AN: Well, it' been a LONG time, but at last, my muse has managed to return. So please, read and enjoy.
Chapter 36
Several months had passed with little excitement, and Buffy was using the quiet time to further her relationship with Tara by taking her on a date into town. The two girls had lots of fun, and after a dinner and a movie were on their way back to the complex when Tara suddenly froze in place.
"What's wrong, Tara?" Buffy turned to her girlfriend.
"That's my father." Tara whispered. True enough, an older man followed by a younger one and a girl were quickly approaching them.
"So, we finally found you girl. Come on, it's time to go home." The man moved to grab Tara, but Buffy stepped in front of her.
"You must be Mr. Maclay. Nice to meet you." Buffy tried to calm what she felt was a rather tense situation.
"Out of my way girl." The man tried to push her away, but to his surprise, Buffy's hold on his arm was surprisingly strong.
"Now, I'm sure we can discuss this situation like rational people." Buffy's tone remained calm despite the fact the man she was holding was getting increasingly angry, but he didn't react as a small crowd had already gathered around them.
"You let my dad go you bitch." The boy behind the man moved to attack Buffy, but before he could take a couple of steps towards her, a girl from the crowd around them rushed forward, grabbed his arm and wrestled him to the ground in a textbook takedown.
"That wasn't necessary, but thank you." Buffy grinned as she recognized the girl as one of the Sisters on leave tonight.
"You're obviously here to take Tara away. I will not let that happen. I suggest you leave and never return. If I see you in this town again, I will destroy you." Buffy hissed angrily in Mr. Maclay's ear before she let him go.
"Let's go Tara. There's a lot of work we need to take care of." With that, Buffy walked away, leaving a fuming pair of men to watch them walk away.
"Milady, we caught these two trying to sneak in the factory. It's a good thing the patrol caught them when they did. A few more steps and they would have triggered one of the auto turrets." Buffy suppressed the urge to groan when she saw the two Maclay men standing before her with an armored Sister behind them.
"You really are persistent, aren't you? Amber, tell Giles to make sure they can't say anything about what they've seen here, then tell the novices to teach them a lesson, just make sure they're able to leave on their own power. If they try to come here again, use them for flamer demonstration." Buffy's voice was a growl near the end. Tara had told her how her family treated her, and Buffy would sooner kiss a Plague Marine than let her go back to that.
With that bit of unpleasantness over, Buffy continued to prepare for her upcoming trip to New Cadia.
"Buffy, right on time. I think you'll be really proud of how things came out. Dial Cimmeria." Willow greeted her friend before she turned to the man operating the gate controls.
"It was really hard to keep to the time limits you set, but after we borrowed a time dilatation device from the Asgard, we managed it. Then, we had Anya open a gate to a demon dimension with a higher time rate to give them a little practice. The whole group just got back this morning." Willow began.
"I look forward to seeing how they turned out." Buffy grinned as they walked through the medieval world towards a large fenced complex.
As they walked through the gates, Buffy couldn't help but grin widely at the sight. Clad in blue-gray powered armor and decked out in pelts, hides and a great deal of horns, tusks and teeth hanging off their armor were over a hundred Space Wolves. They were split into small groups, some talking, some eating, others were fighting in duel circles or checking over crates of equipment.
"Wolves, line up." One of the marines, his armor decorated with gold and the pelt of some massive creature bellowed as soon as he caught sight of them. In seconds, the rowdy bunch lined up perfectly, with the captain standing several feet before them.
"This is Captain Gunnar. Gunnar, Inquisitor Summers, Master of the Administratum and the Emperor's voice in this galaxy." Willow introduced them.
"We are most grateful for the chance to join the Vlka Fenryka, milady, and most eager to crush our enemies." Gunnar grinned, his large canines prominent in his mouth.
"And you will have that chance soon enough, Captain. You have all necessary equipment and vehicles?" Buffy asked.
"All one hundred of my men are fully armored and armed. We have access to all types of weapons we could possibly need and plenty of ammo for them, but we are short on vehicles." Gunnar replied.
"One of the newly completed frigates will arrive in two weeks with all the vehicles they need, and it will serve as their transport. Such things take time to build." Willow informed them.
"That will have to do. Captain, you will send your best twelve men to Chaplain Harris's task force. I'm sure he'll appreciate the assistance of other Space Marines." Gunnar simply shouted the order and twelve marines grabbed their gear and rushed out towards the Stargate. "I was told you spent some time in a demon dimension? How was it?"
"It was glorious, milady. We spent months slaughtering the vermin, and gained many trophies from the hunts, and the experience helped us a lot to get used to the equipment and tactics." Gunnar replied with a savage grin, his hand patting the large necklace of demon teeth hanging on his chest.
