Calm Before the Storm

2 Days After Arrival Of Battlestar Atlantis And Her Escorts...

Olympia Station Conference Room

There were a lot of people inside the conference room, most of them military Commanders and a few others.

"Ladies and Gentlemen please be seated," Admiral Stryker said after he entered the room together with Admiral Thorn and Commander Haller.

"I will get straight to business," Admiral Stryker said as he sat down, "there are several objectives we need to accomplish before we leave the colonies for Avalon."

"Leaving the colonies, sir?" Commander Erickson of the Battlestar Caprica asked.

"Yes, once we finish our jobs here we are going straight to Avalon. From there we can plan any further moves. This was the last order given to me by Admiral Nagala, and I quote Get as many survivors as possible to safety," Admiral Stryker said.

"What about all the survivors still on the colonies?" Commander Clark of the Concordia asked.

"They are included in one of our objectives, so I will tell you what our priorities are for now. Our first priority is to check every surplus yard, depot, storage yard, civilian yard, and installation for more ships - civilian and military. We're looking for as many ships as possible that we can use to evacuate more of our people that are still in the colonies. Those ships that are operable but damaged will be sent to the shipyards Eternity and Unity for repairs. Every ship that can fly will be appreciated and will mean more lives saved in the end. Several of our Gunstars will be charged with this job as they can get in and out in the smallest amount of time possible without being noticed by the cylons. Once they find them, extra engineering crews they will be carrying will then board the found ships along with marines and get them powered up and ready to go, assuming if it is safe to do so. The Gunstars can dock with damaged ships and use their FTL drives to jump them back to our holding area for repairs, but I caution the Captains of those Gunstars that their crews are not replaceable, so the gain had better be a good one or I will have them piloting a trash shuttle for their next command. I trust that I make myself very clear?" Admiral Stryker said.

"Sir, yes Sir!" the group said.

"The second task will be for the Battlestar Caprica. I want her and her escorts to find the missing Gunstars mentioned in the intelligence reports that I received from Admiral Thorn. With them, we can protect the civilians and the stations better while still maintaining our operational status. Commander Erickson, I want those ships; so please find them and get them back to us. Of course, all ships should consider it a secondary mission to try to find any survivors they run into and escort them back here, but don't let that impede your primary mission. If the need arises, have one of your escorts bring them back. I also want raptors to check all colonial installations, outpost, former outposts, mining facility, and docks. And I think that we should place special emphasis around Tauron, Virgon, Caprica, and any other major battle site for whatever we can salvage. I would like to find the Battlestar Trinity if she is still alive as well since we could use another Battlestar," Admiral Stryker said.

"The Trinity survived?" Commander Elkins from the Battlestar Titan asked.

"As far as we have been able to determine from Cylon communication intercepts, she was damaged, but the Cylons cannot confirm that she was destroyed. So we need to find her before they do. The next task that we need to tackle is how we are going to rescue the military personnel and civilians from Cylon prisoner of war camps located all around the colonies. This will open up the possibility to crew the ships we find and or take from the Cylons, as well as give us a chance of taking this war back to the Cylons in the future. And let's not forget that this will also allow us to get those military personnel back to those Warships that the Cylons have parked on the dark side of the Aerelon moon. I really want the Battlestars Chimera and Vanguard. Those two Mercury class Battlestars, plus their support ships, will help us a lot in the coming guerilla war we will have to fight, and if I'm correct there are some marine ships in the mix as well. General O'Rilley will need those ships to help get his troops off of Caprica when the time comes. You see finding more ships that we can use is one of our top priorities. Thanks to Admiral Thorn's Stealthstar Banshee, and other classified sources (Cylon traitor), we were able to break the Cylon communications network. So now we know what they are planning and we are working on locating more Colonial fleet survivors. We know that there are a lot of survivors left on the colonies, some in POW camps, and others hiding in the mountains. Mainly, there is General O'Rilley on Caprica who is leading a guerilla campaign against the Cylons, and I want to help him and his troops, as well as to get those civilians out of there as soon as possible," Admiral Stryker said

"How many people are we talking about to retrieve from the colonies?" Commander Clark asked.

"From several hundred thousand to as many as thirty million people," Admiral Stryker said.

"But we don't have the space or the ships for all those people Admiral," Commander Erika Banner of the Battlestar Polaris said sadly.

"That's why I want as many ships as possible rescued from any yard, station, or depot. Anything that can carry our people will help us. So for now, I want to get as many of our people loaded into as few hulls as possible for the two month trip to Avalon. We will send the Hera and Olympia Stations, and every other ship that will be on no real use to us here. We will look at turning any empty containers into living spaces for the trip to Avalon as this will allow us to empty some more ships to help us here in the colonies in order to rescue and evacuate more of our people," Admiral Stryker said.

"What about health care, water, and food supplies?" Commander Thomas from the Battlestar Athena asked.

