Planet Designated PT5-089, 1000 hours.
Shallen, the former human slave of the Goa'uld known as Ba'al, was walking through a crowded market place in a village as she headed towards the entrance close to the main square. She was sent to this planet by the Tok'ra High Council to gather intelligence on the movements of the Ori Priors and their armies, intelligence which would be shared with Earth's Stargate Command.
As she walked towards the square in her black robe, she recalled everything that happened since joining the Tok'ra in their mission against the Goa'uld. She remembered her lover, Kanan; the same Tok'ra who had left after completing his mission, the same Tok'ra who had returned days later in the body of another man. A man she later learned was called Colonel Jack O'Neill of Stargate Command, one of the Tau'ri that she had heard rumours of while she was Ba'al's trust human servants. Forever grateful for her rescue by both the Colonel, who later told her that Kanaan died, and Stargate Command… she was one of the first to volunteer when the High Council needed agents to follow the Priors of the Ori as they went from one planet to another like a plague. She, and the others, was to report on their movements and on anything unusual that would occur.
'First the Goa'uld' thought Shallen to herself, 'and now this.'
For years she worked for the High Council, but she never had a symbiote implanted within her. Her love for Kanan was so deep that she couldn't imagine sharing herself with another being. As she reached the large gathering of villagers, Shallen pushed all thoughts of Kanan out of her mind and concentrated on the present. She saw a villager running towards the group saying that a strange man was coming, a man in a brown robe carrying a staff that glowed after he walked out of the Great Ring. Smiling to herself, Shallen was glad that the Tok'ra intelligence network was correct once again. This same man had been dropped onto another planet by the Ori where he preached to the villagers. An operative on the planet overheard where he was going to go to next, and then he informed the Council; the Council then informed Shallen.
Shallen looked on as she saw a hooded figure in brown walking down the trail from the Stargate. Instantly she knew that whoever this person was, he was a Prior of the Ori. She had heard the stories of how they preached Origin to villagers and then threatened them with death and destruction if they didn't follow.
"The Ori will punish those non-believers, while rewarding the others who believe and bring the Ori into their hearts."
That was what she heard the last time she had been gathering intelligence on a Prior's visit to a village, the same village that that refused the Ori and was destroyed in a massive quake a few days later. Shallen saw the aftermath and was horrified; all that remained of the village of three hundred people were two injured women and a domesticated animal; everyone else had died. However, this time she was pleasantly surprised by the Prior as he talked to the group in front of her. As he continued to talk with his hood covering his face completely, he made no threats; instead, he extolled the merits of Origin to the people surrounding him before handing a copy of a brown book to the leader of the village.
"Hallowed are the Ori" said the Prior as he looked around. Shallen had pulled her hood over her face so as not to bring too much attention to herself, but was surprised when the Prior seemed to look straight at her and nodded his head slightly before looking back at the leader of the village.
'Does he know me?' thought a surprised Shallen to herself as the Prior told the village leader that he would like for them to read through the book of Origin, that it supports everything he has told them about what the Ori would do for them… that the Ori were looking to keep peace in the galaxy.
"Think about what I have said" heard Shallen as the Prior once again looked at the young woman before looking around at the other villagers, "I will return in four days. Farewell."
"Farewell" said the village leader as the Prior looked at Shallen for a few more seconds before he turned around and walked towards the Stargate. It was a few minutes later, once the Prior had left the planet that Shallen slipped away from the village and walked towards the Stargate. Dialling the planet where she was supposed to go to, before leaving for the Tok'ra base as per their protocol… Shallen couldn't help but think that something was very wrong with the Prior. She knew that this intelligence would be significant, and that she should inform the council immediately. However, she also knew that the Council may not be able to act in time… so she made the decision to contact Stargate Command once she reached her first destination. After that, she will let the Council know about the Prior… and what she had done.
Planet designated P3H-652, 1030 hours.
Last minute preparations were being made for the arrival of the delegation from Earth for the upcoming meeting with the Colonial delegation. Colonel Dixon, Riley, Sam and Willow were briefed by Dr. Burke, Jon, Faith and Hailey about what happened with Balter; that Major Adama decided at the last minute not to arrest the man for having nanites in his blood, especially since that would signal to the Quorum that if the Vice-President was compromised then that would mean the President, and maybe Commander Adama, was compromised as well. She told them that instead of arresting him, the Major told him point blank about the nanites after asking Skulls to leave the unit and report for duty.
"What was his excuse?" asked Sam as she sat down on a chair next to Riley and Willow while Colonel Dixon was leaning against a wall.
"That he performed illegal experiments with nanites he created to help fight cancer" said Hailey as she looked at Dr. Burke who nodded her head. She then turned back to look at Riley and the others, "said that he had multiple degrees in bio-engineering, computer science and what not; all he wanted to do was prove to the Colonial government that the nanites could be programmed to simply heal wounds or kill cancer cells. He said that once the cancer, or whatever it was supposed to heal was… well, healed, then they would deactivate themselves and pass out of the body naturally."
"But he never got that far" said Dr. Burke who had her arms folded around her chest, "he told Major Adama that he used himself as an experiment; injected some virus into him before injecting the nanites."
"He said the nanites killed the virus" said Faith, "claimed that even at the prototype stage they worked perfectly. Told Adama Junior he was going to make an announcement a few days after some interview he had about robotics, and computer networking on Caprica. But it was too late since the Cylon's attacked the Colonies."
"Did the Major believe that?" asked Sam.
"He considered it" said Dr. Burke as she walked towards the Colonel and stood leaning against the wall next to him, "he's still suspicious of him, but he's not suspicious enough to want to tell the others about the nanites since according to Colonial law, what the man did was still illegal. He told me that he'll have him talk to the President once they return."
"We can't tell the Major the truth" said Colonel Dixon as he looked at the floor.
"No, sir" said Willow as she scratched her head, "I mean… it's one hell of an accusation, especially with no proof. Telling them that I'm a human being with mind powers would probably creep them out even more than having one of their own people having supposed experimental nanites in their blood."
