New Kobol, 1015 hours.
The two teams were ready to set off for Kobol with Major Neely leading SG-34 and Major Bing leading SG-39. Under their teams would be two Colonial officers on each team, Apollo and Lt. Gaeta on one team, and Starbuck and Captain Kelley on the other team. The rest of the Colonial contingent consisted of six researchers and scientists, on each team. The plan was that the two, four people SG teams would break up into two predetermined teams upon reaching Kobol, and take with them a selected number of Colonial officers and civilians, as well as Cylons once they reached the planet. The teams would then be connected using subspace radios while they carried out their days long treks to four different sites.
It was an arrangement already agreed to by the Colonials and Cylons; and it was agreed that the entire length of this expedition be considered a truce for both sides in the interest of scientific, religious, and archaeological discovery.
With the news throughout the military, particularly in the Galactica which was orbiting the planet, that Helo was the father of a beautiful baby girl, many thought that it was a positive omen. The birth of a baby on the day of an expedition was seen as the gods smiling upon them. Of course, the news filtered to the civilian population within thirty minutes of the announcement; some sharing the sentiments of the military, while others seeing the baby as the anti-thesis of everything their gods had told them in the Scrolls.
It was unnatural and evil.
As Roslin stood talking with Dr. Burke, the leaders of the Earth and Colonials who were heading to Kobol, and Commander Adama, the President was very aware that the question of the baby's citizenship would come up. She was already preparing an argument in her mind that the baby represented a bridge between both their peoples… but squashed that line of thought immediately.
She knew she would have a riot in her hands if she mentioned that during a wireless address to the quorum.
She was telling Apollo and the others to be careful while thinking that the Quorum would want a very good reason if she wanted to push for the baby having Colonial citizenship. But given that the Colonies recognized a new-born as having the citizenship of the mother…. That was going to be a problem since Sharon was a Cylon. She wanted to make the argument that this child represented the chance to not pass down their sins and hate to the next generation, that even though the Cylons would never be forgiven for what they had done, their children – the next generation needed to be given the future so that the cycle of violence could be broken.
Roslin didn't know if there would be a day when Colonials and Cylons would be friends, but she knew it would not be now.
Shaking her head off those thoughts, Roslin shared Commander Adama's sentiment with Apollo that he needed to be careful on Kobol.
"Be wary of the Cylons."
"I will, dad," replied Apollo nodding his head.
"Listen up, people," yelled Major Neely as he stood next to Dr. Burke who had the translation device on her collar, "we'll be heading to the buffer planet first, then from there, we'll be sending the awaiting probe to Kobol. If, and I mean if, there's no immediate danger in the Stargate's immediate area, we will go through. Understood?"
Everyone nodded their heads, and it was then that the order was given to dial the Stargate. The two SG teams had officers who would be doubling up as translators on this mission, and they then went to the Colonials and introduced themselves and explained their roles. Once the Stargate was active, Riley walked up to Major Neely and Bing, telling the both of them to be careful… especially with Starbuck.
"The Commander assured me that that Starbuck will not harm the Cylons, especially after she's been getting help with her emotions," explained Riley, "but I still want one of your men watching her, if she does anything out of character? Zat her, and then order everyone back to the gate."
"Understood, sir," said the two Majors together.
With the Stargate already activated, the two teams of Earth and Colonial officers walked through the event horizon and arrived on a new world where two teams of humanoid Cylons made up of four Eights, three of the Number Threes, and one number Eight were waiting to one side. And on the other side were officers from the SGC examining a MALP probe.
The Two Major's headed to the SGC officers, but not before telling the other members of their teams to stay close to the Colonials and Cylons. With the two Majors walking down the pedestals stairs towards the MALP that lay on brown coloured grass which covered the flat landscape as far as the eye could see. The Colonials immediately looked up in awe; they were what they thought to be a planet in orbit of a gas giant.
"A moon, actually," clarified one of the SG members as he and Apollo walked down the pedestal, the Colonial officer looking up at the gas giant all the while. Apollo then shook his head before nodding at the Captain who had just spoken to him. He then turned and motioned the other Colonials to move down onto the grass before leading them to stand nearby the Cylon contingent.
