A Legacy of Chaos

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and universes that I am about to mangle around and mash together for my own amusement – sadly, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Stargate SG-1, Charmed and EVE Online remain the property of Mutant Enemy Productions, MGM, Spelling Productions and CCP Games respectively – I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use. As a result, please continue to keep the legal attack dogs – also known as lawyers – firmly muzzled and on a leash as I have no money to give to anyone.

Author Note: A reminder conversation in italic refers either to a symbiote speaking to a host or Xander thought-speaking as he naturally cannot talk aloud when inside the hydrostatic capsule as his lungs and throat are full of fluid.


Chapter Eleven

Xander's Citadel

"We need your help to explain all this to Joyce and Dawn Summers."

Xander was sure his physical body blinked as he stared at Giles in shock and surprise. He had suggested that they inform at very least Joyce Summers about the dangers of Sunnydale and her eldest daughters calling to combat them. He had said about it after the incident where Darla had fed on her in an attempt to frame Angel for attacking her after they had discovered that he was a vampire, well before Angel had confessed that he had been cursed with a human soul – giving him back a conscience and the ability to feel such human emotions as remorse and guilt – after feeding upon the wrong Romani a century earlier. As he'd pointed out, repeatedly to both Giles and Buffy, if Joyce had known not to invite anyone she didn't know in after dark then Darla would never have been able to attack and nearly kill Joyce.

Unfortunately, neither the Watcher nor the Slayer had been inclined to listen.

Of course, that didn't mean that young Dawn didn't already know as not only had she read her older sisters diary on numerous occasions – in the tradition of bratty younger sisters everywhere – without Buffy being aware of it but she had encountered a vampire a few weeks earlier when she'd nagged him into taking her to the corner shop for some candy one time when he'd been babysitting her. Thankfully, it had only been one and a fledgling which means he had easily staked the bloodsucking fiend. Which had shown to Dawn the Buffy wasn't lying in her diary and led to him having to explain quite things to her. Though of course he had sworn her to both secrecy – Buffy would slay him for sure if she knew he'd told her baby sister – and to not go out looking to learn more about the supernatural as it was not something a twelve-year-old girl should ever be concerned about.

Of course, given how curious she could be not to mention the fact that she had the same reckless streak as Buffy, there was no guarantee that Dawn would do as she was told.

"You want to tell Joyce and Dawn," he repeated at last. "Why now you have always resisted before when I have said about it?"

Giles fidgeted uncomfortable at his question. Thankfully Kowalski took pity on him and spoke up. "You can blame me for it Xander," he said with a smile, "well me and Kyle. We were able to convince both Mister Giles and Miss Summers that Joyce and Dawn knowing about the dangers of this place was the best thing and that they were in unnecessary danger not knowing." He didn't add that there was another reason and that was what Joyce's own destiny was, though there was no reason for anyone to know that and there was the fact that Dawn had the Key within her.

Though the latter he couldn't explain without getting into the headache that was temporal magic.

"That's been my argument all along."

"I am aware I am not sure why I did not listen," Giles admitted as he could see why Xander had argued the way he had. Given that Sunnydale was the sight of a very active Hellmouth, the fact that her eldest daughter was the current Slayer, and the fact that she'd already been attacked once by Darla – well before Darla had been dusted by Angel – it made sense that Joyce should be told the truth and, if necessary, shown that her daughter wasn't lying.

"It's a combination of factors Mister Giles," Kowalski replied, "there is your oath of secrecy to the Watchers Council influencing your decisions as there is a small amount of magic involved in it. Magic that compels secrecy, though due to the ambient dark magic emissions of the Hellmouth it has worn off on you now. The other element which is more recent is a compulsion to ignore any suggestions made by Xander was placed upon you, Ms Summers and everyone in your group."

"By whom?" Giles asked instantly angry that someone would place such a compulsion spell on them. Such things were grey magic at best. They certainly were not something that anyone could cast since, as with most other magic's, which had to be a genuine desire to bring about the intent of the spell.