"Given their history with the Cylons and still being suspicious of us" said Faith, "they'll probably ask fro her head."
"True" said the Colonel as he pushed himself off the wall and walked towards Willow, "have you managed to examine the nanites? Any luck in comparing them to the nanites from Miss Valerii?"
"No, sir" said Willow shaking her head, "we don't have the equipment for that. I'll have it sent for comparison to the Beta site; but I'm pretty sure that the Colonials, the Vice-President in particular, wouldn't put much stock in it since we are accusing one of the most esteemed members of their fleet of being in league with their enemy."
"And they would want to take a look at how we came to that conclusion" said Sam as she nodded her head, "which means they would demand access to the Beta Site."
"Which we won't allow" said Colonel Dixon as he looked at Saw, and then towards Willow, "then we don't do anything."
"That's what I'd do" said Jon as he shrugged his shoulders, "anyway, we did tell the Major we were concerned about him being tortured once he gets back to their fleet. He told us that he'll let the President deal with him, but since he's still human… he'll maybe face some jail time for conducting illegal experiments on himself. He'll probably be asked to resign once he gets back. Who knows?"
"What are the chances that they'll just cut and run?" asked Riley, "the Colonials I mean?"
"The Major said they're tired" said Hailey, "they're tired of running and fighting, that they just want a place to stay… a place to call home."
It was then that one of the members of SG-26 ran into the medical facility and told the group that it was time, that the Earth delegation was due to arrive soon.
"Thank you, Rogers" said Sam as she nodded at the man who ran back out the doors.
"So" said Willow as she and the others stood up, "I guess it's time?"
"Fifty bucks says that they freak out" said Faith as everyone looked at her and frowned.
"That's just too easy" said Riley as Faith gave the man a grin.
"Hey" replied Faith as she walked up to and stood next to Willow, "it was worth a try, you know."
It was around eleven thirty in the morning when Dr. Burke in a black suit, and with her hair tied in a ponytail stood alongside Willow, Colonel Dixon and Riley who were in their full tactical gear. They were standing outside the medical facility while waiting for the Colonial delegation as they walked up the trail from the refugee units that were set up for them. Willow looked up and telepathically contacted both Faith and Sam who were covering them from the air with them using the cloaked Jumper, and the uncloaked Jumper respectively. Jon and Hailey, were waiting at the tent that was set up early as a meeting place for both delegations while the rest of SG-25 and SG-26 were spread out along the camp. Dr. Burke turned around and frowned after she noticed that the Vice-President, also in a black suit, was walking alongside Major Adama. The fact was that the Earth officers were sickened by what they had seen in the Vice-President's memories, but without any physical proof; there was nothing they could do about him. It was a few minutes later that Major Adama in his flight suit, alongside the Colonial delegation, stopped a few steps away from the Earth officers and Dr. Burke.
"Major" said Dr. Burke as she nodded her head at the dark haired man before looking at the Marines and the other officers, and quorum members, "in a few minutes, the delegation from Earth will be arriving on this planet."
"Yes" said the Vice-President as he smugly approached Dr. Burke with the knowledge that he managed to outwit these peopled from Earth, 'how gullible do you have to be to believe the entire nanite story.' The Vice-President looked at Dr. Burke and the other officers and asked them how the delegation would be arriving. He reminded them that they had a ship appear out of nowhere the day they arrived on the planet, and that the Earth delegation had yet to show them how that was even possible.
"You'll be shown" said Colonel Dixon as he approached Dr. Burke and stood next to her protectively as she translated, "my superiors have asked us to show you the Stargate."
"Gate to the Stars?" asked Racetrack as she looked at the Earth officer and then at Major Adama who was equally confused, "what do you mean by Gate to the Stars?"
"Come on" said Riley as he nodded towards the tree line, "our superiors should here soon. We'll show you how we came to this planet."
Planet Designated PT5-267, 1045 hours.
After the medical checkups, and receiving their inoculations, the five humanoid Cylons then met with Sarah outside the medical tent while she was speaking with both Colonel Mitchell, and Teal'c. It was Natalie who walked out first, followed by Boomer, Leoben, D'Anna, and then followed by Simon. As they walked out of the tent, it was Colonel Mitchell who nodded at Sarah before signalling behind her as the curly haired blonde turned around and smiled at the approaching humanoid Cylons. Natalie told Sarah that they needed to inform the Baseships in orbit that they were safe, and to stand-by in orbit; she told the group that she had given orders if they weren't heard from again in thirty minutes… that the Cylon fleet in orbit had to jump away to safety. Nodding her head, Sarah and the two members of SG-1 accompanied the five Cylons to their Heavy Raider so that they could get that formality out of the way. It was a few minutes later that Natalie had told the ships in orbit that they landing party was safe; the blonde could just imagine Caprica Six being surrounded by the other models as they released a collective sigh at the news that their leader was safe and sound. However, before signing off, Natalie told Caprica Six and the other Cylon's not to land the ships… not until they've properly spoken to Sarah and the others.
Once communications had been cut off, Natalie walked down the ramp at the back of the Heavy Raider and stepped onto the grass again. She noticed that Colonel Mitchell looked at his wrist watch before tapping on Sarah's shoulder. Natalie saw Sarah turn around and nod as the Colonel tapped on his watch.
"Thank you, Colonel" said Sarah before she turned back towards Natalie and the other Cylons, "Miss Faust, if you and your companions would please follow us. There's something you need to know."
"Alright" said Natalie as they walked along the grass until they hit a trail that led to the Stargate in the distance, "we noticed that ring while we flew over this area, is that an object of worship?"
"Actually" said Sarah as they walked closer to the Stargate, "in my language it's know as the Stargate; and while we still haven't found a word in your language.. the literal meaning is a Gate to the Stars."
"Excuse me?" said Leoben as Sarah looked back him, "did you just say a Gate to the Stars?"
