Naruto: Infinity Divide: Blood & Chrome

Blanket Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica: 2004

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES! I'm going to do some data dumping in the Author's notes to help explain a few things. This chapter we'll talk about Colonial Ranks which are really confusing to me. If people like this format (and I hope they do) it will be much easier than trying to integrate them into the text itself and it will save adding extra chapters that are just information extracts. Here is Chapter 3. Enjoy!

AUTHOR'S NOTE II:

Because of the rank confusion set up in the Colonial Navy (It's kind of a mish/mash of Army/Navy ranks); here is a brief Ranking System Chart and a Federation one for comparison:

Colonial Ranking System/Federation Navy Ranking System = Example/Example

Fleet Admiral/Fleet Admiral = Marcus Nagala

Admiral/Admiral =

Rear Admiral/Rear Admiral = Helena Cain/James T. Kirk

Commander/Commodore(?) = William Adama

Colonel/Captain = Saul Tigh/Naruto M'Fau

Lt. Colonel/Commander =

Major/Lt. Commander =

Captain/Lieutenant = Lee Adama/Samui Schrodinger

Lieutenant/Lieutenant JG = Kara Thrace/Shar

Junior Lieutenant/Ensign = Sharon Valerii/Maya Ayasugi

Ensign/Midshipman =

There are other ranks that weren't mentioned in the show (mainly flag ranks) so I left them out for simplicity's sake. I also left out NCO's and Enlisted because they are mostly in the background characters in the show. The data is from the Battlestar Wiki.

….

Port = Left

Starboard = Right

[ ] Signifies a foreign language

….

Last time:

Lieutenant Kara Thrace was heading towards Commander Adama's Office from the CIC when she nearly collided with Colonel Saul Tigh; one of her least favorite people. The two stopped and glared at one another for a split second before Tigh sighed and said, "Walk with me Thrace. The Old Man is in a meeting."

Starbuck took a calming breath and followed Tigh back towards the starboard hanger bay. Seeing they were alone; the Colonel stopped and looked out over the hanger deck as the myriad Vipers were being serviced. He looked frustrated. Thrace was feeling a bit awkward but Tigh said; "There's a war on Thrace. Everything has changed. The Galactica isn't going to be decommissioned due to age or scrapped due to damage. We've been ordered to head out to Picon for a full refit and repairs. The old girl will be back in fighting trim again."

Kara's eyes widened slightly and she said; "Well, that's great! The Galactica deserves it….But why are you telling me?"

Tigh wanted a drink….badly. He turned and locked eyes with Kara and said; "I don't know what your plans are Lieutenant. I haven't seen anything on my desk yet but you may already have put in for a transfer to a newer Battlestar that's going to be on the front lines yesterday. In wartime opportunities happen to move around that you don't get in peacetime." There was a pregnant pause and he continued. "I'm nominating you for CAG of the Galactica and a promotion to full Captain, Thrace. Since the Cylon attack I've seen you whip people into line and really run a tight ship. You've changed…."

The blonde pilot was dumbfounded. "I….I don't know what to say. I just figured-"

The Colonel smiled weakly and said; "I'm not good at this. I'm also aware we don't get along but; just this once I'd like to hold out the olive branch." He held out his hand to shake. "What do you say Starbuck?"

Part of her wanted to spit in Tigh's face and tell him to shove it but Kara thought about the upcoming battles that she would no doubt be facing and decided that maybe Colonel Tigh was right this time….and it would be good to have another person in her corner for a change. 'Fighting all the time is a drag anyway….' she thought. Kara clasped hands with the old grouch and said, "Alright; I'm game." She half smiled. "Maybe we can get along a little better from now on."

They both smiled slightly and Tigh turned around towards one of the outside viewports. There hovering over the gas giant Ragnar against a sea of stars floated the U.S.S. Wolverine looking like some gossamer dream rather than a ship of war. He pointed towards the sleek Federation vessel and said, "The gun camera film you took was astounding but what was it like to really be there at that battle between them and the Cylons…?"

"It was….incredible." replied Starbuck. "The Wolverine flies and fights more like a fighter than a destroyer. I've never seen anything like it. Every time the Cylons seemed like they had the upper hand…."

….

….It was a long discussion and both of them bonded a tiny bit much to their surprise….

….

"….So do you really think they are messengers of the Gods?" asked Starbuck in a hushed tone.