"By the Powers That Be. They don't like Xander very much."

"Who are the Powers That Be? What did I ever do to them?"

"The Powers That Be are the group of higher beings that oversee the Slayer line," Kowalski explained, "they choose who will be the next Slayer. They have a number of other champions to battle lower and mid-level demons, the ensouled vampire Angel is one such champion. As for why they don't like you… well that's because you embarrassed them."

"How so," Jenny asked just beating Xander to the punch.

"Because he was able to revive Slayer Summers when she was briefly drowned by the master vampire Heinrich Nest."

"Why would they dislike me for that?" Xander asked more than a little puzzled by why these Powers That Be would be upset with him for saving Buffy. Surely, they would be grateful to still have her around to battle the various vampires and demons that made Sunnydale home due to the presence of the Hellmouth.

"They dislike you because it was an embarrassment to them," the whitelighter explained. "They had created the prophecy that Buffy would face The Master and that she would die, and they expected things to go exactly as they planned. However, such prophecies were never written with modern first aid training in mind, thus it never occurred to them that Buffy would be able to be revived. It was a sharp reminder to them that prophecy and destiny are not the be all and end all of things, and just because prophecy is written a certain way doesn't mean it will completely come true.

"The Pricks That Bungle," Kowalski continued once again drawing chuckles at his derisive nickname for the PTB. "Did not appreciate that reminder and decided to punish Xander for interfering in their plans. Personally, I think they're being completely and utterly ridiculous and childish, they've actually gained another Slayer out of the whole affair, but that's the Powers for you. Bunch of spoilt brats if you ask me who spout nonsense and do nothing to really fulfil the purpose for which they were created."

"There's another Slayer?" Giles demanded.

"Yes, you did not know?"

"No. The Council did not see fit to inform me," Giles growled annoyed as he knew just who was behind it being kept quiet Quentin Bloody Travers and his currently ruling traditionalist faction. It would be just like them to compartmentalize such information, leaving whoever the new girls Watcher was to believe that Buffy was dead. "Do you know who it is?"

"Some girl in Jamacia I believe. I wasn't briefed on her identity since the only slayer I'm likely to meet here is Buffy."

"If the Slayer spirit has moved on to another girl how is Buffy still the Slayer," Xander asked, "are the powers a soul imprint just like my improved hearing."

"It's not a soul imprint," Kowalski replied. "Nobody quite knows what it is. Though I would advise that you don't say anything about this to Buffy."

"Agreed," Giles replied knowing his charge well. Not only would Buffy not appreciate it she would certainly try to use it to skimp on her sacred Slayer duties in her endless quest to have a so-called normal life. While he could understand why she would want a normal life, he had resented his own calling to be a Watcher – as his father and his grandfather had been before him – when he'd been her age and it had led him into a very, very dark place, he knew it would never be possible for her. Buffy, like all Slayers, would always have inside of her the need, the instinct, to hunt down and destroy supernatural evils and if she ignored it for too long… well very bad things could happen mentally to a Slayer in such a situation. "But we're getting somewhat off track here. Xander, will you help convince Joyce and Dawn about all of this?"

"Of course, I will. I even have an idea how I can do that from here," Xander replied immediately before hesitating then dropping his bombshell knowing they needed to know. He just hoped that Giles would be reasonable about it. "But it's only Buffy's mom that we need to convince. Dawn already knows."

"What!" Giles and Jenny exclaimed in shock at the same time, making both capsuleer and whitelighter chuckle in amusement as they'd spoken at exactly the same time and with precisely the same incredulous tone.

"How does Dawn know," Giles asked after taking a moment to recover from the shocking announcement, even as an explanation for how she knew came to him. "Did you tell her Xander?" He hoped that the young man hadn't, but he knew it was a possibility.

"Of course not," Xander replied instantly, a little irritated that Giles would think he would do something like that. "No, she found out another way. Think about it Giles she's Buffy's somewhat bratty younger sister what is she likely to do whenever she thinks she can get away with it?"

