Record keeping time: "You will be assimilated NO, we are not the Borg", no Mass Effect anything. No Halo. Not even Babylon Five, although there is a history here and has a solid connection, which is described in 'Roads paved in Shadow', the other side of the coin of this story. But not in this story, because the Earth Alliance never made it through the dimensional rift. There are some very hard feelings there on the side of the rift, but it isn't important to this story.

As always, this is more discussion than war and remember the war here has little to do with the colonials directly. That's the Big boy's problem. The colonials are at the periphery. They will dead wit the Race and vice versa.

Now, please enjoys. Thank you, AlbertG.

P.S. I will do a cutesy section coming up soon about Colonial Intelligence and Star Trek. They KNOW it isn't real but…little things keep coming up. What's an intelligence officer to do? Ignore it?

"We…we can't!"

:

Chapter 29

Caprica

On the screen the observers saw two worlds, one was a barren world, one unable to sustain life. On that barren planet, there were huge mega complexes, automated factories enclosed in a huge energy dome protecting the buildings. Hundreds of thousands of drones were building ships, making supplies, preparing them for storage and shipping. Tens of thousands of large containers were stacked one upon another, prepared for delivery. Dozens of the large enemy freighters were constantly landing and leaving the planet, picking up supplies and equipment.

The undersecretary continued as everyone's attention was riveted to the screen.

"Our raptors acquired these images and videos before being forced to retreat to avoid detection. During this encounter, the crew discovered that their proximity to those worlds had activated the trackers in the primaries cranial implants.

"As you can observe here, the second world is what we call a garden world, one that can sustain life. From our observations, this was once a world that had a viable human colony. These images of the planet provide evidence of orbital strikes. Several small cities destroyed. Evidence suggests that the people were just beginning their industrial age when the attack happened. Hundreds of ships that the crew of the Junis' labeled drone conversion transports, seen on the planet. Millions of the planet's survivors were observed being rounded up and herded into the processing ships, being processed into secondaries.

"According to the general stats given to us by the Terrans about the general galaxy, this world had a population larger than most Colonial worlds, and the population was larger than most other worlds we know of. This population was effectively wiped out. There may be, and I stress the words 'may be' a few survivors that escaped capture here and there, but for all intents and purposes, these people are now extinct.

"Our people discovered two additional star systems in similar condition before enemy sensors detected them. The enemy then dedicated two warships to track down, capture, or cripple our battlestar. Their actions marked the start of a year-long evasive and escaped journey. Commander Eddlison's battlestar was discovered and attacked three times. In each case, they barely escaped. Evidence shows that the enemy's DRADIS sensors are not as efficient as the Terrans or the UCW. It was for that reason alone that our ship survived to return home. The Junis crews developed several important sensors and weapons systems using the information gathered from Ship Zero. Those systems were back engineered and used by the Junis. Our research and development teams are working on the items they brought back and the weapons they developed." He turned to Nagala. "Admiral?"

"They are aggressive, well prepared. and on the move. Evidence strongly suggests that these aliens were planning this invasion for a long time."

"Mister undersecretary, do we define this as a war or an invasion?" asked Vice-President Willius.

"As with the normal stargates there has to be two STDs to operate properly," Nagala said. "If they are in or lost the war with these Wraith, being so aggressive, I think they are relocating and establishing a base in this part of the galaxy. So, this is an invasion. They've lost their territory and are setting up somewhere away from their enemies. If true, then with the speed of their ships…"

The Admiral did not elaborate. Everyone knew. A Colonial ship, using the best currently available military-grade jump drives, could reach the Terran system in eight months of continuous jumping, burning out their drives in the process. A civilian space liner from Earth could travel from the Apellai system to Cyrannus in a day. As to the speed of their military vessels? He shrugged, frustrated by the answer. The Colonials had no idea how fast they were. The unknown aliens had ships that could reach Terran speeds. "We can only guess at their true speeds."

"This is intolerable!" James Skirtus of Aquaria yelled. "This is unacceptable! Those aliens could be here within hours and hit us first. My colony is the smallest and least protected. My planet is the perfect place to launch an attack on all the Colonies. This can't be allowed to happen!"

"No, we won't allow it. What we can do is thank the gods they turned towards Goa'uld territories first and not the Colonies. The Ashtorath Empire is being hard pressed, enough that the UCW, their deadly enemies, agreed to help them. With their forces added to the fight, they stand a much better chance. It also explains why the Terrans are training and equipping the Race."

