A/N: I will be taking a break for about two months, at the most. There's some real life stuff that I need to take care off that's been weighing me down while writing these stories, and I'd like to get them out of the way ( I thought I could do those, and write these stories at the same time; but my other personal stuff has been suffering). The first being writing another draft of a research proposal for admission to a few PhD programs, and the second being learning SAP and Data Management techniques in a course at the local university. I hope you guys understand the need for this break, and I will get back to uploading the newest chapters at the end of the two months. Any further updates will be on my profile.
General Landry's office, the SGC, 1900 hours;
In General Landry's office, he was reading the report on the damage done to the Avalon, a report which included the help that Vala had provided in protecting the ship from Cylon intruders, and the report that Willow had written, for the umpteenth time. It was the same report that was sent to the President, the IOA, and Homeworld security. The man closed the file folder, and then leaned back on his seat and stared at another report that he had finished reading. It was about an incident at the planet that the Colonial survivors were sent to by the Avalon, the same planet where it was still undergoing repairs while in orbit.
It was about thirty minutes ago, after the final batch of Colonial survivors were sent to the surface that the General received word of a small problem. Colonel Mitchell had called through the Stargate, and told him that one of the Colonials, a woman named Carolanne, had questions about the doctor who was responsible to looking after the Colonial delegation.
"Sir," Colonel Mitchell had said while General Landry was looking at him through the screen hanging in the ceiling right above the primary console in the control room, "Carolanne seems to think that Dr. Fraiser is one of these humanoid Cylons."
"Why would she get that idea?" asked the General with his eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Apparently her mother-in-law looked just like Dr. Fraiser, sir," said the Colonel as the General frowned, "she and the others are refusing to be seen by her, and we've already insisted that the doc's not a Cylon. Tara has already tried to convince them, and we've showed Carolanne and a few of the other Colonials scans of Dr. Fraiser taken with the Jumper's sensors… but they're not convinced."
"They're scared, Colonel," replied the General while he looked at the people behind Colonel Mitchell. HE could see a group gathered around a tent, and a woman talking to Tara. He guessed that the woman could be Carolanne, and then he watched some of the nurses approaching the group with dr. Fraiser speaking with Dr. Lam. The General then looked at Colonel Mitchell before telling him that it would be better, for now, that Dr. Fraiser return to the SGC with the rest of the injured Avalon Personnel, "Dr. Lam will remain on the planet to look over the survivors. I'm having supplies; food, and clothes sent over for the Colonials from our Zeta Site.
"Understood, sir," replied Colonel Mitchell.
"Any idea on how there could be two people who look like Dr. Fraiser existing on two different worlds?" inquired the General.
"No idea, sir," said the Colonel, "Dr. Fraiser did say that it was possible that there could be more people out there who look like her, or me, or yourself, out in the galaxy. Something about genetic drift. Dr. Lam supported that theory too, but the Colonials aren't convinced. That's the main reason why Satterfield's up on the Avalon, sir… these people just found out that these robot enemies of theirs have taken human form. And… well, they just don't trust her."
"I understand," said the General, "the report from the Avalon's been sent to the President, General O'Neill, and Mr Woolsey. Once they've read through it, we'll decide on a course of action. For the moment, the IOA ordered that we simply protect the Galactica with the Odyssey."
"Just protection, sir?" asked the Colonel with a frown on his face, "the Cylons attacked us without any provocation."
"Which I've already seen in Colonel Emerson's report," replied the General, his head nodding in agreement, "which is why the IOA wants the Odyssey to remain at least sixty light years away from the Galactica if she decides to go back into the battle. The President has also agreed with that assessment."
"Sir," said Colonel Mitchell, "these people will want to fight back. The ones that are with us are just jumping at the bits to fight back."
"I've already suggested to General O'Neill that we use one of our stealth F-302's on the Odyssey to conduct a recon mission in the orbit of Caprica," said the General, "in the meantime, Dr. Lam will remain with the nurses, and please have Dr. Fraiser return to the SGC."
