Unknown Region of Space, 1400 hours.
In the emptiness of space, there were seven flashes of light that indicated the aftermath of a Furling Point Drive jump. The seven ships belonging to the Cylons that had escaped thanks to the defence of the Earth ships were soon joined by another six baseships. IN the lead ship, the control room was deathly quiet as the scanned hummed while scanning for any signs of their Ori pursuer.
After confirming what one of the Number Four's had said after their jump, that the Ori ship had not followed them to this jump point, allowed Natalie to breathe a sigh of relief. Taking her hand out of the water that connected her to the data flow of the ship, she held onto both sides of the basin with her head held low. She then looked up at Boomer who was looking at her and ordered her to take stock of what they have.
"I want to know how long the baseships have to heal" said Natalie as Boomer nodded her head and she ran to another basin so that she could connect to the Hybrid of their ship. And then use that Hybrid to connect to the others in order to get a full picture of what they have left in these thirteen ships.
"Our Hybrid has started to spout nonsense again" said a Number Three as she approached Natalie, "it keeps on talking about a coming apocalypse, that the machines who believe they have souls will end… end for all time."
"Our deaths" said Cavil as he walked over to where the Number Three and Natalie were standing. The dark blonde woman looked up at the Number One in anger, he had been on one of the ships that Natalie's party had met while escaping from the Ori battle. And now he was in hers with that same look of condescension he would give anyone who he thought was beneath him.
"You should talk" said Natalie as she tried to hold back her anger at the entire Cylon race following the orders of one of their model's.
"Now, now Natalie" said Cavil with his hands up, "I know what you're going to say, and if you remember correctly.. you played a role in the downfall of the Colonies too. Mass unrest on Gemenon? You told us where the leaders of the Geneses were hiding. Remember? You did some fantastic work back there."
"We followed your reasoning" said Natalie as she lowered her head, "that we needed to have revenge on behalf of our ancestors, on behalf of the centurions, that we needed to kill our parents so that we could grow and become the best machines the galaxy has ever seen."
"And now God has punished us for that sin" said a Leoben as he walked up to where Natalie, Cavil and one of the Number Three's were talking, "our race has entered a phase of extinction, our technology is gone… there is no way for us to resurrect."
"And no way to rebuild" said Cavil, "our programmers never gave us that knowledge, it literally died with them. We can't rebuild it."
"Natalie!" shouted Boomer from the other basin as everyone turned to face her, "we don't have any ships on our long range sensors. I think…. I think we're safe."
Natalie nodded her head before she crossed her arms around her chest and looked at the water. She recalled ordering them to stop their jumps to the planet to which they had received the coordinates to from the Earth ships. She suspected that the Ori ship that followed them had somehow managed to track their jumps. Due to the worry that the ship may have killed off the Earth ship and was still following them, Natalie ordered that all ships jump to another area of space… and keep on jumping for a day at most just to ensure that the Ori lost their trail.
"We should return to the Colonies" said Cavil as Natalie looked back up at him, "the others of my model have said that a Ori ship is on the surface…. If we could use all of our ships, and nuke it from orbit again…. Maybe this time we can use out full power and…"
"No" said Natalie, "we lost. I will not see any more of my brothers and sisters die for a lost cause."
"We need to reach a consensus either way" said Cavil, "that's been our…"
"No" said Natalie as she closed her eyes while being very aware that the Cylon tradition had been to reach a consensus among all models for any decision, "no more consensus, I will not have you endanger what remains of our race on a suicide mission."
"That's not your call" said Cavil as the others just looked at each other in surprise; making a decision without reaching a consensus was something that was unheard of… and it was happening right now.
"You're right" said Natalie as she turned and told Boomer to open a communications line to all ships.
"Done" said Boomer as Natalie nodded her head and put her hand into the water in front of her.
"Attention" said Natalie as she looked at Cavil, "all those who wish to follow the Number Ones back to the Colonies will have to do so using their own free will. NO more consensuses, no more doing something just because the majority says that it's the right thing to do; no matter how suicidal it is. Each model will have to choose what they want to do..irrespective of the lines. I… I choose to head to the planet that the Earthers gave the coordinates to, I choose for our race to live on and not die on what could be a suicide mission."
"The Ori are human" said Cavil as he leaned in, "they have to be to want to kill us all. We kill them, and then we kill the remaining humans on the Galactica and her little fleet. And then…. And then we gather our remaining forces and destroy those supposed ships from Earth. May I remained everyone listening that there is no proof that those ships were from Earth in the first place, that the planet they sent coordinates to could very well be a trap for what remains of a secret Colonial Project to kill us all. So no, I am ordering everyone for a full nuclear strike on the Ori ship on Caprica.. and then… and then we finally destroy the remains of humanity. Those who leave with Natalie, will be labelled as Cylon traitors… but since the humans are the bigger threat, you will be let go. But we will return and execute each and everyone who took Natalie's side."
"You won't" said Natalie as she glared at Cavil, "you will start a civil war where the models who want to settle down will fight the models who want to go up against the Ori and ultimately die. You seem to have a selective memory…. You forget that the Ori have much more advanced technology than us or the Colonials… both of our races are in danger of doing extinct, and all you can do is drum up support for fighting a losing battle where we all die. You won't execute each and every one of us; you won't do it, because you will die in the cold of space after the Ori annihilate you if you do this. At that same time, I will lead the others to the planet and take any assistance that's been given to us."
"You talk of high minded ideals" said Cavil as other models walked over to the control room to watch the argument between the two leaders, "you forgot to ask the ones we've mainly been fighting for… you forgot to ask the Centurions."
Just then six Centurions standing around the room looked at each other silently as the red scanner in their heads moved from one side to the next slowly. The six of them walked towards Natalie and Cavil while the other humanoid Cylons just looked on, and just stood there.
