AN: Sorry for the wait, lot of work and not much time. Enjoy and as always I welcome your reviews.

Chapter 9

Kobol, Cyrannus System, Beyond the Red Line

The green plains of Kobol were the setting of an unusual scene. After millennia's without any human presence on the former birth planet of the Colonial people, the last years presented an increase in activity never seen before for the animals living in its green forests.

Crouched in the dense vegetations covering the remains of what was once a great monument to the glory of the Gods was a man donned in a red form fitting suit and black armor examining some of the inscriptions that survived the terrible disaster that befell Kobol 4 000 years ago.

Moving some of the lichen covered pieces of stone in front of him the man was able to finally shine a light on the inside of the stone column rising ahead, displaying the control interfaces of the panel. Replacing some crystals in their proper position and connecting one of the portable Naquadah reactors he was equipped with, he was able to finally reactivate the relic he was working on, a very old ring platform probably installed by the Ancients when they settled on Kobol. Thankfully, Ancient technology was a very durable and even after hundreds of thousands of years was still able to function as they were intended by their original creators.

Finally fully recharged, the Non Commissioned Officer of the Terran Special Forces launched the diagnostic and test system of the ring platform, hoping to reveal its location at the same time, as the detailed scans established by the Marauder Class Ship orbiting the planet were only able to detect a vague trace of it since its power module was depleted. As he put the final crystal in place, a loud sound characteristic of a ring activating was heard, revealing its position to the Special Forces team of the sector.

As a decision of the Terran President and in full accordance with the treaty signed with the 12 Colonies of Kobol, the Terran Army was authorized to start operations of exploration of the Cyrannus System as well as the rescue of all remaining Colonial People remaining in system with their relocation to New Kobol. To accomplish that objective, the Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered the deployment of a Star Base in the Area to conduct diverse operations. From there, 6 Marauders for each colony and Kobol, with their full party of Special Forces personnel, were dispatched to evaluate the situation before the deployment of troops on the ground via Fisher and Grand Fisher ships.

Team Delta Omicron Kappa of the Terran Special Forces was one of the 3 teams deployed from Marauder 13 of the Star Base Sea of Tranquility in the last week on Kobol for a general search and evaluation of the sector of the planet with detailed scan of the ruins of ancients temples dedicated to the Greek and Colonial Gods. The 4 man team was presently attempting to reactivate several key systems capable to bring them to unexplored levels of the temple, and maybe discover what might be hidden there as their highly advanced scanners were incapable of showing several areas, probably placed behind a shield. Which brought the question: if several of the levels were protected by shielding technology, what was concealed there that needed such a protection?

And this was exactly the type of missions where the Special Forces Teams excelled. Formed from the best men and women of the Terran Space Troopers, the Special Forces were trained in diplomacy, languages, history and technology so that they could become the spear of the Terran Federation and represent them In first contact situations and still be able to defend themselves against impossible odds. Their standard equipment was rather different from the conventional get up of the Space Trooper. They wore a skin tight red uniform covered by Black Armor pieces for the legs, forearms, Shoulders, and pectorals in an alloy resistant to both energy and projectile weapons. Their Head was protected by a Black helmet with a mirror faceplate of the same material, retractable to the neck, becoming thus invisible when retracted. Furthermore their armament was more powerful, oriented for both covert operations as well as combat under heavy fire. But what gave them the nickname of "Red Ghosts" was not from their capacity for violence but their ability to disappear from sight at will and reappear unexpectedly thanks to their Phase modules.

Constituted of 4 men Teams, each Marauder was able to deliver 3 Teams on their designated drop zone while remaining in stealth mode high in the atmosphere ready to be called if need be by one of the Teams.

At the same time as the Marauders were deployed for their reconnaissance mission, General Mathews was deploying his squadrons of Hyper Space capable Puddle Jumpers to install a series of space rings in orbit of each Colony and Kobol to facilitate the operations that will be occurring in the new resident system of the Star Base Sea of Tranquility. Unfortunately, the Stargates being installed could not be used to evacuate the population from the planets as they needed to be brought in the Stargate Network by creating from the ground up first a network reserved for the Cyrannus System then updating each Stargate with the addresses of the new system.

