DR: Welcome back people! Here Sheba gives the Blitz the condensed version of the BSG storyline. And there are a few surprises on the way...

Mal: I hate surprises...

Zeke: Well I love them!

O'Neill: I have to agree with Mal here. Surprises are just... annoying.

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Chapter 13: Tales of Woe & Forgotten Knowledge

Sheba stood on the small platform just within the Blitz Team's hanger, her arms resting on the railing. Once everyone had gathered she had finally been introduced to the whole group. It was a struggle, keeping track of all those names. Why did everyone have two or even three names? No one on the Colonies or in the fleet did.

A lot of things had been cleared up for her however. The planet was not locked in a war. Instead the primary form of entertainment was gladiatorial combat between teams of pilots and their zoids, and this activity generated a vast amount of work. Indeed, without the zoids there would be no work at all.

Sheba was still trying to get her head around the apparent paradox. These people said that zoids were alive, but they were totally metallic based life forms. It was yet another item that bothered her.

Right now though she put aside her concerns to focus on what was happening in front of her. The young lad called Jamie had told the others that they had a match scheduled in two days time. In response, nearly all of the others had moved through to the hanger. Sheba, filled with curiosity, had followed.

It had taken her a few centons to get her breath back when she saw what resided within. That blond man, Bit, had not been kidding when he said that zoid she saw earlier was a little one. The others in here were all larger, some of them titanic!

And yet... she was not unduly threatened by any of them. Sheba had spent her life fighting machine life forms, the Cylons, but these zoids were so out of the box her honed instincts didn't know how to respond.

Certainly some of them had aspects that could be menacing. The one she saw earlier was standing in a bay right at her left side, with the bay next to it filled with a massive beast. She had never seen that style before. The four thick legs led up to a fat body, while the 'head' had a pair of long horns sprouting out, with a long flexible appendage hanging between them. Two huge ear-like things were to the back.

At the far end to her right were two zoids that clearly were meant to fly, given the large wings they had instead of arms or forelegs. Everything about those two screamed with speed. She couldn't see how they were different at this distance, except for size, shape and colour. Sheba had been a little alarmed at first when she saw the teal haired Pierce actually sit in the silver one's mouth, but since none of the others acted surprised or scared, she decided not to make a scene.

In the bay next to that one however was a beast that really did send shivers up her spine. The dark grey armour hid some of the details, but that made the beast even more menacing. The two thick legs and massive head spoke about pure power, and the red eyes made her skin crawl. But the effect was offset by the way it acted towards the young man who stood on a gantry by its head. She couldn't hear his words, but the zoid would croon and growl every now and again.

In the next bay stood the white one, looking very sleek and pure. She recognised the general shape as the same as the creature the team had left still sleeping in the main room. Sheba would not be surprised if this one was just as predatory as the other one hinted at.

And there was the one directly to her right, the real titan in the group. It was so large it took up two bays worth of space, and it bristled with weapons. And yet, despite its size, this one exuded no threat at all. It was awe inspiring, but not threatening.

Hearing footsteps just behind her, Sheba turned her head to see Sarah stepping up besides her. The sleeping infant with the black hair was cradled in her arms, held in the way only a mother could.

"It is an impressive sight isn't it?" Sarah said gently. "Sometimes I come and stand here and watch them tend to their zoids, just to remind myself how lucky I am."

"How so?" Sheba asked before she could stop herself. She flushed as she realised that question might not be one Sarah was comfortable answering. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry…"

"No, it's okay." Sarah shifted the child a little. "I got pregnant when I was barely out of childhood, taken in by a real bastard. After that I fell in with a group who became an illegal, underground movement. I was a wanted criminal. When they fell, I was able to make a deal with the authorities. But even with that, I was isolated by everyone around me.

"Then I came here. These people welcomed me in, let me into their lives." Sarah flushed and smiled at some small detail. "I came looking for shelter, they gave me a home."

"And love?" Sheba smiled, putting two and two together.

Sarah went even more red. "Yes, yes I did. I wasn't looking, but me and Leon just… clicked."

