Ori Vessel, Hyperspace, 1830 hours.
The Ori Prior was seated on his chair in the bridge surrounded by his crew with a smile on his face. He and this ship had been destroying soul-less machines that he had learned were called Cylons. After having heard the language that the Cylons had been using, he finally knew how to speak and understand it.
'It is the will of the Ori that we use this language to spread enlightenment among the worlds that these soul-less creatures call the Twelve Worlds' thought the Prior to himself as the crystal on his staff started to glow.
Soon enough the language of the Cylons was shared among all the Priors in this galaxy, as well as the Orici who the Prior knew was converting the one known as Daniel Jackson of Earth. The Prior smiled as the Prior on Caprica received the language and started to preach among the survivors he had found; telling them that the Ori would save them from their gods who were responsible for the catastrophe that occurred on their world. The Prior sensed the one on Caprica healed the people he met from radiation sickness and other injuries; he smiled as he closed his eyes and saw them in prostration.. thanking the Ori for this miracle.
"Prior" said one of the crew as his connection with the other Prior on Caprica was broken as the bright white glow on the top of the staff dimmed slowly, "we will reach the target soon."
"Very well" said the Prior as he leaned forward. The Prior recalled their past few engagements with the Cylons when one of the crewmembers noticed that after the ships were destroyed, a signal was sent off into an area of space. It had been the same every time until a few days ago when the location changed. Since then, every signal from the destroyed ships was sent to that new area. Smiling at the crewmember, the Prior told him that he would be given the opportunity to walk the great path of Enlightenment as a reward; he was to become a Prior. While that would happen when he rendezvous with the ship carrying the Orici, the Prior concentrated on the here and now.
"Prior" said the crewmember, "we have arrived."
The Prior stood up and smiled as the ship came out of hyperspace. He looked out the window and saw an object larger than his ship that was hanging in open space.
"Prior!" said another crewmember, "the object is experiencing a power surge!"
The Prior knew that the object was getting ready to vanish, just like all the other ships the Cylons had after most of them were destroyed. Smiling, he stamped his staff on the ground as the crystal on the top of the staff started to glow again.
Cylon Resurrection Hub, unknown region of space, 1832 hours.
In the vast complex that is the Cylon Resurrection Hub, alarms were ringing everywhere as fourteen humanoid Cylons met in the primary control room. Of all the Cylon's creations, the most important is the Resurrection Hub without which there would be no way to download into a new body…. Making the immortality that the humanoid Cylons felt through resurrection gone.
"What the frak is going on?" asked Cavil as he put his hand into a large basin of water and looked up at a screen that showed the familiar grey ship.
"Oh God" said the Number Six known as Natalie who looked back at the Number Eight next to her, "Boomer, tell the hybrids that we need to jump… now!"
"On it" said Boomer as she ran to another basin and connected with the data flow in the entire complex, and smiled, "drives are spooling…. Jump in ten… nine…. Eight….. Damn it!"
Boomer and the others all fell onto the floor hard as explosions flared up from the walls and the ceiling. They could hear multiple explosions as the room shook hard before everything became quiet. Slowly getting up, Cavil looked at everyone who were as stunned as he was that they were even discovered. After having most of their fleets destroyed, many of the remaining models returned to the Hub for an emergency meeting on what to do about the grey ships. Some, like the Number Two's, Six's, the Eights and the Three's had advocated finding the ships they thought were from the Thirteenth Tribe, the ships that had the triangle with the circle on top. However, the rest wanted to use all of their ships to not only destroy the grey craft, but what they thought would be the last of humanity in the Galactica and her fleet. Cavil was under the impression that the supposed ships from the Thirteenth were just secret Colonial ships, and there was no way that they were going to survive a combined assault.
However, all of that just became moot with this attack by the grey ship as the models saw it heading towards them.
As Cavil and the others stood up and struggled to the basin, they put their hands inside to call for reinforcements when they received a message on another screen.
"It's in Colonial standard" said D'Anna as she looked at the screen before she stepped back with her hands covering her mouth in shock, "it's our turn…. We'll pay for what we did."
"What the frak are you talking about?" said Cavil as he pushed D'Anna away while he went to the screen and read what was on there, "Evil's army of soulless creatures will be turned into dust under the feet of the Ori. The road to enlightenment has been denied to you, now you will embrace evil to your bosoms as you die. Scream as you watch the souls of those who walk on the Great Path."
"Jump!" shouted Boomer as she turned around and looked at a Leoben who had his hands inside the basin of water, before he looked up in shock.
"It's gone" said Leoben, "hybrids say that all jump capability is gone."
"Unknown Vessel.. Vessel of the Ori!" shouted Natalie as she put her hand in the basin and used her connection with the data flow to open a communications channel, "my name is Natalie Faust, and we surrender…. Please… we surrender."
"It is the will of the Ori that beings without souls should not exist" said anther text message that went through onto the screen as Natalie's face fell, "the army that was created by evil will be extinguished from this land. Hallowed are the Ori."
"NO!" shouted Natalie as the room stated to shake again from weapon's impact.
"Call every baseship in the sector!" shouted Cavil, "the Hub has to be protected."
The room started to shook violently again as they heard explosions occurring all around them. Looking at the screen again, the Cylon models watched in abject horror as one ship after another were jumping in only to be torn apart by the grey ship as it fired blues energy pulses from all around it, as well as the main yellow energy weapon which was fired directly at the Hub itself as it slowly took apart the large complex.
"This is the price we pay" said Leoben as he looked at the basin and then at the screen, "the children of man will pay the price for the destruction of their parents; God is punishing us."
"Forget God!" shouted Cavil as the heard multiple explosions, "get back to the basestars….. I want to fire everything we have at them."
"We're dead!" shouted Natalie as they ran past collapsing corridors, "we need to find the humans, we need to warn them of what's coming."
"This is their fault!" shouted Cavil as he held on to Natalie while he pointed to the room that they had just ran out from, "these Ori are their friends and….."
"You saw the video of what happened over Caprica!" shouted Natalie as she jerked her hand away, "those two ships fought alongside our Basestars before the feed stopped, they even warned us to get out…. We need to find them."
"No" said Cavil, "we need to…."
"No!" shouted Natalie as Cavil pushed Natalie onto the floor as the corridor started to collapse as large blocks of the ceiling fell inwards and Cavil was smashed by one. Natalie got up from the floor and ran as fast as she could for the transport to her Baseship; the only thing going through her mind was that Leoben was right… this is God's vengeance on what they had done to the Colonies.
'If we didn't destroy them' thought Natalie to herself as she continued running before entering a heavy raider with the other models, 'we could have joined forces against these Ori… things.'
As they left the hub and flew towards the baseship that was furthest away, she and the others saw some of the Cavil controlled ships move to destroy the grey vessel; and Natalie and the others watched them get torn apart for their trouble. As they flew and watched the silent explosions that were now erupting all over the hub, Natalie could hear some of the Two's and Six's praying while the others could only look in horror as their lives just became mortal in a cruel twist of fate, and irony. What they had done to the Colonies, was now being done to them in return. As they entered the Baseship, they and some other heavy raiders that escaped the Hub looked on as there was a final explosion before the Hub broke apart.
