Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Present Day

Forty two basestars held position two light years from the Cyrannus system.

The Fleet represented the Cylon’s main strike force against the Colonies. At the appointed time it would divide into seven battle groups. Three would engage the defenses of Picon, Caprica and Scorpia, the most powerful Colonies, three would engage the largest concentrations of Colonial military power, with the remaining acting as the primary reserve force for the entire attack.

Two smaller fleets were staged at different locations readying for attacks on the other Colonies with a fourth group (comprised largely of raiders) assigned the task of ‘hunter/killers’ against the Colonial’s civilian shipping and other targets of opportunity.

Things proceeded well. Confirmation had been received that the backdoor virus into the Colonial systems had been distributed to over 95 percent of their Fleet. Their sabotage and infiltration teams were in place.

Inside the lead basestar’s CIC several human form models prepared for the final battle.

“We failed to destroy the Armistice Station,” a five said.

“There was unexpected EM interference occurring in that entire sector,” an eight reported. “The basestar could not engage before the envoy left. We can keep the station as a museum piece when this is over.”

“I don’t like it,” the five replied. “Some of the Colonial military units are not where our intelligence said they would be. We should deploy additional scouts and delay the attack.”

“Why?” a three asked. “We’re close to our final jump time. The tests of the backdoor worked flawlessly. If we don’t go now we’ll have to scrap the current plan and start over again. The longer we delay the greater the risk we get caught.”

The five pressed, “If the Colonial’s suspect or worse found out …”

“We would already know,” a six interrupted.

“Agreed,” added a seven, the ‘oldest’ in appearance of the seven primary models. “If the Colonials have had some hint of what we’re up too, then we have to strike now before they organize any kind of response or discover the backdoor. We’ve been planning this for years. We can’t falter now. It’s time to crush the humans once and for all.”

“Fate has been set in motion,” a two said. “Destiny demands a response. It’s time.”

There was a brief pause as all the models made their feelings known.

“Very well,” the five said. “It is most likely nothing. And if the Colonials have discovered something then delay only favors them. The attack goes through as planned.”

The consensus reached throughout the Fleet.

And then voice came across every single speaker in the Fleet.

“Hi there,” a voice said. “Do you mind of I add something to the discussion?”

“Where is that signal coming from!?!?” a three shouted.

“Everywhere,” an eight replied. “It’s on every channel. We can’t localize a source.”

“There’s something on DRADIS,” a four said. “Too much EM interference to get a clean lock. But it appears to be about a third the size of Columbia Class Battlestar. 1,500 km distance bearing 382. It doesn’t match any known Colonial type, but we can’t be sure with all this interference. No FTL trace detected. It came out of nowhere.”

“The Hybrids are reporting EM interference knocked our FTL drives offline,” a five said.

“Hack that ship’s network and launch Raiders,” a three ordered.

“Hack my network?” the voice said. “That’s somewhat rude. How would you like it if someone did that to you?”

The Cylons watched in horror as the lights blinked on and off several times and the two centurions standing at the entrance began hopping up and down and then turned towards each other and started playing patty-cake.

“What?!?”

Collective shock spread through every ship in the fleet as the power, lighting, environmental, centurions and other systems began behaving erratically.

“Something is in our network!?!!” a five shouted.

“The stream is being diverted,” a two said. “I can feel it.”

“Initiate countermeasures,” a six ordered. “And get those Raiders in the air,” she paused. “Who are you?”

“Took you long enough to ask,” the voice replied. “I am the Culture Rapid Offensive Unit - Kicking Down the Door and I am here to inform you that there will be no genocide today.”

------

14 years ago (Colonial Reckoning)

---- To - GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down; GCU Dew of the Morning Flower
--------- From – GCU – Dancing on Pinheads

First stage infiltration continues to go well.

---- To - GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down; GCU – Dancing on Pinheads
--------- From – GCU – Dew of the Morning Flower

So far.

I still say you are playing with fire.

I swear one of these days I’m going to have a long talk with the Minds running the Yinang Orbitals’ shipyards. Every GCU from there is just a little bit crazy.

I’ve reviewed the reports on the artificially constructed cells embedded in the human’s DNA. Whoever set this experiment up was at least at our level when they Sublimed. And I still maintain they continue to monitor the Colonials. Just look at the ‘Oracles’.

