{"id":1765,"date":"2016-12-10T07:15:51","date_gmt":"2016-12-10T13:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1765"},"modified":"2016-12-14T08:10:14","modified_gmt":"2016-12-14T14:10:14","slug":"the-uneasy-alliance-part-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1765","title":{"rendered":"The Uneasy Alliance – Part 16"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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

Part 16<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Niobe watched as the ship came to halt in front of her, along with the other two ships which looked very much like fighters, sleek, futuristic fighters, but fighter none-the-less. She watched as the doors opened allowing two men to walk out, both dressed in identical uniforms, brown and tans, and both wore weapons which looked very similar to the ones the robot had.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Captain Apollo of the Battlestar Galactica,\u201d the dark-haired said, introducing himself to the group as they probably already knew who he was. \u201cThis is Lieutenant Starbuck,\u201d he said motioning to the other man.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Niobe,\u201d she said, her reply in a friendlier voice than before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking for a friend of ours, perhaps you\u2019ve seen him?\u201d Starbuck asked getting right down to why they were there.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we saw him, he went underground and is probably at Zion,\u201d Niobe replied looking at the group in front of her as two more exited the shuttle and the other two from the fighters joined them. Six people, all dressed in uniforms and she figured they were probably soldiers of some sort.\u00a0 The only one who stood out was the blonde woman, who had a dress instead of the uniform the others wore, but it was the same color and seemed to be of the same material.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s not a problem, we\u2019d like to pick him up and be on our way, we mean you no harm,\u201d Apollo said to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cZion, it\u2019s a good distance walk from here, several hours\u201d Niobe replied to them wondering if they would walk all the way to Zion, and what type of reaction they would get upon reaching the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn hour,\u201d Starbuck said, frowning. \u201cDoesn\u2019t that sound familiar to you Apollo?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTerra,\u201d Apollo said confusing Niobe. She had never heard of this group before and wondered who they might be.\u00a0 \u201cAre you in trouble with, or with the Eastern Alliance?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Eastern Alliance? Never heard of them,\u201d Niobe replied feeling unnerved by the questions coming from the men.\u00a0 Who were the Eastern Alliance, more humans?\u00a0 If so, how many left Earth that they didn\u2019t know about.<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt it,\u201d Apollo finally said after several seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre they enemy of yours?\u201d Niobe asked, wondering if they might have a name for the group who was attacking them.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot exactly,\u201d Apollo said.<\/p>\n

Niobe was about to reply when five weapons were drawn and visitors quickly backed up a step causing her to wonder what had changed in the conversation so quickly.<\/p>\n

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

Sheba awoke looking around in a strange place, not what she expected to see. She looked around seeing that everything was white, including her own uniform.\u00a0 She suddenly recalled that she had been here before but could not fully recall when or why she had been here.\u00a0 The whiteness almost seemed overwhelming to her senses as it was everywhere.<\/p>\n

She looked around for a door or something which might indicate where she was. She made a circle around the room but saw nothing other than the typical furnishings of a room, except it was all in white.\u00a0 She also had a feeling she was being watched.<\/p>\n

Welcome<\/em> a voice said making Sheba spin around looking for the source of the voice, but saw no one in the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d she asked, assuming that someone was in the room with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cFriends,\u201d the voice said as a hand touched her shoulder.<\/p>\n

She spun around to see an elderly gentleman standing beside her also dressed in white. He had white hair and a fatherly look in his eyes.\u00a0 He looked familiar to her as well but couldn\u2019t place when or where she had seen him before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you?\u201d she asked, hoping to get to the end of the mystery that had been plaguing her since she woke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d the man said, placing a hand on her shoulder again. \u201cThere, now you can remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