"We can handle food and water supplies for now," Admiral Thorn said, "we can even take care of any medical problems for now. Unfortunately, we do not have a military medical ship at this point, but we have very large sickbays on both the Mobile shipyards and here on the stations. We will be fine for now. We have several agro ships and fleet rations, as well as a large supply of water, which can all last several years if rationed well enough. We will also try to save as much livestock as we can find as they can be of use later on Avalon. So you can see we have food and water and even health care, but space is our biggest enemy right now."

"I know that these are hard times and we have all lost someone, but we need to move forward. We cannot stay here. These worlds are graveyards for now and for the foreseeable future while they recover from nuclear fallout, and with the Cylons around we can't do what we want until the civilians are in a safe location. Even with all of our ships, we will need a miracle to beat them. They still have hundreds of ships in and around the Cyrannus system, along with all of their shipyard facilities intact to start producing more ships in the future. The only advantage we have at this point is the element of surprise, and from the intelligence we have on the Cylons, they will not be expecting us to go on any type of offensive. So that in a way is what we are going to do. In a limited way, we are going to do some smash and grab missions to give the Cylons a fit and get us the ships and people we need," Admiral Stryker said.

"What about the Battlestars Galactica, Pegasus, or Prometheus and their groups?" Commander Thompson from the Warstar Argona asked.

"Since we don't know where the Galactica and Pegasus are, we cannot mount a search of any type for now. We need all the ships that we have to protect the fleet, and arrange small smash and grab missions to rescue ships and people from the colonies. As for the Prometheus; for now we will not even try to find them as there are a large number of Cylon baseships between us and their possible location. Additionally, if they have colonized the Copernicus colony we will not risk helping the Cylons find them, and for all we know they could already be destroyed. So in short, we will continue with the mission that Admiral Nagala gave us and only pursue these other ships if we can and as is safe for us to do so. I know that this will not set well with all of you, and trust me when I say that I do not like it either, but we have to do what will be the most helpful for the many even at the expense of the few. We are facing a war of genocide and this means we have to save as many as we can. So we will send our people and the space stations ahead to Avalon as this will free us up to be a mobile force based out of the mobile shipyards, and this will give Avalon two fully functioning armed shipyard stations and a head start on setting up the defenses of Avalon prior to our arrival. At this point, I'm opening the floor to any discussions," Admiral Stryker said.

The meeting lasted for another hour until finally all the discussions were over. Admiral Stryker was moving through the corridors, looking to return to Atlantis so that he could get some sleep, when he was intercepted by Admiral Thorn.

"Well, well, I didn't see you for the last half hour. What was up with you sneaking out of that meeting?" Admiral Stryker asked.

"I never like those officer meetings, but that is not why I am here. I'm here because the civilians are starting to protest; they want to form a government," Admiral Thorn said amused.

"Government? Great that's all we need now," Admiral Stryker said exasperated.

"And a quorum of twelve," Admiral Thorn said.

"Fine, let them form it if that is what they want, but be sure to tell them that the military is still in charge. We will remain under martial law until we return to Avalon and a permanent seat of government can be built. Anything else?" Admiral Stryker asked.

"Yeah, there is one good thing, look at these," Admiral Thorn said, handing Admiral Stryker a few papers with pictures.

"It looks like an unfinished battlestar, where did you get these pictures?" Admiral Stryker asked.

"One of our AWACS raptors found it on patrol near Caprica. It was in a support dock of a cargo outpost; the outpost was heavily damaged during the attacks, but the dock remains in one piece, along with this ship. From what we've found out; it's supposed to be the Battlestar Sleipnir, and she's a Skinfaxi class Battlestar, the same class that the Battlestar Concordia belongs to," Admiral Thorn said.

"Those new ones?" Admiral Stryker asked.

"Yes, she was an ELINT ship. An AWACS Battlestar capable of detecting movement in almost the entire Cyrannus system, first ever built on a Skinfaxi frame, or at least the first ever battlestar of that kind with those abilities," Admrial Thorn said.

"Hmm, an unfinished battlestar. Well, we can definitely use it of course, but we will not do anything for now. Once we go to rescue General O'Rilley, I suppose we can take one of the mobile docks with us and put this unfinished Sleipnir into it," Admiral Stryker said.

"Well, she will be a great addition to the fleet," Admiral Thorn said.

"Hmm, maybe, but we need a crew. And from what you told me, every surviving man and woman in the military is already on board an existing ship; except those 700 or 800 rookies that remain in training?" Admiral Stryker said.

"We have a lot of people who want to join, plus there's the chance of finding more people in the POWs from Caprica to crew the ship, and everyone is in a haste to battle with the Cylons," Admiral Thorn said.

"I can imagine, but never mind that as we will proceed with the plans that we have already created for now. I have a feeling that they will get their fill of battles and death soon enough," Admiral Stryker said.

Two days later

"There are representatives from all twelve colonies here that want to talk to you; the civilians chose these twelve to lead until a president is elected," Admiral Thorn said.

