Olympica:

Alton Mathis watched the couple intently, waiting for the moment when the woman left and he’d have his opportunity to kill the officer. They were still talking and ‘Reese’ was holding both of ‘Andie’s’ hands. There was an undeniable attraction between the two, making Mathis wonder exactly what their history was.

He thought he heard her say something about the Solace. They kissed and she walked away, giving him the moment he’d been waiting for. He stood up, holding the dagger in his hand. It had to be fast so that he wouldn’t be caught. It was a pity he thought, a moment like this was one he wanted to drag out and savor for as long as he possibly could.

Atlantia:

“Come in and have a seat Lieutenant. What’s compelled you to come here, a place where you’re not exactly held in the highest regard?” Carter asked after finishing his second bottle of Virgon Brew.

“I’m not entirely sure. I heard about Colonel Gilbert’s death and that my father is now working with the Cylons. I thought that if there was one person who would know about it, it would be you.”

Carter nodded and then said, “Question for you Mr. Alonzo, I want to know what your reaction would be if I told you those rumors were true?”

“I’d be angry with him and ashamed that the blood in my veins is linked to him.” Chris said with an even voice.

“I honestly want to believe you. The problem is that I remember all too well your actions when you were assigned to the Sphinx. I had to blackmail you into being a decent person as well as an officer. Why should I believe that you are different from your father in any way?” Carter asked skeptically.

Alonzo’s body stiffened, “I admit I made a mistake sir, and you took the proper actions to look after my best interests. I’m not proud of the way I acted when I was under your command, but I have done all I can to become a damn fine officer.”

Carter raised an eyebrow and said, “Commander Sakura, Colonel Cordova, and Major Spencer all vouch for you. You’ve been a model crewman and officer. I’m wondering which Chris Alonzo is the real one. Is it the young punk who spat in my face and almost got his ass kicked, or is it the young man who became a model officer when transferred to the Helios?”

Carter knew he was holding Chris responsible for his father’s actions, but he also couldn’t forget the young man’s actions back on the Sphinx. He had been arrogant, rude, and nothing but disrespectful to him and his officers. He didn’t feel guilty though, he had to see just what Chris Alonzo was made of. Some of the best officers were forged in the fires of adversity.

Chris was a mix of emotions. His nerves were on edge from dealing with the hostility that was directed towards him, but he did all he could to hide it. The last thing he wanted to do was show something that could be perceived as weakness by Carter. There was a part of him that could understand the anger, it was his father who had caused the loss of life that Atlantia and rest of Carter’s battle group had suffered.

He also couldn’t help but feel angry towards his father. Probably the only good thing Hector Alonzo had done for his son was volunteering him for the Colonial Fleet. Besides that, he had done nothing but make Chris’ life more difficult. This tense meeting with Tyrone Carter was proof of that.

Chris strengthened his resolve as best he could. He had to show the admiral that he was a man of stronger character than his father.

“My actions will prove to you that I have changed for the better. When it’s all said and done that’s all I can do to show you that I’m not my father.” Chris said with a conviction he wasn’t sure he had ever had before.

“I destroyed those photos, they no longer exist.” Carter said as his eyes locked with Alonzo’s.

The young man was momentarily stunned and finally asked, “Why are you telling me this sir?”

Carter shrugged and said, “You’ve proven to me that with the right incentive you can change for the better. You believing those photos existed kept you in line, now I’m going to see what kind of person you really are.”

“I know I don’t serve under you anymore but I’ll make you proud sir.” Chris saluted and turned to leave. He stopped to turn around and added, “I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about Colonel Gilbert I heard she was a close friend of yours. You have my sympathy sir.”

“Thank you Lieutenant, I appreciate you taking the time to tell that to me. You can go now.”

Chris walked towards the door, but stopped before reaching it and turned around again.

“Admiral, did you know that Lacey Tolan was one of the cadets rescued from Picon?”

Carter’s facial expression didn’t change, “Would you care to explain to me why that should mean anything to me?”

“Well sir, I met her on the Helios and she told me that she knew you. Going by what all she told me I felt you would be pleased to know she was alive.” Chris said nervously.

Once more Carter’s face was unreadable, “Yes it does please me, and thank you for telling me.”

Chris turned to leave, and was reaching for the door when Carter got his attention.

“Lieutenant, by chance do you have a romantic interest in her?”

Chris froze in his tracks, “Why are you asking, Sir?”

