(updated 11-01-2020)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Traitors and Criminals
"The arming of the Invid was one of those simple decisions that required little thought or debate. The hope was that their active participation would turn the tide of the war, bringing it to a quick resolution. Unfortunately, because of the Haydonite PSI jamming the Invid could only operate in limited numbers, outside the Operta system, with negligible impact on the war effort. The REF's database on Invid weapon systems and ships proved invaluable in building up the Regess's forces while making many modifications and improvements. An example of this was the Mollusk-class Carrier. The original ship design had no weapons and considered the crew of the ship expendable after launching their mecha. This new ship variant added plasma point-defense weapons and missile launchers with short-range anti-mecha/anti-ship capability. Survivability of these carriers was further enhanced by incorporating shield technology. The addition of command-and-control capabilities was to integrate and allow the ships better fleet co-ordination with other Alliance ships..."
— Excerpt from "Weapons of the Haydonite-Alliance War"
oOoOo
It wasn't the rumble of heavy vehicles going by that woke Andy. As he rolled over in bed, his subconscious mind sensed he was now alone, and stirred to wake him. His eyes opened, confirming what his subconscious had been telling him.
A frown grew as he became more awake and tried listening for Faith moving around the house. It was hard as another army convoy drove past, but as the sound of the vehicles faded, he still couldn't hear her.
He got out of bed, pulling on some shorts in his half-awake state, stumbling out of the bedroom to find her...
oOoOo
Faith sat in a lawn chair, watching the morning sunrise. She'd lost count of how many times she'd watched sunrises, but this one was different.
There had been no threat, and it wasn't the constant rumbling of army vehicles that woke her. She'd suddenly sat up in bed, wide awake as if waking up from a nightmare, but rather than fear an intense feeling of emptiness and loss gripped her.
She'd looked worriedly at Andy, but he was still asleep beside her. As she became more awake, she tried recalling her dream to get a sense of why she was feeling this way. Unfortunately, she could only recall fragments of the dream... a vision of brightly lit water... almost glowing.
Despite no longer being able to recall the dream, the emptiness and loss still gripped her. With sleep no longer an option, she got out of bed to watch the sunrise. It wasn't as if she hadn't suffered nightmares and visions before, but this time it was different. The loss and emptiness lingered, and that bothered her.
"You okay?"
She'd heard the back door open and knew Andy was checking up on her. For a moment, she wanted to tell him what she was experiencing, but decided he wouldn't understand and didn't want to worry him, "Yeah... I'm fine. I couldn't sleep," she mumbled, staring off into the distance.
A worried frown crossed Andy's face, picking up on the tone in her voice. Since returning with a military convoy in tow, they'd exchanged a few heated words since what was transpiring was much more than he'd originally proposed.
The sizable US Army presence caused different reactions from Buffy and Faith. While the size of the military force surprised both Slayers, Buffy was more or less ambivalent about the whole thing. On the other hand, it hadn't taken Faith long to figure out that this ploy was to convince her to go with Riley into hiding.
Andy sighed, eyeing Faith, "If you're still mad about Riley and I bringing the army back here... I only did it to protect you."
Faith hesitated, still distracted as she watched the sunrise, "Huh? Uh... no, it's not that. I just couldn't sleep... that's all."
Andy, still worried, studied Faith, "Why don't you come in...? I'll fix you a cup of coffee and some breakfast."
It took another moment for Faith to register what he'd said, "Thanks, maybe in a bit," she breathed, her eyes still locked on the sunrise.
oOoOo
"Oh, Mr. President, this is your wake-up call..."
Kinsey awoke with a start, sitting up in bed, "Y-Yes, w-what is it?" he croaked, trying to shake off the effects of a night of heavy drinking.
He found himself staring into the grim-looking face of The First Evil, assuming the guise of his Presidential predecessor. Kinsey tried shaking off his hangover while trying to remember what he'd done last night.
I haven't gotten drunk like that in years... Not since college, he thought, trying to cut through the lingering alcoholic haze.
