

Especially if said space was not actually empty but filled with capital ships firing at each other. Jack preferred to keep a solid hull and maybe a charged shield between himself and enemy - or friendly - fire.

"No life signs behind the door, sir," Carter reported.

"Melog agrees," Catra added.

"Open it!" Adora said.

Jack heard the airlock pressing as he focused on the door. Sure, he trusted Carter, but being ready never hurt anyone - a few incidents with trigger-happy or scared soldiers not counting.

The door slid open and he stepped inside the ship proper, covering the hallway to the left while Adora took the right side.

"Sha're, signal the fleet: We're inside, dial the Stargate!" Jack ordered as the rest of the first wave entered the ship and the door closed to get the second batch inside.

"Yes, Jack."

Unless there was another Stargate in the system to which their own connected, Ba'al now couldn't escape for the next thirty-eight minutes. He would also be alerted, of course, that someone was trying to open a wormhole to his ship, which would also serve as a distraction. At least, that was the plan.

"We've located the Stargate on this ship, sir."

The HUD map had updated already.

The airlock cycled again - hidden from the ship's systems thanks to Carter's computer-wizardry - and the second wave of their boarding party entered just when Carter announced that the wormhole had been established.

"Alright, time to nab another Ba'al. We want the full roster!" Jack announced.

"I don't, actually," Double Trouble said, "Seen one, seen them all."

Jack chuckled at that. He still checked that the shapeshifter was covered by the others before turning to Carter. "Any fix on Ba'al's location yet?"

"The scanner shows one Goa'uld in the ship's flag room, sir."

Jack grinned. It was nice of Ba'al to make sure there was no potential confusion. "Well, we got our target then!"

By now, navigating a Haˆtak felt like running the obstacle course back at the base. Sure, the staff changed some parts from time to time to keep the soldiers from getting sloppy, but the basic design didn't really change. And with Melog covering them in their illusion, they didn't have to sneak around as slowly as they usually had to - which meant they could surprise Ba'al.

Jack grinned at the thought.

"They're moving guard squads to the gateroom, sir."

Jack was sure that Ba'al had an iris or other kind of barrier to seal the gate, but the snake was probably afraid of a traitor working for another Ba'al opening the Stargate to let in troops. Well, it only served to reduce the number of guards actually covering Ba'al himself.

"Can you hack the gateroom?" Catra asked as they cleared another intersection and proceeded to the emergency stairs.

"The barrier is manual-only," Carter replied.

"It's really inconvenient," Entrapta added. "For us, at least. But it's also inefficient for Ba'al since he needs more crew that way. However, it does seem to protect against hacking, although you could get that with a bot and still have fewer crew members, I guess. But if Ba'al liked bots, he'd have used Horde bots by now. He should have access to them through the lost fleet."

"Too bad. Opening the gate would have drawn even more guards," Jack said. "Keep an eye out for changes."

"Yes, sir."

Jack would rather not have a discussion about the possible reasons for Ba'al not using bots right now.

They had reached the stairs and he started to go up. They had to be careful here - they were still hidden by Melog's illusions, but the space was cramped here, so trying to avoid literally running into a Jaffa patrol would be a challenge.

But it seemed the Jaffa rushing around in the ship were skipping the emergency stairs and sticking to the elevators. They had to deal with a few traps, though - and ones designed from the ground to be integrated in the ship, it seemed, but still detected by their magic scanner - before they reached the right deck.

It was going a bit too smoothly for Jack's taste, actually, but…

"Ba'al's moving!" Carter's reported.

He just had to tempt Murphy, had he? Jack checked the HUD. Ba'al's marker was moving - he had already left the flag room. If he was headed to the bridge… But why would he? If he didn't trust the captain, he could send guards there. His presence wasn't needed. So… "He's trying to bail!" Jack spat.

"Scanning for escape pods and smaller ships… There's a Tel'tak ready in a hangar!"

Jack checked the location on his HUD and cursed. The hangar was too close to the flag room to intercept Baâl before he could reach it, even if they ran all the way. That was…

"Catra!" Adora yelled.

Catra was already running - on all fours - down the hallway. Faster than Jack could have on his best day.

And Adora chased after her at the same neck-breaking speed.

Jack and the others, still covered by Melog, unlike those two, started running as well, but he had a gut feeling that they would be too late.

*****​

"Catra!" Adora ran after her stupid lover.

"We have to stop him from getting away!" Catra yelled back as she took a corner.

Adora knew that, of course, but that didn't mean Catra had to rush in first - Adora was the one who could shrug off staff blasts! But she knew that if she yelled that, Catra would just double down.

She took the corner as well, running along the wall for a moment, over the scratches and gouges left by Catra's claws, and sped up again. A quick glance at the HUD - the hallway was clear - showed that Ba'al was about to reach the hangar. This would be close - too damn close. If Ba'al ran, literally ran, they wouldn't make it. But he was walking. Walking quickly, but not running.

"Lock the doors in front of him!" Catra snapped.

"We did - he has an override hidden in the system!" Entrapta's voice announced over the communicator.

Adora muttered a curse under her breath.

Another corner came ahead, followed by two more - the hallway had to go around a massive shaft containing an auxiliary reactor - and Catra's lead grew. Her claws were just too much of an advantage in such environments.

Ba'al entered the hangar through the main entrance. And Catra had reached the hallway leading straight to the side entrance.

"Open the side doors!" Catra snapped through the communicator.

Adora clenched her teeth and kept running as fast as she could. She turned the last corner just in time to see Catra slide sideways through the tiny gap opening in the door. And as she kept running and the door kept sliding open, she heard yelling and shooting - and saw staff weapon blaster bolts flash through the air behind the door.

Catra had engaged Ba'al's guards.

No, as Adora saw when she charged through the door, Catra had gone for the Tel'tak. Not to cut off Ba'al from reaching it - though that had happened as well - but to render it inoperable. She was slashing at the engine coverings as she dashed around it, deliberately attracting fire so the blaster bolts would hit the ship as they missed her!

Adora would so kill her after this!

But Ba'al first!

"Ba'al!" Roaring with frustration and anger, she charged straight at him. The guards he was hiding behind turned to shoot at her, changing formation, and she swapped the first blast away with her sword and let the second and third bounce off her.

She didn't slow down, crashing into the two guards in the centre and sending them flying, before sliding to a stop right next to Ba'al. "Surrender!" she yelled at him, raising her sword.

Another guard came at her from behind, and a mule kick took him out. Two more tried to move between her and Ba'al, who was stepping back with a shocked expression on his face, and she grabbed one with her free hand and used him to smack the other away.

"Surrender!"

A force field surrounded him, and he pointed his palm at her, torture device glowing.

She bared her teeth in a smile when she shrugged the hit off, then slashed at the field, shattering it. "Last Chance!"

He gasped, stumbling back a step, eyes flicking from her to the side - Catra was finishing off another guard, having abandoned the wrecked Tel'tak, Adora realised - then straightened. "A God doesn't surrender!"

"You are no god!" Adora snarled, darting forward to grab his right arm and crush the torture device.

He hissed with pain as she broke his arm in the process, but quickly smiled at her, showing all his teeth. "Did my clone surrender? Did you turn him? Or did you make a deal with him to replace me? What did he promise you to topple me?"

His clone? Oh, he must be talking about the first Ba'al they had captured. "We don't make deals with prisoners!" she told him. "We're here to end your reign, not to replace you!"

He scoffed. "And take over yourself? Claim my worshippers for yourself? You'll find my followers not as easily swayed as Horde Prime's clones!"

"We've captured Ba'al." Catra joined her, flicking blood off her claws with a sharp gesture before retracting them. Her suit showed several spots of blood as well.

"Copy. We're headed to the command centre," Jack answered over the communicator.

"You brought my traitorous clone with you?" Ba'al was smiling. "How daring."

"Which traitorous clone do you mean?" Catra asked. "We got a bunch of them."

"Even better. Providence is smiling on me, as it should."

For a prisoner with a broken arm, he was far too happy. He wasn't delusional - and he was smart enough to get the implications. Was this just his pride? An attempt to save face?

Catra was frowning - she must be thinking the same, Adora realised. "What's your game?"

"Game? There is no game. I am a god! Immortal! You cannot kill me - I shall return, stronger and more determined than ever!" He laughed. "You think you have won, but you have lost! And through your own actions!"

That was…

"Fuck!" Catra cursed. "Check for a self-destruct!"

"Too late!" Ba'al smirked and looked at the Tel'tak in the hangar. "You destroyed your last chance to escape!" He laughed again. "I will return - but will you?"

"The reactor is about to go critical!" Sam's voice announced over the communicator.

*****​

"Carter?"

Samantha Carter ignored the General's question as her hands flew over the keyboard of her laptop - balanced on a console in the command centre.

"The reactor is still charging up!" Entrapta reported. "The failsafes are working, but it's not enough - the self-destruct routine is circumventing them somehow."

That meant they could stop this! Sam checked the programs running the reactor. The Naquada powering it would be regulated… Nothing? The computer controlling the reactor contained no hidden programs! Everything was acting as it should - and failing to stop this! "Ba'al didn't subvert the computer core - he must have placed a separate computer to override the regular controls."

"Can you hack that?" the General asked.

"I don't have a way to access it. We would have to either find the physical device and destroy it - or get the communication link Ba'al used to trigger it. And hope it can be stopped remotely." She could think of a few ways to ensure it wouldn't be possible. She ran a quick calculation. "We wouldn't reach the reactor in time to stop it from going critical, sir."

"We could… no, that would take too long either!" Entrapta agreed.

"Then we need to get out. Sha're - get to the hangar. We need to leave the ship!"

"On my way!"

"To the hangar! Move it! Go! Go!"

Sam grabbed her laptop and started running.

As they left the command centre, the entire ship suddenly shook. Sam glanced at Teal'c - she was directly behind him and he was carrying two Ba'als - and kept running while she checked her HUD. Partial overcharge - the engines were affected. "The ship's out of control, sir!" But that would have slowed down the overloading process. Slowed down, but not stopped - they had a better chance now!

"The ship is accelerating!" Sha're confirmed over the communicator.

"Signal the fleet - don't shoot at this ship!" the General snapped as he reached the hangar doors.

Which didn't open.

"Door controls are fried!" Bow yelled.

"We need to blow them up!" the General stepped up to the door.

"Back off from the door!"

That was Adora! She was running towards the door from the other side! Sam stopped, and the others backed off. A moment later, the door was smashed open as She-Ra broke through it, sword first. "Get in!"

Sam felt the floor vibrate as they entered the hangar. That wasn't a good sign. She flipped through a few menus and clenched her teeth. "The engines are redlining." Probably meant to get the ship out of danger so Ba'al had an easier time fleeing with his cloaked Tel'tak.

"I can't catch up!" Sha're sounded desperate.

"Can we take the Tel'tak?" Bow asked.

"I wrecked the engines," Catra replied.

"We've got space suits - let's just jump out!" the General said.

Sam quickly ran the numbers in her head. "The explosion's radiation would kill us, sir. The suits aren't rated for that level of radiation." It was now a race whether the engines or the reactor would blow up first.

"Will the Tel'tak shield us?" the General shot back.

"If the shield generator still works…" Sam trailed off as everyone ran towards the damaged ship.

"I only wrecked the engines!" Catra yelled.

"How do we get it out?" Glimmer asked.

"I'll push you!"

"Adora!"

"Get inside!" Adora didn't wait for an answer and threw Catra through the open hatch, followed by the Ba'als with them - including Double Trouble.

Sam didn't argue and rushed inside after Teal'c. "Get the shields up!" she yelled.

"On it!" Bow replied.

Sam whirled. If the shields failed, the hatches and armour would still provide some protection - if stacked together with the suits…

"Hrnghh…"

The ship's inertial compensators aren't working, Sam thought, grabbing a strut to steady herself as the entire Tel'tak was suddenly moving.

"Adora! Get inside!" Catra yelled.

"Shoot us a way out, Teal'c!"

A moment later, the ship shook again as the cannons - beam cannons, fortunately, the older staff cannons might not have been enough, Sam realised - opened up.

On her HUD, both the engines and the reactor were glowing red - explosions imminent.

The hangar doors blew open, and Sam was thrown to the ground, then into the wall as explosive decompression helped push the ship into space.

"Shields up!"

"Adora!"
Catra screamed as they tumbled through space.

"Coming!"

Sam caught a glimpse of the Ha'tak as it hurled past them, still accelerating.

Then the reactor lost containment, and the entire ship vanished in a fireball.

"Hold ti…!"

The shockwave hit them. Sam tried to brace herself, but she wasn't in a good spot, and pain shot through her arm when she was smashed into the ceiling. The suit held, though the pain was bad.

She tried to reorient herself. The Tel'tak had held together - somewhat. It was a wreck; the only things working were the warning lights and alerts, or so it seemed. No artificial gravity, of course. And the sensors in her suit reported dangerous levels of radiation - not immediately fatal, she sighed with relief, but they would need treatment as soon as possible.

"Adora!" Catra yelled again.

No answer. Sam bit her lower lip. Adora had been outside when the explosion happened. Unshielded. She was She-Ra, but…

Catra cursed, and Sam saw her drag herself along the ceiling with her claws, towards the hatch at the aft.

"Catra!" Glimmer yelled.

"Adora! Answer me!"

"Adora!"


Sam floated back a bit and saw that Catra was slicing through the hatch, which seemed to have fused with the rest of the hull. If they had had an atmosphere inside the ship instead of a vacuum that had insulated them somewhat… Sam shuddered.

"Adora!"

"Don't get out! Sha're is coming!"
Bow yelled.

Catra didn't listen and pulled herself through the hole she had created.

"Adora!"

Sam cradled her broken arm, pondering what she could say.

Then she saw golden light shine through the hole in the hatch.

"Adora!"

*****​

Adora was alive! Floating in space, shining with golden light, hair spread out like a curtain - or a cape - holding her sword. Alive. Not turned to ash by the exploding Ha'tak. Not gone, vanished in space. Alive.

Catra stared at her. "Adora!"

Adora's mouth was moving, but she couldn't hear any words.

"Adora!"

Her love pointed to her ear and shook her head. Well, duh! Yes, she couldn't communicate - Catra had noticed that, but why would… Her communicator had been fried? But that one had been stuck to her ear and throat. As close to Adora as skin allowed - inside her aura or whatever that glow was! If that was fried by the explosion.. Oh, if Adora claimed that she was fine after this and there had been no danger, Catra would kill her!

Snarling, she grabbed the incredibly stupid idiot and dragged her towards the hatch she had… opened. With her claws. Well, it had been half-melted anyway.

"Sha're, do you see us?"

That was Jack's voice. Oh, right. She should probably inform the rest that her idiot lover was alive. Catra flushed. "Adora is alive, bringing her in."

"What? Is she hurt?" Glimmer blurted out.

Catra flashed her fangs at the smiling Adora and replied: "Not yet."

"What do you mean, 'not yet'?"

"I haven't gotten around to killing her yet."

"What?"

"I'm locked on your position, Jack,"
Sha're replied. "I see… is that a light?"

"That's Adora shining bright,"
Catra replied as she dragged her into the Tel'tak's remains.

*****​

"There was no choice - someone had to push you out, and I was the only one who could do it. And I did it!" Adora repeated herself in the stealth shuttle's main passenger area.

Sitting in her lap, Catra scoffed. "Your communicator was fried." And Adora only had had to push them out because Catra hadn't thought ahead and had wrecked the Tel'tak's engines.

"Yes. But I am fine."

"Your radiation levels aren't significantly higher than ours." Entrapta's words weren't nearly as comforting as she probably thought they would be.

Adora gasped. "Right! I have to heal you all!"

Before Catra could say anything, Adora had jumped up, put her down on the seat and pointed her glowing sword at her. Then magic energy hit her.

"Me next!" Double Trouble blurted out. "I don't perform well if I am irradiated!"

"No one does," Glimmer muttered.

"I'll cover everyone, don't worry!"

"Heal yourself as well!" Catra snapped as her lover

"I'm fine!"

Catra was going to kill her!

"We've established a communication link with the task force that's routed to a fake signal," Sam reported while Adora kept healing people.

"That means you're up, Double Trouble," Glimmer added.

While Adora healed them - and they were still complaining - Catra checked her HUD for the state of the battle. Taking out Ba'al had ruined the enemy's coordination. Their formations were fraying at the edges, and the Alliance squadrons were taking them apart. But the incredibly high number of clone-piloted Death Gliders was becoming more and more of a problem.

"Alright, you're healed," Adora said.

"Are you sure?" Double Trouble poked their belly.

"Yes," Adora replied.

"According to our scanner, you've got normal radiation levels."

"What? 'Normal radiation levels'?"

"Well, everyone has…" Entrapta began to explain.

"Surrender speech now, medical explanation later!" Glimmer cut them off.

"I work better when I am not dying!"

"Then get to it!" Glimmer snarled.

Double Trouble gasped. "How can you threaten me when I might have just sacrificed my life for the cause?"

"You make it very easy!"

"Well, I am the best, but it's still a bad sign that you succumb to such temptation so easily and quickly. It makes me worry for the people of Bright Moon."

Catra shook her head. Double Trouble definitely was healed.

*****​

"...and the usurper has been dealt with and will rue the day he dared to go after your God. His Punishment will be legendary! But you, who have been fooled by him, need to obey your God now and lay down your weapons and return to your formations!"

Catra checked the display in the centre of the shuttle while they were approaching the Alliance flagship, and Double Trouble was broadcast across the system. Their speech was having an effect - most of the surviving Death Gliders were breaking off their attacks. The enemy Ha'taks were slower to react, but she could see one of their remaining formation breaking up, and the others were still in disarray. Even if they kept fighting, they wouldn't be able to put up much resistance any more.

Catra wouldn't relax until the Death Gliders were back at their bases and disarmed, and the Ha'taks secured or destroyed, but it looked like the battle was winding down.

She checked the casualties and winced. Bloodier than they had hoped - though they had been very optimistic for their best estimates - but not nearly as bad as they had feared.

Not a bad outcome for such a mission, all in all.

She leaned back and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Adora whispered behind her.

Catra pressed her lips together. She knew that Adora had just done what had been necessary. But she couldn't help it - when they had lost contact, after the explosion, Catra had felt as if she had died. And what would life be without Adora?

She leaned back into Adora and whispered: "Don't do it again."

"I won't," Adora replied in a low voice as she hugged Catra to her chest.

She was lying. Catra knew it. If Adora thought she'd have to do it again to save everyone, she'd do it without hesitation.

That was who she was - She-Ra, Princess of Power. Protector.

Catra's love.

She closed her eyes and sighed, but she was smiling as she did so.

*****​
 
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Chapter 185: The Election Campaign Part 7
Chapter 185: The Election Campaign Part 7

Ba'al's Palace, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 13th, 2000 (Earth Time)


Jack O'Neill winced as he looked down from the cockpit of his shuttle. Ba'al's palace had seen better days. Much better days. That other Ba'al had really wanted to kill his rival. Or rivals. It wasn't quite a crater, but most of the above-ground parts were rubble. Smoking rubble. Part of him was happy that that particular Ba'al had been as stupid as to waste a sizeable part of his bombers and Tel'taks to destroy his own palace, weakening his forces. But there had been a lot of people in that palace, and Jack didn't think all of them had been able to get out before the defences collapsed.

And judging by the smaller craters spread out around the palace grounds, even evacuating the palace wouldn't have saved everyone - it was hard to hit your target with anti-aircraft-artillery firing at you from below and fighters trying to bounce you from above, and that was without all the ECM in the place trying to fool your sensors. He had seen pictures of better-aimed bombing attacks from World War II.

"At least the reactor didn't blow up when the thing got flattened," he commented as he took the shuttle in a wide turn to set down at the landing site Alliance forces had secured.

"It must have shut down when it was damaged, sir," Carter said. "And it was deep underground."

"You know, Ba'al's smarter than the average snake, but he's not as smart as he thinks he is. That's, what, two times he used a reactor overloading as a trap on the same day?" Jack shook his head.

"That might be his personal preference, Jack," Daniel said from behind him. "He might prefer such traps to more straightforward ones, like using actual bombs."

"It's harder to hide bombs than such sabotage," Sha're said while she ran the checklist for the landing. "Scans wouldn't show a program hidden inside the control node."

"Computer scans would," Carter added. "If they were advanced enough."

Oh - she must be blaming herself for missing the traps. Jack would have rolled his eyes if he weren't busy adjusting the shuttle's final approach. "You dealt with the first trap just fine, Carter. And the second was impossible to defuse in our situation."

"I am aware of that, sir."

Which, in Carter-speak, meant she felt she should have been ready to do the impossible anyway and would probably try to work herself into exhaustion until she was. And Jack knew better than to try to stop her.

He set the shuttle down. "Alright, everyone out. Let's see what's left of old Ba'al's stomping ground."

Alliance soldiers had gone over the area already, looking for dead, wounded and clues, and likely also souvenirs like every soldier ever, while Jack and his friends had been handling the wrap-up of the space battle, followed by a debriefing and some sleep. But Daniel and Carter had a history of spotting things others, even experts in their fields, missed, and Sha're and Teal'c had more experience with Goa'uld and their palaces than anyone else in the task force.

"General!" The guards around the landing site didn't salute - they were in the field - but they still stood straighter when the officer in charge called out his rank. Jack's own soldiers wouldn't have done this, but those were regular infantry.

"General!"

Jack wanted to close his eyes. Who had authorised the press to go down on the planet? The journalists were supposed to stay in the flagship until the planet was safe, and Jack wouldn't have called it safe until he was off it again!

"Mark Bayley, CNN!"

"Chris Evans, NBC!"

"Cyril Foster, ABC!"

Jack already knew them and their affiliation - did they think he had forgotten their breakfast ambush a week ago on the ship? He managed to smile when the three most obnoxious reporters rushed toward him.

"Do you expect more enemies to hide in the ruins, General?"

"Do you think the Alliance is ready for a potential guerrilla war?"

"You are famous for leading your troops from the front - is there a reason you didn't land with the first wave?"

What the…? Jack wanted to set things straight - he had landed with the advance team, and they had infiltrated the palace before boarding Ba'al's flagship! - but that would be revealing military tactics and capabilities that were secret. So he refrained from glaring, put a polite smile on his face and told them: "That's, unfortunately, classified."

"There are rumours that Ba'al has been captured during the battle. Are they true?"

Well, that Jack could answer. "We've captured three Ba'als. The Alliance is busy sorting out if they are all body doubles or if the real Ba'al is amongst them." Hopefully, that would catch their attention.

"Really? Ba'al uses body doubles?" Bayley gasped.

"Yes." Jack nodded. "Quite a lot of them, actually. Like many dictators on Earth."

"Oh! And are you here looking for the real Ba'al?"

"We're here to check the ruins, see if we overlooked something the first time," Jack replied.

"Does that mean you've been here before?"

Shit. Jack shook his head. Time to deflect. "It means we're bringing an expert for such sites in. I am sure you know Dr Daniel Jackson and his wife, Sha're."

Daniel stared at him with a betrayed expression as the journalists turned to him, but Jack grinned in return. Sometimes, you had to make a sacrifice.

*****​

PB-1763-System, Ba'al's Realm, August 13th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"We've sent the DNA samples to Beta through the Stargate - well, to Etheria, and a shuttle will take them to the Third Moon of Enchantment. Beta and the others should be able to tell us soon if all captured Ba'als are clones. Or the same clones - we don't know if the real Ba'al is actually an older clone, do we?"

Adora nodded at Entrapta with a smile, though she wanted to wince at the 'all Ba'als' comment. How many clones had Ba'al made? If there were three clones in this important system, and at least two of them fought each other, how many other clones did he have? And how was he planning to keep them from attacking each other?

And how sick did you have to be to willingly kill yourself and live on through a clone? She couldn't understand that. Clones weren't you - they were their own person! Why would Ba'al - or a clone who thought he was Ba'al - sacrifice himself like that for what he thought were clones? It made no sense, not with all they knew about Goa'uld.

Still, they had a briefing to go through. She nodded at Glimmer. "What's the status of the planet?"

"We could take part of the shipyard and other factories intact, but they are likely trapped as the palace was. We lost a bit more than half of the factories and yards to either collateral damage from the infighting or sabotage by Ba'al," Glimmer said in a grim tone. "That also caused casualties amongst our own troops and amongst Ba'al's own forces and his slaves."

Adora pressed her lips together. She knew the number of dead Alliance soldiers already. Fewer than they had feared, but not negligible. If the soldiers had held back a bit, waited for Adora and her friends to arrive to take such strongholds… She knew she couldn't have done everything by herself, but she could have saved a few more soldiers, at least. They might have lost more factories, but you could replace those - and most would need to be retooled anyway, if the Alliance wanted to use them. And that would also require a large force to guard the system, and a very long supply line until the factories on the planet were retooled and could cover the needs of the guard force.

Of course, that was assuming that Ba'al still had significant forces and resources left. If he didn't, the situation would be very different. But they didn't know the state of Ba'al's forces because of his compartmentalised organisation.

They had captured a lot of resources and even ships - more than half of the clone-piloted Death Gliders had surrendered, and even half a dozen Ha'taks had either struck their colours, as Captain Baker had called it, or had been crippled and boarded during the fighting. Even better, proportionate numbers of the smaller ships had surrendered as well, saving their crews from being killed. At least the Tel'taks could be sent to the Tok'ra for their use, maybe some of the Al'keshs and even Ha'taks as well. Adora didn't think their numbers were worth the logistical and training complications they would cause. Better to send them to people who already knew how to fly and maintain them. "What about the ships?"

"As far as our task force is concerned, we have recovered all heavily damaged ships, but with the exception of the ships which were not or only lightly damaged, all damage reports are still preliminary," Captain Baker said. "But we're about 50% combat effective right now, though that will increase to 75% within the week."

Which meant the remaining 25% would take longer - much longer in some cases - to be repaired and replaced. Fortunately, more of the former than the latter. "What about the prisoners?" Adora asked him.

The captain nodded. "We'll need at least two fleet transports for the Jaffa alone. The freed slaves and clones…" He shook his head. "The fastest way to get them off the planet would be to temporarily move the ship's Stargate to the planet, and then rush them through as fast as possible."

Adora had seen the numbers for that as well. They had prepared for large numbers of prisoners, but they were still surprised by the exact numbers. And not all of those prisoners were cooperating, not even after Double Trouble did a repeat performance. To her surprise, the Clones who had been trained to be willing to conduct suicide attacks in the Death Gliders were actually more cooperative - Ba'al probably shot himself in the foot when he had them trained to obey without question. The slaves raised from birth to serve Ba'al as their god, and, of course, his Jaffa on the other hand… "We'll have to move them." If they had switched sides, they might have been left here to work on the factories, but as things were, they were a riot or revolt waiting to happen.

"Good," she said. "I think we've covered everything we have to. We'll have to wait for the final reports and the surveys of the various locations." She nodded as she stood. "Thank you, everyone, for your efforts."

She had more paperwork to finish. And she had to check what Catra was doing.

*****​

Ba'al's Palace, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 13th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"...and since you took part in the operation that took out Ra back in 1996, Dr Jackson, how do you compare that mission to this operation?"

"Well… it was not an operation to 'take out Ra', it was an exploration mission. We didn't even know what would await us when we opened the Stargate for the first time."

"But when the Americans met Ra, they quickly took action and freed us from his reign."

"Sha're! It was a bit more complicated than that!"

"You also were the one who discovered that aliens had visited Earth thousands of years before, and that was before you even knew about the Stargate. What do you think…"

Samantha Carter narrowed her eyes slightly when she glanced at the General as the two walked away from the reporters hounding Daaiel and Sha're. "You threw him to the wolves, sir."

"He is great with people. Granted, reporters might not qualify, but Daniel has dealt with snakes before. He and Sha're will do fine. Besides, he deserves some fame after what they put him through before."

He sounded perfectly honest, and his logic was sound, but that didn't mean he was completely sincere - Sam knew him better than that. "You still used him as a decoy."

He shrugged. "Better him than me."

"Indeed."

Sam shook her head - they were now out of sight of the reporters, shielded by the ruins of a storage house and the remains of the palace walls in this section. Shock wave effects, transmitted through the Earth, she noted - the primary shield must still have been active when the building collapsed. And the number of bombs that took… "We need to check with the logs if this was a deliberate tactic or merely an accident. Either way, we need to adjust our defences to account for such strikes."

"What do you mean, Carter?"

"Bombs used to collapse buildings protected from direct hits by shields by transmitting shockwaves through the ground, sir," she explained.

"Earthquake bombs?"

It wasn't a bad analogy. "Yes, sir. This looks to be an accidental result - if Ba'al's bombers had intended to do this deliberately, they would likely have used bombs that penetrated much further into the ground before exploding to maximise the effect - but it could have been deliberate, just improvised in the spur of the moment. Which would mean we'll face directed attacks next time."

"We already design bunkers with such bombs in mind, Carter."

"Yes, sir. But I believe our projected yields are not as high as some of the ordnance used here." Ba'al was much more progressive than most other Goa'ulds they knew. Sometimes, that meant he was wasting his resources on projects that didn't yield any success - like his attempt to reproduce Horde Prime's Velvet Glove - but it also meant he was far less predictable than the rest of the System Lords.

"We'll put it on the list. Other than building earthquake-proof, I don't know what we could do, but I trust you'll come up with something."

She had been about to correct him about what 'earthquake-proof' meant, but swallowed her comment when he praised her. "I'll do my best, sir."

