{"id":1697,"date":"2016-10-22T07:23:17","date_gmt":"2016-10-22T12:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1697"},"modified":"2016-10-26T07:33:53","modified_gmt":"2016-10-26T12:33:53","slug":"the-uneasy-alliance-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1697","title":{"rendered":"The Uneasy Alliance – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Uneasy Alliance<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 2<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Morpheus closed his eyes then opened them back up looking around at a familiar sight once more and realized despite everything the Matrix hadn\u2019t changed at all. He looked over as Niobe joined him and they headed off down the street, Morpheus heading towards the building where the agents held him almost a year ago when Trinty and Neo had rescued him.<\/p>\n

He passed by several people, everyone seemed content despite the fact he knew everything around them was faked. A couple passed him as he continued walking a bit nervous about what to expect by any agents.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorpheus,\u201d a voice said causing him to turn around to see to men dressed in black suits, agents. He paused a second noticing they were not heading to attack him, or anything else.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d he finally replied, stealing a glance over at Niobe who waited as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been expecting you, follow us,\u201d the other agent said, turning to walk away assuming they would follow.<\/p>\n

Morpheus shrugged at Niobe but followed anyways. He felt confused at the reaction, how had they been expecting him, and why?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were expecting us? Who told you?\u00a0 And where are we going?\u201d Morpheus asked his curiosity getting the better of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo see the Oracle of course,\u201d another voice said from behind him causing him to turn to see a man with black hair, Asian looks standing there. \u201cHello Morpheus, you know this is a violation of the treaty,\u201d he said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeraph,\u201d Morpheus said, giving him a slight bow before realizing what he said. \u201cThe Oracle knew I was coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Seraph replied. \u201cIf you wish a more detailed answer you must ask her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morpheus gave some thought to that and had no idea how the Oracle would know this. He understood she was a computer program of the Matrix, but still seemed wise beyond any of the other programs.\u00a0 They reached her apartment and walked in, everything seemed as normal, the only thing missing was the number of people this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s expecting you, go on in,\u201d Seraph said placing a hand on Niobe\u2019s shoulder indicating Morpheus should go on alone.<\/p>\n

He walked into the kitchen seeing her, she had changed a bit but the kitchen appeared normal.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello Morpheus,\u201d she said in a warm voice. \u201cCookie?\u201d she said holding out the tray to him showing a grandmother-like quality she always had no matter what form she took.\u00a0 He took one and ate it despite knowing it wasn\u2019t real.\u00a0 \u201cHow does this batch taste?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcellent as always,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cSweet talker, but it\u2019s nice to know I haven\u2019t lost my touch,\u201d she replied putting the tray down and sitting down to face him. \u201cYou probably want to know how I knew you were coming, and what is going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Morpheus replied a bit shocked she has seen through him so easily.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am part of you, like you are part of me. When something is wrong with one the other feels it, we have much to talk about,\u201d she told him.<\/p>\n

He sat down waiting to hear what she had to say.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Deus Ex hovered keeping an eye on the Matrix and what was going on in there. He had been informed the moment humans from Zion had been spotted and hoped the information would be relayed with help.\u00a0 It also kept an close eye on the sky anticipating another attack.<\/p>\n

Suddenly a formation of ships broke through the clouds streaking towards the human fields and energy towers. Almost immediately defense forces rushed to greet the attackers who opened fire once more without warning.<\/p>\n

The Sentinels quickly ripped apart the attacking ships but there was mixed results. While the ships were ripped apart, they were tougher than expected and several shots landed in the fields, whoever the attackers were they were good shots and relentless in their attack.<\/p>\n

With more ships the damage sustained was larger this time and with several well placed hits the fields lost several thousand humans connected to the Matrix which would have to be rebooted again.<\/p>\n

Deux Ex hoped the Oracle could convince the humans to help them out in this new struggle. If they didn\u2019t find out who was attacking them, and from where they might be destroyed.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Morpheus looked over at the Oracle wondering what they would have to talk about, the peace between the Machines and Zion appeared to be benefitting everyone at the moment, and both sides were getting along, or so he thought. Had someone done something?\u00a0 He then noticed a strange look on her face as she listened to something far away he couldn\u2019t hear before looking back at him with sadness in her eyes.<\/p>\n

