Hermes vs. Victorious :
Written by: Wes Imlay
Chapter One: Let the Games Begin
Delphi, Caprica:
One Year Before the Fall:
Rear Admiral Scott Tolan, flag officer of Battlestar Group 66, sat in his office at the Creswell Building. The building served as the base of operations for the different battle groups that the Colonial Fleet deployed in defense of Caprica. The different groups operated on a six month deployment, right now his group was standing down for six months. He had another month to go until he would take his battle group back to its patrol of the area around Caprica.
There was a knock at the door, and Tolan looked up to see who his visitor was. He recognized the man and stood up, "Admiral Wilson, how can I help you?"
Vice Chief of Fleet Operations Adm. Robert Lee Wilson, the man who followed Admiral Peter Corman in the hierarchy of the Colonial Fleet, walked in and motioned for Tolan to sit down.
"Admiral Tolan, I hope I'm not interrupting you," Wilson said as he shook Tolan's hand before taking a seat.
"Not at all Admiral, I'm just going over some paperwork in preparation for the deployment next month."
"Ah yes, that is what I came to talk to you about," Wilson said as he produced a medium-sized brown envelope from the briefcase he carried.
"What do you have in mind?" Tolan asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"We have a war game coming up next month, this one is going to take place on the outer edge of the Taussig Nebula on the opposite side of the Glennon War Memorial," Wilson said as he handed over the envelope. The Battle of Glennon was one of the pivotal battles of the Cylon War; it would make sense to hold the war game on the opposite side of the large nebula where it would not interfere with traffic to the war memorial.
"I'll make sure to have BSG-66 ready for action, can I ask who I'll be facing?"
"Of course, your opponent will be Rear Admiral Miriam Kraus of BSG-58."
Two things that piqued his interest in the war game he was to take command in, the idea of having to face the battle group one of his best friends commanded a ship in and the flag officer of that fleet had a relationship with him that was decidedly less than friendly gave an added level of intrigue that had not been there previously.
Caprica
The lines of teachers stood outside the doors to Wilson Elementary School for the third consecutive day. Artimus Bowman sat in his red Scorpia Sierra watching as the Teachers continued their striking action. There was one teacher in particular who was causing more of a ruckus than all of them; his own wife Brooke Bowman.
Brooke stood on the steps above all the other teachers who were waving their placards and cheering her on as she continued to give her speech about improving standards in the school. Wilson, like most other schools on Caprica, had allowed the quality of equipment to fall to almost inadequate levels for several years and finally the teachers had had enough. Much to his own dismay it was Brooke who had organized this strike.
As he watched the events unfolding his eyes glanced over at the Police cars that had assembled across the street to keep an eye on things. Similar protests at other schools had turned violent and the Police were out in force to make sure this one didn't turn the same way. If it did then he knew that Brooke would be in their sights since she was the most visible member. He didn't know how he would react if he saw his wife being dragged aside by Police officers but he suspected the newspapers would read somewhere along the lines of 'Battlestar Commander arrested for assaulting Police officers'. So far however the protests remained loud but not aggressive.
There was a sudden ringing from inside his jacket pocket. Artimus reached inside and produced his phone before pushing the answer button and saying, "Hello?"
"Please hold for Rear Admiral Kraus," said a voice. There was a brief pause before a rather stern woman's voice said, "Commander Bowman?"
"Yes Admiral," replied Artimus who at that same moment noticed that the Principal of Wilson Elementary had appeared from inside the building and was talking to Brooke. The Principal was not on the side of the protesters. She was too cowardly to upset the Mayor of Caprica City and risk her job. Artimus could see her pleading with Brooke to end the strike but he could tell that his wife was adamantly refusing.
"You know Scott Tolan personally don't you?" asked Kraus.
"Uh, yes Admiral," said Artimus whose eyes were still watching what was going on across the street.
"Then you might enjoy this. Our Battlestar Group has been summoned to take part in a series of war games with BSG-66. What do you say to that?" Artimus didn't know what to say. His mind was too busy trying to figure out what was going on with Brooke. "Commander?"
