Chapter 2: Halloween Part 2
October 31st, 1997
CIC of Battlestar Valkyrie – Earth 3 - 4:30 PM
Shira Brynn walked into CIC.
"Commander on deck," said Lieutenant Shaw, the Valkyrie's communication officer.
Marines and officers immediately came to attention and salute Shira.
Shira moved quickly over to Colonel Wilson, her XO, who stood at the DRADIS console. "At ease. XO, sitrep."
"There's a lot of confusion," Colonel Wilson said. "All we know for sure is that we're being hit hard. We lost 30 Battlestars in the opening attack. According to reports, they've been able to just.. turn our ships off. The fleet's not even getting a chance to fight back. Virgon, Picon, Scorpia, and Tauron have all been nuked. No word on the other colonies."
Lieutenant Shaw came up to Shira, a paper in hand. She sniffled as she fought back the tears that threatened to come. "Priority message, sir," she said as she handed the paper to Shira.
"Take a breath, Lieutenant. Ease up," Shira said.
Lieutenant Shaw nodded. "Yes, sir," she said as she took a deep breath before returning to her station.
Shira looked at the paper in her hand and read the message. "XO."
Colonel Wilson moved over towards her. "Commander?"
"Admiral Nagala is dead and the Atlantia's been destroyed," Shira said. "We need to get in this fight, now."
"We should head for Caprica," Colonel Wilson suggested.
"I agree," Shira said. "Lieutenant Thompson, please spin up the FTL drive and get ready to jump the ship. Copy to fleet."
"Sir," Thompson said as he moved over to the FTL console from his position at the Helm.
The DRADIS console beeped letting them know it had picked up something.
"DRADIS contacts," Lieutenant Nyoka said. "Bearing 143 carom 229. 20, correction, 30 bogeys moving towards us at high speed. 6 minutes until contact."
"Send hostile challenge and ID. Colonial Priority One channel," Shira said.
"Attention unknown vessels, this is the Battlestar Valkyrie," Lieutenant Shaw said. "You are entering restricted space and are ordered to immediately change your course or you will be subject to defensive action. Please respond, over." She got no response. "I say again, this is the Battlestar Valkyrie. You are entering restricted space and you are ordered to change your course or you will be subject to defensive action. Please respond, over."
There was still no response as Lieutenant Nyoka looked toward the Commander.
"Sound action stations," Shira said. "Prepare to launch, Vipers."
"Sir," Lieutenant Nyoka said and motioned toward the DRADIS. "They're firing."
And then suddenly everything changed.
"Sir, the bogeys…" Lieutenant Nyoka said as she looked to where Shira had been and found that Shira had vanished, "… is gone."
"Condition One," Colonel Wilson yelled when he noticed his commanding officer had disappeared.
Bridge of USS Enterprise NCC-1701 – Earth 65 – Same Time
Commander Buffy Summers watched from the center seat as Sulu flexed his hands nervously. She glanced towards her sister, Commander Dawn Summers, who had relayed orders from Captain James Kirk to take the ship out upon the requested time. She had half expected the captain to be on the bridge for this himself, but he must have been still in his cabin going over hers and Dawn's Starfleet files. "Mr. Sulu!" she said.
Sulu wrenched the Enterprise to port, overcompensated, and had to drag the ship out of the threat of spin and tumble. The ship quivered in his hands, as delicate as a solar-powered sailboat. He gulped.
The intercom burst into activity as every department in the ship demanded to know what had happened.
Buffy stood and walked over to Sulu. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can do this," she said. "Just relax."
Buffy glanced toward Dawn who nodded from where she sat at the Engineering console.
"Mr. Scott on comm," Dawn replied flipping a switch.
"Mr. Scott," Buffy said. "Damage report."
"The engines, the housings—they're no' designed for such use—"
Sulu called on the impulse engines. They delivered the faintest thrust to the ship, just enough acceleration to press it toward the Spacedock doors.
"What's the damage, Mr. Scott?" Buffy said again.
"Well, sir, there isna any damage, if ye put it—"
"Very good, Mr. Scott. Carry on."
The Enterprise cleared the dock. Space opened out before it.
A twinge of dizziness swirled before Sulu's eyes. He released his breath, wondering when he had begun holding it.
Dawn glanced toward Buffy and then toward Sulu.
Buffy nodded. "Relax, you can do it," she repeated.
"Yes, sir."
"Navigator, plot a course to Starbase 13—" Buffy said.
Sulu applied reverse thrust to the Enterprise and brought it almost to a standstill, relative to Spacedock.
Collision warnings sounded. Sulu acknowledged them and shut them off. "Sailboat, Commander." Sulu increased the magnification on the viewscreen. Off their port bow, a solar powered boat sped across their path. Hundreds of times the size of its capsule, the sail showed its nearly invisible black surface to the Enterprise. It tacked. The gilded side of the sail reflected a bright crescent across the Enterprise's sensors.
The viewscreen damped the intensity of the light.
"I see it, Mr. Sulu," Buffy said. "Good work. Whoever is aboard her has more nerve than sense."