Several Cylon Basestars had been seen patrolling the sector among the floating debris from the slaughter that occurred when the Cylon decimated the Colonial Armada with its Virus but due to orders from the General, every ship set out was cloaked and invisible to Cylon DRADIS.

Each ring was protected by a shield and able to phase shift in case of emergency. So much protection for a Stargate might seem overkill, but the necessary materials and cost involved in the creation of just one ring made them a precious resource for the Terran Federation.

The Star Base was to be the Beachhead for the Terran Federation in the Cyrannus Sector. From there, and after the deployment of Stargates, the Arrows squadrons based on the Star Base would lead the fight against the Cylons Basestars in the evacuation of the colonies of Kobol from their remaining inhabitants.

Stepping toward the ring area near the temple, the Red ghosts Team prepared itself to transport to the inner chambers of the temple and discover what kind of secret might be hidden by this level of protection.

New Kobol, Milky Way Galaxy,

The prophecies were true. That was all that mattered to the more religious colonial people. But to others this truth was more convoluted that they thought it would be.

The Scroll of Pythia, one of the more revered religious texts inherited from the Kobolian Gods, talked of the road to Earth, of the dangers involved in their journey and the signs that would guide them. It also foretold the death of their leader before he or she could see the accomplishment of their journey. The Sacred Scrolls were right.

Sick from a long time, and having made her peace with the destiny that awaited her, President Laura Roslin died of her breast cancer 100 light years, the last jump, from New Kobol. However what the Scroll of Pythia did not foretold for she could not imagine such an occurrence happening, was that the death of the Leader would be only temporary. The Terran Federation, after years of research in the Alterans medical technology and the antibodies granted to the Goa'ould human hosts, was able to synthesize a cure for virtually any type of cancer. However that cure required the total shutdown of the human body, in effect killing the patient for several hours, while its major organs were preserved in cryogenic suspension.

Laura Roslin did die, for several hours, but was revived free of her cancer and ready to began a new life.

But Laura Roslin was first and foremost a teacher. Now that the safety of her people was guaranteed, she stepped down from her post as President of the twelve colonies of Kobol the day of the inauguration of the new capital of New Kobol, New Colonia. Her vice president, the man she formed herself to replace her and in her opinion had the strength and intelligence necessary to direct them for a better future, replaced her as President, Lee Adama.

The installation into their new city came with a great relief to the people of the 12 colonies of Kobol. After years of running they were able to finally rest and restart their society without the threat of the Cylons. The city by itself was incredible: the seat of the government was situated in the middle with offices setup with every luxury they enjoyed in Caprica City and more.

Contrary to what they were accustomed to, The Terran Federation did not rely on personal motorization but developed a vast network of teleportation pad that were able to move people instantly from one pad to another just by saying the name of the destination pad.

Evidently this system made the colonial people at first very nervous but after a week of use the general population was comfortable with the transition.

The response regarding the new habitations available to the Colonial people was enthusiastic as the community discovered it. While the layout and basic decoration of the living quarters of the city was standardized the buildings themselves differed greatly from one another and provided a needed sense of individuality. Furthermore the walls and floors of the residential areas could be customized in their color via a simple request to the building administrator.

The general hospital, headed by Major Cottle and aided by several civilians doctors, was partially crewed but equipped with the latest medical technology developed by the Terran Federation.

Finally the City was placed inside the stratosphere over a large plot of land where several agricultural facilities were being constructed to further the independence of their needs.

Overall the installation was a success even despite the fact that several individuals were not happy. Most notably among those were the diverse crime lords that fought to conserve their marginal power. But with the abundance of products arriving from the Federation at very low prices, their influence was melting like snow under the sun and the new Colonial Police Force recruited from the Marine contingent aboard the Galactica was able to hunt them down.

No, the more vocal people were the Cylon haters, asking to take the fight back in the colonies against the Cylons. While their intentions were good, they used no shred of common sense by suggesting that the Galactica jump back to the Colonies aided in that endeavor by the Terran Federation technology, technology they would acquire at any cost, going as far as steal it from Terran Federation ships.

