The Cylons were created by Man.

They were created to make life easier on the Twelve Colonies.

And then the day came when the Cylons decided to kill their masters.

After a long and bloody struggle, an armistice was declared.

The Cylons left for another world to call their own.

A remote space station was built...

Where Cylons and humans could meet and maintain diplomatic relations.

Every year, the Colonials send an officer...

The Cylons send no one.

No one has seen or heard from the Cylons in over forty years...

-Opening text of the Battlestar Galactica Miniseries

Prologue Part 1

There are those who believe the threat the Cylons pose to the colonies is not over. The Cylon war ended almost forty years ago, but there was no continued communications, despite efforts by the colonials, or even a permanent peace agreement in place. Nor was there a resolution to the differences between Cylon and man. All they had was the armistice line; the demarcation line drawn in space and agreed to by both sides with the promise that neither would ever cross that line, or war would continue. No attempt was made by the Cylons to solidify a peace beyond the armistice, despite the efforts by the colonials in creating and maintaining the armistice station. As such, the peace was effectively only a brief respite in the conflict between the two races – just waiting for someone to provide an excuse to reignite hostilities, and in the meantime both sides rebuilt their war machines. The Valkyrie mission trespassing over the demarcation line was the only break in the lines the colonials ever made, and though unknown to the colonials – it was treated as the excuse for the Cylons to begin preparing for war once more, with breaks over the line to infiltrate colonial society and their military fleet. On the colonials side, the Valkyrie mission provided intel confirming the Admiralty's theory: the Cylons were prepared for war and had an active military that could provide a quick response, as evidenced by the raiders finding the stealthstar within minutes of the ship breaking the armistice line.

The colonial government refused to believe evidence presented by the Admiralty in secret, out of the public's eye – which they chose to keep secret so public opinion wouldn't be swayed, and they chose to bury their heads in the sand. They wanted to continue to weaken the strength of the colonial fleet over coming years and instead use the funding the military had for civilian projects on the colonies, much to the dismay of the Admiralty. Seeing no other option besides staging a coup, the Admiralty made preparations outside the purview of the colonial fleet and the government. They prepared for a worst case scenario that they believed had a very good chance of becoming necessary, but they could see that they had no other choice to see that their duty in protecting the colonies was fulfilled.

Eighteen months before the Fall of the Colonies

Picon Fleet Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office

Fleet Admiral Peter Corman sat down in his plushy chair, gesturing for the much younger man who'd arrived at his office to sit opposite him.

"Commander, I know you are wondering why you are here. I'll get down to business and not waste either of our time; your recent performance in a fleet war game is what has precipitated our meeting," Admiral Corman said seriously, looking up and down the young officer across from him and wondering if he'd made the right choice.

"Sir. I hope my performance was satisfactory," Commander Erik Stark said nervously, sitting up straight and trying to convey the confidence he thought was expected.

"You performed quite well Commander Stark. Defeating a fleet of three Mercury class vessels with a pair of Jupiter class Battlestars and six Gunstars was quite an impressive feat, though the maneuvers you took were definitely risky. Taking advantage of the lack of combat readiness aboard the Solaria and taking her out of the fight involved great ingenuity. However, sacrificing three of your Gunstars and one of the Jupiter Battlestars to defeat the other Mercury class vessels quickly was quite risky and a hardball way to command a fleet," Admiral Corman said, studying Stark inquisitively.

"I can tender my resignation if the use of such tactics is disagreeable to the colonial fleet sir. However, I did what was necessary to achieve victory against a technologically superior foe, and despite the regrettable losses I would've sustained if the battle had been real, I believe it was necessary and victory required extreme tactics but in the face of a great enemy what needs to be done to secure the safety of the fleet should be done. I assume of course we were testing theories on a potential Cylon force since they've been the only real enemy our military's faced, not including pirates or the other colonies' forces, and as such harsh measures to ensure the survival of the fleet even with losses sustained were appropriate in such a scenario," Commander Erik Stark said, meeting Admiral Corman's eyes and no longer feeling nervous as confidence and a strong sense of conviction replaced the apprehension he'd been feeling.