Even though there was a truce between then, the rest of the SG teams could feel the tension in the air. They were ready to intervene as the Colonials approached the Cylons, all of whom had backpacks, as did the Colonials, of equipment they needed, and just glared at them. The SG teams saw Apollo and the others just stare at the Cylons for a few seconds before moving away, with Starbuck lingering behind for a few more seconds with her hand on the butt of her sidearm before giving the Cylons a smirk, and then walking away.
There was a collective sigh of relief that nothing bad happened during that first meeting, so while the Cylons and Colonials were keeping to themselves. Major Neely and Bing were examining the contents of the MALP with the officers who arrived from the SGC.
"Sirs," said one of the officers as he opened a side compartment with contained a black bag, "you have a laptop with the dialling program loaded onto it, and in the upper left compartment of the left and the right side of the MALP, you'll find two naquada generators; one in each compartment. That, and the usual things that come with the MALP are at your disposal. Our team will be here, sirs, for the week while your teams explore the planet. Oh, and Sirs? The SGC would like for us to be contacted every eight hours."
"We'll have a team stationed at the Stargate," said Major Bing, "they'll have a subspace radio with them for instant communications, and we'll check in with them, and then they'll check in with you guys."
"Yes, sir," said one of the officers nodding his head before Major Neely asked him to dial Kobol.
The Major, along with Major Bing, then turned and walked towards the Cylons and the Colonials before stopping a few steps away. Major Bing then told the translators to tell the Cylons and Colonials what he was going to say in Ancient Greek.
"Listen up," yelled Major Bing with Neely standing next to hi, his hands on his hips, "we will be sending in the MALP probe first. Like we mentioned on New Kobol, we'll examine the immediate area for threats of any kind. We see something in the cave that's not supposed to be there? Then we'll decide on whether to continue, or hold it off. If there is nothing, the obviously we'll be going through."
"You know the groups you've been assigned to," bellowed Major Neely while the translators were doing their jobs, break into your groups… as you'll see, each of the four groups will have a translator from Earth. Anything… and I mean anything that you need to know? Go through the officer who'll be translating for our officers. SG team members assigned to your groups will have a subspace radio unit, and they'll check in with two officers at the Stargate every eight hours. We have a week to head to the locations we've already selected, make camp once we've reached those locations, spend some time examining the ruins, or running tests, or anything you need to do before heading back to the Stargate, and then returning to the buffer world. Everything in one week, remember that."
"You've all been informed of the rules of engagement in the event you encounter any Cylons on that world you think is not a part of this group," explained Major Bing, "we know the code words, and the responses to those code words. If the Cylon, or Cylons, you encounter do not know the code word response, you are to give them the opportunity to surrender. There will be no executions unless you are fired upon first."
Apollo and Starbuck nodded their heads. The both of them, the entire Colonial contingent, and the Cylons had already been informed of the code word and everything that the Major was explaining. It was all done so that a truce could be maintained between the two groups while they were on the Kobol. It was also agreed, reluctantly, that any humanoid Cylons found on Kobol be returned to Eden.
Apollo was there the day the Vice-president met with Natalie in secret on a buffer world surrounded by Earth officers. She explained to the Vice-President that the humanoids were probably still waiting to be picked up by the other Cylons after months of remaining on Kobol. She practically begged Apollo and the Vice-President to spare the live of any Cylons that remained on Kobol, saying that the Cylons stuck on that world would have no idea that their people was on the verge of extinction, and that they needed to be back with their brothers and sisters on Eden.
However, Natalie did agree that should the humanoid Cylons and their Centurions opened fire first, the Colonials would have every right to defend themselves. It was agreed that if any Cylons, whether humanoid or Centurion, were found… a delegation of Cylons with the expedition force would approach them first before asking them to put down their arms and return to Eden. That was one of many agreements reached for this expedition to Kobol.
Back in the present day, the Cylons and the Colonials were separated into their four groups, along with the SG team members. Major Neely and Bing, together with their translators, conferred with Apollo, Starbuck, Lt. Gaeta, and Captain Kelley for one final time before heading out through the Stargate, and into Kobol.
Caprica, Talia's apartment, at that same time.
