This is a battlestar defiance and mass effect crossover. With aliens from other shows and anime mixed in. It will start about a hundred years before the cylon war. So a hundred and forty before galactica. One of the things I will say about the show caprica was it showed just how divided the colonies were before the war. While galactica showed it was still strong with certain colonies.
Poor geminese. I know I butchered that but hey I could've done worse. Now I made an ancestor of Baltar the focus of this chapter as a way to flesh out the events leading up to the founding of the hidden colony world of Reach. Like I said I'm using a lot of stuff.
Libra high orbit Pathfinder fleet group one.
Gaia Baltar was a fierce and proud young woman. The daughter of Aerilon farmers she sought a better life for herself. But the stigma of her homeworld made that all but impossible. She was admitted to the caprica academy of science with the highest marks in decades. Made discovery after discovery in bio chemical research. In another time the name Baltar would be recognized and respected. But sadly none in her field had heard her name. Everything she had achieved had been credited to 'noble' caprican scientists. Scientists that had never once stepped into a lab. But we're fortunate enough to be born caprican. Thus they were entitled to HER hard work and glory. Her attempts to get credit for her work met with laughter and scorn. None listened when she announced a groundbreaking plan to engineer algae to revitalize barren soil. To turn barren worlds like Tauron and the Southern continent of aquarion into lush gardens. It would have improved the lives of billions and eased the growing unrest in the so called lesser colonies. Instead her work was banned, her lab destroyed by jealous rivals, and her brother's farm threatened with foreclosure. But still she fought on that famous stubbornness of Aerilon farmers. Yet for every battle she won she sadly lost a dozen more.
It was in this darkest hour her hope came as bright as a supernova.
That hope was in the form of the pathfinder program. A group of maverick thinkers and corporate sponsors that could see the signs coming. It might not be her generation but soon a war would come. One that threatened all humanity. On their own each had tried to stop the coming storm. But one person couldn't stop a hurricane. Thus in secret they united. Pooling their intelligence and resources together for a daring plan to save the human race. One that seemed utterly insane if not for the fact it had been done before. Their plan was the founding of a New hidden colony. One of equality and innovation. Where a person could be judged not by the planet of their birth but by the accomplishments they achieved. Thus Gaia Baltar joined with no hesitation. For the last eight years she worked to perfect her algae program. With the resources she Now had access to her work had catapulted by decades. What had once been pure theory was established fact. Her work was about to pay off and whole worlds would be changed.
For today the hidden fleet would begin their three year journey to their new home.
High above Libra floated the four of the most advanced ships in colonial space. On the outside they appeared to be bulk heavy frieghters. These ships were the first and only ones of the Galleon. class deep space vessel. Large bulky with absolutely no aesthetics. At best a skilled engineer would call it functional. At just over a hundred meters long and forty wide. The dull grey metal was scarred and scuffed from use. This was all an act to hide the truth. These ships were some of the few FTL capable ships in the colonial fleet. They were also the first to utilize artificial gravity. A feature that would be taken for granted in the coming decades. Leading this group was the Galleon class ship the Argonaut.
Deep within the bowels of the ship Gaia Baltar sat in her cabin. Small compact and functional this ten by ten room would be shared with three others for the foreseeable future. Though she would be working the entire trip she doubted she would even get to know her bunkmates. A small table was in the center of the room. It was here Gaia sat in a bright sky blue jumpsuit. Her long black hair was tied into a traditional Aerilon braid. She had the face and aura of a proud fighter that never gave in or surrenders. Her dark brown eyes had a rare sense of softness as she looked at the photo in her hand. The photo was of her family before they disowned her. No matter what they said or how they treated her they were still her family. The last time she had dared visit was in the night. A canister of algae in hand she gifted them with the most fertile soil on the entire planet. In ten years the whole region would be prized land. But she would never know if they accepted her gift. For now she was about to leave everything she knew behind. Now she would never get to hear the songs of her world. But she had long since made her choice and no force in the universe could stop her.
A soft tone echoed through the ship as the voice of the captain soon followed.
"Attention all hands, attention all hands. This is the captain. I would give a speech about how you're all brave for joining this expedition. That we will go down in history as heroes. But I don't like to state the obvious. In two minutes we will begin FTL prep and jump outside colonial space for our destination. The twenty ships scattered around the colonies will join us on route. Estimated arrival at our target system is three years and two months."
Holding the photo tightly Gaia took a deep breath and began to sing. Her rich Aurolon accent resonating with the wall. It was an old song said to date back to Kobal itself. Telling the tale of a wandering soul that reached a distant shore and began a simple farm. The farm would grow to cover an entire planet and feed the gods themselves. As the song peaked the Argonaut vanished in a flash of white light along with one hundred twenty other ships. It would be a mystery swiftly forgotten as a flaw in early colonial ship design.
Three years later
To the Caprican astronomical department the system was GIDEL-77296. A relatively unique system in that it was a triple stellar body. One supermax yellow giant. With a blue dwarf star, and a yellow medium star. What really set this system apart was that it held nearly two hundred planets. Several dozen of these worlds were gas giants with countless moons the size of Aquarion. Other planets were on the brink of the absurd in size. This system was chosen by the pathfinder group for the seemingly endless possibilities this system held. As the fleet drew closer the more information they gained. The raw materials already identified would have made the trip more than worth it. Thus with over one hundred flashes of light they arrived at the edge of the system. Their pilgrimage long and arduous was finally over.
