Merchants of Death

The last few days had been very busy for Imperious Dakar.



The committee (composed entirely of illithids) that had been governing the Iberian Ministry of Security since Minister Archon had died finally had a clear leader. A particularly vicious Mind Flayer known for her love of intrigue and jewelry named Charna.



Imperious Dakar had met with Charna recently to discuss the business arrangement between the Ministry of Security and Imperious Industries. Only to have the new committee leader demand even more money from Imperious Industries for the ‘privilege’ of continuing to operate in Iberia.



This situation could not continue.



Imperious Industries required a presence in Iberia to maintain it’s off world sales. But if it had to pay the Security Ministry much more for the right to operate in Iberia, the whole multiversal business would become unprofitable.



Moreover the Ministry of Security’s increasingly harsh policies were destroying public confidence in the Lera government. Cases of Mind Flayers simply taking random people off the street in the capital to feed on were becoming increasingly common, and Security Ministry assassinations and interrogations were on the rise. Without a powerful president controlling the government there was nothing to hold the secret police in line, and Iberia’s new spymasters wanted everyone to know that NO ONE was safe from them now.



Of course in the process the Ministry of Security was destroying public confidence and goodwill that it had taken the Lera government decades to achieve.

But Charna and her supporters in the Security Ministry didn’t care. They thought that all they needed was fear to keep the public in line.



Assuming that Imperious Industries could even continue to make a profit off its sales to other worlds, hiding the profits from those sales would become an ever-greater problem.



For Imperious Dakar’s former teacher and student, the ancient dragon known as Magnus, had refused to use his influence to help Dakar hide his new sources of revenue unless the technomancer would tell him exactly where the money was coming from. And Dakar did not want to do that.



For he knew if he gave Magnus what he wanted the Great Wyrm would interfere, and Imperious Dakar knew all too well just how much trouble that could be.



The mind of the founder and leader of Imperious Industries was also occupied by concerns involving Chrissy Lera’s all too curious son, the ever scheming Selene, and of course his own often unstable off world customers.



As a result of all these worries Imperious Dakar was not in a good mood when he went to see the leader of the Slayer Army, Buffy Anne Summers. A woman who was hardly inclined to see him in a positive light anyway.



*****



The ancient mutant witch Selene and the insane werewolf Susan Zweller had seldom communicated face to face since they had begun to conspire together against their lover and ally Imperious Dakar. Instead they had conducted most of their secret meetings in the privacy of Zweller’s mind, a twisted mental landscape forbidden to all but a few.



The part of Susan Zweller’s mind that they were currently meeting in had the look of a well-manicured park. The scene looked and felt so real that even Selene, who was extremely experienced in the areas of illusions and general mind magic, had to remind herself that it was nothing but a reflection of some aspect of Susan’s twisted mind.



“WHEN SELENE?…when will our bodies be ready?” Lex demanded angrily. The features of her delicate looking icy form trembling with uncharacteristic rage.



“Soon Lex…you must be patient” Selene replied calmly. Her elegant and beautiful psychic avatar not showing the slightest trace of fear or doubt.



“She’s stalling” the bestial Cain growled. Scratching the fur of his massive form as he impatiently paced around the two females.



“Don’t be absurd…such a complicated spell requires a great deal of precision, care, and time…if you cannot understand that then it is simply because the subtleties are beyond you beast” Selene answered imperiously. Allowing just a hint of anger to enter her tone.



Cain growled angrily in response, leading Selene to believe that she might have to fight him again here, where the bestial creature was all but invincible.





“Oh stop posturing Cain” Lex said impatiently as she gazed at the other dominant aspect of Susan Zweller’s fragmented mind.



Cain visibly calmed down in response to the words of his intellectual counterpart, but he continued to glare at Selene. Leaving no doubt in the witch’s mind that the bestial personality still wanted to attack her.



“Cain might not be a smart woman like you or me Selene but he has a point…we have more than held up our end of the bargain…we have given you all sorts of information on Imperious Dakar…helped you hide some of your activities from him…and even aided you in setting up some of your little cults…but all you have given us is promises” Lex stated harshly. Her words leaving no doubt in Selene’s mind that the intellectual aspect of Susan was also running out of patience.





