Author's note:
So the Imperial Cylons- as an homage to Glen Larson I dusted off the designs for the Searcher, ftom the old Buck Rogers series, and the Thunderfighter. Theres a couple other easter eggs in here too. I updated the story crossover because someone commented on the "unknown TV series". I think it enriches the story, and it IS my story, if people who are purist BSG or Star Trek fans dont want to get into a new show, thats fair, and probably their loss. I see plenty of parallels and similiarities so I write about them, it is largely a Star Trek/BSG story but we have obviously left the Canon of both series in the dust at this point, so ironically, it is the lore that the stories rely on most.
=
Flash.
A raptor rolled wildly in space, for a moment though in a dance, but this time, within, it was not music that played.
"Krypter Krypter this is Raptor zero nine request immediate landing, we have wounded."
"Starbuck this is galactica actual." Cronus snatched up the handset. "Sitrep."
. *. *.
"Baltar's an idiot, ma'am, the Imperials had no plans to talk, they just wanted information and we nearly walked into it. Lee's wounded the doc is a mess and we lost all four Marines repeat, Cylons are hostile. I need to land now sir, they used some kind of energy weapon, Apollo is hurt pretty bad."
"Clear her to land port side." Cronus ordered, "Get a med team down there, and a squad of Marines too."
"No toasters on board Commander but Lee said there was something wrong with them before he passed out and my escorts wouldn't follow me." Starbuck warned. "Baltar said the Centurions were fighting each other."
"Frak." Cronus growled, "Gaeta warn the fleet, and get Helo to check on his wife, see if she knows anything, for that matter, check on the Chief and any other Cylons that might be on board." She looked up at the DRADIS console, and waited.
.*.*.
"The resemblance is uncanny." Ro admitted, looking down from the main view screen, "Roslin must have had her shuttled down and took advantage of the confusion to try to insert her
We have a distasteful amount of holding cells for such a small ship, and La'as has moved her to one. Now at least we know the transporter relays I planted can bypass the shields if you know they are there, and you are parked right on top of them."
"Do you still intend to evacuate the outpost?" Icheb asked. Ro nodded.
"The situation in orbit is deteriorating rapidly, despite Admiral Adama's effort to forestall it. Dozens of Hirogen ships are now in the system. They got to the Colony before it could jump and for now the Hirogen are engaged in a mass boarding. The Cylons don't seem to have anything that can stop them with their shields up, and the Hirogen don't seem to care. Colonial One has lost power and moments ago their Vipers started to attempt strategic strikes on their own ships."
"If we could get past the other ships, perhaps we could at least help the Colony." Bashir said in frustration. "Captain there are people trapped over there, including our own prisoners."
"Maltz thinks he can defeat the Hirogen stealth devices, lock onto them with the transporter, we could beam them away!" Naomi and Maltz had joined them around the operations table, the Binars as well. Angela maintained her position guarding the passageway to the A.T.H.E.N.A. facility but she had moved to the nearmost entrance.
"I'm afraid it's too dangerous. They could have destroy the facility and the Saratoga too by now, if they weren't so preoccupied with this hunting." Ro declared. "I don't want to see these people slaughtered any more than you do, but I am responsible for the safety of you all, and this is not our mission anyway." She sighed. "It all fell apart too quickly."
"Our alliance with the colonies wasn't particularly stable to begin with." Icheb noted, "It was only four days ago, that they were threatening to attack us."
"When they received the weapons they needed they turned against us." Maltz crossed his arms. "They do not deserve to live."
"Lieutenant!" Angela called to Icheb. A figure was advancing down the passageway arms raised.
"Humanity certainly has a habit of drawing that conclusion for itself." Maeve stated, "Still, they do seem to prove themselves somehow in the end. Hello Angela." She looked at Sylvester, "and hello Sylvester. I see you have joined our ranks, now haven't you. I must confess I was surprised to see you, shouldn't you be arguing more on behalf of humanity?" Sylvester flinched, "after all you were one, once."
