A United Land

"Try to look unimportant; the enemy may be low on ammo and not want to waste a bullet on you."

                                                  -Muprhy's Lawbook of War

       Ace flew in formation with a recon raptor. He had gained a very small FTL engine with tylium ore tank, and a battle information screen made of glass came around his right "eye." The Colonial upgrades on his body had been incredibly effective. Flying escort for the raptor, it was his job to keep them alive.

      His forward hoof cannons had been tweaked to the force of a capital ship, and the four light machine guns in the wings were replaced with two sawn off cannons used on Cylon Raiders.

      None of that prepared him for the discovery of a planet with the possibility of life. He hadn't been equipped with scanners, and he had no way to tell the raptor crew that his DRADIS detected something.

     Hidden in an electromagnetic nebula, the Cylons wouldn't be able to find the planet.

     Perfect for a hiding place.

     The pair jumped back to a Galactica to report.

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      The fleet, stationed over the planet now christened New Caprica, left all the civilians and Equestrian Battlestars to land on the surface. Setting up civilization, they began to move everything onto the planet.

      Suddenly, two Basestars jumped into orbit. Galactica, Pegasus, and the fleet jumped away, leaving the planet defenseless. But the Cylons want to negotiate. Allowing an unconditional surrender, the humans on the planet began to accept Cylon rule. Ace managed to convince the commanders of Red Nova, Equinox, Illustrious, and Cupid to jump directly from the surface to the main fleet, with any of the ponies that were willing to come and anybody that opposed to stay on the planet, before the Cylons confiscated the launch keys.

      Over a year, the Cylons became more and more corrupt, while Adama planned a storming of New Caprica.

       Pegasus, Red Nova, Equinox and Cupid stayed back to defend the fleet, while Dominus, Illustrious, and Galactica jumped in, with the Cygnus Battlestars drawing the now four Basestars away. Adama jumped into the atmosphere, launched Blue Squadron and a Raptor that had keys, then jumped back into orbit. The civilians began to fight the Cylons with smuggled weapons, with vipers destroying any centurion stemming the reboarding.

      The Basestars, realizing the plan, jumped back to pummel Galactica. Right side structurally failing and FTL system offline, the massive ship could only take it. Dominus and Illustrious came back to try to ward them off, but several more Basestars jumped into orbit. Taking out the unprepared Equestrian Battlestars on the ground, they turned their attention to Dominus and Illustrious.

      Suddenly, Pegasus jumped into orbit and destroyed several in one salvo. She left all her aircraft compliment back with the fleet, and Lee Adama, now the commander of Pegasus, disobeyed his father's orders to save him. Galactica recovered her Vipers, then jumped away,

FTL back online.

       Dominus and Illustrious also jumped away, expecting Pegasus to follow. But she was taking too much damage without her aircraft compliment. Abandoning ship in Raptors and Scrimitars, the Pegasus was set on automatic to take down a few more Basestars, pointed at one, then she rammed it. The entire alligator head was destroyed, flight pods slightly forced out a bit. Then the fuel lines ruptured, blowing out the flight pods to both sides, and the eight sublight engines were sent in all directions, away from the center hulk of the main hull. The right flight pod slammed into another Basestar, taking her out of the equation.

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           "Most of our fleet is destroyed. We don't have the capability to rebuild our aircraft. We don't have contact with Anima. Great. Just bucking great."

           The remaining commanders (and recently promoted Admiral William Adama) sat together around a table on Colonial One, drinking whiskey.

            "Welcome to the club." Lee muttered.

            "That's not the point! Our insurance only covers accidents, not 'destruction by any outside sources!' We can't pay for losses like this!"

             Adama did a spit take. "Wait, this is what this is all about?"

             Discord suddenly popped in. "Why hello, Ace. Yes it's true, insurance doesn't cover that, but Celestia has several flak frigates in patrol. She's sending a couple for your cause."

             "Discord, go back to whatever puddle of industrial waste you came out of!" Lee yelled.

             "How'd buck did you know my name?"

             "You respond to that."

              Ace got up and left the room, then FTL jumped back onto Galactica. He was being drawn to a certain tune.

               Entering a room he met Galen Tyrol, Tory Foster, Samuel Anders, and Saul Tigh.

          "Hey." He muttered. "Interesting group we've got here."

          "We're all Cylon."

          "That's not possible. Only cylon humans are possible. You're not even a model."

          "We're the final five, apparently. The ones who gave the Cylons life."

         Saul spoke up. "I'm an officer in the Colonial Fleet, and that will not change." He turned and left.

          Galen looked at Ace. "In the ancient texts of Kobol, Ponies, the peacekeepers, Griffins, the warmongers, Changelings, the spies, Zebras, the medics, Minotuars, the blacksmiths, and other mythical creatures lived in harmony. When they destroyed Kobol, each civilization went their own way. The animals all left for a star system far off, but the star had died when they got there. Using their magic, they tamed the forces of nature, as in the tides, jet streams, disease, weather, and the celestial bodies.

          "The humans went the other way to thirteen colonies. Aeroeon, Aquaria, Canceron, Caprica, Gemenon, Leonis, Libris, Picon, Sagittaron, Scorpia, Tauron, Virgon, and the holy planet of Earth.

           "Save a small population of Pegasi, that went to Earth. But when Earth made their own Cylons and they destroyed Earth, four men and a single silver stallion tried to journey a several thousand year sublight voyage to warn the main twelve. But that didn't work out, the Cylon war had already began."

           "How do you know all of this?"

           "It's all in the sacred texts. But let me finish my story. With the promise of life to the Cylons, we negotiated the end of the war. But a Cavil was unhappy. He was technically the ruler of the Cylons. Planting each of us on one of the colonies, he wanted us to suffer during the attack, save you, Ace. He wiped your memories, gave you a new name, turned you back into a foal, and put you on Anima."

             "That's why I built those aircraft with no knowledge of aircraft whatsoever...and that's why I never got my cutie mark..."

             Suddenly, general alarm klaxons sounded. Everyone rushed back to their stations, intending to continue their life as if nothing happened.

             Ace and Samuel rushed to the hangars, and both launched out. Chasing a raider, Ace and Samuel readied their weapons, until the Raider suddenly turned around. Scanning the two Cylons, both of their right eyes flashed red in an "Identification Freidly or Foe."

            The raider, deeming them to be friendly, called off the entire attack.

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            Cavil looked over at a number eight. "Remove their consciousness."

            "No."

            The Cylons split into a larger, Cavil controlled faction and a smaller, free faction. The larger destroyed several of the free Basestars, save a single one that blind jumped, right into the fleet. Welcoming them, they built an alliance.

           Sharon's kidnapped daughter, a hybrid, had been decidedly exploited by the Cavil Cylons. After the battle of the Resurrection hub, where Cylons and Colonials worked together with the heavy raiders towing the colonial ships to make sure they weren't detected, destroyed the central Resurrection space station, Adama made a decision to assault the Colony and bring back the girl. Discord offered his support, Ace decided he was joining, and Galactica was readied up for a volunteer only mission.