"Yes, sir," replied the Colonel after he nodded his head, and then the feed vanished.
Back in the present time, two bright lights flashed on the other side of General Landry's table, the flashes of light soon dissipated to reveal General O'Neill in his dress blues and Woolsey of the IOA, both of whom were holding blue folders. With the Prometheus in the orbit of Earth, and preparing to land in one of the underground bays in Area 51, the Asgard teleportation system was used to beam up General O'Neill and Woolsey from their respective offices, and then materials them in General Landry's office. Standing up, General Landry motioned towards the briefing room, and the two newcomers then followed the man out the door. Taking their respective seats, with the General at the head of the table, he began the briefing on what just happened on the Colonial world, P7T-983.
"So this Carolynn Adama claims that Dr. Fraiser is the doppelganger of her mother-in-law?" asked Woolsey while General O'Neill nodded his head, "is there any proof of this, or.."
"Do we really need proof?" asked General O'Neill leaning forward on the table towards Woolsey, who was seated across from him, "you read the report that Satterfield sent over too, right? The thing about the machine, this humanoid Cylon, that looks like her?"
"Yes," replied Woolsey nodding his head, "and I am very aware of Captain Rosenberg's assertion that she can feel Lt. Satterfield's emotions, which supports her claim that she's human. Which brings about a good question, how was this Cylon humanoid called Sharon created? What I mean is, who created these humanoid Cylons… because whoever they are, must have known about the Lieutenant and…"
"That would imply that these people have been to Earth to specifically target the lieutenant," said General Landry, "but that is very unlikely given that the Cylon who surrendered herself on the Avalon didn't know about Earth. The probable scenario is that whoever created the humanoid Cylons must have met a human who looked like Lt. Satterfield, and created this Cylon in her image."
"But…" Woolsey wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by General O'Neill.
"Which is why you're going to '983, and then you'll be taken to the Avalon to talk to the three Cylon prisoners," General O'Neill did his best to hide his chuckle at the expression on the diplomat's face. The IOA man had never been off-world, and the General knew that just thinking about the idea of walking through the Stargate was terrifying for Woolsey, "come on, Richard… we've all tried it."
"And the Avalon's still undergoing repairs," replied General Landry as he chuckled while shaking his head, "SG-1 will be your escorts on the ship, making sure that you're not in any danger."
"While we've agreed that Richard will be sent to speak with the Cylon guests on the Avalon," said General Landry, "there is something else that I would like to talk about. I've spoken to Miss Chase, the head of the Institute of Paranormal Research, the group created to fight supernatural threats under the oversight of the NID and Home World Command, just last week."
"And…?" asked General O'Neill.
"Jack," said General Landry, with a hint of exasperation in his voice, "you got a report on this, or you should have."
"Report on what?" asked a confused Woolsey.
"I'll check my inbox," replied the General, the both of them ignoring Woolsey's question, "but go on…"
"She and Mr. Giles said that…," General Landry's voice trailed off as footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs.
"General Landry, sir," said Walter as he ran up the stairs, interrupting what it was that the man wanted to say, "sorry, sirs… we received an emergency subspace message from the Odyssey."
"Are they being attacked?" asked General Landry, worry in his voice, as he stood up.
"No sir, but they've met with a fleet of Colonial civilian ships being led by the President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol," said Walter as he recalled the message that they had just received from the Odyssey, "Colonel Pendergast ran scans over all of the vessels, and they've found the presence of nanites."
"On which ship?" asked General Landry while General O'Neill and Woolsey looked at each other wordlessly. The same thoughts were going through their minds as they looked back at Walter and General Landry; they were looking at more possible humanoid Cylon infiltrators.
"At least ten ships, sir," said Walter, "there are three signals coming from the President's ship; but one of them is just an erratic signal."
