Record keeping: certain clarifications are in order.
One guest believed that Cain would have tested the comms device as soon as it was checked out. Yes, you are correct. Good call.
Now to address some of the other comments. The Asgard are recovering from their war with the Replicators as well as the Vorlons in this reality. One satellite-probe was sufficient at the time it was deployed near the weakest area of the Rift, and its sensors extended for several dozen light years in all directions. Now this rift extends several dozen parsecs, with the far majority be practically impenetrable to all but the most dedicated and advanced ships. We won't discuss entities here n this reality.
Plus, this is a Preserver artifact, and make no mistake, they are aware of everything that is happening. And what does happen is allowed.
The second thing. The stargate is known by everyone. This includes Earth's general population as well as half the galaxy. As was mentioned in the reviews, the Colonials would have found the gates sooner rather than later. There is no reason that the Colonials should NOT know about them. And they should be warned. It is a terrible responsibility for a nation at the Colonial and Earth's cultural level to discover the gates. We saw how dangerous they were when SG-1 used it. Mistakes were made. The Colonials would do the same thing and Earth can help them not make the same mistakes. But it will take everything they both have not to go to war over this. Why? Because of culture and stubbornness on both sides. More on this later. Anyway, you've seen hints of this in the Worldwar series.
Next: spelling and grammar sucks. Sometimes it's better, sometimes worse. Since the very beginning, my primary objective is to get a (at least semi-coherent) stories out that people can read and enjoy. That is my objective, and that is my reason for writing these stories. I hope you can get something out of it. But if not, as I've said before, save yourself grief and move on. There is no need to continue if reading something is going to give you a hernia in the process.
T. Hoechlin: Go for it. do your own thing and allow others to enjoy your imagination and stories. Do not hurt yourself reading these stories. But I will address something else concerning the Asgard. What makes you believe that the Asgard can close the rift? They can guard it, if they have the resources to do so, which they don't. They can monitor it, which they tried to do, but suffered equipment failure. Contrary to certain beliefs, the Asgard are very resource limited. That limitation includes people, and equipment. They are rebuilding their society, and getting used to newly cloned bodies. Their mental abilities are not the same. They can have children. They are the beginnings of a new society. They have work to do.
Getting back to the stargate revelation and the Colonials. It makes every sense for reasons stated above. With the attitudes they have-in this reality-the PPT worlds are at risk from them. You give them the information so that they will at least know what Not to do and who NOT to mess with. They need that knowledge. I will let you figure out the other reasons why.
Also, what Earth tech are you talking about? Cell phones? Access to the WWW? Both sides have CEOs that are talking to one another. Tech exchanges will occur on an initial limited basis, if they don't start shooting at each other. Earth does not control what the other UCW partners will do. For all you know, the Lizardians will become best friends with the Colonials, or not. The point is, it will happen on some level, depending on their relationship status. but not yet. It has not happened yet, either. You've seen hints of this in the Worldwar series.
Next: spelling and grammar sucks. Sometimes it's better, sometimes worse. Since the very beginning, my objective is to get a (at least semi-coherent) story out that people can read and enjoy. That is my objective, and that is my reason for writing these stories. I hope you can get something out of it. But if not, as I've said before, save yourself grief and move on. There is no need to continue if reading something is going to give you a hernia in the process.
T. Hoechlin: Go for it. do your own thing and allow others to enjoy your imagination and stories. Do not hurt yourself reading these stories. But I will address something else concerning the Asgard. What makes you believe that the Asgard can close the rift? They can guard it, if they have the resources to do so, which they don't. They can monitor it, which they tried to do, but suffered equipment failure. Contrary to certain beliefs, the Asgard are very resource limited. That limitation includes people, and equipment. They are rebuilding their society, and getting used to newly cloned bodies. Their mental abilities are not the same. They can have children. They are the beginnings of a new society. They have work to do.
