Battlestar Galactica: The Enemy of My Enemy Virtual Season 4, Episode 12 By James Gale October 18, 2019 Many thanks to Eric Paddon Chapter 1 The Eirenian cruiser Paralos approached the heliopause of the Chak system, this represented the midway point of their patrol. Having already visited several systems in Risik space known to contain other races that did not yet poses spacefaring capabilities. "Arriving at Chak system heliopause Captain" said the helmsman Ensign Kostos. "Come out of star speed and engage cloak" Captain Atlas then turned to the sensor officer Lt Rhea "Boost sensors to maximum range, passive only" "Aye Sir" rang out the response from the bridge. This was not the first time this crew had conducted this operation. An Eirenian ship regularly visited this system along with others. The contact with the Risik had shown the Eirenains that the Risik were not the kind of race they should trust. Thankfully the Risik boundary of space was outside of what they considered their sphere of influence. The Eirenians were not a violent race. They explored space to find answers, to understand the nature of the universe, and they only maintained a military capability because of races like the Risik. "How long until arrival at Ne'Chak" asked the Captain "1 farnai 10 nilpons Captain" replied Ensign Kostos. "Excellent I will be in my office contact me 20 nilpons before arrival" and the Captain rose from his seat and made his way to a door on the far side of the bridge. "You have the con, Commander Elena." "Aye Sir" The Paralos continued towards Ne'Chak with the passive scanners recording everything going on. Later when the Paralos returned to fleet forward base Ithaca all the data would be studied to get a better intelligence picture of what the Risik were up to. Once in his office, Captain Atlas looked over previous visits and briefings about Ne'Chak. The planet had become an important part of the Risik military industrial complex. It had orbital shipyards to construct and maintain their patrol cruisers and a fleet of ships were based there as well. The Risik had established a colony there, obviously for workers at the ship building and maintenance facilities. There also appeared to be two prison camps, the first clearly for Risik prisoners. The second however contained a race that although similar in appearance to the Risik where clearly not Risik. Eirenian intelligence had surmised these prisoners were from a subject race and the Risik did not want them to mix with Risik prisoners for some reason. Who were these people and why do the Risik keep them here? As the Captain continued studying the materials he was interrupted by a message from the bridge "Captain, we are detecting three unknown ships approaching the day side of Ne'Chak" said Commander Elena. "On my way, scan for ID". As he left his office for the short walk to the bridge the captain wondered to himself "Who could this be and what do they want at Ne'Chak". When the Captain reached the bridge he asked Commander Elena "Report" "Three ships of unknown configuration sir, approaching Ne'Chak from the day side." "Where is the settlement at the moment?" "On the night side Captain" "Any indications as to their intentions?" "None sir, but they do appear to be sneaking up to them" "Have they spotted us?" the Captain asked, he did not know if these unknowns had the capability to see through their cloaking technology. "It does not appear so Captain" answered Lt Rhea. "Put the first ship on screen" What appeared on the screen was a ship larger than any ever encountered by the Eirenian, it was long and slender with two outriggers on the side. Next came an image of an equally as large ship that looked like two saucers had been attached to each other. The final ship was much smaller than the first two but was still very large and imposing. "Captain, smaller craft are launching. There are two different configurations, the could be fighter craft" "Where are they heading?" "Planet surface Captain." "Put us into position to watch what is happening. Make sure our cloaking shield stays engaged I do not want to get drawn into someone else's fight". The Paralos took up position near the planet and recorded the fight that took place. The crew looked on in amazement at the destruction that was taking place. As the fight happened, the crew of the Paralos recorded every detail, planetside as well as in space. It was clear that these newcomers were much more advanced than the Risik, and it was clear their purpose on the planet was related to the prison camp, but they could not understand why. The Paralos saw a Risik scout enter the system and take up position over the planets pole. When the three ships started to move out followed by the Risik scout, Captain Atlas ordered the Paralos to follow. When the big ships left the scout for dust at the edge of the system the captain knew his superiors needed to know what had just happened. Someone had arrived and reduced the Risik military capability in this system to zero. "Ensign Kostos, set course for Ithaca, as soon as we are clear of the system full star speed." "Aye sir" With that, the Paralos moved out back towards the heliopause that would lead them to the fleet station. Once at the heliopause they engaged full speed, knowing a long journey was ahead of them. What would fleet command make of this information and were these massive ships heading their way? Most of all the Captain hoped they were not as hostile as the Risik were. They would have little in the way of resistance against such ships as these. Chapter 2 Two sectans later the Paralos slowed from star speed, Commander Elena paged the Captain who was taking care of general shipboard business in his office. "Captain, we are approaching the outer marker for Ithaca station." "I'll be right there. Page Admiral Helena" "Aye sir" came the response from the bridge. As Captain Atlas walked on to the bridge the connection was established with the Admiral. "Captain you have returned from patrol early?" "Yes Admiral, we have a report of a battle at the Ne'Chak system. Three unknown Alien ships attacked and defeated the Risik military presence in that system." The Admiral was clearly surprised by this news. "I see. Transfer the data to me immediately. I expect a full briefing on this as soon as you are docked Captain. Helena out." "Helm get us docked as soon as possible." The Paralos moved into the traffic pattern at Ithaca, a place known for its busy activity, owing to Ithaca's status as the forward control station for this sector of space. Ithaca station itself consisted of a large and formidable series of space stations and ship yards that orbited a gas giant planet, one of just two in the overall system. From here, the Eirenians had the capability to chart new regions of space and launch expeditions to explore them. Ithaca also served as a connection to the home world which was a considerable distance away. The infrastructure included a series of regional communication relay hubs that allowed near instant communications with the home world. The station had been built some time ago after the initial contact with a Risik exploration vessel, before the Risik came to this region of the galaxy. It was realized that there was a need to have a fleet station that allowed a launching point if the Risik decided to bring civilization to them. Most of the supplies came from several of the nearby colony worlds. Once the Paralos was docked, the Captain and XO made their way to the docking lounge. When they were inside they found the Admiral's aide, Commander Jace, waiting for them. "Hello Captain Atlas and Commander Elena. The admiral is waiting for you in the conference room. If you would follow me please." Commander Jace showed them to the conference room where the Admiral was waiting for them along with Commodore Koline the head of the fleet