Authors Note: Just a quick reminder that conversation in bold represents the distorted voice of a Goa'uld or Tok'ra symbiote. Conversation in bold italic is a symbiote talking to their host and conversation in italic either represents a host talking to their symbiote or Xander thought-speaking since naturally he cannot talk aloud when he's floating inside his capsule due to his lungs and throat being filled with hydrostatic fluid. And yes, this does mean you will be seeing Xander again in this chapter.
~~~///~~~
Chapter Fourteen
Brig
Stargate Command
A Few Minutes Earlier
Jolinar was beginning to get anxious.
Outwardly she showed no emotion, continuing to keep her current temporary host standing straight and expressionless, but inwardly she was getting worried. She knew that the Ashrak would be getting closer and that the defences of the Tau'ri base wouldn't do much more than slow him down. If they even did that given the training and abilities that Ashrak had, Selket had spent millennia after all perfecting the training and conditioning of her progeny turning them into the most lethal warriors, saboteurs, and assassins in the galaxy. Despite their own skills the people of this world really had no idea what it was they were dealing with.
"Oh, I don't know I think we will surprise you," her current host told her.
"I hope you do," Jolinar replied. "But I am being realistic, Captain Carter. While your people have special forces operators you have never encountered something like the Ashrak before. Everything about them from their training to the equipment and technology they are issued with – which can include a personal cloaking device, though thankfully this particular Ashrak hasn't been given one – by Selket have but one purpose and one purpose alone. To make them as lethal as possible, coupled with their absolute conviction to complete their mission no matter the cost... it makes them more dangerous than anything you have ever seen in the galaxy before."
"So, they're like a Goa'uld ninja?"
"What is a ninja?"
"They're a type of elite warrior trained from birth in the arts and tactics of the fighting and stealth arts of ninjitsu," Sam replied, before outlining what she knew about the ninja. Which really wasn't that much since the ninja jealously guarded their secrets to the point that the modern martial art of ninjitsu was probably only a fraction of what someone born to be a ninja learned, really only what was generally known about them and their origin in the society of feudal Japan where the ruling warrior class, the samurai had considered them mercenaries at best and dishonourable cowards at worst given their focus on unconventional and stealth warfare as opposed to the more open ritualised and honourable way of the samurai.
"Interesting. It would certainly be interesting to see how a ninja warrior would do against an Ashrak," Jolinar commented, "though it is not a confrontation that is likely to happen anytime soon."
"True," Sam agreed a moment before a sudden light, tingling sensation filled them both, "what in the world?"
No sooner than she spoke than a brilliant silver-white light and a musical tone enveloped them both and the world vanished into the light. She caught a shiver of recognition and fear from her Tok'ra hitchhiker, clearly, she knew what this was, as the light and sound reached a crescendo and vanished. It was immediately obvious that they were no longer in the SGC – or indeed anywhere on Earth – as the décor around them was dark, or at least the lighting was muted, though what she could see in the gloom had a distinctly Nordic look to it while being technological at the same time. She didn't have any chance to ask Jolinar to look around as a cylindrical force field sprang into existence around them and suddenly, she knew neither of them could move.
"Jolinar what is this place," she asked, easily detecting the waves of fear and anxiety running through the symbiote.
"This is an Asgard ship Samantha," Jolinar replied. "It must be in orbit above your planet, and before you ask you would not detect them unless they want you to as Asgard ships have very advanced and sophisticated cloaking systems – ones far more advanced than anything the Goa'uld have been able to develop, though not for want of trying – capable of concealing even the largest starships."
"The Asgard as in Thor's race?"
Jolinar was surprised. "You have heard of them?"
"We have when we both visited Cimmeria and when we discovered Heliopolis, well before the castle there was destroyed by a combination of eroded foundations and a massive storm."