This time Tyrone Carter’s face was very readable and his smile chilled Chris’ blood.

“If she told you the story I believe you were told then you know I don’t want to see her hurt. Because if you hurt her or break her heart…”

“I know sir, you will break my neck.” Chris said, knowing how nervous his voice was sounding.

“Yes I will, but remember there are other bones in your body as well. I’ll break every single one of them and then I’ll break your neck. You may go now Lieutenant. Thank you for your condolences, and please remember what I said about Lacey…”

Chris saluted, which Carter returned, and made a hasty exit from the Admiral’s quarters. For the life of him he couldn’t figure out which frightened him more, the prospect of dealing with an angry Tyrone Carter or an angry Scott Tolan.

One Hour Later:

Victorious:

“I could have sworn Aunt Sylvia would never stop lecturing you after she found out!” Lacey Tolan said with a laugh.

“It was the only time I ever snuck you out of school, and it was for a very good reason.” Tolan said.

Lacey smiled at her cousin, “You knew how badly I wanted to see the Canceron Bulldogs play the Caprica Buccaneers. I had no problem at all with you getting me out of school early and taking me to the Joran Coliseum for the game.”

“I’m aware of that Lace, but you should have thrown away the ticket stub instead of keeping it in the pockets of your jeans where it could be found. Mom didn’t let me live that down for most of the year!” Tolan then laughed slightly before saying in a quiet voice, “Gods how I miss that woman!”

“I do too, for someone who wasn’t my mother she did a pretty nice job.” Lacey said.

Before Scott could respond the phone began to ring. He got off the couch and walked over to answer it. He said a few words that couldn’t be heard well and then hung up the receiver.

“Good news or bad?” Lacey asked.

“The Eastern Alliance received a message from the Ostarsis Resistance. Commander Woods wanted to inform me that her battlestar might still be at Armistice Station. On top of that is the suggestion that it can be salvaged and used in the future.”

“I take it that falls under the ‘Good’ category?” Lacey tried to read her cousin’s face to see what his emotions were. This was one of the cases where he was keeping them hidden.

“It’s good news, no doubt about it. I’ll have to figure out the best time to take one of the dry docks off of the Lampetia mission and have it come with us to Armistice Station.”

He was going to say something when the phone began to ring. Lacey was going to speak, but Tolan held up a finger to suggest to her that she needed to hold on to the thought for a moment.

Lacey watched as Scott picked up the phone and this time his face went pale within the first few seconds of the clearly one-sided conversation. She didn’t have to ask, she knew something was wrong.

She got out of her chair and went over to Scott once he hung up the receiver, “Scott what’s the matter?” She asked with an unmistakable concern in her voice.

“I have to get over to the Olympica. Captain Pittman, my CAG, was brutally attacked and is in critical condition. To make matters worse is that Andie is being held as a suspect.”

Tolan then told her to stay in his quarters until he returned. If there was a murderer on the loose then he wanted Lacey as far away from the Olympica as possible.

Hector Alonzo’s Baseship:

“How can this be reliable?” Hector Alonzo asked with the skepticism in his voice more than obvious.

“It was one of the things our admiral sent us about an hour ago. We now know that Tolan and the Eastern Alliance are hiding in the Pallas Nebula near Cosmora.” William Arnold said patiently.

“Cosmora is a place of interest, considering that one of the last major battles from the first war was fought there.” Sasha Evans added.

“It would appear that there is a chance to engage Kronus as well as Tolan and wipe away that defeat from all those years ago. The only problem is that I’m not ready to attack them until my family has been extracted from the fleet.” Hector said with the hope that the Cylons had thought of a plan to pull that off.

“We have a plan put into place; it’s just a matter of you giving the order to execute it.” Arnold said, deferring command to Alonzo.

“That’s fine with me, but shouldn’t we move closer to Cosmora to pull it off?”

“We can use the size of Cosmora as well as the radiation given off by its atmosphere to hide us from the enemy until we have recovered your family. We should only use our baseship and hold off on deploying the rest to Cosmora until the last possible moment.” Arnold said before walking off to converse with the other models.

Sasha then placed her arms around Hector’s neck and asked, “So what’s going to happen once your wife is onboard? Is this going to put an end to our little…relationship?” She asked with her amazingly sultry voice.

“I’m the most powerful man in the known galaxy, I can have you and there’s nothing Gloria can do about it.” He said before kissing her on the lips, in a few minutes they would be back in his quarters for more ‘rest’.

