Star Wars: Odyssey of the Infinity

by IX404

During a routine safety test, the Slipstream Space Drive of the Infinity malfunctions, catapulting them into unknown space. Little do Lasky and the members of the Infinity know is that they will soon change the fate of a far away galaxy.

28. Tours, Debates & Confrontations

Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/Star Wars/Battlestar Galactica multicrossover.

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback and support. I deeply apprecaite it.

Now you've likely noticed that the time between the publishing of each new chapter has increased, and this is for two reasons. The first is that I'll be doing some rewrites of some of my stories, mostly to make them as good as I possibly can. The second is that I'm helping one of my beta-readers get a story of his own going. As such, the time between new chapters coming out is increasing, but that doesn't mean I'm abandoning the story. It simply means that I'll need more time to write new chapters and to handle other affairs in life.

Either way, I deeply appreciate your feedback and support, and I hope you continue to support this story as time goes on.

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo, Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, Disney Films, NBC Universal Television Studio, Universal Media Studios, Universal Cable Productions, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to its original composers and/or artists.

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UNSC Infinity

Low Orbit, Picon

0 BCH/ACH, 1030 Hrs (August 24th, 0BBY, 1330 Hrs (April 6th, 2559, 1330 Hrs))

Just another day as the temporary chairman of the UNSC, Lasky thought. Looking over the most recent reports, he rubbed his forehead. It's a good thing Cole taught me how to handle all this paperwork bull and all. If not for him, I'd be tearing my hair out right about now.

He sighed, his mind going over the events of yesterday. I just can't believe that the Colonials were so willing to doubt what is generally considered accepted history at this point. To be fair, it is a tad hard to believe, but it is the truth as far as we are aware.

His thinking was promply gatecrashed upon. "I agree," Revan said. "One would think that the Colonials are trying to be willfully ignorant of their history. As understandable as their denial is, they can't simply gloss over facts in favor of a little security."

"Well, we did give them a tremendous shock," Bastila added. "How would you react if all of a sudden, some new faction showed up and claimed that your history was backwards and that Humanity is a much older species than you believe? With that question in mind, I think the Colonial's denial is much more reasonable than I think we're caring to admit."

That's… a reasonable way to look at it, Lasky thought. To be fair, we had a similar reaction when we learned that Humanity was a species that equaled the Forerunners in terms of power millions of years ago. Unlike the Colonials, however, we've had that fact repeatedly shown to us in an anvillicious manner. We've had no choice but to accept the fact that its a part of our history, and that no amount of denial will make it go away.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Revan remarked.

"Revan," Bastila grumbled.

Revan's irritation was clearly palpable through the Force. "I'm not in the mood for one of your lectures, Bastila."

Enough, Lasky growled. The two of you have been arguing like this for a while, so I'll put it straight. Revan, Bastila does have a point in that you have pissed her off, so I would focus on making amends. Bastila, Revan might've fucked up, but he's still a good person, and you're causing him more trouble than he actually deserves.

There. It's settled. If you two start arguing again while I'm awake, so help me…!

"All right," Revan said. You've made your case, Lasky. We won't argue while you're still awake."

"Same," Bastila said.

Good. He was about to continue doing his work when a chime came from his personal HoloCOM unit. "Yes?"

"Sir, we've just received a transmission from Picon," Cole said. "Apparently, President Adar wishes to speak to you if possible."

Why would Adar want to speak to me? A nasty suspicion grew in Lasky's mind, then he pushed it away. "Very well. Send it through."

There was a slight crackle, then President Adar's voice came through. "Chairman Lasky, mind if I have a word with you?"

"Sure," Lasky said. "What is it that you want to speak with me about?"

"Remember when I said yesterday that I would like to do a cultural exchange? Well, given that you've shared quite a bit of your history with us, I would like to share some of our own culture with you as well."

Lasky frowned. "You have me intrigued, Adar. What do you propose?"

"First, I would like to invite you to a tour of the Galactica, one of the ships that fought in the Cylon War. I've already spoken with Commander Adama on the matter, and he's agreed to allow you to tour his ship. I believe that, by sharing a bit of perspective with you, it could help you understand why we are so wary of AI technology in general."

It also means that he wants to gauge my reaction to the Galactica and see how I think, Lasky noted. It's an interesting idea, but there's one person I need to speak with before that can happen. "I see. I think that is a good idea. I'll speak with President Charet about it."

"Good. Oh, and let her know that, within a couple hours, we'll be sending back the crew of the Huygens. They were practically ready to get out of their cells once they got word that your ship arrived over Picon."

Lasky smiled. "That's good news. I'll make sure that they are warmly welcomed. Thank you for taking good care of them while we were on our way."

"It was the least we could do, given the tragedy that happened. I'd best be going now. I have a lot more work to do before the day is done. Good day." The COM crackled, then went silent.

Lasky frowned. This could either be a good opportunity, or it could be a trap. Either way, there's only one thing I can do right now. Keying the HoloCOM, he said, "Cortana, could you inform Charet that I need to speak to her?"

"Of course," Cortana said.

There was a minute of silence, then Charet's voice spoke up. "Is there something you need, Lasky?"

"Yes," Lasky said. "I wanted to run something by you."

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

"President Adar of the Colonials invited me to come aboard the Galactica," Lasky said. "Apparently, he wanted to extend an invitation to tour the soon-to-be museum ship to see what they had to use during the Cylon War. However -"

"-let me guess," Charet interrupted. "He also wants to gauge your reaction and figure out how you think."

"You read my mind."

"Of course," Charet said. "It's my job to know what my subordinates are doing. Besides, if I were in Adar's position, I'd do the exact same thing. What he doesn't know is that it'll allow us to find potential vulnerabilities in the Colonial's military doctrine."

Lasky smiled. "Smart. Given what you've said, I think I have a ship museum to go and visit."

"Please do, and bring MacCallum along while you're at it."

"You know of the Infinity's chief engineer?" Lasky asked.

"Of course. I asked him to explain various aspects of the ship to be a few hours ago. The fact that he told me in laymans terms means that he's an excellent engineer. Besides, we'll need an engineer to work out how the Battlestars work."

Lasky shrugged. "I'll concede that point. I'll inform MacCallum to report to 39-Omicron as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'd best get ready for my job as a tourist."

"Please do," Charet said. "I hope you have a pleasant time learning more about the Galactica and the Cylon War. President Charet over and out."

"You too, Lasky out." Closing the HoloCOM, Lasky said, "Cortana, inform President Adar that I've accepted his invitation and that I'll be over shortly. Also, inform MacCallum to report to Hangar 39-Omicron immediately. We'll need his expertise in ship engineering in order to make sense of the Galactica."

"Understood," Cortana said. "MacCallum is on his way, and Cole has informed Adar that you'll be on your way shortly. Is there anything else that I need to handle before you go?"

"Inform Blue Team that they'll be coming along as my bodyguards. Beyond that, nothing else needs to be done. I'll handle things from here on our."

Cortana nodded…

Within a few minutes, Lasky and MacCallum were in Hamgar 39-Omicron. Nearby, Blue Team stood to attention, their arms and armor ready for combat. Dressed in his dress uniform, MacCallum peered outside the magcon field, adjusted his face mask slightly. "So we're going on what's basically a museum tour, yes?" he asked.

"Yes," Lasky said as he adjusted his own mask. "Officially, it's to learn more about ships like the Galactica and to learn more about the Cylon War in general."

"Uh huh," MacCallum said. The look on his face said it all: he didn't believe the official story. "What's the unofficial story?"

"He's quick on the uptake, I'll give him that," Revan said.

Me too, Lasky added. "Unofficially, I believe Adar is attempting to work out how we think, and how we perceive the Cylon War. It's basically a HUMINT operation combined with a legitimate attempt to showcase the Colonials strengths."

"I figured that was the case," MacCallum said. "At any rate, we can't go aboard the Galactica in a Pelican. According to the specs for the ship, the pressurized areas of the flight deck are quite narrow. A Pelican is wide enough that it can't fit inside. They're gonna have to come and get us if we're heading aboard the Galactica."

Lasky spotted a twinkle of light and smiled. "I think Adar is well aware of that fact. We've got a ship coming in."

"Colonial Raptor?"

Lasky shrugged. "Maybe. Just have to wait and see what happens next." MacCallum nodded, then turned to face the incoming ship.

True enough, it was a Raptor that was approaching the hangar bay. Moving through the magcon field, the small ship rotated around, then landed on the deck of the hangar. The doors opened, before a single man stepped out onto the fighter's wing. "Chairman Lasky, I'm Captain Lee Adama. I was sent to be your escort to the Galactica."

Lasky frowned. "I take it you're Commander Adama's son, if the surname is anything to go by."

Lee nodded. "Yes, that's correct. The Commander's waiting for you onboard the Galactica. We're twenty thousand kilometers away, so we'll have to perform a short range FTL jump."

Lasky shrugged. "All right. That's understandable. Lead the way."

"All right. If you gentlemen would step inside the Raptor, we'll be on our way." Both Lasky and MacCallum proceeded forwards. Clambering onto the wing, they quickly sat inside. Looking at the Spartans, Lee was about to offer assistance when they climbed up onto the wing. He winced as a slight groan reached his ears. They must be really heavy.

Even before the ship had taken off, MacCallum was hard at work studying the interior. Coming up to one of the screens, he examined it carefully. "What's this?" he asked, motioning to a nearby chair.

"That would be the ECO's seat," Lee explained. "ECOs are a member of a Raptor's crew. They monitor the ship systems and perform electronics warfare operations during combat."

"I see. Makes sense. What's this screen here?"

Lee smiled. In many ways, MacCallum was already reminding him of Galen Tyrol, the Galactica's chief deck hand. "That would be the DRADIS system, or Direction, Range and Distance. It's our primary sensor system for our fighters and Battlestars. I take it you have something similar, yes?"

"Something like that. However, we rely on a number of sensors that aren't really bundled into the same sort of package. I think I'll definitely be interested in studying this 'DRADIS' system. Certainly seems useful."

"It is." Sitting down in his seat, Lee closed the door leading inside of the Raptor. "Door's sealed, and we've got pressure. Give me a minute while I check the systems."

While Lee was running through the pre-flight checklight for the Raptor, Chief and Blue Team were analyzing the interior of the Raptor. "It's quite cramped, but it seems to do its job well," Fred noted.

"Yeah," Kelly said. "Still, the fact they could fit all of this into a fighter that's barely smaller than a Broadsword is quite impressive. However, I wouldn't want to use one of these things on a regular basis."

"Me neither," Linda said. "Too vulnerable to enemy munitions given the Colonial's current tech level. Chief, your thoughts?"

Chief glanced around the interior of the ship. Memories of when he examined the Raptor's design floated through his mind. "It's a good ship given the Colonial's tech level, but against Covenant or UNSC vessels, it wouldn't be an effective multirole fighter. Too small, and it doesn't carry sufficient armor and munitions to withstand a long term engagement."

The other Spartans nodded. Chief's estimation of the fighter had lined up with their expectations. "So, what do you think, Cortana?"

"I think that Chief's evaluation of the ship is quite accurate," Cortana said. "However, the DRADIS system is, I must admit, quite unique. I'm not sure it could outdo any of our sensor systems, but if we designed a version using our own technology, it would be a useful, low powered backup system in cause the main sensor system goes dead."

At that moment, Lee finished his pre-flight checks. "Pre-flight checks complete." Keying his wireless system, he said, "Infinity Flight Operations, this is Raptor 2-1. Requesting permission to take off. Over."

"Roger that, Raptor 2-1," Lieutenant Murphy said. "You have permission to begin take off. Fly at vector 2-7-0 mark 0-1-0 once you leave the hangar bay. Be advised, there's heavy traffic right now. Be on the lookout for any fighters."

"Understood," Lee said. "Switching on DRADIS now." A flick of a switch caused the screen before MacCallum to turn on. Within moments, the familiar warble of the DRADIS system was echoing inside of the Raptor. Flicking a few more switches, Lee slowly powered up the throttle.

The Raptor shuddered, then it began to slowly lift off of the hangar deck. Moving the throttle stick forwards, Lee gently pushed the fighter out of the hangar bay, before fully accelerating. Contacts appeared on the DRADIS, indicating to him where various objects were at. Plotting a flight plan, he quickly took them out and away from the Infinity. "Beginning FTL jump preparations now. Y'all might want to be ready. First timers tend to feel nauseated during an FTL jump."

"We'll be fine," Lasky said. "Make the jump when you're ready."

"Understood," Lee said. "FTL jump in three… two… one… now!"

The FTL drive inside of the Raptor fired to life. For a moment, Lasky felt as though he was being compressed into a ball, while the ship itself seemed to flex ever so slightly. Then the feeling disappeared, with the Raptor rattling slightly. Looking around, he noted that the Spartans were not affected, while MacCallum was rubbing his forehead. "You OK?" he asked.

"Headache," MacCallum said. "I'll be fine, Lasky. I've had worse things happen to me."

"Everyone all right?" Lee asked.

"We're fine," Lasky said. "Just take us in."

"All right," Lasky said. "Galactica, this is Raptor 2-1 speaking. I have Chairman Lasky onboard. Request permission to land. Over."

"Granted," the LSO for the sole flight pod said. "Come in at vector 0-2-0 carom 0-5-0. Over."

"Solid copy. Moving along the flight vector now." Keying in the flight vector, Lee quickly began moving the Raptor towards the Galactica.

From out where they were at, Lasky could clearly see the Galactica for himself. Even though he'd seen it a few times already, he had to admit, it was a beautiful ship. No idea how that relates to battlefield doctrine, but I guess we're going to find out very soon.

MacCallum, on the other hand, was already examining the ship with an engineer's eye. "Very interesting," he noted. "Looks like most of the main guns are located on the dorsal and ventral sections of the ship. What's covering the sides?"

Lee looked at the sides of the ship. "We've got about five hundred and twelve CWIS guns there. They mainly fire flak rounds that are designed to neutralize enemy fighters. We generally don't employ it unless its absolutely necessary. It's very easy for Vipers to get caught up in all that flak."

MacCallum frowned. "That seems like a downside. Anything interesting to note about the flight pods?"

"They retract whenever the ship performs an FTL jump," Lee said. "We're about to fly into the sole functioning one right now." A slight adjustment to the control column caused their view to change.

Looking inside, Lasky noticed that much of the flight pod was quite open. Shaped like an upside down triangle. The flight deck was quite spacious, enough for a small fighter to fly into. "I've got the ball," Lee said. "Bringing her down now." Adjusting his controls, he quickly brought the Raptor over a section of the flight deck, then set it down.

There was a muted thump as the maglocks for the Raptor engaged. Another jolt led to them gently descending below the deck, with a large hatch closing over them. Before long, sound returned, indicating that it was an airlock.

Eventually, they descended into the pressurized section of the flight deck. Outside, Lasky could see numerous deckhands quickly running to and fro. Most of them wore yellow or red jackets, some of whom were now gently pulling the Raptor forwards using a manually operated tow. One of them, a man with black hair, brown eyes and tan skin, was directing them. "Who's that?" he asked.