Getting back to the stargate revelation to the Colonials. It makes every sense for reasons stated above. With the attitudes they have-in this reality-the PPT worlds are at risk from them. You give them the information so that they will at least know what Not to do and who NOT to mess with. They need that knowledge. I will let you figure out the other reasons why.
Also, what Earth tech are you talking about? Cell phones? Access to the WWW? Both sides have CEOs that are talking to one another. Tech exchanges will occur on an initial limited basis, if they don't start shooting at each other. Erth does not control what the other UCW partners will do. For all you know, the Lizardians will become gest friends with the Colonials, or not. The point is, it will happen on some level, depending on their relationship status. but not yet.
I have changed some of the names of the Characters which you will have noticed. This for my benefit as I edit and update the previous chapters. Cunningham is now Kunningham. Ravinia will be changed to Ravina and Mercedes will become Merceda. Some you have already seen.
Meanwhile, let us continue with the next chapter. AlbertG
Roads paved in Shadows
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Cyranus Star System
Athena One Base
"Our plan is a go in twelve hours," Helena Cain told the President, and the command staff huddled around the communications unit supplied by the Terrans. She paused a second to marvel at the device's ease of use and range. The ability to reach into the Cyranus system with no lag time was something she wished they had more of. The communications unit use subspace, which the Colonials were aware of. It was a new science recently developed about five years ago. But it was bulky with the equipment and power supply being mounted on a battlestar sized ship. Kunningham's ship had one, but compared to the Earth unit, it was impossibly slow, although faster than anything previously developed. "We estimate we will have four more ships battle worthy for the mission. The Pegasus has a few holes in it, but we'll be ready." "That makes a total of thirty capital warships."
The group listened carefully to the Colonial President as he asked more questions. "Yes, Mister President. We are planning on the two missile carriers to do the job. The rest of the fleet will perform escort duty for them. Once we hit the yard, we jump out. We can't afford the Earthers to hit us with those super nukes. They want the shipyards as intact as possible, so they might not use them, but they are a vicious lot, and the retaliation will be inevitable."
This was the third set of talks with command headquarters since they had gotten the gift from the Terrans. The first contact was an initial proof of operations. With that being successful, talks began in earliest, as they compared notes and critical data. Athena actually relayed the information detailed by the hidden Terran ship and the alien that appeared in the center of the concourse, terrifying the entire general population."
"I didn't get the impression the lizards are servants to the Terrans," Helena said. "The creature acted too arrogant for its own good, but I believe this may be a cultural issue we will have to address," she continued in wonder. She was still adjusting to the fact that aliens existed, and she'd seen two types. The lizards were strange, but she had something to compare them to. Lizards at home were fairly common. Those other Humanoid aliens who appeared out of focus, the Cylons showed them were something else. She hated them as much as she hated Cylons, and she hadn't even encountered them. She also hated the Earthers who worked with them. The scrolls never mentioned aliens, but she could see them being exterminated in righteous fervor. Those things shouldn't be allowed to live. "The lizard alien was in command of one of the two UCW ships we met."
"And they were right next to you," August Cain hissed. "And none of you saw them."
Helena Cain huffed in indignation. As if he could have seen them!
"They were three hundred meters in front of us, and we never saw a thing. Our defense perimeter never detected them until they inactivated their stealth system." She looked angry and frightened. "They could have taken us out and we would have never seen them. We need that kind of stealth system."
"We'll get to the tech, in exchanges when this is over," Adar promised. "It does make me wonder how successful the diplomatic fleet was. Acquiring their power generation, the stealth systems and whatever else they have will strengthen us considerably."
"I hope so," Helena said. "They still have this crap belief that they are not the Thirteenth. That stubbornness will make things difficult if they persist denying the truth."
