Chapter Twelve: Showdown

Jenny had not been as unobtrusive as she had intended when she helped with the casualties, at least not to those with witch sight. When she had left the scene of the air attack to step into the forest and orb away she had been followed by the two witches. Even though Jenny had orbed directly back to join the others, the witches had been able to track her direction and were able to follow.

The witches were not hostile in view of the help Jenny had given in treating the casualties but they wanted to know who and what she was, who her companions were and what they wanted. Wesley wasn't sure he trusted the witches but decided to tell them the truth anyway. It would probably be risky trying to lie to witches of unknown powers and strength.

Wesley introduced himself and the others and explained that they came from another world Earth. He went on to explain about Giles being kidnapped via a magic portal and the intention of the group to find him and rescue him.

"Well whoever kidnapped your Mr Giles it certainly wasn't us," said Nellien the red headed witch, the older and taller of the two witches. "I suppose some of the higher ups might know how to do it but that sort of thing's completely against the code."

"Anyway I did hear that the Goa'uld have been kidnapping witches from some other worlds and getting them to work for them," said Susa, the other witch. Susa's most notable feature was the mountain of black hair piled up on her head, possibly in compensation for her short stature. "I bet the Goa'uld are responsible for taking your Mr Giles."

"The Gould?" asked Wesley.

"Goa'uld," corrected Nellien who then explained about the war going on for control of the planet between the Kallistians and the Goa'uld. She explained about the Goa'uld being parasites and how they controlled their hosts.

"Do you think they might put one of these parasites inside Giles?" asked Wesley.

"Most of the people who work for the Goa'uld aren't controlled by a Goa'uld parasite inside them," explained Nellien. "But I don't know what determines whether they put one of those things inside somebody or not. When you find your Mr Giles you need to be careful. If he does have a parasite inside him he'll be your enemy."

"As far as we can tell Giles is somewhere north of here," said Jenny. "Is that Goa'uld territory?"

"None of it's Goa'uld territory," said Susa sharply. "This is our world, not theirs. But there is Goa'uld occupied territory to the north, and on the other side of the White Sea. That's where those flying machines came from."

"If we help you to find your Mr Giles will you help us against the Goa'uld?" asked Nellien. "I can see none of you are witches," she added giving Jenny an appraising look because Jenny had still not explained what she was, "but I imagine there are other witches where you come from, not just your Mr Giles."

"Giles does know about magic but he's not exactly a witch," said Jenny. "If these Goa'uld have been kidnapping witches from our world then it's our business to stop them," she continued emphatically. "So we will help you do that. We do have a few friends who are witches and I'm sure they'd want to stop something like that." Jenny decided not to explain about being a Whitelighter and her own responsibility for the welfare of witches, unless she really had to.

"Of course some of them might already have been snatched themselves," suggested Eve.

"We'll send a message to the capital. They can..." began Nellien who then broke off because a ring on her right middle finger had started hissing and flashing on and off with a green light, "as soon as we've dealt with this latest attack."

The two witches now grasped hands, concentrated and vanished after a brief chant. As they did so the sound of further aircraft and explosions could be heard to the north.

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Nine men were gathered in a room, a room in a tall building with windows overlooking the Kallistien High Council Hall. Giles and the other two men from Earth were present plus Togunus and two armed guards together with three archers ready to fire out of the windows.

The plan, as explained by Togunus, was that the magic users from Earth would perform their spell on some small herbal packages which were attached to the arrows of the archers. Once the spell casting was complete the arrows would be fired into various open windows in the Council Hall.

The effect, as planned by Shumi, was that the arrows would be focuses of magic force and from them would spread real and magic fog throughout the Council Hall. This was designed not only to fog vision but to spread a general feeling of confusion and panic. Shumi and a small group of followers inside the hall had taken precautions to protect themselves from the affects of the fog.

Now either Shumi's an idiot thought Giles and I don't believe that for a moment or something else is going to happen. A medium strength witch on her own should be able to dissipate such a spell and that said nothing about the magical defences doubtless already placed over the Council Hall.

Giles didn't see how the attack itself could possibly succeed unless there were other attacks planned at the same time about which he had been told nothing. He thought this very likely.

Giles had his own theory about Shumi's real plans. In his opinion what Shumi planned was something like the Reichstag fire. The Earth magic users were to be the fall guys in the attack. If it failed, as seemed very likely, the Earthmen would be blamed and this would put a block on any future cooperation between Earth and Kallistien.

Whether or not the attack succeeded in killing the witches Giles expected Shumi would try to take control and overthrow the established government. He would probably have a plan to claim emergency powers in view of the crisis in the same way that many tyrants had seized power in the past on Earth.

As circumstances dictated Shumi could help in the attacks on the witches or act as a saviour in repulsing those very attacks. As the hero of the hour and perhaps the strongest surviving magic user he might be able effect a complete takeover.

