My sincerest apologies for the long wait, but I hope that you'll like how this chapter turned up, and I hope that the next one will come out sooner. Without further ado, read and enjoy.
Chapter 22
"I understand it's been a while since we've spoken, eh Harry?" Buffy greeted her fellow Inquisitor.
"Indeed it has, although I was told you were aware of the loops." Maybourne commented as he sat down.
"We weren't quite aware of them; it was more like a really strong sense of deja-vu. Still, I am pleased at how well you've handled yourself. It seems I made the right choice with you." Buffy grinned.
"Well, if I am to continue to progress at this rate, I will need some supplies and an increased staff." Harry handed her a data crystal containing his requisitions. "There's also the matter of how much of my intel data is to be shared with the SGC."
"I'll see what we can send you right away and you can expect the rest to arrive within the week." Buffy took the crystal and inserted it in her terminal. "As for the SGC, I will go over your reports and compile anything they should know."
"Good. If you don't mind, I'm going to rest a bit. Today's been a bit busy." Harry stood up.
The following day Harry returned to his base on the planet that was at first jokingly dubbed New Cadia, but the name had stuck, while Buffy was busy briefing her command staff on his progress.
"…and while the amount of recruits from the slaves is rather low, we can expect a much greater increase in manpower once the missionaries begin their work." Buffy concluded.
"It seems Maybourne was indeed a good choice for an Inquisitor. So, what do we do now?" Xander asked.
"If I may, a lot of the Sisters have been growing restless lately. The veterans are eager for a greater challenge, while the novices are burning to prove themselves worthy of the position in the Order." Faith joined in.
"Well, I might have something to help with that. First, it's time we fulfilled our obligation to the Watcher's council, so we'll be sending Catrina and a squad of Sisters to Europe. The second is something a bit more fun. It's time we sent a message to all the demon scum encroaching on Holly Terra that humans can and WILL fight back. The demon dimension of Pylea is the perfect target. It has a sizable human population, and its natural resources are relatively untouched." Buffy began.
"It will take months before we see any return from this operation, not to mention the sizable amount of resources we'll need to invest in it." Willow commented.
"True, but as we are not facing any emergency at this time, I believe it is worth pursuing. Faith, have Catrina select the nine best Sisters we have and have them gather sufficient equipment for long-term operations in Europe. Once they're ready, we'll transport them to a ship waiting for them off the coast of California. The rest of the Order is to divide into squads of twelve for the invasion of Pylea. Make sure there is at least one, preferably two armored Sisters in every squad, issue flack armor and lasguns to the novices, and prepare all the vehicles we have."
"You'll be pleased to know we've managed to complete one of the Rhinos. The rest of the squads will have to use the trucks." Willow grinned.
"Excellent. Xander, Faith that will be your ride. Four Sisters and myself will remain here to main patrols. Giles, how long will it take to prepare the portal spell?" Buffy turned to her Watcher.
"A few hours if we're to open one at the necessary scale. You do know the vehicles will most likely end up scattered all over Pylea?" Giles replied.
"That works to our advantage. You have four hours to prepare for everything. Dismissed." Buffy adjourned the meeting and everyone rushed away to prepare for the upcoming slaughter.
In Pylea it was a nice, sunny day and the inhabitants of its various settlements went about their daily lives unaware of the impending doom. It all began with the sight of a portal opening in one of the larger villages. A number of demons had gathered at a safe distance, eager to see if they'd get the opportunity to obtain a few human slaves for themselves, since arrivals from Earth were the most common.
What arrived was a large vehicle as big as a house, releasing terrible roars and belching smoke. The trailer was covered with a tarp, but the back was open, and as soon as the truck stopped, the demons saw a tall, armored woman jump off, holding a massive weapon that had a large hose leading to a heavy backpack on her back.
"In nomine Imperator." The Sister's voice boomed from her helmet as she leveled the heavy flamer at the nearest group of demons and released a huge wave of white-hot sanctified prometheum, burning the green skinned demons to ashes in seconds.
A second armored Sister followed, this one holding a bolter and chainsword. "Forward Sisters, cleanse and purify in the Emperor's name." With that order, the squad of novices joined the fray, firing their lasguns at anything that looked even remotely inhuman.
The scene repeated itself at many other villages as more trucks emerged from the portals, with the Sisters quickly hunting down not just the demons, but also any human foolish enough to resist them or try to help a demon.
