After the excitement of the last chapter, we can now see the aftermath and what the future will bring in this story. I hope you'll enjoy the many teasers I've put out for you.
Chapter 41
Twelve hours after the final Goa'uld assault was crushed, the High Lords had gathered once more to discuss the aftermath of the big battle.
"How bad were our casualties?" Buffy turned to Lord General Orin, since Parcy was still in surgery. While heavily injured, the medicae assured them that her life was out of danger.
"Not as bad as they could have been, but not as good as we had hoped. Our active naval assets have been cut in half, and only a third of the lost ships are recoverable. The rest will have to be scuttled and recycled. Casualties in the Imperial Guard and PDF forces are estimated at nearly half a million. Civilian casualties are over fifteen million across the entire Imperium." Orin reported. The attacks on the more lightly defended planets had led to massive civilian losses.
"How is morale among the populace?" Buffy turned towards Larry.
"The people's rage burns bright, milady. People are signing up for military service in droves, and every worker in the Imperium has volunteered for four extra work hours every day without pay. Also, the news that a blessed Primarch walks amongst us has truly bolstered the faithful." Larry smiled, turning his eyes briefly towards Barachiel, who was sitting to the side, fidgeting slightly. Now that the crisis has passed, it was rather obvious that Primarch or not, he was still far from fully grown. According to Willow, he was in fact biologically only six years old.
"Yes, his assistance was as welcome as it was unexpected. He wasn't supposed to awaken for another year at the least." Buffy gave a short glance towards the slightly nervous Primarch.
"Father said I was needed." He replied quickly, his words drawing gasps and several people drew the sign of the aquila.
"Of course he did. Well, the question remains then, what to do with you now, Lord Barachiel." Buffy sighed, rubbing her nose slowly. While she was happy to serve the God-Emperor with all she had, she sometimes wished the man would stop throwing curveballs her way.
"I would prefer to simply serve with my future sons. This council has done an admirable job in leading this New Imperium, and I don't intend to interfere." Barachiel replied quickly.
"While I mean no offense to Lady Summers by saying this, as His son, it's your right to assume the mantle of leadership." Larry protested.
"It is Father's wish and decree that Lady Summers leads the New Imperium, Ecclesiarch, not me." Barachiel said with a small frown at the man. With all he had learned in the maturation pod, he wasn't very comfortable with the religious focus of the Imperium, but he knew that for the time it was necessary and also that Buffy had a plan for that.
"I will ensure that the people know what the God-Emperor's will in this matter is, then." Larry bowed his head.
"How soon before we're back at strength Willow?" Buffy turned towards her friend.
"Equipment wise, we can regain our ground forces within two months, provided we recruit enough manpower to do so, of course, since we had a rather big equipment surplus. As far as our naval assets are concerned however, it will take us about a year to fully repair and replace the lost assets." Willow replied with a grumble. Ships were hard to build, but did the Goa'uld respect that?
"I don't want to add to your burden, but I need to ask that several squads of Storm Angels are made ready within two weeks." Barachiel cut in suddenly.
"Two weeks? Why don't you ask me to heal the Emperor while you're at it?" Willow gave a short glare at her creation before she gave a loud sigh. "But if you really think they're needed I'll do my best."
"Thank you, Fabricator-General." Barachiel gave her a smile that made a lot of hearts in the room beat a little faster for a few seconds.
"Harry, any reports about our enemies?" Buffy turned towards her fellow Inquisitor.
"The System Lords have retreated to their core systems and turtled up. They know their assault failed and are preparing for a counter-attack from us. It also seems that Ba'al intends to strike out on his own. While he is the strongest System Lord at this time, even he won't be able to do more than guard his territory for the next six months or so, with maybe the occasional raid." Harry reported. If you had told him five years ago that he would have been one of the key players in the downfall of the System Lords, he would have laughed in your face, but now, the truth was, the power of the Goa'uld was forever broken, and the New Imperium was ascendant.
"I also have some good news to report." Bra'tac cut in. "After discussing the matter with the leaders of Imperial Jaffa, we organized and captured the planet Dakara. As the world where the first Jaffa were made, its capture is yet another nail in the coffin of the System Lords."
"Well done master Bra'tac. I am sure your brother and sisters are celebrating this as we speak." Buffy smiled at the old Jaffa. "Let's move on then. We still need to arrange relief efforts as well as handling any refugees. I also want us to use this opportunity to capture as much territory as possible. Bringing more worlds into our fold will only work to our advantage as more men and resources are made available. It will also project an image of strength to our enemies. It is a risky gamble, but one I believe can pay off in the current state of the galaxy." Buffy spent the next several hours dealing with the minutiae of statecraft before she was done for the day and called for an end for the day so that the leaders of the Imperium could attend the funeral of the fallen.
