Revelations
In Caprica City, a large crowd of reporters and camera men had gathered at the Capitol building where President Adar had scheduled a press conference for something that was going to 'change life as the Colonial people know it' as his Press Secretary had said.
It had been a slow news week so hundreds of media workers had gathered, each hoping for an exclusive. They had gathered on the grassy lawn in front of the massive building. Cameras were set up and microphones were ready when the Press Secretary walked up onto the stage that had been erected and behind the single podium.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I know you have been waiting for a long time but I promise it will be worth it." He raised his arm to the side as President Adar walked up and said, "I present President Adar of the Twelve Colonies of Man." When he concluded he moved away from the podium and allowed the President to approach.
The reporters straightened themselves and the cameras focused on the podium.
"My fellow Colonials, today is truly a great day for our people. Ever since the first rocket blasted off of Caprica we have hoped to make contact with people of worlds besides the Twelve Colonies, be they from Kobol of planets unknown. Today, that dream has been fulfilled."
The reporters immediately began shouting questions. Cameras zoomed and hundreds of millions of Capricans gasped. The President raised his hand to try to silence them and, after a moment, they quieted themselves.
"These people discovered one of our Battlestars on patrol near the edge of known space. They have recently sent an official delegation to our worlds. I would like to introduce to you now, Vice Admiral Carl Patterson of the UNSC."
As he said that, the Admiral Patterson walked up onto the podium in his white dress uniform. Dozens of cameras flashed as still pictures were taken. Reporters once again yelled questions. Admiral Patterson simply raised his hand to silence them.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, all questions will be answered in time but for the moment please allow me to speak." The reporters questions died on their lips almost as soon as he said that.
"Thank you. Now, it is true we are not of the Twelve Colonies. My people are not a colony long forgotten, and we are not in any known way related to the Colonial people. We are called the UNSC. After our first contact with your people we were reluctant to send representatives immediately. However, now we are prepared to begin an alliance that will hopefully be long-lasting and strong.
Now, I would like to introduce Colonel Logan Riviera. He will be answering all your questions." At that he walked towards the end of the stage. On the way back he stopped Colonel Riviera as he walked towards the podium and whispered, "Remember Colonel, this is why we brought you; to gather and dispense information."
The Colonel nodded and moved behind the podium, straightening his formal black dress uniform. He looked at the crowd who was reinvigorated with energy as they each tried to get their questions answered.
He pointed at a reporter in the first row. "Yes, your question?"
The other reporters quieted down and the man cleared his throat. "Colonel Riviera, are your people the Thirteenth Tribe?" Colonel Riviera hesitated as he scanned the faces of the crowd. They all seemed eager for an answer.
"No, I'm afraid we are not. We have historical records dating to a time before the supposed Exodus from Kobol." This answer seemed to confuse the reporters. Colonel Riviera pointed at another reporter.
"But your people are human?" Riviera nodded. "Yes. Our scientists are preparing to come here to begin working with their Colonial counterparts to find a solution as to how our two civilizations are the same species. Next question?" Several reporters raised their hands again and he pointed to one near the back.
"Colonel, how many worlds do your people control? What is your population?" Colonel Riviera looked to Admiral Patterson who simply nodded his head.
"The UNSC controls a population of over ninety billion spread out on over 800 worlds." The crowd was dead silent. Several mouths were gaping open. "Next question?"
Finally the reporters began raising their hands again. Once again, Colonel Riviera pointed at a reporter. "Colonel, what type of government does your people have?"
"Well, as recently as ten years ago, the colonies were administered by the Colonial Administration Authority which reported directly to the UEG which was democratically elected. The citizens of planets would elect governors for their colonies. However, several decades ago, a rebellion began. Eventually the UEG and CAA were so infiltrated and corrupt the military was forced to take power. Ever since the UNSC has controlled all human colonies."
The reporters were unnerved by this revelation but continued their questions. For almost a half hour Riviera answered question. Questions about religion, about their science, and about almost anything the reporters could think of. Finally, Riviera himself had to end it.
"I'm sorry but I must end this press conference. No further questions." With that he walked off stage and Colonial Security began showing the press off the grounds.