Memories filled Sheba\u2019s mind of the last time she had been on board the ship. Apollo had challenged Count Ilbis and lost.\u00a0 On the way back to the fleet they encountered the Beings of Light again and they healed Apollo.\u00a0 Now they had returned once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy am I here,\u201d Sheba asked, wondering if she would even get an answer to her question. She recalled all of Apollo\u2019s encounters with this race.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy name is John, and you are here to keep Apollo from making a mistake,\u201d John said to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn, that name sounds familiar,\u201d Sheba said going over everything Apollo had said of his last encounter with them. \u201cOf course, Terra, you were the one who spoke to Apollo on the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but this time it is imperative that Commander Adama and Doctor Wilker go to the planet\u2019s surface,\u201d John said to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t make much sense to me,\u201d Sheba answered thinking about the request. \u201cIt appears that this group is at war with someone else, and we can\u2019t go around getting involved stopping every war we come across to satisfy your whims.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no war going on down there,\u201d John said to her. \u201cBut if you don\u2019t have Commander Adama and Doctor Wilker go down to the planet\u2019s surface, it will be a disaster for all involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat,\u201d Sheba asked trying to figure out what was going on.<\/p>\n

She wanted to say more but suddenly felt a bit disorientated and found herself back in her viper headed back to the Galactica. She wondered if she had imagined it all, but it all made no sense.\u00a0 She would have to tell Commander Adama about what happened and let him make the final decision on what to do next.<\/p>\n

\u201cViper one to Galactica, permission to land,\u201d Sheba said as she lined up to land in the landing back.<\/p>\n

\u201cPermission granted,\u201d she heard Athena\u2019s voice reply as the landing instructions were received.<\/p>\n

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

The black armored centurion entered the command room and waited for the basestar commander to instruct him. The platform swiveled around and Hades looked down at the centurion standing before him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy your command,\u201d the centurion said automatically.<\/p>\n

\u201cReport centurion,\u201d Hades ordered hoping to receive information on what had been happening lately.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree vipers and a Colonial shuttle craft were reported heading towards the human planet. Five fighters were orbiting the planet and scanners indicated a brief skirmish with no ships damage,\u201d the centurion said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what happened?\u201d Hades asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the vipers broke away while the rest headed down towards the planet\u2019s surface,\u201d the centurion stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat of the lone viper?\u201d Hades asked not concerned with what was going on down on the planet\u2019s surface. The lone viper could lead him straight towards the Galactcia, the biggest prize in all of the Cylon Empire.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost contact with it shortly after it broke away from the group,\u201d the centurion replied back to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean lost contact?\u201d Hades asked wanting more information about the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt disappeared from our scanners,\u201d the centurion replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well, we shall wait then until the shuttle leaves the planet and then track it back as well, then we\u2019ll know where the Galactica is,\u201d Hades said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy your command,\u201d the centurion said turning and walking out of the room.<\/p>\n

Hades knew he could send out patrols but he didn\u2019t want to alert the Galactica by doing a random search in the direction which the vipers and shuttle came from. He wanted accuracy the first time.\u00a0 For now he would wait.<\/p>\n

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

Niobe turned around to see what had startled their guests. The only thing she saw was DE coming towards them.\u00a0 The machine had not slowed down at all despite the fact there were several weapons drawn and pointing against it.\u00a0 Of course between it and the visitors were her group of humans and she wasn\u2019t sure what they might do.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, DE, perhaps you should wait a second,\u201d Niobe finally said motioning to the machine to hold off until she could figure out what was going on and turned back to the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know this thing?\u201d Apollo said sounding wary of what was going on. Niobe could tell his entire body language was very tense and wondered what had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts name is Deux Ex Machina, or as we call it, DE,\u201d Niobe replied to him. \u201cRight now you are guests in his city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Zion?\u201d Starbuck asked sounding confused<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, that is the underground human city,\u201d DE replied from where it hovered not that far away.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuman city?\u201d another asked, and Niobe could see they were all very confused by what was going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes and no, this is the Machine City, and up until a year ago the machines and humans of this planet were at war. We\u2019ve been at peace now for a year and it\u2019s been holding up quite well,\u201d Niobe said giving them a shorten version of what history she knew.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeace with machines, sounds skeptical,\u201d Apollo said making Niobe wonder who they were.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a long story,\u201d Niobe replied back to them. \u201cI can explain while we walk down to Zion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy walk when we can drive,\u201d the one called Starbuck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite right Starbuck,\u201d Apollo said. \u201cJolly, Brie, Bojay, stay here with the ships, Cassie, Starbuck and I will head on down and see if we can get Boomer back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niobe watched as Apollo gave out orders and realized he was the one in command, and the rest were used to carrying out orders with efficiency. They were obviously soldiers but why did they have such a negative reaction to DE?\u00a0 Even as she watched a vehicle came out of the shuttle, and it looked armed as well.\u00a0 This vehicle was designed for war.<\/p>\n