"Many more hunts await you in the future, Captain, and even greater trophies." Buffy smiled back. Gunnar nodded and turned back to his men.
"You've outdone yourself yet again Willow. Feel free to start on the other Chapters, but there's no hurry this time, so there's no need to use time dilatation, but it's a good idea to send them to various demon dimensions for experience." Buffy commented on the way back.
A few weeks later, Buffy had called for a meeting of the High Lords, along with a number of other Imperial agents, and now stood before them, ready to explain a plan she had been working on for a while now.
"I am sure everyone is curious about this irregular meeting, so I'll get right to the point. For weeks, I have been reviewing reports from our agents across the galaxy, and I feel the time is ripe for decisive action." Buffy pressed a button on the control station she was sitting on, and the hololith in the centre of the chamber sprang to life, showing an image of the galaxy.
"This is a representation of the holdings of the various forces we are aware of in the galaxy. The Goa'uld in red, the Imperium in gold, the Asgard in green, and the SGC in blue. Any others have no relevance at this time." Buffy paused for a moment to let the image sink in. The Goa'uld controlled a massive part of the galaxy, while theirs while large was barely a tenth of Goa'uld territory.
"With my plan, we will change this image, into this one." A second press of a button, and the red was reduced significantly, while the gold and green grew in size.
"Ambitious." Lord Admiral Parcy commented.
"But doable. With the newest ships complete from Tollana, we now have sixteen frigates, which is more than enough to complete my plans and repel any attempt at counteroffensive from the System Lords. With all the recent fighting, the number of Ha'tak in the galaxy is the lowest it's been in the past several millennia. The Goa'uld don't have the numbers to beat our fleets without exhausting their full military power and thus leaving themselves open to other enemies and widespread rebellion." Buffy explained.
"What is the plan exactly, milady?" Lord General Orim asked next.
Buffy zoomed into the region of the galaxy relevant to their campaigns and began to explain. "Recently, the Asgard managed to push back the Replicators to a single planet in the Ida galaxy, and have deployed overwhelming force to contain them there; leaving two dozen of their ships free to aid us in this campaign. They have requested that they secure all of their protected planets and the surrounding systems."
The green dots on the map grew into larger bubbles, reducing the angry red that surrounded them. "The Goa'uld know the might of the Asgard well, and will not dare challenge them without overwhelming force. Next, Dr. Gardner will declare her split from the System Lords and launch an attack on Ba'al in this region of space. That region while not the richest in resources, boasts a significant human population, maybe as much as a hundred million souls."
A large segment of the red turned golden and grew to absorb a chunk of the nearby Goa'uld territory.
"Next, the Jaffa rebellion will begin open revolt on the following five worlds. Their numbers and supply caches there are already significant, and Master Bra'tac assured me that they will have no difficulty claiming those worlds for the Imperium. It is however likely the Goa'uld will launch their counterstrike against them first, so the moment fleet assets become available, they will move there to discourage any attacks." Buffy continued.
"The Navy will strike these targets." Twelve systems flashed gold among the red. "Each of them boasts a significant number of orbital assets, and we estimate that we will face anywhere from forty-five to sixty Ha'tak and their support craft. Now, these are not Anubis upgraded Ha'tak, so even against such numbers we have the advantage, but I am still sending two ships to each of the four systems with the larger concentration of ships."
"I will review the tactical data with my captains and determine the best plans of attack. A coordinated strike of this magnitude will provide valuable experience to them." Lord Admiral Parcy stated.
"What about ground assault? There's still a lot of targets left open on the field." Orim pointed to the dozens of dots still in red.
"Those will be either attacked via Stargate, or by orbital drops from passing ships. As you know, we also have a dozen troop transports constructed. While their weapons can't match a Ha'tak, they have strong shields and Asgard transporters and can carry a full regiment each." Buffy replied.
"Captain Gunnar, you will divide your men among these three targets. I leave the details of the assault in your capable hands." A file was sent to the dataslate in the large Space Wolf's hands, and he simply nodded in understanding.
"Canoness Catrina, you have three targets as well. Divide your order as you see fit." Buffy turned to the armored woman standing next to the Ecclesiarch. "We will purge them in His name."
"Lord General Orim, the fourteen targets left as well as the twelve engaged by the navy are left to the Imperial Guard. Are your assets sufficient for this task?" Buffy turned to the man.
"I will have to review the tactical info on expected resistance, but I believe so. With orbital support, the twelve navy targets will be easy to manage. As for the rest, we will dispatch the penal legions to the worlds with highest expected resistance. I also request that the venerable Kendra Young be transferred to my assets for this campaign." Orim replied after a few moments.
"Request granted. And you have leave to issue conscription across all Imperial worlds if you deem our assets insufficient." Buffy replied.