"They'll get over it," assured Adar. "They need us as much as we need them. Goesel and I went out of our way to not insist on unification at our first meeting. They are Human after all. But after this, there will be no choice in the matter. We must combine our strengths if we are to survive. They won't have to rely on aliens to help them, not that I will complain about friendly aliens. I am sure they have their uses," he added diplomatically. "If they can get along with Humanity, then in a few generations, no one will even remember that there were ever any problems with them." He was being optimistic. However, he knew some of the tribes would have difficulties far into the future. If the friendlies did come to help, they would be more accepted, and relations would start off smoothly."
"When will you attempt contact with the diplomatic fleet, sir?"
It was a question that nagged at the president for a while. It was two hours before they would officially make the call, but he really didn't see the necessity of waiting for the last second. "Admiral Cain, we are signing off now. We will reestablish contact with you."
She nodded, knowing what he was about to do. "Understood sir."
The image cut off.
In the Athena One's Conference Room two, the president and twelve of the surviving senior officers waited in anticipation for Adar to give the okay to attempt to contact Admiral Kunningham. The approval was given.
Moments later, a three-dimensional image of a Colonial officer appeared on the screen of the communications system. The image was large enough for everyone in the room to clearly see it. From where they were sitting, Rear Admiral James Karakis was the first to speak, issuing and demanding recognition codes. Once it was done, Admiral Kunningham appeared, and recognition codes were again transferred back and forth between the two Colonial officers. Embedded within the codes were hidden messages, confirming that neither side was compromised. Once that was completed, President Adar took over, much to the surprise of Kunningham and Isahan who expected to see President Goesel.
"Our respective situations are tense," Adar began. "However, before we begin, I wanted to extend the Colonies most gracious acknowledgement of a mission well done. By your presence, you've confirmed that the Thirteenth Tribe who call themselves the Terrans, and also the Tau'ri, are not the ones attacking us. It gives us hope that you will rally the forces of the Earthers and come to our aid. We were told by an UCW ship," and he winced now, "with unique individuals onboard, that our attackers weren't from Earth but are an Earth faction."
Kunningham's vein started throbbing. "I can confirm that the UCW which Earth created, are not associated with Earth Alliance. The Terrans here met them about twenty years ago. Neither side knew that the other existed until a Terran ship accidentally entered their space."
"We can discuss that later," Adar said. "I want to know the status of the diplomatic fleet and what progress you've made with them. We are in a dire situation. We may have to abandon the Colonies. We will need some place to go. Someplace safe. Our source informed us that Earth was under attack. How badly was their world damaged? Is there anything you will be able to do to help them in their recovery efforts?"
"Earth is in good shape. There was no damage done. The UCW stopped the fleet cold. The situation is still fluid. The enemy is retreating, but another battle is inevitable. The CDF suffered some casualties. Lieutenant General Cain was shot during an encounter on one of the enemy ships. She will recover. The boarding action was a partial success. We retrieved one of the aliens, but it is dying, and we are unable to treat it properly due to its unknown physiology. Sir, you and President Goesel need to be made aware of the current situation here. Earth has answered one of our most pressing questions. Yes, there is alien life and Earth is surrounded by it."
"We saw one of the aliens and it was the one who initiated communications. We saw another of its kind, the commander as well. It was difficult to believe that they were real." Then he remembered that they didn't know about the President. Adar shook his head. "I am sorry to inform you, President Goesel, is cabinet and many in the Quorum are dead, killed in nuclear strikes on Picon, and Caprica. Scorpia, Aerilon, and Tauron are no longer viable. Gemenon was nuked by the Earther Alliance, and we believe it is now a barren wasteland. The other worlds were nuked," he hissed. "We couldn't stop them."
Frankus swallowed. "How many people will be left behind?"
"Too many," Adar responded. "That's why we need to know of Earth's status. You have no idea how happy we are to know that the colony survived. The enemy must have underestimated the number of resources needed to take the planet."
