Chapter 210

Shambhala

For the last twenty-four hours, Shambhala's stargate had been abuzz with nonstop activations. Arriving from many worlds in the Milky Way, both Atlantis and Borealis, and the newly upgraded Midway Station, each activation brought forth another of the hundreds of diplomatic delegations invited. For this first meeting of the newly christened United Worlds, every world, nation, and race invited was in attendance.

Standing in the cavernous room containing the city's gate, Camille Wray watched as ushers quickly took charge of the delegations assigned to them, whisking them away to the United Worlds assembly chamber. Standing nearby with an uncomfortable look on his face was General Jack O'Neill. Matters besides intergalactic diplomacy had brought him here on this day, and it was his hope to avoid any contact with said diplomats. Making his way to Wray, he grunted in displeasure. Turning to him with a stifled laugh, shook his hand.

"General, always a pleasure to see you." Camille began.

"You're just saying that because of present company." Jack replied deadpan.

"I forgot, you've got history with some of these people." Camille replied.

"Some of it good, a lot of it bad." Jack responded.

As he said that, the gate activated yet again. Casting their gaze at the gate, Camille and Jack watched as three men and one woman exited. Clothed in black flowing robes similar to what a judge would wear on Earth, all four had dour expressions on their faces.

"Who might this be?" Jack asked.

"This group is the Taldor from a world named Rillaan. Know them?" Camille asked while consulting her checklist of expected delegations.

"Yeah, they sentenced me to life in prison. It's ok though, we escaped." Jack replied.

"I can never tell when you're joking." Camille said with a laugh.

The four new arrivals of the Taldor made their way towards Camille and the General. As they approached, their demeanor changed not at all. Standing directly in front of Jack and Camille, the Taldor made their introductions.

"We are from Rillaan." The lone woman of their group stated.

"Right on time! Welcome to Shambhala." Camille said in greeting.

"Punctuality is emblematic of civilized behavior." The woman replied.

"Still think I'm joking?" Jack asked quietly only to be ignored.

"I see you too have a stargate unlike that previously on our world. Tell me, do you know who produced and exchanged them for the other gates?" The woman asked.

"That is our doing." Camille replied.

"Your specific doing?" One of the three men asked.

"Not specifically no, but I belong to the organization you can thank." Camille replied.

The four members of the Taldor began to exchange looks and whispering amongst themselves. For a moment, Camille thought they were exchanging what would be considered legal jargon on Earth.

"Camille, I've been down this road. Admit nothing. Trust me on that." Jack whispered.

"We would like you to accompany us back to Rillaan. Immediately!" One of the men said with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"I beg your pardon? Why?" Camille asked.

"Just stop right there. Camille, let me handle this. You want someone to jerk around, try me. I'm the one behind replacement of your gate." Jack said with annoyance dripping from his voice.

"You will accompany use back to Rillaan now to stand trial for conspiracy to aid in escape of prisoners from Hadante prison." The woman accused in an authoritative tone.

"Yeah been there, didn't really like it much. I am aware that people escaped from there. I did! You sent me there for what was essentially trespassing. Now everyone has escaped that crap hole, and my heart isn't bleeding one bit for you folks." Jack spat.

"You will immediately return with us to stand trial for assisting an escape, and escape itself." The woman persisted.

"Listen close, because I'm only going to explain this once. Things in this neck of the woods have changed. Any attempt to bring to trial and incarcerate any personnel from Earth for this garbage will be looked at unkindly. We like to think of it as kidnapping, and that is viewed as an act of aggression. That would open the door to recovery of our people by any means necessary up to and including force. Get it?" O'Neill bellowed.

In the United Worlds Assembly, a steady stream of delegates began to fill their seats. Looking out at the elevated seating platforms of the assembly chamber, Sean Lee mentally went over his speech. Having spoken before the US Congress and Senate, the United Nations, and a bevy of other diplomatic meetings, he felt that he could handle this. It is no different from the United Nations, only some of the people are different colors, he thought to himself.

Earth's Ambassador to the United World had a storied carrier. After graduating from the Tufts University Fletcher School of Diplomacy, Sean Lee had climbed the ranks within the US Department of State. Instead of continuing on the path that would have led to a Deputy Ambassador posting, he instead went the route of Special Envoy. Having handled many delicate diplomatic sessions, Lee went on to become the Special Envoy to North Korea later followed by a term as President Hayes's chosen Ambassador to Taiwan. Following his Ambassadorship, Lee left diplomatic service and took the offered chair as Dean of the Fletcher School.

Four months ago, President Hayes had summoned Lee to a private lunch among long time friends. At that lunch, Hayes explained what was hoped to be accomplished with an organization like the United Worlds. Lee had listened in rapt attention. Following the explanation, Hayes had asked his long time friend who he felt might make the best of candidates to nominate to the position of Earth's representative to the new organization. Putting in careful thought, Lee listed three possible candidates that might be up to the challenge. Listening patiently, Hayes finally asked why he did not nominate himself. To this, Lee stated honestly that he would never be so vain as to nominate himself for such a prestigious position. To that, Hayes explained that is the very reason Lee was the man for the job.

