CHAPTER 1 - EQUELLUS

It was almost 31 yahrens ago today. Martin was lying on the front porch of the small farmhouse he shared with his wife, Vella and their infant son, Puppis. A few days earlier, they had heard a crash in the mountains. Martin had hoped beyond hope that some of his crew had come looking for him. The mighty battlestar Acropolis had been on a long range mission to wipe out a Cylon Garrison. They had discovered a prototype base ship and followed it across the stars, finally destroying it in the Hatari Sector. Martin's Viper had been damaged in the battle and he crash landed in the fields of Equellus. Marooned here for two yahrens, he was happy, but always secretly hoped that he'd be rescued. He longed to show Vella the sights of home, the glimmering pyramids of Caprica City, the extensive Tauron Plateau, the endless peaks on Gemini. He'd heard the crash and hoped the Acropolis had sent a rescue mission for him, but so far there had been no word of other Colonial Warriors wandering about the towns or farms nearby.

Vella had gotten word from her cousin Jason that LeCerta would be coming by. LeCerta had been a nobody who continually ran for office in the small settlement across the hills. No one ever voted for him. He was as trustworthy as a scorpius. No doubt, LeCerta was coming for support in the upcoming election. Martin vowed he would be polite, but would not vote for LeCerta. He heard the equine's approach and looked up. LeCerta was coming with an entourage. Young Marcos, LeCerta's dumb as a daggit sidecick and someone else...someone Martin had never seen before. Martin put Puppis in the house as the equines halted before the porch and he walked out to greet LeCerta. His face turned as red as a Libran sunset and he retreated into the house. Vella tried to stop him as he grabbed the laser pistol he kept hidden in their room. As he ran onto the porch, pistol drawn, the stranger shot him with a similar weapon, dropping Martin where he stood. He then retrieved Martin's weapon and stood back, making room for his master, LeCerta.

Over the next nine yahrens, Vella never knew why her husband had overreacted at the sight of Redeye. All she knew was that the metal monster could not be killed. Ten men had died, trying to shoot Redeye with their numos, weapons that fired pellets using compressed air. Redeye killed them all with Martin's pistol. The last one to fall victim to Redeye was Vella's brother, Bootees. Then the stranger who had come from the sky finally destroyed Redeye. His name was Apollo and he was a Colonial Warrior, much like Martin. They were both from Caprica, both tall and strong and handsome. Vella had begun to fall for Captain Apollo, but he left to return to the Colonial Fleet and his son. Vella waited for yahrens, hoping that Apollo would return, but he never did.

But what Apollo had done for the people of Equellus was nothing short of a miracle. He had rid the populace of the monster Redeye. As the metal creature was exploding in the street, LeCerta and Marcos made a hasty retreat. No one saw or heard from them for sectons, their reign of terror over the good people of Equellus was nonexistent without the threat posed by Redeye.

Within days, Jason had rallied the oviners outside of town to come into the main settlement. They divided up LeCerta's "tribute" amongst themselves and returned home. The oviners began shearing their beasts and selling the wool to the townspeople. Vi, a local woman who was forced to work as a barmaid for LeCerta, set up a shop in his old office, where she and her friends began weaving the wool into cloth. At first, they made heavy outergarments which were extremely functional to the oviners during the next harsh Equellan winter. As the spring came, Vi met with Vella, who had more time on her hands. Puppis was growing older and was taking care of the ovines himself. He wanted to prove himself a man, so Vella left the farmwork to him. Her anscestors had come to Equellus from Gemini, and she had saved some old tapestries which her great great grandmother had made. She showed these to Vi, who immediately put her to work making more. The great Gemon tapestries were exported all over Equellus, making Vi and Vella quite rich. Vella began combining their products and making her tapestries into ponchos for the oviners to wear.

Puppis turned a profit on the ovines and would give his mother all the wool she needed. She and Vi had to hire dozens to turn out their products. Puppis took on herding bovines as well, selling their milk and meat and increasing his profits.

Jason was elected governor of Equellus and ruled the planet well. He established fair laws and taxes, replacing the tribute that LeCerta had taken. The society on Equellus began to bloom.

Occasionally, LeCerta and Marcos were seen by their former citizens. Always in the mountains and always at night. Whenever they were spotted, the two retreated quickly into the darkness and were not seen again for sectons.

After three yahrens, they returned. No word was ever said about where they had been. They strode into town, looking proud and tall and LeCerta had lost a considerable amount of weight. Jason intercepted them on the main street, his entourage backing him.

"Can I do something for you gentlemen?" he asked, far more politely than he had ever thought possible.

"We're just looking for a place to stay," LeCerta smiled faintly.

"Look somewhere else!" came a voice from the crowd.

Jason put his hand up slowly to calm those behind him who had lived their lives for this daggit-faced scum chewer for nine yahrens. "LeCerta, I believe the citizens of this town would appreciate it if you would look for a place to stay elsewhere."

"We've tried everywhere else," Marcos scoffed.

