Review responses:

To Evan Vave: While the size of 1 km by 1 km seems small for a crew capacity of 7 000 thousands when you compare it to the enterprise in Star Trek, you forgot that the Super-dreadnought class ships has a central structure made of tall towers made to provide living quarters for the crew and its families. Furthermore if I compare it to actual heavy carrier like the new USS Gerald Ford (333 Meters by 41 meters capacity of 5 000 personnel) the super dreadnought is a giant. About the power generator from the second season of Stargate: the power requirements to make a stable wormhole to another galaxy are enormous. While it's true that the power generator was never called a ZPM in the series, my theory is that this generator was not a true ZPM but a one use only kind of ZPM. The Asgard never developed ZPM but they had Neutrino Ion generators that provide as much power as a ZPM, the truly advancement made by the Ancients is that a ZPM is very small while the Neutrino Ion generators are fairly big.

Author Note: I will soon start my final exams at the end of May and the next update will certainly not be before the end of May.

I hope you all like this chapter and am still looking for a Beta, if anyone is interested please send me an E mail via .

Thank you and good reading!

On with the Story.

Battlestar Galactica, before the jump in hyper space, Admiral Adama's quarters.

The officers of the Galactica were having a meeting presided by Adama to fully brief the President, Laura Roslin. The theories as to the technical capabilities of the Terran Federation were flying back and forth with Lt Gaeta as the principal technical advisor and for the moment incredulity was the norm. The study from the DRADIS sensors where displayed in front of them, taken while they were ambushed by the Cylons and their subsequent rescue by the Terrans, and the information they gathered was astounding. From what they could see, the Terrans ships were able to destroy several Basestars in one shot, something the colonials never thought possible. While nuclear missiles were able to inflict damages against Basestars, particularly if they detonated from the inside, no weaponry they knew was capable of doing so in one shoot. Moreover, from the radio shatter from their Vipers during the engagement against the Raiders, the Superior combat fighters they called Arrows used lasers in lieu of rail guns as ordnance in their fight. Lasers were, according to LT Gaeta, researched by the department of defense of Caprica before the fall. They were able to create a prototype but not usable for a military application. They discovered that the power requirement to use such weaponry were far above what the colonial ships were capable of generating on their own. That the Terran fighters had the energy capabilities to use them as an all purpose weapon demonstrated more than anything their technological level.

Their FTL drive for example was completely different than their own drive. Apparently, instead of folding space around the ship like their FTL drives did, the Terrans FTL drive opened a hole to a sub dimension they called hyper space were the ship traveled, cutting down the distances. From what LT 

Gaeta told them, while their method of FTL was more practical for short range travel, the Terran FTL gave them the ability to travel very long distances in one jump with great speed.

Unfortunately for the Admiral, although Felix Gaeta was a knowledgeable man, he was not a real scientist and his theories were limited. For example, the shielding technology used by the Terrans as a bio suit intended for a filtration use against biological contaminations simply baffled him. Just the idea that this kind of technology could exist, let alone be used as a replacement for a bio hazard suit, was way out of his league. Even if the idea repulsed him and the other superior officers of the Galactica, he knew they needed Gaius Baltar to help them understand the Terran technology. While Baltar was someone they all hated, he was without a doubt the genius he claimed to be and his work as a defense consultant in the colonies placed him in the best position to comprehend the technological gap between Cylons, Colonials and Terrans. The problem was trying to locate him now that he was free of the charges leveled against him by the government. From what they understood, a cultist group believed him to be some kind of prophet from the gods and was sheltering him on Galactica. While finding said group on the Galactica would be easy, convincing Baltar to come to their aid would be the hard part.

The study of the legal texts from the Terran federation gave them a clearer picture of the Terrans. As Director Petersen told them the choices available to them for settlement inside the Terran Federation Territory were few but very profitable, not only would they be protected from the Cylons but their population, culture and beliefs would survive and could thrive. And what protection they offered! If this was the standard defense system deployed to protect a planet then Adama was ready to give his blessings to the settlement on a planet unlike New Caprica.

But to get a more complete overview of the Terrans they needed the assistance of Gaius Baltar which the President was sure to object to. One thing was sure the Admiral was not ready to open this can of worms as he still remembered her reaction to his decision to acquit Baltar.

The PA system hummed with LT Dee Adama on the line"Admiral, the General's Glory just informed us that we will exit hyper space in 10 minutes."

"Thank you LT, we are on our way. Send someone to escort Director Petersen to the CIC. " replied the Admiral. He turned toward the other officers and told them to rejoin him on CIC after compiling all the information they had.

