New Kobol, 1900 hours.
The Colonials finally had a home again.
At least that's what Roslin was thinking to herself as she looked out of the window of her room. She could see the Earth encampment in the distance as well as the various towers that had been set up. The majority of the people had been moved to the towers while more were being built; the others either staying on the ships in orbit or in the refugee units temporarily. Roslin knew that they had already, with the help of the Earthers, started building an economy that had once been thriving on the Twelve Worlds. She knew it hadn't been easy the past three weeks, particularly the news a few days after Talia was sent back to Caprica, that the Pegasus and the prototype ship were no longer in the Orbit of Caprica. She knew that Colonel Finn and some of the military personnel were working with Commander Adama, Lt. Gaeta, Helo, and Apollo on finding out possible planets that the two ships could have been taken to by Cain.
They had already found six possible sites, and the Earthers had requested that another race called the Jaffa send one of their ships while cloaked to those coordinates to conduct a scouting mission.
'Cloaking technology,' thought Roslin to herself as she recalled the conversation she and the senior officers, the Vice-President, and Billy had about the existence of that particular technology. They listened intently as Apollo briefed them following his return with the rogue Colonials who had attacked the Earth Camp on Furling Earth. They had listened in stunned silence about the existence of this technology, with the Vice-president saying that if the Colonies had been intact, then they could have traded for that technology. However, Roslin knew that this was a technology that had to be hidden from the rest of the population… she was afraid that if the others knew the Earthers had a technology that was capable of spying on them without them even knowing about it, then there would be calls for that technology to be handed over, something she knew that the Earthers would never do.
'Or there could be widespread riots when we're still just getting used to all of this,' thought Roslin to herself, 'I know that the people are still stressed, they're still mourning our loss and the Earthers are helping with their psychologists working with our own experts, at least the ones who fled the Colonies. This is going to take a long time.'
Roslin remembered how only last week, teams of explorers were sent to explore the surrounding areas, including the oceans, the lakes, and the rivers, and several areas on the continent they were on; with more being sent to the faraway continents and smaller islands. The teams sent to explore the areas also included teams that had equipment to conduct scientific studies on the soil. She wanted her people to do the work of charting their own planet, she also wanted them to search for food sources of their own so that they don't rely on the Earthers too much. During one of the expeditions teams had found the oceans teeming with life, while other teams had found areas nearby where the soil was fertile for crops to grow.
She was getting reports from the expeditions everyday as they found something new; from new species of fish and animals, to ancient ruins that some of the Colonial archaeologists were waiting to get their hands on. Some of them wanted to prove either their hypothesis on the age of the ruins… whether they were in relation with the Scrolls, or that the Earthers were right in there being a civilization that preceded Kobol.
Who came first? Earth or Kobol; It was an argument that was still ongoing despite the evidence, and something that Roslin knew that people would debate no matter what.
Roslin had talked with Commander Adama and the ships captains on the changing role of the fleet. She wanted the Galactica to remain the protector, and for the Commander to start training any new recruits who'll be able to man the great ship. She then turned to the ship's captains and told them that some of their ships would be grounded to be used as raw material to create buildings of their own. She wanted the people to get back to work, she wanted them to build things on their own to show that they were still a strong people, that they were on the way to becoming self-sufficient. She then told the other captains that their ships would be used as cargo vessels in the event that the expedition teams find such adequate sources of food, that they would require a cargo ship or two to ferry those goods and people from the sources to the city.
Things had gone fast over the three weeks as the Colonials met with their Earther counterparts and began jumpstarting the Colonial economy, it was going to be smaller than what it had been obviously, but the Colonials knew it would grow with trade. The new Colonial police force was currently being trained with a mixture of Cadets from all the former Twelve Worlds, except for Sagittarian. A couple of Schools were opened for the children, and two medical centers staffed by both Earth and Colonial personnel.
But there was a long way to go.
Roslin turned around from looking out the window as someone knocked on her door, and smiled.
"Come," she said as the door slid to one side, and Commander Adama stood out in the hallway in his dress uniform.
"Madam President, are you ready?"
"Yes, Bill," said Roslin with a smile as she walked towards the man, before leaving her room. They were headed towards the large ten that was erected just yesterday. With all the reports she had in hand, and all the progress, no matter how small they had made ever since arriving on New Kobol, Roslin was going to give her first press conference to the Colonials on their new home world.
It was going to be a day of renewed hope.
