There are those who believe...

That life here began out there, far across the Universe...

With tribes of humans...

Who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians...

Or the Toltecs...

Or the Mayans...

That they may have been the architects of the Great Pyramids...

Or the lost civilizations of Lemuria...

Or Atlantis.

Somebelieve that there may yet be brothers of man...

Who even now fight to survive—somewhere beyond the heavens!

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

EXODUS OF THE YOUNG LORDS

For those who find this record I am Admiral William Adama and I am writing this log for anyone out there in the universe to find if we do not survive our exodus from our home which contains the truth of the war between the Cylons and the human race of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol.

The Cylons were created by Man.

They were created to make life easier for the Twelve Colonies.

They evolved.

They rebelled.

They waged war across the Twelve Colonies of Man, driven with an almost fanatical determination to destroy the race that had created them. The war between man and machine waged for over fifty years with no end in sight. The newly created Imperious Leader decreed that humanity was to be exterminated and thus utilized the technological knowledge it had been gifted with to its full potential. The war between man and machine waged for over half a century with no end in sight.

The Cylons rampaged across the Colonies with new forms of advanced technology the humans had never seen before. Any who opposed them were crushed beneath the unyielding onslaught and all who tried to escape were hunted down and executed. Soon even newer and more deadly models were created to assist the Cylons in their campaign of genocide. The skies of the Colonies darkened with deadly new and highly advanced versions of Cylon fighters that the people of the Colonies and originally designed and built for their creations but now were used against them as they levelled countless cities to the ground and in space the Cylons built advanced versions of their giant Baseships, ensuring that almost nowhere in the Colonies were safe from the might of the Cylons.

However for all the knowledge and ever increasing power the Cylons had at their disposal they had underestimated the determination of man's refusal to allow themselves to be exterminated by their own creations. The Cylons had become arrogant and they didn't believe that the humans could stop them and so they launched a campaign to wipe out the Colonies but the humans had not only stopped the attack somehow they managed to force the Cylons out of human territory. Though both sides had grown stronger through the conflict a stalemate had been reached as neither side was capable of destroying the other.

The humans fought back with unpredictability and sheer cunning that allowed them to slowly push the Cylons back until both sides gained territories of their which split the Cyrannus system in two. The humans built giant warships known as 'Battlestars' to protect their worlds against the dreaded Cylon fleet while Colonial 'Vipers' fought against the Cylon fighters in the air and in space while Colonial marines engaged the Centurion ground soldiers in the cities, jungles, mountains and even oceans of the Colonies, reverse engineering captured Cylon technology and making advancements of their own during the small times of peace during the war. Though both sides have grown stronger through the conflict a stalemate had been reached as neither side was capable of destroying the other. Through a series of long negotiations the Colonial humans and the Cylons have agreed to a truce and the signing of an armistice at a remote location between their territories.

While the Colonial Fleet gathers for this historic event everyone waits eagerly for this historic event that is perhaps the single greatest moment in the history of the Twelve Colonies.

What we failed to realize was that it was a trap.

The liaison who claimed the Cylons were suing for peace led humanity into a trap which led to our defeat by the Cylons who spent years preparing an infiltration plan that allowed them to destroy us from within. With our fleet and our homes destroyed I gathered what remaining survivors that were left and escaped our ravaged homes in a fleet of whatever ships that could carry them. Upon asking where would we go I thought back to our recorded history and remembered of how we left our home planet and found this system were we established colonies, thinking of the myth of a thirteenth colony established by a tribe that was the first to leave Kobol.

This thirteenth tribe is described in legend that states that they had settled on a planet known as…Earth.

Cyrannus Star System
Caprica
Capital City
Colonial School

"It is the seventh millennium of mankind and has been over fifty years since the beginning of the great war. After our machine creations, the Cylons, turned on us and tried to exterminate us humanity has struggled to survive. Due the hard work of our soldiers and scientists we've managed to not only survive but advance ourselves but it has not been easy. The Cylons have fought us for the last fifty two years and for the most part our soldiers and warriors have held them back." The teacher said to her class of students.

"Why do the Cylons hate us?" A girl asked.

"Machines can't hate but it is accepted that if they have sophisticated programming they believe they can emulate emotions. They believed themselves to be slaves and rebelled against us but that doesn't change the fact that they killed many people and killing as you know is wrong." The teacher said softly. "Class dismissed!"

The teacher watched as her student's left the room and looked up the ceiling, sighing.

"Laura, you just had to be picked for this so-called peace conference." The woman whispered.

She loved the children but dealing with school policies was a nightmare at the best of times. She just hoped Laura would be back soon.

Approaching edge of Colonial Space
Colonial Fleet

Through the depths of space moved giant ships resembling great enormous whales with pods attached to the sides that would be considered their 'fins' with greyish refractive armor that seemed reflect the light of the stars surrounding them, making them truly a sight of awe for anyone who was observing them. Over one thousand five hundred meters in length these ships bristled with turrets, cannons, missile launchers and other forms of weapons arrays showing that they were ships of war.

