Islands in the Sky
off.
*****
Bar-Lo could not figure out why he was disturbed about the operation
that seemed to be progressing in the chancery and within the several
levels of the Ubbo-Sathla colony. The Colonial warriors, most of them,
had been assembled for the award celebration. They would be easy targets
when the proper time came. His troops were successfully abducting humans
who wandered away from the main body and taking them to the lower levels.
Everything he had been ordered to see to had been done. Still, he felt
troubled.
The Cylon centurion walked arrogantly into the throne room and both
he and his queen automatically bowed.
"By your command," Nor said.
"Speak," said the centurion.
"The humans are in full attendance."
"How many warriors?"
"We have counted more than two hundred."
"My reports indicate that number as very near the full compliment.
A very good effort, Nor."
The centurion's condescending compliment sent a shiver of distaste
through Bar-Lo's body.
"We are, but to serve," Nor said in her soft deep voice.
"You have served well. See that the humans remain entertained until
the end."
"How will we know..."
"When the Galactica is destroyed, the night will be as bright as a
thousand suns, for a quick moment, then there will be darkness. Eternal
darkness for the humans. And their remnants will be yours, for your
lower chambers."
"We are very grateful, centurion."
"Acknowledged."
Nor and Bar-Lo bowed and backed out of the throne room.
*****
Apollo and Starbuck could find no trace of the three strange men in
Galactica uniforms on the guest accommodation levels.
"They've got to be down here someplace," Starbuck muttered in
frustration. "If they aren't here, they must've reached another level."
"The other levels aren't accessible to humans."
"They are to Ubbo-Sathlas. Maybe somebody gave them a free trip.
You know, I've been wondering; just how inaccessible are the other
levels?"
"That speculation's crossed my mind, too. Shall we try?"
"After you, Captain."
They returned to the elevator. Inside the car, Apollo drew his
weapon, aimed it at the control panel and fired. The thin red beam
pierced the metal of the panel and, in an near-perfect circle, a section
of the control panel above the selection touchplates was severed, falling
to the floor. Inside the panel, several wires were cut by the beam from
Apollo's sidearm.
Staring at the dangling wires, Starbuck commented, "You realize
that's private property."
Apollo smiled.
"I think we owe it to them to try to put it back together," he said.
"Any suggestions?"
"Yes, sir. I'd suggest you try tapping those little critters there
together."
Apollo connected a pair of the wires. As soon as they touched, the
elevator car came to life again and began moving downward.
"You're a gambler," Apollo said. "Pick a level."
"I say we take a look at what's farthest from the guest rooms."
"Agreed."
Apollo pressed the touchplate for the lowest level. No soft
forbidding voice intruded and criticized this time.
*****
Her abductor carried Cassiopeia down several levels to a dark,
cavernous chamber. She struggled all the way, and the Ubbo-Sathla had to
call in reinforcements in a high-pitched but ominous voice. The group of
Ubbo-Sathlas flung her onto a massive table and, before she could squirm
off, a large canopylike cover came rapidly down form the ceiling and
sealed off her escape. Tubing leading into the canopy started pumping in
a dark reddish gas. Cassiopeia tried to hold her breath but, looking
down at her arm, she saw that the gas penetrated her skin. Her mind told
her to scream, but her body was beginning to feel extremely comfortable,
extremely contaent. As the tension rushed out of her, she looked out the
transparent canopy. The Ubbo-Sathlas were opening what appeared to be
large pods. In a trio of other pods three men in Galactica dress uniform
were nestled snugly, calm expressions on their faces. Cassiopeia smiled
at them and managed a weak wave. She was dimly aware of some human
voices moaning in the distance.
*****
Moaning was the first sound Apollo noticed as he and Starbuck
stepped in the oppressive atmosphere of the lower level corridor.
Drawing his sidearm, he gestured to Starbuck to follow him in the
direction of the sound.
"You're the leader," Starbuck whispered.
Right after they turned into a corridor, they heard a chattering
noise behind them. Recognizing the sound as the Ubbo-Sathla language,
Apollo whirled around ready to fire. However, the Ubbo-Sathlas were
gathered around the elevator, examining the damage Apollo and Starbuck
had caused, and arguing among themselves. Their queen, Nor, swept up and
examined the damaged car control. Her excited chatter sent the other
Ubbo-Sathlas scurrying in all directions.
"They're gonna be looking for us," Apollo whispered. "Let's move."
As he started running forward, he thought he heard the sound of a
daggit barking ahead of him.
*****
Serina finally located Boxey on the other side of the massive
chancery. He was, as usual, chasing after Muffit Two. The daggit-droid
was sniffing around a decorated screen that blocked off a small part of
the room. As if picking up a trail, Muffit scampered behind the screen.