"Uh, yes Admiral. War games with BSG-66," stuttered Artimus.
"Since you know Tolan personally I was wondering if you knew him professionally. I have a feeling you maybe our ace-in-the hole on this one."
"I'll do my best Admiral," said Artimus.
"I'm sure you will. There is a briefing aboard my flagship at 0800 CMT tomorrow. I expect to see you there."
After saying good bye he hung up the phone just as Brooke began walking over to him. It had just passed 3pm and the teachers, who were protesting during school hours, were beginning to disperse. She climbed into the car quite excited and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.
"What was that all about?" asked Artimus.
"Good news," she said with a smile beaming across her face. "They're willing to meet with us again. We might finally be breaking through to them." Artimus just nodded as he started the engine. "Everything alright?"
"I don't want to talk about it again," he said to her. Brooke's protesting had been the cause of much 'debate' amongst the two of them over recent weeks. He feared that even if the teachers got their way then there would still be repercussions for her career. He was afraid she was throwing everything she had worked for away. He understood and sympathized with her cause but it was only natural for him to worry about her.
Battlestar Hermes BS-58
The Jupiter-class battlestar Hermes was the flagship of Admiral Miriam Kraus, the flag officer of Battlestar Group 58. Artimus Bowman was there since Hermes was his command. Also joining in the meeting were Commander Louis Goldsborough of the Triumph, Commander Sonia Bradley of the Avenger, Commander Joseph Boyd of the Avaris, and Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook who was in charge of the cruisers, faststars, and the other vessels in the battle group.
"As you all know by now, our battle group has been selected to take part in a series of war games against BSG-66," Kraus began as she hit a button that turned on a projection screen on the far wall, "These are our opponents, some of the names of the ships might sound familiar," Kraus pointed out the names of the four battlestars listed: Victorious, Helios, Sphinx, and Atherstone were listed along with a list of the various cruisers, faststars, and corvettes.
"Who are the officers we need to concern ourselves with?" Boyd asked.
"The main ones are the two admirals, Rear Admiral Scott Tolan and Rear Admiral Aylen Shikoba. Tolan is the overall flag officer of the battle group. Shikoba is in charge of the cruisers and other vessels that are tasked with protecting the battlestars. As for the three other battlestars; Helios is commanded by Commander Issac Gates, Sphinx is commanded by Commander Tyrone Carter, and Atherstone is commanded by Commander Robin Ladd," Kraus hit a button and the image disappeared off the screen.
"Admiral you mentioned that Commander Bowman is a friend of Admiral Tolan's, do you believe he can give us the insight needed to defeat him?" Goldsborough asked.
Bowman glanced over at Goldsborough with a raised eyebrow. He had been Commander of Hermes for only a short period of time and was still an outsider during these briefings. Nevertheless he felt it the height of rudeness to be talked about as if he were not in the room.
"Oh yes he is our secret weapon on this particular assignment," Kraus said with a gleam in her eye that gave away how much she was relishing the thought.
"In that case, I would love to hear what insights he has to offer. I already know that I can take Shikoba's cruiser forces," Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook said.
"Out of curiosity, what do you know about Shikoba?" Kraus asked her fellow flag officer.
"She's a student of artillery, and knows how to use tactics taught to us at the Academy. The problem is that she has been reported to be a by-the-book type of leader, and that is where I believe her fatal flaw lies. I've used the rule book as a guideline of sorts and tried to use tactics that most commanders would not expect. I read that she was a top student at Abry Military Academy but she can be defeated," Sherbrook said, though his dislike at Abry graduates was obvious. There were three military academies in the Twelve Colonies; Abry Military Academy on Caprica, Aquaria Military Academy on Aquaria, and the Colonial Fleet Academy on Picon. These were the schools that provided the officers that made up the Colonial Fleet. The three schools had a fierce rivalry and at times it showed even after graduation.
"Shikoba should be easy then," Bradley surmised by the comments Sherbrook had made.
"That she is, but the key here would be to leave her alone and work on destroying Tolan," Kraus began as a smile came to her face, "Take him out of the war game and command should fall to her, we can concentrate on Victorious and take it out first and from there we can focus on eliminating the other ships one at a time."