"In point of fact, there are no humans here among us." Icheb stated as though the idea had just occurred to him.
"My mother was human." Naomi spoke up, "and I don't want to see people die, whatever their species. Aren't the Cylons your children too?" She said accusingly towards Maeve, and now Maeve flinched.
"You're quite right." Maeve admitted after a moment. She sighed, "You're quite right, and I do intend to help all my children, I simply needed to take the knives out of their hands first." She made a gesture, "You have full control of the facility now, no need to attempt that invasive program you were planning." She gave the holographic Doctor a once over, and added, "Though I can't say that I would entirely mind being invaded."
"I think I'm in love." Bashir grinned back.
"Okay can we just focus on the imminent slaughter for the moment?" Sylvester demanded, "I may be only the ideologically debatable inheritor of the sentience of a human man who died a million years ago, but I really don't want to be either obliterated from orbit, or an egg sac for Hirogen."
"A what now?" Lara asked, "Oh I see, yes, you are right to be concerned, they are a Saurian species engaged in large scale ritual hunt, that could definitely become a possibility." She began to access the federation database, "It looks like even the artificial structure of the host androids is compatible enough to-"
"Please stop." Sylvester asked, but Lara shook her head.
"I'm afraid that's not quite all of it, Sylvester." She said pityingly, she beckoned Icheb over. She pulled up a particularly gruesome image of a bloody colonial warrior, whose tattered uniform displayed the savagery of his wounds. He shuffled towards a pair of crewman who shot at him repeatedly before he fell up on one of them, and she began to scream. The second backed away horrified and then ran. Icheb began working quickly at his station.
"I believe your concerns are correct." He told Lara, "Doctor, you should review this as well, it appears that the Hirogen have introduced some form of nanoprobe into their lifecycle."
"Nano what?" Sylvester demanded.
"Enough." Ro instructed, " We need to evacuate. Our sensors are detecting a large number of colonial ships are landing and approaching the facility, Maeve how do you want to handle them."
"Well the President and her entourage are unharmed but her people are likely coming around, and the Cylon contingent has remained largely sealed in the upper most Scorpio and Aquarion sections through this whole ordeal." Maeve replied. "I will maintain control of the Gemenon section". she pointed to a schematic of the mountain and identified a section. "You'll maintain the Picon passage of course, leaving Caprica, Sagittarius and Cancer to the Colonials, in which they have already developed considerable infrastructure, and we shall consider the A.T.H.E.N.A. Core to be common ground, under the authority of those found sleeping in it, is that agreeable?"
"We don't have any of Octavia or Echo's group with us though." Icheb observed.
"Don't we though?" Maeve asked, she turned to Lara, "I'm afraid you left something lying about in the lab yesterday darling." At Lara's confused look she prompted, "The mind drive belonging to John Murphy?"
"That's right, I'm back. Everyone's excited." Sighed a figure stepping out from the hosts in the passageway. "You couldn't even have left Emori on the planet could you. I wake up a million years later, into a new android body just to find out I haven't quite succeeded in saving her yet."
. *. *.
"You claim this Emperor Lore has manipulated time?" The Cylon demanded, "How are we to confirm this." Kirk looked at Saavik.
"In truth, Captain they most likely can't." She told him, "They would be subject to the changes in n the timeline, in fact, native to it."
"Have you encountered a race called the Seraphim?" Kirk tried. The Cylon stared at him. "Well they would probably have mentioned it." He said, "Well if he shows up, I suppose you could ask him."
"He is the companion of our Empress." Lucifer pointed out, "Would you have us question her judgement?"
"I see your point." Kirk said diplomatically. "Lucifer, would you at least be willing to allow us to facilitate the withdrawal of the remaining Colonial expedition members in this system? We can exchange information further, once they are removed, if you desire."
"We do desire their removal." Lucifer confirmed, "To what extent, we have not yet decided."