"Dear God" said Natalie as she looked at the grey ship move into a cloud of green after destroying a nearby Baseship, "please forgive us for what we have done."
The Avalon, Guest Quarters, 2030 hours.
With another forty five minutes to go before the Colonials on the Avalon were to be taken to the Galactica, one of the guest quarters on the Tau'ri cruiser was occupied by two young women; one was a redheaded Major and the other one was a brunette who was the younger sister to one of the Slayers, and a mystical inter-dimensional key. In addition to those two qualities; the girl was looking at the red head in wide eyed shock once she found out that she was not only a ten thousand year old Ancient who was born in Atlantis as Hera, the girl in front of her was her sister; Athena, also known now as Willow Rosenberg.
"Will… Willow" said the stunned Dawn as she slowly got up while looking at Willow before she slowly backed away, "no…. no… thi… this is a.. a bad joke…"
"Dawnie, I…" said Willow softly as she looked up at Dawn who was wiping her eyes off the tears from earlier when the brunette held up her hands and the redhead became quiet. However, she never took her eyes off Dawn while getting a gamut of feelings from her; with confusion at the top of the list.
"Willow" said Dawn softly while shaking her head, "this… no…. Willow, I'm not Hera… no…. I'm the Key…. I was made by the monks to house the Key. I can't be Hera.."
"I wish I could show you" said Willow as her face twisted with pain at getting a feeling of rejection from Dawn, "but.. I don't know how to unlock those memories. Dad… I mean father…. Moros… he has the knowledge. I…"
"No, Willow" said Dawn softly as she continued to back away, "my father is Hank Summers, he may be a deadbeat… but he's my dad. I'm sorry but I'm not your sister…. I'm not."
"I loved you so much" said Willow softly as she hung her head low as she tried to not cry, "you and I would look at the Lantean sky at night and we'd look for the brightest star. You'd clap your hands as…."
"Willow" said Dawn, "please… I'm not Hera. What I talked with Faith that time was just a theory…. I didn't mean it."
"I can show you my memories" said Willow softly as she stayed kneeling on the ground, "I can show you those…. It can give you some proof that…."
"Willow" said Dawn as she opened the door to the room and stepped out into the hallway, "I.. I have to go. We… we're supposed to get the Colonials ready and I need to translate for them."
"Ok" said Willow softly as she hung her head low and closed her eyes, "you need to return to your team."
"Willow" said Dawn as she hesitantly took a step forward back into the room before stopping herself and stepping back again, "I'm sorry, I…."
"I'll see you later, Dawnie" said Willow quietly with her head hanging low as she felt her heart get ripped apart while her lips quivered.
Dawn saw Willow slowly get up while keeping her face hidden from the brunette. She saw the redhead take a few deep breaths before she swept her shoulder length hair back and smiled at Dawn.
"You should go, Dawnie" said Willow who was trying to hide her immense heartbreak with a smile, "You're right, I don't know what I was thinking… you're not Hera... I was just grieving, you know how it gets; new memories and all. Anyway, I gotta meet with Colonel Carter."
"Willow" said Dawn, "we can go together."
"You go ahead" said Willow, "I need to sort through some things… you know what I mean?"
"Yeah" replied Dawn softly as she closed the door slowly while Willow turned around and walked back towards the bed and looked out the window at the stars. Dawn stopped the door midway and just looked at the redhead as she looked out into space. Then putting both hands on the door, Dawn slowly closed it before she leaned back on the closed door and looked off into space. She then turned to her left and walked back towards the Mess Hall. The middle of the way there, the brunette stopped and shook her head before she leaned with her back on the wall. Her heart was beating so fast that she had to stop and just bend forward, grab her knees and breathe. After a few minutes, she looked back the way she came and shook her head. She then turned around and walked the way back to the Mess Hall.
After Willow had heard the door close, she glanced back before turning back to the window as she felt a lump in her throat. She could feel the sting of the tears that threatened to fall down, so she just breathed in deeply and did everything she could to not break down right then and there. She knew that her heart was ripped to pieces, and she knew that Faith had felt it as well through their link.
Faith: "Red."
Willow: "I…. I'll be right down, Faith… I just…. I mean…"
Faith: "I understand. I love you."
Willow: "I love you too."
Willow shook her head and wiped both of her eyes before taking a few more deep breaths to push the lump in her throat back down. She had a job to do right now and she needed to keep a professional demeanour; the redhead would have time to breakdown once she and the others returned back to Earth. Then she could apologize properly to Dawn, tell her that she was grieving for her long dead sister… even though she's the one that Willow would be talking to.
"I love you" said Willow as she looked out into space, "whether you're Hera, or Dawn… you'll always be my sister."
"I'm sorry, Willow" said a familiar voice as Willow looked behind her and smiled before looking back out the window.
"Janet" said Willow as the older redhead walked up and stood next to her, "you knew that I was Athena, and that Dawn was Hera."
"Yes" replied Janet as she looked at the stars with Willow, "I learnt who you really were after only a few days."
"Oh" said Willow softly as she looked down at her hands that were interlocked with each other, "I.. I should go, Janet."
"She loves you" said Janet, "Dawn loves you."
"I wanted my sister, I thought… I don't know what I thought really" said Willow softly as she closed her eyes and turned around to look at Janet , "any idea on Daniel?"
"He's safe" said Janet as she lay her hand on Willow's shoulder, "your father's protecting his mind from Adria."
"Good" said Willow as she looked at Janet, "Colonel Carter…"
"I know what happened" said Janet, "she's my next stop. I talked to Cassie already, she's doing so well."
"You'd be proud of her" said Willow softly as she turned and walked away towards the door, "I'll see you later, Doc."
Janet looked on as Willow opened the door and stepped out into the lit hallway of the ship. She watched as the redhead closed her eyes and took in a few deep breaths before she nodded at Janet and closed the door.
"There will have to be a sacrifice, Willow" said Janet as she looked at the closed door as she got brighter and brighter, "and I know who you'll choose. Just… just be safe till then."
Mess Hall, 2015 hours; 30 minutes before first contact.
Faith was waiting for Dawn to return to the Mess Hall after her talk with Willow. However, she already had an idea that the talk did not go smoothly. She had felt a pain in her chest which she did well to hide from the other Marines and the Colonials; it was as if someone stabbed her in the chest with a stake. The first time she felt it, she had to quickly go around a corner and lean on the wall where she breathed deeply while trying not to let the pain get to her before she a great wall of sadness hit her soul. Shaking her head, Faith slowly walked back to the Mess Hall where one of the Marines was being approached by Helo.
Just then, she heard footsteps behind her; turning around, Faith saw Dawn walking towards her.
"Dawn?" said Faith as she walked up to the young brunette, "did you talk to…."
"We have to deal with this, Faith" said Dawn softly as she looked at the floor, before nodding towards the Colonials. Dawn knew that Faith was aware of Athena and Hera's connection because there was no way that Willow was going to hide this from her wife.
"Alright" said Faith as she nodded her head before placing her hands on Dawn's shoulders, "just know that she loves you. I can feel it through our link how….. listen, she doesn't want to replace Buffy. Buffy's your sister, so is Red. Did you see her memories?"
"No" said Dawn softly as Faith frowned, "we need to get these people settled."