Tigh looked thoughtful and said, "I keep asking myself that too. I don't think it's an accident they are here….but I think they'd rather be somewhere else. If they are here by divine providence; I don't think they want to believe it."

Lieutenant Thrace nodded slowly and said, "Yeah; I think they just want to go home…."

….

Chapter 3

Colonial Year 2000, Cyrannus Star Cluster, Helios Delta System, Planet Ragnar orbit, Battlestar Galactica, Commander Adama's Office

Commander William Adama was sitting on the couch in his office with Rear Admiral Madelyn Mavis as she quietly cried. He had poured each of them a drink of Ambrosia*① since that was the strongest alcohol he had on hand at the time. After handing her a drink he said in a grave tone, "I-I just can't believe it Maddy….Six months ago you were right as rain…."

"I started having seizures just over a month ago." replied Madelyn. "I went to the ship's Doctor on the Mercury and he sat me down and said it was cancer and that I needed to go straight to Fleet Headquarters as quickly as possible. Naturally I was shocked but he said there was nothing he could do for me aboard the Mercury." She re-gathered her thoughts and said, "Then Doc Sherman broke down and cried. He's been in the service 40 years and I never saw him cry…."

Adama swirled his green drink around in its glass. Then he shed a small tear himself. "I think I can understand his point of view…."

The Rear Admiral took a sip of her drink and said, "….That's good stuff. You always did know how to treat a lady; Billy….I went to the Colonial Fleet Headquarters specialists at Picon and they told me I had multiple brain tumors and I have about 12 to 15 months to live at best. They couldn't diagnose what type it was other than a fast growing glioma. I'd never even heard the word before. The Doctors said it was so devastating that the best solution they could think of was to put me in some sort of hospice to make the rest of my days as comfortable as possible. I'm not going to spend my days rotting away in some room! There's a war on and I'm an Admiral damn it!"

Several drinks later; Adama leaned back in his couch and said; "Is there nothing they can do Maddy? Fleet Headquarters Doctors are from all over the Colonies. They are the best of the best. I just can't believe that-"

"They told me it was in the hands of the Lords of Kobal Billy….They said there was no Doctor in the Twelve Colonies who could save me." She sighed and added grimly; "The phrase they used was I was out of options. They gave me a death sentence…."

The pair was slowly loosening up and William thought, '….No Doctor in the Twelve Colonies can save her….out of options….Then we'll go to a Doctor from outside the Colonies….' The semi inebriated Commander exclaimed, "I say bullshit! Come on Maddy. There are always other options…."

….

NX-1602 U.S.S. Wolverine, Captain's ready room

Naruto was sitting and discussing the Medical Supply Situation with Doctor Wilson when his communications panel chimed and he heard M'rella's purring voice. "Commander Adama of the Galactica is on a private channel. He says it is of grave importance."

The blonde Captain raised an eyebrow in concern and said; "Put him through M'rella."

Adama's voice came slurring through with the sound of a woman giggling in the background and Naruto's expression became slightly confused. William said; "My friend; she's having seizures…."

Doctor Wilson's eyes seemed to catch fire and she said, "Naruto; have the transporter room beam them directly to sickbay! I'll meet them down there! Move it man!" Then Shelly took off like a bat out of hell….

Naruto was stunned at the turn of events but called Transporter Room 1 to relay some orders anyway….'When Shelly get's going; there is just no stopping her!' he thought.

….

Sickbay

Commander Adama and Rear Admiral Mavis appeared in the Sickbay of the U.S.S. Wolverine via transporter beam and wondered how they had arrived there. They were both sitting on the floor looking disoriented. Madelyn giggled before letting out a small burp and saying, "Billy; where are we? I haven't felt this surreal since we got stoned on Fleet Wheat*② back in the day when we were still flying Vipers. I feel tingly all over."

Adama wasn't as far gone as Madelyn was but he was still a bit tipsy. "I….I don't know Maddy; I thought we were in my office. I feel tingly too…." He saw Doctor Shelly Wilson standing there and said; "Oh! Doctor Wilson, how did you get in my office?"

Noticing the smell of alcohol; Shelly sweat dropped and explained; "We beamed you directly from your office to sick bay when you mentioned your friend was having seizures. Welcome aboard the U.S.S. Wolverine; Commander Adama and…?"

William straightened up a bit and replied, "Allow me to introduce Rear Admiral Madelyn Mavis. She needs your help Doctor. Didn't you mention you are a neurosurgeon?"

