Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/Star wars crossover redux.
Thank you for your feedback and support. I deeply appreciate it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have a wonderful surprise for you. As of now, this crossover is now a multicrossover with Battlestar Galactica (2003-2004). Now some of you might be wondering, 'Why are you adding on another franchise and adding on yet another series of ideas and making things more complicated as a result?' Well, the good news is that I can tell you why. The reasons for doing so are two fold.
The first of those reasons is that I want to explore a possibility that's been nagging at me since I looked at the lore for the Forerunners. We all know from the lore that the Librarian, after the Halo Array was fired, arranged for the species on Installation 00 and the Shield Worlds scattered throughout the galaxy to be reseeded on various planets, including their homeworlds. The question I'm asking with including Battlestar Galactica as part of this crossover is this: 'What if Humanity was seeded on more than just a single planet? What if there was more to the Colonial's history and mythology than they ever realized?'
The other is due to the fact that I've always been deeply interested in the Battlestar Galactica franchise. While I've only recently gotten a chance to see the Miniseries and almost all of the show's first season, the franchise has captivated my imagination. It truly is one of the great naturalistic science-fiction shows that's ever been made and, as such, it would be a crime not to make use of it in a story involving human beings reseeded in far-flung places by a race that once viewed them as rivals before deciding that they were to be the inheritors of their legaxy, a legacy that Humanity in the Halo Universe richly deserves.
Either way, I thank you for your support, and I hope that you'll also support this major decision I've made. This has been part of a major plan that I and my beta-readers have been working out for this story. Rest assured, we will be working to streamline this story and to keep it from becoming an idea soup as much as is humanly possible.
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 belogns to its originial composers and/or artists.
CDS Pegasus
Near Unsurveyed System
0 BCH/ACH, 1500 Hrs (August 13th, 0BBY, 1500 Hrs (March 25th, 2559, 1500 Hrs))
The one word that could describe how Rear Admiral Helena Cain felt was boredom. The emotion itself seemed to pervade the entire CIC of the Mercury-class Battlestar. What an uneventful day, she thought to herself. I know I should be grateful; hell, we've had forty five years, if not more, of peace between the Colonies and the Cylons. Part of me, though, wants to have a little more action.
Unwanted memories flashed through her mind. I still remember that day. I still remember the feeling of the knife in my hand, the fear and hate I felt when that Cylon cornered me. The shock when it left me alone… and the emptiness I felt when I found nothing of my sister save her stuffed doll.
She sighed, banishing the memories from the forefront of her mind. Focus on the here and now, the military part of her mind ordered her. Get a grip on yourself, woman. You can deal with old wounds later.
Her thoughts were interrupted when her XO, Colonel Jurgen Belzen asked, "Ma'am, are you all right? Ma'am?"
She nodded. "I am fine, Colonel. Old memories is all."
Belzen nodded. "I know what you mean. I wasn't alive when the Cylon War happened, but my father was. He always told me stories of what it was like back then. I would tell you, but…" He made a motion towards the clock.
"I know what you mean, Colonel. No time for idle chatter when on duty." She refocused her thoughts. "Any orders from Colonial Headquarters?"
"Not yet," Lieutenant Hoshi reported from his station. "I… wait a minute. Raptor-2 has just jumped into the system."
"Confirmed," Commander Jack Fisk said. "One new DRADIS contact on screen. DRADIS indicates it's a Raptor."
"Understood," Cain said. "Lieutenant, do they have any messages for us?"
"Yes, ma'am," Hoshi said. A light whirring sound emanated from his station. Tearing the piece of paper out of the printer, he advanced to Cain and handed it to her.
"Thank you, Lieutenant" Cain said "Return to your post." Hoshi saluted, then advanced back to his station. Putting on a pair of glasses, she examined the message carefully. She frowned, then handed the paper to Belzen. "Colonel, order the ship, personnel and all ships within BSG 62 to prep FTL drives and begin jump preparations. We have a new mission from Colonial Fleet HQ. The coordinates are specified in the message they sent us."
Belzen looked at the paper, frowned quizzically. "Understood, ma'am. Regulations require that I inform you of the proximity that we will have to the Armistice Line should we carry out this mission."
"Consider myself informed," Cain said.
"Aye, ma'am."
"So we're heading to the Armistice Line," Fisk said. "Well… that'll be a good change of pace. Might even see some action, fry a few Toasters, then be back home to enjoy the ambrosia."
Cain smiled. Fisk was known for being a jokester; it was a welcome part of his personality, especially during high risk missions. "We might, if they come across our side of the border. If not… oh well…"
"That would also be good," Fisk said. "A day without a battle is like a day at Caprica."
"FTL drives are spooling up," Belzen reported. "We will begin FTL jump whenever you wish, ma'am."
Cain nodded. "Very good. Lieutenant Hoshi, inform the rest of the fleet to begin FTL preparations. We're going to the Armistice Line. Send them the FTL coordinates listed."
"Aye, ma'am," Hoshi said. Outside the confines of the Pegasus, the ships in BSG 62 began spooling up their FTL drives, ready to head to whichever destination they had been given. "Fleet's spooling up their drives. Jump ETA: 5 minutes."
"Very good," Cain said. Her eyes glanced up to the screens above the board. Video feeds from cameras mounted on the ship's hull allowed her to look outside. Nearby, the planet of Caprica was plainly visible. Caprica might not be home, but it sure feels like it, she thought.
"Jump preparations complete ma'am," Hoshi said. "All ships are reporting in. Their jump drives are ready."
"Good," Cain said. "Fisk, begin countdown timer."
"Affirmative," Fisk said. Advancing to a digital clock on the wall, he pressed a button. The LED lights flickered, then chanced to a 15 second countdown. Another button press started the clock.
"Fifteen seconds," Hoshi announced over the ship 'com and fleetwide Comm channel. "Ten seconds… five… four… three… two… one… zero!"
Within the Pegasus, near the engines, lay the pair of FTL drives that would allow the Pegasus to bend space, ignore time, and thumb its metallic nose at physics. Those drives, fully charged by their tylium reactors, began to alter the fabric of space and time. Before long, a wormhole opened up, before traveling the entire length of the Pegasus. In a flash of light focused by geometric lensing, the ship disappeared from sight. Before long, the other ships of BSG 62 vanished into thin air.
Cain felt a brief, stomach churning sensation that vanished within seconds. She could feel the structure of the ship flex ever so slightly. She grimaced. I'm very happy that the ship was built to standard. If it wasn't, that jump would've broken Pegasus' back or folded it in half like a twig.
"Jump complete," Fisk said. "Performing DRADIS scan now…" He paused, eyes calmly examining the DRADIS screen before him. A smile soon crossed his features. "And the fleet's arrived. All ships present and accounted for."
"Confirmed," Hoshi said. "All ships present and accounted for. We are near the Armistice Line."
"Very good," Cain said. "CAG, launch all Vipers and set up a combat patrol near the Armistice Line. If a Cylon even so much as inches towards that line, you are to inform me immediately."
"Yes, ma'am," Cole 'Stinger' Taylor, the ship's CAG, said. Picking up the intercom phone, he said, "All pilots, man your Vipers and begin launch preparations." Putting the phone down, he said, "Permission to head to my Viper, ma'am?"
"Denied, Captain. Send out a pair of Raptors to scout ahead. I want you onboard one of those Raptors. If you find anything, you'll investigate what it is. If anything happens, jump back to the Pegasus immediately. Understood?" Taylor nodded, then proceeded to the Pegasus' flight pods.
"You think we might run into any trouble out here?" Belzen asked.
"No," Cain said, "but I'm not taking any chances. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."
"So say we all."
Indeed, Cain thought. Before long, the DRADIS display above her head showed hundreds of Mark VII Vipers flying away from the ship and any other Battlestars in the fleet. I hope that all goes well, but I'll take eliminating any Cylons any day of the week. If they come, they come. If not… She shrugged ever so slightly.
For the next few hours, all was well, with nary a peep of activity from the other side of the Armistice Line. So far, it's another boring day. How lovely is that? Taking a sip of some coffee, she asked, "What's the status on the Raptors?"
"They're heading out to perform an FTL jump now," Fisk said. He scrutinized the DRADIS screen. "And… they're off! They've jumped!"
"Understood," Cain said. "If anything happens, let me know immediately."
"Understood," Fisk said.
. . .
Onboard one of the Raptors, Taylor grit his teeth as the tiny ship performed an FTL jump. The walls of the tiny fighter seemed to flex for a brief second, then they went back to normal. "Jump complete," the ECO of the ship said. "Good jump, if I do say so myself."
Taylor smiled and shook his head. Jack Fregard was one of the stranger people onboard the Pegasus. The man can calculate FTL jumps, but he always ends up being confused by card games or social behavior. It was because of this odd quirk that Jack had earned the nickname 'Oddball.' "So, Oddball, anything out there?"
Fregard shrugged. "Zero, zip, none. There's… wait a minute…"
"What is it?" Taylor asked. He hated it when Jack said those words.
"I'm picking up something on the DRADIS. It's not far, around five hundred klicks or so, but according to DRADIS, it's definitely something. Getting some odd energy readings, including a kind of radiation I've never seen before. Might want to phone this back to the fleet."
Taylor cursed. Damnit… I knew something was off about all this. "All right," he said. Keying his comm, he said, "Raptor-2, jump back to the fleet and inform them of what we've found. Oddball and I are going to further investigate what we're looking at here."
"Solid copy," the pilot for the second Raptor said. "Raptor-2 returning to Pegasus." Outside, the Raptor was enveloped in another burst of light, before disappearing entirely.
"Can we get a LiDAR scan of the contact in question?" Taylor asked Oddball.
"You sure? LiDAR scans haven't been used in a long time, what with DRADIS becoming popular."
"Yes, I'm sure."
Fregard shrugged. "OK, then. Performing LiDAR scan now…"
Back aboard the Pegasus, Admiral Cain held the phone to her ear. "Are you certain that you've spotted something?"
"Yes," the Raptor pilot said. "DRADIS identified as a contact of unknown type. The CAG ordered us to jump back to you and inform you of what's going on. He's going to take a closer look and find out what we're up against."
"I see. Thank you for relaying this information. Jump back to Taylor's position and relay information back and forth between the two of us. Pegasus Actual over and out." She placed the phone back into its receiver. "Well, that's just lovely, Colonel. It would appear that the Lords of Kobol decided to drop a bone into our laps."
Belzen shrugged. "So it would seem. Orders, ma'am?"
"Have the ships take up combat formation around the Pegasus," Cain ordered. "When we jump in, I want a targeting solution on the unknown contact and weapons loaded, but do not fire. I want to confirm if this is a code blue situation or not before any shooting starts. If it's not, then we'll send a Raptor back and ask Colonial HQ what the hell a ship is doing beyond the Armistice Line. I strongly suspect, however, that the Cylons have come back."
Belzen looked confused. "Why would they come back? It's been forty years since they signed the Armistice at the end of the Cylon War. Why not, instead of just a few years later?"
"No idea," Cain said. "Whatever reason it is, it's not a good one, and the Cylons have had a long time to refine and change their ship designs. Besides, the ship emerged on the other side of the Armistice Line. If they cross that border, they'll be in violation of the Armistice Line, and it'll be within my rights to fire on them."
"Are you sure that's such a good idea? Shouldn't we visually confirm if it is a Cylon ship or not? What if we fire on an innocent civilian ship? That won't bode well for us at all, and Colonial Fleet HQ will have our heads for that."
Cain sighed. He makes… a good point. "I see… Very well, then. Have the Raptors perform a visual check on the ship. If it even remotely resembles Cylon ship designs, we'll blow it out of the sky. Understood?"