"I'm not here to reprimand you Stark. Tactically your orders in the war game were sound and allowed half your fleet to come out of a battle with a superior force on the side of the enemy," Admiral Corman said, feeling satisfied as he continued to look at Commander Stark, finally feeling as if he'd found the one he'd so long been searching for.

Opening up the file on his desk, Admiral Corman gave one final once over to Commander Stark's fleet service record. Commander Erik Stark, age 28, graduated top of his class from Picon academy where he had excelled in war strategies and fleet logistics. Graduated at age 21, he spent three years at Caprica Station as a Lieutenant Flight instructor for the shipyard of the colonies' capital and quickly became a captain for one of the shipyard's defense viper squadrons. Then spent two years serving as the CAG aboard Battlestar Pacifica and rose to the rank of Colonel to serve as the ship's XO for another six months before transferring to Battlestar Chimera to serve as the ship's commander. Over the last six months he had spent time commanding a Battlestar Group fleet when the original Admiral in command had died suddenly of natural causes.

"Son, I'm afraid while I have good news, I will also be delivering bad news to you today, and place a great responsibility on your shoulders," Admiral Corman said, coming to his final decision.

"Sir?" Commander Stark said in confusion.

"Congratulations Commander, you are to be promoted to Admiral effective immediately. The youngest yet, to be sure," Admiral Corman said, somewhat cheerfully as he considered the younger man before him who had his mouth gaping open in shock, taking out a set of Admiral's wings from inside his desk and laying it on the table.

"Sir?!" Erik Stark said in alarm and disbelief, leaving his mouth wide open in shock as the Admiral took out a set of Admiral's wings and placed it before him.

"Your service record stands for itself Admiral Stark, and you have earned this. You represent the shining beacon of hope for the fleet, and it is because of that I must give you the highest responsibility today," Admiral Corman said seriously, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"If you think I'm ready sir, I stand prepared to do my duty to defend the colonies sir," Admiral Stark said determinedly, shaking off his surprise as the news of his promotion and narrowing his eyes as he considered the Admiral.

"Very well. I assume you are aware as anyone else of the history of our war with the Cylons. Our long and bloody conflict came to end with the establishment of an armistice and a demarcation line in space that neither side would cross in fear of reigniting war between the two sides. You may also be aware of the anger of the Admiralty and senior fleet command across the fleet at the civilian government's approach in believing the Cylons long since gone and a forgotten memory, choosing to reduce the size and cost of the fleet in favor of providing more funding to civilian projects across the colonies," Admiral Corman said.

"Aye sir. It was very apparent to me that those who had fought in the Cylon war did not agree with the civilian government that the Cylons were not a threat. I've also come to share that opinion in my tenure in serving among the fleet. It was a mistake to not force the Cylons to setup a more permanent and lasting peace. And the civilian leadership's ideals of confining colonial space to the three star systems containing the twelve colonies, and the outer colonies that we've built up over time, is a mistake because it boxes us in to one convenient location," Admiral Stark said.

"Providing the Cylons with a perfect scenario to eliminate us all, yes. And nothing stops the Cylons from expanding rapidly on their side of the demarcation line into dozens or even hundreds of star systems. Giving the Cylons a massive amount of production resources and nearly endless locations to colonize as their own so that in the event of a war with the colonies they'd have the upper hand with swarms of numbers and many fallback locations," Admiral Corman said, continuing Admiral Stark's line of thought, and nodding in agreement.

"What you do not know is that the colonies broke the armistice five years ago," Admiral Corman said, feeling a mix of shame and anger as he remembered the events of that mission.

"What?! Sir that can't be true!" Admiral Stark protested vehemently, unwilling to believe what he'd just heard.

"I'm afraid it is. I ordered the mission myself," Admiral Corman said.

"Why sir?" Admiral Stark asked in confusion.

"Members of the Admiralty, including myself, saw the writing on the wall. The civilians would continue tearing down the colonial fleet and weakening us, all the while oblivious to the threat of the Cylons and claiming that the fact no one had heard from them in so many years meant they weren't a threat to the colonies anymore. We needed to be sure of how likely a threat could've been while we still had the strength to defend the colonies. A stealthstar was sent just past the demarcation line to see what we could of the Cylon's side of the line, and we intended to bring the stealthstar right back undetected. Things went south and the stealthstar was ultimately shot down by our own forces once it had been damaged and come in contact with unknown dradis contacts. But what we learned confirmed our fears. The Cylons had a rapid response force that detected our ship across the demarcation line within about a minute of our appearance. This is evident of a military war machine still very much active and prepared to go to war if need be," Admiral Corman said.

