{"id":584,"date":"2015-08-07T12:22:28","date_gmt":"2015-08-07T12:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=584"},"modified":"2015-08-08T12:29:42","modified_gmt":"2015-08-08T12:29:42","slug":"storm-clouds-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=584","title":{"rendered":"Storm Clouds – Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Storm Clouds<\/span><\/h2>\n

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

Part 1: The Groups<\/span><\/p>\n

Commander Adama looked down across the bridge of the Galactica. So much had changed in the past yehren. They had encountered a strange base, and in that base waiting two new battlestars. He never learned much about who the robot worked for, only some ancient dead race.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommander, incoming message from the Hyperion,\u201d Athena said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut it though\u201d Adama said, seeing Omega\u2019s face appear on the screen. Tigh took command of the Agamemnon and Omega command of the Hyperion. \u201cOmega, what\u2019s the situation?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe investigated a few systems ahead, one planet which supports life, sending teams down to check on food and other supplies that might be easily extracted,\u201d Omega said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, if things check out we\u2019ll send a supply ship your way,\u201d Adama said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll try and complete our scans quickly,\u201d Omega said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Adama replied, ending the transmission. Things had looked up as with three battlestars, he had the luxury of sending one on ahead to scout for supplies, giving them a greater range of searching. Also if something was discovered, a battlestar could head out for a closer check.<\/p>\n

The atmosphere was relaxed, everyone settled into the roles. The command crews working well together now after the mess early on. One mass training session as people moved around and so many new people had caused some confusion.<\/p>\n

The best part of the entire ordeal, the fleet now was less cramped. Ships\u2019 life support systems were no longer as strained, though food, water and fuel still remained top priorities.<\/p>\n

He turned watching as Crystal walked onto the bridge. The short red-head had come on board after Apollo had been mistaken for someone they called the Emperor, and wanted to execute him. She had helped them out in the rescue in exchange to be taken with them. He learned she had strong psychic abilities, perhaps the strongest he ever encountered.<\/p>\n

She walked over to him, looking a bit worried. He paused, turning to look at Colonel Benard. \u201cI\u2019ll be in my office,\u201d he said, motioning for Crystal to follow him. They walked off even as Benard acknowledged the statement.<\/p>\n

The quiet trip felt uncomfortable despite the fact Crystal was naturally quiet and shy. Sitting down in the office he looked over at her before saying anything. She had a strained expression and knew something had bothered her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d he asked, watching her shoulders slump slightly, something he learned meant she did not know.<\/p>\n

\u201cA feeling,\u201d she finally stated. \u201cIt started a few days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adama nodded, recalling what happened then. The Hyperion had gone off in front of the fleet to scan a few promising systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a feeling that we\u2019re being watched,\u201d she finally said. \u201cI can\u2019t explain it. But I feel like someone is watching us, observing. I can\u2019t shake it\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny malicious feelings?\u201d he asked, taking her statement seriously.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, it\u2019s jumbled,\u201d she finally said. \u201cI can\u2019t make anything out. I thought, maybe, if I spoke to you about it I might feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adama thought about what to tell her. She was very sensitive, and had slowly been helping her build up shields to block certain emotions, and control her power. This feeling, however, seemed slightly different.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very possible that some race is watching us,\u201d Adama finally said. \u201cThere are other races out there, and this one might be watching us though scanners. They might only be watching to see what our intentions are. Are we hostile or friendly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it might not be anything,\u201d Crystal asked back, almost hopeful.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very possible, we might pass by them without ever making contact with them,\u201d Adama said, already thinking of ways to alert the other commanders of this. Alarming her might only cause her problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is something else,\u201d she finally said after another pause. \u201cIt\u2019s a dream, I\u2019ve had it several times now. I\u2019m running from something I can\u2019t see. I meet another man who is also running away. We enter a clearing, it\u2019s full of shadows armed with swords. They start to close in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then?\u2019 Adama asked, not sure what to make of this.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wake up,\u201d Crsytal replied. \u201cIt\u2019s a dream I don\u2019t like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adama recalled mentioning of psychic dreams which could foresee the future, but deciphering it could be almost impossible until after the situation occurred.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might be a fortune-telling dream,\u201d he said, seeing her eyes go wide open. \u201cBut, what it means we might never know until after it happens. Many times we don\u2019t understand them, I can understand your running. We are running from the Cylons looking for Earth. Did you dream of meeting the Cylons, or some other race, I don\u2019t know. But I will inform the others to be careful, and to not enrage any new race.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not much of a help is it?\u201d Crystal said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that, if we keep our eyes open, we might be able to avoid any problems,\u201d Adama said. He made a note on the computer and sent to Tigh and Omega to be wary. He would take this seriously. With her dream and feeling of being watched, he had a feeling something would happen.<\/p>\n

