The Uneasy Alliance
by AJ Marks
Part 8
Ben waited with the rest of the group for the right moment to make sure no one saw him otherwise they might have to fight or hurt someone and he was under orders to avoid that at all costs. General Turner plan to spring Morpheus seemed risky, but with everything else going on it seemed like they were all willing to undertake such risks. Ben managed to recruit five people, Turner a few more, each knowing the risks involved.
Niobe and Link, the lasts members of the team were on board the Hammer prepping it for launch after they rescued Morpheus. Five of the group were already on the Hammer helping Link and Niobe, the rest were with Ben despite the guards on duty knowing what was going to happen.
Most of the people along with Ben were serving as lookouts for the trip back to the Hammer. The last things they wanted to happen was to encounter a council member while breaking Morpheus out or heading to the Hammer.
He felt some relief when walking into the cell area and not seeing anyone else but the guards. That meant the plan could proceed without problems.
“Are we alone?” Ben asked as the two guards walked over to where Morpheus’ cell was.
“For now,” the third guard said staying with Ben.
“Put these on,” one of the guards said, handing Morpheus some clothes to change into, hopefully making him harder to detect. He quickly changed having been briefed by Niobe earlier.
Ben trusted Morpheus as the man had yet to lead him wrong. Now Ben was risking it all to break him out of a cell and go up to the surface all on his word. Though Ben did feel better once Morpheus was dressed a bit differently and they began to make their way to the Hammer, keeping an eye on the lookouts as they passed by.
The trip went smoothly as no one was out and about doing any strange inspections. Approaching the Hammer they quickly entered where the group inside was finishing up preparations to leave.
“It worked,” Niobe said with relief giving Morpheus a hug as he walked onto the ship.
“We’re not out of here yet,” Morpheus said.
“Right,” she replied back to him.
“So, what happens next?” Ben asked as they headed to the bridge.
“We head to the surface and look for a machine calling itself Deux Ex Machina,” Niobe replied as the Hammer powered up.
“We better get going before anyone finds out I’m missing,” Morpheus said, sitting down in the pilot’s seat.
Ben looked around at the faces of the others knowing that for many it would be the first time they were ever on the surface of Earth. He had no idea what to expect and hoped this Oracle told them the truth. If they were lied to it might become a very short trip.
*****
Seraph followed the trail hoping it would lead him to the one person he was searching for. Normally his powers would make such things easy, but the person he was looking for this time was even more powerful and he had an odd thought. It was strange when you were hunting down someone who was more powerful and could destroy you.
He had a general idea as to where he needed to look, heading to some of the most remote places on Earth, or in this case the Matrix. The travels had taken longer than he expected it to take but now, as he looked on seeing a house, he had a feeling he had reached the end of his travel. The house seemed to stand in contrast to the surroundings, almost immune to everything around.
Hesitating for a few seconds before knocking he wondered what type of welcome he might receive. The last thing he wanted was a fight against this person. Finally gathering his courage he knocked waiting a few seconds until the door opened, but not who he expected to see.
“Come in Seraph.”
*****
Adama sat at his desk going over the fuel reports of the ships in the fleet before looking at the last report from Doctor Wilker on how the experiment was going. It showed that some ships would benefit from the modification based on engine design and age.
He sat back a bit giving it some thought. He would approve the modifications, especially if it meant increased fuel efficiency for the fleet and one of the most precious resources in the entire fleet.
“Colonel Tigh,” he said, activating the intercom to the bridge and where Tigh probably was, only waiting a few seconds until the answer came back. “Tigh, I want Doctor Wilker to begin the modifications to all ships on his list, and to pull whoever he needs to get it done,” Adama ordered waiting for Tigh to acknowledge the order
The more fuel efficient the fleet was the better it was for them all. He wished they had discovered that earlier, they might have more fuel right now. He rubbed his forehead looking at the time and realized he had been up for a sectar now and should be getting some much needed rest. However, it seemed every time he went to lay down something needed his attention. This time a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
“Come in,” he said, wondering what happened now as Omega walked through the door. The smile on the man’s face indicated whatever happened wasn’t bad. “Omega, this is a surprise, what can I do for you?”
“Well commander, I have a request of you,” Omega said. “I asked Rigel if she would seal with me, and we would be honored if you would perform the ceremony.”
The news took Adama aback for a second before realizing the request and that this was good news. “That’s wonderful,” he said, standing to shake Omega’s hand. “And, I’d be honored,” he told Omega knowing it was a wonderful occasion. He paused wondering if he would ever be sealing Starbuck and Cassiopeia any time soon. He knew Omega and Rigel were seeing each other, but somehow missed how close they had become.
“Thank you commander,” Omega said, before leaving the room to tell his future wife the good news.
