A new chapter, and perhaps my longest yet which I feel is a pretty neat accomplishment. I hope I did a good job with the end of the chapter, but I'll let you decide on that. Anyway, read and enjoy.
Chapter 29
An hour later, Buffy was informed that Xander had arrived, and she called a meeting of her core group, namely herself, Xander, Giles and Willow where she informed them of the recent revelations.
"Xander, I want you to help me train Dawn. That should give me more time to figure things out as well as ensuring she has strong protection at all times." Buffy turned to Xander, who simply nodded. "Giles, I want to you to find everything you can about the Key and the bitch that's after it. Also see if you can't find out what this is."
Giles spent a few moments examining the glowing ball Buffy handed him, but did not comment otherwise.
"Willow, I want this place more secure than the Golden Throne. NOTHING comes in without approval and a detailed search. We'll discuss further options once Giles tells us what we're dealing with." Buffy finished.
"While I'd rather not, we should consider the option of terminating the Key." Xander suggested.
"I have considered the option. For the moment, my sister is far more useful alive. Psykers are not exactly a common commodity in this galaxy." Buffy reminded him.
"Still, do I have the authority to terminate her if it becomes necessary?" Xander pressed.
"Your orders are to keep her out of enemy hands at all costs. Terminate only if recovery is deemed impossible." Buffy sighed. Regardless of her origins, she still thought of Dawn as her sister.
"Do we tell your sister about your situation?" Giles asked.
"I'll tell her when I believe she is ready. I promise I won't wait too long." Buffy silenced her Watcher when he opened his mouth in protest, knowing his charge well.
"Now, is there anything else you wanted to discuss with me?" Buffy asked.
"Things on Pylea are progressing well. The population is under our control and we've put the surviving demons on the harshest tasks in the new mines. Magos Lee expects to provide half what we get from the US every month, with expected increase as we establish a better infrastructure and transport methods." Xander reported.
"The SGC requested a genetics expert, and I have already dispatched Lindsey. General Hammond assured me it was a minor issue and they only needed an expert to oversee their efforts." Willow added.
"Alright. Dismissed." Buffy stood up, and everyone walked out to their own sections of the facility.
Meanwhile at the SGC, Lindsey was standing next to Dr. Frasier examining the DNA of her daughter Cassandra.
"A most intriguing alteration. It's clear Niirti has only a rudimentary understanding of genetics, but whatever she used to make the alterations is very precise. Most likely an Ancient device of some sort. Have you had any luck in interrogating her?" Lindsey asked.
"She was very surprised when we detected her attempting to sneak in with SG-1, but we've had no luck in convincing her to cooperate. General Hammond wanted to see if you could help before we tried to negotiate with her." Dr. Frasier replied.
"Well, now that I've seen the problem, it's very simple to make her healthy again." Lindsey commented. "However, I cannot reverse what was done to her without knowing exactly how her DNA was changed. Any attempt I make could cause serious genetic damage."
"You're sure? What do you intend to do then?" Dr. Frasier frowned.
"Our knowledge of genetics is very advanced, and we've further refined it using Asgard methods. Somehow, Niirti managed to stumble into the specific mutation that is unique to psykers. The mutation is unstable in Cassandra since one of the key genes is still inactive in her. Activating it will stabilize her mutation and her ability. After that, it's only a matter of training her to use this ability, which I'm sure Inquisitor Summers would be more than happy to do." Lindsey replied.
"This won't hurt her in any way?" Dr. Frasier asked.
"I am confident in my ability to stabilize her condition. And just between the two of us, she won't be alone in training. The Inquisitor recently discovered that her younger sister is also a psyker." Lindsey smiled at the surprised woman.
"I don't want my daughter involved with your religion." Dr. Frasier admitted.
"No one will force her into it. Let her choose for herself. The Inquisitor will still train her." It was equally likely she would put a bolt round through her head, but Lindsey knew Buffy would be a fool to ignore the addition of yet another psyker into their ranks.
"Just save her. We'll talk about it afterwards." Dr. Frasier finally gave in.
