Stargate Etheria (Stargate SG-1/She-Ra crossover)

[Lightxdarkwing]

Speaking as a Brit I'm surprised no-one mentioned the obvious when Gaia using magical weapons to empower her chosen was being considered.

Also I'm imagining that whilst most of the world (and especially the US) is freaking out the British are calmly sipping their tea and going about business as usual whilst occasionally checking to see if Merlin and Arthur have shown up yet.

 

[Starfox5]

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.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Speaking as a Brit I'm surprised no-one mentioned the obvious when Gaia using magical weapons to empower her chosen was being considered.

Also I'm imagining that whilst most of the world (and especially the US) is freaking out the British are calmly sipping their tea and going about business as usual whilst occasionally checking to see if Merlin and Arthur have shown up yet.

Click to shrink...

Well, they're only supposed to appear when Britain is in great danger, so they can rest some more. Still, the government is certainly keeping an eye on certain islands and lakes.

 

[Starfox5]

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.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 193: The Election Campaign Part 15

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 11th, 2000

"...released a statement that they are not tracking souls or consciousnesses, but a specific Goa'uld individual's transmissions, which include the Goa'uld's memories. What do you say about this, Jim?"

"Well, Keith, it sounds a lot more plausible than suddenly tracking souls through technology. We do know that the Asgard can copy minds into cloned bodies, a technology Horde Prime - the Great Deceiver, as the Church of She-Ra calls him - used as well until She-Ra finished him, so it would make sense that the Goa'uld would attempt something similar. And if you can copy something, you can also transmit it. So, I hope all those people worried about their souls can rest easier now that this was cleared."

"Still, isn't it suspicious that the Alliance waited days until it released this information?"

"Keith, we're talking about information that could be decisive in the war. The only reason the Alliance released this information is that people were going crazy and feared for their souls because certain people were spreading lies about this."

"And with 'certain people', you mean…?"

"We both know who is trying to win the election in the US by turning the voters against magic and aliens."

"Do you honestly think they would go as far as deliberately spread lies about such an important subject?"

"Have you seen their ads? It's fear-mongering and nothing else. Well, fear-mongering about our allies and fellow Americans and promises about tax cuts - all while we're in the middle of a war. A few decades earlier, we'd have called that treason."

"Jim, the legal definition of treason is…"

"Yes, yes, Keith, I know, the legal definition of treason is very, very narrow, and for historical reasons. But sabotaging the war effort through lies? That's treason by any sane definition."

"But people are honestly afraid for their souls, and they were afraid before this new development. Many fear that magic is a threat to their immortal soul."

"Many Evangelicals, you mean. The Vatican might not have commented yet on this soul-tracking supposed leak, but the Pope clearly stated that magic was part of God's creation. Most protestant churches actually decided the same. It's only the extremists who still call for witch hunts."

"But shouldn't the government respect those fears, Jim? Many, many Christians are afraid of magic, and there is a string of magic attacks that do seem to support their fear."

"The number of people killed or hurt by magic attacks is still far below the number of people killed by guns in the same period, Keith. It's an irrational fear. And catering to irrational people is a recipe for disaster."

"That's a harsh statement, Jim."

"Harsh but true, Keith."

Jack O'Neill sighed as he switched channels. The government should have picked someone else to give this interview. Someone like Daniel, more diplomatic and not quite as … smug. Even though the guy was correct - those people were idiots. But you didn't say that out loud, certainly not during election season.

"...and while this new statement, late as it was, does much to calm our fears about someone tracking our very souls, it does nothing against the threat magic represents! People all around the world are living in fear of being cursed, being killed, by vile magic! How can we feel safe if the government does nothing to protect us from this clear and present danger?"

"What about thoughts and prayers?"

"I am shocked that you would try such a cheap way to score political points when we are discussing a deadly serious threat to Americans!"

Jack clenched his teeth and switched channels again.

"...and while participation has diminished since the Alliance released a statement, the core protestors remain undeterred, calling for a ban of magic in the US and an official investigation into any magic and technology that might be used against souls while they remain camped out in Washington. Several churches are supplying them with food and other necessities, and…"

"...the witches of the coven claim self-defence, stating that the people whose car was sent into the river, causing two deaths and six wounded, had been threatening to attack them for being witches. Texan authorities have not yet released them from jail and are still investigating, and…"

"...and Reverend Miller has been arrested after he was tied to the leaked classified documents in the so-called 'Soul Tracking Hoax'. The campaign spokesperson called it a blatant attack on the freedom of speech and proof that the government was weaponising the Department of Justice in the election campaign, and…"

"...so we know that the Kami are blessing people in Japan's shrines, and reports from all over the world confirm that similar spirits are appearing in traditional locations - as the latest example, the local police are cordonning off several lakes and ponds in Greece following reports of people drowing after bothering the nymphs there - but we haven't heard of any angels appearing to bless people."

"Well, given what we know about the angels in the bible, that is probably a good thing. We're not talking about supermodels with wings, Tom. We're talking about stuff that looks so frightening, they have to tell people not to be afraid."

"The depictions of angels changed over time, though."

"Yes, the depictions changed. But while we are still figuring out Earth's magic, we know that our beliefs don't shape magic. It's all formulas and making deals with spirits. And that spirit you summon won't appear as you want them to be, but as they are. So…"

Not even more magic! Jack shut off the TV. "Well, looks like the statement helped, but the hardcore idiots are still at it," he muttered.

Which meant the election's result was still in doubt.

And no news from his two special agents, yet.

Sighing, he turned to his paperwork.

*****​

Royal Palace, Bright Moon, Etheria, September 11th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"...so, the Americans are still being stupid?"

Adora frowned at Netossa. "That's not a fair assessment of the situation. Some Americans are… being difficult." That was nice and diplomatic.

"Just like some princesses are difficult," Bow added. "Like Princess Sweet Bee."

Glimmer snorted. "Sweet Bee isn't a member of the Alliance. The United States is."

"Yeah. And if you're a member of the Alliance, you have responsibilities," Netossa said. "Like, not betray the Alliance's secrets to our enemies."

"They didn't betray our secrets to the Goa'uld," Scorpia said. "They revealed them to their people, right? And no Goa'uld heard about it, right?"

"They leaked critical intel to the kind of people who hate us," Catra said.

Perfuma bit her lower lip. "They fear us - they aren't used to magic. They were missing it for a thousand years."

Catra snorted. "They also hate us for not being straight. And they have no reason to fear that."

Netossa and Spinerella nodded in agreement. Adora couldn't really contradict her love - Catra was right. The hatred against people like them made no sense. None at all. And magic wasn't evil - it could be used for evil, but so could anything else. Like weapons. And none of those people had any issues with weapons. At least not as far as she knew. Most of them seemed to love weapons.

"It's a minority, though," Bow pointed out.

"That's not what the news says." Netossa scoffed. "They have a good shot at taking over the country."

"Because most of them don't even vote for their vaunted democracy." Glimmer scoffed as well. "They need better leadership."

"We can't expect them to change their political system any more than they can expect us to abandon our own," Adora said. "So, we have to work within their system."

"And how successful that is!" Glimmer pouted.

"At least, Earth has now to deal with Swift Wind's crusade," Angella spoke up. "That relieves some of the tensions we have with our own neighbours."

Adora tried not to blush. Swift Wind was his own person, but she still felt responsible for him. And she could understand his actions. He had been born a normal horse, after all. He would feel a kinship to them. But… "I thought that was handled?" Angella was supervising Alpha, after all, and had less time left for such things.

"We agreed on some compensation, but not everyone thinks it was enough. And other kingdoms are concerned as well - Sweet Bee has been using this to gather more support," Angella explained. "They cannot actually do anything to threaten us, but it's a nuisance."

"And having soldiers we cannot trust in the Alliance is not merely a nuisance," Netossa said. "What if the next plan gets leaked where the Goa'uld have spies? We're holding several worlds that were formerly under Goa'uld control, and they could have spies hiding amongst the liberated people there."

Adora nodded. "We're screening them."

"We did that already." Netossa shook her head. "Screen them harder?"

"We need to take a closer look at who gets access to our most critical intel," Catra said. "And we could use that to get rid of Biggs."

"Oh, yes!" Glimmer agreed, nodding several times. "I can't promise I won't teleport the idiot into the sea he loves so much if he keeps this up."

Adora winced. Yes, Admiral Biggs was not easy to get along with, and he did have a lot of… ideas that were not supported by facts. She would have fired him, but he had the backing of the American government. "We'll have to talk to the Americans about that," she said.

"We should have enough leverage now to get rid of him," Glimmer said. "We've done our best to support their election campaign. On our time."

"They'll replace him with another idiot." Catra shrugged. "Might as well keep him until he screws up like the guy before him."

"We need more people like Jack and Sam," Adora said. "And fewer people like Biggs. But we have many American soldiers in the Alliance who think like him."

"Corrupt and inept?" Catra asked with a snort.

"Soldiers who still think that the US should lead and everyone else should follow," Glimmer said.

"Have there been problems with such attitudes?" Angella asked.

"Only minor issues," Adora replied. She had looked into it. "But it could be better."

"And some of them also have issues with magic," Glimmer added. "They don't call for witch hunts, nothing like that, but they don't work well with sorceresses."

"And we only find out now?" Netossa was frowning more deeply now.

"We don't have too many sorceresses in the Alliance, and most of those work with Jack's troops, who are used and trained to work with them." And Jack had thrown out anyone who caused issues. "We've only recently started fielding more conventional forces."

Catra nodded. "We'll need to do something about that. Those who fear magic out of ignorance we can train. Those who fear magic because their god told them to…" She shrugged. "Best send those to posts where they can't do much harm."

Adora nodded. "Yes."

"Let's hope this will be enough," Netossa said.

Adora hoped so as well. She was really sick of this.

*****​

Royal Palace, Dryl, Etheria, September 12th, 2000 (Earth Time)

Samantha Carter noticed no significant changes to Entrapta's palace. The staff acted the same - competent, but understaffed - and the number of bots moving around seemed to be the same as well; though with so many, Sam couldn't really tell - though she recognised a few of the more memorable designs. And it felt very welcoming; even more so after the particularly tiresome session with several members of Congress that Sam had just suffered through today.

"Hello, Entrapta." The lab didn't seem to have changed either - though the bots being worked on were different, that was to be expected. "Hordak." As was Hordak's presence.

"Hello, Sam." Entrapta, though… Sam's friend neither looked nor sounded as cheerful and enthusiastic as she usually did.

"Greetings." And Hordak seemed… both relieved and slightly anxious? It was hard to tell with Clones, and especially with him; he usually had quite a rough attitude. Or presented one.

Well, Sam wasn't a psychologist, but she knew her friend. And she knew how to tackle this. "So, what's wrong?"

Entrapta blinked, her hair slowing down a little. "Do you mean with the bot I'm working on? Or in general?"

"You seem to be sad," Sam explained.

"Oh." Entrapta nodded. "I am… kinda. And confused."

"Confused?" Sam asked. "About the recent problems?" No need to say which ones - even Entrapta had followed the developments in the US.

"Yes!" Entrapta frowned. "I don't understand!" She shook her head, and her hair swished around. "Why is it such a problem that we're tracking Ba'al?" Before Sam could answer, she went on: "We aren't going to abuse that technology! We didn't abuse our other technology - and the odds of having an accident with that are low, and if it happened… so we accidentally tracked someone? Why would that matter?"

Sam winced - and glanced at Hordak, who seemed a bit too occupied with the screen he was studying. "The people who fear this technology don't trust us not to abuse it," she said.

"But why? All the data they have points against such an assumption! Can't they extrapolate?"