"Yea" said Faith stepping back before she looked up from Dawn as Willow ran around the corner. Turning around Dawn saw the look of pain on the redhead's face just for an instant before it became all professional.
"Just got a telepathic command from General O'Neill" said Willow as she looked at Dawn who was in the green BDU's, "tell the Colonials that they'll be leaving in thirty minutes, if they ask about Sharon… then just tell them that we'll be talking to the Commanding officer of those two ships directly. Anything else will be answered by this Admiral Cain. There's been a change in plans, General O'Neill suggested that we use one of the Galactica's airlocks to return these people; and the delegation will instead go to the President's transport vessel."
"O… ok" said Dawn as she looked at Willow, who turned to face Faith.
"Faith" continued Willow as she looked at her wife, "we're needed at the locker rooms."
"Willow" said Dawn who grabbed Willow's arm gently as she was passing her, "I…"
"It's ok, Dawnie" said Willow as she smiled at Dawn as she held on to the hand that Dawn was holding her arm with, "we should get going. Then we need to find a way to get Daniel back."
"Yeah" said Dawn softly as she let go of Willow's arm and watched the redhead walk away with Faith walking next to her before she whispered, "I'm sorry, Willow."
As Faith walked alongside Willow, the Slayer could feel the hurt simply emanating from the redhead.
"Hey" said Faith as she nudged Willow who looked back at the brunette, "what happened?"
"I told her everything" said Willow softly as she pressed the button for an elevator, "and she rejected me."
Faith could see the hurt that sporadically showed on Willow's face as she softly told the brunette Slayer everything, including Dawn's reaction to the revelation. All she wanted to do was give the redhead a kiss, but she knew she couldn't… all she could do was give silent support through their link so that the redhead doesn't break down.
"It's all new to her, Red" said Faith as the stepped into the elevator, "she loves you… and you love her. Even if she denies it, she's still your sister."
"She rejected me, Faith" said Willow softly, "it's like a part of me just shattered, like a part of me can never be whole again. I have you, I have my friends, I have my memories, I have this wonderful job… but I don't have Dawn, I… wish I had Dawn's memories returned but I don't know how."
"She'll…." said Faith as Willow held her hand tightly.
"We have a job to do" said Willow as she closed her eyes and shook her head, "we still have a job to do. And she has a family that loves her, I guess that's what really matters. My sister has a family that loves her. She has Buffy, Joyce, Jay and Rose…. They love her… they're her family, They're her family… they're her family."
Faith saw the anguish on Willow's face every time she repeated that same sentence. She had seen what happened to Athena after Hera died, and she could see that Willow was doing everything she could to prevent that from happening to her again. It was a few seconds later that Willow and Faith walked out the elevator and headed to the locker rooms, with the redhead putting on a front so that no one else would know about her and Dawn. As they walked towards the locker room, Willow pushed down her feelings as much as she could… and she was aware that Faith knew that too because the brunette Slayer was squeezing her arm to comfort her.
Avalon, 2100 hours.
It had been General O'Neill's idea to switch the meeting place from the Galactica to another neutral location after consulting with Colonel Ronsen, Ferretti, Mitchell and Carter. They had suggested that the Director of Homeworld Security heading into a fortified battleship was going to be risky at best since there was no clue if the Colonials had technology that would be able to block the Asgard beaming technology.
So when the General, with Satterfield translating for him, suggested that the Commander find another place; he was told that after discussions with the President that they would be able to hold the meeting in Colonial One. Once they had finished talking to the Commander, General O'Neill gave the go ahead for one of the Jumpers to go to one of the Galactica's airlocks and return the Colonial officers back home. That was another reason for this change; there was no way to know if the Colonials would be releasing such advanced technology from their ships.
"The Marines on board will make sure that nothing happens after the Colonials are returned" said General O'Neill while he looked out of the forward window as the Jumper backed its way into one of the airlocks. It had been an anxious five minutes before Airman Lewis notified the bridge of the Avalon that the Colonials had been returned to the ship and that Jumper One was heading back home.
It was then that the General nodded at Colonel Ronsen who ordered Jumper Two to be set to leave in five minutes, and that General O'Neill was on the way to the hanger bay.
As the General was leaving for the Hanger Bay, Colonel Ronsen walked over to the front window where he saw at least seventy ship of various sizes that were protected by the hulks, and weaponry, of both the Galactica and the Pegasus.
Turning back to look at the Captain at one of the consoles, the Colonel asked him to conduct sensor scans to make sure that they received so surprises of the Ori variety. He then turned before he sat on his chair and looked at the Major and told him to ensure that General O'Neill's, Woolsey's, Teal'c's, Dawn's, Colonel Mitchell's and Willow's subcutaneous transmitters were locked into the scanners; as well as the locator beacon from Jumper Two.
"They are locked, sir" said the Major as he looked at his screen, "and Jumper One has made it back to the Hanger Bay."
"Good" said Colonel Ronsen before he pushed a button, "Jumper Two, you are clear for departure."
"Thank you, Control" said Willow's voice just before the Major turned towards Colonel Ronsen and told him that Jumper Two had left the ship.
"Miss Lehane" said the Colonel as he spoke again, "you are clear to depart in Jumper One."
"Thanks" said Faith as she took out Jumper One and immediately cloaked before she tailed Jumper Two. The General had told Faith that she, and Airman Lewis, would be in Jumper One while Jumper Two would be attached to Colonial One. Her responsibility was to stay out of sight, and scan for any signs of danger. As she followed Jumper Two, the HUD popped up and showed two ships on an intercept course for the Jumper carrying the delegation.
"Must be the welcoming committee" said Airman Lewis as he looked at the HUD and at the blips that followed the first Jumper. Turning off the HUD, the two of them saw the Vipers accompanying Jumper Two to Colonial One where it stopped in midflight, before turning around and backing into the extended airlock.
"They're attached" said Faith as she looked at the scans before she looked up at the forward window as the small wings at the sides of the ship retracted. With the cloak still active, she turned to Airman Lewis and grabbed a deck of cards, "now we wait."
Colonial One, Office of President Roslin, 2110 hours.
Commander Adama had understood why the General wanted to change locations at the last minute, it was probably the same reason that he would if the shoe was on the other foot. The Commander had heard about three ships firing at each other through the use of advanced technology over Caprica from some of the rescue raptors that had returned from that planet.
"They seem to be careful with their technology" said Commander Adama as he looked at both President Roslin and Admiral Cain, "they specifically requested another meeting place for that reason. And that's what I would do if I were in that position, advanced technology in the belly of a strange warship…. That's just asking for trouble."
"Technology that can beat the Cylons" said Admiral Cain, "and if they refuse…."
"Admiral" said the President, "these are the people of the Thirteenth Tribe, we will show them respect."
Just then, the phone on the President's desk rang and she hurriedly picked it up.
"Alright" said the President, "show them in."
The Commander and Admiral Cain saw the President put the phone back on its cradle before she looked up and told them that their guests were here. As they heard footsteps coming down the deck they were on, Admiral Cain stood next to the President while Commander Adama stood on the President's left side with his glasses on his hands as a dark haired woman wearing a Colonial Captain's uniform came into the Presidential office.