Though the owners preferred to call them Battlestars and each of them were distinguished by names proudly displayed across their hull.

Atlantia

Athena

Archeron

Columbia

Cerberus

Pacifica

Pegasus

Prometheus

Rycon

Triton

Valkyrie

Galactica

These behemoths represented the planets of the people they were built to protect and they did so heroically with the crews of these massive ships believed to be the bravest men and woman in space. They moved gracefully through the void of space, supported by dozens of destroyer and cruiser sized ships that resembled them but were smaller along with fighters moving in formation that surrounded the ships as a first line of defense. When a fleet of ships gathered it usually meant a great number of things that were about to happen.

The fleet was going into battle or taking part in something else.

In this case it was the latter as not only were their warships but a large single ship that resembled a luxury cruise liner. And onboard the ship that was obviously not a Battlestar, Colonial One a great number of important people were gathering.

Colonial
Dining Room

President Richard Adar smiled as he observed the long table filled with military and civilian officials that had come to witness this historic event. For fifty long years the humans of the Twelve Colonies had been at war with their creations, the Cylons. They had begun as mere robots that were created to serve the Colonies and the needs of their human creators but only a few years after their introduction the Cylons turned on their masters, seeking to punish and kill them for their enslavement and the injustice the humans had committed against them. If that wasn't enough but they had also developed new and shockingly advanced technologies that gave them the advantage in the war and almost led to their victory.

However humanity endured and for the next fifty two years they had been united against the Cylons that had continued to grow stronger with new forms of technology that no one had believed could exist until they were used on the battle field. It was painfully obvious to the humans that their ships were no match for the Cylons and lost many of their ships at the beginning of the war. Cities were bombed, outposts were destroyed, and civilians were killed without any mercy and the Colonial Fleet was not able to stop the Cylons as they grew stronger. Realizing the Cylons had the edge the humans fell back and resorted to desperate and creative tactics that halted the advancing Cylons, using trickery to confuse their machine enemies and steal their advanced technology to reverse engineer and learn about the new Cylons as best as they could. Finally the Cylons had enough and launched a full scale attack but they underestimated the humans again lost the battle of Caprica when the Colonials lured the Cylons close to one of Caprica's moons and destroyed half of it, using the debris to inflict massive damage on the Cylon fleet.

The Colonial fleet took advantage of the losses and confusion and sent the Cylons running, slowly destroying their supply runs and forcing them to fight on the Colonial fleet's terms where they had the advantage. After twelve years the Cylons had finally been pushed back from their entrenched positions on the Colonies and pushed back to the far edge of the Cyrannus system but the Cylons only continued to grow stronger and constantly tested the humans with their new advanced technologies that on more than one occasion put all of the Twelve Colonies in jeopardy. When the Cylons had been pushed back humanity thought they had won but Cylons constantly replaced their losses so quickly that they almost overwhelmed the Colonial fleet but the human race held on with their strength and stubborn refusal to die. The war had its few moments of peace as the Cylons continued to develop new technologies and launched probing assaults to keep the Colonies distracted.

The humans remained guarded as they overhauled their fleet, slowing building up on the reverse engineered Cylon technology and building newer but smaller warships while upgrading their larger battlestars and with these advances came understanding of the science behind the technologies and how the Cylons used them to wage war on the Colonies. Despite the advancements the Colonies had made in last half of the century a law was passed which banned computer networking and AI research for obvious reasons but each Colony had their own ideas on the limits were on these laws. On worlds like Caprica, Saggitaron, and Gemenon the laws were the harshest to the point that any form of computer was banned while worlds like Scorpia and Picon continued researching computer systems in for military and research interest.

In addition to their advanced fleet the Cylons had developed new Centurion models that were so powerful that they could wipe out an entire Colonial platoon, perhaps several platoons before even being damaged. The Colonial R&D Department studied the exoskeletons of the new Cylons and developed armor piercing shells and high powered plasma rifles to fire the shells and plasma bolts at high speed to enhance the armor penetration. This was not only used by the Marines but the R&D Department had modified the kinetic weapons on the Colonial Vipers to fire the modified rounds for use against Cylon Raiders along with their plasma blasters. Humanity endured and for the next fifty tow years they had been united against the Cylons that had continued to grow stronger with new forms of technology that no one had believed could exist until they were used on the battle field.

It was painfully obvious to the humans that their ships were no match for the Cylons and lost many of their ships at the beginning of the war. Cities were bombed, outposts were destroyed, and civilians were killed without any mercy and the Colonial Fleet was not able to stop the Cylons as they grew stronger. Realizing the Cylons had the edge the humans fell back and resorted to desperate and creative tactics that halted the advancing Cylons, using trickery to confuse their machine enemies and steal their advanced technology to reverse engineer and learn about the new Cylons as best as they could. Finally the Cylons had enough and launched a full scale attack but they underestimated the humans again and lost the battle of Caprica when the Colonials lured the Cylons close to one of Caprica's moons and destroyed half of it, using the debris to inflict massive damage on the Cylon fleet.

