XOVER: Changing of the Guard 5: Terms of Engagement 4/19 [PG13]
Ecolea (ecolea@wt.net)
Wed, 19 Jun 2002 00:04:41 -0500
Chapter 5
The second day of the conference began with as little fanfare as the =
first.
The delegates had breakfast, or whatever passed for a morning meal in =
their
rooms then gathered in the great hall for the final day of discussions.
Methos took his seat, nodding politely to some of the other ambassadors,
watching as Jack took his place. The colonel looked a lot more =
comfortable
this morning than he had the previous day and was doubtless looking =
forward
to getting back to their little fishing expedition in Scotland. A short =
time
later Lya entered, and in deference to the fact that all of the planets
involved in the morning's debate had been brought to the table by the
Asgard, took charge of the meeting.
The first item up for discussion was a relatively simple affair of =
extending
protection to a group of colonists from an already protected world in =
the
same solar system. The inhabitants were as yet unaware of the dangers
represented by the Goa'uld. But a minor Goa'uld had made tentative =
forays
into the system -- perhaps hoping to use the colony as a foothold once =
the
planet lost its protected status. To Methos, the possibilities for =
coercion
of the home world appeared enormous. The council it seemed agreed, and =
the
measure was passed without objection.
Soon, two more worlds soon entered the register of protected planets =
under
the auspices of the Asgard and full ratification by the council.
"Our final topic for this morning's session is the world commonly known =
by
its inhabitants as Earth," Lya began. "Council Member O'Neill has =
requested
an opportunity to address this gathering prior to any discussion." She
nodded to Jack, who looked slightly flustered, as he stood clearing his
throat.
"It's like this," he told the assembly. "As all of you probably know, =
I'm
from Earth. And... Well, considering I helped broker the treaty that =
made us
a protected planet, I think, in all fairness, I should keep my nose out =
of
this. So, I'm going to abstain from voting on whether or not Earth gets =
in."
He looked to Lya, who was smiling. "If that's okay with you folks?"
"An admirable decision," she acknowledged, as Jack returned to his seat =
then
began to characterize Earth's cultural and technological status.
Methos frowned, surprised to hear Lya describe Earth as "young, but =
fairly
well advanced in the offensive technologies." He wondered if she meant =
the
Art of War, since the last three planets had been depicted as "young, =
but
peaceful." Culturally, she described Earth as being "a mixture of =
primitive
societies, with some slightly more advanced than others." Not the most
flattering description, Methos admitted, but fairly accurate given the =
Nox
point of view -- and certainly better than 'mostly harmless'.
She bowed graciously to the other council members and took her seat. =
"Are
there any questions or concerns?" she asked, formally opening the =
subject
for discussion.
At her words the Furling representative rose. "I see no reason why Earth
requires protection," he announced, surprising Jack, who suddenly paled =
with
anger. "This world not only has a fully functional stargate, which they
utilize freely, but have a powerful ally in the Tok'ra. Furthermore,
Ambassador Methos is fully capable of supplying any and all =
technological
and scientific knowledge once available to the Ancients."
Methos' hands tightened on the arms of his chair.
"The Furlings see no need to protect a planet which has more than once
successfully repelled Goa'uld invasions and has a member of its own =
military
sitting on the Alliance council. If the Asgard wish to offer them =
protection
that is their right, but we object to a world with so many obvious
advantages seeking to hide behind this Alliance."
There was a murmur from the audience at this unprecedented objection as =
the
Furling took his seat.
"We are fortunate that the ambassador from Earth is with us to address =
this
issue if he chooses," Lya said, seeming not the least bit disturbed by =
the
Furlings comments.
"He chooses!" Methos proclaimed as he got to his feet and moved down to
stand before the council dais. For the first time since he'd known Jack,
Methos deliberately dropped the mask of affable youth he'd worn for the
better part of two thousand years. Cool and seemingly indifferent, he
touched the Horseman within and called up the cold master strategist, =
who
achieved his aims regardless of the consequences to those around him.