"Which itself is the result of a terrible battle thousands of years ago between the Goa'uld System Lords and the Asgard," Jolinar replied, "during the battle the orbit of Heliopolis was disrupted to the point that within the next hundred thousand years the planet will become completely uninhabitable. In about another half a million years it will be incinerated by the systems sun."
"The Goa'uld and the Asgard have weapons that can do that? Disrupt a planet's orbit so completely?" Sam asked, shocked, and honestly horrified to find that the Goa'uld – and these Asgard apparently – had weapons capable of doing such things. The amount of energy required would be astronomical and, if she needed anymore evidence, more proof of how much more advanced the Goa'uld were both technologically and scientifically over them.
"Oh yes and other weapons besides that which are capable of destroying an entire planet, though Ra long ago locked away all of those weapons, in a location only he knew. With his demise at your people's hands, they will hopefully never be found. Not that any System Lord would be insane enough to use them, evil as they are even, they have some standards."
Before Sam could ask anymore questions the transporter beam flashed again and a strongly built man she recognised from Nasya – dressed in marine BDU's – appeared nearby. He blinked, looked around in confusion, alarm and then terror as he realised where he was. Before he spotted her, a nanosecond before a force field cylinder imprisoned him as well.
"Well, Jolinar we meet at last," the man said in the distorted voice of a Goa'uld, revealing himself to be the Ashrak. "Even if it is at the moment of our demise."
"So, it would seem," Jolinar replied glaring back at the Ashrak that had been chasing her all over the galaxy for the last few years making it impossible for her to return to the Tok'ra base and her beloved mate Lantash. It had been almost as bad as the time she had spent stuck on Sokar's hell world Netu.
"It is only the end for one of you," a new voice said, a voice that sounded alien in a way that the distorted voice of a Goa'uld symbiote never could, a moment before a transporter beam flashed again. Revealing in its place a Roswell grey. The small grey alien, which to Sam's eyes was no bigger than your average ten-year-old, was holding a stone-like device in one hand. "Goa'uld Ashrak, for the crimes you have committed against countless beings across this galaxy I Commander Baldur of the Asgard have determined that you are to be terminated. Only your host will leave this ship alive."
As the Asgard spoke he/it – Sam wasn't sure as she couldn't see any evidence of gender in the alien being – pressed what looked like a rune, similar in appearance to the ones Daniel had used when he'd used a little bit of magic to help conceal her chocolate stash from the eagle eyes of Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Fraiser, on the stone. Immediately the force field containing the Ashrak filled with a screeching red energy field that she had seen once before – on Cimmeria when Teal'c had forced the ancient Goa'uld Unas into Thor's hammer device. As with Unas the Ashrak immediately began screaming and writhing in pain and horror as the energy destroyed him. Sam felt a twinge of sympathy for the dying Goa'uld as the energy kept attacking it, while very effective she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the Ashrak as nobody – not even an irredeemably evil space snake – deserved to die in such pain. For what seemed like an eternity – but was in reality only about thirty to forty seconds – the Ashrak fell to his knees, gave one final scream before dropping unconscious. The energy field disappeared as did the force field, leaving the host unconscious but breathing on the floor.
The Asgard turned to face Sam. "Jolinar of the Tok'ra it has been brought to my attention that you took your current host without her consent. Is this true?" Baldur asked.
"Yes. It was not a choice I made lightly but it was the only way to survive as my previous host was injured beyond my ability to heal him," Jolinar replied, "I am prepared to face your judgement, Commander Baldur. I only ask that you do what you can to spare Samantha the pain of killing me."
"I do not intend to kill you," Baldur replied, "given the stated goals of the Tok'ra, goals supported by the High Council of Asgard, that would not be an appropriate punishment. Instead, I will remove you from your host and place you in a stasis device before returning you to the Tok'ra. However, know that you will be marked, should we ever find that you have taken another host against their will again then you will be treated just like a Goa'uld by the Asgard and terminated. Is that understood?"