That's what Roslin wanted to give her people so that they would never give up. She was also going to make an announcement that only the military and government leaders, and some selected individuals, had known; she was going to announce the expeditions to Kobol during the press conference that was going to be transmitted by audio to all the Colonials on the planet.
She was going to make sure that this was a day of celebration.
It would be thirty minutes later that that Commander Adama and Roslin were standing side by side behind a lectern under a great tanned coloured tent. She saw the press to the far left, while the rest of the people in front of her consisted of a mixture of Colonial government officials, the military... both Colonial and Earth, Dr. Burke, and a few other invited guests. Even Balter had come to the party, and he was being guarded by both Helo and Billy.
It was then that Dr. Burke approached Roslin and handed her the translator that she received from the Orban during the meeting on Lozan weeks ago, Dr. Burke told her that since she as the one speaking, it would be better if she had it on her collar. Dr. Burke told her that everyone from Earth would hear her in English, while the Colonials under the tent and in their homes would hear her in Colonial Standard.
Roslin nodded her head and thanked Dr. Burke before she turned to the microphones in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she watched as the crowd which had been whispering among each other went silent.
They looked at her.
"My fellow citizens of New Kobol," said Roslin as she held on to the sides on the lectern, "my fellow citizens of the Twelve Colonies, to our men, women and children; I am proud to be your President as we begin this new journey on our new Homeworld. To the Earthers, you have my thanks… and the thanks of my administration, the Quorum, and the thousands of Colonials for your help in settling down on this world. And my great hope is that we continue on this great partnership for years to come."
Roslin smiled as Dr. Burke and the other Earth delegates, including Woolsey, nodded their heads. The woman then began talking about all the reports she had received from her teams that went out exploring the planet. Once she had finished, she then told the Colonials listening that she, in conjunction with the military and several groups of people in the know, had a surprise for them all.
"We will be preparing an expeditionary force that would be sent to Kobol," said the President as the press mumbled while some were taking pictures, everyone in the towers and refugees units, and in the ships in orbit paying attention as she continued to talk, "the teams will consist of two teams of eight joined together with two Earth teams that would accompany them leaving tomorrow."
Roslin purposely left out the involvement of the Cylons, believing that the people would revolt immediately once they realized the make-up of the teams. She had planned that Triana's claims would be released to the press in a few weeks after the first expedition returned to New Kobol under a controlled environment. She was hoping that the teams would have found evidence that would back up Triana's story so that she wasn't called a traitor, or a liar.
'But there will be those who'll still be unhappy,' thought Roslin to herself as she looked at the Colonials in front of her, 'at least with the evidence, the chance of riots would decrease… I hope.'
"The teams have already been selected for the expedition," said Roslin, "and there will be a few Colonial military personnel embedded with the teams, which would consist of archaeologists and scientists."
It was then that Roslin saw a hand up from someone in the Press section of the tent.
"I'll be answering questions later on," said the President, "but, I'll take this one for now. I just ask that the rest of you wait until this Press Conference has been completed. Go ahead."
"Thank you, Madam President," said the reporter, "since an expedition is being sent back to Kobol, what about the section in the scrolls that tell us not to return to that planet; that if we do go back, then blood will be spilled. It has happened before Madam President, the last time you went to Kobol, blood was spilled to the ground… and now a new expedition is leaving for that world. Are you certain this is the right thing to do?"
"Thank you for asking that question," said Roslin looking at the reporter who nodded her head and smiled a little, "we have thought about what the scrolls said about blood being spilled should anyone return to Kobol. I know many of us has had our faith shaken by certain revelations that were made in regards to Kobol and Earth, in regards to what's been written in the great scrolls; this expedition would help to solidify some of those claims either way. It is true that people died the first time we landed on Kobol, but I remind myself constantly that it occurred because of a Cylon trap. If there are Cylons on that world, they will be experiencing a military force that'll protect our scientists, and push them back enough to make a retreat through the Stargate. There are a variety of places that the teams would be exploring, from the great City of the Gods, to the Mountains of Athena, and to the Crypt of Hades. I have every confidence that the teams will be able to hold off any problems that come their way, especially against Cylons who spill Colonial blood."
Roslin then continued taking more questions before she asked the Press, and the Colonials in front of her if they had any questions. Smiling as she listened, Roslin answered the questions as best she could while excitedly thinking about the expeditions that would be leaving tomorrow.
'May we find great things,' thought Roslin to herself as she answered another question.
Furling Earth, 2300 hours.