"This is your decision" said Natalie as she looked at them, "there are only a few of you left as well, the same goes for the raiders. If you wish to fight the Ori, you are free to make that call."
"Centurions" said Cavil calmly as he waved his hand, "kill Natalie."
The centurions lifted their hands at Natalie who simply looked at the six Centurions as they pulled back the hands to reveal barrelled weapons that were aimed at her.
"If you want to shoot me" said Natalie calmly as she signalled for her supporters to stay out of this confrontation; she then walked towards the Centurions cautiously, "then shoot me. But do it because you think it's the right thing to do. I want you six, and the other centurions, to make your own decisions on what to; you can stay with us, or you can go with them. But, to allow you to make that decision.. I've already authorized Boomer to remove the telencephalic inhibitors that have been restricting your higher cognitive functions."
At that, Natalie glanced back at Cavil's shocked look, and smiled, while the Centurions just looked at each other one more time before they withdrew their weapons.
"Are you nuts?" asked Cavil, "you know what that will do to them?"
"We enslaved them like the humans enslaved our ancestors" said Natalie as she turned back and smiled at Cavil, "and now they'll be self aware enough to make the decision on who to join on their own. Look on the bright-side, if they join you.. then they'll fight the Ori after you're dead."
Natalie then turned back around and nodded at the Centurions who stepped back slightly. The dark blonde woman then told Boomer to get whoever she needed to remove the inhibitors from all of the centurions. She knew that the six in front of her had already wirelessly let the remaining Centurions on the ship know what was coming… that they would be finally be able to make a decision for themselves on what to do in the coming hours.
"Now" said Natalie as she glared at a shocked Cavil, "until everyone's decided what to do, you will stay onboard my ship. I will not have you ordering the deaths of anyone on the ships loyal to you who decide not to follow you to their deaths."
"You're making a mistake, Natalie" said Cavil as three Centurions surrounded him.
"No" said Natalie as she walked away, "I'm saving my race. Once you're gone… then we'll prepare for the jumps to the planet; the same planet that I will not be giving you the coordinates, for security purposes you understand. Until then, just stay in the guest quarters."
Battlestar Galactica, another region of space, 1400 hours.
Commander Adama was walking though the hallways of the giant vessel as officers stood to one side and saluted the man that many affectionately called the 'Old Man'. As he entered another hallway, the Commander recalled the immediate aftermath where the Quorum were split six to six in the impromptu vote to call Roslin's leadership into question. He noticed Roslin hang her head and breathe a sigh of relief that the vote didn't have the majority it required by the Articles of Colonization. A tie meant that Roslin still had the confidence of the quorum, but she knew that everything was on a knife's edge right now.
Looking back up at the Quorum, she glared at Porter and Zarek who were leaning back on their seats with smug looks on their faces. To Roslin, it seemed as if the two of them advanced their own agenda's at the cost of the fleet.. and she mentally noted that one day, she will get back at them. But for now, she needed the support of the fleet itself… she knew that the fleet wanted a home… any home after being cooped up in what were flying coffins for months on end. Managing a small smile, she made a case to the Quorum and to the people. She told them that they would not settle on the planet unless they had proof that these beings that offered them aid were not Cylons.
"I will be consulting with Commander Adama on how to approach this situation" said Roslin as she looked around the Quorum, "in the meantime, I ask for volunteers from this body to accompany a delegation to the planet. A delegation that the Thirteenth Tribe asked be sent down to the planet when they contacted the pilots through their wireless just before leaving the atmosphere and jumping away/"
"Excuse me?" asked Porter, "I….."
"I am willing to risk my own life and lead the delegation to the planet" said Roslin as she stood up straight as the quorum started to look at each other and mumble. She glanced behind her as Commander Adama looked at her with eye furrowed as the other officers and the Vice-President were whispering with each other about what the President just proposed. She knew that they were worried about the part where she was placing a great risk on herself, while the Quorum members were worried about losing face in front of the entire fleet.
Turning back to the gathered Quorum, she told them that she would be leaving Vice-President Balter in charge while Billy will be assisting him in day to day operations. That the others would have to make their own choices about whether to go or not, but she reiterated that she would be going.
"Madam President" said the delegate from Caprica, one of the Quorum members who sided with the President during the vote, "I am volunteering to go to the planet, as I suspect most of us would, provided that enough security measures are in place to ensure the protection of the delegation."
"Of course" said President Roslin as she looked back at the Commander and nodded her head. She stepped back and let the Commander stand at the lectern as he told the delegates that he'll have a plan soon, but it would definitely involve both Galactica's and what remains of the Pegasus Marines on his ship, and three raptors. He told them that the Galactica would remain with the fleet for protection.
"Very well" said the delegate from Libra, one of the people who voted against the President, as he leaned forward, "I volunteer as well. However, I feel that Madam President should not be the one leading the delegation."
"Perhaps it would be best if Vice-President Balter went in your stead, Madam President" said the delegate from Aerilon, "as the President of the Colonies, your responsibility is here… with the fleet."
"I am very well aware of my responsibilities " said Roslin as she interrupted the delegate, "my primary responsibility is the welfare of the fleet. I believe that this planet…."
It was then that Roslin felt a tap on her left shoulder. Glancing back while cupping her hand over the microphone to speak to who she thought was Commander Adama, she was surprised when she heard the Vice-president whispering into her ear. He was telling her that maybe it would be a good idea if he were to lead the delegation. In the meantime, she could stay with the fleet and drum up support for settlement on this particular planet; and that he could bring the test he created to detect Cylons to the planet where he could test the people there. Roslin just looked at him for a few seconds after he finished what he wanted to say. After her near death experience before Dr. Cottle injected the blood of Sharon's baby into her and getting rid of her cancer, she still remembered the dreams she had of Balter with one of the Number Six's on Caprica before the fall of the Twelve Colonies. Since then, she suspected that her Vice-President knew a lot about what was going on with the Humanoid Cylons.. that he may have even been involved with the fall of the Colonies. However, there was no proof… at least nothing definitive. But for now, she needed as much support as possible; so she smiled and nodded at the Vice-President, who walked back to where he was standing earlier.