These kind of thoughts were quickly nipped in the bud by the president with the liberal use of the press and the re assurance from the Terran Federation authorities residing in their embassy that any attempt would be largely ineffectual as the key systems of the Terran Federation were coded with markers. Any stolen technology could be located, beamed and the culprits therefore identified.

The Galactica and its crew, after years of faithful service were able to retire. The crew notably the deck hands and enlisted people were freed of the military life and allowed to seek any job in the civilian sectors. Many of the Pilots engaged in the new civilian transport service that needed any experienced pilots for transit of goods and people on the new home world.

The Galactica itself, having fought countless battles against superior foes and without the ability to affect repairs in a dry dock finally gave out. The jump drive, recycled from one of the abandoned ships, blew itself out after having been used well above its recommended settings. Its hull almost entirely pockmarked with missile hits needed a complete overhaul and the replacement of almost every armored plate.

However the decision was made to salvage the Galactica, not as a ship, but as a space station by permanently extending its port nacelles and redesigning its interior in more spacious quarters and training facilities.

The training facilities would be used for the training of the New Kobol Police Force and the pilots still needed to maintain a Combat Air Patrol around the planet. For while the new defenses provided by the Terran Federation WERE impressive, Admiral William Adama still preferred to be safer than sorry, a lesson he learned well on New Caprica.

More the CIC was converted in a control tower for the whole system allowing the planet to start operations of exploration for minerals and resources. Updated with the Terran Federation scanners capable to detect every ship in a 100 light years radius and equipped with a subspace communication array allowing them to stay in real live contact with any team working in space.

The Stargate itself was a godsend for the people of the 12 colonies. For so long restrained to their ships with their only human contact available limited, the idea of thousands of worlds habitable and contactable in the Milky Way galaxy astounded them. Already several groups had been issued authorizations to visit several worlds, regular historical and vacations sites for the Terran Federation like the planet Vis Uban with its remains of the old Alteran City or New Fiji a world covered with archipelagos of isles with a preserved natural environment.

Finally, after discovering their true nature only some weeks before, the Final Four Cylons surrendered themselves to Admiral Adama. After verifications of their intentions via lie detector and the removal of any hidden programming in their subconscious the Final Four were liberated in the Colonial population, their identity as Cylon having been carefully kept secret from everyone except the top level of command. Saul Tigh exiled himself on the surface, living in a small cabin in the woods and selling the products of his hunt. Galen Tyrol became an engineer for a company of transport which needed his expertise as the "fixer" of old ships on the Galactica. Sam Anders launched a Pyramid League trying to recreate the sport that was all his life before the holocaust and Tory Foster stayed with former president Laura Roslin and became a teacher.

All in all, the entry of the 12 colonies of Kobol into the Terran Federation was very well received and the Colonial government was anxiously waiting for the first reports coming from the missions conducted in the Cyrannus System by the Terran Space Troopers.

Virgon, Cyrannus system

They were hiding in an old abandoned lead mine far into the Virgon desert and the targets of the Cylons bombardment. After the Cylon Attacked the Fleet and the first reports of the surrender offered by President Adar, several officials of the Virgon government started to look for exit strategies for their people to survive knowing that, if the military ships from the Colonial Fleet could not withstand the Cylon armada, then civilian ships would be even less likely to survive an encounter with a Cylon Basestar. A decision was then made to select a remote place to hide the civilian population and wait for a rescue. But even before the plan was able to start it was nipped in the bud by the nuclear assault of their cities from orbit. Fortunately several key people in the know of the plan were able to live on to guide the survivors to safety. Taking everything they could on their back and in trucks, they made it to an old abandoned lead mine, capable to protect them from the radiations and extensive enough to hide comfortably the 120 000 Virgons.

Maintaining a radio watch to listen to any news they could catch, hoping for a signal from their comrades of life outside their natural bunker, but after 4 years without any news they were losing optimism that any rescue would come and already many of them thought they were the last of the Colonies.

Only one day something changed.