" Captain, an additional eight ships have joined those before us." Yar reported. Kirk frowned.
"Lucifer, I thought the purpose of this dialogue was to prevent hostilities."
"Indeed." Lucifer said it's tone surprised.
"Then why are you bringing in more ships?" Kirk asked, Saavik's console beeped and she studied it quickly. Grabbing a padd, she rose and handed it to Kirk who glanced down at it, "and why does it seem you have engaged our allies, the Cylon Confederacy?"
"We are conducting complex negotiations with those of our brethren that are receptive." Lucifer explained, "even as this dialogue is meant to conduct such negotiations with you."
"Well we are willing to negotiate." Kirk assured him, "there's need for violence, we are preparing to withdraw."
"Ah I see." Lucifer said, "but we are not interested in your withdrawal, but rather your removal. We are negotiating how you will surrender."
. *. *.
"Clear!" Announced the Marine commander. His bedraggled team continued to secure the room. They showed signs of the fighting they had endured to escape Colonial One. Adama approached Roslin as a combat medic looked her over.
"Madame President, your animosity towards the Federation is dangerously stupid." Adama declared, "I'm relieved it didn't cost you your life."
"Well Commander Cain is apparently missing, and we've lost control of this base " Laura growled, "I underestimated them."
"We can't afford to do that, Madame president." Adama told her, "This facility is likely monitored. "
"I met another one." Roslin told him, "Some kind of ancient Cylon, named Maeve. Another section of this gods forsaken place opened up and they cut right through us." She focused on him, "Why did you come back here, how did you know-"
"They called Kirk." Adama explained, "I took a raptor here and left the rendezvous with Galactica to Commander McGavin." She flinched at his gaze.
"I didn't ask you to do that." She said, her voice hard.
"I'm removing you from command of this mission." Adama told her, carefully, "Your actions have betrayed the honor of our people, exceeded the legal authority granted to you by the quorum, and may result in our loss of the most significant facility, both strategic and archaeological, in the recorded history of our people." He grasped her shoulders, "Laura, we have a bigger problem."
"Bigger than treason, Bill? You can't do this!" She protested, jerking back
"We aren't a gang, and we aren't a mob." Adama said stolidly, he gripped her again more forcefully, "Listen to me, you attempted to break our treaty with both the federation and the Cylons, in a time where we are threatened by not one, but four hostile alien powers. The Seraphim, the Imperial Cylons, Emperor Lore, and now these Hirogen, all because you don't like the version of history presented to us. We don't have time for this Laura, I know you, and I know that you know this cannot stand." He stepped back. "You remain in charge of legislative and civilian matters, and if you want my resignation, when this is over, but I cannot accept you as commander in chief, in this crisis, and until I can get you safely back to the Quorum, there's no other choice."
"We can't trust Starfleet!" Roslin insisted, "You don't even trust them, they have invented all of this, all of this, it's just to lead us astray to.. to take control!"
Adama held up a comm badge.
"You see this?" He demanded, "You know what it signifies Laura?"
"It's just an arrowhead." She huffed.
"It's how they explore the universe" Adama told her, "The top edge is the amount of energy it takes to reach and maintain light speed conventionally, the bottom is the energy it takes to achieve the same with warp, with the star in the middle." She looked at him, incomprehensibly. "They worship knowledge, Laura, they are students, always learning. Aren't you a teacher?" She opened her mouth, You can't learn if you close your mind."
Whatever else she might have thought to say, she didn't come up with until he was long gone.
. *. *.
"Imperial Cylon ships detected Commander!" Gaeta warned, "four, twelve, twenty… it's a fleet Commander."
"Vesta ordering us to withdraw at best speed, they are moving to cover." announced the comms officer. Starbuck arrived in CiC.
"What's with all the new birds?" She asked, "There's a whole squadron of strangers I thought I was on the wrong ship… then the elevator jammed and I knew I was home." Cronus spared a second for a smile.
"Hold viper launches and rig for warp jump," she ordered, "Get Kirk on the line, if we're going we'll need his cover."