It had been three weeks since Talia walked through the Stargate, and into the arms of an awaiting security force of Colonials and Ori soldiers who demanded to know where she had been, and where the rest of her team, and the Prior had been. As Talia walked through the hallway to her apartment, she remembered the explanation she gave the soldiers who had propped her up due to her injuries. She told them that she was held prisoner by the Earthers, and that she had a chance when one of them came to interrogate her to escape.
"I took the chance to escape, and I… we did. They killed the others in my team, one of the Ori soldiers dialled the Gate to the Stars and.. and here I am," She replied weakly as a Prior strode over to the group of Colonials and Ori soldiers, demanding to know what happened. Talia bowed her head in reverence, as did the Colonials who then stepped to one side and let the Prior through them towards Talia. The Prior told Talia to raise her head, and then tell him exactly what happened.
"Three weeks," thought Talia to herself while recalling the Prior ordering the Ori soldiers to take her to be debriefed at the former Caprican City Army Command which had been partially rebuilt. Talia reminisced on how long she was gone while entering her apartment, and then closing the door behind her. She walked to her living room and turned on the lights while remembering the intense interrogations by Colonial officers, resistance leaders, and the Priors who told her that they were going to keep on asking the same questions over and over again.
They didn't believe her that she escaped; the Prior believed that she was let go.
Eventually, Talia was interrogated by Prior Cain herself. As Talia stepped into her kitchen, which was adjacent from her living room, she poured herself a glass of water and leaned with one hand on the counter. The took a sip, put the glass down, and the rubbed the side of her head as she recalled the pain of having Cain bore into her mind with the Prior gifts. Talia had heard about the special abilities of the Priors, but she thought them to be a rumour, at least until now. She rounded the kitchen counter and ambled towards the hallway leading to her bedroom. She recalled the pain going through her mind as she was writhing on the floor in her small debriefing room; Talia looked up through tear filled eyes at Cain, and the staff in her hand, the top of which was glowing a bright white. For the entire time that Cain was 'interrogating her mentally, Talia could feel the woman peeling back her mind and smashing through her memories; Cain saw everything about Talia, and all the Prior did on the last day… just a few hours ago, was smile and tell her that she really did escape.
"Rest, Talia Gallo," smirked Cain while the other woman groaned on the floor, "you will be sent out once again to spread the word of Origin."
Talia was later dragged out of there, and made to lie down until she was lucid enough after the intensive violation of her mind. She was then given new clothes, and driven to her apartment. Back in the present time, Talia stopped midway in the hallway, just outside her bedroom door when she heard a knock.
'I just want to sleep,' thought Talia to herself as she leaned against the hallway wall, and rubbed the sides of her head. There was another knock that made Talia shake her head before turning around towards the front door while mumbling to herself, "coming, I'm coming."
Talia opened the door, and was about to tell whoever it was to go away, when her eyes opened wide as a male hand grabbed the back of her head, and then pulled her out of her apartment. She felt the man's lips smashed against her own as his other hand went to the small of her back, and under her shirt. Talia broke the kiss while the man held her body tight against his own. She looked at him and gave a small smile before he kissed her again while pushing her back into her apartment, and then slamming the door shut. He then turned and pushed Talia against her front door, and then kissed her lips again before moving down to her neck.
Talia moaned as she rubbed the back of his neck with her hand and had snaked her hand underneath his shirt, touching the bare skin underneath. She wanted to ask the man, Lt. Alexis Cotto, how he knew that she was already out of her debriefing, but she decided to hold off on that as he breathed hard while taking off her shirt and trousers. Talia did the same thing to him as well before she, now naked, jumped onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist while he held her against his bare body, his hands grasping the woman's back. Then continued to kiss while Lt. Cotta, the same man who had been on her resistance cell, and who told her before she left with her team to spread Origin, that he would be serving on an advanced prototype vessel that the Colonials had built before the second Cylon War started.
For now, though, no thought entered her mind as Lt. Cotto lay her down on her bed while kissing her. She moaned on the soft mattress as she was pushed to the middle of the bed while Cotto lay on top of her while kissing her neck, and then he moved to her ear and whispered.
"I missed you," he breathed.
