After Jack and the Prometheus left with the Stargate, Alexander returned to speak with General Gregor.
"Our clerics say, the Beast is no more." General Gregor said, after they exchanged greetings. "How did you accomplish this?"
"By doing as I did with the Key, banishing her. Only, she was banished into fire and alone. Except for her servants, who will perish in the fire."
"As will she, when she is pulled back into her prison and the male dies."
"Exactly. As I said, I take the safety of my people very seriously, as do you. You tracked her accross the world, hoping to end her threat. That is to be respected."
"One does as one must, to preserve the world."
"Safe journey General, to you and yours."
Later, in the library.
"Things are going to be very busy for us in the coming months. I'm going to be spending a lot of time at the outpost, as well as traveling to other places, requiting people for the expedition. I need to find others who can actually contribute to a successful expedition. Some of the people Dr. Weir chose concern me."
"Johnathan and Oz are going to be busy too, fixing up our new production plant. And now I will be expanding my role and being the human resource officer." Corda said. "Ordinarily that should be something we'd hire out for, but we need people who can build sofisticated technology and understand Classified and I understand that technology better then anyone we could hire would. The expedition and the Altimah Project are going to be competing for some of the same people."
"Fortunately, our plant needs less people then the expedition does. We can start out with about ten workers. They'll be busy and so will you and Oz, Johnathan, but I told you back when we got started, you'd never have nothing to do again."
"You're right and I'm loving every minute of it. The best job ever!"
"Fun." Oz said with a content little smile, last night's full moon had still been spent in the basement of the former Sunset Club, but he hadn't wolfed out. Yes, he was a happy werewolf.
"Well, I've also made a decision." Buffy announced. "Once college is done in two years, I'm moving to Cleveland. I'm still a Slayer. I didn't ask to be a Slayer, but I have a responsibility and I'm going to follow through with it. Cleveland's tear may have been closed, but there are still demons there."
"On that note, Oz and I are going to be working on a project. While we were going over the recordings Oz made of Buffy and Corda's encounter with the NID with the investigators, we heard Buffy's suggestion to scan L.A and Corda's idea of a satellite that could scan worldwide for the energy that leaks from a tear. So we're going to work on building one. The scanner Oz built with Earth tech already can, so it shouldn't be difficult to do."
"Now if only we could figure out a way to get rid of all of them, at least the vampires. They're by far the largest number of them." Corda said. "While we're being ambitious and making a wish list."
"There has to a way. Our people managed it before, I'm sure we can too." Alexander said. "Well, I'm off. I'll have my communicator with me and if there's a problem, just call."
It didn't take long for the Altimah to arrive at the outpost and Alexander set it down and activating the security protocols again, exited thru the airlock. After passing through security, he went looking for Dr. Weir.
"Dr. Weir, do you have an office somewhere where we can speaking privately?" Alexander asked politely when he found her.
"Not really, but there's a room we've been using for storage near here. We can talk there."
"That'll do." Alexander followed her to the room being used for storage.
"I'll come straight to the point, Doctor. On my recommendation, the President is removing you from the planning for the expedition and leadership of the expedition."
It felt like a body blow to Elizabeth, she honestly hadn't expected it.
"On what grounds?" She demanded to know.
"You're not a leader, Doctor. You have absolutely no leadership experience or even training for that matter. And your decisions have been extremely questionable. A number of people you have chosen for this expedition should never have been chosen. You're not asking appropriate questions, of either of them or me. I have necessary intelligence regarding the Pegasus Galaxy and its inhabitants and you have never once questioned me. Your indulgence of Dr. McKay has bred an atmosphere of resentment in the other participants. The President has been fielding complaint calls from his counterparts because of complaints their scientists are making. You are still being allowed to be a part of the expedition, you're an excellent negotiator, that can't be denied. You can negotiate with the human worlds of Pegasus for food and clothing, to ease the burden on Earth. Unlike Star Trek, our people never invented replicators, at least the kind that produce food and clothing on command. And it's time you realized, my people were not perfect, they made mistakes, often terrible ones. I'll be conducting a briefing later, I expect you to be there. If you can not abide by these changes, I'm sure the UN Security Council will happily welcome you back."
He left her to think about that and went searching for his next target.