"Sarah, there's something that has been bothering me." Sheba turned to fully face her. "You introduced Leena as Leena Toros Cloud, and then you used 'Toros' again for both Leon and Steve. Why is that?"

Sarah looked at her in shock. "It's their family name. Don't you have a family or surname?"

Sheba shook her head. "No. Where I come from, no-ones had any more than one name for millennia."

Sarah was silent for a moment, clearly taking this in. "So… how do you know who your family is?"

"We just know." Sheba then glanced toward Leena, who was currently sitting in her zoid, the cockpit open. "You haven't told me why you used that name with all three of them though, or why Leena has an extra one after it."

"Well, Steve Toros is the father of Leon and Leena, so they both inherit his family name. Now since Leena is married to Bit Cloud…" She nodded towards him. "She now takes his family name as well. Most of the time however she is simply known as 'Leena Cloud'. It's traditional for the woman to assume her husband's family name."

"So she doesn't have too?"

Sarah smiled. "Technically no, but I doubt many people consider that." She looked at Sheba in curiosity. "What about you? Anyone special back where you're from?"

"Yes, I'd like to hear about that too." Unnoticed by both women, Stoller had moved away from his zoid and now stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the ground floor, his arms crossed. Behind him the others were slowly gathering at the base of the stairs. "So far we've been telling you about us and our world, but we've not heard anything about where you're from. I think it's time you told us."

Sheba had never liked challenges, and the look in Stoller's eyes was clearly a challenge. Her own eyes narrowed as she tilted her head up a bit, the more to look down her nose at him. She had used the same tactic on Starbuck when he had tried to make that bet before the jump on Gamoray.

And yet… he had a valid point. So far she had been asking questions, and not answering any.

"Stoller, ease off a bit there." Bit called up as he climbed the stairs. Stoller glared at him as he stepped past to face Sheba. "As much as I'd like to say don't mind him, I'm curious too. I'd like to hear your story too. Don't feel that you have to tell us everything right now through…"

Sheba let herself relax at the concern in his voice. They weren't going to pressure her just yet.

"I hope you don't mind us staying for that talk too?" The voice came from behind her, inside the base. Turning, she saw two new men standing with Steve. The first was about her height, with youthful features but age filled blue eyes. The other had flaming red hair with yellow highlights and a silver lock running from his forehead. And his eyes looked old, as if he'd seen far too much.

Sheba froze for a second, her hand drifting slightly to her blaster. But the tension defused when Bit saw them both. "Christian! Richter! You didn't say you were coming round!"

The blue-eyed, dark brown haired one smiled. "Well, it was sort of unplanned. But we do have an ulterior motive I'm afraid."

"Yes… you see, it concerns your guest." The other man now spoke, his eyes on Sheba.

"Me?" She asked, a nest of snakes forming in her gut.

"Yes. You see, we saw you crash. And we know you came from somewhere else. But we would like to know where you came from."

Sheba gulped nervously.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Apollo lowered himself into the Viper B gingerly, acutely aware that this fighter was Achilles personal craft. While the cockpit was arranged just like any other Viper, there were small details that showed how personalised the craft was. The interior paint was darker, and there were a set of extra switches added above the weapons panel. These were standard on the Viper B, as they controlled the variable weapon system.

He knew that Achilles was doing him a favour loaning him his fighter. Apollo had to wonder when and how he would collect it. He also knew that if he got this ship wreaked Achilles would rip him limb from limb, to say nothing of what his sister would do to him!

As he began the pre-flight ignition sequence, Apollo took a moment to look around the cramped bay on the Rosetta. Just behind him the shuttle rested, Croft's team sorting out their equipment just outside the hatch. Apollo knew that they also had a Landram locked inside the shuttle, ready to roll once they hit the ground.

To his left, as ever, Starbuck and the rest of his flight were going through their own pre-flight checks. He could see that Starbuck sat in the closest viper, his helmet resting on the fuselage before him. Sensing eyes on him, Starbuck looked up before grinning at Apollo. Apollo couldn't help but grin back; Starbuck's enthusiasm was infectious.