"Yes" replied Sarah as they got closer to the Stargate, "it's an alien device that creates an artificial subspace wormhole between any two gates throughout the galaxy. Basically, it's instantaneous travel between worlds."
"That's not possible" said D'Anna shaking her head in shock, "that's not possible. For something like that to work, the power requirements are massive; there is no way that humans…."
"The Gate to the Stars network consists of thousands of these Gates on various planets throughout this galaxy" said Sarah as they arrived at the Stargate. While Sarah was talking, the five humanoid Cylons walked up the pedestal and looked at the ring shaped device; still in disbelief about what they were hearing. While Natalie was taking a look at the symbols on the inner tract, she and the other Cylons stepped back when the chevron's started to light up.
"Natalie" said Sarah as she motioned them back onto the grass, "I need you all to come down from there… trust me. You don't want to be there when it activates."
"Al… alright" said Natalie as the five Cylons hurried down the pedestal's stars and reached the grass before turning around once they heard a strange sound. Natalie and the other Cylons looked on in shock as a massive vortex of what looked like water blasted out towards them while they jumped back, before settling down in the middle of the ring.
"My God" said Leoben as he looked at the device, "what's…"
"That" said Sarah as she stood next to Natalie who looked back at the curly haired woman as her hand covered her own mouth in shock, "that is the event horizon of an artificial wormhole."
Boomer and D'Anna, who were standing close to Colonel Mitchell and Teal'c, looked at the two of them when their radio's came to life.
"Sierra Golf Three dash three to Sierra Golf One leader, do you copy?"
"Copy Major Satterfield" said Colonel Mitchell as he spoke into his radio, "you are clear to come though the Gate."
"Copy that, Sir" replied Satterfield.
The five humanoid Cylons noticed ripples on the surface of the event horizon before receiving their next big shock of the day. Natalie could only step back as a woman walked through the Stargate in full tactical gear before she looked at an equally surprised Boomer who looked at the new arrival with her mouth hanging open.
"Major" said Colonel Mitchell as he walked over to the bottom of the stairs, past Natalie and Boomer, as the other Cylons looked on in shock.
"Sir" said Satterfield as she nodded at the man, before saying hello to Teal'c who smiled and nodded at her.
"Major Lauren Satterfield" said Colonel Mitchell as he led her towards Sarah who took a few steps forward, "please meet Dr. Sarah Gardner."
"Ma'am" said Satterfield as she shook the archaeologist's hand.
"Major" smiled Sarah as she stepped aside and introduced the Cylon delegation.
"How?" asked Natalie as she stepped forwards and looked Satterfield up and down, "how is this possible? We don't have anyone this far away from Colonial space."
"I'm not a Cylon" said Satterfield as she looked at the surprised looks on the five faces, "my name is Major Lauren Satterfield."
"You're the one who gave us the coordinates?" asked Natalie as Satterfield nodded her head.
"It can't be" said Boomer, "it's just not possible.. how?"
"All I can tell you is that I'm human" said Satterfield as the other Cylon's continued to look on in shock, "and I was born on Earth."
Planet designated P3H-652, Meeting Tent, 1100 hours.
Just as the Cylon's were stunned about the revelation in regards to the existence of the Stargate, the Colonials were equally stunned; with some bordering on hysterics when Dr. Burke translated what Willow was saying about the Gate once they had reached the meeting tent that was set up earlier in the day. The Colonials sat on one side while the Earth personnel were seated on the other side facing them. Colonel Dixon and Riley were standing on either side of the Earth delegation while Willow, Jon and Hailey were standing at each side of the tent. The Colonial Marines who hadn't gone to watch the Stargate were surprised when the members of the Quorum were talking about the technology. Now, all they could do was look at Willow and the others suspiciously as the Marines took their positions around the tent while Racetrack and Skulls stood behind the seated Quorum members. The other four pilots were seated inside their Raptors, ready to leave once these preliminary talks were over. They had seen Sam hovering the Jumper near the tent, while Faith was slowly patrolling the surrounding area while cloaked, leaving the rest of the members of SG-25 and SG-26 to patrol the camp in full tactical gear. The Colonel's had already ordered all personnel to use Zat's if any type of force was required, and they asked Willow to keep them telepathically updated on the mental states of the Colonials.
As she examined the Colonials who had already sat down and was simply waiting for the translators to take their places, Willow could sense a great deal of tension coming from their side; tension, anger, fear, greed, and hope. Many of the Colonials had a mixture of these feelings, and Willow knew that some of those feelings were due to Earth having access, and knowledge, of such advanced technology.. technology that she would bet her yearly salary that the Colonials would fight tooth and nail to gain access to.
As she looked at General O'Neill, Willow telepathically told him and Woolsey about the feelings of the Colonials; and they asked her to relay that information to Riley, Dr. Burke and Colonel Dixon. Having done so, Dr. Burke, Riley and Colonel Dixon nodded their heads at the redhead. Then it wasn't long before Dr. Burke had tapped the microphone in front of her and started the meeting.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol" said Dr. Burke while another man translated for the Earth personnel who were seated, "my name is Dr. Winnie Burke, I am the chief translator of this expedition. To my extreme right is General Jack O'Neill, Director of Home World Security; next to him is the representative of the International Oversight Advisory, Mr. Richard Woolsey; and next to him is the director of the IOA's Refugee Relocation Unit, Dr. Aisa Khan. We have an additional six translators who you are welcome to use if you have any questions while we discuss any issues at hand. The translators would then translate those questions, and I will translate the responses. All I ask is that you please as any questions on at a time. Is that agreed?"
"Yes" said the Vice-President while Major Adama sat next to him, "now, Dr. Burke… I have a few questions in regards to…."
"Mr. Vice President" said Major Adama as he looked at the man before nodding at the Colonial delegation, "maybe it would be better to introduce everyone here."