"The Terrans trust an alien species more than they trust us, their brothers and sisters," the representative from Leonis groused. "It's not right. It's unnatural."

"Gladus-"

The representative was not cowed by the dangerous intensity of the President pointed at him. "Sir, it is imperative that we do not allow the Terrans or the Ashtorath to acquire the STD. The evidence we saw proves the danger we face. It just solidifies my belief," he said. "The Terrans may be human but they are alien to us. Choosing cold-blooded things over their own kind shows us that we must depend on ourselves if we are to survive. I'm thinking long term. We need to keep the STD secret as long as we can, or if possible, acquire it for ourselves. If we just give it to them, then we give away our chance to compete against the Terrans at any level. Technically we will stay a second-class civilization while they take more and more resources that should be ours by right as the largest space-faring civilization of humans in the galaxy.

"We cannot allow ourselves to become submissive lackeys to the Terrans and others out there. We need to take our place as the leaders of humanity. We are the ones who should decide which direction Humanity's growth and evolutionary path will take. Yes, it is a terrible responsibility and we are starting from behind, but we must be the ones who lead humanity into that glorious future."

"Mister President, you continue to insist that the Terrans are not the Thirteenth Tribe. If they are not, then they are some offshoot of some colonists that happened to name their planet Earth. Everything they've done to us…" The man snarled while continuing his rant. "It's just another way they are trying to suppress us, trying to intimidate, and keep us from discovering the truth.

"We shouldn't lift a finger to help them. Let them fight the Ashtorath and these aliens. We should stand by and watch while they kill each other. Meanwhile, we can build up our forces. Then when their war is over, we pick up the pieces."

Cain glared at the representative, disgusted by what he heard. shortsightedness didn't even begin to describe this man. "You can't be serious," he snapped back. "You're talking about our glorious future, how we are ordained to be the leaders of humanity and not the Terrans?"

"Not to be ordained," Gladus corrected. "We are the ordained ones destined to lead humanity."

"Quorum Representative Gladus, you've concentrated on the Terrans and conveniently forgotten everyone else. How can you sit there and think that what's happening out there won't affect us sooner rather than later? They are not the Thirteenth Tribe, but they are our cousins. And, in case you've forgotten, they're fighting for us."

"Is that true?" Gladus snapped back. "Can't you see? They're not Colonials. They're not us!"

Gladus stood up, pounding the table as he did. "This isn't just my opinion. I'm not alone. There are legions of people tired by the Terrans lording over us. We're tired of aliens threatening us and we are being unable to strike back. We're tired of those Terrans flaunting their technology in our faces and laughing at us behind our backs! Mister President, there are two words no one in this room has had the stones to utter. Why them?"

Livia flinched at those words. Vice-President flinched. Others in the room flinched, including the president.

Gladus wasn't finished with his rant. "I'll tell you why," Gladus voice cracked as he spoke. "It's because they found the gate firs! The Earthers discovered its secret, how to operate it, and went through. They were the ones who found the Goa'uld and unlocked their secrets. They were the ones who found allies and new human worlds. They were the ones who fought back and defeated the Goa'uld." He sneered. "Obviously, the Goa'uld weren't the threat everyone thought they were if one pissant, backwards little world took them out. They were the ones who discovered almost magical technology while they fought the Goa'uld's decrepit empire. The Terrans are the ones other worlds look up to with reverence, respect, and fear. If what they have told us is true, then it took them less than twenty years. Twenty years to usurp our rightful destiny! We are too late to repeat their successes," he snapped. "They have already gone through and taken everything!

"The best we can hope for is to pick through the scraps of their droppings. Lest we forget, they were kind enough to give us a set of gate address to keep us from harming ourselves," he sneered. "The Terrans treat us as if we were children. We're afraid of using the gate because of the possible dangers that may or may not exist.

"I cannot remain silent when I see my people praying to our true gods that those Terrans might be willing to protect us! Yes, I understand the dangers of my stance, but it is a risk I believe we must take for the greater good of the true Colonial people. No, Mister President, they don't need to know about the STD." The man glared at Cain specifically. "It. Is. Ours."

Augustus Cain stared at the man for a moment and started laughing. "The Terrans did this, the Terrans have that. It's all their fault for our woes. We need to take back what is rightfully ours." The old man looked like he was ready to hit the quorum representative. "Your kind always needs someone to blame. Representative Gladus, you're not looking at the big picture. The Terrans aren't the enemies. They're not here to lick our boots because we're the Colonies of Kobol. They couldn't care less how we feel about them being number one. They're too busy trying to keep us all from experiencing genocide, you delusional fool, and I'm being nice here! Get your head out of your-"

"Lead Admiral!" warned Goesel.