In front of his, barely a viper's length beyond his nose, the vastness of space opened up, the effected lessened by the overhanging nose of the destroyer. In the centre of that panoramic view of the stars the star around which the planet they were heading for was larger than any other, and growing larger and brighter by the centon.

"Two centares to planet. Stand by to launch in ten centons." The voice of Rosetta's deck chief buzzed over the comm system, spurring Apollo to finish his checks. Once they were done he sat back, waiting for the order to go.

"Hey Apollo?"

"Yes Starbuck?"

"How badly did she chew you out? You came out of there looking like Death himself had shown up. Or worse, the Count." Starbuck didn't need to say the name: Apollo knew who he was talking about.

"Pretty badly bucko. She practically accused me of acting like a Cylon."

Starbuck was silent for a long moment… a bad sign. "Well, you have been acting a little cold and harsh lately…"

"Thanks for the moral support Starbuck." Apollo snapped sarcastically.

For several centons Starbuck was silent, letting his old friend cool off a bit. Then he ventured to speak again.

"Apollo… she'll be alright. We'll find her safe and sound. That lady can take care of herself."

"I hope your right…" Apollo half whispered.

"Stand by pilots, prepare to launch." At the deck chiefs words Apollo struck the buttons that started up the ion engines turbines, the cockpit filled with the rising whine of the engines cycling up. Priming the turbos, his thumb hovered over the button, waiting…

"Major Apollo, Launch when ready."

X-X-X-X-X-X

Sheba looked about her, feeling on the spot. She stood with her back to the huge wall screen in the main room, the Blitz team and their two new guests sitting in the couches facing her. Their expressions ranged from obvious curiosity and interest to down right suspicion, with a few blank faces thrown into the mix too.

Standing there, with everyone looking at her, waiting, Sheba suddenly found her voice stuck in her throat. She struggled to find the way to start her tale. After a few microns she decided to start with the basics.

"As most of you already know, my name is Sheba. I am a Captain in the Colonial Fleet, in command of a squadron of thirty-six fighters. The fleet was created to defend the Twelve Colonies of Man from any and all external threats. My home base is known as the Battlestar Galactica, one of our last great warships."

'That name sounds familiar…' Richter thought to himself, as he got the sense that he was forgetting something vital. Deciding he could think about this later, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and focused on what Sheba was saying.

"According to our history, Mankind evolved on a world we know as Kobol. After several thousand yahrens the world could not support human life and so the thirteen tribes left the world, seeking a new home. The first twelve tribes found what would become the Colonies, twelve habitual worlds in stable orbits of a trinary star system. The thirteenth tribe however went a separate way and was never heard of again." On the faces of the people around her Sheba saw that several of them were looking at her in bewilderment, but she pressed on.

"For almost five millennia the twelve worlds lived in relative peace. Sometimes a minor disagreement would occur between the worlds but nothing drastic.

"We had good relations with our interstellar neighbours, trade agreements and the like. All except one race… the Cylons."

'Cylons…' Suddenly that dormant thought leapt back to the forefront of Richter's mind. If he had not been sitting he knew he would have staggered as long forgotten memories flooded back.

While everyone else was focused on Sheba, Christian noted how Richter reacted to that name. While it sounded a lot like Cybrid to Christian, the way Richter paled was far more than it deserved. 'You know that name… are you still holding back?'

Sheba ploughed on, not seeing how Richter reacted. "The Cylons were a race of lizard like creatures, fiercely territorial and expansionistic. They had this idea of a perfect universe, one were order was supreme. Truth was it was all about control, no free will or creativity. They saw mankind as a potential threat, and so watched us. After a time they realised that the human form is the most adaptable, and so they began to create a new set of servant machines. They had for some time used robots as slave labour, and now they created a new style based on humans.

"The new model Cylons had their first test against one of our neighbours. In response to their call for aid, we helped them take back their nation, their world. It was during this operation that we had open conflict with them for the first time. Shortly before then our trade ships and lone vessels were attacked by unknown craft, almost never leaving any survivors.

