Well, it's been a while, but I finally managed to corner my muse and convince it to inspire me again. This chapter carries the big reveal about who and why caused all that had happened so far, and also introduces a few new enemies for the Imperium. So, read and enjoy.
Chapter 33
"Damn, how the hell is she so good at this again?" Dawn grumbled as Buffy once again completed the day's psyker training a lot faster than she did.
"A skilled psyker can shield themselves and draw power from the Warp instantly and subconsciously. Her body knows what to do, even if she doesn't remember it." Xander explained for what he felt was the millionth time. "And her yet another increase in ability doesn't hurt either."
"Careful Dawn, your jealousy is showing." Buffy stuck out her tongue at the girl who gave her a glare followed by a short pout which quickly turned into a smile.
"How are your memories?" Xander asked her after a few moments.
"I'm starting to remember things. Being here helps, and the daily meditations are doing a lot as well. I hope I'll remember everything in a couple of weeks." Buffy replied.
"Well, we're done here, so you're free to go. I believe Cordelia is here looking for a fight." Xander grinned.
After a long and tiring spar against the greatly improving Commissar, Buffy retired to her room for a quick shower and the continuation of her meditation, hoping to unlock more of her blocked memories.
flashback start
Everywhere she turned, she saw an endless expanse of swirling colors that she recognized as the Warp. Her eyes were looking down into an area before her feet where images of her friends were shown into the swirling energies.
"I wasn't expecting visitors." She stated and turned her head to the side where a man and a woman wearing robes concealing their forms. As she stood before them, the main difference between became apparent, since Buffy was thirty feet tall.
"We felt it was time to talk to you." The man spoke.
"So speak then. You can begin by introducing yourselves." Buffy shrugged as she shrunk down to human form and sat on a chair formed from the energies of the Empyrian.
"We are here as representatives of the Powers That Be. You have perhaps heard of us?" The woman spoke this time.
"Yes, and I guess you're the beings responsible for everything that's happened since Halloween?" Buffy locked her gaze with their concealed faces, her eyes burning with power.
"We arranged the enhanced costumes for you and your friends and ensured you kept your changes." The Powers replied.
"Obviously you put great thought into your whole plan. So I have to ask, why the Imperium? Out of all the choices you could have made, why that particular one?" Buffy asked with some heat in her tone.
"It was indeed a difficult decision, and one not made lightly. Many of us asked if this interference was even necessary. We already had plans you see, but we successfully argued that the plans already in place were too risky considering what was at stake." The woman began.
"I'm still not hearing an answer." Buffy pointed out.
"We'll get to that, but first, you need to understand why we acted in the first place. This reality is in fact the battleground between the forces of good under our guidance, and the forces of evil under the command of the First Evil. When the Slayer line was split with your revival after your encounter with the Master, the First gained a big advantage which although not apparent immediately, could have brought him a victory. We did what we could to curb its influence, but our choices were limited." The man joined in.
"However, some of us managed to hatch a plan. We do have the ability of prescience, and we foresaw Ethan Rayne's little game for Halloween. Now, the spell was chaotic magic, and as such outside ours or the First's sphere of influence. Normally we dare not involve ourselves in such acts, as their results are impossible to predict, but this time, we decided that the benefits outweighed the risks. However, the big dilemma that now presented itself was, just how were we to change things?" The woman continued the tale.
"We considered hundreds, if not thousands of options, but ultimately decided on the Imperium for several factors. First, and most importantly, we needed people who would fight fire with fire. Basically, people who would tip the scales against us, but at the same time actually damage the First's plans." Buffy interrupted this time. "Wait, you mean you wanted us to be evil?"
"In a way. Every murder, every crime you did limited the First's influence in your reality, but at the same time, your crusade against demons and hostile aliens is actually wrecking his plans and he can't do anything about it since your actions have already afforded him too much influence already." The man answered her.
"Fighting evil by committing evil. What a novel concept. I am really not happy about all this, but I can understand. You said you had other reasons for choosing the Imperium?" Buffy sighed. She would never forget the fact that the Powers turned her into a monster, but she understood their reasoning.
"The second criteria was religion. Faith is the most powerful weapon humanity has against demons. We needed individuals with unshakable faith, and what better place to find zealots then in the Imperium? And that brings us to the third criteria. While we were more partial to a mystical empowerment, our allies suggested a technological path, and in retrospect, they were right." The woman explained.
