This is the first in a series of stories I began writing over twenty years ago and recently found in a folder in the back of a closet.

The story begins approximately 3 yahren before the destruction of the colonies.

After reading this little tale, please feel free to make any suggestions or comments you like. I hope you enjoy the journey.

Battlestar Galactica

Past, Present, Future

Chapter One

Cain's Plan

The assembled officers came to rigid attention as he entered the briefing room. They would remain so until given permission to resume their seats. He strode in and headed straight to the front of the room, not looking at any of them, and ascended the steps of the raised dais on which a speaker's podium stood. As he reached the podium, he placed a file folder down on it and began flipping thru the pages. After a moment, he placed his hands firmly on the edges of the podium and scanned the faces of the officers before him.

"Be seated." He said in loud, clear voice.

He continued to look them over as they took their seats. He was tall and lean, his blond hair showed just a touch of grey here and there. His face had only a few small wrinkles, mostly around the eyes. His eyes sparkled like cut gemstones and in them one could see great intelligence and power. One look told you that this was a man of supreme confidence. This was their commanding officer.

This was Commander Cain.

Cain was the commanding officer of the Colonial Fifth Fleet and of the Battlestar Pegasus. He was called the "Living Legend" by many for his unbelievable daring in battle and the shrewdness of his tactics. Add to this the fact that, unlike most other officers of the rank of Commander, it was not unusual to find Cain leading his people into battle from the seat of a Viper rather then the command podium of the Pegasus.

As for the Pegasus, she was one of the most formidable warships ever built by man and the people that served aboard her amongst the finest trained in the Colonial service. No more loyal crew had ever served a commander then those that served under Cain.

Also unlike other officers of similar rank, Cain did not wear the standard dark blue and silver uniform of a bridge officer, but preferred the brown and tan uniform of a Viper pilot instead. Only the gold braid on the shoulders of his jacket was different from the uniforms worn by the pilots that served under him. Cain also had the habit of wearing a silk scarf around his neck and carrying his ever present swagger stick.

Once all those assembled had reseated themselves, Cain began to tell them why he had summoned them there.

"Gentlemen!" he started, "and ladies" he added as his eyes fell upon his daughter, Lieutenant Sheba. She was his only child and one of his finest young warriors, serving as second in command of the Pegasus's strike wing, Silver Spar Squadron. Cain then continued.

"Just this morning, I received orders from Central Command. We've been ordered to set sail within the next sectar and proceed to the planet Molocay, in the Kralar System."

Throughout the briefing room, mumbled conversations could be heard as this piece of unexpected news was heard. Cain let this continue for a moment before he continued.

"There are reports that the Cylons are preparing to move into this area. As you may or may not know, Molocay has become a very important target for both sides due to its strategic location and its vast wealth of natural resources, not the least of which are large deposits of Tylium."

Cain could see many of those seated before him nodding their heads in acknowledgement of these facts. He continued with the briefing.

"If the Cylons can take Molocay, they would gain a perfect base of operations from which they would be able to launch attacks against a number of our outposts. I DO NOT INTEND TO LET THIS HAPPEN!" Cain said, his voice taking on a very sharp, resolute tone on the last statement.

Cain pressed a button on the podium that operated a holographic projector. In the area to the left of Cain, a three dimensional star map appeared, a map of the Kralar System and several others. Cain began to explain his plan.

"It is my intention to bring the fleet in from behind Velorium Prime" he said as he used a laser pointer to illustrate, "and proceed toward Molocay via a direct route through Delta sector. We should catch those galmonging Cylons totally off guard, thus giving us the advantage of surprise"

Cain turned back to his officers, looking each in the eyes to see if he saw any doubts about his plan. Seeing none, he continued.

"As we approach the day of departure, you will all receive copies of your orders. Until then, you are to begin making preparation for getting underway. I know I can count on each and every one of you to perform your duties with the same excellence and professionalism you have displayed in the past. Are there any questions?"

As there were no questions forthcoming, Cain turned and whispered something to a tall, blond haired officer wearing the dark blue and silver of a bridge officer. This man nodded his head and then stepped up next to the podium while Cain gathered up his papers. In a deep, rich voice the tall officer ordered, "Warriors, stand too!"