The brunette doctor brightened up and replied, "It is my area of expertise."

Doctor Hammond came over and said, "Don't be so bashful Shelly." He turned to Adama and said, "Doctor Wilson is the finest neurosurgeon in the fleet. I'm Doctor Gregory Hammond and I'll be assisting today. What's your name sir?"

"William Adama." replied the Commander.

Greg smiled and asked, "How much have you imbibed today?"

"About three glasses." admitted Adama. As Greg helped the unsteady Commander to a nearby bed to get rid of the effects of the Ambrosia; Shelly started examining Rear Admiral Mavis.

….

"So you've been suffering from seizures, vomiting, extreme headaches….and you've never had any of these symptoms before in your life?" asked Shelly.

Maddy nodded miserably and said, "The Doctors said it was a fast growing glioma; they said there were too many to cut out and I should try to-"

Shelly's eyes were wide, "Cut out? As in with a scalpel?"

"Um, yes…?" The Admiral answered. Maddy suddenly felt a chill down her spine from the vibes coming off of the young Doctor.

"What kind of ancient barbarism is this?" asked Doctor Wilson rhetorically. "I suppose they were going to sedate you with a bone club too?!" Doctor Wilson's eyes lit up with an unholy fire and she said, "Don't you worry Admiral; you have a real doctor now. Greg; once you are done I want you to assist in the removal of multiple Glioblastoma multiforme. Leave the Commander to Leatta."

Adama was wide eyed "Gliob-what? Is Maddy going to be all right?!"

Greg smiled and said; "Glioblastoma multiforme (also just called glioblastoma) is a fast-growing glioma that develops from star-shaped glial cells. We cured it about 100 years ago on Alpha Centauri B. Your friend will be just fine." He turned to the lovely Orion nurse Leatta and said; "Give William 5cc of neuro stimulant to take care of his inebriation and start scanning for ion radiation*③ contamination. I have a hunch…."

Leatta came over with a sway in her hips and said in her usual flirty manner; "Well hello there William. I'm Leatta. It will be nice to take care of such a handsome young man as yourself."

Adama asked surprised; "You're green?!"

She replied with a giggle; "Yes, I got it from Mom's side. Dad was yellow skinned. Do you think it looks good on me?"

The tipsy Adama grinned and said, "Green looks great on you Miss Leatta!"

….

Two hours later; Doctor Hammond ran a scanner over Madelyn's entire body and once again over her brain. "A complete success Doctor Wilson; I would expect no less….Hard to believe they claimed such a trivial thing was terminal."

Shelly shook her head; "This is truly appalling. They let it grow for months before they even detected it. Don't they do regular cranial scans? I'm writing this up in a report for Captain Naruto. Their medical technology is far behind their combat technology."

"Regardless; we need to give Commander Adama a physical as well." said Doctor Hammond. "I had Leatta do some testing and the results are consistent with ion radiation burns."

Doctor Wilson sighed. "Same as Admiral Mavis. Let's go talk to him Greg."

….

Commander Adama was sitting in bed trying to relax and fretting over Admiral Mavis's condition. William was fully sober now and worst case scenarios were spinning in his head. He saw Doctor Wilson and Doctor Hammond coming over to him looking grim and he feared the most horrible news. "Doctors; were you able to do anything for her tumors? I know that they are-"

Shelly gave him a small smile and said; "Your friend is in perfect health now. The tumors have all been eliminated and she is going to be fine. There was a lot of other damage to her back and lungs as well as her left arm that we had to repair as well. We detected signs of ion radiation burns that were the cause of all this and Leatta tested you for the same. The results show your left leg from the knee down has ionization exposure. Do you know what might have happened?"

William looked very surprised. "Actually I know exactly what happened. Maddy and I were flying operations in a Raptor when the port engine got hit and we got radiation burns from the engine leaking. She was behind me and was hit on her left side. I was in an armored seat in front and got hit in the left leg only. That was about 30 years ago."

Shelly nodded and said; "You called it Greg." She then turned back to Adama and said; "We'd like to give you a full physical Commander. We don't know what kind of radiation treatments your people have but-"

"They wrapped it up in gauze after putting on a lot a numbing agents and burn ointments." explained Adama. "It hurt like the devil though."

"Was it purple and swollen?" asked Doctor Hammond.

