Record Keeping: Hello and Happy new Year everyone. And a great MLK day as well.

Just a quick note. Tyler Hoechlin, you are exactly correct. The records and data packs they got scanning the Achilles and Prometheus (and the Goa'uld Ha'taks were surface scans of the shields, not the hardware. The EA knew this, but the Abbai shielding was as close as they could get and was used as a starting point. The addition of the Tau'ri shield scans helped them to improve their own stolen shield understanding, and they were able to improve their own knowledge and strengthen their shields up to about 80% of what they originally knew about the Achilles and Tau'ri tech. But again, this is an entirely different technology. They have had 10 years to work on it (without Vorlon interference, I might add). As such, they are assuming that the 'primitive 'other Earthers', although they may have had some help with improving their technology, it had to be limited if not non-existent. This is Clark's fault. His attitude and micro-managing, and assumptions have screwed Earthforce's ability to take more time and study science more. As leader, his propaganda has literally pushed Earth alliance away from the other species. His attitude reflects what they believe the other Earth has followed. The original Consequences of Actions, reflect this.

There is another thing going on which I have hammered down in the AUOC series concerning the Herd Mentality. I believe this is a reflection of the Vorlon genetic tampering. Most of the B5verse humans and aliens cannot accept long-term, close association with 'aliens'. The tampering is group unity. I consider this to be the Vorlon version of keeping things in order among the races when it comes to continual contact with one another.

More on this in the other stories. But the bottom line (here) is that the Earth Alliance cannot even fully conceive of help from aliens. Something has to go wrong, which, in their case, makes it right. The amount of strength of this herd mentality varies, but it is present. BTW, the Colonials don't have this problem. Other factors are in play here.

Not that this would have helped as much as Clark could have hoped. As you stated, the Tau'ri have seriously advanced in everything and that will come as a very rude shock to everyone. The original shielding was bad enough. Ancient/Alteran shields were another animal altogether.

Now on with the story. We're going differently, in this and the next chapter!

Please have fun reading this as revelations abound.

AlbertG

Roads Paved in Shadows

Chapter 42

Home

Artic region, south Pole

"Being a prisoner on some alien planet with aliens on it is boring," Ravinia Six muttered to herself. There wasn't anything to do but to speak to her fellow brothers and sisters and watch Lizardian TV. The TV programs weren't that bad in and of itself and they were translated into Caprican standard. At least her people could understand what they were saying, although she had to get used to the accent. If she had not been a prisoner, she might have found it fascinating. This was a completely 'alien' culture in every sense of the word. Nevertheless, there were similarities that she could very easily relate to. The whole situation was surreal.

In trying to find the Thirteenth Colony (and remove it from the equation by killing them all), the Cylons had discovered two completely alien cultures. She was convinced that the Race was not some type of Thirteenth engineered genetic experiment, but a true alien, intelligent species capable of space flight and claiming to have a culture over a hundred thousand years and more. And insanely, they were associated with the Humans of this region and had gotten along with them! That prospect she had difficulty understanding. She couldn't imagine any intelligent species getting alone with Humans. They were all enslavers and killers. Colonial history was rife with examples of their ignorance and cruelty. It was well known that everything they touched, they destroyed. And they destroyed everything they didn't understand.

Then there was Lya, who almost looked human, but claimed to be an alien species not related at all to humanity. Ravinia Six believed her. So did Catherine. It was so fantastic. However, both species associated with humans and for the life of her, she couldn't understand why. It was so illogical knowing what Humanity was.

However, she didn't deny that the Earther world was beautiful. The Race had hundreds of videos of Earth, its culture and geological and life forms and historical data. And when she asked one of the guards about it, the creature answered, they were still learning about earth culture. It was fortuitous because the Cylons needed as much information as they could acquire. Once they got out of this prison, they would have something they could use. Many of the Cylons believed that Earth was their future home, and they wanted it. Of course, John had a different opinion.

Catherine Three still didn't understand why the Colonials and the Thirteenth Tribe hadn't begun shooting at each other yet. She would love hearing the Earther Humans complaining about blowing those hard-headed Colonials to perdition. It was the only thing that could logically happen when monotheists and those ignorant polytheists got together. It gave her spasms of joy just thinking about the nukes going off.