"I know." He was smiling at her - she caught it in the corner of her eye.

She did her best not to blush and forced herself to focus on her task. They had to analyse the ruins and look for anything crucial that might have survived the bombardment, the collapse of the above-ground structures of the palace and the subsequent looting by the soldiers.

Maybe it would be easier and more effective to scan the pockets and backpacks of the soldiers than the base itself, she thought with a snort.

"Did you discover something, Carter?"

"No, sir. Just an amusing thought."

She took out her scanner and got to work. Most of the basement levels had survived - they had already known that - but a few had collapsed. Amongst them had been a shelter, though. As should have been expected, Ba'al didn't put a lot of effort into protecting his followers. And if he had, he probably would have built a self-destruct into it to turn it into a trap. In fact, he probably had planned to do that - she checked the data on his secondary security system they had taken during their Infiltration. Indeed, the signs were there. "We were lucky to have struck before he finished construction," she said.

"Hm?"

"If we had struck after the palace was finished, we would have had a lot more traps to deal with."

He snorted. "Good old Ba'al - never learned that if you spread yourself too thin trying to do everything at once, you won't finish anything?"

"Probably not, sir." That Ba'al had split up and isolated his forces from each other wouldn't have helped either, of course. But it also meant that those projects of his which could be finished - if only because they remained hidden - would be a big problem. They needed more intel, and for that, they needed more data to analyse. The palace's computer core had survived, and as soon as it was recovered from where it ended up buried, she would get to work on checking for anything they had missed during the infiltration.

Her communicator beeped, and her HUD lit up with a message and updated, and her eyes widened. "Scans have found a secondary communication site, sir. Completely isolated from the palace grounds." Not even inside the area - they would have to take a shuttle to the place.

"I see." The General looked around. "I think we should go take a look there first - this field of rubble isn't going anywhere."

"I concur, sir." And call down Entrapta. She wouldn't want to miss that.

*****​

PB-1763-System, Ba'al's Realm, August 13th, 2000 (Earth Time)

Here.

Ah. Catra should have expected that. "Thanks." She nodded at Melog as she entered the main hangar. There weren't many empty spots - as the flagship of the task force, this frigate's fighters had been amongst the last to engage the enemy. Most of them had been used in reserve in case one of the sporadic and unorganised Death Glider attack waves would threaten to overwhelm the fleet's defences.

Which had happened a few times - the threatening, not the actual overwhelming. If Ba'al had managed to send the entire force of suicide sleds, as some of the soldiers had started to call the Death Gliders with bombs built into them, at the Alliance force at once, things would have been much bloodier. Not hopeless - they had prepared for the worst, after all, before going in - but losses would have been staggering.

And potentially ruinous for the current American government. They were not ready to suffer such casualties; everyone (except for some loonies) Catra had checked with agreed on that. The polls Brown had collected left no doubt, and since they had insisted on American forces being the majority of the ground forces in this operation…

She shook her head. Hell, if the enemy had somehow - with a determined poush heedless of the casualties, maybe - to take out the flagship, the task force would have been fine, the chain of command established well in advance who would take over, and Adora hadn't been on the ship anyway, but losing the journalists on the ship would have likely ruined whatever propaganda the Americans wanted out of this.

Catra snorted at the thought. Actually sacrificing a decoy flagship to lure the enemy into a ruinous decapitation attempt would have been a strategy she would have used in a heartbeat when she had been the Horde leader, but the Alliance hadn't operated like that - they would have sent in Adora and the rest of the princesses, and would have managed somehow to win anyway.

Whatever. She passed a bunch of clones and bots doing maintenance on Horde fighters, including minor repair work, and continued to the area where shuttles were being loaded with supplies for the ground forces.

Projections had been off, and the supplies on the fleet transports hadn't been enough for the ground operation. The initial offensives had gone well enough, but with the additional requirements for the occupation and guard duties since Ba'al's troops were a bit more loyal than other Jaffa…

It was another thing they'd have to adjust in future operations. Horde fleet trains were set up for space battles; ground operations on the scale they were facing here required more resources. Not anything like the military factory complex the Horde had needed on Etheria, though. Or the nightmare of the last World War on Earth. Still, they would probably have to produce more transports - both fleet transports and merchantmen, as Mermista called them - to handle future offensives. Heck, if only they could convince the Americans to switch production to transports instead of their abominations of 'frigate-carriers', or what the other Alliance sailors called 'fuck-ups'.

Ah, well. The Europeans would probably handle it.

There.

And there was the reason Catra was in this hangar instead of with Adora, making sure her idiot wasn't overworking herself or feeling guilty for every death in the Alliance. "Mister Bayley! I was looking for you - did you forget that we've got an interview scheduled?"

The reporter blinked. "Ah, of course not, Commander Catra! I just, ah, forgot the time! This operation is fascinating!"

A bit too transparent, she thought as she shrugged. "It's just supplies being shipped down to the planet. Not very exciting."

"Well, it's still essential, and it gives a glimpse into what trade will be like once the war is won, right?"

"You're the expert," Catra said. "I'm just fighting the war. So, let's go somewhere private to do the interview!"

The reporter nodded with fake enthusiasm. "Of course."

Frustrated.

She knew that but nodded anyway.

As soon as they had left the hangar, 'Bayley' dropped the act. "How did you find me?"

Catra shrugged with a toothy grin. "Do you really think I'd tell you?" They probably did; Double Trouble loved exposition.

They pouted in return. "I did what you wanted. I've earned this!"

"You've earned your money. And a trip back to Etheria," Catra corrected them. "You certainly didn't earn a shuttle full of supplies."

"I wouldn't have stolen it! I only needed to borrow it!"

"Sure, sure." Catra shook her head. "Now let's get you to your quarters." Those with the shiny new security.

For a moment, Double Trouble looked like they would make a break for it, their eyes glancing back and forth from Catra to the hangar entrance. Then they sighed. "It's not fair! I risked my life! I deserve a reward for that!"

"And you'll get your promised reward," Catra said.

"What if I buy a ship with it?"

"The sale of spaceships is restricted."

"What about if I buy a permission, too?"

"That would be bribery, which is a crime."

"What about a deep cover mission? I can pass as a fleeing Ba'al! I'd only need a ship to make it look believable!"

Catra rubbed her forehead. Maybe she should just stun them.

Funny.

Laugh it up, she thought.

*****​

Secret Communication Site, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 13th, 2000 (Earth Time)

Daniel was looking around as if he expected another bunch of journalists to ambush him, Jack O'Neill noted as they disembarked from their shuttle and were greeted by the advance team that had found this site.

"General! The entrance is over there." The lieutenant in charge - one of Jack's, though he had to look at the tag to recall his name, Carson - gestured towards what looked like a cave in the small hill next to them.

"We'll only have to deal with fanatic Jaffa and maybe killer bots, Daniel," Jack said as they stopped in front of a bunker-style door hidden in a cave big enough to let Emily, which brought up the rear, pass with room to spare for people. "No journalists here." If there were, heads would roll. More than would roll for letting them down on a planet while combat was still going on. Secret snake sites were off-limits for the press.

"Says the man who couldn't face them himself."

"You got to lecture journalists about history, ancient and contemporary. Your colleagues would have loved it," Jack said with a grin.

"We could set the record straight about your contributions," Sha're added. "You deserve that recognition."

"They interviewed me in front of the ruins of Ba'al's place. People might think I bombed it!"

"Well…" Jack grinned. "You were there when the bombs started to fall, just as you were there when we nuked Ra."

"Everyone helped!" Entrapta chimed in. "So, it counts!"

Daniel looked betrayed, but Sha're nodded in apparent agreement.

Carter, always the professional, spoke up: "We're ready for the detailed scans, sir."

Jack nodded at her. "Alright. Do your thing, Carter."

The advance team had done a few scans already, but Carter and Entrapta had brought their personal, cutting-edge magic scanner - and they knew more about technology than anyone else on the planet.

"Was that like this when you arrived, Lieutenant?" Daniel asked, looking up at the cave ceiling.

"Yes, sir."

"I'm not an officer," Daniel corrected him. "I'm a civilian contractor."

Jack snorted softly. Daniel was technically correct, but few officers, certainly no junior officers, would dare to ignore him.

"That's not a natural cave - and it's pretty obvious. Ba'al messed up here - or he didn't have a good geologist to tell him otherwise."

"Or he had, and the guy didn't dare to tell him anything he didn't like," Jack said.

"That is a possibility. The Goa'uld are prone to generating a culture where their subordinates lie to them in order to avoid punishment. That does tend to result in compounded mistakes at the top, though."

And that was a good thing for the Alliance. The more mistakes the snakes made, the better. Especially Ba'al - that snake had given Jack enough headaches.

"Indeed," Teal'c said. "Many of the false gods punish the messenger who brings them unwelcome news."

"Yeah," Jack nodded. "That kind of policy is a bit hard on your staff."

"And on your relationship with reality," Daniel added. "As many dictatorships on Earth illustrate."

"We've finished the scan, sir," Carter reported.

Good. "So… what's waiting for us down there? Another trap?"

"We haven't found any alterations at the reactor powering the installation or any bombs, sir. There could be subroutines to cause the reactor to overload, but we'll scan the system for that once we penetrate it."

"Yes! Now that we know what to look for, this shouldn't be much trouble!" Entrapta chimed in.

"Don't get too cocky - Ba'al's a slippery bastard and might have varied his traps," Jack cautioned her. "What about defences?" The advance team hadn't encountered anyone outside, but Jack didn't think Ba'al would leave such a large site without any guards.

"No life signs, sir. But we have detected several Horde bots."

"The same models as Horde Prime's bots," Entrapta added. "Not like Emily here."

Jack checked his HUD. Red markers showed bots inside the installation - a lot of them. "Standard Horde bots?" he asked. He had fought those bots in training before. And so had the soldiers from the advance team.

"We haven't detected any changes to the design we know, sir."

That was… not good, but manageable. Jack nodded. "Anything else?"

"It is a sophisticated communication system relying entirely on Horde technology, sir. Although it doesn't seem manned, and we haven't detected any actual data traffic so far. It's unclear if this was merely a backup system - it's more capable than the one in the palace was - or if it has another purpose. It might have been planned to serve a base that wasn't built yet."

Jack didn't think that was the case. Ba'al would likely have built a base or factory before adding more communications. That would have been more efficient. No, this was something else. And they would find out what it was. "Can you hack the system?"

"It's the same system Horde Prime used," Entrapta added. "If Ba'al didn't change the architecture, we should know how to hack it. In principle. We still need to get through the encryption, since I don't think Ba'al copied that as well. And he would have changed the codes anyway like Horde Prime did."

"Do it. Once you're ready, we'll start clearing out the site," Jack said. He turned to face the Lieutenant. "Carson, gather two squads to support us." A bit of additional firepower wouldn't hurt.

"Yes, sir!"

Carter and Entrpata had already started accessing the door's controls when Jack turned back.

*****​

PB-1763-System, Ba'al's Realm, August 13th, 2000 (Earth Time)

Who allowed the press to land on the planet? We're still fighting!

Adora frowned when she read Jack's message. That shouldn't have happened - she had only given permission to send the journalists down once the landing forces had secured the planet. She double-checked - yes, the orders were clear. So, how had this happened? She sent a quick order to the ground commander to ensure that the press was kept out of any combat zones - well, the ground commander's second-in-command, since Jack was busy - and a query to the officer liaisoning with the press whose name she couldn't recall right now to get to the bottom of this.

"Trouble?" Catra asked from where she was lounging on their bed in the Admiral's cabin of the ship, checking reports on her tablet.

"The press is already on the planet. Jack wants to know how it happened," Adora explained.

"Really?" Catra scoffed. "Did anyone get shot?"

"I haven't heard anything," Adora replied - and sent another query to inform her immediately if that had happened.

"Shouldn't be a problem, then." Catra shrugged. "We can get them up with the next supply transport, anyway - airspace is now secure; we've scanned for anti-air weapon emplacements and hidden Death Gliders and haven't found either."

Adora had noted that herself but nodded anyway. "Do you think Double Trouble is responsible for this? They were posing as one of the missing journalists. If they reached the ground and posed as an officer, sending the soldiers guarding the transports away…"

"Maybe as a distraction, but I don't think they can actually fly a shuttle, much less navigate a spaceship," Catra said. "Of course, if they overestimate their talents…" She shook her head. "I think they wanted to get through the Stargate."

"Or they planned to pose as a high-ranking officer and fool a pilot," Adora said.

"Would have to be a pretty dumb pilot." Catra snorted. "Of course, someone was dumb enough to greenlight the journalists' trip…"

As if it had heard her lover, Adora's screen lit up with a message from the press liaison. "They said they received the OK from the ground commander."

"Jack wasn't it, so… who?"

"Looks like the commander of the Marines," Adora replied after a quick check. "He reported that his forces had secured the area around the palace and it was cleared for all transports."

"And they mistook that as permission to send the press down?" Adora scowled. Someone would be getting a lesson about double-checking before sending civilians into combat zones! No matter how much they wanted to go into combat zones!

"Or they just wanted an excuse to please their government," Catra said. "I think everyone knows how badly the American government wants to see a glowing report covering a victory of American soldiers - their National Convention starts tomorrow."

Adora narrowed her eyes. If that was true and it hadn't been an honest mistake, then someone would be getting reassigned to some… "Do we have an asteroid base where the crew can count rocks?" She asked.

Catra snorted. "Jack was joking about that."

Adora huffed. "Well, we could use one as the new assignment for certain officers."

"I'd send Biggs there, first," Catra said. "And their cronies."

Adora would too - Kearsy's replacement was a bit more subtle, but he was the same kind of bigot. Probably afraid of magic, too. But after Kearsy, the Americans would complain too much if Adora reassigned Biggs without a reason they couldn't dismiss.

Ah, more answers. "None of the journalists were hurt or in any danger."

"Bet they hated that - I'm sure they would have wanted to look heroically into the camera while behind them, blaster bolts flew across the sky," Catra said.

Adora thought that too, but there was nothing about that in the report. "And the liaison officer says the journalists were insisting and all had signed vouchers absolving the Alliance from any responsibility for their safety."

Catra snorted again. "If anything happens, the Alliance would get the blame anyway."

Adora agreed - she knew how it worked. "Well, we'll sort it out once we have finished taking over the planet and Jack is back from exploring that new site. Now, what do we do about Double Trouble?"

"Freeze them in carbonite and send them back to Etheria, then forget about thawing them out?" Catra flashed her fangs at her.

Adora managed not to chuckle at the suggestion. "We probably still need them for the next Ba'al."

"We'll have to increase security, though. And they'll hate it."

And they would let everyone know how unhappy they were. Adora was aware of that. But they also offered a way to make the enemy forces surrender without having to fight them, and that was too important. "We'll manage," she said.

"They'll realise sooner or later that we rely on Melog to track them," Catra said. "We can program the scanners, but they would have to be scanning our own ship all the time, and Double Trouble could disrupt that simply by changing often enough to gum up our reactions."

That would be terribly annoying. But it was exactly what Double Trouble would do, Catra was right about that. Of course, it also was what Catra would do in their place, but Adora knew better than to mention that. "Well, we'll proceed as planned, then."

"OK."

Adora went back to reading the latest update of the recovery efforts. Things were worse than expected in some areas, but overall, they were still doing better than projected.

*****​

Secret Communication Site, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 13th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"Incoming!"

"They're trying to flank us! Watch your HUD!"

"Cover that door!"


Samantha Carter was used to hacking alien systems under fire. SG-1's missions far too often had her work in the worst conditions. And she also was used to working while others were covering her.

That didn't mean she liked it. The General and her friends were fighting dozens of bots trying to cut them off, and she was being stalled by the system here.

Behind her, Emily released another barrage, blowing up a Horde bot - Sam saw the icon appear and then blink out on her HUD - and stopping another attempt to flank them on this side.

"Oh… adaptive decision matrices! They're evolving!"

Entrapta sounded a bit too cheerful for Sam's taste - the bots, and the defences of their security system, had proven to be a bit harder to hack than she had expected. Worse, they had only discovered this after they had already entered the facility's lower levels, and the second security system - unlike other System Lords, Ba'al had redundancies planned from the start, and this site's one had been finished - had taken over, and the bots had started to fight smarter. And the system's security had improved as well.

"Clear!"

"Move ahead!"


They were still overcoming the defences, both physical and electronic, but it was a struggle. If this had been just SG-1, even with Sha're, Entrapta and Emily with them, Sam doubted that they would have managed to reach this point - the corridor leading to the control centre of the facility. Where the mainframe currently foiling her attempts to access it was located.

"Fire in the hole!"

An explosion sounded from further ahead, followed by shots.

She glared at the latest failure and reconfigured the program while her decryption routines worked on the newest version. There had to be a backdoor - every Horde System had one, courtesy of Horde Prime's controlling urges. And the entire facility was exclusively built with Horde technology - even with Horde aesthetics. Ba'al couldn't have had enough time to rewrite the entire operating system from scratch. If he had, his own systems would have been far harder to penetrate.

"There's one in the air duct!"

"Not any more!"


But she hadn't found it yet. And there were only so many ways to access the system, and not all of them were practical. They had already checked for landlines; if the backdoor was limited to physical connections, it would have to be a console inside this site. But that would mean that if the bots went out of control, like if the adaptive system adapted a bit too well, then Baal wouldn't be able to shut them down without having to physically fight his way through the bots. He wouldn't do that - the secrecy would be ruined, as would be the facility - they had already done damage to the base here during their fight.

Case in point, part of her mind added when the floor trembled from yet another explosion - the General was using C-4 rather freely against the static defences.

"Go! Go! Go!"

"The scan routine adapted again!" Entrpata sounded frustrated. "It's like a virus!"

"Fall back! There are more of them in ambush!"

"Don't get cut off!"


Sam had noticed that. But as the scanners and ID checks adapted, the codes they were checking would stay the same. So, that had to be their weakness - unless they were looking for an adaptive code. But would Ba'al risk his access on a single device like that, which could be stolen? It would protect against his clones getting access, but…

"The wave pattern! Check this!" she blurted out, quickly focusing on the data.

"Oh! That's…" Entrapta breathed. "It's a brain wave pattern!"

"That's how he was going to access the system - by scanning his brain!" Sam bared her teeth in a satisfied smile. "We don't have his brain to scan…"

"Cover the right flank!"

"...but we have scans of his brain!" Entrapta's hair was whipping around over her tools and the consoles in this room as she quickly opened a line to the flagship's database.

Sam, meanwhile, quickly wrote a routine to transmit the scan data - adapted, so it would fake a direct neural interface. Fortunately, she was familiar with that piece of Asgard technology from when she had looked into improved control interfaces for fighters - unfortunately, Project Neurohelmet had been deemed too expensive for the advantages it offered. Especially since she had copies of the code.

But she could easily adapt her part for this. There!

"Here's the data!" Entrapta announced.

Sam entered it, then sent it ahead.

And the system granted her access! Yes!

She quickly - after looking for a hidden second security check - started shutting down the defences, both mobile and static.

"The bots stopped firing!"

"Stay down - it might be a trap!"

"Carter?"


"We've penetrated the core systems, General," she replied. "The defences have been deactivated."

"Good work, Carter. Move it, folks - we need to make sure they can't reactivate!"

Sam wasn't really listening. She was already exploring the core system of this facility. And what she found… No wonder it was nothing but defences and the most powerful FTL communicator in the entire system.

"He copied Horde Prime's mind transfer system," she whispered. No wonder Ba'al had made so many clones - they were literally backup bodies for his original mind to jump into!

Worse, the system was operational. But according to the logs, it hadn't been used yet...

*****​
 
Chapter 186: The Election Campaign Part 8
Chapter 186: The Election Campaign Part 8

Secret Communication Site, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 13th, 2000 (Earth Time)


Catra didn't shudder when she entered the bunker Jack and the others had cleared, but she felt her fur bristle. Horde Prime's aesthetics usually weren't a problem - she was used to staying in Horde frigates, after all - but knowing that this site had been built to transfer Ba'al's consciousness into another body like Horde Prime used to made this site look particularly ominous.

At least, Sam and Entrapta were sure that the site hadn't been used so far. And now that they knew about this, they would be able to look for other such installations - they had already sent orders to check the systems and planets that they had liberated again. They couldn't afford to overlook one of them.

On the other hand, the fact that the Ba'al they had captured in his flagship hadn't used this to escape when they had blocked his Stargate probably meant he was, as Catra suspected, just another disposable clone. He certainly had had the attitude for one. Or not - most of the Clones acted as if they were the real Ba'al.

"It's a mystery," she muttered.

"What did you say, Catra?" Adora turned to look at her, slowing down her quick march towards the command centre of this bunker.

"I'm just wondering how this fits in with the Ba'als we captured." And wasn't talking about multiple Ba'al prisoners weird as hell!

"Ah. I'm sure Sam and Entrapta will be able to explain," Adora replied.

Catra hoped so as well. But when they entered the command centre, they looked a bit frustrated - well, Sam did. Entrapta looked intrigued, but that didn't mean one could expect good news.

"Welcome to Ba'al's ace up his sleeve," Jack greeted them. "We're still trying to find out what exactly is going on."

"Yes!" Entrapta nodded enthusiastically. "This must be technology we thought lost with the Velvet Glove. We should have realised that Ba'al had access to it since he was building a copy, but since we didn't know what exactly was lost, we couldn't keep an eye out for it. Anyway! We don't have full access to Asgard technology, so we can't tell for sure, but it looks like this is a way to transfer your consciousness into another body - well, to transfer your consciousness, the body is optional since if you can transfer the data, you can also store it, or should - some of the hyperspace mechanics might cause unexpected problems, and there are quantum mechanics to consider as well, so… It's fascinating!"

Sam looked like she had swallowed a fish snack that had gone bad. Or that Icelandic speciality, which was basically the same thing. Catra shuddered at the memory. "We have mapped the intended process pretty far, but while the transmission parts heading out from here are clear - it's not quite standard FTL communication, but it uses the same general principles, although with higher dimensions involved than our own communications - and the receiver is also obvious, both are connected to a device that we have yet to understand." She pressed her lips together. "As distasteful as it is, I suggest that we ask Loki for help."

Catra didn't stifle her groan. They already had to deal with Double Trouble, and now they'd have watch another pain in the butt?

"He's our best source for Asgard technology," Sam said, but Catra could tell that she didn't like the idea either, even if it was hers.

"Yes!" Entrapta nodded. "We could ask the other Asgard, but they kinda don't like us because we are helping him save their species. Which doesn't make any sense from a logical point of view - we aren't going to force anyone to take whatever cure we come up with - but people aren't always logical. They're actually rarely logical, which is why science is often hard for people."

"He's already involved with analysing the DNA samples we took from Ba'al," Sam added.

Adora nodded. "We need to know how it works so we can counter it. Call him in."

"Just make sure he doesn't start any experiments here," Jack said. "One Loki is enough."

That thought made everyone shudder, Cata noticed. And with good cause. If Loki cloned himself like Ba'al, the Asgard would probably declare war on the Alliance.

Though if that were possible, Loki probably would have done so already - he had never hid the fact that he thought he was the best scientist in the galaxy, and the only one who truly had what it took to save his species, so having more of his around would be a logical step for him.

Of course, that kind of ego usually tended to defeat such plans, as Ba'al probably found out already.

Whatever - the sooner they had solved this mystery, the better. If it worked like Horde Prime's did, then Adora should be able to obliterate Ba'al as she had done with Horde Prime, but Catra would prefer to know in advance if it would work instead of finding out in the middle of a battle.

*****​

Ba'al's Palace, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 14th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"...and we're here, at the location of the former palace of Ba'al, where a daring commando raid led by General Jack O'Neill, commander of the Alliance Special Forces, took out the enemy leader before boarding Ba'al's flagship and capturing the commander of Ba'al's fleet!"

"It's Alliance Special Operations Command, not Alliance Special Forces," Jack O'Neill muttered under his breath, his smile straining a little. Just a little. This was a damn dog and pony show for the National Convention, nothing more. At least, the government had finally accepted that they couldn't have a live connection back to Earth to open their convention. The security risks that would have caused… Adora had almost lost her temper over it. Glimmer had lost hers, which probably had been the reason the President had finally seen reason.

"Behind us, you can see the ruins of the palace from the bombardment it suffered during the battle and from the fierce fighting when our brave troops - the First Marine Division - stormed the place, securing it and freeing the countless slaves who were toiling here for their cruel overlord." Bayley sounded as if he were standing in the middle of a battle. The journalist was trying too hard for that Gulf War vibe, in Jack's opinion.

"And here is the hero of the hour, General Jack O'Neill, the soldier in the Alliance with the most experience fighting the Goa'uld! General, how does it feel to stand here, on the ruins of Ba'al's palace, after fighting your way in through his soldiers?"

Jack couldn't honestly answer that question - they would censor his words, couldn't say 'like shit' on TV - so he gave them the pre-approved answer: "I'm relieved that the fighting's over. We did our best to end the battle quickly, and we took out their commanders, but even so, the Alliance suffered casualties in this battle, both in space and on the ground. Light casualties, fortunately, and all the wounded were healed by She-Ra, but good people died to win this victory."

Bayley nodded with what looked like a practised sombre expression. "Indeed. We cannot forget that this is a war against the oldest galactic Empire. The Goa'uld may dress like old Egyptians, but they fight with advanced technology. You would know best, General, since you've been giving them bloody noses even before America joined the Alliance. How does it feel to finally fight them on equal ground?"

"That does feel good." Jack grinned. No need to lie about that. "Though even back when Stargate Command started, we held our own on the ground - staff weapons look fancy, but our own weapons were just as effective." More, actually, in most cases. Except for the zats, of course.

"So we've heard, and so we've seen here. The tanks of the Marines certainly proved effective in smashing through the enemy lines!"

Mostly LAVs, actually, not Main Battle Tanks, but Jack had been instructed not to correct the journalist. The first wave had used assault shuttles from the Clones, most of them crewed by Clones, anyway - and mentioning that would not go over well at all with the intended audience back home.

"Yeah, but in the end, it came down to urban combat. The Jaffa had dug in inside the rubble and the bunkers left, and the Marines had had to dig them out in close-quarter fighting," he said instead. Or buried them in place on some occasions - veterans from the Gulf War knew how effective that was.

"Oh, yes!" Bayley nodded emphatically. "Experts say that the US Marine Corps is exactly what is needed in this war - they're perfect for landing operations and boarding enemy ships. Would you agree with that, General?"

And now Jack had to hype the crayon-eaters. "They trained hard for this, like every soldier with us, and that showed in the battle." Not that they had boarded any ships; that had been left to Jack's troops. The Marines didn't have the fancy vacuum armour yet and lacked actual experience with boarding actions in space. Not that those were actually common, anyway - most boarding actions were either command missions or mopping up survivors in crippled ships after a space engagement. But again, that wasn't a topic for the public.

"And you're also in charge of training, General, aren't you?"

"I'm not actually in charge of training the entire Alliance," Jack corrected the journalist, "but the way we train at Alliance Special Forces Command serves as an example for the rest of the Alliance, and…"

*****​

"I need to take a shower," Jack muttered when the journalist had finally finished and gone to send the recording back to Earth in time to be played at the National Convention. "I feel like I bathed in mud."

"How did they manage to get you to do that, Jack?"

Daniel sounded far too amused. Sha're was giggling. And even Teal'c twisted his lips in that way that meant he found the whole scene terribly funny.

"They agreed to my latest demands for a bigger procurement budget and less calling on Carter to fix the Navy's mistakes," Jack replied. "I didn't expect them to agree to so much, to be honest." And so he had lost the excuse that he couldn't spare the time for PR.

Daniel chuckled at that as well. "They gave you everything you wanted. How perfidious!"

"Ha ha ha."

His traitorous friend shrugged. "I remember someone throwing me to the wolves. Seeing it done to them in return feels like poetic justice."

Well, he wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean Jack had to admit it. At least he got new gear for his troops out of this farce. And it wasn't as if this was the last such show - he had seen the journalist's schedules.

He was almost grateful for Ba'al's latest stunt, which had created another crisis for Jack to deal with instead of doing PR events full time. Only almost, though. Dealing with Bayley and his ilk was frustrating, but not nearly as dangerous as dealing with Ba'al.

*****​

PB-1763-System, Ba'al's Realm, August 14th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"So, you have realised that you need my services and have come to make restitution?"

"No, we're here to talk about your attempt to steal a shuttle," Adora said with a polite smile as she entered Double Trouble's quarters - or cell, as Catra liked to call it, since the door was guarded and they were under constant surveillance.

"I didn't attempt to steal anything," Double Trouble, in what might be their natural form - no one actually knew if it was true or another con by them - shot back. They were lying in a seemingly lazy manner across the bed. "Darling, if I had wanted to steal that shuttle, the first time you'd have realised it would have been after I was already long gone. I was merely having a bit of fun. Stretching my legs. They can get cramped if you're all locked up all the time."

Adora raised her eyebrows at the bravado. "You were not locked up. Not until you tried to steal the shuttle."

"I'm speaking metaphorically, Darling. An artist like me needs the freedom to express myself! Performing is as necessary as breathing!" They spread their arms. "The stage calls to me, like the sea calls to that idiot smuggler."

"The hangar is not a stage," Adora pointed out.

"Life itself is a stage! We all perform a play!"

"We're at war, Double Trouble. It's not a play."