Belzen sighed. His CO had made her opinion on the matter loud and clear. If she wanted to investigate a potential Cylon incursion, that was what she was going to do. "Understood, ma'am. Lords help us if this is what restarts the war."
"If it is, then may they have mercy upon my soul," Cain agreed.
. . .
The first sound that greeted Captain Thames was the sound of his cryopod opening. Oh, fuck me! he grumbled. Before he could catch himself, he tumbled head first out of the cryopod. He barely got his arms out in time before he slammed into the ground. He snarled as shooting pains ran up his arms.
A towel landed in front of him. "Piss off!" he growled.
"Zero to jerk in just three seconds," a voice said. "Not bad, but I've seen faster." Before long, the familiar visage of his XO, Danik, came into view. "You OK?"
Thames nodded, then sat up. "I'm fine. Just fell out before I could catch myself." He wiped at his face with the towel before him. "So, what's the SitRep?"
"We're approaching our destination," Danik said. "ETA: 5 mikes."
"Understood." Getting up, Thames reached for a drawer. It slid out on near-frictionless bearings. Within it was his uniform and a few personal effects. "Inform the AI to begin preparations for Slipspace exit. Tell the crew that it's time to man their stations."
"Yes, sir," Danik said. He turned, leaving the room reserved for the CO and XO of the ship. Thames nodded, then began dressing himself.
Before long, he walked into the bridge of the Huygens. All of the officers on the ship manned their stations, eyes focused on the consoles before them. Thames sat down in the command chair. "Columbus? How we looking?"
"All systems green," Columbus said.
"All right. Patterson?"
"On course and steady," Patterson said.
"Very good. Amelia?"
A short, blond woman checked her console. "Confirmed, all systems green. Ship systems are functioning within nominal parameters. Slipspace drive functioning normally."
"Very good," Thames said. "When will we arrive, Columbus?"
"In thirty seconds," Columbus said.
"All right. Begin exit preparations. I want everyone at their stations."
"Understood," Columbus said.
An automated message rang in over the PA. "Attention, Attention. Slipspace Exit imminent. Ten Seconds to Slipspace Exit… Five… Four… Three… Two… One… Now."
The non-dimensional blackness of Slipspace was suddenly interrupted. A portal appeared before them, with the black void being replaced by a star speckled void. The ship shuddered as it left Slipspace and entered the normal realm that human beings were familiar with. "Textbook exit," Patterson said. "Couldn't have done it any better."
"Excellent," Thames said. "Columbus, Danik, fire up the scanning equipment. Time to see where we are at."
"Affirmative," Danik said. "Beginning a scan of the system we're in."
Within the sensor suite, scanners and sensors designed to work at luminal and superluminal speeds fired up. Within a few seconds, the AI had a comprehensive idea of what system they were in and how many planets were nearby. "Initial scan complete," Columbus said. "Looks like we're in an uncharted star system."
"What are we looking at?" Thames asked.
"Analyzing… appears to be mostly gas giants with a few rocky, terrestrial planets. No data on whether those terrestrial planets are habitable yet. We'll need to perform more detailed scans when we can."
Thames nodded. "So, par for the course so far. Good… good… Danik, anything?"
"I'm checking right now," Danik said. "Huh… now that's very interesting."
"What is?" Amelia asked.
"Looks like the long range scanners have got something. According to them, we're roughly three light years away from what appears to be a multiple star system. I've got Columbus chewing on that right now. That's not all, though."
"What is?" Thames asked.
"I'm getting faint, radio signals from the multiple star system," Columbus said. "Current scans are preliminary, but it appears that we might have found intelligent life in this part of the star system. I'm currently working to scan the system and to further analyze the signal origins."
Thames' heart began to race. So we're not alone out here, he thought. Some other civilization has formed in this sector of space. "Understood. Continue scans. Begin preparations to move deeper into the star system."
"Understood," Columbus said.
"I copy that," Patterson said. "I've plotted a route to the planets closest to our position. With any luck, we can find out more about where we are and where we've ended up."
"Understood."
As the others continued to work at their stations, Thames rested his chin on a hand. Looks like this job is more exciting than I initially thought. Not only do we have evidence of potentially sapient life in this sector of the galaxy, we might have a first contact. He sighed. I hope it goes far better than the last one.
His idle thoughts and musings were interrupted when Danik said, "Captain, I've got something!"
Thames snapped to attention. "What is it?"
"I've got two unknown contacts approaching us. Scans are detecting human life signs onboard the objects."
"Sir, I've completed a scan of the incoming objects," Columbus said. "If my analysis is correct, we are looking at aerospace fighters of an unknown type and design. I am also detecting much larger objects at the edge of our scanner range. Shall I perform a LiDAR scan?"
"Go ahead," Thames said.
"Scanning… scan complete. I'm showing you an image now."
One of the screens at Thames' chair winked to life. Thames scrutinized the object on the screens. It was a strange object, with a large, blocky body, two stubby wings, a pair of vertical stabilizers and a pair of engines in the back.
Danik pulled up a copy of the scan, scrutinized it intensely. "That certainly looks like a starfighter," he said at length. "It's certainly not a design that we've used before."
"Any radiological signatures?" Thames asked.
"Negative," Columbus said. "Scans do not show any sign of nuclear fusion or fission. I am, however, detecting unusual compounds coming from the engines of the fighters."
Thames nodded. "Are they on an intercept course with us?"
"Yes sir. The objects are maintaining an intercept course."
Thames sighed. "All right. Keep the Slipspace Drive spooled up in case they shoot. If they do, we can jump into Slipspace and re-emerge on the other side of the star system. Once we've done so, we'll phone home. We're almost at the edge of our ship's SLIPCOM range. Patterson, you catch that?"
"I did," Patterson said. "I've got the Slipspace Drive spooled up and ready. If these unknowns attack us, we'll be out of here in a split second."
"Good." Thames said. "Columbus, establish a HoloCOM link with FLEETCOM. First contat is out of our purview, and regulations state to contact the military first in the event of First Contact with an unidentified faction."
"Understood. SLIPCOM channel is open."
"Good." Keying his end of the channel, Thames said, "UNSC FLEETCOM, this is the UNSC Huygens of the UEG Cartographic Corps. We've encountered a spacefaring civilization while en route to Sector 60-Bravo to perform cartographic surveys. Advise. Over."
A response wasn't long in coming. "FLEETCOM to Huygens, this is Admiral Roland Fremont speaking. We have received your transmission concerning the discovery of a spacefaring civilization in your current area. You are advised not to display any hostile behavior at this time. If you are attacked, exit the area ASAP. We will keep this SLIPCOM line open in case of further developments. Should you be contacted by this civilization, employ First Contact protocol Delta-41."
"Understood," Thames said. "We will make preparations to follow First Contact protocols. We'll keep in touch. Captain Thames over and out."
"What now?"
Thames turned to Danik, who gazed at him with uncertain eyes. "We'll continue the mission as planned," he said. "Should the unknowns contact us, we'll follow First Contact Contingency Delta-41. Columbus, have the First Contact Package prepped and ready for transmission. If you need to, access their systems but be discreet. I don't want a shoot-out to happen."
"Understood," Columbus said. "Prepping First Contact package."
"I'll maintain course and heading for the time being," Patterson said. "If we get into trouble, I'll get us out of here. I'm one hell of a pilot."
"I'm sure you are," Thames said. "Continue your duties." He redirected his attention to the LiDAR scan of the fighter. Who the hell are you? he thought.
. . .
Inside his Raptor, Taylor's fingers drummed a nervous arpeggio on the flight console. He checked his DRADIS, frowned when he saw they were still out of visual range still. I really hope that this turns out to be a false alarm, he thought. I don't want to fancy actually dealing with a Cylon invasion. "So, what could it be? New form of Cylon technology? Another form of FTL we haven't discovered?"
"No idea yet," Fregard said. "Whatever it is, it's got Cain worked up enough to have us investigate it. Let's just hope that the gods are being kind to us today. I don't want to deal with an all-out invasion."
"Me too," Taylor said. "Keep the chatter to a minimum on this channel. If anything happens, it needs to be clear."
"Understood. We're approaching visual range."
"Got it," Taylor said. "Listen up, Ratpor-2. We're going to get a visual scan of the area the anomaly happened. Expect no hostile activity, but don't take any chances. If you see anything out of place, you let me know. Understood?"
"Wilco," the second Raptor pilot said.
"Good. Let's see what we've got."
The pair of Raptors continued to fly towards the location where the anomaly had occurred. Taylor was about to order a scan when the DRADIS on his console beeped. His eyes flew to the DRADIS. "Got an object within visual range," he said. "Oddball, see anything?"
Fregard checked a camera feed on his console. "Yep! I've got something to our right! Looks like a ship of some kind!"
Taylor looked outside. His gaze was riveted to a ship that was making its way through space. Unlike Colonial ships, which had a functional, but sleek appearance to them, this ship was all hard angles and geometric shapes. The hull was a dark gray color, though he could see white letters stenciled onto the hull of the ship.
That was when he saw something that shocked him. "What the hell?" he asked. "Guys, are you seeing this?"
Fregard looked outside. "Yeah," he said. "That's… odd."
"What's odd?" Raptor-2 asked.
"The letters on the hull," Taylor said. "They're… Caprican!"
The others looked around confusedly. "Caprican?!" Fregard asked. "Let me take a look." Standing up, he walked to Talyor's seat and looked outside. Though he couldn't see the man's face, Taylor had the impression that the man's eyes had gone as wide as qubit coins. "By the Lords of Kobol, you're right! It is in Caprican!"
"What does it say?" Raptor-2's ECO asked.
"It says… 'U. E. G…. H. U. Y. G. E. N. S… Huygens? That's not a name I've heard of before. Besides, what the hell is a UEG?"
Taylor frowned. "I've got no frakking idea. Raptor-2? I'm gonna attempt to make contact with this 'Huygens.' If anything goes wrong, we'll jump back to the fleet and inform Pegasus Actual. Understood?"
"Wilco," Raptor-2 said.
"Oddball, do you have an update on the ship's course?"
"Wait one," Fregard said. Sitting back down into his seat, he ran a series of calculations. "Got it! Looks like it's heading to one of the gas giants inside of our current star system. We're also back on our side of the Armistice Line, so there's no danger of the Cylons coming to accost us for crossing their borders."
"Understood," Taylor said. He took a breath, let it out explosively. "All right… time to see if we're frakked or not." Keying his comm, he said, "Unidentified ship, this is Captain Cole Taylor of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol Colonial Fleet. You are trespassing into Colonial space. Respond. Over…"
Onboard the Huygens, Thames jumped when he heard a strong, male voice coming in. "Isolate that signal!" he shouted.
"Already done," Danik said. "Signal isolated. That… that's odd. The transmitter is speaking in English, Greek English to be precise."
Thames looked at Danik with shock. "What?! Are you certain?! Columbus, check the transmission and see if that's the case."
"Analyzing…" Columbus nodded. "Confirmed. The transmission was in English. It would appear that they're using simple radio communications. We will be able to speak with them."
Thames smiled. "Excellent! Open up a channel and let me speak with them."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Danik asked. "We're facing an unknown civilization here! They could interpret that as a hostile action!"
"Got any better ideas?"
"We could send them a light signal," Amelia said. "Ships have been known to communicate in that manner. However, we lack the equipment necessary to do so. We'll have to…"
"Too late!" Patterson shouted. "I've got a large mass of unidentified objects approaching us!"
Looking up, Thames watched as multiple flashes of light erupted in the space ahead of the Huygens. Each flash of light ended with a ship appearing out of thin air, or rather vacuum in this case. Before long, dozens of ships had entered the area.
Thames felt a cold terror inside of his gut. "Ohhh… shit," he whispered.
"This is bad!" Patterson said. "Real bad!"
"Tell us something we don't know," Danik said.
"Columbus?" Thames asked. "What are we looking at?"
