Chapter 18: Silent Armor

Eleven Years Ago, Clio, Canceron:

In the rural countryside of Canceron – where the rays of the afternoon sun breaks free through the clouds over a wooded countryside – a black, convertible sports car made its way down the tree-canopied dirt road.

"This is where you grew up…it seems so peaceful out here?" Emily Graystone asked, looking out the window at the Canceron countryside.

"Yeah, it's as far away from Caprica City as you can get." Major Scott Tolan commented, not taking his eyes off the road, but letting his hand slip from the wheel and into her hand.

She looked at their joint hands and smiled, "I know your mom is going to be home. Will there be anyone else to welcome us?"

Scott thought for a moment before saying, "I believe my cousin, Lacey, might be there. We won't find out until we arrive."

"She's the one your mom took in and is raising. Did her parents die because of…you know…?" She fumbled for the words, trying to politely ask her question.

Scott picked up on it and responded, squeezing her hand as he talked, "They were killed in a car crash on Colonial Day, not because of the family business." He knew his voice sounded sterner than it should have been.

She decided now was the time to change the subject, "My family had a lot of things to say about you after meeting you."

Scott smirked, "Just what did your parents' background check on me turn up, anything damning?"

She sighed, "They were curious about the three movie actresses you dated."

"One lesson I learned from that was to never, I repeat never date a movie actress."

She shot him a quizzical look, "Yet you dated three of them?"

"I know. It was like eating hot chocolate chip cookies. Once I started, I couldn't stop."

"Almost five months we've been dating, I don't think I've ever seen you serious. Not once. Can you drop the playful rogue act for even a minute?" she asked slightly exasperated.

Scott was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "You know how we were talking about my cousin, Lacey?"

'At least it's a start,' Emily thought to herself before saying, "Is there something more to her?"

"Right now she's eight years old. I'm afraid the older she gets, the less thrilled I'll become about cheerleaders at pyramid games."

She reached over and gave him a playful punch on the arm, "Scott Tolan, you are impossible!"

Emily was feeling a strong sense of frustration with the man. She had opened up to him, and yet she felt there was something beneath the surface of this charming Colonial Fleet officer that had yet to bubble up. The charm of this man had kept her from pushing him, but the fuse of her patience burning out.

Scott said, "Listen Em, there are things I've kept locked inside. When I feel the time is right, I'll give you all you need to solve the great riddle of Scott Tolan." The look on her face must have betrayed her thoughts, but she was grateful for the reassurance – it being the water her fiery temper needed, prolonging her patience.

"Remember, us Graystones invented the Cylons? Compared to my family, being in the Tolan crime family isn't so bad." She saw his face tighten and began to worry that maybe she had gone too far and made light of whatever he had experienced as a result of being born into the Tolan family.

The rest of the trip neither of them spoke; it was as though a heavy silence had descended onto their conversation. He had removed his hand from hers to turn on the windshield wipers. Her hand remained vacant for several minutes, so she folded her arms across her chest, thinking very quietly. The silence remained until they turned down a gravel driveway and came up to Scott's childhood home.

For some reason Emily could never fathom someone painting the brick white. Why have brick and then paint it? This someone had decided it would make a nice addition to Scott's childhood home. The trim was a contrasting black, stark and plain. The steep roof had small windows with a massive central chimney protruding with three vents indicating multiple fireplaces, a real anachronism or a really old house. A large front porch extends along the length of the front of the house, which seemed to be completely enclosed by a hard exterior armor – like a certain man.

Scott got out of the car first, and walked over to open the door for her. Checking her appearance in the rearview mirror, she secured the wind-tousled hair that driving with the roof down caused. Her long red hair was a tangle of curls and strands that never stayed in place. In casual jeans and a simple black tank top, she stepped out of the car, her sandals showing off her painted toenails, matching her fingernails for a change. The heels on the sandals made the cobblestone walkway treacherous as she tottered up to the porch stairs, catching her heel several times. Thankfully, Scott was there to make sure she did not lose her balance and fall over. Emily thought for a moment that falling over could possibly break the tension, but dismissed the idea seeing the frown on his face.

Instead she turned her attention to admire the well-tended rose bushes that lined the area in front of the porch; she wondered what it would be like to have grown up here, to live in the country, away from the world. Sniffing at a flower on the nearest bush, she followed Scott up the stairs to the front door. Her mind wondered, following the winds of the trees and wilderness that surrounded her. She slipped from one game of hide and seek to staring at the sky and trying to figure out what the clouds are shaped like.

Being pulled from her vision of innocence, she stepped over the thresh hold. The whole entrance was a study in modest gentility, while there was just enough showing the imperfection of a loved home.

He pulled a key out of the front pocket of his jeans, and after using it, gently pushed the front door open.

"Mom, I'm home!" he called out.

Emily could not help but wonder if there was anyone home. The only light that seemed to be on was from a room off in the distance, and it appeared that all the shades on the first floor had been pulled. Even though it was afternoon and the sun shone brilliantly, it might as well have been the dead of night inside the Tolan house.

"Mom?" Scott shouted – still no answer. She could hear the elevation of stress in his voice, but that was the only clue to his anxiety.

The two made their way down the hallway, through the living room, and then down a short hallway to the left, into a seeming private study.

Emily had followed behind him, and was surprised when he suddenly bolted into the room. She ran in and saw him standing over the unconscious form of his mother. He had two fingers on her neck checking for a pulse. She lay on a couch with a picture frame resting on her chest.

Emily noticed the coffee table in front of the couch had a large bottle of booze, and a nearly empty glass filled with the same amber-colored liquor the bottle contained.

Scott slipped the picture frame out of her grasp and laid it on the coffee table next to the bottle. He then turned to Emily.

"She's fine, just unconscious. Wait outside and I'll come join you once I get her taken care of."

A protest began to form in her throat, but Scott shouted, "Just go!"

The protest left her as she backed away and ran out to the front porch. Emily was not quite sure how she felt at that moment. This was a side of Scott she had never seen. The front porch swing beckoned her as she walked forward and sat. It began to gently rock her back and forth. He was forceful, even a little rude – what happened to that charm he always brags about? Maybe his life here was not at all pleasant, perhaps worst than she had original thought.