Fifteen minutes later, Cassandra's fever broke and her eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Mom?" She whispered.
"I'm right here, Cassie." The relieved mother rushed to embrace her daughter.
"I saw something amazing. I was looking down on the Earth from space, except everything was clouded by this purplish-pink fog. Then a beam of golden light fell on me, and I felt safe, like I knew everything would be alright. Before I could do anything, I woke up." The teenager whispered.
"The Emperor's light has guided your soul back to your family, young lady. You are very lucky." Lindsey joined the discussion.
"That was the Emperor? Mom said it was just superstition." Cassandra turned to the Magos.
"The Emperor is very real, even if his influence is limited here. Now, you should spend some time with your friends and family and get some rest. I will return tomorrow with Inquisitor Summers to discuss something with you." With that, Lindsey walked out, heading towards Hammond's office.
"General Hammond, you'll be happy to hear that Cassandra is completely healed." Lindsey informed the general with a grin, after which she explained the whole situation to the man.
"What is your opinion on this newly-gained ability of Cassandra's?" Hammond asked.
"A psyker is a very powerful and very useful individual, but only when properly trained. I won't lie to you. It is extremely demanding and beyond harsh, but this great ability bust be tempered with absolute discipline and an unbreakable will or it could lead to disaster. You can rest assured that the Inquisitor will train her well." Lindsey replied.
"And use her equally as well no doubt." Hammond said with a frown.
"General, we both know that she is not a heartless despot. You of all people should understand her difficult position as protector of our entire species." Lindsey countered.
"I understand all too well. I just wish we didn't have to make such sacrifices." Hammond sighed.
"That day will come, General. There is also another matter I wanted to discuss with you. I would like you to transfer Niirti to our custody. We have tools and methods that are more… persuasive than what you'd be willing to employ. Personally I would love to learn more about what she used to perform such genetic alterations on humans." Lindsey had a certain glint in her eyes that made Hammond almost feel sorry for the Goa'uld.
"Provided that everything you learn from her is shared with us." Hammond asked.
"I will provide a full transcript of our sessions. You are also welcome to send an observer if you'd like." Lindsey offered.
"A transcript will be sufficient. I will inform the guards that you'll be taking custody of the prisoner." Hammond told her. Lindsey simply nodded and stood up. Hammond spent a few moments pondering the faint but lingering smell of antiseptic and blood that followed the woman before he decided he REALLY didn't want to know.
The next day Buffy arrived in the SGC alone and was quickly shown the way to the infirmary.
"Dr. Frasier, I am pleased we could aid you in your time of need. Lindsey could not come as she is far too busy playing with her newest toy. Niirti was very cooperative after a few hours with Lindsey." Buffy smirked.
"What will happen to her?" Cassandra asked.
"Once she's told us all her secrets, we will perform a series of experiments on exactly how the Goa'uld affect their hosts. If she survives those, she will be executed. But, I'm not here to talk about her. I'm here about you. Your mother explained what has happened to you?" Buffy turned to Dr. Frasier.
"As best as I could, but there's a lot I don't know about this situation." Dr. Frasier admitted.
"Being a psyker is difficult to explain to non-psykers. It's like explaining sight to someone who was born blind. It is a complex ability, very difficult to learn and even harder to control, but certainly not impossible. I can teach you how to do this." Buffy gave Cassandra a soft smile.
"What happens after she completes her training, how long will it take and how will she attend these sessions?"
"Well, the length of the training is wholly up to her, but it will take more than a year to teach her proper control. True mastery of these abilities can take years, even decades to attain. Once she completes my course, she's free to make her own path, with the understanding that if she ever becomes a threat to humanity, I will hunt her down myself." Buffy paused to let her words sink in. "As to how she will attend, there are several options. First, she can join my sister Dawn and the latest novices in the Battle Sisters. Second, she transfers to Sunnydale High and lives at our complex, or third, she remains here and is teleported to Sunnydale every afternoon for lessons."
"Personally I'd go with the last option. I don't want her in a dangerous place like Sunnydale." Dr. Frasier replied quickly.
