Record keeping: Another chapter is up, and it took a while. Family life is a priority right now and I work around that, not over it as it should be. This chapter is more of a filler to the setup that is about storm in on both the Colonials and the Race as they 'officially' meet diplomatically for the first time. You will notice that some of the chapter seems redundant as I repeat several things over and over in slightly different ways. Some of this is how the author Turtledove wrote his story and I follow some of that prose style.
The Race are a conservative people, remembering the good old days and afraid of what will happen to their species in the future. The Colonials are terrified of what will happen to the future and what their position is in the galaxy. Both have believed themselves as the top tier of the galaxy and have discovered that they are not. Both will have to reconcile with the Terrans and others. Meanwhile, Earth is milking it for all its worth and makes no apologies in doing so. Culturally, Earth is mode divided than either Home or the Colonials and that makes them much weaker in some ways. That is why they are gathering allies. It takes time to secure unity. And we all know how Earthling and our various countries are. Its lucky Earth hasn't blown itself into tiny pieces.
In their reality, Earth is growing quickly, however they control, if that is the right word here, less than 0.002% of the galaxy. They are still exploring their own solar system!
In 'Roads Paved in Shadow' the Terrans and the Race are just starting to explore their local stars without the use of the stargate. It's a separate organization and frankly, it's needed. In this reality, Earth's growth is moving fast but they are also taking their time to get their space-sea legs. They've only been in space less than two decades, fought three major wars (not Ori but Wraith, Lucian Alliance and Goa'uld plus the skirmish with the Colonials and to a much lesser extent the Race, add in the overly cautious Tok'ra)! And they haven't gotten rest to absorb everything they've accomplished and experienced. We should be thankful that Earth hasn't turned into an empire. But anyway, this is a more relaxed series. Sorry about the wait but priorities are priorities and I will deal with them first and always.
Enough of the speeches. On with the story. Take, relax and enjoy people.
Chapter Twenty
'Thoughts and Preparations'
Cyrannus System
Planet: Caprica
Colonial Capital Building
Three days later:
President Antonius Goesel could have fallen asleep. No, he could have hibernated for the last forty hours if he could have had his way. He would have locked the doors, ordered his security to shoot anyone who dared disturbed him (the exception being his wife, but that was questionable at this point considering how tired he was-also another story) and slept. The last thing he needed was not to be on the top of his game tomorrow when he finally met Lizardian royally. Guess who was coming to dinner and what did they eat?
If he were being honest with himself, he found it rather amusing hosting a sit-down formal dinner with short lizards using correct dinnerware. If nothing else, that was going to be historic. The reporters were circling like predators, reveling in their element, trying to answer questions that no one yet had a clue about and demanding that the Administration provide exclusives with both the Terrans commander and the Race. Colonel Carter's presence and the Terran warship Mashantucket in high orbit over Caprica, both energized and terrified the networks and the public. This was the first public viewing of the vessel and the public knew basically two things about it.
First, it was Terran and second, it had to be a monster of a warship. It caused no end of rampant speculation. How powerful was it and how did it compare to the heavy-class battlestars? Why were the Goa'uld afraid of the Terran warship, if they were at all, or was this some elaborate plot by the Terrans to frighten the Colonial people with some type of fake propaganda to puff Earth and its colonies up in the eyes of the Colonies?
Speculation was further fueled by the presence of several high-profile CDF battlestars in close escort, performing their duties as protectors. It also had the appearance of a semi-official ploy suggesting, although it wasn't official, that there was some sort of unofficial alliance between the two governments. During these dark times, the public needed assurance. But it was somewhat disturbing that so many people appeared relieved that their fellow cousins were in orbit supporting them. It made the Colonial forces look weak as if they couldn't handle the security and protection of the people on their own. Goesel grimaces because it was the truth not just a perceived truth. That made his government look weak.
Two days earlier. the Colonies were at the brink of war against an alien presence that the majority Colonials never even knew existed. In those first twenty-four hours the public was inundated with information detailing what really happened. There was massive panic with everyone demanding answers and Goesel's Administration had spent the last thirty-six hours allaying the fears of the people, attempting to convince everyone that the threat was over, the situation under control.