"I understand and I thank you for your mercy, Commander Baldur," Jolinar answered, shocked but relieved that the Asgard were not going to kill her this time at least. Though she would have to be very careful in the future and not get herself into another situation like the one that had led to her taking Samantha as a host as she knew better than to doubt the Asgard's word. If they caught her in this position again Commander Baldur meant what he said in that they would regard her as just another Goa'uld enslaving a human host and kill her. "Before you remove me might I have a few moments to converse with Samantha?"
"Very well you may have a few minutes."
"Thank you," Jolinar replied, "Samantha I am going to leave a few information packets in your subconscious mind, over time they will migrate upwards into your conscious mind at a rate by which you will be able to understand them and hopefully make use of them."
"What kind of information packets," Sam asked.
"Just a few basic things on the sciences underlining Goa'uld technology," Jolinar replied, "if you are able to understand them – and I have no doubt you will be since you are one of the most intelligent humans I have ever met – then they will help you reverse engineer a number of aspects of Goa'uld technology. Also, when Baldur returns me to the Tok'ra I will tell them of your people and recommend that we establish some kind of relationship with you… we are after all on the same side."
"I understand. How long will this take?"
"I have already done it. Now I must allow Baldur to remove me from your body. It was a pleasure to meet you, I just wish the circumstances had been better."
"Same her Jolinar."
Jolinar turned her attention back to Baldur. "I am ready Commander Baldur," she said, noting that while she had been speaking with Samantha the Asgard had transported in a bubbling tank of water. Mentally she grimaced knowing that she would soon be in there and that was never a pleasant experience for a fully mature symbiote as it got very boring, very quickly. It was so boring that she knew that some System Lords actually used temporary removal from a host and exile to a tank of water for a month or two as a punishment for underlings who failed them. Heru'ur was especially notorious for it, as was Apophis in point of fact.
"Then we will proceed," Baldur replied, touching another rune on his control stone.
Immediately the silver-white light of an Asgard transporter beam enveloped her and her perception of Samantha's thoughts and body disappeared with a breath taking – not that you actually breathed during transport – suddenness. For what seemed like an eternity there was nothing, no sensation or anything, just the light. Then the light vanished, and she found herself inside the tank of water, the weak eyes of her natural serpentine form struggling to make out anything beyond the tank. Which was another reason why Goa'uld and Tok'ra alike hated being outside of a host and inside a tank as human eyesight was a great deal better than their natural forms. Had she been capable of it right now she would have sighed as she resigned herself to waiting for the Asgard to take her back to the Tok'ra and hopefully a new, willing host.
~~//~~
Sam stumbled as she suddenly regained full control of her body. Jolinar had disappeared with a suddenness, and leaving behind an odd feeling of emptiness, that had taken her by complete surprise. As did the feeling her absence left behind and she realized, with no small amount of surprise, that she had really started to become accustomed to the symbiotes presence.
"Are you alright," Commander Baldur asked seeing the human female stumble, he quickly deactivated the force field as she was not a prisoner here.
"I am fine," Sam replied. "Thank you for removing Jolinar from me. While I was starting to like her, it doesn't change the fact that she entered my body without permission."
"Indeed, when I return Jolinar to them I will make the Tok'ra leadership aware of her behaviour," Baldur replied. "By taking you as a host against your will she has violated their highest law. They will punish her severely for doing so."
"They're not going to permanently hurt her are they."
"Of course, not though she will no doubt know the extent of their displeasure over her reprehensible behaviour."
"I know that this is a lot to ask but could you ask them to be somewhat merciful with her given the circumstances."
Baldur blinked. "You wish them to show mercy," he asked both surprised and impressed by the request. While these people were being dangerously reckless in their operation of the Stargate – operating one without the dialling device was the height of stupidity given that all the safety protocols and lockouts the Ancients had built into them were there for very good reasons – there hearts appeared to be in the right place at least.
"I do."
"Then I will ask them."