"As her guardian, the decision is yours. I will write a letter to your school telling them to excuse you from any extracurricular activities and homework. We'll arrange an alternate means to assure them you are keeping up with your studies. Take these." Buffy handed her two devices. "Put one in your room and keep the other on you at all times. They're teleporter beacons. When you press the button on the device, it sends a signal to Sunnydale that tells us to teleport you there. The other will be used as a marker to send you back home. You will come every day after school and on Saturday morning. I will allow you Sundays off. We'll talk about your lesson plan when you arrive tomorrow. Any questions?" Buffy grinned at the slightly gaping girl.
"What about my personal life?" Cassandra complained.
"You get Sundays off. Remember, this ability is very dangerous. A momentary loss of control could cause you to hurt or even kill whoever is near you. Until tomorrow." With that final warning, Buffy simply teleported away.
The next day, Cassandra appeared in a large room where a girl roughly her age was waiting for her.
"Welcome, Ms. Frasier. This way, please." The girl led her through the door and down the hall. What surprised Cassandra was the amount of people walking through the building, and she actually froze in place the first time she saw one of the armored Sisters walk by.
"Here we are. Sister Summers and Chaplain Harris will arrive soon." Her guide left her in an empty room containing two yoga mats and a large metal chair. Barely a minute passed when a young girl walked in, followed by the biggest man she had ever seen.
"Hi, you must be Cassandra. I'm Dawn and that's Xander. Isn't he the coolest?" Dawn rushed to her, chattering a mile a minute.
"Dawn, calm yourself and take your place." Xander grinned as he sat down. Now that he had met the girl, he was certain he would never forgive himself if he ended up hurting her.
"Even though Dawn introduced us in her own way, I feel we should add a proper one as well. I am Chaplain Alexander Harris, First Company Grey Knights Chapter. And the ball of energy next to you is Novice Sister Dawn Summers." Xander laughed as Dawn stuck out her tongue at him.
"I thought the Inquisitor would be teaching us." Cassandra asked.
"And she will, but her duties keep her very busy. I am here to take up the slack, as it were. Now, shall we begin?" When the girls nodded, Xander continued. "Now, Dawn already knows the basics, but there's no harm in going over them once more. We will begin with meditation. Once you have managed to feel the Warp, break the meditation. Once you are able to do this instantly, we will begin on drawing energy from it. Find a comfortable position and close your eyes. Ignore all outward sensations and focus your attention inwards."
"Can I ask what we'll be learning once we know how to draw in energy?" Cassandra asked.
"First, you will learn how to recognize and counter intruders in your mind. Once you have achieved a satisfactory resistance, you will be taught how to utilize your gift. But, that's a long way off. Right now, it is time for meditation." Xander reminded them, and the girls reluctantly began their training. After two hours, Xander allowed Dawn to train with drawing energy, and also gave Cassandra some helpful tips on how to sense the Warp faster. At the end of the day, Cassandra managed to bring her time down to ten minutes, which according to Xander was admirable progress.
The days passed by quickly and without incident. The mysterious woman that had fought with the patrol did not appear again, which was good news. Giles had also come through and identified the mysterious orb the patrol found as the Dagon sphere, an ancient artifact used to ward off primordial evils, and had managed to discover what the Key was.
"Basically, it is an energy matrix attuned to the barrier keeping the various dimensions separated. With the proper ritual, one can push energy from the key and open the barrier. When the energy flow stops, the barrier closes again. The monk the patrol found was a member of an ancient order sworn to protect it." Giles began his report.
"What are the requirements for this ritual?" Buffy asked.
"It can only be performed at specific times. Other than that, one needs only the Key." Giles replied.
"And the woman the patrol encountered?"
"I had to go to the Council to get anything about her, but I finally got the info this morning. She has a number of names, but the most commonly used ones are Glorificus or Glory, and she's not a demon. She's a god." Those words did not give any comfort to Buffy. How do you kill a god?
"Fortunately for us, her power is very limited in this dimension. Also, the Council has determined a potential weakness. She is bound to a human host." Giles finished.