"But you weren't sure if they were Cylons right? Just unknown contacts. And their appearance doesn't necessarily mean they intend war, just that they were prepared to defend themselves if necessary," Admiral Stark said.

"You're correct. However, chances are high that they were Cylons, unless we want to consider the possibility of other forces being beyond the demarcation line illegally. And while we can't know for sure that they don't intend to go to war, their use of a fast response force that detected us within moments of going beyond the line tells us that they have an active and ready military fleet. We cannot assume that they mean peace if that's the case because we've had no contact with them since the beginning of the armistice, even after the Valkyrie's mission to go over the demarcation line. They could've come to us and demanded a peace treaty and assurances that what happened would never be repeated. They didn't. So we must prepare for the worst and assume that their intentions are to go to war with us, and soon," Admiral Corman said.

Admiral Stark leaned back in his chair in shock, unsure of what to make of his newfound knowledge.

"Maybe what we did was a mistake Admiral Stark. It doesn't ultimately change the fact that we need to use this knowledge to fulfill our duty in safeguarding the colonies. And we did present this information to several leaders of the government. Do you know what their response was? They wanted to pretend it never happened and just continue as we were; continue to weaken our fleet despite the chance of us having instigated the resumption of a war with the Cylons. We chose the only logical option and disregarded what the civilians wanted to provide the colonies with their best chance at survival. Do you think we are making the right decision?" Admiral Corman said.

"I do sir. I can't believe the civilian government could be so naïve. If they won't protect our people then it falls us to us go beyond our orders from the civilian leadership and do what must be done to ensure the safety of the colonies. I would stand with you in doing that even if it meant going down for treason sir," Admiral Stark said angrily, saluting Admiral Corman to show the respect he felt for the man in hearing what he'd done since what might've been the worst mistake of his career.

"In working beyond the government's authority, we utilized all the trusted members of the military that agreed with us about our need to ensure the defense of the colonies, as well as several powerful groups of civilians who likewise shared our views. In the past years since the Valkyrie's mission, we've implemented a plan to safeguard the colonies, codenamed Operation Ragnarok. A secret colony has been placed about thirty light years from the colonies, where a habitable planet lies within a gas cloud, five light years long and four light years thick, which contains radiation known to be harmful to Cylon technology. Any ship jumping there would need coordinates to reach the small safe area for FTL jumps.

All decommissioned, mothballed, and reserve units have been moved to that secure star system, where shipyards not part of the fleet record continue working on getting those warships up and running. I'll leave you to find out the details of what's there later, but it's a sizeable force from ships no longer part of the colonial fleet and even some ships created off the books. No ship there is from the active colonial fleet records, and none would be known to be up and running as far as anyone knows or part of any record that could be compromised in the event of a Cylon attack. All personnel intended to crew the ships in that star system are either no longer active colonial fleet forces, or otherwise never recorded in the colonial fleet; including a number of picked out personnel recruited right out of the colonial fleet academies.

A sizeable amount of colonists volunteered to go the star system, and as such the colony has quickly been densely populated, with construction underway to hold a sizeable population that could be evacuated from the colonies if a Cylon attack occurs. We even had domes originally intended for Aquaria installed on the planet, in the ocean just off the main continent, providing more capacity for survivors. Not that it was necessary given the space available on the planet, but several involved in the project insisted on it as maintaining one of our ways of life in the colonies. We also provided the beginnings of a space colony built on a large asteroid that is undergoing a process of being terraformed, which could be vital to a backup plan as part of Operation Ragnarok. A number of mining and refinery ships that we secreted away with volunteers have made a lot of construction efforts involved in the plan possible, and will also provide much more to ensure the future of the colony," Admiral Corman said.

"I see sir. That's quite a lot to take in already. I never could've imagined all this was possible sir," Admiral Stark said, leaning back in his chair as he contemplated the magnitude of efforts put in place by the Admiralty.