The somber event was broadcast across Imperial space so that all could pay proper respect to those that fell to protect their nascent empire. A day of mourning was declared in the New Imperium, and citizens filled the temples to bursting to attend the service.
"He will be missed, but he is still with us in spirit." Buffy spoke to the sobbing woman next to her, the widow of the recently departed Lord Admiral William Ronson who fell protecting Cimmeria. In return, the Space Wolves swore eternal friendship to his family and vowed to crush anyone that dared to threaten them.
"Thank you milady. He always was too determined for his own good. The twelve men he saved when his ship's primary bridge collapsed came by earlier to pay their respect. The way they spoke of Will…" The woman's sob's grew in intensity for a minute.
"When he told me what he was doing and that he wanted us to move off-world and why, I couldn't believe he was serious. The first weeks off Earth I spent in a daze. Back there, I was just a housewife married to a USAF Collonel. Here…" The woman sighed, her tears drying up for now.
"The Imperium takes care of its own. I heard your children are doing well. In a few years Jake might just take his father's place in Battlefleet Beta, and Miranda will easily become a Prioress if her test scores are any indication." Buffy placed a supporting hand on the woman's shoulder.
"Thank you for your kind words and support milady. Will always said you were mankind's best hope for survival in this mad galaxy of ours." Catherine Ronson gave her a small smile as Buffy moved on to pay her respect to the families of other fallen officers.
At the same time at the SGC, Hammond was holding a meeting with his staff, representatives of the Pentagon and the IOA as well as the Tok'ra.
"So, where do we stand now that all the dust has settled?" Hammond asked. His decision to command the Prometheus was nearly fatal, and despite all that happened, he was grateful to Willow for saving his life.
"Ironically, we're now one of the three major powers in the galaxy, at least on paper. In practice, we're a paper tiger." Major Davis commented.
"What we need is to consolidate our assets quickly so that we're not overwhelmed while we are working on reinforcing ourselves." O'Neill commented.
"The Tok'ra High Council shares your view Jack, which is why we used the chaos of the recent battle to take control of four Ha'tak. We are offering to share these ships with our allies on Earth to form a joint task force." Jacob Carter surprised them all with his words.
"That's surprisingly proactive from the Tok'ra." Jack sniped. It was no secret what he thought about the helpfulness of the Tok'ra.
"The recent battle was the final death knell of the System Lords. They will never recover from this. We need to focus now on limiting the influence of the New Imperium on the galaxy." Jacob replied, his tone tinged with annoyance at O'Neill.
"Easier said than done. In terms of military assets, they were badly bloodied, but they're still stronger than anyone else in the galaxy. The best we can hope to accomplish is to make any attack on us too costly to afford." Carter pointed out.
"What about Atlantis. We know where it is now right? With the technology of the Ancients, we'd be able to match them." Davis asked her.
"Remember that they have the Repository, major. They have the knowledge of the Ancients too. And yes we do know where Atlantis is, but the problem is, the city is located on a planet in the Pegasus dwarf galaxy. Gating there would require a tremendous amount of power. The Earth Caste assured me they can build a generator strong enough to provide the needed power, but we'll still need to combine that with a strong naquadah capacitor array to maintain a connection for an appreciable duration. Even then, it will take forty-eight hours to charge the capacitors before we can open a connection." Carter explained.
"Can't we use the power source from the Ancient outpost?" Richard Woolsey, the IOA representative asked.
"We need that to power the outpost, plus Willow said it was a rush job and it was only a third charged. The destruction of Anubis' fleet brought it down to about twelve percent of a full charge. We won't be able to use it more than once unless we find a replacement." Carter told him.
"The IOA believes that recovering the lost city of Atlantis and its technologies is well worth the effort. An initiative was started to establish an expedition to the city. Members are already being considered and reviewed." Woolsey informed them. "Several members have pointed out that the Imperium also knows the location of the city, and we would like to get to it before they do."
"Finally the IOA do something sensible for a change." Jack grinned at Woolsey, who just glared at the man.
"Another thing the IOA has decided is the establishment of the department of Homeworld Defense, and it has been decided to offer the leadership position to General Hammond. As his 2IC, we have decided to promote you and offer you his position in the SGC, Brigadier General O'Neill." Woolsey took more than a little satisfaction at the poleaxed look the annoying officer now sported.
"Congratulations General." Carter sniped, enjoying her superior's discomfort a little too much.
"And to you as well, Colonel Carter. SG-1 will be in good hands under your leadership. We'll make the official announcements later today." Woolsey wiped the smug grin off her face as O'Neill blew a quick raspberry at her.
Just then, the gate activation alarm triggered, drawing the attention of the assembly.
"Unscheduled off-world activation." Came the voice of the officer in charge, which caused the officers to go down to the control room.
"We're receiving a message, sir." Harriman put the message on the screen, showing it was written in Goa'uld.
