seven."
"We take what we can get," Poseidon said. He walked over to the large table and stared at the map being weighted down. "Tiberian?"
Hermes looked at the different names and repositioned continents. "We take what we can get," he said dryly.
Poseidon smiled and Bia asked, "Do we have our next site picked out, just in case?"
Zeus put his finger in Thoria and dragged it over most of the world. "I was looking at a place in East Kanda." Poseidon nodded. "They have enough of a basic infrastructure for us. Signal maps for our transfers show everything should be fine in northern Illyria."
"Yeah, it should work," Hermes said. "But what about the decoy facility in Memfi?"
"I don't think it's a bad move to have a decoy so near a real location," Poseidon said. He was about to continue when Atlas burst into the room with an armful of papers and a computer slate.
He spilled his arms onto the table, knocking a stone away and causing the map to roll up. "Sorry, sorry."
"What is it?" Zeus asked.
Atlas straightened up and sighed. Smiling brightly, he said, "They're back." The others blinked and stared blankly before Atlas added, "The probes."
"Frak, I nearly forgot about them," Hermes said.
Zeus asked, "How many?"
"Six of the seven." They smiled and Atlas said, "I know. I can't wait to tell Hephaestus how well the FTL worked."
Poseidon crossed his arms and asked, "And the results?"
Before he finished the question, Atlas reached into the pile and pulled out several sheets of paper. They were black with space and dotted with stars. There were, however, a few blurry pictures of blue, red, green and yellow worlds. "Amazing."
Bia pushed a few papers around and asked, "I'm sure the Agency is pleased."
"Very." Atlas took out his computer panel and touched the glass. Several graphs appeared and he pointed to them. "The engines operated well within all parameters. They want to test them on bigger ships next."
Zeus lifted an image up and squinted at the planet. "How detailed are the reports? Can we see what's on these other worlds?"
Atlas nodded. "Of course. The data is still pretty raw." He laughed, "It just came in minutes ago."
Poseidon saw something in the way Zeus looked at the picture. His older brother squinted and asked, "What are you looking for?"
Zeus shook his head briefly and set the image down. He put his hands on his waist and said, "Habitable planets."
Atlas glanced from Zeus down to the pile of papers. "'Habitable?' Why?"
Poseidon understood and Zeus looked at him squarely. Without taking his eyes off Poseidon, Zeus said, "Maybe a new home."
"Whoa," Hermes said.
"Zeus," Bia began, "I don't think it will come to that."
He nodded and said, "I hope you're right. But … we can't run forever."
Poseidon sighed. "How many more times can we relocate our facilities? It's just not feasible."
"Exactly." Zeus seemed humbled and he kept his head low. He looked from Hermes to Atlas and then to Bia. "I'm not saying we leave tomorrow, just … with the Cylons invading more territories, with Typhon still out there, we have to have every possibility covered."
Quietly, Hermes said, "I understand."
"What about the ships?" Bia asked.
"Olympus' parts are laid out and under construction. It will be a while before they're ready for Huban to launch into orbit for final assembly." Zeus looked at Poseidon and said, "The other one?"
"Lemuria is a little behind Olympus. We're still waiting on FTL parts from Hephaestus, too."
Bia nodded and then sighed. "Those are supposed to be ships of exploration, not lifeboats." She stared at the pile of papers and began to tug the map of Larsa out from underneath them. "I hope you're wrong. I can't imagine what it would take for us to … leave."
"Me either," Hermes said.
Zeus stepped away from the table and looked out of the small room's lone window. "Atlas, take that data to Hephaestus. He'll need it."
"Of course." He began to gather the papers again and said to Hermes, "There's some computer data in here, too."
"Good. I'll help you." The shorter Psilon lifted a stack of papers and began to follow Atlas out.
At the door, Atlas paused and turned slightly, saying, "I'll begin checking the data for habitable planets." Zeus nodded without looking at him. "A few more probes are scheduled to be launched soon, so that would mean even more possibilities."
"Good." Zeus turned and smiled weakly.
Bia backed away from the table. Poseidon nodded at her and she left the room, too.
The older brother seemed to feel his real age instead of his body's. He stretched his arms and walked toward the window before leaning against the wall. "What's happened?"