"Taking Tolan out might not be the best course of action right away," Bowman said as he drew stares from the other officers. There was some hesitance in his voice as he spoke. It was an odd feeling for him to be talking tactics aimed against his friend and in some ways it tasted as bitter as treachery.
"Is this your friendship getting in the way?" Goldsborough asked.
"Not in the least bit. Admiral Kraus, judging by what I've seen so far you have an interest in knocking Tolan out of the game early," Bowman said and when he saw a slight nod from Kraus he continued, "He'll be expecting you to come for him, and he'll use that to lure you into a trap. Something about Tolan, he's a capable Commander in the field because he knows how to play the politics and psychology of war as well as conventional tactics. Tolan fights like a boxer," explained Bowman who allowed himself a slight smile as the numerous sparring sessions the two had enjoyed came back to mind. "He will dance around you at first trying to get into your head and see what your motivation is, what are your strengths, your weaknesses but he knows how to implement a plan around people's weaknesses. If he thinks you're gunning for him first then he can lure you into a trap and it could easily be the end."
"Alright Bowman, so we just fight our way through just to take him out?" Bradley asked.
"No, we just let him stay in the fight until the chance comes to eliminate him. There are three other battlestars and the assortment of support vessels whose sole purpose is to keep the battlestars from being lost. We need to just treat this like it's another mission and the pieces should fall into place for us. If we treat this like we're on a mission to take out one person then it's going to end badly for us. Tolan's not a fool, I've seen and heard what happens when a person underestimates him," Bowman said, wondering just what effect his words were having on those in the room. "If we concentrate on Victorious then he will play on that, probably by putting Victorious in a vulnerable spot knowing we will go for him. He would probably then use his other ships to swoop in on us once we are committed."
"That will be all Commander Bowman, when I need further advice from you I will let you know. In the meantime we shall proceed with eliminating Victorious as our number one priority…" Kraus began as the rest of the officers looked at a detailed plan of how they would use their combined forces to destroy the Victorious before turning their attention to the rest of the battle group.
'Wow Scott, she really does not like you," Bowman said thought to himself as he listened to the plan with a sense of dread. When this meeting was over he'd have a twenty-four to forty-eight hour window before they would officially deploy. If it was not for the fact that this was a fictitious war game he would have some legitimate concerns about Kraus' ability to lead a force the size and strength of a battlestar group. His problem was, however, that he was a new face in BSG-58. He hadn't had his opportunity to prove himself yet and worse still was the fact that he came to the job of Commander of Hermes on the back of a recommendation from Scott Tolan who clearly wasn't on good terms with Kraus.
Bowman felt he still had a long way to go.
Delphi, Caprica
Bowman Residence
Brooke Bowman stirred from her nap and looked at the time, it was almost two in the afternoon and still nothing from Artimus. She knew he had a briefing this morning, but then he said he had another stop to make before he came home. She reached for the phone beside her nightstand and took the phone off of the base, and began entering the numbers for Artimus' mobile phone.
"Hey baby!" Artimus said after the first ring.
"Hey honey, where are you?"
"I'm on the Caprica-Delphi Expressway, Scott and I am on our way to Elon's Bar for a drink."
"Whose vehicle are you in and who's driving?" Brooke was sure she knew the answer, but wanted to make sure of it.
"We're in the Aulich and this time Scott insisted on driving," Artimus said followed by an exclamation to Tolan to look out where he was going.
Brooke shook her head, the Aulich was the blue and white convertible sports car produced by the Samara Motor Company and it cost plenty in cubits. Apart from his father's truck that he had restored, Brooke knew it was Scott Tolan's pride and joy when he was on Caprica. He was not afraid to let Artimus drive it unless they were in a hurry and based on the conversation going on between him and Scott; it was clear who was doing the driving.
"For the love of the Gods Scott, do you have to do three consecutive lane changes?" Artimus screamed followed by a frightened yell. Yes, it was par for the course when Scott Tolan had an open road and a high speed limit.