"And in human-controlled regions, such as this one," Mr. Spock said, "that person has the right of way as well."
Buffy rolled her eyes as the tension faded from the bridge. The sailboat passed very close before them. After it cleared their path, Sulu set the Enterprise under way.
"Course to Starbase 13 entered, commander," the navigator said.
"The Enterprise is clear of traffic and cleared for warp speed, commander," Sulu said.
And then suddenly everything changed.
Jedi Temple on Tython – Earth 77 – Same Time
Sarryn Baill paced outside the doors of the Jedi Council chambers. After a half an hour he was finally admitted.
"Sarryn." Atris, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, said as he approached them. "What can we do for you?"
"I have been having visions given to me by the living Force." Sarryn replied. "Somewhere in the Unknown Regions there is nexus of Dark Side energies."
"A nexus of Dark Side energies?" Atris frowned.
Sarryn nodded, "Yes, Master Atris. I believe I am being sent these visions for a reason."
Atris looked to her fellow Masters who nodded. "Go, you shall."
And then suddenly everything changed.
Streets of Sunnydale – Earth 6 – Same Time
Shira Brynn suddenly found herself in front of a home. She looked around confused wondering where she was. The last thing she could remember was being in CIC on the Valkyrie just as 30 unidentified bogeys were about to attack. Now she found herself on a street that resembled any street in most of the Colonies. She wondered had she died and gone to some sort of afterlife that resembled her home?
Gun fire sounded behind her. Shira turned to see her husband, Cale Brynn, and Chief Engineering Officer backing across the street, surveying the area in silent panic.
"Cale!"
As joy and relief swept through her, Shira raced over to her husband. But to her dismay, Cale whipped around and pointed his gun straight at her before realizing who she was.
In Orbit at the same time
"Colonel," said Lieutenant Nyoka, "A new bogey is coming from behind the moon. It's weapons are not armed.
"It's broadcasting a message of peace and they want to speak with you," Lieutenant Shaw added.
On the Streets of Sunnydale
"We should try and contact the Valkyrie," Cale suggested.
Shira nodded in agreement and pulled out a communications device she kept with her at all times. "Battlestar Valkyrie, this is Valkyrie Actual."
"It is good to hear your voice, Commander," came the voice of Colonel Wilson.
"What is your status?" Shira asked.
"We are currently in negotiations with a Cylon vessel which just arrived under a flag of truce."
"Cylons, are you sure?" Shira asked. "We haven't had dealings with them since the Armistice."
"Quite sure, Commander."
"Be wary," Shira said.
"Always am, Commander. Also of note, the 30 bogeys disappeared unexpectedly at the same time you disappeared from CIC."
"Is it possible the bogies originated from the Cylon vessel you are currently in negotiations with?"
"No way of knowing for sure. But I have my doubts unless the negotiations are a ruse on their part."
"Alright, how long will it take you to get a Raptor down here?" Shira asked.
"Thirty minutes tops."
"Alright, we'll scout for a landing zone. Standby for coordinates," Shira said.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Becca Reidel, the CAG of the Battlestar Valkyrie tried to get her bearings. It was then that two of the creatures that seemed to plaque the world they were now on had chosen to attack her. She was about to fight the creatures hand to hand when she heard the sound of weapons discharge and the creatures slumping to the ground.
Two people in uniforms and one person in what appeared to be robes walked up to her. "Thank you for your assistance," Becca said.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Caprica Six strode down the street. Right now she was very, very, confused. First she had been whisked off the Basestar in the middle of a jump, and now she was on a primitive planet with strange creatures and humans. Where was she, she wondered.
~ You are on a planet. ~ came the response from a Centurian. Which meant that there should be a Basestar in orbit or nearby.
~Send a Heavy Raider to pick me up. ~
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Shira noticed Becca approached with three people; one man and two women, that she did not recognize.
"Captain," Shira said.
"Commander Brynn, these people assisted me," Becca said. "They're from two groups we have never heard of."
The man looked at Shira. "Commander? I'm Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation Starship Enterprise. This is my executive officer, Commander Buffy Summers." He indicated himself and the woman in a uniform similar to his.
"I am the Jedi Master Sarryn Baill," said the woman in robes," of the Jedi Order." She looked around and could sense the dark side permeated this world and wondered if this is the word in the Unknown Regions that the Force had been sending her visions of.
"Commander Shira Brynn, Battlestar Valkyrie. You know Captain Reidel. Standing next to me is my husband and Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Colonel Cale Brynn." They shook hands and Shira asked, "Are your ships around here?"
"We've been unable to raise anyone on Starfleet frequencies," Buffy said. "So we don't know for sure."
"I have no idea," Sarryn said as she held up a communicator. "I do not seem to have access to holonet frequencies."
"I managed to contact the Valkyrie, my people are currently in negotiations with a Cylon vessel. Maybe your ships are up there as well." Shira said as she took out her communication device. "Battlestar Valkyrie this is Valkyrie Actual."
"Commander?"
