I do not own Battlestar Galactica

Chapter 36 – Integration

The Colonial Fleet now joined by the two Rebel Cylon baseships cruised through space as they waited for a rendezvous with their previously hidden allies. On the CIC of Galactica the crew who had been informed of this unexpected development waited with baited breath. Kerri and Ellen were around the centre console with Admiral Adama and Colonel Saul Tigh and all was silent.

Until the dradis alarm went off.

"Dradis contact." Lieutenant Kasumi Yusagi, Gaeta's replacement shouted from her station almost causing them all to jump given how tense everyone in the room had been. "Three Cylon Baseships, all 1st Cylon War models." She reported as more information as it came in. "They are requesting communications sir." She told her CO Admiral Bill Adama.

The Admiral stood silently for a moment as everyone looked to him in expectation. The man in question was staring at the image on the screen above him. According to some these ships had been the fleet's guardian angels while others were quite prepared to send them into the next world right now. He himself was torn, they could be vital allies if what the agents of the 2nd Generation said was true. He was still angry at them being spied on even by those who professed to be here to 'save' them. But he thought resigned, it would be foolish to turn away help and so far as they knew, these Cylons had done nothing to harm the fleet in fact they had done everything they could to help them.

"Open a channel Lieutenant." Bill told her picking up the receiver on the centre console and with a gulp Kasumi obeyed his order.

"This is Galactica Actual. I want to speak to the leader of the 2nd Generation fleet." He demanded in as firm a voice as he could manage. He might have to be nice to them but he didn't have to be a push over either.

"Hello again Admiral Adama." Certain people on the CIC tensed up at the voice that responded to the Admiral's demand. Feeling uneasy the Admiral answered back.

"Ms Shaw." He said at the sound of one of his former junior officers. He saw the strange looks on the faces of those that had known her before her apparent death he had presided over her funeral with them attending. He himself felt strange, like when he had seen Athena for the first time after Boomer had shot him but without the anger that had come with the experience.

"Mrs Shaw Anders if you want to be formal please Admiral." Kendra's voice told them over the link and he closed his eyes in a sorrowful realisation.

She didn't know what had happened to her husband yet the Admiral thought to himself. He was unable to find the words to tell her, not feeling right to do it over a radio link. But thankfully he was given a temporary reprieve from this unpleasant duty by her speaking again with a proposal.

"I'd like to come aboard with some of my people to discuss an arrangement between us Admiral." She said.

"Yes you and an unarmed party of your people can come over here in one hour." The Admiral said glad of having something else to say. He hung up the receiver that he had been holding and took a breath, preparing himself for the meeting with another race of Cylons in one hour. But also the very unpleasant duty of telling a woman that her husband was effectively brain dead.

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On the flight deck an hour later the Admiral stood with his marine guards alert for any sign of betrayal. Around him the remaining members of the Final Five stood with sombre expressions but those who had yet to recover their full memories looked on the heavy raider as it was being lowered down with intense interest wondering what they were going to see. Most of them had felt immensely guilty when they had discovered that they were Cylons themselves given what had been done to the Colonies. But the 2nd Generation as they were apparently known had been made by them to protect humanity offering them some relief. The interest was mirrored on the faces of both Cylons and humans present; the 1st Generation Cylons were intrigued at discovering the other Cylons that their parents had created and for the humans it was the fact that these particular Cylons had been their guardian angels without them knowing it.

As the raider came to a standstill everyone held their breath as the hatch slowly opened allowing those on the flight deck to see the occupants for the first time. As they came walking out of the raider everyone gave them their full attention. Kendra was leading the pack with two hulking men at her side and three young women all of whom looked in their late teens or perhaps early twenties. One of them looked strangely familiar to Bill like when you saw someone for the first time in years and struggled to place them. But he immediately turned his attention back to the apparent leader of the pack. No-one had yet explained to him how Ms Shaw fitted into this mess, how had she come into contact with the mysterious 2nd Generation. This was quickly starting to give him a headache but he pushed on even as his head started to throb.

"Mrs Shaw-Anders." He said stepping forward to meet her extending his hand which the woman in question took with a steady handshake.

"Admiral Adama." Kendra returned evenly without breaking eye contact.