However, the news agencies and their reporters couldn't be swayed that easily. No less than a dozen news raptors tried to get onboard the Terran warship in their attempts to get exclusive interviews. The CDF were forced to threaten news raptor with threats of 'extreme and lethal response'. News organizations were warned that the military would shoot down any raptor that violated the no-fly zone around the Terran ship. The threats were legitimate, and the warnings issued to keep said reporters from trying to board the ship. Terran energy shields were powerful enough to keep them from forcibly trying to dock, however the ship's energy shields also had the ability to damage, even destroy
any unauthorized vessel trying to dock. The vipers were ordered to act aggressively to keep those raptors away, both for Terran peace of mind and for the safety of the news raptors themselves. Unfortunately, those same methods couldn't be used protect the administration from those overzealous people demanding answers. His staff spent hours disclosing declassified information to a hungry public now aware of the dangers of a wider galaxy.
There was no doubt that the Goa'uld had badly frightened the public. There were demands for increased security for the Colonies, and the smaller populated colony worlds were demanding their share no matter what the price. A few members of the government were calling for an immediate preparation for war, as if he wasn't doing that at this moment. But there were also those that were demanding that the Terrans help them as if the Terrans were under their authority. Those hotheaded people were unintentionally doing a lot of damage in their assumptions about the Terrans. The Colonials were in no position to demand anything from them.
Because of the Goa'uld threat, the civilians on their year-long journey to the new worlds had to be put on heightened alert. Emergency communications have been authorized to make sure that the battlestars escorting the civilians were made aware of the threat that these parasites represented. Several initial battlestar and cruiser squadrons were being rushed to strong points along the emigrant's journey. This depleted some of the defense forces surrounding the Colonial home world's, but he wasn't sure at this point that was really a problem. As long as the Terrans were publicly supporting his people, or suspected to supporting them by the Goa'uld, they had no intentions–he believed–of directly attacking the Colonies for the moment. The mere fact that the Ashtorath had backed off when they clearly had military superiority indicated that they were afraid of the Terrans which spoke of the Terrans power.
There were other pressures rearing their ugly heads. The Goa'uld showed no concern whatsoever about attacking Cyrannus system, showed no concerns about Colonial military might. But the second the Terrans.
When this visitation was over, he had so many items to deal with that he was feeling overwhelmed, not knowing what to tackle first as all of them were vitally important for the health of the Colonies. Through back channels, he had already authorized the go-ahead to begin and quickly finalize the negotiations with the Earth telecommunications corporations. He recognized long-term dangers of them slowly monopolizing Colonial communications but at this time it was a small price to pay for reliable, fast communication throughout the star system and beyond. Long-distance communication could only strengthen the security of his nation and strengthen ties with Earth, and that was one of his utmost priorities now. They were arrogant but extremely useful, especially when it came to dealing with the Goa'uld breathing down his neck and the other threat rearing its head over the horizon. He was also authorizing ambassador Adar's and the VP's back-channel efforts to get some of the defense of technologies that the Terrans were quietly offering. All this cooperation was going to put a chokehold on him and his people in the short term, but it was an absolute necessity considering two threats that were coming their way. The Terrans had him by the genitals and he knew it and he knew that they knew it. But there was no vindictiveness other than the traditional political backstabbing that he understood so very well. He knew he would've done the exact same thing if he had had the ability and opportunity to do so just as he knew that eventually, things would shift, and the Colonials would be on top. That was the way the world. Still, it irritated him.
Most of his people were already working on the telecoms deal to expedite it as soon as possible. His focus required him to concentrate on the upcoming meeting with the Emperor of the planet Home. What galled him was that he wasn't even sure if that was the creature's proper designation as apparently, there was another emperor whom this emperor answered to, a kind of supreme emperor.
At this moment, said Emperor was on the Terran warship and not on Caprica for a variety of reasons. First, security was important, and the Colonials had to prepare for the entourage's safety. There were quite a few people including some members of the Quorum that were very hesitant at allowing alien creatures to step foot on their world. Nobody knew what to expect, not even the Terrans. This was also the first time something like this had ever occurred among the leaders of the Race.
