Record keeping notes:
Chris Coyne wrote: AlbertG is running out of time. Wilkins75 is writing his version of the race meeting the Stargate universe. Actually this isn't true. You're under the assumption that this is a competition and, for me, it isn't. Wilkins75 writes at his own pace as do I for various reasons. His story is different and this is a good thing. I explained this years before. The object of the authors is A) for us to write as we feel to express ourselves. And, B) we write for the enjoyment of others. If my or any story inspires others to write then that is wonderful. It gives us more to read mecause believe it or not, we lovee to read as well. Now Wilkins75s' vision are not mine but I say so for it. A lot of people obviously love his stories and he should continue accordingly.
Reviewer Grissom mentioned a possible Colonial character that might represent an opposite view of Earth being subordinate to the Colonies. Now, this may actually be happening in the background although we may not see it here. People have their own opinions it will be varied among the Colonies as well as Earth. In this chapter we explore Colonial paranoia and prejudices and concerns and Earther concerns, too. If you think Earth isn't prejudice, think again. I am using these particular characters because I am basing them on people I know and I know exactly how they'd feel if they ran into this situation. It's something that will happen on both sides. This story and its companion 'Shadow' will delve into that both positive and negative because that's the way life is.
To everyone else, thank you for your continued patience and don't forget to read everyone's stories. After all, that's why we writers write.
Chapter Fourteen
Cyrannus Star system
Scorpia
Thresia Military command central
A very composed but very excited General Timas continued with her analysis. She pressed the button on her remote control and on the main screen an image of an odd-looking handgun appeared. The weapon was bigger than the standard Colonial handgun. The barrel extended past the usually length by four to six centimeters. The trigger looked thicker and flat. The stock was huge. Most of the people in the room unaware of the newest acquisition now scrutinized it with intense, undisguised curiosity.
"Mister President, the pulse laser weapon is an example of the first practical energy weapon that we have been able to acquire," began a very pleased Timas. "As we can see onscreen, this weapon is designed for users that have larger hands than normal humans. An average soldier would require both hands to operate it properly. Each person in this room is aware of the tremendous advantage Earth, their allies, and the Goa'uld have over us in terms of weapons, speed, and their defense shields. We are decades if not a hundred years or more behind them but the addition of these technologies will close the gap between us and them significantly."
She paused for a moment grimacing at the memories of the Earth-Colonial conflict that turned Colonial superiority into a wasteland of insecurity and doubt about their place in the universe, now they had the mindset of insecure, frightened people. That one battle changed the Colonial worldview forever. They received a bitter lesson. The Twelve Tribes weren't the only intelligent life in the universe; dangerous powers were out there that could and would destroy them if given a half a chance.
It wasn't like the old days when the Twelve Tribes only had t to contended with their destroyed creations in this universe. Almost everything else consisted of unknowns and that frightened them, badly. Throughout the Colonies, engineers and scientist feverishly worked day and night attempting to develop a counter against Earth's beam weapons and their super nukes that terrified even the most hardened veterans.
It was at this point that the Colonial President held up his hand effectively pausing the Admiral's presentations. "Before we proceed any further, I want to again go over some of the details that led up to the discovery of these new technologies. His eyes turned towards Eddlison. "Commander?"
The commander of the Junis response was immediate. The President was quietly impressed that Commander Eddlison was strong enough to go over this so soon after coming home. It spoke well of his professionalism. "Yes, sir. After we performed a second jump, we remained in space outside any star system for two days effecting repairs and transferring injured crew to the Tycheon. We also performed a detailed search of the enemy ship's remains after we discovered tracking devices embedded inside the enemy ship. I made the decision not to return to base until we could confirm that the enemy wouldn't have the ability to track us. The discovery of those tracking devices required me to initiate a detailed search throughout our ship to make sure that there were no more devices. Our shipside search produced two more of the tracking devices. The first one was discovered in engineering. We found a second one embedded in the hull of our ship near the point of impact. We believe that enemy soldiers who attempted to take over my ship placed the trackers there. Judging by their aggressiveness and actions I assume that this enemy is very interested in finding out where our home-based and subsequently our planets were located, something that we dare not allow.
Due to the threat to home base, we decided to separate our forces. We stocked as much food and supplies as we could and topped off our fuel stores. We transferred most of our vipers to the Tycheon. The Tycheon in turn, transferred most of their raptors to my battlestar as they would be of more use to us. The Tycheon then returned to home base while we continued our primary mission which was searching for escaped Cylons that might have fled in that direction, general exploration–and confirming that we were no longer being tracked by enemy vessels. That was my chief concern and it was the primary reason why I chose to remain out of contact for over six months."
"We understand, commander," the President nodded. "Please continue."
"Before we were attacked," the commander continued, "we're just beginning to enter the Rosa star cluster. Our long-term scans indicated the presence of several type G star systems that had high probabilities of possessing life-sustaining planets. We proceeded to designate Rosa star system One. There were no life-sustaining worlds there but the system is rich in minerals, and precious metals and elements. We used the materials found there to supplement our stores and finished repairs to the ship. On a side note, I would recommend that we add factory units to all of our mid-sized and larger battlestars. Without the factory complex, we could not have repaired the Minoan heavy class battlestar outside of a dry dock.