Frankus was quiet as he composed his response. His silence was taken by those waiting for his answer as a small force that was easily repelled. "Mister President, the enemy called the Drakh, attacked Earth with almost two thousand ships. Most were the size of destroyer escorts. Four hundred others were Capital ships, the largest being at three thousand meters in length. The enemy had two planet killer weapons. I will not describe them because you will think I was mad without see the visuals. We discovered they had a backup plan, biological weapons. They were here to kill Earth and the entire United Coalition of Worlds, starting with Earth. This was no skirmish, but a dedicated attempt at genocide. The enemy lost," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Earth isn't some small colony living at barely sustainable levels. They are a power, with powerful allies."
He began a short but concise report of all of the events that occurred since they arrived in the Sol system. "Earth is not interested in unification. We haven't officially discussed it with them. But every conversation we've had with them is focused on that objective and both sides are aware. Earth nor its fellow Human worlds are not interested in returning to the fold. Earth is unbelievably rich. They have stores of tylium they don't even use. Their science is extremely advanced, and they have the power to back up their promises. Sir, there are dozens of Human worlds, some are under the Protected Planets treaty. These worlds are protected by Earth and the UCW who have a policy of non-interference. That's another point of contention. They do not know of their heritage and Earth will not allow them to learn of it." he paused. "It's complicated. Ambassador Isahan will explain. From the military standpoint, they will not share their technologies with us."
"Why the frack not?" roared Augustus Cain. "They pulled us into this civil war of theirs. They owe us!"
"This isn't a civil war," Kunningham slowly announced. "Everything I've seen points to a galaxy wide war. When the Terrans first arrived in our system, they told us that they were participating in a major war, not some skirmish. We assumed they meant a civil war. They weren't. They were fighting against a major power called the Vorlons. The Vorlons were aliens. They intended to destroy all of Humanity. If O'Neill had told us this, we would have laughed in his face and called him a liar. That is exactly what we did.
"I have seen the Drakh aliens, and I have seen the ships shaped like giant spiders flying in space. Their weapons cannot be countered by our current technology. We only counted ten of them, but evidence suggests that they were the once in command of the enemy fleet." He paused. "They're like nothing we've ever seen before. They looked like death incarnate and the UCW fought them." Again, he paused. "The Terran and UCW are at war with the Drakh, the spider ships, and Earth Alliance. We are at war with Earth Alliance and possibly, the Drakh. The Cylons are at war with the Drakh and Earth Alliance. The Ashtorath are in the background waiting. The Tollian faction of the UCW was attacked by a ship pretending to be one of their allies. The crew were dead and something else, an alien I can't begin to describe, had commandeered that ship. The alien survived the crash landing on the Tollanian colony world and they used three of their patrol ships and a squadron of troops to stop it. The weapons used by the alien had the same nuclear profile as the nukes that tried to destroy the... Lemuria city. the city's shields prevented the destruction of at least two hundred miles of Earth territory. We know those attacked were attempted by the same enemy. The same profile was observed after attacks which killed several human inhabited worlds and the loss of a major associated group."
"No, this isn't some civil war. And as I explained, the Terrans do not accept us as their fellow Colonials. They do not feel they owe us anything. They have shields, energy weapons, sensors that stretch for parsecs, stealth technology that makes anything we possess, look like it was designed by infants, sub-space communications generations above ours, and faster than light drives we cannot keep up with. They have mobile space stations shaped like cities. They have enough firepower to lay waste to fleets of battlestars. What I've described just now has to be seen to be appreciated or believed. You have no concept of what those devices are. You will need to see them when we are able to transmit data bursts. And they have the Stellar Transport device, the stargate. I used the authority given me by the Quorum, to establish Colonial leadership over them. They laughed at me and ignored my authority. they glory in their independence. No world in the UCW will submit to Colonial authority. And they will not share their technology with us, not without us developing some type of treaty that will not interfere with that independence."
"Corman was furious. "We need that technology if Humanity is to survive," he snapped. "How dare they deny us the tools that can help us? Don't they understand how many people they are sacrificing because of this ignorant stance of theirs? They are part of us, the lost Colony. They must help us!"