"Yes" said the Vice-President nodding his head while Willow and the other Earth officers looked at the man with hidden contempt, "in my excitement I must have forgotten my manners. My name is Dr. Gaius Baltar, the Vice-President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol; the man to my left is Major Lee Adama, the leader of the Military force in this expedition; to his left is Tom Zarek of Sagittaron, Marshall Bagot of Virgon, and Robin Wenutu of Canceron. To my right is Conrad Hunt of Caprica, Miksa Burian of Aquarion, and Alisander Asiel of Arielon."
"Good to meet you all" said Woolsey as he leaned forward and nodded his head before he motioned towards the Vice-President while Dr. Burke translated through a microphone, "now Mr. Vice-President, you had a question?"
"Yes" said Baltar, "my question is in regards to this Gate to the Stars; is this the technology of your people?"
"No, it is not" said Woolsey as he looked at the man, "the entire Stargate network was created a very long time ago by a race we now call the Ancients."
"Wait" said Bagot, "you said a 'race'? As in an alien race? You mean to say that alien's exist? Really exist? That the President's report on parasites that take human hosts was correct?"
"Mr. Bagot" said Woolsey, "not everything we're about to tell you is that simple. In answer to your questions, yes.. we are talking about an alien race. And yes, aliens do exist…. These particular aliens came to this galaxy a little more than fifty million years ago. They were escaping a sect of their race that tried to wipe them out. This race initially called themselves the Alterra."
"Impossible" snorted Bagot as he looked at Woolsey while the other Colonials, including the Marines looked at each other in surprise, "it's impossible for alien's to exist… human's are the only…"
"The Alterra" said Woolsey as he interrupted him, "Mr. Bagot, if I may finish what I have to say… the Alterra came here from their own galaxy. The trip lasted thousands of years, and eventually they reached this galaxy which they called Avalon. The first planet they landed was called Dakara; it was used as a rest stop of sorts before they found another lush world and made it the capital of their civilization. From there, they placed Stargates in thousands of different worlds throughout the galaxy. They named their capital planet Terra, or Earth."
"Excuse me?" said Zarek as he stood up in outrage, "Kobol is the home of humanity, that is the planet where humans evolved.. we have written proof of this fact. Can you prove what you just claimed?"
"The Stargate located on Earth" said Woolsey as he glared at Zarek, "we conducted what we call a radioactive carbon dating test and it was found to be more than fifty million years old. In fact, I have brought with me a piece of an ancient human jawbone… a very small piece that we determined is at least four hundred thousand years old after conducting our own tests on it."
Willow looked around as the Colonials, including the Military personnel started to murmur among themselves while Woolsey reached under his table and picked up one of three metal briefcases. He then handed the briefcase to one of the translators who handed it to the Vice-President.
"That" said Woolsey as he nodded at the briefcase, "is a small piece of a jawbone of a four hundred thousand year old female; you are welcome to take that piece with you to your fleet and test it. We are not lying to any of you about what we'll be talking about; believe me when I tell you that these are the truths that you need to hear."
"I've heard enough" said Wenutu, "I suggest we leave this planet to these blasphemers. We'll take the risk in finding Earth on our own."
"Mr. Wenutu" said General O'Neill as he leaned forwards and placed his arms on the table in front of him and sighed, "we've already given your President, and the Commander, this warning. You will not be allowed near Earth's orbit, if any attempt is made to enter orbit… we will know about it. This is your final warning, if you still decide to come to Earth uninvited then we have no choice to fire on you."
"You would fire on fellow human's?" asked Zarek, "how dare you? You who would betray your own race by protecting the Cylons? Earth is our right."
"Mr. Zarek" said Major Adama as he looked at the man who was standing with both hands on the table in front of him and glaring at General O'Neill. The angry Zarek looked at the Major who then nodded at him to retake his seat. Locking his jaw, the man then looked back at General O'Neill while taking his seat reluctantly.
"This isn't betrayal of anyone's race" said Woolsey as he held his hand up at General O'Neill and towards Zarek, "Earth is a defended planet. We have already told President Roslin and Commander Adama the reasons why you won't be allowed to Earth, and you can ask them in regards to the reasons. We can tell you that the same rules apply to the Cylons; if they appear over Earth orbit, they will be fired upon."
"If I may touch on this particular topic as well" said Dr. Khan as she leaned forward while Dr. Burke and the other members of the Earth delegation nodded their heads, "Earth currently has almost seven billion people living on it. Now consider that your fleet only has probably, at most, fifty thousand people. If you are allowed on Earth.. if you are allowed to stay on the planet; then you will lose all your sense of culture, religion, language… everything that makes your people unique will be gone. Within a few decades, I can promise you that it would be your people who will assimilate into Earth's culture… given the numbers, it will never be the other way around. I am sorry to be blunt given my position with the IOA, but it is the truth… and you know it is the truth."
"She's right" said Hunt sighing as he nodded at the olive skinned woman before looking at the still outraged Zarek, "if we force our way to Earth; we'll be finishing the job that the Cylon's started. They wanted us to lose everything, and if we do what Mr. Zarek and some of the others are thinking.. then they would succeed."
"Mr. Woolsey" said Burian, "please continue."
"Thank you" replied Woolsey, "the Alterra expanded their civilization from Earth, and used the Stargates to travel between the worlds in the galaxy. They were the most technologically advanced race to have ever lived in this galaxy. However, something happened, you see there was a deadly virulent plague that spread throughout the galaxy. It killed a vast majority of the Alterra, while others escaped the plague in this galaxy through the use of a great ship and travelled to another one to create a new life for themselves."
"So far this sounds more like a science fiction show" said Baltar as he leaned back, "this is just theatrics."
"You've seen the Stargate" said General O'Neill looking at the Vice-President, "you know it exists now. Anyway, they did what they had to do to save their people. Can't fault them on that."
"But before that" said Woolsey, "before leaving this galaxy for good… they fired an advanced piece of weaponry that not only destroyed all traces of the plague by destroying all life in the galaxy, but…"
"Excuse me?" asked Zarek as he looked at Woolsey before looking at a stunned Baltar, "you're saying the entire galaxy? They destroyed life in the entire galaxy? Where the fraking hell is your proof?"