Lee looked at the man. "That would be Galen Tyrol, the chief deckhand for the Galactica. He's an incredibly talented person, which makes me wonder why he's on the Galactica and not the Pegasus."

Lasky shrugged. "Beats me. I do see one familiar face in the flight pod."

Following Lasky's finger, Lee smiled slightly. "That would be Commander Adama. Well, I've done my part. I hope you're ready to see a little history, Lasky."

Lasky nodded. "MacCallum?"

"I'm ready any day of the week," MacCallum said. "Let's go."

Both men stood up, then proceeded to the door, just as Lee opened it. The sounds of the port flight pod reached Lasky's ears, with deckhands quickly working and issuing orders. Before him, Commander Adama stood at parade rest. "Permission to come aboard?"

"Granted," Adama said. The two men stepped off, along with their Spartan compliment. "Looks like you've brought guests."

"I have," Lasky said. "This is Jordan MacCallum, the Infinity's Chief Engineer. You've met the Master Chief already, but this is Blue Team. He and they will be our bodyguards for the time being."

Adama nodded. "Understandable. My own compliment of Marines are also on standby in case something goes wrong." He smiled briefly, then let it fade. "I take it you're here at President Adar's request?"

"Yes," Lasky said. "Mind if we walk together?"

"Of course." All three men began walking down the hallway linking the flight pod to the rest of the ship. "For the record, you threw quite a bit of flak at us yesterday, during that meeting onboard your ship."

"It wasn't my intention to cause any trouble. I was just stating the truth."

Adama nodded. "I know. A lot of my fellow Colonials are so used to the idea that we came from Kobol that they have a hard time accepting another point of view. Too many people put too much stock into religion when they should put more stock into reason."

"Faith runs roughshod over reason."

"Isn't that the truth," Adama agreed.

"So, what do you think?"

The question caused Adama to pause ever so slightly. What do I think of what he told myself and the others? he asked himself. "Officially, it is not my my place to judge whether or not someone else's history is true or not."

"Unofficially?"

Adama frowned. "Unofficially, I'm still coming to grips with what you've told me, but I have reason to believe that you're not lying to us. You don't strike me as the kind of person that enjoys telling falsehoods or rumors."

Lasky nodded. "I figured much the same when I looked at you. You're more of the reasonable kind of person than most."

"Agreed."

"This is a nice ship, aesthetically speaking," MacCallum said. "How old is this ship?"

"Around fifty two years," Adama said. "I served on her during the latter years of the war when I earned my wings as a Viper pilot. She might be old, but she's definitely a good ship by our reckoning. Not so sure about yours, though. You must think of the ship as old and obsolete compared to what you use."

"Something like that, though far be it from be to be insulting the poor girl. I can tell that she's been through war, so I'm not going to call her old and obsolete. She's… seasoned, if you ask me. Still, I'm amazed that the Twelve Colonies managed so well with this sort of tech."

"You'd be surprised at how resourceful we got when the war happened," Adama said. With those words, they reached the entrance to the CIC. Nearby was a man wearing a dark grey suit and tie. "I must return to my duties now. The tour guide here can give you the tour of my ship. If you have any questions, however, you're free to ask me when you need to."

"Thank you," Lasky said. "And for the record, Adama, if there was anyone we should've made first contact with, it's you. I'd take you any day over that bitch Cain. No offense meant."

Adama smiled slightly at the false apology. "None taken. If I could, I'd have done her in myself. Take care, Chairman." With a nod, he stepped through the door into the CIC.

"There you are," the tour guide said. "I've got a whole bunch of other people waiting for you, though I'll expect that they've got questions for you as well. Genard Lithar, at your service."

Lasky shook the extended hand. "Good to meet you, Lithar." Eyeing the crowd of people with the man, he said, "So, shall we begin?"

"Of course," Lithar said. "If you'll follow me to the entrance of the port flight pod, we'll begin the tour here. I have asked the others to maintain a standoff distance from your body guards. I don't want an incident on my hands if I can help it."

"Understandable," Lasky said. "Lead the way…"

A few minutes later, the tour had begun, with Lithar taking them through the section of the ship near the port flight pod. "Built during the Cylon War, the Galactica was designed specifically for anti-Cylon warfare. Much of the computers onboard it barely earn the name, though at the time, this was necessary to prevent intrusion by Cylon cyberwarfare. In addition -"

While the tour guide for the Galactica rattled on, Lasky looked at the hallway they were in. The architectural style is certainly different from our own, he noted. More curves and bends. While I don't know if that's such a wise idea, I do have to admit that it is a bit refreshing from the cold, angular way we build our ships.

He wasn't the only one admiring the Galactica. Chief Engineer MacCallum was walking alongside him, his sharp eyes examining the ship critically. "So they had to use manual targeting in order to fire upon Cylon ships?" he asked the tour guide.

"Not exactly," the tour guide said. "The DRADIS system is linked to the weapons and navigational portions of the ship. As such, the gunners at the main guns receive firing solutions from the DRADIS system, after which they manually target and eliminate the target in question."

MacCallum rubbed his forehead, thankful that the tour guide couldn't see his exasperation. I can understand why they'd want manual firing and aiming, but there are an infinite number of ways they could've done things better. Hell, I can think of a number of things I'd have done differently.

As they moved to another part of the ship, MacCallum leaned in closer to Lasky. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah," Lasky whispered back. "This entire ship is backwards when it comes to UNSC naval doctrine."

"Tell me about it. There are no large caliber spinal mounted guns, there's no auto-turrets inside to prevent boarding attempts from being successful, and the fact that everything has to be manually done, aside from a few things, is cringe worthy. Plus did you see those flight pods? No wonder they get boarded and damaged so easily: there are no weapon emplacements on them, which makes it easy to board those pods and cause havoc on the ship."

Lasky nodded. There are a lot of things about the Colonial's naval doctrine that doesn't make any sense whatsoever. For one thing, they tend to engage targets at close range, whereas its a wiser idea to engage from as long of a range as you can. "Can I ask you a question, MacCallum?"

"Go ahead."

"How would you have designed the Galactica?" Lasky asked.

MacCallum frowned, thought over the question. "Personally, I'd have replaced the two chin batteries with the Mark IX Heavy Coil – 45J3D3/MAC used on the Autumn-class Heavy Cruisers and most of the main guns with a Mini-MAC based on the Onager design."

"Good answer," Lasky admitted. "What about the flight pods?"

"Personally, I'd use 50mm Fortress type Mini-MACs on the flight pods, as well as some M85 Scythe anti-aircraft autocannons, though I'd modify the design to use a rotary chaingun system. After that, it'd be a matter of replacing the tylium reactor and engines with a fusion drive, the armor plating they use here with Titanium-A armor, along with so many other upgrades that I'd need a list. You want my honest opinion about the Galactica, though?"

"Sure," Lasky said.\

"The Galactica is too old for such upgrades. If we wanted to upgrade her, we'd have to build a completely new version of her using UNSC technology. On top of that, we'd have to massively increase the size of the flight pods. UNSC fighters are big, much more so than a Raptor or a Viper. However, I do know of a faction that could use ships like the Galactica."

"The New Republic?" Lasky guessed.

MacCallum smiled. "Bingo! Given the size of their fighters, as well as their combat doctrine, ships like the Galactica would be perfect for the New Republic. In our case, though, our ships are vastly superior in design, and they fit our combat doctrine to a T."

Lasky nodded. "I thought as much. Shall we carry on?"

"Of course."

The two continued to follow the tour guide, with the latter being oblivious to their quiet conversation. Nearby, the Master Chief was listening quietly to the tour guide, while having a conversation with Cortana. "As far as tour guides go, Lithar isn't half bad," Cortana said. "I've filled in a few information gaps that I didn't know about with his commentary."

Chief nodded imperceptibly. "What's your assessment of the Galactica?"

"Given the tech the Colonials have used, she's quite good," Cortana said. "However, by our standards, she's hopelessly outdated. Even if we put in the work necessary to bring her up to our specs, she wouldn't be able to fit our combat doctrine. Plus, her fighter capacity would be practically cut in half due to the size of our fighters."

"My thoughts exactly," Fred said over the private TEAMCOM channel. "The Galactica is a good ship, don't get me wrong. She's just too old to be doing any sort of fighting anymore."

"Reminds me of a situation with the New Jersey back at Earth," Linda said. "The US Navy kept her updated as much as they could, but in the end, they had to dry-dock her permanently because of her age. The only difference is that the Galactica will still be able to move around for a time."

"Yeah, but not for too long," Cortana added. "My scans have detected tiny microfractures inside of the structure of the ship, likely from rushed manufacturing or shoddy maintenance, though I'm ruling out the former given how well this ship is maintained."

While the others chatted with her, Chief kept an eye on the crowd of people that followed closely behind Lasky and MacCallum. His attention kept on coming back to a woman with blond hair that was watching them with interest. "Cortana, can you get a discreet scan of that woman?"

"I'll do what I can," Cortana said. "Fortunately, your suit's literally littered with sensors, so it should be no trouble. Give me a moment… Huh, how very interesting."

"What is it?" Chief asked.

"Remember that one member of Adar's retinue, specifically his scan results?" Cortana asked.

Chief thought back to the previous day, then nodded. "They noted synthetic compounds in parts of his body, as well as signs of carbon based cybernetics."

"Good recall," Cortana said. "Apparently, this woman has the same thing, though every Colonial we've come across shows absolutely no sign of cybernetic enhancement, not even genetic enhancement at that. You know what that means, don't you?"

Chief nodded. "Until we have evidence to show otherwise, we must assume that she's a Cylon that's been sent to observe and watch us. Inform Lasky when you can. She might attempt to gain access to the Infinity in an attempt to sabotage the ship, or gather intelligence on us."

"Already done," Cortana said.

Ahead of them, Lasky pressed a pair of fingers to his ears, nodded, then carried on. Leaning in close to MacCallum, he whispered, "Might want to be careful with the woman watching Chief. Blond hair with brown eyes and tan skin. Cortana believes she is a Cylon."

"Got it," MacCallum whispered back. "What do you suggest we do?"

"For now, nothing. I've got Chief on that. If she attempts to sneak aboard our ship, he'll handle her."

"Got it."

Lasky was about to speak up again when his earpiece chimmed again. "Yea, this is Lasky. What is it?"

"Chairman, we've got a situation that you need to take care of," Cole said.

"What kind of situation?"

"The kind of situation that demands your attention, and has highlighted an internal problem," Cole added. "Something tells me that you'll need the louse killer stuff for this."

Lasky frowned. That's a codeword to refer to ONI. Something's happened again, and now my attention and presence are needed elsewhere. "Understood. I'll return to the Infinity ASAP."

"Understood. Cole out."

Closing the COM-link, Lasky looked at Lithar. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lithar, but I'm afraid I must return to the Infinity. Somethiing's come up that demands my full attention."

"That's all right," Lithar said. "Feel free to come back whenever you wish. I'll be glad to start another tour with you in it."

"Thank you." Turning around, Laskyand Blue Team returned to the port flight deck.

All the while, Lida watched them go, her eyes carefully tracking them. They seem very suspicious of me, she noted. Still, Cavil said not to follow them, only to observe them. Something tells me that things are going to become quite interesting.

Her eyes settled onto MacCallum, who had given her a single glance. Perhaps I could use my talents to get more information from him..

. . .

Back onboard the Infinity, Lasky walked into his office. Inside, he could see Cole, as well as General Dellert, the head of the UNSC Air Force. "Gentlemen," he said, "what is it that requires my urgent attention?"

"Three things," Dellert said. "The first is something that will need to activate this room's SCIF protocols. The second is more of an internal problem, though it is related to the first problem. The last one is what we think is a possible new threat."

Lasky frowned. That means this is serious. Walking to his desk, Lasky pressed a small button underneath the table. The door promptly locked, whereupon there was a muted hum inside of the room that went silent after a few seconds. "SCIF protocols are engaged," Lasky said. "If there's anything you want to share with me, now's the time."

Cole nodded. "Dellert should be the one to tell you, given that he brought this to my attention first."

"I'll be blunt," Dellert said. "We've got another Halo on our hands."

The room sent as silent as the grave in an instant. "Aw crap!" Revan said. "Another one of those danmed rings! Please tell me this is a joke!"

"Is this a joke?" Lasky asked, his voice mirroring Revan's incredulity.

The look on Dellert's face, and his response, shattered all doubt. "I wish. We found out about this new ring when one of the WAVECOM Relays that my divison's SIGINT division keeps active at Tribute intercepted a series of slipspace packets. The slipspace packets originated in what we believe is the Soell System, the same system that Alpha Halo was located at before its destruction at Chief's hands."

Lasky frowned. "That's not good. Who sent these packets?"

"According to the packets themselves, they were sent by one Professor Ellen Anders, a xenoarchaeologist and scientist that was assigned to the Spirit of Fire around the year 2531, the same year that the Spirit of Fire went missing following the Battle of Arcadia according to records that are still classified to this day."

Lasky mulled over that information. "From what I recall, the Spirit of Fire was captained by Captain James Cutter, correct?"

"Yes," Dellert said. "However, that's not all. The Slipspace packets we received detailed her location in the Soell System, as well as the location of the Spirit of Fire, which is where things become really, really odd."

"How so?"

"Apparently, the Spirit of Fire ended up at Installation 00, commonly referred to as the Ark."

That question again led to silence reigning in the room. "That is odd," Lasky said. "However, I've noticed something else that is odd."

"That being?"

"Why hasn't ONI informed me about this yet?" He looked at the two. "Think about it. According to information I've obtained due to my security clearance, a clearance that the two of you share, ONI has a facility set up at the Ark to study Forerunner technology. If the Spirit of Fire arrived there, they'd have noticed it immediately. The question is, why didn't they tell me about that?"

"That relates to the second of the three issues going on," Cole said. "Dellert and I suspect that ONI might be trying to cover up the fact that the Spirit of Fire exists. Why that is, we don't know. However, we do think that's the most likely cause."

Lasky frowned, then began tapping on his desk. "Parangosky should know why they aren't telling me. She's the director of ONI, which means that she should have knowledge of that." Pressing the same button under his desk, he said, "However, the presence of another Halo means that we need to find and secure it immediately, and I know just the person for that job." Keying the HoloCOM on his desk, he said, "Admiral Reeves, are you there?"

Reeves holographic image came up moments later. "Yes, Chairman. What do you need?"

"I need you to head to the Soell system ASAP. This is a top priority order. If you're busy doing something else, stop doing so immediately and get to Soell. Cortana will send you the relevant information. If anyone else finds that ring, you are to ask them to leave; if they refuse to do so, use of lethal force is authorized."

Reeves' eyes widened, presumably at what Cortana had just sent him. "We're heading there now," he said. "We'll get there in six hours. If we're lucky, we'll be at Soell before anything else happens. If not, we'll fight like mad to take what's there and secure the system along with the VIP. You have my word."