Despite her musing, her burning curiosity managed to get the better of her as she quietly opened the front door and made her way back to the den where Scott's mother had been found. She could hear his voice upstairs, either on the second or third floor of the house. At least they were there and not down here on the ground floor.

Walking to the coffee table, she let her fingers take hold of the picture frame Sylvia Tolan must have been looking at before she lost consciousness. It looked like a professional photo, done in some sort of portrait studio. Emily saw a happy family, with two very young boys. Recognizing Scott became easy after looking at the picture long enough; he seemed to be about two years old. His blue eyes were bright with happiness and his smile seemed to suggest that he was cute and knew it. That same cocky attitude had followed him, but not in a bad way.

Looking up at the mantle above the fireplace Emily saw the pictures of Scott's father. She took her attention back to the man in the picture on the coffee table. He looked pale and seemed to have shrunk in size from the man he had been in the picture on the mantle. His hair also did not seem to be quite right, as though he was wearing a hairpiece of some sort.

Emily remembered reading the background report on Scott; his father had died of cancer back when he was two-years old. Looking at the picture caused a growing feeling of sadness to sink in. This was probably the last family picture of the Tolan's ever took, and would explain why Sylvia held it in such high regard. The thought began to weigh heavily on her mind – half of the people in the picture had passed away. One to cancer and the other to gang violence; how cruel life is. Taking so many, just because fate can. She was surprised that Scott had not turned completely evil. So many other men have fallen victim to fate and then turned vengeful. It claims countless numbers out of spite.

Emily walked out after about ten minutes of looking at the various pictures and mementos in the house. There was a silent wish inside her that looking at these various items would give her greater insight into the man she had fallen for.

Once again the porch swing summoned her, and another twenty minutes or so passed until Scott walked out of the house.

Gradually Scott made his way to her, closing the door behind him. Emily locked eyes with him and she swore she could feel the intense storm of emotion in his piercing blue eyes. She now stood next to him and could see his hands gripping the rail tightly, his eyes staring off into a faraway place. She could see the conflict on his face and so she moved her fingers over his white knuckles.

"Here are some things about me I never told you: I was engaged once to a girl from Canceron. Her name was Alyssa Wenutu…the first woman I believe I ever loved. Our careers pulled us in different directions, and in the end we went our separate ways." He could see her eyes grasping the meaning of his statement and he knew that if she tried to dissuade him that he would have no choice but to listen.

"Scott…," Emily said softly, but he kept talking knowing that he must. He slide his hand out from under hers, trying to concentrate and get his message through.

"My older brother died protecting me from a drive-by shooting, and to this day I wonder why I was spared and he wasn't. My father died of cancer when I was only two. My mom would tell me stories about him, and that's all I have to go by because I don't remember anything about him. My fear is that I've grown up with an idealized version of my father in my head, and I'll never know the real man who helped bring me into this world."

Scott's gaze was still focused out towards the open fields that lay to the right of the house. "One day in the aftermath of my brother's death, I ventured downstairs when Mom thought I was asleep. I snuck down the stairs and could see that Mom was sitting in the den talking to my grandfather. I heard her tell him something that has stayed with me ever since."

Emily asked quietly, "What did she say?"

Scott let out a deep breath before repeating what he had heard, "Nothing will give me any peace. I've lost my husband and a son. I'll go to my grave without any peace over that."

She was going to say something, but he shook his head and spoke again. "I have a natural skill with flying a viper, I'm a decent shot with most firearms, and I can hold my own in a fight...despite all that I still haven't found any defense against Mom crying onto my shirt."

Emily looked at his green shirt, and realized that the wet spots she thought had come from the heat were actually a result of Sylvia Tolan crying. She had desired a more complete image of the man standing beside her, but now that she had it, a feeling of guilt washed over her. She began to realize that the public persona Scott projected helped to cover the pain he still carried. A pain that ran deeper than she could see and one she wished she could take away, even just a small part of it, to ease his burden, to help free him from his sorrow.

Not knowing what to do, she did the only thing she could think of. Her hand moved to his again and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She felt a sense of relief when he looked at her and gave her a smile, not pulling away this time. Though this was not his normal playful smile, this one contained nothing but affection for her; it was as though he was wordlessly telling her, 'Thank you.'

"Scott, what happened with your mom?" Her nerve returned and she hoped she would not regret asking the question.

"She went into town for a luncheon held by the VCW," he said as his eyes stayed fixed on the horizon.

"What's the VCW?"

"Veterans of Colonial Wars. My mom stayed in touch with some of my dad's shipmates from the Cylon War."

"I see… how does that explain what we saw in there?"

"She was talking with one of Dad's shipmates from the Columbia, and the conversation turned to things that had happened after the war. That's about all I got from her when she came to in there."

"It must have really upset her."

Scott nodded, "She let Lacey go over to a friend's house to stay the night. Once alone, Mom pulled out the bottle of booze and drank herself unconscious while talking to my dad and Andrew."

"I… I don't know what I can do for you. You're hurting. Gods, I wish I could take that away."

She voiced her earlier inclination.

He turned to face her, "Just being here with me now is plenty." His hand reached up and stroked her cheek, "That is more than enough."

She put her arms around his neck and leaned forward until her nose was almost touching his, and then she whispered, "Thank you, Scott, for trusting me with this."

As his lips pushed against hers, she left her eyes open for only a second to catch a glimpse of the smile in his eyes. An image that would keep her from death itself.

Present Day, Solace:

Emily Tolan's eyes fluttered opened, and her mental fog slowly began to clear. The pain medicine going through her body made it more difficult to come to than it normally would have. Her mind tried, but could not remember how many months it had been since the riots on the space liner Olympica had occurred. She tried to remember, but it seemed her mind was either unwilling or unable to give her that particular memory.

"Drink this," a faintly familiar voice said, holding a straw to her mouth. Emily raised her head slightly, then after taking a few sips her head lulled back onto the pillow.

Her eyes blinked again, trying to force herself to focus. "Scott?"