To their credit most of the people were very excited about the meeting. The reporters gleeful and in an absolute feeding frenzy. The lords help them if the Race had reporters onboard the Terran ship was well. If nothing else, that would be most interesting and so potentially disastrous that it was terrifying just imagining what could go wrong with such a scenario.
This official face-to-face meeting between his people and the Race would be pivotal. Recent events between the two cultures were…strained due to his authorized attack on their world. It was an inconvenient fact he couldn't deny; however, he was confident he could spin it to his advantage. The Race had done the same thing to other alien species and had tried to conquer Earth, so there was precedent. He also had an advantage that the Race was unaware of. Colonial Intel still had members of the Race as prisoners. Those captives were very well informed and most cooperative; they were very obedient.
The Colonial battlestar Heracles encountered the Race just after the debacle with Earth's military forces. The Cylons were saved by the Earthers at the cost of thousands of Colonial crews and dozens of ships. According to the reports, the Heracles discovered two Race ships in the Tau Ceti star system. The star system was filled with hundreds of non-FTL capable spacecraft. The commander destroyed one of the civilian vessels on the outskirts of the system. The second vessel was captured, and boarded. Thirty-three of the crew were captured and the ship nuked. The Race's sensors never detected the battlestar and never knew of the fate of the two the ships. The captives were brought to Scorpia and Colonial Intelligence extracted every bit of information they could get. Twelve of the thirty-three still lived, no thanks to the tender mercies of Colonial Intel. When the aliens first arrived on Scorpia's security center, Colonial interrogators were…excessive in their initial treatment before they finally realized that the males were trying to cooperate. Once the language was somewhat understood the interrogators modified their methods accordingly. But, that was the past so now he had to decide if these survivors should disappear or should be set free.
CI was adamant: remove the evidence.
He wasn't sure and hadn't decided on a course of action.
Yet.
Their leaders were coming to Caprica to talk and Goesel perceive it as a positive step. They were coming to him, not the other way around which placed him in a superior bargaining position. That didn't mean everyone was happy. There were some groups including a couple of religious leaders that were very unhappy with the situation and wanted the Colonials to have nothing to do with aliens, especially since a group of them had just try to perpetrate genocide just a few days earlier. There were other groups including religious groups that were more than excited about having aliens peacefully visit them. They wanted to know about their religion and culture. They also want to know what they thought about the Colonials. The interviews with the Terran ambassador and reporters were still being replayed throughout the Colonies. Many people on more distant worlds where hearing those interviews and commentary for the first time in their entirety. Those interviews had brought up many more questions than answers and the people were demanding to know more about, well, everything.
Another reason why Emperor Risson remained on board the Mashantucket as that the ship was secure and before the Emperor would be allowed to touch foot on Caprica, security measures had to be finalized. Another factor which required attending. The Lizardians liked the accommodations warm, very warm. Colonel Carter informed (and the Colonials already knew this from their experience with their prisoners), that the world of Home was a desert world and the aliens considered air-conditioning their enemy.
The housing accommodations that were being prepared had to have additional heating units placed in the rooms. It was Fall on Caprica and the temperatures although not cold, had to be considered very uncomfortable for the Lizardians. The president wanted to make sure that doing their stay, they would be as comfortable as possible. This was why Goesel and his staff requested three days of preparation before the Leader of Home to prepare. It was a more than reasonable request and all sides quickly agreed.
He quietly slipped into his bedroom, trying not to wake his wife. He was hoping to get at least six hours of sleep. Slipping under the covers he was asleep before his head fully get comfortable on his pillow.
Unknown to him, his wife smiled before turning over and going to sleep herself. Tomorrow was going to be a huge day.
Emperor Risson hissed and popped in amusement as he looked at his cloak, a piece of cloth that until recently he would have never dreamed of wearing. It was white and gold and could be wrapped around his body. There were built in heating units designed to keep those cold winds and temperatures from undulating him. To his mind, it was a ridiculous looking thing. Under normal circumstances, the Race would never even consider wearing such a thing. However, things weren't normal anymore, hadn't been normal since the Race encountered their Terran and Colonial Tosevite neighbors.