"Artimus I love you and know that I am saying a prayer for you in many languages," she said in an attempt to reassure him.
"Thanks baby…do you have to get so close to them when you overtake them…sorry Brooke, love you to!" Artimus said as the connection went dead.
Brooke just shook her head and wondered why her husband would agree to be the passenger in a sports car driven by a Viper pilot who had a thing for speed.
Caprica City-Delphi Expressway:
Artimus Bowman ended the call and put his phone away and looked over at Scott, "Tell me; just how fast you are going?"
Scott looked down at the speedometer, "Maybe five over the limit, there's no big rush…"
The two men started laughing at the earlier display of theatrics Artimus had put on when Brooke had called him, in truth Scott Tolan was driving relatively slow on a stretch of the Expressway that was experiencing light traffic for this time of the day.
The thought came to Bowman that it had been a couple of years now since the wreck Tolan had been in back on Picon, when he was the head of the Bureau of Ships. He had lost control of his vehicle, in this case his prized pickup truck, and was seriously hurt. Tolan blamed it on an animal that ran into the road and caused him to lose control. Ever since then though, Scott Tolan had lost some of his eagerness to push the speed of his car to the limits.
Delphi, Caprica
Bowman Residence
Brooke was in the process of fixing a sandwich when the phone began to ring, she thought it was Artimus calling but the caller id showed a familiar name and number.
"Hey Em!" Brooke exclaimed when she picked up the phone.
"Hey Brooke, enjoying your weekend so far?" Emily Tolan asked.
"I'm waiting for the next proposal to come in from the government, but it's not looking too promising at the moment. President Adar seems ready to come down on us with an iron fist," Brooke said as she sat down in one the chairs in the living room.
Emily tutted. "That man is a frakking idiot, excuse my language. Listen, Andie and I are going out for a late lunch if you'd like to come join us."
Brooke thought for a moment and realized that she was talking about her sister, Lt. Andrea 'Artemis' Graystone, who would have been a Captain or Major by now if she was not such a disciplinary problem for her officers. She was now under Scott's command on the Victorious and one of his top pilots.
"Will the kids be there as well?" she finally asked.
"The kids are spending the day with my parents so it'll be just us girls," Emily said. Her parents were Alfred and Regina Graystone, a distant relation to the part of the family tree that belonged to Daniel and Amanda Graystone; two names universally associated with the creation of the Cylons.
"In that case we have a date, though I have no idea what sort of business Scott and Artimus are on," Emily admitted.
"Our husbands have some sort of meeting going on, and there's no telling how long they'll be out. However I can guarantee you that if he's not going to spend his last night of shore leave at home with me then he'll find the couch quite comfortable the next time he gets leave," Brooke said knowing that it would not happen since her husband always made it a point to spend time with her before he deployed.
"Scott is the same way, but don't get the idea he'll ever admit to it. I'm sure whatever is going on we'll hear about it when we lift the 'No talk about work' rule that we had to put in place with them two," Emily said.
"Yeah, though with all the recent events involving the teacher's strike it's nice that the rule can work both ways whenever we want it," Brooke said before looking at her watch, "I have to get ready to go, I'll meet you and Andie over at your place," Brooke said as she ended the phone call.
Elon's Bar:
The day at Elon's Bar in downtown Caprica City was devoted strictly to Aerilon country music, a live band played in the background though the two Colonial Fleet officers were busy watching the game of Pyramid being played on the large television near the bar.
"Who are you pulling for?" Tolan asked Bowman.
Artimus Bowman thought for a moment before saying, "I have to go for C-Bucs on this one, got to support my home colony."
"Gemenon United looks like a tough team this season, most analysts say that the addition of Leroy has bolstered their offense," Tolan said in reference to the arrival of Leon Delroy. This was his first season back in the Colonial Pyramid Association after spending the past two years in the upstart National Pyramid League with the Leonis Red Wings
"Please don't get me started on that frakwood," Bowman nearly spat in disgust.
"Here you were telling me you never thought about Neveah Ratliff."
"It's not like that, we still keep in touch every now and again," explained Artimus referring to the actress he had met aboard the Battlestar Cerberus.