"After we helped our allies, the Cylons sent an armada to the Twelve Worlds, expecting to simply crush us in one brutal attack, since they were so technically advanced over us." At this point Sheba smiled. "They didn't expect us to be ready for them. Our forces threw back the Cylon fleet, despite heavy losses. And so started the Cylon War.

"We soon learned something quite horrific. Just before the attacks on our shipping, the machines the Cylon's had built based on our image had turned against them, wiping out their creators. Now ruling themselves, they had decided to take the Cylon's vision of a united galaxy to every corner of it, crushing anything that stood in their way."

To the Blitz and Christian listening to the story, it sounded a lot like what had happened with the Cybrids. Christian himself was feeling a strong sense of de-jar-vu. At least this time it hadn't been humans who had created the machines.

Sheba began to warm to her tale. "For the next thousand yahrens we stood our ground. The Cylons would attack us, and we would counter. Each time we threw them back before they ever reached our worlds. Sometimes we launched our own attacks into their territory, in an attempt to stop the war.

"Over that long time, our people began to feel invincible. We began to believe that we could never be beaten, that our human sprit could defy any odds. This reached new heights in the last hundred yahrens since our new fighters and warships were beating the Cylon's own vessels more often than not. We had always had an advantage in fighter combat, and our warships were catching up with the Cylon's. It has reached the point where we are almost at the same level of technology as they are." Now Sheba's smiled faded.

"Then about a yahren ago the Cylons sent a message, asking for a peace treaty. They were tired of fighting us. I wasn't there at the time, the ship I was on was currently far behind Cylon lines after a failed attack one and a half yahrens before, so I have no idea what they actually said. But our leaders accepted the Cylons words at face value, believing that at last we would have peace after nearly a millennium of war.

"It was a lie." Sheba scowled, her expression dark. "It was all part of an elaborate trap. They lured all our Battlestars, our largest and most powerful ships, away to a remote corner of the system, while the rest of the fleet stood down, sitting in dry docks and shipyards." She swallowed before she continued.

"The Battlestars were ambushed by a vast horde of their Raiders, where four of the five ships were destroyed, including the flagship. They were caught completely unprepared, unable to get their fighters out before the Cylons were all over them. And when the Vipers were at last launched, the Cylons were picking them off as they emerged from the launch tubes.

"It might have all ended there had not one Battlestar been at combat alert. That battlestar was the Galactica. Her commander, Commander Adama, had sent out a patrol. When he was unable to raise them, and then his sensors reported a wall of craft closing, he tried to warn the fleet. But the President of the Council of Twelve, the leading figures from each of the Twelve Worlds, would not listen. Only later on did we learn that one of those men was a traitor, who made a deal with the Cylons.

"Galactica was able to get her fighters out, but they were vastly outnumbered. And that's when Adama figured out the other half of the Cylons plan. You see, one of the fighters he sent on patrol returned just before the attack reached them. The pilot told him that the fighters had not come from a base ship, just an empty tanker. So Adama had to wonder, just where were their Baseships. Then he knew." Sheba paused before she gave the punch line.

"They were over our worlds, ready to attack them. And none of them were ready or able to defend themselves, due to the actions of Baltar's men."

"Adama tried to get back, tried to warn them… but it was too late. By the time his ship got back, the attacks had already happened."

The reactions of the Blitz were many and varied. Naomi's lower lip was trembling as she clutched Janet to her, Brad's arm round her shoulders. Sarah too was crying, tears running down her cheeks. She refused to hide though, instead just clutching Leon's hand. Miranda however felt no compulsion to do the same and was clinging to Vega.

Vega himself had a dark look on his face, while Bit and Leena held hands, their faces pained. Stoller scowled openly, while even Steve had lost his happy face. Christian however showed little reaction. He had seen the results of a worldwide massacre before.

"Most men would have given up, gone out in a blaze of glory in one last desperate stand, but not Adama. He realised the only way for the human race, for the colonies to survive, was to retreat and escape, and live to fight another day. So he gathered as many ships and survivors as he could, saving as many as possible before they fled the Colonies.

"Since then, the fleet has been running from the Cylons. Along the way, they met up with my father's ship, the Battlestar Pegasus, and found a number of other worlds. But always the Cylon menace was trailing us, though we think we may have at last lost them."

