Title: Ship of the Line: Walk in Dark Places
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: General for Buffy and Babylon 5. Season 1 for Stargate SG1
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, Babylon 5 or SG1. I would buy them but I am broke.
Summary: Answer to the Ship of the Line Challenge on TTH. The Scoobies dress as people who walk in dark places and do what must be done.
"" denotes speech, '' denotes thought
Xander, Buffy, Joyce and Faith were sitting on one side of a table in a little diner on the highway halfway between Sunnydale and Edwards Air Force Base. Joyce, Buffy and Faith were drinking coffee while Xander had a thickshake, but there was no food on the table. They were not trying to hide who they were, so Xander, Buffy and Faith were all in Anla'Shok uniforms, though without the Anla'Shok jewelled badge so they looked like a nice, if slightly odd, outfit; while Joyce was in a nice skirt suit.
"Got two vans incoming." Cordy reported over the radio. "Looks like it may be their team. Hold… confirmed, I see SG1 and a bald two star General and a security team of four. The General, and SG1 except the Jaffa are on approach. Security and the Jaffa are setting up a perimeter around the parking lot."
Of course, Cordy; Colonel Watson and six Anla'Shok were well concealed in the sparse vegetation around the diner. The six Anla'Shok who had done the best in concealment and ground operations, apart from Faith who blew almost everyone out of the water in anything that could be considered Combat. Willow was back at Sheridan Academy. No use risking all four Shok'na in this.
The Air Force team entered the diner and approached their table, with the General, Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter in their uniforms and Daniel Jackson in a suit.
"Shok'na Harris." Colonel O'Neill said in acknowledgement as they sat on the opposite side of the table. "This is General Hammond, our Commanding Officer."
"General." Xander said, nodding. "This is Shok'na Summers, Missus Summers and Anla'Shok Lehane."
"Thanks for meeting us." Daniel Jackson said.
"Not a problem, Doctor Jackson." Buffy replied. "Though I assume it was Captain Carter who tracked us down?"
"Yes, Shok'na." Carter replied.
"Based on your response to Doctor Jackson's letter, I have been authorised by the President to begin negotiations." General Hammond said. "We would be interested in knowing what you are interested in trading for and what you would be willing to offer, in principal, should an agreement be reached."
"What we want is simple. To protect Earth." Buffy said calmly. "As I am sure your subordinates informed you, we have some limitations in production and our usual supply chain simply do not exist. We are able to maintain our current Assets but we are unable to produce more. What we primarily are looking for is certain, secure, manufacturing capacity. Currently our Anla'Shock are only armed with the White Stars and their Denn'bok, Fighting Pikes. If possible, we would like to start arming them with PPG pistols, and rifles for heavier ground engagements, though there may be technical issues."
"PPG?" General Hammond asked.
"Phased Plasma Gun, sir." Carter replied. "Coherent Plasma contained in an electromagnetic shell. Causes high temperature burns and can penetrate thin soft metal but would not penetrate thicker or harder metal, like a spaceship hull. Higher energy shots can penetrate more but reduces the capacity of the power source and recharge time between shots."
"Might work against Jaffa armour, might not." Colonel O'Neill mused. "Armour Piercing ammunition might be more effective but worth a look."
"If PPG's are unviable with current technology, then we would require firearms, pistols and assault rifles, and incendiary ammunition." Xander said grimly, noticing the shocked looks. "Most of what we fight on the ground are immune to regular bullets and some a very vulnerable to fire."
"That's a pretty disturbing claim." Hammond said.
"Did you hear about the gas main explosion that destroyed Sunnydale State High School?" Buffy asked, getting a nod from Jackson but blank looks from the others.
"I saw the report." Jackson said, then noticed the looks from his military colleagues. "I tape the news when we go out of the country, mostly in case of big archaeological discoveries."
"That was us. There was a biological threat that had the potential to be an ELE." Buffy explained. "It was so significant we had to do a strafing run with a White Star."
Carter gasped and O'Neill whistled in awe at that.
"How tight a grouping?" O'Neill asked.
"Fifteen feet." Faith replied. "Four round burst, three hits and a miss that was contained to the School grounds. I was a little rushed even at minimum speed for a White Star."
O'Neill nodded with an impressed look. He had seen the White Stars in action and that was Sniper level accuracy for that kind of vessel.
"General, an ELE is an Extinction Level Event. Like the Permian Extinction or the K/T Extinction that wiped out the Dinosaurs." Carter said.
"This threat would have just eaten every person it came across, growing stronger with each life it took." Buffy clarified.
