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Chapter Nine

CFS Maximus, BSM-82; Admiral's Quarters

Jacen Solo stifled a yawn as he struggled to pay attention and follow to the negotiations between Captain Shaw and Colonial Admiral Adama. The two men were attempting to hammer out a temporary arrangement that would benefit both parties; they had been in conference for six hours now but were finally nearing a conclusion.

In light of the current state of war in Colonial Space, the Journeyman would not be continuing on, but would be returning home with a Colonial Envoy in tow. "We'll send a Flag Officer with a supporting diplomatic staff aboard one of our ships back with you, with full power to negotiate on our behalf," Adama informed Shaw. "He'll have full authority to forge treaties, trade agreements, and military pacts with your people."

Shaw nodded, but posed a question, "Why not just send your people back with us aboard my ship? Wouldn't that just make things simpler?"

The Admiral shook his head adamantly, "Logistically maybe, but practically it won't do: Not only does the ship provide mobility and support, but a certain amount of prestige as well."

Shaw conceded the point, "Very well. Do you have an officer in mind?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I doubt anyone will dispute the choice, but we'll need two weeks to appropriately prepare for the mission."

"That can be arranged," Shaw agreed. "We'll need some time to refit and re-supply anyway."

"I'll see to it you have everything you need," Adama promised.

"Thank you, Admiral." He offered his hand, "I believe we are in accord."

The Admiral shook the proffered hand, "We are, sir."

"Then we'll return to our ship." He turned to the silent Jedi, who rose as one before flanking the Captain as they left the room, devoutly thankful that the proceeding were over as their guide led them to the Hanger Deck.

Two Weeks Later

The Admiral looked up from behind his desk as Ben stepped through the hatch and set the papers he was shuffling through down, "Thank you for coming, Commander. Please take a seat."

Stratis sat down in the indicated chair, "Thank you, sir."

"Now, I understand you're only a few days out of sickbay, but you've tentatively been cleared for duty."

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent. I have your next assignment for you."

Ben was a bit confused, "An assignment? So soon, sir?"

Lee nodded, "Under regular circumstances we would give you a month R&R to recuperate, but we can't spare an officer off the line right now."

"I understand, sir. I'm ready to get back in the fight."

Adama grimaced, "That's not exactly what I had in mind. I want you to be our envoy to the Outsiders' GFFA."

He was silent before speaking. "Sir, with all due respect, I think I should be here fighting the Cylon with the rest of the Fleet. Besides, I don't have any background in diplomacy."

"You are our only officer that has dealt with these people and I assure you that you will have a full diplomatic team at your disposal. This posting shouldn't be too strenuous, so you should be able to use this mission as recuperation time." He paused for a moment, "I'm sure I don't have to tell you how important this mission is."

Ben finally consented defeat. "Very well, sir: I accept the assignment, but I wonder if I might make a request?"

Adama gave a nod, "Go ahead."

"I would like my old crew for this mission, sir."

The Admiral had no reservations, "You'll have them, Ben." Adama handed him his mission orders, "These are your-eyes-only, Commander."

"I understand, Admiral," he replied as he broke the seal and began to read.

"The government has granted you full authority to represent the Colonial Federation and make any decisions on our behalf. They have detached a large portion of the Fifth Fleet in support of your mission that will establish a forward base while you continue on with your assignment."

Ben nodded absently as he continued reading through the orders until his eyes came to rest on his new ship. "Admiral," he said slowly. "This says I've been assigned the Battlestar Ranger…that's a Monarch, isn't it?" he asked incredulously.

"It is," Adama opened his desk drawer and retrieved a small, black, box. "And these, they say, come with the ship." He flipped open the lid to reveal a pair of rank insignias, "Congratulations, Vice-Admiral: You've earned these."

Ben slowly shook the Admiral's hand, not quite believing it, "Thank you, sir. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't, Admiral. Now pack your things; your Raptor leaves in an hour."