"It would appear that we are looking at a military fleet of unknown origin and capability, sir," Columbus said. "Scans of the largest ship indicates that it is armed with several dorsal and ventral mounted weapons. What is odd is that none of the ships are showing signatures accompanied by nuclear fusion or fission. The ships are also not armed with Magnetic Accelerator Cannons. How very odd."
"Odd indeed," Thames said. "Guys, I think now's a good time to try and scan their COM arrays now. If we don't speak up, they'll blow us out of the sky!"
"Commencing scans," Columbus said.
"I'll contact FLEETCOM again." Keying the COM, he said, "Admiral Fremont, do you read me?"
"We've been hearing you the entire time," Fremont said. "Columbus has sent us the scans now. You are advised to make contact with the unknowns and inform them that your intentions are peaceful. Have Columbus scan their systems in order to gain access to their COM arrays. Should they attack, abort the mission and get the hell out of there!"
"Copy that!" Thames said…
Onboard the Pegasus, Cain looked at the unknown ship that was now just a few kilometers away from their position. Good thing Raptor-2 informed us of their noncompliance with Taylor's orders, she thought. Perhaps a show of force will convince them to reply.
Belzen scratched the back of his head. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Rear Admiral? We're taking a huge number of risks by approaching a ship of unknown origin with this much firepower. They could perceive this as a hostile act."
"I'm well aware of the potential outcomes of my decision, Colonel," Cain said. "I believe that this is the best course of action, and I will stand by that decision. Lieutenant, contact the unknown ship. Inform them that they are trespassing into Colonial space and that they are to identify themselves or be fired upon. I will send the transmission three more times. If they do not respond within thirty seconds of the third transmission, I will open fire."
Hosin nodded. "Understood, ma'am." Keying the comm, he said, "Unidentified ship. This is the CDS Pegasus. You are tresspassing into Colonial territory. Squawk now and proceed out of the area immediately."
No answer. "Unidentified ship, this is the Pegasus. Identify yourself. Over." Again, there was no reply. "Unidentified ship, this is the Pegasus. Identify yourself or we will open fire on you. You have thirty seconds to respond. Over."
The seconds began to tick by agonizingly. Cain kept her eyes on the clock. Twenty seconds left. Fifteen… ten…
At five seconds, Hosin said, "Ma'am! I've got a radio transmission coming from the unknown ship!"
"Put it on speakers," Cain ordered. The CIC crew waited with baited breath.
Then a strong, male voice came in, "This is Captain Orwell Thames of the United Earth Government survey ship Huygens to the unknown ship. We were en route to the star system you are currently in to conduct planetary surveys. Do not fire on our ship. We are an unarmed exploratory vessel. Over."
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat. "Did they just speak in Caprican?" Cain asked.
Belzen nodded. "They did, all right, but that's not all. They specifically used the word 'Earth.' Could it be that they…"
"…are from the Thirteenth Colony of Kobol?" Cain finished. She frowned. "I'm no so certain. Have one of the Ratpors get in close and confirm visually if there are humans onboard."
"Yes, sir," Belzen said. "Taylor, can you see anyone in there?"
"I can't, not yet," Taylor said over the communicator. "I'll see if I can get in closer."
"Understood," Belzen said.
"Establish a comm channel with the ship," Cain ordered. Once Hosin signaled her, she said, "This is Rear Admiral Helena Cain of the Colonial Fleet. You said you are humans from Earth. Correct?"
"That's correct," Thames said. "If you want confirmation, I can have our AI send you confirmation via the comm channel."
That rang alarm bells in Cain's head. "Come again?! Did you sai AI?!"
"Of course. We use them all the time. Why?"
Cain growled. "So you admit to using Cylons. I knew this would happen. You're pulling off a PsiOp in order to make us think you're humans. Well guess what, that ain't gonna work!"
"PsiOps?" Thames asked. "I don't understand! We're not Cylons or whatever they are! We -!"
"Cut the feed now," Cain ordered. Hosin cut the channe. Cain then said. "The unknown is a Cylon ship masquerading as a ship from the Thirteenth Colony! Isolate the affected systems! Colonel, order the gunners to open fire immediately!"
"Are you sure?" Belzen asked. "For all we know, we -"
"I don't want to hear it!" Cain said. "They've attempted to persuade us to open up our ship systems, which is a direct violation of the Cimtar Peace Accords and Colonial law. Colonial protocol is clear in this case. Understood?"
Belzen sighed. "Yes, ma'am." He turned to the other officers. "I want all dorsal batteries firing at the Cylon ship!"
Fisk walked to Cain. "I hope we aren't making a terrible mistake," he said
"The Cylons have returned, Fisk," Cain said. "I intend to make sure they don't go back to the other side to call for help…"
Onboard the Huygens, Thames felt his heart beginning to race. "Shit!" he growled. "They think we're Cylons, or whatever the hell they call AI! We need to get out of here!"
"Plotting a course of here now, sir!" Patterson shouted.
"Columbus, send FLEETCOM our current coordinates and let them know what's going on! We -!"
"INCOMING!" Danik shouted.
At that moment, all hell broke loose.
The cannons on the bottom of the Pegasus took aim and fired. Massive shells flew towards the Huygens at terrifying speed. "EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" Thames roared.
Patterson reacted rather than thought. Throwing the Huygens into a hard left dive, he threw the throttle to its maximum setting. The powerful engines roared to life, throwing the Huygens out of the line of fire. Both shells missed the survey ship.
"Get us out of here!" Amelia shouted.
"I can't be fired upon before we make the jump to Slipspace!" Patterson shouted. "We gotta get these assholes off of us first!"
"Sir, enemy fighters inbound!" Danik shouted.
"Columbus, try and contact them!" Thames shouted. "See if you can use that back door to make contact with them!"
"Working on it!" Columbus said, a note of panic in his voice…
The ship shuddered, throwing the crew around a tad. Outside, the Vipers from the Pegasus fired their 30mm cannons. Cannon rounds designed to penetrate Cylon armor simply ricocheted off of the hull of the Huygens, leaving small scratches and dents in the metal.
Onboard the Raptor, Taylor fired his weapons. He growled in frustration as the 30mm rounds ricocheted off the ship's hull. "We're barely even scratching the damn thing!" he shouted. "We need something bigger!"
"Stinger, focus fire on the engines!" Fergard shouted. "If we disable the engines, we can keep them from running!"
Shifting his fire, Taylor engaged the engines. Seeing his example, the other Viper pilots opened fire on the engines of the Huygens. Though well built, they weren't designed to withstand concentrated weapons fire. There was a brief flash from one, then several of them exploded. The others simply faded out.
"Good call on the engines!" Taylor shouted. "Thanks, Oddball!"
"Anytime, Stinger!" Fergard replied…
Thames felt the Huygens rock violently, the force of the motion throwing him out of his seat. Standing up, he shouted, "Status!"
"Engines have been destroyed!" Amelia shouted. "Slipspace Drive is down! We can't get out of here!"
"I've been unable to access the back door in their computer systems," Columbus reported. "Our incompatible software renders me unable to access their systems. I have, however, logged the back door and sent intelligence of it to FLEETCOM for analysis."
A pang of despair ran through Thame's body. He sighed. "Then that settles it. We have to save however we can." Keying the COM, he said, "Attention! All hands, abandon ship! All hands, abandon ship! Initiate Cole Protocol! Repeat: initiate Cole Protocol! Wipe all navigational data from the ship! We cannot allow these hostiles to find Earth or her colonies!"
Closing the COM call, he stood up. "Columbus, initiate the ship's self-destruct and begin AI purge." He huffed in frustration. "I… I'm sorry it came to this, Columbus."
Columbus nodded, a sad smile on his face. "I know, sir. You've done all that you can. Before I go, sir, I would like to say… that it's been an honor, sir."
"Likewise," Thames said.
A sudden, powerful blow rocked the entire ship. "We've been hit with high caliber munitions!" Amelia shouted. "We're drifting without power now!"
"Get to the life boats!" Thames shouted. "Get as far away from here as you can!"
"What do you plan to do, sir?" Danik asked.
Thames sighed. "I'm going to initiate the self-destruct sequence as per the Cole Protocol. When this thing blows, the blast will generate a temperature of over one hundred million degrees. In other words: get to minimum safe distance before it blows."
"What about you?" Amelia asked.
Thames sighed. "I am going down with my ship. Once the self-destruct sequence is armed, I won't be able to escape. Besides, the navigational information is within my head. I have to kill myself in order to deny it to the enemy."
"There has to be another way!" Danik shouted. "We can't just let you die here!"
Thames sighed. "I was reaching the end of my road anyways, Danik." He handed him a small data drive. "Hide this on your person. It contains my medical file, and my farewells. Swear that you'll watch it for me when you can."
Danik held the device in his hands. He frowned, then nodded. "I will."
"Good. Now go! Before it's too late! GO!" The other officers left. Patterson looked at Thames, who simply nodded. With a frown, Patterson ran after the others, but not before crushing a memory stick in his hands. Now, it's time for me to complete my objective, he thought…
Onboard the Pegasus, Cain watched as a trio of shells from the Pegasus' main batteries slammed into the ship, tearing off armor plating and piercing the hull. "Enemy ship has lost all power to its thrusters," Belzen said. "It's drifting now."
"Good," Cain said. "I want a Raptor loaded with Marines to board the ship. Any data onboard is to be retrieved and brought back here for analysis. We need to know what the Cylons were planning to do here."
"Understood," Belzen said. Picking up his phone, he said, "Marine squads to Raptor-2. Raptor-2, prepare to transport Marines to the unknown ship."
"More DRADIS contacts!" Fisk shouted. "There are several small objects being ejected from the ship!"
"Show me!" Cain said. A video feed appeared, with the wounded ship in sight. A large series of panels retracted, with several objects shooting out of what appeared to be launch tubes. Each one quickly flew away from the ailing ship. "What are we looking at?"
"I don't know," Fisk said. "If I had to guess, I'd say escape pods. They're too large to be missiles, and no ship would carry missiles of that size."
"He's right," Belzen said. "Besides, Cylons don't use escape pods, do they?"
"No," Cain said. "They don't."
"I'm also picking up distress signals from the objects!" Hosin said. "They definitely are escape pods!"
Frak! Cain cursed. So the ship wasn't a Cylon ship! She sighed, a tremendous feeling of guilt welling up within her. Why the hell didn't they respond to us! "I see. Have a flight of Raptors from the other ships intercept them and bring them onboard."
"What if there are people onboard?" Belzen asked.
"We'll detain them on charges of attempted espionage and trespassing, Colonel. We followed all the procedures and they didn't respond. We followed the law, and now we're upholding it. Understand?"
Belzen nodded hesitantly. "Yes," he said…
Back aboard the Huygens, Thames reached the engineering deck. The entire ship was practically empty now. A video feed on a console showed all but one of the life pods escaping. The Chief Engineer must've stayed behind to help me key in the self-destruct sequence, he thought.
Entering the room in question, he found the Chief Engineer, Thomas Holt, standing near the panel. "I opened it as soon as I heard we were abandoning ship," he said. "I take it this is it?"
"Yes," Thames said. "It's time to destroy the ship. The AI is gone, so we can't do it automatically. Voice recognition only."
"Yes, sir," Thomas said. He punched in a series of codes, with James doing the same. "Voice Password Required. Verify Identities," a computer generated voice said.
"Captain Orwell Thames. ID Code 09410-75621-OT."
"Chief Engineer Thomas Holt," Holt said. "ID Code 80471-90864-TH"
"Identities Verified," the computer said. "Override Code Required."
Thames nodded. "Code 0-0-0-0. Override. Destruct."
The screen blinked, then displayed a five minute countdown. "Override Accepted. Self-Destruct Sequence Initiated. Warning: Self-Destruct Disarm Will Be Disabled In Three Minutes."