Battle Star Galactica, CIC, 10 minutes later.

Felix Gaeta was at DRADIS station analyzing the data collected by the sensors "Admiral we are emerging from hyper space, DRADIS is online and searching for our civilian fleet. DRADIS is detecting several spacecrafts, maybe the Viper escorts. DRADIS is unable to detect the Terran Ships, they emerged with us from the hyper space window but disappeared from DRADIS soon after."

"What is the meaning of this Mr. ¨Petersen?" Asked William Adama.

"Do not be worried Admiral. It is standard procedure in contact situation for the Terran ships to cloak themselves so as to make as little a commotion as possible on your fleet. Imagine what their reaction would be if your ship appeared in the middle of unknown ships. At best they will be suspicious of Cylon activity; at worst they will open fire before asking questions. I don't think either solution is 

ideal for a peaceful meeting. Before we uncloak our ships we will wait for you to explain the situation to them." Responded Petersen.

"I see your reasoning but an advance warning from Admiral Delterre would have been nice." Replied Adama.

Director Pedersen seemed kind of contrite as he gave is response "I'm sorry Admiral, it was my responsibility to keep you informed but my communicator seems to be running into some interference. Be assured that it will not happen again."

Satisfied by his answer, the Admiral gave the order to begin a search pattern for the fleet. As they were making preparations they received a hail from the General's Glory.

"Sir, we are receiving a communication from the General's Glory, their sensors detected the fleet, and they are transmitting the coordinates right now." Said Gaeta.

"Helm, bring us to them." Turning towards the XO he asked in a quiet voice: "Saul, I need you to take some marines and bring me Baltar. I hate to say it; we may need his expertise soon."

"Very well Bill but I don't like it."

Leaving the CIC the XO couldn't help but think that he was going to make a deal with the devil.

Getting the Admiral's attention, LT Gaeta announced a DRADIS contact.

"Sir, DRADIS has detected our fleet, several Vipers and Raptors are coming to intercept us, we are receiving a hail from them, its APPOLO!"

"Put him through Mr. Gaeta. APPOLO can you hear me?"

"Dad, is that you? I thought you and the Galactica were gone, your FTL drive was too damaged to jump!"

"We thought so too, son. Have your Vipers land in the hangar bay." Turning to Dee he asked her to contact Colonial One.

"Madame President, this is Galactica Actual, can you hear me?"

"Yes Admiral, it's good to hear your voice. What happened? We thought the Galactica was destroyed?"

"I know but you will be happy to know we had help. From Earth. I just send a Raptor to bring you aboard, everything will be explained."

"I see. I look forward to this Admiral."

Finally reunited with his people the Admiral allowed himself to relax. Just one more step and their run across the galaxy would come to an end.

Battlestar Galactica, Admiral's quarters, 4 hours later.

After explaining their situation to the President, the presentations were made between Director Petersen and Laura Roslin and the talks began.

"Mr. Pedersen, the Admiral explained to me the different options available to us for settlement and as the Admiral suggested, I think the preferable option for us would be to colonize a planet under the protection of the Terran Federation and request membership status in the Federation. But while this seems to me like the more preferable solution, the decision would have to be made by a vote of the Quorum of Twelve, our legislative body. What will be the deciding point, I think, is that currently our people are deeply afraid of the Cylon threat but the Admiral assures me that you possess the means and technology to defend us from that threat?"

"Yes Mme President. While your fleet does not see it, for now, you are under the protection of the 25th Fleet and its cloaked ships. Furthermore, the planet you will choose to resettle will be protected by defense satellites powerful enough to destroy a Cylon fleet. If nothing else, the protection of your people is guaranteed."

"Are you telling me that right now our ships are surrounded by the Terran Federation Navy Ships? How is it possible?"

The Admiral placed a comforting hand on her arm and responded to her "To help us attenuate the shock the Terran Federation's arrival will make, Admiral Delterre decided to cloak his fleet. The plan was for you to present it in a press conference to prevent a mass panic from the ships captains."

"I understand thank you Admiral."

Seeing that the situation was under control Pedersen continued the meeting "Mme. President; my proposition is for you to present your request of membership directly to the President of the Terran federation on Earth. I transmitted the details of our previous meetings to my government and they proposed a direct meeting face to face on Earth with, for you, the possibility to see Earth for the first time and to ascertain for your people that we are from Earth."