It had taken a month to attain Senatorial confirmation to the position. During that time, the many nations of Earth signed off on Lee's appointment in turn. In each case, the many nations put forth their thoughts on the brilliance of the selection of Sean Lee. It was rare that someone everyone seemed to agree on made it to such a posting. With that complete, Lee found himself taking up near residence at the SGC. The process of familiarizing himself with the major and minor players in the universe took two months. When it was said and done, the career problem solver was speechless at all the SGC had achieved secretly.

That felt like another lifetime ago he thought now. From where he stood now near the speaker's lectern, Lee saw Asgard and Reol, Tok'ra and Asgard. Do not be nervous he thought. Before him lay the most important speech he had ever given, possibly the most significant speech ever given before in this and other galaxies. Yeah, no pressure at all he thought with a laugh. The lighting dimmed somewhat, and a soft chime was heard throughout the Assembly Chamber. That was his cue.

Taking the steps to the lectern one at a time, calm came over him. His body relaxed as his mind focused. Ambassador Sean Lee was in the zone. Throughout the Assembly Chamber, each visiting delegate felt a sense of excitement as each watched the Ambassador take his place at the lectern. What would this Tauri say? High hopes filled the many minds seated under one roof. Standing at the lectern and quietly clearing his throat, a hush fell over those in attendance. Embracing the calm welling up within him, Ambassador Sean Lee began the speech fore which he would be long remembered.

"I come before you humbled by the responsibility that the people of Earth have placed upon me, mindful of the enormous challenges of our moment in history, and determined to act boldly and collectively on behalf of justice and prosperity at home and abroad.

Now, like all of you, my responsibility is to act in the interest of my world and my people, and I will never apologize for defending those interests. However, it is my deeply held belief that now, more than at any point in history, the interests of worlds and peoples are conjoined. The convictions we hold can forge new bonds among people, or they can tear us apart. The technology we harness can illuminate the path of peace, or forever darken it. The energy we use can sustain our universe, or destroy it. What happens to the hope of a single being can enrich our worlds, or impoverish it.

In this hall, we come from many corners of the universe, but we share a common future. No longer do we have the luxury of indulging our differences to the exclusion of the work that we must do together. Earth has carried this message to the far corners of known space, and it is what I will speak about today, because the time has come for our combined races and worlds to move in a new direction. We must embrace a new era of engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and our work must begin now.

We know the future will be forged by deeds and not simply words. Speeches alone will not solve our problems; it will take action and resolve. For those who question the character and cause of my world, I ask you to look at the concrete actions we have taken in year's gone bye. Every nation must know: Earth will live its values, and we will lead by example. We have set a clear and focused goal: to work with all members of this body to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat any foe that stands in the way of lasting peace and harmony among the sentient races here now, and those that will join this body in the future.

To overcome the rebuilding crisis that touches every corner of the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies, we stand ready to forge a coordinated international response to bring the destroyed infrastructure back from the brink. We have mobilized resources that help prevent the crisis from spreading further to less developed worlds. Joined with our friends and allies, we stand ready to launch a development initiative that will lend a hand to those who need it most, and help them build their own capacity.

This is what has already been done. However, this is just a beginning. Some of our actions have yielded progress. Some have laid the groundwork for progress in the future. Make no mistake: This cannot solely be Earth's endeavor. Those who used to chastise Earth for acting alone in galactic affairs cannot now stand by and wait for Earth to solve the universe's problems alone. We seek in word and action, a new era of engagement with the Universe. Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.

This body is founded on the belief that the nations, races, and worlds of the universe can solve their problems together. The structure of a lasting peace cannot be the work of one man, or one race, or one world. We cannot allow a peace of advanced races or worlds, or of small nations. It must be a peace that rests on the cooperative effort of us all.

In an era when our destiny is shared, power is no longer a zero-sum game. No one people can or should try to dominate another world or race. No universal order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed. No balance of power among civilizations will hold. The time has come to realize that the old habits, the old arguments, are irrelevant to the challenges faced by our people. They lead civilizations to act in opposition to the very goals that they claim to pursue. They build up walls between us, and the future that our people seek, and the time has come for those walls to come down. Together, we must build a new coalition to bridge old divides.

The choice is ours. We can be remembered as a generation that chose to drag the arguments of the past into the future; that put off hard choices, refused to look ahead, failed to keep pace because we defined ourselves by what we were against instead of what we were support. Or we can be a generation that chooses to see a beyond the new dawn beyond the fading darkness; that comes together to serve the common interests of sentient beings, and gives meaning to the promise embedded in the name given to this institution: the United Worlds.

The future Earth seeks to attain is a future of peace and prosperity that we can only reach if we recognize that all worlds have rights, but all civilizations have responsibilities as well. That bargain makes this work. That must be the guiding principle of international cooperation. Earth intends to keep our end of the bargain. This body must stand together to demonstrate that international law is not an empty promise, and that treaties will be enforced. We must insist that the future does not belong to fear.