"Captain Shaw" said Admiral Cain as Captain Kendra Shaw nodded her head. Admiral Cain saw the woman stand to one side smartly before she stepped back to allow a brunette young woman who stood to one side so that a grey haired man in a blue uniform, long with a bald man could stand next to her.
"Hi" said Dawn as she looked at Admiral Cain who looked suspiciously at her, and then at the President who smiled and Commander Adama who stepped forward, "my name is Dawn Summers, and I'll the one translating everything for everyone."
"Pleased to meet you" said Commander Adama as he extended his hand, to which Dawn shook, "you're a civilian?"
"Yes" said Dawn before she turned towards the others, "if I may introduce Mr. Richard Woolsey, a representative from the International Oversight Advisory; and General Jack O'Neill, the Director of Homeworld Security."
"General" said Commander Adama as he faced General O'Neill while Admiral Cain just crossed her arms over her chest and glared suspiciously at the new arrivals, "thank you for returning my people."
"It was nothing" said the General as he nodded at the Commander while Dawn translated for them, "you had some brave people go back there to search for survivors."
"Commander" said Dawn as she pointed behind the General and Woolsey as the tall Jaffa, "this is Teal'c". Teal'c gave the Commander a firm handshake as the Jaffa gave a respectful bow to him.
"Thank you all for coming" said Commander Adama as Dawn translated for him as he motioned to the redhead next to him, "please allow me to introduce President Laura Roslin of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, and Admiral Helena Cain."
After all the introductions were done, General O'Neill, Woolsey and Teal'c were asked to take their seats as Dawn sat close to Teal'c. Willow and Colonel Mitchell were in the Jumper as back-up in case something would go wrong and they needed to extract the delegation with a minimum of fuss. The General had already told the redhead to keep a telepathic scan of the four of them, and that she and Colonel Mitchell should be ready to react at a moment's notice. Although the delegation had gone in unarmed as requested, Willow had seen a glimpse of a sidearm among one of the Colonial Officers who received the delegation… a dark haired woman who introduced herself as Captain Kendra Shaw of the Pegasus. The redhead also noticed the armed Marines on the vessel before she closed the rear door of the Jumper, and nodded at Colonel Mitchell who immediately opened a compartment and checked the hidden Zat's; six Zat's for six people.
As Willow walked up to the cockpit of the Jumper, she did what Faith was doing with Airman Lewis in the other Jumper; she took out a deck of cards and promised a frowning Colonel Mitchell that she won't be using her powers.
Back on Colonial One, President Roslin was sitting behind her desk with Commander Adama and Admiral Cain on either side of her.
"My vice-president, Dr. Balter wanted to be here as well" said the President as she smiled at the four in front of her as Dawn translated, "he had a lot of questions about the technology that we have seen from our gun camera footage during the rescue of people from Caprica. Technology that would be useful in the defence of this fleet from the Cylons. However, he is in a meeting with Quorum of Twelve about… well, your people."
"President Roslin" said Woolsey as he tried to avoid the question of technology for now, "our role here today is to offer your people a place to settle down… lay down your burdens if you will. We can talk about other issues once that is done. We have talked to Captain Thrace, and Lt. Agathon and we know what happened to the Colonies."
"More than forty billion people died" said Admiral Cain as she leaned forward, "and you haven't returned the Cylon prisoner back to us. It is responsible for murder on a grand scale."
"Considering that you tortured a pregnant woman?" said General O'Neill as he looked at the Admiral, "she won't be returning."
At that, President Roslin leaned back as Admiral Cain and Commander Adama looked at each other before looking at the General.
"General" said Commander Adama with authority, but calmly, "Sharon Valerii is an important military asset."
"Commander" replied Admiral Cain as she glanced at Commander Adama, "might I remind you that it does not have a name, it is only programmed to think it does."
"How would you explain the child?" asked Teal'c as he looked at the dark haired woman while Dawn translated what the Admiral was saying, and tried to sound as cool as possible while she was boiling on the inside.
"The child?" laughed the Admiral, "it is an abomination… it deserves to be experimented on in regards to how it could exist in the first place. It's a machine."
"I see" said Woolsey as he looked at General O'Neill who nodded his head, "which is why we have offered Miss. Valerii asylum on board our ship."
"Excuse me?" said Admiral Cain as she stood up in outrage while President Roslin, with a look on surprise on her face, was telling her to sit back down. The General took a glance at the Commander and saw the small smile on his face as he looked down while removing his glasses, which he then put on the table.
"Mr. Woolsey, General O'Neill" said President Roslin as Admiral Cain was pacing near the table, "you must understand that every step was taken to ensure her safety…. And the safety of her child on board the Pegasus."
"Then I take it you don't know about the daily beatings, druggings and torture a pregnant woman had to go through?" asked General O'Neill as he leaned forward just as Admiral Cain slammed the palm of her hand onto the president's desk.
"It's a machine" hissed the Admiral as she looked into the eyes of General O'Neill, "it is responsible for the destruction of humanity, and if these two weren't cowards… we would have returned and destroyed those mother frakkers, and taken back our homes; instead of running away."
"And how would you have done that?" asked General O'Neill as he stood up and stared back at the Admiral, "you have two warships, against who knows how many enemy vessels."
"Do you believe that two warships against an armada would have ensure victory, Admiral Cain?" said Teal'c as Dawn translated, "while it is admirable to want to fight for your homes, using only two space worthy warships is, at best foolish."
"Who the frak do you think you are?" said Admiral Cain as she set her jaw straight in anger and glared at Teal'c.
"From what I have heard from the briefings with Kara Thrace and Helo Agathon, and among the others from the Colonies on the Avalon" said Teal'c as he looked at Admiral Cain, "it was wise to leave the Twelve Colonies behind…. to watch over the survivors while you search for a new home."
"How dare you!" shouted Admiral Cain as President Roslin stood up and looked at the dark haired woman.
"Admiral Cain!" shouted the President, "that's enough!"
The Admiral turned and glared at the President and Commander Adama who was glaring back at her, before she looked back at General O'Neill and the others.
"I should have you lot arrested as Cylon sympathizers" said Admiral Cain as she turned towards General O'Neill who took a step forward and faced her eye to eye.
"Admiral Cain!" shouted the President as she stood up.
"I would like to see you try. I really would" said General O'Neill with a smirk on his face as Dawn translated what he had said while trying to hide the smile on her face, before Woolsey stood up and calmed the General down as the both of them took their seats.
"Admiral Cain" said Commander Adama calmly, "we have been having constant attacks by the Cylons until very recently, these people may know why."
"Mr. Woolsey" said Roslin as Admiral Cain took her seat again while glaring at General O'Neill, "while I do not agree with how Admiral Cain acted, she does have a point. Providing Asylum to the Cylon known as Sharon Valerii will show the rest of the fleet that the Thirteenth Tribe cannot be trusted. As the Thirteenth Tribe of man that left Kobol all those years ago, you must understand that the Cylons are the greatest threat to this galaxy."
"Here we go" said General O'Neill as he looked at Woolsey before nodding his head, "your call, Richard."