"That would be really helpful Mr. Pedersen but I have to warn you that many of our people have very set ideas of what Earth is. For us, Earth represents our long lost Brothers and Sisters of the 13th colony. Since the destruction of the colonies and the start of this quest to find you there was a resurgence of faith among our people. Because of this I must warn you that some of my people may show reluctance in trusting you when they realize that our histories about mankind are quite divergent. Some colonies are even considered backwards and too traditionalists by some and will be very virulent in their reactions."

"Mme President, from my perspective this is a matter of internal security and policy. The Terran Federation will not interfere in the running of your government except in case of emergency or if you request it. Now I understand that your fleet is in need of basics necessities. Our ships have great manufacturing capabilities and as soon as you need it we will begin the transport of food, medicine, doctors and any equipment you might need. As the Admiral probably told you, with the assistance of your Chief Medical Officer who gave us samples of your crew's blood and a history of maladies found on your colonies, we were able to make sure that no Illnesses could be spread between our people. This is why I do not talk to you through a personal shield like our first meeting with Admiral Adama."



"Thank you, Mr. Pedersen." The director left the meeting allowing the President and her Cabinet to discuss things between them.

The President closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes and focusing entirely on Adama she asked him the most important question on her mind "Are you absolutely sure this isn't another Cylon trick? Can we really have faith in what they say, Bill?"

Seeing the expression of hope on her face, Bill responded quietly "Yes I am sure. If the Cylon had that kind of capabilities, they wouldn't have needed to infiltrate us like they did. The 25th fleet itself could have destroyed the entirety of the colonial Fleet. We are at the end of our journey."

Letting tears roll on her face, Laura Roslin smiled at him and responded "Then you know what will happen. If I am the Dying leader, then I will not live to see Earth. At least our people are safe, finally."

She turned toward one of her assistants and asked him to convene a special meeting of the Quorum and a press conference at the end of it. As the Assistant left, she turned to face Lee Adama " Mr. Adama from what your father told me of your reunion from before, you have refused to re take your commission as a colonial fleet officer?".

Standing tall in a marine blue suit, Lee Adama nodded his head to the President and responded to her query "Yes Mme President, my father proposed to give me back my position in the Colonial Fleet but I refused it. It has been quite some time that my doubts in the system have interfered with my duties as a colonial officer, the Baltar trial was only the trigger."

"Very well then I have a proposition for you Mr. Adama. As you now, since the end of the Baltar Trial the Caprican Seat on the Quorum of twelve as been vacant, I would like you to become the new Representative of Caprica on the Quorum."

"Thank you Mme President, I will accept the position on the Quorum. But I want you to understand that even if you are offering me the position, I will still make decision for the benefit of the Colonies."

"If I thought otherwise Lee, I would not have offered the position to you."

Representative Adama of the Quorum of Twelve took his leave to rejoin the meeting, while the President prepared to sell her soul to the devil. "I think it's time, let Baltar enter."

Gaius Baltar was considered by many a genius but cowardly man, a traitor for almost all colonials. He was unfortunately also their only true scientist, a specialist of military technology for the department of defense.

As he entered the room, the President greeted him "Hello Gaius, seems that you managed to survive being released into the Fleet?"

"Why yes, thanks to people that believe in me, I managed to do just that. But apparently the fact that I was declared free did not reach some of your crew members. Now why did you have me summoned, I don't think my opinion is something you are in need since my trial."

Adama choose to enter the conversation "Dr. Baltar you are a specialist in military technology, tell me is it possible for a Columbia class Battlestar to survive against four Basestars without FTL drive?"



"A Battlestar like the Galactica, even if fully crewed, armed and with a full contingent of Vipers and Raptors could maybe hold out against two Basestars and destroy one but against four it is not possible. A Battlestar without a FTL drive would not have escaped such a crushing force and would have been destroyed. Why? Since the Galactica was able to escape the Cylon Fleet, our FTL drive must be working."

"On the contrary, Dr. Baltar we were crushed, our FTL drive destroyed by a Cylon agent and against four Basestars. We had no hope of surviving and I ordered the Fleet to jump with the Vipers and Raptors."

An astonished, and as white as chalk Baltar blurted a surprised "What!?"

Fixing him with a hard stare the Admiral responded "Yes Mr. Baltar, we were saved by the very people we were looking for: Earth."

"Earth, are you telling me the 13th colony send ships to help us?"

"Not exactly no. The 13th colony does not exist as we know it; they call themselves the Terran Federation and are far more powerful than the Colonies or Cylons were combined."

The incredulity in Baltar's eyes changed to a calculating look as he hummed in thought. Coming out of his thoughts he asked the Admiral "And this is why you lowered yourselves to ask for me. You need my expertise."