Lecerta silenced him with a glare. "We simply want to return to the area that we are familiar with. This is our home."

"Not anymore," Jason responded.

LeCerta was escorted out of town. In the midst of the confusion, Marcos had disappeared. LeCerta stood sadly at the edge of town looking back in at his former dominion. A smile crossed his face.

That was nineteen yahrens ago. Vella stood in the office she shared with Vi, looking over the profits they had made the past yahren. She could not believe how she had gone from a poor farmer's daughter to a poor farmer's wife to a cubitless widow to the millionaire she had become. She shook her head, laughing at what had made her rich. She looked over the stack of Gemon tapestries she had just finished, knowing that they would be transported around the globe and bring her and Vi far more money.

She thought back to how they had almost lost the business and how Puppis had almost lost their farm. She shuddered at the thought of what had happened the following summer. Puppis was courting a young girl from the neighboring town. He was getting richer every yahren and the farm was expanding. He was alone in the house one night and he'd heard the door open. Assuming it was his girlfriend, Puppis began to set another place at the table for her. Hearing no greeting as the door closed, he smiled, thinking she would want to surprise him. He set the table for two, placed a floral centerpiece upon it and retreated into the darkness of the next room. He had no idea then that such a simple gesture would save his life. Marcos burst into the room, wielding Martin's laser pistol. He fired blindly, destroying the table and dishes as Puppis watched in horror from his hiding spot. Puppis dashed toward an open window and escaped into the night. Before he could turn from the house, he felt a cold hand grab him. It was LeCerta. The man called for Marcos and pulled Puppis out into the open. Marcos exploded from the house, still holding the smoking pistol.

"What do you think we should do with him?" LeCerta chuckled.

"You know what I want to do to him," Marcos responded as he lowered the pistol right toward Puppis. "Do you have any idea what we've had to go through since your friend Apollo killed Redeye? The humiliation! Living in barns, hiding from the locals who would kill us, eating scraps left out for the daggits. No, Puppis, you will pay for Apollo's crime." Marcos went on to explain that their visit to town was not to establish a place to live, but to create a diversion. LeCerta caused a scene while Marcos slipped unnoticed into Jason's office and took Martin's laser pistol. With it, they would once again claim their dominion upon Equellus.

Puppis closed his eyes as Marcos pulled the trigger. He waited for the searing hot flash that would end his life, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes. Marcos was squeezing the trigger, but nothing was happening. He had drained the weapon's energy firing inside the house. With each squeeze, a small flicker of light appeared, but nothing that would do any damage. Filled with adrenaline, Puppis shoved LeCerta backward and freed himself, running with all his might. LeCerta stumbled backward, falling off the back porch and landing painfully on the sharp ovine shearing equipment that lie below. Marcos ran down to LeCerta and watched his master die. He threw the pistol down in anger. Its last charge of energy exploded, taking Marcos and the dying LeCerta with it.

Vella smiled. Eighteen yahrens had passed and her life had been blissful. In fact, everyone on Equellus had seemed happier since the fall of LeCerta and Marcos. Puppis and his wife brought Vella's three grandchildren to see her often in her office. Vi and Jason married. He had eventually been replaced as Governor, but remained active in the Equellan political arena. The small town of Equellus grew into large towns, but the planet maintained its rural feel. The farms and ranches that spread around the world kept it quite serene. Vella closed her eyes as she finished her latest tapestry. It was an honor to do this one. She had made thousands of them over the yahrens, with scenes of Gemini or more close to home scenes on Equellus. Often, she made them with her favorite subject, a tall man with dark hair and a uniform. Apollo. She felt it was the least she could do for him. She kept his memory with her and all the Equellans as her tapestries honored the man who had saved them from their dictator - Captain Apollo of the Battlestar Galactica.

CHAPTER 2 - PROTEUS

For over 400 yahrens, nothing had changed here. Everything had it way, everyone had their place. The Proteus Prison had been established by the people of the planet Aeries during the middle of the Great War. At that time, the war had not been going well and the Cylons were making strong advances toward the Colonial Systems. The Second Fall of Hasari was a grave foreboding of what was to come. The people of Aeries were scared. There were even rumors that a secret Cylon base was being established on the nearby planet of Carillon.

Aeries, one of the smallest of the Colonies, had an overpopulation problem for millennia. This did, however, lead to major scientific advancements for them. They created great agro ships which could grow food for the crowded planet without taking up space on the surface. Their people, naturally bellicose, joined the Colonial Fleet more than any other world's people. Their natural abilities as Warriors were put to good use aboard the many warships of the fleet, including the recently constructed battlestars. The Pegasus had been assigned to Aeries and her warriors were the most adept in the fleet. The Pegasus had gone off on many daring missions, keeping the Cylons at bay.