Talia moaned while nodding her head as he grabbed her hands and placed them over her head, his fingers interlaced with hers. She opened her eyes and looked into his brown eyes while opening her mouth in pleasure as he grunted while moving into her. Talia pulled her head back and opened her mouth wide in pleasure as Cotto leaned forward and kissed her neck and bit into her shoulder, making the woman shudder underneath him while he grunted. She was moaning while her bed creaked, the moans and creeks getting louder the faster he moved. Talia released a loud yelp as she opened her eyes wide and looked at Cotto, telling the man not to stop.
And he obliged.
She was gasping even more while the bed started making sounds as if it was about to break. Talia was moving her head form one side to the next with her eyes closed. She was trying to enjoy the pleasure that was going through her body as the memories of her painful debriefing went to the back of her mind. She yelped again as Cotto grunted, she felt his sweat falling onto her bare skin, she felt him pounding her harder and harder while licking her sweat. She gurgled an incomprehensible sound as she writhed while moving her head from side to side, this time with her eyes open. It was then that she caught sight of a plush bear that one of her students had given her before the Fall, a bear that she couldn't take her sight of while she continued to moan.
Talia closed her eyes and released a small scream as Cotto grunted before collapsing on top of her. He breathed hard on the nape of her neck while Talia was panting, not just because of the sex, but because of the flood of hidden memories that entered back into her mind. Talia remembered meeting Roslin on New Kobol, and her idea that she needed to return to Caprica to try and build a resistance against the Ori. She remembered Willow and being hypnotised so that she would forget about New Kobol until she saw a trigger. Talia remembered Willow asking her about something that was important in her apartment, and the Colonial mentioned the bear.
Now once she looked at the bear, Talia's memories returned. She knew what her objective was on Caprica, but she also knew she needed to be careful.
Talia knew that the man who was now looking into her eyes wouldn't be her first choice for help in creating a resistance movement against the Cylons; he had been serving on the new ship, so she had no idea how far along he was in his embrace of Origin. But she didn't want to find out, at least not yet.
"That was good," rasped Cotto as he rested his head in the nape of her neck. One hand was at the back of Talia's head, while the other hand was resting back on one of her thighs on the left side of his waist, "I missed you, Talia. I was on the Scorpion when…
"Scorpion?" Talia asked while catching her breath.
"The new prototype ship I told you about?"
"Oh," replied Talia with her eyes wide open in feigned surprise.
"You will see it one day, Talia," he said excitedly. "We have some ways to go, but the shields are already improved thanks to Prior Cain. And the energy weapons? We still have some issues with a new mineral, but nothing that cannot be worked around. It will take a bit more time, but we will soon have the power to join the fight to bring light to this galaxy. We will go to Earth and make them see the error of their ways."
"Ummmm…" smiled Talia, "what's this mineral?"
"Something called naquada," he replied, 'we were using captured rebels to retrofit a tylium processing plant into one that could purify naquada. But it exploded two weeks ago."
"Really?" asked Talia while feigning surprise, she suspected that the explosion was caused by the Earth forces that had left in the strange ship before she left that planet where she was being held 'prisoner'. Talia hid her smile as Cotto continued telling her that a few tylium refinery plants, and military complexes were blown up with numerous casualties, as well as a few other places that pushed back the completion of the energy weapons on the Scorpion and the Pegasus. He continued saying that the creation of new kinetic energy ammunition for the Pegasus was also pushed back, as well as the creation of arms for the soldiers, both Colonial and Ori.
"The Ori Prior says that we've only been pushed back for three months," said Cotto smiling, "in the meantime, teams have already been assembled searching for those rebels."
"I'd like to kill them all," whispered Talia into his ear after pulling his head down until their noses were touching, "how dare they work against Origin."
"I can get you onto a team that will be hunting rebels," said Cotto as he looked into her eyes, "or would you prefer going off-world, and spreading Origin."
"Prior Cain wants me to go off-world," whined Talia, "but I'd rather stay here."
'Help those rebels if I can,' thought Talia to herself as Cotta kissed her again, before pulling back and looking into her eyes.
"I'll talk to the Prior," said Cotto, "but first…"
Cotto licked his lips before kissing Talia again, and then whispering into her ear.
"I took two days off after finding out that you would be released today," whispered Cotto, "so, it's just you and me."
Talia chuckled before she kissed Cotto again. While her bed was creaking once again, the woman continued to remember her reasons for returning to Caprica.