We continued with repairs for another month. Upon completion, we left the system and proceeded to designate Rosa star system Two. It was here in the system that we found an abundance of water. The first planet we investigated was an ice world, a frozen waste devoid of life; however, there were vast stores of water. We topped off our stores and proceeded to the fourth planet. It was here that we found remains of human civilization. The small cities were in ruins, having suffered orbital attack from weapons that bore the same signature that the enemy had attacked us with. The human civilization was, by our standards, primitive. Analysis indicated that these people were in the process of refining steam engine technology when they were attacked. We estimate that the attack happened approximately six years ago, our time. From the data collected, there was at one time several million people initially on the world. There was no evidence of any of these people having escaped their attackers."" Commander Eddlison's face looked haunted as he spoke about the incident. "Having collected evidence and data of what happened, and a small sample of the culture of their people, we continued to the next system. Mister President, I must stress that the Rosa star cluster contains several worlds that can and do sustain human life. The number of life-sustaining worlds and the overall richness of the cluster is comparable to Terra and the systems that surround it. Once this enemy is dealt with, this is something that we should investigate in more detail. What we saw at designate Rosa star system Two forced us to reevaluate our approach in investigating the local star systems. We remained at Rosa star system Two while I ordered our raptors to proceed to Rosa star system Designate Three and Four. As we would expect the far majority of star systems are devoid of life. There were no habitable planets located in Rosa star system Designates Five and Six.
It was at Rosa star system Designate Seven that we again encountered evidence of enemy activity. The star system contained two habitable worlds. Both these worlds suffered attacked and were decimated by this same unknown enemy. It was on Rosa star system Designate Seven we found the technology we brought back to the Colonies. The third planet in Rosa star system Seven contained a civilization similar to our own. We estimate that they had a population of several billion people. The raptors brought back photographic records of dozens of the remains of large cities situated across the globe destroyed or completely obliterated. At that point, we saw no evidence of enemy activity, and I ordered four of our raptors to investigate further. Two raptors landed and the crews collected weapons the local population used to defend themselves. Judging by the records, the civilization was equivalent to ours in terms of technology. It was on that world that we collected a vast amount of enemy weapons technology as well as the deceased civilization's unique form of faster–than–light propulsion they called light speed drive, and their inertia systems from the destroyed vessels. The enemy attacked with overwhelming force, overrunning the entire planetary system. The defenders had only a few space ships, possibly as few as three to five. They didn't stand a chance. We noticed that the aliens didn't police their dead and left their equipment littered everywhere."
"Thank you, Commander," Goesel said as he once more took control of the meeting and turned his attention to Admiral Timas and the others. "I want to point out and again stress that human civilizations are far more common throughout this galaxy than we ever imagined. We cannot keep our heads in the sand any longer because it is impossible to say these civilizations have originated from the people of Kobol. Whether we like it or not, the scrolls are not the sum of our history. That belief we cling to so hard is a simple fallacy. Now these human populated worlds might have come from Kobol; that's a remote possibility, certainly," he conceded. "But we will, we must also look at the other possibilities. What I am saying publicly will ignite a political and religious firestorm however I have faith in our people that we will together, acknowledge the truth, whatever it is, and whether we like it or not. I want to clarify my stance for those not yet aware of the unreacted classified report. Human life is being discovered throughout this galaxy. Think of the implications." He allowed that to sink in. "Commander Eddlison," Goesel continued, "now that we have a basic background where these technologies came from we will continue a little later after Admiral Timas finishes her report. Admiral, please continue where you left off.
"Yes, sir. We have determined that Earth's energy weapons are plasma-based. The Terrans use directed, high-energy plasma sheathed in an energy cocoon, which keeps the plasma from spreading. The result is a weapon capable of burning through our most effective armor. The weapons acquired by Commander Eddlison's crew, upon preliminary investigation, uses a different mode of operation. Essentially, it is a laser-based weapon. The chamber mechanism is of crystal design that is used to amplify laser energy much in the same way as our current technology uses lasers for communications. The weapon uses a specific wavelength that is amplified in the chamber. The energy is the focused at a small particle about the size of a grain of sand. The highly energized particle ejects from the nozzle. The result is an energized particle sheathed in laser energy traveling just under the speed of light that will penetrate our best personal armor with ease. We estimate eight of these blasts could conceivably melt through the armor of one of our light armored tanks."
The Admiral chose that moment to pause for a moment while the mummers' died down. "So far, we have yet to definitively analyze the particular particle used by the aliens. We are not sure but we suspect that the particle is synthetic in origin but it's very difficult to analyze because of his highly energetic properties. The particle which we've named londium ignites explosively if subjected to too much energy of any kind. However, what we have discovered is that there is a viable substitute that we possess in mass quantities and we have immediate access to it. The results will be that our design will be a unique blend of alien and Colonial tech."
"What is the substitute?" the president asked. "And how effective is it?"
"It is Solium, sir." President Goesel blanched while others in the room were more than a bit alarmed. Most however appeared very thoughtful. "Solium is the waste that is created when we use tyllium and most importantly, solium possesses properties very similar to the alien particle used in their weapons."
Augustus Cain shook his head. He didn't like where this was going. There was a reason why solium was placed in the same class one category as strontium 90. "Admiral Timas, it's a waste product, one of the most toxic residues we produce not to mention its extremely radioactive. We dump solium waste as far away from the Colonies as possible because we don't want to poison whole communities. The transports that we used to get rid of the material are under strict quarantine and not allowed anywhere near civilian traffic. And this is what we would use for our weapons system?"