“I could not do anything until I had the bodies” Selene pointed out reasonably.



“You have had the bodies for over a month now…I caught the man and woman myself,” Cain rumbled.



Selene thought of the admittedly impressive physical specimens that Cain and Lex had selected and delivered to her when she answered “Yes…but a month is no time at all when it comes to a project such as this…if you expect to do great things you must have a little ENDURANCE Cain.”



“Your right Selene…great things often take careful planning, patience, and time…but we have already given you a great deal of time…we need to see some results soon…otherwise me and Cain will have to rethink our arrangement with you” Lex replied, her icy blue eyes full of obvious threat.



“I simply need a little more time…then I can grant you two bodies of your own…if I try to rush things it could disrupt the process completely.”



The woman of ice and the beast stared at Selene coldly, and the witch found herself hoping that her mental wards were strong enough to shield her thoughts even in this psychic realm, that was literally a living part of Cain and Lex.



For Selene had a secret, a truth that she could not share with any part of Susan Zweller unless she wanted her alliance with the werewolf to end then and there.

All of the witch’s research, all of Selene’s explorations into the subject, kept leading the psychic vampire to the same inescapable conclusion over and over again.



What Cain and Lex so obsessively desired, what Selene had promised to do for them, was impossible.



*****



The night was seemingly peaceful, as the undead quietly and precisely surrounded the Scottish castle that functioned as the headquarters for the Slayer Army.



The Vampire Slayers within had no idea that their traditional prey were gathering strength for a major counterstrike. Most of them were too arrogant or inexperienced to consider such a thing, besides their leaders were preoccupied by other concerns at the moment.



Once they moved into attack position the Crimson Legion fighters simply waited. Content to just hold position until they received word from their Mistress.



Then they would do all within their power to kill Buffy Summers and everyone with her in the name of Lera and the Legion.



*****



Buffy Anne Summers and her former Watcher Rupert Giles were waiting in the command center of the Vampire Slayer Alliance headquarters.



The room was abuzz with activity as young Slayers constantly checked and rechecked the numerous computers and security monitors that filled the command center. Doing their best to make sure that their leader’s important meeting tonight went perfectly.



“I don’t like this Giles…something feels wrong” Buffy whispered. Not wanting any of the younger Slayers to see their leader worry.



Giles looked the senior Vampire Slayer in the eye as he replied calmly “I share your concern Buffy…but we can’t back out of the meeting now…Imperious Dakar is arriving even as we speak.”



Buffy turned from Giles to gaze at the main security monitor, which showed the armored vehicle carrying Imperious Dakar driving along the dirt road that led to the Scottish castle, surrounded by an escort of similar military vehicles. All the cars had thick armor; powerful weapons mounted on the outside, and were manned by professional looking company soldiers.



The approaching force had the appearance of a professional military unit.



“Have any of your people been able to find a link between Imperious Industries and the Crimson Legion?” Buffy asked as she continued to watch the monitor.





Giles thought of the rather shady Slayers under his direct command that Buffy had referred to, before replying coolly “I am afraid not…they can find no connection between the two groups…but like you I still believe that there is one.”



The senior Vampire Slayer was silent as she thought about this.



They had a few sources of information on the Crimson Legion, and all those sources seemed to say that the Legion was doing something major. Shifting around massive amounts of personnel and other resources to prepare for…something.



But no one in the V.S.A. could say what that something was.



And now Buffy was about to meet with the man she suspected was supplying the Crimson Legion with weapons. An individual she had little but rumors and innuendo on. But even though she didn’t know why, as Imperious Dakar got closer and closer to the castle Buffy found herself getting edgier and edgier.



“I don’t like this Giles…something feels really wrong” Buffy restated doubtfully.



“We can’t do anything about it now…but I don’t like it either” the Englishman replied grimly.



*****



After days of frantic preparation everything was in place.



The vast majority of the Crimson Legion had been gathered together and was now in Scotland. Ready to storm the center of power for the Slayer Army.