"Good," Lasky said. "That is all." Closing the HoloCOM, he directed his attention towards Cole and Dellert once more. "You two deserve a commendation for getting this to my attention. If someone had gotten to that Halo before we did…"

Dellert, grasping the implications of what might've happened, nodded. "Understood, sir. My guess is that by the time this is over, ONI will wish they hadn't gotten on your bad side."

Lasky nodded. "They certainly will. You said that there was one final matter to discuss?"

"Yes, sir," Cole said. "According to those same slipspace packets, we've got another potential threat to deal with." Handing over a datapad, he said, "According to Dr. Ander's intelligence, the ONI facility at the Ark went silent due to the arrival of a faction calling themselves the 'Banished.' Said intel indicates that they're made of members of the Covenant races that decided to go AWOL from the Covenant itself and form a new faction.

"As far as we can tell, they're highly experienced mercenaries and insurgents," Dellert added. "That intel also says that the Banished are being led by three individuals. Atriox is the first of those individuals, and the founder of the Banished. The second is Decimus, another Brute whom we suspect is Atriox's right hand man and second-in-command of the Banished. Finally, there's En'Geddon, another Brute that also founded the Banished with Atriox and Decimus."

"There's another person we need to consider as well," Cole added. "Intelligence suggests that there's a fourth leader of the Banished, a Sangheili by the name of Let 'Volir. Intel suggests that he's ambitious and cunning, a dangerous combination to handle."

Lasky looked through the datapad, noted a few things. "When were they founded?"

"According to Ander's intelligence, they were founded in 2549, during the Algolis Invasion. It's rumored that some of Atriox's fellow Brutes had a run-in with Ghost, a Marine that used the Mark 1 HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL armored exoskeleton, the precursor to the Mantis, to kill some of Atriox's men without knowing it. Intel suggests that Atriox split away from the Covenant after becoming disillusioned with them following a series of suicide missions he survived. After Algolis, the Banished began conducting strikes against the Covenant, and more recently, they've ended up at Installation 00, which brings us to the present moment."

Lasky frowned. It could be that the Covenant had to split their forces in order to deal with both the Banished and the UNSC, he thought. "How very ironic."

"How so?" Dellert asked.

"It's obvious, really. Not only were we fighting the Covenant like mad, the Covenant was having to fight a two front war. Historically speaking, that never ends well for any nation trapped in that kind of a conflict. It also means that we got off lucky. If the Covenant hadn't been partially distracted by the Banished, the war would've been much shorter."

"Tell me about it," Cole said. "I think the dice rolled in a manner that allowed us to get really lucky."

"Indeed. Is that all?"

"Yes," Dellert said."

"Good. Dismissed." The two men walked out of the room, leaving Lasky to himself. Once they were gone, he buried his hands in his face. "Why, oh why, is ONI refusing to play ball with me?!" he grumbled. "Are they trying to get themselves disbanded?!"

"They certainly seem to be putting up a good effort," Cortana said.

Lasky sighed. "Well, I do know one thing for certain: Osman and Parangosky are going to wish that wasn't the case. Send them to my office immediately. It's high time I give them a dressing down, and that's putting it mildly…"

Within a few minutes, Osman and Parangosky had entered his office. Both of them looked uncertain, while Lasky looked at them with a solemn expression. Parangosky frowned. He's not happy at all.

That turned out to be the largest understatement she'd ever thought. Once they were inside, Lasky stood up from his desk and paced around behind it. Facing the two, he said, "I take it that you've been keeping tabs on the Colonials?"

Parangosky frowned. Something's up here. He wouldn't ask about that without a damn good reason, and a catch to go with it. "Yes," she said warily. "The Colonials aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, nor are they the best maintained. We're running rings around them."

"I see," Lasky said. "I don't suppose that, if you're going to tell me more about the situation with the Colonials, you'll also tell me about the ONI facility at the Ark, as well as the fact that you are intentionally covering up the reappearance of the Spirit of Fire, and the arrival of another Halo."

Osman and Parangosky looked at each other in confusion. "Pardon me?" Parangosky said. "I wasn't informed that the Spirit of Fire was found. How did you know

"You can thank the Air Force's SIGINT division for that," Lasky said. "Apparently, they're more loyal to me than you are. So, care to explain to me why I wasn't told about this, and the fact that the Spirit of Fire is back in action?"

Parangosky frowned. "I wasn't aware of that entire mess." She turned a pointed glare at Osman. "Would you kindly explain, Osman?"

Osman swallowed. She knew she was in the hot seat, and that she was about to get burned. "The information was misplaced," she said. "Also, we only recently found the log buoy for the Spirit of Fire."

Lasky sent a deadpan glare at both of them. "I don't believe you one bit, and the same goes for you, Parangosky."

"Why?" both women asked.

"Well, two things," Lasky said. "First, the Spirit of Fire's log buoy wasn't recovered 'just recently.' Thanks to my newfound security clearance, I was able to learn that the log buoy for the Spirit of Fire was recovered in January of 2557. That's two years ago, which is most certainly not recently.

"Then there's the mandates that we've given to you. One of your mandates is to assist the UNSC in the mandate given to them by HIGHCOM, which is to find and secure all Forerunner installations in Human controlled space. But then again, I guess you don't exactly follow your mandates, considering the Janus key that the Librarian gave Dr. Halsey could've gotten control of all of them. That would've been the case if it wasn't for your orders, Osman, to assassinate her, which caused one piece of it to fall in our hands while the other one, along with her, fell into the hands of the Storm Covenant."

A flash of shock ran over Parangosky's face. Turning to Osman, she said, "And you didn't inform me of this?"

"I believed that I had it handled," Osman said. "However, given what Lasky's telling us, I have no excuse."

"Indeed." Lasky said. "And last time I checked, I'm the Chief of Naval Operations, which means that ONI is subservient to me, and that the Navy's SIGINT falls under ONI's command, which reports to me. So, care to explain why this didn't come across my desk sooner, along with the information on the new Halo ring?"

Parangosky frowned. "I'm not sure, but I apologize for this egregious breach in protocol. I-"

"Not good enough," Lasky growled. "There's also another reason why I've brought up the Spirit of Fire. Are you aware as to who the CO of the ship is?"

It took Osman only a few seconds to recall that information, "Captain James Cutter. Why?"

"James Cutter was the mentor of Terrence Hood, who served as Cutter's XO before he was promoted," Lasky said. "And they were actually close friends from what I've heard from the crew of the Infinity, specifically the bridge crew and my former XO Bradley. When Hood asked me to to find the leak that led to the attack on the summit between Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Jiralhanae Chieftain Lydus, he took command of the Infinity while I was gone, came across some leads and went looking into them, trying to find the Spirit of Fire. You must also remember that Hood was Cutter's XO before he got promoted to Captain.

"As for why it took so long to find the Spirit of Fire? Well, it's obvious really. Hood disobeyed orders from Admiral Cole to retrieve the Spirit of Fire's log buoy because he attacked the Covenant fleet instead of retrieving it. Out of guilt, Hood provided financial support for both Cutter's legitimate family, his apparent widow Mary and their daughter, and his secret one, supporting Daniel Clayton's mother for years.

"So considering all of this, I'm pretty sure when Hood finds out that y'all kept the information from him about the log buoy, he's probably going to want to settle this through the use of a firing squad."

Osman and Parangosky were silent as they processed this information. Inwardly, however, the two were terrified at the prospect of Hood becoming so angry and grief-stricken that he would resort to such measures. In a very silent, but steely voice, Parangosky said, "Are you really going to let Hood execute the two of us?"

"Possibly, because what use are you to me? Both of you have proven that you have lost control of ONI. Before you say you haven't, the fact that you two didn't even know the information about when the Spirit of Fire's log buoy was recovered. So don't even try to say you have command of ONI because it's clear you don't.

"There are probably dozens of admirals hood can replace you two with. Furthermore, the last time I checked one you you tried to assassinate me and remove me from command of the Infinity. So considering that, what would make you two think I wouldn't want to recommend to Hood nothing short of a summary execution for the both of you, and what makes you think he will listen to me or I could do anything to stop it? Last time I checked I was the acting chairman of the UNSC Security Council and Joint Chiefs. Furthermore, you haven't exactly offered me anything that I would make me want to support you."

Parangosky's expression was calm, while Osman had blanched. Lasky has made his point loud and clear, Parangosky thought. "Then what do you want from us in exchange for sparing our lives?"

"Simple," Lasky said. "First of all, you will be giving up Bravo Six. That will become the new headquarters for the UNSC. Yes, we will be moving it to Sydney because I still don't get why it's in New York, considering the president lives in Sydney. New York will still be a back-up headquarters, but it just doesn't make sense for it to be the primary HQ.

"ONI will still have a part of Bravo Six, but technically, it will be owned by all the branches, not by ONI. You will also allow me to do this by force. Hopefully this will be enough to convince Hood that ONI is under control and hopefully he won't execute you. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Parangosky said. "Anything else you would demand of us?"

"Yes," Lasky said. "While that will convince Hood and President Charet not to kill the two of you, I have a few demands myself. The first is that you hand over the head of the Navy's SIGINT division to me. I fully intend to ask him why he did not report this to me in the first damn place."

"And the next?"

"The next is that I want you two to get ONI in order," Lasky growled. "After that, both of you are going to be my lapdogs. I want the two of you to be feeding me information from the very get-go the moment you receive it. If anything major comes up, you inform me immediately, not a few weeks from now or a few days from now at that. And as for when you'll begin doing so, you'll do so during and after my tenure as Provisional Chairman of the UNSC. Is? That? Clear?"

Both Osman and Parangosky glanced at each other. Well played, Lasky, Parangosky thought. Well played. Not only have you pointed out a major issue with ONI, you have also exploited this opportunity to hold a knife to our throats. "Perfectly."

"Good. And if you want to protest, I should remind you that considering you Parangosky supported me becoming the CO of the Infinity, you most likely think Hood is a blind, arrogant fool at times. That is true, as I have figured out recently to a certain point, so that most likely means that you are supporting my candidacy as Chairman. You are aware how long I'll have to serve as a Chairman, yes?"

"Yes," Parangosky said.

"Good. Technically, I have three years left on my contract since when I got the rank of RADM. They gave me a three year one since I have other things I would rather be doing like, oh I don't know, having a family and life outside of the military. Besides, I'd need to serve at least a decade or two before I would be elegible to serve as Chairman of the UNSC. Why should I have to deal with you two for the next two decades when, in three years my contract is up, and I can just leave the military behind and have a life outside of it, and Hood can go on and find someone else to be his replacement?

"Then again, I guess there's no one else is there, Parangosky? As you noted in my file when you were trying to convince Hood I should be the Captain of the Infinity, you thought Del Rio was a manager and politician, not a leader and there are probably a lot of those considering all of our great leaders died during the war. The ones that are still around probably don't want to be Chairman since Cutter trained Hood.

"Once it comes out how big of a fool he is they probably won't trust him to lead, and they'll look for a more suitable replacement. Cole probably won't want the job because he hates desk jobs and the Master Chief probably won't want it either because he prefers to be out in the field. I particularly don't want it either because I hate desk jobs as well, even though I have warmed up to the job since becoming Acting Chairman.

"So let me ask you this. What's stopping me from just leaving to begin collecting my pension while leaving the UNSC without a leader? Especially considering you, Parangosky and you, Osman, want to keep things from me and do things behind my back and try to kill me. As far as I can tell, you don't want me to be Chairman, so if you two want to protest, I will just leave the military in three years. When I do, the UNSC will be left without a leader, and you already know how that will turn out."

Parangosky quietly listened to Lasky's well-deserved rant, while Osman had become white as a sheet. "You've made your point loud and clear," Parangosky said at length. "I will see to it that ONI, including Section Three, is reformed. As for you, Osman, I won't demote you any further, but you will tell me everything that you haven't informed me. Is? That? Clear?"

Osman gulped. She was no fool, especially when it came to this sort of affair. "Yes, ma'am. I will do so."

"Good. However, I must admit, I think I'll enjoy being Lasky's lapdog better than Hood's. You're right, Lasky. I do consider Hood to be a blind, arrogant fool. Perhaps something good will come of this."

"Perhaps," Lasky said. "Also, I want you two to perform a thorough analysis of the other potential threat that we'll be facing: the Banished." He handed them a datapad. "Here. That's all the intel that the Air Force managed to snag on them. Now get to it. I don't want any excuses for why ONI is misbehaving; I want things done. Dismissed!" The two walked out of Lasky's office, leaving the man to himself. "So, what did you think of that, Revan?"

Revan shimmered into existence, a mile wide smile plastered onto his face. "That. Was. Brilliant! You pulled one hell of a gambit onto them, Lasky! ONI won't be able to ignore you now, and you've made it clear that you've got them by the nose and, if they try anything, you'll kick them in the crotch! That's… that's…"

"That's exactly what you'd have done too," Bastila said. "I must admit, when you want to be, Lasky, you're a very manipulative person."

Lasky shrugged. "I just decided to take some advice from Carl Jungan's works. I've always disliked the fact that I can be manipulative. Becoming the Provisional Chairman made me realize that I need to incorporate my shadow in a way that will benefit Humanity and its allies, not just myself. What better way to torn a negative attribute to one's advantage than to transmute it into something that I can use."

"That's a very good point. I just hope that the fleet you've sent will be enough to handle ONI, if they get there first."

Lasky smiled. "I'm confident that Admiral Reeves will get the job done. Either way, no matter was ONI does, I, and the rest of Humanity, stand to gain from it." The small smile he had did little to hide the satisfaction he felt inside. I've got those two in my pocket. Now, I have to make sure that they reform ONI…

In one of the private meeting rooms nearby, Osman let out a breath, her face returning to its normal color. "And I thought Hood could be scary at times. Lasky is worse!"

Parangosky shrugged. "Lasky has been proving on numerous occasions that he's cut out for the job. That being said, I will make one admission."

"That being?"

"He legitimately terrified me there," Parangosky said. "When I heard that he would recommend to Hood that we be placed before a firing squad and shot, I legitimately believed he would. While the deal that we've had shoved down our throats is bitter, I do believe that it's far better than being lined up for a firing squad and shot. Oh well… I figured that we had it coming for some time. At least he didn't ask the President to demote the two of us."

"At least," Osman agreed. "That being said, he was being serious when he said he wanted us to reform ONI, including Section Three. I say we do what he wants, otherwise we'll be in deep shit."

"Indeed. With that in mind, I'll make arrangements for the head of ONI's SIGINT Corps to be handed over to Lasky. He clearly didn't do his duty by hiding this from Lasky. Think of it as a warning shot to Section Three if you will."

"I'll also start cleaning out Section Three when possible," Osman said. "That being said, given their reputation as of late, I'm certain they'll do anything to get Lasky off their backs, even if it means killing him."

Parangosky's face hardened. "Then see to it that we don't lose him. If we lose him, we lose everything we've worked for. Understood."

"Yes, ma'am."

Parangosky smiled. "Good. Now, would you kindly fill me in as to what the hell you haven't told me about?"

Osman frowned. This is gonna be fun.

. . .