Zeus looked away from the glass for a second and then refocused his attention outside. "I was warned we might have a hard time getting our information to and from the Agency." He paused. "The Pact is gearing up to strike back." He shook his head and muttered, "They've squandered whatever good faith the Declaration of Rights bought them."
Poseidon nodded. "Cylons have plundered Scythia as much as they can. They've launched a few raids into Galatia."
"They've attacked Attican merchant vessels, too."
Poseidon inhaled and folded his arms across his chest. "And you think the war will ruin the world?" Zeus looked at him. "That we'd have to leave it to be happy?"
"You didn't see them." Zeus licked his lips and said, "The Cylons are as without discipline as the worst street gang. Even their leaders. They were given their own land but no guidance. No one was there to show them the … right way to live." He began to walk away from the window. "Yes, I think they won't stop until every Tiberian is dead. Maybe even every human. If I thought we could make an impact, I'd try to convince them otherwise, but …" He flopped his hands against his sides. "I had my suspicions before that things would go bad."
Poseidon stayed in his lean but he stared at the floor. "Will the ships be finished in time?"
"I hope so." Zeus stopped his amble and turned back slightly. His head lowered and he looked at the floor before speaking very quietly. "When Olympus is ready, we need to get on."
Poseidon narrowed his eyes and said, "What?"
Zeus turned around fully and lifted his chin. It was a front, Poseidon could see that. Still, he spoke relatively confidently. "I want you, me, Hera, Hades, Ares … Demeter. I want us on that ship as soon as it's ready."
Poseidon shook his head. "You said it might not come down to that."
Zeus clasped his hands behind his back and spoke very clearly. "The Cylons will win. I have no doubt. They need only push and Tiberia will fall. The largest Pact nations, with the exception of Thoria, have never managed to rebuild their forces to the same point they were during the War of Expansion. The Cylons will win against them, too." His voice trailed off and then he spoke more quietly, "My conversation with the Caesar only confirmed the worst."
Poseidon simply blinked and then looked at the cracked door. Slowly, he moved toward it and spoke, "Why just the family? Why not everyone? Are there technical concerns with having multiple simultaneous transfers?"
"No, no. I'm not worried about the technology." Zeus shrugged and he lowered his chin. "I don't know. They seem reluctant. They don't believe that the end is coming." Poseidon pushed the door closed until it clicked. "They still have hope."
Poseidon scoffed and then smiled. "Why shouldn't we? We've survived this long. We've escaped from the Titans and Cylons before. Why not again?"
"And again? And again?" Zeus opened his mouth to speak but no words emerged.
"I think you're giving up on your friends too soon. Just because Bia doesn't think we'll have to flee doesn't mean she's not strong. Or that she's unworthy to come with us."
"No. I didn't mean it like that."
&n
bsp; "Then how did you mean it?"
Zeus inhaled through his nose and stared at the ceiling. "I've thought a lot about family since my meeting with Cronus. I have a need … an urgent need to insure that my family is protected."
Poseidon stepped toward Zeus and put his hand on his little brother's shoulder. "We are protected. More than that, you've known them all every bit as long as you've known your blood." He put his second hand on Zeus' other shoulder and said, "We are all family."
Zeus looked deeply into Poseidon's eyes as though he were struck. Tears welled and he muttered. "Yes. You're right." He shook his head and then hugged his brother.
"We'll figure it out," Poseidon said. "We can make it work."
XC
PROMETHEUS
4 Years Before the End
Despite the door being shut on him, Prometheus remained outside the shelter. He pressed his ear against the crack and listened as closely as he could.
"We are protected," Poseidon said. He said something else but Prometheus didn't understand it as the cold wind blew past him. "We are all family."
Prometheus closed his eyes and stepped away. Thank God for Poseidon. Another thought entered his mind and he looked through the evergreen trees south. He zipped his jacket up to his chin, huddled his shoulders and began to walk.
Leave us, he thought. Zeus was seriously considering leaving Larsa without us. He shook his head and stepped over the low wooden fence. After all these years … We've followed him all around the world and he was going to leave us?!
He kicked a pine cone and it bounced off a distant trunk. His feet crunched on old needles for several more meters before he emerged in a
Lords of Kobol - Prelude: Of Gods and Titans Page 70