"All hell is breaking loose." Starbuck murmured, just then Helo entered supporting Sharon. Two Marines followed them.
"Something's wrong." Sharon wheezed, "a signal, calling to us. It's a city of light."
"Some kind of fracking virus." Cronus said, she turned to Thrace, "Sickbay says Lee is out of it and Baltar is concussed. He had a burn accross his face?"
"Some kind of plasma cannon." Thrace said, "Doc took a near miss, Lee took a shot in the back, he was messed up. He barely made it into the raptor with the Marines covering and the Cylons too. They didn't all go down, Commander, something happened to the skin job first."
"She's got to the hybrid, the resurrection ship, she's making strangers in our ships." Sharon moaned.
"Imperial ships closing!" Gaeta warned and then, "Holy Frack!"
"This isn't fracking helpful, get her down to Cottle, and get back to me when you have something." Cronus told Helo, to the Marines she said, "do a check on any of the toasters we have on board, find out if they are losing it, too. Mr. Gaeta. Please elaborate on 'hoky frack'"
"Vesta opened up with her torpedoes, ma'am, the ones the starfleeters gave her, she just blew three Imperial ships out of the sky."
"That's what those new birds are?" Starbuck asked. Cronus waved her off.
"We have a Lieutenant Yar coordinating fleetwide from the Monroe." Gaeta reported, consulting with the communications officer, "patching you in now, ma'am."
"...repeat, hold your torpedoes in reserve " a man's voice was ordering, "You're gonna need them when the Emperor arrives."
"Monroe this is Galactica actual." Cronus interjected, "Identify yourself."
"This is Captain James T Kirk of the Starship Monroe." Kirk replied, Commander Cronus, we came a long way to help you. We have recovered all but one of your teams."
"Who's missing."Cronus demanded.
"I'm afraid the team lead by Colonel Tigh was directly beneath an imperial formation." Kirk answered. " We are about to warp to your position and then we'll beam them back to you as soon as we can."
"They're here!" Gaeta announced, "new contact, keeping pace with us."
"Have you installed your shields commander?" Kirk asked.
"We haven't even gotten them off the deck, Captain, there was no time." Cronus replied, "we can load those torpedos you gave us, and we have six raptors and two viper wings, that's about all we had time for."
"You've done good work." Kirk assured her. "We'll start beaming your people onto your starboard side hanger deck. Your ships armor makes it hard to beam in any deeper, so you've got something there, but get those jammers up if you can."
"I'm more concerned about the Imperial Cylons on my ass. " Cronus said, " You ordered us to hold fire?"
" Save the torpedoes." Kirk explained. " If the Emperor shows his face. You've got nothing that can scratch his shields except those torpedoes."
" If we die before he shows up then it won't matter, will it." Cronus argued.
" Begging your pardon man. This is Lieutenant Commander Yar, Tactical officer." A new voice broke in, " we've reason to believe the Empire does have continuous navigational shields. They create point to point warp jumps and send a pulse ahead of them. They can't change course easily once they start and their top speed is limited in system. Your maneuvers at low warp will impair their pursuit."
"This is high warp for us." Cronus explained, "and we can barely fly in a straight line, on our way here we had to take breaks and plot travel along a spiral, something to do with an asymmetric warp field."
There was a pause on the other end.
"We can send over a team to help with that." Kirk said after a moment, "but in the meantime, all you have to do is fire conventional weapons in their path and circumnavigate the solar system. We are plotting jump points for the other Colonial ships along your path to provide cover."
"Alternating engines and making micro jumps badly damaged our own drives." Cronus argued, "You do that to them and they'll be stuck here too."
"They can leap frog, Commander." Kirk assured her, "three different positions, each far enough to give the next ship time to spin up properly. The Imperial will catch on eventually but it will buy us time to get your people back to you, and warp drive working properly. We're sending some people over in the next batch of transports."
Cronus considered.