The answer to that was 'no, they can't', of course - for most of the people.

"They are wary of the potential danger," Hordak said. "A cautious stance, but not entirely wrong. They are used to leaders and policies changing regularly, too. And, or so I suspect based on what I have seen, they would abuse the technology if they were in charge."

Sam couldn't really dispute that. She had no proof, of course, but the arguments made during rallies and interviews, not to mention all the fearmongering, left no other conclusion. If you claimed that magic was such a threat to your very soul, any and all means were justified.

"It's so irrational!" Entrapta complained. "We've discovered a fascinating new field of science - new knowledge! New data that could potentially change everything we know! - and they fear it? Why should you fear knowledge?" She shook her head again. "Ignorance is never a good thing!"

"Some knowledge is dangerous," Sam said. "The knowledge to make weapons of mass destruction, for example. And the knowledge to summon Gaia had the potential to be very dangerous in the wrong hands."

"Only if that would grant the ability to manipulate or control Gaia," Hordak said. "Which, according to our current state of knowledge, is not the case. Gaia could be summoned but not controlled."

"Yes!" Entrapta nodded emphatically.

"However, the power she grants to people can be abused," Sam said. "At the very least, Gaia doesn't seem to mind if it's used violently."

Entrapta pouted. "But that just means that it's even more important to know as much as possible about Gaia - or about a potentially dangerous technology. How else could we know how to deal with that safely? Trying to suppress information will only blind you to a problem; it won't prevent the problem!"

That was a good point. And it summed up one of the biggest problems with conservative policies. 'Out of sight, out of mind' was not a responsible or sane answer to anything.

"And why don't they trust us but trust their leaders, who have a history of lying to them? All the data we have shows that key policies of them are incorrect and don't work - it's been tried; it's empirical data! - and yet, they keep trying it!" Entrapta was worked up. "Why are they so irrational? It's like they are insane. Data doesn't lie!"

"They don't have the data," Sam said. "And if they had it, they wouldn't understand it. They have to trust people to tell them the truth about it - and they trust the wrong people."

"But… Why are they allowed to do that? Lying about data?"

"Because people dislike the truth. They prefer comforting lies," Hordak said.

That was harsh, but, unfortunately, not wrong.

"That's wrong! As a system of government, I mean," Entrapta said. "You cannot base policies on lies. You need data to make decisions. And you need to be honest."

Sam felt a little guilty - they weren't being honest about the metadimensional tracking technology themselves. With her compliance. But that couldn't be helped. Other things, though… "We can only work to change things," she said. "It might take a while, though, to return honesty to politics."

"You need to choose honest leaders," Hordak said. "Although I don't know if your vetting process is up to that task."

"You mean the election," Sam said.

"Yes." Hordak nodded. "You've left the vetting process to the media, but there doesn't seem to be any controls to keep them honest."

"We should construct lie detectors for election campaigns. Make everyone answer honestly so people can make an informed decision!" Entrapta said.

Sam winced. If people had a problem with 'soul tracking', they would be even more concerned about lie detectors - if they were possible, anyway. "Lie detectors wouldn't help with those who honestly believe in wrong facts," she said.

"Oh." Entrapta deflated. "And I guess there are a lot of people who do that."

"Often despite evidence to the contrary," Hordak added. "And it's not limited to humans, either."

Sam couldn't really disagree with that either. "We just can do our best to be honest and hope this changes. At least, people can learn. And standards can increase."

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 12th, 2000

"And we've taken measures to impress once more on our forces the importance of keeping classified information secret."

Catra nodded at General Barrett's report. "Was there any discontent? Other than the usual grumbling about redoing courses the grunts already had done years ago?"

"Ah…" Barrett closed his mouth. "No, nothing like that. Our troops understand the necessity, given current events."

"Any political issues?" Catra asked.

"The United States Army doesn't engage in politics. A tradition that was carried over to the forces transferred to the Alliance."

The textbook answer. Of course, the Colonel would say this. But that didn't mean it was true - at some level, politics couldn't be avoided. And people didn't stop having opinions because they wore a uniform. Catra raised her eyebrows. "The army chaplains reported soldiers admitting to feelings of doubt about several issues."

Barrett frowned. "We don't ask our soldiers about their relationship with God. That is private and doesn't impact their service."

"Well, you should," Catra said. She tapped her tablet with her index finger, one claw slightly extended, to make a clacking sound. "Because most of the issues mentioned are related to magic. And the rest are related to 'the gay'."

The General tensed. "Those are private matters."

"Not if it impacts their performance in the field, General," Catra said a bit more sharply. "If any soldier cannot work with a sorceress or a 'different sexual orientation', they are a liability in combat."

"Their personal feelings do not affect their service," Barrett insisted.

"It affects them enough to complain to their chaplains," Catra retorted. "And if they do that, they complain to their bunkmates for sure." Of course, the Alliance wasn't the Horde, but soldiers would complain to their squad long before they complained to an officer even there.

"Every soldier complains," Barrett replied.

"Yes, they do. But there's the usual grumbling about food and chores and officers, and there's the stuff that leads to orders being disobeyed, delays in reacting and deploying and even infighting," Catra explained. "And if soldiers complain that…" She made a point of glancing at her tablet. "...they are 'forced to fight with faggots and heathens' or 'weird aliens and half-animals', we can't really trust them to do their duty without issues, can we?"

Barrett clenched his teeth - she could see his jaw muscles twitch. "What is said between a man and his chaplain is confidential."

"No names were named," she told him. Unfortunately. She leaned forward. "But there are issues."

"That is debatable. Such… reservations have not had any impact on combat so far. If not for the current events, no one would be aware of them at all."

"We haven't deployed the units from which those complaints came in the field yet," Catra pointed out. "They haven't seen actual combat yet. Assuming that there won't be any issues when they have to work with Etherian units and sorceresses seems a bit optimistic."

"There aren't many Etherian units in the field, either," Barret objected. "And only small units at that."

"Those units are specialists like sorceresses and princesses. And Clones regularly deploy in combat with Earth units." Catra shrugged. "If we can't trust your soldiers to support them with everything they've got, then we have a problem. A major problem."

"There are always smaller issues when coordinating multinational forces. We've got experience with that. We've seen that in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and we've worked them out without any trouble."

Catra flashed her teeth. "The United States Armed Forces were the most numerous in that operation by far, weren't they?" And the uncontested superpower of the time.

"Yes?" Barrett looked confused for a moment.

"That's no longer the case. Your soldiers are outnumbered in the field." Not by Etheria's forces, of course, but the other NATO countries were deploying more troops than America, if all were put together. And the Clones outnumbered every other space force in the Alliance by a considerable margin.

"I fail to see how that would matter."

He didn't get it. "It means your soldiers will be held to the same standards of every member of the Alliance."

"Of course. And they're already held to that standard."

"Are they? You seem to be brushing off such issues." Catra bared her teeth. "That's not acceptable. We can't fight this war when you tolerate such attitudes. We can't fight this war if we have to worry whether the soldiers at our side think we're barely better than the enemy. Or if we have to fear being beaten or worse by other Alliance soldiers for being different. Find those bigots and weed them out, General!"

"But…" He shook his head. "That will raise complaints about their freedom of speech being violated and about being discriminated against for their religious beliefs."

Catra scoffed. "That won't work with the Alliance. The treaty is clear about that." The US hadn't liked it, but they had signed it anyway. Freedom of speech and religious beliefs were no excuse for bigotry.

He pressed his lips together for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

Once he had left, Catra leaned back and looked at Melog, who was curled up in the corner of her temporary office.

Dislikes but will do duty.

"Good." Catra nodded. If Melog had sensed something else, something concerning, they would have spoken up during the meeting, but it was good to get confirmation. They had already marked one general officer for reassignment due to their attitude towards such bigotry, and she expected there would be more.

*****​

Alliance Base Lübtheen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, September 13th, 2000

Jack O'Neill felt his mood get worse with every channel he checked. He might as well do his paperwork… No, not yet.

"...less than two months to election day, and the race remains close. Despite the series of scandals rocking his campaign, fear of the burgeoning magical attacks in the United States drives…"

"...yes, it doesn't make any sense if you look at it logically. The same day this manager died from a curse that had him drown in his bathtub in toxic waste - the same toxic waste he'd had illegally dumped, by the way, endangering the water supply of an entire town - over three hundred people were shot, and over a hundred of them died in the United States alone. And yet, people fear magic. We aren't talking about logic or common sense here; we are talking about irrational fear. People do not think logically about magic - all their lives, they have been primed to fear it, and we're seeing the result now. The only surprise is that it took so long for this to become a major factor in American politics after Princess She-Ra restored magic to Earth, and…"

"...the Chinese government keeps refusing to comment on rumours that river dolphins have been observed working magic, albeit with many fairy tales having been revealed as rooted in fact, it does seem plausible that…"

"...we are taking a look at another industrialised country where magic has quickly become an integral part of society: Japan! As many of our viewers may already know, Shinto is no longer the state religion in Japan, as it was during the period from the Meiji Restoration to the end of World War II, but it remains the largest religion in Japan, before Buddhism, although there's a significant overlap between followers of either. More importantly, Shinto is based on worshipping the Kami, spirits that inhabit everything and are worshipped at shrines, including both small family shrines and larger public shrines. Ever since magic has returned to Earth, those spirits have made their presence felt again, prompting a surge in worship and those who can commune with them more actively - those with the magical talent for it - have become valued members of the Japanese communities as well as highly-paid consultants and special contractors for both the government and corporations. This is in stark contrast to the situation in the United States, where those who worship nature spirits are met with distrust and even hostility by significant parts of the population, and…"

Jack frowned as he shook his head. Shintoists didn't curse people, last he heard. And the 'Kami' didn't wreck highways and pipelines. Or they did, and the Japanese government was covering it up. Whatever. It wasn't as if this were a solution for the United States. He couldn't see Americans worshipping spirits and offering them food and drink. That would feel like paying protection money to spirits. Definitely un-Christian.

"...the police declined to comment whether or not the lynching of the suspected witch in the Texan town would be investigated as a hate crime, though the FBI has already announced an investigation into the crime - and into the governmental response, or lack thereof, prompting concerns about political motivations on the side of the federal government, and…"

"...this brutal murder, committed by dozens of people, is the clear and tragic result of the fearmongering spread by unscrupulous politicians and their supporters! Everyone complicit with this abhorrent act - from those who burned the poor victim at the stake to those cops who looked away and the politicians and media who pushed for witch hunts need to be held accountable and punished, and…"

"…his campaign manager released a statement denying any responsibility for this heinous crime…"

"...protests have been announced, both against and in support of this, and…"

Jack clenched his teeth as he quickly skimmed the summaries. A public lynching, in a small town? Someone just threw a lit match into a fireworks factory. If Kinsey's goons had done this… No. As much as he loathed to admit it, this was inevitable. You couldn't keep telling people how dangerous and evil magic was, and how the Bible condemned witches, without someone doing something like this.

There would be riots. But, unlike before, this time, mobs would fight each other as much or more as they would fight the cops. And the cops wouldn't be able to handle it. Hell, the National Guard wouldn't be able to handle it without a blood bath. Or even with a blood bath, if Gaia's Chosen got involved.

His computer announced a message - urgent. Jack knew what it was even before he read it:
Emergency meeting at headquarters.

Just as he was switching his computer off to get to his personal shuttle, he caught the last 'breaking news'.

Texan church burnt down in magical attack.

"Fuck!"