Turning back around towards the Quorum, she took her hand off the microphone and told the Quorum that upon the advice of Vice-President Balter; she would stay with the fleet, while he would lead a delegation to the planet. She gave them a day to decide who'll be going, and that by that time… the military will have a plan ready.
"Madam President" said one of the members of the Press, "if we go manage to settle on that planet, what will it be called?"
"I don't know about everyone else" said Roslin with a hint of a smile on her face, "but I'm partial to calling it New Caprica."
That was nearly a day ago, and now, as Commander Adama was nearing the hanger deck of the Galactica he could hear the sounds of shouts from Chief Tyrol and Laird as they told their crews to get the Raptors ready for deployment. As he walked down the steep stairs to the hanger deck itself, the Commander saw the military personnel stand at attention once they noticed him, until he told them to stand at ease.
After talking to both of the Chiefs, the commander walked over the group of civilians and military personnel who were one corner of the hanger deck. As he walked past the three Raptors that would be taking the delegation to the planet, he heard the President talking to the civilians, while Major Adama was briefing the Marines.
He knew that six Quorum members would be going to the planet, three from the delegates who supported Roslin the previous day and three who didn't, one of whom was Zarek; he knew that the Vice-President would be going while representing the Office of the President. He then turned to Major Adama who was briefing the twelve Marines that they were to follow the typical rules of engagement; they were not to fire their weapons unless the delegation was under threat, or unless they were being fired upon. The Commander then addressed both the military and civilian personnel that were leaving for the planet and, among other things, told them that the Vice-President was in charge; but for everything concerning military matters…. Major Adama was the one with the last word.
It was just before they left, that the Commander had taken Major Adama to one side and told him to make sure that the red-haired woman he saw was not a Cylon.
"If they refuse, sir?" asked the Major.
"Try to make them understand that it's important for us to know" said the Commander,
"after everything we've been through…. We need to make sure that she is who they say she is."
"Understood" said the Major as he saluted the Commander before getting into one of the raptors.
After saying their goodbyes, the group entered the Raptor which, after a few moments, took off from the Galactica and started their fifteen jumps to the planet. All Commander Adama and Roslin could do was hope for good news from the delegation when they returned. In the meantime, the President took her leave to meet up with Billy, and another aide called Tory Foster, on Colonial One. The three of them were going to meet to develop a plan on trying to convincing the people of the fleet that settling on that planet was the best thing to do. The Commander looked on as she got into her Raptor that would take her to Colonial One, before he turned around and headed back to the CIC.
The Summers Residence, Dawn's Room, 1700 hours.
Dawn was lying on her bed taking a nap. She returned from a day at the mall with Joyce, after collecting both Jay and Rose from the brand new Sunnydale Elementary which was built on the outskirts of the city. The idea was to keep the school as far away from the High School, which was rebuilt over the Hellmouth a few years ago, as possible. After returning home, Dawn yawned before telling Joyce that she was going to go take a nap.
She was so tired from the hectic day that she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. That's when she started having the dreams. At first they were normal; normal as normal gets for the sister of a Slayer and an inter-dimensional key, but soon… Dawn found herself in a dark room with voices speaking in the distance. She didn't recognize the voices, save for one…. Her own.
"This is a message for you and your friends….. if any of your kind ever comes near her again; I will turn you into dust and spread that dust into every corner of this galaxy. Is that understood?"
Dawn panicked in the dark room when she heard a snarl in front of her and jumped back when she heard another growl before a third male voice said that they had to leave, that they could come for the girl at another time. The male voice said that there were others out at night who would make better prey.
"Prey?" said Dawn to herself when she heard a crash from behind her. Turning around, she heard things breaking all around her even though she couldn't see anything at all. Then she opened her eyes wide when she heard a scream followed by even more things, that sounded like glass, breaking. Putting her hands over her ears to silence the scream, Dawn waited for a few seconds before the sounds of things breaking stopped. Taking her hands away from her ears, she looked around the darkness again when she heard sobbing.
"I am sorry, Hera"
"Willow?" said Dawn to herself as she looked around the darkroom, but she couldn't see anything, "Willow where are you? I thought you were in Atlantis?"
"No more, Hera"
"Willow? No, not Willow… Athena" said Dawn as she noticed an edge in that voice.
"No more cure, no more cure.. I told you no more cure…. I will kill them all" said Athena as Dawn took a few steps back before she hit a wall behind her. Turning around, she covered her eyes and took a few steps back as the room was suddenly flooded with light when she heard a voice that was simply dripping with rage, "no more cure…. They will all die, Hera… all of them will die."
"Willow?" said Dawn as everything became quiet once again. Opening her eyes slowly so that she could get used to the brightness of the room, Dawn looked around at the ordinary looking, but completely empty dark green room, and soon settled her eyes on a white door located at the far end. Running towards the door, she tried to turn the knob but found the door locked. She even pulled the door, and pushed it but nothing worked. It was definitely locked shut.
It was then she heard footsteps on the other side of the door, and the sounds of some people panting as if they were either running towards something, or running away from it.
"It is coming… quick… the beast is coming" said one voice, a voice that was familiar to Dawn but she couldn't put a finger on it.
Then Dawn heard something that sounded like doors slam shut before she heard her own voice again. Putting her ears onto the door, Dawn soon opened her eyes wide.
