New Kobol, several hours after the meeting on Gaia.
There were the beginnings of a surrender document and a peace treaty between New Kobol and Eden, the homes of the Colonials and the Cylons respectively, at the meeting between the two races with the Earthers and the Nox moderating between them on Gaia. The documents were still in their infancy, a simple verbal agreement between both enemies to meet at another date to draw up a formal declaration of surrender.
Following that treaty, the two groups would meet at another time to draw up a peace treaty between the two of them that would then have to be ratified by the Colonial government.
As for the issue with Caprica Six, the two peoples agreed that she could take up the Nox's offer of staying with them in her exile. All in all, Natalie explained that both of their peoples needed a way to look to the future while still recognising the problems that happened between them ever since the Centurions were created.
"What happened before, cannot happen again," said Ellen as both Colonials and Cylons looked at the woman. Following the meet, everyone went back to their respective homeworlds while Caprica left with Antaeus and Lya for their village. It would be there that Caprica would begin her journey to make peace with herself.
After their return to New Kobol, Roslin called for a Quorum meeting that was closed to the public, to deal with matters of National Security. She wanted to discuss the surrender and the peace treaty between the Colonials and the Cylons.
It would be later that day, three hours after having spoken to the Quorum, that the details of what was discussed at the meeting were leaked to the press. And it created a firestorm among the majority of the people; how dare the Colonial leadership even attempt to make peace with the very same race that nearly annihilated the Twelve Colonies, and resulted in billions upon billions of people who were dead.
The people refused to accept anything less than total annihilation of the Cylons and, by five in the afternoon, there was a huge crowd of people led by some of the religious leaders denouncing Roslin for her attempt to even make peace.
Roslin was in the grounded Colonial One as she looked out at the crowd chanting 'Down with the Cylons, down with peace', coupled with a few more epithets at her, her administration, and Commander Adama who the leak claimed was also present at the meeting with the Quorum.
"I take it this isn't going to go too well?" asked Billy as he looked out the window at the crowd, as did Roslin, and saw the anger in the eyes of those who were protesting.
"They're angry," said the Vice-president who was seated next to the President who then stood straight up and walked back from the window with a hand on her hip while she rubbed her forehead in frustration. The Vice-President looked up at Roslin and continued to speak, "From what I can tell, their biggest problem is peace with the Cylons. It doesn't matter that they promised to draw up a document of unconditional surrender. People see the part on making peace with them as a betrayal of the highest form."
"I don't want peace with them either," whispered Roslin as she looked back out at the crowd of people while some of the Colonial Marines were watching the crowd, their weapons still in their holsters unless the crowd started to get very unruly. Roslin then turned to the Vice-president and said, "this is the only way we as a people can look to the future. We can't afford to be in a state of constant war once Cain and her people have been taken care off. We simply cannot. We have a society to rebuild and constantly being in a state of war would distract us from regaining some semblance of who we once were."
"When is the Press Conference?" asked Adama as he looked at the President.
"Two minutes," Billy answered. Adama nodded his head before asking the President if she wanted anyone from the Earther teams on New Kobol to bolster the Marines. Roslin simply told the Commander to have Riley prepared just in case. She then added that the New Kobol security forces needed to be quickly trained so that they could take over from the Colonial Marines.
"And who was it that leaked this to the Press?" asked the Vice-President.
"We're still not certain,' said Billy, "I asked around, but the reporter from Colonial News Network said that she's not revealing her source."
"But we can guess that it's someone from the meeting."
"I'd say it's either the Sagittarian representative or the Gemmenon representative," said Helo with a sigh. The Galactica's Executive Officer looked at the Commander and said that there was unease among the ship's crew on having peace with the Cylons; although he heard rumours just before coming down to meet the Commander and the others that many were accepting of the news that the Cylons surrendered unconditionally.
"To be honest," said Billy as he took a seat, "I'd rather see us find out the planet where the Cylons were being kept, and then dial the planet using the Gate to the Stars. We can send a nuclear weapon through the device, and then stand by while all of them die."
"As well as the Earthers who are stationed there," said the Commander shaking his head before continuing, "the wounds between our peoples are still raw."