"They will help," Kunningham said. "But they will not join the Twelve. They do not believe they are the thirteenth, and they have enough tantalizing evidence to prove it."
There he said it. now, he waited for the explosion.
Adar looked stunned, but he could see it in the admiral's eyes. "You believe them," he said, studying the man. "Then they must be an unknown tribe, possibly one that went missing during the great exodus. We know that several, smaller expeditions tried to escape Kobol both before and after the Twelve colony ships left. Those were private, corporate sponsored fleets. Ancient records suggested that those fleets failed, all but one. Is it possible one of those fleets made it to what we assumed was Earth and developed into the colony you're at now?" he grimaced as he continued his train of thought. "Or is Earth Alliance the true Thirteenth Colony and we've been fighting against our own?"
"We're not sure," answered a worried Kunningham. "We've been following that same train of thought. The Earth Alliance refugees insist they are not related to the Colonies. We cannot prove or disprove that claim. But there are many Human populated worlds in this sector alone, and it is possible one of those worlds could be the Earth of legend. Or, it could be destroyed," he continued. "The Goa'uld Empire destroyed any world that could have arisen to a level that might threaten the. History is littered with the death of worlds, a result of those aliens. They kidnapped people from Earth and seeded them throughout the galaxy for thousands of years according to the UCW world histories. Some were more advanced than Earth. The Tollanian people are an example of this before their world suffered from an ecological disaster.
"You're saying we have more colonies and sub-colonies that we imagined existing in the galaxy?" Augustus surmised. "We can get into that later. What about these Goa'uld aliens? What is their threat level?"
"Extreme, but their empire was crushed by the Terrans. But there is a next generation that has risen from the ashes of the old. The Ashtorath are a supreme threat, but they are afraid of the UCW and there exists hostility between the two."
"And Earth will not give us the tools we need to defend ourselves and the other, weaker colonies," Corman snarled.
"But they've shared technology with the aliens of the UCW," Kunningham added.
The conference room went ballistic.
Kunningham looked sour. "The Terrans consider our meeting with them as nothing more than a 'meet and greet'. That is their term. They expected us to say 'hello, we're sorry about earlier, and go home'. they have no interest in establishing formal relations with us," he repeated.
"And you couldn't convince them otherwise," snorted Karakis. "I don't see this attitude lasting too long. When they see what's happening here, they'll come around. We need each other and they'd be fools not to see this."
Admiral Kunningham marveled at himself. His entire attitude had changed since the battle. He was beginning to look at the world with new eyes. "Mister President, we have established contact with the Terrans and the UCw. Any diplomatic ties will have to be delegated between our politicians. The people of Earth are remarkably similar to us. But there are worlds of difference that will cause difficulties between us.
"In what way?" Adar asked.
"I will let Ambassador Isahan explain." Giving the woman a truly evil look, he moved aside to allow her to take center view. The look she gave him could have melted armor plating.
"Greetings, Mister President, members of the Quorum, officers, and members of the Synod. I shall come right to the point. Earth is a technological, natural and resource-ladened paradise. It is also a diplomatic minefield unlike anything we have ever imagined. The planet is filled with monotheists of various kinds. There are vast populations of polytheists, atheists, and countless other religious sects, all existing together in one world. The true religion exists here, but the numbers barely reach fifteen hundred in a world of over eight billion. Those true believers worship the gods in ways that differ from us. Earth doesn't care for the true gods. They show contempt for them."
High Priestess Livia stomata nearly had a heart attack, as she began wailing, filled with emotional pain and anger.
"The reasons for this are complex and have to do with the false gods. These false gods were and are aliens. They usurped and defiled the names of the true gods," she reiterated, making sure everyone present knew what she was saying.