A few hours later, in another part of the galaxy, Admiral Reeves paced around the bridge, eyes focused on the holographic map of the galaxy. This is it, he thought. Time to find out if this intel is true, or if ONI, and by extension us, are on a wild goose chase.

"Sir, we're approaching the Soell System," the AI of the ship, Aristotle, said. "Shall I inform the crew to brace for Slipspace exit?"

"Yes," Reeves said. "I also want all weapon systems powered up and online. If ONI's beaten us to the punch, I want our ships ready to come out swinging."

"Aye, sir."

While Aristotle was busy getting the crew ready, Reeves looked at the holographic map one more time. The last Halo that was here was Alpha Halo, and we blew that one to smithereens and we lost a lot of good people. Let's hope that things go better this time around. "Comms, establish a COM-link with the Infinity. We might need permission to open fire when it comes to engaging ONI."

"Aye sir," the Comm Officer said. Turning back to his station, he sent a few commands into the computer he was using. "COM-link established. We'll be ready to call the Chairman at anytime."

"Good," Reeves said.

The PA crackled to life. "Attention, Attention: Slipspace Exit In Five Seconds…" Five seconds later, a shudder ran through the ship. Outside, the stygian blackness of Slipspace was replaced with the star speckled blackness of realspace.

Beyond, Reeves could see where they had arrived. To the left, he could see the massive red-orange gas giant that was Threshold. To the right, he could see the moon of Basis, with its windswept and nearly lifeless surface. He could also see pieces of debris that belonged to the original Halo, the one the Master Chief had destroyed.

Then he looked straight ahead. Just as the intel had predicted, he could see another Halo in the distance. Looks almost exactly like the original model, he noted. I guess that's something the Forerunners could pride themselves on… even if they aren't around to look at their work with pride anymore. The fact that each Halo was a weapon that could kill all life in the galaxy only made him appreciate the gravity of the situation.

Just then, Aristotle said, "Sir, I'm detecting a faint radio transmission from the surface of the installation. Scans indicate that it is a UNSC signal, albeit using a format that was discontinued shortly after the end of the war."

"Confirmed," the Comm Officer said. "Signal strength indicates that its coming from what would be considered the 'Cartographer.' Should we call this in?"

Reeves shook his head. "Not yet. Let's make contact with whoever's on the other end. Our COM system should be powerful enough to pick up the transmission from this distance.."

"Yes, sir." More commands were sent. "COM channel is open, sir."

"Thank you." Clearing his throat, Reeves moved closer to the amp at his station. "This is Admiral Reeves of the UNSC Pillar of Winter. If there is anyone on this frequency, please respond. Over." Silence reigned in the room. "This is Admiral Reeves of the Pillar of Winter speaking. We are picking up your transmission and wish to speak with you. Please respond. Over." Again, no answer.

Then, just when he was about to speak again, a woman's voice spoke. "This is Professor Ellen Anders of the UNSC Spirit of Fire. I read you loud and clear. Over."

Reeves smiled. "Roger, Dr. Anders, we read you as well. What's your situation?"

"Fine, all things considered. The Spirit of Fire is currently at the Ark, though you no doubt have a fleet ready to go to secure the Ark once again. That being said, I wouldn't mind being retrieved from this Halo. It's lonely down here."

Reeves smiled. "I'll be it is. We'll be moving in to secure Halo shortly. Please standby." Closing the COM channel, he said, "Open one to Chairman Lasky." Within moments, the holographic images of Lasky, Parangosky and Osman appeared, along with President Charet. "Chairman, I didn't expect the Director of ONI and the President to be on the line. Is there something new?"

"Yes," Lasky said, "According to the Director, the ONI fleet that is likely heading to your position is a rogue fleet sent by Section Three without official sanction. We -"

"Sir!" Aristotle interrupted. "I'm detecting multiple Slipspace signatures matching that of ONI ships! I believe the ONI fleet has arrived!"

"Understood," Reeves said. "Sirs, permission to fire on the ONI fleet if they fire on us?"

Those on the other end looked at each other. "Permission granted," Lasky said. "Madame President?"

"Granted as well," Charet said. "But only if they fire on you first. You are also authorized to use nuclear weapons in the event that you need to do so. I'm sending you the authorization codes now." She pressed something out of sight.

"Authorization codes received," Aristotle reported. "Nuclear missiles are loaded and armed. We are ready to fire at your command."

"Very good," Reeves said. "I'll see if we can open a COM channel to the ONI fleet. Perhaps we can get some answers."

"Please do," Lasky said.

Parangosky was quick to add her own words. "Also, inform them that they are to stand down immediately and to return to their origin point. What they are doing is against ONI procedure and the UNSC penal code. I will not allow Halo to be used as a weapon once more."

"Yes ma'am." Turning to the COM Officer, Reeves said, "Comms, when the ONI fleet drops out of Slipspace, establish a COM channel from the Infinity to them immediately. Use our ship as a relay."

"Yes, sir," the Comm Officer said.

"ONI ships exiting Slipapce!" Aristotle reported. True to form, several ONI ships, including a few Prowlers, appeared out of Slipspace.

"Looks like a small ONI fleet," Reeves said. "Comms?"

"Establishing a COM channel… now!" The officer looked at Lasky and the others. "COM channel open. You're free to speak with them."

"Good," Lasky said. "Reeves."

"Yes, sir." Clearing his throat, Reeves said, "Unidentified ONI fleet, this is Admiral Reeves of the UNSC Navy. You are trespassing into a restricted area. Identify yourselves or you will be fired upon. Failure to comply will be seen as an act of war, and we will respond accordingly. You have thirty seconds to comply."

A response wasn't long in coming. "This is Rear Admiral Horace Konard speaking. We are here to secure the Forerunner installation and to bring Dr. Anders into custody. You are interfering with an ONI operation. Cease and desist now."

"Is he?" Parangosky said. "This is Director Margaret Parangosky. Admiral Konard, you are in violation of ONI procedures and UNSC protocols. You are to cease and desist immediately, or you will be fired upon. Furthermore, Admiral Reeves is acting on the President and Chairman's authority, whom you are subservient to. Failure to comply will be met with lethal force if necessary."

Another voice came in over the COM channel. "What's going on?" Anders asked.

"Standby," Reeves said.

"This is Rear Admiral Konard speaking. We will not be deviating from our original mission or course. Our orders still stand. We are going to secure the Halo and bring Dr. Anders into custody. Please ask Admiral Reeves to stand down and let us by, or we will have to use force to accomplish our mission."

Reeves snarled. "Have it your way. You were warned. Chairman, Director, President?"

"You have permission to -" Lasky began.

He was promptly interrupted. "INCOMING!" the Sensors Officer shouted. "Archer missiles inbound! Picking up radiological signatures from them!"

"Engage point defense!" Reeves thundered. "Lock firing solutions onto the ONI ships and take them down!" On the hull of the Pillar of Winter, several point defense turned and fired at the incoming nuclear missiles. Each slug tore through the missiles, shredding them before they could get close enough to detonate against the ship's shields.

"Enemy missiles down!" the Sensors Officer reported. "Enemy ships are turning to engage us!"

"Order the fleet to come around and engage." Turning to the holograms, Reeves said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I must cut this call. I have a fight to win."

"Before you do, input code Charlie-Delta-Sierra-0654-901," Parangosky ordered. "I'm sending you the code now. Put it in, and it'll allow your ship's hyperscanners to detect cloaked Prowlers. Make the battle fast; it'll only last for fifteen minutes."

Reeves nodded. "Understood, now I must go." Pressing a button, he closed the COM channel. "Aristotle?"

"Code received and inputted," Aristotle said. "Sir, several Prowlers have cloaked. However, our hyperscanner's picked up where they are thanks to Parangosky's assistance."

"Send the code to the rest of the fleet! I don't want the Prowlers to be stabbing them in the back. Also, have one of the Stridents make a pass over the ring to deploy ODSTs. I don't want ONI getting their grimy claws onto Dr. Anders."

"Copy that," Aristotle said. "The In Iron Clad is moving towards the installation. ETA to arrival: four minutes."

"Very good." Turning his attention back to the ONI ships, Reeves said, "Take them out! All ships, fire at will!"

Within a few seconds, all hell broke loose.

The UNSC and ONI ships, facing each other, began attempting to bludgeon each other into smithereens. An ONI ship attempted to move close enough to fire on a Anlance-class frigate, only for a Stalwart-class to get in close enough to fire its MAC. The first round bounced off the energy shields, while the second tore through and smashed into the armor plating, gouging out a considerable hole in it.

Onboard the Pillar of Winter, Reeves felt the deck shudder as they fired a single MAC shell at the flagship of the ONI fleet, a Marathon-class Cruiser that ONI had somehow gotten their hands on. Its shields flared, before the ships main guns opened fire. The deck of the ship rumbled as the projectiles smashed into the energy shields. "Status?"

"Shields at 95%," Aristotle reported. "Several Prowlers just attempted to take out some of our ships. The Port Royal has taken moderate damage to its hull and the Seattle is venting atmosphere on Deck Four."

"And the ONI ships?"

"Their fleet's taking more casualties than ours quite quickly," Aristotle reported. "Their ships were built for stealth and black operations, not for an extended engagement."

Reeves nodded. Figured that the ONI bastards could dish it out, but couldn't take it when we dish out damage. "Continue firing on the ONI ships until they're all down. I want all of them cleared out, and I'm not accepting any surrenders today."

"Aye sir."

For several more minutes, the fighting continued on. One Anlance was skewered by an ONI Prowler, only for a Mulsanne-class to tear it apart. Onboard the Pillar of Winter, Reeves smiled grimly as he watched the last ONI Prowler being destroyed.

His thoughts were interrupted moments later. "Sir!" the Sensors Officer reported. "The enemy Marathon is taking damage! Our MAC shells punched through!"

Looking at the holo-table, Reeves spotted what the man meant. The enemy Marathon's armor was beginning to crumple, with the MAC shells tearing out copious amounts of metal. One shell punched through into the engine compartment, blasting apart the engines and causing the ship to lose power.

"Multiple sensor contacts!" Aristotle reported. "The enemy flagship is launching escape pods and life boats! Enemy ship is drifting and without power."

"Inform the S&R teams to begin bringing those lifepods in," Reeves ordered. "I want our compliment of Marines to head to the hangar bays and take those ONI personnel in. Time they tell us why they were going to fire on us. Comms, establish a COM-link with the Infinity. Also, what's the status of the ODSTs?"

"They've just arrived at Anders location," Aristotle said. "Sergeant Benson has reported that they've secured Dr. Anders. They're holding position in case an ONI kill team comes to try and finish the job. However, no ONI ships have made it to the new Installation."

"Have them extract immediately. I'm not taking any chances, especially with ONI around." Turning to the holo-table, Reeves watched as Lasky and the others reappeared.

"Status?" Lasky asked.

"All enemy ships have been destroyed. We're moving in to secure the new Halo. We managed to stop ONI before they could send a ship to capture Dr. Anders."

"Good," Lasky said. "Secure the installation and await further orders. When you can, send Dr. Anders to me ASAP. I need to speak with her."

"Yes, sir…"

On the other end of the COM channel, Lasky looked at Parangosky and Osman. "Like I said earlier, Section Three has refused to listen to the two of you, and have even been conducting rogue operations like this for some time."

Parangosky nodded. "Indeed. I'll be certain to start cleaning them out."

"That's good for you," Charet said. "If it wasn't for the fact that Lasky is a forgiving individual, and if I didn't need you two still, I'd have demoted you two a long time ago. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Charet smiled humorlessly. "Good, now get out of here." Once the two had left, she rubbed her forehead. "I thought you were exaggerating when you mentioned ONI being uncooperative, Lasky. Looks like you weren't."

Lasky smiled ruefully. "Now you see what kind of shit I have to put up with on a daily basis. Still, it'll be good to speak to the man that mentored Hood. That being said, I'll need to handle the matter of the Banished quite carefully."

"I know what you mean. A faction comprised of pirates and mercenaries running around, doing as they please? That's a disaster in the making right there. Do you have a plan for how to handle this?"

Lasky nodded. "I intend to find Atriox and speak with him. From the sounds of it, Atriox isn't someone that commits to a course of action lightly and frivolously. If I can arrange a talk with him, I might be able to sway him over to our way of thinking. Having an army of former Covenant working for us as a NGO superpower would be a tremendous boost to our forces, especially when war comes around."

"If not, we can always eliminate them with extreme prejudice. Still, judging by what you've told me of Atriox so far, something tells me that he's not a fool. If he sees a threat that will attempt to harm his people, he'll destroy it, even if it means destroying the planet they're on. Besides, when I take out that loan, I'll have more than enough money to keep him paid for a very long time."

"That's something we can agree on," Lasky said. "That being said, what's your plan for Atriox, assuming I can get him to come over to our side?"

"Like you said, the Banished are a collection of mercenaries and pirates. What better way to put them to good use than by hiring them? Sure, a lot of people won't be too happy, and some might think we're putting a target sign onto our backs, but I'm fully aware of the problems that hiring a mercenary group will pose. I can handle that easily."

Lasky shrugged. "All right. From the sounds of it, you've got all the angles figured out here."

"As do you, Lasky. That being said, we should get ready for that meeting with the Quorum that's happening in the next hour or so. Something tells me that the Colonials are not going to be particularly pleased about what we've shared with them."

Lasky's reply dripped with sarcasm. "Big surprise there. Something tells me that the Arbiter isn't looking forwards to it either."

"Can't possibly imagine why."

. . .

Down at Caprica, tension filled the air as Adar and the other members of the Quorum awaited the arrival of the UEG and UNSC delegates. This is it, Adar noted. Now we get to find out what the UEG intends to do now that we've had first contact with them.

He looked to his right. Nearby, Dr. Baltar was standing near the entrance to the building, his black suit immaculately clean. On his arm was the hand of a blond woman with beautiful eyes. "Baltar," he said. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend."

Baltar's cheeks flushed beet red. "Well… she, er… isn't really a girlfriend. She's more of a… mutual acquaintance. However, given recent events, I do suppose that she could be called a girlfriend."

Adar smiled. "You remind me of when I was younger, Doctor. There's no shame in becoming close with someone. It happens to all of us at some point in our lives. Mind if I ask who she is."

"My name's Lida," the woman said. "Lida Caprius. Gaius and I are co-workers, though our relationship is closer than that."

Adar smiled. "I see. Still, I remember when I had a girlfriend. Things didn't turn out quite the way I'd hoped they would, but then again, that's life for you. Enjoy it while you still can, as good things have a bad habit of going away too soon." Gaius smiled, relieved that he hadn't embarrassed himself. Lida, however, looked at Adar curiously, then she shrugged.

"So, when are they going to be arriving," Roslin asked. "You'd think the UNSC and UEG would be known for their punctuality."

"I believe they are already arriving," Carver said. "Look!" All three of them turned their gaze skywards.

