All characters from the Dune Universe are property of the Frank Herbert Estate. All characters from the Buffyverse are Property of Joss Whedon. Everything else belongs to me.
Faith: There's only supposed to be one. Maybe that's why you and I can never get along. We're not supposed to exist together.
Buffy: Also, you went evil and were killing people.
Faith: Good point. Also a factor.
Buffy: But you're right. I mean, like... I guess everyone's alone, but... being a Slayer? There's a burden we can't share.
Faith: And no one else can feel it... Thank God we're hot chicks with superpowers.
Buffy: Takes the edge off.
Faith: [nods] Comforting.
BTVS, "End of Days"
Dracula watched the last of his suicide bombers disappear in a fiery explosion. The last assault ship crashed into the invisible shield surrounding sietch Kindle and was instantly destroyed. Dracula gripped the arm rests on the captain's chair tearing into its faux leather covering. Dracula considered his options.
"How long will it take us to reach central command?" Dracula asked the pilot sitting to his left. Dracula didn't know the exact name of the army that ruled this planet, but he knew that every army had a central command.
The young pilot was completely under Dracula's thrall. He instantly obeyed every command of his master. Yes, deep down inside, the pilot was screaming to himself to be free.
"Three hours, my master. It will take three hours to return to Fish Speaker Command." He said.
"Make it so." Dracula said. He had made his choice. As soon as he was able, he would return to these obstinate slayers with the entire weight and arsenal of the Fish Speaker Command
Reverend Mother Paloma reviewed the facts as fantastic as they were. There were monsters in the universe, monsters that the human race had no defense against except for the slayers. This was a terrible volubility. Reverend Mother Paloma didn't like vulnerabilities. The Bene Gesserit were long term planners. They hated anything that upset their thousand year plans. The last major blind spot they had resulted in the Kwisatz Haderach being born one generation too early and three thousand year of rule under Leto the Tyrant.
"No. Never again." Reverend Mother Paloma said to herself. Her thoughts had come to upset her. She was in conference with Reverend Mother Basara.
"You have served with these slayers?" Paloma asked her.
"Yes, Mother Superior." Basara answered. "They are honorable in their way. But know this; the slayers embody an incredible power almost beyond comprehension. I've watched a hand full of women take on and defeat the god's themselves aboard "Her Graceful Measure."
"Her Graceful Measure" Paloma muttered to herself. She had read the reports on what had happened inside of Leto's planet killer. Paloma was glad it had been decided to fly "Her Graceful Measure" into the sun and burn it into nothing. Paloma rubbed her fingertips along the ridged edges of the bite marks on her neck.
Vampires! Vampires and worst really did exist!
Paloma made up her mind. "Alright." She said to Basara."We'll work with the slayers for the time being." Paloma turned and watched the slayer named Surayya argue with the one called Buffy.
Both women were gesturing wildly and yelling at the top of their voice. Paloma observed them in the Bene Gesserit way. There was absolutely no threat of violence between them. Yet she knew, the slayers embodied lethal force in an extremely casual and organic way.
Paloma remembered the blood, guts and screams of berserker Lisa at Fish Speaker Command. Paloma remembered that Surayya had dropped a mountain down on Arrakis.
Paloma shuttered. She didn't know which was worst, the slayers or the monsters.
"You killed someone with a soul!" Surayya yelled at Buffy. She was upset that Buffy had beheaded Drusilla.
"I killed a vampire with a soul!" Buffy said, "Very different thing."
"Drusilla was a victim in all this!" Surayya said.
"Yes, a victim that could tear your throat out, drink your blood and then feel bad about it."
Surayya looked at Buffy as if she was a monster.
"Drusilla died ten thousand years ago. The Senior Partners trapped a demon in her resurrected flesh and Motorria forced her soul to share space with mindless death. I did her a favor! The age of keeping the damned as pets is over."
"What about Angel! What about Spike!" Surayya shouted. She was getting angry.
"What about them? Angel was a victim of a curse who I know as a fact drank blood after he got his soul back. Spike was a demon who got a soul just to impress me. I would kill them both. No mercy."
What about me?" Surayya asked. "I am a slayer because I carry the essence of Spike. Am I a monster also?"
"The slayers are not monsters, yet. If slayers do become monsters I will be there. The Destroyer has given me my commission. I am the permanent apocalypse."
Surayya looked at Buffy. "We need to table this for now" Surayya said. "The burden of our calling may be our undoing."
"Yeah." Buffy said as she smiled. "Good thing we're hot chicks with superpowers. It takes the edge off."
Surayya ran her hand along her long raven colored hair in an unconscious grooming gesture. She had no idea what Buffy was talking about.
One ship had returned.
Of the fleet of assault ships she had sent against the slayers only one of them had returned and it was keeping radio silence. The ship entered one of the southern docking bays. It was one of the few docking bays that were covered from the Arrakis sun. Fleet Commander Arshia watched the stubby ship on the monitor.
The door to the ship opened. Even after long minutes no one exited the ship. After a few minutes, a member of the maintenance crew entered the ship. A few minutes later she exited and was soon followed by another, then another member of the maintenance crew.
"What's going on down there?" Arshia asked. She ordered security into the docking bay. Arshia watched her security team storm the ship. She could hear shots being fired over the monitor. Then dead silence. A tall, thin man exited the ship. He stood at the base of the loading ramp and stared directly into the bay cameras. Around him, the women he had in his thrall scurried to reload the ship with weapons. The man stepped forward and out of view of the camera. A moment later the doors to the central command opened. Dracula stepped forward and spoke to Supreme Commander Arshia.
"Your army is now at my command." Dracula said.
"Yes, Master." Arshia responded.
Dracula had assumed control of the Fish Speaker fleet.
Surayya was beeping.
The communications device given to her by the scoobies indicated an urgent message. Surayya palmed the small black square and read the words that came across its screen. It took her a moment to understand the words she was reading. She was having trouble switching gears. She and Buffy had just had an interesting conversation.
Buffy had decided to kill all monsters. Isn't that what slayers are suppose to do anyway?
Surayya finally focused on the words on the tiny screen before her. It took her a moment to notice that the sky was turning dark.
"Clouds? On Arrakis?" Surayya thought. She looked up. Her jaw dropped. The sky was covered with millions upon millions of slayer warships. The words she read on the screen hit home.
The screen said: The Slayer Fleet has returned to Arrakis. Above her head was enough fire power to turn the planet into ash. The ships moved slowly into position over sietch Kindle.
Dracula looked at the radar screens in the control center. The screen was a solid mass of ships.
"This is more like it." Dracula thought. "This is the war I have been dreaming of. I'm going to kill them all."