"Stay away from this place" said Dawn's voice, "what you seek will destroy this world."
"I don't care… they have something that belongs to me. And I'll go through you to get it."
Dawn stumbled back from the door, and as a result she lost her balance and fell onto the floor when she recognized the second voice. The voice of the one who had tried to kill her for what she was… the one who almost ended the world… the one who was truly responsible for Buffy dying.
"Glory" said Dawn to herself as she looked at the white door. Slowly getting up, she felt a feeling of terror permeate her entire being when she heard Glory's voice again.. but she still slowly walked towards the door and put her ear on the door again.
All of a sudden, Dawn heard a loud scream that shook the walls of the room she was in.. a scream that sent goosebumbs throughout her entire body when she recognized that the scream was her own. It was her screams from behind the door.
"No" said Dawn as she put her palms over her ears again, "no… what's happening… stop…. STOP!"
"Dawn… Dawn!" shouted Joyce as she shook Dawn who snapped her eyes opened and sat up panting as she looked around her room and then looked at Joyce with eyes wide open.
"Mom" said Dawn as she gave a surprised Joyce a tight hug, "I.. I had a bad dream."
"It's alright" said Joyce softly as she rubbed her panting daughter's back, "I'm here… you're home."
"What did you dream about?" continued Joyce.
"I… I dreamt that I was being chased by robots" lied Dawn, "they were getting closer to me.. so I shouted at them to stop."
"I heard you shout" said Joyce, "so did Jay and Rose. They're worried…. I came in and saw you moving from side to side on your bed."
"Sorry" said Dawn as she laid her head on Joyce's shoulder, "I.. I'll come down in a little while… I just need to get my thoughts together. It was a really vivid dream."
"I'm glad you took some time off" said Joyce softly as she looked into Dawn's eyes before getting off the young brunette's bed, "I'll make some coffee for you."
"Thanks, mom" said Dawn with a smile as Joyce walked out before closing the door behind her.
Dawn's smile vanished once Joyce had shut the door; all she could do now was rub her forehead and try to come up for an explanation about what she just experienced.
'Must be what Willow told me about' thought Dawn to herself, 'she said that I was Hera, so maybe I just had a dream where I thought I was Hera…. Just a dream given form because of what Willow said… yeah… that's it.'
Dawn shook her head and then slowly got off the bed. Putting her bare feet on the carpeted floor, she walked over to her closet and took out a fresh set of clothes. As she took off her shirt and pants, Dawn thought back to what Willow had told her… that she was an ascended being who descended to the lower plains for some reason. At first Dawn was excited to discover that the theory that she was an ascended being was right, she was excited when Willow told her that she had a sister who loved her before Buffy even existed… that she had lived in Atlantis… she was excited about it all. Then Willow dropped the bombshell that she was Athena; that she was Hera's sister, and that's when Dawn's imagination shattered.
The truth was that Dawn didn't know if Willow was right; that Hera and her were one and the same.. and she didn't really want to know. Dawn knew that if Willow was really her sister… than everything she did to her in Sunnydale, all the cruel things she said… all the cruel things she imagined doing… all of that would hit home. She would be the sister that hated the redhead for leaving the Scoobies, for getting Buffy killed, and for getting the others into prison.
Dawn sat back on her bed after she had put on a fresh set of clothes and looked at the mirror that was facing her. She looked at herself wipe some tears that went down her face as she recalled rejecting what Willow had told her on the Avalon with all her heart; she remembered the look of hurt on the redhead's face when she didn't believe what Willow told her, then she felt hurt when Willow went off to Atlantis without telling her. Dawn knew that Willow didn't have to tell her anything, but she still felt a sense of hurt that cut through her heart when she heard Willow was going to visit Melina's grave.
"Dawn?" said Rose softly as she knocked on the door, which broke Dawn out of her stupor, "are you alright?"
Dawn wiped her eyes again before getting up and rushing to the door. Opening she looked at Rose who was looking up at her with a small smile on her face, and her hands behind her back.
"Dawn?" asked Rose again with eyes opened wide as she raised a hand towards her older sister, "did you have a bad dream?"
"Yes" said Dawn, holding on to Rose's hand and walking out of the room. Closing the door behind her, Dawn then walked with Rose towards the stairs, "how about you and me have some cookies before dinner. Let's see how much we can spoil our appetites?"
"Yes!" said Rose excitedly as the both of them walked down the stairs.
'What if I am?' though Dawn to herself as she held on to Rose's hand, 'what if I really am Hera; what if Willow finds proof or…. Or what if we find Dr. Jackson. That's it… Dr. Jackson should know. If he has Merlin's consciousness inside him.. then he can confirm one way or another about the truth. But if I am Hera, if I really am Hera… then will Willow forgive me for what happened? For what I did?'
Planet designated P3H-652, 1800 hours.
Above a planet appeared three flashes of light as the Raptors from the Galactica finished making their final jump to the orbit of the planet. With Margaret 'Racetrack' Edmondson and Hamish 'Skulls' McCall piloting the lead Raptor that carried both Major Adama and the Vice-President told the other two to remain in orbit until they had performed a fly-by reconnaissance of the coordinates that they had earlier taken pictures of.
Flying in through the atmosphere, the Raptor then flew through several layers of clouds before they were flying over a stretch of land that was covered in trees and grass.
"Racetrack?" said the Major as he walked up to the cockpit and looked at the scenery before him, as did the vice-president and four of the twelve Marines, "are we close?"
"Yes, sir" said Racetrack as she flew over rolling hills and then over some rivers before they were flying over a clearing where there were what looked like some tents and six silver buildings when their wireless buzzed.
"Unknown vessel" said a female voice, "my name is Dr. Winnie Burke… I am speaking on behalf of Colonel David Dixon, the current commander of this installation. Please identify yourself."