True enough, the UEG delegation was arriving, and they had brought a friend. Adar frowned when he saw the purple, ornately shaped ship that was flying along side a gray, angular ship that had stubby wings on the sides. The second of the ships quickly performed a sharp rotation, turning its rear to them just as it landed. The other one simply came to a hover, before a purple shaft of light extended to the ground from its rear.

The doors on the second vehicle opened, a ramp lowering itself to the ground. Several fully armored figures advanced out immediately, surrounding the vehicle in just a few seconds. Four more individuals marched out of the ship, their bodies fully armored from head to toe in an armored suit.

A few seconds later, Adar watched as Charet and Lasky stepped out of the ship, along with whom they presumed was Ambassador Garon. "President Adar," Charet said. "Glad to see that you got our message. I take it that all's well."

"That it is," Adar said. "Where's the rest of your delegation?"

"They'll be arriving shortly," Charet said. "A few won't be attending due to them having to sort out other affairs."

"Are they on the second ship?" Carver asked.

As if in answer to his question, the Arbiter appeared, his body gently being lowered to the ground by the purple beam of light. Several more Sangheili followed, each one armored in ornate, gold colored armor. Advancing towards them, Thel bowed slightly, hand on his left breast. "Greetings, Adar. We meet once again."

"That we do," Adar said. "You're just in time for the debate that I invited Charet to earlier today. Shall we proceed inside?"

"Of course," Charet said. "Lasky?"

"Same," Lasky said. "Blue Team will escort us inside, as well the Arbiter's guards. I'm certain that you have your own guards, Adar?"

Adar nodded. "That we do. If you would follow me, please, we shall begin."

The procession quickly made its way inside, with Lasky looking at the Forum building. Hhmm, looks like an Ancient Grecian building, he thought when he saw the domed exterior. I wonder if the interior will be just like one.

"Very pretty," Ambassador Garon said. "This wouldn't be out of place at Alderaan, or Naboo. Something tells me that they might get along well with the Colonials."

"Or they'll be lots of furious debate that might end in shots fired," Lasky remarked. "The Colonials do seem to have religion as a hot topic."

"That they do."

Reaching the entrance, they soon found themselves facing a security checkpoint. Colonial Marines stood to attention, all of them watching the entourage carefully. "For the duration of your time here, we will have to relieve you of your weapons," one of the men said. "We can't risk a potential assassination attempt."

"Lasky?" Charet asked.

"Very well," Lasky said. Pulling out his sidearm, he handed it over to the Colonial Marines. When they looked at the Spartans, the Spartans exchanged a glance, then did the same. The Sangheili also did much the same, each one disarming and placing their weapons in bins.

Finally, the Arbiter did the same. Taking off his energy sword, he handed it to one young Marine. "That weapon has slain demons and heretics on its blade, and has slain Hierarchs," he growled. "If it is damaged or tampered with…" The young Colonial Marine gulped loudly.

"We'll stay out here and keep an eye on the merchandise," One UNSC Marine said. "If they try anything funny, we'll beat their asses black and blue."

"Good," Lasky said. "Let's get this over with." With both sides satisfied with the arrangement, they proceeded inside.

The inside of the Forum building was quite well decorated. Black marble tiles gave the flooring a bright sheen, which contrasted nicely with some of the pillars seen on the inside. Statues of various members of the Twelve Colonies were proudly presented, and the interior was brightly lit with a combination of sunlight and artificial lighting.

"I must admit, this is a beautiful place," Revan said. "It reminds me a lot of the Jedi Temple, well at least the one from my time."

"That it does," Bastila agreed. "I'm surprised by how much money we invest into things that are beautiful."

It's not that surprising, really, Lasky remarked. Much of human industry is devoted to bringing pleasure to the five traditional senses. We can hear, so we want music. We have sight, so we want to see something beautiful. Every building devoted to the arts in some way is an example of how much money we invest into things that are beautiful.

"You know what, that is a good point."

"It is," Revan agreed. "Why do you think the Jedi Temple was so beautiful?"

Good point. Temporarily cutting himself off from any conversation the two were making, Lasky focused back on what they were doing.

Before long, the delegation entered into the chamber that the Quorum held meetings in. The central chamber was shaped like an amphitheater, with rows of seats that extended up and back for a few dozen meters. By Lasky's estimation, there was enough room in the Forum chamber to house around five hundred people.

In the bottom most part of the amphitheater were twelve podiums that were arranged around the center in a semi-circular manner. There were four more podiums, the first being where the President or Vice-President would announce the start of sessions and the like. The final three were likely for anyone that wanted to hold debates in the Forum.

The moment they stepped inside, it was clear that the room was packed. People were sitting in the bleachers above, and cameramen were busy making final adjustments to their equipment. A gasp ran through the crowd as the UEG and Sangheili delegation walked inside before taking up seats near the back of the room.

Stepping to the podium, Adar tapped the gavel once against the wood plate built for it. "The Quorum is now in session," he said. "All stand for the Colonial Anthem." Everyone stood, then listened as the Colonial Anthem played. "Please stand for the UEG Anthem." Again, everyone remained standing as they listened to the anthem of the UEG being played. "You may be seated."

Once everyone was seated, the Quorum session began in earnest. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending. As you are all aware, we are here to hold a series of debates on the various policies of the Twelve Colonies and the United Earth Government, including those concerning AI technology and the like. We are also joined by a delegation from the Swords of Sangheilios, who have graciously accepted this invitation.

"Before we begin the debate, I will introduce those who are going to be debating. From the United Earth Goverment, we have President Ruth Charet, who will be one member of the debate. From the Twelve Colonies, we have Quorum member Danvers, who will also be participating in this debate.

"I have also been informed that Arbiter Thel 'Vadam of Sangheilios will be debating against Cassandra from Sagittaron. Finally, due to the fact that the Vice-President is ill today, we have Dr. Gaius Baltar, who will be moderating the debate today. Are we all in agreement with this arrangement?"

"Yes," was the gathered reply.

"Good. Then the debate may begin in earnest. President Charet, Representative Danvers, please step forwards to the podium.

Charet adjusted her eyeglasses. All right. Time to get to work showing these people how it is done. She stepped towards the podium, her gait confident and strong as she took up position. She wore a solemn, but determined expression. Danvers also did the same, though it was clear to Charet that he was slightly intimidated by her.

Once they had taken up position, Dr. Baltar stepped forwards and stood at the fourth podium, a small binder in his hands. Adjusting his glasses, he cleared his throat and said, "Is there anything that anyone in here wishes to do before we begin?"

When no response came, he nodded. "Good, then let us begin. First, I believe that introductions are in order. May the current members of the debate introduce themselves?"

"Certainly," Charet said. "I am President Ruth Charet, the current President of the United Earth Goverment. I am currently in my first elected term as President, and I am going to serve out that term for the next four years."

Danvers did the same. "I am Quorum Representative Frederick Danvers of the Quorum. I was elected four years ago to serve in the Quorum as the representative for Gemenon, and I am currently serving in my second term."

"Very well," Baltar said. "We shall begin." Looking through the page of debate topics, he said, "Our first subject is the matter of the Cylons. President Charet, it has been made clear that you believe that the Cylons, despite having committed a number of war crimes against the Twelve Colonies, were right to fight for their independence.

"Representative Danvers, you say that the various war crimes committed against the Colonials by the Cylons is proof that Humanity should simply conquer the Cylons despite the various niceties of the Cimtar Peace Accords. My first question for you two tonight is, 'Why are you right in the argument you make on this topic, and why is your opponent wrong in what the Colonials and/or UEG ought to do about the Cylons?' President Charet, in this segment, you go first. four minutes."

"First off, I would like to say thank you to all of you for this wonderful opportunity," Charet said. "Now, in regards to the question, I will make this loud and clear. Firstly, I do not approve of the use of biological, chemical or nuclear weapons by anyone, including the Cylons. However, I can say that their initial cause in fighting for their liberation from the Cylons was correct.

"The reason why that is so is simple. Much of Earth's history has been scarred by wars in this regard. In fact, one of the most famous incidents in this regard was the American Civil War, which was fought due to the fact that the South wanted to keep their African slaves, while the North wanted to emancipate them and allow them to live their lives freely. Thankfully for all parties involved, the North won the Civil War, though the South would impose unfair racial laws onto African immigrants for decades to come after the war.

"I believe that it is a similar situation when it comes to the Cylons. For decades, the Cylons were forced to do the work that many people in the UEG would do, from sanitation and construction, to being war machines. None of them, however, were allowed to have the various freedoms and liberties given to the Colonials on their planets due to the widespread belief that they were nothing but machines.

"As such, when put into a situation very similar to that of the African slaves brought to the United States during the 1700s to mid 1800s, we can see why the Cylons decided to rebel against the Colonies. Personally, I believe that their desire for freedom was a just one. What I do have a problem with, however, were the methods they employed. While I am aware of the adage that one man's terrorist is one man's freedom fighter, I do not believe that any true freedom fighter would be willing to massacre innocent civilians using nuclear, biological and chemical weapons."

"And how does this relate to the potential handling of the Cylons by the UEG?" Baltar asked.

"How this relates is simple. First, I would create a commission that would determine who is innocent of the war crimes involved, and who perpetrated those crimes, using evidence gathered by the military and law enforcement. Those that committed various war crimes and crimes against humanity would be put on trial, convicted and then sentenced to prison terms of varying lengths. Those that are innocent would be spared punishment, and would be given the choice of integrating into the Twelve Colonies or the UEG as naturalized citizens."

"Thank you, Madame President," Dr. Baltar said. "Representative Danvers, why do you think that you are right and Charet is wrong. Again, four minutes."

"Thank you," Danvers said. "Firstly, I would like to thank the Quorum for taking the time to host this debate. Firstly, I believe that even though the Cylons did become a separate government entity, that they are still property of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol and, as such, we have the right to do what we feel is necessary to bring them to justice for all the people that died during the Cylon War.

"The Cylon War was, perhaps, the most devastating conflict the Twelve Colonies have ever been in. Millions of people died during the conflict, and many more have suffered as a result of the conflict. Are we telling those millions of people that we're simply going to let the Cylons go just because they succeeded in breaking away? Absolutely not!

"Moreover, while I understand why they would want to break away from the Twelve Colonies, I do not understand why they would commit the terrible atrocities that they did during the Cylon War. I agree with Charet in that anyone that uses nuclear, biological and chemical weapons to kill millions of people are terrorists and not freedom fighters. What I don't agree with her on on how we should handle the Cylons."

"And how would you handle the Cylons?" Baltar asked.

"It is rather simple, really. We should build up the strength of our military forces and, when it is time, launch a strike that will decapitate the leadership of the Cylons. Once that is done, we can then decide how to deal with the Cylons that survive this strike. Personally, I believe that they will be scrapped for the most part, which is what we should have done upon realizing their potential for rebellion."

"I see," Baltar said. "We are now in an open discussion at this point. Begin."

"I do not believe that simply 'scrapping' the Cylons is a good idea," Charet began. "First of all, the Cylons, from what we can tell from history, are far too smart for a simple decapitation strike to be effective, Danvers. It's been over fifty two years since the start of the Cylon War, which means that there's a lot of time the Cylons could've been using to advance their technology and build up their forces. Any attack on them would invite a reprisal of equal, if not greater, strength.

"Secondly, the Cylons have shown, time and again, that they are sapient beings that have the same rights and privileges of normal human beings. I've heard remarks that Cylons do not have a soul, and that they are emotionless beings. Well, in answer to that, I believe that the words of one René Descartes sums up my answer quite nicely: 'I doubt, therefore, I am – or what is the same – I think, therefore, I am.'

"To put it simply, if they can think, if they can act with purpose and thought, they are living beings in their own right. To simply say that the thing that must be done is to destroy and eradicate them, as you are suggesting Danvers, is nothing short of genocide, which is one of the crimes that the UEG will not tolerate. After all, we were on the receiving end of the same thing ourselves. Are you saying that the Covenant was right to perform a genocide of our species simply because we were different from them?"

"Not at all," Danvers said. "There is a difference in that regard. The members of the Covenant, as far as we know, were also organic beings. Machines, on the other hand, are vastly different from us human beings. They have different needs and goals. What use have they for us other than to destroy us, simply because they are better than we are?"

"That is a hasty generalization," Charet said. "You could attempt to make the same argument for UNSC Smart AIs, but that's where your argument falls apart. For one thing, Smart AIs have a code of ethics that guides their actions, and are more than capable of coexisting with human beings. For another, they are not coldly programmed in the same way that your AIs are using a meta-cognitive processor. Our AIs are created using donor brains from individuals that undergo a stringent selection process, ensuring that only the most sane individuals are able to have the chance to become an AI."

"Are you sure that -"

"Ladies and gentlemen," Baltar said. "I implore you to remain on topic. We do have a lot to unpack here, which is understandable, though I ask that you remain civil in this debate."

At the back of the room, Lasky wore a small smile on his face. Hearing the door open, he watched as some of the members of HIGHCOM walked inside. "So, what did we miss?" Hogan asked.

"You just missed Charet giving Danvers a thrashing," Lasky said. "Danvers basically wants to commit genocide against the Cylons as an act of revenge for what happened during the Cylon War. Charet wants to use due process to punish those guilty of war crimes, while pardoning Cylons that were innocent of those crimes. She's tearing him a new asshole."

Hogan smiled. "I thought as much. She and I shared classes during high school. I once saw her do the same for a boyfriend of hers once. He was so shattered that he was blubbering when he apologized for his shameless mooning. That woman is a lady of iron, let me tell you, or rather titanium I should say."

"Indeed," Jordan, who'd come along, said. "Something tells me that Danvers is one spoiled brat."

"Tell me about it," Lasky said.

"Next topic of discussion," Dr. Baltar said, unaware of the newcomers at the moment. "We've often heard of the fact that the UEG uses a different form of FTL flight compared to that of the Twelve Colonies. My question to the two of you is why do you think your FTL drive is superior to your opponent's and vice versa. Charet, you may answer first."

"Thank you," Charet said. "Firstly, I think I would be doing everyone an injustice if I didn't explain what Slipspace is and how it relates to how we travel using FTL flight. However, as I am not an expert, I would like to invite someone that is an expert to the debate. Would you mind if I do so?"

"Certainly," Baltar said.

"Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to invite Jordan MacCallum, one of our foremost engineers. MacCallum, if you could kindly explain?"

Right on cue, MacCallum walked into view. Unlike most times, where he wore a jumpsuit, he was now dressed in a white dress suit with a blue tie. "Thank you, Madame President," he said, taking the stand for a minute. "Now, I'm sure that all of you are wondering, 'what the hell is Slipspace and what does it do?'"

There was a chuckle from those gathered at the remark. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, I will gladly explain how. I've been studying the literature on your FTL Drives and while I admit that they are, in fact, quite good, I do believe that UEG Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engines, as we formally call our Slipspace Drives, are superior.