"Yes, sir. I am fully aware of solium's properties," was the admiral's brisk response. "The material is toxic and up to this point we have never had any practical use for it. But our reasoning is sound. First, we have a good understanding of the substance and can take proper precautions. Second, with proper precautions, we can work with it safely. Third, it's all we have. Later as we work with solium using it as a template, we will be in a much better position to work with londium. Until we can synthesize londium we must use what we have right now. Solium is not as energetic but it as a viable substitute and it will help us properly develop useful prototypes that can handle the more energetic substance. The crew of the Junis is to be commended on their work researching the alien weapons. Their research will go a long way in helping us perfect what they began. It's only been a few days but we are already studying and refining ways to develop a chamber mechanism and a protective containment system that will not jeopardize our military.
The radiation can be contained, the toxicity can also be contained. Another one of the challenges that we face is trying to minimize expose to solium if the containment chamber is breeched or if the chamber ruptures. With the particles being the size of a grain of sand is very likely that such exposure would be limited and minimal damage and people who are exposed will not receive lethal doses." Her eyes flickered slightly as several people looked at her dubiously. "However, this is a valid concern and we're working on it as we begin to develop a practical handheld laser weapon suitable for our own needs. We first need to develop the energy chamber and a proper containment unit. We have treatments for solium toxicity and radiation poisoning. The rad-toxicity treatments are medical techniques the Earth people do not possess. To formulate better relations with them we may wish to share that with them."
"That idea does shows promise," the president agreed. "We know that our meds are more advanced in the areas of radiation treatments. We will consider it. Please continue."
"Sir, this handgun also contains an energy storage battery unit more efficient and powerful than anything we've ever developed. The Junis acquired a substantial number of these batteries sufficient so that we can study them and create our own versions. Those batteries alone will change how we store energy. At this point, our researchers believe we can make a practical, safe weapon within two years. We first must learn how to miniaturize some of the mechanisms found within the alien laser gun. We can't reproduce the sophisticated firing mechanism, not yet and until we do, we will be unable to mass-produce any sort of hand held weapon for at least another three years. However, what we can do quickly is develop an anti-fighter and anti-capital ship offensive and defensive weapons systems large enough to be placed on a battlestar."
Her words caused another series of members to direct.
"Please specify, Admiral."
"At this point we have the technology and understanding sufficient to produce a larger scale weapon. The laser cannon can be easily developed using currently available material. We have containment units that can limit the toxicity and irradiation of the solium particles in much the same way as we protect our ships from the radiation of nuclear weapons and our own waste emissions. Our researchers believe that we can field a prototype in as little as six months. Theoretically, the prototypes will have a firing rate of two pulses per second with a range nearly three times that of our current anti-fighter and anti-cannon weapons systems."
"You're being overly optimistic, Admiral" Cain snorted. "Six months seems too short a period to develop such a weapon."
"Yes sir, it is. Normally I would agree with you, but most of the required technologies are already mature sciences. The solium modification and the laser system is in development, but with the Junis' research data we've already learned a lot that we can implement very quickly. We also have power generation systems that can easily generate the amount of power required for the new weapons. These new weapons systems will serve to better protect our ships and our colonies. From a military perspective, it will bring us one step closer to allowing us to protect ourselves against the Terrans should become overly aggressive."
"Very good, very good." The president was quiet for a moment. It was obvious that something was amiss mind no one chose to speak at that moment. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased that what we've heard so far; however, I have to caution us all. We as a people, have a tendency to focus on the Terrans and the threat that they represent. As we all know, the relationship with them has improved and although we still have some major differences, we are not in direct conflict with them. There is no doubt however that we are in competition with our cousins. Because of this, I believe that we are focusing too hard on them and as such we are ignoring the bigger picture. Obviously, there are other threats out there that we should be more concerned about and I'm talking about threats, not competitors. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a mindset that is focused almost solely on Earth and is technological progress. In fact, it is my belief that we are so focused on them that we forget that we have very dangerous enemies out here lying in wait. This session is a good example of what I am trying to remind you of. We talked about developing weapons and power systems obtained from a hostile alien civilization yet we focus on how we can use it to protect ourselves from Earth." He began shaking his head at the irony. "I understand this very easy trap to fall into and I have found myself falling into that trap myself several times. Yes, we must think of Earth as the competition but we must always remember that there are threats out there that make our differences with Earth look petty, and I want each member in this to keep this under advisement in our dealing with Earth. They may be the only friends we have."
The room quieted as most of them recognize that they had indeed fallen into the very trap that the president had lectured them on. The people of Earth were well known and was very easy to focus on them and ignore the real dangers out there. The president's commentary and the information on hostile aliens reminded them all that the universe had just gotten that much larger–for them.
Location-Earth
USA
Naperville, Illinois
Troy Houser, after setting down the luggage of Catherena Oanastuk Ulada Priestess of the High Order of the Lighted Way of Our Most Beloved Athena in the inner hallway of his brother James' home, turned to turned to the Picon native, smiled and said, 'you are welcome." Smirking, he gave a quick wave to the security personnel trying to stay out of sight but failing miserably.
Catherena's eyes flickered at Lafaye Houser, James' and Troy's mother an instant before she used her translator to respond in a belated but quick, "thank you."
The way she did it told Troy most of what he needed to know. The woman was terrified at being here on Earth, a stranger in a strange land and that was completely understandable. Both these new in-laws were so far from home, it wasn't even funny. By their standards, this world, the cultures, languages and religion were so alien that they were having a tough time putting anything into a context that was comfortable for them. To them, even the sky was slightly bluer than they were used to. In other words, both responded just like Lucy when she'd first come to Earth.