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 13th, 2000

"...and tensions remain high while the governor of Texas deployed the National Guard to maintain order, although experts wonder if the available units are enough after several were deployed overseas to replace regular formations in the war against the Goa'uld, and other states are facing similar situations. In Louisiana, another lynching was stopped by what witnesses claim was a 'zombie horde', resulting in one death by suicide after being bitten, and…"

Adora frowned at Catra. "I think we're aware of the situation in the United States."

"Never hurts to keep an eye on the news," her lover replied, though she did mute her tablet. "They might be faster than the government."

"A snail is faster than the government," Jack muttered. "I made it here before the President asked for support from the Alliance?"

"We haven't received an official request for assistance. Nor have we received an unofficial notice that we can expect one," Glimmer told him.

"If the government is forced to ask for help dealing with internal problems, that would be a major loss of face - especially in the middle of the election campaign. They are probably looking for alternatives first," Daniel said.

"Can't appear weak while the country descends into anarchy." Jack scoffed.

"It's not that bad," Sam said. "The incidents seem mainly limited to traditionally conservative states, and many of those have smaller populations. Texas is the most obvious exception."

"Texas has 20 million people. More than many other Alliance members." Jack shook his head. "If things go out of control there…"

Adora nodded. That was more than a third of the entire population of Etheria. Everything was bigger on Earth. "We can't let that happen," she said. She had restored magic to Earth, so it was her responsibility to intervene and protect the people.

"The Alliance cannot intervene in a member state without a request from the government," General Naird said. "That would be a grave violation of the sovereignty of the United States - an invasion!"

"What can we do, anyway? Park frigates above the American cities?" Catra asked.

Naird gaped at her. "That's… You can't be serious!"

Catra snorted. "I'm not. But what can we do?"

"Send in troops - release the American troops seconded to the Alliance - to restore order in the United States," Naird said.

"That would affect critical Alliance operations," Admiral Brown-Emerson pointed out. "Your government insisted on supplying the lion's share of the troops needed for those operations."

"So you could look good in front of the press," Glimmer added. "We can't just replace them on the fly. Withdrawing them in good order would take weeks. We can't just shove them through the Stargate."

Well, they could, but that wasn't how you moved troops. They needed their heavy material, their supplies… Adora winced when she imagined how the logistics officers would react to such an order.

"What about sending in parts of the formations? If you send, say, every third company, you might have enough troops to make a difference, and the remaining forces would still be able to function," General Steiner suggested. "Barely," he added at the scowls from both Naird and Jack.

"I don't think more boots on the ground will be enough," Jack said. "Those won't really do much against magical attacks."

"The riots and the lynchings are the problem," Glimmer retorted. "Not the magical attacks."

"People freak out about them, though," Jack said. "They cause the riots - and I know it's not rational, but people who are afraid aren't rational."

Adora knew he was right. People were panicking about magic.

"And going after sorceresses will help? Your politicians are calling for witch hunts! They burned one poor woman at the stake!" Glimmer snapped. "The sorceresses are the victims here! And if you focus on them instead of the murder mobs, they will panic - and then they'll lash out with magic!"

Jack scowled. "We can't arrest half the population. Even if they deserve it."

"Why not?" Glimmer asked. "Isn't everyone equal in front of the law?"

Adora winced as Jack glowered at Glimmer. That was a cheap shot.

"Because then they will vote for the witch-hunting party!" Jack snapped.

Adora cleared her throat. "We can't waste time bickering here. We need to find a solution."

"Fight fire with fire? I mean, magic with magic?" Naird suggested. He flinched a little when everyone looked at him. "Send every sorceress we can spare there to deal with magical attacks, and show the flag?"

"And expose them to lynch mobs?" Glimmer asked.

Adora grimaced. Most Etherian sorceresses serving in the Alliance could handle a mob attacking them. But few could handle a mob without killing people. "We'll have to take point," she said. "The princesses. Hit the worst regions, show the Earth sorceresses that they are not left alone, show the people that they are protected."

Jack looked doubtful, but Daniel nodded, as did Sam. Glimmer agreed as well but grudgingly. Adora could tell.

"Best keep some reserves in stealth shuttles around, though," Catra said.

Jack agreed with that.

"Alright." Adora nodded. "Then that's what we do."

"We still need an official request by the US government," Naird reminded her.

"That shouldn't take too long," Daniel said. "What alternatives do they have?"

Before anyone could answer, the door to the meeting room was pushed open, and Admiral Biggs stormed in.

"Damn. He made it," Catra grumbled next to Adora.

"What's the meaning of this?" the man bellowed. "You started an emergency meeting without me?"

"In an emergency, we can't wait for everyone," Admiral Dubois said with a faint smile. "C'est la vie."

Admiral Brown-Emerson hid his annoyance with the American better, but he frowned a little as well. And Naird rolled his eyes, but he was Air Force, and they were supposed to dislike the Navy, according to Jack.

"We've decided on the best course of action once we're called in to help by the US government," Adora told him with a polite smile.

"What? The last thing America needs is more help from those who started this whole debacle!" Biggs snapped. "More witches and heathens would only cause more problems!"

"What are you saying, Biggs?" Jack growled. "You think we can handle this without help from the experts?"

"I think you did enough damage to America already!"

"I don't think your government agrees with that," Daniel told him.

But Adora was wondering why the Americans hadn't asked for help yet. And why they hadn't fired Biggs yet. She shook her head. Enough was enough. "Admiral Biggs, leave this room. You are relieved from your position."

He stared at her. "What?"

"You're fired!" Catra told him, flashing her fangs wîn a feral grin. "You can take your bigoted butt out of here."

"You cannot fire me! I am appointed by the US Government!"

"And we will certainly question them about your appointment," Glimmer cut in. "But you're wrong - the Supreme Commander has the authority to remove anyone from any post if they are perceived to be unfit for their position."

"Unfit? Me?"

"Yes." Adora nodded emphatically. "You are obviously so biased against magic and aliens that you cannot be trusted to fulfil your duties as a member of the Alliance Command Council. We will ask the US Government to replace you with someone else."

"Someone who isn't a bigot," Glimmer added.

Admiral Bigg's face twisted into a grimace that Adora could only call hateful. "So, you're showing your true colours. This is a purge! Kearsy warned me that you'd do this!" He turned to look at the other members of the Command Council, who had been silent until now. "And you! You're letting them do this? It will happen to you as well, as soon as you stand up for what you believe in!"

"I don't think we believe in the same things, Admiral," Admiral Dubois told him.

The others didn't say anything, Adora noted, though they didn't flinch or look away either.

Biggs stayed silent for a moment, eyes flicking from one person to the other, before he scoffed and marched out of the room.

Adora shook her head as the door closed.

"We'll have to talk with the President about his choices. First Kearsy, then Biggs - don't they have any sane officers?" Glimmer scoffed. "He called us heathen and witches! A day after there was a witch hunt in America! How did you manage to work with other countries with such people leading you?"

Adora looked at Jack. That was a good question.

"Before your arrival, America was the lone superpower in the world," Daniel spoke up. "It's easier to work with people when you're in a position of unquestioned power."

Jack scowled but didn't contradict Daniel.

"This will make things harder," General Naird said. "Firing Biggs will make the government look weak, and in the current crisis…"

"Then they shouldn't appoint idiots who think magic is evil to any post in the Alliance!" Glimmer spat.

"It's not that easy to spot," Naird said.

"He didn't exactly hide his views," Glimmer pointed out.

Adora nodded. "And we can't work with people like him. The President should understand that."

"Let's hope so," Jack muttered.

"Admiral Biggs has a lot of friends, both in the service and in Congress," Naird said.

"That's why he was appointed to this post in the first place," Jack said. "But how many of them will go to bat for him now?"

"Those who think they'll win the election," Daniel said.

"The Armed Forces are supposed to stay out of politics," Jack said. "But no one told that to the politicians."

"At our level, any appointment is a political decision, General," Admiral Brown-Emerson told him. "It remains to be seen how the American government will react to this development. I don't envy them."

"Well, trying to play both sides won't work any more." Glimmer scoffed again..

"There aren't supposed to be two sides," Daniel said. "We're supposed to be on the same side."

Catra snorted. "You can't be on the same side as people who hate you for being different."

Adora nodded. It was past time to draw a line again.

*****​

 

[Amrynel]

"The number of people killed or hurt by magic attacks is still far below the number of people killed by guns in the same period, Keith. It's an irrational fear. And catering to irrational people is a recipe for disaster."

Click to shrink...

For some reason, possibly related to the above and the number of mentions of Texas in the chapter, the following scene demanded time in my head:

Texan: "They came in, accused me of being a witch and tried to string me up."
Lawyer: "And that's when you shot Mister Wesker?"
Texan: "Well I told them to fuck off first, beggin' your pardon, but he and a couple others were packing and when they didn't listen I wasn't going to wait while they were rememberin' how to aim."
Lawyer: "Why didn't you use magic to stop them?"
Texan: "Friend, I can barely bend a spoon without a two hour ritual and even then Ol' Wampus won't answer unless I lay out a good spread; my .45 doesn't have that problem."

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 194: The Election Campaign Part 16

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 14th, 2000

"...and the National Guard has intervened, enforcing the curfew announced by the governor, yet people keep defying the order and gathering to protest the presence of magic in their lives despite the risk of magical attacks on those gatherings. One can but wonder how long until another church is burned down by…"

"...the government has not answered any questions about the rumours that the Alliance Against the Goa'uld is mobilising to help with handling the outbreak of violence in large parts of the United States that continues to spread, merely stating that selected specialists are coming to help deal with magical incidents. This despite the utter lack of any coherent response to several attempted lynchings in different states, and…"

"...and how can we stand by while basic human rights are trampled under the government's boot? How dare the governor install a curfew! The people have the right to voice their justified fear of magic and vile witches! We can only hope that come election day, the government will receive the just reward for their actions, and…"

Samantha Carter tried to ignore the switching of channels in the background as she studied the latest data from the modified frigates searching for Ba'al. She couldn't fault Daniel and Sha're for following the news - the developments in the United States were dramatic.

"...National Guard unit repelled a mob attack on 'Gaia's Tree' in the Mojave Desert, leaving dozens wounded and even more hit with what some experts call a biological weapon. What is your comment on this, governor?"

"A biological weapon? Those people tried to destroy a protected tree and were hit by skunk spray in response."

"Skunk spray from magical plants, Governor?"

"Yes, indeed. We're talking about magic here."

"Some politicians question the use of magic against protestors…"

"Yes, and the same politicians don't see anything wrong with letting a mob run wild or calling for a literal witch hunt. That should tell you everything about them and their opinions."

"That seems like a harsh statement when a third of the American people demand that magic be restricted or banned from our soil."

"The same people demand that same-sex marriages be outlawed. Again, that's not the kind of people we should listen to, much less obey. Certainly not here in California. We're better than that."

Daniel whistled. "That's a very daring statement from the governor."

"He's only telling the truth, dear," Sha're commented, sounding slightly puzzled.

"Jack would say that that's quite daring for a politician," Daniel replied. "But I'm more impressed that he's taking such a clear stance at a point where the federal elections could swing either way. If the liberals lose this election, he will have trouble working with the government."

"I thought standing up for your beliefs was the ideal of the United States."

"Well, it's one ideal. But to succeed in politics, you also must be able to compromise to achieve your goals. It's a give-and-take, since you often need support from both sides of the aisle, so to speak. Especially on the Federal level. It's actually one of the more worrying developments in the country - a growing polarisation. Though, to be fair, the conservatives have been pushing for this for over ten years, and this might merely be the liberals reacting in kind. Still, our system is not designed to handle such a development. If this persists, if our politicians cannot work together across party lines any more, we'll need to change key parts of how we do politics."

Sam cleared her throat.