"From Cylon intercepts, I heard the former Secretary of Education Laura Roslin was appointed to be president?" Admiral Stryker asked.

"If she is still alive, but never the less the new Quorum wants to speak with the person in charge. Since that person is you…" Admiral Thorn said trailing off.

"Hmm, give me one day as I already have a lot of paperwork to do first," Admiral Stryker said.

Mobile Drydock Invictus In Orbit Of Avalon

Invictus Flag Suite

"What is the delay Chief Williams? You told me that Sanctuary would have enough power back for us to jump her," Commander Krasner said.

"Sir, she was damaged so badly that it was a miracle that we have managed anything in this last month, and people are not happy. After the message from Admiral Stryker that our homes were attacked and destroyed by the Cylons, everyone's in a bad mood, and morale is low sir," Chief Williams said.

"I understand, but they are in the military and we have a mission to accomplish. And I want them to follow my orders, and the orders from Admiral Stryker, is that clear? I want this ship to be in orbit of Avalon when he returns. His last message noted that they have a lot of surviving ships and over million survivors so far, and having this ship repaired or at least well on the way may help us to take the war back to the Cylons. So remind the repair crews that revenge is a dish best served cold, and this ship will send a tremor down the spine of even an unemotional tin can. So the faster and harder they work, the faster we can get this Cylon eating machine back into the fight and help save as many of our people as possible. Carry on Chief," Commander Krasner said.

"Yes sir. Well, we are installing the last two energizers that are scheduled for now. I think Sanctuary will be able to jump in a couple of days sir. But she is still very badly damaged; she will survive the jump, but the jump could overload the engines again sir, so I would recommend a minimal crew on board," Chief Williams said.

"Good, what about the drones?" Commander Krasner asked.

"Sir, the drones passed as scheduled three days ago. So until next week I think we are safe. But I don't understand one thing sir, what will happen when the drones come in a week, and they find that Sanctuary is not where she's supposed to be?" Chief Williams asked.

"That Chief is the million cubit question, and I can't tell you because I don't know. But if we bring her to Avalon then the Invictus can repair her faster, and at least the hull damage and weapon systems can be repaired and upgraded. With Invictus, we will have a second fortress in orbit, and plus there are all those defensive satellites that have already been launched in orbit so we will have enough defenses I think. And Chief, I am interested in one more thing; how is the surface work progressing?" Commander Krasner asked.

"Well, we already have several more buildings complete and several others in different stages of constructions. Since we will have over million survivors, we are already working on camps for them. Unfortunately, once they arrive they will be forced to live in tents before we can start building larger buildings. We have cleared a larger section of land and started new farms for food as we will have a lot of new mouths to feed soon," Chief Williams said.

"Good, is there place for one more construction project on Invictus Chief?" Commander Krasner asked.

"Sir, that depends on what you're thinking sir," Chief Williams said.

"I was thinking if we have the space and materials for it, can we build a Titan II Gunstar?" Commander Krasner asked.

"Gunstar sir, hmm, I suppose we can. But construction will take at least 4-6 months, and if you want an additional one then 8 months for two. More than half of our personnel are on the planet working on camps, towns, and farms. We really only have the resources for one for right now though," Chief Williams said.

"Good, get bay three to start working on it. Assign any of the extra engineers we have to the new project for now, more if needed. One more ship will not be a bad thing to have," Commander Krasner said.

"Sir, is that Admiral Stryker's order?" Chief Williams asked curiously.

"No Chief, it's mine. I think the Admiral will not have anything against one more ship in the fleet when he returns," Commander Krasner said.

"Yes sir, and here is the report on all ships. All are performing in peak condition, and Colonel Coven is in charge of the repairs on the Warstar Sanctuary," Chief Williams said.

"Well, he knows that ship better than we do," Commander Krasner said.

The commander heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Commander Krasner said.

The doors opened and a young lieutenant entered.

"Sir, Governor Miral want to see you sir," the lieutenant said.

"Ok, let him in, that's all chief. I'll talk to you later," Commander Krasner said.

The chief and the lieutenant saluted and exited the room. A moment later Governor Miral entered the room.

"Good morning Governor, have a seat please," Commander Krasner said.

"Thank you Commander," Governor Miral said.

"How can I help you Governor?" Commander Krasner said.

"Well to start with, can you tell me if these orders are true?" Governor Miral asked, putting a few papers in front of Commander Krasner, "these are your orders to increase the work on Sanctuary, and preparations for several of your own projects."

"I see you found it fast Governor. As you know, we have over a million survivors so far and counting, and only the gods knows how many more will be found when Admiral Stryker returns. Currently the colonists don't have anything to complain about as far as the living conditions, do they Governor?" Commander Krasner asked.

"That is not what I'm talking about Commander. Your authorization for construction of a new ship and the increased work force on the Sanctuary are. So why are we doing this?" Governor Miral asked.