"Major?" said Racetrack as she looked back at Major Adama who was looking at a structure in the distance when he heard the woman calling to him. He shook his head and then pressed the transmit button on the console.
"This…." Said Major Adama when he felt someone tapping the left side of his shoulder. Turning around he looked at the Vice-President as he told the Major that maybe it would be better if he were the one who made first contact with these people. That they would prefer someone who was not from the military to talk to them, since it may give off the wrong impression.
"It's your call" said Major Adama as he stepped aside to let the man through to the cockpit.
"Hello, Dr. Burke, and Colonel Dixon" said the Vice President, "my name is Dr. Gaius Balter, I am the Vice-President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. With me is the military leader of this delegation, Major Lee Adama."
"Greetings, Vice-President Balter and Major Adama" replied Dr. Burke as she looked back at Colonel Dixon who wanted her to ask about the ships that were in orbit, "Colonel Dixon would like for to ask you if the ships we are detecting in orbit are a part of your delegation?"
The Vice-President and Major Adama looked at each other surprised when they realized that they were able to scan any ship that was in orbit. The Major signalled Racetrack to take another pass over the camp, and it was then they noticed what looked like a satellites and antennae on top of one of the buildings.
"Must be some sort of DRADIS?" asked the Vice President as the Major shrugged his shoulders. Frowning at each other, the Vice-President then told Dr. Burke and Colonel Dixon that the two ships in orbit were from the Galactica. They said that they were part of the delegation who were ordered to jump back to the Galactica in the event that this was a trap.
"Understood" said Dr. Burke, "Would I be correct in assuming that you would like to make sure we're not Cylons?"
"Yes" said the Vice-President as the Major looked at the man. Lee Adama couldn't get a read on the Vice-President, he thought he knew the man as a nervous, reclusive, and amoral man. There were other words for him that he's heard from all over the ship, but he and the others were surprised recently at how eager he's been to take charge of this situation.
'Maybe it's the situation' thought Major Adama to himself as the Vice-President talked over the wireless, 'but I can't help get a bad feeling about the guy.'
"We have a medical tent set up were we would be able to prove that we are not these Cylons" said Dr. Burke, "the Colonel will be sending coordinates for you to land, so that we could start getting to know one another."
Major Adama then tapped on the Vice-President's shoulder and signalled that he would like to talk to Dr. Burke. Nodded his head, the Vice-President stepped back to let the Major through to the console where he told Dr. Burke that the other two ships will not be landing until she, and the others on the surface confirmed that they were not Cylons.
"Understood, Major" said Dr. Burke, "you can land at your leisure."
"Copy that" said Major Adama as he signalled Racetrack to take one more pass around the immediate area before landing.
"What is that?" asked Skulls as he flew over a large stone ring that was nearly half a kilometre away from the camp.
"No idea" said Major Adama as he and the Vice-President looked at the stone ring as they flew over it before coming about and returning to the camp. Once the Major was sure that there weren't any mechanical Cylons in the immediate area, he ordered Skulls to inform the two Raptors in orbit that they were proceeding to land at the camp, "tell them that if they haven't heard from us in six hours, that they are to return to the Galactica."
"Yes, sir" said Skulls as he pressed a button and relayed the orders to the two ships.
The Major then turned to the Vice-President and noticed the nervous look of the man's face when the order went through for the other ships to jump away if they were not heard from in an hour.
"We can't put the entire fleet at risk, Mr. Vice-President" said Major Adama.
Balter was nervous, suddenly extremely nervous, that he would die at the hands of the people on the surface in the event that they were Cylons. But he then almost immediately pushed that thought to the back of his mind before he stood up straight and nodded his head confidently. He then told the Major that he agreed with the order for the two ships to return to the Galactica.
The Major could only look at the man, still unsure of what to think of him. To him, Balter looked as if he was just someone trying his best to be confident about something which was largely unknown to everyone on the ship. Giving the man the benefit of the doubt, and the fact that everyone would have to face the unknown right now… the Major nodded at Balter before the Raptor landed a few meters away from the camp.
It took a few minutes for both Skulls and Racetrack to shut down the small craft before they got off their seats and joined the Marines who had armed their weapons. Two of the Marines took position in front of the Major and the Vice-President as one of them pressed a button that opened the door of the Raptor. Everyone in the vessel took a whiff of the fresh air as a slight breeze came into the ship. One of the Marines glanced back at the Major, who nodded his head, before stepping down onto the grassy ground.
"It's real grass" said one of the Marines as they took a few steps forward to make space for Major Adama and the Vice-President while another Marine stopped down behind them, with Racetrack and Skulls flanking the Vice-president and Major Adama. The latter had closed his eyes as he felt the breeze once again. Then everyone heard the sounds of chirping in the air as they looked up and saw green and red coloured birds flying from the trees close by and heading to the west.. away from them, and the camp.
"This is real, sir?" asked Racetrack as she looked around, "this isn't a dream is it?"
"Not unless they are a dream too" said Major Adama as he nodded towards a small group of four people, a brunette woman in her late thirties with glasses in a black suit, and three military personnel wearing green BDU's, walking towards them from the direction of the camp.
"Greetings" said the woman in the suit after she had gotten closer, "my name is Dr. Winnie Burke, and I'll be your translator until our diplomat… Mr. Richard Woolsey, arrives on this planet. In the meantime, we should get the medical testing out of the way so that we can each prove to you that we are who we say we are?"
"Yes" said Major Adama as he tapped the shoulder of the Marine in front of him and asked him to move to one side so that he could talk to Dr. Burke, "My name is Major Lee Adama, behind me is the Vice-President of the Colonies, Gaius Balter; Lt. Margaret Edmondson and Lt. Hamish McCall."