High in orbit over the planet, a cloaked Marauder class ship was slowly scanning the Virgon world for a sign of human life. The sophisticated scanners onboard of a Marauder were not sensible enough to pick a life sign behind an entire compound made of lead. However the mines were not perfect in their homogeneity and several thousand life signs were able to be detected as well as several others hundred all over Virgon.

This scenario was reproduced on almost every world of the 12 Colonies except Caprica.

While Caprica was the most heavily populated planet of all the Colonies as the seat of the Colonial Government, it was also the prime target for the Cylon attack and the only planet they occupied in the former colonies. While several hundred survivors could be detected on Caprica, most situated in internment camps, the main population had probably been killed in the nuclear assault.

Far into the desert of Virgon, a 4 man team appeared in front of an assortment of rock outcroppings hiding the entrance of the lead mine. They started their advance toward the mouth of the mine, carefully looking for any sign of recent activity.

As they were almost arrived to the entrance, one of them lifted his hand to the side of his helmeted head signaling for his team to stop their advance. Turning his head toward a patch rocks to the side of the mine's entrance he spoke out:

"Please show yourself we know you are here. We mean you no harm. We are not Cylons."

From behind some rocks, dressed in some kind of old uniforms, probably members of a law enforcement organization emerged 3 young men and an older woman. All of them were pointing hand held weapons at them and appeared terrified.

The Woman spoke, showing herself as the leader "Who are you? What tells me you are not some kind of new Cylon Model? How did you found us?"

Lifting his two arms at head level to show that he was not armed the Special Forces soldier answered her. "My name is Sergeant Major Herman Hicks of the Terran Federation Special Forces. We are here in a reconnaissance and rescue operation to help any survivors of the 12 colonies of Kobol. I am Human and I can prove it to you if you let me take out my helmet."

Frowning in thought and slowly advancing on him the woman calmly yet rapidly closed down the distance, leaving her 3 younger subordinates to cover her from a distance, ready to sound the alert if anything happened to her. As she stepped in front of him, her face reflecting in the visor of his helmet she answered him. "Tell me how and I will do it Do not make any move. And while I do that you will answer some of my questions. What is the Terran Federation you say you come from? How many of you are here? And how did you know we were there?"

"On the right side of my neck is a push button, do you see it? Yes right here push it three times in a row, slowly. It will retract my helmet in my armor."

As she obeyed his instructions, Virgon Police Lieutenant Carmel Vanens couldn't help but notice the way each of these strangers were moving. Each step measured, calm, without any itch or hesitation. Like if they had foretold every aspect of the situation like prophets and already knew the outcome. She finally found the small button and with a look toward her men, she pushed it three times.

Startled by the way the helmet retracted and disappeared like it never existed in the first place inside the neck of the armor the man in front of her wore, she took two steps back. Holding her weapon a little firmer while she inspected his face.

He started to speak anew continuing his responses to her inquiries; "The Terran Federation is a federation of planets situated in the Milky Way galaxy, approximately 30 000 light years from the Cyrannus System. Our founding planet is Earth. We are here after a successful contact with a fleet of the remnants of the colonial people which we rescued from the Cylons and offered asylum in the Terran Federation. After their entrance into the Federation, the Terran Space Troopers, our army started a reconnaissance and rescue mission to evaluate the danger the Cylon posed and rescue any survivors of the Holocaust. Our ship detected several thousand survivors hiding in this mine and we decided to make contact. Did I satisfy your curiosity? And can we see someone in charge please?"

Still examining the face of the man in front of her, Carmel Vanens hesitated before finally nodding to him. "Your men will stay here, we will allow you to come alone and unarmed. If anything happens inside, your men will be the first to pay the price. Are we clear?"

"Cristal Ma'am."

Nodding to his men, Sergeant Major Hicks unclasped his armbands and shoulder pads before following the woman in front of him inside the mouth of the mine.