"First Governor, we need Sanctuary to be repaired and operational. So we will repair that ship as she has more firepower than half a dozen Mercury class Battlestars, and we can use the protection she can give to protect this colony and to take the war to the Cylons or anyone else who threatens the safety of us all. As for the Gunstar I'm placing into production, she will only increase our defenses. We still don't know anything about those drone ships creators or their intentions, and we don't even have a good idea about what is around us. We are in the middle of nowhere Governor and we will not be getting a lot of help from home. Admiral Stryker put me in charge of all military personnel and to protect Avalon, so please remember that and stay out of it as I'm not going to change my mind on the subject," Commander Krasner said.

Red Horse Nebula – Olympia Station Conference Room

Twelve delegates from all twelve colonies entered the conference room. They were chosen from the civilian population to form a Quorum of Twelve. In front of them sat Admirals Stryker and Thorn, as well as Commander Clark. Admiral Stryker looked at the paper in front of him, a list of all twelve delegates for the quorum.

Ian Tyler – Aerelon
Tanya Ashville – Tauron
William Monroe – Gemenon
Jason Campus – Canceron
Odessa Styles – Virgon
Maurice Jenkins – Aquaria
Robert Caldwell – Caprica
Evan McNealy – Scorpia
Eric Kano – Libran
Rae Sanchez – Leonis
Joseph Courbet – Picon
Karen Scrubs – Sagittarion

"Ladies and Gentlemen quiet please," Commander Clark said and everyone in the room stopped talking and turned their attention to the three people in front of them.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen. My name is Mark Stryker, and I am currently in command of all military and civilians here in this nebula, and in Avalon your future home," Admiral Stryker said.

"And who put you in charge Admiral?" the delegate from Canceron Jason Campus asked.

"Admiral Nagala put me in charge Mr. Campus," Admiral Stryker said.

"So what is your plan Admiral? We've been sitting in these ships for almost 2 months now and they are easy targets for the Cylons if they find us," the delegate from Libran Eric Kano said.

"This location was created in secrecy, and nobody knows about it except for some high ranking military and some civilians. For now we are safe here, but very soon you are leaving from this place to the new colony called Avalon. Once there, you will be getting the colony ready for all of the refugees that we are going to rescue," Admiral Stryker said.

"Avalon? Where is that, as I've never heard of it?" Jason Campus asked.

"It is a new colony far from here in a sector that I will not disclose at this time in order to keep it a secret. Avalon was established eight and a half months ago, so you can call it a safe haven if you want," Admiral Stryker said.

"How is it that President Adar didn't know about this? Or any of the Government?" Odessa Styles from Virgon asked.

"Well how do I put this… The Military and some members of the Government feared that there was a real possibility that the Cylons would find this new colony if the main parts of the government knew about its existence. Also, more than half the military assets we have here were constructed without the knowledge of the government to ensure that if the Cylons attacked the Colonies, we would have a place to fall back to and rebuild," Admiral Stryker said.

"You're talking as if the military knew that the Cylons would attack!" Evan McNealy the representative from Scorpia said angrily.

"The military didn't know that the Cylons would attack, but they guessed that they might do so, and after the first Cylon war measures were started to create a safe location to keep our way of life from ending and to give humanity a chance to continue. Unfortunately everything the military High Command tried to accomplish utterly failed every time the government got involved. Now the Colonies are gone, the fleet is almost gone, and we are facing the real possibility of extinction. So I don't think our dwelling on the right or wrong of it is what we should be worried about at this time. We still have a future in front of us and a lot of work to get done to make sure that we will continue to survive as a people," Admiral Stryker said.

"So what now? When do we leave from here to go to Avalon?" Jason Campus asked.

"The Military has several more operations to complete before we leave the colonies once and for all. This includes rescuing as many survivors, from all over the colonies, as we can. We know there are survivors on Aerelon, Caprica and Virgon, but we are still looking for more. So by the end of the month all of the designated ships and the two space stations, along with their designated escorts, will leave this location and start the six month trip to your new homes. Also, I will remind the members of this Quorum that we are still under Martial law until the new seat of government can be built on Avalon and the military units I have here have returned to properly protect our new home. Admiral Thorn will be going with you to take command and to make the colony as safe as possible until I return. At which time this Quorum will hopefully have a plan ready for my approval to stand down from martial law and return to civilian control of the government. We will need a justice system in place as well as other governmental agencies. So you have your work cut out for you. I will only say that I encourage you all to think really hard about the loss of life that we have taken so far at over fifty billion at last count when you want to complain about our need to build up our defenses as the Cylons are still out there and want us dead," Admiral Stryker said.

"Are these operations to save only military assets or for the remaining civilians as well?" William Monroe from Gemenon asked.

"Both. We plan to save as many as possible in one single wave. We also have military operations underway to find several surviving warships that we believe are still active, as well as several warships the Cylons have placed in orbit of the Aerelon moon that the Cylons are using," Admiral Stryker said.

"So you're going to risk the current fleet because of a few ships?" Evan McNealy asked.

