DR: I have a confession to make here. The second part of this chapter, mostly written by Zaion, was originally going to be an epliogue. However, as we didn't what to have anything after the ending I wrote, we decided to move it here. It's partly why last chapter was so short...

Chapter 37: From Zi Born

Achilles sighed as he allowed himself to sink down onto the bunk in his cabin. It had been a long fortnight. The tense battle with the Alliance dreadnought – and the subsequent battle with the black hole – had been draining, but then they had to oversee the rounding up of any remaining Alliance personal. And then they had to step in and put a stop to looters and other criminal types taking control. And then help set up a simple government, one that could hold the system together until a proper diplomatic team from Zi could arrive to assist the locals in creating a proper Colonial style government. And, and...

Everything had dragged on, and it had been draining on both ship and crew. Apollo had taken his gunships out almost all the time, running down criminals and thugs. Starbuck and Boomer were almost dead on their feet thanks to the sheer number of launches they'd made to cut off lingering Alliance craft. And Achilles himself had been in so many meetings with so many obtuse, stubborn and arrogant people that he felt like he'd been bashing his head against warship grade armour for the whole week. Several times he'd found himself reaching for his laser, which he'd fortunately left in his quarters each time to prevent an incident.

But now, finally, they had hammered out a temporary agreement. The body of the Blue Sun Corporation had been torn apart by the directors of each branch, and then further shredded by local outlets and manufacturers. The Super-Corp was in tatters, and several times they'd raided secret sites, often burning them to the ground. Now each world was governed by local people, with the local needs first. A lot of smaller criminal groups were being hunted down right now. The larger and more organised groups would require Colonial attention. But that would have to wait. Achilles' small group of ships were too battered to take on the role just now.

But that was down to the local forces. Now, at last, Thunderchild and her two destroyer consorts could return home, to Zi. It wasn't really 'home', as such. But maybe one day it would.

Achilles laid back, allowing his eyes to drift shut. He was too tired to even consider removing his uniform...

The door chime sounded.

Gritting his teeth, Achilles hauled himself upright and stepped back into the outer part of his quarters, hoping that however it was could be persuaded to leave very quickly...

Any sharp retort died on his lips when the hatch slid open to reveal Athena stood before him, dressed once more in that cream dress. She smiled warmly at him, though there was a hint of tiredness in her eyes.

"May I come in Colonel?"

"Uh... oh! Sure." He stepped back enough to allow her through. The hatch slid shut behind her, barely closing before he found her wrapping her arms around him and dragging him into a burning kiss. Stunned by her sudden attack, Achilles retained enough presence of mind to wrap his own arms around her. After several glorious seconds their heads drifted apart, and she allowed herself to sink down a little before resting her head against his collarbone.

"Damn your heroic tendencies." She muttered, though he could tell there was no real heat behind her words.

He shrugged slightly. "I did what had to be done."

"And nearly threw yourself into a black hole."

"Well... can you think of a better place for those... people?"

She thought for a moment, her brow furrowed. "No, I can't."

As they stood there, encircled in each others arms, Achilles realised something. "Athena?"

"Hmm?"

"How are you here? I mean, I ordered your ship on ahead to Zi for repairs..."

Athena smiled cheekily. "I gave my First Officer the assignment, then hitched a ride over here before she left."

Achilles frowned. "I was not aware of any shuttle landing..."

"I called my brother on his way back from patrol."

"Ah."

They stood together for a few more minutes, more than content to simply stand there in each others arms. At last Athena spoke again.

"Don't you have a bunk around here somewhere?" She asked her voice filled with weariness.

"Right this way."

Very quickly they were lying together, arms wrapped around each other. Both were content to just hold each other, too weary for passion to ignite. Athena looked at his face, creased with fatigue lines, before snuggling in a little closer.

"This is nice..." He commented.

"Ummhmmm..." She purred, allowing her eyes to drift closed. She could easily get used to this...

"Achilles?"

"Yes?"

Athena hesitated, unsure how to proceed. Achilles gently stroked her cheek, reassuring her.

"We've never really talked about being... sealed, have we?"