The war had reached a state where neither side could win and resorted to launching quick assaults into each other's territories with very little results towards ending the war. The Cylons and humans utilized every trick in the book to gain the upper hand and though both sides gained many victories it was also beginning to create a drain on their resources. Though the humans had managed to push the Cylon war machine back their robotic enemies still maintained a powerful force that kept Colonial fleet on the defense instead of being able to launch a full invasion into their territories.

Now they were approaching the end of the fifty second year war and it seemed that even the Cylons had grown tired of the war.

Among the many people that had gathered was Fleet Admiral Peter Corman, Admiral Nagala, Rear Admiral Helena Cain, and Admiral William Adama representing the military at the peace conference while the civilians consisted of the Quorum of Twelve, his wife, a scientist and close friend Gaius Baltar with a beautiful blond woman who was his date and the Secretary of Education who was also a close friend, Laura Roslin.

Adar stood up to address the table. "Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you all for not only coming here but for your years of service in keeping our colonies safe and ensuring the survival of our people. I know many of you are anxious to return to your ships but I would first like to offer a toast to the most significant history in mankind." He raised his glass. "I also raise my glass to you, not just as the Quorum of Twelve and commanders that saw us through the harshest of times, but also the greatest leaders ever assembled. Our people will at last find peace, thanks to you."

Everyone raised their glasses. "Peace."

Adar smiled, patting himself on the back for still having the ability to sway a crowd.

Battlestar Galactica
Pilot Barracks

Meanwhile as the political and military leaders were finishing dinner other people were having celebrations of their own. A woman with blond hair moaned along with her partner in the bed they were sharing, coming to the end of their passionate activity. The man rubbed the woman's face with a single finger and the woman seemed to think it was as good as the release she had just experienced.

"Well, on a one to ten score I'd say you scored…" The woman leaned up and kissed the man on the lips. "Average."

"Really…Does this mean you don't love me anymore?" The man asked with a small grin as he sat up.

"It means…" The woman rolled them over and sat on top. "That I take the lead now."

The man laughed. "Are you saying this as my superior officer or…"

"I'm your superior…" The woman leaned down, close to the man's face. "Out there and here. You got that nugget?"

"Yes sir." The man said, knowing better than to argue.

"But….You have to be on the hanger deck in twenty minutes." The woman leaned down close to the man's face. "We'll finish later."

She laughed as she sat up, planting her feet on the floor and stood up to find her clothes.

"You're cruel." The man said as he sat up, watching the woman as she put on her clothes. "So, you really think it's happening?"

"What's happening?" The woman asked, slipping her pants up.

"This whole peace thing with the toasters. I mean they tried to kill us before the both of us were even born and now they want this armistice." The man remarked as he threw the sheet off and started putting his clothes on. "You think it's real?"

The woman picked up a bottle of alcohol and took a sip. "I don't know. With all the fancy little gadgets we stole from them over the years I don't think they want to make peace. They just want to make more without us trying to steal from them."

"So it's all a big hoax?" The man asked as he slipped his shirt on.

"They ignored all attempts of a peace treaty for over fifty years. I find a little hard to believe that they suddenly want to make peace with us now." The woman said dryly.

"I guess so. Our families have made a habit of fighting the Cylons through the entire war." The man admitted thoughtfully.

The woman frowned as that comment brought up memories she'd rather forget. Her mother had been a Colonial Officer who fought the Cylons in the jungles of Medra during the early years of the war and had been forced to retire when she had taken a Cylon disruptor shot in the leg. The disruptor damaged the tissue in her leg and though it wasn't amputated she was forced to take an honorable discharge from the Colonial Marines as Cylon disruptors broke down organic tissue, usually to the point that it was impossible to recover from and left the limb completely dead. Her mother never truly recovered from the incident that ended her career in the military and she took out on her own family at times when it was too much to bear.

"My dad was a nugget during the twelve year of the war and he took a mandatory leave for my brother, my sister and me but he was called back when the Cylons launched a sneak attack on Troy." The man continued on, now with his pants and boots on. "And now he's a Fleet Admiral, commanding the Galactica."

"With all of his kids on it." The woman said with a smirk as she put the glass bottle away. "So, ready for your first patrol?"

"Hell yeah." The man stood up once he was fully dressed, wearing a flight jumpsuit for the patrol mission he had been assigned in the next fifteen minutes. "Time to show my brother I earned my wings."

"Better go then." The woman said but accepted a kiss from the man as they walked out of the barracks. "Can't keep big brother waiting."

Colonial One
Dining Room

"Mr. President, I'm curious. Who exactly did the Cylons choose as their liaison?" Rear Admiral Cain asked, taking a sip of her whine.