"It's a request for a meeting from the System Lords. They wish to discuss a treaty with us." Daniel exclaimed as he read the message.
"Which System Lord?" Hammond asked quickly.
"All of them, sir." Daniel shocked the whole room. "They wish to discuss an alliance with us, and ask for our aid in talking with the New Imperium. We are invited to the neutral Hasara space station and they ask we pass the invitation to the Imperials as well."
"Well, we might as well see what they want. Reply that we will send a diplomatic party within forty-eight hours." Woolsey ordered as the agent of the IOA. "I'll inform my superiors about this and arrange for a diplomat for the meeting. I trust you'll have no trouble arranging transport to this Hasara?"
"We'll take care of it, even if we have to ride along with the Imperials." O'Neill sighed.
Two days later, they arrived at Hasara using an Al'kesh provided by the Tok'ra. The leader of the delegation was Dr. Elisabeth Weir, a well renowned diplomat that was well respected by the IOA and was in the know about the larger galaxy even if this was her first time off-world. With her were Daniel Jackson and Colonel Carter to help her with any social and technical topics.
"It's an impressive sight." Weir commented as she looked at the large space station floating before them.
"And very well defended. Considering the feudal nature of the Goa'uld, this is the only place where any diplomacy could take place." Daniel pointed out.
"Daniel. It's so good to see you." They were surprised when they were met in the docking area by Sarah Gardner, who had rushed to embrace her old college friend who blushed deeply since the outfit she wore was rather sensual.
"Sarah. It's good to see you too. They sent you?" Daniel was surprised by this.
"Well, I already know the other System Lords, so it made sense. Besides, we're not about to risk any of the High Lords if the Goa'uld try anything clever." Sarah explained. "Sarah Gardner, or Osiris as I'm known to the System Lords. I am the official Imperial representative to this meeting." She held out her hand to Dr. Weir.
"Nice to meet you. Shall we?" Dr. Weir gestured to the hallway that led to the meeting room.
"Welcome to Hasara. We thank you for accepting our invitation so promptly." Bastet spoke once they entered. It was clear the civility in her tone was very forced considering the murderous glare she directed at Sarah.
"We are always open to discuss matters peacefully." Dr. Weir replied after she took the offered seat, Daniel and Carter taking their spots behind her.
"We're just here to hear you beg us not to kill you all." Sarah grinned as the assembled System Lords bristled at her jab.
"The recent battles have proven that you possess the military and technological power to counter our attacks. This, in addition to Ba'al's withdrawal from this council has left us with no other recourse but to attempt diplomacy with you. If you aid us in our battles against Ba'al, we will engage in no hostility with you." Camulus began.
"And what do we gain from this? Ba'al is already our primary target, but that doesn't mean you are also not on our list. Why should the Imperium spare you?" Sarah gave the Goa'uld a stony look as she spoke.
"I have a similar opinion with my Imperial counterpart here. Why should we risk our soldiers and ships to attack Ba'al?" Dr. Weir added. It was obvious from the start that the Imperium and the System Lords were the big players here, but she was determined to ensure that Earth got a nice-sized piece of the pie as well.
"You are also his enemies. He will attack you eventually." Amaterasu pointed out.
"Not until he's killed all of you, and by then we'll be ready for him." Sarah countered.
"The same goes for us. From what I've been told, the Ancient weapon we control can easily crush any assault on our world." Dr. Weir added. She was enjoying having such an upper hand in a negotiation for once.
"What do you want in exchange for your help?" Yu sighed. He was growing tired by all the posturing going on.
"All territory within five thousand lightyears of Earth not part of the New Imperium." Dr. Weir's request shocked the room, including her attendants. No one was expecting the Tau'ri to actually request territory.
"A bold claim. That's a lot of territory. And a lot of it borders on ours. I have been authorized to make a similar claim. If you secede the following sectors to the New Imperium, and agree not to attempt any expansion past your current borders, we offer you a non-aggression treaty for the next one thousand years." Sarah gave Amaterasu a dataslate with the info about their requested territories.
"This is preposterous. This would double your current holdings. You'd control over forty percent of the whole galaxy." She spat as she threw the slate back at Sarah.
"Can you defeat Ba'al without our help?" Sarah countered.
"It seems we have no choice but to accept. Let's discuss the details then." Camulus sighed after a minute. It burned them to cowtow to these humans, but they knew that otherwise, they were dead when Ba'al came for them. And a thousand years reprieve from Imperial attacks sounded like a very good offer.
As Buffy reviewed the results from the diplomatic meeting, she took a sip of brandy to wash down the feeling of distaste at having to bargain with the System Lords but the fact was, at this point in time any chance to reduce the number of enemies was something that had to be exploited, and without the System Lords actively fighting them, they could actually manage to hold the newly gained territory. Just then, a warning chimed on her computer and with a press of a button a flash of light deposited Thor in her office.