"Oh, sorry, Sam - I got a bit carried away." Sam didn't have to look up to know Daniel would have a sheepish expression.

In the sudden silence, the TV continued with another interview - no, a discussion, if you could call it that.

"How can you ask that magic be tolerated? The Bible is clear about it: Exodus 22:18: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!"

"Leaving aside that the Bible should not be used to make law…"

"God's word is above everything man-made!"

"...you cannot just interpret this passage literally. First, we don't know the exact meaning of the word as it was used when this part of the bible was written. Some scholars think it refers to magic, other scholars interpret it as 'poisoner', based on the root of the word…"

"The meaning is clear! If God didn't want it to mean 'witch' as we understand it, He would not have used it! How can you claim that God's Own Word is a mistake? Do you think he would let such a mistake stand?"

"It's a linguistic matter. The Bible, as most Americans know it, is actually the result of several translations, each of them subject to contemporary interpretations and biases, and we simply cannot take it literally."

"That's blasphemy!"

"He sounds like a Goa'uld," Sha're said. "Or one of those who still worship the Goa'uld."

"Well… the Goa'uld clearly co-opted many of Earth's religions, so that is not a surprise," Daniel replied. "Few people like to question strongly-held beliefs, not limited to religion. But we…" He trailed off. "Oh My God!"

Sam looked up. If Daniel sounded like that… She gasped.

"...and it's a massacre! An armed mob stormed the county jail, where a suspected witch was being held, and the whole building went up in flames - with the mob inside! Dozens of people suffered heavy burns, and the conflagration is still raging! I can feel the heat from this far away, and I can see burning corpses in the street!"

*****​

West Texas, United States of America, Earth, September 14th, 2000

The jail - or what was left of it - was still smoking, Catra saw as their shuttle flew over the small town, but the fire had been put out by the local firefighters; she saw a red truck and several people with hoses standing at the side, next to a couple medical transports - ambulances. Not much use for those now, she thought; not many would have survived that kind of fire at ground zero.

"Most of the survivors had been outside when the building went up and have been taken to hospitals already," Jack said.

"The scanners do not detect any hidden explosives, advanced weapons or any other potential ambushes, sir," Sam reported.

That was good to know; Catra wouldn't put it past the kind of scum who'd try to burn a witch to use this to attack Alliance members, and while she was confident they would easily deal with an ambush, Alliance leaders taking out more of the bigot brigade wouldn't play well with the media down there.

And the kind of bastards who would twist everything they saw or heard around to fuel their propaganda were the most important threat right now, in her opinion.

"Alright, set us down at the edge of the perimeter, I don't want the press to storm the shuttle," Jack said.

"OK," Sha're replied and steered the shuttle towards the area guarded by National Guard soldiers.

Even with the soldiers guarding the line, the press went into a frenzy, pressing forward when they spotted the shuttle decloaking and setting down and yelling questions and accusations once they recognised the group.

"Supreme Commander! Does this mean the Alliance will intervene in the USA? Is this an invasion?"

"Supreme Commander! Was this the work of a rogue Etherian sorcereress?"

"Princess She-Ra, what do you say to accusations that this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't restored magic to Earth?"

"Supreme Commander She-Ra! Will you be taking action to stop the witch hunts in America?"

"She-Ra! Will you be healing those who were wounded in this incident?"

"Princess She-Ra! Are you here in support of the US Government? Or the liberal election campaign?"

Glimmer muttered a curse under her breath that only Catra picked up.

And Adora went straight forward to face the press, Catra and Jack following her. "Please be quiet so I can give my statement," she said in her officer voice - the one that carried over a battlefield.

To Catra's surprise, the journalists - and those who didn't deserve the name - actually quieted down.

"We're here answering a request for assistance from the US government to help with putting an end to the violence that has erupted in the US over the last few days," Adora said. "We'll be investigating this incident and confer with the authorities about how we can restore order in the area and prevent the loss of more lives. That's all I will say at the moment - we have to ascertain the situation first."

"Does that mean you will take action against the witches?"

"What about the wounded?"

"Princess She-Ra! What about magic? Can you take away the magic?"

Catra rolled her eyes when they turned away from the perimeter and walked over to the ruins. "Bunch of idiots."

"They're not exactly the cream of the crop of the journalists," Jack said. "Their most prominent journalists were still in Austin waiting for the governor's press conference. Since flights were banned from this area, they couldn't get here before we did."

Another reason not to allow private shuttles, Catra thought.

Entrapta, Bow and Sam were already scanning the ruins, with Glimmer looking around, staff in hand, and focusing.

"So…" Adora looked around as well.

Catra snorted. "Just try to look like you're doing something - the press is still watching us." It wasn't as if they could do much right now. She didn't see anything suspicious, and her nose only smelled smoke, burning plastic - and burnt flesh. "Looks like the aftermath of a bombing strike," she commented.

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "So… what kind of spell or spirit did it?"

"We don't know," Sam said. "But the fire was so hot and quick because there was a fuel depot for the police adjacent to the jail."

Jack blinked. "Why would a police station in a small town like this have a fuel depot? How many patrol cars do they have, one or two?"

"We don't know, sir, but the scanners show residue from a large amount of gasoline being burnt here."

Catra narrowed her eyes. That made no sense. And she knew from various logistical hiccups in the Alliance that gasoline didn't keep for too long - about two years, tops.

"I don't detect any sign of magic having been used here," Glimmer said, lowering her staff.

"Oh." Adora frowned, then straightened. "Let's talk with the local authorities."

Catra nodded. They had a few questions for them.

*****​

"What are you doing here? Haven't you done enough already? Eighteen people died tonight, and two dozen were horribly burned! We've got enough from the likes of you"

For the mayor of a Podunk town, the guy had a lot of attitude, in Jack O'Neill's opinion. Especially faced with a bunch of people who could wipe his town off the map. Literally. Well, time to cut that down to size. "I'm General O'Neill, United States Air Force," he introduced himself. "I'm sure you know Supreme Commander Adora."

"Hello." Adora nodded curtly at the man. She didn't flinch at his accusations, Jack noted.

"And this is Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon," Jack went on with the big guns.

The mayor scoffed, but Jack saw he was starting to sweat. Literally.

"And you are?" he nodded at the other guy in the room, who was wearing a Texas Ranger uniform.

"Captain Jenkins, Texas Rangers."

"Again, what are you doing here? We don't need you here. Not the feds, not some… aliens!" the mayor blustered. "We've suffered a tragedy! We don't want any of you vultures here trying to weaponise this!"

"Too bad for you that we're here on request of the United States government," Jack told him. "That kind of supersedes your authority."

"And we have a few questions," Adora took over. "Did your sheriff survive?"

"He was burned to death by vile magic! Magic you've brought upon us!" the mayor snapped.

Adora didn't react to his outburst. "Who is alive who worked in the jail and the police station?"

"Why? Are you trying to pin the blame on them?" The mayor scoffed.

Jack narrowed his eyes. That was a lot of hostility, even considering the circumstances. And the Texas Ranger captain was keeping his mouth shut instead of holding up the flag of states' rights or whatever. Jack wasn't an expert, but that seemed a bit unusual for such cops. "Are you refusing to cooperate?" he asked in his best 'innocent question' tone.

"I am not letting some… alien harm even more of my people!"

"We didn't harm your citizen. Your citizens were harmed when they tried to lynch someone," Adora told him. She looked at her tablet. "A Mrs Benningham. Who you had arrested for… witchcraft."

"Harming others is a crime, whether you do it with magic or a gun!"

"But who did she harm? Allegedly?" Adora shook her head. "The report doesn't say."

"They didn't get around to updating the electronic files before the jail burned down."

Jack clenched his teeth. Even more suspicious. But were they just grabbing a woman because they were panicking about magic - or was she a convenient victim? Daniel had been quite clear about how, historically, 'witches' often had been convicted so their accuser could profit.

"You sure know what she allegedly did." Adora moved a step forward, looming over the already shortish mayor.

"I am not involved with arrests - I don't interfere with the Sheriff's work." The guy was sweating so much now, he looked as if he had run a marathon.

"And who would know what Mrs Benningham allegedly did?" Adora was still talking calmly, but her frown was deepening.

"They all died in the jail! Together with many good people!"

"Together with a bunch of murderous people," Jack corrected him. "Why didn't the Sheriff and his men stop them?"

"You can't stop a mob like that," Captain Jenkins spoke up for the first time. "Not without a blood bath."

"So, you let them murder a helpless prisoner?" Jack scoffed. "I don't know how the Texas Rangers do it, but in the Air Force, we don't let a mob take anyone in our care. We shoot them first."

"We're not at war with our people," Jenkins retorted.

"Coulda fooled me," Jack told him, looking out of the window at the smoke rising from the ruins. "Certainly reminds me of a battlefield."

"You don't shoot criminals trying to murder someone?" Glimmer scoffed. "Your statistics tell me something else."

Jenkins clenched his teeth. There was no good answer to that, of course.

Jack shook his head. The man should have kept quiet.

"Are you threatening my people?" The mayor, too, should have kept quiet.

"Threatening? Why would they feel threatened? They aren't planning another lynching, are they?" Adora asked.

"Because if they do, we will not hesitate to intervene," Catra added. She unsheathed her claws and wriggled her fingers to stress the point.

"That's… preposterous! We're a law-abiding, good Christian town!"

"So law-abiding, dozens of your good citizens decided to murder a poor woman in jail. And ended up burning to death." Jack snorted. "If she hadn't died as well, it would be poetic justice - those who planned to burn someone at the stake died in a fire."

"How can you say that! Those people had families!"

"So had the victim."

"No, she had no family!" The mayor blinked. "I mean…"

"You seem very well informed about her," Jack commented.

"We're a small town. I know everyone here."

"And you thought Mrs Beenningham was a witch." Adora didn't ask.

"She was always talking about Gaia! And she didn't go to Church! And she had all those crystals and so many cats! People were afraid she would curse them!"

Jack glared at him. "Because they had been harassing her and were afraid she would take revenge?"

"That was no harassment! Just some… misunderstanding."

Jack cursed internally. This sounded very familiar now.

*****​

"The results are the same. No trace of magic at all."

Samantha Carter acknowledged Glimmer's report with a nod. She hadn't expected anything else, but given how volatile this situation was - politically - it paid to confirm everything twice.

"The thermal warping in the ruins does show that the fire burnt the hottest in the area where the fuel depot was supposedly located, at least according to the residue the gasoline left," Entrapta added. "It's nice to know that the same calibration we used to trace pollution in the Fright Zone after the war could be put to use again! Well, it's not nice that there is so much pollution, although that seems pretty normal for Earth, at least parts of Earth, but it's nice that we can do something about it. Though I think just based on the effects the smoke from such a fire has on the people and the environment, switching to a cleaner fuel source might be advisable."

"Switching from the current technology to another would be quite the challenge," Bow said, looking at his tablet. "All the support and supply systems currently in place would have to be changed."

"That shouldn't be too hard, actually," Entrapta said. "If you have to replace the entire fleet of vehicles, you have to update maintenance and supply facilities anyway."

"It's not just the military and police, but also, and more so, the civilians who are using the cars," Sam told them. "And not too many of them can afford to switch to different vehicles." Or would want to in the first place, at least in the conservative states.

Entrapta and Bow looked puzzled, she noted. "They would refuse better vehicles?" Entrapta asked.

"I thought the government would hand the new vehicles out," Bow added.

Right. That was how things worked on Etheria, Sam reminded herself.

"Earth doesn't have the same views of the duties of their rulers as we have," Glimmer commented, sounding a bit smug.