"If I may suggest," the Vice-President said, "we hold off the peace treaty for a few years, and I mean for twenty, thirty years. Maybe we revisit this after three or four generations while we rebuild our society. For now, we have the unconditional surrender, and maybe a planetary non-aggression pact between Cylons and Colonials. Meaning, if we encounter each other on other worlds, we stay away."
"Much like what we're doing now on Furling Earth," said the Commander nodding his head, "I agree. And there is also the need to address the status of Saul and the others. Even their existence was leaked to the press."
"This is going to be a long evening, isn't it?" groaned Roslin.
"Yes, Madam President," said the Commander. While the protests were taking place around Colonial One, Cally had just landed in a Raptor with Seelix and several other deckhands for their shore leave on the planet's surface. Cally had already talked to Chief Laird, and it was decided that the deck crew could have a respite for twenty-four hours on the surface of the planet. He reminded Cally that they still had a lot of work to do, but he understood the need for a break.
"I'll draw up a schedule for the rest of the knuckle-draggers as far as shore leave is concerned,' he said before Cally left the Galactica, and travelled down to the surface. Cally got off the Raptor and breathed in the fresh air while Seelix and several other male and females exited after her. They could hear the voices of the protestors in the distance as they turned and headed to another location where they could get some drinks. Cally was accompanied by Seelix while the others went their own way and walked through the throngs of people who were looking at, and buying, crafts at some of the stalls that recently opened.
There was one stall where Cally had found a figurine of Aurora, the goddess of the dawn, and was brushing her fingers against it before looking up and asking to buy the figurine. The owner of the stall, a woman whose left hand was shaking while the right hand brought a rolled up piece of smoking paper to her lips shook her head. Seelix was the one who recognised the smell from the rolled up paper that was wafting in the air and asked, "is that Chamalla?"
"So what if it was?" the woman asked while Cally continued to gaze at the figurine in her hand. The woman then shifted her gaze to Cally, put the rolled paper on an ash tray, and then held Cally's hand with both of hers. She closed Cally's hand around the figurine, the deckhand then looked up at the woman, and looked into her eyes. "Take the goddess with you. She will watch over you and keep away the demon that lies among our people."
"Yea, sure," said Seelix chuckling while Cally continued to gaze into the woman's eyes. "Come on, Cally."
"Yeah," was the reply as Cally continued to look into the eyes of the woman behind the stall while her hands were released from her grasp.
"Take the figurine," said the woman as Cally stepped back, "Aurora will protect you from the darkness." The rest of the day went as normal as Cally hoped it would. It made her forget about work on the Galactica while the President was having her Press Conference on Colonial One. Everyone in the small bar watched a small screen on a shelf behind the counter as the President confirmed the rumours about a meeting with the Cylons earlier that day, and about the fact that there were five humanoid Cylons who were recently found out... including the former Executive Officer of the Galactica. Cally and Seelix listened in surprise as they had drinks, along with several of the other patrons in the bar, when Roslin made that announcement.
"The leak was true then," said another man who was drinking a large mug of a brown liquid, "Roslin just screwed all of us."
Cally looked around as whispers of 'traitor' and 'impeach' where thrown about before looking at Seelix who stared at the screen in quiet anger. Cally knew that, just like her, Seelix had lost everything in the attack; but she wanted to know what the President had to say. Cally then looked away from the angry Seelix and stared at the Commander who was standing to the President's left side.
And suddenly there was a silence in the bar when one main feature of the leak was confirmed.
"The Cylons have offered their unconditional surrender to the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, and they have requested a peace treaty between our two peoples." Cally and Seelix looked at each other in surprise while the others in the bar yelled traitor at the screen. They didn't want peace at all with the Cylons, not after what they had done. Some of the patrons started to shout that the military should find the Cylon world, and bomb them.
"The Earthers know where they are!" yelled some of the other patrons as they stood up.
"I say we gather our people, go out to their camp, and force them to give us the location of the Cylon's world."