Olympica:

Amidships on E-Deck was the Olympica Security Offices. The spaces consisted of the offices used by the security officers, five holding cells that could comfortably house eight people, two solitary confinement cells, and three interrogation rooms. Currently in Interrogation Room 3 sat a very frustrated Andrea Graystone and Investigator Rhoda Davis. The large pale-skinned woman ran her fingers through her curly black hair and let out a loud sigh.

“Major Andrea Celeste Graystone. Serial Number NE-951643, currently on pregnancy leave, and before that you served as the Commander of the Air Group of the Battlestar Victorious. Does all this sound correct to you?” Davis asked as she kept her eyes fixed with the eyes of the woman sitting across the table from her.

“Your grasp of my military record is amazing…” Andrea said, not even bothering to conceal her sarcasm.

“Oh yes Miss Graystone I know your record very well. You graduated in the bottom fifteen of your class while your twin brother was in the top five. Your first posting was the Battlestar Solaria where you were assigned to Squadron One of the Black Knights. Two years later you are transferred to the Battlestar Alcaeus and you remained there until you were transferred to the Battlestar Triton.” Davis’ voice was business like, it sort of struck Andie as though the woman was simply reciting facts.

“You know it would be interesting except for the fact that I was aware of the battlestars I served on so explain to me just why this all matters?” Andie tried to hide the feeling she felt in the back of her mind. She was sure what was coming up next.

Rhoda Davis allowed a sly smile to show on her face, “It’s this little incident between your last deployment on the Alcaeus and your assignment to the Triton. Does the name Robert Sebastian Wells mean anything to you?”

It was exactly what Andie had feared, “Yes I recognize the name. He’s the Marine who tried to force himself on me; it was a case of self-defense.”

“Of course it was Major Graystone!” Davis said in a formal patronizing voice, “You were only too quick to pull out a gun and shoot him in the shoulder and the leg because he came onto you a little too strongly.”

“You think I should have just let him force me into his car and have his way with me?” Andie said, her anger rising.

“You have a reputation as a bit of a…wild woman. If you ask me it probably wouldn’t have been any different from dates you had in the past.” Davis said to her, this time more mocking than patronizing.

Andie then said in a low menacing voice, “I was cleared by a military court of all charges, and if you insinuate one more time that I’m some kind of whore you will finally have a reason to keep me in one of those holding cells.”

Davis tried to keep her temper in check and asked, “Very well then. If it’s possible for you to remember can you tell me what it was that got you interested in Captain Pittman in the first place. You have some notes here in your file about drinking so I can understand if you can’t remember.”

Andie leaned in and said, “You want to know what attracted me to him, why don’t you go find him and take a peak at what he’s got between his legs. That should answer the question for you.”

That was the last straw for Davis and she went on the offensive, “Did Major Pittman not want to be in the life of you and that child you’re carrying? I bet he told you he didn’t want anything to do with you and you decided to make him regret not hugging you and saying he’d take care of a whore like you!”

Andrea Graystone bolted upright and went to wrap her hands around Davis’ throat. Before she could the door flung open and Scott Tolan ran towards her and got between the two women. Andie tried to fight her way past Scott but it was no use. He pressed her up against the wall and tried to calm her down.

Even though it was her brother-in-law, who was one of the few men in her life she could honestly say she loved, Andie tried to fight him. She punched where she could, kicked where she could, and finally dug her fingernails into his right cheek and scratched as hard as she could. Despite all this, Scott held on tightly and tried to get her to understand that she didn’t want to go after Rhoda Davis.

Finally with her anger spent she slumped against the wall and Scott slightly relaxed his grip on her. He looked at her, his blue eyes seemingly searching for a sign of where her mind was at.

There was a trail of blood on his cheek, and Andie realized that it was her doing

“Oh my Gods, I’m sorry Scott!” She exclaimed, feeling guilty for what she had done.

“Forget about that, are you alright?” Scott asked, ignoring the pain that radiated from his ribs and collarbone. He wasn’t concerned about his face or even his other injuries. At this point he knew Andie was hurting more and he needed to be there for her.

“I’ll be fine; I just need to get away from this place. How did you get here so fast?”

“I was in the adjoining room observing the interrogation. I told the agent there with me that if you were pressed too hard you would lash out.”

She put a hand on his left cheek, “Thank you Scott…are you sure you can forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive, you’re not the first woman to try to injure me.” Scott said before releasing his grip on her.