The First Evil shook his head, "Bob, I know things are looking bad, but you have to watch what you're doing. There are even limits on what the President can get away with these days."
"W-What?" stammered a confused Kinsey.
It suddenly all came back rushing back, and his head whirled towards the bondage rack installed in the Presidential quarters for his personal entertainment purposes. The naked body of one of his secretaries hung lifeless, tied spread-eagle to the rack. He couldn't see her face, but the belt still wrapped tightly around her neck told him all he needed to know as he struggled against his growing fear.
I was angry and upset about what those damned aliens were hiding... I just wanted to feel better and let loose some steam...
The First Evil noted the shock and fear on Kinsey's face. It didn't bother The First what the dead secretary and any investigation would bring. To him, Kinsey was just a means to an end and was eventually disposal. Besides, being a sexual sadist was what made it easy to recruit him... along with his hunger for power. But for now Kinsey was still a useful tool, and there were other more important things occurring that demanded immediate attention.
"Bob! Get a hold of yourself! You've come too far to fall apart now!" hissed The First Evil. The last thing needed was a hysterical President adding to the growing list of problems.
The First snarled, "You can get rid of the body later! We have more important things to deal with!"
Kinsey finally shifted his eyes away from the body, focusing on The First. He slowly regained his composure, pushing through the hangover, "Y-Yes... O-Of course, you're right. What is it you want, Master?" he stammered.
"Bob, you need to get cleaned up and dressed. I need you down in the Situation Room, looking and acting Presidential."
Kinsey's eyes darted back to the woman's dead body. Images of what he'd done last night became clearer, unleashing stirrings of arousal and desire, "W-What's the problem?" he gulped while trying to keep a lid on his urges.
The First Evil growled, "We have a situation, and it involves that Slayer our alien friends are looking for..."
oOoOo
The First Evil updated Kinsey on what was happening in Adamsville as the President cleaned up and changed. He'd shaken off the effects of his binge drinking by the time he reached the Situation Room. Any thoughts or consideration of the dead secretary were long gone as he entered the Situation Room. He was in full-damage control mode now, trying to contain the situation from further escalating.
Kinsey noted that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his National Security Advisor were already here, waiting for him as he moved to his place at the conference table.
Everyone stood quickly, easily seeing the foul mood hanging over the President. They stood for a long moment as the President took his seat, waiting for him to signal them to sit. An uncomfortable silence gripped the room as the President sat there, glaring at the group of men standing around the conference table.
Kinsey finally spoke, his harsh words cutting the silence, filling the room, "What the hell is going on with my military?"
"S-Sir?" One officer stammered, appearing confused by the question..
"I mean, I thought I was the Commander-in-Chief. I thought my orders were for our troops to stay on their bases, and not to leave except under my orders?"
The officer trembled, still confused about what was going on, "Y-Yes, sir! Those were your orders!"
Kinsey took a deep breath, "Then why... THE HELL AM I FINDING OUT THAT MY OWN SOLDIERS ARE DEPLOYING AGAINST MY ORDERS, AND WORKING WITH TRAITORS AND CRIMINALS!"
The Chairman of the JCS took a deep breath. He'd caught wind of rumblings about something happening in Texas, but decided to sit on the information to see how it played out. As the President's angry shrieks bounced off the walls, he wanted to tell Kinsey to do something anatomically impossible.
He maintained his composure, trying to play for time, "Mr. President, maybe if you can give us some idea of what you're talking about? As far as I'm aware all our troops are still on their bases," the Chairman replied, displaying his best poker face.
Kinsey glared at the General, "Then, maybe you should double check with your staff. My sources are telling me that troops from Fort Hood have deployed to Adamsville, Texas. Not only have my soldiers left the base against my Executive Orders, but they're also working in league with that traitor Riley Finn, and those bitch Slayers," he spat angrily.
The Chairman's poker face failed him. He hadn't heard about Finn and Slayers being involved, "I-I don't know... T-This is the first I've heard about this!" he stammered out.