"Come back here, you daggit!" Boxey hollered, and ran after the pet.
Serina smiled. It was time to herd in Boxey and Muffy, get them both
something to eat. She went behind the screen, and saw an overturned
chair. And nothing else. Boxey and his daggit were not there.
All right, don't panic, she told herself, somehow they got back into
the chancery. She rushed back into the main room. On the podium, Sire
Zalto had made some excuses for the missing guests of honor and was
launching into a speech about rebirth, about wiping the slate clean of
animosities, of displaying peace to their former enemies.
People were applauding. There was a madness in the room, she
thought. Where was Boxey? Where was Apollo? Why were there so many
Ubbo-Sathlas slowly gathering, as if in ranks, near the exits of the
chancery?
She started walking fast, looking for somebody she could trust, and
finding no one.
*****
Apollo and Starbuck leaned against a corridor wall, out of breath.
"I'm beginning to think you're right," Apollo said.
"About what?"
"Your suspicions. About something being wrong here."
"But what? What's the connection between the chancery and the luxury
quarters, and all of this?"
"I suggest we get out of here, then figure that one out."
Ubbo-Sathla chattering plus the sound of barking up aheahed brought
Apollo away from the wall. He began to run down the corridor toward the
sounds, Starbuck following close behind. The agitated growling of the
daggit-droid was the equivalent of a guidance system. They turned a
corner and saw Muffit Two, snapping at an Ubbo-Sathla who seemed puzzled
by the animal automaton. The Ubbo-Sathla kept reaching for Muffit, and
then springing back when the daggit leaped toward him, steel teeth
gleaming. Boxey came out of a nearby corridor, hollering, "Muffit?
Muffit?" The Ubbo-Sathla moved toward the boy, drawing a small but
sharp-looking thin-bladed knife from her belt. Boxey cowered backward as
the Ubbo-Sathla raised the weapon.
"Run, Boxey!" Apollo shouted.
The boy ran toward Apollo. The Ubbo-Sathla whirled around. Starbuck
emerged into the dim light and sent a beam of laser fire through the
alien, who seemed to collapse inward as he fell to the ground.
"Let's get out of here," Apollo said, sweeping Boxey into his arms.
"The elevator," Starbuck shouted.
"Muffy!" Boxey yelled. The daggit yelped and followed after them.
They stoopped at at the corridor archway leading to the lobby in front of
the elevator bank. Apollo peered around the corner.
"Oh, God, no!" he muttered, springing back against the wall.
"What?" Starbuck whispered.
"There's a crowd of Cylons collecting there. A whole regiment, it
looks like."
"Cylons! But how'd they get here?"
"They must be able to key a path through the minefield. Either
that, or..."
"Or what, Apollo?"
"Or the Galactica's under attack. Dammit! That's why the award
ceremony. To get us down here while the Cylon's sneak-attacked us.
Father's up there with just a skeleton crew. He's probably..."
Muffit Two, peeking out of the archway, began to bark. Apollo
looked. Several Cylons were looking toward the archway, light beaming out
from their helmets. When they saw Muffit and Apollo looking out, an
officer pointed toward them, and a platoon started running their way.
"Let's get out of here!" Apollo screamed, and they broke into a run.
The daggiti-droid held ground for a mo ment, yelping at the Cylons, then
scampered after the retreating humans.
*****
The leathery leaves of the pod were gently wrapped around
Cassiopeia's body. They felt soft and velvety. Ubbo-Sathlas picked up
the pod and carried her out of the chamber. She began to feel dizzy.
The feeling of peace seemed to be wearing off. The pod leaves were
wrapped too tightly about her. She could not move her arms or legs. Her
entire body was becoming numb. She opened her mouth to scream, but no
sound could be forced out.
They arrived at another large cavern. Lying around its floor,
filling almost the entire surface, were many pods. Flowing down the wall
at the far end of the room were what appeared to be a series of black
treacles, neither solid nor transparent. Upon touching ground, they
actually flowed like big black pools of liquid toward each pod. Then
they reared up, stood on what appeared to be their two feet and assumed
the unmistakable forms of Ubbo-Sathlas upon reaching their full height.
Most of the pods, Cassiopeia could now see, contained human beings,
but, if you squinted at them, you could see that they were quite dead.
Squinting her eyes even more, she could clearly make out what the cause
of that was----two puncture wounds on the neck! The Ubbo-Sathlas
appearently were fedding on the guests, biting into their necks and
drinking their blood dry!
Cassiopeia's voice returned in a sudden, piercing scream.