"It's a matter of economic constraints," Sam said. "Handing out new cars and a new distribution and maintenance system to everyone would devastate our economy. We're already struggling to implement advanced technology in the civilian sector without wrecking existing businesses." At least, that was what she had heard. She was a scientist, not an economist, and she was focused on issues that hindered military production, not civilian goods.

"Fundamentally transforming existing businesses is a delicate process," Daniel joined in. "The military buildup actually helps since many such businesses can switch to military production. Even so, though, such a transformation risks closing many existing businesses, and while new ones will spring up, the entire uncertainty and turmoil will have repercussions for the economy. The government will try to avoid or at least minimise that."

"Can't you just show the existing businesses how to produce the new types?" Entrapta asked.

"In theory, yes. In practice?" Sam shook her head. "There will be the same issues we have with the Constitution II-project as people work with unfamiliar technology and make mistakes."

"Oh. But couldn't they just copy existing, proven designs?" Entrapta asked.

"That would mean all the models from every maker would look the same," Daniel said. "Making it hard to market your products."

"So?" Glimmer shrugged her shoulders. "As long as everyone can get a new vehicle, where's the harm?"

"They could personalise the designs afterwards," Bow said. "Many do that with skiffs in Etheria."

Sam wondered how that would be received in the American car culture, especially the tuning scene. Some of the modifications she had seen made her concerned about the results if the same people were experimenting with advanced technology. But they were digressing - they were here to analyse the ruins and find out what had happened. "Let's focus on the task at hand," she said. She had a suspicion, but she needed more data to support it.

A few minutes later, she had finished comparing the recordings from the journalist covering the incident and the data from the scans. "It looks like there was a smaller explosion in the fuel depot," she said, "quickly followed by the entire depot catching fire. The thermal warping of the steel structure would fit, and the records show the blast taking off the roof there."

"Someone set fire to the fuel depot, and it blew up?" Daniel asked.

"Or someone set off fuel fumes," Sam said. "If one of the containers was leaking, and there was a spark - or someone was smoking when they entered the depot."

"But why would anyone enter the depot at that time?" Daniel asked. "And shouldn't… Oh." He winced.

Sam nodded. "They wanted to burn a witch and needed fuel." Why bother with a stake if you could just douse them in gasoline and set them off? Just grab a jerry can from the depot, no need to get your own, no need to be too careful, and with so many people involved… "It would explain why the fuel depot was set off. But it doesn't explain why there was such a fuel depot in the first place."

*****​

"Why did you have a fuel depot in your jail? Sorry, your Sheriff's office? With more fuel than your patrol cars use over the course of a year? And not properly stored?"

"I… I am just the mayor, not the sheriff. You have to ask the sheriff that!"

"The sheriff who died in the fire?"

Catra shook her head while Jack grilled the mayor. She'd known the bigots hunting witches were stupid - it kind of came with the territory - but this was worse than she had expected.

"That wasn't my fault!"

"You're the mayor. You know everyone in the town. Don't tell me you weren't aware of that."

"I… I didn't know any details!"

Catra sighed. It was obvious that the guy was lying. And the Texas Ranger captain was staying silent and doing his best imitation of a wall. He would have perfectly fit into the Horde with his attitude - stay out of any argument involving angry superiors and hope the storm passes you so you can get back to doing whatever you did. Although… "Where did you get the fuel, anyway?"

The mayor went even paler and more nervous, and Catra narrowed her eyes at him. "I… I don't really know. I don't buy gas for the police, I'm just the mayor!"

"There have to be receipts. Filed and archived. Proper paperwork," Jack said.

"It would have been in the Sheriff's office! I don't check that, I'm just the mayor!"

"Then let's check with your accountant. Unless he died in the fire as well." Jack bared his teeth.

"Uh…"

She wrinkled her nose - the man stank of sweat.

*****​

"So… the owner of the gas station is the mayor's brother-in-law? And he was in financial trouble, but then the sheriff decided to buy two years' worth of gas with the town's money?" Catra shook her head.

"And, of course, the mayor had nothing to do with it." Sarcasm was dripping from Jack's words. He tossed his tablet on the table in the shuttle's operation room (and lounge). "He didn't mention to the Sheriff how the town would cover 'fuel reserves for an emergency' or that they wouldn't really care if the gas went bad after two years." He snorted. "Small town corruption."

"Which caused dozens of dead and burned people," Daniel said.

"Dead and burned people who tried to lynch an innocent woman over neighbourhood grievances," Jack told him. "Can't forget that."

"It's still a tragedy," Daniel said.

"Only because the woman didn't survive," Jack said.

Catra nodded. She didn't care about the wannabe witch hunters at all. "Well, let's hope the press will talk about this as much as they talk about magical attacks."

"We'll see," Jack said, though he was scowling.

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 15th, 2000

"...and according to the Alliance, the victim of the lynching gone wrong that resulted in dozens of deaths amongst the town's residents was no witch at all but merely a controversial neighbour…"

"...claim that the woman was no witch. But that's coming from witches and friends of witches! Why would anyone trust them? We know magic is real and witches exist!"

"...and dozens died because of the blatant hate campaign waged by conservative media. How many more have to die before America will finally put an end to this? How many more people have to be murdered by radicalised neighbours before the government will step in? The incident here was merely the most costly, but there have been three other lynchings - and how many such incidents will have been covered up by corrupt local authorities? We cannot…"

"...our thoughts and prayers are with every victim of this calamity."

"Dozens dead? That's not the tragic part. Those people wanted to murder that poor woman because they thought she was a witch! Good riddance to them - and to everyone pushing that fearmongering propaganda!"

"..the nation is reeling from the realisation where hatred and ignorance have driven America! Now more than ever, we must stand up for what is right and oppose the lies spread to fester hatred, or more lynchings will happen! We know from our dark history how it will end if we don't stop it now."

"...small town lynch mob blows itself up looting fuel depot of corrupt sheriff…"

"...has announced a suit against most conservative media for their coverage of the recent lynchings…"

"...so, even if people are, and rightfully, concerned about magical attacks, that doesn't give them the right to lynch people. That's not how America works! We're a country under the rule of law!"

"...the campaign manager refused to comment on accusations that his decision to focus on magic as a danger to society shared part of the responsibility for the Texan tragedy, but other members of the election campaign are talking about changing tacks and focusing on the current administration's failure to stop those lynchings instead…"

"...a mire of corruption, lies and hatred. It blew up in this town, with fatal results, but it's present in many other towns, and…"

"...my stance has always been that we are a country where no one is above the law. Murderers will be prosecuted no matter who they are. Anyone who takes part in a lynching will suffer the full penalty of the law! We will not go back to Jim Crow - or the Puritans! There will be no Salem Witch trials under my watch!"

"...and while this is a tragedy, it doesn't change what God said. We have to trust in God and do his work no matter the cost!"

"...and recent polls show that people start to be more concerned about the lynchings than the magical attacks, a trend started with the shocking burning at the stake of…

"...join us as we look into the life of Jane Bellingham, a poor woman murdered for not conforming to her neighbours' prejudices, and…"

"Well, at least there's a trend?" Daniel commented as Catra kept switching through channels.

She scoffed. Sure, some of the media had changed course, but there were still too many either trying to avoid the issue or doubling down on the propaganda. That had to change.

*****​

Washington DC, United States of America, Earth, September 16th, 2000

Jack O'Neill took care not to let his annoyance show while he waited for his meeting with the President and whoever else would be in attendance. That he was kept waiting was to be expected - this was the White House, and the President was one of the busiest men in the world; something would always come up that needed an immediate response while his meeting could be delayed. But the topic - 'staffing questions' - was a bit… He wouldn't call it ominous, but he couldn't help worrying that the President's view of the current mess might be a bit… biased.

"...and this tragedy in Texas, followed by another attempted lynching in Tennessee that was stopped by the timely intervention of the state police, raises the question if there's something seriously wrong with rural America. We are travelling the galaxy, fighting a war against body-snatching aliens to free their slaves, and yet half of our own country is looking as if they want to return to the time of witch hunts and lynchings? What went wrong? With us here is Dr Brandon de Grassi, an expert on modern American history. Dr de Grassi, what do you think is the reason that we have murderous mobs prowling small towns in America as if this were the nineteenth century - or the seventeenth?"

"Well, first, I have to correct you - we've had organised lynch mobs well into the twentieth century. In living memory, actually, in some cases. The Tulsa Massacre in 1921 stands out as one of the worst but not the only one, not by far."

"But unlike the current incidents, those were racially motivated."

"The underlying causes and methods are the same - and I would wager that a lot of the people involved in the current lynchings would have been involved in the lynchings back then as well. It's not about the specific ideology, it's about a community dealing violently with those deemed 'others', outsiders, strangers, to reaffirm their own identity and uphold the social hierarchy that they think is under attack and to which they cling despite being victims of said hierarchy themselves because it lets them look down on others. It is not surprising that women were the most common victims of witch hunts; they were the obvious targets in a patriarchal society. So, this is not a new development at all; what is new is that some of the victims can actually defend themselves, unlike in the past, and that there are foreign powers not only willing but able to intervene, should the government not…"

"General? The President will see you now."

"Alright." Jack stood and nodded at the aide.

They were going into the Oval Office. That meant this wasn't a meeting with the cabinet. Which was both reassuring and worrying. Whatever. Jack straightened. He was an officer, and he knew his duty - to his country and to his conscience.

The President, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State were waiting, and Jack saluted the President before nodding at the other two. "Mr President. Sir. Ma'am."

"Have a seat, General." The President gestured at the free seat. "I guess you know what this is about."

Jack didn't, actually. This could be about the recent lynchings and the Etherians' response. On the other hand, they had said this was about staffing… "I would assume this is about Biggs's replacement."

The President nodded. "Exactly. It's a delicate situation, especially with the current mess we have to deal with."

And the election campaign, of course. Jack nodded anyway.

"The Navy is not happy. First Kearsy, then Biggs… Two Admirals replaced while none of the other branches faced such troubles." The Secretary of Defense frowned. "They think this is about inter-service rivalry."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "They think I'm abusing my friendship with the Etherians to push the Navy out?"

The three exchanged a glance before the President nodded. "That's it in a nutshell."

Jack scowled. "I resent this insinuation. I have not discussed such a topic with the Etherians. And neither have, to my knowledge, any of the other members of the Command Council. To speak plainly, Mr President, Admirals Kearsy and Biggs have only themselves to blame for their reassignments."

"That's not how the Navy brass sees things."

"Then the Navy brass needs to get a clue," Jack said. "Mr President, sending people who think the Etherians are heathens and sinners to the Alliance Command Council is a recipe for disaster. The Etherians are fed up with that. Whoever you pick as Biggs's replacement, make sure he's not a Bible-thumper or a bigot."

"We don't exactly have a lot of gay atheists in the service," the Secretary of Defense commented.

"We don't need gay atheists." The Secretary of State glared at him. "Don't try to make this sound ridiculous. We just need people who can be diplomatic. People with experience working with different cultures."

"Kearsy and Biggs had that experience," the Secretary of Defense retorted.

"If they did, they didn't show it," Jack said.

"And it's not about religion or sexual orientation," the Secretary of State went on. "It's about being open-minded, tolerant and able to realise that the world has changed and we need to adapt to that change." She turned to look at the President. "You can't pick another member of the Old Boys Club."

The President nodded at her, then looked at Jack. "You said not to pick a Bible-thumper or a bigot. Who would you recommend?"

Jack wanted to frown. "I don't know any Admiral well enough to recommend one." And what he had heard from Carter about her troubles with the Navy shipbuilding programs didn't make him want to recommend one anyway. "Whoever you pick, he has to be able to work with Princesses, Clones, Sorceresses and Aliens."