It wasn't that the President disagreed with the man's sentiments, but this was an official briefing after all.

"I apologize, sir," Cain said in a way that made it clear to everyone in the room that he wasn't apologetic in the least and everyone in the room knew it. "By the way, Representative Gladus, the Lizardians are warm-blooded."

Stop trying to change the subject, Lead Admiral. Who cares if those things are warm or cold-blooded" You know I'm right."

"I know your stupidity and paranoid are the reasons why the Terrans don't respect or trust us," Cain responded. "I'm sorry Mister President."

"You're excused, Lead Admiral."

Gladus started sputtering but before he could begin his rant. He was cut off.

Nagala stood up and looked at the man straight in his eyes. "You've had your say, now I'll have mine. I will not disagree with some of your arguments. Most of us here have felt as you have at one time or another. But I will not accept your conclusions. You used the words, why them? I'll use the word what if?"

"What if we can secure the STD? Can we keep it for ourselves? Will we have an advantage we can exploit for all its worth? Remember, we need two gates to operate it, not one. Think about that," he said to everyone. "No, we are not able to secure that device, Representative Gladus. You are blind, sir. Your thinking will kill us all. Even if we secured the STD and I think that unlikely, we cannot keep it if the aliens want it back. The Junis survived because of the cunning of its commander and sheer blind luck. If those aliens had wanted to, they could have pounded the Junis and the squadron into dust at any time. I will give you a practical example of what we face if we try to secure the STD. We've seen that Terran nuclear missiles with payloads measured in gigaton range. Their defensive shields can withstand that same amount of destructive energy. We can't come close to shrugging of that kind of firepower." He held up his hand before an incensed representative could cut him off. "The aliens withstood that type of attack, and we see the proof on the screen right there in front of us. The evidence is clear. They wanted to capture the Junis, not destroy her."

Gladus slammed his fists on the desk. "We need the STD for our survival! Can't you see that?"

Ba'alath

"We cannot retake the galaxy until we discover the secrets of the Tau'ri." Astartea's eyes flashed. "One of the mysteries that has defied the knowledge of the Goa'uld is the way that the Tau'ri gain such power. The Colonials were ours and again, the Tau'ri meddled in our affairs. If only those senile fools came together and destroyed them once and for all. Now we may be too late, and our situation is worse."

"We need them! What could be worse?" Anath asked curiously. She knew her sister well and had apparently discovered something of importance, and the lord was interested in what her fellow sibling had to say. There was a reason why Astartea was more than just the face of the Ashtorath Empire. "Tell us, Astartea. What have you learned?"

"I now understand the true reason for Anubis' banishment by Ra."

"No one knows the full truth," Anath announced. "Anubis was an abomination. The Tau'ri did us a favor," she spat, hating the idea that she was grateful to the Tau'ri for anything.

"We all saw the allies of the Tau'ri when they came to the Cyrannus system."

"The Asgard live and have returned," Anath spat once more.

The cloaked alkesh recording made that very clear. The belief was that the Asgard had been exterminated by some unidentified enemy. The Tau'ri had said that the Asgard were dead. Of course, the evidence proved that they had lied.

"Yes, but there was another. The Lizardians."

"The lizards?" Ashtoreth asked. "What are they worth?"

"Everything is connected to them." Astartea began. "I will explain. Anubis was Ra's greatest enemy and Ra banished him for his crimes against the Empire. But what those crimes were, no one but Ra truly knew. Ra was our greatest scientist and it was to our fortune that he found the Tau'ri when our race was dying. After his discovery, he permitted Lord Yu, Apophis, and Anubis to take Tau'ri hosts. They were the first of the elder System Lords. Others followed.

"Ra claimed the Tau'ri system for himself and he proclaimed himself Supreme System Lord and he kept his greatest accomplishments and discoveries to himself. He knew about the Lizard empire but did not consider them a threat or a useful tool because he had the Tau'ri. But Ra kept tight control and was jealous of his humans. Eventually, he did allow others of our kind to take hosts and spread the Tau'ri across the galaxy. RA allowed other lords to spread humanity across the starts, partially to appease the lords and partially to keep them from raiding Earth for slaves. He was supreme, but that title didn't solidify his position. Because of the nature of the Goa'uld they were envious of his power. By giving the lords slaves to use, Ra tried to keep them away from his territories. Anubis was the worst threat. He wanted everything Ra had and tried to take it."