Raptor Eight. En Route to CFS Ranger, BSR-32

The enormous Battlestar loomed out the front viewport as Ben made the transit over from the Maximus. The Ranger was the sixth and last Monarch in the Fleet and had only just arrived from the shipyards orbiting Earth. Its massively-armored hull was dotted with countless gun batteries and missile tubes. This mission would be its maiden voyage.

Nevertheless, the entire ship's complement was drawn from experienced Battlestar crews, including the Spartan. The Raptor touched down on the elevator and began to lower while Ben prepared to disembark and take command.

CFS Ranger, BSR-32; Hanger Deck

There was a hiss as the hatch unsealed and swung open. Stratis found himself standing in a monstrous hanger bay. Before him, at least five hundred of the crew were drawn up in ranks. The assembly snapped to attention and saluted upon command from Colonel Reilly, the ships acting CO.

"At ease!" his voice echoed through the cavernous bay. "Colonel Reilly, permission to come aboard?"

"Granted, sir. Welcome aboard, Admiral," the man replied, his accent a thick, Irish brogue.

Ben shook the man's hand before stepping passed to briefly address the crew. "Ladies and Gentlemen: It is an honor to take command of such a fine ship and crew. I will do my utmost to add luster to her name. You all know our mission and we make history merely by partaking in it. Dismissed!"

The crew gave a cheer before breaking ranks and returning to their work. Stratis returned a couple of greeting from his old crew before turning once more to Reilly, "Well, Colonel?"

"CIC is this way, Admiral. Commander Clark has the Con."

"Commander Clark?" .

"Yes, sir. Didn't you know? She was promoted after Spartan's stand, just like you."

"I see. Well, lead the way, Colonel."

They left the hanger deck and wound through the seemingly endless corridors to CIC. The hatch swung open and once more he was greeted by the call, "Admiral on deck." After returning this second round of salutes he made his way down to the Dradis console.

He extended his hand to Emily, "So…Commander, huh? Who'd a thought." He shook his head, "Wonders never cease." She grinned and took his hand. "But seriously, though: Congratulations. You deserve it."

"Thanks. What about you, though? An Admiral now?" She assumed an annoyed persona, "That's all I need. I still have to take orders from you. Last time, you nearly got me court martialed!"

Ben raised his hands in defeat, "Alright! Alright! You win." He turned to Reilly, "Are we ready to jump?"

Yes, sir. Coordinates have come in and all boards are in the green."

"Very well." Ben walked over to the wireless station and was pleased to find that Jamie Prince still held the post, "Contact Journeyman and inform them we are T-minus thirty seconds to jump."

Reilly picked up the PA mic, "All hands, prepare for FTL jump in ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one. Jumping." He turned to Stratis, who gave that historic and fateful order:

"Jump."

End of Part I: First Contact

This next part is important for ALL readers, regestered or not!

Author's Note: Well, that's it everyone! I hope this final chapter was written to your satisfaction. Part One is finished, but never fear-I have other things in the works! Let me bring you up to speed up on all that.

I have Part Two generally plotted out and you should see it in a few week's time. But, before that happens, a couple of other things will be appearing. One of these will be a rather lengthy Star Wars One-shot which I've spent a lot of time on, so I hope you'll all enjoy that. The second item, appearing sometime after the One-shot, will be a questionnaire about Part Two. This will consist of several questions I'd like answers to or opinions of. I will be ALLOWING anonymous reviews to get everyone's input, so I would appreciate all of your responses. Keep an eye on my profile for information on that.

Part Two will be longer in virtually every sense compared to Part One and should stretch out over a longer time-period. I'll keep you posted as I figure out more.

Lastly here, I really want to thank all my wonderful reviewers! I am very critical of what I write and never know if it is good or not. I even had my doubts if my story would be received well. I am very relieved to see that this is simply not the case. Your reviews really kept me optimistic, so I want to thank you all for that. I hope you all enjoy whatever else I write!

Thank you, everyone, for reading this story and I hope you stick around. If you have any questions, you can get a hold of me via my profile page.

All the best,

-The CAG