SIX
Aboard Baseship Hotel Three Alpha
The alarm was sounding throughout the ship as Brother Four re-entered the long-range sensor station. The Centurion standing watch moved aside as the human form entered the room and took up position on the array. Only seconds behind him, Sister Six followed.
"What do we know of the attack going on now, Brother?"
The ebony human form placed his left hand into the datastream and momentarily melded with the baseship's sensor array.
"We are five light-minutes from the asteroid, Sister. Everything we are receiving is five minutes old." The male form adjusted his stance at the console and re-positioned his hand in the datastream.
"A Colonial Raptor and Viper appeared within the atmosphere, Sister. Our ground patrol was searching for the Colonial reconnaissance team that attacked the warehouse earlier when they were suddenly engaged by the Raptor and Viper. A mobile gun platform was destroyed. Two Centurions are confirmed destroyed and two others are damaged beyond fighting capability. It would appear as though they are lost."
"HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!?" The female form's demanding outburst caught Brother Four and the Centurion by surprise. "Every human on that asteroid is SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!" Sister Six's demanding tones cold be heard echoing off of the bulkheads, and her usually vivacious looks were now twisted with anger and disgust.
The ebony human form paused for a moment unless he be seen as being impertinent. He withdrew his hand from the datastream. "Shall we prepare to jump to the asteroid, Sister?"
"Are we still tracking the Raptor?" she demanded.
The ebony male form maintained his quiet affect. "As I said, Sister Six, the data we have is five minutes old. It appears as though the Colonials have jumped away. The Centurions were unable to determine a direction of departure due to their own damage."
"Well, Brother Four…Is there anything we DO know?" Her tone was less angry as it was irritated now. The male form couldn't help but appreciate that the Sister Six would now be in the unfavorable position of having to report the loss of not only the previous surface detail to the Colonials of a week ago, but now it appeared as though the Colonials still had quite a bit of fight left in them, the devastation of their home worlds notwithstanding.
"Only supposition, Sister. I think we can rule out the force on the asteroid as being indigenous. Where ever the human patrol came from, it has to be from off world."
"And what leads you to that conclusion, Brother Four?" The female form's tone was steadily softening with each exchange. No doubt she realized her outburst made an unfavorable impression in the eyes of her fellow Cylons.
"As you know we had several operatives on the asteroid during the attack. They have since downloaded to the Resurrection Ship. They were all embedded in places centrally located to Colonial Forces facilities on the ground at the time we attacked. They all report that all combatant forces were destroyed." The male form paused to allow her to process the information. Verbal communication was, afterall, a very laborious means of expression.
"Furthermore, we investigated the site where the humans escaped from the aerodrome last week. It appears as though we did not destroy the DRADIS and communications facility there afterall. The Colonials had built a new facility that somehow escaped our intelligence operatives. Evidence there indicates that there may have been anywhere from a few to a few dozen survivors."
"What do you mean…'escaped our intelligence operatives?!" The Six's anger and impatience with the circumstances at hand piqued once again.
"I simply state the obvious, Sister. We know the limited military resources on Harlow were destroyed in our attacks. Therefore wherever these scavengers are coming from, they are not from Harlow's World." The male form was becoming a bit annoyed at the overt expression of human emotions by his sister human form, but she was, afterall, his supervisor. It was apparent that there were imperfections in the programming subroutine that allowed for anomalous variations not placed there by the master planners.
"And there was evidence in the bunker that an unknown number of humans had been residing in the facility for many days. The remains found at the bunker were those of its supervisor."
The female form stared at the sensor screen dispassionately for several seconds. She knew that she must take steps. They expected to find some pockets of survivors, but not ones that were apparently ready to engage in enthusiastic combat with an obviously superior Cylon force. What would be the logic in that? And besides, any escape of humans from this sector would be her responsibility.
"We must find these brigands, Brother Four. Their actions are those of an opponent far too bold and too assured to be those of an enemy that considers itself beaten or subdued. Do you not agree?"
Brother Four was hard pressed to not agree. "And what action shall we take, Sister Six?"
Now the roles were reversed. Only a few days ago it was she that tested the ebony male form. Now it was apparent that he was, at least seemingly, testing her! Or was she simply so angered that she was reading arrogance into the inquiry of her subordinate where none was intentioned? These human subroutines were…well…inhuman!
"Move us to the asteroid, Brother Four. Prepare a full sensor sweep of the facility. We must try to find out where these stragglers are hiding and deal with them immediately!"
The female form turned and started to leave the sensor bay, but then she stopped and turned back to face Brother Four. "How have the searches of the surrounding posts turned out, Brother?"
Without a word, the ebony male form turned back to the console behind him. Again he placed his left hand into the datastream. He looked into the data files of the raiders sent to the surrounding mining colonies and other outposts within the Perimeter. After a few seconds, he withdrew his hand and turned to the female form.
"There has been no direct contact, Sister, however several ships have yet to return. Several of the smaller mining colonies in the Vergisaw system have been heard making distress calls on common Colonial emergency frequencies. There has been no evidence of any replies to any of the calls heard by civilian or military vessels. There has been no other evidence of any military communications in this sector."
"I see…." she said contemplatingly. "Expand the search to three jump cycles, Brother Four. We must find them before the Central Cylon is made aware that we are looking for them." With that, the female form turned to leave the sensor room.
As she did, the ebony male form nodded and turned back to his console. As before, he placed is hand into the datastream in order to communicate with the raiders and send them their orders.
He paused for a moment, removing his hand from the datastream lest his thoughts be betrayed to the central computer and ultimately to the Central Cylon.
There was something to be said for certain human-style loyalties, but then there were it's weaknesses, too. Sister Six's orders and avoidance of discussion of the attacks on Harlow and the apparent comings-and-goings of Colonial Forces warships were inconsistent with logic and prudent planning. Brother Four had kept his word to keep the previous event on Harlow to himself, but Sister Six had made no such request of him this time. Perhaps it was inferred, but it was not stated. A technicality, perhaps, but a fact, nonetheless.
Perhaps now was the time to address The Others.
He prepared the operational orders for the Raiders as he'd been directed and then transmitted them. He then sent a message to the Resurrection Ship. If the surface patrol had indeed been destroyed, he was sure that the Sister Three that had been with the patrol would have some constructive insight on the matter.