In his tent, Giles was looking at the tank-top wearing back of the Number Three he was laying down behind. He could hear her gentle breaths while his arms were around her waist, the both of them lying under the sleeping bag while their bodies were close enough for warmth in the cool night air. They were protected from the cold outside thanks to the tent, but Giles felt the air inside had already gotten cooler noticeably. The older man looked at the back of the sleeping Anna and couldn't help but think of himself as a bit of a cradle robber when the humanoid Cylon told him that she was only created a month after the fall of the Colonies. However, she did have the memories of her model. She told Giles a few days after he woke up from the ordeal with Sineya before telling the man that she found him fascinating, and wanted to get to know more about him; more than just being colleagues working together on an archaeological expedition.
Giles remembered Anna chuckling when he coughed nervously before he patted his chest saying that he was glad that Buffy and Xander weren't there. As Giles looked at the hair of the sleeping Anna, he remembered sitting her down after the others, who returned with even more artefacts, had gone back to their tents to rest; deciding that they were too exhausted to continue examining the newly found artefacts. It was a few days later, after Giles had fully recovered, that he regaled the Marines, and Anna, with stories of demons and vampires, with stories of apocalypses prevented, and even stories he remembered from the Watchers Diaries.
Of course all of them promised not to tell a soul after Giles said, while fixing his glasses and saying that if they did, then he knew people who could turn them into toads.
"You are kidding, right? Sir?" asked one of the Marines as Giles took a sip of his coffee while looking at the Marine and then shrugging his shoulders.
"Maybe," smirked the Watcher as the Marines shuddered; one of them saying that he was afraid of frogs.
Back in the present day, he liked how he and Anna had been getting closer to each other… although a part of himself was still balking at the age difference between them.
'Buffy and Angel's age difference could be counted in centuries,' thought Giles to himself, 'not decades.'
Shaking his head, Giles brushed the edge of her ear with his finger, marvelling at how natural her skin felt. Giles knew that Anna was a machine, but he saw her being human… not just acting human. He remembered their kiss under the full moon after he was telling her more stories, and she told him stories that she had heard while she was on assignments on Caprica. She talked about movies and music on the Colonies; the Cylon woman laughed when Giles said that he started a band on Earth in his youth, and that he even had a picture of himself holding a guitar.
"Guitar?" asked Anna shaking her head that day; the both of them were talking in Colonial Standard, and so Giles waved his hands about before imitating someone playing an air guitar. It was something that made Ana laugh so much that she actually fell down to the ground from her seat; her laughter drawing the other Cylons to the both of them, as well as the Marines.
And Giles was made to do the ridiculous air guitar movements once again.
Giles was then told a few days ago that he was needed back on Earth at the end of this expedition; once the Cylons had returned to Eden since the President wanted to meet all the Scoobies at the BPRI. He was given an option to continue working with the Cylons on Eden, along with Wesley who also whole heartedly accepted a chance to work with Dr. Gardner on Eden. However, Wesley was only temporary since both Cordelia and Angel wanted him to remain with the BPRI.
Cordelia and Angel knew how much Giles was enjoying himself; and Buffy was the one who said that Giles had done the most out of all of them in fighting against the darkness… he trained her, he played surrogate father to all of them since high school, and now he needed a break. That was the message from Cordelia in a letter he received that same day he found out about Wesley joining him for a month after the President's visit… that is if he wanted to continue.
It was something that he agreed to, much to Anna's delight. Giles asked Homeworld, and the SGC, if Anna could be brought with him to the BPRI so that she could see first-hand the creatures of Giles' stories. He and Anna knew what the decision was going to be, but he asked anyway.
He really wanted her to meet Buffy and Kennedy, and Faith, to show Anna the real life 'Protectors' that she had only seen copied on TV. But for now, all Giles could do was wait to hear the decision of his request while he lay down next to Anna. The Cylon stirred for a moment in her sleep before Giles pulled her closer, and then lay his head on the pillow they shared. Tomorrow they were heading for another underground complex they found close by that had low levels of energy emissions, Giles and Anna would be at the camp, while two of their team, and three Marines head there for a journey via Puddle Jumper.
So far they hadn't found any survivors like Triana, but the search continued. And will continue even after Giles left for Eden, and then for Earth… before returning once again.
Faith and Willow's House, 2300 hours.