No emperor in recorded memory had ever left Home. There had never been a need to travel to a subject world when their inhabitants were the subjects of the Race. By rights, they would have come to Home to present themselves. Home was comfortable and civilized and the center of the universe in their thinking. It was beautiful and there was no need to wear pieces of cloth to protect their bodies. Members of the Race were civilized and wore body paint, not pieces of cloth! Those memories of what used to be were safe, but those days were long gone and were never coming back.
The planet he was in orbit over was a chilly place by the Race's standards. It was a known fact that the planet's temperature could get so cold that the units that they measured temperature by only brought it a few points over the scientific temperature and which water froze and that horrid time started in their Fall season! By the Race's standards, it was a terrible place in need of more heat and less water on its surface. It wasn't as bad as Earth in terms of being flooded with moisture of all kinds, but there wasn't enough solid ground, as compared to Home, either. If the Race had known about planet Caprica, and if they had conquered it, they would have planet-formed Caprica over the centuries to conform it to a desert world suitable for the comfort of the Race. That was part of their plans for Earth–until the Terrans tore up the paperwork and demanded that Race surrender instead. That was unfortunate because Tosev III, or Earth would have become a paradise. If only the Humans had remained as they were supposed to. If only they were the neighbors that the Race thought they were…
It was a fantasy he often dreamed of and unfortunately had no basis in reality.
"It is unfortunate that this planet is so cold," said Youllak, First Adjutant to the Emperor. "It seems that Tosevites like colder temperatures. This may be one of the reasons why this so aggressive and rash."
The Emperor laughed at the old joke. "Tosevites are rash. That is a given, but we must forgive them their faults."
"Yes, my Emperor."
As with many things this day, Risson was secretly pleased that he was referred to as my Emperor. He was 'the Emperor', although he wasn't the 'Superior Emperor'. That title belonged to Rushan 37th Emperor to bare that name, supreme ruler of the Empire. Risson was effectively the junior emperor, subject to no one other than Rushan. He was the one ordered by Rushan to come to this world and speak to the once conquerors of Home (but not Home II). The splitting of imperial power was something new to the Race as in, it had never been down before in the one hundred thousand years of the existence of the Empire, but Rushan found it necessary if the Race was to survive. Risson trusted the wisdom of Rushan and that was why he was here. His mind returned to the present as one of his subjects spoke to him about the temperature in this amazing ship they traveled in.
"It is also pleasing that they considered keeping the temperature at a civilized level inside the Mashantucket. I would not have been pleased if they had kept it at what they consider a comfortable temperature."
"Truth!" The first adjutant began to laugh. But it wasn't as funny as it could be because what they called 'air-conditioning' was horrid to members of the Race. The Humans have been respectful enough to keep the temperature civilized inside the diplomatic quarters. Outside of the quarters, was another matter, being most unpleasant to most of the Lizardians present on the ship. The pieces of cloth were found to be more useful than the Race had believed.
For some unknown reason, the Terran crew seemed amused that the members of the Race walked around the ships wearing long flowing capes usually wrapped around them.
The males weren't concerned as much at how the Terrans looked at them as much as they were stunned by what they'd seen onboard the Terran diplomatic warship.
"It is my favorite dream that they didn't have ships like this in the first place," mused Zonik, another senior adjutant. The five other members of the Race yelled "truth!" at the same time.
Risson agreed to some extent. But, on the other flick of the claw, he saw the extermination of his people if they had not met the Terran Humans who revealed to him the state of the universe. The very existence of this vessel fairly shrieked of the dangers of neighbors with superior firepower. But then, the secretive Asgard were far worse. Only a few of the males and females of the Empire knew the truth that the Asgard were far more advanced than he or his counterpart could imagine. This frightened them more than anything else. It also showed the status of the Race's place in the wider galaxy. And, like many members of the Race, he wished things could have gone back to the way they were when the Race was innocent and thought they were in the center of the universe.