A quick look at Theresa and he knew that she'd be okay. She was cautious but she tried her best to immediately accept this unfamiliar environment. His mother of course, was actively hostile and the only reason she hadn't went off since the two women had gotten here (less than ten minutes ago) was because of James. But he could see it coming like a slow-moving mudslide and he knew what Pastor James' response would be. That was the way their mother was. It served to underscore that the family relationship that existed between the brothers and their mother was–complicated.
But he didn't want to focus on that just right now. His interest was in his newest in-law because he was fascinated by her the instant she had exited the taxi. Like Lucy, Catherena was in his opinion exotic. If the woman, both women, walked down the south and west sides of Chicago in regular clothes about two thirds of the people passing them would have noticed that they weren't from Chicago, let alone another world. But a large portion wouldn't notice.
Troy however wasn't fooled in the least. To him, all three women stood out like lights in a darkened room. It wasn't so much the clothing as the body language. Catherena's walk was different, the intonation of her voice, her head movements, everything about her marked her as someone not from the US. He smiled to himself. Not from this world.
In his opinion, cousin Catherena was prettier than Lucy, there was no doubt about that, however she looked like she had a mean streak a mile long if she were crossed. Or, maybe it was his imagination. Maybe he was interpreting her body language wrong. It could be simple fear. Either way it sparked his curiosity and he intended to find out more about her later.
He was about to start when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out whose hand it belonged to. "Hi, mom. Is there a problem?"
The sixty-four-year-old, grey haired wife of a National Baptist preacher, growled at her son, her voice coming out as a harsh whisper. "Is there a problem? Yes, there is a problem!" she growled. "I know that look you've been giving that alien…priestess," and here she all but hissed the word. "What is wrong with you two? Your father and I raised you two to be better than this."
"Pray tell, what do you mean?" was his innocent response.
"Don't play with me," Lafaye growled as she pulled him into the kitchen. "Oh, yes, I have a problem with this! First, it was James falling in love with the same people who tried to bomb us and the whole world not more than three years ago. Those people had the nerve to send those so-called missionaries to Earth trying to convert us to their false religion, Lord have mercy. And now I see you, my first-born son making goo-goo eyes at that alien hussy."
"Our cousin-in-law," Troy corrected.
"I don't care who she is!" his mother snapped. "She's an alien."
"Mom, are you saying that you don't like his wife?" Troy asked. He was smirking at her and that made her even more angry.
"Stop putting words in my mouth! I didn't say that, not directly," she added lamely.
"I hope not," Troy said icily. He hated conversations like this with his mother. "The world is changing. You think the Colonials were bad? We have lizards coming to visit Earth. Lizards, mother. That's going to be interesting. Now, Lucy isn't bad, never was. And she did something that few people have ever done. She made James fall in love with her. And, she gave up her beliefs and willingly joined James, her husband," he stressed. "That wasn't easy, she wasn't forced and her world rejected her. She was a high order priestess on her world. Do you think that that was easy for her? Do you know what that cost her? Don't you know how that decision affects her every single day?"
"He didn't have to marry her!"
"Yes, he did," said James. "As dad confessed, love sucks."
His mother stared at him wide-eyed. "He said what?!"
"It doesn't matter," Troy said as quickly as he could. "You raised us well, mom. We're men now and we make decisions that we believe are right. We love you mother but our choices are ours."
"That doesn't mean that you ignore your mother's advice," she huffed.
"We've all had this conversation before," Troy reminded her. "Don't blame Lucy because of what her people did. You know that we have had too much of that in our own country and you know our history of our parents and their grandparents."
"Child, don't you dare lecture me about our history. I went through some of it!"
"You keep telling us," he answered with some venom. "You wonder why we act towards you the way we do? It's because of your attitude. You're our mother and we respect that but James and I will not be forced into doing what you want us to. That does not mean that we won't listen, but you've taught us to take your advice with a grain of salt." His mother jumped back as if she were slapped. "You know that Lucy and her people visiting our world were attacked. Someone bombed the museum trying to kill them, missionaries that had nothing to do with the attack by the Colonies. They were invited here and our own people tried to kill them after we had peace talks with them. So, you can't blame them. If I remember correctly, you felt sorry for them. Well you did before he met Lucy…"
"Don't be disrespectful to your mother!" Lafaye growled, momentarily putting the fear of God in him.
"Look mother, Lucy met James in the hospital and we both know they argued and talked for weeks." He smiled, much to his mother's annoyance. "They didn't have a chance."
"So, he married the girl," she grimaced.
"Woman," Troy corrected. "And she scarified everything for him and became a part of us?" Why do you think her cousins are here? You can tell from her conversations that her own family didn't like her."
"With her stuck-up attitude, I can see why."
Troy had to struggle not to respond to the opening she'd just given him. "The bottom line is, they are married and they are happy. There are other humans in the galaxy. Interplanetary marriages may become commonplace."
"I don't care about other people and what they want to do. I'm worried about you. Neither of you ever listen to me, not really. First, James marries an alien and now, you're looking at another. We have nine billion people on Earth and both of you…" she shook her head.
"I haven't really said anything to her, yet. She may not be my type."
"But you're thinking about it!"
"I want to see who she is first."