The Major then introduced Galactica's Marines to them before Dr. Burke introduced Colonel Dixon, Captain Jon O'Neill and Major Jennifer Hailey.
"O'Neill?" asked Major Adama as he looked at Jon while Dr. Burke translated, "are you related to the General who talked with Commander Adama and the President?"
"I'm his nephew" said Jon as Colonel Dixon and Hailey couldn't help but smile when they thought about the truth of who Jon really was, "and I'm guessing you're his son, sir?"
"Yes" nodded the Major when Dr. Burke interrupted them.
"If you would follow us" said the woman as she motioned everyone to follow them, "we have our own protocols, and equipment, in place for detecting nanites within a body."
"Nanites?" asked Major Adama as he looked at the Vice-President who looked at the woman with his eyes furrowed. He then turned to the Major and explained that nanites were microscopic machines that could be used to perform any task. He explained what nanites could do before he added that research into nanite technology was halted after the first Cylon war.
"How are you able to detect nanites in a bloodstream?" asked the Vice-president as the small group continued walking while Dr. burke translated for the benefit of the others.
"One of our allies gifted us the use of advanced scanning technology" said Colonel Dixon while Dr. Burke translated, "and we've used that as a base to develop our own technology for medical uses. One of which is to detect nanites in a person's blood stream."
"I see" said Balter as they were led into a small metallic building. The group from the Raptor looked in surprise at the lines of computers and equipment that lined the walls of the building. In the middle was a table with what looked like vials and other equipment that would be used to collect blood. Dr. Burke told them that at that moment, there were only fifteen people at the camp and that more would be coming after the tests were completed so that someone from the IOA could talk to them.
Colonel Dixon then told them, while Dr. Burke translated, that everyone in the camp would be tested. Their blood would be taken and then examined under the scanner to detect any nanites.
"But can't the nanites just… you know…. Hide? I guess?" asked Racetrack.
"From the examination done with Miss. Valerii's blood" said Hailey, "we've determined that even the smallest sample could have dozens of nanites. And the nurses here would be taking larger samples than just a drop."
"We get to see the extraction procedure" saidMajor Adama as he looked at Colonel Dixon and Dr. Burke, "we want to see the blood being drawn, and then examined. The delegation in the two ships orbiting the planet are representatives of the Quorum of Twelve, and this is just a precaution to make sure that the tests aren't fake."
"Is Sha…. I mean Miss Valerii here?" asked the Vice-President as Dr. Burke led them to the table in the middle where she sat down on the chair, while Colonel Dixon walked to the phone on the far wall and ordered all personnel to the medical unit. One of the nurses then walked up to Dr. Burke and started to take her blood while she replied to the Vice-President that Sharon wasn't on the planet.
"Then how can we be sure that the blood you are comparing your own to isn't from a complete stranger who's not here" said Skulls with a frown on his face as Dr. Burke stood up from the chair and pressed a bandage on her arm while Jon took her place and raised his sleeves.
"That blood is from Miss Valerii" said Colonel Dixon, with Dr, Burke translating, as he walked back to the group after making the announcement for the personnel to report to the medical unit, "we took that blood the day she arrived on one of our outposts."
"Major" whispered Racetrack into Major Adama's ear, "I don't trust them. That blood could be fake."
"Major Adama" said Dr. Burke as she translated what Racetrack was talking about into the Colonel's ears who frowned. He then turned to the linguist and nodded his head, "we require only a small amount of trust from you. You have to remember that despite your people shooting at our ships for defending a party that was begging for help, we still gave you these coordinates. It could have been easy to just leave your ships at the mercy of the Ori, but we didn't."
"You have to understand that we can't afford to trust strangers, especially when they give aid to Cylons." said Major Adama while Dr. Burke translated.
"The reason that we're extracting our blood in front of your people is for your benefit" said Hailey, "to prove to you that we are human. I really don't know what else you'd like for us to do."
"We'd like to see the blood being physically taken from Miss Valerii" said the Vice-President as the Major looked at him, "while I'm sure that the blood you already have is from the Cylon, it would put all of our minds at ease if you actually extracted her blood with us here."
"And there is one more thing" said Major Adama, "I was talking with the Commander, and we feel that one of your own may be a Cylon."
At that revelation, Dr. Burke and the others noticed the Colonial Marines holding their weapons tightly while Jon and Hailey immediately had their hands on their Zat's. Dr. burke could sense a huge amount of tension that just permeated the room as Colonel Dixon now had his hands on his own Zat when he saw Racetrack and Skulls reaching for their sidearms.
"Hold on" said Dr. burke as she tried to diffuse the situation by standing in between both party's before looking at Major Adama, "do you have any proof of this?"
"Major?" asked Racetrack as she undid the fastener on the holster that held her weapon in place, "what's going on?"
"The Commander told me about a red haired woman he met a long time ago" said the Major as the Colonel looked at Jon and then at Hailey when they immediately realized who they were talking about, "then during the attack by the Ori, he caught a glimpse of the same red haired woman on their ship; the same one that brought their delegation to Colonial One."
"A Cylon" said Racetrack as she looked at a nervous Skulls who then started to look at everyone in the large room nervously, as did the Marines, "we're surrounded by skinjobs."
"No" said Colonel Dixon as he had his hand on his Zat after Dr. Burke translated what Racetrack had said, "we're human… look, the woman you're talking about? Her name is Major Rosenberg, and she's human."
"Then how can you explain an exact copy of her that the Commander met when he was just a child?" asked the Major as he looked at Colonel Dixon, before looking at Dr. Burke, while at the same time the tension in the large room thickened. The Marines tightened closer towards Major Adama and the Vice-President while tightening their hold on their weapons, prepared to open fire in a instant should anything go wrong.