"Glad to see you haven't forgotten me," Scott Tolan said. Despite her current state, she looked like an angel to his eyes. Awake and full of life, completely beautiful.

"Not a chance." Emily smiled at him and realized there was a small gash on his forehead that had been stitched up. "What happened to your head?"

"Occupational hazard," he stated simply, smiling nonchalantly.

"I was remembering that first time you took me to Canceron…Hard to forget the Scott I saw that day." Her mental fog was not enough to block out the image she was recalling. His closed eyes, the way his lips turned up in the corners as their lips met – how he tasted, gods.

"Not something I try to show too often; you're in rare company."

"Scott, I don't know how long I have you here. How long till duty calls?"

"I'll take every second with you I can," he said as he leaned over and gently kissed her.

"That was a side of you I had never seen before," she persisted.

He smiled at her, "After ten years of marriage you've seen my good side, bad side, and the side that is just a bit to the left of sane."

"Were you scared?" she asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Scared when?" Scott asked.

"The battle you were in; Andie told me about Cosmora."

"Listen…" Scott began, "all battles are fought by scared people who'd rather be someplace else."

"Does that include admirals?" She started up at him with eyes that captured him.

He thought for a second before replying, "Yes."

There was a pause before Emily said, "I love you, Scott."

He took her hand in his and pulled it to his mouth, kissing it softly, "I love you too, Em; more than you'll ever know."

The pain medication took hold of her mind and forced unconsciousness upon her. Scott placed her grasping hand at her side and stood, forcing his stoic mask back into place.

Ostarsis Resistance Command Center:

"Well now, what have we stumbled upon?" Ensign Angela Rigel asked. The short raven-haired former Communications Officer of the Battlestar Kios was awed at what she was staring at.

"Find out," Commander Bridget Woods ordered, with a determination that had served her well in command situations.

Woods turned quickly, her long brown hair making a swishing motion as she headed back up the long corridor. In their complex system of caves, the central alleyway had been blocked by a large rock pile. They had finally managed to move the rocks out of the way; and a short distance down the dirt floor had turned into concrete.

Twenty-Five Minutes Later, Ostarsis Resistance Command Center:

Sharon Bonilla had begun the search as soon as her laptop booted up. The hotel above their cave complex still had power; and it provided a place to recharge the few electronic items they had left.

"Commander Woods!" she shouted. Even though she was not military, she felt the need to use Bridget Woods' rank whenever addressing her.

"What is it?" Bridget asked. She was followed into the room by Angela Rigel, Lt. Lamont Evans, and Neveah Ratliff.

"If what I'm reading here is correct, you may have stumbled upon the Kria Bunker!" Bonilla exclaimed, her eyes still fixed on the computer screen in front of her.

"You have my attention…care to fill me in on what the Kria Bunker is?" Bridget asked.

"About twenty-five years ago, when President Erickson was in office…" Bonilla began, referring to the two terms served by Aileen Erickson. "She awarded a government contract to an architect by the name of Rodger Kria. This contract was for him to design an emergency government shelter in case of a Cylon attack."

"How is it that none of us have heard about this?" Evans asked with a puzzled look evident on his face.

"Reading through these documents it seems the project was classified and given the dummy name of Operation Cervantes. Going by the information I've gleaned so far, the Kria Bunker was built here on Ostarsis; and we just discovered its existence."

"Very well then, what can you tell me about it?" Woods asked.

Bonilla brought up a list of information that she had compiled and began to go into detail. "The bunker was built into the side of the mountain where we found the cave system, and has a hidden set of blast doors for access from the surface. The underground seven-story bunker has practically everything required for an extended stay. The entire complex is equipped with airlocks for an independent atmosphere, fully redundant air handling/cooling systems, airtight rooms, electromagnetic pulse shielding to military standards, thick reinforced concrete subterranean construction, the ability to survive a 20-megaton nuclear blast at 5 kilometers, 100,000 liters freshwater reserve tank, Nuclear/Biological/Chemical (NBC) air filtration, and that's just the tip of the iceberg," Bonilla said after reading a partial list of the features of the Kria Bunker.

"If this is what we found, then we can abandon these caves and have a safer place to hide out until the rescue," Woods said, taking in the information about the bunker and mentally going over the logistics.

"What should we do now, Commander?" Rigel asked.

"I'm going to send a small group to explore the bunker more thoroughly. The last thing we need is to fall into a trap."

Thirty-One Minutes Later, Kria Bunker (Level One):

The original search party had returned from the bunker, giving the all clear. Now it was time to send a larger group to explore the bunker more thoroughly.

Bridget Woods and Neveah Ratliff found themselves on the first floor of the seven floor underground complex. The lights from their flashlights played along a well-maintained area that seemed to be some sort of living area.

"They thought of everything when they built this place!" Neveah exclaimed.

"They wanted to make sure they could live down here comfortably and it shows," Bridget said.

She spotted a set of black leather sofas and took a seat on one of them. "Have a seat, Nev. I'm going to rest for a minute."

Neveah did the same, taking a seat on the sofa opposite the one where Bridget sat.

"I know I'm being forward here, Commander, but how close are you with Admiral Tolan?"

Bridget was quiet for a moment before she responded. "He's been a friend, a mentor…Why?" she shrugged. In fact, ever since Bridget graduated from the Fleet Academy, they'd been close.

"It's got to be nice to have someone like that be a constant in your life."

"It's been nice, but there have been a lot of twists and turns along the way," Bridget said before deciding to open up more to the twenty-nine year old, former movie starlet. "It began with this night at Club Tavares not long before I was supposed to be married…"

Neveah listened intently and, when Bridget was done, asked, "If you knew you were going to get married then why did you go home with him?"

Bridget sighed and thought about it, "I suppose I wanted to be reckless for once in my life. Monique, my best friend at the time, was there encouraging me up until I left the club with Scott. It was just supposed to be a one-time thing, and Monique assured me that none of the girls in our group that night would tell on me."

Neveah nodded her head then asked, "How come the two of you never dated afterwards?"

Bridget smiled ruefully, "Rules…Scott Tolan is a higher-ranking officer; and my being a subordinate in the chain of command meant he could not have a romantic relationship with me."