Over three hundred vampires surrounded the old Scottish castle. They were armed with pistols, grenades, assault rifles, bazookas, and even in a few cases spells books. One or two of them even had nerve gas and armored vehicles.



All these Legion members were hidden by the power of their necromancer Mistress, whose magic was so powerful and subtle that none of the mystics working for the Slayer Army could see through it. At least not without suspecting that it was there.



This effective concealment more than anything else, gave hope to Marian Casta that their attack against the V.S.A. headquarters could work.



If they had the element of surprise and attacked as one, how could the outnumbered Vampire Slayers inside the castle possibly resist them?



Marian Casta and the other top vampires in the Crimson Legion were with their leader inside the large tent that they had set up as a temporary command center. The dark elf necromancer herself was wearing a white suit as usual, but beneath it she wore armor composed of metal and bone and infused with the power of necromancy.



Marian had been able to convince Chrissy Lera to wear the magic armor rather easily. The dark skinned elf might be arrogant but she was hardly stupid, and Chrissy was far too smart to go into battle unprotected.



The necromancer did much the same for her vampire followers, using her necromancy to fill the Legion fighters with confidence, energy, and the tiniest aspect of her power. The vampires in the tent with Chrissy felt this most strongly, and it made them all the more eager to attack the Slayers.



Marian was giving the final orders to the female vampire who was to lead the first group into the castle itself when she heard a startled gasp. She turned to her oldest friend and lover and saw the last thing she expected to see, perhaps the last thing she ever wanted to see.



Chrissy Lera’s beautiful black face was twisted into an expression of shock and horror, her crimson eyes widened in fear.



“He’s here…the bastard’s come here” Chrissy whispered.



*****



Buffy Summers studied the head of Imperious Industries as he got out of his armored car and walked to the main entrance of her castle.



Imperious Dakar was tall and muscular, with a viciously scarred face and deeply tanned skin. Dakar’s long dark hair was set in a pony tail and his body was covered by a well cut blue suit, the arms dealer’s eyes appeared to be a vivid green, but something about the way they looked made Buffy suspect that it wasn’t his natural eye color.



Walking beside Imperious Dakar was an ordinary looking man wearing a bland grey suit. But something about his appearance bothered Buffy too.



Surrounding Imperious and his companion were a dozen men wearing brown body armor. Moving with what the senior Slayer could only describe as military precision.



Then Imperious Dakar stood directly before Buffy, his tall form towering over the senior Slayer. Summers wasn’t usually intimidated by large men but there was something…odd about Imperious.



It put her on edge.

All of her Vampire Slayer instincts seemed to be telling her that she needed to attack or run away from Imperious. Buffy had never felt anything quite like it.



She simply stared at the arms dealer for a long time. All too aware of the mounting tension between her Slayers and Dakar’s bodyguards.



“Well Summers you’re the one who wanted this meeting…you gonna let me in or not?” Imperious finally said in a lazy drawl, his strange eyes staring directly into Buffy’s.



“Come on in” the senior Slayer replied.

Wondering why she felt kind of like she had just invited a vampire into her home.



*****



Thanks to the presence of his Mind Flayer familiar Udragoth, Imperious Dakar was quite aware of exactly how Buffy Summers and the other Vampire Slayers were reacting to him. The cyborg technomancer theorized that it was due to the tiny bit of demon that existed in (and empowered) all the Slayers reacting to the much more substantial amount of demonic energy within himself.



Dakar was curious as to what the Slayers reaction would be if Udragoth’s tentacled features were not hidden thanks to the hologram projector/force field generator device the illithid was wearing, which was currently generating an illusion of light and color that gave Udragoth a bland human appearance. Based on the telepathic impressions he was getting of the Slayers via his familiar, the technomancer suspected that their reaction would not be a positive one.



So far Dakar’s appraisal of the Vampire Slayers and their leader was not very positive either.



While he did not fault Buffy Summers for instinctively disliking and distrusting him (for it was not reasonable to expect her to control such reactions), Imperious did look down on her for doing so little to hide her feelings. Buffy’s face and body language would have given it away even if Dakar had not been able to see directly into her mind.



And Imperious Dakar despised leaders who could not control themselves, though that would never prevent him from doing business with them if it was profitable to do so.