William nodded. "I was off the Flight Roster for weeks. Poor Maddy though; she was out for a couple of months and ended up with scars on her back. I just have one on the back of my calf."

That was when Adama noticed Shelly's eye was twitching madly and she was muttering about the 'the dark ages and leeching a patient.'

Doctor Hammond gently patted Shelly's shoulder and asked, "Why don't I get William's physical done and you can get the reports done? Leatta can help me out."

Shelly Wilson just nodded robotically and headed back to her office to summarize her report(s) to Naruto….

….

An hour later, William Adama was absolutely astounded. Doctor Hammond and Leatta where very professional and very thorough in their examinations and broke things down step by step so he would know exactly what they were doing and how they were doing it. Finally; Greg asked, "Do you want me to remove this old scar tissue and restore the skin on the back of your calf?"

"Isn't that like plastic surgery doctor?" asked Adama.

"Plastic…?" asked Greg.

"I believe that was an archaic term for cosmetic surgery; Doctor Hammond." chimed in Leatta helpfully.

Greg got a look of realization on his face and said, "That's right! That term completely slipped my mind."

Adama thought, 'Archaic…?' "Well, if you can get rid of the scar then the ones on Maddy's back are-"

Doctor Wilson came out of her office with a small smile and said, "We already took care of that Commander Adama. Her scars are gone. How are you doing?"

"Well frankly; I'm amazed." said William. "I had a broken shoulder from when I was a teen that caused me arthritic pain and now it's completely healed."

Shelly looked over Adama's charts and replied; "I can see that. Lungs; left shoulder breakage, radiation damage….Your body is in good shape but you need to take care of it. Nevertheless; for a man of 56 years of age you are in excellent health."

"Done." said Doctor Hammond. "No more scarring. That calf is good as new."

Adama ran his hand over the areas where the scars had been and felt nothing but smooth skin. He looked and saw it was unblemished as when he was a child. "Wow." he whispered. William smiled and said; "Now if there was only a cure for old age."

Doctor Wilson said, "I wish there was….But we all have to make the best of the time we have in this plane of existence. Anyway; mankind has been trying to cheat death as long as it has existed."

"Death and taxes my friends; death and taxes." quipped Doctor Hammond.

"Yes, two things no one can escape." agreed Shelly.

The wizened Commander chuckled. 'They are no different from us. They just have different physical features and technologies.'

….

Battlestar Galactica, corridor outside Commander Adama's Office

Meanwhile, Colonel Tigh saw the Do Not Disturb; Meeting in Progress sign was still present on Adama's Office door and hid a knowing smirk. 'Gee Bill; it's been three hours already. You don't do things by halves do you? Well; he and Maddy will be good for each other.'

….Everyone else in the CIC wondered where the 'Old Man' was for all that matter….

….

NX-1602 U.S.S. Wolverine, Sickbay

Rear Admiral Madelyn Mavis woke up with a clear head feeling fresh, focused and energized. She hadn't felt this good in years! Maddy saw her dear friend William standing there beside her bed looking pleased. He asked, "How are you feeling Fireball?*④"

Maddy chuckled and replied, "Fireball? I haven't heard that name in a long, long time..." She blinked and said; "Where are we Billy?"

Adama sweat dropped and asked; "What's the last thing you remember?"

She frowned for a moment and then her light blue eyes focused. 'I was trying to seduce Billy and we got really wasted on Ambrosia….' "We were in your office having a drink and I felt all tingly. I don't remember anything after that…."

"We talked a little about the true nature of the Wolverine with Colonel Tigh; remember?" asked the Colonial Commander. Seeing her nod; Adama explained, "We are aboard the Wolverine now in their sickbay. I wanted you to see their Doctors about your condition."

Mavis smiled and thought, 'Always the knight in shining armor aren't you Bill? Your ex has no idea what she's lost….' She blinked away a tear and asked, "….And what did they say?"

"You're going to be fine Maddy; better than fine." said William.

Her eyes widened and the Rear Admiral said, "Say wut?!" in the most intelligent way she could. Adama just laughed; a real laugh as opposed to his usual chuckle.

Maddy gave a confused smile and thought, 'I haven't seen him this happy in decades.' "What's going on Husker*⑤?"

Adama replied; "Let me get the ship's doctors. They can explain it better than I ever could."