"I just can't help but think that you should not to let a rule ruin your life."

"Don't worry; I managed to deal with my feelings for him. Besides, Scott is off the market for good now."

"He got married?"

Bridget turned to nod her head, "He's been married for a decade or so. He met a young woman by the name of Emily Graystone; and she managed to win his heart."

Neveah noticed the look on Bridget's face at the mention of that. "Last question on the subject, how much do you care about him?"

Bridget locked eyes with her, "More than I'm either supposed to or allowed to."

Neveah decided to try to change the subject, "What made you want to join the Fleet?"

"My parents pushed me in that direction somewhat. You're from a family that is well-known in the movie industry. My family was known in the political world."

"You'll have to forgive me; I never really followed politics."

Bridget smiled, "I won't hold it against you. My dad was Carlton Woods, the Virgon representative on the Quorum of Twelve. My mom was Jeanine Woods, the representative of Sardis in the People's Assembly. I grew up in Virgon politics since both of my parents had careers in that area. They had me educated on Caprica since that is where they spent most of their time."

"Alright, so how did that end up with you as a military officer?"

"A daughter proudly serving to protect the Twelve Colonies, I made a damn good piece of propaganda for them to use in their campaigns." Bridget smiled remorsefully at that bit of information.

The hand-held radio by her arm crackled with static, "Commander Woods, can you hear me?"

"This is Woods; what's going on?" she said in her business-like command voice.

"Mirza and I have finished our investigation of the bottom level," said Ensign Robyn Fulton, formerly of the cruiser Amulius and one of the few women rescued from the Cylon prisons in recent months. With her was Nazih Mirza, an engineer and electrician from the battlestar Dirae.

"Very well then, I'll get a SITREP from the other pairs and we'll meet here on Level One in approximately an hour. Till then, see if there are any generators that can be started. The air is a bit stuffy in here."

"Do you want to go back to the large creepy conference room we passed earlier?" Neveah asked. "It can easily hold the other twelve people with us here."

"Let's head back that way," Bridget said.

The two women got up from the sofa and headed down the hallway they had gone down earlier. One of the doors opened into a large conference room with a wooden oval-shaped table that could easily accommodate a large number of people.

The fourteen people had split up into teams of two. Bridget Woods and Neveah Ratliff had explored Level One, Lamont Evans and Angela Rigel explored Level Two, Darius James and Emil Velghe had Level Three, twin brothers Joseph and Jayson Sharpe had Level Four, Dr. Albert Tonkinson and Julia Nelson had Level Five, Walter Albrecht and Carlo Roma had Level Six, and Fulton and Mirza had Level Seven.

Sharon Bonilla had been considered a possibility for the mission, but it was decided that she should wait to hear from Major Shane Cornell and Colonel Jesse Quinn. They were the other two leaders of the Resistance; and they had gone on one last rescue mission in order to get as many people to safety as they could before the rescue attempt.

Olympica, Italus Lounge (E-Deck):

The lounge had been set aside for what was said to be a private meeting. In a way it was, as this was the most recent gathering of the group known simply as 'The Praetorium'. The small group of Colonial Fleet officers that were taking part in this clandestine meeting was here for the purpose of discussing their next course of action following the death of Commander Luke Hendrix.

"This meeting of The Praetorium is now in session," Jupiter announced from his spot at the head of the conference table in the room. He was the highest ranking officer and head of the group. As a rule, the members used code names for one another in order to safeguard their identities from any prying ears.

"We are at a crossroads now in our journey, and I fear we have a difficult choice to make," Saturn said as he locked eyes with all in the room.

"I agree with him. Due to the actions of Tolan and Carter, we must act to save the fleet and ourselves from these men," added Neria with a grim determination in her voice that left no doubt how she felt.

Orcus, otherwise known as Lt. Clint Jarvis, followed that statement with one of his own. "I was there when Carter gunned down Commander Hendrix in cold blood. He did not even give the man a chance to turn himself in and defend himself before a tribunal. I doubt you could even call it an execution; it was simply murder."

At this statement there were loud murmurs heard throughout the room as the seven members of The Praetorium leadership talked amongst themselves.

Battlestar Colossus:

The Admiralty gathered around the large display table in the War Room of the Colossus. The ship's commanding officer, Commander Dorian Mercer, and the various support staff stationed in the War Room were also present for the meeting.

Admiral John Kronus stood up from his chair and addressed the group. "We have begun planning the next phase of operations, namely the rescue of the prisoners held on Ostarsis. As of now, the plan has been codenamed 'Operation Downfall', and will be divided into two separate operations." He pressed a button and a map of the moon appeared on a digital screen behind him.

"The first phase is named 'Operation Olympic', and will focus on the planetary bombardment from our gunnery task forces. With the intel sent to us by Commander Woods, we can isolate the facilities where the prisoners are kept and weaken the Cylon defenses."

He pressed another button, and a new image appeared on the screen. "The second phase is named 'Operation Coronet', and will involve the actual invasion of Ostarsis. The plan is for all available battlestars to jump in, along with the troop transports, once the Cylon defenses have been neutralized. The two groups will be Admiral Carter's Battlestar Group 67 and reconstituted Battlestar Group 66 comprised of the Helios, Indra, and Colossus. All vipers and raptors will be launched for the purpose of defending the transports and escorting them down to the moon's surface as well. From there the combined Army/Marine forces will take out the Cylons on the ground with a coordinated assault with the Underground Resistance already in place."

Kronus opened the floor to questions and the first one came from Admiral Naomi Sakura. "What shall we do with our damaged battlestars? The Sphinx is a wreck, the Victorious took heavy damage at Cosmora, and the Achilles is in need of an extensive overhaul. What purpose will these battlestars have in the operation, and which Battlestar will serve as flagship for BSG 66?"

"Well…" Kronus responded, "The Victorious, Achilles, and Maytoria will serve as our backup force under the command of Admiral Jonasson. If we need them to, they will be prepared to jump at a moment's notice to Ostarsis to assist us. Until then they will be tasked, along with the cruiser Neleus, with defending the civilians in case the Cylons show up. As for the flagship question, I have already spoken with Admiral Tolan and he will be using Colossus as his flagship for the operation."