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

The commander paused looking over the figures. Taking a moment to rub his forehead at the feeling of an oncoming headache. The figures were not good at all. A knock on the door caused him to look up, seeing the colonel appear there.<\/p>\n

\u201cZaga, what can I do for you?\u201d Tagget asked, hoping nothing else happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain Orion reports growing restlessness on board his ship, we need to find a food source soon,\u201d Zaga said causing Tagget to sigh. If their luck did not change soon, they would be facing a full scale riot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take it nothing has worked in raising food?\u201d Tagget asked, wondering about the report. He even converted an area of the Sunflare to raising crops hoping for some improvement in that area.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot anywhere enough,\u201d Zaga replied. \u201cWe\u2019ve got scouts out looking for planets which might have some food. However,\u201d he paused, \u201cthere is something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tagget watched him close the door and sit down. When his colonel closed the door, things were never good.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve picked up some signals, Cylon in origin,\u201d he finally said, chilling Tagget, the problems of the fleet doubling in a single statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo we have a direction?\u201d he asked, hoping to get some time to avoid a skirmish with them. So far they had been lucky in avoiding any Cylons.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral, both ahead and behind us,\u201d Zaga said.<\/p>\n

Tagget now had a hard decision to make. He did not want to turn too much as he wanted to continue to move away from the Cylon Empire. However, if they were in front of him, it meant the Cylons had passed him. Another thought came to his mind, were they closing in on the Galactica?<\/p>\n

\u201cAny Colonial signals?\u201d he asked, hoping to somehow get lucky.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, nothing,\u201d Zaga said. \u201cI have a patrols scheduled, I\u2019ve put Issac and Ben on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, send them to my office,\u201d Tagget said, watching as Zaga nodded and left the office, opening the door, allowing a girl into the office, obviously waiting outside. Tagget watched Sara slip past Zaga with a hello before skipping over to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, you been a good girl?\u201d he asked, as she hopped upon his lap, snuggling in. He rubbed her back for a few seconds. Whenever things got bad, he tried his best with her in mind. Her silence and attitude indicated something disturbed her. Usually it had to do with something about his position, someone complaining. He looked up seeing Ben and Issac walking into the office.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, come in, has the colonel informed you of the situation?\u201d Tagget asked, being careful not to mention Cylons.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201dSome of it,\u201d Ben replied, his body language indicating he knew there was more.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, be careful of tin cans,\u201d he said, putting emphasis on \u2018tin cans\u2019 for them. Ben slowly nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave we heard-\u201d Issac started, but a bump from Ben silenced him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd there have been some signals from in front of us,\u201d Tagget said. He saw Ben ponder that.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we\u2019re flying out in front, do we have the direction?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cZaga will give you that information in the patrol course, also, scan for any systems that might have supplies,\u201d he told them, they both understood that by supplies he meant food.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d Ben replied, as he headed off towards the hangar.<\/p>\n

Tagget had no idea what they might do next. The last sign of the Galactica had been a yehren ago when they encountered a planet with humans on it. They stocked up with food, and heard rumors of a flying craft along with a group of men who wore a similar uniform as they did.<\/p>\n