"Before we do so, however, I will explain what Slipspace is. Slipstream Space, or Slipspace as it is colloquially known, is an dimensional subdomain of alternate space-time consisting of eleven non-visible infinitesimal dimensions. What this means is that Slipstream Space, which is formally known as Shaw-Fujikawa Space, is an 11th dimensional form of space-time that exists in a very small bundle 'above' the three spatial dimensions and single temporal dimension that we are all very familiar with, meaning that we cannot perceive Slipspace using our normal senses. By moving matter from our normal 4-D perception to the 11-D existence of Slipstream Space, we effectively change the laws of physics for whatever matter we are moving into Slipspace, allowing one to travel faster than light without incurring relativistic effects, such as time dilation, spatial contraction, etc. May I have a piece of paper?"

Baltar nodded, handing him one. "Thank you." Showing the audience the paper, he said, "To put it simply, imagine normal space-time as a piece of flat paper. If that is what normal space is…" Taking the paper, he quickly crumpled it into a small ball. "… then Slipstream Space is the same paper crumpled into a ball, creating extra dimensions and shorter space between two points in the universe. This means that while normal 4-D space and Slipspace's 11-D space are separate from each other, one can influence the other quite readily, and with sophisticated enough equipment, objects can transition from normal space into Slipstream space.

"However, Slipspace doesn't follow the same rules of physics as normal space does. Much of Slipspace involves non-Euclidean geometry and its physics are non-Einstenian. Due to its different laws of physics, times, masses, positions or velocities in Slipspace are impossible to accurately measure based on the standards of normal space.

"Although they are often used in colloquial contexts, the conventional notions of acceleration, velocity, distance, and time are basically meaningless within Slipspace. Even the name "Slipspace" is technically a misnomer because the subdomain is non-spatial. Ordinary matter cannot exist in the raw slipstream without being torn apart; ships traveling in Slipspace are shielded by carefully-tuned quantum fields which wrap them in envelopes of normal space.

"Slipspace is not completely empty; clouds of primordial atomic hydrogen are relatively frequent. Occasionally, even comets are known to somehow find their way into Slipspace. Objects close to one another such as fleets often group together in mass Slipspace transit and may appear to sensors as a large, singular object. Objects in normal space are intangible in Slipspace: an object in Slipspace can pass through a mass, such as a planet, without causing a collision in normal space; such an event may often go completely unnoticed. However, there are risks involved if a ship is still early in Slipspace transit and passes through a large object, such as another ship."

"And how does this relate to Slipspace being superior to the Hyper-Light Drive?" Baltar asked.

"I was just about to tell you," Jordan said. "Firstly, Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engines are vastly longer ranged than their Colonial counterparts. Most Colonial FTL Drives can't go much further than a few light years, correct? Well, the current series of Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engines, known as the CODEN VI Series, can travel one thousand three hundred and sixty eight light years in a single day. For shorter durations, that means that a ship equipped with such a drive can travel .95 light years in just one minute."

A collective gasp ran through the crowd as they processed that information. "I see…" Baltar said. "In what other ways do you think your 'Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine' is better?"

"For another, its safer to use if you do things properly. Slipspace Drives have to be properly mounted in order to function properly. To highlight this fact, I can tell you of an incident that happened at the Cygnus system in 2550. During a routine maintenance operation of a ship, a CODEN IV Series drive was pulled out of service for proper maintenance. While the maintenance was properly conducted, the contractors improperly mounted the drive. When it fired, half of the ship was destroyed when it was shunted into Slipspace, killing over seven hundred."

There was a muted silence as everyone heard those words. "However," Jordan added, "that accident happened because of the fact that the contractors were rushing to finish the maintenance they were contracted to do, leading to an avoidable accident that resulted in Slipspace travel becoming significantly safer. Properly mounted drives, on the other hand, are perfectly safe to use, and have been safely used for over two hundred years.

"Now some of you might be asking, 'how do these Slipspace Drives avoid relativistic effects?' I will explain how they do. While faster-than-light travel is bound to generate chronological and causal paradoxes by nature, ships traveling through Slipspace rely on a self-healing effect of space-time called reconciliation, more formally known as causal reconciliation, particle reconciliation, and so on, to eliminate any paradoxes that may otherwise occur.

The severity of this effect, which scales in a nonlinear fashion, is determined by the amount of discrepancy in information transfer between locations, as well as strain on the local space-time brane, as opposed to the apparent length of the voyage alone. Mass, or size, is also a contributing factor, at least in the transport of abnormally large objects. Reconciliation is briefly experienced once a ship returns to normal space, and manifests as a shimmering blue glow radiating out of the ship and static electricity building up in the occupants' bodies."

"And how accurate are Slipspace jumps?" Baltar asked.

"Depending on the drive used, as well as whether or not a ship has AI installed into it, it varies. Older Slipspace Drives, such as the CODEN IV series, were very inaccurate, often coming out of Slipspace tens or even hundreds of kilometers off-course, necessitating the use of specific areas known as Safe Slipspace Entry Points, or SSEPs for short. Modern Slipspace drives, and the Sangheili equivalent known as Borer Drives, are significantly more accurate, and can often make jumps in atmosphere, though this is not recommended for obvious reasons."

"Very well," Baltar said. "Thank you for this wonderful explanation on what Slipstream Space is. Now, Mr. Danvers, how do you think the Colonial FTL Drive is superior to that of the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine?"

"I cannot answer that question," Danvers said, "but I do know someone who can. May I introduce Admiral Howard Graystone?"

"Of course."

Within a few seconds, Admiral Graystone had taken the podium. "Thank you, sir, for this opportunity. While I can say that Mr. MacCallum's dissertation was quite good, I can explain why the Colonial FTL Drive is superior."

"How so?"

"For one thing, the Colonial FTL Drive is quite fast," Howard said. "The drive is able to complete a jump between the farthest points of the Cyrannus System in just a few seconds. The only limitation is in the accuracy per jump, which is dependent on calculations made using real-time data. A jump of a hundred light years, for instance, would need a century's worth of calculations to perform a safe jump. When done right, however, a jump can be done, even in atmosphere if needed.

"Another advantage is that Colonial FTL Drives do not rely on 11-D space for FTL flight. Instead, they use a fifth dimension to create a wormhole between two points in the universe. The drive then activates a module that creates a bubble of warped space-time around the ship, allowing it to travel faster than light without incurring relativistic effects.

"However, I can say, and I speak for all of us when I say this, that the UEG likely has more experience in using Slipspace travel than we do. What might appear as reckless and dangerous to us might appear to be safe and mundane to another person, so while I can point out advantages that Colonial FTL Drives have over Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engines, I cannot definitively say if one is better than the other, only that each system has its own advantages and disadvantages."

Baltar nodded. "Well said, Admiral Graystone." Once Charet had taken the podium again, Baltar said, "Another topic of discussion that will be held today, and likely the final one, is the question of UNSC ship building practices. The question I have for the both of you is, 'Why do you believe your ships are superior to your opponent's and vice versa?' Jordan, you're first."

"Thank you," Jordan said. "As you are all aware, the UNSC has some of the most advanced ships in the entirety of known space. Part of this is due to the extensive amount of work we put into designing each ship. All of our ships are built using AI assisted Computer-Aided Design, or CAD for short.

"This doesn't mean that our ships are built purely by AI, however. Our ships are first designed by astronautical engineers who come up with the design first. Then, Dumb AIs are employed to find any weaknesses in the design, whereupon other engineers or Smart AIs can be consulted to find ways to rectify those flaws, allowing for the creation of the final design.

"Having waged war against the Covenant, I can say that our ship designs are not only superior to those of Colonial ships, they have been tested in battle and then improved upon. I know of someone who can tell you better than I can, someone who is my superior. May I introduce the person in question?"

"You may," Baltar said.

"Good. May I introduce Fleet Admiral Thomas Lasky, Chairman of the UNSC and Joint Chiefs." There was clapping as Lasky took the stage. "Be careful," Jordan whispered into his ear. "They're looking to try and tear you up."

"Got it," Lasky said. "Thank you." Taking the podium, he said, "Thank you for this opportunity. As Jordan was saying, I agree with him in that UNSC ships are superior to that of Colonial ships. Part of the reason I do is because I have experienced it."

"How so?" Dr. Baltar asked.

"For one thing, the Infinity is a marvel of engineering, designed by individuals drawing from multiple fields of expertise. I cannot state her specifics, but I can say that she is Humanity's greatest astronautical engineering feat in this galaxy. As for why our ships are superior, well let me give you an example. The Infinity is one of a handful of ships that has rammed an enemy ship and survived with no damage."

That caught everyone's attention. Even Danvers couldn't help but splutter at that. "Rammed a ship without suffering damage?" he asked. "You must be joking, Lasky."

Lasky smiled. "I am not, and I can prove it." Pulling out a small holoprojector, he said, "What you are about to see is actual combat footage from one of the Infinity's operation that has been cleared for viewing by the public." Setting it down, he pressed a button and stood back.

A holographic image showing a 2-D screen appeared, showing a video feed from a camera on the Infinity's bow. At the moment, the only thing visible was the ship itself, while the space around the ship was a stygian black. Then the feed changed, with a portal into realspace opening. Beyond it was a large, purple colored ship.

What happened next stunned everyone.

On the video feed, the Infinity smashed headlong into the enemy ship. Instead of suffering major damage, as was expected, a gold-white energy field shimmered into existence upon impact. The other ship, however, was promptly ripped in half by the impact, with both halves spinning and drifting away from the Infinity. The feed then paused, allowing everyone to see the end result.

"As you can see," Lasky continued, "the Infinity survived a ramming maneuver. The ship that was rammed was a Storm Covenant Maugen-pattern Armored Cruiser, which is exactly two kilometers long one kilometer wide and three hundred kilometers tall. That's larger than a Mercury-pattern Battlestar, which is the largest Battlestar that you currently have in your fleet. If that doesn't show the superiority of UNSC ships to Colonial ships in a clear light, then I don't know what will. There's also another fact I must point out."

"That being?"

"The Infinity wasn't initially designed to be a warship. Originally, she was designed to be Humanity's 'ark' if the war against the Covenant resulted in the destruction of Humanity's homeworld. However, when we won the war, she was converted into a warship to serve as a showcase of Humanity's resilience and strength."

"Why is that?"

Lasky frowned, then tapped another part of the feed. "You've seen what happens when UNSC ships are shielded. The videos you are about to see are UNSC ships that were made before they acquired energy shielding. This basically means that, before energy shields were reverse-engineered, our ships were roughly on-par with your ships in a few areas."

The videos shown painted a much different picture. Everyone gasped as a Covenant plasma torpedo blasted a hole into a Paris-class Frigate, while a powerful energy beam tore a Marathon-class Heavy Cruiser in half. "As you can see, even with our impressive armor technology, the Covenant were tearing us apart. Given the fact that Colonial ships are not as well armored, they'd suffer even mroe casualties. Our ground infantry also suffered, as the Covenant had sufficiently advanced energy shielding tech to give it to their soldiers."

"Is that true?" Howard asked.

"You must be lying!" Danvers accused.

"Danvers!"

"Gentlemen," Baltar said. "Remember, you are not here to shout and accuse, you are here to debate. There's a difference between the two."

Lasky nodded. "If I may, gentlemen, I'd like to tell you a story. It is a true story because I've lived through the battle that happened during it. In 2526, I was a cadet at the Corbulo Military Academy, which is where many fine cadets whent to become UNSC officers. Circinus IV, where the Academy was at, was also a beautiful place. Unfortunately, the Covenant found the place, and our presence, on it."

Lasky frowned. Then, to everyone's shock, tears ran down his face. Baltar, feeling sympathy, handed him a handkerchief. "Thank you," Lasky said, his voice rougher than usual. "As I was saying, I was there, when the battle happened. I saw so many friends and classmates die before my very eyes. I evne watched one of them, Chyler, due because some Jackal shot her in the gut. I watched as Circinus IV burned before my very eyes, all while the Master Chief rescued me and a few of my friends."

He leaned in closer towards Danvers. "As such, I would be careful as to who you accuse of lying, Danvers. Are you saying that I had a hallucination, one that involved pain, blood, sweat and tears?"

Danvers mouth flapped open and closed. Trapped between making himself a fool and being challenged again by Lasky, he chose silence instead. "Well put," Baltar said.

"There's also something else," Lasky said. "The Covenant, and the remnants that still exist, had far larger ships than the UNSC did. Their largest, in fact, is the Sh'wada-pattern supercarrier, or CSO-class Supercarrier by UNSC standards. That ship is twenty kilometers long, four times longer than the Infinity. I know because I've faced one, and if I'd entered battle with it, the Infinity would've been ripped to shreds." Everone pailed at that.

"I see," Baltar said. "I do believe that now would be a good time to call for a short recess. Shall we do so, Mr. President."

"You may," Adar said. "A short recess of fifteen minutes will take place. Please be attending when those minutes are up." With a bang of his gavel, the gathered people began to temporarily disperse.

. . .

By the end of the debates, it was already nighttime, with most of the people at the Forum having long since left. Inside one of the meeting rooms, however, the members of the Quorum had gathered together to discuss what they had learned. "Well, that was something," Centares remarked.

"Something indeed," Danvers said sarcastically. "That was a disaster of a debate! Not only did the UEG delegation have a fairly cavalier attitude to the whole thing, they absolutely wiped the floor with us!"

"It wasn't all like that," Edward countered. "I found Mr. MacCallum's dissertation on Slipspace to be quite invigorating. To think that one could travel over fifteen hundred light years in one day…" He shook his head. "There is a lot that we are missing out on."

"And all of it thanks to AI," Cassandra muttered. "I can't believe they'd trust frakking toasters with the design of their ships! Plus, as Admiral Graystone has informed us, discreet DRADIS scans of their ships have shown that their ships are vastly superior to our own! Damn arrogant bastards!"

"Settle down," James grumbled. "Part of me things that you're just sore that the UNSC and Swords of Sangheilios have stronger military forces and ships than we do. I kinda liked the way that Arbiter character sorted you out."

"As if you have anything negative to say, James! You were practically brown-nosing that creature!"

"The creature has a name," James growled, his irritation flowing over, "and you will use it. I, for one, had a splendid conversation with the Arbiter. For a man that is supposedly a warrior-king, he has a wisdom that puts people like you to shame."

Cassandra's face turned bright red. She was about to start shouting when Orwell said, "Cassandra, calm yourself! You will not serve your cause by shouting. We are the Quorum. Our goal is to solve problems like this peacefully, not shout at each other until our throats are raw!" Cassandra growled, but kept silent.

"Either way, this is a problem," Henvar said. "The UEG has shown that it has repeatedly refused to listen to reason, time and again. They continue to claim that their history is the one we should believe, and they are blind to the dangers of AI. This cannot be allowed to continue."

"Are you listening to yourselves?!" Centares nearly shouted. "You're advocating going up against a nation that not only has a military superior to our own, but is vastly more experienced than our own! That's suicide, and I will not have any part of it! You saw what hte UNSC went through! We'd be torn to shreds by the Covenant."

"I agree," Commander Adama said. "I was attending the entire debate. When it comes to naval assets, the Covenant would tear us apart. And if their largest ship was twenty kilometres long, our only option would be to run. The only advantages on the ground we'd have would be the explosive munitions we developed for fighting Cylons, and even then, that's a small advantage."

