Chapter 6

A brilliant starfield filled the long view panels that wrapped half way around the small meeting room. The overhead lights were off; the room was lit only by starlight. The view was so bright with so many stars so close together, though no one was as close to the ship to be a sun.

'We must be near the Core.' thought Nareem, '...very far from home.'

The soft silvery glow that filled the room glinted off the polished table and almost reminded Nareem of a clear night on a mountain just a year or two ago.

"It is beautiful, isn't it? Before the war my family had a star-room in the north country that almost looked like this."

He finally turned his eyes from the view outside the panels to look at Captain Seehan, seated at the head of the table. The table was wooden, uncommon among the Tolan, but did have a permaglass console before the captain which was much more familiar.

"But it is the history after the war, and the secession, that is of more concern to you, I'm sure." Seehan continued. "After the Progressives and their so-called Confederacy seceded and the Fleet left...Am I right?"

Nareem answered, "Yes, we never knew what happened once the Fleet cut loose from the tracking system. I can't say that many wondered about it after we started to feel the effects of Tolanus' decaying orbit, and you were never spoken of in the years since."

Seehan exhaled loudly. "You always were a proud people, you Isolationists."

Nareem almost winced at the old term. He did not appreciate it so much anymore...so much had changed.

"But the Fleet was never forgotten." he said.

"No indeed." The Captain leaned back in his chair and he began to tell his story.

"...We led a few campaigns against the old enemy, but that was years ago...This exiled Tolan Fleet has wandered between many stars, and our ideals have taken the same beating our ships have. But they have not been broken, and few ships have been lost."

He sounded like he was giving a talk to his troops, which he had probably done more than once, Nareem thought to himself.

"We've made an alliance with the Tok-ra. They wish to gain technological experience–or to convince us of our 'common enemy' the Goa-uld, which may be more true now—and they offer us their knowledge of fleet tactics. They may not now but the Tok-ra had great fleets of warships for a thousand years..."

Eventually Nareem asked the old sailor, "How many ships are left?"

Seehan crossed his arms and looked at Nareem. "This is not the Great Fleet that paraded the skies of Tolanus on the Day of Secession. Our resources are a fraction of what the designers required. That is why my ship is our here away from the rest of the Fleet," he made an expansive gesture towards the starscape outside the view panels, "searching for raw materials; fuel, water, food, space-gas, anything."

"But I suspect I know what it is you really want to ask."

Nareem tried to hide the flash of surprise he felt. "You do?" he said. His plan really wasn't so hard to guess... But it was so important and he needed to find out all he could.

"Yes, and I will quickly loose authority to provide the answers you seek. I am, after all, only a patrol ship Captain. Who you need to speak to is the Supreme Commander of the Fleet. We will rejoin the rest of the Fleet, and then I will take you to him."

Heeding his words, a short wave of discontinuity passed along the ship. Outside the long view panels the starlight coalesced and then seemed to explode into a fluctuating glow of soft colors as the two estranged Tolan watched hyperspace pass by the ship.

Or maybe Nareem had seen him casually touch his permaglass console. He couldn't remember.

"Thank you, Captain. You're doing the right thing."

Author's Note: Okay, I know it's been like two months since I last updated, but I did not forget this story! Well, not for long...Anyway! Here is the next chapter, and I have a few more in the planning! Iamgoingto bring in another familiar character! Can you guess who he is? So, how do ya'll like this chapter?