Dawn and Jon were in bed, the young man grunting as Dawn collapsed on top of him – the both of them sweating while Dawn was panting while she gave Jon a deep kiss. It didn't take long before Dawn slipped off the young man and lay down next to him, her head on his chest while he reached around her back with his arm and rubbed circles on the small of her back. Dawn had already talked to Willow and Faith earlier that day following their return with Ira and Sheila Rosenberg from the CMR-Intergalactic Gate Bridge where the families were able to see a sight that very few people would ever see, two entire galaxies from the void in the middle. Willow had talk to Dawn from the Prometheus Station and told her what she told Ira and Sheila when Ira recognized Athena in his memories; it was something that surprised Dawn as well. But she agreed to follow Willow's explanation in the event that they, and Joyce and the others meet, and Ira then recognizing Dawn.
"I'll tell mom and Buffy too," said Dawn a few hours back.
Back in the dimly lit room, which had candles lit in various corners of the room, Dawn and Jon just lay together. Dawn returned from Furling Earth weeks ago after Roslin decided to send Zarek and the rogue group to an unknown planet where they won't bother anyone again since the Stargate was inoperative – Pete's World. Jon then returned a few weeks later from New Kobol to take a break before he was going off to New Kobol once more, except this time… his team was going there to meet up with Dawn's team, SG-2; it was something that had been agreed beforehand. From there, a combined Colonial and Cylon team would meet at a buffer planet – a feat that was engineered thanks to intense negotiations by Dr. Gardner, Dr. Burke, Woolsey, Natalie, and Roslin – where the Colonial and Cylon members going to Kobol would be under the command of the Earth officers.
The Cylons had insisted that they join in the expedition since it was Triana herself, a Furling, who said that humans and her ancestors… the ancestors of the Cylon race, lived together. And they had every right as the humans to visit Kobol and launch an expedition of their own. A majority of the Colonials still held on to the belief that Kobol was originally the home of human beings, that Triana herself said that humans were there first, and it was a long time before humans even discovered the Furling drones. The argument went back and forth for hours before Commander Adama was the one who put forward the idea that if the Cylons wanted to join in the expedition, then they could have only eight representatives total… and the Colonials would have another eight representatives for both teams led by two teams from Earth, for the first batch of explorers.
And the Earth teams would be in command of the two teams.
Dawn knew that the first group of two Earth teams, and a Human-Cylon combined team was due to leave tomorrow. And then it would be Dawn and Jon's turn with their mixed Cylon-human team a few days later.
For right now though, Dawn was content with cuddling next to Jon who was running his hand through her hair. She closed her eyes and sighed while she drew circles on his chest, and then looked up and gave him a smile.
"You up for brunch tomorrow?" asked Dawn.
"Yea, sure," said Jon as he smirked down at Dawn, "but I'm kinda hungry now."
"I'm exhausted," said Dawn with her eyes wide open.
"I didn't mean you and I doing the… you know," said Jon as Dawn chuckled, "you dirty minded pervert."
"Hey," said Dawn before she bit her lower lip and arched an eyebrow while looking at Jon, "it takes one to know one."
"Hah," said Jon as Dawn laughed out loud before laying her head on the young man's chest one more time, "I was thinking Pizza? And then… maybe a few movies? I mean we have a few days off before we go to New Kobol."
"I'm game," said Dawn nodding her head as she looked up at Jon.
"What do you think the teams will find on Kobol?" asked Jon as he ran his fingers through Dawn's brunette hair, "I read the translated report that was taken a few weeks ago on what happened when the Colonials went there the last time, and.. oh, did you read it?"
"Yep," said Dawn laying her head on Jon's chest, "a few of them died when they were on that world the last time, Roslin lost that priestess… I think her name was Elosha, right?"
"Yea," replied Jon, "their scrolls said that anyone who returns to Kobol will have their blood spilled on the planet. And with the blood that was already spilled the last time that the Colonials returned… well, you know what happened."
"But that was a trap though, wasn't it?" asked Dawn as she looked up at Jon, "don't tell me you think this is a prophecy or something?"
"And you don't?" smirked Jon, "I've read Red's reports on what she did before joining the SGC, she talked about prophecies and…"
"Awww," said Dawn while she was pouting her lips and speaking, "are you scared of this prophecy?"
"No," said Jon as he grabbed Dawn who yelped as he flipped her over until he was lying on top of her, their fingers intertwined with each other as Jon held her hands out by the side of her head and looked into her eyes, "just cautious; why do you think the SG teams are heading there with the Kull armour? In case there are Cylons on that planet. We stand the best chance in that armour in case there are rogue Cylons and we need to retreat. I mean if there's too many of them."
"Oh," replied Dawn with a grin before she looked down between then, grinned, and then looked back up at Jon, "I thought you were just scared."
"Ummm…" said Jon as he leaned down, "no."
