Ship of the Line: Infinity

Disclaimer: I own Nothing!

Chapter 6: Making Friends.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Non-Human Talking"

'Non-Human Thinking'

+-*/\*-+

Xander on a regular day was a man that wasn't a stranger to pain. Growing on the hell mouth with abusive parents, nearly failing at being a vampire hunter assistant, and just the everyday life of a class clown made him well acquainted with the feeling simply known as ow. Yet as he rode in a very impressive SUV, with another two escorting the one he was currently in, the young man wanted to cry from his ear drums wishing to explode.

At the moment Xander was leading half of his forces towards the city of San Francisco. With the females in the vehicle screeching in joy when they saw the beautiful city, each girl having their purses full of fresh UNSC acquired funds. The young admiral prayed that the city stayed standing once his girls were done. He was just glad he was able to bribe Cordelia to not sing as they listened to music during their current trip, otherwise he might have really gone deaf. And from what he remembered of Lasky's memories, it hurt like hell when it came to fixing such a precious human sense.

Xander was riding in the center of their convoy, with Cordelia driving, Anne, Gwen and Aura riding with him. The SUV taking point had Scott, Johnathon, Andrew, Cassie and Lance. Finally the rear guard was made up of the remaining members of Noble Team. And while Tor made it clear he wasn't entirely sure on having Larry and his Spartans guard Xander, the admiral reminded him that the UNSC was going to give everyone a fair chance. And that meant trusting their allies as equally as any other member that had proven themselves as part of the UNSC.

It had nearly been a week since his sudden declaration of wanting to visit Reach, and while the majority agreed to visit the foreign system, a few were still uncertain. Which is why he informed those under him, and working with him, that there was no rush to decided, but more importantly, no penalty if they declined to go. In the meantime the UNSC had a forward base to finish, along with doing their best to thin out as many demons as possible in areas where they seemed to be unopposed. Mostly outside the city limits of their little piece of paradise.

Something that made his Spartans extra happy, he had to keep close to his heart the fact that his Spartans were practically hardwired to fight for humanity. Due to the massive bombshell he dropped, their meeting had quickly come to a close. Wanting his allies to marinate over Reach, he basically allowed them to do what they wanted, within reason... for two whole days. Blue Team didn't even wait for their group to disband before informing their admiral that they were ready for anything. Which is why Jenny recommended Cordelia to take them for a quick demon hunting trip to Las Vegas. Info gather by a certain gypsy clan had made it clear that there was a growing threat in the city of sin.

Cordelia was more than excited to prove herself and was quick to accept. Of course she was a bit upset that she had to take a team of ODST with her. The team that was now being led by Lance, and made up of Anne, Scott and Johnathon. The Queen of Sunnydale was also unhappy that he had designated Scott as the main pilot for one of their limited stealth pelicans. But considering the fact that the ODST's flight scores were higher, along with the fact that he has real flight hours under his belt, had her pouting while accepting him. The rest of the newly designated members of Sword Team were to provide security for the Pelican, while Blue Team went on to get a threat assessment of a city that isn't located above or near a hell mouth.

The UNSC was left a bit unnerved when they learned that there was more than one hell mouth on earth, and that no one was really certain which were active or dormant. The lack of such of intelligence got some of the AI to rush to correct such a vital weakness. Xander on the meantime asked Giles and Jenny to please help him gain the necessary knowledge through what sources they could. With the promises of reimbursing them in a reasonable manner.

At the moment they were going to make first contact with a force of good, one that the local rat named Willy had confirmed was starting to face much harder opposition. And as far as the UNSC was concerned that made the group of white hatters into friends they had yet to meet. Which is why Xander had originally planed to have Blue Team go with him. But after the others heard the details of the mission, and more importantly its location, he found himself swamped with quite a bit of volunteers.

He really wished he had talked to Blue Team before handing out his people's first paycheck. While it brought a smile to his face, as he saw their eyes grow in awe, since he was paying them more than a fair amount. The reason being that he was giving them a UNSC paycheck…and with the future inflation of the dollar… their pay was far more than the regular or even elite warriors of earth. For some reason Roland had made it clear that they were even being paid more than the forces working under the banner of SGC. Which instantly had some of the AI laughing.

So in the end Xander had taken another lesson to heart. Never declare a mission to a famous city after pay day. Especially when there was the promise of free time after they took care of business. With the sudden changes of members heading out, along with the extended time away from Alpha Base. Blue Team decided to sit this mission out. Something that Noble Team didn't mind, since they had gotten bored of constantly building and guarding of Alpha Base.

The young admiral was just happy that Jenny and Warren had been able to keep Willow busy as they continued to get her used to UNSC Tech. Xander had expected Willow to take to the tech like a fish to water, but even he was still impressed at how quickly she was catching on. Katrina at the moment was doing her best to become the first UNSC associated doctor to graduate from the UNSC academy. Xander was sure that when she finished her course she would one day become the leading expert in the field of medicine. Shame it would take a few years for her to finish. Jenny unfortunately suffered a clear drop in the knowledge she had first gained from Dr. Halsey. While the woman knew enough to have a conversation about nearly anything. She was unfortunately unable to continue the projects the good Doctor had planned for the Infinity. The good news was that she was adopting to the UNSC tech much faster than Willow…something Xander hadn't thought possible.

'There is nothing Organic on earth capable of being smarter than my Yellow Crayon buddy. She'll surpass Miss. C before I even know it.' Xander's mind filled with pride as the mousy ginger left many of his crew in awe at how endlessly incredible her mind could be. Buffy on the other hand was too busy hunting down then beating, cutting, hacking and slashing to death any demon threat she could find. He was pretty sure he had heard Giles complain that she was killing things much faster than what he could record at one point. The mas eternity grateful of the body cam that was recording her actions for future analysis. On the other hand, Sunnydale's supernatural community was going through all kinds of hell trying to stay out of the blond's gleeful rampage. Making Willy more than happy to have allied with the UNSC, since they gave him a panic button in case he ever needed some muscle. Because even if the man was catering to monsters, it didn't change the fact that they would be more than happy to eat him when drunk enough. The man had one too many close calls for him to ever consider rejecting free protection detail.

"Our exit is coming up." Xander said as he recognized one of the highway signs that his data pad told him to look out for.

"Is there a reason why we can't visit these… witches at a later time?" Aura asked for the girls in the car. The young admiral had no doubt that the girls would be more than willing to rush to the local malls than dealing with their to be meeting.