All those present rose as one, coming to attention. Cain strode from the room, not exchanging glances with any of them. As soon as the door hissed shut behind the commander, Colonel Tolan, Cain's executive officer gave the order to dismiss.

As the officers of the Fifth Fleet began making their way from the briefing room, Colonel Tolan approached three officers that were seated near the front of the room.

"Excuse me gentlemen, Commander Cain requests your presence in his quarters as soon as is convenient."

The three men exchanged glances with one another, then the youngest of the three, a huge man of perhaps forty yahren asked, "What does the commander need us for?"

"The commander didn't say why, only that I was to have you report to him in his quarters as soon as possible" Tolan told him, a touch of impatience in his voice. "I'm sure the commander will tell you all you need to know once you're in his quarters…… SIR" The last part added with just a hint of irritation.

The youngest of the three senior officers, Commander Raylac, was about to say something to the colonel about the tone he was using while addressing senior officers but was cut off by one of the other officers.

"Very well Colonel, lead the way." Said Commander Verga.

Turning to Raylac, he said in a calm voice, "Let's go see what Cain has for us."

Raylac was more then a head taller then Verga, but the look in the smaller mans eyes told him not push the issue further.

"As you say Commander." Raylac replied. Then he shot a glare at Tolan, who met his eyes without even the slightest flinch. After only a slight pause, Tolan turned and said, "If you will follow me gentlemen" With that, the four officers left the now deserted briefing room and made their way to Commander Cain's quarters.

It took only a few centons for the four senior officers to make their way to the private quarters of Commander Cain. Colonel Tolan pressed the call button on the wall panel next to the door. The curt command "ENTER" came over the small speaker above the button. The door then slide open revealing the office area of the Fifth Fleets commanding officer. Tolan motioned for the three senior officers to enter first. They filed in and formed a single rank in front of the large desk to the left of the entry. All three came to rigid attention as if they were first yahren cadets at the Colonial Military Academy, heels together, feet at a forty five degree angle, backs ramrod straight, eyes caged straight ahead. Tolan assumed a similar stance behind the desk, just to the right of Cain, who was seated at the desk going over several files. Without looking up from the papers, Cain said, "Be seated gentlemen."

The three men seated themselves in chairs arranged in a semicircle before the desk. After a few moments, Cain laid the papers he had been studying down and leaned back in his chair, carefully scrutinizing the three men before him.

The first was Commander Verga. He was the oldest of the three, older them Cain himself. He had been in the Colonial service for well over forty yahren. Verga was a fine warrior and might have had command of his own fleet had he not left the service for over ten yahren after the deaths of his wife and three children during the raids on the farming community of Umbra. He had been away with the Sixth Fleet aboard the Battlestar Octavia, only to return and find his entire family buried in the ruble of what had once been their home. Upon returning to the service, he worked his way up to the rank of Commander and was given command of the Gunstar Titan. The Titan, like most Gunstar's, was an extremely formidable vessel. Not as large as a Battlestar, the gunstar was much faster and maneuverable. They were designed as heavy escorts for the fleet Battlestars and, thanks to Cain, the gunstars of the Fifth Fleet had five times the firepower and armor plating of any other class of ship in the fleet, including the giant Battlestars. And, though the Gunstars only carried fifty Vipers, split into two squadrons, they made up for it in other ways. The real "TEETH" of the Fifth Fleets Gunstars were the eight Mega-Pulse Lasers (four forward and four aft), ten missile launching tubes (five on each side with six missiles per tube), and two hundred twin and quad gunned anti-fighter defense laser turrets that covered the ship.

To Commander Verga's left was Commander Bannon. He was much younger then Verga, just three yahren older then Raylac, he had moved up thru the ranks faster then any warrior in history, with the exception of Cain. He commanded the Gunstar Phoenix, like the Titan, it had been modified to Cain's personal specifications. Bannon and the Phoenix had carved out quite a reputation for themselves or the yahren, starting with Bannon assuming command of the ship during a battle in which both the commanding officer and his second in command had been killed. Bannon, who was a Captain at the time and had just been transferred to the Phoenix, assumed command and in what was a brilliant bit of maneuvering, managed to destroy two Cylon Baseships and damage a third. For this, Cain promoted him to the rank of Commander and gave him the Phoenix. He has since been offered command of several Battlestars, but turned them down.