Achilles opened his eyes, looking at her curiously. "No, not really..."

X-X-X-X-X-X

Kane sighed as he thought back over the last couple of months. The return of the Colonial Movers ship from the Blue Sun system had been a cause of relief for many people. It had been a calculated risk sending the lightly armed freighter through, given the intel they had from the initial venture.

The reports she had carried back had been deeply disquieting though. Shortly before arriving at the Blue Sun end of the wormhole linking the systems, the freighter had received a set of coded reports, to be delivered to Adama, Cain, Kane and Christian.

Achilles had opened with the good news. The many upgrades to the battlecruiser had all performed as expected. They had made contact with many of the 'grass roots' people, and gathered considerable intelligence. He also praised Athena on her handling of a Reaver attack on a passenger liner. Her after action report was included in the package.

But it was the other reports that were worrying. The Alliance government's persistence in attacking them had cost the Alliance dearly. Achilles' report on the varied living conditions between the worlds was sickening; the central worlds were clean, sanitised and sterile, ordered and marshalled. The mid-range worlds played host to cities with people packed in worse than the refugee ships of the fleet had been. The outer worlds were harsh, barren and struggling.

Worse though, had been the last two reports: those that detailed the Alliance's boarding attempt and the engagement with the Nightbringer cruiser.

Kane had shivered with revulsion as he had read the autopsy report on the Alliance's shock troopers. Those creatures were less than human, twisted into monsters. But their existence was overshadowed by the Nightbringer report.

That ship embodied everything Kane feared and despised. It was crude and messily applied, but he knew the source material. He'd altered history itself in attempt to ensure that things like that would not come to pass.

It had been many long hours before he had emerged from his private quarters afterwards, Auri with him the whole time.

Once back out, he'd thrown himself into analysing the data Thunderchild had gathered on the vessel. The more he examined the more crude and primitive it had looked. In fact, had the implications not been so serious he would have laughed at the bungled mess the alliance had made.

But the thought about what else might be out there in the black had given him extra impetus to work on his varied projects, including the one he was bringing the various leaders to see.

Kane glanced over at Christian, whose was speaking quietly with Adama. If it hadn't been for those two old warriors, he would have been heading for the Blue Sun system right now, preparing to raise seven kinds of hell. However, both men had talked him down, given him some perspective. This project still needed his guidance; it could have been put back months, even a year, had he left then. No, it was best that he remain here, complete the development of these new craft, and allow Achilles, Athena, Apollo and Sheba to handle things with the Alliance. They all knew about Kane's past, or at least as much as he would tell them. Only Christian and Adama knew the whole truth.

Kane glanced again at the silver haired former Colonial Commander. He really was a special man. Part father figure, part spiritual guide, part military leader. The man inspired trust, and Kane had surprisingly found himself telling him all. He had taken it calmly, all things considered.

Soon now he'd be able to head out with the fleet. The bulk of the development work was done, now it was a matter of application and deployment. Already divisions of labour had been formed for the rebuilding of the Colonial Military; Champ Industries, based in Europa, handled the refinement of materials and initial construction. Schbaltz Inc. dealt with the avionics and computers. The Colonials themselves provided supervision, while Ultima Industries made the weapon systems. The Ancient City, with its central location, was the site of final construct for the smaller craft, such as Vipers and Darkstars, and the launch point for components of the larger destroyers and battlestars. Cargo Whale Kings flew into the city almost hourly now, delivering assembled components.

Soon a program for the people of Zi to join the Colonial Military would be in place. Zi was gearing up for a war unlike anything it had seen before.

And now, thanks to Kane, the burden of that war would not rest solely on the Colonial Fleet anymore.

With a lurch the massive cargo elevator that Richter and his guests stood on began to lower into the giant platform which rose above the stormy sea around it, leaving behind the pair of shuttles which had delivered his guests to this remote location of Zi.