Adama sat back down reaching for the same book he used when Serina and Apollo had sealed. He had done a few more joining ceremonies since then, but it was always at the request of the couple and one of the few things he actually enjoyed doing. Each joining reminded him of a reason to continue their journey. He turned his attention to what he might need for the ceremony before finally heading over to the bed to rest for a few centons.
*****
The Hammer rose up out of the underground caverns it was used to flying in and hovered near the ground while the crew waited for something, or someone, to approach. A year ago if such a ship had appeared so brazenly out in the open it would have been attacked on sight. Today, no such attack happened much to the relief of many inside.
Morpheus looked out the window for something to appear, something which might resemble a command machine like he had been told to expect. Behind him others crowded the bridge taking a look at het surface of the planet which they had mostly lived underground on.
He knew there wasn’t much to look at, unless you considered the buildings which were built by the machines, which were marvels to behold. If one looked around you might find some ruins of the ancient cities left behind and in ruins after the wars and wondered how things really did look before the war.
High above the surface the clouds pulsed with lightning, something which blocked the sunlight and seemed to prevent the machines from leaving Earth as well. He wondered if those who had created it understood what horrors they unleashed.
A huge machine suddenly appeared in front of them, startling the occupants in the Hammer. It was round in shape and seemed to study the Hammer with interest. He realized this was probably the machine they were waiting for, Deux Ex Machina.
“Keep it in hover,” Morpheus said to Niobe, getting up out of his chair and heading towards the door. He left the ship alone and headed out to greet the machine having no idea what to expect.
The machine was even larger than he thought after exiting the Hammer. Taking a breath and exhaling he gathered his courage he approached the large machine hoping it didn’t decide to rid the planet of one more human.
“You must be Morpheus,” it said, its voice booming throughout the area as it glanced down at Morpheus.
“I am, and you must be Deux Ex Machina that the Oracle spoke of,” Morpheus replied feeling a bit better, so far the Oracle was correct in what she said. As he looked on this machine was nothing like the machines he was used to.
“She said you were a smart one, and open minded, that will be good for us,” it replied. “And yes, I am Deux Ex Machina, but for simplicity purposes call me DE, I’ve learned humans like to simplify names.”
Its words caught Morpheus off guard, but he was correct. “We were able to gather a few volunteers,” he finally said.
“Good, we have much work to do and little time to do it in, If you’ll follow me, perhaps in your ship as we need to travel a ways,” DE said to him. Morpheus nodded and walked back inside where people waited to hear what he had to say.
“We’re going to follow it,” Morpheus told them, strapping back into the seat. “We’ll have to trust them for a bit longer, I hope no one has any second thoughts now.”
A few looked nervous but no appeared to have second thoughts yet. He powered up the Hammer and followed DE towards the machine city seeing more than any human ever had.
*****
The orbiting moon around the planet was perfect for what it needed, a new base of operations from which it could attack its enemy, humans. It learned as much as possible about where it was, and learned that the humans were linked in and what happened here happened to the real bodies.
To kill of the humans it needed a way to attack the humans, and a base upon which to attack them and away from any prying eyes of someone who might stop it.
It had realized a thought and some effort allowed it to do more than it ever could. It would take a few days but then the attack force would be ready and nothing could stop it from its mission.
*****
Morpheus, Niobe, Ben and the others looked out the window of the bridge and marveled at the size and complexity of the city in front of them. For a second they even forgot that everything moving was a machine, unlike the people in Zion. They were surrounded by metal and they had managed to create a beautiful city. The geometry in the building were put in out of necessity, yet they managed to create something seamless and amazing.
All around them machines scurried back and forth with a sense of duty. They saw some machines with legs, ranging from four to eight while other machines like DE seemed to hover like the Hammer did. Morpheus wondered why most machines didn’t hover, and figured it took more energy so only the important machines were able to.
A massive building rose up in front of them with several machines swarming around it looking like ants covering it and he wondered if the machines were still in the process of building it. Another part of him wondered what the building was for.
Doors swung open allowing Morpheus and DE inside. Once inside they started at shock at what they saw inside.
*****
“Report Centurion,” the Imperious leader said as the centurion walked into the room with a report.
“By your command,” the centurion replied before getting the report. “The latest basestar is complete.”
“Excellent,” the Imperious Leader replied knowing it could turn the tide against any battle it came across, a combination of the Hades class and the Tartarus class. “Send it to the new human planet at once, full speed.”
“By your command,” the Centurion answered, then turned around to carry out the orders it had been given.
High above the Cylon home planet, in one of the orbital dockyards the latest Cylon basestar received its new orders. Its commander ready for battle with humans and to eliminate this threat which seemed to endanger the empire for far too long. It commanded the latest in Cylon warship technology, a killing machine designed for one purpose, destroying its enemies. Its firepower was immense, and it could carry as many raiders as the Hades class basestar, it was more than a match for anything the humans had ever built, including the Galactica.
End part 8