"Allies? Who else is involved in this?" Buffy frowned before realization struck her. "The Ascended Ancients, of course."
"I thought they had strict laws about non-interference." Buffy remembered her discussions with Orlin about the Ascended.
"And they haven't interfered. We merely discussed a few topics with them as an intellectual exercise, like for example 'How would the Imperium of Man fare in our own reality?' or 'How to improve the enhancement process for Space Marines?' or 'Do you remember your old constructor factory in Sunnydale?'" Buffy swore she saw a slight smirk under the man's hood as he said that.
"Grey areas and wiggle room huh?" Buffy grinned. As long as the Ascended took no direct action, their hands were clean, but she guessed they had a vested interest in clearing up some of the messes they had left behind.
"Unfortunately, the First managed to throw us a curve ball. His manipulations led to your encounter with Glorificus and your subsequent ascension to the Warp." The woman sighed. "This single act could undo everything we've accomplished since Halloween. If you become a full Warp God, the consequences for this reality will be catastrophic."
"Not if, but when. My power is growing with every passing day, since I am the only sentient entity in the Warp. We're lucky it's so calm, or I would have become a full-blown God already. The problem is, there's nothing I can do about it but wait for the inevitable Warp storms to ravage the galaxy." Buffy sighed.
"You alone may not be able to do anything, but perhaps with our help, we may figure something out. However, you realize that either way, the First outsmarted us with this one. If we leave you here, the resulting Warp storms will cause untold devastation. And if we return you to human form, it will give it a chance to bring new players to the game." The Powers pointed out.
"Whatever it sends after us, we will overcome it, but I cannot allow myself to remain here and become the very thing I swore my life to destroy." Buffy said firmly.
"Then prepare yourself. The process will give you temporary amnesia, but that is merely a side-effect of the transition to a physical form. Of course, for your own sanity, the knowledge you had gained after your ascension will be purged from your mind." There was a bright flash of light, and Buffy found herself snapped out of her meditation.
flashback end
Her revelation of the origin and the purpose of the New Imperium was of course restricted to the highest echelons of the Imperium, and other than her core group, only Harry knew the whole story.
"What do you think this First Evil will do now that he's got room to maneuver again?" Giles asked wearily. He was getting tired of seeing his charges suffer increasingly difficult challenges.
"That depends on how much leeway he's gotten. The best we can do is continue to prepare as hard as we can and hope it will be enough." Buffy sighed.
Their contemplations were broken the next day when the SGC contacted them about a serious threat. It seemed Anubis had found some sort of device and was currently causing the Stargate to slowly overcharge, leading to its eventual destruction. Since they couldn't dial New Cadia themselves, they called Sunnydale to ask if they had an alternate means to contact Harry.
"Don't worry general, I have the utmost confidence that Harry will solve this matter rapidly. But, it might be wise to move an Avenger to the SGC just in case." Xander assured general Hammond, since Buffy's return was still a secret.
Using the combined resources of Harry's network, the Tok'ra and the Jaffa rebels, it took less than a day to locate the site of Anubis's weapon, and Harry ordered the two newest frigates, the Hammer of Optrisia and the Light of Tollana to the system to neutralize it. The two frigates were surprised when the two ships that guarded the planet retreated the moment they entered the system, and weary of traps, they moved into orbit and opened fire on the device on the surface. When nothing unexpected happened, the two frigates simply retreated. After analyzing the situation, Imperial officers concluded that the plan was a gamble on Anubis's part, hoping to destroy Earth's Stargate before his base was discovered.
Harry was especially pleased that the enigmatic Goa'uld's plans continued to fail as he had proven to be a very dangerous foe. Obtaining the authority and power of a System Lord would not be good news for the Imperium.
Some time had passed since, and having recovered her memories in full, Buffy was handed the title Master of the Administratum from Harry, who remained head of the Inquisition. Currently, Buffy was dealing with a report from Magos Novak who had just returned from Antarctica with an Ancient woman suffering the after-effects of some sort of disease. Novak managed to devise the means to cure the disease which had spread to the base crew where the woman was found, but the woman had already suffered significant neurological damage before she was cured. As a consequence, her memories were almost completely erased. Knowing how useful another Ancient could be in their ranks, Novak managed to successfully argue the transfer of the woman to Sunnydale where they could hopefully repair most of the damage and re-educate the woman that had adopted the name Ayiana which one of the scientists had given her.