"What does that mean?" asked Woolsey.
"Colonel Pendergast believes that whatever it is, may not be the same as the Humanoid Cylon that was beamed onto the Avalon, or any of the ones being held in the brig, sir," replied Walter before turning to look at General Landry, "the Colonel's asking for your orders, sir."
"He believes it would be better to let the Colonials know about the danger on their ship," continued Walter.
"Having civilians take care of these machines would be dangerous," said Woolsey shaking his head, "the reports we received from the Avalon stated that these humanoid Cylons were stronger than a normal human. It's quite possible that these two could kill everyone on board if they receive a message that we're onto them."
"There is at least one military presence on board, sir," said Walter, "a Captain Adama was the one who was speaking with Colonel Pendergast."
"Connect me to Colonel Pendergast," ordered General Landry before he, General O'Neill, and Woolsey followed Walter down the stairs to the Control Room. One they were at the bottom stairs, the General and the others nodded at Colonel Pendergast's face behind a screen.
Earth Ship Odyssey, at that same time, orbit of Ragnar.
"General Landry, sirs," said the Colonel as he nodded his head at the two Generals and Woolsey, "I take it you've been given the gist of what we've found using our scanners?"
"Yes, Colonel," said General Landry, "I need to know the current military strength on the President's ship. Colonel Pendergast then nodded his head, and signalled to Dr. Lang. She nodded her head before sending a message to Colonial one, where Roslin, Apollo, the Captain of the ship, Billy, and a stunned Baltar was listening to the translation from the linguist. Gaius Baltar was, and still is, considered the smartest man in all the Twelve Colonies, and he had the ego to match. He was the President's Chief Scientist on the Cylon threat as well. However, what the others did not know what that he was unwittingly responsible for allowing a humanoid Cylon, a Number Six.. the same Number Six that he had been sleeping with for months, to gain access into the Colonial defence mainframe. He was the one, unwittingly, responsible for the destruction of the Colonies. It was something that was weighing down on his mind as he looked at the strange ship hanging in space. Everything seemed to sound as if they were coming from a far off distance while he listened to Apollo telling Dr. Lang, after seeking permission from President Roslin, that there were two members of the Colonial military on board.
"I do suggest against boarding this ship, or else we will send a call to the Galactica and they will launch an attack to protect this fleet," said Apollo in Colonial Standard. Everyone, except for Baltar who had just come on the bridge a minute ago, knew that it was a lie. They weren't able to contact the Galactica due to the interference from the radiation within the gas giant. Baltar was about to say something, but once he made a sound… Billy leaned in and whispered at the man to keep quiet.
"Colonel Pendergast would like to assure you that we have no intention of boarding your ships without permission, Captain Adama," said Dr. Lang while Colonel Pendergast was talking to General Landry and the others at the SGC.
"Major Marks has informed us that the person with the intermittent nanites signal is on Colonial One's bridge, sirs," said the Colonel after he nodded at the Major, "The only way to get them out of their ships would be to board the vessel, and then reveal the truth about the Cylons taking human forms. But that would mean we have to reveal how we know who's human and who's not. Another option is to beam them out."
"But that would reveal another hand," said General O'Neill, "I'd like to keep that tech close to our vests."
"And if it is true that there are only two officers on board the ship, then we shouldn't tell them about the Cylons," said Woolsey, "at least not until they're able to get reinforcements. As for our men entering the ship of a foreign galactic power? That would imply we've taken sides in a war that's not really ours to begin with."
"Richard," said General O'Neill with a frown on his face.
"Our ships defended themselves," said Woolsey as he looked at the Colonel through the screen, "just as they were meant to do. According to the report, the Cylons were given a chance to disengage, which they did not. When they fired on the Avalon, it was self-defence to fire back at them. Also remember that the Avalon was on a rescue mission for SG-1. They completed their goal, and got out of there."
