{"id":2044,"date":"2017-06-28T07:15:25","date_gmt":"2017-06-28T12:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2044"},"modified":"2017-06-27T21:14:35","modified_gmt":"2017-06-28T02:14:35","slug":"the-return-part-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2044","title":{"rendered":"The Return – Part 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Return<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

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

Part 6<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Baltar stood there listening to everything which happened according to Cylon intelligence. He had no idea everything had been going on for the past year, at least not since the Galactica had dropped him off at the planet.\u00a0 Only recently had the Cylons actually rescued him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Baltar, what is your reasoning in all of this,\u201d the Imperious Leader asked after hearing about the improbable events.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were unable to uncover what was in the building on the planet\u2019s surface,\u201d Baltar said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes no sense to me,\u201d Baltar said after thinking about it. \u201cI see no reason why Adama would bring everyone to the surface and then have the Galactica plow into it.\u00a0 Were all of the ships empty?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost all, there were a handful which were not,\u201d the Imperious Leader said.<\/p>\n

Baltar gave it some thought. Nothing made any sense to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd no humans were found on the planet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cScans indicated nothing,\u201d the Imperious Leader said halting for a second as another centurion entered the room. \u201cSpeak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy your command.\u201d the centurions said. \u201cWe have encountered another ship unlike anything we\u2019ve ever come across.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExplain,\u201d the Imperious Leader said as Baltar listened in hoping he might gain some new information.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt showed up on one of our patrols and then vanished using very high speed to exit the system. The Basestar commander is heading in the direction the ship retreated to see if it can be discovered,\u201d the centurion said.<\/p>\n

Baltar knew of no other race in the universe which might have ships capable of such speed. He wondered if they might have had something to do with what happened with the fleet.\u00a0 His mind raced with several possibilities, but no explanation came to him at all considering the information given to him.<\/p>\n

He would wait and see what happened next.<\/p>\n

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

Apollo beamed down to the base and wasn\u2019t surprised to be greeted by Captain Leon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see you\u2019ve returned, did you discover anything?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few survivors and encountered a Cylon basestar entering the system. We left towards another system so not to lead them back here,\u201d Apollo said.\u00a0 \u201cDid a quick survey around the other systems but saw it only there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo close by, wasn\u2019t sure we\u2019d hear anything so soon,\u201d Leon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but they were there, and we might want to be careful in the future,\u201d Apollo said. \u201cIf they are here, they probably control the entire galaxy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat,\u201d Leon said. \u201cNot sure I like that idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe neither, but it\u2019s a real possibility,\u201d Apollo replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if they do, then what will they do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Apollo fell silent for several seconds before replying. \u201cNot sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the base is up and running,\u201d Leon said as they began walking towards the command center. All ready it had several people in there all were working.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo how is the base?\u201d Apollo asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost fully operational,\u201d he replied. \u201cIt will take a while to get everything working, but for now, we have the essentials.\u00a0 When will you be headed back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSoon I suppose,\u201d Apollo said. \u201cThe base is operational, you have a way out, and everything is working.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far, everything is set up, all personal are getting settled, most of the base has been finished as well,\u201d the captain said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, any other contacts?\u201d Apollo asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, nothing since you left,\u201d the captain replied. \u201cWe noticed you and for a second wondered who it might be.\u00a0 Anything else of that other mysterious ship?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, if it was a ship I have no idea who it might be,\u201d Apollo replied. \u201cBut, we\u2019ll probably head back, stop at the Pegasus base and see what happens from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood luck commander,\u201d Leon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou too, you\u2019re in enemy territory here,\u201d Apollo stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, its set up that we\u2019ll receive supply ships every six months,\u201d Leon said. Apollo knew that, personal would also rotate at that time as well.\u00a0 It was a very interesting set up the Tau\u2019ri were creating.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny other ships spotted?\u201d Leon asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t see anything,\u201d Apollo replied. \u201cWe did have that one contact, but nothing about it made much sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apollo wondered who it might have been as no one in the galaxy had such technology, except for maybe the beings of light. When he started to think about them nothing made much sense to him at all.\u00a0 They seemed to have some sort of agenda, but if they allowed the Cylons to control the entire galaxy then what was the point.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you heading back to Earth, or New Caperica?\u201d Leon asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, we have civilians on board, not really a mission for such things, but we might return quickly to continue a search for other survivors,\u201d Apollo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we\u2019ll keep our ears open for anything as well,\u201d Leon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, then good luck to you,\u201d Apollo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSafe travels,\u201d Leon said as Apollo headed over to be beamed back up to the Galactica and head back to New Caperica and Earth.<\/p>\n

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

Baltar stepped on board the battlestar once more after being imprisoned for so long. He had been imprisoned right after being rescued and had no idea how long he had been there.\u00a0 Now he looked around at the familiar position as an IL series robot walked into the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cBaltar, it\u2019s a pleasure to see you again,\u201d Lucifer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLucifer,\u201d Baltar said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut of course, who else would it be, Spectre, he was scrapped a yehren ago for failure to capture the Galactica,\u201d Lucifer replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d Baltar said his eyebrows rising at that.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, he had been one of the commanders of the basestars, and the Imperious Leader was not happy when the Colonials escaped. It was perhaps fortunate that you were not leading out forces at that time, as you would have been executed,\u201d Lucifer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how did you survive?\u201d Baltar asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been taken off basestar command, the Imperious Leader considered me compromised due to my working with a human,\u201d Lucifer said.<\/p>\n