"Miss Summers?" said Woolsey as he looked at Dawn who nodded her head, indicating that she was ready to translate. The bald man knew that this was going to be delicate, he and the others knew what Willow had told them about her memories of when she was ascended… that the so-called Thirteenth Tribe were really organic Furling drones that had left Kobol to search for Earth; that Athena had interfered by changing their jump coordinates and was punished for that interference. They had agreed that given what these people had been through, especially after interviewing Sharon… that there was no idea what would happen if they were to know that the real Thirteenth Tribe were essentially sentient machines that learned to evolve past their programming. Breathing in deeply, Woolsey then leaned forward and started telling the three of them behind the table that even though he and the others were from Earth, they were not the Thirteenth Tribe.
"Excuse me?" said President Roslin surprised as she looked at both of the Colonial officers seated next to her, "but you people are from Earth?"
"Yes" said Dawn as she nodded her head, "we're from Earth."
"Then you are the Thirteenth Tribe of man that left Kobol" said President Roslin, "this is enshrined in our Sacred Scrolls; the Thirteenth Tribe left Kobol in the early days to find a planet called Earth. Even the book of Phythia has a prophesy that the dying leader will lead a caravan of the heavens to Earth."
"President Roslin" said Woolsey, "until a few months ago when Miss Summers and her team went to Caprica, we never heard of the Scared Scrolls, the Twelve Colonies… much less Kobol."
"Maybe that's why you people are so weak willed that when you see a machine, you immediately feel sorry for it" said Admiral Cain.
"Maybe you forgot your history" said Commander Adama as he leaned forward and looked at the group in front of him, "it has been more than four thousand years since the Thirteenth Tribe has been on Kobol."
"Commander, Admiral, Madam President" said Woolsey as he looked around before settling on the President, "Miss Valerii has told us about the deep devotion your Fleet has towards the Sacred Scrolls and towards finding Earth.. the fact of the matter is that while I'm certain your Thirteenth Tribe does exist somewhere in the galaxy. It isn't us. However, we are from Earth.. and we are here to help you find a home to settle down on."
"If you're really from Earth" said President Roslin as she tried to calm down from the lump that was coming up her throat, "then will you not take us there? We have every right to go to the home of the Thirteenth Tribe. We have every right to see the home of our brothers and sisters."
"Or maybe they are Cylons and they killed the Thirteenth Tribe" said Admiral Cain, "and they don't want us to go to Earth where we'll see their handiwork."
"The reason we won't take you to Earth" said Woolsey calmly as he leaned forwards, "is because both of our allies, and our enemies know the location of Earth… and while our allies don't mean us harm… we've had to protect ourselves from our enemies."
"The fact of the matter is that we don't know whether you people are friends" said General O'Neill, "or enemies."
"President Roslin" said Woolsey as he noticed the look of shock on her face, "I would like to reiterate that I believe your Thirteenth Tribe could exist somewhere in this galaxy. But we're not it, even though we are from Earth."
"However" said Teal'c as Dawn translated, "there are larger issues at stake than Earth. In fact, the entire galaxy is in danger."
"This is ridiculous" said Admiral Cain as she heard what Dawn had translated before settling her eyes on the brunette, "how do we know that she's giving us the correct translations?"
Dawn frowned before leaning forwards and turning towards Woolsey. She told him that the Admiral didn't trust her translations which led to the entire group standing up, much to the concern of President Roslin and Commander Adama.
"Admiral" said Woolsey as he looked at the dark haired woman while Dawn translated, "Miss Summers is one of two people we have at this moment who are proficient in your language. Major Satterfield is proficient as well, however she has been ordered by General O'Neill not to come with us for her own safety. If you are unwilling to trust the translations of Miss Summers, then it would be best that we leave. We will leave you with coordinates to a planet less than two hundred light years from here where we will have more translators, as well as medical and other supplies for you and your fleet."
"Admiral Cain" said President Roslin, "I would like for you to leave us."
"Excuse me?" said the Admiral in surprise, "who do you think you are?"
"The President of the Colonies and I am ordering you to go back to the Pegasus" said the President, "and you will follow my order to the letter."
"This will go back to the quorum" said Admiral Cain as she looked at Roslin and Adama, before leaning towards Roslin, "your political career is over. You just sold us out to a bunch of Cylon sympathizers."
"Admiral Cain" said Commander Adama, "please."
"And you" said the Admiral as she glared at Commander Adama, "once she's gone, I'll be placing you under arrest." Cain then turned around and glared at General O'Neill and the others, "as for you, if you don't leave in the next twenty minutes… I will use all the weapons at my disposal to end you…. advanced technology or not."
"Again" smirked the General as Dawn translated, "I'd really like to see you try."
Admiral Cain then walked out of the room together with her contingent of Marines and Captain Shaw. It was a few seconds later they heard the sounds of the Raptor undocking from Colonial One before it made its way to the Pegasus.
"I apologize" said Roslin as she rubbed her forehead before sitting down, "Miss Summers, my apologies. That is something that should not have happened."
After agreeing to put the question of the Thirteenth Tribe, Earth and the Sacred Scrolls aside for now; the group went to talking about humans on other planets in the galaxy without mentioning Earth as the original place humans evolved, or about without mentioning the Ancients…. At least not yet. However, they did discuss current state of affairs in the galaxy, namely the danger that the Ori presented to the galaxy and right now they posed a clear and present danger to the fleet. They had talked about the Ori, what they represented, what they were and that they were sending ships through to this galaxy by means that would be told to the Colonials once they have been settled down on the planet. Dawn translated for Teal'c as he told them that the Ori requires worshippers to gain their powers and once they have subjugated every one, they will take over the galaxy.
"If that occurs" said Teal'c, "then no one will have any more free will. Anyone who dares go against the Ori will be killed."
Commander Adama was going to say something when suddenly he noticed flashes of white light outside the windows of Colonial One as ten Baseships appeared to the port side of Colonial One with Pegasus and the Galactica in the middle, and the Excalibur and the Avalon on the other side. He rushed towards the windows before informing General O'Neill and the others that it would be best to return to their ships.
"Will you help us?" asked Commander Adama just as the phone rang on Roslin's desk. Picking it up, she brought it to her ear before the entire group noted the look of surprise on her face. She then put the phone down and turned on the wireless as a female voice came through.
"My name is Natalie Faust" said the Number Six Cylon panting as Dawn translated what she was saying, "we are unarmed… we have expended all of our ordinance, all of our raiders…. We have come to warn you…. the Ori… They nearly decimated us…. We… we need help… they will come after you. We need to work together… please."
What kind of a sick fraking joke is this?" said Commander Adama as he noticed General O'Neill tapping his left ear.
"Avalon, Excalibur" said the General, "run scans on those ships, I want to know if they are unarmed, Faith and Red… run additional scans too… I need some information now."
"Sir" said Colonel Ronsen on the Avalon as the bridge dimmed and both ships got ready for battle, "we have confirmation with the Excalibur, all ships are unarmed."
"Same here Big-G" said Faith.
"Me too, Sir" replied Willow.
"They are unarmed" said General O'Neill as he nodded at Dawn who translated for the benefit of both the Commander and the President, "they're not a threat to you, or to anyone."
"General" said President Roslin softly before turning to Commander Adama, "I have to think about this fleet. Commander…."