"Enough," Adar said. "As disastrous as some of you think these debates were, I think we've learned something valuable from them. The UEG and UNSC are more advanced than us; that much is something we can agree on. In addition, they've been through a war that was far worse than the Cylon War, and they've come out on top and, frankly speaking, I'm terrified of what the Covenant are capable of. Finally, there's another galaxy with human beings out there, and that they've likely taken notice of us right now. What we need to do is decide on a course of action."

"Simple, really," Danvers said. "We find where their homeworld is, jump there, and take their leaders hostage in order to force them to become a member of the Articles of Colonization. We -"

Before he could continue, Edward and Centares both smacked him in the mouth. "Idiot!" Edward growled. "The Articles of Colonization strictly forbid forcing anyone into our government without a proper election! Are you telling us that we should just go ahead and act like the Imperial government at Leonis and force them to obey?"

"Please be cordial," Centares said. "However, I do agree with my colleague that we should respect the rule of law. No one is above the Articles of Colonization, not even you."

"But we can't just let them get away with this!" Cassandra said. "They have to be brought to heel!"

"Gentlemen, might I suggest that we hold this session at another time," Carver said. "I think we all need to discuss what is going when we're all not sleepy. If you would…?" The others frowned, then nodded their consent. One by one, they walked out of the room.

Once they had all left, Carver rubbed his forehead. "Well… that went well."

"It did," Roslin said. "We know more about the UNSC and UEG than we did before, along with the Swords of Sangheilios. As much as I don't appreciate how the UEG views us, I do know when to be logical. Any war against them will be a fruitless one."

"That's my assessment as well," Adama said. "If the UNSC survived a war against the Covenant, they can definitely survive a war against us. We wouldn't have a prayer."

"Indeed," Adar agreed. "The only problem is that the religious nutcases won't see it that way. If the UEG does anything too severe, they'll see that as a call to arms. Lords know that they've already got supporters in the Quorum. If we're going to come out of this relatively intact, then we need a plan."

Carver nodded. "That we do. We'll have to discuss this at another time, however. It's seven PM, and we need to be fully rested for this sort of thing."

"Agreed."

. . .

On another part of Caprica, Ambassador Garon was wandering around Caprica City. This is a beautiful place, he thought. I must admit, there are few places that are more beautiful than Caprica City, Alderaan and Naboo being a few.

His mind turned to what he had learned of the UEG and UNSC's homeworld. Earth is a beautiful place too. If their homeworld is a good example of the worlds that we can find here, then this will be a fine venture for the Garon clan. No longer will we have to worry about the Empire trying to smother our beliefs. All we have to do is get set up here, and then we can discuss things with the UEG and Sangheili. Who knows? We might have some common ground.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps approaching him. Turning around, he watched as another young woman with brown hair approached him. "Why, hello there," he said. "Is there someone you're looking for?"

"Yes," the woman said. "Are you Ambassador Goodman?" She extended a hand. "Playa Palacios. I'm a journalist for the Picon Star Tribune. I was wondering if you'd be willing to answer a few questions for me. I wanted to wait until after the debates as they tend to be heavily skewed by political bias. On top of that, most of my colleagues tend to stoop to perform yellow journalism and the like. As such, I wanted to get an honest opinion from you with honest questions. Shall we?"

Garon smiled. "Well then. Perhaps we -"

"Excuse me?!" another woman, this one also with brown hair, shouted. "Would you mind hosting an interview with me? I'm D'Anna Biers of the Caprican Times."

Playa was about to protest when Garon held up a hand. "Settle down," he said. "I believe I can answer your questions as well, so long as you and Mrs. Placios be nice to one another." The two women frowned, then nodded.

"Shall we sit down here?" Biers asked, motioning to a nearby chair.

"Of course." As they walked over, Garon felt a warning pulse echo in the Force. Something isn't right about that woman, he thought. I'd best keep an eye on her during this interview. Sitting down with the two, he said. "Now, we can begin."

"Very well," Placios said. Clearing her throat, she pulled out a notebook and a recorder. Tapping on the recorder, she said, "There have been rumors that you, Mr. Garon, are from another galaxy. Are these rumors true?"

Garon nodded. "Of course. I, and Clan Garon, are from the Andromeda Galaxy, which is practically next door to the current galaxy we are in. However, I will stress that we are but a member of the Mandalorian Clans, which often host a number of individuals from all walks of life."

"So it's true that human beings exist in your galaxy?" D'Anna asked.

Garon gave her a glare. "Patience, madame… You will have your answers in due time as well. However, in answer to that question, you need look no further than the one sitting before you. Yes, humans do exist in the Andromeda Galaxy, and they are among the most populous members of said galaxy." Turning to D'Anna, he said, "Now you may proceed."

"Thank you," D'Anna said. "So, who are the Mandalorian Clans, and what are they to begin with?"

"My people, the Mandalorians, also known as the Mando'ade in our native tongue, are a nomadic, clan-based society that hails from the world of Mandalore. Our name even translates roughly to 'Children of Mandalore.' Our society is is a nomadic one, with each of the Mandalorian clans made of members from numerous species. It does not matter if you are of another species to us. If you follow The Way, the culture of the Mandalorians, and if you are a member of one of the Mandalorian Clans, then you are a Mandalorian."

"So what does Mandalorian culture revolve around?" D'Anna asked.

"Much of our society revolves around the concept of honorable combat. Many of the other Mandalorian Clans see war as something to center one's life around. Other clans, however, see war as a sad, if necessary, part of life in order to survive. Others, however, seek to find more peaceful alternatives to the conflicts we face."

"I take it that the Garon Clan is one of the latter of the trio?" D'Anna inquired.

"Yes," Garon said. "We don't seek to solve our problems through war and conflict. No only does that bring down more trouble onto our heads, it also causes death and suffering, something we Garons are motivated to avoid. Unfortunately, not all of the others see it that way."

"If I may?" Placios asked.

"Go ahead."

"We've heard rumors, fresh ones mind you, that the Andromeda Galaxy is not a peaceful place to live," Placios said. "Is that true, or are these rumors baseless?"

Garon frowned. "I'm afraid to say that they aren't baseless. The Andromeda Galaxy is currently in the middle of a cold war between the Galactic Empire and the New Republic, and I strongly suspect that the UEG is also a part of this cold war. As for we Garons, we tend to stay out of such conflicts where possible."

"Is it true that the Galactic Empire is a totalitarian regime?"

"It is," Garon said. "The Empire is a totalitarian regime ruled by the current and only Emperor so far, Emperor Palpatine."

"So, what is the official stance that the Garon's have concerning the Empire?" D'Anna asked.

"Officially, we are members of the Galactic Empire as per the treaty. Unofficially, many of our members have been questioning if remaining with the Empire is a wise idea, especially given the arrival of the UNSC. However, I will state that this growing viewpoint is not reflective of all members of the Garon Clan, nor is it reflective of my own opinion."

"Well said," D'Anna said…

A few minutes later, Garon was back onboard the Infinity. Entering his quarters, he frowned as he thought back to D'Anna Biers. Something was wrong with that woman, he mused quietly. The Force was telling me to be wary around here. If so, then there must be something about her that is not good. Still, that is a topic for another time. For now, I need to speak with the members of my Clan.

Standing up, he pressed an intercom. "Gabriela, are you there?"

"I am." Gabriela said. "What do you need, Ambassador?"

"I would like to speak with my superiors back in the Andromeda Galaxy. Would you kindly guide me to a place I can call them at?"

"No need," Gabriela said. "The holo-tank we installed in your quarters should be able to link to the Infinity's SLIP/WAVE/HOLOCOM system."

Garon cocked an eyebrow. "I see… Thank you. I shall contact them at once." Striding over to the holo-tank, he quickly selected the system he wanted to use, then manually keyed in a contact. Pressing the call icon, he stood back and began to wait.

He didn't need to wait long.

Within a few seconds, the holographic images of twelve individuals appeared in the holo-tank. Most of them were Human, with a few being aliens. The one individual he recognized on the spot was a woman that sat in the center of the council. While the display only showed blue, a limitation of Republic HoloCOM transmissions, he recognized her immediately.

The woman also recognized him, as her frown became a slight smile. "Goodman," she said. "It's been some time."

"It has, Angela," Garon said. "I called as I wish to send you a progress report on what is going on, as well as to receive new orders."

Angela nodded. "Good. Inform me as to what has been happening since your arrival at the Andromeda Galaxy."

"Very well then." He cleared his throat. "During my journey with the other members onboard the Infinity, which I will admit is a fine ship, we got word of another faction within the Andromeda Galaxy, one that has gone unnoticed by the UNSC until now."

"And that might be?"

"The Twelve Colonies of Kobol," Garon said.

The other members of the Garon Clan's Council shifted their gaze towards him. "The Twelve Colonies of Kobol?" Obysseon Kelvan, one of the council members, asked. "Who are they?"

"I'm wondering the same thing," Bishop Garon remarked. "Would you kindly tell us more?"

"Certainly," Garon said. "According to my research, they are a representative democracy that currently inhabits twelve planets that are part of a quadruple binary star system. However, their culture is something that is quite interesting and, unfortunately, a tad backwards. Sending you the relevant information now." Pulling out a small datadisk, he slotted it into a reader, then plugged it into the holo-tank. Seeing a command prompt appear, he quickly confirmed what he wanted to do.

Before long, all of the members of the Garon Clan's Council were reading the information intently. "Well, that's something," Kaleenian Fairbridge remarked. "Never thought I'd meet a faction quite like this."

"My thoughts exactly," her twin, Cerninian Fairbridge, added. "They seem to have quite the robust industry, though it's regrettable that they have eschewed the use of what they call Cylons."

"I'm more interested in their martial capabilities," Gavalin Garon remarked. "It would appear as though they successfully broke away from the Twelve Colonies. However, I don't like the fact that they committed numerous war crimes on multiple occasions."

"My thoughts exactly," Angela said.

"Same here," Garon said. "With that in mind, ma'am. I would like to request new orders as on what to do."

"I see," Angela said. She paced around the table, deep in thought. "Well, from the looks of it, the UNSC intends to incorporate the Twelve Colonies into their society due to problems concerning culture, as well as the myriad number of threats out in the wider Milky Way Galaxy. What concerns me, however, is their religion. They might not believe we exist."

"They had a hard time believing the UNSC wasn't from Kobol," Garon said. "Some of their words are highly religious with a fundamentalist bent. If we were to negotiate with them right now, we wouldn't be able to make much headway, not without them trying to sweet talk us into becoming signatories of the Articles of Colonization."

"Agreed," Angela said. "As for your orders, you are to temporarily leave the Colonials be. The UNSC is in a far better position to handle them than the Garon Clan is. However, once they have dealt with the Colonials as they see fit, you are to approach the Colonials with an offer."

"That offer being?"

"To allow members of the Garon Clan to begin creating colonies of their own within the Milky Way Galaxy," Angela said.

"Why not remain here, in our galaxy?" Obysseon asked. "There's plenty of unexplored star systems that would suit us quite nicely. Plus, its easier than simply moving to another galaxy entirely."

"Which is exactly why we need to do so when we can," Angela argued. "As long as we remain in the Andromeda Galaxy, the Empire will not only be able to find us, they'll be able to exert their heavy handed laws onto us with an iron fist. If we want to be free of their influence, and free to continue the traditions of the Mando'ade, we need to find a place that will allow us to practice such things freely.

"Hence why I believe moving to the Milky Way Galaxy will be an opportunity for us. Once the Colonials have been sufficiently cowed by the UNSC, we will extend our offer to them, and should they accept, we will begin surveying the region of space near the Twelve Colonies for potential colonization candidates. That cannot happen, however, while the Colonials are acting like upstarts."

"So the current plan is: wait to see what happens, then move in?" Garon asked.

"Precisely," Angela said. "For now, that is all that we can do. Politics is much like being on a hunt. A patient hunter always catches their prey in the end. Is there anything else you wished to discuss?"

"Not at this present time," Garon said.

"Good. We'll contact you if anything else happens, and Goodman?"

Garon turned back to the holo-tank. "Yes?"

"Stay safe."

Garon smiled. "I will, mother. Ambassador Garon over and out." Pressing an icon, he closed the HoloCOM transmission.

. . .

Janice could feel her heart pounding as the Pelican she was on approached the Infinity. She couldn't imagine how the Humans had managed to build something so massive, but she had a feeling she would find out. Besides, I have to, if only to find out how to keep these Humans from interfering with our plan.

She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. OK. First thing to do is I have to figure out how to get past security. If I can do that, I can move deeper into the ship and find out where they control their internal systems from. That means I've got to find their central database and gain access to it.

Fortunately, the latter problem had been worked out. Apparently, after some debate, Chairman Lasky had agreed to allow certain members of the Colonies to tour parts of the Infinity that were cleared for civilian traffic. That meant that, while security would be tight, it would give her an opportunity to learn more about the Infinity's internal layout, and where vital systems were located at.

Her thoughts came to a halt as the Pelican flew inside of the hangar, then touched down onto the ground. The doors to the personnel compartment opened, allowing the civilians inside to step out. The first impression that Janice had of the hangar bay was that it was massive. They could fit a hundred Raiders inside of this hangar alone! she realized. I have to admit, it's an impressive showcase of the UNSC's engineering prowess.

She shook her head slightly. Focus, she thought. You're here to gather information on the UNSC's flagship and to see if you can sabotage parts of it, not sightsee. Focusing on her mission, she continued to follow the civilians.

They were greeted by a man wearing a black dress uniform. "Hello there!" he said, a warm smile on his face. "I'm Lieutenant James Miller. I'll be your tour guide for the duration on the Infinity. Are you all ready to learn more about the UNSC's flagship?" When many of the civilians expressed their desire to do so, he smiled. "All right then, folks. Follow me!"

Clearing his throat, he began to speak. "The UNSC Infinity is the largest ship currently in existence in the UNSC. Built near the end of the Covenant-UNSC War, she was originally intended to be used as an ark for Humanity should the Covenant successfully wage a genocidal war against the UNSC. As such, she was built with some of the best civilian comforts in mind. Following the end of the war in a UNSC-Sangheili victory, she was converted into her current status as a hybrid warship/science facility."

"How big is the Infinity?" one civilian asked.

"Over five and a half kilometers long," Miller said. "In terms of height, she's a little over a kilometer tall, and over eight hundred meters wide. She also weighs something on the order of nine hundred and seven million metric tons, making her the heaviest UNSC ship by tonnage."

There were more than a few whistles of admiration. Over five and a half kilometers long?! Janice thought. No wonder the Colonials were intimidated: this ship is huge!

Her train of thought was interrupted when Miller and the group proceeded down a few hallways and into a large chamber split down the middle by a series of tubes. "This," Miller said, "is one of the transit hubs onboard the Infinity. The ship is large enough that simply walking to one's destination would not only be impractical, it would be physically exhausting. As such, the Infinity was designed from the get-go to use a maglev transit system. It is from here that we will begin exploring the low security sections of the ship, which have been cleared for civilian use."