Thames nodded. Turning to Holt, he said, "Get out of here while you still can."
"What about you?" Holt asked.
"I'm going down with my ship. I might as well take as many of these bastards with me as I can, and I won't be around when they come."
Holt looked unsure, then he nodded. "Goodbye, Thames."
"You too," Thames said. Looking at a video feed, which showed one of the boxy fighters approaching, he pulled out an M6 Magnum. "You, Holt, have my dying voice. The rest… is silence." Placing the Magnum to his forehead, he closed his eyes and pulled the trigger…
Sergeant Halden watched as the Marines ahead of him cut through the last few inches of the unknown ship's hull. "Damn, this stuff's tough!" one Marine grunted. "What were they trying to stop? Plasma?"
"Maybe we can ask them and find out," another said.
"Cut the chatter," Halden said. "Once we're inside, Squad One will secure the bridge. I'll go with Squad Two and secure engineering. Squad Three will search for any stragglers. Understood?"
"Got it," the others said.
There was a loud CLUNK as the section of metal fell to the ground. Stepping through, the Marines began to advance down the hallways of the ship. Emergency lights had activated, bathing the hallways of the ship in an ominous red glow. Alarms blared, forming a cacophony of sound.
"Odd looking hallways, that much for sure," one Marine said. "It's very… utilitarian. Doesn't look like the interior of a Cylon ship."
Halden nodded. "Agreed. We're coming up on Engineering. Rather convenient that these newcomers speak the same language." Reaching the door to Engineering, they found it open.
Moving inside, the Marines quickly scanned the room. "Clear!" one shouted.
"Clear!" came another.
Halden stepped into another room. His eyes widened fractionally upon seeing the body of a man. "Got something here!" he shouted. The others quickly filed into the room. "Looks like the Captain of the ship. I think he committed suicide by bullet."
"And here's the weapon," another person said. Halden looked at it. It was a large and bulky, but elegant looking weapon.
"What would need such giant-ass bullets?" one Marine asked, fingering an expended cartridge.
"No idea," Halden said, "but these guys were packing some punch."
The COM crackled to life. "Sergeant Halden, Colonel Belzen here. SitRep?"
"We're onboard the ship," Halden said. "All of it's empty on our end."
"I've got nothing here," Team Three's leader said.
"Team Two here, the bridge is ours. The consoles are all shot to hell."
"Understood," Belzen said. "We're getting some unusual readings from the ship. Can you investigate?"
"Stand by," Halden said. Looking up, he spotted a panel before him, with a series of numbers ticking down. On it, the panel showed the number twenty. Soon it became fifteen. "Got a series of numbers here," he said. "What are…" A horrifying realization dawned on his face. "Oh frak!"
"What is it?" Belzen asked.
"Self-destruct sequence! We gotta go!"
Both Belzen and Cain heard the same thing. "GET OUT OF THERE!" Belzen screamed. "GET OUT! GET OUT OF THERE!"
"ALL FIGHTERS, GET AWAY FROM THE UNKNOWN SHIP!" Cain bellowed. "MOVE!" Vipers and Raptors threw themselves away from the unknown ship as fast as they could.
For some, it was too little, too late.
Onboard the Huygens, the countdown went from one second, to zero. Explosions rang out as the systems inside of the ship began to die, their circuits and components critically overloaded. Halden screamed as an explosion tore in him half, splattering the walls with his own organs and blood. Other Marines were shredded by similar explosions, their screams of agony drowned out by the explosions themselves.
Outside, in his Raptor, Taylor watched as a series of explosions ripped through the ship's bridge, blasting out the viewports and sending gouts of fire into space. The ship drifted, with the explosions fading to reveal a ruined interior. He watched with awestruck horror as sections of the hull collapsed inward as the artificial gravity generators on the Huygens overloaded.
Then it happened.
Having raced to one of the observation rooms, Rear Admiral Cain was just in time to see the ship promptly explode. Pure, blinding white light filled the observation room, washing out all colors. Cain threw up an arm, barely saving herself from being blinded in an instant. Fisk, not nearly fast enough, howled in agony, his vision overwhelmed by the intense flash.
It faded, prompting Cain to lower her arm slightly. Then, in an repeat of the first explosion, another one resounded, forcing her to cover her eyes once more. Even with the hull of the ship protecting her, she could feel a taste of the tremendous heat the explosion was putting out. Onboard his Raptor, Taylor howled in agony as the light blinded him. He tumbled to the ground, while Fregard, having throw himself to the floor, pulled Taylor away, even as the Raptor shook around them.
Then, in a encore of atomic violence, a third and final explosion ripped through the space that had once been occupied by the Huygens and anything else close by. Vipers and Raptors that were unable to escape were promptly vaporized, with the ships, and those onboard them, instantly turned into free floating atoms and molecules. Ships further away had their hulls melt as the intense radiation seared them. Those further away were violently shaken about as the gas thrown outwards by the detonation smashed into them, crumpling hull plates and scorching paint. Onboard their Raptor, Taylor and Fregard held on for dear life as the shockwave of gas threw them away from the atomic inferno to safety.
Onboard the Pegasus, Cain had barely enough time to shield her eyes once more before the final flash of blinding white light filled the observation room one more time. Before she could react, the ship violently lurched, throwing her and everyone in the room to the floor. She imagined hearing a loud atomic screech would've torn through the ship if sound could travel through vacuum. "LORDS OF KOBOL, HELP US!" Fisk screamed, panic overwhelming his military training. "LORDS OF KOBOL, SAVE US!"
If the Lords of Kobol did exist, they had heard Fisk's screams and pleas born of terror. The light slowly faded away and the shaking finally stopped. Uncovering her eyes, Helena Cain watched as the white light faded to orange, then red, before finally fading out of existence. Where the Huygens once was, there was nothingness, not even a tiny fragment of the ship to tell her it was there. Purple dots swam in her vision, artifacts of the brilliant light that had shone through her arm despite her efforts to shield her eyes.
Blinking them away, she stood up to see the others. Fisk was nursing his eyes, his hands shaking from pain and terror; a whimper unsteadily made its way out of his mouth. Pulling them away, she gasped when she saw that his eyes were bloodshot. "Fisk?" she asked. "Fisk, can you hear me? Fisk?!"
At first, Fisk didn't respond, still overwhelmed by the shock of what had happened still coursing through his veins. Cain was just about to smack him in the face when he said, "I… I hear you… ma'am. M… my eyes, I…" His voice was on the verge of breaking. "I can't…"
Cain gasped. The damage to Fisk's eyes must've been worse than it looked. "The detonation must've blinded you temporarily. Hell, I'm seeing lots of purple dots in my vision right now. We'll get your eyes fixed. I promise."
Fisk seemed to calm down at that. He shook, the terror of what they had experienced was finally releasing it's hold on him. "I…" he cleared his throat and sniffed. "You're right. I… I need to see a doctor. C-Can someone lead me to the medic?"
"I'll take you," a crew member said, having come in just moments after the final detonation. Taking Fisk by the arm, she gently picked the shaken Commander up and guided him out of the room.
Belzen, having shielded his eyes better than anyone in the room, gazed at the spot where the ship once was. "By the gods…" he gasped. "What… what happened?"
"I think I know what happened," Cain said, "though I'm not sure. Either they just had a massive tylium detonation or…"
"Or what…"
"Or maybe we might have seen a thermonuclear detonation on a scale never before witnessed." Cain shook her head. "I'm no expert, but I'm inclined to believe the latter of those two possibilities."
Belzen nodded. "You-you're right. There was no way that was a tylium detonation. If that was produced by just one of their smaller ships…"
"Then any larger ones will make that one look like a pop-gun," Cain agreed. Blinking, she said, "What's the status of the unknown's life boats?"
"They're being brought onboard now," Belzen said. "Ma'am, to be honest with you, I don't think you're in any state to see them right now. That light must've damaged your eyes as well."
"They did," Cain said. "I'll escort myself to the medic. Hopefully the damage isn't permanent. To be honest, though, I hope Fisk is all right as well. It would crush him if he was permanently blinded. Until I recover, you have command of the Pegasus, Belzen."
Belzen nodded. "Understood, ma'am."
. . .
Far away, in another galaxy, Lasky rubbed his face as he processed the last few pieces of information that the other members of HIGHCOM had sent him. Now I can see why Hood wanted me to be the provisional chairman, he thought. This is really, really hard work. Thank the Force that Cole showed me the ropes for this sort of thing.
A pulse of sympathy came from Revan. "Ah, the joys of bureaucracy," he remarked. "If it's of any comfort to you, Lasky, I felt the exact same way. All of this paperwork to burn through, all of these forms to fill out. It's really boring, especially when you've got better things to do."
"That's another thing we can agree on," Bastila said. "I will admit, though, that the UNSC's bureaucracy is vastly more efficient than that of the Republic or Empire for that matter. My question, though, is if this is because of AI or something else."
Lasky nodded. AI is involved in a lot of the bureaucracy in the UNSC and UEG. The reason why the UEG and UNSC can act so fast is due to the fact that many roles that don't exactly need people are handed over to dumb AIs. I'm in one of the positions where you actually need a person making decisions.
"No argument here," Revan said. "Still, the monotony of filling out paperwork is so dreary that it puts me to sleep. I used to use that sort of thing as a sleeping aid."
Bastila smiled. "So that's why I found you asleep every time you did paper work."
"Guilty as charged." He examined one of the forms Lasky filled out. "Huh, so ONI's gambit to make money using flash cloning's gone pretty well. I must admit, I never even heard of the idea until now."
Mostly because you made the cloning of certain things illegal, Lasky pointed out. Plus, none of you ever considered the possibility of using organ cloning to save lives, something that even the Kaminoans missed out on, if Olivia's reports to me are accurate.
"A very good point," Bastila admitted. "If the Republic had invested half the money in medical advances that it did into building more ships and weapons, people in this galaxy would be living a lot longer. Instead, they chose to focus on the pursuit of war and other nasty things. Kinda like the Empire, now that I think about it."
"Yeah," Revan said. "Speaking of which, is no one going to talk about Palpatine here? I think he's gonna be a much bigger problem than we think."
Lasky sighed. I know that, Revan, and I believe Charet knows as well. Hell, it's part of the reason why ONI Section One is working so hard to find as many Imperial outposts and research facilities as possible before the war starts. Once it does start, we can steal whatever data they have, and then blow those facilities to hell and back.
"Steal their crap, then blow their stuff up. I like it."
"I like it too," Bastila said. She was about to continue when she said, "Lasky, there's -"
I know, Lasky said. I sensed it as well. We've got a guest coming to us. My Force Sensitivity seems to be growing ever so slightly as the days pass.
"It might be that most of the midi-chlorians inside of you are physically immature," Revan surmised. "If that's the case, then your power is going to gradually increase as those midi-chlorians reach physical maturity. Once they've all reached maturity, you could be quite powerful. It all depends on how focused you are on becoming stronger in the Force."
Maybe, Lasky thought. I've got another session with Cal and Merrin planned for later today, once all of my duties are done. In the meantime, I'm going to get ready. Charet is likely wishing to speak with me on the various intelligence reports. As for the person approaching, that would be…
His earpiece beeped. "Lasky here," he said.
"Sir, Admiral Parangosky would like to speak with you," a guard said.
"Send her in." The door opened, permitting Parangosky inside of the room. "Fleet Admiral Parangosky. I take it you have something for me?"
Parangosky cocked an eyebrow. "Psychic, aren't we?"
"I have my moments."
"Indeed." She placed a datapad on his desk. "The Prowler team that we sent yesterday with Olivia just forwarded some interesting information to me and Osman. It pertains to your request to have Leia's DNA tested against that of Bail's DNA, along with that of his wife."