He was glad to see that she didn’t try to make a move towards Davis, but now it time to turn his attention towards her.

“What the frak did you think you were doing?” Scott said to her, the harshness in his voice hard to miss.

“She is the main suspect in a case of ours, I was trying to see if she was innocent or not.” Davis said, not wanting to give an inch of ground.

Tolan took a step away from Andie, and walked to the other side of the room where Davis as standing. She was joined by Lyndon Ewing, the agent who was with Tolan in the Observation Room watching the interrogation.

As Scott got closer to where they were standing Ewing got between him and Davis. Scott didn’t miss a beat; he grabbed Ewing by the shoulder and easily pushed him out of the way. He then got to Davis and his face was inches from hers.

“You insulted her, questioned her honor, impugned her character, and insinuated that she is prone to violence. You were doing a lot of thing, but interrogating damn sure wasn’t one of them!” He didn’t hide the anger; he could care less at this point.

“I am doing my job, and that is to determine if a suspect is guilty or innocent. You can either let me do my job or you can target a couple of nukes on the Olympica and blow us all up. I think that would be a familiar idea to you Admiral Tolan.” Rhoda Davis had managed to make ‘Admiral’ sound an awful lot like ‘Frak you!’ and she had even brought up the incident months earlier when Tolan had threatened to destroy the liner.

“I’m taking her back with me when I leave here, and you are no longer allowed to question her. In fact, if you come near her at all you will regret it…on that you have my word. You and Mr. Ewing can investigate the attack on Captain Pittman all you want but leave Major Graystone out of this. Do you understand?” Tolan wasn’t going to leave any reason argument.

“Now listen…” Davis began to stay but Tolan cut her off.

“All I want to hear from you is either a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, and think carefully about your answer. You’re dealing with a flag officer of the Colonial Fleet. I have the rank, authority, and the balls to make your life miserable if I so desire!” His piercing gaze seemed to be unnerving Davis quite a bit.

“Yes.” She said, realizing how futile it was to argue.

“A wise answer Miss Davis, now when you have a viable suspect you be sure to let me know.” Tolan said before turning and walking back over to where Andie was.

Davis and Ewing watched as he whispered something to her before taking her by the hand and leading her out of the room. Davis couldn’t help but notice Tolan wince with pain before he left the room. She reasoned that Andrea Graystone must have hit him harder than anyone had realized, or else the admiral had an injury that he was trying to hide.

“Well Rhoda that could have gone better.” Ewing said aloud, wondering if their boss was going to hear it. The head of Olympica’s Security Department was a man by the name of Isaac Clemons, a retired Colonial Bureau of Investigation agent who had been hired by the Colonial Line to keep the Olympica safe.

“Ewing I had heard that Admiral Tolan could be a real bastard.” Davis said. She could shake the feeling she had. She was more than embarrassed by the way the interrogation had turned out.

“Tell me then, do those rumors do him justice?” Ewing asked.

“No, he’s even more of a bastard then the rumors had said. I wonder what his wife is going to say about this.”

“Probably not a lot, she’s in a coma on the Solace.” Ewing saw the confused look on Davis’ face and realized she had no idea what he was talking about. “Emily Tolan was on the Olympica during the riots and was injured. She sustained severe head trauma and has been in a coma since.”

“Judging by the way he looks at the Major I wonder what she’d say about them being so close.”

“You didn’t read up on the rest of her file did you?”

Davis shook her head, “Just the part of her military service, I didn’t think family information was all that important.”

“Alright then I get to fill you in. Emily Tolan’s maiden name was Graystone…” He saw a light of recognition in Davis’ eyes, “She is two years younger than her siblings…Andrea and Andre Graystone.”

“Andrea Graystone is Scott Tolan’s sister-in-law, no wonder he was so protective of her.” Davis said, somewhat understanding the admiral’s actions. He was still a bastard though.

Leonis:

Svalin:

“Admiral I’m receiving a report from the Aegis, they’ve had to abort the jump.” Reported Lt. Zachary Sullivan, the Svalin’s Tactical Officer.

“Have you received a report on exactly what the problem is?” Kronus asked as he watched the clock for the jump suddenly stop counting down.

“There was a stress fracture in one of the magnetic coils of the FTL drive. The Chief is on the task but there is no telling how long it will take.”

“Very well Mr. Sullivan, send word that all ships are to stay at Condition One in case the Cylons show up.” Kronus said as he watched the jump countdown come to a sudden stop.