All of them remembered the years past when they expected to conquer the planet Earth in a matter of weeks if not days. To the shock and dismay they discover that the planet was filled with technologically advanced creatures instead of the horse-riding, spear-carrying, parasite-infested, ugly-looking, armored primitives that they had expected. Emperor Risson remembered personally listening along with his mentor Emperor Rushan, to the conflict in Earth's star system as told to him by Fleetlord Atvar, when these same Colonials had attacked Earth in their own attempt to conquer it. One of the members of the royal family had screamed, "do the members of the Conquest Fleet still live?" with such passion, that the other males thought he was in the throes of mating season.
The memory was funny now, but it certainly wasn't then. The Emperor had believed that Home was about to be plunged into a terrible war that they couldn't win. However, the Humans proved to be less expansionist and better neighbors than he believed possible. As the Race didn't do things quickly, he wanted to perform an evaluation of the Humans to get a better understanding of who and what they were and determine what direction to take that would best benefit the Race/. It shouldn't have taken more than three generations to get a good evaluation of the creatures and how it would impact the Empire.
But it wasn't meant to be.
The same Colonials that they were now visiting were the ones that attacked Home. Thousands died from the initial attacks. Millions more died when a nuclear device was set off on his planet. The numbers of the dead would never be accurately known. The space docks and ships were destroyed or damaged at a cost that would have crippled the economic stability of the Empire if it weren't for the riches of the Home II star system. Its abundance of resources would make the Empire rich in a few decades. Then there was the execution of the imperial leadership. Loses on the Rabotev and the Hallessi, when the Colonials captured those worlds only added to the overall strain. But the nuclear strike was the event that would affect the Empire for many generations to come. It required the truth to be uncovered so that the Race could move on beyond that horrible part of history.
No Colonial claimed responsibility for the blast, but he was utterly convinced that no male or female member of the Race could have done such a thing. By the process of elimination, it left the Colonials as the culprits that did this horrible thing.
He was here to personally find out the truth. When it came to interaction, and being exposed to Humans, he had learned one very important lesson. Taking one's time to do something when it involved them was a recipe for disaster. Humans thought in the short-term and never considered long-term consequences of their actions. Furthermore, they dragged everyone along with them. This revelation had confused the Race. It made them unsettled, uncertain, and in many cases it provoked fear. Therefore, it was his responsibility as Emperor to speak to the Human creatures and get a settlement so that they would never attack the Empire again. Furthermore, he intended to explain to the leaders of the Colonies that he had signed treaties of cooperation and nonaggression with Earth and the other human worlds allied with it, in effect becoming part of the Alliance. It was a rash decision done in rash times, but he didn't see any other choice not if the Race was to survive. It was also his intention to formally request that the Empire formally join the UCW. Mutual protection and cooperation would help the Race to survive the dark and unknown future.
Without exception (other than Emperor Rushan), every male of standing in the government had pleaded with him not to travel to this cold, wet world. The Emperor was basically equal to divinity and needed to be protected at all costs. Traveling on such a long and dangerous trip would have been foolish in the extreme in the eye turrets of the people. But again, these were extreme times. If anything happened to him, then the Emperor of Home would continue the unbroken line of succession as it had been for the last hundred thousand years.
Nonetheless, this adventure was most exciting traveling on a ship that traversed space faster than light, possess gravity and had enough weaponry to kill all life in the empire by itself. Plus, it was further proof, if anymore was really needed, showed the members of the UCW that the Race wasn't afraid to step out into the vastness of the universe. As fearful as it was, it was an exciting time to be out of the egg. New faster than light ships of the race could explore the local star systems and find worlds to colonize. They wouldn't have to conquer primitive civilizations. Instead, the Empire could spread by more peaceful methods and have the teeth and claws to be able to properly defend themselves
Emperor Risson needed to be here amongst these Cyrannus 'Big Ugly' alien Tosevite Humans to show them that the Race was the equal to any Human. And, he wanted to avoid another war, something that he and the previous rulers of Home hadn't thought about the concrete ways before.