intelligence service for Ithaca station. "Admiral, Commodore" Captain Atlas said respectfully as he prepared his material for the briefing. "Captain please start the briefing when you are ready," Helena said "Yes Admiral. Approximately one quatan and three tan ago we entered the Chak system and proceeded towards the planet Ne'Chak. Our mission was to collect standard data on the current state of the Risik colonisation and militarisation of the Chak system. When we were about 20 nilpons away from the planet approaching from the day side, we detected three unknown alien ships". The Captain then brought up the image of the Galactica, with the technical data appearing alongside of it. "This ship was the lead ship." "My lords that ship is massive! Have we ever encountered a vessel of that scale, Commodore?" the Admiral asked the intelligence chief. "No Admiral. To my knowledge, ships of that size do not exist." "Captain do you have any idea what the side pods are for?" inquired the Admiral "Yes Admiral, it appears to be a launch pad and recovery system for smaller ships. If I may continue, I will get to that point soon." "Continue Captain" remarked the Admiral. Captain Atlas then switched the view to the base ship. "The next ship is equally impressive in size as the first ship.", the Captain then switched to the Constellation. "This was the final ship in the fleet. As you can see it is not of the same scale as the first two ships but is still considerably larger than anything we or the Risik possess." The Captain paused briefly for any other questions. When none came, he resumed playing video of the attack. "The two lead ships then launched smaller craft that we believe to be fighters of some type." The captain showed an image of a Viper. "This ship registered as a single lifeform per ship. These other ships," the image shifted to a view of a Cylon raider, "did not register any life forms." "How is it possible that a craft such as this registers no lifeforms?" asked the admiral. "Remote operated craft to save the life of valuable pilots maybe," commented the Commodore. "We did not detect any signals directed to the ships" the captain stated. "How they are piloted is unknown at the moment." He went on and showed more of the video. "The smaller craft formed into three groups. The first group entered the planet's atmosphere and the other two groups forming up on the capital ships. As the lead capital ship rounded to the night side of the planet, the Risik command station launched nuclear missiles at the ship." "Did the Risik make any attempt at communicating with the fleet?" asked the Commodore. "We did detect a signal sent by the command station but it was only just ahead of the missile launch." the captain replied. "A bluff to catch them off guard. It seems like the Risik may have known who was attacking them and wanted to fight." the admiral remarked, "Maybe these are the aliens that drove the Risik in to this sector of space." "That is a distinct possibility Admiral, Captain please continue". "Yes sir. The lead ship destroyed the missiles and the command station. The second ship entered orbit over the city and engaged ground targets. The third ship took up a covering position around the moon and engaged a small base that was under construction. The first group of fighters on the planet targeted the planetary defenses, and the space borne fighters took on the orbital docking and shipyards. Some Risik ships did manage to power up and engage the two largest capital ships. As you can see, the alien ships destroyed the Risik ships before the Risik were in weapons range. We then detected two shuttlecraft coming from the surface towards the lead alien ship and a series of large explosions in the prison camp for the alien race." "A rescue mission?" Admiral Helena asked "Certainly possible if the aliens were prisoners of war," Commodore Koline observed. "It is no wonder the Risik left their homeworld to come here, with an enemy this powerful." "Yes sir it is possible," Captain Atlas nodded. "The alien ships then formed back into a fleet. They launched even more fighter craft while recovering the original group of ships and left the system. They headed towards a brown dwarf star. The fleet destroyed all infrastructure of military value in the Chak system. A single Risik scout ship that arrived during the battle and hid in the planet's poles followed them at the end of the Risik sensor range. It appears they were out of the range of the alien's scanners. Once the ships entered star speed, the scout set course for the Risik Capital and we set course for Ithaca to report.". "Thank you for the report Captain," Admiral Helena nodded. "Please insure the Commodore's team has all this information. In the meantime, you may return to your ship. We will contact you when we have anything further for you. For now, your crew will have shore leave at Ithaca. But have them ready to leave at a moment's notice." "Yes, Admiral." With that Captain Atlas and Commander Elena left the room and made their way into the corridor that would lead them back to the Paralos. "Well Elena, what do you make of that meeting?" "It is interesting that they want us ready to leave at short notice. Perhaps they want us to look for these ships?" "It is possible. Assuming they are from the same region of space that the Risik are from then it stands to reason they would take a similar path that the Risik originally took. As you know, we have not explored much of that area of space." "That is a large area to search. There would be little chance of finding them, and even if we do, could they have hostile intentions towards us?" "Indeed it would be difficult to find them. But we could gain much in doing so and at least we would learn if they have hostile intentions towards other races. The last thing we need is another race like the Risik, especially one who clearly have more advanced weapons systems." The two officers returned to their ship in silence wondering what the future might hold for them. Chapter 3 Adama picked up the microphone and calmly took a breath to begin recording his journal entry for the day. "Affairs in the Fleet are fortunately back to a state of calm following that disruption caused by the creature classified as a 'succubon' that left several of our people dead. Much about this incident, I still do not understand, and the one person who could answer more about it, Ama, is not about to be as forthcoming as I would like. Still, I take comfort in the fact that the matter is behind us and that the danger has passed. "Absent the succubon and our recent problem with a computer virus, it has otherwise been a quiet several sectans since leaving Risik space. Our Earth brethren that we rescued from Ne'Chak are adjusting well to ship board life on the Constellation and the Adelaide. It is even more remarkable considering a space voyage like this was the stuff of sci-fi holo videos for them. We continue to find no sign of Risik pursuit and have resumed forward patrols to learn more about where we are going. Dr. Wilker, meanwhile, continues to translate the Risik data that was of lesser importance in the recent tribunals of Risik officers. Melnea has integrated into Academician Sarah's office well, and is helping us with a better understanding of the known races in this sector and the Risik home sector. "Finally, on a personal note, Athena's children continue to grow and bring me great pleasure, and that pleasure I know will be increased when their cousin is born. Sheba's pregnancy is proceeding well and I can see the enthusiasm in Boxey's eyes as he awaits either a brother or sister for himself." Adama stopped but still held the microphone in his hand. He wondered if he should make some reference to the dream that had been gnawing at him for some time. A dream of the landing bay of the Pegasus and a one-person