But the fear of a Cylon invasion was always there. The Hich Council of Elders voted to ensure the survival of the Aerian people by sending them to recently discovered worlds. These planets and asteroids would become part of the Aerian Protectorate, outposts of the great Colony. Proteus was the most remote outpost, in fact it lie outside of the Cyranus Galaxy. Its distance made it an ideal spot for a penal colony. Naturally belligerent people, Aerian prisoners often vowed revenge on those who imprisoned them. On Proteus, even those who escaped the strong prison were far beyond the reach of Aeries.

There was only one sentence on Proteus, life. Anyone sent there was sent there without hope of parole. They would never see the sun again. In touring the facility, several member of the High Council of Elders were appalled at the conditions. Prisoners just sat in their cells, angry and depressed. The guards quickly lost motivation in the dismal place. One elder remarked on something he had seen in the prison in the Sagitara Citadel and things on Proteus changed overnight.

The prisoners were put to work, not like the rumored labor camps of the Cylons, but humane work. They began constructing munitions for the Pegasus. Cannons and laser torpedos were shipped off Proteus every secton and sent to the Pegasus. The battlestar penetrated deeper into the Hasari Sector, again liberating the worlds from Cylon domination. Some prisoners weren't trusted with the munitions. The guards were afraid of their overly aggressive tendencies. They needed something to dull their senses and keep them calmer. And they found it on the rolling hills of Libra. A small purple fruit called the uva could be squeezed and fermented into a beverage that made the drinker feel warm all over. It was called ambrosia. The Proteans were divided into two groups, those that produced munitions and those that produced ambrosia. And so it went on for many yahrens until the black day when death rained down from the skies. A Colonial Freighter, loaded with laser torpedoes, had just launched from Proteus. Guarded by the battlestar Prometheus, the ship was to bring advanced weapons to aid the Cancerian Realm. They had suffered heavy losses in the war and were badly in need of some help. Before the freighter had cleared the atmosphere, it exploded. Thus began a terrifying battle in the skies above Proteus. The guards watched in terror as fighter ships from the Prometheus tried vainly to stop the Cylon onslaught. The robots had no doubt learned of the origin of the Pegasus' advanced weapons and tried to destroy it. They attacked the unlaunched freighters without mercy, destroying the entire munitions wing of the prison. The Prometheus returned to Cancer with news of the destruction of the munitions.

The surviving prisoners were all put to work on producing ambrosia. Several freighters brought the drink back to Aeries, but it became very expensive to transport so much so far. Uva seeds were transplanted onto Proteus from Libra and the vines thrived, covering huge areas.

As time went on, the prisoners coupled and had children. Unequipped with facilities, the guards simply moved the children to new cells. The parents, hopeless alcoholics by this point, did not have the sense left to protect the rights of their children. The next generation of Proteans took on the names of their parents crimes. In this way, the guards could keep track of them. The parents, nicknamed "original sinners" accepted this as part of their punishment.

As this generation grew up, they were taught by the guards and eventually by the children of the guards. As history is written by the victors, the guards had no trouble subjugating the children and their subsequent children. And for four hundred yahrens, that is exactly what they did.

The next time a battlestar approached Proteus was over four hundred yahrens after the Prometheus had fought in the skies. The battlestar Galactica approached Proteus, fleeing from the ruins of the Colonies. By this point, the stranglehold of the guards, now called enforcers, was complete. The cell doors didn't lock, the prisoners greatly outnumbered the enforcers, but "the way of the Universe" was taught to children at a very young age. The prisoners occasionally met new "original sinners" who were brought into the prison. One such prisoner would not speak - ever. Rumors spread throughout the prison about this man. No one ever knew what crime he had committed, all they knew was that he did nothing all day but draw on the walls of his cell. He drew a star system, presumably that of his origin, over and over and over. Once, when he fell into an exceptionally deep ambrosia stupor, some of the prisoners managed to get a few words out of him about the system - Mars, Jupitor, Satrern - the words were so slurred that no one was certain if they were even correct. They presumed that these were three of the planets, but no one was ever sure. They went back to their ambrosia and forgot about him.

Yahrens later, another stranger arrived. He refused to accept the appellation "Bootlegger" and insisted on being called "Starbuck." A new crime, perhaps. He led the prisoners into a revolt when he made them realize that they were making ambrosia for nothing. Shortly after the Prometheus incident, Colonial freighters stopped docking at Proteus. The prisoners saw millions of bottles of ambrosia simply sitting on the loading docks.

The revelation that the Colonies had lost the war preyed heavily on the population of Proteus, perhaps the only Aerians left except for those on the fleeing Colonial fleet. Some of the Proteans decided to travel with the Galactica and some decided to stay and make a new life for themselves.

