"And what is a Soldier of Darkness, for those of us who haven't seen the show?" Jenny asked.
"The Soldiers of Darkness are a parasitic race in the service of the Shadows. Most races considered them a myth, but two races, the Narn and Markab both have written accounts of their existence that predate them achieving spaceflight. They're carnivorous reptiles, vaguely humanoid in shape, they're also one of the largest known creatures in Babylon 5, standing at between 15 and 20 feet in height. They can phase through solid matter, which is how they can get into a locked house and eat internal organs without bothering with locks or leaving a mark on the body." Xander answered, horrifying everyone who heard his account. "And they can also go invisible at will."
"How did they manage to destroy something that big?" Jenny questioned.
"They overwhelmed it with firepower. Basically they shot it to death with a whole lot of bullets. Wooden bullets aren't going to cut it, that thing has a thick hide. We need to go bigger, once we find it."
"So two fronts." Tor offered. "We cover Jenny and Amy while they try to track it and you and Cordelia get weapons and a whole lot of bullets."
"And once we know where it is, we drive it out of the residential section of town." Xander said. "We have to, no matter how good of shots we all are, we can't risk a firefight around people."
"The center of town." Cordelia said. "Dad's still got crews working on fixing up the tunnels, the center of town is still off limits because there's a big hole in the ground. It's been cleared of debris and the solar generators keep vamps from moving back in, but it gives us the space we need to deal with it. Plus it's the middle of the night, no one's at work."
"That's good, always try to fight on ground of your choosing, not your enemies. Now, bear in mind, this creature is also intelligent. On the show it figured out how to program a course on the computer of a completely unknown to it, space ship. Corralling it is not going to be easy."
"Driving it with Magic might be our best bet." Jenny decided. "Amy and I chose not to learn combat Magic because some of it skirts the dark side of Magic, but we may be able to modify what we do know to drive it where we need it to go."
"One more thing, it's not fully understood, but they do have a form of telepathy." Xander informed them. "From what I can remember, they can form a telepathic link with a surviving victim and use it as a scout, seeing through its eyes. We have no idea if it's done something like that, so be careful if you encounter a human out tonight, they could be unknowingly working for that thing. And we need to consider the possibility that it could also consume or use demons as well. In the show, it's implied it can consume any living thing."
"So if we run into demons just eliminate them as a just in case, as well as the bigger, they're feeding on humans anyway. At least most of them are." Tor agreed.
"Right." Xander nodded. "And pray to whatever gods you give your faith to, that we can do this without more humans being made its meal."
"Hecate." Amy said softly, touching the Hecate's Wheel she wore around her neck. Xander silently and in solidarity, touched the talisman on a chain he wore around his own neck.
"Tor, keep them safe." Xander instructed. "Come on, Cordy, let's go find ourselves a whole lot of definitely not wooden bullets."
"Amy and I'll work on trying to track it using Magic." Jenny promised.
"What if we try tracking Hellmouth energy instead?" Amy suggested. "Anything that's not indicating the High School would likely be energy from the catalyst clingng to it."
"A modified tracking spell could do it." Jenny said thoughtfully. "You're right, that's probably a better idea. Alright, we'll figure it out, Xander and let you know when we've found it."
"See you soon."
"As for the best way to drive it towards the center of town." Jenny suggested, as she and Amy began to work on the tracking spell. "The force field spell we used before on the Thirdspace portal, we could narrow it and push it against that thing, we might be able to use it the way one would some combat Magic, like shooting fire."
"That might work and keep it off guard at the same time, not give it a chance to adapt." Amy agreed and the two began working out just how they could track the Soldier of Darkness and how they could modify the force field spell. Amy noticed though, that Jenny was looking a little sick.
"Jenny, are you alright?"
"Unlike you Amy, I haven't gone through the Anla'Shok training, like Rupert, Oz and Willow, I felt I could contribute more as a non combatant. But this is the second time I'm voluntarily going into battle against an enemy and I will be using a spell, however modified, that I used while dealing with the Thirdspace portal. I'm scared."
"You're facing your own Mora'dum." Tor told her. "You don't have to be Anla'Shok to do that. Facing a fear that cripples you emotionally, mentally is something that anyone can do. Ultimately you have to face it yourself, but you're not alone. You have our support, we'll give you all the help and encouragement you need."
Jenny squared her shoulders and nodded. 'Strange,' she thought. 'it's almost like I can feel my parents and my grandmother with me too. What was it Xander said when he was trying to help me deal with my guilt and the fear that people had died because I wasn't strong enough? Remember them and they'll always be with me? He's right.' Like Amy and her Hecate's Wheel, Jenny leaned on the support ot her family, both those long dead and those currently surrounding her, as she prepared to face her own Mora'dum.