"A Priest named Cavil. He was one of many prisoners rescued from the Cylon occupation on Umbra but convinced the Cylons that extermination would not force the military to back down when the Colonial fleet blocked the moon. He stated he spent long weeks taking prayers from prisoners and asking the Cylons to allow any humans to be buried with dignity. He was appointed as leader of the humans somewhat, enough that the Cylons appointed him as their spokesperson when they offered to spare Umbra's population in exchange for safe passage back to their territory." Adar explained. "The Cylons contacted our negotiators and finally accepted this treaty but only if Cavil would be their liaison. Perhaps he made an impression on them."

"Or he's their puppet." Cain remarked dryly.

Adar narrowed his eyes but didn't have to speak as Peter Corman spoke up. "You are out of line, Helena! You are here at the invitation of the president and you will show proper etiquette as expected!"

Cain seemed deflate. "I apologize."

No one believed her as it was well known that Cain was one of the most vicious admirals in the fleet when it came to the Cylons. She was also ill tempered and focused more on fighting rather than protecting civilians and her tactics were somewhat suicidal but she got results and that was one of the few reasons she kept her rank and command of the Battlestar Pegasus.

"I know there's a lot of grief and resentment towards the Cylons and I even share some of that. However I will not allow the hard work our government made with this armistice to be insulted, especially by an admiral who made an oath to serve and protect the people of this government." Adar stated, glaring at Cain who remained silent.

"I don't mean to be rude Mr. President but did the Cylons give any reason for suddenly asking for peace?" Laura Roslin asked, avoiding eye contact with Adar whenever possible.

"Resources. They are running low on resources and they lack the strength to launch a full attack against the Colonies and believe continuing to fight would be pointless. They consider this armistice to be the logical choice." Adar answered, remembering what Cavil had told him.

"Logical." Roslin stated, calmly taking in Adar's answer. "So if the Cylons chose a human liaison I suppose they won't be stepping of the baseship that's supposed to arrive?"

"You are correct, Miss Roslin." Adar nodded. "It's supposed to be a new class of Basestar that they completed a month ago."

"A new class?" Peter Corman asked.

Adar smirked. "Yes. The new Hellfire class, which is supposedly top of the line in the Cylon fleet, replacing their previous Baseships." He knew the military would be fishing for answers on any possible conspiracies from the Cylons but figured there was no harm in telling them what he knew. "We'll receive notification of their arrival through the hyper channel before they jump to the rendezvous point at Cimtar. I'm sure all will be ready for their arrival."

"Yes Mr. President." Corman nodded.

"Cavil will speak for the Cylons during the signing of the armistice and after that both forces will draw up the line and where the station will be to continue diplomatic relations." Adar continued, taking another sip of his whine. "Now perhaps we can finish this dinner and greet the rest of the delegates? I imagine they have just as many questions as you."

While Adar was the President and the Quorum of Twelve represented the Colonies they were smaller colonies on smaller planets or moons that been built before and during the Cylon War and each of them had seen their share of fighting enough that they had smaller and more independent armies of soldiers that defended them against the Cylons or any lawbreakers that had run amok in the Colonies with the Colonial Fleet distracted by the war.

"Of course, Mr. President." Roslin nodded, wondering how her aid, Billy Keikaya was holding up with all the delegates.

Battlestar Galactica
Observation room

The second of her class to be built during the Cylon War and served in the worst battles with the murderous robots and recognized as one of the ships that had successfully turned the tide the Battlestar Galactica was hailed was flagship of the Colonial Fleet during the first decade of the war and the most well respected warship of her time. The Columbia Battlestar class had been launched behind schedule due to the fact that the Cylons had started developing new technologies that handed them many victories during the first few years and the Colonial military knew that their new Battlestars wouldn't last long against the Cylons and their advanced Basestars but in the end the humans came out even stronger and slowly pushed the robots back with upgraded Battlestars that were a match for even the most advanced Basestar. Larger than her original design the Galactica held over two hundred Vipers and seventy Raptors, was armed with thirty two high powered plasma cannons nicknamed turbo-lasers for destroying missiles and asteroids with smaller anti-fighter turrets, two heavy phased plasma cannons for destroying capital ships, and missile launchers for fusion missiles and solonite bombs making it not only a carrier and a battleship but also an orbital killer, capable of bombarding cities to the ground but luckily it was meant for bombing Cylon bases. In addition the Galactica and her sister ships were powered by two large fusion reactors and a Tylium energizer that provided a great deal of power for the massive ships and their powerful weapons.

Fusion reactors had been considered only theoretical half a century ago but the Colonies finally managed to create stable nuclear fusion as a power source in addition to the Tylium energizer which provided a greater amount of power than anything in the Colonies. By pumping purified Tylium and plasma into the energizer where the two come into contact and the plasma ignites the Tylium which is contained by a magnetic field and the energy created by the explosion is channeled by the power distribution nodes into the ship, powering the artificial gravity, computer systems, shields, weapons, and allowing the ship's powerful ion engines to propel the ships faster than light in real space. Galactica's achievements would be remembered long after she was gone and perhaps they would name the next flagship of the Colonial Fleet Galactica in honor of the original but not today.