shuttle being opened up and the voice of Cain saying four simple words. "Her name is Ila." But there had been no recurrence of the dream and he decided that dwelling on it wasn't a good idea. He needed to move on from it. So instead of continuing, he put down the microphone, ate a light breakfast and made his way to the Bridge for the day. When he arrived he found Colonel Tigh already there. "Good morning Tigh. Status report, please?" "Good morning Commander. All systems here and in all ships throughout the Fleet reporting green. Current fuel and water levels are adequate and other minerals are starting to run on the lower side. We'll need to find a resource for some materials used to make more advanced parts in the next few sectons. But barring any unforeseen issues we should be good for fuel and water for another sectar at least." "That is good news. It gives us time to find a resource for all before we start to run critically low, and fortunately we're not dealing with any danger of enemy pursuit." Athena came over with a pad containing the overnight status report, which Adama took and scanned before signing and returning to Athena. "Do we have any information on this sector from the Risik database, Lieutenant?" "Let me check, Commander," Athena returned to her duty station to run the search. When she was done she reported back, "The Risik databases we have don't cover this sector, Commander." "What systems do we have on forward scanners?" "There are three systems within patrol range and ten within scanner range" "Excellent. Colonel, who is on patrol for the three systems in range?" "Red Squadron. They're scheduled to return in ten centars" "Hopefully one of those systems will have some resources we can make use of." Chapter 4 Captain Atlas was enjoying a nice romantic dinner with his wife Pesha and daughter Isadora in one of the restaurants of the Ithaca space station. He was grateful for the reunion after so much time away and always regretted the separations. "I am so glad you were able to transport here in time before I had to ship out again. It's been much too long." "Any idea when you will be shipping out again?" asked Pesha. Before Atlas could answer he heard a page over the base intercom. "Captain Atlas please contact Commander Jase's office at once." Atlas got up and making his apologies to his family he went over to the nearest communication station to dial the commander's office. "Commander Jase here." "Hello Commander this is Captain Atlas. You had me paged." "Ah, yes sir. I hope I did not interrupt anything important, but you are required at a briefing at 0800 hours tomorrow at the Admiral's office. Please bring Commander Elena with you." "I will see you in the morning Commander. Thank you." "Thank you sir and good night." Atlas ended the communication and made his way over to his family. Their expressions told him that they already knew what he was going to say, but they understood it was part of his job. "Looks like I will be leaving soon. Let's enjoy this meal together tonight and I will see you off tomorrow." In the morning just before 0800 hours Atlas met up with Commander Elena just outside of the Admiral's office. "Good morning Captain. I assume we'll be getting our orders today. I have already alerted the crew to prepare for departure." "I think that is a safe bet Commander. Did any of your family visit during the down time?" "My husband was too busy with his ship to get any time off but my sister did come and visit for a while. She left yesterday, I understand your wife and daughter came?" "They did," Atlas sighed. "The biggest problem with this line of work is not getting to see them as much as I would like, I hope they can get a place on a transport today." They then arrived at the admiral's office and were shown in immediately. "Good morning Captain and Commander. Please take a seat. I have your orders here for you" the admiral handed both officers a data chip. "You are to patrol the Omega sector for the next two months searching for the three alien ships. If you encounter them, then you are to make contact with them. We would like to have a friendly relationship with these people and you are authorized to offer any food, water and medical supplies that they may require. We would also like to get ahold of any additional information about the Risik and may negotiate any settlement for that information you feel is fair. If you reach an agreement, you will need final approval via myself before completing the deal. You will be accompanied by the clipper Thessaloniki commanded by Captain Yaris. Captain Atlas you will be in command of the mission and I have already briefed Captain Yaris. The Thessaloniki will be ready to depart by 1200 hours. We would like the Paralos away as soon as possible. Any questions?" "What happens if we do not find them in the two months we are on patrol?" asked Atlas. "You will return to the capital under your original schedule for ship maintenance and crew rest." replied Admiral Helena. "Thank you, Admiral". "One last thing Captain I understand your family is still at the base. I have held the transport back to the capital with room for them if you can have them there by 1200 hours so you can see them off. Good luck in your search Captain." "Thank you Admiral, I appreciate that. I will make all arrangements and we will be under way by 1300 hours." "Perfect Captain. Dismissed". With that Atlas and Elena left the Admiral's office. "It's exactly what I expected," Atlas said to Elena. "Inform the crew, I'll be aboard at 1230. Right now, I'll go see Captain Yaris to inform him of the orders and then see off my wife and daughter." At 1230 hours the Captain came aboard the Parasol and headed for the bridge. Commander Elena saw the Captain enter "Ship ready for departure, sir." "Very good prepare for departure at 1300. Make our way to the outer marker and form up with the Thessaloniki. Captain Yaris will leave a little ahead of us and will be awaiting our arrival." Atlas turned and made his way to his office. He knew his crew would be stowing connections and ensuring all provisions were on board for the next two months. He needed to study the sector he was assigned and determine the best search pattern. Sitting at his desk looking at the star map he wondered just where the three unknown ships were at this point and what they represented. So lost thought was he that the time to departure went by very quickly and he soon realized he was being paged by the bridge. "Ready for departure Captain" said Commander Elena. "I will be there soon. Start departure sequence." "Yes sir" Atlas finished with his study of the Omega Sector, packing up his things making his way to the Bridge. The commander saw Atlas enter the Bridge, "Departure sequence completed Captain. Moving to the outer marker to meet up with the Thessaloniki. What course do we plot?" "Set course for Alpha 528 system of Omega sector assume standard search pattern. Get me Captain Yaris on comms." Lieutenant Eulalia made the necessary connections and soon Captain Yaris was on the screen. "Hello Yaris. Commander Elena is sending you the course and search pattern. When we are underway we will travel uncloaked. However if we detect any vessel we will cloak immediately. If the ships we detect are of interest to us I will give further orders to you. Any questions?" "Just one, Atlas. Do you think we will find these ships?" "I don't know ,Yaris but it won't be for lack of trying. Parasol out." The two ships met at the outer marker and moved into position to make their jump to star speed. Chapter 5 As Boomer's viper approached the next star system on his assigned patrol he wondered if there would be anything here that would be useful for the Fleet. All the systems that had been scouted in the law few sectans have not had any useful natural resources, especially tylium and solium