“We have an unknown contact!” Sullivan declared.

Kronus looked up at the DRADIS and saw at the contact marked at the edge of the screen.

“Can you identify it Mr. Sullivan?” Kronus asked. He had to wonder if it was friendly or otherwise.

“Admiral I’m receiving a message…” Ensign Kristen Richardson announced.

“Put it on the loudspeaker Miss Richardson.” Kronus ordered.

“This is the Colonial Army transport Gelanor. We request immediate identification or else you will be considered a hostile force.” The male voice didn’t sound afraid, which wasn’t unexpected.

“Send out recognition codes, the last thing we need is to scare them off. When that’s done I want to send a raptor over to bring their commanding officer here.” Kronus then said to himself, ‘General Maxwell is going to love this…”

Melete:

Chief Macias’ office was located on the starboard side of the hangar deck, and while it wasn’t as large as those on the battlestars. It was still one of the bigger rooms on the hangar deck, though there had been some alterations made once the escort battlestar was turned into a training vessel.

There had been four large metal bookcases installed to accommodate the files of the trainees. There had simply been no other place for them, and Macias felt that he needed to set an example for the rest of his deck gang. If he was willing to make a sacrifice, such as giving up office space so that there could be a place for the files to be stored, then it might encourage those under him to give up something for the better good. Another change to the room was the small distillery he added back when he was first assigned to the Melete.

He was joined by four of the technicians from his deck gang. Specialists Larry Carson, Quentin Romero, Salvador Duran, and Meagan Prince were standing by the Chief’s desk discussing the recent events involving Commander Hendrix.

“Chief do you think Hendrix really lives up to his nickname?” Duran asked.

“That depends Sal, which one of them; the Gods know he’s earned more than one.” Macias asked after taking a drink of the bootleg alcohol he had recently made.

“I was thinking ‘Mad Dog’; I don’t think there’s anything ‘Iron’ about Luke Hendrix.” Duran said, prompting an outburst of laughter from everyone in the room.

“Just between us, there are times when I would take a transfer to one of those patrol frigates or even just resign from the Fleet if I could get away with it.” Macias said.

They heard shouting coming closer to the door, and they realized that it was Hendrix. Macias told the four specialists to hide behind the last of the bookshelves, and he tried to look like he was busy at work.

The door swung open hard, and then a very drunk Luke Hendrix stormed through. Slamming the door behind him he proceeded over to the desk.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Hendrix asked, slurring the words slightly.

“I’m going over the duty rotation for the specialists, I thought that…” Macias said before Hendrix cut him off.

“That’s your problem Macias; you’re thinking when you should know that you’re not smart enough to think!” Hendrix said before adding, “I have no room on my ship for a piece of trash like you. You had the nerve to humiliate me in front of Bolton like that; you made me look like an idiot!”

“You need no help from me sir.” Macias mumbled to himself.

“What did you just say?” Hendrix demanded angrily.

“I was commenting that there is no way I can get my work done with you taking me away from my duties.”

“You aren’t going to have any duties; I am kicking you off my ship!” Hendrix said, pointing a shaky finger at Macias.

“Fine then, I have better things to do with my time. I won’t have to waste my life serving under an asshole like you!” Macias said, losing his temper.

“Nobody quits on me!” Hendrix howled as he reached and grabbed Macias by his shirt and lifted him out of his chair.

“Put me down Mad Dog!” Macias demanded.

“Nobody calls me ‘Mad Dog’, I am ‘Iron’ Luke Hendrix you ungrateful frak!” Hendrix shouted as he slammed Macias into the backside of the first iron bookcase.

The bookcase began to wobble, with all that had been going on recently nobody had bothered to bolt it and the others securely to the floor. There was a split second to act; if they didn’t get out of the way then they would both be crushed by the falling object.

All Hendrix had to do was pull him and Macias backwards. However that wasn’t what took place. Hendrix gave Macias a shove backwards and then jumped out of the way. A split-second later the bookcase toppled over. Macias crushed between the falling bookcase and the one behind it. The crashed caused a domino effect, taking down the third and fourth as well. The four specialists jumped out from their hiding spot and were face to face with a shocked Luke Hendrix.

“It was…an accident…” Hendrix stammered, realizing he had just murdered a man. “He tripped and fell against the bookcase; there was no way for him to get out.

“You’re a liar!” Meagan Prince shouted, while the other three looked wide-eyed at the commander.

“I have…to go…don’t tell a word to anyone, it was an accident…” Hendrix stammered and left the room.