Twenty two yahrens later, the Proteus outpost thrived. The people had turned the prison into a monastery. Many of them formed a religious order, worshipping the Lords of Kobol of course, but preferring a simpler way of life. It was the only life they or their parents or their parents' parents had ever known and they remained in the monastery, making uva juice. Of course, the usual ambrosia, but also a non fermented version which was given to the children. The prisoners quickly sobered after a secton or two without ambrosia and became remarkably clear headed. Led by Adultress 138, they set out to build a city nearby. A yahren later, they christened their city New Aeries and Adultress 138, who had wisely changed her name to Atalanta, became the first governor. Her staff consisted of Forger, now called Fromer and Assault 9, who simply liked the name 9. They researched the archives, learning as much as they could about life on Aeries and the other colony worlds and tried to reproduce it. They built schools for their children. Embezzler 137, renamed Exla, taught the children about the sights of Aeries, about mathematics and the great literature produced during the Caprican Renaissance. A theater sprung up, bringing culture to New Aeries and a philharmonic was formed. The first instruments were crude, fashioned out of ambrosia bottles, but they were quickly replaced.

Now, twenty two yahrens after the great release, the people of Proteus owe their new lives and their newfound lust for life to Starbuck. They even named their second city Starbuck, in honor of the man who had changed their lives. They rebuilt the munitions factory and armed both New Aeries and Starbuck against any possible Cylon invasions. Occasionally, a Raider patrol would penetrate the asteroid dust at the edge of the Cyranus Galaxy, but for the most part, the Cylons left them alone. Rumors of a Cylon Civil War reached the outpost, but nothing had ever been confirmed. Atalanta still governed the outpost, keeping friendly relations with Brother Croad and his followers at the Proteus Monastery. She never married, but instead devoted her life to restoring the people of Proteus to the proud civilization they came from and recreated. She hoped that the survivors of Aeries, now millions of light yahrens away aboard the Galactica, would be proud of what she had built, proud that she had maintained the Aerian heritage so close to home. She knew deep down that if any of the survivors of Aeries were to see her asteroid, that they would be impressed. Huge, gleaming skyscrapers dominated the center of New Aeries, the government complex alone was bigger than the monastery itself. Without the forced influence of ambrosia on them, her people had accomplished so much. They had turned their little world into a leading center for culture and commerce. Freighters docked daily to transport ambrosia to the other human outposts. Their customers came from as far away as New Hasari in one direction and Gomorray in the other. Atalanta smiled whenever she remembered the brash young man who had been placed in the cell next to hers. He refused to submit to the enforcers and she wanted him to tell her what kind of crime he had committed. "Starbucking" sounded interesting, but she could not get an answer out of him. She looked at her people now, the surviving prisoners and their children who populated New Aeries. A third city was about to begin construction. Atalanta and her staff have voted to call the new place Pegasus, in honor of the battlestar that had protected their homeworld. Reports that the Pegasus had also survived the holocaust of the Colonies gave Atalanta hope that the human race would one day dominate the Cylons. Until then, all humans would have a home and be welcome on Proteus.

CHAPTER 3 - ARCTA

Dr. Ravashol stood in his apartment high on the top of Mount Hekla. Though, in all truth, Mount Hekla was not that high...not anymore. Dr. Ravashol had come to the ice world of Arcta thirty yahrens ago from his home planet of Taura, one of the Twelve Colonies of Man. He had come alone to work alone, far from the petty bickering of the Tauran High Command and far from the relentless fighting of the Great War. He had thought he would be free of it on Arcta. He was wrong. Soon after he had established a lab for himself, Dr. Ravashol had become lonely. He had, of course, already accounted for this before he left Taura. He had frozen some DNA samples on Taura, samples of the DNA of his former colleagues. With no effort at all, he created clones of his former supporters, hundreds of clones. He was careful to limit their abilities. He made them sterile. He made them in two groups, planners and workers. The workers were strong, but they were severely lacking in mental abilities. The planners were brilliant, but extremely gentle and unable to expand their muscles. That had been Ravashol's plan, anyway. It had failed and he was glad. By the time the Cylons had overrun Arcta, Ravashol had already created dozens of inventions, many of which the Cylons had appropriated. The worst was Ravashol's greatest mistake. He had been obsessed with the legends of Earth he had heard as a child and was determined to find the lost thirteenth colony. He designed an energy lens system which would transmit intelligence across the galaxy and would hopefully one day help him discover Earth. That great breakthrough had quickly become a devastating Cylon Death Machine. They used it to fry Colonial Vipers to ash and tried to destroy the last surviving battlestar, the Galactica as it led a fleet of survivors across the heavens. Ravashol helped the Galactica's crew destroy his pulsar and overrun the Cylon garrison. It was on that day that he learned his clones were not what he had expected them to be. Their children had the abilities that all human children had. His workers were getting smarter every day and his planners got stronger. Together, they drove the Cylons from their village, destroying every Centurian there.