Buffy Summers led Dakar and his people to a relatively Spartan room whose space was dominated by a large green couch, and a few plush armchairs. The blonde Slayer invited her guests to sit down, and though Imperious Dakar and Udragoth did so the rest of the Imperious Industries people remained standing.



As did Summers herself, who looked down at Imperious Dakar with suspicious eyes.



Thanks to his psychic abilities Dakar could sense the presence of over a dozen armed Slayers just outside the room. Ready to rush in and defend their leader at the slightest hint of trouble.



~They are at least somewhat competent~ Imperious thought as he looked at the top Vampire Slayer, who was facing him alone only in the most superficial sense.



Knowing how much his mere presence was discomforting Buffy and her followers, Dakar decided to get straight to the point.



“Why don’t you just come out and say whatever you felt you couldn’t say over the phone Summers?”



“I want to know what the connection is between Imperious Industries and the Crimson Legion” Buffy replied coldly.



Dakar had been expecting such a question, and decided to answer somewhat honestly.



“The Lera woman was the dictator of a country called Iberia in another dimension…the locals got sick of her so they paid Imperious Industries to help them overthrow her.”



“You guys sell a lot of weapons…but I didn’t think Imperious Industries did that much fighting itself” Buffy said doubtfully. Not sure what she thought of the revelation that Imperious Industries was in the business of regime change.



Imperious Dakar grinned, his teeth gleaming white and unnaturally sharp. Reminding Buffy uncomfortably of a shark.



“My girl…for enough money Imperious Industries will do just about anything.”



*****



Willow Rosenberg and the other senior witches working for the V.S.A. were in a secluded area of the Scottish castle. Casting spells to watch over and protect their leader Buffy Summers.



But something was wrong.

Something that none of the five witches in the room understood.



“Its not magic” Willow finally said, the redhead’s voice filled with doubt.



“Its got to be magic…what else could he be using against her?” replied the witch sitting closest to Willow, a somewhat overweight black Vampire Slayer who was more suited to mystic research than fighting against vampires in the field.



“But it doesn’t FEEL like magic…it can’t be magic…its on the wrong spiritual…frequency” argued the only male there. A warlock the Slayers had recently recruited due to his amazing mystic skills.



“Don’t be an idiot Rick…only magic could act like this” the black magic using Slayer said bitingly.



The skinny Caucasian warlock scowled and opened his mouth to tell the Vampire Slayer witch exactly what he thought of her and her opinions when a voice silenced them all.



“That’s enough guys…it doesn’t really matter if its magic or not.”



Willow’s voice was soft, and her frame was slender and not particularly strong looking. But her words commanded instant respect.



For not only did the other witches know that she was a close personal friend of their leader, but they also knew that she was by far the most powerful witch in the Slayer Army.



Once she was sure that she had everyone’s attention, Willow continued in a firmer tone “the important thing is protecting Buffy from it…whatever it is…so start casting your best darn protection spells on her now.”



*****



Everyone in the command tent could see the obvious truth. The Mistress of the Crimson Legion, the incredibly powerful dark elf necromancer Chrissy Lera, was afraid.



Most of the Legion vampires couldn’t imagine anyone more powerful or self confident than their Mistress, so seeing the elf woman so visibly shaken was a real shock for even for the Legion’s hardened elite.



Marian Casta realized that this could have a devastating affect on Legion morale on the eve of a battle with what was perhaps their greatest enemy. But she was more interested in what could have shaken the confidence of her usually arrogant old friend.



~Chrissy usually isn’t afraid of anything…what could have affected her like this~ Marian thought as she looked into Lera’s fearful crimson eyes.



The vampire put a comforting hand on the black skinned elf’s shoulder and said in concern “Chrissy…what’s wrong?”



The necromancer stared at Marian, gazing at Casta with more doubt and uncertainty than the vampire had seen from Chrissy in over a century. Reminding Marian of the naïve and vulnerable child that Chrissy had been when they had first met.



“Imperious Dakar is here…I can feel the power of the technomage in the castle with the Slayers” Chrissy said in a voice that was little more than a whisper.