"Thank you. So, what happens now?"
"Now I return you to your people," Baldur replied before touching another rune on his control stone, activating the transporter system sending the human woman and the former host of the Ashrak back down to Earth's Stargate facility before Sam could speak again. Well, that went well, he thought as he used the internal transport function to return to the bridge to watch the feed from the meeting taking place aboard the Nox mothership.
Hopefully it was still going well.
~~//~~
Summers Residence
Sunnydale
Rupert Giles watched in shock and amazement as Dawn Summers created a small ball shaped force field in her right hand before proceeding to toss it back and forth between her hands as if it was a real ball and not a bubble of energy. He was not the only one who was surprised as both Jenny and Buffy were also gazing in amazement at the sight before them. Dawn retaining the powers, and from all accounts the intelligence of Susan Storm/Richards – one of the most intelligent people in the Marvel comics universe – on top of Joyce retaining all the powers of a Slayer really drove home to all three of them just how unnatural the events of Halloween had been and how far Ethan's spell had been mutated and enhanced by the interference of parties unknown.
He had to wonder just how far this went, how many of the unknowing participants in Ethan's little bit of mystical mischief, retained the knowledge, powers and any other abilities of the people that they had dressed as that night. It would be a miracle if only the people here and Xander – due to the whole being turned into a capsuleer thing that he wasn't sure he fully understood yet and probably never would – retained the changes that the spell had wrought upon them. Others certainly had as well and considering the costumes that some people had been wearing…
…well, he shuddered to think what could now be potentially hiding in the shadows waiting to strike.
"Impressive," he commented, "and you have retained all the knowledge and powers of Susan Storm?"
"As near as I can gather yes," Dawn replied sounding surprisingly mature for her age, especially since the few times he had interacted with her previously she had been the very image of the bratty little sister. She dismissed the force field bubble before momentarily making herself invisible to prove her point. "But can you answer me about Xander is he dead? Mom wouldn't tell me."
"I didn't tell you Dawn because you deliberately disobeyed me by coming down here invisible and hiding in this room while I talked to Buffy," Joyce said firmly, "powers or not you cannot disobey without a consequence."
"But mom I only wanted to know."
"You should still respect your mothers' decisions Dawn," Giles said strongly, "if you continue to just wander around here using invisibility to eavesdrop then I will provide Mrs Summers with a ward to apply that will prevent you going invisible within the confines of the house."
Dawn pouted and just like that the bratty pre-teen was back. "Fine," she said at last, "I won't walk around using my invisibility to eavesdrop on other people's conversations. But will you please tell me about Xander now? Is he dead? Or was he turned and did Buffy have to slay him?"
"I too would like to know," Joyce admitted recalling how devastated Buffy had been when she'd said that Xander was dead, how she had laid on her bed clutching Mr Gordo and crying her eyes out. "Last I heard Xander was dead, killed by what I assume was a vampire."
"Drusilla who will pay for it with her unlife when I catch up with her," Buffy growled. "When I find her, she will join Darla and Spike in oblivion. But while he died due to being turned into a capsuleer he didn't stay dead for long. What Drusilla killed was just one of his clones, as that body died, he just woke up in a new one on that space station over Neptune."
"Some kind of consciousness transfer technology?" Dawn asked, recalling the handful of times that the Fantastic Four had encountered similar technology.
"It is a bit more than that the soul goes along as well," Jenny answered. "It is all due to the fact that capsuleers are technically speaking no longer human – and by extension Xander is no longer truly human – at least as we currently understand the term. You see capsuleers are an infomorphic lifeform, literally living quantum data, and from what was explained to us they were created initially to be a new caste of interstellar pilot, one who physically through highly advanced cybernetic implants literally becomes one with their ship. If they die, then they just download into a new cloned body."