Doctor Wilson and Doctor Hammond were soon explaining the process in detail to Madelyn and William via holographic display of the actual surgery they'd performed earlier that day. They also showed how the tissues of Maddy's brain were already reconstructing and repairing themselves via scanner. Shelly explained, "You'll need to convalesce over the next two weeks which means laying off the extreme physical exercise and anything that could expose your head to trauma. Normal physical and mental exercises are encouraged. However; if you start to feel fatigued then stop. Command types tend to press themselves too hard so make a point to take time to relax."

"What kind of exercise would you recommend Doctor Wilson?" asked Mavis. "I jog regularly but mental exercises?"

Shelly said frankly, "Well light reading is good but since you have your partner here I would advise regular sexual intercourse. It is good for the cardiovascular system, endocrine system and contributes greatly to the health of the body, mind and psyche if practiced in a safe and healthy way."

….Rear Admiral Madelyn Mavis' eyes lit up and she smiled like she'd won the lottery. The copper haired woman reached out like lightning and grasped William's hand with her own. "Well, you know what they say Billy; Doctor's Orders…."

Commander William Adama's hair nearly stood on end and he wanted to faint. "Ehheheheh…."

….

First Officer Shizuka Nadeshiko was outside of Sickbay walking through the corridor when she heard a woman's voice declare loudly from within, "YOU ARE THE BEST DOCTORS EVER!"

Smiling, the Earth raised Vulcan decided to see what was going on and found the two Colonial Flag Officers standing and talking with the Medical Staff. When the door to Sickbay swished closed behind the curvaceous black haired beauty, both Adama and Mavis turned to see her. Shizuka imitated the Colonial salute as she stood at attention. "Welcome aboard the U.S.S. Wolverine Admiral Mavis and Commander Adama. I'm the Wolverine's Executive Officer, Shizuka Nadeshiko. I was apprised of your situation and came to get an update for Captain Naruto. It seems the Medical Staff has taken care of any issues though."

Doctor Wilson said; "It's good to see you XO. I'm pleased to report that all of the medical issues have been resolved. I was about to inform Captain Naruto that the Admiral and Commander have been discharged with the appropriate instructions."

"Then they are free to go?" asked Shizuka.

"Yes." replied Shelly. She turned to Adama and Mavis before saying; "To use a Vulcan adage; may you both live long and prosper."

The Vulcan beauty nodded and said, "Captain Naruto will be pleased. Admiral, Commander; would you like to return to the Galactica? Our Captain has been very concerned that you might be considered missing among your people and we don't want to cause any sort of panic…."

….

Transporter Room 1

Realizing they'd been MIA for hours, Commander Adama and Rear Admiral Mavis quickly followed Shizuka to the transporter room. Kloene was at the controls and having met Leatta they weren't as surprised as they could have been about his appearance. Kloene explained, "A transporter is a subspace device which is capable of almost instantaneously transporting a person or object from one location to another. It converts matter into energy and beams it from a transporter pad to the location desired before converting the energy down to its original form."

Seeing the swirls in the two Colonial Officers eyes, the big Orion said, "….Ummm…."

Shizuka glared at Kloene for a second and said; "More or less it teleports you from one place to the other by turning your body into pure energy and back. It's perfectly safe. Do you want me to join you the first time? It is a bit disorienting."

Rear Admiral Mavis said; "It sounds like an adventure." She had a sparkle in her eye and said, "Let's go Commander Adama."

The black haired Vulcan beauty instructed, "Just stand on the pads and when you are ready say energize…."

….

Battlestar Galactica, Commander Adama's Office

The two Commanding Officers appeared back in Adama' Office and were amazed. They saw everything was exactly as they left it. Even the half full glasses of Ambrosia were untouched. William smiled and said; "That was amazing! Maddy; you don't know how happy I am for you. I'm sure you'll want to get checked out on the Mercury by the medical staff but I have no doubt you're going to live for a long; long time."

The copper haired Admiral gently cupped Adama's face and planted a passionate kiss on his lips that made him feel like he was on fire. At first he resisted but then he embraced the redhead and completely gave in. When they came up for air he said, "Maddy, I…."

She gave him a million watt smile and held both his hands in hers. Then Madelyn giggled. "Billy, I want this; I want us. Will you give us a chance? I've wanted this for so long…."

He smiled and placed his forehead against hers. "I guess you've got me Maddy. When I thought I was going to lose you my heart broke. I….I haven't felt this good in decades."