"They have been facing demons for a fair amount of time. Probably as much as Buffy has..." Xander's words making a more serious atmosphere fill the vehicle. "I had called them a few days earlier and while it took some work… not to mention a bit of funds… I finally got them to agree to allow us to meet the "Charmed Ones"..." Xander said while making a quotation mark with his fingers. Getting some of the girls to smile, while having Cordelia roll her eyes in good nature for his random acts of goofiness.

"The AI had done quite a bit of research on them and found that they are considered to be quite the force of good. Even if they don't join up with us I still want them to be able to rely on us."

"Like Buffy?" Cordelia words making Xander lock eyes with hers on the rear view mirror.

"Magic is powerful and a completely unknown variable to us… I want to get some serious experts on call in case we ever need them."

"Makes sense… they'll just be another form of specialist like Dr. C and Rosenberg." Gwen said making Xander nod his head and give her a look that showed he was proud of her understanding his way of thought.

"Xander…" Anne said making the sole male in the vehicle to focus on her. "How do you plan to win them over? I've been going over some of the intelligence we have and it seems they have dealt with treason on more than one occasion. Along with regular attacks on their home, this isn't a group that will be easy to win over. You don't have the history that you had with the Slayer and her Watcher."

"I'm going to do it in the manner I wish for the UNSC to handle all potential allies, with truth, loyalty and rewards for everybody. I don't want to twist anyone's arm into following us, otherwise I'll always be looking for a dagger wanting to stab me in the back. I know things won't always work out… but I don't plan to stop doing things the right way. I want to die a hero not the villain of my story." Xander said with a smile making the girls to return it.

"Looks like we are here Admiral." Cordelia said with professionalism, her tone making Xander's face become more serious. Anne quickly got out and looked around to ensure no immediate threat was nearby. The men in the other two cars doing the same. The only ones that stayed in the vehicles were the drivers as the others stepped out. Just in case they needed a quick get away if things turned sour. Finally Xander's foot finally hit the sidewalk, only when the confirmation of a lack of danger was delivered.

His mind couldn't help but feel proud that some of the Huragok and Sentinels had done one hell of a job of making them civilian styled vehicles. All for that the UNSC could be able to transports themselves through out the open. The only difference being that these specially armored suv's had docking clamps for that pelicans can do an emergency pick up. Cordelia and Warren practically had money signs in their eyes as they thought about fabricating more copies for retail. At the rate that the UNSC kept having to dumb their tech down to use on earth, Xander was sure it wouldn't be long for an AI to dedicate itself to such a desperately needed operation. Something that he desperately supported for the good of not only the UNSC but all of mankind.

'I need my blue tooth damn it.' Xander thought with a frown on his face, he could have really used the ability to listen to music during the last few hours of travel. Being tortured by high school girls with money, while they were simply being high school girls with money, was not fun… no matter how attractive the girls happen to be. His man card had nearly been shredded by their endless chatter about fashion and similar things of that nature. He was just thankful they hadn't started talking about feminine hygiene. 'Next time Andrew will ride with them. I don't care what any one has to say about my safety… its for the good of my sanity.'

Xander couldn't help but smile as he saw and heard some women rushing around in the house as he got closer. He had informed his soldiers that they were to ensure a safe perimeter around the property, while he made his way to the door with Aura and Gwen at his side. Once again the UNSC war council had over ridden his plans on who he could meet unknowns with. Still he did feel quite safe with two spartan IIIs at his side. Making sure he looked presentable in the suit Cortana had bought for him, which led with him being used as a ken doll by Buffy, Cordelia and Willow. And after being subtle about checking the magnum and energy sword he had hidden on his body, just in case the worst happened, even if he doubted it would. Xander was ready to enter the well fortified home of the three wikkan sisters known to the super natural world as the Charmed Ones.

+-*/\*-+

{Sunnydale, on the main shopping strip, within the walls of a seasonal costume store}

The sound of walls and doors being smashed open made a certain English born mage to jump in shock. Especially since one of the doors happened to be his emergency exit. Before Ethan Rayne got a chance to chant a spell he found himself smashed into a wall with great force, and then flipped to the ground with his arm locked by a physically stronger being. No doubt that whatever just manhandled him was something far beyond human.

For a moment the chaos mage went so far as to think that the local overpowered warlock had decided his innocent and good natured fun wasn't to the man's taste. And while the city mayor had a twisted way of thought, there were still certain rules the man didn't cross, and Ethan's spell had been testing the limits of those rules. Yet the fact that he felt a gun to the back of his head, and still no bullet, made the man take the risk to look at his assailants. He paled a bit as he recognized the teens around him, as the purchasers of the popular video game based super soldiers. The fact that they had captured him in a manner, that even a certain British order had failed to do, meant that they were much more than what he had planned for them to become. He certainly didn't plan for them to keep any form of power or skills from their chosen costumes.

"Ethan Rayne… you have the honor of being drafted by the UNSC for the good of the earth. Congratulations." Tor calmly stated making the eyes of the chaos mage to grow with disbelief. Before the man had a chance to make a single sound as his mouth opened, he felt a powerful sleeping aid being injected into his neck. Rhonda couldn't help the vindictive smirk on her face as she painfully twisted and basically ripped out the needle from the man's neck.

"You know... if he was awake and capable of feeling anything at all... that would have hurt like a bitch." Kyle said as he saw the man bleeding from the needle wound much more than what was needed. Rhonda rolled her eyes as Tor placed a large bandage on the man's neck, one that he had clearly been expecting to use.

"Like anyone actually cares what happens to this guy?… Now who wants to help me put him in the body bag?" Heidi asked with an innocent smile as she held up a black zip-able bag with both hands.

"And this is why you guys have trouble making friends" The beautiful AI known as Cortana said as she saw Ethan being stuffed into Heidi's body bag, instead of being carefully placed in it. She knew for a fact that the human body wasn't designed to be moved in such a rough manner. "By the Precursors… please don't toss him in the truck like a sack potatoes. Remember that the Admiral said that he wanted the man in one piece." Cortana said with a deadpan as Kyle lifted the chaos mage on his shoulders just like if the British Tourist happened to be a sack of potatoes. She wasn't sure if Blue Team was messing with her or if they truly wished to turn the man into a walking bruise. Either way, she knew that Xander was going to have a much harder time convincing the man to get in line, compared to what he should have with that trio of witches.