"Fascinating," Dawn commented looking absolutely like the scientist that she would no doubt grow up to become now due to retaining the memories, powers, and intelligence of Susan Storm. It was immediately obvious that she was preparing to launch into a barrage of questions about capsuleers. What them – and by extension Xander – being infomorphic lifeforms actually meant. How the technology used to create them could possibly work. How the interface between pilot and starship could possibly work in practice.
Thankfully before she could begin unleashing her barrage an ethereal tinkling sound filled the air. The same sound that Buffy and Joyce had heard before a second before two dense streams of white-blue orbs came through the wall and formed into five columns. Columns that immediately transformed into three women and two men. One of the two men was Kowalski though the other was unfamiliar, though what grabbed the attention of both Watcher and techno-pagan were the three women who'd appeared with them. While they had never met them before they instantly knew exactly who they were, anyone worth their salt who walked in mystical circles would know.
They were the Halliwell sisters, the Charmed Ones.
No sooner than they finished materialising than the strange man who'd come with them stumbled. "Damn that Hellmouth," he muttered.
"Are you alright Leo," one of the three women asked, concern clear in her tone.
"I will be fine as long as we don't stay here too long Piper," Leo replied, inwardly shivering as he sensed the dark magic that literally filled the air of this town. He looked at Kowalski. "How the hell can you cope with this much ambient dark magic in the air Charles? It's almost as bad as being in the Underworld."
"Don't notice it Leo," Kowalski replied, actually grateful for once that he'd – thankfully only briefly – been taken as a host by a Goa'uld. While the parasites soul had been banished to hell where it belonged when they'd both died at Teal'c's hands – though he bore no ill will towards the Jaffa because of it, he had only done what was necessary to stop the monster that was using him – it had left an echo in him from the naquada that had been in its blood and thus his from the moment it started taking him over. An echo that meant that the ambient dark magic of the dimensional rift just didn't affect him in any way.
"Lucky," Leo commented, mentally resigning himself to the fact that he was going to have one hell of a headache after this visit to Sunnydale and would feel a bit like he had a case of the flu. Sensations that he had not really experienced since his mortal death as while getting shot with a darklighter arrow was definitely not fun it didn't feel anything like this.
"Maybe we should do what we came here for," Prue Halliwell suggested before looking at Giles, recognising him from the description that Kowalski had provided as being the Watcher – whatever that meant as they hadn't had chance to really consult the Book of Shadows on that matter yet – assigned to the Slayer Buffy Summers – something else they would look up when they had the time as until Kowalski had orbed in on them while they'd been finishing their evening meal they had never heard of the Slayer. "We have been told your Slayer has had an enchantment placed upon her by the Powers That Be. Before we proceed to remove it could you tell us a little bit more about the spell?"
Giles nodded and began explaining what he could about the enchantment that had been placed on Buffy by the Powers That Be. How the diagnostic spell that he and Jenny had done on Buffy had revealed that it was affecting her emotions, attachments and some other aspects of her personality reinforcing some while suppressing others. As he finished speaking everyone in the room, besides Jenny of course who had known this already having seen the same thing he had, was frowning. In fact, both Dawn and Joyce looked downright pissed while Buffy, for her part, looked worried and was clearly feeling an impulse to run away from them.
"I see," Prue said at last deeply creeped out by the nature of this particular spell. While technically it wasn't an act of dark magic, as it wasn't an outright control spell, it was grey magic at the very least and not something anyone should place upon someone. She had to wonder just why these Powers That Be would place a spell like that on someone, why they would feel it necessary. Whatever their reasons it wasn't something that should be done and thus it was hers – and her sisters – duty as white witches to remove the spell.
Thankfully with their combined power that would be fairly easy.
"Well, we can certainly remove the spell," she added after a moment exchanging a look with her two siblings, both of whom nodded back and looked about as pleased by the existence and use of this spell as she was. "We will begin at once. Buffy, would you sit on the couch please and then take one of Piper's hands?"