"What an interesting subject you bring to our attention, " he began =
softly,
dispassionately, allowing his wide-eyed gaze to fall on the Furling
ambassador. "Whatever advantages Earth may have in years to come, the =
truth
is she does not have them now. Such advantages require resources =
unavailable
to us at this time. Nor is Earth likely to obtain them anytime soon, as =
the
Asgard reports will attest. What you suggest," his lips curved in a =
thin,
malevolent smile, "is that Earth be left to die. And with her, your
competition on the council."
Methos could sense the sudden tension in the room created by his =
accusation,
unfounded though it might be. Still, the less advanced worlds, and those
highly political in nature, seemed to fasten on his words as the =
delegates
grew still in their seats.
Lya's brow lowered in consternation. "Explain this charge, Ambassador."
He gave her a tiny nod of acknowledgment and continued. "It requires no
great explanation, I think. Since the death of my father, Tok'ra, the
council has been... How shall I put it?" he smiled disingenuously. =
"Docile?"
Methos crossed his arms, feigning thoughtfulness. "Inanna was... Again, =
how
shall I say this? Easily maneuvered? Excessively compliant? =
Disinterested in
having more power than she already owned? How distressed you must all =
have
been at the news of her demise."
The Council probably hadn't been the least bit upset and with good =
reason,
Methos knew, but the delegates were likely unaware of that fact and the
obvious discomfort of the council members made them seem guilty to
unsuspecting eyes.
"The charge," he finished softly, "is quite simple. That the Furlings,
perhaps even the Council itself, seeks to permanently remove the one, =
true,
legitimate heir, to Tok'ra's legacy through treachery and obfuscation."
There was a gasp from the assemblage and both Lya and the Furling looked
shocked. Beside them, Thor and O'Neill sat calmly, almost as though =
they'd
anticipated the nature of Methos' indictment.
"What right have you to make such accusations?" the Furling demanded. =
"You
would sow dissent where there is none!"
"The same right as you have to accuse Earth of hiding her capabilities =
from
the all-seeing all-knowing eyes of the Asgard," Methos retorted. "Does =
it
not seem fair to question the motives of a council member who would, =
even
indirectly, call the Asgard fools? And if you wish Earth to be =
answerable to
you then you must, by the same principles, be answerable to Earth."
Lya sat back, nodding agreement. "The ambassador from Earth is correct. =
Will
the Furlings answer Earth's charge or withdraw their objection?"
The Furling representative frowned. "The charge is ludicrous. Responding =
to
it would only serve Earth's purposes and not those of the Alliance."
"If I might make a suggestion," Thor suddenly interjected to which Lya
gratefully nodded. "The Asgard alone cannot protect the universe, which =
was
the point of our alliance. I suggest that Earth remain under protective
status until such time as the planet meets the other customary standard =
for
independence. At that time, should the Furlings wish to call a special
meeting of the council to reexamine the issue, the Asgard will not =
decline
to attend."
Lya looked to the Furling, who nodded. "I withdraw my objection. But," =
he
added, glaring at Methos. "We will be watching Earth -- closely."
"Ambassador?" Lya inquired gently.
Methos inclined his head. "Earth accepts the wise counsel of the Asgard =
and
looks forward to further open discussion of the matter."
A unanimous vote was quickly taken on extending Earth's status and Lya =
just
as quickly called a recess to ease the heightened tension the =
confrontation
had created. Outside the conference hall Methos waited for Jack, who
appeared a short time later accompanied by Thor and Lya.
"A cake-walk, huh?" Methos heard O'Neill mutter.
"The Furlings are quite particular in their adherence to rules and
structure," Thor said quietly. "We had been concerned they would make =
some
objection to Earth's protected status."
"Which is why," drawled Methos knowingly, "you wanted a representative =
here
from Earth."
"It seemed wise," Thor agreed.
"Quite a show you put on there, Pierson," Jack smiled appreciatively.
The Immortal gave a little half bow and grinned ever so slightly. "It =
seemed
appropriate to turn the tables."
"It was a very dangerous turn," Lya chided. "Your charges were =
misleading
and disruptive."
He gave a negligent shrug. "They suited my purposes. And yours as well, =
I
expect. Without protection Earth would almost certainly be attacked. And
while the end of Earth might not spell the end of Humanity -- or
Immortals -- the last of the Ancients would, without doubt, die =
alongside
her inhabitants. That would constitute genocide, would it not? And you, =
my
friends, would have allowed it."