"I can't believe humans would actually try to aid demons. Did we really have to kill them, Sister?" One of the novices turned to the Celestian leading her squad through the Pylean village.
"Show no mercy to the traitor and the heretic, Miriam, lest you embrace their taint into your heart." The Celestian admonished her.
"Yes Sister Aki." Miriam bowed her head and therefore was a bit surprised when they turned around a house and something bumped into her. She staggered back, but fortunately, didn't fall down. She looked up, and saw two women crawl back from them, sheltering five green-skinned children, which on closer inspection looked a lot like the two women protecting them.
"Abominations." Miriam raised her lasgun, but the Celestian raised her arm, halting her.
"Sister Miriam, please give them the benediction first." Aki told her as she raised the heavy flamer in her hands.
"May the Emperor's holy flame wash away your sin and purify your souls." Miriam recited as the whole squad watched calmly as Aki raised the flamer and ignited the pilot lights. "Please, don't…" One of the women whispered.
"Amen." Aki squeezed the trigger, sending a stream of white-hot fire at the group. In seconds, there were only charred remains before the Battle Sisters. "Let's move. Our work is not done yet."
Of course, not every squad emerged near a settlement. Some ended miles away from any form of civilization, but even then, there were plenty of targets for their weapons, as there were plenty of bestial demons roaming Pylea.
In a forest, a rather disheveled looking woman was busy picking berries from a bush, adding to her small pile of nuts and a few roots by her feet when a portal began to activate a few feet away from her. With a frightened gasp, she dropped the handful of berries and dove into the bushes just as the truck emerged. She watched nervously as the Sisters jumped off the vehicle and spread across the clearing. Seeing the vehicles and technology she never thought would see again distracted her a bit, so she failed to notice the armored woman that walked up to her hiding spot, using the suit's auspex to locate the hidden woman.
"Hello there." The woman jumped in fright as she saw the armored figure with glowing red eyes staring down at her. Still, despite the armor's frightening appearance, the woman didn't feel like she was in danger.
"What's your name?" The Battle Sister asked her and held her hand out to help her up.
"Fred." The woman spoke in a voice raspy from disuse.
"I'm Abigail. Would you like something to eat?" Fred nodded quickly, her stomach joining her agreement with a loud rumble.
"Mary, give her a ration bar and see if you can dig up some clean clothes for her." Abigail turned to the nearest Sister wearing flak armor.
"At once, Sister." The woman rushed towards the truck.
"Do you know where the nearest settlement is, Fred?" Abigail waited until Fred was finished with the ration bar and had changed into her new clothes before questioning her.
"Five miles that way." Fred gave them a direction.
"Thanks. Alright, Sisters, we have demons to smite so get to it, double time." Abigail commanded, and everyone quickly piled back into the truck only this time, they had an extra passenger, and as she looked at the smiling and reassuring faces of the girls surrounding her, Fred realized that her nightmarish existence was finally over.
The Rhino carrying Faith and Xander along with a whole squad of armored Sister was one of three squads that emerged near the capitol, and the heavy transport wasted no time in heading right for the castle that contained Pylea's leaders while the other squads spread out and began the purge of the city.
"This scum is hardly worthy to face me in battle." Xander scoffed as his force spear cut a demon soldier in two. Between his weapons, the numerous blessed icons on his armor and its Aegis field, the demons were lucky to survive more than a few seconds once they caught his eye.
Next to him, Faith only laughed as she finished hacking a soldier in two with her chainsword, while her inferno pistol vaporized a second.
"I'll pass your complaint to Buffy. Now get back to killing before I end up killing more than you."
"Dream on, Faith." Xander chuckled as the pair worked their way through the city's garrison and towards the castle. Said structure's gate proved only a momentary obstacle for Xander as a burst of fire from his bolter followed by a running shoulder slam let him pass right into the castle courtyard.
"Come scum, face the Emperor's fury." Xander roared and rushed the terrified soldiers, showing no mercy for the demons facing him.
At the end of the day, the only demons in the areas struck by the Sisters were either dead or dying, while all the humans were rounded up. The priests were quick to explain their presence to the divine guidance of the Emperor, with temples being constructed in record time. At the same time, the Sisters were busy rounding up all demon supporters, sympathizers and dissenters and holding public executions accompanied by curses and condemnations for the guilty by the priests. In short, the human populace was being indoctrinated to the Imperial Cult in an extremely fast and harsh method, one that had been tried and tested on countless worlds over ten millennia in the Imperium.