"We're already in this war, Richard," said General Landry, "whether we want to be or not. I know what the IOA is worried about.. an attack on Earth. And that's exactly what I was going to tell you and General O'Neill back in the briefing room. I've talked to Miss Chase at the IPR, and she's assured me that Miss Madison and her team have nearly completed a mystical planetary defence shield by accessing the magic that flows through laylines."
"I heard about that," said General O'Neill, "how far along are they?"
"They'll be testing the shield in a month," said General Landry as he looked at General O'Neill, and then at Woolsey, "right now they can get nearly eighty percent of the planet covered with the shield."
"And why doesn't the IOA know about this?" asked Woolsey.
"Don't blame us if you and the NID don't share information," said General Landry, "If the IOA is worried about the Earth being attacked, then the shield would be able to protect the planet until the enemy force has been destroyed."
"The IOA still insists that this mission be one of protection," insisted Woolsey calmly, "just ensure that the refugees aren't attacked by the Cylons. Ensure that the Galactica isn't attacked by the Cylons, while we keep an eye on them from sixty light years away if they choose to return to Caprica. If the planet is clear of enemy ships, then we can begin humanitarian assistance."
"And if they happen to attack the stealth ship we're sending?" asked Colonel Pendergast.
"It's a stealth ship, Colonel," said Woolsey, "it's not supposed to be seen."
"And what if the Galactica's attacked?" asked General O'Neill. It was something that Woolsey did not have an answer for.
"Colonel," said General Landry after he glanced back at Woolsey, and then at General Landry who nodded his head, "this is a simple mission of protection. If the Galactica chooses to return to the battle, the Odyssey is to hold station sixty light years away. I want the ship to run scans on the Galactica, and keep contact with the Stealth ship that gets sent to Caprica. I am giving you discretion to provide them with back-up based on the situational reports from the stealth ship."
"Understood, Sir," said Colonel Pendergast, "and what about the possible humanoid Cylons on the Colonial ships, sir?"
"Just escort the ships in, Colonel," said General Landry, "the Odyssey is expected to protect the Galactica, so they should be expecting you. Don't tell them about the Humanoid Cylons yet, just keep a lock on them. It is very possible that these Cylons could be, in a way, connected to the Furlings."
"The Furlings, sir?" asked the Colonel, "as in the race from the Great Alliance?"
"That's the one," said General O'Neill, "we'll explain everything later. But one of Woolsey's jobs would be to determine if these humanoid Cylons know anything about their creators. We also need to know how many of these things there are in total. We don't want to crate fear among the people in the ships, who are already fleeing a war, only to turn on each other thinking that the person next to them is a Cylon when they aren't. I have a feeling that telling them that we have advanced sensors that can detect nanites wouldn't help. These people are scared right now, and I doubt they'll listen to reason. Like General Landry said, keep a lock on the possible Cylons, and check their movements."
"The Avalon is due to complete some of her minor repairs in an hour," said General Landry, "I want SG-1 to be the first contact team that'll meet with the Colonial leadership. By then, we should have enough information and results on blood tests, and then we'll tell them about the humanoid Cylons."
"Understood, General, Sirs… Odyssey out," said Colonel Pendergast. It was then, while walking back towards his command chair, that he asked Dr. Lang to inform Colonial One that they would be escorting them to the Galactica. It would be then that Apollo's voice came through the speakers, asking if Earth was going to help them fight the Cylons.
"This isn't our war, Captain Adama," said Dr. Lang while Colonel Pendergast leaned forward and spoke, after telling the linguist to translate what he was saying, "but if it is your intention to go back into the fight, we will watch from a distance; and interfere only if required."
Apollo and the others looked at each other, and then back out at the Earth vessel. All they could wonder was why their cousins weren't willing to help them fight the greatest threat that the galaxy has ever known. In the meantime, the fleet of ships, flanked by the Odyssey, flew through the calm eye of the gas giant towards the Galactica that was still berthed to the Ragnar anchorage.