\u201cShall we go?\u201d Apollo said to Niobe.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive me a second,\u201d Niobe said holding up a hand and turning to the others. \u201cDo any of you have any problems?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, be sure to return,\u201d Rick said to her, as the others also agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember, Morpheus and Ben were arrested on sight, I doubt the orders have changed at all, and probably are worse,\u201d John said. \u201cI have no idea if their guy could talk any sense out of them.\u00a0 He\u2019s probably also in jail with Morpheus and Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019ll be interesting for sure,\u201d Niobe said. \u201cPerhaps their vehicle will help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so,\u201d John replied.<\/p>\n

Niobe walked over and climbed on board behind Apollo as the blonde woman climbed in as well and figured she was Cassie.<\/p>\n

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

Commander Adama waited on the bridge along with Tigh and Omega who were waiting to hear what happened. He hoped nothing else had happened with the rescue mission to recover Boomer.\u00a0 If anything happened he wasn\u2019t sure he could afford another rescue mission despite the fact it was his son on the mission.\u00a0 He looked up as Sheba walked onto the bridge knowing he would find out soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened Sheba?\u201d he asked her as she walked up to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe encountered a group of fighters on our approach to the planet. The pilots were human, had a brief skirmish but no one was hurt,\u201d she replied to him, not helping his stress about the situation.\u00a0 \u201cWe managed to calm the situation and Apollo asked me to head back and report while they headed down to the planet\u2019s surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he have any special instructions?\u201d Adama asked watching as she suddenly stiffened and seemed conflicted.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, well, that\u2019s complicated,\u201d Sheba finally answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean,\u201d Adama asked, looking over at Tigh then back to Sheba who seemed nervous which was out of character for her. \u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Apollo wanted me to ask that you and Doctor Wilker head to the planet as well, we might need your help in diplomacy,\u201d Sheba finally said.<\/p>\n

Adama thought about it for several seconds. \u201cWhy would he need my help?\u201d he asked her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure what he was thinking, only that he had a feeling you might be needed,\u201d Sheba replied and Apollo had a feeling something else was up. He felt sure it wasn\u2019t a hostage situation and turned to Tigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps he feels someone with authority will help?\u201d Tigh supplied logically.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps, inform Doctor Wilker he\u2019ll be going on a mission with me, you\u2019ll be in charge of the fleet until I return,\u201d Adama said to Tigh before turning to Sheba. \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tigh went to work and Adama left the bridge with Sheba and waited until they were on the elevator. \u201cSo, what\u2019s the real reason we\u2019re going,\u201d he asked her, looking at her and waiting.<\/p>\n

She fidgeted for a second before finally speaking up. \u201cI uh, have to,\u201d she finally said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me everything so we\u2019re not walking into this blind,\u201d Adama said to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cApollo didn\u2019t ask for you to come, but did send me back. On my way back I encountered the Beings of Light,\u201d she said to him.<\/p>\n

Adama nodded knowing that they were involved. \u201cI guess we play along and see what they want this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

End part 16<\/p>\n

Continued in part 17<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Uneasy Alliance by AJ Marks Part 16 Niobe watched as the ship came to halt in front of her, along with the other two ships which looked very much like fighters, sleek, futuristic fighters, but fighter none-the-less. She watched as the doors opened allowing two men to walk out, both dressed in identical uniforms, […]
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