"….. And we will not pursue a peace treaty with the Cylons," the President said on the screen; it was drowned out by the yelling in the bar. Cally turned and looked at the President, and then turned around back at the rowdy bar as more and more people were yelling that the Earthers should give them the location of the Cylon planet. Cally could see that the situation was quickly getting out of control, and she and Seelix were caught in the middle of it without any back-up or weapons in a crowd of drunk men and women.
"We will accept their surrender because we have to turn our focus to the war against the traitor, Helena Cain," said the President as a worried Cally saw several people about to leave the bar. She was afraid that they would do something stupid, and so quickly stood up on top of the bar counter, much to the consternation of the owner, and whistled as loud as she could. When that didn't work and a few people stepped out, she yelled.
"Hey!"
When even that didn't work, Seelix looked up at Cally and then at the crowd in front of her. They were getting agitated when more and more people were saying that they needed to storm the Earther camp and get all the information they had on the Cylons. Seelix heard Cally yell again, asking all of them to listen, but the crowd was too far gone as the large group of twenty people rushed out yelling about how Roslin was a traitor and that the Earthers had betrayed the Colonies.
"Frack," said Cally as she got off the bar while apologising to the owner. Seelix then helplessly watched the group push past the crowd while Cally asked the owner if he had a wireless with him. The man nodded his head, and then reached under the counter and took out a rectangular shaped device. Cally grabbed it, fiddled with the controls while Seelix looked on, and breathed a sigh when Cally managed to reach Colonial One. She listened to Cally tell Billy that a group was heading for the Earth camp, and what could happen should the situation get out of control. Seelix watched the screen as Commander Adama was pulled away, and then told about the situation off camera while the President said that she would be having talks with religious leaders since she would need their help to convince the people that the Cylon surrender was needed.
"As for a peace treaty?" she added while Adama got onto the Wireless and spoke to Cally, telling her that he would contact the Earther camp and have Colonial Marines intercept them before the drunk group could cause a diplomatic incident. While Cally was talking to the Commander, Seelix listened as Roslin spoke of the Colonials being unable to forgive the Cylons for what they did.
"I believe there may be peace between Colonials and the Cylons eventually, maybe after several generations," said the President as Seelix and the owner of the bar looked on while Cally finished talking to the Commander, "but not now. The wounds are still deep, still fresh. They have offered their surrender, and I will accept it. But peace itself will not come about in a day."
"You think there could be peace?" Whispered Seelix as she and Cally looked at the screen while several Colonial Marines intercepted the crowd of twenty people just before they reached the Earther camp.
"Maybe our great-grandchildren will see peace," Cally whispered, "Roslin's" right, the wounds are too deep and raw. Their surrender will do, for now, I guess."
"You know what?" asked Seelix as she grabbed Cally's hand, "let's get out of here. We came to enjoy ourselves, so let's go enjoy ourselves. Come on."
New Kobol, 2000 hours.
The Commander didn't know how Cally would take his request. She had prevented a possible diplomatic incident by being at the right place, at the right time, and he was thankful. Following the President calming down the protestors near Colonial One, the Commander excused himself so that he could concentrate on making a list of people he could ask in regards to their souls being anchors for Apollo.
And Cally was on the list of people he trusted to keep the truth about Apollo quiet. With the young woman being on the surface of the planet, the Commander used the Public Address system to call Cally to meet him near Colonial One. And that's where he was waiting all by himself as he looked at the crowds of people walking by; they were being kept a respectable distance away by Colonial Marines who were the President's protective detail.
"Sir," yelled Cally who was rushing towards him when she was stopped by one of the Marines. The Commander waved her through after the Marine who stopped her looked back at the Commander. He walked towards the young woman, past the Marine, and then asked her to walk with him. Cally nodded her head before turning around as they head off to one of the nearby towers.
"Thank you, for calling me about the crowd heading for the Earther camp," the Commander said.
"The people were angry, though, sir," said Cally as they walked through the crowds of people.
"That won't ease anytime soon," the Commander said as he walked with his hands behind his back. "Cally, I didn't just call you here to thank you for what you did."
"It was just a small thing, sir," Cally said as she brushed her hair behind her ear.