War was an abstract concept, just another political exercise that didn't personally involve the people living on Home. For the Race, wars were waged on other worlds, not in one's own backyard. On Home, there hadn't been a war between the members of the Race since the Unification over one hundred thousand years ago. When the Race conquered the two other planets, they experienced little to no losses of life. In the second conquest, the military lost less than two thousand males before the planet was pacified and then civilized. The emperors and the people of Home believe war was easy, you went to the targeted planet, you followed the instructional manuals (The Race's Guide: How to Win a War), shot up any resistance and declared victory against the local species that had almost no concept of gunpowder, electricity, or reasonable sanitation. War was quick and easy, and you ruled the conquered population forever. End of story. However, the brutal truth to the chagrin of the Race, was vastly different in the reality of it all. The abstract concept the war on other planets was nothing compared to having conquerors come to his world to change the muzzle of the Race forever. Deciding to initiate this meeting was the most important decision he could make in a series of critical decisions.
Change came slow to the Race. That statement was as true as Home's star rising every morning and apparently, every single neighbor knew this undeniable fact. Every member of the Race and its empire knew that changes could disrupt the civilization of the Race and were content not to do so until, (by Race measurements) six years ago. Now, he had to lead the males and females of the Empire down a dark unseeing road. Although frightened, he resolved to do his best for the survival of the Race.
It was his intention to make the Colonials understand that any attempt (again) to conquer the Race again would be detrimental to their health and prosperity. The males and females of the Empire had extraordinarily long memories and they never forgot what was done to them. The Emperor wanted revenge on those whose actions killed so many millions of people on his world, but he also wanted justice. He wanted to know what happened, who did it, and how they would be punished. If he didn't get a satisfactory answer, then eventually the Race would go to war with the Colonials no matter how much time it took before the fighting began. The Humans of the Cyrannus star system had a massive military support system. The Race weren't fools, but they were very patient, and it was a foregone conclusion that they would build up and become powerful enough that no one could threaten them again. The Home II system was wealthy in terms of minerals, precious elements as well as tyllium. They had lots of naquada deposits and an abundance of, surprisingly, water located on two worlds in system. Many star systems were poor when it came to that precious substance and it produced a very profitable trade. Several of the allied worlds weren't water-rich like Earth was.
The Emperor hated being frightened for himself and for his people. The alliance with the Earth Humans was very important and that agreement would be honored until the males and females of the Empire were dust. The Colonials were the other side of the claw and this was the first true effort to establish some type of diplomatic negotiations with them. He would speak to them as equals and by their responses he would determine what he would recommend to Rushan.
There was also the matter of tens of thousands of males and females that were kidnapped by the Colonials during the short invasion and that included the new hatchings. They were on New Picon under the governorship of High Priest-Governor Iblison. He wanted all his citizens them back.
Two Colonial colonies had returned his citizens. New Picon had not. That proto-colony would be punished if they continued to defy the Emperor's wishes. This he promised. It was completely unacceptable for them to have been forcibly taken. If, and when the Race formally joined the UCW, then they would request a united action against the Colonials to retrieve their citizens. Being a coalition, they would have to respond or violate their principles and the Race would cut off their resources. It was a drastic response, but this required drastic measures considering the Goa'uld threat and the other war that was sure to follow. The Race wasn't prepared for a fight, but they were beginning to upgrade their war footing and starting to do so quickly, in light of being so wealthy. The UCW patrols could only do so much. The Race needed to stand on their own hind quarters as soon as possible if they were to survive.
Unknown to the Colonials, dozens of Terran trained, special forces males were inserted (with help from the mysterious Asgard) on New Picon. He and the few males that knew the truth were sworn to secrecy as the Asgard didn't want it generally revealed that they still existed yet. When he asked why were the Asgard helping, he was told that they saw potential in the people of the Empire. As with the Humans of Earth, when the time came they would provide a helping hand and offer guidance so that the members of the Race would not perish. The Emperor spent weeks pondering that offer before he answered. It should have taken years.
"My Emperor," said Kishak as he lowered his eye turrets and respect. "The Royal Cape is activated it will keep you warm against the cold Caprican weather."