Before he could even ask what was going on everything wavered for a second then went completely black followed by a blinding white light. He almost freaked out before seeing everything being rebuilt in just a few seconds and he found himself standing back in the Oracle\u2019s kitchen with her standing there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was that?\u201d Morpheus asked unsure what had happened when his phone rang. \u201cHello.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMorpheus, what the hell just happened?\u201d Link\u2019s voice said, a touch panicky. \u201cAll my screens went haywire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, but I\u2019ll find out, I\u2019ll keep in touch,\u201d Morpheus said turning to the Oracle who appeared to be waiting for him to end his conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you saw was a full reset of the Matrix, I\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t have time to warn you before it happened,\u201d she said to him still not saying why the Matrix had to be reset. Was there a problem with the program?\u00a0 \u201cWe are fighting a new war Morpheus, one which it seems we need your help to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Two vipers streaked through the vacuum of space on a simple patrol to keep an eye out for any signs of Cylons, life or supplies they might be able to use. So far the patrol had not found anything worth taking back to the Galactica, nor had they found much of anything lately.\u00a0 They had passed a few planets which had been rich in tylium helping the fleet replenish their fuel supply.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Starbuck, you see anything on your scanners?\u201d Apollo asked while they were searching another solar system, it had a few planets, some might be considered interesting prospects.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t think so,\u201d Starbuck replied.<\/p>\n

The patrol had been boring so far and in a way its how Apollo wanted it to stay. However a part of him wanted something, anything, to happen.\u00a0 He wished to find something which might help the fleet in the journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis system appears barren, wait, hold on,\u201d Apollo said looking at his scanner. The system had been uninteresting by now he had an anomaly on his scanner.\u00a0 He waited a second allowing the computer to analyze it before returning the results and his blood ran cold.\u00a0 \u201cStarbuck, hide now,\u201d Apollo said turning his viper into the nearest planet\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n

A quick glance at his scanner indicated Starbuck had also headed to the nearest planet while they both waited a second.<\/p>\n

\u201cStarbuck, you still there?\u201d Apollo asked a few microns later.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but what\u2019s going on?\u2019 Starbuck asked despite the fact Apollo was glad to hear his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy scanner picked up a Cylon basestar,\u201d Apollo replied. He turned his viper back up out of the atmosphere and scanned in the direction of the basestar relieved a bit to not see it.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t see it anymore, let\u2019s get back to the fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starbuck didn\u2019t argue as they both left the system as fast as the vipers could travel headed back to the fleet keeping an eye out for any patrols. The last thing they needed was a Cylon patrol finding the fleet now.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Morpheus sat down a bit stunned by what the Oracle told him, and confused as well. If what she said was correct then a new type of machine had shown up and attacked the Machine City along with the humans providing power to the city.<\/p>\n

Looking over at the oracle, who calmly waited for a reply. He considered her request to be genuine and he never knew her to lie to him so why would she start now?<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you fighting?\u2019 Morpheus asked despite already knowing the answer but wanted time to think about his answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re investigating the wreckage, but whoever they are we\u2019ve discovered no human bodies,\u201d the Oracle replied. \u201cFrom reports I\u2019ve been given the pilots are some sort of machines, but we have no idea who controls them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMachines,\u201d Morpheus said unsure if he liked the idea of going back to war against some sort of machine race, or a group which was a spinoff of the group they just made peace with. \u201cWhat type of machines?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly Morpheus, we don\u2019t know,\u201d the Oracle replied back to him. \u201cAll we know is they appeared from above the clouds and attacked us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome sort of left over machine from before the sky was torched?\u201d Morpheus asked, he needed as much information as possible, especially if the machines were asking for help against them and he had to go to the council. No one knew much history beyond what they learned in the Matrix, and that wasn\u2019t known how true that was.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have no such files of any machines leaving Earth,\u201d the Oracle replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen they are a mystery. So what do you require from us?\u201d Morpheus asked getting down to the heart of the matter now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a plan, but we need your help to pull it off,\u201d the Oracle said, then began to outline the plan to discover who they were fighting and how to get above the clouds.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Apollo and Starbuck made their way towards the bridge of the Galactica both knowing how hard it would be to inform the commander of what they encountered during their patrol. The last time they encountered a Cylon basestar Commander Adama decided to attack rather than try to go around, a bold plan devised which could have been disastrous.\u00a0 Apollo had no idea how his father would react this time.<\/p>\n