"A diplomat. Someone like Eisenhower." The President nodded.

Jack pressed his lips together. He wasn't a politician. It wasn't his place to tell the politicians how to do their job. But he was an officer, and he had a duty to his country. He took a deep breath. "Not quite like Eisenhower," he said.

"Oh?" Everyone was looking intently at him.

"Eisenhower led the Allies when the United States called the shots." Especially at the end. "We're the junior partner here. Pick someone who understands that. Understands and doesn't resent it. Someone who doesn't think America is God's chosen country. Someone who realises that Adora, Glimmer, Catra and the others have not only more experience at this kind of war, but also more power at their disposal. And accepts all that."

"Ah."

The President's grin was a bit lopsided. "That might be a tall order."

The others chuckled. Jack didn't.

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 18th, 2000

"...and Princess She-Ra's refusal to heal the people wounded in the conflagration, stating that she wouldn't use magic on those who considered it evil, has been met with mixed reactions. It seems even those who would love to see a witch burned at the stake still want magical healing. Quite the hypocrisy, right, Jim?"

"Oh, definitely, Dan, but hypocrisy is what we can expect from that part of the political spectrum. The same people who have long opposed teaching science in schools still want to enjoy the very technology that these teachings allowed to be developed. That's nothing new. Astonishing is that other people still treat this as anything but insane - and that politicians cater to those people!"

"Then again, it's not as if those people, and those politicians, expect to live without all that technology and, now, magic. It's just the others who aren't allowed to enjoy those things, never themselves."

"Well, we'll see come November how that message has been received by the American people, but the most recent poll has shown a sharp decline in support for such extremist positions, helped by the latest scandal hampering the conservative campaign. Who would have thought that such a staunch conservative Senator and family man had a lover on the side?"

"Everyone who ever met a conservative politician, Jim?"

Adora frowned a little as both pundits on the screen broke out in laughter. What they were saying was, essentially, correct - she agreed with them - but the way they were saying it was pretty… petty. And she remembered the same pair talking quite differently about the same things just a week ago.

"Did they again demand you be the better person and heal the people trying to murder us?"

She looked at Catra and frowned a bit more. "I know you heard what they were saying." Catra's ears were more than good enough to listen to the sounds on her tablet even across the room - and she was only sitting, well, sprawled across a seat, upside down, across Adora's desk.

Catra smirked. "Of course I did. This was just a reminder that you shouldn't feel bad about treating them as they say they want to be treated. Wouldn't want to risk their immortal souls by treating them with magic or alien technology."

Adora shook her head, smiling wryly against her will. "I don't feel bad about that." Well, a little - it was never nice to leave people suffering when you could help them. But those people had been hurt while murdering an innocent woman because they thought she was a witch. If she healed them while others who had done nothing wrong at all went without healing… "I'm just a bit… concerned about how quickly all those journalists and 'experts' changed their opinions."

Catra scoffed. "It's not as if they have opinions in the first place. They just go with the flow. 'Magic is bad and scary' was the big thing last week, but now it's 'idiots with weapons are bad and scary'. The number of suspected magical attacks didn't change significantly, but the number of reports covering them has dropped like a stone. At least in the United States. The rest of the world didn't really cater to that nonsense anyway." She twisted her body, shifting into an upright sitting position. "Though I would have expected more than the most extremist media to keep pushing the conservative views. This whole shift does seem a bit suspicious. People tend to stick with stupid decisions a lot longer than that. I should know."

"That was different," Adora told her.

"Not really. I knew the Horde was evil and their propaganda was lies, but I stuck with it because I didn't want to admit I was wrong and you were right."

Adora bit her lower lip for a moment. That was a sensitive topic. Catra wasn't completely wrong, but she was a bit too harsh with herself. "We were raised believing that."

"And as soon as you met Bow and Glimmer, you realised what had happened and changed sides."

"That's… It wasn't that quick," Adora said.

Catra rolled her eyes. "Quick enough. I know the story. Anyway, most Horde soldiers knew it as well, but we still stuck with it. In my case, because I had power and wanted more power. These guys?" She nodded at Adora's tablet, which was still displaying the news. "More of them should be trying to stick it out."

That was true. "The government has changed their opinion as well - they're actively going after the people responsible for the lynchings," Adora pointed out.

"Which should get more pushback as well. A week ago, there were more complaints about the government being about to do it than now when they are doing it."

Catra had been spending more time analysing the situation than Adora had expected, she realised. "And you think that if it's so easy to make people change their opinions to support us, it's as easy to change their opinion to oppose us, should the conservatives win the election anyway."

"Exactly."

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

For some reason, possibly related to the above and the number of mentions of Texas in the chapter, the following scene demanded time in my head:

Texan: "They came in, accused me of being a witch and tried to string me up."
Lawyer: "And that's when you shot Mister Wesker?"
Texan: "Well I told them to fuck off first, beggin' your pardon, but he and a couple others were packing and when they didn't listen I wasn't going to wait while they were rememberin' how to aim."
Lawyer: "Why didn't you use magic to stop them?"
Texan: "Friend, I can barely bend a spoon without a two hour ritual and even then Ol' Wampus won't answer unless I lay out a good spread; my .45 doesn't have that problem."

Click to shrink...

As a matter of fact, shooting a lynchmob would likely improve the defendant's case - although only marginally; in those situations, the outsider is already guilty in the eyes of the local law.

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 195: The Election Campaign Part 17

Spacelab, Earth Orbit, September 19th, 2000 (Earth Time)

Samantha Carter had missed this. Working in an advanced laboratory, on important projects, without being disturbed by the latest news from Earth detailing a new scandal - and she never could be sure if it was a real one, or one manufactured by the NID - or a new atrocity committed by people trying to drag her country back into the seventeenth century.

She smiled contentedly while she checked the latest data on the stress test of the casing prototype for the improved beam cannons Mark III. So far, it was performing to expectations, but there was still room for improvement, in her opinion. The thermal insulation was a bit below the expected rate, but Entrapta was already redesigning the cooling system, so that shouldn't be an issue.

All in all, this should improve both the power and firing rate of the beam cannons - the mainstay of the Alliance fleet - by at least 5 per cent. Not enough to spend the resources to upgrade all beam cannons in service, but more than enough to justify retooling the shipyards.

Now, if only their improved shield generator design were progressing at a similar pace. But they still hadn't solved the interference problem that made more powerful shields increasingly inefficient. The Goa'uld dealt with that by simply increasing the power fed to their generators, but that solution had its limits, and the Goa'uld had already hit it long ago.

Maybe they had to completely redesign the entire shield projector array - or go even further and consider replacing the base projector design. Deflecting the energy from an attack was only one way to deal with it. Adapting the knowledge from Beta's research, it might be possible to shunt the energy into another dimension instead. Or collect it to reuse it for the defender's ship - which wouldn't quite be reflecting enemy fire back, but similar in spirit, at the very least. She just needed to find a way to…

Her computer beeped with an alert.

Sam frowned. She had set her system to filter out everything that wasn't coming from Alliance Headquarters or trusted friends. She shouldn't be bothered by any alerts short of a Goa'uld offensive or something similar.

She opened the message. Oh. It was from the Special Sensor Task Force. They had found Ba'al's consciousness.

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 19th, 2000

"So, what do you have for us, Carter?" the General asked as he took his seat in the briefing room.

Sam would have made a comment about being impatient, but the General was under a lot of stress dealing with the strained relationship between the US Government and the Alliance. Apparently, the President hadn't really understood just how fed up the Etherians were with what they considered 'religious fanatics'. Of course, rejecting the latest Admiral because he had described himself as a 'Christian first, soldier second' in an interview a few years ago was a bit of an overreaction, in Sam's opinion, but she - unlike, apparently, the President and his advisers - understood where the Etherians were coming from.

She still waited until everyone was seated before saying: "We've located the potential location of the original Ba'al, sir."

Behind her, the massive holoprojector lit up and displayed a star system. "This is PT-9013. Our modified frigates detected a pattern matching the one Ba'al uses to transfer his consciousness during a scan. Repeated scans have confirmed this. We're moving in spy bot drones for a more detailed recon of the system, but we have already confirmed at least one orbital base of an unknown design, as well as a squadron of advanced Ha'taks."

"An unknown design?" Daniel asked. "Any similarities to existing designs?"

Sam shook her head. "We haven't been able to get a close scan to determine that. But the energy readings do not conform to any known design pattern."

"So, it's a surprise," the General commented.

Sam didn't bother to reply to that. Not directly, at least. "The system is outside our projected operation theatre, so we'll need to redeploy a fleet train to supply the task force assigned to hit it."

"In other words, Ba'al ran farther than we thought." The General smirked.

Catra snorted. "But we have him now. It'll take some time to set everything up, but we can finally find and hit him. And we can stop his body jumping attempt. But what about him fleeing through a gate?"

"We can block the gate on the planet by dialling in, but we don't know if he has a second gate in the station or one of the ships," Sam replied.

"Better count on that," the General said. "Ba'al's given us the slip before."

"Yes," Sha're agreed. "He will have multiple escape plans. We need to foil every one of them."

Sam had come to the same conclusion already.

"And if we show up with a big fleet, he'll flee at once. So… looks like another commando action is needed to sabotage all those escape plans," the General said.

"Yes, sir." Sam nodded.

"Good thing we've got the experience for this." The General grinned widely. "And if we're lucky, we'll see his expression when he tries to run and discovers he can't."

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 19th, 2000

"...the new Federal anti-lynching task force intervened in an attempted lynching in Louisiana. In an unprecedented move, all suspects - over fifty in total - were taken into custody, a move the governor's office called a 'gross overreaction' because it left the town without any official authority except for the deputy who called the federal task force. In a press release, the FBI, which is the leading agency in the task force, stated that the number of suspects didn't matter; everyone would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, no matter the cost. We have with us an expert on procedural matters, Professor Clark Huginns. Professor, some have voiced concerns that charging everyone involved in a lynching will overtax the American judicial system. What do you say to this?"

"Well, if we can't afford to prosecute everyone who attempted to murder someone, then our judicial system would not deserve its name. However, it is true that a murder trial - especially one involving so many suspects in the same crime - would tax the resources of the judicial system, especially in the states where this is occurring. In such a case, I believe the authorities need to prioritise these cases, reassigning resources usually spent on minor crimes. The American people will not lose faith in our judicial system if minor criminals get off, so such murderers can be sentenced in a speedy trial. In fact, given how often the prosecution of minor crimes often predominantly focuses on minorities and hands out disproportionate sentences, I would even dare to say that this would improve the American people's trust in our justice."

"I think that's touching matters that do not relate to this latest tragedy, Professor."

"I beg to differ, sir - such issues are at the core of the current crisis. In fact, if we allow trust in the judicial system to erode even further, we're likely to see vigilantism and lynchings increase. I doubt I have to explain why, in an age where even teenagers can use magic to curse someone, this would be a much more serious threat to our country than prosecuting a lynch mob would be."

"They're still trying to downplay the murders." Catra hissed under her breath.

"Well, in the South, lynchings were not prosecuted at all for decades, and even when dedicated efforts were finally made to end the practice, many who were guilty escaped justice since, often, only a few leading members of such murders would be prosecuted. That the federal government is actually prosecuting every member of a lynch mob must come as a shock to many in the South," Daniel commented.

"That's more than a bit cynical, Daniel," Jack commented. "And a bit of a heavy topic for a break."

"I'm merely realistic, Jack," Daniel told him. "You can see it in the news - the locals are shocked that they are taken to task for this, and their resentment over the federal government stepping in is obvious even amongst those who seem genuinely shocked and disgusted by the lynchings."