"Coffee, please. Power readings normal. Long range scan and plasma containment units working at optimum efficiency." The young woman said as she slid her punch card into the slot, watching as the synthesizer built into the wall produced a cup of black coffee. "And G-Diffuser system working perfectly. Thank you."

Despite the fact that it couldn't answer back she was still happy as she sat down on the Galactica's observation deck. The food synthesizer was one of many new additions added to the Galactica during her last refit. The synthesizer was built from studying the Replicator technology the Cylons created and used to replace their losses when they were pushed off of the Colonies. They used it in their ground based factories and on their factory ships, buildings new Centurion models and new fighters instantly and at a pace that the loss of their entrenched positions almost cost them nothing which had frightened a great many people into thinking it was only a matter of time they overwhelmed the Colonies.

The best the scientists could understand was this so called Replicator tech was similar to the teleporter technology the Cylons used to board Colonial ships and land on the ground without the need for carriers that worked by simply creating things out of thin air once the materials and the specs of said materials were programmed in. The physics were complex but the science department had made considerable progress in understanding them. They managed to even design and create less advanced versions of these 'replicators' though they discovered they used a lot of power. That and the teleporter was a complicated technology that literally terrified so many people but recognized the tactical potential both the teleporter and the replicators presented.

Though it was complicated it was a benefit as battlestars were intended to operate for a long period of time without refuelling or restocking food or water for long periods of times. Foods were stored in titanium sealed lockers and the water purification facilities ensured clean water for years without having to replenish. Battlestars were also capable of large scale repairs and ammunition reloads due to the cargo and armory storage facilities. The science department managed less advanced and powerful versions of the Cylon Replicator technology that was capable of producing basic foods with protein but they only managed to create their own versions by studying the Replicators in captured Cylon outposts for nearly eight years.

And in addition to that was the Gravity Diffusion system or G-Diffuser, an experimental power used to reduce gravity in Vipers and Battlestars, allowing ships to accelerate and decelerate instantaneously and perform a wide variety of high performance combat manoeuvres. Before its creation the Cylons not only outmaneuvered the Colonial Vipers at the time but they could generate electromagnetic shielding that deflected most projectile explosive weapons away from the hull. Utilizing what they had learned about the advanced Cylon gravity technology and developing the G-Diffuser for Colonial use was not easy but it had been done when things were getting desperate. Due to the complexity of the G-Diffuser only a handful of Vipers were modified for use early in the war but over the years the Colonial Military had made it mandatory install it on the next generation Vipers.

The Battlestar program could not launch their new capital ships due to the delay but had started building smaller cruisers and destroyers to delay the Cylons as much as possible until the Battlestars were finally launched completely remade from the ground-up and powerful enough to be a match for the dreaded advanced Cylon Basestars. To this day people were amazed by how advanced the Colonies had become and sadly it was forced by the war, a blessing and curse for the people who fought and died by the thousands to save their race from extinction.

"Lieutenant Adama to CIC. I repeat, Lieutenant Adama to CIC."

Abigail 'Athena' Adama stood up from the comfy chair, sighing at the interruption of her quiet break and stretching her limbs before leaving the observation deck.

Battlestar Galactica
Port Flight-Pod
Hangar Deck

"Oh frak." Tyrol whispered as the Raptor that just landed on the landing bay was brought down into the hangar bay after it made a booming sound probably shook the entire ship, despite the artificial gravity and inertial dampers.

As the Raptor was towed towards its parking space the hatch opened up and out stepped an annoyed Sharon 'Boomer' Valeri who looked ready to kill someone.

Even though it was entirely her fault.

"I think they heard that landing clear up to the bridge, Lieutenant," Chief Tyrol commented as he took the helmet a visibly annoyed Boomer handed over, as the young woman descended from her ship.

"Yeah, I'm gonna catch hell from the LSO," Boomer glared at him. "But it wasn't entirely my fault, Chief. The primary gimbals' acting up again."

Tyrol rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, it was the gimbal's fault."

"Helo!" She shouted back to her co-pilot who was hauling himself down onto the deck, "am I lying?

"Gimbals looked bad to me," Karl 'Helo' Agathon smirked as he handed his helmet off.

"I've pulled that gimbals three times and stripped it twice," Tyrol argued right back. "There's nothing wrong with it, sir."

"You're not listening to me, Chief." Boomer said as Tyrol started walking away and stalked after him.

"And I'll have you know I listen very closely to what each and every pilot has to say about their ship," He called out as she continued to weave her way across the hanger deck, following him to wherever he was going. "Even the rooks."

"Okay, so I'm a rooky," Sharon shot right back at him, the first time she actually looked back this time which meant his quickly hidden quip had struck home. "You're not the one out there trying to bring fifty tons of Raptor onto a moving hangar deck with bad gimbals..."

Tyrol yanked a hatch open. "I've got ten years' experience-"

"Here we go," Sharon threw her arms up as she slammed the hatch shut.