'To think that it was thanks to a chaos mage of all things that gave me the chance to be able to prepare humanity.' Cortana thought as she heard Ethan's body be thrown into the SUV Blue Team was using. She couldn't help but sigh as Rhonda got one last lick in on the man before Tor closed the rear door. Only to have him open it again as Heidi pouted for her to get a chance to hit the man as well. Kyle was shaking his head as he got into the driver seat for that they could finish their current mission. Cortana watched with disbelief as her favorite spartan team showed a mean streak she never considered them to ever be capable of hiding from her. She hoped that the British mage didn't end up going like the Precursors… killed by those that they had created and empowered. Still, it would be fun debriefing Roland and the Admiral when they got back to Alpha Base. Until then this recent mission was going to be redacted for the benefit of her favorite caveman and his family.

+-*/\*-+

{Within the higher planes that mortals were hardly ever allowed to visit}

"We're all going to die!" A young yet divine like entity yelled as he watched from a pool that was showing an event that they had never considered possible. Many white lighters had gotten together to watch the many changes that had been overcoming the earth. They were all awed and yet horrified that humanity was suddenly gaining strength and unity in a way they never had thought possible. For the Elders, watching from their own display of the earth. They hadn't seen such a thing since the parasitic demons with a god complex had been overthrown by the champions and children of the real gods they had impersonated. Those chaotic times had done all kinds of damage towards humanity's faith in anything supernatural. Making the forces that normally guided them and protected them to become nothing more than a fragment of what they used to be. Which is why Humanity seemed to become darker and more violent as time went on, with only the creator's power never being weakened… since it was the creator of all things. And much more perverted, they could never forget that… Which was something they thought the ancient Greeks had monopolized. But then came Japan… and unfortunately that was basically all that needed to be said. They did good work... some of it just happened to be extremely perverted work.

"Silence." A large whitelighter in black and intimidating armor ordered as he bitch slapped the panicking whitelighter in training. Leo honestly felt such a thing wasn't needed, then again the young man laying unconscious wasn't the usual whitelighter. The boy had earned his spot by sacrificing himself during a school shooting. While the kid was a coward by nature and had no real friends, he still found the courage to tackle a demented soul out of the fourth floor of a college building. All in order to save the ones that had tormented both the shooter and his own self. It was that sudden selfless act of courage that had him join their ranks… as a trainee under the guidance of the black knight of Camelot.

"Be at ease Mordred… while its true that little Tommy once again overreacted, such violence was unnecessary." An elder said as he entered the room to calm the group of whitelighters that were suddenly drawn to watch over the house of the Charmed Ones. Leo on the other hand was now panicking as he finally got a glance at the house that was suppose to be visited by the newest and rapidly growing power on earth. Without bothering to get answers or directions Leo quickly made his way to the Halliwell house.

"Well that's not going to end well." A female whitelighter said as Mordred wonder if the fallout was going to be as bad as when his father found his step mom "wrestling" with Lancelot.

+-*/\*-+

{Back on Earth in the Halliwell Manor}

Alexander L. Lasky did his best to give off an aura of peace and harmony as he looked upon the three sisters before him. Each one beautiful in their own way, and each one making chills go down his spine. While at first he thought he was going to be dealing with someone similar to Miss. Calendar… he now knew that such a way of thought was completely wrong.

While the trio were magic users of the truest form, they unconsciously carried themselves as warriors of their hidden yet now mutual war. Prue the oldest was sitting before him, flanked by her sisters Piper and Phoebe. He wasn't sure what was wrong with the youngest but she was starting to look constipated in his eyes. When one took account the way she kept closing her eyes and making odd faces as if trying to force something to happen. Piper while being courteous enough to offer them something to drink was busy glaring at his UNSC entourage. Aura returning the sour look as Gwen kept her eyes on the man that Xander knew didn't fit. At least he didn't a few moments ago before suddenly appearing out of a white light. Still he took note that the trio of witches seemed more at ease with the man being present. Hopefully they could now start a proper conversation since they had been sitting in silence for at least ten minutes. Now that Xander thought about it, that was probably the quietest he had been in a long time. No doubt all the teachers in his life were currently feeling that they had missed out on something amazing. Sucks to be them as far as he was concerned.

"Nice of you to drop in..." Xander said with a tone that made it seem like teleportation wasn't a big deal.

"I wish it was under better terms Prophecy Breaker." Leo said making the eyes of all the human's to focus on him.

"That's a new one." Xander said with uncertainty clearly on his face. "Don't ever remember being called that before… neat." Making his spartan escort to look at him with a deadpan face

"Leo do you know who he is?" Piper asked while her fingers prepared to freeze the group before her. Even if she could see through the windows that the other teens were looking ready to rush in if needed. It left the trio of witches extremely uncomfortable to see their house surrounded by what they thought were child soldiers.

"Can't really go into details at the moment but the young man before you is the leader of the most technologically advanced fighting force on earth..."

"And beyond... the UNSC isn't just limited to humanity's cradle." Xander said with pride as he thought of the Infinity and its overwhelming might. Not really caring about the frown from the adults overt the fact that his words interrupted the man. As far as he was concerned he could be rude as well, since they were talking about him like he wasn't even in the room.

"Should I silence him Admiral?" Gwen asked in a calm tone, instantly making Leo uncomfortable, he had a rough idea on what the blond before him was capable of. All active whitelighters had been quickly briefed about a group of super soldiers that were able to equal a Slayer in battle. And that was a level of fighting he wasn't sure if his charges were capable of facing and at such close range. In the meantime the Charmed Ones were looking at Xander with a level of disbelief that was tainted by a bit of disgust. Xander sighed as he figured they thought of him as some kind of weird pervert.

"My name is Alexander Lasky, and due to a recent brush of chaos magic, I suddenly found myself in charge of a group capable of doing great good for the earth and its people." Xander said as he felt it was time to just rip the bandage off. Before things can go FUBAR and cause him all kinds of paperwork. "At the moment, I happen to have more guns that hands capable of wielding them. And due to UNSC charter I can't just hand it over to the earth and expect everyone to play nice."

Xander's words making the sisters understand where he was coming from. They had also seen what someone with bad intentions was capable of when they were suddenly given power they didn't earned.