*****
From the Adama Journals:
On the day when his petition to run for a minor political office on
his home planet of Sagitara was granted, Arcon came to visit us on
Caprica. I was home on furlong at the time, during one of those lulls
that seemed to occur when the Cylons withdrew fror a time from the fray.
Ila was always happy to have Arco visit (at a much later time she asked
me never to allow him into the house again) and the two of them had a
great time chatting about the kind of literacy and cultural matters that
they enjoyed so much. I was content to listen to them and watch the
antics of my two-yahren-old son, Apollo. (Athena and Zac were yahrens in
the future). We had a tiny pet then, a rascally daggit whose main
purpose in life was to trip up intruding human feet, and Apolloused to
love to charge at the animal, hear it yip, run away, and then turn
waiting for Apollo to charge at it again. He loved that daggit and was
terribly broken up three yahrens later from some mysterious daggit
disease. Ila and I had a bad time convincing him that his pet's death
was not in any way his fault.
Anyway, Arcon could not hold in his good cheer during that visit.
He bubbled over with happiness and optimistic hopes for the future. I
don't remember much of what he said, but I suppose his main message was
the one he used to much sinister purpose later---that he planned to push
this business of the war to its finale. He felt the war was bogged down
by the corruption of the buriticians running it (I was glad, at least,
that he didn't blame the military, as I'd just taken over the helm of the
Galactica at the time and was quite sensitive about its record). The
main goal had to be peace, he must have said. I don't actually remember
what he did say. All I really recall was his joy and his enthusiasm.
They rubbed off on both of us, Ila and me. Anyway, he was half in love
with Ila and she was half in love with him.
On the day he left to go back and run his campaign, we joined hands,
the three of us, and made a lot of foolish vows, none of which I wish to
record here. All I care to remember is the touch of their hands, his and
Ila's and the smiles that we couldn't wipe off our faces. That we should
hold hands and smile was, at the time, so normal, so steeped in the
tradition of our friendships and loves, that we never suspected it was
the last time the three of us would be together like that. Oh, we were
together again a number of times, but Arcon always brought a feeling of
strategy to those visits, a sense that our times together in the past
were part of a storybook whose tales were not particularly readable for
him any more.
After Arcon left, Ila hugged me for a long time. She seemed sad. I
never did know why, though I asked the question often enough at the time.
She said she just felt sad. Then the daggit, with Apollo after him, ran
between my legs, and I fell to the ground. As Ila laughed and helped me
up, she said she'd forgotten to ready anything for lunch and would I
accept leftovers. I said, "What are you laughing at? Of course I'll
accept leftovers." She said I looked absurd falling to the ground and
would I fix us a couple of cocktails. I hugged her again. To this day I
can feel vividly the way her body nestled against mine.
*****
CHAPTER TEN: THE BATTLE
Adama kept a constant surveillance of the Carillon's Lot work
activities. Shuttles from the agricultural project hastened toward the
Galactica and other ships, with a harvest beyond original predictions of
crop yield. The last request for a new Tylium load had been met with the
usual Ubbo-Sathla polite phrasings that more would be sent soon, after
they had corrected a malfunction in their processing machinery. Tigh,
angry, complained that a number of tankers sat on the surface. Scanners
showed them filled with Tylium in its volatile liquid form. Adama told
his negotiators to keep trying. He was pleased to learn that one of the
tankers had been dispatched, and he personally oversaw the meticulous
landing of the battered-looking ship on one of the Galactica's decks. An
officer reported on the successful boarding of the food stores, and Adama
ordered all agricultural personnel to be shuttled off the planet. With
the livery and agricultural workers returned, that left only the people
collected in the chancery for the awards ceremony still on the planet.
His sense of timing suggested he wait a few moments before sending out a
recall order. He would have liked to bring up Apollo immediately, but
that was impossible. However, he put Tigh on alert, reacting to the
Colonel's report that a group of Ubbo-Sathlas in the chancery were acting
strangely.
Athena, who had been manning the scanners directed planetside,
reported an unusual number of aircraft and a lot of ground movement on
Carillon's Lot. The exceptional darkness of the planet made it difficult
to specifiy, she said, exactly what was going on. At least one aircraft
appeared to have emerged from the cloud cover now hanging over a large
portion of the night hemisphere. The trajectory seemed to indicate the
rather large aircraft had emerged from the dense center of the minefield.
"Is that possible?" she asked her father.
"Yes, if..."
"If what?"
"If they're in possession of information allowing them to pass
through the minefield with safety."
"But such a large ship."
"Were you able to get a good outline of it for scanning?"
"Negative on that one, Father. The darkness and the cloud cover and
the gathering precipitation made it impossible."
"Yes, I see. Very good, Athena."
"You have a suspicion about the ship, don't you, Father?"