The fact that the three Earth men were still wearing Earth clothing Giles took as evidence confirming his suspicions. They had been brought to the city in a closed and curtained carriage from the house in the country. Quite likely all three would be found dead or would be killed 'trying to escape' and would thus be unavailable for questioning after the event and unable to implicate Shumi, if that was his real name.

The spell casting began and Giles's two companions began to chant. Giles was caught up in a fit of coughing and pulled out a handkerchief. The coughing was a fake coughing fit designed to disrupt the spell as Giles began to mutter quite different words under the cover of each cough as his two colleagues continued their chant. In this Giles was helped by the way the others were controlled. They had been told to start the spell and simply continued, totally ignoring Giles and not waiting for him to finish coughing.

As the spell casting continued smoke began to pour from the packages on the floor in front of the three Earth men. The fog and confusion spell was working but not in the way planned. Giles' intervention meant that the spell began to operate on the herbal packages whilst they were still in the room, not after they had been fired into the High Council Hall.

Fog and confusion was Giles's chance to make his escape. His first target was Togunus. With his handkerchief over his nose and mouth to minimise the effects of the smoke on him, Giles leapt forward and punched Togunus on the jaw. He fell to the floor unconscious.

By now the other men in the room were dazed and confused and ignored Giles as he pulled off Togunus's robe and put it on over his own clothes. Giles left the room and quickly made his way along the corridor to the back stairs which he had observed on the way in. He was barely through the door at the end of the corridor when he heard the approach of a group of people into the corridor he had just vacated. Doubtless the local constabulary, conveniently tipped off thought Giles, or just possibly Shumi's killers with orders to leave nobody alive.

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Having talked their way into the Council Hall Cordelia and Faith still found themselves with problems. Lord Shumi had just risen to his feet and had started to speak to the assembly. It was hardly possible for the two women to rush out into the middle of the assembly and stop him without immediately being seized and thrown out or arrested.

"What now?" asked Faith looking at Cordelia. "You're the one with the visions. What do you want me to um...?

"Those guys over there," said Cordelia without pointing but looking at the area behind the right hand bank of seats. "The three men under that window. They're armed. They'll be pulling out weapons in a minute. Get closer and take them out when they make a move."

The officer who had escorted the two Earth women inside heard this. "No weapons are allowed in here," he explained. "Anyway guns won't work inside the Council Hall. You must come with me to speak to the chairman."

"They're not exactly guns," said Cordelia. "And we don't have time to talk to the chairman now. Better move now Faith, there's not much time."

Faith set off to go to the other side of the chamber. The unhappy officer attempted to restrain her with a grab at her arm but Faith shook him off without difficulty and the officer hurried after her, still insisting that things be done his way. Meanwhile Lord Shumi was reaching a climax in his speech:

"...if we don't do something straightaway the traitors and off-worlders will destroy us," he declared.

As if on cue, as it probably was, the building was rocked by an explosion. An explosion on the roof. However the protections held and there was no damage visible. The explosion was followed by a moment of complete silence.

"We've got to get to the shelters!" shouted Shumi, breaking the silence. "We've been betrayed!" At that another explosion went off on top of or above the roof and this time plaster and dust fell from the ceiling. People began to move out of their seats.

Shumi remained standing in front of his seat and turned to the armed group behind him. Cordelia took her chance and ran into the middle of the assembly and jumped up onto the central table.

"Stop!" she shouted. "It's a trick! Stay here! You're protected here. The shelters are booby trapped. Stay here!"

"It's an off-worlder!" shouted a voice from the back of the hall, presumably a supporter of Shumi. "She's part of the plot!"

"Where are the guards?" shouted another voice and "Arrest her!" demanded another. Bedlam broke out and some of the guards from the entranceway started towards Cordelia.

On a few important occasions before, Cordelia had felt the power rise in her and now it was happening again. Things had always worked out OK when it happened before. Now she trusted it to do the same so she didn't resist. She began to glow and as she did the glow quickly spread out into the hall until it included the whole area of the assembly. It then slowly faded leaving everybody stunned but once again calm, quiet and no longer hostile. The guards had stopped, confused about what to do next.

Unlike most of the rest of the occupants of the hall Shumi had not moved and was still stood up in front of his seat from where he had been speaking. Also unlike most of the others he was not calm but was clearly furious at Cordelia's intervention.

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As Giles ran down the stairs he decided he had to get into the hall where the council was meeting. He needed to speak to somebody about what was really happening and if possible get them to do something to stop it.

Giles knew it was a risk even going to the hall because he might be accused of being a saboteur or worse but he had decided that his only hope of getting home was to somehow contact the witches, contact Shumi's enemies and this was probably his best chance to do so.

As Giles exited the back door of the building and went around to the front where it faced the Council Hall he heard explosions coming from the roof of the Council Hall. He now knew he was right in at least some of what he suspected in that the magic attack by the Earthmen was not the main attack on the building.