"Lord, why couldn't you have been interested in one of those nice women at the church? I know Janice Brown really like you."
Troy smirked. His mother was as sly as brick coming through a window. "Janice is nice, a good Christian woman," Troy admitted. "She's very smart, smarter than I am. But she has the common sense of a fly, and you want her as a possible daughter-in-law?"
"Troy Houser, you shouldn't insult her like that."
"It's true and you know it. Besides mom, I think that Priestess Catherena Ulada has nice legs."
Lafaye was scandalized. "You're a deacon of the church. How dare you look at some woman's legs!"
In the living room, James wondered why his brother was laughing so hard in the kitchen.
Presidential Home
Caprica
"…Thank you, Mister President," the Secretary of Transport said. "I will send you the full report in the morning, but the first group of ships have reached their second waypoint."
"Thank you," said Goesel replied. "I want constant updates on the new colonizers. Good night."
"Good night, Mister President."
"Goodnight, Shando."
It was well past eleven at night when he finally hung up the phone. His wife Calandra was sound asleep by the time he made it to the bedroom. The kids were sleep, both of his sons snoring in the adjacent room. Each of them hated having the door closed at night so the sounds coming from their rooms was quite audible. Much like their father they were, he smirked remembering a Terran movie he saw (which wasn't allowed yet for public consumption). The sounds were oddly comforting.
The day turned out to be more exhausting than usual which said a lot. It was days like today that made him wish he'd never listened to his aunt and her constant urging for him to run for the presidency. Be careful what you ask for because you may just get it. It was an old axiom but to his chagrin, it proved itself time and time again.
Somewhat exhausted, he slipped under the covers but after about fifteen minutes he couldn't drift off. Antonius Goesel was tempted to take something to help him sleep but that wasn't his first choice. This high stress job had already produced too many addicts in last thirty years. Former President Richard Adar was a heavy ambrosia drinker before he gave it up cold after the Earther conflict.
Goesel had to admire his strength.
The President's mind continually pulled him back to today's meeting, one that went on much longer than he intended. By all accounts, designate Rosa star system Nine was a nightmare and he was honestly surprised that the Junis had gotten away at all. Everyone agreed that this new enemy had to be the ones that the Ashtorath were so afraid of and now he had a glimmer as to why. Furthermore, their main base of operations was known to the Colonials and this made the Colonies a prime target for yet another group of hostiles. The overall situation was deteriorating faster than his people could handle. Not for the first time did the President have to mentally list the number of concerns before he could rest. Ironically, it was the only way he could begin to rest.
First, the Goa'uld were coming sooner rather than later and demand an answer he wasn't prepared to give. If the Colonials agreed to join the Ashtorath then every other government in the galaxy would hate them and become automatic threats. Plus, the Goa'uld were not known for having and keeping partners other than as slaves. That was unpalatable. If he said no, then he made an enemy of the System Lords by spurning them, which meant nothing less than war sooner or later.
The Colonials would have to beg Earth to help them.
Next, this enemy that was apparently preparing an invasion and that the Goa'uld were almost certainly now fighting had a huge a huge target painted at the Colonies heart because he had intel on their planetary staging area and where the star system was located…both of them. Two STDs meant two staging areas. They could not allow that information to be disseminated to others including the Goa'uld. Their power was such that the Colonial forces could not withstand a dedicated assault. Furthermore, this was most likely the enemy that Earth was so secretive about, and if the Earth was anxious, then he should be and they were very worried.
Earth's help would be needed if his people to survive.
Then there was the very bitter argument whether to inform Earth at all, if they didn't know what the Colonials knew in the first place. Terran listening devices were everywhere and those never-to-be-sufficiently-cursed Earthers probably already knew and were just waiting for him to beg them for help. The CDF was split on this issue. High Admiral Cain argued that they should contact the Earthers and share intelligence whether they knew or not. Nagala was bitterly against that action as it would make the Colonials even weaker in the eyes of the Terrans. Timas was against it because Earth could steal the new technologies the Junis had discovered. She also argued that they needed time to develop those secrets so that the Colonies could defend against both Earth and their other enemies. She believed the Colonies could defend themselves if given time. Admiral Jamison argued that time was already against them – the Goa'uld could come to tomorrow. Better to be a vassal of the Terrans and their allies and under the yolk of Goa'uld slavery, or slavery and extinction by the other aliens. Those unnamed aliens turned their victims into half Cylon-like monstrosities worse than the humanoid Cylons ever were. Nobody wanted that. In the end, it was reluctantly agreed to that Earth should need to be informed–again. The vote was not unanimous by any stretch of the imagination. Goesel didn't even want to think of the repercussions if this went wrong.
Next,1 the potential civil war developing between the three newest governorships close to the Apellai system. Earth had to be laughing at that diplomatic embarrassment. The last thing he needed was a civil war before the pioneers even got to their destination. It never fully registered that religious hostility was so ingrained in the military. He knew religion was strong but blatant enough to force the military to choose sides so easily. A lot of Sags and Gems were leaving for the new worlds. Worst case scenarios took over as he imagined how their attitudes would that effect the Colonial relationship with Earth? Or the better question was how Earth would affect the new colonists?
The President of the Colonies made a mental note to speak to Livia as soon as possible.
