Chapter XVII

Book II

'Together Again0or Not'

UCW Territory

Colonial Expedition Fleet

"Admiral, Condition One, set."

Vipers and raptor gunships poured out of the battlestars. DRADIS scans increased significantly and weapons went hot. The Admiral fully expected a concerted retaliatory attack by several basestars with heavy raider support at any moment. He fully expected the little lizard ship not to be of much help. So, he did what any experienced commander would do. He prepared for a battle; one he'd been expecting for more than a year. The admiral didn't believe that the puny ships, and to him they were puny despite their rather high-power readings would be of very little use when the battle actually started. He would prevail and he swore that his fleet would defend itself and Earth as necessary whether they liked it or not.

"Doctor Jackson, in order to protect my ships and crew, I need details on enemy forces and location," he ordered. One look at him by Jackson show that he expected Jackson to jump at his command.

Jackson sighed as he took off his glasses. "An hour ago, our forces encountered three Cylon capital class warships and opened communications with them. The Cylons fired on our forces who returned fire and destroyed one warship. The other two jumped and escaped. A small taskforce tracked their ships and eliminated their forces. The Cylon forces consisted of seventeen ships. Twelve capital-class warships, one large troop carrier, two supply/ fuel ships, one refueler and what we believe was a mining vessel. All the support vessels were destroyed. Nine of the capital star-shaped ships were destroyed. The last three were severely damage. They have surrendered and are under UCW control. The robots are separated from the humanoids and are under guard. They are apparently intelligent AI and are aware that it they show any signs of hostility whatsoever, they will all be destroyed."

"Impossible," Kunningham said, not willing to believe what he'd just heard. "Cylons don't surrender and what do you mean by humanoid…"

His word dropped off as his mind put the pieces together. He said Humanoids, not Humans. The Cylons had collaborators likely controlled by some type of mind controlling implants. Human variations; and his blood ran cold as he thought of the implications. How could the Cylons have captured humans and then made them into slaves to do their bidding? There could be thousands of compromised people running around the Colonies, doing the gods know what.

This man was claiming that the Cylons were neutralized. Kunningham didn't know what words to say that wouldn't call the man a flat-out liar. If it was true, and he didn't really believe it, then they must have struck the cylons with overwhelming fire power and have somehow caught them by surprise. This was their territory and the possible that they could have caught the chrome domes unawares, but that lie about no losses was a dead giveaway.

If Jackson honestly believed what he was spewing, then the man was extraordinarily naïve. Or more likely, the Earth government was inflating its capability to impress the fleet and by extension Earth's stature to the Thirteen Tribes of Kobol. No government wanted to show signs of weakness to a foreign unknown party and Earth wasn't any different.

If the Cylons put up a fight, and he was certain they did, then weakness was something that the Terrans wouldn't want to show either to them or their elder cousins. That he could understand. However, claiming no losses bordered on diplomatic incompetence. Whoever told Jackson to report what was obviously an exaggeration should be fired and he pitied Jackson for having to say that.

One very isolated colony, trying to impress their senior long-lost relatives…amateurish.

"I need to confirm this. Where is the location that your battle took place?" he demanded. He didn't want to embarrass the Terrans but he needed confirmation one way or the other. Once the raptors got to the site, he would be in a position to better evaluate the situation and deal with the Cylon menace that had tracked his fleet like a ravenous dog pack.

"Were there any Cylon survivors? If so, we would be interested in analyzing the latest generation of the robots. Also, I would recommend to your military use extreme caution and destroy any remaining Cylons you have for your own safety."

Kunningham couldn't believe that he was saying that, neither could his crew. But, if, and he stressed the 'if' in his mind, they did beat the Cylons and had samples, he was more than interested in acquiring some for study.

But he had an obligation to alert them of the dangers in a way they could understand because he was certain they were underestimating the Cylons. That very ignorance was another her reason why he had his fleet at maximum readiness just in case the Cylons weren't as defeated as the Earthers were claiming.

"These are artificial intelligences that want nothing more than to wipe out Humanity. You have no experience dealing with such a threat. Cylons have the ability to infecting and compromising your computrons or computer systems if they can find a way in. There was an attempt by them to infiltrate our own systems. We discovered the treachery before they could exploit it," he said as if he were speaking to a child. "If your government chooses to study this threat, then we will be more than willing to assist in any way possible."

"Thank you for you offer of assistance, Admiral," Daniel Jackson answered in passable Caprican. "We have had experience with artificial intelligences before, several in fact." Jackson looked at the startled Admiral and ambassador. "We were forced two destroy two variations of replicators, one that tried to eat, or should I say consume everything in this galaxy and the second set tried to destroy humanity in their ultimate quest to ascend to a higher plane of existence like their creators."