Lasky's eyes locked with hers. "Really? I'm sure you're willing to enlighten me while I read this."
"Of course."
Lasky cocked his head to the right, then shrugged. "Oh well… I'll just have to get used to that sort of thing." Clearing his throat, he picked up the datapad and began to read. "So, what did they find?"
"A lot of interesting details. In order to obtain the samples of Bail's DNA, as well as those of his wife, the ONI team had to infiltrate their private residence at Alderaan, while another team infiltrated Bail's office at Coruscant. They managed to obtain some hairs, as well as a few fingerprints that weren't too badly degraded. Once they had the samples, they exited the operation areas and sent the samples to Osman and Olivia for testing."
"I take it that I'm looking at the results," Lasky surmised.
"Precisely," Parangosky said. "I'll give it to you straight, Lasky. Bail Organa and Leia Organa are about as related to each other as an apple is to a plum, which is to say, not at all."
Lasky paused, then opened up the lab report. While he was no geneticist or biologist, he recognized some of the words and tests that had been done. He looked at the very bottom. True to Parangosky's words, the tests showed that there was little to no genetic relation between Leia and Bail, or even Bail's wife for that matter.
"Well, that's not too surprising at all," Revan said. "She and Bail look as much alike as a Weequay is to a Bantha."
"Indeed," Lasky said, both to Revan and Parangosky. "It appears that my suspicions about Leia were right on the money. That, however, begs the question. If Leia and Bail are not related in any way to each other, why does Bail say that Leia is his daughter?"
"That's the million dollar question," Parangosky agreed. "Once I saw the results for myself, two possibilities emerged into my mind. Either Bail Organa adopted Leia sometime in the past as his daughter, or…"
"Or Leia is the victim of a kidnapping," Lasky finished. "Personally, I find the former of the two options the more palatable and logical one. If it is the latter, however, then we've been talking with a child abductor without even knowing it. Still, let's not be hasty about this. Better to confirm for sure than to speculate idly."
"And how do you intend to do that?"
Lasky glanced at her. "Obviously, really. I'll speak with Bail Organa when I have a chance, and confront him on the matter. If he denies the allegations initially, I'll show him the tests that we've done. People can lie, DNA does not."
"That's a reasonable plan."
"Quite…" He glanced at the clock. "Is there another reason why you're here, Parangosky?"
"Yes," Parangosky said. "That datapad also contains an intelligence report from a member of Admiral Sark's team. According to ONI Section One, Dr. Wolf has managed to find a way to access the S-Threads that form the HoloNet."
Lasky's heart skipped a beat. Looking through the datapad, he did a double take. "Are you certain that's the case?"
"Yep," Parangosky said. "Normally, the S-Threads would be far too small for any means of intelligence gathering to be viable, aside from sticking an interceptor device onto one of the relay stations. What Dr. Wolf discovered is that Hyperspace is one of the dimensions that comprises Slipspace. During tests, she performed a modification that allowed her to access one of these S-threads without either communicating party noticing. She calls it a 'S-Thread Bypass Unit.'
Lasky looked through the schematics, then at the technical explanation. "So we're able to listen in on Imperial superluminal communications now?"
"Yes," Parangosky said. "Modifications have been made to a number of SLIPCOM systems that ONI Prowlers use, as well as any COM buoys they plant in Slipspace. Since the refits, which were completed around three weeks ago, Section One has been gathering an ocean's worth of intelligence on Imperial activities."
Lasky smiled. That's excellent news! That means that we no longer have to guess as to what the Imperials are planning to do. We can now listen in on their calls and find out what's going on. "Can they trace the locations of either facility?"
"We're still working on that," Parangosky said. "We're having to modify our usual surveillance methods to work with this new form of intelligence gathering. I can assure you, however, that within a week's time, we'll have the locations of every Imperial facility that uses Hyperspace Communications."
"There's more to it than that," Revan said. "Something tells me that, with a little modification, one could upload all kinds of programs onto the HoloNet, including a few malicious ones."
My thoughts exactly, Lasky said. "That's excellent news, Parangosky. With this breakthrough in SIGINT technology, we'll be able to keep tabs on the Imperials. However, they might eventually catch on and revert to another form of FTL communications."
"We're already making contingency plans in that case, sir."
"Very good," Lasky said. "I must go now to brief the President. You are dismissed."
"Yes, sir." Parangosky turned to leave, then stopped. "And for the record, Lasky… you seem to be adapting well to your newfound position, even if it is temporary."
Lasky shrugged. "Learned how to do it from the best." Parangosky smiled, then stepped out of the room.
"That woman reminds me of another person that Meetra encountered," Revan said.
"Not her again!" Bastila growled. "I'm still pissed that you were with her for that long!"
"Would you kindly drop it?" Revan asked. "We've gone over this a dozen times, and I don't want to be endlessly reminded of it. Lay off!"
Bastila huffed. "Very well. Who was this woman?"
I'm wondering the same thing, Lasky added.
"Kreia," Revan said. "She was an old, old woman, blind too, but boy was she crafty and intelligent. According to Meetra, she could fly circles around some of the greatest Sith in the galaxy, and she wasn't boasting."
I'm certain she and Parangosky would get along quite nicely, Lasky said. Now, if you two will excuse me, I have work to do. Please do not keep me from it.
"Perish the thought."
"Indeed," Bastila said dryly…
A few minutes later, Lasky reached the door to the President's office. Two Spartan-IVs and a pair of men in black suits stood outside the door. "State your business for being here," one of the men said.
"I'm here to brief President Charet on intelligence matters in the galaxy we're in," Lasky said.
"Wait one second, sir." Keying his earpiece, the guard said, "Madam President, do you have an appointment with Provisional Chairman Lasky…? You do…? I see…? Understood, ma'am." He redirected his attention to Lasky. "Sorry for the inconvenience, sir."
Lasky waved a hand flippantly. "No need to apologize. You're doing your job, which I applaud you for. Shall I enter?"
"Yes sir." the guard put in a code, then resumed his post. The door opened, permitting Lasky into the room. The room was much like his own, only it had more furniture, red carpeting on the floor, as well as a series of paintings.
Sitting behind an oak desk, Charet gazed at Lasky expectantly. "Good to see you, Provisional Chairman. How are you feeling?"
"Fine, Madam President," Lasky said.
Charet snorted. "No need to be so formal, Lasky. Please, just call me Charet."
Lasky smiled. "All right, Charet. As for how I'm feeling, well…"
"A tad overwhelming I take it?"
"You could say that," Lasky admitted. "Personally, I don't think I'm ready for the position of Chairman of the UNSC. There are a lot of people out there that would do a far better job than I can. I'm also not very experienced in these regards."
"That's why you'd make an excellent Chairman of the UNSC, Lasky. You're not burdened by many of the prejudices and beliefs that Hood and so many others have. On top of that, you have that ability to inspire, that ability to lead, which is crucial for a Chairman. Hood has those qualities, but just barely, and people can sense that. You did get those people through the month long wait before our arrival, after all."
Lasky smiled. "I was just lucky. Still, I'll take your word for it, even if I don't believe it myself. That being said, we have other matters to tend to." Sitting before the President, he said, "I have a comprehensive intelligence briefing for you today."
"Do tell," Charet said. "So, any progress on finding out what the Empire's up to?" Lasky looked around. "This room has been swept for bugs. Cortana did the work herself."
That's a relief, Lasky thought. "All right, let's begin." Handing Charet a datapad, he said, "Parangosky had some good news on that front. Dr. Wolf, one of Admiral Sark's coworkers, discovered a way to access the S-threads that the Empire uses for its HoloNet communications."
Charet gazed at him intently. "Really? Go on…"
"Thank you, Charet. I won't bore you with the technobabble that's on that datapad, but I can say that she found a way to use Slipspace to access the S-threads without anyone on either end of the relay stations knowing it. ONI Section One is currently revising their protocols, though even with the revisions going on, Parangosky assures me that they've gathered a 'mountain's' worth of intelligence within the past three weeks."
Charet read the document. True to form, some of the wording was confusion, but she began seeing the general idea. "I take it there's more to it than that. What are your thoughts, Chairman?"
"My thoughts are that this can be used for more than just SIGINT, Charet. Given our ability to access their HoloNet, I believe that it could be possible to create a computer worm that could spread across the entirety of the HoloNet. Intelligence indicates that there are few, if any, firewalls in the HoloNet. A single cyber-attack could disable all superluminal communications within the Andromeda Galaxy."
Charet smiled. "So you're telling me that we could use a computer virus to shut down all Imperial communications?"
"That's what I'm getting at. I've no doubts that Parangosky herself has realized the implications of this possibility. For all I know, she already has a Smart AI hard at work creating such a computer worm."
"And I know the AI that would be perfect for the job," Charet said. "I take it this could extend to our New Republic allies?"
"That it could. However, given that we are allies with the New Republic, I think that such an attack on them would be unnecessary."
Charet nodded. "My thoughts exactly." She turned her attention to another item on the datapad. "What about ONI's shell companies? Have they yielded fruit?"
"They have. The organ flash-cloning company ONI set up, OrganPedic, has reported a 300% increase in revenue since they began selling flash-cloned organs. They've been able to divert some of the surplus income to the UEG and UNSC."
"Good," Charet said. "That means more money for us, given that one Imperial Credit is worth four UEG Credits. Anything unusual that they noted?"
"There was one buyer that was unusually interested in the technology. ONI is currently investigating an individual known as 'Syfo Dias.' We aren't aware of who it is, exactly, though Olivia informed us that Syfo Dias was a Jedi Master that was responsible for commissioning the creation of the GAR during the Clone Wars. However, given that he's likely dead, Section One thinks someone is using his name as an alias for an unknown reason."
"I see," Charet said. "It's likely some noble that's trying to make a few credits for himself on the black market. Is there anything else, Lasky?"
"There is one other matter to tend to," Lasky said. "Recently, ONI Section One managed to obtain a sample of Bail Organa's DNA, as well as that of his wife, Breha Organa."
"Why would you need a sample of their DNA?" Charet asked. "I take it you suspect something I don't?"
"I do. Charet, have you seen a photograph of Leia Organa or Bail Organa?"
Charet frowned, then began to think back to when Leia was on Earth. A memory she had briefly forgotten resurfaced in her memory. "Why, yes!" she said. "The day she arrived, we were at Jonas' restaurant in Sydney when she dropped something on the ground. When I picked it up and gave it back to her I asked her what it was. She said it was a locket and showed me what it had."
"And that would be?"
"A holographic image of herself, Bail and Breha Organa," Charet said. "I… Now that you mention it, there was something odd. If Leia was Bail and Breha's daughter, why does she look so… different from them?"
Lasky smiled. "Now you're starting to see what I'm getting at. When I noticed the lack of any family resemblance, I decided to have ONI gather samples of Bail, Leia and Breha's DNA for analysis. According to Olivia and Cortana's analysis of their DNA, Bail and Breha's DNA have no correlation to Leia's DNA whatsoever. To put it the way Parangosky did, the two are about as related to Leia as apples are to plums."
Charet's eyes widened. Placing the datapad onto the desk, she clasped her hands. "What are you implying with this discovery, Lasky?"
"One of two possibilities," Lasky said. "Either Bail Organa and his wife adopted Leia Organa as their own daughter, or Bail abducted Leia as a child, and his wife is covering for him. She is the Queen of Alderaan, after all."
"Both of those are quite significant," Charet said. "Honestly, I hope it is the latter of the two possibilities. I'd rather not be speaking with a child abductor in all honesty. Given that we're already heading for Alderaan with a fleet in tow, we can ask him that question once we arrive, after all of the usual pleasantries and negotiations of course."
"Of course," Lasky said. "If you need anything else, I'll see what I can do." Getting up, he proceeded to the door.