The next question came from Admiral Albert Morton, "What role will the Eastern Alliance have in this operation?"

"I have spoken with Magnus Ah-Mun already," Admiral Tyrone Carter said. "At present his people are at work settling in on the captured Cylon baseship. If all else fails, we will simply transfer the task of defending the civilians to them."

The next question came from Sakura, "Has there been a tentative date set for the operation to begin?"

Kronus shook his head, "For security purposes the exact dates will be kept secret. For now they will simply to be referred to as 'X-Day' and 'Y-Day'."

What would be the last question of the meeting came from Jonasson, "Have the Army and Marines come up with a chain of command for this? It's hard to imagine those two forces getting along for even an hour."

"I wouldn't worry about that; I've taken to steps to get General Hyde and General Maxwell talking," Kronus said with a sly grin on his face.

"With all due respect, Sir, what have you done?" Sakura asked.

"Right now our two generals are locked in the Officers' Wardroom here on Colossus, and will not be allowed to leave that room until they can resolve their differences and come up with a strategy for integrating their forces."

"Did you give them a time limit?" Morton asked.

Kronus nodded his head, "They've got 72 hours, and not a second more."

"Have they made any progress?" Carter asked. Without saying a word, Kronus pressed a button and after an initial burst of static the voices of Army general Alice Hyde and Marine general Otus Maxwell could be heard arguing over the combining of their forces. After a minute Kronus pressed another button and the speaker went silent, "Believe it or not that is progress. When I first put them in there they wouldn't even speak to one another."

Eastern Alliance Baseship, Magnus Ah-Mun's Quarters:

With the return from Cosmora, Magnus had kept his men busy at work on their newly won prize. Knowing it deserved a name, he chose "Revenge" for the former Cylon Baseship. The large vessel would easily house everyone from the Eastern Alliance, with plenty of room to spare. He had recently made the decision to strip all of his vessels of weapons and other items that would be needed onboard the Revenge. The former ships of the Eastern Alliance would then be turned over to the Colonial Fleet for whatever uses they deemed necessary. He had even bid farewell to his flagship, the old Battlecruiser Balius.With what he had now, he simply had no need for the vessel.

There was a knock on the door to his quarters; he looked up from his large antique desk and called for whoever it was to enter. He reached into the top drawer and rested his left hand on a small pistol he kept there as a precautionary measure. In walked the woman that had been taken into custody once the Baseship had been secured. She had given her name as Sasha Evans, and that she had been working for Hector Alonzo…against her will of course. "What can I do for you, Miss Evans?" Ah-Mun asked, with his distinctly proper Caprican accent.

"I was wondering if any decision had been reached about my… future," she asked as she strode across the room that had once been the private suite of Hector Alonzo.

"The Admiralty is very interested in having you promptly turned over to them. If I may say, they seem rather eager to have you in their company."

"Let's talk about that…," she began before sitting on the desk right in front of him. "They will kill me; I'm certain of it."

"From what they told me, you betrayed them to a militant peace group, betrayed them by joining up with the Cylons, and maybe even betrayed a man I was told you were having an affair with."

She leaned in close, "I only want to be involved with a winning team. I look for the best situation and I go for it. If the admirals believe they had the upper hand, then they are fools. You have a baseship under your command, you have power. I can be an asset to you, in some ways an asset to only you. Just give me asylum and I will show you just how grateful I can be." She leaned in closer, "Wouldn't the Pirate King like that?"

He pulled her to him and kissed her on the lips, "The Pirate King would indeed like that." He pulled away and looked at her, "Is this how you moved up the ranks before the attacks?"

She gave him a sly smile, "I didn't get where I did by shaking hands."

Forty-Five Minutes Later:

When they were done, Magnus had dressed and was preparing to leave the room when Sasha came up and wrapped her arms around him. "I assume we've made ourselves a deal?" He looked at her and smiled, "No." She was dumbstruck at first, but then with an incredulous voice asked, "What do you mean 'no'?"

"You made your case and did a fair amount of persuading, but I want to talk this over with the Admiralty first." He smiled at her and left the room, closing the door on a woman who was angry at him, but in no position to do anything about it.

Olympica, Governor David Rush's Suite:

"I am not amused, Mr. Rush!" Aurelia Gilliam said, with a voice that did nothing to hide her displeasure.

"I'm beginning to think that's a common occurrence for you," David Rush, governor of the civilian fleet, said.

"I am a member of the Quorum, Mr. Rush; I expect you to treat me with the respect due to a person of my stature."

"You are the representative of the Sagittarons, but I was elected to be the head of the civilian government," Rush calmly said to her, doing all he could to hide his annoyance.

Gilliam glared at him, "You were 'selected' by the military to serve as their patsy."

"I know you belong to the Federalist Party, while I'm a Nationalist and quite proud of it. Is this disagreement here simply because of our party affiliations?"

"You know quite well what the problem is." She said. Taking a moment to let that sink in, and then she began again, "General Alice Hyde should be nowhere near the military forces. She should be in chains awaiting a trial; my people demand justice for Iambe!"

"I understand your concerns." He said to her, knowing she referred to the Iambe Massacre on Sagittaron, where General Hyde used her Army forces to violently put down a protest on the orders of President Richard Adar.

"Don't you dare patronize me, we want justice for what our people suffered at her hands!"

"Right now she is one of two Army generals I have at my disposal, and she happens to be the higher-ranking one. Like it or not, the Cylons wiped out every general the Army had except for her and her second-in-command. Right now we need her – the Cylons have left me with no other option and it's as simple as that."

"That's it then? You're just going to condone her actions?"

"I never said that. I can't change anything from the past, but seven months ago the world as we knew it was turned on its head."

Gilliam turned to leave, "You may want to reconsider what should be done with General Hyde. The Quorum can work with you or against you. Think about it." She left the room before Rush could say anything in reply.