He couldn't, didn't dare, forget about the vast numbers of Gemenon emigrants heading for the new territories. Most of them were poor and seeking new lives on worlds that seemed like paradise compared to where they were. That was a nightmare he planned to hold off for a few years. Those colonists believed that they were going to go back to the way things were, or thought they should be and that everything would be perfect. Few of them understood that there was no going back, only going forward. They weren't going to go back to the old days; those were gone forever. They were going to be near Earth and their allies, receiving video and audio signals in the clear, not to mention trade goods and merchandise. The old might resist but the younger ones were going to be curious and that would change everything whether they liked it or not. Privately, he predicted a lot of religious strife between the young and old. But they'd be exposed to Earth culture and he was betting that Terran culture was going to prevail.
Another, rather interesting developing situation was the 'offer' from Earth's telecom corporations. It was dangerous but oh so tempting. Everyone knew that Earth's telecommunications were superior to anything the Colonies had. The communications systems taken from the Cylons were still in their infancy. Earth's was a mature science and could be implemented in the Colonies in a matter of months. Earth shows would become the rage. He knew how addictive Earthian entertainment was. The Terrans were a planet of video addicts. And addiction was right word. Goesel had first hand exposure to it. The Game of Thrones series was addicted as all hades. Of course, it was another one of the shows that the government had kept from the public especially as the religious factions didn't have a clue how to present it to the public in general. Their reactions were so sad that he had to laugh about it. He'd let them worry about that for a while as it served to underscore his opinions about his people.
And, that was his primary concern. Colonial tele-corporations would be overwhelmed. Most could fall into bankruptcy unless they were protected by the government subsidies. But many members in the Quorum would be against that. That didn't diminish the value of the deal that the Earther corporations were offering. It was almost too good to resist and should they even try? The sweeteners made the offer even more tempting, especially now. In fact, the offer was so important, it was sent but subspace comms and had made its way to the presidency in a mere two days…
That message also brought news of the Race and he couldn't believe that he hadn't heard about this earlier. They had more tyllium fields that the Colonials ever dreamed of. They were practically giving it away to the Earth and its allies who 'acquired' Colonial ships during the conflict. Apparently, the asteroid field in Race territory had vast deposits of gold, other precious metals and an abundant supply of minerals, iron, aluminum, lead, everything one could imagine. Everybody had contracts and access to those resources, except the Colonies. Iblison had effectively ruined any chance of making any sort of deal with the Race for desperately need tyllium at this point. Those supplies would increase the viability of both the new worlds and the Colonies and they were unavailable! Plus, the Race hated the Colonies and the only good thing about that was that the Race couldn't strike back, not with their inferior technology. Of course, Earth didn't need tyllium and were on friendly terms with the Lizardians."
Goesel was beginning to drift now, sleep was coming for him. His need to torture his brain was satiated but one thing bothered him more than anything else. As sleep overtook him one question continually pestered him.
Why is Earth so blessed? Why them?
Home II
Unknown to the general population, an Asgardian O'Neill class warship, the Vorgaard, hovered less than five kilometers above the new Capital city. The population also had no idea that the Runshan, Emperor of Home Runshan and Risson, the young Emperor of Home II, were onboard along with Fleetlord Atvar, and Shiplords Straha and Kirel attending a secret meeting. A muscular humanoid alien, taller than the average Lizardian but shorter than the Tosevite Terrans nodded his head at the small group.
The alien that looked similar but not quite like a Tosevite sported a huge mustache that curved at the ends spoke in short clipped tones. He wore a brown and green uniform with a star cluster insignia on the left side. "Greetings, Emperors and leaders of the Race. I am Uller of the Asgard."
Emperor nodded his head quickly as a sign of respect. "I greet you once more Uller of the Asgard. I wish to be informed of the reason of this meeting again so that all present may hear."
"The Asgard counsel has decided to grant your request. We will provide one ship for your mission."
"For this gift, we thank you," Runshan answered. "But why did your males choose to help us now when you rejected our request before?"
"Circumstances have change," the Asgard said. "Your people will integrate with the Tau'ri and you have little time. Events dictate that you be prepared for the upcoming conflict. The situation with the Colonials must be resolved quickly. Your people must be returned and accounts settled before events overtake you. We will assist but you must do this on your own."
While Atvar, Straha and Kirel looked on in astonishment, both emperors lowered their eyes and sat in unison, "it shall be done."
Both emperors turned their eye turrets towards the conquest fleet leaders. All three of them responded in unison as well.
"It will be done."
More record keeping
Note that I mentioned a second STD discovered by the Junis. This will be expanded upon in the next chapter.
As most people know, 'Roads paved in Shadow is a dark version of the worldwar series. The Race will be featured heavily with Earth and the Colonials. We are beginning the last chapter of book one and are working on book two nicknamed 'the Earth Colonial war'. Book one had nothing to do with the Colonials. Book Two will stress on the Colonies, Earth and its allies, the Shadows and all put war as everything is not what it seems.
Now, here is a preview of 'Roads paved in Shadows Book Two Chapter One': Rough draft version one
Cyrannus Star System–Earth Date: December 2020
Planet Caprica, Caprica City
(Earth Time 1:35 AM)
Month TBD
Sixty-seven-year-old Richard Adar, two term President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol was sound asleep when the first nuclear bomb detonated a half mile above the surface thirty miles west of one of the most densely populated cities on the planet. Being asleep, he of course didn't see the flash that lit up his bedroom in whitish light. But the deep rumbling vibrating the Presidential residence woke him as nothing else could. It was that cold fear that turned a barely awaken man to become wide awake in less than ten seconds. He quickly turned towards his wife Mathia, shaking her violently, forcing her awake–gods, she was a heavy sleeper!–when the entire night sky turned to daylight as another nuclear bomb detonated somewhere west of the first one. A heavier rumble shook the building once more. The shaking lasted longer and several panes of the reinforced, bullet-proof glass windows splintered and fell out of their frames.