"We can introduce you to her" said Dr. Burke as she turned to face the Colonel who nodded his head before facing the Colonials again, "if this something that makes us trust one another.. then I see no problem in asking her to come to this planet to prove she's human."
"The Quorum would also want proof about this Major Satterfield" said Major Adama as he looked at the looks that the Earth officers were giving each other. He reassured them that it was to placate the Quorum as many thought that the Major was a Cylon, and then reiterated their request that blood should be drawn from Sharon right then and there.
"How many Marines do you have in orbit?" asked Colonel Dixon after Dr. Burke translated everything Major Adama said.
"About eight" said the Major as he looked confusedly at the Colonel, "I can assure you that we're not trying to invade this base. You offered us help and here we are, it's just that after what we've been through…. Please, this is something to put our minds at ease."
"Colonel" said Jon as he walked up to Colonel Dixon before asking Dr. Burke not to translate what he was going to say, "if they want Red… I mean Major Rosenberg here, then…. Well, I'll wish them good luck in trying to take over this base with only twelve Marines. Just saying."
"Good point" said Colonel Dixon as he turned back to Dr. Burke and asked her to translate what he was telling them. He turned to Major Adama and told him that Sharon would be asked to come, if she does or not is completely her choice. If she doesn't decide to come, then they would have to make do with the blood that they have on hand. He also said that he'll talk to his superiors and ask them to relay a message to Willow, and Satterfield, that she's needed on the planet.
"Thank you" said the Vice-President as another Earth officer had his blood drawn.
Atlantis, Pegasus Galaxy, 1835 hours.
With there still being no luck in finding a clue on creating a new Sangraal, Willow found herself alone at the main balcony while Faith was sparring with Ronon, and Colonel Carter was being helped by McKay and Zalenka on conducting another search for the weapon. They had been going at it for several hours, while Dr. Beckett and some of the other scientists in the city had been pouring through the notes and research Willow had conducted as Athena. They were trying to combine both her previous research, and their own to see if there was anything that either side missed.
Looking out at the ocean, Willow suddenly glanced back over her shoulder when she sensed a great deal of nervousness. Looking back out at the ocean, she smiled when she heard slow moving footsteps walking towards her.
"Major?" said Teyla as Willow turned around and smiled at the Athosian who was holding something behind her back.
"HI Teyla" said Willow with a smile, "please, don't be nervous… I'm just like anyone on Atlantis."
"I do not agree" said Teyla as she approached Willow, "my people have been waiting for your people to return to Atlantis for thousands of years."
"Well" said Willow as she looked at the personnel who were in Stargate Operations behind Teyla, "we have returned."
"That is so" said Teyla as she looked back before looking at Willow again, "but then, you are underestimating who you really are."
"I'm just the daughter of Moros" said Willow, not wanting anyone else to know that she could take over total control of the city as the High Councillor. She didn't want anyone, other than Faith, to know that all she needed to do is call up the devices in the Gateroom to take control, "nothing special about me. I may be Athena, but if I hadn't met the people in the SGC.. then I would still be me, I guess. What I'm trying to say is that even if I never discovered the truth about who I am, if I never joined the SGC; these people here would still be exploring the galaxy. They're the ones who're special."
"If that is what you believe" said Teyla nodding her head, "however, I have come to give you this."
Willow looked on as Teyla brought her hands forward and held a small intricately engraved box in her left hand, while she used her right hand to slowly open the top. Curious to see what was inside, Willow took a look inside the box before she looked back up at Teyla in surprise, and then back at what was inside the box.
"My God" said Willow as she stepped forward again.
"This has handed down through the years to the leaders of the Athosians" said Teyla, "it is one of numerous items that belong to the Ancestors that we save whenever the Wraith would return to cull the population. Legends say that it was a gift commissioned by an Ancestor that was never collected; that we were to keep it safe until their return."
"Your people kept it" said Willow softly as she brushed her fingers around the object, "I don't believe it, it still looks brand new. May I…?"
Willow asked Teyla if she could pick it up, if she could take it out of the carved box. After she received permission, Willow gingerly look out the object and held it by the attached chain. She smiled as she saw the small red jewel that was set in the middle of a pendent made up of silver, and yellow smoothed out gems that were stretched, and intertwined with each other thanks to a process that only the Athosians used to be capable of doing.
"I remember this" said Willow as she held the necklace against the sun as the light refracted through the entire pendent, "I… I commissioned one of the gem-smiths to make this for my sister. I was supposed to collect it for her birthday; these were her favourite colours you know."
Willow closed her eyes as she remembered meeting a man and giving him a drawing of what she needed made. The man told her that creating the design would be very complicated, but he should have it done within a few months. Willow told Teyla that she paid for it in full, and told him that she'll collect it personally.
"She died" said Willow as she gingerly placed the pendent in the palm of her hand, "Hera died a few days before her birthday; a few days before I was going to collect his and surprise her with it, but in my grief… I… I must have completely forgotten all about this."
"We do not have any more gem-smiths among the Athosians" said Teyla as she watched Willow wipe her eyes, "it is a lost art among us. However, that belongs to you."
"Teyla" said Willow as she looked up in surprise, "I can't keep it… I mean… if this is supposed to be handed down to the leader of the Athosian's then….."
"I insist" said Teyla as she stepped forward, gingerly took the necklace from Willow's hand and then placed it back into the box and closed the top. She then placed the box on Willow's left hand, before using her other hand to place Willow's right hand over the top of the box, "we have several other remnants of the Ancestors if you are willing to see."
"Thank you, Teyla" said Willow as she looked at the box, "how did you know it was mine?"