Inside, the mine was a literal labyrinth of interconnecting caves, several big enough to host a cathedral but all of them filled to the brim by people watching him with apprehension in his red and black armor. Coming before a smaller entrance barred by a curtain and two guards, they stopped and she spoke to one of them. Finally being granted entry into the cave, he was able to meet face to face with the leader of the Virgon refugees. He was a tall black man, standing at approximately 2 meters of height and appeared very thin, too thin for his tall frame. His eyes were a little sunken in his face and his black eyes showed how exhausted he really was.

As they entered the room, he came to attention, saluting the man as if he was a foreign dignitary, which, in a sense, he was.

"Sergeant Major Hermann Hicks, sir, Terran Federation Special Forces attached to the Star Base Sea of Tranquility in the Cyrannus Sector."

Lifting an eyebrow in question in the direction of Carmel Vanens, before carefully studying the deceptively young soldier still saluting in front of him.

"At ease soldier, my name is Marcus Cornell, the selected leader of this group. Now what can I help you with, you don't seem to come from around here?"

"No sir. I am a member of the Terran Federation Space Troopers in a mission of reconnaissance and rescue in response to the request for help from the Colonial refugee ships who left 4 years ago."

Giving his full attention to the man in front of him and inviting him to sit down in front of him, Marcus asked him to tell him everything.

"Approximately 4 years ago, the day the Cylons attacked your forces in surprise, several civilian ships protected by the Battlestar Galactica were able to escape un harmed. Aboard one of these ships was the last remaining member alive from the cabinet of President Adar, Laura Roslin the then Secretary of Education. She assumed command of the situation and seeing no hope for their ships to face the Cylon armada she ordered the remnant fleet to jump beyond the Red Line in the hope to rejoin the fabled 13th colony. At the time, this reason was only an excuse used by the remnant leadership to conserve a modicum of hope in the minds of the survivors. But in their travel they discovered that the myth was indeed true and found marks indicating the road to follow. 4 years later, they found us. Earth is in fact the founder world of the Terran Federation in the Milky Way galaxy. As of a week ago, the 12 colonies of Kobol are members of the Terran Federation and a plan was devised to save as much as possible from your civilization. Our principal mission is to find survivors of the holocaust to bring them to the new Colonial home world in the Milky Way galaxy."

Both of the Virgon natives were staring open mouthed at him trying to warp their mind around the information delivered to them. Staring at each other, they finally turned to him considering him more in detail.

"And how do you expect to save us? The Cylons guard the system with their Basestars! Any ship that would take off from Virgon would be shot down. Moreover we have 120 000 people in here, where are you going to find a ship big enough to take everyone because we would only have one shot at pulling this."

Smiling a little the Sergeant Major responded to the inquiry with a calm voice. "Contrary to what you might believe, the Terran Federation is a lot more advanced in technology compared to the Cylons. Our ships are able to go twenty against one in capital ship to capital ship engagements. In our situation, twelve Grand Fisher ships would suffice to take all of your people in one go and bring them to New Kobol in 5 days. The Terran Space Navy is ready to deploy 200 of those ships with 30 Cruisers as escorts."

Looking astonished at the news that a civilization they were not even aware of was ready to mobilize a veritable fleet to their help. Nodding to Carmel, she left to execute the silent order he gave her. She returned 5 minutes later followed by a young man in colonial uniform displaying the grade of Major. Carmel turned to him and presented the man.

"Sergeant Major Hermann Hicks this is Major Valo Talinia of the Colonial Fleet. He will be our decision maker on this issue since he has more experience in this matter. More importantly for us he can tell us if this plan of yours has any shred of possibility."

Saluting the Colonial Officer in front of him, the Special Forces member explained the plan. Closing his eyes in concentration the middle aged Major asked some more detailed questions.

"All your plans revolve around the use of the ships you call Grand Fisher, can you describe them to me since even in the colonial fleet we do not have ships that are big enough to transport our current population in only 12 ships."

"The Grand Fishers are ships created specially to deploy a large number of troops in any given situation in any terrain. Their capacity is 10 000 people at maximum without overtaxing the life support systems. The ships are very lightly armed, favoring speed and maneuvering to brute force leaving that aspect to escorts in the form of Cruisers if need be. The boarding of the ship is done via the use of a giant transporter ring by the thousand. Is that enough details for you?"