"Yes, I can feel the temperature rising now. How long will the battery last?"
"According to the Terrans, once activated, it is estimated should last eighty-four standard hours before requiring recharging. The Terrans have supplied extra batteries for immediate servicing of the capes, my Emperor." Again, Kishak lowered his eye turrets in respect. "If we follow our itinerary, we should not require the use of those batteries."
"Superior Translations Specialists Ristin, as your understanding of Caprican is superior to anyone else's, you will serve as interpreter as well as translator as necessary. I expect you to do your duty as well as you can. I will expect you to interpret the body language as well as what they say. I know you have trained well on Home II with Superior Translation Specialists Nignxe. I rely on you to understand how they are speaking as well as what they're saying. Your experience with the Cylon Human clones and the Terrans will prove valuable during this visitation. The translation devices can decipher their language, but I will rely on your observations to aid me in understanding the intent behind the words of a species that I have had little personal contact with."
"It shall be done, Superior Emperor Sir," Ristin responded dutifully.
Superior Translation Specialists Ristin's tail stump quivered nervously. As he was initially trained to serve as a soldier, he'd never imagined in his wildest thoughts that he would wind up serving the Emperor directly. He was continually amazed at how life had changed for him and his friends. On Home II, he became friends with then as Shuttle Pilot Nignxe. The shuttle pilot was something of a savant when it came to interacting with Humans. Not only was he completely comfortable interacting with Humans, but he learned the language and more importantly, he learned how to interact with them naturally. The small group of Cylons located on what was fast becoming the most important colony of the empire, Home II, allowed him to learn the language known as Caprica standard. He learned that language and American English so well that his status was increasing exponentially. Although it took a lot of it longer, his friends followed his examples and learned the languages as well. Males and females of the Race came to Nignxe and his friends to be trained in the Colonial and Terran languages. Many of his close friends were very good, but Nignxe had a gift and he willingly imparted that knowledge to his friends. Of course, his ability made him hated and envied by those in the Race's academia who wanted the knowledge and glory for themselves.
Nignxe was unavailable at the time, so he, a lowly soldier, was chosen for this most important task. Nignxe instructed him in the art of comprehending Human body language, whom he learned from a Cylon named Caprica Six. She was very good in explaining the sublime actions of Human body language and inflections to an alien species. It was a difficult struggle, but he succeeded for the most part enough that he was noticed by the Emperor who recognized his 'abilities' and requested that he come to act as an assistant interpreter. Being asked by the Emperor to perform this most important task was the most important honor he had ever been given and he was humbled by it. He never dreamed of refusing any request from the Emperor. That simply wasn't done, so he prayed to all the Emperor's past that he wouldn't mess up and shame his people and his Emperor.
Kishak, using the royal decree: "we now proceed to the shuttle. Everyone make sure that your cloaks are in working order. I am made to understand that the temperature on the surface where we will be located is barely thirty degrees above the freezing temperature of water!"
The mere thought of such temperatures made him shiver. It was so close to freezing, he was somewhat afraid. Scientists of the Race had proven that moisture, as in water, could turn solid if the temperature was cold enough. Home never had such cold temperatures, and no experience with the phenomenon called ice. The ice crystals called snow had been seen in the highest mountains near the polar areas of Home, however was a very rare occurrence happening maybe once every three hundred years. Most Lizardians had never seen it. The Humans liked cooler temperatures and he was personally horrified when he saw snow-capped mountains on Earth. He wondered how they could possibly survive in such brutal weather. He never wanted to experience it but now it seemed that he was about to arrive on the world where such things as ice, snow and frozen water was possible in nature.
"I wished we could have used the transporter to arrive," the Emperor said wistfully. "Its use is more impressive."
"Truth," several of the males said. Unfortunately, Colonel Carter had decided that the shuttle was preferable because, even though the Cyrannus Humans were aware of such a technology, the Terran alliance didn't want to flaunt the technology in front of them. And, the Emperor agreed.
The small entourage of six males followed by reporters from the Race headed towards the shuttle for this unprecedented meeting.
TBC