which were so critical to the functioning of ships. "Well Mackin, let's go and see what is in this system." he said aloud. "Approaching the system now," Mackin reported, she was flying her monthly viper patrol to maintain her proficiency. Not normally flying as Boomers wingmate she nervously decided to take a chance at some small talk. "Captain, do you mind if I ask something?" "That all depends, Mackin." "About Sheba. Does she know if it's going to be a girl or a boy?" Boomer let out a chuckle, "Are you trying to get an inside track on a wagering pool by asking me, Mackin?" "Well," the blonde warrior sounded sheepish, "Starbuck did say it couldn't hurt to ask." "I had a feeling he put you up to it. Truthfully, I don't know because she and Apollo aren't telling anyone. Not even Athena and me. So you can tell Starbuck and anyone else with a wagering pool that they'll have to take their best guess just like me." "Understood," Mackin shrugged and went back to her scanner. "Scan check on first planet shows no useful resources." "All right," Boomer sighed, "Let's move to the next planet. Only two more to check." As they moved on, Mackin then saw something unexpected. "Captain, I'm picking up two contacts on my scanner. Hold on, they just disappeared." "I saw them too. Run a diagnostic to make sure there's no error." "On both of our scanners?" "I know it's unlikely but we should check anyway. Especially after the Galactica had that problem with the virus a while back." he looked down at his own scanner. "Okay. My scanner checks out. No diagnostic error." "And none on mine. So what could that mean?" "Well if they were contacts, were you able to get a warbook reading on them?" "No not enough time to run a check." "Well that's why I'm skeptical there was something out there if they just came and went that fast. It could be a false reading from a meteor or some other natural phenomena." "What should we do?" "Well, unless they show themselves again there's really nothing we can do, Mackin. Except finish the survey and return home." "Yes sir". Meanwhile on the Parasol Lieutenant Rhea noticed two small ships entering scanner range. "Sir, contacts at the outer planet of this system." "Positive cloak now. Has the Thessaloniki engaged their cloak?" asked Captain Atlas "Yes Captain" replied Commander Elena, "Lieutenant Rhea can you get an ID on the craft?" "Yes Captain. Small one man craft. Positive ID on attack craft from Ne'Chak" Atlas turned to his second in command. "Well Commander looks like we found them. Any thoughts on what they might be doing here?" "With just two of them, I'd say an advanced scout charting the path for their larger Fleet." "I agree. Which means they'll eventually return to their home base, so let's follow them back. Notify the Thessaloniki immediately." "Yes Captain." The two vipers finished their final survey of the solar system and began their journey back to the fleet, unknowingly with two ships following them. "Captain?" Mackin asked. "Yo?" "I was just wondering about those contacts. Is it possible they were Risik ships going into a cloaking mode?" "Risik ships don't have any cloaking capability Mackin. Only the Zykonians and the Ziklagi do." "Then it could be the Ziklagi." "We're way past their frontier point, Mackin. But just to be on the safe side, we'll report to the Commander when we get back and he can have our scan data checked to see if we recorded anything we didn't have time to notice." "Sir long range scanners is showing a large number of vessels ahead. I am counting over 200. Too far out for detailed readings" reported Lieutenant Rhea. "Acknowledge. Are the attack craft headed for them?" "Yes sir" He turned to his second in command. "Well Commander, it appears they have a large fleet with them. If they are all of the configurations that we encountered, they have enough firepower to overwhelm this entire region of space. Peaceful contact with them may have become even more important." "Perhaps now would be a good time to come out of cloak Captain." suggested Commander Elena. "That's probably a good idea, Commander. We shouldn't give them too much of a surprise. Have the Thessaloniki uncloak as well." "Yes sir" As Boomer and Mackin were lining up on their final approach to the Galactica, the blonde warrior suddenly saw blips on her scanner. "Boomer, I'm reading two contacts again on my scanner. It could be the same ones from before." That got Red Leader's attention. He immediately raised the Galactica. "Red Leader to Galactica Core Command. We just picked up two contacts on scan. Do you confirm?" "Core Command to Red Leader," Flight Sergeant Rigel answered. "We copy and confirm your contacts. Proceed with your landing in Alpha Bay." "Affirmative," he switched frequencies. "Okay, Mackin, just bring your ship in. I'll give them a full telecom report on what happened as soon as we're aboard." "Commander," Athena reported after getting the message from Rigel. "Two unknown contacts on scanners. They appear to have followed Red Group patrol back." Adama raised an eyebrow. "Do they match any known ships?" "Warbook does not have a match for either ship." "Speed?" "Space normal. No indication of attack heading." "Commander," this from Omega, "Captain Boomer has landed and is on Alpha Bay telecom." "Put him through to my channel," Adama adjusted his headset. "Yes, Boomer?" "Commander, I just have a follow-up on those contacts." "Yes, we see them Boomer. Go ahead." "They may be the same as two contacts we saw briefly in the last planetary system we checked. They disappeared quickly before we could get any identification and we dismissed it as a false reading. But it's possible these could be the same contacts and they were cloaked all this time." "But you didn't encounter any aggressive action out there, or on your way back?" Adama asked his son-in-law. "No, sir. No signs of hostile action." "Thank you for your report, Boomer. Remain on standby mode in case any new viper launch is needed to deal with this." "Yes, sir." As soon as Adama finished the conversation he saw Tigh getting his attention. "Whoever they are, they've slowed down. They appear to be taking a peaceful stance." "That is a good sign, Colonel. Omega hail those ships please". "Ready Commander." replied Omega. "This is Commander Adama of the colonial Battlestar Galactica. We are not hostile and our intentions are peaceful. Can you identify yourselves?" "Captain we are receiving a hail from the lead ship of the fleet" said Lieutenant Eulalia. "Put it on screen, Lieutenant." The bridge crew of the Parasol watched the short message from Commander Adama. Captain Atlas then rose from his seat. "Commander Adama, I am Captain Atlas of the Eirenian cruiser Paralos. It is a pleasure to meet you. I have been sent by my superiors to establish diplomatic relations to your fleet." "Thank you Captain. We welcome all new friends. I invite you to come aboard the Galactica to open the negotiations of formal relations." "We look forward to meeting with you Commander. We will shuttle across as soon as we are in range. Parasol out." With that, Adama's image faded from the view screen, replaced with the view of the Fleet. Atlas was feeling pleased and nervous even with the initial contact being successful. He wondered what he should expect upon setting foot on an alien vessel. "Lieutenant Rhea, you will assume command of the Parasol while we are away. Lieutenant Eulalia and Commander Elena will accompany me to the Galactica. How long until we are within shuttle range?" "We are in shuttle range now Captain" replied Ensign Kostos. "Good. Let's get going" The trio made their way to the flight deck of the ship. The on duty shuttle pilot started his preflight checks as the three officers made their way onto the shuttle and strapped themselves in. "We are clear for departure, Captain. What ship are we going to?" asked