"I need to ask you a question," said the Commander as Cally looked at him while they continued walking towards a tower, "and I would like for you to keep an open mind."
"Of course, sir," was the response.
"Have you heard anything about Lee? I mean Major Adama?"
"I know I haven't seen him flying the CAP in the past few days," Cally said before saying that she heard rumours that he had been injured during the expedition to Kobol. "I heard Lt. Gaeta too was injured and he's still in the infirmary in the infirmary building."
"That was a cover story ass far as Lee and Gaeta are concerned," said the Commander as they walked into the tower lobby. Cally looked at the older man with a look of confusion on her face before she looked forward once again. She racked her brain trying to think about what would be the need to cover-up events that occurred on the Kobol expedition. She stopped walking, as did the Commander who then turned around while Cally's eyes went wide as he figured out a reason.
She guessed that the only plausible reason for a cover-up, based on the events of earlier that day, was a Cylon attack, "it was the Cylons, sir? Was the expedition accompanied by Cylons? They betrayed us, and..."
The Commander was impressed, that Cally was able to figure out a small portion of why the expedition was rendered classified. No one, except for the Commander, the President, and a few others, and the expedition members, of course, knew that the expedition would be meeting the Cylons on another world before heading to Kobol. Upon their return, the Colonial expedition members were ordered not to reveal that they were with Cylons, nor were they allowed to reveal anything about the existence of Vampires on Kobol since it would most likely result in religious unrest.
"Sir?" asked Cally.
"Walk with me, Cally," said the Commander before he sighed. He reached for her arm, and then led her to the ring platform before pressing a button that teleported them to the basement. Reaching the dimly lit hallway, the two of them got off the platform, and then faced each other. The Commander took a deep breath as Cally looked at him with confusion etched on her face. "The expedition to Kobol did involve Cylons."
"Sir," said an exasperated Cally as she shook her head and closed her eyes, "I…."
"It's not what you think, Cally," said the Commander, "what I'm about to tell you is deemed high classified. Only a handful of the Galactica crew know about this, and they have been sworn to secrecy. If it get's out…. Cally, if it gets out, then we'll know who leaked this information. And it could lead to problems."
Cally looked at the man's face and knew in her heart that he was serious. Deadly serious. So Cally nodded her head and listened in stunned silence to what the Commander was saying about the expedition being attacked by 'blood demons', "the Earthers call them vampires. And they killed.. they killed many… so many people, Cally. Our people, the Cylons, even the Earther lost many people."
"By the gods," said Cally as she stepped back.
"Gaeta was injured after he was saved by one of the Leobens. He pushed Gaeta into a ditch and then pushed a broken set of columns, in the ruins they were examining, over him. The Cylon died, but Gaeta survived with an injury to his leg."
"Gods," Cally shook her head as she imagined what the man must have been going through. But she also knew that this wasn't the building where the infirmary was located. She looked at the Commander, and then past him into the hallway beyond, and then back at the Commander who then said that Apollo was also attacked.
"And he died."
"Oh, Commander," said Cally as she grabbed his hand, "I…."
"Cally," he interrupted shaking his head, "Lee was turned into a blood demon."
Cally listened in silence while trying to search for markers on the Commander's expression that all of this was just a joke. The Commander told her about how Apollo almost killed Racetrack and the President but failed. He spoke of how Apollo was stopped by the Earthers and then imprisoned in a room in the basement. A room that was being guarded twenty-four hours a day by officers who knew exactly what Apollo had become. The stunned Cally was then told about the fact that he lost his soul when he was turned into a vampire.
"That.. that… yes, when people die their soul go into the next life and… I mean… sir? So Major Adama is a demon?"
"Here's where it's a little complicated," the Commander said, "a few days ago, an Earther woman came to New Kobol to restore Lee's soul."
"That's not possible, sir," Cally said shaking her head, "there's…. sir, the Scrolls say that the gods take up the souls of the dead to Elysium, or they fall into hades. And that's where..."
"I saw it, Cally," the Commander interrupted as Cally;s eyes went wide open. "the woman claimed she was able to wield magic.. and not the kind of trickery meant for children. I mean real magic. She claimed that it was attempted several years ago successfully by another."