Kunningham looked at him confused by what he was told. There were cylons that tried to 'eat' the galaxy and others that tried to wipe out humanity? The latter sounded very familiar, but ascension? Exactly what did he mean by that, and what were the treat potentials of these artificial intelligences to the Colonials? He needed that intel as soon as possible.

"So, yes. We are using precautions." Daniel paused for a moment as something came to him. "Admiral, when was the last time you had direct contact with the Cylons?"

That was somewhat of an abrupt change of conversation, but Kunningham let it go for the moment. If the toasters were to attack, then information was always useful. "Our last observation of the Cylons was almost fifty years ago. There was a war. Tens of millions of people died. Ten years ago, we came close to starting another war after we met you. We believe that the Cylons were panicking because the Thirteenth Tribe was discovered and would join us in our battle against them. We also found that there was a cylon created virus implanted in our computer systems. It was purged before it could activate. We believe was going to be used in conjunction with a sneak attack on the Colonies. That incident is just one of the reasons why we are so concerned for your people. They are very devious, and they will do everything in their power to destroy you if they can. Naturally, they will target and destroy all of the worlds of your UCW. We have been in a heightened state ever since. Hostilities haven't broken out between us and the Cylons but both sides are prepared if war does break out. This battle is the first major engagement big enough for our tribes to declare war against them. And again, I insist that you give us the coordinates of your battle with the Cylons."

"You're in a state of cold war with the Cylons, is that correct?" Jackson said, again ignoring the demands of the admiral much to the man's dismay.

The ambassador frowned as she tried to parsec his words. "I don't understand that term. Cold war?"

"A cold war is described as hostilities actions between two powers in every aspect but actual military combat," the Terran explained. "So, you haven't seen them since the first war?"

"That is correct. This is a 'cold war'," and the term had a certain appeal to him as it accurately described the Cylon-Colonial situation until now, "condition will change once we report their attack against you. By your first part question, I imagine they have changed somewhat from the original model we know of."

"Admiral, did your people have collaborators among the Colonials?"

Kunningham bristles a bit at that blunt question, but the question did have merit. There were a few who sided with the Cylons however the very question and the way in which Jackson phrased it made him suspicious. "By the way the question was phrased, their people must have found Human survivors, collaborators, or possibly unwilling slaves." He didn't like that inference because humans implanted with some form of controlling mechanism was an abomination and indicated that the Cylons had advanced far more than he would have wanted. He was disappointed but wouldn't be surprised but his admission made him angry. Willingly or unwillingly, they were traitors, traitors to the Colonies and to Humanity. "You found Human traitors on the Cylon ships," he growled. "I want your prisons. They will be brought to justice."

Daniel Jackson adjusted his glasses. He didn't need them now days since medicine derived from Ancient and Asgard medical technology had corrected his vision problem as well as slowed down his aging; however, they still felt comfortable and he wore them. "It's a bit more complicated than that. First, they are under our jurisdiction, not yours. Our prisoners surrendered to us. As such they are accorded certain rights under our laws. One of those rights is that they cannot be arbitrarily given over to their enemies."

Jackson was careful not to repeat the phrase POW because officially they weren't as the UCW wasn't in a state of war with the cylons threat. In the future that might change but he had to be careful.

Ambassador Isahan felt incensed. She felt the same way she knew the admiral and every other Colonial in the fleet felt about traitors to Humanity and she made her displeasure known to the Terran much to the admiral's satisfaction. "These people are Colonial citizens and they belong to us," she told him, trying to intimidate Jackson and whoever else was listening. Her almost legendary coolness under stress was failing and her temper was beginning to express itself. "Representative Jackson, those prisoners are a Colonial matter, not yours and we would appreciate them being turned over to us. It's a matter of upmost security for the Tribes of Kobol. Although the Apellai are our brothers and sisters, you don't understand our laws, as of yet. Those captured Colonials fall under our jurisdiction. The Articles of Colonization apply to all of us and we, as fellow humans must stick together as we look forward to our future. Allow us to handle this matter."

"No," Jackson countered politely. The answer infuriated the Colonials who were listening intently for his answer.

The ambassador wasn't fast enough to close her mouth as the shock of what he had just said hit her. The Admiral was just as surprised and looked furious at being denied his request in so casual a manner. Isahan was infuriated as well. She hadn't expected this type of abject refusal of what was a more than reasonable request so early in their meeting with their cousins.

This continual, isolationist attitude of theirs was becoming intolerable and the woman was beginning to concede that Kunningham had a better sense of these people than she. She wasn't a fool and understood that these new developments had knocked her off her game for than she had expected them to. In all honestly, she didn't expect such obvious resistance to her every entreaty of the last few hours. Her expectations about these people had changed dramatically.