After a few minutes of stunned silence the four specialists managed to alert the medical personnel that Chief Macias had been injured. They were faced with the dilemma of what to say happened. If they told the truth then there was the chance that Hendrix would retaliate against them. If they didn’t tell the truth then they might enable him to do whatever he wanted with the next Chief.

Hendrix walked back to his quarters wondering just what he had done. He had gone to confront Macias and scare the man, but he hadn’t meant to kill the man. In his alcohol-induced fog he couldn’t understand why he pushed the man into the path of the falling bookcases instead of pulling him to safety. Eventually it became clear to him that there was no way the four witnesses would stay quiet. He was going to have to do something about them…

Lampetia Shipyard

Sphinx:

The Lampetia Shipyard had yielded a king’s ransom of material so far. Apart from the Xanthus, there was the discovery of the four old light cruisers stored away in a small part of the shipyard that the Cylons hadn’t destroyed. The wrecked ships would serve to provide the needed resources to repair and update the damaged battlestars. Commander Travis Omega pondered just how long they would have to stay here. The possibility of the Cylons discovering them weighed heavily on his mind.

“How many more trips do you think we’re going to need until we’re finished?” Omega asked Colonel Chad Steele.

“With the three dry docks making the rounds we should have two or three at most. Lucky for us they’re big enough to carry large amounts of equipment and salvaged materials.” Steele said. He was looking over the list of recovered ships and other miscellaneous objects.

“We’ve already made our one trip. The tow line was strong enough to survive the FTL jump to Cosmora. I want to speed up our work here; the sooner we’re back in the safety of the Pallas Nebula the better I’ll feel.” Omega said.

Steele nodded his agreement, “I understand that sir, and I’ll get the dock crews to work faster. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

Two Hours Later:

Hector Alonzo’s Baseship:

Hector and Sasha lay in bed ignoring the knock on the door. They were too wrapped up in their conversation to care who was there.

“What are you going to do when we get to Cosmora?” Sasha asked.

“I’ll show just how much of a humanitarian I am. I’ll offer Tolan, Kronus, or whoever I negotiate with the chance to surrender. I’ll order the Colonial Fleet to come out of the nebula, formally surrender to us, and inter their ships at the anchorage of the Cylons’ choosing.” Hector said, smiling broadly at the thought of humiliating his nemesis.

“That would be so benevolent of you, and at the same time show just how powerful you are.” Sasha purred into his ear before nibbling on it a little.

”You keep that up and you’re going to start another round.” Hector said to her, as she gave him a sly grin.

He decided to tell her the rest of his plan, “Most of the crew can return to the civilian ships, but I will put all of the officers on trial. Some of them have to answer for the crimes they committed against me and my lawful government.”

Sasha looked confused, “That’s a great idea Mr. President, but isn’t there a chance that they’ll be found innocent?”

“Not with the way I plan to run things, I will ensure that they’re found guilty. Not only will it make my government legitimate it will demonstrate what happens when people go against me.”

“You are so handsome when you’re showing off your power…” Sasha said before kissing his neck.

“Whoever is there at the door, we’ll be out in a couple of hours…” Hector said to the person that was knocking. The voice of Daniel Warren announced that he got the message and would be back in a couple of hours.

Victorious:

The senior staff of the Victorious had assembled in the wardroom. Scott Tolan had called the meeting to discuss the events surrounding the attack on Reese Pittman.

“Before we begin I want us to take a moment to say a prayer for Spartan. We know how tough he is, but a little prayer never hurt.” Tolan said to his officers. A quick prayer later it was time to begin the meeting.

“Have you heard any reports from the medical staff on the Olympica?” Andre Graystone asked.

Tolan shook his head, “The last report I heard stated that he was in critical condition, but there was no telling if he’s going to pull through.”

“Who is going to take over as CAG in the meantime? I’d offer to but I know I can’t because of the pregnancy.” Andrea Graystone stated. Even though she was still on leave, Tolan felt that she might be able to add something extra to the meeting.

“I am going over a list of candidates right now. We have the leaders from the other three viper squadron. Lieutenants Kevin Jones, Tyler Bibb, and Alicia Baldwin are being given heavy consideration. I’m also taking a look at Larsen Banks; he has a higher rank even though he is a raptor pilot. However I plan to have a decision soon.” Tolan said. After he said this the others at the table nodded their agreement.