Eyes wide the Major had only one question" What I am more concerned about is the light weaponry. If any Cylon Basestar detect us and move to intercept, a swarm of missiles could easily cripple us or worse destroy us completely. We need more escorts than what you suggest, at least a capital ship if you have any in your fleet!"

Smiling in reassurances the Sergeant Major responded "Do not worry. What you do not know is that the Terran Federation is far more advanced than the Colonials or Cylons ever were. Our ships are all protected from attack by the use of shielding technology forming a perfect bubble around each ship. Furthermore our ships use a different kind of FTL drive and can jump directly after clearing the atmosphere. Finally the light weaponry for the Terran Federation is not really considered in the same light as in the colonies. The Grand Fisher ships are equipped with drones capable to track the enemy at the speed of light to strike directly in its most vulnerable place. Basically with one shot it is capable to destroy a Capital ship like a Basestar. Size or numbers are not everything if you have a large enough superiority in technology. For example, our small 4 man team as enough firepower to level this entire mine and kill everyone in it."

Narrowing their eyes at this revelation they asked him to live them to discuss their options alone. An hour later they exited the makeshift office to give him their decision. The choice between a life in isolation in an old mine hiding from genocide by killer robots and salvation to a planet far away from danger might seem simple to most rational people but after 4 years of living there the fear of the unknown was almost overpowering but finally a consensus was reached and the decision was made: they would accept the proposition from the Terran Federation and start to make preparations to leave for their new home. The estimated time of arrival for the Grand Fishers was 3 days.

They would be ready.

This situation occurred in several colonies. Unfortunately several colonies had been completely wiped out like Picon and Scorpia where respectively the Fleet Headquarters and shipyards were based.

On Libra 35 000 colonials were found hiding in a large forest under algae covered cabins to escape any life detectors.

On Canceron, Leonis and Tauron several bunkers were found with a total of 15 000 people. In Caprica and Gemenon several concentration camps had been liberated from the Cylons with only 760 people in each camp well enough to be saved, the Cylons experiments on pregnant women made more casualties than the Federation anticipated from the reports made by the Colonials Remnants.

The colony of Aquaria, reputed for its infamous gangs and mafias, was more subtle to handle: the Cylons were actively researching for their hideouts in the system with a strong presence of 25 Basestars making the search more delicate for the Special Forces teams assigned to Aquaria. A contact was finally made but while the different factions were interested, they finally declined one after another the offer of help from the Terran Federation figuring that if the Federation won the system was theirs to take and if they did not they would weaken the Cylons enough for them to expand their territory. After all who wanted to be a servant in another country while they already were kings in their own?

Sagitarron was another surprise as the former resistance against the government of President Adar changed its focus from the colonial government to the Cylon presence and was able to bunker up and strike at the Cylons successfully; from there came the more survivors with a count of 300 000 people dispatched on several hideouts on the planet.

The Aerelon Colony, having been destroyed years before the attack on the colonies in a cataclysmic explosion was still searched for ships hiding there but nothing was found.

At final count, 473 000 survivors were found and accepted to being evacuated to New Kobol. The plan was to simultaneously evacuate every world to profit from the element of surprise.

In 3 days, the Cyrannus Sector would be almost emptied of its remaining colonial population.

Unknown Sector of the Cyrannus System, Deep in Cylon territory.

The Hub was the central nexus of the Cylon Cloning technology. While the Resurrection Ships were necessary to prolong the range of the downloading and uploading process, the Hub was irreplaceable for the Cylons and was heavily protected against any attack form enemies.

Unfortunately for them, they never encountered before the kind of technology available to the Terran Federation which made them susceptible to covert operations using cloaking and phasing technologies.

While the principal target of the Terran Federation was the search and rescue for survivors in the System, the disabling and study of any Cylon technology regarding cloning was the next priority in the agenda.

This is why every Marauder deployed by the Star Base Sea of Tranquility was ordered to be on the lookout for Cylon technology and to study the transmissions coming and going from them. Rapidly, patterns emerged for the Asgard avatar Officer onboard the Star Base and with this pattern a position. To confirm his calculations, the avatar moved on the priority list for the General to assign a mission of reconnaissance in the sector.