"Really," said Tolan jokingly. "You kept that quiet."
Bowman ignored the teasing quip from his friend.
"And of course I hear about her career from the TV and all that. It's just thats the idiot on the screen there did her wrong. And while we are on the subject; you know, I never found out the names of those three movie actresses you dated."
Tolan was quiet for a moment, "Artimus, let's not go talking about something so inconsequential."
"For all the times you've put me in a situation that I didn't want to be in, it's only fair that I turn the tables on you," Artimus grinned in devilish delight as he took a sip of his beer.
"Damn it," Tolan said before adding, "Do the names Alya Tabassum, Celine Junia, and Catarina Merab ring a bell?"
"They do, wasn't Tabassum in 'The Cursed Boat' with Nev?" Bowman asked.
"That would be the one; she played the role of 'Daniella Morales'. We dated for about seven months before she decided to call it off. I can honestly say the three of them dated me because of the Basileus. I'm sure it gave the tabloids something to talk about."
"Indeed, hey here's the ass on the screen now with a sideline reporter," Bowman motioned towards the large television.
"This is Caryn Robbins with Gemenon United team captain Leon Delroy. Now Leon, what are your feelings about returning to the CPA with Gemenon?"
Delroy was in his uniform now with his signature pair of dark shades hiding his eyes from the camera. His cocky demeanor was having no trouble showing itself, "Well Picon for one did not know what to do with a talent such as yours truly, and that upstart National Pyramid League showed what a bunch of backwoods losers they were by not surrounding me with talent that was on par with my level or at least close to it. Gemenon saw a good thing and they went for it."
"What about the reports that you told the Caprica Buccaneers that they're offer, which was five million cubits less than Gemenon's was a slap in the face. Can you elaborate on that?"
"Look, a player of my skills deserves to be treated with respect. Gemenon showed me that respect while Caprica spat in my face with their paltry offer of a contract. Let me make one thing clear, it's not about the money. It's all about the respect."
"Speaking of respect, what about your comments that Buccaneers' captain Samuel T. Anders was 'A washed up old man whose best days were behind him'," Robbins broached the question not knowing of Delroy would rise to it.
"What can I say; sometimes you have to speak the truth even though it hurts. I'm going to make it a point to show Anders that he doesn't belong on the sidelines of a professional pyramid game," Delroy said as he walked away from Caryn Robbins.
"Can you believe this guy? What a frakwood!" Tolan exclaimed incredulously. It was a comment Bowman could not help but nod in agreement with.
"I know I'm not supposed to ask but, what's going on with our ships today?" Bowman asked.
"As we speak technical teams are swarming over our ships putting in sensors and things of that nature to simulate battle damage and casualty reports. It's being led by a Miss Gina Inviere. Also because of the war games the deployment for BSG-66 is being moved up so that we can tangle with you while you're still on your deployment. I'm sure by now Admiral Kraus has tried to get you to reveal my weaknesses so they can be exploited."
"She did, and I told her to load an Army transport ship up with beautiful red heads and you'd be powerless to stop us," Bowman said with a straight face.
"You are a traitor, that's all there is to it. To think, I was going to let my wife spend time with you and Brooke while I was deployed," Tolan said in mock indignation.
"That could still happen if you don't mind Em trading up while you're away," Bowman said as he fought to keep from laughing.
"You know Artimus, I'm going to feel a sense of sadness as I blow up the Hermes. After that the indigestion will pass and I'll feel like my old self again," Tolan said as he held up his beer in a salute.
"Likewise Scott, I've only dreamt of this for the past near six years," Bowman said as he raised his mug of beer to return the salute. "But before you bring my head home on a pike just remember this; Commander Bowman has never lost!"
"You won't enjoy it half as much as Kraus will if she wins."
Bowman appeared thoughtful before saying, "Yeah, she really does not like you and has no qualms about letting people know."
"That's been going on for years now, all because of the Vanguard. I was selected over her, and she had to spend another year as XO of the Furious. I think she's dreamt of these war games more than she's dreamt of sex with her husband, and I don't even want to know if that's true or not."