Riviera approached Admiral Patterson and President Adar and asked, "Well Mr. President, the secret's out. How do you think the people are going to take it?" Adar glanced at Patterson and shook his head.
"Not well. I wish you had agreed to let us keep this a secret." Patterson shook his head. "Its better they found out this way than when the Battlestars are leaving the system." Riviera was confused. Patterson saw the look on his face and explained.
"The Twelve Colonies are going to war."
Charybdis IX
Lance Corporal Kieth Reed gripped his seat tighter as the Pelican was rocked by more turbulence. He looked at the other nine ODSTs packed in the back of the dropship. They were all gripping their seats tightly.
"Weed, chill out. You look like a squid on his first trip dirt-side," Corporal Jerry King said. The other soldiers laughed. Weed was was LCpl Reed's nickname. "Oh,is that right? I seem to remember your first practice pod drop. You screamed like a little girl the whole way down. I didn't even know male voices could go that high!" he laughed back.
"He's right King. I heard your screaming broke the transmitter," Monster said through laughs. Almost as soon as the words were out of Monster's mouth, the pilot said over the radio, "We just cleared the light side of the planet. ETA to drop zone ten minutes!"
The ODSTs had been tasked with capturing Jason Kincaide, a known Insurrectionist who was responsible for the rebellion of Charybdis IX several years prior. The rebellion had been put down with a full marine division and a fleet of UNSC ships, but Kincaide had escaped capture.
The Insurrection was much weaker now in the Inner Colonies after three massive campaigns to rid the worlds of Innies. However, the Outer Colonies were still full of Innies and sympathizers, though nowhere near how bad it had been several years ago. In fact, Reed had received his first combat wound from fighting Insurrectionists on Eradinus II. He had just turned a corner when an Innie tackled him and emptied a clip from a Magnum into his stomach. He had managed to knife the man in the throat but he still had to be evacuated with his gut filled with biofoam.
Now, their mission was to capture Kincaide. They had been inserted on the bright side of Charybdis by the UNSC Midsummer Night and timed it so they would arrive during the middle of Scyllion's night. The soldiers were checking their weapons a final time when the Pelican began to decelerate and the pilot shouted, "Get ready. Ten seconds."
The Pelican's engines redirected themselves to allow the ship to land and the ramp dropped. The ten soldiers stormed out, guns at the ready. Seeing no one, they signaled for the Pelican to leave.
"Overlord, this is Outcast, boots on the ground. Confirm message, over," Staff Sergeant Li Quin said. "Roger, Outcast, this is Overlord. Message received." "Overlord, requesting radio silence for duration, over." "Roger Outcast. Good luck, out."
"Marines, move. Weed, Spider, take point," he said. The two soldiers did as told. They activated their VISRs so they could see in the darkness. They had been dropped off in a large park near the outskirts of Scyllion near Kincaide's hideout.
ONI officers had been following Kincaide for almost a year to confirm nothing would go wrong in this operation. He apparently usually took up residence in a series of twelve safe-houses. Tonight ONI spy satellites had tracked him to this one tonight. He also had only a light guard of about twelve men.
It didn't take the soldiers long to reach the house thanks to a short ride in two cars ONI had stashed for them. They ditched the cars two blocks from the building to avoid detection and proceeded on foot.
Weed was on foot so he was the first to see it. The building was subtle; a two story polycrete house with a thick wooden door. It was the average Outer Colony house. The ODSTs approached, their black armor helping to hide them as they approached the two guards standing watch outside. Weed and Spider moved so that they were on either side of the two guards. Weed nodded and Monster threw a stone in between them.
When they looked in and down to see what the source of the sound was, the two soldiers came up from behind, put their hands over the guards' mouths, and slit their throats. They lowered the two corpses quietly and prepared to breach the door. The other ODSTs also moved into position.
Spider placed a small C12 breaching charge on the door. After a moment it exploded and the soldiers stormed in, Weed in the lead. Inside there were several men on three couches watching television. LCpl Reed sidestepped to allow the rest of the soldiers to enter as he opened fire.
His silenced M7S spit out bullets into the Innie guards. They crumbled from the combined gunfire as the six ODSTs that had entered. When the last man dropped, the guards the soldiers reloaded and headed upstairs with Spider leading this time. His gun spit out several bursts of gunfire and LCpl Reed heard multiple dull thumps as bodies hit the floor.