Kinsey barked, "I don't give a damn what you know or didn't know! What I want is you to get whoever the hell is in charge of Fort Hood on the line right now! I want to find out what the hell is going on, and I want Faith Lehane in our custody along with everyone else before the end of the day! Do I make myself clear, General?"
oOoOo
The last thing General Chambers expected today was a call from the President. His stomach churned, suspecting the reason for the call as his assistant transferred the call to his phone. He was still figuring out how to respond as he picked up the handset, "Good Morning, Mr. President. This is an unexpected plea—"
Kinsey didn't even let him finish with the pleasantries before ripping into him, "General, I don't know what kind of half-ass operation you're in charge of there! I don't appreciate our military men taking action that could be treasonous!"
Chambers heard the President's anger reverberating through the phone. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, recalling the oath he took when he received his officer's commission. The last part seemed appropriate and poignant now.
So help me God...
"Sir, I must respectfully ask you to explain what the purpose of this call is?"
Chambers could almost swear he could hear Kinsey vibrating, trying to keep his voice in control, "General, you will carry out the following orders! One... you will take into custody Faith Lehane, who is in Adamsville along with all her associates and accomplices. Two... you will have all troops deployed in Adamsville return to Fort Hood. Failure to carry out these orders within the next hour, and I will have you replaced with someone there that will carry out my orders! Do you understand?"
Chambers took another deep breath, trying to think of something meaningful and appropriate to say at a pivotal moment like this. He found himself lacking the eloquent words that better men than him had uttered at similar points in human history.
I guess I'll just have to go with the classics...
"Mr. President..."
"Yes?"
"Go fuck yourself..." Chambers said, hanging up the phone.
The General sat there, staring at his phone, experiencing a surreal moment. It seemed so unreal that he would have laughed, but the reality and seriousness of the situation came rushing back. He realized the magnitude of the choice he'd just made as he picked up his phone, dialing the extension to the base's Operations Center.
"This is General Chambers... I want a LERTCON ONE flash sent out to all units ASAP! Yes, you heard me! Also, get a hold of General Pauling and Colonel Hall. Have them meet me in the Operations Center in ten minutes. Inform the base communications center, we are now in lockdown condition! No calls in or out without my or the base commander's sign-off!"
Chambers didn't wait for the acknowledgement, hanging up the phone. His mind was already switching gears to plan for what he needed to do next in his unplanned insurrection.
oOoOo
Colonel Weir had given up on getting any proper sleep, just satisfying himself with the occasional catnap. His command post, which had been setup in the middle of Adamsville, was now the center of an intense flurry of activity.
The command staff had been privy to the calls he'd gotten from General Chamber and then President Kinsey. Luckily, the General had called Weir first, warning him about the developing situation. Even with the warning call, he was still somewhat unprepared for the President's call that seemed to follow the General's call.
For the first time in his career, he was getting a call directly from the President. It would have probably meant more under different circumstances. He'd been a lot more polite than General Chambers had been, just replying, "I respectfully decline to carry out those orders, sir."
For a part of him, it had been hard to say "no" to his Commander-in-Chief because it flew in the face of a life-time of training and discipline. The only thing that consoled him was recalling the discussions about ethics and doing what was right and lawful in his Military Law course from his academy days.
I can always argue that my orders were unlawful and immoral at my court-martial... if I survive to have one, he thought, shaking his head tiredly.
The Colonel pushed aside thoughts of court-martials, turning his focus to the map in his CP, showing the deployment of his forces in and around the town.
He'd decided against deploying all his units in the town. Even though he was here to protect one person in the town, he didn't want to restrict his freedom of movement.
While his engineering units busily prepared fighting positions for the tanks, AFVs, and artillery, he'd deployed his two armored battalions, headquarters unit, and service battalion to defend the town's perimeter. His artillery battalion, deployed several kilometers away, was to provide fire support to the area. He'd attached his other armored battalion to provide force protection for his artillery, and act as his brigade reserve. He'd deployed the brigade's air-defense systems to cover the town and his artillery positions. The one thing he wished he had was access to air support.
Their arrival into town had surprised everyone, but rather than being alarmed, the locals embraced the army's arrival and the protection they offered. The civilians quickly joined in, lending a hand where they could, especially with their civilian earth moving equipment to assist the engineers in preparing the defensive positions.