Richter Kane stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest as the platform he was on lowered itself into the depths of the planet. The wind from the dimly lit tunnel that he was descending into caused his white lab-coat to flap, as well as attempting to mess up the hair of the figures that stood gathered behind him on the platform. Auri stood at his left side, a smirk on her face as she anticipated what was to come. To his right stood Christian Masters, his face impassive but a faint twinkle in his eye as he anticipated the reactions of most of those gathered behind them. Besides Richter, Auri, and the technicians working on the project, Christian was the only other person present who had witnessed what lay deep beneath this remote section of the ocean, within one of Richter's most secretive and secure research facilities.

The remaining occupants on the platforms were the leaders of the Helic Republic, the Guylos Empire, and the Colonials, along with Commanders Adama & Cain, plus the two men who a month ago Christian and Richter together had chosen to be captains of Richter's greatest creations to date. Both were good men who had served in the Helic and Guylos militaries respectively, and who had shown an outstanding grasp of strategy and a flexibility that was vital to a starship captain.

Finally, after what had felt like hours to the waiting bureaucrats and politicians, the tunnel disappeared as the platform descended below the ceiling of a massive cavern. Richter could hear gasps of surprise from behind him as his gathered guests got their first look at the massive chamber Richter had buried deep beneath the planet's crust. The room was huge, several times longer than even the Galactica. It was lit by huge glowing lights hanging from the ceiling in a grid pattern, and at the far end of the long chamber they could just make out the forms of a pair of massive hatches. To the Colonials it was blatantly obvious that these were some form of airlock, but the Zi-born members of the contingent were mostly confused when they saw them. But it was what sat near to them at the base of the massive chamber that drew their attention.

The floor of the chamber was comprised of several large bays, six across and three deep. In five of the closest, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of zoids, organoids, and suited figures scurrying here and there on a myriad of tasks, sat five massive forms that resembled sharks from Earth-that-was. Two were painted a deep purple, one with highlights of a regal blue while the other bore markings of a deep blood red. Two more were currently encased in massive crystalline cocoons, one a dark-green like the leaves of the forest, the other a brilliant shimmering rainbow of colours. There was very little activity around these two except for a small group of Blade Raptors that appeared to be simply walking around the surface of the cocoons, periodically stopping and analyzing the surface.

Suddenly the fifth and final vessel, sat in the cradle directly before where the platform was descending, began to rise into the air, a deep base thrum filling the room with vibrations that all of the gathered people could feel in their very bones. This fifth one was larger than the others and black, as black as a starless night, with the exception of some silver and grey around the various weapons sticking out of the front of the top and bottom curves of the hull, the only part that the gathered bureaucrats could now see, and the pair of forward facing dark red eyes that glowed along the sides of the head. It would have been able to completely disappear had the lights in the chamber gone out.

In the very centre of the intimidating visage that now sat before them a triangular formation of cylindrical gun barrels projected, ringing a blood red circle on the surface of the vessel. As they watched in awe, surprise, and fear the cylinder suddenly irised open and a gun barrel poked its way out, panels all along it opening and folding out as the weapon extended and began deploying itself. Richter had planned this display to the second, intending to use it to express fully the power of his creation to the often obtuse and stubborn politicians who stood behind him.

As the largest Charged Particle Cannon in existence finished deploying itself before the gathered Heads-of-State of the ruling governments of Zi Richter Kane smiled and turned, throwing his arms wide to his side and above his head as he spoke loudly and clearly.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Zi's answer to interplanetary warfare. From now on we can shoulder our burden of the war that we all know is coming." He said theatrically, his wife matching the smile on his face. On his other side Christian smirked at the shocked looks on the faces of the politicians, so much like his own had been when Richter had shown him this exact same sight a few months before. Both Adama and Cain had been informed of this project at the same time, and were also smiling. "The Grand Kaiser."

A loud roar echoed through the chamber as from the top of the tip of the Charged Particle Cannon barrel as an almost pure-ivory and platinum t-rex based zoid made it self known, its body a massive collection of weaponry. Its roar was met by an answering shriek as five avian zoids flew across the bow of the vessel, dropping over the T-rex' head as they flew past. Richter's creations were welcoming their brethren into the world.

DR: A fuller description, through the eyes of Achilles, will be in the next and final chapter. We'll touch base with all our cast... till then!