Disclaimers: See part 1
Earth at Last
by
AJ Marks
Part 8
"Well, what do you think Starbuck?" Apollo asked his friend when they were back on board the shuttle and headed to the Rising Star because of the damage to the Galactica and most of the council was on the Rising Star. Those council members that were not on the Rising Star could get there quickly.
"I'm not sure. They appear to be highly advanced, yet their government seems to be almost primitive." Starbuck said after some thought. "However, I do feel that they would make great allies to us, what about you Boomer?"
"It they have the military capacity that they claim they have, they might be able to protect us for a while." Adama said.
"I was able to see one of their bases, and let me tell you, I was quite impressed with the number of ships that they had." Apollo stated to his father. "They had over twenty ships inside just that one base and they said that they had several more scattered around the system. Even if they had five other bases that would mean that they have at least a hundred warships."
"That's more than we ever had fighting the Cylons in our entire war." Adama said. "Did either of you two see how well their fighters fared against the Cylon raiders?" Adama questioned Boomer and Starbuck.
"Well, their fighters were a bit slower, but they were definitely more maneuverable than anything I've ever seen." Starbuck said and Boomer agreed with Starbuck's assessment of the fighter's performance.
"They have the military power to back up their claims, I guess the question is should we stay, what do you three think?" Adama said trying to gage their responses to his question.
"Father, they would make great allies in our fight against the Cylons. They could be the allies we need against them." Apollo told his father.
"Well if they have the military firepower, my only question would be how would we integrate our government with theirs?" Starbuck said giving his own opinion.
"I have to agree with Starbuck and Apollo Commander." Boomer said adding his thoughts as well.
"We've lost too many warriors and the Galactica is still heavily damaged, I don't see how we can not take their offer to stay, at least for a while." Adama said. "I just hope that the council will agree."
Lord Arkis and Commander Derkik sat in the conference room after their guests had left for their own ship. Derkik shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"What's the matter commander?" Arkis asked.
"You didn’t tell them everything." Derkik asked feeling a bit strange. "Why?"
"Actually commander, what I told them was the truth." Arkis answered and Derkik looked a bit skeptical at his leader.
"I don't follow?"
"What are we to say, welcome to earth, but we are all clones from a war that nobody remembers how it got started! We have an opportunity to do what we we're created for, war, this time we can help save our civilization, instead of destroying it."
Cassiopia waited anxiously with her daughter in her arms as the shuttle landed. She had been overjoyed to learn that Starbuck had survived the battle, she knew that many of their friends did not make it through the battle. She had not been able to speak with him yet, but she had received word from Tigh that Starbuck had survived and that the fleet had received some allies. Although Tigh had been vague on what had happened she had learned enough to understand what had happened.
Athena stood next to Cassiopia and was also waiting for the shuttle. Apollo and Adama were also on board and Cassiopia had seen the transformation in Athena when she had learned that her father and her brother were alright.
They both looked at the exit when the shuttle had landed and the door to the shuttle had opened. Cassiopia could hardly contain her tears of joy and hugged her daughter to her when Starbuck walked out of the door. As for Starbuck, he decided that there could not have been a better sight in the entire galaxy then his wife's face at that moment. He ran up to them and gave them a hug.
Apollo and boomer watched their friend and had never seen him be so emotional. Apollo decided that if he thought he would never see his child again then he would feel the same way. He saw Boxey standing next to his sister and thought for the first time how grown up he looked. It would not be long and he could join the military if he wanted to. He gave his sister a welcoming hug and his son a hug as well.
Adama was grateful that Colonel Tigh had showed up as well.
"Are all of the council members here yet?" He asked Tigh.
"Yes sir, and most are already in the meeting room. They've been asking what's going on, unfortunally I don't know all of the answers." Tigh told him, in fact they had been running him ragged trying to get some answers.
"I'll take care of them." Adama said to Tigh. "I need you to start rounding up the surviving ships of the fleet and get an inventory of damage."
"Yes sir!" Tigh replied and then walked off to carry out his order, but stopped after a step and turned back to Adama. "It's good to see you old friend." Then turned back around and left the room.
Adama had thought the same thing as he was headed back on over to the Rising Star. He turned to look at his daughter who probably thought she would never see her father again when they had left each other on board the Galactica.
"I'm going to go on ahead and meet with the council and get that taken care of." Adama told the group and then went on to the room that the council was in.
The rest of the group watched as Adama walked out of the room. Each was wondering what was going to happen in the meeting and what the future held for them.
Adama walked into the meeting room where all of the council members were waiting.
"Adama, what is the situation of the Galactica?" One of the council members asked Adama almost as soon as he walked in the room, but he was expecting the question ad was prepared for it.
"I won't lie to you," Adama told the group, "the Galactica has suffered severe damage to just about all systems. I doubt that we could get the battlestar back in action quickly."
"Are we stuck here?" "Where are we?" "Is this Earth?" "Who help us?" The questions came faster than Adama could answer or hear.
"Wait!" Adama said in a loud commanding voice. The room went silent. "I know that many of you have questions and I'll try to answer as many as I can. First off, yes we have reached the thirteenth colony, earth. They have extended a welcoming to us."
"So what's the catch Adama?" One council member asked him.
"The only thing that could effect a peaceful arrangement between us." Adama told the council. "From what I've beard about their government they operate a form of dictator democracy."
"A dictator democracy?" One council member questioned.
"I know it sounds a bit strange, however, its how they have managed to survive a civil war that almost destroyed them." Adama told them giving the council a shortened version of what Arkis had told him. "So there will be some political issues that will be needed to overcome."
"What about their military capabilities?" Another council member asked. "Will they be able to protect us while the Galactica is under repair?"