"Yes, and with a damn good reason. We need every fighting ship we can get so as to protect this fleet and our new world, and at some point we will have to fight the Cylons or even a new enemy as we do not know what the future holds for us. I have sent our scout ships to scout all our depots, and yards where decommissioned ships could be found, and once we find them and put them in active service again we can evacuate more of our people on them," Admiral Stryker said.

"What about Galactica and her fleet?" Joseph Courbet from Picon asked.

"After we are safely on Avalon and her defenses are ready, we will send a small task force to find the Battlestar Galactica and her fleet of refugees and get them home. But right now we have to think of the many people we have to take care of here," Admiral Stryker said.

"And about a President Admiral, why didn't you agreed to the naming of a President?" Robert Caldwell from Caprica asked.

"I didn't because from our last report Laura Roslin, the former Secretary of Education, is the current President and she is in the Galactica's fleet," Admiral Stryker said.

"That didn't answer my question," Robert Caldwell replied.

"How so?" Admiral Stryker asked.

"Why have you disagreed with us putting a temporary President into office until President Roslin is recovered?" Robert Caldwell asked.

"I did not agree or disagree, but as I'm not interested in politics, I believe that you the Quorum of Twelve Representatives can do fine in governing our people even without a president for now. In the future when things have had time to settle down, we can have an open election for the office of President and for all of the other position that are not filled," Admiral Stryker said.

"Will this allow us as a Quorum to oversee military operations?" Rae Sanchez from Leonis asked.

"No. I will not allow anyone to interfere with military operations and it is not because politics and the military do not go together as some may think. Under the Articles of Colonization the military is to report to the head of the government which is the dually elected President, who we cannot contact or find at this time. If at a future point we as a governing group decide that we will not be able to find the Galactica or if five years passes without any contact with the legitimate President; I will then support setting up elections for a new president, and I will support placing the military back into the control of the new President where it belongs. I will go further by placing all of my action in the upcoming years up for the judgment of the President and the Quorum to determine if I should continue to serve or retire. I cannot be more straight or fair than that ladies and gentlemen," Admiral Stryker said.

"And what if you take all military ships for your operations? What will stay at Avalon to protect the civilians?" Maurice Jenkins from Aquaria asked.

"The Aerelon and Virgon Home Guard units were on a training mission together when the war started, so they were not destroyed along with their worlds or with the fleet. There are two Battlestars, two Battlecruisers, nine cruisers, five destroyers, as well as nine Patrolstars in those two Battle groups. They will be in charge of protecting the civilian ships until you arrive at Avalon where you will be met by the Battlestar Sword and her Gunstars. Add them to the two armed and armored space stations, and you see that Avalon is very well protected until I arrive with the fleet. When not on a mission, the military units will also be ordered to patrol in and around Avalon space. You have my word that all the civilians in this fleet will be safe," Admiral Stryker said.

"Admiral, I don't understand one thing; you said space is our main problem right now, so how do you plan to save even more civilians when you don't have a place for them. You said you will find ships, but is that enough? I mean food, water, and everything needed, it's difficult enough now with the current fleet we have, but what about when we have more people rescued from the colonies?" Jason Campus asked.

"Delegate Campus is your suggestion for me to stop evacuating the remaining survivors?" Admiral Stryker asked disgusted.

"No but there is no space, how do you plan to feed all of us?" Jason Campus asked.

Seeing that Stryker is in need of assistance, Admiral Thorn stood up and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, nobody will be hungry or will lack any basic need that they are supposed to have. Our last order from Admiral Nagala was to save us many we can, but not all of them. Admiral Stryker and myself, as well as every Commander in this fleet, are working around the clock to do just that. We have placed the civilian's needs in front of the military's. Eighty five percent of the food that is produced on the Argo ships and the stations are going to the civilians, and the military personal are living in even harsher conditions than the civilians. We do not complain, as our job is to save as many as we can and to keep all of you safe until we get to Avalon. I think I have answered your question delegate Campus?"

"I have one question if I may?" William Monroe from Gemenon asked.

"Go ahead," Admiral Stryker said.

"There are a number of wealthy families that survived from Gemenon, and few from other colonies. They wanted me to ask if they could get better accommodations? They are not used to living on ships under such harsh conditions," William Monroe said.

"Really…. Let me say this to you then. I do not care about how wealthy they were. Our twelve worlds are in flames, and they have just joined the rest of us. If their royal high asses want something better, they will have to work for it like everyone else. These are fracking spaceships, not royal luxury yachts. The Cylons blew up our homes and dumped our live into the crapper, so we do not have luxuries here. They will live where all the others live, without exception. I hope that makes my opinion very clear. If that is not clear enough, I will go on to say that if anyone thinks that they are better and can get a better deal than they can complain to the current landlords of the colonies: the Cylons. We are alive and I need everyone to pull their weight if we are to live and to be able at some point to destroy the Cylons and reclaim our worlds. Either they pull their own weight, or I will dump them back onto Gemenon, or somewhere else, and pick up someone that will be very happy to do anything to live!" Admiral Stryker said loudly and angrily.