Weir didn't know how appreciative the locals would be if things went south. But even though the primary mission was to protect Faith, the Colonel swore he wouldn't abandon the local population either.
After his short and career-ending call with the President, Weir stood the brigade at REDCON-2. His recon group was out patrolling, getting a lay of the surrounding terrain, and helping the artillery to pre-register areas for fire missions.
Weir rubbed his tired eyes, focusing on the map. This entire mission smelled of desperation. He understood the reasons, and he hadn't argued or hesitated when asked to lead his unit here. The burning desire to hit back at the aliens rather than meekly submit simmered in him. Yet, he would have liked more information about the enemy he would be facing.
There was one bit of good news resulting from this whole Charlie-Foxtrot mess. General Chambers had told him he was scrambling everyone that could carry a weapon and sending them on anything with wheels or tracks to reinforce him. The downside was it would be hours before the lead elements of the reinforcements would be here.
His attention shifted to his command post's entrance as the people responsible for the current situation entered. Weir studied the group approaching, noting the blonde and brunette accompanying Riley and Andy.
So, these women are Slayers, Weir thought, appraising them.
"Colonel Weir," Riley said, coming to a parade rest out of habit.
"Finn, Rodriguez, ladies," Weir said, giving them an acknowledging nod, "It looks like the shit is about to hit the fan. I don't know how, but the President found out about you and our little operation here."
Finn showed no emotion at this news "What are you going to do?"
Weir sighed, "I had hoped we could have kept our presence quiet longer, but we're here for the duration. The brigade is on alert and ready to fight. General Chambers is scrambling everything and everyone he can get his hands on, and he's coming to reinforce us. But we won't see any help for several hours."
"How can we help, Colonel?" Buffy said, catching Weir by surprise.
"Help? We're here to keep her safe," Weir said, pointing at Faith, "I don't know what you can contribute to our forces?"
Faith caught the soldier's tone and struggled with the growing anger and guilt that she was responsible for everyone being in this predicament.
I didn't ask for any of this! I just want to be with Pa—I mean Andy!
Buffy, reading the look on Faith's face, jumped in to head off any outburst, "You know that Faith and I are both Slayers."
"Yes, but I don't see how that will help in a fight against aliens," Weir replied, trying not to sound too condescending.
Buffy took a deep breath, trying not to roll her eyes, "Well, it so happens that us Slayers have access to a pair of those Robotech Cyclones. You know... the ones that turn into battle armor. We're very good at using them," she said, smirking.
Weir didn't hide his surprise at this news, "Y-You're kidding, right? You've got Robotech weapons! Why the hell didn't you tell me this before?"
"We try not to advertise that we have them. You know, operational security and all that," Riley replied, adding his own smirk.
Weir was too tired to argue. Just having some Robotech weaponry only added to his force strength. What concerned him now was if these Slayers would at least try to follow orders.
oOoOo
Memories washed over Willow as she stepped on to the Arcadia's bridge. Her mind replayed the old memories while she checked out the bridge as it buzzed with activity. It caught her by surprise to see a mix of humans and aliens now manning the bridge stations. A familiar voice interrupted any further contemplation or reminiscing.
"Hey Will!"
A smile filled Willow's face as she turned to greet Dawn. She was having some troubles adjusting to seeing Buffy's baby sister all grown up now, but she had to admit Dawn looked good in her uniform. An air of confidence and competence radiated from the Dawn she remembered her that hadn't been there before... or maybe she just hadn't noticed until now.
Willow laughed, "Hey Dawn or should I be calling you Lieutenant Summers."
Dawn added her own laugh, breaking the tension and nervousness hanging over her. The fleet was making its final preparations to make the space-fold to Earth and take the planet back from the Haydonites.
"It seems these days I'm more used to being addressed by rank, but for you either works. It's been a while since you've been on the Arcadia."
"Yeah, it feels different somehow," Willow said, glancing around the bridge again.