"Kill the host and we kill her. Still, easier said than done. Well, as long as Dawn stays in the complex, we have nothing to worry about. Convey my gratitude to the Council for their assistance. Oh, one more thing. The launch of our first ships is in a few days. Would you like to join us for the big day?" Buffy asked.
"I'd be honored." Giles nodded and walked out.
A few days later, Buffy, Willow, Giles and an honor guard of four Celestians joined the group from the SGC, consisting of General Hammond, Major Davis and SG-1.
"Expecting trouble, Inquisitor?" Hammond asked when he noticed that Buffy was wearing power armor similar to her guards, although far more ornate. An inferno pistol replaced the bolt pistol she usually carried.
"I felt like dressing up." Buffy shrugged. with the new threat in Sunnydale, she felt a need to upgrade her arsenal. A moment later the gate activated and they walked through.
On the other side they were met by Harry who along with Faith was busy talking to the Optrisian delegation.
"Everyone is here. Shall we proceed to the shipyard?" Narim was also present as their guide, and soon enough, everyone was teleported into the orbital facility. A large observation room was built specifically for this purpose, and from it they could see the majestic shapes of the two massive ships.
"Magnificent. Simply magnificent." Buffy whispered as she looked over the ship, her eyes stopping at the obscene amount of weapons adorning the vessels.
"Welcome honored guests to our humble home for this momentous occasion. Today we bear witness to the accomplishment of a united humanity. It was our combined effort that brought these majestic vessels into existence, and they shall serve as an eternal testament to the ability of our race." Councilor Travell spoke first, then gestured to Buffy to take the stand.
"I could not have said it better, Councilor. These ships are more then a symbol of our unity, however. They are a message to all our enemies that the days of our oppression are at an end. We will hide no longer. No, we will fight back, and we will not stop until every last human is once again free." Buffy's words were met with thunderous applause as she stepped aside for Travell again.
"As the person that made this all possible, we would like to ask Inquisitor Summers to name the two ships." Travell turned to Buffy.
"I thank you for this honor. I give them the names 'Wings of Liberty' and 'Sword of Vengeance'." Buffy announced.
"Captains, you may launch when ready." Travell activated her comm. link and a few seconds later, the engines of the two frigates activated and the two massive ships began to move.
"Ma'am, our long range sensor posts have detected a dozen Goa'uld ships entering this system." A Tollan informed Travell, causing the crowd of delegates to grow silent.
"I wonder what they want. Contact them." Travell frowned and waited until a familiar face greeted her.
"Lord Zipacna, you are intruding in Tollan space. I must respectfully ask you to leave." Travell adressed the man.
"The days of the Tollan defiance are at an end. We have come to deliver your punishment." Zipacna smirked and closed the channel.
"They'll be in range of the defense satellites in fifteen seconds." A technician informed them. "Ion cannons firing. Direct hit. Ma'am, their shields absorbed the shots."
"Hit them with the lances." Travell said calmly. No wonder Zipacna sounded so smug. A counter to their Ion cannons would have left them defenseless without the Imperial tech they now had.
Before the Goa'uld fleet, the large orb-like satellites aimed their second cannon at them, but instead of an ion pulse, a crimson lance of energy struck their shields.
"Direct hit. Sensors show a ten percent decrease in shield strength. They are engaging the satellites. Weapons damage is five times higher then expected." The technician reported.
"The lances should have cut through their shields easily. What are you thinking, Inquisitor?" Travell turned to Buffy.
"I think we should send the ships in. This would be a perfect test of their capability." Buffy replied.
"If the Goa'uld have improved their ships to this degree, we're in trouble." Travell frowned.
"I would have heard about it if everyone had such enhanced vessels. This is most likely the action of a single Goa'uld. The frigates should be able to handle them, right?" Harry joined the discussion.
"Based on the sensor data, the frigates have sufficient firepower to destroy them with minimal received damage. Their void shields are stronger than even the best Asgard models." Willow replied calmly.
"What's the plan?" The two ship captains spoke to each other as they moved to intercept. Each stood at a hololith showing the area of engagement with each captain represented by a hologram on the ship they were not on.