"Unfortunately, yes. The capabilities of the Terrans are out of our comprehension and while Mr. Gaeta can extrapolate from our observations and DRADIS readings, he is not a scientist."

"I see, well I am willing to offer my help but at certain conditions. Do not be worried I am not asking for something extravagant. I have only two request, a protective detail for me and my people against any retribution from the crew and that you allow me to ask asylum in this Federation for me and my people or if that is unsuccessful then a ship for us to make our own way."

Looking each other in the eye, the President and the Admiral made the decision to allow his request as either way they would be rid of him and his followers.

"Very well Dr. Baltar, we are leaving you with all our information and your old lab. Be ready to give a report to the Quorum of twelve in the Afternoon."

As Baltar left for his lab, the President and the Admiral started preparing the meeting with the Quorum, hoping that further surprises would not present themselves.

Colonial One, Quorum of Twelve conference room, later that same day.

The Quorum of Twelve that represented each of the twelve colonies was assembled in front of the President, ready to begin the meeting. Their eyes kept shooting distrustful looks on the form of Gaius Baltar standing to the side of the President's chair and each of them was wondering what a traitor like him was doing in an official meeting. Every one jumped to their feet when the President entered the room followed by Admiral William Adama.



"Hello everyone, please be seated so that we can begin the meeting. I would like to welcome among us Lee Adama, the new Quorum representative for Caprica." Said the President.

"Let's begin; many among you were wondering how the Galactica survived her fight against the Cylon Fleet that attacked us. The fact is that the Admiral was fully aware of the risks his ship encountered and did not presume to survive the battle. This prediction would have come true if not for the timely intervention of our saviors, none other than the people of Earth."

As she dropped her bombshell on the Quorum, she did not expect the shocked silence that resulted as every Quorum representative bar Lee Adama looked at her like she was crazy. She decided to continue, despite their reactions.

"I know this is clearly unexpected but it is true. While on our way to find Earth, it is them that found us first and rendered assistance on our ships and saved them from assured destruction from the Cylons. I already spoke to their envoy aboard Galactica and they present us with many opportunities and we are needed, as spokespersons for our people, to make the best decision."

Finally regaining control of their mouth, the representatives started asking questions right and left without order. Re-taking control of the situation, the President gave the floor to the councilor for Gemenon. "Mme President, are you confirming that these people are the 13th tribe of men that left Kobol 4 000 years ago?"

"Unfortunately I can't confirm this. Their envoy gave me an extended History of Earth and nowhere in their history is there mention of Kobol. As of right now I prefer to leave this aspect of Earth at the side. I think for us the more important part about Earth is that it's the capital of the Terran Federation, a government representing hundreds of planets occupying a large part of this Galaxy and one of its major powers. Furthermore the Terran Federation is a very advanced society, more advanced than the colonies ever were and to bring to light some of their technology I will let Dr. Gaius Baltar respond. He is here as the only scientist and specialist in military technology we have. Dr. Baltar?"

"Thank you Mme President. Many among you do not wish to see me and do not respect me. But if there is one thing that not one of you can deny is that I am still the more knowledgeable man in military technology in this fleet." Seeing no denying of this fact from the Quorum he continued on his briefing. "From the study of the battle witnessed between the Cylons and the Terran federation space Navy by the Galactica, I prepared an analysis of the capabilities of the Terran Navy. The result is as follows: the Cylons better admit defeat or they will be annihilated."

As he finished his sentence, every member of the Quorum looked incredulously at him.

"Let me explain myself: first, their weapons system is entirely based on energy emissions, meaning that there is no projectile only base energy, which is nearly infinite from the power readings we measured during the battle. From what we measured the biggest of their ships could provide enough energy to a planet like Caprica for decades, and that is my lowest estimation."

At this Lee Adama interrupted him"Are you sure? The Galactica does not even make 1/10 000th of your estimation!"



Seeing the incredulous looks in the Quorum representative's eyes he responded "Yes M. Adama I am quite sure of my estimations. And frankly I wouldn't be surprised to discover that my estimation is on the low side. Now if I can continue? Second point: their FTL drive, while compared to ours it does not provide them instantaneous transportation by folding space, their drive have a range and speed that far exceed ours. For example they could probably do the jump from here to the colonies in just about 3 to 4 hours of travel in hyper space. While the Cylons have the advantage in the short range, this is nullified by my third point."