"Mr. Zarek" said Woolsey, "the proof you require is on Dakara, however the Ori destroyed that weapon and.."
"Oh, how coincidental that a weapon that could prove your claims was destroyed."
"Mr. Zarek" said General O'Neill, "not only did the Ori destroy that weapon, they also murdered tens of thousands of people."
"You mean 'people'" said Zarek as he looked at the Colonial delegation before looking at the General again which placing undue emphasis on the word 'people', "you are no human."
"Mr. Zarek" said Major Adama, "sit down."
Willow: "General, Mr. Woolsey… the tension is rising like crazy. That guy's thinking about giving orders to the Marines to open fire on us. I've already placed a telekinetic shield in front of you guys but…"
O'Neill: "Keep it up, Red. Now comes the hard truth for these guys. Connect me to the others."
Willow then closed her eyes and connected the General to the rest of the Earth military in the camp.
O'Neill: "Attention, I want Major Rosenberg, SG-25 and SG-26 to use only Zat's.. I repeat use only Zats if necessary. SG-25 and 26, converge on the meeting tent.. I repeat back-up is required."
Once everyone acknowledged the General's orders, he nodded at Woolsey who stood up and sighed.
"Mr. Zarek, ladies and gentlemen of the Colonies" said the bald man, "the Alterra also recreated life in this galaxy before they left for a galaxy known as Pegasus."
"Recreated life?" asked Asiel as she leaned forward and narrowed her eyes at Woolsey, "what do you mean recreated life? To do that is.. I mean."
"All of us are living proof of their recreation" said Woolsey as the Colonial delegation looked at him surprise, "the Alterra were a race of highly advanced, and highly evolved humans… they were here first; and we are the second evolution of their form."
Planet Designated PT5-267, at the same time; Mess tent.
Natalie and the other Cylons were in shock at what was just revealed by the doppelganger of their Boomer, their Sharon Valerii. Sarah and Satterfield had just told the small group about the Alterra, the Stargate, the original plaque that very nearly wiped out the Alterra, their escape to Pegasus; and unlike the Colonials… the Cylons were told that some of the Alterra ascended to a higher plane of existence. While still in shock, they were taken aback by another even greater shock when Satterfield revealed that the Alterra destroyed all life in the galaxy before they left so that the plague would be wiped out. However, they recreated life in the galaxy which eventually led to the evolution of humanity on Earth; the second evolution of the Alterran form.
"How?" said a shocked Simon as he got up from his seat and walked around with his hands on the top of his head, "this… this is…. Advanced humans…. Ascension… second evolutions…. I mean, how do we take this?"
"I know it's a lot to take in" said Sarah as she looked at the dark skinned man who was standing at the edge of the tent while looking off into the distance. She then turned to the stunned faces of the other four Cylons as they just looked off into space, none of them making a sound, "but there's more you need to know; and the sooner this gets out there… the better it is for everybody."
"O… Ok… ok" said Natalie as she nodded her head and looked up at Sarah, "please continue."
"Alright" said Sarah as she nodded her head at Satterfield. Satterfield then told them that the Alterra that escaped the plague moved to another galaxy called Pegasus where they recreated life and formed a new civilization; their new home world being a planet they called Lantea.
"From then on, they became known as Lanteans" said Satterfield, "they lived in Pegasus for millions of years until they encountered an enemy as equally powerful, and advanced as them. They were in a war with this enemy for a hundred years before they lost; the survivors returned to Earth a little more than ten thousand years ago. When they came back, they found the planet harsh; and since there was no way to recreate their civilization… many spread out to other parts of Earth, and other planets in this galaxy. They spread knowledge and stories of their great civilization and cities. The ones who stayed on Earth assimilated with the native population, while others ascended."
"How?" said Simon as he turned around, "it.. it can't be…"
"The Lanteans, as well as the Alterra, had a particular gene that controlled their most powerful weapons" said Sarah, "and there are humans who carry that gene."
"Humanity is God's chosen children" said Leoben quietly as he hung his head down and closed his eyes, "so it really was a punishment from God."
"No" said Simon as he turned around and looked at Leoben, "no"
"He is correct" said Teal'c after Sarah translated what Simon had said, "the Ori demands that they humans in this plain of existence worship them as gods."
"Wait" said D'Anna as she shook her head, "what are you talking about? These Ori are gods? You're fighting gods?"
"The Ori aren't gods" said Colonel Mitchell as he looked at D'Anna, "they're just ascended beings on a power trip."
"You see" said Satterfield as she sat down next to D'Anna while the other Cylons looked on, "the Ori, like some of the Alterra, like some of the Lantean's who would be later known as the Ancients; the Ori reached a point in their evolution that they were able to shed their physical forms and live in a higher plain as living energy. They possess knowledge and powers that are greater than anyone would ever know… the knowledge and power makes them seem like gods to those who don't know what they really are. It's not to say that a higher being doesn't exist… I believe in God as much as the next person but the Ori? They're not gods. They found that as higher beings, they can sap the energy from human's who worship them.. that's how they gain more power."
"That's why they're trying to take over this galaxy" said Sarah as D'Anna and the other Cylons looked at her, "from the reports of a very good friend of mine, we know that the ones known as the Ancients protected this galaxy… hid our existence from the Ori. But all that changed when they found us after we went exploring their galaxy using means which I'm afraid you're not cleared to know. We wanted to meet living Ancients, and they found us and came here when they discovered that this galaxy was full of unbelievers. Now we're trying to fix that mistake."
"So this is your fault" said Simon as the other Cylons looked on in shock at the revelation, "our race is dead because of your people… Cavil was right; humans are inherently violent and…."
"Simon" said Natalie as she stood up as the bald man put his hands up and walked right outside the tent and he stood under the sunlight.
"Exploration brings risk" said Leoben as he rubbed his forehead, "and with it the threat of death."
"Indeed" said Teal'c after Satterfield translated what the male Cylon said, "we believe that the Ori viewed your people as being less than human; they likely believe that since you are not human, then you are a danger to them. As we mentioned, the Ori want humans to be subservient to them to gain more power… beings who are not human would be a great threat to them."