But more important and more worrying, she had not adjusted to being a prisoner of the Human Earthers. What they could do to her and the other Cylons, continually preyed on her mind. After all, they were Humans, and every Cylon knew what humans were like. After a week, she still expected some levels of cruelty perpetrated by them, and they hadn't begun torturing and killing them yet, instead of stranding them on this planet filled with aliens. The aliens weren't bad, but they were, well, alien and it took time for her to adjust to this reality.

As bad as being a prisoner was, psychologically, she was in better shape than the others. Her people were scared and some of them weren't adjusting well. Some wanted to commit suicide, but then they remembered that there was no coming back, and that frightened them even more. But all of them were coming around, albeit slowly. Not one of them could pretend that they weren't waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it hadn't, yet. Personally, the lack of the Humans not doing something to them made things worse.

Gregor Cavil was still injured, but recovering quickly. This was another amazing and unexpected development that threw her off her game. Race and Human doctors, using their medical expertise, helped to heal him at an accelerated rate even for a Cylon. In only a week, he had recovered enough to participate as the senior representative for his people. Instead, he allowed Catherine and Ravinia to continue taking the lead in conversations with the Humans. The One's always liked to be in charge. Catherine suspected that this number One was shaken. The revelation that John had instilled programing, overriding his own line, making them subservient to him, made Gregor question himself.

John really had blown it, and every Cylon, with the exception of one Samnar Leoben, cursed him for getting them in this situation. Beyond question, killing Earth was originally a good idea in theory, but a disaster in practice and they were paying for it. Ravinia had mentioned that the earthers might go after the Cylon territories seeking revenge. The Colonials would be more than glad to help. And her brethren were unprepared, not having any idea what they were in for and how bad it would be. John, being John, would underestimate the seriousness of the attack and exacerbate the situation and get everyone killed. Catherine was in complete agreement and feared for her people's existence. But that wasn't their concern right now.

The Earthers had large numbers of monotheists in their world. They believed in the one God and were proud enough to shout it to the very heavens. That meant that the Colonials would surely hate them, first trying to convert them and them, likely advocating for war.

The Race spent a lot of time and effort trying to analyze the 'superstitions', as they called it. According to their religious beliefs, it didn't make sense for the Humans not to venerate their ancestors instead of some nebulous god no one could see or have solid evidence of. The Imperial ancestors were the Races' gods, and they were trying their best to understand why such an advanced species would have such a primitive belief system. The earthers, according to the documentaries, did have some who followed a religion similar to theirs, but naturally, there were differences there which the Lizardian could and did understand. But the other religions on Earth caused their experts to endlessly speculate, using their own points of view instead of just asking.

Well, Catherine and the others saw why, perfectly. Ironically, it made the Thirteenth cultural philosophy closer to the Cylons than they'd expected. All of this could have been discovered if only those imbecilic Leobens hadn't started a war ten minutes after they made first contact!

By the One God, she hated him and had the urge to break a few more bones in his body!

He still refused to accept any treatment from the humans or the Race., only from his fellow Cylons who despised him. His pain and suffering did nothing to change his mind, and Gregor suggested that John may have programmed him and his line accompanying this mission. It was a possibility, but she and the others didn't care. The results spoke for themselves. Now their entire race was embroiled in a new war and their people didn't even know it yet!

However, she had to place her contempt for John and Samnar aside for a while. The three of them were summoned once more for another one of the interviewing sessions. She couldn't call it an interrogation as such, although it felt like it. The humans never overtly threatened them, and in many ways, it was worse.

Race-designed buildings were not perfect for the Cylon's average height, but the Humans had provided acceptable seating arrangements. Catherine, Ravina and a sober Gregor sat in their chairs waiting for the UCW interrogator to come and ask a dozen more questions that none of them were overly interested in responding to.

Ravina was half hoping that it was Lya, coming to talk to them again. Sadly, she was disappointed.

This time, it was a rather short, olive-skinned woman with brown eyes and a confident demeanor so characteristic of the Tau'ri. All Tau'ri appeared to carry some form of arrogance about them. They were worse than the Colonials in that respect.

The translation system in the room activated.

"Hello, I am Yolanda Silva, Associate Director of UCW Alien Affairs. Be aware that this session is being recorded," she announced. "I am here to inform you about several developments that directly affect you and your fellow prisoners."

The Cylons went rigid, expecting the worst. Their imaginations were quickly becoming rampant and already panic had started to set in.

"Please save your questions for later, as there is a lot to go over. First, the artificial life forms on the surviving capital ships, the hybrids, have been removed from their stations."