"On the contrary, Darling! War's the greatest play there is!" Double Trouble revealed their gleaming white teeth. "It's where people perform their biggest roles, where all the drama is, the tension, the action and the cathartic release! It's where people are the most alive! Where their boring little lives matter! It's the greatest play there is, and it's being written as it plays out!"

Adora blinked. That was… She frowned. "War or not, everyone's lives matter!" she snapped.

Double Trouble scoffed. "Not everyone has a life to start with. They go through their days without any passion, without any drama! They don't live - they exist, wallowing in drudgery and mediocrity, with petty concerns instead of dreams!"

"You can't just dismiss people's lives because they don't conform to your ideals," Adora told them.

"Of course, I can! Everyone does it! It's what a war is about - you're dismissing the other's dreams and ideals in a violent manner." Double Trouble grinned widely again. "You can hate it, but that doesn't make it any less correct."

Adora took a deep breath, then shook her head. "You're wrong." She wasn't sure if Double Trouble actually believed what they were saying, or if this was just an act. But they were wrong. "And none of this changes that you did violate our deal."

"First, we had a deal for impersonating Ba'al, which I did - for this mission. Which is now over. And I didn't actually steal anything! You can't judge me for what you assume I wanted to do without any proof!" They sounded smug as they sat up and crossed their legs. "Besides, you need little old me to save all those poor saps from sacrificing their lives for Ba'al - and yourself from having to kill them."

"We would prefer to save as many of the Jaffa and humans fighting for Ba'al out of fear and misguided and abused loyalty, yes," Adora said, nodding. "But not at any price."

"Surely letting me indulge in a bit of harmless pranking is not asking too much in exchange for all those lives saved, is it? It's not as if I'm hurting anyone."

It was a very good thing Catra wasn't here - she would have taken offence at that claim. And with good reason, of course. Adora scoffed. "You've been hurting people for your entire 'career'. Impersonating them, setting them against each other, sabotaging others, scamming your victims…" She shook her head.

They smirked. "I see you've closely followed my career."

"We did, yes." As if the Princess Alliance would have ignored the threat posed by them.

"I'm flattered. So, you know you need me."

"We could use you," Adora corrected them.

They snorted. "Whatever you want to call it! We both know you won't let all those poor slaves and warriors die just to make a point." They leaned back, fingers steepled behind their head. "So, if you want me to help you save your enemies, we'll have to renegotiate our deal. Not much - I'm not asking for more money - but I need a few perks. I can't live like this, I feel like a prisoner."

"You are a prisoner," Adora corrected them.

"Details, details. The thing is, I can't perform like this. I need my freedom to express myself. To have fun. To be me!"

Was the hint of concern Adora thought she detected behind the confident smirk real or an act? She couldn't tell. But it didn't matter. They wouldn't let Double Trouble hurt innocent people just to save others. "We're not going to let you play with people's lives," she told them.

Double Trouble narrowed their eyes at them, the smirk gone and replaced by a frown.

Adora smiled. "But if you help us here with Ba'al, we will arrange a visit to Hollywood."

Double Trouble gasped, staring at her in obvious surprise for a moment before she started smirking again.

"As long as you toe the line now and don't even attempt to cause any problems," Adora went on with narrowed eyes. "We'll arrange meetings with the most famous actors and directors in Hollywood."

Under close supervision by Melog, of course. And with all the scanners and sensors helping that Sam and Entrapta could think of.

"Alright, we have a new deal!"

*****​

Secret Communication Site, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 15th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"At its core, that's just a standard Asgard device to transfer your consciousness into your next clone body."

Loki's dismissive tone as he pointed at the floating holoprojection of the site they were currently examining indicated that it had been obvious. It would have sounded a bit more convincing to Samantha Carter if he hadn't spent a few hours examining said device. She nodded anyway; antagonising the Asgard scientist wouldn't serve any purpose. And it was useful information - they now had a confirmed sample of that technology.

"The communication equipment connected to it also is not unique or very advanced - the design uses increased power to compensate for the lack of efficiency, which, in turn, results in its size. A communication network using smaller relay stations would have been far more efficient in covering the same range," Loki went on.

Sam inclined her head. "Such a network would be more vulnerable to ECM interference, though." Of which Ba'al would be aware since the Alliance had used them against his forces multiple times by now.

"Yes, but a network would be harder to destroy. If used to overwhelm such interference, the station's location would be revealed, and the likely consequences would be its immediate destruction by a directed attack." Loki shrugged.

"If this is meant to transfer Ba'al's consciousness, then that might have been intended," Sam pointed out.

"Horde Prime had similarly powerful communicators in his flagship," Entrapta added. "But those were better protected since they were in his flagship."

That might have been another reason why Ba'al had been constructing his own copy of the Velvet Glove. But they could speculate about that later. Sam used her laptop to higölight parts of the central core in the projection. "What about the additions to both the transfer device and the communication gear?" Those had stymied Sam and her friends.

"Those were a surprise, actually," Loki said. He seemed to be frowning slightly. "Those replace the quantum consciousness scanner that the Asgard use to ensure no individuum is copied instead of transferred."

Sam winced at the reminder that the Asgard used destructive brain scans to upload their consciousnesses for the transfer into a new body. They could copy minds, though, as Loki had mentioned once, the metaphysical implications of copying what were seen as souls were considered unsettling by his people. Since he seemed to share them - he didn't admit it, but he hadn't copied himself so far - there might be something to it. Of course, he had also said that the copies were never complete, and as the perfectionist he was, he might simply be unable to stomach the idea of making an inferior copy of himself. But that was speculation.

"So, is this a Ba'al-copy-machine?" the General asked.

Loki slowly shook his head. "No. It's a very advanced scanner using exotic Ancients technology mated with Asgard technology, though the latter seems limited mostly to a data-interpreting role. Although the spectrum that the scanner covers is very unusual - it covers higher dimensions. It's not Asgard technology."

So, Loki didn't know what it did either. Sam had hoped he had seen it before.

"So! If you don't know, then we have no choice - we have to test it then to find out what it does. We know it's related to higher dimensions," Entrapta said, "but we don't know what it's scanning for. It does show some similarities to Beta's technology, but only some - most of the technology is a complete mystery!" She sounded a bit too cheerful, in Sam's opinion.

"Will testing the thing pose a risk for our troops or our operations?" the General asked. "Like, say, dumping all our secrets into a Ba'al data bank a few systems away?"

"That's unlikely, sir," Sam told him. "We might not know exactly what data it gathers, but we can safely say that it's a scanner, not a projector - it gathers data but doesn't send it. And we can decouple it from the actual projectors."

"Ah, go ahead then and test it." He nodded.

"Yes, sir."

*****​

Secret Communication Site, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 16th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"Anything?" Samantha Carter asked, staring at her screen. They had been at this for hours!

"No," Loki replied in a flat tone. She was pretty sure that he would have stopped taking part in the tests if not for his ego and pride vastly outweighing his frustration.

"No data received - well, it scanned, it analysed, but nothing was saved," Entrapta added. "Like before."

It was frustrating. The system was working; it was constantly scanning multiple dimensions as far as they could tell - they lacked Beta's extensive sensors to check - and it drew enormous energy, but there were no results. Every piece of data was checked against the data in the system and then discarded. The scanner was looking for a distinct, unique pattern, and they had no idea what kind of pattern it was. The rest of the setup was straightforward - it was meant to upload and transfer a consciousness. From one body to another, though across long distances in this case.

But the devil - or Ba'al, as the General would say - was in the details. Why was there a transdimensional scanner tied into the entire system? It served as a check, Sam knew that, and would block a transfer unless there was a match, but it didn't scan the data in the system.

"It won't transfer Ba'al's mind unless it also detects something else…" Sam muttered. "It replaces the destructive mind scanner that the Asgard use. So…"

"Yes," Loki interrupted her. "It replaces it. It serves the same function - preventing copies from being made." He sounded agitated - excited. "It scans to check if the original Ba'al has died."

"Oh!" Entrapta perked up. "That's why it's using similar technology to the one the First Ones used to research the Ascension process! It scans for Ba'al's soul!"

*****​

PB-1763-System, Ba'al's Realm, August 16th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"You can scan for someone's soul?" Catra asked Entrapta. She was surprised - she hadn't heard about that before. Most of the religious stuff from Earth sounded too weird to her to bother with. "Souls exist?"

"The scanner is looking for the metadimensional micropatterns caused by someone's consciousness," Sam said. "Basically, the - presumably, although we haven't actually tested that, of course - unique imprint a specific individual consciousness leaves on certain dimensions."

"Dimensions like the one I and Angella got stuck in?" Catra asked, feeling her fur bristle slightly at the memory of being stuck in a universe where your mind defined reality.

"The imprints the scanner is looking for are orders of magnitude weaker than the effects observed in that particular dimension," Sam told her. "An effect of the physical separation and different laws of nature, according to our preliminary hypotheses. Although the principle is the same - your mind, your thoughts, any brain activity, actually, will cause a minuscule reaction in such dimensions, which can be measured with sufficiently advanced scanners and enough power. And it's distinct enough that even if you cloned a body and copied someone's mind into it, their metadimensional imprint patterns would immediately diverge in increasingly distinct ways."

"It's like a radar for brains," Jack summed it up.

Sam looked like she wanted to frown at him and nodded a little reluctantly. "Ba'al is using this scanner to ensure that none of his clones can use this transfer system, and that he doesn't accidentally create a copy of his original self."

"So, since he could do that by simply ensuring that it's himself when he walks into the installation, that means he has a way to remotely scan his brain?" Catra asked. She was tempted to say 'soul' instead, if only to see if her impression that Sam and Jack wanted to avoid using that word was correct, but this wasn't the time for such games.

"That was my first thought, but the scanner can't actually map a consciousness - it would need magnitudes more detail and sensitivity for that," Entrapta replied. "So, he must have had a brain scanner set up to scan his brain - maybe continuously, if he can spare the power, which he should, and as long as he stays in range - ready to send the data. We think he had one such installation on his flagship, but it was destroyed, so we cannot check now. The debris left behind did not net us any clues."

"Too bad for him that we had his entire fleet jammed," Jack said.

"Actually, while very inefficient - this installation requires almost as much power as a Ha'tak in combat - it would be possible to build a transmitter using a metadimensional medium to bypass our current jamming devices," Sam said. "We don't know if he had such a transmitter built and installed, though."

Because the flagship had been destroyed. "The last Ba'al we captured certainly acted like he had such a way out, though," Catra said. "Though that might have just been a delusion implanted into a clone to make him commit suicide more easily."

"What we do know is that, according to the computer logs, the installation we secured did not transmit any data to another system," Sam said. "We have found no sign of tampering with the logs, either."

"In any case, it looks like Ba'al can only jump into another body if his original body is dead," Adora said.

"With the way this installation was set up, yes," Sam said. "And in light of the immense effort and the massive amount of resources this must have cost, I doubt he has any plans to change that policy."

"More importantly, it means that the Ba'al we captured might have been the original," Catra pointed out.

"Alpha should be done with the analysis soon enough," Sam said. "Then we'll know. If Loki hadn't come to help us here, they would be done already. As it is, they're running a few more advanced tests with the data we acquired here."

Catra nodded. Good. If the captive was the real Ba'al, that would greatly simplify things.

"And!" Entrapta beamed. "Even if it's not the real Ba'al, the way he set up those installations - the way they work and connect to each other - we should be able to track the other installations down as soon as we figure out how to fake a transmission!"

Oh! "And since Ba'al is unlikely to move out of range of his life insurance machine, if we know where all such installations are, we can narrow down his location to those systems," Catra said. They could finally nail the bastard!

Adora nodded.

"And if we install this scanner in a ship with enough power, we can scan for his brain," Entrapta said.

Jack grinned widely. "Hoisted by his own petard!"

"Transferring such a huge installation into a ship seems like a challenge," Adora pointed out.

"Yes!" Entrapta nodded happily. Sam, while more reserved, nodded with a faint smile as well.

Yeah, Catra thought, Ba'al's time is running out.

*****​

Special Communication Site, PB-1763, Ba'al's Realm, August 16th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"So, how long until you've got Ba'al's location, Carter?" Jack O'Neill asked with a grin as he sat down - well, leaned against - the console in the control centre of the snake life insurance station. He'd wanted to make the designation official, but he had been outvoted.

"I cannot make any estimates that would be more precise than wild guesses, sir," Carter replied without looking up from her screen. "We're still analysing the communication protocols for hidden checks and traps. Ba'al's tendency to add self-destruct devices - often quite intricate ones instead of simple but effective methods - to all his bases and ships means we cannot be too cautious here."

Jack was tempted to disagree. It was quite possible they were too cautious. Ba'al was the kind of enemy who would delight in laying obscure traps just so people would expect traps behind every corner and proceed more slowly than they would - that could be crucial in an assault if you wanted to escape. But Carter knew her stuff, and if she said they couldn't rush things, then Jack would trust her decision. "It's also poetic justice that Ba'al didn't finish his secondary security systems while he had this completed. All that effort wasted!"

"I wouldn't say the installation has been completed, sir. It's functional, but not finished."

"Oh?" He cocked his head at her even though she still wasn't looking at him.

"The current system is far too limited. He would have to be near a massive scanner and communicator to use it - and since it's meant to save his life from imminent death, if the scan were interrupted, the consequences would almost certainly be fatal. And if he kept a copy in the device's memory, he would have to carefully plan every movement, or a simple step through a Stargate would result in a copy being sent into a new body as the scanner in the system would stop detecting his mind's imprints. If he doesn't store a copy, then even if the scan were near-immediate, it would still be a risk, especially during space battles. Ba'al couldn't count on the scanner not being damaged before the bridge or his quarters suffered a hit. So, he would be forced to use it in advance, and then risk that a copy is made should he successfully retreat, or commit suicide to trigger the copy being sent, which would throw his chain of command into disarray in the middle of a battle."

Yeah, Jack knew how that would end - few forces survived losing their commander in the middle of a fight. Even fewer if their commander hadn't set up a clear chain of command because they were afraid of a coup. "And he wouldn't like that. Can't be shown up by Horde Prime." Even worse for Ba'al, Horde Prime was destroyed anyway despite his one life insurance, and by the same people Ba'al was now fighting. The snake would want a better system.

"Yes, sir. Although if he managed to use cloned Goa'uld bodies possessing cloned hosts as Horde Prime used the Clones, every time he used it, the Clone affected would realise the truth about Ba'al and themselves. So, he would have to either limit himself to emergencies and simply take over his next clone permanently, or otherwise keep the information from spreading. And he would have wanted to reduce the size of the scanner so it was portable."

"If he has to kill his clones every time he uses them, it would get expensive pretty quickly," Jack said.

"We - Entrapta, Bow and I - think he planned to adapt the mind control chips for that. It shows similar routines and protocols, now that we can compare the two, which indicates that it was designed with a future adaptation to this in mind. But he didn't manage it. Although even taking this into account, he has achieved quite an impressive feat. While limited, the system is functional and will make capturing the original Ba'al a challenge."

"Well, we'll be prepared for him thanks to your work. You can jam the soul transmission, right?" That would be great - Ba'al frying his own brain with a smile, thinking he'll get transferred into another body and host, only to vanish into hyperspace like some white noise. Although Ba'al would never know it - he'd die without realising he had screwed up.

Cater flinched at his wording. "It's not a soul transmission, sir. It's a normal data transfer started by the presence of a multidimensional pattern unique to an individual's consciousness."

Sounded like a soul to Jack, but he wasn't a priest or scientist. "Whatever it is, you can jam it, right?"

"We're working on a method. Beta is optimistic that they will manage."

"Bet the bot was ecstatic about getting another project," Jack said.

"Beta was very motivated, yes."

"Our very own computer Mengele." Jack snorted.

"It's not the same, sir," Carter objected. "Beta was programmed with different ethics in mind."

He frowned. That was a bit too diplomatic for his taste. "The kind of ethics we don't want to see return to Earth, Carter."

"Of course not, sir. But we cannot blame Beta for her creation. We can only guide her to change in accordance with our own values."

Jack couldn't help feeling that Carter was hanging around with Entrapta, Hordal and Loki a bit too much. Of course, the Etherians all thought like that, except for some of the grumpier princesses. "So, I'll trust you have things in hand here, Carter."

"Yes, sir. You can leave for your press briefing without worrying about this part of our operation, sir." She smiled sweetly as she looked at him.

He frowned in return. Maybe he had been a bit too annoying, and he might have distracted her from her work, but this was still a low blow.

But she kept smiling, so he nodded with a grimace and left. Never an emergency when you needed one.

*****​

PB-1763-System, Ba'al's Realm, August 17th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"...and it is with pride and determination that I accept the presidential nomination. I am honoured by the trust out in me by the convention and by the President of the United States. In these troubled times, faced with a war on a scale we haven't seen in over fifty years, the same is true as was then: 'Don't swap horses in the middle of the stream.' We cannot afford to uppend the Alliance we have forged! We cannot afford to break the trust we've earned from our allies. To do so, to go back on our agreements, and for the profit of a few, no less, would jeopardise everything our brave soldiers have fought and bled for! Will we allow that?"

On the screen in the Admiral's quarters on the flagship, the packed hall erupted into shouts of "No!" and "Never!" as the delegates stood and yelled. Adora saw Catra wince a little at the volume.

"Under my leadership, America will continue to fight, side by side with our allies, until the Goa'uld Empire is defeated and every last person they are holding in bondage freed! The humans out there, descendants of those taken from Earth and shipped to foreign planets to serve as slaves, will be liberated! We will not rest until our beloved country and all of humanity are safe again! You've seen the latest news - the latest victory over the Goa'uld - just today! The Goa'uld are resorting to methods and tactics that those amongst us who have fought Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan so long ago would find familiar, and just as back then, it did not help them now. Our brave soldiers, together with our staunch allies, will overcome whatever they throw at us and win this war!"

"I've heard better speeches from Horde instructors," Catra commented as the hall broke out in applause again.

"It's not aimed at soldiers," Adora said. "It's aimed at his party and the voters. Civilians."

Glimmer huffed, and Adora half-expected her to make a few pointed comments about elections in general and the elections in the United States in particular, but her friend took a swallow from her glass instead.

Good. Adora had heard too many of those already. Of course, it was the fault of the current elections that they had to deal with so many annoying reporters - if she heard 'Supreme Commander! A word!' one more time she'd scream - but that was how they did things on Earth. Well, most of Earth. Still, the US government now had their good press and good news about the war - it had been shown nonstop on Earth, last she heard - so all those ' war correspondents' could now go home.

"Well, he won't try to 'redefine' the Alliance," Bow said. "And there weren't any signs about sins or corruption in the crowd, so that's a good thing."

"Only if he's elected," Catra said. "If he's not elected, they'll blame us."

Adora frowned - that would be unfair. "Our friends won't blame us."

"Yeah, but those people aren't our friends," Catra shot back with a gesture at the screen, where the candidate was now shaking hands on stage. "They're allies, nothing more."

"None of them fight on the frontlines with us," Glimmer said.

"Well, they aren't princesses," Adora said. "And most of them are too old for the frontlines. You can't really expect them to fight like we do."

Glimmer scoffed. "But we can expect them not to try and make us stay back just because we make them look bad by fighting ourselves."

Adora nodded, although after Glimmer's scathing reaction to that proposal, it hadn't come up again in Alliance meetings, so they had stopped that.

"Well, it's logical for Earth culture - their leaders wouldn't add much to any battle if they fought like princesses because they don't have magic powers or know how to deal with advanced technology," Bow said.

"Jack doesn't have either, and he fights at our side," Glimmer shot back with a scowl.

"He's one of their best soldiers, though," Bow replied.

"And one of their best leaders." Glimmer snorted. "Now, if he were running for president…"

"He would rather die than become a politician," Catra said. "He says so all the time."

"Yeah, he says so. Doesn't mean he might not do it. Wouldn't be the first General who became president, either." Glimmer shrugged. "And probably one of the best presidents!"

Adora wasn't so sure. Could you really be a good president if you hated politics? That sounded like trying to be a good general while hating logistics.

"Well, they only became presidents after the war had ended," Bow said.

"Don't tell Jack or he'll try to keep the war going forever," Catra said with a snort.

Everyone laughed at that, but then the screen changed, and two 'talking heads', as Jack called them, started discussing the speech they had just heard.

Adora didn't protest when Catra muted the sound. That was another part of Earth culture she could do without. And she didn't need any distractions now - they had a Goa'uld to catch.

*****​
 
Chapter 187: The Election Campaign Part 9
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.

*****​
 
Chapter 188: The Election Campaign Part 10
Chapter 188: The Election Campaign Part 10

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, August 22nd 2000


"The United States Government formally requests the help of the Alliance against the Goa'uld to remove the giant tree in the Mojave Desert in California?" Adora repeated to check that she had heard correctly.

"The United States Government considers it an invasive species of alien origin," the Secretary of State said.

"You're calling a tree an alien invasion and want to activate the defence clause?" Glimmer blurted out.

"It is the United States' official stance that this incident meets the criteria for the mutual defence and support clause of the Alliance treaty." The Secretary of State sounded stiff, and Adora couldn't tell if she actually believed this.

"It's a tree grown by a bunch of sorceresses - and, according to what we know, mostly American sorceresses," Jack added, looking up from his tablet.

"How did you get access to that data, General?" an aide of the Secretary asked. "The FBI just started its investigation, and the data was not shared with the Alliance!"

"They have a list of their members on their website," Jack replied. "We cross-referenced them with our own data."

Adora nodded. "Many of the members are known to the Alliance since they were vetted before being allowed to travel to Mystacor. The rest seem to be American witches - or Wiccan - and a few European sorceresses, also currently training at Mystacor."

"Evidently, they are not training at your magic school," the Secretary of State said with a frown.

Glimmer nodded. "They wanted a vacation on Earth, visit their families, meet old friends…"

"...report to their handlers," Catra added with a toothy grin.

Adora nodded. They knew several of the students would - knowingly or not - be passing information on to various intelligence organisations.

"...and talk to sorceresses on Earth about magic and politics," Glimmer finished.

"You knew they were planning this?" The Secretary sounded honestly angry.

"We didn't know that they would be doing something like this," Adora told her.

"It might have been a spontaneous decision while meeting fellow sorceresses on Earth, Madam Secretary," Daniel cut in. "The communique mentioned 'Gaia' and 'the Mother Goddess' several times, which would imply a significant influence of native Earth traditions, namely Wicca."

That sounds logical, Adora thought.

"And they spontaneously created a giant magical tree in the middle of the desert?" The Secretary, however, didn't seem to agree.

Glimmer shrugged. "That's not as impressive as you think. Perfuma, you could probably do it as well, right?"

"Well, I could - though I would probably pick a cactus since they are better suited for the desert. Of course, if you're growing plants to that size, you need to change them anyway - most plants couldn't grow that much naturally and wouldn't survive the process. You'd have to strengthen so many things to reach that size, provided you want to keep the tree…" Perfuma cocked her head to the side. "Which is why I want to check the tree - I am curious what they did to it, and whether it's a non-magical plant magically grown, created or altered or magical in nature. This is fascinating!"

"Or if it is a ship turned into a plant," Catra said.

"A ship?" The Secretary, of course, didn't know Catra had been joking.

"Catra's referring to an incident that happened at the end of the Horde War, and which has no bearing on this incident. The circumstances are completely different," Glimmer said. "That required the stored magic of an entire planet."

Actually, far more, but there was no need to go into details.

"You mean they had access to such power?" the Secretary gasped.

"No. We need to examine the tree, but as far as we can tell so far, this is completely different," Glimmer replied.

"But the outcome is the same? We have a group of magic student activists with access to power on the same scale?"

"We don't believe so," Adora told her.

Unfortunately, the woman didn't seem to be reassured.

"Don't you trust your people?" Perfuma asked. "You picked most of them to study with us, and the others are your people."

Adora winced slightly. Her friend was honestly surprised by the Americans' reaction.

"They don't have control over them. That's the issue. They'd love such power if they were in charge," Catra explained.

"Oh."

"But as I said, creating a giant tree doesn't really require that much power," Glimmer was quick to add. "Creating - or finding, depending on your stance on the magic discovery/creation dispute - a spell to do so is a bit more difficult, but once you know how to do it, you can repeat it. Although powering it also should require a ritual, which in this case probably requires a lot of sorceresses, so it's not that easy to repeat."

"We'll ensure it's not repeated!" the Secretary said.

"Why not?" Perfuma asked. "It looks beautiful."

"The chaos and panic that such trees popping up everywhere would create… No, that would be unacceptable!"

"Especially during an election," Jack said. "They're already talking about magic regulation again." He held up his tablet.

Adora had a feeling they had to talk to their PR consultants. And the PR consultants of the Alliance.

But first, they had to examine the tree and talk to the sorceresses who had created it.

*****​

Mojave Desert, California, United States of America, August 22nd 2000

If she were honest, Samantha Carter would have told the General that she was a physicist, not a biologist or an expert on magic. But that would have triggered a Star Trek joke from him. And while she wasn't an expert on magic or magical biology, she knew enough about either to be not completely useless when it came to examining. Besides, she also knew, from experience, that sometimes, an outside perspective could be crucial to crack a science challenge, and her knowledge and experience were still applicable when it came to examining a magical tree larger than many skyscrapers. Besides that, she had worked together with the same experts on those fields about to examine the tree - she wasn't going to call it 'Gaia's Blessing' or 'Yggdrasil', or whatever else the press had come up with - and she had the most experience with the magic scanner they were going to use.

The fact that she was very, very curious about the exact manner in which this tree had been created and how it was holding up its own weight was merely a bonus.

She told herself that as she looked out of the window of General's stealth shuttle - still officially used for training special forces pilots but effectively the General's personal commute, not that she was complaining now - and studied the magical tree as they slowly approached it.

It was massive, towering over the landscape, its crown stretching out so far, she was sure a normal tree's branch would have broken off at the first time a stronger wind came up. The crown was shaped like a dome, not a sphere, though that wasn't that unusual; you could shape a tree as it grew by selectively cutting branches. Still… "Those branches must have been reinforced. As the entire trunk must have been."

"Definitely," Perfuma agreed.

"There are no birds in the tree," Catra added, squinting. "None that I can see, at least."

"They would not have had the time to move in, so to speak," Dr Elizabeth Barrow from the EPA said. "The fauna in this region is not adapted to such an environment. The shade generated by the tree alone, as well as the humidity it must be producing, would change the microclimate around it in ways we can't foresee."

"It's just one big tree," Glimmer replied. "Doesn't seem as if it would have a bigger impact than building an entire city in the desert with buildings higher than this tree."

"Oh, yes!" Entrapta nodded. "Settlements cause much more significant ecological changes in the area than single trees. We saw that in the Fright Zone. Until the tree starts procreating, this shouldn't have a huge effect on the ecology. The effects of all the people coming to visit it would be much higher as well."

The doctor pressed her lips together, Sam noted, before answering: "Preventing the tree from producing seeds will be crucial then."

"Why?" Entrapta asked.

"We can't have magical trees spreading through the United States. They might crowd out native trees and render other species extinct, both flora and fauna. And if the tree produces seeds, those cultists will likely use them to plant more of them." The doctor was scowling now.

"We don't know yet if the tree can produce seeds - or if those hypothetical seeds could grow without the help of magic," Glimmer said. "Besides, the people who created this tree might create another one."

"That cannot be allowed! Imagine the panic if such a tree sprang up next to your home!"

"I'd love it!" Perfuma said, tearing her eyes away from the tree. "Imagine living next to such a beautiful tree! I might create one on Etheria if I can. I'm sure people in the Scorpion Kingdom would love one!"

"Yes!" Entrapta beamed at her. "It would be a nice way to filter out more particles at that height - our mechanical filters currently don't reach that high."

"And we could see if we can build homes into the branches!" Perfuma nodded. "If I can manipulate the wood, that should be possible."

Barrow stared at the two princesses. Evidently, she hadn't been fully briefed on the Etherians. "But… The risks! The backlash from the population! The ecological and economic impact!"

"Why would anyone have a problem with it?" Perfuma asked - honestly confused.

"We don't know if the tree presents a danger to the population or the ecology!"

"We'll find out if it does. And do something about it if we need to," Adora said.

"I can't see an outcome where this tree will be allowed to stand!"

A beep announced that the scanner had finished its first scan. Sam looked at the results and winced. "I think you might have to reconsider that, Doctor."

"Why would I?"

"That tree is much tougher than a building of that size. Demolishing it would require a major effort, and this is just from the perspective of the mechanical and static challenges. We have yet to check for magical effects."

"What? It's wood! How hard can it be to remove a tree?"

"'Wood' that's actually denser than some of the armour we use on vehicles," Sam said. "And the roots that support this weight…" They occupied a huge amount of space underground. Some had buried through bedrock.

"Oh, yes! Fascinating!" Entrapta gushed at the results. "That's not quite in the league of spaceship-grade armour, but I think it beats hovertank armour density and resistance!"

"How did a bunch of new age witches create that thing?" the General commented when he started to take them down to the landing zone set up for them.

"That's what we're here to find out," Glimmer said.

Sam nodded. If this could be applied to industrial projects…

*****​

"So! The second scan has confirmed that the tree's wood is a reinforced material, but the cellular scan shows no reason for that. It is just regular wood on that level. It's like the structure is reinforced by an energy field, only we can't detect the field, any way it could be projected or how it can infuse the individual cells. Also, the material loses the property if it's separated from the tree trunk - which means Elizabeth doesn't have to worry about macro- or micropolution, well, unless a sufficiently large part retains that quality; we haven't tested that yet, though if it would, we'd only have to deal with a very tough structure that wouldn't be any different than some rock formation."