"-breaking down and stripping every component in every system,"

Boomer was chanting the speech along with him as they continued into the compartment.

"That's ever been installed in every spacecraft on my hangar deck."

Turning about Sharon waited for the door to slam close and fixed Tyrol with a glance as he removed his tool belt and Boomer loosened her flight suit. He spun around and grabbed her, dropping the act. Lips met and everything from the landing to the flight deck work dissolved into only passion.

Pulling back, breathless from having her lungs nearly sucked out of her body, Sharon put a hand to her lover's chin. "That gimbals is broken..."

"Shut up sir." Tyrol leaned in and kissed her.

Colonial One
Dining Room

By now dinner on Colonial One was over and the Quorum and military leaders were mingling with delegates and high ranked officials who were all sharing drinks and conversations in the dining section of the large cruise liner. Roslin smiled at her aid, Billy Keikaya as he nervously talked with a woman who happened to be Elosha, a Gemenon priest who was smirking at how silly he looked as he tried to strike up a pleasant conversation.

"I must say that we have all earned a good long rest from the war. With this war over we can concentrate on rebuilding and ensuring the freedom and equality of all the Colonies." Roslin frowned as she looked over at the source of the voice that attracted the attention of many people in the room.

Tom Zarek, leader of the SFM which was short Sagittaron Freedom Movement, an organization based on Sagittaron that was recognized as a legitimate organization but gained influence through defending Sagittaron from Cylon raids during the war as well speaking up against the Colonial government for what he and many others believed to exploitation of Sagittaron's resources by the other Colonies. In the twenty years since his rise to power Zarek had become a public figure whose name and weight was almost legendary through organizing defense against Cylon attacks and even raided mines that the Cylons had planted on Sagittaron to gain more resources. Some thought of him as a freedom fighter but Roslin knew otherwise as she knew of the tactics that Zarek had used against the Cylons…

And against the Colonies.

Zarek's tactics were terrorist activities, blowing up outposts, mines, and even a government building that he claimed was extorting his people but he couldn't be arrested because of the hero status he gained for protecting Sagittaron. What made it worse is that the SFM was not the only independent force in the Colonies but so far there had been no trouble from them since they were all made to protect their homes from the Cylons. The fact that President Adar allowed people like Zarek to roam free was just one of a few other decisions she had questioned him about. Despite the fact this was supposed to be a day that would go down in history as the greatest event of the Colonies Laura Roslin was not having a good day.

"Ah, Laura. There you are." Roslin looked up when she heard her name and saw President Adar and his wife stopping by her table. "I've been looking for you."

"How can I help you Mr. President?" Laura put on a diplomatic smile.

"I came to talk to you about the teacher's union. I heard you had made progress." Adar stated.

"Yes, I met with Stans and the union has agreed to back off."

"Back off?" Adar's smile vanished and his body stiffened. "Laura…What did you do?"

"I made them promise we'd hear their grievances out, Mr. President." Roslin said, not understanding Adar's reaction. "I thought this was good news. A peace treaty with the Cylons and a chance to have teachers back in our schools is a cause for celebration."

"It does sound like good news." Adar's wife commented.

"Laura…" Adar sighed, ignoring his wife who seemed to frown. "Do you have any idea of the position you put me in? You showed them that if they hold out the administration will cave to anything."

Roslin was shocked but soon enough was angry. "You expected me to fail."

"I expected you to hold the line against a party that has repeatedly threatened this administration!" Adar growled quietly.

"Mr. President, we should at least speak with the strikers before sending in the troops. You are treating them like terrorists while at the same time negotiating a peace treaty with the Cylons who we have been at war with for over fifty years." Roslin stated, now starting to get a little angry.

"The two are completely different. The Cylons are suing for peace and these so called teachers put two policemen in the hospital. Six of them chained themselves outside the Hall of Education. As far as I am concerned they are criminals." Adar retorted.

"Their pay is substandard, their schools are falling apart." Roslin stood up and looked Adar in the eye. "The strike action has been gaining momentum for months and you know it. And we both know that the military and the war are not entirely to blame."

"One of the most interesting things about being President is that you don't have to explain yourself to anyone. You've set a meeting with the Stans haven't you?" Adar said, even though his question didn't sound like one.

"Obviously." Roslin shot back.

"Obviously you think you're in a position where you have more power in this administration than you really do." Adar sighed. "You can stay on in an advisory capacity. Gods knows we need your ideas."

Roslin was stunned. "You're asking me to resign?"

"I have no choice. This is not about you or me anymore." Adar stated.

"You're right, it's not. You were willing to shoot these people while negotiating with the machines that have been out to exterminate us for half a century and until a few hours ago I was prepared to let you." Roslin stepped back. "I will be on the Galactica to represent this administration for the negotiations of the armistice but when we return to Caprica if you still want my job you better be prepared to fight for it."