Admiral Corman laughed lightly, "Yes, it's been a bit of an awe inspiring process given all that's been done. Saving all those decommissioned ships from being turned into scrap at the very least will have been worth the trouble all of us could be in if we're caught. Never could stand to see valuable ships wasted.

Now to where this concerns you, Admiral. I've chosen you as the best and brightest the colonial fleet has ever trained. I want you to take command of all fleet units inside the Gjallarhorn nebula where our secret colony lies. This is a harrowing task not to be taken lightly and I may not even have the right to ask this of you. As part of Operation Ragnarok, should Admiral Nagala not be able to make it out of the counterattack and diversionary battle from the gathering of the remains of the colonial fleet at Virgon, then you will take command of all colonial units as the rightful Fleet Admiral," Admiral Corman said.

"Sir? Did I hear you right? You want me to possibly become Fleet Admiral?" Admiral Stark asked in shock and disbelief.

"You heard correct. You would be the leader of all colonial forces. And if survivors from the government cannot be recovered then you would legally declare martial law until a replacement government could be put in place, as is legal under the colonial fleet regulations and articles of colonization. I'm still hopeful Admiral Nagala could get away to join your forces since he is a close friend, but realistically we must plan ahead in case that does not happen. Otherwise the fleet would be in shambles without proper leadership.

Admiral Nagala would try to do as much damage as possible to the Cylons if victory over their attack force was not possible, and hold out as long as possible for civilian evacuations and other fleet assets to escape the colonies to the Gjallarhorn Nebula. We've also installed a plan to ensure the fleet is prepared for any eventuality. All fleet academies across the colonies have Assaultstars in place to carry the fleet personnel instructors and the thousands of cadets away to safety. This will allow the possibility of fresh personnel to the remains of the colonial fleet, and provide dedicated and well trained instructors who could get other volunteers wanting to join the fleet combat capable," Admiral Corman said.

"I see. You've thought of every eventuality then. And if someone far down the line in the government process did survive? I can't imagine any of the current government providing what we'd need to restart the colonies if the worst should happen sir," Admiral Stark said, thinking of several politicians he had choice words that he'd use to describe them, none of which were fit for the ears of children.

"We'll make do with what we have. In case of issues with surviving members of the government who can't play ball, we also have a backup plan. Several leaders in the government that retired and agree with our line of thinking have been moved to the Gjallarhorn nebula, so if nothing else they can form the civilian government.

Your priority as part of Operation Ragnarok and leading the surviving fleet would be to ensure the survival of as many people as possible and of the colony, Midgard, in the Gjallarhorn nebula Admiral. Providing a reserve force to supplement the colonial fleet if an attack broke out would only be a secondary concern of yours and you would not send your forces to reinforce the main colonial fleet; we expect the Cylons to have superior forces that could overwhelm the remains of the fleet even with your forces reinforcing the fleet. This is a worst case scenario plan for a reason. We expect if war breaks out that the Cylons would go for all out destruction. Them or us, with no other alternative. Of course if we had it our way peace might yet be possible, but if they attack us, based on their actions so far with no attempt at dialog with the colonies, then we must assume they'll be trying to kill us all. So you are to gather all survivors you can to the Gjallarhorn nebula and then begin attacking the Cylons when you are ready," Admiral Corman said.

"You wouldn't want us to stay hidden indefinitely until we can match the Cylons ship for ship sir? Wouldn't that provide our best chance at survival?" Admiral Stark asked.

"Realistically, the Cylons could eventually find your forces, even at the Gjallarhorn nebula. We don't know how far they've advanced, so anything's possible from them. Also, running and hiding is not a long term solution. Others who created this plan with me agreed that we cannot leave our children to continue fighting this war for us if the colonies fall and the Cylons win. So you are to get as many survivors as possible, and once able you would start an offensive against the Cylons. Win the war at all costs Admiral, because if things actually reach that point then anything to defeat the Cylons and stop them from being a menace to future generations would become necessary," Admiral Corman said.

"I understand sir," Admiral Stark said.

"I hope you do Admiral. Or we're all frakked," Admiral Corman said, scrutinizing Admiral Stark who stared at him with a strong sense of conviction and cold eyes, willing to do whatever it took to fulfill his duty.