"Have your ships use whatever you use to travel faster than light and go to those coordinates" said General O'Neill as he interrupted what the President was going to tell Commander Adama, "they will not be harmed there, I can guarantee it. In the meantime, we can run additional scans and…."
"Sir" said Willow through General O'Neill's the ear set, "the Pegasus is firing."
Everyone looked on as the Pegasus fired all of her weapons as the Baseships were slowly being torn apart. It was then that Natalie's panicked voice came on the wireless again.
"Please" said Natalie, "I'm begging you… you're killing all of us. The Ori have destroyed our resurrection Hub, we will be going extinct if nothing is done… please. We surrender to the Colonies, we surrender to the Thirteenth Tribe… we are offering our unconditional surrender…. I'm begging you to stop firing. Please we're begging you."
"Madam President" said Woolsey as he turned away from the window as another ship was slowly torn apart, "I can't begin to imagine what your people are going through but, like it or not, you are killing life…. They breathe, they have a heartbeat… that is the definition of being alive. They may be artificial life… but they are alive. And they are asking for your help."
"Commander Adama" said President Roslin as she closed her eyes as the civilian fleet jumped to their emergency coordinates as the Pegasus continued to fire, resulting in the destruction of a third Baseship, "order the Galactica to destroy the Baseships."
"I see" said Woolsey as he frowned after Dawn translated everything, before looking at the General and nodding his head. The General then pressed his ear again and ordered both the Avalon and the Excalibur to use their shields and prevent further weapons fire from hitting the ships. He then ordered Faith and Airman Lewis to decloak and go after any stray missiles that would be hitting those ships, and that they should head home once all drones were used up.
"Admiral Cain was right?" asked President Roslin as she looked at Commander Adama with a look of betrayal in her eyes as they saw the two Earth ships move into position and block fire from the Pegasus. Then they saw the two Earth ships firing their railguns to destroy as many missiles as possible, while avoiding the Vipers from both the Pegasus and the Galactica. However some still went through and hit the Baseships behind them.
"No" said Dawn as she looked in shock at the fire power from the Pegasus as it lit up the shields of both the Avalon and the Excalibur, before she turned around to answer Roslin, "but we have destroyed an entire race of machines that would have eaten everything in this galaxy… they could not be reasoned with, nor were they even alive. I was there when we destroyed them all. These people, these people that I'm with… they have defended this galaxy from a race of parasites that takes human hosts. These parasites are alive, but they cannot be reasoned with… or depended on. They have enslaved humans throughout the galaxy and they have never apologized… but my friends did everything they could to kill them until the point that their population numbers are down from what they originally were. They are on the verge of extinction. Despite that, despite knowing that they've lost their hold on this galaxy… they're still trying to enslave human lives… and we'll continue fighting. The Ori and their soldiers cannot be reasoned with; we've tried and paid the price. But now, these Cylons are desperate.. they are asking for your help… and unlike the Replicators, they are alive… and I believe they can be reasoned with… so please. We're asking you to stop firing…. At least give us a chance to talk to them about a truce of some kind. The Ori represents an unprecedented danger, and everyone should be working together to fight them. Please."
"I am sorry" said President Roslin as she nodded at Commander Adama. The Commander then walked up to General O'Neill and asked him to take care, but they needed to fight the Cylons. As the Commander was walking the group back to the Jumper; Willow and Colonel Mitchell rushed out just as the General heard bad news from his earpiece from the Avalon and the Excalibur. A hyperspace window would open in a few seconds.
"Sir" said Willow as she rushed to the General as a wide-eyed Commander Adama stepped back in shock at her sight, "the Ori.. they…."
"My God" said Dawn as she saw a bright yellow beam of light hit the Avalon before the Earth Ship disengaged from protecting the Baseships and started to attack the lone Ori vessel.
As everyone ran back into the jumper, Dawn looked back at the shock that was registered on Commander Adama's face as he stared at Willow while she took the pilot's seat.
"I….. I've seen her before" said the Commander as he turned back to Dawn, "who is she? It… it can't be."
"You'll have to ask her one day, Commander" said Dawn as the rear door closed shut, "please think about what I said."
A few seconds later the Jumper had detached from Colonial one with Willow piloting after Faith had taken the other Jumper into the closest ship, which was the Avalon. Knowing that she still had a full complement of drones, Willow changed course and headed for the Ori ship as she avoided the main weapon which hit the Avalon behind them instead.
"Red!" said the General as he sat down next to Willow, "you doing what I think you're doing?"
"Taking out the main weapon?" asked Colonel Mitchell as Willow nodded.
"The alternate team that came to the SGC said that they drove the Ori off with the drone weapons" shouted Willow as she avoided a blue energy blast while the Excalibur came up behind them and started firing the Ancient weapons at the Ori ship.
The Jumper weaved through fire from the Ori vessel before it fired all ten of its drones. Willow then turned the Jumper back and headed towards the Avalon which was the closest ship while the Excalibur was coming about to fire another salvo at the Ori vessel .
"Unsuccessful, sir" said Willow shaking her head as the holographic HUD came up and showed that the Ori shield took the impact of the drone weapons. She then rushed into the Avalon's hanger bay and opened a channel to the bridge on General O'Neill's orders.
"Colonel" said General O'Neill as Colonel Ronsen's face came to the screen, "transmit the coordinates of the first planet to the Galactica; and the coordinates of the second one to the lead Cylon ship."
"Copy that" said Colonel Ronsen as he nodded at the Captain next to him who pressed some buttons on the console in front of him before sending a data burst at the Galactica, and another data burst at the lead Cylon ship.
Cylon Baseship, at the same time.
Natalie and the others were looking at the screens as the two Earth ships protected them from the Pegasus' weapons fire. The two's, three's, sixes and eights were all that occupied the ten Baseships, before three of them were gunned down by the Pegasus.
Natalie recalled her desperate cries for the Pegasus to stop firing which it did not, despite their offer to surrender, before she closed her eyes and waited for the ultimate end to come.
'The humans offered their unconditional surrender when we destroyed the Colonies' thought Natalie to herself as she looked around the control room as everyone tried to maintain some calm, while others seemed to just accept this as the end, 'and we spat on their faces. Maybe Leoben is right, this is God's will.'
The control room started shaking as the video screen that popped up showed the Pegasus firing at them. The room was shaking so much that everyone who was standing fell back onto the floor, when suddenly it stopped. The shaking stopped. Natalie was then helped up by one of the Leoben's and Boomer as they looked at the screen where the two Earth ships were using their energy shields to block the Pegasus' weapons fire.
"Ships of the Thirteenth" said Natalie as she wiped the blood from her forehead before she opened a communications channel, "Ships of the Thirteenth, thank you."
"Cylon vessels" said a voice, a female voice over the speakers, "my name is Major Lauren Satterfield, you are to leave this area of engagement…. Stand by for coordinates to…. FUCK!"
"Dear God!" said Natalie as she saw the shield of one of the ships flare up as it was hit by a yellow beam of light from a Ori mothership. Until they were defended by the two ships, Natalie and the others had been resigned to their deaths… their permanent deaths. But now.. now they were alive again as Natalie turned around giving orders to her ship and the other remaining ships. She told them that they were to maneuver their ships without getting hit by either the Colonials or the Ori… at least until they received the coordinates they needed to jump to.