In an instant Marian Casta understood that Imperious Dakar had hurt and humiliated her friend more than the elf had admitted even to her. She wanted to comfort her oldest and dearest friend, but Marian knew that they couldn’t afford to show any more weakness on the eve of battle while their increasingly unnerved followers looked on.



The vampire bent her head to one of Chrissy’s long pointed ears and whispered softly “your stronger than this Chrissy…don’t show any fear in front of vampires who are already scared enough just facing the Slayers.”



As usual, appealing to Chrissy Lera’s arrogance and pride was the right strategy to take.



Chrissy stood straighter as her friend stepped back, burying her fear beneath the necromancer’s usual look of supreme confidence. Holding onto her conviction that she was strong, even next to a monster like Imperious Dakar, who had so tormented and humiliated the elf.



The top vampires in the Crimson Legion visibly relaxed, as their leader appeared to calm down. Looking more like the invincible queen of the undead that they all (except for Marian) thought of her as.



“Signal for an orderly retreat…we will destroy Buffy Summers and her people another day…when they are not hosting such…troublesome allies” Chrissy commanded authoritatively, her slight hesitation in describing Dakar the only hint of her nervousness.



Under other circumstances Chrissy Lera might have used her necromancy to telepathically give the order for an organized retreat to all the vampires in her army, instantly making all her fighters aware of the new plan. But Chrissy knew that there was a possibility that her followers would sense some of her anxiety if she communicated with them that way right now, so her people used more mundane means of communication to relay the order.



Unfortunately the new orders did not reach all the Crimson Legion fighters before one trigger-happy vampire lost control and shot one of the women standing guard outside the castle. Instantly killing the Vampire Slayer.



*****



Willow Rosenberg made a sound of shock and surprise as she felt the Slayer Trisha Jones die. Her mystic perceptions alerting her to the death before anyone but Trisha and her killer realized what happened.



Rick and the other witches with Willow watched in confusion, as she seemed to go into a trance. Muttering a spell under her breath as she searched for the source of the attack.



*****



Imperious Dakar was mildly annoyed.



Magic users somewhere nearby had just cast a wide variety of protection spells upon the leader of the Vampire Slayer Alliance. Two of these spells offered moderate protection against Udragoth’s telepathic powers, denying him direct access to Buffy Summers mind.



Of course Imperious Dakar was more than capable of dealing with a leader like Buffy without being able to read her thoughts, but Dakar hated giving up any advantage. Moreover the fact that the V.S.A. people had been able to detect and counter his psychic intrusions so quickly meant that Dakar was not being as subtle as he had initially assumed.



~I could most likely just strip the protection spells from her…but that would probably attract notice and generate hostility~ Imperious thought as he verbally sparred with Buffy. Saying much but giving away little real information about Imperious Industries or himself.



The arms dealer could tell his tactics were starting to bother the senior Slayer. He might talk like a thug but Buffy was beginning to realize that Imperious was far from stupid.



And Summers didn’t like his weird, knowing eyes.



However, their increasingly hostile conversation was interrupted by the distinctive sound of an alarm. A sound that Buffy Summers knew announced an attack upon the castle.



“Your behind this” Buffy said harshly as she pointed an accusing finger at Dakar. Jumping to the obvious (though wrong) conclusion.



Imperious appeared totally unfazed by the accusation and replied calmly “why would I attack Slayer headquarters while I’m negotiating with you?…why would I attack this place while I’m HERE?…it would be stupid and bad for business.”



Dakar continued to speak to calm down the leader of the Vampire Slayers, but most of his attention was elsewhere. As the technomancer used his magic to seek out the source of the attack upon the castle he was currently staying at.



*****



The spells Chrissy Lera had cast to hide and conceal the Crimson Legion forces surrounding the Scottish castle were both sophisticated and strong. But they didn’t last long against the individual onslaughts of the witch Willow and the technomancer Dakar.



Then there was nothing to hide the Crimson Legion fighters, and the Vampires Slayers in the castle looked out and saw that an army of their traditional prey surrounded them.



So the Slayers did what they had been trained to do and attacked.