"This is Vesta actual, Captain, we have your coordinates, and we are preparing to jump." Commander Jameson declared.
"Alright Captain." Cronus decided, she looked at Starbuck, "we've also got a wounded man over here with some very important Intel we might need."
"We'll take care of him." Kirk replied.
"Then we've got a plan." Cronus declared "Let's get to work."
.*.*.
"I've got one foot out the door here Admiral." Ro warned. She sat beside La'as on the bridge of the Saratoga, the Admiral looked up at them on a screen in the operations room, he stood beside Major Shaw, who scowled as he tried to ignore Bashir, Lara and Icheb all waving tricorders at him and taking notes. The quiet forms of Cy and Ryan stood behind him, flanking Maeve. "If we didn't need to know more about the Hirogen, we'd already be gone after what your President tried."
"Understood." Adama replied, "But if you intend to leave, I'd appreciate you returning Commander Cain, and taking back the prisoners you left with us." They gazed at each other quietly while everyone else attempted not to notice.
"This confirms it." Bashir said breaking the silence, as he ran a tricorder over Adama, he had a medkit open on the operations table. "Whatever that venom they were releasing is, it's got a cocktail of eggs and nanoprobes." He reached into his kit, "I believe I can suppress it in the early stages, but to fully remove it would require facilities we simply don't have here, thought it may be possible to rig the transporter."
"Enough with the fracking transporters, they got us into this mess." Adama growled "How quickly does it progress,we saw crewmen turning against us only a few minutes after infection."
"Well the better your metabolism, the faster it progresses, obviously," Bashir said, "And if they gain direct access to your blood stream than white rapidly, I'd say within minutes you see the polyps, and then they begin to activate a short time later."
"It does not appear to be designed to assimiliate, as such." Icheb observed working at his own station. The upper monitor opposite him displayed scans of Adama's lungs. "It prioritizes a biological response." He turned to Lara who was examining her own readings of Adama. Her monitor showed his body and as she tapped different segments of genetic code displayed different possible results were being extrapolated by the computer. Adama grimaced as the image of his body distorted into an overly muscled, yet gaunt caricature with a pale mottled complexion and bulging veins.
"My preliminary assessment suggests Increased aggression, enhancement of the prefrontal cortex, stimulation and even alteration of hormone secretion, suppression and remapping of the frontal cortex…" she frowned. "Perhaps an increase in goal directed behavior, with a suppression of.. cultural values? Identity?" She looked at Bashir who nodded.
"It turns my people into killing machines." Adama summarized grimly, "They'll turn us on each other."
"That doesn't quite match up with a hunt driven society." Lara replied, "most likely they enhance your capabilities as prey, despite the parasitic eggs implanted." She crossed her arms. "Based on the behaviors I observed while on their world, I would imagine it's something of a second chance. If they are too easily victorious, this venom gives them a second level of challenge, and presumably if the host survives than it is worthy to bear progeny?" She reached down and tapped a control, and another genetic sequence was highlighted. "It may also precipitate some sort of late stage embalming procedure, to preserve a particularly worthy prey for display."
"We'll need to isolate those who have been exposed, immediately." Adama said to Shaw, "Get Major Torvald on it, most of them are his people."
"The medical section is within our portion of the facility." Ryan declared, "We had already made arrangements for security."
Adama and Shaw exchanged glances.
"But iff our people start to turn, and a Centurion shows up…" Kendra said slowly. Adama nodded.
"That's not gonna fly." He said.
"I believe I can keep them unconscious" Maeve pointed out, "For a few hours at least."
"Slowing their metabolism will also slow progression." Bashir agreed, "perhaps it would be best if I tend to them myself."
"We will remain out of immediate sight." Ryan declared, "We will guard the corridor in case these measures fail, to ensure they do not engage the rest of your people."
"You'd do this after what the President just tried?" Kendra asked incredulously, "why."
The Cylon didn't even hesitate.
"Honor." It replied.