"You do realize I have to be in the CIC with her while this is going on, that comment will haunt me now," said Bowman dryly. Tolan knew that Bowman was quite a reserved person and took perverse pleasure in making him feel awkward with such discussions.
"You're welcome, got to find an edge somehow," Tolan said with that near smile that showed how much he was enjoying playing these type of mind games.
"Who is the admiral administering the war games?" Bowman asked, not wanting to escalate the banter too much before the games began.
"Admiral Helena Cain will be taking out of her busy schedule to supervise us blowing the hell out of one another. Pegasus is in dock while some new equipment is outfitted. There'll be two commanders on the flagships for this to send reports to Cain. Commander Alfred Cunningham will be positioned on Victorious while you will have Commander Katherine Henderson keeping busy on Hermes."
"How did you find all this out?" Bowman asked, wondering how Tolan knew all these specifics that he did not.
"Being an admiral does have its benefits, and I asked nicely with a charming smile."
"Enough about the games, let's have some beer and watch this game," Bowman said.
BSG-66, in the orbit of Caprica:
"Colonel Woods, have you spoken with Admiral Tolan lately?" Rear Admiral Aylen Shikoba asked from the heavy cruiser Typhon, the flagship of the combined cruiser and faststar task forces that made up the smaller units of BSG-66.
"Not for some time, he received word from Admiral Wilson that he was to report here tomorrow before the war games begin. That's all I know at the moment," Colonel Bridget Woods said.
"I'm sure he'll let me know when I'm relieved from commanding the battle group. For the record there is no official betting pool for these war games, but if there were and you were inclined to join in know that the odds are three-to-one in our favor. One more thing, congratulations on the impending promotion," Shikoba said before she had the connection severed.
Woods smiled at the thought that after the war games she would be promoted to the rank of Commander and receive her own battlestar to command. The Illustrious-class Kios, a sister ship of the Victorious, would be her ship to carve out her own legacy and do justice to all the faith Scott Tolan had showed in her throughout her career.
She looked at the clock and saw that it was now time for the shift change, right now the prospect of some rack time sounded pretty sweet to her. She waited for the personnel in the CIC to finish the turnover before she decided to leave.
"Mr. Omega, you are now Officer of the Watch," Woods informed Ensign Travis Omega before she left the CIC to head to her quarters.
BSG-58, in the orbit of Caprica:
Colonel Caleb Dytto could barely keep his disgust to himself. There was little doubt that Commander Artimus Bowman was down on Caprica either wasting time with his wife or spending time with 'the enemy' of the upcoming exercise. A part of his mind reasoned that it was somewhat connected to his not being promoted to command the Hermes, a fact that had colored his feelings towards Bowman considerably.
"Any word yet from the CO?" Dytto asked Petty Officer Aurelius Bartlett.
"Sir, I received a communiqué from Commander Bowman informing you that he would be arriving at 0945 tomorrow."
"You're just now telling me this, why didn't you let me know right away?" Dytto asked, venting some of his frustration at the young petty officer.
"It was in the morning traffic and it had been received not even five minutes ago."
"Well next time make sure you have your priorities in order," Dytto said in disgust before moving out of the way of one of the technicians installing the equipment needed for the war games.
"Watch where you're going," he said to a woman who almost bumped into him.
"Oh excuse me," said the young woman but Dytto didn't even glance down at her. The young woman watched as Dytto walked out of CIC and silently swore at him before smiling as some dark thought entered her mind.
One of the other technicians walked up to her and handed her a report. "Here you go Miss Inviere. We've finished installing the laser targeting systems on the forward guns."
"Very good," said Gina Inviere. "Well there's not much more I can do here. My shuttle leaves for Victorious in a few minutes. You're in charge until I get back."
Inviere left the CIC and began to make her way to the hangar deck when her mobile phone began to buzz. She looked at the number and recognized immediately who it was, "Hello," she said after accepting the call.
"Change of plans, you're needed on the Pegasus. One of your sisters has already worked it out so that you're going to be the one overseeing the overhaul," croaked a voice that she recognized as belonging to her fellow Cylon, Number One from his location in Caprica City.