"I'll let you know, and Lasky?"
Lasky turned around. "Yes?"
"I hope to hell that Bail didn't abduct Leia. The political fallout that would result if that was found out would be catastrophic. Hell, I might even call in the fleet, just to make certain that he doesn't try anything."
Lasky nodded. "Me too, Charet. Anything else?"
"I want plans drawn up for an invasion of Alderaan if need be. Before you ask, I'm fully aware that I need Congressional approval to order an invasion, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Besides, if Bail and Breha did abduct Leia, we can use that as a causus belli for an invasion. Understood?"
Lasky nodded. "Yes, ma'am." Stepping outside, he began moving back to his office.
"I like that woman," Revan said. "She's got some fire inside of her."
"That she does," Bastila said.
That's something we can all agree on. Lasky frowned. I really, really hope that Bail simply adopted Leia, instead of abducting her.
"Me too," Bastila said.
. . .
First I end up on an old, beat-up ship, now I'm on the greatest ship the UNSC has ever built, Cole thought. He sighed, a slight smile on his face. Life has a way of catching one off guard, doesn't it? "Gabriela, status?" he asked.
"Green," Gabriela said. "Everything on the Infinity's performing exactly as it should."
"Same here," Roland added. "All systems green."
"Very good," Cole said. "You two are a joy to work with, as is Cortana."
Cortana's avatar appeared. "I'm glad you think so, Admiral. Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"What do you think of the ship?" Cortana asked.
Cole pursed his lips, thought the matter over. "I think she's a very fine ship. The Infinity makes the Everest look like a beat-up junker car. Still, I wouldn't mind giving the ol' girl one last hurrah."
"Grown attached to her?"
Cole nodded. "Yep. You serve on a ship long enough, you become attached to them. Ships are like women in a way. They're fussy, demanding and they don't hesitate to let you know if something's wrong. Treat 'em well, however, and they'll pull your ass out of the fire more times than you can count. Everest has done well, though I feel kinda… unfaithful to her. Don't get me wrong, the Infinity is an excellent ship, but there's something about the ol' gal that I miss."
"I know the feeling," Cortana said. "The Autumn was a good ship. Kinda sad that we had to destroy her to stop the Monitor of Installation 04 from killing everyone in this galaxy."
"It is. I think, though, that if the poor old girl could tell you what she was thinking in her final moments, I think she'd be telling you that she was proud of you. She got you to Alpha Halo, and it was that ring's destruction that led to the Covenant falling apart. Couldn't have done better myself."
"Good to hear," Cortana said. "That being said, I wanted to ask you about your… well…"
"About my wife?" Cole asked. When Cortana nodded, he shrugged. "I've been asked that question before, and I'll tell you what I told Hood when I found out she was an Innie."
"That being?"
"That she made her decision and I made mine," Cole said. "Sure, we had a rocky relationship, but if there's one thing we agreed on, it was that our daughter took priority. Did it hurt when I learned that she was an Innie? You bet your ass it did; felt like someone tore my heart out of my chest. Did I ever stop loving her?" He shook his head. "No… I never did."
"Could that become a problem if we… well… encounter her again?"
"Nope," Cole said. "If we encounter her, I do intend to arrest her. You can't just break the law and get away with it. I intend to arrest her, though, because I love her, and it would kill me to see her die, especially if she died at my hands. Better that I take her in alive and well, than for someone else to kill her. Who knows? We might repair our relationship in the end."
Cortana thought his words over. "How very mature of you," she said. "Keyes was much the same way."
"He was," Cole agreed. "I believe Lasky might be just as good of an officer too. He's certainly Fleet Admiral material."
"I'm glad you think of me that way," Lasky said.
"Attention on deck!" Conners shouted.
"At ease." Lasky looked at Cole. "Making small talk?"
"I don't see why not, so long as it doesn't hurt morale. Is that something you mind?"
Lasky smiled and shook his head. "From you, Cole, I don't mind. All that I ask is that you're honest with me, and you've been doing that quite well. Speaking of which, when do we exit Slipspace?"
"Seven minutes," Gabriela said.
"Very good. Inform the President that we're about to arrive."
Gabriela nodded. "Aye, sir."
Before long, Charet walked into the bridge. "Well, well," she said, spotting Cole. "I heard that you were alive and well, Cole. President Ruth Charet, at your service."
Cole shook the extended hand. "Fleet Admiral Preston Cole, at yours. I heard that you were working on mending relations with the Sangheili. It's a shock to learn that the species I was fighting the most during the war decided to turn over a new leaf. Makes me wonder what would've happened if they'd been friends from the start."
"That's what I'm working towards," Charet said. "All I want is a future where Sangheili and Human children can play in the sand together, a future that my children's children can enjoy. That is a future worth fighting and dying for."
"Amen to that," Cole said.
At that moment, the Arbiter walked onto the bridge. Cole's eyes focused on the massive Sangheili. He certainly looks the part of a leader, he thought, his eyes scanning the gold armor and black tech suit underneath. I wonder if the rumors that he fought alongside the Chief are true.
Thel, unaware of these thoughts, advanced and bowed slightly, his hand at his breast. "Greetings, Fleetmaster Cole. It is an honor to be meeting one of the greatest strategic minds of Humanity." He extended a hand.
Cole hesitated, then shook the offered hand. "The honor is all mine," he said, noting the strong grip. "I heard that you fought alongside the Master Chief during the ending years of the Covenant-UNSC War. I've read the reports for myself, but I want to get an answer from one of the men themselves."
Thel nodded. "I fought alongside the Demon, the Master Chief as you call him. Once, we were enemies, but over time, I came to call him an ally, even a friend. The events that forged that friendship were… complicated."
"I can imagine that," Cole said. "Well, I'd love to speak some more with you, but I have a ship to tend to. Perhaps a little later?"
Thel smiled. "Of course, Fleetmaster."
"Slipspace exit commencing!" Roland said. "The fleet's jumping out at the same time." The automated PA announcement sounded off, then a shudder ran through the deck as the ship exited the void of Slipspace and entered realspace. "Exit complete."
"Very good," Lasky said. "Open up the shutters. Let's see what we have." The shutters retracted, allowing the crew to see Alderaan for the first time. Damn, Lasky thought. That is a beautiful planet. Reminds me a lot of Reach.
Cole's eyes were drawn to the planet too. "Reminds me of Harvest, before it was glassed. Beautiful planet, if I do say so myself."
"A beautiful blue and green jewel in a cold and barren universe," Thel agreed.
"All right," Charet said. "Are they expecting us?"
Right on cue, the HoloCOM activated. The holographic image of a man dressed in formal attire appeared. "This is Admiral Vrekan Thul of the Alderaanian Defense Force to unidentified warship. Identify yourself. Over."
"Jespersen?" Lasky asked.
"HoloCOM is open," Jespersen said.
Lasky cleared his throat. "Cole, you have the honors."
"Thank you, sir," Cole said. "This is Fleet Admiral Preston Cole, Commanding Officer of the UNSC Infinity. We are here on an invitation from Bail Organa and Queen Breha Organa. Over."
"Wait one," Vrekan said. There was a brief pause, then he said. "I apologize for the inconvenience, Fleet Admiral. We have confirmed that Queen Breha and her husband Bail wish to speak with you. A flight of star-fighters is on its way to escort you down to the surface."
"Understood," Cole said. "We'll send down a shuttle with our dignitaries onboard. Fleet Admiral Cole over and out." Closing the HoloCOM, he said, "Well, looks like the door's open."
"Agreed," Charet said. "Would you accompany me to the surface, Lasky?"
"Yes, ma'am," Lasky said. "Arbiter?"
"I will also come," Thel said.
. . .
Down on the surface, Bail Organa waited patiently for the UEG and Sangheili delegation to arrive. They certainly are punctual, he noted. I asked them to be here at 12:00 today, and they arrived at that exact time.
Before long, he caught sight of a trio of Pelicans and Phantoms moving to the landing pad before him. The trio of Pelicans rotated around, then came in for a landing, while the Phantoms simply lowered to the ground, before deploying their gravity lifts. Here we go.
The doors on the Pelicans opened, permitting the President and her cabinet to walk onto the landing pad. Several Spartans stepped out, along wiht a large group of ODSTs and Marines. To the right, Bail watched as several Sangheili in purple armor approached, their leader in the center of their formation. Stepping forwards, he bowed and said, "On behalf of Queen Breha, I welcome you to the planet of Alderaan, Madam President."
"I accept and appreciate your welcome," Charet said. "It's good to be meeting the father of the Senator that prevented an ugly war from breaking out. Mind if we come inside?"
"Of course. The Queen, my wife, is expecting you."
"Then we shall not tarry any longer," the leader of the aliens said.
Charet blushed slightly. "Ah, I forgot the introductions. What happened to my manners? With me are Provisional Chairman of the UNSC Thomas Lasky and HIGCOM, Secretary of Defense Paul Russel, my Secretary of The Press Patricia Steeds and Secretary of the State Alphonse. With us is the honorable Thel 'Vadam, Arbiter of the Swords of Sangheilios."
"Greetings, Bail Organa," Thel said with a slight bow. "I have heard good things about your daughter, Leia. She is a very strong woman to have negotiated the cease-fire that she did."
"That she is," Bail said. "Would you mind if I invited you inside?"
"Of course not," Charet said. "Lead the way." The delegates quickly began to follow Bail inside.
"Now this is a nice change of pace," Bastila said.
How so? Lasky asked.
"Notice the architecture and the buildings?"
Lasky looked around. Immediately, he spotted what Bastila was talking about. I do. Unlike Coruscant, with it's blocky buildings, dark skies and urban landscape, this city is beautiful. Already, his eyes were drawn to the picturesque lake next to the city.
Even Thel was impressed. "Your city is beautiful," he said.
"Thank you," Bail said. "We are in the capital city of Aldera. One of our planet's most famous architects, Cordeos Thul, drew up the plans for the city. Records say that he did so as a gift to Orela Organa, the First Organa."
"It would appear that he was a master aristan-engineer in his craft."
"So it would seem," Bail said.
Parangosky glanced around. "Not bad," she muttered too softly for anyone to hear. "Not bad, if I do say so myself…."
The interior of the Alderaanian Palace was just as beautiful as its exterior. High arches gave an air of elegance, while large windows allowed ample light to fill the building. Periodically, the delegation could see paintings of beautiful places and busts of previous rulers. "This reminds me of the Parthenon at Athens," Charet said.
"You've been to Athens, Madam?" Russel asked.
"Of course. I went there during my college years, when I was majoring in Political Science." Looking at Thel, she asked, "What does this place remind you of, if I may ask?"
"This place reminds me of 'Vadam Keep," Thel said. "Much of the architecture here reminds me of some of the older structures at Sangheilios. It is a most welcoming sight."
Before long, they were entering the throne room of the palace. Seated on a throne in the back of the room was a middle aged, but beautiful woman with black hair, gold-tan skin and beautiful brown eyes. Bowing as he came to a stop at the foot of the throne, Bail said, "President Charet, may I present to you Breha Organa of House Organa, Queen of Alderaan."
Charet bowed slightly while Lasky saluted. Thel bowed as well, his hand on his left breast. "Greetings, your Excellency," Charet said.
"And greetings to you," Breha said. "I trust that the journey went well for you?"
"That it did. It is an honor to speak with you today."
"The honor is all mine," Breha said. "Would you kindly come with me to one of the private rooms in the palace? We have much to discuss."
"That we shall," Charet said…
The private meeting room was small, but it had enough room for everyone to be seated and a balcony for people to stand at. Once all the delegates were seated, Bail asked, "Shall we get you all anything?"
"Some food would be nice," Charet said.
"Of course." Bail waved for a servant to come over. "Could you bring us some food and drink. Nothing strong, mind you."