Catra nodded along with Entrapta's explanations. "So, it's magic keeping the thing from collapsing under its own weight." Which was both reassuring and a bit worrying, seeing as they were currently standing at the tree trunk. If that magic stopped, things would turn dangerous at once.

"Yes. We need to extend the exclusion zone," Adora said.

Perfuma looked disappointed. "I can't duplicate this. I mean, I could duplicate a tree that large, but as soon as I would let go of it and stop using my power on it, it would collapse. There won't be tree skyscraper apartment complexes in Plumeria and the Scorpion Kingdom."

Catra wasn't sure if she should be disappointed or glad about that. "What about the magic?"

"It's not a spell; I'm pretty sure of that," Glimmer replied.

That didn't sound very confident to Catra, but mentioning that would not be very helpful.

"We don't know if a spell or power was used on the tree to make it grow, but Perfuma and I agree that it was magically grown from a seed, not created by magic," Glimmer went on.

The difference sounded academic to Catra. Unless they required a special seed to grow the tree from which they couldn't just alter or create with magic, it wouldn't really matter in the long run.

"The tree is turning the air around it more humid, as you'd expect from a normal tree," Sam spoke up. "But the water vapour it's releasing doesn't conform to the amount of water available to its roots, according to our scans. We cannot pinpoint the source of all the water sustaining the tree."

"I have a suspicion that it's a magical source," Jack said. He was smiling innocently, but everyone - except for Barrow, but the woman was quickly catching up - knew him better than to fall for it. Especially Sam, whose frown would have made others flinch.

"Obviously it's magic." Glimmer scowled at him. "But it's not a kind of magic I know. I'd say it has to be magic from Earth. They have myths of magical trees that grow to giant sizes."

"Or beanstalks," Jack added.

"What does that mean? Can you safely remove the tree or not?" Barrow asked.

"As long as we can't identify the magic keeping it stable, we can't tell if removing it would be safe," Glimmer replied.

Barrow didn't like that at all. Catra grinned; the woman had been fixated on removing the tree from the start - before they knew anything about it. No sense for opportunities.

Her ears twitched - the protestors and counter-protestors, though which crowd was which was a bit murky, had started up their chants again after a break for hydration.

"Cut it down! Cut it down! Cut it down!"

"Protect Gaia! Protect Gaia! Gaia is love! Gaia is love!"

Not the most catchy or original chants, but then, they were in the middle of the desert, and if not for Catra's uniform, she would be suffering from the heat even in the tree's shade - and the protestors were all outside the tree's shadow. Hell, it was hotter than in the Crimson Waste! Those new vacuum-rated uniforms were great!

"So, who can tell us how we can remove this?" Barrow asked. "We were told the Alliance would send experts on this matter."

"We probably need to talk to the people who created this," Adora said. "Castaspella is talking to the students and teachers who know them, but we need first-hand information about this."

Catra nodded.

"But! So far, it doesn't look like there's currently any danger at all! The tree seems completely self-sustaining - or mostly; it's blocking the sun, but the impact of that shouldn't be significant, and it's using that for photosynthesis," Entrapta said.

"And it's not growing fruits right now," Perfuma added.

"It's still magical - you have confirmed that unknown but powerful magic is keeping it standing - and we cannot risk magical contamination of the surrounding area or visitors!" Barrow said.

"We haven't detected any such contamination, either," Entrapta said.

"Unless you mean that," Jack added, pointing at the crowds in the distance, separated by a line of police officers.

"You cannot tell what magic is at work here; how can you assume that it is safe?"

"We don't know if it's safe," Glimmer said. "But for now, it's not affecting the area around it."

"We need more data!" Entrapta said. "Why do you want to remove the tree so badly, anyway? It's fascinating! We can learn so much here!"

Barrow scowled. "It's an illegally created, potentially dangerous magical object. The United States Government won't tolerate this!"

"Not in an election year," Jack said, "People are already frothing at the mouth about it. Well, those who don't worship it."

"That's beside the point, but yes, the effects on society and the tensions its existence creates are also a factor to consider when dealing with this!" Barrow spat.

We really need to talk with our PR consultants, Catra thought. But they hadn't had the time to spare for that so far.

*****​

Ah! Jack O'Neill grinned as his suspicion was confirmed. Barrow wasn't an eco-nut trying to preserve the 'natural environment' at all costs. She was a government drone trying to make the government look as if it were in control in the middle of an election year. And having a giant magic tree sprout in the middle of the Mojave Desert threatened that narrative, as Daniel would say. You weren't in control of much if a bunch of students could create magic trees the size of skyscrapers overnight wherever they wanted.

"I think we need to know more about the tree and its magic before making plans about how to remove it," he said. "Don't want to rush and release all the magic holding it up by accident. Half the crowd there would sue us for negligence or something."

Barrow actually paled at that.

"We don't even know if this tree was actually created by someone or naturally sprang up as a result of a local magical phenomenon," Daniel said. "There are so many myths and tales of magic trees in human history, we cannot dismiss the idea that this is a natural, native plant. In that case, this would be an endangered species, I believe."

"It's not on the list of endangered species," Barrow snapped.

"It's not on any list," Danel said in his best diplomatic voice. "I don't think the courts would look kindly at that argument when deciding whether or not the government violated their own laws based on semantics."

Barrow looked like she had just bitten into a Horde ration bar.

Jack snorted. He wasn't Daniel, but he knew enough about myths, and had read up on them after Earth's magic had been released, to know that the last thing anyone needed was some idiot trying to tamper with magic they didn't understand. That way lay curses and plagues.

But before he could add a few more pointed remarks, the communicator in his ear informed him of more trouble. Cursing internally, he told the others: "We've got company incoming. The governor and a few more politicians are coming." Just to the perimeter so far, but… Jack didn't think they could ignore them.

"We need to talk to him!" Barrow said at once.

"We'll continue our examination," Carter predictably added.

Adora nodded. "Alright. Let's talk with the governor." She looked at the two gathering crowds still chanting at each other. "Maybe he can do something to calm them down."

The best way for that would be to use his chopper to hover above the protesters and let the downdraft sandblast them, in Jack's opinion. He didn't say so - people tended to frown on such jokes.

*****​

The governor shook their hands. Firm grip, Jack noted. Then again, the man was a vet. Decorated vet. Shouldn't be a problem.

"This is State Senator Bracken," the governor said, introducing the man who had come with him.

"General." The man tried to crush Jack's hand when they shook hands. "Commander."

For a senator, state or not, to greet Jack before Adora had to be a deliberate snub. And his supporters were currently chanting to cut down the tree. Yeah, that guy was going to be a problem. Then again, his party affiliation had already told Jack that.

"So, what is that tree?" the governor asked.

"It is a magically reinforced tree. We're still examining it to find out if it was grown or created, and what kind of magic was used on it," Adora explained.

"The thing's bark is harder than the armour on a tank," Jack added.

"Really?" The governor seemed surprised. "I was told that it couldn't support its weight without magic, but to be so tough…"

"That shouldn't stop your beam cannons," Bracken said. "They can blow up battleships."

"We need to know more before we consider destroying it," Adora said.

"Don't want to accidentally blow a couple hundred tons of magic dust into the air." Jack grinned. "I think not all the neighbours would like that."

Bracken gasped.

"There are no plans to risk that," Barrow quickly cut in. "But we're looking into ways of removing the tree."

"You better be!" Bracken growled. "And whoever did this has to be punished! No one gets to endanger the American people like that!"

"We don't know if anyone is in danger, Keith," the Governor said. "It's just a tree as far as we know so far."

"It's a magical threat! And it's attracting witches!" Bracken glared at one half of the protestors. "You need to get rid of it before things go out of control!"

"I'm sure the Alliance has things under control, Keith."

The tree? Yeah. Jack trusted his friends. The crowds here? Jack didn't trust them to behave.

"The United States government isn't going to let anyone endanger the American people," Barrow said.

"You already did, Doctor!" Bracken snapped. "Uncontrolled magic! Witches praying to trees! You said yourself you don't have any idea what is happening here! People are in danger!"

"Just because we don't understand everything that happened here yet doesn't mean we should assume it's a threat," Daniel said.

"It's magic - it's dangerous!"

Jack wondered if the man was going to quote 'thou shalt not suffer a witch to live' next, but Bracken seemed to have more control than that. But his party would be milking this for whatever it was worth.

Jack wasn't so sure about the tree, and he understood how people were concerned - he was as well - but the last thing the United States in the middle of a war needed was a government supported by nutcases who wanted to burn their strongest allies at the stake. As much as he disliked it, he might have to help out Barrow here.

*****​

"Supreme Commander Adora! Queen Glimmer!"

"Miss Cranston. Miss Gomez. Mister Hutchings." Adora smiled at the three members of the 'Magical Movement' greeting her whom she recognised thanks to them being students at Mystacor. That left two more she didn't know.

"These are Cassy Baker and Clark Hong," Cranston went on. "Cassy is a leading member of the Moonlight Coven, and Clark is the founder of the Sequoia Conclave."

Both smiled and bowed their heads. Adora had heard the names of those organisations before - they were on the Movement's website - but they didn't mean anything to her. The three sorceresses were wearing Etherian-made clothes; Adora recognised the style. Baker wore a black dress with many slits that showed pale skin and Clark a green robe with brown patterns on it that she didn't recognise.

"We're so happy to meet you!" Cranston, apparently their spokesperson, went on. "I mean, we met you when we came to Etheria - those of us who did - but that wasn't the same." She nodded, and her ponytail - bright red - bopped with the movement.

Adora suppressed a wince. Yes, she had met the three sorceresses in training before, when they had gone to Etheria, but only briefly, and she hadn't really paid that much attention. Just another part of her duties.

"What do you think of Gaia's Heart?" Cranston was still smiling widely.

"It's impressive," Adora replied. She forced the memory of Etheria's Heart away.

"Nothing less would have done!" Baker said, nodding firmly. "Gaia would not accept anything smaller - it could not contain her power."

"We first thought about using a Sacred Sequoia," Hong added. "But we soon realised that this wouldn't do her justice either."

"And what kind of tree did you choose?" Glimmer asked.

"We chose an apple tree," Cranston replied.

"The forbidden fruit, knowledge," Baker added with a smile. "Christianity stole so much from Paganism, it feels fitting to take something of theirs back."

Adora made an uncommitting noise; she had no idea about those details.

"It grants shade, and its fruits will sustain the people." Hong craned his neck as he looked up. "Though it grew a bit more than we expected, which will make picking the fruits a challenge."

So, they hadn't planned for it to be that big? That was a bad sign - it meant they had either planned badly or lost control over what they did. Maybe both.

"And what exactly did you do?" Glimmer asked.

All five of them looked surprised. "You don't know?" Gomez stared at her.

"We're still examining it," Glimmer replied. "As you know, we don't have such trees on Etheria."

"Ah, yes. We - the Mystacor students from Earth who joined the movement - prepared the seed, and we used spells pioneered by Plumeria to shape plants. They were patterned after their princesses' powers, though not quite as versatile. It was mostly about making the seed more receptive to magic and more durable. Part of it was actually part of the semester's coursework. But the actual ritual was prepared by Cassy and Clark's people," Cranston said. "Though we all took part in it since we all are Gaia's children."

"The Mother cares for us all," Baker said, folding her hands in front of her.

"We're all part of nature and serve her." Hong bowed his head.

That sounded a bit… It sounded like worship. Adora winced. They sounded like Priest.

"And what did you do?" Glimmer sounded a bit impatient. She looked a bit impatient as well - she was still smiling, but her eyes had narrowed a little, like they did when a planning meeting started to run long because people couldn't get to the point.

"We prayed to the Mother, and She deigned to grace us with Her presence in Her vessel, elevating it above us all!" Baker's smile was a bit too wide in Adora's opinion.

"Her blessings fill the void in our souls and rejuvenate nature." Hong's, too.

"It was such a revelation!" Cranston nodded. "I've seen spirits before - we tested that part of the ritual on a smaller scale, for which I hope we'll get extra credit in Mystacor - but summoning Gaia…" She shook her head. "You can't describe it. You have to experience it. To feel it."

Adora frowned. That sounded like…

"You summoned a spirit? That's a possessed plant?" Glimmer looked a bit spooked.

"Gaia, the spirit of Earth herself!" Baker corrected her. "The Mother Goddess."

"We called for Her, begged for a boon, and She answered and graced us with Her presence," Hong added.

"That's not a spell… It's a spirit. The entire tree is held together by a spirit." Glimmer sounded as if she was talking to herself.

"Yes." Cranston nodded again. "Spirit magic. We hope we can learn more and then teach it to our friends in Mystacor."

"We have a theory that you are the vessel of the spirit of Etheria, Princess She-Ra," Gomez said. "Gaia's counterpart, so to speak."

"Yes!" Cranston's ponytail bopped again. "Etheria's magic is an expression of its spirit, and so it manifests as the power of princesses while Gaia - Earth's magic - is focused on nature. But the principle is the same."

"Who thought of this theory?" Glimmer blurted out. "That goes against everything we learnt at Mystacor!"

"Well… we did," Gomez said. "Mystacor's accepted magical theories don't account for many of Earth's magical traditions, so we need a better theory to unify both traditions. We're still working on it, though."

"It's our thesis project," Hutchings spoke up.

Adora shook her head as she stared at the tree. This was supposed to be Earth's She-Ra? That made no sense!

"Well, you're much more beautiful," Catra, who had been uncharacteristically silent so far, commented. "I don't think the tree would look half as good in a dress." Before Adora could say anything to that, she turned to look at the sorceresses. "So, why did you summon Gaia?"

"To show the world Her grace!"

"To give her a vessel to spread Her blessings."

"To show those who fear magic that there's nothing to fear."

"We wanted to counter all the fear-mongering done by the Evangelicals in the election," Cranston said.

Adora looked at the tree, then at the protestors in the distance.

Glimmer closed her eyes and cursed under her breath.

And Catra snorted.

*****​

"They summoned a spirit into the tree?" Samantha Carter was rarely surprised, but this, she hadn't expected. Or, rather, she hadn't expected this on such a scale. "We'll need to readjust our projections of the impact magic has on Earth." Well, they'd already known that when they discovered the tree, but if this was the work of a spirit, then that changed things even further. Using magic to enhance plants was one thing - Perfuma had demonstrated that power extensively, and Sam knew its limits - but spirits?

"Yes!" Entrapta nodded. "And we need to find out more about spirit magic!"

"Apparently, Mystacor has a study group about that kind of magic," Glimmer said with a frown. "Although I thought it was a bit more academic."

"We need to check what the researchers from Mystacor who went to Earth are doing here; if students can do this, imagine what trained sorceresses can do if they put their mind to it," Bow added.

"We need to, yes, but I don't think they are more advanced than this." Glimmer gestured at the tree above them. "This is Earth's magic. I don't think the researchers have an easy time summoning spirits - they are trained completely differently, and have been using Etherian magic for decades."

That sounded logical, but it was perhaps a bit too optimistic, in Sam's opinion. She tended to assume the worst in such cases. And with magic, you couldn't be too cautious. "We'll need to investigate every member of this group," she said. "To check if they really are what they claim. That a group of students managed such a feat seems a bit suspicious."

"Students and two groups of local sorceresses," Glimmer said. "And, as far as we can tell, they were following one of Earth's magical traditions - two in this case - before Adora restored Earth's magic, so they already had an idea about magic. That would have granted them an advantage."

"An advantage big enough to create this?" Sam raised her eyebrows.

"Well… I'm no expert on spirit magic, but if the spirits have a will of their own, as the sorceresses here claim, and if they are tied into Earth's magic, then they could have been helping with the ritual - they might have been waiting for such a chance," Glimmer said.

That sounded even more alarming to Sam. A sapient, independent, magical spirit with this power? And now possessing a tree? If the spirit could animate its vessel, like a poltergeist or what those news reports she had seen had described, then that would result in an Ent the size of Godzilla… Not that she would word it like that; the General would make fun of her for using a term from Tolkien.

"Well, then we should test this! Let's make contact with Gaia!" Entrapta beamed.

Sam winced. "I don't think that will be easy."

"As far as we know, we can't just talk to the spirits," Glimmer said. "We'd have to do a ritual. One specific for this spirit."

"We can ask the ones who summoned her to help us, I think. You said they wanted to show that magic is helpful and shouldn't be feared, so they will help us, right?"

They probably would - at least most of them; according to the General, the Magical Movement was composed of idealists. He hadn't meant that as a compliment, Sam knew - his exact words had been 'like the most naive people from the Peace Corps, just with nukes at their disposal'.

If they genuinely thought that creating a four-hundred-feet-tall magical tree would reassure people that magic was harmless, then Sam felt inclined to agree with that assessment. It had had the complete opposite effect. Even with the Alliance releasing several news bulletins to calm people down, it seemed the country was just a few steps away from mass hysteria.

That several conservative politicians and news channels were trying to use this for the election wasn't helping, of course. The police had already had to stop a self-styled exorcist - the Vatican had denied any connection - from trying to reach the tree, and some of the protestors were getting increasingly agitated, as a quick check of the feeds from the surveillance bots had told Sam.

If they couldn't get this under control, things would take a turn for the worse. Barrow was almost constantly on the phone with Washington and was still pushing to remove the tree. Sam wasn't an expert on myths, but she had read enough - and heard about a few more from Daniel - to know that angering the spirits was never a good idea, and she couldn't imagine anything that would anger a spirit faster than destroying - or attempting to do so - its apparent home.

Sam sighed. "Yes, let's talk to them before they try to help us."

Entrapta looked confused, but Glimmer and Bow both nodded with grim expressions.

*****​

Mojave Containment Zone, California, United States of America, August 22nd 2000

"...and this witch tree cannot be allowed to keep standing! We cannot allow impressionable children to be led astray by it! I do not hold with transparent excuses about magic protecting it. If the government cannot remove an illegally planted tree, then the government needs to be removed and replaced by one that will protect its people and faith! We shall gather…"

"Mother Gaia has returned! Kept away from Earth for a thousand years, She is finally back amongst us, to guide and protect us in a time of need! Come, bask in Her glory, meditate in Her shade, enjoy the fruits of Her vessel!"

"...latest news, the FDA has released a statement advising the population not to ingest any products from the magic tree in the Mojave desert, citing a lack of testing and studies and concerns about possible side effects. Several religious groups have already filed suits to challenge the decision despite the fact that it was merely an advisory bulletin, the FDA not having the power to prohibit people from eating natural fruits, and…"

"...the Governor announced that, for the time being, the area around the tree will be sealed off by the police while the situation is under examination by experts. Asked about the presence of Alliance soldiers including the Supreme Commander Adora, the spokesperson said that as the leading experts on such phenomena, Alliance personnel were present to study the tree to determine if it presented a threat to the local population but detailed that, so far, there was no evidence that the tree was of alien origin."

"...the statement released by his campaign offices denounced the government for allowing the deployment of foreign soldiers on US soil and the lack of 'decisive action to deal with a clear and present danger to our country and people'. He promised that, should he be elected, he would enact much stricter policies in both areas. Neither he nor his campaign manager reacted to questions regarding state rights and such matters, and…"

"...and so we come to our next topic: Spirits! What are they? Are they actual beings with a will of their own? Are they merely the manifestation of the subconscious beliefs and desires of those who summon them? Magic given form by unconscious intent? Are they divine messengers? How do spirits fit in with modern theology? We'll be discussing these questions with Dr Claire Belafonte from the University of Louisiana, Padre Alonso Garcia, recently appointed by the pope to research such phenomena, Minister Keith Gable from the Southern Baptist Church and Miss Elisa Carlyle, a member of the Minnesota Coven."


So, no real news. Catra checked that the crowds around the freshly named containment zone hadn't started fighting - the police had tried to disperse both protestors and counter-protestors, but hadn't been successful, what with more people arriving by the hour - and switched her tablet off. "We'll need to move in some troops to protect the tree," she said. They couldn't legally support the police directly, but as long as they were examining the tree, they could protect it and themselves. That was a lot of leeway.

Adora, sitting in front of the command console in the shuttle, winced. "The American government wants the Constitution II moved in 'in case it's needed', and I just told them that there's no need for naval assets," Adora replied.

"They want a warship hovering above the tree?" Catra shook her head. Granted, the American frigates weren't much as far as warships were concerned, but it would still be an escalation. And she didn't trust that thing not to suffer a critical failure and crash in the atmosphere. "We need more troops on the ground, not ships in the air."

"The governor is sending in the National Guard as soon as he clears the legal hurdles, or so he said," Adora told her.

"And how soon will that be?" Catra asked. "Those crowds aren't getting any smaller, and the talking heads on the news are getting worse."

"It won't take that long - they're already getting ready, or so I heard."

Catra scoffed. "We need better security than that if you're about to talk to Gaia." She wouldn't let her love risk herself with all those nutcases around talking about burning trees and witches. "We don't want the spirit feel threatened, should things go wrong at the perimeter," she added. Adora might not want more security for herself, but this was another thing.

And as Catra had known, Adora frowned but nodded. "I'll tell Jack to move in more of his people."

"He can call it an exercise as cover," Catra said. "So… shall we go and find out if that tree is your counterpart on Earth? We can ask Gaia if she wants to be called Tree-Ra."

Adora pouted at her, and Catra grinned. She would be milking this for a long time.

*****​
 
Chapter 189: The Election Campaign Part 11 New
Chapter 189: The Election Campaign Part 11

Mojave Containment Zone, California, United States of America, August 22nd 2000


"Task Force Tree! Deploy along the perimeter - and check that your HUDs are hooked up to the scanner network. We don't want anyone to slip through and get to the objective! Remember the rules of engagement!"

Standing in the new command post of the containment zone, Jack O'Neill watched as Major Hawking ordered his troops to disembark from their transports and spread out in fire teams to occupy their assigned sectors. Hawking had wanted to use the assignment to conduct a planetary assault landing exercise, but Jack had put his foot down - the last thing anyone needed was Alliance Special Forces arriving as if they were raiding a Goa'uld base, in full view of the press and the protestors. Really, Hawking, a Marine, should have known better.

Jack made a note to add another training course for his officers about diplomacy. Maybe he could get Daniel to give a lecture; the man had the cred to reach some of his more stubborn officers. If not, he would have to make a former Green Beret do it; someone who was trained to work with a local population to minimise friction.

"Will they respect the rules of engagement?" Colonel Brown, the commander of the National Guard forces forming the outer perimeter of the exclusion zone, asked.

Jack raised his eyebrows at him. "They're not a bunch of trigger-happy soldiers," he said.

"Noted, sir." Brown nodded. He didn't look happy.

Well, he would have been even unhappier if Jack had said 'weekend warriors' instead of 'soldiers'. Even though the National Guard soldiers were more likely to shoot a stupid kid trying to sneak through the perimeter than Jack's people. But that would have added more friction to the mess here. Still, a little reminder was a good idea. "What about yours?"

Brown pressed his lips together before answering. "They're not going to massacre civilians, sir."

"Noted," Jack couldn't help commenting.

"Sir!" Hawking had arrived at the command post. "The troops have secured the tree as ordered!" He nodded at Brown. "Colonel."

"Major." Brown narrowed his eyes at the Marine. "We've already secured the perimeter."

"Yes, sir."

Jack suppressed a sigh. "Alright. So, let's hope the police can handle the protestors, and this will just turn out to be a waste of money and time." At the very least, seeing a bunch of transport shuttles touch down should have given the more fanatic protestors pause.

"Sir! There's an incident at the outer perimeter!" a noncom watching the feed from the sensors announced.

"I just had to taunt Murphy," Jack muttered. "Put it on the main screen!"

The picture showing the tree from a flying bot changed, showing a crowd of protestors trying to push through the police lines - they had already tried to go around the road blocks thrown up and had reached the end of the fences that had been thrown up so far.

"Brad! Move a platoon to be ready to support the police if they call for aid!" Brown snapped. "And get ready to stop a breach!"

"Yes, sir!"

Not a bad move, but potentially dangerous if things escalated. None of the National Guard troops had fresh crowd control training last Jack had checked. Few of his troops had completed that training, either - it wasn't a priority - but the Alliance had other means to help there.

He tapped his commlink. "Perfuma? We might need you to reinforce the perimeter."

"Alright, Jack!"

He nodded, then turned to Brown. "Keep your soldiers back. We need a bit of free space there."

"What for, General?" Brown stared at him.

Hawking, of course, had realised what would be happening. "Oh. They're not going to like that," he said, though he was grinning.

"Who won't like what?" Brown sounded annoyed.

"A bunch of people, mostly idiots, and that." Jack grinned as he pointed at the screen.

"What is…" Brow trailed off, staring at the feed.

Multiple plants shot out of the ground, forming a dense hedge row-like fence made out of what looked like mutant cactuses right behind the police line.

"But… Are the witches doing this?"

"No. That's Princess Perfuma's work," Jack said. Planned in advance, but Brown should realise that himself.

The crowd was backing off, at least for a moment, faced with an impenetrable wall of thorny plants. Not that the thorns would actually hurt anyone - Perfuma wouldn't risk people getting hurt.

But then, they seemed to grow even more determined. The police were giving ground, moving to the side, and the first rioters reached the plants with axes and saws, but also bottles and Jerry cans.

Jack sighed. "And the police didn't listen when I told them to wear gas masks… Alright." He tapped the communicator again. "Perfuma? Put'em to flight, please."

"Alright, Jack!"

A moment later, the 'thorns' opened and released a yellowish gas that quickly spread along the ground. Everyone inside quickly started running out of the cloud.

"What's happening?" Brown asked.

"That's a plant version of a skunk's spray," Jack said. "We've got a neutraliser, if anyone of yours is too dumb to stay away. Or anyone of the cops," he added when he saw one of the police officers stumbling back, throwing his helmet away and holding his nose.

Brown grimaced as if he had personal experience with skunks. "Yes, I don't think they'll like this."

*****​

"You want to contact Mother Gaia, Supreme Commander?" Cranston seemed surprised, Adora noticed.

"Yes," she said. "We wish to contact the spirit you summoned."

"How else can we find out what she wants?" Entrapta chimed in. "We could observe and deduce her goals from her actions, but that's difficult, and we might miss crucial data by not noticing her actions."

"We want to find out if Gaia's She-Ra's counterpart on Earth," Catra added.

Adora was glad that Catra hadn't called Gaia 'Tree-Ra', but she knew Catra would do it sooner or later.

"Ah." Cranston nodded with a smile. "That's a very good idea!"

"I sense a 'but' coming," Catra said.

Right, that smile had looked a bit apologetic. And now Cranston was wincing. "Well… we know how to summon Gaia, obviously. But she's already been summoned, so, it might not be a good idea to try and summon her again. We don't know, but if she would consider such an attempt an insult - or an attack - then the results would be, ah, bad."

Glimmer groaned. "You didn't plan to contact the spirit after summoning?"

"We had a limited window of opportunity, and we focused on summoning her and creating a vessel for her," Gomez replied. "That was our priority."

"And you planned to just… leave the spirit alone?" Glimmer had narrowed her eyes, and Bow looked concerned.

"Yes," Baker, the Wicca, cut in. "We trust in Mother Gaia. We wouldn't have summoned Her if we didn't trust in Her decisions."

"Weren't you supposed to be all about checks and balances?" Glimmer snapped. "Trust, but verify?"

"That's for humans, not for Mother Gaia," Baker said with a deep frown.

Hong, the one from the 'Sequoia Conclave', which was apparently a magic group focused on plant and nature magic, nodded. "To ask Her for services, as if she were a mundane servant…" He shook his head. "That would be almost blasphemous."

"Not almost!" Baker disagreed. "It would be blasphemous!"

"It's not blasphemous to beg Her for help as long as it is done with the proper respect," Hong retorted.

"And with an urgent need," Baker said. "There is no urgent need."

"I think the US government disagrees with that," Catra said.

"And we need that data to decide if the tree's safe," Entrapta added.

"Which is pretty urgent since if it's not safe, we need to evacuate people," Glimmer said. "Before the tree collapses."

"Or the American government decides to remove the tree," Catra added.

"They can't!" Baker gasped.

"That would go against everything we stand for!" Cranston said. "Like… demolishing a church! Or the Vatican!"

"They actually do demolish churches if they're unsafe," Daniel said.

"Mother Gaia isn't unsafe!" Baker snapped.

"Unfortunately, the government won't take your word for it," Glimmer said. "So, we need to talk to Gaia and find out what she wants. And whether that is dangerous for the people here."

Or for Earth, Adora added. If Gaia was Earth's guarding spirit, she probably could affect the entire planet. "We really need to talk to her," she said, smiling at the sorceresses. "It's not about the government, it's about seeing what she wants and how we can help her." If they could or wanted to help them.

Cranston and the others exchanged a few glances. "Well… there are rituals to contact her. But we didn't really use them on Gaia, only on lesser spirits. Nature spirits," Hong said.

"And other spirits bound to places," Baker added. "But we should make sure that the ritual is perfect. We cannot afford mistakes when calling on Gaia. If she feels slighted, he consequences could be fatal."

That didn't sound very reassuring. Nor did it make Gaia sound like a guardian of Earth - Adora would never threaten the people whom she was protecting like that. It sounded more like Gaia was one of the goddesses from the Earth myths Daniel had told them about, those who would kill people on a whim. Well, most of those had been Goa'uld, so maybe that was a bad example.

But they would have to be careful when contacting them. Maybe Adora should do that by herself.