"Sir," Cally shook her head, "it…"
"She restored Lee's soul," said the Commander as he placed hands on Cally's shoulders while her eyes widened even more than before, "she restored his soul. Although the demon is still within him, at least according to the Earth woman, Lee's able to conscious decide between right and wrong."
"Sir?" asked Cally as she jerked out of his reach and stepped back, 'why… why am I here?"
The Commander, noticing the fear on the woman's face, shook his head and then dropped his arms to his side and explained why he needed her help. He explained that Apollo's soul needed to be anchored to someone else, a human soul, so that he could live a generally normal life, "so that he wouldn't lose his soul again, Cally. I offered myself already to the Earther, but she said that it would be better if it was someone younger than me. I've already asked a few people I know, and they declined for their own reasons. And…"
"Sir," Cally said in disbelief, her voice slightly shaking out of fear as she imagined a monster tearing itself out of Apollo's skin and running towards her, "I… sir, I don't even know… I mean I don't believe in demons or…."
"Magic?" asked the Commander as Cally nodded her head.
"Neither did I until… until my son became a demon, Cally," the Commander said gently. "The Earther said that Lee and whoever's soul is anchored to him can live their own lives as normal. You can live your life.. you can marry someone else, or…. Or have a child with someone else. But your soul is what will tether Lee's soul to this world… to the world of the living. He can be with anyone he wants, or not be with anyone else. Cally, the one weakness of having his soul returned is that it will vanish should he experience one moment of happiness."
"I.. I don't understand? What do you mean by one moment of happiness, sir?"
"From what I've been told, it refers to a sexual relationship with someone he loves," the Commander said as Cally looked away, and on the floor. "Like I said, he can have a normal relationship with someone else, and he wouldn't lose his sense of self… nor can he become a monster again."
"What would you like for me to do, sir?"
"Talk to Apollo," asked the Commander, "listen to what he has to say and…. And it's your decision. If you say no, I wouldn't hold it against you. And neither will Lee."
"I…." Cally took a deep breath while her mind was telling her to simply say 'no!'. "Yes, yes, I… I'll talk to him, sir."
The Commander nodded his head while a brief smile appearing on his face. The both of them then headed to a room where two guards were standing. The Commander nodded at them, and they moved aside before he knocked on the door.
"Come," said a voice from behind; a voice that Cally recognised as Apollo's. The Commander then nodded at the guards and asked them to open the door. A second later, the door slid open as Apollo stood up from the bed in the room and smiled at Commander Adama. It was as the man walked in, did Apollo notice the woman behind him.
"Cally?" asked Apollo as he looked at her, and then at the Commander, and back to the young woman whose heart was racing. He looked at the Commander again and asked him what was going on. Apollo looked on as the Commander took off his glasses and then turned to Cally instead. The young woman was looking around the room, and then at the guards who were staying alert in the hallway while holding on tight to their weapons. The Commander told Cally that the guards would never close the door if there was someone visiting Apollo. Cally looked at the Commander with a puzzled looked on her face before Apollo added it was a precaution in case he suddenly went feral and attacked, "I… I mean you do know about my… condition."
"Yes," Cally said.
"I asked her to come talk to you, Lee," said the Commander, "I'm sure she has…."
"Can… can I… are you…? I mean… I.. I would like to know more."
"Cally," said Apollo gently while he was rooted to the spot. He didn't want to frighten the poor woman more than she already was, "without my soul, I am a literal monster. With my soul, I am able to tell right from wrong. I'm essentially the same person you knew when I was alive. But there were some differences. I can hear your heartbeat, and I can smell your scent.. and those tell me that you're terrified and…"
"How.. how do you know?"
"It's instinct, I guess," said Apollo while Cally remained a step behind the Commander, "I… I… how do I explain this…. You've heard the stories about those terrible things in the dark from those campfire stories?"
"Yea."
"Well, I'm one of them. If I didn't have my soul, I'll feed on human blood. But with my soul, I still hunger for blood but… but I don't want to kill to drink. The Earthers have offered to send me swine blood… it doesn't taste good but… but it's good enough."