"For now we are finished. Please return to your ships and seriously think about what is the best thing for all of our people and not just for the few who used to be the rich and powerful. I will inform you all about our next meeting when we finish our jobs and before you leave for Avalon. Thank you all for coming and I appreciate all the work you are doing for our people," Admiral Stryker said.

Admiral Stryker was frustrated by that last question; it appeared that some people did not understand that the colonies were gone, the economy was gone, and that all those who survived were all the same with no exceptions. After finishing the meeting, Stryker went directly to his quarters for a little nap and to clear his head after a long day of work.

Near Red Horse Nebula Entrance

A white flash appeared, and a heavy raider appeared in front of Red Horse Nebula's entrance.

"We are here, are you sure we're in the right place?" Leoben asked.

"Positive, get us in, maximum speed," Kathy replied.

The heavy raider started moving in, entering the nebula. Running in at full speed, the heavy raider moved to reach the center of the Nebula as fast as possible.

"I hope the stealth systems are working, or this will be a short ride," Kathy said.

"Well that is something we will be finding out very soon," Leoben said nervously.

The heavy raider avoided detection until it got to the edge of the Olympia's perimeter, but too many sensor and dradis satellites, as well as probes, were around and they were soon detected.

"Frak we've been detected. A dozen vipers are closing on our location!" Kathy said, "start broadcasting our surrender fast!"

Olympia C.I.C.

Commander Corgon watched the monitor as an unknown hostile appeared near the station.

"It's definitely a Cylon heavy raider sir," the dradis officer said, "All vipers near its location have turned to engage the target sir."

"Sir, we are receiving a signal from the heavy raider; they say that they surrender sir?" the communications officer said.

"Surrender? Weird. Send a message to the heavy raider to follow the instructions of the vipers and land in the main bay of this station," Commander Corgon said.

"Yes sir," the communications officer said.

"They sent a message," Leoben said

"So what did it say?" Kathy asked.

"Follow the Vipers and turn all weapons off," Leoben replied.

"The weapons are already off… Never mind, follow the vipers instructions," Kathy said.

Onboard The Station

"Lieutenant, send a message to both Admirals Thorn and Stryker, and inform them that we have guests arriving in landing bay two. Then get a hold of the marines and have them armed and standing by in bay two," Commander Corgon said.

"Aye sir," the communications officer replied.

Olympia Brig, Half an Hour Later

Admirals Thorn and Stryker entered the brig with half a dozen marines.

"I am Admiral Stryker; you said that you have some very important information for me?" Admiral Stryker said.

"Yes Admiral, we do," Kathy said.

"And why would I trust anything you might have to say to me? You are Cylons, and you just attacked our worlds," Admiral Stryker said.

"Because we want to help your people Admiral; we both risked our own lives to get here and to give you some information about the Cylons that you can put to good use," Kathy said.

"What do you want in return?" Admiral Stryker asked.

"To stay here with this fleet and to live as free individuals. We cannot go back and we do not want to. We openly protested when the ones, also known at the Cavils, started this war. We didn't have a chance to stop this war, but now we can at least help you to survive and maybe even the odds a little," Kathy said.

"I am listening," Admiral Stryker said.

"What would stop you from killing us after we say what we have to say?" Leoben asked.

"I already know that you have technology that allows you to resurrect when killed. You see, we have several dozen of your kind here, and one of them is being pretty cooperative," Admiral Stryker said.

"You tortured her?" Kathy asked.

"I have done no such thing, I'm not a cylon! She volunteered to tell us all by herself, and I'm honor bound to keep our agreement. I left her alive and gave her asylum here in the fleet," Admiral Stryker said.

"We cannot ask more than that," Kathy said.

"Well that depends, what do you have to offer?" Admiral Stryker asked.

"Well for a start, there are forty Basestars ships in total pursuing Galactica. There are a dozen trying to locate the Battlestar Prometheus and the other ship in her fleet," Kathy said.

"Well, at least they are still alive," Admiral Thorn said.

"Also, our main fleet is still here; over one hundred and thirty baseships are scattered around the colonies. Picon was chosen for the Cylon HQ," Kathy said, "there is also something you need to know Admiral. You see, resurrection technology is dependent upon the three resurrection ships, and two resurrection hubs. There is one hub and a resurrection ship in the fleet that is pursuing the Battlestar Galactica and her fleet. The remaining ships and hub remained here, with our massive mobile facility where we are producing more ships."

"Tempting, but that facility must be well guarded," Admiral Stryker said.

"True, it is, with at least a dozen standard baseships, two heavy baseships. and something new called a Dreadstar. It was created to counter the colonial Andraste Warstars and the Sanctuary heavy Warstars," Kathy said.