Most of the Crimson Legion troops were the in process of retreating, and the rest had begun a disorganized attack upon the castle. Mistakenly assuming that the first Slayer kill had signaled the beginning of a general attack order. None of these vampires were prepared for the fury of the Slayers response.



Heavy-duty machine guns, plasma rifles, even a few flamethrowers were mounted all over the castle. Purchased from Imperious Industries and used for the first time in real combat now.



The bodies of dozens of Legion vampires seemed to simply explode into clouds of dust as waves of bullets; powerful bursts of hot plasma, and even some giant flames struck them. Some of these vampires were hiding behind trees or other cover, but the foliage surrounding the castle provided little protection against the Slayers military grade weapons.



Once they realized that they were under attack almost all the Crimson Legion vampires returned fire. But the Vampires Slayers had the high ground, were attacking from a fortified building, and had more powerful weapons.



Less than a dozen Slayers fell to Legion bullets (all ones who had been positioned outside the castle when the battle began) while more than fifty vampires fell to the initial Vampire Slayer assault.



Nevertheless the beginning of the battle was very confusing and chaotic on both sides. So much so that no one noticed a black spherical object fly out of one of the Imperious Industries vehicles (parked by the castle entrance) and head towards the vampire forces.



*****



Chrissy Lera couldn’t believe things had turned so bad so quickly.



One moment she and her followers were in the process of an orderly retreat, with they’re nearby enemies none the wiser. The next moment they were on the losing side of a savage battle with the Vampire Slayers.



Chrissy Lera dearly wished that she could punish the male responsible for this horrible turn of events, but he had been one of the first vampires to fall during the battle.



“Chrissy…should we just order an all out attack now?…we can’t avoid a battle with the Slayers at this point” Marian asked quietly.



~I wish Rosenthrall was here…that bitch may have hated me but she would know exactly what to do in a situation like this~ Casta thought as she waited for the necromancer to come to a decision.



Chrissy Lera thought about just going with the original plan.



But Chrissy’s attack plan had counted on the element of surprise and the necromancer’s ability to concentrate destructive magic against the castle and its defenders. Now the element of surprise was completely gone (if anything it was on the Slayers side) and not even Chrissy was arrogant or crazy enough to believe that she could defend herself against Imperious Dakar and still assault the castle with her magic. Moreover the castle was better armed and defended than they had assumed when planning their attack.



Perhaps most importantly, Chrissy wasn’t sure that she could beat the technomancer who had so horribly defeated and humiliated her the last time they had fought this time if they had any sort of direct confrontation.



“No…we must end this battle as quickly as possible” the dark elf finally informed her friend.



The tallest person in the command tent, a large male vampire of Romanian descent, grabbed Lera by the shoulders and said in a panic filled voice “You’ve got to do something Mistress…were being slaughtered out there.”



“Enough” Chrissy said harshly in a voice filled with power. Her words alone knocking the undead male back a step.



“The Legion will NOT fall today…order all forces to withdraw from the castle…I will take everyone to safety” Chrissy used her necromancy to make all the vampires believe her, and to imbue them all with renewed confidence and power.



Then she closed her red eyes to concentrate on an extremely powerful and difficult spell.



*****



Buffy Summers, Udragoth, Imperious Dakar, and a few of the Slayers who were currently acting as Buffy’s bodyguards had gone up to one of castle towers to observe the battle. Now the six people were looking down on the battle from one of the tower windows.



Watching as the army of vampires was decimated by the Slayers military hardware. Observing as the vampires tried to retreat from the deadly kill zone around the V.S.A. headquarters.



Then something happened that shocked all the Vampire Slayers.



“WHAT THE HELL…VAMPIRES DON’T JUST DISAPPEAR…ARMIES OF VAMPIRES SURE AS HELL DON’T JUST DISAPPEAR” a pale Slayer with a pink Mohawk standing behind Buffy exclaimed in disbelief.



“What do you know about this?” the Summers Slayer said suspiciously while staring at Dakar.



“I have some magic of ma own…and I think that that was a mass teleportation spell…its probably Lera’s work…she is a damn powerful necromancer” Imperious answered calmly. Just a hint of crimson showing in his apparently green eyes.