"When… when you feed," stuttered Cally as she paused, took a deep breath, and then spoke again, "are you like this, or.."
"I'll understand if you scream," said Apollo before he looked at the Commander who nodded his head. There was an audible gasp from Cally after Apollo 'vamped' out, and then returned to his human form. He heard the jump in Cally's heartbeat while he was looking away from the young woman and his father. However, he didn't hear the hurried 'thumps' of footsteps running away. Looking back up, he set his eyes on the stunned, and slightly terrified, Cally still standing… but now two steps behind the Commander. She was two steps closer to the door as Apollo took a step back, "what I've been told is that anyone whose soul is tethered to mine will feel an effect should I die in combat. It would be like having a pain in your gut. An emptiness you can't explain."
"And… and this is my decision?" asked Cally.
"Yes," said the Commander, "during the meeting with the Cylons, I asked the Earthers if there would be any adverse effects to any soul that Le is anchored to. I was told that there was no danger. And if.. if that's what you're worried about, then…"
Apollo saw Cally relax slightly upon hearing that her soul wouldn't be tainted, but she could still see that she was frightened.
"Cally," said Apollo, "If you're worried that your life will be tied to mine, that's not true. You'll have your own life. You'll be married to whoever you want, you can have kids, you can live a long life before you die. And I can't have any of that."
"Oh," said Cally softly as she took a step forward.
"And if you die, then he'll feel an emptiness too," said the Commander, "and that another reason why I hope you would say 'yes'. You'll be out of the line of fire, and… and… and I don't want him to lose his soul."
"I…" Cally hoped that she was doing the right thing. She wanted a life to live, but she could see the pain in the Commander's face… a pain he was trying to hide. She then looked at Apollo, and slightly shuddered when she remembered the demonic face that was looking back at her. And now… now she was looking at the face she knew; that of the ace pilot. She had raked her mind for reason that she should say 'no', and she had a lot of reasons. In the end though, Cally held back her fear and said a few words, "I want to know more."
Moon designated P6B-784, Test Site Alpha, 0930 hours; three months later.
Willow loved technology.
It was one of the many things about travel through the Stargate that would 'geek' her out. And this particular day was no different. Willow and Colonel Carter had been on the moon known as Test Site Alpha for the past three days testing new technologies, it was the very same testing site for the Earth made versions of the Kull armour. Except this time, for the past three days, the two of them were accompanied by engineers and scientists to test two new pieces of technology. The first piece of new technology to be tested was a the recently built second-generation MALP, and the second piece of technology was a new four wheeled assault vehicle.
The first two days was spent programming the spherical MALP and building the ground-based vehicle since it couldn't fit the hallway of the SGC. The two women led their individual teams until they managed to complete their assigned duties. It was a day later that Colonel Carter and her team managed to finish the programming of the MALP. She called for Willow, who rushed over in coveralls with gloves, sleeves, and a face that was stained with grease from putting together the ground vehicle with two other engineers.
"Ma'am?" asked Willow as she watched the MALP on the ground while Colonel Carter was standing next to a table with a laptop on top. One of the engineers was working on the laptop while the Colonel was holding onto a large remote control which has a five-inch screen in the middle. Willow stood next to the blonde woman who said that the device was finally ready. The Colonel turned it on while Willow was standing next to her, and the redhead watched the MALP roll forward while the view from the camera on the controller remained steady.
The Colonel then pressed a button that enabled the camera on of the 'equator' of the device to travel horizontally. The Controller showed a wide angled three-hundred-and-sixty-degree scan of the surrounding area, the software having picked up three life signs; Willow, the Colonel, and the technician who were outside the large metallic building behind them. The scan also show four other people in the building working to build the vehicle.
Colonel Carter then pressed another button and another camera swung up to the sky while the camera on the 'equator' moved back to the front. The screen on the controller then split into two, one showing the view in front of the MALP, and the other view showing the sky, and then they saw themselves standing upside down. The view on the camera automatically changed the image right-side up, while the other camera moved around.