"The Feds wouldn't have to step in if the local authorities would do their job," Jack said.

"Exactly, Jack. I'm curious if this enforcement of federal standards will extend to other fields - a move to greater centralisation, so to speak. As Earth politics grow to involve events in the galaxy, and increasingly depend on international and even interstellar cooperation, our federal system might reach its limits in several areas." Daniel smiled. "It's questionable if the United States can regain a leading position without increased centralisation."

"No one will take you seriously as a kingdom - sorry, a country - if some peasants in the woods can ignore your own laws and treaties," Catra said. Jack frowned at her, and she shrugged. "I'm just telling it like it is. If we had your media back home, and if we had a democracy, the Alliance would be seriously reconsidering the treaty with the United States."

"To be fair, the United States alone have almost six times the population of Etheria," Daniel said. "Greater differences in local cultures and customs are inevitable - it's actually quite remarkable that there is such a strong overarching culture shared by the entire country."

"Are you calling lynchings a cultural difference?" Glimmer growled.

"What? No, no. I'm just saying that the United States is so big, even if the country were much more centralised, enforcement of all laws would be lagging behind," Daniel said. "Although it would be easier to enforce the most important laws, of course."

"Such as 'don't burn witches and gay people," Glimmer commented.

Daniel nodded. "Yes. That this happened, and still happens, is inexcusable."

"I think we should return to work," Jack said.

Catra snorted - it was obvious Jack didn't like to talk about this topic. Well, she didn't ike to talk about her time in the Horde, either - but Jack hadn't been responsible for the lynchings. She, on the other hand, had been the Horde Commander, and directly ordered several offensives against the Alliance, offensives that had seen entire kingdoms taken…

"Alright!" Adora said, looking up from where she had been working during the break. "Next topic: The new US Navy Admiral!"

Jack groaned under his breath again, Catra noted thanks to her ears.

*****​

Jack O'Neill really didn't want to discuss the latest clusterfuck of the Navy. Or the government. But he had expected this, and he was an officer of the Armed Forces of the United States, so he knew his duty. "The one you rejected?" he asked.

"The next one, so we don't have to reject that one as well," Glimmer said. "What was your government thinking?"

Oh, boy! Jack schooled his features. "They selected an admiral with experience working with different cultures and militaries."

"They picked a religious zealot - again!" Glimmer spat.

"I don't think you can call the guy a religious zealot," Jack said, a bit sharper than he had meant. "He was vetted thoroughly." Jack had talked to the guy himself, and the man was no Bible-thumper. Sure, he was Navy, but that couldn't be helped.

"He described himself as a 'Christian first, soldier second'," Glimmer said with a frown. "How could he have announced even more clearly that he's putting his religion over his duty?"

"That's just a thing people say. It doesn't mean he'd violate his oaths," Jack said.

"It's mostly performative," Daniel added. "If he truly put his faith above his duty, he wouldn't have reached his current rank."

Jack frowned at him - that made it sound as if you couldn't be a good soldier and a good Christian. On the other hand, they were talking about an admiral…

"So, he's lying about his religion, and we're supposed to trust him?" Catra snorted. "That's not really helping his case."

Jack glared at her. "That's taking things out of context." He glanced at Daniel, silently asking his friend to back him up.

"It's a white lie - something people say to signal that they are part of a community," Daniel said. "You shouldn't take it at face value. As I said, it's mostly performative. If he hadn't called himself a Christian, he might have damaged his prospects for promotion."

It wasn't nearly that bad, but Jack didn't want to argue with Daniel about this right in the middle of their argument with the Etherians.

"That's not really helping," Glimmer said. "Either he lied about his faith back then, or he's lying about his faith now. Either way, he's a liar."

Jack clenched his teeth. "You can't just judge a man for saying such things. That was years ago, too. I've said a lot of shit in the past." And he had done worse. "Besides, you already have a religious fanatic in the Command Council, Priest."

Adora and Glimmer looked taken aback, but Catra leaned forward with a scoff. "He's not a Christian."

Jack frowned. "Why would that make a difference?" Religion was religion.

Catra rolled her eyes. "He worships She-Ra. Do you think we would trust him if he worshipped someone else?" She snorted. "We only trust him not to go crazy because he follows Adora's orders."

"Except when she tells him she's not a goddess," Jack said.

Catra shrugged. "Yeah, but that's the exception. He tends to get creative with his orders when it comes to worshipping her and spreading the word and faith, but we can trust him not to go against her wishes and rules where it matters - such as when lives are on the line."

Adora looked like she wanted to say something, but she kept pressing her lips together, Jack noted.

Daniel frowned. "But why do you think Admiral Hardy can't be trusted the same way?"

"Because if Priest misunderstands or 'misunderstands' something, Adora can tell him to stop, and he'll stop. Hardy's god won't do that. Hardy is worshipping a god that hasn't even told his followers to stop the witch hunts." Catra shook her head. "Do you think Adora would let such a thing happen on her watch?"

"I wouldn't!" Adora blurted out at once.

"Well… that's a bit of an unfair comparison," Daniel said. "Adora is, ah… The Christian faith is based on scripture, the Bible. Not on a god that, ah, has a physical form and talks to their followers to answer their questions. You cannot apply the same expectations."

"I'm not a goddess," Adora spat.

"But, for religious matters, and for this discussion, you are treated like one," Daniel told her with an apologetic smile.

"And it doesn't change anything, anyway," Glimmer said. "The Bible says to kill witches. But it also says you shouldn't kill."

Jack wondered if she had ever read the Bible or was just going from what she had heard in the media.

"It's a matter of context. Those two parts need to be interpreted," Daniel said. "Like a book of laws or a code of conduct, you can't just take everything literally. The vast majority of Christians would never burn a witch."

"Coulda fooled me," Glimmer muttered.

"And you don't seem to have a problem with other Christians," Jack pointed out. "Most of the Alliance soldiers are Christians." Of course, most of the Euros he knew weren't really religious, even if they claimed to be.

"None of them describe themselves as 'Christian first, soldier second'," Catra said. "The United States is the only country in the Alliance where a significant part of the people want to hunt witches." She flashed her fangs.

Adora nodded. "We don't worry about the British like we worry about the Americans. We might be overreacting, of course."

They were definitely overreacting, in Jack's opinion. You couldn't condemn every American Christian for the actions of a few. Well, more than a few, but still!

"I think you are overreacting," Daniel said. "I mean, I understand where you are coming from, given the current events, but that's a small minority amongst American Christians."

"It's not just the witch hunting, Daniel," Glimmer said. "It's also the whole 'There's only one god, and it's our god, all other gods are false, you heathens' thing."

"Only a small minority of Christians think like that," Daniel protested.

"And the others don't believe their own Bible?" Catra raised her eyebrows.

"That's oversimplifying it." Daniel shook his head. "Just because someone is a Christian doesn't mean they disrespect other beliefs."

Catra scoffed. "So, you respect someone's belief even if you think their god isn't real?"

Daniel nodded. "You respect their faith and focus on what beliefs and values that you share with them, not on what divides you."

"That sounds like a very good idea," Adora said, smiling.

"Yeah. If more humans on Earth followed that rule, you wouldn't have half the problems you have." Of course, Catra had to give her own comment.

"It seems as if a 'don't ask, don't tell' rule with regard to religion might have been useful for the Alliance," Glimmer said with a toothy smile.

Jack couldn't tell if she was joking or not. He disliked the implication either way, though.

Daniel, however, was nodding. "It would offer a number of advantages - but it would also violate the freedom of religion of Alliance soldiers since some religions require their followers to dress in distinct ways."

Adora nodded again. "In any case, please tell your President to pick officers who, ah, don't take their religion as seriously as the last few admirals. And we will give them the benefit of the doubt."

Well, they could live with that. Jack nodded.

"Alternatively, just have the next Admiral explain their beliefs to Entrapta. And answer all her questions," Catra said.

Jack really hoped that she was joking about that.

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 21st, 2000

"Hello, Admiral." Adora smiled widely at Admiral Larkin.

"Supreme Commander." He stood at attention and saluted.

She returned the salute. "Please have a seat."

"Yes, ma'am."

He seemed a bit tense and stiff as he sat down. Hopefully, it was because he was nervous, not because he resented them for rejecting his predecessor. Adora was pretty sure that the US Government wouldn't send another Admiral like the first two, but she had found out that when Jack had said that the government often did stupid things, he hadn't been completely joking. She sat down as well and nodded at him. "You were in the Bureau of Naval Personnel before your promotion to the Alliance Command Council."

"Yes, ma'am." He smiled, although it looked a bit forced. "I didn't expect this promotion, to be honest, but I'll do my best."

Ah. That was… both good and bad. On the one hand, it meant he wasn't picked for his experience, but rather for his lack of 'problematic character traits', as Entrapta had called them. On the other hand, he probably didn't have as much experience in strategy and tactics as his predecessors had had. Then again, they hadn't had too much experience with space combat and hadn't really been that eager to learn.

"Dealing with people is very important in your position," Adora told him. "Half the challenge of leading is filling the right posts with the right people." Horde officer training had called it 'using both material and soldiers most effectively', but the Alliance's doctrine focused on spending material before lives. "And, to be honest, pretty much everyone from Earth didn't know much about waging an interstellar war when they joined the Council. Many from Etheria didn't know too much either."

"But they do now," Larkin said.

Adora nodded. At least, they should. "But they had to learn how to work with different cultures and species." And some of them hadn't managed that.

"I've been informed about the challenges presented by the diverse nature of the Alliance, ma'am."

Adora had no doubt that he had been grilled about this. She suppressed a wince. Best to be honest about it. "Yes, your predecessors had trouble with that. Which is why we went a bit overboard with our screening for your position."

"I've been informed about that as well, ma'am."

She felt a bit guilty - in hindsight, she should have handled that better. Shouldn't have judged people for the actions of others. But with all the news from the United States about witchhunting… Taking a deep breath, she said: "You're aware that a sizeable part of the Alliance forces, as well as our leaders, are people we fought in the last war."

"Yes, ma'am." He was still tense. "A very forgiving policy."

"Yes. We prefer to turn enemies into allies when we can." She nodded again. Even if it might take some time and some near-catastrophes. And a common enemy. "That requires a lot of tolerance from everyone. Within reason, of course."

"There won't be any trouble from me, ma'am."

"Also, you represent the US Navy in the Command Council, but our primary duty is to fight and win the war against the Goa'uld. That takes precedence."

"I am aware of that, ma'am." Now he sounded a little annoyed.

Hopefully, that meant he was annoyed at even being questioned about that.

*****​

Spacelab, Earth Orbit, September 25th, 2000 (Earth Time)

Samantha Carter checked the latest data from the spy bots scouting the PT-9013 system. There was one station near a gas giant - apparently, they were mining the surface for gases. Which was quite unusual for Goa'uld; they usually preferred planet-bound mining. It was easier to control the slaves, according to the Tok'ra analysis covering that subject, since such operations didn't need as much advanced technology and were more easily defended as well since they didn't have to protect both the station and the system's Stargate. In addition, transporting the final products could be done through a Stargate, although that had issues with scaling up. So, why was this system different? Did the gas giant's atmosphere contain particularly high concentrations of rare elements? So far, the scans of the planet hadn't revealed anything that would support this hypothesis.

The station itself differed from the one orbiting the main world of the system and seemed to be based on a repurposed and expanded Ha'tak - with some Horde technology elements that seemed to have been added afterwards. A closer scan might net more data about the station's internal composition - all she knew so far was that the hull had had its weapons stripped and the engines downgraded, though it technically was still a spaceship, merely a very slow one - but would increase the risk of the bot getting detected; with Horde technology in play, they had to be far more cautious when using their spy bots.