Normally Giles would have been confronted by guards in trying to enter the Council Hall but the explosions and perhaps other events had created a great deal of confusion. People had rushed out of the hall including some of the armed guards who were now looking upwards at the roof. Other guards inside seemed to be distracted. Giles was therefore able to slip inside the building without anybody stopping him.

Inside the building Giles found the main doors to the Council Chamber wide open and unguarded. He went straight inside. His first sight was of Cordelia at the end of her glowing phase. Dead silence and calm followed to be finally broken by Shumi who left his chair and began walking down the stairs between the rows of seats towards Cordelia.

"Watch out Cordy!" shouted Giles. "He's possessed. He's controlled by some sort of demon."

Shumi stopped and held out his hand towards Giles. Something on his hand glowed and a light shot out towards Giles. Giles threw himself to one side, just avoiding the blast which crashed into the wall behind him. Giles looked up from his position on the floor in case a second blast followed and he had to dodge again. As he did so he saw a second familiar figure as Shumi was hit from behind by Faith.

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Faith had made her way over towards the group of three as directed by Cordelia. She was followed by the officer who fussed all the way: "They can't possibly have weapons. Even if they do they aren't going to give them to you. I really can't believe that Lord Shumi could be a traitor..."

Just before the two of them reached the group of three the first explosion on the roof went off. Just about everybody flinched, ducked down and looked up. Not the three men. It was obvious to Faith that they had expected the explosion. Faith stopped and looked carefully at the men. There was something about them: Jaffa! Suddenly Faith was certain they were Jaffa despite the absence of any visible tattoos.

The second explosion went off and the Jaffa reached inside their clothes for their weapons. They had spotted Cordelia moving into the centre of the hall and had decided to stop her. They totally ignored the apparently harmless young woman now standing only a few feet away.

Faith didn't hold back. She knew that if she did she would be in trouble with three Jaffa, especially in view of their weapons. She took down her first opponent with a fast one two: a savage low kick to the stomach and a terrific right cross to the jaw. The first Jaffa went down and didn't move.

A right footed kick to the chest of a second Jaffa sent him flying back into the wall behind him with his weapon flying out of his hand. The third Jaffa had now had enough time to bring his weapon to bear. He missed however as Faith dropped low immediately after kicking the second Jaffa. The stun beam hit the officer behind Faith and he fell unconscious.

The third Jaffa was given no time to make a second shot as Faith took him down with a leg sweep. She followed up with a punch to the head as the man hit the floor and he stopped moving. Faith immediately rolled aside and to her feet to avoid the fast recovering second Jaffa who had now recovered from the blow Faith had given him.

Faith completed the demolition of the three Jaffa with a flying kick which took out her final opponent. As she did so she heard a call from a very familiar voice: Giles, shouting his warning to Cordelia.

As usual Cordelia was tired from the use of her power. Lord Shumi was advancing towards her but had paused to fire at Giles. Nobody else in the building really knew what was going on and hesitated to take sides. Most of them had no idea of who Cordelia was. However not everybody remained motionless as Faith now took off towards Shumi moving at a speed impossible for any normal human.

Shumi, having missed his shot at Giles now had a clear shot at Cordelia but he had no chance to aim whatever was in his hand as Faith hit him from behind. They tumbled down the stairs together. Faith immediately rolled back to her feet but so did Shumi. Now he was in an absolute rage and his eyes lit up as if there was a power source inside his head.

"He's a Goa'uld!" shouted one of the onlookers who recognised what they were seeing.

Shumi made to grab something inside his robe but Faith attacked before he could do so by delivering a fierce kick to the head. The Goa'uld was knocked back sprawling onto the stairs. From that position he raised his hand, the hand with the weapon. Faith responded by driving the knife that she had drawn into the hand and the weapon it contained.

Shumi screamed and Faith jumped back away from the writhing body. Smoke appeared coming from the damaged weapon, the knife and the injured hand and then there were flames. Very quickly Shumi's whole body was covered in flames and everybody nearby backed away. The flames continued and in a remarkably short time what had been Lord Shumi and the Goa'uld inside him had been converted to a charred lump. Now there was complete silence in the hall.

The silence was broken by an officer running into the hall. "The Goa'uld are attacking! They're landing troops!"

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Without Paige or Leo present the sisters were not able to orb over to see what was approaching, what was throwing up the dust in the distance. Major Larkham however was satisfied that the dust was consistent with approaching people or what passed for people on that planet.

"I can't see that a weather system would act like that. They're going faster than marching pace but nothing like as fast as they would if they had vehicles," she said. "I would guess something like a cavalry unit."

"There's another possibility," suggested Phoebe. "It could just be animals, perhaps a stampede of the local wildlife."

"If they are cavalry they should be too low tech to cause us any bother," said Sergeant Rees.

"Depends on how many there are," said the Major. "It looks like a lot from the size of that dust cloud. We might be able to kill them but that's not what we're here for. As you know standing orders are not to shoot first except in very exceptional circumstances."

"It's not always about guns and technology," said Prue. "The locals might have other abilities...like us."

"I've got an idea," said Piper.