However, the device was unable to examine the air quality, or the amount of light present, and a few other important environmental vitals.
"We still have to work on the other sensors," said the Colonel as she deactivated the device, which went automatically into stand-by mode, "and then we'll send the MALP out into the wilderness on an informational gathering mission. Let's see what we find."
"Cool," Willow said after giving the Colonel a high five.
"How's the… what you calling it? The Groundhog?"
"X-101," Willow proudly said, "Groundhog class, All Terrain Buggy."
"We've got our guys setting up the obstacle course two miles from here," said the Colonel while Willow nodded her head. "You ready?"
"Oh yeah," she said nodding her head.
"Alright," the Colonel said, "I'll get the sensors ready while you fix up the Groundhog."
Willow then nodded her head before heading back into the building while lowering the pair of clear goggled that were around her head. Eventually, the MALP was sent on a predetermined course four hours later to a dense jungle six kilometres away. The Colonel, Willow, and everyone else watched at the MALP rolled on its own, while recoding the sights and sounds around it, to a waypoint… and then turn around and head back to home base. However, the device went off course several minutes later, and went two kilometre's away from its starting point. The Colonel tried to change the route of the device, but nothing was working, so once the MALP stopped, Colonel Carter left with two others to retrieved the MALP.
It would be after some examinations that it was discovered the guidance and GPS systems were disabled because of the MALP shaking when it rolled on the ground.
"Catalogue everything," the Colonel told her team of two technicians, "and then we're repeating this phase."
The next day, in a vast grassy clearing three miles away, the technicians had already set up various obstacles in a section to the east of base camp. Nearby was a tent that contained a few paramedics from the SGC in case Willow was injured. The first test had to do with the durability, speed, agility, and the workability of the new vehicle in a real situation. And then the second test would involve the accuracy of the on-board weapons, and the final test was a test around a partly dry and party muddy track. Once those tests were successful the vehicle would then be tested under fire; but only if the tests were a success… or else they would have to repair any defects. The main responsibilities of the X-101's were for exploration, search and rescue, and guarding the Tau'ri off-world bases. The vehicle was specifically designed for travel through a wormhole in the event that teams under fire needed a quick response without placing rescue teams in danger.
The vehicle was a single seater with an engine powered by an experimental naquada fuel cell that had been designed in Area 51. The chassis was made of a light-weight but tough alloy so that the driver would be able to roll it back to an operating position should it ever topple over, the frame was a composite material that would hold back plasma bursts form staff weapons; both Goa'uld and Ori. There was a windshield that was bullet proof- to protect the drive. The method of primary defence was a shield similar to those available on the second-generation F-302. In addition, there were enhanced suspension systems, all-terrain tyres, a digital dashboard, brake and accelerator pedals, and an automatic gearbox.
As for weapons, the X-101 Groundhog had four experimental plasma repeaters based on the Kull armour designs; two were attached to swivelling turret points on the left and right side panels of the vehicle, its barrels just above the wheel guards. Another two were located on the roof rack, together with two high powered lights. The weapons were controlled by a helmet based on current Earth technology that enabled the weapons on board to track the eye sight of the driver behind the steering wheel. The head mounted display on the helmet would show the vehicle's shield power, it had night-vision, and could target any enemy within three hundred meters thanks to sensors embedded throughout the frame.
Willow had been designing this for a few months ever since Colonel Carter said that Area 51 had developed an experimental power cell using naquada as the source. And now it was time to test the power cell, and the vehicle.
"You ready?" Colonel Carter asked after Willow changed into a fireproof flight suit. She nodded her head before entering the Groundhog, and then strapped herself into the harness. Willow then grabbed the steering wheel and looked up at the Colonel who asked the other technicians to get the MALP ready since it was going to be following Willow the entire way. It would be a test of the MALP's tracking software; it should be vale to track the speed of the vehicle, it's distance from making sharp turns, or if there were any visible damage to the frame, and the vitals of the driver. She told Willow's technicians to begin gathering data on the Groundhog, "keep an eye on the naquada power cell. If it starts deviating from the maximum rating Area 51 provided us with, I want to remotely shut down the engines."