"So they destroyed us" said Boomer in shock as she noticed Satterfield sitting next to her.
"Yes" said Satterfield, "and you've seen their technology. It's much more advanced than yours, advanced than ours."
"They created their ships, weapons and shields using ascended knowledge" said Colonel Mitchell, "and they are coming after your people; which is why we need to get you out of the line of fire."
"You could have just blown us away" said Boomer, "why didn't you?"
"We don't want to see needless genocide" said Satterfield as she put her hand on Boomer's shoulder, "we've already done that; and we're tired of it."
"What?" said Natalie as she looked at Satterfield, followed by Sarah, Teal'c and Colonel Mitchell.
"We recently destroyed a race of machines called replicators" said Colonel Mitchell as the Cylons looked at him in shock while Satterfield translated, "they were mechanical bugs that would have eaten everything in this galaxy until they were the only things left."
"They would have destroyed your people" said Sarah as she looked at Natalie, "as well as the Colonials; you're just lucky that they were going after another advanced race called the Goa'uld first. The replicators succeeded in nearly bringing them down since their leader managed to kill most of the Goa'uld's higher echelon. Then the replicators would have come after us since we've been working with the technology of the Ancients, and then they would have come after you; and lastly… they would have come after the Colonials."
"I was present at the moment of their destruction" said Teal'c as he stood proudly while Satterfield translated, "it is the same day that my people, the Jaffa, gained our freedom."
"Freedom?" asked D'Anna as she looked at Teal'c, "you mentioned something when we came here on the planet, but you never explained."
"Something we haven't told you" said Sarah, "well… the truth of the matter is that these Goa'uld we told you about.. well, they are a race of parasites that take human hosts. These snakes take over control of any human body and.. and do unspeakable crimes… unspeakable… very… very unspeakable."
"Doc?" said Colonel Mitchell as he stood next to the woman, "you don't have to tell them about… well, you know."
The Colonel had read the report on the Osiris incident, and in the report.. Sarah talked about all the crimes that Osiris had done; the nightmares that she would now have to live with for the rest of her life.
"I'm fine" said Sarah nodding her head, "it's been awhile though."
Sarah then looked up and told the Cylons about how the Goa'uld searched for bodies that would be easily repaired should the host be damaged. She mentioned that after searching the galaxy, the supreme leader of their kind found a world where his race could find bodies… numerous bodies that would be easy to control and repair; potentially living for thousands of years due to their healing technology. Sarah told the stunned Cylons that the supreme leader, the supreme System Lord had come to Earth… and from there… humans were seeded among various planets by other Goa'uld; with some taken as hosts, slaves and Jaffa.
"Are you saying that Earth.. Earth is…" said Boomer as she looked at a nodding Satterfield.
"Earth is where humans evolved" said Satterfield, "it's not Kobol. Humans were taken from Earth by the Goa'uld a little over five thousand years ago, these particular humans were taken to Kobol to serve the Gao'uld there."
"No" said Boomer as she stood up and took a few steps back, "I may not be that religious but I've read the sacred scrolls and…."
"Sharon Valerii" said Teal'c as he looked at the dark haired woman, and then at the other Cylons, "humans… humanity… evolved on Earth; however the Colonial's as a people, their culture and their religion, evolved on Kobol. That is the fact of the situation."
"That.. that…" said a stunned Natalie as she stood up and paced the ground, "I guess that makes sense in a way."
"The Goa'uld wanted to use those human on Kobol as an experiment of evolution by bringing them up technologically" said Colonel Mitchell, "and then pit them against each other until they nearly destroyed themselves. Then they would let the humans grow again, and then go to war one they reached a certain point in their technology."
"All this has happened before" said Leoben softly as he looked up at Sarah, "All this will happen again."
"A never ending cycle of violence" said Simon softly as he walked back into the tent and sat down next to Leoben while still shaking his head.
"Yes" replied Sarah, "eventually they left the humans on Kobol alone; we believe that they grew bored and went on other experiments… leaving the Kobolians to fend for themselves."
"My God" said D'Anna as she massaged her forehead, "this is unbelievable."
"Teal'c, right?" asked Natalie as she looked at the Jaffa, "you said you were a Jaffa; so you…."
"I was enslaved by the false god known as Apophis" said Teal'c, "eventually he, and the other System Lords were killed by the Tau'ri. They helped the Jaffa gain our freedom from our oppressors. Now, we fight to retain our freedom; to preserve it so that it is not taken away by the Ori."
"I used to be one of the oppressors" said Sarah as the other Cylons looked at her, some with horror; and others with surprise, "I was taken host by a Goa'uld known as Osiris. He took control of my body and mind; I was witness to his memories and everything he did after taking my body. I saw people worshipping him as a god, I saw him kill thousands needlessly… I saw him hurt my friends, take over worlds… work with the greatest threat to this galaxy before the replicators came. I was trapped in my own mind screaming at him to stop. It's something I wouldn't want for my greatest enemy, losing control of your own body. Look, I know it was Osiris who did everything; but he did it using my hands."
"And I have killed many" said Teal'c as the other Cylons looked at him while Natalie saw Sarah wipe a tear before she got up and walked outside the tent where Colonel Reynolds came up to her. Natalie looked at the woman and understood what she was going through; she then turned towards Teal'c as he talked about how he killed numerous people while he was serving Apophis. He said that he participated in the murder of thousands of people on many worlds.
"And your people trust him?" asked Leoben as he looked at Colonel Mitchell while Satterfield translated what he was saying.
"Yes" said Colonel Mitchell, "he saved our lives too many times to count, he saved this galaxy too many times to count; he was the first to openly rebel against the Goa'uld, the first to openly challenge their authority and eventually he led the rebellion to bring them down. Save for one or two System lords who still openly operate, the others are gone; either killed or in hiding. They've lost their Jaffa, which means that they've lost their power base."