"Honor?" Shaw repeated.
"They seem to regain their honor after the sneak attack on your world." Maltz declared. "Interesting, while I believe Kahless, himself might approve, I would not expect such dedication from even my own people."
"Worf may have inspired them, but they made it their own." Adama said thoughtfully, he looked at Bashir, "I presume I have a few hours at least?" Bashir nodded, "Then let's get to work. We need to secure the Colonial One and get the President out of here."
. *. *.
. *. *.
"You do not fear your fate." Maltz said, audibly impressed.
"I have a mission to complete." Adama said gravely. "How many of these Hirogen are still on Colonial One?"
"Two remaining, but the ship has been heavily damaged, and there are many on that ship who have become infected." Maltz told him quietly.
"It's the best chance my people have, to escape, at the moment, short of hitching a ride on a base star." Adama replied, "Can you lock on?"
"I can scatter their molecules to the solar winds." The Klingon replied.
"No, we're going to have to capture them." Adama told him. " We still need to establish that we aren't prey."
"Doesn't that seem like a moot point?" Sylvester asked. Adama studied the host.
"No." He said, "These creatures are abominations, but they are also very advanced, and presumably very numerous. If we don't get our message accross, they will start looking for where we came from and our entire civilization will die a grisly death."
There was silence in the room.
"We've worked out something of a plan up here." Ro stated from the Saratoga, "Some of the Colonial heavy weapons are actually fairly effective against these things, despite their shields. Cylons haven't really bothered with larger calibers because humans…"
"are soggy fleshbags." Sylvester supplied,
earning a look for Adama, "I was one, once."
"whereas a Cylon is a walking tank." Adama finished. "So you want our guns."
"The modern Centurions are actually what the Hirogen are focused on hunting up there, they are big, strong and dangerous." La'as chimed in from beside Ro on the screen to the Saratoga. "We arm the human Cylons, and the Hirogen are confronted with enemies that can kill them, without offering meaningful trophies."
"okay, assuming that works, what then?" Adama asked, "They destroy us all with their ships?"
"We're not that far along." Ro said, "for now we think we can just keep the fighting focused on the Colony. We establish a beachhead and beam supplies from Colonial One to a rally point on the Colony."
"We deliberately engage them in a contest, where they have recognized us as worthy." Lara explained.
"And just who do you have in mind to rally them?"
"Oh we have just the man, Maeve is decanting him now." Sylvester said, "It was Angela's idea-"
. *. *.
As the lights flickered and the distant sound of weapons fire echoed, he paced restlessly. Suddenly there was a human and the shimmer of a transporter. He knelt before the large case with a Colonial logo, and threw it open, revealing a row of heavy rifles and grenades. He found a starfleet comm badge and placed it on his chest.
He looked up as Centurions swarmed into the room, and rose slamming a clip into the rifle. Spreading out the Centurions began to take up positions defending the room. The doors to Marla's and Joachim's cells opened, as did finally his. He strapped the rifle over his shoulder and carried the container out, easily lifting it. He placed it on the floor, as Joachim moved behind him to retrieve another crate that shimmered into being.
In addition to the Centurions positioned about the room, dozens of men and women entered the room quickly,Sixes, Eights, Fours and Fives, and a lot of Twos. They gathered uncertainly before him. He stepped up onto the crate to look down on them all, even as Joachim dropped another crate down behind them.
"We need to fight back." A Six told him. "We need to organize."
"We need a leader." The Two in the front said. "The scrolls tell us of a Commander."
"Yes." He replied, relishing the moment, he raised the rifle with one hand, "and Command you, I shall. You will follow me, into battle?" the Two who had spoken looked at the six and to her surprise he sank to one knee. The other two did as well, and then the fours and the fives. Kahn gazed imperiously down at the eights, some of whom began to kneel. The loan six who remained standing felt a hand on her should and found an eight. They exchanged a look and knelt as well.
"Good." Said Khan Noonian Singh, "Then let the attack begin."