the pilot "The one called the Galactica. The bridge should be transmitting coordinates." then Atlas turned to Commander Elena, "Remember seeing these ships over Ne'Chak?" "Yes. I wonder which one is the Galactica. One of the two biggest I would assume" "A valid assumption" stated Atlas. The shuttle cleared the flight deck of the Parasol and made its way on the supplied coordinates. All the occupants of the shuttle were looking out to see what their final destination would be. "Look at the size of that thing!" the shuttle pilot said with amazement as it came into view, filling most of the forward view screen of the shuttle. "It must be as big as Ithaca station!" "Not quite but I never thought a ship that big could exist. How long to landing?" asked Captain Atlas. "Entering pattern now Captain. About another 5 nilpons" replied the pilot. The remainder of the flight everyone was in silent awe of the sight before them. "I think the Parasol could fit inside this landing bay" commented Commander Elena, The shuttle crossed the threshold and came to a gentle touchdown near to where a group had assembled. The shuttle door opened and Captain Atlas was the first outside. Immediately, he recognized the face of the man he had spoken to earlier. "Captain Atlas, I am Commander Adama. On behalf of the Twelve Colonies of man, let me welcome you aboard the Galactica." "Thank you Commander Adama on behalf of the people of the Eirenian race we are honored to be here." Chapter 6 The group of Eirenians followed Adama through the maze of corridors of the Galactica, heading towards the Council chamber aboard the great battlestar. To the Eirenians, it seemed as if the ship just never ended. "I am amazed at how large the Galactica is, Commander." Captain Atlas commented. Adama could hear the awe in his voice. "Yes, the Galactica is a large ship Captain. The largest class of ship our people ever built." he answered. "How many do your people have? She seems to be the only one of her type in your Fleet, and the other capital ship is a different type." "Ah yes. The baseship is a different type of ship which we will explain in due time. As for the Galactica she is the only one of its kind left, although there may be another out there somewhere. At one time there were many more." As Adama said that they entered the Council chamber, where Adama indicated that his guests should take a seat on one side of the table. "Let me introduce you to my Executive Officer Colonel Tigh and Siress Lydia Vice-President of our ruling Council of Twelve." Tigh and Lydia both rose to acknowledge their guests, and the Eirenians reciprocated with friendly bows before seating themselves. "In addition to my role as Commander of the Galactica, I am also President of the Council of Twelve." Adama went on as he took his seat at the head of the table. "It is a pleasure to meet you and your party, Captain. I have some questions for you if you would not mind". "Of course Commander I assume you would like to know why we followed your fighter craft and why we made contact." replied Captain Atlas. "We call them Vipers and yes those are the questions I would like to have answers to Captain." "We were tasked to find you and make contact by our command. We were assigned this sector as our search area and we found your fighters, excuse me Vipers. We decided to engage cloak and follow them back to their fleet. Our standard practice for first contact is to make contact with the capital ships directly. My people wish to establish a cooperative relationship with you and I have been authorized to offer you any assistance with medical supplies, food or other supplies you may need." "That is most generous of you and your people, Captain," Adama was impressed. "There may be issues of compatibility that would have to be worked out, but we can furnish a list of what we are in need of and perhaps cross-check with what your civilization has to offer." He turned to Tigh, "Colonel, could you notify Core Command to have a list drawn up ranking the priority of our needs?" "Right away, sir," Tigh rose and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Adama resumed. "Your generosity though still doesn't explain why you were looking for us." "It is because of your recent experience with the Risik race," Atlas said. "You're familiar with them," Lydia spoke for the first time. She had already decided going into the meeting that she wasn't going to do or say anything that could be interpreted as controversial. "Yes. We have been aware of the Risik state for some time. A long time ago a bad contact with a Risik vessel alerted us of their presence and their intentions towards other uncivilized races as they put it. As such, we have been working on a defensive strategy for us and other non-space faring races in our sphere of influence. Part of that strategy is monitoring the Risik worlds and taking stock of their military strength. My ship had just entered into the Chak system, Commander Adama, when your ships launched their attack. We reported back to our command who ordered us to find you. Given that you were attacking the Risik, we assumed you are from their home sector although we do not understand why you removed the prisoners from Ne'Chak." replied Captain Atlas. "Ah yes, that explains a good deal," Adama said. "We are not from the Risik home sector, but the prisoners were. They came from a world called Earth which the Risik intended to enslave. The Risik had abducted those people and we liberated them. The people of Earth and the people of the Colonial Nation are both humans and we all originated from the same planet." Atlas nodded his head. "Yes, I understand. Commander you mentioned that the Galactica is the last of it's kind among your people. How is that?". "It is a very long, complicated and sad story," Adama said. "Far across the galaxy from here, there is a system of twelve worlds. Our people originated on a single mother planet called Kobol and settled those twelve worlds. Over thousands of yahrens, we developed art and science and explored the universe around us. In our travels we met with many other races. Most of them we traded with, some we had wars with, until one day we came across a race so ruthless that we could not negotiate with them. The war lasted a thousand yahrens until it was lost in a single day. Our entire fleet of battlestars was lost save for the Galactica. The people of this Fleet left those worlds in whatever ships could carry us to find a new home for our people, on Earth, which we know to have been settled by others who journeyed from our mother planet, Kobol." "How many people are in this fleet Commander if you don't mind my asking?" "The day before we lost the war we were a nation of about 20 billion in this Fleet all that remains is about 70,000." The Eirenians were stunned to hear of such loss of life, "And does this enemy pursue your fleet?" asked Captain Atlas with obvious concern in his voice. If a race as advanced as the Colonials could not stop this race how would they, if they were to encounter them. "The race is called the Cylons and they are no longer following us. The baseship you see in this Fleet was once part of the Cylon Empire but they defected to our side. We will be happy to give your people all the information we have on the Cylons in case they ever come to this region of space." "We thank you for that. My people are also interested in any information you could give us on the Risik, as you can understand we have only conducted aerial surveillance and have never had access to ground based intelligence. We would of course be willing to provide some form of compensation in exchange for that information." Adama considered the Captain's request. Even though the Eirenians had projected an air of peace and friendship, there was a risk in trusting them too much too soon. Especially when it