Victorious, Commanding Officer's Quarters:

Commander Andre Graystone sat at his desk going over paperwork, detailing the repairs that would have to be made to the Vic in the near future. His green eyes had a tiredness to them that had not been there before the Battle of Cosmora. His red hair was also slightly disheveled, giving the impression he had not slept in a while.

He looked at the clock mounted on the wall and realized he had a minute or so before the two officers he had sent for would arrive. A minute later the doors to his quarters opened and in walked Majors Celina Cruz and Anton Pontiere. They came to attention and saluted him. He returned the salute and told them to sit down. Each took a chair sitting in front of the desk.

"Majors, I have news that will have an effect on both of you. As you know, there are Executive Officer slots open on the Athena and here on the Victorious. The decision has been made that the two of you are to be promoted to the rank of Colonel effective immediately. As a result, one of you will take over as XO of Victorious and the other will fill the vacancy on the Athena."

"Thank you, Sir, but who gets which assignment?" Pontiere asked.

Graystone looked at Pontiere, "With all due respect to your outstanding service here on the Vic, I've decided to assign you to the Athena. You will have two hours to get your belongings together and be on the next raptor out."

Pontiere stood, shook Andre's hand, and thanked him for the opportunity before leaving the room.

When he was gone Cruz spoke, "I have a lot to say, but I can't quite find the words."

"We went through hell on Atlantia; I want an XO that I know I can work with. There's nobody I'd rather have as my right-hand than you."

She smiled at him, "You know you can count on me, Commander. I won't let you down."

"I have another appointment, so we will talk more once you have your belongings brought over from Atlantia."

Shortly after Cruz left, Andre's next appointment came in. Lt. Jamie Hamilton was promptly asked to take a seat. "You wanted to see me, Commander?" she asked.

"Yes I did. I have a couple of matters to discuss with you. One I think you will find pleasant, the other not as much."

"Well, Sir, with all due respect I'd rather have the bad news first," Hamilton said.

Andre nodded, "Very well. There's no way to separate these two issues. Your petition for adoption of the Project Theta babies has been approved. However, the two boys from the project were already adopted by a couple on the Ventura. With that said, you are awarded custody of the two girls. I am putting you on maternity leave immediately, you will be allowed six to eight weeks as per Colonial Fleet regulations."

Hamilton smiled, "Thank you, Commander…I appreciate that."

"I'd hate to lose a pilot, but the two girls are clones of you," Andre chuckled. "Considering Ravashol took your DNA from you without your permission for these tests…well it just surprises me that you would want these children."

"I understand, but the fact is that those babies are a part of me. They have my entire DNA, they're mine and it's as simple as that."

Jamie Hamilton left the CO's quarters and made her way to the pilot quarters to gather her belongings. Sitting at the table in the middle of the room was Captain Larsen "Magic" Banks, the Vic's current CAG and her boyfriend.

"I have some news for you," she said as she sat down at the table beside him.

"I do as well," Banks said.

"Really? In that case, you go first."

"You are now looking at the new Tactical Officer for the Victorious, not to mention I also became a newly minted Major. I found out from Commander Graystone earlier today. Until Captain Pittman recovers from that knife attack, we'll have a new temporary CAG."

Hamilton had heard scant details about what had happened to Captain Reese "Spartan" Pittman, she made a mental note to find out how he was doing when she got the chance.

"Who's going to be the new CAG?" she asked.

"A squadron leader from the Helios, Captain Rockwell Alston, has been selected to be the fearless leader of us pilots."

"I haven't heard of him; should be interesting to see how it plays out."

Banks took a drink of his water and said, "It should be, so what's your news?"

"I'm going to be a mom," she said, unprepared for Larsen Banks to promptly spit his water across the room at the mention of that piece of news.

Two Hours Later, Ventura, Michael Fowler's Quarters:

In the small sitting area of the suite, occupied by the Fowler family on the space liner Ventura, Michael Fowler sat talking with Aurelia Gilliam. In the early days, following the Cylon attacks, he had been elected as the new Vice President of the Colonies. With David Rush's decision to abandon the title of President and use 'Governor' in deference to Laura Roslin, Fowler had been relegated to the simple title of 'Lieutenant Governor'.

"Michael, you know you should have been the one to take charge of the civilians instead of Rush. For the life of me I will never understand why you chose not to fight for what was rightfully yours," Gilliam said after taking a sip of freshly brewed tea.

"It was far from simple. The fallout from the Alonzo scandal made me too 'radioactive' in the eyes of the military. There was no way to win that fight."

"What gave them such an edge against you?"

"They had all the guns."

"From one party member to another, we need a Federalist in charge of the government. The Nationalists are simply too dangerous to be given the reigns."

"Aurelia, you will hear no argument from me. What can we do about it though?"

Gilliam smiled at him, "I believe there are still avenues we can pursue to make the changes needed."

"There's no way the Quorum can depose a sitting president, even if that person no longer has the title, as in Mr. Rush's situation."

Gilliam was quiet for a moment, and then said, "I have read the works of Tom Zarek, a freedom fighter and a man who was imprisoned for standing up to the corrupt government of the Colonies. We must use any means necessary to create the change needed."

Fowler shook his head, "You're going into dangerous territory here."

Gilliam pressed on, "There are others on the Quorum who feel as I do toward Rush and the Admiralty."

"Think about this…," Fowler said; but Gilliam cut him off in mid sentence.

"You have General Hyde, who murdered my people back home simply for holding a peaceful demonstration. You have Admiral Kronus, who is too old to be a suitable frontline officer. Not to mention his lackey, Admiral Tolan, a man who is as ruthless as the rest of that family of gangsters he comes from." She saw that Fowler was about to say something, but did not give him the chance to speak. "Let's not forget that he assaulted Hector Alonzo, and we refuse to forget his threat to fire nuclear weapons at the Olympica,which would have killed thousands of innocent people."

"You are talking about plotting to remove the highest-ranking person in the civilian government of this fleet, and maybe even the highest-ranking military leaders. What will you accomplish by doing this?"

"We need the right people in power to make the decisions we know to be correct. We need good Federalists in the positions of authority. The Federalist Party is the party of progress, the one that looks to the future and knows the government can provide all the needs of the people. The Nationalists want a small government so the military can run roughshod over our basic rights; they are the party of the past and they know it." Gilliam tried to convey her conviction as best she could.