They kissed again and she said, "I'll call you later Commander Adama. I need to get a full physical from my medical staff….And the next chance we get; we are going dancing!"

….William Adama sat down at his desk and thought of the emotional whirlwind of a ride he'd been on in the last few hours. 'Little Fireball, after all these years you've captured my heart.*⑥'

….

Corridor

Colonel Tigh saw Rear Admiral Mavis exit Adama's Office with a huge smile on her face. Coming out in the corridor; she turned to him and said, "Ah; Saul. Care to escort me to my Raptor? I need to get back to the Mercury and contact Fleet Headquarters at Picon."

As the Rear Admiral chattered happily about this and that; Colonel Tigh hid a smirk and thought 'Well, somebody is happy. Good for you Bill. It's about time you moved on from Carolanne.*⑦ I was beginning to worry you two would be in there all night.'

William Adama sat back in his office chair behind his desk wondering what would happen next. He soon went out to the CIC to make his rounds and monitored the airwaves to make sure Rear Admiral Mavis made it safely back to her flagship; the Battlestar Mercury. Pondering the future, Adama wondered if the Wolverine would someday join the Colonial Fleet….

….

NX-1602 U.S.S. Wolverine, Captain's Ready Room

Captain Naruto M'Fau was sitting in conference with the Earth born human; Carl Shuftie and his associate named Eduardo Tosh of Alpha Centauri. They were both civilian contractors on the construction/engineering crew and had come to air their grievances to the young Captain. Also present was Security Chief Edgar Shores….Just in case….

Carl Shuftie was a slightly arrogant but generally well meaning man. He was also used to being in charge. On the other hand; Eduardo Tosh….he had a talent for sowing dissension. Carl said, "Captain Naruto; I realize that you think it's your right to order us civilians around since you are in command of this ship but we aren't that keen on taking orders from a kid your age. Tosh and I spoke with the other civilians and we want to negotiate. We should have a say in the decisions made on this ship and who leads us. We didn't sign up for space duty and we certainly did not sign up for combat. There are 121 civilians on this ship and we want to be heard."

Naruto's brow creased a tiny bit and he replied; "I understand your concerns Mister Shuftie but the U.S.S. Wolverine is a military vessel. It is de facto a military dictatorship by design and not a democracy. The civilians here are under military stewardship and have no say in the decision making process. You and Mister Tosh want power in the hierarchy handed over to you and Mister Tosh was quoted as saying he wants 'his piece of the pie.' Your request is denied."

Shuftie glared at Tosh for a moment and then he said irritably, "You'll never complete this ship without us. We can use collective bargaining and go on strike. You aren't as all powerful as you think Captain Naruto."

The blonde Vulcan looked unimpressed. "You are under contract to serve on this vessel for six months in an effort to complete construction. 49 days of your contract have passed meaning that there are still 131 days of work that you are under contract. This is in the document which you signed before you were assigned here by Starfleet. At the end of that period the 121 civilians on this vessel are no longer under my aegis and are free to do as you wish. As Captain I assure you that my main goals are to keep all civilians aboard safe from harm and will avoid combat if at all possible."

Tosh said, "That's not good enough. We have rights as Federation Citizens! We want to settle in Colonial Territory and-"

The room temperature seemed to drop below freezing within a split second. Naruto's eyes crackled with chakra and he said, "Be careful what you wish for Mister Tosh. Do not think your activities of attempting to undermine my authority and causing unrest among the crew have gone unnoticed…." The two civilians shivered. "I have been carefully observing the smear campaign which you have initiated and once you have fulfilled your contracts you will no longer be required to serve on the U.S.S Wolverine. If you wish to negotiate with the Colonials then it is well within your rights."

"You…you don't intend to stop us?!" asked Shuftie is dibelief.

Naruto shook his head. "Not in the least. I do not have the right or the inclination to do so. At the end of the contract our civilian crewmembers will be given the opportunity to join Starfleet as military crewmembers. Those that join up will be tested to see if they are fit for military service and inducted into training. Everyone else who wishes to stay a civilian will presumably give up their citizenship in the United Federation of Planets and most probably immigrate to the United Colonies of Kobal.

Eduardo Tosh was panicking. 'I thought he would cave in easily under pressure! He's just a kid! But he didn't budge a centimeter!'