For a moment no one spoke, then Bit had to ask something. "But… how did you decide which way to go? I mean, you could have gone in any direction."

Sheba smiled sadly. "Adama gave the people hope by recalling a legend, one that has remained with us ever since the Colonies were founded. It spoke about the Thirteenth Tribe, our long lost brothers and sisters. The legend goes that they did find a home, far out across the Galaxy. A shining planet known as Earth."

As one the Blitz Teams head's spun round to look at Christian, whose expression was so comical that Bit couldn't help but chuckle at it. He sat there, eyes wide and jaw slightly open.

"What? What's so funny?" Sheba asked.

Christian blinked a few times before he got his voice back. "I'm sorry, did you say Earth?"

"Yes…" Sheba's eyes widened. "You know where it is?"

"I ought to… I grew up on it."

Sheba was slack jawed in amazement. While they had all hoped that this world would have given them the final clue as to where Earth was, she had never expected it to actually happen!

"Then… you are of the Thirteenth Tribe! How advanced is Earth now? How…"

"Whoa, slow down a second." Christian held up his hands to halt Sheba's flood of questions. "Firstly, I don't know how advanced Earth is right now, since I left there over eleven hundred years ago… long story." He commented at her shocked look. "But there's something else. I don't know how to tell you, but as far as humans from Earth are concerned, Mankind evolved on Earth itself, not on some distant planet."

Sheba was stunned at such a claim. How could the Thirteenth Tribe have forgotten their heritage? What could have happened that would have caused such a loss? "You mean… you know nothing of Kobol, of the Atlantean Tribe, of the other tribes like Capricorn, Scorpio…?"

Christian frowned. "Capricorn, Scorpio… those I do know of, but in a different context. From Earth in the night sky people could see patterns in the stars. There were twelve patterns which were supposed to affect how a person thought and acted, depending on where the various planets in the system were in relation to those signs. These twelve tribes, they wouldn't happen to have been called Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn, Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces?"

Sheba nodded, amazed that he had named them all perfectly.

"Hmm, interesting. Never heard of an Atlantean… Wait…" he trailed off. "If this Atlantean Tribe had named their city Atlantis, then that makes sense. Certainly explains several things."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Leena asked, puzzled at his words.

"You've never heard the legend of Atlantis, the advanced city in a time when the rest of mankind thought bashing your food over the head with a wooden club was a good idea? The city that sank beneath the waves?"

Sarah nodded, comprehension flooding her face. "If that truly was this tribe, and their city was lost to them, they would have lost all their technology, all records. The survivors would have had to rebuild from the ground up."

"But that doesn't explain the DNA records." Christian commented. "Even with the large gap between the proto-human apes and 'modern' humans in the fossil records, how is it that human DNA is almost the same as the DNA of an animal native to Earth, which there is a clear fossil record of?"

"Centuries of breeding between the two groups, like here on Zi between humans and Ancient Zoidians?" Sarah suggested. "After all, which ever group had the greater numbers would contribute the bulk of the DNA."

Christian nodded. "That would make sense, but still…"

The sudden bleeping from Kane's pocket cut him off. Kane, who had been silent for a long time, was startled by the noise before he could respond. Swiftly removing the phone, he flipped it open to see who was calling him.

"Auri!" he said as his wife's face appeared on the tiny screen. "What's the big emergency? Phantom scare someone silly again?" He smiled.

"Cut it Richter." Auri's voice was cold and filled with trepidation. "The red alarm in your private office is wailing." Kane's face paled once more that day.

"What does that mean?" Brad asked.

Kane looked up, a spark of worry in his eyes. "It means that a ship or ships are entering this solar system."

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DR: Duh dun da!

Carter: Twelve worlds... (starts to break up)

O'Neill: Come here... (takes her into his arms)

Mal: Did she say twelve worlds? Man, that's nasty...

DR: Correct. Next time, contact is established, Apollo hurts Sheba and gets a right telling off from his sister, Starbuck learns he can't get up to his usual antics here, and Kane is in hot water...