Dawn chuckled as the young man then kissed him, all thought of pizza having been forgotten as the both of them fell asleep exhausted forty minutes later.
Kobol, 0100 hours.
Priestess Elosha remembered her death, she remembered stepping on the mine… she remembered watching the mine rise into the air before exploding. All she saw was a bright flash of light, followed by intense heat. She never felt getting slammed onto the ground or Roslin turning her body around before crying over her death.
Elosha, the Chief Priestess on the Galactica was dead.
Until she wasn't.
As she shadowed the last remaining Cylon through the nights, while taking shelter during the day, and then running after the Cylon's scent; a scent that she experienced when she came upon the aftermath of a great battle where there were Centurion heads and body pieces all over the ground, along with dead bodies of humanoid Cylons. Due to the absence of human blood, Elosha had been keeping herself sane by drinking the blood of small animals, and hiding from the older more powerful of those she knew as blood demons.
She still remembered her scream when she realized that she was resurrected into a demon form a few months ago. She looked into the eyes of her sire and stumbled back on the grass while she looked wide eyed at the fangs that shone in the moonlight, the yellow eyes that were looking back at her, and the ridges on the forehead. She then looked down at the palm of its hand and saw the cut that was trickling with blood already begin to heal.
Elosha remembered the creature growling at her before it turned around and ran into the depts. Of the forest. There was this instinct in her to follow the creature, but she didn't want to.. she couldn't believe what she had become.
She denied what she had become. She denied the bloodlust that she felt.
She denied it for two weeks while walking around in the night time; she had found out the hard that she couldn't be in the sunlight. She felt her skin burn before she manged to take shelter in a covered ditch, which was where she watched her skin heal from its damage.
But she still denied herself what she really was.
However, the time came to accept her fate when the bloodlust had been so intense that her mind threatened to go insane. Elosha saw a small animal and she could feel the change, she could hear it's heartbeat as her fangs extended and the demon took over immediately. Elosha lunged towards the small animal and bit into it. She sucked in its blood as if it was ambrosia. Screaming in pain and anguish once her mind was clear and she threw the animal to the side. She looked at her hands and her eyes widened at the blood, and then she looked at the dead animal. Shaking her head at what she realized she had just done, Elosha screamed again, and again.
It would be months later that she came to begrudgingly accept what she was. She drank the blood of whatever animals she could find every few weeks, once she remembered nothing after she went a month between feedings. All she remembered was that she saw red before she woke up covered in blood from the two eviscerated animals that were nearby. Their guts spilled onto the red coloured ground.
By the time Elsoha had come across the destroyed Centurions and Cylons, she had already gotten used to what she was. She knew that there was increased activity from the nearby tribes of Blood Demons, but she avoided them as much as she could, preferring to feed on the smaller creatures. But looking at the beings at her feet, she couldn't help but smile. She crouched down and dipped her finger into the flesh of a Cylon where a scratch was made by the vampires that attacked it. Elosha pulled out the finger while it was covered in blood, and then licked her finger clean while closing her eyes and taking in the taste. It was then that she stood up and sniffed the air around her. Narrowing her eyes, Elosha turned around and walked over to the dark brown liquid that was spilling for the Centurions to the ground below. She leaned down and put some on her finger, and smelled it.
And then she smiled.
Elosha suspected that it could simply be another Centurion, but she also had the presence of mind to believe that it could also be a humanoid Cylon who was using the Centurion's lubrication to hide its scent. Elosha followed the scent while running through the undergrowth; if it was a Cylon Centurion, then she was going to avoid it. She followed the scent for days before realizing that the footprints on the soft ground were not that of a centurion, but that of a Humanoid Cylon.
Elosha smiled when she realized that she'd be having her first taste of human blood; humanoid Cylon blood and she licked her lips while she rested during the day. She knew that the Cylon was getting a head start when she was resting, but Elosha had an instinctual awareness of where the Cylon was heading for; the City of the Gods.
'The gods have given me a gift,' thought Elosha to herself as she took shelter from the sun, 'a Cylon to feast on.'
Now, under the moonlit night a few meters away from the downed Colonial Raptor, Elosha smiled at the scent of the Centurion lubricant. She knew that the Humanoid Cylon was in the ship… and that the other blood demons didn't know about it, about the Cylon. She closed her eyes and she heard footsteps from inside the small ship, she heard buttons being pressed before she opened her eyes once again. She moved in from the rear of the ship, and headed to the hatch.
And then knocked on the door with a grin on her face.
TBC.