Spider swept the room from the cover of the stairway before saying, "Clear," and walking up to the only door in the second story. Monster walked up and kicked in the door causing its top hinge to break off. Reed stormed in and quickly grabbed Kincaide who was still confused as to the intruder in his bedroom.
Sergeant Quin ran up to help Reed and tie Kincaide's hands with zip-strips. "What the hell is going on here?! Guards!" he screamed as he tried to get out of the marine's strong grip. "Shut the hell up, traitor" Spider said right before he punched the Innie in the gut, nearly doubling over if not for Reed who was holding him tight.
Sergeant Quin pulled out his panic button and activated it to signal the Midsummer Night they were ready for pickup. "Marines, defensive positions. We don't know if anyone heard his screaming," Sergeant Quin said over his radio headset. Most of the soldiers headed down stairs before they heard a commotion brewing downstairs.
Someone was knocking on the door when Reed and Quin arrived downstairs, having left Monster and Spider to guard Kincaide. A male voice could be heard and Reed saw movement through the windows, though the ODSTs had pulled the curtains as closed as they could get as they were too small for the windows.
"Hello, Mr. Kincaide? Is everything alright in there? We heard shouting. The marines looked to Quin for direction, one motioning toward his gun. Quin shook his head and said, "Everything is alright. Just had a little accident."
Apparently the man wasn't convinced. "Why are your windows shattered?" Quin hesitated. "That was part of the accident." "May we come in, just to make sure? Could you open the door?" "No, everything is fine."
The man had become suspicious. He tried to open the door and Reed pushed it closed again. They heard the man whisper to the others with him, "Something's wrong. Go get your guns." It was then the Sergeant decided to intervene. He opened the door and came face to face with the crowd.
Several gasped at the site they saw inside; several large armored ODSTs in a room with almost a dozen dead bodies. "What the hell did you do!" the man who had been talking shouted. He was a large man with light skin and dark hair. Quin, who stood higher than him with armor said, "Sir, calm down. This is an official UNSC operation. Please just return to your homes."
That was obviously the wrong thing to say because the man's face got red fast. "And you think that gives you the right to kill innocent men! And where is Mr. Kincaide!" Quin was angry now too. "Innocent! These men were guarding a known Insurrectionist leader."
"Yeah, right. Men, get your guns!" the man screamed. Someone already had theirs apparently and pulled out an antique high caliber revolver. "No, NO!" Quin screamed as he ducked the bullet. Reed pulled the Sergeant back and inside the house as another soldier slammed the door shut before the man could fire another shot.
The next bullet impacted against the door and apparently the door had metal reinforcement because the men heard the bullet ping off the steel. Several others also had pistols because they began firing shots through the door.
"Overlord, this is Outcast. We need pickup now! Our cover is blown. We have a crowd of unknown size descending on our location." Quin said into his radio. "Roger Outcast. Pelican is inbound. ETA thirty minutes." A man tried to crawl through the window beside the door only to be met with a punch to his nose by an armored fist.
Quin fired his SMG out into the street above head level and yelled, "Anyone else who tries that is going to get a bullet through their fucking brain!" The crowd still shot through the windows. Quin motioned for the marines to move upstairs to get away from the enemy fire when bullets also began coming from the rear windows. The soldiers sprinted upstairs with Reed and another ODST, nicknamed Micro, covered the stairway.
It was a while before the crowd tried to come through the windows again and began pouring in when they discovered the marines had moved. Many had also appeared to have retrieved their rifles. When one appeared and tried to come up the stairway, a bullet flew through his shoulder.
"Next time it won't be a shoulder wound!" Reed shouted down. That didn't stop several more from trying to get up the stairs. 5mm rounds tore into them and blood painted the walls. "Earth-loving pigs!" someone shouted. It was at that moment an RPG hit the bottom of the staircase, and everything went black.
Okay, this chapter doesn't mention the Cylos or Wraith, I know but it sets up future encounters. If anyone was confused, Weed is Lance Corporal Kieth Reed's nickname. I hope you guys like it and review. Good or bad, its the reviews that help me avoid cliches.