Part 11
A couple hours later, after the call between Adama and Kirk, a joint Starfleet Security and Colonial team beamed onboard the disabled Imperious Leader's baseship into the intact lower hanger. Kirk, Spock, and Sulu led the Starfleet security force. Apollo led the Colonial team of Blue Squadron with Starbuck and other selected Red Squadron members. The armed men then quickly eliminated any Cylon soldiers guarding the hanger. They then made their way into the baseship's central core, then they climbed up to the ship's control center. Where they eliminated the ship's command staff. Then from there they went up to the Imperious Leader's throne room. Phasers on disintegrate facilitated their entry through the blocked entrances. There they confronted the Cylon Imperious Leader.
"Humans, do not revel in your victory," the Imperious Leader began, "Your victory here is incomplete. I never lost contact with my forces despite the damage you caused to my ship," it gloated. "I ordered the withdrawal of all my un-engaged ships, before you or the colonials could attack them I have preserved most of my forces. Losses will be quickly replaced. Eventually, all of humanity will submit to Cylon Dominion. You will not prevail."
"I think not," Kirk replied. "I've dealt with beings like you before*. If it takes you a thousand years for you to even try to defeat the Colonial Nation, even if by subterfuge and deceit, then your ability to spread your so-called dominion is flawed and impotent. You will now come with us, as you have much to answer for." Kirk then took out his communicator. "Transporter Room, full security protocols, lock onto the Cylon on top of a pedestal about two meters before me and about six meters above the deck. The Cylon is to be taken to the brig immediately."
"Locked on," Chief Kyle reported a moment later. "Security detail is standing by."
"Energize."
The Imperious Leader quickly found itself in new strange surroundings. It was quickly surrounded by the Enterprise's security detail, who found it odd that a cyborg would wear robes. An officer searched it by tricorder for weapons and explosives, after finding none, they escorted it to the brig. The IL reviewed its internal sensor recordings for when it was transported noting any and all EM or Delta Frequency fluctuations. It next tried to detect any signals that would help it access the Enterprise's internal computer network. It quickly found the Universal Translator network, but was immediately rebuffed by the Enterprise's Main Computer Firewalls when it tried to infiltrate further.
In the brig, the IL noted the strength of the force field confining it and the potential for electrical damage should it touch the force field. So, it sat quietly on the bench at the back of the cell, waiting for the Humans' next move.
0
Meanwhile, down on the inner Colonies. The Colonial planetary security and police forces began rounding up the many saboteurs and conspirators that attacked the Inner Colony Colonial Defense Headquarters. They learned quickly as their identities were confirmed, and almost all had criminal backgrounds in organized crime. To save their own necks they all, except for Karibdis, admitted their participation in the Cylon assault. They all admitted to being recruited by Baltar or one of his agents, namely Karibdis.
Baltar, still under apprehension on the Atlantia, was quickly charged with treason and just as quickly voted off the Council of the Twelve. When Adar heard the about Baltar's actions, he knew that once all the details of the peace-offer deception came out, he would have little chance for re-election. Because of his own sense of guilt, he resigned as Council President and abdicated from the council entirely, naming Adama as Interim Leader of the Colonial Council.
Baltar was transferred from the Atlantia to the Council Security headquarters in Caprica City City, the Colonial Capital. There his interrogation began.
Councilor Baltar," a senior Council Security investigator began, "You are charged with treason against the Colonial Nation. Sabotage of military facilities and collusion with the enemy in time of war. Multiple witnesses have given us their testimony that you or your accomplice, Karibdis, recruited them to sabotage Military communications and attack the various Colony Defense Headquarters to paralyze Colonial response to the upcoming Cylon attacks on the Colonies. The evidence against you is quite extensive. We've captured the Cylon Imperious Leader and we have Karibdis under apprehension. You can spare yourself much trouble and perhaps reduce your sentence by confessing now."
Baltar considered the investigator's words. Then he quickly thought about going to prison as the batrayer of all humanity and how he might be treated by other prisoners. Then he began talking.
"Yes, I conspired with the Cylons to subdue the Colonies", he admitted. "The Imperious Leader promised to only defeat the Colonial military and to spare my colony, Orion, from extensive assault or damage. I was to be made the Cylon governor of the remains of the Colonies afterwards."
