NOTICE: THIS STORY MAY BE DISTRIBUTED FREE OF CHARGE BUT MUST NOT BE SOLD OR EXCHANGED FOR FINANCIAL RETURN IN ANY FORM.

---------------------COPYRIGHT/DISCLAIMER NOTICE------------------
First of all, neither Studio is responsible for the content of this story.

This story, "Evolutions-Gleanings past and future" by Albert Green and using characters created by author Louis Miller, is a figment of this author's imagination. All Characters portrayed in this story, are fictional and do not reflect actual people, either living or deceased.

"Star Trek", "Star Trek: The Next Generation", "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine", "Star Trek: Voyager", and "Star Trek: First Contact", and all related Star Trek related material, its characters and certain technological devices and/or references to such, from the television shows and movies, may be or are registered trademarks of, and may be or are copyrighted by Paramount Studios and whatever Corporation it may or may not be owned by.

"Battlestar Galactica", it's characters, and certain technological devices and/or references to such, from the television show, past present of near future, may be or are registered trademarks of, and may be or are copyrighted by the Universal Studios Corporation and any new owners in the future.

There are certain technologies and characters present that are my creation, so if you don't recognize certain names, characters, etc, this is the reason why.


THIS STATEMENT MUST ACCOMPANY THE STORY 'Evolutions-Gleanings past and future.' IF DISTRIBUTED. THIS STORY IS FREE OF CHARGE AND MAY NOT BE SOLD OR EXCHANGED FOR FINANCIAL RETURN IN ANY FORM. THIS DEDICATION MUST ACCOMPANY ANY DISTRUBUTION OF THIS STORY.

Dedication
Again I have to thank B.J. Thomas who wrote 'Dark Dawn' and 'Deceptions' in 1994. I also thank Mr. Louis Miller for allowing me to use his characters in 'Evolutions. Mr. Louis Miller's story involving the Khe Sahn and its crew fit so well with my ideas that I begged him to let me use a few of his characters, which he graciously consented. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again. The story 'Evolutions' demand that I continue so I will as I have promised. To all the people who have written me: THANKS for everything. I promise to make it interesting.

Thank God for the PC because if I had to type this no one would have ever seen it.

Albert Green Jr.
[email protected]


Authors note: This story takes place immediately after 'Evolutions' and should be considered an addendum of the same. However, they are short stories unto itself and it contains material background information related to 'Evolutions' and the upcoming 'Ruination Imperatives" storyline. For background information, you have to read 'Evolutions'.
Enjoy.




Evolutions-Gleanings past and future version 3.0
Stories of the Ruination War


Summary: The Colonial remnants have found their home within the Federation. But past reflections and future warnings hint of the dangers to come.


I. Adama's story
II. Tigh's story
III. Q's story
IV. Treaties and Bargains


NOTE:  THIS IS THE RE-EDITED STORY.  THERE HAVE BEEN SMALL ADDITIONS AND LOTS OF CORRECTIONS PLACED HERE AND THERE.  ALSO I WILL PROBABLY BEGAN CALLING BATTLESTAR GALACTICA IN THIS SERIES 'OLD SCHOOL' TO MAKE SURE THAT FUTURE READERS KNOW THAT ISN'T THE REVISIONIST'S VERSION COMING OUT IN DECEMBER.  THIS IS BEING REPOSTED  BECAUSE OF THE UPCOMING 'Katasi war' SEGMENT TO START IN THE VERY IMMEDIATE FUTURE.

I. Adama's story

Gleanings: defined thusly: to gather information and or materials bit by bit. To get a taste of.


Chapter one

Deep Space Twenty-three:

President Adama, Colonial representative of what was now quietly being called the 'United Systems Republic', sat relaxed in the company of two Federation Captains. This would be Captain Picard's (who by the way brought him the most exquisite berry-flavored alcoholic beverage directly from Earth) last day at the station. His assignment would take him back to the Romulan neutral zone, nowadays a hotbed of Cylon activity. The female Captain, Kathryn Janeway, was assigned to the Colonial protectorate. Another war against those mechanical maniacs he thought. Untold numbers of people destined to die and for what?

The white-haired Colonial warrior allowed a moan to escape, something that was happening far more often these days. Somehow, his ancient enemies had grown so powerful that the United Federation of Planets was now at risk, something that should have been impossible. With the Federation's powerful Starfleet, the Cylons he'd known and fought for so long should have been a minor nuisance. Now the abominations were creating super Basestars while in the middle of a blood feud with Romulan Empire. It was simply a matter of time before the war spilled over into Federation territory. The Cylons had made that perfectly clear. Humans and anyone who helped them were to be exterminated. No exceptions. No
compromise. No Choice.