Then the technomancer continued in an almost jovial tone “but don’t worry…things are looking up.”



“What’re you talking about Dakar?” Buffy asked suspiciously. Afraid that whatever it was he was talking about, that it would somehow cost the Slayers more money.



“Lera and her girls took a spy with them…how’d you like to know where the base for the Crimson Legion is?” Imperious Dakar said with a grin.



*****



Chrissy Lera couldn’t remember the last time she felt so tired.



The necromancer had teleported herself and the hundreds of vampires in her army to half a dozen locations before returning to the Frasier mansion. Then she had used her magic to heal all the surviving but wounded members of the Crimson Legion.



Now as the female elf lay in the master bedroom that once belonged to mister Frasier (and legally still did) she used her magic to scan the surrounding area for any hostile entities. Hoping that none of the magic using Vampire Slayers had tracked them here.



Instead of Slayers though, Chrissy discovered something far worse.



The elf woman got up and raced through the mansion. Navigating through a building that was overcrowded by the bulk of the Crimson Legion membership.



If Chrissy Lera had been paying more attention she might have noticed that some of the vampires that rushed to get out of her way look at her with hostility. Holding anger and resentment towards the leader who had just led them into a bloody losing battle. While other vampires simply looked depressed, their faith and optimism damaged by the recent defeat.



But the necromancer had her mind on far more serious things.



Chrissy uttered a spell to hide herself from sight and cloak her presence before entering a small office space. Once she entered the office she saw what appeared to be a small black sphere floating over the oak desk that dominated the room. Directly beneath the black sphere was a laptop computer, with a mechanical tentacle coming out of the sphere connecting the two.



The necromancer recognized both devices on sight.



The computer belonged to one of her top people in the Legion, and the black sphere was something that Imperious Industries had once tried to sell to her. An Automated Surveillance Robot (A.S.R.), which she knew had an artificial intelligence designed to crack computer security systems and the ability to send data to machines hundreds of miles away.



~It must have attached itself to one of our weapons and teleported along with us~ the necromancer realized.



Chrissy wanted to destroy the mechanical spy that moment, but she knew that a technomancer like Imperious Dakar would probably detect that immediately. Thus letting him know that Chrissy was aware of his spying. Besides the A.S.R. machine had almost certainly already told Dakar the location of all the Crimson Legion bases and all the Legion’s other most important secrets.



The necromancer left the A.S.R. and went to find the one person in the mansion she trusted completely.



She found Marian Casta in the building’s large kitchen, talking to some of the Honor Guard regarding the fallout from the failed attack on the Slayer Army headquarters. Chrissy immediately ordered the other vampires to leave the room, wanting to speak to Marian alone.



“Chrissy what’s wrong?” Marian asked as soon as they were alone. Sensing her friend’s distress.



The necromancer told Marian what she had seen, as well as her speculation regarding the machines. Then Chrissy simply waited for the vampire to respond, hoping that her friend would have a brilliant idea.



“Oh God Chrissy…what do we do?” Marian said in shock as she realized just how much trouble they and the Legion were in.



Chrissy Lera found herself missing her old friend Rosenthrall.



Marian Casta was a beautiful woman, powerful vampire, skilled lover, devoted friend, and when necessary cunning manipulator and ruthless killer. But unlike the late Minister of Defense Marian was not a soldier or military strategist.



And what they really needed right now was a military mind.

What they had was something quite different.



“We need to capture the portal facility in Sunnydale.”



“What…Chrissy that’s crazy…we just lost a battle with the Slayers…Dakar’s place will probably be even better defended” Marian said in disbelief. Afraid that Chrissy was setting her heart on another mad course of action.



But the dark elf paid no attention to her friend’s words. Her gaze was focused inward as she contemplated the grim possibilities.



“We HAVE to capture it now…otherwise Dakar will soon bring in enough of his security forces to completely overwhelm us…and the bastard knows all of the Legion’s hiding places now…he might even tell the damn Slayers and send them in first to soften up the Legion and distract me from the real attacks” Chrissy said grimly.



Marian hated to admit it to herself but Chrissy’s argument made sense. Their enemy’s discoveries changed everything.