"The Tau'ri slaves were useful, but the population increased too slowly for Anubis' plans. While the lords warred among themselves. Anubis created the Horus guard from an intelligent canine species to augment his forces and to battle his rivals. They were stronger and faster than the Tau'ri slaves and Jaffa, and Ra took notice. His forces fought the Horus to a standstill."

"That is ancient history," Ashtoreth noted.

"But Anubis then created another warrior race, the Uromastyx."

"This is still ancient history."

Anath looked shocked. She saw where Astartea was going with this. "They cannot be. They look nothing like the Earth Crocodiles or serpents."

"But they are," Astartea countered. "Anubis, the god of serpent stole samples of the Lizards and genetically altered them to create his Uromastyx in the same way he created the Horus. The lizards are intelligent, and he needed that if he were to succeed. He lusted for Ra's power and he planned to use them to augment his forces when he went to war with Ra.

"The Lizards are the base stock used to create the Uro guard," Atargatis surmised. "He only required a few thousand of the lizards to experiment with. And he succeeded. He became too great of a threat to Ra's power."

Ashtorath was nodding as he followed his sister's logic. "The Horus and Uro were exterminated and. Ra cared nothing about brutality towards humans. Ra banished Anubis because he was a threat. That was the greatest crime Ra could imagine. Anubis never forgot."

"Yes," Astartea continued. "He was exiled, but he never forgot his original plan. The Kull warriors were improved Horus and Uromastyx warriors."

"His Horus and Uro weren't failures, but Ra's power was too great. He destroyed them all, ordered that only Tau'ri slaves could become Jaffa servants, banished Anubis, and isolated Earth, and all of his surrounding territories from the other System Lords. But Ra was impressed by Anubis' scientific achievements, so much so that he modeled Jaffa armor after those creations. But Ra was frightened of being usurped. Eventually, the other Goa'uld were banished away from Earth and his territories because he feared they might try to take his power. He also feared the Tau'ri as primitive as they were, rise up against them, and they did."

"He could have destroyed them all, made them learn their place," interjected Myrana. "He had more than enough power to smash the rebellion."

"Ra had many reasons why he didn't kill the humans. One was that their bodies were so easily repairable. They made excellent hosts and slaves when properly motivated. He was also lazy and enjoyed his human comforts too much. Lastly, he feared death," Anath said as she followed Astartea's logic. "He could have stayed and fight. But he ran. So much for being the all-powerful Supreme System Lord.""

"And left us with the Tau'ri problem for us to deal with," Astartea hissed. "He should have killed the Tau'ri rebellion s when he had a chance."

"True," Anath said.

"The lizards are precursors of great power. I am sure we can reproduce Anubis' experiments given time. But they are too close to the Tau'ri," the Ashtorath Lord spat. "But the things we could do with such material!"

"Perhaps we can acquire some of their eggs for study," Ashtoreth suggested.

"Their planets are protected," Astartea said. "What is useful is that the Kobollians are at war with themselves."

"Yes, but it's still near Tau'ri and UCW territory."

"Do we know the details of the rebellion?"

"Not enough"

"Perhaps a visit to these Kobollian rebels might be useful," Myrana suggested. "The Kobollian president rejected me! But perhaps these independents will be more amenable to our wishes."

"An interesting proposition. You can go there in an official diplomatic capacity. The UCW will not do anything. We're one big happy family. We and the UCW cannot afford to break our agreement. We have a common enemy," Anath sneered. "Perhaps you can acquire what we want and more. You can offer them help to become…independent?" laughed the Ashtorath Lord.

"There are many ways to get what we want," Astartea said. "Yes, perhaps we should."

Myrana owed the Kobollians because of what they did to her. "I will arrange it," the tay'skel said.

Yes, this would do nicely.

Caprica

"The price is too high to take and keep it. I will not sacrifice our people to satisfy some need to prove we're better than the Terrans."

"I don't agree and people all over the Colonies will agree with me," Gladus snarled.

"I don't think so," Goesel interjected. From what I'm seeing, many of those in the room don't agree with you either.