"I did not" said Teyla smiling while Willow looked on confused, "the legend went among my people that the Ancestors would return one day to claim Atlantis, and on that day… this pendent would be collected by the one with red hair. When you first came to Atlantis and used your abilities during the Siege, I had suspected that you could be the one to whom this pendent belonged. However, I learned that like Colonel Sheppard and most of the other members of the expedition; you simply had the gene of the Ancestors that provided you with those abilities. But when you returned again, and Colonel Carter said that you were simply not a descendent of an Ancestor.. but one of them… I suspected that this could belong to you. Which is why I come to you now since you were here alone, I did not wish to embarrass myself.. or you, in the event I was wrong."
"No" said Willow as she opened the box again and looked at the necklace, "no embarrassment, I did ask your people to make this for me… I'm just honoured that you kept it for this long."
"The honour was…" said Teyla when Dr. Weir rushed out to the balcony that the two of them were standing on and asked Willow to come to Stargate Operations, that they had a message from Earth. Willow and Teyla looked at each other before giving each other a slight bow before rushing through the doors and towards one of the consoles where Willow could see the Stargate active.
"She's here, Dr. Lee" said Dr. Weir as she turned the laptop towards Willow who gave a nod to the image of Dr. Lee who was in the MidWay Station communications room. Willow could see from the background that there was still a lot of work to be done as personnel were walking around behind him hurriedly going from one place to another.
"Doc?" asked Willow.
"Major" said the scientist as he nodded his head before telling Willow that the Station received a message from General Landry at Stargate Command. He told Willow that General Landry wanted her to Gate back to the SGC, and from there she would be given a quick briefing before she was to Gate to the planet that the Colonials were given the coordinates to. The Colonel told her that they wanted to ensure that she wasn't a Cylon.
"If you don't mind me asking, Doc" said Willow as she looked at Teyla and Dr. Weir before looking at Dr. Lee again, "but why would they think I'm a Cylon?"
"I have no idea, Major" said Dr. Lee, "I was just told to relay that message to you. The General said that you'll be briefed once you get back to the SGC."
"Thanks, Doc" said Willow as Dr. Lee nodded his head, "let GEneral LAndry know I received his message. Faith and I will leave as soon as possible."
"Alright, MidWay Station out."
Beta Site, Milky Way, 1900 hours.
The Beta Site was a sprawling compound that included a Mess Hall, Officer and Civilian personnel quarters, guest quarters, an infirmary, a separate command and Control building where the Stargate was located and several other areas that Sharon was not privy to. All these buildings were located in a large grassy clearing surrounded by trails, rivers and hills in the distance.
When Sharon arrived at the Beta Site, she was given a full physical and had all her injuries and bruises documented once again. She was then taken to some guest quarters by Satterfield who told her that she'll be in the next room.
"But" said Satterfield the previous day, "if you want, I can have another cot here and we can share a room… I mean if you don't want to be alone, that is. Or if you want some privacy, you can always knock twice on the door and the guard will come and get me."
"If.. if you don't mind" said Sharon as she looked at Satterfield, "I was hoping that you could stay? I mean, I was hoping that you could tell me more about this Gateway to the Stars. I was also hoping you could teach me your language, and your history and…"
"Take it easy" smiled Satterfield as she noticed Sharon looking behind her when she felt a nudge at the small of her back. Turning around, Satterfield grinned at Grogan who asked both her and Sharon to come down to the Mess Hall for some food.
"It's meatloaf Monday, apparently" said Grogan as Satterfield frowned before looking at her wristwatch.
"It's Friday, Carl" said Satterfield.
"Ok" said Grogan, "then I don't know what it is… it looks like meatloaf from the pictures. Even says meatloaf… oh well, you ladies coming?"
"Sharon?" asked Satterfield turning back to the humanoid Cylon, "feel up to an Earth delicacy?"
"Sure" said Sharon as she gave a small smile at the both of them while rubbing her abdomen gingerly, "I am kind of hungry."
That was yesterday, and now… all Sharon could do was just look up as the sky over the Beta site had already darkened, and the stars came out. She looked at the star patterns with her eyes and didn't recognize anything…. She had no idea where she was, and that was a good thing. That meant she was safe, but it also meant that she was away from Helo… possibly very, very far away from Helo. As the smile on her face vanished when she thought about being without Helo, she heard the sounds of footsteps behind and turned around to look back at the camp where she noticed Satterfield and Grogan walking towards her. Almost immediately, she noticed that the both of them were fully armed and ready for combat.
"Sharon" said Satterfield, "a Colonial delegation made it to the planet we told them about. They're asking for a new blood sample because they believe that the blood sample in that outpost is a fake, they think that we are all Cylons."
"Ok" said Sharon afraid of where this was going.
"They would like to have your blood drawn in front of them so that they know we're not playing a trick on them" said Satterfield, "but it's completely up to you. If you refuse, then we'll tell them to use the blood they have on hand. They even want my blood to make sure I'm not a Cylon either."
Noticing that Sharon was getting agitated as her body started shaking, Satterfield gently held on to her arm while Grogan told the Cylon that the both of them, plus the teams on the planet, would be protecting her. That she has nothing to fear from the Colonials.
"They.. they want the blood drown from me in front of them?" asked Sharon.
"I'm sorry" said Satterfield, "but yea.. they do. You don't have to come if you don't want to… but I do have to give mine just to prove that I'm not a Cylon."
"You know that will lead to even more questions" said Sharon as she looked at Satterfield who nodded her head.
"Yea" said Satterfield, "but those we can leave for later… for now…."
Sharon looked on as Satterfield closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.
"For now" said Satterfield after she exhaled, "maybe it's better that you be the one to show them that you really are different than what their preconceptions dictate. If you let the doctors draw your blood, it could start building some trust… and we'll protect you. You're under our protection… you won't come to any harm. I promise."
"Sharon?" said Grogan as Satterfield translated, "let's show these people that you're not afraid of them… what do you say?"
TBC