"Shall we go somewhere more private?" The Admiral said and she nodded heading off out of the landing bay and into the corridors of the ship, leaving the other members of the 2nd Generation to mingle with the other people on the landing deck. As he, Kendra and the marines moved into the bowels of the ship Kendra's sense of homesickness grew. She hadn't realised how much she missed this ship until she stood upon its deck plates again. She eagerly looked around hoping to catch sight of her husband if he was around but felt mildly disappointed that he was nowhere to be seen. She wondered if he was avoiding her after the last time they had met, when she had infiltrated this ship and taken Talia back. She bit her lip in anxiety and worry at how she might have hurt Sam but at the time she had seen no other option. They soon arrived in a meeting room where Kendra stood in front of her former CO. The change of dynamic since the first time they had met could not have been greater. He had been her superior and that was the end of it; now she was a leader of an entire faction of Cylons with warships under her command. They were equals and it was a bit disconcerting at first.

"So I have heard from your agents that you want to join the fleet." The Admiral said still angry at them being spied on even by an apparent ally. His first thought had been to have them all locked up but at the last moment his better judgement had taken over and he had contented himself with just having them observed while being suspended from their current posts.

"That's correct." Kendra said without expression pushing aside her worries about Sam for the more pressing concerns.

"Why should I allow that?" The Admiral said pressing her for information. He needed to know the capabilities of this generation of Cylons just in case they weren't on the level.

"Because we can provide three warships for the defence of this fleet." Kendra said deciding to be honest with him having no particular reason to lie. "Squadrons of Raiders and platoons of Centurions all armed and ready to go. The Centurions are expert technicians and could be a real boon to maintaining the ships that make up this fleet. We have stores of supplies that were salvaged from the Twelve Colonies and mining and manufacturing facilities all available for your use." Kendra told him putting her cards on the table. Even with the facilities that the fleet already had it would be the height of foolish to ignore it and send them packing. And there was also the help they had already provided by keeping the other Cylons off their backs and giving them the new ships that had vastly aided in expanding the fleet's capabilities and allowing the more over populated ships to move some people around to give them more breathing space. Kendra thought that she knew the old man well enough to guess his reaction and moments later she was proved right.

"I want a full run down of your three baseships' capabilities and the supplies you have before I make a decision." The Admiral said trying to make them sweat a bit but he had already made his decision and decided the recommendation he was going to make to the newly formed Quorum of Ship Captains. He was going to let them stay.

Kendra gave him a small smile, relieved that they were not going to be turned away. She said.

"My people will get that for you within an hour. But there is something I have to tell you about my chief strategist." Kendra told him her words making him instantly weary before she explained abut Tamara. His eyes widened as she described the series of even that had led to her being reborn as a Cylon and that his long dead half-sister was currently standing in the landing bay of his ship looking the same as the day his father had last seen her.

He was silent with shock trying to absorb the information he was receiving. Now he had those pieces he could remember the reason that young woman on the flight deck looked so familiar. It had been staring up from the photo album that his father had passed on to him for over forty years but before he could absorb this information Kendra asked the question that he had been dreading.

"So Admiral where is my husband?"

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Half an hour later after the Admiral had imparted the terrible news about Sam Anders to the man's wife Kendra had fled the room in tears. He looked after her but was unable to stop her. He had little time to think however before the hatch opened again revealing a young woman of about nineteen years old peering around the door. He stiffened at the sight of her, seeing for himself that she was an Adama beyond any shadow of a doubt. She had the same shade of black that could be seen in every blood member of the clan and the same piercing blue eyes that were like mirror images of his own. The photos of Tamara so carefully preserved by Joseph Adama from the moment that the girl had been born to her death matched her features to the smallest detail. The two of them looked at each other from the sides of the room. Their eyes that were same met and neither blinked. They were completely baffled as to how to proceed. For Tamara it was so strange seeing her younger half-brother who was at the same time older than her standing there. For William Bill Adama seeing a spectre of a past that he had only been vaguely aware of made him feel confused. There was so much about his father that the man had held back from him. The girl in front of him had been mentioned only in passing and when it had, Joseph would get a strange look in his eyes that at the time William had been unable to understand but now he did.

"Bill." Tamara spoke first unable to find anything else to say.

"Tamara." Bill returned.

"Where do we go from here?" Tamara asked really struggling to find something to say.

"Maybe we can take time to get to know each other and see how it goes?" Bill suggested. That made Tamara smile. Bill was so much like their father, outwardly confident but at the same time unsure of himself on personal matters. Brave to the point of foolish and with a keen intellect that was constantly working away in the back of his mind. Tamara nodded in agreement before they both walked over to a couch that was nestled against the wall and started to talk.