As the enquiring looks were beginning and in the grand standing that everyone was accustomed from Gaius Baltar he plunged on "My third point is I think the most important: the Terrans have demonstrated their ability to use shielding technology when Admiral Adama encountered them. They used their personal shields as a filtering system that encompassed their whole body. While energy shields were theorized by the scientific researchers in the colonies it was always thought that any kind of energy shield, even for a really small area, would require such a massive amount of energy that it was way beyond the capabilities of the Colonies. The fact that they can demonstrate the use of shields on a person is proof that they mastered their use. Which brings me to the most important point: their ships are also equipped of such a technology and are virtually impervious to any exterior attack on their ships except by the use of energy weapons."

As the shock wore off on the Quorum members' faces, the questions started to appear like bullets in a gunfight. From the fear of being the next target of a race they didn't know to the hope of one day using this same technology, all their questions were halted by the sound of the Admiral's shoot to quiet down. The Admiral then turned toward Baltar and asked one question that escaped the representative's attention "If they have shields that are able to protect them from exterior harm, why did they not use it against the Cylons, one of their ships was after all damaged during the attack?"

"That is a question I don't have an answer to, but they may not have taken into account the ability of ships the size of a Raider to jump inside their shields, since their own equivalent fighters do not appear to have the ability or maybe they decided to use them as a tactical advantage later on, who knows? I am not a military man and my opinion was asked on their technological capabilities, not their Strategies, this is your domain, Admiral."

The President took the reins of the meeting to present the options presented by the Terran Federation "During my meeting with Mr. Pedersen, their Director of the Contact Office onboard the General's Glory, we outlined the more profitable possibilities for our people. The one we found the best is the following: the 12 colonies of Kobol request a provisional membership status and a planet to settle into the Federation. This allows us to be under the direct protection of the Federation while at the same time allowing us to conserve our cultural autonomy and profit from the technological advancements from the Federation. After a period of 10 years the provisional membership will be turned into a full membership with a full disclosure of technology."

Asking for the permission to speak, the representative for Picon stood up to address the President "Mme President I would like to know how our security will be assured by the Federation, we certainly don't want a repeat of New Caprica. I would also like to know where the Terran Fleet that saved the Galactica is. Surely they did not disappear?"



The admiral chooses to respond to the second question first «The Terran Fleet is currently still guarding us. They have the capability to cloak their ships from view and sensors and used that capability so as to avoid a panic with the appearance of their ships. They are waiting for our announcement of them to the Fleet to de-cloak."

Giving the hand to Baltar, the man in question rose to address the situation "From the description of the defense system placed on any world we would choose to settle, I can only say that it is the most extensive system I ever saw: a system of defense satellites capable to destroy Basestars from orbit and to detect any incoming ships thousands of light years ahead, and a Stargate, apparently a mean of transportation, that will be able to transport our people to safety in case of failure from the Satellite defense network. Frankly, if this doesn't dissuade the Cylons from attacking, nothing will!"

Reassured on that point, the Representative for Picon sat down as the Representative for Caprica, Lee Adama rose to speak.

"Mme President, I propose to vote right now on this issue. While we could debate for hours about the Federation and its technology, our people are in dire need of help and as the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers. I vote for Caprica, YES, for the provisional Membership."

One by one the Representatives voted and for once in a long time the results were unambiguous. The President was free to present their request to the Terran Federation.

Colonial One, Press conference, 2 hours later.

After conferring with Director Petersen and preparing for the de cloaking of the Federation Navy Fleet, the entire Quorum and the President were ready to announce the news to the colonial Fleet. The President had ordered a cessation of work for one hour and a wide fleet announcement of a very important news conference.

"My fellow colonials, after the destruction of the colonies 4 years ago we were desperate for a mean to survive and started our quest to rejoin our brothers of the 13th colony, Earth. We braved many dangers and lost many people but we persevered and finally we are at the end of our journey. Many of you were sure that our protector, the Battlestar Galactica, would be destroyed by the Cylons. But they were saved, saved by our brethren from Earth.

As we were looking for them, they found us first and their first act was to protect the Galactica and destroy the Cylon Fleet that was attacking us. My fellow colonials, I give you the 25th Fleet of the Terran Federation."

As she finished her sentence in front of astonished members of the press, the 25th Fleet in its entirety appeared in escort position around the Colonial Fleet.

The Super dreadnought General's Glory appeared in front of the Galactica and Colonial one, its hull a gleaming silver grey, with the tall towers surrounding the sun like globe of power in the center of the ship, reminiscent of a city of the gods.

Every ship in the Colonial Fleet was able to witness for the first time the mighty ships of the Terran Federation, bringing hope in the hearts of people desperate for a reprieve in their constant journey to salvation.



As the day ended for the Colonial Fleet, not many eyes were free of tears. They were not alone anymore.