A big help with her was Orlin whose fascination with the Cult Mechanicus unfortunately led to the distancing between himself and Major Carter, but the man wasn't heartbroken for long because while Major Carter could not accept Orlin's new way of life, Techpriest Carter was far more understanding and the two grew closer rather quickly.
"There were no survivors then?" Buffy frowned when Harry delivered her a report of a small Jaffa rebel settlement that went dark suddenly.
"No, but the corpses we found only account for a fraction of the population. The thing that worries me is the autopsies of the corpses we did recover. Some were killed by monomolecular blades, others had wounds similar to that of those made by power weapons, and finally, we recovered microscopic shards of what I was told is an incredibly potent toxin. So, are we dealing with what I think we're dealing?" Harry gave her a hard look.
"That does sound like a Dark Eldar raid alright. The question is, do they have a ship or are they a ground based force?" Buffy sighed. It seemed the first pawns of the First have revealed themselves.
"What do you recommend we do?" Harry asked.
"Send a couple of frigates to patrol the area in case they have a ship, but tell them to be very careful. If they do have a ship, it will be very dangerous to face, and make sure they have enough soldiers with them in case the bastards manage to board them. Ensure that all our member worlds maintain vigilance over their Stargates and any objects that land from space. I may sound callous by saying this, but the Dark Eldar are not a major threat. They're nasty pieces of work, but in the end, they're nothing more than pirates. A nuisance rather than a real threat." Buffy informed Harry.
While the Imperium was busy trawling the affected region in an unsuccessful attempt to find the Dark Eldar raiders, Buffy received a message from Harry that the SGC had requested an urgent meeting, and the man asked which one of them would attend this.
"I think it's time we revealed my return. Inform them a representative will arrive at the scheduled time."
The next day, the SGC staff was understandably shocked when Buffy arrived with her customary Battle Sister escorts.
"Damn, doesn't anyone stay dead with you guys?" O'Neill commented.
"I wasn't technically dead, Colonel. Now, you said you had urgent business to discuss, General Hammond?" Buffy turned to the SGC commander.
"Please, follow me Ms. Summers." Hammond led her to the briefing room, where Major Davis and Senator Kinsey were already waiting. Again, their surprise at seeing Buffy alive and well was most amusing to her.
"Thank you for your prompt arrival Ms. Summers. If you'd allow me, I'll get straight to the point. The US government has decided that it is no longer in our interest to continue the cooperation with the New Imperium of Man, and we wish to sever our relationship." Kinsey informed her.
"Well, this is certainly unexpected. May I ask why you made such a decision?" Buffy asked.
"As your allies, it is implied we support all actions you take. The President has decided that this is something we can no longer do." Kinsey replied.
"That is your prerogative, however, there are a few things I'd like to negotiate in absence of our alliance. The first is of course the complete withdrawal of all Imperial assets from US control. The second is the granting of Imperial citizenship of all US citizens that request it. Third is the completion of the delivery of the second group of inmates for the penal legions since most of the work was already done and they were going to be transferred next week anyway. Fourth, a non-aggression pact with the US. And fifth, the transfer of the second Stargate to Sunnydale." Buffy informed them.
"Why should we give you a Stargate?" Kinsey asked.
"As you know, we ship a great deal of items to New Cadia and Tollana. We could make arrangements to move them by ship, but that would mean bringing a ship to this system which would jeopardize secrecy, not to mention cause delays in our production schedules. We are willing to coordinate gate activities with the SGC to prevent any SG teams to arrive in Sunnydale, and besides, we intend to use our gate for outgoing traffic only." Buffy replied.
"I will discuss your proposal with the President, but for now you may begin retrieving your assets and personal." Kinsey said and stood up.
"I'll inform Felger and Angstrom to inventory our equipment here and prepare it for teleportation to Sunnydale. General Hammond, please inform your subordinates that if anyone wishes to transfer to the Imperial forces, they and their families will be welcome on New Cadia or any of the worlds under Imperial control." Buffy turned to Hammond who simply nodded. She could see that the man wasn't happy about the whole arrangement.
"So, what in the Warp caused this sudden ending of our alliance?" Buffy was in her office together with Felger and Harry over communicator.
"Two weeks ago, SG-6 returned from a mission. After their briefing, we've determined that there was no record of their mission in the computers, and even the address they traveled to was not found in the dialing computer. We made some discrete inquiries, but we've had no luck. It seems the Pentagon didn't want us to learn what it is they found. Also, SG-6 is one of the teams that is not really sympathetic to the Imperium, so we've had no luck on that front as well." Felger replied.