"Read Buffy's diary," Jenny replied immediately knowing that a few of her siblings and clanmates would, and indeed, had done the same to her when she'd been a teenager. Well before she'd figured out how to put wards and notice me not spells on the diary so nobody but her could find it let alone open it.

"Exactly and when it comes to her diary Buffy is somewhat careless, I've seen her leave it out and open on her dresser numerous times whenever I've babysat Dawn for Mrs Summers," Xander answered making Giles frown and make a mental note to have a word with Buffy about being more careful with her diary, especially if she kept putting information on the supernatural in it. Hmm it might be an idea to offer to put concealment wards on it for her, he thought though he forced himself to keep listening as Xander spoke up again.

"Dawn read all about vampires in the diary," Xander continued, "she's also encountered one before one time when I was babysitting her. She nagged me into taking her down to the shop."

"You took her down to the shop. At night!"

"She deployed the puppy eyes against me plus she's been spending far too much time with Willow. She's starting to pick up the 'resolve' face. I resisted of course, but in the end, I gave in. We met a vampire as we were coming back. Thankfully I knew it was there before it even jumped out at us from behind a bush and had a stake ready to dust the stupid thing."

"I see, how did Dawn take it," Giles asked hoping that, like everyone else in Sunnydale, Dawn would want to repress it and rationalize it away in some fashion. Gang violence fuelled by the highly addictive hallucinogenic drug phencyclidine – or PCP - being the answer that most people immediately reached for. While he knew that it wasn't likely, given what Xander had already said, that Dawn would do that, but a man could dream couldn't he?

"How do you expect? Confused and scared as it was one thing to read about vampires in her sister's diary and quite another to be face to fang with one. Fascinated as well though I made sure that she understood that vampires are not something that she should go out investigating – you know what Dawn can be like with these things – as that would be a good way to end up dead… or worse. Surprisingly she agreed though I have been keeping a closer eye on her recently just in case as it wouldn't be the first time that Dawn said one thing and did the exact opposite. So far she's behaved."

"That's a relief when did this encounter take place?"

"A month ago. Naturally I couldn't tell Buffy about it as you know how she'd react and that would only push Dawn to do exactly what nobody would want her to do."

Giles nodded in a mixture of understanding and agreement. He knew his charge well and knew that Buffy would go absolutely nuts about her sister knowing her secret – and the way she'd found out about it by reading her diary – and her encounter with a vampire while in Xander's company. She would no doubt do everything in her power to make Dawn a prisoner in her own home out of a need to protect her from the vampires now that she knew of them going into both full on, I'm the Slayer you have to do what I say mode and overprotective big sister mode.

Which would result in Dawn sneaking out just to get away from her sister regardless of the hour and that was a recipe for something very bad to happen.

"I don't blame you though be prepared for Buffy to give you a hard time when she finds out that Dawn has known for so long," Giles cautioned Xander.

"She'll try," Xander agreed though he wasn't that worried about the prospect of facing Buffy's wrath anymore. It was not like she could kill him permanently or anything anymore while, if he wanted to, he could kill her easily with the many tools of death that he now had access to. Superhuman strength and fighting ability would hardly let her dodge a plasma bolt let alone a laser beam, to say nothing of some of the nastier methods of killing like nano disintegrators. One of the many things that the peoples of New Eden – be they mortal or immortal - were unfortunately particularly good at was finding new, innovative ways to kill someone.

Not that he had any intention of ever killing Buffy. Angel on the other hand he would gladly dispose of that cursed demonically reanimated corpse as he still hadn't forgotten – or forgiven him for – how Angel had offered him to Spike as a meal a few months ago just because he was still jealous over Buffy using him as a human stripper pole to make the ensouled vampire jealous. Of course, he had never said anything about Angel doing that to anyone as he wouldn't be believed; he knew full well that Buffy especially would ignore it and just brand him jealous – despite the fact that he no longer had any romantic feelings whatsoever for her as he could never love someone who would use him like she had – and Willow would just follow her lead like she always did. As for Giles well he'd keep quiet, even if he did believe him, just to keep his Slayer happy.