"I don't think it will be necessary, but I reserve judgement until I review the data." Orim added.
"Excellent. Thank you all for coming. All relevant data will be provided to you as needed. In one week's time, we begin the assault, so use this time to prepare well." Buffy dismissed all but the High Lords, messaging them on their consoles that they still had a few matters to discuss. Once the room cleared, C-001 walked in the room from a hidden door.
"You wish to deploy the assassin temples as well?" Willow was the first to realize why they were held back.
"Yes. These three worlds have a Tok'ra agent on each of them, and I request the deployment of the Vindicare temple to execute them. In the confusion, we can claim their deaths a tragic accident. Next, these two worlds were recently visited by our missionaries only to discover the SGC had already visited weeks beforehand. Most troubling, the start of Tau influence is already felt there. The Calidus temple will halt this poison, and bring those worlds into our fold. And lastly, this world has a large population of Jaffa loyal to the Goa'uld. After discussing the matter with Teal'c and Bra'tac, I ask that we send E-001 to this world and show them why their loyalty was misplaced." Buffy put her request forward, along with the relevant data.
In the end, the decision was unanimous, and all of them walked away to prepare for the coming attack.
On the bridge of a Ha'tak, one of a dozen floating above Olokun's shipyard world, Zalok, the underlord ruling this system sat, contemplating the recent misfortunes that had struck his master and him by extension. Anubis had hit Olokun hard, depleting his forces drastically and costing his lord several worlds in the attacks. While not that dire yet, if nothing changed, Olokun would fall, and all who served him would follow.
"My Lord, incoming hyperspace signatures." His first prime broke his musing with an alert.
"Are we expecting anyone to arrive?" The Jaffa shook his head. "Then prepare for battle. Alert the rest of the fleet. How many signatures are there?"
"Just two my Lord." Before Anubis, he would have considered such an attempt a suicide, but even if that bastard dared attack them, two of his upgraded ships would still be overcome by his fleet.
Seconds later, large hyperspace windows oppened, and Zalok felt his blood turn to ice. What emerged was not a pair of Ha'tak, but two of the monstrous Tollan ships that have been reported by various Goa'uld over the last year. Even Anubis feared these ships, which said a lot about their power.
"Orders my Lord?" His first prime broke him from his stupor, and Zalok supressed a shiver and hoped that by some miracle he'd survive this day.
"Launch all Al'kesh and gliders. Order the Ha'tak to keep themselves away from the sides of the enemy ships. Have them coordinate attacks, we'll need focused strikes to bring down their shields." Zalok ordered.
"Whoever is in charge here is good. His tactics are impressive for a Goa'uld. Almost a shame to destroy him." Captain Ronson commented to his XO as they deployed their Vanguard fighters and moved into attack range. "Inform the Spear of Tollana that we'll make the first pass at the planet. Tell Makepeace to prepare his men for transport."
His XO nodded, and Ronson kept a close eye on the sensor display as the Wings of Liberty shot through the Ha'tak formation and moved to transporter range of the planet, deploying its deadly cargo before swinging back to eliminate the rest of the orbital assets.
Several hours later, Zalok's Ha'tak was the only one left, and seeing his chances of survival were non-existent if he stayed, he gave the order to retreat. Avoiding several lance shots, the Ha'tak managed to escape to hyperspace, emerging several systems away.
"Did they follow us?" He asked his first prime. "No my Lord." Just as the Goa'uld let a sigh of relief, the ship's console raised an alert and he stared in mute shock as a large dark ship, covered in spikes and blades with a rather large one poised like a scorpion's tail at the back simply appeared before them.
In another part of the galaxy, Ba'al raged in fury at the news he had just received. Not only had Osiris turned rogue, but that bitch had actually dared attack him. This attack was both unexpected and unwelcome, and messed up dozens of his own plans. He hated to act in desperation, but now it seemed he had no choice but to bend his knee to Anubis. Still, his forces were enough to hold Osiris at bay, but he would probably lose that whole sector, which would cause him a lot of trouble in the long run.
"Perhaps i can offer a different option." Ba'al froze at the deep oily voice that echoed from behind him. He turned around angrily, only to pale in fear at the sight. A massive armored giant in blue and gold armor, flanked by two more similar warriors. Unlike the huge guns the two wore, the leading figure was armed with a glowing pistol and a large staff. His helmet was adorned with a pharaoh's headdress.
"I'm listening." Ba'al was no fool. If these strange warriors were here to kill him, they would have done so already.
"Fifteen seconds to landing. Single stim, now." David Angelo pressed his inhaler to his mouth, feeling the frenzon start to spread across his mind. Who would have thought that his gangbanger days would lead him to this? Stuck on a dropship about to land on an alien planet where he was expected to fight and die in the name of a ruler he barely believed in. Still, as he gripped his lasgun and stared at the scary Commissar sitting strapped at the end of the dropship, near the cockpit, fighting was a lot better than the alternative, as he shot a glance at the Commissar's bolt pistol and felt the ever-present explosive collar around his neck.