Three months after arrival.
Orbiting the forth largest gas giant was a planet the from orbit was rather unappealing. The three oceans covering sixty percent of the planet were a dark green. The land masses while stable held no vegetation. No life existed on this bleak barren world. The very air itself was sulfuric in nature. Yet this world would soon look nothing like it does now. For above this world the fleet was in high orbit. Moving in a carefully arranged formation the ships released thousands of small missiles.
Racing towards the planet below the these small six meter long missiles entered low orbit. Guided based on there payload most sailed towards the ocean. A miles above this seafoam green seas the missiles didn't explode but fell apart. Releasing clouds of purple algea. This algae was spread out and already began to multiply and feed. The missiles over the land suffered the same fate. This was the first step in the planets transformation.
Six months since arrival.
The planet's now named Reach was already changed. The seas were now covered in violet algae ten feet thick. Converting the heavy toxic gases and iron oxide into a breathable atmosphere. Green house gases slowly warmed the planet accelerating the algae. While years away from finished a suit tear was no longer a death sentence. The algae mass on the land began to lace the earth with vital bacteria and enriched the soil. On the largest of the planets two continents in what was considered the temperate zone a city was being built. Only the most barebones of the city had been laid down. The few buildings prefabricated and airtight. Only people in bulky environmental suits walked the surface. But soon it would be home to three thousand residents.
Four years since arrival.
Reach was truly a transformed world. The oceans now blue only held a few large violet patches. Into selected coves and lakes transplanted fish now swam. The now dying algae the perfect food to accelerate growth and breeding. Massive fields of grass slowly spread out over the lands. The sprouts of fruit trees already stood over a meter tall.
In Primus the new capital of Reach the city was never finished growing. What had once been airtight prefabricated homes were slowly being replaced with more pleasant yet still utilitarian buildings. The largest was a three story building that was the seat of their government. Many of the three thousand colonists were still hard at work. Yet now that the air was breathable the work exploded. Many of them would soon be welcoming the first children born on this new world. It would be that generation that would truly enjoy the fruits of their parents labor.
Outside the city limits rested a simple farm with a small cottage made out of the bulkheads of the Argonaut. The mighty ship sacrificed to provide the materials to shelter the very explorers it ferried across the stars. This farm while small was responsible for feeding hundreds. Carved into the metal near the door was the name of the farm. In bold proud letters read clear as day.
Baltar academy for advanced agricultural research and development.
Forty six years since arrival.
Reach was now unrecognizable. Full bountiful forest now filled all land masses. Small animals and insects had been released to form a stable environment. The seas now had giant schools of over twenty species of fish and shell fish. Along with other smaller species to flesh out the environment. The largest specimens weighing in at over six hundred pounds. But the greatest change was the five small settlements started around the planet. Each one was dedicated to manufacturing and research. The largest city was still the capital city of Primus.
The Growing city of Primus was best described as an orderly explosion of Chaotic construction. The streets were well organized but the buildings were proudly unique. What had once been two hundred uniform buildings had become thousands of unique buildings. Still clearly made from prefabricated parts. The roads themselves were metal panels. Allowing access to the utilities underneath. Some buildings were simply two story homes others were a clear attempt to push the limits of construction. Many buildings were connected by overhead sky bridges. While a simple yet effective tram system helped with transportation. This city held over fifty thousand citizens. With more being born everyday. In the heart of the city rested a seven story building like no other. Covering four city blocks the walls were completely transparent. Revealing the building to be one giant greenhouse. Placed upon the main entrance was the same bulkhead that read proud as day.
Baltar academy for advanced agricultural research and development
This was one of the city's main sources of fresh fruit and vegetables. Along with researching new more effective growing methods. It was Run by the very woman who started the farm were the building now stood. She was known as the woman who turned all of reach into a garden.
Sitting in an office was a much older Gaia Baltar. Her hair now grey and her age catching up with her she was still in charge of Reach's agricultural development. Her office was on the top of the building filled wall to wall with plants. The very floor was mostly covered in grass except around her desk. Many of the plants only existed in this office because they where her own creations. With a content smile she read the latest report on the three other worlds they've planted algae on. When they decided to colonize them they would be more than ready. While the raw materials being mined offworld were already put to use. The Reach shipyards were almost finished and ready to begin making the first new ships of their fleet. Her thoughts were interrupted when her door opened as a younger teenage version of Gaia entered with reports in hand. The biggest difference was the young woman's vibrant red hair in a pixie cut. Seeing the young woman enter Gaia smiled and gratefully took the reports.
"Shana how was orchard 573?"
With her own smile Shana looked at the vibrant flowers growing on the nearby wall.
"Excellent the new hybrid fruit is a veritable superfood. Have you heard the rumors nana?"
Looking up she was genuinely curious.
"What rumors my dear? Don't tell me you're uncle's have done something crazy again."
With a chuckle Shana looked back at her and said amusement in her emerald eyes.
"No they learned their lesson from the still pears incident. Apparently recon ship forty nine found ruins on planetary body MG seventy two."
The look Gaia gave her said it all. She didn't believe a word her granddaughter said. Amused she gave a chuckle an replied.
"Ruins on that wreck of a planet!? Please tell me you haven't been to trying your uncle's liquor fruit."
Little did either know just how much that lone discovery would change the live of billions.