"Trading the Phoenix for a Battlestar…" he would say, "would be like trading a Viper for a shuttle. They both might fly, but the raw firepower of the Phoenix was too much a part of who I am."

Cain's eyes moved to the third member of the trio. This was Commander Raylac, perhaps the most physically imposing human to ever wear the uniform of a Colonial warrior. Well over two metrons in height and weighing in at over one hundred fifty kilons, he was by far the largest warrior in the fleet. He had started out his career as a Viper pilot, and he had done quite well there. It was said that the reason he made the switch from flying Vipers to command was that he had grown to large to fit into a Viper cockpit due to the intensive workout program he followed. At forty one yahrens of age, he was one of the youngest Commanders in the Colonial service, and since he had been promoted only a yahren earlier, he was still learning some of the finer points of command, such as dealing with the resentment of other, more experienced officers that were passed over for promotion. In many ways, Raylac was still very much the cocky, aggressive Viper pilot he had been before.

Leaning forward in his chair, Cain began.

"Gentlemen, I called you here because I have a very difficult mission that needs doing and you three are the only ones I can trust to carry it out!"

The three men remained silent, listening intently.

"As you are all well aware, the war with the Cylon's has not been progressing to our advantage for quite some time now. As a matter of fact, we have been losing ground slowly for more then two hundred yahren. At the present rate, it's conceivable that the Cylons could become a very serious threat directly to the homeworlds within the next five yahren!"

Cain paused for a moment to let the full weight of the statement sink in before continuing.

"I'm not talking about an isolated attack such as those that have already been done on Caprica and Leonia thirty yahren ago; I'm talking about full scale attacks on every one of the Colonies."

Cain rose from his seat and walked to the front of his desk and leaned against it directly across from his junior officers.

"We can't allow this to happen!" he said determinedly.

The first of the three to speak was Commander Raylac.

"So how do you intend to stop them Commander?"

Cain's gaze fell on Raylac for a long moment, his expression unreadable, then he turned and walked over to one of the view ports.

"How in deed commander?" he said softly "How indeed?"

After staring out the view port for a moment, Cain turned to face his men. This was the moment he had to make his decision. His next words could very well undue four and a half yahren of careful work and planning by a number of very powerful people, both in the private sector and in the government, several high ranking members of the Colonial service, and even three members of the Council of the Twelve! Cain read the expression on each mans face, looking for any indication that he had made a mistake in picking any one of them. After a microns hesitation, he decided he had to trust his men to do the right thing. Thus, Cain continued.

"As you all know, the fleet has suffered a number of losses, especially to our Battlestar fleet. We've lost twenty six Battlestar's in the past fifty yahren, SEVEN in just the past FIVE yahren!"

Cain paused for a moment to let this last piece of information sink in before continuing.

"Gentlemen, we can not afford to fight a war of attrition with the Cylons! And since the council will not approve the building of anymore Battlestars, I and others in positions of influence have come up with a plan to remedy this situation."

The three officers began exchanging looks of surprise amongst themselves. Had they heard Cain correctly? It was Raylac that again broke the silence.

"With all due respect Commander, are you saying you plan on building a new Battlestar WITHOUT the approval of the Council?"

Cain looked Raylac straight in the eye and with a great deal of zest in his voice said, "Not one Battlestar Commander, DOZENS! A whole fleet of them. Enough to not only stop the Cylons from advancing any farther, but enough to push them all the way back where they came from!"

Cain then switched his gaze from Raylac to the other two men and continued.

"And I want the three of you to build them!"

This last statement caused all three men's jaws to drop in shock. Was he serious? Did he really intend on building a fleet of Battlestars? And why chose them?

"With all due respect Commander, but building a fleet of Battlestars is quite an undertaking in itself, but to try and do so WITHOUT council approval….. that would be impossible!" stated Commander Raylac.

"Difficult yes Commander, but NOT impossible!" Cain responded.