The Crimson Legion would now have to fight or go deeper into hiding, and the Legion probably couldn’t hide effectively before Imperious Industries attacked them. So if they HAD to fight it was probably better to attack the main Imperious Industries base now before it could bring in reinforcements.



But there was one large x-factor that really worried Marian.



“Dakar might be there Chrissy…are you sure that you can face that bastard now?”



The necromancer turned away from Marian. Not sure that she could tell even her vampiric friend and lover the truth.



Chrissy Lera was powerful, smart, strong willed, and she knew it.



But Imperious Dakar and his ally Selene had defeated Chrissy like no one had before. They had done more than beat her, they had humiliated, tormented, and used her. The cruel witch Selene had even treated Chrissy like some sort of pet.



For all of her self-confidence and arrogance, the elf woman was still afraid of them.



But…



“I am CHRISSY LERA…Sunnydale is a nexus of ghostly energies, restless spirits, and disturbed life forces…those are MY DOMAIN…if Dakar fights me there I will destroy him” Chrissy told herself as much as Marian. Believing the words the instant they were spoken.



The speech made Marian Casta truly LOOK at her old friend in a way that she hadn’t in a long time.



Slender, pretty, well endowed, and friendly, on the surface of it the black skinned elf woman looked like someone who was designed for making love, not war of any sort. But as Marian looked into Chrissy Lera’s fierce crimson eyes, she was reminded again of just how Chrissy had been able to accomplish so much.



Lera believed in herself utterly, and Chrissy had the power, charisma, and strength to almost always back that belief up.



“Then I hope he’s in Sunnydale” Casta replied, and was surprised at how sincere she actually was.



*****



Once Imperious Dakar got back in the vehicle that had taken him to the V.S.A. headquarters, he took out the colored contact lenses that he had put in shortly before meeting Buffy Summers. Rubbing his eyes in an uncharacteristically human gesture after he did so.



His Mind Flayer familiar also ceased attempting to look like a normal human. Shutting off his holographic disguise once he sat down beside his master and closed the door of the armored car.



Most people would have reacted to the sight of Udragoth’s squid like head, but Imperious Dakar was used to it. Besides, other things occupied Dakar’s mind at the moment.



The technomancer psychically reached out to his cybernetic Chief of Security. Intent on discussing with Angelus what he had learned from his A.S.R. unit and agreed to after talking with Summers.



~Angelus I have learned the location of Chrissy Lera and her followers…I have also maneuvered the Slayer Army into testing their defenses for us and taking the initial causalities of any assault…I need you to assemble a strike force to wipe out the Crimson Legion immediately~ Imperious telepathically stated, sending the words directly into his cyborg enforcer’s consciousness.



Angelus simply thought his reply. Knowing that his employer would be able to ‘hear’ it despite the fact that Imperious was currently many miles away.



~That’s not possible…half my people are in the field looking for her right now…if I send you a decent strike force I will not have enough security personnel to defend this location from any serious attack.~



~How could you let things reach this point?~ Dakar answered with a hint of irritation. Finding it more difficult to hide and suppress his emotions the way he normally did when speaking mind to mind.



Angelus replied with the simple truth.



~I told you that I did not have enough personnel for this mission.~



Imperious used his neural enhancements and strength of will to bury his emotions with practiced ease. Forcing himself to be pragmatic as always.



~Send me whatever forces you can Angelus…we need to attack the Crimson Legion before they realize we are onto them and go deeper into hiding.~



*****



Matthew Abraham Jagatai was a mercenary soldier, a man who fought and killed for money rather than loyalty to any sort of organization or ideology.



Nevertheless Matthew Jagatai was a relatively decent man.



He had served Imperious Industries faithfully and well during his time with the company, he loved and provided for his wife and children, and when not ‘on the job’ he tended to be a relatively generous and compassionate person.



Matthew Jagatai probably didn’t deserve to get burned half way to death by a sorcerous fireball and then eaten alive by a pack of angry Crimson Legion vampires when he was out patrolling the area around the Sunnydale Hellmouth. Thus beginning Chrissy Lera’s long awaited retaliation against Imperious Industries and its leader.