A sour-looking Livia Stomata was given the floor. "There is a reason why the Apellai were chosen to bear this responsibility, not us," she told him. Everyone in the room now stared at the High Priestess, stunned by her words. "They embrace monotheism and are an arrogant and dangerous people," she hissed. "Their existence threatens the status quo, and we do not understand them. But it is also true that our people are leaving the Colonies for the safety of Apellai territories. Their sector is filled with habitable worlds. They have embraced others without resorting to conquest. The gods have made their choice and we can only accept their decision. This does not mean that we cannot strive to equal them. But we must do so in a way that will not destroy us," she added. "If we do so, then it defies the wills of the gods and our own common sense. The religious orders will not support you, Representative Gladus."

Gladus turned bright red. He was convinced that the religious orders would support him. "We will see," he grumbled. "I thought you hated them."

"No, I am wary of them. I am wary at what they can do with the power they possess. That is not hatred."

Nagala now voiced his opinion. "Despite all of our concerns, I propose that we support them in every way that we can and even give them the coordinates of those systems, but I also believe we should keep quiet about the STD. It is a valuable resource we may be able to exploit. Nevertheless, it is a dangerous and we should never forget that it isn't in our possession." He paused for a moment. "The Terrans will take it from us if we are able to acquire it after the war." Nagala pointedly ignored Gladus' muttering. "What is in our favor is that it's well hidden and the only reason we found out about is because we literally tripped over it by mistake. We don't know where those aliens originate from, but they are building an army here, and not shipping said army from wherever they're located. That has implications of its own, but if we can keep that device a secret then we will find some way to control it for our own use."

"Admiral," Augustus Cain said. "You're making assumptions based on incomplete facts. What if they do have an army just waiting to come through that gate, and because of our decision, we inadvertently caused the Terrans to lose the war and doom ourselves in the process? Or, what if the aliens come here and attack the Colonies because we hid critical, need-to-know information? It could be their intentions to move their entire civilization here. This may not be a simple conquest, for all we know this could be a radical relocation. What if these Wraith enemies of theirs are pushing them out of their own territories? And finally, what if their enemies follow them through the gate, what then? We don't know anything about the Wraith. They could be worse than these aliens. What if they're a more aggressive, conquering species? That would make things worse for us all, especially if the Terrans are caught off-guard."

Nagala's eyes were like steel as he answered. "I know that it is a calculated risk, but it is one that we should consider," Nagala heatedly protested. He did not like being openly contradicted in front of the president, the quorum, or other members of the military. "What I am suggesting benefits the entire Colonies. I am tired, like most people in his room, of being brushed, deemed an inconsequential power. Now that we know that there is a multitude of intelligent life out there, we need to step up and start claiming our place in this galaxy. I do agree with some of the ideas that Representative Gladus has put forth. We have to co-exist with them, but on our terms. Otherwise, we run the risks of being a second-rate power. We must do what is in our best interest, not theirs. And I'm not talking about 'taking our rightful place in the universe'. That line of thought is irresponsible, Gladus."

Gladus turned a deeper shade of red at the retort. "I'm not talking about conquests. But we demand respect, and right now we do not have it. And we need to focus on the Race and the situation there and get them in line."

"I hate," and Horton emphasized the word, "the fact that the Race is more respected by the Terrans than we are. I don't have a problem with the Race, far from it. But I demand that we be respected by the rest of this galaxy the same way as the UCW respects the Lizardians. That is not asking too much, and at the same time, it is asking for everything. Keeping the gate is a secret is critical, but not if we destroy ourselves and the Terran UCW in the process."

General Horton stood up. "I respectfully disagree with you, Admiral. I and others in his room want that respect is much as anyone else. However, we cannot ignore the larger picture. Less than two weeks ago, we came close to being attacked by the Ashtorath, an empire known to specialize in destroying human cultures to keep them from progressing to the point of becoming a threat to them. I see no difference between the old Goa'uld Empire and the Ashtorath. They would have slaughtered us all. If it weren't for the Terrans showing up. Our newest acquisitions are useless until we can back-engineer and distribute them throughout the defense forces. In my opinion, if we don't inform the Terrans of this device, then the Terrans will consider this a betrayal by their brothers and sisters and they will respond accordingly. Representative Gladus, Admiral Nagala, keeping critical, need-to-know information from them is a mistake that could doom us all. Although I prefer to keep it a secret, I cannot condone this. Our people butchered like cattle with the survivors converted into secondaries, reduced to emptying the garbage and cleaning up the messes without free will because a piece of their brains is replaced by electronic circuits? No, sir. I oppose your proposal and recommend we give the Terrans vital information and tools to prosecution this war. My opinion is that they be informed of the STD without conditions."

Goesel allow this back and forth to continue for another hour, allowing his people the express themselves and vent.