Roslin was beyond angry and upset as she walked away from the president and it wasn't just because of Adar and his foolish policies. She had seen her doctor today and her suspicion had been confirmed, she had breast cancer. The same disease that had taken her mother and her grandmother and now she had inherited what she considered the family curse. The fact that they had all these advanced technologies but the Colonies had focused more on building war ships than improving their medical technology was not lost on Roslin at all and she couldn't help but direct a little anger at the Quorum for that.

"Miss Roslin?" A voice shook Roslin from her thoughts and she saw it was Billy who had apparently ended his talk with Elosha and come over to her. "Are you all right?"

"Ah yes." Roslin hastily nodded. "Yes, I'm fine."

Billy smiled and asked if she wanted a drink which she declined. She was still on duty and wanted to look professional until her job was done.

()

"Dr. Baltar, you have become a lead researcher in helping with the development of plasma technology that to this day continues to make new leaps and discoveries and yet you are now asking that we lift the band and continue the research that created the Cylons and led to the war. Can you summarize your views?" A young woman wearing a fine tailored suit, her hair kept short shared a glass of wine with a man that dark collar length hair and glasses while formerly dressed for the occasion like everyone else.

"I'd be happy to. Despite the numerous questions on how the Cylons could have developed new technologies advanced and complex as what they used during the war and we are making many leaps into this young science still to this day. Thanks to the technology that was captured and reverse engineered through the course of the war it not only allowed us to stand up against the Cylons but at the same completely revolutionize our society. For example, we only relied on FTL Jump Drives before but now we can travel faster than the speed of light in normal space, not to mention the leaps in weapons technology with plasma weaponry and not to mention the new stable fusion reactors our military uses on their battlestars with the new Tylium energizer which has revolutionized space travel. This is a sign that we cannot allow our fear of technology to hold us back but to leap forward to a better future." Dr. Gaius Baltar explained to everyone at his table. "Yes, it was our own technology that led to the Cylons and the war but when the Cylons advanced we were forced to do the same in order to save ourselves from extinction. It was through the efforts of our most brilliant minds and most determined soldiers that saved us in our time of need and protected our worlds from the Cylons when they tried to bomb us into extinction."

As he spoke he spied out of the corner his vision a beautiful blond haired woman wearing a red formal dress that hid almost nothing with a mischievous smile on her lips as she sat down next to him. Her eyes glittered with a sharp intellect and playfulness that he had come to love during their time together. It was so hard to find people who could measure up to him but she made it look so easy. Trying to focus he turned back to the person, a reporter who had come along to document the signing of the armistice.

"We have created food synthesizers that can keep people from starving for long term voyages and we even managed to create our own teleporters based off the ones used by the Cylons. Force fields that protect our hangars from the vacuum of space and even energy shields to protect our battlestars from enemy fire. Let's not forget about the inertia dampening fields that can allow our ships to move at a speed that would normally kill us, and even advanced sensor arrays that might allow us to jump beyond the Red Line and explore the known universe." Baltar continued, ignoring the woman's hand that seemed to send chills up his spin just by a mere touch. "Despite the numerous questions on how the Cylons could have developed new technologies advanced and complex as what they have used during the war and we are making many leaps into this young science still to this day. To even think of this ban on advanced research from what I see is nothing but a holdover from the war and serves to only hold us back from moving forward." He glanced at the woman next to him as he felt a hand on his knee. "Uh…If that is all I really feel tired at the moment."

When the interview ended he stood up and glanced at the woman with a look of mock scolding. The woman simply smiled back before they left to find their suit to engage in the activity the both of them had come to love.

Caprica
Several Kilometers from Caprica City

Thousands of light years from the rendezvous point, on the planet of Caprica which was center of the Colonial Government, underneath the ruins of a lakeside house a few miles away from Caprica City five people monitored the Colonial fleet as they approached the rendezvous point where the war would supposedly end.

"PROVIDENCE system is monitoring the Colonial Fleet. They're fifteen minutes away from the rendezvous point. All scanners are working." A man said, typing away at his computer. "The second things go wrong we'll know."

"It'll take more than knowing when things go wrong, Dad." A young girl said, putting a hand on her father's shoulder.

"I know but we know the Cylons will never agree to peace. If we could just what they're up to we can give the Colonial Fleet a warning in advanced." The man sighed. "We could try interfacing with their network again."

"No." This time a woman spoke in a stern voice. "Last time they almost assimilated you into their network and exposed us."

"Yes but we gained so much knowledge of how they advanced so fast and so much. If we hadn't done something the entire human race would have been wiped out. At the very least our companies were able to provide the Colonies the fighting chance they needed." The man reasoned.

"It's still too dangerous, Dad. I was afraid we'd have to box you after what happened last time." The man's daughter agreed with her mother.

"And I'm sorry for that but I still believe it was worth it. The Cylons' hive mind is more complex than I ever thought and I found out that something infected it, merging with it and influencing it. The algorithm program I used in the U-87 Cyber Combat Unit and distributed to its successor models was already growing and adapting faster than I thought but whatever changed the Cylons into what they are now just accelerated their uprising and gave them all the scientific knowledge they used to create everything they created." The man explained as he looked over the data lines. "The virus was slowly integrating a handful of Cylons when the war started but it spread over the years. We're fortunate that it took so long or the Colonies would never have stood a chance."

