When two Tribes go to war...(Part 13)
"Try not to look to disappointed Mr Zarek." President Roslin walking into the conference room set aside for the Colonial delegation, "I would be dead if not immediate medical attention."
"How could you suspect me of being so cold hearted?" The former terrorist asked, "I even preyed for you…"
"Evidently they were not answered: I'm still here."
"Touché Madam President, Touché."
"I hear that you've been upsetting the Commonwealth Ambassador? Is the legendary Tom Zarek losing his touch? I though that you could charm the birds from the trees."
"Madam President, the Systems Commonwealth is almost entirely dependent on A.I.'s of one level or another to run their society. This ship is controlled by and A.I. so complex they think it's alive!"
"Yes, I've spoken to Andromeda, and Captain Ryan. They strike my as very complex individuals."
"You can't believe that they are alive?"
"Depends on your definition of alive? The Cylon infiltrators we've been plagued by since the destruction of the Twelve Colonies are alive, in their own way."
"Excuse me." Dylan appeared on the doorway, "Madam President, there is something I have to tell you, now."
"Certainly, Captain Hunt." Roslin nodded, "What is it?"
"I'm afraid we can't talk here." Dylan eyed everyone else in the room, "It is of an extremely sensitive nature."
"Okay." The Colonial leader looked a little worried, "Where?"
"Follow me." Dylan turned in his heals and walked off.
Galactica's deck crews stood by in silence as the lifts brought down the sleek, deadly looking slip-fighters. The ships looked like elongated Cylon raiders, but were almost twice the size.
Most eyes were drawn to Ensign Blazing Star, a relatively tall scarlet-red Than pilot. She stepped out of her cockpit and stood next to her craft, the straggly shaped helmet she wore held under one arm. The crew of the Galactica couldn't help but stare: with the exception of those who had made a trip over to one of the High Guard ship, she was the first non-human sentient biological entity any of them had ever seen.
"Don't you people have work to do?" Chief Tyrol asked, snapping everyone back to reality.
"Permission to come aboard?" Beka asked as Commander Adama appeared, followed closely by Apollo and Starbuck.
"Permission granted, captain." Adama nodded, "This is my son, Captain Lee Adama: he's our CAG."
"Captain." Beka nodded.
"Captain." Apollo returned the gesture, "Beautiful looking ship."
"Yeah." Beka turned to look back at her fighter, "Pity they only come in gray, not black."
"Certainly more impressive than your normal ride." Starbuck mutter under her breath; just loud enough for Beka to hear.
"Something you wish to say, Lieutenant?" Beka asked as Tyr appeared at her shoulder, "This is Tyr Anasazi, Andromeda's tactical officer. The short runt over there is Shamus Harper, our chief engineer."
"Mr. Anasazi." Adama nodded, "It will take us two hours to intercept the Pegasus and her escorts at our current speed. I've head some quarters for you to rest and freshen up."
"Thank you." Beka nodded, "I think we could all use a shower."
"In here." Dylan led the way into a small conference room, "Andromeda, engage privacy mode, maximum counter measures."
"Confirmed." The A.I. responded. There was a faint buzzing as the anti-surveillance systems came on-line.
"I apologise for these extreme measures, but what we are about to tell you can under no circumstances leave this room. I am only telling you because I feel you deserve to be made aware of all the facts." Dylan looked President Roslin straight in the eye, "This meeting never took place."
"I understand." Roslin nodded.
"Good." Dylan nodded, "I'd like to introduce you to Trance Gemini, our chief medical officer." He motioned to the young woman sitting at one end of the small conference table, "She's been looking into Lieutenant Valerii's condition, and the human-type Cylons in general."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." President Roslin nodded and gave her best 'meeting someone important for the first time' smile.
"Trance, perhaps you should explain what you found." Dylan sat down, motioning for the Colonial leader to take a seat.
"Ok." Trance looked shaken, "I was trying to determine just what the infiltrators are and where they come from. I scanned Lieutenant Valerii's DNA and found the same marker that the CMO on the Achilles found in your sample. Hidden deeper in the Lieutenant's DNA was a second marker. I've double checked it several times, but the marker is unmistakable the work of my people."
"Your people?" President Roslin asked, "What species are you?"
"You couldn't pronounce it, no human could." Trance looked genuinely afraid, "And if I told you anything more about them, they'd know, and they'd be very, very angry."
"What could they do?" The President asked.
"They could kill every living being in this system, and make me watch as they did so with a smile on their face, smug in the knowledge that it was 'all for the greater good'." Trance looked almost physically ill, "Do not underestimate their determination."
"I know almost nothing about Trance's people, but I know enough to take her warning seriously." Dylan nodded, "I also know that they wouldn't help the Cylons for no reason."
"What reason could they possibly have for helping the Cylons exterminate my people?" President Roslin looked confused.
"The Magog. My people are obsessed with the Magog." Trance didn't look up, "As a race of sentient machines, the Cylons are perfect cannon-fodder. The human-type infiltrates are genetically immune to Magog poisons and infection. I can only speculate that my people intent to turn the Cylons on the Magog at some point in the hope that they will be able to stop them once and for all. The human-types would then be able to reproduce and repopulate worlds reclaimed from Magog infestation."
"I'm sorry." President Roslin raised a hand, "What are the Magog?"
"This is a Magog." Dylan activated the holographic projector built into the conference table, and it projected a life-sized adult Magog in the air. "They are the ultimate predators: fast, strong, very hard to kill. They are genetically required to kill in order to start their digestive process, and reproduce my laying eggs in other sentient life forms, humanoid for preference. They appeared out of nowhere some 350-years ago and cut a swathe through the known worlds until the old Systems Commonwealth was able to fight them to a standstill. Negotiating with Magog is almost impossible, but a tentative peace was finally reached."
"How many died in the war?" Roslin asked; her eyes fixed in terror at the hologram that rotated above the table.
"No one knows for sure: billions, maybe more" Dylan looked grim, "Since The Fall, the Magog have travelled almost unchecked across the known worlds. Only the strongest governments are able to withstand a major Magog attack, so most just let them raid a planet and salvage what they can afterwards."
"That is no way to fight a war." Roslin shook her head.
"That's not the worst of it." Trance had wrapped her arms around her self and was rocking back and forth slowly.
"Yes." Dylan nodded, "Your people may not be as safe in the Commonwealth as you think." He hit a command, the hologram changing to show the Magog World Ship, "This is heading towards known space, and will arrive in a little under a year."
"By the Lords of Kobol!" President Roslin stood, moving round the table to look at the image from all sides, "It's huge…"
"It is literally a mobile solar system." Dylan increased the magnification, "Each of the twenty planets in the array are hollow, filled with trillions of Magog. They are led by something, we're not sure what, called The Spirit of the Abyss."
"They're here." Trance suddenly looked up, "My people, they are here, on one of the Cylon ships."
"Are you sure?" Dylan asked.
"Yes." Trance nodded, "I need a ship."
"We have the Pegasus on the edge of sensor range." Lieutenant Gaeta reported as he looked at the main consol in Galactica's CIC, "30-microns to intercept."
"Set condition one throughout the ship." Commander Adama lifted the intercom, "CAG to CIC. Captain Valentine to CIC. Lieutenant Thrace to CIC."
"This should be fun." Colonel Tigh smiled sarcastically as alarms started to sound throughout the Battlestar.
To Be Continued…
rankokun alpha: You know m and cliff hangers…
WBH21C: Thank you.