"If I was just fighting a Xeno threat or even just plain old monsters I wouldn't have bothered to be here. At least not this early in our empowering." Xander said after he gave the witches a moment to digest what he had said. "However there is forces at work here that I don't have the ability to comprehend. I can't focus on protecting the earth from outer threats if leave myself open to dangers I can't even foresee." Xander's words making Phoebe's eyes to grow with shock.

"So your here to take one of us?" Prue nearly growled out making Xander confused. Leo was growing pale as he saw the two Spartan females planing on how to take down the Halliwell's sisters and him as painfully as possible. Piper hands were sweaty from how badly she wanted to freeze them. And the eldest sister was ready to send them flying through the walls of her home.

"Take you?" Xander asked with confusion before shaking his head. "I simply wish to explain who I am, thank you for helping to keep the world turning and finally, but more importantly, hoping to help make your lives easier." Xander said before nodding towards Aura. The dark skinned spartan quickly reached into her purse and pulled out a packaged device and placed it on the table between the two groups. Prue making a quick gesture with her hands and brought it towards her. Xander's eyes filled with respect as he saw his first act of magic that wasn't directed towards an innocent, his friends, himself or even enemies. It was quite impressive to see them use their power for such a mundane thing. Still it was probably safer than reaching out for it herself, yet such knowledge didn't change his inner child from throwing a jealousy fueled tantrum.

"In there is a very rare and special technological device. No matter where you are in the world you will be able to make calls to anyone on the planet for free... I hope to have you three use it to keep in touch with us. Along with requesting supplies, man power and even making reports of the demonic threat you happen to face. If you ever need some heavy firepower or extra bodies to deal with a threat... we wish to be there. And naturally we will give financial compensation for any help sent our way." Xander said as the packaging was opened so that the Charmed Ones can see a data pad that was common among the civilians of the UNSC. It had a special GPS and detonation device that was nearly impossible to detect or identify. This was the only way he could give out UNSC tech without worrying about it being stolen. The moment the thing was tampered with, the attempted hacker would cause it to send out a distress beacon that would give the pad's location before self destructing.

Phoebe seeing how advanced it looked was quick to take it and start messing with it. Her eyes growing with disbelief as she went over the tech, programs and over all the things she could accomplish with it. She could already see that the thing was generations in advance to anything on earth, mainly since it was ready to use within a heart beat. Prue had a light frown on her face as she could hear her sisters starting to fight over the device. Leo wasn't sure how to react, while he knew that the UNSC was an unknown force that was quickly changing the balance of the world. He couldn't ignore the fact that they were willing to fight for the trio he was suppose to be protecting. Something that would be for the best when it came to the Charmed Ones.

"Leo… is what he saying to be true?" Prue asked the only person she could trust that knew more about the group before her.

"From what we have seen of their current activities… yes. The UNSC hasn't really done anything to put anyone in danger. They have upset a number of nations of the earth… but they haven't done it with ill intentions." The whitelighter said making Xander frown. He wonder what kind of mischief his AIs were currently getting into. He wasn't sure if he should be proud or upset. Either way, at the end all he cared about was that the UNSC was doing its one true duty.

"All we want is to fight off any threats to the earth and her colonies. The UNSC is the shield and sword of humanity, as long as the civilian population is cared for, we don't really care who runs the government. So long as they are able to properly guide and provided for its people in a just manner." Xander said making the witches before him to look at him with shock.

"We're self sufficient, our numbers is made of volunteers that had a brush with the supernatural and didn't like what we saw." Gwen said as her eyes made it clear that she would fight for humanity to her dying breath.

"We might look young, and no doubt many are going to think they know better. But there is too many people dying out there for us to waste time playing stupid political games." Aura added with passion in her voice.

"You don't have to fight at our side, there are plenty of roles specialist like yourselves can fill." Xander said making the eyes of the charmed ones to grow.

"Specialist?" Piper asked with uncertainty that someone saw their gifts in such a manner.

"The earth has many wonders and secrets humanity has yet to discover. Unfortunately for every good thing we find there tends to be four additional bad ones. Many of those threats can't be taken down with just a gun. We need good people to help us with the more arcane arts at the moment, otherwise we might make a mistake we can't take back." Xander said as he made it clear why he was here. "The UNSC always takes care of their own, even if they are just allies or civilian consultants."

"Can we have some time to think it over?" Prue said as her sisters were processing everything that had just been told to them.

"Or course… but if you need us, don't hesitate to call. You'll do more good for the world if you three are alive and well. Its been a pleasure." Xander said as he stood with his spartan guards following him out of the house. The majority of the Charmed Ones and the Whitelighter watched the teens with uncertainty.

"I'm online." Phoebe suddenly said with excitement making her sisters and friend to look at her with disbelief. To think that she had never moved her eyes from the tech in her hands since it came on.

+-*/\*-+

Giles watched once more as the slayer before him maintained her new gear with a level of dedication he had never seen before. The fact that he now stood in the ship Playing Dirty, a name he was sure Xander had personally given to the stealth ship, with the ODST taking inventory and securing dangerous artifacts. It was something he had never thought possible. As Buffy and the Spartans began their purging of the more violent demons of Sunnydale, they had been running into things that could one day become a threat. Which is why Jenny had recommended to have one of the many high grade storage units in the Infinity house the items that were secure enough to keep. Anything too dangerous Xander planned to put into a probe and launch it to the closest black hole he could find. And thanks to slipspace technology such a journey was now something they could see happen in their current life.

The Watcher couldn't wait for the day they could do this in public. Every dark artifact, cursed weapon, and sealed demon could one day be launched from the earth and be sent to a terrible death. The Ripper within hoped to see that day as soon as possible. In the mean time he was going to accept Xander's generosity and allow Buffy to use their base's gym to push her limits. Along with maintaining her gear, using their locker rooms and giving Buffy a form of employment, so that she could find some good in the destiny she had been given. Not to mention a way she could provide for herself that wouldn't depend on her needing a job with regular business hours.

'Now all I need to do is have her consider going into college.' The watcher thought with a smile, as he was now able to make such plans with the young girl he was charged with helping to deal with such a heavy destiny. The same slayer that was finally being given a chance to dream such things.

+-*/\*-+

{In the small brig of Alpha Base}

"What did you four do?" Katrina wanted to yell at Blue Team as she watched them finish dumping a man into the lone cell they had just built earlier. The field medic in training couldn't believe they missed the bed and had the guy land on the hard concrete face first. She could see the other four cell's had no signs of being done any time soon.