Twenty two yahrens later, Ravashol kept the head of First Centurian Vulpa on his desk as a paperweight. He rubbed it as he thought back to the day he destroyed the pulsar. It blew off the entire top half of the mountain. A Cylon baseship came a secton later to investigate the incident, but Ravashol had trained his people well. Disguised in Cylon armor, they boarded the base ship and went straight to the command chamber. An I.L. series Culon sat in the chamber, an arrogant brightly lit robot who called himself Charon. Its logic, however, was impeccable. Knowing it was about to face destruction, it surrendered. It ordered its pilots to launch in their Raiders and follow and engage the Galactica. Knowing that the battlestar had gone far beyond their range, Charon knew very well that they would not return. They ran out of fuel hectares from Arcta. Charon was brought before Ravashol and was quickly reprogrammed. The Theta class life forms of Arcta now had a Cylon base ship at their disposal. Several of the clones moved aboard and became quite adept at running the ship. Ravashol created a third series of clones, the Warriors. He put the builders to work quickly. They retrieved all information they could from the Colonial shuttle which had crashed on Death Point Plateau. With it, Ravashol designed plans and gave them to the workers. Within sectons, they had built a mammoth space fortress, the battlestar Hyperius. The Arctans were well armed against any Cylon attack. One by one, Charon's Raiders were retrieved, their crews ejected into space and their systems cleaned. The base ship Charon and the battlestar Hyperius were armed with full complements of fighters. If ever a Cylon patrol ventured too close, Charon would entice the Raiders on board his ship.

Dr. Ravashol's greatest threat to the Cylons was created by accident. He had invented a way for his people to cook their food more efficiently. They used ovens which did not heat, but cooked with micro waves. These waves had a fabulous side effect, they rendered Cylon Centurians completely inoperable. Microwave ovens were installed throughout the landing bay of the Charon and whenever Raiders would land, Charon would activate the ovens and deactivate the Centurians.

The planet Stallos, nearest sun system to the frozen Arcta, asked for help from Ravashol in repelling the Cylons. He constructed a second battlestar and brought many of the humans from Stallos over to Arcta to help join the crews of his two battlestars and base ship. The second battlestar, the Titania, was smaller than the Hyperius, but just as powerful. The three ships drove any Cylon invaders from their systems. They formed an Alliance which is still in effect today. Stallos sent more crews to Arcta to help build the massive ships in orbit and the Arctans migrated to Stallos. No one cared that the followers of Ravashol had been cloned from his colleagues on Taura. As far as anyone was concerned, they and Ravashol were the last Tauran survivors in the area. With the exception of those who had fled on the Galactica, the Arctans were Taura's legacy. The people of Stallos had migrated there from the Colonies as well. Together, the two worlds formed an alliance that the Cylons had tried to destroy for yahrens. Ravashol had not seen a Cylon in over ten yahrens. He often wondered why not. He'd heard rumors that the Cylons were involved in a Civil War, but they were only rumors. Ravashol polished his paperweight and reviewed this secton's reports. Seven battlestars were currently in orbit of Arcta, the three base ships and two other battlestars were at Stallos. He had sent the newly christened battlestar Atlantia II on a mission to find seed grain for his forced nitron farm deep underground. They had reported contact with an agro community on the planet Sectar and would be following up soon. Ravashol could hear the thousands of citizens in the city below him going about their daily business. He was glad. Until he was forced to see what he had created, he was blind to everything. The Cylons abuse of his equipment, the needs of the Thetas. The desperate plight of the crew of the battlestar Galactica changed all that. They showed him what was wrong and made him convince himself that a change needed to be made. Ravashol decided that micron to help his people and had never regretted that decision. Wherever the Galatica was, wherever Earth was, it did not matter. The human race was thriving on Stallos and Arcta, thanks to him and the Galactica's crew.

CHAPTER 4 - SECTAR

The battlestar Atlantia II entered orbit around the small world. There were other worlds in the system, but this one had the highest probability of success for the battlestar's mission. The crew had come from Arcta, a nearby frozen wasteland of a world in order to procure new seeds from the people of Sectar.

Shuttles dropped from the battlestar toward the surface, spreading out around the world and approaching the most populated districts. The town of Serenity somehow fit that description, small as it was. Most of Sectar was uninhabited, and the majority of the settlers lived in little towns like Serenity. This town was different. It was closest to the Boray camp. When settlers first migrated to Sectar from Sagitara and Taura, they built their little towns and farms. The Borays had already lived there and were growing their own grain. Once they realized that the human settlers were weak and scared, the Borays began raiding their graineries.

The townspeople had no idea how to stop the raids until they were visited by a group of Colonial Warriors. These men put a stop to the Boray raids once and for all. They had made a deal with Nogow, leader of the Borays that he simply could not refuse.

For 22 yahrens, there had hardly ever been a crime committed in Serenity. Constable Nogow sat at his usual place, the head of the bar, while the rest of the town grew quiet. Sectons would go by without event. Occasionally, drifters would come to town and try to cause trouble, but Constable Nogow put them in their place. He saw strangers come through the door and motioned to his second-in-command, Sire Bogan, who would greet the strangers.

"May I help you" Bogan sneered. He was not used to strangers in his territory and he did not like it one bit. He recognized the uniforms and insignia from yahrens before and sent his spies out into the crowd of the gaming chancery. Dipper was the first to reach the strangers and he greeted them, inviting them into a game. Once there, Dipper began to feel them out. Another woman stood right before Bogan.