"You're not going to do that alone," Catra whispered next to her.

"What?" Adora looked at her.

"I know that expression. I know what you were thinking." Catra glared at her. "I'm not going to let you do that alone."

"But…"

"We're not going to repeat the Heart thing, got it?"

Adora winced. There was no arguing with Catra when she used that tone. Sighing, she nodded.

"And that goes for us as well," Glimmer said.

"Yes." Bow smiled.

Daniel looked eager as well, even if Sha're looked like she had doubts. But Adora didn't think Sha're would let Daniel meet Gaia without her any more than Catra would let her do it.

"Let's see what we need to do," she said. "We don't want to make a mistake either."

Now the sorceresses looked concerned. That was also a bad sign.

*****​

Samantha Carter was really glad that the new uniforms they had designed had integrated filters able to handle biological and chemical weapons. That plant-based skunk spray Perfuma had created was probably a match for either category - she had been tempted to rely on the vacuum seal and internal air supply, including carbon dioxide scrubbers, when she had seen the projected effect, but that had, fortunately, turned out not to be needed. Still, hints of the stench had reached the command post where the General was meeting with the rest of the officers and the government representatives.

"You've used biological weapons against American people on American soil? Are you crazy?"

The uniforms also had ear protection, though Barrow's yelling hadn't yet reached the threshold for their activation - Sam checked.

"It's skunk spray," the General told her. "Perfectly fine. Organic even."

"Plants don't naturally produce skunk spray! You've just violated multiple regulations by releasing untested organisms in the wild! Genetically engineered organisms! And on people!"

"Actually, it was magically created on the spot," the General told her. "On my request as the Alliance commander in charge of security here. Do I have to remind you that the US Government requested our involvement here because they consider the magic tree a potential alien threat?"

Not entirely without reason, Sam had to - silently- admit.

"We want you to remove the tree, not introduce even more alien organisms and gas the American people in front of the media!"

"Technically, it's more of a spray than a gas," the General said.

"That works out the same! Look at the media coverage!" Barrow yelled again, pointing at the TV in the corner of the command post.

Sam winced a little. The Alliance press release had emphasised that the agent was a derivative of skunk spray and organic, but seeing the clouds and the retching protestors - as well as the few police officers who had ignored the warnings and orders - made it look a lot more dangerous.

"Looks like a typical riot to me. The Europeans use tear gas all the time against protestors."

"We're not in Europe! Do you have any idea how this looks to the American public? The conservative pundits are already screaming about weapons of mass destruction used by the Alliance on our soil!"

And, Sam reminded herself, that was what this was all about: the optics. Never mind the actual facts, or the very real threat that tree posed, should some fool try to cut or burn it down.

"Would you have preferred us to gun them down?" The General wasn't grinning any more. "Or to let them attack the giant magical spirit-possessed tree?"

"Of course not! But you could have handled this without resorting to skunk spray!"

"And risk the soldiers' lives?" The General frowned. "The National Guard didn't bring their riot control gear."

The National Guard commander cleared his throat. "My unit was working up for potential combat deployment, not crowd control. We didn't have riot control gear ready. We've requested it, but it hasn't been delivered yet."

"Combat deployment?" Barrow looked confused.

"To replace an army unit in Korea which will be sent off-planet," the officer explained.

"We still have obligations to our allies on Earth," the General said. "Can't just ignore that while we fight the snakes."

"Whatever! What are you going to do about this?"

"We're treating all the affected with the counter-agent. Well, those we arrested - those who fled will stink for a while." The General grinned. "Should make arresting them easier. Well, provided you're packing gas masks. And the car and jail might need some thorough airing out afterwards. And other prisoners might complain."

Barrow stared at him, then closed her eyes. "That's abuse of suspects and prisoners!"

"But it will look nice and funny on the TV," the General said. "Stinky criminals getting arrested should play well with the American public."

Sam glared at him, but - to her surprise - Barrow seemed to grudgingly, very grudgingly, accept his claim. "Let's hope that this works out. If we can tie this mess to the conservative protestors, that should even things out some. The pundits will still try to bury us in gas attack complaints, but as long as you remove the tree post haste, this should be manageable."

"Ah, about that…" The General shrugged. "Before we can decide anything about the tree, we'll have to talk to it."

"Talk to the tree?"

"The spirit possessing it, technically, but as I understand, it's mostly the same thing. They are preparing a ritual to contact it right now."

"Another magic ritual? Without permission? Who authorised that?"

"Supreme Commander Adora did. Requested it, actually," the General told her. "And, as I was told, since magical rituals were declared a sort of prayer, we can't actually stop people from exercising their constitutional rights."

"That was before magic was proven real! There are numerous cases contesting that decision in light of the new information!"

The General was misrepresenting things. Magic used to harm or endanger people was illegal, Sam had checked that herself. But the exact definitions were a bit vague, and talking to a spirit was not exactly the same as planting a curse on someone with a voodoo ritual.

"I need to contact Washington!" Barrow turned away as she pulled out her portable phone.

An Earth-built phone, Sam noted, not the advanced communicators the Alliance used. Was that a sign that Barrow was too low in the hierarchy to deserve the best technology? Or just personal preference? Or was the US government deliberately not using advanced communications for this?

She ignored the stray thoughts and focused on her work again. They needed to calibrate the scanners to cover the tree for the ritual that the others were preparing. Any data would be helpful.

*****​

Catra stared at the hut in front of them. It looked a bit unstable and shabby - if that had been the work of a Horde platoon, she would have punished them. And the smoke wafting over… "I thought those 'sky clad rituals' were an urban legend."

"They are," Glimme replied.

"So, why are we stripping down?" Catra asked. The new suit was perfectly fine in this climate.

"Because we need to ritually cleanse ourselves before the ritual."

"I am clean." She had washed.

"It's a ritual. It's about the spirit."

"You just said these rituals were an urban legend." Catra smirked.

"Gah! You know what I mean!" Glimmer glared at her, arms crossed over her chest.

"No, I don't. That's why I asked." Catra smiled as innocently as she could.

"Catra." Adora cut in. "We're on a schedule here."

Catra frowned at her lover - who had already stripped down to her underwear, she noted. "This is going to be hell on my fur," she complained.

"You'll live," Glimmer said next to her. "Probably."

"Glimmer!" Adora turned to frown at Glimmer.

"Hey, I'm not the one holding us up." Glimmer huffed, then addressed Catra: "Isn't this just like all that desert training you bragged about?"

"It's not like that at all," Catra said. "If I have to get hot and sweaty, I'd rather do it by doing something - or someone," she added with a grin at Adora.

Her love blushed as expected. "Ah… Let's get this over with! For the Honour of Grayskull!"

Catra smirked again and pulled her suit off. Time to bite it and enter the stupid 'sweat lodge'.

It was as bad as she expected. Too hot and too… smelly. All those herbs and stuff they were burning stung her nose. And it was packed - all her friends and all the local sorceresses stuffed into a hut barely big enough to hold everyone. "Who came up with this?"

"Sweat baths are a Native American tradition," Daniel told her. "Although while I am not an expert on these cultures, I have looked into the matter and I don't think what we are doing here is following any known tradition."

"We have adapted the tradition to better suit our needs," Baker explained. "While we respect the customs of those who came before us, this is a new era, and we need to chart our own course."

"Indeed. As nature shows us, those who do not grow and adapt will fade," Hong added. "Spirits do not remain static either. They change as the world changes, and our rituals must reflect this."

That sounded like a bunch of hot air to Catra, but she wasn't a sorceress. And the huge tree outside kind of proved that no matter how weird it sounded, it was working.

But, she added as she shuddered and had to suppress a sneezing fit again, if she ever found out that this stupid ritual wasn't actually necessary to contact this spirit, heads would roll! Getting this stench out of her fur would take ages and more shampoo than Entrapta used in a week!

"Now let us call on the spirits to cleanse us!" Baker said, holding up a cup of water. Scented water. With some muttered words that made no sense to Catra, she poured it down on the hot stone in the centre, and steam started filling the small room.

"That's another adaptation, I think," Catra heard Daniel whisper while she struggled with the sudden heat and overpowering scent.

This better be worth it.

*****​

When they had finally finished and left the sweat lodge, Catra coughed and snorted, trying to clear her nose and throat. It didn't really work - and would be pointless with her fur reeking like she had bathed in herbal essence.

"Are you coughing up a hairball?" Glimmer asked.

"Ha ha ha." Catra narrowed her eyes at her. "You look as if you lost a fight with Mermista."

"You don't look any better!"

"Catra! Glimmer!" Adora was frowning at them. She looked magnificent, of course. Not even an hour spent sweating could really diminish She-Ra's appearance.

"Now we garb ourselves in the robes prepared for the ritual," Baker said, pointing at a stack of clothes.

"Those are adapted as well, right?" Daniel asked while he held up a piece. "I'm not familiar with this style."

"Yes," Hong confirmed. "The style unites our traditions."

"Most of the native sorceresses on Earth seem to stick to their ancient traditions," Glimmer said.

"At nature's core lie innovation and adaptation."

"As long as it works," Catra said, slipping a robe on - it was getting a bit chilly here. The fabric itched a bit on her fur, but it was tolerable. Almost like wrapped up in a blanket.

And she had, unlike certain others, no problem with walking barefoot in the desert to the ritual place - her feet were used to this.

They passed the guards posted by Jack and reached the circle that had been cleared and drawn in front of the tree's trunk.

"Don't step on the circle's lines," Baker told them.

As if Catra would - the lines were already glowing dimly. She knew better than to tempt fate like that. In fact… Craning her neck to look up at the tree's crown above them, she noticed that the tree itself was dotted by small sparkles, and the trunk seemed to glow a little as well.

She felt her fur stand up as a slight shiver ran through her body. This was the first time the sorceresses here were trying this. If they messed this up…

*****​

"The ritual is about to begin, sir. They're finishing the preparations."

Jack O'Neill looked up from his tablet and nodded. "Keep me informed if anything happens, Carter. If that tree starts growing, moving, or anything weird starts happening, I need to know at once."

"Yes, sir. So far, there's been no change."

"Good. Colonel Brown, how far along are your preparations to evacuate the area?"

"We're ready to leave our position at a moment's notice, General."

That was not quite correct - they weren't sitting in their vehicles with the engines running, Jack had checked - but they were all reasonably close to their APCs and trucks.

The soldiers weren't a problem - the civilians and the police were. He frowned at the tablet showing him that there were still civilians in the extended perimeter. "What's the police doing? They should have evacuated the area an hour ago."

"They are faced with passive resistance, sir. The protesters are not willing to vacate the area," his aide-de-camp replied. "They claim they want to remain in the presence of, ah, Mother Gaia."

"You can't start the ritual while civilians are in danger, General!" Barrow snapped.

"As we were briefed, the ritual has to take place now or the stars aren't aligned properly," he told her. Something about having had to rush the whole thing, but Jack wasn't an expert on magic and didn't want to be.

"We cannot risk the lives of American people!"

"We're already doing that every time we launch an offensive," Jack retorted. "Besides, shouldn't you be yelling at the police for not removing those people from the area?"

"They're exercising their First Amendment rights," Mr Hallis, the governor's representative, cut in.

"We've challenged the decision," Barrow told the man with a frown before turning back to Jack. "Can't you stop this ritual?"

"We need to talk to the spirit." Jack frowned. "We need to know what it wants so we can sort things out."

"And what if it turns hostile? We are talking about an utterly alien entity influenced by a cult! Similar cults have used magic to launch terrorist attacks in other countries!" Barrow raised her voice.

Yeah, logging in the rainforest had become quite dangerous, Jack thought. As had dumping industrial waste into rivers.

"That doesn't mean people here will do the same," Hallis retorted. "I expect such fear-mongering from the opposition, not from our own government."

"And who do you think will take the blame if this turns into a massacre?" Barrow snapped.

"General O'Neill doesn't seem very worried," Hallis said. "And you have a reputation for doing what you consider necessary no matter the orders or laws, General," he added with a nod at Jack.

Jack chuckled in return. "My reputation precedes me." Well, he had worked hard for that. "If things turn bad, we'll do our best to contain the danger and gain enough time for the civilians to evacuate." Also known as move everyone away and hope they could talk the spirit down, or have She-Ra handle it before the fleet was called in.

"Can you contain this?" Barrow asked. "Every news agency in the country is covering this!"

"Nothing is certain," he replied. "But we've got She-Ra here." And a squadron of frigates in orbit. Horde frigates, not the Navy's boondoggles.

That didn't reassure Barrow. To be fair, Jack was a lot less confident than he acted. But short of praying, they had done everything they could that wouldn't do more harm than good. And with all the things he had seen, Jack wasn't sure if praying wouldn't make things worse.

He suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine, and his skin felt all tingly. He glanced at the others in the command post - none of them had reacted in any way.

Damn. That meant something magical was happening. Something so powerful, even Jack could feel it. "They started the ritual," he said.

Carter looked up at him, her eyes widening for a moment. "Yes, sir."

"Keep an eye on the tree," he repeated his earlier order.

Was it just him, or did the tree look like it was starting to glow?

*****​

"These robes are trash."

Adora wouldn't go as far as that. The robes itched a little - they might be 'homespun' and 'organic', but they weren't nearly the quality Adora was used to from robes back on Etheria - but she didn't think they were as bad as Glimmer claimed. And she wouldn't say so even if they were; that would be rude. Besides, as She-Ra, they didn't itch at all. "They have done their best, I think."

"If that's the best, I don't want to know what their worst is," Glimmer snapped as she scratched her arm under the robe while they waited for the circle to be completed. "How did they manage to summon such a powerful spirit if they can't even get decent robes?"

"I didn't know you needed fancy clothes for magic," Catra cut in. "I guess that explains all the money you spend on silk."

"That's not…" Glimmer scowled. "My clothes have to match a certain standard since I represent my kingdom."

"But you don't need fancy clothes to do magic."

"No," Glimmer spat.

"Well, it's still impressive." Catra craned her neck to look at the tree. "They did this over vacation?"

"No. The local sorceresses have been working on the ritual practically since Adora restored magic to Earth," Glimmer said. "I asked them. The students from Mystacor only helped out a little and mainly provided the power for the ritual."

"So, the locals made all this up from scratch? Without any help from Mystacor?" Catra whistled.

That sounded even more impressive, at least to Adora.

"I'm sure Mystacor's education did help with the finishing touches. And might be the reason why they didn't kill themselves summoning such a powerful spirit into a vessel they prepared using half-understood magic," Glimmer said. "Though even a novice at Mystacor should know better than to try this!"

"Well, it worked," Catra said.

"It could have caused a catastrophe." Glimmer scowled. "Trying unknown magic is far too dangerous to do on such a scale. Dad would know best - he was there when Shadow Weaver tried it and ended up, well, what she became."

Adora winced and glanced at Catra. Her love was scowling and baring her teeth.

"Feh."

"Well, we're just trying to talk to the spirit. Not… anything else," Adora said.

"If they tried anything else, I'd teleport them into the ocean instead," Glimmer muttered. "It's still dangerous, anyway - that's a very powerful spirit, and they are using an adapted ritual."

"Which you checked," Catra said.

"I did, but I am not as experienced as, say, Dad or Castaspella."

"Well, if it goes wrong, I'll blame you." Catra smirked.

"Oh, you!"

Adora sighed.

But before she could tell her friends to stop bickering, Baker and Hong finally finished checking the circle drawn around them, and Cranston clapped her hands. "Alright, everyone on your spots - this time, it's really on!"

Adora hadn't moved away from her assigned spot, and so she straightened as the sorceresses spread out and stepped into the spaces left for them.

Then, after another check of everyone's position - Glimmer must have really impressed them - the ritual finally started. All the sorceresses from Earth and Mystacor chanted together. Glimmer did as well. Only Adora and Catra didn't, though their presence was still required in the circle. Adora didn't know why, exactly, but she suspected it was because she might be the spirit's counterpart from Etheria. Though…

She felt the magic appear. Not just like the tingling feeling Catra had described when they arrived, but as if her body was… not full, more like echoing? What was the word? Resonance? Something like that?

In any case, she could feel the magic slowly growing stronger as it filled the circle, and the lines drawn on the ground started to glow, then shine. She wasn't quite sure, but the tree seemed to be glowing more brightly as well.

And the chanting grew louder. And the circle shone more and more brightly. Not blindingly, but… the darkness around them was completely gone. It was as bright as noon.

And then Cranston raised her hands over her head, called out something in a language Adora didn't know, and the light disappeared.

But the magic didn't. It was growing stronger, even - and the air in the centre of the circle started to shimmer as something formed.

A floating, transparent figure - tall, and… buff. Like Scorpia, without her pincers and tail.

Adora licked her lips and resisted the sudden, stupid urge to whistle.

"Gaia."

"Gaia."

"Mother Gaia."

"Mother Goddess"

"Mother!"

The figure, floating above the ground, slowly turned until it was facing Cranston.

"Great Mother, we called you because visitors wish to ask you a question."

More than one, actually, Adora thought as the spirit turned to face her without any prompting from Cranston.

"Ah… Hello!" She smiled at Gaia. "I am Adora - She-Ra, Princess of Power. Protector of Etheria. These are my friends. We wish to talk to you about your plans."

The spirit cocked her head to the side as if she were confused.

"We would like to talk to you about what you want," Adora repeated herself.

Gaia - it had to be Gaia; she was taller than Adora, and Adora was She-Ra - still looked confused. But she was still smiling, so that was good.

"Uh… People are afraid. Some people are afraid," Adora corrected herself. "Because they don't know you. We would like to change that."

Gaia perked up and spread her arms with a wide smile.

Adora blinked - the spirit wasn't wearing any clothes, and while transparent, she was still…

Then the tree shone bright, and magic flooded the circle - no, the area, and Adora felt warm, safe, reassured, everything would be fine, now that…

She blinked again. That was… She glanced around. Catra had that expression she rarely showed but Adora loved - she was utterly relaxed, smiling gently, softly, without that hint of amusement, just happiness. And Glimmer was… smiling with a silly expression. Bow, too - he had his eyes closed. Entrapta, Daniel and Sha're were the same - everyone was the same. Hong had his mouth open and looked dazed.

She winced. "Uh. That… well, it helped, but… It's not what I meant. I mean…" Gaia obviously had understood her. But instead of answering, she had just used magic to make everyone feel safe. Adora gasped - how far had that magic reached? Just how powerful was Gaia?

Gaia looked confused again and floated closer, peering at Adora.

"Uh… I am She-Ra, Princess of Power. I guess that means I don't, uh, calm down easily," Adora explained.

Though Gaia didn't seem to understand - she started circling Adora, and Adora felt gentle tugs against her robes.

Should she call her sword? Or would that be seen as a threat? If Gaia thought she was about to be attacked… Adora grimaced. "Look, it's nice to be reassured, but it's also… wrong. People don't like to be made to feel things, even happiness."

More confusion. And a frown.

What could Adora do? Gaia didn't seem to understand her words, only her… feelings. Oh. Adora swallowed, then spread her arms, smiling invitingly at Gaia. "Come!" She tried to project the same feelings she had just felt. "Come! Let's hug!"

Gaia looked puzzled for a moment, tilting her head, looking at Adora, then at the others, at the circle. Did she expect Adora to use magic?

Adora waved briefly, then spread her arms again.

And Gaia suddenly smiled and floated over, into Adora's arms.

Or she floated over and gathered Adora in her arms - she was bigger, after all.

It was like being held by a warm breeze. A warm, strong but gentle breeze that smelled like spring flowers and hugged your entire body.

Adora squeezed back - carefully - and felt resistance. Soft, not like Scorpia's hard muscles and harder carapace, but still unyielding. Somehow it didn't give any but still felt soft.

She closed her eyes and tried to think, to feel, a question about Gaia. Project her wondering, questioning. Somehow. Adora wished she had paid more attention when Glimmer had told her about meditating. Not that Glimmer had done a lot of meditation. But all she could do was try to make Gaia understand her concerns. No, not understand - feel it. And that was…

A very bright light interrupted her thoughts and made her close her eyes and gasp.

When she opened her eyes, blinking, she found herself floating as well - and in the air. Or in nothingness. Brightly lit, warm nothingness that smelled like spring flowers. And in front of her was Gaia, only bigger and… different. Somehow.

"Ah… where are we?" Adora asked.

Gaia didn't answer. She smiled, though she seemed sad at the same time. She spread her hands, and a sphere appeared between them - no, a blue globe. Earth, Adora recognised the continents. Gaia spread her arms, and the globe grew. Adora could make out lakes and rivers, forests, clouds moving over the land…

…and black lines covering parts of it, the areas darkening around them, like burning. Smoke rose from the ground, turning the clouds black, and Adora caught a hint of smoke and burning wood - and gas - in her nose.

Gaia frowned as the forests started disappearing and dark clouds covered the globe. She flicked her fingers, and bright light touched the sphere, thinning and removing the smoke and letting the dark lines and darker spots wither and shrink.

She smiled at Adora, then pointed at her. A moment later, a globe appeared in front of Adora. She recognised it at once - Etheria.

Gaia nodded at her, then at the world, and Adora placed her palms around it before she realised what she was doing. Oh.

"You are… You are like me? No, like my power?" she asked.

Gaia nodded with a smile.

Adora swallowed. That was… well, not entirely unexpected. They had suspected that, kinda. But still… "And who is your princess? Whom did you choose? Is it the tree?" If the tree really were Tree-Ra, Catra would be horribly smug about it.

Gaia's smile grew, and she slowly, gently shook her head.

"Are you still looking?" Adora asked.

Gaia kept shaking her head.

"You've found your, ah, Princess of Power?"

Gaia nodded.

They hadn't seen anyone like She-Ra. Not that Adora would remember - and she thought she would have recognised someone with her power. Oh! "It's not me, is it? I am Etheriaŝ protector."

Gaia laughed, then pointed at her globe. Thousands of small lights shone on it, Adora saw.

Oh. She blinked. "You've got… a lot of champions. That's how you grant your power?"

Gaia nodded with a smile, and the light around them started to fade.

*****​
 
Chapter 190: The Election Campaign Part 12 New
Chapter 190: The Election Campaign Part 12

Mojave Containment Zone, California, United States of America, August 22nd 2000


Samantha Carter watched her screen as the giant tree started to glow more brightly. "No radiation except for visible light," she reported. Multiple scanners confirmed that. "No emissions that would indicate advanced technology."

"Well, yeah, I think we can safely deduce it's magic," the General replied.

She narrowed her eyes as she frowned, but didn't look up from her computer. Even if you knew that it was most likely magic because you knew about and were observing the ritual, it paid to check anyway.

"Why is everyone just standing there?" Colonel Brown asked.

"Cause it's magic," the General said. "The wrong move might make the tree explode - or their heads."

Sam pressed her lips together for a moment before she answered: "They are communicating with the spirit. They should…" She blinked and trailed off when she suddenly felt completely at ease. Safe. Protected. Loved.

Manipulated, she realised a moment later.

Colonel Brown gasped. "What… what was that?"

"I hope that was the spirit trying to be friendly and non-threatening," the General said.

But it was very threatening. That kind of emotional influence, used against you… Sam clenched her teeth. What if the spirit could use it in more subtle ways? Make you just a bit more trusting? More daring? The potential was frightening.

"Do not be afraid," Major Hawking muttered.

Colonel Brown glared at him. "That's not an angel, Major!"

"Well, it's close enough for me," Major Hawking retorted.

"It's a spirit! Summoned by witches!"

"Most of them prefer the term 'sorceresses'," the General said. "And whatever it is, we're now talking to it, so we better be on our best behaviour - we don't know if the spirit can hear us here."

"But…" Brown actually paled. "They can hear us?"

"We don't know if they can. But we're pretty close to the tree, so… I wouldn't try to make it mad."

They were just barely not under the canopy, Sam knew - just enough of a distance so that they wouldn't be in danger if the tree should topple. But it was basically ground zero for any magical attack with the kind of power the magical detectors were reporting. The light was merely a side effect compared to all the magic gathered in the tree.

And this was created, or summoned, by a bunch of students at Mystacor and a few self-taught practitioners? It was like first-year cadets at the Air Force Academy building their own nukes! She blinked. Alright, if she had wanted to build a nuke as a cadet, and wouldn't have minded breaking enough laws to get a life sentence, she could have done that. But she hadn't.

And then the glow faded - and so did the spirit. But the magic power didn't diminish. She checked her readings, then checked the feeds. Everyone was standing and moving. None had collapsed.

She didn't know if that was a good or bad sign.

"So… let's see what it told our friends," the General said. "We might not have to break out the big honking guns."

"General! You said not to make it mad!" Brown protested.

The General grinned at him. "That's not making it mad - that's warning it that we're not pushovers."

Sam shook her head as she grabbed her laptop and followed the General out of the command post.

*****​

"...so, Adora was kind of frozen for a second, but it was longer for her while they spoke in their minds or something - I don't know yet if it's a magical projection, a sort of telepathy with subjective time, or a multidimensional effect that transproted her consciousness to a higher dimension where time did pass faster. We need more data! But even so, the data we got is fascinating! And we need to see how far that emotional aura reached - it would be a great tool to handle angry crowds, I think!"

Sam nodded at Entrapta's excited explanations. Although she doubted that the government would allow the use of emotion-manipulating magic for crowd control. The potential for abuse was just too great. People would panic if such a policy were implemented - and rightly so. Especially if it couldn't be aimed. On the other hand, imagining how riots would play out if both rioters and police forces suddenly felt safe and calm was a nice mental exercise.

"I don't think we should summon Gaia again for some time." Glimmer said. "Certainly not for experiments. She is not Earth's She-Ra - she's the power behind Earth's She-Ra!"

And that was a disturbing piece of information. Sam - and the leading scholars of Etheria - had assumed that the power behind She-Ra wasn't sapient. It had to be sentient to pick its champion, but none of the planet's records had shown anything like what had happened today.

Then again, Earth's magic was different from Etheria's magic. Some had theorised that it leaned towards 'summons' and 'curses'. Today's ritual seemed to support that.

"So, instead of one tough magical princess-protector like Etheria, Earth gets thousands of tiny ones?" the General said.

"We don't know if those people that Adora saw…"

"I didn't see them - I only saw dots on a globe!" Adora interrupted Glimmer.

"Yes, I know. But we don't know if those Gaia indicated were her chosen champions or just those with the potential to be her champion," Glimmer said.

"I think they were her champions," Adora said. "It felt like that."

"Well, we'll know more as soon as someone summons another giant tree somewhere. It's not something we can miss - we can see the things from space," the General said.

"But… if thousands of people can do this…" Barrow shook her head. "In any case, we cannot let the tree stand! People will think that the government has lost control over our country's security!"

"You want to destroy the vessel of Earth's guardian spirit?" Glimmer shook her head. "Do you want to find out what Earth's She-Ras can do to you in retaliation?"

"But…" Barrow closed her mouth. "That would be an alien attack!"

"What? The guardian spirit of Earth isn't an alien!" Glimmer protested.

"And that would be ignoring the religious aspect of this," Daniel added. "This might become the centre of worship for several religions."

Sam nodded. Religions with access to a spirit as powerful as She-Ra's power. Religious conflicts were bad enough without such power involved.

"I think the tree's here to stay," Catra said.

"At least the government can claim that this goddess is a resident of America," the General joked.

Barrow suddenly blinked, and Sam couldn't help wondering if the General would regret his comment.

*****​

Mojave Containment Zone, California, United States of America, August 23rd 2000

"...and the government maintains the claim that the situation with the Mojave Tree is under control despite thousands of concerned citizens reporting suddenly feeling drugged! How much longer do the American people have to suffer magical threats and attacks? How much longer until no one can be sure any more if they still have a will of their own? How much longer until magic controls the entire country? There is still time to stop this! Time to save our country and our soul! Your vote matters - only together can we repel this attack on the core of our country! Vote for…"

Sitting on a seat in the shuttle's main area, Catra rolled her eyes and switched channels.

"...and here in Washington, everyone is waiting with bated breath for the president's press conference about the Magical Mojave Tree. According to anonymous but usually well-informed sources, the government will not remove the tree, though the reasons for such a contentious decision have not yet been specified. Many Americans are concerned about the effects the tree might have on them, and a recent poll shows that concern about magic affecting their daily life has eclipsed the state of the war against the Goa'uld Empire as the main fear among the population."

"So much for all the reporters covering the attack," Catra muttered. "All those annoyances, and nothing to show for it."

"It did help with morale," Daniel said. "If people are less concerned about the war, that means they are less afraid because of it as well. That certainly is positive. Afraid people tend to make rash decisions, and it is an election year."

"If Etheria were a democracy, the Horde probably would have won," Catra said with a shrug. "I would have demoralised the people with a few campaigns and then promised peace."

"Others have tried that in the past. Democracies can be surprisingly tough to defeat." Daniel shook his head. "At least if there's an existential threat. They are easier to convince to end a war if it's not waged for their own survival and if the people don't think the goal is worth the cost. It's the difference between World War Two and the Vietnam War."

That didn't really sound convincing to Catra. "And what if they are wrong about something not being an existential threat? Or about something being an existential threat?" She pointed at the screen.

"...and magic is much more dangerous than aliens. We can fight aliens - we are fighting them. With weapons, ships and soldiers! But magic? We aren't fighting magic. We are letting it poison our children! Lure them away from God! Corrupt the heart and soul of our nation! The current government has utterly failed the American people - it represents the greatest threat to America since our proud country was born!"

"Those are extremists," Daniel replied - though he was wincing. "The law and the constitution are clear about this."