Grimacing, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but here indeed there was something inside that was screaming at her to run away to escape to the safety of Angels arms, Buffy slowly made her way over to the couch and sat down. With a shaking hand she reached out and took the hand that Piper offered her. Then the sisters all joined hands with Phoebe reaching out to take Buffy's other hand. Then the Charmed Ones began their chant.
"Buffy Summers the enchant placed on thee, by the power of three, we remove from thee, by the power of three, we set you free," the three chanted before repeating themselves. As they spoke a wind seemed to come from nowhere, it swept into the room – strangely disturbing nothing – and formed into a twisting mini-tornado around Buffy. As the Charmed Ones continued their chant a blue-grey mist began to emerge from Buffy's body and be pulled into the twisting mystical vortex. It quickly turned from a trickle into a rampaging torrent quickly filling the vortex. As the sisters completed the chant for the last time the last of the mist emerged from Buffy's body and the funnel changed into a sphere containing the rapidly shifting blue and grey energy of the spell. Then it contracted down to a single tiny point of light that winked out of existence with a sharp crack of noise.
As it did so Buffy swayed on the couch and collapsed unconscious onto her side.
"Buffy," Joyce exclaimed starting forward to check on her eldest daughter, an alarmed Dawn only a few steps behind her, only for both Kowalski and Leo to get there first. Both ran suddenly glowing gold hands over the unconscious Slayer. "What are they doing?"
"Healing her Mrs Summers," Prue replied with a reassuring smile. "That spell did quite a bit of damage to Buffy, long term it probably would have eventually driven her mad or at very least slowly started corrupting her in some fashion. While me and my sisters could remove the spell we couldn't repair the damage – we don't have that kind of power. Whitelighters however do since they are at the end of the day a kind of angel."
Hearing the truth in the dark-haired witches voice Joyce stopped her approach and watched the two men/angels as they used their own powers upon her eldest. After what seemed like an eternity to her – but really was only about a minute or two – the two whitelighters stopped and withdrew. Buffy on the sofa seemed to relax and slip into a deep sleep.
"Is she going to be alright," she asked.
"She will be," Kowalski replied, "she will however sleep for a few days as her mind and spirit finish healing. I would suggest however that you take her outside of Sunnydale while she sleeps. She will heal better away from the ambient dark magic of the Hellmouth."
"But where could we take her, I don't own property or anything outside of Sunnydale," Joyce pointed out though she supposed she could call Hank and ask if he would take Buffy back to LA for a few days while she rested. Though the trick would be explaining to him why she was sleeping as she knew Hank would never believe in the supernatural – until Halloween she certainly hadn't.
"I believe I know," Giles replied before looking at Kowalski. "Would you mind orbing over to my apartment and retrieving the QEC device?"
"No problem I'll be right back," Kowalski replied before orbing out.
"We should leave ourselves," Prue said looking at Leo in concern, seeing he was getting increasingly uncomfortable being here in Sunnydale. "However, before we go, I'll leave you our number Mr Giles. Should you ever need some help from us either with something demonic related or in teaching young Ms Rosenberg how to properly use magic."
"I would like that and any advice or help you can provide would be greatly appreciated Ms Halliwell," Giles replied. "And the reverse is also true as a Watcher I have access to a lot of information on various demonic entities not just common threats like vampires. Should you ever need to pick my brains on something I'll be glad to help you."
"Then its agreed," Prue replied before opening her purse and taking out a pen and a small card. Upon which she wrote the phone number for the Halliwell manor in San Francisco, she then handed it to Giles along with a pen and another card. Giles for his part wrote down his home and the library numbers before handing pen and card back to Prue.
"We should go now Prue Leo isn't looking good," Piper commented noting how her fiancé was starting to look more frazzled. Clearly something about this place, this Hellmouth whatever that was she would look it up in the Book of Shadows later, was really not good for most whitelighters.
"Then you should go," Joyce replied. "Thank you for helping Buffy."