"Sire," she smiled.

"Yes?" Bogan reacted.

"We're here from the nearby world of Arcta. We'd like to purchase some seed."

"What are you prepared to offer?"

"Protection from the Cylons."

Bogan had heard rumors about the Cylons, metallic monsters who who destroy without mercy. Serenity and Sectar had escaped detection from the Cylons by keeping their population small and their resources limited. A race of machines did not need grain.

"Is that all?"

"Minerals - would anyone here be interested in...auric?"

Bogan's eyes lit up at the mention of the precious metal, sometimes also referred to as gold.

"I might be. Let me think about it for a while." With that,Bogan joined Dipper's game of pyramid, leaving the young officer alone.

Once in the game, Bogan quickly found out about Arcta's needs and formulated a plan with which he could get the most auric for the least seeds.

Constable Nogow nudged him and Bogan nodded to the bartender, a signal they had worked out over the yahrens. The bartender brought Nogow a drink and put it on Bogan's tab. The officer who sat before him pulled his uniform tight. Bogan recognized the insignia of the Colonial Fleet on his arm.

"Perhaps you'd like to see our world," the young man smiled. Arcta is less than a secton away at full speed."

"And what if we encounter these Cylons?"

"We won't. This quadrant is too well armed against them. They haven't dared attack us in yahrens."

"I have things I have to take care of here," Bogan smiled weakly.

"Of course," the young Lieutenant returned. His name was Darias and he had a very Tauran appearance. Bogan remembered the stories he'd heard of the height of the Taurians. In all the Colonies, only Borellian Nomen were taller. This man was proving those stories true. He took the woman and together they exited into the night.

Dipper came to Bogan and whispered, "What was that all about?"

"They want our grain."

Nogow grunted as he heard this. He slammed down his beer and released a series of howls at Bogan.

"No!" Bogan shouted. "I didn't let them have it!"

Another round of grunts and Bogan fell into a chair. "Of course, of course I'll give it to them." He ran out into the night.

The next morning, the shuttle again flew down from the Atlantia II and landed just outside Serenity. The officers again emerged and were this time greeted by a smiling Bogan and a frowning Nogow.

"Welcome back," Bogan greeted. "Right this way, I'll show you our supply."

"Thank you," Darias responded. He and the woman, Sarla, exchanged confused glances.

Within two centars, the shuttle was loaded with grain and returning to the Atlantia II. Bogan, Dipper and Nogow watched it climb into the heavens. Behind them, several drunken Borays were staggering back to their camp. Nogow chastised the two men, reminding them of the desperate plight of the Colonial Fleet 22 yahrens before. He insisted that they share their grain(as long as there was enough for him) with anyone who needed it.

Nogow tapped his badge and returned to the bar. Bogan watched the farmers hard at work in the fields reaping their harvest of grains and he looked at the storage containers, still mostly full. Serenity had not changed much physically in the 22 yahrens since Nogow took over, but there had been many changes. The people were not living in fear of the Borays, they were working with them. When times had gotten tough, Nogow had sent his followers into the fields to help with the grain. The two groups, humans and Borays, had learned to coexist on their small world. Cylon invaders never bothered them, but they knew that their new allies on Arcta would rush to their defense if necessary. Nogow had learned diplomacy from his one meeting with those two Colonial Warriors, Adama and Starbuck. Though their meeting was brief, he learned something that he never forgot. If you're willing to listen, you might get even more than you were willing to get for less than you were willing to offer. He had been willing to stop raiding the humans' grain simply for the promise of getting all the grain he wanted.

Then came the offer of free grain AND drinks and Nogow had spent 22 yahrens in Heaven. Now, he knew that the Arctans were in his debt. They had seeds now, but they would need them again. He had supplied them in exchange for some pieces of rock. He rubbed the auric pieces together and thought about what he could get from them on their next visit. Bogan and Dipper looked on in confusion as Nogow laughed.