Baltar thought about that for a few seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you were lucky,\u201d he finally said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps, did you discover anything about the events?\u201d Lucifer asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it puzzles me as well,\u201d Baltar replied. \u201cThere is no logical explanation about what happened.\u00a0 People just don\u2019t\u2019 vanish, and Adama isn\u2019t one to commit suicide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, I could see no logic in it either,\u201d Lucifer stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor now, any word about where they might have gone?\u201d Baltar said, as another thought came to him, those being of light they had encountered once before. Perhaps they were somehow involved in all of this, it was the only thing which made any sense to him.\u00a0 Up till now he remained quiet about that considering they were more powerful than the Cylons.<\/p>\n

If there was one such powerful race, perhaps there were other race even more powerful, and the Galactica had encountered one of them who helped them out. The possibility had merit, and was also extremely dangerous if it was true.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you orders Baltar?\u201d Lucifer asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHead to the planet where this all happened, I want to see for myself,\u201d Baltar said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy your command.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Baltar looked on at the scans of the planet not seeing anything either after going over all the reports on the way. Nothing about the entire incident a year ago made any sense to him at all.\u00a0 It was like they all just up and vanished without a trace.<\/p>\n

He knew this wasn\u2019t the work of the Eastern Alliance, they didn\u2019t have the technology to do something like this.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you have no scans of any ships, or any visual reports of any ships?\u201d Baltar said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Lucifer replied back to him. \u201cAs I said, it makes no logical sense to anyone how they managed to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the ones who were captured, what did they say?\u201d Baltar asked, recalling that they had captured a few from the ships which escaped.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was something about a gate or something, but nothing on the planet was found,\u201d Lucifer replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not if it was destroyed,\u201d Baltar said. \u201cHow did the fleet act before all of this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom reports, the trap was being set up, and ships of the fleet went ahead, landed on the surface, took off again and those were empty. It was assumed they were off loading on the planet\u2019s surface, the plan was centered on destroying the Galactica.\u00a0 It was assumed, logically, that any people on the surface would be eliminated later on,\u201d Lucifer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would do they do that?\u201d Baltar mused. \u201cUnless they had a gate of some sort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think they escaped?\u201d Lucifer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSearch the entire planet, full scan, send out patrols to the nearby planets as well,\u201d Baltar said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think this gate is a key?\u201d Lucifer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they land, off load, and then go through it, but I\u2019ve heard of nothing like this from any other race we\u2019ve had contact with,\u201d Baltar said. \u201cThe actions are consistent with such a thing, but how would they have found something like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, this gate could have transported them somewhere else in the galaxy?\u201d Lucifer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts possible, but if that\u2019s the case then they could be anywhere,\u201d Baltar said. \u201cAnd depending on how advanced this other race is, the Cylon Empire could be in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShall I inform the Imperious Leader?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, we have no proof,\u201d Baltar replied. He would need answers before going to public with such a theory.\u00a0 \u201cContinue our patrols for now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy your command.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Apollo beamed up to the Galactica, met by Boomer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are our civilians settling in?\u201d Apollo asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust fine,\u201d Boomer said. \u201cSome are a bit worse for their ordeal, but everyone seems healthy despite everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood news,\u201d Apollo said. \u201cWell, let\u2019s head back for home then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe base is set up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep, ready to go,\u201d Apollo replied. \u201cIf they encounter a problem they have the means to head home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, I\u2019ll be glad to go,\u201d Boomer said surprising Apollo who thought his friend might like being back. \u201cWe left, I\u2019m not fond of staying here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHome is now New Caperica?\u201d Apollo asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething like that,\u201d Boomer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what you mean,\u201d Apollo said. \u201cI\u2019m ready to go home as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

They walked onto the bridge and he looked around at the rest of the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything ready?\u201d Apollo asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir,\u201d the reply came. \u201cWe can leave anytime you are ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell then, engage,\u201d Apollo said, knowing that the next stop would be the Pegasus galaxy before heading back home. \u201cHow are our supplies?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s a bit stretched with the new people, but we should be able to make to the Pegasus Galaxy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, notify everyone to be mindful of wasting anything,\u201d Apollo stated.<\/p>\n

He then headed back to one of the larger rooms on the ship where some of the people they had picked up were resting. Walking in he noticed Gina and Jonas sitting there watching as a child played nearby.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we\u2019re off,\u201d Jonas stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, going to make a stop at a base in another galaxy first, its between us and home,\u201d Apollo stated. \u201cI won\u2019t lie, there are enemies in that universe as well, and they are not that nice either.\u00a0 They are called the Wraith, and they feed on humans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, nice,\u201d Jonas said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing, they don\u2019t want us all dead,\u201d Apollo said. \u201cSo it allows us some room to navigate, and they too are also mostly limited to their galaxy.\u00a0 But, we do need to conserve food and water for the journey, we were not expecting so many to return with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand, a little bit more hardship is no problem for us,\u201d Gina said.<\/p>\n

Apollo understood what she was saying. He knew what they had gone though in order to survive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWere we fools?\u201d Jonas asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, we barely made it out without the additional people. Its hard to say.\u00a0 It could be the ships which left allowed us all to leave,\u201d Apollo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wonder if anyone else survived,\u201d Gina said.<\/p>\n

That thought had Apollo thinking, what became of the Colonies? Did anyone survive there?<\/p>\n

For now, he would be glad they had survived at all and were no headed back home where things were much more stable and they had allies.<\/p>\n

End Return<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Return by AJ Marks Part 6 Baltar stood there listening to everything which happened according to Cylon intelligence. He had no idea everything had been going on for the past year, at least not since the Galactica had dropped him off at the planet.\u00a0 Only recently had the Cylons actually rescued him. \u201cSo Baltar, […]
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