Like so many others, she honestly believed the Earth people would have accepted their Colonial brethren with open arms. despite the original misunderstanding between them so long ago, it was generally believed that time would have calmed down lingering hostile feelings, and by coming to Earth, in the open and humbly, bearing gifts as was traditional when two tribes that were trying to open the lines of positive communication would pave the way for real talks.

It was said that she had a gift for maintaining her cool demeanor during difficult negotiations such as these. Her professionalism was believed to be essential in for this mission's success. At this moment she wished for a larger support staff. She wasn't just concerned for the mission but for the Admiral whose temper was flaring, more so with each frustration.

Admiral Kunningham was picked for this mission because he had a command presence that demanded respect even among his peers. That trait was believed to be an advantage when confronting his Earth counterparts. And he was aggressive, willing to take the extra step to accomplish this mission. His dynamic personality would be seen by Earth politicians as something to gravitate towards and respect. By Colonial decree, his was the final say so on all things military. This command extended to the Thirteenth Tribe whether they knew it or not, or so the Quorum had decreed. Until the Earthers officially accepted the Articles of Colonization, the lizards and Terrans had no say in what were essentially, Colonial matters. Surely the Earthers had some of their historical documents from Kobol and therefore had a basis of how government worked as they weren't that far removed from the original Kobollian Articles and by extension the Articles of Colonization. Or, had the experts been mistaken? Had the President, the Quorum the military, and dare she say herself, miscalculated things so badly?

The answer was all too obvious.

During the planning stages of the mission, there were two factions opposed to one another in the way the Earther should be approached. One faction believed that the Thirteenth would forgive the previous contact and accept their brothers and sisters in the way they all should have done in the first place. It was believed that because of their isolation and the discovery of their fellow tribes would urge them to accept and unite with one another with only few difficulties.

The opposing faction were convinced that the Thirteenth, being isolated for thousands of years were independent of the Tribes, not only by distance but by culture and time. Therefore, the Earth people or Apellai would not feel any need to rejoin their fellow tribes. They would consider themselves and independent nation and would resist any forced approach to rejoin their brethren unless they chose to do it themselves. The argument was that they would not give up their independence so that they could unite with people they didn't know and were so far away that it would take a year just to travel to their world.

Both sides agreed that Earth was less advanced than the Colonies, with less resources and resources and in the end, they would agree to rejoin their brethren. It was the approach that caused the harshest disagreements. The ambassador was beginning to believe that the critics were correct in their assertions about the Thirteenth Tribe. They were too independent and believed themselves far above their station. Jackson's next words pulled her back to the present.

"These people are not under your authority unless you have clones in your society. By your definition these prisoners are not Colonial but Cylons. As I said before, they surrendered to us and we will interview using our methods."

"They are clones?' asked the Admiral. His mood darkened more. "They're not real humans."

This was almost too much for the admiral. He hadn't liked the implications of traitors in the Colonies in the first place, and didn't believe could get worse. Now, he knew better and if true, then the Colonies could already be compromised with those things running around pretending to be humans. Who knew what kind of damage they had already done? This was a nightmare. They couldn't even contact her superiors as they were a year away from any kind of communication. They were truly on their own.

Like the others, Kunningham was stunned by the words of Jackson and his claims. Was that man trying to say that Cylons had somehow created Humanoid versions of people? The ambassador had come to the same conclusions and the implications were staggering. It changed everything. Those abominations needed to be interrogated as soon as possible and then exterminated like the filth they were. They were Cylon creations, not Humans, merely copies made by soulless machines. "Can you provide us with proof of your claims?" Kunningham asked while trying to rein in his temper.

"There are several types of these Cylon models, but lots of copies. Our initial observations and conversations with them, forces us believe that there are copies of these cylons infiltrating your planets. We don't know this for sure but it's a real possibility."

"When will we get access to these clones?" Kunningham gritted. He was doing his best to keep his voice calm, but he failed miserably. The Thirteenth Colony had no reason to make up such a lie. He believed the claims that those 'people' were clones no matter how bizarre it seemed. There were rumors about experiments performed on people captured by cylons during the last war. It was never proven but those rumors persisted for a little less than fifty years. With the prisoners now under UCW/Earth control, it appeared that there was now proof, and the Colonial fears were now realized.

"That isn't my decision to make. You will need to speak to my leaders when we get to our destination. Right now, our priority is to get your fleet to safety. The Cylons are not the only threat out here."

Kunningham was still incensed at the constant negative answers he kept receiving. "Not good enough, Doctor Jackson! As acting lead commander of the Thirteen Colonies of Kobol in this sector of space, I demand immediate access to those clones now!"