CHAPTER 5 - ANTILA

The faraway Antila sun rose slowly, melting off the morning mist in the forest. A herd of wild unicorns was grazing by the river below the castle. Miri held her three children close as she gazed up at the castle where she had grown up. She leaned back in the cave that had been her home for over a yahren. She and her brothers and sister had escaped while the tincans raided the planet over twenty yahrens ago. Their castle had held out the longest. Kyle and Megan had held off the invaders while Miri led the children to safety in the woods. Once there, they fought back against the metallic enemies who had stolen their home. A handsome warrior named Starbuck helped Miri and Kyle rescue their father from the evil Spectre and together they drove the Cylons from the planet. Starbuck had tried to persuade the family to return with him to the battlestar Galactica, but the family had chosen to stay on Antila. Megan's grandparents had come to Antila from the faraway planet of Scorpia, outcasts from the Colonial World. Many such pariahs had settled on Antila and nearby worlds. Once they had driven out the Cylons, the family had returned to the castle and spread the word out across the planet. Other survivors, who had fled deeper into the woods, had returned. They retook their homes and villages and began to build a new life. The Cylons had left behind much of their technology. Miri's brother Nilz had tapped into the Cylon communicator and used it as a monitor. Occasionally, Cylon Raiders would land on the planet. When they did, Kyle and Roebus would destroy the Centurians and take the ship. They had amassed quite an arsenal over the last 22 yahrens. Fifty seven Cylon raiders, repainted with the flag of Antila across them, lie in the cave. Nilz remained at his post, monitoring Cylon communications. Captain Roebus inspected his troops in the main hangar. Three warriors stood before each Cylon Raider. It was their job to keep their own ship maintained. Roebus was in the midst of an inspection when the news came - a Cylon base ship was in orbit.

He quickly radioed the castle, where Kyle and Megan were already aware of its presence and formulating a plan. The planet had a contingent of Raiders and had long ago repaired Starbuck's crashed Viper, but abase ship was way out of their league.

Miri held her children close as the Raiders launched in succession. Each pilot had trained long for the day when he or she would engage the Cylons in battle. That day was today.

Miri rushed back to the safety of the cave. It had protected her family from Cylon invasion before and she wanted to be ready - just in case. She could still hear the Raiders rushing up toward the base ship.

Kyle piloted the lead ship, Starbuck's Viper. He and Roebus had repaired it yahrens ago and added new armaments. The small ship headed straight for the base star while his Raiders broke off and engaged the attackers.

Kilometrons below, Ariadne and her husband monitored the battle. It appeared to be going well for the Antilan forces. They had destroyed nearly a quarter of the invading Raiders in just a few centons. But behind them, Ariadne noticed a problem.

"There's another ship coming in," she shouted.

Her husband took their children and hid them in the secret passage. He explained to them that if anyone came into the castle, they were to immediately run deep into the passageway and hide in the caves. Miri, their aunt and teacher, would protect them if anything happened in the castle.

Ariadne though back to the day when she, as a child, fled with Miri into the night. She would not do that again. She would die defending her home if necessary. She kept close on the monitor as the second ship approached the battle.

"Configuration is all wrong," Roebus informed her from his fighter. "I'm sending you a concentrated scan."

Ariadne and Nilz fed the information through the ancient Cylon computers and alarms sounded.

"It's a battlestar!" Ariadne shouted. "You've got to identify yourselves."

High above the jungles of Antila, the crew on the battlestar Atlantia II watched in fascination as Raiders fought Raiders around a base ship. "Looks like the rumors of a Cylon Civil War might be true," Lieutenant Darias pointed out.

"We're getting a message from the attack force," Sarla informed him.

Commander Kyle quickly explained the Antilan fleet's complement of Raiders as the Atlantia II launched her Vipers. Within centons, the defenseless base ship retreated into the darkness of space. The Vipers returned to the Atlantia II and the captured Raiders flew back down to Antila. Several dozen more Raiders hung broken and crippled in the skies. Nilz, Roebus and Kyle would take a salvage team up there tomorrow to retrieve what they could.

Miri crawled out of the cave, hugging her children, Megan, Marcsen and Starbuck. She knew that the ingenuity of her family had survived another Cylon onslaught and the Antilans would continue to thrive.

CHAPTER 6 - GOMORAY

The Delphi Sun rose over the capitol. The morning air was already warm and the last signs of moisture and dew were quickly evaporating. The shiny silver skyscrapers reflected the sun's light across the city and into the suburbs along the coast.

Archon awoke as the light streamed into his room. He glanced out over the glowing capitol and smiled. He dragged himself into the turbo wash and got ready for another day's work. Archon quickly went over his schedule for the day in his head. He would meet with the governors in the morning, that would not go well. Wealthy land barons from across Gomorray, they were mostly self involved idiots with no concern for their people. It seemed to be that way with buriticians throughout the Universe.

The meeting went exactly as Archon had figured it would and he had left himself a few centars free to escape the confines of his office in the Gomoray Palace. The building showed no signs of its former lives. First, for many centuries, it had been the home of the leader of the Delphian Empire and then for a short time it had housed the Cylon control center when Gomoray had been christened their outer capitol. Archon remembered countless air strikes against the city when he had been a green ensign aboard the battlestar Pegasus. He had joined the fleet yahrens ago, leaving his desert home on Cancer and graduating the Academy on Caprica. He had been posted as a flight officer on the battlestar Prometheus, support ship of the Fifth Fleet. They had gone to save the Aerian outpost Molecay in a desperate action. Cylon invaders had stormed the planet and her satellite. The battlestars Pegasus and Prometheus, supported by a force of battle cruisers and Colonial Destroyers had arrived at Molecay too late. They were cut off and outnumbered. Archon had launched in his Viper, not knowing the odds they were up against. After a centar of fighting, a message came over unicom. It was the legendary Commander Cain, ordering all survivors aboard the Pegasus. Archon obeyed reluctantly and landed his Viper just as the battlestar Prometheus exploded. Shrapnel from the burning battlestar flew toward the Pegasus and buried itself in her side. Nevertheless, Commander Cain threw his ship into hyperspace and gave the crew another chance.