"Tell me Commander, just how do you plan on funding this Battlestar construction plan of yours?" asked Commander Verga calmly. "You certainly can't take it from the fleet funding? And just where do you plan on building them? You certainly can't use any of the shipyards in the Colonies. The council would be sure to find out before the first keel was laid. And who are you going to get to build them? You'd need at least three thousand people working for five yahren just to build one Battlestar, and you're talking about building a dozen or more."

Cain had a slight smile on his face, he knew they were shocked and confused by this announcement, but he also could see that they were intrigued by its possibilities too!

"All that has already been arranged Commander." Cain told him. "The only thing left is to find the right people to run things. And it is my belief that the three of you are the ones to do it."

For the first time since entering the room, Commander Bannon was heard from.

"Why us? Why not run this operation yourself?"

Cain turned to Bannon and began to explain.

"I'd love to do it myself Commander, but as the Commander of the Fifth Fleet and the Pegasus, it wouldn't be long before I was missed and people began to ask questions. Now, if the three of you were to go out, say on a long patrol, it could be over a yahren before anyone even noticed. Besides, each of you has SPECIAL qualifications that make you perfect for this assignment."

"What SPECIAL qualifications are you talking about?" Bannon asked.

Cain returned to his desk and sat down, picking up a blue folder. He thumbed thru several pages, then looked up at Commander Bannon.

"Let's see, for starters Commander, before you were assigned as tactical officer aboard the Phoenix, you spent five yahren as the military liaison officer at the Caprican Shipyards, assigned to direct, inspect, and approve all repairs and upgrades to the fleets Battlestars. You also have an academy degree in capital ship construction."

Cain raised his eyes from the file in his hand to meet Bannon's.

"Is my information accurate Commander?" Cain asked.

Bannon nodded his head and began to reply, "Yes, it's correct, but….."

Cain cut off the rest of Bannon" statement, "Good, then I was right to choose you!"

"Choose me for what?" Bannon asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.

Cain leaned forward in his seat, placing the folder on the desk.

Commander, YOU'RE the on that is going to build those Battlestars!" Cain said with just the hint of a smile. "Your mission is to operate and maintain the new shipyard that is being built as we speak."

Bannon was in shock. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He stared at Cain completely bewildered.

"New shipyard? I haven't heard anything about a NEW shipyard. Where is this shipyard? Who's building it?" Bannon asked.

"Where it is, that is a secret that you will not find out about until you are well on your way. As for WHO is building it, I've had four of the Fifth Fleets five construction brigades working on this project for over three yahren, and as of last secton, they had almost completed all five building ways." Cain told him with his usual brashness.

"Alright, so maybe you have been able to build this shipyard without anyone finding out. Tell me, who am I going to get to build these ships? It would take thirty to forty thousand people to run a place like that. How are going to get that many skilled people together and transport them to this shipyard without somebody getting suspicious. And then there's the question of supplies and materials. Where is all that going to come from?"

Cain simply leaned back in his chair, smiling and said, "I understand your concerns Bannon and those are all valid questions. But believe me when I say, all of that has already been taken care of. We have everything in place, waiting. All we need is for you to accept this mission. What do say Bannon, are you up for a challenge?"

Bannon was still totally confused by what Cain had just told him. It all sounded like some kind of joke to him, but the look in Cain's eyes told him that his commanding officer was telling the truth. Bannon looked at Cain for a long moment, then he came to his feet and said, "This has to be the most hair-brained scheme you've ever come up with!" he said with a straight face.

Then a slow grin began to spread across his face.

"I'll do it!"

Cain smiled brightly and stood up from his seat, clasping wrists with Bannon.

"Glad to have you aboard Commander!" Cain said happily. "I knew I could count on you!"

While Cain and Bannon celebrated, Commander Raylac looked from one man to the other, then to Commander Verga, trying to figure out what he had just witnessed…… and why he was even there. Seeing that Verga had a similar look on his face, Raylac had to ask, "So Commander, what is it you need Commander Verga and I for?"

Cain looked at the young officer, then to Verga. Seeing both men sitting there with looks of utter confusion on their faces, he continued with the task he had called them there for.

"My apologizes gentlemen, let me assure you both, I haven't forgotten you. I have very important assignment for both of you."

Raylac leaned forward in his seat, wondering what Cain would want him to do, while Commander Verga continued to lean back in his seat with his hands folded in his lap.