"You are quite welcome," Prue answered with a smile as she and her sisters moved together all joining hands with Leo. Seconds later all four of them disappeared in a flurry of blue-white orbs. Even as the last orb disappeared through the ceiling another stream of orbs came through the wall and coalesced into Kowalski who was now holding a small plate-like metal disc.
He blinked when he didn't see either Leo or the Charmed Ones. "Gone back to San Francisco have they," he asked.
"Yes, Leo wasn't looking that good," Giles replied even as Kowalski handed him the QEC device. "Ah thank you."
"What is that?" Dawn asked as Giles put it down on the coffee table and pressed a green button on it.
"It's a communication device Xander left here when he briefly came back to Earth," Jenny explained, "he had to leave though due to a problem with the cloaking device on the ship he used to come back."
"So, we're going to talk to Xander," Dawn asked.
"Hopefully," Giles answered a moment before the QEC device activated and an eighteen-inch-tall full colour hologram of the person in question appeared.
"Hey G-Man I wasn't expecting to hear from you again tonight," Xander's hologram said, before seeming to note everyone else around. "Okay what's going on? Why are we at Buffy's place?"
"It is a long story Xander, but I will explain," Giles replied not bothering to call Xander on the use of that hated nickname this time. He knew it wouldn't do any good as the teenage turned capsuleer would call him whatever he liked, when he liked. Besides he didn't mind the nickname, not that he would ever tell Xander that.
Instead, he quickly explained everything that had happened in the last hour or so from the moment he and Jenny had been called here by Joyce. Surprise flashed across the holograms features as he revealed that due to her own costume choice Joyce was now also a Slayer and that Dawn had retained the intelligence and powers of Susan Storm. Surprise that turned to confusion and then anger as he spoke about the spell that they had found on Buffy. Relief replaced it when he spoke about the Charmed Ones and how they had come and removed the spell before the whitelighters did there thing on Buffy resulting in Buffy entering into a sleep which she would be in for a few days while her mind and spirit healed. He also explained how it would be better if Buffy wasn't in Sunnydale and within range of the Hellmouth's influence while she slept.
"I'll be there as soon as possible," the holographic Xander said guessing that Giles wanted him to bring Buffy to the station. For a second he seemed to freeze. "Okay Aura is getting a ship ready for me now. I'll be in orbit in about half an hour where do you want me to land?"
"The park should be clear at this time of night would that be sufficient space?"
"It should be yes but if it isn't I can always just use a tractor beam to scoop you up," Xander answered, "what about you Mrs Summers? Is it alright if I come and get Buffy and bring her back here to the station with me?"
"It is fine Xander," Joyce replied, "but she will not be coming alone. Dawn and I will come as well if you have the room."
Holo-Xander chuckled. "Mrs Summers, I have more living space on this station than there is in the whole of New York," he replied, "trust me there is plenty of space. But what about Willow, Kyle and the others Giles are you going to call them?"
"I will call them assuming they're all still up."
"They will be all of them are night owls."
"I see. Alright we will meet you at the park as soon as possible."
"Right oh just remember to take the QEC device with you as I'll call you when I arrive," Xander replied.
"Will do."
"See you in half hour or so," Xander finished before closing the communication down from his end. For a moment everyone was still and silent, then they burst into motion. They had a lot of preparing to do if they were going to the space station and not a lot of time to do it in.
~~~///~~~
Authors Note: Well, another chapter bites the metaphorical dust. I hope you all enjoyed it, I am honestly surprised how quickly this chapter came together once I started working on it hopefully the next one will go as quickly. We will have to see. Next time we will see a lot more of Xander and the SGC – especially as the Nox will soon return General Hammond and President Marcel, not to mention there will be the fallout of Sam being returned without her Tok'ra hitchhiker – so things should get even more interesting soon. Especially as Jack's taunting of Murphy in the last chapter has not yet come to fruition though it will soon. Until next time.