She wanted to help free her people from the Ori, and the people she considered to be the rogue Colonials. New Kobol was waiting for them, a new home was waiting for them. And Talia wanted to help bring as many people there as possible.
Eden, Infirmary Building, 1100 hours.
Alana felt herself lying down on a soft surface, she could smell the antiseptic in the air usually associated with being in a hospital. She heard beeps from her left, while feeling something attached to her forefinger on her right hand, as well as something tightening on her left arm. She then moved her head on the pillow before slowly opening her eyes, only to find herself looking up at a row of lights on a metallic ceiling. She then looked to her left and saw two other beds along with a machine that had numbers, that she didn't understand, on a screen. She looked through the windows on the far left wall and saw leaves rustling in a breeze. She then looked to her right, and saw a black cuff on her upper arm, and then another machines that was showing numbers she didn't understand on a screen. It was then she noticed the I.V lines that was attached to the top of her hand, and she noticed the wires that led underneath the gown she was wearing. She pulled at the top and narrowed her eyes at the leads attached to her chest.
She then noticed the large white bandage on the left side of her abdomen before she lay back on the pillow once again. Alana's face winced in pain as she slowly under her elbows to prop her up so that she could get a good look at where she was being kept.
'This isn't anything Cylon,' thought Alana to herself while looking at her surroundings again, 'this equipment seems almost… almost human. But I don't recognize what's on the screens, so my guess is that I'm not with the Colonials? Is this the home of the Thirteenth tribe? Have I finally found the Thirteenth? But… but the ring device.. how did I? I mean.. I followed the combination of symbols and.. and now I'm here and…. No, wait, I was shot and… this is confusing. All I did was step through the portal and…. And where am I, really?"
Alana thought back to landing on the planet that the SGC's dialling computer would classify as P9U-673, a Kassa processing facility used by the Lucien Alliance. She recalled two teams of Cylons in two heavy raiders flying down to the surface of the planet, one team consisted of four humanoid Cylons and Centurions who were going to examine the effects of the enhanced nuclear weapons they just fired at the surface. And the other team consisted of a Doral, a Simon, and herself; the only difference being that there was an armed explosive collar that was around Alana's neck, with the sadistic Cavil handing a remote to Doral.
"Just in case she gets a bit touchy on how many humans we killed," chuckled Cavil while Alana looked away at one of the Colony hanger bays.
Alana opened her eyes wide back in the infirmary a she lay back on the bed, and then reached for her neck with her left hand. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief upon discovering that the collar was gone.
'Wherever I am, the people here must have taken it off me," thought Alana, 'perhaps they truly are the Thirteenth Tribe? A people who could save us from our own insanity? Please, God… don't let me be wrong.'
She thought back to being on the surface of the planet. She and the others walked out the rear of the heavy raider, and onto burnt grass. She took in a breath of air, but all she smelled was death. Alana shook her head at the number of possible dead she was calculating in her mind as she looked out at what remained of the mushroom cloud in the distance.
"Come," said Simon as he grabbed her arm, pulling her away from thinking about the deaths, to looking at the great stone ring that they had landed right next to. She saw Doral already at a brownish device in the ground near the circular stone ring. He was pressing some of the buttons as Simon jerked Alana forward towards the device. She saw that some of the symbols lit up on the device, followed by the chevrons on the stone ring, and then Doral looked at the lit large red button. He pressed down on it after pressing four of the symbols, but all that happened next was the lit symbols on the brown device, and the stone ring, were extinguished.
Alana heard Doral cursing as he pressed another few buttons while she walked toward the pedestal holding it upright. She walked up the stairs, and towards the object. With her eyes wide open in awe, she reached out with her hand and brushed her fingertips against the smooth surface, and then over the symbols.
'This wasn't built by humans,' thought Alana as she stepped back from the ring, and walked down the stairs while staring at it, 'whatever this is, it wasn't built by humans, or Cylons. We're far away from Colonial territory, so it couldn't be them either…. They are human, I know that but… this wasn't them. Could it be the thirteenth? Wait, were the Thirteenth even Human? If this is their doing, then…. oh Come on Alana, you don't know what the frak this is. It could just be a symbol of worship or… or.. or… what is it?'
"Whoever made this technology," said Doral as Alana turned around on the grass and saw the man crouched down behind the brown coloured device with Simon standing over his shoulder, "it's more advanced that we could have ever thought."