They both had scanned the system for any other signs of nearby basestars to see if this was a lone ship or not and the lack of anything worried Apollo. He figured his father would increase the numbers of patrols which would only strain the fuel reserves of the fleet, but also knew the fleet didn\u2019t have the reserves to fight a prolonged war against the Cylons.\u00a0 He hoped they had a choice.<\/p>\n

He went over everything about the encounter and the only thing which seemed strange to him, what happened to the basestar and where did it go. He didn\u2019t see it again even after they left.\u00a0 It was a long time to be behind a planet considering the orbiting speed of a basestar.<\/p>\n

Making their way onto the bridge he made his way to the commander with Starbuck following right behind him. The bridge was its usual hub of activity as people went about their jobs to make sure the battlestar continued to function as best as possible.\u00a0 The warships systems usually functioned better than other ships as they were designed to take damage and be redundant.<\/p>\n

Apollo noticed his father and headed over towards him, watching as Colonel Tigh came over as well to hear the report.<\/p>\n

\u201cApollo, you told Tigh you found something?\u201d Adama asked as Apollo reached him. Apollo noticed that his father hoped for good news, not the news he had about a Cylon basestar.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, yeah, but its not good,\u201d Apollo said seeing that he dashed his father\u2019s hoped of some good news for a change. \u201cWe ran into a Cylon basestar while scanning the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure?\u201d Tigh asked, his tone indicating he hoped Apollo and Starbuck made a mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but I don\u2019t think we were detected, we hid rather quickly,\u201d Apollo said knowing that if they had been detected the Cylons would already be at the fleet by now.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you weren\u2019t spotted, how?\u2019 Adama asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ducked into the atmosphere of the local planets to hide,\u201d Starbuck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we came back out the basestar was gone,\u201d Apollo stated. \u201cI don\u2019t\u2019 know where it went as we never spotted it even after leaving the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey could be setting another trap for us,\u201d Adama finally said quietly looking over at Tigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cPossible, if so what do we do?\u201d Tigh asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf so we need to find out when and where, if possible, I don\u2019t want to walk into another trap,\u201d Starbuck said to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is one other thing, now that I think about it,\u201d Apollo said, having gone over and over the encounter. \u201cIt seemed like that basestar was going fast, for it to go through the system in the amount of time we were in the atmosphere, it doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt goes against their operational procedures as well,\u201d Adama said, sitting down to think about the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think that\u2019s why they didn\u2019t spot us, they were in a hurry to be somewhere else?\u201d Starbuck asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the only thing which makes sense,\u201d Adama said before looking up at Tigh. \u201cIncrease the patrols briefly in the direction of the basestar, any other nearby systems as well, and let\u2019s keep it quiet for a bit, no need to start an unnecessary panic among the people of the fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn it commander,\u201d Tigh said heading off to carry out the order and inform the pilots who would be on patrol leaving Apollo and Starbuck still there.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think that\u2019s wise, not saying anything?\u201d Starbuck asked a bit unsure.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, panic among the people is never good thing. The last time it took a while for it to die down,\u201d Adama said.<\/p>\n

Apollo was not sure he understood but would stand by his father\u2019s decision. He hoped they wouldn\u2019t encounter another Cylon for a long time.<\/p>\n

End part 2<\/p>\n

Continued in part 3<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Uneasy Alliance by AJ Marks Part 2 Morpheus closed his eyes then opened them back up looking around at a familiar sight once more and realized despite everything the Matrix hadn\u2019t changed at all. He looked over as Niobe joined him and they headed off down the street, Morpheus heading towards the building where […]
Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9],"tags":[14,11,10,15,68,5,12],"class_list":["post-1697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-battlestar-galactica","category-fanfiction","tag-battlestar","tag-battlestar-galactica","tag-fanfiction","tag-galactica","tag-matrix","tag-sci-fi","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1697"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1703,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1697\/revisions\/1703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}