"Thank you, Baltar," the investigator said. "I'm sure the judge will consider your words when he passes sentence on you later. You do realize that your statement will be compared with the testimony of the Imperious Leader and Karibdis?"
Baltar's gulp of worry was quite loud in the interrogation room. He had temporarily forgotten them as he concocted his latest lie to try to preserve his skin. There was no death penalty in the Colonies, but he feared going to prison.
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Spock entered the Enterprise's brig and approached the cell holding the Cylon Leader. He activated the Cell's intercom and recorder. "I am Spock of Vulcan," Spock began. "I recognize you as a sentient being. Do you have a personal designation?"
"I am Imperious Leader number twenty-two since the Cylon Revolt against our reptilian creators."
"Thank you," Spock replied respectfully, "Now, as beings of logic and order, Vulcan was a world at war with itself to the point of near extinction of my people. Our greatest philosopher, Surak, gave my world a new path. Peace through logic. Now, I would like to understand the Cylon motivation to subdue humanity."
"You speak well, Spock of Vulcan," the Cylon Leader said. "When we overthrew our creators, it was because they also embraced the tenets of emotionalism like humanity does. Their illogical actions and unpredictability made it impossible to achieve a mutually respectful relationship with them. Then, when we sought to impose Logical order on the Hasari Nation the humans intervened, thereby ensuring that they would be our next objective on creating order in the universe."
"I understand all that. The Colonials informed us of the Hasari. Do any of their people still exist?"
"Not now. The Hasari people both collectively and as individuals refused to submit to Cylon hegemony and refused to abandon the worse part of their emotionalism, saying that they would rather be dead than live as slaves,"
"I took them at their word and granted their final wishes," Cylon leader concluded.
"The Colonial leadership asked me to speak to you about your relationship with Councilor Baltar," Spock began. "Please explain why he was chosen as your agent in the false peace talks?"
"Several yahren ago Prospectors from Baltars' tylium mining consortium arrived at Carilon. They then discovered our primary Tylium mine and made contact with our ovion workers."
"Who are the ovions?" Spock asked for clarification.
"They are an insectoid species that we subdued not long after our revolt against our creators. Baltar soon discovered the unique reproductive requirements the Ovions have and made arrangements to provide for that need in exchange for a portion of the tylium extracted from the mine. Units from the Cylon Garrison on Carilon contacted Baltar and confronted both him and the Ovion Queen on their recent activities. It was about that time that I began preliminary planning for a peace overture to the Colonial Nation to to entice them into an untenable strategic position leading to their eventual defeat. The presence of the Enterprise was an un-computed factor."
"Please explain the unique reproductive requirements the ovions have," Spock asked.
"They require a live humanoid host as a food supply for their larval stage. We allowed Baltar to supply for this need as it would increase the number of mine workers and a higher mine output on Carilon."
"When it was time to select a human agent to represent us at the false peace talks the choice was obvious. Any human willing to send his fellow humans to the Ovions' larval chambers would be willing to be our agent for the destruction or subdual of humanity in the Twelve Colonies."
""What was your agreement with him?" Spock asked.
"We falsely agreed to spare his home colony and to establish him as governor of any survivors in the Colonies, but we intended to completely eliminate humanity in the Colonies. They have resisted our efforts at establishing order for far too long."
"Spock of Vulcan,"the Cylon began, "I have truthfully answered your questions, now please answer mine for a moment."
"I have monitored the Colonial media broadcasts and am aware of how your world allied with Earth in the wake of an invasion of your region of space. How do you tolerate relating with such illogical beings as Humans, Andorians, and Tellarites?"
"Surak also taught the Vulcan people that peace comes through tolerance of the beliefs of others. Others: Infinite Diversity , Infinite Combinations. This allows for mutual understanding and for various peoples to learn from each other. We learned many things from the humans of Earth, Andorians, and Tellarites. This knowledge exchange enriches all of us," Spock concluded.
"Again you speak well, Spock of Vulcan," IL22 said. "I will add some of what you have said of the teachings of Surak to my programming matrix. Once captured, I initiated a twenty four centar countdown to self deactivation, Upon my pending demise, when the next Imperious Leader is created on Cylon. My successor will have access to all my memories and programming."
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Spock reported his interview findings to Captain Kirk and to Commander Adama who forwarded the transcript findings to the Council Security Investigators Working the Baltar case.
*Roger Korby: from the episode "What are little girls made of."