“Admiral, there’s been an increase in communications traffic from the Balius to the other Eastern Alliance ships. Word of the attack reached them though I can’t really say what they are planning.” Jessica Jennings said.

“Knowing my father…” Stadra Ah-Mun began, “He’s probably worried that one of his people might have attacked Captain Pittman. I have a feeling he may try to close ranks in case…”

Andre was the first to notice her suddenly cut off her sentence, “In case of what?”

Stadra took a deep breath, “In case he needs to defend himself from an attack of the Colonial Fleet.”

From there the meeting proceeded without incident and Tolan dismissed them for the time being. As the officers made their way down the corridor Andre Graystone walked up to Stadra.

“I wanted to check on you, see how you’re holding up.” Andre said. The concern in his voice was evident.

“I’m having a conflict…” Stadra admitted before adding, “I have my loyalty to my father and yet I took an oath to the Fleet. I worry that I might have to choose between the two.”

Andre put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

She smiled at him, “What is this ‘we’ you speak of? I thought this was something I’d have to work out on my own.”

“You don’t have to go it alone Stadra, I’ll be there to help you if you need it.”

“Thank you Andre, you’re quite the gentleman.”

“I try, though I’ve been known to fall short every now and then.” He thought for a second then asked her to join him in the mess hall for some food. To his relief she said she would and they separated from the group they were walking with.

Olympica:

Alton Mathis had an hour to make something happen. The attack on the officer had gone perfectly, but there was no mention of the Eastern Alliance being blamed for it. That was disappointing enough. He had received word from Magnus Ah-Mun that he and the rest of the Alliance members were to leave Olympica within the hour. There had to be a way to make his plan come all the way to fruition. He realized that he had forgotten to leave his dagger with the body of the officer he had attacked.

Mathis mentally slapped himself upside the head for leaving out that all-important detail. He began to pace nervously, and he knew what had to be done. There was going to be another attack before he left. He began heading towards the Grand Staircase, there had to be a Colonial Fleet Officer somewhere in the ideal location for an attack.

Victorious:

Andrea Graystone had left the room with the rest of the officers, but turned around to check on Scott. When she walked into the wardroom she saw her brother-in-law deep in thought as he looked at the papers in front of him.

“Did you know that you stick out your bottom lip just a bit when you’re thinking hard?” She was standing close to the table; Scott hadn’t even noticed her walking in.

Despite being slightly startled Scott didn’t miss a beat as he looked up at her. “Sorry Andie, I didn’t hear you walk in. I thought you’d want to catch up with everyone else. You hadn’t seen a lot of us since you’ve been on the Solace.”

She shrugged her shoulders, “There’s plenty of time till I return. Gianne is staying with Emily and the kids. I can visit with my friends later. I just wanted to check on you first.”

“Thanks, I’m going to be fine. It’s not that different from anything I’ve dealt with over the past seven months.”

She walked up to him and placed a hand on his cheek where she had scratched it earlier, “Thank you for being there for me, if only the other men I’ve had in my life were half the man you are.”

Tolan let out a small laugh, “What does that mean about Spartan?”

The mention of Spartan seemed to cause a change in her. It was as though she had been wearing a mask since they left the Olympica. Her eyes seemed to water and her lips began to tremble a bit.

“Trying not to think about it too much?” Scott asked. He was mentally kicking himself for bringing it up. During the meeting with the officers was one thing, but this was a one-on-one conversation they were having.

Andie didn’t say anything right away, though she nodded and tried to turn away from him.

Scott got out of the chair and walked over to where she was standing. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around so that she was facing him. The tears were flowing from her eyes now, and he took his hands from her shoulders and used them to wipe the two streams off of her face.

“I’ve been trying to hide it…it’s just…Gods what am I going to do?” Andie asked with a voice that matched the storm of emotions that had let loose inside of her.

“You’re going to take it one day at a time. Whatever comes along we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.”

Andie let herself fall against Scott’s body. When he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a reassuring hug she said, “You know as well as I do what I’m going through, how have you made it through Emily’s injury?”

“It hasn’t been easy. I have work to keep me busy, but it doesn’t replace her. Even when I was deployed I received messages from her and other things that reminded me of the woman I had waiting for me when I got home. It’s those little things I miss…”He realized he was getting off topic then said, “I stay optimistic that she’ll get better and pray that the Gods will help me to keep it together. There’s too many people counting on me, I can’t afford to have too many moments of weakness.”