"I have done unimaginable things" said Teal'c as Satterfield translated what he was saying, "but I do not let that define who I am in the present; I can never forget, but I will still work hard to secure a better future by helping the Tau'ri, and working to improve the lives of the Jaffa so that we have a bright future."
"He's right" said Sarah while she walked into the tent again and stood next to Teal'c before taking a deep breath, "things for your race will never be the same again. Although you haven't attacked us, the fact that you attacked the Colonials without a declaration of war… and committed genocide on a mass scale that's been unimagined even by the Goa'uld; well, it will take a long, long time for trust between our peoples to develop. We will help you, but gaining our trust will be a long time coming."
"We know" said Natalie as she looked at Sarah, "we're just grateful about the fact your people didn't kill us on sight."
"We don't want war" said Colonel Mitchell, "and given that we're already in one for the sake of this galaxy; we can't have our resources in terms of military split."
"The diplomats will come by after they deal with the Colonials" said Sarah as she put her hands into her jean's pockets, "but I can tell that you will not be given the gate address to the world that the Colonials may be settling on, and they won't be given the address to this world; for security purposes. We will help you settle until you're self sufficient; you will be given addresses of some of our allies who have already agreed to help you should you need supplies once the majority of us leave. Finally, neither you nor the Colonials will be given Earth's gate or spatial address. At least not until we've gotten to each other better."
"I.. I understand" said Natalie as she nodded her head and stood up, along with the other four Cylons, "on behalf of the Cylon remnant, I agree with your terms."
"So" said Colonel Mitchell as Sarah and Natalie shook hands, "what do you want to call this planet? Cylonia?"
"No" said Natalie after Satterfield translated what the Colonel had said, "I was thinking we'll call this planet Eden."
The Summers Residence, Sunnydale, California; alternate reality, 0730 hours.
Buffy found herself running, running as fast as she could through the spaces between the abandoned cars that were blocking the road. She looked behind her as more vampires, vampire that Giles said existed long before the current species of vampires; vampires that he said were called the Turok-han. Looking back as she ran, the Turok-han were chasing her; they were swarming towards her… thousands were swarming toward her as she kept on running.
"No… no… please no" said Buffy to herself as she threw away the stake she was holding on to and ran ever faster, using all of her Slayer speed to try and outrun the Turok-Han behind her. Running in between the cars that were lying abandoned on the roads, Buffy ran panting towards Kingman's Bluff, "everyone's gone; Dawn, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Faith, Giles… oh God, the Potentials.. all gone. We failed.. we failed."
Hearing a bloodcurdling scream to her left, Buffy turned her head and watched as some Turok-Han grabbed a woman and her children before killing them in front of her eyes. Her face twisted in anguish, Buffy ran faster, and harder as more Turok-Han vampires ran after her. It wasn't long before she reached the trail that led to Kingman's Bluff. Running on the grass, and through the trees, she could see a clearing in the distance. She didn't know why she was heading there. All she knew was that she had to go to that location, there was something important.
"The world just ended" said Buffy as she ran, "what could be important now? The world ended… we're done for. The human race is gone."
"My, my" said a familiar voice from Buffy's left. Turning her head, she saw a certain redhead looking at her through the trees with a wide smile on her face. Buffy stopped as she titled her head and twisted her face in anguish as she looked at her best friend the way she used to look while they were in high school together. Long red hair, pick fuzzy T-Shirt and jeans, "the world didn't end, Buffy. The human race ended.. or will end. I mean you can have a ring side seat to the destruction of the flesh bags, you know."
Looking behind her after she stopped, Buffy noticed that the Turok-Han weren't making any noise. It was as if they stopped chasing her.
"Oh" said Willow as she looked at where Buffy was looking just a few seconds ago, "don't worry about them. I told them to hold off."
"What do you want?" asked Buffy as the look on her face changed from anguish to rage, "and don't you fucking dare show yourself as her… not her."
"Buffy" smiled Willow as she walked towards the Slayer, "don't you miss this body? Huh? Your sidekick… your right hand. You know she despised you right? She always hated you… I have her memories you know, so you know what I'm saying is the truth. She wanted to leave.. but you guilted her into staying in this place. She blames everything that happened after that on you."
"I'll kill you" said Buffy angrily as she heard the Turok-Han's growls in the distance.
"Don't kid yourself, little girl" said Willow as she changed her form to that of Dawn who was smiling at Buffy, "Buffy, can I get a hug? Come on, please? Oh, guess what? I'll be gaining my physical form soon so…. Burgers?"
Just then, Buffy covered her eyes when there was a bright white light from the clearing in the distance. The Slayer looked on at the light as the being who had taken the form of Willow, and then Dawn vanished. Hearing the sounds of the Turok-han coming after her again, Buffy ran towards the light in the distance. As she approached the clearing only after a few minutes at full speed, Buffy stopped near the edge of the cliff as she watched the white pulsing light; the white pulsing light with tendrils that floated along the edges.
"What is this?" asked Buffy as she looked back. She closed her eyes once she got a glimpse of some of the Turok-han vampires as they ran through the trees towards her location. Turning around with a look of defeat, she fell onto her knees facing the white light in surrender. She knew that she had lost the war, and now there was nothing else to do except wait for the end to come. It wasn't too long before she felt growls behind her as sharp claws picked her up and brought her forcefully onto her feet. She looked at the faces of the Turok-han and closed her eyes, waiting for the end. However, it never came; she opened her eyes to find the Turok-han surrounding her as the ones holding on to each of her arms held on tighter, drawing blood. Buffy could still see the pulsing orb of light it front of her, it seemed as if just looking at it brought a measure of peace into her life. She felt as if she could just forget what was happening now.
"Hey!" shouted Willow who simply appeared in front of the Slayer as she nodded at one of the Turok-han who gave Buffy a slap, drawing blood from her cheeks. It was then that Willow smiled when she saw Buffy looking towards her, instead of the pulsing white light, "you know my pets are hungry."
"Fuck you" said Buffy as she tried to pull her arms away but the vampires just held on tighter.