"Xander wanted the chaos mage brought before him… we accomplished the mission."Tor said with pride in his voice as his classmate looked at him with disbelief. Her eyes darting from the heroically standing Spartans IIs and the man that looked like he had been tenderized by a stamped.

"Please tell me this is exactly how you found him." The leader of the freshly made Shield Team demanded from her fellow UNSC members.

"I can assure you… I was in a much fresher condition before meeting such wonder returning customers." Ethan groaned from the floor, making Heidi want to kick the snitch in the face. Unfortunately with Katrina ready to bring the gavel down on them, they couldn't afford to give the man some more tender loving care. It didn't take long for the normally neutral female to become one of the core members of their war council. Since she was the only person they had able to heal them… such highly valued skills and knowledge allowing her to rise in the ranks quickly. Any soldier knew that it wasn't good for their health to upset the lone medic.

"He wasn't willing to come peacefully." Tor-117 said as Blue Teams nodded their heads.

"I didn't know anyone was wanting to see me… I don't think I'm going to be receiving my deposit back." Ethan complained making Rhonda kick towards the direction of the man's head. The chaos mage managed to thank his patron god, that Kyle was quick enough and caught her before dragging her from the British citizen. Katrina let out a sigh as Heidi and Tor looked at her like they were children that didn't mean to eat five gallons of ice cream during Saturday morning cartoons.

"In their defense the guy had it coming." Cortana said making Katrina glare at the AI. "Oh my...I think I heard Roland calling." The blue AI disappeared from Playing Dirty and decided to stay within the prowler's network until Xander came back.

"I want you four to put up all your gear and weapons… finish building these cells..." Katrina said making Blue Team frown at the thought of being put into doing such lame manual labor. That's what the ODST were for after all, and if not them, atleast they could use the sentinels. "And then throw yourselves in there!" The medic finished with a yell that quickly surprised the Spartans.

"Sounds fair to me." Ethan said before suddenly groaning in pain. Blue Team and Katrina had been shocked to see a bolt of energy hit the man. They looked towards the origin and found both Giles and Jenny standing at the door of the brig. The light fragments of power cracking in Giles hand made it clear he had been the source. Both Buffy and Willow had been left in awe at the sudden show of power.

"Ethan is an extremely wanted international criminal… a part of me feels that he hadn't suffered enough." The Watcher said making Blue Team nod their heads in complete agreement.

"What are you waiting for Spartans? You have been given your next orders." Jenny said making Blue team look at each other before leaving the room with their heads down.

"Will they really have to thrown themselves in the Cells next to that creep?" Buffy suddenly asked as she popped her head from behind Giles. Willow doing the same from behind Jenny.

"I think having them do the labor without pay should be enough punishment for now. Roland is running an investigation on the orders they were given by Xander and how much they went against it." Jenny said making Buffy feel that there was clearly some things that the UNSC wasn't suppose to be doing thanks to their own charter.

Katrina had already started treating the man for the injuries he had sustained. Being as careful as possible and ensuring to make the chaos mage was as comfortable as possible. Making a note to push to have a psychiatrist added to their ranks as soon as possible. This unforeseen act of violence from Blue Team was something that couldn't be ignored. To make things worse who knew what the other members could be hiding withing their own psyche.

"I'm feeling a very strange air coming from you Ripper." Ethan said making the man frown, since the watcher had been looking with pride as the young medic treated his former friend.

"A part of me wants to rip you a new one for the stunt you pulled recently..." The man said with a look that made Ethan wish he had left the country when given the chance. However he also knew that at the moment there were a lot of supernatural organizations after his hide. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that at this time many had learned that he was the cause for the creation of the ship, The same powerful and futuristic ship that had been sitting in earth's orbit a little over a week ago. Something that had brought all kinds of chaos through out the planet, shame his patron god hadn't given him a proper raise in power for his work.

Unfortunately for the man the PTB had done all they could to weaken Janus as much as possible. Hoping to prevent the god of change from doing too much damage to their precious balance. Unfortunately they should have been paying more attention to the recent prophecy breaker, something they were starting to greatly regret.

"However one of my charges had made it clear that you have done far more good for Humanity than any chaos mage has ever even dreamed of doing." Giles' words making the man's eyes to grow with disbelief.

"While there was lost of life and many more missing, the UNSC has been able to save hundreds more in the last week thanks to them suddenly existing and now operating on Earth. Tilting the scales enough in your favor that the Admiral didn't have Blue Team eliminate you… no matter how much Rupert asked him to." Jenny said making the man feel grateful for teenagers being so rebellious.

"Then why did this Blue Team go and treat me in such a rough manner? That's no way to treat such an important guest" The man asked with confusion in his voice.

"People still died because of the Halloween Incident, six of them being children." Katrina said making the man look a bit sick. "They probably felt that you deserved such pain, since they weren't allowed to make you pay in the manner they felt would make things right."

"My Spartans were raised to become Humanity's greatest protectors. For them to learn that they failed to do their duty, while regrouping, is something they could never forgive themselves with. The admiral wishes to keep the UNSC free from any future and similar failures. Which is why you have been brought here… to repent for the sins you have committed." Jenny said making the man look at her with disbelief. Katrina had anticipated the man reacting negatively and had moved from him at a faster speed than he could reach while standing up.

"You can't be serious."

"They are… and so am I." Giles said making his old friend stare at him with disbelief. "The UNSC is gaining power and knowledge in hopes of one day purging the earth of all demonic threat. I had advised Admiral Lasky that only white and neutral mages were needed. However he made it clear that he needed specialist from all branches of magic that happen to be willing to cooperate."

"Which would include chaos based magic." Ethan said as he calmed down thanks to the watcher's words.

"The UNSC would like to offer you protection, resources, health benefits, and retirement plans. And perhaps one day a home on Reach where you can practice your magic freely, as long as you keep from taking human lives." Roland suddenly said making the eyes of the magic users in the room to grow with disbelief. Ethan was mostly shocked to see something he had thought could only exist in silly science fiction media. "I highly advice that you be courteous enough to not only listen to what we have to say, but also properly consider the options that are soon to be placed before you." Roland said his words in a way that made it clear to Ethan that the man wouldn't last long if he didn't fall into line. With Giles and Jenny standing so calmly, it made it extra clear to the man that they had no plans to lend him a hand. Even if two out of the three teenage girls didn't really get the hidden meaning.