"Sanctuary, but only one was ever built; she disappeared, and we never found out what happened to her," Admiral Stryker said, lying about Sanctuary.

"Never the less, it was not believed that the colonial fleet would not create another one in time. Cripple or destroy these ships and you have the upper hand over the cylons. With the main shipyard facilities and resurrection ships gone you will make all of the Human model Cylons mortal, the raiders will not be able to resurrect again either, and with the shipyard gone there will be a huge loss to the Cylons ability to build new ships. This will force a change in the war and the way the Cylons are fighting. This could allow you to force an end to this war before it leads to the destruction of both of our people," Kathy said.

"Alright, put them into VIP cells until we find a place for them," Admiral Stryker said to one of the guards.

"We will talk again and I will want some information. So spend your time well and think about the questions I'm about to ask you. I do not need answer right this moment. The questions are; Where are the prisoner of war camps? What forces are guarding them? I will want to know how many colonial ships still survive. Also, what warships have been captured and where are they? Last but not least; I want a map of the Cylon worlds, shipyards, and mining facilities. In return, you and those like you will be given a chance to save yourselves and in time we may even become one people. But that is going to take a lot of work," Admiral Stryker said.

Command Baseship 02 In Orbit Of Picon

"That traitorous bitch!" Jack Cavil said angrily after finding out Kathy had left, "I knew that she could not to be trusted."

"Leave that for now Cavil, we have much more important things to do," Gary Doral said.

"I see you finally came here from that fancy Dreadstar of yours," Jack Cavil said.

"Well, let me say that I'm tired of being resurrected so many times," Gary Doral said.

"Fracking disaster, we still didn't find the colonial forces, and we don't even know what they are up to," Jack Cavil said.

"I believe they're regrouping and preparing for a major attack," Jeremy Simon said.

"Really? We have over one hundred and thirty baseships here in the colonies; if they wanted to challenge us they would have already done it," Jack Cavil said.

"And what if they are not here anymore?" one of the number 8s called Lucy said.

"No, no they are here. Several of our raiders report contact with Raptors doing searches. They are here; the question is where are they and what are they planning?" Jack Cavil said.

One Day Later, Red Horse Nebula

Battlestar Atlantis C.I.C.

After Admiral Stryker entered the C.I.C., Commander Haller moved closer and said "Sir, one of our first salvage units hit the jackpot sir."

"They found something useful?" Admiral Stryker asked.

"Yes sir, two raptors reported that the Romulus surplus yard near Gemenon is intact, and there was no Cylon presence detected. They found fifty civilian ships that are in good shape and all ready for use, of course they need some repairs, but they can be used. Also Lieutenant Baker from raptor 381 said that they found 6 Tiger II destroyers sir. They were all decommissioned seven years ago by the Adar administration as a cost cutting measure, but they were kept in good condition, and there are two Hawkeye Firestars as well. He said there are at least six additional destroyers, but they were not in so good a shape and will need a good yard period to get them ready for real combat use. Say three or four months for each unit," Commander Haller reported.

"Send recovery units and crews right now; have two of the Battlestars and four Gunstars go with them as escorts. Once they get those new ships put into storage on Eternity, they are to get back here ASAP. But tell the engineers, they are to work on activating those Tiger II destroyers if they can," Admiral Stryker said.

"The second patrol didn't have any luck at the Corona yards near Aquaria; it was completely destroyed with nothing left to salvage. The third patrol found two dozen civilian ships, including three large Argo ships, near the Coronet deposition yard. The fourth patrol is on its way to the Destarious supply depot. There were several Battlestars decommissioned there, as well as a Hephaestus mobile dock and a Henchantories Dreadnought," Commander Haller said.

"Very good work. Pass on my compliments to the raptor crews and keep me posted," Admiral Stryker said.

Destarious Supply Depot

Two Raptors jumped directly over the wreck of what was once the main station. It was destroyed, but the other assets at the depot were still intact.

"Nothing on dradis," Lieutenant Crosby said.

"Ok, let us see what we have here," Lieutenant Marino said.

At almost the same time.

Battlestar Trinity, Location: Somewhere Near Tauron

"Sir, we can jump, but as I said before we only have one jump," Colonel Sounders said.

"Duly noted and logged. Alright jump us to the Destarious supply depot," Commander Gerard said.

"Jumping 3, 2, 1, Jump!" Colonel Sounders said.

Trinity disappeared and then reappeared near the supply depot.

Minor explosions rocked the ship, as the already damaged energizers exploded. For a moment Trinity lost control of all her thrusters and started moving out of control.

"Frak, we lost the energizers again," Colonel Sounders said.

"Get the emergency power online before we collide with something. Fracking Cylons!" Commander Gerard said angrily.

The crews of the two raptors were first in shock when they saw the blip on dradis believing that it was a Cylon baseship, but since Trinity jumped directly in front of them they quickly saw it was a Battlestar.

"Fracking hell," Lieutenant Marino said, "Is that a Battlestar?"