For some reason, the way Xander had just said that sent a chill down Giles spine and he wondered just how much the young man had been changed by Ethan's mutated spell. He clearly wasn't the only one as he saw a momentary flash of worry cross Jenny's face at the tone Xander had used and saw Kowalski momentarily frown and look at the eighteen-inch-tall hologram of the new adult Xander assessing. Giles quickly decided to get back to the issue at hand.

"In any case we've wandered off topic again," he said. "You said that you have an idea for how to convince Mrs Summers of the truth?"

"Yes, there are actually two options. The easiest would be for you to simply take this QEC device with you when you go to talk to Mrs Summers, you could then hail me and either myself or Aura would answer you."

"Seeing you as a hologram could be quite convincing," Jenny agreed, "though just out of curiosity what is the other choice? And is there anything special we need to do to the QEC device for transport?"

"The alternative is that I can come back to Earth and go with you when you see her," Xander replied, "it could mean leaving the station unattended for longer than I would like but if you think that would be the better choice, I'll do it."

"It would probably be the best option," Giles admitted, "that way you can prove the existence of your cybernetics in the same way you showed us at the old CRD site. Though what is the risk of leaving the station unattended?"

"Not that much at the moment," Xander admitted knowing that there was only one warship in Sol at the moment and that was the Asgard cruiser. A cruiser that while it was undeniably a formidable vessel didn't have the firepower to defeat the shields of a Fortizar-class citadel in a reasonable period of time, "I can have Aura leave the shields up while I'm away. They're more than powerful enough to protect the station though if someone does attack hardware lockouts would prevent Aura from even powering the weapons let alone returning fire."

"Is an attack likely?

"I do not think so."

"Then we will plan for you to come back to Earth for a short period. Might I suggest you come tomorrow morning? And where would you like us to meet you CRD again?"

"Sounds like a plan though I would rather you pick me up from the decommissioned World War Two air base southeast of town. Willow should know where it is as there used to be an air circus based there that we always went to, well until it closed three years ago after the owner died in a car accident. It's been abandoned ever since. If Willow doesn't know or doesn't remember how to get there, then Cordelia or Kyle will know."

"Alright but why there?" Jenny asked.

"It would be a lot easier to hide my ship there just in case there is another problem with the cloak. There shouldn't be but I prefer to err on the side of caution."

"Understandable we'll meet you there," Giles agreed approving of Xander's caution in this matter. The last thing they needed after all was to have the military showing up anywhere near the Hellmouth as they surely would if they detected Xander's ship. That would be just asking for trouble and there was already enough of that to go around thank you very much.

"Alright. See you all tomorrow."

"We'll see you tomorrow goodnight Xander," Jenny agreed causing Xander to smile once before his hologram winked out of existence as he closed down the connection from his end. He's really got some incredible technology at his command, she thought, and somehow, I don't think we've seen even a tiny fraction of what's on that station just as we still don't really understand what capsuleers are despite what Aura told us.

"Now where were we before Xander contact us," Giles said bringing the discussion back to what they'd been talking about earlier.

"How to go about teaching Willow the proper respects for magic as she begins to learn and identify what active powers she may have," Kowalski said.

"I do have a few ideas for that," Jenny commented.

"We're listening."

Jenny nodded and began to speak.


Xander had barely closed down the connection with the QEC device in Sunnydale when he became aware that Aura wanted to speak with him. He could see a flashing icon in the HUD like thing that completely filled his vision so to speak as a mental representation of his interface with the system. A flashing icon that indicated that Aura had something to report and was waiting for him to become available.

"Yes Aura," he asked.

"Ah good Xander I trust your discussion with your friends back in Sunnydale was interesting," the AI replied.