"Their military, if what Lord Arkis said is true, is very powerful. They have over two hundred warships in their fleets." Adama told them knowing that the number was over what the colonies ever had.
"Are you sure?"
"Colonel Tigh and I counted at least fifteen warships that came to our rescue and Apollo told me that in one of their bases they had over thirty ships." Adama said. "I believe that they had the military might to fight the Cylons for some time."
"So they have the military capabilities to help fight the Cylons, the question I have is do they have the will to fight our enemies?" One of the members near Adama asked.
"I feel that they are willing to help us in our fight, they almost seemed anxious to fight. It was a bit strange to hear that kind of talk, they were so full of confidence it almost was scary." Adama replied to the council. "My question to you is do we try to stay for a while or do we try to leave as quickly as possible?"
"I put forth the motion to vote on whether or not to accept their help or not." The council member right next to Adama said.
"I second the motion." A second council member said putting forth a motion to vote on the measure that would decide the fate of the fleet and their people.
"By your command!" A black centurion said to the Imperious Leader.
"Report Centurion!" The Cylon Imperious Leader asked the centurion who had walked into the room.
"Our forces have been defeated. An unknown military force has destroyed all basestars. The Galactica survives and the colonial fleet has still survived." The Centurion reported.
"How is this possible?"
"Our forces almost had the colonial warriors and their fleet at the verge of destruction when some new forces came into the battle. The new forces appear to be human."
"Human? Explain!"
"There is no known record of human forces in this area. The only logical explanation is that the human group has been in hiding since we had discovered the system."
"Get reports about the new human military forces."
"Lord Arkis!" A young woman said as she walked into the room where Arkis and Derkik were.
"Report!" Arkis told her.
"There is long range scans of a Cylon fleet approaching the Sol system, what are your orders?" She asked him.
"Alert the Kirov battle group for immediate departure to intercept the Cylon forces and destroy them." Arkis told the women who left to carry out his orders. He turned to Derkik who was standing next to him and said. "Well, looks like we have a war on our hands, regardless if our new friends stay or not."
"Yes, it looks like it." Derkik said with a smile, feeling the thrill of battle course through his veins. It had been to long since they had been at war and many were ready for a fight. "At least this time we won't be fighting each other."
Arkis had to agree with the commander and nodded his head.
Omega stood on the bridge of the damaged Galactica, which was orbiting the planet Earth, overseeing the repair process. There were a few people on the bridge keeping a watch out for any more Cylon movement and bringing the fleet back together.
"Sir!" One of the operators said.
"What is it?" Omega asked.
"We're getting ship movement from the asteroid belt! The ships appear to be headed away from us and toward the Cylon Empire."
"What do our long range scanners show?"
"Long range scanners are still under repair. Two of the ships just disappeared!"
"Disappeared?" Omega questioned.
"Yes sir! I think that the two ships accelerated beyond our scanners abilities."
'Damn! What is going on out there?' Omega said to himself. "Any word from our new allies as to what is going on?"
"Not yet sir!"
"Keep tracking the ships and let me know when the long range scanners are operational again." Omega told the operator.
Just beyond the earth star system two Cylon basestars slowly approached to start scanning the system that now housed the Galactica and the rest of the fleeing fleet. The main mission of the Cylon fleet was to gain information about the new human military that had helped the Galactica.
The Cylon basestars at first registered six ships, but the number jumped down to four when two of the ships just disappeared. The Cylons put the quirk to a glitch in their scanners, but there was four ships headed toward them. Knowing that their mission was a failure the two basestars made a hasty retreat, somehow the humans from this system had detected them early.
The earth fleet was not in a hurry to catch up with the Cylon basestars, they were just herding the ships into a trap. Two earth ships had gone into a hyperspace warp that would not be trackable by the Cylon ships and were waiting for the Cylons ahead of them.
The Cylon basestars ever knew what hit them as the two forward earth ships engaged with deadly accuracy. Fighters streamed toward the basestars and started to engage before the Cylons were able to even counter attack. Laser fire around the basestars was very heavy as the basestars tried to fend off the fighters with defensive laser fire. A few of the fighters were destroyed, but without defensive fighter support the outcome of the battle was clearly on the side of the human earth fleet.
A few Cylon raiders managed to launch and it seemed that the Cylons might make a break for it when the other four ships caught up and engaged the Cylon basestars, their fate was now sealed.
"By your command." The centurion said.
"Report centurion." The imperious Leader said.
"Our two basestars the were sent in to scout the enemy defenses have been destroyed"
"How?"
"It appears that a trap was laid and both basestars were destroyed."
"Interesting! It appears that these new humans are more cunning then the colonial warriors were."
"What are your orders?"
"We shall wait."
Adama stood on the bridge of the rising Star listening to Omega's report and wondered what was going on. The council had decided to stay for the time being, and anyone who wanted to leave could do so.
"Commander," the captain of the Rising Star said. "We have a message coming in from Lord Arkis."
"Greetings Lord Arkis." Adama said.
"Commander Adama, a pleasure to speak to you again." Arkis replied. "I have some news to report to you." Adama's eyebrows went up with that statement and he wonder if Arkis would mention anything about the ships that had left the system. Arkis continued speaking. "As you probably know several of our warships left the system to attack two Cylon warships."
"They were scouting your defenses." Adama said.
"Well then, they realized that it will take more than two basestars to even start to make a scratch in our defenses." Arkis said.
"You mean that your forces defeated two basestars." Adama asked.
"Yes, we were able to set up a trap and we defeated them quite easily. What do you know of their military capabilities?" Arkis asked. "I would like to begin an offensive campaign as soon as possible. " Arkis asked a stunned Adama.
End part 8
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