"So, they found something they feel will give them an edge against the Goa'uld even without our aid. What do you think Harry?" Buffy frowned.
"It is possible they found some cache of technology, but it would have to be something significant if they think they don't need us in their corner anymore. It is possible they are also considering aggressive action against us in the future." Harry commented.
"We're too large to take out easily, and unlike the Goa'uld, we're well organized and we know how to deal with spies and saboteurs. For now, we'll observe them discretely. If a situation develops that requires more direct intervention, we'll act." Buffy ordered.
The following days passed in a flurry of activity as the vast Imperial arsenal loaned to the SGC was retrieved and redistributed to various Imperial worlds. With the equipment also came a number of former SGC personal, who had decided that following the Imperium was the better than staying with the US, and they had brought with them their families, who would use the newly acquired Stargate in Sunnydale to travel to New Cadia, where the soldiers and scientists would be assigned to their final postings, while their families would be sent to their planet of choice.
"I still can't believe they let all these people just walk away. The SGC just lost a third of their SG teams and almost a quarter of their support staff. I don't like this. We're missing something here." Buffy frowned as she watched the people walk through the Stargate. The influx of weapons and equipment would help their forces greatly, and Kendra's presence would also serve as a major morale boost.
"Perhaps this is yet another act by the First?" Xander suggested. Since her return, Buffy had come to rely even more heavily on her friend, and nowadays, he more often than not in her presence.
"It might be, but until we know exactly what is going on, we won't know how to deal with it." Buffy sighed.
"It has brought the Dark Eldar to this galaxy. Perhaps another enemy from the Imperium has been drawn here as well." Xander offered.
"It's possible, although I hope not. The damn xenos are hard enough to hunt down as it is. It's like chasing shadows with those bastards. Since they've managed to figure out the Stargates, we don't even know where their primary base is. All we have to show for our search are a bunch of ruined settlements and a lot of scared citizens. We have to catch at least some of them and soon if only to prove to the people that they are not invincible." Buffy sighed.
"And we may have yet another enemy to deal with if our suspicions about the SGC are correct. If Dark Eldar are present, do you think the SGC encountered their kin?" Xander asked.
"Unlikely. They would sooner kill any human that discovered them before they cooperated, and Hammond is not dumb enough to trust them even if they did. Orks, Tyranids and Necrons are also out, they would never work with humans although the Tyranids might be a possibility." Buffy frowned in thought as she took a sip of brandy.
"You think the SGC has been infiltrated by Genestealers?" Xander turned towards her. Even the possibility of such abominations on Holy Terra filled him with rage.
"I only mentioned it as a possibility. None of the SGC staff exhibits the behavior of an infected host and the Asgard satellite has sensors sensitive enough to detect such a thing anyway. There are only two possible foes that could have subverted the SGC against us. The Tau or…"
"Chaos." Xander hissed, his eyes narrowing into slits at the thought of the Great Enemy.
"Of course, considering how calm the Warp is here, we would have sensed the presence of Chaos if the traitors were to get anywhere near this world." Buffy pointed out.
"So, the Tau are the most likely suspects." Xander stated.
"I believe so, but that doesn't mean other enemies are not present in the galaxy. The Great Enemy may well be here already, as well as others. The galaxy is a big place after all." Buffy sighed.
"We need to find these new enemies before they undo all our labors. We cannot allow them or this First Evil to destroy the New Imperium." Xander said firmly.
"We are not ready to conduct a search of that magnitude. I have every available ship and Avenger fighter scouting the galaxy, and the Jaffa rebels are also feeding us every scrap of info they can get. The Tok'ra have apparently decided to support the US although they have agreed to forward us any relevant information to us." Buffy scoffed at the last part.
"Xeno scum. The sooner we exterminate them the better." Xander commented.
While Buffy was busy thinking about the consequences of the SGC falling under the influence of their enemies, she was surprised to receive a request by said organization for the services of Magos Novak on a newly scouted planet.
"Inquisitor Summers, this is a surprise." O'Neill commented as she walked out of the Stargate with Novak and their guards.
"I was curious and it was a slow day at the office." Buffy shrugged.