Dawn smiled, "This old ship has changed little except for some upgrades to her weapons and shields."
"I'm surprised to see a mixed crew. What happened to everyone?" Willow said.
Dawn shrugged, "Well, we spread a lot of our old crew through the Alliance fleet to help with operations and training. We've also had to replace those we lost in this war..." she said, her face and tone becoming somber.
Thoughts of Anya and Lionel immediately filled Willow's head, but it also surprised her to see how much Dawn was like her sister.
Fighting a war across a good part of the galaxy, she's probably seen more than her fair share of death and destruction...
Willow realized her previous experiences in space battles paled to what Dawn had probably gone through over the last five years. The thought of what they were going to face made her want to change the tone of the conversation, "So what is it you do here?"
Dawn's snorted, picking up on Willow's anxieties. She too was glad to change the topic. She smiled as she dragged Willow over to her station on the bridge.
Willow listened intently while Dawn explained her job and responsibilities. A burst of pride filled Willow at seeing how much Dawn had grown, and what she'd achieved.
"For the life of me, I would have never figured you for a career military person," Willow said, smirking. The somber look returned to Dawn's face, catching Willow by surprise.
"This wasn't what I had in mind when I joined up, but we're doing the right thing out here. It's just that sometimes I—," General Coulson's arrival on the bridge with Aaron interrupted her.
"Commander on the bridge!"
Dawn and the other bridge crew coming to attention caught Willow by surprise. She watched General Coulson stride across the deck, with Aaron in tow, to the Captain's bridge station.
The blonde-haired woman and a camera crew following behind them piqued her curiosity. As the camera crew setup in a corner of the bridge, a brief wave of self-consciousness gripped Willow, realizing they were going to record everything on the bridge. Any further self-consciousness quickly evaporated as General Coulson waved everyone back to work as he took the Captain's seat.
"Sorry, Will, but duty calls. I got to get to work," Dawn said, adding a shrug before dashing over to the General to update him on the latest fleet communications.
Willow watched from a discreet distance, inching closer to catch some of the conversation, hoping to get some insight into what was going to happen.
As Dawn gave her status report, Willow's respect and pride grew, seeing how professional Dawn was in her work. She found it hard to believe this was the same Dawn always either being klutzy or getting into trouble.
A small smile came to Willow's face, catching Dawn and Aaron brushing hands and exchanging quick smiles as Dawn finished her report and returned to her station. Willow's thoughts turned to Kennedy and Samantha.
Even though she and Samantha had said their goodbyes, she couldn't help but worry about her ex-lover. Willow wanted to say something more to Samantha, but she was on one of the planetary assault landing ships. General Coulson had given her a special mission to perform once the Marine division landed on Earth.
Willow had already seen Kennedy off. Even though Skull Squadron was on the Arcadia, the fighter squadron was busy with briefings and preparing for the space-fold. She would only get in the way down on the flight deck and distract Kennedy, which was the last thing she needed. General Coulson, addressing the bridge crew, momentarily distracted her from further thoughts about the complexities and confusion of her love life.
"Everyone... For a lot of you here, today is just another day that we take back a Haydonite-occupied world and kick their asses. For myself and the rest of the humans on the Arcadia and in this fleet, this day is more important than that... This is the day we go home."
The bridge echoed with cheers and growls of approval from the many species manning the bridge stations, causing a lump in Willow's throat. The General's voice rose above the din, "Helm, set course to our space-fold point coordinates! Set for best speed! Inform the fleet to form up and make for the fold point!"
Willow watched from the sidelines as the crew acknowledged their orders. To underscore the point, the ship vibrated as its engines engaged and started moving.
This is happening! We're finally going home! she thought, trying to keep her excitement in check.
Time seemed to crawl as the Arcadia made its way to the coordinates where the 7th Fleet would execute its space-fold. For Willow, her initial excitement was now turning to anxiety. She mentally urged the ship to move faster with her thoughts now focusing on everyone back on Earth.