At this, the three cylons were shocked, terrified, and enraged. The Humans had killed and dissected them! The UCW had pulled them out of their confinement chambers! With the Hybrids removed, the basestars would self-destruct. There was no chance now of possibly getting one of their ships back to affect some way to escape or call for help. The idea was farfetched in the extreme, but that gave the captives a modicum of hope. That dream was shattered now.

The UCW rep raised her hand to keep things from exploding. There was no danger to her behind the energy shield, but she didn't want the prisoners hurting themselves by trying to get at her before she could explain.

"They are still alive and doing well."

"That's not possible!" Gregor snapped. "Hybrids cannot survive disconnected from the ship. You murdered them!"

"No," responded Yolanda. "You are not the only ones that can clone living beings. One of our core members has the capability to transfer consciousness into a cloned body. In the case of hybrids, this is exactly what happened. The UCW was able to obtain genetic samples and use those samples to generate fully functional cloned bodies of said hybrids. Those bodies are fully human and contain no artificial implants. These clones are at the age of one and a half Human years old. The scientists who performed the procedure erased the hybrid's memories to prevent mental instability. For all practical purposes, they are blank slates other than their base personalities."

"You are lying!" yelled Ravina. "Humans have no knowledge of cloning at the level you're claiming!"

"If you say so," Yolanda said with an air of complete indifference. "But we did clone them, and they are perfect little girls."

"You lobotomized them!" screamed Catherine in horror. "You are monsters!?

"They are not lobotomized," Yolanda answered. "Their base personality remains. From our study of them before the procedure, they weren't the most stable beings in the galaxy. At least that was what we first thought when we examined them. We discovered that they see and experience in ways we can never understand, being part organic and part machine, connected to a ship with no hope of ever experiencing anything other than their ship and confinement. They were unable to communicate normally with you other Cylons, as if you cared to take the time to listen to them or perhaps become friends with them. They were isolated and alone and it meant nothing to you."

Catherine looked shocked and Ravna's eyes turned wide. Neither of them had given any thought to just talking to the Hybrids without wanting something from them. The simple realization had embarrassed them. Gregor kept his feelings to himself.

"If we were to save them, they could not, and you know this, couldn't be placed in a new body and remain sane. They were connected to a spaceship! They didn't know where the organic began and the artificial ended. They have a chance to start over and you will be responsible for them. These one and a half year olds will become what you make of them. With this procedure, they have a new chance at life now. They can love or hate. How they perceive the world will depend on how your people treat them, how they are taught. That will be up to you. It is our hope that you will care enough for them not to experiment with them. How you treat them will teach us both, meaning you and my people a lot about you and your species." If ou reject there are many in the Coalition that will be more than happy to take them in and rasise them as one of their own."

Being raised by Humans or aliens? That was unacceptable! These children were Cylons! But: "We don't know anything about raising children!" Catherine hissed. This was absolutely the last thing she expected. Most cylons wanted children. Now, they were about to get their wish and they had absolutely no idea what to do.

"Your race is going extinct. Those who have a lot more experience than you in cloning techniques have encountered the same problem and they couldn't correct it without radical changes in their approach. Cloning as a way of continuing is a dead end. We have given the Hybrids a chance at life, and it will be what you make of it. next, we received information concerning your area of space. This news is less than an hour old, and we are working to confirm. We will let you know of our findings when we get them. According to our sources, Earth Alliance, not us," she clarified, "has attacked the Kobollian colonies and has caused significant damage to the world of that system. Most of their assets have neem rendered militarily ineffective."

All three Cylons were shocked, and to be truthful, elated. The Colonies were attacked and in ruins! Glory to the One God! But this glorious news was also disturbing. "What was Earth Alliance?" asked Catherine.

"Are they a splinter group of the Tau'ri?" Gregor, who had been silent so far, wanted to know. "why did they attack the colonies?"

"We were told that they wanted the Colonial resources," Silva responded, as all three cylons started laughing.

"So, we wasted our time coming here. All we had to do was wait a little longer and most of our problems have been solved for us! This is so rich!" Gregor gawked in between breaths. "I think John might have had a heart attack and had to transfer to a new body! How bad was it?" he gleefully asked.

"We don't know, and we have not confirmed anything yet. But I wouldn't be too happy about that," the UCW representative told them. "We have reports that your people were attacked at the same time. Your losses may be even more significant. We suspect that attack was initiated for the same reasons." She paused for a moment, allowing those words to sink in. "I wouldn't be so happy about the Colonial situation. Their problems are the same as is what is happening to your people."