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The three baseships of the 2nd Generation were allowed to join the fleet the next day. People grumbled at first but when luxury items that they had gone without for years started arriving from the baseships those rumblings subsided quickly. A representative from the 2nd Generation called Arden was assigned to the Quorum of Ship Captains to give them a voice in the fleet's governing body. Tamara introduced herself to Lee and his wife Kara who were shocked at the family secrets that the young woman imparted to them, that Lee's Grandfather Joseph and great uncle Samuel had played a part in the birth of the Cylons and that she was in fact Lee's aunt.

While all this family drama unfolded in the Admiral's quarters; elsewhere on Galactica specifically in the ship's infirmary another family was discovering to their mutual delight that one of their members was pregnant.

"It's about eight weeks along." Simon told Boomer as he examined the ultrasound that was currently pressing against her slightly swollen stomach. At her side was Galen and Cally holding her hands and staring in awe at the sight on the screen which had Boomer mesmerised. The sight of her baby inside made Boomer's eyes water in joy, after discovering that Galen was a Cylon she had thought that this might never happen, but there it was on the screen a miracle.

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On one of the Baseships of the Rebel Cylon faction, Zoe and Lacy of the 2nd Generation were meeting with Natalie Faust and Polly was reuniting with her sisters. The meeting of the 1st and 2nd Generation was something Kendra might have attended herself had it been any other day but right now all she could do was stand at the side of the tank that held her husband body as the technology built into it kept him alive. She stood there looking down at the man that she loved more than the whole universe in a state little better than a vegetable.

"Oh Sam." Kendra said in sorrow and tears falling down her face as she knelt down and took his hand in hers squeezing it tightly. She had looked forward to seeing him again so much, to have him hold her and kiss her like he always had before. To raise their daughter together and with a pang she told him the news that she had been so happy about only hours before.

"Sam, I'm pregnant again." She said unsteadily as a lump formed in her throat thinking back to the last time they had been together. When she had infiltrated this very ship to retrieve Talia after Sharon had kidnapped her. That drunken liaison had resulted in her falling pregnant and she had dreamed that maybe this time around they might be able to be there properly when this baby was born and give Talia a little brother or sister she still didn't know the sex yet.

Then she felt a firm pressure on her hand, looking up surprised she saw that Sam was grasping her hand tightly although his head hadn't moved and his eyes remained vacant. She smiled and her teary eyes lit up at the knowledge that her husband was still in there and tightened her own grip.

She heard the hatch open and looked around to see Kara, Giana, Racetrack and Athena standing at in the doorway looking sheepish at having disturbed such an intimate moment but with a final squeeze of her husband's hand Kendra let go and got to her feet so that she could face the four women that had been her best friends. They looked at her uncertain at how they would be received especially given what had happened the last time they had seen each other, Kendra grimaced as she remembered that occasion when she had boarded this ship to retrieve her daughter and been discovered by these same women and had been forced to hold them at gunpoint to ensure her escape. The five women looked at each other unsure of what to say next and no one seemed ready to make the first step.

"So" Kara said starting to get up the nerve and asked. "You are back for good this time?"

"Hope so." Kendra said with an unsteady smile, her nerves still raw from the moments before with Sam. Racetrack spoke next looking unsure of herself.

"Where's Talia?" She asked wanting to know how their surrogate niece was doing.

"She's in the day care." Kendra said not wanting her daughter to have to be here while she saw Sam till she could think of some way to explain this to her. The other women in the room nodded, knowing that they would have done the same in her position. Kendra decided to tell them before she lost her nerve. "I'm sorry about what happened…before." She told them biting her lip. "I missed you all."

"Oh don't get all soppy on us." Kara said with a brighter grin that was far more familiar than the uncertain look of moments ago. Smiling herself now that the ice had been broken Kendra came forward and with one last look at Sam left the room with her friends so that they could catch up.

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Galen Tyrol was smiling as he made his way through the engineering compartments to carry out a survey. One of the viper pilots had noticed the outer hull showed damage in this area probably sustained in their last battle with the 'evil' Cylons and although the internal regulators told him it was airtight the old man had still wanted it checked out just in case. Galactica was too important to the fleet to leave something like this chance so a survey was going to be done to put everyone's minds at ease.

As he arrived in the main FTL drive room he checked over the equipment and took a moment to remark how well the drive held up despite the heavy use it had been put through in the last few years combined with the age of the machinery itself. He ticked it off his list and was about to leave when he noticed the deformed bulkhead that the drive might otherwise have hidden. Frowning in concern he went over to check it and his frown turned into a look of despair. There was structural damage, for the rest of the day he trace it throughout the ship and shuddered at the extent of the damage and marvelled at how he and the rest of the crew had missed it. The ship's bones for lack of a better term were rotten. All the action that the old girl had seen over the last few years had accelerated it but soon very soon the ship would become too dangerous to fly.