+-*/\*-+

{San Francisco during sunset}

"So what's next on our list." Larry asked Xander as they enjoyed a meal at the local and surprisingly good burger franchise they found. At the moment the admiral and two spartans were enjoying their meal at a patio table.

After visiting Halliwell Manor, Xander had informed his escort that they were going to spend six hours in the city to do whatever they wanted. Larry and Dale volunteered to keep the Admiral safe while the others had their fun in the city. The two spartans were quick to notice a frown grow on their leaders face. They looked towards a group of men that didn't seem quite right. While one might confuse them for humans with ugly faces. Xander could tell they were something inhuman pretending to fit in. The one thing that gave them away was the hate, lust and hunger they gave to the humans walking near them.

"They have a Korean Restaurant as their base?" Dale asked with disbelief.

"Evil is always willing to do anything to find a way."Xander said with a frown as he felt some negative vibes from the place. His eyes glaring as something within was telling him that there was nothing good from the place that had caught their attention.

"I'll have Noble Team ready for sortie within the hour." Larry said making Xander give him a nod in gratitude.

"Cerberus is searching through our archives in hopes of finding any potential leads. He's is also contacting Willy for whatever bit he could feed us." Dale said as he looked into the smart phone in his hand. The fifth spartan II couldn't believe how much easier the small device made his life. He couldn't wait for the rest of the world to become more compatible with their tech.

"Try to leave a few of them healthy enough for us to interrogate…. Our plans for tomorrow is to make our ways to a certain little bar to meet with some more potential recruits. Miku-chan is keeping me updated with what is going on with the place. Looks like they are planning to hold us quite the welcoming." Xander said with a smirk making the members of Noble to nod their heads.

"Does that mean we get to meet them in full gear?" Larry asked with excitement.

"I've read the reports about the average hunter here in the states. They'll probably be quicker to treat us like demons before allies." Dale said making Xander nod his head.

"Which is why we are going to meet them fully armed, but willing to undergo their procedures to make them feel as comfortable as possible. Who knows what kind of weapons these supernatural militia happen to carry." Xander said with a bit of pride in his voice. When the human members of the UNSC had finally been fully briefed on the number of hunters around the world. They were shocked to hear about the nearly hundred of thousands of individuals doing their best to protect humanity from the demons and monsters. Sure they were spread through out the world, and compared to the rest of the population they weren't as high as Xander would wish for, but at least they won't have to worry about building everything from the ground up.

"Sounds like we'll be using a few bubble shields before we finish our meet and greet." Larry said making Xander sigh. The ability to create a nearly impregnable safe point was highly valuable in any battle. So valuable that at the moment it was cheaper for the Infinity to fabricate more RPG launchers than portable shields. It was one of the many things the Patrolling group of frigates were looking for in the system. While there was a ridiculous amount of metals in the local asteroid belt. It seemed that many exotic materials, especially key ones needed for covenant and forerunner tech was currently non existing in Sol.

And while Cordelia had offered the idea to send the frigate group to known mining sites. Xander wasn't ready to have them travel so far on their own. The Earth need to be protected and the memories of the UNSC's Earth being invaded was making the young admiral all kinds of paranoid. The fact that his earth was so under developed made the young man act in an even more defensive nature.

Its why he was pushing the Engineers and Sentinels to build so many key factories to help feed their desperately needed war machine. Xander had learned long ago why one person was unable carry the weight of the world, it was just too much. It's why he was being a bit reckless in his recruiting and why he was more or less desperate to increase their numbers. It's why he didn't push Giles into working for the UNSC. He would rather have the man as a distant ally than risk making him hostile.

'Its a necessary evil… for now.' The young admiral thought with distaste as his spartans decided to let him think in peace. They had been given a glimpse of all the things Xander was currently trying to administrate. The entirety of the human members of the UNSC had been nearly horrified at how little time the Admiral was giving himself to relax. At this point he only slept five maybe six hours at most per day. The rest of the time the guy had his nose in his Data Pad, doing everything he could to keep up with all the work the AIs and the Engineers were reporting. Which usually ended up being hundred of reports every few days. Reports that at the moment only he could truly approve. Which is why Cordelia and Katrina started to push themselves harder in their academic training. And why Larry, Tor and finally Lance were doing everything they could to become the best squad leaders they could. And while Katrina and Lance were both ODST leaders, it was clear that Shield Team was mostly going to be stationed in Sunnydale. This being the fact that Andrew and Warren were hyper focused on learning about UNSC tech as much as possible. Warren working on making the most basic tech available to humanity and Andrew on seeing what he could improve on their current equipment. The Engineers and the addition of Dot made their transition to proper combat engineers much easier than if they had been on their own.

With Jenny and Willow now on board, it would double perhaps even quadruple their R&D efficiency. Even if Xander knew that sole fact was true, it still wasn't enough... but at least he had a solid foundation. He prayed every night that things would get easier for his organization and people, he didn't care which god answered, as long as they heard him. Merging with Lasky's had apparently made him much more religious than what he had previously been. And it wasn't the fact that the man went to church on a regular schedule. What made Lasky believe in a higher power was learning about and personally seeing how much good one person can do. That person being the Master Chief and his nearly one man campaign that led to the destruction of the Covenant and the Flood.

And while he personally knew how one person can keep the world spinning, he wasn't willing to make such a sacrifice. Especially since he had two squads of super soldiers that had been raised with the mentality that such a thing was expected from them. Xander wanted his UNSC to endure the future and all of its challenges, not cripple itself while hoping to survive. He wanted Humanity to stand tall, so that anything that dared faced them would tremble at their feet like if they were unconquerable giants.

'Still… Rome wasn't built over night…. But lets see if I can fortify Reach in under five years.' Xander thought with a smirk before pulling up the initial data they had on the sister world of their beloved Earth. Something that not only caught the attention of his spartans but also made them excited.

"So I'm thinking of creating a wider and much larger Mac Gun defense grid than even what the UEG had for their Earth…Forerunner enhancements soon to be the standard."Xander's words instantly making the heads of the two males to nod in approval as he continued to pitch his plans.