"Right away, my lord," the servant said.
PArangosky leaned in to Charet. "She's trying to get us to let our guard down," shie whispered. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Yes," Charet whispered back. "Breha is many things, but I suspect that she's a good person."
"Same, though this is quite interesting."
"Alderaan is a beautiful place," Lasky said, "as is your city of Aldera. It reminds me of a colony that we had back at our galaxy, before the Covenant glassed it."
"What was the name of the colony?" Breha asked.
"Reach. It was one of the UNSC's fortress worlds."
Breha frowned sympathetically. "Such a tragedy. My heart goes out to all those that suffered in that war. It was all I could do to stop myself from crying when I saw the horrors that your people went through. You have my condolences."
"We thank you for them," Charet said. "That being said, I was surprised that you wished to speak with me on the possibility of Alderaan joining the UEG. From what I hear, your government is a member of the Galactic Empire. Why wish to change sides?"
Breha sighed. "A most uncomfortable topic, though one that you are right in inquiring about." The servants entered the room, carrying trays of drinks and food. Setting them down, they distributed the food to each person in the room, then walked out with empty trays in hand. She waited for them to leave, then continued speaking. "I'm certain that you are aware of the Empire's more… unethical actions."
"That we are," Charet said. "To be honest, it reminds me of what happened during the Insurrection."
"The Insurrection?"
"A few decades ago, some of the Outer Colonies rebelled against the UEG," Lasky explained. "They wanted independence from the wider UEG, which would've been fine, were it not for the UNSC cracking down on that. Things eventually fell apart, with the Outer Colonies becoming members of various rebel organizations."
"I see. Did they not work with your forces during the war against the Covenant?"
"No," Lasky said. "A few groups did, but most decided that it was best to hunker down and hope for the best. My guess is that they could wait for it all to blow over and replace the remains of the UEG when it all ended. Correct?"
Parangosky nodded. "That's right."
Breha sighed. "What a shame. It would appear that, even when Humanity called for their aid in their darkest hour, these Insurrectionists allowed cowardice and greed to overtake them. It reminds me of the Empire these days."
"That it does," Charet said. "We also don't like the Empire too much. How'd you describe it, Thel?"
"A dictatorship that is much like that of the Covenant," Thel said. "All that the Empire lacks is the religious overtones that the Covenant I served had. In a way, however, that makes the Empire all the more dangerous."
"An apt description, if any," Breha agreed. "It is also why I would like to discuss the possibility of entering into a federation with the United Earth Government. The Empire stands against everything that the Houses of Alderaan and I stand for, which is to serve as a gentle and kind, but firm servant of the people. We trusted the Galactic Republic because, even with all of its flaws and failings, the Republic could be amended and improved.
"When the Empire came… everything we had been working towards was lost. Palpatine does not want anyone that can challenge his rule, and thus he uses every means to suppress our freedoms and to control our peoples. My husband, Bail Organa, can tell you much the same."
"She is right," Bail said. "I was there when the Galactic Republic became the Galactic Empire. One of my friends, Padmé Amidala, even said, 'So this is how democracy dies: with thunderous applause.' The Empire wants nothing more than the subjugation of the galaxy through terror and fear. I feel as though a durasteel curtain has been lowered over the galaxy."
How very apt, Parangosky thought. That reminds me of the Cold War. It would seem we have more in common with them than I thought.
"I know," Charet said. "During our homeworld's 20th century, one of the great men of that time, Winston Churchill said that the Soviet Union, one of the repressive totalitarian nations in our history, would lower an 'iron curtain' over one of the continents on our homeworld and build an empire based on terror. I look at the Empire and what I see is a much larger version of the Soviet Union. Remind me to send you some historical information for you to read. I'm certain you'll find it interesting."
"That I will," Breha said. "As you said, the Empire has lowered such a curtain on our galaxy. Now, they seek to subjugate all of us, until we are nothing more than machines, programmed to do as the Emperor commands. That is not a future that I want for my people, which is why I would like to propose the creation of a federation with your government. Such a federation will allow us to have someone to turn to should the Empire decide to cut us off economically for our egalitarian stance. If possible, we could call upon you for defense, as we are a pacifistic society. While we do have a military, it is not nearly strong enough to protect us from major threats."
Charet frowned. "I see," she said. "I'll have to speak with the UEG Congress in regards to that. That being said, I would love to negotiate the possibility of forming a federation with your planet. I think there's a lot we could learn from each other."
"I'm glad that you agree."
"There is a process for this sort of thing, however," Charet said. "We can't form a federation, but we can acquire Alderaan via cession as a UEG territory, then we can convert Alderaan into a UEG system. Would you like me to enlighten you as to the process?"
Breha's smile became a curious expression. "Go on," she said.
"In order to join the UEG as a system, the process goes like this. One talks for such a matter begin, you'll need to conduct a poll to see how many citizens approve of the UEG and wish to join, and how many don't want to join. Once that is done, you'll have to send a petition to the UEG Congress, who'll then debate on the possibility.
"If your government type isn't compatible with what the UEG Constitution allows, you'll have to change your government type if you wish to continue. Once that is done, if it is necessary that is, the UEG Congress will hold a simple majority vote. Should the vote pass both the House and Senate, the petition will be sent to me, whereupon I decide if I should accept or not. Given the current state of affairs, I'll definitely sign that paper should this process go well."
Breha thought the matter over, then nodded. "I see. I was worried that I would have to begin a federation first. It would appear that I just have to follow those steps to join. I will definitely begin the process of admission into the UEG.
Charet smiled. "That being said, I've had the privilege of forming a friendship with your daughter, Leia. She spoke highly of you and Bail while she was with us at Earth."
Breha smiled. "Leia is a wonderful daughter to have. When I see her, I see my whole world inside of her. She is strong, courageous, everything a mother could want."
"Indeed," Charet said. "That being said, I would like to ask you a question about her. I've noticed that while you say she is your daughter, and I don't mean to contest your claim in any way, but there's very little family resemblance. Why is that?"
At those words, Bail's heart leaped into his throat. She knows! a part of his mind screamed at him. He glanced at Breha, who in turn looked at him. Already, he could see it in her eyes that she knew what he knew. Clearing this throat, he said, "I beg your pardon, Madam President. Is it not discourteous to speak of family like that?"
"Normally, it would be," Charet said. "However, when we saw the lack of family resemblance, we were worried. Lasky, if you'd be so kind?"
"Of course," Lasky said. "When we noticed the lack of family resemblance, we contacted Alderaan to see if there was more information as to who her parents were. When they remained silent, we decided to investigate ourselves. Eventually, we obtained enough DNA samples to run a test." Pulling out a slip of flimsiplast, he said, "This is what we found. According to the DNA test, the two of you and Leia don't share any familial connection.
"As such, we suspect two possibilities, one of which is the case. Either you adopted Leia, or you abducted her as an infant."
Upon hearing that, everyone gazed at Bail and Breha. A light growl escaped Thel's mandibles, and he reached for his for his energy sword. "You dare abduct a childling?!" he snarled. Parangosky watched quitely, though the tightening of her hands on her chair's armrests clearly showed her mental state.
Bail and Breha's skin flushed. "We didn't abduct her!" Bail said, his voice nearly rising. "How dare you accuse us of committing such a crime!"
"Are you sure?" Charet asked. "I should remind you that, if you did, I have an entire fleet here, ready to invade the planet on my and the Secretary of Defense's command. On top of that, I know that Leia is popular in this, and my, galaxy for her actions in stopping an unnecessary war. If I were to tell, say, Palpatine or the public, you would be trapped in the unenviable position of fighting a short and brief war, a war that would decimate Alderaan. If I were you, I'd choose what you'd say wisely."
Bail's heart thumped powerfully in his chest. He glanced at Breha, who still remained calm. Having seen the message in his eyes, she decided to speak. "Leia is adopted," she said. "Bail and I took her in. Would you kindly, Bail?"
A shuddering breath left Bail. It is time, he realized. "I don't believe I've been honest with you, Lasky. Remember when we last spoke at Coruscant, where I told you that Palpatine and Vader were Sith?"
"Yes," Lasky said. "Why do you ask?"
"Because what happened during the fall of the Republic were the circumstances in which we adopted Leia. During the war, my late friend, Padmé Amidala, fell in love with a member of the Jedi Order. He was a Jedi Knight by the name of Anakin Skywalker. Their relationship was forbidden by the Jedi, as one of their rules was that attachment of any kind was forbidden."
"I remember that rule," Bastila said to Lasky. "Having had a relationship with Revan, I can say it was a stupid rule. Love won't turn you to the Dark Side; in fact, love will save you from falling to the Dark Side."
How do you know? Lasky asked.
"Because Revan's love for me saved me, Lasky. I fell to the Dark Side, and it was only because of his love that I managed to break free."
"That's true," Revan said, "and I still love you as a friend, despite our rocky relationship."
"So, what happened?" Parangosky asked. "First, though, who was Padmé Amidala?"
"Padmé Amidala was one of the foremost Senators in the Republic Senate," Breha said. "She was also the Queen of Naboo before she stepped down from her elected office. Bail, continue."
For a moment, Bail looked ready to break out into tears. Composing himself, he said, "When the Jedi began to be slaughtered after Order 66, an order to the Clones to kill the Jedi, was issued, I escaped with a handful of Jedi and met another one of my friends, a Jedi Master by the name Obi-Wan Kenobi. He… he had Padmé in his arms. According to him, Anakin had fallen to the Dark Side, and had nearly choked her to death.
"When we went to save her, we found that she was dying, having lost the will to live. She gave birth to two children and named them Luke and Leia before passing. Breha and I adopted Leia, as Breha wasn't able to have children of her own, while Obi-Wan took Luke with him to some place called Tatooine. Since then, she has been living with us, unaware of her true heritage."
"That being?" Charet asked.
"That Anakin Skywalker, her father, is Darth Vader, while her mother is Padmé," Bail said at long length.
Those words hit Lasky like a wrecking ball. No wonder he's never shared this with anyone, he realized. He doesn't want Vader or Palpatine to come after her. A pity mixed with guilt welled up in his heart.
Charet felt much the same. "I… I'm sorry," she said. "I… I didn't know."
Thel bowed his head slightly. "I cry for your pardon, Breha. I was wrong to assume that you had done what we all thought you had. We did not know what actually happened.
"None of us knew," Hogan said. "That was one hell of a wrecking ball."
Parangosky nodded. "Indeed."
"I agree," Strauss said. "So Vader is Anakin Skywalker?" He shook his head. "Shit. That's fucked up."
"Language," Patricia said. "Still, if word of this gets out, we're going to be looking at a massive scandal in the making, and that can ruin governments."
"Agreed," Brehan said. "I accept your apology, Charet, and I accept your apology, Arbiter. To be honest, there is nothing to forgive. You were trying to find the truth, and it led you here."
"That it did," Charet agreed. "Bail, I applaud your decision to take her in. The next time we ask, though, just let us know the truth. Unlike the Empire, we don't hunt down people just because they're the children of our political adversaries."
"I know," Bail said. Wiping at his eyes, he said, "It's a secret I've had to keep for a long time. I just became so focused on keeping it that I didn't know who to trust."
"You can trust us. You can count on that."
"Agreed," Brehan said. "If you wish, we can discuss something else."
"That would be nice," Charet said.
Lasky was about to open his mouth when his earpiece beeped. "Excuse me for a moment." Standing up, he stepped outside. "Yes?"
"This is Fleet Admiral Cole here," came the reply.
"What is it, Cole? We're in the middle of a meeting. Is it urgent?"
"Yes," Cole said. "Osman has just informed me that something major's happened in our home galaxy. Whatever it is, it's big enough that she feels that you must be informed immediately. I would tell you more, but I don't believe this COM channel is secure. Could you return and speak with us?"