"So," Jack interrupted, breaking the sudden uncomfortable silence. "What =
are
the 'customary standards' for losing Alliance protection?"
"A fully functional stargate and the ability to use it at will," Thor
explained, "along with faster than light travel."
Methos and Jack stared at one another in shock, both grasping the =
enormous
implications of that policy.
"Would you excuse us?" O'Neill said to the others. "Pierson and I need =
to
talk."
As they walked away Lya turned to Thor and sighed. "I had thought =
O'Neill an
odd choice to give birth to a new generation of Ancients, but I see now =
that
Tok'ra is far wiser than I."
"Yes," Thor nodded. "O'Neill has always impressed the Asgard. Methos, on =
the
other hand, I find to be a dangerous conundrum."
***
Looking for a private place to talk, Methos and Jack suddenly came face =
to
face with the Gallisian ambassador.
"Gentlemen," Hoshmid greeted them warmly. "A most instructive morning, =
was
it not?"
"You could say that," O'Neill tentatively agreed.
Ambassador Hoshmid smiled diplomatically. "We are hosting a reception =
aboard
our flagship for all the delegates later tonight. In the interest of
furthering relations, it would please me if you would both attend."
"We'd be happy to," Methos agreed before Jack could decline. "In the
interest of furthering relations."
"Excellent!" Hoshmid nodded. "And you will have a chance to see what we =
on
Gallisia are capable of when it comes to building star drives."
"Yeah. We'd love it," Jack said tightly. "Thanks for the invite."
The ambassador bowed graciously and rejoined his party, leaving Methos =
and
O'Neill to wander off. They headed outside, finding a quiet place in one =
of
the many ornamental gardens of which the Lakwasians seemed to be
inordinately fond.
"Did you get all that?" O'Neill asked as they found a seat beside a =
rushing
fountain.
Methos nodded tiredly. "We could be facing immediate expulsion if we =
acquire
faster than light travel from Gallisia -- and all this," he sighed
disgustedly, "will have been for nothing."
Chapter 6
The afternoon session resumed immediately after lunch. The last to =
arrive
were Methos and O'Neill, both appearing more gravely concerned than they =
had
since their arrival. They took their places as Thor once again called =
the
conference to order.
"The concluding session of this meeting of the Alliance Council," the =
Asgard
began, "will consider the various worlds which have in the past thousand
years achieved the necessary standards to be removed from protective
status."
"I object!" Jack suddenly shouted, rising to his feet. "In fact, I =
object to
the whole stupid idea that anyone can decide when a planet is safe and =
when
it's not based on an arbitrary technological cut off point."
Surprisingly, Thor did not seem taken aback by O'Neill's outburst. "You =
wish
to speak on the matter prior to opening the discussion, Council Member
O'Neill?"
"Yeah, I do."
Thor graciously inclined his head and retook his seat allowing Jack to
continue.
"First, I wanna know which idiot came up with this bright idea. The one =
that
says being able to travel faster than the speed of light somehow makes =
you
able to defend against the Goa'uld."
"I believe," Thor responded. "That Council Member Inanna created the
definition based on the request of our Furling allies."
O'Neill rolled his eyes. "Figures," he muttered disgustedly.
The Furling stood, smugly attempting to explain.
"No doubt Ambassador O'Neill is unfamiliar with our history. In the time =
of
Tok'ra there were no such defining qualifications. Each instance had to =
be
separately reviewed. It took many days to accomplish this work, with =
much
irrelevant discussion. There were no rules, no regulations to follow. We
must have rules or there is chaos. Later, when Tok'ra had effectively
crippled the Goa'uld menace there were many worlds no longer in need of =
our
protection. Therefore, a simple eligibility standard had to be =
developed."
"So you threw the baby out with the bath water," O'Neill said wryly. =
"Well,
maybe ten thousand years ago that was okay, but times have changed, =
folks.
Tok'ra may have put the Goa'uld down, but he didn't take them out. And =
the
last ten thousand years have given 'em time to regroup and grow more
powerful than ever. They're as threatening now as they were when Tok'ra =
was
still around."