"It was. What's happened while I was occupied?"

"I am pleased to report that I have successfully bypassed and disarmed all the firewalls and security protocols on the alien corvette you acquired from Martian orbit."

"Really! What have you found?"

"Quite a lot though I have yet to fully assimilate all the data as it is written in a different format to our own seemingly designed to work through photonics and crystals instead of using fluid data routers and a quantum computer. I am having to download it in segments and covert them to a format our systems can fully understand. I can however provide you with a summary of the data so far translated."

"Please do so."

"As you wish."


Briefing Room

Stargate Command

That Same Time

Major General George Hammond felt a headache coming on as he listened to the report that his second in command was presenting on the Goa'uld prisoner that they were holding. A Goa'uld who had taken his top scientist as a host, a Goa'uld who – if what Jack was saying was true and not some fabrication – wasn't really a Goa'uld at all and who was now under threat from another of its parasitic kind. In an effort to gain there assistance against this assassin the Goa'uld had made a very intriguing and tempting offer, in exchange for helping it defeat the threat and returning it to wherever it came from the Goa'uld would not only return Captain Carter to them unharmed but would provide them with a ship and pilot to take a small team to the alien space station orbiting Neptune so they could meet whoever had built it…

…and in the process changed the world.

Despite their best efforts it had proven impossible to conceal the existence of the space station and with it the knowledge that aliens were real. There were simply too many observatories out there, too many media outlets and so on, that were outside their control. Thus, the public had learned of the station's presence almost as soon as they had. Though the public had not reacted as they had feared they would to the revelation that not only were aliens real but appeared to be technologically far more advanced than they were. For a long time, they had feared it would lead to chaos with panic and rioting on the streets. There had been none of that, instead the public had reacted mostly with curiosity wanting to know just who their new neighbours were. The fact that SETI – and numerous observatories and radio telescopes around the world – had received a first contact package from the station, numerous times over the last few hours in fact as it seemed to broadcast on a loop, had only increased their curiosity and eagerness to learn more about their new neighbours.

He put thoughts of the space station out of his mind for now, focusing instead on the issue at hand.

"So let me get this straight Jack this Goa'uld Jolinar claims to be an enemy of the System Lords," he questioned. "And in exchange for us helping to defeat one of its enemies it will not only return Captain Carter to us unharmed but will provide us with a ship and a pilot to take a small team to the alien space station."

"Yes sir," Jack confirmed.

"Jolinar claims to be a member of the Tok'ra," Teal'c added.

"Against Ra," Daniel translated turning to look at the rest of them from where he had been standing at the windows looking down upon the embarkation room and the currently inactive Stargate.

"Master Bra'tac has told me about the Tok'ra before," Teal'c continued, "they're stated goal is the destruction of the System Lords and a change in the ways of the Empire, preaching a more symbiotic relationship with their hosts. They are hunted and hated by the System Lords."

"Is that why you were surprised when Jolinar said who she was Teal'c," Jack asked.

"Indeed O'Neill. From what I have been taught Jolinar was once a Goa'uld who led an insurrection against the System Lords," Teal'c explained, "the resultant battle was fierce and only ended in victory for the System Lords when Ra himself committed his elite forces to the battle. Jolinar escaped in the slaughter of his armies, but not before evacuating the human populations from the handful of planets under his control."

"So, this Jolinar is wanted in Goa'uld town."

"Indeed."

"Explain to me what exactly this Jolinar is offering and what exactly is an Ashrak?" Hammond said.

"An Ashrak is a highly trained Goa'uld assassin all bred from and trained in the arts of infiltration, sabotage and assassination by the Goa'uld Queen Selket," Teal'c explained, "they are one of the most lethal opponents one can ever face and care nothing for anything other than completing the mission for which they are contracted."

"And one of them is here on Earth and after Jolinar and with her Carter," Jack continued, "we don't know exactly where he is right now, only that he nearly killed Doctor Jacobs when he escaped from the Air Force Academy Hospital."