"Speaking in theory here, if I were to go along with this… just who on the Quorum would support you?"

"We have seven of the twelve positions filled by Federalists who would gladly support you. Though I have a request for you, a favor is probably more like it."

"If I were to go along with this plan, what would this favor be?"

Gilliam smiled at him, "Get Chris Alonzo away from the Colonial Fleet. I considered his father a friend, and I want him away from the influence of those warmongers."

Fowler had no intention of going along with the plans, but if he walked away from this, then he was certain Gilliam would take a different track to accomplish her goals. That would, more than likely, end up with him becoming a liability instead of an asset.

"I'll pull whatever strings I have to in order to make this happen," he said. This would give him a chance to give David Rush and either Admiral Kronus or Tolan a heads-up on this brewing plot.

Five Hours Later, Olympica, Aurelia Gilliam's Stateroom:

"When I told you to have well-exercised hands, you took that to heart," Gilliam said as she lay on the bed in her stateroom, her bare back being massaged by Eli Hunter. Hunter served as her aide and lover whenever she was in the mood.

"Considering the day you had, I thought it would be the proper thing to do;" Hunter said. He was thirty-four, only eight years younger than the Quorum representative he served.

"I needed this, Eli; I've had to do everything except draw a line in the sand."

"What brought this sudden change in you? Just the other day you were concerned with just trying to get along with David Rush. Now you're on some sort of vendetta."

Anyone else might have gotten a sharp rebuke from her, but she knew Eli had a tendency to keep her honest. "It's all due to General Alice Hyde. It was too much to ask the bitch to die in the Cylon attacks. She had to survive and make a return into my life."

"Iambe," Hunter stated, more fact than question.

"Every day that she lives and breathes the air of a free woman is a slap to the face of my people. She needs to be tried, convicted, and executed for murder. David Rush is too weak to see that happen."

"There is not much you can do about it. There are many more pressing things that need to be taken care of."

"Before I called you, I went and paid another visit to Rush. I got a majority of the Quorum to go along with me on several proposals that I think will be beneficial to our cause."

"Such as?" Hunter asked, wondering what this woman was starting.

Gilliam smiled and let out a contented sigh, "The immediate arrest of Alice Hyde, it should be carried out even as we speak."

"How did you convince Rush to go along with that?" He asked incredulously.

"I like to think he realized that it's better to have me as an ally than as an enemy. Not that it matters, I still want to take him down and replace him for good. I think he's agreeing to this simply to make me happy, and to tell you the truth…it is working."

"She's going to face a military court?"

She rolled over and looked him in the eyes, "No, she is going to receive a civilian trial."

"You do know how to play the game of politics," he admitted.

She sat up and kissed him, "I'm good at what I do."

Colossus, Wardroom:

Admiral Carter sat in the wardroom with Generals Hyde and Maxwell. Kronus had assigned him the task of helping along the negotiations. He had asked Kronus why he was chosen for it. The old war veteran informed him that the presence of the tallest, meanest looking Gemenese, he had ever met would help things along. It seemed to have done the trick; the generals had at last come to an agreement on combining their forces for the upcoming Ostarsis mission.

"I knew if we sat you two in here you'd come to an agreement." Carter said with more than a hint of satisfaction.

"Admiral Kronus locked us in this room, posted two guards at the door to make sure we stayed here, and threatened dire consequences if we did not find a way to work together." Hyde said.

"His methods may have been a bit…harsh, but I prefer to look at the big picture," Carter said.

Before anyone could speak, the voice of the ship's communications officer came over the loudspeaker informing him that he had an incoming call from David Rush. He went over to the wall and picked up the receiver.

"Carter," he said tersely, wondering what could be going on.

"Admiral Carter, I wish I could say that this was a pleasant call to make."

"Don't start talking like a politician…Tell me what's going on."

There was a pause before Rush said, "Aurelia Gilliam, the Sagitaron member of the Quorum of Twelve, has been making a lot of noise about General Hyde. She's been trying to stir up trouble, and basically throw a wrench into your plans."

"Understood; now what is the point?"

"In order to pacify her, I'm going to have to arrest General Hyde and put her through a civilian trial for what happened during the Iambe Protests."

Carter felt the dull ache in his head growing more severe, "You have got to be kidding me!"

"Calm down, Admiral; there is more to this story. I have it own great authority that Miss Gilliam is planning a coup. Until I can get concrete evidence of this, I need to throw her a bone."

"Hyde is the bone that will pacify her?" Carter asked, with more than a hint of skepticism in his voice.

"I'm afraid it is just what I need. I've already spoken with Olympica Security; and they will hold her until her trial begins. That will also be on the Olympica, and it will be a civilian court as opposed to a military one."

"I don't like this; I'm sure Kronus won't either." Carter said, not making an attempt to mask his irritation.

"I know, and I don't expect you to. If I can mollify the opposition until you get this rescue mission of yours underway, then that would accomplish something."

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?"

"I'm reassigning Chris Alonzo; he will now head the staff of Lt. Governor Fowler."

"Can I ask why?" Carter hoped that it was not something Chris Alonzo had asked for. The young man had been nothing short of a punk when he first reported for viper training onboard the Sphinx. Since then he had become a model officer, and had finally turned the proverbial corner.

"Michael Fowler is my source of information. If Gilliam thinks he is willing to play ball with her plans, then that will help to set her up before she can cause some real damage."

He began to feel as though he had no choice in the matter, "I'll play ball with this; just let me get the general transferred to the Olympica."

Carter said nothing, simply slamming the phone down and exhaling a deep breath that in no way hid the sense of anger and frustration he was feeling.

"Admiral Carter, I take it the news is bad," Alice Hyde said.

"That's putting it mildly."

Victorious, Sick Bay:

Lacey Tolan knocked on the door to the room, wondering if the person inside was still asleep.

"Enter," she heard a voice say. Opening the door, she walked in to see Chris Alonzo sitting up in his bed, a book in his hands looking about half-read.