Lasky frowned. That's not good. According to Parangosky, Cole never interrupted a meeting unless it was important. "We'll head back immediately," he said. Closing the COM link, she walked back inside. "Your Excellency, I'm afraid we're going to have to leave. Something's come up that we must tend to immediately."
"Are you sure?" Charet asked.
"Yes," Lasky said. "I've been contacted by Cole. There's a situation that demands your attention immediately."
Charet frowned, then nodded. "I see. Would you mind if we left for the time being, your Excellency?"
Brehan nodded. "You may go," she said. "Also, I would like to speak some more with you over HoloCOM if possible."
"You won't need to," Charet said. "Ambassador Azikiwe will be sent to speak in my stead. However, before we go, I apologize for any distress that we caused you. We meant no offense."
"And as I have said, you have nothing to apologize for," Brehan said. "It's been a trying time for all of us. I hope that whatever you need to tend to goes well."
"Before you go," Bail said. "There's one other question I have."
"And that might be?" Charet asked.
"Leia told me she had changed her stance on the Empire's militarization. When I asked her what she'd learned to cause that to happen, she said it was classified. Do you think you could -"
Charet shook her head. "No. Leia is right in that it is classified. I'm sorry, Bail, but I will not tell you either. If I do, and it gets out, a panic will ensue, and that's the last thing we need. Do you understand?"
Bail frowned, then nodded. He'd made a request, and had been rebuffed. He could be logical when the situation demanded it. Better to leave it at that, no mattter how he felt inside. "I understand."
"Good, now if you'll excuse me, we must be going. Good day."
As they left, Lasky whispered, his voice quiet enough that only Charet could hear him, "That was one hell of a ruse you pulled off, Charet."
"Learned it from the best," Charet said just as quietly. "Remind me to teach you those tricks."
"That I will."
Once the delegation had left, Brehan looked to her husband. "Are you all right, Bail? You just had a lot of fire thrown at you."
"I'm all right," Bail said. "To be honest, it was my fault. I kept the secret so well that I forgot who I could trust. I should've told Lasky the first opportunity I had. It's because of my fear that it led to this drama, a drama we didn't need!"
Brehan rested a reassuring hand on her husband's shoulder. "You did what you thought was right. There is no shame in that, honey. I'm just happy that we avoided an invasion. Alderaan's military might be strong, but even we cannot hold a candle to the UNSC. We were literally cornered between two intergalactic powers and one galactic one."
"Very true. That being said, I'm shocked that Leia has made such powerful friends so quickly." He frowned. "Curses! My actions nearly led to them becoming enemies! I need to be more careful."
"That we can agree upon," Breha said. "However, we now know that becoming a member of the UEG is possible, and somewhat easier than I expected. Begin a poll for the public to answer. I want to see how many wish to join the UEG."
"Yes, my lady," Bail said. "And Breha? Thank you for being there for me."
Breha smiled. "You are my husband and soulmate, Bail. I will do whatever is needed to help you to the limits of my authority. You may go now." Bail nodded, then left the room.
Standing up, Breha walked to the balcony and looked towards the sky. I don't know what the future holds, but I will guide my people through it to the best of my ability, she thought.
. . .
Back onboard the Infinity, Lasky and the others advanced to the holo-table in the meeting room. "What is it?" Lasky asked.
"We just got a major alert from FLEETCOM and ONI Section One," Cole said. "I'll allow Osman to explain the details to you."
"Thank you," Osman said. She cleared her throat. "Around fifteen minutes ago, we received a major intelligence alert from Section One over one of our secure HoloCOM channels. The intelligence report contained a message for HIGHCOM and the President's eyes only."
Lasky frowned. "Madam President?"
"Russel, could you, Cole and the others step out, aside from HIGHCOM that is?" Russel nodded, then he and the others stepped out of the room. Once they were gone, Charet said, "What did the message say?"
"Cortana?" Osman asked.
"Thank you," Cortana said. "According to the message from FLEETCOM and Section One, the UEG Huygens arrived at their destination and were intercepted by unknown contacts. Shortly after this encounter, they sent out a distress signal with their coordinates attached. After that, they initiated the Cole Protocol to keep the location of Earth and her colonies hidden."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop in an instant. Lasky looked sharply at Parangosky. "I thought there was nothing in that quadrant of space. According to intelligence, there wasn't supposed to be anyone or anything there."
"I thought so too," Parangosky said. "It would appear that our assumptions about that region of space are wrong. Cortana, could you further elaborate?"
"Affirmative. What you're about to hear is the information that the ship AI sent out from it's bridge voice recorder and flight data recorder. Beginning playback now." Before them, a series of screens showing a sound graph and various readouts appeared.
All seemed well until they reached fifteen minutes after playback initiation. Eyes and ears were focused keenly on the recording as they heard Captain Thame's desperate attempts to save his ship. Soon after he left the bridge, the recording cut out. "Cutout caused by the AI initiating self-termination as per the Cole Protocol. That's all we have, gentlemen."
Charet frowned. "This should not have happened. They were on a simple survey mission! How could things have gone so horribly wrong?!"
"That's a question we've got to find the answer to," Lasky said. "Cortana, do you have an image of what the attackers looked like?"
"Affirmative. The ship's hull cameras were operational up to the AI's termination. Pulling up the images now."
The holograms shifted to the images in question. Lasky, Parangosky, Charet and the other members of HIGHCOM looked at the images. "Now those are very strange looking ships," Dellert said. "And those fighters coming from them? They look just as strange too."
"There's something odd about those ships," Lasky murmured. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something… human-like about them."
"You think that we might've stumbled onto an Innie colony?" Hogan asked.
Lasky frowned. "I don't think so. The ships are too different in design, and the Innies used retrofitted civilian ships or stolen military ones. These ships are of a completely different design than anything I've ever seen. Cortana, did you check the hull profiles of the new ships?"
"I did," Cortana said. "Roland and Gabriela assisted as well. We have nothing in the entire UNSC's database that remotely resembles the ships we are seeing in the images. This is definitely a First Contact scenario, and that's not all either," Cortana said. "Just before its destruction, the Huygens sent back some stellar cartographic information that could be of vital use."
"Show us."
Cortana nodded. "Aye, sir." The holograms shifted to a series of scan results. "According to the Huygen's sophisticated scanner system, the star system they arrived in was roughly three light years away from an unusual star formation. Those scans indicate that there was a multiple star system composed of two binary systems orbiting each other. It's a long shot, but I'll bet that whoever attacked the Huygens came from that star system. Further scans revealed numerous planets around them, most of which, from preliminary scans, are capable of sustaining human life."
"That doesn't make sense," Dellert protested. "How can human beings, if what we heard was a human voice on the recording, be so far out from known space?"
"There are a number of possibilities, now that I've seen the info," Parangosky said. "I've got a few that I've been mulling over."
"And those would be?" Lasky asked.
"The first is that we're looking at an Insurrectionist cell that managed to escape from the Covenant-UNSC War, leading to them diverging from what we know to be true of them. However, that doesn't explain the unusual ship design, nor does it explain the radically different FTL propulsion method. There's one more that I have, though it's so far fetched that it might as well be impossible."
"Go ahead and lay it out for us," Charet said. "At this point, any explanation is possible."
"The final explanation is that the Forerunners were somehow responsible for this new faction of Humanity, if we are looking at humans, coming into existence. According to Dr. Halsey and the Master Chief, during their encounters with the fragment of the Librarian at Requiem, they found information that suggests that the Forerunners, after the firing of the Halo Array, seeded random parts of the galaxy with the life forms they were able to place on the Ark and inside the Shield Worlds scattered throughout the galaxy.
"While far fetched, the theory fills in all of the check boxes when it comes to what we're facing. A radically different group of human beings separated from those at Earth would likely develop radically different technologies from what we are used to. It would also explain the differing ship designs and the unusually large fleet. It would also explain why we encountered them roughly two thousand light years from Earth."
The others looked around at each other. "That does make logical sense," Lasky said. "The Forerunners were able to go wherever they pleased in the galaxy, and the Librarian, as evidence suggests, reseeded the galaxy with life. Cortana, did the Huygens have a Luminary installed?"
Cortana paused for a moment. "Yes," she said. "And it was actively used by the AI during the encounter. According to its readings, the life signs onboard all of the ships were definitely human in nature. That's further evidence for Parangosky's second theory."
"I see. Then that leaves one final question. What do we do now?"
"I know a simple one," Hogan said. "We send in a fleet to bloody their noses, show them that we aren't to be trifled with."
Lasky frowned. "That is the worst idea I've ever heard of onboard this ship!"
"Got any better ideas?"
"I do." Lasky cleared his throat. "At the moment, we know next to nothing about this new faction of Humanity, only that they developed separately from our own civilization, use FTL technologies that we have not encountered before, and are hostile to those that intrude upon their borders. If we're going to deal with these newcomers, we need information more than anything else."
"What exactly do you propose, Chairman?" Charet asked.
"My proposal is this: before we do anything rash, we need to scout out these newcomers and learn as much as we can about them. Parangosky, I'll need you to have the Prowler Corps sent a number of Prowlers to this multiple star system and the Huygen's last known location to find out more about this new faction that we're dealing with. Can you do that?"
Parangosky nodded emphatically. "That I can, Lasky. I'll make certain that the Captains of those ships sweep that region of space with a fine toothed comb."
"Very good. If these people really are a bunch of Insurrectionists that have branched away from us, we'll go in and clean them up in whatever manner we deem necessary. If, however, they are a new faction of Humanity that has no connection at all to the UEG or the UNSC, we'll initiate First Contact procedures. Once the Prowlers have finished gathering intelligence for us, we'll make a decision based on what they send us. Understood?"
The others nodded. "Good. The severity of this situation means that we'll have to head back to the Milky Way Galaxy ASAP. Dismissed!"
As the others left, Charet smiled at him. "For a moment, when you were speaking, I legitimately thought that you were the official Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, NAVCOM and the UNSC. Looks like you really are cut out for the role after all."
Lasky shrugged. "Time will tell if that is the case, since Hood is determined to shoehorn me into the position. I did mean what I said, however; we don't have enough information to make any critical decisions at this time. We need to look before we jump into the deep end."
"Smart thinking. Will you also have a task force come along?"
Lasky nodded. "Yes. The fleet that we came with will be accompanying us to the Milky Way Galaxy. Their Slipspace Drives can handle the speeds they need to travel at for around twenty days before they fail. We'll be back there in ten, which gives us a ten day safety blanket. I'll also speak with FLEETCOM and NAVCOM to have a task force set up for when we arrive."
"Good. You really do have this figured out."
"I was figuring it out the moment I heard that message." Lasky sighed. "I guess this is the crucible that will determine if I am able to lead the UNSC, or if Hood should look for someone else to take my position. Only time will tell."
"I'm sure you'll do fine," Charet said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must start my own work in preparing for this unusual event. Take care now."
"You too, Madam President." Once Charet left, Lasky facepalmed himself. "Never a dull moment around here, is there?"
"That's quite true," Cortana said. "Wonder what your Force buddies will say about that. I'd best be going now." Her avatar faded out of existence.
"You know you don't have to wonder, Lasky," Revan said. "I sense that what we're going to experience will be a trying time for us."
"My thoughts exactly," Bastila added. "I'm certain, however, that you, Lasky, will be up to the challenge. You're already doing better than that blind and ignorant fool Hood."
Lasky frowned. I guess I should take that as a compliment. Just don't go overboard with insulting Hood, though. It's rude to speak ill of your superiors, though I do understand what you mean.
"Indeed. We will leave you to prepare for this mission."
Thank you, Lasky said. Sighing, he shook his head and headed for the door. "One small step for man," he muttered. "I just hope that this will also be one giant leap for Mankind."