"Did anyone tell them that?" Catra raised her eyebrows. "They are one step from calling for witch hunts."

"Well, their candidate has opposed such demands. Quite clearly," Daniel said,

"Because that would make the Alliance intervene." Catra crossed her arms over her chest. "But he's still counting on their votes and promising to strictly regulate and control magic." That was fear-mongering.

"That's the usual tactics in an election. Should he be elected, I doubt he'll actually do much about that. Some performative initiatives at most - he knows how important the Alliance is for the country and will not risk it," Daniel said. "A lot of what is said in an election campaign will never be implemented."

"So… your candidates lie to their voters." Catra shook her head.

Daniel shrugged. "In a way, yes. But many people, also and often especially autocratic leaders, promise more than they can actually provide."

That was true. Princesses did the same. Still… "And does everyone know that? Witches and other sorceresses as well a the religious nutcases?" Catra asked. "Because if one of the champions of Tree-Ra thinks that this guy is serious…" She pointed at the screen. "...then we could have a problem."

Daniel winced. "That would be a problem. We should intensify our efforts to find those people so we can talk to them."

Catra snorted. Gaia hadn't given them a map or a communicator. And they had no way to track Gaia's magic. They were working on that, but Catra didn't think Castaspella and her people would develop one soon enough to make a difference. "Anyone with magic could be a champion of her. And there are already people worshipping her who have a magical talent but aren't champions." Or didn't admit it. Though she thought that if Hong or Baker had been blessed by Gaia with her power, they would have said so. "Hell, they might genuinely believe that they are her champions."

Daniel winced again. "Yes, that's quite plausible. The Vatican has released a statement that magical talent wasn't a sign of divine favour nor was magic used by a member of the flock divine, and, therefore, healing people was not considered a miracle if it happened after magic was restored to Earth - although their main argument is that claiming that God needed She-Ra to restore magic to work through his faithful was heresy - but other religions do not have a central authority like that."

"So… a lot of people got magic powers - in a time where people in America are using fear of magic for political gains." Catra shook her head again. "That's not going to end well."

Daniel nodded in agreement, but before he could say anything else, the press conference started.

*****​

"...and the United States Government has determined that the tree that was grown with magic in the Mojave Desert is not a danger to the American people. The United States Government also has recognised that the tree represents a religious and cultural icon for many Americans and, therefore, will be protected against vandalism and further attempts to destroy it."

"There have been rumours that the tree is the seat of 'Mother Gaia', supposedly a guardian spirit of Earth. What does the government have to say about this?"

"The United States Government can neither confirm nor deny those claims at the moment. What it can confirm is that the tree serves as the vessel for a summoned spirit of considerable power, and that those who summoned it call it Gaia, though we have yet to determine what exactly that means."

"Is the government placing magic under the protections of Freedom of Religion? There are several ongoing lawsuits that have yet to reach the Supreme Court concerning this issue."

"The United States Government recognises that worshipping spirits falls under the Freedom of Religion. That doesn't imply anything in general about the practice of magic. This is a matter for the courts."

"What about the Freedom of Religion of those whose religious feelings are hurt and who feel threatened by the presence of obvious pagan magic in their home?"

"The United States are built on the principle of the separation of Church and State. The United States Government will not favour any religion over another."

"Some people would say that by letting one religion use magic, that one is favoured above others."

"Everyone is free to use magic within the bounds of laws, and those bounds are being determined by the courts."

"What about the threat magic represents? There are numerous reports of people being cursed and otherwise assaulted with magic! Many are demanding that strict regulation and controls be placed over magic."

"Was there a question in this? In any case, the United States Government is paying close attention to this question, but the responsibility of litigation lies with Congress."


Jack O'Neill shook his head. "Regulate magic but not guns? Bunch of hypocrites!"

"They didn't claim that Gaia was American," Sha're commented after a moment's silence.

"That would be a step too much after they downplayed Gaia's existence," Daniel said. "The government probably decided that they donˆt want to antagonise the more extremist Christians by acknowledging Gaia as a religious figure."

Jack scoffed. "They've already antagonised those people by acknowledging the gays and not hunting witches. They should go all-in." The Evangelicals would never vote for them anyway.

"That might be a step too far for the moderate Christians," Daniel objected. "And playing it safe, so to speak, won't antagonise the worshippers of Gaia and the other practitioners of magic - it's not as if they have an alternative to vote for."

"No, but they have magic, and if they feel neglected or threatened, they might lash out. There's always someone who will abuse what power they're given," Jack said. "And we don't want someone cursing people en masse as an October surprise." Hell, some of the Evangelical mouthpieces would probably hire a witch to do that if it won them the elections - Jack was sure that the FBI was already spending quite the resources to prevent that; he'd have to ask Paris and Wilkinson if their former buddies at the Bureau could use some unofficial help. The Alliance wasn't supposed to be active in internal matters of its members, but Jack had a feeling that the government wouldn't make a fuss as long as it remained under the table.

"Well, if Gaia is the counterpart to She-Ra's magic, then she won't grant her power to just anyone but those who would wield it responsibly and to help others. At least the known history of She-Ra would suggest that," Daniel said.

"This is Earth, not Etheria," Jack said. "And She-Ra got a huge sword from her power. Not exactly the most peaceful tool." Of course, sometimes you had to take out someone to save people, but right now, even if one of Gaia's Champions - everyone had glared at him for suggesting the name 'Planeteers' - would use magic to take out literal Satan in front of the Capitol, the conservatives would probably denounce it as a threat to Christianity and the American way of living.

"Still, I don't think the two spirits, or powers, are that difficult. Some values are universal," Daniel said. "Though, speaking of universal values, I wonder how the Church of She-Ra will handle this."

Right. Jack had almost forgotten about Priest and the other Clones. "I guess they'll welcome their sister-church or whatever."

"Likely. But I am wondering if the worship will shift from She-Ra to the power behind her, now that Gaia's existence has been confirmed," Daniel said. "Or if it expands into some duality, like the Holy Trinity, where She-Ra is seen as both the champion and part of the power behind her. It's fascinating to watch a religion evolve from its founding, so to speak. It might even split over such a question."

Jack didn't think Priest would let that happen. The Clone was far too canny for that. And in a pinch, they could just ask Adora about it and go with her take on the question. Or what Priest decided was her take - it wasn't as if he listened to her claims that she wasn't a goddess.

But that was a worry for another day. For now, Jack had to deal with the need to protect a magic tree from extremists trying to worship it or burn it down, and the threat of thousands of people suddenly having magic powers and the will to use them.

*****​

"We do not question Mother Gaia. Her decisions are beyond us," Hong said firmly.

"And yet, we can - and probably should - wonder why, amongst the thousands she has chosen, none are in our coven and conclave," Baker retorted.

"It could be that she already blessed us with her power so we could summon her, fulfilling our duty." Cranston shrugged. "Though we also don't know how you'd know if you've been chosen by Gaia as her champion - one of hers."

Adora didn't miss how Cranston, and everyone else at this 'gathering', which looked like a meeting, just in the open under Gaia's Tree, glanced or outright looked at her following that comment. Nor did she miss Catra's snort.

"Adora and I went out for a joyride on a stolen Horde skiff, and she stumbled over a magic sword after we crashed in the woods. Took her a while to find out how to use it, too."

Adora opened her mouth, then closed it again with a pout. That was… exactly how it had happened, but Catra could have worded it better!

She summoned her sword. "Although the sword I found broke later. Then I learned to summon this sword." There was no need to go into details about the First Ones' manipulations and their attempt to use She-Ra to control the stolen magic of the Galaxy through the Heart of Etheria.

"So… Mother Gaia might have placed similar weapons to be found by Her champions?" Hong asked.

"Or She wants us to learn how to summon Her power. Which we already know," Baker said. "We cannot assume that Mother Gaia will do the same as Etheria's spirit.

"That is a good point." Cranston nodded. "Earth's magic traditions are different. On Etheria, She-Ra is acting like a princess since that's how Etheria's magic works - well, the more powerful part of it; sorceresses are different. But princesses are dominant, so to say. Gaia might be working through practitioners like us, lending her power to rituals and other magic." She perked up. "We need to test that and see if the rituals have become more efficient! Although it might only apply if we do Gaia's will, so to speak. But we have to study it and learn more!"

Adora was reminded of Entrapta's attitude for a moment and suppressed a wince. And one more when she saw how other members of the sorceresses who had summoned Gaia's Tree seemed to agree.

"Yes." Hong nodded. "Earth is not Etheria. We do not have chosen princesses. We answer the call when needed, but we do not seek power over others."

"Neither do I," Adora protested. "I protect people, I don't rule them!"

"Yes, Supreme Commander of the Alliance against the Goa'uld," Catra said in a totally sarcastic way.

"Princesses rule their kingdoms because that's their duty, not because they seek power," Glimmer added with a scowl. "Our power comes with an obligation to use it for our people."

"With great power comes great responsibility," one member of Baker's coven said.

Glimmer scowled at her. "I know where that quote comes from!"

Catra snickered, though Adora nodded, remembering that interview one and a half years ago. It may come from a comic book, but it was still correct.

"But how do we test it when we don't know what Gaia's will is?" someone else asked.

Cranston smiled. "We need to work the same magic ritual with different aims and then look at the results each time. If the same effort results in greater effects for certain goals, Gaia is guiding us."

"Or you think so, and your expectations subconsciously guide your magic," Glimmer cut in.

Cranston frowned. "You're right. We would taint our own experiments. We need to do a study with subjects who don't know what we're doing."

That sounded like a recipe for disaster when it involved magic and Gaia's power, at least in Adora's opinion. And in Catra and Glimmer's, if their expressions were any hint.

But the sorceresses from Earth nodded. Their enthusiasm varied, but all seemed to be in favour of such experiments.

"You would set up someone to do magic for reasons Gaia might disagree with - violently - just for an experiment?" Glimmer asked, aghast.

Cranston winced, as did Baker, but Hong shook his head. "We would not set up anyone. We will merely ask to observe others doing magic, for their own goals and reasons, and draw our own conclusions."

"And get caught in the backlash if Gaia makes an example out of someone," Glimmer muttered.

"Mother Gaia wouldn't!" Baker protested. "She watches over us all! She will only punish those who abuse her power or threaten Earth!"

"Better hope she has good aim, then," Catra said. "Collateral damage can be a bitch."

The others glared at her for that, and Adora subtly moved a bit closer to her lover. She wouldn't let anyone attack Catra for sharing her thoughts. Even though she could have done it with a bit more respect.

At least, after her meeting with Gaia, Adora was pretty sure that the spirit wouldn't take offence at Catra's comment. You couldn't love humans like Gaia did - and Adora had felt that love - and not have a sense of humour.

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, August 25th 2000

"...and while the affected area is still under investigation, research teams are hampered by the growing flora, aerial observation has confirmed that there is no giant tree growing in the forest. So far, no casualties have been reported, although several people have been treated for poison ivy exposure despite the plant not being native to the area. The police are keeping people from entering the area and evacuating the hikers and fishermen, though it's unclear how many remain in the affected area…"

"...the Mexican government declined to comment on the growing reports of suspected cartel members found impaled on trees that grew in their homes, stating that the police are still investigating and that it is too early to tell if this is another war between cartels or related to the so-called "Gaia's Awakening" incident in the Mojave Desert in California, yet…"

"...gruesome murder involved drowning the victim in what the police have determined as a toxic mixture of seawater and oil residue in his own home. While the investigation is still underway, rumours claim this is related to the victim's employer, which is involved in several court cases involving irregular disposal of toxic waste, and…"

"...the recently cleared area, where half a dozen new homes were planned to be built, has been covered with trees forming a new forest overnight in a display of obvious magic akin to the Magical tree in the Mojave Desert, albeit on a much smaller scale, so…"

"...visitors to various shrines in Japan report magical blessings as a result of prayers, and…"

"...Greenpeace's press release stated that they condemn violence and were not involved in the recent sinking of a Japanese whaler…"

"...called 'Gaia's Chosen', a group that has not been known so far, yet claimed that the current outbreak of Ebola was stopped using magic…"

"..the government in Tehran denied the incident despite several reports from eyewitnesses claiming that the barracks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the town were completely destroyed by what people described as 'nature itself attacking them', and…"

"...das Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit gab keinen Kommentar ab zu den Meldungen, dass sich die Wasserqualität im Rhein und seinen Nebenflüssen massiv verbessert habe, und erklärte…"

"...massive corruption scandal broke yesterday when the police were called to what eyewitnesses described as plants overgrowing a luxury villa and discovered the personal secretary of the Prime Minister locked in his own bedroom with a million dollars in cash, and…"


Samantha Carter shook her head at what the Alliance intelligence had gathered so far.

"Looks like the Planeteers hit the ground running," the General commented as he looked at the screens displaying the news.

"The official term is 'Gaia's Chosen', I believe, sir," she corrected him. "And we have no reports so far of any magical rings being used."

"Right. I guess Tolkien's estate would sue in that case," he said in a serious voice, though she caught his grin at her playing along. "So, what's your take on this?"

"We can't tell yet how many of all the reported incidents are magical in nature, and how many of those are actually related to Gaia and not the work of Earth practitioners who aren't tied to the spirit," she told him. "Multiple groups have used magic to conduct similar attacks in the past, and some have claimed to act in Gaia's name even before the spirit's summoning. We still haven't found a way to discern between magic powered by Gaia and regular magic, though Mystacor's delegation remains optimistic." And they still weren't certain if it was advisable for the researchers to directly contact Gaia or not.

"I guess it doesn't really make much of a difference if Gaia doesn't give out orders. Everyone seems to be doing what they want, anyway."

"I think, based on how She-Ra was chosen on Etheria, that there is a high likelihood that Gaia deliberately chose champions with values she shares," Daniel spoke up.

"So, she wants eco-terrorism?" The General frowned as he pointed at another report of a CEO found dead in his penthouse.

"She's a spirit, Jack," Daniel replied. "And, again taking out cues from She-Ra's power, which manifested as a sword, she likely doesn't have any qualms about killing her enemies or cares about laws and procedures."

"And what are her enemies?"

Daniel winced. "Well… It's hard to say, and we don't know if she picked the enemies, or if she left that to her champions, but…"

"It looks like her enemies are people who exploit others," Sha're said, looking up from her tablet. "Most of the confirmed victims seem to have been people with power and money."

"That kind of covers a lot of people," the General said with a scowl. "Including pretty much every government."

Sam knew that. And she didn't think Gaia would care overly much about the difference between a CEO and a member of the government. Some vocal people certainly didn't.

"Well, let's hope her champions don't decide to go after an Alliance government." The General shook his head. "Hunting magical terrorists will get messy."

Sam was about to comment on that when the news on the main screen changed.

"Breaking News! Mount Rushmore National Memorial Destroyed! Breaking News!"

It took her a few moments to realise that the picture on the screen was Mount Rushmore as it had looked before the monument had been carved into the hill. And it was a live feed.

"Oh, boy," the General muttered. "That won't go over well back home. Not at all."

*****​

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, United States of America, August 26th 2000

So, that was what, according to several consultants, would decide the American elections. Not the still growing number of people attacked with what so-called experts called 'nature magic', not the regrown forests or the clean rivers, but a mountain top that had been restored to its natural state or something.

Catra shook her head. Earth people were weird.

"If this continues, half the US National Guard is going to be deployed internally," Jack commented, glancing back at the line of soldiers holding back - and separating - protestors. Apparently, the state didn't have enough police to handle this. Or the governor didn't want to be seen handling it, as Danuel had speculated.

In any case, it didn't really matter as long as the crowds didn't start getting too violent. "I think it looks better this way," she said.

"So do a lot of people," Daniel said. "But a lot of people also demand that the monument be restored. Several activist groups, religious communities and, of course, the Sioux Nation have already launched suits to prevent this."

"And even if they did restore it, there's the matter of whoever did this just doing it again," Jack added.

"You could place a magical protection on it," Glimmer suggested. "But…"

"Oh, that would go over well with the Evangelicals," Jack muttered.

Glimmer rolled her eyes. "...but I don't know how well it would match up against whatever magic did this. If Gaia is behind this, then you'd probably need a lot of power to counter her."

"Would it even be possible?" Daniel asked. "Just to cover all options," he added.

"Well… We don't know," Glimmer said. "Earth favours certain types of magic. Spirits and curses, according to the current theories. And Etherian protection magic works without either, so it might be at a disadvantage when opposing those on Earth." She shrugged. "It's all theoretical, though - we haven't really done enough experiments on Earth to tell. Earth magic is still being developed and rediscovered, so no one really knows too much about it in the first place."

"So, we're stumbling around blind. And some people are running around blind," Catra said. "And the US government wants this dealt with yesterday."

"They're having fits." Jack scoffed. "Everyone on TV is talking about it - and blaming the government for it. Never mind that we're fighting a war against an Empire spanning half the galaxy with aliens who want to enslave us, this is much more important for national security."

"It's a symbol for the power of magic, Jack," Daniel said. "Gaia's Tree was impressive, but it grew in the middle of the desert and didn't really change much, at least as far as the average person thought. But this? A national monument everyone knew and many had visited was erased. People are afraid of what else will be erased. Or, as those who celebrate this say, will be restored to its natural state."

"If Gaia does this to our farms, people will starve. All over the world," Jack said with a grim expression. "You can't feed the population by hunting bison and gathering wild corn while living in harmony with the land."

"That's a cliche, Jack!" Daniel objected. "Native Americans used sophisticated agriculture whenever possible - and built extended irrigation systems. Humans have shaped and changed the land on which they lived at least since we started to grow crops. Perhaps even before, depending on the latest theories of the effects of organised hunting."

"Someone tell Gaia that."

"I think she already knows," Adora spoke up. "She is the guardian spirit of Earth."

"We think so, at least," Glimmer said.

"Who else could be that powerful?" Daniel asked.

"Well, one theory is that Gaia had her magic blocked for a thousand years before Adora restored it, and so she's still using a lot of that returned power, and this isn't her normal state," Glimmer said. "Though we haven't tested that either."

It sounded as if they needed to do a hell of a lot of testing, to Catra, to get a handle on this. All those theories and assumptions were not a good basis for important decisions.

"All that doesn't change the fact that the government wants this dealt with," Jack said.

"And how exactly? Do they want the monument restored?" Catra asked. That wouldn't be too hard, as long as no spirits interfered. Entrapta, Sam and Bow could, once they were finished with their analysis, probably reprogram some laser cannons to carve the heads back into the mountain.

"Primarily, they want no more such magical incidents," Jack said. "I guess they will wait for the polls to decide whether or not the monument should be restored."

"Well, the conservative pundits all agree that they want the monument restored immediately," Daniel said. "Or so they claim - if that actually happened, it would, at least to some degree, undermine their claim that the current government is helpless in the face of magic." He shrugged. "But I think that's left to the courts, anyway, so nothing will happen for a few years at least."

"Not here, maybe," Jack said. "But no one knows what Gaia will do next. Or her champions."

And that meant everyone was nervous. And nervous people were prone to panic. And the last thing you wanted was panicking people. Catra nodded.

"Gaia wants to protect Earth - all of it," Adora said. "She doesn't want to hurt us."

"But what about her chosen champions?" Daniel asked.

"It's like handing out weapons of mass destruction to activists with a grudge," Jack said. "Collateral damage will be ugly if we cannot stop this."

Adora frowned at him. "You can't just assume that! Gaia chose them!"

Like She-Ra's magic chose her, Catra knew. This was more than a bit personal for her love.

"Fear-mongering won't help anyone," Adora went on.

"And it's not as if we can do much to stop this, anyway," Glimmer said. "We can't hunt down every sorceress on Earth and check if she's empowered by Gaia. And even if we could, we wouldn't."

"So, we do nothing and hope for the best?" Jack asked.

"We do research," Daniel said. "We find out as much as we can about this… new development. And then we can make an informed decision."

Jack didn't look like he thought this would be working.

Neither did Catra. No ruler wanted to be seen as doing nothing in such a situation. Or, worse, as being unable to do anything. And it would be worse for a democratic government.

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, August 27th 2000

"Good morning, General O'Neill."

"Good morning, Senator." Jack O'Neill resisted the urge to squeeze Kinsey's hand hard enough to leave bruises.

"Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet me."

"My door's always open," Jack said with a forced smile. Open for you scumbag to leave, he silently added. If the President hadn't called ahead and arranged this… At least, Jack had managed to schedule the meeting in Brussels, not on his base. The last thing he wanted was Kinsey near his troops, trying to poach people for his NID buddies.

"Good." Kinsey returned his fake smile with one of his own and sat down across Jack's desk. "I assume you know what this is about."

Jack was tempted to say 'money', but he wasn't that petty. And he wanted this to be over with so he could focus on problems he could deal with - preferably by shooting them. "The election."

Kinsey smiled. "Indeed. More precisely, the recent developments." He leaned forward. "I'll come straight to the point: Can the Alliance stop Gaia and its 'champions' from doing whatever they want to do in America?"

Gaia's champions were active in the entire world. Jack had read reports of incidents attributed to them from all corners of the world, and that was without looking at a series of suspicious deaths amongst powerful people with questionable morals. Like Kinsey and what might be his friends if the man were capable of friendship, actually. But this was about America.

Jack shook his head. "No. We can't find them amongst all the practitioners not empowered by Gaia." Not that tracking the normal sorceresses was any easier. "We're working on that, but it might take years to create a way to track magic like that, or so the experts tell me. Best we can do is propping up the magical defences for key assets, and even that's straining our available magical forces."

The American government wasn't the only one screaming for help; almost everyone in the Alliance wanted more magical protection, most just weren't as public about it. Then again, most other members didn't have to deal with as many nutjobs trying to revive witch hunts as the United States.

Kinsey slowly nodded. "That confirms our own analysis. We can't beat them. Not in the short run."

"We're not exactly helpless. There are just too many practitioners to track," Jack said. "And our sorceresses were planning to deal with regular practitioners, not people empowered by Earth's guardian spirit." Adjusting for such a potential threat took time. Time that should be spent on fighting the Goa'uld.

Kinsey made a dismissive gesture. "Yes, yes, I've seen the reports. It boils down to the fact that we can't expect this wave of magical vandalism and assault, and possibly murder, to stop before November." He leaned forward. "And that means, the United States Government might be replaced by a government put in power by extremists who want to return America to the time of the witch hunts and panicking people who will be seeing witches around every corner. I don't have to tell you what that would mean for the Alliance and the prosperity of the United States."

But you'll do it anyway, Jack thought.

And, as expected, Kinsey went on: "We'll see lynch mobs forming in the streets and witches striking back even if the new government cuts all ties to the Evangelicals instead of trying to appease them by 'regulating' magic. Hell, we'll have to deal with that bullshit even if we win the election. A fellow senator wants Dungeons & Dragons banned as if we were still in the Eighties! Either way, the Alliance won't tolerate that."

Jack nodded. The Alliance wouldn't intervene in a country even if there were witch hunts happening as long as the local government made some credible efforts to stop it - the Etherians had accepted that, though with lots of teeth-gnashing. But if such witch hunts happened across the United States, and the government half-assed its response? Or, worse, the witches blamed the government and started attacking it, prompting retaliation? And while Jack could vouch for his own forces, he wouldn't bet that the rest of the Americans serving in the Alliance would sit tight while this went down in their homes. And if the government called back the soldiers…

"In short, unless an angel from the Lord comes down to set things straight, our country is fucked. And the Lord has been very quiet for a very long time."

So much for his faith. Jack shook his head. "You didn't fly over just to tell me that."

Kinsey smiled. "No, I didn't. You agree that this can't be allowed to happen, don't you?"

Of course not - Jack loved his country.

"So, we won't let it happen."

"And you want my help for whatever you're planning."

"I want the Etherians' help. And you're their best friend. Well, you're the one amongst their best friends who understands what we need to do to save the country."

Jack tensed. "What are you suggesting, Senator?"

"I'm not suggesting anything." Kinsey was all smiles again. "What I need from you is good PR from the Etherians. You know, show how nice magic is. Heal the sick, reclaim the desert, let kids ride on that commie flying unicorn, create green gardens in empty city lots - whatever you can think of. If you can't beat them, join them, and all that."

"That won't stop Gaia's champions from working their magic," Jack pointed out.

"But it will counter the anti-magic campaign, at least to some degree. If we can blunt that, we can win the election - everything else is playing well with the public, even the war."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't seem like you'd need my help for that - the Etherians would do that even if you asked them."

"I also need you to keep them from looking too closely into other things," Kinsey said.

"Other things?"

Kinsey shrugged with a toothy smile. "Criminal investigations, accidents - internal affairs of the United States. It would be bad if they started to interfere with that."

Jack tensed again. They couldn't track Gaia's champions. Kinsey knew that. So, Kinsey's friends in the NID couldn't do anything about them. But they could do something about the people behind the anti-magic campaign. Jack was sure that they had already done something similar about the most vocal opposition to the newest Amendment granting equal rights to gays. All that drug and child abuse that was revealed had been a bit too convenient.

He stared at the Senator. What the man had hinted at was illegal. Election interference and other crimes. Capital crimes. The things Jack had done to other countries in the past.

Kinsey smiled.

*****​
 
Chapter 191: The Election Campaign Part 13 New
Chapter 191: The Election Campaign Part 13

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, August 28th 2000


"...and I have to say it again: You cannot compare guns to magic! Guns are a tool - mundane and safe, provided you know how to use them. Magic is an unnatural, alien power that corrupts its users and allows them to threaten countless people!"

"Safe? Guns kill tens of thousands of people every year in the United States alone! Magic hasn't killed even a dozen! If anything has to be regulated more strictly - far more strictly - it's guns!"

"'Unnatural' and 'alien'? Magic is part of Earth! Aliens stole it a thousand years ago, and it was only recently returned! Magic is the soul of the Earth!"

"Earth has no soul - only humans have souls!"

"That's your opinion."

"That's god's truth!"

"Your god's claim."

"There's only one god!"

"That's blas…"


"This is pointless garbage!" Adora blinked as Catra switched channels.

"...and when we take a closer look at the confirmed acts of magic committed in the United States in the name of Gaia, you can see that the vast majority of them are illegal. Vandalism, assault, destruction of property, outright murder - magic is used to break the law all over the country. The destruction of a national landmark beloved by the people is just the most heinous act we know of!"

"A national landmark that was carved into a mountain considered holy by the Native Americans. Some would say the landmark's creation was an act of vandalism and religious oppression, and magic was used to set it right."

"That's for the courts to decide, not for any individual! America is beholden to the rule of law!"

"What if the law is unjust?"

"That's no excuse for such violence!"

"I'm sure the Founding Fathers would disagree with that stance."

"You cannot compare these terrorists to the Founding Fathers!"

"Why not?"

"That's… The Founding Fathers fought for freedom from an oppressive regime! They didn't try to force their views on the majority of the population!"

"I think you didn't pay attention during your history lessons."

"I was taught history, not communist propaganda!"


Adroa raised her eyebrows at her lover, who pouted. "That was supposed to be a serious discussion, not some Day TV garbage," she complained.

"I think it shows that Gaia's summoning is a very divisive topic which incites a very emotional reaction on all sides," Daniel said.

"It shows that they still pick the craziest nutcases for TV," Jack grumbled. He had been in a bad mood for the entire day. Adora knew he didn't like magic, but she hadn't expected him to be so stressed by the situation.

"Well, the conservatives are using this to push their claims that the government ignores the danger magic presents. They are radicalising their base as a result. Though I agree that the broadcasting and cable companies did pick a few very belligerent people to represent the other side," Daniel said. "However, the crucial question is how the moderates and centrists see this. The latest polls we saw have them leaning towards the conservative viewpoints."

"Erasing Mount Rushmore didn't do them any favour," Jack said.

"Well, it galvanised the conservatives," Daniel said.

Adora scowled. Those were the people who wanted to outlaw her and Catra's relationship. And magic.

"Approval for magic has tanked according to the news poll," Daniel went on. "It seems to be shaping up as the crucial issue in this election."

"All thanks to some spirit in a tree!" Jack muttered.

"Not just some spirit," Glimmer said. "It's the guardian spirit for Earth as far as we know. And, according to the latest hypothesis, the return of the stolen magic might have made it more powerful than it was in the past."

Oh! That… made kinda sense. Adora knew best how much power she had returned to Earth, and the surge of magic she felt and had channelled…

"Does that mean that the spirit will grow weaker?" Sha're asked.

"We don't know," Glimmer said. "We need to know more about Gaia to answer that question."

"Well, the government would love to run with that theory," Jack said. "Anything to calm down the people."

"If they do, the conservatives will blame us for Gaia's actions," Glimmer said with a scowl.

"They already do," Catra cut in. "I think the second talk show idiots were talking about suing Etheria for returning magic to Earth and causing all this."

What? Adora blinked. Were they insane?

Glimmer scoffed. "And those idiots might win the election?"

"They are currently leading in the polls," Daniel said with a grimace.

"There are still two months until November," Jack said. "A lot can happen in that time."

"Are you hoping there'll be an October surprise?" Daniel asked.

"I'm sure there'll be an October surprise. The question is, what kind of surprise will it be?" Jack replied.

"Well… if we extrapolate from the various incidents where people claiming to be Gaia's champions claimed responsibility, the odds of another incident like Mount Rushmore are quite decent, I think," Daniel said. "Even if you do that PR campaign the government asked for," he added.

Right. Adora nodded. "We can't do much about the election, but we can do that." If they could convince enough people that magic wasn't evil, they could win this election. Well, the current government would win.