"I've uploaded the backdoor onto the ships in the Hermes battle group, now it's just a matter of getting over to the other group and installing it there," Inviere said in an attempt to get more time to complete her mission.
"We'll turn it over to one of the Twos or Fours, right now I need you to get over to Pegasus and start preparing it for our plan," One said as he ended the call.
Battlestar Hermes Officers Wardroom:
"So CAG, are you going to get the job one against the enemy?" Captain Morris 'Mo' Albertson asked the commander of the Hermes' air group.
"Don't worry about me Mo, after all the training we've done we'll do the ship proud," Major Alex 'Griffin' Adonia said as he took a sip from his glass of water.
The mood in the wardroom was relaxed as the pilots milled about making small talk though most of the conversation found its way to a discussion of the upcoming war games.
"Don't we have one of the pilots from the Vic on here?" Magma asked.
"That would be our man C.C. over here," Lieutenant John 'Lancer' Havens said as he pointed out Ensign Christopher 'C.C.' Catron.
"I did one tour on there then got transferred to Hermes," Catron said in an attempt to diffuse things but it only brought on more catcalls from the pilots in the room.
"Don't feel too bad there C.C. you're not the only one who should feel uncomfortable," Lieutenant Aaron 'Stinger' Bolenko said as he turned to another one of the pilots in the room, "Wouldn't you know it, Lt. Cynthia 'Flash' Heath also did a tour with BSG-66 only she was over on the Helios."
Battlestar Victorious Officers Wardroom:
At the same time on the Victorious the pilots were engaged in similar activities. Major Tim Nash, the CAG of the Victorious, had taken the time to post what he dubbed 'bulletin board material' in the wardroom so the pilots could see some quotes that would help to inspire them for the upcoming war games.
"Do you think it's going to work?" Lt. Jamaal 'Big Daddy' Powers asked as he and a group of pilots walked away from the board.
"Don't think too hard Big Daddy, we'll give those guys a demonstration of some real flying," Ensign Alejandra 'Grass' Santos said as she patted Powers on the back.
"We're going to do just fine, we got something they don't…our own lucky charm," Ensign Jamie 'Cashew' Hamilton said as she held up the arm of Lt. Larsen 'Magic' Banks. Since the time spent on the Columbia as an ensign, Banks had earned a reputation of being a lucky charm for the ship. It seemed the reputation followed him when was promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to the Victorious.
"Sure they're not the toasters, but we're still going to kick us some ass out there," Lt. Daphne 'Cassiopeia' Sari said as she took a drink of the beer she had been nursing for part of her time there in the room.
"Cassiopeia's right," Nash said as he stood in the center of the group of pilots, "we're going to go out there and win this war game. Admiral Tolan would expect nothing less of us, and I know all of you would not want to let him down."
"You got that right," Ensign Raquel "Gold" Maddox said in agreement.
"We're going to go out there and show those guys in BSG-58 what we're made of," Nash said before shouting, "So say we all!"
The other pilots joined in and soon the chant of 'So say we all' was reverberating off of the wood-paneled walls of the wardroom.
All over BSG-58 and BSG-66 pilots were having conversations such as this. The fighter pilot mentality is to always prove you are the best. Be it in combat or in a simple training exercise, it didn't matter. You went out there and you gave it everything as though your life always depended upon it. It wasn't simply bravado. Training this hard was the only way to possibly prepare yourself for that one day when you finally go into combat.
Taussig Nebula
The research ship Laertes, formerly of the Colonial Science Society, stayed at the outer edge of the Taussig Nebula. It had been two years now since the vessel had been taken out of service and designated for disposal. A group of buyers had come through with an offer to purchase the ship and use it in the research capacity it had served in before its decommissioning. To the untrained eye it would have seemed to be a simple science vessel on a research mission. However the interior of the ship showed an entirely different story. There were copies of all seven Cylon models onboard this vessel and they were there for a simple mission. The observance of the war games between the opposing battlestar groups would provide them with data that could prove useful in understanding the tactics that the Colonial Fleet had developed in the forty years since the end of the war.