"Is there any other ships up there, besides you and the Cylons?" Shira asked.
"Negative."
"Understood, stand by." Shira turned back to the group of people.
In the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado Springs, Colorado
A NORAD technician was directing an orbital spy satellite to adjust its camera trajectory, carefully adjusting it to far outside its normal range in order to target the location where telemetry had revealed the sudden appearance of a large object in apparent near-Earth geosynchronous orbit. Five minutes after he began the very careful task of redirecting the satellite's cameras the feed finally began to transmit to the receivers above NORAD. Thirty seconds later he was staring at his screen in a mixture of awe and dumbfounded surprise. It took him a full three minutes before he managed to actually alert his supervisor to what he had discovered. Two minutes later all security feeds were transferred to the bowels of the complex that housed Stargate Command.
In his office General George Hammond's intercom buzzed. He had been waiting on word on SG-1 or the arrival of the Goa'uld who were according to Daniel Jackson about to launch an attack on them. "Yes," he said.
"General, we have a situation."
It took less than a minute for Hammond to leave his office, storm across the briefing room and down the stairs to the control room and to Master Sergeant Walter Harriman's console.
"What is it?" he inquired.
"Sir, a technician in NORAD was adjusting a satellite's trajectory and happened upon two ships that simply appeared in a near-Earth geosynchronous orbit and were shortly joined by a third," Walter said.
"Goa'uld?" Hammond wondered if the Goa'uld had arrived.
"Negative, sir."
"Put them on the main monitor."
Hammond moved up behind Walter as the image from the satellite appeared on the monitor overhead. And what he saw on that monitor made him blink, not once, not twice, but three times. One of the ships looked very similar to a ship he had seen when he was younger called Battlestar Galactica. But he could it was not completely identical to the ship from the old television show. The other two he did not recognize offhand. "That looks alot like …"
"A Battlestar," Walter finished for Hammond. "And if that is a Battlestar. It's likely the other ship might be what a Cylon Basestar looks like in real life."
"Have they done anything?"
"They've simply been sitting there," Walter said. "And sir they may be visible from the ground with a telescope, the Battlestar alone is almost a mile long."
"I'll make some calls," Hammond said already coming to the same conclusion that Walter had just stated. They would have to get any observatories that had telescopes pointed in that area redirected away. He sighed softly as the civilian telescopes he could do nothing about, at least not at that moment. "Try contacting them and see if we get a response." He hoped that these ships were friendly. With the Goa'uld possibly on the way he didn't want to risk a war on two fronts. He turned and was about to head back to his office to make the calls when he stopped and looked back at Walter. "Any word on SG-1?" he asked. They had tried sending a team to retrieve SG-1 and found the Stargate address that Daniel Jackson had brought back from the alternate reality no longer worked. He surmised they had possibly gated to a ship, it was after all the only explanation on why the address no longer worked.
"No, sir, there has been no word yet from NASA or NORAD on any ship other than those two. Unless they are onboard them …"
In Sunnydale
Shira scanned the sky and could see three ships plummeting towards the ground. She was sure one was an updated version of the Heavy Raider, a ship used by the Cylons as a dropship furing the war. The second was a Raptor. The third she didn't recognize. The Heavy Raider dropped several blocks to their east as did the third ship. The Raptor landed in front of her and the others.
Just as the doors began to open they walked up to them and swung into the Raptor. Becca slammed the door shut behind them, absentmindedly checking the seal. She nodded to the pilot who began his pre-flight checks.
"Becca plot us a jump," Shira said. "I really hope the Valkyrie was correct about the cease fire with the Cylons. But in case the Cylons are biding their time, I don't want to remain in the area."
"Aye, Commander," Becca said as she quickly began running calculations through her system.
"What or who are the Cylons?" Sheriden asked.
"It is better to have this discussion once we're off the planet," Shira said.
"Of course."
Becca looked to the pilot who nodded in agreement that her calculations were correct. "Coordinates set, jump on your mark."
"MARK!" Shira said as the Raptor made its jump.
One moment the Raptor was flying through the planet's atmosphere. The next it was sitting a few hundred kilometers from the Valkyrie.
"We have clearance from Valkyrie?" Shira asked.
'Aye," the pilot said.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
The Cylon Heavy Raider also jumped once Caprica Six was onboard. One moment it was in the planet's atmosphere, the next it was sitting next to the Basestar.
The third ship the moment it left the atmosphere entered hyperspace. It did not go far as it exited hyperspace at a planet on the far side of the sun in the same orbit as that of Earth, it was in the exact position as what science fiction fans knew to be refered to as Counter Earth. A planet that before that very night had not existed like the space ships that orbited Earth.
At Stargate Command - 8 PM
"Have they responded or otherwise done anything?" Hammond asked after an hour of waiting.
"They've simply been sitting there," Walter said. "That said NORAD and NASA telemetry showed three ships setting down in a town roughly two hours north of Los Angeles by car. All three ships flew back into space."
"They were on the ground?" Hammond asked.
"Yes, sir," Walter said.