"Those aliens pretended to be the true gods and ruled over Humanity with brutality and absolute authority. They ruined the reputations of the true gods throughout the galaxy as they played pretenders. Because of them, the gods are feared and hated throughout the galaxy. I cannot begin the calculate the damage these aliens have done to Humanity. Earth fought them for a decade and defeated them, but the damage was done, both to them and to the Humans of the galaxy. Earth, whether the Thirteenth Colony or not, are not interested in learning about and embracing the true religion. These differences have caused many of our challenges here on Earth and in other worlds. I do not use the word colony to describe these other worlds, however they would be considered such by our definitions.
"They consider themselves independent from Earth although they have come together for mutual protection and economic interests. Not only have they refused to embrace their forgotten culture, but they have forbidden others from learning the true religion which binds us all. There are Human populated worlds, primitive, just beginning to enter their industrial age that are protected by Earth and the UCW. These worlds are left alone to follow their own paths and develop their own beliefs. In my opinion, this is the most irresponsible act I can imagine. The people of Earth claim these worlds do not need interference from them, or anyone else. And by the phrase 'anyone else', I am sure they mean us. When I suggested that we could help protect and uplift their culture, our offer was flatly rejected. I predict this rejection, if not answered by us, will prove disastrous. Every one of those worlds will develop heresies, not being taught the true religions and culture they were deprived of by the Goa'uld. I'm surprised Earth and the other Human worlds haven't gone up in flames yet.
"I am describing this so you can understand the situation here. It is beautiful and full of so much potential. But thousands of years of isolation has fractured the unity. They do not believe in the true gods. This is the fundamental difference that has caused so many misunderstandings in our diplomatic talks. Because of their attitudes, they have a tendency to say 'no' to just about everything we suggest. They rejected our greatest gift we gave to them, the mobile space dock, claiming that it was too big a gift and therefore, carried too high a price. They have rejected our request for an embassy until a later time. The other UCW world are only slightly less hostile when discussing unification with the Colonies. They are however adamant that they have no interests in adapting the Articles of Colonization, or the original Colonial writs of Colonization. They deride the Holy Scrolls as undocumented pieces of paper that has little to nothing to do with Earth. These people are as strange as the aliens we've met."
The room was utterly silent as they waited for her to continue. "We have another item that must be addressed. From the evidence I've seen, I begin to believe this is not the Thirteenth Tribes mentioned in the Holy Scrolls. There will be those who disagree with me on this point. But we've seen convincing evidence that I cannot dispute, evidence that is being added to every day. I think Earth, this Earth, is not the colony of legend. I think this world may be the true birthplace of Humanity."
"That's impossible!" Adar told her over the din. Surprisingly, the screaming was not as loud as he imagined it should have been. "Mankind's birthplace is Kobol. Earth, should I say, the Earth we believe the Thirteenth Colony settled on is from Kobol."
Next to him Livia Stomata's eyes blazed with fire and threats of imminent death at the Ambassador. Isahan looked tired, but she remained steady as she responded to the president's points.
"I know this is a shock. It goes against everything we believe. But we have had our experts and religious scholars go through the copies of our scrolls we brought with us in detail a dozen times. The scrolls do not say that mankind's birthplace was Kobol, not specifically. We left Kobol to reach the worlds we settled on. Here on Earth their evidence is striking. They showed us anthropological evidence of Humanity's ancestry going back a three hundred thousand years. They have animals called apes and monkeys that can be traced to Human lineage, especially the ape species. Earth has the same food plants as those we brought from Kobol, but with far more varieties. More cattle species, more grain varieties. The Humans here are more diverse. They can trace their wheat varieties back tens of thousands of years and they are still finding more types today. Our geneticists are confirming that everything in our colonies can be traced back to the early origins of this world."
She paused, rubbing her eyes. "We expected them to generate false facts to lead us astray. We challenged the leaders of Earth to prove that they weren't the Thirteenth lost colony of Kobol. We had the scrolls of Pythia. They presented to us archeological, biological, and genetic proof that they were not, and that mankind originated on Earth. We wanted to prove to them that they were wrong. By the Gods!" She sighed. "We couldn't."