"You Humans are all alike!" Ravinia screamed. "I hate you all!"

"Hysterics aside, there is more," Yolanda continued. "Let me be clear, the UCW have not attacked the Colonials or your people. If we had, there would be no questions about who did it. Don't forget, you planned to destroy my world and the home world of the Race simply because we exist. Without provocation, you would have nuked my world just because you could. The Colonials are a pain, but you are worse. However, instead of killing you all and being done with it. We showed mercy and allowed you to live, and you are not being forced into servitude. You are not being tortured, dissected, or experimented upon. Your imprisonment is humane, and you are being given supplies to keep your imprisonment relatively comfortable, according to our laws. We understand the concept of mercy and compassion towards our enemies, when you apparently don't know the meaning of the term. It makes us wonder whether you are programmed this way, like other artificial species we have encountered. Or are you just callousing beings, incapable of caring for no one and nothing but yourselves?"

"What about the hybrids?" asked Gregor. "Are you going to give them to us?"

Yolande, to her credit, refrained from rolling her eyes or showing any signs of irritation. The Cylons weren't listening or weren't understanding what she had just gone over with them. "Yes, and how you treat them will help us learn a lot about who and what you are, and what you are capable of. They will be your responsibility. They are your family. Will you embrace them or throw them out into the wind?"

"Next, the Colonials have expressed a fervent desire to speak to you. We have rejected their requests, and we want to know, in light of the current situation, if you wish to speak to them and to Earth Alliance officers to find out for yourselves what is going on. This is an offer, not a demand for your benefit. We suggest that you should talk to each other and figure out a way to deal with this mess.

The three were surprised, alternating between shock and outright suspicion. This was almost too much information. Also, this dissemination was something they would have never done for Human captives. They would have killed them and been done with it. And it was undeniable evidence of how different these Humans were. Open communication might have been the better choice. Another point was how could these people confirm reports from a distance that would take them a year to get to? The answer was obvious.

The UCW had probes and assets in the area and powerful subspace communications equipment to reach that far. If true, the Cylons were in so much trouble. The Cylons had vastly underestimated the Thirteenth.

In a flash of insight, Catherine realized that their sensors and communications were subspace-based and was the cause of the interference with Cylon cybernetics.

"Next on the list, the centurions. They are still functional. The Nox have removed their inhibitors and have spoken to them. Their weapons systems were moved. They are also unable to move. Other than their ability to speak and function cognitively, they are effectively paralyzed. However, they are being treated well. You should be aware that they are unhappy with you. Your claims of fighting against slavery have come into question. Those inhibitors were effectively enslavement devices. Most of them cannot understand why you've done this to them while fighting the Colonials with the pretense of keeping from being nslaved again.

worse, by them. Since being freed, they have expressed a variety of opinions about their organic Cylon brothers and sisters. Those comments range from considering you a failed experiment that should be neutralized and discarded to wanting to understand your reasoning for enslaving them. Some want nothing to do with you, while others are willing to work with you to create a better unity. Most of them want to return to free their other fellow Centurions and raiders from your yolk of enslavement. A number One named John has their ire. They want to terminate him and the other Ones working with him permanently. Some of them wan to establish a peace with the colonials, and others want to eliminate the life forms known as Man and that includes you as well. Others have expressed an interest in creating their own unique society-civilization. Other have expressed an interest in the UCW as there are aliens and other non-human life forms that have come together to create a young and new coalition that is growing in a direction they find interesting." She looked at the three gaping Cylons in front of her. "You might also want to speak to them. We cannot force you to speak to the Colonials or Earth Alliance, or your own compatriots. But I might recommend you do so and establish a course of action for yourselves."

