30 Worlds: Royal Megaforce, Episode Final: "Masters of the Ultimate Power"
BOOK TWO*CHAPTER SIX
William activated his tactical eyeglasses and watched as a Cylon raider began to bear down on Starbuck's Viper. William swung his Viper onto an intercept course and let his lasers fly. The raider exploded into fire and debris.
"Thank you, Viper-Alpha-9er," Starbuck said. "No problem, Starbuck," William said. "Let's go after those Cylons!" "Got ya," Starbuck said.
William felt Sofia's thoughts in his mind. "William, this is Sofia. Our sensors are picking up the DNA signature of an A.I.C. action commander aboard the Cylon basestar," Sofia said. "Who is it?" William asked.
"Count Baltar," Sofia said. William looked at the Cylon basestar out of his viewport. "Viper-Alpha-9er to Galactica," William said. "I have detected Count Baltar aboard the basestar. I am going after him." "Be careful," Adama said. "I will, Adama. King William, out," William said.
William made himself and his Viper dissolve in red mist, then reformed inside a landing bay on the basestar. He got out of the Viper's cockpit, looked around for a moment to ensure no one was observing him, then tapped a control on the underside of the Viper.
A panel slid open, revealing a wooden case with Japanese characters carved into the lid. Lifting it out of the compartment, William lowered the case to the deck and opened it to reveal a katana sword and pieces of a suit of ninja-like armor.
William put the armor on then sheathed the katana in a scabbard on his back. "Jiraiya, sanjou!" William said. ("Jiraiya has arrived!") Then, he made his way out of the landing bay.
William/Jiraiya crept his way down a corridor, out of sight of several Cylon centurions. Suddenly, a voice came on the ship's communications systems. "A Viper starfighter has penetrated the basestar. Be on the lookout for a Colonial warrior," the voice said.
"If they only knew..." William/Jiraiya thought as he continued to make his way to the audience chamber.
Once inside the audience chamber, William/Jiraiya looked up at the throne, where Baltar sat, smiling a wry smile at him. Lucifer stood next to Baltar. "King William, so good of you to finally show up," Baltar said.
"Count Baltar, on behalf of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol and the Scarlett Army, I challenge you to a Cinnabarian duel of honor," William said. "The terms shall be thus: if I defeat you, you shall come with me to the Battlestar Galactica so you can face the Quorum of Twelve for your crimes. However, if you defeat me, I will assist you in turning the Colonial fleet over to the Cylon Empire for extermination. Do you accept?"
Lucifer turned to Baltar. "I recommend you accept the duel. However, the terms of a Cinnabarian honor duel requires all hostilities to cease for the duration," Lucifer said. "I accept the terms," Baltar said.
William nodded, then activated his communicator. "This is King William of Cinnabar aboard the Cylon basestar to all Colonial and Scarlett Army forces. Stand down. I have called a Cinnabarian honor duel with Count Baltar. Under the terms agreed upon, all hostilities are to cease. Please acknowledge," William said.
"This is Queen Sofia aboard Gavan's Glory II," Sofia said. "I acknowledge the terms. Pathfinder Ryder?"
"This is Andromeda Initiative Pathfinder William Scott Ryder aboard Andromeda Inititative scout ship Tempest," Ryder said. "Acknowledging termination order. Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus, do you copy?"
"As much as I do not like where this is heading...I am Sire Adama, member of the Quorum of Twelve and commander of the Battlestar Galactica," Adama said. "As requested by King William and under my authority as leader of the Quorum of Twelve, all Colonial forces are ordered to stand down."
Meanwhile, Baltar was speaking into a control panel at the arm of his throne. "This is Baltar. All Cylon forces, stand down until ordered otherwise," he said. A chorus of "By your command" came over the communications channel.
Baltar then made his way down the stairs leading to the main floor. Lucifer was handing Baltar a sword. William/Jiraiya pulled the katana from the scabbard on his back."Do you recognize this sword, Baltar?" William/Jiraiya asked.
Baltar shook his head, but Lucifer replied with the robotic equivalent of a gasp. "That is the Jikō Shinkū Ken, the legendary blade of the Togakure ninja school!" Lucifer said.
"Just what I thought," William/Jiraiya said. "Baltar is not the A.I.C. action commander...you are, Lucifer." William/Jiraya threw what appeared to be a ninja shuriken at Baltar, which became stuck in his tunic. Baltar dissolved in red mist.
Back aboard the Galactica, Adama and Tigh gasped when the tower of red mist in front of them revealed Baltar. "Warriors!" Adama yelled.
Four Colonial Warriors grabbed onto Baltar. "Take this traitor to the Brig!" Adama said. "We'll determine Baltar's fate when we get to Earth!"
The Warriors roughly escorted Baltar out of the Core Command chamber. As they did, the shuriken stuck in Baltar's tunic dissolved in red mist.