The war was coming.

That was one of the main reasons why he was here as part of the Diplomatic Corps for the Mariposian-Colonial remnants and the Ligon people who'd applied for membership in the Federation. However, the process would take a minimum of seven to ten years-standard procedure- to be completed and the application finally approved. Although associated with the Federation, their territory wasn't part of the Amalgamation. Therefore, they were at a crossroads, at the eve of Armageddon. Now, they could put their trust in the Federation completely. But as he and his advisors spoke of that they realized that that could be for the good or ill of their people.

On the other hand there was another choice. They could create their own Republic, a new Republic, wedded in close association with their next-door neighbors. A Republic in possession of two soon to be state-of-the-art Battlestars, a small but growing fleet of smaller destroyers, cruisers and new Viper Threes, two solar systems thrown in, plus the support of the Federation. And if they so chose, their own independence, until the integration process was completed. These were just some of the choices that the President and his co-partners, Sire Uri and Sire Forsen, Colonial diplomatic attachés, were faced with. What they did now would determine the direction and ultimate fate of their people. There were choices to be made.

But right now survival took priority over politics. And it was time to reveal secrets.



Adama enjoyed his time with the two Captains. They were a study in contrasts. He understood Picard to be, to say the least a complex man, with a multitude of demons riding his soul, but at the same time, those same demons didn't control him. Whereas other men would wither under the weight of the pressures this man had endured. Picard survived, and still maintained a quiet, dry humor. He hadn't become hardened. Hard like my comrade-in-arms, Cain, former Commander of the Battlestar Pegasus he thought. This man developed a love for combat that threatened the lives of everyone in the fleet during the Great Migration. Now that he was improving from his injuries daily, there were rumors that he would once again command the Pegasus. That was a lie but that old war daggit would do anything to command a new, improved Battlestar against these new Cylons, no matter what the cost. The present Commander, Sheba, his daughter no less, would not give up her ship easily. Her own personal demons were just being put in their place and a conflict between the two of them wouldn't bold well for either of them. That was just another problem that would present some serious difficulty in the near future.

Kathryn Janeway-so strange that these people insisted on double and even triple names- was cut from a completely different cloth entirely. His assessment of her brought him to the conclusion that she was the more easily accessible of the two, the more matronly type of no- nonsense, 'I'll-listen-to-what-you-say-but-I'm-still- doing-it-my-way' type of Captain you could talk to.

She loved that bitter hot liquid called Coffee. Picard on the other hand, preferred that bizarre, hot liquid called Earl-Grey tea, while he himself, had developed a fascination for something called hot chocolate.

Three different people, three different personalities, three different approaches to the same problem. But Adama understood that there was something all three of them had in common, creating a sort of bond if you will. Their lives had been defined by loss and conflict against mechanical entities. Like it or not, the Borg and Cylons defined much of their careers and the way the saw the world. The three of them had been vanguards against the darkness these being represented. It molded their thoughts, precipitated previously unimagined actions and in a very sick way, gave hope to untold billions intend upon avoiding assimilation or extermination. They'd become symbols that stood against the coming night. None of the three were comfortable with that for the simple reason that each of them had stood on the precipice and fallen over.

More than once he'd imagined what would have happened if these two had commanded Battlestars during the loss of the colonies. Most likely there would have been four Battlestar survivors instead of two he mused.

For the last several centars, he'd been in contact with the Federation in general and Picard in particular, learning about them, their politics, their motivations, their joys and fears, of course their technology. The human interactions with so many other different species fascinated him. As civilized as these people were, Adama and the rest of his people had been half-surprised that they weren't at each other's throats far, far more than they were. The size of their grand experiment was eight thousand light-years across, truly staggering. But in actuality it was a lot smaller than it seemed. Some failures yes, but so many more victories-and this was the most important point because if the humans even could get along with silicon-based life forms and insectons- then maybe his people and theirs could get along with one another.

Casually, he walked over to both Federation officers, placed a small transparent glowing crystal between the two of them on the table and sat down. He watched as both officers attention were drawn to the eighteen-sided gem. Kathryn's interest was immediately peeked as the crystal glowed then faded to a dull pinkish color as she touched it.

Kathryn was obviously as captivated, as he'd been when he first saw it yahrens earlier. "It reminded me of some of fire gems at first," she said while fingering the gem. "But for the life of me, it seems to have the feel of a dilithium crystal."

This made President Adama smile slightly. He could tell that her scientific curiosity was coming to the fore, which was exactly what he wanted. Picard gently handled the crystal also, quietly agreeing with Janeway. Clearly, both of them had been entranced by this artifact and wanted more information. He intended to provide them with all of it.