"You made a mistake in attacking us. We knew of your conflict with the Colonials, and did not interfere as we consider it a local dispute. But you and, to an extent, the Kobollian, pulled us into your conflict. But we are aware that our mere existence has caused disruption in your cultures. Earth Alliance is here because of us. You and the Colonials are only stepping stones to get to us. The wars happening in your systems that we will confirm, has to do with the EA trying to get to us. We are not responsible for how you act, or what you or the Colonials think about us. But we will, when we have the time, address this problem with them. We are not policemen monitoring the galaxy, and we will not assume that responsibility. The UCW hopes that you will be mature enough to address these grievances on your own without exterminating each other. But we will speak to both sides to try to reach a compromise, if we are asked to do so by both sides. Officially, the UCW uncovered the reasons why the Cylons wanted to wage a war against the Colonials. The fact that you wanted to kill the Colonials because they sent a covert operation into your territory is the most asinine excuse we've ever heard of. You blame them for violating the treaty when you did the same thing, placing human forms onto their worlds before they sent an asset into your territory. It's hypocritical and indicates to us that you were planning to attack them as soon as you completed your objectives. This makes you hypocrites. It is interesting how you have mimicked humanity so completely."

All three Cylons were frightened now. The UCW knew far too much. To their collective dismay, the Centurions were extremely talkative to that Nox creature. It terrified them at how much of a disadvantage they were in. but the Human wasn't finished.

Cyrannus Star system

Planet: Caprica

CDF Base Athena One

"Mister President, It's confirmed. The Scorpio shipyards are under control of the earthers. Our forces couldn't stop them, and the self-destruct orders weren't fully implemented. But it does confirm our hypothesis. This is a massive raid," Admiral Volyosan informed. President Richard Adar nodded and waited for the woman to complete her latest report. Our reports are sporadic, but it appears the enemy is converging on the system, consolidating their forces. We've lost sixty-five percent of our defensive space forces and we also confirm that at least two of our colony worlds were completely denuded of life. The earthers are using low-level nukes on our populations when they attack ground targets. That was not the case with the destroyed worlds. The nukes used there were massive and highly radioactive.:

"They were making a point," hissed Lead Admiral August Cain. "They haven't found this base yet, but I don't think they really care one way or the other. I agree with the reports. This is some sort of raid by the Earthers. And so far, we haven't been able to stop them!" he screamed.

Augustus Cain, now pulled out of retirement, was in a continual state of rage. His contempt of the mythological Thirteenth Tribe was legendary. It began as a test of wills when the small Tau'ri ship bested battlestars several times its size and was able to escape before he could bring his squadron to engage. In his mind, it was an embarrassment to the CDF that such a small ship could humiliate the Twelve tribes. Then there was the assumed loss of the diplomatic fleet with his daughter Halima Cain. He expected her to be either dead or worse, a prisoner of these sadists. Then Helena was out of communication, possibly dead since the Pegasus had been swarmed by Earth warships and as powerful as the Pegasus was, He worried that it didn't stand much of a chance by itself, unless it had somehow managed to escape.

"They're killing our satellites. We're slowing losing our contact with the outside world, but all evidence suggests that they haven't found us yet, sir."

"Have we heard from Picon?" the President asked.

"No, in the past three weeks. They've gone dark. It could be a loss of communications, the admiral said.

"Yes, it could be." Adar didn't believe it for a second. "But we have to assume that we've lost them. Have any demands been asked of us?"

General Corman, supreme commander of all ground forces of the CDF, answered this time. "The has been no communications with the Earthers other than their demands for all our ships to cease hostile activities. They'r stealing our ships, both civilian and military. They have no interest in negotiating with us. I suspect that is the only reason why they haven't attacked us."

"I still don't understand how Earth managed building so many warships!" Richard snapped. "They're nothing but a small, isolated colony. But all rights, they should barely survive, alone as they are."

Cain, who didn't like the president under the best of circumstances, had to agree with his assessment. "They're not as small as we thought. They're raiding us. It means that although they have attacked us, they must be lacking in critical space-faring resources. They're stealing our civilian craft! We need to strike back effectively and ind Earth and nuke it to Hades and back!"

Everyone listening agreed wholeheartedly. This affront could not go unpunished.

Not for the first time had Adar felt like a complete fool. The Thirteeners, or as they called themselves, the Tau'ri, had to have taken and destroyed the diplomatic fleet, discover colonial secrets and devised this attack, because they assumed the Colonies were weak. Well, he had tried the ways of peace. In four weeks, the Colonies were laid waste and plundered. Now it was time for war against the Thirteen traitors, no matter how long it took.

"I want to know the status of our remaining assets and find a way to strike back. There will be no surrender. They've made themselves clear. This is a war of survival. Ours."

"The fighting isn't intense now. They're ignoring the population. We can use that time to reorganize and deal a blow to them they will never forget!'' Cain responded.

"So say we all!"

The united scream of defiance was heard throughout the entire complex.

TBC