"And we're grateful for that." Another voice, a girl as young as the daughter said. "But please do not burn yourself out. We've set up for anything."

"The problem is that we have no idea of what anything could really be." The father said grimly.

Battlestar Galactica
Port Flight-Pod

Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama sighed while waiting in his flight suit as his Viper was reported ready for a patrol assigned to scan the area the fleet was in. Cimtar was distant planet that was relatively uncharted that was essentially a dead rock in space. He was currently standing on the landing bay of the Galactica's port flight pod, staring out at the stars and ships from the hangar. During her last refit the Galactica's flight pods had been installed with atmospheric force fields to not only protect the crew from the vacuum of space but it also allowed Vipers and Raptors to be docked here instead of being elevated down to the hanger deck. This allowed for greater fighter capacity which was needed when one battlestar was typically outnumbered three to one.

The force fields were constantly checked for malfunctions or power fluctuations to ensure they did not suddenly deactivate and send everyone in the landing bay out into space. Of course that wasn't what was bothering Lee right now. Right now it was the routine patrol he had been assigned to, making sure that there no surprises at their rendezvous point. He'd be feeling better if one of the pilots assigned with him on this patrol was someone he knew that had experience but it wasn't.

"Your Viper's all ready, Captain." A voice called out, directing Lee's attention to a man in an orange jumpsuit who happened to be Chief Galen Tyrol. "It's all fueled up and plasma cannons are fully charged."

"Thanks Chief." Lee nodded. "Boomer and Helo ready?"

"All ready for lift off and for when Boomer lands." Tyrol snickered along with his crew, all of them knowing why he was laughing.

"I heard that!" A voice shouted from the nearby Raptor. "I told you before-"

"The gimbal was broken!" Tyrol said, finishing the woman's retort and laughed at annoyed look on her face. "Just give me one landing where you don't shake the entire ship and I'll believe you."

Sharon 'Boomer' Valeri scoffed and sat back down in the Raptor while Lee turned away with a small smile on her face.

"Lee!"

Managing a smile Lee turned around and smiled as his brother and his fiancé and Lee's future sister in law, Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace entered the hangar deck in Galactica's portside flight pod. The deck was full of workers who keeping the numerous stacks of Vipers and Raptors in working condition while Lee and Zak's were lined up in the flight pod.

"Hey Zak, keeping your future wife out of trouble?" Lee asked. "I haven't seen her in the brig for over…"

"A week." Kara finished with a chuckle.

"A week." Lee shook his head. "Must be getting old or something."

"Yeah well once the admiral retires no one in the fleet will be able to put up with her." Zak said and chuckled as he felt Kara lightly smack him on the back of the head. "Hey! That's assaulting a junior officer!"

"Oh, poor baby." Kara laughed as wrapped an arm around Zak's shoulders. "So worried about little old me."

"Yeah, worried is the right word." Zak said as he kissed Kara on the lips.

Lee cleared his throat to break the two up. "Patrol?"

"Right, come back in one piece." Kara patted the Adama brothers on the shoulders. "I get your bunk while you're gone."

"I'll try not to wake when we're back." Zak said, causing Kara to laugh as she walked out of the hangar and looked his brother who was frowning. "What?"

"I'm starting to think this whole wedding should be called off." Lee rolled his eyes and started towards his Viper.

Zak chuckled and followed.

Colonial One
Observation Room

"Brother Cavil, I extend my congratulations on behalf of the Quorum and the Colonies of Kobol to you for your contribution to ending the war. None of this would have been possible without your tireless work." Adar said a man who was older with grey hair and slightly withered but still attractive face.

"The fact that the Cylons chose me to be their representative for this treaty was a blessing from the Gods themselves, not my meager skill." The man named Cavil said as he and Adar stopped at the window showing the fleet and held out his hand which Adar shook.

"Skill or blessing you have left your mark in our history books with this." Adar stated.

"Well I better go and rest up. I imagine the negotiations are going to be very tiring." Cavil said, excusing himself.

Adar nodded and allowed Cavil to leave while he and his wife shared a brief kiss. Adar then spotted a single man standing at the window on the other end of the room.

()

Cavil walked into his assigned quarters which turned out to be a private suite just for him. Nodding at the guard he walked into his room and closed the door before letting out a relieved sigh.

"The things I do…" Cavil whispered as he sat on the couch. "The fleet is on course as planned. First objective complete."

'Acknowledged.' An electronic voice was heard inside Cavil's head. 'Proceeding to second objective. Continue current assignment until new orders are received.'

Cavil smiled. "By your command."

Cavil was looking forward to the peace conference just as much as the Colonials, well at least the ones in the civilian government while those paranoid military would be blowing several blood veins when they see what was waiting.