"Are you sure that you want Swift Wind involved with that?" Glimmer asked. "He's a bit… controversial."

"He's also a magical flying unicorn. If little girls could vote, he'd decide the election by himself," Jack said. He grinned, but he still looked stressed.

Adora was a bit worried. Maybe he needed some time off to relax? Maybe they could have another movie night or BBQ?

*****​

Royal Palace, Bright Moon, Etheria, August 29th 2000 (Earth Time)

Samantha Carter felt a bit guilty as she stepped into the private yard. She had a lot of tasks to finish - her backlog was terrible, and the latest report from the Constitution II's most recent mission had just added another day or two of work to it. But Adora and the others had been correct - the General needed to relax. He was a lot more stressed than usual - Sam could tell. His jokes were darker, his remarks a bit more cutting, than in the middle of an invasion of Earth. Sam didn't think that the recent crisis with Gaia's Chosen warranted that, even taking into account the General's distaste for magic, but she wasn't the one dealing with Washington's pressure; the General was, due to his friendship with the leaders of Etheria.

So, when said leaders suggested a 'Movie-BBQ-Evening' to relax for a bit, she had agreed at once. A few hours less overtime was a small price to pay to help her… well, the General.

Although, she thought as she looked around in the yard, in hindsight, I should have thought a bit more about what such an event would look like in Bright Moon.

As it turned out, Glimmer's BBQ was more like a state dinner - Sam could see about a dozen servants just finishing setting up a buffet alongside the wall next to the door.

"So much for a 'small, private gathering'," the General muttered next to her.

"Oh, the servants will leave before we start," Catra spoke up behind them - Sam hadn't noticed her, but the General didn't jump, so he must have. "Trust me, you don't want Glimmer to do the cooking," she added in a stage whisper.

"Catra!" Adora hissed.

"What? It's true! She never learned to cook. Remember the potato salad debacle?"

"That was just a mix-up with the Earth recipe!"

"Sure, sure." Catra smirked, and Melog changed colours.

And Sam eyed the potato salad placed next to the other side dishes. It looked perfectly fine, but that didn't mean anything.

"Part of the fun is to grill your own food," the General said.

"You can burn your meat - they prepared a grill," Catra said. "And they even ensured it's burning coal instead of using magic." She pointed at what Sam recognised as the same model that the General used at home.

"That's better!" The General nodded approvingly and walked over to check the thing.

"Did you have time to remove the price tag?" Sam asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

Catra shrugged. "I didn't buy it. Melog and I were busy keeping Double Trouble from inviting themselves to this party using your face. They claimed they knew best how to help Jack relax."

Sam clenched her teeth. That shapeshifter had used her body and face again? When the General was already stressed? Maybe she should have a talk with them. A very private talk without any recording devices… no, she was better than that.

"I am sure they didn't mean, ah, that," Adora added with a blush.

"I'm sure they did," Catra said. "Anyway, let's check the fish. Sea Hawk said that there were a few troubles with the latest batch." She strode off towards the section of the buffet with the magical coolers.

"He meant pirates harassing fishers," Adora said.

"Can't be too careful with fish! Oh, sushi!" Catra yelled back.

"Catra! We haven't started yet!"

And there was Glimmer, frowning at Catra - who had one piece of sushi in her mouth and another in hand - with Bow behind her, carrying what looked like a high-end sound system. Both were wearing casual clothes, Sam noted with a bit of relief. She didn't care too much about fashion, but she didn't want to be underdressed, either. Even - or especially - if her friends didn't care.

"Oh! Nice!" Daniel and Sha're had arrived. She must have managed to drag him from the archives - he had travelled to Etheria a few hours early to check out the Royal records.

"Indeed." And there was Teal'c, who had also arrived early to train with the palace guard. Apparently, they gave him more of a challenge in melee than Earth forces. And without even counting the Scorpion people, or the Minotaurs. Well, melee weapons were still in general use on Etheria, which would explain it.

"Oh, tiny food! Hi, Sam!"

Entrapta zoomed by with a wave, her hair already reaching out for the finger food.

"We haven't started yet!" Glimmer snapped.

"The facts disprove your statement." Hordak apparently had found the time to attend as well. Almost the entire Princess Alliance was present - well, the inner circle.

As if they had read her thoughts, more princesses arrived. Scorpia, Perfuma, Mermista with a beaming Sea Hawk, and there were Spinerella, Netossa and even Frosta had made it. The General wasn't the only one with a private shuttle, it seemed.

Yes, this might be a private gathering - all the servants had left - but it was also like a meeting of the most powerful leaders of the entire planet.

Despite that, Sam felt herself relax. After recovering from having to dodge Swift Wind, who swept down to grab an apple from the buffet before landing next to Adora.

And the General was smiling at the grill.

Yes, she didn't mind coming here.

*****​

"...and Castaspella can't be here because she's keeping an eye on the researchers. Two were ready to duel each other over their hypotheses regarding Gaia."

Sam nodded at Glimmer's explanation. She could see that, easily, based on her own experience.

The General grunted and passed another steak to Teal'c. He had been spending most of his time so far behind the grill, but everyone but Teal'c was pretty full now, at least as far as meat was concerned. Dessert was still waiting in the magically chilled containers at the buffet.

"So! Time for the movie?" Entrapta stood, her hair still holding a plate with tiny burgers and fries so thin, they seemed to be composed of more fried grease than potatoes. "We can try out our new screen!"

"New screen?" Daniel asked, looking up from where he had been talking about old Etherian records with Bow.

"We've built a bigger screen," Entrapta explained. "It can be used for briefings, so the Alliance paid for it, but it's also good for movies. Dual-use, they call it. I wanted to build a holoprojector that would automatically turn a movie into a projection, but we didn't manage to build a bot to control it - and we need more data if we want it to be able to do so without converting it prior to showing it. But we're working on it!"

"In our spare time," Sam added when she felt the General looking at her.

"Yes!"

"Why don't you want to have a computer convert the movie before showing it?" Daniel asked.

"Because it would be perfect for a live broadcast of an event like a play!" Entrapta said. "We could adapt it so we can have a stage performance broadcast to another kingdom! And Sam mentioned sports as another potential application."

"Sports, Carter?" The General was smirking.

She frowned at him. "Having the ability to watch a 3D-projection of a match would change public viewings. And the referees might use it as well."

"Less mistaken calls for sure!" he agreed.

"That might not be as popular as people expect. Some argue that imperfect referees are part of the appeal and draw of certain sports," Daniel said.

"Not in America," the General said with a snort, "we like to do things right." And then he frowned - no, scowled - for a moment.

Was this about Gaia, respectively, the government's response to her appearance? They were downplaying the actions of Gaia's Chosen, as far as Sam could tell, and it didn't seem to be a popular course of action. On the other hand, the General knew best that they didn't really have a better choice.

"Well, you know what Churchill said about America," Daniel spoke up with a grin. "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing — after they've tried everything else."

The General didn't laugh, unlike most others. He merely snorted again, and it sounded forced.

And Sam wasn't the only one who had noticed.

"You seem to be preoccupied with something grave, O'Neill. Do you fear your government is making a mistake?"

"I'm a soldier. Policy isn't my business."

Sam narrowed her eyes. That was a textbook evasive answer - and the General was never shy about giving his opinion on such matters.

Teal'c raised his eyebrow at him, and Daniel blinked, apparently just noticing the issue.

"That never stopped you before," Catra said, leaning forward.

The General scowled in return, glancing around. Everyone was looking at him now.

"Is there a problem with your government?" Adora asked. "Are they pressuring you? They did ask us to help, but if that's wrong…"

"No, no. They don't want me to do anything," he said with another snort. "It's more the opposite," he added before pressing his lips together with a deep frown as if he regretted saying this.

"Are they afraid the Alliance would intervene?" Daniel asked.

"Are they planning something we would want to stop?" Glimmer added with a frown.

"The government isn't planning anything," the General replied. "But they don't want us to meddle with the people calling for witch hunts."

"They asked us to make people like magic," Adora said. "That's meddling with your bigots."

"Indirectly," the General said.

"If the government fears direct action by the Alliance against those people, then they must be aware of a potential reason for the Alliance to do so," Teal'c said.

"You know how religious nutcases are. It's just a matter of time before they'll try to burn a 'witch'," the General said.

Sam winced. It had happened before, though in other countries. To see such a lynching happen in the USA… She shook her head.

"Well, let's hope the government is more willing to stop them than they were when people lynched African-Americans," Daniel said. "But shouldn't they be more concerned about retaliation by Gaia's Chosen? And by other sorceresses?"

The General nodded. "And they also don't want the Alliance to be involved."

"Do they have the people to handle magic attacks?" Glimmer asked.

He shrugged. "They seem to be confident that they can handle it."

Something wasn't adding up. These were obvious and already known facts. Sam didn't think the General would be upset about this - not like he was, at least. Something else must be bothering him.

And she had no idea what it could be. And that was bothering her.

*****​

White House, Washington D.C., United States of America, August 31st 2000

"...his campaign is still reeling from the discovery that one of the leading supporters of his candidacy has been arrested for child abuse. The church itself declined to comment, and his lawyers stated that their client was innocent and that they expected the charges to be dropped 'once an unbiased jury looks at them', though usually informed sources claim that the material the police found during the raid on the church…"

"...and we stand here, facing depravity and blasphemy with the quiet strength of our faith, unbowing and unmoving in the face of adversity! Others may cave before witches, afraid of their unnatural powers, but the Lord is with us, and He shall protect us! We will stay until our community is again free of those heathens threatening to corrupt our children, and we…"

"...tragedy struck Texas today when the helicopter carrying Harry Brown lost control shortly after takeoff and crashed into his private residence, killing Mr Brown and the helicopter's pilot. Harry Brown rose to prominence following his election into the House of Representatives and has been a vocal supporter of the anti-witchcraft movement in the country. The Governor has already called on the FBI to investigate the crash for signs of magical interference, and…"

"...did propose a bill that would outlaw any 'unlicensed magic', though as critics noted, the bill did not specify who would license magic nor what criteria would be applied to that process, prompting the opposition to label this as a 'performative act trying to cater to bigots afraid of magic, and…"

"...raid following the arrest of a drug dealer, two so far unnamed members of congress and one underage woman were found intoxicated in a hotel room, and…"

"...the firm has been promoting the exploration of new oil fields despite the accelerated development of advanced power plants, citing the need to diversify the country's power supply, so this change in plans comes as a surprise, especially following the retirement of the CEO who led the firm for eight years, and…"

"...the bishop reiterated the church's stance that magic was not inherently evil nor of divine nature, but merely a facet of God's creation, as any other tool, subject to the freedom of will of men. This statement was seen as an indirect rebuttal to the growing number of calls for a stricter stance on magic and claims that divine grace expressed itself through magic, though it remains dubious whether or not this will be enough to handle the growing split in the church between the conservative and progressive faction, a development also visible in the Catholic Church, although less pronounced after the Pope's recent declaration, and…"

"...and regarding the recent disappearance of a teenage couple near Dublin, the police announced that the couple had been found in London under unclear circumstances, rejecting rumours of a kidnapping, whether mundane or related to the Fae, so…"

"...concerns about unregulated magic use remain high and keep growing in key states as the latest polls show…"

"...the Emperor reportedly assured the Prime Minister that the kami's appearance at the shrine presented no harm to the Japanese people, and the Tokyo police announced that they have taken all necessary measures to handle the expected number of attendants for the next ceremony at the shrine, so…"

"..and people are asking, and rightfully so, who will protect them from those witches? When someone can use magic to wreck your home, who can be safe? What mother wants their children to risk waking up trapped under a tree's roots? Even leaving aside the threat to their souls, the sheer danger magic presents to everyone in the country cannot be underestimated, and our government is doing nothing! We demand…"

"...and another magical attack was reported from Tehran, targeting a mosque this time, and…"

"...the relief from a years-long drought brought in Ethiopia by a series of short rains usually common in the first part of the year was marred by several violent incidents involving what observers called 'witch-hunts' acerbated by recent rumours of 'Gaia's Chosen' being responsible for the rains, so…"

"...and the rain forest's growth, started shortly after Princess She-Ra restored magic to Earth, has picked up its pace following what is known as 'Gaia's Summoning', prompting concerns about Brazil's agricultural sector and export business should the forest claim more agricultural land. The logging industry is already calling for support, though in contrasting news, many local farmers report record crops, and…"


Catra shook her head as she switched channels on her tablet while she waited for the President. The news was dominated by magic, and while that was no surprise given recent events, there was a certain slant to it, at least in how the American media reported it. "Kill a few ten thousand people with guns and no one cares, wreck a few eyesores with magic, and people call for witch hunts."

"We're here to change that," Adora, using her tablet for work next to her, said. "Show the Americans - and the world - that magic is not evil."

"And that they shouldn't elect a bigot out of fear," Catra added. That was the point of this, after all. Though whether they would succeed with that remained in doubt. At least, according to the polls.

Glimmer grumbled something about elections, but Catra ignored it in favour of checking her tablet again, but before she could return to her channel surfing, the door opened.

"Princess She-Ra? Queen Glimmer? Techmaster Bow? Catra?" A flunky in a suit smiled at them. "The President will now see you."

Catra rose and followed the others to the so-called 'Oval Office'. Hopefully, this wouldn't take too long.

*****​

Washington D.C., United States of America, August 31st 2000

"...and it is with great pleasure that we welcome She-Ra, Princess of Power, Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon, and their consorts to our great country!"

Politicians - well, everyone - always went overboard with the rhetoric during campaign season, Jack O'Neill knew that, but listening to the President's introduction was still annoying. It was almost as if the President were running for a third term instead of the actual candidate - who was present as well, of course, on the President's right side, slightly behind Adora so he'd be in every picture.

Though, to be fair, most of his annoyance was aimed at the other prominent politician present. Kinsey was standing on the other side of the President, his fake smile - Jack could see it from his own position a bit more to the side - pasted on his face, as if he hadn't been busy undermining the constitution and the rule of law.

And Jack had let him. Because the other party was running on a crazy platform that would see the US reduced to a nuthouse full of witch hunts and retaliation from sorceresses, isolated by everyone sane.

Kinda like Iran writ large - no day seemed to pass in that country without another magical attack on the mullahs and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. But there, the majority of the people hated and feared magic, according to the briefing Jack had read, and so the regime's grip on the country had been strengthened.

If that happened in the USA… He suppressed a shudder. They had to prevent that, but did the ends justify the means? Could you really save America by destroying the very principles that made it great?

His gut said no. But his mind also said that if the majority of Americans voted for those bigots, America was beyond saving anyway.

Adora stepped up. Her smile was wide and warm, but Jack could see she was nervous - her hands did clench just a little, as if she wanted to grip her sword. But those who didn't know her as well as Jack wouldn't notice. They would only see the tall, almost giant woman in literally shining armour beaming at them. Hell, she had such a presence, Jack almost missed how Catra, now slightly behind Adora, looked like she was scanning for snipers - which she probably was.

"Hello, everyone!" Adora's voice rang out over the packed crowd. "Thank you for having me! I'm happy to be here."

That sounded a bit too canned for Adora. Had someone gone over her speech?

"And so are my friends, Glimmer, Bow and Catra!" she went on, turning to smile at Catra, Glimmer and Bow, who waved and smiled at the crowd as well. Jack was a little surprised by how non-threatening Catra managed to look, knowing what she thought about this dog and pony show.

Or a cat and pony show, Jack corrected herself as Adora looked up at the sky. Arranging this stunt must have taken a lot and probably sent some air traffic controller into early retirement.

"And Swift Wind!"

And there was the horse, swooping down from the sky on white wings, flying over the crowd and turning around to land next to Adora. "Did someone say Swift Wind?"

The probably strategically placed crowds of little to teenage girls cheered so loudly, Jack's ears started to hurt.

*****​

"...and I know many are afraid of magic. I understand that - magic can be scary. The magic stolen from the Galaxy almost destroyed Etheria. But many things are scary if abused."

Adora raised her hand and called her sword, still smiling. "My sword. I wield it in battle." She changed it into a shield, then a shovel and had to wait a second for the gasps to pass. "But it's also a tool to protect and help people. Magic is the same. It can do wonderful things for you. It can help and heal you and your family - and your land." She sent a ray of magic into the sky, and people gasped again. Some even fell to their knees, and she suppressed a wince. That shouldn't happen - the President's staff had said they had screened for that. If they had let some of the weirdos who were crazy for 'catgirls' through, then Catra better not get too close to the crowd…

But she had to finish her speech. "Magic is neither good nor evil; what matters is how you use it. Don't fear it - but don't be careless, either. And if you have the talent for magic, use it responsibly. Don't abuse it, don't use it for selfish reasons. Use it to help people."

With a nod, she took a step back as applause rose from the crowd and subtly sighed with relief. That had gone pretty well.

"And now, please welcome Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon!"

Glimmer smiled confidently as she stepped up to give her own speech, staff in hand.

"Hello, Washington. I'm Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon, and I am a sorceress!" She raised her staff and shot a beam of colourful magic through the sky. "I was trained by my aunt at Mystacor, and I know firsthand how useful and how dangerous magic can be. I've used it in war and peace."

Adora thought that the crowd was a bit less enthusiastic than before, but that might just be her impression. But the people did cheer when Glimmer started demonstrating a few spells - harmless ones, mostly for entertainment. Stuff you learned when you started training, Glimmer had called them.

It was a bit shady, in Adora's opinion, to show Etherian magic when Earth magic was noticeably different, but they couldn't help that - they hadn't found an Earth sorceress yet whom the US government trusted. Or so they claimed. It was a bit too convenient, according to Catra, that none had been found. Then again, Adora didn't know how all those people would react if someone summoned a spirit to bless them. Or those who were watching on television. Some of those 'pundits' had been quite vocal about how magic corrupted those who came into contact with it, despite that being obviously wrong.

Well, her friends and Adora were here to help correct those mistaken assumptions. And, at least in her opinion, they were doing a good job.

*****​

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Manhattan, New York City, September 1st 2000

"...and this device can do medical scans in a few seconds. It was made for the Alliance forces, based on a Horde magitech prototype that was never approved for mass production because it was too costly and would have cut into the weapon production schedule, and before the new factories could be built the war was over, but that meant it could be enhanced with the most advanced magitech technology, which we did. You can also use it to project projections of the patient's body with highlights of where they need help. Let me demonstrate!"

Samantha Carter gasped when she heard Entrapta and took a step forward, but Entrapta had already pointed the handscanner at a man in the first row and triggered it.

"Ah…" The man grimaced and seemed frozen.

"Did you stun him?"

"No, no! That's just a psychological reaction to vaguely pistol-shaped devices pointed at you," Entrapta replied without taking her eyes off the device's tiny screen. "It helps with making patients hold still for the examination, though it's not very effective. I suggested a stunning function add-on, but that was not accepted on the - frankly illogical - reason that multifunctionality shouldn't include weapons. Oh! You have major trouble with your arteries! And your heart! And your intestines! Let me show you!"

"I think we can skip the holoprojection," Sam said. Especially since, being a medical device, it would show the patient nude without any pixelation.

"But that's the best part! You can see your body and even zoom in!" Entrapta turned to beam at the man. "Don't you want to see how your insides look without having to insert a camera?"

"Ah…"

"We can show it with prepared data," Sam said.

"But that's not as impressive as a live presentation!" Entrapta objected. "They told us that!"

"That's meant for the next devices, not the medical ones," Sam explained.

"Ah. But in an emergency, we can use the devices, right?"

"Of course." Sam turned to address the crowd of investors, businessmen and scientists gathered here to see what magic would add to their field. "As you can see, this is a magitech device. Usable by anyone, but based on magic."

"You don't need a witch for that, though," a man from the back row called out.

"Not to use it, no. But to develop it and improve on it, you need sorceresses," Sam replied. That was not quite correct; you could construct magitech devices as long as you had a solid grounding in the principles and experience with advanced technology, but it was inefficient compared to working with sorceresses.

"So, if you kick out your sorceresses, your magitech devices will lag behind," Entrapta said. "So, people will buy from your competition."

Sam's friend wasn't supposed to say that out loud either, but it was probably better to be blunt, Sam thought. They were addressing people who were torn between supporting the conservative campaign and the current government, after all. Obviously, they didn't realise just how crucial magic would be in the future. Unlike the Europeans, whose governments were not afraid of brushing aside religious concerns. Then again, with the Vatican on board, and the Protestants not nearly as fanatical as the Evangelicals in the US, there simply weren't any significant religious concerns in Europe over magic.

Though Sam had to admit that she was a little biased - she had read the conservatives' views on women as well, after all. But she had a task to do, and she would accomplish it.

"Now, that was a medical scanner which will make diagnosing illnesses much, much easier. However, there are also treatments improved by magic and magitech, such as this skin regenerator device." As she held it up, she was relieved that Entrapta didn't try to share that it was based on the healing device prototype that had created a short-lived zombie plague, as the General had dubbed the incident, in Honduras.

Sam was a scientist, not a saleswoman - and she had protested this mission, to no avail - but she was well aware that revealing that would not help with persuading the audience here that supporting the conservatives would be economic suicide.

*****​

Austin, Texas, United States of America, September 2nd 2000

"...and this blatant propaganda cannot be tolerated! The Government is abusing its power to push its godless agenda in a partisan attempt to influence the elections! Heathen religions are forced on our children! Unnatural abominations corrupt our youth! But we will stand fast and not give ground! We may march through hell itself to defend what's right and just! Follow me to…"

"...this marks the third prominent supporter who has been arrested for sexual abuse of minors, adding yet another scandal to the flagging election campaign that, as experts point out, was based too much on anti-magic and anti-gay messaging without offering anything positive in exchange…"

"...the police have yet to name any suspect for the magical murder of the central executive officer of the firm, though the recent leaked documents that have shown how he deliberately ordered the illegal disposal of toxic, carcinogenic waste near a settlement have already assured that the suspect, should they ever be arrested, will have a solid defender, and…"

"...and the poll can be summed up that tax cuts don't cut it if the other side can offer magic healing and flying ponies."


Catra snorted at the last line and looked up. In the sky, high above the park in this city, Swift Wind was circling, a cheering girl on his back. And below, a pair of parents was trying not to grimace while looking up. They probably would wince even more when their girl asked for donations to Swift Wind's 'Free the Horses' fund.

And behind them, the line crossed the entire park, excited kids - mostly girls for some reason - and more or less smiling parents waiting for their turn with Swift Wind.

The line with sick kids waiting to get healed by Adora was separate and not as long, fortunately.

And the line of cops keeping the protesting bigots out of the park was pretty thin. Well, if the line broke, or if the cops decided to 'break' - Catra had read up on the attitude of the local cops here, and she trusted them about as far as she could throw Darla - then the bots currently serving as climbing castles for the kids who had their ride already would step in with their projected shields and lightning cannons.

It seemed the 'cat-and-pony' show, as Jack called it, was working. Still, Catra wasn't very optimistic. One public magic attack might be enough for the mood to switch again. Even with the continuing exposure of scandal after scandal amongst the bigots, they still had a decent chunk of the population supporting them.

Catra could only hope that the current government won in the end; Glimmer would never stop bitching about elections otherwise.

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 4th 2000

"Thanks for coming!" Jack O'Neill smiled at his team - his friends - when they entered his office.

"You said you had something important to talk about," Daniel said while he made a beeline for Jack's second-best coffeemaker, the first being in his office in Germany.

Jack exchanged a glance with Sha're, who smiled wryly before joining her husband, nodded at Teal'c, who had stepped inside the office without making a sound, then smiled at Carter.

She looked a bit warily at him, one hand holding her computer - and Jack knew without having to check that she had been working on the way here, even odds if she had tried to work while walking; one of those days, he expected her to get the same hair as Entrapta if only so she could walk while working on a computer…

But this wasn't the time to prod her about working too hard. He nodded, checked on his computer that the anti-eavesdropping gizmos were working - with certain topics you didn't take even the slightest risk - and then waited until everyone was seated and, in Dnaiel's case, supplied with coffee. "So!" He got up and started pacing.

Carter tensed at once - she knew him. Teal'c showed no reaction, and Daniel's eyes widened belatedly.

"I'm sure everyone has been following the election campaign," Jack went on. No need to explain which one.

"Of course," Daniel said. "And I still say it's a bit dubious for the government to be involved so closely; they have barely hidden the fact they've had us campaign for their candidate."

Jack nodded, though it was pretty much normal for the party in power to use the president's office to support their candidate, be it the incumbent or a new one. "Yeah. Though as far as dubious practices go, you haven't seen anything yet."

That made everyone tense. Even Teal'c.

Jack faced them, standing at parade rest behind his desk. "Our friend Kinsey has been interfering with the election."

"Oh." Daniel blinked. "All those scandals…?"

Jack nodded. "I don't know if they are framing people, but the police usually aren't that quick or successful in such cases." Certainly not in states where that kind of crime usually got quietly buried if the right kind of people were involved. Sometimes even if it meant literally burying a witness as well.

"And those accidents…" Carter narrowed her eyes.

"Helicopter crash, sailing accident…" Jack nodded. Not too many of those yet, that would be a bit too suspicious, but he expected more of the same as the campaign progressed.

"Do you have proof, Jack?"

"Kinsey visited and all but bragged about it. Told me to keep the Alliance from interfering."

"But the Alliance was asked to… Oh." Daniel nodded. "They're planning to use magic or advanced technology?"

"Or they are concerned about such being used to uncover their actions," Jack said. "Kinsey's aware that the princesses don't really do Realpolitik." The Etherians were idealists, even and especially their leaders. They wouldn't let Kinsey and his friends do this.

"Does… does the President know about this?" Daniel asked.

"He'll have plausible deniability," Jack said. "But he'll suspect something." You'd have to be an idiot not to - and the President was from a state where things were handled quietly and in the family.

"That's…" Daniel shook his head. "That's an attack on everything our country stands for!"

Jack nodded.

"Sir… when did you meet with Kinsey?" Carter asked carefully.

"Some time ago," Jack said.

Daniel blinked. "You were kinda tense lately…"

Teal'c and Sha're were watching without commenting.

"Yes," Jack said.

"You didn't ask for help finding proof," Carter said.

"No, I didn't," Jack admitted. "That would have been illegal. We're soldiers."

Daniel gaped at him, and Jack almost laughed at his expression. "Since when do you care about the legality? This is a blatant attempt to influence democratic elections! With murder and other crimes!"

"Yeah, and we're supposed to do that to other countries, not our own." Jack nodded.

"Jack!" Daniel glared at him. And Carter wasn't looking any more kindly.

He sighed. "I know. The thing is, the constitution isn't a suicide pact." He liked that quote. "If the other side gets elected, they'll ruin our country and break the Constitution as well." They certainly had announced their intentions to go after 'witches' clearly.

"They couldn't!" Daniel objected. "We have checks and balances!"

"And those will prevent a new President from severing our ties with Etheria and banning magic?" Jack cocked his head to the side. "And banning being gay when they are at it."

"We have signed a treaty! And the rights are granted in the constitution."

"They have experience going around that," Jack said. "Jim Crow ring a bell? Lynchings? Civil rights? If the government stops enforcing the law, we'll be back there. And do you think the Alliance will keep working with us if the government stops protecting sorceresses?"

"But…" Daniel shook his head. "You can't protect the Constitution by breaking it!"

"Yes," Jack said. "That's the problem I've been pondering."

"Oh."

"You don't know if the conservatives actually would go that far, sir," Carter said.

"They're pretty vocal about it," Jack retorted. "And it's not about taxes - it's about magic. People are really fired up about it."

"And it involves religion quite heavily," Daniel added. "I don't think this would be seen as politics as usual. These people really think their souls are in danger."

"And if they push, the other side will push back. With magic," Jack said. "And they'll blame the government, too. Northern Ireland will look like a walk in the park." The Americans had far more guns, for starters. And magic was far more dangerous than Semtex.

"But… even so, if you let Kinsey do this, he'll do it again, next election. Just to stay in power. That kind of… Our democracy cannot survive if this is normalised. It would become a sham. Political assassinations would be common!"

"Yes." Jack nodded. "Believe me, I am aware of that. But as you said, you can't save the constitution by breaking it."

"But, Jack…" Daniel trailed off.

"We can't use illegal means." As much as Jack would love to deal with Kinsey as Kinsey dealt with others.

"But he'll keep doing this!" Daniel said.

"Yes." Jack sighed. "But if we want to do this right, we'll have to do this by the book. We need proof, proof gathered legally. Proof that will stand up in court."

Everyone - even Teal'c - stared at him. Even Sha're.

Jack sighed. He wasn't that bad about rules and regulations.

*****​
 
Chapter 192: The Election Campaign Part 14 New
Chapter 192: The Election Campaign Part 14

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 6th 2000


"...and the conversion work on the shipyards we captured is continuing on schedule. We expect production of ships that meet Alliance standards to start in the next few weeks."

Adora nodded at Admiral Brown-Emerson as he finished his report.

"We should be moving those shipyards to Earth," Admiral Biggs muttered. "Protecting so many different systems is straining our fleets."

Adora refrained from rolling her eyes.

Catra didn't. And audibly groaned.

Adora agreed with the sentiment. They had gone over this weeks ago in the Alliance Command council, and the matter was settled. They wouldn't move all captured shipyards to Earth. That would mean months of travel and even more time spent rebuilding them - and then training new workers.

"We'll have to cover even more systems as we push into Ba'al's territory," Glimmer said.