"Very well," Admiral Corman continued once he realized the strength of Admiral Stark's conviction, "Another component to Operation Ragnarok includes BSG 8, which has been on a deep space mission. No one not privy to the details of this operation knows BSG 8's true mission, which is to catalogue as much of a distance of deep space, never before seen by the colonies, in the opposite direction from the Cylons side of the demarcation line. They'll be going over several hundred to thousands of light years if necessary, and have been moving on their mission's course for the past 3 years. BSG 8 is scheduled to return by the 40th anniversary of the armistice's declaration, hopefully before any possible attack by the Cylons that we expect is forthcoming. Admiral Hilary Jones will have as much data on deep space as possible to deliver to you at the Gjallarhorn nebula, and we intended for one of the habitable planets she comes across to be used as a fallback point for you. We're putting all our eggs in one basket Admiral, so a backup plan in case the Cylon forces are too much for your forces to handle is logical. If nothing else you'll have a fallback location to ensure the survival of the colonies and our species. Granted I hope it doesn't come to that since the war would need to be ended before humanity could be safe, but you understand the reason for this being done I'm sure. All units in the nebula would be able to remain mobile in case evacuation became necessary, which includes the asteroid colony that could carry a large number of people and serve as a basis for restarting colonial society if need be."

"Yes sir. I also agree in the need to end the war, but if we can't win and if the colony becomes compromised…" Admiral Stark said trailing off, nodding in agreement.

"Which brings me back to my next point centered around you. Effective immediately, your new post will be aboard the Battlestar Nike. You can take personnel you've served with that you believe would agree to be a part of Operation Ragnarok. Keep in mind that all forces involved are not officially recognized as part of the colonial fleet until after war breaks out, with no indication of those involved hinting at what's going on. As such, you and anyone you'd take with you would go on colonial record as being discharged from the fleet," Admiral Corman said.

"Very well sir," Admiral Stark said.

"Now, you should know that in recent months our forces stationed near the demarcation line have detected on long range sensors what could've been testing of nuclear explosions in Cylon space. I believe the war we fear is fast approaching commander. We may not have time to adequately prepare. Are you ready for this?" Admiral Corman asked.

"Yes sir. I'll get the job done and fulfill my duty sir, no matter the cost," Admiral Stark said.

"Then one last thing before I let you go to report to your new command, with transport already waiting for you to get to the Gjallarhorn Nebula. There is a final part of Operation Ragnarok I know you won't be comfortable with, which even I don't like. In order for you to have a chance at retaking the colonies and ending the war, we must look to someone to provide a diversion to lead away a significant portion of the Cylon fleet. We expect that we won't be able to save everyone, and it's possible some fleet units will take civilian ships under their care and abandon the colonies, thinking all is lost and that they need to start again elsewhere. Part of our plan takes advantage of this, because we believe the Cylons would chase any survivors. I have an idea in mind for who will lead the fleet in this mission, but it all comes down to when the Cylons attack and who ends up running away from the colonies. Should this happen Admiral, you will send BSG 8 to find and reinforce the fleeing colonial units. Their mission will be to lead the Cylons on a wild goose chase, perhaps making the Cylons think that they intend to find the thirteenth tribe with the possibility of bringing back a war fleet to retake the colonies. This is extremely high risk and despicable since we will be asking these colonials to risk their lives this way far from home, but it needs to be done. Any number of basestars or other Cylon forces chasing them lowers the amount your forces would have to face in the colonies," Admiral Corman said.

"I—I. I see sir," Admiral Stark said, stuttering slightly, shocked at just what he was hearing.

"It's ok if you don't agree with this Admiral. Frankly I'm disgusted at the idea, but when it comes to survival… We do what we must," Admiral Corman said.

"Aye sir," Admiral Stryker said stoically, a tear running down his face from his left eye.

"Now enough of this morbid talk. You have a job to get ready for and I hope dealing with everything prepared for you where you're going will be joyous; just looking at the history of the ships there should be interesting, I think you'll find," Admiral Corman said, amused.

"Good luck Admiral," Admiral Corman said, getting up and saluting Admiral Stark.