"What do you suggest we do Colonel?"

"I don't think we have a lot of choice sir," Jack admitted, "well unless we want to attempt to remove the Goa'uld surgically from Carter and hope we get all of the damned thing this time."

"It would not resolve the question of the Ashrak," Daniel pointed out "and there is no guarantee that what happened with Kowalski won't happen again and this time we might not survive it."

Both Jack and General Hammond grimaced at the reminder of what had happened with Major Kowalski when he'd been taken over by a Goa'uld. The SGC had come within minutes of being destroyed by its own self-destruct device, only the Goa'uld's overconfidence had let them avert disaster. While they had made some improvements to security and so on since that incident Jolinar had chosen perhaps the best person to take as a host if it truly meant them harm.

"Very well I will speak with the President and the Joint Chiefs," Hammond said at last breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen on the briefing room. "This decision is one they'll have to make. In the meantime, Colonel I want you to oversee an increase in security at all access points into the mountain. If possible, I want to stop that Ashrak getting in here."

"Yes sir."

Hammond stood up but before he could begin to move into his office to pick up the red phone to the White House a strange feeling filled the air. A feeling of tension and oppressive stillness like the calm before a storm. Everyone looked around in surprise and confusion a second before a sound like gentle raindrops against stone filled the air nanoseconds before Hammond's outline shimmered with a milky-green light and he vanished along with the sudden tenson. For a second shocked inaction ruled…

…then Jack leapt to his feet and hit the general alarm control on the wall.


"What the devil?"

General Hammond's shocked exclamation echoed in the air as he suddenly found himself standing in a completely different place to the main briefing room at his command. The room he was in looked to be made of a kind of stone or coral that was a pale green in colour. A table that appeared to be made from stone with wooden chairs dominated the centre of the room but what really grabbed his attention was the opposite wall. It was dominated by a window through which he could see the Earth below.

A new sound caught his attention and he turned in the direction the sound seemed to be coming from. To see a man – that he instantly recognised as President Marcel himself – appear in a shimmer of milky-green light. The light vanished and Marcel looked around in surprise and confusion before his eyes landed on General Hammond.

"General Hammond. What's going on? Where are we?"

"I believe we are on a ship orbiting Earth Mr President," Hammond replied, "as to how we got here and why we're here I have no idea."

Marcel frowned but before he could ask another question, they both heard a door opening. Both Americans turned to look at the opening door, both hoping that they were about to be explained why they'd been somehow transported up here against their will, in time to see an alien wearing simple looking beige coloured robes that appeared to be made of natural fibres. The alien had thick, grass-like hair that looked uncontrollable, and which had plants growing out of it. Hammond instantly recognised the alien as a Nox, a male by the looks of things.

"General Hammond, President Marcel allow me to introduce myself I am Elder Ohper of the Nox," the Nox said in greeting. "Forgive me for bringing you here against your will but there are things that we must discuss that unfortunately cannot wait."

"What's that?" Marcel asked guessing that they would not be returned to the planet until they heard what the Nox had to say.

"Please sit and I will explain," Ohper told them. Reluctantly both men did as they were bid, sitting next to one another on one side of the table. As soon as they were comfortable the Nox elder sat down opposite them.

"What did you want to talk to us about Elder Ohper," Hammond asked.

"Two things. One the threats from the shadows that have once again begun infiltrating your planet as they did millions of years ago during the reign of the Ancients," Ohper replied prompting both Americans to exchange puzzled glances as they wondered what the Nox meant by that. Before they could ask a question however the diminutive but undeniably very powerful alien spoke again. "The other thing we need to discuss is in many ways even more pressing. We have after all seen it happen before on other worlds and it never ends well."

"What's that?" Marcel asked.

"Your misuse of the Stargate."


Authors Note: Another chapter bites the metaphorical dust. Sorry its taken so long to get this out but things have been quite hectic here recently. Hopefully it won't take so long to get the next update ready though I cannot promise anything.