"It's the Battlestar Trinity, where the frack did she come from?" Lieutenant Crosby replied, still in shock.

"Who cares? We found her and she's damaged; from what I can see she's out of control, but it appears she's starting to stabilize herself," Lieutenant Marino said.

Trinity C.I.C.

"We are getting power back online; we diverted power used from half of our other systems to get thruster control again," Colonel Saunders said.

"Good, stabilize the ship and prepare to launch raptors," Commander Gerard said.

"Sir, we're detecting two ships off the starboard bow; it appears to be colonial raptors," the dradis officer said.

"Hail them," Commander Gerard ordered.

"This is Battlestar Trinity to unknown raptors, identify yourself or be fired upon," the communications officer said.

"This is raptor 221 from Olympia station," Lieutenant Crosby replied.

"This is Trinity Actual here, lieutenant you said Olympia station? She still survives?" Commander Gerard said.

"Yes sir, she, and lots of other ships; civilian and military sir," Lieutenant Crosby said.

A cheer could be heard over the communications channel as the Trinity's bridge crew were happy to hear that they were not alone.

"Raptor 221, under whose command?" Commander Gerard asked.

"Admiral Stryker is in charge of the fleet sir, and Admiral Thorn is in charge of Olympia station," Lieutenant Crosby replied.

"Stryker who? Never mind Lieutenant, jump back and get us some help fast; our energizers are down and we cannot jump again without help," Commander Gerard said.

"Yes sir!" Lieutenant Crosby said.

Moments later both raptors jumped away...

Red Horse Nebula Olympia Station C.I.C.

"Sir the raptors from Destarious depot have returned early, sir they say they have found the Battlestar Trinity!" the communications officer exclaimed loudly.

"Battlestar Trinity?" Admiral Thorn replied in shock.

"Yes sir, they said she was badly damaged and needs assistance," the communications officer replied.

"Get Admiral Stryker on the line for me," Admiral Thorn ordered.

Ten minutes later Admiral Stryker entered the Olympia's C.I.C.

"Communications Officer said that it was important, what do we have?" Admiral Stryker asked.

"You will not guess what we just found," Admiral Thorn said with a smile, "our raptors just found the Battlestar Trinity at Destarious depot."

"You're fracking with me?" Admiral Stryker asked.

"Nope," Admiral Thorn said grinning widely.

"Well what the hell are we waiting for? Let's send some ships to get her back," Admiral Stryker said.

"You won't mind if I use Atlantis for this mission?" Admiral Thorn asked.

"No, go ahead," Admiral Stryker said.

"Communications, send a message to the Battlestars Atlantis and Poseidon and tell them to get to Destarious depot ASAP; they are to recover Trinity as soon as they can," Admiral Thorn said.

"Yes sir!" the communications officer said.

"Well, will we delay salvage from that yard until we salvage Trinity?" Admiral Thorn asked.

"No objections there," Admiral Stryker said.

Sometime later the Battlestars Atlantis and Poseidon jumped almost directly on top of the Battlestar Trinity.

Trinity C.I.C.

"Sir, two ships just jumped directly on top of us; identifications say they are the Battlestars Atlantis and Poseidon," Colonel Saunders said.

"Incoming message from Atlantis sir," the communications officer said.

"What does it say?" Commander Gerard asked.

"Prepare to be jumped to Olympia station," the communications officer said.

"Lieutenant, tell them that we cannot jump," Commander Gerard said sadly.

"Colonel Haller from Atlantis said they will dock with us, and then link our computers together; in short they will use their own engines to jump both ships," the Lieutenant replied quickly.

"That's crazy!" Colonel Saunders exclaimed.

"Actually it's not, so let us hope they succeed or both ships will end up in pieces. Lieutenant what class of ships are they?" Commander Gerard asked.

"Sir, the Atlantis appears to be a Mercury class like Trinity, and the Poseidon is a sub-class of the Valkyrie class Battlestar," the communications officer said.

"Where the hell did those ships comes from?" Colonel Saunders asked.

In space the Battlestars Atlantis maneuvered to get on top of Trinity, and managed to hard dock on Trinity very gently, at the same time Poseidon put itself below Trinity and turned its belly against Trinity's. Poseidon acted like a stabilizer in the entire process, and succeeded in docking with Trinity from below, at the same time Atlantis docked from Trinity's upper side.

"Sir Atlantis and Poseidon are docked," Colonel Saunders reported.

"Damn, I can't believe this, I simply can't," Commander Gerard said.

One of the monitors flashed and numbers showed on it; 10, 9, 8, all three ships were linked together, but only the Atlantis and Poseidon used their engines. It was a very risky move, towing two Battlestars, since one served as a stabilizer; if there had been any miscalculation it could've led to the ships jumping to the wrong location or blowing apart.

"All hands brace for a jump. 4,3,2,1, jump!" the communications officer said shipwide.

"Frak, I am too old for this," Commander Gerard said.

They jumped directly to the Red Horse nebula...