"Are you trying to say everything we believe in, is a lie?" asked an incredulous Admiral Corman. "I can't accept that. I need to see this proof before I can accept any of this!"
All around him, there were nods of agreement, fully supporting him.
Isahan felt as tired as Corman, and the others looked. "Where we are now, may not be the world of the Thirteenth Tribe. But is named Earth, home of the Terrans, called the Tau'ri by their allies and enemies, and by the Race, Tosevites of Tosev III. However, none of this, whether true or not, changes the fact that they do not acknowledge the gods, and their religious culture will be a hindrance to any diplomatic progress now and in the future. We came here to lay the groundwork for eventual unification. It was one of our mandates. If these people wanted to unite with the Colonies, then we would have been more than happy to initiate the groundwork. We knew it would be difficult, but all of us expected this world to be more than willing to unite with us." She stared at Adar, not daring to avert her eyes. "I think it would take generations for these people to discuss real unification with us. Then, there are the religious factors. They will not give up their religious beliefs easily." "
The president was shaking his head in horror and in denial. "We can't tell our people this, not now! In the best of times, there would be riots. The Gemenon, would immediately start a war! All the Colonies would never accept your assertions, Ambassador. I can just imagine the demands coming from the Quorum to 'save the Earthers."
"Depends on how many Colonials are still alive," Cain said coldly. "These issues can be settled in the future. Right now, we are fighting for our survival. That's where we need to focus, not who comes from where. Ambassador, when can the Terran forces get here?"
"They are preparing a recon in force," Kunningham told the president. "I've learned it's foolish to underestimate them. They are also preparing aid packages for both the Colonies… and the Cylons."
Again, he waited for the leadership to explode. Which they did.
Adar was deadly serious. "I trust you have made these Earth people aware that the Cylons are Humanity's traditional enemies and can never be trusted. They will turn on Earth the first chance they get. We dare not allow them to acquire any Earther technology. It is against the law for humans to interact with Cylons without express approval from the Quorum or the highest of our military leadership. Even I have limited authority to sanction such interactions."
"And you can't convince them to stand down their plans?" Cain half asked, half demanded.
Kunningham looked weary, as if he didn't want to answer the question, which he didn't. "They consider our war a local matter," Kunningham answered. "They were aware of the hostilities between us and the Cylons. They chose not to do anything."
Cain went ballistic. "You're the supreme commander of the Thirteen Tribes in that sector!" the man yelled. "You have one of the most powerful fleets in the galaxy and you couldn't even convince them that dealing with the Cylons could destroy them?" he screamed. "Then, what good are you?!"
"I don't have to take this crap from you, old man!" Kunningham yelled back. "You. Have. Not. Been. Listening. To. Us! These people have a different mindset. They reject my authority, the Quorums, the Colonial Constitution, the Articles, and, most certainly our laws."
"If I'd been there, we would have used my authority to straighten this out a long time ago as soon as it raised its ugly head!"
"If you had been here," Frankus snapped back, "the fleet would have been on its way back home with its tail between its legs, if it survived, a long time ago!"
"Gentlemen, stop this!" Adar said forcefully, effectively halting the growing argument. "We're here to solve problems, not create more. Ambassador Isahan, if we place a moratorium on the question of religion, allowing the Earthers to keep their beliefs without any interference from us, would that smooth the way for better relations down the road?"
"No, you can't," Priestess Stomata screamed.
The president ignored her.
"We do not have the authority, in their eyes, or the power to allow them to do anything they don't want to do." Isahan shook her head. "I cannot see them changing. Sir, they're happy the way they are. They have no interest in changing their ways for us. It's not just their religions. It's them. These people are different. I believe if they remain the way they are, then they could delay or ruin any attempts for the unification of Humanity across the galaxy. We didn't know that Humanity had spread so far. But now that we do, we must begin the process of unification if mankind is to achieve its destiny. We must ensure that we can never be pushed towards extinction again."