concerned matters that could affect the balance of power in this region of space. At the same time, if the Eirenians had resources that the Fleet was in need of, self-interest for his own people would have to come first and he would need to reciprocate with a tradable commodity that a willing trade partner could use. Even so, he couldn't commit himself yet. "Thank you Captain. I will consider your offer and get back to you. In the meantime can I offer you a tour of the Galactica? We can reconvene tomorrow to talk about the details of a potential exchange." "Thank you Commander we would be glad to take a tour. We will then return to our ship for tonight. And we would be honored to have you as our guests tomorrow to a banquet to honor our new-found friendship." . "That would be wonderful Captain. Until tomorrow then. Captain Apollo will give you the tour of the Galactica I am afraid ship board business call me away. Good day Captain." "Good day, Commander" Chapter 7 The next morning after waking up and having a warm cup of Java, Adama had a breakfast meeting with Sire Pelias and Siress Tinia. He filled them in on the previous day's meeting with the Eirenians. "Captain Atlas also indicated to me that his government would be willing to negotiate a deal to receive the intelligence we picked up on the Risik. I can think of supplies the Fleet would need and we could always use more space for the people of the Fleet as well. But the intelligence could be very valuable to the Eirenians and I am concerned about selling that information which could potentially change the balance of power in this sector." "Have the Eirenians shown any willingness to be offensive with the Risik?" Tinia asked. "If they have, as you said, been monitoring the Risik for some time, then if they were going to attack them wouldn't they already have done so?" Tinia shared the concern for loss of any life, although after the Tribunals of Lemeshek and the others she was far less concerned about the Risik as a whole. Adama gave a thoughtful response "Nothing we have seen so far shows any signs or instincts toward aggression on their part, so I am inclined to trust them.'' "How would the material that we currently have on our Earth brethren be handled in such a case? I would imagine they would not want details of their lives to be sold to another race benevolent or not." asked Pelias "A good point Sire. I would want to withhold that information, but maybe we can ask Dr. Wilker if there are any records of interrogations of people who were not among the survivors." replied Adama. "I am not sure such information is of value and could sway a peaceful race into a strike if they fear such a treatment for their people or even lesser developed peoples in their control." added Siress Tinia, "At any event this would have to be approved by the full Council. Whatever you decide to do, you will have my support." "Mine too Commander" added Sire Pelias. And then he added off-handedly, "How did Lydia react to them?" "She showed no strong instincts during the meeting," Adama said. "I believe this is one instance where she would defer to the prevailing sentiment with no objection." Thank goodness, Tinia thought. There was a good deal she'd been thinking about Lydia lately, but this wasn't the time for her to express any of that. After breakfast Adama went to the bridge where he met with Colonel Tigh. "Good morning Commander. The list of food, medical and other supplies has been made up with your approval. We are ready to transmit to the Parasol." Tigh gave the commander a pad with the list of supplies, that included the normal ones of food, water and medical supplies. And at the top of the list, the critical elements of tylium and solium that were needed as fuel resources. "Very good, Colonel. Transmit immediately." Later in the day, Commander Adama escorted by Siress Tinia, Sires Pelias and Xaviar and Siress Lydia met in the Galactica launch bay to shuttle over to the Parasol. Adama directed everyone onto the shuttle where he gave a briefing during the trip to the Eirenian vessel. The shuttle launched and made it way to the Parasol where the shuttle was directed to land in the Parasol's shuttle bay. As Sergeant Mackin brought the shuttle in for a landing, the senior officers in their dress uniforms lined up to meet with the Colonials. Captain Atlas was at the front as the shuttle door opened and Commander Adama and Siress Tinia emerged, followed by Siress Lydia, Sires Pelias and Xaviar. "Welcome to the Parasol honored guests. Our chefs have planned a fine meal for us. But before we eat would you care for a tour of our ship?" "That would be fine, thank you Captain Atlas." replied Adama "This way if you would like to follow me." Captain Atlas led the group out of the flight deck and into the hallway. "The Parasol is a Troy class Cruiser. Her main function is to patrol Eirenian space to maintain peaceful relations with other space faring races and to allow the natural development of non-space faring races. We also are assigned to patrols of certain races that pose a threat to our way of life." As the group approached a turbo lift and got in Captain Atlas continued "The Troy class are the largest ships my people have designed and built so far. We have the capability of holding a large number of passengers in addition to the 200 crew on board. This allows us to render medical assistance to people in need. Our first stop will be our sick bay which is purposefully large to allow us to render humanitarian assistance when needed. The other advantage of this is if we had need for ground combat, we have the ability to house and treat our soldiers." The group entered the large Medical bay "We are equipped with all the state of the art equipment that can be place ship board, this deck is dedicated to medical and scientific facilities, with various labs and suites available the science crew." "You have a lot of room dedicated to scientific research Captain, which is admirable. Do you have an equal amount of space dedicated to weapon systems?" Asked Sire Xaviar "Ah yes, Sire Xaviar. We do have a large amount of weapon systems. As you can understand, even given your superior technology, we would prefer to keep those areas restricted so we will not include them on the tour. However our people prefer to find peaceful solutions where appropriate so we concentrate on defensive systems such as shields and anti fighter weapons. We are also armed with offensive weapons as well. We have four main laser banks and twelve missile launchers on board." Captain Atlas then moved the group towards the bridge area which also contained the main conference room where dinner would be provided, during their journey. Adama asked "What kind of power systems do your people use?" "The Parasol has a Class 3 anti-matter drive system. The drive provides the main shipboard power and the star drive system. We also have a smaller fusion generator that powers essential systems such as fire suppression and life support, with appropriate backup supplies." He motioned his hand, "Here to the right side is the sensor and science stations. On the left side are the weapons and communications stations. The front is the helm and navigation stations and then the captain and first officers sit in the middle where they are able to access all the information on the monitors to the sides. If you follow me we will make our way to dinner in the main conference room." The Colonials followed the Captain into the conference room and took their seats. The first course of food was promptly served and was much like the food that could be found in the restaurants on the Rising Star. After the main course was completed, Captain Atlas turned to Commander Adama and asked him, "Have you considered our offer to purchase the intelligence that you obtained from the Risik?" "Yes I have" replied Adama, "As