"We call this the Aeriana, in honor of one of our twelve lost colonies and the woman who first discovered it. Our scientists spent several yahrens attempting to uncover some of its secrets and only now are we beginning to realize those dreams."

"Where did you find it?" Picard asked before Janeway could ask. Turning to her, he asked if this was some sort of dilithium crystal variation.

"I don't think so. I would have a full analysis done to be sure, with your permission of course," she queried Adama.

"Of course," he replied. "This is why I brought it to your attention. It contains a power unlike anything we've ever encountered in our travels. Each crystal has a self-generating power matrix. The pulse fluctuations are sometimes random and at other times they pulse together in perfect harmony. It appears they choose their own times, to well, communicate with each other. That's what our scientists current hypothesis is."

"Are you saying that these crystals are alive? Some sort of life form?"

"Possibly." Picard was one who answered the question. "The crystalline entity is another example of that type of life form as well as the Hortas that you're acquainted with." Adama knew of the Horta species. Those creatures were responsible for defending against the Cylon attacks on the USS Okada, also helped repair parts of the Battlestar Pegasus and saved many Colonials in the process.

Picard had also told him of the so-called 'micro brains' of Velara III. Those crystalline creatures required water and sunlight to survive and when joined together, they were perfect living computers. "Where did you find them?"

"It's a long story," Adama said, quite prepared to go into it.

"Most stories are," Picard said dryly, even as Janeway rolled her eyes in complete agreement.

"Well," he began. "During the second yahren. Year," he corrected, "of the great exodus, after a major battle with a lone Cylon Basestar, we came upon what we thought was a large asteroid field. It covered five light yahrens in diameter. What we assumed was an asteroid field was in actuality the remains of a long dead star, which went supernovae, some estimated two hundred million yahrens past. We were ecstatic. There was an abundance of heavy metals: lead, mercury, plutonium, iron, copper, if you can imagine it, it was there. There were trace metals in quantities enough to fill most of our largest freighters. Here, under the safety of rock and metal were resolved to build our first large fighting ship, about the size of your New Orleans class starship. It was boxy and very, very ugly, but it was ours and my people were overjoyed because it meant that we could fight back and not depend on the Galactica and Vipers only. We called it the Kinia, after a mean, armored, four-legged hunting mammal found on Caprica. It would take two yahrens to complete. During our time there, that's when we discovered the Aeriana. The fragment we found was half the size of the Galactica. As our ships approached it, it pulsated as though giving out some type of signal.



Both Captains understood immediately. They too had seen such diamonds in their travels, but never one dated so old. But it was equally obvious that this was not simply some oversized carbonized jewel.

"It seemed the perfect jewel to use in our ongoing laser research." Adama rose from his seat, his mind awashed with memories of that dark time. "Our very first experiment was a disaster. The laser prototype we designed worked far too well. This was a hand laser that was fired but once. We had discovered an amazing power source but we were unable to control it. Because of some process unknown to us, the crystal had taken the energy input and had magnified, changed that energy into something approaching the power of a star's core. The power ratio was calculated to be over twenty factors of the projected output. The reaction chamber was of course, never designed to withstand that kind of energy. The micro-pulse burned thru several sections of reinforced plating, breeched the outer hull, thereby opening the ship to vacuum. Four of our scientists died from the blast while several more were burned, suffering from radiation exposure. Anyone within twenty metrons from the beam's emission was injured. People were injured everywhere and that's when the trouble started, culminating in the loss of my Executive Officer and my best friend, Colonel Tigh."

"But, what about the protective shielding?"

"It was completely ineffective," Adama said. The memories swelled again threatening to drag him into the pit. "The energy pulse simply passed thru everything it touched."

"Your second-in-command, did he die in the incident?" Janeway asked.

Adama noticed that Janeway was particularly interested possibly due to the fact that she had lost her own first officer in the accident that trapped her in the Delta quadrant.

"No. We lost him and the others a couple of sectons- weeks," he corrected, "afterwards. During this time, we lacked many of necessities required to maintain a fleet of ships with three hundred thousand refugees. We manufactured our own medications, recycled water, develop weapons systems, and most importantly tried to maintain the moral of the remains of humanity."

"I can see that that would have been one of the most difficult problems you could have faced," Picard said. "There have been cases in which entire colonies were lost because of bad moral. The colony on Takilla three was a prime example. The colony lost all of its food supply due to bacterial infestation. Within weeks, the people had degenerated into savagery. By the time the USS Bozeman arrived, over half the people had died from the fighting and starvation."