"Supreme Commander Thor, thank you for coming. We are very grateful for your assistance in the recent conflict, and we offer our condolences for the lives lost." Buffy greeted the diminutive humanoid.
"Thank you, Lady Summers. We have merely done our sworn duty. Nothing more." Thor replied.
"You did lose much, though. I understand your fleets are mostly depleted." Buffy asked.
"True, but we are rebuilding. With the replicator threat gone, we are once more free to grow." Thor replied. "Or we would be if we could solve our other issue. As it is, we're only delaying the inevitable."
"That is what I asked you here to discuss, actually. Archmagos Novak has made some progress on the issue, and believes she has an idea for a solution." Buffy informed the Asgard, who blinked rapidly several times at these news.
"What is this idea?" Thor asked quickly.
"The fact is, your DNA is too corrupted to repair, and any attempt to rectify this is only prolonging your deadline. What she proposes is to engineer a new body using human and Asgard DNA." Buffy informed him.
"We have already considered this option, Lady Summers. Our DNA is too different to be combined. All attempts ended with complete cellular destruction." Thor informed her.
"She has managed to discover a lot of new information about genetics and genetic manipulation in the Ancient Repository. While it will most likely take her decades to do so at best, she believes a solution is possible. The question is, what do we do once she's successful? I propose, if you're willing for you to join the Imperium, since according to Novak, the new bodies will be about two-thirds human. And true, while the Imperium has no love for xenos, the opinion of the populace about the Asgard is overwhelmingly positive. There have been requests to make you a client race of the New Imperium from several of the worlds you've protected over the centuries." Buffy told Thor.
"I will discuss this topic at length with the Asgard High Council. Thanks to your aid, we still have several centuries to see what the future holds for our race. It was a pleasure talking with you Lady Summers." With that, Thor beamed away.
While many in the old Imperium would condemn this decision, Buffy wanted the New Imperium to be better and integrating the Asgard in the New Imperium as an abhuman race could only benefit them in the long run, especially when you considered the fact that they controlled a whole galaxy already. She had also discussed the issue with Barachiel who simply said that she should follow her instincts.
"You asked to see us, milady?" Her musings were interrupted when Cassandra and Cordelia walked in her office.
"Yes, take a seat. According to our allies in the IOA, they have begun to prepare an expedition to secure the Ancient city of Atlantis. While we can't stop them from doing so, we can however prevent them from taking full control of the city. I have authorized our own expedition to Atlantis and preparations are underway as we speak. In two weeks, the Lunar cruiser Spear of Tollana will depart for Atlantis." Buffy began.
"What's that got with us? I have tons to do in LA, remember?" Cordelia asked.
"There's not a lot of resources I can spare for this. Even sending the cruiser is huge diversion of resources especially at our current state, but sending you to Pegasus with anything less is just asking for trouble. The reason why you two are here is because I need people I trust implicitly as leaders. Willow is sending Archmagos Carter to head the Mechanicus contingent, Parcy is putting Captain Kirkland in command of the ship itself, and Barachiel decided he and his Storm Angels will take part of the expedition but will remain separate from its command structure. Consider him a separate force you can draw on in emergencies." Buffy began to explain.
"The Primarch is coming to this expedition?" Cassandra exclaimed. She had yet to meet him, but she had felt his presence in the Warp and it was simply breathtaking.
"Yes. Since I technically can't give him orders, letting him do what he wants is for the best, and what he wants is to go to Atlantis. Cordelia, you're here because I'm sending three regiments of Guardsmen on the expedition. Since I don't know what you'll find there, the regiment types are two Heavies and an Armored one. They're all newly established from Langara and are green as grass. I need someone experienced that can handle them. If you accept, I'll throw in a promotion to General." Buffy asked her friend.
"General Chase. I like how that sounds. But what about my work in LA?" She asked.
"Xander and Rya'c are done with their training trips across the demon dimensions. They'll take your place." Buffy surprised them both.
"Man, you sure work big. Alright, if Xander is there to keep an eye on my boys, I'll go to Atlantis." Cordelia grinned evilly. Wolfram and Hart would need a brown pants warehouse when they heard those news.
"As for you Cassandra, this expedition is naturally under Inquisitorial control, and as such requires an Inquisitorial representative to lead it. While I feel it is too soon, I simply have no choice in the matter and I hereby elevate you from Interrogator to Inquisitor. This is on a probationary basis however. I will receive regular reports from all members of the expedition, and this authority can and will be revoked if your conduct proves unsatisfactory. Am I understood?" Buffy turned to Cassandra, who could only give her a short nod.
"Excellent. Prepare yourselves. In two weeks, you will be in Atlantis." Buffy congratulated the two women and led them outside her office.