+-*/\*-+

{Sunnydale near some abandoned warehouses}

A warthog came to a stop near the area where its occupants were going to start up a fight. Buffy jumped out of the personal carrier armored vehicle. A small frown on her face, over the fact that they couldn't travel in the open with the gatling gun, a dangerous weapon that the Slayer had learned was detachable from the machine's frame. Sadly she had shown a lack of proficiency with live fire arms that was quite surprising. And it was only thanks to Tor being nearby and able to physically stop her from dropping an smg while it was firing. It seemed that while the slayer spirit made the girl into a monster at close combat and any necessary armaments. It didn't have much love for modern weaponry. Something that Xander found stupid and planned to fix with sticking Buffy into many hours of repetitive practice. Giles was glad for the help, along with the fact he wasn't paying for the rounds. The watcher was even getting some of his own practice done, with the assistance of Jenny, skills that was surprising to know it came from Halsey herself.

Katrina soon got out of the shotgun seat as Andrew finished securing the keys of the vehicle he had just been driving. Warren carrying a battle rifle known for its incredible stopping power. Andrew had an smg in his hands, while Cassie had a shotgun that was customized to be lighter than normal. Katrina had a standard assault rifle in her hands as she gave out signs to her team to secure the nest that was soon to be cleared. Giles watched in silence as the ODST no longer resembled the students he knew. They moved like a team of special commandos as they prepared to support the lone slayer if she were to need them. Cassie was the closest to Buffy and soon secured the doors that the combat specialist just entered. Andrew and Warren soon split around the building and prepared to engage any potential runners. Giles watched once more with awe as Katrina pulled out a grappling gun and reeled herself to the roof. It was only the fact that vampires weren't known to start hunting until closer to midnight that allowed them make a move with the sundown that was upon them.

The sound of two floating stealth sentinels made Giles feel even more blessed than before. He had personally seen during an earlier joint mission the power of their sentinel beams. The librarian did his best to understand what Roland and Jenny tried to teach him about the rare units that was to be protecting them. These stealth sentinels were designed and made by the UNSC with only a hundred ready for sortie. The majority was doing scouting missions, along with playing guardian angel for the hunters that Miku felt were going to be willing to join them. Along with a trio watching over the Charmed Ones. But more importantly a few were stationed with the few world leaders that did their best to make the world a better place.

"Fucking slayer." An injured vampire growled, nearly whimpered out, after receiving a beating from Buffy. The freshly raised vampire watched with disbelief as a girl younger looking than the slayer raised a shotgun that looked ridiculously big in her hands. Cassie was the youngest of all the UNSC members, she was actually smaller than Buffy as well. Which is why the vamp was completely brain dead when he saw her raise the weapon with strength and ease that would fit better on a veteran Navy Seal. It didn't get a chance to react, much less comprehend, as the close range weapon with a silencer blew his head off. The youngest ODST was glad that the man turned to dust before she was able to be covered by gore. But even if it hadn't turned to ash, at least she would be protected from the potential mess by her full body ODST uniform. Something that Buffy was a bit jelly about.

The near whispered sounds of additional silenced firearms soon filled the air as the rest of the team dealt with the other runners. If the watcher didn't know what to hear for, he was sure it would have been drowned out by the sound of Buffy wrecking the nest and its inhabitants.

"Mr. Giles we have three survivors!" Katrina's voice suddenly came from the walkies he was allowed to borrow from the armory. The man's eyes growing with shock as he soon heard three windows be broken from the charging ODST. He soon saw young Cassie enter the potentially dangerous building with confidence and determination that he had only seen from the veterans of the Watcher's rival organization. The sentinels de-cloaked and took point before using their sentinel beams to destroy the main doors. Giles quickly collected himself as the sounds of fighting grew louder from the warehouse they were parked in front of. He soon reached the warthog and pulled out a large field medic kit. Once more the sound of a window breaking filled the air. From the upper railings of the warehouse a vampire came crashing to the ground. One sentinel made quick work of it as the other kept watch on the main door. It screams of pain from being torched with a beam of concentrated energy brought a smile to the librarian's face.

Buffy twirled with a grace that shouldn't really be part of a battle with a supernatural predator. However the former cheerleader made it work as she flowed between two fanged fools that didn't understand this wasn't the Slayer fighting her destiny. This no longer was a young girl that feared the reaper closing its hand over her heart. Since her calling, she always had such a fear deep within her fragile and once pure soul. But now as she saw the formally shy and nerdy boys fight along side her. Using weapons that she would have never associated with them, it made her feel liberated in a way that she had never thought possible. Andrew was always moving in a manner that made it hard for the vampires to get a hit in. He wasn't out speeding them but his reaction time was far greater than that of a normal soldier. His skills as a pilot had pushed his ability to react in a manner that demanded nearly instinctual movements. Warren stood his ground and walked with a calm step as he used his battle riffle to take down the vamps with three rounds per reincarnated corpse. Katrina had lowered herself near the three near dead humans that were being kept like cattle. Her assault riffle ripping apart any threat that was dumb enough to come near.

"I found a tunnel entrance..."Warren suddenly yelled as he primed a grenade and threw it into the basement stairs that had been allowing some vamps to appear. The eldest of the scifi trio had waited until the vamps had stopped appearing from the entrance of the Sunnydale catacombs. Now that the chances of someone throwing the explosive back had dropped drastically he felt it was time to plug the nest hidden exit. "Fire in the hole!" He yelled before moving outside the blast radius. Buffy quickly covered her ears and once again wished she had been given a way to block out the sound in a manner similar to that of the ODST helmets.

"O4 you're up." Cassie yelled before whistling. The sound of a sentinel making its way to her and then to the tunnel filled the air. It quickly charged its sentinel beam before making its way into the tunnel. A few moments later the sound of its beam firing came from the basement stairwell instantly followed by the screams of pain and horror of some unlucky vamps. Warren and Andrew quickly followed after the mechanical weapon/helper. But only after they put up their primary weapon and pulled out a shotgun of their own. This being a more traditional one that could easily stop a charging vamp from pouncing them. They attached powerful flashlights on the top and a grenade launcher attachment under the barrel.

"Scout those tunnels for at least a hundred feet and then make your way back. Stick together and keep the Sentinel in front of you. And remember to keep an eye on your motion sensors some demons don't release a heat source for the sentinels to track." Katrina ordered as she made it to the guys who quickly saluted before rushing off to catch up with the forerunner based guardian.

"Is it clear?" Giles asked as he came in from the main entry way.