"You know" said Willow, "I wonder why you never wanted me… oh right, it was because you'd rather be with dead people. First Angel, and then Spike. Isn't that like necrophilia? Yeah, it is.. so ewwww. But then again, I used to let dog breath fuck me so.. yeah… I'll shut up then."
Willow smiled at Buffy before turning around and looking at the light. Smiling, Willow turned back towards Buffy and told her that the light was nothing. That it won't help her.
"You're mine now" said Willow, "the last Slayer in existence.. the last of the Ones… the last in the entire Slayer universe."
Willow then nodded at one of the Turok-han who approached Buffy from the back while her arms were held by another two. The vampire then roughly tilted her head to one side before bearing it's fangs and biting into the Slayer. Willow could only laugh as Buffy screamed in pain.
"Enough" said Willow as she tried to stop laughing at Buffy's predicament, "enough…. enough."
The Turok-Han that was feeding on Buffy stopped as it raised its head and looked at Willow, blood pouring down the sides of its lips.
"You always though you was special" said Willow as she approached Buffy who had her head hanging down, "always telling others that the world was your own responsibility… so how about we show the other humans how special of a failure you are? You are so special that you'll be fed upon in public.. and then my Turok-han will feed on the public. At least most of them… and then I will regain my form. I will be in the hearts of every human being on this planet. All their fears, their evil thoughts… all mine for the feeding. And then I'll…"
Suddenly the wind started to pick up as the temperature dropped; feeling a chill, Buffy slowly pulled her head up and looked at the image of her friend, and then at the blurry white light behind her. She saw the light dim slowly to reveal the same woman who was looking at her right now; Buffy was looking at Willow who was wearing a white strapless dress and holding some sort of a bladed weapon. Buffy looked on as the other Willow gave Buffy a small smile before she turned and pointed into the sky.
Buffy looked up and finally saw the reason for the sudden increase of the wind and the sudden chill as what looked like dark storm clouds rolled across the sky as far as the eye can see. The blonde then looked at the Willow in front of her, the one who was just laughing at her suffering. The blonde slayer then looked at the Willow in the white dress nod at the Slayer before she vanished. Feeling abandoned, and resigned to her fate… Buffy hung her head down, but instantly raised it up again when she heard a noise in the sky. Looking up, she saw yellow pin-pricks of light breaking through the storm clouds as it rained down throughout the city. She looked on as a few of those yellow lights dusted each and every one of the Turok-han vampires that had surrounded her. With the pink shirted Willow now vanished, Buffy ran to the edge of the cliff that overlooked the entire city. She laughed hysterically as yellow light penetrated the entire city while she heard growls and screams of the demons and the Turok-Han that had escaped during the final battle. A final battle that already killed all of her friends and family; a final battle that lay waste to the entire city. All she could do now was drop down on her knees and laugh hysterically at the tragedy of it all.
"Buffy?" said a voice in the distance as she continued to laugh on the grass, "Buffy!"
"Dawn?" said Buffy as she opened her eyes slowly and looked at the face of her younger sister. Worried at why her sister was in her room, she narrowed her eyes and looked at the brunette in concern, "are you alright? Did you have a nightmare again?"
"Not me" said Dawn as she sat up from her sleeping bag. With at least thirty Potential Slayers staying in the Summers house, Buffy and Dawn has had to share a room while Xander made the living arrangements for those staying in the house; while Anya made the arrangements for the ten staying in their apartment.
"Me?" said Buffy as nodded her head before she lay on her back while looking at the ceiling, "I had that nightmare again."
"The one with Willow?" asked Dawn as Buffy nodded her head.
"I saw two of her this time" said Buffy softly, "two.. I don't know what that means even."
"It's been a year and a half" said Dawn as Buffy nodded her head while covering her eyes with her arms.
"Yeah" she replied with a broken voice.
"Tara and Anya should have reached Los Angeles by now" said Dawn as she placed her chin on Buffy's bed as she looked at her sister, "hopefully Fred decides to come with Faith."
"You ok with Faith?" asked Buffy as she looked at her sister, "I mean after what happened with her and the body swap, I…"
"We need her, right?" asked Dawn, "I mean with the First going all out crazy and all… we need all the help we can get, right?"
"Yeah" said Buffy softly as she brushed her hand along Dawn's cheek, "you should be at school Dawnie, not doing all of this… not going to war. I saw you die in my dream, and I'd like you to get out of Sunnydale. Get out of this country.. go to Spain or something.. you know."
"If the world is going to end" said Dawn as she kissed Buffy's forehead, "then I'm going to be right by your side; 'sides, if we succeed… can you imagine the sale's the mall will be having just so that people come back? And, school's done…. Most people left Sunnydale, remember? Principal Wood's joining our team?"
"Right" said Buffy as she slowly sat up in bed and wiped her eyes, "wake up the Potentials will you?"
"Alright" said Dawn as she slowly stood up, "ask Kennedy to start training them?"
"Yeah" said Buffy yawning before she looked at Dawn, "I need you and Andrew on breakfast duty."
"Alright" replied Dawn as she gave Buffy a kiss on the cheek.
"Oh" said Buffy, "while Kennedy is doing weapons training, tell Spike to get them going on the hand to hand. We'll switch up after lunch."
"Got it" said Dawn as she got up in her pyjamas "gotta go pee first."
"Ewww" said Buffy as she covered her ears, "I don't need to know that."
"Pee, Pee, Pee, Pee" said Dawn as she ducked after Buffy threw a pillow at her. Taking that as her signal to leave, Dawn got some fresh clothes from the closet she shared with Buffy and left to freshen up. After Dawn had left, Buffy smiled as she put her feet over the edge of the bed and looked at a framed picture on her side table. Picking up the picture, she brushed her fingers over the glass that covered a picture of Buffy, Willow and Xander smiling as they lay on the field outside of Sunnydale High.
"I miss you" said Buffy as she looked at Willow's picture, "I miss you so much."
TBC.