you can understand, our people have little use for currency outside of our normal means of exchange among ourselves in inter-Fleet commerce. What we need most is space and resources. As you are already generously taking care of our current resource needs, the only thing left for us to ask for is more ships." Adama decided to test the waters to see if there was even a possibility of getting more ships for the people of the Fleet. "My government has authorized me to negotiate on good faith Commander. Whatever agreement we come up with, will need to be verified by them. As you can understand, I am sure. As for payment in ships, that may be possible depending on the type of ships you require." Adama thought for a moment. He was thinking about the current Fleet needs. There was always a need for more space as the population grew as well as more room to store materials, in addition to military ships. "Before we get into the specifics of the type of ships what are your intentions for the information that we can supply you?" "I can assure you Commander we have no hostile intent towards the Risik." Atlas said. "My people do not generally launch pre-emptive strikes unless absolutely needed. But the intent for us is to be in a maximum state of military preparedness for the Risik should we need to be. I am not able to give you firm guarantees Commander, but I think your concern is whether giving us this information would disrupt the geopolitical power in this region. That is not our intent, and that is not our primary duty as a race." "It is reassuring to know that you do not intend to make hostile use of the information in the near term," Adama said and then looked back at his fellow Council members. "I would assume that my colleagues are equally convinced?" "The candor and forthrightness of Captain Atlas has been most impressive," Tinia said. "Like Commander Adama, I too find his words reassuring." The silence from the other members indicated they too were in agreement. That meant Adama was free to press ahead. But he decided that if he was free to negotiate this point, he was going to push for way more than he would himself give up for such intelligence. "Since the senior members of our Council are in agreement, I will at this time make my offer. I was thinking something along the line of four passenger liners, four freight ships and two patrol cruisers, Captain. Do you think that would be a fair price for the information that we have? The intelligence we have gathered is quite extensive at this point." Captain Atlas thought to himself for a moment before he replied "I don't think we could agree to so many ships. And I am sure we would not want our military ships to be used by anyone outside of ourselves as I am sure you can understand. Can we leave the cruisers out and offer you one each of the passenger and freighter ships?" Adama leaned back in his seat with a thoughtful air. "Perhaps we could reach agreement at two each of the passenger and freighter ships? And also a cultural database of your people for our understanding and star charts of space that you have mapped?" Captain Atlas smiled "Commander you are welcome to have a cultural database to better understand us. The rest I will provide to my government. After dinner we can take a look at our civilian fleet ship types to pick the ships you would like. Once complete, I will send our clipper back to base for the government to ratify the deal." The rest of the meal passed by with small talk about the families and daily lives of each of the parties. When it was time to leave, Colonials returned to the hanger deck. Captain Atlas bid farewell to his guests "I will dispatch the clipper tonight Commander. It will be several of your sectans before we have an answer for you. In the meantime we will continue to escort you on your path. Goodnight everyone." On the way back to the Fleet, Tinia sat next to Adama and couldn't help but smile at him. "Be honest, Adama," she said. "You knew he'd never agree to military ships. And it's not likely any military ships of theirs would be of much practical use to us." "True," Adama nodded and returned her smile. "I was more interested in making multiple civilian ships and a database seem like a better alternative." "Well done, Adama. Well done." Chapter 8 "Matters have remained in stasis these last two sectans with our new friends, the Eirenaians, while we await the return of their clipper ship, Thessalonki and a response to our offer," Adama said as he recorded his journal entry for the day. "Because their ship is so small, their presence has not attracted too much attention among the Fleet as a whole. I have communicated with Captain Atlas every day and have extended offers of shore leave to select members of his crew aboard the Rising Star and other vessels in the Fleet, but he believes that until a formal agreement is approved by his government, it is better for his crew to remain aboard their own vessel for now." Before Adama could continue, he heard the chime from the Bridge and a message from Colonel Tigh that a ship was arriving at the rear of the Fleet. The ship had been detected by the rear patrol and was identified as the Thessaloniki. Adama wasted no time getting to the Bridge and when he arrived, he said to the Executive Officer, "I guess we find out if the Eirenian government accepted our terms" "Yes. Let's hope for the best." Bridge officer Omega then announced "Captain Atlas and Commander Elena request permission to come to the Galactica to meet with you Commander." "Granted, I have a meeting with Acadamian Sarah and Melnea in five centons. Arrange for them to be shown to my quarters in one centar." "Yes, Commander." A centar later, Adama was wrapping up a report from Sarah and Melnea about the cultural database provided by the Eirenians. "From our research, the information they provided about their culture matches what the have said about the peaceful intentions. However it should be noted that all we have to go on is based on information they have provided to us. Other cultures have been known to mislead for their own gain." stated Sarah "I would be inclined to trust them Commander." "Melnea were you ever aware of the Eirenians?" Adama asked. "I was aware that there were several other races that needed civilizing in this region, Commander, but I am not aware specifically of the Eirenians." At that point the chime for Commander Adama's office sounded. "Enter" Adama said and in walked in Captain Atlas and Commander Elena. As soon as Elena saw Melnea she started to panic. How could she be here? I hope she does not recognize me. Melnea however instantly recognized her. They had been in school together as children. Knowing this could only mean one thing. She tried to act like she had never met Elena before when the Commander introduced them. It left Melnea uncomfortable but she decided that a better time to let the Commander know about Elena was later. She left Adama's quarters with Sarah and headed back to their office. "Captain Atlas, I presume the Thessaloniki has returned with your government's answer." "Yes Commander," Atlas nodded. "First, a fleet of cargo ships has been dispatched with all the supplies that you requested. They should arrive in Theta sector in three of your sectans. My navigation data shows we will be in a rendezvous position in two sectan. As to the specifics of the sale of intelligence information, my Government agreed with the two freighters but are unable to provide the two passenger ships of the type you requested. They have counter-offered with one of the ships you requested and one of a near-class of passenger liner. I have the information on the other class of ship. It contains fifty fewer cabins than the class you chose but otherwise is just as capable." Adama studied the information on the new class of passenger liner. "I think this