"Natalie!" shouted Boomer as a set of numbers came onto the screen, "I.. I don't believe it… they sent the coordinates."
"Plot a jump!" shouted Natalie when she noticed the look of horror on the face of one of the Leoben's as he was looking at a DRADIS console.
"We won't make it" he said when Natalie ran over to him before she reached into the basin and activated a screen. She opened her eyes wide as she watched fourteen missiles being fired from both the Pegasus and the Galactica that were heading straight for her ship. Her eyes opened wide as the missiles were almost on them before the Excalibur flew past and blocked the impacts with her shields.
"Jump!" shouted Natalie as she turned around and Boomer nodded her head. The remaining Baseships then vanished in the blink of an eye from the combat zone.
Pegasus, CIC, 2150 hours; few minutes earlier.
The Pegasus CIC was abuzz with activity ever since the ten Cylon ships had arrived. Admiral Cain had listened to the broadcast from the Cylon known as Natalie and smiled when she said that they were going extinct… that the Ori had a hand in their deaths. She tried not to laugh when Natalie begged that their lives be spared and that the Cylons and the Humans help each other against the Ori threat; however, Admiral Cain instead ordered the launch all her alert vipers and opened fire.
It was then she received news from her vipers that the Earth ships had moved into position and were using their shields to block their firepower. The same Viper pilot then shouted the name of the gods as he watched the Ori vessel fly in and start firing at the Earth ships who disengaged from protecting the Cylon vessels, and started to fire on the Ori ship with their energy weapons system.
It was a few minutes later that one of the communications officers stood up and looked behind him at the Admiral.
"Sir!" he shouted, "we're receiving a message from the unknown vessel. It's going through to the Galactica as well."
"On speakers" said Admiral Cain as the officer nodded his head before sitting back down. He then pressed a button on the console next to him as a buzzing noise came through the speakers, followed by a man's voice that spoke with calm and authority.
"I am a Prior of the Ori" he said, "this land has been infested with evil, evil that has come here long ago in the guise of false gods. The same gods that caused the demise of your home worlds, the same gods that have not destroyed the soulless creatures before you. The Ori have started to cleanse this land off the armies of evil; it is the will of the Ori that all bow before them to be guided towards the path to enlightenment. Bow to the will of the Ori, bow to the greatness of the Ori… or be turned into dust."
Everyone in the Pegasus CIC just looked at each other as they listened to the voice of the Prior. Admiral Cain herself had to admit that these Ori were doing good work, work that even the Colonials with all their technology when their worlds had been whole were unable to do. She looked at the central table and then at the dried blood at the corner from the day she killed her previous Executive Officer all those months ago.
"Sir" shouted another officer, "Viper four and ten just reported that one of those ships from earlier blocked missiles from impacting with the Baseship."
"The one with the Cylon that called itself Natalie?" asked the Admiral as the officer nodded his head.
The Admiral then rolled her hands into fists before she took a deep breath and grabbed the phone.
"Prior of the Ori" said Admiral Cain as she looked up at the DRADIS screen in anger, "I speak for all the people on board the Galactica and the Pegasus, and I will ensure we bow down to the Ori. I want to see those things… those Cylons dead… I want them dead… all of them… and I will give you us. We will bow down to the Ori."
"Sir!" said Captain Shaw as she and the others looked at Admiral Cain in shock, "what are you doing? You're forsaking the gods."
"Look at us!" shouted Admiral Cain, "look at all of us. This is a gift from the gods... We have been running for far too long… I made a promise that the Cylons would all die and that we would return to our homes. Instead we're beholden to a coward of a President who would rather talk to a bunch of Cylon sympathizers… no, we will go and destroy the Cylons. Anyone not with me?"
No one dared speak when asked that question. Everyone had seen what happened when Colonel Belzan, the previous Executive Officer, disobeyed an order. He had been shot in the head by Admiral Cain and no-one wanted something like that to happen again.
"We are with you, sir" said Colonel Fisk as Admiral Cain nodded at him before looking up at the DRADIS screen. He then glanced at a worried Captain Shaw before the both of them went back to work.
"Pegasus, Narcho" said one of the Pegasus Viper pilots as he contacted the Pegasus, "the Baseships have jumped away."
Back on the Pegasus, Admiral Cain slammed her fist onto the central table before she heard a phone ringing. An officer picked it up before standing and turning around.
"Target the Earth ships" said Admiral Cain as she noticed the officer who had turned towards her, before looking at Captain Shaw, "let's show our new friends what kind of powerful allies we could be. Once you have a solution, open fire."
"Yes, sir" said a still unsure Captain Shaw as she turned back to her console.
"Sir!" shouted the officer, "it's President Roslin."
"On speakers" shouted Admiral Cain as she stared at the officer.
CIC, Battlestar Galactica, at the same time.
Galactica's own Vipers were launched once the Cylon ships had jumped in. However, unlike the Pegasus which had begun firing at the ships almost immediately, Colonel Tigh was ordered to wait for the Commander and the President of the Colonies to come on board before they launched an attack.
By the time they reached the Galactica, and ran to the CIC, the Commander could hear his son's voice on the wireless tell everyone that it was like a science fiction movie out there… that the two Earth ships were taking the impact of all their firepower by using their shields.
It was Commander Adama who, after just a few moments of reflection after he recalled what Dawn had told him on Colonial One, decided to follow the orders of his superior and fired the Galactica's weapons at the Cylon ships. The Commander then looked back up at the DRADIS screen when Major Adama shouted over the wireless that another ship had entered the fray, and that it was attacking the Earth ships which disengaged from defending the Baseships. Looking back down on the table, the Commander kept on hearing Dawn's voice in his head about the Ori being a danger to everyone but he shook his head before looking and Colonel Tigh and ordering a salvo of missiles be fired at the Baseships.
Nodding his head, Colonel Tigh gave the order.
"Galactica, Apollo" said Major Adama, "missiles are away at the Baseships but….. frak… one of the Earth vessels blocked the impact. Seems to have hit the shield and, gods dammed; the Baseships have all jumped away."
Apollo reported that the two Earth ships were using evasive maneuvers to try and avoid getting hit by the weapons and blue energy pulses that emanated from all over the ship. He also reported that despite everything, those two ships kept on getting hit as the shields flared.
Back in the CIC on the Galactica, the crew had heard what Admiral Cain told the Ori Prior, which led to an incensed President Roslin to order Dee to make a secure call to the Pegasus. Just then, Lt. Gaeta had received a message from the Avalon that contained a string of numbers. Looking at it closely, he opened his eyes wide before turning around to tell Commander Adama that they were being sent jump coordinates from the Avalon.
"Jump coordinates?" said a confused Colonel Tigh as he looked at Commander Adama while President Roslin was screaming on the phone that Admiral Cain had gone too far this time. That as of that moment, she and anyone who followed her lead will be considered traitors to the Colonies.
"Galactica, Apollo" said Major Adama as his voce came over the speakers as President Roslin smashed the phone down in anger and looked up at the center of the CIC at Commander Adama, "it's the Pegasus…. She's… she's firing on one of the Earth ships. Galactica, please advise… what are our orders…. My gods…"
"Apollo!" shouted Commander Adama, "what's going on?"