The United Worlds was born of the belief that all sentient beings of the universe can live their lives, fulfill their pursuits, and resolve differences peacefully. Yet we know that on many worlds, this ideal remains a distant dream. We can either accept that outcome, tolerate conflict, or we can recognize that the yearning for peace is universal, and reassert our resolve to end conflicts in our domains.

That effort must begin with an unshakeable determination that the extermination of civilizations will never be tolerated. On this, there can be no dispute. The violent extremism of the Ori, who promoted conflict by distorting faith have been defeated and their followers shown a different path. We will pursue positive engagement that builds bridges among faiths, and new partnersh.i.p.s for opportunity with any civilization that accepts the merits of our position. The single most powerful weapon in any of our arsenals is the hope, the belief that the future belongs to those who would build and not destroy; the confidence that conflicts can end and a new day can begin. That is why we will strengthen our support for effective peacekeeping, while energizing our efforts to prevent conflicts before they take hold.

This initiative will not be attained through words alone. It will not be realized simply all of us coming together here. In any assembly, real change can only come through those we represent. That is why we must lay the framework for progress in our own capitals. That is where we will build the consensus to end conflicts and to harness technology for peaceful purposes, and to promote growth that can be sustained and shared.

The United Worlds can either be a place where we bicker about outdated grievances, or forge common ground; a place where we focus on what drives us apart, or what brings us together; a place where we indulge tyranny, or a source of moral authority. In short, the United Worlds can be an institution that is disconnected from what matters in the lives of our citizens, or it can be an indispensable factor in advancing the interests of the people we represent.

We have reached a pivotal moment. Earth stands ready to begin a new chapter of intergalactic cooperation; one that recognizes the rights and responsibilities of all worlds and species. Therefore, with confidence in our cause, and with a commitment to our values, we call on all sentient beings to join us in building the future that our people so richly deserve.

In the long history of my world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility, I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion that we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it. It is the glow from that fire can truly illuminate all worlds.

With malice toward none, charity for all, firmness in the right; let us strive on to finish the work we find for ourselves. Together we will bind up the wounds of multiple galaxies, care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all worlds.

Many people have talked as if all we had to do to get peace was to say loudly and frequently that we loved peace and hated war. Now we have learned that no matter how much we love peace and hate war, we cannot avoid having war brought upon us if there are convulsions in other parts of the universe. In that effort, we have reason to hope. This year has been a time of transformation. More worlds have stepped forward to maintain international peace and security. Moreover, more individuals are claiming their universal right to live in freedom and dignity.

Let us remember: peace is hard. Progress can be reversed. Prosperity comes slowly. Societies can split apart. The measure of our success must be whether people can live in sustained freedom, dignity, and security. Each world must chart its own course to fulfill the aspirations of its people, and Earth does not expect to agree with every individual or race who expresses themselves politically. Nevertheless, we will always stand up for the universal rights that are embraced by this Assembly. Peace depends upon compromise among people whom must live together long after our speeches are over, and our resolutions catalogued. Now, even as we confront these challenges of conflict and restoration, we must also recognize once more that peace is not just the absence of war. True peace depends upon creating the opportunity that makes life worth living. To do that, we must confront the common enemies of sentient beings: poverty; ignorance and disease. These forces erode the very foundation of lasting peace, and together we stand ready to confront them.

To bring prosperity to our people, we must promote the growth that creates opportunity. In this effort, let us not forget that we have made enormous progress over the last several months. Closed societies gave way to open markets. Innovation and entrepreneurship has transformed the way we live and the things that we can do. Emerging economies from Pegasus to the Milky Way have lifted many from poverty. That is why I challenge each civilization represented before me today to open your markets, embrace trade among worlds, so that we may all flourish.

Moreover, to make sure our societies reach their potential, we must allow our citizens to reach theirs. Together, we must harness the power of open societies and open economies. However, no world can realize its potential if half its population cannot reach theirs. That is what our commitment to progress demands.

I know that there is no straight line to progress, no single path to success. We come from different cultures, and carry with us different histories. Nevertheless, let us never forget that even as we gather here as heads of different worlds and races, we represent citizens who share the same basic aspirations; to live with dignity and freedom; to learn and pursue opportunity; to love our families and our ideals. To live in the kind of peace that makes life worth living.

It is the nature of our imperfect universe that we are forced to learn this lesson repeatedly. Conflict and repression will endure so long as some people refuse to do unto others, as we would have them do unto us. Yet that is precisely why we have built this institution that binds our fates together; because those who came before us believed that peace is preferable to war; freedom is preferable to suppression; and prosperity is preferable to poverty. That is the message that comes not from capitals, but from citizens.

Peace is hard, but we know that it is possible. Together, let us resolve to see that it is defined by our hopes and not our fears. Together, let us work to make, not merely a peace, but a peace that will last.

I look at you and I think of the words of the words of poet Stephen Spender. 'You are men who in your lives fought for life . . . and left the vivid air signed with your honor.' Thank you." Lee finished.

For the briefest of moments, the delegates processed the speech. On the face of each, it was if a light switch flipped. Familiar with the Tauri tradition of applause, delegates rose to their feet and gave Lee the ovation they each felt he so strongly deserved.