"Crystal technology," said an impressed Simon as Alana rushed over and stood behind Doral who had opened a panel at the underside of the device. She saw crystals of various sizes and colours with thick wires running alongside them while Simon said that he was aware that the Colonies had just started research on using crystals to store data, that the research itself was still in its early infancy, "the Colonies never had a working model… this isn't their technology."
"Could it be the Thirteenth?" asked Alana as Doral looked at her and scoffed before turning to the panel inside the device.
"This wasn't the doing of mythical humans," said Doral as he went to touch a crystal. Alana remembered a bright light, followed by a shower of sparks from the panel as Doral was flung back. The Cylon landed on his back, holding his burnt left hand to his chest with his right hand while howling in pain. Alana didn't move a muscle as Simon, whose model played the role of doctors on the Colony, and in Colonial society when it was infiltrated, rushed over to him while Alana turned to the device. She saw the white smoke from the panel going into the air after the sparks had died down.
She then noticed something else, lights on the device itself were blinking. Alana cautiously walked to the brown device, and saw the same seven symbols lighting up, one after another.
It was a pattern.
Alana, while Simon was helping the injured Doral stand up, pressed the numbers that had been lighting up in order. All seven of them. And when she was done, she saw the red button light up, and then she pressed down on it.
Stepping back in stunned silence, Alana looked on as a frightening sound came from the ring, followed by the eruption of blue energy that looked like water with erupted outwards before settling back down in a shimmering puddle.
"My God," whispered Alana as she stepped towards the ring, "what is this?"
"Alana!" shouted Simon as she turned back, "we are heading back to the Colony. We will tell Cavil about this and…"
Alana just looked at the two Cylons, and then at the blue puddle, and then back to the Cylons once again. Her eyes widened when she saw Doral holding his injured hand close to his chest, while the injured hand reached into his pocket, and pulled out the remote for the detonator on her explosive collar.
"Don't do anything stupid," Doral said while grimacing in pain, "you're coming back with us."
Alana knew there was no sense in arguing. Doral had the remote in his hand, and he could very well kill her right then and there. She knew that he was hoping she would run, the Cylon was just as sadistic as Cavil. Instead, Alana came up with a plan while she slowly walked towards Doral and Simon. She noticed the small arms on their hip holsters – given to them by Cavil who told them to have fun shooting at Alana's body if she should run and have her head blown up. She knew that Doral was injured, and that he was still unsteady on his feet.
Back in the present, Alana suddenly looked up, after being brought out of her memories, when she heard footsteps in the hallway to the far left. She looked on at the hallway, and then opened her eyes wide as Simon walked in with a blonde haired woman, a woman she hadn't seen before. Alana knew about all the Cylon models, and had even heard of the mythical Final Five… a group that Cavil had forbidden them from ever mentioning out loud. She looked at Simon, who was in a white lab coat, in fear, and then looked at the woman and wondered who she was… wondering if she was a new Cylon that Cavil created to torture her after what she had done to Doral and Simon.
"Rest easy, sister," said Simon gently in Colonial Standard as he and the woman stood by her bedside, "you arrived through the Gate to the Stars yesterday, shot through your left side, and with a bomb collar around your neck. The doctors have stopped the bleeding and closed the wound, but if you continue to move, then the stiches will rip open."
"Miss," said the blonde in Colonial Standard, or Ancient Greek as the Earthers called it, "my name is Dr. Sarah Gardner, what's your name?"
"Alana," came the reply, "you… you're a new Cylon? Or.. or are you human? Are you the Thirteenth Tribe and.. and what was that thing… you called it the Gate to the Stars? What is it… where am I… oh, the Colony.. is the Colony here? This is a trick, or.."
"This is no trick, Alana," said Dr. Gardner gently as she placed her hand on her shoulder, "we have a lot to talk about, and we would you to debrief the Cylon Council and my people's officers on what happened to you. You said something about escaping with your life before you collapsed in front of the Centurions at the Gate. So we'd like to know what happened, especially about the Colony since you just mentioned it. But in the meantime… I am telling you to rest."
"And I wanted to welcome you to the new Cylon home world, Alana," said Simon as she looked at him with surprise in her eyes, "welcome to Eden."
TBC.