The Valkyrie landed with a jarring impact, and a second later the doors opened while their drop straps released them from their embrace.
"Platoon move out, on the double." The Commissar barked, and the motley crew of inmates rushed out, heading towards a nearby hill where several other squads had begun to gather. "Over the hill. Charge."
David joined the rest of the squad, and once he reached the top of the hill, he saw the enemy for the first time. Jaffa they were called, and it was their job to kill them all on this world. By the time he raised his lasgun and squeezed off a shot from his gun, several burning orange balls were starting to hit around them. Several prisoners were already down, but the rain of lasfire had begun taking its bloody toll as well as the Jaffa started taking casualties as well.
As David kept charging, he heard the now familiar bark of a boltgun, and realized some of the men attacking with him had tried to retreat or flee. 'Fools.' They learned very quickly you couldn't outrun the Commissar, and killing them was suicide since each squad had their collars linked to the Commissar's heartbeat.
David rolled under a plasma ball, and came out of that roll to slam his bayonet into the gut of the Jaffa that shot him. By the time he got up, the Jaffa position was overwhelmed, and David allowed himself to turn around, noticing over a dozen badly injured or dead. While their flak armor could take a hit, they had still attacked a fortified position with over a hundred Jaffa guarding it.
"Third platoon, form up." He heard a Commissar bark, and rushed to obey. "We're joining first, second and fourth to hit the city north-west of here. About face, march on the double."
On Olokun's main Jaffa recruiting world, the Stargate guards sprung to alert the moment the gate activated, reading their two Staff cannons and aiming over a hundred staffs in the direction of the Stargate. With all the trouble their lord had with Anubis, his Jaffa were ordered to take no chances and crush any attack without mercy.
What came out of the gate was a wall of metal, or more accurately, two large shields held before large men in armor. The Jaffa opened fire, but what they were firing on were a pair of Space Wolf Terminators holding sheets of ceramite over a foot thick. Even the cannons only managed to push them back a step. Four more Terminators followed, and once they were out of the gate, simply knelt down. The Jaffa commander was confused about the sight when in a flash of sparks, the four armored giants vanished.
By the time he had noticed the flash behind him, the four Terminators had already stood up and raised their weapons, namely two assault cannons and a pair of heavy flamers. The devastating weapons began taking their toll on the shocked defenders, and in the confusion, the first two Terminators managed to reach the Jaffa as well. Tossing away their shields and crushing several Jaffa under their weight, the pair raised their Thunder hammers and the Jaffa knew terror.
"Not much of a challenge, captain." One of the Terminators complained to Gunnar, who was one of the shield carriers.
"We're not here to claim trophies or glory brother, but to serve the Allfather. Let's move on, there are hundreds more Jaffa that need killing on this world." Gunnar reminded him as more Space Wolves began to emerge from the Stargate and divide into squads. The Jaffa would soon learn to fear the Emperor's fiercest warriors.
A similar situation occurred on one of Ba'al's temple worlds, where squads of Battle Sisters appeared in flashes of light from their orbital transport. Led by frightening Repentia squads, the Sisters crushed all opposition in their unstoppable march.
"Report, Captain." Colonel Hadrian, who was one of the rare Tollan not in the Mechanicus turned to one of his captains participating in the invasion of one of Kali's worlds.
"They managed to entrench themselves in that temple, sir. Trying to clear them out will lead to heavy casualties." The man reported.
"No reason to risk our men needlessly. I am ordering a pair of Basilisks to reinforce your position. Their Earthshakers will break up their nest. Carry on, Captain." The colonel returned to his command Chimera to inspect the other fronts, while in the distance, two long barreled vehicles rolled to its previous position. In minutes, their barrels were in position, and with a deafening roar, half the temple disappeared. Before the Jaffa inside could even understand what had happened, two squads of Optrisian Storm Troopers had charged in, clearing out the shell-shocked survivors.
Far away on New Cadia Buffy sat in her seat in the Great Assembly hall as reports and updates flashed on the large map floating above the center of the room. Despite the chaos of the room, with everyone running around and updating orders to their forces scattered across the galaxy, she remained a beacon of calmness, her stony face resting on top of her hands as she stared impassively as her subordinates fought and died to fulfill her plans.
A few days later, the whole galaxy reeled from the sudden and unexpected blow by the Imperium. The few attempts to counterattack were crushed with contemptuous ease, and while the Goa'uld sat back, nurturing their hatred for this powerful new foe, the Imperium began the slow task of absorbing their new domains into the fold.