"Understood," said the technicians before the Colonel turned to Willow who was handed the helmet, "Willow, understood?"
"Yes," she said before putting her helmet on, and then lowering the visor. "Test drive of X-101 Groundhog is a go."
"Give me vitals in the vehicle," said the Colonel as Willow pressed a button and the vehicle hummed to life while another young woman opened the doors that led to a bright sunny day.
"Power Cell is green, suspensions are green, weapons are green, tyre pressure is good, structural integrity is good, shield generator is good," said one of the technicians while Willow smiled under her helmet as she looked at the HUD that showed her the same statistics.
"The Major's blood pressure is… well, above normal," said one of the technicians who looked back at the Colonel Carter standing next to him. She nodded her head saying that Willow was just excited before going onto say that her breathing was normal. It would be a few minutes later that the Colonel spoke into a microphone that was connected to the redhead's helmet.
"You are a go, Willow."
"And I'm gone," said Willow as she pressed down on the accelerator and the vehicle shot out while Willow screamed in joy. "This is fast!" Willow was giggling as she drove… dirt and soil rising into the air as she spend along while the MALP followed her. She would laugh when she drove aver a grassy rise, and the Groundhog would hang in the air for a few seconds before landing. She would bounce in the seat, and then repeat it a few more times on the way to the obstacle course with the MALP close behind.
It was two hours later, two hours of pushing the Groundhog to the maximum while the MALP took readings, that an alarmed technician turned to the Colonel and said that the MALP was detecting a power spike from the naquada fuel cell.
"What?" asked the Colonel before looking at the concerned faces of the technician on the computer that were monitoring the Groundhog.
"Ma'am," one of them said, "we're showing all green."
"The MALP's power cell is showing another power spike.. and… and it's increasing!"
"Willow!" yelled the Colonel into the microphone, "stop the Groundhog and get out of there, now!"
"Ma'am?" asked Willow as she listened to the concerned Colonel while looking at the HUD display telling her that everything was alright. She turned the steering wheel sharply, causing the vehicle to slide to the left before she hit harder ground and then pressed down on the accelerator and drove another lap around the track, "Colonel, I'm showing all green."
"Deactivate the Groundhog!" yelled the Colonel as the power spike increased, the power cell's energy output was going over its rated performance. The Colonel pointed at one of the technicians and ordered him to cut the power remotely. The blonde officer stood in stunned silence as the technician pressed buttons but nothing happened.
The technicians told the paramedics to run for cover while others tried to run diagnostics on the vehicle.
"Willow… Willow?!" the Colonel yelled as the communication was suddenly cut while the paramedics yelled that they were running as fast as they could away from the obstacle course. From her end, Willow felt heat emanating from behind her… even through the suit. She quickly stopped the Groundhog, and the looked behind her as the Colonel's voice crackled in her helmet once again. Willow saw that the engine was bright red, and releasing waves of heat that started to melt the surrounding metal. Willow then quickly released the harness, got up, and then had one foot on the grass when there was a loud 'boom'.
"Contact the SGC!" yelled the Colonel after she saw the explosion, the shockwave having utterly destroyed the MALP as well. She felt the ground shake as she rushed out and saw a column of black smoke in the distance. "Oh no."
Willow threw up a telekinetic shield around her at the last possible moment. It protected her against the brunt of the explosion, but the shield fell after a second. She was knocked unconscious by the force of the blast hitting her shield, and the feedback into her mind caused her to lose consciousness, and thus she lost her shield. She wasn't aware of when she fell onto the ground meters away from the explosion, nor was she aware that a long metal piece had gone through her femur while she was in mid-air.
It would be a few minutes later that two of the paramedics used fire extinguishers to put out the fire from the mangled wrack, while the third was checking on Willow. He told a very concerned Colonel Carter, who was running toward them, that Willow was unconscious but alive, "but her pulse is weak, her breathing's shallow, and she's bleeding from various cuts. They're already starting to heal, but she needs an operating room to get this shrapnel that's gone through her leg. I… I think it went straight through the femur."
"Got it… SGC's med team is on the way. And so am I!"
TBC.