The bedroom door was literally kicked open by presidential security personnel. "Come with us, sir." Their expressions were so deadly, Adar didn't even think of resisting.
The four large security personnel unceremoniously grabbed the President and his wife and man-handled them towards the door and to the private elevator that would take them to two miles underneath the Presidential mansion. Adar and his wife were still in their bed clothes, but it barely mattered as the horror of a nuclear flash directly in the heart Caprica City seemed imminent.
The lead man punched in the security codes. The elevator opened immediately and the half dozen people stepped inside. The elevator descended some twenty stories below the home while all the while Adar yelled for answers.
"Is President Goesel safe?" he all but demanded. Antonius Goesel had just won a hard-fought election and as President-Elect was slated to take over the duties of the Presidency in less than thirteen days. "Did he and his family get to the shelters in time?"
"The city of Meletis was hit ten minutes ago," Agent Knight gruffly said. "He and most of the cabinet-elect were there when the bomb went off." There was a moment of silence. "You're still the President, sir."
"My gods. I thought we were prepared for a Cylon attack. How did they get through our defenses, or was it terrorists?"
The Colonial defenses were upgraded significantly since the aborted Cylon cyber-attack almost started a intergalactic war four years earlier. The infiltrative code that would have crippled the Colonial military was discovered days before its activation. With its discovery, the Cylon plan to wipe out the Colonial human population was thwarted. The calls for war was nearly irresistible and almost forced Adar into a devastating war with the Cylons. Fortunately, cooler heads on Caprica and Picon prevailed against the religious insanity of Gemenon and the overt hostility of Sagittaron. However, the damage was done.
There existed a state of cold war status between the Cylon nation and the Colonies of Kobol. Both sides were in a heightened state ever since with both sides playing cat and mouse near their borders, with one another. Despite their hatred and fear of each other, neither side had aggressively attacked one another, despite some serious provocations from both sides. Apparently though, thought Adar, the cold war just went hot.
"I don't have much information, sir," Lead Agent Rinhardi answered. "All I know is that at least four nukes hit the surrounding suburbs close enough to make the city feel it. But nothing's hit the city proper," he finished while struggling not to add the words not yet. "Strange though, the radiation profile is a lot less pronounced than expected. Initial reports suggests that they're using some kind of clean bomb."
"Clean nukes?" asked Adar. "That's impossible."
The huge underground bunker was already filling up with military and civilian officials. Still in their sleepwear, the President and First Lady were somewhat self-conscious as most of those in the room, out of respect, avoided looking directly at them. Two officials came over quickly and provided some outerwear which were gratefully accepted.
"What's the status?" Adar asked. "How many forces?""
"We don't have that information yet, sir," one of the commanders answered quickly.
"Sir, we need to get you to the Athena Complex, now!" The lead agent said as he and his team surrounded and almost shoved the President and First Lady through another secured door leading to an underground sub-railway unit that would take them to military base Athena One, the most secure bunker on the planet some twelve minutes away and two miles deeper.
Warstar Zeus
Admiral Tyslo Nagala couldn't focus on the loss of the Battlestar Atrum to the beam weapons that gutted her a few seconds earlier. He didn't dare as he was too busy trying to save one of the premier battlestar groups from being wiped out. Eight out of the fifteen capital battlestars had been caught in a crossfire and cut to pieces by energy beams no less. The gunstars, and cruisers were not faring much better against the larger capitals, but surprisingly against the smaller ships, it was another story. The enemy had some sort of protective bubble protecting them but massed Colonial firepower could blow through their shields given time. An average of three CDF ships against one of the he enemy vessels was sufficient to take said ship out. But the price was appalling. The losses they were experiences was completely unacceptable. Any rational military leader would have left the field long ago with whatever was left of his forces.
Except, there was no place to go. The enemy attacked in the very heart of the Colonial system. There was no place to go and there was no running from the fight.
The Cylons had energy shields! It was the first thing that came to the mind of every one of the Colonials. The Cylons had broken the cold war stalemate and had finally attacked after forty-six years of festering hatred. During those first few hours of confusion and unconfirmed reports it was obvious to everyone who was attackers were.
In another few hours, it would be obvious that everyone's assumption was completely and utterly wrong.
Nagala almost wished it had been the toasters. "To all ships of the ninth fleet, call back to position Archimedes. Repeat, fall back to position Archimedes. Acknowledge Actual."
The confirmations started coming in. Colonial battlestars began falling back in order. Firing every missile, both primary and secondaries, saturated the space between them and the advancing enemy. The Minoan class battlestar Handros shook violently as another series of beam weapons that Nagala had come to hate slashed across its port side. Crippled by the strike the Colonial ship countered with alpha missile strike. A few seconds later, the attacker pulled out of the nuclear fire unscathed. Half of the missiles couldn't lock onto the target and the few that got close enough were either show down or deflected by the energy screen. But the missiles apparently had some effect as the ship's ECM failed. The Colonial's main guns spoke again, supported by missiles two gunstars and a strikestar. The large shells crashed into the enemy shields warship dead on. The shields held for a second before sparkling like and electric arc and collapsing allowing Colonial main guns to shred the thick crystalline armor. Several small explosions were seen coming from the damaged ship as it slowed down and started to turn to move away from the battle.