As it emerged from hyperspace phased, the Marauder ship with the assigned mission was astonished to discover almost 50 Basestars protecting the Hub, a massive space station almost as big as the Star base he just left. After marking every ship and effecting deep scans on the Hub, the Marauder left, its mission accomplished.

After reviewing every aspect of the data gathered by the Marauder, General Mathews and his staff prepared the plans to attack the small fleet protecting the Hub and capturing it. A problem presented itself: first the hub was not a spaceship equipped with engines to make it move but a space station which meant that until several ships where available to tow it in Federation space then the station would have to be taken by force and occupied. The Basestars presented also a problem since the next contingent of Capital ships from the Federation in the form of the 12th and 34th fleets were only en route from their mission of exploration of the uncharted sectors and needed at least a week to be there.

The problem was that the General wanted to profit from the surprises from the rescue missions occurring in 3 days .If the Cylons were busy while the Hub was attacked, no reinforcements could be sent to their aid and the Hub secured without interference from the main Cylon Fleet.

It meant that for a successful attack the Star Base would have to send his entire contingent of Arrows and could not wait for either of the Fleets to arrive. Thankfully the Star Base was well protected by its shield so the Arrows were not immediately necessary and could be recalled once the Fleets were present in system. But the Arrows needed to be deployed and without the presence of a Heavy Carrier, the Star Base would have to set up its contingent of deployment rings. Deployment rings were a variation of the standard Stargate System placed on a hyperspace engine, protected by a shield and remote controlled by the Star Base. Each Star Base was assigned 12 of them to help for the installation of permanent space Stargates in orbit of planets considered for colonization or for a strategic importance. They were not part of the Stargate Network and their positions were only known to The Terran Federation Army.

With a thousand Arrows for 50 Basestars the fight would be a little longer than the Terran Space Navy was accustomed to in comparison to the earlier engagements against the Cylons but at least their pilots would be able to stretch their symbolical legs. They were starting to get restless from the lack of action since entering the system and a restless pilot was unbearable!

3 Days Later, Cyrannus System.

The Grand Fisher was a class of ship made to transport people for approximately a week in comfortable conditions. 10 000 people to be exact. And to accomplish that objective the ship had to have the size required to contain that population in its belly. And what a belly it was, could appreciate the survivors, as the Grand Fisher appeared in orbit of the Colonial world of Virgon. With a length of 2 037 meters by 500 meters with a height of 200 meters the ship was so big that its shadow covered the entirety of the mine and bloated out the sun for leagues around it. Protected by the best shield of the Terran Federation, equal in strength to a City shield, the Grand Fisher possessed only a limited weaponry platform directed from the bridge by a chair platform kept separated from the other vital systems. The Ship was crewed by 50 technicians in the control center of the bridge analyzing every particle around the ship, 200 crewmen responsible for the day to day operations and a contingent of security personnel numbering 500 to keep the ship as secure as possible for any would be infiltrators. Furthermore the ship had a group of 50 Puddle Jumpers stored in various hangar bays all around the ship. But what really separated this ship from the others in the Terran Space Navy except for its size was in fact the mass transportation system used by its class, the Great Ring.

The Stargate technology developed and used by the Alterans was a very versatile product able to be adapted to many situations from ring platforms for small transport between two locations, to a Galactic Stargate capable to help ships travel the void between the Stars.

The Terran Federation had adapted it to transport a large group of more than a thousand by combining the advantages of beaming technology to the stability of Ring platforms. The Great Ring responded to the same principles used in the ring platforms used commonly by the Alterans and later the Goa'ould but took it further by increasing its size to two hundred meter of diameter. However unlike the ring platforms, several rings were not needed as the first ring only represented an anchor to delimit the zone where a powerful teleportation beam would strike and teleport everything in it exactly as it was into a specially designed zone inside the Ship.