will be acceptable to the Colonial nation Captain. My thanks to you and your government." "Thank you, Commander. These ships were included in the fleet of supply ships. When we meet with the Fleet we will conduct formal handover of the ships and data. Here are the details of the system where we are due to rendezvous with the fleet. Until that time, Commander we will be available on the Paralos if you need us. "Thank you Captain", and with that Captain Atlas and Commander Elena were escorted back to their shuttle craft. Chapter 9 After the meetings, Adama headed back to the bridge. "How did it go, Commander?" asked Tigh. "Very well, Tigh. We will get four ships with only one passenger liner being slightly smaller than we asked for. We are also going to get all the supplies that we requested. We will meet the supply fleet in three sectans. This data chip contains the details of the meeting. Please have the Fleet make its way to that system. And have it patrolled as soon as the system is in range." "I'm glad it was a success," The Executive Officer said. "Compared to some of our other diplomatic engagements, this one seemed to go without a hitch." "For which I'm most grateful to the Lords, Tigh," Adama smiled. "Is there anything else?" "Yes sir, there was. Melnea sent a message asking you to contact her privately as soon as you were back on the bridge." "Oh?" he lifted an eyebrow, "Did she indicate what she wanted?" "No, sir." "Hmmm," Adama found it odd that she'd want to see him so soon after the meeting. "Tell her to report to my quarters immediately and I'll meet her there." Melnea approached the Commander's quarters. She was feeling a little uneasy at telling the Commander this information but she had to do it. As she reached the door and sounded the chime, she heard Adama say enter. She opened the door and gathering herself moved inside. "Hello Melnea you wanted to see me in private? Please take a seat. Would you like something to drink?" "No thank you Commander. I might as well come to the point. What do you know of Commander Elena of the Eirenians ship?" Her concerned tone didn't go unnoticed. "Melnea, is there a reason for why you'd ask me that, and why you didn't bring it up earlier when you were in her presence?" She took a breath. "Commander...... I believe her to be a Risik spy." Adama's eyes widened in mild surprise. He was used to dealing with unexpected turn of events, but this one, coming after a largely uneventful and peaceful exchange was something he hadn't anticipated. "On what basis do you make that charge, Melnea?" "Commander, I recognized her immediately. We went to the same school. She was a few years ahead of me. Her real name is Valena. Her father was a part of the intelligence service, and was very committed to the state." Adama was silent for several microns as he took all this in. "Are you quite sure of this Melnea?" "Very sure, Commander." He brought his fingertips together. "If she is a spy, then do you think the Risik know about the sale of the intelligence we collected?" "Doubtful Commander." Melnea shook her head. "We don't have the technology to communicate great distances. She most likely meets a handler who transfers the information to the home world." "I see," Adama realized that this changed matters a good deal. "Is there anything else you can add?" "No." "Do you think it likely she recognized you?" "I can't say with one hundred percent certainty, but she probably did. So that means she has to be concerned with the possibility that I've voiced my suspicions to you." Adama nodded, "And I'm glad you have, Melnea. I'll definitely follow-up on this. In the meantime, you're free to return to your duties." "Thank you, Commander." She felt relieved that she'd done all she could. When Melnea had left his quarters, Adama contacted the Bridge, "Get me Captain Atlas on a secure line immediately" "Yes sir," came the reply from Omega. Adama sat down at his desk and awaited the connection to be made. In a brief centon, Captain Atlas was on the line. "Captain is this a secured line?" "Yes Commander only you and I can see or hear anything. But why would we need it?" "This is not easy for me to tell you, Captain," Adama said. "I have it on very good authority that you first officer is a Risik spy, and that her real name is Valena." Captain Atlas looked visibly shocked with this revelation. "Commander.....I have served with Elena for five years. She has been the best first officer I could ask for." "I would not tell you this if I did not trust your integrity, and if I did not have what I would consider authoritative proof." "And what is your proof?" Atlas demanded. "We have with us, a Risik refugee who was at school with Valena on the home world and who recognized her," Adama said. "It was when you were in my quarters not long ago. She has no doubt in her mind that Elena is in fact, Valena, her old schoolmate." "I see," the Captain's tone was that of someone who knew he had to reluctantly accept what he'd heard no matter how much he didn't want to, "I.....will have to deal with this information in my own way, Commander. For now, I.....thank you for bringing it to my attention." The Eirenian then broke the connection before Adama could say anything else. Chapter 10 What Commander Adama had related to him had shaken Atlas to his core. How could she be a spy? He knew however, that he had to treat this allegation seriously. How deep could such a network go if the Risik were keeping an eye on them? Did they mean to attack them soon? Leaning forward, Atlas contacted the chief of security, "Dimitry have a full security team come to my quarters with full restraints and prepare the holding cell for maximum security." In only a few minutes later the security men were in position in the Captain's quarters. Atlas called Elena there. When she arrived Atlas simply said "Hello Valena". Damn, that traitor recognised me and told Adama who told him How do I get out of this one? For now though, her only option was to bluff her way out. "I am sorry Captain, but who is Valena?" "I think you know who she is" Atlas looked at her with distaste and a sense of betrayal. "Honestly Captain, I don't. Are we getting a crew rotation when we get home?" He shook his head and sighed, "Guards arrest Commander Elena" was all he could say now. Knowing the game was up, she had a choice. Turn and run or give in to the questioning. There was nothing she could do. They would get to the truth eventually. Valena figured if she could get to the flight deck she could steal a ship and then figure something else out. She made for the door but before she could even get there, two large hands got hold of her, placed her in cuffs, and led her away to the brig. Alone, Captain Atlas could only turn his mind to the thought of what kind of report he'd have to make about this to Admiral Helena. It would be the most difficult challenge of his entire career. But one he intended to overcome. Three sectans later, the Fleet was waiting for the supply fleet at the arranged location. When the supply fleet arrived, the formal handover of the intelligence and ships happened on the Parasol hanger deck. Once all the supplies had been transferred Captain Atlas contacted Commander Adama. "Commander Adama our fleet is going to head out now, it has been a pleasure to meet you and your people, I want to wish you a safe journey to your new home." "Thank you Captain I hope our paths can cross again. May the Lords grant you and your crew safe journeys home." With that the Eirenian ships headed out of the system back towards their home world. "Colonel Tigh, resume course on Epsilon 22 heading for Earth." And with that, the Colonial Fleet resumed it journey across the stars. Fleeing from the Cylon tyranny, the last Battlestar, Galactica, leads a rag-tag fugitive fleet, on a lonely quest. A shining planet,.known as Earth.