"Admiral, I don't believe that there is much you can do about it at this point. The prisoners are being cared for and taken to a secured area. I don't believe that you'll try to force us to give them to you," Jackson told him. "The UCW knows where you are and can track you quite easily. Admiral, you came here on a mission of would serve no purpose for you to try to force the issue which would defeat the purpose of you being here in the first place. Trying to order us through force of arms would be useless. Besides, your weapons aren't all that impressive."

Admiral Kunningham's very prominent veins turned an interesting shade of purple which clashed with his dark skin. "I beg to differ," he coldly responded.

Jackson appeared unconcerned with the admiral's not so subtle threat. "You should look at your scans of our ships again and reevaluate your opinions/ you seem to underestimate us. of us. A pissing contest isn't why we're here and it really doesn't serve a purpose. Two UCW ships will be arriving in about five minutes so I suggest that you start recalling your fighters. We don't want any incidents of friendly fire." Jackson's tone turned serious. "Pull your ships back, Admiral. The cylon threat is contained for now. The UCW is aware of your drive systems and ships. We can detect any Cylon or Colonial incursion within nine hundred light years in all directions." If anything, he was vastly underestimating the actual distance of the, as of yet unfinished array, but there was no need to tell them that. He gave them enough to draw their own conclusions.

"The UCW and Earth in particular are not under your jurisdiction or command, Admiral," Jackson shot back. "This was a problem during our first meeting with your people. Before any negotiations can proceed. I will make one thing clear to you. We are not your Thirteenth Tribe. If we decide to allow you access to the prisoners, we will tell you so.

From the reports written after the first contact with the Colonials, a lot of it written by Jackson and SG-1, they knew that this issue of control would likely rear its ugly head. Separated by four thousand years didn't matter to them. They believed that Earth was their Thirteenth Colony and was under their jurisdiction. The very idea was ludicrous, but they had no other reference to draw upon. This had to be nipped in the bud, otherwise it would come back to haunt them both.

Neither Earth nor the Colonies wanted that whether they knew it or not. In retrospect, he knew the real reasons why they were here. It came down to a need to connect to their own and of course, power. They were just like Earth.

"Admiral," continued Jackson, his voice was less harsh, a bit more conciliatory. "You came here in peace. We both know that that there will be differences between our people. You've come here offering gifts and your friendship, which we appreciate the thought. Let us continue trying to build on this peace gesture."

"Kunningham cut him off. "I agree completely. So, in the interests of peace, we would like immediate access to these prisoners and the Cylon mechanical units."

"No. I'm sorry. That won't happen."

The purplish vein in the middle of the Admiral's forehead was throbbing and large enough to be seen by anyone who dared look. "I…respectfully…demand that you transfer the prisoners," and here he spat the words for emphasis, "to my ship now! This is of utmost importance to all concerned." Daniel took off his glasses and stared at the screen. His eyes matched that of the Admiral's.

The Colonial ambassador could feel the tension increasing as the two glared at one another, each trying to do innate the other. This whole contact was worse than she had anticipated. These Earther people were more stubborn than any of her people had thought they would be. The Earth people had had some sort of civil war (something that most of the defense force and the Quorum had concluded was the root cause of the war they claimed to be fighting when they first arrived in Colonial space). There were a lot of questions that needed answering. Many of the Colonial Defense Forces wanted to know how the small ship got to Colonial territory in the first place and how fast were their ships. And exactly who were they fighting.

Theoretically, Earth, whether they won or lost a war of this magnitude would be resource stressed. They were only one world having maybe a colony or two somewhere nearby.

Reality was different. What they were seeing–what she was seeing, made her to drastically revise her estimation of the Thirteenth Tribe. Aliens were real and they were allied with Earth. There was an organization called the United Coalition of Worlds that Earth was a part of. They claimed to take out a Cylon fleet without difficulty. She wasn't sure about the ease in which they claimed they destroyed the fleet but if they did…

She wondered how many aliens were in the UCW and how would they react to her people. And just as importantly how would her people respond to them? This wasn't a small little world. what it was represented something they had never encountered before. She was unprepared for this scenario. In hindsight, her people should have anticipated this. Newly minted Presidents Goesel and outgoing Adar were convinced that a show of force and the offering of gifts from their cousin would be enough to start things off on a positive note.

For the second time in ten minutes, she was forced to admit that this mission turning out to be more difficult by the moment, a fact proven by Jackson's next words.

"Well, you can come to Earth, saving your fleet from possible destruction along the way I might add, and talk to my government. They may make a decision in your favor." Jackson really wondered if their mutual governments would come to an agreement with this attitude of theirs.

TBC