"Chris!" she said taking in the bruised face that barely looked like the young man she had come to know.

"Hey, Lace! I was hoping you'd come and see me. Believe me, it look worse than it feels."

She pulled up a chair and sat down, "It looks pretty bad…I didn't think I would ever see you again." Lacey grabbed desperately at his arm, holding it tightly.

"Just having you here brings tears of joy to my eyes. That may have been over the top, but I was thinking of you a lot."

"Not to get too mushy, but I really missed you and I couldn't help be worry my brains out over you, especially when I heard you had been kidnapped by the Cylons."

"Yeah…I don't really want to talk about that right now."

She gave him a reassuring smile, "Alright then, what do you want to talk about?"

"Michael Fowler came by here to visit me…He offered me the job of being his personal assistant. Considering he's the Lt. Governor that may not seem so important; but I think he's trying to do it as a favor because of who my father is."

"Are you going to take it?" Lacey asked, rubbing her fingers over his arm lightly, drawing circles on his skin with fire.

"There is a part of me that wants to take it. Right now that part is winning. I cannot begin to tell you what I went through with the Cylons, I honestly don't know if my head is still in this. I took an oath to the Colonial Fleet, but can I still uphold it to the best of my abilities. Sorry Lace, I'm just feeling confused right now."

She reached over and held his hand, "If I could kiss it and make it all better, Chris, I would do it in a heartbeat."

He seemed to force a smile, "Well, there are parts of my face that still hurt."

She had to suppress a laugh, imagining many cheesy movie scenes that had followed this direction, "Alright, you tell me where it hurts and I'll kiss it better."

Chris pointed to his forehead and she stood up and gave him a kiss there. He then pointed to his right cheek and she gave him a kiss there as well. Before he could point anywhere else on his face she kissed him on the lips, remembering this feeling that she thought she would never experience again.

When they parted he said, "I didn't point there."

Running her index finger over his bottom lip, she smiled at him, "I know you didn't; but it was going to lead there."

The smile that came to his face was not forced, but mischievous. Seeing it spread to his eyes, she leaned down and planted another on him.

Ostarsis, Dia Griene Hotel:

"The plan worked!" Number Five, more commonly known as Aaron Doral, exclaimed.

"That's great! At least we've had a plan work like it was supposed to, and it only took you how many months to pull it off?" Number One said sardonically.

"We discovered where that resistance cell is hiding at – We've been waiting for this!"

"Well, don't leave us in suspense any longer!" One shot at him.

"The prisoner you released led us right to them, just as you had hoped she would."

"Are we going to recapture them?" Number Eight asked.

"They could be valuable for my research," Four stated.

"We'll find more humans for that; we're just going to kill them and be rid of them once and for all," One said, before waving his hands in the direction of the centurions by the door to the conference room. "Well what are you waiting for? Go crush, kill, and destroy with extreme prejudice!"

"I'll go with them," Five said, getting up and heading off to go lead the attack.

Fifty-Two Minutes Later, Ostarsis Resistance Headquarters:

"That's the last of the supplies," Shane Cornell announced to Jesse Quinn and Bridget Woods after his inspection of the caves that had been their homes for the past seven months.

"Everyone has been accounted for. I think we're ready to set up in the bunker until help arrives," Quinn said.

Bridget was going to add in her two cubits when a loud explosion rocked the outside of the cave. She looked and through the dust saw a glimpse that horrified her.

"Cylons!" she shouted, backing away from the entrance.

"Come out and you won't be harmed!" a male voice announced.

"Woods, get in the bunker and seal the doors!" Quinn ordered.

"Like hell!" Woods exclaimed.

"Listen, the Cylons are about to come through the cave entrance. One of us can hold them off while the other sets the explosive charges to seal this cave. We cannot let them discover the bunker."

Woods was about to speak, but realized it was the best chance the Resistance had. Wordlessly, she nodded and ran towards the bunker doors. She looked back when she reached the hallway and Quinn had begun exchanging fire with the Cylons while Cornell wired the firing charges into the master remote. She made eye contact with Cornell and he nodded to her. She made it to the door, closed it behind her, and waited as a deafening boom resounded outside. The sound of tons of debris falling down came next. Bridget pressed herself against the door, unable to move and breathing heavily.

There was still one way in and out of the bunker, but it could only be used one time for risk of the Cylons discovering it. For however long it took the Colonial Fleet to come to their rescue, the Kria Bunker was their home and there was no leaving it anytime soon.

Dia Griene Hotel:

"The Resistance has been destroyed," Five reported.

"How can you be sure?" Six asked.

"We unloaded enough artillery into that cave to obliterate it. Whoever survived our attack will have no chance."

"Great work! Though I'd be more impressed if I hadn't have had to do all the legwork for you. You spent all these months telling me that you could find the Resistance without my help. Looks like I was right after all." One exclaimed, a satisfied smile coming to his wrinkled face.

"Do you think we've kept our guests waiting long enough?" Four asked.

"I suppose we have. Go ahead and send them in."

A second later the door opened, and in walked Admiral Kimmel and Hector Alonzo.

"Not only did you lose a baseship, but you lost the battle to the Colonial Fleet. I would think that you'd have a bit more success against three battlestars," One said with ill-hidden condescension.

"We had the battle won. The last thing we expected was for reinforcements to arrive," Hector said, hoping to defend his actions during the battle.

"How big were the reinforcements?" Four asked.

"Big enough, Brother," Kimmel said to his fellow Four.

"You have a chance to redeem yourselves," One declared. "We have your reports from before you left the Fleet, and we have concluded that the Colonials will attack Ostarsis. The two of you will take the remaining baseships, and lead a defensive taskforce to welcome our guests."

"We'll finish the job this time!" Hector said.

"For you sake, I hope so." One said with more than a hint of menace.

(Author's Note: With that we end Volume Two. I know there were some plotlines left open, but I can assure you that they will come into play later on. Volume Three will mainly deal with the rescue of the prisoners from Ostarsis, and I hope it does not disappoint. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story, those who have helped me with editing, and those who have left reviews. Expect the first chapter of Volume Three around the end of December or mid-January at the latest. )