"We were faced with a problem of a different sort," the president said softly. Then he continued, his voice hardening. "Our society wasn't perfect. We had many problems before the Cylons tried to destroy us. One was our legalization of narcotics. This was something many of us opposed even after over a thousand yahrens of availability, but always the council overruled our objections. The so-called hard, addictive drugs were banned, however the soft ones weren't. Since they were easy to produce our doctors use the soft drugs in the pain control managements. One of our researchers accidentally discovered a mutant variation of a common drug called amasitachromaine, am-chromaine for short, used for pain blockage. Most people simply called it Pleasure. It didn't require injections but worked as a topical agent, coupled with amazing pain reduction and non-disorienting attributes. That was the good point. The bad part was that am-chromaine combined with nervous tissue and became one of the most addictive substances we'd ever seen. Within a week, every patient treated, every doctor and support tech, touching those patients became addictive on the med ship. We quarantined the vessel as soon as we realized the danger, but it was too late for all of us. Hundreds of my people had been contaminated. People were killing one another for less than a half-milliliter of Pleasure. This resulted in the time we refer to now as the Pleasure Wars."

Picard had seen something like this before in which an entire planet had been intentionally addicted to a drug, disguised as a life saving drug, for years. When they finally recovered with a little help, or non-help as it were from the Enterprise, the repercussions towards those who'd addicted them in the first place were brutal. Here, he could only imagine what sort of horrors went on within the Colonial fleet. Personally he recoiled in disgust at the thought of something controlling him, enslaving him to do its will. It reminded him far too much of his time of slavery to the Borg. He remembered how much he'd fought against the seduction of it all and how easily it overpowered him. He willingly participated in the destruction of thousands of Federation officers and crewmembers. Oh yes, he'd fought with all his might, even when they implanted cybernetic probes into his brain and organs without the use of anesthetics. It felt as though he resisted them for days, when in truth it was what? Three quarters of an hour?

"Didn't you have a antidote for this drug?" he asked, pushing his memories back into the recesses of his mind and locking the door.

"Absolutely, but our people resisted the treatments," the President stated sadly.

"The two doctors who originally discovered the mutant were compelled to recreate fresh batches of Pleasure. These respected, professional people reverted to drug merchants. Their cartel actually murdered other citizens for credits to obtain critical supplies in order to manufacture the narcotic."

The Captain shook his head and stood up to straighten his jacket. "I assume that your Executive officer..."

"Colonel Tigh..."

"Colonel Tigh," he corrected, feeling the name around in his mind, "was assigned to handle the crisis?"

Adama nodded in the affirmative. "It became a military matter when our warriors began to be affected. Colonel Tigh got into a fire fight and was captured."

"Captured how?"

"Old-style ambush onboard the Astradon, an older freighter class ship. Before we were fully apprised of his situation. The kidnappers made their way to the Kinia, shot their way out of the asteroid field, activated the new tunnel-shift drive unit and got away before we could stop them. The last report we received was that Tigh had sabotaged the jump engines and it was no way they could alter the trajectory until the unit ran out of fuel. He set it so that if the generators were turned off the ship would blow up. We lost them all."

"And you have no idea what happened to them." That was a statement by Kathryn.

"I hope that they are still alive but I know that we'll never know. He was my best friend and I failed him."


Kathryn could feel the man's pain. Someone close to you being lost-literally-touched a nerve. The lost of his wife and younger son and his best friend... She understood what the man felt and she knew Picard did as well. The people she'd lost in the Delta quadrant grated on her soul, even now. But now, she had a touch more understanding of her new ally. As she learned on Voyager, knowledge and understanding were the keys to power and she had the feeling that before this was over, the Federation would need as much power as they could get. "It's possible that we do a search for your people," she said with a wink. "After all, if they could find me, they can find just about anybody." She thought hard for a second. "Maybe I'll ask my godson."

She almost laughed when she saw the look on Picard's face. Did he really hate Q so much? Somehow she doubted it. She suspected now it was simply a matter of honor.

Men.

President Adama smiled graciously at Kathryn's suggestion. He'd forgotten the simple balm, that the simple of having a sympathetic ear, was sometimes better than having a thousand medications. The fact was his friend was most likely dead, never knowing that his people had found their safe haven. It was another in a long line of heartache and loss that he would have to endure and for him it wasn't over yet.

Taking a sip of his hot chocolate, he made a silent toast to his friend-for-life, barely noticing the two Captains honoring him by doing the same. 'When I needed support, you were there. When I needed a friend, you were there. Wherever you are, in this reality or the next, one day we'll meet again'.

Looking at his two companions, he toasted them. "To life."

"To life," the Captains echoed.