He looked down as Sara\u2019s stomach rumbled a bit. He felt the pang of guilt knowing they were all hungry. What type of life was he leading them into? Perhaps settling down was for the best, then scrapping the ships on the surface of a planet. They were only a few thousand people, perhaps the Cylons would overlook them.<\/p>\n

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

Admiral Ares made his way up to the command floor of Lookout Station. The furthest station from Earth built by the defense force after several years of arguments in the government. Ares had come from the Colonies on a mission to find Earth on board a battlestar called Argo.<\/p>\n

He had spent too much time arguing and had not been able to help as Cain hoped. The backup plan became extremely important. Ares worked tirelessly to make sure Earth had a working defense force against the Cylons. Now, this station was considered the furthest operational base and kept a look out for Cylons.<\/p>\n

Long range probes into Cylon space had given him an understanding of what was going on. Launched from dead planets they also kept an eye on those spots for any Cylon activity. The only problem had been no information had come about the Galactica. Had it even made it out of the colonies, or was it caught as it tried to leave? Troy said they had and for now put Ares put his faith in the man\u2019s extraordinary talent to foresee the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral on deck,\u201d a voice shouted out as Ares stepped onto the command deck.<\/p>\n

He continued on towards the captain of the station. He appeared to be looking at some report.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything new?\u201d Ares asked, as he stopped next to the captain.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly this, came in from the last probe launched,\u201d the captain said, causing Ares to look down and read it for himself.<\/p>\n

Ares saw the probe indicated a hit on long-range scans. Looking it over he saw several ships, including an identified Colonial battle-cruiser. That shocked him.<\/p>\n

\u201cA battle-cruiser?\u201d he asked confused. The Galactica was a battlestar, Colombia class, not a battle-cruiser.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe probe puts the fleet here,\u201d the captain said, as they walked over to the star charts. A dot lit up indicating the spot. He looked over the map seeing where the ships were.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat should we do?\u201d the captain asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet me Captain Johnson,\u201d Ares said after a few seconds of thought. He waited a few seconds until the captain appeared on the screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeorge, have a mission for you and the Sydney,\u201d Ares said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, a probe indicated an incoming group of ships, Colonial,\u201d Ares said, watching George\u2019s eyes widen in surprise. He had not expected to hear that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Galactica?\u201d George asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, some other Colonial ship, but we\u2019re also picking up Cylon communications as well,\u201d Ares said. \u201cWe need information about if they are close by or not, and to intercept the Colonial ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstood, will we be picking anyone up?\u201d George asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019ll send Bri and Troy over,\u201d Ares said, thinking about it for a second. Troy served on several battlestars before leaving the Colonies and his knowledge of people might come in handy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll wait for their arrival,\u201d George said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, get me the Argo,\u201d Ares said, waiting a moment until the flagship of the fleet answered. Pratt\u2019s face appeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what\u2019s up you old wardaggit,\u201d Pratt replied, even though they both knew who was older.<\/p>\n

\u201cSend Troy and Bri over to the Sydney, Captain Johnson will update them when they arrive,\u201d Ares said, not wanting to get anyone excited yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Pratt replied before signing off. Ares looked at the scanners again wondering who else might be out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure about this?\u201d the captain asked. \u201cOnly sending a gunstar?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s faster, but still can help out if it encounters trouble. I want the battlestars here for rapid deployment,\u201d Ares said, thinking about something else. \u201cInform all commands to quietly cancel all leaves. Deploy the 501st squadron to outpost six. And set up a secure transmission to Earth. I\u2019ll be in my office.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir,\u201d the captain said, looking a bit shocked.<\/p>\n

Ares walked away feeling trouble coming. He had no idea where or how, but he wanted to prepare. He would not be caught off guard.<\/p>\n

End part 1<\/p>\n

Continued in Part 2: The Movement<\/a><\/p>\n

Comment below or send to AJMarks01@aol.com or at the BSG club forum<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Storm Clouds by AJ Marks Part 1: The Groups Commander Adama looked down across the bridge of the Galactica. So much had changed in the past yehren. They had encountered a strange base, and in that base waiting two new battlestars. He never learned much about who the robot worked for, only some ancient dead […]
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