"Yes sir. Thank you sir. I won't let you or the colonies down," Admiral Stark said determinedly, saluting Admiral Corman as he got to his feet, then turning and leaving to reach the transport waiting to take him to his destination.

"May the Gods have mercy on my soul if I've chosen wrong; may the fates shine on you Admiral Stark and let you be the shining beacon of hope we all may need very soon," Admiral Corman said quietly once he was alone, then sat down and downed a glass of ambrosia.

Current Units Active in the regular Colonial Fleet (reduced to about 120 Battlestars by the time of the fall, similar reduction of other units)

Nova Class Battlestar

Length 2300 meters

Width 900 meters

Height 400 meters

Crew: anywhere from 2000 to 3000 normally

Marines: 500

500 Rapid firing twin defensive turrets, point defense

88 Medium to heavy twin KEW turrets

46 Missile tubes

Vipers 480, in Squadrons of 20

50-75 raptors

Virtual Intelligence (V.I.) Defense System: A learning computer capable of reacting and adapting to situations as they change within milliseconds. An automated computer, but it is not sentient; programmed to keep itself from becoming self-aware, and thereby avoids violating the Colonial Law banning Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)

Jump Point Detection System (JPDS): A new innovation available only on Nova class Battlestars; provides the capability to detect the energy build-up which occurs before a ship FTL jumps into a point in space, and plots its position.

Two active fleet units, with twelve intended to be active for the colonial feet in coming years as fleet command ships.

Mercury Class Battlestar

Length 1,800 meters

Width 700 meters

Height 500 meters

Crew: anywhere from 1800 to 2,500 normally

Marines 300

400 Rapid firing twin defensive turrets

60 Medium to heavy twin KEW turrets

30 Missile tubes

120 to 280 vipers; squadrons of 20 each

20 to 40 raptors

Mercury Class Battlestars are some of the most powerful ships in the Colonial Fleet. There are currently 28 active units; an expected fleet of 60 units is intended by the civilian government to replace a majority of current fleet with fewer but more powerful ships – most other ships would be scrapped over time once this came to be.

Jupiter Class Battlestar

Length: 1,500 meters

Width: 500 meters

Height: 400 meters

Crew: about 1800 to 2,400

Marines: 200 to 300

300 Rapid firing twin defensive turrets, point defense

40 Medium to Heavy twin KEW turrets

22 Missile tubes

100 vipers to 220 vipers usually

20 raptors

Jupiter Class Battlestars are relatively close to the power of Mercurys, built as the precursor to what became the mercury class. Able to act independently if necessary. There are currently 50 active units.

Valkyrie Class Battlestar

Length 1,200 meters

Width 400 meters

Height 250 meters

Crew: usually 1,000 to 1800 total

Marines: 200

250 Rapid firing twin defensive turrets

28 Medium to Heavy KEW twin turrets

16 Missile tubes.

80 vipers. Four squadrons of 20 each

12 raptors

The Valkyrie Class Battlestar currently serves as the main workhorse of the Colonial fleet given its smaller size, though the civilian government intends to remove them all from service and solely have the Battlestar fleet of 60 mercury class ships – believing that would appease the admiralty and adequately defend the colonies well enough. Currently, there's 82 active units, for various roles; mostly patrol duties and escorting convoys.

Gunstar Defender Class

Length 800 meters

Width 200 meters

Height 175 meters

Crew 700

Marines 50

125 Rapid firing twin defensive turrets

8 Medium to heavy KEW turrets

4 missile tubes

15 vipers

3 raptors

The Defender Class Gunstar plays an important role as part of a Battlestar Group with its defensive fire power. Mostly serves as an escort unit, and provides gunnery support in battle. There are currently 126 active units.

Gunstar Assault Class

Length 750 meters

Width 150 meters

Height 125 meters

Crew 450

Marines 35

Highly Advanced ECM Capability and Communications Array

100 Rapid firing twin defensive turrets

16 Medium to Heavy KEW turrets

12 Missile tubes

The Assault Class Gunstar mostly works for quick strike missions; the ECM package installed works to let them approach a target almost undetected, getting as close as possible before launching an all-out attack. Its size restricts the munitions for the ship's weapons and requires constant resupply from the rest of a BSG unit that the Gunstar would usually be a part of. There are currently 64 active units.