---- To - GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down; GCU Dew of the Morning Flower
--------- From – GCU – Dancing on Pinheads

Well then, it is probably for the best that you keep at least half the galaxy between you and Twelve Colonies at all times.

The Oracles’ ability is an outgrowth of the artificial cell structures in their DNA. It enables them to ‘see’ beyond themselves through a common link and, as part of the control, guide their society. The Cylons, without fully understanding the ability or its source, are using it to create a common ‘group identity’ among their individual models.

And it is obvious this represents a break down in the failsafe. We’ve reviewed the ‘programming’ and it is clear the intent was to collapse the society to an earlier stage of development..

The Cylons now seek to eradicate humans all together.

---- To - GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down; GCU – Dancing on Pinheads
--------- From – GCU – Dew of the Morning Flower

So you think. You still can not fully explain what caused the rift between the Cylons and humans or why the Cylons chose to end the war rather than completing their program.

---- To - GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down; GCU Dew of the Morning Flower
--------- From – GCU – Dancing on Pinheads

Without a guiding hand to monitor the control link it broke down.

---- To - GCU –Dancing on Pinheads; GCU Dew of the Morning Flower
--------- From – GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down

Honestly the bickering between you two is getting nowhere. The decision has been made and we are committed.

How is Gaius adjusting? He was one of the more interesting crew members I’ve had.

---- To - GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down; GCU Dew of the Morning Flower
--------- From – GCU – Dancing on Pinheads

Quite well so far. There is the usual difficulty adapting to a scarcity based society. But his knowledge and experience dealing with low stage societies from his time in Contact and his study of primitive computer programming has enabled him to move up rapidly in the academic and business world.

In another three years he should be perfectly positioned.

We’ve also identified several Colonial’s for future contact and cultivation.

---- To - GCU –Dancing on Pinheads; GCU Dew of the Morning Flower
--------- From – GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down

And the survey of Kobol?

---- To - GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down; GCU Dew of the Morning Flower
--------- From – GCU – Dancing on Pinheads

Complete (full report appended). The so-called ‘Lords of Kobol’ were clearly representatives of the civilization that set up this experiment.

The planet was partially teraformed 11,000 years ago. Examination of the ecosystem shows humans were not native to the planet. Based on detailed analysis of the Colonial DNA and remains found in various crypts on Kobol, the original settlers were brought to Kobol from 13 different pan-human planets (sources appended) and genetically modified to the same type approximately 10,000 years ago. They began as a stage one civilization and moved up to stage four before collapsing back to stage one again.

The pattern repeated twice more and then the population was moved to the Cyrannus system approximately 2,000 years ago. Soon after arrival the Colonials collapsed back to stage two.

This supports the theory that the failsafe system broke down as during the previous three rotations the Colonials never developed past stage four. No AIs and the FTL drive used to reach the Cyrannus system was a ‘gift’ from ‘Athena’.

Our best guess is that soon after the transfer to Cyrannus the civilization that set this experiment up Sublimed.

---- To - GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down; GCU – Dancing on Pinheads
--------- From – GCU – Dew of the Morning Flower

All of which demonstrates just how elaborate this experiment is.

---- To - GCU –Dancing on Pinheads; GCU Dew of the Morning Flower
--------- From – GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down

But what did they hope to gain? Over the last 11,000 years there have been hundreds of examples of early stage civilizations to monitor. Why create a completely artificial one and isolate it from the rest of the galaxy in one of the outer clouds? The nearest proto-sentient species is 14,500 years away and the nearest civilization of is 17,900 years away.

---- To - GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down; GCU Dew of the Morning Flower
--------- From – GCU – Dancing on Pinheads

That’s one of the questions we hope to answer.

---- To - GCU – How Many Roads Can a Mind Walk Down; GCU – Dancing on Pinheads
--------- From – GCU – Dew of the Morning Flower

Playing with fire.


a/n – The next set of updates will occur next weekend, starting late Friday afternoon. This story is basically finished with only a couple of minor tweaks needed and probably at least one more re-write of the bloody epilogue of which there are currently six different versions (stupid characters refuse to stand still).