Cain sat back down and picked up a red folder from the desk and opened it up.

"Commander Raylac, according to this, you transferred from Vipers to Command because, and I quote, "Captain Raylac is a fine officer and a brilliant pilot, but due to the extensive physical conditioning program that he has followed for the past ten yahren, Captain Raylac has become too large to fit into a cockpit and can no longer operate the mark VIII Viper."

Cain looked up from the file and into the young officer's face, which had turned bright red with both anger and embarrassment. He didn't want it known that he was forced to give up flying Vipers because he was too big to get into a cockpit.

"It also says here that you spent nearly two yahren modifying and redesigning the cockpit of a Viper in an attempt to regain your flight status, is that true Commander?"

Raylac nodded his head, but said nothing, he just sat on the edge of his seat, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, hands together, fingers interlocked, staring at the floor.

"From what I've heard, you've done some remarkable things with the control systems of the Viper, totally redesigned over half the components in the navigation system. From what I've been told, you know as much, if not more about the Viper then the people that designed it forty yahren ago. That's why I want you to run the new Viper production plant at the new shipyard!"

Commander Raylac looked up from his hands in astonishment. He didn't know what to say, he just sat there with his mouth hanging open.

"Congratulations big guy!" Bannon said, stepping over to where his friend still sat dumbfounded. Raylac snapped out of it and stood up, clasping wrists with Bannon first, then with Cain.

"Thank you Commander, I won't let you down!" he said.

"I'm sure you won't Commander, that's why I choose you." Cain said with a smile.

Then Cain looked to the third member of the trio. Verga sat calmly, watching the events of the past few centons play out before him. He was just as excited as his two comrades, he was just much better at hiding it.

Cain smiled at Verga as he picked up a green folder from the desk. He didn't open it; instead he just tapped it on the desk several times as he stared at Verga.

"Commander, we both know what's in this folder. We both know your qualifications and what fields those cover, so let's just cut thru all the felgercarb, shall we?" Cain said. "It doesn't matter how many Battlestars Bannon builds or how many Vipers Raylac turns out if we don't have fuel to operate them. That is your mission Commander; you will establish a tylium mining and refining facility near the shipyard and a solium storage facility from which you will be able to fuel the ships you build."

Verga nodded his head slowly as he stared at his hands setting in his lap, as if contemplating something. After a moment, he asked, "Let me get this straight, from what you've told us of this little enterprise of yours, the Council of the Twelve not only have not approved this project, but for the most part have no idea of its existence. Number two, that you have already found the location for this shipyard and refinery and have almost finished building it. Third, that there are a number of other influential people involved in the planning and organizing of this project. And forth, you have already arranged for the personnel, materials, supplies, and logistical needs to support this for the long term. Is this a reasonable assumption on my part Commander?"

Cain had a knot developing in the pit of his stomach. It was beginning to look as if the four plus years of planning was about to come apart because Verga wouldn't take the mission.

Cain put on his most authoritative face and in a tone that was all business, he said to Commander Verga, "Yes Commander, you are correct. The council, for the most part does not know about any of this. Only three members of the council have been included in this project, and only one of them knows more then just the basic outline of the plan. As for where this is, we found the perfect location, far away from any prying eyes. There are a number of people involved in the planning and organization of this plan, many of them very high up in the Colonial Service. And yes, we do have everything in place to make this work. The last piece of the puzzle is you Commander. We need you to run the tylium refinery. You're the best qualified man for the job. What do you say Commander? Are you with us?"

Commander Verga sat staring up at Cain for several moments, his face an unreadable mask. Then he stood up, casting a glance at Bannon and Raylac who were standing off to the left of the two senior Commanders. Then Verga's eyes found their way to Colonel Tolan, who had not said a word since they entered Cain's quarters. From Tolan, his eyes shifted back to Cain. Cain was still standing next to his desk, tapping the green folder against his leg, a look of anticipation on his face. Verga held his gaze on Cain for a moment, then reached down to straighten his uniform.

Verga stepped over to where Cain stood, and without changing the expression on his face said, "Let's build some Battlestars Commander!"

With that, Cain and Verga clasped wrists and smiled at each other. At that moment, a series of events was set in motion that would carry forth for the next thirty yahren.

And beyond!