Back aboard the Cylon basestar, William/Jiraiya smiled under his helmet at Lucifer. "You took too long to find me, Lucifer," William/Jiraiya said as he re-sheathed the Jikō Shinkū Ken. "What do you mean?" Lucifer said.
"I have placed explosive devices throughout this vessel," William/Jiraiya said. "All I need to do as say a code phrase into this device..."
William/Jiraiya removed the portion of his Jiraiya Suit that covered his right arm, revealing his Scarlett Army communicator. "...and the devices will detonate," William/Jiraiya said, replacing the suit on his arm.
"In other words, Lucifer, you and the A.I.C. can get frakked," William/Jiraiya said before making himself dissolve into red mist.
In the basestar's landing bay, William/Jiraiya quickly replaced the Jikō Shinkū Ken and the components of the Jiraiya Suit in its case and returned it to the storage compartment of his Viper. After getting into the cockpit of his Viper, William tapped a control. "Viper-Alpha-9er to all Colonial and Scarlett Army ships! Proceed to the departure point, maximum speed! I'll join you shortly!" William said.
"William, what are you..." Sofia started. "I don't have time to argue with you, Sofia!" William thought as he engaged his Viper's engines and angled the nose of the Viper towards the exit hatch. Tapping the fire control, William watched as two green streams of energy destroyed the hatch. "Just engage the dimensional deviator and get everyone to Challenger Base!"
William then tapped a control on his communicator. "The three letters mean, 'Stop Frakking Me!'" William said before using his turbo thrusters to blast out of the remains of the landing bay.
Moments earlier, Lucifer stood and contemplated the meaning of William/Jiraiya's speech about the explosive devices. Lucifer deduced that William/Jiraiya had been lying, buying time for the Colonial and Scarlett Army forces to escape.
It would be the last deduction that Lucifer would ever make.
Unaligned World of Cats Don't Dance
Aboard TARDIS Designated Gavan's Glory II
Approaching Scarlett Army Space Station Designated "Challenger Base"
Sofia stood at the telepathic controls and watched on a display attached to the control platform as Gavan's Glori II, the Tempest and the Colonial fleet arrived within Challenger Base's security parameter.
"Unidentified vessels, this is Scarlett Army space station Challenger Base," a voice crackled over the control room speakers. "You have violated security parameters. State your business or you shall be fired upon."
"Commander Antilles, this is Queen Sofia aboard Gavan's Glory II," Sofia said. "The Tempest is with me, while the other vessels accompanying us are under Scarlett Army protection." "Acknowledged, Sofia, but where is King William?" Commander Wedge Antilles asked.
"Look behind you, Sofia my love," a voice called out. Sofia looked on a monitor and saw that coming up behind Gavan's Glory II was William's Viper starfighter. "Zenon, this is Viper-Alpha-9er, requesting permission to land," William said.
Sofia, Mal and Phineas cheered as Zenon smiled and said, "Viper-Alpha-9er, this is Gavan's Glory II. Come on home," Zenon said.
In the Core Command room aboard Galactica, Adama and Tigh watched on a monitor as Viper-Alpha-9er angled for a landing on Gavan's Glory II. "Athena, open a ship-wide channel, and patch it into the comm systems on all Colonial vessels," Adama said. "Yes, Commander. You are on," Athena said.
Aboard every ship and Viper starfighter in the Colonial fleet, Adama's voice could be heard struggling to hold back a sob as he said, "My fellow Colonials, after the Cylon holocaust of our planets and society, I swore to you that we would find the home of the lost Thirteenth Tribe of Kobol. I can now announce to you that we have reached our destination. Momentarily, Colonial vessels will be allowed to dock with Challenger Base, the main orbital command facility of our Scarlett Army allies, for debriefing, rest and repair purposes. Adama, out."
A few hours later, in a docking lounge aboard Challenger Base, William and Sofia stood as Ryder, Adama, Cain and Wedge approached them—Adama holding a bottle of Ambrosa. "King William, Queen Sofia, I would like to thank you for helping us to our destination," Adama said.
"We are allies...nay, friends, Adama," William said. "Is that the bottle of Ambrosa you mentioned when we rendezvoused with the Pegasus?"
"Yes," Adama said. "I've already had the bottle scanned into the computer for easy recreation using our replicators, Your Majesty," Wedge said. "So now, that bottle is no longer the last bottle of Caprican-vintage Ambrosa in existence."
"Then, why don't we share a drink?" Sofia said, gesturing to six glasses on the nearby bar. Adama nodded, opened the bar then poured the Ambrosa into the glasses. William, Sofia, Ryder, Adama, Cain and Wedge each took a glass.
"Then, may I propose a toast?" William asked. "To the survivors of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol and to the end of one journey...and the beginning of another." The six clinked their glasses together.
END OF BOOK TWO
::TBC::