"Wait, Corman said. "Go back a moment. Clarify for me what you mean when you said humanity was spread across the galaxy."
"According to Dr. Jackson and dozens of other scientists and researchers, there are scores of Human populated worlds stretched across the galaxy. Those numbers do not include the Protected planets. These populations live on their own garden class worlds, which begs the question of how many livable worlds are there? But that is another subject we need to research more. Humanity was spread across the galaxy by the Goa'uld. Some of those worlds have very small populations, with less than fifteen thousand, the result of slavery. Some are very advanced, equal to us or more, and have not been approached or found by the UCW. But in this area of space, Earth, along with the UCw, is the premier power. I should correct that," she amended. "Premier Human power.. we've only been here less than two months. We have no idea yet how far Earth's reach extends, but it is considerable. That is why we need a comprehensive plan to convince Earth and its people to reunite with their brethren. Unity will prevent war between humans. On our journey here, we cataloged almost a dozen worlds that were bombed, the result of ancient wars that happened thousands of years ago. We do not believe Earth was involved, but those worlds did have Human populations. Aliens like the Goa'uld could have done this. The Ashtorath Goa'uld are just as bad and we will need to defend ourselves against them. We can only do that, if we're united."
Adar was lost in thought, thinking deeply about what was being said by the ambassador. The galaxy was darker than he dreamed. The cylons and earth Alliance weren't the only dangers out there. The ambassador was correct. Mankind had to be reunited if they were to survive. "Earth may be stubborn, Ambassador. I can see the difficulties you face. It's the reason why President Goesel and I didn't wan to push too fast. But things have changed and unification is critical. When they come, we must convince them to join us. Our heritage is their heritage. Being an advanced and obviously more mature colony than we assumed, they must see this as in the best interest of everyone. It will take time, but I am more optimistic than not. We must convince them to share their technology with their fellow brethren. When they arrive and the earth alliance is driven out, then our diplomats can talk and reach agreements. They may not accept their heritage, but here, I am positive we can convince them. We can begin to set them on the right path. If they are the true home of Humanity…" here he ignored the muffled sounds of "blasphemy," uttered by a couple of the more religious minded listeners. "The, we can strive to have hem reunite with the Colonies of Kobol. Then we can work to unite the Humans of this galaxy under the banner of Humanity. But first, we have to face the reality of our situation. Our worlds are in shambles. We have enemies at the gate. In the names of the gods, they must help us!"
"I am sure they will help. How much they will help? That I am not sure of. The Lizardians will help as well. And the Jaffa and Langarans will assist."
"I am not sure if the aliens should be allowed to come," Adar mused. The people are in a panic already. Introducing aliens during this time, in such an uncontrolled environment, could introduce an unstable element amongst the population."
"I will suggest this to the UCW," she promised.
"Admiral Cunningham, you have not contacted Admiral Helena Cain. Is that correct?" Rear Admiral Karakis asked.
"Not yet. I will contact him when this meeting is concluded."
"In his report to us, he did mention something about a giant spider in Cylon space," Corman growled. "We don't have images. I can't really picture them in my mind. But you saw them first hand. How bad are they and how bad were the enemies who stuck at Earth?"
"They are nightmares, Admiral. When you kill them, they bleed all over space. I don't know what kind of horrors control them. They've not been seen. They do scream when they die," Kunningham told the listeners. "You can almost hear them in the recesses of your mind. We first believed it was just our imaginations. But it happened too many times when they died. We don't have numbers on them, but we need to prepare for them when they come."
"This would have to happen when we're at our weakest," grumbled Cain. "Kunningham, you have to contact the UCW and find out when they are coming, so we can coordinate with our own forces. We need a time frame as soon as possible."
TBC