It was a short-lives victory/ before the battlestar could capitalize on its enemy's weakness, several enemy gunboats joined in the defense of its fellow warship, attacked the wounded battlestar with nuclear missiles, neutron based laser and particle beams, and cut it into pieces. The besieged vessel died in a series of explosions, killing all hands as its weapons stores and fuel storage cooked off before they could even begin to evacuate. The Colonial cruisers and destroyers, unable to do anything for their dead comrades fell back.
Another gunstar, already damaged by enemy fire suffered catastrophic engine failure. Fires spread enough so that it took almost a minute to overwhelm the protective bulkheads. Nagala could still hear the screams from the doomed crew as they begged for assistance from their fellow ships. Those screams went suddenly silent as the gunstar crumbled into itself and then blew itself to pieces. The enemy gunships didn't even pause in their advance.
"Pegasus Actual," Nagala yelled over the wireless. The noise in CnC was so loud that he could barely hear himself think. Alarms and emergency sirens blared for attention. Communications were almost overwhelmed with reports coming in. Two of the Zeus' engines were inoperable, destroyed by those incredible energy beam. "The Ninth fleet is retreating to your position. You have to hold them before they hit Picon."
"Understood," Admiral Helena Cain answered immediately. "I must inform you that Picon military and civilian targets were hit by several small nukes. They've hit us twice using their strange jump drives. They can come out on top of us. You must keep the fleet mobile. A static defense will leave us vulnerable."
"I've seen that. We're passing that info to all ships. They're trying to take the shipyards. You must protect them at all costs. If they destroy them we won't have a chance in hades to fight back effectively." He yelled through communications over the increasing din. Cain, the Seventh, Third and Fourth heavy squadrons were attacked first. They knew exactly where to hit us. We lost a fifth of the fleet before we even knew we were in a fight. Commander Adama used a short-ranged jump to hit an enemy formation from behind. They have shields but a spread of nukes from behind can overwhelm those shields. But the shields aren't the only problem. That crystalline layer over their ships armor is almost as strong as their shields. Their capitals can take on three battlestars and come out the winner. The only weakness we've seen so far. We can use his technique a few times to hit them back. Cain, we need to find more weakness or they'll burn us out of the sky."
"Not on my watch," Cain hissed. "Did Adama survive?"
"The Galactica's starboard bay was cut apart like cheese just before she jumped. I don't know if she made it."
"Understood." The Galactica was an old ship, the probability that it survived was remote at best. But it was also true that the commander was tough and if anyone could survive this, then it might be him and he showed them another way to fight these invaders. "The Second fleet just jumped in to re-enforce our position."
"We're abandoning this front now. "We'll be…"
The rest of the message was lost as the Zeus was hit with multiple strikes.
Athena One
"What's our situation?"
High Admiral Cain pointed to the main screen. "As far as we can tell, there are two hundred Capital ships of four main classifications attacking our forces. We've designated these warships as destroyers, cruisers, battlecruisers and battleships. There are also gunboats of at least two types and two types of fighters. All of them are dangerous and are loaded for bear."
The blurred images of the different ships didn't look anything like the President assumed they would. "I assume our equipment is better than this," he snapped. "These images are terrible. We should be able to do better than this!"
"That's just one of our problems, Mister President." Adar turned to see Admiral Corman walking up to the main screen. The sixty year old general looked as strained and frustrated as everyone else. "I received reports from several different sources. Those burred image is as good as our camera systems can manage. The enemy has some sort of stealth system that distorts our DRADIS and visual targeting systems. We're having a very hard time trying to lock onto their ships. Targeting is being distorted by as much as four percent. We can't hit them accurately from long range."
"Sir," the High Admiral saluted.
Corman's return salute was grim as the first acknowledged the President and then the old war horse High Admiral Augustus Cain, a legend and the father to two Admirals. "It's good to have you here. Sorry to pull you from retirement, but by the gods, we need you right now."
"Of course your do," Cain answered without a hint of humility. Half of the senior officers are spread from Caprica to Gemenon. "I couldn't sit at home doing nothing and the Military chiefs agreed. We're in a bad way here. We've got to get a handle on the situation."
"Mister President," Corman continued. "The only way we've been able to effectively hit back at them is at almost point blank range which is tantamount to suicide going against their weapons, and that's not the only problems we're facing. Those ships," he said, focusing on the images on screen, "have a crystalline coating covering their armor. Whatever that substance is makes their ships tougher to hurt. Worse, apparently they have energy shields."
Adar and Cain looked on in shock. Richard Adar the bile in the pit of his stomach made him want the throw up and it was making him angry. "How did the Cylons get…?"
"They're not Cylon, sir," grumbled Cain an answer which confirmed what Adar's gut was already telling him. "Take a look."
The enemy ships were very powerful but weren't indestructible. A half dozen of them were cooling scraps of metal and the Colonials were quick to scan as much as they could before retreating. Script from the now clear pieces of metal were plainly visible. Those images and scans proved beyond a doubt exactly who this enemy was.
"I've seen that script before," Adar growled and indeed he had. He'd spent weeks comparing the language with his own as he struggled to learn it for future use. "It's Tau'ri."
"Yes, sir. They're the ones attacking us."
Adar couldn't believe it. "What did we do to make Thirteenth Tribe attack us?"