"But the standards should still be the same," the Furling insisted.
"Why?" Jack demanded, slamming his fist on the council table. "What the =
hell
does a working gate and being able to move faster than the speed of =
light
have to do with planetary defense? And what do you do when like Earth =
you've
gotta move billions of people? You think it's fair to force a =
civilization
to make that choice? Who lives or dies based on your arbitrary =
standards?"
O'Neill reached into his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper, holding =
it
high for all the delegates to see.
"All Inanna did was convince you guys to help her keep the competition
limited. I have a list here. In the last ten thousand years a total of =
three
hundred and sixty planets have been kicked off the Alliance register. =
You
guys wanna know how many of those worlds are still around? One hundred =
and
thirty-two. That's it. Less than half! The rest were all overrun by
Goa'uld."
"They achieved self-reliant status," the Furling persisted. "We cannot
always be there to make sure they use it wisely."
"They achieved nothing!" O'Neill shouted. "Except to come to the =
attention
of the Goa'uld and with your blessing!"
"If what you say is true then how would you suggest we resolve this
problem?" Lya asked calmly.
"Easy. We go back to the way things were when Tok'ra was alive. =
Individual
review and decisions made based on defensive preparedness. There are
seventeen worlds up for discussion today. Nine of them have only =
achieved
faster than light travel in the last hundred years. They have some =
defensive
capabilities, but most of 'em are incapable of defending against a =
Goa'uld
attack. In fact, most have never really faced any kind of off world =
threat.
The rest have advanced far enough to realize it's a big bad universe out
here and created defensive systems, but only three of those have ever =
taken
out a Goa'uld mother ship. The standard for being an unprotected planet
should be the ability to fully defend against the Goa'uld. And not the
ability to runaway fast!"
There was a sudden burst of applause from the audience of delegates and =
the
Furling looked taken aback. Still, Thor actually seemed to smile.
"A most sensible suggestion, O'Neill," the Asgard nodded deferentially =
when
the hall quieted. "One which Tok'ra himself might have made."
"Whatever," the colonel mumbled suddenly realizing he'd done more than
simply state his case -- he'd given an impassioned plea for the sake of =
all
those worlds incapable of speaking for themselves. Jack sat, looking =
vaguely
startled, but obviously satisfied he'd made his point.
Lya nodded thoughtfully. "It is a complex matter. And one that must be =
fully
considered by each member of the Alliance and voted upon before we may
continue."
Forced to agree, the Furling seemed alarmed. "I must consult our =
records.
See what procedures and forms Tok'ra required. We must have some =
protocol in
the archives. But... What shall we do if there is none?"
"I suggest a recess," Thor interjected before the Furling could become
further agitated. "We shall consider the question of individual =
planetary
evaluations in the morning. Agreed?"
The vote to extend the conference by at least a day was unanimous and =
Jack
slumped back in his seat looking very much relieved.
"Just sit here and look profound, eh?" Jack grimaced as Methos joined =
him a
few minutes later when the hall had cleared.
The Immortal shrugged. "It's what Inanna did. Anyway, you made your =
point --
and most eloquently, I might add."
Jack took off his cap, roughly rubbing his hair before replacing it.
"Another day, maybe two in Barbie-land. What was I thinking?"
"About the fate of Earth and every other endangered world. Like maybe
Gallisia? They have faster than light ships and an active gate. They =
were
sure to be kicked off the roster. What good would it do us then to have =
a
trade relationship? They might not even exist in few years. Maybe only
months if the Goa'uld have spies here."
O'Neill nodded slowly, sighing as he stood up and they made their way to =
the
exit. "What we really need to do is form an alliance of our own with all
those other semi-advanced worlds. Maybe figure a way to use what Tok'ra =
left
behind. At some point we gotta take the offensive or we're gonna die."
Methos raised an eyebrow. "You think Earth is ready to take the lead in
something like that?"
"Ready or not, we need to find a way to create the same kind of alliance
Tok'ra had. Maybe use those combat gates and platforms he left behind."
"We might even stand a chance," Methos reluctantly nodded. "But at this
rate, all the worlds likely to join such an alliance are slowly being
winnowed out."
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