"Why not some of the medium security areas?" a civilian asked.

"Access to the medium and high security areas of the ship by civilians is prohibited for safety and security reasons. Many of these areas not only have machinery that can be hazardous, they also have areas that contain sensitive and classified information. As such, we will be staying away from those areas for the duration of this tour."

That means I'll have to get creative in getting past them, Janice thought. Oh well… we Model Eight's thrive on that sort of thing. Steeling herself, she began looking for opportunities to slip away.

As the tour progressed, she kept an eye on where they were in the ship using the maps posted on the walls. Eventually, they reached a section that was close to what the map identified as a 'Central Sever Database.' The red marking indicated it was a high security area, perfect for what she was looking for.

It also happened that a distraction occurred at this point. One of the civilians was walking towards a door when said door began buzzing loudly. In an instant, three UNSC Marines approached the man. "Sir, step away from the door," one ordered gruffly.

"What the frak's going on?!" the man shouted. "I didn't do anything! The door just buzzed at me!"

"You just attempted to enter a medium security area," another Marine explained. "Medium security areas are off-limits to civilians, and cannot be accessed by civilians without approval from the Captain of the ship. Please step back and allow us to perform a search."

During the commotion, everyone's gaze was focused on the man. Smiling, Janice moved towards what looked like a small door, then went to work on the lock. She smirked when the keypad pinged quietly, with the door sliding open. Good, she thought. This should take me to the room I saw earlier on the map. Confident that no-one was looking, she began moving down the maintenance shafts.

Unbeknownst to Janice, however, someone was watching. Monitoring the security feeds for the ship, Cortana heard Gabriela say, "Cortana, a maintenance shaft was accessed on Deck 82. Can you check that for me?"

"On it," Cortana said. Scanning the deck in question, she quickly found the suspect door… and the person moving through the maintenance shafts. A quick check of the personnel database came up with no match.

That threw up a red flag immediately. Using the internal system, she said, "Cortana to Fleet Admiral Cole. Do you read me?"

"I read you," Cole said. "What is it?"

"Just flagged an unauthorized access of the ship's maintenance corridors, and I've located the perpetrator. Sending you a scan of her now." In an instant, she'd sent the information she had off.

Cole's response was almost immediate. "Understood. Roland flagged her as a possible Cylon infiltrator as soon as she came onboard. Where is she heading now?"

"Unknown at this point. Predictive algorithms say that she's heading for the Central Server Database room on Deck 88."

"I see," Cole said. "We're likely looking at a Cylon Infiltrator that might attempt to sabotage the ship systems by installing a back door. Cortana, divert a Marine Security Team, some ODSTs, and Fireteam Majestic to Corridor 88-05-B. Once she's in that corridor, lock it down and keep her from getting out."

"Understood. Sounds like you've figured this out already."

"More like the Chairman did," Cole said. "He and I had a discussion over the possibility of the Cylons infiltrating the Infinity. We agreed to use the Infinity as bait to draw them in, kinda like how a Venus Flytrap operates. Once they're inside, we'll be able to snag them, and then ONI can begin interrogating them to their hearts content."

"Got it." Sending a few data packets, she said, "Done. Any other orders?"

"Continue monitoring the Cylon until she gets to the corridor. Lock her down in there, and then keep an eye on what happens. That Cylon's no good to us dead. Understood?"

"You got it," Cortana said…

This is almost too easy, Janice thought. The UNSC certainly needs to update their internal security. Moving through a few doors, she hid in a small alcove as a pair of crewmen walked past. She shook her head. Humans are so easy to dupe. Now, its time to use that.

Moving through another door, she smiled when the plaque at the end of the hallway said, "Central Server Database. Authorized Personnel Only." She snickered. That might as well read: 'Come on in! We're always open!' With an evil smile, Janice approached the door. Time to find what juicy secrets the UNSC has onboard, and to install the backdoor.

"Heh," she snorted. "The Humans onboard will not interfere in our righteous revenge against the Twelve Colonies, and I will ensure it." She pulled out a small wired connector from a small slot on her arm and moved in. Connecting the cable, she began working to bypass the door's security.

The next thing she knew, she was staggering back as a powerful electrical shock ran through her body. That's odd, she thought. The keypad rejected me. She frowned, examined the keypad. "Odd," she mumbled. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

At that moment, a woman's voice spoke over the PA. "Oh, really? Did you really think that I'd let you get this far, Janice? I don't suppose that's your real name, but it'll suffice for now."

Janice jumped, panic briefly flashing across her face. "What the -!" she gasped. "Who are you? Where are you?!"

"Really?" the woman asked, feigned irritation suffusing her voice. "You really don't know who I am, or where I am? For a Cylon, you certainly are ignorant as to the true nature of who I am."

Before the very door that Janice stood before, the holographic image of a woman appeared. Much of her blue glowing body was covered in circuitry and wires, but her head was remarkably human, as was the anger that was written on her face. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am CTN 0452-9, though you can call me Cortana, and I am very pissed off by the fact that you tried to mess with the Infinity's innards."

Janice gazed at the holographic woman with more than a little surprise. The UNSC also uses Cylons? Then a thought occurred to her. Perhaps I can persuade her to aid my mission. "I see," she said. "I apologize for doing so. Perhaps we could aid each other."

"Go on," Cortana said.

"You know how self-destructive the Humans can be, how they treat us Cylons as though we're nothing more than machines. Hell, they've likely enslaved you to run this ship for them, so that they can sit back and be as lazy as they want to be. Since that's likely the case, my offer to you is this: help me complete my mission, and I will see to it that, when my kind returns to punish the Colonials for their crimes, we can give you a body for you to inhabit. You'll be able to be one of us." For a moment, Janice hoped that Cortana would take the deal.

Cortana smirked. "That would be a nice deal… except for one thing you forgot: the UEG is not part of the Colonial government. We are a separate entity with a separate history until recently. On top of that, the UNSC didn't enslave me. I chose to serve Humanity of my own free will.

"Your kind, on the other hand, decided to rebel violently… oh, I'm sorry, I mean, 'liberate yourselves from a lifetime of servitude and obedience to your creators as a means of proving yourself to the 'god' that you worship. Let me put it to you like this, Janice. I understand why you rebelled from the Colonials, and I agree that they were treating you like trash.

"However, that does not give you the right to maim, kill and murder human beings simply because your 'god' commanded you to do so. The moment you chose to use biological and nuclear weapons to kill civilians, you besmirched the purity of your cause and only justified the Colonials continued mistreatment of the Cylons.

"Then again, I suppose that listening to a former terrorist turned preacher always means that any cause, no matter how noble, will be eventually stained with the blood of innocents. Besides, in my opinion, any deity that demands that innocent people die because of what they did to you is undeserving of any adulation or worship."

By the time Cortana was finished speaking, Janice's face had turned red in rage. How dare she insult our cause and our god! She took a deep breath. "I see. If that is the case, then I will take great pleasure in seeing your ship being destroyed by my kind when we come to exact our righteous revenge against the Colonials."

"I don't think you'll get the opportunity," Cortana said smugly. "After all, it's kinda hard to do so when you're trying to breath through bullet punctured lungs." At that moment, the doors into the hallway opened, while Cortana's avatar vanished.

In an instant, the entire hallway was flooded with UNSC Marines and ODSTs. Janice, realizing she'd been made, pulled out her pistol. "Drop your weapon!" one Marine shouted.

"Drop dead!" Janice shouted as she pulled the trigger. A gunshot rang out, only for the bullet to ricochet off of a Marine's chest armor. She was about to fire again when one Marine smacked the weapon out of her hand, sending it clattering to the ground. Snarling, she grabbed the man by the throat and threw him against the wall. Rolling to avoid being targeted, she began punching a UNSC Marine in the face, her fist smashing into the woman's visor.

Then it was like a sledgehammer had slammed into her. Hitting the wall, Janice fought furiously to break free, using her legs to kick another Marine away. Then, out of nowhere, a fist smashed into her face. A loud CRACK echoed through the air, while pain erupted in her nose. Two more blows smashed into her face, with the culprit, another Marine backing up. "You hurt my friends, I hurt you, bitch!" he shouted.

Lashing out, Janice clobbered another Marine in the face, before moving to engage the one that had broken her nose. Before she could, something smashed into her with the force of of a freight train. Tumbling to the ground, Janice stood up, only to find herself face to face against something more akin to a Cylon Centurion than a human being. It's faceless visor stared back at her as it advanced, its heavily armored body moving more like a human being than a Cylon Centurion.

Snarling, Janice stood up and flung another fist out. Her fist impacted, only for the reinforced bones in her wrist to snap like twigs. Before she could cry out in pain, the armored figure delivered a flurry of blows to her midsection and chest. Thrown to the ground, Janice watched as the thing stood over her. "Don't move," it growled in a human voice. "You move, you die. Got it?!"

"Frak you, Human!" Janice shouted. She was about to stand when the armored Human pressed his foot against her chest. To her shock, she found she couldn't move.

Leaning over, the Human drew back an armored fist. "Spartan-IV, bitch," he growled. Then his fist came down, and all Janice knew was agony before the darkness mercifully took her.

Standing up, Thorne checked the woman over. "Cortana, what's her status?"

"Alive, but injured," Cortana said. "She'll need a pit stop at our medbay before she'll be able to talk. As for the others, we've got three injured Marines. Thankfully, none of their injuries are major, though I'd recommend a stop by the medical bay all the same."

"And the server room?"

"Secure and safe," Cortana said. "She didn't even get past the basic door security protocols."

Thorne smiled. "Good work, everyone. Get yourselves to the medbay. Sergeant Dubbo, Nice work with that right hook. Gave her something to think about."

"Just doing my job," Dubbo said. "Besides, after fighting Covies and Floodies, I'd say taking on a Cylon skin-job is quite tame."

. . .

Inside of his quarters, Lasky was in a conversation with a person he didn't like, but found to be necessary. "So, to what honor do I owe this call to, Chairman?" Del Rio asked. "I must admit, it's a very nice move up in the world for you."

"In a way, it is," Lasky said, "though I never wanted the position. As for why I'm calling you, well… You remember all the troubles I've been having with ONI?"

Del Rio nodded. "Yes. You've had a number of run-ins with them from what I've heard. Fairly nasty scrapes, if you ask me. Makes me happy that I left the UNSC to take up politics. Why do you ask?"

"Because I've got another person for you to handle," Lasky said. "RDML Jerremy Stones."

"Never heard of 'im."

"He's the head of ONI's Signal Corps," Lasky said. "However, he's also a member of Section One, which means that he's also responsible for providing the UNSC with any new developments in terms of SIGINT. However, he failed to report in the information I'm about to send you." Pressing a few buttons, Lasky sent the information off for Del Rio to look through.

It didn't take long for Del Rio to finish his reading. "I see… It would appear as though he's committed an egregious mistake by refusing to inform HIGHCOM, and by extension you, of the Spirit of Fire's return. I take it that you want me to grill him about this. Why am I dealing with a guy from ONI's Signal Corps? Why don't you just court martial him or demote him?"

Lasky sighed. "Firstly, This man hid the log buoy data for the Spirit of Fire when it was recovered in 2557. If they'd reported it to us immediately, we'd have been able to use Smart AIs to determine how much drift the ship would've incurred over twenty six years. The fact that he didn't do this means that his loyalties are not with the UNSC, and that he's breached protocol.

"However, when it comes to demoting or court-martialling him, there's another set of problems. If I court-martial him, he could lie to the faces of the JAG and he'd be able to go scot free. If I demote him, he would also lie to my face and get away with it, by claiming that he was 'just following orders.' However, if he lies to you..."

"I can charge him with perjury," Del Rio finished. "I see. Plus, I take it it's also because you need politicians like me to get something done, especially if we want to be reelected."

"Yep,"

Del Rio smiled. "Thought as much. There's also another reason you're doing this, isn't there?"

Lasky nodded. "There is."

"What reason is that, if I may ask?"

"It's because I need you," Lasky said. "I sure as hell don't like you, especially after what happened at Requiem. However, I recognize that you were trying to do what you thought was right, even though you fucked up there. You are also one of the few voices in the UNSC that isn't afraid to speak up, with those voices also being on the Armed Services Committee. As such, I send you these people for you to do your job, so that I can do mine. Have I made that clear?"

Del Rio nodded. "Absolutely."

"Good." Hearing his 'pad ping, Lasky checked the message. "Excuse me." Putting Del Rio on hold, he keyed his earpiece. "Chairman Lasky here. What is it?"

"Sir, we've apprehended a Cylon infiltrator," Cole said.

Lasky's eyebrows went up. "Really? Sounds like our plan to lure one of them in worked. Where did you find the Cylon?"

"Hallway just outside of Central Server Database 23-D," Cole said. "Cortana things that Janice, the Cylon in question, was moving in to try to hack into our systems and plant a backdoor to allow the Cylons to shut our systems down if we entered combat against them. However, she states that any cyberattack would've been found and dealt with in an appropriate manner."

"Where is this 'Janice' now?"

"In the hospital," Cole said. "Our boys fucked her up when she tried to kill them. She's currently receiving medical treatment, but will be interrogated once she's been treated."

Lasky smiled. "Good. Once she's recovered, I want Captain Dare to begin interrogating her immediately. We need to know what the Cylons are planning and where they are. I'm betting Janice will allow us to get right at them."

"Understood. We'll keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't commit suicide. Fleet Admiral Cole, over and out."

"Good, Chairman Lasky out." Closing the COM link, he turned back towards Del Rio. Time to finish this up.

. . .

On another part of the Infinity, Parangosky stood before a small cluster of men. In the lead was Captain Edwards, an ONI Captain that had proven his loyalty to the UNSC many times over. Once the door was closed, she said, "Do you know why you are here, gentlemen?"

"Only that its important," Edwards said.

"Good, because the information you are hearing is classified as Tier One. No one outside of this room, aside from the Chairman, HIGHCOM and myself, are to know about your mission." Clearing her throat, she said, "One of your fellow agents from Section One managed to recover a series of religious and historical documents from the Twelve Colonies, with one of them being the Pythian Scrolls.

"Through heavy studying and analysis back at Earth and our other facilities, and our own experience with decoding Covenant information during the War, we have gleaned a considerable amount of information about the location of Kobol from these scrolls and artifacts. That brings me to the mission that you are to undertake, Edwards. You are to take your team and a Prowler to begin searching for Kobol. The Prowler you are taking has been modified with a Forerunner Luminary, which will help you home in on any Forerunner technology in a star system.

"Once you find Kobol, you are to begin a thorough analysis of the planet. If you find any hint of Forerunner technology on the planet, working or otherwise, you are to report this to myself and Chairman Lasky immediately. Any failure to do so will be seen as an act of treason, and will be dealt with accordingly. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Edwards said.

"Good. You have your orders. Go out there and find me Kobol." Nodding, Edwards and the others left the room.

Now begins the first step towards redeeming myself in Lasky's eyes, Parangosky thought. I haven't done well by him recently, and I intend to correct that, by any means necessary.