He was not looking forward to telling the Admiral about this.

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Kendra at the same time as the Chief made his terrible discovery was waiting outside the Tigh family quarters with Ellen. After catching up with her old friends had calmed her down a bit after the emotionally tense reunion with her husband she began to feel her anxiety levels rising again at the thought of the introduction Ellen was about to make on her behalf.

"Are you sure about this?" Kendra asked biting her lips with nervousness. Ellen gave her a reassuring smile before telling her.

"Saul deserves to know the truth about you."

"What if he doesn't take the truth well?" Kendra asked. She could take not having a father especially given how close she and Ellen had become but she knew it mattered to her mother well one of her mother's anyway she thought remembering Marta Shaw. Seeing her Cylon mother again was a great relief to finally have someone to confide in and more importantly introducing Ellen and Saul to their granddaughter. She had yet to tell them of her second pregnancy but when the time was right she would tell them.

"Saul might never have wanted children but he never showed any signs of hating them either. Having a daughter and a granddaughter would be a great shock but not a bad one I'm sure." She reassured her. Ellen pushed the hatch open and Saul appeared through the widening gap. Kendra felt her throat tighten as his gruff form came into view. He looked at her confused as Ellen stepped inside pulling Kendra inside. She didn't resist but felt like she'd rather be facing a half dozen baseships that deal with this particular conversation. The man looked unsure of what was going on and his hackles rose. He was still a bit angry at Ellen keeping all these secrets from him but he could understand her reasons and now he wondered what in the hell she was doing bringing one of the new Cylons in here.

"Saul there something I have to tell you." Ellen said and he instantly shored up his defences ready for whatever bad news he was sure was coming only for Ellen to tell him. "When we first got wind of what John was planning we decided to take steps to prevent it." From there Ellen explained what the 2nd Generation were to him in greater detail most of which he already but then she got to the part that Kendra had been created to play. Now seeing how she fitted into the mess that this situation he nodded but he didn't get how this really affected him as disturbed as he was that he and his fellow Cylons had created a person for the sole reason to defeat Cavil till Ellen dropped the literal bombshell that she had been holding.

"When we meaning you and I." Ellen said looking a bit sheepish as Kendra's mouth tightened. "Made Kendra we used our DNA to do it. She was put in the surrogate mother Marta Shaw and the rest is history." She finished causing Saul's eyebrows to rise as the full impact of what she was saying hit him.

"You mean we're her…?" He couldn't even find the words as Ellen finished for him.

"Parents."

Saul looked over to Kendra who really wished the deck plates would swallow her up as his gaze fixed on her.

Any further words that might have been said were prevented by the actions stations claxon sounding.

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Outside in space, six baseships had jumped in close to the fleet and had wasted no time as they launched their missiles and raiders with the ferocity of an enraged pack of wolves. The three battlestars all launched their own vipers and began to try and swat the enemy ships back. Joining them was the five baseships of the Rebel and 2nd Generation factions deploying their own raiders painted red so as to distinguish them from the enemy versions. The lobotomizing of the raiders belonging to cavil's faction made them slower and less agile than they otherwise might have been but still lethal. However for the first time numbers were not on their side as the combined Colonial/Cylon force together had more fighters that of Cavil who were starting to lose ground.

However a pack of heavy raiders surrounded by a screen of enemy raiders slammed into the landing deck of Galactica on the starboard side. The Centurions deployed quickly gunning down anyone that was there before Cavil stepped out now that there was no danger to his person and they started moving through the corridors. The Metal soldiers gunned down the marines that tried to stop them until they arrived at their destination. Cavil walked into the day care and saw Hera and Talia huddled against the far wall with two other girls as the other children hid behind the upturned tables and chairs. Cavil ignored the other children as he directed the Centurions to grab the two hybrid children and just for the sake of it the other two girls with them. They might make useful test subjects.

With the girls screaming but helpless against the robotic foot soldiers they made their way back to the raider and climbed in. Taking off they got clear of the hanger before jumping away as the Colonial/Cylon forces destroyed the six remaining baseships now that they were deprived of their raider screen who themselves were being overrun. Cavil might have had to sacrifice his last six capital ships but the hybrids were his and with them the chance to continue his race he thought smugly with a sick sense of satisfaction as his raider headed for the one place that he now could go to carry on his work.

The Colony.

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Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out I was suffering a case of Writers Block.

Just to clarify the girls that were kidnapped were; Hera Agathon, Talia Shaw-Anders, Kasey Adama and Maggie Edmondson (Racetrack's daughter)