"Well, welcome to Pangar. I hate to rush you, but time is of the essence." O'Neill gestured for them to follow him. They were led to a facility where Buffy was surprised to discover a great number of Goa'uld symbiotes.
"I hope you have a very good explanation, Colonel." Buffy turned to SG-1 who were speaking with several Pangarans and two Tok'ra.
"The Pangarans are using them to produce a drug that boosts their immune system." Carter explained.
"Hmm, similar formula to the Libertas drug. Far too crude and unrefined though. Too many impurities and the latest batches show a significant drop in efficiency." Lindsey commented as she had already interfaced with their systems and read through their data.
"The Pangarans are completely dependant of the drug, and without it, many will die. We've also discovered that the queen they're using to breed the symbiotes is Egeria, the mother of the Tok'ra." Daniel informed her. "We were hoping you'd be able to save her."
"What do you think Lindsey?" Buffy turned to Novak, while sending a psychic message to the cyborg. 'The creature must not survive.'
"I must examine her and determine the damage before I can comment. As for the Pangarans, it shouldn't be too difficult to modify the Libertas for their use. Their facilities may even be used to manufacture the Jaffa version which would help the rebellion greatly." Novak replied, showing no sign she even received Buffy's message.
A tense fifteen minutes passed as Novak examined Egeria with a variety of instruments. Personally, Buffy thought it funny watching the two Tok'ra flinch every time one of Novak's surgical instruments came close to their queen.
"There is nothing I can do. The damage is far too extensive to repair. It's only a matter of time." Novak informed them. "I can show you how to manufacture a substitute for your drug if you'd like."
"Of course. Right this way." The Pangarans led her away, but one of them turned towards the Tok'ra and offered his condolences and apology.
"So, what happens now?" O'Neill asked as he shot Buffy a look full of suspicion.
"Without a queen, it will be difficult if not impossible to replenish our numbers. The Tok'ra may very well die out in the future." The Tok'ra were understandably depressed when not even Imperial technology could save their queen.
"I am sure you will find a way. If you'll excuse me, I have a new planetary government to turn to our way of thinking." Buffy grinned and walked away.
"Son of a bitch. We just handed them another advanced world." O'Neill cursed.
"We had no choice. Imperial genetic technology is perhaps the most advanced we have access to. Not even they can compare." Carter reminded him.
"Still, what do you bet that this time next month, this whole planet will be decked with Aquila flags?" O'Neill turned to his team.
"That's a sucker bet and you know it. By tomorrow, this planet will be crawling with missionaries and techpriests." Daniel sighed.
"Alright kids. Time to head back home and tell the boss we got caught with our pants down again." O'Neill rubbed his face tiredly. He, along with several other officers were against the termination of their alliance with the New Imperium, but in the end, they had remained in the hope that their leaders had made the right choice.
AN/ I hope you approve of this little shift in US/Imperial relations and what that means for the future of the two organizations. More surprises will follow in the future chapters as well as the beginning of conflicts between the various factions. And now, a brief glimpse into something that may or may not be ever written.
A redheaded woman in a simple uniform stared in confusion at the hologram portraying a ship that was around the same size as the one she was on, but was of a design that was completely alien to her. To add to her confusion were the letters proclaiming the ship's name to be the 'Blade of Terra' along with the mark of a large capitol I with a skull in the middle and three crossbars framing the skull. What added to her confusion were sensor readings informing her the ship was made of unknown alloys and had systems she couldn't even begin to recognize.
"Hail them, Joker." The woman spoke after a moment, and her subordinate complied, opening a channel to the unknown ship that had appeared out of nowhere before them mere moments ago.
"This is Council Spectre Commander Jane Sheppard of the SSV Normandy to unknown vessel. Identify yourself and state your purpose." She sent, and moments later, she got her reply.
"This is Cassandra Frasier, agent of the Ordo Xenos of the God-Emperor's Most Holy Inquisition. By His will, we bring the words of the God-Emperor of Mankind to this galaxy." The woman that replied managed to intimidate even the normally stoic Sheppard. Despite the fact she wore a set of ornate and advanced looking set of armor, it was her face that was the most scary. Her hair was pulled into a severe ponytail while her face bore several deep scars. One of her eyes was replaced by a cybernetic replacement that shined with an ominous red light, while her other eye sparked with barely restrained power.
'As if the Reapers weren't enough.' Sheppard sighed as she could feel the headache this encounter would cause her. 'Sometimes I wonder why I bother getting out of bed in the morning.'