"The Ori ship" shouted Major Adama, "it fired that beam again and now the Earth ship seems to have lost its shield… the Pegasus weapons fire is…. Sir, there are explosions on the hull. The Earth ship is performing evasive maneuvers but… I see her, the other ship is flying in to defend the other one."
"Radiological alarm" shouted Dee as she heard a beeping behind her, "the Pegasus just launched ten nukes at the Earth ship."
"Apollo!" shouted Commander Adama as he made a decision that he knew would end them all once Admiral Cain and the Pegasus made it back to the emergency coordinates the fleet was in, "shoot down those nukes."
"Yes, sir" said Major Adama as he and the Vipers from Galactica shot down five of the nuclear weapons and looked on in relief as the Excalibur used her shields as cover, preventing the weapons from hitting the defenceless Avalon.
Back in the CIC, Dee looked up from her console as she stood up to tell the Commander that a message from the Avalon was coming in.
"On speakers" shouted the Commander as everyone heard Satterfield's voice.
"Commander Adama" said Satterfield as everyone in the Galactica CIC could hear the small explosions and the flare-ups in the background, "thank you for your assistance. But Colonel Ronsen and General O'Neill would like for you to leave this immediate area. Jump to your fleet, and then.. if you wish… you can jump to the coordinates that were given to you. A team will be waiting for you on the surface. In the meantime, there's going to be one hell of a lightshow and you really don't want to be here. Satterfield out."
"Call back our birds, Dee" said Commander Adama as Dee ordered all Vipers from Galactica, including Apollo, to return.
"Ummmm… sir?" said Lt. Gaeta as he looked closer at the screen, "no… it can't be… sir!"
"Lieutenant?" said Colonel Tigh, surprised at the Lieutenants outburst.
"One of the ships just dropped two high energy….. something's… the energy output is unbelievable, and it's increasing" said a shocked Lt. Gaeta, "we need to jump."
"All our planes have returned!" shouted Dee.
"Adama" shouted Admiral Cain's voice over the speakers, "we're showing that you're getting ready to jump; what the frak do you….."
"Jump!" shouted the Commander as the Battlestar Galactica, along with Colonial One, jumped away in a flash.
The Avalon, two minutes ago.
The engineering section on the Avalon was chaotic as everyone fell down onto the floor after the last hit from the Ori vessel's main weapon. With her back on the floor, Willow reached up to Colonel Carter's outstretched hand as they felt another shake go throughout the ship which caused everyone to tumble back down again, before they started to slowly get up on their feet for the umpteenth time.
"Colonel" shouted a Captain at another console as he tried to maintain his balance, "that last shot from the Ori vessel took out our shields."
"Carter!" shouted General O'Neill's voice over the P.A. system, "we need railguns.. or something… anything."
"We're out, sir" shouted Colonel Carter after she helped up a dizzy Willow who was leaning along the bulkhead before heading to the main engineering console, "no Hyperdrive, shield emitters are burnt out, the Ancient weapons system is gone…. Sir…. We have limited sublight… we have beaming tech active but that's very sporadic."
"Carter" said the General who was standing next to Colonel Ronsen as they watched the vipers destroy the incoming nukes from the Pegasus when everyone fell to the side again as weapons fire from the Pegasus started to hit the ship again, "find something…."
Colonel Ronsen then ordered evasive maneuvers once again with all the power they could muster from the sublight engines.
"Ma'am" said Willow as the deep gash on her forehead started to heal, "there's something we could do? Right?"
"I have an idea" said Colonel Carter as she looked at Willow with her eyes wide open in realization, "overload."
"The Naquadria reactors?" asked Willow as she tried to walk to the main console where Colonel Carter was standing as Faith came on the P.A. system and said that General O'Neill was being taken to the infirmary since he hit his head on that last hit. She told Willow and the others that the Excalibur was taking the brunt of the fire from the Pegasus but, according to Captain Lewis, they only had ten percent of their shields left.
After hearing reports from all over the ship, including the infirmary where Sharon and Dawn were helping the injured, the redhead and the blonde nodded at each other as Willow gingerly moved to another console.
"Colonel Ronsen" said Colonel Carter, "we're overloading both of the Naquadria reactors, sir. I suggest we get out of here using every tiny bit of sublight power… but even so…."
"Anyway to get Hyperdrive back online?!" asked the Colonel who was in the bridge as he watched the Excalibur's shields taking hits from the Pegasus before it moved away to avoid another hit from the Ori beam weapon. Which left the Avalon open to damage again as the ship rocked, even with evasive maneuvers.
"No, Sir!" shouted Colonel Carter as Colonel Ronsen looked at Faith and Satterfield who had taken over for the Major and Captain who had suffered major injuries. The Colonel then told Satterfield to send a message to the Galactica; that they needed to get out of the engagement zone as the Excalibur protected the Avalon once more. He then told Colonel Carter to do what she needed to do.
"Willow" said the Colonel nodding at the redhead, "override the safeties."
"Done" said Willow as she looked up at the Colonel and nodded, "overload in progress."
"Transferring power from missiles, and railguns to the Asgard beams and….." said the Colonel as she pressed a button on the console, "Colonel Ronsen, the packages have been delivered… we need to get out of here, now!"
"Excalibur" said the Colonel as the Galactica, and Colonial One, blinked away from the area, "open your hyperspace window."
"Copy" said Captain Lewis, "we'll be back in two minutes. Good luck."
"Copy" replied Colonel Ronsen before looking at Faith and telling her to push the sublight engines to their best possible speed, 'we'll need it.'
The small Earth ship came about as the Pegasus continued to chase the Avalon while continuing to fire.
"Five…. Four….." said Colonel Carter as she held down on the communications button.
In the middle of the countdown, Willow had an idea that could possibly save the ship's electronics from catastrophic failure. She told Colonel Carter that the best thing to do would be to severe all the connections to the generators so that the wave could not affect much of the systems.
"Do it!" shouted the Colonel as she pressed some buttons on her console, while Willow and the others in the engineering room did the same.
"Fifty percent severed" shouted one of the Captans when the lights above started to hum and glow brightly before before they exploded in a shower of glass.
"All hands!" shouted Colonel Ronsen as he held on tightly to his command chair, "brace for impact!"
As the Avalon sped off further and further away from the Pegasus, two objects next to the Ori vessel started to glow with an ominous green colour. Then, there was a massive explosion just outside the Ori vessel's shield which flickered and then failed before the explosion destroyed half of the Ori ship. The Pegasus just managed to detect the massive amounts of energy released before she performed an emergency blind jump since the released Electromagnetic Energy had already started to affect the targeting system for the jump computers. So before anything major could happen to the ship, Admiral Cain ordered a blind jump as anywhere would be better that their current location. Without the Hyperdrive, the Avalon wasn't as lucky as the Pegasus since the Electromagnetic Wave hit the small ship and caused several small explosions, due to power surges, all over the Avalon before the sublight engines failed completely and the ship was push forwards thanks to its own inertia.
It was two minutes later that the Excalibur returned to find the Ori ship listing to its side as half of it was blown clean off, and the Avalon just lay dark while floating in space.
TBC.