Shuftie was out of sorts as well. "Surely we can work something out Captain Naruto; I mean-"

The blonde held up his hand in a 'stop' motion. "You two have made it abundantly clear that having civilians on board the U.S.S. Wolverine without sworn loyalty to serve Starfleet is detrimental to the operations of the ship as a combat vessel as well as a danger to yourselves. I believe the solution I have come up with is the most logical way to resolve the issues of both parties and will allow us to part amicably. If that is all then you are dismissed gentlemen."

The two civilians were disillusioned that their plan failed and left quietly and without a fuss.

Lieutenant Shores was impressed. "You handled that quite well Captain; nicely done."

Naruto replied; "I appreciate your sentiments Mister Shores." The blonde scratched his chin and said, "Eduardo Tosh….he is trouble. Let's run a background check and keep an eye on him Edgar. I believe this is just the beginning…."

….

Ship's Lounge

Tosh and Shuftie were both in shock. What they thought would be a short road to power was actually a cul-de-sac at best and a dead end at worst. "I expected him to be a child." said Shuftie. "I thought he'd give in the instant he was threatened."

The shorter Tosh replied; "We'll just have to take things by force then. We'll make a situation he can't handle on his own."

"You mean a mutiny?!" asked Shuftie in a whisper.

Tosh said quietly; "Not so loud Shuftie! ….And nothing so dramatic. We'll just start with little problems and build up from there. Little problems you know…."

At the next table over sat M'rella and Rafi. The two civilian men were out of the Trill's hearing range but well within the amber eyed Caitian's. 'Mutiny and sabotage?! I have to tell Naruto, Shizuka and Chief Shores! This is serious.'

….

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: Ambrosia: Ambrosia is an intoxicating alcoholic beverage that is typically green in color.

*②: Fleet Wheat: In the show there was a substance called New Caprica Leaf (nicknamed 'Fleet Wheat') that has yet to be discovered. In this story I'm introducing it early as 'Caprica Leaf.' It is a mildly hallucinogenic drug and is analogous two Earth's marijuana thus proving many parallel evolution theories circulating among Federation Scientists.

*③: Ion radiation: Ionizing radiation is any type of particle or electromagnetic wave that carries enough energy to ionize or remove electrons from an atom. There are two types of electromagnetic waves that can ionize atoms: X-rays and gamma-rays, and sometimes they have the same energy. The main point in this story is it can lead to problems like cancer if one is overexposed to it. Ion radiation is often associated with atomic bombs.

*④: Fireball: This was Madelyn Mavis's call sign when he was a fighter pilot.

*⑤: Husker: This was William Adama's call sign when he was a fighter pilot.

*⑥: Just a note: In the show, Adama eventually became involved with President Laura Roslin who also had a form of cancer. In this story it is unlikely that Roslin will be involved in the events because the Colonials are at least in the fight against the Cylons instead of being massacred and therefore she and Adama are unlikely to ever cross paths. As a result; I created Rear Admiral Madelyn Mavis to take Roslin's place. I based Madelyn upon a real life friend of mine who passed away from brain cancer so it is a tribute to her as well.

*⑦: Carolanne: Carolanne Adama is William Adama's ex-wife and the Mother of his two sons, Leland 'Apollo' Adama and the late Zak Adama.

I hope no one minds this little detour into the Battlestar Galactica universe. It was something I wanted to do for a long time and I've been really pleased at how well it has been received. I will be getting back to the main story once this one is set up. This chapter flowed pretty well and it won't be long before the Wolverine is underway again. The Wolverine's crew has some internal dissension and that will soon come to a head. The majority of the chapter was taken up by Admiral Mavis's condition but the goodwill of the crew of the Wolverine will reap tremendous benefits later.

Several people have asked this so I wanted to address it: Would Federation technology be able to detect humanoid Clyons easily? In my opinion the answer is yes but there are two caveats: The Federation crew would have to know that humanoid Cylons exist and also, what to look for. If we take 'Boomer's' case (She's a sleeper agent that isn't aware she's a Cylon), a Federation doctor would probably detect additional silicates in her body but wouldn't necessarily equate that with being a Cylon. Given all of the humanoid type variations they've see it would probably be considered nothing too unusual (Vulcans have copper blood for example).

Also, they've never examined a Cylon Centurion or humanoid type so they would have no point of reference. Lastly, it would be a huge game changer if the humanoid Cylons got spotted and weeded out so easily. At this point in the story I'm not ready to take that step. That's it for Chapter 3. See you next time. Bliue out . 7/23/19