"We move right for them, firing the lance turrets to soften them up, then drive right through their formation and fire the weapons batteries in sequence as we pass their ships." Colonel Will Ronson suggested to his Optrisian colleague.
"Our shields will take a beating, but it's a good opening move. I suggest we move to flanking positions out of the maneuver and launch our Vanguard fighters to provide support." Captain Parcy was one of Cardinal Rigar's subordinates and one of the first to join him. Her loyalty and competence were well rewarded as she was chosen to be one of the captains of the two frigates.
As the frigates moved into range of the Goa'uld ships, the frigates opened fire with their prow mounted laser lance turret, hitting two of the ships and causing significant damage as the ship's lances were stronger then those on the satellites. In response, the Goa'uld unleashed a firestorm of plasma bolts on the two massive ships causing their void shields to glow golden as the plasma splashed across them. The Goa'uld ships began to scatter out of their way as the frigates showed no sign of stopping, and as the two ships drove through the Goa'uld formation, they unleashed their broadsides, unleashing a thick rain of lasers, plasma, missiles and railguns, the pass managing to destroy two ships and damage three more as the final shots caused their shields to fail.
Zipacna was livid as he monitored the battle. This was supposed to be a simple mission. The only reason his master even gave him so many of his enhanced ships were due to reports that the Tollan had been seen building a lot of new structures in their system.
"Destroy those monstrosities at once." He roared as he ordered his remaining ships to divide in two groups and launch their fighter wings.
"You know the drill boys and girls. Keep them away from our ships." The squadron leader for the Vanguard wing of the Wings of Liberty grinned as he pushed his fighter to the limit and headed towards the incoming swarm of Goa'uld fighters.
The first few seconds of the engagement clearly showed the difference between Goa'uld and Imperial design, as the Vanguards began dropping the Death Gliders like flies, using their greater speed, superior maneuverability and more versatile weapons. The few fighters that managed to get past the Vanguards were quickly mowed down by the point defense systems of the frigates. Void shields could easily stop energy weapons and fast moving projectiles, but something comparatively slower like a fighter could pass through unimpeded, which was the reason for the point defense systems.
As the pilots quickly organized an impromptu contest between the two ship squadrons on who could shoot down the most gliders, the frigates were busy exchanging fire with the Goa'uld Ha'tak.
Already, the frigates scored two more kills, but these new Ha'tak proved surprisingly powerful.
"Sir, our portside shield batteries are down to five percent. They're really laying into us." Ronson frowned when he heard the report. These ships were far more powerful than they should be.
"Turn us around, bring our starboard side to face them." Moments after he spoke, the Wings of Liberty turned upside down and presented its undamaged starboard shield and its fully reloaded battery to the Goa'uld. The following barrage took out another Ha'tak and damaged a second, which was promptly finished off by the Sword of Vengeance.
"This is not possible. Order the closest Ha'tak to ram them. If we can't beat the Tollan, we can at least take their new weapons away." Zipacna yelled as he was left with five ships, all of them barely keeping their shields active. The two Ha'tak quickly moved to comply, pushing their engines beyond their limit as they headed towards the two frigates.
"So, they want to play chicken, huh? Turn us towards them, full speed ahead." Ronson smirked. Imperial ships were designed with a massive armored prow that served specifically for ramming.
"All hands, brace for impact." Ronson shouted as the two ships met, gripping his seat tightly as the bridge was rocked, the impact straining the inertial dampeners beyond their limit. Still, the Ha'tak was barely a third of the frigate's size and mass, and split upon the prow like a log under an axe, causing minimal damage to the frigate. The Sword fared just as well, and the two frigates were now headed towards the final three ships, still hungry for Goa'uld blood.
"Retreat. We must tell our lord of this." Zipacna swallowed the lump in his throat and hoped he would survive his master's wrath for this loss. The frigates managed to destroy one more ship before the last two escaped into hyperspace.
"Recall all fighters and set a course back to Tollana. I'd say we passed our shakedown run with flying colors." Ronson grinned as his crew cheered for their victory.