Hang on guys... We'll be there soon!
oOoOo
The heat of the late morning sun hit Faith as she exited the backdoor of Andy's house. She directed a brief thought of thanks to the makers of her Cyclone armor who'd taken comfort in mind when they'd designed it. Once she put her helmet on the armor's environment systems would keep her cool. Andy interrupted any further thoughts about the heat.
"You're looking pretty bad-ass, if I say so."
Faith snorted, giving him a smirk, "Thanks. You're looking pretty military yourself too."
Andy smiled, straightening out his BDUs and doing a quick check of his gear, "Yeah, despite all this soft living, all my old Marine gear still fits."
Faith's smirk faded as Andy ejected and checked his AR-15's magazine before reinserting it. Her worry and concern grew as the seriousness of what they were facing hit her.
"You should get your sister and parents and get out of town," she breathed.
Andy sighed, seeing the change in Faith, "I've already talked to my folks. They're under the delusion with the army here that they're actually safer. Celia tried to convince them to leave, but they say they're tired of running and to be honest, so am I."
Andy slung his assault rifle over his shoulder and stepped closer to Faith. She met him halfway, looking up and meeting his eyes. Her heart pounded as she struggled to find the words to say. Andy, reading her discomfort, stepped closer, putting his arms around, awkwardly hugging her in her armor.
He smiled, "You know you look sexy in all that body armor."
"Yeah, I do make this look good," Faith said, smiling as she putting her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
The kiss seemingly lasted forever before they came up for air, "Damn, you make me wish we had time to go back inside," Faith said in a husky voice.
Andy laughed, "I appreciate the vote of confidence, but we don't want to get caught with our pants down, both figuratively and literally."
They gazed at each other for a long moment, each wishing it wouldn't end. Andy finally ended it, "There are two things I want to ask you."
An icy feeling gripped Faith, finding herself on edge and wary of where this conversation was going, "Okay, what is it?"
Andy sighed, but continued on despite reading her wariness. This was important, but he still struggled with the words, "If things go bad... I want you to promise you'll hightail it out of here and not look back."
Faith took a deep breath to keep the sudden surge of anger in check. Andy read her, and tried heading it off, pleading, "Please, Faith. These aliens are looking for you! I need to know you're safe! Please, promise me that! I need to know you'll do it. Do it for me!"
Faith wanted to tell him where to stick his request, but the worry and love on his face caused her to reconsider. She sighed, shaking her head, "Okay. You win. If things get bad, I'll get out of Dodge. You men can be so demanding sometimes. What's the second thing?"
Andy's heart pounded as his thoughts blanked out on the words he'd rehearsed so many times. His mouth was as dry as the desert while he struggled to regain his thoughts, "Um... Uh... I-I w-wanted..."
Faith couldn't help herself, smirking at his obvious discomfort, "Come'on, it can't be that bad? I think I've been pretty open-minded to everything we've done so far," she said, eyeing him.
"N-No, no, it's not anything like that," Andy said, shaking his head vigorously. He took another deep breath, trying to regain his resolve and words, "I wanted to ask you a question," he muttered.
Faith had an out-of-body experience, suddenly finding herself at another place, another time with somebody else. Memories of a jewellery box filled her thoughts, and how she'd gone crazy thinking it was a ring along with the surprising disappointment when finding out it wasn't.
She took a deep breath, "What's the question?" she whispered.
Andy took a deep breath, gaining courage from the opening Faith was giving him, "I don't want to jinx us, but when this is over... I want to ask you a question and I'm hoping you'll say yes," he said, giving her a small, soft smile.
It took a moment for it all to register with Faith. The sense of emptiness and loss she'd woken up with came storming back. She pushed those feelings down, looking into Andy's face. A whisper of a thought told her to say no, but those old hopes and dreams were long gone... dead in the far expanses of a cold galaxy.
Paul's gone. That was my past... Andy is my future, Faith thought.
The pit of Andy's stomach went into free fall as he studied Faith. He cursed himself for pushing her too fast, too soon. Further thoughts of defeat suddenly ended as her expression changed, giving him a small smile.
"When this is over... Ask your question, and I'll say yes," she said, hugging Andy tightly and giving him another kiss.