“The more you talk to me like this, the more likely I am to talk to you when I get to feeling like this.” Andie said as she tried to pull herself together and get her tears under control.

Scott leaned down and kissed her on her head, “You’d better!”

He put a finger under chin and pulled her face up to where he could see it. He couldn’t help but be struck by the physical similarities between her and Emily. Even though they were quite different, physically it was obvious to any observer that the two women were sisters. For starters they both had the same shade of red to their silky hair. Andie’s hair had grown to be about medium length. Before the riots Emily’s hair had gone down to about the middle of her back, and she wore it in a very dignified style. The biggest physical difference would have been their eyes. Andie had mesmerizing almond-shaped gray eyes. When she was angry or upset it was like looking into a storm. Emily had round blue eyes that were an incredible shade of blue.

“Are you alright Scott?” Andie asked, wondering why he had gotten so quiet all of a sudden.

“Sorry, I was looking at you and I couldn’t help but think of…”He didn’t need to finish the thought. She knew where he was going.

“I guess it’s rough for you, considering how closely I look like her.” Andie wasn’t bothered by the fact. It was close to how being on the Victorious reminded her of Reese.

“Sometimes I’m reminded of her and I find myself missing her even more…”

Andie stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Scott on the cheek, “Know that I’m here for you as much as you’re here for me.”

Scott hesitated before telling her, “If I need to talk to anyone you’re the first person I’ll go to.”

“I’d better be!” Andie finally began to smile, and slowly that mask she had been wearing came back over her face.

“Go visit your friends, I’m going to go meet with our new CAG.”

Andie left the room first; she turned her head towards Scott and gave him one last smile before walking off.

Scott went back to the papers on his desk, gathering up the papers and trying to refocus his mind again. His mind was racing with memories from his life with Emily. He was remembering how they met for the first time at the beach, their first date, the way he had proposed to her, their honeymoon, more of their honeymoon, the miscarriage when he almost lost her, the birth of the triplets, and many more memories were serving to remind him why he loved his wife so much. They also reminded him of the emptiness in his sole that only she could fill. There was no telling how long she would be in a coma; all he could do was pray that it wasn’t for much longer.

He put the papers together and left the room, he was about to go to tell Captain Larsen “Magic” Banks that he was being promoted to CAG while Spartan was out of commission.

Svalin:

Major General Alice Hyde sat at the carved oak table in the flag quarters of the Svalin. Across from her was Admiral John Kronus. It was decided that the meeting would be a simple one-on-one affair. General Hyde was about fourteen years younger than Kronus. Her short silver hair went well with the green eyes that spoke volumes of the years she had spent in a position of authority. Her thin frame had a regal quality to it that Kronus couldn’t help but appreciate.

“General I have to ask first, exactly how were you able to avoid the Cylons?” Kronus asked. It was inconceivable that anyone had survived this long.

“As you have gathered from the information I sent over, the 86th Expeditionary Division was sent to investigate Tauron and Eastern Alliance smuggling. It was rumored that the main base was on the moon of Lerna in the Mestra Sector. We went on radio silence so that we wouldn’t be detected. We hid our transport behind one of the other moons and waited for the Taurons or the Alliance to show up.”

Kronus then asked, “Did you ever find proof of this smuggling ring?”

Hyde shook her head, “There was no sign of anyone out there. We eventually got tired of waiting and went in to investigate. We found some abandoned buildings but nothing else. I couldn’t help but wonder if we had been given faulty intelligence.”

“Now I would like to know how you knew about our location here at Leonis.”

“Not long after we had broken radio silence we received a message from Fort Rhesus. The message stated that there were Colonial Fleet personnel on the planet, and there appeared to be a fleet in orbit. That was enough for them to leave the fallout bunker to make contact with your people. The message was sent on the message frequency the Army uses, there was no way for them to know that we were still alive.”

“That’s quite the story, though could you tell me how many soldiers you have on your transport?”

“I have twenty thousand soldiers under my command.”

“Why would the Ministry of Defense request that many soldiers just for a simple mission like the one you were on?”

“Because there was no telling how many enemy combatants we would encounter if the information we received panned out. It was decided to use a strong show of force, and there is strength in numbers when dealing with a worse-case scenario.”

Kronus’ eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of the possibilities that Hyde’s soldiers could be used for, “In that case I’d say your arrival is a blessing from the Gods!”

She gave him a quizzical look, “I think you may want to explain that to me.”

“Of course, allow me to tell you about the moon of Ostarsis…”