"Magos Lee, welcome to Pylea." Faith greeted Bill Lee, who had arrived to begin and oversee the exploitation of Pylea's resources. The man examined his surroundings carefully, his augmetic eyes quickly noting every detail. Dr. Lee, as the oldest member of the Cult Mechanicus had received many implants so that he could better serve in his role as Magos Technis. His body floated above the ground thanks to an anti-gravity generator and his arms were replaced with robotic arms holding a variety of tools which were joined by six mechadendrites further enhancing his ability to work with machinery. His face was hidden by a helmet that integrated a mind-impulse unit and a rebreather. Surrounding him were a half-dozzen adepts, all clad in red robes and in various stages of augmentation.
"Thank you, Canoness. You have secured a site for our use?" Magos Lee's voice was also artificial, having replaced his voice box to allow him to speak binary.
"Yes, Magos. We have cleared the castle in the capitol for your use. It is both secure and spacious enough for a factory." Faith informed him.
"Lead the way, then." Faith did so, leading the cyborgs through the city and into the castle.
"Magos Lee, this is Winifred Burkle. She was rescued by one of our squads and she was most useful in aiding us in the removal of the slave collars the local demons used on the human slaves." Faith introduced Fred to Bill.
"Nice to meet you." Fred said nervously, feeling a bit intimidated by the man that was more machine than man.
"I see you have talent. The Cult Mechanicus is always open to those who have the skill and vision to embrace the Omnissiah's will." Bill said and floated away, followed by his entourage, leaving only one Techpriest with Fred.
"Did he offer me a job?" Fred frowned.
"Indeed he has." The Tollan woman grinned at her. "If I were you, I'd take it. You wouldn't believe the technology we have access to."
With an eager nod, Fred joined the woman and towards a new life in the Priesthood of Mars.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, Buffy had received a somewhat unexpected call from Cordelia.
"Cordelia, I trust everything is going well in L.A.?" Buffy grinned lightly. Cordelia had certainly proven herself a most capable leader.
"I'm having a little trouble, actually. A bunch of demons have come into town and they seem determined to cause trouble. Now, they're mostly focused on half-demons, but a lot of humans will probably end up caught in the crossfire." Cordelia explained.
"So, you need some reinforcements?" Buffy asked.
"I'd appreciate it. A dozen Sisters will certainly make an impression on the scum." Cordelia grinned evilly.
"I'm afraid you have somewhat lousy timing. Almost the entire Order is in Pylea, securing it for our use. What I have is needed here to maintain patrols. However, I do have an idea. This situation is an excellent opportunity to field test E-001." Buffy smirked as she imagined the havoc that would unfold.
"You want to send the Eversor here?" Cordelia exclaimed, shocked at the idea, and she wasn't the only one.
"I'm afraid that's all I can spare. Provide me with deployment coordinates within the hour." With that, Buffy hung up and stood up to inform Dr. Novak to prepare Martin Kemp for his first mission.
A couple of hours later, Cordelia and her team was standing at a safe distance from the building that served as the HQ of the part of the Scourge currently present in L.A.
"You really think this Eversor thing can take them all out himself?" Doyle turned towards Cordelia.
"Positive. Just wait and see." Cordelia grinned. It wasn't long before the screaming, explosions and the endless echo of gunfire began to emerge from the structure. Fifteen minutes later, one of the upper storey windows burst open, and the team could see two figures had fallen out. The group watched mesmerized as a rather large man clad in black armor landed on top of the uniformed demon falling beneath him, turning his chest into crushed pulp due to his weight. He then looked up, the skull-like helmet he was wearing sending shivers through the group before he disappeared in a flash of light.
"Alright, let's move in and take care of the cleanup." Cordelia ordered, breaking the team from their stupor.
The inside of the building caused more than one person to lose their dinner as they saw the results of the Eversor's passing. The walls were practically drenched in blood, with demon parts strewn about the structure.
"How did one man do all this in just fifteen minutes?" Kate Lockley, an LAPD detective that had joined the group after helping Angel hunt down a demon exclaimed in shock.
"The Eversor is a very efficient and very capable weapon. Besides, it looks like they were all gathered in one place when he was teleported inside. Alright, set the charges and place the barrels around the building. I want this place burnt to the ground before the police decides to investigate." Cordelia commanded and her team quickly spread out, leaving barrels of promethium and remote bombs across the structure. Ten minutes later, the building was engulfed in a massive inferno, consuming it and all the demon corpses within.