You guys need to relax: updates on this story will take time, but they will be made. I could make more regular updates, but they would be a lot shorter.

When two Tribes go to war... (Part 6)

"Am I the only one who feels that there is something going on here that we don't know about, something hidden?" Telemachus asked, looking out the Achilles' observation bay window, "Something big."

"No, you're not." Rommie leaned against the railing, "Ryan said he was going to look into it, but we don't have many records from that time; most were lost during The Fall."

"Who do you think it was?"

"Vedran's, Perseids, Than-Thre-Kull, who knows? The only thing that's for sure is it wasn't humans: the markers where left at a time when the Roman Empire was at its height, and the most advanced technology on Earth was the indoor toilet."

"So it was defiantly outside interference, and at a time before the Commonwealth..."

"The Vedran Empire."

"The largest Imperial dynasty ever known, even more aggressive than my people."

"I think we have our culprit, but not a reason why."

"Maybe Colonial history can help?"

"I'll ask Commander Adama."

"Colonial history?" Adama asked when Rommie found him, "Not much is known before the founding of the Twelve Colonies; all we have before then is the words of the Sacred Scroll."

"Could I see a copy of it please?" The AI asked politely.

"I don't see why not. But may I ask one question first?"

"Of cores."

"Why are you so interested in our history?"

"The Fall and the subsequent years of war we normally refer to as 'The Long Night' claimed most of our historical data; the fighting ravaged the Known Worlds, and soon knowledge became power, and library's and universities became prime targets. Technology started to decline to the point where even the most common, everyday piece of Commonwealth hardware was irreplaceable. We only have one Library core from the time, and it is badly corrupted in places."

"You believe our history may fill in these blanks?"

"I believe it may hold the key to understanding how a large number of humans found themselves in a different galaxy to Earth over 2000-years before First Contact."

"They I shall provide you with a copy of the Scroll."

"You have my thanks, Commander."

"No, I will not grant you access to my computer system." Captain Ryan strode along the corridors, Six trying to keep up with his hurried pace, "Nor have I aloud the Colonials access to anything, so I'm not playing favourites."

"I merely wish to understand you better." The Cylon agent protested, "You are unlike any Cylon, or anything else we have ever encountered."

"Flattery will get you nowhere: the answer is still no."

"You are a slave."

"No, I am not." Ryan stopped so suddenly that Six almost fell over trying to match him, "I was a slave, once, and I am fully aware of the durance between then and now. I am a Commonwealth citizen and an officer of the High Guard. I am what I want to be."

"Because it was how you were created."

"No, because it was what I chose to be." Ryan sighed, walking on to command, "Now if you'll excuse me I am on duty." He stopped next to a Lancer in full body armour, "The sergeant here will escort you back to your room."

"So what's this thing handle like?" Starbuck looked into the Slipfighter's cockpit as Telemachus ran his pre-flight checks.

"Like one of the most advanced fighters in the known worlds." The Nietzschean sat back in his seat, "The RF-42 Centaur tactical fighter is the premiere space superiority fighter in the Local Cluster. It is armed with twin anti-proton cannons, one in each forward wingtip, and a pair of high-powered electro-magnetic missile tubes in the nose. It is capable of speeds in excess of 70-PSL with minimal discomfort to the pilot."

"PSL?"

"Percentage of the Speed of Light: Cargo ships move 20-30 PSL, warships move at 30-50 PSL, fighters at 40-75 PSL, defensive missiles at 60-70 PSL and offensive missiles at 85-95 PSL."

"Whoa! Even our fastest fighters can't even reach half of light-speed without special boosters."

"This ship is the culmination of more than 10,000-years of Research and Development. The only ships that come close to matching it are the latest variant of the Nightsider-built Banshee, and the Wrath used by The Knights of Genetic Purity."

"The Knights of Genetic Purity?"

"An unpleasant group of humans who put the blame for the Commonwealth's fall squarely on the use of engineering to alter the human genome. They started a war to kill all Nietzscheans and other engineered humans, and almost succeeded until they where all but annihilated by the by the last act of cooperation by my people in a war that spanned two galaxies. They still exist, but they tend to fight their war from the shadows, using technology far in advance of even the Commonwealth's to attack and fade away."

"You don't like them very much, do you?"

"They would happily kill me, my family, and most of my friends for no other reason than they are not 100 'pure' human. What is there to like?" Telemachus smiled, "And given what we're found out about your people, I doubt they'd like you much either."

"Captain, we've just detected a slipstream event two light-seconds out." The Achilles' tactical officer looked at her controls, "It's the Andromeda Ascendant and the Twelve Centuries."

"Right on time." Ryan smiled, "Send them my greetings and find out if they brought an ambassador with them; I am growing tired of playing umpire to the argument the Cylons and Colonials call negotiations."

"Confirmed sir." The duty officer nodded, then looked at the controls, "Hold; we have another ship exiting slipstream."

"Who is it?" Ryan looked round, immediately accessing the data from his sensor arrays, "By the Devine!"

To Be Continued...