As the first thousand people were evacuated from Virgon, the same scene was witnessed on several other colonial worlds. The Basestars, after the surprise from the emergence of these ships started to fade, attacked directly without any response to the Terran Federation's message of warning. Directly trying to strike the biggest vessels, thinking wrongly that they were the biggest threat, the escort Cruisers responded by unleashing on them their swarms of Drones disabling them rapidly. And as more Basestars were dispatched to attack the rescue ships, the cry for help from the Hub was left unanswered.

Unknown Sector of the Cyrannus System, Deep in Cylon territory.

Unknown to the Cylons several Stargates had been deployed all around them cloaked and shielded waiting for the battle to start.

As the Grand Fisher ships were leaving for their mission, 4 Fisher ships were being prepared with each 700 Terran Space Troopers ready to be deployed to control and occupy the Hub. Every soldier was well rested and ready to show the Cylons that while the Terran Federation had good ships, they had even better Troopers!

10 minutes after the start of the rescue mission, 1 000 Arrows started to emerge from the 12 Stargates disseminated around the Hub and the Basestars, automatically regrouping in formations to start a massive bombardment against the Cylon protection force.

Taken by surprise, the Basestars did not have enough time to position their raiders before the first Basestar was destroyed by a formation of 50 Arrows. At the same time 4 Fisher ships exited hyperspace near the Hub and started to beam their Troopers in Teams of 20, flying all around the Hub to target the beaming locations more precisely and disseminating the troops in key positions to create a swarm effect inside the Hub and opening multiple fronts of assault.

Finished with their tasks they out phased themselves, waiting for the situation to be resolved and dock peacefully inside the giant station having no weapon to fight against the Cylon ships.

Sending distress signals, ignored by their forces engaged in other battles, the Basestars started exploding one by one, destroyed by the Arrows leaving no quarters while their Raiders were being hunted down in dogfights, outmaneuvered and outgunned by the Smaller but more powerful Arrows.

The fight in the Hub against the Cylons was progressing slowly as the robots were constructing barricades at every corner. In the first engagement between the 2 parties the Cylons Centurions, for the first time in decades, retreated in one on one fights against humans. Contrarily to the basic Colonial Soldier, the Terran Space Trooper had the advantage of benefiting of decades of genetic ameliorations setting their strength at the level of a Jaffa. More, the Terran Space Trooper was equipped with an arsenal attached to his armor. As he fought the soldier was monitored by his armor which dispensed nanites to augment his strength, boost his system and repair minute injuries. Its armor was also shielded against both energy and projectile weaponry which gave the Cylons no option but mass effect weapons hard to setup and slow to recharge.

As the last Basestar was destroyed by the Arrows and the last Raiders decided to cut their losses by jumping out, the fight inside the hub was coming to an end and the Fisher ships proceeded toward the hangar bays. The newly awakened Humanoid Cylons were shocked to discover at their wake up not the familiar face of one of their brethren but the plasma canon of a Terran Space Trooper corralling them toward the sealed quarters transformed in cells.

The Cylons in one big operation had lost not only their most important asset but also the last bargaining ship they kept in reserve by keeping some humans alive.

Cyrannus System, Kobol, Temple of the Gods.

Team Delta Omicron Kappa stepped in the chamber revealed in front of them, still protected by a shield 4 000 years after the fall of Kobol.

The chamber was large, with a standard Alteran geometric design illuminated by stained windows with artificial lights behind them as they were deep beneath the Temple. In front of them resided several pedestals with behind them the representations of the Kobolian Gods.

As the Leader of Team Delta Omicron Kappa advanced in the chamber, each of his men started to run scans and examine every corner. Examining each statue, the Leader could see that they depicted know figures by the signs they displayed, a lightning bolt for Zeus, an Owl for Athena, an Archer for Apollo.

In the middle of the room, circled by the pedestals was a circle which started to glow at his approach.

Nodding to his men, the Leader, Sergeant Major Leona Travis stepped into the circle activating the systems hidden there millennia's ago displaying the hologram of an old man on the center pedestal, Zeus.

"Welcome, child of Kobol, to the Temple of the Gods. State your questions and you will be answered!"