Which was why they were still working on closer scans of the main mystery of this system, the space station in orbit around the primary planet. It was an unknown design, which hinted at an alien origin; Sam knew better than to assume that all new technology the Goa'uld used was copied from other species, but if Ba'al had developed new technology, she doubted that he would have gone for a radical change in aesthetics. Like most System Lords, he had carefully cultivated his image amongst his followers and his peers - his branding, the PR department would say. To divert from that required a reason.

Sam's current hypothesis was that the alien station represented, like Horde technology, an advantage that was too great to be ignored or delayed by altering its aesthetic. Or, if she was a bit more optimistic, Ba'al couldn't afford the resources needed to redesign the station.

In any case, she needed better data. More detailed data. Other than the station's appearance, and that was limited to long-range observation, she had nothing yet. If the frigates carried better optical sensors, maybe a telescope…

Hindsight was always 20/20. Even if she had thought of it, there wouldn't have been time to install such telescopes in the modified frigates. But they might be added to the next block - she made a note on her computer. At the very least, such frigates would make excellent science ships for after the war and would also work as pickets in some areas, depending on how things would shake out.

Of course, an actual stealth frigate would take priority and greatly increase the ship's capacity for scout and recon missions - and raids and insertions. The spy bot network and the stealth shuttles showed how crucial stealth was in combat. If only Sam and her friends would manage to crack the problem of scaling up the stealth generator design… She sighed. So many projects, so little time. And not even magic allowed her to skip sleep. If they found a dimension where time moved more slowly, perhaps…

An alert informed her that the next attempt to get better data on the mysterious station was underway. A solar flare was currently expanding, offering an opportunity to sneak a spy bot near the star closer to the current position of the station than before. Perhaps - she checked the strength of the flare - close enough to get a clearer picture. If only signal lag weren't that bad; she couldn't handle the mission manually with such a lag and had to trust the bot's decision matrix - and those were programmed to be cautious.

Seconds passed. Sam didn't tap her feet. She was an officer in the Air Force and, as every soldier, she had learned to be patient. At least outwardly.

She still wanted to tap her feet until the computer finally announced new data. An optical scan - the solar flare affected the bot's sensors as well, after all - but closer than before, and.. She blinked. She knew that design - those patterns on the station's hull. They were familiar. Very familiar.

They were the same as those on the alien data cube they still had not managed to decrypt! That made sense, of course - one of Ba'al's commanders had had a destroyed data cube as a trophy amongst his belongings.

Sam clenched her teeth. They really should have made decrypting the thing a priority. It certainly was now.

*****​

Royal Palace, Bright Moon, Etheria, September 25th, 2000 (Earth Time)

"So, Ba'al is using unknown alien technology we haven't cracked yet," Netossa said. "That will make the next campaign more difficult."

Catra shook her head. "He isn't using the technology yet - we haven't faced any unknown weapon systems in combat so far. Worst case, he's cracked it and is just starting to build up his forces, best case, he's still trying to crack it."

"Yes," Bow chimed in. "Adapting alien technology isn't easy, and he hasn't managed to switch to Horde technology even though he had access to it for some time. We don't know how long he's been working on that alien space station, of course, but the odds that he's close to creating a space fleet with better technology than ours are low. First, the alien technology would need to be better than what he has - better than standard Horde technology. That's not a low bar. Then he would need to have construction facilities already tooled for new designs - and even with the long-range scans, we haven't seen any such yards in the system."

"He could be building ships elsewhere," Netossa said. "Leave that to a clone of his and stay in the research facility."

"That is possible, but I don't think it's likely," Glimmer cut in. "He's lost too many systems and forces controlled by his clones; I think he won't trust the build-up of a new fleet to a clone after that."

Catra frowned. That sounded a bit too optimistic in her - admittedly cynical - opinion. Still…

"Or he fears that we'll strike his yards next and so has a disposable clone in command there," Netossa said. "In short, we don't know. We have to plan for the worst case."

"That would be Ba'al is building a superweapon like the Heart of Etheria in that system, right?" Scorpia asked.

Catra tensed as she - and everyone else at the Princess Alliance meeting stared at Scorpia. That sounded… "Did Entrapta mention that?" she asked. Entrapta was with Sam working on the cube, and Bow would rejoin them right after the meeting, but maybe Scorpia had called her about something related to Horde factories in the Scorpion Kingdom, and…

"What? No. I just tried to imagine the worst case," Scorpia said.

Catra wasn't the only one who glanced at Bow after that.

"Ah." He winced. "We can't really tell without more data, but it's certainly possible that he's working on a superweapon. Probably not on the scale of the Heart of Etheria - that required the magic of all the planets in the Stargate Network to power - but something like Beta's experiments?" He shrugged with a weak smile. "We didn't see any signs of weapon testing, though."

Catra nodded. That was right, but only a small consolation. Some weapon systems would require regular and frequent testing before being ready for deployment, but not all of them. Still…

"How quickly can we strike the system?" Frosta asked.

"We're still moving the forces assigned to the operation into staging grounds and aligning their fleet trains so they can be supplied," Adora said. "Even if we don't want to increase the forces for this operation, we couldn't strike for two weeks yet."

Rushing such an operation would only endanger everyone involved and raise the risk of something going critically wrong. Unless you were desperate, there was no reason for that kind of plan. But, as Catra noted, not everyone agreed. Frosta looked mulish; the kid probably wanted to strike as soon as possible. No patience. Perfuma looked worried, and Scorpia, trying to comfort her, was worried as well, even if she was trying to hide it - Catra could tell. Nettossa and Spinerella looked more composed - but also resigned to the logistical realities. Glimmer, too, but she also seemed more frustrated about it. Well, that was normal for her.

"So, we'll continue according to the original plan and will adjust it as soon as we get more information." Adora projected confidence. "We're bound to get more scans from the spy bots, and I trust our friends to crack the alien technology."

"Now that they are finally focusing on it," Catra muttered under her breath. Though she knew that was unfair; Entrapta and Sam, as well as Bow, had had too many other projects and crises to deal with to focus on a single alien data cube without any hint that it would turn out to be important. Well, any hint other than the remnants of a second data cube they had recovered from one of Ba'al's commanders…

Adora frowned slightly at her before addressing everyone in the room again. "We are preparing reserves, though - we're moving the Fourth Fleet further forward so it can support the task force. Should that not be necessary, it can launch another operation in the theatre."

The projector in the middle of the room showed this part of the galaxy. It was a good move, though with the distances involved, any rapid reinforcement would be impossible. At best, the reinforcements would take almost a week to reach the target system. The task force assigned to this operation would effectively be the entire force available.

Well, it was large enough to easily defeat any of Ba'al's forces they had met so far. And at least ground forces could, in a pinch, be reinforced through the ship-mounted Stargate the task force would bring with them.

Catra hoped it would be enough. Usually, an enemy suffering a series of defeats like Ba'al had would not be able to muster even larger forces, having spent them in the earlier engagements, but with Ba'al's paranoidly divided force structure, he might have bigger reserves than expected.

She almost snorted at the irony. If Ba'al were not competent enough to concentrate most of his forces after his first defeat against the Alliance, he would be in a stronger position now.

Well, they would find out in about two weeks.

*****​

Alliance Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, September 26th, 2000

Jack O'Neill was spending too much time at Alliance Headquarters lately. There was a big operation against Ba'al coming up, and he should be back on the base, making sure that his troops were as ready for it as they could be, not handling politics and other problems in Brussels. At least he wasn't in Washington or - he felt like retching just thinking about it - doing a dog and pony show for the election campaign.

He glared at the documents on his desk. More time behind a desk meant more paperwork, too. And much of it actual paper. So much for the Alliance switching to electronic media. Though Jack wasn't quite certain whether he preferred one or the other. Paper was familiar and couldn't be hacked. Electronic documents could be more easily worked on, but also easily copied or altered. And he was never sure if deleting them did actually delete them. Sure, the computer geeks said so, at least in the Alliance, but newspapers said something else, and he didn't trust the Pentago, having worked there, to do it right.

A beep announced a new message, and he grinned when he saw that it had come from the dummy account Paris and Wilkinson had set up to keep in touch with him. He could use some good news!

Unfortunately, it was merely decent news. They had found some irregularities in two of the cases they had checked so far, but both would require further investigation. They didn't ask for a decision, but Jack had dealt with enough subordinates to know when someone was trying to pass a decision up the tree without being open about it. And Jack wasn't a cop or JAG; he had no experience in criminal investigation. Grinning, he sent a reply that told the two to use their own judgment. They were the former special agents, after all.

Almost time for the meeting. He checked the news - due to the time difference, there wasn't that much from the US, but the Europeans were just starting… oh.

"...and the Vatican's announcement that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will now be tasked with investigating magic events has caused some controversy. Some have likened this to the Inquisition, citing its distant past. What do you say to this, Father Robinson?"

"Well, first, it's not the Spanish Inquisition. And, apparently, this has been missed by many, but the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is not tasked with investigating accusations of witchcraft. It is tasked with identifying magic events so they are not mistaken for divine miracles."

"Like the 'angels' sighted in Bologna that turned out to have been hoaxes?"

"Exactly! As you know, magic is part of God's creation. It's a gift that can be used for good or ill, like anything else. However, understandably so, given the circumstances, many of the faithful, sometimes even members of the Church, have mistaken magic events for divine interventions - miracles. This is a problem, of course. Whether you use a rope to pull someone out of the sea before they drown or compel the water to lift them, it is not a miracle either way. You are doing God's work, but it is you who are doing this, not God. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will ensure that neither the faithful nor the Church will mistake magical actions for divine actions."

"So, this is just a way to tell a miracle from normal magic?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Good to know. Let's hope that everyone else understands that as well."

Jack snorted as he turned off the news. As if! People would be calling them the Inquisition for years to come, especially with the unfortunate timing of the announcement. But it was about time for his meeting. He wasn't looking forward to it.

*****​

"Good morning, Admiral Larkin. I hope you've adjusted well to your new office."

"Thank you, General O'Neill. I am still adjusting - things are different here."

"Oh, yes." Jack grinned. "The Alliance does things differently, especially at the highest level."

"Vey much so," General Naird chimed in. "But you get used to it." He looked at Jack. "Some more easily than others, of course."

Jack shrugged. "It depends on your post. I can't complain." Well, he could, and he did, but that kind of stuff you did in private, amongst friends.

"Fortunately, despite rumours to the contrary, not everyone is expected to take part in front-line combat," Naird said.

Larkin chuckled at that.

"That's only for princesses," Jack said.

Larkin nodded, growing serious. "I was extensively briefed on the cultural differences between us and our allies."

"Good." Jack nodded. They didn't really need more friction.

Naird agreed as well. "Just keep politics and religion to yourself and you'll do fine."

"And don't get into discussions about religion or democracy with a princess. Especially not with Glimmer or Entrapta," Jack added.

"Ah." Larkin nodded. "I was briefed about that as well."

"And… don't try to defend the Constitution II-Class to Major Carter," Jack added with a grin. "Or to anyone with experience in space combat, actually."

Larkin winced.

"Now, in the interest of good cooperation," Jack went on, "here are a few tips about our dear allies and their individual quirks. First, Adora's the real deal. A bona fide hero, soldier and leader. She means what she says - she got no deceptive bone in her body. Second, don't let Catra's attitude fool you. She's one of their best commanders. On any level, from squads to theatres. Don't let her age fool you, either - all of the princesses have been fighting for years in various wars. Even when they seem to act their age. Especially when they act their age. Further…"

*****​