There was a general murmur for the next few minutes as two conversations went on, one between O'Neill, Faith and Xander and the other between Buffy, Carter and Hammond. Joyce and Jackson spent those few minutes drinking their coffee.
"If we can get back on topic." Joyce interrupted. "Apart from the firearms, either PPG or conventional, we are looking at two major areas of cooperation and one of assistance from the US Government. On the cooperation front, we would like access to some US Military and or Law Enforcement training facilities for our forces to run through exercises. We have our own training areas but an established training grounds would be of benefit, like LAPD SWAT or SWPS in Illinois or STAST in Florida. Also, participation in certain War Game scenarios for more real-world training opportunities."
"SWAT, SEAL Training or Special Operations Command Training?" O'Neill asked. "Are you really that confident?"
"Our established training regime has evolved over a thousand years and Anla'Shok have successfully operated on over eighty worlds." Xander replied. "We don't expect to fill up the spots on those courses, but access to those facilities, both independently and in scenarios devised by the instructors, would introduce new tactics into Anla'Shok training and greatly increase our operational readiness."
"Secondly, operational cooperation between the Anla'Shok and the SGC. Independent but mutual support where required. This includes collaborative scientific reverse engineering of Goa'uld technology, such as their FTL and shielding technology. Regardless of any agreement, the Anla'Shok will do everything they can to protect Earth but it is unlikely that all of the Anla'Shok forces will permanently stay within the Sol System." Joyce added.
"The first one I would have to speak to my superiors about, but the second one I can say is acceptable, in principal." General Hammond replied.
"For the assistance portion, it is relatively simple. We would like to add a special written examination to the standard pre-enlistment testing for US Military, civil service and intelligence agency applications. We have very specific requirements and want first shot at trying to convince any applicants who pass to our satisfaction to join the Anla'Shok instead of their chosen service. If they turn us down then they will go back into the system to proceed as normal." Joyce continued.
"Again, I would have to consult my superiors, but how big a portion of our recruiting pool are you expecting to make offers to?" Hammond countered.
"Very tiny." Joyce said. "Of almost three hundred pre-screened candidates based on psychological profiles and academic records, in the first intake we offered places to eighteen and recruited thirteen. The vast majority of potential Military, Intelligence and Civil Service applicants would not have the appropriate Psych Profile in the first place."
That had been a busy several months for Joyce travelling all over the US to administer the test to all those applicants.
"And what are you offering?" Hammond asked.
"We will not offer any Minbari or Anla'Shok technology, mostly as it is beyond current earth technological levels." Joyce advised, "But we will offer EathForce technology as well as the previously mentioned joint reverse engineering of Goa'uld technology to allow things EarthForce did not have, like artificial gravity." Joyce offered. "Schematics for space based ships, like the Starfury Fighter, the Omega Class Destroyer and Hyperion Class Heavy Cruiser. You would be responsible for production and these vessels will need to be restricted to the SGC or a parallel agency to fight the Goa'uld as part of the agreement. Some adaptation may, or may not, be required to allow construction with current technology or to allow currently producible sensors or weaponry to be equipped, but we can provide technical assistance there as well. We also have a formula for a more advanced form of lightweight body armour that provides protection against both ballistic and plasma based guns, like the PPG. It is much like current Kevlar body armour used by the US Military, so don't expect it to be perfect. That you can spread to any US Military; allied Military or Law Enforcement you want as it is purely protective."
"We could say some eggheads thought up the formula and sold it to us and then we farm out production to the contractors who currently supply body armour to the US Military." O'Neill observed.
"The President and Joint Chiefs will have the final decision, but I believe we can agree, in principal, with the terms of such an agreement." General Hammond said.
Another minute to wrap up, and so Doctor Jackson could gulp down the rest of his third cup of Coffee, and the SGC personnel stood and left. Once the SGC Vans were out of the parking lot and disappeared down the highway the entire attitude in the diner changed. The three other patrons, on the far side of the room, far enough away that they could not overhear, were actually Giles, dressed in a black suit to appear more businessman that his usual 'librarian' look, and two more Anla'Shok dressed as a teen couple on a date. The Manager was Sister Li and the server was Kendra, who after a few years living in Sunnydale had lost most of her Jamaican accent and was able to do quite a convincing Californian accent when she wanted to.
The diner was owned by the wife of an old buddy of Colonel Watson who had lent it to them for a day. The entire place had been swept for bugs and small devices attached to all the windows that produced a small but consistent vibration in the glass to prevent any listening in by parabolic microphone or laser microphones. Once they were all packed up and the vibration devices removed, the group locked up and left in the two cars and a van in the parking lot.
TBC….