"That will further risk overextending our forces," Biggs complained. "We should limit our activity to holding and spoiling actions while we build up a fleet that can take on the entire Empire first, then strike with overwhelming force."

"War Plan Orange Mark II," Jack commented - also rolling his eyes.

Biggs glared at him. "It worked perfectly."

"In World War II. The circumstances are different. We don't have the same overwhelming production advantage. And we didn't build boondogles like the Constitution II-Class," Jack shot back.

"The design is perfectly fine once the inevitable teething troubles are fixed! Something that would already have happened if you didn't keep diverting crucial resources to pet projects!" Biggs bellowed.

"Major Carter isn't a 'resource', Admiral," Jack said with narrowed eyes. "And she has much better things to do than trying to fix the Navy's mistakes."

Adora frowned. "Major Carter is working on crucial projects, Admiral. They have a much higher priority than fixing your ships." Such as finding the real Ba'al - they were close to finishing the first modified sensor frigates to send into Ba'al's realm and scan for his metaphysical traces. And there was the project to find a way to replace the need for the Goa'uld to inhabit sapient hosts. And the various weapon development projects."

"If the Alliance can spare her for some blatantly partisan interference in the election, they can spare her for improving the ships on which our men will be sailing into combat! Lives are on the line here!" Biggs objected.

"No one's going to send those pieces of crap into combat unless the Goa'uld attack the Solar System," Jack retorted. "And even then, they would be dead last for any mission. If they don't break down on the way to the battle line anyway."

"How dare you besmirch the valour of our Navy!"

"Admiral, we already discussed this. Unless and until the Constitution II-Class frigates are deemed fit for combat, they will not be deployed outside the Solar System," Adora reminded him.

"We are at war! We cannot follow peace-time regulations and handicap ourselves! Combat experience will teach us what is an actual fault that needs fixing and what can be left for the next block." Biggs snapped.

"You want to send people into combat in those pieces of shit?" Jack sat ramrod-straight and glared at the man.

"You want to build more of those things?" Catra, too, had given up pretending to be bored.

"Block II will incorporate improvements based on combat experience - which is why we need that combat experience," Biggs said.

Adora stared at him. "You want to risk Alliance soldiers' lives to improve your design?"

"Did anyone check if he's possessed by a Goa'uld?" Catra cut in before Biggs could answer. "Or what the owners of the American shipyards are paying him?"

"What did you say?" Biggs shot up.

"Do I have to repeat it?" Catra bared her teeth at him.

"We already have that combat experience, Admiral," Priest spoke up - calm and polite as if they were talking about the weather. "The most up-to-date recordings from combat against Goa'uld ships of the latest generation. We have offered you the data and even our analysis of the battles we fought."

"That's not applicable to our designs!"

"Because our designs are crap!" Jack muttered.

"We've found the data very useful for our own projects," Admiral Brown-Emerson added in a casual tone. "It greatly influenced our own designs."

"Which are already used in battle," Catra added.

"We cannot build our own ships by imitating other designs that run counter to our own doctrine!" Biggs snapped.

Adora frowned at him. "We have a common doctrine for naval battles for Alliance forces, Admiral."

"But they don't take our designs into account. Our ships are different!"

"Yeah, they don't work," Jack muttered.

"It's sad to see an Air Force General dismissing the power of fighters-bombers," Biggs commented.

"Don't get me started on your fighter designs!" Jack retorted. "You need a doctrine first before you develop the ships and planes for it! Not the other way round!"

"We have a doctrine!"

"Trying to copy/paste your bluewater naval doctrine into space is not working!"

Adora sighed as the two went at it again. She wasn't sure if this was related to the American election, but she'd better check if this tension extended to the American forces under Alliance command.

*****​

Research Station Beta, PU-9623, September 7th, 2000 (Earth Time)

Samantha Carter stared at the screen as the data feed from the metadimensional sensors started working. So far, the results matched the estimates, but this was merely the baseline. "Unbound Truth, start acceleration."

"Copy!" the converted frigate replied.

In another column, Sam could track the frigate's position and speed. The sensor data still matched the estimates - and the live data from the stationary sensor grid of the research station.

That alone meant that the ship would be useful for its intended strategic role, but Sam and her friends were working on making it also perform in a tactical role.

"Unbound Truth, switch to combat conditions."

"Copy."

The ship accelerated much more quickly, followed by sharp turns as it simulated evasive action and pursuit manoeuvres. And the sensor feed…

…stayed within the estimates. Not perfectly - if they wanted the most efficient search pattern, they would have to do it slowly since the range would be reduced noticeably - but it was close enough to remain tactically viable in a battle.

Sam let out a sigh of relief. She'd been working on this long enough! She waited several minutes, though, to confirm that the sensor readings remained stable, before signalling the ship again.

"Unbound Truth, return to base."

"Copy."

"Alright… We've successfully recalibrated the sensors and compensated for the engine's effect!" Entrapta cheered loudly next to Sam while the ship swung around on the holoprojection.

"Another challenge met and conquered," Beta commented.

"Yes! Now we can modify the rest of the frigates and start hunting Ba'al!" Entrapta nodded.

"And with those resources freed, have you given any thought to my proposal?" Beta asked.

"The metadimensional disrupter?" Entrapta asked.

"Yes," the bot's projection replied.

Sam clenched her teeth. 'Metadimensional disruptor' was such a euphemism.

"Well…" Entrapta shrugged. "We don't really know yet if we can detect the actual consciousness, much less affect it - we've only managed to find the imprint a consciousness leaves. So… I don't know if the Alliance will give us the budget necessary for such a project."

And if it looked as if there was a snowball's chance in hell that this proposal would be funded, Sam would personally ask Adora to bury the project. A weapon meant to rip an individual's consciousness - or soul, a small part of her whispered - apart? That went against everything the Alliance stood for. It would grant the power to selectively assassinate anyone after their consciousness was scanned. Of course, there was no indication that this would work - they simply didn't know enough about the whole matter - but in this case, Sam wouldn't take the risk of being wrong. Some weapons simply shouldn't be built.

But how can you protect people against this without knowing how it works? A small voice whispered in the back of her head. She pushed it away.

"The potential of such a project is immeasurable," Beta argued. "You could take out enemy leaders with perfect accuracy."

"We can do that already with the current project and conventional weapons," Sam objected.

"At the risk of collateral damage and casualties suffered by allied forces," Beta said. "This project would save countless lives. And it would also be a great deterrent. Enemies would reconsider their course of action if attacking the Alliance would result in their death because they couldn't hide behind their troops or civilians."

That would be an advantage. And yet, the potential for abuse was far greater. Sam didn't want to know what the US government would do with such a weapon - much less what Kinsey would. The things she had heard from the General… But that wouldn't impress the bot. "It's a question of resources," she said. "The Alliance doesn't have an unlimited budget, so priorities have to be set."

"The potential certainly justifies the resources needed." Beta sounded a bit petulant.

"That remains to be seen. We don't know if it's possible, much less whether it's feasible," Sam said.

"But imagine if we could directly detect consciousnesses - or souls! We might even find out if there's an afterlife in a metadimension!" Entrapta beamed at her. "Imagine contacting them!"

Sam did - and had to struggle not to wince. The repercussions if they didn't find an afterlife? Or, worse, if they did? That would be abused even worse. And the consequences for Earth…

No, she would ensure that this would not be pursued. "We'll see," she said.

She would have to talk to Entrapta privately, out of earshot of Beta, to explain why this was a very bad idea.

As much as she was relieved that they had finished adapting the sensors to mobile platforms, she didn't feel like celebrating any more. She really hoped that this idea would turn out to be wrong and the project impossible.

*****​

Royal Palace, Bright Moon, Etheria, September 8th, 2000 (Earth Time)

Catra lay on the bed, looking up at the canopy. Next to her, Luna was napping on the bed, hogging the pillow, and purring in her sleep. Proud of having sneaked fish out of the palace kitchens, no doubt. Although the kitchen staff didn't really try too hard to stop her.

Still, whether gained through stealth or cuteness, a meal was a meal. And it meant Adora wouldn't be trying to scold the cat for bringing in a bird dumb enough to get caught and then leaving feathers all over the place. Trying and failing because you couldn't stay mad at the little furball.

Knows it.

"Of course she does. All cats do," Catra told Melog, who was napping on the soft carpet - the Bright Moon hand-crafted version of a shag carpet from Earth in front of the bed. Hm… maybe she should ask Adora if they should tell the weaver that they tested it and could confirm that it was a genuine shag carpet? Adora's reaction would be priceless…

Funny.

"Damn right it would be funny. And Adora needs a bit more fun and relaxation right now." That little bomb that Sam had dropped in their lap… Sure, no one knew if you actually could detect a soul, much less affect it, but the idea alone… Catra had known the First Ones had been bastards ever since the whole Heart of Etheria, but the more she found out about their other interests, the worse it got.

Beta. Not First Ones.

"They made her."

Parents not responsible.

She rolled on her side and narrowed her eyes at her friend. "They built, raised and taught her."

Like Shadow Weaver.

She tensed. That was a low blow. "That witch never raised me or Adora!" she snapped.

Melog didn't answer.

She huffed. "In any case, Adora and the others shut that project down. Beta's pouting, but she can find another project to pursue that won't become a horror show." Probably something related to selectively jamming hyperspace communication in a huge area. But knowing Beta, she probably would research how to jam thoughts instead… Those First Ones bots were all crazy.

Melog sent her a mental snicker.

"Ha ha ha." She sighed and absentmindedly petted Luna, who purred more loudly. At least the polls in America were showing some improvement. Though they were still bad. Or had been last time she checked.

She grabbed her tablet with one hand and switched it on.

"...and that unnatural creature is corrupting our children! This is how Satan works - he puts on a harmless appearance and then undermines all that's good and honest!"

"I don't think giving children rides on his back is corrupting them, John."

"That's where you are wrong! That creature influences their thoughts! It makes them question their parents and even their church! It aims to upend the social order!"

"I don't think that arguing to free horses is such a threat to our society."

"Of course you wouldn't think that - you don't see anything wrong with what those godless aliens have forced on us!"

"There is nothing wrong with granting equal rights to gay and lesbian people."

"God Himself says it's unnatural and wrong!"

"Not according to the Pope."

"The Pope is a heretic! Corrupted by magic!"


Catra switched the channel. Once the humans started arguing using religion, nothing sane came of it.

Fools.

"Yeah."

"..and that brings the number of victims in the class action suit to over a thousand, though the firm keeps disputing their claims and stated that there was no proof that the toxic leakage which went on for decades and was only recently discovered after a magic attack ripped the pipes out of the ground was responsible for the individual cancer cases."

"...and while several leading figures are calling on the party to rally around the flag behind the candidate, the wave of arrests of prominent members and supporters of the campaign has turned off a sizable part of the switch voters even though magic remains the most important issue for most voters…"

"...in Congress had the following to say: 'Why hasn't the government recruited more American sorceresses? It has been obvious since the Etherians arrived that magic is of the utmost importance for the future of our planet, and the government should have been focusing on recruiting as many of our own talents as possible. Other countries have done so and continue to do so. The so-called Mystacor Exchange is not nearly enough, and of questionable use, since it's also clear that Earth's magical traditions are different from Etherias. We should embrace instead of fear our own traditions! Isn't that what the conservatives always claim?"


"I doubt they meant magical traditions," Catra snickered. The door opened, and she turned the tablet off when she saw Adora entering. "Hey, Adora!"

"Catra!" Adora smiled, though it was clear she was tired. "Hi, Melog."

Hi.

"They say hi," Catra translated.

Adora nodded and sat down on the bed, sighing. "This is such a mess."

Catra sat up and slid behind her lover, starting to knead her shoulders gently. Well, not so gently - she needed a strong grip to affect those tense muscles.

"Thank you," Adora breathed with relief.

"Mh." Catra nodded even though her lover couldn't see it. "So, did you convince the others not to dismantle Beta?"

"They wouldn't have done that!" Adora protested before sighing again. "But Mermista and Frosta wanted her isolated. We settled for counselling and close supervision."

"Like Alpha and Loki?" Catra snorted as her hands moved down Adora's back. "If we find more First Ones research stations, we might need a special course to train supervisors."

"Don't joke about that!"

Catra swallowed her next comment. Adora wasn't in the mood for some dark humour about how it was not that bad that Horde Prime had probably destroyed more such research stations.

Instead, she gently pushed and pulled Adora to lie down and started giving her a proper massage.

And then helped her to relax some more.

*****​

Alliance Base Lübtheen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, September 8th, 2000

Investigating the NID without being exposed was a bit harder than Jack O'Neill had hoped. Worse, the investigation had to be by the book and sneaky at the same time; the evidence gathered would have to stand up in a trial, so asking Carter to hack all the NID's computers and track them with magic sensors was out. Jack wasn't a lawyer - the mere thought made him retch - but he had been involved in court-martials on both sides, so he knew the basics. With his best asset out of the picture, he was left with limited options.

Fortunately, he had an ace up his sleeve.

"Paris, Wilkinson. Have a seat." Jack O'Neill nodded at the two former FBI agents.

"General." Paris nodded and sat down, followed by Wilkinson. They were a bit too informal for soldiers, but this was Alliance Special Forces; saluting and parade rest were reserved for special occasions.

In addition to that, Paris was a sorceress - she still insisted on thaumaturgist, but the Alliance regulations were clear - which cut her a lot of leeway when it came to this stuff. Everyone wanted as many sorceresses as they could, so you couldn't afford to drive them away by being a stickler for the non-essential rules. Discipline, yes, pageantry, no, as Daniel had summed it up once. And it would be unfair to hold Wilkinson to a different standard; they were a team after all.

"Alright." Jack took a sip from his - almost cold - cup of coffee. "I've called you here because we've got a problem, and I need dependable, thorough and discreet people to handle it."

They sat up straighter. "Another embezzlement case in procurement?" Wilkinson asked.

"Someone abusing magic?" Paris added.

"No. It's not an internal affair," Jack told them. "It's election interference."

That made them tense up.

"Election interference?" Wilkinson asked in a wary tone.

"Yes," Jack said. "And potential murder and obstruction of justice."

Both were scowling now.

"Are you talking about Gaia's Chosen?" Paris asked.

"Indirectly. I'm talking about the sudden accidental deaths and other calamities suffered by several influential politicians and donors," Jack explained. "Coupled with suddenly effective law enforcement in their circles, so to speak."

"You think someone's organising this to wreck the conservative movement?" Wilkinson sounded sceptical.

"I know someone's doing this," Jack corrected him. "But I don't know what is a murder and what is a genuine accident. Or what is the police suddenly doing their jobs, and what's someone getting framed for something they didn't do." He looked at Wilkinson, then at Paris. "Regardless of how stupid and repulsive those people and their views are, they don't deserve to be framed and murdered."

"Yes, sir," Wilkinson said while Paris nodded.

"Of course, any investigation into this will have to be completely by the book. No shady stuff, no breaking regulations," Jack went on. "Which is why I am not asking our Etherian friends for help with this. They are a bit too ˆpragamatic'."

"Their ideas of procedural limits are very, very flexible, yes," Paris agreed.

"And we don't want to create the impression that the Etherians are meddling with the election," Jack added.

"Any more than campaigning for the liberal candidate already does," Wilkinson said with a snort.

Jack shrugged. "That's not quite the same as breaking into computer systems, magically tracking suspects and bugging homes without a warrant."

Both former agents gave him flat looks; obviously, they remembered how they had come to his attention and suspected what the Etherians had done back then.

"Yeah," Jack said with a grin. "We need to play this perfectly straight."

"We're members of the Alliance," Wilkinson said. "That is out of our jurisdiction."

"Yep. I'm not asking you to investigate yourselves." Jack grinned widely. "But you still know people in the FBI."

"They don't exactly like us, though," Wilkinson pointed out.

"You can't have pissed off everyone," Jack said.

Paris made a sound that clearly showed her disagreement with that.

Wilkinson shrugged. "I've annoyed most at least once, but… what exactly do you want us to do, sir?"

"The Alliance got a lot of stuff that would help the FBI with their investigations. Who better to present that gear to them for evaluation and field trials than two former special agents who know how everything works and how the FBI works? Who can assist if there's some trouble with the gear?" Jack smiled as innocently as he could.

Both Wilkinson and Paris gave him flat looks again. "That's a very thin fig leaf, sir," Paris said.

"But it's enough to keep everything legal," Jack said. "And whatever moles are in the FBI, they will have to step lightly or be exposed."

Judging by the scowls on their faces, the two hadn't considered that.

"So… are you on board?" They didn't have a pressing case right now - just some smaller investigations that could wait or be taken over by someone else who wasn't a former special agent.

They exchanged a glance, then faced him again. "Yes, General," Wilkinson said.

"Great!" Jack smiled again. That was the first step to clean up this mess.

*****​

Miami Beach, Florida, United States of America, September 9th, 2000

"Why are we here again? There's way too much water here!"

"We're here because this is an important stop on our goodwill tour," Adora replied to Catra's complaint as she checked her appearance in the mirror installed in their shuttle.

"Our goodwill tour planned and organised by the US government." Catra stared out at the crowd assembled at the beach below them. "Which really isn't an election campaign and so doesn't violate their own laws. Even if we're hitting 'battleground states'."

Adora winced. Yes, she was aware that what they were doing was a bit shady even for American politics. But it was technically legal, and the Alliance treaty did cover events to drum up war support and 'raise morale', which this certainly was doing, according to all polls.

More importantly, the number of magical violence had gone down as well - or, at least, the number of reported magical violence. Swift Wind taking off with a little girl in the saddle was on more covers and got more news coverage than that incident in Texas, where a police car ended up stuck in a swamp that appeared in the middle of the highway during a high-speed chase. And that incident had been presented on the news with a comment that the people stuck in the traffic jam this caused would have been glad to ride a horse instead, flying or not.

"They don't even seem to realise that Swift Wind wants to free the horses, not make more people ride horses," she muttered.

"Still stuck on that?" Catra snorted. Of course, she would have caught that.

"It's impressive how quickly the media here change their reporting," Adora said instead.

"Those not owned by the conservatives." Catra scoffed.

"Even there, some changes are happening," Adora pointed out. Granted, most of that had been because two anchormen of the most important conservative news channel had been arrested for drug use and tax fraud, and the channel had been busy distancing itself from them, but… anything that reduced the constant anti-magic broadcasts was welcome, in Adora's opinion. Too many people feared magic.

"Well, you look great. Let's go out and do the thing," Catra said. "The sooner we're done, the sooner we're gone."

"You don't have to come," Adora reminded her.

"And leave you alone out there?" Catra scoffed. "Besides, I'm not going to go into the water, and Mermista isn't here to make me."

Mermista and Sea Hawk were visiting Hawaii instead. Mostly because Mermista had insisted on a sailing trip, and it had been Hawaii or Puerto Rico, apparently.

"You know, the Europeans will want the same 'goodwill tours' come elections," Catra said. "Whether they need them or not."

Adora knew it. But shady or not, and stupid or not, it was important to keep up your allies' morale. But that was a problem for tomorrow. Today, she had a crowd to greet.

Smiling, she hit the button to lower the ramp and stepped out into the sunshine to the cheers of the crowd.

"My ears!" Catra complained behind her.

*****​

"Mark Estefan, Miami Herald! Supreme Commander, there are allegations that this 'goodwill tour' is keeping you away from the front and, therefore, hindering the war effort. Is there any truth to this?"

Adora kept smiling even though the press conferences were the part of those events she liked the least. Healing people, meeting people - that was great. Talking to the press? Less so. "I can't comment on the situation at the front, you understand. But I wouldn't be here if I were desperately needed at the front."

"The government is pretty desperate, though!" someone yelled from the back of the crowd.

Adora ignored him. "Next question?" She pointed at a man near the front.

"James Brown, CNN. Supreme Commander, what's your stance on the controversial demand from Swift Wind to free all horses? Horse owners are complaining about increased hostility towards them."

They had gone over that. "Swift Wind is very passionate about his fellow horses, and so are others. I hope people can come to an agreement about this that's acceptable to everyone."

"You sound like a politician," Catra whispered next to her.

Adora was tempted to say that Catra could field the next question, but her love would probably do it and make some rather cutting remarks in the process. So, she ignored this comment as well and pointed at the next reporter. "Next question!"

"Curtis Lee, Washington Times. Supreme Commander, can you confirm the rumours that the Alliance is using magic to track souls?"

Adora blinked. Where did they get that? "We don't use magic to track souls," she said. Why would the reporter ask this? It was wrong, but seeing how they were tracking Ba'al's consciousness…

"Does that mean you found a way to track souls using technology?"

Adora's eyes widened. That definitely was a leak. And a bad one.

Behind her, Catra hissed a curse under her breath.

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 10th 2000

"They already found the leak?" Samantha Carter was honestly surprised. Leaking top-secret military information in the middle of a war - information pertinent to a crucial offensive against the enemy - was something people could get executed for. Well, they wouldn't be executed; during the negotiations, the Etherians had ensured that there was a 'no death penalty' clause in the Alliance Treaty, but life in prison was still on the table.

"They didn't find the leaker - he presented himself and confessed everything," the General said. "Guy's proud of what he has done. I suspect he wants to be a martyr. Staff officer, Air Force even." He scowled at that.

Sam nodded, clenching her teeth. That felt like a special betrayal.

"But why did he do it?" Daniel asked.

"He thinks we're tracking souls," the General said. "And he thinks this is blasphemy. And satanism. And an attack on all that's good and holy."

"We're tracking the metadimensional imprint of a consciousness," Sam protested. "We cannot track a consciousness itself. Nor do we actually know if such a thing as a soul exists."

"That never stopped a zealot." The General shrugged.

"Isn't the difference academic?" Daniel asked. "We're talking about what makes a person a, well, individual person. Whether we call it a consciousness or a soul doesn't seem to matter."

Sam disagreed - precise definitions were of utmost importance for a scientist, and the ramifications of calling something a soul when you were not certain if the concept of a soul, as defined by religion, was actually possible, much less real, were not pleasant.

As evidenced by the reaction this rumour caused. She looked at the screen in the corner of the meeting room and winced.

The General followed her gate and turned his head, then nodded. "Yeah, I don't think those people care much about the difference either."

"...and thousands of people have gathered in front of the Capitol to protest against what they say is an attempt to control their souls by the government and aliens. The police are holding them back so far, but their numbers are growing. As are other gatherings in multiple cities. So far, the government has merely commented that this is a military matter, and that the Alliance isn't tracking souls with technology or magic, though doubts about this statement remain, and as this is happening in the middle of the election campaign, the candidates are…"

"The Vatican hasn't commented on the mess yet, stating that the Pope is concerned about the allegations and looking into the matter," Daniel said, looking up from his tablet. "But several governments, predominantly from the Middle East, are pushing a resolution in the United Nations to demand an explanation from the Alliance and the immediate stop and destruction of any technology used to affect souls, calling it blasphemous and a flagrant violation of their religious rights."

"Officially, the Alliance members are backing the stance that this is a military matter and secret. Unofficially, various governments want to know what exactly is going on," the General said - and looked at her.

Sam winced. "We are tracking the metadimensional imprint of Ba'al's consciousness, sir," Sam replied. He knew that, but he was asking for the official explanation she would suggest. "The same consciousness he is transferring from one body to another, or trying to do so. Whether it's an actual transfer or merely a destructive scan where a copy is made remains to be determined. Though, unless we actually discover what is commonly called a soul, this is a question best left to philosophy or theology."

"Let's not leave that to the zealots and pundits, OK?" The General frowned.

"We don't have any data that would prove that a soul, as defined by the major religions, exists - at least not in a form that would differ from the consciousness of a sapient being. Which we already know can be transferred into other bodies thanks to the Asgard, and can translocate to higher dimensions according to the Ancients' data on Ascension."

"Sounds like a soul to me," the General said. "If it can exist outside the body and ascend to heaven."

"It certainly would meet some of the key parts of the definition of a soul," Daniel agreed.

Sam pressed her lips together.

"So, why not tell the world that you've found a way to track souls?" Sha're spoke up.

"We don't know if there is actually a soul," Sam told her.

"Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck…" The General shrugged again. "But if we tell them that, they will freak out. Some nutcases will want us to find God."

"It also implies that Goa'uld have souls," Sam said. "And if we equate a consciousness with a soul, then that means animals have souls as well. At least the smarter ones. And bots."

Even the General blinked at that. "Alright, that's… complicating things."

Sam nodded. It wasn't nearly as simple as it sounded at first glance.

"Most religions likely will come to a conclusion about who or what has a soul according to their dogma," Daniel said. "Restricting souls to sapient beings would likely be the most common consensus."

"Or humans," the General said with a snort.

Sam nodded. As far as she knew, several sects already claimed that only humans, made in the image of god, had souls.

"So… let's stick to 'we're tracking Goa'uld's special vibes' or something," the General said. "And classify the hell out of everything else."

"It's already classified, sir," Sam had to point out. And that didn't stop it from being leaked. If that officer had known about Beta's latest proposal… She checked the time. The Etherians would be here soon. They had to get a grip on this. If this spiralled out of control, the results would be catastrophic.

*****​

"Hello, everyone!"

"And sorry we're late. Security checks took longer than normal - something about an increased risk of attacks by idiots," Catra said as she entered the room behind Adora.

"Ah, yes." Jack nodded. "The recent leak caused a ruckus."

Glimmer scoffed. "The same people who fell for that lie already wanted to kill us for being 'witches'. What changed?"

"According to our analysts, the number of people amongst the anti-magic and anti-alien crowds who are afraid that they will be killed for their beliefs is rising sharply after the leak," Jack said.

In Catra's opinion, a few of those could do with killing. Especially those who spread the lies and fanned the hatred.

"And they believe that? Aren't they aware that the Alliance could already target them if it were deemed necessary?" Glimmer asked. "We have the sensors and scanners for that, and we could take them out from orbit or send in a stealth shuttle to grab them."

"They're not exactly the brightest kind of people," Jack said.

"Fear is rarely rational, Jack," Daniel cut in. "Even before we factor in advanced technology, few could hide from the government if they tried. And most people lived under the distant threat of nuclear war for decades. But that was distant. Hearing that aliens are coming for your soul? That's a very personal threat. And, of course, the fact that your soul is targeted makes it far scarier to those who believe in an afterlife."

Catra snorted. "We don't have any proof that there is an afterlife. Or that souls exist. All we know is that you can transfer your consciousness from one body to another, and we've known that since Horde Prime. Hell, the Asgard do it as well, and no one freaked out over that." Really, this was nothing new.

"No one cares what little or tall aliens do," Jack said. "But once someone mentioned souls and tracking people through them…" He shrugged. "That hit a nerve."

"And who did the hitting?" Catra asked. "You know who is behind this."

Daniel cleared his throat. "Well, the freedom…"

"Freedom of speech, bla bla, let's protect those who openly want to kill us all for being different and spread lies and hatred!" Catra interrupted him. "Why don't the other Alliance members have that problem?"

"They do have similar problems," Daniel defended himself with a pout.

"Not nearly on the same scale," Glimmer said. "That's a pretty unique American problem."

"Well, there are several reasons, both historical and legal, why freedom of the press and freedom of speech are so protected in the United States," Daniel said. "Whether or not they are valid is a matter of opinion, but we cannot change those protections easily or quickly, if we can do it at all."

"So, let's not play the blame game, let's talk about what we can do about the problem," Jack said. "We think it would be best to fight fire with fire and lie about the whole thing, and say it's restricted to finding Goa'ulds, not souls. All the stuff about souls or consciousnesses is too complicated for the average American to understand."

Catra agreed with that view. Especially the bigots among the Americans.

"It is currently restricted to a single specific Goa'uld, sir," Sam said.

"That's barrack lawyering, Carter. We're currently looking for Ba'al. But we could use that to look for others, too."

Sam frowned. "If we have detailed data about their consciousness, sir. And it is unlikely that we will obtain such data without first capturing the individual in question, allowing us to scan them. Ba'al's circumstances are quite unique."

"Could we tell them that?" Daniel asked.

"They'll just believe that the government is trying to scan them through the TV or something," Jack said.

"Why do you let such idiots decide the policy of your country?" Glimmer blurted out.

"Well, it's…" Daniel started to say.

"Let's not rehash the whole democracy versus monarchy discussion again," Adora said.

Catra nodded. An idiot in charge was an idiot in charge. And if you left them in charge when you could change it, you were the idiot.

"I don't like lying," Adora went on. "People trust us, and if we lie to them, we break that trust."

"They trust the liars on the other side more than they trust us," Jack said.

Adora nodded. "Some do - but many trust us, in the entire Alliance. We should not betray that trust."

"It's not really lying," Glimmer said. "It's keeping secrets. Military secrets. Need to know."

Adora frowned some more, but information security was something they had been taught as cadets, Catra knew. Her lover understood it.

Adora sighed. "I still don't like it, but we can't tell everyone about our plans and weapons. So, let's go with that."

As expected. Catra turned to look at the others. "Do you think this will be enough to counter the lies from the conservatives?"

Jack winced, which was answer enough.

"So, we need to do more if we want to stop people from fearing for their souls," Adora said.

"If we're fighting fire with fire, as Jack said we will, why not attack their leaders?" Glimmer said. "I mean, with propaganda, not taking with weapons."

"It's not really honest to lie about people," Adora said.

"We don't have to be lying about them," Glimmer said. "Most of them seem to be hypocrites and criminals anyway."

Jack winced a bit, Catra noted, before he nodded.

She narrowed her eyes. Something was up.

*****​
 
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