"I got nothing on the motion tracker." Cassie said as she watched over the working Katrina. Buffy a little jealous of another helpful tool she hadn't been given. She was starting to think it wasn't fair that the others had so many more fun toys to play with than what she did. Never noticing how the two females ODST members were jealous at the skills and ease the blond slayer showed when fighting the revived corpses. Something they knew they could never match with their natural bodies.

"Do any of you girls recognize these three?" The Watcher asked with some pity for the poor victims. The whole time the man was opening the large medic kit after setting it down near the field medic. He watched with awe and pride as the leader of Shield Team worked with ease and a level of professionalism that he knew few paramedics could copy.

"I think they're college students." Katrina answered as she finished hooking an iv to each of the victims. The medical tools were connected to a special and recently made nutrient sacks designed to help those with low blood and weakened bodies. As soon as the construction of the medical sentinels were finished Xander had them design and create such a crucial item. Those that had never seen the aftermath of a supernatural attack were unsure of such a thing being needed. But after a few encounters and even fewer survivors they now agreed with Xander's orders. It was only thanks to the recovery packs, this item named by Andrew, and their larger field kits that Warren asked Katrina to help design, that where now able to give those few they could save a true fighting chance.

"Are they going to be okay?" Cassie asked with worry.

"Hopefully… it won't be long before we need to leave." Katrina said as she did all she could to save the individuals before her. How she wished to take them to Playing Dirty but unfortunately that option was only available to those that modern medicine couldn't save. Like the young girl they had found that looked like she was mauled by a large wolf. To their shock and horror the poor thing had been attacked by an honest to god werewolf. It was only the actions of a few sentinels being in the right place that allowed them to reach her in time. The beast had been able to dodge the sentinel beams along with fleeing from the forerunner machines. Unfortunately they had been forced to place her in cryo while they transferred her to the Infinity. It ached their hearts at the fact that she had lost her immediate family in the attack. The situation was found to get worse since Giles and Jenny had made it clear that the girl is more than likely carrying the curse herself now. Which had caused Xander to release his spartans to comb the woods that the legendary monster had fled to. They searched for hours, used a freighter to scan and search for it and failed completely. It was the first time they felt that they have ever lost at anything. It was a humbling and depressing night for them… and it was only thanks to Jenny guiding them as Halsey that they were able to move forward. They would keep the girl in Ice until they can find a cure, which meant hunting down any signs of werewolves in the states. They needed samples and more importantly figure out why the lycanthrope curse was passed through a bite.

Buffy watched on in silence and gratitude as she was allowed to ease the burden of saving people from the blood suckers. Her eyes quickly turning towards the shadows of a nearby building, it took less than a moment for them to fall upon the form of Angel. Joy filled her widening eyes as she saw the man she was crushing on. A part of her was ashamed that she hadn't spend much time with him. Another part pushed the guilt away since she was finally having a positive time while slaying… with a team of space commandos as her own personal support squad. And that's not including the sentinels that she knew were keeping not only her but her home and family safe. She really needed to find a way to pay Xander back for being so thoughtful.

Before the blond slayer could hope to call out to vampire with a soul, the man disappeared into the shadows. Making Buffy frown a bit since she had never seen him act in such a way.

+-*/\*-+

{In a demonically owned Korean Barbecue in the heart of San Francisco}

The current UNSC forces weren't sure what to think… since moments before their raid of the demon infested building, they were surprisingly interrupted by the Charmed Ones and Leo. Xander was surprised to learn that one of them received a vision informing them of the damage Xander's forces were going to unleash on the demons. Demons that the three witches were grilling Leo about not informing them that such a place existed.

Long story short was that while the demons seemed to radiate evil and hostile intentions they were not doing it on purpose. The demons weren't apparently too different from humans, except that they were able to gather the energy to survive from the negative feelings of humans that visited their shops. And the sneers and ill intentions they released were things they couldn't control when they saw someone happy and successful in life. It was the equivalent of someone that loved sweets suddenly being faced with something ridiculous spicy or sour. They would make a face and instantly want such a thing removed from their personal space.

After personally looking into the book that the Charmed Ones had brought to make their case, Xander decided to call off the raid. Which caused the doors of the Korean barbecue to open up, followed by the leaders of the demon clan to come out and thank them for not attempting to murder them. It took a bit of work, many hours of demonic history, along with much appreciated free Korean BBQ, for the two forces to come into an agreement. The new demon clan would call the UNSC if they learned of any potential dangerous threats that the Charmed Ones couldn't handle. Along with putting a certain marker on their store window that allowed local hunters to know that the place was not to be messed with. Miku-chan already researching and making a report to spread throughout the UNSC newsletter that any member or demon hunter can read.

+-*/\*-+

The sound of laughter overflowing with madness filled the halls of a certain militarized vampire hunting organization that called England its home. Causing a red eyed well endowed Draculina to wonder what had her master laughing with such joy. A certain angel of death in the meantime was wondering what horror the no life king was keeping from their leader.

The once ruler of the gypsy clan was surprisingly enough using the computer that had been sent to their base by the UNSC. Even if the machine was clearly far more advanced that anything their organization had, Sir Hellsing wanted the thing destroyed and removed from her lands. Orders that her enslaved true vampire had no plans of following. The UNSC was showing itself to be something he could entertain himself with. Especially with the whole chatting, emailing and trolling he was getting away with at the now hunters, mages, and witches filled forums he was now taking a part in. There was also the growing explosion of adult entertainment that was now rapidly filling the internet that he once didn't care about. The man once know as Dracula now had plans to take his police girl of a vampiric kitten to Japan. All in order to help taint his heir that was doing everything in her power to pretend to be something she was not. After all, who ever said a monster and his supernaturally acquired adopted daughter couldn't do good things for humanity? And even if they, it wasn't like the No Life King even cared about their opinion.

"Police girl..." A demonic voice echoed through out a mansion like if the vampiric king was singing into one's ear. "Let's go for a walk."

+-*/\*-+

Gatsuberk: The last five years has been rough… just last April my Mom passed away a few days after my birthday. It was only thanks to medical science that it didn't happen on said day. With my old man also gone, I now found myself raising my younger siblings. I love them with all my heart, and while it took sometime to adjust to the changes… I can't ever see myself not taking them in. My love for those kids has practically taken over my life, sorry if I never write again but a part of me wishes to keep writing. Wish me luck and here's hoping to see y'all once again.