He later announced that there was no way to return to the Colonies. Scanners showed too many base ships in the corridor between Molecay and the outer planets. Within sectons, the Pegasus had arrived at Gomoray. Cain and his crew spent nearly two yahrens knocking down the base, but they were never able to achieve a major victory until they joined forces with the battlestar Galactica. Together, the two ships destroyed the Cylon control center and raided the fuel depot. The Galactica and her fleet, which contained the only known survivors from the Twelve Colonies, loaded up with fuel and went on their way while the Pegasus spearheaded the attack against three approaching base ships. Two were destroyed and the third took off after the Galactica. The Pegasus retreated to the nearby moon of the planet Naytar and began repairs. Archon had been aboard the Pegasus during that battle. He watched the base stars explode from his post in the launch bay. He knew that Commander Cain would bring him through once again.

After a brief repair cycle, the Pegasus was underway again. During the two sectons while the ship made repairs with a skeleton crew, Cain and Colonel Tolen devised a plan to replenish the ship's Viper complement as all of their fighters had been evacuated to the Galactica. Commander Cain had decided to remain in the Gomoray System rather than pursue the Colonial Fleet and hope for a reunion with the Galactica. His plan was to rid the sector of Cylons and rebuild for a counterattack. The few remaining crew members on board the Pegasus set out to replenish their forces. All female crew were pregnant within days. Cain respected their privacy, wishes and feelings, but explained that the ship would need as many new officers as it could get. Men began constructing new fighter ships, an advanced design over the Vipers. They also took huge pulse cannons from the debris of the two base ships and mounted them onto the Pegasus. The battlestar became even more of a space fortress as it returned to Gomoray. Cain was determined to rid the planet of Cylons once and for all. Archon wondered what kind of resistance he would find when he launched his new Starhound Fighter against the Cylon forces.

To the shock and surprise of everyone aboard, they received an urgent message from Gomoray as they approached the planet.

"Commander Cain," greeted a woman of a rather handsome species, "Welcome back to Gomoray."

"Thank you," Cain responded.

"As you know, the woman continued, "The Cylons destroyed all of the Delphians on our capitol planet."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Cain smiled, wondering how it was possible that this Delphian woman was speaking to him.

"They had not been able to attack our outer colonies, thanks, in large part, to you sir."

"I'm glad I could help."

"Commander, I'd like you to bring the Pegasus to Gomoray. This will be your base. From here, we can defend ourselves against another Cylon incursion."

"I'll be in orbit in twenty centons."

Twenty two yahrens later, the battlestar Pegasus cruised the skies over Gomoray, Commander Cain's base. He had brought his population to the planet and along with the influx of Delphians, they had quickly overtaken it. Two IL Series Cylons remained in the control center to be used as tools. Cain had reprogrammed them to detect any incoming Cylon ships and report this to him.

Archon had decided yahrens ago that military life was not for him and had requested that Cain make him the human ambassador to the Delphians. Cain had agreed and a new Alliance was born. Archon had quickly used his Cancerian guile and established relations with the Delphians. In just a few yahrens, he had become president of Gomoray. Now, in his third term as President, Archon surveyed his planet. The humans and Delphians had worked so hard together. The Pegasus was now the flagship of a new battlestar fleet. Cain had IL series Cylons stationed aboard the battlestar Argo when he completed it. The ship was four times the size of the Pegasus and contained intense armor. It regularly went out on deep space missions toward the Colonies and received data from the Cyranus Galaxy. It transmitted its reports back to Gomoray for use by both Cain and the civilian government.

There were reports by the Cylons of battlestar sightings. Archon often wondered if the Galactica had given up on her quest for Earth and had returned. Human forces were, or appeared to be, in power on the planet Arcta. Archon proposed an Alliance to Cain, hoping to span a new human force from Gomoray to Arcta. That would drastically increase their power and reduce the risk of a Cylon invasion. Reports of a Cylon Civil War were never confirmed, but Archon had heard too many of them to dismiss the idea. He convinced Cain to send the Argo to Arcta in hopes of reestablishing contact with the Tauran community there. There were no Taurans left when the Pegasus parted ways with the Galactica. Archon himself was the only Cancerian survivor in the system.

Archon waited for news that the Argo had achieved her goal and that the Alliance would begin. There would be meetings and delegates, but somehow the human race would survive. They had conquered Gomoray and driven the Cylons away from their corner of the Universe. The humans had grown strong again. As much as Archon longed to see the endless sands of Cancer one more time, he would settle for the wastelands outside the capitol. For twenty two yahrens, Gomoray had been his home, thanks to Commander Cain.